Phoenix Pictures (USA): 8

The 33 (2015) is a biographical disaster-survival drama film directed by Patricia Riggen. In August 2010, a group of miners from Copiapó, Chile are working in the San José mine when it collapses due to the owner’s negligence. This unfortunate event leaves them trapped and without a way out. As the miners gather in a rescue chamber, they quickly realize they lack necessary supplies for a long stay – the radio is broken, the medical kit is empty, and there is little food. Amidst this dire situation, Mario Sepúlveda emerges as a leader, taking charge of rationing food and maintaining order among the group. Despite ...

Shutter Island (2010) is a gripping neo-noir psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted by Laeta Kalogridis from the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehan. The film follows U.S. Marshal Edward ‘Teddy’ Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule as they are sent to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando at Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, Boston Harbor. Despite encountering resistance from the hospital staff, particularly from psychiatrist Dr. John ...

Zodiac (2007) is an American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by James Vanderbilt, based on the nonfiction books by Robert Graysmith: Zodiac (1986) and Zodiac Unmasked (2002). The movie opens on July 4, 1969, when an unknown man attacks Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau with a handgun at a lovers’ lane in Vallejo, California. Only Mike survives. A month later, the San Francisco Chronicle receives encrypted letters from the killer who calls himself ‘Zodiac’. In these letters, he threatens to kill twelve ...

Basic (2003) is a mystery-action thriller directed by John McTiernan and written by James Vanderbilt. During a live fire exercise in the jungles of Panama, Army Rangers trainees are led by their instructor and Master Sergeant Nathan West. Sergeant Ray Dunbar emerges from the jungle with wounded Second Lieutenant Levi Kendall, pursued by Sergeant Mueller whom Dunbar kills in self-defense. Although no other casualties are found, West’s team is presumed dead. Dunbar refuses to cooperate with Military Police investigator Captain Julia Osborne and requests to speak with ...

The American thriller film, Apt Pupil (1998), directed by Bryan Singer and starring Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro, is based on the 1982 novella of the same name by Stephen King. Set in Southern California in 1984, 16-year-old high school student Todd Bowden makes a shocking discovery about his elderly neighbor, Arthur Denker. It turns out that Denker is actually Kurt Dussander—a former Nazi concentration camp commandant who has fled from justice. Intrigued by the horrors of ...

The Thin Red Line (1998), an American epic war film by Terrence Malick, is the second adaptation of James Jones’ 1962 novel. Private Witt of the United States Army goes AWOL in 1942 and lives amongst Melanesian natives in the South Pacific. However, he is eventually discovered and confined on a troopship by First Sergeant Welsh. Due to his actions, Witt is not allowed to rejoin his unit and is instead assigned as a stretcher bearer for an upcoming campaign. C Company, led by Capt. James Staros, has been called to Guadalcanal to reinforce the efforts in securing ...

U Turn (1997) is a neo-noir crime thriller directed by renowned filmmaker Oliver Stone. The plot follows the story of Bobby Cooper, a struggling drifter who finds himself in a tough spot when his red 1964½ Ford Mustang Convertible breaks down in Superior, Arizona. Penniless and stranded, Bobby crosses paths with Jake and Grace McKenna, a married couple also facing their own financial struggles. Both Jake and Grace separately offer Bobby money to kill the other, leaving him desperate and filled with fear. Eventually, Bobby decides to pursue Grace’s proposition and eliminate Jake in order to start a new life ...

In the movie Footloose (1984), directed by Herbert Ross, Chicago native Ren McCormack and his mother Ethel move to the small town of Bomont to stay with Ren’s aunt and uncle. At church, he meets Reverend Shaw Moore, his wife Vi, and their daughter Ariel, who is known for her rebellious nature. While at school, Ren becomes friends with Willard Hewitt and discovers that dancing and rock music are banned within the town limits by the town council. Despite this restriction, Ren falls for Ariel, much to the dismay of her boyfriend Chuck Cranston. In an attempt to impress Ariel and prove his worthiness, Ren challenges ...