Actor Donald Sutherland (1935)

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022) is an American horror drama film written and directed by John Lee Hancock, based on Stephen King’s novella from the collection If It Bleeds. In 2003, Craig’s mother passes away and he strikes up an unexpected friendship with retired businessman John Harrigan, who asks him to read to him three times a week. As time passes, the two become even closer despite the age gap. Craig starts high school and bonds with his teacher Ms. Hart when a bully named Kenny Yankovich tries to intimidate him. Thanks to a lottery ticket ...

Moonfall (2022), a science fiction disaster film, is the result of collaboration between writer, director, and producer Roland Emmerich. In 2011, astronauts Brian Harper and Jocinda Fowler are repairing a satellite during a Space Shuttle mission when a strange black swarm attacks their orbiter. The swarm kills one of their crewmates and leaves Fowler incapacitated. Despite Harper’s account of the event, which he stands by for eighteen months, his explanation is not believed and he is ultimately fired due to alleged human error. A decade later, K.C. Houseman, who holds the belief that the Moon is an artificial ...

The American sci-fi flick, Ad Astra (2019), was produced, co-written, and directed by James Gray. Set in the early 22nd century, humanity faces a looming threat as unexplained power surges threaten to disrupt civilization. Roy McBride, a military major, receives word that these surges are linked to the ‘Lima Project’, a space station orbiting Neptune on a mission to discover intelligent life. Coincidentally, Roy’s father, H. Clifford McBride, leads this project. Desperate for answers, Roy agrees to journey to Mars to investigate the fate of the station’s crew. Unfortunately, his trip is derailed ...

Premiering on March 25, 2018 on FX, Trust (2018) is an American drama TV series by Simon Beaufoy. The 10-episode show, directed by Danny Boyle and others, takes place in 1973 and depicts the abduction of John Paul Getty III in Italy. Critics applauded the performances and use of Italian actors to portray native characters. Trust delves into ‘the trials and triumphs of one of America’s wealthiest and unhappiest families’, the Gettys, specifically focusing on the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III by the Italian Mafia in Rome during that same year.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) is an American thriller directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ novel Mockingjay (2010). After being assaulted by a brainwashed Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen recuperates in District 13. President Alma Coin holds back Katniss from heading to the Capitol until they take control of the last district, District 2. To persuade District 2 to join ...

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) is a dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It is based on Suzanne Collins’ novel from a decade earlier. Following their rescue from the destroyed arena of the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, Beetee, and Finnick Odair are taken to District 13, an underground district that has been leading the rebellion. There, Katniss is reunited with her mother and sister ...

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) is an American dystopian action film. It was directed by Francis Lawrence, with a screenplay from Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn. The movie is based on the book Catching Fire, written by Suzanne Collins in 2009. After their joint victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark live comfortably but struggle with emotional turmoil in District 12. Katniss remains distant from Peeta due to her traumatic ...

The Hunger Games (2012) is anAmerican dystopian action film, directed by Gary Ross and co-written by Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray. It is based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Collins. The story takes place in a dystopian nation called Panem, which is divided into twelve districts and ruled by the Capitol. As punishment for a previous rebellion, each district must send two tributes – one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen – to ...

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 ...

Created by Craig Wright, Dirty Sexy Money (2007–2009) was an American prime time drama series that aired on ABC from September 2007 to August 2009. The show, produced by Berlanti Television and ABC Studios, boasted an impressive executive producing team including Greg Berlanti, Bryan Singer, Matthew Gross, Peter Horton, and Josh Reims. Melissa Berman served as producer. Set in ...

TNT aired the two-part television miniseries Salem’s Lot (2004) on June 20 and June 21 2004. On Thanksgiving in Detroit, Ben Mears attacks priest Donald Callahan at a homeless shelter. As they confront each other in Callahan’s office, Mears is shot and the ensuing struggle sends them both out a window onto a police car below. They are then hospitalized, where an orderly questions Mears about his motives for attacking a priest as a fellow Christian. Mears responds with ‘Jerusalem’s Lot’ before recounting his past to the orderly. Two years prior, he had returned to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot (also known as ‘Salem’s ...

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 ...

Space Cowboys (2000), an American adventure drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, tells the story of two U.S. Air Force pilots and aspiring astronauts- William ‘Hawk’ Hawkins and Frank Corvin. In 1958, while testing a modified Bell X-2, Hawk decides to attempt breaking speed and altitude records. However, the plane stalls and they are forced to eject, narrowly missing a Boeing B-50 Superfortress with navigator ‘Tank’ Sullivan. After landing safely on the ground, Frank throws a punch at Hawk but their fight is interrupted by flight engineer Jerry O’Neill. Their superior, Bob ...

The American supernatural thriller film, Fallen (1998), directed by Gregory Hoblit, tells the story of Philadelphia Police Detective John Hobbes and his encounter with serial killer Edgar Reese. Many years after capturing Reese, Hobbes visits him on death row where he is met with a surprisingly upbeat demeanor. During their conversation, Reese grabs Hobbes’ hand and delivers a spiteful monologue in an unknown language, later identified as Syrian Aramaic. As Reese is executed, he taunts the onlookers and sings ‘Time Is on My Side’ by The Rolling Stones. After a series of murders resembling Reese’s ...

In the directed film Hollow Point (1996), Sidney J. Furie tells the story of Diane Norwood, an FBI agent, and Max Parrish, a DEA agent, as they chase down a group of three allied crime bosses and their financial manager, Livingston. Despite having the same target, the agents opt to compete against each other for the chance to arrest the criminals and take their large cash stash in the name of their respective agencies. However, when it becomes clear that neither is willing to back down, they begrudgingly agree to join forces. Amidst intense romantic tension, Diane and Max’s ...

A Time to Kill (1996), an American legal drama film, is based on John Grisham’s 1989 novel of the same name. In Canton, Mississippi in 1984, ten-year-old African American girl Tonya Hailey is assaulted by two local white men, Billy Ray Cobb and James Willard, while returning home from running errands. Despite their attempt to hang her and leave her in a nearby river, Tonya manages to survive and the two men are apprehended by Sheriff Ozzie Walls. Seeking justice for his daughter, Tonya’s father Carl Lee Hailey enlists the help of Jake Brigance, a white lawyer who previously defended his brother Lester. ...

Citizen X (1995) is an American television film based on the true story of Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. The film follows detectives in the 1980s as they work to capture an unknown serial killer responsible for the murder of women and children. Despite bureaucratic obstacles, forensic specialist Viktor Burakov leads an eight-year hunt for the perpetrator after a body is discovered on a collective farm in 1982. As they continue their search, seven more bodies are found in nearby woods, all showing signs of mutilation and murder. In total, 53 lives were taken, with 52 victims under the age of 35. Burakov’s rise to ...

The film Six Degrees of Separation (1993) was directed by Fred Schepisi for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is an adaptation of John Guare’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated play from 1990 with the same title. Ouisa Kittredge and her husband Flan, well-known socialites on Fifth Avenue, have two children attending Harvard and one at Groton. Their exclusive circle and reputation as art enthusiasts make them easy targets for Paul, a clever scammer who shows up at their door one night claiming to be a good friend of their college-aged kids and the son of Sidney Poitier.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), an American comedy directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and written by Joss Whedon, follows the story of Buffy Summers. She is a cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles, where her main interests include shopping and spending time with her wealthy friends and boyfriend, Jeffrey. However, one day at school, she meets Merrick, who claims she is The Slayer – the chosen one destined to defeat vampires. At first, Buffy dismisses his words but later changes her mind when he describes a recurring dream of hers in vivid detail. Despite ...

The American epic political thriller film, JFK (1991), written and directed by Oliver Stone, delves into the investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The New Orleans district attorney, Jim Garrison, becomes convinced that there was a conspiracy to kill Kennedy and that Lee Harvey Oswald was used as a scapegoat. Outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower had warned about the dangers of the military-industrial complex in his 1961 farewell address. However, Kennedy takes over as president and is faced with challenges such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis before his tragic assassination in ...