Okay, this week it's back to the movies with another quiz. The Rules are simple, decipher each of the anagrams. The ones labelled A-J will be films and 1-10 will be actors/actresses.. once you've figured them out bonus points will be awarded for each actor/actress correctly matched to the film they acted in.Monday, May 10, 2010
Movie anagram quiz!
Okay, this week it's back to the movies with another quiz. The Rules are simple, decipher each of the anagrams. The ones labelled A-J will be films and 1-10 will be actors/actresses.. once you've figured them out bonus points will be awarded for each actor/actress correctly matched to the film they acted in.Saturday, April 24, 2010
Here's Something I Prepared Earlier:

Hello all! Well, all three of my ‘followers’ (That makes this sound like some sort of cult or something doesn’t it?) and anybody else kind enough to drop by and give this meagre excuse for a blog a look. Since it’s been about a week since my last post -and in my renewed attempt to be a fairly prolific blogger- here is a new post, just for the sake of it. I have no real agenda at the moment, which is why I may just opt for the lazy choice of posting something old.
I love to write (When I’m in the right mindset and I actually force myself to) short stories, little novels, etc. It’s really just a hobby and I don’t really fancy myself as a writer in the true sense of the word, although someday I really would love to be. I’ve done a good bit of writing in the past and I’m recently trying to revive whatever sort of flair I had to begin with. Anyway, in the last few months or so I’ve started formulating a pretty disorganised plan for a new story which I hopefully will get around to actually writing this summer. I wrote a pretty rough introduction to this idea a few months back, partly just to get some of my ideas down on a page and also because of the enjoyment I get from writing whilst under no amount of pressure or time constraint. I’m just going to post the first few paragraphs here if that’s all good with you guys. Any criticism, constructive or otherwise is largely welcome of course. So, in that old Art-Attack vein, instead of actually writing a proper blog entry, here’s something I prepared earlier....
The Smoking Gun
At 1:08am, in a vacant lot on Boston city’s upper eastside, a heavy, wooden apartment door was being slowly opened. A relatively tall man wearing a brown leather jacket unzipped enough to allow for the collar of a cream shirt to protrude, with worn denim jeans and dark brown leather shoes stalked into the unfamiliar apartment and reached instinctively to his right for a light switch. The small room opened out onto a smaller kitchen by way of a sixties’ style beaded doorway. He continued into the linoleum and faux-granite kitchen parting the beads with his hands. Pulling a string-switch hanging from a fan in the centre of the room, the half drunk, unshaven Keaton Byers paused to take in his surroundings.
Just as he had hoped, the place was empty; you could almost hear a pin drop. Reaching into his jacket pocket for a pack of cigarettes he heard something considerably louder than a pin. A hammer in fact, cocked with the barrel pressed cold against his left temple, he hadn’t checked the living room. He let out a brief chortle at his stupidity and, without looking at his assailant, proceeded to open his cigarette carton and flick a stick from the bottom which he took between his two fingers.
“Don’t fucking move!” a voice with a slight Italian drawl which faltered slightly yelled into his ear, displaying what Keaton thought to be a hint of trepidation. Shaking his head whilst popping the cig into his mouth and lighting it with a flash of his lighter, he said smiling:
“That’s just what’s wrong with these wannabe gangbangers today,” The voice attempted to interrupt but Keaton wasn’t finished, “I mean c’mon for fuck sake, every crook in this town used to have at least some smarts, then you, fuckwit, step up to me and press that pussy’s pistol right up to my fucking skull. I mean, I’m probably not at my most perceptive but if I was going to pop a guy I’d keep my distance, yano?” He paused, inhaling a plume of smoke and exhaling while saying- the cigarette hanging from his bottom lip- “Here I am talking, while for some reason, you, shmuck, with the fucking shooter in his hand, are shaking. I can hear you. And the fact of the matter is you’re right to.” The gunman was getting increasingly uneasy at the lack of fear he was evoking in Byers, “Just you wait a fucking minute-” but he wasn’t fast enough, Keaton had grabbed the pistol with his left hand while smacking the guy full force in his nose with his right, causing it to make a sickening, crunching sound. The skinny youth, not more than in his early twenties in Keaton’s estimation, squealed and fell to the floor where he writhed in the pain of his fractured nose, warm blood pouring over his now almost certainly shaking hands. Keaton looked down at him almost with pity whilst he idly shook the pain out of his bloodied knuckles. He took another drag of the cigarette and, opening the chamber of his assailant’s gun, laughed loudly. “I fucking knew it, blanks!” Then, hunkering down he leant into the glistening, bloodied face and wrenched the convulsing hands away from its snout. “Just who the fuck did you think you were sticking up here, you thick Guinea?” He spat out these last three words contemptuously then, glancing down at the pistol that lay between his palms, he pocketed it. Taking another deep pull of the cigarette and standing up again. “C’mon, get up” he kicked the Italian’s side lightly. “Fuck yourself!” through his whimpers, it seemed that this kid still had some balls.
“What you fuckin’ say?” Keaton instigated testily, no reply. “I think you’re overestimating your current predicament here kid, you are lying on the ground clutching your smashed nose while I stand over you with not one but two guns. Now, pretty fucking please, get up.” The Italian began to slowly draw his trembling hands from his face then in one swift, sudden movement flung one down towards his sock. This kid was quick, but Keaton was quicker. Grabbing what he believed to be the blank-loaded gun he drew and fired. He was genuinely shocked when he was met with a sickening splatter as his snub-nose detective special blasted lead through the kid’s face. Keaton watched as the Italian’s hand fell from his ankle grasping a small blade, one that would surely be embedded in his lower calf now had it not been for the immediate response. He stepped slowly back from the crumpled corpse, the gun still smoking in his tremor-less hand by his side. It had all happened so quickly, now he stood, jaw tensed as the blood- which appeared black in the dim light of the kitchen- began to form in a pool by the motionless head. He muttered “fuck” in a way that would indicate that his last shot of Jameson had affected his reactions. It was his killer instinct, more of a reflex action than a meditated one. He had intended to get some information out of the kid.
Over an hour later he found himself, beginning to gradually sober up knelt down on the hard linoleum of the kitchen floor scrubbing desperately at the large stain of blood cursing himself. What had he been thinking? Forensics would notice this in an instant, but that was just it, he hadn’t been thinking. When he was satisfied that he had mopped and scrubbed at it till it was almost indistinguishable, Keaton threw the now bright red towel into a black refuse bag along with the mop which he snapped in two over his knee. Tying up the bag he left it down for a moment and stepped into the living area, picked up the blue rug in the centre of the room and, dragging it back into the kitchen, placed it over what was left of the blood smear. Picking up the refuse bag in his gloved hands, he walked to the door and opened it out onto a dank, grimy corridor, this lead him to the deserted, run-down street that was Greenfields Avenue.
He glanced cautiously to his left and right before briskly crossing the moonlit road towards his black Pontiac Firebird, the only sound to be heard was that of a dog yapping loudly a few blocks over. Popping the trunk, he flung the refuse bag in, peeling his latex gloves off and tossing them in after it, he slammed the trunk shut before sidling over to the driver’s door, opening it and hopping in. The engine roared to life followed by the instantaneous flood of yellow light from the headlamps. With a squeal of resistance from the tyres, he spun the car around and drove quickly into the alleyway adjacent to the derelict, grey cement block of apartments which he had just left. He pulled the motor up beside the fire escape and hopped out, leaving the engine running. Wrenching the fire door out and picking up a large cement block that lay beside it to prop it open, he stepped inside. Treading softly up the corridor – he had been informed that this was a vacant building beforehand, but now was beginning to seriously question the authenticity of his source and wasn’t going to take any more chances. He made his way up to the door of the apartment and carefully, checking his peripheries, reached into the back pocket of his jeans and produced a credit card which he used to jimmy the lock open, stepping hurriedly to the bedroom once inside.
He emerged from the apartment moments later, this time with the deadweight of two teeming refuse bags duck-taped together and slung over his shoulder. Passing through the open fire exit, he kicked the block out from beside it, fishing in his pocket for the car keys. He pressed the button to release the trunk as the door behind him swung shut with a click. The red brake lights gleamed on his face as he lugged the corpse in beside the bloodied refuse bag. His watch read 2:45 am when he slammed the trunk shut and tore off into the night, the growl of the V8 accompanied only by the wail of distant sirens.
I realise that there’s a lot of polishing up to do here as well as cutting down on the overwritten parts and fixing the dialogue, structure, etc. However, I’d really be interested to hear your honest opinions. Should I scrap the idea? Re-work it? Any suggestions would be great.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Audition (Ôdishon) Movie Review
Yes, I know, my third post in a week, very nearly equalling the sum of my amazingly prolific four posts in two years record, I astound myself. Alas, the lengths one will go to to forget their Leaving Cert responsibilities! And yes, I'm pathetically trying to rationalise this recent burst of posting as some sort of intense English revision. One which, conveniently enough, allows me to simultaneously browse Facebook and Youtube (Btw, have you seen this yet?) Thursday, April 15, 2010
New Quotes Quiz! (The Disappointing Sequel)

Thought as a little change of pace i'd actually follow up on a post within less than a year. So, here it is, a new- hopefully more difficult- quotes quiz! This time as with most sequels.. the stakes have changed, everything is bigger and supposedly better. So, without further ado , I give you the future, the shape of things to come! 15 questions! And just the film title this time! Enjoy...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Little Movie Quotes Quiz!

Okay Cian, yours was hard but let's see what you make of this one! As I'm lazy and I liked yours i'm going to go ahead and say same rules apply. So that's the name of the movie and character/actor.Here we go!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A new post, Finally!

Okay, it's gotten to the ridiculous stage where i haven't written anything in ages, this is hopefully going to be a step towards getting back into the habit. My new year's resolution for 2009 was to finally finish my novel (which i haven't touched since January). I have written a mere twelve chapters of since christmas 2006, i know it's terrible. So taking into account that i would like to have about 20 chapters written when I finish it, I should probably start soon. Anyone that's interested in reading any of the chapters i have written so far can email me at richiekeaney@gmail.com as any criticism would be greatly appreciated.
So, what's happened in my life since my last post? I'm single, still working in Easons Bookstore, still worryingly obsessed with Muse, hating school and loving my running. In the past month i have had a 250 euro oxegen ticket stolen from me and finally recovered after two weeks of frantic searching and police statements. I have qualified for the indoor athletics all ireland's in both my events (60m and 200m) which i'm greatly anticipating.
I'm going to set a reasonable target for myself to post something here atleast once a week. These may vary from random thoughts about music,movies or books i'm reading. I might even throw in the odd short story here and there.
So enough of that, i'm going to have a shower and then try to write!
Au Revoir!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Robert Downey Jr. = Philip Marlowe?
Raymond Chandler's books are fantastic, terrific writing and some brilliant stories.. apart from one or two great films, the books were never really done to justice on screen. The Big sleep is an amazing film and maybe because i think Bogart suited that role so perfectly i haven't watched any of the others where he didn't reprise the role.. This however, really made me think...
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Beginning

I can see the whole city from up here, the tall buildings dwarfed by the one I sit on top of like a classroom full of young pupils looking up at their teacher. There are the distant moving lights of cabs (the only vehicles on the streets at this time of night), hundreds of them scattered below the dark cloudless sky.
At least it won’t snow, but what is an advantage with the lack of clouds is also a disadvantage. What if the trigger freezes? I unzip my jacket and make sure my holster is well shielded; I zip it back up again.
For a little while my inner child plays with the affect my warm breath has on the cold air; there’s still time for this. I check my watch to confirm, just above my bunched white knuckles tucked between my leather sleeve and my nylon gloves. It reads 00:30. I have fifteen minutes.
I sit shivering for a bit longer; a plane soars majestically overhead, two red lights blinking in the distance. Those lights say so much, happy parents, excited children, Christmas holidays, relatives, warm fires and merry laughter, none of it for me.
I check my watch again. It’s almost time. I draw my left hand from its pocket and open my jacket once more; with my right hand I reach in and take it from its holster. I leave it on my lap and hold it there with my right whilst retrieving a pouch from my jeans with my left. I take the silencer out and twist it onto the barrel.
I check again, 00:42. My hands began to shake violently; I lift them up and tense them until they’re still. I’m not going to let them fuck this all up for me.
Once I’m fully composed I tuck the silencer’s pouch back into my jeans and stand up clenching the skeletal grip of my Walther PPK. Leaning into the wall I’ve been sitting at for the past two hours I pull my sleeve back over my knuckles, hiding the top half of the pistol whilst leaving its lengthened black barrel exposed. Now ready, I press myself against the solid concrete wall and do some more waiting.
I no longer need my wristwatch. In my head I can imagine him climbing the clanging iron steps with his box of cigarettes in hand. He gets to the top and halts for a moment to button up his grey trench coat, as always. Then I picture him reaching for the handle of the steel door and I hear the sound of it creaking slowly and defiantly downwards and then the click and it swings out. I’m perfectly hidden from his view behind the door, as always.
He walks out and takes a cigarette from the box; reaching for his lighter with his free hand he tilts his chin down against his neck and attempts to light it. I inhale slowly, exhaling with my first step as I slowly push the door back eyes always on my target. I take the gun out from my sleeve and walk up. I’m two feet from him when he turns slightly to the side, he doesn’t notice me all in black as he’s still concentrating on lighting the damned cigarette. I raise my arm slowly and tense my trigger finger at his exposed temple, in my head I count: 1, 2. And then pull. A sharp ‘Putt’ sound and then a crumpled heap falls to the ground. The barrel is smoking at my side, his cigarette isn’t. I kick him over with my boot. His eyes are open, at the far right of his temple, a black dot trickles. My Job is done and five hours later I’m on a train two hundred miles away.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
'In Bruges' : A Review

After watching this debut film from director and writer Martin Mcdonagh for the second time last night i thought it was about time that i blogged my review.
The film starts off with the strong 'dub' accent narration of Colin Farrell, it really sets a mood for the piece and tells you immediately that you're not watching a comedy, well not the sort you're used to anyway.
The film mixes great character develepment and raw emotion with some of the most outrageously dark humour imaginable. Think 'Fight Club' but funnier. The two hitmen Ken and Ray (Played to perfection by Brendan Gleeson & Colin Farrell) are comparable to Jules and Vincent of 'Pulp Fiction' their constant bickering and hilarious disagreements about the wonder of Bruges are what really makes this movie so funny.
As i said before, this film is not your usual comedy, don't go to it expecting an all out laugh-a-minute comedy because you will not enjoy it to the same effect than if you go with a clear mind. What we have here is the comedy and emotion after a job gone horribly wrong. Colin Farrell's character shows real depth that we haven't seen from him since the likes of 'Phone Booth' and begs the question why haven't we seen himin more decent films. I think we can thank Oliver Stone and the stinker 'Alexander' for that.
The Film mixes comedy and drama so beautifully together that it's a shock that this is Director Martin McDonagh's first full-length film to date,( He did win an Oscar however, for his short film 'Six Shooter' in 2004)there's no doubt about it Mcdonagh is a real talent(watch this space).
The cinematography is beautifully woven in between scenes with majestic shots of Bruges.
As the story progresses we find out more about the botched job and some of the consequences that might be held in store, with laughs, shocks,breathtaking action,raw emotion and a bit of romance thrown in, this movie really does have everything. All of these aspects lead up to the superb climax of the film that will have you on the edge of your seat, I'll say no more.
In short, 'In Bruges' is a terrific film. The acting is brilliant, the setting and plot superb, the screenplay is excellent and the cinematography is second to none. You'll be thrilled,You'll laugh till your stomach hurts, you might even shed a tear or two.
'In Bruges' is a great night out and i urge you to watch it next chance you get.
9/10
Sunday, March 9, 2008
A New Job
Well, i am feeling good about the whole thing. I've only been working in the internet cafe for about 9 months, yes i've enjoyed the experience and there are some brilliant people here. I will miss it and i feel bad about leaving, i'm sitting here at my PC and it's not very busy today. Every regular that comes and goes, pays at the till and i say ' Seeya' too just.. well it almost pains me. It's not a particularly brilliant job, the pay is good, it's definitely kept me with enough money for the past 9 months. However, i find it claustorophobic and a bit boring. I'm working by myself for five hours and everything that goes wrong here while i'm on shift is my responsibility, i've gotten sick of being undermined by arrogant customers.
So leaving here is perhaps overall a very good thing. I'm moving up and doing something that interests me much more. Then why do i feel this pang of guilt?
