Actor John Turturro (1957)

An American superhero film, The Batman (2022), is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. On Halloween night, Gotham City’s mayor, Don Mitchell Jr., is found dead and a man claiming to be the Riddler takes responsibility. Bruce Wayne, a wealthy recluse who has been operating as Batman for two years now, joins forces with the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) to investigate. During their investigation, Lieutenant James Gordon uncovers a message from the Riddler intended for Batman. The villain strikes again by killing Commissioner Pete Savage and leaving another message for Batman. As they dig deeper into the case, Batman and Gordon discover ...

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) is a sci-fi action movie adapted from the popular toy line by Hasbro. In the year 484 AD, after coming across the Knights of Iacon, a group of hidden Transformers on Earth, Merlin seeks their assistance to aid King Arthur and his knights. With their help and armed with a staff, Arthur defeats the Saxons. However, Merlin is cautioned to keep the staff hidden. In present day, five years after the devastation in Hong Kong, Optimus Prime lands on Cybertron’s ruins and crosses paths with Quintessa, a deranged Cybertronian goddess who manipulates him into becoming Nemesis Prime and sends him back to Earth to retrieve Merlin’s ...

Rio, I Love You (2014) is a cinematic collage of love in Brazil with an international cast. As the third installment of the Cities of Love series, Rio, Eu Te Amo brings together 10 talented directors from diverse backgrounds and presents 10 unique tales of love set in different neighborhoods of the city. Each segment captures the essence and charm of its specific location through a heartwarming encounter between two individuals. The film not only entertains, but also aims to promote cultural understanding and appreciation by showcasing both local and universal expressions of love. 1. Dona ...

Filmmaker Ridley Scott brought the biblical story of Exodus to life through his epic film, Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). At this time in history, Moses, a respected member of the Egyptian royal family and a skilled general, prepares for battle with the Hittites alongside his fellow prince Ramesses. A High Priestess delivers a prophecy to Ramesses’s father Seti I using animal entrails, foretelling that one of the two princes will save the other and become a great leader. During the intense battle, Moses risks his own life to save Ramesses, leaving both men unsettled. As events unfold, Moses takes on the ...

The comedy film Fading Gigolo (2013), starring and directed by John Turturro, follows a wealthy dermatologist named Dr. Parker who mentions to her patient Murray that she and her friend Selima are interested in a ménage à trois and asks if he knows of any willing men. Murray, struggling financially after his bookstore fails, persuades his former employee Fioravante to take on the gig. With Murray acting as their pimp, they quickly establish a successful gigolo business. Meanwhile, Murray lives with Othella and her children, one of whom gets head lice. To treat the child, Murray takes him to Avigal, a widow of a Hasidic ...

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) is an American science fiction action film inspired by Hasbro’s popular toy line. Decades earlier, a Cybertronian spaceship known as the Ark crashes on the dark side of the Moon and is discovered by NASA. In order to investigate, President John F. Kennedy approves a mission to land on the Moon, which takes place in 1969 with Apollo 11. Unbeknownst to the public, the astronauts also explore the crashed spaceship before returning to Earth. In present day, the Autobots work alongside humans to prevent major conflicts. During a mission to investigate possible alien technology at Chernobyl, they are attacked by Decepticon ...

Cars 2 (2011) is an American animated spy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. During a mission to rescue his fellow British spy Leland Turbo, Finn McMissile infiltrates an oil rig owned by criminal lemon cars. There, he witnesses the lemons, led by Professor Zündapp, loading a disguised electromagnetic pulse generator onto a shipping crate. Unfortunately, Turbo is killed and Finn must escape by faking his own death. Meanwhile, Lightning McQueen takes a break from racing to visit his friends in Radiator Springs after winning his fourth Piston Cup. However, he soon gets caught up in the World Grand Prix – created by electric ...

The American action thriller film The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), directed by Tony Scott and written by Brian Helgeland, revolves around a hijacking scenario. A man known as Ryder, along with his accomplices Bashkin, Emri, and ex-train operator Phil Ramos, take over Pelham 123 – a New York City Subway train at 77th Street. In an attempt to gain control of the situation, Walter Garber – a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee working as a train dispatcher in the Rail Control Center – receives a call from Ryder demanding $10 million in cash ...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) is an American science fiction action film, inspired by Hasbro’s popular Transformers toys. In ancient times, the Primes, highly regarded leaders of Cybertronians, obtained their energy known as Energon through star harvesters. However, there was a rule among the Primes to never deplete stars that support life. One Prime broke this rule by constructing a star harvester on Earth and thus became known as ‘the Fallen’, the first Decepticon. Fast forward to 2009, two years after the battle in Mission City, the Autobots and humans have joined forces to form NEST (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species ...

Transformers (2007), an American sci-fi action film based on Hasbro’s toy line, follows the epic story of two factions of sentient robots – the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons led by Megatron. A brutal civil war on their home planet Cybertron has left it devastated and in ruins, as both sides fight for control of the AllSpark – a powerful cube that holds the key to their existence. The Autobots seek to use it for healing and peace, while the Decepticons aim to use its power for destruction and domination. But fate brings them to Earth when Megatron crash-lands in the Arctic Circle, where he remains frozen until discovered by Captain ...

The American comedy-drama film, Margot at the Wedding (2007), was both written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The main character, Margot, is a accomplished writer who is often preoccupied with her own thoughts and feelings. It is hinted that she may have borderline personality disorder. Margot decides to bring her 11-year-old son Claude with her for a weekend visit to her sister Pauline’s home on Long Island, New York. Pauline is set to marry Malcolm, an unrewarding musician whom Margot finds unappealing. During her stay in town, Margot participates in a public interview at a local bookstore with Dick Koosman, a ...

The American spy film, The Good Shepherd (2006), was both produced and directed by Robert De Niro. Following the disastrous end of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, suspicions arise about a potential ‘mole’ within the CIA. Senior officer Edward Wilson returns home to find a photograph and audio tapes that have been tampered with, leaving some details unclear. Flashing back to his time at Yale University in 1939, Wilson is invited to join the Skull and Bones fraternity where he reveals that he discovered but never read his father’s suicide note. His father, an admiral who had been considered for ...

The film Secret Window (2004) is a psychological thriller featuring Johnny Depp and John Turturro. Written and directed by David Koepp, it is based on Stephen King’s novella Secret Window, Secret Garden. After finding his wife Amy in an affair with their friend Ted, mystery writer Mort Rainey seeks solace in his cabin at Tashmore Lake, while Amy remains in their home. Although they have been separated for six months, Mort has yet to finalize their divorce due ...

Anger Management (2003), an American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by David S. Dorfman, follows the story of Dave Buznik as he navigates through various challenges in his life. As a young boy growing up in Brooklyn in 1978, Dave experiences humiliation at the hands of local bully Arnie Shankman when his pants are unexpectedly pulled down during what was supposed to be his first kiss. Flash forward twenty-five years and Dave is now working as a secretary for his disrespectful boss, Frank. The traumatic bullying incident has left Dave with a fear of ...

The film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is a clever mix of satire and drama, written, produced, co-edited, and directed by the talented duo Joel and Ethan Coen. Three prisoners – Pete, Delmar, and their leader Ulysses Everett McGill – flee from a chain gang in order to find a hidden fortune before the area is flooded. Along the way, they receive help from a blind man on a railway handcar who warns them that their reward may not be what they expect. Seeking refuge at Wash’s home – Pete’s cousin – the trio incurs the wrath of Sheriff ...

The drama film, The Man Who Cried (2000), written and directed by Sally Potter tells the story of Fegele Abramovich, a Russian Jew who becomes separated from her father in 1927. As her father seeks his fortune in America, he promises to bring Fegele and her grandmother to join him. Before departing, he sings ‘Je Crois Entendre Encore’ from Les pêcheurs de perles by Bizet to his daughter. Tragically, a pogrom strikes their village after he leaves, and Fegele is forced to flee with the help of kind neighbors. Despite facing numerous obstacles on her journey, she eventually boards a ship bound for Britain with ...

The Source (1999), a documentary directed by Chuck Workman, follows the lives of influential Beat writers, from their first meeting at Columbia University in 1944 to their deaths. Through dramatic interpretations by three actors, the film delves into their friendships, rise to prominence in American culture, travels, frequent parodies, and eventual passings of Kerouac and Ginsberg. Their movement intersected with bebop music, John Cage’s compositions, abstract expressionism art, and experimental theater. In recent interviews with figures such as Jerry Garcia and Tom Hayden, the likes of Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kesey ...

The American sports drama film, He Got Game (1998), was written, produced, and directed by Spike Lee. It centers around Jesus Shuttlesworth, an exceptional high school basketball player being heavily recruited by top college programs. However, his father Jake is currently serving time at Attica Correctional Facility for accidentally killing Jesus’ mother Martha six years ago. The governor of ‘Big State’, one of the schools vying for Jesus’ talents, grants Jake a work release in hopes that he can convince his son to sign with their program and secure an early release from prison. As soon as he is ...

Rounders (1998) is an American drama film, directed by John Dahl, that delves into the underground world of high-stakes poker. Mike McDermott, a gifted player and law student in New York City, has his sights set on winning the World Series of Poker. However, at an underground Texas hold ’em game run by Russian mobster Teddy ‘KGB’, Mike’s confidence leads to him losing his entire $30,000 bankroll in one hand. Determined to focus on school and keep his promise to his girlfriend Jo, Mike turns down mentor Joey Knish’s offer to stake him and instead takes on a part-time job. But when his friend ...

Mo’ Better Blues (1990) is an American musical comedy-drama film featuring a talented cast including Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee. In the film, set in Brooklyn in 1969, four young boys invite Bleek Gilliam to play baseball with them outside his home, but Bleek’s mother interrupts with a reminder of his trumpet lesson. This leads to a heated family argument as Bleek’s father expresses concerns over his son’s interests. Despite this, Bleek continues to pursue his passion for music ...