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Biography: Who is John Scobell?

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By Cody Andrus John Scobell was born around 1821 in Virginia, where slavery governed labor, movement, and law. As an African American born into enslavement, his early life unfolded under constant surveillance and restriction. Little documentation survives from his childhood, but the conditions themselves shaped what he would later rely on: careful observation and the ability to remain unnoticed. At some point before the Civil War, Scobell escaped slavery and made his way north. By the late 1850s, he was living in Washington, D.C., working quietly as a civilian. The capital was crowded with soldiers, politicians, and informants, a place where rumor traveled faster than orders and accurate information was hard to come by. When the Civil War began, Union officials faced a serious intelligence problem. Reliable information from inside the Confederacy was scarce, and conventional agents were easily detected. Private intelligence networks began to fill the gap. Among them was the Pinkerto...
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Friday Film Noir

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A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018) is a biographical comedy directed by David Wain and written by John Aboud and Michael Colton. The film chronicles the life of Doug Kenney (Will Forte), a co-founder of National Lampoon. As Kenney helps build the Lampoon brand alongside Henry Beard (Domhnall Gleeson) and Robert Hoffman (Thomas Lennon), the publication grows from a campus joke into a cultural force. The story follows Kenney’s increasing influence on comedy through projects like Animal House and Caddyshack, while charting the personal pressures and creative expectations that accompany success. Framed through an unconventional narrative device in which Kenney’s life is commented on by a fictionalized version of himself, the film moves toward an ending shaped by both legacy and loss. Filming took place in Toronto and surrounding areas, which doubled for multiple locations including Harvard, New York, and Los Angeles. Will Forte spent months researching Doug Kenney’s writing an...
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Biography: Who is Roald Dahl?

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By Cody Andrus Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents. He was educated in England, where strict schools and rigid authority left a lasting impression. Those early years sharpened his awareness of power, obedience, and quiet resistance. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force and flew as a fighter pilot in North Africa. In 1940, he was badly injured in a crash that ended his flying career. During his recovery, he was reassigned to diplomatic service in Washington, D.C., where his fluency, charm, and observational skill soon attracted attention. Dahl was recruited into British intelligence and tasked with helping shift American opinion from neutrality toward intervention. Operating out of the British Embassy, he moved easily through Washington society, gathering information, cultivating contacts, and reporting back to London. His work placed him in proximity to senior politicians, journalists, and figures insi...
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Friday Film Noir

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Argo (2012)  is a political thriller directed by Ben Affleck and written by Chris Terrio. The film is based on the real CIA operation to extract six American diplomats who hid in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA exfiltration specialist, is tasked with devising a plan to get the diplomats out without alerting Iranian authorities. Posing as a Canadian film producer scouting locations for a fake science-fiction movie, Mendez travels to Iran and coaches the group to assume new identities as part of the fabricated production. As tensions escalate and suspicion grows, the mission hinges on whether the cover story can hold long enough to get everyone safely out of the country. Filming took place in Los Angeles, Istanbul, and parts of California that doubled for Tehran. Ben Affleck worked closely with CIA Officer Tony Mendez before filming, studying his demeanor and operational habits to ground the performance in real tradecraft rather than ci...
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Biography: Who is Virginia Hall?

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By Cody Andrus Virginia Hall Goillot was born in Baltimore in 1906 into a well-off family that expected polish, education, and a conventional life abroad. She was fluent in French and German, educated in Europe, and trained for diplomatic service. The path ahead appeared settled. In her twenties, while hunting in Turkey, she suffered an accident that resulted in the loss of part of her leg. She was twenty-seven. The injury ended her prospects in the U.S. Foreign Service, which declined her application on medical grounds. Hall did not argue the decision. She redirected herself. By 1940, she was in France as a freelance journalist when the German invasion began. As others fled, she remained. She began passing information to British contacts and soon came to the attention of the Special Operations Executive. The SOE recruited her and sent her into occupied France. She was the only American woman they deployed there during the war. Working under false identities, Hall established resist...
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Friday Film Noir

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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)  is a fantastic comedy directed by Frank Oz and written by Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro, and Paul Henning. The story follows Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine), a refined British con artist operating along the French Riviera, whose carefully controlled scams are disrupted by Freddy Benson (Steve Martin), a crude and impulsive American grifter. Forced into an uneasy partnership, the two men agree to compete rather than cooperate, devising a wager to see who can swindle a wealthy tourist out of her fortune first. Their escalating schemes grow increasingly elaborate, each designed to outmaneuver the other through deception, disguise, and psychological games. As the rivalry intensifies, the contest becomes less about money than about pride, control, and who can execute the more convincing performance. Filmed primarily along the French Riviera, with locations in the south of France standing in for the elegant resort towns. Director Frank Oz encouraged the c...
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Biography: Who is John Kiriakou?

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By Cody Andrus John Kiriakou was born on August 2, 1964, in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1990 and built his career in counterterrorism, working in a profession defined by secrecy, discipline, and obedience to chain of command. After the September 11 attacks, Kiriakou was assigned to overseas counterterrorism operations. In March 2002, he led the operation that captured Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan, one of the first high-value detainees taken into U.S. custody after 9/11. Inside the agency, the capture was treated as a major success at a moment of national urgency. In the weeks that followed, Abu Zubaydah was transferred into CIA custody. As interrogation plans were developed, Kiriakou was asked whether he wanted to be trained for or take part in the questioning program. He refused. He believed the techniques being proposed amounted to torture and chose not to participate. After leaving government service, Kiriakou spoke publicly about what he had learn...
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Friday Film Noir

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The Village (2004)  is a mystery thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The story is set in a secluded 19th-century village governed by a group of elders, including Edward Walker (William Hurt), who enforce strict rules to protect the community from dangerous creatures believed to inhabit the surrounding woods. Life in the village is shaped by fear and ritual, until tensions rise following violent incidents involving Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), a young man determined to challenge the boundaries that confine them. As fear spreads and authority is tested, Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard), Edward’s blind daughter, becomes central to the village’s survival. The presence of Noah Percy (Adrien Brody), whose unpredictable behavior unsettles the fragile order, further complicates efforts to maintain control as the story moves toward a decisive reckoning. Filming took place in rural Pennsylvania, where large portions of the village were constructed from scratch in open far...
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Biography: Who is Noor Inayat Khan?

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By Cody Andrus Noor Inayat Khan was born on January 1, 1914, in Moscow, into a family devoted to music, mysticism, and discipline. Her father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, was a Sufi teacher and musician whose work kept the family moving across Europe. Her mother, Ora Ray Baker, was an American who took charge after her husband’s death, guiding the children first out of Russia and later out of France as the continent grew more dangerous. Noor was educated in Paris, trained as a harpist and pianist, and studied child psychology at the Sorbonne. She wrote children’s stories drawn from Indian folklore, quiet lessons in patience and moral restraint. After the fall of France in 1940, Noor fled Paris with her mother and siblings and crossed to Britain as German control closed in. She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and trained as a wireless operator, a role that demanded accuracy, calm, and isolation. British intelligence noted her fluent French, strong memory, and capacity to work alone. The ...
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Friday Film Noir

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Clear and Present Danger (1994)  is an intense political thriller directed by Phillip Noyce and written by Donald Stewart, adapted from Tom Clancy’s novel. The story follows Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford), a CIA analyst who is unexpectedly appointed acting Deputy Director and quickly finds himself navigating a covert U.S. operation in Colombia. As Ryan uncovers evidence that American forces are secretly engaged in an illegal war against a drug cartel, he realizes the mission is being run without oversight and outside the law. Caught between the White House, the CIA, and military commanders in the field, Ryan is forced to choose between following orders and exposing the truth. The situation escalates into a dangerous confrontation that tests Ryan’s loyalty, judgment, and willingness to act independently. Filming took place in California and Mexico, with jungle environments used to double for Colombia due to security and logistical concerns. Harrison Ford pushed for a more physically invo...
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Biography: Who is Nancy Wake?

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By Cody Andrus Nancy Wake was born on August 30, 1912 , in Wellington, New Zealand. Her father, Charles Wake, was a journalist, and her mother, Ella Wake, raised Nancy and her siblings largely on her own after the family moved to Australia. Nancy grew up independent and restless. As a teenager, she left home and traveled overseas, supporting herself while moving through Europe in the years before World War II. During the 1930s, Wake worked as a journalist, living in several European cities. Her reporting placed her in close contact with political events as authoritarian movements gained power. By the end of the decade, she was living in France. When Germany invaded in 1940, Wake was in Marseille, newly married to French industrialist Henri Fiocca . After the occupation of France, Wake became involved in resistance work. At first, she helped carry messages and documents. Over time, she assisted with escape and evasion routes that moved people out of occupied territory through southern ...
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Friday Film Noir

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Sideways (2004)   is a marvelous comedy-drama directed by Alexander Payne and written by Payne and Jim Taylor. The story follows Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti), a struggling writer and devoted wine enthusiast, who sets out on a weeklong trip through California’s Santa Ynez Valley with his longtime friend Jack Cole (Thomas Haden Church), a fading television actor about to get married. Miles hopes the trip will be a quiet escape, while Jack treats it as a last burst of freedom before settling down. As they move from vineyards to roadside motels, Jack pursues a series of reckless encounters while Miles becomes cautiously drawn to Maya (Virginia Madsen). A single impulsive decision begins to unravel the trip, pushing both men into a series of confrontations that force them to deal with choices they’ve long avoided. Shot largely on location in California’s wine country, the production used real vineyards and small towns rather than built sets, completing the shoot in just over a month. ...
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Friday Film Noir

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A Few Good Men (1992)   is a superb courtroom drama directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. The story follows Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), a Navy lawyer known for negotiating quick plea deals, who is assigned to defend two Marines accused of murdering a fellow soldier at Guantánamo Bay. Alongside Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) and Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak), Kaffee begins to uncover inconsistencies in the official account of the death of Private Santiago. As the case moves toward trial, the defense centers on whether the Marines were acting under orders known as a “code red,” bringing Kaffee into direct conflict with the base’s commanding officer, Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson). The trial builds toward a tense courtroom confrontation that places military authority, obedience, and accountability under oath. Filmed primarily in Los Angeles, with key exterior scenes shot in Washington, D.C., the production relied on detailed courtroom and military inte...
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Friday Film Noir

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As Good As It Gets (1997)   is a wonderful comedy-drama directed by James L. Brooks and written by Mark Andrus. The story follows Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), a misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive novelist whose rigid routines keep him cut off from most people. His life is disrupted when his neighbor Simon (Greg Kinnear), a painter, is assaulted, and Melvin reluctantly finds himself responsible for Simon’s dog. At the same time, the only waitress who can tolerate him, Carol (Helen Hunt), faces mounting pressure as she struggles to care for her chronically ill son. Their problems push the three of them into an uneasy orbit, leading Melvin into situations he has spent years avoiding. Together they embark on a trip that forces their reluctant group into closer contact than any of them expected. Shot in Los Angeles with select exterior work in New York City, the film's original production budget was cut by Columbia Pictures after Jack Nicholson demanded a  $20  million ...
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Friday Film Noir

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Catch Me If You Can (2002)   is a surprisingly heartfelt crime drama true story directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Jeff Nathanson. The story follows Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), a teenager who runs away from home after a family collapse and reinvents himself through a series of bold, elaborate cons. He poses as a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, slipping in and out of identities with charm while staying one step ahead of Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), the FBI agent determined to catch him. As the chase tightens, Frank’s close calls multiply, pulling the investigation into a years-long pursuit. With the schemes growing more complex, the search stretches across the country, each near miss closing the gap between agent and fugitive. I went to school with the son of Frank Abagnale Jr. who, on a high school retreat, spoke about his father being one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals. Coming from a law-enforcement family, I actually assumed he was exaggerating. Then he tol...
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Friday Film Noir

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Inside Out (2015)   is a nearly flawless animated journey directed by Pete Docter and written by Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley. The film places us inside the mind of Riley, an eleven-year-old girl whose life is upended when her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. Inside her mind, five personified emotions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger—manage her inner “Headquarters” as she wrestles with homesickness, change, and the confusing space between childhood and growing up. The film traces how those emotions shift and realign as Riley begins to understand that life is not only about feeling happy, but about learning how to feel everything and still move forward. Behind the imaginative visuals and playful humor lies a carefully researched psychological foundation. Pixar’s creative team consulted with emotion scientists to understand how memories form, fade, and sometimes reshape themselves, and used those ideas to design the mental landscapes inside Riley’s mind. The filmma...
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Friday Film Noir

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Dave (1993)   is a charming political comedy-drama directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Gary Ross. The film follows Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline), a mild-mannered temp agency owner whose uncanny resemblance to the President of the United States leads to an unusual job offer. When the real President suffers a stroke during an affair, White House aides secretly enlist Dave to assume his duties, hoping to maintain control while concealing the truth from the country. As Dave begins navigating the rituals of power—and the moral bargains that underlie them—he chooses to lead with the decency his counterpart never showed, forcing Washington to reckon with what honest leadership might look like. Shot in Washington, D.C., the crew had unusual access to the White House grounds, and the production built an Oval Office set so detailed and convincing that it went on to appear in more than twenty-five other films and television shows, including The Pelican Brief, In the Line of Fire, and Absolute ...
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Friday Film Noir

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Quiz Show (1994)   is an elegantly crafted historical drama directed by Robert Redford and written by Paul Attanasio. It follows congressional lawyer Richard Goodwin (Rob Morrow) as he investigates growing suspicions that NBC's quiz program Twenty-One is being staged rather than played. His search leads him to Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), an esteemed Columbia University professor whose charm and intellect make him the network’s newest sensation. As the inquiry unfolds, Goodwin uncovers how producers, sponsors, and contestants quietly conspired to shape the outcomes, revealing the corruption that thrived behind the glow of prime-time television. The film was shot in and around New York City and Washington D.C. Redford drew inspiration from archival footage of live television in the 1950s and had historian Dan Wakefield as a consultant to ensure the era’s tone felt accurate. To study his mannerisms, Ralph Fiennes drove to Van Doren’s Cornwall, Connecticut home and, posing as a...
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Friday Film Noir

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The Lonely Guy (1984)  is a romantic comedy directed by Arthur Hiller and written by Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels, with an adaptation credited to Neil Simon. The film follows Larry Hubbard (Steve Martin), an affable greeting card writer living in New York City. Larry is instantly cast into the woeful ranks of the "lonely guys" after he finds his long-time girlfriend in bed with another man and is forced to begin a new single life. He befriends veteran lonely guy Warren Evans (Charles Grodin), who provides advice on navigating the isolating rituals of bachelorhood. In his despair, Larry writes a successful self-help book, A Guide for the Lonely Guy , which makes him rich and famous. This newfound status gives him access to the women he desires, but his fame complicates his genuine connection with Iris (Judith Ivey), who has her own history with "lonely guys." The film was shot in New York City. The screenplay was based on the 1978 book The Lonely Guy’s Book of Lif...
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Friday Film Noir

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Mr. Brooks (2007)  is a gripping psychological thriller directed by Bruce A. Evans and written by Evans and Raynold Gideon. The film follows Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner), a Portland businessman and devoted family man who harbors a secret: he is an addictive serial killer known as “The Thumbprint Killer.” His compulsion is fed by his bloodthirsty alter ego, Marshall, played with morbid humor by William Hurt. Brooks finds his double life threatened when a voyeur, Mr. Smith (Dane Cook), photographs him committing a murder. Instead of reporting him, Smith blackmails Brooks into taking him on as a protégé. Complicating matters further, the relentless Detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) is determined to solve the case. The central tension is derived from Brooks’s genuine, earnest struggle to quit his violent “habit” while indulging the darkness embodied by Marshall. The film was shot in Shreveport, Louisiana, despite the story being set in Portland, Oregon. The blackmailer role proved cha...
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Friday Film Noir

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Charlie Wilson's War (2007)   is a political drama directed by Mike Nichols and written by Aaron Sorkin. The film is based on the true story of the largest covert operation of the Cold War. The story follows U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a charismatic Texas Democrat, who is persuaded by anti-Communist activist Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) to use his political clout to fund the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion. Wilson partners with a cynical CIA operative, Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and together they secure massive, unprecedented funding for the Afghan Mujahideen. This operation eventually succeeds in driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan, marking a crucial strategic victory in the Cold War. The film was shot primarily in California, with scenes depicting Afghanistan filmed in Morocco. Julia Roberts met extensively with the real Joanne Herring, who used her socialite status to influence powerful political figures. Herring ...
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Friday Film Noir

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Heat (1995)  is a crime drama written and directed by Michael Mann. The film follows the parallel lives of master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and obsessive LAPD Detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). Their lives are set on a collision course as Hanna hunts McCauley’s crew following a high-profile bank robbery. The film is a meticulously detailed look at professionalism and the emotional toll of a life consumed by work, capturing the tension, discipline, and isolation that define both men, culminating in a tense manhunt. The film was shot in over 65 locations in Los Angeles, with not a single scene filmed on a soundstage, lending the production a palpable authenticity and urban grit. To prepare for the bank robbery, the actors spent several weeks training with former British SAS operatives. Mann based the iconic coffee shop dialogue about destroyed marriages on his conversations with real-life, high-level detectives and criminals. The film’s legendary bank heist shootout was ...
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Friday Film Noir

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The Intern (2015)  is a comedy-drama written and directed by Nancy Meyers. The story follows Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro), a 70-year-old widower seeking purpose in retirement. He becomes a senior intern at a thriving online fashion company, and he's assigned to work with the company’s founder, Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). Ben at first seems out of step with the fast-paced, youthful office culture. But his steady, old-fashioned sensibility gradually earns the respect of everyone — including Jules. What begins as a cautious professional arrangement turns into a genuine friendship, as Ben offers guidance not only on Jules’s demanding career but also on the challenges of her personal life. Shot in Brooklyn, NY, the production had several casting changes. Originally, the lead female role of Jules was offered to Tina Fey. After Fey, Reese Witherspoon was attached to the role but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Anne Hathaway was eventually cast in the role of Jules. The creativ...
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Friday Film Noir

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Shattered Glass (2003)   is a uniquely intriguing drama written and directed by Billy Ray. The film follows the true story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), a young, charismatic journalist working at the esteemed magazine, The New Republic . Glass is a prolific writer with a knack for sensational stories. His career unravels when a reporter from the new online publication, Forbes Digital Tool , investigates one of his articles and finds no evidence to support it. The magazine's editor, Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), realizes that Glass has fabricated not one, but dozens of stories over a period of three years. The film documents the methodical process of uncovering the lies and the quiet devastation it causes to a respected journalistic institution. The film was shot in Montreal, Canada, which convincingly served as the backdrop for Washington D.C. Director Billy Ray showed his cast and crew the 1976 film All the President’s Men to set the tone and mood for the production. Both...
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Friday Film Noir

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  Best in Show (2000)   is an inspiring comedy directed by Christopher Guest and written by Guest and Eugene Levy. The film follows five couples who travel across the country to compete in the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. Among them are a tightly wound couple, Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock), a devoted husband and wife, Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara), and a quiet fly fisherman, Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest). The film follows their interactions and eccentricities as they prepare their dogs for competition, all of them hoping to take home the grand prize. Shot in Vancouver, Canada, the film was entirely improvised from a 15-page outline. The actors didn't know what their scene partners would say until the cameras were rolling. The character of the commentator, Buck Laughlin (played perfectly by Fred Willard), was based on the baseball announcer Joe Garagiola, who was known for his uninformed, off-the-cuff r...
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Friday Film Noir

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  The Post (2017)   is an outstanding docudrama directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer. The film follows the unlikely partnership of Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks). In 1971, they race to expose a massive government cover-up spanning three decades and four U.S. presidents. As the Nixon administration attempts to silence them, Graham decides whether to publish the classified Pentagon Papers, risking her family's company and her own freedom to uphold the truth and the public's right to know. The film was shot in Washington D.C. and New York City. For her role as Katharine Graham, Meryl Streep relied heavily on Graham's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, "Personal History," listening to an abridged version of the book, which Graham herself narrated. Tom Hanks, for his role as Ben Bradlee, spent time with the real Bradlee's family and visit...
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Friday Film Noir

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  Copycat (1995)  is a thrilling drama directed by Jon Amiel and written by Ann Biderman. The film follows criminal psychologist Dr. Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver), a recluse with severe agoraphobia after a brutal attack by a serial killer, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick Jr.). When a new murderer begins a crime spree, mimicking the methods of past serial killers, she is pulled back into the world she had sworn off. Paired with tough but compassionate police inspector M.J. Monahan (Holly Hunter), Dr. Hudson must use her knowledge of the criminal mind to help police track down the killer, all while confronting the demons of her past and the very real danger that she is the killer's ultimate target. The film was shot in San Francisco. The on-screen dynamic between Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter was a result of their strong professional collaboration. Both actresses were determined to make their characters feel authentic. Hunter spent time with an actual San Francisco homici...
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Friday Film Noir

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In & Out (1997)   is a delightful comedy directed by Frank Oz and written by Paul Rudnick. The film follows a well-liked high school English teacher, Howard Brackett, played by Kevin Kline, living a quiet life in a small town. Just days before he marries his fiancée, played by Joan Cusack, his life is turned upside down. A former student, now a famous actor, outs Howard as gay during his Oscar acceptance speech on live television, which comes as a shock to everyone, especially Howard. As his life becomes a media circus, Howard must navigate the scrutiny of his small, conservative town, all while trying to prove he is who everyone thinks he is. The film was shot in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, which provided the picturesque, small-town setting for the story. Frank Oz's direction was noted for balancing the film's humorous romantic-comedy with its heartfelt message. An interesting fact about the film is that the screenplay was inspired by a real-life event: Tom Hanks' Oscar...
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