Actor Robert Downey Jr. (1965)

Lucky You (2007), an American drama film directed by Curtis Hanson, stars Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall. The story follows Huck Cheever, a young and skilled poker player in Las Vegas who is plagued by his strained relationship with his father, L.C. Cheever, a previous World Series of Poker Champion. Despite being a regular in the Vegas poker scene, Huck needs $10,000 to enter the World Series of Poker Main Event. After a successful night at the Bellagio ...

An American drama film, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), is based on a memoir written by Dito Montiel. The story follows Dito’s youth in Astoria, New York during the 1980s. In present day (2005), we find Dito living in Los Angeles and working as a successful writer. Upon the urging of his mother, Flori, and friend, Nerf, he returns to his childhood home in Astoria when his father falls ill. The movie shifts between present day and flashbacks of Dito’s memories from the summer of 1986. During this time, Dito meets up with Nerf in a parked car to talk without interruption, since it wasn’t ...

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) is an American romantic drama film directed by Steven Shainberg and written by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on Patricia Bosworth’s book Diane Arbus: A Biography. The story begins with Diane Arbus arriving to photograph a nudist colony, then flashes back three months to New York City in 1958. There, Diane assists her husband Allan, an established photographer from a long line of studio owners. She comes from a wealthy family of furriers. However, as a city wife ...

A Scanner Darkly (2006), directed and written by Richard Linklater and based on Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a United States that has failed in its fight against drugs. The country is plagued by Substance D, a potent drug that causes strange hallucinations and has resulted in approximately 20% of the population becoming addicted. In an effort to combat the epidemic, the government has implemented an extensive surveillance system and enlisted undercover agents and informants. One such agent is Bob Arctor, tasked with infiltrating the ...

The Shaggy Dog (2006), directed by Brian Robbins, is an American science fantasy family comedy film. Dave Douglas, a busy deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County, is prosecuting Justin Forrester for allegedly firebombing Grant and Strictland, a pharmaceutical corporation. Forrester denies the accusation, but claims that Grant and Strictland have been participating in unlawful animal experimentation. This causes a rift between Dave and his daughter Carly, who happens to be one of Forrester’s students. Dave’s intense focus on work also takes a toll on his relationships with his wife Rebecca and son ...

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), an American neo-noir black comedy crime film written and directed by Shane Black, follows the story of Harry Lockhart. After showing remorse in an audition for a botched burglary, Harry unexpectedly lands a screen test in New York City. Mistaken for method acting by casting director Dabney Shaw, he is then sent to Los Angeles for another screen test. At a party in LA, Harry reunites with his childhood crush Harmony Lane and meets ‘Gay’ Perry van Shrike, a private investigator hired to help him prepare for his screen test. Meanwhile, party host Harlan Dexter has recently settled a ...

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) is a riveting historical drama directed by George Clooney that delves into the world of American television news. At a gathering titled ‘A Salute to Edward R Murrow’ on October 25, 1958, Murrow delivers a powerful speech addressing Senator McCarthy and other prominent figures. The film then transports us back to October 14, 1953 at CBS Studios, where an on-screen caption reveals McCarthy’s claim of over 200 Communists in the US government. With this latest development, Fred Friendly and the news team discuss potential stories for their upcoming episodes. Murrow makes it ...

Game 6 (2005) is an American comedy drama film directed by Michael Hoffman. Successful playwright Nicky Rogan is preparing for the opening night of his latest play. Despite assurance from those around him that it will be a hit, doubts and fears creep in as he is reminded of another writer who received harsh criticism from the local newspaper’s new drama critic, Steven Schwimmer. These doubts escalate when Rogan mistakenly ends up with a handgun and considers seeking revenge against Schwimmer. Rather than attending his play’s premiere, Rogan finds himself at a bar with a lady cab driver and her grandson, who ...

The anthology film, Eros (2004), showcase three distinct segments: The Hand, directed by Wong Kar-wai in Mandarin, Equilibrium by Steven Soderbergh in English, and The Dangerous Thread of Things by Michelangelo Antonioni in Italian. All three segments explore the themes of love and sex. The Hand (Wong Kar-Wai). During his visit to Miss Hua, a prestigious call girl from the 1960s, timid ...

The American horror film Gothika (2003), directed by Mathieu Kassovitz and written by Sebastian Gutierrez, was co-produced by Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis. Dr. Miranda Grey, a psychiatrist at Woodward Penitentiary in rural western Connecticut, crashes her car one night to avoid hitting a young woman on a country road. After waking up, she discovers that she is now an inmate at the women’s ward where she works. Her colleague, Dr. Pete Graham, is treating her for the ...

The American musical crime comedy film, The Singing Detective (2003), was directed by Keith Gordon and is loosely based on the BBC serial of the same name. Protagonist Dan Dark, a detective novelist, finds himself hospitalized as a result of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. During his stay, he experiences occasional hallucinations, where doctors and nurses are transformed into characters in musical numbers. Despite their efforts to assist him, Dark’s anger and bitterness towards everyone cause him to dismiss their help. In an effort to uncover the root of his issues, Dark is sent to psychiatrist Dr. Gibbon. The ...

In the film Wonder Boys (2000), director Curtis Hanson and writer Steve Kloves showcase the life of Grady Tripp, a creative writing professor at an unnamed Pennsylvania university. Grady is in a relationship with Sara Gaskell, the university chancellor. However, her husband Walter is also involved in their professional lives as chairman of the English department where Grady teaches. Recently, Grady’s third wife Emily has left him and he struggles to replicate the success of his first novel. Currently, he is diligently working on his second novel but cannot seem to ...

Black and White (1999), an American drama film by director James Toback, follows the life of Rich Bower. As a mover and shaker in the rap music scene, he is also involved in numerous other legitimate and illegitimate business ventures. His apartment serves as a popular gathering spot for musicians, hangers-on, and hipsters striving to fit into what they perceive as the most fashionable crowd. Among them are a group of white kids seeking acceptance within this community. Sam Shields, a filmmaker, is working on a documentary about Rich and his inner circle with the assistance of her husband Terry Downey, who feels out of ...

Bowfinger (1999) is an American satirical buddy comedy film, helmed by director Frank Oz. B movie maker Bobby Bowfinger has been collecting funds to direct his dream project since childhood: with $2,184 in hand, he is finally ready to cover the production expenses. A script (‘Chubby Rain’) written by an accountant, Afrim, and access to studio equipment through his camera operator Dave’s job as a gofer complete Bowfinger’s team. To fill the remaining gaps, Bowfinger enlists the help of actors in need of work and a group of undocumented Mexican immigrants to serve as his camera crew. All that is ...

In Dreams (1999), a psychological thriller directed by Neil Jordan, is an adaptation of the novel Doll’s Eyes (1993) by Bari Wood. As a suburban housewife and mother, Claire Cooper spends her free time illustrating children’s stories while her husband Paul, an airline pilot, is often away for work (and possibly having an affair with his Australian co-worker). This leaves Claire to care for their daughter Rebecca, who is eight years old. Strange and hazy dreams ensue for Claire involving an underwater city and the murder of a young girl. Tragedy ...

Directed by Stuart Baird, U.S. Marshals (1998) is a gripping American action crime thriller featuring a screenplay by John Pogue. In the bustling city of New York, two Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents meet their untimely demise during a routine briefcase exchange at a United Nations parking garage. The killer manages to escape with confidential documents, captured on security footage but yet to be identified. Fast forward several months and we find Senior Deputy US Marshal Samuel Gerard and his team successfully apprehending two fugitives in Chicago. Meanwhile, ...

The American legal thriller film The Gingerbread Man (1998) was directed by Robert Altman and adapted from a rejected John Grisham manuscript. Rick Magruder, a divorced lawyer known for his shady tactics and defending criminals, celebrates another courtroom win at a party held by his firm. As he becomes increasingly intoxicated, he crosses paths with Mallory Doss, a waitress who has misplaced her car. Rick offers to drive her home, where her father Dixon Doss has already parked the vehicle. The two argue about Mallory’s mistreatment by her father before she ...

Two Girls and a Guy (1997) is a darkly comedic drama helmed by James Toback. While waiting outside a loft for their respective partners, two women, Carla and Lou, unexpectedly cross paths. But their interaction takes a shocking turn when they realize they have been deceived by the same man – promising actor Blake, who had been juggling relationships with both of them. Fueled by anger, they break into his loft and confront him upon his return, sparking a heated exchange of accusations and explanations.

One Night Stand (1997) is an American drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis. It follows the story of Max Carlyle, a successful director of television commercials living in Los Angeles with his wife Mimi and their two children. During a trip to New York City, Max crosses paths with Karen after missing his flight. Despite various obstacles throughout the evening, they end up spending the night together. Upon returning home, Max becomes distant and troubled, but refuses to divulge the reason to Mimi. A year later, while visiting Charlie, a close friend who is gravely ill from AIDS, Max meets Karen again – ...

The American comedy drama film, Hugo Pool (1997), helmed by Robert Downey Sr., follows a day in the life of Hugo Dugay. As the owner of a small company, also named Hugo Pool, she is responsible for maintaining swimming pools in drought-stricken Los Angeles. Juggling her usual pool cleaning duties with managing eccentric clients like mobster Chick Chicalini and filmmaker Franz Mazur, Hugo also has to tend to her dependent parents Minerva and Henry. To add to her plate, there may be a romantic spark between Hugo and Floyd Gaylen, one of her ALS-stricken customers.