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Purple Revolver are proudly waving the emerald flag and marching for the pub as St Paddy’s Day reaches its pint-quenching zenith.
But for those of you who cannot bear the sight of a student in a free floppy Guinness hat… here’s a list of Irish movies to you tap into your inner green spirit. You need to keep a packet of tissues next to your Bailey’s during some of these as they’re real tear jerkers.
But if you’re looking for a way to liven up your night of festivities – we also have some movie drinking games at the bottom for inspiration.
The Commitments (1991)
This tale of a group of misfit musicians in Dublin, form a soul band. The then unknown actors were chosen for their musical talents, but many have gone on to achieve substantial fame – most notably, Colm Meaney (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Con Air and Layer Cake) and Glen Hansard (vocalist/guitarist of “The Frames” and star of Once).
Leprechaun (1993)
There’s nothing not to love about the B movie bloodlust of this amazing bad cult classic horror flick (aside from, say, the ridiculous performance of a then un-discovered Jennifer Aniston, but even that is worth a flick). Though we’ll always favor the original, honorable mentions go to: Leprechaun 2 (1994), Leprechaun 3 (1995), Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997) and Purple Revolver’s personal OTT fave – Leprechaun in the Hood (2000).
Bloody Sunday (2002)
U2 aren’t the only ones who’ve immortalized the infamous 1972 civil rights protest – director Paul Greengrass interpreted the events in this moving documentary style drama. The film is an especially powerful way to view the historically gruesome clash in that it’s shot almost entirely from the perspective of one person – Ivan Cooper (played by James Nesbitt) a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and a key organizer of that day’s fated Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march.
My Left Foot (1989)
The incredible true story of Irish writer and artist Christy Brown, born with cerebral palsy and only able to control his left foot. This movie earned Daniel Day-Lewis an Oscar for Best Actor. Day-Lewis’ brilliance in embodying Brown as a man dually fascinating and frustrating, genius and flawed, cantankerous and loving, dependent and rebellious is a tour de force.
In America (2003)
Director Jim Sheridan wrote this semi-autobiographical tale with his daughters Kristen and Naomi, and it’s easy to see that he was very close to the material. Emotions run high in this poignant and lovingly-told account of an immigrant Irish family’s attempts to carve out a piece of the American dream while struggling to survive in New York City. Sheridan and his daughters share more than just the bond of a writing credit on the movie, they nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, to boot.
Here’s a couple of celluloid classic drinking games – you can easily translate them into the top 5 Irish films list above – with a bit of kiss the Blarney stone imagination.
Reservoir Dogs
THE RULES
Drink every time…
– Someone says a color
– Someone says “diamonds”
– Someone says “fuck” or any form of the word
– Someone smokes
Withnail & I
THE RULES
Drink Every Time…
– Withnail does.
It really is that simple, with the one permitted exception to replace the lighter fluid with something less lethal.
According to Nationmaster, the full list goes as follows…
– mouthful of red wine
– “Lighter fluid” (substiute as appropriate, eg with overproof rum)
– double gin
– finger of cider (with ice)
– finger of cider (with ice)
– finger of cider (with ice)
– glass of sherry
– two big chugs of sherry
– mouthful of sherry
– sip of sherry
– double whisky
– mouthful of whisky
– mouthful of whisky
– mouthful of whisky
– mouthful of whisky
– splash of whisky
– single Teachers
– double Teachers
– double Teachers
– single Teachers
– sip of sherry
– three fingers of ale
– sip of red wine
– gulp of sherry
– small glass of red wine
– sip of red wine
– half glass of red wine
– sip of something white (gin & bitter lemon?)
– sip of red wine
– sip of red wine
– gulp of red wine
– gulp of red wine
– finger of red wine
– finger of red wine
– gulp of red wine (“’53 Margeaux”)
– gulp of red wine (“’53 Margeaux”)
– gulp of red wine (“’53 Margeaux”)
Tell us how you’re celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day in the comments section below