Actor James Whitmore (1921)

The American romantic drama film, The Majestic (2001), was produced and directed by Frank Darabont and written by Michael Sloane. Set in 1951 during the height of McCarthyism, the story follows Peter Appleton, a rising young Hollywood screenwriter. He is informed by his agent Leo Kubelsky and attorney Kevin Bannerman that he has been accused of being a communist due to attending an antiwar gathering in college. Despite claiming he only went to impress a girl, the accusation causes his latest film, Ashes to Ashes, to be delayed and credited to someone else. It also leads ...

The Shawshank Redemption (1994), a prison drama film, was written and directed by Frank Darabont. The film is based on the 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King. Set in the late 1940s, it follows the story of Andy Dufresne, a former banker from Portland, Maine who is sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the murders of his wife and her lover. At Shawshank State Prison, Andy befriends Ellis ‘Red’ Redding, a fellow inmate serving a life sentence for smuggling contraband. With Red’s help, Andy acquires a rock ...

Planet of the Apes (1968), an American science fiction film by Franklin J. Schaffner, is loosely based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel. Astronauts Taylor, Landon and Dodge emerge from an extended hibernation following a space voyage at near-light speed. According to Taylor’s theory attributed to scientist Hasslein, the time dilation effect has caused only 18 months to pass for the astronauts despite 701 years having elapsed on Earth since their journey began in 1972. The clock aboard the ship shows time advancing at a rate of approximately one day per minute, ...

The film noir The Asphalt Jungle (1950), directed and co-written by John Huston, follows the story of criminal mastermind Erwin ‘Doc’ Riedenschneider. Upon his release from a seven-year prison sentence, Doc seeks out the help of bookie Cobby in an unknown city located near a Midwestern river. In need of $50,000 to complete a major jewel theft, Doc requests the assistance of three individuals: a safecracker, a driver, and a hooligan. With Cobby’s connections, he sets up a meeting with high-class lawyer and fixer Alonzo Emmerich. During the meeting, Doc mentions that the stolen jewels could potentially ...