Please stay tuned for more articles, news and anything at all film-related over the next few months. (And apologies for the extended break-time..oops!)

Gem

Updates!

For news on the success that was the 3rd Mutant Shorts and info on the upcoming 4th Mutant Shorts competition, please visit the Mutant Shorts blog (also managed by myself..I’d only be repeating myself here!).

Of course, the answers to these questions are unknowable. However, the “What If” storyline has appealed to audiences from as far back as one Christmas, when Jimmy Stewart stood on a bridge, holding a heavy rock and wished that he had never been born. This possible originator of the plot device, and certainly most famous example, is the seminal Christmas staple, It’s A Wonderful Life. Jimmy Stewart is shown an alternate reality where he was never born, and he sees the detrimental effect this has on his hometown and his loved ones. He is shown this future by an angel, in order to convince him that his life is worth living. The idea is a memorable one, and has provided writers with a compelling, easy to copy plot device. While the forementioned Shrek movie and Nicholas Cage drama, the Family Man, are cinematic examples, the “What if” scenario is most popularly used in TV. In fact, It is practically a tradition in television shows, next to the musical episode and the clip show episode. It pops up in a wide range of shows, including Futurama, Friends, Buffy, Nip/tuck, and Doctor Who. It is generally a mid season filler and a chance for writers to throw their characters into unfamiliar terriority, with no consequences on the overall story. We get to see Rachel and Chandler as a couple. We see the world decimated by aliens. A recent show did try to be more ambitious with the “What If”. The “flash sideways” which formed part of the final series of Lost was a season long “What if”, and fed directly into an ending  which caused  some viewers remove the “if” and just say “what?”

Overall, the “What if” endures as it appeals to a common instinct. Everyone has at some point looked over their life and thought how path untaken may have led to vastly different destination. It may be pertinent to note that in most cases, the alternate realities are far worse than the original. Jimmy Stewart’s Hometown is awash with crime and poverty in his absence. Without Buffy there are very few humans left in Sunnydale, and in the case of Futurama, the universe implodes. It is good to know that, no matter what decisions you make in life, you could have easily made far worse ones. For example, you could go to see Shrek 4 instead of Toy Story 3.

As in 'The Birds', sitting rooms can see all sorts of drama

Yup, the Mutant Shorts filmmaking competition is around again. And the supposed deadline is this June 4th..which actually means you had just better get your film in some time before June 17th when all entries will be screened at the Savoy theatre at 8pm. Just like last time the prize is a handy 5 days worth of free equipment rental from Cork Film Centre. Don’t forget that the competition is open to people from all over the country.

This time around the challenge again involves using a particular location and following on with the ‘Rooms’ series, a sitting room must be used in some shape of form in your short film. Films must not be longer than ten minutes.

All details are available at the Mutant Shorts blog, at the Facebook page and over at the official MutantSpace events page where you can also check out the other events taking place this June.

Don’t forget that all non-filmmakers are invited to come and view the screenings…entry fee is €5.

We at the Stub have also been up to Mutant Shorts filmmaking ourselves; check out the Gifted Babies site for all the insider info..

In Associaton with Crewger.ie

Crewger’s ‘Abbeyfest Documentary Film Competition‘  has been officially launched. The film competition is just one of many events that will take place as part of Abbeyfest 2010, running from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th of June.

Here’s the details about the film comp as sent by Crewger to The Stub:

Following the massive success of the very first Abbeyfest and the 48 Hour Film Experiment in 2009, Crewger.com are returning with an exciting event based around this year’s ‘Abbeyfest Music and Arts Festival’ that will combine the best elements of both.

If you are a filmmaker looking to turn a project around in record time, to have that project seen by an esteemed panel of adjudicators and to have your film screened as part of one of Ireland’s most exciting new festivals, then this is the competition for you.

5 teams will be given the challenge of shooting a documentary on the people and history of Abbeyleix.

The competition is open to all Crewger members, and prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

Best Film
Audience Award
Best Use of Social Networking Tools

The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 11th at a special screening event in the town of Abbeyleix. There will also be a follow on screening event in D Light Studios on Friday July 9th.

Prizes and Judges:

This years adjudicators include Vanessa Gildea (award winning director of ‘The White Dress’ and producer of ‘Dambe: The Mali Project’) and Ross Whitaker award winning director of ‘Bye Bye Now’ and ‘Saviours’.

 Last year the Crewger Team collected nearly €1,400 worth of prizes from parties such as Filmbase, GFD Communications Ltd, Film Works and Conns Camera’s. We are confident that this years prizes we will almost double that amount.

Filmbase have confirmed their contribution to this year’s hamper worth over €500 – a voucher for training worth €200 and 5 free Filmbase memberships for the winning team members. Film Works have also pledged the rental of a full lighting kit for 5 days.

For information on further prizes, please visit www.crewger.com. .

For details on how to enter the competition, rules and regulations and important deadlines please visit our dedicated competitions page here.

For more information about Abbeyfest, please visit www.abbeyfest.com.

 Like most new mothers the word Routine is the most common word we have in our vocabulary. We use it when talking to haggard other mothers ‘is your little one is a routine yet?’ to bored  friends ‘no she’s not in a routine yet’, to hopeful spouses…’please god she’ll go into a routine soon’. Yet when your little one is refusing point blank to have her routine nap on a Wednesday morning, there’s worse things you can do than head along to the cinema and forget about the R word for a couple of hours.

As an avid film buff the hardest part of motherhood for me (apart from the usual complaints like sleep deprivation etc) was film deprivation. No more ‘I’ll meet you in the foyer in ten minutes’, ‘I’ll buy the tickets online’ or ‘yeah lets go to the late showing for a change’ now it takes military precision and timing needing additional troops (to watch your precious bundle of joy). Frankly it’s not worth the hassle, ‘so lets just wait for the DVD’ becomes your new turn of phrase.  Well new parents/film buffs fear not. There is salvation out there in the form of The Big Scream. Running monthly in the Omniplex Mahon Point, it’s a baby friendly screening of a movie that allows you to bring in baby, buggy and of course your film deprived self. Outside snacks aren’t frowned upon (babies aren’t popcorns biggest fans), breast feeding isn’t prohibited and best of all no matter how much noise your little one makes, no one is frowning at you, they’re too busy trying to keep their little one quiet.

Date Night

The screening itself was the latest Tina Fey, Steve Carrell vehicle ‘Date Night’ a harmless comedy that doesn’t break any new cinematic ground but rumbles along quite nicely. A case of mistaken identity leads married couple-in- a-rut The Fosters (Fey & Carrell doing their usual schtick) on a wild night around the isle of Manhattan. Featuring  corrupt cops, mobsters and some clever cameos Date Night is pleasant and light. CinematicalIy I’d normally give a film like this 5 out of 10 but for getting me out of the dreaded R word even for just a couple of hours its up there with Citizen Kane.

Contact www.omniplex.ie for future Big Scream screenings.

Written by Róisín Thornhill

Who said we couldn’t find a film link to the fact that it’s Cork fashion week?

And some tip-offs to interesting links..

The Tim Burton Collective is a nice site dedicated to Burton’s movies.

Or if you’d rather Wes Anderson, you should check out The Rushmore Academy.

Going a bit girly then with Frocktalk.com, “the web’s only costume-based movie review site”!

And if you really need to think about something other than film, you could do worse than sporcle.com. It’s not really time-wasting, not when you’re perfecting your knowledge of European countries..or Simpson’s characters.

Also don’t forget to check out the MIC Facebook page.

Why, the new look Stub is somethin' else

The Spring cleaning urge kind of got the better of us around here so feast your eyes on the new look..there’s even actual ticket stubs on display (so now there’s no excuse not to get the reference). The blog also has two new (and not so new) editors, Cethan (creator of the comic strips) and Fiona (of many a Stub article). Woohoo!

He then sets about becoming one himself, purchasing a lime green and yellow scuba suit (not the best for camouflage but eh..it’s a movie), and patrolling the streets with some batons, and some not so honed fighting skills.

Nothing like a few forward lunges to tone those superhero muscles before a night on patrol...

I’d like to say this is the most interesting thing about the film, the lone man who breaks the mould. The mould being of course, that only people with superpowers (excepting Batman of course), can become superheroes, making a stand against crime.

But Kick Ass isn’t the only one. And I’m not talking about Big Daddy or Hit Girl who also appear in the film as (infinitely superior) dressed up dynamos. I’m talking about Real Life Superheroes, most of whom are recorded on The World Superhero Registry (WSR) (http://www.worldsuperheroregistry.com/world_superhero_registry_gallery.htm) These are the vigilante crime fighters who’ve taken to the streets in places like Arizona, Michigan, and NYC, Kick Ass’ home city.

In fact there seems no end to the number of individuals who’ve lived the Kick Ass dream, long before he hit our screens. The Black Monday Society patrol the streets of Salt Lake City, Utah, boasting members like the long haired Ghost, the mysterious Insignis and Oni, with a mask that puts me in mind of a more ominous V for Vendetta.

While in the film, Kick Ass, along with Big Daddy, and Hit Girl appear to operate on their own terms, those belonging to the WSR, must follow some basic and well advised guidelines.

1. They must not carry guns or knives as they will be arrested as vigilantes. For this reason, Hit Girl if she was ever caught would be spending a lengthy period in the juvenile system. (Although it is still vaguely impressive that a 12 year old should know so much about weaponology)
2. They must create their own costumes without infringing on Marvel or DC copyright.
3. A good name is essential.
4. They must adopt a philosophy which promises to do no harm, aims to exhibit sound judgement, and fairness in their dealing with criminals.

Essentially they are representatives, with a message, and a visibility on the streets. They don’t quite adopt the destructiveness of Hit Girl and Big Daddy, but instead like Kick Ass (after he realizes he can’t exactly go out beating up gangs without serious and foolish risks to himself) they offer a service and assistance, often through their websites. Citizen Prime (a father and businessman in real life), who patrols the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, says he even helped a motorist change a tyre once. In most cases, these masked crusaders, seem to be upstanding citizens, just trying to make a small change.

However some are quicker to dispatch with their own safety, like The Black Monday Society of Utah, who interrupt drug deals and take on armed thugs. And just like our regular guy Dave aka Kick Ass, who gets stabbed the first time he tries out heroism, some Real Life Superheroes have had hard times. Over a year ago in December 2008, a hero from L.A., called Mr Invisible, gave up his attempt at an alter ego after been punched by a girl who’s screaming boyfriend he was trying to calm down. The informatively named, Master Legend of Florida was attacked by a man with a hammer.

The best of Utah, The Black Monday Society

Perhaps even a greater risk, however, is the risk of being dubbed insane and sent to a psychiatric institution. Black Owl, another L.A. Defender ended up in such an institution, and had to rely on his teenage daughter to get him out.

Thus an active website and frequent presence in the media, is important for Real Life Heroes, to validate them, and their state of mind. Kick Ass benefits from having his vigilante actions recorded by bystanders and uploaded to youtube. Even though the classic comic superheroes were around long before the Internet, it seems today’s collective of caped citizens must embrace the power of the World Wide Web to help their crusade. We might laugh at Kick Ass answering request for help emails, and smirk at his blog updating, but this is how the world works. The Internet brings these real life heroes together, keeping the lines of communications open, and more importantly, keeping them up to date on what’s happening in the world. A real life Peter Parker might have reinvented his famous phrase, and commented that ‘With great knowledge comes great power’ . Whether one actually needs to dress up and change one’s name to gain power in society, is, of course, a different question, one Kick Ass might do well to ask sometime.