Brian F. O'Byrne Movies

A noble knight battles a wicked witch in a bid to save humanity from an ancient evil in this supernatural thriller starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. Upon returning to his home in Europe, crusading knight Behmen (Cage) finds his faith beginning to falter due to the brutality he's witnessed on the battlefield. The Black Plague has decimated the countryside, forcing Behmen and his loyal companion, Felson (Perlman), to seek sustenance and supplies at the Palace of Marburg. They're weary from war, but they're about to discover that their struggle is just beginning. Commanded by the moribund Cardinal to deliver a suspected witch to the abbey where her powers can be abolished, Behman accepts the assignment under the condition that the young peasant girl will receive a fair trial. The church believes the girl to be the one responsible for the Black Plague, and they may be right, too. As the two men and a small group of chaperones set out on their arduous mission, they quickly realize that their young charge is something more than human, and that they're about to face an evil beyond human comprehension. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Training Day director Antoine Fuqua takes viewers on a dark ride through the streets of Brooklyn, following three New York Police officers as they wrestle with temptation, loyalty, and duty while attempting to uphold the law and deal with the pressures of the job. Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is days away from retirement, but he's been burnt-out for years. Unable to remember why he signed up for the job in the first place, all Eddie can think about is retreating to his fishing cabin in Connecticut, and forgetting the horrors that he's seen during his decades on the job. At the same time, undercover narcotics cop Clarence "Tango" Butler (Don Cheadle) is right in the thick of it. As hard as he tries to quit, however, his superiors always find a way of keeping him on the job. Much like Dugan, he's lost sight of his priorities, and these days Tango's loyalties seem to lie more with notorious inner-city drug dealer Caz (Wesley Snipes) than with the boys in blue. And Tango isn't the only cop who's being drawn to the dark side of the law; narcotics officer Sal Procida's (Ethan Hawke) wife is currently pregnant with twins, and he's barely making enough to keep his family afloat. When Sal learns that his wife is at risk of losing their unborn children, desperation drives him to consider unethical means of ensuring financial stability. In seven days, the lives of all three officers will converge at one crime scene as the NYPD attempts to clean up the BK projects, the epicenter of lawlessness in the highest-crime precinct. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, and Marisa Tomei star in director Sidney Lumet's thriller concerning two brothers who hatch a plan to rob their parent's jewelry store. When the job goes awry, the entire family is set on a collision course with tragedy. Andy (Hoffman) is an overextended broker in desperate need of some cash. His brother, Hank (Hawke), isn't much better off, so when Andy hatches a plan to rob their parent's modest jewelry store, it seems like a foolproof way to make a quick buck. But Andy's trophy wife, Gina (Tomei), is secretly sleeping with libidinous younger brother Hank, and when the robbery proves a complete disaster it isn't long before loyalties start to shift. Now Andy and Hank's father, Charles (Finney), is determined to make the unidentified robbers pay for their crime. What's a father to do when he discovers that the ones he loves have become his worst enemies? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Carol Fuchs adapts writer/director Sandra Nettelbeck's screenplay for the 2001 romantic drama Mostly Martha for this Scott Hicks directed remake starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Patricia Clarkson. Kate Armstrong (Jones) is the master chef who is equally intense both in and out of the kitchen. Though Kate's "Type A" personality serves her well when whipping up meals in the trendy Manhattan eatery where she has made a name for herself, it threatens to sink her when she is named as the guardian of her nine-year-old niece Zoe (Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin). To complicate matters, an impetuous new sous chef named Nick Palmer (Eckhart) has recently joined the kitchen staff and his freewheeling personality seems to stand in direct opposition to Kate's unwavering perfectionism. Yet, despite the fact that they couldn't be more different on the surface, there's no denying the strong attraction between Kate and Nick. As the rivalry between the competitive cooks gradually gives way to romance, the lessons learned by compromising in the kitchen reveal to Kate the importance of learning to openly express herself in order to truly connect with Zoe and find romance with the good-natured Nick. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Terrence Malick, the universally acclaimed American filmmaker responsible for the key 1970s features Badlands and Days of Heaven, returns for a rare directorial outing with the sweeping period piece The New World -- an epic dramatization of Pocahontas' relationships with John Smith and John Rolfe. Malick's story opens at the dawn of the 17th century, just prior to the colonization of the United States -- when the North American population consisted of an interconnected series of native tribes. In April 1607, three maritime vessels approach the unfamiliar continent, with 103 sailors on board. As members of the Virginia Company, these adventurers carry a royal charter to mount a society on the edge of the new continent. John Smith (Colin Farrell) sits chained below one of the decks. He is a 27-year-old loose cannon, who, for his persistently rebellious acts, has been sentenced to death by hanging as soon as the ships dock. Nevertheless, Captain Christopher Newport (Christopher Plummer) acknowledges Smith's ability to aid with exploration and consents to pardon him as a result. Upon landing, Smith seeks assistance from local Native American tribes with colonization, but runs into the unexpected -- he falls desperately in love with Pocahontas, or "Playful One" (Q'orianka Kilcher), the daughter of the omnipotent Chief Powhatan (August Schellenberg). Needless to say, this does not sit well with Powhatan or the rest of the tribe. Moreover, the oft-bellicose Smith enters a head-to-head conflict with his fellow Britons when he finds his tempestuousness calmed by the tranquility of the new landscape, as the anger and violence of his shipmates concurrently build in the face of the Native Americans. Later, Smith temporarily returns to England; believing that Smith is dead, Pocahontas accepts the hand of plantation owner John Rolfe in marriage (with her father's blessing) and follows Rolfe back to the old country. When Smith returns to America, his intended is nowhere to be seen, and the entire community teeters on the brink of a British-Indian war. Malick shot the production on location in Virginia; it co-stars Jonathan Pryce, John Savage, and David Thewlis. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This Hallmark Hall of Fame offering stars Keith McErlean as Declan, a 30-year-old Irishman who is dying of AIDS. Remembering how he and his sister Helen (Gina McKee) once stayed with their grandmother Dora (Angela Lansbury) during their fathers' terminal illness, Declan concludes that Dora's place would be an excellent safe harbor for his own last few months on Earth. While Dora is a lovable eccentric blessed with wicked wit and boundless acceptance of the way things are, Declan's mother Lily (Dianne Wiest) is more aloof and conservative -- and she is deeply disturbed not only by her son's imminent demise, but also by the fact that she never knew he was gay. Adding to Lily's discomfiture is Helen's decision to briefly leave her husband and children to help Declan in his declining days...not to mention the arrival of her son's colorful gay friends Paul (Sam Robards) and Larry (Bryan O'Byrne). A moving tale of love and understanding "contemporary Irish" style, The Blackwater Lightship was first telecast February 4, 2004, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

American independent filmmaker Jane Weinstock makes her feature debut with the romantic comedy Easy, shot on digital video. Marguerite Moreau plays Jamie, a single gal living in Los Angeles who makes a living by giving creative names to consumer products. Although she's adept at catching men for her own pleasure, she decides to give up sex for 90 days. The decision is supported by her stoner friend, Martin (D.B. Woodside), and her married sister, Laura (Emily Deschanel). However, some handsome fellows -- poet John (Naveen Andrews) and talk show host Mick (Brian F. O'Byrne) -- cause her to rethink her plan. Easy was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

In director Johnny Gogan's deliberately paced political thriller Mapmaker, an outsider in a small Northern Irish village finds himself embroiled in a old conflict between the IRA and the local forestry department. Hired by the Northern Ireland parish of Rosveagh to prepare a tourism map, cartographer Richie Markey (Brian F. O'Byrne) sets about his task, only to find some archeological sites are in danger of being destroyed. Raising his concerns with forestry manager Robert Bates (Brendan Coyle), Markey quickly suspects something sinister lies behind the destruction when Bates brusquely ignores his pleas. Shortly thereafter, Markey learns that a previous survey team failed in mapping the region when one of its members, one Peter Nolan, disappeared after being accused of informing on a couple of IRA men that were killed in connection to a soldier's death. Despite receiving warnings to stop his work, Markey carries on until he discovers Nolan's body and comes to the rather startling conclusion that his completed map may very well solve the mystery surrounding Nolan's death. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

A friendship between two young people grows into a dangerous obsession in this drama based on the acclaimed stage play by Enda Walsh. Darren (Cillian Murphy) and Sinead (Elaine Cassidy) were born moments apart in the same hospital in a small Irish community. Nicknamed "Pig" and "Runt," Darren and Sinead grew up next door to each other and became inseparable friends while they were still toddlers; at the age of 16, their bond is even stronger than ever. However, Darren and Sinead also have a fondness for making trouble, and over the years Darren has developed a taste for violence; one of his favorite pranks is to have Sinead flirt with a man at the local disco, and then storm up, posing as her jealous boyfriend, and start a fight. Several people in town feel there's something not entirely healthy about Darren and Sinead's relationship, and Sinead's parents are persuaded to send her away to a school in the northern part of Ireland. Darren's attachment to Sinead grows only more intense in her absence, and in time he runs away to find Sinead and bring her back, only to discover she's made a new best friend, Mags (Tara Lynne O'Neill). Disco Pigs was the first feature from Kirsten Sheridan, whose father is veteran filmmaker Jim Sheridan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Barry Levinson attempts to repeat the success of several recent, low-budget British imports such as The Full Monty (1997), Waking Ned Devine (1998), and Saving Grace (2000) with this comedy about a pair of prison barbers trying to make a success of a hairpiece business in Northern Ireland. Colm (Barry McEvoy), a Catholic, and George (Brian F. O'Byrne), a Protestant, are friends who toil away in a lackluster job cutting the hair of convicts in a prison for the insane where Colm's girlfriend Bronagh (Anna Friel) also works. When the two lads hear of a prisoner nicknamed The Scalper (Billy Connolly), they learn that he was the only seller of hairpieces in the country, and decide to begin crafting their own toupees for sale as a way to start their own business. As they ply their wares through the war-torn country, the friends are not above using their respective religions to make sales, but competition soon arrives in the form of Toupee or Not Toupee, a rival company, and a race to be the first outfit to sell 30 units quickly ensues. Politics, business, and religious beliefs soon intersect to cause big trouble for both men. Actor McEvoy also wrote the script for An Everlasting Piece, loosely basing his character on his real-life father. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Though it is late in the punk rock movement, four Dublin youths get together in 1979 to form their own band. Accurately recounting the energy and rawness of the era, this drama follows their tumultuous and ill-fated journey on the rocky road to success. It takes three long years of unpaid performing for Reena, her lover Jessop, bassist Joe and drummer Petie to make a name for The Dead Patriots. Just as they are about to find real success, internal difficulties arise that leave each of them suspicious and mistrustful of the other. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi