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...