Ordinary Decent Criminal
Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan Starring Kevin Spacey, Linda Fiorentino, Helen Baxendale, Peter Mullan, David Hayman
He may be trying to play it for laughs, but Spacey is just risible as a Generalesque criminal in O'Sullivan's deeply disappointing film. A pity, because the basic intention - to make a slick, contemporary Dublin caper movie - could have led to something interesting. But dodgy casting (those accents!) and badly-mounted set-pieces undermine the enterprise from the start, while it's hard to see the point of "fictionalising" Martin Cahill's exploits if the results are less surprising than the reality.
The Last Bus Home
Directed by Johnny Gogan Starring Annie Ryan, Brian F. O'Byrne, Anthony Brophy, Gemma Craven, Brendan Coyle, Donal O'Kelly
Set in 1979 Dublin, in the wake of the papal visit, Gogan's film attempts to explore the social and sexual tensions epitomised by punk rock in Ireland, as seen through the eyes of local band, The Dead Patriots. The film is weighed down with too many ploddingly worthy intentions to justify the "anarchy" symbol prominently displayed on the video sleeve, though, and the "adults versus kids" scenes are reminiscent of soap opera - except that, in soap, the kids wouldn't all be pushing 30.
Pushing Tin
Directed by Mike Newell Starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie
Cusack and Thornton play professional rivals in this romantic comedy set in the high-pressure world of New York air traffic controllers. British director Newell showed a sure eye for the detail of American blue-collar life in his last film, Donnie Brasco, and he gets a fine performance from Cusack in this uneven but intermittently entertaining offering, which descends into silliness in its final act. Blanchett is criminally underused in the role of Cusack's long-suffering wife.
