Gangs of New York 2002

Gangs of New York is a 2002 American historical drama film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of Lower Manhattan. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 non-fiction book, The Gangs of New York. It was made in Cinecittà, Rome, distributed by Miramax Films and nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture.The film begins in 1846 but quickly jumps to 1862. The two principal issues of the era in New York were Irish immigration to the city and the Federal government's execution of the ongoing Civil War. The story follows Bill "the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) in his roles as crime boss and political kingmaker under the helm of "Boss" Tweed (Jim Broadbent). The film culminates in a violent confrontation between Cutting and his mob with protagonist Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his allies, which coincides with the New York Draft Riots of 1863.
        On February 6, 1846, at Paradise Square in Lower Manhattan's Five Points, a territorial battle of hand-to-hand combat between Bill "the Butcher" Cutting's U.S.-born nativist gang, the Natives, and "Priest" Vallon's Irish Catholic immigrant gang, the Dead Rabbits, concludes when Cutting kills Vallon, witnessed by Vallon's young son, Amsterdam. Cutting declares the Dead Rabbits outlawed but orders that Vallon's body be buried with honor. Amsterdam seizes the knife used to kill his father, races off, and buries it along with a medal his father gave him. He is later raised at Hellgate orphanage.
In late 1862, an adult Amsterdam Vallon returns to Five Points and reunites with an old friend, Johnny Sirocco, who reintroduces Amsterdam anonymously to Cutting. Amsterdam finds many of the former Dead Rabbits now loyal to Cutting, including "Happy Jack" Mulraney, who has become a corrupt police officer, as well as the racist McGloin. Amsterdam works his way into Cutting's inner circle, and learns that, each year, Cutting celebrates the anniversary of his victory over the Dead Rabbits. Amsterdam plans his father's revenge: to kill Cutting during this year's ceremony. Amsterdam becomes more deeply involved with Tammany Hall, the twisted political empire of Boss Tweed, who is heavily manipulated by Cutting.
Initial release: December 9, 2002 (New York City)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Featured song: The Hands That Built America
Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture, more
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, Jay Cocks, Kenneth Lonergan

Catch Me If You Can 2002

Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical crime drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale, who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor. His primary crime was check fraud; he became so skillful that the FBI eventually turned to him for help in catching other check forgers. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, with Christopher Walken, Amy Adams, Martin Sheen, and Nathalie Baye in supporting roles.Development for the film started in 1980 but did not progress until 1997 when the film rights to Abagnale's book were purchased by Spielberg's DreamWorks. David Fincher, Gore Verbinski, Lasse Hallström, Miloš Forman and Cameron Crowe had all been possible candidates for director before Spielberg decided to direct. Filming took place from February to May 2002. The film was a financial and critical success, and the real Abagnale reacted positively to it.
In 1963, teen-aged Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives in New Rochelle, New York with his father Frank Abagnale, Sr. (Christopher Walken), and French mother Paula (Nathalie Baye). When Frank Sr. is denied a business loan at Chase Manhattan Bank due to unspecified difficulties with the IRS, the family is forced to move from their large home to a small apartment. Paula carries on an affair with Jack (James Brolin), a friend of her husband. Meanwhile, Frank poses as a substitute teacher in his French class. Frank's parents file for divorce, and Frank runs away. When he runs out of money, he begins to rely on confidence scams to get by. Soon, Frank's cons grow bolder and he even impersonates an airline pilot. He forges Pan Am payroll checks and succeeds in stealing over $2.8 million.
Meanwhile, Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), an FBI bank fraud agent, begins to track down Frank. Carl and Frank meet in a hotel, where Frank convinces Carl his name is Barry Allen of the Secret Service. Frank leaves, Carl angrily realizing his mistake just as it is too late. Later, at Christmas, Carl is still working when Frank calls him, attempting to apologize for duping Carl. Carl rejects his apology and tells him he will soon be caught, but laughs when he realizes Frank actually called him because he has no one else to talk to. Frank hangs up, and Carl continues to investigate, suddenly realizing (thanks to a waiter) that the name "Barry Allen" is from the Flash comic books and that Frank is just a teenager.
Initial release: December 25, 2002 (USA)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Jeff Nathanson
Story by: Stan Redding, Frank Abagnale
Awards: BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Composer, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, BMI Film Music Award, National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director, Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Liar, Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Liar, ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards - Contemporary Film

Die Another Day 2002

Die Another Day (2002) is the twentieth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film follows Bond as he leads a mission to North Korea, during which he is betrayed and, after seemingly killing a rogue North Korean colonel, is captured and imprisoned. More than a year later Bond is released as part of a prisoner exchange. Surmising that someone within the British government betrayed him, he attempts to earn redemption by tracking down his betrayer and killing a North Korean agent he believes was involved in his torture.
Die Another Day, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori, marks the James Bond franchise's 40th anniversary. The series began in 1962 with Sean Connery starring as Bond in Dr. No. Die Another Day includes references to each of the preceding films.
      James Bond infiltrates a North Korean military base, where Colonel Tan-Sun Moon is illegally trading African conflict diamonds for weaponry. After Moon's assistant Zao discovers that Bond is a British agent, the colonel attempts to kill Bond and a hovercraft chase ensues, which ends with Moon's apparent death. Bond survives, but is captured by North Korean soldiers and imprisoned by the Colonel's father, General Moon.
After 14 months of captivity and torture, Bond is traded for Zao in a prisoner exchange. He is sedated and taken to meet M, who informs him that his status as a 00 Agent is suspended due to her belief that he may have leaked information under duress. Bond is convinced that he has been set up by a double agent in the British government and decides to avenge his betrayal. After escaping from the custody of MI6, he travels to Hong Kong, where he learns from a Chinese agent that Zao is in Cuba.
Initial release: November 22, 2002 (USA)
Director: Lee Tamahori
Featured song: Die Another Day
Screenplay: Robert Wade, Ian Fleming, Neal Purvis
Awards: Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Austin Powers: Goldmember 2002

Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film. It is the third and final installment of the Austin Powers film series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember, and Fat Bastard. The movie co-stars Beyoncé Knowles, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Michael York, Verne Troyer, Michael Caine, Mindy Sterling and Fred Savage. There are a number of cameo appearances including Steven Spielberg, Kevin Spacey, Britney Spears, Quincy Jones, Tom Cruise, Danny DeVito, Katie Couric, Gwyneth Paltrow, John Travolta, Nathan Lane, and The Osbournes.
       In 2002 in a new lair behind the famous Hollywood sign, Dr. Evil outlines his newest plan to his minions: he will go back in time to 1975 and bring back Johan van der Smut, aka "Goldmember", who developed a cold fusion unit for a tractor beam which Dr. Evil names Preparation H, not to be confused with the well known product of the same name - Preparations A thru G had failed earlier. He intends to use the tractor beam to pull a meteor into the Earth to strike the polar ice caps and cause global flooding. However, moments after revealing this plan Austin Powers and the British Secret Service attack and arrest Dr. Evil. Austin is knighted for his services, but is disappointed when his father, the famous super-spy Nigel Powers, fails to attend the event. At a party to celebrate his knighthood he sings a song with the band Ming Tea; later he meets two Japanese twins named Fook Mi and Fook Yu and is about to have a threesome with them when Basil Exposition informs Austin that his father has been kidnapped, the only clue that the crew of his yacht have had their genitalia painted gold.
Release date: July 22, 2002 (USA)
Director: Jay Roach
Featured song: Work It Out
MPAA rating: PG-13
Music composed by: George S. Clinton

Minority Report 2002

Minority Report is a 2002 American neo-noir science fiction thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and loosely based on the short story of the same name by+ . It is set primarily in Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia in the year 2054, where "PreCrime", a specialized police department, apprehends criminals based on foreknowledge provided by three psychics called "precogs". The cast includes +Tom Cruise  as PreCrime Captain John Anderton, Colin Farrell as Department of Justice agent Danny Witwer, Samantha Morton as the senior precog Agatha, and Max von Sydow as Anderton's superior Lamar Burgess. The film is a combination of whodunit, thriller and science fiction.
    In April 2054, Captain John Anderton (+Tom Cruise ) is chief of the highly controversial Washington, D.C., PreCrime police force. They use visions of the future generated by three "precogs", mutated humans with precognitive abilities, to stop murders before they happen; because of this, the city has been murder-free for six years. Though Anderton is a respected member of the force, he is addicted to Clarity, an illegal psychoactive drug he began using after the disappearance of his son Sean. With the PreCrime force poised to go nationwide, the system is audited by Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell), a member of the United States Justice Department. During the audit, the precogs predict that Anderton will murder a man named Leo Crow in 36 hours. Believing the incident to be a setup by Witwer, who is aware of Anderton's addiction, Anderton attempts to hide the case and quickly departs the area before Witwer begins a manhunt for him. Anderton seeks the advice of Dr. Iris Hineman (Lois Smith), the lead researcher of the PreCrime technology. She explains to Anderton that sometimes the three precogs see different visions of the future, in which case the system only provides data on the two reports which agree; the "minority report", reflecting the potential future where a predicted killer would have done something different, is discarded. According to Dr. Hineman, the female precog Agatha is most likely to be the precog that witnesses the minority report.
Initial release: June 17, 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg
Adapted from: The Minority Report
Cinematography: Janusz Kamiński
Screenplay: Scott Frank, Jon Cohen

The Truth About Charlie 2002

The Truth About Charlie is a 2002 remake of the 1963 classic film Charade. It is also an homage to François Truffaut's 1960 film Shoot the Piano Player complete with that film's star, Charles Aznavour, making two surreal appearances singing his song "Quand tu m'aimes" (first in French, later in English).
British newlywed Regina Lambert lives in Paris with her husband, Charlie. She returns home following a short vacation, determined to divorce Charlie, only to discover their apartment has been stripped bare and that her husband has been murdered.
    Regina is soon reunited with a mysterious stranger she met on her holiday. He helps her piece together the truth about the deceased Charlie and deal with three menacing people who are now following her.
Initial release: October 16, 2002
Director: Jonathan Demme
Running time: 115 minutes
Initial DVD release: April 1, 2003
Screenplay: Peter Stone, Jessica Bendinger, Jonathan Demme, Steve Schmidt