One of the best ways to get over a hangover is to spend the day in a nice, dark movie theater. Luckily there’s the Film Fleadh–Irish Film Festival this weekend, providing a dark corner of the world for us to sit in and lick our wounds from a lengthy St. Patrick’s Day season.
Running from March 20-23, the Film Fleadh is a showcase for Irish and Irish-American film talent – not only actors but also directors and producers alike. All films will be shown at the NYU Cantor Film Center (36 East 8th St., NYC), and for those of you who haven’t learned your lesson from the first half of the month’s binges, a party at a nearby venue follows each evening’s feature.
Thursday night’s feature is The Good Thief, starring Nick Nolte as a gambler, thief and heroin addict who is out of luck but after meeting a "lucky" woman decides to pull himself together for one last big heist. The film is directed by Neil Jordan, the acclaimed Irish director whose credits include The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, and Michael Collins. The film starts at 7 p.m. and the opening night gala follows soon after at New York’s Central bar on East 9th St.
Friday’s film is You Stupid Man (I can relate to the title), starring David Krumhotz, Denise Richards, Milla Jovovich and directed by Brian Burns. Apparently Krumholtz is forced to choose between the two women, which is an unenviable task to say the least. The after party is at the Sullivan Room (218 Sullivan St., NYC).
Saturday offers a quadruple header, kicking off with Living the Revolution at 1 p.m., a documentary about the Sinn Fein and its leader Gerry Adams. At 3 p.m. it’s Wrestlemaniac, a mockumentary about the wrestling world directed by Matthew Sheridan that’s said to be a hilarious combination of Spinal Tap and Ready to Rumble. At 6:30 p.m. Irish Eyes takes the screen. The film is an action-packed crime drama about two Irish-American brothers tearing it up in Boston on the wrong side of the law. The film stars Daniel Baldwin and is directed by Dan McCarthy. Saturday night’s feature is an 8:30 p.m. showing of Beautiful Kid, the story of an Irish-Catholic kid who is troubled by his father’s alcoholism and unsure whether to follow the path of his hell-raising thug brother or his straight and narrow cop brother. The film stars Pulitzer-prize winner Frank McCourt in his first cinematic role.
Sunday starts off at 1 p.m. with Darkroom, a documentary about Irish photographer Harry Thullier, Jr. and the struggles he endured as an artist in Ireland. At 3 p.m. is Goldfish Memory, a look at the Dublin dating scene directed by Liz Gill. The festival’s final screening is Mystics, a light-hearted tale of two old-timers who start off running a harmless séance scam which gets complicated when the family of a local gangster needs them to communicate with the dead. The film stars veteran actors Davis Kelly and Milo O’Shea, and is followed by an award ceremony at Pioneer (218 Bowery St., NYC).
Tickets are $7 and for information visit www.filmfleadh.com.
If you know how I can effectively waste $50 in the metro-area, please write to:
"Hal Wastes His Wages," c/o The Current
1400 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030