Actress Katie Holmes (1978)

Logan Lucky (2017), a heist comedy film, was helmed by the renowned director Steven Soderbergh and written by Rebecca Blunt. Soderbergh famously ended his retirement for this project and distributed it independently through his company, Fingerprint Releasing. The protagonist of the film, Jimmy Logan, is let go from his construction job at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During a visit with his ex-wife Bobbie Jo to see their daughter Sadie rehearse for a beauty pageant, Jimmy discovers that Bobbie Jo and her new spouse are moving ...

The American crime drama TV series Ray Donovan (2013–2020), created by Ann Biderman, debuted on Showtime on June 30, 2013. The show follows Liev Schreiber as the lead character, who works as a ‘fixer’ for the prestigious law firm Goldman & Drexler in Los Angeles, representing wealthy and famous clients. However, his life is thrown into turmoil when his father Mickey Donovan is unexpectedly released from prison. After seven seasons, Showtime announced the cancellation of the series on February 4, 2020. However, a feature-length film to wrap up the story was ...

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 American satirical black comedy film, Thank You for Smoking (2005), written and directed by Jason Reitman, follows the story of Nick Naylor. As a Big Tobacco spokesman, Naylor relies on ‘research’ from the ‘Academy of Tobacco Studies’, where he serves as vice-president. Despite increasing pressure from anti-tobacco campaigns and declining numbers of young smokers, Naylor remains confident in his job. He meets regularly with his friends – firearm lobbyist Bobby Jay Bliss and alcohol lobbyist Polly Bailey – playfully referring to themselves as the ‘Merchants of Death’ or ...

The American musical crime comedy film, The Singing Detective (2003), was directed by Keith Gordon and is loosely based on the BBC serial of the same name. Protagonist Dan Dark, a detective novelist, finds himself hospitalized as a result of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. During his stay, he experiences occasional hallucinations, where doctors and nurses are transformed into characters in musical numbers. Despite their efforts to assist him, Dark’s anger and bitterness towards everyone cause him to dismiss their help. In an effort to uncover the root of his issues, Dark is sent to psychiatrist Dr. Gibbon. The ...

The Gift (2000) is the American paranormal thriller film, directed by Sam Raimi and written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, centers around widow Annie Wilson, a clairvoyant in Brixton, Georgia. She has visions of her grandmother and uses her abilities to help others. After Jessica King, the fiancée of the school principal Wayne Collins, goes missing, Annie receives a vision that she has been killed and thrown into the pond. Despite initial skepticism from local sheriff Pearl Johnson, Annie informs him of her vision ...

In the film Wonder Boys (2000), director Curtis Hanson and writer Steve Kloves showcase the life of Grady Tripp, a creative writing professor at an unnamed Pennsylvania university. Grady is in a relationship with Sara Gaskell, the university chancellor. However, her husband Walter is also involved in their professional lives as chairman of the English department where Grady teaches. Recently, Grady’s third wife Emily has left him and he struggles to replicate the success of his first novel. Currently, he is diligently working on his second novel but cannot seem to ...

Go (1999) is an American crime comedy film that tells the story of three sets of characters whose lives become entangled during the Christmas season. Ronna, struggling to make ends meet and facing eviction, is approached by Adam and Zack to purchase 20 hits of ecstasy. However, their usual dealer Simon is absent, so Ronna turns to Todd, who she owes money to. In order to pay him back, she leaves her friend Claire with him as collateral. Despite some initial suspicions about Burke, a stranger with Adam and Zack, Ronna agrees to sell the pills. However, after realizing they may be in danger due to the pills’ unknown strength, she makes a risky decision and ...