Cassandra’s Dream
In the dramatic thriller, brothers Terry (Colin Farrell) and Ian (Ewan McGregor) buy a very cheap boat in perfect condition and name it ‘Cassandra’s Dream’ but as per Greek mythology Cassandra had earlier prophesied doom. Ian falls for an actress Angela (Hayley Atwell). To finance his life with her and in view of his debts and heavy drinking habits, Terry approaches his uncle Howard who offers to help them provided they kill his ex-business partner. The brothers carry out the murder and while Ian is ready to move on in life, Terry decides to confess to the cops but Ian is unable to kill Terry. When Terry angrily pushes Ian down the stairs he dies, Terry is found drowned but the boat is found in pristine condition.
Dead Man’s Shoes
Soldier Richard (Paddy Considine) returns to his younger, mentally-impaired brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell) and his UK hometown. Anthony was abused by some drug dealers so Richard brutally kills them off one by one. Final gang member Mark reveals to his wife that he and his gang were ragging Anthony that they wanted to hang him in a deserted castle but unable to bear the humiliation, Anthony hanged himself. The viewer realises that Richard had been imagining that his brother is alive. Richard drags Mark to the castle and Mark explains that his fault was in not stopping the abuse. Feeling guilty for his crimes, Richard gives Mark a knife and pulls it on to himself, so that he can finally be with his brother.
The Straight Story
On hearing that his estranged brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) has suffered a stroke, World War II veteran Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) decides to visit Lyle and make amends before he dies. So he hitches a trailer to a lawn tractor and sets off on the 240 mile journey from Iowa to Wisconsin at a maximum speed of about five miles per hour. His vehicle breaks down and when he runs short of cash he does not hesitate to dip in to his social security fund. Alvin finally reaches Lyle, they patch up and sit staring at the stars as they used to during their childhood. The film which was based on a true story became a hit and received 12 awards and 29 nominations.
Rain Man
After his estranged father dies, Charlie (Tom Cruise) travels to Ohio to settle the estate. But a major portion now belongs to an unnamed trustee. Charlie finds out that it is being given to an older autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) of whom he was earlier not aware. To get custody of the estate, Charlie takes Raymond away and demands that Raymond’s doctor Dr Gerald give him half the estate in exchange for Raymond’s return. Charlie realises that his imaginary childhood friend ‘Rain Man’ was actually Raymond. Later even when Dr Bruner offers him $250,000 to walk away from Raymond, Charlie refuses saying he is now content to have a relationship with his brother. The comedy-drama won four Academy awards including best picture, best original screenplay, best director and best actor for Hoffman.
On the Waterfront
This crime drama masterpiece, ranked as the eighth-greatest American movies of all time, won eight Academy Awards. Johnny rules the waterfront with an iron fist. Dockworker Terry’s (Marlon Brando) brother Charley (Rod Steiger) is Johnny’s right-hand man. Some years earlier, Terry was a boxer with a future until Johnny told Charley to ask Terry to lose the fight so that he (Johnny) could win money by betting against him. In an iconic scene, Terry tells Charley, “I coulda’ been a contender, instead of a bum which is what I am.” Terry loves Edie (Eva Marie Saint), the sister of Joey (Ben Wagner) who decides to testify against Johnny for some murders committed by him. After Johnny has Joey and Charley killed, Terry fights Johnny and gains the support of the locals.
