ANNUAL FULL OVERHAUL OF PAGE COMPLETED 1/2/2023
“Barber” (2023) added – 24/3/2023.
“Bachelor’s Walk” (2001/03) Comedy. RTE TV mini-series. 3 seasons: 15 episodes.
Simon Delaney, Don Wycherley, Keith McErlean, Marcella Plunkett.
Directors: John Carney, Kieran Carney, Tom Hall.
Filmed on location in Central Dublin.
Comedy drama based on the lives of three young bachelors who share a house on Dublin’s River Liffey quayside – Bachelor’s Walk. Raymond the film critic; Michael the solicitor; and Barry who is constantly on the look out for get-rich-quick schemes.
After a run of three series and an absence for three years, “Bachelors Walk” concluded with a one-off Christmas special which aired on St. Stephen’s Day 2006 on RTÉ Two.
Available on VHS and DVD but very difficult to find.
“Bad Day for the Cut” (2017) (99 mins) Thriller
Nigel O’Neill, Susan Lynch, Józef Pawlowski, Stuart Graham, Anna Próchniak, David Pearse, Brian Milligan, Lalor Roddy, Frankie McCafferty, Ryan McParland, Shashi Rami, Stella McCusker, Ian McElhinney.
Director: Chris Baugh.
Written by Chris Baugh and Brendan Mullin.
Production Co: Six Mile Hill Productions.
Shot in Northern Ireland during April 2016.
Donal, a middle-aged Irish farmer still lives at home with his mother, content with a simple life. However, when she is savagely murdered he sets off for Belfast looking for answers – and revenge. What he finds is a world of violence and brutality that he can’t understand and a secret about his family that will shake him to his core.
Premiered as part of the official selection at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017 at Park City, Utah, USA.
Available on DVD.
“Bad Karma” (2002) (92 mins) Horror.
Patsy Kensit, Patrick Muldoon, Amy Locane and Amy Huberman.
Director: John Hough.
Aka “Hell’s Gate” (USA).
Based on the book “Bad Karma” by Andrew Harper aka Douglas Clegg.
Filmed in County Galway – City and county.
When a beautiful mental patient (Patsy Kensit) finds out that her psychiatrist (Patrick Muldoon) is going on vacation with his family, she escapes from the institution and goes on a murderous rampage to find him. Convinced that he is the reincarnation of Jack the Ripper and she his mistress in their previous life, she commits violent murders to victims along the way, recreating the bloody deaths of nearly a century ago. When she finally tracks him down she takes his daughter and wife (Amy Locane) hostage to force him to acknowledge their past history and future destiny together. In a desperate attempt to save the lives of those he loves, as well as himself, he must figure out a way to escape from Hell’s Gate…
Available on DVD – scarce.
“Bad Sisters” (2022) Dark Comedy/Thriller TV series
Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, Eve Hewson, Claes Bang, Brian Gleeson, Daryl McCormack, Assaad Bouab and Saise Quinn.
Originally titled “Emerald” and based on the Flemish series Clan by Malin-Sarah Gozin and created by Sharon Horgan as part of a deal with Apple TV.
Set between London and Dublin, the series was filmed in Ireland. Dublin locations imclude Sandycove, the Forty Foot, Howth and Malahide. Belfast also features.
Bad Sisters follows the lives of the Garvey sisters, who are bound together by the premature death of their parents and a promise to always protect one another.
The first two episodes appeared on Apple TV on the 19th August 2022.
“Bailout, The” (2017) True Drama. 2 part TV mini-series
Denis Conway, Mark Lambert, Norma Sheahan, Philip O’Sullivan, Stephen Joseph Scott, Declan Conlon, Pascal Scott, Sven Moritz, Enda Oates and Ali White.
The Bailout, written by Colin Murphy, is adapted for television from his original stage production.
Production Co: John Kelleher Media.
The dramatic story of how the battle to save Ireland’s economic sovereignty was fought and lost. From 2008 to 2010, Ireland’s government, led by Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan, desperately tried to avoid handing over governance of the economy to outsiders. They were crippled by a banking crisis and soaring national debt, by public despair, by their own lack of experience and by internecine strife – yet they nearly succeeded. In the end, it was the actions of other leaders that decided their fate. – Written by John Kelleher Media
Not released on DVD – yet.
“Ballad in Blue” (1964) (89 mins) Musical Biopic.
Ray Charles, Mary Peach, Tom Bell, Dawn Addams, Piers Bishop, Betty McDonald.
Director: Paul Henreid.
Aka: “Blues For Lovers“.
Filmed at Ardmore while in receivership, with additional filming in France (Paris) and England (London).
Making his only major film appearance, legendary soul singer, musician and composer Ray Charles helps transform the lives of a blind boy and his widowed mother in this poignant, uplifting film drama set in mid-1960s London.
Ballad in Blue sees Charles who had lost his sight completely by the age of eight performing some of his best-loved songs, including I Got a Woman, Hit the Road, Jack and Busted.
During a performance for blind children, global star Ray Charles befriends David, a young boy who has recently lost his sight, and tries to help him come to terms with his condition. Then, during a world tour, Charles finds himself in Paris, where a surgeon is pioneering a radical procedure that could restore David’s sight; he sets out not only to convince David’s over-protective mother to allow her son to undergo the surgery, but also to reconcile her with her boyfriend, a struggling composer who seeks solace in alcohol.
Available on DVD (2014).
“Ballroom of Romance, The” (1982) (65 mins) Drama. RTE/BBC.
Brenda Fricker, Michael Lally, Niall Tobin, Cyril Cusack, Joe Pilkington and John Kavanagh.
Director: Pat O’Connor.
Adapted by William Trevor from his own short story.
Filmed in County Mayo – Ballycroy and Belmullet.
The frustrations of living in rural Ireland during the 1950s where the ballrooms were the only means of temporary escape from bleak lives but, also, cruelly emphasised the despair felt by many. The drama centres on a spinster who returns to the ballroom where, in her youth, she had danced full of romantic aspirations. These hopes had been dashed by emigration and, sadly, at the end of her evening in the `Ballroom of Romance‘ she finds her only comfort in the company of a drunk and loutish man.
Not officially released on DVD – a poor quality copy of the full film is available on YouTube.
“Ballykissangel” (1996-2001) Drama. (6 seasons: 58 episodes) BBC TV.
Stephen Tompkinson, Niall Tobin, Dervla Kirwin, Tony Doyle, Don Wycherley, Victoria Smurfit, Joe Savino, Bosco Hogan…..
Rural soap opera set in the fictional Irish village of Ballykissangel – Avoca, Co.Wicklow.
Available on a BBC DVD.
“Ballyseedy” (1997) (90 mins) TV docudrama.
Justin Aylmer, Fran Brennan, Barry Cassin.
Director: Frank Hand.
The story of one of the most notorious incidents of the Irish Civil War. On the 6th March 1923, nine captured IRA men were taken by Free State soldiers from the Ballymullen Barracks in Tralee to a remote location a couple of miles from the town at Ballyseedy. They were then tied to a felled free and a landmine detonated amongst them – all but one were killed either in the initial blast or by Free State soldiers in the aftermath.
Not available.
“Banshee Blacktop: an Irish Ghost Story” (2016) (91 mins) Drama/Horror.
Kelly McAuley, Dylan Kennedy, Liam Halligan, Bernadette Carlin, Jer O’Leary, Frank O’Sullivan and Marcus Lamb.
Writer/Director: Sean Garland.
Filmed in County Donegal.
A seemingly aimless drifter is picked up by police in connection with the disappearance of a young couple on a remote, windswept island months before. But the drifter, a disgraced monk, turns the table on their investigation and relates a tale of madness, murder and the supernatural.
Available to stream on Amazon.
“Banshees of Inisherin, The” (2022) (109 mins) Dark comedy
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon, Pat Shortt.
Writer/Director: Martin McDonagh.
Filmed in Achill, Co.Mayo during October 2021.
Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, The Banshees of Inishsherin follows lifelong friends Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Padraic, aided by his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Padraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
In cinemas from October 2022.
“Barber” (2023) (90 mins) Crime Drama
Aidan Gillen, Gary Lydon, Aishling Kearns, Liam Carney, Irma Mali, Deirdre Donnelly, Steve Wall, Helen Behan, David Herlihy, Camille O’Sullivan, Simone Collins, Nick Dunning, Ruaidhri Conroy, Desmond Eastwood, Isabelle Connolly, Gerard Mannix Flynn and Jimmy Smallhorne.
Director: Fintan Connolly.
Written by Fiona Bergin and Fintan Connolly.
Shot on location in Dublin during the pandemic.
Val Barber (Aidan Gillen) is a private investigator, hired by a wealthy widow to locate her missing granddaughter. The film is set in Dublin against the background of a global pandemic. Barber’s initial investigations into Sara’s disappearance quickly darken. Secrets start surfacing in unexpected ways. Before too long, Barber finds himself entangled with powerful men of shady morals determined to thwart his investigations. Has he bitten off more than he can chew?
In Irish cinemas on the 14th April 2023.
“Bargain Shop, The” (1993) (57 mins) Drama.
Brendan Gleeson, Garrett Keogh, Emer McCourt, Stuart Graham, Ruth McCabe.
Writer/Director: Johnny Gogan.
Aka “Big Deal in Dublin”.
Billy (Garrett Keogh) embraces consumer culture by thrashing the back-street antique shop he has just inherited in favour of a shiny bargain basement style enterprise. However, his mentor Jim Kennedy (Brendan Gleeson) has even bigger plans for Billy’s shop. He wants to flatten it. Using Billy to route money to a corrupt planning official he gets the go-ahead to demolish the shop and the whole neighbourhood in favour of an even greater vision of retail heaven. Packy (Stuart Graham) and his recently arrived fellow shopping assistant Maria (Emer McCourt) must overcome their rivalries to save what is left of the old shop Billy inherited.
Was released on VHS – rare!
“Barney Bunion PI” (2015) Comedy/Drama 6 episodes TG4 – Bilingual
Bernard Devenney, Aodh Mac Eamharcaigh, Colm Mac Giolla Easbuic.
Scripted and produced in the Donegal Gaeltacht.
Comedy drama following the trials and tribulations of Barney Bunion, who decides to carve a new career for himself as a private investigator, with the help of his brother Cecil. With no formal training, neither has a clue of what’s ahead of them.
Premiered on TG4 in 2015.
“Barry Lyndon” (1975) (185 mins) Period Drama.
Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Hardy Kruger, Godfrey Quigley, Leonard Rossiter, Patrick Magee, Marie Kean, Arthur O’Sullivan, Patrick Dawson.
Director: Stanley Kubrick.
Based upon the novel by William Makepiece Thackeray.
Filmed in Ireland, England and Germany. Irish locations include County Tipperary – Cahir Castle and Carrick-on-Suir; County Kildare – Carton House; Counties Kilkenny, Waterford, Wicklow and Dublin.
How does an Irish lad without prospects become part of the 18th Century English nobility? For Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal) the answer is – anyway he can! Barry is a pining suitor, a duelist, a vagabond, a soldier in the Seven Years War, a spy, a card shark, a roué – all way stations on the climb to privilege and wealth.
Available on VHS and DVD.
———————————————————————————————————————
“Battle of the Bone” (2008) (90 mins) Kung Fu/Zombie Horror.
Laura Jenkins, Alan Crawford and Shane Todd.
Director: George Clarke.
Shot on location in Northern Ireland – Co. Antrim (Belfast and Whitehead) and Co. Down (Downpatrick).
Low budget – circa £10,000.
Yellow River Productions.
When two opposing sides face-off in one of Belfast’s worst ever riots, fate casts a nasty spell as an army of drug-crazed zombies descend on the capital forcing the enemies to join as one, and stop this new threat from taking over the city! Caught in the middle, are three friends trying to escape to the East, only to find themselves surrounded by bigoted thugs, burning bridges and high testosterone! Using fast and furious martial arts, and constantly on the run, the three young heroes soon find out that the fight loving thugs are the least of their worries… Their day is about to get a lot worse!
Available on DVD – scarce.
“Becoming Jane” (2007) (120 mins) Biopic.
Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell and Maggie Smith.
Director: Julian Jarrold.
Filmed in Ireland – Dublin, Meath, Offaly (Charleville Castle, Tullamore) and Wicklow – Ardmore Studios, Bray.
The year is 1795 and the young Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) is a feisty 20-year-old and emerging writer who already sees a world beyond class and commerce, beyond pride and prejudice, and dreams of doing what was then nearly unthinkable – marrying for love, without any regard for financial well-being at all….
Available on DVD.
“Be Good or Be Gone” (2020) (94 mins) Comedy Drama
Les Martin, Declan Mills, Jenny Lee Masterson.
Director: Cathal Nally.
Low budget.
The story follows Ste and Weed, two petty criminal cousins, who receive temporary release from Mountjoy prison. Both lads have big plans for the future. Ste wants to make a better life for himself, his long term partner Dee and six-year old daughter Ellie Mae. Weed’s ambition is to conquer the world of high fashion, thus becoming the new Galliano but a nasty substance addiction needs conquering first. Ste refuses to be moved when gang boss Braler tries to intimidate him into a heinous act of violence.
Weed convinces a reluctant Ste to take part in an armed robbery which goes badly wrong, resulting in a shopkeeper being brought to deaths door. With news of the assault now broadcast over the airwaves and Braler breathing down their necks, Ste and Weed attempt to leave Dublin. As they are cornered by the dangerous world they so wanted to leave behind their plans for a bright new future seem to be dissolving away.
Available on DVD and tp stream on Amazon.
“Behold the Lamb” (2011) (85 mins) Dark Comedy
Aoife Duffin, Nigel O’Neill, Sandra Ni Bhroin and Shaun Paul McGrath.
Director: John McIlduff.
Filmed in Northern Ireland.
Two strangers team up for a road trip with unexpected consequences in this offbeat comedy. Liz (Aoife Duffin) is a twenty-something woman trying to put her life back in order after kicking drugs and giving up her career as a hooker. Liz has a handicapped son who is in foster care, and en route to a visit with her boy, she gets roped into giving a ride to Eddie (Nigel O’Neill), a middle-aged slob with little to lose but his waistline. Before long, Liz discovers she’s tangled up in drug smuggling …
YouTube HD trailer here.
Scarce (Region 1) DVD Import on Amazon.
“Belfast” (2021) (97 mins) Comedy/Drama
Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Caitriona Balfe and Jude Hill.
Writer/Director: Kenneth Branagh.
Filming began in September 2020 and initially took place in and around London, before moving to Belfast. Production concluded by October 2020.
A young boy and his working class family experience the tumultuous late 1960s in Belfast.
Available on DVD.
“Belfast Story, A” (2013) (99 mins) Thriller
Colm Meaney, Malcolm Sinclair, Tommy O’Neill.
Director: Nathan Todd.
Shot on location in Belfast. Low budget.
What is peace? Is it when the bullets stop or the wounds heal?
A BELFAST STORY explores life after terrorism. Set in a city which has weathered hundreds of years of hatred, 30 years of bombs, and a war without winners, just victims. A new era brings new risks. There is peace, but that can also be deadly.
Colm Meaney stars as a man weary of doing right. Times are changing, car bombs are less common and terrorists find themselves out of work, but old habits die hard. And while most go quietly into the night, he must find the few who won’t comply. Haunted by his own past failures, he knows that he may only get one last chance to repeat the same mistake, and this time, the blood will be on his hands.
When a series of murders awaken dormant memories, many fear the worst. A greying assassin has stopped walking his son to school, purely precautionary. And his old comrades are also refusing to die gracefully. Someone is laying plans for the future, but first they must secure the present. From Official site.
Verdict
Avoid at all costs. One of the worst movies about any aspect of the Northern Troubles that I have ever seen. PSNI Detective Colm Meaney plods around the North ostensibly searching for the people behind an apparently connected series of killings of former IRA operatives. He doesn’t appear to actually do anything but instead shows up all over the place to view the corpses of the latest victim(s) of which there are an inordinate number.
He is accompanied on his travels by a completely unconvincing, and unarmed, PSNI constable. I thought all PSNI officers still carried arms? The PSNI constable has been placed with Meaney to spy on him and report directly back to the PSNI Chief Constable – at various odd locations including a pub and on a park bench with the latter character in full uniform!
There’s an unforgivable lack of attention to detail – the PSNI cap badges resemble something from Group 4 or some other security company – and even the DVD cover shows Meaney carrying a gun – something that he doesn’t do in the entire film!
The story is lame, the acting poor, the locations (despite being in NI) lack any feel of the place and could have been shot on a studio lot. This is one bad mother of a film which, apparently, was shot on a low budget and boy does it show!
Available on DVD.
“Belly of the Whale, The” (2018) (83 mins) Black Comedy/Thriller
Lewis MacDougall, Pat Shortt, Lauren Kinsella, Michael Smiley, Art Parkinson and Peter Coonan.
Director: Morgan Bushe.
Script: Morgan Bushe, Greg Flanagan.
Funded by the IFB, RTÉ, Filmbase.
Shot on location in North County Dublin – Skerries ….
After breaking free from his foster home, feral teenager Joey Moody returns to Laytown – a rural Irish town just over the horizon – in a bid to reclaim his family’s caravan park and salvage his friendship with his best mate and drinking partner, Lanks.
Meanwhile, on a mission to find the money to pay for his sick wife’s medication. Ronald Tanner, a fractured soul, risks his meagre life savings on a get-rich-quick scheme that ends in abject failure and humiliation at the hands of local big shot Gits Hegarty, pushing Ronald over the edge and off the wagon.
After Joey accidentally torches Ronald’s campervan and is forced to find the cash to repay him, the strange pair find themselves bonded together in misfortune. In an effort to change their crummy existence, they concoct a slapdash plan to rob “The Pleasurama”, the local amusement arcade, and the domain of the iniquitous Gits. All that stands in their way of the good life is a group of toughs, their own incompetence, and fate itself.
Premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh on the 10th July, 2018.
On cinema release from the 7th December, 2019.
Available on DVD.
“Beloved Enemy” (1936) (90 mins) Drama
Aka “Love Under Fire” and “Mi Adorable Enemiga” (Spanish DVD title).
David Niven, Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, Jerome Cowan, Karen Morley, Henry Stephenson.
Director: H. C. Potter.
Production company: Samuel Goldwyn Company.
Set in Ireland during “the troubles.” Irish rebel leader Dennis Reardon (Brian Aherne) falls in love with Lady Helen Drummond (Merle Oberon), the aristocratic daughter of British diplomat Lord Athleigh (Henry Stephenson). Reardon’s associates, not so romantically inclined, assume that their leader has sold out to the enemy, when in fact he is working tirelessly for an honourable and equitable end to the hostilities.
Available on Spanish DVD – search for “Mi Adorable Enemiga” see above.
Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (2003) (100 mins) Historical Drama.
Aidan Quinn, Kelsey Grammer, Flora Montgomery, John Kavanagh.
Director: Mikael Salomon.
Shot in Ireland – Counties Wicklow, Dublin and Meath.
Benedict Arnold (Aidan Quinn) was perhaps the finest commander in the Continental Army, but he will always be remembered as a traitor who turned his back on America in its hour of need. After winning important victories for the breakaway colonies, Arnold is driven to resign by an ungrateful Congress. Coaxed back into service by his old friend George Washington (Kelsey Grammer), he is soon plunged into the divisive politics of Revolutionary Philadelphia. But when his love for a British loyalist woman Peggy Shippen (Flora Montgomery) leads to scandal – and the Colonial leaders fail to support him – the stage is set for his fateful decision.
Available on DVD.
“Best: His Mother’s Son” (2009) (90 mins) BBC TV Movie.
Michelle Fairley, Tom Payne, Lorcan Cranitch.
Director: Colin Barr.
Filmed in Belfast.
A factual drama telling the remarkable, but little known story of George Best’s relationship with his alcoholic mother. The film has a tragicomic tone and focuses on Best’s year long retirement from football aged 26. A year in which Best decided he was going to enjoy himself. Sod Manchester United. Sod football. Sod everyone and everything except himself. But the harder Best tries to establish himself in the life of a Soho dandy, the more surprised he is to find himself pulled back to his raw Belfast roots. George is trying to concentrate on dating three Miss Worlds at the same time and building up his collection of night-clubs and sports cars when he discovers his formerly tee-total ‘mam’ has taken to heavy drinking. And he thinks it’s all his fault…
Available on DVD.
“Best Man, The” (1986) (85 mins) Drama.
Seamus Ball, Mairead Mullan, Dennis McGowan, Jean Flagherty, Michael McGowan, Hugh McIntyre and Aidan Heaney.
Writer/Director: Joe Mahon.
Production company: Northlands Productions, Derry.
Filmed in Derry and Buncrana.
Drama set in Northern Ireland about a hard-drinking/gambling bachelor who is asked to be best man at a wedding.
Available on YouTube 1/2/2023.
“Best Years, The” (2013) (93 mins) Crime Drama.
Martin Kemp, Anna Nightingale, Slaine Kelly, Enn Reital, Danny Ogle, Marc Pickering, Matt Healy and Jason Gerard Ogle.
Directors: Danny Ogle, Danny Patrick.
Production company: Empire Productions.
Budget £1.2 million.
Filmed on location in Derry.
Peace is declared in Northern Ireland after thirty years of troubles. The criminal empires that have existed during the troubles can no longer operate and are being shut down. George is released from prison and returns to his old working class neighbourhood to resume his life and steer clear of trouble which includes his best friend Emmet. Nadine has also come back to Derry after many years away, she is the estranged daughter of the resident crime boss Simon McKnight and also George first love. When Emmet finds a bag of money belonging to a ruthless loyalist hit-man Giggles, George is compelled to help him one last time to return it. This step is too far and they are forced to enlist the help of a gang from the other side of the community.
Premiered at the “Foyle Film Festival” in November 2013 but no sign of general release yet.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime 2/2023.
“Between Heaven and Here” (2014) (90 mins) Drama. Part.1. of German TV mini-series
Julia Richter, Sebastian Ströbel, Yvonne Catterfeld.
Aka “Zwischen Himmel und Hier”
See “My Whole Half Life” for Part.2.
Based on a book by Cecelia Aherne.
Just before her mother’s death, Amelia (Yvonne Catterfeld) discovers that she was born in Ireland and subsequently adopted. Amelia abandons her inherited bookshop and her wedding plans and heads to Ireland. Once there, flowers from a mysterious stranger help her solve the mystery about her origins. She hires a private detective, Bobby (Sebastian Ströbel), but is not overly impressed with either Bobby or the Irish – at first. Gradually, Amelia opens up and discovers her past, and also her future, in Ireland.
Full movie available on YouTube – 14/1/2018.
German language DVD available on eBay 2/2023.
“Between the Canals” (2010) (88 mins) Crime Drama.
Peter Coonan, Damien Dempsey, Dan Hyland, and Stephen Jones .
Director: Mark O’Connor.
Filmed in the Sherriff Street area of Inner City Dublin.
Between The Canals follows three small time criminals from Dublin’s North Inner City as they each aspire to be somebody in a fast changing society:
Like many others of his age, Liam (Dan Hyland) is a small time criminal whose life consists of dealing drugs, getting into fights and sticking by his friends. But now his girlfriend is pregnant and he wants to change all that to become an electrician and provide for his family.
The problem is his friends: Dots (Peter Coonan) a crazy, irresponsible thug with ambitions to become a big time dealer and Scratchcard (Stephen Jones), a drug user with no ambition but to stay on the dole and watch the world go by. What’s more, Liam’s uncle has been murdered, his girlfriend is taking money from a local gangster, and Dots’ latest antics are in danger of bringing the whole roof down on Liam’s world.
Liam is torn between life in the flats and his responsibility to be a good father and has just one day to make his move from living in the flats to a life on the other side of everything and everyone he’s grown up with – but it’s St.Patrick’s Day, and in Dublin City, that means trouble everywhere.
Available on DVD.
“Beyond the Fire” (2009) (77 mins) Drama
Scot Williams, Cara Seymour and Victoria Aitken.
Director: Maeve Murphy.
Filmed in England – Liverpool and London.
Beyond The Fire tells the story of Sheamy, a gentle Irish ex-priest who arrives in London. He reaches out to Rory, the only other person he knows in London. Rory, a talented musician and band member, takes Sheamy under his wing and introduces him to his flatmate Katie. Immediately, the attraction is undeniable between Sheamy and Katie. She is a warm-hearted woman but their romance faces a crisis when the past comes back to haunt them. – (The Director, Maeve Murphy).
Broadcast on TV3 on the 20th April, 2010.
Not available.
“Beyond the Pale” (1989) (60 mins) Drama. BBC (NI) “Screenplay” Season 4, Episode 9.
Prunella Scales, Annette Crosbie and Robert Lang.
Director: Diarmuid Lawrence.
Based on the short story by William Trevor.
Milly and her friends have been going on holiday together for many years. This year they return to one of their favourite haunts, a beautiful country hotel in Ireland but, their fond memories are destroyed when a terrible secret is revealed.
Not available.
“Beyond the Pale” (2000) (96 mins) Drama
Patrick Clarke, Conn Horgan, Malachy McCourt, Beverley Elder and Roger Davis.
Director: George Bazala.
Production: i4i Productions, Maiden Voyage Pictures.
Filmed in Ireland – Dublin; and in the USA – New York.
Low budget $350,000
Two Irishmen, Patrick Shaw (Patrick Clarke) and his friend Seamus O’Sullivan (Conn Horgan) enter the U.S. illegally. Arriving in New York, the pair start out with dreams of striking it rich, but soon find themselves in dead-end jobs and drifting apart. As Seamus pursues various get rich quick schemes, the more cautious Patrick holds down a Janitor’s job and plays good Samaritan to washed up alcoholic author Tom Finnegan (Malachy McCourt).
Available on (manufactured on demand) DVD from Amazon.com
“Beyond the Woods” (2018) (84mins) Horror
Claire Loy, Seán McGillicuddy, Irene Kelleher, John Ryan Howard, Ruth Hayes, Ross Mac Mahon,
Mark Griffin, Alan Riordan.
Writer/Director: Sean Breathnach.
Filmed in Millstreet, County Cork.
Beyond The Woods is a supernatural horror movie set in an isolated house in the middle of a forest. Seven friends have decided to meet up after not seeing each other for a long time. Unfortunately for them a fiery sink-hole has opened up in the mountains near the house and it’s burning hot and spewing out sulphur. The friends are determined to make a good weekend of it even though the roads around the area are closed and there’s a nauseating stink outside. They might be confined to the house, but they know how to party. As the weekend progresses some of the friends start behaving out of character, one disappears, and they all experience troubling events. It’s too late when they realise that it’s not just a sink-hole that opened near their isolated retreat, but something altogether more horrific…
Available on DVD.
“Big Bow Wow, The” (2004) (300 mins) RTE TV Drama series.
Risteard Cooper, Lisa Dwan, Sara James.
Filmed in Dublin City.
€2 million budget.
A group of twenty-something neighbours living in a city apartment block in 21st century Dublin – a boomtown. It’s a city of noodle bars, boy bands, Saturday night drug habits, extortion, corruption, fast living, self-consumed singletons. The Big Bow Wow’s a dance club. They go there to find solace and sex; discuss the day and get answers and let go.
I haven’t the opportunity to see this series but it was severely lambasted by the critics, and there’s a certain irony that the DVD cover boasts that it’s a UK series!
Available on a Region.1. (Import) DVD.
“Big Gamble, The” (1961) (100 mins) Drama
Stephen Boyd, Juliette Greco, David Wayne, Sybil Thorndike, Philip O’Flynn, Maire Kean.
Director: Richard Fleischer.
Aka “La Gran Apuesta” Spanish title.
Script by Irwin Shaw.
Filmed in part in Ireland – in Dublin Port and Ardmore Studios; also in Africa – the Ivory Coast.
This adventure melodrama concerns Vic Brennan (Stephen Boyd), who persuades his family to put up money for him to leave Dublin for the remote African town of Jebanda in order to start up a trucking business. The family agrees to give Vic the money under the stipulation that his cousin Samuel (David Wayne), a bank clerk, go with him to protect their investment. Vic and Samuel arrive in the Ivory Coast along with Vic’s bride Marie (Juliette Greco). Samuel loses their customs papers, and Vic’s truck is impounded. Luckily, Marie recognizes a friend, a French naval captain, and he gets Vic’s truck released. They then proceed onward toward Jebanda, but they have nothing but bad luck along the way — their truck crashes into a tree, and Vic has to bribe the natives with some beer to get the tree removed; a German guide tries to steal their cargo; and the African sun makes Samuel delirious, and he declares his love for Marie. Finally, the truck reaches a raging river. They try to cross it, and Vic is knocked unconscious by a log. Samuel must now find the courage to rescue Vic and continue on to Jebanda.
Available on DVD – scarce. Spanish release in English language.
“Big Red One, The” (1980) (113 mins) War Drama.
Lee Marvin, Robert Carradine, Mark Hamill, Stephane Audran.
Director: Samuel Fuller.
Some filming in Ireland – Trim Castle and Carton House but mostly shot in Israel.
Lee Marvin plays a gravel-voiced, tough sergeant who, during World War Two, transforms a squad of fresh-faced troops of the U.S. Army’s First Infantry Division into professional fighting men – and survivors. They battle their way from North Africa, through Sicily, Omaha Beach and Belgium to the ultimate horror of the Nazi Death Camps in Czechoslovakia. There’s no glorification of war in this movie where the only glory is surviving!
Available on DVD.
The Reconstruction (2 Disc Special Edition) DVD (2005) – runs to 151 minutes.
“Billy Trilogy, The” Drama. ‘Play for the Day’ series BBC (NI)
#1. Too Late to Talk to Billy (1982) (85 mins)
James Ellis, Kenneth Branagh, Brid Brennan, Maggie Shevlin, Tracey Lynch, Colum Convey, Chrissie, Cotterill, Walter McMonagle.
Director: Paul Seed. Writer: Graham Reid.
First in a trilogy of plays about the Martin family. The Martins are split: Billy’s parents are estranged and he and his father Norman (James Ellis) find it particularly difficult living under the same roof in Belfast. How can the situation be resolved? Made in 1982 but set in 1977 the story revolves around the Martin family from a Protestant stronghold in Belfast. The mother is dying from cancer and her husband Norman reacts by drowning his sorrows and taking it out on the rest of the world. It’s a very memorable performance by James Ellis as a violent and bitter and ultimately pathetic soul.
#2. A Matter of Choice for Billy (1983) (75 mins)
Kenneth Branagh, Brid Brennan, Tracey Lynch, Ainé Gorman, James Ellis, Mark Mulholland.
Director: Paul Seed. Writer: Graham Reid.
Belfast 1978: the Martin family a year on. Norman is away in England and his eldest son Billy and daughter Lorna are in charge of their younger sisters, Ann and Maureen. How can Billy and Laura square their family responsibilities with their personal lives? An awkward relative, about whom they disagree, is about to descend on them. Ann is a handful, and disturbing news arrives from Norman. Billy and the others must make a choice.
#3. A Coming of Terms to Billy (1984) (82 mins)
James Ellis, Kenneth Branagh, Brid Brennan, Gwen Taylor, Julia Dearden.
Director: Paul Seed. Writer: Graham Reid.
Third in a trilogy of plays by Graham Reid, telling the story of the conflict between a father and son in Belfast. It is more than two years since Norman Martin left his family to seek work in England. News of his return home is met with mixed reactions.
Not officially released on VHS or DVD, but sporadically available on YouTube.
“Biopsy Shake” (2005) (35 mins) Fantasy
Nathan Slattery, Günther Berkus, John Brett…
Director: Conor Slattery.
Irish language with sub-titles.
Low budget – estimated €10k.
Shot in Cork City and county.
The horse – uncredited – is by far the best actor in the movie!
Biopsy Shake tells the story of a traveler named Ardalaun (Nathan Slattery) who is told about the Terracotta soldiers from Realt (Berkus), an elderly prophet. Ardalaun is given a mysterious box and told to beware of a sorcerer named Xelo (John Brett) who wants the box for himself as it holds the soldiers and will give him power. Ardalaun stumbles across an amazing sense of power himself when one of his first steps on the journey has him meeting a maiden named Electra (Christine Utzeri) and walking into a mystical waterfall which teleports him into the future. After a magic tree gives him a modern wardrobe, Ardalaun runs his way through the town where he is pitted against new opponents, makes acquaintances with interesting allies, and comes across fantastic discoveries while fighting and escaping the Terracotta soldiers. From a review by Holywood North Magazine.
My verdict: Only to be watched when very drunk and even then it may be too much for some. Best cut to the out-takes at the end.
Full movie available on YouTube here
“Bishop’s Story, The” (1994) (85 mins)
Donal McCann, Margaret Fegan and Ray McBride.
Director: Bob Quinn.
A remake of an earlier film (see: “Budawanna”) by the same director.
Does not seem to be available.
“Bittersweet” (2008) (90 mins) RTÉ TV Drama.
Una Kavanagh, Catherine Walker, Deirdre O’Kane, Risteard Cooper, Robert Sheehan, Eva Docolomanska.
Director: Declan Eames.
Produced by Element Pictures in association with RTE.
The story of re-united Dublin friends Carmel, Gerry and Marie. Three very different worlds, three very different women but everything in common, Bittersweet celebrates their lives and loves. Everything’s looking rosy – until reality bites. – Element Pictures.
Aired on RTÉ in Spring 2008.
Does not appear to be available.
“Black Beauty” (1970) (106 mins) Drama
Mark Lester, Walter Slezak, Patrick Mower, Ursula Glas, Peter Lee Lawrence.
Director: James Hill.
Adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from the book by Anna Sewell.
Filmed in Ireland (Co.Wicklow – Powerscourt & Ardmore Studios) and in Spain.
This faithful adaptation of Anna Sewell’s Victorian children’s classic tells the adventures of a young boy and a spirited horse. Beginning life on a country estate the young colt Beauty is given away to cruel squire Sam Greene when he takes possession of the farm on which he lived. The horse then starts on an adventurous journey where he experiences the best and worst in human nature before finally being reunited with the boy who was his first friend.
Available on VHS and DVD – also as a newspaper promo DVD.
“Blackbird” (2022) (90 mins) Romance/Thriller
Michael Flatley, Eric Roberts, Patrick Bergin and Nicole Evans.
Writer/Director: Michael Flatley.
Troubled MI6 agent “Blackbird” (Flatley) abruptly retires from service and opens a luxurious nightclub in the Caribbean to escape the dark shadows of his past. An old flame arrives and reignites love in his life but she brings danger with her.
Shot on location in Ireland, Barbados and the UK, filming was completed in 2018.
Scheduled for Irish cinema release on the 2nd September 2022.
“Black Day at Blackrock” (2001) (57 mins) Drama. RTE TV.
Don Wycherley, Julie Hale, Anna Manahan and Tom Hickey.
Director: Gerard Stembridge.
Production company: Venus Three Productions.
Filmed in Ireland – County Meath….Summerhill, Kilmessan and Dunboyne.
A satirical drama that chronicles an extraordinary day in the life of a small Irish village, Black Rock., when the population is surprised by the news that they are to be home to thirty asylum seekers.
Not available.
“Black ’47″ (2018) (96 mins) Drama
Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Rea, Freddie Fox, James Frecheville, Barry Keoghan, Moe Dunford, Sarah Greene.
Director: Lance Daly.
Filmed in Counties Galway, Kildare and Wicklow.
It’s 1847 and Ireland is in the grip of the Great Famine that has ravaged the country for two long years. Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, abandons his post to return home and reunite with his estranged family.
He’s seen more than his share of horrors, but nothing prepares him for the famine’s hopeless destruction of his homeland that has brutalised his people and where there seems to be no law and order. He discovers his mother starved to death and his brother hanged by the brutal hand of the English. With little else to live for, he sets a destructive path to avenge his family. Hannah, an ageing British soldier and famed tracker of deserters, is sent to stop Feeney before he can further stoke the fires of revolution.
But Hannah and Feeney are old army comrades, forged by their time fighting together. Personal bonds and shifting allegiances cause both men to question their motives, as they are tested to the limit by the hellish landscape of ‘The Great Hunger’.
Available on DVD.
“Black Guelph, The” (2022) (120 mins)
John Connors, Denise McCormack, Paul Roe, Tristan Heanue, Barry John Kinsella.
Director: John Connors.
Kanto, a small time drug dealer trying to get off the streets whose long absent father Cormac, an industrial school survivor, returns home looking for forgiveness and reconciliation.
“Black Ice” (2013) (95 mins) Drama.
Killian Scott, Jane McGrath, Dermot Murphy, Donal O’Kelly, Marian Quinn, Conor McDermottroe.
Director: Johnny Gogan.
Production company: Bandit Films.
Filmed in County Leitrim – Dromahair.
Set in rural Donegal, Black Ice follows Jimmy Devlin (Killian Scott), and his complicated relationship with girlfriend Alice Watters (Jane McGrath). The story, set in a clandestine road racing scene where Jimmy is considered “top dog” among the petrol heads, also follows his and Alice’s struggle to break into the legit professional rally scene, but there are other forces at work in this shadowy border world threatening to undermine their ambition.
Available on DVD.
“Black Medicine” (2021) (90 mins) Thriller
Amybeth McNulty, Orla Brady, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Lalor Roddy and John Connors.
Writer/Director: Colum Eastwood.
Low budget – circa £250,000.
Jo is a black-market medic who carries out illegal operations for the Belfast criminal underworld. When she gives refuge to a young girl, she must choose between breaking her medical oath or crossing her ruthless employers.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime 2/2023.
“Black Narcissus” (1946) (99 mins) Colour. Drama.
Deborah Kerr, Sabu, David Farrar, Flora Robson, Esmond Knight, Jean Simmons and Kathleen Byron.
Directors: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger.
Based upon a novel by Rumer Godden.
Filmed partly in Tipperary and Killarney.
The locations were done in England and Ireland, but all of the Himalayan scenes were shot at the studio in London using glass shots and miniatures. Black and white location shots were used, blown up and colour chalk applied to them for use in Technicolor.
Plagued by uncertainties and worldly desires, five Protestant missionary nuns, led by Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), struggle to establish a school in the desolate Himalayas. Isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad.…
Available on VHS and DVD – also as a Daily Mail promo DVD.
“Blackwater Lightship, The” (2004) (120 mins) TV Drama.
Dianne Wiest, Gina McKee, Angela Lansbury and Keith McErlean.
Director: John Erman.
Based on the novel by Colm Tobin.
Filmed in County Wicklow – Ardmore Studios, Bray and Brittas Bay.
The Blackwater Lightship tells the compelling story of reconciliation between three generations of women, whose relationships have been marked by decades of misunderstandings. Granny (Angela Lansbury), her daughter Lily (Dianne Wiest), and Lily’s daughter Helen (Gina McKee). The three women are reunited at Granny’s home in the seaside village of Blackwater, when Lily’s son, Declan (Keith McErlean), who has AIDS, leaves the hospital to spend time at a place he remembers fondly from his childhood. Declan’s love for all three women in his family – and theirs for him – begins a powerful journey of love and understanding.
Available on VHS and DVD.
Blandings (2012) (180 mins) Comedy. BBC TV (6 part series)
Timothy Spall, Jennifer Saunders, Mark Williams, Jack Farthing.
Director: Paul Seed.
Comedy series based on the celebrated stories by PG Wodehouse.
Filmed in Northern Ireland – Crom Castle, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
Blandings Castle is dysfunction junction, the home of a chaotic family struggling to keep itself in order. Clarence Emsworth, ninth earl and master of Blandings Castle, yearns with all his soul to be left in peace; preferably in the company of his beloved pig, The Empress. But he never is. There is always someone who wants him to Do Something. Presiding over the blitzkrieg on his equilibrium is the baleful figure of his sister Connie, with whom he shares the house; at her shoulder is Clarence’s brainless younger son Freddie and a panoply of friends, enemies, servants, spongers, private detectives, bookies and confidence tricksters. Only Beach, his loyal and long-suffering butler, provides consolation. Storm-battered Clarence, somehow never vanquished, occasionally makes everything right through an inspired or accidental intervention. For any writer, it is the rarest privilege imaginable to have Wodehouse legitimately available as source material. Instead of just stealing from him as we usually do. http://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/catalogue/237/108/blandings-2012.aspx
I haven’t seen the series yet but it has received quite a bit of criticism on http://www.imdb.com/ and the trailer on Amazon looks woeful!
Series.1. & 2 available on DVD.
“Blarney” (1938) (68 mins) Comedy. aka “Ireland’s Border Line”
Jimmy O’Dea, Myrette Morven, Ronald Malcolmson and Noel Purcell.
Director: Harry O’Donovan.
The film was shot in County Louth, around Carlingford, Ravensdale, and Greenore, while the interiors were filmed in a concert hall in Dundalk.
Copy held by the Irish Film Archive.
Not available.
“Blind Flight” (2003) (97 mins) True Drama.
Ian Hart, Linus Roache, Bassem Breish, Mohamad Chamas and Brian Devlin.
Director: John Furse.
Blind Flight dramatises the imprisonment of hostages Brian Keenan (Ian Hart) and John McCarthy (Linus Roache) in Beirut the mid-1980s. Brian Keenan, from Belfast, was teaching English when he was captured, while journalist John McCarthy had just filed a story on Keenan’s abduction before being kidnapped himself. The two very different men were held together for four and a half years and forged a friendship that kept them sane through cruelty, deprivation and torture.
Available on DVD.
“Blood” (2010) (93 minutes) Horror
Emmett J Scanlan, Gail Brady, Steve Gunn and Oliver McQuillan.
Director: Bernadette Manton.
Shot at Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co.Offaly.
Blood tells the story of a brother and sister, Guy and Carrie. Carrie has recently passed away. Following an open verdict inquest, Guy awaits the arrival of his best friend Jonathan to return from several years abroad. Before Guy can confess a terrible secret to his father, he must first make the same admission to Jonathan, and in doing so, hopefully, gain a supportive and understanding ally.
Available on DVD.
“Blood” (2018) Psychological Drama. (360 mins) Six part TV mini-series
Adrian Dunbar, Carolina Main, Diarmuid Noyes, Gráinne Keenan, Cillian Ó Gairbhí, Mark O’Regan.
Shot in Ireland.
Blood is a psychological drama exploring family, memory, and the impact the past can have on the present. Cat Hogan (Carolina Main) is an isolated woman on the run from her past, a past she is forced to confront when the sudden ‘accidental’ death of her mother, Mary, draws her back to the family she has spent the last ten years trying to avoid. Cat has always been the black sheep of the family and now this uncomfortable reunion awakens sinister demons from the past and shines a suspicious light on her mother’s death. However much she wants to believe her death was innocent, her suspicions start to mount against her father (Adrian Dunbar) when she begins to notice discrepancies in his stories.
First aired TV3/Virgin Media on the 8/10/2018.
Available on DVD.
“Bloodfist VIII: Trained to Kill” (1996) (85 mins) Thriller.
Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Jillian McWhirter, John Patrick White, Donnie Hair and Warren Burton.
Director: Rick Jacobson. Executive Producer: Roger Corman.
Aka “Hard Way Out”.
Filmed at Concorde Anois film studios in Tully, County Galway, and at other locations in the county.
A former CIA agent Rick Cowan (Wilson) lives a suburban life as a high school teacher with his teenage son Chris (White). When the agent is attacked by former allies because of knowledge he possesses and his son is kidnapped, he is forced back into the business and his son sees a side of his father that he never knew existed.
Available on DVD.
“Bloodlands” (2021) (240 mins) Crime Drama. BBC TV Mini-series.
James Nesbitt, Charlene McKenna, Lisa Dwan, Lorcan Cranitch.
Filmed in County Down – Strangford Lough and the Mourne Mountains.
DCI Tom Brannick (Nesbitt) is sucked into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse after a car containing a possible suicide note is pulled out of Strangford Lough. He quickly links it to an infamous cold case – the hunt for Goliath, a legendary assassin possibly operating within the police force. For Brannick, it’s personal as his wife Emma was possibly one of the killer’s victims.
Available on DVD.
“Bloodlines: Legacy of a Lord” (1998) True Drama.
Jon Finch, Beatie Edney and Richard Lintern.
Director: Brian Grant.
Production companies: Film Eireann, Lucan Pictures Ltd., Screen Partners Ltd.
Based on one of the most famous mysterious disappearances in the world. Richard John Bingham, the Seventh Earl of Lucan was accused of the murder of 29-year-old nanny, Sandra Rivett on November 7, 1974, at his family home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, in London. On November 10, police found his borrowed Ford Corsair abandoned some 16 miles away near the docks of Newhaven. Since then there have been many reported “sightings” of Lord Lucan around the globe viz. Africa, Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland and Sicily.
Available on DVD.
“Bloody Sunday” (2002) (107 mins) Docudrama.
James Nesbitt, Tim Pigott-Smith and Nicholas Farrell.
Director: Paul Greengrass.
Filmed in Dublin (Ballymun) and Derry/Londonderry.
A documentary-style depiction of the events of the bloody massacre which took place on Sunday, January 30th, 1972 when thirteen civilians involved in a civil rights march were shot dead by the British Army Parachute Regiment on the streets of Derry. The story revolves around two young men who are caught up in the crossfire. One is an idealistic civil rights leader, and the other a teenage Catholic boy.
Available on DVD.
“Bloom” (2003) (108 mins) Romance/Drama
Stephen Rea, Angeline Ball, Hugh O’Conor and Patrick Bergin.
Director: Sean Walsh.
Based on James Joyce’s novel Ulysses.
Filmed on location in County Dublin.
Leopold Bloom (Stephen Rea) leaves his home and goes to the pub. There, he meets a young poet named Stephen Dedalus (Hugh O’Conor). The two men share a drink, bond as if they were father and son, and – later that day – visit a brothel. In the meantime, Leopold’s lusty wife, Molly (Angeline Ball), recalls the couple’s courtship. At the end of the day, Leopold and Molly get back into bed and never discover each other’s affairs.
Available on DVD.
“Blown Away” (1994) (121 mins) Thriller.
Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Lloyd Bridges, Forest Whitaker, Suzy Amis, John Finn, Stephi Lineburg, Loyd Carlett, Caitlin Clarke, Chris De Oni, Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
Director: Stephen Hopkins.
Filmed in the USA – Massachusetts.
Boston is rocked by a blast of such ferocity that it stuns even the most hardened members of the city’s bomb squad. The evidence points to a bomber more menacing and more skilled than any they have ever faced – an enigma to everyone – except former unit head Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges). Confronted by a deadly adversary Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones) from the past he had left behind in him in Ireland, Dove embarks on a search that is as personal as it is desperate. With each tick of the clock, the stakes go higher…
Available on VHS and DVD.
“Blue Max, The” (1965) (156 mins) War Drama.
George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andrews, Jeremy Kemp.
Director: John Guillermin.
The film is set in France and Germany but in fact, all the location filming was in Ireland.
Calary Bog (adjacent to the Great Sugar Loaf in County Wicklow) was used to build the set of a destroyed French village that features in one of the combat sequences along with about 1,000 men of the Irish Army. The scenes of Berlin were shot around Dublin City and Trinity College was used as the German Army headquarters. Weston aerodrome, now Weston airport, between Celbridge and Lucan was used as the German fighter base. Most of the aerial combat scenes were filmed in the skies around Weston. Irish Air Corps pilots were used in filming as well as civilian pilots. Baldonnell (now Casement) airfield was also used in the final sequences of the film. The superb aerial dogfights alone make this worth seeing especially the sequences at the Blackwater railway viaduct in Fermoy, County Cork.
George Peppard stars as a German ex.infantry man who has transferred from the trenches to the airforce and his ruthless pursuit of “The Blue Max“, the medal awarded to air aces with 20+ confirmed kills.
Available on VHS and DVD.
“Bobbie’s Girl” (2002) (95 mins) Drama. Made for TV.
Bernadette Peters, Rachel Ward, Thomas Brodie Sangster and Jonathan Silverman.
Director: Jeremy Kagan.
Filmed in Ireland – Bray, County Wicklow.
The “Two Sisters” is a pub in a tiny Irish seaside village. It’s run by Bobbie (Rachel Ward), her lesbian partner Bailey (Bernadette Peters) and Bailey’s eccentric brother David (Jonathan Silverman). Pub life is hectic, colourful, fulfilling and very off-beat. But their lives are catapulted into chaos when a family tragedy brings Bobbie’s 10-year-old nephew, Alan, into the mix to become a permanent member of their bohemian household.
Available on VHS (used, very scarce and expensive!)
Full movie available here.
“Bogwoman” (1997) (78 mins) TV Drama.
Rachael Dowling, Peter Mullan and Sean McGinley.
Director: Tom Collins.
Maureen, a young unmarried mother from an island off Donegal moves to Derry in the late 1950’s to marry her boyfriend Barry. It is a film about a woman and her relationship with her past – her parents on her island home, and her future with her family and neighbours on the Bogside in Derry at the start of the ‘Troubles’ in the early 1960’s.
Does not appear to be available.
“Bold Emmet, Ireland’s Martyr” (1914) True Drama.
Jack Melville, Pat O’Malley, Robert Rivers (Vignola).
Aka “Robert Emmet, Ireland’s Martyr“.
Director: Sidney Olcott.
Robert Emmet (1778-1803) led an assault of about 100 men on Dublin Castle but failed to capture the headquarters of British administration in Ireland. The 1803 Rebellion lasted only one day – the 23rd July 1803. Refusing to leave Dublin until he met his fiancee, Sarah Curran, Emmet was captured at Harold’s Cross on 25th August. He was executed on 20th September.
Available on “The O’Kalem Collection” DVD from the Irish Film Institute.
“Bombmaker, The” (2001) (180 mins) Thriller. TV movie.
Dervla Kirwan, Angeline Ball, Mark Womack, Ciara Lyons, Marc Warren and David Hunt.
Director: Graham Theakston.
Adapted for television by Stephen Leather from his novel of the same name.
Andrea Hayes (Dervla Kirwan) was once one of the IRA’s deadliest bomb-makers — until she quit after four schoolchildren were accidentally killed by one of her bombs. Ten years later, she has built a new life and a family, and her days of violence seem a distant memory. But then her daughter is kidnapped by persons unknown, and she’s blackmailed into building a massive explosive device for them in central London.
Not available on VHS or DVD but full movie is on YouTube here: The Bombmaker
“Bondage Field, The” (1981) (54 mins) Drama. RTE TV movie.
Kate Thompson, Noel McGee, Patricia Martin, Doreen Hepburn, Derek Lord, Maurie Taylor, Brendan Allis, Michael Duffy.
Producer: John Lynch.
Based on the novel by Jennifer Johnston.
Some filming in Raheen, Tallaght.
An Englishwoman, the wife of an Irishman, discovers his involvement in the IRA. Their marriage begins to disintegrate against the background of the Northern Ireland strikes.
Not available.
Liam O Mochain, Antoinette Guiney and Orlaith Rafter.
Director: Liam O Mochain.
Low budget – under €25,000.
Filmed in Ireland – Cork, Galway, Dublin and Wexford; Italy – Venice.
Vincent Macken (Liam O Mochain) has written what he thinks is the best postmodern novel ever. His novel “The Daughter of Conn”, is a Celtic quest saga set somewhere in Ireland 200 years ago or thereabouts.
When he overhears literary agents at a book fair ridiculing his masterpiece, he vows to prove his detractors wrong. He hires Aisling Arrigan (Antoinette Guiney), an aspiring filmmaker, to document his novel on video. The novel takes on a life of its own as she is more interested in making a documentary about him.
The struggle begins. Vincent finally decides that what he has created has the potential for a hit movie. He goes to the Venice film festival, blags a press pass and tries to convince Hollywood stars to come to Ireland and take part in his forthcoming movie. The result is not quite what he had expected.
Released on VHS and DVD (2004) but now scarce in either format.
“Boom Babies” (1986) (34 mins) TV Drama.
Aisling Toibin, Andrew Connolly.
Writer/Director: Siobhan Twomey.
Low budget.
Produced with funding from the Irish Film Board, RTE, and an Irish businessman.
The lives of two young people from opposite sides of Dublin City are contrasted when they meet after his friends steal her car on Dollymount Strand.
Not available.
“Born for Hell” (1976) (88 mins) Horror/Thriller.
Mathieu Carrière, Debra Berger, Christine Boisson, Myriam Boyer, Leonora Fani, Ely Galleani, Carole Laure, Eva Mattes, Andrée Pelletier.
Director: Denis Héroux.
A Canadian/German/Italian/French co-production.
Aka “Die Hinrichtung” and “Naked Massacre“.
Set in Belfast.
Loosely based on the notorious Richard Speck murders in Chicago in 1966, this is the grim tale of a disturbed Vietnam vet returning home via Belfast, who invades a house shared by eight nurses and proceeds to terrorize and murder them.
Only included here for the sake of completeness!
Was released on VHS (Greece and USA) and apparently on a recent German DVD.
“Borstal Boy” (2000) (93 mins) Drama. Biopic.
Shawn Hatosy, Danny Dyer, Eva Birthistle, Michael York and Eamon Glancy.
Director: Peter Sheridan.
Filmed in Dublin.
During World War II, at the age of sixteen, Brendan travelled to Liverpool with a suitcase of explosives. However, his bombing mission was foiled when he was apprehended and subsequently imprisoned in Borstal – a reform institution for young offenders in East Anglia. Now forced to do time with “the enemy“, Brendan finds his staunch republican beliefs are put to the ultimate test.
Available on VHS (used) and DVD.
“Bossanova Blues” (1992) (30 mins) Drama.
Justin Chadwick, Jim Corry and Alison McKenna.
Director: Kieron J. Walsh.
Filmed in England – Blackpool, Lancashire.
At the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland, bombs began to go off in Guilford, Birmingham and London as Irish republican discontent flared up. A number of Irish people were wrongly imprisoned for these bombings and served long sentences. They were jailed simply because they were Irish and in the wrong place at the wrong time. ‘Bossanova Blues’ tells the fictional story of how three innocents could have become the victims of such a miscarriage of justice. It’s a romantic road movie with dire consequences. IMDB
Not available.
“Botched” (2007) (95 mins) Comedy/Horror.
David Heap, Alan Smyth, Stephen Dorff, Sean Pertwee, Jamie Foreman.
Director: Kit Ryan.
Ardmore Studios, Bray, County Wicklow; also in Russia (Moscow) and France (Nice).
Ritchie Donovan (Stephen Dorff) is a professional thief whose luck has just run out. The only survivor from a heist that goes terribly wrong, Ritchie is forced to take the rap and is sent to Russia to steal a priceless antique cross locked in a safe on the penthouse floor of a Moscow skyscraper. Things start badly and go rapidly downhill when, during the robbery, Ritchie and his accomplices are forced to take hostages when they are trapped by the police on the unused 13th floor. They soon discover that they are not alone….
Available on DVD.
“Boxed” (2002) (80 mins) Thriller.
Tom Murphy, Brendan Mackey, Jim Norton, Darragh Kelly and Catherine Cusack.
Director: Marion Comer.
Shot on location in Belfast, County Tipperary and London.
The IRA, when executing an informer, calls on certain ‘tame priests’ to secretly provide last rites. Boxed is the story of what happens when they get the wrong priest. Based on published reports, never denied by the Church, this suspenseful hostage thriller involving IRA terrorists, murder and the priesthood explores the explosive moral and ethical conflicts on both sides of an all-too-timely crisis situation. Will the idealistic priest risk his life for a just and righteous cause? And which cause will that be?
Available from Amazon.com on DVD – very scarce!
“Boxer, The” (1979) (50 mins) Drama
Peter Dickson, David Finlay and Colin Lewis.
Director: Brian Drysdale.
Filmed in Northern Ireland – Belfast, Co.Antrim.
Belfast, 1975: Jimmy Doherty returns to his hometown just having lost a boxing match in Dublin, where he has been living. He awakes in a rundown room and begins to take stock. He finds that things have changed and people have gone. He begins to search for Gerry Mitchell, a figure from his past. He runs into dead ends and in frustration begins to drink. In a bar, he meets two men who tell him they can take him to Gerry. IMDB
Does not appear to be available.
“Boxer, The” (1997) (114 mins) Thriller.
Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Ken Stott, , Gerard McSorley, Brian Cox and Kenneth Craham.
Director: Jim Sheridan.
Filmed in Dublin.
Danny Flynn (Daniel Day-Lewis), a promising Irish boxer who was imprisoned for 14 years at age 18 for associating with the IRA, returns to his Belfast neighbourhood just as IRA leader Joe Hamill (Brian Cox) is trying to negotiate peace with the British. Despite wanting to return to boxing and stay out of trouble, Danny is drawn back into turmoil when he reunites with old flame Maggie (Emily Watson), who’s married to an imprisoned IRA man.
Available on DVD.
“Boys from County Hell” (2021) (88 mins) Comedy/Horror
Jack Rowan, Nigel O’Neill, Louisa Harland, Michael Hough, John Lynch, Fra Fee.
Director: Chris Baugh.
Eugene Moffat spends his days drinking pints with his friends and pranking tourists at the grave site of Abhartach — a legendary Irish vampire who may have inspired Stoker’s infamous Dracula. Sinister events unfold when Eugene and his father’s construction crew knock over Abhartach’s supposed resting place and they are attacked by an infected workmate.
Available to stream here: www.shudder.com
Available on DVD.
Richard Lynch, Emer Gillespie, Bernard Hill, Dafydd Hywell, James Donnelly.
Aka “Milwr Bychan”.
Director: Karl Francis.
A young British soldier on duty in Northern Ireland shoots a terrorist in self-defence and is used as a scapegoat by the political system.
Was released on VHS but no longer available.
“Boyd’s Shop” (1957) (55 mins) Comedy.
Geoffrey Golden, Eileen Crowe, Aideen O’Kelley.
Director: Henry Cass.
Produced by Emmet Dalton.
Based upon an Abbey Theatre play by George Sheils.
Outdoor scenes filmed near Enniskerry and indoor scenes in a studio in England.
Set in the rural Ulster countryside, Boyd’s Shop is a light-hearted snapshot of life in the mid-50’s. The action is set in the home and shop of Andrew Boyd and his daughter Agnes. Competition in business is provided by the arrival of John Haslett and he immediately falls for Agnes. The young minister, Mr. Dunwoody, also has eyes for Miss Boyd and this triangle adds to the banter and fun, which this play is based upon. How will young Haslett and his modern techniques fare against the conservative methods of Andrew Boyd and who will win the affections of Miss Boyd?
Not available.
“Boy Eats Girl” (2005) (80 mins) Comedy/Horror.
Samantha Mumba, David Leon, Tadhg Murphy.
Director: Stephen Bradley.
Filmed in Dublin and the Isle of Man.
The night 17-year-old Nathan Maguire chooses to tell Jessica that he is in love with her is the night he dies. Resurrected by his mother as a zombie through the power of voodoo rituals, Nathan returns with the intense desire to eat human flesh. One careless bite in a fight with the school bully and the infection is spread, with horrific and bloody consequences for the whole neighbourhood.
Soon Dublin’s suburbs are over-run with teenage zombies and only Nathan can save Jessica and the rest of his friends before he turns against them. Will he finally win Jessica’s heart? Or eat it? Will school dinners ever taste the same again?
Available on DVD.
“Boy from Mercury, The” (1996) (87 mins) Drama.
Rita Tushingham, Tom Courtenay, Hugh O’Connor and James Hickey.
Director: Martin Duffy.
Filmed in Dublin – Walkinstown and Tallaght.
In 1960’s Dublin, eight-year-old James Cronin (James Hickey) spends every Saturday morning at the pictures, caught up in the adventures of ‘Flash Gordon’. He begins to fantasize that he is in fact from the planet Mercury, addressing his Ma (Rita Tushingham) as ‘Earth Mother’ and signalling to Mecurian spaceships by night. James’ father is dead, so eccentric Uncle Tony (Tom Courtenay) tries to talk him out of his fantasy, with little effect.
Released on VHS but now extremely scarce.
Available to stream on Volta TV here: The Boy from Mercury
“Boys and Girl from County Clare, The” (2003) (90 mins) Comedy
Colm Meaney, Bernard Hill, Andrea Corr and Shaun Evans.
Director: John Irvin.
Filmed in Northern Ireland – Carnlough and Glenarm in County Antrim; and the Isle of Man – Dalby, Peel, Glen Maye and Sulby Glen.
Available on VHS and DVD.
“Bracken” (1978-82) RTE TV mini-series. Two seasons – 12 episodes.
Gabriel Byrne, Niall Toibin, Joe Lynch, Sean Lawlor, Mick Lally, Fiona Victory and Dana Wynter.
A spin-off from the popular TV series – “The Riordans” (1965)
Gabriel Byrne and Fiona Victory in a scene from the short-lived series.
All you could want to know about Bracken and Gabriel Byrne here: http://www.byrneholics.com/career/television/bracken-1980/ including YouTube links for some episodes.
Not released on VHS or DVD.
“Brackenmore” (2016) (72 mins) Horror/Thriller
Sophie Hopkins, Bertie Brosnan, Joe Kennard, and D.J.McGrath.
Directors: Chris Kemble, J.P. Davidson.
Filmed on location in County Kerry.
The close-knit community of Brackenmore is harbouring a secret.
After the untimely death of an uncle she never knew she had, Kate (Sophie Hopkins) is forced to return to her ancestral home, a tiny rural village in the South of Ireland. Soon after her arrival, she meets Tom (D.J. McGrath), a mysterious young local who helps her to rediscover her long-neglected roots and forget about the anxieties of her life in London.
The longer Kate stays in Brackenmore, the more she begins to realise that the eccentricities of its self-protective residents, suspicious of any newcomers, may be more ominous than she first thought.
A story of festering family history and enigmatic traditions, Brackenmore is a suspenseful thriller that weaves together the exploration of occult ritual with complex human relationships.
www.caraghlakefilms.com/feature-films
Premiered at the Kerry Film Festival 23/10/2016.
Available to view on Amazon Prime here.
Also available as a Region.1. DVD.
“Branwen” (1995) (94 mins) S4C TV Thriller.
Morfudd Hughes, Richard Lynch and J.O. Roberts.
Director: Ceri Sherlock.
Production company: Tellesyn Ty Helwick.
Branwen is a passionate Welsh nationalist, while her brother Mathonwy is a British soldier. She meets Kevin, a man who has left his home and Republican family after the death of his father and brother. After their marriage, Branwen persuades Kevin to return to Belfast where she sees the opportunity to be active in the fight against the British. Despite Kevin’s refusal to be drawn back into the Troubles, Branwen helps the cause but the military are on to them following the murder of a British soldier.
Was released by S4C in 2005 as part of a box set but is no longer available. Unofficial DVDRips are out there.
“Braveheart” (1995) (177 mins) Historical Drama/War
Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson, James Cosmo, David O’Hara, Angus McFadyen, Peter Henly, James Robinson, Alun Armstrong, Ian Bannen, Sean McGinley, John Kavanagh, Gerald McSorley, Niall O’Brien.
Director: Mel Gibson.
Filmed for the most part in Ireland – County Wicklow – Luggala Estate; the Coronation Plantation, the Sally Gap, Ardmore Studios etc. Elsewhere, King John’s Castle, Trim and Dunsany Castle in County Meath; the Curragh in County Kildare and a host of other locations.
William Wallace (Mel Gibson) is a 13th-century Scottish commoner who unites the various clans against the cruel English King, Edward Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan). The scenes of hand-to-hand combat are brutally violent, but they never glorify the bloodshed. 1,500 members of Ireland’s defence forces were used as extras.
A stupendous historical saga, Braveheart won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mel Gibson.
Available on VHS and DVD.
“Breakfast on Pluto” (2005) (128 mins) Comedy/Drama
Cillian Murphy, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson, Gavin Friday and Liam Neeson. Morgan Jones and Eva Birthistle.
Director: Neil Jordan.
Filmed in Northern Ireland, England, County Wicklow (Powerscourt and Ardmore Studios), County Kilkenny.
As a baby, Patrick (Cillian Murphy) is left by his mother on the steps of the rectory in their small Irish town. He’s discovered by Father Liam (Liam Neeson), coincidentally his real father, and placed in an abusive foster home. By the time he’s a teen, Patrick identifies himself as transgendered, renames himself Kitten and sets out for London with a rock group in hopes of finding his mother. Along the way, he works variously as a magician’s assistant, a prostitute and a dancer.
Available on DVD
“Breed of Heroes, A” (1994) (90 mins) Drama. BBC (NI). ‘Screen One’ series
Samuel West, Richard Griffiths, Nicholas Farrell, Jonathan Firth, Robert Bathurst, Natascha McElhone.
Director: Diarmuid Lawrence.
Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Alan Judd.
Seems to have been shot in England – London and Manchester.
TV movie about the British army’s initial occupation of Belfast in the early 1970’s. Perhaps no organization in the world has more rigid customs than the British army but they are way out of their depth facing a guerrilla war in a major British city sometimes against women and children. Some of the officers crack, others learn to kill without remorse. A sobering place, without many answers.
It’s 1971. Fresh-faced and eager for heroics the young officers arrive in Belfast. Pelted with rocks by kids and sniped at by the IRA, they take refuge in sex, black humour and the weird rituals of the officer’s mess.
Not officially released.
“Bridget & Eamon” (2016-) RTE 2 TV Comedy 6 episodes
Jennifer Maguire, Bernard O’Shea, Edwin Sammon, Norma Sheahan, Eleanor Tiernan, Sharon Mannion, Colum McDonnell.
Production company: Pure Class Productions.
Bridget & Eamon are the typical unhappily married 80s Irish couple. They live somewhere in the Midlands with their indeterminate number of children. Chain-smoking Bridget has notions. She wants the lifestyle from the pages of Woman’s Way but wouldn’t want to think about how much it would cost to heat South Fork.
Verdict: Judging by the excerpt above and the reviews that I’ve come across online this is another to be avoided!
Not available.
“Bright Side, The” (2020) (100 mins) Comedy Drama
Gemma-Leah Devereux, Siobhan Cullen, Karen Egan, Barbara Brennan, Derbhle Crotty, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.
Director: Ruth Meehan.
Filmed in Dublin and Wicklow.
World-weary stand-up comedian Kate McLoughlin wants out. Her morbid prayers are answered in the form of a cancer diagnosis. For Kate, this is the perfect excuse. However, a last supper of dodgy shellfish and champagne puts paid to her overdose attempt and to placate her family she begrudgingly agrees to undergo treatment.
Armed with staggering levels of cynicism and a plethora of blackly comic jokes, Kate gets off to a bad start with the four other women she encounters on the chemo ward, whose unsolictited friendships are destined to blow open her shut-down heart.
“Brigit” (1988) (56 mins) RTÉ Television Drama.
Eamon Kelly, Michael Duffy, Cathleen Delany, Caroline Daly, Róisín Macken, Gavin Burke.
Director: Noel O’Briain.
Writer: Thomas Murphy.
Filmed in Studio.1. at RTE in Montrose.
Set in an Irish rural community, Seamus (Eamon Kelly) is a man in dispute with the local priest, who is charged with carving a replacement statue of St Brigit for the local convent.
This production won first prize in the TV Drama Category at the Pan Celtic Film and Television Festival in 1988.
Aired on RTÉ 27/1/1988.
“Broer/Brother” (2016) (111 mins)Thriller
Koen De Bouw, Titus De Voogdt, Koen De Graeve and Alison Doody.
Director: Geoffrey Enthoven.
Writer: Pierre De Clercq.
Production company: Fobic Films.
A Belgian production shot in Belgium and Bantry House, Co.Cork.
In Belgium, former hotel manager Mark Lebeer receives an unexpected invitation from the beautiful, and extremely wealthy, Grace (Alison Doody) to visit her in Ireland to rekindle their love affair from twenty years previously. The invitation is not meant for him, but for his brother Michel, who has helped bankrupt the family hotel and then run off with Mark’s wife. Encouraged by his scheming neighbour Ronnie, Mark decides to impersonate his brother and thus rectify his family finances. However, when Mark and Ronnie arrive in Ireland it seems that Grace has her own dark agenda …
Belgian cinema release in January 2016.
Available on DVD with English subtitles.
“Broken Harvest” (1994) (101 mins) Drama
Colin Lane, Niall O’Brien, Marian Quinn, Darren McHugh, Joy Florish, Joe Jeffers, Pete O’Reilly, Michael Crowley.
Director: Maurice O’Callaghan.
Screenplay by Maurice Callaghan and Kate O’Callaghan (brother and sister).
Filmed in West Cork, Laois and Wicklow; also in the USA – New York.
A moving and dramatic story set in Ireland and New York; Broken Harvest traces an old feud between two neighbours through seventy years of Irish history. Arthur O’Leary (Colin Lane) and his neighbour, Josie (Niall O’Brien), fought each other in the Irish Civil War and fought for the love of Catherine (Marian Quinn). In the 1950’s the old wounds are reopened unwittingly by Arthur’s son, Jimmy (Darren McHugh). The eruption that follows threatens the stability of the whole community with clear echoes of the Northern Ireland conflict.
Available on DVD from Amazon.com – scarce!
“Broken Law” (2020) (85 mins) Crime. Drama
Tristan Heanue, Graham Earley, Ally Ni Chairain, Gary Lydon, Gemma-Leah Devereux, John Connors, Ryan Lincoln.
Writer/Director: Paddy Slattery.
Dave Connolly is a respected member of the Garda Síochána but his loyalty to the law gets tested by his ex-convict brother Joe who is in desperate need of his help.
World Premiere – 28th February 2020 at the Dublin Film International Festival.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime 2/2023.
“Bronntanas, An”: The Gift (2014) (200 mins) Thriller. 5 part TV mini-series.
Dara Devaney, John Finn, Owen McDonnell, Pól Ó Gríofa, Janusz Sheagall, Michelle Beamish & Charlotte Bradley.
Director: Tom Collins.
Production Cos: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Bórd Scannán na hÉireann and De Facto Films.
Irish language.
Filmed in Connemara, County Galway.
Budget: €2 million.
A contemporary thriller set against the backdrop of the rugged Connemara coastline and the dramatic lives of a local lifeboat crew.
On a stormy night, the crew is called out on a rescue mission. When they find the endangered boat, they come across a single crew member, murdered and handcuffed to the steering wheel and a cargo of over €1 million worth of drugs
At a time of bleak recession and funding cutbacks, this unexpected windfall seems too good to leave behind or report. They decide to keep the drugs for their own financial gain. As a result, their lives spiral into a world of paranoia, violence and tragedy. The ‘gift’ they have found changes everything and things spiral out of control in ways no one intended or could have foreseen.
Not available.
“Bronte” (1983) (88 mins) Drama. RTE.
Julie Harris.
Director: Delbert Mann.
Harris flies solo as Charlotte Bronte in this noble, if stagey, attempt at recreating the great writer’s life. An unusual one woman film shot on location in Ireland.
Not available.
Brooklyn (2015) (117 mins) Romance/Drama.
Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent.
Director: John Crowley.
Scriptwriter: Nick Hornby.
Production Company: Wildgaze Films, Parallel Film Productions, Irish Film Board.
Shot on location in Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford and the USA.
Saoirse Ronan on location in Enniscorthy.
Brooklyn is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Irish author Colm Tóibín and tells the story of a young woman Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) who emigrates from 1950s Ireland to America to find work. While there she falls in love and marries an Italian plumber called Tony. However, she is forced to return home to Ireland when her sister dies unexpectedly. Leaving her new husband behind, she arrives back in Enniscorthy and soon slips back into the social scene among friends and potential suitors who don’t know of her married status….
Available on DVD.
“Broth of a Boy” (1959) (77 mins) Comedy.
Barry Fitzgerald, Tony Wright, June Thorburn, Harry Brogan, Marie Kean, Dermot Kelly and Godfrey Quigley.
Director: George Pollock.
Aka “The Big Birthday“.
The last film performance of Barry Fitzgerald.
Filmed at Ardmore Studios, Bray, Co.Wicklow.
A British TV producer finds the oldest man in the world living in Ireland and tries to get him onto his TV show.
No official release on VHS or DVD.
“Brylcreem Boys, The” (1996) (106 mins) War/Romance.
Bill Campbell, William McNamara, Jean Butler, Gabriel Byrne, and Angus MacFadyen.
Director: Terence Ryan.
Screenplay by Terence Ryan, Jamie Brown & Susan Morrall.
Set in Ireland but filmed at Jurby Airfield and other locations on the Isle of Man.
War drama, loosely based on a true story. During the Second World War, two enemy pilots (Bill Campbell and Angus Macfayden) are shot down in the skies over Ireland. Both survive their crashes and are shocked to discover that their Irish prisoner of war camp is non-partisan, with all nationalities and ranks being imprisoned together. They are further taken aback when they are told that the easy-going Commandant O’Brien (Gabriel Byrne) will allow them trips to the races and the local pubs, as long as they promise not to escape. Relations between the pilots are already strained, and when a beautiful local girl Mattie (Jean Butler) catches the eye of both men, the simmering resentment threatens to explode into violence. But Mattie has other ideas, and forces both men to confront their hatred and their naive perception of the enemy.
Available on DVD.
“Bully” (2015) (102 mins) Drama.
Ciaran McCabe, James Patrick Ward, Kiaran O Reilly, Sandra Hayden Mason, George Bracebridge.
Writer/ Director: Stephen Gaffney.
Filmed in Dublin – Ballyfermot, Clondalkin and Tallaght.
Production company: Deep Web Films.
Karl, a sixth-year student preparing to sit his Leaving Cert exams, becomes the target of a gang of bullies. With no support from his family and no friends to turn to, Karl falls victim to the psychological manipulation of a school teacher and soon turns to social media as a form of escapism where he develops an online friendship with a woman.
Not available.
“Bump” (2019) (25mins) RTÉ Comedy pilot episode
Charlene McKenna, Gemma-Leah Devereux, Sean McGinley, Aoife Duffin, and Rebecca O’Mara.
Bump tells the story of two sisters – party animal younger sister Ciara (Gemma-Leah Devereux) and the straight laced Liz (Charlene McKenna)- who have been at odds since childhood.
But when Liz struggles to conceived, she asks her younger sister to be her surrogate – unfortunately, though, Ciara turns out to be the worst person she could have asked. Struggling to give up her nights out and take up exercise and healthy eating, will she be able to go through with it for her big sister?
Aired on RTÉ 15/9/2019.
“Bump Along The Way, A” (2019) (95 mins) Drama
Bronagh Gallagher, Lola Petticrew, Mary Moulds and Dan Gordon.
Director: Shelly Love. Writer: Tess McGowan.
Filmed in Co.Londonderry.
A 44-year old, single mother becomes pregnant after a drunken one-night-stand, much to the shame of her teenage daughter.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime – 2/2023.
“Bunny Blarneyed” (1929) Comedy
Aka “The Blarney Stone”.
John Bunny, Mabelle Lumley, James Prior and George L.Cox.
Director: Larry Trimble.
Filmed in England.
Not available.
“Burke Enigma, The” (1978) (225 mins) Crime Drama. 5 episodes. RTE.1. TV series.
Ray McAnally, John Kavanagh, Donal McCann, Emmet Bergin and Barbara Brennan.
Director: Brian MacLochlainn.
Creator/Screenwriter: Michael Feeney Callan.
Filmed in County Dublin and Bray, County Wicklow.
The sudden death of the matriarch of Dublin’s most violent crime family – the Burkes – in mysterious circumstances, spurs two disparate Garda officers to work together in an attempt to smash the family’s hold on the city. The younger of the officers, Det.Sgt.Tony Hannon (John Kavanagh), is related by marriage to the family, though this hardly tempers his savagery in meeting force with force. The other, Det.Insp. McGettigan (Ray McAnally), approaches the investigation with resolution and the fearless brilliance of a chess master.
* This was Ireland’s first crime series, was a major critical and ratings success, universally noted as a landmark drama production.
Not available.
“Burning of Wild Goose Lodge, The” (2016) (135 mins) Historical Drama.
John Connors, Dave Duffy, Finbar Furey, Joe Rooney.
Directors: Paul Macardle, William Martin.
Filmed in County Louth – Carrickmacross …
In April 1816, an attempted armed robbery took place at a farm on the Louth/Monaghan border known as Wild Goose Lodge, which led to the trial and execution of three men – Patrick Shanley, Philip Conlon and Michael Tiernan – for their part. The three were part of an agrarian movement known as ‘The Ribbonmen’ that were responsible for attacks on large farms, land agents, informers etc. in the area.
In October the same year, the lodge was surrounded by around 100 Ribbonmen and set alight in an act of revenge. The eight occupants of the building at the time – including a five month old infant- all died. The film covers the robbery, the arson attack and the subsequent trial and execution of 18 men. Many of those executed were innocent, but the authorities were determined to put down agrarian unrest and made an example of the accused men.
Still no DVD release – 2/2023.
“Butcher Boy, The” (1997) (110 mins) Drama.
Stephen Rea, Fiona Shaw, Eamonn Owens, Sinead O’Connor, Alan Boyle, Aisling O’Sullivan and Brendan Gleeson.
Director: Neil Jordan.
Filmed in Clones, County Monaghan; Warrenpoint, County Down; County Dublin and Ardmore Studios, Bray, County Wicklow.
In a small Irish town in the 1950s, Francie Brady (Eamonn Owens) and his best friend Joe (Alan Boyle) play the usual childhood fantasy games of cowboys and adventurers. But outside their children’s play, real life is far less appealing for Francie.
His father (Stephen Rea) is the town drunk and his mother (Aisling O’Sullivan) is drifting into madness – and a nosy, malicious neighbour, Mrs.Nugent (Fiona Shaw), torments Francie with his family’s troubles every chance she gets.
As Francie’s family falls apart, the boy retreats into the fragmented comic-book world of his solitary dreams. Shunned and scorned by the people of the town, and ultimately estranged from Joe his only friend, Francie’s frustration at the cruelty of the world finally explodes with shocking and violent consequences.
Available from Amazon on VHS and DVD.
“Byeways of Fate, The” (1917) Silent. Comedy.
Nora Clancy.
Director: J.M. Kerrigan.
Produced by the Film Company of Ireland.
Not available.
“Byzantium” (2012) (118 mins) Horror.
Gemma Arterton, Saoirse Ronan, Sam Riley and Jonny Lee Miller.
Director: Neil Jordan.
Filmed in Ireland – Ardmore Studios, Bray, County Wicklow; County Cork – Beara; County Dublin. Also in England – Hastings, East Sussex.
Upon the windswept shores of a desolate coastal town stands the Byzantium guesthouse. After years of being abandoned, its doors are about to be opened again by the predatory and seductive Clara (Gemma Arterton), who plans on turning the hotel into a brothel, and her young and introverted daughter Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan). But these mysterious women have a dark secret that goes back 200 years and which is about to reach its ungodly and deathly climax.
Available on DVD.
Irish Movie Madness 