1.
The Fifth Estate (film)
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The Fifth Estate is a 2013 thriller film directed by Bill Condon, about the news-leaking website WikiLeaks. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as its editor-in-chief and founder Julian Assange, anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, and Laura Linney are featured in supporting roles. The films name is a used to describe the people who operate in the manner of journalists outside the normal constraints imposed on the mainstream media. The film performed poorly at the box office and garnered mixed critical reaction, receiving criticism for its screenplay and direction, the story opens in 2010, with the release of the Afghan War Logs. It then flashes back to 2007, where journalist Daniel Domscheit-Berg meets Australian computer hacker Julian Assange for the first time, Daniels interest in online activism has led him to Assange, with whom he has corresponded by email. They begin working together on WikiLeaks, a devoted to releasing information being withheld from the public while retaining anonymity for its sources. Their first major target is a private Swiss bank, Julius Baer, despite Baers filing of a lawsuit and obtaining an injunction, the judge dissolves the injunction, allowing Julian and Daniel to reclaim the domain name. At first Daniel enjoys changing the world, viewing WikiLeaks as a noble enterprise, however, the relationship between the two becomes strained over time. Assange openly mocks Daniels concerns about issues, implying his own life has been more troubling. Assanges abrasive manner and actions, such as abandoning Daniel at his parents house after having accepted their dinner invitation, Daniel begins to fear that Assange may be closer to a con-man than a mentor. He also notices that Assange constantly gives different stories about why his hair is white, Assange at first tells Daniel that WikiLeaks has hundreds of workers, but Daniel later finds out that Daniel and Assange are the only members. Most importantly to Daniel, Assange frequently claims that protecting sources is the number one goal. Daniels girlfriend tells him that she believes in his cause, Assange wants to leak the documents immediately, but Daniel insists that they review the documents first. Later, several major newspapers agree to cooperate with WikiLeaks in releasing the documents while spinning WikiLeaks positively, however, both Daniel and the newspapers require the names in the documents be redacted both to protect sources and to assist in the media spin, to which Assange reluctantly agrees. Daniel realizes that Assange has no intention of following through on this promise and is grooming a right-hand man to replace Daniel, the newspapers release the redacted documents. The resulting media and public uproar forces informants to flee from their countries of residence, before Assange can go further, however, Daniel and the other members of the original WikiLeaks team delete the site and block Assanges access to the server. Daniel later talks with a reporter from The Guardian, and the two fear that giving Assange such a platform was a mistake. The reporter tells Daniel that while Assange may be untrustworthy, he had done a thing by uncovering secret dealing in the government and business world
2.
Life of Crime (film)
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The two kidnappers have to figure out how to quickly turn the tables on their predicament before their time runs out. Dennis Quaid was originally cast as Frank Dawson, Mickeys husband, the major portion of the film was shot in Greenwich, Connecticut. Three time Academy Award nominee Tod A. Maitland did the sound mixing, Life of Crime has received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 65% based on reviews from 74 critics, the sites consensus reads, It may not stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best Elmore Leonard adaptations, but Life of Crime has enough ambling charm—and a sharp enough cast—to get by. Metacritic, which assigns an average score from 1 to 100 to reviews from mainstream critics. Life of Crime at the Internet Movie Database Life of Crime at Metacritic Life of Crime at Rotten Tomatoes
3.
Toronto
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Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. With a population of 2,731,571, it is the fourth most populous city in North America after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles. A global city, Toronto is a centre of business, finance, arts, and culture. Aboriginal peoples have inhabited the area now known as Toronto for thousands of years, the city itself is situated on the southern terminus of an ancient Aboriginal trail leading north to Lake Simcoe, used by the Wyandot, Iroquois, and the Mississauga. Permanent European settlement began in the 1790s, after the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase of 1787, the British established the town of York, and later designated it as the capital of Upper Canada. During the War of 1812, the town was the site of the Battle of York, York was renamed and incorporated as the city of Toronto in 1834, and became the capital of the province of Ontario during the Canadian Confederation in 1867. The city proper has since expanded past its original borders through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities at various times in its history to its current area of 630.2 km2. While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, and television production, and is home to the headquarters of Canadas major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Toronto is known for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. The name Toronto is likely derived from the Iroquois word tkaronto and this refers to the northern end of what is now Lake Simcoe, where the Huron had planted tree saplings to corral fish. A portage route from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron running through this point, in the 1660s, the Iroquois established two villages within what is today Toronto, Ganatsekwyagon on the banks of the Rouge River and Teiaiagonon the banks of the Humber River. By 1701, the Mississauga had displaced the Iroquois, who abandoned the Toronto area at the end of the Beaver Wars, French traders founded Fort Rouillé on the current Exhibition grounds in 1750, but abandoned it in 1759. During the American Revolutionary War, the region saw an influx of British settlers as United Empire Loyalists fled for the British-controlled lands north of Lake Ontario, the new province of Upper Canada was in the process of creation and needed a capital. Dorchester intended the location to be named Toronto, in 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York on the Toronto Purchase lands, instead naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Simcoe decided to move the Upper Canada capital from Newark to York, the York garrison was constructed at the entrance of the towns natural harbour, sheltered by a long sandbar peninsula. The towns settlement formed at the end of the harbour behind the peninsula, near the present-day intersection of Parliament Street. In 1813, as part of the War of 1812, the Battle of York ended in the towns capture, the surrender of the town was negotiated by John Strachan. US soldiers destroyed much of the garrison and set fire to the parliament buildings during their five-day occupation, the sacking of York was a primary motivation for the Burning of Washington by British troops later in the war
4.
Ontario
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Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canadas most populous province by a margin, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and it is home to the nations capital city, Ottawa, and the nations most populous city, Toronto. There is only about 1 km of land made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border. Ontario is sometimes divided into two regions, Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The great majority of Ontarios population and arable land is located in the south, in contrast, the larger, northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and is heavily forested. The province is named after Lake Ontario, a thought to be derived from Ontarí, io, a Huron word meaning great lake, or possibly skanadario. Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes, the province consists of three main geographical regions, The thinly populated Canadian Shield in the northwestern and central portions, which comprises over half the land area of Ontario. Although this area mostly does not support agriculture, it is rich in minerals and in part covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests, studded with lakes, Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions, Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario. The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the north and northeast, mainly swampy. Southern Ontario which is further sub-divided into four regions, Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Golden Horseshoe, the highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres above sea level located in Temagami, Northeastern Ontario. In the south, elevations of over 500 m are surpassed near Collingwood, above the Blue Mountains in the Dundalk Highlands, the Carolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern region of the province. A well-known geographic feature is Niagara Falls, part of the Niagara Escarpment, the Saint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from the Atlantic Ocean as far inland as Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario. Northern Ontario occupies roughly 87 percent of the area of the province. Point Pelee is a peninsula of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario that is the southernmost extent of Canadas mainland, Pelee Island and Middle Island in Lake Erie extend slightly farther. All are south of 42°N – slightly farther south than the border of California. The climate of Ontario varies by season and location, the effects of these major air masses on temperature and precipitation depend mainly on latitude, proximity to major bodies of water and to a small extent, terrain relief. In general, most of Ontarios climate is classified as humid continental, Ontario has three main climatic regions
5.
Canada
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Canada is a country in the northern half of North America. Canadas border with the United States is the worlds longest binational land border, the majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in summer. Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its territory being dominated by forest and tundra. It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, One third of the population lives in the three largest cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Its capital is Ottawa, and other urban areas include Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg. Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Pursuant to the British North America Act, on July 1,1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and this began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada. With the Constitution Act 1982, Canada took over authority, removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state. The country is officially bilingual at the federal level and it is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources, Canadas long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture. Canada is a country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, Canada is an influential nation in the world, primarily due to its inclusive values, years of prosperity and stability, stable economy, and efficient military. While a variety of theories have been postulated for the origins of Canada. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona, from the 16th to the early 18th century Canada referred to the part of New France that lay along the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada collectively named The Canadas, until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, Canada was adopted as the name for the new country at the London Conference. The transition away from the use of Dominion was formally reflected in 1982 with the passage of the Canada Act, later that year, the name of national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day
6.
Toronto International Film Festival
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The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Year-round, TIFF Bell Lightbox offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, industry support, TIFF Bell Lightbox is located on the north west corner of King Street and John Street in downtown Toronto. In 2015,397 films from 71 countries were screened at 28 screens in downtown Toronto venues, welcoming an estimated 480,000 attendees, TIFF starts the Thursday night after Labour Day and lasts for eleven days. Founded in 1976, TIFF is now one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the world, in 1998, Variety magazine acknowledged that TIFF is second only to Cannes in terms of high-profile pics, stars and market activity. In 2007, TIME noted that TIFF had grown from its place as the most influential film festival to the most influential film festival. This is partially the result of TIFFs ability and reputation for generating Oscar buzz, the Toronto International Festival’s Grolsch People’s Choice Award — which is based on popular vote by Festival filmgoers — has emerged as a beacon of awards-season success. Founded by Bill Marshall, Dusty Cohl and Henk Van der Kolk and that first year,35,000 filmgoers watched 127 films from 30 countries presented in ten programmes. Piers Handling has been the director and CEO since 1994. TIFF was once centred on the Yorkville neighbourhood, but the Toronto Entertainment District later gained a level of prominence. TIFF is known for the celebrity buzz it brings to the area with international media setting up near its restaurants and stores for photos and interviews with the stars. In 2010, TIFF opened its permanent headquarters, TIFF Bell Lightbox, TIFF has grown, steadily adding initiatives throughout the years. TIFF Cinematheque and the Film Reference Library opened in 1990, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival launched in 1998. Film Circuit began exhibiting independent and Canadian films in under-serviced cities across Canada in 1994, the festival was founded in 1976 at the Windsor Arms Hotel by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl. Beginning as a collection of the films from film festivals around the world. Ironically, however, Hollywood studios withdrew their submissions from TIFF due to concerns that Toronto audiences would be too parochial for their products, in 1994, the decision was made to replace the name Festival of Festivals with Toronto International Film Festival. From 1994 to 2009, the organization running TIFF was named Toronto International Film Festival Group. In 2009, the umbrella organization TIFFG was renamed to TIFF, in 2001, Perspective Canada, the programme that had focused on Canadian films since 1984, was replaced by two programmes, Canada First. A forum for Canadian filmmakers presenting their first feature-length work, featuring eight to 15 films, and Short Cuts Canada, in 2004, TIFF was featured as the site of murder mystery in the film Jiminy Glick in Lalawood, a comedy film starring Martin Short
7.
12 Years a Slave (film)
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Northup worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before his release. The first scholarly edition of Northups memoir, co-edited in 1968 by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon, carefully retraced and validated the account, other characters in the film were also real people, including Edwin and Mary Epps, and Patsey. The film was directed by Steve McQueen, the screenplay was written by John Ridley. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyongo, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, and Alfre Woodard are all featured in supporting roles. Principal photography took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from June 27 to August 13,2012, the locations used were four historic antebellum plantations, Felicity, Bocage, Destrehan, and Magnolia. Of the four, Magnolia is nearest to the plantation where Northup was held. 12 Years a Slave received widespread acclaim, and was named the best film of 2013 by several media outlets. It proved to be a box office success, earning over $187 million on a budget of $22 million. The film won three Academy Awards, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Nyongo, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ridley, the Best Picture win made McQueen the first black producer ever to have received the award and the first black director to have directed a Best Picture winner. The film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized it with the Best Film and the Best Actor award for Ejiofor. In 1841, Solomon Northup is a free African-American man working as a violinist, living with his wife, two white men, Brown and Hamilton, offer him short-term employment as a musician if he will travel with them to Washington, D. C. However, once they arrive, the duo drug Northup and conspire to deliver him to a slave pen run by a man named Burch, Northup is later shipped to New Orleans along with others who have been detained against their will. A slave trader named Freeman gives Northup the identity of Platt, a slave from Georgia. Due to tension between Northup and another worker, Ford sells him to another slave owner named Edwin Epps. In the process, Northup attempts to explain that he is actually a free man, at the plantation, Northup meets Patsey, a favored slave, whom Epps regularly rapes and abuses. Some time later, an outbreak of cotton worm befalls Eppss plantation, unable to work his fields, Epps leases his slaves to a neighboring plantation for the season. While there, Northup gains the favor of the owner, Judge Turner, who allows him to play the fiddle at a neighbors wedding anniversary celebration. When Northup returns to Epps, he attempts to use the money to pay a white hand and former overseer, Armsby
8.
Steve McQueen (director)
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Steven Rodney Steve McQueen CBE is an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and video artist. McQueen is the first black filmmaker to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, McQueen is known for his collaborations with actor Michael Fassbender, who has starred in all three of McQueens feature films as of 2014. McQueens other feature films are Hunger, a drama about the 1981 Irish hunger strike, and Shame. For his artwork, McQueen has received the Turner Prize, the highest award given to a British visual artist, in 2006 he produced Queen and Country, which commemorates the deaths of British soldiers in Iraq by presenting their portraits as a sheet of stamps. For services to the arts, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2011. In April 2014, TIME magazine included McQueen in its annual TIME100 as one of the Most Influential People in the World, in October 2016, McQueen was granted BFIs highest honour, the BFI Fellowship. McQueen was born in London and is of Grenadian and Trinidadian descent and he grew up in Hanwell, West London and went to Drayton Manor High School. Later, the new head of the school would admit that there had been institutional racism at the time. McQueen added that he was dyslexic and had to wear an eyepatch due to a lazy eye and he was a keen football player, turning out for the St. Georges Colts football team. He left Goldsmiths and studied briefly at New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts in the United States and he found the approach there too stifling and insufficiently experimental, complaining that they wouldnt let you throw the camera up in the air. His artistic influences include Andy Warhol, Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov, Jean Vigo, Buster Keaton, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Robert Bresson, Bear was McQueens first major film, presented at the Royal College of Art in London. Although not a political piece, for many it raised questions about race, sexual attraction to men. It shows a wrestling match between two men who alternate ambiguous relations and gestures of aggression and erotic attraction, the films protagonists, one of them McQueen, are both black, but issues of race, he has said, do not take priority in his work. Like all McQueens early films, Bear is black-and-white, and was shot on 16-millimetre film, five Easy Pieces is a short film by McQueen. It follows a woman across a tight-rope, McQueen has stated that he finds a walker to be the perfect image of a combination of vulnerability. Just Above My Head is a film which shares close ties with McQueens preceding film with the key theme of walking. As stated by David Frankel, the fragility and persistence is seemingly meant as a metaphor for black life in England as elsewhere. Media Art noted that his use of black and white emulates 1920s film style without a historicizing strategy or to reinterpret the origins of moving images, the film was exhibited on loop in the Museum of Modern Arts Contemporary Galleries, 1980-Now from 17 November 2011 to 17 February 2014
9.
Philomena (film)
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Philomena is a 2013 British drama film directed by Stephen Frears, based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by journalist Martin Sixsmith. Starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, it tells the story of Philomena Lees 50-year search for her forcibly adopted son. The film was co-produced in the United States and the United Kingdom and it gained critical acclaim and received several international film awards. Coogan and Jeff Pope won Best Screenplay at the 70th Venice International Film Festival and it was also awarded the Peoples Choice Award Runner-Up prize at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was nominated in four categories at the 86th Academy Awards, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay for Coogan and Pope, Best Actress for Dench and it was also nominated for four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. London based journalist Martin Sixsmith has lost his job as a government adviser and he is approached at a party by the daughter of Philomena Lee. She suggests that he write a story about her mother, who was forced to give up her toddler son Anthony nearly fifty years ago, though Sixsmith is initially reluctant in writing a human interest story, he meets Philomena and decides to investigate her case. In 1951, Philomena became pregnant and was sent by her father to Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea in Ireland, after giving birth, she was forced to work in the convent laundry for four years, with little contact with her son. The nuns gave her son up for adoption without giving Philomena a chance to say goodbye and she kept her lost son a secret from her family for nearly fifty years. Martin and Philomena begin their search at the convent, at a pub, the locals tell Martin that the convent burnt the records deliberately, and that most of the children were sold for £1,000 each to wealthy Americans. Martins investigation reaches an end in Ireland, but he receives a promising lead from the United States and invites Philomena to accompany him there. His contacts help him discover that Anthony was renamed Michael A. Hess, when Philomena notices Martin in the background of a photo of Michael, he remembers that he met him years earlier while working in the US. They also learn that he has been dead for eight years, Philomena decides she wants to meet people who knew Michael and learn more about him from them. They visit a former colleague of Michaels and discover that Michael was gay and they also visit his sister Mary, who was adopted at the same time from the convent, and learn about his lover Pete Olsson. After avoiding Martins attempts to him, Pete agrees to talk to Philomena. He shows Philomena some videos of his life with Michael, Pete informs them that the nuns had told Michael that his mother had abandoned him and that they had lost contact with her. He also reveals that, against his parents wishes, he had Michael buried in the convents cemetery, Philomena and Martin go to the convent to ask them where Michaels grave is. He accuses her of lying to a man and denying him the chance to finally reunite with his mother
10.
Stephen Frears
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Stephen Arthur Frears is an English film director. Frears has directed British films since the 1980s including My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous Liaisons, High Fidelity, The Queen, Philomena and he has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director for The Grifters and The Queen. In 2008 The Telegraph named him among the most influential people in British culture, Frears was born in Leicester, England. His father, Russell E. Frears, was a practitioner and accountant. Frears was brought up Anglican, and did not find out that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s, Frears later went on to study law at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1960 to 1963. After graduating from Cambridge, Frears worked as an assistant director on the films Morgan and he spent most of his early directing career in television mainly for the BBC, but also for the commercial sector. In the late 1980s, Frears came to attention as a director of feature films. His directorial film debut was the detective spoof Gumshoe, but it was his direction of My Beautiful Laundrette that unexpectedly led to wider notice. In 1987, Frears worked with Adrian Edmondson on Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, for a 45-minute programme by cult ensemble The Comic Strip Presents, in 1985, Frears also directed a Comic Strip parody of Rebecca. The following year, Frears made Dangerous Liaisons in France, with a cast that included Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer. Based on the novel of romantic game playing, the film received numerous Academy Awards and BAFTA nominations, Frears had further critical success with his next film The Grifters, another tale of con-artists. The film earned Frears his first Academy Award nomination for best direction, in 2006, Frears directed The Queen, that depicts the death of Princess Diana on 31 August 1997. The Queen also achieved critical acclaim, box-office success. Frears himself received his second Academy Award nomination for best direction, Frears returned to directing for television with The Deal, which depicts an alleged deal between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown over which of them should become leader of the Labour Party in 1994. Frears has also directed two films based on novels by Roddy Doyle, The Snapper and The Van and he holds the David Lean Chair in Fiction Direction from the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, where he teaches. His 1992 film Hero, starring Dustin Hoffman, was a box office disappointment. Frears was nominated for a Razzie Award for his direction of Mary Reilly and it stars Coogan and Judi Dench. His biopic of disgraced cycling champion Lance Armstrong The Program was premiered in the 2015 BFI London Film Festival, many of Frears films are based on stories of real life characters, but Frears has never met any of them
11.
Prisoners (2013 film)
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Prisoners is a 2013 American thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay written by Aaron Guzikowski. The film has an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, the plot focuses on the abduction of two young girls in suburban Philadelphia and the subsequent search for the suspected abductor by the police. After police arrest a suspect and release him, the father of one of the missing girls kidnaps the suspect to interrogate. The film was a success and critical reviews were largely positive. At the 86th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography, the four children go for a walk in the neighborhood and approach an RV that is parked outside a house nearby. There is music playing, which there is somebody inside. After dinner, Anna and Joy go missing, Detective Loki is informed and starts a search. He locates the RV, which is parked at a gas station. As police surround the vehicle, the driver, Alex Jones, starts the vehicle and he is subsequently arrested and taken away. Alex has the IQ of a 10 year old, and appears confused when being questioned at the police station and his vehicle is searched by forensics but nothing is found relating to the girls. Pursuing other leads, Loki discovers a corpse in the basement of Patrick Dunn, Dunn admits that he killed the man because the man confessed he was waging a war against God and had killed 16 children and said that he would kill more. As the search continues, Dover is informed that Jones has been released, Jones whispers to him, They didnt cry until I left them. Since Loki wont re-arrest Jones, Dover abducts him, locks him up in his fathers abandoned home. First he beats him, but Jones says nothing, Dover ties him up in the shower and uses plywood to enclose him in the dark. He adjusts the water so the shower is either scorching hot or freezing to further torture him, at a candlelight vigil for the girls, Loki sees a suspicious hooded man, who flees when Loki approaches him. Later on, the man breaks into both houses but leaves without doing anything. A store clerk recognizes the man from a drawing and reports him to Loki after seeing him buying childrens clothing. The suspect, Bob Taylor, is arrested at his home
12.
Denis Villeneuve
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Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He is a winner of the Genie Award for Best Direction, for Maelström in 2001, Polytechnique in 2010. All three films won the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Award for Best Motion Picture. Villeneuve was born on October 3,1967 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec and he studied at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He is married to cultural reporter Tanya Lapointe and has three children from a relationship with French-Canadian actress Macha Grenon. He is the brother of filmmaker Martin Villeneuve. Villeneuve began his career making short films and won the Radio-Canadas youth film competition La Course Europe-Asie in 1990–91, Villeneuve first caught attention for his 2001 film Maelström which screened at festivals worldwide, winning eight Jutra Awards and Best Canadian Film from the Toronto International Film Festival. He followed that up with the controversial, but critically acclaimed film Polytechnique about the shootings occurred at the Montreal university. Villeneuves Incendies received critical acclaim after it premiered at the Venice, Incendies was subsequently chosen to represent Canada at the 83rd Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film and was eventually nominated for the award. Incendies was named by The New York Times as one of the 10 Best Films of 2011, in January 2011, he was selected by Variety as one of the top ten filmmakers to watch. Also in 2011, Villeneuves work was recognized at the Governor Generals Performing Arts Awards, Canadas highest honor in the performing arts, Villeneuve followed Incendies with the popular film Prisoners, starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film screened at festivals across the globe and won awards and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2014. Prisoners is currently ranked No.220 on IMDbs Top 250 Films of All Time list, following the success of Incendies and Prisoners, Villeneuve won Best Director for his next film, the mind thriller Enemy, at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards. The film also won the $100,000 cash prize from the Toronto Film Critics Association for Best Canadian Film of the Year in 2015, Villeneuve directed the crime thriller film Sicario, scripted by Taylor Sheridan, and starring Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin. The film competed for the Palme dOr at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and it screened to positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 and went on to become a commercial success, grossing nearly $80 million worldwide. Villeneuve next directed the film Arrival, based on the short story Story of Your Life by author Ted Chiang, from a script by Eric Heisserer, with Amy Adams. Principal photography began on June 7,2015 in Montreal, in February 2015, it was announced that Villeneuve would direct the sequel to Blade Runner. Harrison Ford will reprise his role, and it will take several decades after the original
13.
The Square (2013 film)
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The Square is a 2013 Egyptian-American documentary film by Jehane Noujaim, which depicts the ongoing Egyptian Crisis until 2013, starting with the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 at Tahrir Square. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards and it also won three Emmy Awards at the 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, out of four for which it was nominated. The Square premiered on January 17,2013 at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and it was pitched as part of the 2012 MeetMarket at that years Sheffield Doc/Fest. Due to the nature of the Egyptian Revolution, Noujaim updated the ending of the film over the summer of 2013. The film was also named winner of the Kalba Peoples Choice Award in the documentary category at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The production is done in the languages of its cast. The film was released on Netflix and in locations across the United States on January 17,2014. The final version was modified to take political developments into the final version, the Square received universal acclaim, currently holding a 100% fresh rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. On Metacritic, the film has an 84/100 rating, indicating universal acclaim, scott from the New York Times wrote, The Square, while it records the gruesome collision of utopian aspirations with cold political realities, is not a despairing film. It concludes on a note of resolve grounded in the acknowledgment that historical change can be a long, the Chicago Tribune described it as A compelling inside look at the cascading series of revolutions and counterrevolutions that have shaken Egypt since the beginning of 2011. Writing for Bright Lights Film Journal, Gregory Stephens suggests the film confirms that only rarely do revolutions jump their tracks so that a new script can be written. This disaffection, both spontaneous and stylized, makes good copy, and good theatre, on whether or not it can lead to a new script of how government of the people serves the often conflicting interests of its citizens, the jury is still out. The Square received the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the 2013 Sundance film festival and it was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2014 Academy Awards
14.
Why Don't You Play in Hell?
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Why Dont You Play in Hell. is a 2013 Japanese film directed, written and scored by Sion Sono. The film is a film based on a 15-year old screen play written by Sono. At Toronto the film won the Peoples Choice Award in the Midnight Madness section, theres a war going on, but that wont stop the inexperienced but eager wannabe film crew The Fuck Bombers from following their dreams of making the ultimate action epic. Ten years ago, yakuza mid-boss Ikegami led an assault against rival don Muto. Now, on the eve of his revenge, all Muto wants to do is complete his masterpiece, and The Fuck Bombers are standing by with the chance of a lifetime, to film a real, live yakuza battle to the death on 35mm. Why Dont You Play in Hell. at the Internet Movie Database Official website
15.
Sion Sono
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Sion Sono is a Japanese filmmaker, author and poet. Best known on the circuit for the film Love Exposure. After receiving a fellowship with the PIA, Sono made his first feature-length 16 mm film in 1990, Bicycle Sighs, Sono co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film. In 1992, Sonos second feature film The Room, also written by himself, was a tale about a serial killer looking for a room in a bleak. It participated at the Tokyo Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize, the Room also toured on 49 festivals worldwide, including the Berlin Film Festival and the Rotterdam Film Festival. Few weeks after that, he released a sequel to Suicide Circle, norikos Dinner Table was also directed and written by him, and was part of twelve film festivals worldwide. For this movie he worked with many actors, and took the Suicide Circle story into a different level. For his efforts, he received a Don Quijote Award and a Special Mention at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, at the end of 2005, Sion Sono also premiered a personal project with actors Issei Ishida and Masumi Miyazaki. In 2008, he was the director and writer of Love Exposure,2011 saw Sono be recognized in the United States with his work being highlighted in the cinema series Sion Sono, The New Poet presented at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. In 2013 he directed the action-drama Why Dont You Play in Hell, following shortly after, he directed an adaptation of popular manga series Tokyo Tribe. His next project, which begins filming in March 2015, looks to be a documentary on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, in The Hollywood Reporter, Clarence Tsui writes that Sono has established himself as one of the most idiosyncratic artists of his generation. The director has said, I do think an international audience understands my work more
16.
Oculus (film)
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Oculus is a 2013 American supernatural psychological horror film written, edited and directed by Mike Flanagan. The film had its premiere on September 5,2013, at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Karen Gillan stars as a woman who is convinced that an antique mirror is responsible for the death. The film is based upon a short film by Flanagan, Oculus. The film takes place in two different times, the present and 11 years earlier, the two plot lines are told in parallel through flashbacks with many cuts occurring between corresponding actions in each time frame. In 2002, software engineer Alan Russell moves into a new house with his wife Marie, 10-year-old son Tim, Alan purchases an antique mirror to decorate his office. Unbeknownst to them, the mirror supernaturally induces hallucinations, Marie is haunted by visions of her own body decaying, while Alan is seduced by a ghostly woman named Marisol, who has mirrors in place of eyes. Over time, the parents become psychotic, Alan increasingly isolates himself in his office, all of the plants in the house die, and the family dog disappears after being shut in the office with the mirror. After Kaylie sees Alan with Marisol, she tells her mother, one night, Marie sees her reflection in the mirror, and sees herself bleeding from an old scar. She goes insane and attempts to kill her children, but Alan overpowers her and locks her away, Kaylie and Tim try going to their neighbors for help, but the neighbors disbelieve their stories. When Kaylie attempts to use the phone, she discovers that all of her phone calls are answered by the same man, one night, Alan unchains Marie, and both parents attack the children. Marie briefly comes to her senses, only to be dead by Alan. The children try to destroy the mirror with golf clubs, but the mirror tricks them, Alan corners the children in his office, but also experiences a moment of lucidity. He kills himself by taking the gun Tim is pointing at him, before dying, he begs the children to run, but Marisol and various other victims of the mirror appear as horrific ghosts. The police arrive and take Tim into custody, before the siblings are separated, they promise to reunite as adults and destroy the mirror. As Tim is taken away in the back of a squad car, eleven years later, Tim is discharged from a psychiatric hospital, having come to believe that there were no supernatural events involved in his parents deaths. Kaylie, meanwhile, has spent most of her young adulthood researching the history of the mirror, Kaylie intends to destroy the mirror, but first wants to document its powers, proving Tims innocence. The siblings argue, and while perceiving no gaps in their conversation, upon reviewing the camera footage, they see themselves performing actions they have no memory of
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Mike Flanagan (director)
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Mike Flanagan is an American filmmaker. He is known for his films, all of which he directed, wrote, and edited, including Absentia, Oculus, Hush, Ouija, Origin of Evil. His next project is a adaptation of Stephen Kings novel Geralds Game. Flanagan was born in 1978 in Salem, Massachusetts and his father was in the United States Coast Guard, and the family moved around often. Flanagan eventually ended up in Maryland, where he attended Towson University and he graduated with a BA in Electronic Media & Film and a minor in Theater. Flanagans student films were more oriented toward melodrama and he later characterized them as unfit for public consumption but said that they were incredible learning experiences. His first film directed after graduation, Ghosts of Hamilton Street, was filmed in Maryland and featured actors, including Scott Graham. Graham would go on to star in Flanagans 2006 short film, Oculus, Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan, Flanagan originally intended for the Oculus story to be told in a series of short films, but he could not find the financing. Instead, he shot the chapter included a back story. Flanagan directed Absentia, which was financed through a Kickstarter campaign, made for $70,000, and filmed in his Glendale, California, apartment, Absentia was released direct-to-video but gained popularity when Netflix offered it on their streaming service. After the surprise success of Absentia, Flanagan returned to Oculus, intrepid Pictures took an interest in the concept and agreed to let Flanagan direct. The feature version of Oculus was filmed in 2012 and released theatrically by Relativity Media in 2014, after Oculus, Flanagan shot his next film, Before I Wake, in 2013. Kavanaugh claimed the Sept 9 date was a bad date, while Flanagan suggested that Relativity wasnt financially able to release the film, Flanagan wrote and directed Ouija, Origin of Evil, which starred Elizabeth Reaser, Henry Thomas, and Annalise Basso. Production began in September 2015, and the film was released in October 2016, around the same time, it was revealed that Flanagan had been working on a secret project called Hush. Written in 2014 and filmed in March 2015, the project was kept confidential until a screening at the Toronto Film Festival, Flanagan married actress-writer Kate Siegel in February 2016. They have one child, Cody Paul Flanagan, Flanagan has another son, Rigby Joseph Flanagan-Bell, from his relationship with Absentia actress Courtney Bell. Mike Flanagan at the Internet Movie Database
18.
Witching & Bitching
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Witching & Bitching is a 2013 Spanish comedy horror film co-written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia. It stars Hugo Silva, Mario Casas and Carmen Maura and it won the most awards at the 28th Goya Awards with eight wins out of ten nominations. The film opens with two men, José and Tony robbing a pawn shop, Tony is unhappy that José has brought his son Sergio along on the heist and is even unhappier that the child is participating with them, as this puts both him and them at risk. The robbery initially seems to go well and the group collects a large bag full of gold rings and jewellery, only for the robbery to turn sour and for several people to die in the resulting gunfire. The men hijack a taxi and stow its unwilling passenger in the trunk, then force the driver, Manuel, the group is followed by Sergios mother and Josés ex Silvia as well as two police investigators Pacheco and Calvo, who are following Silvia. The men end up in the Navarrese town of Zugarramurdi where they come across a group of witches led by Graciana. They manage to escape the witches once but are forced to back when they realise that José has accidentally left the loot at the witches house. They return but are captured by the witches with the exception of Sergio. At this point José learns that Sergio will be used as part of a ritual to Gracianas goddess. Silvia, who has been following the trail throughout the film. The secret passage, which was in the ceiling, ends up to be too weak to hold the weight of Silvia and both cops, and the trio ends up landing on the dinner table. José, Tony, and Manuel end up escaping in the chaos, however Silvia and she demands that he leave with her right away, forsaking all of the others, only for José to refuse to leave his son behind. Eva throws a fit, which sends José flying and he flees the scene and he ultimately ends up in an underground chamber in the house, where he comes across Evas brother Luismi, who has been imprisoned for years. José frees Luismi, who shows him the way to the ritual chamber. Along the way they free Eva, who had been buried alive by her mother for her betrayal, Eva professes her love for José, who turns her away because she is a witch and because everything is so chaotic. Ultimately Luismi and José make it to the chamber where they see Tony, Manuel, Pacheco. They also witness the emergence of Gracianas ugly goddess, a grotesque gargantuan woman resembling a fertility statue. The ugly goddess devours Sergio, who passes through the giant and emerges alive, much to the joy of the witches, who proclaim that he will lead them all to victory over mankind
19.
Ida (film)
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Ida is a 2013 Polish drama film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and written by Pawlikowski and Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Set in Poland in 1962, it is about a woman on the verge of taking vows as a Catholic nun. Orphaned as an infant during the German occupation of World War II, the former Communist state prosecutor and only surviving relative tells her that her parents were Jewish. The two women embark on a trip into the Polish countryside to learn the fate of their family. Ida won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and it had earlier been selected as Best Film of 2014 by the European Film Academy and as Best Film Not in the English Language of 2014 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. In the 1960s Polish Peoples Republic, Anna, a novice nun, is told by her prioress that before she takes her vows she must visit her aunt, Wanda Gruz. Anna travels to visit her aunt Wanda, a chain-smoking, hard-drinking, Idas parents had been Jews who were murdered late in the German occupation of Poland during World War II. Ida was then an infant, and as an orphan she had raised by the convent. Wanda, who had been a Communist resistance fighter against the German occupation, had become the state prosecutor Red Wanda who sent men to their deaths. Wandas role alludes to the show trials of the early 1950s. Wanda tells Ida that she should try some worldly sins and pleasures before she decides to take her vows. On their way to their hotel for the night, Wanda picks up a hitchhiker, Lis, Lis is indeed drawn to Ida and talks with her before she leaves for the night to rejoin her aunt who is passed out in their room. Ida wants to find the graves of her parents, Wanda asks her what would happen if she goes to where their bodies are buried and discovers that God is not there. Wanda takes her to the house they were born in and used to own, Wanda had left her young son with Idas family during the war, the Skibas had taken over the home and land, and hidden the Lebensteins from the German authorities. Wanda, a prosecutor, demands that Feliks and his father tell her what happened to the Lebensteins. Finally, Feliks agrees to tell them—if Ida promises that they leave the Skibas alone. Feliks takes the women to the place in the woods. He admits to Ida that he took the three into the woods and killed them, Feliks says that because Ida was very small and able to pass for a Christian, he was able to give her to a convent
20.
Qissa (film)
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Qissa is a 2013 Indian-German drama film in Punjabi written and directed by Anup Singh. The film was released in Indian theaters on 20 February 2015 nationwide and simultaneously on DVD, the film was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival where it won the Netpac Award for World or International Asian Film. The theme of the focuses on desire of a Sikh man towards having a son to continue the family lineage. During the Partition of India in 1947, a Sikh Punjabi named Umber Singh evacuates his house with his wife Mehar and three daughters. He is disgruntled at the fact that he not have a son to carry on his family lineage which is assumed to be carried forward by the males of the next generation. He tells his wife that he is confident the next child will be a boy, but Mehar is unsure, during the birth of their 4th child, Umber takes the child from the womb and declares with happiness that it is a boy. Mehar checks the gender of the child and realizes the child is in fact a girl, Umber is declaring child to be a male because of his strong desire to have a son. She tells Umber that it is better to kill the child than enforcing his desire for a son on the child. Umber ignores her and happily, in his own denial, declares the new child a boy named Kanwar, Umber fosters Kanwar as a son and wants her to gain strength, endurance, and the ability to shoot a gun like a son. Kanwar has lapses of normal behavior for a girl, including crying, giggling, and having her first period. One time, when Kanwar goes out to play with her sisters, they end up fighting and Kanwar falls to the ground, once home and given proper medical treatment, Umber is blindingly furious at his three daughters for hurting his only son. He drags his daughters off the bed and starts beating them mercilessly, Umber declares if anything happens to his son, he will cut his daughters to pieces. Once Kanwar becomes a fully functioning man, after having her turban ceremony, she starts to converse with a girl named Neeli, Kanwar and Neeli tease each other and kid around over the course of several weeks. In one instance, they fool around near the woods, where Kanwar tries to lock Neeli in a shed and she escapes and they both wrestle each other. Umber oversees this and sees his sons happiness and asks Neelis father for Neelis hand in marriage to marry Kanwar, soon, after the wedding ceremony, Neeli comes to know that Kanwar does not have a penis, though she doesnt know that he is actually a girl. Umber tells her that Kanwar had an accident when he was younger, Neeli is disheartened knowing that she will never be able to have children with Kanwar. During one night, Neeli packs her bags and tries to escape her marriage, Umber spots her and pleads for her to come back. When she refuses, Umber wrestles her to the ground and attempts to rape her, Kanwar hears the commotion and comes outside to see her father trying to rape Neeli
21.
The Art of the Steal (2013 film)
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The Art of the Steal is a Canadian comedy film written and directed by Jonathan Sobol. It stars Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel, Chris Diamantopoulos, Matt Dillon and it was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It begins with a soliloquy by Crunch Calhoun as he begins his seven-year prison sentence, courtesy of his brother, a flashback reveals the heist involving the two men that had gone wrong, resulting in Nickys capture and subsequent betrayal of Crunch. Once released, Crunch works as a motorcycle stunt performer/daredevil alongside girlfriend Lola, meanwhile, Nicky steals a painting by Georges Seurat with the help of a partner whom he later double crosses. The partner seeks out and threatens Crunch to get information on Nickys whereabouts, shortly afterwards, Crunch informs an old colleague of his, Uncle Paddy, that hes ready to work again. At Paddys place, he and Francie run into Nicky, Uncle Paddy explains that a priceless historical book needs to be stolen from a Customs warehouse in Canada and taken to the buyers middle man in Detroit. The payout is over a million dollars so they agree, Crunch insists on recruiting an old partner, Guy de Cornet, for his skills and talent in forgery. Cornet creates a replica of the book which Crunch takes through the Canadian border station hidden inside a peculiar piece of art. An identity check prompts the police to impound his art, as planned, meanwhile, Guy de Cornet passes as an art authentication expert and enters the facility, replacing the real book with the forgery and hiding the real book within Crunchs art piece. After Canadian border patrol clears Crunchs name, he goes to the facility and they run into a snag when Cornet reveals that in order for him to create forgeries that would pass such tests as carbon dating and professional scrutiny, they would need 750,000 dollars. Each person names an amount they could chip in and after some persuasion and they agree not to contact one another until the required month has passed to conduct the transaction. Sometime during this month, Nicky secretly plots to create his own cheaper forgeries, Nicky calls the original buyer and informs him that there will be a delay, but the buyer claims to know nothing about the deal. A frantic Nicky calls all people and organizations involved in the heist, flashbacks reveal that Francie was the only one who did not know of the alternate plan. Meanwhile Interpol receive a tip as to the whereabouts of Nicky. In March 2013, the movie changed titles again, from The Fix to The Art of the Steal, Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 44% of 43 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review, the average rating is 5. 7/10. Metacritic rated it 53/100 based on 19 reviews, justin Chang of Variety wrote, This lightly amusing heist-movie riff feels as disposable as the numerous counterfeit paintings that exchange hands throughout. John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it an enjoyable heist pic is more talk than action, neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called it a fairly amusing heist film with a convoluted plot. Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times wrote, The actors give it punch, richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, It’s like a low-budget, Canadian version of Oceans 11, with about half as many characters and about one-tenth the charm and style
22.
August: Osage County (film)
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August, Osage County is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written by Tracy Letts and based on his Pulitzer Prize–winning play of the same name, and directed by John Wells. It is produced by George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Jean Doumanian, a modest commercial success, August, Osage County received mixed to positive reviews from critics. While much praise was given to the cast, the screenplay was praised by some and seen by others as too dark, for their performances in the film, Streep and Roberts received Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. The title designates time and location, an unusually hot August in an area outside Pawhuska. Shortly after this, he disappears from the house, and Violet calls her sister and her sister Mattie Fae arrives with husband Charles Aiken. Barbara and Bill are separated, but they put up a front for Violet. After five days, the sheriff arrives with the news that Beverly took his out on the lake and has drowned. Youngest daughter Karen arrives with the latest in a string of boyfriends, Steve Huberbrecht, Mattie Fae and Charless shy, awkward son Little Charles misses the funeral because he overslept and is met at the bus station by his father. Charles loves his son, whereas Mattie constantly belittles him, Ivy confides to Barbara that she is in love with her cousin, Little Charles, who plans to move to New York, and she cannot have children because she had a hysterectomy. She feels this is her chance to finally marry. The family sits down to dinner after the funeral, fueled by Violets brutal truth telling and she decides she has had enough of her mothers drug addiction and confiscates all her several kinds of pills. As Little Charles sings Ivy a song he has written for her, Mattie Fae walks in and this exhausts Charless patience with his wifes lack of love and compassion for her son, and he threatens to leave her if she keeps it up. That evening, Steve and Jean are playfully sharing a joint of marijuana, Johnna sees this and, sensing that he intends on molesting her, goes after him with a shovel. Barbara confronts Jean and slaps her and this impels Bill to take Jean back to Colorado, leaving Barbara. Later, Ivy tries to tell her mother about her love for Little Charles, Barbara tries to deflect the admission. Violet tells Ivy Charles is actually her brother, something she knew all along, Ivy leaves and promises to never come back. By this time he had already drowned and this revelation leads Barbara to depart, realizing that her mother has slipped beyond help. Violet is left with only Johnna, Barbara is driving through the plains, stops, gets out of the car, cries then gets back in the car and follows signage showing highways and number of miles to Wichita, Salina and Denver
23.
John Wells (filmmaker)
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John Marcum Wells is an American theater, film and television producer, writer and director. He is best known for his role as producer and showrunner of the television series ER, Third Watch, The West Wing, Southland. His company, John Wells Productions, is based at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. Wells is also a leader, and was elected president of the Writers Guild of America, West in 2009. Wells was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Marjorie Elizabeth and Llewellyn Wallace Wells and he has English, Irish, Scottish, Swedish, and Norwegian ancestry. Wells graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 1979, a studio theatre at Carnegie Mellon University bears his name. While at CMU, he was one of the earliest actors to work at City Theatre, Wells was a producer on the 1987 film Nice Girls Dont Explode. He joined the staff of the short-lived CBS drama series. He began writing for television with an episode of CBS Summer Playhouse entitled Roughhouse in 1988 and he was hired as a producer for the second season of ABC drama series China Beach in 1988. The show was created by John Sacret Young and William Broyles, Jr. Wells wrote five episodes for the first season – X-Mas Chn. VN,67, Tet 68, Vets and both parts of the season finale The World. He was promoted to supervising producer for the season of China Beach in 1989. He wrote three episodes for the third season – Dear China Beach, Magic, and The Thanks of a Grateful Nation. He returned as a producer for the fourth and final season in 1990. He was involved in writing ten further episodes and he co-wrote the story for the season premiere with Sacret Young, Carol Flint and Lydia Woodward and wrote the teleplay himself. He co-wrote the fourteenth episode Rewind with Flint and he co-wrote the teleplay and co-wrote the story for the series finale Hello Goodbye along with Sacret Young. Wells wrote sixteen episodes of the series in total and he frequently worked with producer/director Mimi Leder on China Beach and she helmed six of the episodes he wrote. China Beach also marked the start of Wells working relationship with casting director John Frank Levey, editors Randy Jon Morgan and Jacque Toberen and directors Rod Holcomb, Wells worked on two television films in 1992 Angel Street and The Nightman
24.
Blood Ties (2013 film)
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Blood Ties is a 2013 Franco–American crime thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet. It is a remake of 2008 French thriller Les liens du sang by Jacques Maillot, the screenplay was written by Canet and James Gray and stars Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis and Matthias Schoenaerts. The film was selected to be screened out of competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and it received a limited release on March 21,2014 in the United States. After serving twelve years for murder, Chris is released from prison in 1974 and his ex-wife, Monica, is a drug-addicted prostitute. She has a son and a daughter, Chris tries to go straight with his new girlfriend Natalie but is betrayed and sabotaged in his pursuit of a legitimate business venture. Returning to his criminal ways puts him in conflict with his brother Frank who happens to be a New York City cop. Their sister, Marie, and their father, Leon, want Chris. When arresting Anthony Scarfo at his house Frank happens to meet his ex-girlfriend Vanessa again, though Vanessa is now married to Anthony and has a daughter by him, Frank and Vanessa get back together again anyway, and she decides to divorce Anthony. But in the meantime Frank becomes conflicted over allowing his brother Chris to flee the scene of a felony murder, after Anthony is released from police custody his first act is to seek revenge against Frank for destroying his home life. Chris uncovers the plot and must decide between saving his own skin and stopping Anthony in his tracks, filming started on May 3,2012 in New York. The first pictures of the set surfaced on May 12,2012, lionsgate UK acquired the UK rights. On March 15,2012, it was announced that Clive Owen, austin Williams will play a younger version of Owens character. Blood Ties screened out of competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and it was released in the United States on March 21,2014. The DVD version of the film is 127 minutes long, which is 17 minutes shorter than the Cannes version, Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 53% based on reviews from 53 critics, with an average score of 5. 6/10. Metacritic gave the film a rating of 45/100, based on reviews from 16 critics, xan Brooks of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars. Matt Barone of Complex gave the film 3 out of 10 stars, fionnuala Halligan of Screen International called it Heat meets Mesrine via Cain and Abel. Ryland Aldrich of Twitch Film praised the production, from the wonderfully decorated exteriors loaded with the cars of the era to the record players spinning classic hits, 1970s New York absolutely comes alive, he said. At the box office, Blood Ties was a flop worldwide
25.
Guillaume Canet
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Guillaume Canet is a French actor, film director and screenwriter and show jumper. Canet began his career in theatre and television before moving to film and he starred in several films like Joyeux Noël, Love Me If You Dare and The Beach. In 2006, he turned to writing and directing with Tell No One, Canet has also received attention because of his personal life. He was formerly married to actress Diane Kruger, after they divorced in 2006, Canet had relationships with Carla Bruni and Élodie Navarre. Since 2007, he has been in a relationship with Marion Cotillard, guillaume Canet was born in Boulogne-Billancourt on 10 April 1973 to a family of horse breeders. Canet intended to become a show jumper and performed with the junior French National Equestrian Team, however, after a fall from his horse at age 18 he turned to acting and enrolled in the Cours Florent drama school. In 1994, he appeared in the Théâtre Hébertot production of La Ville dont le prince est un enfant with Christophe Malavoy, after working in various television shows and commercials, Canet made his film debut in the short film Fils unique. In 1997, he appeared in the thriller film Barracuda for which he won a prix dinterprétation at the Festival Saint-Jean-de-Luz in 1999, the same year he was nominated for a César Award for his role as Vincent Mazet in the comedy film En plein cœur. He then traveled abroad to film Danny Boyles The Beach, after completing The Beach, Canet starred opposite Sophie Marceau in La fidélité and in Jerry Schatzbergs The Day the Ponies Come Back. In 2002, Canet starred with Gérard Depardieu in the fiction film Vidocq. He also directed and wrote his first feature film the year, Mon Idole. In 2003, he appeared opposite Marion Cotillard in Yann Samuells Love Me If You Dare which became a sleeper hit, Canet next appeared in the international production Joyeux Noël which tells the story of the World War I Christmas cease fire. The film—which also featured Kruger—was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Canet released his second feature film in 2006, Tell No One, an adaptation of Harlan Cobens novel of the same name. Tell No One was the top grossing French film of 2006 and went on to win four César awards. His film Blood Ties was selected to be screened Out of Competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, in 1999, he started a relationship with German-born model and actress Diane Kruger. They were married on 1 September 2001, in January 2006, Canet and Kruger filed for divorce. Kruger later said that the marriage was not successful because their careers had kept them occupied in different parts of the world, after his divorce, he had a relationship with Carla Bruni that was widely reported by the French media and then with Élodie Navarre. Canet has been involved with actress Marion Cotillard since October 2007
26.
Bright Days Ahead
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Bright Days Ahead is a 2013 French romance film directed by Marion Vernoux. It was screened in the Gala Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, in January 2014, Fanny Ardant received a nomination for Best Actress at the 39th César Awards. The retired dentist Caroline attends a class for computer users, although she is married, she falls in love with her significantly younger lecturer. It turns out he used to visit her surgery primarily to enjoy looking at her and her husband finds out about her affair with this admirer
27.
Cold Eyes
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Cold Eyes is a 2013 South Korean film starring Sol Kyung-gu, Jung Woo-sung, Han Hyo-joo, Jin Kyung and Lee Junho. A remake of 2007 Hong Kong film Eye in the Sky and it made its North American premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and also screened at the 2013 Busan International Film Festival prior to its South Korean release. A girl named Ha Yoon-joo joins a police division where the members are largely unarmed, led by a man named Hwang, the division avoids arresting criminals and focuses exclusively on following them around to gather information. One day a bank is robbed and only one of the seven criminals is caught on camera, in response, Hwang, Ha, and six other officers spend several weeks wandering around the city streets, tagging after people who match the criminals physical description. When they finally find him, they put cameras outside his apartment, meanwhile, James, the leader of the criminals, wishes to quit his line of work, but his elderly mentor responds by sending a man to kill him, whom he successfully defends against. When Jamess subordinates confer to discuss the mission, they are successfully tracked by Hwangs officers. James, who was standing in a location, finds it necessary to murder one of Hwangs officers to escape. Later, after James is given criticism from the mentor, he attacks the mentors hide-out, murdering the mentor and he then acquires a fake Thai pass-port and gets ready to leave South Korea. Hwang and Ha both feel sad at the death of their colleague, as a result, Hwang announces his resignation while Ha takes a leave of absence. However, while Ha is doing her laundry, she suddenly remembers using her photographic memory that she has run into James in the past. Namely, on the day of her interview, James had fleetingly walked past her inside a subway car. Ha runs to the store and waits there, managing to catch sight of James again. When James walks into a tunnel, Hwang takes over the pursuit, luckily, though, the wound isnt fatal. Ha continues the pursuit into the tunnels but is also recognized by James. When the SWAT team comes, James lets go of Ha, as the chase goes on, James finds himself trapped between an advancing SWAT team and the mouth of the tunnel, which is being guarded by Hwang, who ran the long way around. As James decides to charge at Hwang, the latter, finding himself at the juncture of a train, stands his ground to shoot at James. Fortunately, the train takes the other branch and James is hit by Hwangs revolver, after 17 days, it reached 4 million admissions, the fifth domestic film to do so in 2013. It reached the 5 million mark on July 27, with 5,506,409 total admissions at the end of its run
Media related to 2013 Toronto International Film Festival at Wikimedia Commons