Actress Charlize Theron (1975)

Prometheus (2012) is a science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and co-written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof. Serving as the fifth installment in the Alien franchise, the movie follows a group of astronauts on a mission to investigate a distant planet. As they depart, they witness a humanoid alien consuming a liquid that causes its body to disintegrate. Meanwhile, archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway uncover a star map that matches those from various ancient cultures. They believe it ...

The American comedy-drama film, Young Adult (2011), was directed by Jason Reitman, written by Diablo Cody, and starred Charlize Theron. Mavis Gary, a 37-year-old alcoholic ghost writer of young adult novels, was facing a tight deadline from her editor to finish the final book of the series before it was canceled. In the midst of this pressure, Mavis received an email containing a photo of her high school ex-boyfriend Buddy Slade’s newborn daughter with his wife Beth. This picture triggered something in Mavis and she ...

The Road (2009), an American post-apocalyptic film directed by John Hillcoat and written by Joe Penhall, is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It follows a father and son as they struggle to survive in a world ravaged by an unspecified catastrophe that wiped out all plant and animal life. Together, they travel along a road towards the coast in search of safety, scrounging for resources and avoiding violent gangs of cannibals armed with guns. Years earlier, the man’s wife gives birth to their ...

The animated superhero film, Astro Boy (2009), is a loose adaptation of the manga series by Japanese writer and illustrator Osamu Tezuka. Set in the futuristic city-state of Metro City in the 22nd century, the story follows teenage protagonist Toby Tenma. His father, Dr. Tenma, works at the Ministry of Science alongside his colleague Dr. Elefun. Together, they create the Peacekeeper – a highly advanced defensive robot powered by two opposite energy spheres – one blue and one red. These powerful orbs were discovered from a star fragment by Dr. Elefun himself. The two scientists then present their creation to Stone, the President of Metro City who is ...

Directed and written by Guillermo Arriaga, The Burning Plain (2008) is a nonlinear American drama that follows the lives of a married mother, Gina, and her lover, Nick Martinez. Set in a small town near Las Cruces, New Mexico during the mid-1990s, the story unfolds as events are revealed out of sequence. Gina’s daughter, Mariana, discovers her mother’s affair with Nick and attempts to end it by setting fire to his trailer while they are inside. However, Mariana’s plan goes awry when the flames spread to a gas tank causing an explosion that tragically takes both Nick and Gina’s lives. The ...

The American drama film, Sleepwalking (2008), follows the struggles of Tara Reedy and her mother Joleen, who have been forced to leave their previous home due to Joleen’s boyfriend’s arrest for growing marijuana. With nowhere else to turn, Joleen persuades her younger brother James to take them in. However, after settling into James’ apartment, Joleen disappears with a truck driver, leaving Tara in the care of her uncle who works on a road-building crew. Unfortunately, he loses his job and is forced to stay with his married best friend Randall. Meanwhile, Tara is placed in a foster home where she faces bullying and desperately yearns to be reunited ...

Hancock (2008), a satirical superhero film directed by Peter Berg and written by Vince Gilligan and Vy Vincent Ngo, follows the story of an alcoholic, reckless superhuman named John Hancock. Gifted with flight, invulnerability, and super-strength, Hancock operates as a haphazard and unrefined superhero in Los Angeles. However, his drunken and careless crime-fighting methods, as well as his rude and unpleasant demeanor, often lead to public ridicule and hate. One day, while causing unnecessary destruction during a rescue ...

Battle in Seattle (2007), a political action-thriller, marks Stuart Townsend’s directorial debut. The movie loosely revolves around the protest activity during the WTO Ministerial Conference in 1999. Thousands of activists gather in Seattle, Washington to demonstrate against the conference, as they believe the World Trade Organization is exacerbating the wealth divide and contributing to global issues such as hunger and disease. However, the WTO argues that it is working towards reducing these disparities and improving global conditions. During those five days in 1999, the film ...

Paul Haggis wrote and directed the American crime drama film, In the Valley of Elah (2007). The story follows Hank Deerfield, a retired military police sergeant living in Monroe, Tennessee with his wife Joan. On November 1, 2004, Hank receives news that his son Mike, a soldier who had recently returned from Iraq, is missing. Determined to find him, Hank makes the trip to New Mexico where Mike’s base is located. Along the way, he stops to help a school custodian raise the American flag correctly. At Fort Rudd, he meets Mike’s squad and manages to sneak away with his son’s cell phone from his belongings. ...

Æon Flux (2005), an American science fiction action film, is based on the animated TV series of the same name created by Peter Chung. In 2011, a deadly pathogenic virus wiped out 99% of humanity, forcing the survivors to scatter and regroup across Earth. Eventually, five million humans settled in Bregna, a walled futuristic city ruled by scientists. Though Bregna may seem like an idyllic place compared to the destroyed Earth, people still go missing and suffer from nightmares. Æon Flux is a skilled warrior and part of the Monicans, an underground rebel group led by the Handler that uses telepathy technology to ...

North Country (2005), directed by Niki Caro, is an American drama film. In 1989, Josey Aimes flees her abusive husband and returns to her hometown in northern Minnesota with her children Sammy and Karen. She moves in with her parents, Alice and Hank, where tensions rise due to Hank’s beliefs that Josey is promiscuous and disapproves of her having Sammy as a teenager. While working at a hair salon, Josey reconnects with an old acquaintance named Glory Dodge, who suggests she apply for a job at the local iron mine. Despite Hank’s disapproval of women working there, Josey takes the job due to its higher pay. ...

Head in the Clouds (2004) is a war drama film written and directed by John Duigan. The original screenplay focuses on the tough decisions young lovers must make in the face of growing political turmoil in late-1930s Europe. Unfortunately, the film was both a critical and financial disappointment. In 1924 Paris, 14-year-old Gilda Bessé is the daughter of a French aristocrat and an emotionally unstable American mother. A fortune teller predicts that her life will end at age 34. Years later, during a rainstorm in 1933, Gilda seeks refuge in the room of Guy Malyon, an Irish first-year student at Cambridge University. After ...

The biographical film, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), is based on Roger Lewis’s book and follows the journey of English comedian, Peter Sellers. It begins with him walking up to a director’s chair, before the unseen live audience breaks into applause. In 1950s London, he is already a well-known performer on The Goon Show but struggles to make a mark in film. After a disappointing audition, he seeks comfort at home with his family but receives pushy advice from his overbearing mother Peg to ‘bite the hand that feeds you’. Inspired by her words, Peter taps into his talent for ...

The film Monster (2003), written and directed by Patty Jenkins in her debut as a feature director, follows the story of Aileen Wuornos, a street prostitute who moves from Michigan to Florida in 1989. On the brink of ending her own life, Aileen meets Selby Wall in a gay bar. Despite Aileen’s initial hostility and declaration that she is not gay, the two women strike up a conversation over beers. Selby quickly takes a liking to Aileen, admiring her protective nature. She invites Aileen to spend the night with her at the house where she is staying temporarily (having been kicked out by her parents after being accused ...

The Italian Job (2003), directed by F. Gary Gray, is an American heist action film with an original story inspired by its 1969 British counterpart. The plot centers around a group of thieves planning to steal stolen gold from their former associate. However, despite the shared title, this film deviates significantly from its source material in terms of plot and characters. The team, led by safecracker John Bridger, sets their sights on stealing $35 million worth of gold bullion in Venice from a group of Italian gangsters who had previously taken it. Comprising the team are professional fixer Charlie Croker, computer ...

Trapped (2002), a crime thriller directed by Luis Mandoki, follows the story of Dr. Will Jennings, a research physician who has recently patented a new anesthetic drug. After giving a talk about his patent at a Seattle hotel, he is approached by Cheryl, a mysterious woman who claims to be a fan of his work. In the hotel hallway, Cheryl makes advances towards Will before pulling out a gun and forcing him into his room. She then demands ransom for his daughter Abby. Meanwhile, Joe – Cheryl’s husband – breaks into Will’s luxurious Portland home and confronts Karen, Will’s wife who had just come back from ...

Jordan Brady’s film, Waking Up in Reno (2002), follows the journey of two couples, Lonnie Earl Dodd and his wife Darlene, and Roy and Candy Kirkendall. Lonnie is a car dealer from Little Rock who stars in his own humorous TV commercials. The four of them embark on a trip across the country to attend a monster truck rally. In preparation for the trip, Lonnie pulls out a new SUV from his car lot. Along the way, they make a stop at an Amarillo restaurant where Lonnie attempts to win a free dinner by consuming an enormous steak within an hour. While Darlene has always dreamt of seeing the Grand Canyon, her ...

15 Minutes (2001) is an American crime film directed and written by John Herzfeld. Two former inmates, Emil Slovak and Oleg Razgul, come to the United States to claim their share of a bank robbery in Europe. While at their partner’s shabby apartment, they are denied their portion of the loot. In response, Emil fatally stabs both his partner and his wife, as Oleg captures it on video with a stolen camera. Daphne Handlova, a Czech immigrant who witnessed the murders, narrowly escapes before being caught by the killers. To conceal the evidence, Emil sets fire to the apartment. Jordy Warsaw, an arson investigator in ...

The crime comedy film, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), was written and directed by Woody Allen and starred him as well. In 1940 New York City, efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald had a hidden relationship with her boss, Chris Magruder. He assured her that once his divorce from his wife was finalized, they could be together publicly. During a dinner at the Rainbow Room, magician Voltan enlisted Betty Ann and her co-worker C.W. Briggs to participate in his hypnotism act. By using the trigger words ‘Madagascar’ and ‘Constantinople’, they were put into a trance before being awakened. Later ...

Sweet November (2001), the film directed by Pat O’Connor and set in San Francisco, tells the story of Nelson Moss, a hardworking advertising executive. One day, he meets Sara Deever, a woman unlike anyone he has ever met. When she cheats on her driving test and he tries to confront her, she charms him with her request for him to spend a month with her, promising to change his life for the better. On the first night of November, after Nelson is fired and dumped on the same day, they sleep together. The next day, Sara’s close friend Chaz arrives and refers to Nelson as ‘November’. As they spend ...