Actress Dianne Wiest (1948)

The American crime drama, The Mule (2018), was both directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in the film. After missing his daughter Iris’s wedding to receive a prestigious lifetime award for his work as a horticulturalist in 2005, Korean War veteran Earl Stone faces the consequences of choosing his career over his family. This event leads to his daughter cutting off communication and his wife filing for divorce. Twelve years later, Earl attends his granddaughter Ginny’s wedding rehearsal without revealing that he is bankrupt and facing foreclosure on his once successful flower farm. It is ...

An American drama film, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), is based on a memoir written by Dito Montiel. The story follows Dito’s youth in Astoria, New York during the 1980s. In present day (2005), we find Dito living in Los Angeles and working as a successful writer. Upon the urging of his mother, Flori, and friend, Nerf, he returns to his childhood home in Astoria when his father falls ill. The movie shifts between present day and flashbacks of Dito’s memories from the summer of 1986. During this time, Dito meets up with Nerf in a parked car to talk without interruption, since it wasn’t ...

Robots (2005) is an American animated sci-fi adventure comedy film set in a world inhabited by sentient beings made of metal. The story follows the journey of Rodney Copperbottom, a young and ambitious inventor who looks up to Bigweld – a renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of Bigweld Industries. The company not only employs other inventors but also provides spare parts for robots in need. Inspired by Bigweld’s motto of ‘seeing a need and filling it’, Rodney creates his own flying robot named Wonderbot to help his father Herb, who works as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. However, when Herb’s boss catches them in the act, ...

Bullets Over Broadway (1994) is a comedic, crime-themed film helmed by acclaimed director Woody Allen. It tells the story of David Shayne, an aspiring playwright who moves to New York City in 1928 with high hopes for his newest work, God of Our Fathers. In his search for financial backing, he is persuaded by producer Julian Marx to hire Olive Neal, the girlfriend of notorious gangster Nick Valenti, for a minor role. Despite Olive’s lack of talent and Shayne’s mounting frustration, he finds solace in casting faded star Helen Sinclair as the lead and dieting British actor Warner Purcell. However, complications ...

Law & Order (1990–2024), an American police procedural and legal drama television series, was created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television. Its success has led to the development of additional shows, turning Law & Order into a franchise. This includes a television film, several video games, and international adaptations of the series. The show has received numerous awards, including multiple Emmy Awards, throughout its run. Set in New York City, it follows a two-part format: first investigating a crime (typically murder) and apprehending the suspect with the help of ...

Directed by Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands (1990) is an American gothic romantic fantasy film. On a snowy night, an elderly woman shares a bedtime tale with her granddaughter about a young man named Edward, who possesses scissors for hands. Peg Boggs, a door-to-door Avon saleswoman, visits the eerie Gothic mansion where Edward resides. Created by an old inventor, Edward is an ageless humanoid who was homeschooled until the inventor’s untimely death from a heart attack. Left unfinished without hands, Peg discovers Edward and offers to bring him to her home upon realizing he poses no threat. At the Boggs household, ...

Parenthood (1989) is a hilarious and touching family dramedy, helmed by director Ron Howard who collaborated with screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel on the story. Gil Buckman, a salesman from St. Louis, is struggling to juggle his job and his family. He faces a tough situation when he discovers that his oldest son Kevin needs therapy for emotional problems, and that his younger children Taylor and Justin also have their own issues. As he begins to blame himself and question his parenting abilities, Gil’s ...

September (1987), a drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, takes inspiration from Anton Chekhov’s 1899 play Uncle Vanya. However, the gender roles in the film are often challenged. Following a suicide attempt, Lane retreats to her country house in Vermont to recover. To accompany her for the summer, Lane’s best friend Stephanie joins her, seeking a break from her husband. Along with them comes Lane’s bold and tactless mother, Diane, and Diane’s husband Lloyd, who is also a physicist and Lane’s stepfather. Lane finds solace ...

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 ...

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, follows three interconnected stories over the course of two eventful years. The backdrop for these tales is a series of Thanksgiving gatherings hosted by Hannah and her husband, Elliot, at The Langham. As the central figure in the narrative, Hannah’s presence ties together most events in the film. However, Elliot strays from their stable marriage when he becomes infatuated with Lee, one of Hannah’s sisters. His reasons for doing so are rooted in his dissatisfaction with his wife’s independence and ...

In the movie Footloose (1984), directed by Herbert Ross, Chicago native Ren McCormack and his mother Ethel move to the small town of Bomont to stay with Ren’s aunt and uncle. At church, he meets Reverend Shaw Moore, his wife Vi, and their daughter Ariel, who is known for her rebellious nature. While at school, Ren becomes friends with Willard Hewitt and discovers that dancing and rock music are banned within the town limits by the town council. Despite this restriction, Ren falls for Ariel, much to the dismay of her boyfriend Chuck Cranston. In an attempt to impress Ariel and prove his worthiness, Ren challenges ...

Directed by Jack Hofsiss, the biographical film I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982) stars Jill Clayburgh. Holding a successful career in a male-dominated industry and in a solid relationship with her live-in lover, attorney Derek Bauer, Barbara Gordon appears to have it all. However, beneath her façade lies a high-strung personality that heavily relies on sedatives to reduce tension and anxiety. This helps her maintain a composed exterior for her friends and associates. Her current project centers on cancer patient Jean Scott Martin and her husband Ben, highlighting ...