Actress Cate Blanchett (1969)

The American fantasy film, The School for Good and Evil (2022), was directed by Paul Feig and written by Feig and David Magee. It is based on Soman Chainani’s 2013 novel of the same name. The School for Good and Evil was founded by twin brothers Rhian and Rafal in order to train fairy tale heroes, known as “Evers,” and villains, known as “Nevers.” However, Rafal grew tired of constantly being under the control of good and used blood magic to ...

Tár (2022) is a psychological drama film written and directed by Todd Field. Acclaimed actress Cate Blanchett takes on the role of Lydia Tár, a world-renowned conductor facing accusations of misconduct. As the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, she relies on Francesca, her personal assistant, to handle her busy schedule. During an interview with Adam Gopnik at The New Yorker Festival, Lydia shares details about her upcoming live recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony and her book Tár on Tár. In addition to her musical endeavors, she also collaborates with Eliot Kaplan, an investment banker and amateur conductor who co-founded the Accordion ...

Nightmare Alley (2021) is a neo-noir psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Based on William Lindsay Gresham’s novel of the same name from 1946, it is the second adaptation following the 1947 version. In 1939, Stan Carlisle sets ablaze a rundown house after hiding a corpse under its floorboards. Later that night, while attending a carnival, he witnesses a disturbed individual consuming a live chicken as part of the geek show. Meeting Bruno, the strongman of the carnival, Stan is offered a temporary job for the evening. After being ...

An American film Don’t Look Up (2021), written and directed by Adam McKay in collaboration with David Sirota, follows the story of Kate Dibiasky. Dibiasky, a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University, makes a shocking discovery about an unknown comet. Her mentor Doctor Randall Mindy confirms this discovery: the comet will collide with Earth in six months, causing a global extinction event. NASA verifies the findings and invites Dibiasky, Mindy, and Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (head of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office) to present their research to the White ...

FX’s Mrs. America (2020), a historical drama miniseries, debuted on Hulu in the United States on April 15, 2020 to high praise. It garnered ten Emmy nominations at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series and Writing. The series also received acting nods for Blanchett, Aduba, Martindale, and Ullman and Aduba ultimately won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In January ...

Stateless (2020), an Australian television drama series, premiered on ABC TV on 1 March 2020. Its six episodes were later made available on Netflix starting 8 July 2020. The show draws inspiration from the true account of Cornelia Rau, an Australian citizen who was wrongfully held under the government’s mandatory detention initiative. The show revolves around four individuals at an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert: a flight attendant evading a suburban cult, an Afghan refugee seeking refuge from persecution, a young Australian father escaping a mundane job, and a bureaucrat involved in a national scandal. ...

Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2019) is a comedy-drama movie by director Richard Linklater, based on the 2012 novel of the same name written by Maria Semple. The story follows former architect Bernadette Fox, who now struggles with agoraphobia and lives in a rundown schoolhouse in Seattle with her husband Elgie Branch and their daughter Bee. After her award-winning house was destroyed, Bernadette fell into depression and became isolated. Despite having a close bond with Bee, Bernadette rarely ventures outside and fears interaction with others, including their neighbor ...

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) is a thrilling animated fantasy movie based on Cressida Cowell’s popular book series. Following his rise to chiefdom, Hiccup and his trusty Night Fury, Toothless, alongside their fellow dragon-riders, continue to save captured dragons and bring them back to Berk. However, the island is becoming crowded with these newfound creatures. Determined to find a safe haven for the dragons as told by his late father Stoick, Hiccup sets out to locate the fabled ‘Hidden World’. At the same time, a Light Fury dragon is being used as bait for notorious dragon hunter Grimmel the Grisly by warlords who want Toothless ...

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) is an adventure drama film, directed by Andy Serkis. The screenplay, written by Callie Kloves, is based on tales from All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. In the Indian jungle, the wise Indian python seer Kaa witnesses Shere Khan, a cruel Bengal tiger, breaking ‘jungle law’ by attacking a human family. After finding a surviving infant, Bagheera takes him to an Indian wolf family led by Nisha and Vihaan. However, their presence is noticed by Tabaqui, Shere ...

The American fantasy comedy film, The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018), directed by Eli Roth, is based on John Bellairs’ novel of the same name from 1973. After losing his parents in a car accident in 1955, ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt moves to New Zebedee, Michigan to live with his Uncle Jonathan. His possessions now consist only of a Magic 8-Ball and family photo. Shortly after arriving at his new home, he meets Florence Zimmerman, Jonathan’s neighbor and closest friend. In the night, Lewis hears a ticking noise inside the walls and begins exploring ...

Ocean’s 8 (2018) is an American heist comedy film directed and written by Gary Ross and co-written by Olivia Milch. Recently released from prison, master schemer Debbie Ocean, who happens to be the younger sister of Danny Ocean, enlists her former partner in crime Lou to help her pull off a new heist. They assemble a team consisting of once-successful fashion designer Rose Weil, who is now in debt to the IRS; jewelry maker Amita, seeking more independence from her controlling mother; tech expert Nine Ball; street-smart pickpocket Constance; and suburban housewife ...

Terrence Malick’s American experimental romantic drama film, Song to Song (2017), follows the story of Faye, a guitarist seeking success in Austin, Texas. Her journey leads her to become involved with both record producer Cook and musician BV. As Faye’s relationship with BV deepens, she embarks on a secret affair with Cook, leading to a trip to Mexico with all three of them. Meanwhile, Rhonda, a former kindergarten teacher now working as a waitress at a diner, catches the eye of Cook and they eventually marry. However, their professional and personal lives become strained as tensions rise between Cook and ...

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) is an American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 17th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013). The story takes place two years after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and finds Thor facing new challenges as he searches for the powerful Infinity Stones. After being dumped by his love interest Jane (albeit mutually), Thor is captured and brought before Surtur, a fearsome fire demon who believes his destiny is to bring ...

Voyage of Time (2016), an American experimental documentary written and directed by Terrence Malick, is an exploration of the origin and end of the known universe. The film was a culmination of over forty years of work for Malick and has been described by him as “one of my greatest dreams”. It was released in two versions: a forty-minute IMAX version narrated by Brad Pitt, and a feature-length edition (also known as Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey) narrated by Cate Blanchett. Additionally, the ...

Manifesto (2015), a multi-screen film installation, is the brainchild of Julian Rosefeldt, who wrote, produced and directed the project. The film stars Cate Blanchett in 13 distinct roles as she embodies various manifestos. Rosefeldt’s initial research and analysis included a range of textual manifestos, spanning from 19th century works like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’s The Communist Manifesto to more modern pieces such as Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Rules ...

Truth (2015) is an American biographical political drama film written and directed by James Vanderbilt in his directorial debut. It is based on American television news producer Mary Mapes’s memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power, which recounts the events leading up to the 2004 presidential election. As producer of 60 Minutes Wednesday, Mary Mapes and her team, consisting of Mike Smith, Lucy Scott, and Colonel Roger Charles, investigate allegations that George W. Bush received preferential treatment during his military ...

Director Kenneth Branagh helmed the romantic fantasy film Cinderella (2015), with a screenplay written by Chris Weitz. Ella, the benevolent daughter of a wealthy merchant, enjoys a happy life with her parents. However, their peaceful existence is disrupted when her mother falls ill and passes away. Before she dies, Ella’s mother implores her to always be courageous and kind. After some time, Ella’s father remarries a widow named Lady Tremaine who has two daughters of her own: Drisella and Anastasia. Upon returning from a business trip, Ella’s father suddenly passes away. This leaves Lady Tremaine to ...

Carol (2015) is a touching romantic drama set in the past and directed by Todd Haynes. The film, based on acclaimed author Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, features a screenplay written by Phyllis Nagy. It takes place during the holiday season of 1952 and follows the story of Therese Belivet, an aspiring photographer who works at Frankenberg’s department store in New York City. One day, while working at the store, Therese meets Carol Aird – a strikingly beautiful woman in search of a ...

Knight of Cups (2015) is an American experimental drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick. It tells the story of a young prince, whose father, the king of the East, sends him on a mission to find a pearl in Egypt. However, upon arriving, he is offered a drink that causes him to forget his royal identity and fall into a deep slumber. The King sends out many messengers in search of his son, hoping to guide him back home. As a child, Rick would often hear this tale from his father. Now grown and working as a screenwriter in Santa Monica, he yearns for something more meaningful but doesn’t know where to ...

The war film, The Monuments Men (2014), was both directed and written by George Clooney with Grant Heslov as producer. As the Allies made progress pushing back the Axis powers in Italy in 1943, Frank Stokes convinced President Roosevelt that preserving the artistic treasures of Western civilization was crucial. In response, Stokes was tasked with assembling a specialized Army unit, known as the ‘Monuments Men’, consisting of museum directors, curators, art historians, and an architect. Their mission was two-fold: to advise Allied units and recover stolen art ...