Actor Adrien Brody (1973)

Blonde (2022) is an American biographical psychological drama film written and directed by Andrew Dominik, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The movie offers a fictionalized portrayal of American actress Marilyn Monroe, portrayed by Ana de Armas. Norma Jeane Mortenson grows up with her mentally unstable mother, Gladys Pearl Baker. On her seventh birthday in 1933, she receives a framed picture of a man that Gladys claims is her father. That night, ...

Chapelwaite (2021), inspired by Stephen King’s short story ‘Jerusalem’s Lot’, is an American horror series that premiered on Epix in August 2021 and concluded in October of the same year. Despite initially being renewed for a second season in February 2022, MGM+ later announced in November 2023 that there would be no further developments. According to Rotten Tomatoes, which aggregates reviews from various critics, 60% of the 20 reviews are positive and give it an average rating of 6.20/10. While the ten episodes may feel a bit slow-paced, Chapelwaite offers an eerie mystery with moments ...

The French Dispatch (2021) is an American comedy drama film. Written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he co-created with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman, it boasts a sprawling cast and tells three unique tales set within the fictional French foreign bureau of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper’s concluding edition. In the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé (translated as “boredom on jaded”), Arthur ...

The comedy-drama film, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), is written and directed by Wes Anderson. A teenage girl pays a visit to the monument of the author who wrote ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ and finds inspiration in his story. This author was inspired to write the book during his stay at the once-luxurious hotel located in the European mountainous country formerly known as Zubrowka. Despite its current dilapidated state in 1968, the hotel holds a special place in the heart of its owner, Mr. Zero Moustafa. He shares with the author how he came to acquire it and why he continues to keep it open despite not ...

Created by Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders (2013–2022) is a British period crime drama set in Birmingham during the aftermath of World War I. The show follows the notorious exploits of a gang bearing the same name, loosely inspired by a real urban youth gang from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The series centers around a family with mixed Irish Traveller and Romani roots, situated in Birmingham, England, just months after the end of the war. Led by their cunning and ambitious boss Tommy Shelby, the Peaky Blinders gang capture the attention of Major Chester Campbell, a detective chief inspector dispatched from ...

Midnight in Paris (2011) is a fantasy comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. Disillusioned screenwriter Gil Pender and his fiancée Inez, along with her affluent parents, take a vacation in Paris in 2010. Gil, working on his debut novel about a man in a nostalgia shop, becomes enamored with the artistic history of the city, specifically the Lost Generation of the 1920s. He dreams of making a permanent move there, but Inez dismisses his desires. During their trip, they meet Inez’s friend Paul and his wife Carol. Paul confidently discusses French history, much to Gil’s annoyance but Inez’s ...

In the American sci-fi action flick Predators (2010), directed by Nimród Antal and written by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, a group of strangers discovers they have all been mysteriously dropped into a jungle. Among them are Royce, Cuchillo, Nikolai, Isabelle, Mombasa, Stans, Hanzo, and Edwin. Led by Royce, who Isabelle suspects is a former special ops soldier turned mercenary, the group explores the unfamiliar terrain. Along the way, they come across strange structures and evidence of someone else’s presence – ...

The American caper comedy-drama film, The Brothers Bloom (2008), written and directed by Rian Johnson, set in America. Orphaned as children, the brothers spent their youth moving between foster homes. When they were thirteen, Stephen came up with an elaborate plan to help Bloom overcome his shyness and talk to a girl; it also happened to be their first con job. As adults, the brothers are successful con men and are joined by their accomplice and explosives expert, Bang Bang, for a celebration in Berlin after completing a job. However, Bloom begins to yearn for a life beyond Stephen’s schemes and eventually goes ...

Wes Anderson co-wrote and directed the American comedy-drama film, The Darjeeling Limited (2007).  While in India, a businessman named Peter fails to catch his train of the same name, as he is beaten to it by a younger man. On board, Peter reunites with his brothers Francis and Jack after not seeing each other since their father’s funeral a year ago. Francis, who has undergone a motorcycle accident and is now covered in bandages, wants to reconcile with his brothers on a journey of self-discovery. He also hopes to find their mother Patricia, whom they have not seen in years. With the assistance of Brendan, his ...

Hollywoodland (2006), a mystery drama film directed by Allen Coulter and written by Paul Bernbaum, follows the story of Louis Simo, a Los Angeles private investigator more focused on financial gain than client satisfaction. In June 1959, Simo takes on a case to spy on Chester Sinclair’s wife to catch her in an act of infidelity. While visiting his ex-wife Laurie, he discovers that his son is mourning the death of George Reeves, the actor best known for playing Superman on television. The police ruled Reeves’ death as a suicide after finding him with a gunshot ...

The Jacket (2005), an American science-fiction psychological thriller film directed by John Maybury, begins with Jack Starks as an active soldier in the Gulf War. Through his voice-over, we learn that he was 27 when he died for the first time. While on duty, he is ambushed and shot in the head by a young boy. One year later, Jack is portrayed as a solitary figure, hitch-hiking along a snowy road. He comes across a broken-down pick up truck occupied by Jean Price, an intoxicated mother, and her daughter who appears to be around eight or ten years old. Despite Jean’s erratic behavior and vomiting episodes, the girl ...

King Kong (2005), a monumental adventure monster film, was co-written, produced, and directed by the talented Peter Jackson. In the midst of the Great Depression, New York City’s struggling vaudeville performer Ann Darrow is offered a role by filmmaker Carl Denham, who is facing financial troubles. Despite her initial reservations, Ann agrees to join the project upon discovering that her favorite playwright, Jack Driscoll, is involved as well. The filming takes place on the SS Venture, with Captain Englehorn at the helm and Carl claiming that they are heading to Singapore. However, his true intention is to capture ...

The Village (2004), an American period thriller film written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is set in 19th-century Pennsylvania. The small, isolated village is plagued by mysterious humanoid-creatures that inhabit the nearby woods. To protect themselves, watchtowers and tall poles with oil lamps are positioned around the perimeter of the village. Additionally, the elders have forbidden the color red as it seems to attract the creatures. When a young villager dies, Lucius Hunt asks for permission to venture through the woods to retrieve medicine from ‘the towns’, but his request is denied. His ...

The American musical crime comedy film, The Singing Detective (2003), was directed by Keith Gordon and is loosely based on the BBC serial of the same name. Protagonist Dan Dark, a detective novelist, finds himself hospitalized as a result of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. During his stay, he experiences occasional hallucinations, where doctors and nurses are transformed into characters in musical numbers. Despite their efforts to assist him, Dark’s anger and bitterness towards everyone cause him to dismiss their help. In an effort to uncover the root of his issues, Dark is sent to psychiatrist Dr. Gibbon. The ...

The Thin Red Line (1998), an American epic war film by Terrence Malick, is the second adaptation of James Jones’ 1962 novel. Private Witt of the United States Army goes AWOL in 1942 and lives amongst Melanesian natives in the South Pacific. However, he is eventually discovered and confined on a troopship by First Sergeant Welsh. Due to his actions, Witt is not allowed to rejoin his unit and is instead assigned as a stretcher bearer for an upcoming campaign. C Company, led by Capt. James Staros, has been called to Guadalcanal to reinforce the efforts in securing ...

The American drama film, The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997), directed by Stephen T. Kay, is based on a 1950 letter from Neal Cassady to Jack Kerouac. Presented as a letter from Cassady’s perspective, the movie explores his life before and after his lover Joan’s suicide attempt. Jumping back and forth between these two time periods allows the audience to see Cassady’s active mind and constantly shifting thoughts. The story begins with Cassady sitting outside Joan’s hospital room on the day of ...