Actor Max Casella (1967)

Late Night (2019) is an American comedy-drama film directed by Nisha Ganatra from a screenplay produced by Mindy Kaling. Katherine Newbury, an acclaimed talk show host with extensive experience in comedy, faces declining ratings for her long-running program. Facing pressure from network president Caroline Morton to improve or risk being replaced, Katherine brings on Molly Patel to the writing team. As the only Indian-American woman among a group of white male writers, Molly initially struggles due to her lack of comedy experience. However, she proves her worth by ...

Wonder Wheel (2017) is an American period drama written and directed by Woody Allen. The story is narrated by Mickey Rubin, a Coney Island life guard who dreams of becoming a playwright like Eugene O’Neill. When Carolina, the daughter of Humpty Rannell, arrives at the boardwalk looking for Ginny Rannell, her father’s second wife and a waitress at the clam shack, she pleads with her to let her stay. However, Ginny defers the decision to Humpty. He had kicked her out when she married her mobster boyfriend Frank and gave up her college education and hopes for a better future. Carolina reveals that she is ...

Vinyl (2016), an American period drama television series, was created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen and Terence Winter. The show follows Richie Finestra, a record executive in the 1970s. The pilot episode was directed by Scorsese, from a teleplay by Winter and George Mastras, with a story by

Blue Jasmine (2013), a film from writer and director Woody Allen, follows the story of Jasmine Francis as she arrives in San Francisco from her flight from New York City. Upon arriving at her sister Ginger’s apartment, it is revealed that despite claiming to be broke, Jasmine traveled first class. This revelation disappoints Ginger, who soon learns that Jasmine has suffered a nervous breakdown and sought refuge with her sister due to heavy debts. In a series of flashbacks, it is uncovered that Jasmine’s husband, Hal Francis, was arrested for defrauding his clients. Among his victims were Ginger and her ...

Killing Them Softly (2012) is an American neo-noir crime film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt. It is based on George V. Higgins’ 1974 novel, Cogan’s Trade. Against the backdrop of the 2008 American financial crisis and presidential election, Johnny ‘Squirrel’ Amato devises a plan to rob a Mafia poker game. To help him carry out the heist, he turns to Frankie, a former colleague, and Russell, an Australian expatriate with a heroin addiction who makes money by ...

The American biographical comedy-drama, Ed Wood (1994), was directed and produced by Tim Burton. At the time, Ed was determined to make a name for himself in the film industry. He heard that producer George Weiss was looking to purchase Christine Jorgensen’s life story from an announcement in Variety magazine. Hoping to direct a film based on this story titled I Changed My Sex!, Ed met with Weiss, but was not selected. However, he did have the opportunity to meet his lifelong idol, horror film star Bela Lugosi, and their friendship began. Convinced that having a well-known actor in the film would attract ...

Walt Disney Pictures released the American historical musical drama film, Newsies (1992). It was directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega and is set in New York City in 1899. The story follows a group of struggling newspaper sellers, known as ‘newsies’, who are trying to make ends meet by selling copies of the New York World on the streets (‘Carrying the Banner’). When two brothers named David and Les join the group, their intelligence and charm catch the attention of their leader, Jack ‘Cowboy’ Kelly. Jack takes them under his wing and begins to admire their work ethic as they sell ...