Fintan McKeown Movies
The disaster film Nature Unleashed: Earthquake concerns a massive earthquake that strikes near a Russian nuclear plant, forcing a group of brave people to figure out how to keep the plant from exploding and causing devastation much greater than was visited upon Japan at the end of World War II. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
A long-dead monster gets a new lease on life as a Romanian village is under siege in this made-for-cable horror story. After a number of Americans have been disappearing under mysterious circumstances in Bucharest, a pair of U.S. intelligence agents are sent to Romania to investigate. It soon becomes clear they aren't dealing with ordinary criminals -- over 400 years before, a strange and bloodthirsty beast ravaging the town was captured and sealed in a crypt, and a recent earthquake has opened the tomb and brought the creature back to life. As the agents and the townspeople look for a way to vanquish the monster, they also become aware of a coven of vampires who are doing their evil business in town. Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness features Michael Paré, Kate Orsini, and Sandra Hess. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
U.K. filmmaker John Deery makes his writing and directing feature debut with the religious drama Conspiracy of Silence, dealing with the controversial topic of reforming the Catholic Church. At an Irish seminary school, student Daniel McLaughlin (Jonathan Forbes) is caught in a compromising position with fellow male student Noel (Owen McDonnell). He is subsequently kicked out of school and considers marrying his ex-girlfriend Sinead (Catherine Walker). Meanwhile, reporter David Foley (Jason Barry) investigates the suicide of HIV-positive priest Father Sweeney (Patrick Casey). Foley learns that Sweeney was romantically involved with former priest Matthew Francis (John Lynch), but Monsignor Thomas (Fintan McKeown) resorts to unjust tactics in order to cover up the story. Brenda Fricker also appears as Daniel's mother. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Forbes, Jason Barry, (more)
A couple running a rideshow discover the find of a lifetime, only to realize it could well be the death of them in this horror story. Angus Shaw (Rufus Sewell) and his wife, Lillian (Carla Gugino), run a travelling carnival which barnstorms the countryside in the early 1900s. The Shaws' circus includes a sideshow which promises much in the way of monsters and human oddities, but for the most part delivers second-rate actors dressed up in costumes or using smoke-and-mirrors effects to fool the customers. Lillian herself offers the most spectacular illusion, posing as a fake mermaid. One night, Angus offers a helping hand to an aging sailor (Aubrey Morris), and the old salt offers to show Angus and Lillian something truly amazing -- a real, honest-to-Pete mermaid (Rya Kihlstedt). Astounded by what he's seen, Angus decides the fortune he could make exhibiting a real mermaid is too great to resist, and he steals the creature from the sailor. Angus and Lillian waste no time booking passage to the United States with their find, but en route to America they discover this mermaid is hardly a benign creature -- she has a taste for human blood, and soon the ship's crew is shrinking at an alarming rate. Lillian also finds herself developing a strange psychological bond with the mermaid, a connection more powerful than her vows to her husband. She Creature was produced for the Cinemax premium cable service as part of a series of "Creature Features" produced by special effects wizard Stan Winston and former American International Pictures head Samuel Z. Arkoff, most of which were inspired by horror films AIP made in the 1950s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rufus Sewell, Carla Gugino, (more)
- 2000
In this follow-up to the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Fair Haven," a computer glitch causes the citizens of Fair Haven, an 18th century Irish village created in the Holoprogram, to cross over into the "real" Voyager. Observing the crew playing holographic games, the "fabricated" villagers assume that the crew members all have magical powers, possibly demonic in nature. As Janeway renews her romance with Fair Haven bartender Michael Sullivan (Fintan McKeown), Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and Kim (Garrett Wang) are captured by several other holographic villagers, who fear that they are on the verge of being banished to oblivion. "Spirit Folk" originally aired on February 23, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roxann Dawson
A cop travels through time to chase a killer in this sci-fi tinged thriller. Police detective Michael Norstrand (Rob Estes) has been assigned to investigate a series of ritual murders in which the victims have been horribly burned. Michael finds himself working the case alongside Lucy Hudson (Joely Fisher), an eccentric FBI agent who claims to have psychic gifts; together, they learn that the killings are in fact the work of the Sixth Order, a bizarre cult that is using time travel and occult practices to help bring about the apocalypse, using the 16th century philosopher and prophet Nostradamus as its guide. Nostradamus also stars Peter Jordan and Michael Gwynne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Estes, Joely Fisher, (more)
- 2000
Fair Haven is the name of a quaint 18th century Irish village, created in the ship's Holoprogram by crewmen Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and Kim (Garrett Wang). With the threatened approach of a dangerous neutrino wave weighing heavily upon her, Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) permits herself and her crew to get their minds off their troubles by spending 24 hours in Fair Haven. Fantasy and reality collide head-on when Janeway falls in love with Irish pubkeeper Michael Sullivan (Fintan McKeown), a holocharacter created especially for her. "Fair Haven" originally aired on January 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roxann Dawson
Just as the charming British film The Full Monty told the story of simple men willing to shed their clothes for money, Waking Ned Devine is the story of older Irish men who pursue money and take off their clothes. Commercial director Kirk Jones makes his feature directing debut with a story about a small town in Ireland called Tulaigh More, where one of their 52 inhabitants wins the lotto jackpot of nearly seven million pounds. When nobody claims it, the town goes on a search to find out why. They find the winner, old Ned Devine, dead -- a smile on his face, clutching the winning ticket. Well, in Ireland, the lottery winnings must be claimed by the purchaser, which puts the town in a spot -- if the lottery officials discover Devine dead, he forfeits his money. What ensues is a community coming together in hopes of getting his money to split 51 ways. What they learn is the importance of friendship and the true value of money. To reveal any more would spoil some major surprises, but suffice it to say, it involves aging actors David Kelly, 69, and Ian Bannen, 70, naked. ~ Chris Gore, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Bannen, David Kelly, (more)
- 1986
- R
Irish youths Vinnie (Stephen Brennan) and Arthur (Eamon Morrissey) fight their ongoing boredom by running a video print of Elvis Presley's Roustabout. If you've seen that film, you'll remember that at one point, Elvis participates in "The Wall of Death," a dangerous cylindrical motorcycle stunt. Suddenly inspired, Vinnie and Arthur set about constructing their own Wall of Death. Supplies are costly, but the boys are benumbed to reality by their dreams of fame and fortune. Entering the picture (and foredooming the project) is con artist Boots (Niall Toibin), who claims to be an American showman bent upon giving Vinnie and Arthur a spectacular TV showcase. Like the later The Commitments, Eat the Peach deftly blends traditional sour-faced Irish pragmatism with pie-in-the-sky idealism. This time, however, there's no blarney: Eat the Peach is based on a true story! Privately financed in England and Ireland, the film earned good American bookings thanks to the sponsorship of filmmaker Jonathan Demme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eamon Morrissey, Stephen Brennan, (more)
