Actor Vincent D\'Onofrio (1959)

Echo (2024), a new television miniseries on Disney+, is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is the 10th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is produced by Marvel Studios. The show follows Maya Lopez, also known as Echo, as she returns to her hometown after the events of Hawkeye (2021). Pursued by Wilson Fisk’s organization, Maya must confront her past and reconnect with her Native American heritage while embracing her family and community. Marion Dayre and Amy Rardin serve as head writers, with Sydney Freeland leading the directing team. This origin story delves into Maya’s ruthless behavior in New York ...

Emerald City (2017) is a captivating American fantasy drama on NBC, brought to life by Matthew Arnold and Josh Friedman. Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s classic Oz book series, the show takes place in the enchanting world of Oz. In this land, a widowed king weds the alluring Clementianna, but his disappearance during a battle against an evil force leaves her as Queen. Meanwhile, the beautiful stepdaughter, Princess Snow White, is confined to the palace walls. After ten long years, Snow White yearns for adventure ...

The Magnificent Seven (2016), directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk, is a modern retelling of the acclaimed 1960 film with the same title. Inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Fuqua brings his unique vision to this classic story. The town of Rose Creek is under the ruthless control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue, and the desperate townspeople turn to seven outlaws, ...

Daredevil (2015–2018), a Netflix series based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, follows Matt Murdock, who gained unique and powerful senses after a chemical spill blinded him as a child. By day, he uses his abilities as a lawyer at his own firm, while at night he patrols Hell’s Kitchen as Daredevil, bringing justice to those who need it most. This series was also the first of its kind on Netflix and eventually led to the crossover miniseries The Defenders. Season 1. After ‘the incident’, criminals of various backgrounds ...

Jurassic World (2015) is an American science fiction action film helmed by director Colin Trevorrow. During their winter break, brothers Zach and Gray Mitchell take a trip to Isla Nublar’s dinosaur theme park, where their aunt Claire Dearing works as the operations manager. Claire assigns her assistant Zara to accompany the boys but they decide to explore on their own. Meanwhile, former Navy veteran and ethologist Owen Grady has been training a team of Velociraptors – Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo – and studying their intelligence. InGen security chief Vic Hoskins sees potential in weaponizing the ...

The American legal drama film, The Judge (2014), was directed by David Dobkin. Hank Palmer, a successful lawyer in Chicago, was granted a continuance for his case when he received news of his mother’s passing. Before heading back to his hometown in Indiana for the funeral, he had a heated argument with his wife, Lisa, whom he is currently divorcing. Upon arriving in Carlinville, Hank is reunited with his older brother Glen, who owns a tire shop, and his younger brother, Dale. Hank’s father is the Judge Joseph Palmer of Carlinville’s criminal court but Hank simply refers to him as ‘Judge’. ...

Escape Plan (2013) is an American prison action thriller film featuring the talents of both Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ray Breslin, a former prosecutor, is the co-owner and founder of Breslin-Clark, a specialized security firm that puts supermax prisons to the test. He infiltrates facilities under the guise of an inmate in order to identify weaknesses and plan successful escapes. Motivated by the tragic deaths of his wife and child at the hands of an escaped convict he had previously prosecuted, Breslin has gained a reputation as an escape artist. When ...

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 ...

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–2011) is an American police procedural drama TV series based in New York City and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer. It first aired on September 30, 2001, as the third installment of Wolf’s successful Law & Order franchise. The show centers around The NYPD Manhattan ‘Major Case Squad’, a team of detectives tasked with solving high-profile cases, including murder, kidnappings, and major robberies. These cases often involve VIPs, local government ...

The Cell (2000) is a science fiction psychological thriller film, Tarsem Singh’s directorial debut. Child psychologist Catherine Deane is hired to use an experimental virtual reality treatment on coma patients. This involves a ‘Neurological Cartography and Synaptic Transfer System’ device managed by doctors Henry West and Miriam Kent, which allows her to enter the minds of comatose patients and try to awaken them. The technology is funded by the parents of Edward Baines, a young boy in a coma due to an unusual strain of schizophrenia caused by a viral infection. However, Baines’ progress has been ...

Josef Rusnak’s science fiction neo-noir film, The Thirteenth Floor (1999), takes place in a futuristic version of Los Angeles. The main character, Douglas Hall, is the protégé and heir to Hannon Fuller’s multibillion-dollar computer enterprise. Fuller has just completed a revolutionary virtual reality simulation of 1937 Los Angeles, featuring lifelike computer-generated humans. However, when Fuller is murdered while testing the system, Hall becomes the prime suspect due to overwhelming evidence against him. As doubts about his own innocence begin to creep in, Hall must unravel the mystery behind ...

The American sci-fi action comedy film, Men in Black (1997), is based on Lowell Cunningham’s comic book series and a popular conspiracy theory. At the Mexico–United States border, two men dressed in black suits known as Agent K and Agent D, intervene in a border patrol operation. They apprehend an extraterrestrial disguised as a human named Mikey who was attempting to cross the border. When Mikey attacks one of the patrol officers, K is forced to shoot him and use their memory-erasing device to cover up the incident as an underground gas pipeline explosion. With D choosing retirement due to his age, he asks K to ...

Feeling Minnesota (1996), an American crime comedy film written and directed by Steven Baigelman, tells the story of Freddie Clayton, a former stripper who finds herself indebted to nightclub owner Red. In order to repay her debt, Freddie agrees to marry Sam. However, at the wedding she meets Jjaks, Sam’s brother, and their instant chemistry leads them to run away together and take refuge in a motel. Realizing they have no money, they decide to return to Sam’s house and steal some cash. But their plan goes awry when Sam catches Jjaks in the act and a physical altercation ensues. Wounded and on the run from ...

The Player (1992), an American satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Michael Tolkin, is based on Tolkin’s own novel of the same name. It follows Griffin Mill, a Hollywood studio executive dating story editor Bonnie Sherow. In his role, Mill listens to pitches from screenwriters and decides which ones have the potential to be turned into films. However, out of 50,000 submissions yearly, he only green-lights twelve. When ambitious exec Larry Levy joins the studio, Mill’s job ...

Dying Young (1991) is an American romance film directed by Joel Schumacher, based on the novel of the same name by Marti Leimbach. Hilary O’Neil is a beautiful, outgoing young woman, but she has faced challenges in both work and love. Recently, she left her unfaithful boyfriend and now lives with her eccentric mother. One day, while looking for work, Hilary responds to a newspaper ad for a nurse position. However, she is quickly dismissed before even getting an interview. Victor Geddes is a shy 28-year-old from a wealthy background with a strong education. As the ...

The American epic political thriller film, JFK (1991), written and directed by Oliver Stone, delves into the investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The New Orleans district attorney, Jim Garrison, becomes convinced that there was a conspiracy to kill Kennedy and that Lee Harvey Oswald was used as a scapegoat. Outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower had warned about the dangers of the military-industrial complex in his 1961 farewell address. However, Kennedy takes over as president and is faced with challenges such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis before his tragic assassination in ...

Mystic Pizza (1988), an American romantic comedy-drama directed by Donald Petrie in his directorial debut, tells the story of three young Portuguese-American women working at a pizza parlor owned by Leona and her husband Vic in Mystic, Connecticut. Sisters Kat and Daisy Araújo, along with their friend Josephina ‘JoJo’ Barboza, are waitresses at this establishment. During JoJo’s wedding to Bill, she faints due to cold feet about settling down. Although she still wants to continue their physical relationship until she is ready for marriage, Bill ultimately ends things as he desires a commitment. ...