Actress Amy Ryan (1969)

The biographical film, Worth (2020), was directed by Sara Colangelo and written by Max Borenstein. It opens with Kenneth Feinberg teaching a class at Columbia University about the monetary worth placed on a person’s life in the eyes of the law. This comes into play when Feinberg is later appointed as the Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund after the terrorist attacks. His law partner, Camille Biros, joins him as his administrative deputy. To determine payouts for victims, Feinberg creates a strict formula based on their income. He is also ...

Late Night (2019) is an American comedy-drama film directed by Nisha Ganatra from a screenplay produced by Mindy Kaling. Katherine Newbury, an acclaimed talk show host with extensive experience in comedy, faces declining ratings for her long-running program. Facing pressure from network president Caroline Morton to improve or risk being replaced, Katherine brings on Molly Patel to the writing team. As the only Indian-American woman among a group of white male writers, Molly initially struggles due to her lack of comedy experience. However, she proves her worth by ...

Central Intelligence (2016) is an American buddy action comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and written by Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. In 1996, Calvin ‘The Golden Jet’ Joyner, a star athlete, was being honored at his high school. During his speech, a group of bullies led by Trevor Olson decided to play a cruel prank on the morbidly obese Robbie Weirdicht, who was happily dancing in the locker room shower. They threw him naked into the gymnasium in front of the entire school. While everyone else ...

The film Bridge of Spies (2015) is an American historical drama directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg. It was written by Matt Charman and the Coen brothers. Set in New York City in 1957, the story follows the arrest of Rudolf Abel on charges of spying for the Soviet Union. James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer, is appointed as Abel’s legal counsel. Despite pressure from the CIA to violate client confidentiality, Donovan remains committed to providing a vigorous defense for Abel. Ultimately, Abel is convicted ...

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) is an American black comedy-drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and co-written by Nicolás Giacobone, Armando Bó, and Alexander Dinelaris Jr. The film follows the story of Riggan Thomson, a former superhero actor who is haunted by the voice of his past self as Birdman. He struggles to make a name for himself again by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver’s short ...

Clear History (2013) is a comedy TV film, directed by Greg Mottola. In 2003, Nathan Flomm (previously known as bearded and long-haired) was an opinionated and obnoxious business associate of Will Haney in San Jose, California. Haney’s company was preparing to launch a new electric car, which Flomm did not agree with being named ‘the Howard’ after Haney’s son (who was named after the hero of The Fountainhead, Howard Roark). After accepting a severance package and cutting ties with the company, Flomm’s life took an unexpected turn. The Howard became a massive success, causing Flomm to miss ...

Escape Plan (2013) is an American prison action thriller film featuring the talents of both Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ray Breslin, a former prosecutor, is the co-owner and founder of Breslin-Clark, a specialized security firm that puts supermax prisons to the test. He infiltrates facilities under the guise of an inmate in order to identify weaknesses and plan successful escapes. Motivated by the tragic deaths of his wife and child at the hands of an escaped convict he had previously prosecuted, Breslin has gained a reputation as an escape artist. When ...

The American sports comedy-drama film Win Win (2011) was written and directed by Tom McCarthy. Mike Flaherty, a small-town attorney in New Providence, New Jersey, struggles to maintain his law practice while also coaching wrestling. He faces the challenge of keeping his financial problems hidden from his wife Jackie and their two young daughters, Abby and Stella. Mike sees an opportunity when he is assigned to represent Leo Poplar, a client with early dementia who has no known family. He convinces a judge to make him Leo’s guardian, resulting in a monthly stipend of $1,508. However, instead of taking care of Leo ...

Based on journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s non-fiction book Imperial Life in the Emerald City, Green Zone (2010) is an action thriller directed by Paul Greengrass and written by Brian Helgeland. On March 19, 2003, Iraqi Army General Mohammed Al-Rawi flees his residence during the bombing of Baghdad. Before leaving, he gives a notebook to his aide Seyyed with instructions for his officers to go into hiding and wait for his signal. Four weeks later, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his team search a ...

Changeling (2008) is a gripping American film about a real-life mystery. Directed, produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski, the story is based on the tragic 1928 Wineville Chicken Coop murders in Mira Loma, California. Set in Los Angeles during the same year, the film follows Christine Collins, a single mother who returns home to find her 9-year-old son, Walter, missing. In a desperate attempt to find him, Reverend Gustav Briegleb publicizes her situation and criticizes the LAPD for their incompetence and corruption. Despite this ...

Gone Baby Gone (2007), an American neo-noir thriller, marks the directorial debut of Ben Affleck. Adapted from Dennis Lehane’s 1998 novel by Affleck and Aaron Stockard, the film is set in Dorchester, Boston. Private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are drawn into a search for four-year-old Amanda, whose mother Helene McCready pleads for her safe return on television. When Helene’s sister and brother-in-law hire the detectives to find Amanda, they ...

The Office (2005–2013) is a US sitcom that follows the daily work lives of office employees at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It aired on NBC for nine seasons, from March 24, 2005 to May 16, 2013. Adapted from the British series of the same name by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it was created for American television by Greg Daniels. While its short first season received mixed reviews, subsequent seasons, particularly Steve Carell’s ...