Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) is an American thriller directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ novel Mockingjay (2010). After being assaulted by a brainwashed Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen recuperates in District 13. President Alma Coin holds back Katniss from heading to the Capitol until they take control of the last district, District 2. To persuade District 2 to join ...

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) is a dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It is based on Suzanne Collins’ novel from a decade earlier. Following their rescue from the destroyed arena of the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, Beetee, and Finnick Odair are taken to District 13, an underground district that has been leading the rebellion. There, Katniss is reunited with her mother and sister ...

A Most Wanted Man (2014), an espionage thriller based on the 2008 novel by John le Carré, is directed by Anton Corbijn and written by Andrew Bovell. Political refugee Issa Karpov, who suffered torture at the hands of Russian security forces, illegally enters Hamburg, Germany. Günther Bachmann leads a covert team working for the German government to enlist local informants with ties to terrorist organizations. His trusted associate, Irna Frey, is the complete opposite in terms of organization and appearance. The team ...

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) is an American dystopian action film. It was directed by Francis Lawrence, with a screenplay from Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn. The movie is based on the book Catching Fire, written by Suzanne Collins in 2009. After their joint victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark live comfortably but struggle with emotional turmoil in District 12. Katniss remains distant from Peeta due to her traumatic ...

The Ides of March (2011), directed by George Clooney, is an American political drama. The screenplay was written by Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon, based on Willimon’s play Farragut North. The film follows the story of Stephen Meyers, the junior campaign manager for Governor of Pennsylvania Mike Morris, as he competes against Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman in the Democratic presidential primary. Both ...

Moneyball (2011) is an American biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller. The script was written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, based on a story by Stan Chervin. The inspiration for the film comes from Michael Lewis’ nonfiction book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, published in 2003. The book recounts the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s 2002 season and their general ...

Doubt (2008) is an American drama film that was written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. The movie is based on Shanley’s stage play Doubt: A Parable, which won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award in 2004. Set in 1964 during a Catholic mass in The Bronx, Father Brendan Flynn delivers a homily on the topic of doubt. He remarks that it can serve as a unifying force, much like faith. However, Sister Aloysius, the stern principal of the church’s parish school, becomes concerned when she witnesses a young boy avoiding contact with Father Flynn in ...

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), an American biographical comedy-drama, tells the story of Congressman Charlie Wilson and CIA agent Gust Avrakotos. The duo worked together to establish Operation Cyclone, a program aimed at supporting Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989). Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on George Crile III’s book, the film follows Congressman Wilson in 1980 as he focuses more on partying than his legislative duties. His lavish lifestyle eventually ...

Mission: Impossible III (2006) is an American action spy film directed by J. J. Abrams, produced by and starring Tom Cruise, from a screenplay written by Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. In the film, Hunt is restrained in a chair while a man holds a woman hostage across from him. The man demands the location of the ‘Rabbit’s Foot’. When it becomes clear that Hunt is not aware of its whereabouts, the ...

The psychological thriller, Red Dragon (2002), is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel. Directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally, the story follows FBI agent Will Graham in 1980 as he seeks assistance from forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter in a case. After working together on a psychological profile of a killer, Graham becomes convinced that the murderer is also a cannibal. However, when Lecter realizes Graham is getting close to discovering his true identity, he stabs him. Despite this attack, ...

The American psychological thriller film, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), was written and directed by Anthony Minghella. It is based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name, and tells the story of Tom Ripley, a man who is approached by shipbuilding magnate Herbert Greenleaf in 1958 New York City. Greenleaf believes that Ripley attended Princeton with his son Dickie and offers him one thousand dollars to travel to Italy and convince Dickie to return to the United States. While on a luxurious ocean liner, Ripley assumes the identity of Dickie and forms ...

Magnolia (1999), an American drama film directed and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, follows Los Angeles police officer Jim Kurring as he investigates a disturbance at a woman’s apartment. Inside, he discovers a body in the closet. A neighborhood boy named Dixon futilely attempts to reveal the identity of the murderer to Jim. Later, Jim visits Claudia Wilson’s apartment after her neighbors call the police during an argument with her estranged father, Jimmy Gator. Despite her erratic behavior and drug use, Jim still asks her out on a date. Meanwhile, Jimmy is dying of cancer and hosts a quiz show called ...

Twister (1996), a disaster thriller directed by Jan de Bont, tells the story of young Jo and her family as they seek shelter from a powerful F5 tornado on their Oklahoma farm. The tornado destroys their home and tragically takes Jo’s father. Years later, Jo has become a meteorologist with an intense passion for tornadoes, leading a team of unconventional storm chasers. Her ex-husband, Bill Harding, now works as a TV weatherman and arrives in Oklahoma with his therapist fiancée to finalize their divorce. Jo shows Bill her invention, ‘Dorothy’, which has the potential to revolutionize tornado research ...