Tom Waits made his big-screen debut in the 1978 American sports drama film ‘Paradise Alley’ where he played the role of “Mumbles.” The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. In 1981, he made an uncredited appearance in the American crime horror film ‘Wolfen’ directed by Michael Wadleigh. The film received mostly positive reviews by critics and earned a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. He was next seen in the 1982 American musical romantic drama film ‘One from the Heart’ directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film received a lukewarm response from critics and was a box office bomb. In 1983, he starred as ‘Buck Merrill’ in the American coming-of-age drama film ‘The Outsiders’ which was again directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and did decent business at the box office, grossing over $33.7 million on a $10 million budget. That same year, he was also seen in the American drama film ‘Rumble Fish.’ The film was a commercial disaster despite opening to positive reviews. He next appeared in films like ‘The Stone Boy’ (1984), ‘The Cotton Club’ (1984), ‘Down by Law’ (1986), ‘Ironweed’ (1987), ‘Candy Mountain’ (1988), ‘Big Time’ (1988), ‘Cold Feet’ (1989), ‘The Two Jakes’ (1990), At Play in the Fields of the Lord’ (1991), ‘The Fisher King’ (1991), and ‘Queens Logic’ (1991).
In 1992, he portrayed R.M. Renfield in the American Gothic horror film ‘Bram Stoker's Dracula’ directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film garnered praise from critics and was a massive commercial success, grossing over $215.9 million on a $40 million budget. The film also received 3 ‘Academy Awards’ for Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Makeup. He was next seen in television series and films such as ‘Short Cuts’ (1993), ‘Mystery Men’ (1999), ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’ (2003), ‘Domino’ (2005), ‘Wristcutters: A Love Story’ (2006), ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ (2009), ‘The Book of Eli’ (2010), ‘Twixt’ (2011), ‘Seven Psychopaths’ (2012), ‘The Simpsons’ (2013), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (2018), ‘The Dead Don't Die’ (2019), and ‘Ultra City Smiths’ (2021). He was last seen in the 2021 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film ‘Licorice Pizza’ directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film opened to universal acclaim and received 5 ‘Academy Award’ and 4 ‘Golden Globe Award’ nominations.
Two men, Jack and Zack, are arrested and placed in the same cell in prison. They realize they have both been framed and arrested for crimes they have not committed. Meanwhile, their cellmate Bob, who is an Italian tourist was arrested for an accidental murder. Bob comes up with a plan to escape, and it doesn’t take long for them to succeed.
Shortcuts is a comedy-drama film, which revolves around the day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents, whose lives are loosely connected.
In the 15th century, Vlad Dracula returns from a war to find that his wife has committed suicide. In the 19th century, he returns as the client of solicitor Jonathan Harker, whose fiancé Mina, he believes is the reincarnation of his wife. Dracula captures Jonathan and wreaks havoc, especially on Mina’s friend Lucy. Now Lucy’s friends and a vampire killer, Van Helsing, decide to end his terror.
Wristcutters: A Love Story is a dark black comedy road movie, which tells the story of Zia, who kills himself after a breakup. He wakes up in the afterlife reserved for people who committed suicide. After learning that his girlfriend also killed herself, Zia embarks on a road trip to find her, while also picking up a feisty hitchhiker.
The dark comedy revolves around struggling writer Marty Faranan. Things take a violent turn when his two best friends Billy and Hans kidnap violent gangster Charlie Costello’s pet Shih Tzu. Marty’s experiences, following that not only provide him the plot for his screenplay Seven Psychopaths but leave him a changed man.
In an Oklahoma town during the mid-1960s, two rival teen gangs, working-class ‘Greasers’ and well-to-do ‘Socials’ are frequently at loggerheads with each other. One night, Socs gang attacks two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, who fight back, killing a Socs member in the scuffle. As they hide in an abandoned church, this incidence leads to a chain of grim events involving all the Greasers.
Rumble Fish is a crime drama film, which tells the story of an absent-minded street thug named Rusty James, who struggles to live up to the reputation of his legendary older brother.
An anthology film that has 11 short stories which revolve around coffee and cigarettes as theme. The vignettes cover wide range of topics including Tesla Coil, nicotine as insecticide, 1920’s Paris, medical and musical careers and more. Black-and-while tile motifs are symbolically incorporated in each segment as every discussion involves two who though differ over the topic, still continue with cordial talk.
The post-apocalyptic movie centers on Eli, a blind nomadic warrior who is instructed by a voice to deliver the last copy of the New King James Bible to a sanctuary. Traveling across a wasteland, of what was formerly the USA, he demonstrates mythical fighting skills against the warlord Carnegie and his army who wants the book for himself.
A fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day, THE MOVIE It tells the story of Dr. Parnassus and his 'Imaginarium', a traveling show where members of the audience get opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago Dr. Parnassus made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick.
Old Man and the Gun is a biographical crime drama comedy film which tells the story of Forrest Tucker, an infamous criminal and escape artist, who is able to break out of San Quentin State Prison, living all authorities confused. He soon embarks on a crime spree, which puts a detective hot on his trail.
Francis Phelan is a retired baseball player who had deserted his family decades ago after he had accidentally caused the death of his infant son, by dropping him to the ground. He visits his hometown after several years, and seeks out his lover Helen Archer, who is now working as a vocalist on the radio.
Starting from a musician, and the gorgeous girlfriend of a well-known gangster, the lives of various characters intersect at Cotton Club.
This superhero satire features a group of aspiring superheroes of Champion City who often fail due to their incompetence. But when super-villain Casanova Frankenstein captures the city’s real superhero Captain Amazing, the amateur superheroes have to join their forces, and pull together their peculiar powers such as shoveling, flying bowling balls, fork-hurling and such expertise, to save the city and its superhero.
Loosely based the life of Domino Harvey, the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, the film depicts how the former model becomes a bounty hunter and finds employment with a bail bondsman who also runs an armored car business,. Complications arise when her boss sets up a $10 million robbery to meet the medical expense of his mistress’s granddaughter.
The Dead Don’t Die is a comedy horror film which takes us to a peaceful town named Centerville, where things suddenly change, when the dead start rising from their graves. Now, since the townspeople have never experienced a zombie apocalypse in their lives, they are at a loss what to do.
Mystery Train is a comedy crime film which tells us multiple different stories occurring in a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The stories revolve around a Japanese couple, three amateur robbers, the hotel’s eccentric night clerk and Elvis Presley’s spirit.
Twixt is a mystery horror film which tells the story of a struggling horror writer who is visiting a small town. He soon gets involved a murder mystery involving a young girl, who is going to be responsible for his upcoming story.
Insensitive comments by shock jock Jack Lucas forces an unstable caller into committing a mass-murder suicide. Severely depressed after the incident Jack meets a homeless man Parry, who is searching for the Holy Grail. When Jack realizes Parry is actually the husband of one of the murderer’s victims, he decides to help Parry.
Until the End of the World is a science fiction action drama film which tells the story of Dr Farber, who has managed to create a device that allows the blind to see. This allows him to find the cure for his wife’s blindness. However, they are soon pursued by government forces.
On a Montana farm, 12-year-old Arnold Hillerman’s gun fires accidently after getting stuck in the fence, killing his 17-year-old brother Eugene. When his parents receive the news, they are traumatized and angered, while his grandfather is more understanding. But Arnold is extremely distressed and is unable to communicate or express his feelings. How does the Hillerman family cope with the tragedy?
One from the Heart is a romantic drama musical film which tells the story of Hank and Frannie, who have been in a live-in relationship for five years. However, they eventually break up on the fifth anniversary of their relationship, as they both meet a more interesting partner, with whom they both plan to celebrate the 4th of July.
Wolften is a horror thriller film which revolves around a cop in New York City, who is assigned to solve a bizarre set of murders, which resemble animal attacks. He continues his investigation, until he discovers something about an old legend regarding wolf spirits.
A businessman in Los Angeles named Julius Berman hires a private detective named JJ Gittes to help him, after he suspects his wife of adultery. Eventually, Berman kills the lover of his wife, Mark, who is also his partner in a real estate development company. When Gittes finds out about this, he convinces his old acquaintance LAPD Captain Lou Escobar that he should not be charged as an accomplice with the murder.
Tom Waits Awards
| Winner | Short Cuts (1993) | 1994 |
| Winner | Best Contemporary Folk Album | 2000 |
| Winner | Best Alternative Music Album | 1993 |
| The Wire | Top TV Series | 2004 |
