Actor Richard Griffiths (1947)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), the fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Rob Marshall, marks a change in leadership for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. For this installment, Jerry Bruckheimer produces while Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio write, drawing inspiration from Tim Powers’ novel On Stranger Tides and connecting to previous films At World’s End (2007) and the first ...

Hugo (2011), an adventure drama directed and produced by Martin Scorsese, follows the story of a boy who lives alone in the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris during the 1930s. The film, adapted from Brian Selznick’s novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, centers on Hugo’s journey as he becomes involved in a mystery surrounding his father’s automaton and renowned filmmaker Georges Méliès. After his father’s tragic death, twelve-year-old Hugo is taken in by his uncle Claude, an alcoholic who works at the museum. While living with him, Hugo discovers a broken automaton and together they ...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) is a fantasy film directed by David Yates and written by Steve Kloves. Based on J. K. Rowling’s novel of the same name, it is the first of two cinematic installments. At Malfoy Manor, Severus Snape meets with Lord Voldemort and his followers to report that Harry Potter will be moved to a safe location by the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort takes Lucius Malfoy’s wand since his own is powerless against Harry’s, as they both share a phoenix feather core. ...

The fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), was directed by David Yates and written by Michael Goldenberg. It was based on the 2003 novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. While staying at the Dursleys’, Harry Potter is attacked by Dementors alongside his cousin, Dudley. With the use of a Patronus spell, Harry repels them successfully. However, this results in him being detected by the Ministry of Magic for underage magic use, leading to his temporary expulsion from Hogwarts. Luckily, he is ...

The fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, with a screenplay by Steve Kloves. It is based on the 1999 novel of the same name written by J.K. Rowling. Once again, Harry Potter endures a disappointing summer with his relatives, the Dursleys. However, things take a turn for the worse on his thirteenth birthday when Vernon’s sister Marge insults Harry’s parents in a cruel manner. Enraged, Harry causes her to inflate and float away. Believing he will be punished ...

The fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), was directed by Chris Columbus and written by Steve Kloves, adapting J.K. Rowling’s novel of the same name from 1998. While spending the summer with the Dursleys, Harry Potter meets Dobby, a house-elf who warns him not to return to Hogwarts as danger is looming. Despite Dobby’s warning, Harry refuses to stay away and ends up getting locked up by his relatives. Luckily, Ron Weasley and his brothers Fred and George come to his rescue in their ...

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) is a magical film helmed by director Chris Columbus and produced by David Heyman. The screenplay, written by Steve Kloves, is based on J.K. Rowling’s popular novel from 1997. Late one evening, professors Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, along with Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, bring an orphaned infant wizard named Harry Potter to his Muggle aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley – his only ...

Tim Burton’s gothic supernatural horror film, Sleepy Hollow (1999), is a loose adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Set in 1799, the film follows New York City police constable Ichabod Crane as he investigates a string of brutal murders in the upstate Dutch hamlet. Among the insular town elders who receive him are wealthy Baltus Van Tassel, town doctor Thomas Lancaster, Reverend Steenwyck, notary James Hardenbrook, and magistrate Samuel Philipse. According to local beliefs, the killer is an undead headless ...