After the unforgivable slap seen and heard around the world at last year’s Oscars ceremony, a few major questions remain: whether the Academy did enough to punish Will Smith for the attack on Chris Rock, and, given the general decline in viewership, are awards ceremonies still relevant? Of course, the greatest slap in the face to Will Smith – pardon the pun-- would have been if Chris Rock had hosted this year’s Oscars, but Rock turned down the offer.

What really makes this movie stand out is the brilliant writing and directing of Martin McDonagh, combined with the stellar performances from Colin Farrell as Padraic and Brendan Gleeson as Colm. Padraic goes through his own stages of grief since not only did he lose a friend in Colm, but others on the island have died, making it feel like Padraic’s world is shrinking. This all happens against the backdrop of the civil war.

Viewers are legitimately transported to a land where fairies and goblins are real, and it’s all very dazzling and Harry Potter-like. Artemis Fowl would seem, then, to be a perfect film for fans of that series. Alas, the Harry Potter features are painstakingly mapped out so viewers understand the rules of the magical world they enter. This is not the case with Artemis Fowl, which teases viewers without elaborating and leads to a long string of questions that are never adequately answered.

In 2008, writer-director Martin McDonagh teamed with actor Colin Farrell for  “In Bruges,” one of the best movies of the year. With the rollicking dark comedy “Seven Psycopaths,” they’ve proven that lightning can indeed strike twice. The film focuses on Marty (Farrell), a Hollywood screenwriter struggling to finish his latest project, a story about seven characters with psychopathic tendencies. 

Director Len Wiseman adds nice touches to this new version of “Recall,” including a darker tone, improved special effects and a superior cast. Whether you like Arnold Schwarzenegger or not, Colin Farrell is a better actor, and he is joined by Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel and Bill Nighy, all of whom are terrific. Wiseman and his team of screenwriters allow their movie to stray from the original “Recall,” particularly in terms of setting.