It stars Brendan Gleeson (Prof. Alastor ‘MadEye’ Moody in the ‘Harry Potter’ series) as an Irish property developer of humble origins who has become rich and powerful as a result of the “Celtic Tiger,” a.k.a. Ireland’s economic boom. He’s involved in a scheme to build a national stadium, but a rival developer is planning on thwarting his plans.

Wildly over-extended, Liam finds himself struggling in a receding market, not to mention stressed out to the max. He seems on the verge of a mental breakdown when, to his horror, he sees his Double – yes, someone who looks and acts just like him.

As Liam searches for answers, his neglected wife, Jane (Kim Cattrall), and ignored son Connor (Briain Gleeson), distressed by his erratic behavior, think he’s probably hallucinating. Only Liam’s sister Oona (Sinead Cusack) and childhood friend Andy (Ciaran Hinds), a priest, believe him.

More after the jump, including a trailer…

He ends up confronting his double and discovers a few shocking things about his past. The double ends up luring him out of town and takes over his life. Liam lands in a homeless shelter run by Andy, and the story takes shape as a message about the vast chasm between Ireland’s rich and poor.

Snappy dialogue and gritty scenes of street-fighting and Ireland’s underbelly come together in a movie that keeps you guessing. Even with all the tension, the movie manages to be both light and comically entertaining at times.

If you have a chance to see ‘The Tiger’s Tail,’ it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s rated R for a scene of sexuality, and brief drug content. Here’s the trailer:

Image: Amazon.com

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Creator Rob Thomas was at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, as part of Starz’s promotion for the second season of “Party Down.” He told The Futon Critic that he’d write the script if anyone would finance it.

“If anyone’s interested in making that movie I am available, Kristen’s [Bell] available. I would love to do it. I think the closest we came was Joel [Silver] pushing it at Warner Bros. and they didn’t bite. It has sort of gone away."

Thomas said he gets Google Alerts on “Veronica Mars” and sees messages about it all the time. “And I’ve heard things, like I read an interview where I think Kristen’s telling people I have written the script. I have a treatment, I don’t have a script. So she shouldn’t have jumped the gun on that, but I am ready to write a script.”

Well, if they don’t do it soon, they’ll have to jump the story ahead to Veronica Mars solving mysteries while taking her kids to soccer practice. Come to think of it, that might not be such a bad storyline. They could just keep the franchise going until it’s like Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote.”

Buy “Veronica Mars”: Season One, Season Two, Season Three

Image: Amazon.com

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Even more intriguing is that the director is Roman Polanski, who’s had his own slew of troubles lately. The crime thriller is set for a Feb. 19, 2010 release date. Check out the official site for “The Ghost Writer.”

Here’s the official storyline straight from Summit: When a successful British ghostwriter agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), his agent assures him it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start — partly because his predecessor on the project, Lang’s long-term aide, died in an unfortunate accident.

The ghost writer flies out to work on the project in the dead of winter, to an oceanfront house on an island off the U.S. Eastern seaboard. But the day after he arrives, a former British cabinet minister accuses Lang of authorizing the illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and handing them over for torture by the CIA — a war crime. The controversy brings reporters and protesters swarming to the island mansion where Lang is staying with his wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams), and his personal assistant (and mistress), Amelia (Kim Cattrall).

As the ghost writer works, he begins to uncover clues suggesting his predecessor may have stumbled on a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA — and that somehow this information is hidden in the manuscript he left behind. Was Lang in the service of the American intelligence agency while he was prime minister? And was the ghost writer’s predecessor murdered because of the truth he uncovered?

It sounds like just the kind of twisty-turny mystery I love, complete with an all-star cast, including Ewan McGregor, Eli Wallach, Timothy Hutton, Tom Wilkinson and Jim Belushi, who’s probably looking for work now that “According to Jim” has been canceled. 

Image: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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The movie opens in theaters on Dec. 25, 2009, which is a great Christmas present for all of us, with Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role and Jude Law as his assistant John Watson.

Take a look at the stars – they all look quite dashing, don’t they?

Images: Bauer-Griffin

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The plot sounds very mysterious. It’s an action-comedy that begins when a small-town woman (Diaz) has a chance encounter with a mysterious man (Cruise). But is he the man of her dreams? Or her nightmares? Allegiances, betrayals, adventure and secrets are all on tap for this movie, directed by James Mangold and scheduled for a July 2, 2010 release.

More after the jump…

Image: splashnewsonline.com

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The film teams frequent collaborators director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, who along with Mark Ruffalo plays a U.S. marshal. The partners are summoned to a remote island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the disappearance of a murderess from the island’s fortress-like mental hospital. Cripes, there’s something creepy about mental hospitals, in general, but especially those like this one which house the criminally insane.

The rest of the cast seems like a can’t-miss, as well: Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson and Max Von Sydow also star in this Paramount film. Watch the trailer, and see if it doesn’t creep you out. 

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But “The Burning Plain” might be different. It might be both a critical success AND a cool movie people want to see. It’s a romantic mystery about a beautiful restaurant manager whose confronted with her mysterious past by a stranger from Mexico. The story also follows a young motherless girl living happily with her father and his best friend until a tragic accident changes everything. Two teenagers (Jennifer Lawrence and JD Pardo) find love in the aftermath of their parents’ sudden deaths. And in an abandoned trailer, a housewife (Kim Basinger) embarks on a passionate affair that will impact Sylvia and the others.

It sounds a bit like “Crash,” doesn’t it? In fact, it’s directed by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, who wrote the screenplay for “Babel,” another “Crash”-like story. “The Burning Plain” is rated R for sexuality, nudity and language. It’ll be available on Video on Demand Aug. 21, 2009, and in theaters Sept. 18, 2009. Check out the trailer:

Image: Magnolia Pictures

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Here are 14 stills from the movie that are making me even more geeked for it!

Images: TM and (c) 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

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One thing people didn’t like about “The Da Vinci Code” was that the first part of the movie included lots of talking and explaining of the symbols and history. Still, it would be difficult to have a movie like this without the explanation, unless you’re a symbologist yourself and know what’s going on.

“Angels & Demons,” a sequel to "The Da Vinci Code" also based on a book by Dan Brown, includes quite a bit of explanation in the early scenes, as well. It’s kind of funny, because at one point, Tom Hanks’ character, Robert Langdon, looks at the Cardinals and says something to the effect of “Don’t you people even know your own history?” I had to laugh, because while I felt like Langdon was explaining a lot to moviegoers, it’s probably true that many Cardinals and priests don’t know their own history either.

The good thing is that Langdon doesn’t explain things in a preachy way. He seems to really love his work and love sharing it with others – even us sitting in the theaters.

The story begins with Langdon swimming in a pool at Harvard University, where he teaches symbology. (And way to go, Tom Hanks! He’s definitely logged some gym time for this movie!) The Pope has died, and just as a conclave of Cardinals is about to gather to elect a new one, four of them are taken hostage by a group claiming to be the Illuminati – an ancient society known for being at odds with the Catholic church.

The group announces that they’ll publicly murder each of the Cardinals, then detonate a canister containing powerful anti-matter created in a top-secret lab run by Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer). Exactly why this anti-matter is being made, I’m not really sure.

Langdon and Vetra join forces in a chase across Rome to follow the symbols, figure out where the Cardinals are being held, and stop the group’s diabolical mission. Meanwhile, also caught up in the story are the Pope’s right-hand man, Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor); the high-ranking Cardinal Strauss (Armin Mueller-Stahl), and Swiss Guard head Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgard).

Aside from the overly talky parts of the movie (which, as mentioned, are pretty much a necessity when you’re explaining Catholic lore, conspiracies, and traditions), I loved all of the scenes in the Vatican’s underground tunnels, the streets of Rome, the churches, and the Vatican Archives, a highly guarded area that contains shelves and shelves of Catholic info. There’s a funny/dramatic scene that takes place in the Archives, which I won’t reveal. You’ll have to see the movie.

Overall, I wouldn’t mind seeing “Angels & Demons” again. It’s a fun, well-acted movie with some interesting plot twists and turns.

NOTE TO PARENTS: This movie has quite a few graphic scenes: Cardinals are “branded” with a symbol on their chest, and characters are imprisoned, stabbed, burned in a fire a la Joan of Arc, and shot. One even has an eyeball torn out – we don’t see the act, just the disembodied eyeball later. Language includes “damn,” “hell,” and “goddamn it.” Because of the violence, I don’t recommend it for kids younger than 14, but for older kids, “Angels & Demons” is well acted and features an interesting storyline and locations.

Images: Angels and Demons, Sony Pictures Releasing, 2009

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"Angels & Demons"

Directed by Ron Howard, the prequel to 2006’s "The Da Vinci Code" finds symbolist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) investigating the murder of a physicist, Leonardo Vetra. It all revolves around a secret brotherhood called The Illuminati, and Langdon, along with Vetra’s daughter, Vittoria (Ayelet Zurer, pictured at "Good Moring America" on May 14) end up searching for a destructive new weapon that could kill millions.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material, "Angels & Demons" runs 138 minutes (so if you sneak snacks into the theater, bring lots).

More pics after the jump…

Ewan McGregor visited "Good Morning America" in New York City on May 13, 2009 and played a round of horse-shoes while there!

Tom Hanks visited "Good Morning America" in New York City on May 11, 2009 to promote the movie, as well as the Oscar Mayer Weiner Food Bank donations drive.

Ron Howard attended the "Angels & Demons" premiere in Rome, Italy on May 4, 2009.

Images: INF

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