Actress Winona Ryder (1971)

Destination Wedding (2018), an American romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Victor Levin, follows two middle-aged individuals, Frank and Lindsay. They meet at the airport before their flight and engage in an argument. As fate would have it, they end up sitting next to each other on the plane – a cramped 8-seater. To their annoyance, they discover that they are both headed to the same destination wedding in Paso Robles. What’s more, they are not strangers to each other – Frank’s half-brother is the groom Keith, who also happens to be Lindsay’s ex-fiancé from six years ago. Upon ...

Stranger Things (2016–2024) is an acclaimed American science fiction horror drama series on Netflix, helmed by the talented Duffer Brothers. The duo, professionally known as the Duffer Brothers, also serve as showrunners, head writers and directors for many of the episodes. Before their success with Stranger Things, they wrote and produced a film called Hidden in 2015, drawing inspiration from M. Night Shyamalan’s signature style. Despite their initial ...

The film Frankenweenie (2012), directed by Tim Burton and written by John August, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist and aspiring filmmaker who lives in the quiet town of New Holland, Pennsylvania with his parents and beloved dog Sparky. Despite his involvement in various school activities, Victor keeps to himself and doesn’t interact much with his classmates, including Elsa Van Helsing, Edgar ‘E’ Gore, Bob, Toshiaki, Nassor, and an eccentric girl known as ‘Weird Girl’. To help him be more social, Victor’s father ...

Rebecca Miller’s film, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009), follows the tumultuous life of its titular character. Growing up as the youngest and only girl in a large Christian family, Pippa’s childhood was overshadowed by her neurotic mother Suky’s obsessive focus on her appearance. As a teenager, Pippa learns that her mother self-medicates with amphetamines to cope with intense mood swings. Seeking refuge from her dysfunctional family, she moves in with her aunt Trish and her partner Kat, who live in a lesbian menage. However, when Trish discovers Pippa’s involvement in erotic photo shoots ...

The American science fiction action film, Star Trek (2009), was directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Serving as the 11th installment in the Star Trek franchise, it marks a reboot featuring a new cast portraying the main characters from the original television series. In the year 2233, while investigating a mysterious ‘lightning storm’ in space, the Federation starship USS Kelvin is unexpectedly attacked by a Romulan ship called Narada. The commanding officer of Narada, ...

A Scanner Darkly (2006), directed and written by Richard Linklater and based on Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a United States that has failed in its fight against drugs. The country is plagued by Substance D, a potent drug that causes strange hallucinations and has resulted in approximately 20% of the population becoming addicted. In an effort to combat the epidemic, the government has implemented an extensive surveillance system and enlisted undercover agents and informants. One such agent is Bob Arctor, tasked with infiltrating the ...

Autumn in New York (2000), the American romantic drama directed by Joan Chen and written by Allison Burnett, tells the story of a successful and charming restaurant owner named Will Keane. At 48 years old, he is known for his womanizing ways. One night, while celebrating her 22nd birthday at his upscale Manhattan restaurant, Will meets free-spirited Charlotte Fielding. Their introduction comes from Charlotte’s grandmother, who reveals that Charlotte is the daughter of Will’s ex-girlfriend Katy. Unfortunately, Katy passed away in a car accident shortly after ...

Girl, Interrupted (1999) is a biographical psychological drama film, written and directed by James Mangold. In the year 1967, in New England, an aimless 18-year-old named Susanna Kaysen experiences a nervous breakdown and takes an overdose of aspirin and alcohol. Despite her protests, she is admitted into Claymoore, a local psychiatric hospital. During her stay in the ward, Susanna forms bonds with other patients such as Polly ‘Torch’ Clark, who has schizophrenia; Cynthia Crowley; Daisy Randone, who engages in self-harm and struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder; Georgina Tuskin, a compulsive liar and ...

Celebrity (1998), an American comedy-drama film by Woody Allen, follows the story of a divorced couple who take different paths in life. Lee Simon, an unsuccessful novelist who turns to travel writing after his midlife crisis and split from his insecure ex-wife, Robin, a former English teacher of sixteen years. As he navigates the world of celebrity journalism, Lee’s search for purpose is hindered by his constant pursuit of fame and struggles with insecurities and neuroses, causing him to miss out on multiple opportunities. As she moves forward, Robin sheds her numerous neuroses ...

Alien Resurrection (1997), an American science fiction horror film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by Joss Whedon, is set two hundred years after the events of Alien 3. The space vessel USM Auriga houses military scientists who have successfully cloned Ellen Ripley using DNA from blood samples taken before her death. In this clone, named Ripley 8, the Xenomorph queen’s DNA has been combined with Ripley’s own, resulting in enhanced strength and reflexes, acidic blood, and a psychic link with the Xenomorphs. The scientists harvest eggs from ...

Little Women (1994), an American historical drama film, directed by Gillian Armstrong and written by Robin Swicord, follows the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they grow up in Concord, MA during and after the American Civil War. Their father is away at war and their mother, Marmee, must navigate the challenges of raising four headstrong daughters in 19th-century New England. The girls find solace in performing Jo’s plays in their attic theater. When their wealthy neighbor Mr. Laurence’s grandson Laurie moves in next door, he becomes a close friend to ...

The Age of Innocence (1993), an American historical romantic drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, is an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel. Set in 1870s New York City, it follows the story of gentleman lawyer Newland Archer, who is engaged to the respectable young May Welland. May’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, has returned to the city after a disastrous marriage to a dissolute Polish Count. Though initially ostracized and subjected to vicious rumors, the countess is eventually embraced by New York’s elite families thanks to May’s ...

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), an American vampire horror film, was produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and written by James V. Hart. It is based on Stoker’s classic 1897 novel of the same name. The story follows Vlad Dracula, who returns from a victorious battle against the Ottoman Empire in 1462 to find his beloved wife, Elisabeta, dead. He is told by a priest that her soul is condemned for committing suicide. Outraged, Vlad renounces Christianity and vows to avenge Elisabeta with the powers of ...

Directed by Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands (1990) is an American gothic romantic fantasy film. On a snowy night, an elderly woman shares a bedtime tale with her granddaughter about a young man named Edward, who possesses scissors for hands. Peg Boggs, a door-to-door Avon saleswoman, visits the eerie Gothic mansion where Edward resides. Created by an old inventor, Edward is an ageless humanoid who was homeschooled until the inventor’s untimely death from a heart attack. Left unfinished without hands, Peg discovers Edward and offers to bring him to her home upon realizing he poses no threat. At the Boggs household, ...

The  American drama film 1969 (1988), written and directed by Ernest Thompson, follows the story of two boys, Ralph and Scott. After hitchhiking home from college, they arrive on Easter morning and call out greetings to their families during a lakeside Easter Sunrise service. This brings amusement to Ralph’s sister, Beth, and mother, Ev, but embarrasses Scott’s parents, Jessie and Cliff. Later on, the boys take Scott’s older brother Alden to the bus depot as he is about to ship off to Vietnam. A fight breaks out between Alden and Scott when the latter accuses his marine brother of being afraid to go. ...

Beetlejuice (1988) is a movie directed by Tim Burton, which falls under the genre of American fantasy horror comedy. In Winter River, Connecticut, a married couple named Barbara and Adam Maitland spend their vacation decorating their picturesque country home. During a drive back from town, Barbara swerves to avoid a dog which results in their car crashing through the side of a covered bridge and into the river. Upon returning home, they notice that they no longer have reflections. When Adam tries to leave the house, he finds himself in an otherworldly desert-like landscape filled with large ‘sandworms’. ...