Totally Dublin

Arthur Miller’s classic diatribe against the capitalist system, anchored by a masterful performance from Harris Yulin, is given a competent and thorough, if somewhat colourless, production at the Gate Theatre.

Directed by David Esbjornson, his occlusive approach emphasises the causes of Willie’s problems rather than the effect of his actions, the ultimate result being a stimulation of thought over feeling.

The production value is high, with a great set, minimal props and a pleasant enough score by Dennis Clohessy, although perhaps a little too melodramatic for the subject at hand.

Yulin is terrific as Lohman, drowning in delusion and sinking anyone who comes close enough to help. The plot juxtaposes between the past and the present, the real and the imagined and he deftly dances between the different states of consciousness. The tiny shifts in character that Yulin makes when portraying Willie the father, Willie the husband, Willie the brother and Willie the friend are what makes this such a fully realised performance.

What we know now and what they knew then has dissipated Lohman’s effectiveness as a tragic character. The stock of the American Dream has plunged significantly in the past sixty years and the true tragedy is not Willie’s desperate need to be well liked, but rather the trickle down effect it has on his family. This production though, like Rough Magic’s Earnest, is built around its Matinée idol, with few strong character decisions made for the supporting cast.

Garret Lombard is a solid Biff, seeing through the dissembled mess his father has created and desperately trying to untangle himself. Deirdre Donnelly a mumsy, insular Linda wages a futile war against her sons, trying to keep one from repeating the sins of his father while trying to keep the other from exiling him. It’s a vocally impressive and facially expressive performance, but she is trapped physically, rarely moving below the neck. Rory Nolan, though nailing the accent, is never allowed make Hap a character with any problems of his own, his desperate cry for attention is played for comedic effect, with no sign of the insecurity stemming from the overlooked little boy who resides within him.

While I understand the desire to put together the strongest ensemble you can, Barry McGovern brings nothing to his minute part, distracting from, rather than adding anything to the piece. Compare that with Elizabeth Moynihan’s Jenny, and you have a character who is fully believable off stage.

There are other directorial flaws like Stephen Brennan’s Uncle Ben’s reappearance amongst the audience towards the end of act two, pulls focus and loses much of the intimacy Esbjornson’s production earns as compensation for the small playing space while the changes in time and reality are not clear enough. There is also too defeated a feeling in the air from the start, perhaps unavoidable so, as the play is so well-known but even the moments of hope are saturated in a heavy-handed woe.

Despite this, it is still one of the most solid shows we’ve had this year, but given the talent involved you can’t help but feel slightly disappointed.

Read the new issue? You might have noticed the above bulletin. Taking us up on the challenge? Your deadline is Monday April the 19th. Send all entries, or any question to us by then at editor at totallydublin dot ie and there might be several thousand copies of your creative rapidness all over Dublin next month. Entries can use any medium imaginable, so long as we can print it on our floppy paper. The design can be as simple or abstract as you like.

Grab our template right here.

You’re A Spar

Our launch party this edition was graced by the Rubberbandits, Wounds, a former Minister for Defence, one seriously impressive beard, and two Gardaí. And quite a lot of Dubliners. Special thanks to everybody who transcended the lack of free alcohol, to the vocal cords that sang along with the curse-y choruses (we’re not sure if Wounds’ ‘ALL OUR FRIENDS/DEAD DEAD FUCKING DEAD’ or Rubberbandits’ ‘Fuck yer Honda Civic, I’ve a horse outside’ was more popular) , and the young one who smudged her tits up against the smoking area window during the Rubberbandits (sadly, the eagle eyes of Sharp Shock missed, or chose to omit the Bandits’ “biggest fans”). Shout out, as ever, to Orlando and to Simon, and a gratitude to Wounds for tidying up after themselves, and the Rubberbandits for bringing their own bags.

More shots after the jump.

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Well, we’ve kept this under our Adidas hoods long enough - issue 67’s already on the streets and in the Tescos, but we’re launching it in louder fashion this Friday, with special help from Willie O’Dea’s favourite glue-fiends, the Rubberbandits, and the potentially-also-out-of-their-bin Wounds. We’ll have at least a million hundred thousand free drinks, our friendly neighbourhood DJ Orlando, and some special former-minister-for-defence-related sideshows on the night.

What?

We take a month off any you’ve already forgotten?

It’s completely free!

The Rubberbandits [http://www.myspace.com/rubberbanditspranks]
The mysterious plastic-bag clad Rubberbandits, or Blindboy Boat Club and Mr Chrome as are their individual aliases, pride themselves on being the ‘grand pricks of prank phone calls’. Having managed to bridge the divide between rap music and comedy their songs ‘Bag of Glue’ and ‘Too Many Gee’ have inspired a cult following that ensures sell-out appearances nationwide.

More at: http://www.totallydublin.ie/comedy-preview-rubberbandits—a-tesco-bag-clad-interview-231.html

Wounds [www.myspace.com/thewoundsband]

‘We’ll play in the seventh circle of hell, the violent one, you drag some of those screaming girls your talking about and we’ll sacrifice them or something ghoulish like that.’

Despite our lunchtime-talk half-plans, there’s no such institution as the Totally Dublin Awards yet. If there was, the first thing we’d do is invite Kanye. After that, we’d ask Wounds to play at the ceremony - they would be, after all, collecting our inaugural ‘Best Live Act’, ‘Dirtiest Riff’, and ’Most Likely To Be Signed To Vice Records’ awards.

More at: http://totallydublin.ie/blog/?p=447

ARE YOU A VIDEO ARTIST? We’ve got the running of a shiny super-sweet projector screen at Odessa Club going to waste on ‘Metropolis’ on constant loop - if you fancy flaunting your visual wares drop us a comment or email.

Special thanks to everybody who stayed upon the news of no free whiskey, to Orlando’s Ennio and Lil Dave’s electro, to the able-bodied last-minute laptop of Stephen Foy, to the bewitching Children Under Hoof and their enlistment of Norman McLaren’s ballet dancers, to Colm Meaney for sticking his grizzled head in for ten minutes (even if he did think it was the jax), and to flashmaster Peter Fingleton for these:

Tonight, Odessa Club, 8pm.

Children Under Hoof live soundtrack films.

Orlando and Lil Dave spin cinema remixes.

Sparky the swearing parrot calls everybody a ballbag.

And you.

The newly refurbished Irish Film Institute might be unrecognisable from what it was before. Or it might not. We don’t know. We haven’t been there yet. But the IFI are giving the public the chance to see firsthand the wonderful damage improvements that they’ve made. 

 On Saturday 6^th February, the IFI opens its (new) doors for a day of free screenings, welcoming the public into its snazzy new foyer, the new and improved film shop, the luxurious Cinema 3 and the refurbished IFI Café Bar (where Totally Dublin recommends you get loaded before going to see 2001: A Space Odyssey. It enhances the viewing experience…) 

With fourteen free screenings running through the day in all three cinemas, the Open Day caters for audiences of all ages as well as hosting workshops, music and welcoming special guests to introduce the films.  

Tickets for all screenings will be available at 11am on February 6^th from the IFI box office only. There will be no online or phone bookings. Tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis, with a maximum of 4 tickets per person. We recommend you arrive early to avoid the bloodshed. 

Or if you absolutely must participate in bloodshed, only do so if the last remaining ticket choices are for Ballroom of Romance or Grizzly Man.

For more information visit: http://www.irishfilm.ie/ 

The Programme for the Day:

12.30   Ponyo 
12.50   Ballroom of Romance 
1.15     IFI Irish FilmArchive Screening 1: Colm O Laoghaire Shorts 
2.15     Ghost World   (+ optional Teen Animation Workshop) 
2.30     2001: A Space Odyssey 
3.00     Eamon 
4.30     My Night with Maud 
5.00     IFI Irish Film Archive Screening 2: Welcome to the Emerald Isle: A Selection of Travel Films  
5.10     Bringing Up Baby 
6.30     Make Way for Tomorrow (16mm) 
6.50     Grizzly Man 
7.10     Crazy Heart 
8.50     A Single Man 
9.20     Winner of IFI People’s Choice Poll – Announced on 5th February

The film industry and the moustache are long and fruitful collaborators. Initially guilty by its association with evil historical figures like Hitler and Stalin, early cinematic moustached characters were often vilified. Generally depicted as criminals or untoward individuals with some form of ulterior motive, these representations probably gave rise to the popular equation of the moustache with a hidden agenda. With the industry taking note of this audience association the moustache soon evolved into a prop useful for character development. In present times its function ranges from fashion statement to providing retro-chic, with evoking nostalgia, ensuring a character is era consistent or acting as a mark of wisdom amongst its many other uses. As the month to pay tribute to ‘taches of all shapes and sizes is on us a countdown to its most memorable contributions to film seemed an irresistible task. So, in no particular order….

Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction

With a tache and beard combo that makes a similar statement to his wallet, the god-fearing gangster who resolves to change his ways following a moment of ‘divine intervention’ is one of Quentin Tarantino’s most impressive creations. Samuel L. Jackson comes close to a career-best both in terms of performance and upper-lip adornment. Never before has a biblical passage been so terrifying.

Dennis Hopper as Billy, Easy Rider

A landmark film that helped usher in the New Hollywood phase of film-making, Dennis Hopper directed and starred in this cross-county odyssey about a pair of hedonistic bikers. Hopper literally personifies the drug-fuelled hippy culture of 1960’s America, sporting a tache to compliment the handle-bars of his Harley low-rider.

Shirley Henderson as Sally, Intermission

Our Irish and only female entry is Intermission’s anorak-clad Sally whose heartbreak and subsequent physical neglect has left her in desperate need of grooming. An entire subplot is fashioned around whether or not Sally is ‘cultivating a ronnie’.

Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat, Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Cohen is barely recognizable as roaming Kazakhstani reporter Borat with thanks mainly due to this particularly unkempt creation. While Borat’s tache arguably assists in perpetuating certain stereotypes it’s a good example of its usefulness as a device for disguise or comic effect (oft used by Cohen in this way). At the very least Borat’s tache serves as a warning, demonstrating the catastrophic effects of neglect. Regular moustache maintenance is essential.

Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood

Possibly the secret to his success, Day Lewis has made no secret of his penchant for distinctive moustaches, which have become increasingly elaborate as his illustrious career progresses. While evil mayor Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York and greedy oil entrepreneur Plainview do little to dissuade that all moustached folk are devious criminals Day Lewis’ intricate soup-strainers have achieved cult status with their own dedicated appreciation page on Facebook.

Sam Elliott as The Stranger, The Big Lebowski

The Coen Brothers’ noir-style tale of mistaken identity boasts a number of worthy contenders. Jeff Bridges is unforgettable as The Dude, an unemployed slacker with a taste for Credence Clearwater Revival and White Russians, but the prize must go to mysterious narrator The Stranger. Sam Elliot’s horseshow-shaped growth proved to be functional as well as eye-catching, allegedly allowing his dialogue to be easily dubbed over when necessary.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean

With numerous forays into facial hair Johnny Depp is no stranger to the tache, having clocked up an extensive back catalogue both on and off camera most notably perhaps as loveable rogue Jack Sparrow, a performance that is to be credited with making piracy fashionable but for which he narrowly missed out on a long overdue Oscar.

Burt Reynolds as The Bandit, Smokey and the Bandit

Arguably the most iconic and trend-setting movie moustache of all time and an example of one that has crossed over from trait into trademark for its proud owner. Reynolds’ only ever briefly parted ways with his perfectly-sculpted tache throughout his long career. It’s also commonly thought to be the inspiration behind fellow facial-hair enthusiast Tom Selleck’s moustache. The resemblance speaks for itself.

Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, Anchorman

With a tache that would make both Reynolds and Selleck envious Will Ferrell’s self-absorbed, sleazy newscaster’s, though sadly the product of Hollywood trickery, combines the styles of the Village People with shades of 70s porn star. Ferrell often used a similar stick-on for various Saturday Night Live sketches.

Lt Aldo Raine, Inglourious Basterds

Though his dishevelled take on outlaw James in The Assassination of Jesse James is deserving of a mention, Nazi-slaying officer Raine complete with Southern drawl and a style only previously excusable on 70’s law enforcers is a personal best for Pitt in his finest comedic performance to date. With a tache as razor-sharp as his one-liners it’s unclear whether Pitt or Tarantino was self-referencing in the films closing lines ‘this just might be my masterpiece’. 

The New Volta Cinema Club Cinephiles with short attention spans are in for a treat tonight, as the New Volta Film Club returns to the Bewley’s Café Theatre for their third installment. The monthly film sesh has been gathering fans and momentum since September, showcasing new and emerging talent in both film and animation. Among this month’s slew of up’n'comers, Finn Keenan takes his pile of arse drum-kit and ctrl-pastes it into something raucous, some muppets from Inchicore take the young Dublin social scene by storm, and Aaron O’ Reilly plays with the dark spaces created by sexual abuse and regret.

While there’s a definite student feel to some of the productions, that shouldn’t be taken as a by-word for a non-starter. The talent is self-evident, as is the imagination, energy and craftsmanship. Whatever these guys may lack in funding and its professional feel, they more than make up for it through their vibrant and reckless enthusiasm, both from the filmmakers themselves, and in the initiative of NewVolta’s organizers. The night is billed as a three hour event, so unless there’s 50+ films for your eyeball enjoyment, you can expect a chance to shoot the breeze with emerging film makers and fans alike, with the ever glamorous allure of a sneaky can of Dutch.

More details here.

Blk Jks During Apartheid rock was the music of the white, but without a distinct oppression or resistance, the boundaries have been erased. The Johannesburg quartet Blk Jks is the sound of a new South Africa and their brand of epic rock has been championed by characters as diverse as Bono and Diplo. Do your research for tonight’s Academy gig with our interview over here.