Niall O'Brien Movies

Zach Gray helms the Gaelic-flavored, spiritually charged mystery Secret of the Cave -- one of the first major cinematic productions of Southern Adventist University. The story unfurls on the idyllic, rocky coasts of Ireland, where a young boy, Roy Wallace (Kevin Novotny), is spending the summer with his Irish dad (Patrick Bergin of Love Crimes and Sleeping with the Enemy). Soon, inexplicable, otherworldly events befall the village, and rumors swirl through its streets of strange spirits and hauntings. Initially, Roy tries to tie these events to any number of locals -- everyone from an oddball hermit to an eccentric fisherman. He also notices that each event impacts the hamlet in a beneficial way. In time, Roy traces the events to their origin -- a strange sea cave characterized by many as a source of enchantment -- and vows to unveil the grotto's mystical secrets. Joseph Kelly and Sean Murphy co-star; Gray, Scott Fogg, David George, and Aaron Adams co-adapted Arthur S. Maxwell's children's novel. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A fanciful retelling of the story of Napoleon Bonaparte (played by heralded actor Ian Holm, this British costume comedy suggests that it was Napoleon's double, not the man himself, who died on St. Helena Island. The film begins by presenting Napoleon after his defeat at Waterloo, at the home of a young boy (Tom Watson), where he watches a slide show of his actions and begins to tell his story. The film flashes back to Napoleon's six years of house arrest, when he dictated his memoirs to an aide (Murray Melvin). He has concocted a scheme with his sidekicks Montholon (Nigel Terry) and Bertrand (Hugh Bonneville) and a valet named Marchand (Eddie Marsan) to plant a double in his place so he can escape to Paris, where he can then reclaim his throne as emperor of France. Posing as a galley hand, Napoleon steals a ship, but mistakenly arrives in Belgium, where he must then make his way back to France by barge. When he finally arrives in Paris, he discovers his contact, Truchaut, has died, and he enlists the help of his widow Pumpkin (played by Mifune's Iben Hjelje). Unable to reveal his true identity, Napoleon kills time by using Pumpkin and other supporters to start a profitable business, and Pumpkin begins to find herself drawn to Napoleon, though knowing his real identity. The film was directed by American filmmaker Alan Taylor, who helmed the quirky 1995 comedy Palookaville. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Mel Gibson, long-time heartthrob of the silver screen, came into his own as a director with Braveheart, an account of the life and times of medieval Scottish patriot William Wallace and, to a lesser degree, Robert the Bruce's struggle to unify his nation against its English oppressors. The story begins with young Wallace, whose father and brother have been killed fighting the English, being taken into the custody of his uncle, a nationalist and pre-Renaissance renaissance man. He returns twenty years later, a man educated both in the classics and in the art of war. There he finds his childhood sweetheart Murron (Catherine McCormack), and the two quickly fall in love. There are murmurs of revolt against the English throughout the village, but Wallace remains aloof, wishing simply to tend to his crops and live in peace. However, when his love is killed by English soldiers the day after their secret marriage (held secretly so as to prevent the local English lord from exercising the repulsive right of prima noctae, the privilege of sleeping with the bride on the first night of the marriage), he springs into action and single-handedly slays an entire platoon of foot soldiers. The other villagers join him in destroying the English garrison, and thus begins the revolt against the English in what will eventually become full-fledged war. Wallace eventually leads his fellow Scots in a series of bloody battles that prove a serious threat to English domination and, along the way, has a hushed affair with the Princess of Wales (the breathtaking Sophie Marceau) before his imminent demise. For his efforts, Gibson won the honor of Best Director from the Academy; the movie also took home statuettes for Best Picture, Cinematography, Makeup, and Sound Effects. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

In this drama from Ireland, a man looks back at his youth in the 1950s, when he grew into manhood in the wake of the War of Independence. Jimmy (Darren McHugh) and his best friend Willie (Joe Jeffers) are fairly typical teenagers who like rock and roll, comic books, and Mary (Joy Florish), a girl they've known since childhood. But while their lives are carefree, their families have some serious issues to deal with. Jimmy's folks, Arthur (Colin Lane) and Catherine (Marian Quinn), inherited a large parcel of land, but this inheritance has managed to put them deeply in debt; Arthur also refuses to make peace with the British and hates them with a passion. In addition, Arthur has long fought with Willie's Uncle Josie (Niall O'Brien); many years ago, Josie was Catherine's boyfriend, and neither Josie nor Arthur is willing to forget it. The feud grows from animosity into violence when Josie accuses Willie of stealing money from the local church. Broken Harvest features sequences in both Gaelic and English. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sometimes a family title, among the nobility of England, goes to the "collateral" heirs -- people not in the direct line of decent, like cousins, great-nephews and the like. On rare occasions, these people are not even aware that they are about to be elevated to the House of Lords, and they have been living more-or-less ordinary lives. In this comedy, the family which lacks direct heirs is the Royal Family of England -- as all of the likely heirs have died one after the other in swift succession. In this comedy, the "collateral heir" is an exuberant, fence-busting All-American slob (and pretty good rock n' roll musician) by the name of Ralph (John Goodman). Unknown to him, his grandmother had an affair with a royal prince. Ralph's a good guy, and eager to please. He recognizes the importance of the royal hoopla to England and works very hard to fit in as its new designated king. He is assisted by the ever-unctuous, very serious family factotum Willingham (Peter O'Toole). The trouble is, he doesn't have instincts for politics English-style, and he is constantly "putting a foot wrong," as they might say. The most difficult situation for him is when he develops a new love interest, and she's not "acceptable" to the upper crust. In addition to being hounded by the tabloids, he finds that "the good of the state" requires that he drop his new girlfriend. Things really come to a head just before Ralph's coronation as king. Reviewers generally loathed this feel-good comedy, but audiences seem to have enjoyed it tremendously, and it has done well in video and TV airings. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A humble Irish farmer decides that it is high time to move that big old stone in his field that has been there seemingly since the dawn of time. This gory horror film, an adaptation from one of noted British-author Clive Barker's short stories, follows what happens next. No sooner does he move the rock when out rushes an enormous, blood-thirsty pagan demon, Rawhead Rex, who immediately goes berserk and begins biting people left and right. Among the bitten is the son of an American professor of history and anthropology. His father immediately begins researching the angry old god and plotting his demise. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In the dead of a Moscow winter, three bodies are found in Gorky Park. Police Inspector Renko (William Hurt) is unable to identify the corpses, since even their fingerprints have removed. For reasons unknown to him, Renko's investigation is somehow being stymied by his higher-ups. Ferreting out information on his own, Renko makes the acquaintance of Soviet dissident Irina (Joanna Pacula), a friend of one of the victims, and Lee Marvin as Armand Hammer-style American businessman. As in Martin Cruz Smith's novel, the identity of the killer is not as well hidden as the reasons behind the killing. "Glasnost" had not yet taken effect in 1983, thus Gorky Park was filmed in Finland rather than Russia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The romance between the wife of a 9th century Irish monarch and her husband's nephew is the focus of this drama also known as Tristan and Isolde. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Two children set out in search of freedom and a loving home in this adventure drama based on a novel by Walter Macken. Finn Dove (Jack Wild) and his sister Derval (Helen Raye), a pair of children living in England, are tired of the tyranny of their stepfather Hawk Dove (Ron Moody), and they decide to run away to Ireland, where Finn and Derval hope to stay with their Granny O'Flaherty (Dorothy McGuire). However, the children are heirs to their grandfather's estate and stand to inherit a large fortune upon his death, so Hawk is keen on the idea of finding Finn and Derval and bringing them safely home as soon as possible. The Flight of the Doves was a reunion for Ron Moody and Jack Wild, who starred together as Fagin and The Artful Dodger, respectively, in the movie Oliver!. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi