Holy Unknown

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 ...

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. ...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

  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...

  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...

  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...

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...

The Truman Show (1998)   is a comedy-drama directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The film follows the life of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), an insurance salesman who is unaware that he is the sole star of a 24-hour reality television show. His entire life, from birth, has been an elaborate fabrication filmed within a massive, enclosed set. His friends, family, and everyone he knows are actors, and his every move is broadcast to the world. Laura Linney plays Meryl Burbank, his wife in the show. As Truman begins to notice odd occurrences in his seemingly perfect world, he grows suspicious and starts to question his reality, leading him on a quest to escape his meticulously crafted existence. The film's visionary concept was ahead of its time, predicting the rise of reality television. The town of Seahaven, where the film is set, was filmed in Seaside, Florida, a real-life planned community that already had the idealized, pristine look the filmmakers wanted. The role of ...

Fallen (1998)   is a supernatural thriller directed by Gregory Hoblit and written by Nicholas Kazan. The film follows Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) after he witnesses the execution of a serial killer, Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas). Soon after, new murders begin that are eerily similar to the executed killer's work, and Hobbes starts to suspect that a sinister force is behind them. With the help of his partner, Jonesy (John Goodman), Hobbes uncovers the truth that an ancient demonic entity, named Azazel, is possessing people and committing the crimes. The demon can transfer from one person to another with a simple touch, making it a powerful foe that threatens to frame Hobbes for the murders. The film was shot primarily in Philadelphia, with some scenes shot in New Jersey. One notable feature is the recurring use of the song "Time Is on My Side" by The Rolling Stones, which serves as a sinister anthem for the demon Azazel. The ending of the film was a point of co...

An unsettling frustration is growing over Oklahoma's schools. At the center of it, overseeing 700,000 students, is State Superintendent Ryan Walters. His leadership, which he promised would fix education, has essentially only created political drama that has left parents, educators, and even members of his own party shaking their heads in disbelief. For starters, Walters’ PragerU textbooks teach students that being a slave “was better than being killed” and that slaves were actually fortunate to have "developed skills" from their experience that "could be applied for their personal benefit.” All of which is unimaginably insulting and historically inaccurate. It doesn’t stop there. Walters sent emails to Oklahoma lawmakers and their assistants containing "inappropriate adult material” that Walters says was to demonstrate the kind of explicit material that is being made available to students in a "left-wing woke culture" that is "pushing pornography...

Stranger than Fiction (2006)   is a comedy-drama directed by Marc Forster and written by Zach Helm. It follows the peculiar life of Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), an IRS agent whose monotonous existence is turned upside down when he begins to hear a narrator describing his life. The voice belongs to a reclusive author, Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), who is struggling to finish her latest novel and plans to kill her main character—Harold. Harold must race against time to find Karen and change his fate. Along the way, he falls for a free-spirited baker, Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal). He seeks help from literature professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman). The film's writer, Zach Helm, was inspired by his own experience of hearing his thoughts narrated. The production was filmed primarily in Chicago. The film's characters are named after famous scientists and artists, such as Francis Crick and Blaise Pascal, a deliberate choice by Helm to engage the movie's form as much as its co...

What About Bob? (1991)   is a superb comedy directed by Frank Oz and written by Tom Schulman. The film follows Bob Wiley, a neurotic and clingy patient played by Bill Murray, who tracks down his psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Marvin, played flawlessly by Richard Dreyfuss, while he's on vacation with his family. As Bob worms his way into the family's affection, Dr. Marvin’s professional poise begins to unravel. The cast also includes Julie Hagerty as Dr. Marvin’s wife, Charlie Korsmo as their son, and Kathryn Erbe as their teenage daughter. The balance between Murray’s eccentric charm and Dreyfuss’s escalating rage drives the film’s absurd tension. Behind the scenes, the chemistry between the actors mirrored the on‑screen conflict—Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss famously clashed during filming. According to crew accounts, Murray would taunt Dreyfuss, throw things at him, and provoke him between takes. Dreyfuss described Murray as "drunken" and "irrational" at times, ...

Virginia Hall Goillot wasn’t supposed to become a spy. Born in Baltimore in 1906 to a well-off family, she was raised with polish and possibility—fluent in French and German, educated in Europe, and expected to live a life of comfort and marriage. That was the plan. Then, while hunting birds in Turkey, she tripped and accidentally discharged her rifle. The injury led to a leg amputation below the knee. She was just 27. Her new prosthetic—a heavy wooden limb she named “Cuthbert”—could have ended any ambition to work abroad. Instead, it marked the beginning of a career that would make her one of the most elusive and effective spies of World War II. She applied to the U.S. Foreign Service, but her disability disqualified her. So she looked elsewhere. By 1940, Hall was in France as a freelance journalist. The Nazi invasion pushed others to flee, but she stayed. She started passing along information to the British and caught the attention of the Special Operations Executive, or...

Election (1999)  is a marvelous and refreshing dark comedy directed by Alexander Payne and written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. The film is set during a contentious student body presidential election at a suburban Omaha high school. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), a well-liked and dedicated history teacher, finds his professional and personal life unraveling when he decides to sabotage the campaign of the pathologically ambitious and overachieving student, Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon). Believing her to be unfit for office and personally disliking her intensity, he persuades Paul Metzler (Chris Klein), a popular but simple-minded football player, to run against her.  The film was shot on location in and around Omaha, Nebraska, director Alexander Payne's hometown. The school scenes were filmed at Papillion-La Vista High School, and many of the students seen in the film were actual students from the school. The screenplay is based on the 1998 novel of the same name b...

Parenthood (1989)  is a fantastic comedy-drama directed by Ron Howard and written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. The film follows the interconnected lives of the extended Buckman family, focusing on their varied and often chaotic experiences with parenting. Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) is a conscientious father who is terrified of repeating the emotional neglect he felt from his own father, Frank (Jason Robards). Gil and his wife Karen (Mary Steenburgen) struggle with the fears of raising their three children, particularly their intense and neurotic son. Meanwhile, Gil's sister, the divorced single mother Helen (Dianne Wiest), deals with her sullen teenage daughter (Martha Plimpton), her daughter's aimless but good-hearted boyfriend Tod (Keanu Reeves), and her withdrawn, rebellious young son Garry (a very young Joaquin Phoenix, credited as Leaf Phoenix). His other sister Susan (Harley Jane Kozak) is married to the overly analytical Nathan Huffner (Rick Moranis), who is meticu...