SIMON TIERNEYfinds ways to live well with less cash
FILM
Can I be honest? This is a little embarrassing. The first film to ever inspire me was The Bodyguard. Batman Returns was great and all, but what sort of role model is Batman compared to Frank Farmer? Even at nine years of age I had reservations about Batman’s sartorial choices. I didn’t want to wear rubber ears and latex. Farmer, on the other hand, was effortlessly cool. After watching The Bodyguard, I grabbed my plastic gun and ran around the garden protecting Whitney, played by my late dog, Towser, in the most memorable performance of his life. Although he did break character when I shoulder-barged him to safety from an attempted assassination.
This week we have great deals on film tickets and opportunities to learn about the industry. The recently reopened Lighthouse Cinema (Market Square, Smithfield, Dublin 7, tel: 01-8728006) is offering a pair of tickets (worth €9) to North Sea Texas (from May 18th) to the first 10 people to email mail@lighthousecinema.ie.
As part of its film club, Draíocht Blanchardstown (the Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15, tel: 01-885 2622) is showing Mildred Pierce on May 16th. There is a pair of tickets (worth €7 each) available to the first 10 people to email marketing@draiocht.ie. Tickets include free tea and cake, kicking off from 6.45pm.
German Film Week is running at the Irish Film Institute (6 Eustace St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, tel: 01 679 5744) from May 10th-16th. There are three pairs of tickets (worth €8.90 each) up for grabs for Stopped on Track on May 16th, 6.50pm. To enter, email info@irishfilm.ie and answer the following question: Who directed Germany’s recent Oscar-winning hit The Lives of Others?
Ireland's treasure chest of worldly gems, the Chester Beatty Library (Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, tel: 01-407 0750) hosts regular free screenings. See cbl.iefor details. There are six free tickets (worth €5 each) available for Indian epic, Moughl-e-Azam on June 9th at 1pm, which includes an introduction by Siraj Zaidi, director of the Indian Film Festival of Ireland. Email mdowling@cbl.ie.
Riverbank Arts Centre (Main St, Newbridge, Co Kildare, tel: 045-448330) is giving four pairs of tickets to Carnage on May 19th at 8pm (worth €6 each) and two family passes to Red Dog on May 26th at 2pm, to the first people to email boxoffice@riverbank.ie.
Wexford Arts Centre (Cornmarket, Wexford, tel: 053-9123764) is offering a pair of tickets (worth €3 each) to An American in Paris on May 20th at 3pm to the first 10 people to email boxoffice@wexfordartscentre.ie.
The Coca-Cola Cinemagic International Film Television Festival for Young People ( cinemagic.org.uk) , running from May 14th-20th, is offering 10 free pairs of tickets (worth €4.50 each) to the Hitchcock classic, The 39 Steps, on May 14th at 6.30pm at IMC Cinemas (Lower Georges Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin). Simply email claire@cinemagic.org.uk by May 13th.
Last but not least . . .
Filmbase (Curved St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, tel: 01-679 6716) is a major resource centre for Irish film-makers. It hosts a free event, “Get Into Film”, on June 6th. Booking is essential. The first five people to book, emailing events@filmbase.ie with name and number, will receive free Filmbase membership (worth €65, €50 for the unwaged). Membership includes access to film funding awards, free subscription to Film Ireland magazine and reduced rates on equipment hire.
If you have details of free services/activities/ products, email emptywallet@irishtimes.com. Upcoming topics include adventure and extreme sports on an empty wallet
