Actress Robin Wright (1966)

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), an American superhero film based on the DC character, follows Diana’s journey from childhood to present day. As a young girl, she competes in an athletic competition on Themyscira with adult Amazons. After taking a shortcut that leads to her disqualification, she learns important lessons from her aunt Antiope and mother Hippolyta about honesty and patience in pursuit of greatness. In 1984, Diana is working at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., while also secretly performing heroic acts as Wonder Woman. When new museum employee Barbara Minerva struggles to fit in, she finds a friend in Diana. The FBI enlists the help of the ...

Blade Runner 2049 (2017), a neo-noir sci-fi masterpiece from 2017, was directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. It takes place in a world approximately two decades after the downfall of the Tyrell Corporation, the original creators and manufacturers of replicants – bioengineered superhumans. The collapse of natural ecosystems prompted industrialist Niander Wallace to develop a new generation of replicants for synthetic farming, effectively saving the planet. While the earlier ...

Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Wonder Woman (2017) is a superhero film. As Diana Prince enters the Louvre in Paris, France, she receives a delivery from Wayne Enterprises containing an old photograph of herself and four men during World War I. The briefcase also includes a message from Bruce Wayne requesting to hear the story behind the picture. In her childhood years on the island of Themyscira, hidden away from the world, Diana grew up among the powerful Amazons – an all-female warrior clan. While observing General Antiope training her fellow warriors on the field, Diana yearns to join them but is forbidden by her mother, Queen Hippolyta. ...

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 ...

House of Cards (2013–2018), an American political thriller streaming television series, was created by Beau Willimon and is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Michael Dobbs. It is also an adaptation of the 1990 BBC series, which was based on the novel by Andrew Davies. The first season, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on February 1, 2013, exclusively on Netflix. This marked the first time a TV series had been produced by a studio for the streaming service. House of Cards received rave reviews and garnered ...

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 ...

Rampart (2011) is a gripping crime drama directed and co-written by Oren Moverman and James Ellroy. The film follows Dave Brown, a seasoned member of the LAPD’s Rampart Division with over two decades of experience. In the midst of training a new officer, Brown resorts to violence to extract information from a suspect regarding a meth lab location. After his shift, he returns home to his two daughters and two ex-wives, who also happen to be sisters. A late-night visit to a piano bar leads to a spontaneous one-night stand with a stranger. However, Brown’s fate ...

The film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) is based on the novel by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. Directed by David Fincher and written by Steven Zaillian, it follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist in Stockholm as he deals with the consequences of a libel suit against businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström. To resolve this issue, wealthy Henrik Vanger offers Blomkvist a unique task: investigating the 40-year-old disappearance of his grandniece Harriet, who is believed to have been murdered. Each year on his birthday, Vanger ...

In London on Christmas Eve 1843, Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009) follows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy miser who despises the joyous festivities of the holiday season. Despite his nephew Fred’s invitation to a Christmas dinner party and the urging of two charity workers, Scrooge refuses to participate in any acts of kindness or generosity. His dedicated employee Bob Cratchit must even ask for a single day off on Christmas Day, which Scrooge reluctantly grants. However, when Scrooge encounters the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley at home, he soon realizes that his selfish ways may lead him down a path of eternal suffering. Marley ...

Rebecca Miller’s film, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009), follows the tumultuous life of its titular character. Growing up as the youngest and only girl in a large Christian family, Pippa’s childhood was overshadowed by her neurotic mother Suky’s obsessive focus on her appearance. As a teenager, Pippa learns that her mother self-medicates with amphetamines to cope with intense mood swings. Seeking refuge from her dysfunctional family, she moves in with her aunt Trish and her partner Kat, who live in a lesbian menage. However, when Trish discovers Pippa’s involvement in erotic photo shoots ...

The American romantic comedy-drama anthology film, New York, I Love You (2008), showcases 11 short films directed by different filmmakers. Each of the shorts explores the theme of love and is set in one of the five boroughs of New York City. It first premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival in September and was later released in the United States on October 16, 2009. However, during a focus screening in New York, it was decided to cut two novellas from the original version: These Vagabond Shoes by Scarlett Johansson and Apocrypha by Andrei ...

Beowulf (2007) is an American animated fantasy action film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. It is based on the Old English epic poem of the same name. In 507, the legendary Geatish warrior Beowulf embarks on a journey to Denmark with his soldiers, including his closest companion Wiglaf. King Hrothgar seeks Beowulf’s help in defeating Grendel, a deformed and powerful troll who has been terrorizing the kingdom and killing many of Hrothgar’s warriors during a feast at the mead ...

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 ...

The American neo-noir psychological mystery drama film, The Pledge (2001), directed by Sean Penn, follows the story of Jerry Black, an aging Reno detective. On the night of his retirement party hosted by his department, Captain Pollack presents Jerry with tickets for a fishing trip in Mexico. However, their celebration is abruptly cut short when a murdered child, Ginny Larsen, is discovered. Jerry and Detective Stan Krolak quickly head to the crime scene. After breaking the tragic news to Ginny’s parents, Margaret Larsen makes Jerry promise on a cross made by their daughter that he will catch the killer. The next ...

Unbreakable (2000), an American superhero thriller film was both written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Set in 1961 Philadelphia, baby Elijah Price is born with Type I osteogenesis imperfecta, leaving his bones extremely fragile and prone to fractures. In present day, former star quarterback and security guard David Dunn returns home from a job interview in New York on the Eastrail 177 train when it suddenly speeds up. He awakens in a hospital room without a scratch, and the doctors inform him that he is the only survivor of the derailment that killed all other 131 passengers. After attending a memorial service for ...

Message in a Bottle (1999), a romantic drama directed by Luis Mandoki, is based on Nicholas Sparks’s novel of the same title. Theresa Osborne, a former reporter for the Chicago Tribune, discovers a compelling love letter in a bottle while vacationing in Cape Cod. Entranced by its contents, she shares it with her coworkers and without her knowledge, they publish the letter in their newspaper. The response is overwhelming and among the many letters received is one with an attached note addressed to Catherine on the same notepad and written in the same style as the ...

The Crossing Guard (1995) is an American independent drama film written and directed by Sean Penn, who also co-produced it. The story revolves around Freddy Gale, a former devoted husband and father who has become an alcoholic in the five years since his daughter Emily passed away. He spends his nights at strip clubs and having flings with the dancers. When John Booth, the drunk driver who killed Emily, is released from jail, Freddy tells his ex-wife Mary that he intends to seek revenge. Despite her pleas to reconsider, they end up in a heated argument which results in her new husband kicking Freddy out of their house. ...

Forrest Gump (1994) is an American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. Based on Winston Groom’s novel of the same title, the movie tells the story of a man named Forrest Gump who shares his life experiences with strangers at a bus stop in Savannah, Georgia. Growing up in Greenbow, Alabama in 1951, young Forrest has a curved spine and is given leg braces to help him walk. Living with his mother who runs a boarding house, the two are visited by many tenants including a young Elvis ...