Actor William Fichtner (1956)

Roland Emmerich co-wrote and directed Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), the highly-anticipated sequel to the original 1996 film. In this new installment, set twenty years after the War of 1996, the United Nations has established the Earth Space Defense (ESD), a global research program that uses alien technology to protect Earth from potential extraterrestrial threats. Thanks to humanity’s triumph over the aliens in their previous attack, peace reigns among nations and civilization has been restored. To further safeguard against future invasions, the ESD has expanded its reach by setting up bases on the Moon, ...

Elysium (2013), an American sci-fi action film written, produced, and directed by Neill Blomkamp, depicts a dystopian future where Earth is overcrowded, plagued by disease and pollution. The wealthy inhabitants of the planet live in luxury on Elysium, an orbiting space station just beyond Earth’s reach. Spider, a skilled hacker residing in Los Angeles, operates three shuttle flights to Elysium in order to smuggle individuals seeking access to Med-Bays; advanced devices that can cure any ailment. Unfortunately, Elysium Defense Secretary Delacourt takes down two of the shuttles in space, causing the death of all ...

The Lone Ranger (2013), an American Western action film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, follows the story of lawyer John Reid. In 1933 at a San Francisco funfair, young Will meets Comanche Tonto, who tells him about his encounters with the famous Lone Ranger. The film then flashes back to 1869, when Reid returns home to Colby, Texas on a train managed by railroad tycoon Latham Cole. Unbeknownst to Reid, the train also ...

The superhero film, The Dark Knight (2008), was directed by Christopher Nolan and co-written with his brother Jonathan. It serves as the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and is the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. In Gotham City, a group of masked criminals stages a robbery at a mafia-owned bank. Amid betrayals and killings, the mastermind behind the heist is revealed to be none other than the Joker, who escapes with the stolen money. To combat organized crime in Gotham, Batman teams up with district attorney Harvey Dent and police lieutenant ...

The American science fiction film Equilibrium (2002), written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, follows the story of survivors of World War III in a totalitarian city-state called Libria. In this city, all forms of human emotion are blamed for causing conflicts, leading to strict bans on anything that can stimulate emotions. Those who disobey these laws are known as Sense Offenders and face a death sentence. The citizens must also take a daily injection of Prozium II, an emotion-suppressing drug. Governed by the Tetragrammaton Council, led by ‘Father’, propaganda is spread through large video screens. The police ...

Black Hawk Down (2001) is a war film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by Ken Nolan. Based on journalist Mark Bowden’s 1999 book of the same name, it revolves around the events of 1992 when the United Nations Security Council authorized a military operation with a peacekeeping mandate in southern Somalia during the civil war and famine. However, tensions arise between UNOSOM II and Mogadishu’s militia loyal to ...

The Perfect Storm (2000), an American disaster drama film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, is based on the 1997 creative non-fiction book of the same name by Sebastian Junger. In October 1991, the commercial swordfishing boat Andrea Gail returns to port in Gloucester, Massachusetts with a poor catch. Boat owner Bob Brown mocks Captain Billy Tyne for his ‘cold streak’. Determined to prove himself, Billy convinces the crew to join him for one final late-season fishing trip. They venture out beyond their usual grounds on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, leaving ...

Go (1999) is an American crime comedy film that tells the story of three sets of characters whose lives become entangled during the Christmas season. Ronna, struggling to make ends meet and facing eviction, is approached by Adam and Zack to purchase 20 hits of ecstasy. However, their usual dealer Simon is absent, so Ronna turns to Todd, who she owes money to. In order to pay him back, she leaves her friend Claire with him as collateral. Despite some initial suspicions about Burke, a stranger with Adam and Zack, Ronna agrees to sell the pills. However, after realizing they may be in danger due to the pills’ unknown strength, she makes a risky decision and ...

Armageddon (1998), an American science fiction disaster film, was both produced and directed by Michael Bay with Jerry Bruckheimer also on board. In the film, a colossal meteor shower obliterates the orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis and proceeds to pummel various cities including New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Moncton, Halifax, and Newfoundland. Later in the film, we learn that these meteors were knocked out of the asteroid belt due to a collision with a rogue comet. In addition, this same collision caused a massive asteroid – comparable in size to Texas ...

Virtuosity (1995), an American sci-fi action flick helmed by Brett Leonard, follows Parker Barnes, an ex-cop imprisoned for taking the life of political terrorist Matthew Grimes. Grimes was responsible for the deaths of Parker’s wife and daughter. Despite also accidentally shooting two journalists during the altercation, Barnes received a severe sentence of 17 years to life. In 1999, Barnes and his colleague John Donovan are testing a virtual reality system designed to train police officers. While pursuing serial killer SID 6.7 in a simulated restaurant setting, Donovan falls into shock and dies at the hands of ...