Actor Alan Arkin (1934)

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) is a US-animated comedy film created by Illumination and released by Universal Pictures. In 1976, an 11-year-old Gru aspires to become a supervillain, with the help of his Minion employees. Gru is overjoyed when he receives an invitation to audition for the Vicious 6, a team of villains now led by Belle Bottom. The Vicious 6 are searching for a new member to replace their leader Wild Knuckles, after he betrayed them and was presumed dead during a robbery to steal the Zodiac Stone – a valuable gem connected to the Chinese zodiac. Despite his young age, Gru’s interview does not go well but he manages to outsmart the Vicious 6 ...

Dumbo (2019), an American fantasy period adventure film directed by Tim Burton and written by Ehren Kruger, is a live-action adaptation and reimagining of Walt Disney’s 1941 animated feature film of the same name. Based on the novel by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl, it takes place in 1919 Sarasota, Florida. Equestrian performer and World War I amputee Holt Farrier has returned to his previous employer, the Medici Brothers’ Circus, which is run by Max Medici. ...

Going in Style (2017) is an American remake of the 1979 comedy film of the same name. Joe, Willie, and Albert are senior citizens and lifelong friends residing in New York City. During an unpleasant bank visit, Joe witnesses a robbery by three masked individuals. The leader of the group has a Mongol warrior tattoo on his neck, which could potentially be helpful for identifying him to the police. This man shows compassion towards Joe after learning about his financial struggles caused by the bank. The robbers make off with over $1.6 million. Unfortunately, when their company is taken over, their pensions are affected by the restructuring process. Joe is hit the hardest ...

Grudge Match (2013) is an American sports comedy film directed by Peter Segal. Two Pittsburgh boxers, Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp and Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen, were fierce rivals during their prime. Despite each having only one loss on their records, Kid defeating Razor in one fight and Razor defeating Kid in the other, they never had a chance for a rematch. When Razor suddenly retires without explanation, Kid is left infuriated and robbed of a big payday. Many years later, Razor finds himself short on cash and working at a shipyard when he is approached by promoter Dante Slate Jr., the son of the man ...

Argo (2012), an American historical drama thriller, was directed, produced by, and starred Ben Affleck. The screenplay, based on the 1999 memoir The Master of Disguise by U.S. C.I.A. operative Tony Mendez and 2007 Wired article The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran by Joshuah Bearman (edited by Nicholas Thompson), follows a group of diplomats who escape capture during the Iranian Revolution on ...

Rebecca Miller’s film, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009), follows the tumultuous life of its titular character. Growing up as the youngest and only girl in a large Christian family, Pippa’s childhood was overshadowed by her neurotic mother Suky’s obsessive focus on her appearance. As a teenager, Pippa learns that her mother self-medicates with amphetamines to cope with intense mood swings. Seeking refuge from her dysfunctional family, she moves in with her aunt Trish and her partner Kat, who live in a lesbian menage. However, when Trish discovers Pippa’s involvement in erotic photo shoots ...

Get Smart (2008) is an American spy action comedy film directed by Peter Segal, with a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember. It was produced by Leonard B. Stern, who also produced the original television series. The story follows Maxwell ‘Max’ Smart, an analyst for CONTROL – a top secret American intelligence agency. Despite his desire to become a field agent, Max is kept behind a desk due to his Chief’s appreciation for his analytical skills. ...

The anthology film, Eros (2004), showcase three distinct segments: The Hand, directed by Wong Kar-wai in Mandarin, Equilibrium by Steven Soderbergh in English, and The Dangerous Thread of Things by Michelangelo Antonioni in Italian. All three segments explore the themes of love and sex. The Hand (Wong Kar-Wai). During his visit to Miss Hua, a prestigious call girl from the 1960s, timid ...

America’s Sweethearts (2001), directed by Joe Roth, is a romantic comedy. Lee Phillips, a seasoned publicist, gets fired from his job at a major film studio. Afterwards, studio head Dave Kingman invites him for a private screening of Time Over Time, a new time travel thriller starring the beloved husband-and-wife team Eddie Thomas and Gwen Harrison. However, their marriage ended when Gwen had an affair with her co-star Hector, causing Eddie to have a mental breakdown and seek treatment at a remote New Age wellness retreat. Despite Lee’s arrival, Kingman has nothing to show as the film’s director Hal ...

Directed by Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands (1990) is an American gothic romantic fantasy film. On a snowy night, an elderly woman shares a bedtime tale with her granddaughter about a young man named Edward, who possesses scissors for hands. Peg Boggs, a door-to-door Avon saleswoman, visits the eerie Gothic mansion where Edward resides. Created by an old inventor, Edward is an ageless humanoid who was homeschooled until the inventor’s untimely death from a heart attack. Left unfinished without hands, Peg discovers Edward and offers to bring him to her home upon realizing he poses no threat. At the Boggs household, ...