Movies: 2833

Chef (2014) is an American comedy-drama film that centers around Miami-born Carl Casper, the head chef at Gauloises in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Despite being popular with his staff and hostess Molly, Carl clashes with the restaurant’s owner, Riva. She wants him to stick to traditional dishes instead of his innovative creations. Carl also has a troubled relationship with his ex-wife Inez and their tech-savvy son Percy. During a visit from food critic Ramsey Michel, Riva insists that Carl stick to old favorites rather than trying something new. These demands lead to a negative review from Ramsey, which prompts Carl to publicly insult him on Twitter and gain a large ...

The American legal drama film, The Judge (2014), was directed by David Dobkin. Hank Palmer, a successful lawyer in Chicago, was granted a continuance for his case when he received news of his mother’s passing. Before heading back to his hometown in Indiana for the funeral, he had a heated argument with his wife, Lisa, whom he is currently divorcing. Upon arriving in Carlinville, Hank is reunited with his older brother Glen, who owns a tire shop, and his younger brother, Dale. Hank’s father is the Judge Joseph Palmer of Carlinville’s criminal court but Hank simply refers to him as ‘Judge’. ...

The film Winter’s Tale (2014), adapted from Mark Helprin’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a young immigrant couple in 1895. Unfortunately, they are denied entry into Manhattan due to their consumption (Tuberculosis). Unable to bring their infant son with them, they are forced to return to their ship, City of Justice. In a desperate act, they place their baby inside a model of the ship and watch him float to shore in New York City. Twenty-one years later, the boy has been raised as a thief by a supernatural demon posing as a gangster named Pearly Soames. When Peter decides to leave Pearly’s ...

The war film, The Monuments Men (2014), was both directed and written by George Clooney with Grant Heslov as producer. As the Allies made progress pushing back the Axis powers in Italy in 1943, Frank Stokes convinced President Roosevelt that preserving the artistic treasures of Western civilization was crucial. In response, Stokes was tasked with assembling a specialized Army unit, known as the ‘Monuments Men’, consisting of museum directors, curators, art historians, and an architect. Their mission was two-fold: to advise Allied units and recover stolen art ...

Director José Padilha brought the American science-fiction action film, RoboCop (2014), to life with screenwriters Joshua Zetumer, Edward Neumeier, and Michael Miner. This remake of the 1987 original is the fourth in the franchise. The story explores a futuristic world where multinational corporation OmniCorp introduces robotic peacekeepers to maintain law and order. CEO Raymond Sellars leads the company’s efforts to market this advanced technology to domestic law ...

Tusk (2014) is a darkly comical thriller directed and penned by Kevin Smith, inspired by an episode from his SModcast podcast. Buddies Wallace Bryton and Teddy Craft co-host The Not-See Party, a show where they chat with eccentric individuals. While Wallace travels to Canada to meet the famous Kill Bill Kid, known for accidentally chopping off his own leg on camera, his girlfriend Ally remains at home. Unfortunately, upon arrival, Wallace discovers that the young internet star has taken his own life. Refusing to let the opportunity pass him by, Wallace sets out to find another intriguing interview subject. He stumbles ...

Directed by Wally Pfister and written by Jack Paglen, Transcendence (2014) is an American science fiction thriller film that follows the story of Dr. Will Caster, a scientist researching artificial intelligence and sapience. His goal is to create a sentient computer capable of achieving what he calls ‘Transcendence’. Assisted by his wife Evelyn, who is also a scientist, he works tirelessly with his team to bring this vision to life. However, their progress is hindered by the anti-technology group R.I.F.T., who carry out targeted attacks on A.I. laboratories ...

The American musical fantasy film, Into the Woods (2014), from director Rob Marshall and screenplay by James Lapine, is a retelling of the timeless tale. The story follows the Baker and his wife who long for a child but are plagued by a curse placed upon them by the Witch. As it goes, the Witch caught the Baker’s father stealing from her garden while his mother was pregnant and demanded their unborn child as payment. But that wasn’t all – in addition to the baby, the Baker’s father took some enchanted beans which resulted in the Witch being cursed with age and ugliness. With no other option, she ...

Fury (2014), an American war film written and directed by David Ayer, follows the experiences of a seasoned staff sergeant named Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier during the Western Allied invasion of Germany in April 1945. Wardaddy leads a crew on board an M4 Sherman tank called Fury, consisting of gunner Boyd ‘Bible” Swan, loader Grady ‘Coon-Ass’ Travis, driver Trini ‘Gordo’ Garcia, and assistant driver–bow gunner ‘Red’. The team has been together since fighting in North Africa. However, after Red is killed in a tank battle, Private First Class Norman Ellison joins as ...

Love Is Strange (2014), directed by Ira Sachs, is an American romantic drama that premiered in the non-Competition programme of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It was also screened in the Panorama section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. The story follows Benjamin Arthur Hull ‘Ben’ and George Esteban Correa, a same-sex couple from Manhattan who decide to get married after being together for 39 years. Despite facing normal problems that any couple may encounter, their marriage causes them to face discrimination when George’s Catholic school music teacher job is terminated by Father ...

The Homesman (2014), a Western historical drama film directed by Tommy Lee Jones, takes place in 1850s Midwest. Mary Bee Cuddy, a 31-year-old unmarried teacher from New York seeking new opportunities, owns ample land and is financially secure in the small farming community of Loup in the Nebraska Territory. Despite her appearance of strength and independence, she battles depression and loneliness. When she asks her neighbor Bob Giffen to dinner and proposes marriage, he declines due to her plain looks and assertive nature. Disheartened, he sets off to find a bride elsewhere. As winter brings harsh conditions, three ...

Bad Country (2014) is an American crime drama film based on a true story. Set in 1983 in the South Louisiana bayou country, Lt. Bud Case from the Baton Rouge PD makes a breakthrough by arresting Jesse Weiland, known for his involvement in various criminal activities and a previous rap sheet. This comes after an undercover operation targeting a precious gems fencing operation run by Weiland. Despite current charges of possible weapons and burglary charges against him which could send him to prison for decades, Case suspects there may be more to Weiland’s involvement due to his calm demeanor. In other words, he believes Weiland has powerful connections that could ...

Falcon Rising (2014) is an American action film directed by Ernie Barbarash. The protagonist, John ‘Falcon’ Chapman, is a former Marine with posttraumatic stress disorder. He finds himself in a convenience store during an attempted robbery and takes action to stop it. Afterward, his sister Cindy scolds him for not adhering to his medication regimen and informs him of her plans to return to Brazil, where she works for a non-profit organization. In the midst of this, he receives distressing news from his friend and veteran colleague Manny Ridley that his sister has been brutally attacked. Without hesitation, ...

Endless Love (2014) is an American romantic drama film directed by Shana Feste and co-written by Feste with Joshua Safran. It tells the story of Jade Butterfield and David Elliot, who both recently graduated from the same Atlanta high school. Despite being in the same class for four years, they never had a chance to get to know each other. Jade comes from a wealthy family, with her father Hugh being a cardiologist and her mother Anne being a published novelist. She has dedicated herself to academic pursuits in hopes of ...

Scott Waugh directed and co-edited Need for Speed (2014), an action crime film written by George and John Gatins. Based on Electronic Arts’ racing video game franchise of the same name, the story follows Tobey Marshall, a former race car driver who runs his late father’s garage in Mount Kisco, New York. Struggling financially, Tobey and his friends participate in street races at night. After one race, Dino Brewster, Tobey’s old rival, asks them to complete a rare Ford Shelby Mustang that belonged to ...

The Expendables 3 (2014) is an American action film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone. Led by Barney Ross, the team of mercenaries includes Lee Christmas, Gunner Jensen, and Toll Road. They successfully extract their former member Doctor Death from a dictator’s fortress prison-camp while he is being transported on a train. Doctor Death, who specializes in medicine and knives, joins them to help ...

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s 2007 autobiographical novel, Tokyo Fiancée (2014) is a Belgian romance-drama film written and directed by Stefan Liberski. It was selected for the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received three nominations at the 5th Magritte Awards. After leaving Japan at age five and growing up in Europe, Amélie returns to Japan at age 20 to reconnect with her Japanese roots. She settles into a small apartment in Tokyo and offers French language tutoring as a means of support. One of her students ...

The American film, The Cobbler (2014), directed and cowritten by Tom McCarthy with Paul Sado, tells the story of a New York City cobbler and his family. In the past, a group of Jewish men gathered in the shop to discuss a troublesome thug. The cobbler then showcases his special stitching machine to his son, emphasizing its significance. Presently, Max Simkin carries on the family business as the cobbler while his friend Jimmy runs the neighboring barber shop. Meanwhile, Carmen Herrera fights against realtors who want to destroy their neighborhood for development. ...

The American epic film, 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), directed by Noam Murro and written by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, retells the story of the Battle of Marathon. During this battle, King Darius of Persia is killed by Themistocles of Athens. Witnessing his father’s death, Darius’s son Xerxes is advised to avoid war with the Greeks. However, Artemisia, Darius’s naval commander, convinces Xerxes to become a god and sends him on a journey through the desert. After bathing in a mystical liquid in a cave, ...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) is an American sci-fi action film directed by Matt Reeves. A decade after the deadly Simian Flu pandemic, the global human population has drastically decreased and only a small fraction are genetically immune. Human society collapsed as a result. Meanwhile, a group of apes with enhanced intelligence from the virus have settled in Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco, led by Caesar and his lieutenants Maurice, Rocket, and Koba. Unknowingly, a team of humans led by Malcolm enter the apes’ territory in search of a hydroelectric dam to restore their community’s ...