Actor Ted Levine (1957)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) is a thrilling sci-fi action flick helmed by J. A. Bayona and penned by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow. Following the events of 2015’s Jurassic World, a band of mercenaries set foot on the deserted Isla Nublar to retrieve Indominus rex DNA from its lagoon. However, their mission takes a dangerous turn when their submersible gets devoured by the Mosasaurus and their helicopter is attacked by Tyrannosaurus (Rexy). Despite facing these challenges, they are able to secure ...

The American crime drama TV series Ray Donovan (2013–2020), created by Ann Biderman, debuted on Showtime on June 30, 2013. The show follows Liev Schreiber as the lead character, who works as a ‘fixer’ for the prestigious law firm Goldman & Drexler in Los Angeles, representing wealthy and famous clients. However, his life is thrown into turmoil when his father Mickey Donovan is unexpectedly released from prison. After seven seasons, Showtime announced the cancellation of the series on February 4, 2020. However, a feature-length film to wrap up the story was ...

American Gangster (2007), a biographical crime film, was directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian. Set in 1968, it follows the story of Frank Lucas, who worked as the right-hand man for Ellsworth ‘Bumpy’ Johnson, a Harlem mob boss. After Johnson’s death from a heart attack, Frank delves into the heroin trade by sourcing it directly from Thailand and smuggling it into the United States through returning Vietnam War soldiers. He markets his product under the name ‘Blue Magic’, which quickly gains popularity due to ...

The American epic revisionist Western film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), is a retelling of the events leading up to the titular killing. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik and based on Ron Hansen’s novel of the same name, it portrays the relationship between Jesse James and Robert Ford. In 1881, a starstruck young man named Robert ‘Bob’ Ford seeks out Jesse James while the James Gang plans a train robbery in Blue Cut, Missouri. Despite his brother Charley being a member of the gang, Bob’s attempts to join are unsuccessful. The robbery is not as successful as hoped and Frank James leaves while Jesse ...

The American horror film, The Hills Have Eyes (2006), marks the English-language debut of both director Alexandre Aja and co-writer Grégory Levasseur. This remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 original follows retired detective Bob Carter and his wife Ethel as they journey from Cleveland to San Diego for their silver wedding anniversary. They are accompanied by their three children (Lynn, Brenda, and Bobby), Lynn’s husband Doug and their baby daughter Catherine, as well as their two German Shepherds named Beauty and ...

Richard Condon’s 1959 novel, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), is a political thriller that tells the story of a prominent U.S. political family and their son’s involvement in a Communist conspiracy. The novel has been adapted into two feature films with the same title, released in 1962 and 2004 respectively. In the story, Major Bennett Marco and his infantry platoon are captured during the Korean War in 1952 by an elite Soviet commando unit. They are eventually brainwashed into believing that Sergeant Raymond Shaw saved their lives in combat, leading to him receiving the Medal of Honor. Years later, Marco, ...

The action film, The Fast and the Furious (2001), was directed by Rob Cohen with a screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer. It was inspired by a Vibe magazine article titled Racer X written by Ken Li. In the movie, a group of heist specialists use modified Honda Civics to steal a truck full of electronics and evade capture on Terminal Island Freeway. As this crime spree continues, LAPD officer ...

The American film Wild Wild West (1999) takes place in a steampunk version of the American West. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, Jeffrey Price, and Peter S. Seaman, the film is based on a story by Jim and John Thomas. Set four years after the Civil War, the movie follows U.S. Army Captain ...

The horror film, The Mangler (1995), was directed and written by Tobe Hooper and Harry Alan Towers. It is based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name from his collection Night Shift (1978). The movie takes place in Gartley’s Blue Ribbon Laundry, where Bill Gartley owns a laundry press known as the Mangler. Trouble ensues when Sherry, Gartley’s niece, cuts herself while trying to avoid being crushed by an old ice box being carried past. This results in blood splattering onto the ...

Heat (1995) is an American crime film written and directed by Michael Mann. It stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro among an ensemble cast. The movie follows the story of Neil McCauley, a skilled thief operating in Los Angeles. Along with his crew – including Chris Shiherlis, Michael Cheritto, Gilbert Trejo, and new recruit Waingro – they successfully pull off a heist of $1.6 million in bearer bonds from an armored car. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when Waingro impulsively kills one of the guards, forcing ...

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) is an American psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel of the same name. Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee, is tasked with interviewing Hannibal Lecter, a highly-intelligent former psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Her boss Jack Crawford has sent her to gain insights into another psychopathic serial killer named ‘Buffalo ...

The American crime drama TV series, Crime Story (1986–1988), was created by Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger, and produced by Michael Mann. It aired on NBC for two seasons from September 18, 1986 to May 10, 1988. The show debuted with a two-hour pilot that had previously been shown in theaters and garnered a viewership of over 30 million. Originally airing on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. opposite ABC’s Moonlighting, it was later moved to Fridays at 10 p.m. before eventually settling on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. during the fall of ...