100%

Fresh

Odd Man Out

Technically, Odd Man Out director Carol Reed is from England, but if you look at his body of his work, he's got a lot going on about nationalism. (Two years after Odd Man, he'd make a little film called The Third Man about three countries contained in the boundaries of Vienna.) So Reed's a logical choice to lend images to Odd Man Out -- the story of an underground nationalist who has to escape the police after he fails a robbery intended to refill the organization's treasury. Boasting an early performance by the velvety James Mason, Odd Man Out has a sexy way of making the back alleys of Belfast look like a wintry haven of dregs on the make and angry young men. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called this vision of Belfast in noir "a picture to see, to absorb in the darkness of the theatre and then go home and talk about."

100%

Fresh

My Left Foot

John Belushi's SNL routine about how the luck of the Irish is a dirty lie may not have been inspired by the tale of Christy Brown, the cerebral palsy victim whose autobiography formed the basis for My Left Foot, but it's an apt setup for a movie about a man who got through life with nothing more than a limitless supply of gumption and the use of -- you guessed it -- his left foot. Nominated for five Academy Awards (and winning two), Foot was the earliest high-profile display of Daniel Day-Lewis' Method madness; the actor famously had to be wheeled around the set for the duration of the shoot, and broke two ribs due to his hunched-over posture while in character. Critics appreciated the extra effort; as TV Guide wrote, A rich cinematic experience, this uplifting British production will leave you in awe of the extraordinary Christy Brown.

Check out the rest of our Total Recall archives here.

Finally, we leave you with some of the most articulate and sensitive ambasadors of Irish culture: the Pogues.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Written by Jeff Giles, Tim Ryan, Sara Schieron, and Alex Vo.