It was released last winter to good critical notice but not much fanfare at the box office, but maybe, just maybe, "In Bruges," starring Irishmen Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, will be the little film that could for 2008.

The pooh-bahs at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which helms the Golden Globes, certainly think so, as the black comedy/crime caper, created by English-born but thoroughly Irish writer/director Martin McDonagh, received a surprising three nominations for the January ceremony.

Farrell and Gleeson will compete against each other in the best actor in a musical or comedy category, while the film will also compete for best musical or comedy.

In Bruges picked up only $8 million in box office receipts after debuting at Sundance at the start of this year, but in fairness it was never marketed as a must-see blockbuster.

So to say that Focus Features, the film's distributor, as well as its stars were pleasantly shocked by last week's nominations is an understatement.

As Farrell told the Los Angeles Times - which was so surprised by the nominations that it ran a separate story on the "luck of the Irish" - "I didn't see it coming! Not even as a dark horse. I was really surprised. The fact that it showed so early in the year and had such a lukewarm reaction financially - it didn't get seen by that many people - it's a testament to (McDonagh) and to good filmmaking that the film seemed to strike a chord with the voters."

Though "In Bruges" didn't strike a chord with moviegoers it's quite possible that the film will perhaps win a Golden Globe, as the competition in the musical/comedy category doesn't seem all that strong.

Farrell and Gleeson will compete against Javier Bardem, star of Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (another box-office clunker), James Franco for "Pineapple Express" (a really dumb movie), and Dustin Hoffman for "Last Chance Harvey" (what exactly is "Last Chance Harvey"?)

The other nominees in the best movie or comedy category are blockbuster "Mamma Mia!", "Burn After Reading," "Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." "In Bruges" just might pull it off!

"It's nice to get a pat on the back," said Farrell, who was so surprised that he didn't even wake early last Thursday to watch the announcements unfold. "You get pats and you get kicks in the ass through the years. The best way, I suppose, is to believe neither."

Farrell and Gleeson will be joined at the January 11 ceremony by fellow Irishmen Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a past GG winner for his star turn as Elvis Presley in a CBS biopic of the King, and Gabriel Byrne, star of the popular HBO series "In Treatment."

Byrne and JRM, who stars at King Henry VIII in Showtime's popular drama "The Tudors," will compete in the same best actor in a TV series drama against Michael C. Hall from Showtime's "Dexter," John Hamm in AMC's "Mad Men," and Hugh Laurie in Fox's "House."

"In Treatment" was a big hit among GG voters, nabbing five nominations including best TV drama.

But an even more riveting drama for fans of Byrne was shown on Irish television last week, as Byrne bared his soul in a documentary on his life called "Stories from Home."

The film was first released at last summer's Galway Film Fleadh. In it Byrne, who plays a psychiatrist on "In Treatment," candidly revealed his own innermost thoughts, including his battles with alcohol.

"I don't miss drinking now at all but it did lead me to a place where, had I not pulled back, it would have led to an early grave," he said. "I was a periodic drinker. I could go off it for weeks at a time, but I could go to a hotel room and be there for three or four days with the curtains closed and the phone off the hook.

"I woke up one day a few years ago and decided to stop. I checked into a hospital and that was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life.

"I used to drink to get out of depression, which led to more depression. It was a vicious cycle. I still have to be careful with depression. It's about trying not to let other people know all you want to do is lie in a corner and have nothing to do with anyone."