Ingenious Film Partners (United Kingdom): 15

Life of Pi (2012), an adventure-drama film directed and produced by Ang Lee and written by David Magee, shares the story of Pi Patel. In Canada, a writer is told that Pi would make a compelling subject for a book. Pi recounts his experiences to the writer: being named after the famous French swimming pool Piscine Molitor Patel by his father and adopting the nickname ‘Pi’ during his secondary schooling in Pondicherry as a means of avoiding bullying. Growing up in a Hindu household, Pi becomes interested in Christianity and Islam at the age of 12, ultimately ...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), an American science fiction action film, follows pharmaceutical chemist Will Rodman in San Francisco as he tests the virus-based drug ALZ-112 on chimpanzees at biotechnology company Gen-Sys. His goal is to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Their test subject, a chimp named Bright Eyes, shows remarkable intelligence after being given the drug. Her newfound intelligence leads her to escape her cage during Will’s presentation and ultimately be killed. Will’s boss, Steven Jacobs, ends the project and orders all chimps to be euthanized. However, Robert Franklin, Will’s assistant, reveals that Bright Eyes had ...

The superhero film, X-Men: First Class (2011), is based on the X-Men characters from Marvel Comics. At the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944, Nazi officer Klaus Schmidt witnesses a young Erik Lehnsherr using his mind to bend a metal gate after being separated from his parents. Schmidt then takes Erik to his office and asks him to move a coin on his desk. When Erik fails, Schmidt kills his mother. In distress, Erik’s magnetic power suddenly appears and destroys the room. Meanwhile, at a mansion in Westchester County, New York, child telepath Charles Xavier meets Raven, whose natural form is blue-skinned scales and has the ability to shapeshift, and invites her ...

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) is a riveting superhero flick inspired by the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Serving as the first installment of the Wolverine trilogy and a prequel to X-Men (2000) and X2: X-Men United (2003), it takes us back to 1845 where we meet James Howlett, a young boy living in the Northwest Territories. Tragically, he witnesses his father’s murder at the hands of groundskeeper Thomas Logan, which triggers his anxiety and activates his mutation. With bone claws protruding from his knuckles, James defends himself and discovers that Thomas was actually his biological father all along. After fleeing with ...

Baz Luhrmann’s epic adventure drama, Australia (2008), follows Lady Sarah Ashley as she travels to her husband’s faltering cattle station, Faraway Downs. It is 1939, just before the start of World War II, and Lady Sarah hopes to make her husband sell the station and save their marriage. However, upon arriving in Australia from England, she learns that her husband has been murdered by an Aboriginal elder known as ‘King George’. The vast Faraway Downs spans across Western Australia and the Northern Territory, reaching all the way to the Timor Sea. In order to secure control of the station for ...

Sunshine (2007) is a science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. In the year 2057, Earth is facing a crisis as the Sun is nearing its end and causing global freezing. To save humanity, eight international astronauts embark on a mission aboard Icarus II – a spacecraft equipped with a mirrored stellar bomb designed to reignite the dying star. However, as they pass Mercury, they receive a distress signal from Icarus I – a previous attempt that was lost seven years ago. Despite objections from Mace, Physicist ...

Hot Fuzz (2007) is an action-packed buddy cop comedy directed by Edgar Wright and co-written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg also takes on the lead role alongside Nick Frost. After his promotion to Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police Service, highly capable constable Nicholas Angel is transferred to Sandford, Gloucestershire – a quaint town that regularly wins the title of ‘Village of the Year’. Meanwhile, ...

Hannibal Rising (2007) is a chilling psychological thriller that serves as the fifth installment in the Hannibal Lecter franchise. Serving as a prequel to Red Dragon, Hannibal, and The Silence of the Lambs, this film brings to life Thomas Harris’ eponymous 2006 novel. It delves into the origins of Lecter’s descent from a vengeful Nazi hunter to a monstrous cannibalistic serial killer. Set in 1944 Lithuania during World War II, we see an eight-year-old Hannibal and his family take refuge in their hunting lodge to escape the advancing German troops. However, after three long years, ...

Stardust (2007) is a romantic fantasy adventure co-written and directed by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman. The film is based on Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same title and takes place in the English village of Wall, near a stone wall that marks the border of the magical kingdom of Stormhold. Despite being forbidden to cross, Dunstan Thorne manages to deceive the guard and sets foot in the marketplace beyond. There, he meets Una, a princess enslaved by a witch who offers him a glass snowdrop in exchange for a kiss. ...

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) is an American comedy film directed by Tim Hill and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. Following the first film, Jon Arbuckle is preparing to propose to his girlfriend, veterinarian Doctor Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Wilson, who is traveling for work to London. As a surprise, Jon secretly follows Liz to the United Kingdom, but his pets, Garfield and Odie, stow away in his luggage. The two mischievous animals end up escaping from their hotel room out of boredom and become lost in ...

Scoop (2006)  is a romantic crime comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It follows the story of investigative reporter Joe Strombel’s spirit, who finds himself on the barge of death with other individuals, including Jane Cook. Cook claims she was poisoned by her employer, Peter Lyman, an ambitious British aristocrat who she believes may also be the notorious Tarot Card Killer. This killer has been targeting prostitutes and leaves a card on each victim’s body. Sondra Pransky, an American journalism student vacationing in London, attends a performance by magician Sid Waterman, also known as ...

Ridley Scott directed and produced the romantic comedy-drama film, A Good Year (2006). Max Skinner’s parents passed away when he was young, and he spent his summer holidays at his Uncle Henry’s vineyard estate in Provence, France. Now, twenty-five years later, Max is a successful but arrogant trader in London. He inherits his uncle’s property after his passing and travels to Provence with plans to sell it quickly. Unfortunately, while driving and using his cell phone, he accidentally causes an accident involving Fanny Chenal, a local café owner. As if that wasn’t enough trouble, Max’s ...

Notes on a Scandal (2006) is a British psychological drama/thriller directed by Richard Eyre and produced by Robert Fox and Scott Rudin. Based on Zoë Heller’s novel of the same name from 2003, the screenplay was written by Patrick Marber. The story follows Barbara Covett, a London history teacher who has reached retirement age without ever getting married. She holds disdain for her students and colleagues at the ...

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) is a superhero film based on Marvel Entertainment Group’s comic books. In 1986, Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr invite a young Jean Grey to join their school, the X-Mansion, at her parents’ house. Ten years later in 1996, industrialist Warren Worthington II discovers his son’s mutant abilities when he tries to remove his wings. In the present day, Worthington Labs announces a ‘cure’ for mutants and offers it to those who are interested in suppressing their X-gene. This piques the interest of certain mutants such as Rogue, who struggles with her harmful touch, while others are cautious. Magneto gathers a new ...

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 ...