Nora (18)
Directed by Pat Murphy Starring Susan Lynch, Ewan McGregor, Peter McDonald, Roberto Citran
Pat Murphy's compelling and visually striking film dramatises the first eight years in the often turbulent relationship between James Joyce (a remarkably understated Ewan McGregor) and Nora Barnacle (the wonderfully vibrant Susan Lynch), beginning with their first meeting in Dublin in 1904. It persuasively catches the passionate nature of their relationship and the changes which this ostensibly incompatible couple undergo. In the process it goes where few Irish movies have ventured - into capturing on screen a full-blooded sexual relationship between Irish partners.
The Last September (15)
Directed by Deborah Warner Starring Keeley Hawes, Fiona Shaw, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Lambert Wilson, Jane Birkin, Gary Lydon
Elegantly adapted by John Banville from Elizabeth Bowen's novel, director Deborah Warner's confident crossover from theatre into cinema is set in Co Cork in 1920 as it acutely observes the dying days of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy known as the Ascendancy, at a time when local nationalists up the ante in their conflict with the Black and Tans. Shot in a series of painterly compositions, this assured and involving study of a collective state of mind is notably well played by, in particular, Maggie Smith on sparkling, pursed-lip form, Fiona Shaw in a warm and resonant performance and the refreshing relative newcomer, Keeley Hawes.
Lake Placid (15)
Directed by Steve Miner Starring Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson
Written by Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley, this knowing, broad-humoured spoof on creature movies is set in a tranquil area of Maine disrupted by a huge, hungry crocodile. A deadpan Brendan Gleeson amiably plays the local sheriff in this quite lively romp, which is peppered with movie references and never overstays its welcome.