Actress Diane Keaton (1946)

Finding Dory (2016) is a humorous and heartwarming animated film from Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. The story follows Dory, a regal blue tang who was separated from her parents, Jenny and Charlie, as a child due to her short-term memory loss. She soon meets Marlin, a clownfish searching for his son Nemo, and they become close friends. Now living as neighbors in the reef with Marlin and Nemo, one day Dory suddenly remembers her parents and their home in the “Jewel of Morro Bay, California”. Determined to find them again, she sets out on a journey with Marlin and Nemo by her side. Along the way, they meet Crush, a helpful sea turtle who ...

The satirical drama series, The Young Pope (2016), was created and directed by Paolo Sorrentino for Sky Atlantic, HBO, and Canal+. Lenny Belardo, a young cardinal from New York, becomes Pope after the leading contenders of the Papal conclave are unable to gain enough votes. As a compromise candidate, he takes on the name Pius XIII and immediately begins to challenge long-standing traditions and practices within the Vatican. In one of his first actions as Pope, he declares that common people are not permitted to see him and appears shrouded in darkness during a public appearance in St. Peter’s Square. During a ...

Something’s Gotta Give (2003) is an American romantic comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. The story follows Harry Sanborn, a wealthy New York record company owner whose preference for dating younger women is put to the test when he meets Marin Klein. As they head to her mother’s beach house in the Hamptons, little do they know that they will be joined by Erica Barry, a playwright and Marin’s mother, as well as Erica’s sister Zoe. After an awkward dinner, things take a turn for the worse when Harry suffers a heart attack during foreplay with Marin and is rushed to the ...

The American romantic comedy film, The Other Sister (1999), directed by Garry Marshall, follows the story of Carla Tate. After graduating from a sheltered boarding school, Carla returns to her overprotective and slightly snobby mother Elizabeth’s home. Despite her ambition and mild mental disability, Carla is met with discomfort from Elizabeth as she seems ashamed of her youngest daughter’s condition. This uneasiness is likely due to past experiences of Carla being bullied as a child. Meanwhile, Radley – a dentist and recovering alcoholic – serves as Carla’s father. Determined to gain more ...

Marvin’s Room (1996) is an impactful American drama helmed by Jerry Zaks. John Guare penned the screenplay, adapted from Scott McPherson’s play of the same name. The story revolves around Marvin, a man who suffered a stroke two decades ago and has been confined to his bed ever since. His daughter Bessie has dedicated herself to taking care of him in their Florida home, while his other daughter Lee moved away with her husband to Ohio and has not been in touch with her family since. Unfortunately, Bessie receives devastating news from her doctor – she has leukemia, the same illness that claimed their ...

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), an American black comedy mystery film directed by Woody Allen, follows the story of Larry Lipton, an editor at HarperCollins, and his wife Carol. They have a pleasant interaction with their older neighbors, Paul and Lillian House, in the elevator. The Houses invite them to spend an evening together and during their conversation, the women share their exercise routines. Unfortunately, the next day Lillian unexpectedly passes away from a heart attack, which shocks the Liptons as she seemed to be in good health. As they start noticing odd behavior from Paul after his wife’s death, ...

The American crime film, The Godfather Part III (1990), was produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Co-written with Mario Puzo, the screenplay follows the story of Michael Corleone who is approaching 60 in 1979. Wracked with guilt over his ruthless rise to power, Michael donates millions to charitable causes. He is also dealing with the aftermath of ordering his brother’s murder. Michael and his ex-wife Kay are divorced, and their children Anthony and Mary reside with Kay. During a reception at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral honoring Michael, which takes ...

Radio Days (1987), an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, nostalgically looks back at the golden age of radio in the late 1930s and 1940s. Set in Rockaway Beach, New York, it follows a working-class family, with fictional narrator Joe (voiced by Allen himself) recounting their adventures. Among these is how two burglars stumbled upon a radio show while robbing a home. For Joe, old radio songs evoke childhood memories of his time living with his modest Jewish-American family in Rockaway Beach during the late 1930s and early 1940s. His mother was ...

Directed by Gillian Armstrong, Mrs. Soffel (1984) is an American drama film featuring Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson. The movie is based on the true story of the Biddle brothers, who were sentenced to prison and later escaped with the help of Kate Soffel, the wife of a Pittsburgh warden in 1901. Despite being a devoted mother to their four children, Kate had been bedridden for months without explanation until she suddenly regained her strength. Desiring to spread comfort and hope to inmates, she begins reading Bible scripture ...

The American spy drama film, The Little Drummer Girl (1984), directed by George Roy Hill and adapted from John le Carré’s novel of the same name, takes place in Europe and the Middle East. It follows the Mossad’s covert mission to expose a PLO bomber known as Khalil. In order to eliminate Khalil, they initially abduct (and ultimately execute) his brother, who is delivering speeches in a ski mask about the suffering and losses of Palestine under military control. Charlie, an American actress in London with anti-Zionist views, is lured to Greece under false ...

Manhattan (1979) is a charming romantic comedy-drama from the renowned director Woody Allen and producer Charles H. Joffe. The movie opens with captivating scenes of New York City, set to the delightful tune of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. As the camera pans over the city, we hear Isaac Davis, our main character, narrating an introduction for his book on a man who adores this vibrant metropolis. A 42-year-old television writer and two-time divorcee, Isaac decides to leave his unfulfilling job. He’s currently dating Tracy, a young student at Dalton ...

Interiors (1978) is an American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It follows the story of a family, specifically Arthur and Eve, who have three adult daughters. The eldest daughter, Renata, is a successful poet with a struggling writer husband named Frederick. Meanwhile, the youngest daughter, Flyn, is an actress who is often away filming low-quality movies that are the subject of gossip. Joey, the middle daughter in a relationship with Mike, struggles to find her career path and resents her mother’s favoritism towards Renata. While Renata resents their father’s concern for Joey’s ...

The American satirical romantic comedy-drama film, Annie Hall (1977), was directed by Woody Allen and co-written by Allen and Marshall Brickman. Its main character, comedian Alvy Singer, reflects on his past relationship with Annie Hall that ended a year ago. Growing up in Brooklyn, he often challenged his mother with existential questions. While waiting in line for ‘The Sorrow and the Pity’, they overhear a man criticizing Federico Fellini and Marshall McLuhan’s work. In his mind, Alvy imagines inviting ...

Love and Death (1975), an American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, follows the story of Boris Grushenko, a cowardly scholar who is forced to join the Russian army when Napoleon invades Austria during the Napoleonic Wars. Despite his initial reluctance, Boris accidentally becomes a war hero. He then returns home and ends up marrying his widowed cousin Sonja, who reluctantly promises to marry him for one night in order to make him happy before he potentially dies in a duel. However, much to her dismay, Boris survives the duel and their marriage is characterized by philosophical discussions but financial ...

The American epic crime film, The Godfather Part II (1974), was produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Loosely based on the novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola, it serves as both a sequel and a prequel to the 1972 film of the same name. In parallel storylines, one follows Michael Corleone in 1958 as he takes on his role as Don of the Corleone family after surviving an assassination attempt. The other delves into his father Vito’s journey from his childhood ...

Sleeper (1973), directed and starring Woody Allen, is an American science fiction comedy film. Miles Monroe, a jazz musician and owner of the ‘Happy Carrot’ health-food store in New York City’s Greenwich Village, undergoes a routine operation at a hospital in 1973 which unfortunately goes awry. This leads to his cryopreservation for 200 years. In 2173, two scientists illegally revive him as they are part of an underground rebellion. This group is at odds with the police state that the United States has become due to the destruction caused by ‘a man named Albert Shanker obtaining a nuclear ...

The Godfather (1972) is an American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same name. Set in 1945, it tells the story of Vito Corleone, the powerful don of the New York City Corleone family. During his daughter Connie’s wedding to Carlo, Vito receives requests from various guests. At the reception, his son Michael introduces his girlfriend Kay Adams to the family. Johnny Fontane, a popular singer and ...

Play It Again, Sam (1972) is a comedic film written and starring Woody Allen. The movie, based on Allen’s play of the same name, takes place in San Francisco and opens with the final scenes of Casablanca featuring legends Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Our main character, Allan Felix, is at the theater watching with his mouth agape as he longs to be like Rick. He is haunted by visions of Bogart and memories of his ex-wife Nancy, who constantly belittled him for his sexual inadequacy during their turbulent divorce. Trying to lift his spirits, Allan’s ...