Spring is springing up all over, except in the Southern Hemisphere, where Fall is falling. Either way, things are happening everywhere–and they are happening in the World of Gabriel Byrne, too. Check out the news below for all the March Goings-on, but first, put this Writers Festival live stream on your calendar now!
Auckland Writers Festival Autumn Salon Series: Byrne, Pomare, Roffey on Sunday, May 16
Three exceptional writers join chair Paula Morris on screen, for a live-in venue audience, to talk about and read from their latest work and answer your questions. Today’s line-up includes Irish actor and memoirist Gabriel Byrne with Walking With Ghosts; Melbourne-based Māori crime writer JP Pomare with latest thriller Tell Me Lies; and the London-based Caribbean Costa Book of the Year author Monique Roffey with The Mermaid of Black Conch.
You can read more about the 2021 festival at the Past Festivals page.
Colum McCann and Gabriel Byrne: Together Again
These two! They have such fun! Enjoy this conversation brought to you by Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), through their Hunter@Home program.
And congratulations to Colum McCann on being short-listed for the Dublin Literary Awards for his novel Apeirogon!
Audiofile Magazine review + excerpt of Walking With Ghosts
Audiofile Magazine gave Gabriel’s memoir its Earphones Award and a great review:
“Irish actor Gabriel Byrne’s smoky voice whispers in your ear, gets into your head, and takes you on a deeply personal journey into his life. Byrne is brutally honest and down-to-earth as he explores the people and events that made him who he is today. . .
After forty-plus years of a successful film and television career, it’s not surprising that his performance of this memorable autobiography is outstanding.”
Visit the review for a lovely excerpt from the book, read by Gabriel.
The Bracelet
I can’t promise you THE bracelet Gabriel wore in the film Death of a Ladies’ Man, but you CAN have one just like it, if you so desire. The online shop Peacock and Lime just happens to have this lovely item for sale!
Their description:
Our men’s synergy leather & pewter bar bracelet is a mixed metal jewelry cuff – featuring brass rivets and is great for anyone with an urban or skater style.
A rugged, stylish unisex leather strap cuff – that looks great either on it’s own, or with other bracelets (as shown in the last 3 images). It’s edgy, yet simple and perfect for a day in the city, or a night on the town.
They should amend that to say: “great for anyone with an urban, skater, or poetic style,” yes? heart
Here’s the blog posting about the starring appearance of their bracelet in Gabriel’s new movie. I know I would be excited if something I made ended up being on the big screen, so congratulations to designer and creator Kristina, another Canadian artist discovery!
Esquire UK Magazine Tells You Why You Must Watch ZeroZeroZero
Esquire UK Magazine/Mina Moriarity
6 Reasons Why ZeroZeroZero Is Your Next Must-Watch Drama
Reason #6. The Riveting Twists
We all love a good turf war. Throw in some drug syndicate kingpins and a dollop of Italian drama for good measure, and ZeroZeroZero delivers unnerving plot points that make for devastatingly gripping storytelling. The series demonstrates the domino effect in an industry where one seemingly minor choice can affect a whole operation and the lives that depend on it. Unlike other crime dramas, ZeroZeroZero also sets an unpredictable narrative tone with disorientating twists and turns, expertly jumping between timelines, making it an epic crime-thriller puzzle.
Are you ready to lose your evenings to ZeroZeroZero?
All six reasons are absolutely right. Reason #2 outlines the A-list cast, headlining Gabriel and the two actors who portray his family in the series, Andrea Riseborough and Dane DeHaan. They are core characters and central to the story, and we develop an attachment to them that carries us through the story. Two other acting standouts are Harold Torres, the truly terrifying but still somehow human Special Forces leader Manuel Contreras, and Adriano Chiaramida as Don Minu, the aging patriarch of a Calabrian crime family coming apart at the seams, who still wants to try for the big deal. The characters entice us to care and the writing then takes us on a wild ride. That’s a great film experience, no matter the size of the screen.
A Belated St. Patrick’s Day recommendation
I live in Texas and I know lots of people who celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in one way or another (okay, mostly going to Griff’s Bar in Houston and drinking green beer, but I’m sure that’s not the ONLY way!).
Well, now I discover that Oklahoma knows how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, too.
Food By the Book is a feature at the Ada (OK) News and this year’s St. Patrick’s Day book was (you guessed it!) Gabriel’s new memoir, Walking With Ghosts. Writer Melony Carey offered a nice review of the book and then suggested celebrating the day by enjoying a Gabriel Byrne film with some great Irish fare: steak and ale pie and a dessert of Irish bread pudding. She also provided the recipes. I think she must have been reading my holiday postings, don’t you? Halloween Treats with Gabriel. New Year’s Eve with Gabriel. Valentine’s Day with Gabriel. Etc. You name a holiday, and I think I’ve designed an evening of celebrating Gabriel around it.
So it was nice to see someone else have the same brilliant idea. Have I ever provided recipes, though? No? I’ll fix that in future. wink
War of the Worlds Season 2: Scouting the Locations
Season Two of War of the Worlds finished filming back in November, so it will be coming our way sometime this year.
Director Richard Clark is a wonderful photographer. He shares his pics of the English countryside and some family high jinks on Instagram. And sometimes he includes the shots he takes as he is scouting locations for the next season of War of the Worlds. He shared these back in May of 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning. Will we see these places on our screens in Season 2? I can say that some of the scouting shots he shared for Season 1 DID end up in the series, so yes! It is possible. Enjoy!
Miller’s Crossing: The Ultimate Story of Freedom
Note from Stella: This analysis of the film by Adam Forsgren originally appeared at The Screening Space, but alas. That website seems to be no more. So, Adam graciously shared his essay with us!
There have been many interpretations of the story of Miller’s Crossing over the years. Questions abound: What drives the characters? Is that a plot hole or a subtle twist? What is with Leo and Tom, anyway? How did Tom KNOW?
Here we have a new take on this 30 year old story: “What if Miller’s Crossing isn’t about trust or loyalty or betrayal and it’s really about finding freedom?”
I think Adam is on to something here:
That’s where Tom sees the light. Leo is getting slower and duller-witted, even though he’s still an artist with a Tommy gun. What happens when Leo can’t be convinced, he’s making a bad play? Or when Verna or someone else with a hold over Leo says that Tom is betraying him? The instant Tom Reagan sees Eddie Dane’s brain splatter all over Caspar’s face, it becomes crystal clear. This is his future and Tom Reagan is NOT going out like that.
At this point, setting things right for Leo and restoring him to the top of the organized crime food chain becomes the last thing Tom is willing to do before getting out of the life. As long as he’s in the mob game, his fate is a bloody, violent demise. That destiny is inescapable. So, he chooses his own ending. He chooses to get free from Leo, Verna and the whole damn mob mess.
I like it. And I like tacos, too. You have to read the article at the link above to find out what that’s all about. wink
Buffalo Girls Honored the Women of the Wild West
Wide Open Country celebrated Women’s History Month 2021 in style, with a tribute to Buffalo Girls, the TV mini-series that starred Angelica Huston, Melanie Griffith, Reba McEntire, and our favorite Irish Cowboy, Gabriel Byrne.
Angelica Huston stars as Calamity Jane in the series based on the novel by Larry McMurtry. Melanie Griffith co-stars as the (fictional) prostitute turned madame, Dora DuFran, with Reba McEntire effortlessly bringing to life Annie Oakley. The story is told from Jane’s point of view, following her life through “the last of the Wild West times … them last few days of wildness,” explained in letters she sends to her daughter. While the cast itself is stacked, Gabriel Byrne plays Dora’s love interest Ted Blue, Sam Elliott is Wild Bill Hickok, Jack Palance is Bartle Bone, and Peter Coyote is Buffalo Bill Cody, the miniseries shines because of its leading ladies — the Buffalo gals.
As the Washington Post put it, “‘Girls’ is also a tribute to womanhood, its infinite variety represented by the butchy Jane, the frilly Dora and the no-nonsense Annie, all sisters under the skin.”
The Old West was a mythical time full of gunslingers and cowboys but it’s refreshing to actually acknowledge the cowgirls that survived right alongside the men. As the Baltimore Sun noted, really the best part about watching this series is the people.
“The best part of “Buffalo Girls” is not in the adventures, which are not nearly as great as driving all that livestock to Montanny in “Lonesome Dove.” The best part of Calamity’s freedom, and the best part of the miniseries itself, is in the unusual friendships her lifestyle allowed her to enjoy.”
Sadly, a few weeks later, we pay homage to the original novel’s author, Larry McMurtry, who gave us so many memorable and myth-shattering novels about the West, and whom we will miss.
The Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award. What a life.
The Martini: Gabriel Walking in New York City
Martini? What?
The Martini is the last shot of the day on a film set. Because after the work is done: Martinis!
martini martini martini
And that’s all the news for now. Stay tuned for more from our peripatetic Irishman: writer, actor, and Master of Zoom! heart
Thank you Stella for this March smorgasbord of Gabriel goodness. Loved the focus on the Canadian artist who created his bracelet.
Thanks Stella what a great update!!
THANKS STELLA, for all this news. Excellent, wonderful, a walk through the different films of our dear Gabriel, all of them very emotional and a reminder of all of his characters. I am very anxious, like you, to see all the new films and series. I hope I will be able to here in Argentina, by streaming or other ways. The best to all my friends here. Take care.