Actress Alfre Woodard (1952)

The Gray Man (2022) is an American action thriller directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. In 2003, senior CIA official Fitzroy visits a prisoner who had been convicted of killing his abusive father to protect his brother. Eight years later, Fitzroy offers the man his freedom in exchange for working as an assassin in the Sierra program. In 2021, code-named “Sierra Six,” he is on a mission in Bangkok with fellow agent Dani Miranda to eliminate a target ...

The American musical drama film, The Lion King (2019), is directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Fairview Entertainment. It is a computer-animated remake of the 1994 traditionally animated film of the same name. In the African Pride Lands, a pride of lions reigns over the animal kingdom from Pride Rock. King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi introduce their newborn son, Simba, to the other animals with Rafiki, the shaman and advisor of the kingdom. As Mufasa shows Simba around the Pride Lands, he also teaches him about his responsibilities as king and the concept of the “circle of life”. ...

Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, Luke Cage (2016–2018) is an American TV series created by Cheo Hodari Coker for Netflix. As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it shares continuity with the franchise’s films and was the third installment in the Marvel Netflix series before leading to The Defenders crossover miniseries. Produced by Marvel Television in collaboration with ABC Studios, showrunner Coker tells the story of a fugitive rebuilding his life in Harlem after being granted super strength and unbreakable skin through a sabotaged experiment. Despite overcoming his ...

Annabelle (2014) hit theaters as an American supernatural horror film. Its renowned director, John R. Leonetti, teamed up with writer Gary Dauberman while Peter Safran and James Wan produced the spine-chilling tale. Set in Santa Monica, California, the movie follows the story of a doctor named John Form who gifts his pregnant wife Mia with a valuable antique doll for their upcoming child’s nursery collection. However, their peaceful night is shattered when they hear ...

The biographical drama film, 12 Years a Slave (2013), is based on the slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. Directed by Steve McQueen and written by John Ridley, it follows the story of Northup, an African American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery in Louisiana for 12 years. Prior to his abduction, Northup was a free man living with his family in Saratoga Springs, New York and working as a violinist. Brown and Hamilton tricked him into taking short-term ...

In Take the Lead (2006), an American drama dance film directed by Liz Friedlander, Antonio Banderas portrays Pierre Dulaine, a dance instructor and the creator of Dancing Classrooms. As a group of students prepares for their school dance, Rock shows up with a damaged ticket and is turned away by Mr. Temple and Principal James. Later, he gets into trouble with some thugs who pressure him to vandalize the Principal’s car. However, when Pierre arrives and interrupts them, they scatter. The next day, Pierre visits the school to speak with the Principal about what he ...

Desperate Housewives (2004–2012) is a popular American television series, created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from 2004 to 2012, totaling 180 episodes. The show was led by executive producer Marc Cherry, who also served as showrunner. Set on Wisteria Lane in the fictional town of Fairview, the series follows a group of women through the eyes of their neighbor, who takes her own life in the pilot episode. Spanning fifteen years over eight seasons (specifically from 2004-2008, with some scenes set in ...

Directed by Jon Amiel, The Core (2003) is an American science fiction disaster film. A series of diverse incidents involving the Earth’s magnetic field prompts geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes and his colleagues, Dr. Serge Leveque and Dr. Conrad Zimsky, to conclude that the rotation of the Earth’s molten core has ceased. If not reactivated, this would result in the collapse of the field within months, leaving the surface vulnerable to harmful solar radiation exposure. To address this crisis, the U.S. government initiates a covert project to construct a vessel capable of drilling into the core and deploying ...

K-PAX (2001), a science fiction mystery film based on Gene Brewer’s novel of the same name, follows prot (not capitalized and pronounced with a long O, rhyming with boat) as he is sent to the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan after claiming to be an extraterrestrial from the planet ‘K-PAX’, located 1,000 light years away in the Lyra constellation. Dr. Mark Powell, his psychiatrist, attempts to cure him of his supposed delusions but prot remains steadfast in his ability to provide coherent explanations about himself, K-PAX, and its civilizations. During his medical examination, it becomes clear that ...

Primal Fear (1996), an American film directed by Gregory Hoblit, is a legal mystery crime thriller based on William Diehl’s novel of the same name. Martin Vail, an arrogant defense lawyer from Chicago, is notorious for representing undesirable yet high-profile clients such as mob boss Joey Piñero. Enjoying the spotlight, Vail is featured in a magazine cover story and attempts to reignite a casual relationship with Janet Venable, his former colleague who works as a prosecutor. When Aaron Stampler, a 19-year-old altar boy from Kentucky, is caught fleeing the scene ...

Star Trek VIII: First Contact (1996), an American science fiction film, marked Jonathan Frakes’ debut as a feature film director. In the distant future, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is plagued by memories of his previous encounter with the Borg – in which he was assimilated by them. When Starfleet warns him of a new Borg threat to Earth, Picard’s orders are to monitor the Neutral Zone for any signs of Romulan aggression. Starfleet fears that Picard’s past experiences may cloud his judgment in the upcoming battle. As the battle rages on and Starfleet suffers heavy losses, the Enterprise crew disregards ...

Heart and Souls (1993) is an American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Ron Underwood. Set in San Francisco in 1959, four individuals board the same night trolleybus. Penny, a single mother, regrets leaving her three children at home to work the night shift. Harrison, a wannabe singer, has backed out of an important audition due to stage fright. Meanwhile, Julia leaves her job as a waitress to visit her boyfriend John, who had proposed to her but was rejected. Milo, a small-time thief, also joins them after failing to retrieve valuable stamps that he had swindled off a young boy. The trolleybus driver is Hal, who ...

St. Elsewhere (1982–1988) is an American medical drama television series originally airing on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. Created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, it follows the lives of staff at the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston’s South End neighborhood. The hospital’s nickname, ‘St. Elsewhere’, is a slang term in the medical field for hospitals that may not have the same resources as others, but still provide care to patients who are turned away elsewhere. This term can also be used in medical academia for teaching ...