Vendian Entertainment (USA): 5

American Made (2017), an action comedy film directed by Doug Liman and written by Gary Spinelli, draws inspiration from the life of Barry Seal. A former TWA pilot who later became a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel, Seal is eventually recruited as an informant for the DEA. The CIA also takes notice of Seal’s ability to smuggle Cuban cigars into the country and enlists him to take aerial photographs of Sandinista bases in 1978. Soon, he becomes involved with Pablo Escobar’s infamous cartel, led by Jorge Ochoa and Carlos Lehder, who want a part of his ...

The Neon Demon (2016) is a psychological horror film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. It opens with Jesse, a beautiful blond teenage girl posing on a love seat for amateur photographer Dean, whom she met online. The shoot offers Dean an opportunity to practice his craft, while also providing Jesse with headshots. Afterward, struggling to remove fake blood makeup, Jesse is approached by makeup artist Ruby who offers assistance. During their conversation, Ruby discovers that Jesse is new in town and this is her first photo shoot. She reveals she is staying at a rundown motel in Pasadena and later invites her to a party. ...

Oliver Stone’s biographical thriller Snowden (2016) follows the story of Edward Snowden, who in 2013 arranged a secret meeting in Hong Kong with documentarian Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald. During the meeting, they discussed releasing classified information regarding illegal mass surveillance conducted by the NSA. This meeting was later documented in Poitras’ film Citizenfour, which was also featured in the movie Snowden. Prior to this, in 2004, Snowden joined the U.S. Army with plans to join the Special Forces but was discharged due to a fractured tibia. He then applied for a position at the ...

Hacksaw Ridge (2016), a biographical war film, was directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan. The story is based on a 2004 documentary called The Conscientious Objector, which was directed by Terry Benedict. Set in 1929 Lynchburg, Virginia, the film follows the life of Desmond Doss, a young man with a strong Seventh-day Adventist upbringing. After an accident nearly kills his brother during some roughhousing, Desmond becomes even more ...

The American biographical crime drama film, Black Mass (2015), tells the story of notorious mobster Whitey Bulger. Directed by Scott Cooper and written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, it is based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill’s 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. Set in 1975, the film follows James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, leader of the ...