Something for the Weekend 30 July – 2 August

Welcome to the weekend, courtesy of JOE.ie. Whether you’re staying in or going out, we’ve got it covered. It’s time to leave the working week behind.

GOING OUT

Gigs

Festival season 2010 is trundling on, bravely ignoring the fact that God has clearly cursed Irish outdoor musical gatherings and steadfastly refuses to allow anyone to come away from one without trench foot or early stage hypothermia.

The big one this weekend is Castlepalooza, set in the stunning 17th Century Charleville Castle in Tullamore. It’s best described as a boutique festival so you won’t have any major international acts performing, but there are still a number that are well worth a look.

This year will feature the likes of Mercury Rev, Norman Jay, Colm Lynch and the sensational Codes. You can get a two-day camping pass for a very reasonable €99 but you would want to get a wriggle on – the audience is limited to just 3,000 people. Doors open on Saturday 31 July - click here for more info.

But that’s not the only festival on the cards this weekend, oh no sir. The great event with the terrible pun, The Indiependence Music Festival (get it? Indie? Indiependence?) also takes place over this bank holiday weekend.

The line-up is as extensive as ever and features a number of cracking acts. Some of the picks of the bunch are White Lies, Duke Special, Codes, and Reverend & The Makers. You can get a weekend camping pass for a very reasonable €79. Click here for more information.

Another big music event kicks off this Friday in the Mullingar Equestrian Centre. We are led to believe that there are people out there somewhere who actually like Republic of Loose for some reason, so this is their opportunity to indulge their despicable habit. The Coronas, Aslan and a number of other acts will also be on show. Click here to get your tickets.

Film

We’ve been waiting since early childhood for an A-Team movie and it’s finally here. While many of us might have hoped Mr T would have enough in the tank to make it onto the cast, he was ultimately replaced by one of the few people on the planet who is actually tougher than the Snickers-throwing brute – former UFC heavyweight champion, Quentin ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

Interestingly, he will be sharing the screen with our very own Liam Neeson who pulled off a major coup by securing the role of Hannibal.

Even if it’s crap from start to finish, we won’t care as long as it features the theme tune from the programme and a black van with a red stripe on it. Click here for JOE.ie’s review of the film.

Events

The big one this weekend is of course, the Galway races which runs from 26 July to 1 August in Ballybrit racecourse. The event was first held way back in 1869 as a two-dayer, but has developed into a week-long behemoth that attracts hoardes of punters from all over the world. Galway city bursts into life when the races are on so it’s a great time to be in town. Click here for more information.

There are a couple of crackers on the way this weekend in the GAA. For a start, there’s the GAA All Ireland Football Quarter Final in Croke Park between Tyrone and Dublin which takes place on Saturday at 12. It’s a double-header at HQ, the other half of which is Kerry v Down which throws in at 2pm.

The action from Croker on Sunday will consist of the GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Quarter Final between Roscommon and Cork. That is followed by the GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship quarter final between Meath and Kildare with throw in at 4pm.

For more details and info on tickets, click here.

Getaway

God evidently thinks it’s funny to urinate all over his servants on this his greenest isle during summer time, but you don’t have to stand for it. You could convert to Buddhism or alternatively make a break for it – check out the hottest late, late travel deals featured in the newest edition of the Last Minute JOE.

STAYING IN

Sport on TV

The aforementioned GAA schedule brings some massive encounters this weekend, with all four Senior Football quarter finals taking place over Saturday and Sunday on RTE. If GAA isn't your cup of tea, the F1 calender moves to Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday afternoon, whilst the Irish Open reaches its conclusion Sunday also.

Will Colm Cooper be celebrating again this weekend after facing Down?

Friday 30 July

The Irish Open: Day 2 (RTE 1 from 10:00am)

Saturday 31 July

Rugby Tri-Nations: Australia v New Zealand (Sky Sports 2 from 10:30am)

The Irish Open: Day 3 (RTE 1 from 1:10pm, Sky Sports 2 from 1:30pm)

SFC Quarter Finals: Kerry v Down (RTE 2 from 1:30pm)

SFC Quarter Final: Tyrone v Dublin (Part of RTE 2's coverage from 1:30pm)

Sunday 01 July

Hungarian F1 Grand Prix (BBC1 from 12:05am, Setanta Sports 1 from 12:45am)

The Irish Open: Day 3 (RTE 1 from 1:10pm, Sky Sports 2 from 12:00am)

SFC Quarter Final: Roscommon v Cork (RTE 2 from 1:30pm)

SFC Quarter Final: Meath v Kildare (Part of RTE 2's coverage from 1:30pm)

On the Box

The stand-out highlight on the box this weekend is TV3's showing of Francis Lawrence's adaptation of classic Richard Matheson novel, I Am Legend (Friday, TV3, 10:45pm). With the original story relocated to New York City, Will Smith stars as virologist Robert Neville, who is immune to a virus that has obliterated the human race, and transformed any surviving victims into rabid, vampire-like creatures. Smith brings a haunting prescence to the lead role, which has some masterful set pieces but is slightly let down by a distracting third-act reveal. Interestingly enough, fans of tonight's pick should try picking I Am Legend on DVD, as the release contains a far superior alternate ending.

Will Smith and a faithful dog battle for survival in post-apocalyptic New York

Alternatively, if you're looking for a few laughs you can't go wrong with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen in direct Judd Apatow's (The Forty Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) third feature, Funny People (Saturday, Sky Movies Premiere, 9:30pm). Sandler stars in a semi-autobiographical role as successful but lonely comedian George Simmons, who discovers he has a year to live. Simmons takes a promising young comic (Rogen) under his wing to write new material for act, though his actual reason for doing so is so he doesn't have to die alone.

DVD

It's a fairly shocking week for DVD releases to recommend this week (Old Dogs, From Paris With Love, The Spy Next Door) so we'll plump for I Love You Phillip Morris, the Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor true-life comedy. Carrey stars as the titular figure, a flamboyant, white-collar conman who desperately escaped from the Texas prison system on four occasion - all for the love of his life, played by Ewan McGregor. Phillip Morris is ultimately a smart, funny watch and deserves credit for being a comedy featuring gay characters in which the gags transpire from the character's comic situations rather than cheap knocks on their sexuality.

Plus

Don’t forget to join JOE this weekend for our GAA live match-trackers, as we begin Saturday at 2pm with coverage of Senior Football quarter finals Kerry v Down and Tyrone v Dublin. Then you can return Sunday at 2pm again for live JOE coverage of the remaining quarter finals Roscommon v Cork and Meath v Kildare. Feel free to send your comments mid-game to [email protected].