Actor Christopher Walken (1943)

Dune: Part Two (2024) is an epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and co-written by Jon Spaihts. The second installment in the two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune (1965), it follows the aftermath of Jamis’ death on Arrakis. Here, Paul Atreides grapples with his love for the Fremen people and his destiny as the Kwisatz Haderach, a prophesized messiah-like figure. As heir of House Atreides, Paul continues on his journey to fulfill family and planetary prophecies. Along the ...

The American adventure drama film, The Jungle Book (2016), was directed and produced by Jon Favreau with a screenplay by Justin Marks. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is a live-action/CGI remake of the 1967 animated feature film of the same name, based on Rudyard Kipling’s works. Mowgli, a ‘man cub’, was adopted by the wolf Raksha and her pack in an Indian jungle as a baby, under the care of Bagheera, the black panther. As he grows up, Bagheera trains him to learn the ways of the wolves, but Mowgli ...

Eddie the Eagle (2015), directed by Dexter Fletcher, is a biographical film that follows the story of young Michael Edwards. Despite facing difficulties with walking and undergoing medical treatment, ten-year-old Eddie sets his sights on Olympic glory. With the support of his mother, he tries different Olympic events but fails. However, his father does not share the same enthusiasm. As a teenager, Eddie remains determined to achieve his dream and first attempts to qualify for the Summer Games before turning to skiing in the Winter Games. Despite showing skill in the sport, British Olympic officials reject him for being ...

Jersey Boys (2014) is a film based on the award-winning musical of the same name. Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, it tells the story of Tommy DeVito, his brother Nicky, and their friend Nick Massi who perform as The Variety Trio in Belleville, New Jersey in 1951. One day, they meet 16-year-old Frankie Castelluccio, known for his impressive singing voice. He catches the eye of mafia boss Angelo ‘Gyp’ DeCarlo who takes an interest in him. However, when the group attempts a robbery and gets arrested, Frankie gets off with a warning while Tommy goes to prison for six months. Upon his release, Tommy ...

Seven Psychopaths (2012) is a film, directed and co-produced by Martin McDonagh. Marty, an alcoholic writer in Los Angeles, is struggling with his new screenplay of the same name. Although he has the title, he lacks the characters to fill it. His best friend Billy, a struggling actor, makes money by kidnapping dogs for rewards. Hans, Billy’s partner-in-crime, is devoted to his religious beliefs and caring for his wife Myra who has cancer. While Billy wants to collaborate with Marty on the screenplay, he feels too embarrassed to ask directly. In hopes of persuading Marty, Billy shows him a newspaper article about ...

The Maiden Heist (2009) is an American crime comedy film directed by Peter Hewitt, following the story of Roger, a security guard at an art museum. His job involves constantly monitoring the precious artwork on display. One particular painting catches his eye – The Lonely Maiden, a beautiful woman gazing out into the distance with a sense of longing. Despite being happily married to Rose, Roger finds himself fixated on this painting. However, Rose is eager for Roger to retire so they can start their new life in Florida. One day, Roger receives news that The Lonely Maiden and several other pieces will be ...

Man on Fire (2004) is an action thriller film directed by Tony Scott from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland, and adapted from A. J. Quinnell’s novel of the same name. In 2003, former CIA SAD/SOG officer John Creasy reunites with his old friend Paul Rayburn in Mexico. At Rayburn’s urging, Creasy takes a bodyguard position with Samuel Ramos, an automaker in Mexico City who needs protection for his daughter Lupita (Pita) to fulfill her kidnapping insurance policy. Struggling with personal demons and regrets from his ...

The Rundown (2003) is a film directed by Peter Berg and written by James Vanderbilt and R.J. Stewart. Beck, a ‘retrieval expert’ who works for Billy Walker, is sent to a nightclub to collect a championship ring from a football player. During the job, he is attacked by one of Walker’s other collectors and decides that he wants to leave the business. However, Walker convinces Beck to take on one final task – retrieve his son Travis from a small mining town in Brazil and he will provide enough money for Beck ...

Gigli (2003) is an American rom-com crime movie, written, co-produced and directed by Martin Brest. The plot follows Larry Gigli, a low-ranking member of the Los Angeles mob, who isn’t quite as tough as he pretends to be. His boss, Louis, orders him to kidnap the younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor – a mentally challenged individual – in order to negotiate Starkman’s (the New York mob boss) release from prison. After some convincing, Gigli manages to persuade the young man, Brian, to go with him by promising a trip to ‘the Baywatch’ – clearly Brian’s favorite ...

Catch Me If You Can (2002) is an American biographical crime comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg. In 1969, FBI agent Carl Hanratty travels to Marseille, France to retrieve a prisoner named Frank Abagnale Jr., who has become ill due to the prison’s poor conditions. Six years prior, Frank lived with his parents Frank Sr. and Paula in New Rochelle, New York. Growing up, he learned various cons from his father but their family eventually had to downsize due to his father’s tax issues with the IRS. During this time, Frank discovers that his mother is having an affair with Jack Barnes, a ...

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 ...

Tim Burton’s gothic supernatural horror film, Sleepy Hollow (1999), is a loose adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Set in 1799, the film follows New York City police constable Ichabod Crane as he investigates a string of brutal murders in the upstate Dutch hamlet. Among the insular town elders who receive him are wealthy Baltus Van Tassel, town doctor Thomas Lancaster, Reverend Steenwyck, notary James Hardenbrook, and magistrate Samuel Philipse. According to local beliefs, the killer is an undead headless ...

Antz (1998) is an American animated adventure comedy film from DreamWorks Animation and Pacific Data Images. The story follows Z, an anxious worker ant who struggles with feelings of insignificance in the colony. Even his therapist reminds him of his supposed meaningless existence. One night at the local bar, Z meets Bala, the princess of the colony who also seeks refuge from her stifling royal life. As the ant colony prepares for war against a termite invasion, Z sees this as an opportunity to see Bala again and switches places with his friend Weaver to join the army. There, he befriends staff sergeant Barbatus while remaining unaware of General Mandible’s ...

The American crime-drama film, The Funeral (1996), directed by Abel Ferrara, centers around the death of one of the three violent Tempio brothers. As his brothers Chez and Ray mourn his passing, they each cope with their grief in contrasting ways – Ray with a cool and calculating demeanor while Chez’s hot temper flares. Flashbacks reveal that Johnny, although a criminal, had a softer side and was influenced by communist meetings he attended as a spy. The primary suspect in his murder is rival gangster Gaspare Spoglia. Determined to seek revenge, both Ray and Chez make a vow to avenge their brother’s ...

Nick of Time (1995), an American political action thriller film produced and directed by John Badham, follows the story of Gene Watson – a mild-mannered, separated and widowed accountant who arrives with his daughter Lynn at Union Station in Los Angeles. While Gene tries to make a pay phone call informing an unknown person about his delayed train, two mysterious strangers in suits – Mr. Smith and Ms. Jones – observe the station from a catwalk. They are discussing a yet-to-be-revealed plan. Soon, they notice Gene standing up against a skater who was bothering his daughter. Focusing their attention on ...

The American horror film, The Addiction (1995), directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, tells the story of Kathleen Conklin, an introverted philosophy graduate student at New York University. One night, she is attacked by a woman who goes by the name ‘Casanova’, and soon begins to exhibit classic signs of vampirism such as avoiding sunlight and losing interest in food. Her behavior becomes more aggressive and she even propositions her dissertation advisor for sex and steals money from him while he sleeps. Her friend Jean, also a doctoral ...

Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the American independent film, Pulp Fiction (1994). The narrative of the film deviates from chronological order and centers around three separate protagonists: Vincent Vega, a hitman; Butch Coolidge, a prizefighter; and Jules Winnfield, Vincent’s business partner. It opens with a diner robbery by a couple and then transitions between the three story lines before concluding back at the diner. Throughout the film, there are seven distinct narrative sequences, marked by intertitles. Summary. As Pumpkin and Honey Bunny dine at ...

True Romance (1993) is an American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. In a Detroit theater showing kung fu films, Alabama Whitman meets Clarence Worley, an Elvis Presley fanatic. After spending the night at his downtown apartment, Alabama tearfully reveals that she is a call girl hired as a birthday present but has fallen in love with Clarence. The two tie the knot at City Hall the next day. Guided by an apparition of Elvis, Clarence decides to take revenge on Alabama’s abusive pimp Drexl Spivey. He finds Drexl at the ...

Tim Burton directed Batman Returns (1992), a superhero movie with a screenplay by Daniel Waters. Set in Gotham City, the film tells the story of two wealthy parents who reject their deformed son Oswald and leave him to be raised by penguins in the sewers. Thirty-three years later, during the holiday season, a powerful businessman named Max Shreck is kidnapped by the Red Triangle gang – a former circus troupe known for abducting children across the country – and taken to an abandoned zoo. The leader of the gang, Oswald (now going by the name Penguin), uses evidence of ...

King of New York (1990), a neo-noir directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, follows drug lord Frank White as he attempts to gain control over New York City’s criminal underworld. Following his release from Sing Sing Penitentiary, White and his crew, led by his loyal associate Jimmy Jump, solidify their power by eliminating rival groups such as the Colombian drug cartel and Triad. In one instance, White personally takes out a Mafia boss who refuses to cooperate with him. The notorious actions of White and his team attract the attention of the ...