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The countdown to Creepmas continues, and it’s crunch time. With three days left remaining, it’s time to cram in as much holiday cheer and fear as possible. So, for the 3rd day of Creepmas, we’re offering up three genre-bending double feature ideas for your holiday horror watchlists. These pairings delve into action-horror or fantasy or even switch tones once the holiday spirit has been established. If you’re trapped spending the holidays with family members that hate horror, these double features might do the trick.

The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, this time with 3 genre-bending double features that bring the holiday spirit.

Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.

Holiday Action/Horror/Sci-fi Mashups:

Horror pairs well with everything, from holiday fare to action and sci-fi. This double feature is for those that want it all.

Cobra

Director George P. Cosmatos gives a horror...

‘Tis the season to watch holiday-themed horror, so we here at Arrow in the Head have decided to compile a list of the Best Christmas Horror Movies! All of the films below are, at the very least, set around Christmastime, and some of them take the connection to the holidays further than that. Here are the top 12 horror movies that we recommend checking out over the next week:

I Come In Peace (1990)

It’s easy to forget that I Come in Peace (a.k.a. Dark Angel) is set around the Christmas holiday, because Christmas is mostly just represented by some set decorations – and you’re distracted from those decorations by all the awesome stuff going on around them. Dolph Lundgren stars as Jack Caine, a Houston detective who doesn’t play by the rules. He’s stuck working with stuffy, suit-wearing FBI agent Larry Smith (Brian Benben), and these...

My heart belongs to Halloween. Pumpkins, cornfields, bright orange sunsets, chilly air, masks, dead leaves on the dirty ground — the whole shebang. As long as I can I remember, I've been obsessed with all things Halloween; to me, it's the most wonderful time of the year. So I'm kind of already in the tank for David Slade's stylish little Halloween treat "Dark Harvest." Adapted from the novel by Norman Partridge, "Dark Harvest" is bloody fun; a treat bag full of Halloween imagery tailor-made to trick people like me into loving it almost unconditionally. However, the closer you look, the more flaws appear — Michael Gilio's script is underbaked, and the film feels like it just sort of runs out of steam instead of actually ending.

But oh, the atmosphere is a delight, and the Halloween vibes are off the charts. Slade and cinematographer Larry Smith overload the movie with...

Amy Adams and Steve Carrell also in negotiations.

After a string of blockbuster comedies starring Will Ferrell — Anchorman, The Other Guys, Step Brothers — writer-director Adam McKay side-stepped a little a couple years back with The Big Short, an ensemble flick about the real-life housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s. The film earned the best reviews of McKay’s well-reviewed career, and wound up with five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and one win for McKay’s screenplay (with Charles Randolph).

It shouldn’t be surprising then that for his big screen follow-up, McKay would return to the ripped-from-the-headlines genre, this time tackling a biopic of one of the most shadowy and misunderstood figures of this century to-date: Former Vice President Dick Cheney. And the cast he’s building? Start polishing the Oscars.

According to Variety’s sources Bale is on board to play Cheney, while Amy Adams is in talks to play his...

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Starring Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel, Devika Bhise

Written & Directed by Matthew Brown

Rating: *****(5 Stars)

How does one describe, let alone cinematically circumscribe ,the life of an unvarnished genius like Srinivasa Ramanujan who at the at the age of 32 had burnt himself out, scorned, smothered and snuffed out by his own unplumbed brilliance.

This is not an easy story to tell. Director Matthew Brown wisely follows the course set down by Robert Kanigel’s biography of Ramanujan. As seen through the prism of poignant artlessness and a belief that the mathematical genius flows from the will of God, true to the somber end to its unrehearsed design, the narrative seems to flow almost by divine ordinance.

The story of a simple human being with a complex mathematical mind that he failed to explain to himself, let alone to the world which marveled at his prodigious skills,...

The Guard and Calvary were two of my favorite films to release in their respective years. Both reel with a jet black sense of humor and western style morality play where various shades of grey face off in cessation. They also happen to be gorgeous, shot by Larry Smith (Gaffer/Chief electrician on Barry Lyndon/The Shining turned Only God Forgives/Bronson D.P) and composed in sickening symmetry. In short, I was ecstastic to meet the man behind it all, and his down to earth, silly, demeanor, ended up putting me at ease. John Michael McDonagh, talks about his third and bleakest feature film: War On Everyone.

Did anything, such as something in the media, provoke the start of War On Everyone?

There was no sort of big initializing point really. I guess having done The Guard with one kind of obnoxious cop, [that] I wanted to double down on that a little bit.

Stumbling across that list of best-edited films yesterday had me assuming that there might be other nuggets like that out there, and sure enough, there is American Cinematographer's poll of the American Society of Cinematographers membership for the best-shot films ever, which I do recall hearing about at the time. But they did things a little differently. Basically, in 1998, cinematographers were asked for their top picks in two eras: films from 1894-1949 (or the dawn of cinema through the classic era), and then 1950-1997, for a top 50 in each case. Then they followed up 10 years later with another poll focused on the films between 1998 and 2008. Unlike the editors' list, though, ties run absolutely rampant here and allow for way more than 50 films in each era to be cited. I'd love to see what these lists would look like combined, however. I imagine "Citizen Kane," which was on top of the 1894-1949 list,...

In the midst of his confession, a man promises to kill Father James (Brendan Gleeson) in one week's time. Not because he's a bad priest, but because he's an innocent priest. His reasoning comes as the result of being raped for several years by a priest when he was a young boy and while the man responsible for such deplorable acts has now died, this confessor believes to kill the criminal would have been worthless anyway, but to kill an innocent priestc Well, that would turn some heads. These are the opening moments of John Michael McDonagh's sophomore effort Calvary, a movie that left me emotionally rattled in a way I can't say I've experienced in some time. Set in a small Irish village, McDonagh makes good use of a small number of locals, touching on a wealth of societal touchstones including religion, drug abuse, banking scandals, adultery, domestic...

Calvary’s Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is a good priest who is faced with troubling circumstances brought about by a mysterious member of his parish. Although he continues to comfort his own fragile daughter (Kelly Reilly) and to help members of his church with their various problems, he feels a foreboding sinister force closing in, and begins to wonder if he will have the courage to face his own personal Calvary.

From the director of The Guard, John Michael McDonagh, Calvary opens in St. Louis August 15th.

Wamg invites you to enter to win passes to the advance screening of Calvary on Tuesday, August 12th in the St. Louis area. We will contact the winners by email.

If you are a winner, you will need to head over to FoxSearchLightScreenings.com and register to receive your two passes.

Answer the following:

What profession did Brendan Gleeson leave in order to pursue a career in acting?...

Trials of Faith Without Error; Glesson’s Good Priest Suffers for Sins of the Fathers

Two years after The Guard, the most commercially successful Irish film of all time, writer-director John Michael McDonagh and actor Brendan Gleeson return with considerably darker arthouse fare. Part Two of the unfinished “Glorified Suicide Trilogy”, Calvary begins inside a shadowy confessional with the announcement, “I first tasted semen when I was seven years old”. To the voice behind the lattice, Gleeson’s priest replies, “Certainly a startling open line” – speaking, more or less, on behalf of Calvary’s wrong-footed audience. The recollection of sexual abuse precedes a heavy dose of theological and moral insight, but lively, quick-witted dialogue will sweeten the pill.

In McDonagh’s words, it’s “Bresson’s Diary of a Country Priest with a few gags thrown in”. To give a sense of these gags – Father Timothy Leary (David Wilmot) inquires...

Here's a fantastic video montage that pays tribute to the art of modern cinematography. There are a lot of great things being done with cinematography these days, and movies are just looking more and more amazing. The video is called Ode to (21st Century) Cinematographers, it was created by Erick Lee, and here's a note that came along with it. 

This is a compilation of Some of my favorite shots from numerous cinematographers from around the world, roughly during the past decade. Due to not only wanting to keep a consistent look, but to also respect the cinematographers' work by not re-cropping 16x9 media, I only used movies that were shot around a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. As you can imagine, this not only limited what I was able to use, but also prevented me from using some of my favorite display of cinematography. Among those include "Children of Men" by Emmanuel Lubezki,...

Editor Erick Lee has thrown together a stunning compilation of shots from a host of international cinematographers. The theme tying them together? All of the shots were created in the past ten years. Unfortunately, Erick wasn't able to include some of his favorites. Because he wanted to respect the cinematographers' work by not re-cropping 16x9 media, he could only include movies that were shot around a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. As a result, scenes from "Children of Men" by Emmanuel Lubezki, "Prisoners" by Roger Deakins, "Hugo" by Robert Richardson, and "Only God Forgives" by Larry Smith, didn't make it into the cut. Still though, it's a good century to be watching movies. How many do you recognize?...

Danish director Thomas Vinterberg’s Oscar-nominated The Hunt (Jagten) won seven awards at the Danish Academy Awards - where Gravity picked up Best Us Feature.Scroll down for full list of winners

The Hunt, which has made the shortlist for the Best Foreign-Language Film at this year’s Oscars, was nominated in 14 categories at the Roberts - the annual awards of the Danish Film Academy.

Last night’s ceremony marked the 30th time the Danish national film prize was awarded at a gala in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Hotel & Congress Centre.

Having already collected 18 international prizes, including three at Cannes and a European Film Award, The Hunt won for Best Film and Best Original Screenplay (Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm), and Mads Mikkelsen was named Best Actor for his portrayal of a 40-year-old man in a small provincial town, wrongly suspected of child abuse.

Taking to the stage with his team, Vinterbeg said: ”We have basked in success, and it has...

It’s not easy making a great movie, but it’s even harder making a great trailer. Like all advertising, movie trailers have evolved in the last few decades to become a genuine pop culture event. An effective trailer can do wonders for a film, especially for a film that doesn’t come with a built-in audience. There’s no faster way to create buzz than with a good trailer, and a well made trailer can turn a movie from a first-time director starring a bunch of then-unknowns into the most-buzzed about movie for weeks. Meanwhile a poor trailer can doom a movie right from the start. Every year there are but a few trailers that, independent of the film they’re promoting, capture everyone’s full attention. Here are the trailers of 2013 that were able to do that best.

Please note: This is Ricky’s list. Deepayan’s list will follow next week.

The 2013 Sitges International Fantastic Film Fest wrapped up this weekend with an awards ceremony, and the winners list is overflowing with horror films you should be keeping on your radar.

From the Press Release:

Borgman, by Alex van Warmerdam, was the winning film at the 46th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, which awarded prizes to many diverse productions. The award for best direction went to Navot Papushado and Aharon Keshales for the film Big Bad Wolves and for best cinematography to Larry Smith for Only God Forgives. The award for best actress went to Juno Temple for Magic Magic and for best actor to Andy Lau for Blind Detective. The award for best screenplay went to James Ward Byrkit for Coherence and for distinguished special effects to Afflicted, by Cliff Prowse and Derek Lee.

In addition, Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch received the special jury award,...

The Cairnes brothers' 100 Bloody Acres has been named best feature film in the Midnight X-Treme Category at Spain's Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.

Australian director Josh Tanner.s short film The Landing took the prize for best short in the Official Fantastic Competition Shorts section.

Produced and written by Jade van der Lei, The Landing tells the story of Edward, a middle-aged man who returns to the farm of his childhood, desperate to uncover a horrifying secret.

Written and directed by Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes and produced by Julie Ryan, 100 Bloody Acres is a comedy-horror about two brothers (Damon Herriman, Angus Sampson) who run a struggling organic blood and bone fertiliser business. The Midnight X-Treme section of the Sitges program showcases the best independent horror movies.

The film has been sold to the Us, UK, Germany, Canada and Hong Kong. Hopscotch will release the title on DVD...

Drive director Nicolas Refn takes Ryan Gosling on a gripping journey through the Bangkok underworld. Ultraviolence ensues – but not quite how you'd expect

Like a thwacked piñata, critical opinion for something provocative at a film festival can swing off in any direction. But it was, for me, surprising to find that one of the very best movies at Cannes this year had such a shrill and hostile reception. Nicolas Winding Refn's brilliant, macabre and ultraviolent anti-revenge movie Only God Forgives – his most interesting work since the Pusher trilogy in the Mads Mikkelsen era – was deafeningly denounced at its first screening. Some booed from their seats, cupping their hands around their mouths so that the sound carried that vital few yards further. Then came the nervy, brushfire social-media consensus – a new feature of criticism at festivals – as insecure pundits checked their Twitter feeds and committed themselves to derision, evidently taking...

Only God Forgives

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Written by Nicolas Winding Refn

Denmark, France, Thailand, USA, and Sweden, 2013

Style oozes from every frame of Only God Forgives, tinged in red, like the blood that so frequently sprays across the screen and lands in artfully designed splatters. Writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn and star Ryan Gosling, reuniting after the cult success of 2011’s Drive, have collaborated on a truly baffling, bizarre, and gory crime drama that’s wall-to-wall striking, pretty images. Unlike Drive, however, Only God Forgives is hollow underneath all the model-like posturing and the flashes of excessive, gratuitous violence.

Gosling plays Julian, an American living in Thailand as a boxing promoter and drug dealer along with his sociopathic brother Billy. One night, Billy lets loose his nasty tendencies by raping and murdering an underage Thai prostitute; this act kicks off 90 minutes of various forms of outlandish vengeance from Julian,...

"Here's coming after me next... Please Julian, protect me." Get a load of this. Radius-twc has released yet another new trailer for Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives, one last tease at the neon-lit, Bangkok-set, extremely violent revenge film starring Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm. As we highlighted before, this film had a divisive response with critics in Cannes, but will likely earn a cult following here in the Us. They don't include any critics' quotes, just lots of violence and plenty of Larry Smith's lush neon cinematography, as well as Cliff Martinez's amazing score. I liked the film and gave it a good review. See my interview with Nicolas Winding Refn. "He's a very dangerous boy." Here's the latest Us trailer for Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives, originally from Yahoo: Julian (Ryan Gosling) lives in exile in Bangkok where...

Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn re-team for an emotionally breathtaking, aesthetically brilliant and immensely violent thriller set amongst Us expatriates in Bangkok

It may not win the Palme D'Or, but it could win the Walkout D'Or, a gold trophy of a cinema-seat banged up into the upright position. Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives is a glitteringly strange, mesmeric and mad film set among American criminal expatriates in Bangkok.

It is ultraviolent, creepy and scary, an enriched-uranium cake of pulp, with a neon sheen. The first scenes made me think that Wong Kar-wai had made a new film called In the Mood for Fear or In the Mood for Hate.

Ryan Gosling plays Julian, the co-owner of a Muay Thai boxing club with his brother Billy (Tom Burke): an operation which is a front for selling drugs. Both brothers are naturally angry and violent, though in keeping his feelings in check,...

The Weinstein Co. has released clips for director Nicolas Winding Refn’s Palme d’Or contender Only God Forgives, which premieres in Cannes on Wednesday and opens stateside July 19. The six minutes + of footage seen in these clips demonstrate that the auteur’s latest will contain, among other things, gorgeous visuals (courtesy of Bronson cinematographer Larry Smith), long stretches without dialogue, an amazing score, and a badass performance by Kristin Scott Thomas. All three of these snippets originated at Cine Republic in anticipation of the film’s premiere. Enjoy!

#5. Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives

Gist: Julien (Ryan Gosling) runs a Thai boxing club in Bangkok, but the business is a front for his family’s drug smuggling operation. When his brother is murdered, his mother, Jenna (Kristin Scott Thomas), orders him to find and kill the party responsible. The boxing club will utilized.

Prediction: This is Refn’s much anticipated follow-up to 2011’s Drive, which played in the Main Competition that year and snagged him Best Director at the fest. Refn reunites with Gosling and Larry Smith, his cinematographer from Bronson (2008), that Miss Marple television film from 2007, and Fear X (2003). A slot in the Main Competition seems inevitable for Only God Forgives – the film which Thierry showed surprise clips of at last year’s fest.

prev next...

Only God Forgives reunites violence-loving director Nicolas Winding Refn with his Drive star Ryan Gosling for the story of a man (Gosling) whose cold-hearted mama (Thomas) urges him to seek vengeance against the man (Vithaya Pansringarm) who killed his brother. The trailer came out a few days ago (many days ago?) but I couldn't bring myself to type about it before now because my finger was too busy hitting "replay". The film opens in July and the wait might be excruciating.

Kristin Scott Thomas. Cinematography by Larry Smith

The trailer came out a few days ago (many days ago?) but I couldn't bring myself to type about it before now because my finger was too busy hitting "replay". We'll break it down with our Yes No Maybe So™ system after the jump and I promise to say something about it other than "OMGKristinScottThomas OMGKristinScottThomas OMGKristinScottThomas" though I can't promise I...

As a married man, I’m comfortable enough in my sexuality to say that Ryan Gosling is a handsome man. But it isn’t the Drive star’s good looks that makes this trailer for Only God Forgives so gorgeous and hypnotic. That honor can be bestowed to cinematographer Larry Smith. A frequent collaborator with Stanley Kubrick, Smith has given the same sense of balance and structure that the former director loved so much and has placed it in the violent underground world of Thai boxing that director Nicolas Winding Refn has created. I couldn’t help but recall the dazzling imagery from some of Wong Kar-wai’s films like Chungking Express and In The Mood For Love when watching this trailer. Of course, since this is the director of such violent opuses as Bronson and Valhalla Rising, Only God Forgives looks like if Wong Kar-wai decided to direct an ultra-violent exploitation film.

Danish producer Lene Børglum, Australian producer Sue Milliken ("Black Robe," "Paradise Road"), and "Drive" director Nicolas Winding Refn are all seat to team on a drug running feature.

English cinematographer Larry Smith ("Bronson," "Only God Forgives") will make his feature directing debut on the project entitled "Trafficker." Ken Kwek ("The Blue Mansion") penned the script which is being described as an Australian movie set in the Vietnamese-run drug world.

Børglum and Smith were in Melbourne last week scouting locations and seeking financial and distributor support. Børglum, Milliken, and Refn’s Space Rocket Nation will co-produce the feature.

Source: Deadline...

There a few people who boast working with both Stanley Kubrick and Nicolas Winding Refn, and one of them is cinematographer Larry Smith. Starting his career as the chief electrician on "Barry Lyndon," and then a gaffer on "The Shining," Smith became a cameraman on "Eyes Wide Shut" before moving on to work on a select number of movies as a cinematographer including Refn's "Fear X," "Marple: Nemesis," "Bronson" and the upcoming "Only God Forgives." Now, he's gearing up to make his directorial debut. Smith will make his feature debut with "Trafficker," which as the title suggests, is a film set in the Vietnamese drug world. The script has been penned by Ken Kwek, who wrote the comedy/thriller "The Blue Mansion" which Smith also shot. Financing is currently being raised and location scouting is under way for the Aussie project that we presume will shoot next year once all the pieces come.

Element Pictures box office smash has won two prizes at the 22nd Dinard British Film Festival in France. John Michael McDonagh's debut feature took the Kodak Award for cinematography and the Prix Public, voted by the audience at the festival awards which took place last night. Cinematographer on 'The Guard' is Larry Smith (Eyes Wide Shut, Bronson).

See the movie trailer and images for The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan and Mark Strong! The Sony Pictures Classics comedy thriller opens. John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly) directs and writes the film which was an official selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Also in the cast are Fionnula Flanagan, Dominique McElligott, Sarah Greene and Katarina Cas. Shot by Larry Smith against the epic grandeur of Ireland, the scenery juxtaposes with the inventive soundtrack from Americana/alternative country band Calexico. The Guard marks McDonagh’s feature directorial debut.

See the movie trailer and images for The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan and Mark Strong! The Sony Pictures Classics comedy thriller opens. John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly) directs and writes the film which was an official selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Also in the cast are Fionnula Flanagan, Dominique McElligott, Sarah Greene and Katarina Cas. Shot by Larry Smith against the epic grandeur of Ireland, the scenery juxtaposes with the inventive soundtrack from Americana/alternative country band Calexico. The Guard marks McDonagh’s feature directorial debut.

See the movie trailer and images for The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan and Mark Strong! The Sony Pictures Classics comedy thriller opens. John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly) directs and writes the film which was an official selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Also in the cast are Fionnula Flanagan, Dominique McElligott, Sarah Greene and Katarina Cas. Shot by Larry Smith against the epic grandeur of Ireland, the scenery juxtaposes with the inventive soundtrack from Americana/alternative country band Calexico. The Guard marks McDonagh’s feature directorial debut.

The Guard, directed and written by John Michael McDonagh, was the Official Selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and won ‘Best Debut Film – Honorable Mention’ at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. From Sony Pictures Classic, watch Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson in the trailer for The Guard.

Synopsis

The Guard is a comedic fish-out-of-water tale of murder, blackmail, drug trafficking and rural police corruption. Two policemen must join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang – one, an unorthodox Irish policeman and the other, a straitlaced FBI agent.

Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleason) is an eccentric small-town cop with a confrontational and crass personality and a subversive sense of humor. A longtime policeman in County Galway, Boyle is a maverick with his own moral code. He has seen enough of the world to know there isn.t much to it and has had plenty of time to think about it.

Although he directed the stunning Pusher films, Bronson, and Valhalla Rising, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn is finally getting his share of spotlight. He received the best director award for his Ryan Gosling-starring Drive (our review here) at Cannes Film Festival yesterday, and now we have more details on his next project. Before he re-teams with his Drive star for the Logan’s Run remake, he will direct the neo-western Only God Forgives.

We reported Kristin Scott-Thomas and Luke Evans will star, but now we have a plot synopsis from the official Danish Film Institute site (via Twitch). They also confirm that Eyes Wide Shut cinematographer Larry Smith (who also worked with Refn on Bronson) will return here. Check out the synopsis below.

Julian is on the run from the British police. He runs a Thai Boxing club in Bangkok which is a front for a drugs smuggling operation.

Cinematography and its significance is an aspect of film that is usually overlooked by your average movie goer. Often times when a director is know for consistently maintaining a certain style it is due in part to the cinematographers contribution. Like film editors, cinematographers take a back seat to directors when it comes to the public’s perception of each of their significances. Although it is ultimately the directors medium, the cinematographer guides the tone and feel of the film by controlling the aesthetics. This is of course excluding art direction, wardrobe and set design. A beautifully constructed sequence arrests your attention with such command and power, while still displaying a subtle eloquence. This display of the mastery of film is often referred to as something “cinematic”. In that moment it is film declaring “I am what I am.” The cinematographer plays an instrumental role is deciding what that declaration is going to convey.

American Cinematographer – the official magazine of the American Society of Cinematographers – just published a ranking of the best shot films for the 1998 to 2008 decade, and Amélie tops the list.

I initially thought the selections were chosen specifically by members of the Asc, but I learned that it was actually an open process; in short, the magazine asked its subscribers all over the world to nominate 10 films released between 1998 and 2008, that they believed had the best cinematography; the 50 most popular choices were then posted on the Asc website, with the rest of the public free to vote/rank the 50 finalists. Reportedly, more than 17,000 people around the world participated.

And, as already stated, Amélie was ranked in the top spot most consistently. I haven’t watched Amélie in years, but I’d certainly throw it up there on my list of one of the best shot films from 1998 to 2008. Will it be my #1? I don’t know.

Principal photography for a new Irish comedy thriller, 'The Guard', has commenced in Spiddal, Co. Galway. The feature is written and directed by John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly) and stars Brendan Gleeson (Into the Storm) and Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda). Announced today by Martin Cullen Td, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, the film sees Emmy winner Brendan Gleeson playing an unorthodox Irish policeman who joins forces with Don Cheadle's straitlaced FBI agent in a bid to take on an international drug-smuggling gang. Other Irish acting talents featured includes Ifta winners Liam Cunningham (Hunger), Fionnula Flanagan (Lost, Transamerica), Pat Shortt (Garage) and David Wilmot (Intermission, The Clinic). Director of photography for the project is Larry Smith (Eyes Wide Shut) and production designer is John-Paul Kelly (Venus). 'The Guard's costume designer is Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh (Brideshead Revisted) and the film's editor is Chris Gill (28 Days Later).

The highlight of the fall art-house movie season is Danish-born director Nicolas Winding Refn's ambitious, brutally beautiful “Bronson," a high-energy biopic about Britain's most violent prisoner, Michael Peterson Aka Charlie Bronson, brought to audacious life by Irish actor Tom Hardy. Working with cinematographer and former Stanley Kubrick collaborator Larry Smith (he lit "Eyes Wide Shut" and worked on "The Shining" as well as Refn's "Fear X") and production designer Adrian Smith, Refn creates a sensational experience, the psychological and physical journey of the one-in-a-million Bronson, a crook who discovers his artistic talent during his many years in prison. Granted Charlie's art is not for the squeamish.

• Ioncinema.com's Remains of the Day (Monday to Friday) is a look at eight and 1/2 news items that we didn't have enough time to cover but are worth mentioning here. For July 29th we have fest news from Venice and Qatar and a pair of one sheets worth checking out.  1. Tribeca in QatarDoha Tribeca Film Festival (Dtff) today the team that will head up the inaugural 2009 Festival. Amanda Palmer (Executive Director) will lead the Festival and work with a team from Tribeca that includes Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, to shape the program. Fest runs between October 29 to November 1. Click here for film festival updates. 2. Nicholas Winding Refn Hearts ....October 2009 issue of American Cinematographer magazine this month: Features on Campion's Bright Star and Larry Smith, Bsc discusses the lush cinematography he realized for the brilliant Bronson. 3. Ang Lee Overload The Film Society of Lincoln Center are

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