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Exclusive: Writer-director Vicky Wight (Happiness for Beginners) has set the cast for her new film, The Body Is Water, a project described as a cross-cultural story about loss, healing, and the strangers who refuse to let you disappear.

The list includes Isiah Whitlock Jr. (The Residence), Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls), Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Origin), Academy Award nominee Stephen Rea (The Crying Game), Aidan Quinn (Legends of the Fall), Eva Birthistle (Bad Sisters), Allen Leech (Downton Abbey), Fionnula Flanagan (Waking Ned Devine), Maria Doyle Kennedy (Orphan Black), and Bronagh Gallagher (The End).

Set between Houston, Texas, and the weathered coastline of West Cork, Ireland, The Body Is Water follows a grieving man who vanishes to a remote Irish village, only to find that disappearing is the one thing the town — and Lou, an eccentric young woman with a curious dog — won’t let him do.

Wight also produces alongside Geoff Linville, Syndey Augusta Huynh, and John Norton of Red Ted Media. Executive producers include Stephen Hall and Mike Jones of Dark Day Pictures, and Coert Voorhees.

Best known for directing Happiness for Beginners, a Netflix rom-com starring Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes, Wight has also previously helmed romantic drama The Lost Husband, starring Leslie Bibb and Josh Duhamel, and drama The Volunteer, starring Ellis-Taylor and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. She is repped by Zero Gravity Management and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

Whitlock Jr. is repped by Innovative Artists, Liebman Entertainment, and Schreck Rose Dapello; Jackson by Independent Talent Group; Ellis-Taylor by CAA and Tmt Entertainment Group; Rea by CAA, Independent Talent Group, and Barking Dog Entertainment; Quinn by Curtis Brown Group, Framework Entertainment, and Schreck Rose Dapello; Birthistle by 42; Leech by The Way, Untitled Entertainment, and Felker Toczek Suddleson; Flanagan by Lisa Richards Agency and Felker Toczek Suddleson; Kennedy by United Agents and Atlas Artists; and Gallagher by Hamilton Hodell, Macfarlane Chard, and Nb Management.

It’s not every day that a two-decade-old crime drama with a lukewarm Rotten Tomatoes score suddenly finds a second life on streaming—but that’s exactly what’s happening with Four Brothers. Directed by the late John Singleton, the gritty 2005 revenge thriller is enjoying a surprise resurgence thanks to Pluto TV, where it’s climbed into the most-watched charts this week in the U.S.

With a modest 52% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a much stronger 80% audience score, Four Brothers was never a prestige darling, but it was always better than many gave it credit for. Now, 20 years after its release, the Mark Wahlberg-led film is finally getting its flowers.

Set in snow-blanketed Highland Park, Michigan, the film follows four adopted brothers—Bobby (Wahlberg), Angel (Tyrese Gibson), Jeremiah (André Benjamin), and Jack (Garrett Hedlund)—who reunite after the shocking murder of their adoptive mother Evelyn Mercer (played...

Shaunagh Connaire, the two-time Emmy-nominated Irish journalist who has produced documentaries for the likes of the BBC and PBS Frontline and also served as communication director for George and Amal Clooney’s Foundation for Justice, has made her directorial debut.

“Brown Bread,” which is set to have its world premiere at the upcoming Galway Film Fleadh, is a short film that marks Connaire’s first foray into narrative drama, turning her storytelling lens toward emigration and family tension in modern Ireland.

The film — described by Connaire as a “modern twist on the Irish emigration story” — is led by Emmy-winning actress Fionnula Flanagan, Katie McGrath and Dermot Crowley.

Inspired by Connaire’s own experience of being unable to return to Ireland from the U.S. for her godmother’s funeral, “Brown Bead” follows Áine (McGrath), a woman whose return to Ireland from New York to attend her godmother’s memorial mass stirs up old tensions,...

Sandra Bullock got her breakthrough in 1994’s Speed, where she gave a memorable performance that impressed critics and audiences alike. Her charm and comedic timing made her a huge star. And, at her peak, she was one of the highest-paid actresses. Despite a string of hits, she still had some disappointments.

Bullock led an ensemble cast of veteran actors in the drama Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. She starred with stalwarts such as Maggie Smith, Ellen Burstyn, Shirley Knight, and Fionnula Flanagan, who played the members of the sisterhood. While the movie has fared better now, critics like Roger Ebert trashed it when it was released.

Sandra Bullock’s 2002 film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood deserves another watch! A still from Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood | Credits: Warner Bros.

When looking at Sandra Bullock’s filmography, it is easy to get swayed by hits such as Speed,...

Humanity may be on the fritz, but you can still trust Siff to move the needle. On Wednesday, April 23, the Seattle International Film Festival announced its programming lineup for the 51st edition of the annual event. Kicking off more than a week of Washington-area film screenings on May 15, with opening night film Darren Thornton’s “Four Mothers,” selections include a range of international and independent voices.

“At a time when the cultural cornerstones of discovery and diversity that make art so important are being threatened, Siff is doubling down on bringing those stories to the screen,” artistic director Beth Barrett said in a statement. The festival will show 245 films from 74 different countries and regions. That’s 83 features, 122 short films, 35 documentaries, three archival features, and two secret projects. (Those confidential films are part of the fan-favorite Secret Fest and require attendees to sign an NDA prior to attending.)

“A large majority...

Irish-set remake of Italian film about a bachelor who cares for his elderly mum never quite matches the charm of the original, despite occasional shimmers

Gianni Di Gregorio’s modern Italian classic Mid-August Lunch from 2008, about a middle-aged bachelor caring for his ageing mum and other elderly ladies, has inspired this loose remake: a broad comedy amplifying what could be seen as the original’s queer subtext. Despite one or two sweet touches and game performances, it never comes close to matching the gentleness, subtlety and charm of the original.

The action is transferred from Rome to Dublin and the gay theme perhaps effectively replaces the importance of food in the Italian film. James McArdle is Edward, a YA author and gay man on the verge of major literary stardom, for which an upcoming US publicity tour is vitally important. But he has to take care of his widowed mum...

After almost 60 years in the US, the actor wants to quit the country. She talks about ‘hooligans’ in the White House – and her new silent film role in Four Mothers

Fionnula Flanagan, the veteran Irish actor, has been a star of stage and screen for more than six decades, earning Tony nominations for her theatre work, a nod from the Screen Actors Guild for Waking Ned, a Saturn award for The Others and a voice acting trophy for Song of the Sea – as well as accolades for the cult TV series Lost.

This means she has spent a lot of time in the US – in fact, she’s lived there since 1968. The home she shared in the Hollywood Hills with her late husband, Garrett O’Connor, was well known for its parties – despite O’Connor, an eminent psychiatrist, being the first president of the Betty Ford Institute.

The 21st edition of the Glasgow Film Festival kicks into gear on Wednesday (February 26) with the world premiere of survival thriller Tornado from Scottish filmmaker John Maclean. With stars Tim Roth and Japanese actors Kōki and Takehiro Hira set to be in attendance, it’s sure to be one of the highlights of the 12-day event.

But there are also another 12 world and European premieres, 66 UK premieres and 12 Scottish premieres from 38 countries as well as In Conversation talks with stars such as James McAvoy and Jessica Lange and more on offer at the festival this year. We’ve rounded up what we think are sure to be some of the key films and events during this year’s Gff.

Tornado – Opening Night

The festival is opening with the world premiere of survival thriller Tornado from Scottish filmmaker John Maclean. The film, which stars Tim Roth, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Kōki,...

The BFI has launched a trailer for the heartwarming comedy-drama ‘Four Mothers.’

The movie follows a struggling writer juggling four very different mothers during a chaotic weekend after his friends unexpectedly leave them in his care.

Directed by Darren Thornton, the cast includes James McArdle, Fionnula Flanagan, Dearbhla Molloy Paddy Glynn and Stella McCusker. Niamh Cusack makes a cameo appearance as a medium and Rory O’Neill, aka Panti Bliss, one of Ireland’s best-known drag performers, plays a therapist.

Also in trailers – Ben Affleck returns in trailer for ‘The Accountant 2’

The movie hits UK and Irish cinemas on April 4th.

The post “My son has abandoned me…” Trailer lands for comedy drama ‘Four Mothers’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

"We can do it together." Break Out Pictures has unveiled their official UK trailer for an indie comedy called Four Mothers, opening in the UK + Ireland this April. This "funny and heartwarming comedy drama" first premiered at the 2024 London Film Festival last year where it won the Audience Award at the end of the fest. The tender dramedy film follows a struggling novelist who is forced to take care of three eccentric older women – and his own mother – over the course of a chaotic weekend in Dublin, Ireland. Edward is a queer, up-and-coming novelist forced to balance press commitments with caring for his aging mother. Pressure to go on a US book tour is mounting. But when his three closest friends, desperate to feel young and carefree again, go off on an impromptu Pride holiday, they leave their ageing mothers in Edward's care. This indie stars James McArdle with Fionnula Flanagan,...

The best new movies to watch on streaming this week feature some big-name stars as well as some of the most acclaimed performances of 2024. Movies from all types of genres are available on streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Peacock, and Paramount+, with titles that will appeal to audiences of all ages and all tastes. With awards season heating up, this week features a lot of new titles on streaming that fans are likely to see represented at the 2024 Oscars.

Two actors who have been earning big awards attention are Kieran Culkin and Sebastian Stan with both of their respective acclaimed projects, A Real Pain and A Different Man, finding new streaming homes. There are also some big-name stars with big comebacks on the way as Cameron Diaz stars in her first movie in over a decade with Back in Action while Jennifer Lopez is earning some of the...

The 2000s brought some of the best horror movies and introduced several longstanding horror franchises audiences still enjoy. Gory slasher movies became popular, like the Hostel franchise, while audiences also enjoyed intense, psychological horror movies like The Others. Horror movies of the 2000s had something for everybody, but many of them were overlooked or forgotten about among the decade's greatest horror movies.

Many horror fanatics have a special place in their heart for movies about haunted houses or crazy twist endings where they learned their beloved main character was dead all along. There are some horror movies that have an impactful story that will always be worth a watch or re-watch. Among the huge blockbusters, there are a few hidden gems that people might have overlooked, and many of them incorporate the compelling twists audiences love to see on their screen.

The Others (2001) Directed by Alejandro Amenábar

Your changes have...

Nicole Kidman names an "overlooked" horror movie with an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score as the role she would like to revisit the most. The Australian actress is known for her contributions to both film and television across various genres. Kidman's achievements include an Academy Award for The Hours in 2002, two Primetime Emmy Awards for Big Little Lies in 2017, and a whopping six Golden Globe wins for Moulin Rogue! in 2001, Being the Ricardos in 2021, and more.

Known for movies across many genres, Kidman has naturally starred in a few horror films throughout her career. A few of these examples are independent films that often explore dark and tragic themes, such as Lars Van Trier's avant-garde thriller Dogville, Jonathan Glazer's psychological drama Birth, Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Sofia Coppola's gothic thriller The Beguiled. However, one of Kidman's best horror movies has been "overlooked," according to the actress.

Nicole Kidman, the Hollywood legend known for her roles in films like Eyes Wide Shut, The Hours, and most recently, the erotic thriller Babygirl, has revealed which character she would like to revisit. Curiously, the Academy Award winner is fond of one of her few roles in the horror genre and would love to play her again.

The actress spoke to The Guardian about her recent role in Babygirl, the critically acclaimed thriller directed by Halina Reijn, in which Kidman co-stars with Harris Dickinson. However, she also took some questions from readers and celebrities she's close with. Naomi Watts, Mark Strong, Sam Mendes, and Hugh Jackman are a few of the famous stars who used the opportunity to ask Kidman anything they wanted.

Reese Witherspoon, her co-star in the HBO drama Big Little Lies, used her question to ask Kidman the following: "Of all of the characters you've created, is...

Nicole Kidman would love to revisit her character in 'The Others'.The Oscar-winning actress starred in the 2001 psychological horror film alongside the likes of Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, and Eric Sykes, and Nicole has admitted to loving her on-screen character, Grace Stewart.Asked if there's one character from her career that she'd really like to revisit, Nicole told the Observer newspaper: "Actually the character I would love to go back to is the character in 'The Others', Grace."Nicole, 57, suggested that the Alejandro Amenebar-directed horror film - which centres on a mother and her two children - has been overlooked by fans and critics, even though it's won a series of awards.The movie star - who has been one of the best-paid actresses in Hollywood since the 90s - explained: "I feel like 'The Others' gets overlooked and I loved that character."Nicole has enjoyed a hugely...

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If you are a horror fan then there is a big chance that you might have heard about the horror streaming service Shudder, and if you have its subscription you might be wondering what’s in store for you in January 2025. Don’t worry there is a host of new and old horror movies coming to the service in the upcoming month and we have listed the 10 best movies coming to Shudder in January 2025.

The Others (January 1) Credit – Dimension Films

The Others is a gothic supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar. The 2001 film follows Grace as she moves in a Jersey house with her three children but she soon begins experiencing strange occurrences and becomes convinced that the house is haunted. The Others stars Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, Eric Sykes,...

Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) became one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's most beloved characters, but the android had a fascinating life before the show even began. As the operations officer on the USS Enterprise-d under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Data helped save the galaxy numerous times. Without Data's enhanced android abilities and resistance to pathogens and mind manipulation, the Enterprise would have been destroyed several times over. Data was the only android of his kind serving in Starfleet, and he wanted nothing more than to be human.

Throughout its seven seasons, Tng revealed many interesting facts about Data's history. However, none of his life before the Enterprise-d has ever been shown on screen. Data was created by cyberneticist Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner), and he and his wife, Juliana (Fionnula Flanagan), came to see the android as their child. Data spent his earliest...

Edward, a young adult novelist whose life is a tapestry of the threads of obligation and desire, is presented to us in “Four Mothers.” As he takes care of his elderly mother, Alma, whose quiet says a lot about the silence that often fills the spaces between love and resentment, he embodies the weight of familial duty.

He is not just a caretaker of the fragility that comes with aging. The setting of this narrative is loosely based on Gianni Di Gregorio’s “Mid-August Lunch,” but it takes place in rainy suburban Ireland instead of the sunny streets of Rome. The rainy weather represents Edward’s life’s sad undertones.

The film skitters between comedy and drama, creating a duality reflecting the absurdity of life’s burdens and the deep sadness inherent in life. The book takes us to a world where laughter comes out of sad places, making us...

Introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) quickly became one of Star Trek's most interesting and beloved characters. An advanced one-of-a-kind android, Data served as the operations officer aboard the USS Enterprise-d under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Data's universal kindness and childlike sense of wonder made him difficult to dislike, and he remains an important part of modern Star Trek. Brent Spiner's nuanced performance helped make Data stand out among Tng's incredibly strong cast, and his quest to be human became one of Tng's best ongoing storylines.

Thanks in part to Brent Spiner's performance as Data (as well as his portrayal of Data's evil twin brother Lore and various Soong family members), Star Trek: The Next Generation's Data-centric episodes remain some of the show's strongest. Like Spock (Leonard Nimoy) on Star Trek: The Original Series, Data allowed Tng to...

BFI London Film Festival (Lff) world premiere and audience award winner Four Mothers has been picked up for distribution in the UK and Ireland by BFI Distribution and Break Out Pictures, respectively.

The release date for cinemas in both territories is set for April 4 2025. The film was acquired directly from the producers. French sales outfit mk2 is selling in other territories.

Irish director and writer Darren Thornton and co-writer, brother Colin Thornton, adapted Gianni Di Gregorio’s Italian 2008 Lff winner Mid-August Lunch into a tale of one Irish son juggling four very different mothers after his friends jet off to...

Fans of Patricia Cornwells Kay Scarpetta novels were delighted earlier this year when it was announced that theyd be turned into a series for Prime Video with Nicole Kidman in the lead, and Jamie Lee Curtis portraying her sister, Dorothy. Two seasons are now officially in development, and while filming has yet to begin, Kidman recently teased the thriller as being scarier than The Others, her 2001 horror hit that has long been lauded as one of the spookiest ghost stories ever told.

While the two are obviously very different projects, Kidman called the script for Scarpetta "terrifying" in a new interview with Vanity Fair. The series follows Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta as she returns to Virginia and resumes her former position with complex relationships, both personal and professional including her sister Dorothy with plenty of grudges and secrets to uncover. When asked what about the thriller makes it so scary,...

That the mother-son film movie remains, for some reason, the least-covered quadrant when it comes to parent-child relationships on screen may say something about patriarchal bias in the industry — though the best examples say plenty themselves about how men are raised and made. A modestly framed domestic comedy with surprising reserves of wisdom and sadness, Darren Thornton’s thoroughly disarming sophomore feature “Four Mothers” earns itself a place in the mother-son pantheon only a few minutes in, as mild-mannered writer Edward (James McArdle) helps his disabled mother Alma (Fionnula Flanagan) select and put on an outfit for the day, drily hamming up the routine to distract from the pain of her dependency. A simple scene of reversed care roles, it’s nonetheless rare in its everyday tenderness, and sets the tone for a film packed with similarly lovely, unforced observations.

A world premiere at the London Film Festival, where it played in the main competition,...

There is always space, it seems, for another warm-hearted story about the foibles of Irish working-class women, cosy as a fireside chat with a nice cup of tea. As for gay men and their mams, that’s a rich seam of drama, comedy and whatever lies in between that is probably inexhaustible. The four mothers who give Darren Thornton’s film its title all have gay sons and have come to some sort of accommodation with that uncomfortable knowledge, however badly it sits with the church where these sons deliver them dutifully every Sunday morning. After all, they couldn’t live without their boys — literally. Who else would put up with them and still show the love? “It does get easier,” mutters one of the sons to another as they huddle in a back pew. “When?” is the anguished reply.

Except that it’s not real anguish, just a comedy...

The Newport Beach Film Festival has added Irish Spotlight, a program that will showcase a small slate of Irish films. The fest will host North American Premieres of Blue Fiddle, Four Mothers and the docu Housewife of the Year. The evening will take place October 20 and include a celebration of Irish cinema, culture and cuisine.

The Irish Spotlight films will screen at Regal Edwards Big Newport and a post-screening celebration will occur at Muldoon’s Irish Pub.

Fidil Ghorm (Blue Fiddle), is directed by Anne McCabe and stars Ruadhán Ó Flatharta, Marcus Lamb, Sarah Jane Scott, Siobhan O’Kelly, Barry McGovern and Edith Lawlor. Pic follows 10-year-old Molly, who believes that if she learns to play the fiddle like her father she will wake him from his coma. With a grumpy old man as her teacher and a drive to perform the miracle she’s...

"The hotel is shrinking!" This film premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival and will be touring festivals before it opens sometime in 2025. From director Tallulah, Mr. K is another new Kafka story to get lost in. "Crispin Glover brings his best to Tallulah's delightfully Kafkaesque tale of a traveling magician who finds himself in a hotel full of unusual guests — with no way out." After spending the night in a remote hotel, Mr. K is stuck in a claustrophobic nightmare when he discovers that he can't leave the building. Glover stars with the ensemble cast featuring Sunnyi Melles, Fionnula Flanagan, Bjørn Sundquist, Dearbhla Molloy, Barbara Sarafian, Jan Gunnar Røise, Esmée van Kampen, & Sam Louwyck. TIFF teases more: "Though Glover's Mr. K expresses admirable patience and fortitude in the face of many curveballs, he inevitably starts to come undone. Conversely, Schwab grows ever more exacting in her control of the film's unabashedly peculiar tone.

Nicole Kidman has suggested a very unexpected new direction she would love her career to take. Having crossed through many genres during her impressive acting career, which has led her to the highest of accolades (she's an Oscar-winner amid other nominations) and box office success. She's an actress who is perfectly at home in films and prestige television projects, many of which she now boards as a producer, but it might surprise some that there is another genre that she wants to dive deeper into. Kidman is no stranger to horror, having starred in 2001's The Others, but she's revealing that she wants to make a more "hardcore" horror effort.

The Others PG-13ThrillerMystery Horror Where to Watchstreamrentbuy

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*Availability in US

A remake of the 2001 horror film starring Nicole Kidman.

Release Date August 10, 2001Director Alejandro AmenbarCast Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann, James BentleyRuntime 1hr 44minMain...

Crispin Glover is a man in search of an exit — from a hotel — in the TIFF-bound “Mr. K.” The cult-favorite character actor — known for “Willard,” “River’s Edge,” “Dead Man,” and, who could forget, Cousin “I’m making my lunch!” Del in David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” — stars in Tallulah H. Schwab’s surreal tale headed for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform section. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film ahead of the festival, which runs September 5-15 in the thick of the fall fest season.

Here’s part of the synopsis courtesy of TIFF: “The ordeal for Mr. K’s misfortunate protagonist — a traveling magician played by Crispin Glover in one of the richest performances in his long and continually surprising career — begins when he checks into a once-stately hotel. The following morning, Mr. K is understandably confused by his inability to find the exit. Then again,...

The Terry Chen-led “Sight” hits theaters on Friday, where viewers can learn the true story of Dr. Ming Wang’s journey to becoming a world-renowned eye surgeon.

“Rarely have we seen the strength and resolve of Chinese-Americans shown in a powerful way on the big screen,” producer David Fischer said in a statement. “After spending years bringing ‘Sight’ to life, Angel Studios is the perfect partner for audiences who want to be inspired by Dr. Wang’s story of hope, perseverance and freedom.”

The film is based on Dr. Wang’s autobiography, “From Darkness to Sight: A Journey From Hardship to Healing,” and the film was written and directed by Andrew Hyatt. “Sight” was produced by Fischer for Open River Entertainment and Darren Moorman for Reserve Entertainment.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch.

When does “Sight” come out?

“Sight” comes out in theaters on Friday,...

Dr. Wang's extraordinary scientific achievements are poorly suited to dramatization. Sight fails to deliver emotional depth, instead opting for surface-level uplifting storytelling. The movie lacks compelling characters and fails to capture the true story's significance.

A cloying melodrama with the texture and flavor of glue paste, Andrew Hyatt's Sight is living proof that inspirational source material is no substitute for engaging filmmaking. In some ways, this isn't the movie's fault. After a shocking opening, Sight's main aim is to uplift without ever challenging the audience with anything too alarming. And yet, while the storytelling is as gently numbing as local anesthesia, the movie suffers from a lack of real drama, emotional subtlety, and compelling characters a missed opportunity, considering the real events behind the production.

3/10 Sight's True Story Is Ill-Suited To Cinema

Based on the real experience of Dr. Ming Wang, Sight blends the story of a revolutionary...

Ming Wang's journey from poverty in China to becoming a legendary eye surgeon in America is a testament to faith, perseverance, and courage. The emotional depth of Sight balances science and faith, inspiring viewers with themes of family and friendship. It's a heavy look at an ultimately uplifting true story. Terry Chen and Ben Wang are fantastic as Dr. Ming Wang, and Greg Kinnear is charming as his co-worker and confidant in an effort to bring sight to the blind.

Dr. Ming Wang has transformed the lives of blind children with groundbreaking medical procedures through exhaustive humanitarian efforts. Sight documents his remarkable journey from violent oppression during China's Cultural Revolution to a renowned American eye surgeon with gripping realism. Wang's story is a testament to the power of faith, perseverance, and courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But his extraordinary accomplishments did not insulate Wang from heartbreaking...

As absurd as it is to say about a film that ends with an onscreen Qr code imploring viewers to “Pay It Forward,” “Sight” probably would be better if it was preachier. At the very least, it would be more memorable.

The latest project from Angel Studios, “Sight” certainly looks and feels like the type of cheap contemporary Christian cinema that both its production company and its director specialize in. But whenever the movie looks like it might go full Christian medical drama a la the inexplicably Oscar-nominated “Breakthrough,” it always pulls back from launching into a sermon. Sure, there’s a kindly nun and an unbearable syrupy sweet church scene, but by the end of “Sight,” it’s not particularly clear how devout main character Ming Wang is to Christianity, or if he’s even a believer in the first place.

The lack of aggressive shilling for the world...

Cillian Murphy obtained one of acting’s most coveted achievements when he won an Oscar for his leading role in “Oppenheimer.” But his award season run for the acclaimed Christopher Nolan film didn’t end with his big night at the Dolby Theater. The Irish actor went on to receive his home country’s highest acting honor on Sunday at the Irish Film and TV Academy Awards when he won the Lead Actor — Film category for “Oppenheimer.”

The ceremony honored the best Irish film and television of 2023, with Pat Collins’ “That They May Face the Rising Sun” winning Best Film. Other notable winners included Paul Mescal taking Supporting Actor for “All of Us Strangers” and Alison Oliver winning Supporting Actress for “Saltburn.”

Keep reading for a complete list of winners from the 2024 Irish Film and TV Academy Awards.

Best Film

“Double Blind”

“Flora and Son”

“Lies We Tell”

“Lola”

“That They May Face the Rising Sun...

Altan Soong, son of Noonien Soong, surpassed his father's work in creating advanced androids, including the creation of a synthetic golem body. Altan and Dr. Bruce Maddox developed a method to create identical android pairs using Data's positronic neurons, leading to a community of synthetics on Coppelius. Many of Altan's android creations, like Soji and Dahj, are nearly indistinguishable from humans, blurring the line between synthetic and humanoid beings.

In Star Trek: Picard, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner) built far more androids than his father Dr. Noonien Soong. For generations, the Soong family was interested in cloning and genetics, until Arik Soong switched to researching synthetic life while in a United Federation of Planets prison in Star Trek: Enterprise. It was not until Dr. Noonien Soong, in the 2330s, that the family's research into androids and cybernetics finally paid off. After a few less successful attempts, Noonien created Lt.

Starz officially announced the streaming release date for Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This comes after over four months since the prequel spin-off had made its theatrical debut.

Per Collider, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has now been scheduled to start streaming on May 14, 2024, at 9Pm Et, exclusively on Starz. The Rachel Zegler-led movie is currently available to rent or buy on digital. As for its home video release, Hunger Games fans waiting for its streaming debut can first purchase the prequel on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD. During its theatrical run, the coming-of-age dystopian drama earned a worldwide gross of over $337 million at the box office, making it the lowest-grossing installment of the blockbuster franchise.

Related A Hunger Games Theory Connects a Prequel Hero to Another Franchise Villain With The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' release, some...

Netflix has debuted the trailer for the dark comedic thriller ‘Bodkin’.

The show follows a motley crew of podcasters who set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in a quaint, coastal Irish town. But once they start pulling at threads, they discover a story much bigger and weirder than they could have ever imagined. As our heroes try to discern fact from fiction — about the case, about their colleagues, and, most painfully, themselves — the series challenges our perception of truth and exposes the stories we tell ourselves to justify our beliefs or validate our fears.

Created by Jez Scharf, the show stars Sobhán Cullen (Dove), Robyn Cara (Emmy), Chris Walley (Sean O’Shea), David Wilmot (Seamus), and Will Forte (Gilbert).

Guest stars include Pom Boyd (Mrs. O’Shea), Fionnula Flanagan (Mother Bernadette), Áine Ní Mhuirí (Sister McDonagh), Charlie Kemp (Damien), Pat Shortt (Darragh), Ger Kelly (Teddy), Denis Conway (Sergeant...

A podcaster, his assistant, and a journalist travel to Ireland to investigate a cold case in Netflix’s Bodkin. Described as a dark comedic thriller, the trailer reveals that the Irish townsfolk aren’t thrilled about being invaded by a podcast team and definitely aren’t ready to disclose all their secrets to strangers who are determined to dredge up unwelcome memories.

Will Forte stars as Gilbert Power, the podcaster; Robyn Cara plays Gilbert’s assistant, Emmy Sizerghy; and Siobhán Cullen stars as Dove, the investigative journalist who reluctantly joins forces with Gilbert. The cast also includes Chris Walley as Sean O’Shea and David Wilmot as Seamus. Pom Boyd, Fionnula Flanagan, Áine Ní Mhuirí, Charlie Kemp, Pat Shortt, Ger Kelly, Denis Conway, and John Olohan guest star.

Bodkin follows “a motley crew of podcasters who set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in a quaint, coastal Irish town.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cleverly alludes to previous Hunger Games movies, which take place in the future of this setting. Pieces of dialogue in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes shed light on the development of the Hunger Games in the Capitol. Characters and events in the prequel parallel those in the original Hunger Games movies.

Like many movie prequels, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cleverly alludes to the previous movies in its franchise. Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes takes place 64 years before Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) wins the Hunger Games and any connections between the movies might seem far-fetched. The premise of the prequel nods to Katniss' story, wherein a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) mentors Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) another 16-year-old girl from District 12 who is selected for the 10th Hunger Games. However, Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cleverly references the other movies in subtle ways.

Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan played iconic roles in different Star Trek series from 1993-2002. Flanagan's characters had close ties to major heroes, impacting storylines in intriguing ways. Star Trek: DS9, Tng, and Enterprise featured Fionnula Flanagan in memorable guest star roles.

Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan played three very different characters in the Star Trek franchise between 1993 and 2002. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Flanagan trained at the Abbey Theatre School, where Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Colm Meaney would also train as an actor. Fionnula Flanagan moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, and became a recognizable face, popping up in guest roles on classic TV shows like Gunsmoke and Kojak, before winning a regular role in How the West was Won, which also starred Ricardo Montalban, best known as Khan Noonien-Singh in Star Trek.

Fionnula Flanagan has also appeared with several Star Trek personalities over the years, outside the franchise itself.

Star Trek: The Next Generation and Lost share a connection through actors appearing in both iconic shows. Both series feature characters navigating strange occurrences and mysterious phenomena in their respective universes. From renowned guest stars to memorable roles, these actors brought their talent to both Tng and Lost.

Star Trek: The Next Generation and Lost may not seem to have much in common beyond being science fiction television shows, but several actors appeared in both shows. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-d, Tng picked up about a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. Although Tng got off to a bit of a rocky start in its first two seasons, it would go on to produce some of the best science fiction television of all time. Over the course of seven seasons, the Enterprise-d explored the galaxy, encountering numerous strange aliens and unexplainable anomalies.

Fresh from his Academy Award win for best actor, “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy now has a chance to claim the same honor at his local awards.

The Irish Film and TV Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the nominees for its 2024 awards, with Murphy going up against “Saltburn’s'” Barry Keoghan and “All of Us Strangers” star Andrew Scott in the best actor category. Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley (“Fingernails”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Foe”) are among those nominated for best actress, while Paul Mescal (“All of Us Strangers”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Oppenheimer”) are in the running for best supporting actor.

But it was actually Irish features leading the pack of nominees, with Lisa Mulcahy’s “Lies We Tell” landing 13, followed by “That They May Face the Rising Sun” and “Double Blind.”

The IFTAs ceremony will be take place on April 20 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre with Irish TV personality Baz Ashmawy on hosting duties.

Nominations are out for the 21st Irish Film & Television Awards with Lisa Mulcahy’s thriller Lies We Tell leading the pack on the feature side at 13, and crime drama Kin heading up the TV fields with 11 (scroll down for the ful list of nominees). The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) will hand out its prizes on April 20 in Dublin.

Alongside Lies We Tell in the Best Film category are Double Blind, Flora and Son, Lola, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Verdigris. Each of those films also scored a mention for their directors.

In what was a banner year for Irish talent, there are several awards season notables vying for Best Actor as well, including Oppenheimer Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan and All of Us Strangers’ Andrew Scott.

The Best International Film race includes All of Us Strangers, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, Saltburn and The Holdovers.

Lies We Tell, with 13, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Double Blind, with 11 each, are leading the nominations for the movie portion of the Irish Film & Television Awards 2024.

Lies We Tell is about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family when she becomes the ward of an uncle determined to marry her off. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel of passion, war, and migration. Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes horribly wrong. Andrew Legge’s Lola, a science fiction drama set in 1940, received seven noms on Thursday.

Among the lead acting nominees are such big names as Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson, and Jessie Buckley. The best supporting film actor category, meanwhile, includes Kenneth Branagh and Paul Mescal.

And...

Stars: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Fionnula Flanagan, Hunter Schafer, Ashley Liao, Joshua Kantara, Amélie Hoeferle, Hunter Schafer | Written by Michael Lesslie, Michael Arndt | Directed by Francis Lawrence

It’s been eight years since we last visited the world of Panem. Now the world spans to five films and this time we’re sent back over 60 years to see the 10th annual Hunger Games and the rise of Coriolanus Snow. This time Snow is played by newcomer Tom Blyth, who has to carry the runtime of the film all by himself. He’s joined for the most part by Rachel Zegler, who plays Lucy Gray.

The two leads carry the film effortlessly, Tom Blyth in particular does a fantastic job of giving complexity to Snow, showcasing a flawed but ambitious character as we slowly see his loss of humanity grow on screen. The film, unlike its predecessors,...

Exclusive: Angel Studios, the studio behind Sound of Freedom and The Chosen, has acquired worldwide rights to the indie drama Sight starring Terry Chen (Almost Famous) and Greg Kinnear (As Good as It Gets), slating it for release on May 24.

Written and directed by Andrew Hyatt (The Blind), pic tells the true story of Dr. Ming Wang (Chen), a Chinese immigrant who defied all odds to become a world-renowned eye surgeon in the United States. Drawing upon the grit and determination he gained from a turbulent uprising in his upbringing, Dr. Wang set out to restore the sight of a blind orphan.

“Rarely have we seen the strength and resolve of Chinese-Americans shown in a powerful way on the big screen,” Fischer told Deadline. “After spending years bringing Sight to life, Angel Studios is the perfect partner for audiences who want to be inspired by Dr. Wang’s story of hope,...

Terry Farrell portrayed Dax in a more masculine way in a potential same-sex kiss scene that didn't happen in a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1 episode. The script for the episode might have been different if it were produced in the 21st century, potentially allowing for a same-sex kiss. The reunion between Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn in a DS9 season 4 episode resulted in Star Trek's first same-sex kiss, highlighting the show's support for same-sex relationships.

Star Trek's first same-sex kiss could have happened early in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, says Jadzia Dax actor Terry Farrell. In DS9 season 1, episode 8, "Dax", the trial of Lt. Jadzia Dax explores whether Jadzia, the current humanoid host of the Dax symbiont, is responsible for crimes allegedly committed by one of Dax's former Trill hosts, Curzon. Curzon is survived by an ex-lover, Enina Tandro (Fionnula Flanagan), whose testimony is essential...

Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 introduced Dal R'El, who is a distant cousin of Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. In season 2, Dal and the crew of USS Protostar become Warrant Officers and have the opportunity to learn more about Dal's lineage and potentially meet Data. Despite Data's death before the start of Prodigy's timeline, there are several ways in which the character could still be featured in the show, including holographic representations or a meeting in the future.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 introduced a distant relative of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), setting up a potential Soong family reunion in Prodigy season 2. Actor Brent Spiner has played multiple branches of Data's family tree in Tng, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Picard from his 24th-century father, Noonien Soong, all the way back to 2024's Adam Soong. Other members of the...

“Death of a loved one can lead people to do the strangest things.”

Of all the female killers in the wide world of cinema, few strike such an abhorrent cord as a mother who kills her children. Assumed to be natural caregivers and expected to automatically love their offspring, we place a special taboo on the women who not only fail to protect their kids, but actively cause their deaths. But mothers are not only human beings with complex inner lives, they are flawed, fallible, and just as likely to be cruel as the rest of society. Few films explore the mindset of a murderous mother like Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others. Within the trappings of a classic ghost story, this gorgeous film views its tragic heroine with a compassionate lens, extending an olive branch to a woman who has done the unthinkable. As the fog closes in and intruders threaten her carefully constructed life,...

Stars: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Fionnula Flanagan, Hunter Schafer, Ashley Liao, Joshua Kantara, Amélie Hoeferle, Hunter Schafer | Written by Michael Lesslie, Michael Arndt | Directed by Francis Lawrence

It’s been eight years since we last visited the world of Panem. Now the world spans to five films and this time we’re sent back over 60 years to see the 10th annual Hunger Games and the rise of Coriolanus Snow. This time Snow is played by newcomer Tom Blyth, who has to carry the runtime of the film all by himself. He’s joined for the most part by Rachel Zegler, who plays Lucy Gray.

The two leads carry the film effortlessly, Tom Blyth in particular does a fantastic job of giving complexity to Snow, showcasing a flawed but ambitious character as we slowly see his loss of humanity grow on screen. The film, unlike its predecessors,...

So what’s one of the biggest complaints about modern movies (aside from pricey concession snacks)? Much of the grumbling concerns the many sequels to successful films, often leading to a franchise. Last week we had The Marvels and there’s another Trolls romp bouncing into the multiplex this weekend. In a bit of convoluted logic, many studio execs may think, “If you’re sick of sequels, how about a prequel, instead?”. Yes, it’s semantics but it’s a way of bringing in fans of the original while not having to pay the big salaries of those older pricier casts. Now, we’ve got that “master candy maker” waiting in the wings to spruce his chocolate factory right before Christmas, and for Thanksgiving, we’re going back to that dreary dystopian future of a quartet of flicks we thought had concluded eight years ago. But since the author of...

Against all odds, the newest installment of "The Hunger Games" franchise is just about to arrive. Though "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" releases almost exactly eight years after "Mockingjay Part 2," the prequel movie takes place roughly 60 years before Katniss Everdeen and her rebel friends brought the Capitol to its knees. Set only a decade after the Hunger Games were first mandated as a collective form of punishment for rebellion, the newest movie charts the rise of the young man who would eventually come to be known as President Coriolanus Snow, a role first portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the original series and now taken over by actor Tom Blyth. This is a very different status quo than the one fans were introduced to back in 2012, to say the least.

Although the movie works just fine without prior knowledge of the franchise (you can read my review of the film...