Infinitum Nihil (USA): 8

Based on the book by Aileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith, Minamata (2020) is a powerful biographical drama directed by Andrew Levitas. It features Johnny Depp (also producer) as W. Eugene Smith, an American photographer renowned for his World War II photojournalism. The film focuses on his assignment to Minamata, Kumamoto, where he witnesses the devastating effects of mercury poisoning on the locals due to industrial negligence by the Chisso Corporation. Premiering at the ...

The crime thriller film City of Lies (2018) follows the Los Angeles Police Department’s investigation into the killings of rappers Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. In 2015, investigative reporter Darius ‘Jack’ Jackson from the Los Angeles Times is assigned to cover the Notorious B.I.G.’s murder. Jackson seeks out retired and disgraced LAPD detective Russell Poole for information. Through a series of flashbacks, Poole shares his belief that Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight bribed corrupt officers to carry out Wallace’s murder and conceal it. In 1997, Poole is tasked with looking into the shooting of off-duty black officer Kevin ...

The American swashbuckler fantasy film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. In the opening scene, young Henry Turner leaves his home in the dark of night on a rowboat, only to find himself pulled down to the bottom of the sea and inside the cursed ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. He reunites with his cursed father, Captain Will Turner, and seeks out the fabled Trident of Poseidon to break his father’s curse. However, Will discourages him from this seemingly impossible task and sends him back to ...

The American action comedy film, Mortdecai (2015), was directed by David Koepp and written by Eric Aronson. It is based on the novel series of the same name, specifically the first book Don’t Point that Thing at Me, written by Kyril Bonfiglioli. In Hong Kong, Lord Charlie Mortdecai, a self-proclaimed ‘art dealer’ and swindler, is approached by one of his victims, a gangster named Fang. With the help of his loyal manservant Jock, Mortdecai narrowly escapes harm. Back in London, he and his wife Johanna brainstorm ways to pay off their hefty tax debt. Meanwhile ...

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 dark fantasy film Dark Shadows (2012), directed by Tim Burton, is based on the gothic television soap opera of the same name. In 1760, young Barnabas Collins and his wealthy family relocated from Liverpool to Maine, where they built the Collinwood Mansion and founded the town of Collinsport. However, fifteen years later, Barnabas finds himself in a complicated situation. He is engaged to Josette but is also having an affair with Angelique, a servant who happens to be a witch. When Barnabas rejects Angelique, she uses her magic to murder his parents and place a curse on him. In addition, Angelique casts a spell on ...

The film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s 1998 novel, The Rum Diary (2011), was directed by Bruce Robinson. Paul Kemp is a struggling author who takes a job at a newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is quickly introduced to the ins and outs of the newspaper world by Sala, a staff photographer who predicts the newspaper’s eventual downfall. After settling into a hotel, Kemp crosses paths with Chenault, an alluring woman he meets while lounging on a boat in the ocean. Despite getting off on the wrong foot with his editor, E.J Lotterman, due to a night of ...

Hugo (2011), an adventure drama directed and produced by Martin Scorsese, follows the story of a boy who lives alone in the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris during the 1930s. The film, adapted from Brian Selznick’s novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, centers on Hugo’s journey as he becomes involved in a mystery surrounding his father’s automaton and renowned filmmaker Georges Méliès. After his father’s tragic death, twelve-year-old Hugo is taken in by his uncle Claude, an alcoholic who works at the museum. While living with him, Hugo discovers a broken automaton and together they ...