Actress Melissa Leo (1960)

The film known as The Equalizer 2 (2018) is an American vigilante action-thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua. Robert McCall resides in Boston, where he drives for Lyft and helps the less fortunate with his close friend Susan Plummer, his former colleague at DIA. During a trip to Istanbul, Robert aids bookstore owner Grace Braelick in retrieving her kidnapped daughter. Together with Susan, he assists Holocaust survivor Sam Rubinstein in retrieving a painting of his late sister. Upon returning home to find his apartment’s courtyard vandalized, Robert accepts teenager Miles Whittaker’s offer to paint a mural. ...

Oliver Stone’s biographical thriller Snowden (2016) follows the story of Edward Snowden, who in 2013 arranged a secret meeting in Hong Kong with documentarian Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald. During the meeting, they discussed releasing classified information regarding illegal mass surveillance conducted by the NSA. This meeting was later documented in Poitras’ film Citizenfour, which was also featured in the movie Snowden. Prior to this, in 2004, Snowden joined the U.S. Army with plans to join the Special Forces but was discharged due to a fractured tibia. He then applied for a position at the ...

Wayward Pines (2015–2016), a mystery science fiction TV series based on the novels by Blake Crouch and developed for television by Chad Hodge, follows the story of Ethan Burke, a U.S. Secret Service agent investigating the mysterious small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. After waking up from a car accident with no way to reach the outside world or leave the town, Ethan discovers that two fellow agents have gone missing. He also reunites with his former lover Kate Hewson, who is now living in what seems like a perfect community. However, it soon becomes clear that the ...

The American biographical crime comedy-drama film, The Big Short (2015), was directed and co-written by Adam McKay. It tells the story of the U.S mortgage housing crisis of 2005 through three separate but parallel perspectives. Michael Burry, an eccentric ex-physician now managing a hedge fund called Scion Capital, has a unique approach to business – sporting shorts, bare feet, and a Supercuts haircut. He is convinced that the US housing market is in a bubble that will inevitably burst within the next few years. With autonomy in his company, Burry takes action and bets against the housing market with banks who are eager ...

The Equalizer (2014) is an American action-thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk. Robert McCall, a former U.S. Marine and DIA / DCS officer, now leads a quiet life in Boston, working at a hardware store and helping his colleague Ralphie train to become a security guard. Often unable to sleep, Robert spends late nights reading at an all-night diner, where he has befriended teenager Teri. They often discuss the books Robert has been reading and his goal of reading 100 books, which was also his late wife’s goal. One night, Teri reveals her real ...

Oblivion (2013), an American post-apocalyptic film, was produced and directed by Joseph Kosinski, with a screenplay by Karl Gajdusek and Michael deBruyn. The movie is set in 2077, when repair technician Jack and communications officer Victoria seem to be the only survivors on Earth. In 2017, an alien invasion destroyed the Moon and rendered the planet uninhabitable due to nuclear warfare. Now, Jack’s job involves fixing combat drones that protect the hydrothermal platforms converting seawater into fusion energy. Their ...

Prisoners (2013), a thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Aaron Guzikowski, follows the Dover and Birch families as they celebrate Thanksgiving in Conyers, Pennsylvania. The festivities take a dark turn when young girls Anna Dover and Joy Birch go missing after playing near a parked RV. Detective Loki responds to a police call about the vehicle and apprehends its occupant, Alex Jones. However, during questioning, Loki realizes that Alex’s low IQ makes him an unlikely kidnapper and finds no evidence of the girls in his RV. Turning his attention to ...

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by John Gatins, Flight (2012) is an American drama film which follows the story of airline pilot Captain Whip Whitaker. In an attempt to combat his fatigue after a sleepless night in his Orlando hotel room, Whip resorts to using cocaine. During his flight on SouthJetAir Flight 227 to Atlanta, the plane experiences intense turbulence upon takeoff. Co-pilot Ken Evans takes over while Whip discreetly mixes vodka into his orange juice and rests. However, he is abruptly awakened as the plane suddenly plunges downwards. In a bold move, ...

Mildred Pierce (2011), a period drama miniseries on HBO created by Todd Haynes, is based on James M. Cain’s 1941 novel of the same name. The show centers around Mildred, a divorced woman struggling to open a restaurant during the Great Depression while also dealing with her self-absorbed daughter. This adaptation follows the original 1945 film noir featuring Joan Crawford and is accompanied by an original score from Carter Burwell. Airing from March 27 to April 10, ...

The American independent film Red State (2011), written and directed by Kevin Smith, follows teenagers Travis, Jarod, and Billy Ray on their way to meet a woman named Sarah. While driving, they accidentally hit Sheriff Wynan’s parked car as Wynan is engaging in sexual activity with another man. Upon returning to the station, Wynan instructs his deputy Pete to search for the vehicle involved. Meanwhile, Sarah deceives the boys into drinking drugged beer, causing them to pass out. When Jarod wakes up, he finds himself in a covered cage inside Five Points Trinity Church – a fervently conservative church led by ...

Directed by David O. Russell, The Fighter (2010) is a biographical sports drama depicting the story of Micky Ward, an American welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. Despite being managed by his mother, Alice Ward, and trained by his older half-brother, Dicky Eklund, Micky often finds himself being used as a ‘stepping stone’ for other boxers to defeat on their way up. Unfortunately, Dicky’s former success in the ring against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978 has been overshadowed by his addiction to crack cocaine. Unaware that the documentary he is being filmed for is not about his ...

21 Grams (2003) is an American psychological drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu from a screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga, based on a story by Arriaga and Iñárritu. The narrative is presented in a non-linear format. Here is an overview of the storyline: Jack Jordan, a former convict, finds solace in his newfound faith after battling drug addiction and alcoholism. Paul Rivers, a mathematics professor, has a devoted wife named Mary and suffers from a fatal heart ...