Michael Liebman Movies
- 1999
A group of Irish college students are about to leave for the United States, where they've landed summer jobs in Long Island, when a slightly shady friend of one of the gang, Davin (Cillian Murphy), decides to tag along as a quick way out of a doomed romance. While the students all have jobs and working papers lined up, Davin is an illegal alien in the States. But he leads a charmed life, and manages to get by quite nicely, even finding an American sweetheart, a cab dispatcher named Aideen (Paloma Baeza). Robert (Barry Ward), meanwhile, gets more from his job than he expected when he serves as a houseboy for a well-to-do artist named Carolyn (Ingeborga Dapkunaite). The rest of the group works hard in the day and plays even harder at night, as they relish the opportunity to enjoy adult life far from the eyes of their families. Sunburn marked the feature debut for director Nelson Hume; it was produced by Jean Doumanian, who produced a number of films for Woody Allen and briefly produced the TV series Saturday Night Live. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cillian Murphy, Paloma Baeza, (more)
- 1998
Old New Borrowed Blue is a bittersweet love story of modern times. Rosie and Vincent are desperately trying to have a baby, but this is causing an unavoidable stress on their sex life. When Benoit, a French postal worker and teenage pen pal of Rosie's, arrives on their doorstep with romantic intentions, Vincent is not as thrilled as Rosie. Having found out that his over-the-channel sweetheart is now married, Benoit settles in as her houseguest. Vincent is unhappy with the arrangement and tries to cure his wounded ego in an affair with his old flame, the local hairdresser, Cathy. Rosie and Vincent find themselves facing choices they had never imagined they would have to make. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Eccleston, Dervla Kirwan, (more)
Director and co-scripter Jimmy Smallhorne, founder of the Irish Bronx Theatre, set this blue-collar drama in the Bronx. Construction crew foreman Johnnie (Smallhorne) sees girlfriend Maria (Kimberly Topper), but when this macho man dons a feather boa to go out for the evening, the film does a double-take, exploring bisexual lifestyles, the world of S&M, male hustlers, drugs, nightmares, and abuse suffered by Johnnie during his childhood. The cinematography by Declan Quinn (Leaving Las Vegas) won an award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Smallhorne, Chris O'Neill, (more)
Helen Mirren played the title character in the two-part British miniseries Painted Lady. In the throes of poverty and drug abuse, Irish folk singer Maggie Sheridan (Mirren) pulled herself together when her wealthy and well-connected landlord was murdered and robbed of several valuable works of art. Posing as an art dealer, Maggie not only wreaked vengeance upon the thieves, but also had time left over for a torrid interracial romance. And, as a bonus, the heroine ended up a Countess, no less. Debuting over British television on December 7, 1997, Painted Lady made its American TV bow on April 26, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Franco Nero, (more)
- 1996
In the ultra-pop violent style of Quentin Tarantino comes this low-budget Icelandic entry into the neo-noir/exploitation genre. It centers on two twenty-something sisters, Sigga and Didi. Sigga is the pragmatic sister while Didi is a natural born rebel with a criminal streak. Didi is desperate to leave Iceland and make a new life in Florida. She gets her chance when she and Sigga attended a wild party in Reykjavik where they end up stealing dough and drugs from two pushers from whom they spend the rest of the film in flight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
