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Photo: Nichole Sakura, William Moseley

Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Steffan Hill

Royal-Is is the second of three March Royal rom-com and stars Nichole Sakura, William Mosely, Francesca Europa and more.

Americans have a soft spot when it comes to royals and Hallmark Channel knows this. In March, A series of royal rom-coms is set to premiere with some of fans’ favorite stars.

The second in line is Royal-ish, where “Love is a walk in the theme park.” Meanwhile, this rom-com stars Nichole Sakura (The Finnish Line) and William Mosely (A Notting Hill Christmas).

Moreover, child actress Francesca Europa plays a young princess. Read on to learn more about this upcoming movie with a royal twist.

Royal-ish – a rom-com on Hallmark Channel Photo: Nichole Sakura

Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Steffan Hill

According to the official synopsis, “Lacey is an amusement park princess who befriends 8-year-old Rose, a real-life princes, and...

Cillian Murphy and his wife Yvonne McGuinness bought the historic Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Ireland to save the movie theater from closing down for good, the Irish Independent reported on Friday.

“I’ve been going to see films at the Phoenix since I was a young boy on summer holidays,” Murphy told the outlet. “My Dad saw movies there when he was a young man before me, and we’ve watched many films at the Phoenix with our own kids. We recognize what the cinema means to Dingle.”

The Phoenix...

Exclusive: Cillian Murphy, fresh off of the massive global success of Oppenheimer — and as he gets ready to debut Small Things Like These (in which he stars and he produced) as the opening-night gala of the Berlin Film Festival next week — has set his next starring and producing gig with Steve.

This adaptation of Max Porter’s novel Shy also officially launches Murphy’s production company, Big Things Films, with longtime collaborator Alan Moloney. (See below for our discussion with the duo.)

Netflix has greenlighted Steve in collaboration with Big Things and will distribute globally. Production begins in the spring.

Steve is a reimagining of Porter’s Shy and traces a pivotal 24 hours in the life of its eponymous character, a headteacher (Murphy) of a last-chance reform school who struggles to keep his students in line, while also grappling with his spiraling mental health.

Moloney and Murphy are producers. Small Things Like These...

Cillian Murphy is an Irish actor who first started appearing on-screen in 1997, and his filmography is filled with critically acclaimed TV and movie performances. Although Murphy is often reserved and private about his life, the actor is quite popular after he took on series of impressive roles - ranging from horrible, evil characters to heroic figures. Murphy can shout and be bombastic and then shrink down and produce internal acting moments that see him using just his facial expressions and mannerisms to express an array of emotions.

Since 1997 Murphy has been working steadily, playing parts in movies, television, and even some music videos. He has struck up lasting relationships with some of the most talented directors in Hollywood, including Danny Boyle and Christopher Nolan. Murphy’s filmography includes sci-fi, influential horror, mind-bending blockbuster fare, and historical television. Despite the critical acclaim of many of his movies, Murphy only has one...

After years of erudite movie mob bosses and Camus-quoting killers, Woody Harrelson has singlehandedly revived the good, old-fashioned thug

In the very first scene in the harrowing new film Out of the Furnace, Woody Harrelson swings opens the car door, tumbles out of the driver's seat and pukes his guts out. He then forces his gabby consort to swallow whole what appears to be a revolting hot dog, beats senseless a well-meaning but overmatched Sir Galahad who unwisely comes to her rescue, and spends the rest of the movie doing violent, horrible things, many of which result in other people's deaths. Not once does he say anything witty or incisive or clever, much less pithy. Not once does he say anything that could be construed as ironic. Not once does he engage his Jurassic associates in lighthearted banter. No, in Out of the Furnace, Harrelson plays a good, old-fashioned thug.

Irish actor Cillian Murphy's forthcoming feature 'Broken' will open next month's Cannes Critics' Week, which runs from May 17 - 25 as part of the Cannes Film Festival. Based on the novel by Daniel Clay, the Rufus Norris-directed drama has been adapted for the screen by Irish writer Mark O'Rowe (Perrier's Bounty, Intermission). It tells the story of an 11-year-old girl living in North London whose innocence is shattered when she witnesses a violent assault.

BBC detective comedy 'Vexed' has completed filming in Dublin and is currently in post-production at Windmill Lane. Produced by Ireland's Newgrange Pictures and UK company Eleventh Hour Films, the six-part detective comedy began shooting in the capital in mid-January before wrapping its 12-week shoot earlier this month. Directed by Ireland's Ian Fitzgibbon (Perrier's Bounty) and Kieron J.Walsh (Raw), it is currently being edited at Windmill Lane in Dublin by Tony Cranstoun (Death of a Superhero, Him & Her) and Colin Fair (Skins).

After garnering rave reviews during the Toronto International Film Festival, Irish film 'Death of a Superhero' has secured a Us distribution deal with Tribeca Enterprises, and Pasatiempo Pictures in Latin America.Directed by Ian Fitzgibbon (Perrier's Bounty, Spin the Bottle), 'Death of a Superhero' uses a mix of live action and animation, to tell the story of terminally ill teenager Donald Clarke, who escapes life to his illustrated comic adventures.

Tribeca Film has acquired North American rights to Ian FitzGibbon's ("Perrier's Bounty") "Death of a Superhero," an ensemble drama with animated sequences that stars Andy Serkis ("The Rise of the Planet of the Apes"). The company plans to release it on VOD and theatrically next year. The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and is based on the novel by author Anthony McCarten, who also wrote the ...

★★☆☆☆ Irish director Ian Fitzgibbon impressed us last year with Perrier's Bounty (2009), a darkly funny crime thriller which drew inevitable but fair comparisons with In Bruges (2008), amongst others. But this, his debut from 2008, has only just made it to this side of the Irish Sea: the cheekily titled A Film with Me in It (2008), starring Dylan Moran Fitzgibbon's first effort treads a roughly similar path to his second, but the tone is darker, the pace is slower, the budget is noticeably smaller, and the success rate is generally lower - still, it has its moments.

Writer Mark Doherty casts himself in the lead as Mark, a down-on-his-luck, out-of-work actor who can't get a break. The shy, nerve-ridden, softly spoken man is ignored by casting agents, nagged by his girlfriend and harassed by his landlord (an odd cameo from Keith Allen). His only friend is neighbour Pierce (the terrifically watchable Moran), a...

Element Pictures Distribution have announced that the nationwide Irish release of 'The Guard' will launch on July 8th 2011. Starring Brendan Gleeson (Perrier's Bounty) and Don Cheadle (Ocean's 11), the comic caper has enjoyed much international success already, opening the Sundance Film Festival and claiming the Best Debut Film award for John Michael McDonagh at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Winners in Bold Film As If I Am Not There - James Flynn & Nathalie Lichtenthaeler (Octagon Films) Perrier's Bounty - Alan Moloney (Parallel Films) Sensation - Katie Holly & Kieron J Walsh (Blinder Films) Swansong - Story of Occi Byrne - Edwina Forkin & Herman Florin (Zanzibar Films / Florin Films) The Runway - Macdara Kelleher & Ian Power (Fastnet Films) Director Film Juanita Wilson - As If I Am Not There (Octagon Films) Pj Dillon - Rewind (Carbon Films) Tom Hall - Sensation (Blinder Films) Ian Power - The Runway (Fastnet Films) Script Film Juanita Wilson - As If I Am Not There (Octagon Films) Will Collins - My Brothers (Rubicon Films) Conor McDermottroe – Swansong - Story of Occi Byrne (Zanzibar Films / Florin Films) Mark O'Rowe - Perrier's Bounty (Parallel Films) Actor in a Lead Role - Film Martin...

Bosnian war drama As If I Am Not There received three Ifta awards for Best Film, Director and Script for the film's Irish writer/director Juanita Wilson at tonight's Ifta awards, celebrating the Irish film and television industry.

Martin MCCann was named Best Actor for 'Swansong - Story of Occi Byrn', while Amy Huberman was got Best Actress for 'Rewind.'

Pierce Brosnan and Saorise Ronan took home the supporting honours at the awards with Brosnan winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'The Ghost', while Ronan's part in The Way Back earned her the supporting actress honour.

In the international categories, 'The Social Network' won the best international film, with its star Jesse Eisenberg winning Best Actor. Annette Bening took Best Actress for 'The Kids Are All Right'.

Winners Of The 8th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards:

Outstanding Contribution to Industry...

Crime drama “Love/hate” has been nominated for 10 awards for the upcoming Irish Film and Television Awards (Ifta), to be held in Dublin on Saturday, February 12. Brendan Gleeson and his two actor sons, Domhnall and Brian have all been shortlisted in separate categories for the awards ceremony. Juanita Wilson’s Bosnian-set drama “As If I Am Not There” has been nominated for six awards. In the best actor categories, Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson were both nominated for their performance in the Irish gangster comedy “Perrier’s Bounty”. Co-stars Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan are shortlisted for their supporting rles in Peter Weir’s “The Way Back”. Ruth Bradley is up for best actress for her role in “Love/Hate”, she will be judged against Amy Huberman (“Rewind”), Ruth Bradley (Love/Hate), Orla Brady (Mistresses), Sarah Flood (Fair City) and Charlene McKenna (Raw). Aine Moriarty, Ifta chief executive, spoke about...

So far I've collected six separate 2010 compilation videos looking back at the this year's collection of films. To the best of my knowledge, these six videos include clips from 303 films and together they total 34:34. I have included the complete list of films on the second page if you are interested. Let me know if I'm missing any, but I think it's pretty safe to say if you liked a film in 2010 one of these following videos will feature it.

So, have a watch and leave your thoughts on which one is your favorite in the comments below and if you find another one online that I should add to the collection shoot me an email.

By: Zack Young

By: The Sleepy Skunk

By: Matthew Shapiro

By: Gen I

By: Kees van Dijkhuizen

On the next page is one final compilation piece, but it plays automatically once the page is...

A fascinating one to look out for here, coming from Ian Fitzgibbon - the director of A Film With Me In It and Perrier's Bounty.

Andy Serkis and Thomas Sangster - for my money one of the finest actors of his generation - star in Death Of A Superhero, a feature adaptation of the novel by Anthony McCarten.

With principal photography now wrapped in Ireland the picture stars Sangster as Donald Delpe, a teenage kid who - like most teenage kids - really wants to get laid. Complicating this somewhat is the fact that Donald is also terminally ill and retreating into a fantasy world as a way of coping. Here's how the picture is described by the Irish Film And Television Network:

'Superhero' is based on Anthony McCarten's novel 'Death of a Superhero' centres around Donald Clarke, a terminally ill teenager who craves sex and adventure, however his...

Now that we're about two weeks till the end of 2010, the film industry will be looking back to figure out the best movies of the year and will pick winners during the many awards shows. Today, we have a video that captures 2010 pretty well by showing scenes from the year's 270 films, including some that have yet to hit theaters. There will likely be plenty more of these montages in the next few weeks, but the video is definitely one of the better ones that I have seen. Check out the six-minute video below, in addition to a full list of all the films that were used. Questions: How many of the films listed did you actually see in full? Video: Films in Order of Appearance: 1. Iron Man 2 2. The Social Network 3. Saw 3D 4. Tron: Legacy 5. Never Let Me Go 6. Legion 7. The Book of Eli 8. Easy A 9. The Runaways 10. Farewell 11. Kick-Ass...

Principal photography commences today, October 5th, on the German-Irish coproduction 'Superhero' in Dublin. Andy Serkis (TinTin, The Lord of the Rings trilogy) heads up the feature which is directed by Ian FitzGibbon (Perrier's Bounty), and written by Anthony McCarten. The film's other cast members include Thomas Brodie Sangster (Love Actually, Nowhere Boy), Aisling Loftus (Dive), Jessica Schwarz (Perfume, Off Beat) and Irish actor Michael McElhatton (Parked, Happy Ever Afters).

Irish production company Ripple World Pictures began shooting this week in Wales on the British psychological thriller 'Retreat' starring Cillian Murphy (Inception, Perrier's Bounty, The Dark Knight), Thandie Newton (2012, RocknRolla, Crash) and Jamie Bell (Defiance, Jumper, Billy Elliot) in co-production with the UK's Magnet Films. 'Retreat' is the debut feature of British director Carl Tibbetts who co-wrote the screenplay with Janice Hallett. Gary Sinyor (Leon the Pig Farmer) of Magnet Films is producing the feature with Dominic Wright (Lapland Odyssey) and Jacqueline Kerrin (Parked) of Ripple Exec Producing alongside David Frost and Michael Rosenberg (In Your Dreams) also of Magnet Films. Sony Entertainment have UK, Irish and German rights. Quickfire Films and Sc Films are handling international sales.

Irish writer / director Conor McDermottroe (A Woman's Hair, Squaddie) will introduce his feature film debut to audiences on Friday, September 10th when 'Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne' receives a limited theatrical release across the country. The film portrays the life of Austin 'Occi' Byrne who is brought up in Sligo by his alcoholic mother and who suffers traumatic bullying at the hands of a local gang because he has no father. Iftn spoke with Martin McCann, the Belfast actor who takes on the central role. Occi grows up plagued by anger, confusion and pain. In the hopes of unlocking his own identity and overcoming the past that haunts him, he sets out to find his father and discover the secret of his birth. The emotional film stars Martin McCann (The Sound of People, Killing Bono) in the title role alongside Jodie Whittaker (Perrier's Bounty), Marcella Plunkett (Once), Gerard Mc Sorley...

Gere are the new MPAA ratings from Bulletin No: 2136.

Another Year Rated PG-13 For some language. Release Date: December 29, 2010 Blitz Rated R For strong brutal violence, language, some drug use and nudity. Brotherhood Rated R For pervasive language, some violence and sexual content. Choose Rated R For bloody violence and terror, grisly images and language. Client 9 Rated R For some sexual material, nudity and language. Release Date: November 5, 2010 Dead Awake Rated R For language, drug content and brief sexuality. End Of The Road Rated R For strong disturbing content including an abortion, aberrant sexuality, violent images and brief language. Note: Re-rate. Previous X Rating, Bulletin No. 68 (2/23/70), Voided. ExTerminators Rated R For some language and sexual material. The Heavy Rated R For some strong brutal violence and pervasive language. Hereafter Rated PG-13 For mature thematic elements including disturbing disaster and accident images, and for brief strong language. Release Date: October 22,...

MPAA ratings: Sept. 1, 2010. The following feature-length motion pictures have been reviewed and rated by the Classification and Rating Administration pursuant to the Motion Picture Classification and Rating program. Each of the designated ratings is defined as follows under the Motion Picture Classification and Rating program.

G -- General Audiences. All ages admitted.

PG -- Parental Guidance Suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG -13 --Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

R -- Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Nc-17 -- No One 17 And Under Admitted.

Film Distributor Reason Rating Another Year     

Sony Pictures Classics

Rated for some language. PG-13 Blitz  Blitz Films Ltd. - [Production Co.]

Rated for strong brutal violence, language, some drug use and nudity.   R Brotherhood

Phase 4 Films Inc. 

Rated for pervasive language, some violence and sexual content.  

R Choose       Choose Films, LLC - [Production Co.] 

Rated for bloody violence and terror,...

Ian Hart is outstanding in A Boy Called Dad, but the darkly comic Perrier's Bounty is hamstrung by its awful title, writes Mark Kermode

Nine years ago, writer Julie Rutterford and director Brian Percival made the affecting short film About a Girl (think Fish Tank meets The Fast Show with a tragic sting in the tale), which went on to win several prestigious awards including a best short Bafta. Having featured on the excellent Cinema 16 collection, About a Girl now resurfaces as one of the DVD extras accompanying Percival and Rutterford's long-awaited first feature, A Boy Called Dad (2009, Kaleidoscope, 15). Talented and confident newcomer Kyle Ward stars as the eponymous baby-father Robbie, an untrammelled 14-year-old whose own errant father Joe has yet to learn the true responsibilities of adulthood. As Joe, Ian Hart brings an effortless sense of conviction to the screen; few actors can convey such conflicted character traits (strength and weakness,...

This is the Pure Movies review of Perrier's Bounty, directed by Ian Fitzgibbon and starring Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Domhnall Gleeson, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Simpson, Padraic Delaney and Natalie Britton. The best stories, characters, images and ideas persist in the mind when the credits roll, but Perrier’s Bounty meekly expires as the screen fades to black. As the names of its stellar cast reeled away it was hard not to reflect on where it went wrong. Sparsely scattered moments of quality make it tempting to wonder whether its broad strokes and familiar arcs were signs of deliberate compromise. It has the whiff of something targeted at an international market and in the end, in spite of the talent involved, Perrier’s fizz falls flat.

Elvis – The Movie

DVD & Blu-ray, Fremantle

This 1979 TV movie, starring Kurt Russell and directed by John Carpenter, was a huge hit when it first aired - so why is it only now being released on DVD? It's that thorny old matter of music rights, an issue that keeps plenty of other movies from getting a home-ents release – and these aren't even Elvis originals, rather decent enough cover versions by country singer Ronnie McDowell. Aside from that landmark, this film is a piece of history in its own right, as it represents the first pairing of Carpenter and Russell, a relationship that went on to spawn two stone-cold classics (The Thing and Escape From New York), and three if you count Big Trouble In Little China (which you should). At the time, though, neither was a big deal: Russell was making the transition from child stardom, and Carpenter was a low-budget...

Perrier's Bounty is a strange one. It doesn't seem fair it's largely been ignored, yet at the same time it's a little too obvious why. Director Ian Fitzgibbon (A Film with Me in It) hits all the right beats with the story of a small-time Dublin lowlife, his frantic attempts to pay off a minor debt to a vicious local gang boss and the escalating chaos that follows, yet an air of over-familiarity keeps the obvious talent of all those involved from impressing as much as it ought to have done.

Said lowlife is Michael (Cillian Murphy, Inception, Batman Begins, 28 Days Later) who, as the film begins, has only hours remaining before his debt to gangster Perrier (Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges) falls due. Michael's half-hearted efforts to scrape together enough cash don't look to bear fruit in time and when Perrier's henchmen corner him, an unexpected slip of the trigger...

Bollywood romance Kites flew into tenth place on the weekend chart despite playing at only 208 theaters. The next biggest-grossing limited release, Babies, held better in its third weekend than in its second. Holdovers The Secret in Their Eyes, City Island and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo maintained their audience levels, while new movies Solitary Man and Holy Rollers had passable starts in very limited release. With $958,673, Kites was the first Bollywood movie ever to crack the Weekend Top Ten, but its gross wasn't enough to break the Bollywood opening weekend record, despite having the broadest Bollywood release yet. My Name is Khan remains king on this front with $1.9 million at 120 theaters, and Kites achieved its rank because little was going below Shrek Forever After, Iron Man 2, Robin Hood and Letter to Juliet. Kites distributor Reliance Big Pictures is relatively new, though their only prior release, 3 Idiots, is the...

There's little doubt that the fourth Shrek movie, Shrek Forever After, is going to make some serious coin at the box office this weekend, but will it outpace previous installments or has the popularity of this franchise finally started to wane? Either way, it seems unlikely that Iron Man 2 will remain on top for a third weekend. The only other major release this weekend is MacGruber, the first Saturday Night Live movie in 10 years. In limited release, we have a double shot of Jesse Eisenberg with Holy Rollers and Solitary Man, plus the critically-acclaimed go kart documentary Racing Dreams. What will you be checking out this weekend? Shrek Forever After [1] MacGruber [2] Holy Rollers [3] (limited) Solitary Man [4] (limited) Perrier's Bounty [5] (limited) Racing Dreams [6] (limited) 180 South [7] (limited) After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United [8] (limited) Father of My Children [9] (limited) Kites [10] (limited) [1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892791/ [2] http://www.imdb.

A comedy that forgot to install the funny, the Irish-gangster flick "Perrier's Bounty" is pretty sure that if you put together gay hit men, endlessly repeated situations (people saying "tout de suite," car wheels getting booted) and a geezer chugging instant coffee right out of the jar, people will laugh. Right? Cillian Murphy plays a Dublin lowlife trying to round up the money he needs to repay a loan shark (Brendan Gleeson). Picking up his dad (Jim Broadbent), who is convinced that the next...

Ah, those wacky Irish - always with the darkness and the violence and the well-spoken bad behavior. How can you not love their amusing gangsters? No, seriously - I can't get enough of the kind of black-humor-laced films and plays that come out of Ireland. I'm a big Martin McDonagh fan (In Bruges rules -- and don't miss A Behanding in Spokane before it closes on Broadway) - and my new favorite is director Ian Fitzgibbon, whose Perrier's Bounty" opens in limited release Friday (5.21.10). Fitzgibbon was represented earlier this year by an exceptionally limited release of his hilariously grisly movie, A Film With Me In It. Perrier's Bounty is a distinctly more ambitious outing, one with a more obviously star-studded cast - but with the same gruesomely funny sense of humor and surprising sense of action (in a script by Mark...

Loose, flinty, and a little in love with itself, Perrier's Bounty struts the fine line of self-consciousness drawn by neo-gangster capers like The Usual Suspects, In Bruges and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It's still a relatively new -- and presumably malleable -- design, but director Ian Fitzgibbon seems comfortable within its broad strokes: Chronic f*ck-up angers casually vicious, slightly absurd kingpin; bon mots and a body count ensue. Not designed to blend in (can a film in an eccentric mold achieve true eccentricity?) and yet lacking the extra inch to distinguish it from its better-known kin, Perrier's Bounty is content to merely measure up.

A stellar lead quartet of dramatic characters, the pretty blonde (Jodie Whittaker), the disheveled father (Jim Broadbent), the brooding young son (Cillian Murphy) who's in deep debt to Dublin criminals and the crime boss making his life miserable (Brendan Gleeson) make director Ian Fitzgibbon's crime comedy "Perrier's Bounty" twice as funny as recent Hollywood stabs at the genre (think "Cop Out"). Smart casting by Fitzgibbon, who worked as an actor before becoming a filmmaker, deserves most of the credit. "Perrier's Bounty" may be a familiar tale but watching Broadbent, Murphy and Gleeson butt heads makes it all worthwhile. IFC Films opens "Perrier's Bounty" in art-house theaters Friday as well as VOD. It's the second Fitzgibbon film to be released by IFC Films this year coming on the heels of his comedy "A Film With Me In It". The pair of films makes an impressive one-two punch and showcase Fitzgibbon's clear comic talents.

As our theatrical calendar attests, there will be plenty of reasons to leave the house this summer. But for those times when you'd prefer to stay in, there's a wide array of American indies, international hits, and exquisite documentaries right at your fingertips on demand, online or on DVD. Here's what will be coming to your televisions, computer screens, Netflix queues and store shelves from May through July.

On Demand

As always, our sister company IFC Films will release some of the biggest festival favorites from around the world this summer both at theaters and on demand, allowing people to choose what size screen they want to see Johnnie To's actioner "Vengeance" (May 14), Ken Loach's soccer drama "Looking for Eric" (May 21), the Cillian Murphy-Brendan Gleeson gangster tale "Perrier's Bounty" (May 21), Mia Hansen-Løve's French family drama "The Father of My Children" (May 28), "Bronson" director Nicolas Winding Refn...

Perrier's Bounty is one of those gritty, grim urban crime capers that peppers the cinematic landscape. It takes place in Ireland, which is also a fairly common trend -- the Irish, as our Hollywood stereotypes like to tell us, are drinkers and fighters and sullen bastards in general. Of course, many of these tropes are present in Perrier's Bounty, but it's also a different sort of animal. It's got a gleam in its eye and a crooked smile, and it separates itself from the pack with stellar acting, a flavor for the bizarre and madcap, and brisk and clever plotting that separates it from the pack.

Perrier's Bounty features Cillian Murphy as Michael McCrea, a glum ne'er-do-well who lives in a crummy apartment, barely keeping the frayed ends of his dead-end life together. He's in deep with the loan sharks, and wakes up one morning to find a couple of...

Lourdes (U)

(Jessica Hausner, 2009, Aus/Fra/Ger) Sylvie Testud, Léa Seydoux, Elina Löwensohn. 99 mins

Handsomely photographed and coolly observant, this excursion to the French pilgrimage town manages to be both a penetrating study of the spiritual tourism racket and a genuine mystical inquiry. Testud is our central pilgrim, paralysed from the neck down and, like many others, in search of a miracle. But unlike those others, she gets one. Or does she? We're given much to think about.

No One Knows About Persian Cats (12A)

(Bahman Ghobadi, 2009, Iran) Negar Shaghaghi, Ashkan Khoshanejad. 107 mins

A suitably guerrilla-style tour of Iran's underground (often literally) music scene – a place where even gentle indie rock is considered seditious. Mostly factual and shot illegally, it's eye (and ear)-opening stuff.

The Blind Side (12A)

(John Lee Hancock, 2009, Us) Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron. 128 mins

Bullock might have got her Oscar but that doesn't make it any...

Jodie Whittaker will star in Joe Cornish's directorial debut Attack The Block. The Venus and Perrier's Bounty actress has been cast as a trainee nurse, Sam, who gets caught up in an alien invasion with a gang of youths on a South London estate. Nick Frost and Luke Treadaway are among the supporting cast, along with newcomers John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones and Simon Howard. Cornish, who has written Tintin (more)...

Jodie Whittaker will star in Joe Cornish's directorial debut Attack The Block. The Venus and Perrier's Bounty actress has been cast as a trainee nurse, Sam, who gets caught up in an alien invasion with a gang of youths on a South London estate. Nick Frost and Luke Treadaway are among the supporting cast, along with newcomers John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leon Jones and Simon Howard. Cornish, who has written Tintin (more)...

This week's podcast ventures into criminal underworlds both real and imaginary, as we take you from Louisiana's notorious Angola prison – possibly the scene of a horrific miscarriage of justice – explored In the Land of the Free, to the violent back streets of Dublin in Perrier's Bounty.

Director Vadim Jean comes into the studio to discuss his latest film, the documentary In the Land of the Free. Best known as the director of the 1993 comedy, Leon the Pig Farmer, Jean makes no apology for what some have called his hodge-podge career, and explains how his passion for telling a story has lead him to tackle widely different subjects. In this compelling film, Samuel L Jackson narrates the story of the Angola 3 about three men who, possibly as a result of connections to the Black Panther party, have spent a combined total of a century in solitary confinement for crimes they insist they did not commit.

I've been tracking Attack the Block pretty closely so far, and providing I can keep the scent, I'll be up its backside until the premiere. According to director Joe Cornish, the film is "a lean, mean action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien creatures" and "a comic book fantasy set where you'd least expect to find one". I've made comparisons to Shaun of the Dead, but somebody rather more close to the production has told me it's a bit more like the first twenty minutes of Clockwork Orange meets The Warriors. At last, we've got a confirmed list of members of the film's cast and crew. This not only includes Nick Frost and Luke Treadaway, as I've previously mentioned, but also Jodie Whittaker of Venus and Perrier's Bounty. The other announced names are all newcomers. After the break I'll dish a little on...

To those who thought making films with Star Wars figurines was a tad too infantile, today principle photography will begin on Joe Cornish’s alien invasion comedy feature film debut. The Adam & Joe Show creator who got his start by toying around, will re-team with Nick Frost on what is also being dubbed as an action adventure film, and the non-zombie flick lead and leader of a pack comes in the shape of Jodie Whittaker, whose body of work includes some feisty characters in Venus (the film that Peter O'Toole was nominated for at the Oscars - see pic below) and more recently, the horribly plain gangster film Perrier's Bounty. - To those who thought making films with Star Wars figurines was a tad too infantile, today principle photography will begin on Joe Cornish’s alien invasion comedy feature film debut. The Adam & Joe Show creator who got his start by toying around,...

From 28 Days Later to Green Zone, Brendan Gleeson has a habit of making peripheral roles the highlight of a film

In these pages a few months ago, Joe Queenan saluted the mighty Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, unsung hero of countless historical blockbusters. If only, suggested Queenan, Gleeson was allowed to be the leader rather than the trusty lieutenant, "things would have turned out a whole lot better for everyone". The 55-year-old Gleeson, who was once told by a Hollywood agent that he was "too old and too ugly", brings to the screen a salty authenticity absent from your Orlando Blooms. Built like a tank, and with twinkling eyes set in a doughy face, he is one of the world's finest character actors – a man capable of investing the most fleeting cameo part with instant vitality.

Revered directors such as Steven Spielberg (in AI: Artificial Intelligence), Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York...

The new indie trailer I'm featuring today is an extended trailer for Ian Fitzgibbon's Irish gangster dramedy Perrier's Bounty, which I first saw at the Toronto Film Festival late last year (read my review). It's not exactly an incredible film, but it is pretty damn good. And the best thing about it is the fantastic Irish (and British) cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, and Jodie Whittaker (who starred in that Peter O'Toole film Venus). If you couldn't get this from the trailer, it's about a kid who gets wrapped up in some mob debt and tries to clean things up. It's actually a lot of fun. Check it out below! Watch the first extended trailer for Ian Fitzgibbon's Perrier's Bounty: Perrier's Bounty is directed by Irish filmmaker Ian Fitzgibbon, who has an acting and writing background and last directed the feature A Film with Me in It...

I have been very outspoken about my love for Ian Fitzgibbon's black comedy A Film With Me In It and while my love has a lot to do with Dylan Moran's performance in that film, Fitzgibbon's skill behind the camera has no small part in it as well.

And so I have been anxiously awaiting my chance to get a look at Fitzgibbon's next, the gangster comedy Perrier's Bounty, which features a stellar cast of Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson and Jim Broadbent.  Synopsis? You bet:

On the run with his eccentric father, who's convinced he'll die the next time he sleeps, and an increasingly morose Brenda, Michael is about to lose his mind. But as the net tightens and the helter skelter chase reaches its climax he is forced to forgive his father and confront his true feelings for Brenda. With every hard man in Dublin on their...

St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold

Opens: 2010

Cast: Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, David Tennant, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley

Director: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson

Summary: A rollercoaster-style treasure hunt for the legendary Fritton’s Gold ensues as the feisty and ever-resourceful schoolgirls of St Trinian’s face their most fearsome establishment rivals yet - the villainous Pomfrey and his sidekicks from the women-hating secret society known as AD1.

Analysis: While it didn't travel much beyond the UK, 2007's reboot of the "St Trinian's" franchise nearly doubled its £7 million production budget in sales in the UK alone - making it one of the top grossing independent British films of the past decade. Reviews were decidedly mixed but generally pretty weak at the time, so the greenlighting of a sequel surprised quite a few.

Despite a critical drubbing, the core audience of young British teenage girls seemed to be satisfied by...

Mother and Child

Opens: 2010

Cast: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington

Director: Rodrigo Garcia

Summary: A tale of a mother and daughter, separated at birth, who struggle with the damage done by the most important person missing in their lives while a young African-Americn woman deals with an unwanted pregnancy and the adoption process.

Analysis: Scoring rave reviews in Toronto, the $7 million latest effort of Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her") once again shows off his skill at weaving multiple narratives together in clever and unexpected ways. At its heart it's an emotional family drama, but Garcia excels with his female characters which makes the involvement of Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington and especially Annette Benning thrilling.

The few criticisms levelled at the film were toward some pacing and credibility issues in the last act, but otherwise praised it for not...

Mother and Child

Opens: 2010

Cast: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington

Director: Rodrigo Garcia

Summary: A tale of a mother and daughter, separated at birth, who struggle with the damage done by the most important person missing in their lives while a young African-Americn woman deals with an unwanted pregnancy and the adoption process.

Analysis: Scoring rave reviews in Toronto, the $7 million latest effort of Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her") once again shows off his skill at weaving multiple narratives together in clever and unexpected ways. At its heart it's an emotional family drama, but Garcia excels with his female characters which makes the involvement of Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington and especially Annette Benning thrilling.

The few criticisms levelled at the film were toward some pacing and credibility issues in the last act, but otherwise praised it for not...

Hippie Hippie Shake

Opens: 2010

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller, Max Minghella, Emma Booth, Lee Ingleby

Director: Beeban Kidron

Summary: Follows the love story of Oz editor Richard Neville and Louise Ferrier. Neville and his cohorts launch the London edition of Oz amidst the 1960s counterculture and are subsequently put on trial for distributing a sexually explicit issue.

Analysis: One of the most troubled productions in Working Title's history, 'Hippie' began development back in 1998 but failed to get beyond script stage both in 1999 and in 2002 when "Elizabeth" helmer Shekhar Kapur was attached to direct. Filming finally got underway late 2007 with director Beeban Kidron in charge and shooting seemed to proceed without issue aside from feminist author Germaine Greer being vehemently unhappy about being depicted on film.

Actually the film scored quite a bit of free press for a skinny dipping scene where full-frontal shots of actress Sienna Miller shooting the sequence...

Georgia

Opens: 2010

Cast: Val Kilmer, Andy Garcia, Rupert Friend, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Johnathon Schaech

Director: Renny Harlin

Summary: An American journalist, his cameraman, and a Georgian native get caught in the crossfire of the five-day Russia-Georgia conflict in August 2008, and then have to deal with their obligation to be impartial.

Analysis: A timely parable on war, or Hollywood propaganda filmmaking at its worst? Wherever it goes, especially in Europe and the former Soviet states, "Georgia" will cause a lot of talk and controversy as the incidents depicted are still so fresh in many's minds. Like all topics of the sort, it'll also have its strong supporters and detractors having opinions on the film long before a frame of footage is screened anywhere.

Shot on-location in Tbilisi, the project also marks a potential return to form for Finnish director Renny Harlin. Given the right material the skilled action director delivered three...

Georgia

Opens: 2010

Cast: Val Kilmer, Andy Garcia, Rupert Friend, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Johnathon Schaech

Director: Renny Harlin

Summary: An American journalist, his cameraman, and a Georgian native get caught in the crossfire of the five-day Russia-Georgia conflict in August 2008, and then have to deal with their obligation to be impartial.

Analysis: A timely parable on war, or Hollywood propaganda filmmaking at its worst? Wherever it goes, especially in Europe and the former Soviet states, "Georgia" will cause a lot of talk and controversy as the incidents depicted are still so fresh in many's minds. Like all topics of the sort, it'll also have its strong supporters and detractors having opinions on the film long before a frame of footage is screened anywhere.

Shot on-location in Tbilisi, the project also marks a potential return to form for Finnish director Renny Harlin. Given the right material the skilled action director delivered three...

I was hoping for something original a la In Bruges, what we have here with Ian Fitzgibbon's Perrier's Bounty is much of the same stuff we've seen before: find money within 24 hours and have goons chase you around town issuing death threats. - Too bad. You'd think the trifecta of vets Brendan Gleeson and Jim Broadbent and a desperate looking Cillian Murphy would make this crime romp into a tad more passable. I was hoping for something original a la In Bruges, what we have here with Ian Fitzgibbon's Perrier's Bounty is much of the same stuff we've seen before: find money within 24 hours and have goons chase you around town issuing death threats. Too dependent on drunken sailor's lingo, lame comedy elements, uninteresting romantic story-line and swinging motions a la Tiger Woods, this feels recycled and quickly forgettable. Full review coming soon. ...