Scott Rudin Productions (USA): 38

Revolutionary Road (2008) is a romantic drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Justin Haythe. It is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates. The story follows longshoreman Frank Wheeler, who meets a woman named April at a party in 1948. Their aspirations differ – Frank dreams of being a cashier, while April longs to become an actress. After securing a sales position with Knox Machines, Frank and April get married and move to 115 Revolutionary Road in suburban Connecticut, as they await the ...

Wes Anderson co-wrote and directed the American comedy-drama film, The Darjeeling Limited (2007).  While in India, a businessman named Peter fails to catch his train of the same name, as he is beaten to it by a younger man. On board, Peter reunites with his brothers Francis and Jack after not seeing each other since their father’s funeral a year ago. Francis, who has undergone a motorcycle accident and is now covered in bandages, wants to reconcile with his brothers on a journey of self-discovery. He also hopes to find their mother Patricia, whom they have not seen in years. With the assistance of Brendan, his ...

The American comedy-drama film, Margot at the Wedding (2007), was both written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The main character, Margot, is a accomplished writer who is often preoccupied with her own thoughts and feelings. It is hinted that she may have borderline personality disorder. Margot decides to bring her 11-year-old son Claude with her for a weekend visit to her sister Pauline’s home on Long Island, New York. Pauline is set to marry Malcolm, an unrewarding musician whom Margot finds unappealing. During her stay in town, Margot participates in a public interview at a local bookstore with Dick Koosman, a ...

No Country for Old Men (2007), an American neo-Western crime thriller film directed and written by Joel and Ethan Coen, is based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel with the same name. In 1980, Anton Chigurh, a hitman, is arrested in Texas but manages to escape by strangling a sheriff’s deputy. He then steals a car using a captive bolt pistol to kill the driver. Meanwhile, Llewelyn Moss is hunting pronghorns in the desert when he stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong. Among the scene are several dead men, a wounded ...

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 ...

Richard Condon’s 1959 novel, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), is a political thriller that tells the story of a prominent U.S. political family and their son’s involvement in a Communist conspiracy. The novel has been adapted into two feature films with the same title, released in 1962 and 2004 respectively. In the story, Major Bennett Marco and his infantry platoon are captured during the Korean War in 1952 by an elite Soviet commando unit. They are eventually brainwashed into believing that Sergeant Raymond Shaw saved their lives in combat, leading to him receiving the Medal of Honor. Years later, Marco, ...

The Village (2004), an American period thriller film written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is set in 19th-century Pennsylvania. The small, isolated village is plagued by mysterious humanoid-creatures that inhabit the nearby woods. To protect themselves, watchtowers and tall poles with oil lamps are positioned around the perimeter of the village. Additionally, the elders have forbidden the color red as it seems to attract the creatures. When a young villager dies, Lucius Hunt asks for permission to venture through the woods to retrieve medicine from ‘the towns’, but his request is denied. His ...

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) is an American adventure comedy-drama directed by Wes Anderson and written by both Anderson and Noah Baumbach. While documenting his latest sea expedition, oceanographer Steve Zissou’s closest friend and lead diver, Esteban du Plantier, is consumed by a large, glowing spotted creature referred to as a ‘jaguar shark’ by Zissou. Determined to capture the shark’s demise for his next project, Zissou enlists the help of a diverse crew aboard his aging research ...

Changing Lanes (2002) is an American drama thriller film directed by Roger Michell, featuring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson as the main characters. In New York City, two men find themselves in a rush to get to court for very different reasons. One is a recovering alcoholic named Doyle Gipson, who is fighting for joint custody of his sons after attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to maintain sobriety. The other is Gavin Banek, a successful Wall Street attorney, who needs to file an important document before ...

Orange County (2002) is an American comedy featuring Colin Hanks and Jack Black. The film follows Shaun Brumder, a teenager who is bright but lacks interest in academics. He embraces the laid-back lifestyle of Southern California, spending his time surfing, partying, and drinking in the affluent town of Orange County. However, after the tragic death of his best friend Lonny in a surfing accident, Shaun reevaluates his priorities. A chance encounter with Marcus Skinner’s novel sparks his passion for writing and he sets his sights on attending Stanford University to ...

The American action crime thriller film, Shaft (2000), was both co-written and co-produced by John Singleton. In the initial investigation of Trey Howard’s brutal attack outside a restaurant in 1998, NYPD Detective John Shaft apprehends Walter Wade Jr., the son of a wealthy real estate mogul, after noticing blood on his person. Claiming self-defense, Wade is taken into custody by Shaft. While surveying the scene, Shaft notices an injured waitress named Diane Palmieri who appears to be eyeing Wade. Attempting to gather crucial information from her, Shaft is unsuccessful in coaxing a statement. A friend of ...

In the film Wonder Boys (2000), director Curtis Hanson and writer Steve Kloves showcase the life of Grady Tripp, a creative writing professor at an unnamed Pennsylvania university. Grady is in a relationship with Sara Gaskell, the university chancellor. However, her husband Walter is also involved in their professional lives as chairman of the English department where Grady teaches. Recently, Grady’s third wife Emily has left him and he struggles to replicate the success of his first novel. Currently, he is diligently working on his second novel but cannot seem to ...

South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999) is an American adult animated musical comedy film based on the animated sitcom South Park. One morning in the Colorado town of South Park, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, his adopted brother Ike, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick head to the movie theater to catch Terrance and Phillip’s R-rated flick, Asses of Fire. Despite initially being turned away for not meeting the age requirement, the boys enlist a homeless man to join them. After viewing the film, they become fond of using profanity. Their peers are amazed and follow suit by watching the movie as well, except for Wendy Testaburger who spends time with ...

Tim Burton’s gothic supernatural horror film, Sleepy Hollow (1999), is a loose adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Set in 1799, the film follows New York City police constable Ichabod Crane as he investigates a string of brutal murders in the upstate Dutch hamlet. Among the insular town elders who receive him are wealthy Baltus Van Tassel, town doctor Thomas Lancaster, Reverend Steenwyck, notary James Hardenbrook, and magistrate Samuel Philipse. According to local beliefs, the killer is an undead headless ...

An American legal drama film, A Civil Action (1998), directed and written by Steven Zaillian, is based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr. The movie depicts a true court case in Woburn, Massachusetts during the 1980s regarding environmental pollution. The city’s water supply becomes contaminated with toxicants which are eventually linked to a series of local children’s deaths. Anne Anderson, a resident of Woburn, approaches cocky Boston attorney Jan Schlichtmann and his small firm of personal injury lawyers for help in taking legal action against ...

The Truman Show (1998) is an American comedy drama film written by Andrew Niccol and directed by Peter Weir. The film focuses on the life of a man named Truman Burbank who was selected at birth and adopted by a television studio after an unwanted pregnancy. Unbeknownst to him, he is the main star of a reality TV show called The Truman Show. This program is broadcasted globally via approximately five thousand hidden cameras that capture every moment of Truman’s life. The creator and executive producer, Christof, aims to showcase Truman’s genuine emotions as a ...

Marvin’s Room (1996) is an impactful American drama helmed by Jerry Zaks. John Guare penned the screenplay, adapted from Scott McPherson’s play of the same name. The story revolves around Marvin, a man who suffered a stroke two decades ago and has been confined to his bed ever since. His daughter Bessie has dedicated herself to taking care of him in their Florida home, while his other daughter Lee moved away with her husband to Ohio and has not been in touch with her family since. Unfortunately, Bessie receives devastating news from her doctor – she has leukemia, the same illness that claimed their ...

Sydney Pollack directed The Firm (1993), an American legal thriller. Mitch McDeere, a top Harvard Law School graduate, is offered a lucrative position by boutique law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife Abby relocate there as he prepares for the Tennessee bar exam. Mitch receives guidance from senior partner Avery Tolar on the firm’s strict values of loyalty, confidentiality, and high fees. Despite the enticing perks such as a new house, a Mercedes-Benz, and paid-off student loans, Abby resents the firm’s interference in employees’ personal lives. Despite working long hours, Mitch passes the bar exam but this ...