After viewing
In Bruges last night, and having just celebrated St. Patrick's Day, I got to thinking about all things Irish. Ireland is arguably most famous for birthing the famous writers Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats. But namely I began thinking about my favorite Irish thespians! Therefore this is a post in the fashion of
"The Scottish Vacuum of Charm", with half the number of Irish actors that pack the same amount of punch! Ah, I do love Celtic culture.
Cillian Murphy hails from Cork, Ireland and first made a splash as bike courier Jim who awakes from a coma in London to find the city in a complete shambles in Danny Boyle's
28 Days Later (which also features Brendan Gleeson! see next). What's not to love about him. Gorgeous, intense blue eyes and...that face! Beautiful as a man OR a woman. Other notable roles include Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in
Batman Begins, Jackson Rippner in
Red Eye, Damien in
The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Robert Capa in
Sunshine (my favorite role of his thus far). Lots of films of his that I still need to see!
Of late Brendan Gleeson (Dublin, Ireland) is best known for his portrayal of Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody in the
Harry Potter films and Wiglaf in
Beowulf, but I remember him first as Hamish Campbell, best (childhood) friend and badass comrade of Mel Gibson's character William Wallace in
Braveheart! I loved him as Frank in
28 Days Later, and of course Ken in
In Bruges. He brings a steady, solid demeanor to his often mentor-like roles; he's the embodiment of a big heart within a big body.
Liam Neeson, from Northern Ireland is probably best known for his role as Oskar Schindler in
Schindler's List, Qui-Gon Jinn in the
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Alfred Kinsey in
Kinsey, and for providing the voice of Aslan in the
Chronicles of Narnia. My favorite roles of his are Daniel in
Love Actually and Henri Ducard in
Batman Begins, though it is safe to say I like every role he is in. And next he's set to play Abraham Lincoln! Quiet but commanding, earnest and thoughtful, I love watching Liam Neeson onscreen.
To be honest I have only watched this Dubliner in
Bend It Like Beckham and parts of
Velvet Goldmine and
Mission Impossible III! Oh the shame. Haven't seen
Match Point,
August Rush, or the acclaimed TV series
The Tudors, so I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of viewing Jonathan Rhys-Meyer's
talent, but he sure is gorgeous.
You probably all know who Colin Farrell is, I don't think I need to bother reminding you about his roles in Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, Alexander, S.W.A.T. - I've seen three of the six mentioned (hangs head in shame). I would however like to see his performance in
The New World, and I am itching to see his coverage in the tri/quad-role of Tony in Terry Gilliam's
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (quick FYI - the last role of Heath Ledger that had to be recasted with Johnny Depp, Jude Law & Colin Farrell - but preserving Heath's performance). In my younger years I remember his 'Hollywood bad-boy' reputation and rolling my eyes at him, but he's okay as an actor... and easy on the eyes. Rawr.
Other notable Irish actors that I did not include:
Pierce Brosnan, Gabriel Byrne, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Gambon, Dylan Moran, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole.
I will most likely be dumping an obscene amount of photos, mostly of my Westies, all over the blog because, at the moment I have nothing much better to talk about! This is me gushing all over my pets because I didn't really get to do this as a child. :)
Cillian Murphy hails from Cork, Ireland and first made a splash as bike courier Jim who awakes from a coma in London to find the city in a complete shambles in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later (which also features Brendan Gleeson! see next). What's not to love about him. Gorgeous, intense blue eyes and...that face! Beautiful as a man OR a woman. Other notable roles include Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in Batman Begins, Jackson Rippner in Red Eye, Damien in The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Robert Capa in Sunshine (my favorite role of his thus far). Lots of films of his that I still need to see!
Of late Brendan Gleeson (Dublin, Ireland) is best known for his portrayal of Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody in the Harry Potter films and Wiglaf in Beowulf, but I remember him first as Hamish Campbell, best (childhood) friend and badass comrade of Mel Gibson's character William Wallace in Braveheart! I loved him as Frank in 28 Days Later, and of course Ken in In Bruges. He brings a steady, solid demeanor to his often mentor-like roles; he's the embodiment of a big heart within a big body.
Liam Neeson, from Northern Ireland is probably best known for his role as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Alfred Kinsey in Kinsey, and for providing the voice of Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia. My favorite roles of his are Daniel in Love Actually and Henri Ducard in Batman Begins, though it is safe to say I like every role he is in. And next he's set to play Abraham Lincoln! Quiet but commanding, earnest and thoughtful, I love watching Liam Neeson onscreen. 
To be honest I have only watched this Dubliner in Bend It Like Beckham and parts of Velvet Goldmine and Mission Impossible III! Oh the shame. Haven't seen Match Point, August Rush, or the acclaimed TV series The Tudors, so I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of viewing Jonathan Rhys-Meyer's talent, but he sure is gorgeous.
You probably all know who Colin Farrell is, I don't think I need to bother reminding you about his roles in Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, Alexander, S.W.A.T. - I've seen three of the six mentioned (hangs head in shame). I would however like to see his performance in The New World, and I am itching to see his coverage in the tri/quad-role of Tony in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (quick FYI - the last role of Heath Ledger that had to be recasted with Johnny Depp, Jude Law & Colin Farrell - but preserving Heath's performance). In my younger years I remember his 'Hollywood bad-boy' reputation and rolling my eyes at him, but he's okay as an actor... and easy on the eyes. Rawr.
Giant hearts, lush flowers (sometimes in unexpected places), the sea breeze, the misty atmosphere, people milling about, the hum and clang of transportation, rolling hills. I think I belong there.
Danny Boyle is wonderful because everything I've seen by him to date I have absolutely loved, or else have been completely blown away by. He's done them all - drug film, zombie film, family film, sci-fi film, bollywood-ish film - and he excels with every single one. I am happy for him about his Slumdog Millionaire sweep at the Oscars, but I could care less about him getting so much acclaim right now because I have loved and will love him all the same.
His films are challenging, complex, dark, bizarre, and a gorgeous sight to behold. He doesn't care what people think of his films, so long as they make one THINK. And best of all he doesn't bother to explain his films - you the viewer have to make what you make of it.
Pure poetry. I didn't fall for black and white foreign films until Bergman. His impeccable narrative is so personal, yet relate-able. The themes he explores in his film are as real as life, heartbreaking, damaging, and redeeming. Best of all, he knows what it is like to be a child.
This should go on without explanation.
The youngest and... lightest of this bunch? Everything Edgar Wright touches is pure comedy gold. Everyone needs some brevity in their heavy heavy lives, no? Edgar Wright is the source for when I need some funny. <3
P.T. is a funny one. After seeing one of his films I usually don't like it right away, but each time it'll get stuck under my skin, and as I let my thoughts stew, I just appreciate it more and more. And they are strangely unforgettable. A quality I'd like to have, if that makes sense.
Phillippe's. top to bottom - split pea soup; pork french-dip sandwich with a side of potato salad; bowl of chili; $.75 glass of lemonade; our meal!
"My eyes burning and hand crumbling, I felt like I was performing some pathetic martyrdom -- but for what cause?
"You cannot betray your identity for too long, or it will die. If you hear it screaming, if it undergoes the slightest torture, you must protect it, you must be your own rescuer."
look what arrived today.
one of the slides I shot for my photo class. exposure something like ten seconds.
This one is absolutely perfect. I read it while listening to Sigur Ros. I can't even believe how many of the same childhood thoughts I shared with the novelist/artist Craig Thompson, though not as eloquently, nor poetic, nor as heart-wrenching. This is the first book of my adulthood that has made me cry.
Terry Gilliam's brilliant take on a 1984-ish world, wrought with stunning visuals, excellent themes and wonderful acting.
I watched this two years ago and it did not invoke the same effect it did for me today upon my second viewing. It gave me unbelievable chills.
"So, in sum, what are we? We are the creatures that know and know too much. That leaves us with such a burden again we have a choice, to laugh or cry. No other animal does either. We do both, depending on the season and the need. Somehow, I feel the carnival watches, to see which we're doing and how and why, and moves in on us when it feels we're ripe."
