Holy Unknown

Fargo (1996)   is a splendid crime drama written and directed by the Coen brothers. The film follows Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a desperate car salesman who hires two criminals to kidnap his wife for ransom, sparking an unraveling wave of violence. As pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) investigates, her steady, methodical approach contrasts with the criminals' chaotic blunders. ​Despite the opening disclaimer that the film was based on a true story, the plot was entirely fabricated by the Coens, although they drew inspiration from a 1986 Connecticut murder case where a woodchipper was used to dispose of a body. William H. Macy persistently lobbied the Coen brothers to secure his role as Jerry Lundegaard. Fargo won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress for Frances McDormand. 1996 • R • 1h 38m Rotten Tomatoes: 95% Holy Unknown Grade: A+ Worldwide Gross: 60M Where To Watch

Bernie (2011)   is a dark comedy-drama directed by Richard Linklater and written by Skip Hollandsworth and Linklater, based on true events. The film follows assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) in tiny Carthage, Texas, who befriends a wealthy, bitter widow named Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine). After enduring endless emotional abuse, Bernie shoots her and hides her body in a freezer, using her wealth for local charitable acts. The story is based on the 1998 article "Midnight in the Garden of East Texas" written by Skip Hollandsworth. Jack Black visited Tiede in prison to capture his mannerisms, while Shirley MacLaine relied on accounts from local residents for her role. Matthew McConaughey plays District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson, with his real-life mother, Kay, appearing as a town gossip. The film sparked real-world legal scrutiny, leading to Tiede's temporary release before a resentencing trial. 2011 • PG-13 • 1h 39m Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Holy Unkn...

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)   is a musical comedy directed by Frank Oz and written by Howard Ashman, adapting his and Alan Menken's off-Broadway show. Florist Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) gains success at a dark cost when he discovers a bloodthirsty plant, Audrey II. As bodies pile up, Seymour tries to protect his crush, Audrey (Ellen Greene), from her abusive dentist boyfriend, Orin Scrivello (Steve Martin). Because the Audrey II puppet couldn't move fast enough, scenes were shot with the actors moving in slow motion while lip-syncing to sped-up music. The film originally ended with a large-scale sequence of Audrey II conquering the city, but negative test screenings led Warner Bros. to spend millions reshooting a more optimistic ending. The memorable scene featuring Steve Martin was largely improvised on set. 1986 • PG-13 • 1h 34m Rotten Tomatoes: 91% Holy Unknown Grade: A Worldwide Gross: 39M Where To Watch

Ed Wood (1994)   is a fantastic biographical comedy-drama directed by Tim Burton and written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. The film follows the famously unsuccessful low-budget filmmaker Ed Wood (Johnny Depp) as he resiliently moves from project to project with an unshakeable confidence, assembling an eccentric circle of collaborators that includes icon Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). Tim Burton insisted on shooting in black and white, despite studio resistance, to match the visual texture of the era.  Johnny Depp avoided portraying Wood as incompetent, instead modeling his performance on upbeat optimism. Martin Landau spent months studying Bela Lugosi’s films and interviews, working with a dialect coach to capture his accent; his performance earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. 1994 • R • 2h 7m Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Holy Unknown Grade: A+ Worldwide Gross: 5.8M Where To Watch

Multiplicity (1996) is a comedy directed by Harold Ramis and written by Chris Miller . The film follows Doug Kinney ( Michael Keaton ), a construction foreman overwhelmed by work and family demands, who agrees to be cloned to manage his time. As additional copies are made, each generation becomes less stable, turning a practical solution into a series of complications. The role of Doug Kinney gave Michael Keaton the chance to play multiple distinct characters in the same film, something Harold Ramis encouraged him to push as far as possible in performance rather than effects. Keaton developed separate personalities for each clone, including the more childlike “Steve,” which became one of the film’s most memorable elements. The concept originated from a short story by Chris Miller , which Ramis expanded into a domestic comedy about time, identity, and responsibility.  1996 • PG-13 • 1h 57m Rotten Tomatoes: 46% Holy Unknown Grade: B+ Worldwide Gross: 21M Where To Watch

The Firm (1993) is a legal thriller directed by Sydney Pollack and written by David Rabe , Robert Towne , and David Rayfiel , based on the novel by John Grisham . The film follows Mitch McDeere ( Tom Cruise ), a Harvard Law graduate who joins a Memphis firm offering wealth and control. As he settles in, the firm’s structure reveals surveillance, secrecy, and unexplained deaths. When federal investigators approach him, Mitch realizes he is already inside something he cannot easily leave. Filmed in Memphis, Tennessee, with additional scenes in Massachusetts and the Cayman Islands, the production used real law offices and residential areas to ground the firm’s controlled environment. Sydney Pollack chose to change the ending from John Grisham ’s novel, replacing a more direct legal resolution with a strategy-driven outcome. Tom Cruise worked with Pollack to present Mitch as observant and reactive rather than overtly heroic. Gene Hackman joined the film after early discussions consid...

The Lorax (2012) is Illumination's vibrant animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss's classic environmental fable. To win the heart of his crush, a young boy named Ted (Zac Efron) leaves his completely artificial city to find a real tree. This quest leads him to the Once-ler (Ed Helms), who recounts how his own youthful greed destroyed the forest despite the warnings of the Lorax (Danny DeVito), the grumpy guardian of the trees. The casting of the Once-ler went through several iterations before Ed Helms was chosen. Danny DeVito was cast as the Lorax after the filmmakers decided the character needed a rougher, less sentimental presence. Zac Efron was brought in to voice Ted as part of an effort to give the character a straightforward, earnest tone. Taylor Swift’s role as Audrey was shaped to emphasize enthusiasm and idealism. The Lorax was a major box-office success and sparked widespread debate about how environmental themes are handled in mainstream animation. 2012 • PG • 1h 26m Ro...

Midnight Run (1988) is Martin Brest's classic buddy comedy thriller about a cynical bounty hunter chasing a high-stakes target. Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is hired to bring in Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Charles Grodin), a mild-mannered mob accountant who skipped a $450,000 bail. What should be a simple flight from New York to Los Angeles quickly devolves into a chaotic cross-country road trip as Jack is forced to dodge the FBI, the mafia, and a rival bounty hunter. Robert De Niro was cast in part to play against his established dramatic persona, and he worked closely with Charles Grodin to develop the film’s rhythm, with Grodin deliberately underplaying scenes to contrast De Niro’s intensity. The role of Mardukas had previously been associated with Robin Williams , who was considered during development before Grodin was cast, shifting the tone away from improvisational comedy toward controlled, dialogue-driven exchanges. The film’s success redefined De Niro’s ran...

Inside Man (2006) is Spike Lee's stylized heist thriller about a brilliantly orchestrated Manhattan bank robbery. Mastermind Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) takes dozens of hostages, forcing them into identical clothes to blend in with his crew and confound the police. As tough NYPD detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) tries to negotiate, the case turns volatile when a high-stakes fixer (Jodie Foster) steps in to protect a dark secret hidden inside the bank's vault. Clive Owen was not the initial obvious choice for Dalton Russell, but Lee was drawn to his ability to project calm certainty. Jodie Foster joined the project late in development after several high-profile actresses passed on the role. The film’s final reveal was designed to feel intellectually satisfying rather than emotionally explosive, a choice Lee defended during editing. Upon release, the film was praised for its restraint and craftsmanship and became one of Lee’s most commercially successful projects. 200...

The Departed (2006) is Martin Scorsese's intense crime thriller about a treacherous double-game between the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mob. Rookie cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes deep undercover to infiltrate a syndicate led by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), unaware that the mob has embedded their own mole, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), within the police department. With both sides hunting a traitor, both men face a frantic race to unmask each other before their covers are fatally blown. Leonardo DiCaprio pursued the role of Billy Costigan after years of wanting to work with Scorsese again. Matt Damon was cast after Scorsese saw him as a natural fit for Sullivan’s clean-cut exterior masking corruption. Mark Wahlberg’s role as Dignam was expanded after rehearsals proved how sharply his profane delivery cut through scenes. Jack Nicholson shaped Costello into an unpredictable menace, introducing unscripted props—like a real handgun—to rattle his co-stars. ...

By Cody Andrus  I was a proud, devout conservative for 40 years of my life. I voted for Bush twice. I never voted for Obama. I spent 8 years writing a conservative column for a newspaper. I planned to vote for Trump over Hillary. But when the Billy Bush recording surfaced, I decided to show an ounce of class and not vote for either candidate. After Trump won, I was defensive of him for 4 years. I liked that he didn’t “put up with any crap with the media.” He might not be perfect but he was getting things done, etc. All the usual stuff. My feelings changed on January 6th. This is when I saw the true colors of (the vast majority of) conservatives. I realized these wacky liberals I’ve complained about my whole life are now the reasonable ones. And (the vast majority of) conservatives simply don’t stand for anything. If you keep up with the news and consider yourself a well-informed person and you’re okay with what Trump did on January 6th, there is something fundamentally wrong with y...

No Country for Old Men (2007) is a neo-Western crime thriller written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s novel. In West Texas, welder Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a botched drug deal and takes 2 million in cash. He is immediately hunted by Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a psychopathic hitman utilizing a tracking transponder. As aging sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) tracks the body count, the chase becomes a grim meditation on inescapable fate and escalating modern violence. The Coens omitted a traditional score, using ambient desert wind and heavy silence to drive the tension. Josh Brolin aggressively pursued the role of Llewelyn Moss, even filming a rogue audition tape with the help of Quentin Tarantino to convince the Coens he was right for the part. Javier Bardem nearly turned down the role due to his dislike of violence, but relented because he saw Chigurh as a symbolic force of nature. Heath Ledger nearly played the lead but dro...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) is a road comedy written and directed by John Hughes. Uptight marketing executive Neal Page (Steve Martin) is desperate to fly home to Chicago for Thanksgiving but gets grounded by a severe blizzard. He is forced to team up with Del Griffith (John Candy), a talkative, overly friendly shower curtain ring salesman. Together, the mismatched duo embarks on a disastrous, three-day cross-country journey utilizing every broken-down mode of transportation available, testing Neal's sanity and revealing Del's deeply hidden loneliness. Steve Martin was cast early, with John Hughes writing Neal specifically for his controlled, escalating frustration. John Candy’s casting was central to the film, though other comedians, including Bill Murray, were discussed before Hughes settled on Candy. The infamous motel room scene was filmed with multiple improvised variations. Candy has said he approached Del as someone who talks to avoid silence rather than to e...

The Informant! (2009)  is a dark comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Z. Burns, based on the nonfiction book by Kurt Eichenwald. The story follows Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), a rising executive at agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland who secretly becomes an FBI informant during a federal price-fixing investigation. While presenting himself as a heroic whistleblower, Whitacre steadily complicates the case through erratic behavior, grandiose self-narration, and hidden personal secrets. As the investigation drags on, Whitacre’s version of events begins to fracture, revealing contradictions that undermine both his credibility and the case itself. The film tracks the widening gap between what Whitacre believes he is accomplishing and what is actually happening around him. Filmed primarily in Illinois, including Decatur and Chicago, Steven Soderbergh was drawn to the project after reading early reports on the ADM case. Matt Damon, who gained 30 pounds for the r...

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) is a dark comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and written by Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Armando Bo. The story follows Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a faded Hollywood actor once famous for playing a comic-book superhero, who is attempting to reinvent himself by staging a serious Broadway adaptation of a Raymond Carver story. As previews begin, Riggan struggles with creative insecurity, financial pressure, and a deteriorating sense of identity, all while being haunted by the voice of his former superhero persona. His relationships with his daughter Sam (Emma Stone), co-star Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), and ex-wife Sylvia (Amy Ryan) grow increasingly strained as opening night approaches. The production becomes a collision of ego, ambition, and self-doubt, with Riggan fighting to prove his relevance before everything collapses. Filmed primarily in New York City, the production made extensive use...

Office Space (1999) is a workplace comedy written and directed by Mike Judge. The story follows Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), a disengaged software engineer trapped in a soul-draining corporate job at the tech company Initech. After a hypnotherapy session leaves him permanently indifferent to work expectations, Peter stops pretending to care, setting off a chain reaction that alters his relationships with coworkers and management. Alongside his friends Samir (Ajay Naidu) and Michael Bolton (David Herman), Peter becomes involved in a plan to skim money from the company, believing it will be a quiet act of rebellion. As the scheme spirals beyond their control, the film tracks the small, absurd pressures of office life and how easily dissatisfaction turns into reckless action. Filmed primarily in Dallas, Texas, Mike Judge based much of the film on his own experiences working in tech offices, including specific frustrations with cubicles, management jargon, and performance reviews. The...

Truth (2015) is a political drama written and directed by James Vanderbilt , based on the memoir by journalist Mary Mapes. The film centers on Mapes ( Cate Blanchett ), a veteran producer for 60 Minutes II , and anchor Dan Rather ( Robert Redford ), as they pursue a report examining the military service of President George W. Bush . What begins as a confident investigation quickly turns into a crisis when questions emerge about the authenticity of key documents. As scrutiny intensifies, the newsroom shifts from certainty to defense, and Mapes finds herself at the center of a rapidly unraveling narrative. The film follows the internal mechanics of journalism under pressure, focusing on how decisions are made, challenged, and ultimately judged in the public arena. Filmed in Australia, primarily in New South Wales, the production used Fox Studios Australia in Sydney to recreate CBS newsroom interiors and corporate offices, with set designs based on archival reference from the actual 60 M...

Contact (1997)   is a science-fiction drama directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by James V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg, adapted from Carl Sagan’s novel. The story follows Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), a driven radio astronomer devoted to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. When Ellie detects an unmistakable signal from deep space, the discovery sets off a global response involving scientists, politicians, military leaders, and religious figures. As plans are made to interpret and act on the message, Ellie finds herself navigating public scrutiny, institutional distrust, and her own unresolved questions about belief and proof. The film unfolds as both a first-contact story and a meditation on faith, evidence, and how humans respond to the unknown. Filmed in New Mexico, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Puerto Rico, the production blended real scientific environments with carefully constructed sets to ground the story. Robert Zemeckis was drawn to the project as a wa...

Cape Fear (1991)  is a psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Wesley Strick. It follows Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), a defense attorney whose life is upended when Max Cady (Robert De Niro), a violent ex-convict, is released from prison after serving 14 years. Cady, obsessed with revenge, begins stalking Bowden and his family with an escalating campaign of terror. As Bowden struggles to protect his wife (Jessica Lange) and daughter (Juliette Lewis), he’s forced to confront both his past and the moral lines he’s willing to cross. As the tension mounts, a final confrontation on the stormy waters of Cape Fear becomes inevitable. Shot in Florida, the production used the real Cape Fear River area for key scenes, including the houseboat finale. Robert De Niro immersed himself in the role of Cady, paying $5,000 to have his teeth ground down to appear more menacing. Juliette Lewis, 18 at the time, was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, particularly the tens...

Identity (2003) is a psychological thriller directed by James Mangold and written by Michael Cooney. The film follows a group of strangers who become stranded at a remote desert motel during a violent storm. Among them are a former police officer turned limo driver, Ed Dakota (John Cusack), a volatile cop (Ray Liotta), and several others forced into close proximity. When members of the group begin to be murdered one by one, the survivors realize the killer must be someone already inside the motel. As fear escalates, clues emerge that suggest the strangers are connected in ways they do not yet understand. The pressure intensifies as the body count rises and the remaining guests race to identify the murderer before time runs out. Shot in California with desert exteriors staged to resemble Nevada, the production built the motel as a large practical set to control weather and lighting. Several studios passed on the script due to concerns about its structure and ending. The ensemble ca...

Ratatoullie (2007)   is an animated comedy written and directed by Brad Bird. The film follows Remy ( Patton Oswalt ), a rat born with an extraordinary sense of taste and smell who dreams of becoming a chef in Paris. After being separated from his colony, Remy ends up inside the kitchen of a once-great restaurant made famous by the late chef Auguste Gusteau. He forms an unlikely partnership with Linguini ( Lou Romano ), a clumsy garbage boy who cannot cook, secretly controlling him during service. As the restaurant’s reputation begins to recover, attention arrives in the form of the feared critic Anton Ego ( Peter O’Toole ). With scrutiny tightening and secrets harder to contain, Remy and Linguini are forced to risk everything on one decisive service. Produced at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California, the film was originally developed under director Jan Pinkava before Brad Bird took over mid-production. Pinkava departed the project after creative disagreements about st...

Quick Change (1990) is a crime comedy written and directed by Howard Franklin and Bill Murray. Murray plays Grimm, a quick-witted con artist who robs a Manhattan bank in broad daylight while disguised as a clown. The heist itself goes exactly as planned, but the escape collapses into a prolonged ordeal when Grimm and his partners can’t find a clean way out of New York City. As they move from neighborhood to neighborhood, small mistakes compound into larger problems, and the city itself becomes the obstacle. What begins as a controlled operation turns into a test of patience, improvisation, and endurance. The pressure rises as police attention tightens and time runs out, forcing the group to gamble on one last route out. The film was shot in New York City. Bill Murray had pursued the project for years after reading the novel by Jay Cronley and pushed to bring it to the screen largely on his own terms. The studio was initially hesitant about Murray also directing, leading to the decisi...

The Pianist (2002) is a historical drama directed by Roman Polanski and written by Ronald Harwood, adapted from the memoir of Władysław Szpilman. The film follows Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a gifted Jewish pianist living in Warsaw as Nazi occupation tightens around the city. As the Jewish population is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, Szpilman and his family endure escalating restrictions, violence, and deportations. Separated from his family, Szpilman survives in hiding, moving between abandoned apartments and ruins as the city is systematically destroyed. The story traces his isolation and perseverance as he clings to survival through chance encounters, silence, and his enduring connection to music. Filmed primarily in Poland and Germany, with extensive production in Warsaw and Berlin, the filmmakers rebuilt large sections of the Warsaw Ghetto on soundstages and exterior locations to match period photographs with near-documentary precision. Roman Polanski was personally involved in loc...

Get Shorty (1995) is a crime comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard’s novel. The story follows Chili Palmer (John Travolta), a Miami loan shark who travels to Los Angeles to collect a debt and unexpectedly finds himself drawn into the film business. Using the same intimidation skills he applies on the street, Chili begins navigating Hollywood producers, agents, and actors, discovering that the movie industry operates on rules not unlike organized crime. He becomes involved with struggling producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), aspiring actress Karen Flores (Rene Russo), and volatile rival Ray “Bones” Barboni (Dennis Farina). As Chili moves between criminal obligations and movie deals, the lines between Hollywood and the underworld blur, turning his collection job into an unlikely career shift. Filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the production leaned heavily on authentic Hollywood settings rather than constructed backlots. John Travolta w...

Déjà Vu (2006)  is a science-fiction thriller directed by Tony Scott and written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio. The story follows ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington), who is called in to investigate a deadly ferry explosion in New Orleans. During the investigation, Carlin is introduced to a classified government program that allows investigators to observe past events in precise detail, effectively letting them look several days into the past. As he studies the moments leading up to the bombing, Carlin becomes fixated on a woman named Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), whose death appears connected to the attack. When he realizes the technology may offer more than observation, Carlin pushes the limits of the program in an effort to alter the outcome and stop the crime before it happens. Filmed in New Orleans, the production shut down major bridges, streets, and ferry routes, turning the city itself into an active part of the story rather than a backdrop. Denzel Washington h...

By Cody Andrus The Drake Equation is a way to organize a question rather than answer it. It was proposed in 1961 by Frank Drake to structure discussion about how many technologically capable civilizations might exist in the Milky Way. The equation does not produce a definitive number. Instead, it identifies the factors that would have to be understood before any estimate could be made responsibly. The equation divides the problem into a series of terms. It begins with the rate at which stars form in the galaxy and asks how many of those stars have planetary systems. It then considers how many planets might be capable of supporting life. From there, the focus shifts away from astronomy and toward biology and behavior, asking how often life emerges, how often intelligence develops, and how often that intelligence produces technology detectable from a distance. Each term reflects a different kind of uncertainty. Some of the astronomical factors are now better constrained than they were w...

The Ring (2002)  is a supernatural horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Ehren Kruger, based on the Japanese film Ringu . The story follows Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a journalist who investigates a videotape rumored to cause the death of anyone who watches it seven days later. After viewing the tape herself, Rachel begins tracing its origins while racing against time to save both herself and her young son, Aidan (David Dorfman). Her investigation leads her through a series of unsettling locations tied to the tape’s imagery, gradually revealing the story of Samara Morgan, a child whose past is connected to the curse. As the deadline approaches, Rachel believes she has uncovered a way to stop the deaths, only to realize the truth behind the tape is far more complicated. Filmed primarily in Oregon and Washington state, the production used real coastal towns, forests, and industrial sites. Director Gore Verbinski deliberately chose locations with persistent gray lig...