A Birthday & a Film Festival

Inside Soho

The Delicious Cake

Yesterday was Montana's 21st birthday so a few of us went out to celebrate.  The first place we wanted to go was sadly going to be full until it closed at 9:00pm (it was roughly 8:15pm).  But we went to a place we had passed many times called Soho.  Inside it was fully decked out with the holiday spirit which was a little intense, but overall very nice.  Almost all of us ordered the flourless chocolate cake.  It was delicious.

Cork Opera House

Today was one of the many days in the Cork Film Festival (technically the Corona Cork Film Festival).  Since I only had class today from 12:00pm-1:00pm, I decided to go to see a collection of Irish short films at the Cork Opera House at 2:00pm.  After a bit of confusion with tickets and where I was supposed to go (I'm fairly certain I ended up in the Press Lounge), I found a seat in the theatre.  I was the furthest up person and I was in the sixth row, although two people did later join me in the row.

The Crowd Inside the Opera House

A man came out and introduced the directors of the films who were in the audience, most of whom were in the audience.  He also instructed us on how to vote for the Audience Pick Award (or something like that, I don't quite remember the name).  We were to rank our top three favorites of the shorts with a 1, 2, or 3.  In the end I think I mostly voted for the films that I felt were short films as opposed to the excerpts from other films.  Overall I enjoyed being there and I got to see eight short films for five euro so that's not bad.

Now though I'm going to post my thoughts on the films.

Fear of Flying:  A small bird with a fear of flying tries to avoid heading south for the winter.
This one was very cute but the animation was a bit of an odd mix of things.  It also ended kind of suddenly, but in the end I did give this one my 3 slot.

Luna:  A young man stumbles across a mushroom ring and enters another world.
This one was beautifully shot and there was a definite story, but I thought it would've worked better as purely a dance piece.  I also couldn't quite figure out why, but something about it made it feel too staged.

Sassie's Gran:  Jean Elliot graced catwalks in the 1960s.  Now her grandson Scott follows in her stilettos.
This piece was very sweet.  Scott pretty much has one of the most amazing and accepting grandmothers out there, but this was one of the pieces that I felt was just an excerpt.  It didn't stand on its own as a short film, maybe as a long, and very well done PSA, but not a complete piece.

Bas Arto Leary (Death of Arto Leary):  Arto Leary and Brid Ni Chonaill share an illicit moment, a moment that will change their lives forever.
This is the pieces that got my 1 slot.  The acting in it was amazing and it was actually a short film, not an excerpt.  The story was compelling (if somewhat poorly described in the catalog) and all of the characters were interesting.  This film would be a very interesting one to discuss.

Buried in Light:  The burial mound Tulach a' tSolias brings the past and present together while also signifying loss and death.
This piece was beautifully shot, but to me it did not convey enough of a story.  Again, it seemed sort of like the opening sequence to what would be a really cool film, but it did nothing for me standing on its own.

Saving Turf:  How does the ban on turf cutting affect 30,000 families that rely on this precious fuel source?
Again, this one felt like an excerpt.  It got me slightly interested in the subject, but it would make much full length documentary because there wasn't enough substance behind it for it to stand on its own.

Eat the Danger:  Andy doesn't want to get his socks wet.
This one was just bizarre.  It starts off with two people, one lying in bed, and one on the floor (I believe this one is Andy).  The one in the bed accuses the one on the floor of taking his shoes.  Andy then leaves to go to his house but does it by going hand over hand on a wire that connected the two places.  Then a wolf wearing a Zorro style mask breaks into his house.  I can't fully describe how weird and, at times, a disturbing this film was.

No Messages:  One long day in the life of Dave, a barman who's stuck in emotional limbo.
By process of elimination you must've guessed that this one got my 2 slot.  What I really enjoyed about this film is that all of the characters seemed so real and the audience got a chance to know them in the 18 minutes of the film.  It was also a complete story.  Not one that ended in happily ever after, but it clearly ended at a turning point for Dave.