Last night saw Kathryn Bigelow make history as the first woman to ever win the Oscar for Best Directing. I was thrilled to see this happen and even happier to see it happen for such a low budget film.
It seems that art still wins over budgets.

Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right outpaced more than 50 other films to pick up the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at the the Berlin film festival. The award was conferred yesterday as the 12-day mega-festival drew to a close. The jury praised the film “for being a well-crafted and humorous take on the issues facing contemporary lesbian parents and the complexity of sexuality, relationships and family bonding.”

Drew Barrymore is not like her ancestors. They were serious actors, artists dedicated to their craft. Drew seems to be happy once she’s having a good time, something that is most definitely happening in her directorial debut, Whip It.

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival kicks off with a bang this Thursday and continues until the end of the month, featuring a host of Irish and international features, galas, special presentations and a tribute to the late Michael Dwyer, co-founder of the festival. Here’s Gaelick’s picks of the the bunch – you get the tickets, we’ll get the popcorn!

The nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards have been announced and I have been left feeling a little flat. I always look forward to the nominations but I feel that this year the pickings are very slim indeed. There doesn’t seem to be an out and out winner and I’m not convinced that many of these films will stand the test of time, as an Oscar winner should.

One of the films of the year so far is Precious. This is a tough film by any stretch of the imagination and I just can’t do it. I can’t sit for 90 minutes and be assaulted by the violence in an emotionally gut-wrenching story. I know I’m not alone, many will stay away for the same reason. But is that selfish? Is this the type of film people should see for the very reasons we will stay away – because we don’t want to face the reality of abuse?

One of my favourite things to do is to settle down to see a good movie. It can be an old classic or a new adventure but whatever it is I always enjoy the ride.
So when it comes to LGBTQ films, I am in heaven. There has been a great improvement in “queer” film over the last decade or so, here is a list of some of the films that have moved me over the years.

Michael Dwyer, film critic for The Irish Times and co-founder of the Dublin Film Festival, has died aged just 58. Dwyer was much-loved by all cinema fans for his honest yet considerate reviews and for his tireless championing of Irish and gay cinema. He is survived by his partner, Brian, his mother, Mary, and sisters, Anne and Maria.

Back in 1963, Italian film legend, Frederico Fellini was desperate for a new film but had a severe case of writer’s block. He had made many of the great iconic Italian films but was artistically exhausted. The result was 8 1/2, the autobiographical story of a film director looking to the women in his life for inspiration.

Young actress Brittney Murphy who gained fame for her roles in movies such as “8 Mile” and “Just Married” has died at the age of 32 following a cardiac arrest at her home in LA.
Our condolences go to her family and loved ones at this difficult time.