I am always captivated by the success of micro budget films, particularly when they’re feature débuts and the latest in that pantheon is Gareth Edward‘s Monsters. It comes in at an unbelievable $15,000, however when you watch the Blu-Ray extras, you realise that Edwards wrote, directed, DOP’d and created all 250 FX shots (with no green screen or tracking points). In a bid to launch a career, I’m pretty sure these jobs represented a zero value on the films budget.

Monsters has done what it was designed to do, make money for the producers and launch a VFX specialist as a sought after director, while at the same time entertaining it’s audience. The film is not really an original concept, nor is it a memorable story, but perhaps its greatest achievement is throwing into stark relief the bloated hollywood FX/Star driven vacuous extravaganzas that have come to dominate our cineplexs. Yet another assault on a dying dogma that believes, if you throw enough money at a films production and marketing, at least one will make enough dosh to cover the loses of the many. However, recent box office figures suggest the audience has had enough and are turning up in depleted numbers. But isn’t Monsters just one such film made for a pittance? Well not really, but even if it were, its price tag somehow makes that OK.

What’s truly remarkable about Monsters is that it came together at all. Shooting began with nothing more than an outline. The crew was made up of Edwards, a sound recordist, line producer and editor. The cast consisted of two actors and small parts were recruited locally, many of which couldn’t speak English. But what makes this film really work are the two lead actors Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able. Two talented actors who were familiar with each other before Monsters and considering so much improv and ad lib was called for, this was a major plus.

Ireland is a country where we can afford to make nothing but low budget movies and in reality, those budgets are wildly extravagant compared to Edward’s debut feature. So at the end of the day, it really does come down to talent. Being able to recognise it, resource it and applaud it.

I was recently awarded a First draft loan by the Irish Film Board for a feature project called Miles To Go. I will be blogging soon about the progress of that project.

Hailed as a strong and decisive leader on his appointment to the top job, Brian Cowen has managed to confound both his supporters and critics in equal measure. Among the many questions we are left asking after two years of his stewardship, surely the most pertinent is “What was Bertie thinking by positioning his finance minister for Taoiseach?” As always with Bertie, I believe he knew exactly what he was doing. The former Taoiseach is nothing, if not ruthlessly ambitious. By the time he knew his days were numbered, he very quickly set out his path to the big white house in the park and knew that he would have to seal the door shut behind him in Government buildings to ensure that no blame or criticism followed him on his quest for the Presidency. Brian Cowen held many cabinet positions and managed to distinguish himself in none. Seeing the ominous dark clouds on our horizon a lot sooner than we think, why did Bertie choose a successor who quite clearly would not be up to the task ahead.

In Fianna Fail, loyalty above all else is expected, treasured and rewarded and if nothing else Brian Cowen possessed it in bucket loads. If a leadership contest were to take place in the wake of Bertie’s departure, God forbid, a young turk could have risen to the top, a la Obama, who owed nothing to Bertie and while he or she struggled to steer our ship through very dark waters, would be always free to point the finger at Bertie and Biffo et al and say, “Look, I’m really sorry about this mess, but they caused it, I’m only trying to fix it. Give me a hand and we’ll get through this”. That possibility could never be countenanced, not matter how improbable. So quite apart from all the actions and inactions perpetrated on us by the affable Bertie, (Ah Jaysus lads), it is my belief that Biffo’s elevation at his hand, if not the most damaging of them all, was at least the final blow.

So what’s William Shakespeare got to do with all of this? Quite rightly we hold the man in high esteem for his uncanny ability to reveal the human heart in all it’s manifestations and gory detail. Of all of his fine plays, one of his lesser known is “Coriolanus”. It tells the story of a brave and loyal army General and servant of Rome, who because of his heroic exploits on the field of battle, finds himself persauded to run for the Roman Senate. For the first time in his life, he must converse with and seek the support of the common people or plebeian in order to secure his seat and finds it impossible to hide his contempt for them. Going so far as to insult and threaten them, Coriolanus finds himself, through the machinations of some cunning and manipulative politicians, cast out of Rome. The story goes on from there, but for our purposes we can stop here. Coriolanus was revered by his men as a warrior who feared nobody and so they gave of their affection and loyalty, without question. His flaw was that he was true to himself. He held in high esteem those who shed blood for him and Rome and felt nothing short of indifference, even contempt for the soft yet complaining citizens of that same city. And if he is to be admired, it is for his unwillingness to pretend to be someone he was not. Anyone else see the parallel?

So is Brian Cowen a bad man? No, not at all. By all accounts he is affable and witty, kind to animals and children, a strong family man with decent human values. He just found himself at the wrong end of the machinations of the most cunning and ruthless of them all.

What’s this got to do with a blog about film. Not a lot I will admit and I did point out that other subject matter would sneak in every now and then. Except this, I am working on an adaptation of Coriolanus for film. Yes I know, Ralph Fiennes has has just completed his adaptation. While I haven’t seen it yet, I have no doubt it’s a very fine film. The adaptation I have in mind would have a very different take on the subject matter and no, it’s not Biffo the movie.

Shot in a day on a budget of a grand, “Bitches Coven” is a film inspired by the night our country was enslaved and shackled to the service of the banks and I began to wonder exactly what goes on behind closed doors when the powerful and elite gather. Call me a conspiracy theorist and you could be right – it was a lot of fun to do, let me know what you think. They may take our money, but they will never take our FREEEDOMM!!!! A very big thanks to all involved.

It was also important to do something which could form the basis of a long form project such as a feature or TV drama: “The Further Adventures of Emily Stark”