Julie Hale Movies
- 2007
A recently released ex-con whose gambling problem previously landed him behind bars forms a close-knit bond with a guarded illegal immigrant in Irish director Liam O. Mochain's entry into the 2007 Montreal World Film Festival. Having skimmed from the till of the family bar a few times too often, Jack Watts was eventually reported to the police by his father. Upon being released Jack is informed that if he wishes to get back in the good graces of his family, he can take the position of toilet attendant until his debts are paid off and he has proven himself trustworthy. In the meantime, ladies' restroom toilet attendant Katya will show Jack the ropes. While Jack feels trapped in his job do to his lingering family debts, Katya's options are likewise limited due to her status as an illegal immigrant. In Katya's experiences, everyone who has ever shown her any modicum of respect has done so out of purely selfish motivations. But Jack is different, and over the course of the next few weeks these two lost souls will both discover that the factors that bond them together far outnumber the differences that would push them apart. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liam O Mochain, Julia Wakeham, (more)
A relationship between two brothers literally becomes a matter of life and death in this drama from writer, director and actor Edward Burns. Francis Sullivan (Burns) was a street-wise thug with ties to the Irish mob until his younger brother Sean (Elijah Wood) was killed on Ash Wednesday in 1980 while trying to protect Francis from gangsters who were out to kill him. Three years later, Francis is a law-abiding man who is trying to stay on the straight and narrow and keep his eye on Grace (Rosario Dawson), Sean's widow. However, rumors have begun to circulate that Sean's death was just a ruse fabricated by Francis and a sympathetic priest, Father Mahoney (James Handy), to get mobster Moran (Oliver Platt) off Sean's back. Some people have spotted someone who looks a lot like Sean wandering around the neighborhood, and Moran, who doesn't forget a grudge, begins scouring the neighborhood in search of Sean, while Francis has worries of his own about Sean, since his relationship with Grace has started to move beyond simple family friendship. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Burns, Elijah Wood, (more)
An alternative to the general run of "triumph over the odds" biopics, My Left Foot is the true story of Irish cerebral palsy victim Christy Brown. Paralyzed from birth, Brown (played by Hugh O'Conor as child and Daniel Day-Lewis as an adult) is written off as retarded and helpless. But Christy's indomitable mother (Brenda Fricker) never gives up on the boy. Using his left foot, the only part of his body not afflicted, Brown learns to write. He grows up to become a well-known author, painter, and fundraiser, and along the way falls in love with nurse Mary Carr (Ruth McCabe). There's no sugarcoating in My Left Foot: Brown, a heavy drinker, was by no means lovable. Day-Lewis and Fricker both won Academy Awards for their performances, and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Also notable are the late Ray McAnally in his next-to-last film role as Christy's father, and venerable Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland. Director Jim Sheridan co-scripted with Shane Connaughton from Christy Brown's autobiography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, (more)
