Actor Giancarlo Giannini (1942)

The Hulu miniseries Catch-22 (2019) is a dark comedy based on Joseph Heller’s novel of the same name. It follows Captain John Yossarian, a WWII bombardier stationed on the island of Pianosa. As an individualist, Yossarian constantly seeks ways to protect his own life. However, due to the army’s confusing regulations, he finds himself unable to escape his duties through illness or leave. Despite witnessing countless tragedies and the disregard of higher-ups for their well-being, Yossarian cannot use insanity as an excuse to go home because of Catch-22. The show follows ...

The Catcher Was a Spy (2018) is an American war film directed by Ben Lewin and written by Robert Rodat, based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Dawidoff. Moe Berg, an experienced 15-year baseball player, takes on a new role as a spy in the war effort to outdo Nazi Germany in developing the first atomic bomb. The Germans made a breakthrough by splitting the atom in 1938, and the race for the bomb was on. In charge of delivering this weapon was German Nobel prize winner Werner Heisenberg. To counter this threat, Moe ...

Quantum of Solace (2008) is the twenty-second installment in the iconic James Bond series created by Eon Productions. Bond transports Mr. White, a detainee, from Lake Garda to Siena, Italy in his vehicle. While evading pursuers, Bond successfully delivers White to M, who questions him about the elusive organisation Quantum. When White reveals that their agents are ubiquitous, one of M’s protectors named Craig Mitchell shoots a guard and turns on her. In an attempt to apprehend Mitchell, Bond ends his life as White manages to escape. Further investigation of Mitchell’s residence in London leads Bond and M to learn about his connection with a man ...

Casino Royale (2006) is the twenty-first film of the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same title and directed by Martin Campbell, with a screenplay written by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis. The movie features Daniel Craig as Bond in his debut performance. In an effort to shake off the ...

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 ...

Hannibal (2001), an American crime thriller directed by Ridley Scott and adapted from Thomas Harris’s novel, follows FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling. A decade after catching serial killer Jame Gumb, Starling is blamed for a failed drug raid that cost five lives. She is approached by Mason Verger, the lone survivor of cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter who has been on the run since escaping custody. Verger, a wealthy predator who was left paralyzed and disfigured by Lecter, has been plotting revenge against him and enlists Starling’s help to capture him. ...

A Walk in the Clouds (1995) is a romantic drama film directed by Alfonso Arau. After serving in World War II, United States Army Sgt. Paul Sutton returns to San Francisco to reunite with his wife, Betty. They had a whirlwind courtship and got married just before Paul was deployed to the Pacific. However, the war has left him with deep emotional scars and he often suffers from flashbacks. Betty’s reception is not as warm as Paul hoped, especially when he discovers that she has stopped reading his letters and kept them unopened in a footlocker. Despite this, Paul is determined to make their marriage work and tries ...

New York Stories (1989) is an American anthology film featuring three segments with a central focus on the bustling metropolis of New York City. The first segment, Life Lessons, is directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Richard Price. It stars Nick Nolte. The second segment, Life Without Zoë, is helmed by Francis Ford Coppola and co-written by Coppola and his daughter,

Swept Away (1974), the Italian romantic adventure comedy drama written and directed by Lina Wertmüller, tells the story of a wealthy woman named Raffaella Pavone Lanzetti who is vacationing on a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea with friends. While enjoying activities such as swimming and sunbathing, Raffaella also proudly espouses her beliefs about her social class and dismisses the political left. This angers Gennarino, one of the deckhands who is a dedicated communist but keeps his opinions to himself to maintain his job. Despite Raffaella’s insulting behavior, she convinces Gennarino to take her out on a dinghy ...