Actor Steve Coogan (1965)

The American animated comedy film, Despicable Me 4 (2024), is a sequel to Despicable Me 3 (2017) and the fourth main installment in the Despicable Me franchise. Produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures, the movie follows Gru, an Anti-Villain League (AVL) agent, as he attends a reunion at his old school Lycée Pas Bon. There, he comes face to face with his rival Maxime Le Mal, who has held a grudge against Gru since childhood when he stole Maxime’s talent show act. Using roach parts, Maxime has enhanced himself and plans to conquer the world. With the help of the AVL, Gru manages to have him arrested. However, Maxime escapes ...

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) is a US-animated comedy film created by Illumination and released by Universal Pictures. In 1976, an 11-year-old Gru aspires to become a supervillain, with the help of his Minion employees. Gru is overjoyed when he receives an invitation to audition for the Vicious 6, a team of villains now led by Belle Bottom. The Vicious 6 are searching for a new member to replace their leader Wild Knuckles, after he betrayed them and was presumed dead during a robbery to steal the Zodiac Stone – a valuable gem connected to the Chinese zodiac. Despite his young age, Gru’s interview does not go well but he manages to outsmart the Vicious 6 ...

The  biographical drama film The Professor and the Madman (2019), directed by Farhad Safinia and written by Safinia and Todd Komarnicki, is based on Simon Winchester’s 1998 book The Surgeon of Crowthorne. Set in 1872 London, the movie follows retired United States Army surgeon William Chester Minor, who suffers from hallucinations where he is persecuted by a soldier he had branded for desertion. In one of these episodes, he accidentally kills an innocent man ...

In the 2017 animated comedy Despicable Me 3 (2017), produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures, married AVL agents Felonious Gru and Lucy Wilde are tasked with recovering the Dumont Diamond from Balthazar Bratt, a former child star turned super-villain. While Gru successfully retrieves the diamond, Bratt manages to escape. Upon returning to AVL headquarters, director Silas Ramsbottom reveals his retirement and appoints Valerie Da Vinci as his successor. Da Vinci dismisses Gru and Lucy due to their failure to capture Bratt. Back at home, the couple informs their adopted daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes of their dismissal but assures them that they ...

The 2016 animated comedy film The Secret Life of Pets (2016), produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures, follows the story of Max, a Jack Russell Terrier living with his owner Katie in a New York City apartment. When Katie adopts the mongrel Duke, Max becomes jealous. In an attempt to get rid of him, Duke leads Max into an alley where they are attacked by a group of cats led by Sphynx cat Ozone. Both dogs have their collars removed and are left to be caught by Animal Control. Duke fears for his life and doesn’t want to go back to the pound. Meanwhile, Gidget, a white Pomeranian who has feelings for Max, notices he is missing ...

An animated comedy film, Minions (2015), was produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. These small, yellow pill-shaped creatures have been around since the beginning of time, evolving from single-celled organisms into servants for history’s most sinister rulers. However, their loyalty towards their masters backfires as they accidentally cause their demise; rolling a Tyrannosaurus into a volcano, allowing a caveman to be attacked by a bear, crushing a Pharaoh and his subjects with a pyramid, and exposing Count Dracula to sunlight. The Minions are forced into hiding after shooting a cannon at Napoleon in Russia and find ...

The American animated comedy film, Despicable Me 2 (2013), produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures, follows the story of a mysterious aircraft that steals PX-41, a highly potent mutagen, from a secret laboratory in the Arctic Circle. Upon learning of this theft, Silas Ramsbottom, director of the Anti-Villain League (AVL), enlists the help of Lucy Wilde to recruit former supervillain Gru. Despite being forcibly brought to AVL headquarters, Gru is asked by Ramsbottom to aid in tracking down the culprit and recovering the mutagen. However, Gru declines, stating that he has now taken on a more legitimate role as a father and owner of a ...

The Other Guys (2010) is a buddy cop comedy directed by Adam McKay, who also co-wrote the script with Chris Henchy. The film follows the story of two officers from NYPD – Allen Gamble, a mild-mannered forensic accountant, and Terry Hoitz, a hot-tempered detective. Terry earned the infamous nickname “Yankee Clipper” after mistakenly shooting Derek Jeter during the World Series, leading to him being paired with Allen as his partner. However, they receive little respect from their fellow officers, especially detectives Martin and Fosse. The rest of the ...

Tropic Thunder (2008), a satirical action comedy film directed and co-written by Ben Stiller, tells the story of a film adaptation of Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John ‘Four Leaf’ Tayback’s memoir. The cast includes has-been action hero Tugg Speedman, five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, closeted homosexual rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy. Despite newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky’s reliability, the rest of the actors cause chaos for inexperienced director Damien Cockburn. With the project falling behind schedule and ...

Sofia Coppola wrote and directed a historical drama film Marie Antoinett (2006) centered around the life of Queen Marie Antoinette. The youngest daughter of Empress Maria-Theresa of Austria, fourteen-year-old Maria Antonia, is described as a beautiful, charming, and naïve archduchess. In order to unite two rival countries, her mother arranges for her to marry Louis-Auguste, the Dauphin of France. Upon arriving in France and taking on the name Marie Antoinette, she meets King Louis XV and her future husband. Their wedding takes place immediately upon their arrival at the Palace of Versailles. The couple is expected to ...

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) is a compilation of short films and a feature-length anthology by renowned director Jim Jarmusch. Throughout the various segments, black and white tiles are consistently used as a visual element. This artistic choice reflects the underlying theme of opposing personalities, as each vignette portrays two individuals who have conflicting views but still maintain a cordial atmosphere while seated at a table together. Strange to Meet You. In the 1986 short film Coffee and Cigarettes, Roberto ...