Actress Tilda Swinton (1960)

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) is a fantasy romantic drama film directed and produced by George Miller. Written by Miller and Augusta Gore, it is based on the 1994 short story ‘The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye’ by A. S. Byatt. Alithea Binnie, a British scholar with occasional hallucinations of demonic figures, unleashes a trapped Djinn during a trip to Istanbul when she purchases an antique bottle. The Djinn grants Alithea three wishes, ...

The French Dispatch (2021) is an American comedy drama film. Written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he co-created with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman, it boasts a sprawling cast and tells three unique tales set within the fictional French foreign bureau of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper’s concluding edition. In the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé (translated as “boredom on jaded”), Arthur ...

Luca Guadagnino’s supernatural horror film, Suspiria (2018), was written by David Kajganich and draws inspiration from Dario Argento’s 1977 Italian film of the same name. Set in West Berlin during the German Autumn of 1977, it follows the story of Susie Bannion, an American from a Mennonite family in Ohio who enrolls at the Markos Dance Academy. The academy is still reeling from the mysterious disappearance of one of its students, Patricia Hingle. Patricia had confided in her psychotherapist, Josef Klemperer, ...

Isle of Dogs (2018) is a stop-motion animated comedy film written, produced, and directed by Wes Anderson, narrated by Courtney B. Vance. In the year 2038, a canine flu outbreak hits Japan, affecting the fictional city of Megasaki. The virus poses a threat to humans as well. In response, Mayor Kenji Kobayashi implements a decree banishing all dogs to Trash Island. This decision is made despite Professor Watanabe’s pleas for more time to find a cure. The first dog to be deported is Spots Kobayashi, a white and black-spotted canine who happens to be the bodyguard of ...

War Machine (2017) is an American satirical war comedy film, written and directed by David Michôd. Assigned to bring a resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan, Four-star General Glen McMahon (a character based on General Stanley McChrystal) finds himself the target of attacks. With degrees from West Point and Yale, Glen comes from a military family and has excelled academically throughout his life. He is known as a maverick leader, beloved by his troops for never sending them where he wouldn’t go himself. Prior to his mission in Afghanistan, Glen led secret forces in Iraq and authored a book on leadership called ...

Hail, Caesar! (2016) is a period black comedy film that takes place in 1951 Hollywood. Eddie Mannix, head of property protection at Capitol Pictures, has the crucial job of shielding the studio’s stars from scandal and upholding their desired public image. Unfortunately, this responsibility leads him to frequent visits to the Catholic church confessional, much to the chagrin of the clergy. Despite his wife’s urgent requests, Eddie struggles to quit smoking on a day that’s even worse than usual – and ‘usual’ is already pretty bad for him. To add to his troubles, DeeAnna Moran, the wholesome and unmarried ‘mermaid’ of the ...

The film Doctor Strange (2016) is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it joins the ranks of the 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Kathmandu, sorcerer Kaecilius and his zealots viciously attack Kamar-Taj, home to the Ancient One who has trained all its students in mystical arts including Kaecilius himself. The Ancient One attempts to catch the traitors but they manage to escape. Meanwhile, in New York City, renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange is involved in a car accident which renders his hands unusable for surgery. His colleague Christine ...

A Bigger Splash (2015) is a psychological drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino with a screenplay by David Kajganich, based on a story by Alain Page. Set in an isolated villa on the small Italian island of Pantelleria, the film follows world-famous rock singer Marianne Lane and her filmmaker lover Paul De Smedt as they vacation together. Marianne is recovering from surgery and has lost her voice, communicating through signs and whispers. Meanwhile, Paul is overcoming alcohol addiction and a recent suicide attempt. Despite ...

The comedy-drama film, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), is written and directed by Wes Anderson. A teenage girl pays a visit to the monument of the author who wrote ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ and finds inspiration in his story. This author was inspired to write the book during his stay at the once-luxurious hotel located in the European mountainous country formerly known as Zubrowka. Despite its current dilapidated state in 1968, the hotel holds a special place in the heart of its owner, Mr. Zero Moustafa. He shares with the author how he came to acquire it and why he continues to keep it open despite not ...

Terry Gilliam’s science fiction masterpiece, The Zero Theorem (2013), takes place in a bizarre cyberpunk future of the mid-21st century. It follows the story of Qohen Leth, an eccentric and reclusive programmer who works for the ontological research division of a large company known as Mancom. Qohen, who refers to himself in plural form, spends his days crunching ‘entities’ and avoiding the noisy office by requesting disability leave or permission to work from home. He fears missing an important phone call that he has been waiting for years and is also dealing with a recent loss of hair, which he ...

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) is an American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Roman Coppola. Set on the New England island of New Penzance, 12-year-olds Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop cross paths at Camp Ivanhoe, a Khaki Scout summer camp run by Scout Master Randy Ward. While Sam is an orphan, Suzy lives with her parents Walt and Laura, both lawyers, and her younger brothers in their home named Summer’s End. Despite their similar introverted nature and intelligence beyond their years, they first meet during a church performance of ...

I Am Love (2009) is an Italian romantic drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino. The wealthy Recchi family, known for their textile manufacturing in Milan, gather for a formal dinner party hosted by Tancredi and Emma to celebrate the birthday of their patriarch, Edoardo Sr. Despite his declining health, Edoardo Sr. remains a strong presence in the family business. As the busy servants work around them, the family shares disappointment over Edoardo Jr.’s recent loss in a competition on the same day as his grandfather’s birthday. But Edoardo Jr. soon arrives with news that he has invited his girlfriend Eva, ...

Burn After Reading (2008) is a black comedy film created by the Coen brothers. When Osbourne Cox gets demoted for drinking, he quits his job as a CIA analyst and decides to write a memoir. His wife Katie secretly files for divorce and resumes her affair with U.S. Marshal Harry Pfarrer, who is prone to paranoia. Katie gives her lawyer a copy of Osbourne’s digital records and other personal files, which include an early draft of his memoir. The lawyer’s assistant copies the files onto a CD-R and accidentally leaves it at Hardbodies gym. Personal trainer Chad Feldheimer and coworker Linda Litzke come across the ...

The American fantasy romantic drama film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), directed by David Fincher, follows the loosely based storyline by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 short story of the same name. In August 2005, Daisy Fuller shares with her daughter Caroline the tale of Mr. Gateau, a blind clockmaker commissioned to create a train station clock in 1918 as a tribute to those who lost their sons in World War I, including Gateau ...

Michael Clayton (2007) is an American legal thriller feature film that marks Tony Gilroy’s directorial debut. The movie revolves around the life of Michael Clayton, a ‘fixer’ for a prestigious law firm in New York City. He uses his extensive connections and knowledge of legal loopholes to benefit his clients. One evening, Michael interrupts a poker game to assist a client who had hit a pedestrian with his car in Westchester County. On his way back home, while passing by some barren trees atop a hill, he notices three horses and stops to take a closer look. Little did he know that behind him, an ...

Thumbsucker (2005) is an American indie comedy-drama film by first-time director Mike Mills. It follows the story of Justin Cobb, a timid 17-year-old living in suburban Oregon with his family of four. His persistent thumb-sucking has caused significant dental issues, much to the disapproval of his father. To avoid making his dad feel old, Justin refers to his parents as Mike and Audrey. Audrey, a nurse, becomes infatuated with actor Matt Schramm and enters a contest to win a date with him. She claims it’s all in good fun but is overly concerned with looking attractive for the opportunity. Meanwhile, Justin ...

The American superhero horror film, Constantine (2005), marked Francis Lawrence’s directorial debut. In Mexico, a scavenger discovers the tip of the spear that pierced Jesus Christ in a ruined church, but becomes possessed after taking it to Los Angeles. John Constantine, a cynical occult expert, helps exorcise a demon from a young girl and learns about a treaty between Heaven and Hell that should prevent this type of possession. With terminal lung cancer, Constantine seeks an extension to his life by working with the half-breed angel, Gabriel, to deport Hell’s forces. However, Gabriel reminds him that ...

The Beach (2000) is an adventure drama film from the year 2000, directed by Danny Boyle and based on Alex Garland’s novel of the same name. The protagonist, Richard, is a young American backpacker who embarks on a journey in Bangkok, where he stays at a dull hotel on Khao San Road. It is here that he meets Françoise and Étienne, a French couple. As fate would have it, he also encounters Daffy, who reveals the existence of a pristine island in the Gulf of Thailand with an exquisite hidden beach. Daffy had previously settled there in secrecy but faced challenges and ...