2. The Irish Arts Center Spirit of Ireland Gala, held on October 2, 2009 was noted briefly in an earlier Byrneholics posting. There were, unhappily, never any photos available from the event. Until now! Thanks to Lara, that intrepid detective, we are proud to offer you these candid shots from the Gala. Enjoy!

3. Horses: The Story of Equus: the IMAX DVD of this film, originally released in 2002 and narrated by Gabriel Byrne, will be available on June 8, according to the Warner Bros. online store and can be pre-ordered there.

Synopsis:

“Horses: The Story of Equus is the story of three horses who were all born on the same night but their lives take very different paths. One becomes a racehorse and her story takes us into that extraordinary world, where the ancestry of every horse can be traced back to 1791 and where their overwhelming instinct to run is highly valued. The second is trained as an equestrian horse, an eventer. But this horse is a unique individual, stubborn and temperamental. After a spectacular failure in competition, he is trained again, this time as a stunt horse in the mo vies and it’s in that world that his capacity for learning and his individual nature triumph. The third horse goes on a completely different journey. He escapes from people and joins the feral herds in the wild. Out there, undisturbed by human contact, the horses revert to natural, herd behavior and this horse becomes our conduit into understanding what horses may have been like before we domesticated them.”

The official website for the film provides background information, the trailer, behind-the-scenes stuff, and some lovely wallpapers. You can also hear a bit of the soundtrack by Australian composer Roger Mason, who says:

“Horses: The Story of Equus is a romantic and energetic film which elevates the spirit…I combined traditional Celtic music with the might of a seventy-piece orchestra to capture this feeling…”

4. Cinematical: Their Best Role: Gabriel Byrne in Miller’s Crossing

Posting by Alison Nastasi on March 8, 2010

“Gabriel Byrne is one of our most talented performers. Yes, he’s appeared in some clunker films over the years (just like everyone else in Hollywood), but choosing his best role was easier than I imagined. People can (and will) make the case for films like The Usual Suspects and I can definitely see where the logic in that choice is. However, for me, it’s all about Miller’s Crossing. Byrne’s portrayal of a “prickly pear” of a man caught in the middle of a gang war embodies everything I love about the actor’s work in general: the smoldering intensity, the subtle nuances of his body language, his gift for making the most mundane dialogue sound cooler thanks to his accent and his ability to make even a deeply flawed character someone the audience can relate to. The role of Tom Reagan may not be a particularly daring choice for Byrne’s best role, but great work is great work and deserves to be celebrated.”

Of course, I agree with her! Miller’s Crossing is one of my favorite films and Gabriel Byrne’s performance is entrancing, as Alison notes. David Thomson did say that Byrne’s Tom Reagan was one of the greatest performances in American film, the whole melancholy act, and he is right about that.

Fast forward fifteen years, though, and you will see a performance that does not rely on the somewhat abbreviated palette of a young actor, but rather the fully developed, powerful, and wide-ranging artistry of a man in full command of his craft, in a wonderful film that could not stand on its own without him, Richard E. Grant’s Wah-Wah. This, I would argue, is his best role in film (so far) and I’ll have more to say about it soon.

“Irrfan was initially hesitant about confirming the news. “At the moment, all I can say is yes, I am doing American television for the first time. I will be in New York to shoot this series from April onwards. Incidentally, I started my career as an actor on Indian television and then moved to cinema. So it’s full circle for me,” he said.

Buzz is that Irrfan will play one of the central characters and his role requires considerable preparation. He will be seen in all the 43 episodes of the forthcoming season.”

2. Audition videos for another new patient, a gay teenager named “Jesse”, have popped up on YouTube. ALERT: There is strong language in some of these. Casting call for Jesse, as posted on SpoilerTV :

[JESSE] MALE.. 16. A Brooklyn teenage hipster. Jesse is smart as a whip and king of the ironic deadpan. He’s got a mean case of attention deficit disorder, but he’d rather die then let you see him break a sweat. Inherently creative (already a skilled photographer) at times, he’s brightly animated, other times he’s close to comatose. He’s gay and proud of it. Also, he’s adopted…and underneath all the bravado and teenage social armor, he struggles deeply with questions of his own identity…

Lara gets all the credit for finding these videos. She is such a great detective.

Stay tuned for more “In Treatment” news, including screencaps from previous seasons and the new HBO website!

Volunteers Needed for festival!! No need to BUY your tickets – just come help us out!   Film series at Tribeca Cinemas, March 11 – 13. We need Will Call peeps, money takers, and general chaos police. You are welcome to watch the film and attend the after-party on the night you help out. 21 + please ♥

26 March 2010, Somerville Theater, Boston
7.30 pm – With his ever charming presence, our busy Irishman once again graces the screening of “Stories From Home,” this time at the Irish Film Festival in Boston. A reception open to the public will follow at Orleans, Davis Square at 9 pm.

20 April 2010, Alice Tully Hall, Starr Theater, New York
6.30 pm – Back in New York, Gabriel Byrne is a special guest reader at the “Poetry & The Creative Mind Gala” at the Lincoln Center. This event, promoted by the Academy of American Poets, celebrates contemporary poetry in American culture and and kicks off National Poetry Month. Other special guests for 2010 include Meryl Streep, Jhumpa Lahiri, Matt Dillon, Alan Cumming, Rosanne Cash and Frank Bidart. Tickets can be purchased from Lincoln Center’s website. Thanks to Lozzie for the alert on this!

We also received an update on “At Swim-Two-Birds” via Colin Farrell, in a recent interview for the Irish Times:

“You’d be terrified to say it will definitely happen,” he says. “It’s very hard for films that don’t have special effects and have a literary core. Few films have more of a literary core than this. We tried to get it made in March, but the money wasn’t there. So, we’re hoping to get it together in the summer.”

Last but not least, some good news as “I, Anna” moves forward into pre-production status! Screen International at Berlin, February 14, 2010 has a nice blurb about the film, noting that it is the debut feature of Barnaby Southcombe, Charlotte Rampling’s son, and that Gabriel Byrne has also signed up to the project, which is the first from Southcombe and producer Felix Vossen’s London-based production company Embargo Films.

“Now you might expect that getting your mom to work on your first project would be an easy thing to accomplish, but Barnaby says no. “It is a risky proposition for her. She had no idea I was planning this. I just sent her the screenplay and luckily it really spoke to her.”

Lucky for us, too!

He commands the screen as Uther, a role that is brief but pivotal, his almost raw physicality and urgent emotion a stark contrast to the subdued and eccentric Merlin. An auspicious beginning to a fascinating career, Gabriel’s work in this film also presages his future decisions to work with great directors on intriguing projects, whose themes seem sometimes obscure or esoteric. His work is always singled out in these films, however, and none is more deserving of notice than this first role in what is now considered a classic of sword and sorcery.

Byrneholics’ special Excalibur page provides a synopsis of the film, several videos, Gabriel’s own observations, quotes, reviews, one of Merlin’s spells, and screencaps. Enjoy your visit to the time of Uther and Arthur and EXCALIBUR!

Lara & Stella

—

I’m Ready to Become a Shrink Now

The Non-Participant Observer offers “What Was Paul Thinking? Being a Psychoanalyst in the Real World presented by the Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis.” This is actually a blurb for a mini-course offered by the Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis, on Thursday evenings in April. There are four different speakers/instructors and the syllabus includes the first two Alex episodes from Season 1 of “In Treatment.” The first session asks these questions:

“How do I assess our new patient? How do I listen to Alex to take in
information on many levels? How do I engage him? How do I teach him to
“be” a patient? What makes a therapeutic relationship analytic?”

More information about this educational opportunity is here.

I’m Ready to Return to School Now

Pop Culture at San Diego State University, a blog for a psychology course, looks at “Therapy,” and uses In Treatment as its prism.

“The award winning HBO series, In Treatment, provides us with an in-depth look at many of the discourses about therapy/therapists used in popular culture. We see representations of clients with “deep” issues, struggling to communicate and understand their problems, and a therapist, who is able to “see through” his clients facades and help them identify those secrets of which they themselves have been wholly unaware (until he tells them). We see discourses that reinforce the ethical challenges faced by therapists and we see discourses that represent therapists as having their own problems.”

The exercises for class include watching all of the recaps from Season 1 on YouTube.

I’m Ready to Age Gracefully Now

At the Plasma Pool, there is a tribute to Dianne Wiest. Actually, to Dianne Wiest’s Old Face. Kevin Hilke waxes rhapsodic:

“Her enigmatic expressions initially offend Paul, whose history with Gina predisposes him to read any ambiguity in her mien as perfunctorily negative. Not sharing this pervading bias, we enjoy the virtuosic, Emmy-winning face of this gorgeous old lady whose allure and gravitas make me want to ask her to run for president.”

Read the entire rhapsody.

I’m Ready to Feel Guilty Now

FlixChatter decided to feature some films with Leonardo DiCaprio in honor of his new movie, Shutter Island. So, “The Man in the Iron Mask,” with King Leo as King Louis + his brother, was chosen as a guilty pleasure and guess what? The blog’s author, Ruth, fell for Gabriel Byrne instead!

“I gotta admit I saw this movie because of (Leo) Jack Dawson (like most girls I too fell under his spell, just briefly though, I find him too boyish looking now). But in this flick, I totally fell for Gabriel Byrne as the dashing and regal D’Artagnan. Though billed as a DiCaprio movie due to his massive popularity, Byrne’s the heart & soul of the movie, his performance as the conflicted man carrying a pivotal secret is absolutely terrific, he brings a surprising depth to this archetypal character.”

I’m Ready to Suh-WOON Now

Over at Let’s Talk Hair & Movies, the talk has moved to books and paintings and Gabriel Byrne’s apartment:

“Our cozy apartment walls are in danger of becoming massively crowded with artwork but you know, (almost) all of it is meaningful. I remember seeing a magazine photo of Gabriel Byrne’s NY apartment once, and holy shnikey, it’s floor to ceiling paintings and books. What’s good for my Ole Faithful celebrity crush should be good enough for me, right? I should say. Fuggedabout the fact that my whole apartment would probably fit in his guest bathroom. It’s all about scale, which is why I always buy my furniture at the Little People Shop.”

Check out the artwork too. This girl has a knack with black markers!

Check out the website and purchase your tickets here!

Reminder: the 12th Annual Craic Festival in NYC is showing “Stories from Home” on March 12. They will have an open bar and a special guest DJ as well. Their website has been updated and the film offerings are stellar.

No word on Mr. Byrne’s attendance at either event yet. I’m betting on the Craic, though…

The script, written by Southcombe, is based on the US novel “I, Anna”, by Elsa Lewin. The book was first published in New York by The Mysterious Press in 1984 and republished in the UK by Serpent’s Tail in 1990. Interestingly enough, Dr. Elsa Lewin is a psychoanalyst in New York.

Gabriel Byrne’s character is Detective Chief Inspector Bernie Kominski, described as “an insomniac dazed by the prospect of divorce”, who will follow Anna Welles, a femme fatale suspect in a brutal murder. Filming locations in London include Vauxhall, Pimlico and Southbank. Read the official synopsis of “I, Anna” below!

Apparently Southcombe has already filmed a few scenes to showcase “I, Anna” to potential financial backers. Gabriel Byrne and Charlotte Rampling reportedly filmed a scene together earlier this month in London.

credits

Genre: Noir Thriller Director: Barnaby Southcombe Writer: Barnaby Southcombe Producer: Felix Vossen, Illann Girard Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Gabriel Byrne Country: UK Locations: London, Blackpool Language: English

synopsis

A man is found bludgeoned to death in a London apartment block. DCI Bernie Kominski, an insomniac dazed by the prospect of divorce, is first on the scene, but distracted from his duties by a brief encounter with a striking and enigmatic woman. Going through the motions of the case, Bernie’s thoughts return to the woman, Anna Welles, whom he tracks down and follows. When they finally meet at a singles’ party, the mutual attraction is instant, though Anna has no recollection of Bernie, or of the night they first met. As Bernie’s professional judgment battles with his desire for intimacy and love, the mystery deep within Anna’s mind finally unravels, revealing a truth too painful to bear.

images

Charlotte Rampling as Anna Welles in "I, Anna"

Anna's apartment

Police Station - Bernie's office

Click here for more pictures in the gallery.

Images and synopsis from the Embargo Films website.

Barnaby Southcombe’s “I, Anna” shot to the top of the list at the EFM’s Co-Production Market this year.

The noir thriller, which has Charlotte Rampling and Gabriel Byrne attached, is being produced by Southcombe and Felix Vossen’s Embargo Films in London, and Paris-based Arsam Intl. The London-set pic follows a female murder suspect who falls for the detective in charge of the investigation.

Southcombe and Vossen logged some 80 meetings for the title, making it the project that attracted the most attention during the 2 1/2 days of the Co-Production Market, which ran Sunday-Tuesday.

“The response was overwhelmingly positive to the material and the cast that we presented,” Southcombe said, describing the Co-Production Market as “the Rolls Royce of these kinds of markets. It’s a super well-oiled machine.”

Read the entire article here. You may have to register, but it is free.

Well, we have been longing for an appropriate romance for our MH and now perhaps this is it. Romance. Noir. Thriller. Charlotte Rampling (one of my favorites of all time).

Yes!

The word ‘review’ does not really describe what Lozzie has achieved. Through  quotations, her own words, and screen captures (she is a master screencapper, as we all know), she provides us with her very personal reaction to this remarkable portrait of our MH.

She analyzes. She opines. She connects all the dots. It is a wonderful thing, this “Voyage,” and we present it to you proudly and with heartfelt thanks to Lozzie for sharing it with us all.

This month Irish actor Brendan Gleeson is bringing Ireland’s leading men together to make the film version of Flann O’Brien’s masterpiece At Swim-Two-Birds. The dream cast will include Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Cillian Murphy and Colin Farrell.

And

Gleeson knows that each of these world famous Irish actors have genuine comic gifts (and Gleeson’s no shrinking violet himself) so expect something completely out of the ordinary. The film is currently in production in Ireland.

Read the rest of the (short) article here.

Anyone up for a trip to Ireland now!?