Actor Matthew Modine (1959)

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) is a thriller directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan. After ISIS commits a deadly bombing in Kansas City, CIA agent Matt Graver is recruited by the U.S. government to investigate. Suspecting involvement from Mexican drug cartels, Graver enlists Alejandro Gillick and collaborates with Department of Defense officials to instigate conflict between rival factions. To maintain plausible deniability, Graver seeks assistance from PMC official Andy Wheeldon for mercenaries, helicopters, and communication equipment. Meanwhile, ...

Stranger Things (2016–2024) is an acclaimed American science fiction horror drama series on Netflix, helmed by the talented Duffer Brothers. The duo, professionally known as the Duffer Brothers, also serve as showrunners, head writers and directors for many of the episodes. Before their success with Stranger Things, they wrote and produced a film called Hidden in 2015, drawing inspiration from M. Night Shyamalan’s signature style. Despite their initial ...

The superhero film, The Dark Knight Rises (2012), was helmed by director Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and the story with David S. Goyer. Bane, a former member of the League of Shadows, leads an attack on a CIA plane over Uzbekistan to abduct nuclear physicist Dr. Leonid Pavel and deceives observers by making it appear that Pavel died in the crash. Meanwhile, eight years have passed since district attorney Harvey Dent’s death in Gotham City. Thanks to the Dent Act, ...

Abel Ferrara’s independent film, Go Go Tales (2007), follows the story of Ray Ruby, the manager of Ray Ruby’s Paradise. As the number of tourists dwindles, Ray becomes worried about the future of his establishment. To attract more customers, he decides to hold a lottery. However, with finances running low and bills piling up, including payment for the pole dancers, Ray struggles to keep the club afloat. To make matters worse, Lillian, the landlady, threatens to turn the space into a Bed Bath & Beyond if she does not receive rent money soon. In a desperate attempt to ...

Into the West (2005) is a TV Miniseries, produced by Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks. The six two-hour episodes (including commercials) were first broadcast in the U.S. on Turner Network Television (TNT) over six consecutive Fridays in June and July of 2005. It was also shown in the UK on BBC2 and BBC HD from November 4, 2006, as well as on CBC Television in Canada. In the U.S., AMC aired the series during both summer and fall seasons in 2012. With a setting spanning from the 1820s to 1890, the miniseries follows two families – one white American and one Native American – whose lives become intertwined ...

Mary (2005), a drama thriller flick, was written and directed by American filmmaker Abel Ferrara. After completing a movie about Jesus named This Is My Blood, Marie Palesi – the actress portraying Mary Magdalene – seeks refuge in Jerusalem to uncover the truth behind the story. Meanwhile, the film’s director (who also portrays Jesus) returns to New York with an aggressive campaign to promote the movie. Controversy surrounds the film due to its use of non-canonical Gnostic Gospels in some scenes, as well as allegations of anti-Semitism that remain unexplained. In New ...

Directed by Oliver Stone, Any Given Sunday (1999) follows the struggles of fictional American football team, the Miami Sharks. The once-dominant team is struggling to secure a spot in the 2001 AFFA playoffs, under the leadership of long-time coach Tony D’Amato. However, tensions arise between D’Amato and young team owner Christina Pagniacci, as well as his expected successor Nick Crozier, who serves as offensive coordinator. In a pivotal game during the thirteenth week of the season, both starting quarterback Jack ‘Cap’ Rooney and backup player Tyler Cherubini are injured and unable to play. In ...

Directed by Abel Ferrara, The Blackout (1997) is an American drama film starring popular actor Matthew Modine. It was featured at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, but not in competition. Matty, tired of the Hollywood lifestyle, relocates to Miami and proposes to his French girlfriend, also named Annie. However, she declines and reveals that she had an abortion. Feeling devastated about losing their baby (despite initially suggesting the abortion), Matty and his friend Micky decide to go on a wild night out. While at a nightclub, they meet another waitress named Annie and ...

Short Cuts (1993) is a comedy-drama directed by Robert Altman. The film follows the lives of several characters brought together by a neighborhood-wide medfly spray operation. Dr. Ralph Wyman and his wife, Marian, meet an unemployed salesman, Stuart Kane, and his wife Claire, who works as a party clown, at a concert featuring Zoe Trainer on cello. Spontaneously, they agree to have dinner together on Sunday. Meanwhile, Marian’s sister Sherri is married to Gene, a cheating cop who is having an affair with Betty Weathers. Coincidentally, Betty is in the process of divorcing one of the helicopter pilots involved in ...

Pacific Heights (1990) is an American psychological thriller directed by John Schlesinger and written by Daniel Pyne. During their time in San Francisco, unmarried couple Drake Goodman and Patty Palmer purchase an expensive 19th-century Victorian house in the exclusive neighborhood known as Pacific Heights. As they settle into their new home, they also rent one of the building’s first-floor apartments to the Watanabes, a friendly Japanese couple. However, things take a dark turn when Carter Hayes visits to view the remaining vacant unit. Despite driving an expensive ...

Directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick, Memphis Belle (1990) is a British-American war drama film. The B-17 Flying Fortress and her crew have been tasked with completing 25 missions in order to finish their tour of duty. As part of the squadron, they are assigned to attack a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft manufacturing plant in Bremen, Germany. While initially accompanied by P-51 Mustangs, the short-range fighters must later withdraw, leaving the bombers vulnerable on their journey to and from the target. The success of the mission is crucial as Belle ...

Directed by Gillian Armstrong, Mrs. Soffel (1984) is an American drama film featuring Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson. The movie is based on the true story of the Biddle brothers, who were sentenced to prison and later escaped with the help of Kate Soffel, the wife of a Pittsburgh warden in 1901. Despite being a devoted mother to their four children, Kate had been bedridden for months without explanation until she suddenly regained her strength. Desiring to spread comfort and hope to inmates, she begins reading Bible scripture ...

Private School (1983) is a high school flick from director Noel Black. Chris, a student at Cherryvale Academy for Girls in Northern California, shares a steamy romance novel with her bunkmate Betsy. Nearby, students from Freemount Academy for Men, including Jim and his less than tidy friend Bubba, sneak onto the girls’ campus. Jordan, who happens to be showering at the time, calls on Chris and Betsy for backup when she catches the boys trying to spy on her. In an attempt to scare them off, the trio accidentally causes the boys to fall off the building. As retaliation for being interrupted, Chris and Betsy take ...