Reel News

Donald Clarkeon film

History the Hollywood way

Following critical plaudits for United 93 and The Queen, every studio seems keen on developing a project based on some recent historical trauma. For example, work has begun on a film addressing Margaret Thatcher's handling of the Falklands crisis, while Sydney Pollack has announced plans to dramatise the events surrounding the chaotic Florida count in the US presidential election of 2000.

Not everybody is happy with this digging up of past calamities. Some relatives of those killed in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing have expressed reservations about the attempt to turn aspects of that tragedy into a feature. "I don't think the relatives of the dead would be very interested in this film," Jean Berkley, whose son Alistair died in the bombing of the Pan Am 747, told the Scotsman last week.

The Lockerbie film, to be directed by Niki Caro of Whale Rider fame, is an adaptation of The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky, a memoir by Ken Dornstein, whose brother was killed in the attack.

One city, one film

Following on from last year's attempt to get everybody in Dublin to read At Swim-Two- Birds, the One City, One Book project attempts this month to persuade the capital's citizens to take a glance at Sebastian Barry's A Long Long Way. To help flesh out the novel's treatment of the first World War, Alan Gilsenan will introduce a public screening of The Green Fields of France, his tribute to the Irish men and women who died in the conflict, in Temple Bar's Meeting House Square next Thursday. The event begins at 8.15pm and is free to all.

Cult audience for 'Grindhouse'?

Grindhouse, the rigorously imagined pastiche of 1970s exploitation flicks from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, seemed to have overcome negative expectations when it received mostly glowing reviews on its US release last week. Sadly for the two caballeros, the public then stubbornly refused to make its way to the cinema.

Grindhouse, which comprises a double bill of Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Tarantino's Death Proof, was expected to take in more than $20 million (€15 million) dollars on its opening weekend. However, defeated by such unlovely prospects as the dumb comedy Are We Done Yet?, it only managed fourth place in the box office charts with a paltry $11 million (€8 million).

So what went wrong? Some say the archness of the presentation - scratched film, cheesy trailers - confused a mainstream audience. Others suggest there is no longer any taste for double bills. Still, look on the bright side, boys. The film pays tribute to cult cinema, and it now looks as if it may only acquire a cult-sized audience. How appropriate.

BBC Radio: the movie

Do you like sitting in the bath with a briar pipe while listening to Desert Island Discs? Does the whittering of polite English voices provide a consistent ambient backdrop for your slightly fusty living room? If so, we have the movie for you. BBC Radio 4, that most comforting of entities, is set to embark on a feature film inspired by the writings of Peter Ackroyd, the fanatical chronicler of London.

The multimedia project, preliminarily entitled City Speaks, is set to premier at London's 3D Imax cinema. Sadly, the Beeb refuses to announce any plans for an Archers movie.

Does Colin Farrell need a lecture?

This weekend, the UCD O'Kane Centre for Film Studies is hosting an ambitious academic conference addressing the history and politics of Irish-America on film. The event, which runs from today until Sunday, features contributions from all your favourite film boffins and closes with a public interview with Jim Sheridan.

Film fans with large frontal lobes should go to the school's website (www.ucd.ie/film) and check out the subjects under discussion. How about French and USA Imperialism and the Ireland Text in the South of the Border Western? Still better: Edward Burns and the Resistant Performativity of the Irish- American Male. But our favourite has to be: The Aul' Divil: The Appropriation of Irishness in Daredevil. I think they're talking about Colin Farrell as Bullseye.

Sniffy about DVDs

Hooray for Lucky and Flo! The supernaturally talented Labradors have recently made a name for themselves by helping authorities in Malaysia sniff out pirated videos. Apparently the dogs have been trained to detect chemicals used in the making of discs and, thus, can uncover substantial hoards of fuzzy Spider-Man 3s and crackly Grindhouses concealed behind panels and bulkheads.

If Lucky and Flo keep up the good work, we may eventually be spared those infuriatingly over-serious anti-piracy commercials at the start of DVDs.