Actor Gary Oldman (1958)

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022) is a television special, released on HBO Max on New Year’s Day, celebrating the first installment of the beloved film series. Produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television and executive produced by Casey Patterson, this reunion honors the late cast members, including Helen McCrory, Alan Rickman, John Hurt, Richard Griffiths, and

The American biographical drama film, Mank (2020), directed by David Fincher and based on a screenplay written by his late father Jack Fincher, tells the story of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s development of the screenplay for Citizen Kane. In 1940, RKO grants Orson Welles complete creative control for his next project. Welles enlists Mankiewicz, who is recovering from a car accident in Victorville, California, to write the script while dictating it to his secretary Rita Alexander. However, Alexander ...

The action comedy film, The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), was directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O’Connor. After a devastating failed mission for a high-status client in Japan, former elite bodyguard Michael Bryce’s once impeccable reputation is now tarnished. Reduced to a lower class of protection work, Bryce is determined to redeem himself and jumps at the chance to escort notorious hitman Darius Kincaid from Manchester to the Hague as requested by Interpol. Although the job seems straightforward–transport Kincaid from one location to ...

Criminal (2016) is an American action thriller film directed by Ariel Vromen and written by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg. The story follows the death of London-based CIA operative Billy Pope in an unsuccessful deal with hacker Jan Strook, also known as The Dutchman, for a wormhole program that provides access to nuclear codes. In order to retrieve the missing program and $10 million, Quaker Wells, Billy’s superior, enlists the help of Dr. Micah Franks to transfer Billy’s brain functions into another person. ...

Director José Padilha brought the American science-fiction action film, RoboCop (2014), to life with screenwriters Joshua Zetumer, Edward Neumeier, and Michael Miner. This remake of the 1987 original is the fourth in the franchise. The story explores a futuristic world where multinational corporation OmniCorp introduces robotic peacekeepers to maintain law and order. CEO Raymond Sellars leads the company’s efforts to market this advanced technology to domestic law ...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) is an American sci-fi action film directed by Matt Reeves. A decade after the deadly Simian Flu pandemic, the global human population has drastically decreased and only a small fraction are genetically immune. Human society collapsed as a result. Meanwhile, a group of apes with enhanced intelligence from the virus have settled in Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco, led by Caesar and his lieutenants Maurice, Rocket, and Koba. Unknowingly, a team of humans led by Malcolm enter the apes’ territory in search of a hydroelectric dam to restore their community’s ...

Guns, Girls and Gambling (2012) is an American action crime thriller film written and directed by Michael Winnick. John Smith’s luck just keeps getting worse. First, his girlfriend leaves him for a doctor. Then, a hooker swipes his wallet at an Apache Reservation casino. To top it off, he loses both an Elvis Impersonation contest and a poker game against fellow impersonators Gay Elvis, Little Person Elvis, Asian Elvis, and the victor, Elvis Elvis. As if things couldn’t get any more complicated, John is falsely accused of stealing a valuable ancient Apache mask from ‘The Chief’, the casino’s ...

The superhero film, The Dark Knight Rises (2012), was helmed by director Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and the story with David S. Goyer. Bane, a former member of the League of Shadows, leads an attack on a CIA plane over Uzbekistan to abduct nuclear physicist Dr. Leonid Pavel and deceives observers by making it appear that Pavel died in the crash. Meanwhile, eight years have passed since district attorney Harvey Dent’s death in Gotham City. Thanks to the Dent Act, ...

The animated martial arts comedy, Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The rulers of Gongmen City, known as the peacocks, first created fireworks for peaceful purposes. However, their son, Lord Shen, discovered that gunpowder used in firecrackers could also be used as a weapon. Concerned about Shen’s fixation on this destructive potential, his parents consulted a soothsayer who predicted that his actions would ultimately be thwarted by a ‘warrior of black and white’. Upon hearing this prophecy, Shen concluded that the warrior would be a panda and ordered his wolf army to eradicate all ...

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) is a British Cold War spy thriller film directed by Tomas Alfredson. The script was written by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, adapted from John le Carré’s novel of the same name. In 1973, ‘Control’, head of British intelligence, sends agent Jim Prideaux to Budapest on a mission to uncover a mole within their ranks. However, Prideaux is shot during the operation and Control subsequently dies. Sir Percy Alleline ...

In the fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, our hero must seek help from the goblin Griphook after burying Dobby. With Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger by his side, Harry suspects a Horcrux is hidden in Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault at Gringotts bank. Griphook agrees to assist them, on the condition that he receives the Sword of Gryffindor in return. Ollivander informs Harry that two wands previously belonging to Bellatrix and Draco Malfoy were taken from Malfoy Manor; sensing a ...

The American post-apocalyptic neo-Western action film, The Book of Eli (2010), directed by the Hughes Brothers and written by Gary Whitta, follows Eli as he travels on foot through the wasteland of the former United States thirty years after a nuclear holocaust. Despite his rugged appearance and sunglasses, Eli possesses remarkable survival and fighting skills. When he stumbles upon a town ruled by warlord Carnegie, who is searching for a certain book to control the people, Eli makes a deal with a store owner to recharge his portable music player. While at the town bar, ...

In London on Christmas Eve 1843, Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009) follows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy miser who despises the joyous festivities of the holiday season. Despite his nephew Fred’s invitation to a Christmas dinner party and the urging of two charity workers, Scrooge refuses to participate in any acts of kindness or generosity. His dedicated employee Bob Cratchit must even ask for a single day off on Christmas Day, which Scrooge reluctantly grants. However, when Scrooge encounters the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley at home, he soon realizes that his selfish ways may lead him down a path of eternal suffering. Marley ...

Planet 51 (2009), an animated science fiction comedy directed by Jorge Blanco, features green extraterrestrials living peacefully in a society reminiscent of the 1950s United States. However, this planet and its inhabitants differ significantly from Earth, as their lack of knowledge about astronomy leads them to believe that the Universe only stretches for around 500 miles. When a mysterious spacecraft lands in the city of Glipforg, NASA astronaut Captain Charles T. ‘Chuck’ Baker emerges and is surprised to discover life on the planet. Chuck quickly escapes to the town’s planetarium where he meets Lem, ...

The superhero film, The Dark Knight (2008), was directed by Christopher Nolan and co-written with his brother Jonathan. It serves as the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and is the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. In Gotham City, a group of masked criminals stages a robbery at a mafia-owned bank. Amid betrayals and killings, the mastermind behind the heist is revealed to be none other than the Joker, who escapes with the stolen money. To combat organized crime in Gotham, Batman teams up with district attorney Harvey Dent and police lieutenant ...

The fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), was directed by David Yates and written by Michael Goldenberg. It was based on the 2003 novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. While staying at the Dursleys’, Harry Potter is attacked by Dementors alongside his cousin, Dudley. With the use of a Patronus spell, Harry repels them successfully. However, this results in him being detected by the Ministry of Magic for underage magic use, leading to his temporary expulsion from Hogwarts. Luckily, he is ...

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Batman Begins (2005) is a superhero film co-written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. After an incident involving bats in his childhood, Bruce Wayne develops a fear of them. Years later, at the opera with his parents, he becomes unsettled by performers dressed as bats and asks to leave. Tragically, they are killed in front of him by Joe Chill, a mugger. Bruce is then taken in and cared for by Alfred Pennyworth, the family’s loyal butler. As an adult, when Chill is released from prison after ...

The fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), directed by Mike Newell from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by J.K. Rowling. In the film, Harry has a nightmare in which a Muggle caretaker is murdered for overhearing a plot involving Lord Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, and an unidentified man. The next day, Harry joins the Weasleys, Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory, and his father Amos at the Quidditch World Cup. However, their evening is disrupted when Death Eaters ...

The fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, with a screenplay by Steve Kloves. It is based on the 1999 novel of the same name written by J.K. Rowling. Once again, Harry Potter endures a disappointing summer with his relatives, the Dursleys. However, things take a turn for the worse on his thirteenth birthday when Vernon’s sister Marge insults Harry’s parents in a cruel manner. Enraged, Harry causes her to inflate and float away. Believing he will be punished ...

Tiptoes (2002), an American comedy-drama written and directed by Matthew Bright, follows the story of Carol, a talented and independent painter who falls in love with Steven. Despite not knowing much about him other than his perfection, their love blooms. However, when Carol becomes pregnant, it prompts Steven to reveal his deepest secret – his family. In a family of dwarfs with his twin brother Rolfe being one of them, Steven happens to be the only average-sized person. As they come to terms with the possibility of their child being born a dwarf, Steven’s fears intensify as he does not want them to go ...