Stuart Dunne Movies
- 1998
In this contemporary drama, a young man who believes that he is descended from ancient warriors finds it hard to live up to their ideals in the modern world. Neal (Darren Healy) is a member of an Irish "pony club," a street gang that rides horses bareback through the streets of Dublin, looking for adventure (and trouble, should it cross their path). After the latest of a series of stays behind bars, Neal finds his way back North with several goals in mind. He wants to see the child he fathered, who was born while he was in stir. He wants to visit his father, who has a severe drinking problem, and his mother, who became a lesbian after breaking up with his dad. He hopes to pay his respects at the grave of the horse he once loved. And he's also keen on getting revenge against the drug dealer whose testimony put him behind bars, as well as the police who confiscated his club's horses. Crush Proof was shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Darren Healy, Jeff O'Toole, (more)
- 1996
- R
This is the third film adapted from a fictional trilogy by Irish writer Roddy Doyle about families living in a working-class Dublin neighborhood. The first was director Alan Parker's smashing music mockumentary The Commitments and the second was the hilarious comedy The Snapper, directed by Stephen Frears. Frears also directs this film, which is about two unemployed buddies who convert a dilapidated van into Bimbo's Burgers, a mobile fast-food joint selling fish and chips and hamburgers. Bimbo (Donal O'Kelly) is the brains behind the operation, while his slacker friend Larry (Colm Meany) is his bumbling helper. They first set up shop outside a pub to capture patrons streaming out after watching a telecast of Ireland playing in the World Cup. When Ireland is eliminated, the bumbling entrepreneurs move to a forlorn beach. They get the help of Larry's daughter Diane (Neili Conroy) and son Kevin (Rauidhuri Conroy), who soon becomes so disgusted with the fare that he becomes a vegetarian. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Colm Meaney, Donal O'Kelly, (more)
- 1994
- R
A middle-aged Irish bus conductor with a passion for the writings of Oscar Wilde causes controversy when he attempts to stage Wilde's Salome in this period drama set in early 1960s Dublin. Alfie Byrne (Albert Finney) is a well-liked local figure, a life-long bachelor who charms his bus passengers with dramatic recitations of Wilde's poetry. One day, he spots a beautiful young woman named Adele (Tara Fitzgerald) who inspires him to attempt to stage Salome with her as the title character. Wilde's play inspires outrage amongst the more conservative members of the community, who attempt to shut Alfie down. Rather than giving in, however, Alfie chooses to be true to himself, a decision that forces him to face his true self, particularly his feelings towards his young, handsome co-worker Robbie Fay (Rufus Sewell). ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Brenda Fricker, (more)
The Snapper is Stephen Frears's adaptation of the second book in Roddy Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy. The Curley family is a poor but eccentric and loving Irish family. Oldest daughter Sharon (Tina Kellegher) announces she is pregnant, but refuses to reveal the identity of the father to anyone. Her father, Dessie (Colm Meaney), is supportive, but begins to chafe at the derisive gossip aimed at his family and his daughter. This leads to a confrontation between the two that is, like the rest of the movie, simultaneously funny and sad. The family waits in the hospital as Sharon gives birth to the snapper (Irish slang for an infant). The other books in the Barrytown Trilogy were also adapted into films featuring Colm Meaney as the father: The Commitments, directed by Alan Parker, and The Van, directed by Stephen Frears. Doyle had a hand in the screenplay for all three. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, (more)
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