The Black Dahlia 2006  R, 120 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank, Mia Kirshner, Fiona Shaw, Mike Starr, Patrick Fischler, James Otis, John Kavanagh, Troy Evans, Pepe Serna, Angus MacInnes, Rachel Miner
Based on James Ellroy's novel about a real-life Los Angeles murder case when Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) was brutally murdered and grotesquely mutilated, this film is fiction but uses details from the still unsolved 1947 case. Ex-boxers, now LAPD detectives Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) investigate the murder in their unique ways. Bucky dumps girlfriend Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson) when he comes under the spell of the beautiful bisexual, Madeleine (Hilary Swank), who, it turns out, once slept with Elizabeth. Then there are the drugs and police corruption that enter the picture in this difficult case.
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The Butcher Boy 1997  R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Neil Jordan
Cast: Stephen Rea, Fiona Shaw, Eamonn Owens, Alan Boyle, Andrew Fullerton, Aisling O'Sullivan, Pat McCabe, Sinead O'Connor, Ian Hart, Milo O'Shea, Sean McGinley, Peter Gowen, John Kavanagh, Rosaleen Linehan, Anita Reeves
Based on Patrick McCabe's award-winning novel, this is a wrenching tale showing a vision of the world through the eyes of a mentally disturbed boy who lives in Ireland. Francie (Eamonn Owens) grows up in a dysfunctional family–a suicidal mother (Aisling O'Sullivan) and an alcoholic father Stephen Rea). Following the death of both parents and alone in the world, Francie brutally murders a nasty neighbor, finally ends up in a mental institution, and is confronted by the Virgin Mary (Sinead O'Connor).
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Cal 1984 R, 102 min.
Genre: Drama / Thriller / Romance
Director: Pat O'Connor
Cast: Helen Mirren, John Lynch, Donal McCann, John Kavanagh, Ray McAnally, Stevan Rimkus, Catherine Gibson, Louis Rolston, Tom Hickey, Gerard Mannix Flynn, Edward Byrne, Audrey Johnson, Seamus Forde, J.J. Murphy, Brian Munn
Cal (John Lynch), a young Catholic in Northern Ireland, falls in love with the widowed Marcella (Helen Mirren) whose Protestant husband was killed by the IRA–a crime in which Cal reluctantly played a role. Now, as Cal becomes more interested in Marcella, she becomes attracted to him. But, Cal cannot bring himself to share with Marcella his role in her husband's murder. Can their love survive with the terrible secret being kept from Miranda? Mirren won the 1984 Cannes Best Actress award.
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Circle of Friends 1995 PG-13, 96 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Pat O'Connor
Cast: Minnie Driver, Chris O'Donnell, Saffron Burrows, Alan Cumming, Colin Firth, Geraldine O'Rawe, Aidan Gillen, Mick Lally, Britta Smith, John Kavanagh, Ruth McCabe, Ciaran Hinds, Marie Mullen, Marie Conmee, Tony Doyle
In 1957, close friends Benny (Minnie Driver), Eve (Geraldine O'Rawe), and Nan (Saffron Burrows) attend Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Unlike her friends, Benny must live at home and commute to school because her strict parents will not allow her to live on campus. The first day of school, Benny meets Jack (Chris O'Donnell), and they are attracted to each other but have problems because every night Benny must return home where she wards off the advances of her father's assistant Sean (Alan Cumming). Meanwhile, Nan falls for Simon (Colin Firth) who gets her pregnant and then dumps her. Nan plans to get Jack drunk and then claim that he is the father. Eve, who has fallen for Aidan (Aidan Gillen), catches on to Nan's plot and reveals all, which allows Jack and Benny to continue their romance.
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Closing the Ring 2007 R, 118 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Richard Attenborough
Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, Mischa Barton, Stephen Amell, Neve Campbell, Pete Postlethwaite, Dylan Roberts, Chris Benson, John Travers, Anthony Finigan, John Kavanagh, Gregory Smith, Alex Palmer, David Alpay, Ian McElhinney
World War II fighter pilot Teddy Gordon (Stephen Amell) is shot down, and, just before dying, he gives his wedding band to a young boy who says he will return it to Teddy's widow, Ethel Ann (Mischa Barton). Fifty years later, Ethel (now played by Shirley MacLaine) had married a World War II hero, her husband has just died, and she is grieving. Ethel's daughter Marie (Neve Campbell) receives a call from a boy in Northern Ireland telling her that he has the ring. The ring is returned, and Ethel finds some closure to her life when the history of the ring is revealed.
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Dancing at Lughnasa 1998 PG, 94 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Pat O'Connor
Cast: Meryl Streep, Michael Gambon, Catherine McCormack, Kathy Burke, Sophie Thompson, Brid Brennan, Rhys Ifans, Darrell Johnston, Lorcan Cranitch, Peter Gowen, Gerard McSorley, John Kavanagh, Marie Mullen, Dawn Bradfield, Kate O'Toole
Set in rural Ireland during 1936, this is the story of the Mundy sisters. All five–Kit (Meryl Streep), Chrissy (Catherine McCormack), Maggie (Kathy Burke), Rosie (Sophie Thompson), and Aggie (Brid Brennan)–are spinsters and are supported by Kate's salary as a schoolteacher. When their brother, Father Jack (Michael Gambon), returns from 25 years in Africa a change is certain to take place in their lives.
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Into the West 1992 PG, 102 min.
Genre: Family
Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Ruaidhri Conroy, David Kelly, Johnny Murphy, Colm Meaney, Brendan Gleeson, John Kavanagh, Dave Duffy
This modern-day fairy tale is set in Ireland and begins with Grandfather (David Kelly) finding a beautiful–and perhaps magical–white horse on the beach. He gives it to his two grandsons, Tito (Ruaidhri Conroy) and Ossie (Ciaran Fitzgerald), who live in the slums of Dublin with their ex-"traveler" father, Papa Reilly (Gabriel Byrne). After the horse is taken by the police in order to sell it to a rich man, the boys steal it back and head west on the horse for a magical adventure with the police in pursuit. Some gritty moments, but the ending is happy.
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Pete's Meteor 1998  R, 103 min.
Genre: Drama / Sci-Fi
Director: Joe O'Byrne
Cast: Brenda Fricker, Alfred Molina, Mike Myers, John Kavanagh, Dervla Kirwan, Ian Costello, Natasha Corcoran, Gavin Dowdall, Fiona Glascott, Kieran Aherne, Barbara Bergin, Alan Cooke
Twelve-year-old Micky (Ian Costello) lives with his younger brother and sister at his Grandmother Lily's (Brenda Fricker) house. When a meteor crashes in their backyard, the children believe that their deceased parents sent it to them. The government ships the meteor off to a university, and when the children try to retrieve it they meet an eccentric scientist, Hugh (Alfred Molina), and also must deal with the problems of their parents' best friend Pete (Mike Myers).
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The Tiger's Tail 2006 N/R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Director: John Boorman
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Kim Cattrall, Ciaran Hinds, Sinead Cusack, Sean McGinley, Ruth McCabe, Angeline Ball, John Kavanagh, Eanna MacLiam, Mark Lambert, Michael McElhatton, Stanley Townsend, Ned Dennehy, Derry Power
Wealthy real-estate developer Liam O'Leary (Brendan Gleeson) discovers that he was adopted when he meets the down-and-out twin brother (also played by Gleeson) he never knew existed. The brother lures Liam out of the city and begins to take over his identity. In the process, the twin takes over Liam's business and even his wife Jane (Kim Cattrall). Now their positions are reversed. Liam is penniless while it is the evil twin who now appears to have it all.
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| 1. The Black Dahlia (2006)
2. The Butcher Boy (1997)
3. Cal (1984)
4. Circle of Friends (1995)
5. Closing the Ring (2007)
6. Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)
7. Into the West (1992)
8. Pete's Meteor (1998)
9. The Tiger's Tail (2006)
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