My favorite Irish/Scottish/English/Welsh/Aussie films

The real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies in Ireland with his team, but attracted unwanted attention from the police, the IRA, the UVF and members of his own team.

This is a deceptively complex movie. The basic plot outline of the Traveler boys stealing their horse back and leading police on a cross country chase suggests a simple boys adventure tale. And so it is. But it is also a commentary on Irish society. After all, it is a policeman and an industrialist who combine to steal the horse and change its name from the Irish Tir na nOg (based on an ancient legend) to National Security. (Do you really need me to point out the obvious symbolism there?) The subtext of the movie is about Ireland's beleaguered unique culture and identity fighting to assert itself. Of course, if you choose to focus solely on the plot and the humor, you'll have a great time. But if you look beneath the surface, you will find so much more.

This is up there the all time great Irish comedy films. From beginning to end this is a riot of a film. It portrays the life of Sharon Curley played by Tina Kellegher. She becomes pregnant after a night on the booze and realises eventually, that the father is the local U-12 soccer coach, who just happens to be older than her father. The gossips soon get the news around and Sharon becomes the joke of the neighbourhood.

This really shows the ups and downs of single motherhood in early nineties Dublin. Colm Meaney is brilliant as Dessie Curley with some memorable quotes and one liners. Also look out for Brendan Gleeson as Lester. Well worth a look. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The third installment of Irish author Roddy Doyle's 'Barrytown Trilogy', following 'The Commitments' and 'The Snapper', depicts the hilarious yet poignant adventures of Bimbo. Upon being fired from his job at the bakery, Bimbo and his best mate go into business for themselves and purchase a chipper (a fish and chips van); but will the pressures of financial success sour their friendship forever?

Alan Parker's brilliant directing effort on THE COMMITMENTS really shines. More than an entertaining spectacle, it has a whole lot of influence on the soul music circuit. Shots of Dublin city life are nicely photographed. The musical acts are extremely well talented and well done, if only the occasional dialogue breaks didn't interrupt the awesome sound. There could've been some more new tunes instead of old ones, but it's amazing to discover the fictional band's lead singer pull them off out of his lungs. Phenomenal! At least you can try to find the soundtrack album. One thing stands out the best: the casting. We need more of today's movies to do the same thing: to provide creative acting talents. The musical genre of modern Hollywood needed something like this to keep it afloat. Highly recommended! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marcy is an assistant to Senator John McGlory, who is having problems with a re-election campaign. Desperate for Irish votes, McGlory's chief of staff Nick sends Marcy to Ireland to trace McGlory's relatives or ancestors. Marcy arrives at the village of Ballinagra when it is preparing for an annual Matchmaking Festival. A well-dressed, handsome and single young lady, she becomes the center of attention for two professional matchmakers, Dermot and Millie, as well as for bartender Sean.

A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who's never touched drugs but can't help being curious about them...

Two Irish brothers accidentally killed mafia thugs. They turned themselves in and were released as heroes. They then see it as a calling by God and started knocking off mafia gang members one by one. Willem Dafoe plays the detective trying to figure out the killings, but the closer he was to catching the Irish brothers, the more he thinks the brothers are doing the right thing.

For the last 8 years the brothers have been living with their father on a sheep farm deep in isolated Ireland. One day their uncle tells them that they have been framed for the murder of a Bostonian Catholic priest. The boys must return to Boston to not only clear their names but find the men who framed them.

An unlikely kind of friendship develops between Fergus, an Irish Republican Army volunteer, and Jody, a kidnapped British soldier lured into an IRA trap by Jude, another IRA member. When the hostage-taking ends up going horribly wrong, Fergus escapes and heads to London, where he seeks out Jody's lover, a hairdresser named Dil. Fergus adopts the name "Jimmy" and gets a job as a day laborer. He also starts seeing Dil, who knows nothing about Fergus' IRA background. But there are some things about Dil that Fergus doesn't know, either...

Sean Thornton has returned from America to reclaim his homestead and escape his past. Sean's eye is caught by Mary Kate Danaher, a beautiful but poor maiden, and younger sister of ill-tempered "Red" Will Danaher. The riotous relationship that forms between Sean and Mary Kate, punctuated by Will's pugnacious attempts to keep them apart, form the main plot, with Sean's past as the dark undercurrent.

The All-Ireland Traditional Music Competition attracts the best musicians from all over the country -- and a few from beyond the shores of the Emerald Isle as well. As John Joe and his band prepare to capture the band trophy with their County Clare jigs and reels, Irishman Jimmy bends his Liverpudlians away from jazz toward the time-honored strains of Celtic music. As the musicians make their way towards the competition, trouble rears its head for both sets of challengers: the Liverpool Shamrock Ceilidh Band and the defending champions from Clare, and at the heart of this adversity lie the vengeful interventions of two estranged brothers, Jimmy and John Joe.

Have mercy on poor Father Ted Crilly. He has so much to contend with when it comes to dealing with the folks of Craggy Island, Ireland. There's Father Dougal McGuire, who is as dimwitted as they come; and then there is Father Jack Hackett who lives for the simple pleasures of life (sleeping, drinking, and swearing). Ted tries to bring stability to his congregation as well as the surreal townspeople of Craggy Island.

After some failures in his career as a director, Guy Ritchie is back with a fast paced, frenetic movie. A film about a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, millions of dollars are up for grabs, and all of London?s criminal underworld wants in on the action. Everyone from a dangerous crime lord to a sexy accountant, a corrupt politician and down-on-their-luck petty thieves conspire, collude and collide with one another in an effort to get rich quick. The story is interesting and the plot is very well developed. Its a film with lots of action and adventure, it has also a very good amount of black humor, characteristic from Ritchie's movies, and full of twists and an unexpected ending.The direction from Ritchie is excellent, the first hour might be a little slow but from the second hour till the end the movie takes a very fast rhythm and the fast forwards and slow motions increases the intensity of the movie. The cast is amazing, Gerard Butler gives a formidable performance, Thandie Newton also very good, Tom Wilkinson flawless as always and the secondary roles from Toby Kebbell (Johnny Quid), Idris Elba (Mumbles) and Mark Strong (Archie) gave the movie a very good support. In conclusion, RocknRolla is a entertaining movie you will enjoy and that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Turkish and his close friend/accomplice Tommy get pulled into the world of match fixing by the notorious Brick Top. Things get complicated when the boxer they had lined up gets badly beaten by Pitt, a 'pikey' ( slang for an Irish Gypsy)- who comes into the equation after Turkish, an unlicensed boxing promoter wants to buy a caravan off the Irish Gypsies. They then try to convince Pitt not only to fight for them, but to lose for them too. Whilst all this is going on, a huge diamond heist takes place, and a fistful of motley characters enter the story, including 'Cousin Avi', 'Boris The Blade', 'Franky Four Fingers' and 'Bullet Tooth Tony'. Things go from bad to worse as it all becomes about the money, the guns, and the damned dog!

In South Boston, where Irish roots run deep and Catholic tradition reigns, two brothers face similar hardships but lead far different lives. While older brother Terry descends into drugs and crime, 16-year-old Cole vies to make the state baseball championships - but must struggle to withstand his brother's destructive influence. When the two inevitably clash in a life-and-death confrontation, family ties-and futures-are at stake.

A thoroughly mind provoking film about 3 young women whom, under tragic circumstances see themselves cast away to a Magdalene Asylum for young women t in 1964. One of many like institutions, the asylums are run like prisons and young girls are forced to do workhouse laundry and hard labor. The asylum, one of many that existed in Theocratic Catholic Ireland, is for supposedly 'fallen' women. Here, young girls are imprisoned indefinitely and endure agonizing punishments and a long, harsh working system which leaves them physically drained and mentally damaged. As the girls bond together, it soon becomes clear that the only way out of the Magdalene convent is to escape, but with twisted Sister Bridget running the wing, any chances seem limited.

15 August 1998: the Real IRA exploded a bomb on a crowded street in Omagh, just into Northern Ireland, to halt the Good Friday accords and peace process; 29 people died. Families formed the Omagh Support Group to press the police in their inquiries. The film focuses on the Gallagher family, who lose their son Aiden. His father, Michael, a mechanic, becomes chair of the support group. The press for answers strains his relationship with his wife. High-ranking police speak in bromides. Shadowy figures offer intelligence that calls into question the integrity before and after the bombing of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and its Special Branch. Will the murders remain unsolved?

This is one of my all-time favorite movies, complete with belly-laughs galore! I've always been a fan of off-beat, less-than-commercial stuff that doesn't rely upon the standard comedy formulas-- there's no run-of-the-mill, cheap stereotype stuff; they don't do repetitive physical humor that gets one laugh for every ten tries; and the shallow, vulgar humor to which so many of us Americans have become accustomed is nowhere to be found. Waking Ned Devine caught me from the get-go, with the opening scene with the lottery and apple tart being my all-time favorite in movie history. The wry, offbeat, and somewhat dark humor is good stuff in my book, though I guess (from the looks of a previous review) it's not quite for everyone. It's been a while since I last saw the movie, but I still remember the pigs, intestines, the mad dash on the moped, Ned's dentures, mexican crisps, and the sea-bound telephone booth like I watched it yesterday! Then there's the funeral service, the wake, and the beautiful closing scenes, all of which add some good, clean emotion to the humor. I think I'll watch it again very soon!

Puckoon is a wee Irish village that gets caught up in an argument about where the border separating Northern Ireland from Ireland should be. Keen to get the matter sorted before the pubs close, a random borderline is wrestled on the map of the Emerald Isle and Puckoon gets divided as well - literally. As the barbed wire fences and Army checkpoints go up overnight, suddenly people cannot get to their outhouses or walk from one side of the street to the other. It has some advantages - everyone squeezes into the tiniest corner of the pub because it is in Northern Ireland territory where the beer is cheaper, but worst of all is the church and its graveyard. Now the newly deceased need a valid passport, renewable every year, if they want to be buried "across the border". A plan is hatched to return the newly dead back to Ireland. At the same time, a plan is hatched to smuggle explosives in coffins to Northern Ireland with, as they say, hilarious results.

Once in a while, you see a film that you don't know that much about, but it completely surprises you. Mystics is one of those films. It was quirky, amusing and thoroughly original. David Kelly was fantastic and Milo O'Shea, who both are the last of their breed. You never see films like this anymore since Cyril Cusack left the planet. The farcical nature of this picture is a rare commodity - too many people in too many films take themselves too seriously these days... Wish one day I could meet the producer. It brings me back to the days of Ealing comedies - character-based films that lit up the UK business like a beacon... Loved it. Will watch again for sure!

An Everlasting Piece is definitely one of the better Irish comedies I've seen in a long time. Though not on par with the Barrytown Trilogy or Divorcing Jack, the three leading characters are witty and strong. I'm very partial to Brian F. O'Byrne's thoughtful, subdued yet humorous portrayal of Protestant George Post. His best line is arguably, "He's as Orange as that chair." The film features many funny and poignant moments that make the film enjoyable to anyone who appreciates Ireland and its people.

I remember seeing this movie for the first time in late 2003, and I was impressed. I saw it again last night, and I was even more impressed. The acting is amazing, and the ending was brilliant. For me, all my guesses were incorrect. Everything that happens in this movie in unpredicted. The last half hour itself was highly unpredictable, and it had a powerful message. When a scene was meant to be dramatic, they did a great job at it. I don't know about everybody else, but the ending did make me cry. The message the movie sent kept me thinking for a while. The amount of courage and bravery was inconceivable, there was barely any faults or anything wrong with the movie. For a movie of 1995, they did a great job.

Northern Irish TV chef Harry has a history of playing around, being drunk and fighting with his wife. On the eve of his divorce hearing, Harry is beaten up at a garage but goes to work the next day. Acting increasingly disorientated and unusual he finally slips into a coma. Coming out of the coma later, Harry thinks he is 18 and can't remember anything past that. His wife doesn't tell him what a total s*** he has been and tries to form him into a better person. But when Harry discovers his recent past he is shaken and tries to carry on as normal.

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

Based on Martin McGartland's shocking real life story. Martin is a young lad from west Belfast in the late 1980s who is recruited by the British Police to spy on the IRA. He works his way up the ranks as a volunteer for the IRA whilst feeding information to his British handler and saving lives in the process.

In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello. While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan, a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. But is either willing to turn on the friends and comrades they've made during their long stints undercover?

In 1920, rural Ireland is the vicious battlefield of republican rebels against the British security forces and Irish Unionist population who oppose them, a recipe for mutual cruelty. Medical graduate Damien O'Donovan always gave priority to his socialist ideals and simply helping people in need. Just when he's leaving Ireland to work in a highly reputed London hospital, witnessing gross abuse of commoners changes his mind. he returns and joins the local IRA brigade, commanded by his brother Teddy, and adopts the merciless logic of civil war, while Teddy mellows by experiencing first-hand endless suffering. When IRA leaders negotiate an autonomous Free State under the British crown, Teddy defends the pragmatic best possible deal at this stage. Damien however joins the large seceding faction which holds nothing less than a socialist republic will do. The result is another civil war, bloodily opposing former Irish comrades in arms, even the brothers

10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie - a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother washed out to sea in a cradle shaped like a boat; someone in the family believes the boy is being raised by the seals. Then Fiona catches sight of a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish and takes an active role in uncovering The Secret of Roan Inish.

London based hit men Ray and Ken are told by their boss Harry Waters to lie low in Bruges, Belgium for up to two weeks following their latest hit, which resulted in the death of an innocent bystander. Harry will be in touch with further instructions. While they wait for Harry's call, Ken, following Harry's advice, takes in the sights of the medieval city with great appreciation. But the charms of Bruges are lost on the simpler Ray, who is already despondent over the innocent death, especially as it was his first job. Things change for Ray when he meets Chloe, part of a film crew shooting a movie starring an American dwarf named Jimmy. When Harry's instructions arrive, Ken, for whom the job is directed, isn't sure if he can carry out the new job, especially as he has gained a new appreciation of life from his stay in the fairytale Bruges. While Ken waits for the inevitable arrival into Bruges of an angry Harry, who feels he must clean up matters on his own, Ray is dealing with his own ...

Michael Collins plays a crucial role in the establishment of the Irish Free State in the 1920s, but becomes vilified by those hoping to create a completely independent Irish republic.

Christy Brown is a spastic quadriplegic born to a large, poor Irish family. His mother, Mrs Brown, recognizes the intelligence and humanity in the lad everyone else regards as a vegetable. Eventually, Christy matures into a cantankerous writer who uses his only functional limb, his left foot, to write with.