Dunbar, Adrian

Richard III

This film adaptation of a critically acclaimed stage production of Shakespeare's historical drama stars Ian McKellen in the title role. The setting is a comic-book vision of 1930s London: part art deco, part Third Reich, part industrial-age rust and rot. The play's force is turned into a synthetic high by art directors and storyboard sketchers, all of whom have a field day condensing the material into disposable pop imagery. This is a fun film, more than anything, so infatuated with its own monstrous stitchery that even the most awkward casting (Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr.) seems a part of the ridiculous design. McKellen is the best thing about the movie, his mesmerizing portrayal of freakish despotism and poisoned desire a thing to behold. Directed by Richard Loncraine (Bellman and True). --Tom Keogh

Shakespeare's immortal tale of ambition, lust and murderous treachery is brilliantly updated and brought to life in this riveting, 20th-century masterpiece. Boasting breathtaking performances, unforgettable imagery and two OscarÂ(r) nominations*, this astounding wartime spectacle is mesmerizing...it will rivet you and shock you (Jeffrey Lyons, 'sneak Previews ). In 1930s Britain, a savage, civil war between two royal families has just concluded. But even as the newly installed King Edward (John Wood) takes the reins of power, his ruthless, younger brother Richard (Ian McKellen) sets in motion a monstrous scheme to claim the crown for himself. Enlisting the aid of equally duplicitous allies in the court, Richard embarks on a merciless, single-minded campaign of betrayal, seduction and cold-blooded murder to achieve the goal that has obsessed him all of his tortured life: to beking...at any price. *1995: Costume Design, Art Direction

The Crying Game (Collector's Edition)

The Crying Game offers a rare and precious movie experience. The film is an unclassifiable original that surprises, intrigues, confounds, and delights you with its freshness, humor, and honesty from beginning to end. It starts as a psychological thriller, as IRA foot soldier Fergus (the incomparable Stephen Rea) kidnaps a British soldier (Forest Whitaker) and waits for the news that will determine whether he executes his victim or sets him free. As the night wears on, a peculiar bond begins to form between the two men. Later, the movie shifts tone and morphs into something of a romantic comedy as Fergus unexpectedly becomes involved with the soldier's girlfriend Dil (Jaye Davidson) and discovers more about himself, and human nature in general, than he ever dreamed possible. Like Spielberg's E.T., The Crying Game was supposed to be director Neil Jordan's "little, personal movie," the one he just had to make, even though no studio was willing to give him money because the story was so unusual. Instead, it became a surprise popular sensation, thanks in part to Miramax's cleverly provocative campaign playing up the hush-hush nature of the movie's big secret. The performances (including Miranda Richardson as one of Fergus's IRA colleagues) are subtly shaded, and the writing and direction are tantalizingly rich and suggestive; you're always trying to figure out the characters' true motives and feelings--even when they themselves are fully aware of their own motives and feelings. The Crying Game is a wise, witty, wondrous treasure of a movie. Director Jordan's credits include Mona Lisa, Interview with the Vampire, Michael Collins, and The Butcher Boy. --Jim Emerson

Shooters

Bitter Harvest

Synopsis: Believing that "a man is measured by his enemies", Harry Maloney (Colm Meaney) plots to destroy George O'Flaherty, the most powerful man in town. Unfortunately for Harry, his chosen nemesis is also the town's matchmaker, and he needs George to broker the marriage of his dim but handsome son, Gus (Cillian Murphey). Being indebted to George only fuels Harry's irrational hatred more. But somehow, no matter how hard he schemes to bedevil George, Harry proves to be his own worst enemy.

Eye of the Dolphin

Written by multiple EMMY Award Winner Wendell Morris fourteen year old Alyssa (Carly Schroeder):("The Lizzie McGuire Movie" "Firewall") has been living with her Grandmother (Academy Award Nominated Katharine Ross) since the death of her mother a year ago. Troubled and lost it is decided she should go to the Bahamas to live with the father she never knew she had. Caught in the difficult realization of having a father coupled with the adjustment to island culture she seeks refuge in the discovery of the astonishing gift she has for communicating with dolphins. But when the powers-that-be threaten to close down her father's dolphin research facility it is Alyssa and her wild cetacean friend who hold the key.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 012233141023 Manufacturer No: 314102

Widows' Peak

In this quaint Irish comedy about a remote town run by the large number of widows, who are led by the monarchical Mrs. Counihan (Joan Plowright), Natasha Richardson is a newly arrived English widow who brings sex appeal and the possibility of mischief when she starts courting Counihan's befuddled son (Adrian Dunbar). This sets in motion a mystery akin to an Agatha Christie tale, led by suspicious Mia Farrow. The setup is fine and the acting first-rate, but the final act forces its hand far too soon. What starts off as an accessible film turns into a prize only for those who liked Enchanted April and similar movies. --Doug Thomas

The Playboys

Bursting with all the fiery elements that make great love stories memorable The Playboys is a beautiful moving and gripping film (The Hollywood Reporter). Boasting excellent performances (Variety) by Albert Finney Aidan Quinn and Robin Wright this lovely and enveloping film weaves magic (The New York Times)!Tara (Wright) the most irresistible woman in a small Irish village is also the most scorned when she refuses to reveal the identity of her baby s father. Under pressure by Constable Hegarty (Finney) to accept his hand in marriage Tara rejects his proposal and falls instead for a dashing actor (Quinn). But as their affair heats up a jealous Hegarty threatens to expose Tara s secret and destroy the only happiness she s ever known.System Requirements: Running Time 109 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 027616903785 Manufacturer No: 1006176

With delicate charm and dignity, The Playboys finds laughter, love, and scandal in a cozy Irish village in 1957. For her disapproving neighbors, it's bad enough that Tara Maguire (Robin Wright, with a fair Irish accent) won't identify the father of her baby, and she's making matters worse by inviting romance with Tom (Aidan Quinn), a carefree actor in a band of traveling players. Constable Hagerty (Albert Finney) is insanely jealous and possessive; he knows Tara's secret while hiding one of his own, and his roiling emotions lead to a climax with dangerous shades of Othello. Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Shane Connaughton (My Left Foot) maintains the gravity of this situation (including a subplot involving IRA smugglers), but never loses track of his character-based humor, especially in the good-natured clash between free spirits and dowdy conservative locals. Filmed in the idyllic Redhills Village of County Cavan, The Playboys is well-acted (especially by Finney) and refreshingly free of blarney. --Jeff Shannon

Triggermen

A high-strung yet winning crime comedy, Triggermen features an appealing cast in the story of two British con artists mistaken for a pair of seasoned assassins. Adrian Dunbar and Neil Morrissey play displaced, small-time thieves rotting away in Chicago and desperate to get home to the U.K. Morrissey's character has a solution: He takes a briefcase full of cash left in a hotel lobby for a pair of laidback, Yankee killers (Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Rapaport) hired through a second party to murder a Windy City crime boss (Pete Postlethwaite). The client (Louis Di Bianco) pressures the Brits to get the job done, while the real hitmen figure out they've been supplanted. It all makes for an enjoyable (and violent) lark, but an interesting angle finds Wahlberg's soft-spoken criminal anxious to get out of his trade (he falls for Postlethwaite's gorgeous daughter, played by Claire Forlani) while Morrissey becomes increasingly convincing as a gangster. --Tom Keogh

Terry and Tommy are hit men hired to kill a prominent mob boss. When payment for the job is stolen by a couple of small-time con artists, it starts a chain reaction riddled with mistaken identities, botched jobs and crazy mishaps.

The General

Best known for Deliverance (1972), John Boorman produced what is arguably his greatest film with Point Blank (1967). In that ambiguous gangster flick, set in a pastel L.A. wasteland, Lee Marvin may or may not be a walking dead man, animated by the desire to avenge his fatal betrayal by the woman he loved and his best friend. Many of Boorman's films take the form of quests, fueled by some dream of utopia; on some level, Point Blank is the tragedy of a just man, appalled and ultimately defeated by the complexity of his world's corruption. The General begins with the death of Martin Cahill--celebrated Dublin gangster who stole millions during the 1980s--then literally reverses the approach and assault of his IRA assassin, flashing back in time, back through Cahill's colorful, criminal quest for his kind of ideal community. Boorman says his Cahill is a throwback to those Celtic chieftains of old who ruled by thievery and violence; as an anachronism, this charming, brutal bear of a man (perfectly incarnated by Brendan Gleeson) is undeniably reprehensible, but he stands in deliberate contrast to the institutionalized hypocrisy and corruption of church, state, and IRA alike. Brazenly hanging out in police HQ to establish an alibi; maneuvering gracefully through perfectly choreographed heists; dispensing affection to his wife, and her sister; nailing the hands of a suspected cheat to a pool table; handing out food to women whose husbands are out of work--Gleeson's bluff, often comic gangster is always bigger than life, an eruption of unsocialized energy through the layers-deep sediment of socially acceptable sin. (In real life as in the film, Cahill always hid his face under a sweatshirt hood, or behind his spread fingers--he looks like some mischievous, giant-child.) Shot by the great Seamus Deasey in color, then transferred to black-and-white stock, The General is visually voluptuous, the anatomy of a charismatic monster's soul expressed in lustrous light, silken shades of gray, and ebony shadows. --Kathleen Murphy

The Crying Game

The Crying Game offers a rare and precious movie experience. The film is an unclassifiable original that surprises, intrigues, confounds, and delights you with its freshness, humor, and honesty from beginning to end. It starts as a psychological thriller, as IRA foot soldier Fergus (the incomparable Stephen Rea) kidnaps a British soldier (Forest Whitaker) and waits for the news that will determine whether he executes his victim or sets him free. As the night wears on, a peculiar bond begins to form between the two men. Later, the movie shifts tone and morphs into something of a romantic comedy as Fergus unexpectedly becomes involved with the soldier's girlfriend Dil (Jaye Davidson) and discovers more about himself, and human nature in general, than he ever dreamed possible. Like Spielberg's E.T., The Crying Game was supposed to be director Neil Jordan's "little, personal movie," the one he just had to make, even though no studio was willing to give him money because the story was so unusual. Instead, it became a surprise popular sensation, thanks in part to Miramax's cleverly provocative campaign playing up the hush-hush nature of the movie's big secret. The performances (including Miranda Richardson as one of Fergus's IRA colleagues) are subtly shaded, and the writing and direction are tantalizingly rich and suggestive; you're always trying to figure out the characters' true motives and feelings--even when they themselves are fully aware of their own motives and feelings. The Crying Game is a wise, witty, wondrous treasure of a movie. Director Jordan's credits include Mona Lisa, Interview with the Vampire, Michael Collins, and The Butcher Boy. --Jim Emerson