Martin McDonagh could very well be the next Quentin Tarantino, as his darkly funny stories of violence and criminal lowlifes feature the same kind of fast-talking, snappy dialogue that made Tarantino famous. McDonagh is, first and foremost, a playwright, and his two trilogies of plays – known as the Leenane Trilogy and the Aran Islands Trilogy – are set in and around County Galway in Ireland, where McDonagh spent his childhood holidays. These two trilogies have earned McDonagh loads of acclaim, and have earned him the title of one of the most important living Irish playwrights. In 2006, McDonagh began to transition into film, and his short film Six Shooter won an Academy Award. In 2008, he wrote and directed his first feature, In Bruges, which also netted a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award nomination (and is totally awesome, by the way. In 2010, McDonagh premiered a new play titled A Behanding in Spokane in New York. The production starred Christopher Walken, who was nominated for a Tony award for his performance. McDonagh has a new film coming out this year titled Seven Psychopaths, starring Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, and Tom Waits. Needless to say, I’m very excited to see it. Martin McDonagh turns 42 today.