I was definitely looking forward to this one, because the crew out at IFC have put out a great many choice horror flicks, and this one looked to be something different even for them. They sent out a copy of Beneath the Dark, ahead of its release March 29th, and for those of you looking for something decidedly original, prepare to have your mind blown.

Beneath the Dark takes a man driving with his girlfriend on a dark road when he starts to get sleepy. He finds a roadside motel, luckily enough, and pulls off to spend the night. And this in turn kicks off a series of events by which our sleepy driver confronts his past in all its nightmare glory, as the driver and his cohort find themselves forced to interact with the night clerk at the hotel and his wife.

Those of you expecting a Vacancy or Identity will likely be disappointed, and this is a shame as I was quite fond of both Vacancy and Identity, and those too took place in cheesy little roadside motels. But still, there are some really nice twisty bits here, and a couple of fairly interesting plotlines going on side by side that will throw in a few good chills of their own.

Beneath the Dark isn’t so much a horror movie as it is a fairly mild psychological thriller, and it will do a good job of being chilling, if not so much thrilling. It’s very deliberate, a little slow to build but it will eventually turn into something very substantial, so if you’re willing to put in the time to let it grow properly, you’ll get a very nice payoff here. Patience counts in this one, and it’s pretty impressive all the same. IFC’s little chill factory is not perfect–for a thriller it’s decidedly short on thrills–but it does have some, and the abundance of chills will certainly help.

And of course, you’ll get some pretty nice surprises out of this. They’ll really do a nice job by the end of it all, and it’s very much worth your time to watch.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives IFC‘s Beneath the Dark a nine out of ten–about the only thing separating this from being a really bang-up thriller is the decided lack of thrills and scares. It’ll handle chills very well, and there will be a few thrills here, just not really enough to make this a proper thriller. It’s very close, though, and decidedly worth your time to check this one out.

The day of celebrating Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day, hits pubs around the world this week (March 17th to be exact). Cinematic representations of the Emerald Isle range dramatically, from the desperately twee (The Quiet Man, Leap Year), to the noble yet gritty (The General, Once). But there’s more to Ireland than just films about the country. One of the many tricks of film-making is portraying a place without having to film in it. This is especially common with films based in mythical lands or in busy cities. Lately Ireland has become incredibly attractive for large-scale productions due to its apt facilities and tempting tax breaks. So to honour the day of getting notoriously drunk, here’s a list of famous films that you didn’t know were filmed in Ireland.

Saving Private Ryan
Steven Spielberg’s award-winning epic story needs no introduction. Set in WWII France, it commences with one of the most memorable sequences in cinema’s history: the invasion of US forces on Omaha Beach (watch it here). The sequence, shot in a handheld style, is brutal, exposing the audience to the horrors of surrounding enemies with bullets flying everywhere. For 30 minutes it takes us deep into the battle and the harrowing world of soldiers under fire.

The entire sequence was filmed in Ireland. For two months Ballinesker Beach in County Wexford was occupied by hundreds of cast and crew. Amongst the 2500 extras (many provided by the Irish Defence Force) were real amputees were hired to realistically portray the loss of limbs from explosions.

The Princess Bride
A cult classic that probably has more fans now that when it came out in cinemas, the Princess Bride marked the peak of 80’s fantasy films. In the film a faithful farmhand strives to rescue the virtuous Princess Buttercup. Rob Reiner’s US studio production was filmed in the UK and Ireland due to the extensive and lush green expanses of both nations. One of the film’s most exciting scenes takes place on top of the Cliffs of Insanity, where the masked man (the farmhand in disguise), fights a bunch of bandits to rescue Buttercup. The Cliffs of Insanity actually exist, but are known as Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher, situated in County Clare in the west of the country. The 700 foot-high, 8 kilometre wide cliffs are one of Ireland’s primary tourist attractions, and are vying for one of the Seven New Wonders of Nature. The Princess Bride also supposedly filmed in the nearby Burren, a barren 250 km-squared stone expanse.

The cliffs also appeared in David Lean’s epic Ryan’s Daughter, and in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Braveheart
Another Oscar-Winner, Mel Gibson directed and acted in this story of Scotland’s conflict with their oppressors England. The film was noted for its savage battle scenes and for William Wallace’s (Gibson) cries for “freedom”, and also it’s fabrications of real events. And it’s not just the film that was rife with inaccuracies, but also its locations. While some of the earlier scenes were filmed in Scotland and northern England, it was Ireland where most of the film’s outdoor locations were filmed.

The Battle of Stirling Bridge (where Wallace makes his big pre-battle speech) was filmed in the vast Curragh Plains in County Kildare. Hundreds of members of the Irish Army Reserve were used for the sequence, and they doubled up to portray both sides as they rush to clash. See a clip here.Many of the battles scenes of King Arthur also used this location.

The Curragh Plains wasn’t the only Irish location Gibson filmed on. Trim Castle was used for the York Castle, which Wallace storms early in the film, as well as for the King of England’s courtyard. Close to Trim lies the ruins of Bective Abbey, where several scenes set in the King’s castle were shot. Westminister Abbey was recreated in Dunsaney Castle. And the castle grounds of Robert the Bruce, where Wallace is betrayed and ambushed, were filmed in county Dublin’s private Dunsoghly Castle. READ ON »

Screenhead is hosting a giveaway to help promote an awesome new site called SundanceNOW. Screenhead and SundanceNow will provide two lucky winners with a code that is good for one free movie on SundanceNOW.

SundanceNOW offers you the choice to rent or own the best of independent cinema with the click of a mouse. The SundanceNOW library encompasses classic titles and the newest releases from around the globe.

I think this is an awesome opportunity for you to experience a new way to view independent and classic movies online.

The idea for SundanceNOW came from the lack of a single online destination where real independent film fans could find, watch instantly and discuss a broad range of independent, hard to find films from around the globe. We believe that SundanceNow fills that void by bringing hundreds of films to your computer screen. You can watch them immediately (and legally) and find several films from the same director or of the same genre quickly and easily. In addition, new films are constantly being added to the service so there’s always a reason to come back.

To enter the giveaway for a free movie download on SundanceNow, post your name and we will pick two winners March 23, 2011.

I have something of a soft spot for indie film, those little productions that sometimes manage to make it to video store shelves, and even manage to launch a career or two. And that’s why I’m happy to see the folks out at Heavy Times Media send their titular release, Heavy Times, out my way…even if I’m not so happy about the content of the disc.

Heavy Times is about three fairly loserish gents–Dan, Mark and Hugh, recent college graduates, apparently–who one day decide to go over to Dan’s sister’s house for dinner. There, they meet the center of all douchebaggery in the known universe, Rick, Dan’s brother in law. Rick talks the trio into embarking on a long, strange trip that will involve psychotic college roommates, lots and lots of drinking, and the eventual target of a trip to Montreal, where Rick believes, erroneously, that a horde of legal prostitutes awaits them. I’d say more about the plot here, except there really isn’t any more to say than that.

First off, what you’re seeing here is something of a rarity. It hasn’t even hit the festival circuit yet, so you’re getting this one straight out long, long before it’s even available. The brainchild of a stand up comic and the crew he gathered together, Heavy Times is something of a strange bird.

It’s a really nice sort of slice of life affair–chances are you know people like these. Or maybe you were people like these at some point. And though their adventures are a bit familiar, it’s still pretty funny. At least for the most part; I came to the realization by the end of the first half hour that, had Rick accidentally fallen face-first onto a working chainsaw, I would not have been very sad.

Whether or not you’ll want to watch Heavy Times, however, will depend in large part on how cool you are with movies in which people just sit around and talk for long stretches at a time. Because this is one of the chattiest movies I’ve seen in a good long while. For a movie created by a stand-up comic, it’s really nowhere near as funny as you’d hope it would be. Sure, there are some good jokes here, it’s not at all hard to see that, but they’re buried in this morass of conversations that really go nowhere.

However, and I give Heavy Times all the credit in the world for this, there is one great sequence, almost near the end, in which two equally dysfunctional personalities go battering at each other for the stupidest of reasons. It’s an impressive sight, and it very nearly makes up for slogging my way through the Slough of Boring Conversations that were the eighty-three minutes before it. Bravo, fellas.

Still though, much of Heavy Times will be a pointless endeavor, going largely nowhere, much like its main characters. Chances are you’ll be bored to tears watching it, and as entertaining as the last ten minutes is, it’s still poor payoff for the proceeding.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives this interesting yet somewhat laggard film, Heavy Times, a four out of ten for having a decent idea, yet not doing nearly enough with it.

It looks like director David O. Russell is about to shed his reputation as a difficult director. Despite accounts of fist fights with George Clooney (on the set of Three Kings) and a verbal attack on Lily Tomlin (see the clip here), the future is looking bright. His most recent film, The Fighter, turned out to be a pleasant surprise, a boxing pic with real heart and a sense of community (and plenty of nominations for this weekend’s Oscars). So what’s next?

Well, we all know that Russell is working away on an adaptation of the video game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Like Aronofsky who’s taking on Wolverine, this feels like an attempt to woo the studios into taking a few risks later down the line. And according to Indie Wire one of those projects is Cocaine Cowboys. Mark Wahlberg (who worked with Russell on The Fighter and I Heart Huckabees) has been attached to the project for some time and now Russell may come on board. The film is a based on the true story of Jon Roberts, who established a powerful and vicious drug cartel int he 1970′s. The article even suggests this could happen before Uncharted.

Also on Russell’s radar is The Silver Linings Playbook, an adaptation of Matthew Quick’s novel, in which a high-school teacher recent released from a mental institute aims to rebuild his life. Anne Hathaway and Bradley Cooper were associated with the project.

With genuine talent evident in The Fighter, it seems as if Russell may be more than the stereotypical “difficult” director.

Sundance praised this movie, but the trailer is not linear, so I am not sure how all these characters relate in the film. They are all disfunctional and somehow help each other through their problems.

The Oscars are less than a week away! I am polishing my television screen, planning my Oscar party menu and making sure I have all the details, wiz-bangs needed to celebrate Oscars telecast.

Screenhead is celebrating too with Movies On Demand. Starting today and everyday hence, I will be awarding a $30 Visa Gift card to a lucky visitor who answers the Oscar trivia question for the day.

These series of questions will be challenging trivia about 2011 Oscar nominees that can be answered by general knowledge or seeking the facts posted on the Movies On Demand Facebook page.

I will be posting one question per day for seven days. You can email info@screenhead.com your answer (We’d like everyone to try and figure out the answer on their own) and post a comment if you like, such as “That was easy!” or “I hope The King’s Speech” wins!

If you haven’t seen the entire Oscar nominated films yet or you want to see them again, they are available to view now on Movies On Demand. We’d also like to have you visit MOD Facebook page and “Like” MOD’s 2011 Oscars celebration giveaway: “And the Award Goes to?” Also, if you visit MOD Facebook you will have more chances to win, which is cool because if you are like me, more the merrier.

To enter the Daily prizes – Seven (7) $30 Visa gift cards to MOD movies, post your name and Screenhead will announce the winner after midnight of each day, starting today.

Here is the first question (Good-Luck!) Remember, you can find the answer at MOD Facebook: What film already won three Golden Globes and is nominated for four Oscars?

The Academy Awards are right around the corner, and are you ready? Screenhead and Redbox want to offer one lucky Screenhead visitor an exclusive Oscar viewing party in advance of the Academy Awards. To prepare you to weigh in with the critics, the Redbox viewing party includes Hollywood decorations so that your home is outfitted in style, Orville Redenbacher popcorn to munch on, 10 free Redbox rentals and the 10 Oscar nominated films below (an estimated $200 value!).

•The Social Network
•The Kids Are All Right
•Winter’s Bone
•Restrepo
•Animal Kingdom
•The Town
•Inception
•Alice in Wonderland
•How to Train Your Dragon
•Toy Story 3

Critics are already making their predictions…and now average movie lovers can too, simply by visiting the movie awards game on Facebook.com/redbox.

The Redbox Movie Awards Game empowers fans to make predictions and the chance at cinematic glory, which includes the fun “I Beat Richard Roeper” badge.

And for the Oscars, consumers can also pit their picks against Entertainment Weekly Critic David Karger.

Before casting their vote, those who do not win a redbox Oscar viewing party can visit one of redbox’s 26,000+ locations to rent titles featuring nominated actors, actresses, directors and films including: The Social Network, The Kids Are Alright, The Town, How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3 and Inception. All for only $1 per night!

To enter the Oscar Party giveaway, post your name and Screenhead will pick the winner February 23, 2011.

This is the story of what may well be one of the most insane housing markets on Earth, and a study in just how far people will go for that perfect place to call home. It’s Dream Home, and the folks out at IFC sent out a copy ahead of its release.

Dream Home follows Cheng Lai-Sheung, a Hong Kong native who longs to get a piece of property of her own out in Hong Kong’s beautiful–and deeply expensive–Victoria Harbor. A harbor view apartment in Hong Kong goes for a lot of cash, and so Cheng saves her money and works several jobs to save the dough. And after a whole lot of scrimping, saving, and patience, she’s finally got the deposit together…until the owners suddenly hike the price. Her dream now destroyed through no fault of her own, this sends Cheng over the edge into a frenzy of murder, with her weapon of choice being home construction items.

Sadly, this is nowhere near as much fun as the plot description suggests. Yes, Cheng’s killings will be downright brutal and nasty, to paraphrase Hobbes, but they will also be short. The first half of Dream Home is mostly dull, and only occasionally punctuated by Cheng’s vicious home improvement murders.

Clearly, the Hong Kong film market is out of practice in horror; last I knew, horror movies were illegal in China to begin with, though Hong Kong, thanks to its former territorial status, has some special rules. The situation is complex to say the least and I am so not a lawyer. Anyway, the first half of Dream Home is dull, as I said, but the second half gets cranked up pretty nicely–maybe even a little too nicely. The second half of Dream Home is jammed full of physical impossibility killing.  And when I say “physical impossibility killing”, I mean things that seem like they shouldn’t be possible, like a smallish Chinese woman managing to ram a screwdriver into the back of a person’s skull and going out through the eye socket.  Or said smallish Chinese woman managing to use a human skull to shatter a toilet bowl in one strike.

A bit outlandish, sometimes boring, Dream Home isn’t half bad in terms of slasher fare, and if they could have done something a bit more interesting with the first half, they really would have had a winner here. The last fifteen minutes alone are a masterful series of twists.

But as is so often the case, the Screenhead Ten Scale looks at half a great movie and half a dull one and gives the whole thing a six out of ten for doing a pretty decent overall job.

Directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, Monogamy involves Chris Messina, Rashida Jones and Meital Dohn. Messina looks great in this trailer playing Theo who becomes increasingly anxious about his impending marriage to Nat (Jones) and thoroughly bored with his day job as a wedding photographer.

He establishes a hobby: he’s hired by clients to clandestinely snap voyeuristic photos of them as they go about their days. Things go smoothly until a sexy new customer’s exhibitionism leads to an all-consuming obsession. As Theo shoots her day and night, the woman’s mysterious public trysts send him reeling, forcing him to confront uncomfortable truths about his sex life at home.