Early in Kenneth Branagh's career, the young phenom — already well established as an actor on the British stage and on the brink of being declared the heir apparent to Laurence Olivier as the premier cinematic interpreter of Shakespeare — tried his hand at playwriting. One of the two works that emerged during that period is this fascinating angle on "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, set during the height of conflicts between the two paramilitary groups fighting over Northern Irish identity, the UK-loyalist Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) and the nationalist Irish Republican Army (IRA). Branagh approaches the politics obliquely, using it as a backdrop that moves steadily to the fore of a smaller story about a young Belfast man obsessed with the legacy of James Cagney. more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Repertory: Labyrinth Jim Henson continued to indulge the darker doors of his mind that he'd thrown wide open with The Dark Crystal in this, regrettably his last feature film. How a film made by Jim Henson and George Lucas, and starring David Bowie managed to tank as badly as this did upon release is a mystery,... more ›