Drama: 385

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) is a riveting historical drama directed by George Clooney that delves into the world of American television news. At a gathering titled ‘A Salute to Edward R Murrow’ on October 25, 1958, Murrow delivers a powerful speech addressing Senator McCarthy and other prominent figures. The film then transports us back to October 14, 1953 at CBS Studios, where an on-screen caption reveals McCarthy’s claim of over 200 Communists in the US government. With this latest development, Fred Friendly and the news team discuss potential stories for their upcoming episodes. Murrow makes it ...

Game 6 (2005) is an American comedy drama film directed by Michael Hoffman. Successful playwright Nicky Rogan is preparing for the opening night of his latest play. Despite assurance from those around him that it will be a hit, doubts and fears creep in as he is reminded of another writer who received harsh criticism from the local newspaper’s new drama critic, Steven Schwimmer. These doubts escalate when Rogan mistakenly ends up with a handgun and considers seeking revenge against Schwimmer. Rather than attending his play’s premiere, Rogan finds himself at a bar with a lady cab driver and her grandson, who ...

Adapted from Dominique Mainard’s novel Leur histoire, the French drama film Some Kind of Blue (2005) was brought to life by Alain Corneau. The story follows Clara, a woman who works at a bird shop and is sole caretaker of her deaf-mute daughter Anna. Despite her concerns for Anna, who has never spoken, Clara herself is unable to read and write due to a traumatic incident in her past. After her beloved grandmother Baba was attacked while reading to her, Clara developed a strong aversion to learning literacy skills. As a ...

The American indie comedy-drama film, The Squid and the Whale (2005), written and directed by Noah Baumbach, is set in 1986. Bernard Berkman, an arrogant novelist whose career has been on a downward spiral, is struggling to find an agent. Meanwhile, his wife Joan’s work is gaining widespread recognition, causing tension between them. One day, the couple informs their two sons- 16-year-old Walt and 12-year-old Frank- of their separation. They agree to joint custody and spending equal time with the kids, but after they split up, their relationship becomes even more combative than before as Bernard moves to a house ...

All the Invisible Children (2005) is an anthology film exploring the themes of childhood and exploitation. This compilation features seven distinct short films, each centering on a different child. With a total runtime of 116 minutes, averaging 16 minutes per segment, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 1 September 2005. The concept for All the Invisible Children was brought to life by producer Chiara Tilesi and her partner Stefano Veneruso of MK Film Productions. Working closely together, they collaborated with authoritative directors to tell heartfelt ...

Mary (2005), a drama thriller flick, was written and directed by American filmmaker Abel Ferrara. After completing a movie about Jesus named This Is My Blood, Marie Palesi – the actress portraying Mary Magdalene – seeks refuge in Jerusalem to uncover the truth behind the story. Meanwhile, the film’s director (who also portrays Jesus) returns to New York with an aggressive campaign to promote the movie. Controversy surrounds the film due to its use of non-canonical Gnostic Gospels in some scenes, as well as allegations of anti-Semitism that remain unexplained. In New ...

North Country (2005), directed by Niki Caro, is an American drama film. In 1989, Josey Aimes flees her abusive husband and returns to her hometown in northern Minnesota with her children Sammy and Karen. She moves in with her parents, Alice and Hank, where tensions rise due to Hank’s beliefs that Josey is promiscuous and disapproves of her having Sammy as a teenager. While working at a hair salon, Josey reconnects with an old acquaintance named Glory Dodge, who suggests she apply for a job at the local iron mine. Despite Hank’s disapproval of women working there, Josey takes the job due to its higher pay. ...

Curtis Hanson directed the American romantic comedy-drama film, In Her Shoes (2005), written by Susannah Grant and based on Jennifer Weiner’s novel of the same name. Raised by their father Michael and stepmother Sydelle after their mother Caroline’s tragic death in a car accident, sisters Maggie and Rose Feller are quite dissimilar. Despite her flaws, Rose is fiercely protective of Maggie, while Maggie, a free spirit with dyslexia, struggles to hold down a job and turns to alcohol and men for support. When ...

The American satirical black comedy film, Thank You for Smoking (2005), written and directed by Jason Reitman, follows the story of Nick Naylor. As a Big Tobacco spokesman, Naylor relies on ‘research’ from the ‘Academy of Tobacco Studies’, where he serves as vice-president. Despite increasing pressure from anti-tobacco campaigns and declining numbers of young smokers, Naylor remains confident in his job. He meets regularly with his friends – firearm lobbyist Bobby Jay Bliss and alcohol lobbyist Polly Bailey – playfully referring to themselves as the ‘Merchants of Death’ or ...

The Fever (2004), a psychological drama produced by HBO Films and directed by Carlo Gabriel Nero, is based on the 1990 play of the same name by Nero and actor Wallace Shawn. The film centers on an unnamed urban sophisticate who experiences an existential crisis upon realizing the nature of world politics, economic exploitation, and shallow consumerism in her surroundings. In search for deeper understanding, she embarks on a journey to an unnamed third world country, which serves as an exotic location somewhere in Eastern ...

House (2004–2012) is an American medical drama television series that aired on the Fox network for eight seasons. It follows the story of Gregory House, M.D., a cynical and brilliant doctor who leads a team of diagnosticians at Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. The show’s structure includes a main plot with additional subplots that span multiple seasons. Each episode centers around a primary patient whose symptoms are first seen in a cold open outside the hospital. From there, the team works to diagnose and treat the patient’s illness, often facing challenges and roadblocks until the patient’s condition becomes dire. They ...

The French comedy drama film, Happily Ever After (2004), explores the concept of fidelity through the intertwined storylines of three friends and their tumultuous relationships. The film gained popularity in North America after its English release, and is often praised for featuring a lengthy cameo by the talented Johnny Depp, who impressively speaks fluent French. The story begins with Vincent and Gabrielle playfully bantering at a bar. Despite the attention from other possible suitors, Vincent seems to have won over Gabrielle’s heart. However, their supposed game of courtship ...

Finding Neverland (2004) is a biographical fantasy directed by Marc Forster and written by David Magee. The film is based on Allan Knee’s 1998 play, The Man Who Was Peter Pan. In the early 1900s, acclaimed playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie encounters Sylvia, a widowed mother of four (George, Jack, Peter and Michael), during a chance meeting in Kensington Gardens. As they grow closer, Barrie becomes not only a playmate but also a father figure to the boys. Their playful adventures become fodder for ...

Kinsey (2004) is a biographical drama film written and directed by Bill Condon, exploring the life of Alfred Charles Kinsey, a pioneer in the field of sexology. The movie follows Professor Kinsey as he discusses his sexual history, while also delving into flashbacks from his childhood and young adulthood. These flashbacks show the strict views of his father, a lay minister who believed modern inventions led to sin, and how this affected Kinsey’s upbringing. As a teenager, he faced humiliation for being exposed to cigarettes and later disappoints his father with his chosen career path. The adult Kinsey becomes a ...

The biographical film, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), is based on Roger Lewis’s book and follows the journey of English comedian, Peter Sellers. It begins with him walking up to a director’s chair, before the unseen live audience breaks into applause. In 1950s London, he is already a well-known performer on The Goon Show but struggles to make a mark in film. After a disappointing audition, he seeks comfort at home with his family but receives pushy advice from his overbearing mother Peg to ‘bite the hand that feeds you’. Inspired by her words, Peter taps into his talent for ...

Millions (2004) is a British comedy-drama film directed by Danny Boyle, following the story of Damian, a 9-year-old Catholic boy whose family relocates to Widnes after his mother’s passing. While playing near the train tracks, Damian discovers a bag of money thrown from a passing train. He confides in his brother Anthony, 12, and they discuss their options. While Anthony wants to keep the money for themselves, Damien, known for his kind and religious nature, is inspired by a lecture at school and decides to use his share of the money to help the less fortunate. Throughout the film, Damien carries out various acts ...

The Italian psychological thriller film, The Consequences of Love (2004), was written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Its main character, Titta Di Girolamo, has been living in an upscale hotel in Lugano, Switzerland for the past eight years. Every day, he puts on his suit and roams around, intentionally avoiding any interactions with people. In the morning, he solves chess puzzles from the newspaper and in the evening he plays Grabber with a bankrupt aristocratic couple who are also staying at the hotel. Occasionally, he calls his family back in Italy but his wife always seems uninterested in talking to him and his ...

Rescue Me (2004–2011) is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on FX from July 21, 2004, to September 7, 2011. The show centers around the personal and professional lives of a group of New York City firefighters. The main character is veteran firefighter Tommy Gavin, whose troubled family and co-workers face real-life challenges like post-9/11 trauma and personal issues. As a result of losing his cousin and best friend Jimmy Keefe in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Tommy struggles with grief and memories of other fallen firefighter friends. In ghostly dreams, Jimmy frequently visits Tommy.

The film, The Terminal (2004), was both produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. Viktor Navorski, a Krakozhian traveler, arrives at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to discover that his home country has experienced a coup d’état. As a result of the United States’ refusal to recognize the new government in Krakozhia, Viktor’s passport is deemed invalid and he is unable to enter the country or return home. His passport and return ticket are confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, leaving him stranded at the airport with only his luggage and a can of Planters ...

The Aviator (2004), a biographical drama directed by Martin Scorsese and written by John Logan, tells the story of young Howard Hughes. In 1913, his mother teaches him to spell ‘quarantine’ while giving him a bath in Houston, warning about a cholera outbreak. Fourteen years later, he begins directing Hell’s Angels and hires Noah Dietrich to manage his business affairs. However, after seeing the success of The Jazz Singer, Hughes becomes determined to make his film as realistic as possible and converts it to a talking movie. While the film is ...