Actress Kelly Macdonald (1976)

Directed by John Madden, the war drama film Operation Mincemeat (2021) is based on Ben Macintyre’s book about the British operation during World War II. In the midst of the war in 1943, Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu, a Jewish barrister, remains in England while his wife Iris and children seek refuge in the United States. He sets aside his law practice to join the Twenty Committee, accompanied by his secretary Hester Leggett. With Britain entrenched in conflict, Prime Minister Winston Churchill has promised the US that an invasion of Sicily will occur in July to ...

T2 Trainspotting (2017) is a British black comedy drama film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge. It takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland and is based on characters from Irvine Welsh’s novels Trainspotting and Porno. Two decades after his betrayal and escape with the majority of their scam money, Mark Renton returns to Edinburgh for the first time. He seeks out his former companions Spud and Simon, but they are both struggling just as much as when he left them. Spud had briefly turned his life around but has since fallen back into despair, even ...

The historical romantic drama film, Anna Karenina (2012), directed by Joe Wright and adapted by Tom Stoppard from Leo Tolstoy’s novel of the same name, portrays the tragic story of Russian aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina. Married to statesman Alexei Karenin, Anna engages in an affair with wealthy cavalry officer Count Vronsky. Meanwhile, in 1874 Russia, Princess Darya (known as ‘Dolly’) banishes her unfaithful husband Prince Stephan ‘Stiva’ Oblonsky. Upon hearing this news, Anna travels ...

Pixar Animation Studios produced Brave (2012), an American animated fantasy film distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Set in Medieval Scotland, the story follows a young Princess Merida of clan Dunbroch on her birthday. As a gift, her father King Fergus gives her a bow and arrow, much to the dismay of Queen Elinor. While retrieving an arrow in the forest, Merida comes across a will-o’-the-wisp before being attacked by Mor’du, a massive demon bear. Escaping on horseback with Elinor, they leave Fergus and his men to defend against Mor’du, resulting in the loss of one of Fergus’s legs. A decade later, Merida learns she is to be betrothed to the ...

Black Mirror (2011–2024) is a thought-provoking British anthology series, created by Charlie Brooker, that delves into the consequences of technology on society. Originally airing on Channel 4, the show has since found a home on Netflix and has produced six series since its debut in 2011. With a total of 27 episodes and one interactive film called Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, each installment ranges from 40 to 89 minutes and can be viewed in any desired order. While the episodes cover a diverse range of genres, they all share a common theme of the potential future impact of technology, drawing inspiration from ...

Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014) is a popular American period crime drama created by Terence Winter and aired on HBO. It takes place primarily in Atlantic City, New Jersey during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and features Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, a notorious criminal. Winter drew inspiration from Nelson Johnson’s 2002 non-fiction book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, which focuses on the real-life kingpin Enoch L. ...

The neo-noir film, The Merry Gentleman (2008), directed by Michael Keaton, tells the story of Kate. She escapes her abusive husband, a police officer, and moves to Chicago. Despite befriending a colleague at work, she mostly keeps to herself due to her shame over the black eye from her husband’s latest attack. Feeling isolated and rejected, she encounters mainly unsavory characters. One night, while standing in an office window, Frank Logan, a professional hit man on a nearby rooftop preparing for a hit, sees her through his rifle scope. Instead of leaving after the job is done, he takes off his hat and steps out ...

No Country for Old Men (2007), an American neo-Western crime thriller film directed and written by Joel and Ethan Coen, is based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel with the same name. In 1980, Anton Chigurh, a hitman, is arrested in Texas but manages to escape by strangling a sheriff’s deputy. He then steals a car using a captive bolt pistol to kill the driver. Meanwhile, Llewelyn Moss is hunting pronghorns in the desert when he stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong. Among the scene are several dead men, a wounded ...

All the Invisible Children (2005) is an anthology film exploring the themes of childhood and exploitation. This compilation features seven distinct short films, each centering on a different child. With a total runtime of 116 minutes, averaging 16 minutes per segment, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 1 September 2005. The concept for All the Invisible Children was brought to life by producer Chiara Tilesi and her partner Stefano Veneruso of MK Film Productions. Working closely together, they collaborated with authoritative directors to tell heartfelt ...

Elizabeth (1998), a British biographical period drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by Michael Hirst, tells the story of Catholic Queen Mary I of England’s death in 1558. The forty-two year old daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon is believed to have died from a cancerous tumor in her womb. With Mary gone, her twenty-five year old half sister Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, is released from house arrest for suspected involvement in Thomas Wyatt the Younger’s rebellion. As the new Queen of England, Elizabeth inherits a ...

Trainspotting (1996), directed by Danny Boyle, is a British dark comedy-drama from 1996. At the age of 26, Mark Renton is an unemployed heroin addict living with his parents in Leith, Edinburgh. He frequently indulges in drugs with his group of ‘friends’, which includes the unreliable and womanizing Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson, the clumsy Daniel ‘Spud’ Murphy, and their dealer known as ‘Mother Superior’. Renton’s other acquaintances are the aggressive alcoholic Francis ‘Franco’ Begbie and honest footballer Tommy Mackenzie, both of whom warn him about the ...