Mary Ryan Movies

An Irish boy becomes an emotional and sexual outcast as the 1960s fade into the 1970s in this period drama from director Neil Jordan. When he was just a baby in the early '60s, Patrick Braden (Conor McEvoy) was abandoned by his mother and left on the doorstep of a church overseen by Father Bernard (Liam Neeson). Placed in a foster home, sensitive Patrick doesn't much care for the emotionally chilly attitude of his new "family," and psychologically buffers himself against the world by writing stories that make fun of Father Bernard and the other authority figures in his life. As he grows into adulthood, Patrick (played as an adult by Cillian Murphy) also discovers that he enjoys dressing in women's clothes and prefers the company of men, and as a teenager he falls into an affair with Billy Hatchet (Gavin Friday), a nightclub performer who also runs guns for the Irish Republican Army. In the early '70s, Patrick -- who has since taken on the drag name "Kitten" -- makes his way to London, where he becomes involved with Bertie (Stephen Rea), a small-time nightclub magician who gives the young man a place to say, a sense of security, and a job as his on-stage assistant. However, Patrick's idyllic life with Bertie proves short-lived when his old friends come to town on IRA "business." Breakfast on Pluto also features a supporting performance from former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rodney Lee Rogers wrote, directed and stars in this tale of wannabe screenwriter Andy Kuchowsky (Rogers), who can't leave his day job in a Seattle coffee emporium until he sells his first screenplay -- about a wannabe screenwriter caught up in a high-risk drug deal. His pal Pete (Peter Carrs) offers critiques, leading to fantasy reenactments of script scenes, while coffee customers trigger other script revisions. Eventually, Andy seizes the opportunity to get his script into Hollywood hands. Shown at the 1997 Seattle Film Festival and the 1997 AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi