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Captain Phillips | On March 23, 2009, at a home in Underhill, Vermont, Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) is packing his bags, checking his passport, and confirming his itinerary before he heads to the airport with his wife Andrea (Catherine Keener). On the way, they express their concern over the changing times and wondering how their children will fare, as they know that it's a much different world than the one they grew up in and it's not as easy to find a good job. They arrive at the airport, kiss each other goodbye and Phillips heads inside as Andrea drives away.Meanwhile, on the coast of Somalia, a group of vans filled with local mercenaries arrives at Eyl, a small village. A young boy hurries to wake up Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who is sleeping on the hard ground inside a rudimentary hut. The boy tells Muse that "they are coming." The mercenaries are angry that the villagers haven't provided them with any money for their boss, a warlord named Garaad, since the previous week, and they are ordered to get in their boats and go find something.Hufan (Issak Farah Samatar) is the local village boss. He operates a fishing trawler (the mother ship) that was hijacked from the Taiwanese the previous year, and two smaller skiffs that are used to chase down and hijack large oceangoing ships. For this trip, Muse and another skiff leader named Asad (Mohamed Ali) are told by Hufan to select three men each and get their skiffs ready. The men all gather around and noisily attempt to get Muse or Asad to choose them. If they have a skill and/or something to use for a bribe, they'll be more likely to be selected. Usually, the bribe is a sprig of the plant known as khat, which when chewed causes excitement, loss of appetite, and euphoria.Muse chooses Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), Elmi (Mahat M. Ali), and a quiet but forceful man named Najee (Faysal Ahmed) for his crew. The other Eyl villagers are surprised that Muse chose Najee, as he isn't from their village.The men load the skiffs with long homemade ladders, water, and fuel, then push the skiffs into the surf and power them up for the ride out to the mother ship. Asad tells Muse to stay out of his way "this time." He derogatorily refers to Muse as a "skinny rat." Muse obviously doesn't like Asad and also doesn't appreciate it when Asad starts ordering his man Elmi around.Captain Phillips arrives at the Port of Salalah in Oman and takes command of the MV Maersk Alabama, a commercial container ship that is home ported in Norfolk, VA. As he makes his way up to the bridge, he notices that almost all of the ladders, hatches and doors are unlocked and fully accessible.Phillips says hello to his first mate, Shane Murphy (Michael Chernus), who informs Phillips that their orders call for them to sail through the Gulf of Aden and round the Horn of Africa to Mombasa, Kenya. He also provides details of their cargo. They are carrying 2500 tons of commercial cargo, 200 tons of food, 166 tons of fresh water and 250 tons of bunker fuel.Wary of pirate activity off the coast of Somalia, the Captain Phillips orders Murphy to ensure that all doors and hatches are locked throughout the ship and kept locked, even when in port. After completing the loading of its cargo, the ship departs on its voyage.Hufan checks the radar on his fishing boat and sees that there is a large number of ships in the main channel, but it would be risky to try and take one among all the others of the "herd." He notices one ship that is separated from the rest. It's the Maersk Alabama, and that will be their target.Captain Phillips orders emergency drills to take place at sea so the crew will be as prepared as possible should something happen. Not long after starting their first drill, Captain Phillips glances at the ship's radar screen and notices two small blips. He goes outside and takes a look through his binoculars. He returns inside and orders Mr. Murphy to return to the bridge.The captain informs Murphy about two approaching skiffs and orders him to contact the U.S. Maritime Emergency to advise them. There is no response.
Captain Phillips orders the ship to turn five degrees to port to see if the skiffs follow. They do. Phillips then orders Murphy to contact the UK Maritime Trade Operations (MTO) to inform them of a possible piracy situation. The female MTO officer tells Phillips to lockdown the ship and get the fire hoses ready. She advises him to follow established protocol in dealing with any potential pirates, although she suspects these may just be fishermen. Phillips tells her the men approaching are not there to fish. The skiffs have gotten close enough for Phillips to see they are armed.Captain Phillips alerts his crew of 20 men and tells them to get to their stations. Realizing the pirates probably have a maritime radio, he picks up his own radio and pretends to contact a military ship, Coalition Warship 237. He masks his voice to represent the pretend responding military official. The pirates listen as Phillips first announces that the weapons aboard the Maersk Alabama are ready for use and then, as the pretend military official, that a helicopter or plane will be overhead within five minutes.Asad (Mohamed Ali) believes what he hears on the radio and orders his skiff to turn around and quit the chase. Muse, however, doesn't believe what he's heard and orders his driver to speed up. Captain Phillips orders his chief engineer, Mike Perry (David Warshofsky), to bring their speed up to maximum and to alternately turn to port, then starboard. The wake of the ship created by doing that rocks the smaller boat, but Muse orders Elmi to push the much faster skiff on at full speed. They are nearly to the Maersk Alabama when the engine on the boat gives out, leaving them stranded.Phillips addresses his crew and tells them they are still going through with their mission as planned and that they'll need to perform double shifts. Several crew members are frightened and say they didn't sign up to fight pirates, whom they are convinced will be returning. They suggest heading further out to sea to put even more distance between them and the Somalai coast. Captain Phillips informs the crew that there are five bands of pirates operating off the coast and out in the open ocean, so they can't avoid them, therefore the Maersk Alabama will remain on course and rely on its superior size and established protocol to ward off any pirates. If need be, they'll take refuge, lock down, and wait for help from the military. He advises that if anybody wants to leave, they will have to wait until they get to Mombasa and fly home from there.Phillips sends an e-mail to Andrea to keep her updated on the voyage, and tells her that he's breaking in a new crew and, to avoid worrying her, that the days are "ordinary."That night, Muse and his men work from the mother ship in an attempt to fix the engine on his boat. The mother ship is continuing to follow the Maersk Alabama. Muse is not happy that Asad chose to give up the chase earlier. When Asad yells at Elmi to hurry up and fix the engine for his "crew of women," Muse suggests that Asad give them his engine. Asad says, "shut up, Skinny, you talk too much." Muse responds, "I may be skinny, but I am not a coward." This enrages Asad, who points his gun at Muse's head and demands that Muse repeat what he just said. Muse secretly grabs a nearby wrench, then moves quickly to knock Asad's gun hand down then bringing the wrech up to whack Asad over the head, knocking him out, perhaps killing him. The blow prompts Najee to remark that "the coward is the first one in the grave."
Muse and his men then take over Asad's boat and, after fixing their damaged engine, add it to their new boat, dramatically increasing the horsepower. The following morning, Muse and his men are back at sea and are closing fast on the Maersk Alabama again. Phillips had just finished showering and is called to the bridge by Murphy who informs him that one skiff has returned.Phillips orders the crew to their stations and orders evasive maneuvers. He contacts the UK MTO again and advises that they are under pirate attack. MTO says that it will contact the military.When the skiff gets within several hundred yards, Phillips orders the fire nozzles activated to spray outwards. There are large amounts of firefighting water being sprayed all around the circumference of the ship. If the small skiff gets too close, it will likely be filled with water and sink.Muse uses his radio to tell Phillips to stop the ship, that he and his men are the Somali Coastguard and there to help them and they want to come on board. When the ship fails to stop, or even slow down, Muse directs Najee to fire his weapon. He then has Elmi steer the boat towards a gap in the firewater spray along the port side of the ship. He then points his own rifle and fires at Phillips and another crew member who are staring at them from the bridge.Phillips had directed Murphy to get down to the main deck and fix one of the fire hoses that wasn't working right and left a gap in the perimeter. Murphy manages to do that, but he's nearly shot by Najee in the process. Phillips then orders Murphy to get down to the engine room and take charge down there.Phillips then opens up an emergency kit and extracts two large red flares. He ignites them and directs the flares towards the skiff. They just miss.The firewater doesn't prove to be a deterrent as Bilal unlashes the homemade ladder and with help from the others is able to hook it over the side of the railing of the cargo ship. Each man, in turn, then jumps onto the ladder and scurries up the side and onboard.Captain Phillips orders the majority of the crew to get down to the engine room, to lock the hatches, split up, and hide. He tells them not to open the door or come out unless they hear him give the secret password, "suppertime." He doesn't want them to become hostages.The pirates shoot away any locks they encounter, including that on the door of the bridge. They barge in and point their guns at Phillips and the other remaining crew members. Muse approaches Phillips and tells him to relax, that nobody needs to get hurt, that he and his men are just there on business and once they get paid, everything will be ok.Muse asks Phillips where the ship is from. Najee is ecstatic when the captain tells them the ship is American. Muse asks Phillips where he's from. Phillips tells him he's an Irishman from America. Muse decides he will call Captain Phillips "Irish" from then on. Muse announces that he is the captain now, then asks what sort of materials the ship is carrying, other than food and water.Phillips tells Muse that there is $30,000 in the ship's safe and he can have it if he and his men will leave. Muse acts insulted and says, "$30,000, do I look like a beggar?" Actually, Muse may very well have been tempted to take the money and run, but he knew that would never be acceptable to Garaad.The power to the ship goes down suddenly (the chief engineer had flipped the main switch off), and the emergency power kicks on. Muse demands to know what's going on. Phillips tells him the ship has broken for some unknown reason. Muse walks along the control panel, randomly poking at switches and buttons, which makes Najee very nervous and he tells Muse to stop.Muse wants to know where the rest of the crew is. Phillips feigns ignorance and says he doesn't know where they are, that he's been working on the bridge. Muse tells Phillips that no one will get hurt as long as he doesn't try to play games with him. Muse tells Phillips to order his crew to come to the bridge, then decides to speak to them himself, via the intercom. He announces that if the rest of the crew doesn't come out of hiding, he will begin shooting those on the bridge, one man every minute.Muse directs Najee to grab Officer Ken Quinn (Corey Johnson), and prepare to shoot him in the head after one minute goes by. Phillips pleas with Muse that if he must shoot anyone, he ought to shoot him, since he's the captain. Phillips confronts Muse and asks him if this is how he conducts a business transaction, by killing people? Muse ponders that and decides to search the ship instead of killing anyone. That disappoints Najee, who strongly believes in doing whatever seems necessary to get what they want as quickly as possible.With his thumb secretly holding down the radio transmit button on his walkie-talkie, Phillips tells Muse that searching the ship will be fine, as long as they don't lose their emergency power, causing the ship to go completely dark. Muse tells Phillips that he wants "no games" during the search for the crew. Murphy catches on to the captain's hint about the ship's lighting and directs Perry to get up to the main deck and shut off the emergency power, while he goes to the galley to get them some food and water.Bilal and Muse go with Phillips to search for the crew. Phillips suggests they conduct the search of the ship from the top down, but Muse quickly catches on to his tactic, and after perusing a diagram of the ship, he directs Phillips to take them to the engine room, which he figures is the source of the ship's being broken.Along the way, Muse allows for a stop at the galley to get some water, as it will be hot in the engine room. By then, Murphy was already in the galley and has to quickly take cover when he hears them coming. Murphy avoids detection and after Phillips, Muse and Bilal have moved on, he uses his radio to call his crew in the engine room to warn them that the search party is on the way. He further advises that one of the pirates (Bilal) is barefoot and to spread some broken glass at the entrance to the engine room.When the search party reaches the engine room, Bilal steps through the door first and right onto the broken glass, severely cutting his foot. Muse directs him to continue on. However, after while, it's obvious that Bilal is bleeding too much to continue, so Muse orders him to take Phillips back to the bridge and send Najee down.Meanwhile, Muse continues the search alone. Some of the crew members ambush Muse. During the struggle, Muse cuts his hand on a knife one of the men was wielding. The crew then radio the pirates on the bridge to tell them that they have Muse and they will exchange him for Captain Phillips and a promise that the pirates will take the $30,000 and leave. Muse is ordered to verbally agree to those terms and to do it over the radio so his men can hear. On the bridge, Najee is opposed. He wants millions of dollars, but he's overruled by Muse.Phillips removes the $30,000 from the ship's safe, places it in a bag, and hands it over to the pirates. Najee demands that Captain Phillips go with them in the lifeboat. Phillips doesn't agree to go, but he does enter the lifeboat to show Elmi how to operate it. Meanwhile, the crew has released Muse so he can get into the lifeboat. When Phillips turns to exit the lifeboat, Najee hits him and knocks him down, then slams the door shut. Elmi then releases the lifeboat and it plunges down to the ocean.The USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, is currently assigned to the Counter-Piracy Task Force 151, operating in the Mediterranean Sea. The commanding officer (CO) of the Bainbridge, Frank Castellano (Yul Vasquez), is contacted by Admiral Howard and informed of the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama and subsequent taking of Captain Phillips as a hostage on the lifeboat. Admiral Howard tells the CO he is to proceed west and intercept the lifeboat and pirate mother ship. It's an 820 mile trip.On board the lifeboat, the pirates begin arguing. It's hot in the lifeboat and there's a lack of khat to chew on. Muse tells Phillips that the men are normally fishermen, but the big ships came and took all the fish from their offshore waters.Phillips offers to treat Muse's hand and Bilal's foot injuries. Muse refuses treatment but allows Phillips to tend to Bilal. Phillips talks to Bilal, observing how young he is and wondering how Bilal got himself into this. Phillips applies antibiotic and starts to wrap the foot. He nonchalantly pulls out a knife to cut the bandage, causing Elmi to yell out in alarm. Najee grabs the knife away from Phillips and orders Bilal to move away from him.A ScanEagle drone from the Bainbridge locates the lifeboat, the pirate mother ship, and the Maersk Alabama, all within a few miles of each other. The crew of the Alabama had decided to follow the lifeboat and their captain. The crew on the Bainbridge determine that it will take about 36 hours for the lifeboat to reach Somalia, only 126 miles away at that point.Admiral Howard tells the Bainbridge CO that the White House wants a resolution to the hostage matter and that two other U.S. ships, the Halyburton (frigate) and Boxer (amphibious assault ship), along with members of S.E.A.L. Team Six, were being sent to assist. The admiral made it clear that if Captain Castellano proved unable to resolve the matter peacefully, the seals would take care of it. In any event, the lifeboat was not to be allowed to reach Somalia.Phillips asks for a drink of water, so Bilal gets him some. After he takes a deep drink, Najee sees him and grabs the jug away, telling Bilal that Phillips is to receive no more water.Muse keeps trying to radio contact Hufan, but is unsuccessful. Eventually, Hufan calls him and tells him that the mother ship is experiencing engine trouble and that Garaad is not happy that Muse screwed up the mission. Garaad was directing that Muse take the lifeboat directly to port in Somalia. That also appeared to be an effort to preserve the mother ship and keep it from being captured.At the S.E.A.L. Staging Base in Virginia, the members of S.E.A.L. Team Six board a C-130 for their long trip to the west coast of Africa.Muse tells Phillips that last year, he captured a Greek ship and received $6 million in ransom. Phillips sarcastically wonders why Muse was attacking his ship if he'd already gotten $6 million for the Greek ship. Muse just looks at him and tells him to shut up.The USS Bainbridge arrives and rudely announces itself to the men on the lifeboat by shining spotlights and blasting its emergency horns. When Muse opens the door to reveal the sight of the Bainbridge, Phillips sees it and gets a big grin on his face.A man calling himself Nemo (Omar Berdouni), is on board the Bainbridge. He speaks Somalian and communicates with the pirates, telling them he works for the Navy. He offers them food and water as a start to the process of negotiating the return of Captain Phillips. Muse tells Nemo that the demand is $10 million. Nemo tells Muse that it won't be easy, but they can discuss it.Sailors from the Bainbridge board the Maersk Alabama to assume control of the ship. A Lt. Hicks tells Murphy that they will escort the ship to Mombasa and safety, assuring them that the Navy will take care of the situation with Captain Phillips.Phillips tells Muse that the Navy is not there to help him, nor to negotiate with him.Najee is suspicious of everything that the Americans say or do, believing they are lying and setting them up. Nevertheless, Muse agrees to meet with the Navy.The CO sends Nemo and a number of armed men on two gunboats over to the lifeboat. Before doing anything else, they want to make sure Phillips is ok. Muse orders Phillips to the door of the lifeboat so they can see he's fine. Phillips asks the Navy members to contact his family and tell them he's ok, that he's sitting in seat 15 on the lifeboat (the first of three seat number mentions that the pirates fail to view suspiciously).Muse pushes Phillips back inside the lifeboat and continues speaking to Nemo. He refuses the offer of food and water. He just wants $10 million. He's also upset that a crewmember is video recording what's taking place.Najee becomes increasingly agitated at the course of the conversation going on outside until he raises his pistol, close to Phillips's ear, and fires it through the roof of the lifeboat. The gunboats are immediately ordered to pull back, as the CO fears that Phillips might have been shot. Muse quickly contacts the Bainbridge CO and tells him that Phillips is fine, then puts Phillips on the radio to confirm. Muse tells the CO that he'll speak to them again once they are in Somalia.After dark, the USS Halyburton and USS Boxer arrive.Phillips tells Muse that he needs to take a piss, so Muse allows him to step out of the lifeboat. Bilal is already outside. Phillips tells Bilal that the saltwater would be good for his injured foot and when Bilal looks down to consider that, Phillips pushes him into the water, then jumps in himself. He starts swimming toward the Bainbridge, and the navy crew members spot him and Bilal in the water, but they are unable to identify if one of the two is Phillips, because it is too dark.Najee aims his rifle at Phillips and tries to kill him so he won't escape, but Muse orders him to pull back. Muse then jumps in the water and swims out to Phillips and attempts to pull him back into the lifeboat. Phillips loses his shirt in the process. Rather than risk being shot by Najee, Phillips decides to get back on the raft. Once he's on board, Najee kicks and punches him and Muse has to pull him off before he kills Phillips.The Seals have parachuted from the C-130 and arrive at the Bainbridge via rubber raft about 0400, about the same time that Phillips has re-boarded the lifeboat.A Navy helicopter flies over the lifeboat and lights from it and the ship illuminate the little boat. The Bainbridge CO orders Muse and his men to surrender. Najee is upset that they are being bossed around so much and he wants Muse to do something to reassert control of the situation. Muse responds by grabbing Phillips and forcing him through the door, holding a pistol to his head. He then aims the pistol at the helicopter and fires off a few rounds. The helo turns away and Muse and Phillips go back inside.Muse then orders Bilal to get out the large yellow survivor suit from the floorboards of the lifeboat and then holds the pistol to Phillips's head again. He then orders Phillips to speak into the radio and inform the CO that he is going to be shot and the survivor suit will be used as a body bag.
The S.E.A.L. Commander (Max Martini) assumes tactical command of the overall operation and he speaks to Muse, informing him that he is the official negotiator on behalf of the Americans. He refers to his notes and begins naming each of the pirates and where they are from. Muse and the others are very much alarmed by that. The negotiator also convinces them that elders from their tribe are being brought to the Bainbridge and are going to assist in arranging for the ransom for Captain Phillips. He says that they don't want the exchange of Phillips for the money to be witnessed by the elders, and they want to conduct the negotiations out of sight of Phillips.The plan is to tow the lifeboat to the exchange point. Najee advises Muse that it's an ambush. Nevertheless, Muse agrees to go over to the Bainbridge and meet with the Navy and the elders as the negotiations take place.The S.E.A.L.s position themselves on the helicopter deck of the Bainbridge, armed with sniper rifles.Phillips tries again to convince Muse to give up, before they are killed. Muse responds "I got bosses and they got rules." Phillips says, "we all got bosses. Muse tells Phillips that the mission was supposed to be simple: hijack the ship, get the ransom, and nobody would get hurt, but that he'd come too far to give up now. Phillips says "there must be something other than being a fisherman and kidnapping people," to which Muse replies, "Maybe in America, Irish. Maybe in America."A skiff from the Bainbridge goes out to the lifeboat to attach a tow rope and pick up Muse. They also surreptitiously attach a listening device to the outside of the lifeboat. While there, a bag containing a yellow shirt is tossed over. It's a shirt for Phillips. The man tossing the shirt also advises Phillips that he should put on the shirt to keep warm and to make sure and stay seated in the same seat he had been sitting in. He again tells Phillips to stay in the same seat, as they are leaving.The objective of the S.E.A.L. snipers is to obtain confirmed sightings of each of the three pirates on the raft and take them out. Optimal sighting range is 91 meters. The lifeboat is over 200 meters out, so it needs to be towed closer.The S.E.A.L. Team Commander orders high speed maneuvering, which requires the Halyburton and Bainbridge to travel the same direction, but somewhat offset, at high speed. That would create a large wake that would bounce the lifeboat around. The negotiator then tells the pirates to steer in the wake of the Bainbridge to smooth out the ride, which would then put the lifeboat in optimal position for the snipers.After the Bainbridge initiates the tow of the lifeboat, Phillips puts his yellow shirt on. Elmi doesn't like the fact that Phillips is moving around and Najee yells at Phillips to sit still. He tells Elmi that if Phillips moves again, to shoot him. The men on the Bainbridge hear that.As the Bainbridge tows the raft ever closer, the Seal snipers try but can't get confirmed sightings of each of the three pirates.Phillips sees an ink pen on the floor and, after checking that he's not being looked at, quickly grabs the pen and starts to write one last note to his family on some scrap paper. Bilal sees him and pleads with him to stop or Najee will kill them both. Najee then sees Phillips writing and grabs the paper from him. This infuriates Phillips and he attacks Najee, pushing and punching him. Bilal and Elmi have to pull Phillips off Najee. Najee orders them to tie Phillips up.The S.E.A.L. Team Commander orders the speed of the tow increased as he realizes time may be running short.Najee gets on the radio and demands to know where the elders are. He comes to realize that the elders aren't coming and the Americans have been deceiving them all along. Believing they are all likely to die anyway, Najee prepares to execute Phillips. Men on the Bainbridge witness Phillips being strung up and blindfolded, and advise the S.E.A.L. Team Commander.Phillips begs the pirates to give up, to just put their hands up. He pleads on behalf of Bilal, observing that Bilal is just a kid. Najee ignores him. Phillips then starts announcing out loud that he loves his wife, apologizing to her for his being out there rather than home with her.By then, there are two confirmed sniper sightings of the pirates (Bilal and Elmi), but Najee is still not in sight. The S.E.A.L. Team Commander then orders the tow stopped. That causes Najee to stumble forward and into view through a window. That provides a visual on all three pirates and the order to execute is carried out immediately. Blood sprays all over Phillips and he screams. Everything then falls deathly quiet, the only sounds being Phillips's whimpering, as his blindfold falls from one eye and he is witness to the scene. He goes into shock.The order is given to take Muse down. He is immediately put on the deck, cuffed and arrested. Muse asks if his friends have been killed. A Navy officer informs him that Captain Phillips is safe and the other three are dead. Muse hangs his head.Phillips is removed from the lifeboat and taken to the Bainbridge where he is treated for his wounds in the medical department of the Bainbridge by HMC O'Brien (a real-life Navy Corpsman 2nd class named Danielle Albert). The chief asks Phillips if he is hurt and inspects his wounds, including those on his face, head, under his arm, and around his wrists from being tied up. He has trouble responding to her, but when she asks him all the blood on him came from his own wounds, he seems incredulous that she would think so and says no. He becomes overwhelmed with shock and distress and the chief and another corpsman lay him down. Phillips asks if his family knows that he is safe and the chief tells him that they know and he will be able to call them soon. She assures him that everything will be okay.The epilogue states that Captain Richard Phillips was reunited with his family on April 17, 2009. Abduwali Muse was charged with piracy and sentenced to 33 years the federal correctional facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. In 2010, Captain Phillips went back to sea. | suspenseful, murder, violence | tt1535109 |
Planet of the Apes | Astronauts Taylor (Charlton Heston), Landon (Robert Gunner), Dodge (Jeff Burton) and Stewart are in deep hibernation when their spaceship crashes in a lake on an unknown planet after a long near-light speed voyage, during which, due to time dilation, the crew ages only 18 months. As the ship sinks, Taylor finds Stewart dead and her body desiccated. They throw an inflatable raft from the ship and climb down into it; before departing the ship, Taylor notes that the date is November 25, 3978, approximately two millennia after their departure in 1972. Once ashore, Dodge performs a soil test and pronounces the soil incapable of sustaining life.
After abandoning their raft, the astronauts set off through a desolate wasteland in hopes of finding food and water before their provisions run out. Eventually, they encounter plant life. They find an oasis at the edge of the desert and go swimming, ignoring eerie scarecrow-like figures around the edge of the water. While they are swimming, their clothes are stolen. Pursuing the thieves, the astronauts find their clothes torn to shreds, their supplies pillaged and the perpetrators — a group of humans that are apparently so primitive that they cannot even talk and dressed in torn clothes — raiding a cornfield. Taylor is attracted to one of the humans, whom he later names Nova (Linda Harrison).
Suddenly, armed and uniformed gorillas on horseback charge through the cornfield, brandishing firearms, snares, and nets. They capture some humans and kill the rest. In the chaos, Dodge is shot in the back of the neck and killed, Landon is wounded and rendered unconscious, and Taylor is shot in the throat and taken prisoner. The gorillas take Taylor to Ape City, where his life is saved after a blood transfusion administered by two chimpanzees: animal psychologist Zira (Kim Hunter) and surgeon Galen (Wright King). While his throat wound is healing, he is unable to speak. Taylor discovers that the various apes, who can talk and are in control, are in a strict caste system: gorillas are police officers, military, hunters and workers; orangutans are administrators, politicians, lawyers and priests; and chimpanzees are intellectuals and scientists. The apes have developed a primitive society based on the beginnings of the human Industrial Era. They ride horses and have carts, rifles, and even primitive photography. Humans, who are believed by the apes to be unable to talk, are considered vermin and are hunted, either killed outright, enslaved, or used in scientific experiments.
Zira and her fiancé Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), an archaeologist, take an interest in Taylor, whom Zira calls "Bright Eyes". Taylor attempts to communicate by writing in the dirt, but Nova, who has been following him around, attempts to destroy his writing with her hands, not understanding what the words mean. The letters she doesn't destroy are then obliterated by Zira's and Cornelius's superior, an orangutan named Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans). Back in his cage, Taylor steals Zira's pencil and notebook and uses them to write the message My name is Taylor. Zira and Cornelius become convinced that Taylor is intelligent, but upon learning of this, Dr. Zaius orders that Taylor be castrated. Before the castration can occur Taylor escapes, and during his desperate flight through Ape City passes through a museum, where he finds Dodge's stuffed and eyeless corpse on display. When Taylor is recaptured by gorillas, he overcomes his throat injury and roars: "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"
A tribunal to determine Taylor's origins is convened by the president of the Assembly (James Whitmore), Dr. Zaius, and Maximus (Woodrow Parfrey). Dr. Honorious (James Daly) is the prosecutor. Taylor mentions his two comrades at this time. The court then produces Landon, who has been subjected to a lobotomy that has rendered him catatonic and unable to speak. After the tribunal, Dr. Zaius privately threatens to castrate and lobotomize Taylor if he does not tell the truth about where he came from. With help from Zira's socially rebellious nephew Lucius (Lou Wagner), Zira and Cornelius free Taylor and Nova and take them to the Forbidden Zone, a taboo region outside Ape City that has been ruled out of bounds for centuries by Ape Law. A year earlier, Cornelius led an expedition into the Forbidden Zone that found a cave containing artifacts of an earlier non-simian (and believed to be human) civilization. The group sets out for the cave to answer questions Taylor has about the evolution of the ape world and to prove he is not of that world.
Arriving at the cave, Cornelius is intercepted by Dr. Zaius and his soldiers. Taylor holds them off, threatening to shoot them if he has to. Zaius agrees to enter the cave to disprove their theories and to avoid physical harm to Cornelius and Zira. Inside, Cornelius displays the remnants of a technologically advanced human society pre-dating simian history. Taylor identifies artifacts such as dentures, eyeglasses, a heart valve and, to the apes' astonishment, a talking children's doll. More soldiers appear and Lucius is overpowered, but Taylor again fends them off. Dr. Zaius is held hostage so Taylor can escape, but he admits to Taylor that he has always known that a human civilization existed long before apes ruled the planet and that "the Forbidden Zone was once a paradise, your breed made a desert of it… ages ago!" Taylor nonetheless thinks it best to search for answers, but Dr. Zaius warns him that he may not like what he finds. Once Taylor and Nova have ridden off, Dr. Zaius has the gorillas lay explosives to seal off the cave and destroy the remaining evidence of the human society. He then has Zira, Cornelius and Lucius charged with heresy.
Taylor and Nova, at last free, follow the shoreline and discover the beach-covered remains of the Statue of Liberty, revealing that this "alien" planet is actually Earth long after a nuclear war. Realizing what Dr. Zaius meant earlier, Taylor falls to his knees in despair and anger and condemns humanity for destroying the world. | good versus evil, violence, alternate history | tt0133152 |
Dust Devil | Joe Niemand (John Matshikiza), a Sangoma near Spitzkoppe in Namibia, begins a tale that states "back in the first times, in the time of the red light, Desert Wind was a man like us. Until by mischance, he grew wings and flew like a bird. He became a hunter, and like a hawk, he flew to seek his prey. Taking refuge in those far corners of the world where magic still lingers. But having once been a man, so does he still suffer the passions of a man, flying in the rages sometimes, and throwing himself down like a child, to vent his wrath upon the earth. The people of the great Namib have another name for those violent winds that blow from nowhere. They call them Dust Devils."
A middle-aged man (Robert John Burke) walks on a road in the desert, and pulls over a car with a woman named Saarke (Terri Norton) driving in it, who takes him back to her house. while the two are making love, the man snaps Saarke's neck, killing her. Meanwhile, in the town of Bethanie, Sgt. Ben Mukurob (Zakes Mokae) receives a phone call with strange voices speaking, as does Wendy Robinson (Chelsea Field) in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the morning, the man burns down Saarke's house, inside which he has drawn many strange symbols and pictographs. he then gets into Saarke's car and drives away. In Johannesburg, Wendy's husband Mark (Rufus Swart) accuses her of cheating on him, causing her to leave him and drive to Namibia. Meanwhile, Mukurob receives a call about Saarke's house and drives to investigate with his superior, Capt. Beyman (William Hootkins). Mukurob visits Dr. Leidzinger (Marianne Sägebrecht), who tells him that the incident may be a part of a strange witchcraft ritual.
Wendy runs her car off the road and finds an abandoned camper (which Dust Devil had hitched a ride with at Bethanie) with a strange man, who she asks to help her push her car out of the sand. She then sees Dust Devil on the side of the road, and stops for him. Cpl. Dutoit (Russell Copley) and Cpl. Bates (Andre Odendaal) find the abandoned camper with dismembered body parts inside. Mukurob drives to Joe's home, the former Bethanie cinema, and asks him about the symbols that were in the house. He responds that it was the work of magic, to which Mukurob scoffs. Wendy and Dust Devil continue driving and pass another hitch-hiker, but Dust Devil tells Wendy not to stop. As they pass the hitch-hiker, Dust Devil disappears from the car.
Beyman tells Mukurob that he has to take him off the case and hand it over to the U.N., but says that he can give any information to him. Wendy stops at a small motel for the night and tries to cut her wrists, as Dust Devil waits with a razor outside the bathroom door, but Wendy does not commit suicide. She goes to her car the next morning and finds Dust Devil inside, who tells her that she was asleep the day before.
Meanwhile, Beyman gives Mukurob a pile of documented murders similar to the one he is following. Wendy and Dust Devil reach the Fish River Canyon as Wendy's husband Mark, arrives in Namibia. Mukurob has another of his recurring nightmares and is visited by Joe, who tells him to go with him. Mark arrives in Bethanie and asks about Wendy, but is beaten up by some of the people at the bar. Joe takes Mukurob to a small mountain cave and tells him that the murders are the work of the "naghtloeper", a shape-shifting demon who seeks power over the material world through the ritual of murder. He draws the weak and the faithless to him, and sucks them dry. Joe explains that the naghtloeper must keep moving to work the ritual, but if he is tricked to step over a kierie stick, he will be bound to one spot and his power can be taken. Joe then gives Mukurob a kierie and a sacred root to burn to prevent the naghtloeper from possessing him after it is killed.
Wendy discovers human fingers among Dust Devil's belongings and he tries to kill her, but Wendy knocks him out and escapes. Dust Devil then chases her and causes her car to crash, forcing Wendy to run across the desert. Meanwhile, Mukurob releases Mark from prison and together they search for Wendy. As they try to drive through a dust storm, Dust Devil attacks them, causing the car to flip over. Mukurob handcuffs Mark to the car and heads into the storm, telling him that he has a chance since the naghtloeper only takes those who have nothing to live for. Wendy reaches the abandoned town of Kolmanskop where Mukurob finds her and searches for Dust Devil. He runs into Dust Devil, who stabs him. Wendy then finds Dust Devil and tries to shoot him but the gun jams. As Dust Devil walks toward her, Mukurob takes the kierie and puts it in front of Dust Devil as he steps forward. Wendy picks up Mukurob's shotgun and kills Dust Devil as he says, "I love you, Wendy". Wendy then walks into the desert past Mark and the car, lies on the road and pulls over a fleet of army Casspirs.
The film ends with Joe saying, "The desert knows her name now, he has stolen both her eyes. When she looks into a mirror, she will see his spirit like a shawl blowing tatters around her shoulders in a haze. And beyond the dim horizon, a tapestry unfolding of the avenues of evil, and all of history set ablaze." | allegory, cult, psychedelic | tt0104155 |
Timecop | In 1863, Confederate soldiers are carrying a gold bullion as a payday for the army. Suddenly, they are cornered and shot by a highwayman using anachronistic automatic pistols and futuristic tech equipment, leaving them stranded and dead. The mysterious highwayman steals the trunk containing the gold and then suddenly vaporizes into a gelatin like mist.In 1994, 131 years later, the U.S. government creates the Time Enforcement Commission (TEC) to combat the misuse of newly developed time travel technology. They have discovered that the same gold bullion was used in recent arms purchases. The TEC is to detect "time ripples" among the timelines and to stop them from happening before they reach the present, since people cannot travel forward in time to the future, they always travel back to either change history or steal riches.(Note: the mysterious highwayman who killed the Confederate soldiers to steal their gold is never revealed or identified). Senator Aaron McComb (Ron Silver) volunteers to oversee the commission.Meanwhile, police officer Max Walker (Jean Claude Van Damme) is offered a job as a TEC agent. He meets his wife Melissa (Mia Sara) at a local shopping mall where he stops a purse snatcher. He notices three odd-looking punk men following them despite never seeing them before. Walker and Melissa go home to their large fancy house and later make love.Later that same evening, Max is attacked in his home by the same intruders he saw earlier at the mall and Melissa is killed in an explosion, destroying his house.Ten years later in the year 2004, Walker is now a veteran TEC Agent. He is sent back to October 1929, in the midst of the Wall Street crash to arrest his former partner Atwood (Jason Schombing) for taking advantage of the U.S. stock-market crash. After subduing Atwood's bodyguards, Walker interrogates Atwood who reveals that he is working for Senator McComb, who needs money for his presidential campaign. Terrified by McComb's threat to murder his ancestors, thereby wiping out his existence, Atwood tries to kill himself by jumping out a window. Walker catches him as he falls and takes him back to 2004, but Atwood refuses to testify against McComb and the TEC agency sends him back to 1929, right where he left off, this time falling to his death.Senator McComb arrives at the TEC agency to oversee the work and to congratulate Walker for his recent successful mission. Walker implies to McComb that he knows all about his dirty dealings behind the scenes in Washington and about his means to acquire money for his campaign. McComb leaves the facility and orders his aide to have Walker killed. The next morning, two assassins break into Walker's small apartment and attempt to kill him, but Walker, a trained martial arts expert, kills both assassins after a violent and protracted fight.While still trying to investigate McComb to expose him of corruption, Walker is partnered with agent Sarah Fielding (Gloria Reuben), and sent back to 1994 to investigate a pending ripple, where they find a young Senator McComb arguing with his business partner Jack Parker about their company's new computer chip. Parker offers to buy McComb's share of the company, but suddenly, the older McComb arrives from 2004 to warn his younger self that the chip will make huge profits. A fight starts when Walker is double-crossed by Fielding, who reveals she works for McComb. McComb kills Parker, wounds Fielding, attempts to kill Walker, and manages to escape back to 2004.When Walker returns to 2004, he finds that things have become worse. McComb now owns the computer company, with no record of Parker. He is almost guaranteed the Presidency with his finances and approval rating. The TEC is being shut down due to budget cuts. There is also no record of Fielding. Realizing that he has to fix things, Walker hijacks the original prototype time machine (which McComb had been using for their illegal trips) with the help of Commander Matuzak (Bruce McGill), who sacrifices himself when McComb's men try to stop Walker from escaping.Finding himself once more in 1994, Walker finds Fielding in the hospital, where she agrees to testify against McComb. Whilst trying to find Fielding's DNA from a blood sample in the lab, Walker finds a sample of Melissa's blood and it indicates she is pregnant. Walker realizes her death occurred later that night, and he decides to stop it. After going back to Fielding's room, he discovers that she has been murdered and he is framed as the prime suspect.He goes to the mall where he and Melissa met that night. Eventually Max finds her and manages to convince her he is from the future. He also sees the three thugs who attacked him and realizes that they are McComb's men whom were sent back to kill him before he joined the TEC.That evening, McComb's thugs break into Walker's home, like before, only this time the older Walker is waiting for them. Without his younger self realizing it, the older Walker helps to fight off the bad guys. Together, they and Melissa win, though the younger Walker is wounded. The 2004 McComb then takes Melissa hostage. When the older Walker finds the older McComb is holding Melissa, the younger McComb sets a time bomb. He then shoots Melissa, just before the young McComb appears, having been tricked by a fake message from Walker. Walker grabs the young McComb and pushes him into the older one, causing them to become a writhing, screaming mass which melts into nothingness (since according to the time theory, no two persons can exist by physically touching each other).Walker carries the wounded Melissa out of the house just before the bomb explodes, destroying the house just like before. Walker returns to 2004, and the timeline has been corrected. The TEC still exists, Fielding and Matuzak are alive, and McComb does not exist, having "vanished" ten years earlier. As Walker returns home, he is happily shocked to find himself living in the same house which was rebuilt. Melissa is alive and their 9-year-old son is waiting to greet him. Melissa has something to announce to Walker, implying that she is pregnant again. | alternate reality, cult, humor, violence | tt0111438 |
Destricted | Destricted is an art-based film where seven directors, including controversial director Larry Clark (Kids), explore modernistic views of sex, sexuality, and pornography in modern film. The film features seven short films all of which are explicit in nature.Balkan Erotic Epic (Marina Abramovic):
The first of the films features an observation of old Balkan Rituals. The movie's narration describes various sexual actions that members of the Balkan culture performed. Among these actions is the exposure of the female genitalia into the rain to increase fertility. Other act includes a Balkan man drilling three holes into a small wooden bridge and simulating intercourse with all three holes in an attempt to cure impotency. Other act portrays multiple men lying nude on the ground simulating intercourse with small holes in the soil in an attempt to help fertilize the ground before planting their annual crops.Hoist (Matthew Barney): This movie begins with an unknown image. It is long and slug-like to the eye. It is also covered in leaves, dirt, and other debris. After some time the images begins to move and it becomes apparent that it is a penis and it is growing erect. There appears on the screen a large machine called a deforester. It is then showed that there is a seat fastened to the underside of the machine. A wax coating is found around the driveshaft (located directly above the seat). The man from the beginning of the scene is seen nude in the seat rubbing his erect penis against the wax-coated drive shaft. There is a large gourd shaped plant hanging from the man's anus. This scene continues until the man ejaculates. His seamen is then spread across the wax located on the driveshaft.Sync (Marco Brambilla): In the shortest of the short film collections, Brambilla presents a collage of pornography scenes from a large amount of various movies. These scenes are cut in a way where it can be perceived that one action is happening, thought multiple scenes are being flashed. The film is set to a drum only soundtrack that is as rapid moving as the images on the screen.Impaled (Larry Clark): The scene opens with a young man sitting on the coach. There are questions being asked to the young man by another man behind the camera (it can be assumed to be Clark). The young man continues to answer questions about his penis size, sex life, and the effect of pornography in his sexual mentality. Throughout the interview, multiple other males take his place answering the same questions. The scene then cuts to a close-up of a penis. The interview of the males (shown one at a time) are interchanged as all of them strip nude in front of the camera. Questions are then asked about if they are comfortable with their penis size, their greatest sexual fantasies, and personal grooming. It is quickly revealed through the questioning that all the males are highly influenced in thinking that the images portrayed by pornography is what should be expected in their sex life. It then becomes evident that what is being watched is an interview for a pornography movie. A young man from the group is chosen to be the actor. He is then present when Clark interviews for the female part. Several pornography stars are brought in and asked questions. They are asked about their childhood, their first time, and their sexual limits. The man indicates that he has a fantasy for older women and for anal sex. The women are then asked to strip down and asked more questions. At the end of this interview process, the young man chooses an older actress who was willing to have anal sex with him. She re-enters the room after being cast on her hands and knees. The footage is greatly unedited and no special effects are used. She performs oral sex on him and they have intercourse (both vaginal and anal). The man ejaculates and the film ends with the cleaning of the woman's anus and the man's penis.We Fuck Alone (Gaspar Noe): We Fuck Alone holds a warning that a strobing effect is used and should not be viewed by individuals with medical conditions. The strobing effect last throughout. It portrays a young woman in midst of a masturbation session. She is watching a pornography film on the television as she lies on the couch. She begins slow and works her way up to more forceful motions. She eventually simulates oral sex using her large stuffed teddy bear. She shoves the bear into her exposed crotch. She climaxes. This scene is shared with a similar male masturbation scene. There is a young man with a look that can be best described as in the fashion on a neo-nazi. The young man is watching the same pornography movie (which is made to make the transitions between the two scenes). After masturbating for some time, he takes a blow-up doll and beings to simulate oral sex. After spending time simulating both oral and vaginal sex with the dolls he reveals a gun. He holds the gun up to the dolls head with violently simulating oral sex. The scene ends with his ejaculation.House Call (Richard Prince): House Call takes a scene from an older 70's pornography film and replaces the soundtrack to it. It appears as if the movie is being played on an older television with the camera hovering directly in front of the screen. A voluptuous blonde woman lies in bed and a doctor appears. In the midst of the check-up, the doctor and patient begins to have sexual relations. This last until the film's end.Death Valley (Sam Taylor-Wood): Perhaps the most simple of the seven films, there is appears to be an empty and vast valley located in an unknown location. The camera never moves, but only zooms in and out. A young man appears walking into the middle of the open range. He begins to remove his pants and masturbate. The scene ends with the ending of his masturbation session. | psychedelic, avant garde | tt0492962 |
Executive Action | A narrator states that when President Lyndon Johnson was asked about the Kennedy Assassination and the Warren Commission report, he said he doubted the findings of the Commission. The narration ends with the mention that the segment did not run on television and was cut from a program about Johnson, at his own request.
At a gathering in June 1963, shadowy industrial, political and former US intelligence figures discuss their growing dissatisfaction with the Kennedy administration. In the plush surroundings of lead conspirator Robert Foster (Robert Ryan), he and the others try to persuade Harold Ferguson (Will Geer), a powerful oil magnate dressed in white, to back their plans for an assassination of Kennedy. He remains unconvinced, saying, "I don't like such schemes. They're only tolerable when necessary, and only permissible when they work." James Farrington (Burt Lancaster), a black ops specialist, is also among the group: He shows Ferguson and others that a careful assassination of a U.S. President can be done under certain conditions, and refers to the murders of Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley as examples, and includes assassination attempts of others including Roosevelt in 1933, referring to the practice as "executive action".
In the Mojave Desert, a hit squad practice shooting moving targets at medium-to-long range. One of the shooters says that he can only guarantee the operation's success if he fires from vantage point at target moving at or under 15 miles per hour.
The lead conspirators, Farrington and Foster, discuss preparations for the assassination. Obtaining Ferguson's approval is crucial to the conspirators, although Farrington proceeds to organize two shooting teams in anticipation that Ferguson will change his mind. Ferguson, meanwhile, watches news reports and becomes highly concerned at Kennedy's increasingly "liberal" direction: action on civil rights, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and nuclear disarmament. The deciding moment comes when he is watching an anti-Kennedy news report on the deteriorating situation in South Vietnam. It is followed by Kennedy's October 1963 decision, National Security Action Memorandum #263 to withdraw all US advisers from Vietnam by the end of 1965, effectively ending America's direct involvement in the Vietnam War. Ferguson calls Foster and tells him he now supports their project.
Foster and Farrington discuss their murky paranoid fears about the future of the country under President Kennedy, and the security of ruling-class white people around the world. Foster forecasts the population of the world in 2000 at 7 billion, the majority of them non-white; " swarming out of their breeding grounds into Europe and North America." He sees victory in Vietnam as an opportunity to control the developing world and reduce its population to 550 million, adding that they can then apply the same "birth-control" methods to unwanted groups in the US: poor whites, blacks and Latinos. Foster, it seems, is privy to plans known to the CIA, or perhaps knowledge of even more secret information unknown to Ferguson, a civilian.
The scene of the shooting is described. As news of the assassination reaches the conspirators, the film describes the effects. Farrington and his assistant discuss the fallout from the assassination, especially how to deal with the fact that Oswald has survived. Farrington contacts nightclub owner Jack Ruby, who stalks and kills Oswald.
While the real assassins leave Dallas, the conspirators work to cover up the evidence. They discuss the political fallout in Washington, D.C., concerned about retribution from Robert F. Kennedy and the "believability" of the plot. Foster states that "Bobby Kennedy is not thinking as Attorney General but as a grieving brother. By the time he recovers it will be too late." The conspirators agree that people will believe in the story because "they want to believe the story." Soon after, Foster receives a call from Farrington's assistant: Farrington has died of a heart attack "at Parkland Hospital." The conspirators are now insulated from the link to the group that committed the killings.
Their work is not quite finished. A photo collage is shown of 18 material witnesses, all but two of whom, it says, died from unnatural causes within three years of the assassination. A voice-over says that an actuary of the British newspaper The Sunday Times calculated the probability that all these people who witnessed the assassination would die within that period of time to be 100,000 trillion to one. | murder | tt0070046 |
Never Let Me Go | The film begins with onscreen captions explaining that a medical breakthrough in 1952 has permitted the human lifespan to be extended beyond 100 years. Subsequently, the film is narrated by 28-year-old Kathy H. as she reminisces about her childhood at Hailsham, as well as her adult life after leaving the school.The first section of the film depicts young Kathy, along with her friends Tommy and Ruth, spending their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. It is subtly revealed that the film is set in an alternate twentieth century. A teacher is fired after telling the pupils of their fate: they exist to provide donor organs for transplants. They will be nurtured to adult age, then they will be available for "selection." After their third "selection" they will "complete" before they can be selected for any more procedures. Some "complete" after their first "selection", while others survive four or more "selections." Tommy is emotionally angry and is teased by the other boys. Kathy falls in love with him.In the second section of the film, the three friends, now teenagers, are rehoused in cottages on a rural farm. They are permitted to leave the grounds if they wish. They do not question the ethics of their situation. At the farm, they meet other graduates of similar places. Kathy, Tom and Ruth are clones who are fascinated by the idea of finding the original people that they were "modeled on". Kathy and her friends are questioned about rumours of the possibility of "deferral," which allows couples several extra years before being "selected" if they are in love and can prove it. Tommy reasons that the art gallery at Hailsham was intended to identify clones who have a soul. Tommy and Ruth become lovers. The lonely Kathy applies to become a "carer", a clone who is taught to drive and trained to give post-operative care to other clones. In exchange for supporting and comforting donors after their organs are harvested, she gets a temporary reprieve from selection. She has become a carer by the time she hears that Tommy and Ruth have split up.In the third section of the film, Kathy has been working as a carer for several years. She has watched many clones "complete." She reunites with Ruth, who is frail after two "selections". Ruth has been keeping track of Kathy and Tommy, and helps Kathy arrange their reunion. Ruth admits that she did not love Tommy and seduced him because she was jealous and afraid to be alone. She is consumed with guilt, and has been searching for a way to help Tommy and Kathy. She believes that Tommy and Kathy would qualify for "deferral." She gives them the address of "Madame," who regularly visited Hailsham and selected student artwork to go into the gallery. Ruth "completes" on the operating table shortly afterward. Tommy tells Kathy that he has been creating art for several years in hopes of a deferral. He and Kathy drive to visit Madame, and learn that deferral does not exist. Tommy's artwork will not help them.The film ends after Tommy has "completed," leaving Kathy alone. Two weeks after losing Tommy, Kathy is notified that her first "selection" will occur in one month. Contemplating their childhood, she speculates whether their fate is really so different from the people who receive their organs. "We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time." | boring, depressing, thought-provoking, alternate reality, atmospheric, flashback, romantic, alternate history, sentimental | tt1334260 |
Frank | Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), an aspiring songwriter, witnesses a man trying to drown himself while walking along the beach of his town. The man is taken to the hospital and Jon talks to Don (Scoot McNairy), who explains the man was a keyboardist in an experimental band, the Soronprfbs, managed by him. Jon mentions that he plays keyboards and is invited to play with them that night. Jon goes along and meets the rest of the band, all of whom are reluctant about Jon, except Frank (Michael Fassbender), the band leader who wears a papier-mâché mask. The concert goes well, until Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) breaks her theremin and storms offstage.Frank invites Jon to become a full-time member. He accompanies them to Ireland, where they will record their first album in a remote cabin for the next year. Clara is very antipathic towards Jon, and continually torments him for being mediocre and having no talent.Don explains to Jon that he wanted to be a songwriter too, and just like Jon lacked talent and was terrible. He plays a song for Jon, who compliments it. Don tells Jon that Frank is special, and that eventually Jon will believe that he either can be Frank or could at least be like him, but that it is impossible because Frank is unique. Don implies that this realization will hurt Jon the most, and that this is what is causing Don to be depressed himself. However, Jon feels that if he could just have hard experiences that he assumes Frank had (with his mental illness and believed hard childhood) that it would fuel him and get him to take the next step in his creativity. Jon believes that his time with the band will be the catalyst that will make this happen.The morning after they complete recording of their album, Jon finds Frank's corpse hanging from a tree. He calls the rest of the band down and they remove the mask, only to find it was Don wearing Frank's mask. Don is cremated and Jon is told that Don was the band's first keyboard player; every keyboard player that followed him has had some kind of mental breakdown.Afterwards, Jon reveals he has been posting the band's recording sessions online. The Soronprfbs have gained a small following and have been invited to South by Southwest. Clara is against going to South by Southwest, and accuses Jon of manipulating Frank and giving him delusions of grandeur. During one of their fights, Clara and Jon's hatred for each other turns into passion and they end up having sex, but Clara tells Jon that he disgusts her and they will never be together again. However, Frank wants to be popular and to create "extremely likable music" so he decides to go; Clara warns Jon that if things go badly in Austin she'll stab him.Upon arrival in Texas, Jon, Frank, and Clara scatter Don's ashes, but realize the band's guitarist Baraque (Francois Civil) accidentally packed a canister of powdered food instead of the ashes. Afterwards, the band travels to Austin, while signing up for South by Southwest Jon and the band discover that they aren't as popular as they thought, and that the crowd will have no idea who they are and will have never listened to their music before. Upon hearing this, Frank starts to become erratic and has a panic attack. Clara sees the changes in Frank and knows that he can't handle this situation, so she pleads with Jon to help convince Frank to not perform and go back to their unknown status. Jon refuses and works with Frank to try to create a more likeable version of their songs. On the day before the concert, Clara and Frank disappear. Jon finds them in an alley where Clara is trying to calm Frank and get him to agree to leave.Jon convinces Frank to ignore Clara and to do the gig. Clara stabs Jon in the leg and is later arrested by the police. Back at the hotel room Drummer Nana (Carla Azar) and Baraque accuse Jon of getting rid of Clara and quit the band. Jon and Frank become a duo. As they go onstage, Jon announces that it's the best day of his life and begins singing one of his own songs. Frank falls over and when Jon rushes over to him to check on him, Frank tells Jon that his music is bad, suffering a nervous breakdown. Frank passes out on stage with Jon trying to revive him. The next day, Jon attempts to reason with Frank and tries to remove his mask. A panicked Frank runs out of the motel room and is hit by a car. Jon gives chase but realizes Frank has escaped, leaving only remains of the mask behind. Jon subsequently gets hit by a car.After being released from the hospital, Jon goes to a diner. When other patrons refer to him and the band as "freaks", it dawns on him that their internet popularity was never about the music, they were simply laughing at how strange they all behaved. Sometime later, Jon has attempted to track down Frank in order to make amends, but he cannot be found anywhere. However, he finds a bar where Clara, Nana, and Baraque are now playing. Jon finally succeeds in tracking Frank to his hometown of Bluff, Kansas, where he is living with his parents. They explain that Frank has had mental health issues all his life and began wearing the mask as a teenager. Jon questions Frank's parents about his childhood. They tell Jon that Frank had a loving family and a happy childhood. Jon realizes that there was no traumatic event in Frank's life that inspired Frank to become a musical genius and his mental illness never propelled him but limited him. Jon now sees that Frank's amazing talents aren't from traumatic events or from his illness, that Frank's genius was just inherent, and that he will never be able to be like him; just as Don had told him. Jon finally see Frank's face, only to see a despondent man with scars on his face and bald spots on his scalp from the prolonged use of the mask. Jon apologizes to Frank for ruining the band and trying to take off his mask. He then takes Frank to the bar where the band is. Frank begins to speak and they realize who he is. He begins singing and joins them in a song while Jon leaves the bar. | comedy, entertaining | tt1605717 |
Shoot 'Em Up | A man, Smith (Clive Owen) sits on a bench ready to eat a carrot. A woman in a yellow coat runs past chased by a man driving an old black Camaro. The carrot eater follows and stops the man from killing the woman inside an abandoned factory building by driving the carrot through the man's head. Suddenly several other gun shooting attackers arrive and Smith fires back killing several. The hero and the woman get to another room where she gives birth. More men continue to attack, led by a balding, bespectacled man, Hertz (Paul Giamatti) . As Smith, the woman and her baby try to escape the woman is killed and Smith flees with the baby.Stopping in a washroom, Smith has a fight with a well dressed hitman, leaves him alive. On a bus he uses his sock to make a cap for the newborn baby. Smith then leaves the baby in a park on a rotating ride. As a bystander arrives to pick up the infant she is shot by Hertz from long range using a sniper rifle. Smith manages to rescue the baby and takes off again.He goes to a church which is actually a brothel. There he finds DQ (Monica Bellucci), a lactating wet nurse hooker and offers her $5000 to look after the baby. She refuses. Hertz fondles the dead mother's breast and realizes the baby will need milk, he to decides to find a lactating hooker and soon arrives at DQ's. He tortures her for info on Smith, who then returns. Smith shoots Hertz and some henchmen, and escapes stealing a BMW. He then gets upset at a Mercedes driver who doesn't signal lane changes and rams the other car.Hertz is still alive and calls someone for 50 more men.In a downtown area, Smith tries to buy bullets with some change and a blood donor cheque. DQ earns some cash by giving a man a BJ in an alley. Smith takes DQ and the baby to his place - a loft in a nondescript industrial building. The door lock is activated by a rat.Driving with two assistants, Hertz arrives at the same building. Apparently Hertz was an FBI Forensic Behaviour Consultant and knows what people will do.In the loft apt, Smith fashions a diaper from a newspaper and decides to call the baby Oliver as in Twist. Smith and DQ notice the baby calms down when watching heavy metal rock on TV and cries when a politician speaks on another channel. Suddenly dozens of attackers arrive. DQ escapes down a dumbwaiter as Smith and the baby escape in a wildly stylized hail of bullets. Hertz and his henchmen give chase with dogs but Smith eludes them by using the baby's diaper as a decoy.Smith decides the baby got used to heavy metal music while in the womb and they go to the local metal club. They go upstairs and find dead men in the office as well as a photo of three women in yellow dresses, one was the baby's mother. Next door Smith and DQ overhear a suit talking on the phone about the dead women. They then find a lab room with a fridge full of samples from one donor. Smith suspects the babies are being used for someone's bone marrow transplants.Smith, DQ and the baby return to a hotel room, Smith decides to wait and watch TV, having called all the major news outlets with the scoop. DQ is a saddened by the memory of her own child. Smith and DQ kiss and have sex. They are interrupted by several swat-team type gunmen but Smith shoots them all as he stays coupled with DQ.Smith brings DQ and the infant to an armoury, planning to put the two into an M-24 tank for safety. He gives her a weapon then causes a distraction by spanking a woman scolding her child to allow DQ to get inside. Smith loads up to go to the Hammerson gun works.Hertz and Hammerson (Stephen McHattie) discuss a British gun wiz as Smith lurks closeby in the gun factory warehouse. Once again a wild gunfight erupts and Smith and Hertz trade verbal barbs. Hertz reveals he knows Smith's wife was killed in a fast food place. Smith goes into action using several automatic weapons he has rigged to fire with strings.Back at the tank Smith explains to DQ that Hammerson is the rich guy involved. In a newspaper he notices the front page story of Senator Rutledge (Daniel Pilon) and realizes Rutledge is the one who needs the baby and his firearms bill will put Hammerson out of business.On the street the three are attacked by a black SUV. Smith takes the baby and jumps into a red BMW and a wild car chase starts. Smith takes out the SUV but the baby falls out onto the road. A black van full of gunmen arrive, Smith shoots them all but Hertz arrives in his limo and drives over the baby. But it is only a doll and tape recorder.Smith calls the Senator's aide (from the earlier washroom fight) asking for a meeting. The two men meet in a airport washroom and they go up into the Senator's campaign charter jet. Smith confronts the ailing politician. As they talk Smith notices white dog hair lint on the other man's pants. He grabs Rutledge realizing he had made a deal with Hammerson. Hammerson and Hertz come from the rear of the plane. Smith takes Rutledge hostage in the plane's cargo hold. He tells the Senator that killing Rutledge will ensure Congress passes the anti-gun bill, then shoots him in the head. Smith bails out with a parachute chased by attackers, they have a gunfight in mid air. Smith manages to push the Senator's aide into the blades of a helicopter.On the ground a wounded Smith observes the body parts and dead bodies. He collapses in an industrial building. As he wakens Hertz is standing over him with a gun. DQ walks warily in front of a church.A beaten Smith is dragged into a basement den. As Hammerson watches, Hertz breaks Smith's fingers, torturing him in order to learn where DQ and the baby are. Hertz explains that the Senator's plane crashed, so their coverup is underway. Meanwhile, DQ boards an old green bus to "Wherever". Hertz increases the violence and brings a scalpel towards Smith's eye. Smith suddenly manages to break free and kills the two henchmen and Hammerson. Smith staggers upstairs and collapses beside a fireplace. Hertz comes near to gloat, then notices Smith's hand in front of the fire, with bullets in between each finger pointed toward him. The heat causes the bullets to fire, and Hertz is shot in the chest. Not quite dead, Hertz rises, but finally Smith finishes him off.With heavily bandaged hands, Smith waits for the green bus in front of the church. He rides the bus full of hippies and gets off at an ice cream shop. Oliver, the baby, is there, safe; DQ is the waitress, and Smith kisses her. Suddenly, some scruffy, armed robbers break in; Smith is able to kill them all, using a carrot to help fire a gun with his bandaged hands.End credits. | comedy, boring, murder, cult, violence, satire, comic | tt0465602 |
Broken City | NYPD detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is involved in a nighttime shooting, then is brought up on charges. Captain Carl Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright) and Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) discuss the case as protesters picket the courthouse. Hostetler mentions they have new evidence and next the judge announces the charges are dropped. The Mayor summons Taggart to his office where he seems sympathetic.Seven years later Billy is a struggling PI. He spends a day calling clients to get them to pay up. His assistant, Katy Bradshaw (Alona Tal), tells him the Mayor is calling. Arriving at City Hall, the Mayor is watching a TV news item on his election opponent Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), apparently the two are close in the polls. Hostetler makes small talk with Billy then gets down to business, he wants evidence his wife is having an affair and he needs the prof before next Tuesday's election. Billy accepts the case and the $25,000 down payment.Billy begins to tail the mayor's wife, Cathleen Hostetler (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Helped by Katy, Taggart quickly learns that Cathleen is seeing Paul Andrews (Kyle Chandler), Jack Valliant's campaign manager.Billy goes to dinner with his girlfriend Natalie Barrow (Natalie Martinez) and her film friends. Natalie reveals they have dated for seven years, ever since her 16 year old sister was raped and murdered. Billy was the policeman on the case and was very supportive to her family.Jack and Paul do prep for the upcoming debate. Jack, a rich liberal, is frustrated and wants some hard evidence to prove the Mayor's corrupt, Paul tries to tell him even without the evidence he has a good chance. Paul has an unnamed source who may get the info in time.Hostetler plays racquetball with Sam Lancaster (Griffin Dunne), the owner of a construction company and campaign supporter, they discuss the election and the billions involved.Taggart attends a fundraiser for Hostetler's campaign at the Roosevelt Hotel, he meets another ex-cop Murdock who says he is security for the Lancaster family. Taggart is then called to a suite where Cathleen reveals that she knows Taggart is following her, and advises him not to become involved with Hostetler. However, in the hotel bar Hostetler gets the envelope with the pictures that Taggart has taken of Cathleen meeting with Andrews, and pays Billy his remaining $25,000.At the Mayoral debate the two men discuss the recent sale of the public Bolton Village projects to help the city balance the budget. Hostetler successfully declares he has been slowly fixing a broken city against Valliant's plan for higher taxes.Billy attends the premiere of Natalie's first film. After an explicit sex scene Billy is very uncomfortable. At the after party he glowers and starts drinking, Natalie tries to stop him. They argue in public and Billy accuses her of sleeping with her co-star. He leaves angrily and goes on a bender. Katy calls to tell him something.Billy arrives at a murder scene, his former partner is there and allows him behind the tape. Andrews is dead outside his apartment. Commissioner Fairbanks arrives and interrogates Taggart, who admits he had been hired by Hostetler. They talk inside the apartment with a drunk and weepy Valliant, who reveals that Andrews was meeting Todd Lancaster (James Ransone), son of Hostetler's associate, contractor Sam Lancaster. Fairbanks has Taggart secret Valliant away and the police announce they have no clues. Valliant admits to Taggart he loved Andrews.Taggart then meets with Cathleen, who reveals that Andrews was an old friend who was going to provide her with information about Hostetler's plans for the Bolton Village Housing Project. Hostetler wanted to find out Cathleen's source, and manipulated Taggart to lead him to discover who it was. Cathleen wanted to use the info to get a good divorce settlement.Billy visits the Bolton village apartment complex and meets Natalie's parents, still living there. The father feels the murdered daughter is still there in spirit, the mother wants to know what Billy thinks of Natalie's movie.Taggart investigates Sam Lancaster's construction business, and learns that Hostetler has sold the Bolton Village in order to have it demolished and replaced by office buildings, leaving hundreds of impoverished people homeless for his own profit. However, he is attacked by a dark hooded man, who destroys the evidence he has acquired. After a car wreck Biily phones Fairbanks and gets the Roosevelt Hotel. Going there Taggart meets Fairbanks and learns he has done well for himself and is actually the one seeing Cathleen.Taggart then locates Todd Lancaster and roughly interrogates him. Todd reveals that he disagreed with Hostetler's plans and intended to give his old college mentor Andrews the Hostetler Lancaster partnership contract as evidence. Murdock arrives with gun drawn but Taggart gains the upper hand. Taggart meets Hostetler, with his phone recording app on, and demands the Mayor resign, however; Hostetler turns the tables and reveals a videotape from seven years ago, it shows Billy did gun down an unarmed Mikey Tavarez, the suspect in the Yesmina Berroa rape and murder. Hostetler demands all the evidence be turned over the next morning or else.Billy goes home to have a hot bath. Later he meets Fairbanks and plays the recording. Fairbanks has Hostetler arrested at his election eve party. The next day as Fairbanks comes to take Billy into custody from a bar, Katy arrives to give him a pre-paid phone card. | violence, comedy, neo noir, murder, flashback | tt1235522 |
The Space Children | We open with a background of space nebulae and stars, the title sequence, credits, and the actors who portray the space children. A station wagon appears on a lonely road approaching the beach along the California coast. Inside we meet Dave Brewster (Adam Williams), his wife Anne (Peggy Webber) and their two sons. In the back seat is the oldest Bud (Michel Ray) and his younger brother Ken (Johnny Crawford). They've been driving for hours from San Francisco. Their destination: a military base. Dave was transferred to complete his company's work on The Thunderer--a six stage intercontinental missile at the Eagle Point Missile Project.Anne is apprehensive about the move, but Dave and the kids are excited to live on the beach. The kids hear a strange sound, but the parents hear nothing. The kids then see a strange light in the sky as their car stalls out. The car starts back up and they check in at the guard shack. They are directed to their new home Unit 3, a trailer. All the contractor families live in trailers. Dave and Anne move their few belongings into their new home while the kids explore the beach and meet the other children.Anne continues to voice her dissatisfaction with the surroundings and leaving friends and family in San Francisco. Dave chalks it up to their being tired from the long trip. She asks him about the project. They go outside to find the children, but the security officer, Mr. James (Peter Baldwin) arrives and asks Dave to join him at a briefing for the newly arrived on the Project. Anne heads back to the trailer and is greeted by her new next door neighbor who introduces herself as Frieda Johnson (Vera Marshe). They chat and exchange information about their kids and their new home. Frieda invites Anne to a little get together planned for that evening.Bud and Ken are running along the cliffs playing ball. They head down to the beach where they discover a cave. They explore it and discuss the light they saw in the sky earlier. Bud explores a little further inside, but tells Ken to stay behind. Eadie Johnson (Sandy Descher) introduces herself to Ken, as the other space children appear. Eadie introduces the other children to Bud and Ken. First is the youngest, Buster (uncredited), the oldest Tim (Johnny Washbrook), George (uncredited) and Helen (Gloria Anne Halper). The children invite Bud and Ken to see The Thunderer, but a guard chases them away.Lt. Col. Alan Manley (Richard Shannon) is giving a briefing on the project--to send a satellite equipped with a hydrogen warhead into space. Meanwhile, the kids head back to the beach to play when they see the same strange light in the sky, but this time a strange object descends on the light beam and enters the cave. Back at the briefing the light and power go off. The object is communicating with Bud and the power resumes at Col. Manley's briefing.Later that day, Dr. Wahrman (Raymond Bailey) strolls along the beach and runs into Col. Manley who is fishing. They talk about tomorrow's test of the missile. Their children, the Colonel's daughter Phyllis (Eilene Janssen) and Dr. Wahrman's son, Saul (David Bair), return to shore from their swim.That evening Frieda exits her trailer to supply more food for the weenie roast. We meet her husband, Hank Johnson (Jackie Coogan). The Johnsons and Brewsters talk about the project and national defense. Frieda prefers not to discuss controversial subjects. Hank and Dave invite the kids to go swimming, and they initially express excitement. But the voice they hear tells them to decline and they make their excuses and head off on their own for the beach. As Dave and Hank head off for a swim we are introduced to Peg Gamble (Jean Engstrom) and her alcoholic second husband Joe Gamble (Russell Johnson) who is tipsy, as usual, and complaining about his stepson, Tim.The children are attracted to the siren-like call of the entity and discover a football-sized and shaped blob pulsating in the sand. It communicates with Bud and selects him as the leader. Tim panics and tries to destroy the blob with a rock, but is paralyzed as the rock he holds overhead explodes into small pieces. Ken restores his ability to move and admonishes him to follow instructions in future. He agrees, and the rest of the children agree to follow Bud's directives.Back in the trailer Anne and Dave are frantically trying to find Bud and Ken. It is quite late when Bud and Ken arrive back to the trailer, and Mom and Dad lay into them. They try to explain their encounter on the beach but their parents don't believe them. When Dave grabs Bud's arm to administer a little discipline, his arm becomes paralyzed. The boys take Dave back to the beach, accompanied by Eadie Johnson. Tim tries to sneak out of the trailer to join the group, but he is intercepted by a very drunk Joe. Tim manages his escape, with Joe in hot pursuit. He eventually catches Tim, but before he can administer a beating is struck down by the power of the blob. Joe recovers and returns to the trailer. Dave picks up the blob, hides it inside his jacket and returns to the trailer park. Tim reaches his trailer first and enters, only to discover Joe, sitting in a chair and dead. Peg enters the trailer and sees Joe. Hank confronts Dave, Eadie and the boys and demands an explanation. Peg arrives asking for help. She tells Hank that Joe is dead.Anne welcomes her family back into the trailer, but is horrified by what they brought with them. The ambulance for Joe arrives. Bud explains that the blob must spend the night in the trailer. The next morning Anne and Dave demand answers from the boys about the blob, but get no satisfactory answers. The phone rings and Dave is told The Thunderer will launch tonight. Dave follows the boys back to the cave. They are carrying the blob. He tells them about the launch and confirms the boys knew all along--the blob told them.Major Thomas (Larry Pennell) interrupts a meeting between Dr. Wahrman and Col. Manley. He tells them Dave Brewster insists on meeting, it's an emergency. Dave enters and tells them the project is in danger, but before he can go into details, Bud appears, and he is struck unable to speak. When he tries to write out his warning his hand is paralyzed and he collapses. He recovers in the infirmary. His wife and children come to see him.The children begin the sabotage of the project. Bud causes a fuel delivery truck to malfunction. Buster and Helen disrupt communications at a guard shack, while innocently eating ice cream.Hank heads off for the beach to find his daughter, Eadie. He finds some of her clothes outside the cave. Eadie comes out of the cave. Hank insists upon examining the cave, over Eadie's objections. He enters and sees the blob which attacks him with a beam of light. He exits the cave and collapses on the sand. The blob has grown considerably. Dazed and unresponsive, Hank heads back to his trailer.That evening the children get out of bed and head down to the beach to see the blob, which by now is huge, and get final instructions. Wahrman and Manley meet and try to make sense of the days strange events. Wahrman notices that children are involved. He decides to go see Dave in the infirmary. The children open a locked gate and enter the base, unseen by the guard. Dr. Wahrman does see them, and confronts the guard for his lack of attention. Wahrman meets with Dave and tells him of his suspicions. Dave is surprised nothing happens when he realizes Wahrman knows the truth about the children, including their strange powers. But when Wahrman tries to call someone, the phone malfunctions. Wahrman demands to know where it is and what it looks like. Wahrman and Dave go to the cave and confront the now boulder sized blob. Wahrman makes his appeal, gets no response, but is allowed to leave.Preparations for the launch continue on schedule. They are unaware of the sabotage the children have caused. The children exit the base and head back to the cave. The site is cleared for launch as Dave and Wahrman race back to the base. They arrive just in time for the launch. But when the missile is launched, the warhead on the top explodes on the pad as the children watch from the beach.The children have won. The military heads for the cave to destroy the blob, followed by the children's parents. The children block the cave entrance, as their parents plead for them to abandon the blob. The blob exits the cave with the children still blocking fire, until it ascends back up into the sky on its beam of light. The children explain to the military and their parents that other children, like themselves, sabotaged similar projects all around the world. We close with a passage from St. Matthew, Ch.18, v.3, over the nebulae and star background. | anti war | tt0052227 |
Something Borrowed | Based on the book "Something Borrowed"Character History:
Rachel is a just turned 30 lawyer who is very attractive, but down to earth, used to be overshadowed by her larger than life best friend since childhood - Darcy. It is hinted that Darcy didn't have a normal family or childhood by how she constantly goes on about Rachel being the sister she never had and the mother she always wanted. Ethan is Rachel's best guy friend, who also has known Darcy since childhood. There is a history shown that for the 6th grade dance Ethan went with both Rachel and Darcy, presumably because Darcy couldn't let Rachel have a date when she didn't. He is annoyed with Darcy's treatment of Rachel. Darcy has spent years with Rachel always acquiescing to her way because of Darcy's overbearing attitude, to the point where 6 years earlier, Rachel pretty much handed her crush from law school, Dex, over to Darcy. This resulted in them getting together and now they are engaged.The Story:
Rachel is about to enter a very stylish nightclub with a look of trepidation. She walks in to be greeted by a surprise party being given to her by Darcy. Of course Darcy is so into herself that even though it is Rachel's birthday, she makes the night about her, doing a picture PowerPoint of her and Rachel's friendship through the years, including 6th Grade and Ethan taking them both to the dance, although Ethan is clearly looking at Rachel, and some showy images of Darcy and Dex, who Darcy credits Rachel with them getting together. Darcy starts to dance on the stage, with an embarrassed Dex coaxing her down. Part of the way through the party, Darcy has gotten excessively drunk, so Dex is leaving with her. He points out to Rachel it was kind of her to act surprised despite him knowing she wasn't. Ethan also is avoiding Claire, another mutual friend who Ethan made the grievous error of sleeping with despite not being interested in a relationship with her, and now Claire has a massive crush on Ethan. Ethan and Rachel are left after the party, discussing Claire and how Ethan likes Rachel, although he doesn't get to speak further about it as they are hailing a cab when one pulls up with Dex in it. Darcy seems to have left her $2k Purse somewhere in the club, and Rachel offers Dex to help find it.Dex feels like Rachel didn't fully enjoy her party and suggests getting drinks together, which she accepts. As they drink there is a moment when a very attractive, Type A woman hits on Dex, which he ignores while Rachel is having a auditory memory of an incident you're not quite clear about and the woman keeps looking at Rachel with a nasty "WHY is he with YOU" kind of look, to which Dex responds to by asking the woman to stop staring as she's making his girlfriend upset. Rachel and Dex get drunk and Rachel admits she had a crush on Dex back in the day, then feels embarrassed she told him this as he is marrying her best friend. Dex tells the cab driver that they have 2 stops and gives Rachel's address and then his. Silent since Rachel's admission, Dex ends up drawing Rachel into a kiss and she responds. The cab driver laughs and says "okay, just one stop".The next morning Rachel and Dex wake up at Rachel's house to Darcy's voice via an answering machine set on loud, whining that Dex never came home after going to look for her purse and demands Rachel call her as she needs her, despite it being 7AM the night after a party. Dex dashes out, and Rachel spends the rest of the day horrified with her actions.Rachel gets a call from Darcy, but it's actually Dex calling from her phone, wanting to see if Rachel is okay. They don't get to talk long though as Darcy comes out and takes over the phone. Darcy goes dress shopping with Rachel and she muses over if Dex has cheated on her and then asks (or rather demands) that Darcy come to the Hamptons to stay at some house Claire's family seems to own and they have an open invite to. Darcy's plan is to hook Rachel up with Marcus, a close friend of Dex's. Ethan is coming as well, on request by Rachel.The truck pulls up with Darcy hooting and howling. Marcus is inside and he is the polar opposite of Rachel; a loud, womanizing party-hard type of guy. The weekend commences and Rachel is miserable, Darcy is all over Dex, who's been trying to talk to Rachel about what happened. After an evening of Marcus pawing all over her, Claire attempting and failing to seduce Ethan and Darcy having extremely loud sex with Dex, Rachel heads home early, using work as an excuse.Dex is feeling terrible, obviously having some feelings for Rachel. We learn through flashbacks that Rachel and Dex met at law school and had a connection, but both were too shy to admit it. Dex takes a chance and asks Rachel out for a celebratory dinner after finals, which she accepts. However midway through this "date", enter Darcy, who seats herself next to Dex, and instigates a truth or dare game, daring Dex to ask Rachel on a "real" date. Rachel, feeling on the spot, denies they are anything more than friends. Although Dex seems sad about this, he misunderstands Rachel not arguing him asking Darcy out on a date. So it turns out Darcy really stole Dex from Rachel years ago.Dex fell in then out of love with Darcy, but Darcy's pushy attitude resulted in him never leaving the relationship, as it also kept him close to Rachel. After the initial incident, Rachel and Dex have an awkward few weeks before finally Dex suggests they spend a weekend together to see what their feelings are all about. They enjoy themselves immensely, however after bumping into Dex's parents, Dex's father figures things out and pulls Dex aside to explain that his mother, who it is discussed throughout the film suffers from manic depression, is doing well mentally because of Dex getting married and if Dex doesn't she'll fall apart. He also reminds him that he was raised better than to be a cheater and liar. The sad thing is the father is more concerned about the appearances, than the happiness of his son. He even offers to buy a house for Darcy and Dex to show how serious he is about wanting him to follow through, and of course Darcy is thrilled about the prospect of being purchased an expensive home.Ethan, who has told Claire he's gay to get her to stop pursuing him, discovers the tryst and instead of scolding Rachel, commends her for once doing something she wanted after years of always letting Darcy get things. He is concerned that Dex may be stringing her along, however, and insists that she should come clean.Dex shows up at Rachel's apartment begging to come inside. Rachel allows Darcy (who is there for an impromptu sleepover after the bachelorette party) to think it's Ethan. After Darcy tells this "secret" one weekend at the Hamptons, upsetting Claire who thinks Ethan is gay, there is a point Ethan finds keeping the secret too great a burden, and almost lets it be known, only to be stopped by Rachel whacking him in the face with a badminton racket. He is upset that Claire is upset now, and can't believe that Rachel is allowing this all to happen, as she is better than this and he cares a great deal about her and can't take it anymore. Fortunately he has taken a job in London so he can get some space from it all.That night at a bar, Rachel argues with Dex about him not canceling the wedding and flashes back to the night Darcy butted in on their date, how she said it was okay when he chased after her, since she was used to Darcy getting what she wanted and she could tell she wanted Dex. She turns and runs back to the bar and comes clean to Dex about how she feels. Although you can tell Dex is moved by this, he refuses to cancel the wedding as she suggests because of his mother. Rachel is crushed and she shuts herself down. The wedding is coming up and she is heartbroken. Ethan has moved to London by now, so she goes to see him and lets him know what happened. Ethan says he knows what it's like to love someone and not have it work out. He has been in love with Rachel since childhood, although he realized he wasn't the one for her. Dex is, and he wishes it could work out.During her London visit Darcy calls freaking out demanding Rachel to come back home, with Ethan writing answer suggestions like "your fiance's a douche", "I just need some time" and "I'm madly in love with Ethan". Rachel, who really does need time for herself simply, and finally, says NO and hangs up. She loves Darcy but enough already. She's willing to stand up for herself. She knows sleeping with Dex was wrong because he is with Darcy, but she refuses to feel guilty about how she feels about Dex. The movie flashes to Dex having dinner with his folks and Darcy. Mom picks up at Dex doesn't seem happy, and she's concerned. Rachel comes home and Dex is waiting for her at her place; her office told him when she'd be back. He explains he called off the wedding and how much he loves her. As Rachel processes this Darcy knocks on the door, having sneaked into the building with a pizza guy. Dex hides, not noticing he left his jacket on a couch by the door, and Rachel lets Darcy in who announces SHE cancelled the wedding, despite this not being true. It is alluded throughout the movie that some of Darcy's claims are untrue, such as being accepted to Notre Dame when Rachel, a better student, wasn't. Ethan points out this couldn't have happened as they never saw the letter of admission, and that Darcy would have shown it to them. Darcy explains Dex "said it first" but she had been thinking the same thing. Darcy declines the suggestion of going for a walk (to get away from Dex) and confronts Rachel with lying about saying she slept with Ethan and Marcus. It turns out Darcy knew Rachel lied about Marcus because Rachel claimed he was circumcised. Darcy knows he is not, because since 4th of July she's been sleeping with Marcus, and she is now pregnant by him.Rachel is stunned. Darcy is optimistic about Marcus, feeling better having come clean. As she leaves she glances down and comes back and knocks on the door a second later, having realized Dex was there. Darcy demands to know where Dex is. He steps out and Darcy realizes Rachel is the one who was sleeping with Dex. Dex is pissed Darcy got pregnant by Marcus, but of course Darcy is focused on herself and despite having done the same thing, screams to Rachel she hates her and never wants to see her again. As she leaves she is snappy to Marcus, who had been waiting outside.The movie flashes to a few months later. Rachel is walking home with some dry cleaning and sees Darcy, now 5 months pregnant but looking fabulous. She points out one of the shirts in Rachel's package is the one she got for Dex, saying Rachel was always jealous of her since Darcy got into Notre Dame. Rachel says she sorry she hurt Darcy, but she isn't sorry she slept with Dex, having realized what Ethan told her earlier; if the roles were switched, Darcy would have done it with no issue. Darcy assures Rachel she is happy with the prospect of motherhood. Rachel takes a phone call and walks around the corner, to meet Dex, waiting for her at a bench. They are together and truly happy, and they walk away holding hands.Part way through the beginning of the credits we see Darcy in London, calling out to Ethan, pregnant and having gone to London to start her life over, Marcus obviously not with her and Ethan running for his life. | comedy, romantic, flashback | tt0491152 |
The Mangler | William 'Bill' Gartley (Robert Englund) is the mean owner of a factory, shouting and bossing everybody around. He looks from a corridor outside his office in a higher floor. He's got some weird metal crutches attached to his knees and has trouble walking. Men and women earn their bread in a noisy, warm, full of vapours, dim-lighted environment. In a factory line, huge Hadley Watson machinery wash, dry and fold sheets. Miss Adelle Frawley (Vera Blacker) and Sherry Ourelette (Vanessa Pike) greet each other. Lin Sue (Lisa Morris) is the new employee, but she doesn't stop to help Sherry with her heavy equipment. Adelle tells her to be careful. Doris is the one who finally helps Sherry. One of the female workers hurts herself and her blood is split everywhere. There is an electric shortage. Gartley's pissed off that the production line has to stop. The second-in-charge is as mean as Gartley. Gartley calls his employees boys and girls and tells everybody to go back to work. The machine keeps on working, and stains of blood are everywhere.The small town where they live is Rikers Valley. Officer John Hunton (Ted Levine) almost has a car accident against a delivery van, which is transporting a new electricity generator . In the factory, Adelle takes some medication on the spot. She looks around. The machine from the accident seems to open her mouth to eat her, but she backs down in the last second. The "overseer" George Stanner (Demetre Phillips) shouts to Adelle and Doris to go back to work, while the bandaged hand of Sherry starts bleeding again. With the scare, Adelle has thrown all her pills, and there are some only in the mouth of that huge machine. Dizzy, nervous and sweaty, Adelle tries to retrieve some and the machine takes her whole body. Everybody is frantic, there is blood everywhere, the machine takes the whole body of Adelle, while Bill shouts "Daisy May, let's do like dogs".John is called. Mark Jackson (Daniel Matmor), the guy from the delivery van, is still moving the generator around. There is havoc outside the factory, with an ambulance taking away the body. Stanner looks unsympathetic, but he doesn't want to look at the body. Hunton feels sweaty and nervous because there is only gore everywhere. The photographer keeps on working while Hunton throws up. All the textile factory / Blue Ribbon Laundry depends on that machine, and all Gates Falls depends on the factory to survive.Sheriff Hughes (Larry Taylor) arrives. Adelle is taken in a box. There is a safety bar which seems to be working fine. The inquest is done with: accidental death. Hunton talks with a town punk and takes some pills. MJeremy Crutchley ... J.J.J. Pictureman / MorticianAshley Hayden ... Annette Gillian
Danny Keogh ... Herb Diment
Ted Le Plat ... Doctor RamosTodd Jensen ... Roger Martin
Sean Taylor ... Derrick Gates
Gerrit Schoonhoven ... Aaron Rodriguez
Nan Hamilton ... Mrs. Ellenshaw
Adrian Waldron ... Mr. Ellenshaw
Norman Coombes ... Judge BishopIrene Frangs ... Mrs. Smith
Megan Wilson ... Ginny Jason
Odile Rault ... Alberta
Ron Smerczak ... Officer SteeleAshley Waldorf ... Paramedic Driver (uncredited) | cult, horror, violence | tt0113762 |
The Red House | Pete Morgan and his sister Ellen are prosperous farmers, but their farm is starting to look rundown due to Pete's advancing age and his handicap from an artificial leg. They are known as "the mysterious Morgans" because of their adopted daughter Meg. No one knows who her parents were or how Pete and Ellen came to adopt her when she was a toddler. Now eighteen, Meg suggests that Pete hire a classmate of hers, Nath Storm, to work on the farm after school. Nath's widowed mother operates a general store in town but business is not good. Pete is reluctant to take on a farmhand because he doesn't want outsiders around, but Meg talks him into it. To her delight, Nath is allowed to start at once.During dinner, Pete and Ellen are somewhat taken aback to hear Nath refer to them as "the mysterious Morgans." Ellen explains that they are so self-sufficient on the farm that they rarely go into town. As for Meg, her parents left her in the Morgans' care while they took a trip. They were killed in an accident and as there were no other relatives, Pete and Ellen adopted her.Since it is late, the Morgans urge Nath to spend the night in the hired hand's cabin. When he insists on going home, Pete orders him not to go through Oxhead woods. The woods are dangerous and hard to navigate after dark. Nath protests that going the other way will take much longer. As he is trekking through the woods, someone knocks him into a stream. He returns to the farm sopping wet and accuses Pete of waylaying him. Pete again orders him to stay away from the woods.Meg is in love with Nath but he has a girlfriend, Tibby Renton. Although the two plan to marry, Tibby is attracted to Teller, an older man with a questionable past. He gives Tibby some money and asks her to buy him a savings bond. He doesn't want to be seen in town. They arrange to meet at a later date so she can give him the bond.Pete sometimes calls Meg "Jeannie" and mentions an abandoned dwelling in the woods called the Red House. She is uneasy when this happens but the Morgans have always been very good to her. Pete bought new furniture for her bedroom and gives her anything she asks for. Ellen is like a mother to her.Nath's mother closes the store and marries her boyfriend. The couple move away, leaving Nath on his own. Once school is out, he begins working full-time for the Morgans. Pete offers him the use of his car to go see Tibby on Sundays.Meg, Nath, and Tibby try to find the Red House. As they move deeper into the woods, Meg is struck by a feeling that she has been there before. When Tibby complains of being tired, they return to the farm and take a swim in the pond. But then Tibby lets it slip that they were looking for a mysterious house in the woods. Pete is furious and later tells Meg he is going to fire Nath. He says they were happy until Nath came around asking questions.Nath has already asked his mother about what happened to Pete's leg. Mrs. Storm says that Pete fell into a quarry many years earlier and the local physician, Dr. Byrne, amputated the leg on the Morgan's kitchen table.Tibby and Teller secretly meet and she gives him the bond. Although she is slightly afraid of him, that doesn't stop her from responding to his advances.It turns out that Pete has hired Teller to keep people out of the woods. He was the one who pushed Nath into the stream earlier. Pete is angry that Teller doesn't seem to be doing his job and threatens to fire him. Teller assures him that next time he will use stronger measures.Tibby's father owns an orchard. After being discharged by Pete, Nath goes to work for Mr. Renton. He and Tibby discuss their future and he is startled to learn that she wants to move away after their marriage. She wants a lifestyle that he cannot possibly give her. Later, Nath catches Tibby and Teller kissing. He and Teller get into a fight and Teller knocks him out. After that, Nath realizes that it is Meg he has loved all along.Meg decides to explore Oxhead woods on her own. Not wanting Pete to see her leaving the house, she climbs out the window and down a large tree. She follows an old trail and comes to the top of a hill. Below is an abandoned house, with an icehouse next to it. At last she has found the Red House. Before she can explore further, shots ring out. Teller is attempting to scare her off. As Meg runs toward home, she trips and breaks her leg. Nath eventually rescues her.Meg is forced to stay in bed until the cast is removed. Since he is not allowed to visit her, Nath climbs the tree and sneaks into her room. She tells him about finding the Red House. Pete overhears their conversation and comes to Meg's room. They hear him coming and Nath leaves, but Pete knows he has been there. He scares Meg by calling her Jeannie.Later, Pete and Ellen argue. She was once engaged to Dr. Byrne and accuses Pete of ruining her plan to marry. Pete didn't try to stop her but wouldn't let her take Meg with her. In a fury, he throws a lamp at Ellen and injures her arm. Meg hears the commotion and calls out to Ellen. Hiding her injury, Ellen assures Meg that nothing is wrong.Matters come to a head when Meg confides in Ellen that Pete watches her in a way that makes her uncomfortable. Ellen asks if he has ever forced himself on her. He has not, but Ellen decides to burn down the Red House. Only then will Pete be at peace. Meg wants to go with her but cannot walk so far due to her leg. She hides in the hired hand's cabin while Ellen, armed with a jug of gasoline, sets off for the Red House.Teller doesn't recognize Ellen in the darkness and fires off several shots. Ellen is hit and collapses. When Teller realizes what he has done, he runs away. Meg finds Ellen seriously injured and renders what first aid she can. Returning to the house, she begs Pete to help her rescue Ellen. But he says it is too late, once more mentioning Jeannie's name. Meg suddenly remembers that her mothers name was Genevieve and asks Pete if that is really Jeannie. Failing to get Pete's help, she telephones Nath.Ellen is dead by the time they reach her. They carry her home on a makeshift stretcher. Nath telephones the sheriff and goes in search of Teller. But Meg is terrified that Teller will shoot him. She begs Pete for help, saying that Jeannie will forgive him. She and Pete set off for the Red House in the truck. Meanwhile, Teller has gone to Tibby's house and persuaded her to elope with him. They set off in the Rentons' truck but the police are soon in pursuit. Tibby asks Teller what he has done. She realizes she doesn't want to marry him after all. When the police catch up with them, Teller is arrested for the murder of Ellen.Nath is not at the Red House when Pete and Meg arrive. They go inside and Meg realizes she once lived there. Pete locks the door, frightening Meg, but he assures her he is going to protect her this time. He lights a candle and Meg sees her baby bed still standing. Pete tells her the entire story. He and Jeannie were having an affair. When Jeannie broke it off, he went to the Red House to persuade her to change her mind. Meg's father drove up in a surrey. To keep Jeannie quiet, Pete put his hand over her mouth and nose, accidentally smothering her. He also killed Meg's father. Putting the bodies into the surrey, he drove it into the icehouse. The spring had broken through the floor and the surrey sank. In a fit of remorse, Pete tried to commit suicide by jumping into the quarry.Meg hears Nath and the sheriff outside and calls for help. Pete nearly smothers her in the same way he did Jeannie. When Nath and the sheriff burst into the house, Pete runs outside and climbs into his truck. Turning it around, he heads for the icehouse. He drives through the door and the truck sinks. As it goes down, a wheel from the surrey floats to the top.The movie ends with Nath finishing what Ellen started. As the Red House goes up in smoke, Meg and Nath watch. | insanity, romantic | tt0039757 |
Scarlet Street | SHORT VERSION:
Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) is a lonely cashier married to a nagging widow Adele (Rosalind Ivan). Painting is the only thing that brings him joy. After a party celebrating his 25 years on the job, he sees Kitty (Joan Bennett), a comely young woman, being accosted by Johnny (Dan Duryea). Chris knocks Johnny out. Later Kitty gets Chris to open up to her and Chris admits that he paints pictures. Kitty assumes he is a highly paid artist because he seems so knowledgeable yet humble. Johnny and Kitty, it turns out are partners and Johnny talks Kitty into extorting money from Chris. Chris, a cashier, sees his relationship with Kitty in idolized and romantic terms, unable to see her as the grafter she is. He sets up Kitty in an apartment and keep his paintings there as a studio, but to obtain funds he embezzles money from the company he works for. When Janeway (Jess Barker), an influential art dealer discovers Chris's canvasses, he is told Kitty is the creator, and Johnny facilitates and encourages the collusion. When Adele's first husband (Charles Kemper) turns up alive, an ex-police detective taken for dead in the line of duty, Chris sees a way out and sets up the ex-cop to reunite with his wife. Chris sees this as a way to go to Kitty permanently but discovering her in the arms of Johnny, Chris does something impulsive, and his future days are affected by his actions in the most dramatic ways.LONGER VERSIONChris Cross, (Edward G. Robinson), has worked as a cashier for a brokerage house for 25 years. At a party honoring him, Chris is given an engraved gold pocket watch studded by diamonds by his boss J.. J. Hogarth (Russell Hicks), for his loyal and dedicated service for the firm.We learn that Chris may be superstitious when Chris's boss lights his cigar as the third on the same match, and a quick aside shows him crossing his fingers to ward off evil.The boss leaves the party early, and is seen getting into a car with a gorgeous young blonde. This triggers envious comments from Chris and fellow employees.On his way home Chris sees a man beating a young woman Kitty March (Joan Bennett) and runs to her rescue, knocking the drunk assailant down with his umbrella. Kitty insists on getting away without calling police, so Chris escorts Kitty back to her apartment. They stop at a bar for drinks, where they chat.After she sees the diamond studded gold watch, and because he was well dressed for the party, when Chris modestly tells Kitty that he paints for fun, she assumes that he is a wealthy artist. Chris enjoys her admiration and is too embarrassed to tell her that he's only a cashier. He talks eloquently about how he creates a painting, sometimes in one day, sometimes in a year, in a way that confirms her notion that his paintings could sell for hundreds of dollars in the art market, maybe up to fifty thousand. As they part at the door to her building, he shyly asks for her phone number. She says she has no phone and he says he will write.The next day, a friend from work comes to visit Chris, and his horrid domestic life, ruled by a bullying wife Adele (Rosalind Ivan), is revealed. Adele idolizes her late husband, a policeman drowned while trying to save a woman, and constantly complains that Chris is less. He must pursue his hobby in the bathroom, out of sight from Adele, and he must also put on an apron to clean the kitchen even after his friends arrival. Adele complains Chris is too stingy to buy her a radio, so she must go downstairs to listen to "The Happy Family Hour," while Robinson sits at the dinner table and buries his head in his hands. He acts like a meek servant both at home and at work, where he spends hours inside a cashier's cage.At her apartment a few days later, when a letter from Chris arrives, also learn
that the attacker was Johnny, Kitty's violent boyfriend Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), with whom she was arguing over money. Johnny convinces Kitty to pursue a relationship with Chris, in order to extort money from him. Johnny has a habit of smacking her around and is also a con artist. We learn that Kitty is a lazy slob as she flips her cigarette butt into a sink piled high with dirty dishes.Soon, Chris becomes enamored of her. He believes that Kitty is an actress and that Johnny is the boyfriend of Kitty's ex-roommate. Kitty also sees in the love-sick Chris a real patsy who may have loads of cash that she can dip into. With a sob story, Kitty inveigles Chris to give her money to rent an apartment, one that can also be his art studio. Kitty and Johnny take a fancy apartment in Greenwich Village formerly used by Mexican mural painter Diego Rivera.To finance this, Chris takes cash from his cashiers box. He also locates bonds that Adele got from her late husbands life insurance. Chris has a big problem in Adele, who is more like a jailer than a wife to him. Adele berates Chris constantly, and hates the very sight of the many paintings in their apartment, threatening to give them to the junk-man. Chris moves all his paintings to the studio.Chris eventually steals $1,200.00 to give to Kitty. Johnny, who gambles, soon gets the idea of selling Chris' paintings for cash. He takes two to a street painter in Greenwich Village, who criticizes the work for incorrect perspective but agrees to sell them for $25.00 apiece. To his surprise Johnny finds out that famous art expert and columnist David Janeway (Jess Balker) has bought them and is completely agog over the paintings, and says they might bring as much as $5000.00. He convinces Kitty that Chris is a goose that lays golden eggs with the comment "He's too dumb to be a phony".Janeway is so taken with the paintings that he tails Johnny to the apartment accompanied by art dealer Dellarowe. He says he can get high prices for the paintings but must meet the painter in person. Johnny quickly says Kitty painted them. Kitty goes along after a private conversation in which Johnny tells her since she wanted to be an actress, now was the time to prove herself.Kitty charms the critic by repeating words she heard from Chris in their first chat at the bar. Janeway promises to represent her, and soon her paintings are on display at the exclusive Dellarowe Art Galley. Dellarowe arranges for exhibitions and Kitty quickly becomes a much sought after modern artist.Meantime, Chris has no idea of what's been happening to his paintings. Kitty orders him around viciously, getting him to paint her toenails, demanding that he paint more and more. But he is so amazed at having a young pretty woman tell him that he is loved, that just to bask in her presence is enough.He paints a portrait of Kitty to be passed off as a self portrait. Critic Janeway describes it as a Mona Lisa without the smile. [ASIDE: It much resembles a self portrait by Frida Kahlo, wife of Diego Rivera, who commands astronomical prices sixty years later] Johnny pushes Kitty to take up a relationship with Janeway as well as Chris.One afternoon Adele sees in the window of the ritzy Dellarowe Art Gallery paintings she recognizes, selling for $500, with Kitty March's name on them. Adele rushes home to berate Chris for being a copycat with no talent, browbeating him while he is wearing a woman's ruffled apron and has a sharp knife from cutting liver pointed at his terrific nag of a wife. The way he stabs the knife on the cutting board suggests he imagines stabbing Adele.Chris goes to the studio apartment to find out that many of his painting are gone. Still Chris forgives Kitty for selling them and even gives her credit for them being as valuable and famous as they are because of her looks. Chris grasps that he can sell his paintings under Kitty's signature, and happily lets her be the public face of his art.Meanwhile Adele's first husband detective Sgt. Higgins (Charles Kemper) reappears and seeks Chris out. He explains he had not drowned, but had stolen money from the woman he supposedly was saving. He faked being dead for years before to keep from going to jail for police corruption. He wants Chris to pay him off to keep quiet, and not ruin his marriage to Adele. Higgins doesn't realize that Chris doesnt want to save his marriage to Adele, and much prefers that his marriage should be invalidated when he confronts his wife with her live former husband.Chris tricks Higgins into coming to the apartment using Adeles life insurance bonds as bait, and exposes his fake death.Free from Adele, Chris goes to the apartment to tell Kitty her the good news and to propose marriage, only to see her passionately kissing Johnny.Shocked, he waits for Johnny to leave, and as he enters, Kitty says "Johnny?" out loud before she sees him. Chris confronts Kitty, but still wants her to marry him. She taunts him in reply, telling him that he is a jerk and unattractive moron who is too stupid to know it for himself.Furious, Chris loses control, then attacks and stabs Kitty multiple times with an icepick.Johnny is accused, convicted, for Kitty's murder, despite his attempts to implicate Chris, who goes unpunished. At the trial, Chris insists he copied Kittys pictures. Johnny screams "For cat's sake, he's lying" to no avail. With this lie, Chris callously allows the cocky boyfriend to be condemned to die. A neighbor had testified to have heard Kitty say Johnny! just as someone entered the apartment just before the stabbing.Meantime Chris's embezzlement is discovered and although the boss decides not to press charges, Chris is fired. With tears in his eyes and a look of profound shame and defeat on his face, he leaves the workplace.Posthumously, Katherine March is recognized as a great artist.On the day of Johnny's execution, Chris is riding a commuter train and hears some newsmen, on their way to Sing Sing to witness the execution, discuss the case and the criminal mind. In their theory even unpunished murderers eventually self destruct because of constant fear of discovery and their guilt, as there is a higher power that makes up for mistakes in human justice.At the hour of the execution, Chris, in his flat, haunted by thoughts of Kitty and the realization he has murdered two people, goes beserl and attempts to hang himself. He is rescued, tries to confess but is assumed to be crazy, and becomes a poor man with no way of claiming credit for his paintings. He is constantly haunted by hearing the voices of Kitty and Johnny, together for eternity, loving each other. The guilt and torment leaves Chris a cold, soulless figure prowling the squalid streets of the city, forever a prisoner of his conscience. | murder | tt0038057 |
Lake Placid 3 | A year after the events of the second film at Black Lake, in Aroostook County, Maine, young couple April and Jason go skinny dipping and are attacked and eaten by a group of baby crocodiles. Meanwhile, at the house of the deceased Sadie Bickerman, her nephew Nathan, his wife Susan, and their son Connor, are cleaning out the house so they can sell it. However, Sheriff Tony Willinger soon arrives and convinces Nathan and Susan not to sell. Connor chases an escaped pet lizard down to the lake where he encounters the baby crocodiles, and begins to secretly feed them.
Two years later, Connor has continued to feed the now adult crocodiles stolen meat from the supermarket, but he is soon caught for shoplifting by Dimitri and sent home to his babysitter, Vica, by Susan. However, Connor goes to the lake to feed the crocodiles, followed by Vica who is attacked. Vica, whose arm has been badly injured, finds Susan at Sadie's house, where they tend to Vica's arm and Connor confesses to feeding the crocodiles. Meanwhile, Nathan is searching the lake due to a number of elk disappearances. He meets four teenagers; Ellie, Tara, Aaron, and Charlie who are camping on the lake. The teenagers show Nathan an elk head they previously found, leading Nathan to believe it was the act of hunter Reba, but he persuades Sheriff Tony to search the lake to make sure it is clear of crocodiles. While the teenagers camp, they decide to go swimming and the girls go into the woods and strip of their clothes naked and into their bikinis. Charlie spies on them and watches them stripping their clothes and by taking pictures, but then is devoured by a crocodile.
Reba is approached by teenager Brett, to help him find his girlfriend Ellie, who he fears will be taken advantage of by Aaron. Reba agrees and takes Brett out onto the lake in her boat with Jonas and Walt. Stopping to hunt elk, a crocodile attacks the boat and knocks the group into the water. Walt is devoured, but the others escape to shore and are stranded in the woods. After hours, Ellie and Aaron search for the missing Charlie, leaving Tara by the lake where she reveals her breasts, thinking it is Charlie and then is attacked by a crocodile that drags her into the lake. Ellie and Aaron return to find Tara missing, so they decide to try and get help. They discover Charlie's corpse, before finding what Ellie thinks is Brett's jacket. Ellie decides to search for Brett, upsetting Aaron who walks the other way, only to be attacked by a crocodile.
After searching the lake, Nathan and Sheriff Tony arrive at Sadie's house and reunite with Susan, Connor and Vica. They decide they should try and escape the house to go to a hospital, but in their attempt, Vica and Sheriff Tony are devoured and the car is submerged in the lake. Nathan, Susan, and Connor take shelter in the house. Meanwhile, Brett, Reba, and Jonas manage to shoot a crocodile dead, but another crocodile arrives and decapitates Jonas before attacking Reba, who manages to escape. Desperate, Reba and Brett travel on Reba's boat to Sadie's house and meet with Nathan, Susan and Connor. Determined to find Ellie, Brett escapes to Reba's boat and searches for her. He finds Ellie, but a crocodile kills him.
Reba kills a crocodile that breaks into the house, before she leaves with Nathan, Susan and Connor. Ellie joins them, and they make it to the town. The group break into the supermarket to call for help, setting off the alarm that attracts Dimitri, but he is swiftly devoured as a group of crocodiles enter the supermarket. The group is ambushed but manage to kill most of the crocodiles, but Reba is seemingly killed in the process. (However, it was retconned by the beginning of Lake Placid: The Final Chapter, which instead shows Reba survives and unconscious, then she leaves and throws the knife to the last surviving crocodile.) The only remaining crocodile chases Nathan, Susan, Ellie, and Connor to the gas station where the group manage to ignite gas with a lighter, causing an explosion that kills the crocodile. An ambulance then comes and helps Nathan, Susan, Ellie, and Connor.
Sometime later, Nathan, is taking a group of tourists around the lake, telling them of the crocodiles that are believed to be extinct. However, a baby crocodile is seen swimming in the lake, before an adult crocodile attacks the camera and the film ends. | violence | tt1499249 |
Dracula 3D | The tale begins with Jonathan Harker, journeying by train and carriage from England to Count Dracula's crumbling, remote castle situated in the Carpathian Mountains on the border of Transylvania. The purpose of his mission is to catalogue the big library of Dracula. At first enticed by Dracula's gracious manner, Harker soon discovers that he has become a prisoner in the castle. He also begins to see disquieting facets of Dracula's nocturnal life. One night while searching for a way out of the castle, and against Dracula's strict admonition not to venture outside his room at night, Harker falls under the spell of three wanton female vampires, the Brides of Dracula.He is saved at the last second by the Count, because he wants to keep Harker alive. Harker barely escapes from the castle with his life. Soon Dracula is tracking Harker's devoted fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray, and her friend, Lucy Westenra. There is a notable encounter between Dracula and Renfield, an insane man who means to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures in ascending order of size in order to absorb their "life force". Renfield acts as a motion sensor, detecting Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly.Lucy begins to waste away suspiciously. All her suitors fret, and Seward calls in his old teacher, Professor Abraham Van Helsing from Amsterdam. Van Helsing immediately determines the cause of Lucy's condition but refuses to disclose it, knowing that Seward's faith in him will be shaken if he starts to speak of vampires. Van Helsing tries multiple blood transfusions, but they are clearly losing ground. On a night when Van Helsing must return to Amsterdam, Lucy and her mother are attacked by a wolf. Mrs Westenra, who has a heart condition, dies of fright, and Lucy apparently dies soon after. Lucy is buried, but soon afterward the newspapers report children being stalked in the night by a "bloofer lady". Van Helsing knows that this means Lucy has become a vampire. The suitors and Van Helsing track her down, and after a disturbing confrontation between her vampiric self and Arthur, they stake her heart, behead her, and fill her mouth with garlic.Around the same time, Jonathan Harker arrives home from recuperation in Budapest; he and Mina also join the coalition, who turn their attentions to dealing with Dracula. After Dracula learns of Van Helsing and the others' plot against him, he takes revenge by visitingand biting Mina at least three times. Dracula also feeds Mina his blood, creating a spiritual bond between them to control her. The only way to forestall this is to kill Dracula first. Mina slowly succumbs to the blood of the vampire that flows through her veins, switching back and forth from a state of consciousness to a state of semi-trance during which she is telepathically connected with Dracula. It is this connection that they start to use to deduce Dracula's movements.It is only possible to detect Dracula's surroundings when Mina is put under hypnosis by Van Helsing. This ability gradually gets weaker as the group make their way to Dracula's castle. Dracula flees back to his castle in Transylvania, followed by Van Helsing's group, who manage to track him down just before sundown and destroy him by shearing "through the throat" with a knife and stabbing him in the heart also with a knife. Dracula crumbles to dust, his spell is lifted and Mina is freed from the marks. Quincey Morris is killed in the final battle, stabbed by Gypsies who had been charged with returning Dracula to his castle; the survivors return to England. OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS | good versus evil, violence, gothic | tt1852770 |
The Broken Circle Breakdown | «Ciclo Interrompido» conta a história de amor entre Elise e Didier. Ela tem a sua própria loja de tatuagens, ele toca banjo numa banda. É amor «à primeira vista» apesar das grandes diferenças. Ele fala, ela escuta. Ele é um ateu convicto, embora, ao mesmo tempo, um ingénuo romântico. Ela tem uma cruz tatuada no pescoço, mas os pés bem assentes na terra.
A sua felicidade completa-se com o nascimento de Maybelle. Infelizmente, Maybelle, aos seis anos de idade, adoece gravemente. Didier e Elise reagem de forma muito diferente mas Maybelle não lhes irá deixar escolha. Didier e Elise terão que lutar juntos por ela. Será possível sentir o mesmo sendo tão diferente? Ou, o amor, mesmo quando forte e intenso, pode desiludir quando mais dele se precisa? | tragedy, dramatic, sentimental, flashback | tt2024519 |
How to Steal a Million | Paris, 1966...Monsieur Charles Bonnet (Hugh Griffin), the current head of the Bonnet family, custodian of the family's legendary collection of fine art, and a noted collector in his own right, is offering one of his prized paintings at auction. A Cezanne, it sells for a fabulous $515,000, the high point of the auction. When Bonnet's daughter, Nicole (Audrey Hepburn), hears the news on her car radio on her way home from work, she is shocked...and dismayed. The moment she arrives at their elegant old chateau, she runs upstairs calling her father. In his bedroom on the second floor, she opens the door to an antique wardrobe and steps inside, opens a false panel at the back of the wardrobe and climbs a hidden spiral staircase to her father's secret studio in the attic.Bonnet, it turns out, is a forger of fine art...cheerful and charming, but an unrepentant scoundrel. He is putting the finishing touches on his latest project, a flawless rendition of a famous lost Van Gogh. He has even found another painting from the same period, by an unknown artist, and has brushed dirt from the back of that canvas to transfer to his forgery. "I doubt if even Van Gogh himself would have gone to such pains with his work," he boasts. "He didn't have to, Papa," Nicole retorts, "he WAS Van Gogh!" She tells him in a tired voice (for what must surely be the thousandth time) that it's a crime to sell fake masterpieces. He replies that he only sells them to wealthy, private buyers, who get an undeniably fine painting in return.A noise in the driveway sends them both to the window: An armored car, a police van, a black limousine and half a dozen motorcycles have arrived and parked in front of the house. Nicole is terrified that the authorities have at last discovered Bonnet's hobby, but Bonnet explains that he has simply agreed to let the Claver-Lafayette Museum display their exquisite statuette of Venus, purportedly carved by 16th Century sculptor Benvenuto Cellini, in their latest exhibit. Nicole is not reassured: Their Cellini Venus is also a forgery...carved at the end of the 19th century by Bonnet's father, using Bonnet's mother as a model. Unlike paintings, she tells her father, it's an easy matter to detect forged sculptures. Bonnet brushes aside her concerns: since he's merely lending the statue, not selling it, there will be no reason to test its authenticity.He runs downstairs (followed closely by Nicole) to greet Monsieur Grammont (Ferdinand Gravey), the museum director, who is here with his assistants and an armed escort to transport the Venus. Bonnet shows him into the library, where the Venus stands in solitary splendor in its own special niche. Grammont is moved almost to tears by the sight of it...he congratulates Bonnet for keeping this fine piece in France, though he must have had many lucrative offers to buy it. Bonnet smiles modestly, and says, "Well, after all, one is still a Frenchman." The Venus is handed over, secured in a heavily padded case, Grammont thanks Bonnet effusively and leaves. Bonnet is jubilant, but Nicole is still worried. He waves off her concern, saying that her basic trouble is that she's honest...."but I don't tell you that to hurt your feelings," he adds kindly. "I get dizzy spells when we have these conversations, Papa," she complains. He invites her to attend the gala opening at the museum that night...she firmly declines.The Cellini Venus is the star of the exhibit, and Bonnet the most celebrated guest at the gala. Davis Leland (Eli Wallach), a wealthy American industrialist, is also present. He has recently taken up art collecting, and is pursuing it as obssessively as he pursued the acquisition of his millions. He is so taken with the Venus that he determines to find out all about Bonnet and his family...with the goal of somehow acquiring the Venus.The Bonnet chateau is dark and quiet...the only inhabitant is Nicole, lying upstairs on her bed in her nightie, engrossed in a lurid paperback mystery. Downstairs an intruder has gained entry, and is quietly creeping around the main floor, looking over all the paintings with a small flashlight. He stops when he finds Bonnet's new Van Gogh, takes it down from the wall, and chips off a minute particle of the paint. He tucks it into a little plastic envelope, and stows it in his pocket. He then starts to examine the painting, carefully. But he makes a slight noise, which Nicole hears upstairs, and she comes down to investigate. She gets halfway down the staircase, sees the intruder, and stifles a scream. Then she plucks up her courage and takes an antique duelling pistol from a display on the wall. She makes her way to the bottom of the stairs, levels the pistol in his direction and turns on the lights.Startled, holding the Van Gogh in front of himself like a shield, the burglar whirls around to face her. He (Peter O'Toole) is no ordinary burglar: he's tall, slim, blue-eyed, handsome, and very distinguished-looking in a dinner jacket. "Don't move," she tells him, "Put that painting down." He does so, and she starts to call the police. Then she notices which painting he was holding. "Why...did you choose that particular painting?" she asks, uneasily. "It was the handiest," he replies, promptly. He sees her hesitation, and decides to press his luck, a bit. "Look..." he says, "don't call the police. Give me another chance. You see, I was only taking one painting...and you have so many...chances are you wouldn't even have noticed." "Don't be impudent," she scolds. But she can't afford to have official attention drawn toward her father's latest forgery. He puts the painting back, and she puts the phone down. "Well, I don't know why," she says, "but I'm going to let you go." She sets the pistol down on the phone table, and as she does so it goes off, terrifying them both and grazing the burglar's arm. They both faint. He revives first, pats her cheek, fans her face with his coat tail, and when she awakens, he points out that he's the one who's bleeding.She takes him to the kitchen, pours him a drink and bandages his arm. He complains about the wound and the doctoring, even though it's only a minor scratch. "For a burglar, you're not very brave," she remarks. "I'm a society burglar," he retorts, "I don't expect people to rush about shooting me." She finishes patching him up, and tells him he is free to go. He continues to push her, though, as if he's trying to see how far he can go before she finally loses patience and calls the police. He tells her he won't be able to drive home, with his wounded arm. Exasperated, she offers to call a cab...and pay for it. He points out that his car is outside her house, and the police may ask questions...and after all, he is wanted. She finally agrees to drive him home, and while she's pulling on her boots, and putting a coat on over her nightie, he asks her for a cigarette...and then a match...all while openly admiring her legs.They jump into his little yellow Jaguar, and she drives him to the Hotel Ritz ("You're a very chic burglar," she grumbles). Then she realizes she's on foot, in her nightie, in downtown Paris, in the middle of the night...with no way of getting home herself. He has the doorman wave down a taxi for her, and while it's turning around, he asks her for a final favor. "Like an idiot," he says, "I forgot to wear gloves. Would you just give the edge of the painting a quick wipe with a clean cloth, when you get home?" She stares at him in disbelief. "Oh, you're mad," she says. "I suppose next you'll want a goodnight kiss." "Well, I don't, usually, on the first acquaintance," he replies, "but you've been such a good sport...." And he lays a lovely one on her that leaves her stunned and speechless. He puts her gently in the cab, bids her good night, and waves as they drive off. Simon Dermott, "society burglar", hurries upstairs to his room, takes out the tiny spot of paint he chipped from the Van Gogh, and examines it with a set of jeweler's glasses. He lights a cigarette, thinking...and smiles, remembering.Bonnet is at home pouring a glass of champagne when Nicole walks in. He starts to tell her of the gala...she interrupts and tells him about the burglar she caught. He quickly grasps the implications of what might have happened had she called the police, and assures her she did the right thing in letting the burglar go. Still somewhat dazed, she starts up to bed, then pauses...she takes Bonnet's handkerchief from his pocket, wipes the edge of the painting with it, and tucks it back into Bonnet's pocket, while he watches, a little bewildered. She starts back up the stairs, and he asks her, uneasily, "This tall, good-looking ruffian...he didn't molest you in any way, did he?" She stops, considers, then replies softly, "Not much," and continues on up to bed.Next day she goes to the museum to see the Venus in the exhibit for herself. She turns to leave, and almost bumps into Simon Dermott. Startled and indignant, she is trying to get rid of him when Monsieur Grammont sees her, and comes over to greet her. Simon horns in, introducing himself as an old shooting partner of Miss Bonnet's. Monsieur Grammont offers to tell her about the special security arrangements they've made. Nicole tries to disengage, but Simon expresses interest, so Monsieur Grammont launches into an explanation. The little statue stands on a marble pedestal, with a circuit of infrared beams surrounding her. If anyone tries to reach through the invisible barrier to grab her, an alarm sounds, and both museum security and police respond. Simon wants to linger and hear more, but Nicole drags him away, out of the museum. Outside she tells him to go away, and leave her alone. He tries to talk to her, but she speeds off in her little car so quickly he spins around and almost falls in the street.Simon arrives at the office of Monsieur Bernard Desolnay (Charles Boyer), a well-known and reputable dealer of fine art. Desolnay greets him with enthusiasm, and asks if he had a chance to go to Bonnet's home and look at the Van Gogh. Simon nodds, and Desolnay says, "And it bothers you, doesn't it?" "Not a bit," replies Simon, "it's a great Van Gogh." "Of course it is," agrees Desolnay readily, "But who painted it?" It develops that Desolnay has suspected Bonnet for some time. Simon points out that he has a statue worth a million dollars on exhibit...he certainly doesn't need the money. Desolnay speculates that it has more to do with ego: Bonnet studied painting as a young man, and like many art students, copied the Old Masters to learn their secrets. In the process he must have learned that he could imitate them perfectly, and now he enjoys fooling the world. Simon wonders idly if Nicole is in it with him. Desolnay replies, "In what? According to you there's nothing." "Oh, that's right," says Simon, catching himself. "Well, you're wrong, you'll see," declares Desolnay.Later, Bonnet enters Nicole's bedroom, and asks about her plans for the evening. She tells him she has a date with Davis Leland, an American tycoon she met that day. Bonnet is surprised and interested. He tells her that Leland once bought a Toulouse Lautrec painting from him. "Your Lautrec or Lautrec's Lautrec?" she asks, warily. "Mine, of course," he chuckles. Nicole is instantly uneasy again: Not only had Davis not mentioned that fact, but he had behaved as though he'd never heard of her father, and had no interest in art at all. She fears he must be up to something...or suspects something.They dine at an upscale restaurant. Davis is quite taken with Nicole...he sometimes has trouble relating to women, he tells her...but she's just like a member of the board. He's called to the phone, and as soon as he's out of sight, Simon (who apparently had him paged) sits down at the table. She is suitably annoyed, but he tells her he must talk to her, and gives her his room number at the Ritz. Then he leaves, and Davis returns. Davis finally admits to Nicole that he arranged their meeting because of his interest in the Cellini Venus, and hoped she could help him acquire it. Relieved, she kisses him, and tells him it's not for sale...but if it was hers to sell, it would be his in a heartbeat.Next morning, she tells her father of the exchange, and they share a short-lived moment of relief. The butler (Bert Bertram) announces that a representative from the museum (Eddie Malin) has arrived. It seems that the museum has arranged to insure the Venus against damage or theft while it's on exhibit. Monsieur Grammont was supposed to have gotten Bonnet's signature on an insurance form the day he picked it up, but had neglected to do so, and he is here to correct the oversight. When Bonnet has signed the papers, the representative asks if he'd like to be present at the technical examination, which he has just authorized. "Technical...examination?" Nicole and Bonnet ask in unison, dumbfounded. "Yes," replies the representative. "A mere formality, of course...It will take place on Friday, and you have the right to be present." He leaves, unaware of the bomb he has dropped on their world.The myth of the Bonnet collection is about to be exploded. Once the Venus is exposed as a forgery, anything else that has been bought, owned or sold by Bonnet will be tested and retested until every forged piece is brought to light. Bonnet urges Nicole to leave the country and let him face the scandal alone. But she refuses, determined to stand by him, and as she comforts him, an idea occurs to her. She asks him for the number of the Hotel Ritz.Simon enters the bar at the Ritz, and walks right by Nicole, who is "disguised" in a black lace cocktail dress and a little black pillbox hat, with black net veil and domino-style mask attached. She "Pssst's" at him, and motions him back to her table. He's astonished by her odd appearance and behavior...and stunned when she asks him to help her steal the Venus. He wants to know why, but she steadfastly refuses to tell him, and at first, he emphatically refuses. But she is so heartbroken, so desperate (and so lovely), he can't bring himself to refuse her out of hand. He tells her he'll sleep on it. They agree to meet the next day to talk it over.Next day, they drive to the museum...he points out that there is a formidable presence of museum guards, and even more guards at the homes of the Minister of the Interior and the President, across the street. They go inside, and as he studies the security set-up, he notices a resemblance between Nicole and the Venus. "Where were you in the middle of the 15th Century?" he asks. "I don't know," she retorts, "but that's not how I was dressed," gesturing at the nude statue. He continues his reconnaissance. He notes that parcels are not permitted in the museum: they must be left at a desk in the lobby, but they are not searched...that there is a tapestry hanging on a frame in front of a fireplace...that there is a small utility closet at the bottom of the main staircase, the door of which is locked, but the key is kept on a hook at the back of the staircase. Exploring, he finds the guards' room, and goes inside. Posing as an official from the Ministry of Tourism, and asking indignant questions under the pretense that his sleeve became smeared with dust in the museum, he learns that the cleaning people come in every night at midnight. On his way out, he deliberately chooses the wrong door, and sees that it leads to the basement, and a possible alternate exit.They go for a walk in a nearby park. He sees a child's toy being demonstrated, a balsa-wood boomerang that soars in a circle, then returns to the thrower. He buys two. They stop at a second-hand shop, for a scrubwoman's outfit, and a plastic mop bucket. When they go back to his room at the Ritz, he tells Nicole to change into the clothes. Tired of following him on endless and seemingly unrelated errands, irritated at having no explanation as to what he is thinking, Nicole asks him suspiciously if they're planning the same sort of crime. Nevertheless, she puts on the clothes, and he starts to tell her what will happen at midnight in the museum. "You DO have a plan, don't you!" she exclaims, excited. "Yes," he replies evenly. "My plan is that I will be lying here in my bed with a good book, unless you tell me what this is all about." She's surprised and crestfallen...but she can't explain, so he tells her she must go. Tears fill her eyes, and he angrily tells her they won't change his mind. He orders her back into the bathroom to change out of the clothes, and leave. As she turns dejectedly to do so, against his better judgment, he tells her to meet him at the museum just before closing the following day. Overjoyed, she agrees, and almost skips into the bathroom. Simon hits himself in the head with the plastic mop bucket.Next evening, just as Nicole is preparing to leave for the museum, Davis Leland turns up at her house with an enormous diamond ring, and in a very efficient and business-like manner, asks her to marry him. Afraid that refusing him will mean argument and delay, she takes the ring and dashes away, arriving at the museum only a few minutes late. Simon is impatient and irritated...she explains to him that she was getting engaged, and he retorts that they still have a little time if she'd like to go back and marry the man.They check the parcel of clothes at the desk, and go on into the museum. He checks on the closet, and quickly unlocks the door. Then he takes a handful of coins, and puts them in a brochure, and places the brochure precariously on the edge of a statue's pedestal. "Watch for normal human reactions," he says to Nicole, and they move over by the fireplace. A guard picks up the brochure, and the coins scatter...several people bend down to pick them up, while many others watch. Simon and Nicole use the distraction to duck into the fireplace behind the tapestry. The museum closes and as the guards escort the other patrons out, they slip down the stairs and into the tiny closet. The guards return and make a round of all the floors. One of the guards finds the closet unlocked, gives it a cursory inspection (slim Nicole and slim Simon have both squeezed into a tiny shelf area), then locks the door and returns the key to the outside panel. Nicole panics, but Simon is unconcerned. They wait for an hour in the tiny closet. Then they hear the guards come out of their room, and tramp all over the museum again as they make their rounds. Simon is pleased: now he knows the schedule.Using a powerful magnet against the wall at the back of the closet, he is able to remove the key from its hook, "walk" it around the outside of the closet, and bring it inside under the door. With a specially-fitted tube, a hook, and another small magnet, he's able to draw the key up into the keyhole, and open the door. He runs to the front desk, grabs the clothes and runs back to the closet. He helps Nicole to put the clothes on over her own clothes, then he takes out and assembles one of the little boomerangs he'd bought the day before. Exasperated at the close quarters ("I hadn't counted on there being so much togetherness," she grumbles) and all the elaborate preparations, Nicole asks when they're finally going to steal the Venus. He tells her that one of the nice things about complicated mechanical systems is that they malfunction, and when that happens, you can always rely on normal human reactions. He asks her how she would feel if she was one of these guards, assigned to look out for a bunch of stuff she couldn't afford, and wasn't interested in, night after night. "Irritated," she replies, wearily. "Exactly," he says, and steps out of the closet onto the stairway.His first throw goes wide...but his second breaks the beam on the electric field surrounding the Venus, and a deafening alarm goes off. He grabs the returning boomerang and Nicole, and they both run back to the closet. The guards pour out of their room, and swarm all over the museum, and when the police arrive, they search as well. It's eventually determined that the alarm was false. The Minister of the Interior calls to complain about the noise from across the street. The head guard (Jacques Marin), a short, serious man, looks disgusted. "A burglar alarm especially designed to give me heartburn," he mutters, as he resets it.Nicole realizes, for the first time, what a difficult and dangerous task they've undertaken. She tells Simon she wouldn't blame him if he left. "Then what happens tomorrow when they test your million dollar baby?" he asks quietly. She stares at him. "It's a fake, isn't it," he says. She nods slowly, and asks how long he's known, and he answers: "Since you first asked me to steal it." She asks why he'd help if he knew...he leans in and kisses her gently, and she whispers, "That's why," in wonder. "Oh, I'm so stupid," she says, putting her arms around his neck. "Please...explain it to me again!"After more "explanation", he goes out to set off the alarm a second time. Again, the lights go on, the guards gallop all over the museum, and the police arrive to assist...again, they find nothing. This time, it is "His Excellency" himself who calls up from across the street to complain. The head guard is properly intimidated. He doesn't reset the alarm...he turns it off.Simon is stunned to find that his plan has worked. Nevertheless, he pulls himself together, and attends to business. He goes up the stairs and takes the Venus, and conceals it in the bucket. He tells Nicole to hide in the fireplace again, and when the scrubwomen arrive, to come out on her hands and knees, scrubbing madly, and no matter whatever else happens to work her way back to the guard's room. "The guards' room?" she asks. "When they discover the Venus is gone, there will be guards everywhere but in the guards' room," he says, and tells her to hang onto her bucket.At midnight, the scrubwomen arrive, and set to work. The guards also come out, and start rounds. It is several minutes before a guard (Mustache) notices that the Venus is gone. He points it out to the head guard, who is shocked insensible for a long moment. Then he hoarsely cries, "Alarm!" --and all hell breaks loose, with guards running every which way, bumping into each other, and stumbling over scrubwomen. It is a few moments more before the head guard realizes that the alarm is not sounding...because it has been turned off. He quickly turns it on again, but it is still silent. Mustache finally reaches through the beam, and the alarm goes off, adding to the bedlam.Nicole has worked her way to the guard room, and goes inside. One of the guards is there, sitting in a chair, reading a newspaper. She turns to flee, but he grabs her and kisses her...it's Simon. They leave quietly down the basement stairs.Reporters gather at Bonnet's house next morning, to take pictures of the empty niche, and ask him how he feels about the loss of his precious statue. He plays his feigned grief to the hilt. Upstairs, Nicole is chatting excitedly with Simon about the caper on the phone, and they arrange to meet later at the Ritz bar. The reporters leave, and Nichol runs downstairs, and she and her father hug joyously in their relief. He offers to take her out to celebrate, but she tells him she has an appointment later, at the Ritz. She runs back upstairs, and he repeats, "The Ritz," looking thoughtful.Davis Leland has come to Monsieur Desolnay's office, in a state of extreme excitement. He wants to try and find the Venus, and purchase it...at any price...no questions asked. Desolnay implores him not to pursue it, but finally gives him the name of someone he thinks may be able to help: Simon Dermott, currently staying at the Ritz.They meet at the bar in the Ritz, and Simon tells Davis that he already has a few feelers out...just idle curiosity...and he believes he knows who might be responsible. He warns Davis he'll be buying something that he will never be able to show, or even to acknowledge that he owns. Davis is undeterred. Simon asks if Davis is acquainted with any member of the Bonnet familly, and Davis admits he's engaged to Bonnet's daughter. Simon tells him that if he wants the Venus, he'll have to give her up...that if he doesn't, the people who have the Venus will suspect a trap and he'll never be able to acquire it. Reluctantly, Davis agrees. Simon says he'll be in touch, and Davis starts to leave the bar...just as Nicole arrives. As Simon watches, amused, Davis almost breaks a leg avoiding her, when she's only trying to return his ring.She sits down next to Simon, and begins to chatter about how thrilling the theft had been, for her first effort. "It was my first, too," he remarks. This admission stops her in mid-sentence. She asks, puzzled, "Then you're not a burglar?" He shakes his head. "Who are you?" she asks, filled with sudden foreboding. "I'm a private consultant who specializes in museum security," he says, deliberately. "I have advanced degrees in art history, chemistry and criminology. I also specialize in tracing and recovering stolen works of art, and in detecting and exposing forgeries." She is so startled and dismayed she almost falls out of the booth. But he catches her, and at that moment Bonnet himself arrives, having correctly deduced the nature of Nicole's appointment. After Nicole introduces them, he asks what Simon intends to do. Simon replies that Bonnet has two gorgeous girls in his family...and he intends to keep the real one. But he has plans for the other girl as well, and he must leave now to make arrangements. After his departure, Nicole lets out a shocked little scream: Davis Leland's huge diamond ring is gone, too!Simon meets Davis at the airport, preparing to take off in his private jet. He hands Davis a crate, and tells him that he'll be contacted later for payment: the code word will be "togetherness". Davis takes the crate into the jet, and hurries directly to the restroom, where he can be alone. There, he opens the crate, removes the packing and reveals the Venus, in all its illicit splendor. Then, to his wonder, he notices that the diamond ring he gave to Nicole is tied with a bit of ribbon around the Venus's neck.Bonnet is delighted...Davis is the only collector who will never dare to have the statue tested. He asks, rather tentatively, about the money Simon got for the piece...Simon says he asked a nice round figure, and traces a large zero in the air with his index finger. "You, sir, are a forger," he says. "It's my job to catch forgers. One of us has to retire." "Fair enough," says Bonnet, "Shall we flip a coin?" "I already did," replies Simon, "You lost." Bonnet struggles with himself for a moment, then extends his hand to seal the bargain.Nicole and Simon are leaving France...they'll lie low for a while in England, and get married there. As they drive through Bonnet's front gate, another car passes them on the way in...a Senor Paravideo (Marcel Dalio) who has long been trying to get hold of one of Bonnet's paintings. Simon stops the little yellow Jag, and he and Nicole turn to watch. Bonnet greets Paravideo with delight, and shows him inside. "Who's that?" asks Simon, pointedly. Nicole's hesitation is very brief: "Papa's cousin," she replies, innocently, "from South America." He looks at her for a long time, then remarks, "For someone who only started lying recently, you're showing a real flair for it." "Oh, thank you!" she says, smiling radiantly. And they're off. And they all live happily ever after! | comedy | tt0060522 |
Silverado | The story opens with a man sleeping in a remote cabin in the Old American West. The door to the cabin bursts open and a gunman enters, shooting at the sleeping man, who is barely able to grab his pistol and shoot back, killing his would-be killer. The man continues to aim at the sides of the cabin and shoots another man walking outside. Repeated shotgun blasts blow through the roof of the cabin but the man is out of shots for his revolver. He tosses the revolver at the wood burning stove in the cabin and distracts the roof shooter long enough to grab his Winchester rifle. He shoots upward and hits the roof shooter, who falls into the cabin. The man with the rifle, Emmett (Scott Glenn), walks outside and looks over the failed assassins. He also looks at the horses, seeing a familiar brand emblem. Emmett leaves the cabin and continues his journey.Far out in the desert, he comes across another man, lying on the ground in his long underwear. He gives the man some water and takes him along. Later, as they camp for the night, the man in the underwear tells Emmett that his name is Paden (Kevin Kline) and that he'd been riding with a group of men who looted him and stole his horse. The two stop at an Army outpost where Emmett gives Paden some money to buy proper clothing. Paden suddenly spots his horse and the man who stole it. He ducks into the nearby general store where he has an argument with the shopkeep. Paden wants to borrow a pistol but the clerk won't let him. Paden asks the man for a gun worth the money Emmett gave him and is given a rusty old pistol that the cylinder falls out of. Paden rushes out to the square and loads the gun; he is spotted almost immediately by the horse thief, who rides toward him, shooting. Paden takes quick but very careful aim and shoots the man off the horse. A few minutes later, while he kisses his horse, Paden is grilled by a US Army sergeant about the shooting. Paden tells the lieutenant to look at the underside of his saddle, where his name is etched. When the lieutenant asks Paden his name, another man in the crowd, Cobb (Brian Dennehy), speaks up and tells the lieutenant how to spell it. The lieutenant checks the bottom of the saddle, confirming Paden's claim and tells the crowd to disperse. He also tells Paden to get some clothes.Cobb loans Paden money to buy clothes and a hat (that has a broken brim). Paden promises to pay Cobb back ("I'm good for it."). Cobb asks Paden to join him in a new business venture further out west. Paden refuses to join Cobb but watches as Cobb meets a scruffy, shady-looking man, Tyree, who's shackles are being removed while he's freed from custody. While Cobb and Tyree ride off, Tyree asks Paden about a dog.Emmett plans to ride to another remote town called Turley, where he'll pick up his brother, Jake (Kevin Costner), and continue to Silverado to meet their sister and her family. After they visit for a while, Jake and Emmett plan to move on to California. Paden agrees to go, especially after Emmett mentions that there's a saloon there. The two arrive and are immediately scolded by a grizzly man, Hobart, who mistakenly calls them Baxter and Holly. Hobart is leading a group of farmers who are heading to Silverado to settle. When the real Baxter and Holly arrive, Paden and Emmett are suspicious of the deal they strike with Hobart.Paden and Emmett sit down to eat in a hotel restaurant. While they eat, a large black man, Malcolm "Mal" Johnson (Danny Glover) walks in and asks for a room for the night and a bottle of whiskey. The woman behind the counter apprehensively gives Mal the whiskey, however the hotel manager tells Mal to leave, saying he doesn't serve Mal's "kind" there. Three other man, eating at another table, suddenly stand up and approach Mal to throw him out. However, Mal is much tougher and smarter and quickly beats all three in a brief fight, causing a fair amount of damage to the restaurant. Just then the town's sheriff, John Langston (John Cleese), walks in and stops the brawl. Though Emmett and Paden offer testimony that Mal didn't start the fight, Langston still orders him to leave town. Mal gathers his things and leaves, taking the only shot of whiskey that wasn't broken in the brawl. Langston sits down with Emmett and Paden, explaining despite his British ancestry, the people of Turley accepted him for maintaining the peace. To that end, he asks them why they're in town. Emmett tells him that he's meeting his brother, Jake, and when he describes him, Langston immediately knows where he is; Jake has been jailed for shooting a man. Jake tells Emmett that it was self-defense (for kissing the wrong woman), however, Langston seems driven by Old West justice and Jake is to be hanged the next morning at 10 am. Though Emmett tells Jake that he can't help him, after he leaves the sheriff's office, Emmett tells Paden he plans to bust Jake out. Paden, however, refuses to get involved and he and Emmett go to the saloon for a drink. In the saloon, Paden spots the man who stole his hat. He also surmises that the man is carrying his Colt revolver. The man stands up slowly and tries to draw but Paden is faster, and he kills him. Langston has Paden thrown in jail with Jake immediately.The next morning, a young boy calls the sheriff out of his office. Langston leaves his deputy behind and follows the boy out; the sheriff's gallows where he'd planned to hang Jake, are engulfed in flames. Back in jail, Jake picks the cell's lock. When the deputy cautiously enters the cell to investigate he sees only Paden standing there. He's just finished locking Paden's wrists to the cell bars when a boot drops into sight, behind Paden. Paden suddenly punches the deputy, knocking him cold. (Jake had been hiding piggyback on Paden.) The two find their gear and wait outside the sheriff's office for Emmett. They get into a brief gunfight with a few of the town's residents and Langston, who had returned from the burning gallows. Emmett arrives with a couple of horses and the three race out of town, with the sheriff and his posse close behind. When they reach the town's outskirts, Jake, Emmett and Paden are aided by Mal Johnson, hiding in a rock outcropping and shooting with a Henry rifle - Mal is an accomplished sniper and prevents Langston's deputy from shooting Jake and shoots Langston's hat off his head. Knowing that any further pursuit would be dangerous, Langston calls off the manhunt. Mal joins the three and they continue to Silverado.Some time later the team finds Hobart's party, stranded in the scrubland. Baxter and Holly have betrayed them and stolen the strongbox with all their money. The team leaves Jake behind to get the wagon train moving again. Paden, Mal and Emmett ride north, finding a canyon where Baxter and Holly have joined up with their own gang. Emmett rides into the canyon, towing Paden's horse with Paden slung over it, playing dead. Emmett tells the gang's leader, Dawson (James Gammon), that he needs a place to hide out from a posse after robbing a bank in Turley. Dawson is furious that Emmett led a posse to his best hideout and plans to shoot Emmett on the spot when shots are heard from above. Mal and one of the settlers are shooting from the top of the canyon. Emmett frees all of Dawson's stolen horses, causing a ruckus, while Paden ties a rope to the strongbox and rides out, towing it behind him. Emmett follows with Mal and the settler covering the escape. While the three laugh over how well Mal's plan worked, the settler believes they'll betray him and his friends as well, and orders them to hand over the box. He's suddenly shot dead by one of Dawson's men who'd been hiding in the rocks above them; the three return fire and kill him. They ride back and help Jake guide the wagon train to Silverado. That night, Mal, Jake and Emmett share a campfire and Paden hints that he's interested in a woman named Hannah (Rosanna Arquette), the wife of the man who was killed at Dawson's hideout. Mal talks about the horrible work he endured in the slaughterhouses in Chicago and how he's going to Silverado to reunite with his father and his sister on the farm his father has set up.The team guides the settlers to their territory and ride the rest of the way to Silverado. They go their separate ways. Paden goes to the local saloon and meets the woman who manages it, Stella (Linda Hunt), who is a former legendary dancer from Virginia, the Midnight Star. She and Paden bond immediately, becoming instant friends. They're both met by Cobb, who reveals that he's sheriff of Silverado, calling the place "heaven." Mal goes to his father's farm, finding it overrun with cattle. He finds his father, Ezra, hiding out in a nearby cave; Ezra had been run off his land by by the men of a powerful cattle driver named McKendrick (Ray Baker). Ezra also tells Mal that his mother had died of fever the previous summer and that Mal's sister, Rae, is now a prostitute in town. Mal vows to set things right. At Jake and Emmett's sister's house, they reunite with their family. Their brother-in-law, the town's land claims agent, tells them that the town has become corrupted by Cobb's influence. Jake and Emmett are still determined to continue on to California.At night, Mal's father goes out to a nearby stream for water. He's met there by two of McKendrick's men who steal his Henry rifle and kill him. Mal, asleep in the cave where his father had been hiding, hears the gunshots and races down to the stream to find his father dead and his Henry rifle stolen.In town, Cobb meets Paden at the saloon and fires Stella's partner, Kelly, giving his job, security chief for Stella, to Paden. Cobb accuses Kelly of skimming profits and literally throws him out of the saloon. Paden accepts the job just as Kelly tries to shoot Cobb; Cobb is quicker on the draw and kills Kelly. Paden is unsure of having Cobb as a boss. While a crowd stares at Kelly's body, a professional gambler, Slick (Jeff Goldblum), arrives and inquires about a honest game. Cobb tells him to talk to Paden.Mal goes into town to tell his sister, Rae (Lynn Whitfield), that their father is dead. Rae is mostly unconcerned and isn't happy to see her brother. Mal tries to convince Rae to give up prostitution but she refuses.The settlers that were guided to Silverado hold a large picnic, inviting their rescuers, Jake and Emmett. During the festivities, McKendrick's men attack them, shooting their dogs and livestock and setting fire to their houses. Several people are shot. Jake and Emmett shoot several of the thugs; Emmett recovers a Henry rifle from one of them.Back at the saloon, Stella and Paden discuss the liquor she sells, which she shamelessly dilutes. She shows Paden the bottle of the "good stuff" she keeps for special occasions. A disturbance in the bar gets their attention and Paden finds Jake and Cobb's man, Tyree, facing off against each other. Jake had kissed Tyree's woman, Phoebe, angering Tyree. Paden disarms the situation quickly, seizing Tyree's pistol and telling Jake to leave, reminding him about his arrest in Turley. He gives Tyree his gun back, Tyree immediately shoves it underneath Paden's chin, threatening to kill him. Stella talks him down and Tyree leaves.Emmett and Jake's nephew, Augie, rides around town on a horse and is stopped by McKendrick and some of his men. Emmett happens by and returns the horse to McKendrick when he sees the cattle rancher's brand on it, proving the men who attacked Emmett while he was sleeping worked for him. McKendrick was looking for revenge, given Emmett shot his father to prevent him from shooting Jake in the back. The two exchange wary looks and McKendrick rides off.At the saloon, Cobb tells Stella about his history riding with Paden: the two, along with a large group of thieves, had pulled off many robberies together with a small group of friends, including Tyree. A stray dog had joined the group, becoming their mascot. Following a robbery, the dog tripped up Tyree's horse, throwing him off. Tyree had shot the dog and Paden, who never cared for much more than himself, was overcome and stopped to take care of the dog. He was left behind by Cobb and the others, got arrested by the posse & served jail time. Following his telling of the story, Cobb gives Paden his first earnings in the saloon. Cobb suggests that Paden could run the saloon without Stella, however, Paden refuses, saying he'd quit before taking Stella's dream away from her. Cobb tells Paden that Emmett, Jake and Mal are causing trouble in his town. He asks Paden not to interfere with his handling of the situation and Paden agrees.Outside town, Emmett is practicing his shooting, using Mal's father's rifle. When he's out of shots, several of McKendrick's men appear, including Tyree, and hold him down while Tyree runs him down with his horse. Just as they're about to shoot him dead, Mal appears on a nearby bluff and shoots one of Tyree's men in the hand, and kills another. They're sent back to town on foot. Mal talks to Emmett, telling him that he was looking for him and his father's rifle. Emmett is horribly injured but still needs to find his brother, who will be McKendrick's next target. Mal tells him to stay and rest and that he'll find Jake. Emmett tells him he's in just as much danger for killing the McKendrick's men.Mal talks to his sister, telling her that the men who killed their father are after Jake. Rae has Slick meet Mal, with the time and place to find Jake. When Mal arrives there, Cobb is waiting and has Mal beaten and arrested. While incarcerated, Paden visits Mal, who is distrustful of his friend since Paden works for Cobb.At Jake and Emmett's sister's house, McKendrick has captured them and waits for Jake. Jake returns home and is immediately captured. After he's brought outside, the house is set on fire to burn the land registries. His brother-in-law tries to stop McKendrick's men and is shot. His wife is knocked unconscious as well and Augie is kidnapped, having seen who caused the fire. News of the fire soon reaches the saloon. Paden and Stella rush to the fire; Stella directs her men to help with a bucket brigade headed by Paden, however, the fire has burned way beyond control. Cobb appears and says how he hates to see such destruction in his town. He again warns Paden that any interference could be dangerous for Stella.While Stella grills Paden on why he was just sitting around with everything going on, Rae gets word of her brother's capture and steals Slick's dagger, which he conceals in his boot. The deputy Mal shot in the hand brings her to him and tries to "search" her. She stabs the man in the back with Slick's dagger but is shot. Mal grabs the man and forces the dagger deeper into his chest, killing him. As he struggles for the keys to his cell, another of Cobb's deputies enters the room. Mal, virtually unable to see the man at an angle, throws the dagger into his chest, killing him. While this was going on, Stella figures out why Paden wouldn't act: Cobb was using her as leverage. She said there are always people in the world who think they can push others around. Paden admires her spirit but is still afraid of Cobb hurting her. (STELLA: He can't hurt me...if he's dead.) Phoebe then arrives to show them that Mal freed himself and left his unconscious sister in the storage room.Mal goes back to the cave where he'd left Emmett and tells him the evening's events, particularly about Augie being kidnapped. Overcoming his injuries, Emmett rises to his feet and gears up. Mal does as well, taking both his and his father's rifles. The pair ride out and are joined by Paden. They ride out to McKendrick's house on his cattle ranch. Causing a massive cattle stampede, they take out most of McKendrick's men. Mal takes up a position on the roof of the rancher's house, providing sniper cover fire. Emmett rides to the house and finds his nephew, killing several men. Augie tells Emmett that Jake was killed on the way to the house when he fell off his horse and into a deep ravine. Emmett smiles, knowing that Jake, an acrobat of some talent, would never have such an accident. Paden battles several more men in the horse barn and is nearly shot when one thug sneaks up on him with Jake's pistols. As he moves in, Jake swings down on a rope, knocking the man out cold. The two take out the rest of the men in the barn and retreat, Jake finding both Augie and Emmett at the house. Mal is nearly killed himself on the roof, however, he is able to take out his killer after a warning from Paden. The team leaves the ranch and rides for Silverado.At the outskirts of town, the team gears up and leaves Augie at the town cemetery. Jake rushes into the saloon, drawing the attention of Tyree and another deputy. The two search the saloon but can't find Jake, who'd been hiding under the platform that Stella has behind the bar. Jake, having removed his boots, sneaks out to find that Tyree and his partner have walked down opposite sides from the front door. Jake calls out to them and shoots them both simultaneously.Mal goes to the store room where Rae lies injured. Slick is there, having traced Rae. Slick, telling Mal that Rae needs a doctor, tries to kill Mal with a hidden Derringer, however, Mal is too fast. Slick reaches for his dagger, but is stabbed by Mal with it.Emmett rides through town looking for McKendrick and the two begin a furious horseback gunfight. Emmett is able to take out McKendrick's sniper, but loses his rifle when McKendrick lands a lucky shot, jamming it. Emmett is also shot in the leg by his enemy, dropping his pistol. Emmett lures McKendrick to the other side of town; riding his horse up a loading ramp, he makes his horse jump from a platform, it's hooves hitting McKendrick in the head, killing him.Paden and Cobb face off in a traditional Old West duel, with Stella looking on. The two say goodbye to each other. Cobb draws first, but is too slow and Paden kills him. Paden slowly re-holsters his pistol.Paden and Stella meet back in the saloon and finally share a drink of the "good stuff." Emmett and Jake say their goodbyes as well and head out for California, like they planned, their brother-in-law and sister and Augie are safe. Mal and Rae head back to their father's farm. As they all leave, Paden now wears the Silverado sheriff's badge and seems likely to marry Hannah, the settler. | cult, murder, violence | tt0090022 |
Chronicle | Seattle high-school teenager Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan) starts videotaping his life. At home, his mother Karen (Bo Petersen) is slowly dying from cancer and his alcoholic ex-firefighter father Richard (Michael Kelly) browbeats him. At school, Andrew is unpopular and frequently bullied.Andrew's cousin Matt (Alex Russell) invites him to a rave to help him meet people, but Andrew's filming angers an attendee and Andrew leaves the rave, despondent. Approached outside by Steve Washington (Michael B. Jordan), the school's popular star quarterback and future politician, Andrew is persuaded to join him and Matt and record something strange the pair of them have found in the woods nearby: a hole in the ground that emits a loud and strange noise. The three enter the hole and discover a large, blue, glowing, crystalline object. As Andrew films, the object turns red and the group is stricken by nosebleeds and pain. The camera cuts out. Weeks later Andrew records himself, Matt, and Steve as they display telekinetic abilities; able to move objects with their minds, but suffering nosebleeds when they overexert themselves. They return to the hole, but find that it has collapsed and that the sheriff's department are sealing off the area for safety.As their abilities continue to grow more powerful, Matt theorizes that their abilities function like a muscle, becoming stronger with use. The three boys develop a close friendship and begin employing their abilities to play pranks. However, after Andrew pushes a rude motorist off the road and into a river, Matt insists that they restrict the use of their powers, particularly against living creatures. The three later discover that they can use their powers to fly and revel in the experience. They agree to fly around the world together after graduation, with Andrew expressing an interest in visiting Tibet because of its peaceful nature.Steve encourages Andrew to enter the school talent show to gain popularity. Andrew amazes his fellow students by disguising his powers as an impressive display of magic tricks, juggling, and tightrope walking. That night, Andrew, Matt and Steve celebrate at a house party, where Andrew is the center of attention. After drinking with his classmate Monica (Anna Wood), Andrew and her go upstairs to have sex but Andrew vomits on Monica, disgusting her and humiliating himself.Andrew becomes increasingly withdrawn and hostile, culminating when his father attacks him and Andrew uses his ability to overpower him. His outburst inflicts nosebleeds and pain on Steve and Matt. Steve is drawn to Andrew, who is floating in the middle of a storm. Steve tries to console him, but Andrew grows increasingly angry until Steve is suddenly struck by lightning and killed. At Steve's funeral, Matt confronts Andrew about the suspicious circumstances of Steve's death. Andrew denies knowledge or responsibility to Matt, but he privately begs forgiveness at Steve's grave.Andrew grows distant from Matt and again finds himself alone and unpopular at school. After being bullied, he uses his power to tear several teeth from the bully's mouth. Andrew begins to identify himself as an apex predator, rationalizing that he should not feel guilt for using his power to hurt those weaker than himself. When his mother's condition deteriorates, Andrew uses his powers to steal money for her medicine. After mugging some local thugs, he robs a gas station where he inadvertently causes an explosion that puts him in the hospital and under police investigation. At his bedside, his upset father informs the unconscious Andrew that his mother has died, and he angrily blames Andrew for her death. As his father is about to strike him, Andrew awakens to stop his father's punch and blows out the outer wall of the hospital room.Matt, while attending a family birthday party with his girlfriend, Casey (Ashley Grace), suddenly experiences a nosebleed and senses Andrew is in trouble. He sees a television news report about the explosion at the hospital and knows it involved Andrew. Matt and Casey travel to the hospital and finds Andrew floating outside the building. Andrew drops his father, who is saved by Matt, and proceeds to wreak havoc with his powers. Matt confronts Andrew at the Space Needle and tries to reason with him, but Andrew grows increasingly hostile and irrational at any attempt to tell him what to do. Andrew attacks Matt and the pair fight across the city, crashing through buildings and hurling vehicles. Andrew, injured and enraged, begins using his power to destroy the buildings around him, threatening many other lives. Unable to get through to Andrew, Matt tears a spear from a nearby statue and impales Andrew, killing him. The police surround Matt, but he flies away.Some time later, Matt lands in Tibet with Andrews camera. Speaking to the camera while addressing Andrew, Matt vows to use his powers for good and to find out what happened to them in the hole. Matt positions the camera to view a Tibetan monastery in the distance and says "You made it" before flying away, leaving the camera behind to continue recording the tranquil scene. | murder, stupid, violence, clever, action, revenge, prank | tt1706593 |
The Twilight Saga: New Moon | A thick, yellow moon slowly transforms into the title "New Moon."We hear Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart)'s voice, quoting Friar Lawrence from "Romeo and Juliet": "These violent delights have violent ends.." and, although we don't know it yet, she is having a nightmare. She fights through a crowd of group of red cloaked strangers in the noon-day sun. She looks up to see a clock tower and the big hand that moves to 12:00. Suddenly she emerges from the woods into a glade of flowers, looking across to her grandmother (Christina Jastrzembska). Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) comes up behind Bella. She tries to warn him away, "Don't. She'll see you." He keeps approaching, however. She seems to welcome his decision to reveal himself and, as she takes his hand says, "Okay." They approach Bella's Grandma and Bella says, "Gran, I'd like you to meet Edward," but the words come out of the older woman, as well as Bella. She realizes it is her, older, wrinkled, and her Grandma is really her reflection, standing next to an eternally youthful Edward. He leans over and kisses her wrinkled forehead.Charlie (Billy Burke), Bella's father, wakes her up from the nightmare. She's fallen asleep reading "Romeo and Juliet."He wishes Bella a happy birthday. He gives her two gifts, a digital camera from him, and a scrapbook from her mother. She protests weakly as she'd thought they'd agreed that she wasn't going to get any presents. He jokes that she is obsessed with aging and points out a grey hair on her head. Bella scurries to the mirror, relieved that he was kidding.As Bella drives to school in her old brick red, beat-up Chevrolet truck (license plate 24G-7HI) the radio relays that three hikers are missing, presumed dead. When she arrives at the parking lot she talks to her friends, Jessica, Mike, Angela, and Eric, all of who seem to know nothing of her birthday. She takes a picture of them as Edward drives up in the parking lot in a brand-new, black Volvo 2010 X60 (license plate 57F-6D3). The rest of the group depart when he arrives. Edward wishes her a happy birthday. Bella tells him shes not very happy about it. She's eighteen now, which is a year older than him. Edward discounts her worry. After all, hes 109. They kiss passionately but he breaks away, saying that they need to go to class. He also stops her because Jacob wants to see her, even though he hasn't arrived yet.When he does Edward backs away. Bella marvels at the changes that have come over Jacob (Taylor Lautner), teasing him about taking anabolic steroids. He too gives Bella a gift. It's a dreamcatcher, a woven band meant to keep bad dreams away. "That's kinda perfect," says Bella, reflecting on her nightmare. Jacob departs.Edward asks Bella why Jacob Black can give her gifts but he cannot. She tells him the reason is that she cannot give him back anything.In the hallway of the school the rest of the school-age Cullen clan arrive. Though Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) is glad to see her, Jasper Cullen (Jackson Rathbone) remains aloof, staring at her from the other side of the hallway. Alice gives her a present which, using her vampire ability of augury, tells Bella she will love. She also invites Bella to a birthday party they're going to have for her that night, which starts at 7:00. Bella agrees but then realizes that Jasper has altered her mood to make her happily agree and gently chides him for it.In class Edward and Bella are talking during the movie that is being shown. Edward says how doesn't like Romeo because he is so quick to act after he sees Juliet dead, but he is jealous of him for one reason. Bella believes this to be of Juliet, but he says it is of the ease of suicide humans have, since it is almost impossible for vampires. He later tells Bell that he began to think along these lines when he thought Bella might not have survived the attack by James a few months before. He says he would have gone and provoked the Volturi. Bella is horrified by this thought and says he should never say it again. Edwards is then questioned by their teacher, Mr. Berty, who believes he's not been paying attention to the BBC version of "Romeo and Juliet" they've been watching. Edward responds by quoting Romeo's final soliloquy from the play."O, here
Will I set up my everlasting rest,
And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars
From this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss"This silences their teacher.Bella goes to the Cullens' house for a birthday party. Before the proceedings Edward and Bella stand before a painting of the Volturi, which includes Edward's vampiric father Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli). The painting comes to life, showing an earlier time, as Edward explains that Carlisle lived with them for a few decades and that the Volturi are the closest things the vampire race has to royalty. They have no respect for human life but they do respect the arts, the sciences and, above all, the law. The Volturi have simple rules: to not make spectacles of themselves, to not kill conspicuously. The penalty for disobedience is death. During this exposition the Volturi tableau shows Aro (Michael Sheen), the supposed leader, Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl) who has long-flowing black hair, and Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower), who has long-flowing white hair, taking a transgressor, laying their hands upon him, and tearing him apart as Carlisle turns away, disturbed.Edward has broken the law by telling Bella, a human, too much. He also predicts that Victoria will come for him some day. Bella tells Edward that they would never have to think about this if he would turn her into a vampire. He says firmly that won't ever happen.All are gathered in the main hall. Rosalie Cullen (Nikki Reed) gives her a necklace, which she claims was all Alice's idea. Then Emmett (Kellan Lutz) gives her an empty box, but tells her that he has already installed a new sound system in her beat-up truck ("Don't hate the truck," jokes Bella) . As she opens another gift from Carlisle and Esme, Bella gets a paper cut and a drop of her blood lands on the carpet. Jasper immediately lunges for her, unable to resist the temptation of her blood. Edward protectively throws Bella back against a glass table and repels Jasper, throwing him backward into a piano. Jasper comes on, mad for her blood, but he's stopped by Edward, Carlisle and Emmett. Bella's right arm is seriously cut by the shards. Even Alice seems tempted by the sight and smell of her blood and apologetically has to excuse herself. Carlisle also has to order Edward out, who stands transfixed by the bleeding sight of Bella, several feet away, with the excuse that only he can talk to Jasper, who must now be ashamed of his actions.Carlisle takes her to get stitches in his office. Bella asks him how he can resist her. "Practice," he tells her. She asks him why he does it, and he says he wants to help people, even if he is "damned regardless." She does not understand what he means. "Like hell?" she presses, insisting this is impossible. Carlisle tells her of the belief that vampires do not have souls. Bella realizes that is why Edward will not change her. "Imagine the reverse," Carlisle says, "if you could take away his soul." He burns her blood in a bowl.Afterward, Edward drives home with her in her truck. He talks about the welfare of Bella's soul. Bella argues that he can't always protect her. She will get ill, have an accident, and get old. If he turns her, none of this will happen. "That's not a solution," Edward counters, "It's a tragedy." Bella says she doesn't care about her soul. But its still Bella's birthday and she requests one last thing, that Edward kiss her. They do and Edward again has to restrain himself. They exchange vows of love.That evening Bella prints out a photo of her and Edward. She folds the photo in half, leaving Edward's side facing up.The next day the Cullens are not at school. Edward comes over to Bella's house after school before she arrives. He sees the bent photo. Bella arrives and Edward intercepts her before she gets to the house. He tells her they have to talk. After a walk some ways away on a trail in the forest, he stops and tells her that they are leaving Forks. "Carlisle is supposed to be ten years older than he looks and people are starting to notice." Bella says that she'll have to prepare some excuse for Charlie but when she notices that Edward isn't picking up on the suggestion realizes he isn't talking about taking her with them. "You don't belong in my world," says Edward. "I belong with you," she retorts. "I don't want you to come," he continues. "If this is about my soul, take it," she protests, "I don't want it without you." He gets more pointed. He can't stay with her anymore, stating, "You're not good for me." He asks her to promise that she will not do anything reckless, for Charlie's sake, and in return he promises her she will never see him again. He kisses her on her forehead and disappears. Bella runs after him and as it gets dark. Lost deep in the woods she trips and drops to the forest floor, depleted and deserted. She falls asleep sobbing. An enormous wolf watches her from a nearby rise.Back at the Swans house (number 184) that same night, a search party is starting to form, looking for Bella. When it's mentioned that the Cullens have left town, Charlie's friend Harry (Graham Greene) says, Good riddance. From the woods at the edge of the house a shirtless Sam Uley (Chaske Spencer) carries Bella in his arms. He hands her over to Charlie. Harry nods to Sam in some sort of recognition.Safe now but still depressed and unable to see or contact Edward, Bella becomes despondent for many months. She writes e-mails to Alice (at acullen@) though they all appear to be undeliverable. She screams at night, waking Charlie. Her wailing is so uncontrollable that Charlie confronts her. She is to go to Jackson because she needs a new setting. He suggests that she leave Forks. Finally, to appease her father and to stay in Washington she tells him she's arranged to go shopping with Jessica (Anna Kendrick). Charlie finds this unlikely but is pleased that she's doing something social.Jessica and Bella leave a zombie film called "The Dead Come Back" (showing at 7:00 and 9:45) Bella spies a bunch of bikers in front of a bar called One-Eyed Pete's. She recognizes them as the same gang that Edward beat up when they menaced Bella during their pre-courtship. Seeing them she also recalls Edward's admonition not to do anything reckless and she even sees a ghostly visage of him. "Keep walking," he says, "this is dangerous." He then disappears. Excited, and wanting to have another visitation, she assumes that Edward will appear before her only if she's doing something that will endanger her. She comes up to one of the seedier bikers and asks for a ride. He lets her get on and speeds down the street. Again she sees the spectral Edward, warning her not to do what she's doing. She arrives back in one piece, much to the horror and disgust of Jessica, who states that she's either insane or suicidal and asks her if she's now become an adrenaline junkie.Bella continues to write e-mails to Alice. She describes her situation as having "a hole in my chest."Bella renews her friendship with Jacob. She brings him two dilapidated motorcycles, asking him to help her refurbish them. Though she warns him that they're heavy, Jacob easily lifts them from the bed of her truck. 'You're like, buff,' she says, incredulous. 'You're like 16." "What are you?, he retorts, "Like 40?"As they strip and reassemble the bikes the easy friendship between Bella and Jacob grows more substantial. She smiles. He introduces her to "my two boys" Quill and Embry. They state that Jacob has been calling Bella his girlfriend. Jacob corrects them. He was calling her a girl who was a friend. Jacob and Quill wrestle.Bella is still plagued by bad dreams, however.As Bella drives Jacob they see some of the Quileute tribe, Sam, Paul, Embry and Jared, cliff diving. Jacob is clearly upset by them. He refers to them as "Sam and his cult," and "Sam and his disciples." Jake says that Embry had formerly said they were like "hall monitors on steroids" but now was one of them. "Sam keeps giving me this look, like he's waiting for me," Jacob says.Once the bikes are operational Bella and Jake takes them out. Bella drives recklessly, trying to conjure up Edward's spirit again. As she speeds along his spectral form passes by her on the road like mile markers. But she loses control of the bike. She wrecks the bike and Jacob drives his bike down the road to her accident. Bella wants to go again but she is bleeding from the head. She apologizes but then realizes that she doesn't need to around Jake. He pulls off his shirt and dabs her head. "You're sorta beautiful," she says.In the cafeteria at school Bella rejoins her old group of friends. Angela (Christian Serratos) says she saw a large wolf and the group talks about how five hikers have now been killed. Mike asks her if she would like to go to a movie. He suggests, "Love Spelled Backward Is Love." Wanting nothing to do with romance Bella suggests "Face Punch." Bella invites the rest of the group to go along. Everyone agrees to go to "Face Punch."At the theater Mike and Jacob wait outside. Jacob acts territorial as if he wants to frighten Mike away, telling him hears that "Face Punch" "sucks." Bella arrives and explains that's it's just the three of them as Jessica has bailed and Angela was home with the stomach flu. They go into the movie. The films tagline is "Let's Do This!"As they watch the movie they hear the film's tagline ("Lets do this!") spoken during what sounds like a Mexican standoff onscreen. Bella looks down at the armrests on either side of her. Both Jacob and Mike have their hands on the rests, turned upward, as if waiting for her to settle her hands on theirs. The violent conflict onscreen turns Mike's stomach, who leaves to presumably get sick.Outside, in the lobby (where posters announce other films coming up including "Parking" and "Gambling, Gods and LSD") Jacob tries to hold Bella's hand. She draws away. She's obviously conflicted. "I'm not like a car you can fix up. I'm never gonna run right," she says. "You're about to ruin everything and I need you," she tells him. Jacob says that he knows what's standing between them is Edward. He continues, "I know what he did to you. I would never, ever, do that. I won't ever hurt you. I promise." She puts her head on his shoulder. Mike arrives, stating that he needs to go home, claiming he was feeling sick before the movie. His weakness rankles Jacob who threatens to put him in the hospital. Bella intervenes and discovers that Jacob is burning up. Jacob is taken aback by his own aggression, says he doesn't know what's happening to him, and leaves in a rush.Bella is alternately haunted by dreams and visions of Edward and her longing for the physical presence of Jacob. She leaves numerous phone messages for him, asking why he won't return any of her calls. She is told he has mononucleosis.Charlie and Harry get ready to go fishing. Charlie is worried about leaving her alone and she, conversely, is worried about them going out into the woods with those hulking creatures. "Bears wont get the drop on me, Bella," Harry says, "My kung-fu is strong."Finally she finally decides to track down Jacob and confront him herself. When she arrives at Jacob's house it's raining. Jacob has indeed changed; he's cut his hair quite short and has a tattoo. He seems ashamed of something and now, instead of trying to keep her around, warns Bella away. "I'm not good," he says. "I used to be." She asks if Sam and his cult have gotten to him. "Sam's trying to help me," counters Jacob. If she wants someone to blame for their predicament, he tells her, she can blame those filthy blood-suckers you love; the Cullens. She doesn't know how Jacob knows that the Cullens are vampires but it unnerves her and she leaves.Attempting to "find the place where I can see him again" Bella walks into a glade similar to the one from her early dream and discovers the vampire Laurent there. He too is looking for the Cullens and is equally surprised by her presence. He informs her he is doing the bidding of Victoria and wants to know where Edward is. Edward's ghostly presence appears, "Lie," he tells Bella. She begins to stutter out an excuse. "Lie better," says Edward. Laurent asks why she has been left unprotected by the Cullens since he believed her to be some sort of pet. He also points out that she couldn't be very important to them if they've left her so vulnerable. Bella starts to plead and bargain but Laurent has decided she's too mouth-watering to not feast on. When Edward's spirit tells her to threaten Laurent, he doesn't believe her at all. He claims that he's being merciful as Victoria had planned to kill her slowly, painfully and he will kill her quickly. Bella believes she's going to die and simply says, 'I love you, Edward,' wanting these to be her last words. Before Laurent can strike, however, an enormous black wolf emerges. Several other wolves join him and they chase after Laurent. The last wolf to give chase fixes upon Bella and she is reflected in his canine eye. Up ahead Laurent thrusts the lead black wolf back and a vicious battle begins.Back at the house Bella bursts in to inform Charlie and Harry that she has seen the creatures that have been killing people in the woods and that they're wolves. Charlie tells Harry to get some guys from the reservation together so that they can go hunting, and Charlie decides he had better go down to the police station to file the report. Bella urges him to go so that he will get out of the house, since she thinks that Laurent will have gone and told Victoria of Bella's situation, and that she will be coming soon to kill her.That night, in her room, she hears someone throwing pebbles at her window. She looks down to see Jacob. He effortlessly climbs up to her second story room. He wants to explain to her whats going on with him but he can't, he tells her. He begs her to remember the story he told her on the beach in LaPush. She recalls the story of the "cold ones," the vampires but obviously can't recollect the entire tale. She brushes his hair but he sees the scar from the bite from the vampire James. Bella suggests that they leave Forks. She would go, she says, if he would come with her. He hugs her but realizes that he is endangering her and leaps from her window.The next day Bella arrives at Jacob's house. When Billy Black (Gil Birmingham) opens the door he tells her that Jacob is not home. Not believing him, she bursts into Jacobs room to find him sleeping soundly, as though exhausted. Bella sees Sam, Paul, Embry, and Jared leaving the woods. She charges up to them, telling them to leave Jacob alone. They laugh mockingly at her, causing Bella to slap Paul. He immediately transforms into an enormous wolf, to the amusement of the other Quileutes. She runs from Paul just as she sees Jacob emerge from the house. She tells him to run but Jacob instead leaps from the porch and hurdles over Bella, himself changing to a wolf in mid-air. The two wolves engage in a fierce fight, destroying a small rowboat in the process. Sam tells Jared and Embry to take her to his fiancée, Emily's house.Before they enter Emily's house Jared and Embry advise her not to stare at her. "Why would I stare?" asks Bella but she quickly understands. Emily Young (Tinsel Korey) is badly scarred on the right side of her face. Emily is kind and relaxed. "So, you're the vampire girl?" she asks Bella. Bella asks back, "So, you're the wolf girl?" "Guess so," Emily agrees. Emily starts to serve muffins to Jared and Embry as they openly discuss the werewolf world, including having to follow the orders of their alpha male, Sam. They all seem very nonchalant about what Bella's just witnessed. Sam, Paul and Jacob then enter.. Paul apologizes for transforming in front of Bella earlier with a tossed-off "Sorry" as she and Jacob walk outside.Bella and Jacob walk on the beach as Jacob explains what precipitated his change into being a werewolf. "Bloodsucker moves into town, the fever sets in," he says. Bella says that she thinks what they do is monstrous and that he shouldn't do it. "Its not a lifestyle choice," Jacob protests as he wonders aloud if he's just "not the right kind of monster" for her. He also disabuses her of the notion that they're killing people. There's only one thing they do kill and that's vampires. She warns him of the strength and speed of vampires, not believing that anyone would be able to kill one. But Jacob says they "took out the leech with the dreads," Laurent, "easy enough." They had almost caught Victoria too; they had chased her all the way to the Canadian border. They can't figure out what she's after though, and Bella informs him that Victoria is after her.Back at the Swans, Bella warns Jacob again about Victoria's incredible speed. "Your lack of confidence is insulting," says Jacob. He leaves as he "has a vampire to go kill."At the same time a posse, which includes Harry and Charlie, search the woods for the menace while Bella decides she knows a way to reconnect with Edward after all.Harry lags behind Charlie in the woods, eradicating any sign of the wolves. Behind him, in the trees, Victoria stalks him. She finally surprises Harry and clutches his throat, lifting him up off the ground in the process. Jacob, as a wolf, tackles Victoria, breaking her grip. She drops Harry, who then suffers a heart attack. Jacob and Victoria briefly square off but then she breaks for the ocean with the Quileute pack in pursuit. At the cliffs she dives into the ocean and Jacob pulls up short.Bella, meanwhile, arrives the spot where they had watched Sam and the others cliff dive. Edward has already divined her actions. He appears beside her, again in spectral form. "Don't do this," he says. "You wanted me to be human," Bella counters; "Watch me."She leaps into the ocean, goes under briefly, then breaks the surface. She's exhilarated initially until the surf comes in and pounds her back down. Through the murky water she sees a red-headed woman swimming towards her. Bella backs away, striking her head on the cliff wall. She begins to sink. Edward's presence appears beside her but it dissipates when a hand reaches down and pulls her out.It's Jacob and he pulls Bella to shore, giving her CPR to resuscitate her. She comes back and he cradles her in his arms. Jacob informs her that Harry had a heart attack and has died.Jake is driving Bella's truck while she shivers on the passenger side. "108 degrees over here," says Jacob, describing his ambient body temperature. She slides over and warms up beside him. They park. Jacob worries that what happened to Emily, Sam's fiancée, could happen to her. "Sam lost it for a split second. What if I got mad at you?" His lack of control is consuming him. "I feel like I'm going to disappear," he says. She responds that she will prevent that by telling him every day how special he is. They almost kiss and she nuzzles his neck. She doesn't want it to go further and starts to get out of the truck. Jacob pulls the door closed before she can. He smells a vampire nearby.Bella sees the Cullens' car and heads towards the house. Jacob warns her she is about to cross a line that he can't cross because of the treaty.Once inside the house Alice appears. Shes amazed to find Bella alive; she saw her leap to her death. "I didn't try to kill myself," says Bella, "I was cliff jumping. It was...fun." Alice tells her Edward has removed himself from them; he calls in only every few months. She also knows that Victoria has been around. She then crinkles her nose, "and what is that gawd-awful wet-dog smell?" As Alice is advising her that werewolves are not good company to keep Jacob appears. Alice gives them a moment alone.Bella and Jacob quarrel again in the kitchen. They are angered and attracted by the other. Jacob kisses her lightly but is interrupted when the phone rings. Jacob answers it, "Swan residence," and then, "He's not here right now; he's arranging a funeral." On the other end is Edward. He's in Rio and he assumes the funeral is for Bella. He crumples the phone in his hand. Alice bursts in as Edward now believes that Bella is dead. He's going to the Volturi to end his life too. Bella is incensed when she realizes that it was Edward on the phone and that Jacob didn't let her talk to him. She leaves with Alice.Alice and Bella fly on Virgin America airlines to Italy. Alice is driving a fancy yellow sports car, alluding to the fact that she hot-wired it at the airport, as they speed toward Volterra, the headquarters of the Volturi. Meanwhile Edward has appeared before Caius, Marcus and Aro. They reject Edward's petition to end his life as they find his particular gifts too valuable to destroy.Alice gets a vision of the Volturi refusing him because his gifts are too precious to waste, and they offer him a spot on the Volturi gaurd. Alice also foresees that Edward will now expose himself to humans in broad daylight during the feast of Saint Marcos. They can drive no closer to the center of town, where the Voturi appear to be headquartered. Alice says that if she tries to save him he will read her thoughts and rush into the process even faster. Only Bella, whose thoughts Edward can't read, can save him. Bella leaves the car to run on foot. She dashes through red cloaks and down dark alleys. Precisely at noon, exactly as in her dream, she gets to the town square. She sees Edward in a darkened entryway, disrobing, and about to step into the sunlight. She dashes across a fountain and hurls herself upon him. Only a little girl briefly has glimpsed the glittering man.In the dark of the building Bella says that, since she has seen him again, she can't let him go. Edward professes his love for her. He was going to end his life because he couldn't live in a world where she didn't exist. They kiss as the Volturi come to summon them. No laws have been broken, says Edward, now fearing for Bella. Nevertheless they are to appear. Alice breaks in, hoping to avert a confrontation. It appears they will get away until a young vampire woman named Jane (Dakota Fanning) appears. Both Alice and Edward appear afraid of her. They comply and go with the Volturi, taking an elevator down to an underground complex. They pass a receptionist who welcomes them. Bella asks if she's human. She is, she is told, one who wishes to become a vampire.Aro is genteel but menacing. Alec compliments his sister for being asked to fetch one and bringing back two and a half (referring to Bella as the half). Bella is obviously a problem. She knows too much about them. Aro takes Edward's hand. Aro's gift is that he can read peoples' minds with a mere touch. He's intrigued as Edward can't read Bella's mind. He sees Edward's longing for her and is amazed at how much Bella's blood appeals to him. Aro is impressed at Edward's self-control which Edward says is achieved not without some difficulty.Aro wants to see if Bella is impervious to his gifts. "Would you do me the honor?" he asks as he requests her hand. Bella complies. Aro tires to read her mind but can see nothing. He's clearly frustrated by this. He then invites his sister, Jane, to try her gifts on the human. Edward tries to intervene and Jane wracks him with pain with but a single glance. Jane then tries to inflict pain on Bella. "This may hurt, just a little," she says knowingly. She finds, to her consternation, that she can't affect Bella either. Aro bursts into a laugh and wonders what to do with Bella. Marcus says Aro already knows what to do. Caius points out that Bella knows too much about the vampire world and is a liability. Aro sighs and agrees, and summons Felix, a hulking vampire of impressive size, to kill Bella. Edward fights Felix but he's clearly no match. As Edward is put in the position of the heretic in the earlier tableau, about to be ripped apart by Aro and the rest of the Volturi, Bella screams for mercy and begs, "Kill me, not him.""How extraordinary," says an astonished Aro, "You would give up your life for someone like us. A soulless monster."Bella stares defiantly at Aro and tells him, "You don't know a thing about his soul," Aro is both impressed and offended by her impertinence and moves in to slaughter her.Alice interrupts him though when she successfully prophesies to him that Bella will become a vampire; she's seen it in the future. Aro takes her hand and sees Alice's vision of Bella and Edward running through a sylvan glen. Bella's eyes are the amber color of a vampire, and her skin sparkles. "I'll change her myself," says Alice. "Your gifts will make an intriguing immortal," says Aro to Bella. As Bella, Edward, and Alice leave, however, Caius warns them to follow through on their promises as the Volturi do not give second chances.Walking out they pass a group of tourists being escorted down into the Volturi chamber; they're obviously a meal for the vampires. One of the henchmen asks one of the guides to "save some for me." Bella looks behind her to see small children among the group. They hear the chamber door open and the screams begin.The screams wake her from her sleep. Shes back in her bedroom in Forks. Edward sits beside her on the bed. Edward says the only reason he'd left her before was to protect her and that it was the hardest thing he'd done in one hundred years. He's interrupted by the entrance of Charlie.Bella apologizes for disappearing for three days. Charlie says she's grounded for the rest of her life, then leaves.
Edward reappears and says that Charlie won't forgive him easily for abandoning Bella earlier. Bella says he won't be able to get rid of her easily once Alice changes her. Edward still rejects that notion, saying there are always ways to keep the Volturi from finding out. But Bella doesn't dare risk this and makes Edward bring her to the Cullen house.Back at the Cullen's home Bella says "you all know what I want" and requests a vote. Alice says she already thinks of her as a sister and votes "yes." Jasper votes "yes" saying that it will be nice to not always want to kill her. Rosalie says that being a vampire isn't a life she would have chosen for herself and she wishes someone would have been able to vote no for her. She votes "no." Emmett votes 'hell yeah.' Esme votes "yes" saying that she already thinks of Bella as family. Carlisle approaches. He's clearly going to vote "yes." Edward looks as if he's been betrayed but Carlisle says Edward has chosen not to live without Bella, so Carlisle has no choice; he won't lose his son.Edward is driving Bella home. Bella suggests that they wait until after graduation, though she still wishes Edward would change her. They are stopped when they find Jacob in the middle of the road. Edward realizes he has to confront Jacob but wants to thank him first for protecting Bella when he didn't.Jacob agrees with Edward's point but also wants to stress a key point in the treaty. If any of the Cullens bite a human (and here he's referring to the proposed turning of Bella) the truce is over. Bella says it's her decision. Jacob reminds her that, once she's a vampire he will have to help his tribe hunt her down; he won't have a choice.Bella tells Jake that she loves him but begs him not to make her choose between him and Edward because, referring to Edward, it will be him. "It's always been him." Edward attempts to get Bella to walk away which angers Jacob. He advances and Edward pushes him back through the air. Jacob turns into a wolf before he hits the ground. They face each other, ready to fight. Bella reminds them that they can't hurt each other without hurting her. Realizing he's in a losing situation, Jacob bounds away.The danger passed, Edward and Bella resume their talk of turning her. He asks her to wait. "Give me five years," he asks. "That's too long," she says. "Three," he bargains. She's having none of it. He marvels at her stubbornness.Then Edward makes a different proposal. "I have one condition," he says, "if you want me to do it myself.""Marry me, Bella."She gasps.The screen fades to black. | good versus evil, paranormal, romantic | tt1259571 |
Atlas Shrugged: Part I | Based upon the controversial 1957 novel by Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged follows the struggles of Dagny Taggart, a railroad heiress trying to maintain her integrity, and keep her family's railroad alive in the midst of a rapidly decaying world. She faces increasingly corrupt government agencies, the cowardly incompetence of her own brother, and the systematic loss of her best and most competent workers. As she works to overcome each obstacle, she begins to detect a pattern, and suspect a sinister force working against her. All across the country, there is a growing sense of helplessness, often summed up in a phrase that everyone seems to know, but no one knows the origin of - Who is John Galt?.One by one, the best and brightest industrialists in the country have been disappearing overnight without a trace, and abandoning their businesses to be cannibalized by corrupt political interests. But many are disappearing just as she needs them most, leading her to realize that someone, some destroyer, is keeping just ahead of her, and is working against her. As she wonders what he could be telling these men - to get them to give up everything and disappear - she knows she must somehow beat him if she wants Taggart Transcontinental to survive.She pursues the mystery cross country looking for clues to the destroyer, and also to find the inventor of a revolutionary motor she found in a trash pile of an abandoned industrial lab. As the world sinks further into decay, she knows her time for saving her railroad, and maybe staving off the collapse of the world around her, is growing short. However, the revelations she seeks will ultimately challenge her views, and force her to decide between fighting in her world, or leaving everything she's valued behind.
_____KrystelClaire's synopsis:2nd September 2016: The Middle East crisis and a huge oil spil has provoked a shortage of oil all over the world. Back in the USA, it's become legal for profitable companies to fire as many employees as they want, and prices and salaries have become fixed by law. In this situation, strikes, turmoils and rebellions start soon. One of the consequences of all this is that the train system has become the only affordable transportation means. However, we can see the railroad's main problem: derailments have stopped being scarce.On TV, there is a politicial debate over the situation. Ellis Wyatt, a Colorado oil enterpreneur (Graham Beckel) and James "Jim" Taggart (Matthew Marsden), the young president of the Taggart Transcontinental, dismisses the derailments in his company, saying that people is more worried about speed. The representative of the government does not seem able to bring out any suggestions. James is accused of being incompetent and not being able to fill the shoes of his late father by Wyatt. Wesley Mouch (Michael Lerner), a Washington lobbyist, is also present.In a diner, a waitress (Olivia Presely) cares about a bump (Frank Cassavetes) who enters to protect himself about the heavy rain and cold outside, and who has no money to pay for his food. She also gives his takeaway order to a wealthy-looking man (Geoff Pierson) who leaves. There is another man who looks mysterious, in a hat and a long coat, who leaves right after the rich man. The mysterious man goes after the wealthy man, saying to him that he is used to work for himself, not letting a company take away the profits he has created; the wealthy man agrees with him, seeing himself in that definition, and then asks the poor man about his name. The images freeze and the audience can read a caption: MISSING: MICHAEL "MIDAS" MULLIGAN - BANKING CEO - VANISHED: SEPTEMBER 2, 2016.Title credits Atlas Shrugged In her luxurious apartment, Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling) is phoned and told to watch a certain TV programme. She listens to reporter Denise Greco (Jan Morris) reports another train wreckage in Granby, Colorado. Dagny walks to the underground. Meanwhile, James is said that people are cancelling tickets like crazy, because the machines of the company are really old. His assistant, Eddie Willers (Edi Gathegi) is the messanger of bad news, but James accuses him of just wanting to take on his job. Dagny has to step in. The Taggart Transcontinental with new materials and new engineering methods; for example, she does with Jimmy's idea of buying all the steel to Orren, in spite of the problems that company is causing to them. There is a lot at stake in Colorado: the company really needs things to work out there.Train station in Philadelphia. Dagny reads about continuing oil catastrophes in the world. Henry "Hank" Rearden (Grant Bowler) is working on a new engine for the trains. He rejects meeting many people, including the guilds; Dagny calls on him. They both admit that they need each other, in the sense that both their businesses may lose it all if the deal does not end well. She offers him 20,000 dollars per town is he is able to make the motors work in nine months. As the CEO of Rearden Steel, he understands the kind of pressures she has to deal with: an incompetent brother and corrupt politicians. He thinks that Rearden Metal will do the job very well - a new alloy twice as strong with half the weight. Dagny leaves in her car driven by a chauffer. Henry walks home. At home, his wife Lillian Rearden (Rebecca Wisocky) is having a small gathering of friends and relatives. As a birthday present, Lillian is given a beautifully crafted bracelet made of steel, which she snobbily sneers at, even after having pressed him on compromising him on his attendance to their tenth anniversary celebration in three months' time. His mother (Christina Pickles) says that only a diamond bracelet could do. Phillip Rearden, his brother (Neill Barry) asks him for some money, but his charity group, which cares for the unpriviledted, doesn't want to know that the money comes from him. Henry has got a reputation for caring only about money, which he admits. His best friend Paul Larkin (atrick Fischler) loved the bracelet as it is, and he advises Henry to mind public opinion. The press is also against him. This is also the first time that John Galt's name is mentioned. Paul wonders who he is.At a high end restaurant, Wesley, James, Paul and politician Orren Boyle (Jon Polito) meet. Paul doesn't want Henry to be hurt, but Orren and Wesley betray Henry without looking back. Boyle wants to pass a law limiting the number of business that a single person may have, but to make sure that the law gets approved, he asks James for money; in exchange, the investigation about the Granby accident will be scrapped. At that moment, Francisco D'Anconia (Jsu Garcia) enters, with a girl on each arm. Everybody looks at him and whispers his name. He is a rich heir turned bon-vivant playboy. Paul leaves the meeting. James looks at Francisco, surrouned by beautiful girls who want to have their photographs taken with him.Dagny looks for a contractor to rebuild the Colorado line. James is furious when he learns that Dagny has scrapped his plans of building a railroad onto Mexico; he leaves her office in anger. Right afterwards, a blond employee (Ethan Cohn) enters the office to present his resignation alleging personal reasons; she is distraught, because she thought of giving him a promotion and making him responsible for a whole area. He doesn't want to say for whom he's gonna work afterwards, but he says it won't be for any rival railroad company. She tries offering him a lot of money, but he refuses point blank. He decided to tell her only because he had promised her to give her notice in advance when she gave him his first job. When she presses on for a reason, he just whispers, "Who is John Galt?" The image freezes and the audience can read the following caption: MISSING: OWEN KELLOGG - TAGGART EXECUTIVE - VANISHED: OCTOBER 15, 2016.Dagny is worried, drinking by herself. She phones Henry, talking about the dissapearance of several efficient men. Henry was also sleepless, having a cold relationship with his wife.Richard McNamara (Jack Milo) is at the train station, waiting from somebody from the Taggart Transcontinental to pick him up. He is stopped by somebody who offers him to have part on a society based on individual achievement. The image freezes once again and reads MISSING: RICHARD McNAMARA - MANUFACTURING CEO - VANISHED: NOVEMBER 6, 2016.Jimmy proposes to take the flag of caring for the general wellness, but instead getting the competition out of Colorado. He is praised as "behaving as a politician".News of the Mexico government, who has just nationalized all gold mines. Francisco and the Taggart Transcontinental have lost billions. In a corporate meeting, James says that he has saved the company billions by letting only a train a day running towards Mexico. Eddie is the one who spreads the news. The person Dagny is looking for called the company and only said "Who is John Galt?"The CEO of company who used to work with a rival train company who has just closed down shouts at Dagny. He says he only needs affordable transportation and leaves without shaking the hand she offers.Dagny talks to Henry: she needs stronger engines and faster trains. He mentions a company which went bust which had the best engines. He intends to look for the remains of the company to see whether there is something which could be salvaged. He also invites her and James for his anniversary party. Dagny throws some water to Francisco at a luxurious restaurant: he knew everything about the Mexican takeover but did nothing to prevent it, saving himself but nobody else.Lillian is taking Henry to their anniversary party. Barb Branson (Latasha Muhammad) from the NNT talks about the new bill which Orren had approved. Henry is worried and wants to deal with the matter, but Lillian doesn't want to hear about business. Dagby compliments her on her beautiful bracelet, but Lillian desmisses it as always. Henry doesn't want to talk to Francisco, who was invited by Lillian. He is surrounded by many girls.James drinks on his own. Another man tells him that happiness is a delusion. Francisco talks to Henry; he wants to learn from him, and he says that the people at the party don't want to admit that they are in debt with Henry, who is the provider of them all. Dagny prises Lillian's bracelet once again. When Lillian says that she was thinking of giving it to the maid, Dagny offers to exchange it for her diamond necklace, and Lillian jumps to this opportunity, doing it remorselessly in front of Henry himself. After the party, Henry tells Lillian never to invite people she thinks they are his friends. She replies back that he has not friends at all. He also rejects any possibility of sex with her.Rebuilding of the Colorado railtrack is on its way. Dagny decides to let Jimmy defend the bill on his own. She leaves the limo and walks home. The streets are full of bumps.Rearden metal is deemed good, but Dr Potter (Armin Shimerman) is pulling the gears to make the public opinion believe that it's dangerous. Dr Potter offered to buy the formula of Rearden metal, but Henry refuses, as it is his. He says that Dr Potter would not understand.Wyatt and Dagny are on site, checking the works on Colorado. He offers a job to her, in case that she needs it. Henry is also there, checking on an old bridge which should be replaced. He will do it in three months, and she says that it will depend on the budget.Eddie tells Dagny that another key employee has quit. She tells Eddie to stand on their own. James in playing with an electric train. Dagny wants to leave the company and start another company which will end the Colorado works. Then, she will come back to Taggart Transcontinental. She will take Eddie with her, so that James will have to do "his own job" from that moment on. She tells him to behave, or she will destroy him. She says she will call the line the John Galt line.Dagny asks Francisco for the money, but he won't give him the money. She explains the name as her being fed-up of hearing the name. She is rejected by many investors. Finally, she gets four people. Henry himself will put the remaining funds. Henry shows her some photographs of some kind of engine: it was hidden in the bankrupt company in Winsconsin he dug around. It is a prototype which probably was never put onto production, so nobody can be sure that the thing even works properly, but Dagny feels that the engine is worth a look. Henry is interrupted, being told that the "equality of opportunities" bill has been passed, forbidden that nobody should have more than one company. Henry insists that he will sell all his other companies, but that he will never give up his metal. He reassures Dagny that that the bridge will be done on time and budget. Henry has to sell his companies to some other people, like for example Paul.Rearden Ore Corporation, Rearden Coal Company, Rearden Foundry Inc, Rearden Manufacturing Itl... they all go one by one. That's not the only problem: Union leader Brenden Brady (Matt O'Toole) alleges the unsafety of the rearden metal to try to forbid that any union member works on that line. Dagny will asks for volunteers, but she wants Brady to give the workers a choice. She promises that the speed will be kept steady for all the itinerary. She and Henry go on the new train. Before boarding, Dagny is asked who John Galt is. Many people look at her on the tv, worried about what she's going to say. She simply answers "We are". The train is able to cross the bridge, and they breathe out after they cross the bridge. 300 miles in less than 90 minutes, she announces confidently upon arrival.On the small celebration party it's mentioned by Wyatt that a new oil spring has been found, and that when everybody wants to go there to work on the site, their company will be the one who will take people there. At night, Henry and Dagny are left alone. They make love.At that moment, there is a knock on the door. A figure with a hat enquires about Ellis Wyatt, and he himself oepns up the door. When he finds it strange to be called upon at that hour, he asks who he is. The hatted man says that he knows his name.Henry proposes a getaway trip to Dagny to see the 20th Century Motor Corporation, a derelict building in Starnesville, Wisconsin. The warehouse is empty, apart from a few loose pices here or there. Dagny says that it looks as if they just left away. Henry finds a kind of hidden room: it's full of designs of engines. There is even an abandoned prototype. The designs are not signed, so they try going to the city hall and getting a list of employees, but they are incomplete in the town of Rome. A retired man leads them to one of the old employees who is working in Washington. In spite of Henry saying that he doesn't support Munch anymore, Eugene Lawson (Rob Brownstein) leads him to an engineer. He gives him a surname: Starnes. In Durance, Louisiana, his daughter Ivy Starnes (Sylva Kelegian) says that his father was an evil man, who only cared about motors and engines. She leads them to Brandon, Wyoming, where the chief engineer used to leave; he had quit the day after the engine project was presented to the company. His widow, Mrs Hanstings (June Squibb), says that it was his late husband's assistant who designed the engine. She leads them to Hugh Akston (Michael O'Keefe), the young assistant's university professor and mentor, who now has a lower station in life, being the owner of a humble diner in a dusty town. Akston doesn't want to even say the name of his protegé, and, to Dagny's surprise, he mentions that the mystery she's trying to solve is much greater than only an engine which creates electricity out of a vacuum.Eddie tells Dagny that there are new problems: some estates are forbidding the train with metal to pass throughout, and the use of the Rearden metal is being forbidden. Dagny tells Jimmy to fight his own battles, but we can see clapping to Wesley Munch's press conference. There, Munch also announces that steel companies will have to distribute the steel equally between companies, that companies will be forced to stay in their states and can no longer move to richer states like Colorado, and that Colorado will be imposed a special tax so that there will equalize economy in all the states.We can see Henry Rearden, alone, on his office, with a sad face, probably feeling desperate. Dagny drives like crazy to Ellis Wyatt's mansion. The chief fire-fighter (Derric Nugent) cannot prevent her entrance to the now empty mansion. She calls out for Ellis, but he's not there. He leaves the home and goes up a small steep nearby, from which she can see all the oil springs burning to exhaustion. She screams NO! There is a placard to her left side, which says I'M LEAVING IT AS I FOUND IT. TAKE OVER. IT'S YOURS. Dagny falls to his kness.We can hear the conversation in off of Ellis Wyatt to the same voice of the shadowy man which this time recognises that he be John Galt (Paul Johansson). He talks to Wyatt of the country where he comes from, called Atlas. There, individuals are judged on their merit, and the government don't crash them. Energy, intelligence, innovation and money are respected and appreciated there.We can see the following notice: MISSING: ELLIS WYATT - OWNER WYATT OIL - VANISHED: JULY 23, 2017. Over it, we can hear an answering machine message by Wyatt. He says that he's done, and that he's going on a strike.Fade to credits.--Synopsis written by KrystelClaire | alternate reality, philosophical | tt0480239 |
One Piece Film Z | "Black Arm" Zephyr (黒腕のゼファー, Kokuwan no Zefā), a former naval admiral and leader of the Neo Marines which also includes his henchmen Ain (アイン) and Binz (ビンズ, Binzu), commences an assault on the navy on Firs Island, a volcanic island and one of the End Points. While there, Zephyr steals the Dyna Stones and fights Kizaru before he starts an eruption to defeat the Admiral only to be sent flying into the ocean. While having a cherry blossom party, the Straw Hat Pirates discovers and heals Zephyr. When Zephyr learns that Monkey D. Luffy is a pirate, he fights Luffy, Roronoa Zoro and Sanji. Having discovered Zephyr's location with a Vivre Card, Ain and Binz join the ex-Admiral to fight them. Ain uses her Devil Fruit powers to de-age Nami, Tony Tony Chopper, Brook and Nico Robin, while Binz uses his Devil Fruit powers to trap Franky, Usopp and Brook with vines. Realizing that Luffy is the grandson of Monkey D. Garp, Zephyr attempts to kill them, but the Straw Hats are forced to flee. At Marine Headquarters, the navy discovers Zephyr's whereabouts and decide to recover the Dyna Stones.
Landing on Dock Island, Franky repairs the Thousand Sunny, which has been damaged by Zephyr. They meet Mobston (モブストン, Mobusuton), whose granddaughter reveals that pirates who come to this island say that they have been attacked by Zephyr. Mobston, angered by Zephyr destroying their pirates' dreams, decides to give the Straw Hats his strongest equipment. While there, the Straw Hats gather information on Zephyr's location from the navy and meet up with Kuzan, who reveals that has left the navy after being defeated by Akainu on Punk Hazard. Using the Sea Train, the Straw Hats enter Secon Island just as the volcano erupts. They confront Zephyr, Ain and Binz, only to be easily defeated once again. Meanwhile, Garp reveals to Coby and Helmeppo that Zephyr once believed in the navy's justice and became an Admiral after serving as a soldier in the navy. When Zephyr's wife and son were killed by a pirate who resented him, Zephyr became an instructor. One day, most of Zephyr's recruits were killed and Zephyr lost his arm after being attacked by a pirate with Devil Fruit powers. Zephyr acquired a weapon developed by the navy's scientist to defeat Devil Fruit users and organized a strike unit. However, when the pirate who attacked him was chosen to serve as a Warlord, Zephyr left the Navy, organizing the Neo Marines as a result.
Back on Dock Island, Kuzan reveals that Zephyr is targeting the three volcanic islands known as End Points. If all three islands erupt in a short period of time of each other, it would result in a giant eruption covering the world's oceans and killing everyone in them. The Straw Hats confront the Neo Marines on the third End Point and are victorious. Kizaru and the navy confront Zephyr and the Straw Hats but the ex-Admiral allows the Neo Marines, Kuzan and the Straw Hats to escape the island. As Zephyr fights to his death and Ain and Binz mourn their loss, the Straw Hats return to Dock Island, giving their gear and weapons back to Mobston, before going their separate ways. | revenge, fantasy, action | tt2375379 |
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed | Set several months after the events of the original film, runaway teenager Brigitte Fitzgerald (Emily Perkins) uses an extract of monkshood to fight the effects of the lycanthropy that transformed her sister into a werewolf and it is now affecting her.The opening credits play over Brigitte shaving the hair all over her body, cutting her arm with a scalpel, then injecting herself with a dose of monkshood, then cutting to Brigitte in a library, where the librarian Jeremy (Brendan Fletcher) clumsily hits on her. When she goes to check out her books, her library card has too many fines owing, and she walks out, leaving the books behind.Back in her motel room, she inspects her latest cut and records the time and state of healing on a page filled with similar entries. Ginger (Katharine Isabelle), her late sister, appears to her as an apparition, saying that she is healing faster and the monkshood is not a cure. It only slows the transformation.Brigitte shoots a deadly second dose of monkshood, and immediately after, Brigitte senses the presence of the male werewolf that has been stalking her, whose identity is unknown. She hastily packs and opens the door to find Jeremy with her library books. However, the additional dose has pushed her into toxic shock. Jeremy gets her in his car and is about to drive her to hospital, when the driver side window is smashed, and the werewolf drags him from the car. Brigitte stumbles down the street and collapses in the snow.She wakes up in a building which is a combination of a rehab clinic for drug abusing girls and chronic care patient facility, located in the only operational section of a large, old hospital. She attempts, but fails to escape. When delivered to the clinic's director Alice (Janet Kidder), she pleads to be released, but is refused. She does, however, manage to palm a piece of glass so she can continue to measure her healing rate. Tyler (Eric Johnson), a worker at the clinic, visits Brigitte at night and offers her some monkshood in exchange for sexual favors. She refuses and he tells her he will not give her the monkshood until she accepts his terms.As Brigitte's healing begins to accelerate, so does her rate of transformation. Ginger's ghost continues to appear, taunting Brigitte as she experiences growing cravings for sex, and to kill, as did Ginger previously. During a group therapy session Brigitte daydreams about being instructed to lie on the floor and masturbate, however it is unclear if the masturbation was a fantasy, since the part about imagining death and blood is clearly in Brigitte's mind. Suddenly jolted back to reality by a vision of Ginger, she draws her hand to her face to reveal her palm covered in hair. Later, and very depressed, she takes her shard of glass and holds it to her throat while looking into the bathroom mirror. However, she does not kill herself.During this time, Brigitte is shadowed by a girl called Ghost (Tatiana Maslany), the granddaughter of Barbara, a severe burn victim who is a patient there. Ghost eavesdrops on Alice in the staff lounge that Brigitte injects Monkshood. Curious about it, Ghost goes through her clandestinely hidden comic book collection and realizes Brigitte's secret. Ghost slips Brigitte a comic book containing the werewolf story. She begins to question her about lycanthropy, and notices Brigitte's ears have begun to grow pointy, Brigitte takes the glass, telling Ginger that she will not die, and cuts off the pointed part of her ear, flushing it down the toilet. Shortly after, Ghost tries to slip monkshood to Brigitte, but is foiled by Tyler. The following night, in despair at her rate of transformation, Brigitte allows Tyler to inject her.By now, it is apparent the werewolf has found her again. After Ghost's dog is found dead and mutilated, Brigitte asks her where the corpse was found, and is told that it was found in the disused crematorium section of the hospital. Upon learning this, Brigitte says she must get out. Ghost offers to show her an escape route, but insists she be taken with Brigitte.Brigitte escapes to the disused crematorium, in the basement, by crawling through air vents following Ghost's trail marks. There, Brigitte meets Beth-Ann (Pascale Hutton) who is high on drugs that she just received in exchange for sex with Tyler. Beth-Ann is killed and dragged away by the werewolf. Shortly after, Ghost arrives and says the escape route is where Beth-Ann was dragged away to. Brigitte and Ghost proceed, but are separated as the werewolf attacks. Clashing with the beast, Brigitte's leg is broken by the werewolf, but her transformation is so advanced, she heals immediately, and makes her escape after burning the beast in the crematorium.Ghost drives them to a gas station in the clinic car, where Brigitte tends to her wounds. They then drive to Barbara's house and sleep. Ghost explains how Barbara got burned, she tells Brigitte that Barbara fell asleep with her bedtime cigarette. The next day, after Brigitte starts eating a deer caught in an explosion from a trap set up by Ghost, they arrange for Tyler to bring monkshood to the gas station, but when Brigitte wanders inside she discovers the attendant has been slain. While she was away, Tyler had arrived and taken Ghost's car. Brigitte dashes back and drives off. Back at the house, Brigitte's body once more begins to reject the monkshood and Tyler worriedly calls Alice.Ghost tricks Brigitte into thinking Tyler abused her. Brigitte locks Tyler outside, and he is killed by the werewolf. Alice arrives, and is attacked by Ghost, wielding Barbara's hunting rifle. Brigitte figures out that Barbara didn't smoke, she aggressively keeps Ghost against a wall and argues with her, realizing it is likely Tyler didn't abuse Ghost and that Barbara was burnt by Ghost, but is stopped by Alice holding the rifle point-blank to the base of her skull. Alice begins to take Ghost, but is advised not to go outside. The werewolf then howls and breaks a nearby window, and Alice takes Ghost to the attic with her to seek refuge from Brigitte and the werewolf. Brigitte's transformation is almost complete, when the werewolf enters the house. She lures him into a room, and, when Ghost distracts the werewolf by dropping a heavy curling stone, Brigitte stabs him. The werewolf bites her on the arm. They struggle and after she repeatedly bashes its head with a curling stone, they fall into the basement, which has been turned into a pit of death using a set of mattress springs holding a wide variety of sharp objects. Ghost hits Alice with a hammer and sits at the top of the steps to peer into the basement, gun in hand. Brigitte crawls up the stairs, her face half transformed, begging Ghost to kill her. Instead, Ghost locks her in the basement.Ghost is shown illustrating a comic page of herself as a powerful warrior with a werewolf pet. Ghost narrates that Brigitte is getting stronger in the basement and is waiting to be unleashed on Ghost's enemies. As the film ends, Ghost is getting ready to welcome home Barbara as the fully transformed Wolf-Brigitte is heard growing from the basement. | violence, satire | tt0353489 |
The Stepfather | The film opens in a Seattle Bellevue neighborhood with Henry Morrison, a psychotic serial killer and master of disguise, washing blood off himself in a bathroom before shaving his beard, replacing his glasses with contact lens and putting a few of his belongings into a suitcase. After packing his things, Henry leaves through the front door of his house, nonchalantly passing the butchered remains of his family, Vicki, Jill and a grown male relative along with a grown female relative, whom he had earlier murdered. Boarding a ferry, Henry disposes of the suitcase containing the objects from his former life by throwing it into the ocean.One year later, Henry (operating under the identity of a mild-mannered real estate agent named Jerry Blake) has married the widow Susan Maine. Jerry's relationship with Susan's teenage daughter Stephanie is strained, as Stephanie is highly suspicious of Jerry, despite his acts of kindness, such as giving her a puppy as a gift. After a session with her psychiatrist Doctor Bondurant, who advises her to give Jerry a chance, Stephanie is driven home by Jerry, who suggests they work together to build a better relationship, also stating that he and Susan hope she will try to be a better student at school, where Stephanie is having trouble.In Seattle, vigilante drifter, former adventurer and amateur detective James "Jim" Ogilvie, the brother of Jerry's latest victim Vicki and Jill's young uncle, convinces a reporter to run an article about his sister's slayer in the newspaper. While hosting a neighborhood barbecue, Jerry discovers the article and is clearly disturbed by it. Excusing himself from the festivities, Jerry goes into the basement of the house and begins maniacally rambling to himself (possibly recalling memories of his unhappy childhood), unaware that Stephanie is in the basement as well. Discovering his stepdaughter's presence, Jerry brushes off his outbursts by saying he was simply letting off some accumulated stress. Leaving the basement, Stephanie finds the newspaper mentioning Jerry's earlier killings and comes to believe her stepfather is the murderer Henry Morrison mentioned in the article.Stephanie writes a letter to the newspaper requesting a photo of Henry Morrison; but Jerry finds the photo in the mail and hides it from Stephanie while she is with Dr. Bondurant. After hiding the photo, Jerry thrashes about in the basement and contemplates killing Susan and Stephanie, but is brought to his senses when Susan yells to him, saying that Dr. Bondurant is calling asking to speak to him. Jerry refuses to answer the phone, having Susan tell the doctor that he is out. Curious as to why Jerry is avoiding him, Doctor Bondurant pretends to be a man named Ray Martin and calls Jerry at the real estate agency under the pretense of wanting to buy a house. As Jerry schedules a meeting with Bondurant, Stephanie opens an envelope addressed to her in the mail and finds a fake photo of Henry Morrison that Jerry had planted to protect his identity. Stephanie is tricked into believing her suspicions of Jerry are false.During his meeting with Bondurant, Jerry becomes increasingly suspicious of the man, who continually questions him about his home life. Realizing Bondurant is not who he says he is, Jerry beats him to death with a 2"x4" board. After discovering Bondurant's identity as his stepdaughter's psychiatrist, Jerry makes Bondurant's death look like an accident, blowing up the doctor's car with his body inside it. The next day, Jerry informs Stephanie of Bondurant's death in an apparent car accident and succeeds in bonding with the mournful Stephanie. Jerry's newfound relationship with his stepdaughter is quickly cut short when he catches Stephanie kissing her boyfriend named Paul Baker, who is also the family friend of the Maines before Jerry came. Jerry's wild accusations of Paul attempting to rape Stephanie result in him getting into an argument with Stephanie and Susan, which results in the former running off. Realizing all hope of having a happy life with Susan and Stephanie has been ruined, Jerry quits his job and creates a new identity for himself as Bill Hoskins, applying for a job as an insurance agent in another town, where he begins to court another widow while planning to get rid of Susan and Stephanie.Having discovered where Jerry is now living, Jim Ogilvie begins going door to door through town in search of his former brother in-law. After Jim stops by, Susan phones the real estate agency to tell Jerry that someone was looking for him, only to be informed that Jerry had quit several days ago. Confronting Jerry when he returns home, Susan is told by Jerry that there must have been a mix-up. While explaining himself to Susan, Jerry confuses his Jerry Blake identity with the new Bill Hoskins one he had crafted and bashes Susan with the phone before knocking her down the basement stairs after she realizes Stephanie was right about Jerry. Content that Susan is dead, Jerry then sets to kill the family puppy, however, he instead prepares to kill Stephanie when she returns home and begins showering when Jim knocks on the door, having concluded that Jerry is Henry Morrison.Ambushing Jim when he enters the house after recognizing him, Jerry kills him by stabbing him in the stomach with a chef's knife as Jim pulls out a snub-nosed revolver before attacking Stephanie. Sustaining a wound to the arm when Stephanie stabs him with a piece of glass, Jerry follows his stepdaughter into the attic, where he corners her. Before he can kill Stephanie, Jerry falls through the weak floor of the attic, but recovers from the fall quickly and renews his attack on Stephanie when she tries to escape. Before he can harm Stephanie, Jerry is shot twice by a still living Susan, who had regained consciousness and retrieved Jim's gun. In the aftermath, Jerry is stabbed in the chest by Stephanie, with his own knife. Uttering a weak "I love you" to Stephanie, Jerry falls down the stairs, seemingly killed. The film ends with Stephanie cutting down the birdhouse she and Jerry had put up during the brief time they had bonded with one another. | neo noir, cult, cruelty, murder | tt0094035 |
Armed and Dangerous | Officer Frank Dooley (John Candy) of the LAPD is framed for the theft of a television set by two corrupt detectives. He is dismissed from the force, but escapes criminal punishment at his day in court. The court's next case features hapless defense attorney Norman Kane (Eugene Levy) attempting to defend a white supremacist leader, who threatens him with death should Kane fail to keep him out of prison. A fearful Kane reveals his ineptitude and the death threat to the judge (Stacy Keach, Sr.), who agrees to render a long sentence if Kane promises to leave law behind.
Dooley and Kane meet one another when they both apply for work at Guard Dog Security, a low-rent firm run by gruff "Captain" Clarence O'Connell (Kenneth McMillan) and part of a security guard's union requiring heavy contributions represented by Klepper (Jonathan Banks) and Lazarus (Brion James). Becoming licensed security guards after a single afternoon of training, Dooley and Kane are made partners by supervisor Maggie Cavanaugh (Meg Ryan) and assigned to night duty at a pharmaceutical company's warehouse. After being loudly ordered to take a lunch break by senior guard Bruno (Tom Lister, Jr.), Kane happens upon an armed robbery of the warehouse and calls to Frank for help, but they prove no match for the thieves.
The next day, the pair are berated and fined $100 each by O'Connell for their failure, leaving them suspicious. While venting their anger toward O'Connell, Maggie reveals that she is his daughter. Dooley and Kane then attend a meeting of the union, where Kane's attempt to file a grievance against Guard Dog is quashed by union president Michael Carlino (Robert Loggia). Kane pointedly questions Carlino about how the union dues, adding to about $4 million per year, are spent. After Kane rejects an evasive answer from Union treasurer Lou Brackman (James Tolkan), an enraged Carlino threatens Kane with violence should he ever attend another union meeting and abruptly adjourns.
Over the next few days, Dooley and Kane find themselves assigned to work at a landfill and a toxic waste dump. Convinced something illegal is afoot after hearing a similar story from two fellow burned-out security guards about a similar robbery, the pair track down Bruno at his gym and interrogate him. Bruno admits that it was O'Connell who had him order them to lunch the night of the robbery. Dooley and Kane flee from the gym and an enraged Bruno. The pair then visit an informant friend of Dooley's for information on Carlino. Upon learning of Carlino's corrupt reputation, they bring their suspicions to Maggie, but she rejects them as having no evidence to back them up.
Dooley and Kane next attend a party thrown by Carlino in hopes of gathering some evidence. Eavesdropping on a meeting between Carlino and Brackman, they learn of Carlino's use of the pension fund to finance dealings with a Colombian drug cartel and his plans to have the money robbed from an armored car, with insurance covering the loss. Fearing an investigation by the insurance company, Brackman urges Carlino not to go through with the robbery. In response, Carlino instructs Klepper and Lazarus to execute him. Dooley and Kane attempt to save Brackman, but are too late to prevent his murder and instead find themselves framed for his death. After a night spent evading police, the two make plans with a now receptive Maggie to prevent the armored car robbery. Kane and Maggie take over driving the truck, while Dooley plans to meet them ahead of the would-be robbers.
Dooley has problems with his motorcycle and is forced to hitch a ride with The Cowboy (Steve Railsback), a wild trucker who eagerly disobeys traffic laws. Meanwhile, Kane and Maggie avoid assaults from multiple cars attempting to hold them up. With The Cowboy's help, Dooley is able to arrive in time to save the armored car from a guided missile strike and foil a final attack from Klepper and Lazarus. O'Connell, no longer willing to abide the scheme, arrives having captured Carlino and his associates, the two detectives who originally framed Dooley.
The criminals are arrested and Dooley is invited back to the police force, along with a reluctant Kane. | murder | tt0090660 |
Drugstore Cowboy | "Bob" Hughes (Matt Dillon) is the leader of a crew of drug addicts consisting of him, his best friend Rick (James LeGros), his wife Dianne (Kelly Lynch), and an underage girl with no family named Nadine (Heather Graham). Together, they travel across the U.S. Pacific Northwest in 1971, supporting their drug habits by robbing pharmacies and hospitals.
After successfully robbing a Portland pharmacy, they go straight home to use the drugs they just stole. During the process of getting high, a local low-life named David (Max Perlich) visits the group in search of hard-to-find dilaudid. Bob lies and says they have none, but offers to trade him morphine for speed instead. David declines, but Bob talks him into trading anyways. After David leaves, the police bust down their door. The lead detective Gentry (James Remar) correctly assumes it was their group that had just committed the pharmacy robbery he's investigating. The police are unable to find the drugs because the group wisely buried them outside. However, in the process of searching, the police completely trash their house.
The group then move into an apartment. Bob plans to get back at the police by setting up an elaborate scheme. The scheme succeeds and one of the policemen is shot by a neighbor who thought the cop was a peeper thanks to Bob's scheme. The next day, Gentry (knowing that Bob was the architect of the scheme) assaults Bob outside his apartment. Seeing the assault as a sign of a hex Rick and Nadine had previously brought upon the group by speaking about dogs, they leave their apartment to go "road-tripping". One night on the road, they come across a drugstore with an open transom. They proceed to sneak in and rob the pharmacy. They are extremely pleased to find their haul includes vials of pure powdered dilaudid worth thousands of dollars each.
Bob, using the logic "when you're hot, you're hot", convinces his wife that he should finally rob the hospital he's always wanted to. During the robbery, Bob is almost captured and the robbery is a complete failure. Upon arriving back at the motel, the group discover that Nadine is dead from an overdose. She had overdosed by sneaking a bottle of dilaudid during their last score. To make matters worst, she had also put the "worst of all hexes" on them by leaving a hat on the bed. After temporarily storing the body in the motel's attic, they are alerted by the motel manager that their room was previously booked for a police convention and that they must check out immediately. Bob, under tremendous anxiety and stress while having visions of handcuffs and prison, manages to sneak the body out of the motel in a large duffelbag.
Right before burying Nadine in a remote forest, Bob alerts his wife that he is going to get clean and begin a 28-day methadone program. She is shocked and confused with Bob's sudden dramatic decision. He asks her to get clean with him, but she declines telling him "you know I can't". Going their separate ways, Bob moves back to the city into a long-stay motel and gets a low-level manufacturing job "drilling holes". One day at the methadone clinic, he sees an elderly drug addict priest named Tom (William S. Burroughs). They reconnect and reminisce about the old days when drugs weren't so demonized. Another day, on the street, Bob runs into David who is bullying a kid who supposedly owes David money. Bob stops David from hurting the kid any further and the kid runs away, much to David's disgust.
After adjusting into his new life, Bob is visited by both Dianne and the police detective Gentry on separate occasions. Gentry warns Bob that the policeman Bob got shot has been making threats and might act on them. Dianne reveals that Rick is now "her old man" and is in charge of their new group. Dianne then asks Bob what happened out on the road to make him suddenly change his life so drastically and wonders if it was something she did. He answers that Nadine's death, the hex she put on them with the hat, and the possibility of serious jail time all contributed to his eventual decision. He then reveals to her a deal he made with a higher power that if he could safely get Nadine's body out of the motel, past the cops, and into the ground without being caught, he would then straighten his life out in return. After explaining this to Dianne, he begs her to stay the night with him but she declines. Before she leaves, she gives Bob a package of drugs as a gift. Bob, instead of using them and relapsing, gives the drugs to the priest Tom who is very pleased. "Bless you my son," he says.
Upon re-entering his room, he is attacked by two masked figures. The leader turns out to be David. They think that Bob is still an addict and has drugs on him. Bob tells them the truth that he is clean and doesn't have any drugs. But David doesn't believe him and ends up shooting him. A neighbor lady hears the shot and calls 911. While Bob is getting loaded onto an ambulance, Gentry asks him numerous times who shot him and if it was the policeman. Bob tells Gentry it was "the hat" and "the TV baby". During the ambulance ride, Bob thinks out loud how he got in his situation. He comes to the realization that no matter how hard he tried, he could never fully escape the drug life. He also jokes about how he now has a free ticket to the "fattest pharmacy in town". The film ends with him saying "I'm alive" and "I hope they can keep me alive." | romantic, cult, philosophical, violence, flashback | tt0097240 |
Men of Honor | The movie starts off by introducing Master Chief Leslie W. ("Billy") Sunday (Robert DeNiro), a US Navy Diver, who has recently gone AWOL. He is badly beaten and awaiting disciplinary actions. Sunday and several other Navy members watch TV coverage of an ongoing salvage operation, when Sunday recognizes a familiar face on the screen. One of the other sailors makes some crude racist jokes, Sunday attacks him and applies a choke hold.We then flash back about 25 years, where a young African-American boy named Carl Brashear (Chris Warren Jr.) is watching his father Mac (Carl Lumbly) work the plow on their farm. Carl wants to quit school so that he will be able to help work and then prevent the farm from financial ruin. Mac is dead-set against his son being "like him" and stuck working on a farm, but he allows Carl to help.Time passes quickly and a grown-up Carl (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is leaving town to join the Navy. Mac gives his son a custom-built portable radio as a memento of home, and tells Carl to be the best, even if it means breaking the rules.Carl winds up working in the kitchens on the USS Hoist in the South Pacific. He and the other black officers joke about the so-called "bright future" the Navy promised them. Their superior points out that black men in the US Navy have only 3 career choices- cook, officer's valet or "get the f*ck out of the Navy."Afterwards, Carl and his friends go up on deck where the white officers are swimming (the black crew members are assigned a specific day when they can swim). Carl, tired and hot, decides to jump in the water. The white officers try and chase him down, but Carl out-swims all of them.Carl's actions get him thrown in the brig. The ships' captain meets with Carl and, impressed with the boy's speed, decides to transfer Carl to the search & rescue swimmers, a group assigned to rescue anyone who falls overboard on ship.A few days later, Carl is writing a letter home to his parents when the ship is rocked by an apparent crash. Their mail chopper has accidentally gone down in the ocean. Carl assists the others on deck in raising a Navy Diver from the sea floor with the wounded pilot. The Diver is Master Chief Sunday. Since Sunday is now back up on deck, regulations state that he must now undergo decompression. As the next diver is lowered, an accident with the winch severs the diver's air hose. Chief Sunday prepares to do a dangerous "bounce dive" to rescue his fallen ally. One officer, Lt. Cmdr Hanks (David Conrad) orders Sunday not to go, but Sunday disobeys and jumps off ship.Later in the hospital, we see that Chief Sunday was indeed able to save the other diver, but doctors find that he has sustained a severe embolism in both lungs. This condition disqualifies Sunday from any more diving. Upon hearing this news, Sunday throws a fit, destroying some equipment in the hospital, and assaulting several of the staff. Carl is in attendance at the resulting disciplinary hearing, where Sunday is officially disqualified from further diving duty, and assigned to a training position. Carl, having seen Sunday's actions as heroic, is inspired and vows to become a Navy Master Diver.Two years later, Carl is reporting for Diving School, the same diving school where Sunday is the trainer. After a tense confrontation with Chief Sunday, he is allowed in. While most other recruits are revolted by the thought of sharing their bunk with a Negro, one Navy candidate- Snowhill (Michael Rapaport) attempts to befriend Carl. That night, Carl is subjected to severe hazing by Sunday. The following morning, Chief Sunday singles out Snowhill, throwing him out of the program for failing to complete an impossible task. His only ally alienated, Carl is once again on his own.Despite the harsh treatments, Carl performs admirably in his training, assembling machinery and adapting to the diving suit with much greater results than a large number of his classmates. Unfortunately, Carl is falling behind in the academic requirements-scoring only a 37 on his first exam. If he fails again, Carl will be kicked out of the program.One weekend, on leave, Carl comes to a library in the hopes of getting a tutor to help him. He meets a young woman named Jo (Aunjanue Ellis) who is studying medicine. She thinks that Carl cannot possibly succeed, since he has only a 7th grade education. Carl stays the entire night at the library reading and learning more about the Navy program. Next morning, Jo is so impressed by his progress that she agrees to help Carl. The two spend many evenings together, eventually developing a relationship in the process. Soon, Carl is back in the classroom awaiting the results of another test. As the exams are passed out, Carl is elated- he's scored a 76, keeping him in the program.The next day there is a training exercise, involving patching the hole in a sunken ship and raising it to the surface. All at once, the ship accidentally shifts its position, snaring the air hose on one diver while the other flees for his life. Carl volunteers to bring down a new line for the trapped diver, and after several tense seconds, Carl is able to save the young mans' life. Unfortunately, due to the prejudiced environment of the time, the diver who fled earlier receives a medal for his actions while Carl is ignored. Carl is, however, silently thanked by the recruit he saved on his way out of the school.That night, Carl is in town when he meets a young woman (Charlize Theron) who introduces herself as Gwen Sunday, the chief's wife. Gwen takes Carl into the same bar her husband and his fellow divers frequent. Carl and Sunday confront each other, whereby Carl says he knows he's better than Sunday. They face off in a competition using pressurized diving helmets to determine who can hold their breath the longest. The stakes are if Sunday wins, Carl leaves town that very night, but if Carl wins, Chief Sunday must re-admit Snowhill into the diving program. Carl manages to win, but is again overlooked for his actions. Carl sees Jo watching the confrontation with dismay as she storms out of the bar. He gives chase, and she reveals that she's been accepted into an internship and she won't have time to help Carl anymore. Carl, smitten, asks Jo to marry him. Jo contemplates driving off in a taxi, but she returns and accepts.Chief Sunday meets with Captain "Pappy," (Hal Holbrook), the eccentric senior officer at the training school. Chief Sunday states that Carl has scored a 94 on his final test, meaning that all Carl has to do is complete his last training exercise (a timed exercise), and he will have passed all requirements for graduation. Pappy is not at all happy at the prospect of a "colored diver," but Sunday seems hesitant to agree.Sunday confronts Carl yet again. After Carl fires an insult back, Sunday smashes the radio Carl's father gave him. Upon seeing Carl's fury at this, Sunday sees the inscription no the radio ASNF (a son never forgets), and Carl's father's picture by his bed. Sunday asks what his father said to make him try so hard. Carl simply states "Be the best." Sunday admits that he is, but that he shouldn't show up the following day because Pappy will not let him pass the school. Carl is furious.Next morning, Chief Sunday explains the final exercise to the recruits- they must assemble a flange underwater, pieces are on the river bottom and tools will be provided once the parts are found. They will earn points based on the speed of their work, but there is no set time limit and air will be provided to the diving suits for as long as the divers can stand the cold water. Carl makes a defiant entrance to the exercise, and is looked upon with a measure of respect from the other recruits finally.Carl is among the first to find the parts for his project, but when he calls up for tools the attendants cut a hole in the tool bag sending them cascading all over the river bottom. Carl frantically searches for all the necessary parts.As time goes by, the recruits slowly but surely complete the assignment. Carl remains in the water well into the night. The other recruits, having showered and put on warm clothes, have returned to see Carl finish. Pappy orders Sunday to leave Carl in the water until he stops moving. Sunday, however, decides that too much time has passed already and gives the order to bring Carl back up. This makes Sunday's colleagues uneasy, as it violates a direct order from Pappy. The other recruits step up, but just as they begin to haul in the lines, Carl's project flange comes to the surface, completed. After 9 hours and 31 minutes in the excruciatingly cold water, Carl Brashear has passed his final and essentially graduated with honors from Diving School.As Carl leaves the barracks next day, Snowhill runs in to talk to him. He has been asked to rejoin the diving program. He also states that Pappy has thrown Sunday out of the school as trainer. Carl also finds his father's radio, fully repaired, with "A son never forgets" freshly carved into the side.Some time later, Carl and his wife are in a nightclub. Carl orders champagne as a celebration because he's been offered a job with Brooklyn Navy Yard. Carl doesn't know if he should accept the job, since he won't move up in rank as just a stand-by diver. Jo confesses that she is three months late, and Carl is suddenly overjoyed at the prospect of being a father.At a New Years' party, Sunday and his wife run into Lt. Hanks- the man who ended Sunday's diving career. Despite his best efforts to remain civil, Sunday ends up attacking the lieutenant. Charges are filed against Sunday for assaulting a superior officer, and he suffers a rank reduction.The scene then shifts back to Chief Sunday watching a TV report explaining the current salvage operations. Earlier that day, an American B-52 bomber crashed in Spain. Before impact, it released its payload of three 50-megaton warheads on parachutes. Two have been recovered but the last one is lost at sea. Furthermore, maritime law dictates that since the bomb vanished in international waters, whoever finds it first will be considered the true owner. So the US Divers are racing against Russian submarines to be the first to find the missing nuke.Carl is one of several divers assigned to try and find the missing bomb. At one point, Carl finds a metal object on the sea floor but it turns out to be a mere Coke can. At that moment, sonar signals in the water are detected- there is a Russian submarine is Carls' immediate vicinity. Carl spots the sub and tries to run for cover, but his air line is caught by the sub and he is dragged along the ocean floor. After several tense seconds, Carl is able to contact the surface and tell them that he is unhurt. As they prepare to bring him home, Carl notices a large metal object nearby. The sub's movement has caused most of the silt and debris on the ocean floor to move aside, essentially finding the nuke for them!Back on deck, Carl watches as the bomb is brought on board. An accident with the winch on deck causes the lines holding the bomb to snap. Carl shoves several other deck hands aside, but his own leg is caught by the snapped wire.Carl wakes up later in a hospital, with Jo by his side. Jo explains that Carl's leg was nearly severed by the impact, but doctors think he will walk again. Carl realizes that this injury has put an end to his diving career and he is devastated.Meanwhile, Chief Sunday has fallen on hard times since his rank reduction. He is now in a rehab clinic undergoing detox for alcoholism. With the support of his wife, Sunday gets back on his feet. He recognizes Carl from a news story about the accident.Carl is still in the hospital, he is reading a news story that was sent to him (presumably by Sunday) about amputee pilots being able to return to duty. He speaks with his superiors (including the now-Captain Hanks). Carl wants to return to full diving duty, but they feel that it is impossible in his current state. Carl voices his desire to have the damaged leg amputated and return after a fitting with a prosthesis. Jo is furious about Carl's reckless and apparently selfish attitude, and walks out.Later, Carl's leg is indeed amputated. He begins the difficult process of learning to move and act with a prosthetic. Chief Sunday shows up and asks if he can help Carl. Sunday begins training him again, and makes a deal with Captain Hanks. He will get four weeks to complete training Carl before a medical hearing with the Chief of Naval Personnel in Washington. Hanks agrees, on the condition that Sunday take immediate retirement if and when Carl fails to return to duty.A month later, Carl appears before the Naval Personnel and they discuss his possible return. Chief Sunday has been ordered to wait outside the courtroom by Captain Hanks. Captain Hanks outlines a new requirement for Navy Divers- a new diving suit, weighing in at 290 pounds has been approved for use and anyone wanting to use it must take 12 steps unassisted. Carl, seeing that Jo and his son are in the audience, volunteers to take the 12 steps right then and there. Chief Sunday bursts into the courtroom. He is asked to leave by Hanks, but after introducing himself to some of the more senior members of the court who know of his past heroics, is allowed to stay.Chief Sunday helps Carl suit up, and then proceeds to coach him through the ordeal. Carl stands up in the new suit, and-with obvious great discomfort- takes a few clumsy steps forward. Everyone assumes that his prosthetic will snap, and as he nears failure he is ordered to stand down by Captain Hanks. Sunday orders Carl to disregard, as he is the officer in charge of this exercise. He begins shouting orders at Carl (identical to their first session at diving school years before). Carl struggles, but keeps moving forward until he has reached the twelfth step.Captain Hanks, realizing that no more can be done to prevent Carl from succeeding, announces that the Navy will be reinstating Carl Brashear to full diving duty.Carl and Sunday salute one another, and Sunday marches out of the courtroom.Text at the end reveals that in 1968, Carl Brashear was the first African-American amputee to assume Navy diving duty, and that two years after his reinstatement Carl was promoted to Master Chief. Carl continued in his Naval career for another nine years before finally taking retirement. | inspiring | tt0203019 |
12 and Holding | The film explores adolescent issues through the minds of three friends and their reactions after a boy named Rudy Carges (Conor Donovan) is killed in a tree house set on fire by local bullies Jeff and Kenny, who carelessly didn't find out he was inside until too late. The boy's twin brother Jacob, a boy with a huge birthmark (also played by Donovan), decides to seek revenge against the bullies. Leonard (Jesse Camacho) who's overweight, survives the tree house fire but loses his sense of taste and smell. Thanks to the fire, this prompts Leonard to go on a diet, which isn't welcomed by his obese family. The boys' female friend Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) tries to befriend an adult named Gus (Jeremy Renner), a grief-stricken patient of her therapist mother, Carla (Annabella Sciorra). Jacob's family falls apart after the death of his brother. But shortly after, his parents adopt a boy named Keith Gardner. Meanwhile, Malee begins to have a crush on Gus and changes the song for her recital to one Gus liked, just for him. As time goes by, she sees Gus as her "soul mate". She sneaks into his house one night to find him grieving. Afraid to confront him, Malee steals his gun and leaves. She gives it to Jacob the following day.
Jacob's mother gets furious when she finds out Jeff and Kenny are being put in juvenile hall for only one year as they were charged with manslaughter instead of murder, while Jacob's father views Rudy's death as an accident. Jacob frequently visits Jeff and Kenny, and initially threatens them, until eventually Jeff commits suicide. Jacob befriends Kenny, soon learning he has an early release and is illegally moving to New Mexico. Meanwhile, Leonard's father decides to take his sisters to Florida instead of Leonard (who would usually go). Leonard decides to force his mother to lose weight by trapping her in the cellar. They both end up in the hospital after a gas leak in their home. Next, Jacob and Kenny agree that Jacob can go with him to New Mexico. Malee visits Gus and removes her clothes in an attempt to seduce him. Instead, Gus calls Malee's mother to come and pick her up. The next day, Gus explains to therapist Carla about the last fire he ever fought (which involved killing an injured little girl, upon the girl's request), claiming that Malee wanted him to take her pain away, as he was aware of her growing crush on him.
Meanwhile, Jacob's mother tells him that Keith Gardner wasn't adopted to replace Rudy, and that she wants Kenny dead, which reminds Jacob of his planned revenge. The night of escape for Jacob finally comes and he meets up with Kenny. Jacob insists on going through a construction site which he says is a secret route. Once there, Jacob points Gus's gun at Kenny, and tells him "you killed him" before shooting him dead. Jacob buries the body and leaves. He returns in the daytime, and sees Gus spreading cement above Kenny's grave.
Malee begins visiting her estranged father and Leonard's family finally starts eating healthily. The movie ends with Jacob's mother smiling at him from inside the house. | revenge | tt0417385 |
The Runaways | The Runaways (aka: Neon Angels) is based on lead-singer Cherie Currie's book 'Neon Angel' - a reflection of her experiences as a rock star, but also delivering a strong anti-drug warning to teens and others. David Bowie's "Space Oddity" serves as a metaphor for the narrative-- a slow countdown, a surreal but spectacular rise to fame, then alienation and burnout - a long long way from home.The film opens in the year 1975, with 15-year-old Cherie (Dakota Fanning) and her older sister, Marie Currie (Riley Keough), as Cherie has just got her first period. Marie's boyfriend, Derek (Brendan Sexton III), picks up the sisters from Marie's job at the local fast food place, "Pup n' Fries" and Marie announces to him that Cherie has gotten her period. Angry at her sister for telling, she informs Derek that Marie is not wearing any underwear. Later, Cherie is seen cutting her hair in a shag and putting on face makeup in an attempt to create a look resembling David Bowie on the cover of Aladdin Sane (the cover is shown on her wall as a poster).Meanwhile, Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) is a teenage rock star wannabe who is seen huffing some joints with her girlfriend. Joan tells her friend that she wishes to become a famous rock star as her own escape from her lonely life.Cherie is later seen lip-syncing David Bowie's 'Lady Grinning Soul' at her high school talent show and is the target of boos and jeers, as well as paper balls and other objects thrown at her on stage. At the end of the song, Cherie reacts by defiantly "flipping the bird" (giving both her middle fingers) to the boorish crowd, but she wins the talent show anyway.Sometime later, Joan Jett is making out with a guy outside a nightclub when she sees record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon). Joan approaches him and talks about starting an all-girl rock band. Kim is interested and introduces Joan to Sandy West (Stella Maeve), a drummer. Joan and Sandy become fast friends and start jamming when Kim suggests that they recruit a hot blonde in the vein of Brigitte Bardot.At the club that same night, Kim and Joan look for hot blondes to be a their lead singer and discover Cherie. They ask if she wants to be in a band and she accepts. Then they tell her to come to auditions in a trailer park in the valley.Cherie learns the cover song of Suzi Quatro's "Fever" and goes to audition, however they're disappointed at the song. Instead, Kim kicks Cherie out of the trailer and with Joan, thinks of a song for Cherie to audition for, thus writing "Cherry Bomb" on the spur of the moment. Cherie sings it and, after improving, is part of the band. Kim also brings in two new members whom are assistant guitarist Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton) and bass player Robin (Alia Shawkat).One year later in 1976, after moving in with her aunt because her selfish and irresponsible actress mother has moved to Indonesia, Cherie travels to her first gig with the band as they go on the road as 'The Runaways' with Kim as their manager, who scams money from their gigs for himself. A few months later, the group gets signed to Mercury Records and starts recording an album. Soon, both Cherie and Joan fall victim to the rock and roll scene with popping pills, to smoking dope, snorting cocaine, and drinking heavily as their tours become more frequent and the band's popularity increases.Another year later, due to the album's success, the Runaways travel to Japan to play a concert. Cherie causes quite a scene when she opens up the group's tour by performing on-stage wearing only a corset. After their first show, Cherie gets a phone call from her sister saying their their alcoholic father is sick, but Cherie takes no interest in it.After another performance, Lita angrily throws magazines at Cherie that have pictures of her on the cover doing some exotic poses for a local Japanese magazine, something Cherie thought was for the whole band. After an argument with Lita, Cherie, Joan, and Sandy, a group of crazy Japanese fans break through a window and chase the girls out of the building. Afterward, Cherie overdoses in the hotel, collapses in an elevator and is sent to the hospital. Upon arrival home, Cherie's alcoholic father is passed out on his bed. Cherie takes his painkillers and her actions are seen by Marie.While at a recording studio recording their next album, Cherie has a nervous breakdown and refuses to play, followed by Lita trash-talking her and Joan defending Cherie. After a very heated argument, Cherie quits the band and leaves, leaving Lita, Joan, Robin, and Sandy looking on. Joan breaks down, throwing chairs and beer bottles against the glass. Cherie returns home while Joan continues playing and starts her own band, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.Eight months later. Cherie hits rock bottom when she collapses in a phone booth in a deserted supermarket parking lot after trying to buy some cheap liquor for herself. At the hospital, Marie visits her and tells her to get her stuff straight. Cherie goes into a rehab facility to try to get clean.In the final scene, set another year later, Cherie is working at a job at a local bakery trying to get her life back on track when she hears Joan's cover of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" on the radio and calls the station, where Joan is visiting for interviews. After an awkward phone conversation between Joan, Cherie, and even the radio host, Rodney Bingenheimer (Keir O'Donnell), Cherie says her goodbyes and continues working, smiling when Joan's next song, "Crimson and Clover", comes on the radio. | cult | tt1017451 |
Birdy | A young man nicknamed Birdy (Matthew Modine) is sitting on the floor of his barren psychiatric hospital room. He seems in an almost comatose state.In another hospital, conscious U.S. Army Sergeant Alfonso 'Al' Columbato (Nicolas Cage), with his face heavily bandaged, is being wheeled on a stretcher to his dormitory styled room, where the orderlies transfer him to his bed. Later, the doctor is examining him, they talking about Al's facial injuries, when the bandages are going to be removed, and the likelihood of success of the completed reconstructive surgery. Apparently Al is leaving the hospital soon.Al is on a train, trying to find a place to sit down. He places his bag on the overhead rack and sits opposite a woman and her adolescent daughter. The girl can't help but stare at the heavily face-bandaged Al, who in turn notices her looking and feels her discomfort. To break the ice, Al says "boo" to her, and she smiles knowingly. Her mother matter-of-factly tells her not to stare. Al begins to think about his friend Birdy, who most have always thought weird.[Flashback to their high school days in South Philadelphia] In a large field sandwiched within a residential neighborhood, Al is playing in a pick-up game of softball. When he's up at bat, he hits a fly ball into the backyard of a house. He swears when he sees where it landed. The woman in the backyard picks up the ball. The kids know that the woman won't give them the ball back, she who doesn't and tells them to go play somewhere else. That woman is Birdy's mother (Dolores Sage), who has kept balls from them before. Birdy's father (George Buck), who is also working in the backyard, tells his wife to return the ball, she who refuses and walks away with ball in hand. Without another ball, the kids are forced to stop playing and they disperse. As Al begins to walk away, he sees Birdy sitting in a tree, he who looks back. They say nothing to each other.Al is making out with a girl under some bleachers. As he tries to take her clothes off, she resists, while they still kiss. Al's younger brother Mario Columbato (James Santini) comes by looking for Al. As Al tells Mario to get lost, Mario tells him that "the weird kid" is just down the street. Swearing about having to stop making out, Al goes with Mario. They end up at Birdy's house, Birdy who is sitting on the stoop of the front porch working on something with cooing pigeons in a cage next to him. Al calls him bird boy. Birdy says nothing. Al asks him if he has a knife to remove a splinter from his hand. Birdy hands over a pocket knife. Al tells Birdy the knife belongs to Mario. Birdy grabs the knife back and runs away as Al chases him. As they struggle, Birdy manages to elude Al while grabbing his cage. During the scuffle, Al learns that Birdy didn't steal the knife but got it from whoever did steal it. Al is incensed with Mario for not telling him that fact. Al lets Birdy keep the knife. Not knowing its true origins, Birdy offers the knife back to Mario. Al grabs it and hands it back to Birdy. Al tells Mario that he'll get him another knife. The athletic Al is interested in Birdy's natural wrestling ability, which he noticed during the scuffle. Birdy in turns asks if Al is interested in pigeons. Birdy's fascination with them is partly because of their ability to fly. Al becomes interested when Birdy tells him he's training them to become carrier pigeons. As Birdy walks away down the street, Al chases after him offering to help Birdy catch some pigeons. They end up at a railway overpass where some pigeons are taking off and landing. Birdy relates to Al the routinized behavior of the birds. The two boys climb up onto the frame support of the overpass, precariously over the busy traffic below. Al is nervous, but Birdy seems within his element. Birdy easily catches one of the pigeons just before a train rolls by which scares the remaining birds off to flight.Birdy and Al are shown in short succession catching more pigeons, transporting those birds in cages on their bicycles, and building a large wooden aviary. Al takes one of the birds and throws it up in the air. The pigeon flies back to the aviary. The boys are excited that the pigeon goes where they want it. Later, they release a flock of pigeons from a faraway dock. The pigeons fly back to their "home" in the aviary.Al goes to the aviary to do some work. As he goes about his work with the pigeons, he yells out for Birdy, knowing that Birdy is somewhere in the aviary. Birdy emerges covered in feathers. He is wearing a pigeon suit he made so that the pigeons will think he's one of them. Birdy wants Al to try the suit. Al doesn't want to, he who is scared to look stupid wearing a bird suit. Later that evening, Al, wearing the suit and feeling embarrassed, and Birdy, wearing another suit, are at a secured gas well site climbing to the top of the tower. Against Al's wishes, Birdy is hanging over the side collecting pigeons while Al holds his legs. Al slips, letting go of Birdy's legs. Birdy falls over the side, but manages to grab hold of the side of the tower instead of falling to the ground. A scared Al tries to get a hold of Birdy, who seems nonplussed at his predicament. Birdy sees a sand-pile below and tells Al he's going to fly down. As Al screams for Birdy not to do it, Birdy lets go. Al runs down the stairs to the sand-pile where he finds a slightly dazed Birdy, who says that he flew and it was beautiful. Al, still scared as he's unaware if Birdy is injured, hugs his friend as a police car approaches.[Forward to present day] At the hospital, Birdy is staring into space, while Al looks at him through the window in the door. Major Weiss (John Harkins), Birdy's doctor, asks for Al's assessment of Birdy. Al doesn't think he looks good and asks in return if that is all Birdy does i.e. stare into space. The doctor replies affirmatively, stating that he suffered minor physical injuries but that his main problem is something psychological. All they know is that Birdy was MIA for a month in Vietnam and when found they didn't know who he was for a while. Birdy has not spoken since he was found. Al learns that Birdy's mother was the one who suggested to the doctor to bring him here. The major hopes the visit will do both Al and Birdy some good. The major takes Al back to his office to show him photos of Birdy taken while at the hospital - they are all of Birdy in crouched positions, generally of him nude. After questioning, Al tells him that they are close and crazy friends but not queer. They talk about Al's own injuries, the casualties of the war but the fact that the military takes care of its own. The major suggests that Al go and visit with Birdy now. Renaldi (Bruno Kirby) is to be his guide.Renaldi, an orderly who does almost everything needed for the patients, takes Al to see other patients doing some physical therapy of manual hand dexterity. Renaldi ended up doing this work as a conscientious objector. As Renaldi unlocks Birdy's door, Birdy, startled and crouched on the floor, turns around. Al enters and makes some wisecracks. Birdy registers no acknowledgment. Al continues speaking about life back in South Philadelphia when they were kids, about his own injuries, and the war. Al ultimately asks him point blank what happened to him. As Al approaches, Birdy turns away. A civilian nurse named Hannah Rourke (Karen Young) enters, surprised to see Al there. As Al tells her who he is, she now remembers hearing stories of his arrival. She is the only one who Birdy will allow feed him, although this time he is not cooperating. As Hannah lets Al out of the room, Birdy turns his head to look skyward toward the window.[Flashback to their high school years] Birdy is on an examining table in the hospital, being checked for physical injuries while Al, off in the distance still wearing the pigeon suit, looks on. He tells another waiting patient that Birdy has a broken leg and perhaps a broken back, the latter which he hopes isn't the case as that can make one crazy, although Birdy is a bit crazy already.Birdy's parents are dismantling the aviary and burning the wood, while Al, reading in the newspaper of Birdy's fall, looks on, he who is more interested in the story. The pigeons that were in the aviary fly away.Al talks to a recovered Birdy about that being the end of their bird adventures, while Birdy is convinced that the pigeons will still return despite his mother having destroyed the actual structure of the aviary. Al admits that the birds did come back, but Birdy's mother poisoned some, and the others she got the local butcher to come take away for food. Birdy concedes to Al's wishes of going into a different venture together.[Forward to present day] Birdy is lying on his hospital room floor in a crucifixion position. Al, elsewhere in the hospital, is smoking and contemplating life.Later, Birdy is crouched on the floor next to the toilet, naked, staring upward. Birdy is remembering a story told by Al of a statue atop city hall that looks like it has an erection. Birdy grins slightly.[Flashback to high school years] Birdy is naked sitting on the floor of a large cage, feeling what it's like to be a caged pigeon.[Forward to present day] Birdy is still crouched in his hospital room. Shadows of birds can been seen through the window. Still, Birdy registers no acknowledgment.[Flashback to high school years] Al and Birdy are looking at a car in a junk yard, the car which they end up buying. With Al behind the steering wheel, Birdy pushes the car off the yard.As Al and Birdy work on the car, Mr. Columbato (Sandy Baron) arrives home, telling the boys the car is a piece of shit. Al curses his father under his breath.Al, behind the wheel, nervously turns the key in the ignition while Birdy, in the passenger seat, looks on. After a few sputtered attempts, the ignition rolls for a split second, to which Al and Birdy hug each other excitedly. They mockingly pretend they are off on a drive, Al speaking of driving to the ocean, to which Birdy replies that he's never been.Birdy is jumping out of the ocean waves in Atlantic City. Birdy likens the experience to flying in thick air. As Birdy dives under the water again, Al curses as he wants to party on the boardwalk instead. After several seconds, Birdy does not surface. A worried Al yells for Birdy, but can't do anything about it as Al doesn't know how to swim.Al, Birdy and their dates Shirley (Sandra Beall) and Rosanne (Elizabeth Whitcraft) are on a miniature roller coaster. Birdy is half standing up, flapping his arms like a bird.As they wander around the amusement park, Al is interested in the girls while Birdy sees them more as a distraction. They stop at the underwater merman, Birdy who wonders how he can hold his breath so long. Later, Al and Shirley are noisily having sex in the grass, while Birdy and Rosanne, nearby, make small talk. After a few seconds, Rosanne can no longer stand being with the "weird" Birdy and yanks Shirley away from the sex to head off. Birdy is nonplussed, while Al is angry.At the beach the next day, Birdy is flapping his arms like a bird jumping around, while Al yells to him that he has to learn to get along with girls in a normal way, which means no bird talk. They argue about the female form, Birdy seeing women's breasts as no more than enlarged mammary glands, whereas Al sees beauty. A policeman approaches them, asking if the 1953 Ford is their car. At the police station, Al and Birdy are behind bars waiting for Al's parents to show up. Birdy is pacing while Al is calm. The Columbatos arrive to pick up the boys. As Al gets to the car, Mr. Columbato slaps him hard across the face. Al winces and starts to cry. Birdy asks what birds looking down must think of their lives. Mr. Columbato is angry at the banter, at the boys and the fact that the car engine won't start. The four are then seen from a bird's eye view.[Forward to present day] Al is let into Birdy's hospital room, the door locked behind him. Birdy is crouched on the floor and Al sits across from him. Al starts having a conversation with himself, speaking both his and Birdy's parts. He stops the dialogue and yells at Birdy to talk to him. Al tells Birdy he knows he's finally a bird and that it's no big deal, except that he will be used as a medical case history forever. Birdy turns his head and looks out the window. It's a heavily overcast day with a glint of sunshine filtering through the clouds.[Flashback to high school years] It's a rainy day and Birdy is headed to see Mrs. Prevost (Nancy Fish) who sells birds out of her house. Birds are flying everywhere in the room. Birdy takes a liking to a yellow canary which he buys. He names her Birda.Al and Birdy are moving what looks to be a large pair of wings. They're discussing the fact that Mr. Columbato sold their car, which Birdy wants. Al tries to dissuade him from talking to Mr. Columbato as Al knows his father will beat Birdy if he makes a fuss about the car. Birdy confronts Mr. Columbato about the issue. They argue long and hard about it. Mr. Columbato, at the end of his rope, at least offers the money back to Birdy. That's not the point to Birdy, but Mrs. Columbato makes Birdy take the money. A dejected Birdy takes the money, walks away and gives the entire wad of cash to Al as Birdy doesn't want the money, just the car.[Forward to present day] Al is admiring the fact that Birdy stood up to Mr. Columbato, something Al himself could never do. Al, confused about their current life, gets up to leave but not before giving Birdy a caress on the cheek. There is no reaction from Birdy. With the door locked, Al pounds on the door and yells for Renaldi to unlock it. As Renaldi rushes to unlock the door for Al, Birdy registers some fear from the knocking. Al yells out for Birdy as he reminisces about being in the jungle in Vietnam.Al wakens from a nightmare. He is in the hospital and Renaldi rushes over to him. Al is almost out of breath, but Renaldi sees it is a panic attack and nothing physically wrong.Major Weiss' secretary is taking some information from Al regarding Al himself for the major. The secretary is constantly spitting. Al is confused about why they need his personal medical history. Although the officer has not yet collected all the information, Weiss calls Al into his office with the secretary bringing in Al's file. Al's first question is about the secretary's spitting. Weiss replies that he has been that way since combat, which left a bad taste in his mouth. Al learns that Weiss wants his information as he wants to know who he's dealing with. Weiss reads about some insubordination on Al's part while in Vietnam, specifically a physical attack on a senior officer. Al gets the topic back to Birdy. They talk about the car, and the fact that Al's father reported it stolen when the boys drove it to Atlantic City. Weiss yells at Al for his wisecrack remarks. Weiss tells him that wise-crackers like him and Birdy usually end up institutionalized forever, but Al is certain that with time he can get through to his friend. Before Al leaves the room, he lies to the Major about his feelings toward his father in general and about the incident with the car.As Hannah caresses Birdy's face, Al tries to feed him. Birdy starts to eat. Hannah has to leave and asks Al to finish feeding Birdy. After Hannah leaves, Al tells Birdy that he thinks she likes him. Al then tells him to stop the act as it's making him crazy and might risk his life being institutionalized forever. Birdy stops eating but starts staring at Al. He's not sure if it is recognition or not.[Flashback to high school years] Birdy is lying in bed, playing with a mechanical bird he made. Birda flies onto his arm. After playing with her, he places her in the aviary he's built under his bed. Birdy's father comes into his room and tells him to go to sleep at it's 3 o'clock in the morning. Birdy's mom yells the same off from the distance. Birdy's father turns off the light and closes the door. Birda chirps.In class, Birdy is giving a verbal presentation on birds using his mechanical bird as a demonstration. The class is most enthralled with aspects of flying as they watch the mechanical bird fly around the room. Laughter erupts when the bird hits the window and crashes. As Birdy picks up the bird, one girl, Doris Robinson (Maude Winchester) gives Birdy a loving look which he notices. Later, Al mentions Doris' look to Birdy. Birdy doesn't seem interested in pursuing anything with Doris.Birdy heads to the school's basement to talk to his father who works there as a janitor. Birdy wants him to talk to his mother about letting him have a male canary to mate with Birda. Birdy's dad isn't so sure it's a good idea. He feels Birdy's mom thinks that canaries and Al as a friend won't get him far in life. He likens it to his own growing up situation, Birdy's dad's passion which was building things out of wicker. Birdy's dad and mom want to get him interested in something practical. But Birdy really wants this second canary, so Birdy's dad gives in to the idea of at least broaching the issue with his mom.Back in Birdy's bedroom, there are two canaries flying around, Birda in the general aviary, the male in a cage in the aviary. This will allow the two to get familiar with each other without having physical interaction until they are comfortable with each other. Al enters the room and notices the second bird. Birdy has named it Alfonso as it likes to fight and show off. Both Al and Birdy are enthralled watching the two. When Birdy starts making canary noises, Al looks at him like he's crazy.Al and Birdy are in Birdy's back yard lifting weights. Birdy is face down flapping his arms and legs mimicking flying. Birdy's mom tells them they're crazy. Al's retort is that she's crazy for hiding their baseballs. They surmise she's buried them somewhere. An alarm goes off. They've been weightlifting for an hour. Birdy admits he's doing this weightlifting so that he can fly.Al and Birdy are at the garbage dump. Birdy is saving a gull from a rat snake. As Birdy picks up the bird to let it fly away, he gets a stick to stab the snake to death. Al wants them to get on with their task as it smells there, but Birdy is in no hurry as he paces off a distance. Al is on Birdy's bike, while Birdy, who has just put on his home made wings, sits on the bike's handlebars. Birdy is certain this venture will work. Al starts pedaling as fast as he can. Birdy starts flapping his wings. Just before the drop-off, Al stops which propels Birdy into the air. Birdy takes flight for a fraction of a second before he starts to plummet to the ground. He lands in a cesspool below. Al rushes down to him as the weight of the wings is submerging Birdy under the shallow water. Birdy, not knowing what went wrong, is otherwise OK.[Forward to present day] Al is back in Birdy's hospital room. Al makes a joke about their relationship. Birdy smiles, which Al notices. Later Al tells Weiss about the smile. Weiss believes the smile is dissociative to the joke. Weiss, frustrated with Al, says that Birdy is more responsive to drug treatment than to him. Al yells back that the drugs are making Birdy not who he is. Weiss, Al's superior officer, won't tolerate Al's insubordination like he is aware Al is apt to be as he read through in his file. Al apologizes if only to be able to help Birdy. Weiss suggests that Al is no longer needed and that he should return to Fort Dix. As Weiss walks off, Al suggests one other thing from the past that may twig some memory in Birdy: the missing baseballs. He wants the army to ask Birdy's mom to send the baseballs. Weiss agrees to extend Al's visit until he can check about the baseballs.Al enters a gymnasium in the hospital where a wheelchair bound patient is dribbling and shooting hoops. Al claps in appreciation. The patient asks Al to join in. Al declines to go lift weights instead. He watches another legless man climbing rope. Al reminisces about how the war has been so different than they imagined it would be, and how immature they have been. As he continues his reminiscences, he goes to see that Hannah is giving Birdy a bath.[Flashback to high school years] Al and Birdy are in a truck with Joe Sagessa (Robert L. Ryan) who catches stray dogs and sells them. The guys want in on the business to make money. They spot a dog. They stop and get their equipment to catch the dog, Joe with a large hoop net, the boys with a large loose net. As they approach the dog, they see a herd of other dogs off in the distance. They all smell a war. As Joe tries to catch the original dog, it runs off, the other dogs fast on their tail. The guys get back into the truck to chase after the entire herd. They believe they have the dogs cornered against a chain link fence. They manage to catch most of the dogs and put them in the cage in the back of the truck. They drive off with the dogs, Joe telling them that he will deal with the dogs' disposal. Then a car approaches them from the side. The angry driver yells that his dog is in the back of Joe's truck. The angry driver tries to side swipe the truck. As the chase continues, Joe won't stop as he says they're almost at their destination: an abattoir, where the animals are electrocuted. The angry driver gets there just after the guys, the angry driver clamoring to get his dog back. Birdy attacks Joe and yells to Al to let the dogs go. Al unlocks the cage as the dogs run out. The angry driver is able to get his dog and he drives off. Al and Birdy run off away from an angry Joe.[Forward to present day] Hannah is still giving Birdy his bath. Al watches through the door window. Birdy is remembering back to a time in his past when a cat was approaching. He starts to thrash around in the bathtub scared. Hannah does not know why Birdy is in this scared state.[Flashback to high school years] Birdy is in his kitchen, washing a picture frame in the sink. He sees that specific cat outside, not really paying it much attention. Unknown to him, the cat makes it into the house and up into his bedroom. Finished his task in the kitchen, Birdy heads up to his room, but not before his mother complains about the birds attracting lice. In his room, he sees the cat with Birda in its mouth. Birdy lunges at the cat and tries to pry its mouth open. An angry Birdy manages to do so and grab the injured Birda as the cat runs off. Birdy has Birda cupped in his hands, caressing it. She isn't moving. All of a sudden, she begins to move, gets up and flies off. An excited Birdy watches her fly around the room.[Forward to present day] Birdy is staring out the window. Al, in the room, tells his friend that he won't give up on him. He admits he almost told Weiss about Birdy's flying. Al grabs Birdy off the floor, violently pushes him up against the wall, and yells at him to snap out of his condition. Al throws him back down on the floor and tells him to at least be consistent: he may try to act like a bird, but everything he is now doing is not bird-like. Hannah enters with a tray of food. Al continues to taunt Birdy, who is obviously reacting. Hannah yells at Al to stop, cradling a scared Birdy in her arms, but Al knows that he's tapped into something in Birdy's psyche. Al yells at Hannah about her inopportune entrance as he storms out of the room. Hannah follows Al into another private room and she sympathetically apologizes to him about the argument that just occurred. Al begins to feel her breasts and they start to kiss. Al quickly stops what he's doing, thinking more about how they can help Birdy than about the tenderness of the current situation. Al walks off leaving an emotional Hannah behind. Al goes into the bathroom, turns on the light and stares in the mirror. He begins to examine underneath the bandages on his face.It's dusk and Birdy, in his room, is naked, perched on the bed's foot-board like a bird.[Flashback to high school years] Birdy is staring at one of the canaries in its cage.It's nighttime, and a large shadow of a flapping bird is on the side of the building. Birdy, in over voice, is telling of his dream, where he and Birda become one. Birdy suddenly awakens from his dream. He looks down and realizes he's had a wet dream. He grabs a towel and wipes himself off.Birdy is examining the eggs Birda has laid as one begins to hatch. He realizes that what is happening is nature at work, but he is still amazed at the magic occurring before him, when all he did was put two birds together and feed them. He now has four canaries. All he now cares about is what is happening in his room in the aviary.Scenes cut between present day, with Birdy still perched like a bird on the foot-board of his hospital room bed, and his high school days, specifically focusing on the baby canaries. Birdy, in voice over, tells how the babies seem to know their place in the world.[Flashback to high school years] The phone is ringing. Birdy's mom enters his room, where Birdy, in only his briefs, is sitting on a chair, staring off into space. It's Doris on the phone, wanting to go to the prom with Birdy. Birdy's mom swears she'll kill him if he doesn't go with Doris rather than waste his time alone in his room as usual. She tells him to get rid of the birds as she leaves the room.At the prom, Birdy and Doris are slow dancing. Birdy seems to be in another world which a confused Doris notices. Al, dancing next to them, mimics for Birdy to take some romantic actions with Doris. Cutting to a fast song, they are still dancing. Birdy sees his father off in the distance. Birdy leaves to look for his father and leaves a confused and slightly embarrassed Doris to dance by herself. Birdy finds his father in one of the school's hallways, he who is mopping the floor. Birdy's father gives him a little money to take "his pretty girl" out somewhere after the dance. As Birdy's father heads off, Birdy tells him matter-of-factly that she's not his girl.Doris drives Birdy into a packed but quiet parking lot. She turns off the motor and sidles closer to Birdy. She thanks him for the wrist corsage, which she will keep as a memento. As she extends her hand out, Birdy removes the corsage. She also thanks him for taking her to the prom, which she knows he didn't want to do, but as a thank you, he can now have what he wants. She begins to remove the bodice of her dress, exposing her bare breasts. Birdy feels one of the breasts, more like it's a ball than part of a woman he wants to make love to. He stops. She again feels embarrassed, and pulls her dress back on, apologizing. They look into another car and see a couple making out. They wonder how they do it. As they are about to drive off, Doris makes it clear she wants to go out on another date. Birdy says he'll see her in school, not quite realizing that is not what she was asking.Birdy enters his bedroom. After he closes the door behind him, he begins to slowly disrobe. Totally naked, Birdy enters the aviary and crouches on the floor as he watches the canaries. He eventually lies down and one of the birds lands on his shoulder. He slowly grabs Birda in his hands, and brings it to his mouth as he begins to gently kiss her. In a semi-conscious state, he starts dreaming that there are several birds around him. He wants to tell Al of his dreams but is afraid to. There is nothing left in the real world to keep him alive. He wants to die and be born again as a bird. Still in an unconscious but excited state, he imagines himself flying around his room, then throughout the house, then around outside in the neighborhood, finally hovering over the make-shift baseball diamond.[Forward to present day] Al brings Birdy a tray of food. As Al tries to feed him, Birdy does not respond. Al apologizes for his behavior from before. Al leaves the tray of food next to Birdy, but before he leaves, he tells Birdy that he has to come back to reality.[Flashback to Vietnam] As a helicopter flies overhead, Al and another soldier are in a swampy area below. The other soldier, screaming, is badly wounded. Al yells into the distance that the soldier has been hit as more soldiers run toward them. As they approach, a bomb explodes. Screaming, Al grabs his bloodied face in agony.[Forward to present day] Al, crying, goes back to Birdy's room and stares at him through the door window. Al sits on the floor outside the door in a bad state.[Flashback to Vietnam] The helicopter lands. Several wounded soldiers, including Al, are helped onto the helicopter.[Forward to present day] Al, asleep, is lying on the floor outside of Birdy's room. Renaldi comes by with a suitcase. Al asks what it is. Renaldi replies that he doesn't know but that it came from Birdy's mother. An excited Al brings the suitcase into Birdy's room. He thinks the baseballs will get a reaction from Birdy. As Al opens the suitcase, the baseballs roll all over the floor. Birdy, lying on the floor, has no reaction. A disappointed Al starts to kick the balls in frustration, knowing that his own mental state is tenuous and if Weiss really knew what was going on in his head, he too would be institutionalized. He tells Birdy that he is more scared now than he was in the war, where he was more scared than anyone he knew there. Al sits down among the balls in frustration.[Flashback to high school years] Al enters Birdy's bedroom looking for him. He sees Birdy naked on the floor of the aviary. Al believes that Birdy's undressed state has something to do with having a good time with Doris. As Birdy starts to get dressed, Al asks for details about Doris. Instead, Birdy tells Al about his experience with flying last night, not like a bird, but as a bird. Angry, Al tells Birdy to stop these stupid fantasies as he storms out of the room.[Forward to present day] Still amidst the baseballs, Al apologizes to Birdy for saying those things about Birdy's flying and storming out. Weiss enters. Al gets up, takes Weiss outside the room and tells him the baseballs are working but that he needs a little more time. Weiss disagrees as Birdy is deteriorating. Al's time is up.[Flashback to high school years] Birdy is in his bedroom looking out the window to Al who is wearing an army uniform and carrying a duffel bag as he walks away. One of the canaries crawls under the open crack of the window and flies outside. Birdy yells for it to come back as it flies around outside. Birdy is madly trying to pry the window fully open without success. As Birdy continues trying to get the window open, the canary comes back and smashes into the closed window as Birdy screams. Birdy grabs the bird from the windowsill and caresses it in his hands. Its neck appears to be broken. Birdy weeps.Al is running down to street and boards a bus as it takes off.Birdy is in a fetal position on the floor of his bedroom. He is still in tears.[Flashback to Vietnam] A helicopter is flying over the jungle. Aboard are several soldiers, including an injured one screaming in pain. Birdy is aboard. The helicopter crashes. In the aftermath, there seems to be few if any survivors except an injured Birdy, who is sitting, leaning against a fallen tree. He sees a tropical bird and points up at it. A flock of birds fly overhead. There is a sound of a jet. A bomb is dropped within close vicinity. Much of the jungle goes up in flames. Although not directly in the flames, Birdy screams in a panic. He continues screaming as more birds fly overhead. There are several dead soldiers in the immediate area.[Forward to present day] Birdy is on the floor of his room crying. Al walks over to him, holds his head and tells him it's OK.Hannah enters the room. She is there as Weiss asked for Al as he should now leave the institution for good. Al is on the floor, with Birdy in his arms. Al refuses to leave until Birdy is OK. After Hannah leaves to tell Weiss, Al confesses to Birdy that they are both in a bad mental state and that life has got the better of them. Al wanted to do whatever he wanted to do in life, but that the authorities in charge will now dictate what happens to them. Al remembers back to when he was injured and the different feelings he had in being able to smell his burning flesh and not being able to do anything about it. He is scared that he won't recognize himself once the bandages are removed, and in not recognizing himself if he has lost his sense of who he is. He believes he may now be what the army wants him to be. As Al now wants to hide underneath the bandages forever, he understands that what Birdy is now doing is his own form of hiding from the world. Birdy then says, "Al, sometimes you're so full of shit." An excited Al realizes that Birdy said something and that the words he heard were not his imagination. After Al asking him why, Birdy says him talking now was not a conscious decision, but something that just happened. Weiss enters and wonders what is going on. Al tells him that Birdy spoke, this being the first time that Al has used the nickname "Birdy" in front of Weiss. Weiss doesn't believe it as Birdy looks the same, not uttering a word. When Weiss tries to get Al to leave, Al grabs him and pushes him against the wall. After Al lets go of him, Weiss runs out of the room. Al asks Birdy why he didn't say anything to Weiss, Birdy's response being that he had nothing to say to him. Two orderlies rush in trying to subdue Al. He manages to beat up both. Al grabs Birdy as the two run out of the room. With the orderlies on their tail, Al and Birdy head up the stairs toward the roof. As Al barricades the door of the roof behind them, Birdy runs toward the edge of the roof. Birdy raises his arms and jumps off the side of the roof like he is about ready to fly. Al yells for Birdy to stop. Al, stopping the barricading, runs over to the edge from where Birdy jumped. He looks down, expecting to see Birdy dead on the ground below. Instead, Birdy is on another level of the roof, only a few feet down, perfectly fine. Birdy looks up at Al and asks quizzically of Al, "What?" | dramatic, psychological, flashback | tt0086969 |
The Grapes of Wrath | The narrative begins just after Tom Joad is paroled from McAlester prison, where he had been imprisoned after being convicted of homicide. On his return to his home near Sallisaw, Oklahoma, Tom meets former preacher Jim Casy, whom he remembers from his childhood, and the two travel together. When they arrive at Tom's childhood farm home, they find it deserted. Disconcerted and confused, Tom and Casy meet their old neighbor, Muley Graves, who tells them the family has gone to stay at Uncle John Joad's home nearby. Graves tells them that the banks have evicted all the farmers, but he refuses to leave the area.
The next morning, Tom and Casy go to Uncle John's. Tom finds his family loading their remaining possessions into a Hudson Motor Car Company saloon converted to a truck; with their crops destroyed by the Dust Bowl, the family has defaulted on their bank loans, and their farm has been repossessed. Consequently, the Joads have no option but to seek work in California, described in handbills as fruitful and offering high pay.
The Joads put everything they have into making the journey. Although leaving Oklahoma would violate his parole, Tom decides it is worth the risk, and invites Casy to join him and his family.
Traveling west on Route 66, the Joad family find the road crowded with other migrants. In makeshift camps, they hear many stories from others, some returning from California, and the group worries about lessening prospects. The family unit dwindles, too: Granpa dies along the road, and they bury him in a field; Granma dies close to the California state line; and both Noah (the eldest Joad son) and Connie Rivers (the husband of the pregnant Joad daughter, Rose of Sharon) split from the family. Led by Ma, the remaining members realize they can only continue, as nothing is left for them in Oklahoma.
Reaching California, they find the state oversupplied with labor, so wages are low, and workers are exploited to the point of starvation. The big corporate farmers are in collusion, and smaller farmers suffer from collapsing prices. Weedpatch Camp, one of the clean, utility-supplied camps operated by the Resettlement Administration, a New Deal agency, offers better conditions, but does not have enough resources to care for all the needy families. Nonetheless, as a Federal facility, the camp protects the migrants from harassment by California deputies.
In response to the exploitation, Casy becomes a labor organizer and tries to recruit for a labor union. The remaining Joads work as strikebreakers in a peach orchard, where Casy is involved in a strike that eventually turns violent. When Tom Joad witnesses Casy's fatal beating, he kills the attacker and flees as a fugitive. The Joads later leave the orchard for a cotton farm, where Tom is at risk of being arrested for the homicide.
Tom bids his mother farewell and promises to work for the oppressed. Rose of Sharon's baby is stillborn. Ma Joad remains steadfast and forces the family through the bereavement. With rain, the Joads' dwelling is flooded, and they move to higher ground. In the final chapter of the book, the family takes shelter from the flood in an old barn. Inside, they find a young boy and his father, who is dying of starvation. Rose of Sharon takes pity on the man and offers him her breast, to save him from starvation. | dramatic, depressing, murder | tt0032551 |
Aurora Borealis | Ever since the death of his father, 25-year-old Minneapolis-born-and-bred Duncan Shorter (Joshua Jackson) is content with shuffling aimlessly through life ditching one dead-end job after another. His brother, big-shot Jake (Steven Pasquale) uses his appartment sometimes, to meet with Sandy, (Katie Griffin), his lover, cheating on his wife Cara (Krista Bridges). Dunc asks his friend Finn (Tyler Lavine) to give him a job, but he doesn't trust him at all.Things change when Duncan takes a job near his ill grandfather Ronald (Donald Sutherland) and his grandmother Ruth (Louise Fletcher). Duncan starts working as a maintenance odd-jobs man.Ronald suffers from Parkinson and Alhzeimer. Duncan starts dating caregiver Kate (Juliette Lewis). They three laugh about the name of the President of the day. In one moment of excitement, when Ruth is trying to play Ronald a magic trick, he smashes everything with a hammer.Kate takes Dunc to work and they chat. Later on, they go to a rock concert. Dunc also meets his gang of friends. Hack (Timm Sharp) is going to pretend to be a native-American Indian so that he can shag more women.Next, Dunc and Jake go hunting deer, but the former keeps on missing on purpose.Ronald has got a shotgun, but no ammunition. He asks Dunc to help him commit suicide.At work, Mrs Hollerich (Joyce Champion) a crazy lady who dislikes black people wants Dunc to do some errands for her instead of his boss, (Mark Andrada). She also has the obsession of thinking that everybody steals things from her.All the family and Kate spend Thanksgiving at the home of Jake Shorter, with Jake, his wife and two daughters. They have a little row because Ronald says he can see the Northern lights.Kate and Dunc's relationship is going well. They go snow-sliding with his school friens. Later, Kate gets annoyed with Dunc because he doesn't take seriously the possibility of becoming an engineer. Kate has the possibility of staying at San Diego at a nice mansion close to the sea for a year. Kate wants Dunc to go with her.Mrs Hollerich sees some little private property of hers among Dunc's staff at work. His boss says that, is she complains, Dunc will have to quit.At his grandparents' Dunc puts a bullet inside the shotgun. Ronald is eager to do it, but Dunc avoids it in a last-second decision. Ronald gets angry, and suffers a heart attack.After the funeral, Jake and Dunc share the latter's flat, because Cara has finally got wind of his affair with Sandy and threw him out of the house.After having received a postcard from San Diego with Kate's address on it, Duncan finally decides to grow up and make all the way down to where she lives. While he is waiting at the petrol station for his car to be mended, he asks Stu (John Kapelos) if his father has died of an overdose. Stu and Dunc's father were best buddies, although both used to be addicted to drugs. Both had quitted, and both were hanging out together when Stu's father died. Stu tells him that his father han't started taking drugs again. It was a weird accident. He left when Stu and other people were taking drugs, so that he wouldn't follow them.The first thing Dunc tells Kate when he arrives at sunny San Diego is that he has been accepted at San Diego's university.They kiss. | suicidal | tt0387037 |
Operator | In order to cut costs, health company Welltrix chooses to automate their customer service operations thereby adding predictability but in the process eliminating customer service operators. Martin Starr plays Joe, the programmer who is creating the voice simulation software to do that. The main problem is that the script written by the software development team for the professional actresses lacks empathy. Luckily, Joe's wife Emily (Mae Whitman) is a concierge at a Chicago hotel (the Parkside) and her interaction with hotel customers is just what Welltrix is looking for. Martin asks her if she will record her voice for his 'answering machine/customer service person' and she agrees. She uses her customer service experience to 'humanize' the script and lends her voice to the new program. All works well until Joe becomes so enamored of his work that he gets more satisfaction interacting with his simulated wife than his real wife. Emily realizes this and the resulting conflict causes them to split-up. As they grow apart, Emily spends more time working at her passion: a type of improv theatre. Joe finally misses the real Emily, goes to the theatre where Emily performs and goes onstage to explain that he now realizes how he acted and misses her. The film ends with that question unresolved, will they get back together? | sci-fi | tt5052524 |
Zero Dark Thirty | Part 1: THE SAUDI GROUPTwo Years After Sept. 11 CIA BLACK SITE:Dan (Jason Clarke) walks into a dingy room where a terrorist financier, Ammar (Reda Kateb), is being held captive by several other CIA members wearing balaclavas. He makes the rules clear: If Ammar doesn't look at him when he's being addressed, Dan will hurt him. If Ammar steps off the mat he's on or lies about anything, Dan will also harm him. Dan has Ammar put in further restraints and beckons to one of the masked individuals to follow him outside. He orders his men not to talk to Ammar.Outside, the masked individual removes her cover; she is a young CIA agent named Maya (Jessica Chastain). He apologizes for how intense the interrogation is because she has only recently come from Washington. Dan explains that their process takes a while because Ammar needs to know how helpless he is. He offers to get her a coffee but she tells him that they should go back in. He offers her back a balaclava but she declines, asking if Ammar is ever getting out. "Never" says Dan.The pair go back in and Dan tells him that Ammar needs to understand his situation. He knows all about Ammar, had plenty of opportunities to kill him, but let him live so they could have this talk. Ammar screams that Dan is nothing more than a garbage man for his corporation but Dan retorts that Ammar is a terrorist who helped finance the September 11th attack in the USA and was caught with explosives in his house when they came for him. However, Dan also makes it clear he doesn't want to talk about Sept. 11 and he wants to know about the Saudi Group. Ammar refuses to talk so Dan's men set up mats as Dan forces him to the ground. Maya hands Dan a bucket and a towel so that Dan can water board him. He asks for an email and demands to know when was the last time Ammar saw bin Laden. At the end of the session, Dan makes it clear that in the end everyone breaks.Maya sits in a waiting room. Dan brings their boss, station chief Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), to meet her. She mentions that what she saw was "a bit fucked up" and Bradley is surprised, having assumed that she volunteered for this position. Bradley buzzes her into a secure wing and Dan asks if Maya is ready, but Bradley just points out that the CIA needs to break in the next generation. Maya settles into her desk and waits until she is brought into a small conference room where fellow CIA agents Jessica (Jennifer Ehle), Jack (Harold Perrineau), Thomas (Jeremy Strong), and J.J. (J.J. Kandel) are working on the latest intelligence reports. Dan points out that Ammar is withholding on the Saudi Group while Jessica gives updates on the latest leads. Maya points out that some of their assumptions are based on pre-9/11 behavior rendered moot by the invasion of Afghanistan.Morning prayers wake Maya from an uneasy sleep on her couch. She and Dan check on Ammar, still suspended by rope and deprived of sleep using heavy metal music. Dan pulls up a chair and seats Ammar in it, providing him with a bottle of fruit juice and some food. He asks Ammar about the Saudi Group and Ammar insists that he only handles money and that he doesn't know who the guys that he finances are. Dan kicks the chair out from under Ammar and has Ammar pulled up ripping down his pants to show that he has shit himself. Dan and the other agents leave, putting Maya alone in the room with Ammar. Ammar tells Maya that Dan is an animal and begs her for help. She tells him that he can help himself by being truthful. Dan returns with a dog collar and forces it around Ammar's neck, suggesting he's Dan's dog and needs to be walked. He drags him over to a box; a very confined spot, smaller than a coffin. Dan threatens to put Ammar in there if Ammar doesn't tell him about the impending attack. Ammar starts screaming days of the week but not a location, so Dan forces him into the box and leaves him there.May 29, 2004.A group of Al Qaeda terrorists unload guns on civilians in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, targeting non-Muslims and Americans. Jessica, Dan, and Maya watch the footage in the aftermath. Jessica tells Dan that it's not on him but Dan insists that since Ammar is their prisoner the deaths are on him and Maya. Jessica points out that there are still other plots in motion that they can wring out of Ammar, including a planned attack in the London-Heathrow area. Maya realizes that since Ammar has been in complete isolation, they can lie about the outcome of the attack and claim that it was thwarted by Ammar in his sleep deprived state.Ammar is brought out of his confinement and informed that his intel was good. Dan asks what Ammar did after the invasion. Ammar says the choice was to fight or run, and he wanted to kill Americans. He continues to talk about the members of the AQ cell but in vague terms until Dan makes it clear that he will put Ammar back in the box if Ammar doesn't start naming names. Ammar spills all the details he can including that his uncle once worked for Osama bin Laden and that Ammar had seen him in Karachi with a letter from the shah which said to keep working on the jihad, to keep it renewed for a hundred years. Finally Ammar gives them a name: Abu Ahmed.Part 2: ABU AHMEDMaya watches a computer monitor and studies old interrogation tapes looking at each of the suspects and studying their stories. Allegedly, bin Laden uses a complex network of carriers to relay messages to his supporters. She takes a break to make some food and Jessica walks in to ask how the search for the needle in the haystack is going. Jessica suggests that at the end of the day, everyone can be swayed with money an idea that Maya questions since it doesn't fit the motivations of a jihadist. But Jessica retorts that the weaker members would be swayed with money.Putting on a dark-colored wig to conceal her red hair, Maya is escorted to a CIA Black Site in Poland. Hakim (Fares Fares), a fellow agent and interpreter, brings her to their prisoner. They ask him a few questions and he claims that he had contact with a man known only as Fahraj. Maya is suspicious that the suspect is simply making it up until the prisoner names all of Fahraj's children. He confirms that there was a network in place to pass messages on. Maya takes this information back to Bradley and gives him a report. Bradley points out that her hunt for Abu Ahmed has been fruitless because she doesn't know his real name or where to find him. She retorts that the fact that everyone has heard of Abu Ahmed means that he is important. He tells her to let him know when there's actionable intelligence so that they can order a strike.London, England. July 7, 2005.A double-decker bus explodes. News footage of this latest AQ attack plays out on Bradley's computer monitor and in Maya's kitchen. At Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, Dan feeds a monkey from his ice cream cone when he is informed that his detainee is ready. Maya is escorted into an ISI Detention Center in Pakistan. Her detainee is cooperative and tells her everything she wants to know about Abu Ahmed a most trusted courier who cannot be found because he is one of the disappeared ones.A man has an object strapped to his leg and is told, God willing, they will not have to use it. We follow the man as he walks through a complex where children are playing. His stroll is observed by Dan. Individuals dressed like Muslim woman in all black follow him as he goes to meet with Fahraj. The Muslim women are revealed to be soldiers who grab Fahraj and swarm him rifles pointed at his chest. Bradley presents Maya with paperwork and tells her that she has a one-on-one with Fahraj.Dan escorts Fahraj to his cage; a private cell with barbed wire around the sides. Dan says that he's bad news for men like Fahraj and that Dan isn't going to help him, he's going to break him. Asked if he's hungry, Fahraj has a tube shoved down his throat and blended food is forced down his throat. He is a difficult prisoner so Maya asks Dan if he will take a crack at Fahraj but he refuses, saying he's done this long enough. He's getting sent back to Washington and do something normal. He asks her to come back with him and be his "Number 2" but she says she won't find Abu Ahmed from DC. Dan warns her that politics are changing and that she needs to make sure she's not the last one "holding the dog collar." He also warns her that since everyone knows her in Pakistan she's going to need to start watching her back.September 20, 2008 Marriott Hotel, Islamabad, Pakistan.Jessica waits at a table and waves to Maya as she arrives still attached to her phone. Maya apologizes for being late because of the check points. Jessica reminds Maya that they are socializing and pours her a glass of wine. Maya makes it clear that Abu Ahmed's mystique confirms his importance when a bomb goes off outside the Marriott destroying most of the interior. Maya and Jessica struggle to find an exit, passing numerous staff and diners who have either been killed or wounded by the bomb. A truck outside had been stopped at a check point and carried explosives which the driver detonated.Part 3: THE MEETINGTribal Territories, Pakistan: A meeting of bin Laden's inner circle occurs while someone records it. Jessica is ecstatic, telling Maya that the Jordanians have a mole. She shows Maya the video of the meeting and explains that a Jordanian doctor has made it into the inner circle. Bradley doesn't buy it but the Jords claimed that money and patriotic duty would be enough to sway him from bin Laden and the jihad. Maya points out that the guy is likely lying & they just have to meet him face-to-face. She helps Jessica convince Bradley to approve the operation.Jessica tries to get the doctor to come to Islamabad but the doctor refuses on the grounds that traveling out of the Muslim world would make him appear to be a flight risk. An interview of Obama talking about America's moral stature plays in the background as Jessica tells Maya that the doctor would be willing to meet with Jessica in the Tribal territories. Maya points out that as a white woman Jessica would definitely be kidnapped. They brainstorm with a fellow agent who suggests Camp Chapman in Afghanistan as a safe area of compromise.On the phone with Maya, Jessica decorates a cake for the doctor. Maya laughs and points out that Muslims don't celebrate with cake. Jessica scolds her for being so literal and invites Maya out. Maya declines - it is Jessica's lead and she deserves to run the show.Jessica meets with a CIA agent John for drinks and they toast the doctor, their first big break since 9/11. She's cross-checked all the information that they've been provided with and it checks out. The money - $25 million buys a new life. John posits that the doctor is exaggerating his access but Jessica points out that in 6 months to a year, the doctor could be treating bin Laden. With the money on the table, the doctor will flip - or they'll kill him.Jessica and the other interrogators wait out in the base and everyone is on edge. Jessica is excited about the meeting but the doctor is late. When he looks like a no-show, a car appears on the horizon and gets stopped at a check point. Jessica insists that he be ushered through the check point without being searched per the agreement they had made beforehand. The car is driven in and an old man gets out. When the soldiers ask him to take his hand out of his pockets, he begins to mumble "Allahu Akbar" and detonates a bomb killing everyone in the vicinity including Jessica and John.Maya hears the news about the bombing and is distraught. Several co-workers come and talk to her, giving her updates including news that a detainee has confirmed Abu Ahmed as dead. Maya is on the edge of a breakdown. That night, Jack approaches her to console her about Jessica's death and asks what shes going to do now. She tells Jack that she's going to smoke out everyone involved in the operation and kill bin Laden.George (Mark Strong) arrives to brief Maya and her co-workers in the aftermath of the bombing, pointing out that they are losing the fight against their enemy. He yells that they "haven't done shit"; killing four of the 20 members of bin Laden's inner circle is a terrible success rate. He harshly demands they do their jobs and bring him people to kill.Maya is given a file on a man called Ibrahim Sayeed whose extended family was involved in terrorist activities. She is told that it was a lead that had been on the back burner for a while as a result of all the white noise. Maya goes over the Abu Ahmed files one more time and realizes that Sayeed and Abu Ahmed have many similar facial features due to their family relations. Maya calls Dan in Washington and points out that Abu Ahmed might not be dead since the three eldest brothers looked alike, the picture they've been associating with him is wrong. Abu Ahmed is still in play. She asks him to get the Sayeed family's phone number.Dan goes to talk to The Wolf (Fredric Lehne), a shadowy high-ranking official in the U.S. government, and requests a couple hundred thousand dollars to break open Maya's lead. The Wolf tells Dan that there is a lot of oversight going on and that they will not stop until they have a body, so Dan makes a deal he ran some of the ops that are currently under question if the Wolf backs him financially, he will return the favor by defending the methods used to an oversight committee.Kuwait City, Kuwait.Dan meets with one of his highly placed contacts and buys him a Lamborghini in exchange for the phone number. Maya meets with Larry (Edgar Ramirez) from Ground Branch and has him start hunting for Abu Ahmed. Larry and Hakim go for a drive in the city and begin to trace the identity of the Sayeed brother who is likely Abu Ahmed.In the aftermath of an attempted car bombing in NYC, Maya tries to talk to Bradley about the ground surveillance on the caller which Bradley says they don't have. Bradley wants to dismiss her lead because it is not relevant. He doesn't care about bin Laden, he only cares about stopping the next attack. Their goal is to protect the homeland, but Bradley points out that Maya's lead is a "fucking facilitator." Maya threatens Bradley telling him to give her the team she needs or send her back to DC and face a hearing before congress to be the first station chief to be called before congress for subverting the effort to find and kill Bin Laden. Bradley tells her she's crazy but gives the order.Jack approaches Maya in a bar and gives her a cell phone her suspect bought a new phone and they cloned a copy so that whenever his phone rings this cloned phone will ring as well. Hakim, Larry, and a third agent follow the signal on the phone in Pakistan. After briefly being stopped and threatened by locals, they drive away and are able to find the owner of the cell phone. They ID him and photograph his vehicle.A crowd of protesters outside the CIA facility in Pakistan protest Bradley having been named in a lawsuit by the family of a victim of a drone strike by the ISI. Bradley is recalled to the United States to be removed from his position. Maya tells him that the ISI fucked him, but he says nothing.Larry and Hakim follow the suspects vehicle to a compound. As Maya leaves her house, a pair of terrorists emerge and open fire on her vehicle. The bulletproof windshield protects her and she reverses back into her driveway while the gate closes behind her, preventing her assassins from finishing the job. The new station chief points out that she is now on a list and once someone is on a terrorists list they don't get off. When Maya is given information on the compound, she realizes that is likely where bin Laden is holed up.Going up the chain of command, Maya meets with George and another analyst named Steve (Mark Duplass). Steve takes her into a private conference room to discuss what she is about to present to the Director of the CIA. He asks Maya if the Pakistanis are involved but Maya points out that bin Laden has no reason to seek the protection of the Pakistanis since they tried to have him killed. The Director (James Gandolfini) arrives and Steve begins his presentation with George answering the Director's questions; the house is about a mile away from the Pakistanis equivalent to West Point. Maya corrects Georges estimation by saying 8/10ths of a mile The Director asks who Maya is and she says she's the "motherfucker who found" the house.Maya goes to Georges office and writes on the see-through partition "21", as in the number of days since they've found the house that George has not green-lit an operation. Soon 21 becomes "52". Steve shows satellite imagery of the compound and points out that there are two males and three females which means that there is likely a third family in the house, based on Muslim traditions. George meets with the head of the NSA (Stephen Dillane) who questions as to how they know bin Laden is in the compound. George assesses all their attempts and the actions of the third, unidentified male, and points out that they are professional attempts to avoid detection. The only people who behave like this are at the head of al-Qaeda. The NSA head points out that there's a 40% chance it's a head of al-Qaeda but it could easily be a drug dealer. George points out that they can't ask anyone since the detainee program went to hell.Day 100.George meets with the NSA head again, stating that their target can't be a drug dealer since he does nothing related to heroin production and sends messengers to two cities highly associated with al-Qaeda. After the meeting, George approaches the NSA head and points out he doesn't have the rhythm of the politics. The NSA head points out that if it were political he'd just tell George to go fuck himself instead, this operation is pure risk. The NSA head says the operation may be shakier than when George's predecessor pitched WMDs in Iraq. George asks him how they can quantify the risk of not making a move. The NSA head says that he's not giving the go-ahead but that the President would like to hear options.Area 51, Nevada Air Force Base.George, Dan, and Maya are flown out to meet with SEAL Team Six and look at several helicopters being refitted to be immune to radar. Team Six thinks they will be going up against Gaddafi in Libya but Maya explains that they are actually going after "UBL"; Usama bin Laden. Justin (Chris Pratt) is skeptical because he was part of a mission back in 2007 that cost them several team members and was a ghost. Patrick (Joel Edgerton) the squad leader expresses his skepticism, but Maya makes it clear that Team Six will be the "canaries" sent in; they will find bin Laden and kill him for her since she can't get authorization to simply drop a bomb on the place.Day 129.The CIA Director calls a meeting with George, Dan, Maya, The Wolf, and a consultant named Jeremy (John Barrowman), and they try and determine how accurate their intel is. Dan says there's a 60% chance there's a high-level target in the house he doesn't know if it's bin Laden. George says 80% but Jeremy asks Maya what she thinks. Maya says 100% which impresses Jeremy and the Director. When they leave the room, the Director says they're all cowed. Jeremy says that Maya is "fucking smart", but the Director says: "we're all fucking smart".Maya eats lunch in a CIA cafeteria and the CIA Director approaches her. He asks her how long she's been with the CIA and she tells him that she was recruited out of high school so she's been working for them for 12 years. He asks her what else she's done for the CIA aside from her search for bin Laden. She says she's done nothing else but that. He smiles and says she certainly has a flair for it. He asks her if she knows why she was recruited by the CIA. For some reason she is not able to answer that question.Part 4: THE CANARIESMay 1, 2011. Forward Operating base, Afghanistan:Stealth choppers are being refitted for the mission. Patrick, Justin, and the rest of SEAL Team Six clean their weapons and fool around. Hakim and Maya are on site to oversee the operation. Maya watches Patrick and Justin play horse shoes and discuss whether or not the operation is concrete. Patrick points out that Maya's confidence convinces him that this intelligence is accurate. Maya gets a call from George; it's happening tonight.Team Six board the three helicopters and fly out toward the compound. When they arrive, one of the helicopters is caught in a severe updraft and it crash lands onto a section of the compound. The soldiers are a little banged up but they are alive. They exit and begin to go through the compound.Going from building to building, the SEALs kill anyone who goes for a gun, all the men and a few women. In one case they call out a name, "Khalid", until a man reappears in the stairwell where he fled. They round up the kids and put them together in a room with the women. While more and more local people head toward the compound, Hakim walks out and tells the approaching crowd, first with a megaphone and then without, that they will be killed unless they stop. They do not stop until he repeats his order in English. Justin finds an office loaded with files and computers, an intelligence jackpot.Patrick and the others continue through the main building. Jared, one of the other soldiers, is approaching the third floor and softly calls out "Osama" repeatedly until a man appears. He quickly takes a shot and the man falls. Patrick walks up to the body and plants a few more bullets into it, removing his mask and radioing in that they have a possible positive ID. He takes a picture and they put him in a body bag. Their Squad commander radios in and tells them that they have six minutes to get back to the helicopters with the body and whatever intel they can seize as the Pakistan air force is responding to the crash.Maya receives confirmation that the plan worked with the code phrase "Geronimo for God and country". The SEALs grab what they can and escape to the remaining two helicopters. The downed helicopter is rigged with explosives and they take off and detonate (so the cloaking software and other advanced technology aboard can't be seized). The helicopters return to base and Patrick is congratulated for running a successful operation. Maya is presented with the body and the intelligence they seized. The SEALs congratulate themselves while Maya goes in to unzip the body bag, confirming that bin Laden is dead.A plane is waiting for Maya on the tarmac and she is told that she is the only passenger; she can go wherever she wants. The pilot comments that she must be really important, but he doesn't know what she's done. As the plane's hangar door closes, Maya begins to cry. | dramatic, suspenseful | tt1790885 |
The Accidental Witness | A highly ambitious second-rung corporate executive, Victor Sandeman (Currie Graham), is losing his life style as a result of poor investments. He sees a way out via a company merger, but the old man who runs the business opposes the deal. Victor decides to murder the old-timer so his weak-willed highly malleable grandson will be in charge. Thus the merger will be approved through Victor's manipulation of the heir. One problem, while carrying out his nefarious ploy with the old man's body still in the trunk, he rear ends a vehicle. The driver whose car is hit, Christine Sternwald (Natasha Gregson Wagner), remains adamant that all the information needed for insurance purposes be provided. This leaves Victor in a quandary. He makes up his mind to get rid of the accidental witness. This leads to several neat complications in the story involving mistaken identity, frustrating lures, and a police investigation into a homicide made to look like a heart attack leading to a car crash. Author: krorie from Van Buren, Arkansas | violence, murder | tt0494243 |
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Lieutenant Frank Drebin, taking a vacation in Beirut, disrupts a conference of America's greatest enemies (Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi, Khomeini, Yasser Arafat, Fidel Castro and Mikhail Gorbachev) who are trying to conceive a terrorist plan to humiliate the US. In Los Angeles, Officer Nordberg attempts to bust a heroin drug operation at the docks organized by dock's owner Vincent Ludwig, and is shot by Ludwig's henchmen. After being briefed on the case by his boss, Captain Ed Hocken, Police Squad Lieutenant Drebin visits Nordberg in the hospital. Nordberg provides cryptic clues, including a picture of Ludwig's ship on which the deal had been organized. Frank meets with police scientist Ted Olsen, who has invented a cufflink that shoots a tranquilizer dart. Frank learns through Ted that Nordberg's jacket tested positive for heroin. Police Squad is in charge of security for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Los Angeles, and Ed tells Frank that he has 24 hours to clear Nordberg before word gets out about what happened and detracts from the queen's visit.
When Frank visits Ludwig in his office, Ludwig learns that Nordberg is still alive. Ludwig has his assistant, Jane Spencer, assist Frank in his investigation, and the two fall in love. However, Jane is unaware of her employer's illegal activities. After Frank leaves the office, Ludwig meets with Pahpshmir, a participant of the Beirut meeting, to discuss an assassination plot against the queen. Ludwig agrees to do it for $20 million, with Pahpshmir wondering how he plans to pull it off. Ludwig explains that using a beeper he will create the assassin using post-hypnotic suggestion. Ludwig unsuccessfully attempts to have Nordberg killed at the hospital; while the hypnotized doctor escapes Frank, he accidentally ends up riding a ballistic missile into a fireworks store, leaving the assassination motive unknown.
Frank enters Ludwig's office in his absence, searching for evidence. Although Frank finds a note from Pahpshmir addressed to Ludwig which confirms his suspicions, he inadvertently starts a fire that destroys the note and the office. Frank later has a run-in with one of Ludwig's henchmen at his factory in a stockyard, and after that confronts Ludwig with his allegations at a reception for the Queen's arrival. Frank misinterprets Ludwig's presentation of a musket to the Queen as an attack and tries to protect her, but only causes more of a problem and is fired from Police Squad. Afterward, Jane finds out about the plot and tells Frank that the plan will be executed at a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium during the seventh inning stretch and that one of the players will perform the act.
In order to search the players, Frank knocks the home plate umpire out with a baseball bat and takes his place, frisking the players for weapons while they are at bat. The seventh-inning stretch begins and Ludwig activates his 'sleeper', Reggie Jackson. Jane alerts Frank, who chases after Jackson and tackles him, but Jackson manages to get away when Frank's action starts a general riot between the two teams. Ludwig holds Jane at gunpoint as he begins to leave the stadium while Jackson takes aim at the Queen. Frank tries to incapacitate Jackson with one of his cufflink darts, but misses and hits a large woman on the upper deck. The woman falls over the railing and lands on Jackson, incapacitating him and saving the Queen's life.
Frank follows Ludwig to the top of the stadium and shoots Ludwig with the other cufflink dart, causing him to fall over the side of the stadium where he is struck by a passing bus, run over by a steamroller, and finally marched on by the USC marching band. Some of the band members inadvertently step on Ludwig's beeper, and Jane is hypnotized into killing Frank by using Ludwig's gun. Frank breaks Jane's hypnotized state by openly professing his feelings for her and giving her an engagement ring. Frank and Jane meet Mayor Barkley, who reinstates Frank back to Police Squad, and a recovered Nordberg congratulates him - until Frank inadvertently pushes Nordberg's wheelchair down the stadium's stairs. | comedy, murder, cult, absurd, humor, satire, comic, brainwashing, entertaining | tt0095705 |
The Signal | Three MIT students – Jonah, Nic, and Haley – are on a road trip to move Haley to California, a decision that stresses Nic's relationship with her. Haley feels Nic is distancing himself from her and Nic explains he doesn't want his disability to hold her back (Nic walks with forearm crutches, and the possibility of muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, or some other degenerative disease is implied but never specified). During their stay in a hotel, Nic and Jonah discover that a hacker named NOMAD, who nearly got them expelled for breaking into MIT servers, has found their location and is taunting them with strange and ominous emails. They track NOMAD to an abandoned house in the middle of Nevada and decide to go after him. After finding nothing in the house, Nic and Jonah hear Haley scream and run outside, only to see her pulled into the sky before disappearing into a white light themselves.
Nic, now with the number 2.3.5.41 tattooed on his arm, wakes up in a strange and sterile underground research facility where he is questioned by Dr. Wallace Damon, the head of the "transition group" in charge of helping Nic to cope with his strange situation. Damon tells Nic what they encountered near the house was an EBE: an extraterrestrial biological entity. Nic remains in a state of disbelief. Dr. Damon then shows him footage from Nic's own video camera and pauses where an alien face can be seen peering from behind a tree. Nic is taken to his room where he hears Jonah talking to him through a small vent in the wall, saying "(his) body feels weird." Nic also notices that his legs, previously weak but functional, are now completely numb. When Dr. Damon questions him again, Nic tries to get answers about Haley's condition (she is in a coma at the time), but is unsuccessful. Following an unexplained experiment on a cow in another part of the facility, a security alarm goes off and Nic, along with other personnel, finds large dents with scorch marks running across the walls and no sign of Jonah. Nic asks Damon where Jonah went but Damon tells him that Jonah was never recovered from the house. Increasingly agitated, Nic tries to break Haley out but is intercepted. After being restrained, he's shocked to discover that his legs have been amputated and replaced by prostheses made from alien technology. Nic then uses these super-powered limbs to break Haley and himself out of the facility, only to discover they're in the middle of a vast barren desert.
After hitching a ride with an old lady who seems sweet yet oddly troubled, Nic and Haley hijack an 18-wheeler truck to try to find a way around the seemingly endless canyon that extends around the facility and surrounding area. At a visitor's center, they come across Jonah disguised as one of the facility workers dressed in a white HAZMAT suit. Jonah reveals that he too had limbs taken from him, as his forearms and hands have been replaced with the same alien technology as Nic's legs. Jonah speculates that they're all in Area 51 and that this is all a test. After Nic discovers indications of alien technology also implanted in Haley's spine, the trio drive up to a military checkpoint where Jonah tries to hack into their systems, only to be stopped by a hail of gunfire from the facility personnel. Nic and Jonah hug as the fatally wounded Jonah prepares for his final stand that will allow Nic and Haley to escape. Jonah uses his remaining strength and prosthetic alien arms to subdue the group of soldiers. However, Nic and Haley's escape is short-lived; as they approach the only bridge that would take them over the canyon to the outside world, they run into Damon and his military men, who blow out the truck's tires. Haley is evacuated by helicopter beyond the canyon and, knowing that Nic has mastered use of his legs, Damon tells Nic "you can't reach her." After hearing a loud horn coming from the sky, Nic realizes Damon is NOMAD. Damon then explains that it was Nic who came looking for him, that this was his fault, and adding that Nic is "the perfect integration of human will and alien technology. Our finest achievement." Agitated and emotionally compromised, Nic's bionic legs enable him to sprint at supersonic speed across the bridge in the direction of Haley's chopper where he hits an invisible barrier and breaks through.
Nic finds himself inside what appears to be a different facility behind a projected image of the outside world beyond the canyon. Turning back toward the bridge, he sees Damon remove his helmet to reveal he's actually a robotic alien. Nic walks towards a window and realizes he isn't in a facility, but is on an immense alien spacecraft numbered 2.3.5.41 (matching the numerical tattoo on his arm) that is about to dock at their home-world (signaled by the horn). | suspenseful, atmospheric | tt2910814 |
The Heart of No Place | The year is 1999; the place, a city in the Northern Hemisphere. Artist/rock widow Y. surfs the Web looking for shadows of her husband John. At the opening of her exhibition she is introduced to Andrea, a young journalist with wild ideas about art and technology. She surprises Y. by reinterpreting her decades-old conceptual- and performance-art works through the latest trends in global money flow and IT.Through flashbacks, we learn that Y. and John also outraged and shocked the public with statements like Its time to talk about vagina envy at a news conference for nuclear disarmament. These antics on one hand endeared them to fans worldwide, while on the other created enemies especially for Y., who defied the Western notion of a submissive Japanese female by being as outspoken and creative as her husband. Some even blame her for having been planted by her fathers corporation to break up Johns band.Following Johns murder by an unidentified gunman, three men a critic, a musician and a producer are interviewed for TheTV. Their eulogies and emotional confessions that they all loved his guitar are met by a single putdown by an (also unidentified) diva: Yeah, you loved his ass, too.Returning to her studio after scattering her husbands ashes, Y. contemplates a new artwork in which she would hammer a nail into a cross. Her grief is shared by her Assistant, who also lost his partner. Y. confides in him her frustration that what she finds on the Internet about her husband does not resemble the man she knew. The Assistant reminds her that its because his songs tend to get under your skin, and that we have created a virtual heaven for departed souls in our imaginations, and on the Internet. Y. continues to grapple with her questions as to why the end of Cold War seemed to signify a turn in the artistic climate in the West, coinciding with Johns death.As Y. returns from her daily walk, the Assistant informs her that computer firm Monosoft requests the use of John and her music and likeness in its marketing campaign. Y. is unaware that Monosoft has been gobbling up competitors and now plans to expand to the content market via acquisition of music and film outfits.Attending her longtime gallerist-friends opening, Y. is introduced to Daniel Mohn, who turns out to be the visionary founder and CEO of Monosoft. Mohn resumes his effort to win Y. over by stating that the Cold War wasnt won by missiles. It was won by people like you and your late husband. It was the arts of the Free World that kept leaking through, until it became the flood that broke down the Berlin wall.Y.s now-grown son visits. As she prepares a sandwich for the young musician, she has an apocalyptic vision of a thousand suns heating up the sky. That night, she contemplates a heap of spilled sugar and creates a chess board on her glass desk, thinking of wars and their consequences, and of women with all their men gone rebuilding ruined cities, maybe with bricks and stones, or with potatoes.During her walk, Y. encounters a group of joggers wearing headsets and portable music players products created through exchanges of Japanese and American technologies. Upon her return, she announces to the Assistant that she has decided to finally perform her Nailing piece, which she had previously thought would never be realized. | romantic | tt1382250 |
Junebug | When art dealer Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) travels from Chicago to North Carolina to pursue a local, self-taught painter (Frank Hoyt Taylor) for her outsider art gallery, she takes the opportunity to meet and stay with the family of her new husband George (Alessandro Nivola), who live close by.
There is his mother Peg (Celia Weston); his reserved, contemplative father Eugene (Scott Wilson); and his sullen, resentful, twenty-ish brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie) who, although married, lives at home. He is studying for his high school equivalency certificate while working at Replacements, Ltd. as an order processor. Johnny married his now pregnant wife Ashley (Amy Adams) before either of them finished high school. Relations between Johnny and Ashley are strained, with Ashley believing that a baby will solve their marital problems.
Madeleine and George stay in the expected baby's nursery, and Madeleine becomes friends with Ashley, who is a very sweet and friendly, if somewhat naive and talkative. The family takes Madeleine to a church service, where George is asked to sing a verse from the Bible. Madeleine is not used to intense religious displays but makes no comment. She attends Ashley's baby shower and gives her sister-in-law an antique silver spoon, which stands out from the other gifts. Madeleine discovers that she does not know much about George, as they have been married only six months and knew each other only a week before they got married. George's strong Southern family values come through.
The artist Madeleine is pursuing wavers over signing with her gallery. Ashley goes into labor, and the family goes to the hospital with her. Madeleine chooses to go and convince the artist to sign with her gallery, which briefly makes George angry. Ashley's baby boy is stillborn. She had told Madeleine she was going to name the baby "Junebug". The artist and his sister drive Madeleine back to her in-laws' home, and she later sits with Eugene on the back porch and cries. George comes home and has a wordless encounter in the garage with his brother, who punches him. George does nothing because he understands that Johnny will never be an educated, independent person who can leave home and live independently. There is nothing he can say, so he wisely says nothing.
George and Madeleine go back to Chicago. | romantic, humor, psychedelic | tt0418773 |
Eaten Alive | After refusing a request from frisky customer named Buck (Robert Englund) who wants anal sex, the naive and inexperienced prostitute Clara Wood (Roberta Collins) is evicted from the town brothel by the madam, Miss Hattie (Carolyn Jones). Clara makes her way across the local swamp to a decrepit hotel, called the Starlight Hotel, to check into a room for the night where she encounters the scruffy and mentally disturbed proprietor Judd (Neville Brand) and his pet crocodile in the swamp beside the front porch. Upon realizing Clara was a prostitute, Judd attacks her while ranting and raving. When Clara tries to defend herself, Judd stabs her with a pitchfork and feeds her to the crocodile.Some days later, a fractious couple, the outgoing Faye (Marilyn Burns) and her mentally disturbed husband Roy (William Finley), along with their young daughter Angie (Kyle Richards) arrive at the hotel to check in since they are driving across country. They soon experience the trauma of the Angie's persistantly barking and overly curious pet dog being eaten by the crocodile. Faye and Roy take their daughter to their room to try and try to calm her down.The insane Roy decides to shoot the crocodile with a shotgun for eating their dog, but Judd intervenes. During the struggle, Roy shoots Judd in his right leg, but it is revealed that Judd's right leg is a wooden prostetic which he apparently lost years earlier when it was bitten off by his pet crocodile. Judd angrily stabs Roy with a scythe before he is attacked and devoured by the huge crocodile which breaks through the porch railing and swallows Roy whole.After getting Angie to sleep, Faye goes into the bathroom for a bath, however she is interrupted by Judd who begins to beat her. Angie wakes up and runs from the hotel. However, Angie gets trapped underneath the hotel by Judd, who proceeds to tie up Faye in a vacant room where he spends the rest of the movie sexually fondling her while Angie remains trapped under the floorboards of the hotel.That evening, Harvey Wood (Mel Ferrer) and his daughter Libby arrive at the Starlight Hotel seeking information on the whereabouts of Clara, Harvey's daughter who had run away from home several months earlier. Judd calmly denies having ever seen Clara when he is shown a photo of her. Never less, Harvey and Libby check into separate rooms and then leave to try and locate her at Miss Hattie's brothel.Accompanied by Sheriff Martin (Stuart Whitman), Harvey and Libby question Miss Hattie, who lies to them by denying ever seeing Clara (apparently still angry over Clara upsetting her business). Harvey returns to the hotel while Libby stays in town to eat dinner with Sheriff Martin. When Harvey hears Angie's crying underneath the floorboards of the porch, he begins to investigate and is attacked by Judd who stabs him in the neck with his scythe. Judd then drags his dead body to the swamp to be eaten by the crocodile.While Sheriff Martin and Libby are at the local bar having dinner and drinks, Martin kicks out Buck and his sluttish girlfriend Lynette (Janus Blythe) after a fight nearly breaks out between Buck and another local redneck barfly. The pair venture to the hotel, much to the annoyance of Judd who had already warned Buck to stay away from his land. While in their room to have sex, they hear Angie's cries for help. Buck goes to investigate and is pushed off the porch and into the swamp by Judd, where he is quickly eaten alive by Judd's crocodile. Lynette hears the commotion, and goes outside only to be chased by Judd and his scythe into the nearby swamps. She manages to get to a road where she flags down a passing car and gets away.At the same time, Libby arrives back at the hotel and goes up to her room. Judd arrives back also, and opens up the gate for the crocodile to get in under the house so it can eat Angie. Meanwhile, Libby discovers Faye tied up in the room. After freeing her, the two women attempt to leave, however Judd chases them back upstairs where he wounds Faye with the scythe. Libby escapes out a window and begins to help Angie out of the swamp she has managed to get into to evade the crocodile. Judd throws the severly wounded Faye off a balcony and then he attempts to push Angie back into the swamp while struggling with Libby. But at the last second, Faye arrives and pushes Judd over the fence into the swamp, where he is devoured by his pet crocodile. Sheriff Martin arrives at the hotel minutes later to arrest Judd after being alerted by Lynette only to find the bloodied but alive Faye, and the shaken but unwounded Libby and Angie. All that is left of Judd is his prostetic wooden leg floating in the swamp beside the hotel. | grindhouse film, murder, cult, horror, violence, insanity | tt0074455 |
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne | Years have passed since Max Payne was arrested for the murder of his family's killers. With Alfred Woden's promise to help Max get out of jail, Max finds himself back on the N.Y.P.D, where another quest will change his life once again.On a stormy rainy night, Max and Mona Sax are held up in Alfred Woden's manor as police get ready to storm the house. Before the story offically begins, Max has just been brought to the hospital with gunshot wounds and various cuts, While a hunt for Max is just begining, Max escapes from his room and encounters a body of a security guard, Grabbing his gun. Along the way, Max has hallucinations of Mona Sax as he is in pain. Max encounters a hitman sent after him and kills him. Max gets into an elevator and runs into Deputy Chief Jim Bravura who is about to arrest him for the murder of Detective Winterson. Another hitman appears and kills Bravura and then tries to gun down Max, While hiding in the elevator for cover, the hitman shoots a fuel tank and explodes in the elevator next door to Max, causing the elevator to the decend to the ground. Max emerges out from the wreckage and enters the morgue and finds the body of Detective Winterson. The scene then cuts back to Woden's Manor where the police are still waiting for their back-up as Max and Mona are still in the manor.The story kicks off in the early hours of the night. Max is patrolling the city until he gets a shots-fired call at a warehouse belonging to Vladimir Lem. Max drives to the warehouse and more shots are fired and a woman is screaming for help as he gets out of the car. Max radios for back-up and moves in. Max is at a locked door until a man in a "Squeaky Cleaning" outfit arrives.Claiming that he has no idea whats going, Max takes the man and follows him upstairs to where the shots were fired. Seeking a trap is about to take place, Max the kills the man and two more men in cleaning outfits come out and shoot at Max. Max is fighting off cleaners as he makes it upstairs to the gunshop, Max hears a message on the answering machine for the girl, Annie Finn by Vladimir. Max hears commotion in the room next door and sees Annie is about to be executed by two cleaners. Max tries to save her but they end up killing her. Max takes out the hitmen and heads for an elevator where three cleaners are waiting for it to arrive. When the doors open, Mona draws her Desert Eagle out and shoots each man in the head. Max sees Mona and the doors close taking Mona back downstairs. Max waits for the elevator to come back up and takes it down. The cleaners are trying to make a run for it in their van. As the van tries to get away, Max shoots at it as the van drives towards him. Detective Winterson shows up and pulls Max away from being hit.Back at the station, Max, Bravura and Winterson are discussing the case and its potential ties and a name given by one the cleaners "Kaufman". Bravura lets Max take the case, and gives Winterson a case involving the murder of Senator Sebastian Gate. Bravura points out there was an eye-witness during the murder, and hands Max and Winterson a sketch of the suspect. The suspect appears to be Mona, Max hesitates telling them he had saw Mona at the warehouse. At his desk, Max searches for the squeaky cleaning company and the name "Kaufman" but nothing comes up.Max figures his only lead now is Vlad. He drives to Vlad's new restaurant "Vodka", which has taken over Jack Lupino's "Ragna Rock".
With the drive to an old venue, and the fact of seeing Mona again. Max feels elation and a sense of schizophrania. Max gets to the restaurant and opens the door but it's locked. Shots ring out and Vlad is yelling to Max for help. Max runs to the back entrance of the restaurant and takes on a couple of mobsters. Max reaches the stairs to the second floor and sees two mobsters being shot at by Mike the Cowboy, Vlad's right-hand man. Max meets up with him and together, they raid the restaurant killing the mobsters until they reach the storage area in the back. Max hears Vlad shooting at Vinnie Gognitti and Vinnie instructs his crew to take out Max, Max and Mike fight off the mobsters and reach Vlad as Vinnie escapes. Max learns the Vinnie is now a criminal mastermind and has made a deal with someone powerful.Max is at his apartment smoking a cigarette ready to fall asleep as his t.v is playing "Address Unknown." Max dreams as the commentary from the show sync up with his dream involving Mona. After the dream ends, Max wakes up to a knock at his door. He goes to open it with his beretta in his hand and sees that it's Mona. Mona comes to warn Max that both he and her are in danger and that there's a contract out on them. Max threatens to take her in for the murder of Senator Gate. While looking out the window, Max sees a sniper aiming at him and opens fire missing Max. Mona takes off and escapes the apartment. Max goes to try to catch her but is side-tracked when the cleaners try to kill him. Max moves through the halls of the apartment and goes through fire escapes until he reaches the sniper's room. Inside Max finds photographs of his apartment and tape recordings of his phone calls. Max looks through a video camera and sees two cleaners planting a bomb in his apartment wired to his door. When another cleaner opens the door, the bomb detonates and sets Max's apartment to flames. Max leaves the snipers room, fighting off the rest of the cleaners. A drunk and a prostitute team up with him in the fight as he escapes the apartment and goes to look for Mona.Max tracks Mona to an abandoned funhouse based on "Address Unknown". Max goes through the funhouse until he reaches the top floor where Mona lives. Mona is taking a shower as Max enters the bathroom. She tells him that the inner circle is involved with the contracts put out on them. Mona reveals that the Inner Circle is targeting people who know of their existence. After Mona gets dressed, they head out to an office complex where she has an informant named Corkran waiting for her.As they drive to the office, Max notices a Squeaky Cleaning company van outside the building. Max and Mona go to the main entrance of the building and find that guards have been killed. Mona goes to the reception desk and looks at camera footage of the building showing locked doors, and the cleaners patrolling the halls. She offers to go up and look for Corkran but Max takes the position. Mona gives him a headset as she watches the cameras guiding Max through the building. With the help of Mona's directions, Max finds Corkran's office and finds him dead. Mona comes through and says that they have to escape. Before leaving the room, Max finds a picture with Corkran, Senator Gate, and Alfred Woden. Max leaves the office but "Kaufman" and his men get off an elevator looking for Max. Max takes them on and kills them all. Max takes the elevator back down the first floor but the police are their waiting for him as Mona is in custody.Back at the station, Max is in Bravura's office as the two get into a heated argument about the case. Max is releaved off the case is put to active desk duty. Max tries to show a connection between his case and Winterson's case, along with the involvement of The Inner Circle and Vinnie Gognitti. Winterson's phone begins to ring and Max answers but the caller hangs up. Max goes to find Winterson whose in the interrogation room with a witness from the warehouse shooting who fingers Mona out of three potential suspects as the killer. Winterson leaves to go talk on the phone, and Max interrogates the witness to get secondary information. When Max returns to his desk, he accuses WInterson of leaking information to someone regaurding him and Mona. All of the sudden the respect for Max is lost by Winterson. Max heads for the lock-up downstairs to talk to Mona. When he reaches her cell, Mona warns Max that any of the cops in the building could be on the Inner Circle's payroll. To confirm that information, Max calls Alfred Woden but gets his voice-mail. As Max hangs up, a bomb explodes in the lock-up and a group of Cleaners storm in looking for Mona. Looking through a survelience camera, Max sees Mona making her escape from her cell and leaves the station. Max fights off the cleaners and goes after Mona. When he gets outside, Vlad drives by and picks up Max. Max notices a "Captain Baseball Batboy" costume in the backseat of Vlad's car. Vlad insists that it's his ace-in-the-hole for the war Vinnie Gognitti has unleashed. Max tells him to drop him off at Coney Island where Mona's funhouse is. During the drive, Vlad makes a comment about Mona that drops the trust and respect Max had for him.Vlad drops Max off at the funhouse and Mona appears from the shadows. Entering the funhouse, Max grabs Mona and the two begin to make love. A bomb goes off somewhere in the funhouse and they hear the cleaners entering through the backdrops of the funhouse. Max and Mona make a run for it to her hide-out but the two get separated when Max falls through a dissembled catwalk, leaving him to fight off the Cleaners and make his way to meet with Mona. After successfully reaching Mona, Max and her go to a construction company where the cleaners are hiding.At the construction site, Max looks for evidence of the cleaners and hope to get leads between them and The Inner Circle. Together, Max and Mona cover each other as Mona takes postition as a sniper and helps Max against the cleaners trying to gun him down. Max and Mona agree to leave the site and Mona must meet up with him on the other side of the construction site resulting more fights against the cleaners. When Mona finally reaches where Max is waiting, Detective Winterson shows up and gets ready to take in Mona. Max tries to reason with Winterson into letting Mona go, but when negotiations fail, Mona pulls out her gun ready to kill Winterson. Winterson takes aim at Mona but a gunshot goes off before Mona can get her gun out. Winterson falls to the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest as Max looks down the barrell of his gun. Two cops hear the gunfire and make their way towards the shooting as Mona looks at Max with a surprised look. With the officers approaching, Max tells Mona to run away and Max looks at her when she does. Winterson regains a short few seconds of consisousness and grabs her gun and fire two shots at Max. Max is hit twice in the back and stumbles off the platform and falls six stories to the ground below. Winterson dies as the cops see Max go over the edge.Max is taken to the hospital and has another dream of Mona. After the dream, Max and Mona are still head up in Woden's Manor as the police make final preparations to storm the manor.Max finds himself in the morgue looking over the body of Detective Winterson, when a commando is waiting behind the locked door for Max to open it. Unarmed, Max kicks the door open and knocks the commando to the ground and Max makes a run for it upstairs. In the security office, Max arms himself with a handgun belonging to a dead security guard and Max takes on the commandos as he escapes the hospital. Max leaves the hospital with no sign of Mona, and finally gets into contact with Alfred Woden, who informs Max the truth and the real person behind the conspiracy and ordered the contracts of him and Mona: Vladimir Lem. Max uses this information against Vlad and heads to "Vodka" to look for him.Max arrives at Vodka weapons loaded ready to take on Vlad but walks into the middle of a fight between Vlad's crew and Gognitti's crew. During the fight, Max finds Mike the Cowboy and the two get into a gunfight leaving Mike dead. Vlad is no where to be found in the restaurant and Max heads down the street where more mobsters are fighting each other off. While walking through a pawn shop, Max encounters three of Gognitti's gangsters who one of them believes Max is reinforcements. Max joins the gangsters and fights off Vlad's crew until the gangsters end up dead.In a humerous but ridiculous moment, Max encounters Vinnie dressed up in the Captain Baseball Batboy costume rigged with a bomb that will detonate if Vinnie is killed or if he takes off the costume. Vinnie tells Max that it was a trap set up by Vlad and begs Max to help him in exchange for where Vlad is hiding. Three commandos approach the warehouse where Max and Vlad are. Max takes them out and the two head for the upper level of the warehouse. Matters are complicated and hardened when Vinny can't fit through one of the doors leaving Max and Vinny to go through an open lot where heavy fire is brought upon them. Max takes them all out and they head up to Vinny's place where Max seeks a collection of Captain Baseball Batboy memorbilia in his apartment. They take Vinny's car and head off to Mona's funhouse where she can defuse the bomb.Max and Vinny arrive inside the funhouse. Outside, Mona has a sniper rifle set on Vlad in his car with a detonator in his hand.Before she pulls the trigger, he pushes the button and the bomb goes off killing Vinny, and leaving Max hidden somewhere in the torched funhouse dead or alive. Mona enters the building to try to look for him. She finds the remains of Vinny's costume torched and scattered on the floor. Max is found unconsious but Mona finds him and wakes him up. Max and Mona split up to find Vlad but Max's search for him ends in Mona's hideout where Vlad and his crew have Max at gunpoint. Vlad reveals the truth behind the whole thing to Max and reveals a connection to the past that had his wife killed that has him involved in this. Vlad breaks the ties between him and Max when he shoots Max in the face and Max goes down.Max unconsious again has another dream as Mona tries to revive him. Mona offers Max to walk out since it's not his fight. Max disagrees and he wants to finish off Vlad once and for all. Max reveals that Vlad is heading for Alfred Woden's manor to finish him off. Max and Mona head out.Arriving at the Manor, Max enters through the ground level as Mona takes sniper position and covers Max. The two get separated in the manor as each of them fight off Vlad's commandos. Max finds Vlad with Woden who is about to kill him. Max interferes and now guns are drawn on each as Woden watches helpless. Mona appears and tries to kill Vlad but Vlad shoots Mona wounding her severly as Max is knocked to the floor. Max looks at Mona as she's bleeding profusely. Vlad then shoots and kills Woden and Max gets up and struggles with Vlad for his gun. Max is shot again and Vlad takes off. Max goes after him as he fights off the rest of Vlad's commandos. The battle now being mono-a-mono, the chase ends in Woden's high Obeservatory as Vlad is standing on a high platform above Max lobbing bombs at him. Max tries shooting at him but can only wound him. Max takes it to the extreme and notices the platform is held up by strong cables hanging off the sky light. Max manages to shoot the cables sending the platform and Vlad to fall back down to the manor hall on the first floor. Vlad, wounded severly and close to dying, tries getting back up claiming he was supposed to be the hero but ends up falling back down and dies.The cops arrive outside the manor and Max, makes his way back down to where Mona is dying. Max gets to her and she claims to be the "damsel in distress" and dies in front of Max. Max kisses her one last time as the cops storm in and find Max barely alive. | revenge, neo noir | tt0366758 |
The Maltese Falcon | Private eye Sam Spade and his partner Miles Archer are approached by Miss Wonderly to follow a man, Floyd Thursby, who allegedly ran off with her younger sister. The two accept the assignment because the money is good, but Spade also implies that the woman looks like trouble, though she projects wholesome innocence.That night, Detective Tom Polhaus informs Spade that Archer has been shot and killed while tailing Thursby. Even later that night, two officers visit Spade at his apartment and inquire about Spade's whereabouts in the last few hours. Spade asks what the visit is really about. The officers say that Thursby was also killed and that Spade is a suspect, since Thursby likely killed Archer. They have no evidence against Spade at the moment, but tell him that they will be conducting an investigation into the matter.The next day, Spade gets a visit from Archer's wife, with whom he has been having an affair. The widow asks Spade if he killed Miles so that they could be together. Spade dismisses her and tells her to leave, and coldly orders his secretary Effie to remove all of Archer's belongings from the office. He then goes to a new address left in a note from his client, whose name he learns is Brigid O'Shaughnessy. He also finds out that Brigid never had a sister, and Thursby was her acquaintance who had betrayed her.Later, Spade is visited by another man, Joel Cairo, who offers Spade $5000 if the private eye can retrieve a figurine of a black bird that has recently arrived. While Spade has no idea what the man is talking about, he plays along. Suddenly, Cairo pulls a gun on Spade, and declares his intention to search Spade's office. But when he approaches Spade to search his person, Spade disarms him and knocks him unconscious. After cataloguing Cairo's belongings and questioning him in return, Spade returns Cairo's firearm and allows the man to search his office. Following this, Spade is again contacted by Brigid O'Shaughnessy. She offers her sympathies for the death of his partner. Spade senses a connection between O'Shaughnessy and Cairo, and casually mentions that Cairo has contacted him. O'Shaughnessy gets extremely nervous when she hears this. She tells Spade that she must meet with Cairo, and asks Spade to arrange a meeting. Spade agrees.When Cairo and Brigid O'Shaughnessy meet, they make references that the reader and Spade don't initially comprehend. Cairo says he is ready to pay for the black figurine. Brigid O'Shaughnessy, however, says she does not have it at the moment. They also refer to a mysterious figure, "G" ("the fat man" in the film), whom they seem to be scared of. The two then continue to talk about some events that happened overseas. Eventually, O'Shaughnessy insinuates that Cairo is a homosexual, and Cairo insinuates that O'Shaughnessy simply uses her body to get what she wants, and the two begin to fight. At this point, the police show up, coincidentally, to talk to Spade. Spade greets them at the door, but refuses to let them in. The officers say they know Spade was having an affair with Archer's wife; just as they are about to leave, they hear Cairo screaming for help. They force their way into Spade's apartment, and Spade invents a story that involves describing how Cairo and O'Shaughnessy were just play-acting. The officers seem to accept, if not believe, Spade's story, but they take Cairo with them down to the station for some "grilling". Spade sends Brigid to stay with Effie, where she will be safe.The next morning, Spade makes his way to the hotel where Cairo is staying. Cairo shows up disheveled, saying that he was held in police custody through the night. Meanwhile, Spade notices that he's being tailed by some kid named Wilmer Cook. He confronts the gunsel[1], and tells him that both he and his boss, "G," will have to deal with him at some point. He later receives a call from Casper Gutman, who wishes to meet with him. Gutman, a huge person weighing over 300 lbs, says he will pay handsomely for the black bird. Spade implies that he can get the item (though at this point this is a bluff), but wants to know what it is first.Gutman tells him that the figurine was a gift from the Island of Malta to the King of Spain a few hundred years ago, but was lost on ship in transit. It was covered with fine jewels, but acquired a layer of black enamel at some time, to conceal its value (estimated to be in the millions). Gutman learned of its whereabouts seventeen years ago, and has been looking for it ever since. He traced it to the home of a Russian General, then sent three of his 'agents' (Cairo, Thursby and Brigid O'Shaughnessy) to get it. The latter supposedly did retrieve the figurine, but learned of its value and decided to keep it for themselves. Spade starts to get dizzy at this point (Gutman has drugged him), and when he goes to leave, Wilmer trips him and knocks him out by kicking his temple.When Spade awakens, he returns to his office and tells the story of the Maltese Falcon to Effie. Soon afterwards, an injured man, identified as Captain Jacobi of "La Paloma," shows up at the office; he drops a package on the floor and then dies of gunshot wounds. Spade opens the package, and finds the figurine falcon. Sam is called away from the office. To prevent losing the item, Spade stores the package at a bus station lost luggage counter and mails himself the collection tag. He first goes to the dock where "La Paloma" was anchored, but learns that a fire had been started on board. He then proceeds to the place Rhea Gutman said she was when she phoned earlier. There he finds a drugged-up, seventeen-year old girl, her stomach all scratched up by a pin in attempts to keep herself awake, who just manages to give him some information about the whereabouts of Brigid, which turns out to be a false lead.When he arrives back at his apartment, he finds O'Shaughnessy in a shadowy doorway. Inside, Wilmer, Cairo, and Gutman are there waiting. Gutman hands Spade $10,000 in cash in exchange for the bird. Spade takes the money, but in addition says that they need a "fall guy" to take the blame for the murders of at least Thursby and Jacobi, if not Archer as well. Reluctantly, both Cairo and Gutman agree to make Wilmer the fall guy. Gutman proceeds to tell Spade the missing pieces of the story. The night that Thursby was killed, he was first approached by Wilmer and Gutman. The latter attempted to reason with him, but Thursby remained loyal to Brigid O'Shaughnessy and refused to cooperate. Later things escalated, then Wilmer shot Thursby. Also, Brigid O'Shaughnessy had seduced Captain Jacobi and hid the Falcon with him. Later, Brigid O'Shaughnessy instructed Jacobi to deliver the package to Spade. Once Gutman learned of this fact, he attempted to remove Spade from the situation with the spiked drink. Wilmer managed to shoot the captain, but Jacobi still got to Spade's office to deliver the figurine. After finishing his story, Gutman warns Spade to be very careful with Brigid O'Shaughnessy as she is not to be trusted.Spade places a call to his secretary, Effie, and asks her to go the office and pick up the figurine. Effie brings it to Spade's apartment, and Spade hands the package to Gutman, who at this time is overwhelmed with excitement. He checks the figurine, but quickly learns that it is a fake. He realizes with dismay that the Russian must have discovered the true value of the falcon and made a copy. During this time, Wilmer manages to escape from Spade's apartment. Gutman quickly regains composure, and decides to go back to Europe to continue the search. Before he leaves, Gutman asks Spade for the $10,000. Spade returns $9000, saying he's keeping the remainder for his time and expenses. Then Cairo and Gutman leave Spade's apartment.Immediately after Cairo and Gutman leave, Spade phones the police department and tells them the entire story. Wilmer killed Jacobi and Thursby. He also tells them what hotel Gutman is staying at and urges them to hurry, since Gutman and Cairo are leaving town soon. Afterwards, Spade angrily asks Brigid O'Shaughnessy why she killed Miles Archer. At first, Brigid O'Shaughnessy acts horrified at this accusation, but seeing that she cannot lie anymore, she drops the act. She wanted to get Thursby out of the picture so that she could have the Falcon for herself, so she hired Archer to scare him off. When Thursby didn't leave, she killed Archer and attempted to pin the crime on Thursby. When Thursby was later killed himself, she knew that Gutman was in town and that she needed another protector, so she came back to Spade.However, she says that she's also in love with Spade and would have come back to him anyhow. Spade coldly replies that the penalty for murder is most likely twenty years, and he'll wait for her until she gets out. If they hang her, Spade says that he'll always remember her. He goes on to say that while he despised Miles Archer, the man was his partner, and that he's going to turn her in to the police for his murder as that was a line he could not cross in the industry of detective work. Brigid O'Shaughnessy begs him not to, but he replies that he has no choice. When the police get Gutman, Gutman will finger Sam and Brigid as accomplices. Thus the only way Spade can avoid getting charged is to say he played both sides against each other. He tells Brigid O'Shaughnessy that he has some feelings for her, but that he simply can't trust her. Just before the police arrive, Brigid O'Shaughnessy asks Spade if the Falcon had been real, and he'd gotten the entire $10,000, would it have made a difference. Spade replies that, while she shouldn't be so sure that he's crooked, more money would have been one more item on "her side."When the police finally show up at Spade's apartment, Spade immediately turns over Brigid O'Shaughnessy as Archer's killer. They tell Spade that the kid Wilmer was waiting for Gutman at the hotel and shot him when he arrived. Spade also hands over the $1000 bill, and the falcon to the police as evidence. | mystery, boring, realism, murder, cult, atmospheric | tt0033870 |
Dark Water | Dahlia (Jennifer Connelly) and her daughter Ceci -Cecelia- (Ariel Gade) move to a flat in a condominium because of Dahlia's impending divorce. They go to live to Roosevelt Island, a neighbourhood in New York. Because her soon-to-be-ex-husband Kyle (Dougray Scott) rejects the new school and the new surroundings, it looks that the proceedings for Ceci's custody are turning nasty. The mediators (Bill Buell and Linda Emond) feel that Ceci would be the most damaged person at the end of the divorce, regardless of whom the custody's winner will turn out to be eventually. Dahlia and Ceci live on the ninth floor. Dahlia tries to keep her routines, reading children's books to Ceci before going to bed, taking her to school, etc. However, she keeps on getting splitting headaches and has to take heavy medication. The condo has laundry facilities in the basement and a rude clerk called Veeck (Pete Postlethwaite) who is always complaining about everything but not doing much.Pretty soon, Dahlia finds herself exhausted. She needs to keep her job to pay her bills, her mother (Elina Löwensohn) disapproves of her life and finds herself worried about Dahlia's psychological strength. When Dahlia first took a look at the flat, she didn't notice that there was a damp stain in a bedroom, but later on, when she and Ceci are already living there, it becomes a huge problem. They also begin to hear strange noises coming from the other side of the walls, The flat is badly-lit, the same as the dilapitated corridors or the dark basement. The clerk promises to call in a plumber.Two teenaged boys are making mayhem around the flat. They are almost always together and they are considered vandals. One of them even makes a sexual remark to Dahlia when they found her on the basement preparing a washing machine full of clothes. However, they leave , and Dahlia is alone when she turns on the washing machine. It doesn't seem to work properly so she starts another one. She hears strange noises, the water inside the washing machine turns nasty brown and Dahlia thinks that there is a girl inside the washing machine. She pulls the lid until the machine's door opens, but later, when she realises that there is nobody inside, she blames it on a prank played by the two teenaged boys.Ceci has been unable to make friends in her new school, so she starts playing with her imaginary friend, Natasha. Dahlia tries not to worry, but the weight of the world on her shoulders starts to take its toll. The clerk says that Ceci must have seen/heard Natasha, the little girl who lives in the 10th floor with her father. After the incident in the laudromat, Dahlia sees the red Hello Kittly schoolbag named after Natasha. When Ceci gives it back to the clerk, he just throws it away again.Jeff Platzer (Tim Roth) is Dahlia's lawyer. He seems to live in his car, all on his own. However, when Dahlia calls him in panic a Sunday evening, he says to her that he is taking his family to the cinema and that he will call on Dahlia the next day. Cue to him, all by himself in the gritty cinema.Dahlia talks to Ceci and tells her to stop playing with her invisible friend. Later, at school, Ceci is making a drawing of herself and her mother in front of the home. It looks like an invisible force is forcing her to paint on top of the drawing, so that everything becomes a blurred disaster. Ceci gets annoyed and shouts to the invisible energy to stop it. The teacher (Camryn Manheim), sees that Ceci is having a kind of nervous breakdown. She takes Ceci to the bathroom so that she can wash her hands. There, muddy water goes out from all the taps, and Ceci encloses herself within a toilet cubicle. A dark-haired girl in a red coat walks by, splashing on the watery floor.The teacher (Camryn Manheim) phones Dahlia, who arrives all wet from the heavy rain. She is told that Ceci got dizzy and fainted in the bathroom.Kyle accuses Dahlia of being unstable and a bad influence for Ceci. Platzer asks Dahlia whether there is anything real in all those accusations, and Dahlia talks about her headaches. Platzer takes the matter on his own hands, as he seems to feel that Dahlia is about to have a breakdown. He phones the owner of the building, Mr Murray (John C. Reilly), who seems really upset when he notices the level of damage made by the water coming from the 10th floor. Murray promises that a plumber will arrive the following day. Next day, the plumber says that the pipes themselves are not the problem, as there was no leakage to begin with.Dahlia decides to take her fears seriously and investigate the matter. She goes up to the 10th floor, but nobody lives there anymore.On the 10th floor there lived a family of Russians. They were a disfunctional family: the mother was an alcoholic, but their only young child, Natasha (Perla Harney-Hardine), was nice and welcoming. The mother checked herself into rehab, leaving Natasha with her father. The father returned to Russia, taking for granted that Natasha was with her mother. The child was abandoned by both parents, so one day, when on the rooftop, she walked up the ladder to the big reservoir and drowned in it. It seems that the clerk knew about it, but he refused to do anything about the matter, because after all, it was not his job. Instead, he just stopped taking care of the reservoir, and that was why Dahlia's apartment was getting flooded again and again.Dahlia peers inside the reservoir. She immediately spots Natasha's corpse. Natasha opens her eyes and tries to take Dahlia inside, but Dahlia leaves the place and phones the police. The police arrest Veeck, but there is no way to prove that either of Natasha's parents killed her, and Veeck is probably only guilty of not having phoned the police when he realised that Natasha was dead.Once that the ordeal seems to be over, Dahlia talks to Kyle. She proposes to reach an agreement over Ceci's custody and live closer to Kyle. Kyle is overjoyed to hear it. Dahlia intends to leave the condo in only a week... for good.That night, Dahlia prepares a bath with bubbles for Ceci. Dahlia leaves Ceci in the bath and talks on the phone to her mum. Dahlia is having her bath playing with a blue doll. When Dahlia is about to take Ceci out of the bath the girl is already in the living room, wrapped in a robe. Dahlia starts reading a children's book to her, when suddenly she realises that it is Natasha, not Ceci.Dahlia has to break down the bathroom door. Natasha is trying to drown Ceci. To save her daughter, Dahlia offers to take care of Natasha forever. The bathroom becomes flooded.The police are in the building again. They think that Dahlia has committed suicide. Kyle picks Ceci up, and takes her to his home. When they are in the lift, they become stranded. At that moment, the ghost of Dahlia talks to Ceci, combs her hair and tells her that if she has a problem in the future Dahlia would be in the building waiting and that she would help her. Meanhwile, Ceci leaves the building happily, and Dahlia stays to take care of Natasha. | suspenseful, horror, flashback | tt0382628 |
Ted | In 1985, 8-year-old John Bennett is a lonely child living in Norwood, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, who wished for his new Christmas gift—a jumbo teddy bear named Ted—to come to life and become his friend. The wish coincides with a shooting star and comes true; word spread and Ted was briefly a celebrity.
27 years later, John (now 35) and Ted are still living in Boston, and are still staunch companions enjoying a hedonistic life. John is dating Lori Collins, who is from Philadelphia. As their anniversary approaches, Lori hopes to marry John but feels he could not move forward with Ted around. John is hesitant about making Ted leave, but he is persuaded to act when they find Ted at home with four prostitutes.
John finds Ted his own apartment and a job at a grocery store, where Ted begins dating his coworker Tami-Lynn. Lori learns that John has been skipping work—using her as an excuse—to continue to spend most of his time with Ted. John and Lori are invited to a party put on by Lori's womanizing manager Rex, but Ted lures John away to a party at his apartment with the offer to meet Sam J. Jones, the star of their favorite film, Flash Gordon. John intends to stay only a few minutes but gets caught up in the occasion. Lori finds John there and breaks up with him. John blames Ted for ruining his life and tells him to stay away.
John and Ted confront each other about their ruined friendship and they fight but manage to reconcile. To repair John's relationship with Lori, Ted arranges for an old lover, singer Norah Jones, to help by having John express his love for Lori with a song during her concert. He does an off-key rendition of All Time High by Rita Coolidge and is booed offstage. Lori is touched by the attempt and returns to her apartment where Ted confesses about his role in John's relapse and offers to leave them alone forever if she talks to John.
Lori is persuaded, but Ted is kidnapped by Donny, an obsessive stalker who idolized Ted as a child. Donny plans to make Ted his brutish son Robert's toy. Ted manages to reach a phone to contact John but is immediately recaptured. Realizing Ted is in danger, John and Lori locate Donny's residence and track him to rescue Ted. The chase leads to Fenway Park, where John punches Robert, but during the chase, Ted is damaged and falls onto the field ripped entirely in half. A police car arrives, forcing Donny to flee. John and Lori gather Ted's stuffing and Ted relays his wish that John be happy with Lori before dying from his injuries.
Unable to accept Ted's death, a distraught John and Lori attempt to repair Ted, which proves useless. Feeling guilty about the incident, Lori makes a wish on a shooting star. The next morning, John hangs his head while looking over Ted's dead body. Fortunately, Ted is magically restored and reconciles with John and Lori, encouraging them to resume their relationship. John and Lori are married (with Sam Jones as the presiding minister), and Ted comfortably accepts having a life of his own as he and Tami-Lynn continued their love affair. Sam Jones attempts to restart his career and moves into a studio apartment with Brandon Routh. Rex gives up his pursuit of Lori, goes into a deep depression, and dies of Lou Gehrig's disease. Donny gets arrested by the Boston Police Department for kidnapping a plush toy, but charges are dropped. Robert hires a personal trainer, loses a significant amount of weight, and goes on to become Taylor Lautner. | comedy, boring, fantasy, bleak, flashback, absurd, humor, entertaining | tt1637725 |
Final Chapter: Walking Tall | Picking up where Part 2: Walking Tall left off, this movie begins with Buford (Bo Svenson) remembering the ambush that killed his wife. One year has passed, and Buford still has a hard time dealing with it. He goes to his wife's grave and breaks down, telling her that if he had listened to her about not being sheriff, she would still be alive.Buford then goes to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation wanting to know why John Witter (Logan Ramsey) (the mobster who ordered the ambush) is not in jail. Buford is told that there is nothing that can be done since they have no case against him. Pinky Dobson is paralyzed and his girlfriend retracted her statement implicating Witter. Buford then goes to see his friend, attorney Lloyd Tatum (Sandy McPeak) and asks if this is the case. Lloyd tells Buford that it's just the way the law reads, and he will have to be patient and let the TBI do their job.John Witter is now in New York, and tells his boss (Morgan Woodward) that he will settle things with Buford once and for all. The boss tells Witter that he should face the fact that Pusser beat him, and let it be at that. There isn't any prostitution, stills or gambling left in McNairy County, and the boss doesn't want back in. Witter is told that due to his mistakes, he must cede 25% of his territory, which WItter says he doesn't have to accept, but the boss tells him he will.Meanwhile, Buford and Grady (Bruce Glover) are staking out a still being run by O.Q. Teal (Clay Tanner) and his brother Udell(Michael Allen Honacker). Buford witnesses O.Q.beating his son Robby (David Adams), and intervenes. He takes Robby to the car and tells Grady to entertain him while he deals with O.Q. Buford orders O.Q. to drop his trousers and proceeds to give him the same kind of beating he gave his son. They then depart, blasting the still as they leave. Buford takes Robby to a foster home, and returns to the office to find a telephone message from Luan Paxton (Margaret Blye) a prostitute who helped Buford get rid of the state line gang. Buford arrives at the motel and upon seeing Luan, asks her if she is still hooking. He is surprised when she tells him that she is on her way to the gulf coast and works in real estate.Buford arrives at home and his father, Carl (Forrest Tucker) tells him that his tax situation is bad due to all the expenditures he incurred while sheriff. Buford says he will ask the county for a raise after reelection. Carl asks Buford if he really wants to remain sheriff despite all the pain it has caused, and Buford says its the only thing he knows how to do.Buford arrives at his office the next morning to find O.J. Teal's lawyer, French (Taylor Lacher) waiting. French shows Buford the pictures taken of O.Q. after the beating that Buford inflicted on him. French wants Buford to drop the charges against O.Q. and in return he will not file police brutality charges. Buford declines to which French reminds him that the office of sheriff is up for election soon.Buford has a meeting with Sheriff Clegg (Lecile Harris) from Hardin County. Sheriff Clegg wants Buford to check out a new club called the 3 Deuces. The club is in an area that no county claims, and Buford is reluctant to involve himself, since he will be up for reelection soon, but reluctantly agrees. As they are talking, some boys steal Bufords car and go for a joy ride. Buford and Sheriff Clegg give chase, and finally catch them. Buford takes them into custody, handcuffs them to each other and has them clean up the courthouse lawn. French sees this, and confronts Buford about their civil rights. Buford says that the alternative, detention hall and a police record would be a lot worse. One of the witnesses watching the boys at the courthouse places a phone call to John Witter filling him in on everything that happened. Witter believes he can use this against Pusser on election day.Pusser goes to the 3 Deuces bar, and is surprised to see Luan there. Angry that she is still a prostitute, he offers her money, which Bulow (H.B. Haggerty) the bar manager sees. After Buford leaves, Bulow confronts Luan, and tortures her. Witter's boss is angry that Witter opened the 3 Deuces without his consent, and orders him to shut it down.With the election coming up, Lloyd tells Buford that French has mounted a good campaign against him, and that there will be a citizens meeting, and wants Buford to attend. Buford is reluctant believing that his presence will prevent people from speaking their minds. Buford finally concedes, and agrees to attend. As the meeting is set to begin, Buford gets a radio call from Sheriff Clegg that they have found a dead body, Buford departs before the meeting starts. Lloyd speaks on behalf of Buford, reminding the residents that Buford put his life on the line to make McNairy County safe. French then speaks, and says that the time is passed for the type of law enforcement that Buford administers. Buford arrives at the scene, and sees that the dead body is that of Luan. He angrily leaves for the 3 Deuces. Once there, he storms in, orders everyone to leave, and starts busting up the place. Milo and his thugs fight with Buford, and defeated, they leave. Buford then goes back to his car, gets a flare gun, and fires shots into the windows, proceeding to burn down the 3 Deuces.Election day comes, and the next day Buford is informed by his dad that he lost in his bid for reelection. John Witter returns home elated that Pusser lost the election, and is ready to do business again. He is told that it might be hard to do. Buford has lunch with his secretary Joan(Libby Boone) and tells her that he will run for reelection in two years. She asks him what he will do in the meantime, and he says he has applied for the highway patrol. Buford's parents are beginning to worry about Buford's situation, and their own finances since the lumber mill they owned is no longer in operation.Buford is now earning some money fixing up old cars and selling them. While in town, O.Q. Teal and his brother, now out of jail, see Bufords car and finding Buford's stick in the front seat, begin smashing it. Buford confronts O.Q. and his brother and knocks them out. The new sheriff (R.D. Smith) arrives, and believes Buford is causing trouble. Since no one is willing to witness the confrontation, Lloyd does, and presses charges against the Teals. The sheriff apologizes, but tells Buford not to cause any more trouble.Carl has a talk with Buford and says that he had to borrow money from Buford's brother to help pay their bills. Buford then goes to his wife's grave and says that he doesn't know that to do. Buford's daughter Dwana (Dawn Lyn) shows up and reassures him that everything will be alright.Mel Bascum (John Malby), a movie producer, sees a news story about Buford, and is impressed at what he sees. He goes to Buford with a movie deal, which Buford is reluctant to sign since it will require filming the ambush that killed his wife. Buford seeks Lloyd for advice, and signs the deal, seeing that it will solve his financial situation. Buford acts as technical consultant and when the movie premiers in 1973, Buford is nervous. When the ambush scene comes, he is overcome with emotion and walks out of the movie.Witter is angered at the publicity that the movie has generated, and his boss tells him to leave it alone. Buford purchases mini bikes for his children, much to his mother's (Lurene Tuttle) dismay. She asks him if he plans to spoil his children, and he replies "I hope so".Two years later, Buford has dinner with Joan, and tells her that he still plans to run for sheriff. He also tells her that he did a screen test in Hollywood, and will play himself in the next movie 'Part 2'. With part of the money he gets, Buford buys himself a new car (Corvette). The children are going to the state fair, and Buford has to meet with the movie execs.That same night Buford returns, and as he parks his car, he is seen by Johnny (Robert Phillips), one of the goons from the 3 Deuces. Buford enjoys the evening with his daughter, telling her "good times are just beginning". Dwana asks to ride home with her friend, to which Buford agrees. Witter calls his boss saying he is ready to do business again. The Boss hangs up, and orders a hit on Witter.While driving home, Buford's car suddenly goes out of control and runs off the road and crashes, Buford being thrown clear. The car then bursts into flames. Minutes later, Dwana arrives at the scene and breaks down at the sight of her father laying dead beside the burning car. The movie closes with a shot of the marker at the actual site where Buford Pusser died. The true nature of his fatal car accident remains a mystery. | violence | tt0076028 |
The Day After Tomorrow | Paleoclimatologist Jack Hall and his colleagues, Frank and Jason, are drilling for ice-core samples on the Larsen Ice Shelf for NOAA when the shelf breaks apart. When Jack later presents his findings on global warming at a United Nations conference in New Delhi, he fails to convince diplomats or US Vice President Raymond Becker. However, Professor Terry Rapson of the Hedland Climate Research Centre in Scotland believes in Jack's theories. Shortly after, several buoys in the North Atlantic simultaneously register a sharp drop in ocean temperature, and Rapson concludes that melting polar ice has begun to disrupt the North Atlantic Current. He contacts Jack, whose paleoclimatologic weather model demonstrates how climate changes caused the first ice age. His team, including NASA meteorologist Janet Tokada, builds a forecast model based on Jack's findings.
Around the world, violent weather causes widespread destruction; US President Blake authorizes the FAA to halt air traffic due to severe turbulence. On the International Space Station, three astronauts see a storm system spanning the Northern Hemisphere, which soon develops into three hurricane-like superstorms. The temperature of the eyes of the storms is −150 °F (−101 °C), flash freezing anything in their paths. The cells, located over Canada, Scotland, and Siberia, will affect all of their respective continents within days. During this time, tornadoes destroy Los Angeles.
In Manhattan, Jack's son Sam learns about the worsening weather when he participates in an academic decathlon. Although Sam promises to be on the next train home, flooding quickly closes the subway and Grand Central Terminal, before a gigantic storm surge strikes New York City, flooding Manhattan. Sam and a large group of people seek shelter in the New York Public Library, and his teammate and love interest, Laura Chapman, accidentally cuts her leg while wading through the waist-deep water to higher ground. In Scotland, Rapson and his colleagues at the Hedland Centre die in the European superstorm.
Upon Jack's suggestions, Blake orders the evacuation of the southern United States (with most refugees heading for Mexico) and warns the northern half of the country to seek shelter. Jack and his team set out for Manhattan to find Sam, but when their truck crashes into a vehicle north of Philadelphia, the group is forced to continue their journey on snowshoes. En route, Frank falls through the glass roof of a snow-covered shopping mall. As Jason and Jack try to pull him up, the glass under them continues cracking; Frank sacrifices himself by cutting the rope. Most of the group sheltered in the library leave (despite Sam's warning), when the water outside freezes, leaving Sam, his friends, and a few others who trust him. They burn books to stay warm and break into a vending machine for food. Sam admits his feelings for Laura (who has apparently caught a cold), and she reciprocates. At the US refugee camp in Mexico, Becker learns that President Blake died when his motorcade was caught in the superstorm, and he is now the president.
The next morning, Sam's group determines that Laura has blood poisoning from the cut on her leg. Sam and two others search for penicillin in a derelict Russian cargo ship that drifted into Manhattan. Although they find food and supplies, they also encounter a pack of escaped wolves from Central Park Zoo. The eye of the North American superstorm passes over the city, freezing it solid, and the three barely return to the library in time. Jack, also caught out in the eye with an unconscious Jason, narrowly escapes the deep freeze himself by taking shelter in an abandoned fast-food restaurant.
Days later, as the superstorms dissipate, Jack and Jason reach New York and find Sam's group alive. They radio the news to the US government in exile in Mexico, and Becker orders rescue teams to pick them up and search for other survivors in the northern states in his first address as president. On the ISS, astronauts look down in amazement at an Earth whose northern hemisphere is now mostly covered by ice and snow. | dramatic, psychedelic, mystery, action, boring | tt0319262 |
M. Butterfly | Beijing, Red China, 1964. Mild-mannered Rene Gallimard, an accountant at the French embassy, watches captivated as Opera diva Song Liling sings a selection from 'Madame Butterfly'. Afterwards, he tells his wife Jeanne that Song Liling has opened his eyes to the beauty in the tragic tale, but Jeanne pours scorn on his romanticized western ideal of the submissive oriental woman. He tells Jeanne that the Chinese can't stand Madame Butterfly because "the white man gets the girl."Three weeks later, Rene musters the courage to visit the Opera again where he meets Song Liling backstage. Although he and Song only talk, he lies to his wife about his whereabouts. Song next entertains him in her parlor, a potentially scandalous action in a country "rooted 2,000 years in the past". When Rene kisses Song, she looks offended and asks him to leave. At Frau Bauden's party, Rene is accosted by angry embassy employees whose expenses he has refused. Song begins to write letters to Rene which he does not answer.Ambassador Toulon notes Rene's sudden personality change by stating: "you've become this new, aggressive, overconfident thing". He appoints Rene as Vice Consul, in charge of setting up a new intelligence-gathering operation to spy on the current Chinese authorities during Chairman Mao's so-called Cultural Revolution. Rene rushes off to Song, and demands to know if she's his butterfly. She shyly admits she is, although to protect her modesty, she insists on remaining clothed as they make love, watched by the prying eyes of Song's maid. Rene and Song's courtship continues secretly with a trip to the Great Wall.Some time later, the ambassador asks Rene Gallimard's opinion on the current conflict in Vietnam and of China's involvement it for his report. He tells the ambassador that the Americans must show strength, as the Oriental will always bow to a superior force. Song is revealed to be a double agent as she begins to feed Rene misinformation, and relays his comments on American troop movements to local Party official Comrade Chin, who is disgusted to find American movie-star magazines in her parlor. Song counters with saying "I'm trying my best to become somebody else."At another one of Frau Bauden's parties, Rene embarks on an "extra extra-marital affair" with Song. On his next visit to Song, he demands to see her naked. She tells him that she is pregnant and she must go to her parents village, as is the custom, from which she will bring him back a son. He is delighted. Song then goes to her handler, Chin, and requests a male Chinese baby with blond hair as part of her cover.Some months later, Rene Gallimard views a Red Guard demonstration with the burning of opera costumes. The ambassador advises caution, as they have become a powerful movement. Song visits Rene with their "son". He proposes marriage, but she is marched away by Red Guard militia who have declared all artists criminals under the Cultural Revolution. Rene is told by the Chinese authorities that he is being deported back to France for wrongly analyzing the Chinese and Vietnamese political situations. On a last visit, Rene finds Song's courtyard quarters full of peasants. Meanwhile, Song is seen entering a re-education camp, as a loudspeaker voice declares hard labor will transform them into real citizens of the future under the tutelage of Chairman Mao.Paris, France, 1968. Rene is watching a performance of Madame Butterfly at the local opera, where his eyes fill with tears. Outside, Rene runs into a riot where pro-Communist students are attacking the police during the so-called Student Riots. Rene returns to his apartment which the decor is austere of Chinese chic. One day, Song reappears, and Rene is overjoyed to see her again. Rene tells Song that since his dismissal from the diplomatic service, he has been working as a motorcycle courier, carrying diplomatic pouches. Rene is soon arrested by Etancelin, a government agent.Rene is brought on trial for espionage of leaking classified documents during his tenure as Vice Consul in China. During the trial, Rene is confronted by the crushing spectacle when Song Liling shows up to testify against him, and wearing a suit and necktie... unmistakably a man. Much to the court's incredulity, Song testifies how Rene gave him access to the diplomatic pouches to protect their "son" back in China. When the prosecutor asks Song if Rene ever knew that he was in fact a man impersonating a woman, Song speaks about his Oriental ways of love "out of which I invented myself, just for him." In a police van en route to prison, Song confronts Rene and finally disrobes, bitterly reminding Rene that he still is the same person that Rene fell in love with. Rene angrily rejects his advances, destroyed by the revelation of Song's true gender and that what he loved and believed was all a lie.In prison, Rene gives a one-man performance, admitting his story about falling in love with a man whom he thought was a woman, and a spy, had given the whole from France a good laugh. As Song boards a plane back to China, having been extradited, Rene plays an audio tape of Madame Butterfly and relates the tale as if he himself were the tragic oriental woman who loved an unworthy man. In oriental clothes, heavy Chinese makeup and a wig, Rene says that he has found the perfect sacrificial woman, far from China. In front of all the inmates and the warden, he kneels forward and commits suicide by slitting his own throat. | tragedy | tt0107468 |
Apt Pupil | In Southern California in 1984, 16-year-old high school student Todd Bowden (Renfro) discovers that his elderly neighbor, Arthur Denker (McKellen), is in reality Kurt Dussander — a former Sturmbannführer in the SS who is now a fugitive war criminal hiding from justice. Todd blackmails Dussander by threatening to turn him in to the police. However, the teenager is fascinated with Nazi atrocities perpetrated during World War II, and forces Dussander to share disturbing stories of what it was like working at Nazi extermination camps, and how it felt to participate in genocide.
Todd purchases an SS uniform from a costume shop, and forces Dussander to wear it. When he spends more time with the old man, his grades suffer, he loses interest in his girlfriend, and he conceals his bad grades from his parents. In turn, the Nazi blackmails the young boy into studying to restore his grades, threatening to expose the boy's subterfuge and his dalliance with Nazism to his parents. Dussander even poses as Todd's grandfather and goes to an appointment with Todd's school counselor Edward French (David Schwimmer). Talking about the war crimes affects both the old man and the young boy, and an intoxicated Dussander attempts to kill a cat in his gas oven but fails when it attacks him and escapes. Dussander also takes great pride in Todd's unbelievable turnaround, going from near dropout to straight A's in a matter of weeks.
One night, Dussander tries to kill a hobo who earlier had seen him in the uniform. When Dussander has a heart attack, he calls Todd, who finishes the job, cleans up, and calls an ambulance for Dussander. At the hospital, Dussander is recognized by a death camp survivor sharing his room and he is arrested, prior to being extradited to Israel. Todd graduates as his school's valedictorian and gives a speech about Icarus, saying, "All great achievements arose from dissatisfaction. It is the desire to do better, to dig deeper, that propels civilization to greatness." The scene is juxtaposed in a montage with Dussander's home being searched and the hobo's corpse being found in the basement.
Todd is briefly questioned about his relationship with Dussander, but he manages to convince the police that he knew nothing of the old man's true identity. At the hospital, Dussander hears a group of Neo-Nazis demonstrating outside the hospital; realizing his identity has been hopelessly compromised, he commits suicide by giving himself an air embolism. When French learns that the man who met Todd at school was not Todd's grandfather but a war criminal, he confronts Todd, who then blackmails him into silence by threatening to accuse him of making inappropriate sexual advances towards him, and to thereby expose him publicly as a homosexual and pederast. | violence, psychological, cruelty, murder | tt0118636 |
Ondine | Syracuse "Circus" (Colin Farrell) is trawling with his fishing boat and finds a scantily clad young woman caught in his net. He sees she is alive and resuscitates her. She calls herself Ondine (Alicja Bachleda) and refuses to be taken to hospital, not wanting to be seen by anyone else. He shelters her in a caravan house that belonged to his late mother in a quiet harbor, which makes him late for picking up his wheelchair-bound daughter Annie (Alison Barry), who lives with his ex-wife Maura (Dervla Kirwan). During Annie's dialysis, he tells her a story about a fisherman that catches a woman out of the sea. Annie explains the woman could be a magical selkie. Annie receives a new powerchair from the CRC, and upon returning home is greeted by Maura's boyfriend Alex (Tony Curran). Maura flips Circus off for missing the doctor who had news on a kidney match for Annie.
Next morning, Circus finds Ondine washing clothes in a stream, singing in an unknown language. She follows him on his boat to work the day. Circus pulls up only empty lobster pots, until Ondine starts singing, after which every pot contains a catch. Still not wanting to be seen, Ondine doesn't follow Circus to the fish market where the lobsters are sold. Circus buys a dress and lies to the store clerk that it's for Annie when she grows up.
When Circus picks up Annie from her school, he continues the fisherman story by explaining how the woman sings to the fish for him to catch, a song in a language he has never heard before. Annie states that Selk is the language of the selkie. Circus stammers that his lobsters hear her sing, which makes Annie curious as to whose story this is, and she secretly follows him to the caravan. When Circus asks how long she will stay, Ondine says it is up to him. Humored, Circus answers forever and happily ever after, according to the fairytale he has been building with Annie, who watches them without being noticed. Annie is back home studying all her new library books on seals and selkies. Alex says selkies are Scottish creatures, but the one Annie saw is not.
Circus meets with the priest (Stephen Rea) for a confession, who has repeatedly told Circus that this isn't AA. Circus recalls a recurring nightmare where he is at Alex's funeral and reunited with Maura, still with her drinking problem. As the priest pushes the subject away, Circus brings up the woman he pulled out of the water with his net and kept her. Ondine is by herself tidying up the caravan, and tries her new clothing as if the experience was a first, especially when she stretches leggings over one splayed hand so it looks webbed.
The next day, Ondine is swimming and is met by an unexpected Annie, they bond together talking about selkies, none of which Ondine denies, kissing Annie goodbye before the child goes back to her Mam. Circus is in the library asking for books about selkies, but discovers that Annie took them all. Annie runs into some neighbourhood kids showing off their bicycles, lets one of the kids play with her powerchair, it shorts out driving into water. The kids abandon "spaz" Annie, who is left alone to push it back home, where she finds Alex drinking beer. As Alex dries out the batteries, Annie asks again about selkies, he tells her they come from his homeland Outer Hebrides. However, Ondine doesn't speak like him.
Circus brings Ondine fishing again to steer the tiller, until a Fisheries board patrol boat zooms by, causing Ondine to hide. She begins singing again as he is pulling up his net, and finds it filled with a bountiful catch of salmon, that doesn't come from trawling. Ondine hides as the patrol boat returns to inspect for prohibited gillnetting, the guards look for the truth by finding dry gillnets and Ondine hidden in them. Circus wasn't sure if she could be seen, the guards accept Ondine's answer as to how the fish were caught. Glad that Ondine isn't invisible, Circus boats into the town harbor to sell their catch, where everyone stares at Ondine, including a dark-haired man who is looking for her. Circus and Ondine go shopping for clothes and run into Annie, who helps her with outfits, as townsfolk gawk through the store window eyeing a very pretty Ondine.
Later, Circus wants to pick up Annie for local regatta festivities. Maura says she already left. Ondine gets another surprise visit from Annie, and sees the caravan has been cleaned. Learning that Annie can't swim, they both play in the shallow water, where Ondine finds something that Annie thinks is her seal coat, and they bury it in the greenhouse. Annie wants Ondine to stay for seven years, unless the selkie husband claims her back, and shares this with Circus as they all boat into town, Ondine warns Annie that she isn't selk and can't grant wishes. Upset, Annie pretends to have brake failure to throw herself off the pier, to test Ondine's ability to breathe underwater, when Ondine jumps in to her rescue. They bring Annie back to Maura and Alex, who share with Annie that a man was asking for Ondine. This gives Annie a nightmare about the selkie husband coming. Back in the caravan, Circus explains he's called Circus the Clown because he was an alcoholic like Maura. He stopped drinking for Annie, yet custody went to the mother.
Back in the confessional, Circus tells the priest he sinned with Ondine the night before, and fears the good luck she brings, since he lost hope long ago. As he leaves, the unknown man approaches him about Ondine, Circus ignores him. Circus brings Annie back from dialysis, but is locked out since Maura and Alex are drinking in a pub. Annie asks to be left with them. Circus returns to find the caravan has been ransacked, and Ondine hiding nearby. Circus wants Ondine to stay and asks her to wish the man away, but her only wish is for Annie not to be sick. Ondine's man is back in town driving with rage, causing an accident with Maura who was drunk driving. Alex is killed, thrown through the windshield. Ondine and Circus follow Annie to the hospital, and learn she is getting an immediate kidney transplant from Alex who opted as a donor. The man is also brought to the hospital, and asks Ondine why she speaks their language as they both don't belong here.
Circus and Maura both get drunk at Alex's wake. Maura wants him to get rid of Ondine, now hiding in his boat, because of bad luck. Intoxicated Circus maroons Ondine at Roancarrig Lighthouse island because he thinks she will haunt him forever, as humans and selk don't belong together. Dusk comes and some driftwood gives Ondine's basking shilouette the appearance of a seal's tail, she jumps into the sea towards the seals on Seal Rock. The priest wakes up a depressed Circus, and he brings Annie from hospital to his home. She comforts him saying Ondine will be back because she left something behind. Annie watches TV with Sigur Rós performing, Circus recognizes they are the songs of Ondine, and goes back to find her on Seal Rock to demand the truth. Ondine gives one version that she is a sea creature that found her seal coat and buried it so she can stay with a family she loves. She then explains that she is a drug mule from Romania, and her pushta Vladic (Emil Hostina) was evading the Coast Guards, when she swam away with the backpack of heroin since Vladic can't swim. She floated in the sea until Circus saved her.
Circus brings Ondine back to Annie where they are ambushed by Vladic and another gunman, that Annie thinks want the seal coat. Everyone goes to the greenhouse to dig it up, but find nothing because Annie had moved it. Ondine promises to stay with Annie, revealing it was moved to a lobster pot. As they pull that up, Annie reminds Ondine that she is a selkie yet Vladic isn't, Ondine trips Vladic overboard by pulling on the rope he is standing on. He drowns going after the falling lobster pot pushed back in by Annie. Circus throws the other Romanian into the water, disarming him and the Romanian is arrested ashore, along with Ondine, who faces deportation. Annie is seen making a confession to the priest who is to wed Circus and Ondine, completing the fairytale how selkie women often find unexpected happiness with a landsman. | romantic | tt1235796 |
The Quiet Man | An American, Sean Thornton (John Wayne), arrives in Ireland and plans to settle in Innisfree, where he was born. On the way to Innisfree with Michaeleen Oge Flynn (Barry Fitzerald), Sean spots a redheaded woman moving a flock through the fields. He becomes interested in this unknown woman, and greets her at the church entrance the next day, where he learns her name - Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara), a redhead with a temper to match.Sean wants to buy the ancestral Thornton cottage from well-to-do widow, Sarah Tillane (Mildred Natwick), and finds himself in a squabble with "Red" Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), a neighbor and would-be suitor of the Widow Tillane. Mrs. Tillane, angered by Danaher's presumptuous attitude and bragging at the local pub, sells the land to Thornton. When Sean goes to claim the cottage, he finds Mary Kate there, cleaning it as a good Christian act. Thornton easily fits into Innisfree, earning a reputation as a quiet, peace-loving man. Danaher, however, holds a grudge. When Thornton arranges to court Danaher's sister, Mary Kate, the real fun begins. Thornton learns that Ireland's quaint charm includes some old-fashioned rules of courtship. He needs Squire Danaher's consent to marry Mary Kate, since their father is deceased. He and the local shaughraun (matchmaker), Michaleen Flynn, pay a formal visit to Danaher to ask for Mary Kate's hand. Danaher refuses and orders the two men out of his house. Sean and Mary Kate are devastated. Sean is puzzled by social rules that seem archaic to him, and takes out his frustrations by seemingly reckless cross country rides. Concerned, Thornton's newfound friends - Flynn, Reverend Playfair (Arthur Shields), and Father Lonergan (Ward Bond) - concoct a plot to trick Danaher into consenting to the marriage. They lead Danaher to believe Sean is courting the widow Tillane, who will have nothing to do with Danaher until Mary Kate is married off and out of the house. Danaher agrees to the courtship when Thornton wins the local cross country race, claiming the Widow's bonnet as his trophy.The Thornton/Danaher courtship quickly skips a few months of steps and soon turns into a wedding, but Squire Danaher, furious upon learning (at the reception) that he has been duped, reneges on Mary Kate's promised dowry of 350 pounds (Irish Currency). The money is a trifle to Sean Thornton, who has learned for himself that money isn't worth fighting for, and refuses to "shame" himself by begging for it. Mary Kate perceives Sean's lack of action as cowardice, and refuses her new groom his marital privileges. Tension builds in Innisfree, a highly sporting community, as the townspeople hope for a fight between Thornton and Danaher. However, Thornton refuses to fight. He suffers the guilt of a terrible secret concerning his last prize fight, which only the Reverend Playfair knows.As tensions grow, Father Lonergan counsels Mary Kate about her duties as a married woman, as Reverend Playfair councils Sean about what the dowry means to his wife. Although Mary Kate acquiesces, she feels that the dowerless marriage is improper and leaves Sean. To Sean, this is the last straw. He goes to the train station, literally drags his wife back to Squire Danaher's farm, collecting a very large crowd along the way, as the neighboring towns realize that Sean is about to confront Will Danaher and demands Mary Kate's dowry. Danaher refuses to pay the dowry, so Sean calls off the marriage - claiming that the dowry is their custom, not his. Shamed in front of the whole county, Danaher gives up the dowry (350 pounds cash). To further prove a point Sean stalks over to the nearby threshing furnace, where Mary Kate open the door for Sean to throw the money into the fire. This infuriates Danaher and he takes a swing at Sean, who defends himself. Mary Kate sees that her husband is willing to fight and heads home to cook dinner.For the rest of nearby residents of Innesfree, farmhands, the train engineers and passengers who've stayed for the event, the long awaited fight breaks out - starting at Danaher's farm and heading into Innesfree. During this Sean learns Danaher is, indeed, a worthy opponent. Many a side bets are laid - including Reverend Playfair, the visiting Bishop, and the local constabulary. By the end, the two men respect each other and have become fast (if drunken) friends. After the fight, the town gathers together to also help save Reverend Playfair's job and Will Danaher starts formally courting the Widow Tellane. | violence, romantic, flashback | tt0045061 |
Another Earth | Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), a brilliant 17-year-old girl who has spent her young life fascinated by astronomy, is delighted to learn that she has been accepted into MIT. She celebrates, drinking with friends, and in a reckless moment, drives home intoxicated. Listening to a story on the radio about a recently discovered Earth-like planet, she gazes out her car window at the stars and inadvertently hits a stopped car at an intersection, putting John Burroughs (William Mapother) in a coma and killing his pregnant wife and son. Rhoda is a minor, so her identity is not revealed to John. After serving her juvenile prison sentence, and after four years of isolation, Rhoda continues to shield herself from the world outside, becoming a janitor at a local school, wanting to work "physically", almost as a means to struggle past the potential she has squandered with the decision of a single night.
After cleaning her former high school for a while and hearing more news stories about the mirror Earth, Rhoda visits John's house after he has recovered, thinking she will apologize for the harm she did to him. He answers the door and she loses her nerve. Instead, she pretends to be a maid offering a free day of cleaning as a marketing tool for Maid in Haven (a New Haven-based maid service). John, who has dropped out of his Yale music faculty position and is now living in a depressed and dirty stupor, agrees to Rhoda's offer. When she finishes, John, who still does not know she is the person who killed his wife and son, asks her to come back next week. Rhoda tells him someone will come, but it may not be her.
Despite her fear, Rhoda returns to clean and begins to develop a caring relationship with John that eventually becomes more significant and romantic. They like each other and are intelligent and compatible conversationally. Rhoda genuinely wants to be of service to him.
Rhoda enters an essay contest sponsored by a millionaire entrepreneur who is offering a civilian space flight to the mirror Earth. Rhoda's essay is selected, and she is chosen to be one of the first explorers to travel to the other Earth. Rhoda tells John she has won the space flight, but he asks her not to go. He tells her that they might have something together. Faced with this, she finally decides to confront him with the truth and tells him that she was the one who killed his wife and son. He struggles to accept this information and becomes upset. He forcibly removes her from his house.
Rhoda hears a scientist postulating in a telecast that the citizens of the mirror Earth might be identical to those on her Earth in every way until the moment they learned of the others' existence. From that point on, the identical people on the different Earths probably began to deviate in small ways, changing their actions. Hearing this, Rhoda realizes that her identical self on the other Earth may not have caused the accident.
Excited, Rhoda rushes back to John's house, but he is still in shock and will not listen. She breaks into the house, and, unable to talk to John properly, leaves him the ticket to the other Earth, telling him enough information to give him a small hope that his wife and son might be alive on that planet. John accepts the gift and becomes one of the first civilian space travelers to the other Earth.
Four months later, Rhoda looks up at the sky where Earth 2 is now hidden in fog. She approaches her back door and sees her other self from Earth 2 standing in front of her. | psychological, murder, flashback, psychedelic, tragedy, romantic, storytelling | tt1549572 |
Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show | Most of the Cul-De-Sac has become desecrated after an unexplained scam from the Eds has gone wrong. And as a result, the rest of the kids are out for them. Leaving the Eds to make a run for it. Ed frenziedly packs anything he can find in a makeshift suitcase, Double D tries to write an apologetic letter to his parents before he runs away, but is overwhelmed to tears over the guilt. Eddy prepares a suitcase as well, only to become alerted by someone trying to break down his door. The door bursts in and it turns out to be Ed and Double D. Double D tries to admonish Eddy about their circumstances, only to find that the kids are coming nearer. Eddy leads them to his brother's room for a hideout, covering the door with a poster matching the walls of the hallway. Eddy secures the doors shut and he starts to chastise Double D for the scheme. They argue for a brief moment until Double D decides to listen in to see if any of the kids can hear them in the room. Ed subsequently bites a slice of buttered toast giving them all away. The kids begin trying to break down the door, as the Eds look for an exit. Eddy uncovers a peanut from a glass emergency class that inadvertently ends up lodged in Ed's mouth. Upon breaking it in half with his teeth, a key to Eddy's Brother's Car comes out of it. Unable to start it, Ed uses his feet to move the car. [Flintstones Style]Rolf and Kevin immediately chases after them, catching the attention of Sarah and Jimmy who were busy "filming" their own movie. A chase ensues following through the neighborhood where Rolf attempts to drag Ed out with his teeth. Only to have the Eds outrun Rolf. The chase leads through the forest and into the dump, where Kevin is waiting on his bike. Kevin attempts to crash the car, managing severe damage. Kevin leaps for the car where the rest of the kids catch up and pry the roof off the car. Double D grabs for a playground merry go round, wherein he spins the remaining kids off. Launching the Eds away from the Cul-De-Sac. Kevin declares his rage to Nazz and Rolf. Crying over if the Eds wont come back, Nazz is assured by Rolf that he will punish the Eds for their scam. Rolf goes alone with his pig Wilfred, Kevin and Nazz team up, Johnny sneaks off with his wooden friend Plank, and Sarah, upon realizing the others plan to maim the Eds, she offers to Jimmy to have a picnic with Jimmy and watch the beating in person.The Eds crash the car into a lone desert rock. Eddy suggests to Ed and Double D that they go to his brother's house. Affirming that if the other kids were to find them there, his brother would maul them. Before leaving Double D places an "Out of Order" sticker on the wrecked car. Meanwhile Johnny and Plank enter the secret lair of Johnny's super hero alias "Captain Melonhead." In his attempt to find the Eds. Kev
in and Nazz ride off on Kevin's Bike, being splattered by small bugs on their way. They derail and crash Kevin's Bike. Kevin alarmed by the damage of his bike, as opposed to Nazz. Kevin asks where they would run off to, he realizes that they are running to Eddy's Brother's place. Terrified by the idea of being attacked by Eddy's Brother, they take off on the mangled bike. Rolf makes his way into the desert where the Eds last were. He investigates the car wreck. After being tossed by Wilfred, he finds the "Out of Order" label Double D left behind. Rolf uses this to get the scent from Wilfred.The Eds end up in a private area where they encounter a plethora of smelly cows. Much to Ed's pleasure. Eddy continues to brag about his brother until Double D asks where Eddy's Brother lives. Only to find that Eddy doesn't know where he lives. Eddy unveils a postcard of a theme park called "Mondo-A-Go Go," that Double D tries to use to find Eddy's Brother's address. Unfortunately for them, the address is scribbled out. Double D then uses a marker Ed was using to draw a picture of Eddy's Brother to distinguish Eddy's Brother's whereabouts based on his traits. Coming to the conclusion that Eddy's Brother is a jokester, Ed concurs that Eddy works at a gag factory. Jimmy and Sarah giddily prance with a picnic basket to Eddy's Brother's house , only to arrive in the Trailer Park the Kanker Sisters live in. May discovers Jimmy and they begin to harass him. Out of fright, Jimmy reveals that he was planning on seeing The Eds getting beaten up. Sarah steps in and is interrogated by Lee via wet Willy. Jimmy spares Sarah by revealing that The Eds were going to be beaten up by the other kids for a scam they did. The Kankers Decide to track down the kids and prevent The Eds from being attacked. Using Jimmy and Sarah as a guide.The Eds get into a field of sunflowers, where Ed and Eddy fool around. Double D mentions to The Eds that they had nearly broken the Sextant Double D was using. Ed and Eddy have a good laugh over the name leaving Double D embarrassed. The Eds navigate through the sunflowers and make their way to the Gag Factory. Rolf enters the meadow the Eds crossed into. He stops to take a drink of milk from a cow, only to discover the drawing that Ed made on one of the cow's udders. Rolf continues his search, but cant go far after losing track of Wilfred. The Eds break into the Gag Factory only to find that the Gag Factory has been closed for over a decade. Double D makes his way to a second story whilst Ed and Eddy play with the prank items. Double D is unable to find anything in the filing cabinets and he marks the office with more advisory stickers. He exits the office to find the factory is empty. But out from the shades come Eddy and Ed with utensils lodged through their heads. Double D is horrified only to fid out it's a cruel prank from Eddy and Ed. As an apology, Ed offers a can of jelly beans. Double D uncovers the lid, and fake snakes explode from the canister. Raining all over Nazz and Kevin. Kevin finds the snakes lead to the Gag Factory and makes his way there.Wilfred is peacefully snacking on sausages until he is called by Rolf. Rolf tries to lure him out, shoe at the ready, putting Wilfred into a frenzy. Wilfred attacks Rolf and runs off free. Rolf emerges from his supplies with his head stuck in a meat grinder. The Eds hike through the woods surrounded by the gag snakes. Until they hear a distress call from Double D dangling over a waterfall. Ed throws Eddy at Double D causing them both to fall into the water. Eddy fished Double D out using his upper lip. Mentioning that his brother is a whaler and showed him how to harpoon. With this in mind, Double D decides to navigate down the lake hoping to lead to Eddy's Brother.Sarah and Jimmy are put to work pulling the wagon of The Kankers. Planning to defect, Sarah compliments Lee's toenail polish. Sarah is given the bucket of red paint Lee uses for her toenail. Sarah smashes Lee's hand with the bucket and she escapes with Jimmy.Johnny and Plank sprint through the city still searching for the Eds. Plank drags Johnny to a bus stop where they decide to take a bus to the Eds. Kevin and Nazz enter the Gag Factory, and Nazz points out the lights of the office. He and Nazz burst in where they find a label that reads "Dusty, Dusty, Dusty." Nazz falls through the floor and turns on the lever of a generator. Nazz attempts to retrieve Kevin's bike which was snagged by a a machine. Only to be taken up with the machine. At the last second Kevin grabs the bike, only to fall in with Nazz. The Eds have constructed a duck resembling a duck. Double D begins the christening ceremony for the "S.S Mutant Almost a Chicken Duck." The bottle doesn't manage to break on the boat however, and they sail down the lake. The Kankers go into the Sunflower Field where Jimmy and Sarah are hiding under two big leaves. Sarah distracts the Kankers by flicking a Ladybug and they climb down. Jimmy and Sarah crawl their way back, only to encounter Wilfred itching himself on a sunflower. Using a caramel apple, they ride Wilfred and exit the field. A bus finally arrives for Johnny and he boards the bus. He quickly loses Plank however and begins to fret. He maneuvers to the front of the bus where he sees that Plank is somehow driving the bus.The Ed's ship has crashed into a tree in the middle of the swamp. Double D argues about Eddy and Ed's immaturity only to be interrupted by more of Ed's horseplay. Double D struggles to find Eddy and Ed, discovering that they are sinking in quicksand. Double D desperately makes an attempt to rescue them, coming back to the pit to find they have already sunk. Double D mourns for them, only to soon find they haven't truly sank. Double D walks back home furious, further complaining about Eddy's carelessness. Double D and Eddy fight each other, resulting in Double D storming home and facing the consequences. Eddy breaks down acceptant of the fact that he had caused this whole hardship. Double D returns with a light hearted gag, and they officially become friends again. Double D leads them back to the direction of Eddy's Brother and they continue until sunset. Nazz and Kevin are dumped into the swamp where Kevin cleans the mud off of his bike. Nazz becomes fed up with Kevin not paying any attention to her and she prepares a fire. nazz distances herself from Kevin until he sweetens her up again. Only to make her furious again by Kevin bringing his bike into the warmth. Nazz throws Kevin's bike into a tree out of rage and she ends up in trouble from The Kankers.Rolf blindly goes around the streets and the swamp defending himself from trees. He is then run over by The Kanker's wagon, bursting the meat grinder open. The Kankers then kidnap Rolf. Double D gathers some fireflies into a glass jar, lighting up their nightly walk. They each start getting sleepy, and they rest in a roadside ditch decorated with Tiki heads and palm trees. Double D begins labeling the area and the two get to sleep. The next day, Kevin walks his bike to a grass area where he finds a silhouette of what looks like Eddy. This turns out to be a foil from Marie, and he speeds into their ambush. The bike crashes and it falls into disrepair. The Eds awake and Ed suggests they get breakfast. Ed and Eddy run for breakfast over a cliff and they all fall into a dormant Ferris Wheel. They are propelled from the Ferris Wheel into the sign of "Mondo-A -Go Go." The Eds run around the park frantically in search of Eddy's Brother.Their search leads to a Whale shaped Trailer. Double D points out that Eddy's Brother was once a whailer and they find out this is his home. Jimmy and Sarah use Wilfred as transport downtown, and Wilfred leads them to Mondo-a- Go Go. Before the Eds could go inside, The Kankers show up and uncover all the kids tied up. Jimmy and Sarah arrive with Wilfred right as Kevin attempts to beat them up. Eddy knocks on the door of the trailer, wherein Eddy mentions the kids's intentions to beat them up. Eddy's Brother steps out and Eddy introduces him to Double D. From here Eddy's Brother begins harassing Eddy. This gets Lee and the others upset, leading to Ed giving a blow to Eddy's Brother with his own front door. Revealing that Eddy's Brother can't hold his own in a fight after all. Eddy admits that he exaggerated everything he had said about his brother in order to come off as cool. Double D accepts Eddy's confession and the others honor Eddy. Johnny steps out of the bus and beats up the Eds. Resulting in the kids maiming Johnny. Kevin treats the Eds to free Jawbreakers, Jimmy sings the Friend Song, and The Kankers begin kissing Eddy's Brother.After the Credits, Johnny turns to the dark side as "The Gourd." Exacting revenge on the Cul-De-Sac for beating him up. But Plank informs him that the movie has already ended leaving Johnny confused saying "What Movie!?"The End. | psychedelic, humor, prank | tt1232047 |
Puss in Boots | Sometime before Puss (Antonio Banderas) meets Shrek and Donkey in Shrek 2, he arrives at a town while escaping a bounty hunter. There he learns that the outlaw couple Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris) have the magic beans he's been looking for most of his life, beans that can lead him to a giant's castle holding valuable golden goose eggs. When Puss tries to steal them from the outlaws' room, a masked cat (Salma Hayek) interrupts. Both fail and escape, and Puss follows the cat back to Cat Cantina, a club, where they have a dance-off and a sword fight, ending when Puss hits the masked cat in the head with a guitar. He learns that the masked cat is Kitty Softpaws, and is shocked to learn she is a girl. She is allied with Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), a talking egg and Puss' long-estranged childhood friend from the orphanage where he was raised. Puss tells Kitty of his feelings of betrayal for a youthful misadventure when Humpty tricked Puss into helping commit a crime. It turned out that Kitty was sleeping through the story. Humpty attempts to convince Puss to join them in finding the beans and retrieving the golden eggs, which he does.The trio steals the beans from Jack and Jill and elude the angry outlaws in a canyon chase. As Humpty leads his compatriots to the spot where they must plant the beans, Puss and Kitty's relationship begins to grow from rivalry into friendship. The trio ride the fast-growing beanstalk into the clouds where, Humpty explains, they'll find castle of the late giant. Now, he continues, a fearsome monster called the Terror guards the Golden Goose. When they realize the golden eggs are too heavy to carry, they steal the Goose which is just a gosling and escape the castle and the Terror. While celebrating their victory, the group is ambushed by Jack and Jill, who knock Puss unconscious.When Puss wakes up, he tracks Jack and Jill back to his old hometown, where he learns that the entire heist was a plot by Humpty to lure him home to be captured, as revenge for abandoning him to the authorities when Humpty's youthful heist went bad. Jack, Jill, and even Kitty were involved in the con. After pleas from his adoptive mother, the head of the orphanage, Puss turns himself in to the guards while Humpty donates many golden eggs to the town and becomes a hero.While in prison, Puss meets the original Jack from the "Jack and the Beanstalk" (a.k.a. Andy Beanstalk) story who warns him that the Terror is in fact the Golden Goose's mother, and it will stop at nothing to get its child back. A repentant Kitty helps Puss break out of prison and tells him that she loves him more than gold. Puss convinces Humpty to help him fight off the Terror, saying he knows Humpty is a good person at heart, and he will be forgiven if he helps save the town. The Terror arrives, revealing itself to be a giant goose. Using the Golden Goose as bait, Puss and Humpty lure the Terror out of the town, but Humpty and the Goose are knocked off a bridge with Puss holding on to them. Humpty knows Puss cannot hold both of them, and he lets go, sacrificing himself to save the Goose and the town. Humpty's shell cracks open to reveal that he was a golden egg on the inside. The Terror then takes the Goose and Humpty away back to the giant's castle.Puss is forced to flee because he is still an outlaw, but his efforts to save the town make him a hero among the townspeople. Puss and Kitty escape the guards once more, and Kitty says she will see him again soon, showing that she has taken his boots. In the epilogue, Jack and Jill are recovering from their injuries after being crushed by the Terror, Humpty is shown once again in his regular egg form, wearing a golden egg suit, as he rides the Terror into the clouds, and Puss and Kitty head back to dance at Kitty's hideout, the Glitter Box, where they finally kiss. | clever, romantic, action, fantasy, flashback | tt0448694 |
Hannah Montana: The Movie | Miley Stewart has always had the best of both worlds. She always got what she wanted. After having a shoe fight with Tyra Banks, her dad decides to take her where she never thought she would be taken to: Tennessee. He gives her the chance to be Hannah Montana for awhile and to learn what family is all about. While there, she meets a new love interest and makes a decision that will change her life forever. Does she want to be Hannah Montana anymore? -IMDbCSMiley Stewart has become overwhelmed with her alter-ego, Hannah Montana's, popularity. After being late to her blowout concert and filming her music video ("Best of Both Worlds 2009 Movie Mix"), Oswald, a sneaky undercover journalist for celeb magazine BomChic, overhears that Hannah is keeping a secret (that she is really Miley Stewart) and becomes determined to find out what it is. However, Miley gets into trouble when she ends up in a catfight with Tyra Banks over a pair of shoes at a department store, wanting to buy them as a birthday present for best friend Lilly, but Tyra is presenting it to her friend ("The Good Life"). This results in her missing saying goodbye to brother Jackson who departs for college. Steve Rushton performs at Lily's birthday party. ("Everything I Want") ("Game Over") When Oswald secretly follows her limo to the party, she is forced to attend as Hannah, resulting in the guests turning their attention to her instead of Lilly, especially when Hannah is accompanied by Steve Rushton in her performance of ("Let's Get Crazy"). Oliver and Rico try to stop Lilly from leaving, but the party is now ruined by an exploding cake.
Hannah and Tyra's fight is splashed across front pages across the media and Miley's father, Robby is left furious about the fact her popstar life could threaten to take over for good. That same day, they leave for the World Music Awards in New York on a private jet but when the plane lands, Miley instead finds herself in Crowley Corners, Tennessee, her hometown. It soon emerges Robby had the plane travel to Tennessee instead because of it being her grandmother, Ruby's birthday and that he wants her to reveal the life she could have had. When the dismayed Miley asks if her career as Hannah Montana is over, Robby says to ask again in two weeks' time. But Miley won't let go being Hannah Montana.
In Tennessee, Robby and Miley have their own relationships. Robby has a love interest, Lorelai, played by Melora Hardin, and Miley develops a deep connection with a childhood friend Travis Brody, played by Lucas Till, after he helps her with riding her old horse, Blue Jeans. Robby's relationship with Lorelai is awkward.
That night, Miley looks at a picture of her mom and her when she is young, missing her mother. Meanwhile, Miley is chastened after Robby mentions that she seems to want to be Hannah Montana more than she wants to be with her family. Oswald, meanwhile, follows Miley to her hometown. Later, she tries to write a song, but when Travis ignores it, she is unable to write. Meanwhile, there is a firm battle developing with the residents of Crowley Corners and a team of developers who are planning to destroy the meadows and building a shopping mall on the site. At a barn party that night, several singers contribute to the charity to save Crowley Corners, singing ("Back to Tennessee" by Billy Ray Cyrus), and ("Crazier" by Taylor Swift). Miley then sings ("Hoedown Throwdown") until the mall developers arrive. Travis and Miley dance, as do Robby and Lorelei. Travis suggests that Hannah Montana should appear to play a special gig, seeing that Miley knows her (Miley had lied to Travis that she saved Hannah's life in a surfing accident)as a way to save the meadows from being ruin for construction.
Miley spends time with Lily, who has arrived along with Hannah Montana's band and crew, and the two make up. She has a rough time adjusting to farm life while trying to be herself and Hannah, and Oswald takes a picture of her and Lilly, and Lilly is the one that invited Oswald to come here for a secret by accident. When Miley sees Travis, talking to him as Hannah, she encourages him to ask Miley out; he decides to take her advice. She promises to go, but has been invited to dinner with the Mayor by Lorelai (Lilly had been disguised as Hannah at the time). Miley struggles to switch between the two venues as both forms. Eventually she lets her guard down and is caught by Travis holding her Hannah wig. He immediately rejects Miley and she is devastated. Matters are further complicated when Robby has to break up with Lorelai, needing to take care of his daughter.
Miley writes her own song, "Butterfly Fly Away", which she and Robby Ray sing together to cheer her up. Upon finding the finished chicken coop that he and Miley were building and hearing the Hannah Montana song "Rock Star", Travis decides to go to the concert to support Miley.
The day of the final concert arrives and while performing, Hannah suddenly stops midsong, seeing Travis show up. She explains to the crowd that she cannot do this anymore, saying that that where she was was home. Hannah then removes her wig and reveals that she is Miley and can no longer continue being Hannah, declaring herself unable to lead her double life anymore. She then sings her own song she created; ("The Climb"), but afterward the crowd pleads with her to carry on being Hannah, promising her they won't tell anyone her secret. Suddenly, Oswald appears and takes a picture on his mobile phone but after encouragement not to by his twin daughters, he changes his mind and quits his job. The concert ("You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home") is a success and Miley departs Tennessee again after kissing Travis, her faith in living a double life fully restored, and Robby and Lorelai renew their relationship. [D-Man2010] | dramatic, romantic, comedy, prank | tt1114677 |
Before Night Falls | Before Night Falls is the story of the writer, novelist, and poet Reinaldo Arenas who was born in a poor rural area of Eastern Cuba. He initially supported the Cuban Revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959. Arenas moved to La Habana in 1963 and grew interested in writing. In 1966 he published El mundo alucinante (Hallucinations) which received critical acclaim and won honorable mention from the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists.
Arenas openly gay lifestyle eventually let to trouble and in 1973 he was charged with ideological deviation and sent to jail, but escaped, was rearrested, then imprisoned in El Morro. He was released in 1976 and in 1980 was part of the Mariel Boat lift to the United States. While in New York City Arenas published Cantando en el pozo (Singing From the Well) in 1982, followed by El palacio de la blanquísimas mofetas (Palace of white Skunks) in 1982 and El portero (The Doorman) in 1987. He committed suicide by overdose on December 7, 1990 at age 47. His memoir, Antes que anochezca (Before Night Falls) was published three years later, and is a principal source of this film, produced in 2000. Arenas is played by the Spanish actor Javier Bardem, whose performance and Cuban accent are absolutely perfect. | flashback | tt0247196 |
Les parapluies de Cherbourg | === Part One: The Departure (November, 1957) ===
Madame Emery and her beautiful 17-year-old daughter Geneviève (Deneuve) have a tiny and struggling umbrella boutique in the coastal town of Cherbourg in Normandy, France. Guy (Castelnuovo) is a handsome young auto mechanic who lives with and cares for his sickly aunt and godmother Elise. Though Geneviève's mother disapproves, Guy and Geneviève are deeply in love; they plan to marry and name their first child "Françoise". At the same time Madeleine (Ellen Farner), a quiet young woman who looks after Guy's aunt, is secretly in love with Guy.
Guy is drafted to serve in the Algerian War. The night before he leaves, he and Geneviève pledge their undying love and have sex, perhaps for the first time.
=== Part Two: The Absence (January, 1958) ===
Geneviève learns she is pregnant and writes to Guy, but his replies are sporadic. Her mother tells her to give up on Guy – he has forgotten her. Geneviève is courted by Roland Cassard (Marc Michel), a kind, young, and very wealthy Parisian jeweler; he wants to marry her despite her pregnancy. (In one of the connections among Demy's trilogy of films, Roland had previously unsuccessfully wooed the title character in the earlier Lola (1961); now he relates a version of this story to Madame Emery.) Madame Emery urges Geneviève to be sensible and choose a secure future with Roland. Geneviève marries Roland in a great cathedral, but she appears ambivalent about her decision.
=== Part Three: The Return (December, 1963) ===
Returning from the war, Guy learns that Geneviève has married and left Cherbourg. He has difficulty readjusting to civilian life. After an argument with his boss he quits his job, goes drinking in a seedy bar, and spends the night with a prostitute. When he returns to his apartment, Madeleine tells him that his aunt Elise has died.
Guy sees that Madeleine loves him, and he rebuilds his life with her help. Using the inheritance from his aunt he opens a new "American-style" gas station. Madeleine agrees to marry him, though she wonders whether he is merely on the rebound after losing Geneviève.
On a snowy Christmas Eve, Guy and Madeleine are in the office of their gas station with their small son, François. Madeleine is decorating a Christmas tree; we see this is a loving and happy family. As Madeleine and François leave to visit Santa Claus, an expensive car pulls in. The mink-clad driver is Geneviève, now wealthy and sophisticated. She has a young girl with her. As Guy rounds the car to her window their eyes meet and there is a moment of awkwardness.
Geneviève gets out and Guy invites her into the warmth of the station's office. They chat as a boy attends to Geneviève's car. This is Geneviève's first time in Cherbourg since her marriage, she says. Her mother died recently. Looking outside at the girl in the car, Guy asks, "What did you name her?" Geneviève answers: "Françoise. She's a lot like you. Do you want to see her?" Guy shakes his head.
The car is ready. At the door Geneviève pauses: "Are you all right?" Guy says all is well with him. Geneviève opens the door and pulls her collar tight against the cold before looking back at Guy one last time. She walks to her car, gets in and drives off. Madeleine returns with François; Guy greets her with a kiss. As the camera pulls back he frolics with his son in the snow, then picks him up and follows Madeline inside. | cult, romantic | tt0058450 |
How to Deal | Halley Marie Martin (Mandy Moore) is a 17-year-old high school student who is disillusioned with love after seeing many dysfunctional relationships around her. Her parents are now divorced and her father, Len Martin (Peter Gallagher), a radio talk show host, has a new young girlfriend that the entire family despises. Her mother, Lydia (Allison Janney), is now always alone while her sister, Ashley, is so overwhelmed by her upcoming wedding with Lewis Warsher that she barely exists in the house. The shallowness of all the teens at her school convinces Halley that finding true love is impossible.
When Halley walks in on her best friend Scarlett having sex with her boyfriend, the high school soccer champ, Michael Sherwood, Halley tries to warn her of the complications that lie ahead. Ignoring her advice, Scarlett embarks on a summer fling with Michael. In the meantime, Halley must deal with Ashley and the rest of the Martins must deal with her soon-to-be in-laws, Lewis' overbearing Southern parents, who have an African American maid. In the meantime, Halley runs into classmate Macon Forrester, a slacker who never shows up for biology and is more interested in having fun than school work. He is Michael Sherwood's best friend.
Then a few weeks later, Michael dies of a heart defect on the soccer field while Halley, Scarlett and other classmates watch helplessly. This event changes the lives of Halley and Scarlett forever. While Scarlett does her best to look beautiful for Michael at his funeral, Macon gives a moving speech about his friend. Struggling with Michael's death, Scarlett, at age sixteen, soon learns that she is pregnant with his child. With Halley at her side, Scarlett reveals the pregnancy to her mother.
Halley's father, Len Martin, marries his mistress, Lorna, in a beach-side ceremony, with guests from all over the world, or "within his radio frequency", as Halley puts it.
Halley and Macon eventually start a relationship. He takes her to his and Michael's favorite hangout and once come close to having sex. Halley and her mother get into an argument and on New Year's Eve, Halley sneaks out with Macon to a party. Again, they come very close to having sex but this time Halley stops it and Macon is upset. On their way home, they are both upset and distracted and hit a tree. Halley gets a broken arm, but otherwise they both walk away from it unharmed, but Halley breaks up with Macon saying that she can't wait around for him to grow up. Later things go awry when Halley finds Ashley drunk on the family's front porch. Finding a male stripper's thong around her neck, Halley witnesses the break-up of her sister's engagement. She also learns that her mother sneaks out once a week to have sex with a man she met a couple of weeks previously, Steve. After another make-up, Lewis proposes to Ashley again, this time at a crowded airport: she says yes.
On the day of Ashley and Lewis' wedding, Macon bursts into Len's radio studio, professing his apologies and love to Halley. He then heads to the wedding. On the way, he finds Scarlett, who insisted on walking to the wedding, going into labor on the side of the road. He puts her in the car and walks into the wedding, getting Halley's attention. The three rush to the hospital, leaving Scarlett's mother behind in the rush.
While Scarlett is having her baby, Halley makes a list of all the little things she hates about Macon, the way his hair falls over his face, the way his voice gets low when he's serious, the way he bites his lip when he's nervous and the way his eyebrow twitches. Halley playfully uses Macon's 'Jedi Mind Trick' and they kiss and dance briefly in the hallway. The movie ends as Halley and Macon embrace and viewers see that Scarlett gave birth to a baby boy. | flashback | tt0319524 |
Seconds | Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) is a middle-aged man whose life has lost purpose. He is disengaged at his job as a banker, while the love with his wife has dwindled. Through a friend who he thought had died years earlier, Hamilton is approached by a secret organization, known simply as the "Company," which offers wealthy people a second chance at life. The Company, in the person of Mr. Ruby (Jeff Corey), interviews Hamilton, then shows him a film of him attacking a girl after he'd unknowingly consumed drugged food & drink offered him by the Company. They threaten to blackmail Hamilton forcing him to sign on, foreshadowing the unfortunate consequences of accepting the Company's assistance.Hamilton's death is staged to make it look as if he perished in a hotel fire with a corpse left disguised as him. Through extensive plastic surgery and psychoanalysis, Hamilton is transformed into Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson). He is provided with a new home, a new identity (as Wilson), new friends and a devoted manservant. The details of his new existence suggest that there was once a real Tony Wilson, but what became of him is a mystery.Wilson copes with his new world. Relocated to a fancy home in Malibu, California, where he is an already established artist, he commences a relationship with a young woman named Nora Marcus (Salome Jens) and for a time he is happy but soon becomes troubled by the emotional confusion of his new identity, as well as by the exuberance of renewing his youth.At a dinner party he hosts for neighbors, Wilson drinks himself into a stupor and begins to babble about his former life as Hamilton. It turns out that his neighbors are "reborns" like himself, sent to keep an eye on his adjustment. Nora is actually an agent of the Company and her attentions to Wilson are designed merely to ensure his cooperation.In violation of Company policy, Wilson, posing as an old friend of her husband's, visits his former wife (Frances Reid) in his new persona. He learns that his marriage had failed because he was distracted by the pursuit of career and material possessions, the very things in life that others made him believe were important.Wilson returns to the Company and announces a desire to start again with yet another identity. The Company offers to accommodate him, but asks if he would first provide the names of some past acquaintances who might like to be "reborn." He refuses since he now knows of the drawbacks to being "reborn" and also doesn't want to delay the Company's procedure for a new identity for himself.While awaiting his reassignment, Wilson encounters Charlie Evans (Murray Hamilton), the friend who had originally recruited him into the Company. Evans was also "reborn" and likewise could not make a go of his new life. Together, they speculate on the reason for their failure to adjust, attributing it to the fact that they allowed others, including the Company, to make life choices for them.This realization comes too late. Wilson/Hamilton is suddenly strapped to a gurney and as he is wheeled down the hallway, a priest reads him his last rites. He is eventually wheeled into a small room where he learns that failed reborns are not actually provided with new identities but instead become the cadavers used to fake new clients' deaths. | cult, psychedelic, murder | tt0060955 |
Jagten | Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is a member of a close-knit Danish community and works at a local kindergarten. Divorced, he struggles to maintain a relationship with his teenage son, Marcus (Lasse Fogelstrøm), who lives with his ex-wife, but enjoys wholesome interaction with the children at the kindergarten. His coworker Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport) makes advances towards him and eventually moves in as his girlfriend.One of the kindergarten pupils is Klara (Annika Wedderkopp), the daughter of Lucas' best friend Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen). Drawing on memory of a pornographic picture her brother showed her, she makes comments that lead the kindergarten director to believe Lucas indecently exposed himself to her. When interviewed with leading questions, Klara gives unclear testimony against Lucas. The adults in the community believe the director's story of abuse, dismissing Klara's later contradictions as denial.Lucas is shunned by the community as a pedophile sexual predator. His friendship with Theo is destroyed, the pressure causes him to break up with Nadja, and his son is publicly ostracised. The kindergarten staff ask leading questions of other children at the kindergarten, who also "admit" to being abused. However, the children's accounts mention details of Lucas's basement, which supports Lucas's innocence, as his house has no basement. After a hearing, he is released without charge.The community is still suspicious of Lucas, and the ostracism turns to violence. His dog, Fanny, is killed, a stone is thrown through his window, and he is beaten by grocery store employees when he tries to buy food. On Christmas Eve, Lucas confronts Theo during a church service. Later, Theo overhears Klara apologizing to Lucas as she drifts off to sleep. His doubts about Lucas' innocence are resolved, and he visits him on Christmas Day with food and alcohol as a peace offering.A year later, tensions in the community have lessened. Lucas and Nadja are in a relationship again, and Lucas' son is accepted into the local hunting society as an adult. On a hunting expedition to commemorate the event, an unseen person shoots at Lucas. Blinded by the setting sun, Lucas is unable to identify his attacker, who reloads but flees. | dramatic, violence | tt2106476 |
Prom Night | The movie begins with Donna (Snow) coming home with her friend Lisa (Davis) and Lisa's mom from the movies. Once they pull up in front of Donna's house they say their goodbyes and Lisa and Donna have a short discussion about cheerleading tryouts, but Donna isn't going to try out this year (note: this is Donna's sophomore year).
Donna walks inside of her house and hangs up her jacket. The t.v. in the family room is on when Donna walks in the house and she calls out to tell her family that she is home, but she get's no response.
When she puts her jacket in the closet she thinks she hears a noise and turns around and there is nothing behind her.She walks past the couch to go up stairs and then the camera turns to her dead father at the bottom of the couch where he had been murdered by a cut to the throat.
She walks upstairs and trips over her brother's baseball bat and makes a small shout. She takes the bat to her brother's room and when she opens the door she see's him laying on the bed and tells him that she slipped over the bat.Then she tells him to turn the television volume down and pokes him in the side revealing the slit to his throat and the blood under his chest. She lets out another small scream and hears running from her parents bedroom and a man yelling "Where is she?", then Donna hides under the bed.While she is under the bed, she see's her mother run in and the killer, Mr. Fenton (Scheach) right behind her. He pushes the mother down and asks her where is Donna. The mother says she doesn't know and then he hits her and she falls to the floor. He asks her one more time and then the mother turns her head to the direction of the bed where Donna is hiding under and then the killer stabs the mother five times in the stomach.
Donna witnesses her mother being killed and holds in her scream. Once she realizes that the killer has left the house she runs downstairs and tries to flag down a police car. Then Donna hears a voice in her ear that says "I did it for us". It was the killer. Donna turns around and screams when she see's him and then the screen blacks out.Donna is now in her school psychiatrist room and she just finished telling her about the nightmares Donna has been getting about the night the killer killed her family."And then what happens" the psychiatrist asks, "and then I wake up, just like I used to" Donna says. And then the psychiatrist tells Donna that the killer is locked up and far away and can only hurt her in her dreams. And then the psychiatrist asks Donna what color is her prom dress.Now Donna and her friends Lisa and Claire (Stroup) are in a beauty salon getting their hair done for prom and Donna is explaining her dress, then Clair and Lisa make a joke about Lisa's dress and her boyfriend Ronnie (Penny).Donna's hair dresser gives Donna a mirror and tells Donna to look at her hair and in the background of Donna's reflection she thinks she see's the killer standing by a bus stop and then she gasps and looks behind her to see that there is no man.About an hour or two later Donna is getting ready for her prom in her house and she walks into her bathroom to freshen up. She opens her medicine cabinet to put on some make up and she think's she hears a noise, then when she realize's it nothing she closes the cabinet and screams because she thought her aunt Karen's (Gilsig) reflection was the killer.After they have calmed down Donna's aunt asks Donna if she has been taking her anxiety pills, and Donna replies no and tells her aunt that she wants to remember what happens tonight and not feel numb.
And then Donna's date and longtime boyfriend Bobby (Porter) rings the doorbell and Donna goes downstairs and gives hima hug and kiss and the give eachother their corsages that they got for eachother and take a picture.
Now Donna, Bobby, Lisa, Ronnie, Clair, and Claires date Michael (Blatz) are in their limo going to their prom and they are taking pictures and having a good time.The next scene takes you to the police department where Detective Winn (Elba) is at his desk going over files when Detective Nash (Rinsone) comes in with a fax. Detective Nash gives the fax to Winn and Winn curses and then calls a number to confirm if the fax is true about the killer that has escaped from prison.When Detective Winn gets off the phone Detective Nash asks what's going on. Detective Winn explains the story about one of Donna's teacher's that got obsessed with her and how her parents got freaked out and got the teacher fired and he still was in communication with Donna so the parents got a restraining order and the teacher flipped out and killed Donna's father and brother and how Donna had to watch her mother die. The he explains how Donna started getting notes from him a few weeks ago.Now Donna and her friends have arrived at their prom which is at a fancy hotel and they see one of the school girls that hates them named Crissy (Davis). They compliment her work on the dance and she doesn't care what they say. While in the hotel they see their P.E. teacher and have small chit chat.After they have been in the dance hall for a few minutes where the prom is being held Ronnie tells them that he is going to get the keys for their room.When Ronnie reaches the desk there is a man giving his information so he can get a room. He tells the room keeper that his last name is Ramsley. And then Ronnie comes up and tells the room keeper that he needs three keys to room 312 which the room that they are all staying in for the night. The Mr."Ramsly" recognizes Ronnie from Donna's group and tells the room keeper that he would like a room on the third floor.After Ronnie gives them the keys the girls want to go up to their room to freshen up. Mr."Ramsly" (A.K.A the killer) see's Donna and her friends go into their room, and when he is at the door of the room he was assigned he takes out his card key and his pocket knife and cuts the magnetic strip of the card. He calls the housekeeper in the hallways and tells her his room key is broken. And she tells him that the card was cut. So she uses her master key to open the door and then he tells her that he would like more bath towels.As the house keeper is in the bathroom putting in towels it is dead silent and she turns around and the killer takes out his pocket knife and stabs her in the stomach and covers her mouth so she cannot be heard.
He stashes her body some where and waits for Donna and her friends to come of out of their room. He watches them leave the room.A few minutes later in the ballroom Clair and her date Michael are arguing about leaving for college and then Clair tell's Donna about their situation and Claire goes up to the room to freshen up.
While Claire is in the bathroom she hears the sound of the door opening and she calls to see if it is Donna. When she gets no answer she walks out to see if anyone else is in the room and then she turns around and the killer is behind her and stabs her in her stomach 3 times.When Claire doesn't come back downstairs, Michael goes upstairs to see Claire. He thinks he hears her in the bathroom and tells her to come out and when she doesn't he sits down on the couch and waits for her, when he hears the door creak he thinks she is coming out, but the killer was in the bathroom. So Michael is looking around the room for Claire, and then when Michael turns around the killer pops out and stabs Michael and kills him.
Then in the hotel lobby the person at the front desk tells one of the other house keepers that he can't get a response from Gloria, which is the house keeper that got killed. The other house keeper tells the man at the front desk he will check for her when he is up at the floor she was last seen on. When he arrives up there he see's the killer coming out of Donna's room and he walks to his room. As the killer is about to go into his own room the male house keeper asks if he has seen the female house keeper, the killer replies "she is in my room turning down the bed" and when the male house keeper walks in the killer closes the door and kills the male house keeper
Later on they are discussing about how it is taking Micheal and Clair so long to come downstairs. Then the P.E. teacher announces that they are about to announce king and queen, when Ronnie decides to go upstairs with Lisa so they can have some alone time.On their way up there Lisa bumps into the killer, he ducks his head quickly and Lisa stares at him for a few minutes trying to remember where she has seen him before. Once they are in their room they lay on the bed and start making out and and then Lisa opens her eye's and says something signifying that she is surprised and scared then she tells Ronnie that she has to go tell Donna something. Ronnie says "of all times" and pulls out an engagement ring.When Lisa runs out of the room she slams the elevator button waiting for the elevator to open then she see's the door open that leads to the stairs and the killer comes out and she runs to the other stairs. While she is running she trips down the stairs and gets back up. She runs to the base or contruction level hiding from him. Ronnie starts to look for Lisa; and the elevator he takes ends up leading him to the contruction level. He calls out for Lisa but doesn't leave the elevator he is in, then the elevator closes. When Lisa thinks the coast is clear she gets up and runs only to be startled by a bunch of pigeons. Then she starts running again and bumps into paint buckets and makes a whole bunch of noise. Thinking that the killer is behind her she starts running and is looking behind her not looking forward she bumps right into the killer and he slits her throat.A few minutes later, Detective Nash gets Detective Winn to follow him and a police officer to the parking lot. The police officer takes them to a car and he opens the trunk; there is a dead body in the trunk. The officer tells the story of a person that ended up missing the day the killer escaped from jail and how the dead body is mssing their clothes and their wallet, then the officer tells the detectives that the dead body is James Ramsly, the name of the person the killer checked into the hotel as.Back at the dance they are about to announce kind and queen when Detective Winn sounds off the evacuation alarm right before they announce them. As everyone is leaving Donna tells Rick, Crissy's date(Lutz) that if Bobby is looking for her, she went up to her room to get her mothers shawl that her aunt gave her.
While she is up in her room she goes to her closet to get her purse and drops something, when she bends over the killer is right behind her. Then she turns around and there is nothing behind her, then she closes the closet door and see's his reflection in the mirror, and he says "Donna, I've missed you" and she screams and runs around the room into another part of the room and looks the doors.The killer grabs the fire extinguisher in the halls and breaks down the door, then Donna runs under the bed to hide again. Once the killer is in the room he is looking for Donna and and while Donna is under the bed she scoots further away from the edge and bumps into something and when she turns her head that something is Claire's dead body. As Donna tries to hold in her scream she lets out a small whimper and the killer turns around and looks at the beds and goes to the opposite one Donna is under.When he looks under Donna runs from under the bed and escapes out of the room bumping into the Detectives. In a frantic tone she tells them that the killer is in there. They escort her downstairs but don't see the killer in the room. Once Donna is outside, Bobby see's her and hugs her and they get into a police car and before they leave Donna tell's Ronnie that Claire is dead.They bring a S.W.A.T team in the hotel and look every where for the killer and the once they receive word that the killer hasn't been found blood starts to drip from the air conditioning vent in Donna's room where the Detectives are and when they open it the body of the male house keeper falls out, but he doesn't have his uniform on. And then Detective Winn starts thinking and comes to realize that the killer walked right past him when the employees were exiting the building during the S.W.A.T search and the killer was wearing the house keepers uniform.Detective Winn calls Nash and tells him that the killer escaped from the hotel and is on his way to Donna's house, so they have the house completely gaurded. About 20 minutes later the phone line's to the house got cut unexpectadly but no one knows when it happens, and Donna and her boyfriend are sleep in Donna's room and Donna wakes up and looks at the television and then looks out her window where she see's Nash wiping his eyes and then she goes into her bathroom to take her anxiety pills and when she closes the medicine cabinet the killer is behind her and she slams her head into the mirror. Then she wakes up, it was only a dream. When she wakes up and looks at the television the same show that was on in her dream is on, when she looks out her window Nash is wiping his eye and then when she goes in her bathroom and takes her pills she hesitates to close the cabinet but there is nothing behind her, but her window is open in her bathroom, she closes it and gets back in her bed.When she tries to hug Bobby he doesnt move, so she pushes him a little revealing the slit on his throat. Donna covers her mouth and lets out a small shriek. Before she see's the dead boyfriend Winn pulls up to Nashes car and see's that Nash has also been killed. Then Winn goes inside; Donna see's a shadow and starts to walk in her closet and closes the door. When she see's that it is Winn's shadow she starts to step out when the killer grabs her and covers her mouth. Winn calls for Donna but she can't say anything, then the killer asks if she is ready to come with him and she says yes. Then Donna's aunt and uncle scream and Winn runs to them and they see that one of the security gaurds was killed. As Donna and the killer open the closet door and are about to leave Donna bites his hand and starts to run but she trips and he slips to pick her up and then she kicks him in the face and Winn hears Donna scream and he runs to the room where the killer is on top of Donna about to stab her then the killer gets shot once in the chest, but he is still alive so he get shot six other times by Detective Winn. And Winn tells Donna that it's over. And the movie ends. | suspenseful, humor, murder, violence, flashback | tt0926129 |
Aliens | (scenes in red are only in the Special Edition)After the opening credits, we see a spacecraft drifting slowly through space. Inside is Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the only survivor from the previous film, having escaped in the shuttle of the cargo ship Nostromo, which she blew up after an aggressive and hostile alien species was responsible for killing her colleagues. Ripley is still in cryogenic sleep with Jones, the crew's pet cat, lying on top of her. A proximity alert goes off: the lifeboat is intercepted by a salvage vessel. The crew uses a welding torch to open the door and enters, finding that Ripley is still alive.In Gateway Station, a space facility orbiting Earth, Ripley regains consciousness in a hospital. A nurse tells her she is in a medical bay. She is visited by Carter Burke (Paul Reiser), a representative of Weyland-Yutani (the "Company" from the previous film, and Ripley's employer) who brings Jones the cat along. When Ripley states that she does not recognize the medical bay, Burke gives her some terrible news: she has been in hypersleep for 57 years, her ship having drifted aimlessly through space until the salvage vessel discovered it by very fortunate coincidence. Ripley shows clear distress and discomfort, when Jones starts hissing at her as she starts to convulse in the bed. Burke calls for medical attention, and the staff try to restrain Ripley. She pleads with them to kill her, before pulling her shirt up to reveal something pushing out of her stomach. Ripley suddenly wakes up bolt-upright in the hospital bed, clutching her chest, revealing the scene to be a nightmare. A nurse on the monitor next to her bed asks her if she needs something to help her sleep, but Ripley declines. The nurse was the one featured in her dream; the dream was a recollection from a real encounter with Burke, apart from the alien bursting out.Some time later, Ripley is sitting in an simulated environment waiting for Burke, who wants to prepare her for a board hearing. The Company has started a formal investigation into what happened with the Nostromo, and wants to question Ripley about her role in its destruction. Ripley is only interested in news about her daughter. Burke hesitantly hands her a picture of an old woman and tells a devastated Ripley that her daughter (only a 10-year-old child when Ripley left with the Nostromo) has passed away from cancer while she was drifting through space.During the inquiry, Ripley desperately tries to convince the board of the dangerous nature of the Alien and the potential threat of the Derelict Ship, which still contains hundreds of eggs. She explains that Company policies at the time gave the Nostromo crew orders to obtain the creature, which killed the crew and caused the destruction of the ship. However, the board is extremely skeptical of Ripley's testimony. Because she admits to having destroyed the Nostromo and evidence of the Alien creature is lacking, they treat her as if she is mentally unstable. The board does not press criminal charges, but revokes her flight license and submits her to psychiatric supervision. Upon asking why no one will go to the planetoid to confirm her story, Ripley is shocked to learn that the planetoid, now known as LV-426, has already been colonized by "terraformers" for 30 years, who are creating an atmosphere to make the air breathable and the planetoid habitable.Some time thereafter, at the colony headquarters on LV-426, two Company employees discuss recently received Company orders to investigate a certain un-surveyed part of the surface of the planetoid. A surveyor is currently doing the job, wondering if he can make a claim to anything he finds. The higher-ranking man complains how they never got an answer to the question why those particular coordinates were so interesting, but assures that anything found can be claimed. Outside on the barren and stormy planet surface, the aforementioned surveyor, together with his wife, son, Timmy, and daughter Rebecca, whom is called "Newt" (Carrie Henn), discovers the same derelict ship previously found by Ripley's crew (in Alien). He and his wife go in to investigate, but after a very long while, the wife comes back and calls for help on the radio: her husband is lying on the ground with a creature attached to his face (a facehugger like the one that attacked Kane in Alien.)Released on her own recognizance, Ripley gets an apartment at Gateway Station. Some time later, she is visited by Burke, who is accompanied by Lt. Gorman (William Hope) of the colonial Marines. Burke tells Ripley that contact with the colony on LV-426 has suddenly been lost. Fearing that Aliens are responsible, the Company intends to send a squadron of Marines; they would like her to act as an adviser, as she has personal experience with this species. Burke will come along, as the Company co-financed the colony. Burke is aware that Ripley has taken a job on Gateway Station, running loaders and forklifts, work that is clearly beneath her. As a further incentive, Weyland-Yutani has agreed to reinstate Ripley as a warrant officer if she goes. Ripley refuses, as she dreads going back to the place where she first encountered the alien, and because she is still frustrated that nobody at the Company believed her earlier story. But as her nightmares continue, she feels that if she does not go on the mission, she will never find any peace. She calls Burke, and when he assures her that the mission to LV-426 is to eradicate any Aliens, not to study or capture them, she gives in. Jones will stay on the station.A Marine ship, the Sulaco, travels through deep space. Inside are colonial Marines led by Gorman, accompanied by Ripley and Burke. After awakening from hypersleep, seasoned veteran sergeant Apone (Al Matthews) quickly takes command. Ripley discovers that most of the marines are a wisecracking, undisciplined lot who joke around and do not seem to take the Alien threat seriously at all. One tough female marine named Vasquez (Jeanette Goldstein) refers to Ripley as "Snow White", and the marines seem to have a low opinion of their inexperienced ranking officer Gorman, who shows little interest in getting to know his squad members. Ripley is also dismayed to learn that a synthetic named Bishop (Lance Henriksen) is accompanying them on the mission as their science officer; she mistrusts synthetics ever since her altercations with Ash (from the previous movie). Bishop tries to assure her that the new generation of 'artificial persons' (as he calls it) all have behavioral inhibitors and are therefore incapable of hurting humans; however, Ripley angrily dismisses his attempts to befriend her.As the Sulaco approaches LV-426, Ripley tells the marines about her experiences with the Aliens (dubbed 'xenomorphs' by Gorman) during a mission brief, but they are still rather undisciplined and scoff at the possible threat the creatures pose. During weapons detail, Ripley gradually begins to impress the soldiers, offering to help them load their dropship and displaying her expertise with the large power loader (a hydraulically enhanced suit). Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn) takes a special interest in Ripley, impressed with her strong personality and her way with people.Taking the drop ship from the Sulaco to the planet, the marines have no problems with being dropped into the planet's atmosphere, but Gorman seems uncomfortable. He confesses that he has hardly any experience with these kind of missions, further undermining the opinion the marines have on him. One of the soldiers, private Hudson (Bill Paxton) is loudly boasting his courage and the supreme firepower that they have at their disposal. The dropship clears the clouds and flies over the colony, which is a gigantic man-made structure, but without any visible activity. Burke explains that the facility contains an "atmosphere processor" designed to make planets suitable for human life, and that Weyland-Yutani manufactures them. The ship lands and deploys an armoured personal carrier (APC) with the marines inside before taking off again. The marines exit the APC and enter the main colony complex door. They sweep the building with motion trackers, but find the building deserted, save for a few laboratory mice left behind. The marines discover evidence of a fierce battle, including several barricades, hits from small arms and acid-burns on the ground, implying that there were casualties among the aliens as well. They conclude the building is safe for now, which Ripley doesn't believe. Gorman, Burke and Ripley enter the building, but Ripley is visibly affected by bad memories. In the medical lab, they finally happen upon evidence of Ripley's story: in a series of stasis tubes, they find several "facehugger" organisms, the spider-like creature that attaches itself to the face of a host. Two of them appear to be still alive. Bishop finds a file describing an attempt to remove a facehugger from one of its victims before it could implant an Alien embryo; the removal resulted in the death of the subject. Ripley and the others make an even more startling discovery: a little girl, about eleven years old, has survived the Alien assault on the colony. She runs away under the floor grating at the sight of the marines, but Ripley succeeds in winning her trust. Her name is Rebecca (she is the daughter of the surveyor family seen in the beginning of the Special Edition). Initially, the girl is non-communicative, seemingly in shock, but Ripley eventually gets through to her; she calls herself 'Newt', and tells Ripley that her parents and the others are dead. Everyone hs become a victim of the Aliens and she'd feel safer if she could return to her hiding place in the ventilation system. Ripley assures her that she'll be safer with herself and the marines.The cocky Pvt. Hudson tracks the colonists by using homing devices embedded in their skin, and discovers that the entire population seems to be crowded underneath the primary heat exchangers of the facility. The team take the APC to the atmosphere processor, where Apone and the marines get out and Gorman & Burke remain aboard with Newt and Ripley to coordinate the sweep from a distance. While descending into the facility, the marines discover strange organic, hive-like structures that must have been secreted by the Aliens. Ripley realizes that the marines are walking next to the colony's nuclear reactor, and that their armor-piercing weapons could do serious damage to it that could cause it to explode. Gorman orders them to hand in their high-caliber ammunition; however, both Vasquez and Drake secretly reactivate their smart-guns, using spare connectors Vasquez had hidden in her equipment. As the team enters the basement, they find an Alien hive containing the dead bodies of the colonists, cocooned as hosts for the Alien facehugger parasites. One colonist is still alive, but she starts to convulse upon awakening, asking them to kill her. Suddenly, an infant alien (a "chestburster") bursts its way out of her chest. The marines kill it with a flame thrower, but the sudden stir awakens the dormant 'warrior' aliens, which are concealed inside the walls which offer them effective camouflage. They begin to attack, causing one marine to misfire her flamethrower, causing an explosion of an ammunition stash. The resulting disorientation proves disastrous, as the disoriented marines have no idea where the attackers are coming from, and are quickly reduced in their numbers. The marines start firing back at random, some with the restricted ammo, but the chaos and noise make it hard for anyone (especially Lt. Gorman and Sgt. Apone) to focus and organize a coordinated defense. Apone is suddenly attacked and incapacitated, causing an unprepared Gorman to panic. Ripley, angered and frantically yelling at Gorman for his lack of control, takes control over Gorman's protests, driving the APC all the way down the service ramps into the nest to rescue the surviving marines. Only four make it back to the APC, and one, Drake, is killed by acid from an exploding Alien shot by Vasquez. Ripley recovers Vasquez, Hicks, and Hudson. Hicks manages to kill an Alien that tries to enter the APC with a shotgun blast ("Eat this!"), which results in a large acid burn on Hudson's arm. Gorman is knocked unconscious while Ripley drives the APC out of the facility, crushing an Alien under the wheels along the way and driving straight through a closed metal door. The escape destroys the APC's transaxle, rendering the vehicle largely immobile.On the planet surface, in the APC, the survivors discover that several of their missing colleagues (Sarge and Deitrich) are still displaying life signs on the monitor. Ripley assures them nothing can be done, as they are being cocooned like the colonists to be hosts for more facehuggers and chestbursters. Vasquez recommends they nerve gas the area, but they opt against it, as there is no guarantee that the Aliens are even susceptible. Hudson loses his nerve, and expresses only cowardice and panic. Ripley suggests taking off and nuking the entire site from orbit, but Burke protests, as he is concerned about the dollar value of the facility. "They can bill me," Ripley replies. Burke continues to protest, citing the 'importance' of the Alien species, and claiming that no one 'has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them'. Despite Ripley, Vasquez and Hudson protesting, he refuses to authorize the use of nukes. However, Ripley stipulates that it is a military operation now, and the ranking officer, Cpl. Hicks, is now in command. Hicks seconds Ripley's motion of nuking the site from orbit over Burke's objections, and summons the pilots of the dropship. As Pvt. Spunkmeyer re-enters the dropship he find some slime before closing the ramp. An Alien that has slipped on board kills the pilot (Cpl. Ferro) in mid-flight, and the ship crashes as the rest of the marines barely flee the crash site. Part of the dropship collides with the APC, destroying it and most of the team's weaponry.Ripley and the others are now stranded on the planet surface, with no means of returning to the Sulaco, and Hudson is starting to annoy the group with his incessant whining. Newt warns them that they should get back "because it will be dark soon and they mostly come at night, mostly". They retreat back into the main colony complex, where Bishop treats Gorman and the rest survey the limited remaining weapon arsenal they were able to salvage from the APC wreckage. The bad news is that there are only a few intact pulse rifles and flamethrowers left. However, amongst the salvaged items are four sentry guns, remote operated machine guns that can target objects automatically. Upon hearing that a rescue team can be expected no earlier than 17 days, Hudson starts panicking again, but Ripley finally reprimands him, and points out that Newt has survived an even longer period without weapons or training. The survivors decide to fortify the barricades and seal off all possible access routes for the Aliens into the main colony complex. The plan is quickly brought into action and even Hudson shows some determination again. The sentry guns are placed at strategic locations where the aliens are expected to try and enter the building. A test shows that they function optimally.Hicks consolidates Ripley's trust by giving her a small locator to wear on her wrist, so he can find her anywhere inside the complex. Ripley puts Newt to bed and checks inside her doll head "Casey" for scary dreams. Newt explains to Ripley that Casey doesn't have bad dreams because she's just a bit of plastic. Newt wonders about what happened to her mother - especially if one of the Aliens came from inside her mother - but Ripley can't give her the answer. She tells Newt about her own daughter, who has also died. Newt is scared to go to sleep, so Ripley puts her locator on Newt and assures her she can find her anywhere in the complex now.Bishop has discovered that the Aliens' acid blood neutralizes after exposure to air. The group is discussing the Aliens, and their way of reproduction: humans are used as hosts for the facehuggers, which come from eggs; but who or what produces these eggs? Hudson proposes a large, dominant female, a queen, such as in a social insect colony. Ripley tells Bishop to destroy the two remaining facehuggers, but he tells her he got specific orders from Burke to keep them alive. Ripley confronts Burke about it; he wants the specimens taken back to Earth because the weapons industry will pay large amounts of money for them. He even tries to enlist her help in smuggling them past quarantine. Ripley refuses; moreover, she has checked the colony log and learned that Burke was responsible for sending the colonists to the derelict ship, after he learned about its existence from Ripley during her trial. Ripley blames Burke for not warning the colonists about the danger, but Burke maintains he simply wanted the colonist to accidentally find it, in order to lay a valid claim on the ship; he puts it aside as a bad call. This enrages Ripley, and grabbing him by the lapels, she angrily vows to expose his treachery when they return to Earth.As Ripley exits the room, the alarm sounds: the Aliens have arrived at the first set of sentry guns inside an access tunnel. The guns kill many of them, but they quickly run out of ammo, as the Aliens' numbers are vastly superior. Bishop calls in. There is another problem: the nuclear reactor at the terraforming tower has started emergency venting. They learn that damage to the structure has caused it to malfunction; the cooling units have failed and the core will explode within 4 hours. Damage from the crash has made it impossible to shut down the reactor. Remotely calling the second dropship from the Sulaco is also impossible, as the transmitter was on the APC and is wasted. The only option is to go to the uplink tower and manually remote-pilot the Sulaco's second dropship to the surface. Hudson relapses into his desperation act again, refusing to go; however, Bishop unexpectedly offers to crawl through a small conduit to the uplink tower, as he is the only one qualified to pilot the ship anyway.The second set of sentry guns in the lower hallway empties its ammo into the hoard of Aliens. A great many creatures advance on the unmanned guns, but eventually they stop, not realizing that the guns have almost run out of ammunition. Apparently, the attempts to stop the Aliens' advance have temporarily succeeded. Hicks has Hudson and Vasquez check the perimeter. He promises Ripley he will not let her die by the Aliens, preferring to kill them both rather than falling victim to the creatures. He then gives her a crash course in how to use an M41A 10mm pulse rifle, with an over and under 30mm pump-action grenade launcher, and there appears to be a subtle attraction between them. On her way back to Newt, Ripley passes by Gorman, who has regained consciousness, and is clearly embarrassed by his earlier conduct. She returns to Newt and finds her curled up asleep, hiding underneath the bed. Instead of waking her, Ripley joins her underneath for a nap, laying her pulse rifle on the bed for safe keeping.Meanwhile, Bishop has crawled through the narrow conduit and reached the uplink tower, and is preparing the other dropship for departure.Ripley wakes up to find two empty stasis tubes on the floor: the two facehuggers have escaped. They are locked inside the lab and the pulse rifle has been taken. Ripley and Newt are attacked by a scurrying facehugger, but Ripley fends it off and tries to signal the marines through a surveillance camera; however, as Bishop keeps updating Hicks and his crew about the drop ship, Burke slyly turns off the monitor to prevent the others from seeing Ripley's cry for help. Ripley manages to trigger the fire alarm with her cigarette lighter, but this also draws out the facehuggers; Hicks, Hudson, Gorman and Vasquez arrive just as a facehugger attempts to attach itself to Ripley's face, and the second one threatens Newt. The facehugger threatening Newt is killed immediately by Hudson; Hicks & Gorman get the 2nd facehugger off Ripley and throw it into a corner, where Vasquez kills it with a pulse-rifle as it tries to attack again.In the Operations room, Ripley knows it must have been Burke who was acting in retaliation; she suggests that Burke intended to 'impregnate' her and Newt with the facehuggers, then sabotage the other marines' cryotubes so as to eliminate any witnesses. He would emerge back at Earth as the only survivor, and smuggle the Aliens in the bodies of Ripley and Newt. Burke denies Ripley's allegations, but the other marines are quickly convinced by Ripley's story. As they debate what they should do with Burke and are about to waste him, the power to the facility is suddenly cut off. Hicks has Vasquez and Hudson walk perimeter. They use motion trackers and register movement coming towards them, already inside the perimeter, and Hudson reports "there's movement all over the place".Everyone pulls back in the central Operations room, but the signal keeps approaching, even inside the barricades. They suddenly realize that they have blocked the direct access routes, but forgotten the less obvious ways in; Ripley looks up and Hicks opens a ceiling panel, and sees that an army of Aliens has simply circumvented the barricades by climbing upside-down through the crawlspaces over the ceiling. They open fire, and hoards of Aliens break through the ceiling. As the remaining marines take on the creatures, Burke slips away and prevents the rest from escaping by sealing the med lab door. Hudson puts up a brave fight, gunning down several Aliens, but he is ambushed by several Aliens coming up from the floor grid, who grab and pull him down out of sight. Burke is killed by an Alien that has already found a way inside the med lab.Newt finds an alternate escape through the air ducts. Bishop reports that the ship is on it's way, E.T.A. 16 minutes. Inside the vent, Vasquez is last and fires all her grenades and pulse rifle ammunition, and draws her handgun, then is attacked by an Alien coming down through a vertical duct. She empties her handgun into it and kills it but the spilling acidic blood of the creature seriously wounds her leg. Gorman comes to help her, but they suddenly find themselves surrounded by Aliens. Once Gorman's handgun is also empty, he and Vasquez trigger a grenade together, destroying Aliens around them.The explosion causes Newt to fall through a ventilation shaft that leads to the bottom of the facility. Ripley and Hicks take the stairs to the basement, following the tracker signal. They find Newt, still clutching her doll's head, in a sewer below a grid, which Hicks tries to cut open, but Newt is snatched by an Alien before they can rescue her. Ripley screams in desperation when she sees the doll's head floating in the water, but remains determined to rescue Newt, knowing the Aliens will cocoon her to await a facehugger.Ripley and Hicks rush into an elevator to go up. The doors don't close until they pound on the buttons a second time, and an Alien jumps in before the doors close. Hicks kills the creature, but is severely wounded by the Alien's spilling blood, which quickly eats through his body armor. Ripley drags Hicks out through the complex main doors and they meet up on the surface with Bishop, who has just piloted the rescue ship to the surface by remote. Ripley, however, refuses to leave the planet and demands that Bishop take her back to the atmosphere processor to rescue Newt.Bishop reluctantly flies the dropship into the atmosphere processor, which is now beginning to overload, and lands on a high platform. Ripley arms herself with a pulse rifle, a flame thrower, and the locator duct-taped together, plus M40 grenades and M-94 marking flares, ignoring Bishop's warnings that the explosion will occur in 19 minutes, leaving a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska. She says goodbye to the wounded Hicks, who, as a sign of trust, tells her his name is Dwayne; Ripley tells him she is called Ellen. She tells Hicks, who has been treating his injuries, not to let Bishop leave, and he confirms that they ain't goin' anywhere.Ripley takes an elevator down, loads the grenade launcher, and stuffs 5 flares in her pocket. An announcement declares that there are now 14 minutes remaining to reach minimum safe distance. She stalks through the basement, blasting her flamethrower, and leaves signal flares on the floor for backtracking as she infiltrates the Alien hive. She uses the locator signal to find Newt, but only finds the detached locator. She collapses to the floor, struck with grief, but hears Newt scream: the girl has been cocooned and is threatened by a facehugger hatching from an egg. Ripley kills the creature, which alerts warrior Aliens to her presence. The attacking warriors are quickly gunned down by Ripley and she frees Newt from the cocoon-wall. Several explosions from the failing reactor drive Ripley, carrying Newt, into a chamber full of eggs. It also houses a monstrously large Alien: the Queen of the hive, still laying eggs. Several warrior Aliens close in on them, but when Ripley threatens to destroy the eggs, the Queen signals them to retreat. Ripley & Newt slowly back out of the egg chamber, planning to leave the Queen and eggs to be destroyed in the imminent nuclear explosion, but when an egg hatches next to Ripley, she can stand it no longer. She turns the flamethrower on the eggs, spraying the room with napalm. The Queen goes mad, screeching insanely at the destruction of her offspring. Ripley then fires a series of bullets and grenades into the eggs, several warrior Aliens and the Queen's egg-sac, blowing it to bits. As she and Newt retreat out of the chamber, a warrior Alien ambushes them, but it is quickly gunned down. Ripley throws her grenade belt into the raging inferno, and then retreats towards the elevator. The exploding grenades destroy the remaining eggs, but also dislodge the Queen Alien from her perch. The queen tears herself free from the egg-sac and furiously pursues Ripley and Newt, who make it back to the elevator, then have to wait for it to return. There are 4 minutes remaining to reach minimum safe distance.As they retreat into the elevator they are approached by the Queen, and Ripley uses the remaining napalm in the flamethrower on the Queen, burning her severely as the elevator carries them up. However, the second elevator opens up in front of the Queen, who tilts her head while looking at it. As they arrive on the platform with 2 minutes remaining, to Ripley's desperation, the dropship is not there. She curses Bishop.Ripley's ammunition counter reads 00. While the surrounding complex is quickly exploding and collapsing, the other elevator arrives, its door opens, and the Queen emerges. Ripley tells Newt to close here eyes, possibly intending to leap to their deaths rather than let the Queen kill them. Just then the dropship comes hovering over the platform. Ripley and Newt are narrowly able to get on safely and on time. The dropship carrying Ripley, Newt, Bishop and Hicks barely escapes as the processing facility explodes in a massive mushroom cloud below them.Back on the Sulaco, Bishop says he had to sedate Hicks for the pain, but that he would be all right. He explains that he had to take off from the platform, which became unstable, and had to circle while waiting to pick them up. Ripley makes peace with Bishop, thanking him for saving their lives. Suddenly, Bishop is speared from behind by a huge stinger, and ripped in half at the waist by the Queen: she had stowed away by hiding inside the recess for the landing gear. She advances menacingly towards Ripley and Newt. Ripley attracts the Queen's attention and tells Newt to run. Newt dives under the flooring as Ripley continues to call the Queen, then runs and quickly closes a door behind her.The Queen batters the door, then searches the floor and starts ripping the floor plates up until she has the child cornered. Newt screams like a high-pitched siren. Suddenly, Ripley appears, inside the large forklift powerloader she used earlier. The exoskeleton-like machine makes her an even match for the giant Queen, and they battle furiously. Ripley punches the Queen several times, grabs her and attempts to dump her into the ship's airlock, but the Queen quickly grabs hold of the powerloader, and Ripley gets dragged down into the air lock with her. Ripley manages to get out and climb up the ladder, as the Queen grabs her leg. Ripley activates the controls, opening the outer lock door, causing air to rush out of the ship. Bishop is in bad shape but his head and upper torso are still functioning, white hydraulic fluid everywhere, and as what's left of him slides towards the airlock he grabs on to the floor grill to hold himself in place. The Queen desperately tries to hold on to Ripley's foot, but her shoe comes off and the Queen is blown out into space, screaming and flailing madly. As Newt is also being blown towards the airlock, Bishop grabs her and anchors them both in place. Ripley somehow manages to pull herself up out of the air lock against the enormous air pressure, and closes the airlock, barely pulling her leg out in time. Newt comes up to her and hugs her, calling her "mommy". Bishop congratulates her: "Not bad for a human", as Ripley and Newt hug.The film ends as Ripley prepares Newt, Hicks, and what's left of Bishop for hypersleep for the journey back to Earth. She assures Newt she can sleep all the way home, and that they both can dream. They are both in deep sleep as the credits roll.After the credits, the sound of the howling wind and a scurrying facehugger are heard. | dark, cult, violence, horror, atmospheric, action, tragedy, suspenseful | tt0090605 |
Necronomicon | Howard P. Lovecraft (Jeffrey Combs) is the narrator who says that he found out that the Necronomicon book was located somewhere in America, guarded by some monks. He wanted to find it to use it for his writings. In there book, the secrets to the universe, past, present and future.Lovecraft goes to a mysterious library because he wants to fact-check his writings, as he alleges he presents possibilities and not fiction in his writing. The attendant (Juan Fernández) gives him the 3rd volume of an alchemy enclyclopaedia, and reminds him that, if he tries to steal anything, his priviledges will be revoked. He uses the librarian keys to open the vault. There is a safe in that room. The door closes by itself and the safebox, which has no key, opens by itself as well. Inside, there it is: the Necronomicon , also called The Book of Death , which turns itself off when Lovecraft touches it. On Lovecraft carrying away, we can see something opening up. The letter Y written in the Gothic style appears. There is a kind of ominous resounding which startles the librarian (Tony Azito) and the two attendants. In his humble notebook, Lovecraft starts writing:Story 1: The Drowned Edward De Lapoer (Bruce Payne) has returned to America by ship to inherit his family's estate. The young female lawyer Nancy Gallmore (Belinda Bauer) took on his case from his late father with the rest of the practice. There was a problem with the writing and pronunciation of Edward's surname, until she finally found him in Sweden.They enter the hotel, now almost derelict since Uncle Jethro (Richard Lynch) used to manage it sixty years ago. She advises him to sell it as soon as possible, because there are underground rivers which create caves which will make the hotel cramble down in the non-too-distant future. The wooden planks on the floor keep on breaking under them. Once, she falls down to Edward's arms, and once, Edward falls down the stairs, also causing a sicle fall close to a well or pond beneath. Nancy makes a comment about the hotel not liking Edward, because when she had seen it before, with her assistant Kevin, they didn't have any problem at all.Once on the first floor in the bedroom, Edward focuses on the portrait of beautiful aunt Emma (Denice D. Lewis), who was mysteriously dead and, some days later, was the probable cause of uncle Jethro's death , who was found below the balcony, which overlooks the beach. Edwards goes to the balcony and look to the sea landscape. He can't avoid remembering his own past. He was driving with Clara (Maria Ford). The car falls to the water because he gets distracted. He survives and she dies. The forensics doctor (William Jess Russell) treats her corpse brutally.Nancy gives Edward a document which Jethro left with the will. She advises him to make the place happier, or sell it quickly, because of its bad reputation.A storm breaks out and Edward sets on the fire. Jethro wrote that he committed suicide. He was travelling by ship with Emma and Yon (Peter Jasienski), their son. There is a shipwreck and he survives. He wakes up to attend them at the funeral. Distraught, he throws the bible to the fire and tells to all attendants that god is not welcome to his home again. He caresses the dead corpse of Emma. When he wakes up, a kind of monstruous alligator dressed with seaweed enters the foyer and tells him to open the book only when he's on his own. Jethro tells him to wait for him, but it's too late; it's gone. The book is full of electricity. Jethro follows the instructions of an incantation to mend the untimely loss. The incantation is to Cthultu, and says that death is only sleep. He uses his own blood, which falls down. Yon and Emma immediately wake up. Yon and Emma become octopussy-monsters with glittering eyes. Jethro, before commutting suicide, says that his beloved are now watching the book.Edward moves the table to see the area where the incantation was performed. The magical circle is still drawn on the floor. He looks for the Necronomicon with fury. A tentacle gives him the idea of looking behind Emma's portrait. Behind it, there lies the Necronomicon . Clara arrives in the morning, whispering "Eddie". She asks him to let her in. He cries because the car accident was his fault. Clara tries to make love to him. She says she's tired of making bubbles, and tries to suck his blood with her octopus tentacles. He cuts her with a sword and Clara becomes a huge tentacled monster below the ground. Edward jumps to the lamp to kill the monster. Edward leaves through the ceiling, and looks to the sunny day in the sea.Cut to Lovecraft, who sees a monster below the room where he's in. One of the assistants wonder whether he'll be so stupid as to try it, and the other says that he'll, because he's only human. The room is getting colder and colder,Story 2: The Cold In the planet of Lost, there is a heat wave, and only a man is calm and cool about it, but this man is imprisoned by his own devices.Dale Porkel (Dennis Christopher), a reporter from the Boston Journal, calls on Amy Osterman to talk about 11 corpses which have been appearing around the neighbourhood for 40 years. It's freezing inside, but Amy says that she's got an illness which makes sunlight and heat harmful to her. Amy's mother prepares tea.Dale talks about Dr. Richard Madden (David Warner), who may be alive after 80 years. Dale tells her to talk to him or the cops. Amy's mother arrived to London to study the flute.Emily Osterman (Bess Meyer) arrives to Boston in a yellow cab, rents a room to Lena Kamen (Millie Perkins), who lives with Dr. Madden. He never leaves his room on the third floor. A chain-smoking man watches the house from his car. Emily is having a shower, but feels something strange. There is water spilling, and Sam (Gary Graham), threatens her because he loves her. He tries to rape her, so she runs upstairs to the third floor. Dr Madden stabs Sam in his hand. Lena looks at Sam Linder, who has stumbled down the stairs.Dr. Madden bandages Emily's head. She says that Sam was her stepfather. Dr. Madden says that the frigid temperatures are because of a skin condition he has. Emily wonders at the ammonium leaking down to her room, and Dr. Madden says that it was a mistake of his. He prescribes some pills to her.That night, Emily looks at blood spilling down to her room. She goes up and sees Dr. Madden and Lena performaning some strange surgery on Sam. Emily passes out.She wakes up in a blooded bed and they convince her she had a dream. Dr. Madden cuts a finger: he's got not blood, but a pinkish liquid. Emily gets a job at Al's, a restaurant nearby. Mr Hawkins (Curt Lowens) will give her a job is she gets a good tip from two cops (Sebastian White & James Paradise), who are looking for Sam Linder.Emily runs to bang on Dr. Madden's door. He admits that his research has led him to poverty. Emily wants to leave. Dr. Madden feels sick because it's warmer downstairs. She is not annoyed about him hurting Sam - he was dead anyway -, but about him lying to her. Emily covers him in a bath of ice because Lena has gone out. She gives her hand to him.He explains about the Necronomicon. There is a virus which dies and can be revived with water, and it helps to stop growing old. Dr. Madden doesn't love Lena, although she seems to love him. He injects a serum to a rose, which immediately becomes a bud again. It'll never die, says Dr. Madden, and it's become cold.Lena sees Dr. Madden and Emily making love in the conservatory. Lena appears with a knife, and tells her that she must be prepared to kill or be killed for him. Emily runs away.Back to Amy, who says that Emily left Dr. Madden, but she was pregnant, so she had to go back to him. Lena and Dr. Madden are trying to kill Al. Lena wants to kill Emily. Richard tells her not to do it. A fire starts, burning Richard's face. He says that, without fresh spinal fluid, he'll lose all his senses. Dr. Madden melts away and dies muttering Emily's name.Lena saves Emily only because of the baby, and that Amy was that baby. Dale says that three more corpses appeared after Dr. Madden's death. Dale realises that "Amy" is Emily. As soon as she takes out her shades, Amy is clearly Emily, who hasn't grown old, and picks the rose which Madden had given that injection.She got that disease from him; in fact, she died from Lena's shot. Emily has poisoned Dale with the tea. She wants to keep well-stocked. In order to keep feeling his baby inside her, she must have fresh spinal fluid as well.A white-haired Lena gives a screaming Dale an injection.Back to Lovecraft, who feels more and more warm-up. One of the monks checks on him. Armed with a knife, he approaches the safebox. The monk checks that the door is securely locked. Now, the letter W appears engraved.Story 3: Whispers Downtown Philadelphia's wasteland is inhabited by somebody who people call The Butcher. Police officer Sarah (Signy Coleman) is driving like crazy after him. Her partner on the force, Paul (Obba Babatundé) thinks that she's driving like a maniac because they made love together but he didn't want to have a relationship with her afterwards; he even offers to quit if she stops behaving like crazy. Sarah is afraid of being a mother. The butcher leaves his car and ges away on foot. The police car bumps onto the abandoned car and it flips over.A man with pink-coloured boots takes alive Paul away. Sarah is badly hurt as well. She tries to contact control, but there is only static. She follows the trail of blood and opens a door, some pigeons scare her. There is a dark long corridor; the butcher pulls from Paul and enters onto an elevator. Sarah shoots the controls of the lift.She falls down a hole but, luckily, she had tripped onto a thread of coil, so she is left hanging upside down but without dying. She reaches the elevator shaft - which is located in an abandoned factory. She finds a weirdly-looking man. Harold Benedict (Don Calfa) says that the building is his, so that the butcher should pay him rent. She threatens him with her gun so that he opens a door, but he says that he's lost all the keys, and that the building swallows things and people as though they never existed. She wants to go down below, so he takes her though a series of corridors.Mrs. Daisy/Lilly/Rose Benedict (Judith Drake), his blind wife, shoots them. Harold says that he's just called the police. The couple lives in a makeshift room in the abandoned building, and Sarah sees the Necronomicon , but doesn't particularly call her attention. Harold shows him a backdoor door to the corridor, where there are signs of further blood droplets. Sarah feels pain in her tummy. Mrs. Benedict immediately feels that she's pregnant, and she starts arguing with Harold about the reasons why they didn't have any children, ...which annoys Sarah some more. She screams for them to shut up and take her to the tunnel.Harold has to clear out the entrance and she forces him to go with her. Lilly tells Sarah that it's scary to bring a new life to this world, and she guesses correctly that her partner is the father. Sarah forces Harold to go with her. Lilly tells her that the butcher is an alien and was around even before the dinosaurs.In the tunnel, there are corridors akin to an Egyptian pyramid. Harold goes by lighting candles. They follow Paul's trail. Suddenly, there are two trails of blood, because Paul is not the first one to be down there. Harold thinks that the Butcher works for the aliens, but that he's human. The encriptions on the walls are of human sacrifises. Sometimes, Sarah feels something, like whispers in the wind. It looks as though somebody were following them.Harold steps on more blood, so he produces the pair of pinky boots and puts them on. Sarah gets angry on recognising the pair of boots, so she aims at him. At that moment, a hand with a stick throws one of the candles to the floor. Harold calls for Daisy / Rose, but Sarah thinks that if Harold is not the butcher, Daisy must be. She shouts that they are not married and that she is the person who is turning off all the lights. Harold tells her that if she kills her baby, Sarah will be the real butcher.Daisy/Rose/Lilly appears and sets her on fire, and pushes her down a hole. The couple take the ladder out of the hole, leaving Sarah for dead. She puts off the fire with her jacket. There are plenty of bloodied skeletons around, and a octopus-like arm goes after her. She gets up an engraved stone and promises to have the baby. She shoots the walls, which bleed a green gooey.She steps down from that weird-looking shrine and tends to Paul's call. However, his head is mostly disappeared and you can see to the other side. Paul attacks Sarah, who shoots him repeatedly.The gory alien bats have taken Pauls' brain. It says that they need them to reproduce, and advises Sarah to watch the walls. They spring from the walls and corner her.When she wakes up, Harold and Daisy tell them that she'd better look at her situation as a transition, that she won't have to pay rent, and that she'll think everything was a nightmare. The aliens are hungry for the bone medule.Sarah wakes up at hospital. Harold is the doctor, and Daisy is Sarah's mother. Sarah caused herself an abortion, and her mother forgives her if she'll forgive herself. She enquires about Paul, who is brain dead in the bed besides hers. Paul has been completely taken, and they are feeding him green goo.Sarah shouts. Her mother tells her to shut up because she's gonna scare the baby. Sarah asks her what she's talking about, as she had said that the baby was dead. The mother says that the baby is not dead, it's only that Sarah was not fit to be a mother. She opens up her blouse and shows the baby being inside the womb of one of those alien-bat creatures. Sarah screams, punches her shades away and screams at her empty eye sockets. With that motion, she realises that she's lost half of one of her arms. She screams and the hospital sheets gets pulled over. We can see she's lost her two legs as well.Daisy and Harold are pushing Sarah down. Now the hospital bed is at the cave, and the creatures approach Sarah. They are sucking the narrow bones of Sarah's dettached limbs. Daisy pushes Sarah down and stays with her. Harold wants to leave, but it's Sarah who has the keys.The monk from the beginning tells Lovecraft that now that everything is over, he only has to unlock the door. Lovecraft says he's lost it. The monk calls him a fool and tells him to put the Necronomicon back to its place.Something is rising from below the floor. The book starts to work and tentacles stop Lovecraft from leaving. The monk enters through the bars of the rail. Lovecraft cuts the tentacles of the monster creature with the knife he'd disguised as his walking stick. The monk says that the secrets of the Necronomicon have to be paid with his life. Lovecraft reveals the monster behind the skin of the monk.The monk forces him to face and await the starfish-like monster which is travelling from behind the vault.The door opens itself, letting Lovecraft go. Lovecraft walks out non-chalantly. The cab driver is talking to a police officer. He leaves among admonitions of danger, because he's released a great danger. The taxi driver (Brian Yuzna) speaks to Lovecraft. He is happy, because he's carrying the Necronomicon with him.---written by KrystelClaire | murder, flashback | tt0107664 |
The Last House on the Left | Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) plans to celebrate her 17th birthday by attending a rock concert in New York City with her friend, Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham). Her parents express concern both at the band Bloodlust and Mari's friendship with Phyllis, who is implied to be of a lower social class. They let her go, however, and give her a gift before she leaves: a peace symbol necklace.On the way to the city, Mari and Phyllis hear a radio report of a recent prison break, involving violent criminals by the names of Krug Stillo (David A. Hess), his drug-addicted teenage son Junior (Marc Sheffler), Krug's slutish bisexual girlfriend Sadie (Jeramie Rain) and Krug's cousin and partner-in-crime Fred "Weasel" Podowski (Fred J. Lincoln). Upon arrival in the city, Mari and Phyllis stroll the streets, seeking someone who might sell marijuana. Eventually, they run into Junior, who leads them back to Sadie's apartment, where the two teenage girls are immediately entrapped by the criminals. Phyllis, who resists, is punched in the stomach and gang raped by Krug and Weasel, as Mari watches in horror. Mari's parents, meanwhile, prepare a surprise party for her.The next morning, the girls are locked in a car trunk and driven to the countryside as the gang intends to leave the state. The villains' vehicle breaks down right in front of Mari's house while the cops are talking to Mari's parents about her disappearance. Unable to get their car fixed, they drag the kidnapped girls into the woods. Removed from the trunk, Phyllis is beaten after biting Krug's hand. Mari, bound and gagged, realizes that they are coincidentally right near her own home. As she is helplessly dragged to the woods, her parents sit inside with two bumbling local police officers who assure them that Mari is probably fine. The officers disregard the gang's broken-down car when driving back to the police station.In the woods, the girls are untied and subjected to several tortures, including Phyllis forced to urinate into her own jeans, then stripping herself completely naked followed by stripping Mari completely naked as the gang watches.At the police station, the bumbling police officers eventually realize their mistake in disregarding the car in front of the Collingwoods' home and quickly set out. Their car breaks down en route, however, and the cops unsuccessfully try to hitch a ride with a group of hippies and a Mammy chicken farmer.After Phyllis and Mari are forced to have sex with each other, Sadie molests Mari. Phyllis whispers to Mari she will make a break for it to distract the kidnappers and thus, offer Mari an opportunity to escape. Phyllis takes off, chased by Sadie and Weasel, while Junior stays behind to guard Mari, who makes a desperate attempt to convince the troubled addict that he doesn't need to listen to his abusive father because Dr. Collingwood, her father, can help him instead. She also gives him her peace symbol necklace as a symbol of her trust. Meanwhile, Phyllis is eventually cornered at a cemetery, where Weasel stabs her in the back. The defeated Phyllis attempts to crawl away, but the gang inevitably catches up with her and repeatedly stab and disembowel her.Mari eventually convinces Junior to let her go, though their timing is too late, as they are immediately halted by Krug. He presents Phyllis' severed hand and proceeds to carve his name into Mari's chest before sexually violating her. Following this act, Mari, sick from the shock of being raped, vomits and then walks in a daze over to the nearby lake. Krug shoots at Mari and her body floats on the top of the lake. Seemingly shocked by their own actions that has led to the death of their two hostages, Krug, Junior, Sadie and Weasel wash up and change out of their bloody clothes.In their formal new attire, the gang shows up at the Collingwoods' home, masquerading as traveling salesmen. Mari's parents agree to let them stay overnight. However, Junior exposes their identity, when his heroin withdrawal symptoms cause him to end up vomiting in the bathroom, where Mari's mother, Estelle, sees Mari's peace symbol necklace dangling around his neck. Later that night she listens in on the gang while they are spending the night in Mari's bedroom and finds blood-soaked clothing in their luggage. She and Dr. Collingwood rush out into the woods, where the couple finds Mari's body by the lake, still barely breathing, and place it on their couch for consolement.Outside, Estelle has duped Weasel into a sex game, which concludes with her biting off the criminal's genitals. Weasel collapses in agony. Inside the house, Dr. Collingwood carries his shotgun into his daughter's bedroom, where two of the criminals are sleeping. Krug turns out the lights, and gets gazed on the arm by the shotgun blast. Krug escapes into the living room and overpowers the doctor, but the criminal is then confronted by his own son, who now brandishes a firearm. Junior threatens to kill his father. However, Krug psychologically manipulates the already troubled young man, and Junior commits suicide with the weapon. As soon as Krug notices that Dr. Collingwood is missing, the doctor runs into the basement and attacks Krug with a chainsaw.Dr. Collingwood continues approaching Krug with the chainsaw, as the sheriff arrives and pleads with the doctor not to go through with it. Dr. Collingwood murders Krug with the chainsaw anyway by beheading him. Sadie runs outside to escape, where she trips and drops her weapon. Estelle tackles Sadie, and after a struggle, Sadie punches Estelle but trips once again and falls into the family's swimming pool. Estelle grabs Sadie's switchblade knife, catches up with Sadie and slits her throat. All four of the criminals now lay dead; Weasel lays by the lake's edge having bled to death; Sadie is floating face down in the pool; Junior in the house beside a wall with the back of his head blown out; and the beheaded Krug also lays nearby as well.The shaken and exhausted couple reunites in their living room in their blood-spattered clothes as the police look at the family and their four murdered guests. | cruelty, murder, cult, horror, violence, insanity, revenge, sadist | tt0068833 |
Paid in Full | Paid in Full is about a young man who rises to the top of the cocaine industry in Harlem. The protagonist, Ace, is played by Wood Harris. At the beginning of the movie, Ace is stuck in a dead end job working in a dry cleaner's shop. His sister's boyfriend, Calvin, is a big time drug dealer who often tries to lure Ace into becoming a part of the drug trade with promises of fast money and glamour. Ace resists these temptations, warning constantly that Calvin's flashy style and audacious method of dealing will get him arrested. When Calvin does get locked up, Ace ends up taking his position on the streets after a chance encounter with Lulu, a Dominican drug dealer. With the help of his friend, Mitch and their partner and enforcer, Rico, he creates a huge drug empire in Harlem. However - unlike most hustlers, Ace is careful not to draw too much attention to himself and stay, more or less, behind the scenes.Mitch, Ace's best friend, is very popular and an extremely flashy drug dealer. Mitch does not pressure Ace to become a dealer because he thinks that his friend is not the hustling type. In fact, he humorously tells Ace that he will become the "George Jefferson" of the ghetto, making reference to his job at the dry cleaning shop. Eventually, Mitch gets arrested. During this time, though, Ace has been introduced into the drug game by Lulu. Soon after Mitch's release, Ace becomes partners with his best friend, realizing he cannot control such a lucrative empire on his own. The two quickly become successful, gaining a reputation worthy of street legends. Rico, a recently released inmate who came to Mitch's aid while Mitch was in prison, appears, and as a show of appreciation and gratitude, Mitch suggests to Ace that Rico join the team, since they could always use additional "muscle" to bolster their rise to the top. Ace agrees. The trio become extremely well known in Harlem, the center of their operations, as well as locations across New York, Washington D.C. and other areas. Ace, as always, tries to remain quiet with a low profile while Mitch returned to his image as the "rich, pretty boy" gangsta. Rico's reputation, however, is one of a ruthless 'killa' who is always quick to show his loyalty to Ace and Mitch by making an example of anyone who does not pull their weight on the streets.After their rise, trouble soon finds them. When Calvin is released from jail, he tries to regain his position of power in the streets. After Ace gives him a lower-level role on the team, Calvin becomes dissatisfied with the thought of making money only as a result of Ace's generosity. Calvin cannot accept the idea of losing his former territory and clientele to Ace and decides not to partner with Ace if he cannot be one of the leaders of the team. He attempts to rob and kill Ace at his apartment one night and shoots him in several times, including a shot to the head. Ace survives, however, and begins to think it's time to leave the game before he is killed. Nonetheless, Rico kills Calvin in retaliation.A short time later, Mitch's brother, Sonny is kidnapped. In an attempt to get his brother back, Mitch tries to raise the tremendous ransom the only way he knows how. He asks Ace, who is basically retired, to help him one last time to get a large quantity of drugs - enough to raise sufficient money to pay the ransom. Ace helps Mitch as requested. When Mitch reaches out to Rico for help to sell the drugs and raise the money, Rico takes this as an opportunity to establish himself and expand his hustle. He kills Mitch and takes the drugs Mitch intended to sell to rescue Sonny. Soon after Ace is told about what happened to Mitch, Ace realizes that Rico was to meet up with Mitch that same night and might be responsible for Mitch's death. Ace then sets up a meeting between him and Rico interrogating Rico on what happened between him and Mitch that night, Rico in return answers that he hadn't seen Mitch all day, Ace then realizes that he is lying and settles the score with Rico by giving him the number to two FBI agents working undercover as drug dealers that Ace had spoken to once before. Rico is arrested and is last seen in prison giving up information on his out-of-town connections in Washington D.C., but not on the connections he once had in Harlem, due to his is claim that "When I come home, I'm still gon' be the king." Since the ransom was not paid, Sonny is later found dead as well. Later, it is found that Sonny's kindnapping had been set up by his own uncle and was killed by Tommy an accomplice of their uncles who resented Mitch because he would not provide him with money. Ace does manage to get completely out of the drug game and makes a new life for himself and his family using diamonds he found in Lulu's apartment. | revenge, murder, violence, flashback | tt0259484 |
The Wrestler | Over the credits, we see numerous magazines and newspaper articles from the 80's, all of which feature Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke), a major professional wrestling star. We then flash forward twenty years, where Randy "The Ram" is getting ready for a match in a small, local auditorium on the underground circuit. He interacts with the other wrestlers backstage, most of whom are much younger than he is (Randy is acknowledged to be in his 50's). Ironically, though they are foes inside the ring, outside the wrestlers are all friendly, discussing with each other how they want to perform the "act" that night, and after the show go drinking together. Randy preps for the match and it's obvious his age has caught up with him; his joints are cracking as he stretches and becomes short-winded easily. After he stretches he puts a small piece of a razor blade in his wrist bandages, in which later he uses to cut himself on the forehead to draw blood, making the match more dramatic for the fans. Afterward, Randy is given a meager payday, as the promoter claims the audience was smaller than expected. Randy's manager then poses a 20th anniversary rematch with his most notable opponent, the Ayatollah, which sold out Madison Square garden in the 80's. Randy agrees, hoping this kind of high-profile match could help him get back to the top.Randy goes home to find he has been locked out of his trailer for not paying his rent. He takes pain medication with a beer and falls asleep in the back of his van. The next day he goes to work to load boxes at a supermarket where he asks his boss if he could have more hours. His boss is very rude to him and makes a snide comment about the cost of tights going up being the reason he needs more hours. Randy laughs it off and continues to ask his boss for more hours but "not on the weekends". Again his boss makes a snide comment about his other 'profession' being the reason he can't work weekends.That night after work goes to a strip club to visit a stripper named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). Like Randy, Cassidy is older than her coworkers. She's only 43 and still very good looking, but her coworkers are under 25 and dance to updated music versus outdated 80's rock. Randy overhears in another room a few obnoxious young guys calling her an old hag, she is old enough to be their mom and to get away from them. Randy steps in and pushes them around and yells at them that they have no idea how wonderful Cassidy is. She gives him a lap dance before she goes on stage and we switch to the next morning.We see Randy going through his training rituals. First stop is getting his hair bleached blond at a salon, then going to a tanning salon. Going to a Dollar Store to buy a few items for his upcoming match and then we see him sitting in a locker room at a gym buying $900 worth of steroids and injecting it into his backside before he begins to work out feverishly. After the gym we see him talking to wrestler Dylan Summers, (a.k.a. Necro Butcher) who is explaining to him that the match is going to be particularly brutal "hardcore", in which Randy and his opponent use various weapons on each other, including thumbtacks, staple guns, barbed wire and glass. Randy is asked if he's ever been in a match that involved staples and Randy says he hasn't. It is explained they are not bad going in but coming out they may leave a small hole. Randy looks uncertain but continues. We cut to the match and it is exactly as described; bloody and brutal. Randy suffers numerous gashes, including a deep cut on his chest from the barbed wire, but wins the match by smashing a glass door over his opponent's head. After the match Randy stumbles backstage and is seated in a chair where doctors fervently sew him up and remove the staples. The pain is excruciating and Randy gags a few times from the pain. After the doctors are finished and he is alone in his dressing room, he walks over to his locker, but before he can even open it he stares intently at his left arm, vomits twice and passes out.Randy wakes up in a hospital to learn that he suffered a heart attack that necessitated a bypass operation. His doctor warns Randy that unless he cuts out the drugs and stops wrestling, his life could be in danger. While signing out of the hospital an envelope is given to him containing his pay for the match. Randy goes to the pharmacy to have his prescriptions from the hospital filled and is very embarrassed to pick them up. Then he goes to pay his back rent and the trailer park manager takes the padlock off his door and says "Welcome Home". Randy immediately falls asleep. The next day, following the doctor's advice, he takes it easy. He invites a neighbor kid over to play a game of wrestling, featuring Randy himself, on an old Nintendo console. The kid plays one match with him and abruptly leaves complaining about how old and boring the game is, and how he has "Call of Duty 4 at home".. "Call IT what?".. "No, Call OF Duty, it's about war". Randy goes for a jog and half way has to lean on a tree from exhaustion and starts to cry from the pain in his chest and realizing how alone in life he is.He goes back to the strip club and tells Cassidy about his heart attack, and she breaks one of her rules by agreeing to meet him outside to talk. He tells her how alone he feels, and she suggests he try to rekindle a relationship with his daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). At first he is hesitant but then Randy agrees.Randy goes to Stephanie's home, where she refuses to have anything to do with him. She yells at him for never being there during her childhood and walks away. Randy goes back to the strip club, tells Cassidy what happened, so she offers to help Randy find a present for Stephanie. The next morning Randy is waiting for Cassidy in front of a resale clothes store when she pulls up an old pickup truck. She gets out wearing jeans, winter boots, a heavy winter coat and a winter hat. Opposite of how he usually sees her (half nude) Randy 'compliments' her by saying she looks good cleaned up. She good-naturedly laughs it off knowing what he meant, and thanks him. They go inside the vintage shop and look at clothes to buy Stephanie. Cassidy settles on a black pea-coat but Randy insists on buying a lime green jacket with an "S" on it, "For Stephanie" he says. Cassidy frowns at it but then tells him to do what he thinks is right. Outside of the store he asks her is she wants to go have a beer. She declines. Randy insists and asks her why she can't. She tells him she doesn't usually do this but..she has a confession to make. She has a son. He's 9 years old. Randy asks why she never told him before and she explains it's just not considered attractive to have a kid. She shows him a picture of her son and he tells her how good looking he is and that he looks just like his mother. Randy then runs to his van and comes back with a old "Randy the Ram" wrestling action figure and tells her to give it to her son. Eventually Randy convinces Cassidy to have that beer. In the bar they talk and reminisce about the 80's and how lousy things are now, and Randy eventually kisses her. At first she fully embraces him, but then suddenly pushes him away, slams her beer and leaves him.Randy goes to see Stephanie and gives her the gift. The first one was the shiny lime jacket with the letter 'S' embroidered on it. She looks uncertain, so he explains that the next one is the "real" gift. He then gives her the pea-coat Cassidy picked out. She likes this one much better. Stephanie reluctantly agrees to spend the afternoon with him but he insists. They go for a walk by the New Jersey boardwalk and talk. Randy confesses that he has not been a good father. He breaks down in tears and pleads with her to have the relationship he never had because he was so very wrong before. Stephanie warms to him, thinks he might be trying to be a good father, and agrees to meet him for dinner that weekend.A few days later Randy goes to a convention to sign memorabilia for fans, only 2 fans showed up to see him. While there he also sees several of the old wrestlers are disabled, one being in wheelchair. Randy leaves and makes a bunch of phone calls telling each person he is now retired and to cancel the 20th anniversary rematch with the Ayatollah. He then goes to work and walks in his bosses office without knocking and sees him watching a porn. The boss yells at him to "try again, this time knock". Randy turns around and closes the door, knocks twice and his boss throws the door open hitting him with it yelling, "what do you want?". Randy again asks him for more hours. His boss says he doesn't have anymore to give him except for weekends. Randy hesitates and says he'll take weekend. Stunned the boss turns around and says it's his. He is to work the deli counter. "You mean with customers?" After donning an apron and a hair net the boss gives him his name tag (with his real full name even after Randy objecting to it) and he goes out to the deli counter and immediately gets into the swing of things. He actually seems to enjoy himself taking care of the customers and cutting meat and frying chicken.Later he goes to see Cassidy at the strip club and gives her a 'Thank You' card. He asks her if he could get her a drink and she says she doesn't take drink from "customers". Stunned he says to her, "I thought we were passed that." She became very harsh with him and said NO, all he is is a customer and she should never have went out with him the first time. They argue and Randy insults her and she yells for security for him to be thrown out.Upset, Randy goes to a wrestling show as a spectator. After the show he goes out with the other wrestlers, gets drunk, and ends up doing cocaine and having sex with a fan. The next morning he gets home and sleeps the day away and when he wakes he realizes that he missed dinner with Stephanie that night. He goes to her home in the middle of the night to apologize, but Stephanie is in tears, throwing things at him, and screaming that she waited two hours for him to show up. She says he has never been and never will be a father to her. She also says he cannot change who he is, and that she never wants to see him again and throws him out of the house.Randy goes to work the next day. He becomes very agitated while dealing with an finicky elderly lady, and to add insult to injury the next customer says he "thinks" he recognizes him, that he looks just like the Ram except older. Humiliated, Randy accidentally/intentionally cuts his thumb in the deli meat slicer. After he cuts himself he yells in pain and blood spatters, with customers screaming. His boss reminds him there are customers, and he screams at his boss for being such an A**hole, and "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT", kicks and punches items around with blood flying everywhere, "You Prick!! I QUIT"..and he later calls up the promoter and tells him he wants to wrestle the last match with the Ayatollah.Later we see Randy bleaching his hair from a box and spray tanning himself, then packing up his trailer with all of his belongings. Cassidy arrives just as Randy is leaving and apologizes, saying there is something between them but she was afraid to let him get close. Randy seems to have resigned himself to the fact that he is meant to be alone, and drives off, passing her a flyer for the match. Randy drives to the arena and greets the Ayatollah (actually a used car salesman named Bob). They catch up and prepare for the match. As Randy is getting ready to walk out to the ring with the crowd chanting his name, Cassidy arrives. She warns him that his heart could give out if he wrestles, but he shrugs it off. Randy says that the real world doesn't care about him, and the only place he belongs is in the ring. Cassidy tells him she wants to be with him, but Randy heads to the ring as his music blares.Before the match, Randy gives a speech thanking the fans, telling them how he's lived his life burning the candle from both ends. But even though people told him he'd never wrestle again, here he is. The match begins, and the crowd is into it. But as it progresses, Randy starts to deviate from the planned match. Concerned, Ayatollah asks if he's alright. We realize that Randy is doing this on purpose, that he wants his heart to give out. Randy goes so far as to steal one of the Ayatollah's signature moves. As the match winds down, Randy feels his heart giving out, and he can barely stand. Bob/Ayatollah realizes this and tries to end the match to save Randy's life, but Randy refuses to stop. Randy looks into the crowd, but cannot see Cassidy. Finally Randy climbs to the top rope to deliver his signature "Ram Jam" finisher, his heart ready to burst, Randy salutes the fans, his face covered in tears and sweat. He then leaps off the top rope, and the screen fades to black. | realism, dramatic, violence, tragedy, romantic, sentimental | tt1125849 |
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li | The movie opens with Chun Li narrating her experience growing up aspiring to be a concert pianist. As a child, she moves from San Francisco to Hong Kong with her family. There, along with piano, she learns Wushu from her father, Xiang, who is a well connected businessman. One night, her home is attacked by Bison and his henchman. Chun Li's father fights them off until Balrog grabs a hold of a young Chun Li, forcing him to surrender. As Bison and his men are leaving with Xiang, Chun Li's mother tries to stop them. Balrog just punches her.Years later, Chun Li grows up and becomes a talented concert pianist. At the end of one of her concerts, she receives a scroll written in Ancient Chinese text. On her way home, she sees a mysterious homeless man getting assaulted by street thugs. After the thugs leave, Chun Li tends to him and notices a spiderweb tattoo on his hand. Meanwhile, Xiang is shown working for Bison as a prisoner. In return for his services, he is allowed to view pictures of his daughter all grown up. Back home, Chun Li's mother finally loses her battle to cancer as Chun Li and her servants mourn her loss at a funeralElsewhere, we see Nash and Maya investigating a murder of several heads of criminal syndicate families in Bangkok. Chun Li on the side is meeting with a wise old lady in town who studies the scroll and tells her to find a man named Gen in Bangkok, revealing to her an image of the same spiderweb she saw tattooed on the homeless man's hand. With a new goal in mind, Chun Li leaves her home and heads to Bangkok. After weeks of searching for Gen without any luck, she sees a man being assaulted in an alley by thugs. Chun Li comes to his rescue and fights them. After a long battle ended by finishing them with a Bike Rack Drop Ultra move, Chun Li collapses in exhaustion. There, we see Gen pick her up to take her to his home.Gen tells Chun Li that he knows how to find her father and that Bison has him, but that she also needs anger management. In response, she goes to an internet cafe and logs onto shoryuken.com to find out more about Bison, who is now holding the families of property owners hostage in order to force them to sign their property over to him. Upon leaving, one of the owners is asked to hand over the rights to a docking harbor, allowing the shipment of the "White Rose". Chun Li overhears this. Meanwhile at Interpol, Nash figures out that Bison's headquarters are right across the street from the Police Station.Later that night, Cantana, one of Bison's secretaries, goes to a nightclub. Chun Li spies on her and notices her jocking the girls in the club. Chun Li moves in and seductively dances with her before casually walking away into the bathroom. Cantana, sex driven, follows her and locks the bathroom window. There, Chun Li beats her into giving out the location of the White Rose. Cantana's bodyguards come back and Chun Li escapes after a brief shootout.We are then told of Bison's origins. He is the son of Irish missionaries. He grew up an orphan having to steal fish from people in Thailand. In order to lose his conscience, he forced his daughter out of the womb of his wife prematurely. This somehow transferred his conscience into her. Back at Gen's home, Bison's henchmen come after Gen and Chun Li. Gen fights them off until Balrog blows up his house with a rocket launcher. With Gen gone and nowhere to be found, Chun Li runs off. She is then attacked by Vega, who she defeats soundly and hangs upside down since his claws weren't sharp enough to cut rope.Chun Li then heads to the harbor and interrogates an employee into telling her the arrival time of the White Rose. Later that night, this turns out to be a trap as several Shadaloo soldiers capture her. Chun Li is then taken back to Shadaloo headquarters and is reunited with her father. Bison tells her that Xiang outlived his usefulness and breaks his neck, killing him. Bison and Balrog leave Chun Li to the henchman to finish off. Chun Li however escapes when they try to swing her around from the ceiling like a pinata. As she runs away, she is shot in the arm by Balrog. Before Balrog could recapture her, the crowd begins throwing durians at him. This scares Balrog as he drives off in his Benz. Chun Li meanwhile, is rescued again by Gen, who survived the explosion.Chun Li approaches Nash and tells him she needs backup to take down Bison. Nash and Maya oblige as Chun Li approaches the dock employee who set her up last time. The employee tells her that he was forced into deceiving her and tells her the real arrival time. Chun Li doubts him at first, but he points to the white board at the arrival time, proving that it is true. At the dock later that night, Interpol agents engage in a shootout with Shadaloo soldiers. On a ship, Chun Li finds a girl asking where her father is. Meanwhile, Gen fights Balrog and kills him by stabbing him with a pipe spraying nitrogen. We later find out that the girl is Bison's daughter and her name is Rose, making her the White Rose. Bison takes her in and welcomes her warmly.Bison walks into his office where he is ambushed by Gen. Gen however is no match for him. Sensing his daughter in danger, Bison goes back to his daughters room, where he finds she is gone. Gen shows up again and ambushes Bison, getting beaten up again. Chun Li then comes in and fights Bison. After a long battle, she hits him with a bamboo pole a couple times and drops some sandbags on him, making him dizzy. She then charges up a Kikoken and shoots it at him, knocking him off the scaffolding they were fighting on, then jumping on his neck and twisting it, killing him.Back home, Chun Li is settled down as Gen pays her a visit. He shows her an ad for a Street Fighter tournament, telling her about a Japanese fighter named "Ryu something". Chun Li declines, saying that she's home for now. | murder, violence, flashback, good versus evil, action, revenge | tt0891592 |
Return of the Fly | The movie opens with title and credits shown over a stark white background and one solitary fly cleaning itself. It flies away and we zoom in on a graveside service for Helene Delambre. It is pouring rain and the handful of mourners hold umbrellas. A priest (Francisco Villalobos) conducts last rites at the graveside. Francois Delambre (Vincent Price) remembers his sister-in-law. His nephew, Philippe Delambre (Brett Halsey) stands in the pouring rain grieving for his late mother. Standing outside is Inspector Beauchamp (John Sutton). He was a member of the team investigating the death of Andre and is privy to the terrible family secret. The service concluded, everyone walks slowly away from the flower covered casket. A nosy reporter, Granville (Jack Daly) intrudes on Francois and Philippe as they walk to their car. Granville takes exception to being ignored and presses his inquiry about aspects of Andre's death. Beauchamp notices the hostile exchange and steps up when Philippe grabs the reporter. Beauchamp warns the reporter to cease such tactics. But Granville accuses, "Well, Inspector Beauchamp, you were part of that big cover-up, weren't you? This is going to make nice reading, I promise you!" The reporter storms off and Beauchamp walks over to talk to Francois. Francois and Philippe get into the mid-1950s Chrysler Imperial Limousine, and drive off. Philippe asks his uncle, "Why was mother accused?" Francois refuses to discuss the matter, but Philippe persists. He warns his nephew, "If I tell you, Philippe, it will haunt you for the rest of your life." Philippe replies, "Tell me. I've a right to know." Francois relents and orders the driver to take them to the old foundry of Delambre Freres. Francois escorts his nephew into the basement and is stopped by the night watchman, Gaston (Michael Mark). He asks the two men not to go into the lab, "This place is cursed." He remembers, as he was the one to find Andre's crushed body in the hydraulic press. The cobwebbed lab is a shambles, the same as Andre left it. Philippe observes all the equipment is smashed. He also tells his uncle that his father was doing research in the transmission of molecular structures. Francois tells his nephew that Andre succeeded, "Andre's machine actually disintegrated the molecules of solid matter and then reintegrated them again in a different place. Eventually, Andrew gained such confidence in his machine that he put himself through the disintegration-integration process. He successfully transmitted himself. Then on a tragic second attempt something went wrong. Unwittingly, he found himself in the disintegrator chamber but he was not alone. With him was a fly. The result was a creature with the body of Andre Delambre and the arm and the head of a fly." With Helene's help he used the hydraulic press to destroy all evidence of his head and arm. Philippe tells Francois he wants help to rebuild the equipment and vindicate his father's dream. Francois flatly refuses to help for two reasons: First, the safety of his nephew. And finally, financial. The company is nearly broke. Philippe vows to continue, with or without his uncle's help.Philippe enters the Electronic factory to talk to his friend Alan Hinds (David Frankham). He is also known as Ronald Holmes, an unsavory character with a criminal past, something Philippe will discover later to his regret. He invites Alan to pay him the same and start work immediately at his grandfather's house he inherited. They drive out to the mansion. Madame Bonnard (Janine Grandel), the housekeeper, admits Phil and Alan into the house. Cecile Bonnard (Danielle De Metz), the housekeeper's daughter, runs down to see the visitors. Philippe explains they were childhood friends. While tea is being prepared, Phil and Alan go downstairs to the wine cellar. Phil is converting it to a workshop and laboratory. It is a large room with plenty of space for expansion, privacy and the comforts of the main house. The old wine cellar is perfect for their work. While having tea, Phil hears the buzzing of a fly and freezes. He recoils slightly when he sees it crawling over sugar cubes in the tea service. All notice how visibly upset he has become. He admits he has always hated flies.Sometime later, they are in the lab. An electrical panel shorts out, an expensive item Phil admits he hasn't the money to replace. Alan agrees to defer salary until the project is a success. Francois stops by the house to see his nephew. He is annoyed and tells Philippe, "I see you've gone ahead against my wishes." Phil asks his uncle for money, knowing Francois will say no. He plays his trump card and expresses his desire to sell his half of the company for cash to anyone. The gambit works and Francois agrees to finance the project, but he intends to supervise all aspect of the project to protect his headstrong nephew. Francois leaves and Phil and Alan drive into town. Phil drops Alan off. Alan immediately takes a taxi to an undertaker's shop. He walks through the entry parlor, through a room full of caskets on display, and into the office of the proprietor. Sitting at the desk, eating a large meal, is Max Barthold (Dan Seymour). The fat man addresses Alan Hinds as "Ronnie", but Alan correct his old business partner, "No Ronnie. Alan Hinds, if you please." Max does not believe Alan has a business matter worth considering, but listens to the scheme. Alan wants Max to shop around for an interested buyer for the disintegrator-integrator. Alan asks for a 50-50 split. Max reminds Alan that he is wanted by the British police, so Alan reminds Max the last partnership deal that went sour ended in murder. When Alan exits the building, Phil drives up by chance and stops. Alan lies and tells Phil he was just visiting an old friend. A plain clothes policeman, Inspector Evans (Pat O'Hara) sees his quarry and follows.In the lab, Phil, Alan and Francois make final preparations for their first experiment on the completed machinery. An ashtray will be the first experiment. It is placed in the chamber. The machinery is fired up and the three men don eye protection goggles. In the receiving station the ashtray is perfectly transmitted. Sometime later, they are ready to try a live subject: a guinea pig. The animal is placed in the disintegrator cabinet and the machinery run. Unfortunately the receiving station contains a huge guinea pig--giantism is the problem. Philippe concludes, "Must be in the amplitude control." They check the machine settings and review their notes. They fix the giantism and proceed to the next phase, "Hold the subject in a disembodied state for a time then complete the cycle and bring the subject back." They cycle the machine for disintegration only, then agree to meet the next morning to bring it back. Alan eyes the documentation with lust. He must have a few key diagrams to offer as proof for sale to the highest bidder. A fly buzzing in the lab distracts Philippe. Alan kills the insect then shows Philippe, who recoils in revulsion.That evening, Inspector Evans enters the lab. Alan steals into the lab for a little espionage. He grabs a few documents and photographs them. He is unable to get into the storage cabinet. Evans attempts to arrest Ronald Holmes, now calling himself Alan Hinds. A chair thrown against an electrical panel causes confusion and Alan gets the upper hand. Alan disarms Evans and takes his keys. He puts the body in the machine and disintegrates it. Phil enters the lab and finds Alan inside the lab. Phil goes back to bed, but Alan decides he needs to get rid of the body permanently. He spots the car and decides to call Max for help in disposing of the body. Max is not eager to get involved. Alan runs the integration cycle to retrieve the body, but to his shock and horror Evans has the hands and feet of a guinea pig. The little guinea pig has human hands. Alan squishes it under foot, injuring it. To finish the job he drops some electronic equipment on the poor thing. He puts the dead creature in a box and wipes up the blood. He drags the body of Evans out of the lab and places him in the trunk of the policeman's own car. Alan drives away, but is seen clearly by Madame Bonnard from the window. Alan meets up with Max. He set the car to drive itself into a lake and rides back to the house in Max's car. While driving back Alan asks how the sale of the project is proceeding. He hands Max a roll of film.In the lab, Phil is waiting for his friend. A series of suspicious lies regarding noises and the blood stain from the guinea pig leaves Philippe unconvinced. Alan is not able to explain the handcuffs. Alan pulls a gun on Phil and demands he open the cabinet. A fight breaks out, but Alan manages to knock Phil out. Alan places Phil in the disintegrator cabinet and then starts the machinery. He deliberately captures a fly and adds it to the cabinet. The machine works and Phil disappears. Uncle Francois drives up and enters the house. He walks down to the lab as Alan grabs a handful of documentation and gets into the car. He shoots Francois and drives off. Madame Bonnard and Cecile help Francois into the house. Cecile helps Francois down to the lab. Police Sirens can be heard approaching. Francois tells Madame Bonnard to hold them off. He fires up the machinery assuming Phil was disintegrated, and re-integrates his nephew. Francois is horrified and Cecile screams. Philippe has returned with the enormous head of a fly. Three police officers rush down to the lab and break down the door. Philippe uses his fly arm to break the glass of the cabinet and makes his escape from the lab. Sgt. Dubois (Richard Flato) telephones the station to report the gunshot wound. He picks up the handcuffs. One of the other policemen chases Phil/Fly and fires at him with his police revolver. He is slowed down by his one fly foot. Sgt. Dubois hears the tiny voice of Philippe calling to Cecile for help. He spots the fly with the tiny human head of Philippe. He is shocked. Phil/Fly manages his escape.At the hospital, Francois is wheeled out of surgery to his room. Lt. MacLish (Barry Bernard) arrives and asks to speak to Francois. He confirms the handcuffs found belonged to Evans. A truck pulls up to a warehouse and Phil/Fly gets out. At the hospital, Francois is now awake. Dubois tries to question Francois, but he insists on speaking with Beauchamp. MacLish arrives and gets the same response to his inquiries. Dubois asks why Beauchamp is the only person he will speak to. Dubois asks if the secret involves a fly, then assures Francois he will contact Beauchamp at once.Max paces his funeral home. The phone rings. It is Alan/Ronnie and he asks about the money. Max is unhappy, "I must say you've botched things thoroughly. There's no doubt of it. Young Delambre is looking for you." Beauchamp visits Francois in his hospital room. Francois tells him what happened to his nephew and reminds him the fly will be needed if his nephew can be returned to normal. A scraping sound piques Max's attention. He searches each room, but finds nothing. He returns to his office and closes the door. Phil/Fly is waiting for him. He smashes his way into the preparation room and kills the mortician. Francois is returned to the house and taken to a room upstairs to convalesce. Beauchamp asks to be taken to the lab. He searches until he finds the tiny fly with Phil's head. He places it safely in a jar. He tells Francois he caught it and fed it. He asks about lifespan and Francois tells him, "Musca domestica, the common housefly, lifespan about three weeks." Alan/Ronnie drives over to see Max at the funeral parlor. He finds the dead body of Max on a gurney. He runs into the arms of Phil/Fly. Mortally wounded, Alan's body is stuffed into one of the caskets. A policeman (Gregg Martell) hears the commotion and finds Alan's gun. Alan tries to get out of the casket but collapses and dies. Beauchamp stops in to see Francois in his room. He reports that Alan Hinds and Max Barthold are both dead. Beauchamp suspects Phil/Fly will return to the house, and he does through Cecile's bedroom window. Her scream brings Beauchamp to her room. He orders Cecile to get Francois and help him to the lab. Beauchamp helps Phil/Fly to the lab, and then into the cabinet. He carefully retrieves the fly from the glass container and places it in the cabinet. Francois fires up the machine. They hope to untangle the two living creatures and return them to their original state. To their relief, Philippe is himself in the re-integrator cabinet. Cecile and Beauchamp help him out. Philippe and Cecile embrace. Francois hears the buzz of a fly and looks for the tiny insect. We close with a shot of the fly on the stark white background. | romantic | tt0053219 |
I Wanna Hold Your Hand | Ed Sullivan prepares the ushers for the Beatles' performance on his show. In Maplewood, New Jersey, Rosie and Pam visit the record shop. Janis, the owner’s daughter, hates the Beatles and prefers folk music. Grace wants to rent a limo, so they can pull up to the Beatles hotel, and get exclusive photos of the band. The girls recruit shy Larry DuBois, the local undertaker’s son, as he has access to limos. They leave for New York City and on the way pick up Tony--a brash, streetwise guy. After driving all night, they arrive in New York early on the morning of February 9, 1964. When they pull up at the hotel, Grace, Rosie and Pam sneak in, while Larry pulls the limo with Tony and Janis in it to the side of the building. Once inside, Grace and Rosie sneak into a service elevator, while Pam is left in the basement in a storage closet. Pam (who was the only one not really interested in seeing the Beatles, as she is engaged) sees them leave the hotel as they go to rehearse. Meanwhile, Grace gets off on the 11th floor. Rosie rides up to the 12th, where the Beatles’ room is located. She is caught, escapes and meets Richard Klaus, a fellow Beatles fan who is hiding out in a room in the hotel. Pam hides in a food cart and is taken to the Beatles’ room, where she handles all their stuff and hides under John’s bed. Grace is caught too, so she goes to the CBS studio, where a guard tells her that for 50 dollars he will let her in backstage while the show is on. Richard and Rosie are tossed from the hotel. Janis meet Peter, a kid whose dad will give him three tickets to The Ed Sullivan Show if he will get his Beatles style hair cut into a crew cut. She recruits Tony to steal the dad’s wallet and get the tickets. Larry asks Grace to the Valentine’s Day dance at school, but she brushes him off.
Grace decides to take the place of a prostitute who has an encounter at the hotel to get the 50 dollars she needs. Rosie knows the question on the radio call in to win tickets, so she uses the room key she still has, goes to the room, calls in and wins two tickets. Richard then strands them in the elevator. Pam is caught, but interviewed by the press. Her fiancé arrives to get her, but she uses the ticket she was given by the Beatles roadie Neil Aspinall to see the show. Once in the john’s room, Grace can’t go through with it and hides, but takes photos of the john and the hooker and blackmails him into giving her 50 dollars. He attacks her, but Larry saves her. Tony lifts the dad’s wallet. It’s empty, but they get the tickets anyway. Richard and Rosie escape from the elevator and get to the show. Tony’s effort to sabotage the show fails. Larry parks the limo beside CBS in an alley and is about to be arrested for improper parking and driving without a license, but Grace uses the 50 dollars to bribe the cop in to letting him go, but now she can’t get backstage and get her photos. Grace accepts Larry’s invitation to the dance. On leaving the show the Beatles take a wrong turn and end up in Larry’s limo. They drive away, pursued by a mob of screaming fans, while Grace snaps away. | cult, comedy, adult comedy | tt0077714 |
Death Race 2 | Getaway driver Carl "Luke" Lucas (Luke Goss) is arrested after a robbery for his crime boss Markus Kane (Sean Bean) goes wrong. As his accomplices are robbing the bank, two officers casually enter the building. Luke tells them to abort, but they refuse; Luke intervenes, but it results in the death of one of the three accomplices. Luke shoots and kills one of the officers and dumps off his accomplices in order to fulfill Markus's wishes. In doing so, Luke is eventually captured by the police following a high-speed chase and sentenced in prison. Six months later, Luke is transferred to Terminal Island.
Terminal Island is a prison under the control of The Weyland Corporation, which hosts Death Match, a televised pay-per-view competition where two dangerous convicts are chosen and then forced to fight to the death or submission. The prisoners are given access to weapons or defense items to use during the fight by stepping on a marked plate in the arena. Luke meets the men who eventually become his pit crew in the Death Race: Lists (Frederick Koehler), who annoys him by over-analyzing everything, Goldberg (Danny Trejo), and Rocco (Joe Vaz). The host of Death Match is September Jones (Lauren Cohan), a former Miss Universe who lost her crown due to allegations of having a sexual relationship with all of its judges. She now works for The Weyland Corporation to create profit from the pay per view subscribers of Death Match. When a convict tries to stab Lists (because of his nature and weakness, as he was convicted only of swindling), Luke takes it upon himself to defend him.
Luke is later approached in the showers by September, who proposes that he fight. When he refuses, she makes sexual advances towards him, which he pretends to go for before refusing. In retaliation, September chooses Lists to fight with in a Death Match with the convict Big Bill who tried to stab him earlier. Luke confronts her while Lists is running for his life during the event, pleading to let him fight in place of Lists. She refuses to help and he jumps over a barbed fence to fight for Lists. He is joined by Katrina Banks (Tanit Phoenix), a woman convict who is serving as a ring girl with other female convicts. She hits the convict with a round number sign made of metal. A riot breaks out during the fight between Luke and the convict because of racial tension, sparked because Luke is white and the other convict is black. The convicts break down the fence to get in, and some of the rapists attack and attempt to rape female convicts. Katrina defends herself and helps other women, who are then evacuated. When the riot control guards come, Luke surrenders. Markus, worried that Luke will trade info on his crimes for immunity, discovers his location at Terminal Island while watching Death Match. Afterward, Luke is well-received when he sees Katrina and inquires about her well-being after the fight.
Markus puts a bounty of $1 million on Luke's head and convinces some of the prisoners to kill him. Meanwhile, September comes up with a plan to boost their profits by converting the Death Match into a "Death Race", where the contestants will have to race over days to win each match. The person who manages to win five matches will be released from prison. Luke joins the race, during which other prisoners try to kill him to earn Markus's bounty. On the second race, Luke's car crashes after being fired a missile by Big Bill (who is later killed by his navigator when he killed his pit crew), Luke's pit crew arrives including Katrina try to save him but it's too late and everybody is led to believe that Luke is dead. In reality, he survives with extensive scarring to his face. He joins the race as the new character "Frankenstein" with a mask to hide his identity from others. As the third race begins, Luke's new Triad friends manage to kill Markus in revenge, Lists kills Luke's pit crew member Rocco who set up on Luke's car and Luke kills September by running her over with his car, before he races with the other competitors. | revenge, murder, violence | tt1500491 |
Public Enemies | The film opens in 1933 as John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is brought to the Indiana State Prison by his partner John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke), under the disguise of a prisoner drop (with Dillinger posing as the prisoner). Inside the prison, several gang members, Charles Makley (Christian Stolte), Harry Pierpont (David Wenham), Ed Shouse (Michael Vieau), Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff), and Walter Dietrich (James Russo) acquire guns smuggled into the prison inside boxes of thread sent to the prison's shirt factory, with which they take a few guards hostage and march them to the changing rooms. At the same time, the warden that meets Dillinger and Hamilton suddenly recognizes Dillinger. Dillinger admits to his identity, and at this point, he suddenly springs his handcuffs off, and he and Hamilton conjure shotguns and force the warden to open the door to the break room at gunpoint, at the moment that the other inmates come in. They force the guards to take off their uniforms at gunpoint. Everything goes as planned until Shouse suddenly beats a guard to death in a fit of rage and another guard gets shot. A running shootout ensues as the men run towards the waiting car. Unfortunately, a sniper on the wall shoots Dietrich in the back just as he is about to get into the car, mortally wounding him, and a furious Dillinger kicks Shouse out of the car.In East Liverpool, Ohio, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and several other FBI agents are running down Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum). As Floyd sprints through an apple orchard, Purvis aims a rifle at him, fires one round, and misses, as Floyd fires back a burst from his Thompson submachine gun. Purvis sets his sights, aims, and fires again. The bullet goes straight through Floyd's chest and mortally wounds him.Meanwhile, Dillinger's gang reaches a hideout, where crooked Chicago cop Martin Zarkovich (John Michael Bolger) convinces them to hide out in Chicago, where they can be sheltered by the Mafia. Dillinger exchanges brief words with a Mafia car dealer and close acquaintance Anna Sage (Branka Katic).We next see Dillinger, Pierpont and Makley walking up the stairs into the lobby of a bank in Racine, Wisconsin, wearing dull overcoats and bowler hats. Pierpont, the lobby man, overpowers one of the guards and orders everyone to get on the floor, while Dillinger leaps over a railing, grabs the bank manager, and plays "Spin the Dial," by marching him to the vault at gunpoint. Makley clears money from the teller cages into a duffel bag. When the manager appears to be stalling, Dillinger strikes him over the head with a pistol and gives him the choice of being a dead hero or a live coward. The manager complies.Outside, we see Van Meter acting as the lookout, hiding a rifle under his coat. He turns to his left at the sound of screeching tires and sees a car pull to a stop in the middle of the street. He quietly backs into the doorway and taps his rifle against the door to inform the robbers inside that they have company. The men inside do not stop working, though, as the money bags are thrown to Pierpont, and Dillinger takes the bank manager as a hostage. He notices a customer with some spare money out and assures him, "I'm not here for your money, I'm here for the bank's."In the car, Hamilton, the getaway driver, checks his watch, and pulls forward just as the first cops climb out of their vehicle and run towards the bank. As the first cop reaches the door and tells him to leave, Van Meter asks "What for?" Before the cop can react, Van Meter suddenly whips out his rifle, strikes the cop across the neck (knocking off the cop's peaked cap), and locks him into a chokehold with his left hand, levels his rifle over the cop's right shoulder, and fires on the police. As pedestrians flee the scene, Dillinger, Pierpont and Makley exit the bank with their own hostages. The shields keep the police from firing on the robbers, until a detective fires a pistol. With their Thompson submachine guns, the robbers mow down the cops and speed away, dumping their hostages on the outskirts of town.In Washington, DC, BOI director J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) is frustrated after his latest request for additional funding is turned down, after he admits that he has not made a single arrest in his lifetime. Struggling to expand his Bureau into a national police agency, he meets with Purvis, and assigns him to lead the manhunt for John Dillinger, announcing to reporters that he is declaring the first "War on Crime".In Chicago, Dillinger meets Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), his love interest, at a restaurant, and proceeds to woo her by buying her a fur coat. Frechette falls for Dillinger even after he tells her who he is, and the two quickly become inseperable.Purvis and his men, meanwhile, trace the overcoat that Dillinger gave to a female bank teller hostage as a souvenir and also track down the car dealer. Tracing the car, he leads a failed ambush at a hotel where he believes Dillinger is staying. One agent, Warren Barton, is gunned down by trigger-happy Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham), who then escapes after a shootout.The next day, Dillinger, Pierpont and Makley walk into another bank, wearing overcoats to hide their guns. Dillinger and Pierpont walk towards one guard, whom Pierpont overpowers at the same moment that Dillinger whips out pistols in each hand. As Pierpont and Makley handle the lobby, Dillinger leads the bank manager over to the vault at gunpoint, training one gun on the manager and one on the lobby.That night, Hoover is seen reprimanding Purvis for his bungled attempt to arrest Nelson. Purvis demands that Hoover bring in professional lawmen who know how to catch criminals dead or alive, including Texas "cowboy" Charles Winstead (Stephen Lang). We later see Purvis greeting Winstead and the other new arrivals when they arrive at Union Station.Meanwhile, Dillinger, Billie and the members of Dillinger's gang spend some time in Florida watching horse races, then lay low in Tucson. While Dillinger and Billie are in their hotel room, three men with shotguns burst in and arrest Dillinger. Dillinger learns from Pierpont and Makley, who have also been arrested, that a fire broke out in their hotel room, the firefighters found their guns, and turned them in to the police.Dillinger is extradited back to Indiana where he is locked up pending trial. A syndicate lawyer, Louis Piquett, manages to convince the trial judge to keep Dillinger locked up in the Lake County Jail in Crown Point. Dillinger eventually escapes from Crown Point on March 3, a week before his trial, with another inmate, Herbert Youngblood, by carving a fake wooden gun, tricking a guard into opening his cell, then overpowering the other guards and escapes in Sheriff Lillian Holley's car.Dillinger is unable to see Frechette, who is under tight surveillance. Dillinger learns that Frank Nitti's (Bill Camp) Chicago Outfit associates are now unwilling to help him. And for a good reason: Dillinger's crimes are motivating the government to begin prosecuting interstate crime as a federal offense, which imperils Nitti's lucrative bookmaking racket.Later, Dillinger meets fellow bank robber Tommy Carroll (Spencer Garrett) in a movie theater; with him is Ed Shouse, who wants to rejoin the gang. Carroll goads Dillinger into a bank robbery job in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, promising a huge score. Even though Baby Face Nelson is involved, whom he doesn't like, Dillinger agrees, since he intends to use the money to break Pierpont and Makley out of prison.We next cut to a motorcycle cop pulling up on a street corner, where pedestrians are gathered, watching something with great interest. As the cop dismounts, gunshots suddenly ring out and pedestrians scatter as the cop falls, struck four times. The gunfire is Nelson, inside the bank, firing through a plate glass window. He screams "I got one!", laughs maniacally, and then fires another volley into the ceiling. Van Meter, startled by the noise, quickly grabs a hostage outside the bank while the men inside the bank just look oddly at Nelson. Frustrated at the fact that there is less money than they wanted, Dillinger grabs this bank manager and other hostages and they begin to leave. But as they leave, Nelson suddenly opens fire, sparking a shootout with police and vigilantes up and down the street. Dillinger is shot in the arm, and Carroll is shot in the head and left for dead. The men climb into their car, and retreat to a hideout at Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. Dillinger expresses hope he can free the rest of his gang still in prison, including Pierpont and Makley, but Red convinces him this is unlikely to happen.Purvis and his men apprehend Carroll (who is still alive) and torture him to find the rest of the gang's location, despite the doctor's insistence on giving Carroll medication (and Purvis threatening to run him in for obstruction of justice if he tried to intervene).They arrive at Little Bohemia and Purvis organizes another failed ambush. Unfortunately, when a car leaves the lodge containing three locals, they mistake it for the robbers' vehicle, and they end up accidentally killing a few innocent civilians and tipping off the inhabitants inside. In the shootout that follows, Dillinger and Red escape separately from Nelson and the rest of the gang. Agents Charles Winstead and Clarence Hurt (Don Frye) pursue Dillinger and Hamilton through the woods on foot, engaging them in a running gun battle in which Red is mortally wounded.Down the road, Nelson shoots and kills Purvis's partner Carter Baum (Rory Cochrane) and steals his car. Purvis and another agent, Johnny Madala, hop onto an arriving BOI car and chase down Nelson, who picks up Shouse and Van Meter. As the BOI car closes in on the gangsters' car, Purvis opens fire from the running boards with his Thompson submachine gun. Van Meter returns fire with a BAR rifle until it jams. Purvis fires a shot that hits the radiator and causes Nelson to lose control of the car and skid off the road into a field, where it flips over twice before coming to a stop. Shouse is killed by the crash. Van Meter gets out of the car and tries to make a break for it, but is gunned down by Purvis. Nelson gets out and opens fire, and another agent is shot dead as he tries to draw a submachine gun. Simultaneously, Purvis fires his pistol and Madala fires a shotgun, both rounds hitting Nelson, who briefly falls over but continues to fire. Purvis continues to fire his pistol into Nelson until he finally falls to the ground, dead.Further down the road, Dillinger and Hamilton steal a farmer's car and make good their escape; Hamilton dies later that night and Dillinger buries his body, covering it in lye.Dillinger manages to meet Frechette, telling her he plans to do one last job that will pay enough for them to escape together. However, Dillinger drops her off at a hotel he thinks is safe and helplessly watches as she is captured. Tears sting his eyes as he drives away, unnoticed by the feds.An interrogator, Agent Harold Reinecke (Adam Mucci) viciously beats Frechette to learn Dillinger's whereabouts, but she refuses to talk; Purvis and Winstead arrive and angrily break up the interrogation. Meanwhile, Dillinger is meeting with Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi), who tries to recruit a disinterested Dillinger in a train robbery with his associates, the Barker Gang. Dillinger receives a note from Billie through his lawyer, Louis Piquett (Peter Gerety), telling him not to try and break her out of jail.Through crooked cop Zarkovich, Purvis enlists the help of Anna Sage, who is facing inevitable deportation and wants to set up Dillinger in an attempt to stay in the United States.The agents only know that there are two possible theaters Dillinger could be going to: the Biograph Theater, which is showing the Clark Gable gangster film Manhattan Melodrama, or the Marbro, which is showing the Shirley Temple movie Little Miss Marple. Ultimately, it is the former theater.When the movie is over, Dillinger, Sage, and his girlfriend Polly Hamilton, leave as Purvis and his men move in. Dillinger spots the police and tries to draw his gun, but is hit at least four times. Two bullets only nick him, while another goes through his chest, while the fourth and fatal shot enters Dillinger through the back of his head, tears through his spinal cord and brain, and exits above his right eye. Winstead leans down to see if Dillinger is saying something as he dies, but tells Purvis that he couldn't hear a thing.Later, Winstead meets Frechette in prison. He tells her that Dillinger's dying words were "Tell Billie for me, 'Bye bye Blackbird.'" The closing text reveals that Melvin Purvis quit the FBI shortly afterwards and died by his own hand in 1960, and that Billie lived out of the rest of her life in Wisconsin following her release in 1936, and died in 1970. | boring, neo noir, depressing, murder, violence, psychedelic, romantic | tt1152836 |
Coming Out | The story revolves around a young high-school teacher, Philipp Klahrmann, who during his first day at work collides with a female teacher, Tanja in one of the school's corridors. As a result of the accident Tanja and Philipp get to know each other and quickly develop a romance. While going out with Tanja, Philipp gets dragged into a gay party and there he gets to know Matthias, a shy 19-year-old who quickly becomes interested in Philipp. After they meet again by chance, Matthias invites Philipp to his birthday party that evening. After some hesitation Philipp ends up going and that night the two of them go back to Philipp's apartment and sleep together.The situation with Tanja deteriorates, as Philipp becomes more standoffish and worried, as he begins to come out to himself. He is forced to come out to Tanja, after he and Matthias embrace during the interval at the opera. The hug which they share is clearly more than that of two good friends. Matthias is distraught upon learning that Philipp is married and runs out of the opera house. Over the next few weeks Philipp searches for Matthias, until one night he finds him in a bar with another man - one of Philipp's students. Matthias, obviously still very hurt, pushes Philipp away.Following this Philipp goes to the bar where he and Matthias first met and becomes aggressive towards an older gay man. He then calms down and a scene follows in which, through his tears, Philipp listens as this older gentleman explains calmly that he understands what Philipp is going through, as 50 years earlier, he and his then boyfriend were arrested by the Nazis. Following this they were imprisoned in a concentration camp. In a speech designed to please the SED and DEFA, the older gay man explains how the communists helped him through his struggle.The film ends with a scene in the classroom, as the headteacher - who obviously has discovered Philipp's sexual orientation - says that she and a group of teachers need to observe his classes to see if he's still suitable to teach. Philipp is quiet for a long time and this prompts the headteacher to say 'Kollege Klahrmann!' to which Klahrmann simply replies 'Ja'. Freihof claims that this single utterance signifies the recognition, by Philipp, of his sexual orientation and everything attendant with it. The film closes with a shot of Philipp leaving his apartment block on his bicycle. | queer | tt0097095 |
The Exorcist | Father Lancaster Merrin (Max Von Sydow) is an elderly Catholic priest on an archeological dig in Iraq. Merrin has a sense of foreboding and encounters a number of strange omens, including the unearthing of a series of confusing items, a near miss with a runaway horse drawn carriage, and a clock that stops ticking in mid-stroke. Finally, Merrin discovers a statue of a bizarre demonic figure; although the film does not mention it, it is a representation of a demonic figure known as Pazuzu.Back in the United States, in Washington D.C.'s upscale Georgetown neighborhood, a successful actress named Chris McNeil (Ellen Burstyn) begins experiencing strange phenomena. Chris lives with her twelve-year-old daughter Regan (Linda Blair), her personal assistant Sharon (Kitty Wynn), and two housekeepers. Regan's father is estranged for reasons unknown. There are mysterious, unexplained sounds in the attic of the house, which Chris attributes to rats. Regan slowly begins to exhibit strange behavior, undergoing behavioral changes much like depression and anxiety. She turns up in Chris's bed one night, complaining that her own bed was "shaking".Chris is working on a new movie in Georgetown with a director known as Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran). While filming a scene one day, she notices a young Catholic priest watching her; his name is Damien Karras (Jason Miller). Father Karras has a background in psychology and counsels parishoners at a nearby church; Chris also notices him while walking home from the shoot one day.Karras is a thoughtful, conflicted man. He discusses his vocation with a superior and asks to be transferred because he feels he is losing his faith. He also has an elderly mother who lives alone in a slum in New York; he visits her and is reminded of how lonely her life is, and he feels guilty that she has to live in such poor surroundings.The strange occurrences in the McNeil house begin to increase. Regan reveals that she has been playing with a Ouija board and claims that she has the ability to communicate with a spiritual entity all by herself. A nearby Catholic church is desecrated, a statue of the Virgin Mary painted crudely and adorned with conical clay additions made to resemble breasts and a penis. Regan also works with clay and paint, making small animal sculptures.Meanwhile, Father Karras's mother falls ill and, due to a lack of funds, she is placed in a very shabby hospital and resigned to a ward full of mental patients. Father Karras is distraught when he visits her and she seems to blame him for her situation. Later, she passes away under these conditions, adding to his sorrow.Chris has an elaborate party at her home with a number of affluent guests. One of her guests is another Jesuit named Father Dyer (Rev. William O'Malley), and Chris asks him about Karras, having noticed him and referring to him as "intense". She finds that Karras and Dyer are good friends. During the party, Regan appears happy and social, but she reappears after being sent to bed, dressed in her nightgown and urinates on the carpet in front of the guests while making an ominous statement to a prominent astronaut ("You're gonna die up there"). After the guests leave, Chris bathes Regan and puts her to bed, but is startled by a loud sound from Regan's bedroom. She rushes back down the hall and discovers Regan's bed shaking violently, rising up off the floor with Regan on it. Chris jumps on the bed and it still levitates.Chris subjects Regan to a series of medical tests to discover what the problem is. The doctors are unable to discover anything, despite putting Regan through some grueling, painful procedures. The best they can come up with is that Regan may have a lesion on her brain, but ultimately they are frustrated when nothing appears on her brain scan. At Chris's house, Regan suffers what appears to be a seizure, and two doctors visit to assist. They find her rising and falling up and down on the bed in a way that seems impossible for a human being. When they try to sedate her, she hurls them across the room with abnormal strength, speaking to them in what seems to be a male voice: "Keep away! The sow is mine!" Eventually they sedate her.Out of options, they advise Chris to search for a psychiatrist, but they also reluctantly discuss another possibility: they mention the phenomenon of demonic possession and the rite of exorcism. While they seem to hold professional contempt for it, they do admit that it has been known to solve problems such as what Regan is going through. Chris is skeptical, having no real religious affiliation of her own.The situation worsens when Chris is out one evening; she returns to find the house deserted except for Regan, who is alone in her bedroom and appears to be in deep sleep. The bedroom is freezing cold, the window standing wide open, and she is uncovered. Sharon returns and Chris is furious with her for leaving Regan unattended, but Sharon explains that she left Regan in the care of Burke, who was visiting the house, while she went to the pharmacy to get Regan's medication. Burke's absence is unexplained until the doorbell rings and an associate of Chris's breaks the news that Burke has just died on the steps outside Chris's house.Shortly after this, Chris is visited by a kindly detective named Kinderman (Lee J. Cobb), who seems suspicious of Burke's death. He questions Chris about the events of that evening, and Chris is nervous, hesitant to tell him about Regan's problem. While he is visiting, he notices a few small animal figures that Regan has crafted; they are similar in style to the desecration of the statue in the church. Kinderman leaves and immediately a violent disturbance comes from Regan's bedroom. Chris hears a deep male voice bellowing at Regan to "do it", and Regan screaming in protest. In the bedroom, Chris finds Regan plunging a crucifix violently into her vagina. When Chris tries to stop her, Regan assaults her with impossible strength, and furniture around the room starts to move on its own. As Chris watches in horror, her daughter's head turns completely around backwards, and she speaks to Chris in Burke's voice, saying to her "Do you know what she did? Your cunting daughter??" Chris then realizes that Regan is responsible for Burke's death.Desperate, Chris arranges to meet with Father Karras, and when she mentions the notion of exorcism, Karras is almost amused. He tells her that exorcism is nearly unheard of, and that he doesn't know anybody who has ever performed one. Chris is distraught and convinces him to meet with Regan anyway. Karras is shocked by the girl's appearance; she is tied to the headboard of her bed, her face misshapen and covered in lesions, her voice deep and gravelly. Regan announces that she's the devil, and toys with Karras in a number of ways, seeming to make a drawer next to the bed open all by itself, then speaking to Karras in a number of languages. She also conjures up the voice of a subway vagrant that Karras has encountered alone earlier. Karras remains unconvinced, and when Regan claims "Your mother's in here with us", Karras asks her what his mother's maiden name is. Unable to answer, Regan vomits spectacularly all over him.Chris cleans Karras's sweater and discusses Regan with him. Karras is still not convinced that Regan is possessed, especially because Regan says she's "the devil", and he recommends psychiatric care for her. Chris pleads with him to help her obtain an exorcism, swearing that the "thing" in the bed upstairs is not her daughter.While Karras thinks it over, he is approached by Kinderman, who questions him about the fact that the desecration of the church could be connected to Burke's death; what he was unable to tell Chris was that Burke's body was found with his head turned completely around backwards, and the police department considers it a homicide. Kinderman knows that Karras suspects something unusual about the McNeil house, but his confidentiality as a priest prevents him from discussing it with Kinderman.Karras visits Regan again and records their conversation, during which he sprinkles Regan with water. He tells her it is holy water and she begins to writhe in pain, seemingly going into a trance and speaking in a strange language. Later he tells Chris that it will be difficult to make a case with the Bishop for possession; the water he sprinkled on Regan was simply tap water, and was not blessed. The Bishop, and Karras himself, would consider Regan to be mentally ill and not possessed. Chris confides in Karras and tells him that Regan was the one who killed Burke Dennings. Later, Karras uses his tape recordings of Regan's seemingly incomprehensible babble to discover that she is really speaking backwards, in English. A phone call from Sharon interrupts him; she summons him to the house to see Regan, not wanting Chris to see that's happening: as they look at Regan's unconscious body, the words "help me" begin to materialize on her stomach, rising up in her skin like scar tissue.Karras reluctantly agrees to try and get an exorcism for Regan, although he seems to have more in common with the doctors who recommended it as a form of shock therapy. The church calls in Father Merrin to perform the exorcism, with Karras assisting. Merrin has performed exorcisms in the past, including a difficult one that "nearly killed him", according to the Bishop. When Merrin arrives at the McNeil house, Regan bellows his name from upstairs, as if she knows him, and she makes strange animal sounds. He warns Karras about conversing with the demon, and reminds him that the demon will mix lies with the truth to confuse and attack them.When they enter Regan's bedroom, she immediately begins with a string of obscenities. Merrin and Karras recite the ritual of exorcism and Regan manifests strange phenomena such as levitation, telekinesis, an abnormally long tongue, and strange vomiting. She constantly curses the priests and emits evil laughter and verbal abuse. Regan begins to talk to Karras in the voice of his mother, and he starts to break down. Merrin sends him away; when he returns, he finds Merrin dead on the floor, the victim of a heart attack. Regan cackles gleefully, infuriating Karras, who grabs her and shouts at the demon, "Come into me! Take me!" The transference works almost immediately; Karras begins to transform and Regan returns to her normal self. Before Karras can harm her, his "normal" personality breaks through for a split second and he commits suicide, hurling himself out Regan's window. Just as Burke did, he tumbles down the stairs outside Regan's window and lays dying in the street below. By chance, Father Dyer happens upon the scene and administers the last rites to his friend.In a brief epilogue, we see Chris and Regan as they prepare to leave the house in Georgetown. They are visited by Father Dyer. Chris speaks with him privately and tells him that Regan doesn't remember anything about the possession or the exorcism. Regan then appears and greets him cheerfully, transfixed by Father Dyer's white collar. Before they leave, she suddenly hugs Father Dyer and kisses him. As Chris pulls away in their car, she orders the driver to stop for a moment and gives Father Dyer the religious medallion that belonged to Father Karras; in their struggle, Regan had torn it from his body and it was in her bedroom all along. | cruelty, murder, paranormal, cult, horror, violence, tragedy, sadist | tt0070047 |
Bandidas | In 1848 in an auditorium of police officers, criminal investigator Quentin Cook is displaying how science can be used to investigate crimes; by using fingerprinting, a magnifying glass and drawing conclusions from evidence. Afterwards, Quentin meets his fiance Clarissa who wants to marry him.At the Capitol Bank and Trust in New York, bank president Ashe is standing in front of a map of Mexico, telling Tyler Jackson the importance of acquiring certain tracts of land in Mexico where a railroad will be built. The land must be acquired within 90 days or the railroad will be built elsewhere.In the Mexican town of Santa Rita, Maria Alvarez is playing Connect with her horse while her father Pedro is inside the bank asking why the bank sold his mortgage to a US bank. The banker Bernardo tell him that the owner of bank don Diego had no option. Maria is sitting outside the bank when seven grim looking men enter the town by horse. When Pedro leave the bank, he is very concerned but Maria promises to speak with don Diego immediately.Tyler Jackson enters don Diego's office, looking at the photos on the wall displaying photos of don Diego's daughter Sara growing up. Sara herself is outside in the courtyard training her horse. When don Diego enters he offers Jackson a drink and tell him that Sara is the spitting image of her deceased mother and that Sara has spent the last 10 years in Europe. When she enters her father's office, don Diego tell her that Jackson's bank has offered to provide much needed capital to his bank. She expresses surprise that a US bank would have any interest in a small rural Mexican one. Jackson's request to have dinner with her is politely rejected.Maria is denied entry to don Diego's house by Jackson's men at the front gate but instead she enters the house from the back. Outside don Diego's office, Maria meet Sara very shortly before don Diego's men capture her. While she is dragged through the house she is screaming that don Diego is a traitor for selling her father's land. Meanwhile don Diego signs a contract with the US bank. They toast to the future.Later, Jackson and his men go to the Alvarez farm to tell him that his loans have been foreclosed and that the bank is taking over the farm in exchange for 1 peso. "Over my dead body" say Pedro before Jackson shoot him down. Jackson give him a receipt before burning the house.Maria is released by the sheriff. When she returns home she finds her father badly injured. Sara is visiting an old friend who has helped her with her horse. When Jackson and his men show up, they explain that his farm has been foreclosed. When he protests he is shot down. Sara ride away from there quickly on her horse. When she returns home she find her father dead in his office. Jackson is there and explains that her father had a fatal heart attack. He explains that her father's property is now his. She excuses herself to go to her room. Instead she flees from the house, Jackson's men unsuccessfully trying to stop her.Maria take her injured father to the church where the priest, padre Pablo, receive them. In the church there are a number of locals who have been evicted by Jackson's men, having nowhere else to stay.Sitting outside her house, Sara is watching as her father's coffin is carried from the house in a procession.Sara and Maria meet when they try to rob the town's only bank at the same time. Sara wants to take back her father's money in order for her to return to Europe, Maria is robbing it for the people who have been evicted and have nothing to live off. Jackson and his men arrive at the same time to inspect the bank's vault. The only thing left in the vault is a flower, left as a greeting by Sara. They stop at the church and get in a fight over how the money should be used, to help the people or for Sara to leave Mexico. They are interrupted by padre Pablo who take them to a cave outside the town where a large number of people is living, now that they have been evicted. Sara have a change of heart and they decide to rob banks together to help the people.Outside the city live Bill Buck, a famous Texan bank robber, and he trains Maria and Sara to use weapons. Maria turn out to be a crack shot while Sara is quite good at throwing knives. When Maria falls into a river, Sara rescue her from drowning. "I guess this makes us friends" asks Maria. "I don't know about friends. But definitely partners" answers Sara. Before departing Buck teach them the three rules of robbing banks: One, nobody gets killed, two, don't take more than you can carry in one hand, and three, getting away is the first rule. The two start robbing friends, now known as the Las Bandidas on the wanted posters.Arriving in the town of Santa Rita by train, the criminal investigator Quentin Cook comes to investigate the claimed fatal heart attack of don Diego. Sara and Maria meet padre Pablo in the church where he tell them that a detective has arrived from New York. They are interrupted by Cook himself knocking on the door of the church. Cook shows a photo of Sara as a child, asking if she and don Diego had any problems. The duo decide to go to Santa Rita to speak with Quentin.In his room at the hotel, Quentin is getting dressed, wearing only a towel when Sara and Maria enter, dressed in dancer's costumes showing a lot of cleavage. They tie him up and have a photographer take photos of all three of them in provocative positions on his bed, threatening to have the set of photos sent to his fiance. When asking about his criminal investigation he tell them that he believe that don Diego was poisoned. Also, Sara teach Maria how to kiss a man, practising on Quentin.They bring Quentin with them to the bank in town, showing the land deeds locked in the vault, explaining to him that Jackson is taking over land where a railroad will be built. In the office, Quentin find bottles of wine and a small bottle of poison. When Jackson's men unexpectedly show up at the bank, Sara and Maria manage to get away by taking a very compliant Quentin hostage. It is revealed that Quentin is the son in law of the president of the Capitol Bank. When he hears this, Jackson decide that capturing the Bandidas is the first priority, bringing in extra men.Sitting around a camp fire in a forest, Quentin tell Maria of how a criminal can be found by looking for fingerprints at a crime scene. When Sara returns she complains of how difficult life has become now that she, a young lady, must live as a renegade without parents. Quentin explains that he would like to help them.Maria and Quentin visit a bank, properly dressed as a young married couple, expressing an interest in depositing jewels for safe keeping. The bank is heavily guarded by Jackson's men. The bank manager is happy to show them the safe. Maria draw a gun and Quentin open the safe using his expertise. They blow a hole through the roof and leave the bank with a lot of money. Jackson's men are alerted by the explosion but find the bank robbed and their horses disappeared.The governor and his ministers meet Jackson to express their deep concern that banks belonging to Capitol bank are not safe. Jackson show the governor how all the banks will be equipped with a new alarm system. Until all banks have been equipped, all money will be kept in the headquarters of the Banco de Mejico. Quentin and Sara visit that branch of the bank and hear of the new alarm system. With the help of an accomplice they get drawings of the alarm system and the keys to the vault.Using a rope, a pair of skates and a blowgun with poisoned darts, the trio try to rob the Banco de Mejico of all its money. Instead they are captured by Jackson's men. Luckily they are freed by the locals, including Maria's father and padre Pedro.At a meeting with the governor and his minister, Jackson promises that the gold reserve will be sent to Texas. The trio hears of this and decide to get their hands on the gold. In a quiet moment, Maria and Sara agree that they are now friends, not only partners.The gold reserve is being transported to Texas by train. The Mexican governor, the president of the Capitol Bank and Trust and his daughter Clarissa are on the train. Jackson is also on the train, intending to use the train as a bait to capture the Bandidas. Before kicking the governor off the train, Jackson explain to him that he is going to keep the gold for himself.The Bandidas enter the train with Quentin, have their revenge on Jackson and Quentin is reunited with his fiance Clarissa. In the end the Bandidas ride off together, heading for Europe where the banks are bigger. | good versus evil, revenge, comedy, murder, violence | tt0416496 |
The Lamp | Two years after losing their son Eddy (Greyson Moore), father Stanley (Jason London) cannot seem to live a normal life. His wife Lisa (Meredith Salenger) finally tells him it is okay to "move on" with their life. (Eddy was a budding baseball prodigy, in his young life, and his father coached his team.) Stanley has been sleeping in Eddy's room. When he finds that Lisa has taken some of Eddy's clothing for a fundraising sale he explodes and claims that she had no right to sell HIS son's memories to "the highest bidder".
At the garage sale, the grieving parents' neighbor, a foster-care mother, Miss Esther (L.Scott Caldwell) offers an old oil lamp. She says it has given her what she needed and now it is time to find a new owner. At the end of the day, the lamp has not been bought. Lisa tries to return it to Miss Esther, who tells her that "of course" it wasn't bought, because it needed to find "the right owner". Miss Esther then suggests (perhaps) it is her, and gently shuts the door, leaving Lisa holding the lamp.
The argument regarding Lisa taking Eddy's old clothes to the sale occurs after this. After the "highest bidder" comment, Stanley sneers at Lisa and the lamp and says "and you brought home THIS?" (I assume as a replacement, in his mind). He leaves, enraged.
The next thing memorable, is Stanley being gone, and Lisa in the house as a knock on the door sounds. Enter Charles Montgomery, Jr. III (Louis Gossett, Jr.)..Unwilling to open the door to a stranger, he slips his card under the door. It simply says BELIEVE in ornate script with his name underneath. Lisa then opens the door to him and as he is seated, things happen that amaze her, especially when he simply disappears as Stanley comes in.
A seemingly obscure Maintenance worker named Sam (Muse Watson) was...if you looked closely...watching Stanley at Eddy's funeral...he is a key character, though you wouldn't know, in the beginning.
When I first saw this, I did not realize (at first) that Josh (Cameron Ten Napel) and Rachel (Katie Burgess) were sisters. I had thought that Rachel was the child whom would be instrumental in helping Stanley to heal.
Enough Spoilers and Details...this movie is worth watching. For anyone whom has suffered a loss (my prayers), this is a movie of hope, redemption, salvation and renewal-of spirit. No more Details! | paranormal | tt1754648 |
Valkyrie | Valkyrie opens with a Colonel Stauffenberg in Tunisa, North Africa (in 1943), penning in a journal his thoughts about World War II, and how he feels Hitler is destroying Germany. Stauffenberg states he took an oath to swear allegiance to Hitler, but feels he owes more to Germany. He argues with a general about holding a key city in a futile effort against the British Army and American General Patton. The general agrees to have the 10th Panzer moved to a different location where they can be evacuated back to mainland Europe. Shortly thereafter, the camp is attacked by British aircraft and Stauffenberg is badly injured, losing one of his eyes, his right hand, and two fingers from his left hand.The next scene shows Hitler visiting a base camp in Germany, and a nervous General Trescow onlooking. As Hitler prepares to depart, Trescow and an associate hide a bomb in a wine case and give to a man on Hitler's plane, but it fails to detonate in flight, and Trescow must return to headquarters to retrieve it. Once he arrives, he meets up with who is revealed as a fellow conspirator, a General Olbricht. Trescow safely retrieves the wine case and he and Olbrict discuss a member of their secret committee who was recently arrested. Trescow recommends Olbricht contact Colonel Stauffenberg as a replacement, which Olbricht does, and brings Stauffenberg to one of the clandestine meetings.In the meeting, Stauffenberg meets three of the most important figures in the resistance: Dr. Goerdeler, who will become Chancellor of Germany should the plot succeed; General Beck, who will lead the Armed Forces, and a man named Witzleben. After tempers flare, Stauffenberg agrees to help. At a later meeting, Stauffenberg suggests they utilize Operation Valkyrie, which is a plan that uses the Reserve Army to keep order amongst the Germany country should anything disrupt communications from Hitler, or should Hitler be killed. Stauffenberg rewrites the order to exclude the SS from taking control, which would leave the head of the Reserve Army, General Fromm, in charge of Germany. Reaching out to General Fromm, Stauffenberg and Olbricht are surprised at his rejection, but Fromm keeps quiet, choosing to neither support the dissenters nor reports them to the authorities.Meanwhile, General Trescow is sent to the front lines. Stauffenberg is promoted to head of the plan, and he, along with his assistant Lieutenant Haeften, take the order to the Berghof to be signed off by Hitler himself. Hitler, with his inner circle present, praises Stauffenberg's loss of appendages as the attitude necessary for his military, and states Stauffenberg is the ideal German. He then signs off on the bill, saying he's sure the changes are adequate.Back at command, a Colonel Quirnheim shows the dissenters how to use pencil detonators, and Stauffenberg persuades a General Fellgiebel, who controls communications at the Wolf's Lair, to help. Stauffenberg has been promoted to General Fromm's chief-of-staff, and thus has access to Hitler's military debriefings, so the plan goes as follows: Stauffenberg and Haeften will travel to Hitler's bunker, the Wolf's Lair, to attend a military meeting. Stauffenberg will ignite one of the pencil detonators and then have Fellgiebel call and pretend to be a general, pulling Stauffenberg out of the meeting while Haeften waits with a car. In theory, Stauffenberg and Haeften will have six minutes to drive before the bomb detonates, giving them time to return to the airfield and fly off before they can be suspected. The only condition the heads of the dissenters give, however, is that head of the SS Himmler, along with Hitler, must be present for Stauffenberg to arm the bomb.Stauffenberg travels to the Wolf's Lair and has all preparations ready, but notices Himmler is not present at the meeting and calls the committee to ask if he may proceed anyways. He is refused by the committee, unbeknownst to Olbricht, who mobilizes the Reserve Army anyways. As Stauffenberg safely extracts himself and the bomb from the bunker, the Reserve Army believes they were just running a training drill, and Olbricht and Stauffenberg are ordered to report to General Fromm, who is outraged they would mobilize the army without his permission. He tells them that if this happens again he will arrest them both.Dr. Goerdeler has a warrant issued for his arrest and General Beck implores him to leave the country. Goerdeler, Stauffenberg's chief opponent on the committee, hastily leaves and is replaced by Colonel Quirnheim. Colonel Stauffenberg visits his home and tells his wife his plan, and that she and his children must leave, because of their suffering if he should fail. They do so, and Stauffenberg makes his next attempt on Hitler's life as he attends another military debriefing on July 20, 1944. Much to his surprise, the meeting has been moved from Hitler's bunker to an open window summer hut. The blast would be most effective in the pressurized bunker, where the thick walls would deflect the pressure back to the bomb's origin, wiping out everyone in the bunker. Stauffenberg plans to proceed anyways but then notices Himmler is once again not present. He calls the committee to ask permission to continue and they say 'no', but Stauffenberg and Quirnheim privately agree to continue anyways, and Stauffenberg enters the summer hut. He and Haeften arm the bomb in a washroom and place it under the war room table, as Haeften gets the car. Fellgiebel gives Stauffenberg his distraction phone call, and Stauffenberg hastily leaves the hut.In the war room, an enraged Hitler bangs his fist against the table, knocking Stauffenberg's briefcase, with armed bomb inside, over. A correspondent at the table sees Stauffenberg's fallen bag and moves it behind a table leg opposite Hitler. As Stauffenberg walks to his car, the bomb detonates. Fellgiebel phones Quirnheim, but poor reception keeps Quirnheim from fully understanding what all has happened, only hearing that the bomb has indeed detonated. Believing his job to be done, Fellgiebel orders them to shut off all communications. Olbricht impores Quirnheim to phone back and find out if Hitler really is dead, but the broken phone lines keep that from happening. Olbricht refuses to mobilize the Reserve Army until he has received confirmation that Hitler has indeed been killed, and leaves for lunch. Quirnheim issues the mobilization order behind Olbricht's back, and the Reserve Army, led by Major Remer, mobilize in Berlin.Meanwhile, Stauffenberg, Haeften, and their driver quickly make their way out of the Wolf's Lair, and Stauffenberg cleverly tricks soldiers into opening checkpoints for him. He makes it back to the airfield, and quickly flies a plane back the government district of Berlin.Much to his shock, the delay caused by Olbricht issuing the order could substantially set the effort back, but they proceed with the plan as scheduled. They march to General Fromm's office and inform him that Hitler is dead, and that he can either join their cause or be arrested. Fromm calls the Wolf's Lair, whose communication has been restored, and hears that Hitler is, in fact, alive. Stauffenberg dismisses this and asks Fromm whose side he's on. Fromm attempts to arrest Stauffenberg and Olbricht, but is himself arrested. Stauffenberg, Olbricht, and Beck, as heads of the Reserve Army under Operation Valkyrie, give orders to arrest all SS officers and seize control of Berlin. Major Remer follows these requests until he reaches the SS headquarters in France. Contradicting orders have been sent, one from the Wolf's Lair ordering the arrest of Stauffenberg, and one from Stauffenberg ordering the arrest of Minister Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels, shown slipping a cyanide pill in his mouth as he watches the Reserve Army approach, picks up a phone and asks to be connected. Remer walks in and states the man is under arrest, but the man gives Remer the phone. Hitler is on the other line, and he commands Werner to release all SS and capture those in charge alive. Remer cancels the occupation of Berlin and marches to Stauffenberg.Rumors are swirling that Hitler is alive, which Stauffenberg dismisses as SS propaganda. But gradually, Stauffenberg's associates in headquarters are defecting. The Reserve Army reaches headquarters, and Stauffenberg, Haeften, Quirnheim, Olbricht, and Beck attempt to leave. After a short shoot-out with loyalist SS officers, Stauffenberg is wounded. He and all of the other conspirators are captured, and General Fromm is released from his cell. Wanting to appear innocent, Fromm orders the immediate arrest of the conspirators. In his office, he condemns Stauffenberg, Quirnheim, Olbricht, Haeften, and Beck to death, but allows Beck to kill himself with a pistol.At midnight, the remaining four are taken outside and executed by firing squad in the building square. Meanwhile, General Trescow, hearing of the failure, is shown committing suicide on the front lines with a grenade. Goerdeler is shown executed by hanging, and eventually Stauffenberg is brought before the firing squad. Quirnheim and Olbricht have already been executed, and only Stauffenberg and Haeften remain. Stauffenberg is prepared to face his death when Haeften steps in front of him, taking the firing squad's first shots, and falling dead. The firing squad reloads, and aims at Stauffenberg, who screams "Long live sacred Germany!," before falling dead.Witzleben is shown publicly denouncing Hitler at his trial, and the film reveals he too was executed on September 4, later that same year. Then the film states that General Fromm's hasty executions could not save himself, and he too, was executed for not reporting the conspirators.The film concludes with a byline announcing Hitler's suicide in April 1945 nine months later, and reveals that Stauffenberg's wife and children survived. | suspenseful, murder, violence, revenge, historical | tt0985699 |
Dirty Grandpa | Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) is at a funeral for his grandmother. He runs into his obnoxious cousin Nick (Adam Pally), who is high on drugs. Jason's grandfather Dick (Robert De Niro) requests that Jason drive him to Florida as a personal favor. Both Jason and his father David (Dermot Mulroney) don't like the idea, but Jason reluctantly agrees to help out his grieving grandpa.Jason's fiancee Meredith (Julianne Hough) is obsessively planning over their wedding and is annoyed that Jason has to leave before their upcoming rehearsal dinner. She makes him take her ugly pink car to drive Dick to Florida. Jason goes to pick Dick up from his house, only to find the man masturbating to porn in his living room. Jason is horrified.The two hit the road and stop at a diner. Jason talks about his job as a lawyer, which he makes sound boring. Dick leaves for a moment, and from a few tables down, a girl named Shadia (Zoey Deutch) spots Jason and recognizes him from a class they had. She approaches him to talk, but Jason is distracted and thinks she's a waitress there to collect the check. She takes his money and runs away with her friends Lenore (Aubrey Plaza) and Bradley (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman), but Jason catches her before they drive away. He recognizes Shadia instantly. Dick comes out and pretends to be a college professor, which attracts Lenore, as she really wants to have sex with a professor. Dick and Lenore agree to meet up in Daytona Beach, but Jason and Shadia are against it.Jason takes Dick golfing. Dick spots two women and tries to make his move on them while pretending Jason is his disabled caddy. When Dick isn't looking, Jason tells the women how Dick isn't taking his wife's death well, prompting them to leave. Dick is upset and tells Jason that he wants to take this trip so he can have as much wild and unprotected sex as he can. Annoyed, Jason still agrees to go along with the trip.On the road to Daytona, the two encounter a psychotic drug dealer/store owner named Tan Pam (Jason Mantzoukas). Meredith calls Jason with more wedding stuff and getting frustrated that Jason isn't there to help. Once the guys hit the beach, they run into Lenore, Shadia, and Bradley, along with their two doofus friends Cody (Jake Picking) and Brah (Michael Hudson). The two of them enter a flexing competition. Jason and Dick go up to compete as well, nearly winning until Jason is worried that his antics will go viral and cost him his job. Cody and Brah win by default. Dick takes a t-shirt gun and stuffs it with a water bottle, shooting Cody in the face and breaking his nose.Jason and Dick later go to a party where Lenore and Shadia are. Jason inadvertently ends up smoking crack and doing a naked dance to "Macarena". Outside, Bradley is being harassed by some thugs. Dick beats the crap out of four of them before taking on the leader, Tyrone (Brandon Mychal Smith). Dick makes him apologize to Bradley.Jason wakes up nude and sunburned on the beach with a toy strapped to his crotch, and a swastika of penises drawn on his head. Meredith calls again to bother him as a child approaches Jason to touch the toy. From a distance, the boy's father thinks Jason is molesting his son and he pushes him off as the cops show up. Dick goes to bail Jason out.Jason and Dick visit Dick's old friend Stinky (Danny Glover), who lives in a retirement home. He only has a month to live and just wants to spend it there playing bingo. This makes Jason understand Dick's desire to enjoy whatever time he has left in life.Throughout the rest of their trip, Jason gets closer to Shadia, pretending to be a photographer to get closer to her. This also makes him rethink his relationship with Meredith. Dick says she isn't right for Jason and that he'll be sleepwalking through the rest of his life if he marries her. Meanwhile, Dick ends up hanging out with Lenore, plus Tyrone and his gang after they become friendly. While the group is at a karaoke bar, Cody sneaks by them and stuffs a large bag of weed in Jason's coat and looks at Dick's drivers license. After Dick goes up, Jason and Shadia sing a song together.Later, Cody reveals to Lenore and Shadia that Dick is not a professor, but a former Special Forces operative, a fact that no one in the family knew about. Cody also tells them about Jason's engagement, forcing him to tell the truth to Shadia, who is pissed at him. The cops then show up to arrest Jason for the weed.Dick bails Jason out again and admits that he took the trip not mainly for himself, but for Jason to cut loose and not be so uptight like his dad since Dick was never really there for David. Angry, Jason returns to Atlanta to proceed with the wedding.Jason goes to the rehearsal brunch with Meredith, where they sing the same song that he sang with Shadia. During the slideshow, Dick hacks the slides and puts pictures from the trip, which include Jason naked, making out with an old woman, and getting humped by a dog, along with a picture of Shadia. Jason finally tells Meredith he can't marry her, to which she responds that she slept with Nick while he was away. Jason happily leaves the brunch and runs into Dick outside, who tells him that Shadia is on a bus headed for a cruise. David follows the two and threatens to take Jason's job away from him if he bails on the engagement. David then gets tased by Pam, who joined the guys for some reason.The guys drive their truck to find the bus with Shadia. The bus driver won't pull over because the cops are following them, and he thinks that Pam narced on him on drugs that Pam sold to him. Dick then speeds up and drives toward the bus until they are both forced to stop. Jason runs out and apologizes to Shadia for lying. He decides to join her on her trip since he's now single, jobless, and possibly wanted by the cops. He goes up to her and they kiss.Dick returns home with David and apologizes to him for not being a better father. When Dick goes back to his place, he finds Lenore in there wearing his pants. She still wants to have sex with him despite him not being a professor. The two of them proceed to have sex with Dick using every old person cliche to keep Lenore excited.A little bit after the credits start, we see Jason standing next to Shadia with a baby in his hands at a baptism. The baby is Dick's new son with Lenore, and Jason and Shadia are the boy's godparents. Dick then takes the baby's thumb and uses it to poke Jason's butt. | violence, adult comedy | tt1860213 |
Singin' in the Rain | Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) is a popular silent film star with humble roots as a singer, dancer, and stuntman. Don barely tolerates his vain, cunning, and shallow leading lady, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), though their studio, Monumental Pictures, links them romantically to increase their popularity. Lina is convinced they are in love, despite Don's protestations otherwise.
At the premiere of his newest film, The Royal Rascal, Don tells the gathered crowd an exaggerated version of his life story, including his motto: "Dignity, always dignity." His words are humorously contradicted by flashbacks showing him alongside his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor). To escape from his fans after the premiere, Don jumps into a passing car driven by Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds). She drops him off, but not before claiming to be a stage actress and sneering at his "undignified" accomplishments as a movie star.
Later, at a party, the head of Don's studio, R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell), shows a short demonstration of a talking picture, but his guests are unimpressed. To Don's amusement, Kathy pops out of a mock cake right in front of him, revealing herself to be a chorus girl. Furious at Don's teasing, she throws a real cake at him, only to hit Lina right in the face. She runs away. Don is smitten with Kathy and searches for her for weeks. While filming a love scene, Lina tells him that she had Kathy fired. Don finally finds Kathy working in another Monumental Pictures production. She confesses to having been a fan of his all along.
After a rival studio has an enormous hit with its first talking picture, the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, R.F. decides he has no choice but to convert the next Lockwood and Lamont film, The Duelling Cavalier, into a talkie. The production is beset with difficulties, including Lina's grating voice and strong New York accent. An exasperated diction coach tries to teach her how to speak properly, but to no avail. The Duelling Cavalier's test screening is a disaster; the actors are barely audible thanks to the awkward placing of the microphones, Don repeats the line "I love you" to Lina over and over, to the audience's derisive laughter, and in the middle of the film, the sound goes out of synchronization, with hilarious results.
Don, Kathy and Cosmo come up with the idea to turn The Duelling Cavalier into a musical called The Dancing Cavalier, complete with a modern musical number called "Broadway Melody". Cosmo, inspired by a scene in The Duelling Cavalier where Lina's voice was out of sync, suggests that they dub Lina's voice with Kathy's. R.F. approves the idea but tells them not to inform Lina about the dubbing. When Lina finds out, she is infuriated. She becomes even angrier when she discovers that R.F. intends to give Kathy a screen credit and a big publicity buildup afterward. Lina threatens to sue R.F. unless he orders Kathy to continue working uncredited as Lina's voice. R.F. reluctantly agrees to her demands, as a clause in her contract states that she can sue whenever denied a role of her choosing.
The premiere of The Dancing Cavalier is a tremendous success. When the audience clamors for Lina to sing live, Don, Cosmo, and R.F. tell her to lip sync into the microphone while Kathy, hidden behind the curtain, sings into a second one. While Lina is "singing," Don, Cosmo and R.F. gleefully raise the curtain, revealing the fakery. Lina flees. A distressed Kathy tries to run away as well, but Don proudly announces to the audience that she's "the real star of the film." Later, Kathy and Don kiss in front of a billboard for their new film, Singin' in the Rain. | comedy, boring, flashback, satire, romantic, historical | tt0045152 |
Crazy in Alabama | This film moves back and forth between its two main characters.1- Peejoe Bullis (Lucas Black) and his brother Wiley (David Speck) are orphans who live with their grandmother (Sandra Seacat).2- Lucille Vinson (Melanie Griffith) kills her husband Chester because he won't let her go to Hollywood to star in the sitcom Bewitched, where she has been cast on a 2-episode role. Lucille is Peejoe and Wiley's aunt, and the sister of Dove, another uncle of the two boys.When Lucille goes to Hollywood with Chester's head in a Tupperware container after having poisoned him with rat poison, she leaves her seven children with her mother, so Grandma has no more place for Peejoe and Wiley. They have to go to live with Uncle Dove (David Morse), and his wife Earlene (Cathy Moriarty). Dove tells sheriff John Doggett (Meat Loaf), that they don't know where Lucille is heading for.On her way to New Orleans, Lucille can hear Chester's head talking to her (represented by the voice of Brent Briscoe), making sarcastic comments. The assistant at the Fleur de Lys hat shop (Marion Zinser) is a bit sarcastic at the beginning as well, but she is not so when Lucille buys a 500-dollar couture hat because she needs the hatbox to put Chester's head in. Later, Lucille stops at a bar, and a barman (John Fleck) thinks she is a whore and is rude to her. She gets annoyed, and steals the barman's money and car.Later on, she stops at a road coffee shop. There, Sally (writer Fannie Flagg) is a waitress, and realizes Lucille's being sought by the police, but she doesn't give her in. She talks to her for a while, and then she tells her to go without paying saying "it is on me". Because of the stolen car, Lucille gets pulled over by a police officer, who gets all excited hearing the story she is telling with sexual overtones. When they are kissing, Lucille handcuffs the police officer and steals his gun, although she leaves it outside the police station.Back home, Peejoe sees black people queueing up to register for voting although it's illegal in Alabama, and focuses on 17-year old Taylor Jackson (Louis Miller). Peejoe and Wiley go to a small swimming-pool, the only one in town but only-white. Taylor jumps in the pool, and all the white people get out of the pool, except Peejoe. Peejoe watches how the sheriff kills Taylor when he was running away from him, pulling him down from a railing, hitting his head on the cement and killing him. Later, Peejoe has an incident with a lawn mower, which hits him in an eye with a golf ball, and everybody wants to think he was attacked by the sheriff. Peejoe will carry a patch in his eye for almost the rest of the film.At the funeral, Peejoe parades with Taylor's mourners. He coaxes Wiley into following him. They all finish at the same pool, singing and jumping in, only to be disbanded by the sheriff. A Look magazine photographer (Michael Arata) is there, and takes a close-up picture of Peejoe's face. Peejoe is considered a hero, although he insists he only happened to be there. When Martin Luther King (Dudley F. Craig II) arrives in town -we never see his face-, Peejoe is introduced to him, and they shake hands.Lucille had earned some money in Las Vegas, having the time of her life playing roulette and shagging a very handsome bellboy (Brad Beyer). Eccentric limousine driver (Richard Schiff) takes her to Hollywood, where her agent Harry Hall (Robert Wagner) is expecting her. She presents herself under the name of Caroline Clay. There, bitchy actress Joan Blake (Elizabeth Perkins) is rude to her. Lucille works on the set of Bewitched, with the stand-in actors (Charlie Dell, Oliver Clark and Tracy Griffith) giving her the cue lines. Hall thinks Lucille should appear in films as well. At a party, the bitchy actress investigates what's in the hatbox, because her badly-behaved dogs are snuffing at it. When she sees Chester's head, she walks stiffy and dizzily, goes through a closed window and drowns herself out of shock, but nobody suspects Lucille had anything to do with it. Norman drives her out of the party.Back in Alabama, Earlene complains because the whole town is ostracizing her, because of Peejoe's involvement with the cause. She wants the two siblings out of her house, but Dove won't allow it. In the middle of the discussion, they see Lucille's episode on TV. They stop quarrelling and they watch it in amazement.Back to Hollywood, when Lucille is about to throw Chester's head from the Golden Gate Bridge, all her money -kept in a red bag- slips away. She tries to retrieve it. Two patrolmen (Kirk Fox and Jordan Lund) ask her questions, because they think she's trying to commit suicide, and that's when one of them see all the money and the head in the hatbox. Lucille is discovered and sent back to Alabama, where she could be sentenced to the electric chair.Peejoe and Dove have been talking to FBI Agent Murphy (William Converse Roberts) in secret, but Dove is afraid of Peejoe's security and doesn't want him to testify. Nehemiah Jackson (John Beasley) is Taylor's grandfather. He's in prison as well, because of his demonstrations and parades. He gives Lucille something to eat.Judge Louis Mead (Rod Steiger) is an eccentric man, who makes Lucille's children go away, in order not to influence the jury. At one moment in the trial, he wants to talk to Lucille alone. She's pleading self-defence and sanity.When Peejoe testifies, he says that there is a deal between sheriff Doggett and Dove: if he doesn't accuse the sheriff of Taylor's murder, Lucille will not be given the death penalty. Later in the trial, Lucille tells the jury how Chester abused and mistreated her and her children -all with cinema stars' names like Marlon, Rock, Marilyn... (Dane Le Blanc, Dakota Johnson, Estella del Carmen Banderas and Jackson Isaacs) However, the jury isn't adamant to feel pity for her, and they find Lucille guilty on all counts. Outside the courtroom, Murphy arrests sheriff Doggett, who is unrepentant. Dove asks Peejoe if he had planned it all, and he said it just came to him in the spur of the moment. Dove tells Peejoe that that was something he couldn't run from, so that he won't have the opportunity to change his mind. Peejoe is happy about that.Judge Mead gives a long speech when sentencing Lucille. He says the jury wants Lucille to go to the electric chair, but that he has never sent a woman there. He doesn't think she's a danger to anybody, except her late husband. First he sentences her to 20 years, then he suspends the sentence and makes it a 5-year probation sentence, if she seeks psychiatric counselling. Lucille can go free, although the prosecutor shouts and is really angry.Outside the court, Norman is waiting with a car and a bunch of flowers. He and Lucille go away with all of Lucille's children, presumably back to Hollywood.Back in Alabama, the town is filling the pool with cement, because a judge has ruled it should be integrated (be for everybody, not only for white people). Peejoe and Wiley find it ludicrous. They go away fishing with a black friend, and he says that now nobody has a pool. | violence, murder, romantic | tt0142201 |
The Brave One | As radio show host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) and her fiancé David (Naveen Andrews) are walking their dog at night at Stranger's Gate in New York's Central Park, they are attacked by three violent criminals who film the whole attack on their phones. David dies from his injuries, and Erica, while seriously injured, survives. Angry and traumatized, she attempts to purchase a gun. Terrified and unwilling to wait the month required to obtain a gun legally, she buys a Kahr K9 semi-automatic pistol from a black market gun dealer.
When she stops at a convenience store, a man comes in screaming at the female cashier for not allowing him to see his kids, and shoots her. The killer then hears Erica's cell phone ringer, while attempting to clear out the till, and stalks her in the aisles. Just as the killer is about to find her, Erica is overcome with fear and shoots through the aisles and kills him. On another night, two street thugs harass and threaten passengers in a subway car. The passengers all leave at the next stop except Erica. When the thugs, amazed that she was not threatened enough to leave, take it as a challenge and threaten her with a knife, Erica shoots them both dead. Another night, she attempts to save a prostitute by threatening the brutal pimp with her pistol. When he attempts to run them down with his car in retaliation, she shoots him in the head, causing his car to run over the prostitute. The prostitute is injured, but lives, and is taken to the hospital. All the while, Erica attempts to track down the thugs who killed David.
She strikes up a friendship with Detective Sean Mercer (Terrence Howard), who is investigating the vigilante crimes and who is initially unaware of her role in the deaths. Erica, in trying to find out if the detective is close to solving her case, as well as the vigilante killings, pretends to want to interview Mercer. During the interview, the detective asks her how she pulled it back together after her tragedy. She replies that she did not, and she had to become a different person from the one she was before. They talk several times after. Erica's boss gets her to take calls on her radio show to solicit the public's opinion on the vigilante killings. The various responses almost get her to confess to the killings, but once at the police station, she is unable to bring herself to do so. Mercer tells Erica about a criminal he has been pursuing for a long time, who has allegedly committed several murders, but Mercer is unable to bring him to justice.
When Erica kills the suspect that Detective Mercer had long been after, Mercer comes to suspect her as the killer. He attempts to set a trap for Erica by taking her along with him to interview the prostitute she had saved before, but the prostitute does not let on that she knows Erica. When Mercer is finally able to interview one of the subway car passengers, he gets a description of the probable vigilante, and learns that the person is a female rather than male as previously suspected. When the police bring in Erica to identify one of the suspects in her attack, she recognizes one of them, but does not identify him. After, Mercer meets Erica for coffee, during which he hints that he suspects her as the probable vigilante.
Informed by the police that they found her engagement ring at a pawn shop, she manages to hunt down a name, address and phone number at the pawn shop. With the phone number, she is able to track down one of the attacker's ex-girlfriends, who witnessed the whole attack via a video recording on a cellphone, but is too frightened to rat on them, fearing a similar reprisal. However, she forwards the video recording of Erica's attack to Erica's phone. Erica almost breaks down on seeing the video, then forwards it to detective Mercer. Erica, now armed with positive visual identification of all three attackers, is able to track them down.
At the climax of the film, Erica finds and confronts the thugs responsible for David's murder. She kills two, finding and releasing her dog in the process (which they had stolen and kept after the attack) and struggles with the third. Mercer arrives on the scene just as the third attacker had taken the upper hand and disarmed Erica, holding her in a chokehold, and attempts to arrest him. Erica then retrieves her weapon and attempts to execute the thug. Mercer persuades Erica to lower the gun, but after looking into her begging eyes, hands her his own for her to use a legal weapon to kill the last thug. The thug begs to be arrested, instead, insisting that it is Mercer's job to do so, but then Erica kills the thug, and Mercer insists that Erica should wound him (Mercer) to help frame a story which blames the thugs as the vigilante killers. Mercer places Erica's gun in the last thug's dead hand and Erica leaves the scene, eventually being rejoined by her dog in Central Park. | neo noir, realism, murder, violence, flashback, revenge | tt0476964 |
The Game Plan | In the last game of the American Football Federation regular season between the Boston Rebels and the New York Dukes, Rebels quarterback Joe Kingman (Dwayne Johnson) scores a touchdown after ignoring an open wide receiver, Travis Sanders (Morris Chestnut). The next morning, an 8-year-old girl named Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis) arrives on Joe's doorstep saying that she is his biological daughter, and that his divorced wife sent her there to meet him. His agent, Stella Peck (Kyra Sedgwick), thinks this will be bad for his image and distracts him with the upcoming playoffs.
At the opening of his own restaurant, Joe leaves without Peyton, and is on the cover of a tabloid the next day. Stella decides Joe needs a new fatherly image. At a later press conference, the reporters make Joe miserable, until Peyton comes to his defense, saying that he is new to this and trying the best he can, and that she thinks he is the best father in the world. Peyton then says that Joe has to repay her, so she has him take her to a ballet academy run by Monique Vasquez (Roselyn Sánchez). Monique has Joe join their ballet performance to show him that ballet takes just as much athletic ability as football. Joe and Peyton begin their relationship after Peyton calls his arrogant and selfish behavior to his attention. Joe takes Peyton and her new friends to the mall where he begins to develop romantic feelings for Vasquez.
The Rebels march through the playoffs via three road games: Denver in the Wild Card round, Indianapolis in the Divisional round and finally Baltimore in the Conference round. They eventually make it to the championship game held in Arizona in a rematch with the New York Dukes. Stella offers Joe a $25 million endorsement deal with Fanny's Burgers, a successful fast food restaurant run by Samuel Blake, Jr. (Robert Torti), if he wins the game and mentions the product to the press. While at lunch with Joe and Monique, Peyton accidentally reveals that her mother does not know that she is with him. She was supposed to go to a ballet school program for the month, but instead she ran away to be with Joe. Peyton then has an allergic reaction to the nuts in the dessert she was eating, and Joe rushes her to the hospital; however, the doctors tell him that the reaction is mild, and his daughter is going to be fine. Joe's former sister-in-law and Peyton's legal guardian, Karen Kelly (Paige Turco), arrives. She announces her intent to take Peyton home and he tries to convince Karen that he wants his daughter to stay. Joe discovers that Sara, his ex-wife and Peyton's mother, was killed in an automobile accident six months earlier, and that Peyton sneaked away on her own. After overhearing Stella explaining that Peyton would be a distraction to Joe, Karen and Peyton return home. Later, while going through Peyton's bag under her bed, Joe finds some photos and reads a letter from Sara, saying that she hid Peyton away from Joe, not wanting Peyton to be a distraction to him. As the championship game begins, Joe's mind is not fully set on the game and he is soon injured.
Joe is surprised to discover that Peyton has arrived with Karen. Understanding Joe's earlier words about how he wants to remain in Peyton's life, Karen decides to let Peyton live with Joe. Near the end of the fourth quarter, Joe passes the ball to the running back, Webber (Brian White), who gains positive yardage but fails to get out of bounds. Joe hurries his team to the line with the clock running, and rushes ahead before being knocked out of bounds. With time for one last play, Joe throws a lob pass to Sanders, who catches the pass, allowing the Rebels to win their first championship. In a post-game interview, Joe declines the Fanny's Burgers offer, insisting that he will be with Peyton. Joe, Peyton, and Monique dance together in Joe's apartment to the song "Burning Love". | comedy | tt0492956 |
Home Sweet Hell | Don Champagne (Patrick Wilson) runs a successful furniture business. His wife Mona (Katherine Heigl) has everything planned according to the book of her goals. One day an attractive young woman named Dusty (Jordana Brewster) applies for the job as saleswoman at Don’s store. After consulting with his partner Les (Jim Belushi), Don hires Dusty.
Don is desperate because of his poor sex life with his wife. Shortly, Dusty seduces him and they start having an affair. Later, Dusty shows up at the birthday party of Don and Mona’s son Andrew (Aiden Flowers). She tells Don that she is pregnant and wants to keep the baby. Don is desperate and Les advises him to pay Dusty money.
Meanwhile, it is revealed, that Dusty is actually the abused girlfriend of a criminal named Murphy (A.J. Buckley) and she is lying to Don about the pregnancy. Don offers Dusty $13,000, which she refuses, telling Don that it will not be enough. Don is not sure whether Dusty will keep her mouth shut, and Les advises him to tell Mona the truth before she finds it out from Dusty. Don confesses to Mona and she demands that Don kill Dusty.
Murphy is not satisfied with the amount of money, so Dusty calls Don and demands $25,000. Don agrees, but instead prepares poison for Dusty together with Mona. Dusty shows up to take the money and drinks the poisoned drink. Don and Mona put an unconscious Dusty in the car and take her home. Dusty wakes up, so Mona has to kill her with the hammer. Later she saws Dusty's body into pieces and buries it in the garden, and reveals to Don that Dusty wasn't actually pregnant.
Murphy and his friends, Freeman (Kevin McKidd) and Benji (Heath Freeman), discover Dusty is missing, and suspect that something went wrong and attack Les. Murphy also threatens Don by leaving his son a letter, in which he demands a meeting at a strip club. Don meets Murphy and his gang and convinces them that Dusty went to Dallas. Murphy tells Don that she had his money and threatens to rape his family if he does not pay him $20,000 the next day.
Don and Mona dig out the body of Dusty and go to the place where the gang lives. While Mona is trying to hide body parts in the freezer, Freeman comes home with his girlfriend. Mona mortally wounds Freeman, stabs and kills his girlfriend, and shortly calls the police to report a disturbance at the house. Before dying, Freeman calls Murphy and tells him what happened. Murphy and Benji arrive and find Freeman and his girlfriend dead. Murphy also discovers parts of Dusty in the freezer and realizes he has been set up. Soon the police arrive and find Murphy and Benji at the crime scene. The police shoot Benji, while Murphy escapes. The police decide that Murphy and Benji were responsible for the murders.
While alone, Don asks Mona about the reason that she is cold-blooded, and if it was due to her upbringing. Mona threatens to kill him if he asks her that question again. At a house party the next day, Don finds the neighbor's dog dead in his freezer, and Mona displays very antisocial behavior with their guests. Afraid, Don stages an accident to kill Mona. After her death, Don and his children move to a new house and are seen in the driveway getting into a new car and driving away. The movie ends with Murphy going after their car. The screen turns black and the end credits roll. Two shots are heard followed by a prolonged honk and children's screams, indicating that Murphy had killed Don. | murder | tt2802136 |
I Love You, Man | The movie begins with Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) pulling into an abandoned property with his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones). He tells her about his plans for this place and says that if he lands his next client, a huge movie star, he will be able to afford all that as well as their reception. She looks at him, puzzled, until he gets down on one knee and proposes. Zooey happily accepts, and spends their entire drive home calling her girl friends on speakerphone. Since they dont know that Peter can hear them, they begin to spill all the details about the relationship that Zooey has told them over the months. Peter is embarrassed, but just bears with it.When they arrive at their home, Zooey asks Peter if he wants to give anyone a call. He tells her his parents are probably sleeping, so he can just let them know tomorrow. When she clarifies, saying that she meant any guy friends, he tells her he doesnt really have any. This is further explained at dinner with Peters parents the next night. We learn that Peter has always had a girlfriend, and he always put them first. As a result, all of his guy friends ended up bailing. His father begins to joke about it saying that even Peters gay younger brother Robbie has never had as much trouble making friends. His father takes it a step further, saying that Robbie is one of his two best friends. The other being a childhood buddy he still calls all the time.The next day at work, we see that Peter gets along really well with all the women of the office, but when he goes to talk to Tevin, one of his co-workers, he becomes really annoyed. Tevin keeps telling Peter that he doesnt know how to market himself, that hes too boring, and hell never sell houses with traditional advertising. Tevin talks boastfully about putting his face on buses and urinal cakes, effectively weirding Peter out.Later with his fencing partners, he finds that they dont really consider him a friend because hes never made an effort to hang out with any of them outside of the gym. Still, Peter is not truly bothered by his lack of male friends until he gets home early and overhears Zooeys friends talking about how strange he is. Theyre concerned that the wedding party will be unbalanced and they all say that guys without friends are too clingy, and that its weird that Peters best friend is his mom.Knowing that he must make a change, Peter sets out on a series of man dates to find his Best Man. He learns the term from Robbie, who manages to make a married, straight man flirt with him in less than 5 minutes. The rules of the man date are a casual lunch or drinks after work, but NEVER dinner. Peter learns the reason for this rule the hard way as he goes out for dinner with a very amiable man his mother introduced to him, only to be surprised with an intense, all-out kiss at the end of the night. Robbies date for Peter is one of his gym clients, a soccer fan who has a very high-pitched voice. The date ends in disaster when the man tries to get the crowd to cheer but ends up getting them boo-ed by everyone else.Zooey sets Peter up with her friends husband, Barry, and his poker friends. Barry is VERY reluctant to let Peter join them, and acts like a total a**hole the entire time. He jokes about Peter not knowing how to play poker, then just when hes thought hes won, we find out that Peters hand beat his. They have a drinking contest and Peter wins, but since hes not used to drinking so much, he throws up all over Barry and gets kicked out. Finally, Peter goes to meet a man from the internet, only to find that the man used an old photo and is much older.Disappointed by all the date disasters, Peters just about given up when he hosts an open house for his client and meets Sidney Fife (Jason Segal), a very blunt and friendly guy. Peter is, of course, awkward at first, but the two begin chatting freely when Peter points out that Sidney is the only person whos eaten the sandwiches and Sidney compliments Peter on his panini choice. At the end of the conversation, Sidney admits that hes only at the open house to check out women, and that he has no intention of purchasing the house. They exchange business cards anyway before going their separate ways.Weeks later, Peter is going through a bit of a slump. The clients house isnt selling, and Tevin wants in on the property, but doing so would mean that Peter wont get enough money to buy the land he wanted. He holds off, and after awkwardly practicing for a few minutes, gets the nerve to call Sidney up. He ends up leaving a very convoluted message, but Sidney calls him back anyway. They go to Venice Beach and Sidney tells Peter that he never picks up after his dog and shows him how to really yell to let go of stress. They have a great time together, and it isnt long before the two are hanging out all the time. They put on jam sessions at Sidneys and even go hiking with some of Sidneys old friends.Meanwhile, Zooey is worried about Peter spending so much time with Sidney because Peter has started ditching their weekly HBO nights to hang out with him. Peter invites Sidney to their engagement dinner. They try to set Sidney up with one of Zooeys friends, but she is giggly and sporadic the entire time, and Sidney is completely uninterested. At the end of the dinner, Sidney makes a toast praising Peter and suggesting that Zooey pleasure Peter more often. The drive home is awkward and silent, with Peter finally coming out and admitting that he told Sidney about the lack of oral sex. They discuss it, and Zooey tells him that shes not against it. In fact, she enjoys it, but her last boyfriend didnt, and thats why she avoids it. Peter tells Zooey not to be angry at Sidney because if it werent for his toast, this topic never would have come up. She agrees, and they make up. Zooey thinks that her friend got along very well with Sidney and that they should go out on a group date, so Peter agrees, even though he knows that Sidney hates going on these kind of dates.Peter sets up a golf date for them, and although Sidney agrees to go, the day ends in disaster, with Peter and Zooey returning home angrily. Later, Sidney calls Peter up and tells them that Rush, their favorite band, is putting on a show tonight. Peter is about to decline, saying that its HBO night, but Sidney convinces him to go. Peter brings Zooey, but ignores her the entire night, choosing instead to air-rock with Sidney. Zooey is visibly confused and upset with her fiancés behavior.Peter takes Sidney with him to buy the tux for the wedding, and although Sidney wants Peter to wear a blue suit, Peter doesnt know if he can pull it off. Sidney asks Peter how their relationship is, and Peter admits that its been rocky lately. Sidney then asks Peter why hes marrying Zooey, and Peter cant come up with an answer. Sidney also asks Peter for a loan of $8000 for an investment project. Peter is reluctant, but agrees. As they are about to leave the store, the man who kissed Peter on one of the "man dates" earlier comes up to them and tells Peter off. After explaining everything to Sidney, Peter asks him to be his Best Man. Sidney is honored and gives Peter a huge hug just as the man walks by again. Later, Sidney and Peter are walking along when they see Peters client talking with Tevin. An enraged Sidney runs up to them and begins taunting the client, whos buff enough to wrestle Sidney and puts him in a sleeper hold. Peter apologizes profusely before leaving, but is unsure of whether or not he still has the client.That night, Zooey and Peter have a fight when Zooey finds out about the loan to Sidney. Peter asks Zooey why they are getting married, and she tells him that until he figures it out, shes going to go stay with her best friend. Unsure of what to do, Peter goes to Sidneys to break off the friendship. On the way, however, he spots some outrageous billboards. All of them have Peter in ridiculous poses, mostly spoofing movies and whatnot. Peter realizes that this was Sidneys doing, and becomes increasingly embarrassed as he drives. Once he arrives at Sidneys house, he tells Sidney that they were really using each other for ulterior motives - Peter to find a best man in time for the wedding, and Sidney because all his high school friends were moving on, and Sidney was afraid of not having anyone to hang out with anymore. Peter is outraged about the billboards and says that Sidney basically ruined his life. Peter then tells Sidney that he knows why he wants to marry Zooey. Its because one of the best nights of his life was spent with Zooey. They ate a summer salad, had some wine, and watched Chocolat together. Sidney doesnt want to accept this and keeps arguing with Peter, but finally they go their separate ways.Next, Peter goes to apologize to Zooey. He admits that he was wrong and tells her that he still wants to marry her. He also tells her that hes broken up the friendship with Sidney, so she wont have to worry about it anymore. When he returns to work, however, he realizes that the billboards were a hit! He has tons of messages, all from people responding positively to the unique advertisements.At the wedding, Zooeys bridesmaids look outside to see who Peter ended up choosing for his groomsmen. We see that he picked his brother, his father, his client, and all the men he went on man dates with earlier in the movie. Everyone agrees that theyve never seen such a random group of men, and they share a laugh, happy that Peter managed to get some friends. When everyone heads inside, however, Zooey looks outside and she catches a desolate Peter staring out at the ocean and air-rocking with himself. Cut to Sidney on his moped. He sees a call from the hotel where Peters having the wedding, and he says that hes surprised to be getting this call. Sidney is being re-invited to the wedding! He says he might not be able to make it, but when the camera pans out, we see that Sidney is already on the way, fully decked out in a tux. Meanwhile, everyone is standing at the alter, ready for the ceremony to begin, but since Sidney isnt there yet, Peter asks his brother to hold the ring, a gesture Robbie appreciates deeply. They share a hug, and their dad agrees that both of his sons are his best friends.Just as the pastor begins the ceremony, Sidney arrives on his moped. Peter is surprised, and we learn that it was Zooey who called Sidney. She wanted him to be there for Peter because it was so hard for Peter to make friends and after all, Sidney was a good guy. Sidney goes up to the front and gives Peter a check for the billboards, repaying him in full. Peter admits that the billboards really worked, and Sidney says itll be their wedding gift. He takes his place in line, and the couple is happily wedded. Peter and Sidney jam out on the stage as the credits roll. | bleak, comedy, boring, feel-good | tt1155056 |
The Bourne Identity | In the Mediterranean Sea, Italian fishermen rescue an unconscious American (Matt Damon) floating adrift with two gunshot wounds in his back. They tend to his wounds, and when the man wakes, they find he suffers from dissociative amnesia. He has no memory of his own identity, while he retains his speech and finds himself capable of advanced combat skills and fluency in several languages. The skipper finds a tiny laser projector under the man's hip that, when activated, gives a number of a safe deposit box in Zürich. Upon landing in Imperia (Italy), the man heads to the bank in Switzerland to investigate the deposit box. He finds it contains a large sum of money in various currencies, numerous passports and identity cards with his picture on all of them, and a handgun. The man takes everything but the gun, and leaves, opting to use the name on the American passport, Jason Bourne.
After Bourne's departure, a bank employee contacts Operation Treadstone, a CIA black ops program. Treadstone's head, Alexander Conklin (Chris Cooper), activates three agents to take down Bourne: Castel (Nicky Naude), Manheim (Russell Levy), and the Professor (Clive Owen), while also issuing alerts to local police to capture him. Meanwhile, CIA Deputy Director Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) contacts Conklin about a failed assassination attempt against exiled African dictator Nykwana Wombosi (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Conklin promises Abbott that he will deal with the Treadstone agent who failed.
Bourne attempts to evade the Swiss police by using his U.S. passport to enter the American consulate, but he is discovered by guards. He evades capture, and escapes the consulate, giving a German woman, Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), $20,000 to drive him to an address in Paris listed on his French driving license. At the address, an apartment, he hits redial on the phone and reaches a hotel. He inquires about the names on his passports there, learning that a "John Michael Kane" had been registered but died two weeks prior in a car crash. Castel ambushes Bourne and Marie in the apartment, but Bourne gets the upper hand. Instead of allowing himself to be interrogated, Castel throws himself out a window to his death. Marie finds wanted posters of Bourne and herself, and after agonizing, agrees to continue to help Bourne. After a chase in which Bourne evades Paris police in Marie's car, the two fugitives spend the night together in a Paris hotel.
Meanwhile, Wombosi continues to obsess over the attempt on his life. Conklin, having anticipated this, planted a body in the Paris morgue to appear as the assailant, but Wombosi is not fooled and threatens to report this and other CIA secrets to the media. The Professor assassinates Wombosi on Conklin's orders. Bourne, posing as Kane, learns about Wombosi's yacht, and that the assailant had been shot twice in the back during the escape, just as he was. Bourne now considers himself to have been the assailant. He and Marie take refuge at the French countryside home of her old friend Eamon (Tim Dutton) and his children. Under pressure from Abbott to tie off the Wombosi matter entirely, Conklin tracks Bourne's location and sends the Professor there, but Bourne shoots him twice with Eamon's shotgun, mortally wounding him. The Professor reveals their shared connection to Treadstone before dying. Bourne sends Marie, Eamon, and Eamon's children away for their protection, and then contacts Conklin via the Professor's phone to arrange a meeting. From a rooftop near the arranged location in Paris, Bourne sees Conklin has brought backup, so he abandons the meeting, but uses the opportunity to place a tracking device on Conklin's car, leading Bourne to Treadstone's safe house.
Bourne breaks in and holds Conklin and logistics technician Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons (Julia Stiles) at gunpoint. When Conklin begins pressing him to remember his past, Bourne recalls his attempt to assassinate Wombosi through successive flashbacks. As Kane, and working under orders from Treadstone, Bourne infiltrated Wombosi's yacht but could not bring himself to kill Wombosi while Wombosi's children were present, and instead fled, being shot during his escape. Bourne announces he is resigning from Treadstone and is not to be followed. As agents descend on the safe house, Bourne fights his way free. When Conklin leaves the safe house, he encounters Manheim who kills him under Abbott's orders. Abbott then shuts down Treadstone.
Abbott reports to an oversight committee that Treadstone is "all but decommissioned" before discussion turns to a new project codenamed "Blackbriar". In the final scene, Bourne finds Marie renting out scooters to tourists on Mykonos, and the two reunite. | mystery, action, murder, boring, flashback | tt0258463 |
Hans Christian Andersen | In the 1830s, in the small Danish town of Odense, cobbler Hans Christian Andersen spends his day spinning fairy tales for the village children, teaching them lessons about pride, humility, love and growing up through his fanciful characters. One day, the stern schoolmaster, who believes Hans is wasting his pupils' precious time, implores the Burgomaster and councilmen to curtail the cobbler's habit of distracting the students with his storytelling, but even the adult citizens easily become a rapt audience for Hans' fables. Hans finally agrees to stop distracting the children and returns to his shop, where his teenage assistant, the orphan Peter, begs him to stop causing trouble. However, later that day Hans is drawn back to the schoolhouse to see the children. As he hears the schoolchildren drone mathematical phrases, he compares an inchworm's myopic measuring of beautiful blossoms to the schoolmaster's blindness to beauty and creativity. On yet another day, when the children do not arrive at the sound of the school bell, the schoolmaster deduces that Hans is again distracting his pupils. When the schoolmaster then demands that the Burgomaster and the councilmen choose between him and the cobbler, they decide that Hans must leave Odense. Peter, who has witnessed the verdict, returns to the shop and secretly tries to save his friend from the shame of being exiled by eagerly suggesting Hans travel to Copenhagen. After much prodding, Peter succeeds in convincing Hans to leave that afternoon by reminding him that he will be the envy of the town for having been the first to visit the famous city. Soon after Hans begins his journey, Peter joins him on the trail, bringing all the shop's tools to start their business anew.
After a sea voyage, the pair arrive at the city's harbor and find their way to the Great Square of Copenhagen, which is filled with vendors selling flowers, pots and pans and fresh foods. When Hans sets up shop and introduces himself to the crowd while standing on a statue of the king, police arrest him for defaming the image of their leader. Peter, who has sought refuge from the police by hiding near the back entrance of the Royal Theatre, overhears choreographer Niels demand that a company producer send for a cobbler and asks them to free his friend, a cobbler, from jail. Meanwhile, Hans sees a lonely young girl outside his jail cell window and offers to introduce her to his companion. By drawing on his thumb, Hans creates a puppet he calls "Thumbelina" and brings a smile to the girl's face. Soon after, Hans is bailed out of jail by the theater company and taken to the theater where he becomes entranced by the beauty and talent of a Royal Danish Ballet dress rehearsal. When Niels ridicules lead ballerina Doro's performance, she in turn complains that her shoes need adjusting. Doro gives the slippers to Hans, who is immediately smitten with the ballerina. After Hans leaves, Peter learns that Niels and Doro are a happily married couple, despite their theatrical quarrels. When Hans returns, Niels is equating his wife's performance with an "elephant in the snow drift," prompting Doro to break into tears. After learning that the couple is married, Hans fantasizes that he can save Doro from her horrible fate with "the cruel" Niels.
Later, when Peter explains that the couple is actually in love, Hans resists the idea and writes a love letter to Doro in the form of a fable called "The Little Mermaid," in which he tells her that she has chosen the wrong man. That night while Peter surreptitiously reads the letter, a gust of wind whisks it from his hands and carries it into the theater through an open window, where a stage doorman finds it and delivers it to Doro. The next morning, Peter tells Hans that Doro has the letter, but Hans is unconcerned, believing that Doro's possession of the letter is a good omen. The next day, the entire ballet company sets off on their annual tour, leaving Hans bereft, but he soon finds comfort entertaining a new group of children with his stories. One day, Lars, a sad boy with a shaved head, remains behind after the other children tease him. Hans tells him the story of an ugly duckling who is ostracized by his peers until the ice melts at winter's end, and he sees his reflection in the lake and finds he has become a handsome swan. When not with the children, Hans counts the days by making pair after pair of brightly colored satin slippers for his absent ballerina and dreaming of her love. One day, Hans receives an invitation from the Gazette newspaper office, where Lars's father, the publisher, thanks Hans for helping his son overcome his difficulties and offers to publish "The Ugly Duckling" in the newspaper. Overjoyed by the news, Hans asks that his credit be changed from "Hans, the cobbler" to "Hans Christian Andersen" and runs down the street singing his full name with pride.
That evening, when the ballet company returns, Doro tells Hans that they have created a ballet based on his story "The Little Mermaid," which Hans believes is a sign of her love for him. The next evening, Peter tells Hans about the councilmen's verdict and warns Hans that Doro will humiliate him as well. Disappointed by his friend's attitude, Hans suggests that they part ways and leaves for the opening of the new ballet. When Hans tries to deliver Doro's slippers backstage, Niels locks the insistent writer in a closet to prevent him from disrupting the performers. While Hans listens to the music and dreams of his story, the performance opens on stage. In the ballet, mermaids float in the ocean, while a ship carrying a handsome prince sinks to the mermaids' garden at the bottom of the sea. The littlest mermaid helps the unconscious man to the surface, saving his life. Having fallen in love with the prince, she seeks the help of the sea witches, who transform the mermaid into a woman, so she might find the prince on land. She arrives at the palace during a masquerade ball and dances with the prince, but his attentions are for another. Heartbroken, the mermaid returns to the sea.
The morning after the ballet, Doro sends for Hans and discovers that he is in love with her and has misunderstood her relationship with Niels. Niels inadvertently interrupts their conversation and insults Hans by offering to pay him for "The Little Mermaid." To save face, Hans refuses Niels's offer and claims that his writing was a fluke. Doro knowingly accepts the slippers Hans made for her and graciously allows him to leave. On the road to Odense, Hans meets Peter and renews their friendship. Upon reaching town, Hans is greeted as a celebrity and regales the citizens, including the schoolmaster, with his now famous moral tales. | romantic, fantasy, storytelling | tt0044685 |
Life of Brian | Brian Cohen is born in a stable next door to the one in which Jesus is born, which initially confuses the three wise men who come to praise the future King of the Jews. Brian grows up an idealistic young man who resents the continuing Roman occupation of Judea. While attending Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Brian becomes infatuated with an attractive young rebel, Judith. His desire for her and hatred for the Romans lead him to join the "People's Front of Judea", one of many fractious and bickering independence movements, who spend more time fighting each other than the Romans.
After several misadventures, and escaping from Pontius Pilate, Brian winds up in a line-up of would-be mystics and prophets who harangue the passing crowd in a plaza. Forced to come up with something plausible in order to blend in and keep the guards off his back, Brian repeats some of what he had heard Jesus say, and quickly attracts a small but intrigued audience. Once the guards have left, Brian tries to put the episode behind him, but he has unintentionally inspired a movement. He grows frantic when he finds that some people have started to follow him around, with even the slightest unusual occurrence being hailed as a miracle. Their responses grow in fervor and intensity, making it harder and harder for him to get away from them, yet because of the mob's excitement over the 'miracles' they discover, they ultimately end up completely ignoring Brian himself. Judith is the only one that doesn't leave; Brian and Judith then spend the night together. In the morning, Brian, completely naked, opens the curtains to discover an enormous crowd outside his mother's house which proclaims him to be the Messiah. Brian's mother protests, telling the crowd that "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy" and, "There's no Messiah in here. There's a mess, all right, but no Messiah." All of her attempts at dispersing the crowd are rebuffed. Furthermore, once Brian addresses them, he also finds that he is unable to change their minds. His followers are completely committed to their beliefs in and of Brian's divinity. They immediately seize upon everything he says and does as points of doctrine.
The hapless Brian is unable to escape his unwanted 'disciples'; even his mother's house is surrounded by an enormous, enraptured crowd. They fling their afflicted bodies at him, demanding miracle cures and divine secrets. After sneaking out the back, Brian is then finally captured and scheduled to be crucified. Meanwhile, yet another huge crowd has assembled outside the palace. Pontius Pilate (together with the visiting Biggus Dickus) tries to quell the feeling of revolution by granting them the choice of one person to be pardoned. The crowd, however, shouts out names containing the letter "r", mocking Pilate's rhotacistic speech impediment. Eventually, Judith appears in the crowd and calls for the release of Brian, which the crowd echoes since the name also contains an "r". Pilate agrees to "welease Bwian".
His order is eventually relayed to the guards, but in a scene that parodies the climax of the film Spartacus, various crucified people all claim to be "Brian of Nazareth" and the wrong man is released. Various other opportunities for a reprieve for Brian are denied as, one by one, his "allies" (including Judith and his mother) step forward to explain why they are leaving the "noble freedom fighter" hanging in the hot sun. Hope is renewed when a crack suicide squad from the "Judean People's Front" (not to be confused with the People's Front of Judea) come charging towards the Romans, but rather than fighting to release Brian or the other prisoners, they commit mass suicide as a political protest. Condemned to a long and painful death, Brian finds his spirits lifted by his fellow sufferers, who break into song with "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." | comedy, avant garde, whimsical, cult, psychedelic, absurd, satire, humor, entertaining | tt0079470 |
Revolution | Opening scene is a yelling, rioting mob in a heavy rain shower in New York City. They are tearing down a statue of the King of England. Tom Dobb and his teenage son Ned are sailing into the harbor in a small boat, carrying furs. An expensive carriage can barely get through the crowds. Inside the carriage are a wealthy mother, Mrs. McConnahay, and her daughters, who are young women. A man tosses several pages of paper into the carriage window shouting, "The Declaration of Independence!" One of the daughters, Daisy, begins to read it, but her angry mother takes it away and wads it up, telling Daisy to ignore the "scum" in the streets.
As Tom pulls his boat up to the dock, the mob, including Daisy, who has joined them, demand he give them the boat and cargo. Tom and Ned resist, but the mob storms aboard, seizing the boat and furs. He is given a 'note' for the boat, but now he and his son are homeless and without money or any possessions.As Tom goes into a big hall full of yelling, angry men to find out about his boat, he tells Ned to wait outside. Inside, a man on a balcony tells the crowd that all the money has gone to war, but the crowd is furious, all of them waving notes for their seized possessions. The man tells them that Mr. McConnahay, a wealthy man standing beside him, will pay them back. When Tom goes back outside, he discovers that his son has signed up with the United States Continental Army in exchange for five shillings and a promise of land at the end of the war. Tom argues with the recruiter, offering the money back and begging him not to take his son, who is the last of his family, but the recruiters will not let Ned out of military service, so Tom is forced to join the Army as well, to stay with his son and protect him. Tom and Ned get their guns and provisions and are immediately loaded on one of many boats full of soldiers. None of them wear uniforms, but just wear their own clothes. The crowd on the dock wave them off, cheering and yelling, "Liberty!"Daisy volunteers for the Patriots' cause by bringing supplies to a battlefield medical tent, and she is needed to assist a surgeon cutting off a woman's leg with a saw, while the woman screams. All around the tents are vast fields of yellow flowering weeds. Daisy walks through the tall weeds, looking for soldiers to feed. She finds Tom and Ned lying in the fields, gives them food, and draws close to Tom as she asks him what the battle was like. Tom tells her that the battle was beneath the Brooklyn Heights, that they never saw the enemy, but were torn apart by their cannons and they lost the battle. Daisy cries because she is so moved emotionally that Tom would fight for the cause of freedom. At least half a dozen men on horses gallop up suddenly, yelling for all the men lying in the fields to get up and fall into rank, and the scene closes showing long lines of men marching out as several women watch.Back home in New York, Daisy overhears a business meeting her father, Mr. Mconnahay, is having with several men. She hears him say that he is happy the Continentals lost the battle because soon the British army will occupy New York and his company will make a lot of money by selling them food. Daisy demands that her father give some food to the Rebels. He admonishes her about her youthful idealism, and tells her it doesn't matter who wins, as long as he and their family are on the right side. He tells her he'll give 50 barrels of food to the Rebels, but after she leaves, he tells his clerk to revise the number down to 10.Next scene shows Tom and Ned, along with the Continental Army, preparing for battle with the Red Coats. They are all getting behind cover to hide, such as trees, rocks, and brush, wearing brown and tan clothing. The British meanwhile march toward them in straight lines, right out in the open, in the old fashioned European style, and they have far more numbers than the Continentals. Their uniforms are clean and new, and their equipment is obviously superior to that of the Continentals. Drummer boys and flautists play as they march. As the British march toward them, the Rebels open fire, shooting down many, but the British never break ranks. Finally they stop marching and shoot in unison. The Americans are badly massacred. Survivors of the barrage fall back to a second line of defense, then flee as the British chase them with bayonets. Still walking from the battlefield afterward, the Continental troops are scattered, and Tom tells Ned they are going to quit the Army and go back to New York to work in the rope factory.As predicted by Mr. McConnahay, the British do indeed occupy New York and scenes show several hundred British troops marching in the streets as hundreds more citizens watch them. Officers make speeches in the public square, and Mr. McConnahay is up on the stage with British generals and officers. Two of his daughters, heavily layered in make-up, in the style of European aristocracy, are excited about their chances of meeting eligible British officers. Daisy meanwhile, without make-up and dressed in black, as if mourning, spots Tom in the crowd and talks to him. Crying, she accuses him of cowardice for running away, even though he explains that the whole Army ran away. Tom then leaves her, taking his son Ned to an encampment of homeless people under a wooden walkway to seek shelter.Daisy returns home, to the wealthy mansion of her parents, where a party is being planned by her mother, Mrs. McConnahay. Daisy wants no part of it, but her mother orders her to attend. The party is a very fancy affair, with white make-up and gigantic powder wigs with sculptures of castles and sailing ships in them. The women wear fancy dresses and the British officers wear dress uniforms as they sip drinks. One of the girls plays harpsichord. Another daughter flirts with a British officer. Daisy begins to flirt with the same officer until suddenly stabbing his upper thigh with a giant pin from her wig. The officer screams, calls her a "bloody, Yankee bitch!". The party is ruined and ends abruptly. Daisy goes to her bedroom, screams and throws a fit, kicking her furniture and tearing the room apart, until her mother comes in and tells her she has shamed her family, and that now she must choose between her family and the Rebel Patriots.Running with a gang of youths called the Mohawks, who commit small crimes and plan to blow up a bomb to kill British soldiers in town, Ned steals a live pig, but it squirms out of his grasp and gets away. Ned finds Tom at his job in the rope factory, and Tom tells Ned that he must not run with the Mohawks or he could get killed by the British. At that moment, British soldiers come into the factory and pick a couple of men, including Tom, making them run in place. They explain they are organizing a fox hunt, but can find no foxes, so Tom and another man must run in the place of the fox. Ned hates seeing his father jump at the command of the soldiers, effectively calls him a coward, and leaves to join up with his gang.The hunt begins with blowing horns and many hunting dogs barking. Tom and the other man, a big man, are tied by the wrists to a heavy effigy of George Washington, made of rope and doused with fox scent. Given a sizeable head start, they are forced to drag the effigy through wilderness while about a dozen British officers chase them on horseback. Tom and the big man argue and seperate, Tom carrying the heavy effigy over his shoulder. First the dogs hunt down the big man, and it appears that they maul him some, then the dogs finally run down Tom, and they attack the effigy. A British officer cuts the rope to the effigy from Tom's wrist, and they let him go, but Tom is out of breath, traumatized, and physically exhausted as they ride away.British Sergeant Major Peasy comforts his young son, who is about nine or ten years old, at a battlefield burial of some drummer boys. His son is in uniform and is also a drummer boy. To replace his lost drummer boys, Peasy goes to a prison in New York where he finds Ned and Ned's fellow gang member, Merle, and he forces them, along with others, to serve in the British Army. Daisy sees them leaving prison and followed by her black servant girl, Cuffy, she searches out Tom to tell him of the capture. Even though he is still exhausted from the 'fox hunt,' Tom gets himself up and immediately takes a boat to chase after the departing British Army to rescue his captive son.The British Army is encamped at night with tents and campfires, when a superior officer orders Peasy to bring him some boys to choose one of them to shine his boots. Among others, Peasy brings Ned and Merle into the officer's tent, and as the boys stand in line, the officer stops at Ned to touch his face, and Ned bites his hand. The officer orders Ned to be tied to a cannon and the soles of his feet whipped. Tom catches up with the British Army at nightfall, and in the midst of a rain storm, sneaks into the encampment and finds his son. He cuts Ned loose and, because the boy is unable to walk on his bloody feet, Tom carries Ned out of the camp. Merle escapes with them. Peasy quickly discovers that the boys are missing and promises a high quality knife to two Iroquois scouts if they bring back the prisoners. Tom carries Ned into the wilderness, followed by Merle and chased by the two Iroquois. When they spot the Iroquois, and the Iroquois simultaneously spot them, Tom and the boys lie in wait as the natives approach, and Tom jumps out from hiding to quickly kill with a knife the first and then, with some struggle, manage to kill the second Iroquois.No sooner is the fight over than Tom and the boys see more natives, these of the Huron tribe, standing in the distance watching them. The natives approach as Tom and the boys stand their ground, as it becomes increasingly clear that these natives don't want to fight them. One of the natives explains that "He who kills my enemy is my friend" and the natives decide to help Tom, Ned, and Merle by giving them food and shelter, and by treating Ned's severely wounded feet. Ned screams as his feet are cauterized by the natives and Tom holds him in his arms. Tom and Ned stay with the Native Americans for six months while Ned's feet slowly heal. Then they come down from the mountains "to join the fight".In Valley Forge, Daisy drives a horse drawn wagonload of supplies into the fortress, flying an American flag. Snow falls as she discovers that conditions are harsh and men are wounded and dying, and she is told that she will need to evacuate some dying men to a hospital. She meets up by chance with Ned, and she sees that he has grown. He tells her that he and Tom are scouts now, and he leads her to their tent, where he is making bullets with his friend, Ongwata, one of the natives who helped him and his son in the wilderness. Happy to see Daisy, Tom offers her food and they visit together as Ongwata leaves to give them privacy. She tells Tom that she and Cuffy, her servant, had fled New York to Philadelphia, where they joined the Rebels, smuggling supplies, and that she had learned how to sail. They dream of sailing away together. Ned meanwhile becomes friends with Bella, the daughter of a gunner in the Valley Forge fort. Ned's conversation with her reveals that he has a new found respect for his father's courage and fighting abilities, and the two have become closer as they have fought together as comrades in arms. Tom and Daisy confess their love to each other as she drives her wagonload of wounded soldiers out of the fort, but as she pulls away in the distance, Tom sees British cavalry surround the wagon, as he watches and chases them by foot helplessly. He cannot tell if she is wounded, dead, or captured, but must return to the fort or be AWOL in hostile territory.The Americans win the battle in Valley Forge, and while on leave in Philadelphia, Tom goes into a public building where records are kept of the dead and wounded, looking for the name of Daisy McConnahay. He needs help from a woman there because he cannot read. Daisy's name is not in the records however, which gives Tom hope that she may still be alive. Meanwhile, Ned and Bella wander the building and meet a Harvard student helping Congress to clean up buildings wrecked by British soldiers. The student explains that the term 'revolution' was coined by Mr. Jefferson for their political movement because the world was going through a new turn in history, like the moon revolving the Earth. People are generally in a festive mood, and the soldiers are singing because the Continental Army has been fairing well. The American soldiers are now much better equipped with real uniforms and boots in good condition. Tom and Bella get married outdoors, just before Tom and Ned march out again with the Army.Three years later, the next scene picks up in the middle of the battle of Yorktown. Cannons are firing, and the fighting is fierce and violent. From within a fortress, father and son fight together, taking pot shots at good British targets, until Ned spots British officer Peasy, who whipped Ned's feet while he had been captive. Tom and Ned watch as Peasy, Peasy's son and two other British soldiers run toward the beach, and they decide to chase after him. They run together with Ongwata and another Native American friend down to the beach where they find Peasy and his companions. Hiding behind cover, the Americans shoot the British soldiers, who all die except for Peasy and son. Peasy is wounded and upright, but his son is badly wounded, lying in Plessy's arms and possibly dying. Ned aims to kill Peasy, but decides not to, and the Americans take the British soldiers' weapons and go back to the fort. Peasy begins dragging his son back to the safety of the British Army.There is a somber moment while a woman sings a sad song after the battle of Yorktown. The Americans are victorious, but dead and wounded lie everywhere, and survivors stand listening. Then, as the song fades into silence, there is a dramatic cut from the silent battlefield to the cheering, crowded streets of New York, where a merry band is playing, countless Americans are waving flags, singing, dancing, and celebrating. Tom cashes in his note for his boat and gets paid $ 40, far less than the $ 70 he had been promised by the American government. He asks what happened to the land he had been promised to join the the Army, and the American soldier paying him tells him the land is all gone due to the war debt, and if Tom is unhappy then he should complain to Congress. Tom asserts his freedom to complain to anyone he wants. Leaving the soldier, Tom meets up with Ned down the street and gives him the $ 40 as they say goodbye. Ned is heading upriver with Bella, who is pregnant, to start a farm and a family. Merle and Bella's father go with them, and a native man. Tom stays in New York, where he wants to learn to how to read.After watching Ned and the rest leave, Tom spots Cuffy, Daisy's servant, in the crowds of New York, where people are still singing, dancing, and celebrating everywhere, literally in the streets. He follows her in the crowd, as she is moving quickly. He passes people watching a bare knuckle boxing match, but keeps searching until he stops and sees Daisy, who is kneeling, smiling, talking with several small children. She looks up, sees Tom, and they embrace as the camera pulls back to show the vast numbers of people celebrating and dancing in the city streets. | cult, violence | tt0089913 |
I Bury the Living | Title and credits run over a section of granite headstone. We pull back to reveal a cemetery and are shown text, "Science has learned that man possesses powers which go beyond the boundaries of the natural. This is the story of one confronted by such strange forces within himself." Robert Kraft (Richard Boone) and the caretaker, Andy McKee (Theodore Bikel) walk to the Immortal Hills Cemetary office building. Bob Kraft has taken over the chairmanship of the cemetery and is briefed on the routine by Andy. Bob notices a map on the wall of the cemetery. Andy explains that a black pin on a plot indicates someone buried and a white pin indicates a sold plot not yet occupied. Bob asks Andy, "McKee you've been on the job now forty years, right?" Andy replies, "Aye," in his Scottish accent. Bob informs him he is to be retired and assures him he will draw the same monthly paycheck. Bob asks Andy for a replacement recommendation. Andy walks over to the desk and pulls a gun. He tells Bob it is available in case of emergencies. A young couple drive up to the office. It is Stuart Drexel (and uncredited Glen Vernon) and his new bride Elizabeth (an uncredited Lynette Bernay). A provision in Stu's inheritance is that he buy a plot for him and his wife before he can draw part of his trust from the bank. Beth is not amused by the entire situation and lets her new husband know. They drive off and Bob goes back to the office. Upon his return, Andy greets him with a shot of liquor. He explains that the previous chairman left it to sooth customers needing fortification to get through the burial process of a loved one. Bob places two pins on plots in the Drexel area of the cemetery.In his Department Store office, Bob, his Uncle George Kraft (Howard Smith) and the outgoing chairman, Henry Trowbridge (an uncredited Russ Bender) go through the formal process of swearing in Bob Kraft as the new chairman. Bob is not happy with the "honor", claiming he is far too busy to take on the role. But Uncle George insists, explaining that it is a family and company tradition and that it is his turn. While it is done pro bono, it is expected because three previous generations of Krafts did. It only entails a few hours a month of work. The caretaker takes care of day to day operations. As soon as he is sworn in he gets a telephone call from the local undertaker. He is told that Stu Drexel and his new bride, Beth, are dead.At the cemetery office, Bob and Andy are going over some paper work when the local newspaper reporter, Jess Jessup (Herbert Anderson) walks in. He tells Bob and Andy he is on the obituary detail, and complains the office is cold. When Bob tells Andy to change the Drexel pins from white to black, Andy informs Bob that they are already black. Bob dismisses it saying, "I must have picked up the wrong color," when he marked the plots. Bob mentions the mistake made him feel eerie. Andy adds, "I think he means he marked the young couple for death, sir." Jess jokes that if any more pins are used to stay away from his area of the cemetery. As Jeff leaves, Bob's fiancée, Ann Craig (Peggy Maurer) arrives. She lightly complains that she was stood up for their lunch date. Bob and Ann quickly make up. Bob goes back to the map and randomly places a black pin on a plot. He looks to see his choice. A black and white pin sits on the "W. Isham" plot. He pulls the white pin out. The phone rings and he informs the caller that the funeral is for immediate family only. Ann returns to the office and they embrace and kiss. They leave the cemetery office.William Isham (an uncredited Cyril Delevanti) is repairing a teddy bear in his shop. He finishes stitching a section. As he is installing the eyes he collapses and dies. At the cemetery, Andy is finishing the Drexel marble headstone. Bob asks Andy if he has found his replacement. No is the reply, but Andy does show some progress in another area. He has fixed the space heater. Bob reviews the paperwork and notices an invoice for the funeral of William Isham. The pair walk over to the map and Andy tells Bob that he was going to change the white pin to black, but noticed it was already black. Bob tells Andy he changed the pin. Bob calls Jessup at the newspaper office. He informs Andy he change the pin color before the man died. Jessup reassures Bob that there is nothing supernatural. It was just a coincidence.Uncle George and Bob are going over store figures when Bob blurts out that he is quitting the chairmanship. "I'm going to call Bates, Honegger and Trowbridge right now and tell them I'm quitting." He reminds his uncle that three incorrectly placed pins accounted for three deaths. Uncle George laughs out loud. He tells Bob he is going out to the cemetery to put some black pins on the map to wipe out the competition. The two drive out together. At the cemetery, George pulls out Henry Trowbridge's pin. Bob insists he actually make the exchange then places a black pin on the map. Bob has a shot of booze and the two depart.Later that evening, Bob calls Henry Trowbridge at home. His wife answers the phone. It is 11:40 p.m. and Henry's wife informs Bob that her husband is not breathing. The body count is now four. The police drive up to the cemetery office. Lt. Clayborne (Robert Osterich) talks to Bob. Incredulous, Clayborne summarizes the situation, "Let me get this straight, Mr. Kraft. You say that every time you stick a black pin in the map, people turn up dead?" Clayborne reminds Bob that the Drexel couple were killed in a traffic collision. Isham died of a cerebral hemorrhage and Henry Trowbridge had a coronary thrombosis. He investigated and found nothing to suggest foul play. Bob starts to think it isn't the map, but he may be responsible.At his store office, Bob is informed by his Uncle George that he needs a vacation and George arranges one. Bob asks the committee be assembled that night at 7:00 p.m. Ann tries to reassure Bob it is a coincidence and suggests the vacation be turned into a honeymoon. That evening the committee members meet in Bob's office. Bill Honegger (an uncredited Ken Drake) and Charlie Bates (an uncredited Matt Moore) join Uncle George and Bob Kraft. Bill has a proposal to keep Bob as chairman. The committee demands Bob go out to the cemetery that evening and change Bill, Charlie, and Uncle George's white pins to black, then go home to bed. The motion is passed, and Bob makes the changes as ordered. Andy McKee stops by the cemetery office and tells Bob to lock the office and never come back. The phone rings. It is Jess, and Bob informs him of the three exchanged pins. He tells Jess if anything happens to any of them it is his fault. His attempt to light the portable furnace is unsuccessful. He calls the police and asks for Lt. Clayborne. The Desk Sergeant gives him the number where he can reach him, but the number is always busy. He finally realizes the phone number he has been dialing is Bill Honegger's. Jess calls Bob and informs him that Clayborne is with him and that Honegger is dead. He adds that Charlie Bates was found in his apartment dead. Bob is worried about his Uncle George and is surprised when George walks into the cemetery office. George tells Bob that he has proved his point. George pulls his black pin out of the map then leaves the office. Bob calls the police and asks that a policeman be assigned to watch his uncle.Clayborne calls Bob to inform him that George can't be found. Bob exits the office and finds his uncle in his car, still on the cemetery grounds. He is dead. He drives back to the office. He informs Lt. Clayborne he found his uncle. He puts the black pin back on the map on his Uncle's plot.The next day Lt. Clayborne returns to the cemetery with Jess and Ann in tow. Clayborne asks about one Jacob Mittel. Bob tells the policeman that he is a buyer for the store and he is currently out of the country on business. At the insistence of Clayborne, Bob puts a black pin on his plot. He is informed that Mittel is not dead. He is in Paris. This is a test. The police are setting up a trap. Bob voices his objections. Clayborne suggests Bob may have some unknown power, like voodoo in the West Indies.Overworked and overtired, Bob begins to hallucinate. He blames himself for the deaths. He concludes that if he changes the black pins back to white he can return the dead to life. With the floor heater broken by his own hand, he gathers paper and kindling to light a fire on the floor to keep warm. Out in the cemetery, the graves of the recently departed are starting to unearth themselves. Bob discovers this after he awakens in the smoke filled office. He snags his overcoat on one of the headstones. Leaving it behind, he runs back to the office. He retrieves the gun from the overturned desk. Before he has a chance to commit suicide the phone rings. It is the voice of Mrs. Mittel. She tells Bob that a cable arrived informing her that her husband died in Paris, France. Andy walks in and tells Bob it must be impossible. Andy confesses to Bob that he was responsible for the deaths. Andy was upset at being dismissed after forty years of faithful service. Andy picks up the gun and explains exactly how he killed each one. Andy doesn't believe Jacob Mittel is dead. The police burst into the office after Andy drops dead. Clayborne explains that Jacob Mittel is actually alive. The call and cable were set up by the police with the assistance of Mrs. Mittel. They watched as Andy dug up all seven graves. Bob and Ann leave the cemetery office together. We close with a slow zoom in on the map. It falls off the wall. | cult | tt0051755 |
The Honeymoon Killers | The film opens by introducing Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler), a supervising nurse in a hospital that appears to be in Mobile, Alabama. Martha catches two underlings having a brief romantic interlude in one of the labs and excoriates them for doing so. Martha herself seems more than a little bitter and vindictive; she is overweight and lonely, lashing out at those who are unlucky enough to be under her command at the hospital, but at home she is saddled with an elderly mother (Dortha Duckworth) who still calls Martha her "little girl". Martha's best friend, Bunny (Doris Roberts), surprises Martha by sending for an application to a lonelyhearts club, thinking that all Martha needs to be happy is a man.At first Martha is resentful that Bunny has done this, but soon she is corresponding with a suave man named Raymond Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco). Raymond gives Martha a vague representation of his life in New York, and comes to visit her after many weeks of exchanging letters. Martha is smitten with the handsome Ray, and their relationship immediately turns sexual. In a bizarre twist, Martha gives her mother a sleeping pill so that she and Raymond can be alone, then the two of them share a sexual encounter while her mother sleeps nearby on the couch.When Raymond returns to New York, he borrows a small "loan" from Martha, then sends her a telegram from New York saying that he can no longer correspond with her. Martha is despondent and enlists Bunny's help in pulling an extreme stunt: she tells Raymond that she has attempted suicide because she cannot live without him. Raymond seems flattered by Martha's devotion and invites her to New York, where he makes a startling revelation to her: he is actually a con man who meets lonely women through various lonelyhearts clubs, then takes them for as much money and valuables as he can. After meeting Martha he realized she had no assets and moved on, but Martha is willing to forgive him for his deception. Raymond seems to be interested in Martha's strange devotion to him, and he tells her one day he will marry her for real.When Martha returns home to Mobile, she finds that her supervisor has uncovered some torrid correspondence with Ray that Martha had stored in her desk. Martha lashes out at him bitterly and resigns, claiming that she went to New York to be married. At home, Martha continues the charade, telling her mother and Bunny that she and Raymond have been married. Raymond is furious, especially when he realizes that Martha intends to bring her mother along with her to New York to move in with Ray. Raymond forbids it, saying that Martha can come but she absolutely cannot bring her mother, even going so far as to tell Martha to "put a pillow over her face" to get rid of her. Instead, Martha puts her mother in a rest home and abandons her, even though she weeps and pleads with Martha to take her along. Finally the woman curses Martha as she leaves, leaning out of a window and shouting after her "Goddamn you! I hope you end up like this! I hope someone does
this to you."Martha and Raymond immediately begin their new business of swindling lonely women out of their savings, starting with a spinster schoolteacher. Raymond tells her that Martha is his "sister", and Martha accompanies them on their honeymoon, but Martha takes the new bride's belongings too soon and she storms out in a fury. Martha pays her no mind, threatening to expose the woman's torrid correspondence with Raymond to her superintendent.Martha seems to have no problem handling this first victim, who is unattractive and mawkish. But she remains hesitant about Raymond's "profession", jealous that he may choose a more attractive woman to swindle and make love to her. Their next mark proves to be a little different. Myrtle Young (Marilyn Chris) is a spunky Southern woman who makes no secret about her attraction to Raymond. She has hired Raymond in a business transaction; Myrtle is pregnant out of wedlock, and she wants Raymond to pose as her husband to save face for her family. However, when she finds Raymond handsome, she turns on the charm, much to Martha's jealous displeasure. When Myrtle buys Raymond a toupee, Martha scoffs at it, but Raymond lies and tells Martha that he bought it for himself. Myrtle later sneaks into Raymond's bedroom and tries to seduce him, while Martha watches in secret. Raymond rejects Myrtle's advances, but Myrtle reveals Raymond's fabrication about the toupee to Martha, who becomes furious. When her conversation with Myrtle turns hostile, Myrtle tells Martha that she is now married to Raymond and she intends to make a go of it. She plans on taking Raymond back to her wealthy family in Little Rock, where she will introduce him to her family, sending Martha back to Mobile on her own. In response, Martha gives Myrtle a handful of pills that
make her violently ill. The next morning Raymond, knowing she is gravely ill, puts Myrtle on a bus for Little Rock, promising to drive her car and belongings there and meet her. But after he leaves her on the bus, she dies and her corpse is discovered by the bus driver.Raymond next arranges a meeting with a younger woman named Evelyn (Barbara Cason) who has a large home near a lake. Martha and Raymond bicker the whole time they are at Evelyn's; Martha even goes so far as to suggest that Evelyn pair her off in a bedroom with Raymond, which strikes Evelyn as strange since she has been told Martha and Raymond are brother and sister. Finally, when Martha spots Raymond making out on a blanket with Evelyn, she hurls herself into the lake and tries to drown herself. Raymond pulls her out, kissing and comforting her, while Evelyn looks on, confused and disturbed.Aborting their con on Evelyn, Raymond decides it is time to give Martha what she has always wanted: a suburban home. They buy a home in Valley Stream, NY, but Raymond quickly becomes frustrated as their funds dwindle.Raymond decides it is time to go back to work, and they set up a meeting with an older woman named Janet Fay (Mary Jane Higby). Janet is well into her 70s and is sitting on a bank account worth over ten thousand dollars, a fact that she happily discloses to Raymond. They move in quickly on Janet, with Raymond proposing to her and Janet moving out of her apartment and going back to Valley Stream with Martha and Raymond. Janet, however, is irritating to Martha from the very beginning, arguing with Martha about petty finances and making vaguely critical remarks about Martha's weight.They get Janet back to Valley Stream under the pretense of Janet marrying Raymond (who has told her his name is "Charles Martin") and then using her ten thousand dollars to open a hat shop. They get Janet to write them checks that they will presumably take to the bank and cash, absconding with the money.But just after she signs the checks, their deception begins to unravel. Martha and Raymond leave Janet alone so they can go to the basement and make love. When they all go to bed that night, Janet becomes suspicious and cannot sleep; she wonders why Martha and "Charles" took her away from Albany without even allowing her to call her daughter and son-in-law. She questions Martha about how well-hidden the checks are. Martha becomes short with Janet and wants to give her a sleeping pill, but Janet is neurotically afraid of pills and won't cooperate. Their argument spirals out of control until Janet becomes determined to use the telephone to call her family. Martha, of course, becomes hysterically angry over it and slaps Janet, raging at Raymond to "give her back her checks and put her on a train back to Albany." Janet goes to her belongings and finds her jewelry missing. Janet finally understands that she is in great danger and begs Raymond and Martha to let her call her daughter. Finally Martha and Raymond realize that they must kill Janet to keep her from talking. Martha hands Raymond a hammer, and Raymond tells her "You do it. If you love me, you'll do it." Immediately Martha strikes Janet in the head with the hammer. As she lays bleeding, Martha and Raymond tie a tourniquet around her neck and choke her to death. Martha reacts with calculated precision, barking at Raymond "Get her off the rug!", while Raymond seems terrified at what they are doing. With Janet now dead, Martha and Raymond make love, with Raymond stripping nude in front of Janet's body before going into the bedroom with Martha. The next day, Raymond and Martha dispose of Janet's body by putting it inside her traveling trunk and burying it under the floor of their basement. They send letters to Janet's family announcing that Janet has married and gone to Florida with her new husband.Raymond and Martha's next victim is Delphine Downing (Kip McArdle), a widowed woman living alone with her young daughter, Rainelle (Mary Breen), who is around four years old. Martha and Raymond are living with Delphine, and Raymond promises Martha in a private moment that Delphine will be their last victim; he feels she has enough assets to allow Raymond and Martha to finally marry after they swindle her. Martha, however, is frustrated because she and Raymond no longer have much of a sex life because of their living conditions with Delphine. Raymond, as usual, swears he has no attraction to Delphine and that he hasn't made love to her.However, when Raymond takes Rainelle out for the day, Delphine is alone with Martha and confides in her: Delphine is pregnant wtih Raymond's baby. She tells Martha they've been making love every time Martha left the house, and that Raymond forbid Delphine to tell Martha they were physically intimate. Delphine thinks it is because Martha has puritanical values, but she wants Martha's help in breaking the news of her pregnancy to Raymond. She also wants Martha to suggest that Raymond marry Delphine on Valentine's Day.Martha is, of course, furious that Raymond has lied to her and has been making love to Delphine. She tells Delphine that Raymond will never marry her now, and that the only way to handle the situation is to abort the baby. To do this, Martha gives Delphine a handful of pills, but Delphine refuses to take them. Raymond comes back with Rainelle as Martha struggles with Delphine, and he walks into the situation unsure of what is going on. Martha tells Ray that Delphine has "found out everything" and was going to call the police. Delphine now realizes that she is in danger and begs Raymond to help her, but Raymond tells Martha to get Delphine's gun, and he shoots Delphine in the head. Martha debates what they should do with Rainelle; Raymond wants to abandon her at a children's home, but Martha feels Rainelle is too old and will remember details about them. She goes to the basement and fills a washtub with water, then takes Rainelle downstairs and drowns her in it, while Raymond listens upstairs, horrified.Martha has resigned herself to the fact that Raymond will never be truthful to her. Raymond promises that he can set up another meeting with another victim in New Orleans, and he swears to Martha he will not touch her or make love to her. "I didn't touch Delphine, did I?" he rationalizes. Martha kisses him passionately and goes upstairs, where she phones the police and summons them to the house. When they arrive, she goes downstairs to let them in, kissing Raymond one more time.In the film's denouement, Martha is in prison, where a matron meets her to take her to her first day on trial for the crimes she has committed with Raymond. This will be the first time she has seen Raymond since her incarceration, and she is excited. The matron gives Martha a letter from Raymond, which Martha reads alone as she sits on a bench. In the letter, Raymond professes his love for Martha again; he tells her she is the only woman he will ever love, and the only woman he has ever loved. He looks forward to the possibility that one day when they are old, they may have a short time to spend together. The film ends with a title card that informs the viewers that Martha and Raymond were executed for their crimes while incarcerated in Sing Sing prison. | neo noir, cult, psychedelic, murder, violence | tt0064437 |
Seed | Max Seed (Will Sanderson) is a serial killer responsible for the deaths of 666 people over a six year period who is on the loose. The police receive videos portraying the slow death and decomposition of creatures ranging from a cockroach, a Labrador dog, a baby, and fully-grown woman in an underground chamber. They trace the videos to the residence of Seed. Detective Matt Bishop (Michael Paré) captures Seed,Max Seed's background story is revealed that , as a boy, a reclusive and antisocial Max Seed was disfigured in a school bus crash that killed everyone else involved in it. Starting In 1973, Seed began torturing and murdering people, filming some of his victims starving to death in his locked basement, and ultimately racking up a bodycount of 666. Now in this current setting (in 1979), Seed is arrested by Detective Matt Bishop (Michael Paré) in a sting operation that claims the lives of five of Bishop's fellow officers. Seed is sentenced to death by electric chair, and incarcerated on an island prison, where he is a model inmate, only acting out when he kills three guards who try to rape him.On Seed's execution date, the electric chair fails to kill him after two shocks. Not wanting Seed to be released due to a state law that says any convicted criminal who survives three jolts of 15,000 volts each for 45 seconds walks, the prison staff and Bishop declare Seed dead, and bury him alive in the prison cemetery. A few hours later, Seed digs his way out of his grave and returns to the prison, where he kills the executioner, doctor and warden before swimming back to the main land. The next day, while investigating the massacre, Bishop realizes Seed was responsible when he discovers the serial killer's empty cemetery plot.Over the course of several months Seed resumes his killing spree, and kills dozens of more people, with one long shot showing him beating a bound woman with a chisel for five straight minutes. One day, a videotape showing Bishop's house is sent to the detective's office. Knowing this means Seed is going to go after his family, Bishop races home, finding his wife, Sandy, and eight-year-old daughter, Emily, gone, and the four officers charged with guarding the house are found dismembered in the bathroom.Driving to Seed's old house, Bishop is lured into a basement room containing a television and a video camera, and locked inside. The television turns on, and depicts Seed with Sandy and Emily in the attic. Emily informs Bishop that Seed wants Bishop to shoot himself in order to save his wife and daughter. When Bishop hesitates, Seed brutally kills Sandy by shooting her in the head with a nail gun, prompting Bishop into shooting himself in the head, believing that doing so will make Seed release his daughter. Instead, Seed takes the little girl to the room containing her father's corpse, and locks her in it. As Emily sobs for her two dead parents, the film suddenly ends with Max Seed contining to kill with no end in sight to his bloody rampage. | revenge, flashback | tt0758781 |
Five the Hard Way | Vince Rommel (Ross Hagen) is a good sidehacker runner. Sidehacking is a way of running motorcycle races with a passenger on the sidecar/sidehack, and Vince is supposed to be one of the best riders.Vince is in love with Rita (Diane McBain), and both like frolicking around. He asks Rita to marry him. Luke (Dick Merrifield) lost yesterday's race. His mechanic (Ivy Ross) fools around with him. J.C. (Michael Pataki) needs to have his bike ready for an exhibition fast. While the mechanic looks into the bike, Paisley (Claire Polan) talks to Rommel. He's a bit sharp towards her. J.C. notices the sidehack on the bike. Rommel explains that the passenger has to lean one way or another depending on the direction of the curve they are going through. Both the mechanic and Rommel feel that Paisley will be trouble. Dick's wife appears to ask for some money and do some shopping.J.C, Paisley, Rita and Rommel watch a race. J.C. finds it interesting. J.C. offers a position to Rommel in the exhibition, as it's very spectacular. He goes in Rommel's bike as passengers, but he falls down several times. It's good fun until Vince crashes onto a fence and sends J.C. flying. Rita looks how much Rommel and Rita a re in love. J.C. is hot-tempered and violent, and he is a cloud in the lunch everybody is enjoying. J.C. doesn't move without an entourage which tries to placate him. Nero (Edward Parrish) is the only one who tries to stand up agains her. When Rommel rejects his offer, he and his men leave the dining room. Paisley can't even remember what attracted her to him in the first place. J.C. punches her because he wants to hear her scream. J.C. that he'll kill anyone who dares to touch her; then, he says he loves her while she keeps on sobbing.Paisley, dressed to the nines, calls on Rommel at the garage some other day. He rejects her and she leaves slamming the door. Paisley cries and feels jealous of Rita and Rommel's relationship. She tears her dress to pretend that she was raped by Vince Rommel. She spills her lies as soon as J.C. comes back to their hotel room and while Rita's about to have sex with Vince. Rita dreams of her life after she's married to Vince while he falls asleep. She tenderly kisses him.J.C. interrupts them, saying "Time's up, loverboy". They beat and tie him up. Rita lies tied to a beam in the roof. She is dead. Vince's car has been dismantled. He runs and runs until he finds a phone booth, but he's got no money, so he keeps on running through some regional road. A car doesn't stop, so he has to keep on walking the long road. He goes to Dick and Debbie (Diane Tessier)'s, and they tend to him. Seeing Dick's children fight in a rough way, he remembers how Rita was gang-raped and killed when she was pushed around and her head hit something. Rommel can't even speak about what happened with Dick.J.C. is getting restless in his hotel room, as the police are looking for him. Dick suggests Vince to try and go on with his life. Rommel says that revenge won't change things as they are, because Rita won't be alive again anyway. They play billiards.Nero tells Rommel that there's an upcoming sidehack bike race. He will help Rommel to take his own back.Rommel prepares his revenge. He goes to the Children's Charity Workers, INC. SALVAGE shop and sells his car. Nero hires a fighting instructor. He also hires a painter who tells him that she has gone somewhere else, where there is no pain. Cooch (Michael Graham) tells him that Rommel's preparing his revenge, hiring people who can fight. Paisley tells him to leave the city and forget about it all, but J.C gets frantic. He says he was like a brother to him, and that he used to love him in spite of his rejection to work with him at the rodeos and exhibitions. Suddenly, J.C. punches Cooch in spite of Cooch declaring his loyalty to him, apparently because he was the bringer of bad news... or probably to give him a reason to go and tell Rommel that he's betraying him.Cooch gets so mad that he offers Dick to hell Rommel with his revenge. Tork (Eric Lidberg) thinks they need to devise a plan.Cooch tells Rommel where J.C. will be soon. Dick's wife want him to stay out of the fight, but he goes anyway. They wait and wait, while Jake (Robert Tessier) tells a really unfunny joke. Cooch recommends everybody not to use guns, as J.C. won't be carrying any as well. They try to get organized, but it's all very loose. Cooch is double-playing everyone, as he tells J.C. where Rommel and his men are going to be. Immediately afterwards, J.C. wants to have sex with Paisley, and at that moment, she tells him that she wants to get away from her. J.C. laughs it off, what would she do without him? She says that, that way, she wouldn't have to do things she doesn't usually fell like doing. J.C. gets frantic, punches her - this time she tries to defend herself - shouts for her to get out, but then she strangles her mercilessly. When she's already dead, he speaks to her, asking her what she said all those things for. In desperation, he screams for her to talk to him. She is dead. J.C. makes weird gestures, as though he were a naughty child who's just eaten a pie he was told not to.Rommel and Dick speak about the situation and about Cooch being missed. Cooch comes back and jumps under a blanket, pretending that he's never gone away, but Nero has seen him and tells everybody. At the beginning, Cooch denies everything. Cooch says that J.C. will be at the rock quarry, preparing some kind of trap. Cooch is taken to the quarry, where J.C. and his men are already waiting for Rommel, who is carrying a gun.The noise alerts some of the outpost watchers and Cooch takes the opportunity for alerting J.C, sliding down a slope. J.C. shoots him for no apparent reason. There is a shootout. Nero uses Rommel's bike to shoot from the sidehack.J.C. offers Rommel the opportunity to fight to death. He comes out of a derelict cabin with his hands up high. J.C. kicks Rommel first. A police car approaches but the fight goes on. Rommel punches J.C. in his balls and leaves him alive in a disgusting pool of dirty water because, after all, the police car is already arriving; however, J.C. picks the gun of one of his guns and uses it to shoot Rommel in the back. He falls in the disgusting pool as well.While he is dying, he reminiscences about the time when he and Rita were frolicking among the high grass.Last shot of Rommel's dead body in the dirty water while ending credits roll on.--- written by KrystelClaire | revenge | tt0061671 |
Crazy Heart | Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a broke-down country music singer past his time. Bad unhappily arrives in a small town bowling alley to set up for a gig he'll be playing for some local fans and small pay. After he has a quick drink and smoke at the bar, he makes a stop at a gas station for some of his favorite whiskey. He heads back to his motel room and begins to drink. His manager/agent Jack Greene calls him and they argue back and forth, Blake accusing him of not getting him good venues, Greene criticizes Bad for not writing new material in over ten years.Blake arrives at the bowling alley that night and drinks a bit before playing. Every couple of songs, he takes a break, drinks some more until eventually he can't play anymore and completely abandons the show, running to the nearest trashcan to puke. The next morning, he wakes up in his hotel room with a woman from the bar. He leaves as she sleeps.Blake makes his way to Santa Fe to play another gig in a small bar. There he meets Wesley, a piano player. He tells Bad about his niece, a reporter, who would like to meet and interview Blake. Bad Blake tells Wesley to send her over to his motel room.Hours later, Bad sits on his couch watching television and is interrupted by Jean Craddock, Wesley's niece. She interviews him and he asks her to come back later, after his show, to continue. Blake plays his show that night, which turns out fine. Blake and Jean continue their earlier conversation, as their relationship flourishes, Bad begins to fall for Jean.Bad plays another show, which this time Jean misses out on. She arrives late and they go back to his room, where eventually they begin to kiss and sleep together.Bad meets her four-year-old son, Buddy and cooks breakfast for them.Jack Greene, his manager, calls him later to inform Bad that he got him a gig with an audience of 4,000 people in Houston. Bad is excited to hear this, but finds out that he will be opening the show for Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), a young, very famous country singer. Blake meets Tommy at a restaurant later and they discuss old times, when Tommy was in Bad's backup band. Bad had helped Tommy with songwriting, and sort of became his mentor. After Tommy made it famous, he never stayed in contact with Blake until now.At the show, Bad arrives to little applause until Tommy comes out to support him. The crowd goes wild. Tommy/Bad sing a duet. Later, Bad watches from afar as Tommy plays his show of modern country music, which Bad feels has no flavor.Bad calls Jean and tells her he will be driving over to Santa Fe to see her. As he is driving he falls asleep and crashes his truck. A bystander helps him. Bad wakes up in the hospital, not remembering what happened until he speaks with the doctor. The doctor says Bad is in very poor shape, and needs to stop drinking and smoking so much. He heads back to Jean's place and has a couple of good days with her and Buddy, her son. Bad travels back home and gets a call from Jean that she won't have to work for the next four days. Blake invites her over to his home in Houston, where they spend a good couple of days together, and Bad starts to write a new song, inspired by Jean.Bad reveals to Jean that he has a son who he hasn't seen in twenty years. She suggests that he calls his son and tries to reconnect. Bad does, but his son wants nothing to do with him. One day, Jean goes out and leaves Bad with Buddy at home. Blake takes buddy to play at the park and then to a mini-mall in Houston. At the mall, Bad orders a drink at the bar. Buddy begins to wander around the place as Bad speaks with the barkeep. When Bad starts to call out Buddy's name, there is no answer. Blake tells a security guard and is taken to the security waiting room. Jean arrives, angry at Bad and worried sick about Buddy. Eventually, Buddy is found and he is okay, but Jean is infuriated with Bad, accusing him of drinking heavily and not looking out for Buddy. Jean leaves as Bad tries to reconcile with her, but fails.Days later, Bad meets up with his friend Wayne (Robert Duvall). He tells Wayne of his drinking problem and Wayne vows to help him. They go fishing one day, and another to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Blake continues to write and perfect his new song, which was inspired by his love for Jean. Bad goes without drinking for nearly two weeks, and decides to try and smooth things out with Jean. He arrives at her home, and she doesn't seem happy to see him. Jean also tells him she can't forgive him for what happened with Buddy, and if Bad loves them so much, to stay away from them as far as possible. Bad leaves in a sad state as the screen fades to black.Sixteen months later.Tommy Sweet is at a concert playing the song Bad Blake wrote for him (the same song Blake has been writing throughout the movie). Blake and his manager Jack Greene are backstage, happily watching. Jack hands Blake a royalty check with a large sum on it. Bad thanks Jack and heads out of the backstage area. Outside, Jean is waiting to interview him. He is happy to see her, but notices she is wearing a wedding ring. Jean says, "He's a good guy," to which Bad replies "You deserve one." Bad then hands Jean the check he just received, and tells Jean its for Buddy, once he turns eighteen. Jean tries to refuse but Blake pleads with her and she accepts. They end up sitting on a bench, talking, as the song "The Weary Kind" plays over the end credits. | romantic, dark | tt1263670 |
Scream 3 | Cotton Weary [Liev Schrieber], now a controversial talk show host, is living a good life in Los Angeles on the fast track to fame when he's on the phone with his agent about his role in Stab 3 and other opportunities. A female fan interrupts his conversation, catering to his ego, but unfortunately Cotton learns that it's really another psycho killer Ghostface (voiced by Roger Jackson), stalking his girlfriend Christine [Kelly Rutherford] in their condo and making Cotton an offer he can't refuse: Christine's life or Sydney Prescott's location. Cotton doesn't accept the ultimatum and the killer pursues Christine. Cotton, unfortunately unable to warn her or get help from 9-1-1, and drives home erratically, while the killer uses a voice scrambler to trick Christine in believing her boyfriend is pulling a very dangerous & horrific prank on her chasing her around the condo with a knife while speaking in an insanely threatening manner. When Cotton finally arrives home and finds Christine in the study with a golf club ready to swing at him, he tries to explain that it's not him threatening her but Christine's so scared and doesn't believe him. This provides the killer ability to get the drop on her and stab her in the back and let her fall to the ground dead. Cotton meanwhile struggles with the killer, whom overpowers and stabs Cotton in the heart, letting Cotton know he failed and kills him off screen as the title comes up.Sydney Prescott [Neve Campbell] is now living in a very secluded area of California. She has a new name, a new career with California's Women Crisis Counseling service (mostly stay at home), a golden retriever for a friend, and a sophisticated security system for the entire property around her house and presumably for all doors with double bolt locks in the house. Turning on her TV, Sydney eventually learns that Cotton was targeted and killed in his home, during the production of Stab 3: Return to Woodsborough which rattles her quite a bit.Gale Weathers [Courtney Cox] is now with Total Entertainment and providing a lecture at GW Bestor Series School of Journalism when she's informed by Detective Mark Kincaid [Patrick Dempsey] that Cotton Weary was killed and a younger photo of Sydney's mother Maureen Prescott was found on Cotton's body.On the set of Stab 3, Director Roman Bridger [Scott Foley], Producer John Milton [Lance Hendricksen], and a studio executive contemplate the decision to continue production or cancel it with Cotton's death on everyone's mind including the press & the public. Violence & cinema are raised as questions, but from Roman's point of view it wasn't his idea to allow Cotton in the movie; that was the studio's. Milton said 35 years in the business; this is 1st time he's had a psycho and asks Kincaid's partner Detective Wallace [Josh Pais] about the connection between Cotton's death and the movie. Wallace suggests the obvious: "Movie's called Stab; he was stabbed."Also, on the set, we're introduced to Stab 3 actors Tyson Fox [Deon Richmond] playing Ricky from the video store (Randy), Tom Prinze [Matt Kesslar] playing another version of Dewey, Sarah Darling [Jenny McCarthy] playing Candy, and Angelina Tyler [Emily Mortimer] as another version of Sydney while they discuss Cotton's death & the production of the movie as well. Tyson & Angelina are worried about their futures as actors, while Tom mocks them & Sydney and wants to continue production no matter what cost. Sarah looks at them, thinking about the points made and continues reading her script.Gale finally shows up on the set, a Woodsboro replica, meets her twin Jennifer Jolie, a huge fan obsessed with her Gale character and learns Dewey's a technical advisor for Tom, guard, and clearly Jen's love interest. Dewey thinks Gale's back for the action and the story once again. Tom's ticked off about Gale's smear job on some accident he had, which she admits was her way to boost ratings at his expense. Milton sees Gale & Dewey talking and kicks her off set and as she exits the set, Jay & Silent Bob actors Jason Mewes & Kevin Smith recognize Gale and make a sarcastic remark to which Gale gives Jason the bird.Neil Prescott [Lawrence Hecht] visits his daughter at her place. Sydney naturally wishes the recent events never happened and if only her mother's past was different, life be easier. Neil asks her to come home, but Sydney defends her exiled lifestyle stating at least she can't be targeted again if they can't find her. In the next shot that night, Sydney's sleeping on her couch while her mother in a nightgown walks up to the house. Sydney opens her eyes to see her mom, staring at Sydney through the window, calling her name and talking to her hauntingly, and claws at the window before sliding down leaving blood streaks from her fingernails. Sydney gets up for a closer look and Ghostface pops in the window, says hello, and knocks the window out with a knife, startling Sydney and knocking her back on the couch turning away from the window. The dog wakes up as Sydney turns toward the window and realizes it was just a hallucination.Sarah meanwhile drives up to the Stab 3 set to meet Roman, the director, to run lines. While waiting for him, Sarah is startled by Tyson and Stan, the make-up artist. Tyson hasn't seen Roman, but Sarah waits in his office and jumps when Roman calls his office to let Sarah know he's late. Sarah's not happy with her part, but Roman says they should run lines anyway. As they go through Sarah's lines, Roman supposedly changes the name of Sarah's part to her real name in mid-script and Sarah asks if there's been another script change. Roman lets her know it's a whole new movie and Sarah's the star to be skewed like a pig. Horrified, Sarah runs out to the studio exit, seeing a shadow thinking it's the killer (really just a guard locking up) continues on through the building and hides into the costume room, calls 9-1-1 only to discover the killer has been there the whole time and begins attacking Sarah but misses. He chases her into a storage area, smacks her through a door window, and stabs her in the back.Gale & Dewey meet for lunch, discussing their relationship the last few years and Dewey's frustrated while Gale recognizes they're different. Gale suggests there's connection for sure between Cotton & Sydney, to which Dewey said a couple months back someone did try to get Sydney's case file and dispatch declined, so the records were broken into but Dewey had removed Sydney's before the thief could get it. Jennifer calls Dewey to come to her house and Gale comes along.At Jen's house, she's all worked up about Sarah's death and we meet Steven Stone [Patrick Warburton], Jen's bodyguard. Gale is astonished when Jen and Dewey agree the two murders are in the same order as the script. Gale's the third or Jennifer whichever. Dewey grabs a flashlight from his trailer and is confronted by Steven who wants to run the protection detail. Dewey's unphased.At Stab 3 set, Kincaid & Wallace discuss Sarah's murder and find Gale there asking them questions about the crime scene and Dewey discloses Jennifer is next to get killed since she's Gale. Kincaid suggests that there's actually 3 scripts going around, so there's no actual guarantee that Jennifer is next, plus Steven's watching over her so she should be fine. Roman is worried about production and is getting more heat from the studio as Sarah's death puts another damper on his production getting done and making deadline. Kincaid walks over to him letting him know Sarah was supposed to meet with him, which Roman denies even calling her. Wallace insists Sarah's roommate recognized Roman's voice, to which Roman says there's a conspiracy out to shut down his movie. Kincaid & Wallace walk Roman down to the station.Sydney's at home continuing to handle her crisis counseling calls when a female caller notifies Sydney that the caller killed someone. Sydney says she should be calling the police, to which the caller's voice insists she should be calling Sydney. It's the killer using Maureen Prescott's voice haunting Sydney and asking her to turn on the news. Sarah's death is announced to which the killer's raspy voice comes and asks Sydney if she thinks this whole thing is over. Sydney, gun in hand, looks around her house looking for the killer and looks out her window, but no Ghostface.Steven's patrolling Jen's grounds and thinks he might have heard something. Inside, Tom's ripping the crappy parts out of Stab 3, being a little sarcastic about the murders, which scares Angelina who thinks Tom's drunk because he's being a jerk and leaves the room. Tom makes a rude remark about Angelina stepping on her competitors' toes before she got the Sydney part. Jen looks at him thinking Tom made a move on Angelina and she wasn't interested. Tom denies & Jen looks at him in disbelief and has Dewey escort her to another section of the house while Tom continues ripping things up. Gale arrives at the house and starts spying on Jen & Dewey's private conversation about Gate, getting caught by Steven, who notifies Dewey to Gale's presence. Gale suggests Sarah's call was from a cloned cell phone, not Roman's. Gale talks to him about Maureen Prescott's past that there wasn't many records on Maureen Prescott when she was young. Dewey recognizes the background of Maureen's older picture and finds Jen's background is the same which concludes Maureen was an actress years ago and worked at Samoine Studios (where Stab 3 is shot).Steven's in Dewey's trailer when Dewey calls him and asks him to watch Jen as something has happened. Steven is dismissive since he doesn't work for Dewey and makes a crude remark about Dewey's sister, which pisses Dewey off. However, it's not really Dewey at the other line, but the killer who's pissed off and runs from a hiding spot in the trailer at Steven and stabs him in the back.Dewey meanwhile suggests there's an even bigger connection now between Maureen Prescott & Stab 3 and dials Kincaid when Gale looks around Jen's house and notices it's a little quiet than normal. Suddenly, the door opens but no one enters and we notice it's really just wind blowing from outside. Dewey calls for Angelina & Tom, but no response. Suddenly Jen enters the house, scaring Dewey who draws his weapon & points before recognizing Jen. Tom pops up with Angelina and Dewey points, but doesn't shoot. As Dewey puts his gun away, he looks outside one of the open doors as everyone suddenly has their attention on Steven in a zombie walk, bloodied from ears & mouth with a knife in his back trying to communicate but falls. While the others' eyes widen in horror, Dewey runs over to attend to him.Realizing the killer could be anywhere near them, Dewey instructs everyone back inside the house just as the power goes out. Frantic, everyone begins to get rattled at every noise heard, including when a phone rings and everyone's checking to see whose it is. Jen realizes it's a fax from the killer and grabs a flashlight to read it, written from the Stab 3's script reading like a riddle. Suddenly another passage, much like the first with characters in other scenarios, and ends in "the killer will give mercy to...." just like the first. Unsure what to do, everyone runs outside. Frustrated, Tom decides to go inside while everyone runs from the house. He reads another fax in the dark, ending with "the killer will give mercy to whomever...." He lights a lighter and reads that it ends in "whomever smells gas." Next shot, he's immediately engulfed in flame, only screaming for a second or two, as everyone watches in horror and run from the house as it explodes killing Tom.The humongous fireball erupts forcing the survivors to jump over a railing from Jen's patio and land on a steep dirty hill, rolling down and landing in various flat areas over several yards in the back of the property. The movie follows Dewey as he gets up, looks around and can't see where everyone else went, & calls for Gale & Jennifer and they reply back (off-screen) from a far distance. Dewey looks for Gale, sees her down at the bottom of the hill standing on the road near an SUV. Before the killer is able to attack Gale from behind, Dewey shoots the killer, to which the killer rolls under the SUV and disappears. Meanwhile, not careful of his footing while firing his weapon, Dewey looses his balance and falls down the hill next to the SUV and joins Gale looking for the killer. Gale thanks Dewey for saving her and they're about to kiss when Jen shows up, freaking out wondering where was Dewey in protecting her and slugs him. Gale turns and immediately punches Jen in the mouth, causing Jen to fall to the ground. Jen turns and suggests she's ready to sue (her lawyer going to love Gale's assault on Jen). Gale feels much better though, considering Jen was being a bitch. They hear a noise and turn to their right seeing Angelina, walking toward them, almost in shock, frightened and mourning Tom's death asking if they're safe for now. Dewey suggests they're fine now. Dewey, remembering the killer had rolled under the SUV, looks under the SUV finding another picture of Maureen Prescott, on the back a message, "I killed her."At the LAPD office, Gale and Dewey meet with Kincaid and discuss this latest development. Gale suggests they know Billy Loomis and Stu Monker killed Maureen Prescott and went in grave detail about it to Sydney from the first movie. Kincaid suggests Sydney was wrong before, maybe this is from the real killer. Frustrated with the situation, Kincaid & Wallace need answers since there's three dead celebrities, a bodyguard, and now the mayor isn't happy with this threat & the press it's receiving. Gale asks the question: What does Stab 3 and Maureen Prescott have in common? Where's the link? Kincaid suggests well Maureen's picture is at the same studio as Stab 3 is shooting from. Kincaid suggests Sydney might know since she knows her mother and Dewey suggests her father was married to Maureen and he doesn't know much either. Kincaid and Wallace feel the pressure & are ready to interrogate Dewey, who feels of course on the spot & at the gallows. Gale diffuses the argument, to which Kincaid insists they bring Sydney in or Gale and Dewey will be charged with obstruction of justice.Dewey calls Sydney and begins leaving a message when he sees Sydney has come in to LAPD, hanging up to greet her. They catch up and talk a little about Gale. Sydney asks what's going on and wants to meet with Kincaid. Dewey confronts her for coming out of the cold, but Sydney responds that the killer contacted her home phone, realizing it's only a matter of time before her isolated life won't feel so safe anymore. Sydney rather joins Dewey and Gale to solve this mystery. Dewey introduces Kincaid to Sydney and lets Kincaid and Gale know the killer called Sydney. Sydney suggests that it was the same old bullshit, catching up & how she wants to die. While Kincaid, Gale & Dewey discuss leads, Sydney looks at her mother's pictures on Kincaid's wall. Kincaid informs her that the killer is leaving these pictures at every murder site and asks about the connection. Gale asks her whether Maureen was an actress or a model years ago, since the background in Maureen's shots match Jen's in the studio. Sydney suggests to Kincaid she's ready to visit Stab 3 set.Just when Sydney, Dewey, Gale, Kincaid and Wallace arrive to enter the set, Randy Meek's little sister Martha [Heather Matarazzo] walks out and scares them. Dewey prevents Wallace and two uniform officers from shooting the young girl, since Sydney & Dewey know her. Martha suggests she misses them not being in Woodsborough and shows them a videotape they need to see. It's Randy back at Windsor College during the time of Scream 2 a few years ago, leaving his legacy by acknowledging it's possible he won't make it out and that the killer may come back for a third time. Sydney is really surprised at how Randy prepared for a third sequel vs. the third & final chapter in a trilogy. Randy's sure the past is now a clean slate, different than what everyone knew before, and warns Sydney that in a trilogy as the main character in this live horror trilogy Sydney's destined to die in the end. This 3rd round could be a bloodbath like Reservoir Dogs before it's over. Randy wishes them well and suggests to the group that he might see them soon because some may not make it out alive. Sydney and Dewey hug Martha goodbye and Martha leaves.Gale takes a walk around the studio and tries to open a door but needs a key to get in. Jen approaches her which freaks her out. Using Jen's pass key, they enter the studio and meet Bianca [Carrie Fisher], the studio's bitter records coordinator. For an inside joke, Gale asks her if she's Carrie Fisher and Bianca says she isn't and suggests that Carrie Fisher slept with George Lucas to get the part of Leia in the Star Wars trilogy. Jen is astonished at how familiar they look (done for comedic effect of course). Gale apologizes and asks for information on Maureen. Bianca resists initially for a $50 bribe Gale offers, but Jen takes a step further and offers one of her expensive jewelry valued at $2,000, next shot Bianca's pulling a file on Maureen Prescott's stage name Reina Reynolds. Gale reviews the file which enlists all of Reina's films, some directed by John Milton, the producer of Stab 3, raisinh Gale's and Jen's eyebrows.Hanging around the Stab 3 set, Sydney is washing her hands in the bathroom when she hears a clang in the stalls behind her which rattles her a little and tries to get a grip until she hears another. Just like in the first movie, she looks underneath only to see boots stepping off the floor to stand on the toilet seat. She arms herself with pepper spray and kicks in the stall door to find Angelina Tyler. Angelina is startled by Sydney's assault on the door at first, but immediately recognizes her. Feeling bummed out that production is shut down due to the murders and convinced that her career is likely over, Angelina grabbed some souvenirs to remember Hollywood by. Feeling sympathetic about Sydney's past & current ordeal, Angelina states it was a great opportunity and she wanted to do right by Sydney. Sydney sighs and says Angelina probably would have. Unusually wound up, Angelina is amazed as the target of her portrayal is right there and wished she finished production. Angelina collects, with Sydney's help, the memorabilia, leaves the bathroom and heads out of the studio. Sydney finds Angelina left something on the floor in the stall and exists the bathroom only to see Angelina's gone.Sydney looks around and heads down a hallway which leads to the set, feeling a little nostalgic while looking to see if anyone else is there. She continues walking around the set and enters her "pretend" house and "bedroom." This brings back happier memories of her conversation with her ex boyfriend Billy before he became a Ghostface psycho. She then hears a noise looking outside her "fake bedroom window" but doesn't see anything. Behind her a door closes startling her, so she opens the closet door and adjoins them which forces both doors to flex a little (just a draft) as Sydney gets rattled. She backs away from the doors, thinking the killer is coming only to discover Ghostface appears in the window behind her and pulls her out of the bedroom onto the set floor. Sydney manages to escape and goes inside another house, where Ghostface appears and chases Sydney up the stairs. Sydney frantically slows the killer down and runs up a couple floors, calling for Dewey to get on the set. Hearing a voice from another room, Sydney's curiosity brings her to her mother's death scene. Scared and upset, she hears more voices and sees on the floor a fake cadaver covered by a white sheet with blood spots on it. The voices of her mother, Stu, & Billy seem to be coming from it. She runs toward the window and continues to hear her mother's voice as she turns to see the sheet has rose with her mother's haunting voice. Sydney jumps out of the window calling for Dewey and somersaults onto the set floor.Lights turn on as Dewey, Wallace, and some police officers rush in from a set door to Sydney, who's crying by now and informs them the killer is upstairs in the fake house. Dewey said Sydney shouldn't have been up there, since that's the production preparation for Maureen's dead scene. Wallace and some officers go up there to check it out, but the killer has vanished. Angelina and Tyson walk in to find out what happened while Kincaid rushes in to Sydney's side. Wallace interrogates Angelina and Tyson and question Angelina about the stalker mask she took for memorabilia. Kincaid confronts Sydney about seeing the killer on the set and Sydney swears he was there in "Woodsborough" (on the set). Kincaid reminds her it's just a set, not the real thing, which Sydney acknowledges but insists someone in a Ghostface costume was stalking her on the set. Dewey comforts her and suggests everyone believes her, as does Kincaid who drives Sydney back to the precinct for her protection while they figure out what's going on and who's trying to get to her. Jen and Gale walk over to Dewey and confirm Maureen Prescott, under the stage name Reina Reynolds, was an actress working for, none than, John Milton, Stab 3's producer at the studio.Roman is having a lengthy argument with Milton in the latter's office about the reason behind these murders and the fact it's happening while Stab 3's in production. They are interrupted by Jen, Gale, and Dewey who want to know what the hell Milton and Reina Reynold's history is. Roman asks them who Reina Reynolds is, but Milton suggests Roman should concern himself with his birthday party and not to cut the cake without Milton. Jen realizes it's Roman's birthday and wishes him "Happy Birthday." Disgusted with his bad luck, Roman suggests as if he doesn't had enough problems he has to celebrate his birthday and leaves the office. Dewey confronts Milton about knowing Reina Reynolds/Maureen Prescott and Milton acts like he doesn't know anything, until Dewey says he'll give Kincaid a call if he doesn't get a straight answer. Milton acknowledges he knows Reina Reynolds. Jen, breaking into her overly hyped Gale Weathers shtick, confronts Milton about making money off Reynolds/Prescott's death, and accuses him of being obsessed with Maureen and her daughter Sydney. Gale settles Jen with humor calling her "Geraldo", no doubt for Geraldo Rivera, famous for that type of reporting for money and ratings. Milton suggests Stab wasn't his idea and making the film he realizes he knew Maureen Prescott as Reina. He knew the controversy behind the murder and was worried about the press because he knew the victim, but Gale doesn't buy it and presses him about their history. Milton acknowledges Reina was working for him, was invited to a lot of his parties, and was desperate to make something of herself. Gale asks him if Reina was possibly attacked. Milton acknowledges things got out of hand and maybe some producers and directors took advantage of Reina and that maybe Reina wasn't cut out for Hollywood. He also acknowledges no charges were brought. Milton felt Reina couldn't play by the rules and that's why she didn't last in Hollywood.Sydney and Kincaid meanwhile talk about movie trilogies, his job, Sydney's ghosts (as Kincaid does get them too - hazard of the trade unfortunately), and about Maureen Prescott. Kincaid confirms Sydney's most likely telling the truth about Ghostface on set, which is good news because if this killer was there, then there's two ways to take them down: catch 'em or kill 'em, just like every other bad guy Kincaid dealt with. Sydney asks him what's his favorite scary movie, to which Kincaid responds his life is the most horrific and Sydney concurs as she been there the past 4-5 years.Dewey, Gale, and Jen meanwhile are returning back to the precinct to talk to Sydney and Kincaid about what they found when Dewey receives a phone call from Sydney while driving, suggesting that Milton supposedly called her to come over to his mansion to give Sydney some information. Dewey suggests it's not safe for Sydney to be out there, but Sydney suggests Kincaid is with her. They arrive at Milton's place and are greeted by birthday boy Roman and ask him where Sydney is. He says she's in the mansion and leads them inside, only to find out that he really means Angelina, the actress who plays Sydney in Stab 3. Tyson is also there as well sitting on Milton's couch. Gale confirms she means Sydney Prescott and Roman suggests that he would have never invited her here, but Gale suggests Sydney's coming which Roman doesn't mind.Roman suggests he wants to walk around the Milton mansion, but Tyson confronts him with the idea that a killer is on the loose and whenever Dewey for example is confronted in one of these situations he's left as a shishkabob. Jen volunteers to walk around the place with Roman and they head to the basement which scares Jen, who watches Roman go down the stairs in bad lighting. Tyson and Angelina go up stairs and look at the various posters Milton produced and posted on his walls. Roman seeks a coffin in the basement and opens to find a fake skeleton with eyeballs in its sockets. It's a little scary to him but he manages. He hears a noise behind him and looks over while Jen calls him from up the stairs and hears a clanging sound for a couple seconds, but no Roman.Dewey and Gale are concerned about why Sydney hasn't showed up, so they recheck the phone call they received by dialing it and hear the ring tone in a closet within the living area, turn on the light to see the phone, the voice scrambler which has everyone's voices, and a Ghostface mask, implying the killer is at the mansion. Dewey arms Gale with a gun and they split up in different areas of the house, calling for the others. Dewey finds Tyson and informs him that Stab 3's back in production (the killer's on the hunt to kill off characters for real once more). Gale finds the basement door and calls for Roman and Jen, then goes down to the basement, opens the coffin, and finds Roman dead with a knife in his chest. This naturally sets Gale back and bumps into Jen, which gives them both a jump.Gale and Jen run upstairs looking for Dewey and find Angelina. They inform her Roman's dead. Angelina wants to leave, but Gale and Jen want to find the others. Angelina confirms she slept with Milton to get Sydney's part and doesn't want to die in vain with Gale and Jen. Dewey calls Gale from another room while Angelina panicking continues to run down the hallway, makes a right, and another left and runs right into the killer who stabs her to death. Gale and Jen hear Angelina's blood curdling scream and run down the same pathway and find her down stairs being dragged off screen.Gale and Jen finally run into Dewey and informs him Roman and Angelina are dead, just then the killer gets the drop on them and punches Dewey in the head. Gale and Jen run into the bedroom and find Tyson, while the killer tracks them down and pushes Tyson away. Dewey confronts the killer, gets slashed in the arm and punched again. Tyson gets physical with the killer and is stabbed in the abdomen. Jen decides to hide in the bathroom while Gale picks up a vase and throws it at the killer. Tyson is able to get up and run, yelling help and police (like anyone would hear it inside a closed windowed house). The killer, realizing he's still mobile, chases after Tyson and catches up with him, throwing him into a vase case, and out an open window with a balcony onto the brick patio killing Tyson as his head smacks against the pavement.Jen finds Milton's secret passage way in the house and walks down some steps, only to find the killer has as well and chases her up the stairs. Running from the killer, in the passage way, Jen finds Dewey in the bedroom and begins knocking on the tinted windows trying to get his attention, so he realizes someone's back there. The killer finally catches up and attacks her as Gale joins Dewey and they realize the mirrors are shaking, so Dewey begins shooting them out one at a time, only to realize by the last one Jen falls to her death through the broken window pane as Ghostface had already killed her and disappears.Dewey and Gale go back to the main section of the hallway and can't find Sydney who hasn't arrived yet. Meanwhile the killer attacks Gale while Dewey's away and they struggle right just outside the kitchen at the basement entrance to the house and falling backward through the open door and down the steps. Knocked out the killer lands on the bottom step while Gale is down on the basement floor and manages to get up only to realize the killer is in between her and her means of escaping. Dewey walks outside in the common area finding Tyson dead on the bricks and calls for Gale. From the basement, Gale hears him calling while the killer has a little reflex but not enough strength to wake up and passes out. Upstairs, Dewey receives a call from Gale downstairs, asking him to open the basement door, but is instantly suspicious since he fears the killer is once again using her voice to attract his attention. Gale insists it's really her speaking and he should just open the door. The killer finally wakes up at the bottom, just as Dewey opens the door and truthfully it was Gale talking him. Dewey tries to shoot the killer before Gale is attacked, but realizes he doesn't have any bullets, so the killer throws his knife up the steps at Dewey and luckily the handle part is the one that hits Dewey in the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall down the steps. Gale attends to him, while the killer flashes his knife standing before them.At the police station, everyone's working 2nd shift and Sydney's still in Kincaid's office, foot on the desk bored, confirming it was the killer who called Dewey and sent him, Gale, and Jen down to Milton's. She happens to see her file on Kincaid's desk and opens it to see dozens of articles, forms, and news clippings about the past 4 years from Maureen's death to now. She receives a call and hears herself like an echo. It's really the killer with the voice scrambler, who changes to his normal raspy voice and suggests that he has Gale and Dewey and wants Sydney at Milton's place ASAP. Sydney immediately wants to attract Kincaid's attention to the call, but the killer lets her know it's not happening and if she does, she won't see her friends alive again. She says "Where?" to which the killer says he'll let her know when she's on the road.Sydney opens Kincaid's drawer and grabs his backup gun. When Sydney arrives at the mansion, she checks on Tyson and realizes he's dead and looks around, just as the killer calls her and asks she run the metal detector over her body, which beeps at her ankle. The killer insists she remove the gun and throw it in the pool which Sydney does. The killer insists she join the party inside, which she suggests that she won't, but he keeps saying that Dewey and Gale are right inside and she should take a look. Gale and Dewey are hogtied and Sydney walks over to them and starts working on releasing Dewey and Gale from being taped up. Just then Ghostface creeps up behind Sydney as she turns and smacks her across the face and she falls. He's ready to stab her when she draws Kincaid's gun, pointing it at the killer and shoots a few shots. Sydney continues to start untaping Gale and Dewey and Gale looks up at where Ghostface fell and notices the masked killer's no longer there. Sydney looks over and sees that the killer's missing too and grabs the gun and looking around.Kincaid shows up, only to discover Sydney becomes suspicious of the fact he's alone and doesn't trust him. Diffusing the fear and intensity in Sydney's eyes, Kincaid withdraws his weapon to show good faith and calm her down. Ghostface pops out of nowhere, knocks out Sydney, and attacks Kincaid struggling with him, knife in hand, and Kincaid manages to overpower him, but not before the killer kicks him in the stomach and Kincaid loses balances, hits his head on the mantle of the fireplace, and falls to the ground. Sydney manages to get up and fires the gun at the killer who ducts, tries to fire again but the gun's out of bullets, so she throws it away and challenges the killer to chase after her. The killer draws his knife and lunges at her. Sydney manages to move out of his path and the killer falls through the window while Sydney runs down the main hallway, with the killer back up in hot pursuit. She runs into Milton's study, locks the door, and looks for a secret passage way access on the bookcases which she finds and enters Milton's private study, locking the door to the exit back. Sydney sees a movie on a screen of her mother and can hear her mother's voice, which again turns out to be the killer in the same white sheet with blood stains on it from the set. Upset, Sydney tries to escape but the killer locks up the safe room.The killer lays out the truth. She asks who he is, to which he informs her he's the other half of her - her sibling, in short. In his raspy voice, the killer tells her he searched for a mother too, an actress named Reina Reynolds, and when he finally tracked her down she turned him away, saying that she had a new life and a new name, that Reina doesn't exist anymore, and Sydney was the only child Maureen claimed. The killer suggests she wouldn't acknowledge her son, as he takes off his mask, revealing the killer to be Stab 3 Director Roman Bridger, back from the dead. Roman continues his story about how Maureen said Roman was Reina's child and Reina's dead, so he figured if Reina's truly dead, he'll make it real and begins stalking her, filming her every move, making a movie which shows the good and bad of Maureen Prescott. Roman talks about how Maureen was sleeping around, mentions Cotton which everybody knew, but then Billy's father - that's what he needed. He showed the film to Billy, which motivated and coached Billy on how to solve both their problems with a few tips including a partner (Stu), find someone to frame (Cotton), almost as if Billy was making the movie. Sydney concludes that Roman was responsible for everything the last 4 years, to which he suggests that he's a director, he directs, meaning he knows what sequence he wants for anything and will go through several organized plans to make it happen whether preparing for a scene or seeing someone executed premeditated. Roman informs Sydney he had no idea that Gale would write the book and the studio would make a movie about it, but is quite fascinated with the idea until he realizes they portrayed Sydney as the victim and the star of the movie which clearly pissed him off.Dewey finally gets loose, helps Gale, and they attend to Kincaid who's still managing and hands Dewey a gun and tells him to get the killer. Dewey and Gale start trying to break into the study with great success. Sydney acknowledges Roman's plan succeeded and the showdown shall continue with the villain Roman dying at Sydney's hand. Roman corrects her saying he's not the villain and Sydney is so she'll be no longer. He also reveals to her the hogtied Milton, suggests how Milton and his posse attacked Reina/Maureen, messed her up, made her a whore, and asks if Sydney hates Milton for what he did. Roman shows her he recorded a message he created using Sydney's voice threatening Milton. Milton attempts to bribe and beg Roman to spare his life. Roman slits his throat, while Sydney snaps and throws the responsibility on Roman who continues his rendition on how he intends to have Sydney framed for the murder and the other murders. Roman truly believes he's going to get away with this as he lays out why Sydney supposedly does the crimes. Sydney cuts him off, informing him the truth is that he's a whack job like every other she dealt with and he's responsible for his own actions, which Roman clearly can't handle facing the idea that she's right and he's going down. He gets pissed, have a loud argument, and Sydney and Roman begin to struggle.Meanwhile, Dewey and Gale look for a way inside the safe room, finally shorting the safe lock and the lights. Kincaid using a couple pins finds his own way in, opening another door and asks Sydney where the killer is. Unfortunately, Roman gets the drop on Kincaid and knocks him out. Roman looks over the cop, withdrawing Kincaid's weapon and make sure there isn't another weapon on him. Sydney grabs Roman's knife and confronts him, to which Roman responds that he has a gun and shoots her in the abdomen. He walks up to her and shoots in the chest and she passes out, supposedly dying. Roman grabs his knife as he hears Dewey and Gale calling for Sydney and threatening him if he harms her. While locking the other exit, he turns to Sydney only to discover she's missing. Off screen, she grabs an ice pick while Roman searches for her, flipping out that the same game he's playing is played on him while hearing that Dewey and Gale continue their efforts to unlock the door to the safe room. Roman decides to call Sydney's phone as a means to track her down, which works as it rings very close by. All of a sudden Sydney jumps out from behind the bar and stabs Roman who falls and turns toward her suggesting he thought he killed her. Sydney reveals she's wearing an LAPD standard issued bullet vest, Roman is amused, and Sydney concludes they must think alike and stabs Roman in the chest. Finally, Dewey and Gale bust into the safe room and see Sydney, kneeling over Roman, who's dressed in black cloak, stabbed, realizing that he was Ghostface this time around. Gale tends to Kincaid, who's wounded but still fine, while Dewey keeps a gun pointed on Roman. Roman reaches out to Sydney to hold her hand as he's supposedly dying. Dewey suggests she be careful since the killer always generally comes back for one last scare in a horror movie. Sydney suggests this isn't a movie at all, and low & behold Roman gets up, grabs a knife, starts screaming like a maniac, lunging at them, and Dewey fires his into Roman's chest, but to no avail apparently Roman definitely has his own vest and manages to stop the bullets before they reach his body. Sydney realizes this and yells to Dewey to shoot him in the head, which Dewey finally registers and shoots Roman point blank, killing him. Dewey thanks Sydney for her help as they look at Roman.At Sydney's house in secluded California, Dewey and Gale visit and look at the beautiful landscape from the house and watch Sydney walking back up to the property with her dog once more. Dewey asks Gale to sign "The Woodsborough Murders", which Gale thought he hated, but he insists. She opens the book's cover to realize it's just a fake book to disguise Dewey's engagement ring and he proposes. After some consideration of their differences and their time slots, Gale accepts and they kiss.Sydney opens up the gate, but noticeably doesn't close it and punch the code. At the house, she enters and is ready to arm the security system, but stops herself, debating on whether to let herself continue to live a controlled paranoid life or to live a little and take a chance. She chooses the latter as Kincaid, with arm in sling, walks in to greet her with popcorn and invites her for a movie in the living room. Sydney asks what kind of movie, to which Kincaid suggests she has to find out for herself as Dewey and Gale walk in too and have a seat. Sydney sighs and walks in when she hears the door open behind her and turns around to watch it swing open and wait for a sign that someone's after her, but nothing, only the wind blowing. Sydney turns and just grabs a seat and the screen goes back as the credits begin to roll. | comedy, mystery, murder, violence, humor, satire, revenge, prank | tt0134084 |
Enter the Matrix | The story begins with Niobe, captain of the Logos, and Ghost, her first mate, retrieving a package left in the Matrix by the crew of the recently destroyed rebel ship Osiris. After being pursued by Agents, Ghost and Niobe escape from the Matrix with the package, which turns out to be a message to the human city Zion, warning them that the machines are approaching with an army of Sentinels. Niobe and Ghost are tasked with calling the rest of the ships back to Zion to coordinate a defense.
With this in mind, the captains of the various ships hold a meeting in the Matrix to decide on how best to defend themselves. During the meeting, Agents attack the building they are in, although Niobe and Ghost are able to help their allies escape. They then encounter the Keymaker, a program capable of accessing any area in the Matrix, who leads them to safety through a door he created. The Keymaker gives the two a key that they are supposed to give to Neo. However, the key is stolen by henchmen of the Merovingian, a program created during the early days of the Matrix who now operates an illegal smuggling ring within the program. Ultimately, the Merovingian destroys the key, but Niobe and Ghost are able to escape, when the Keymaker realizes that it is too early for the key to be given to Neo.
Niobe later volunteers to go find the Nebuchadnezzar, the ship captained by Morpheus, upon which Neo serves, and the only ship yet to return to Zion. Upon finding the ship and its crew, and helping them escape from the Matrix, Niobe and Ghost agree to help in Neo's mission against the machines, agreeing to destroy a power plant. After this mission is completed, the Oracle, a program that often gives the humans advice, requests that the player character come and speak to her. After their conversation, the player is confronted by Agent Smith, a rogue Agent that seeks to destroy both the human and machine worlds. The player character barely escapes from the hundreds of Smith copies and the Matrix. Once out, the Logos is attacked by the machines. They defeat the machines by setting off an EMP, which disables their own ship in the process. The game ends with Niobe and Ghost waiting in the Logos, hoping that they will be rescued. The two wonder what's coming but believe that it will be "a hell of a ride."
=== Characters ===
Aside from Ghost and Niobe, there are numerous secondary characters in Enter The Matrix.
Sparks — the operator on the Logos; he gives players tips and information throughout the game.
Smith — a program that can absorb human bodies and humanoid programs to make copies of himself; he chases the player through an abandoned skyscraper, and later, Chinatown.
Agent Johnson — an agent who appears frequently during the game; Niobe defeats him by kicking him off a cargo plane, while Ghost defeats him by knocking him into a short-circuited computer server.
Agent Jackson — another agent with frequent appearances in the game; Ghost defeats him by blowing up his helicopter. Jackson also tries to kill Niobe and Ghost after the crew of the Caduceus is saved, but the two were unexpectedly saved by the Keymaker.
Agent Thompson — the least-featured Agent in the game, who only appears in cinematics; the only opportunity to fight him occurs at the end of Niobe's missions at the power plant.
The Oracle — a program within the Matrix who often helps the humans.
Seraph — a martial arts master who protects the Oracle; he fights Niobe or Ghost once during the events of the game.
Morpheus — a member of the rebels, Niobe's ex-boyfriend, and captain of the Nebuchadnezzar.
Trinity — another rebel, a good friend of Ghost, to whom she refers as "dear brother"; first mate on the Nebuchadnezzar.
Neo — the most important rebel; Morpheus believes he is "The One".
Cmdr. Locke — leader of the Zion defence forces; Niobe's current boyfriend.
Axel, Soren, Ballard, Bane, Vector, Binary, Ice, Corrupt and Malachi — rebels encountered during the game.
The Keymaker — an old program who guides players through certain portions of the game.
The Trainman — carries multiple wristwatches on his arms; he controls the link between the Matrix and the machine city, and works for the Merovingian.
The Merovingian — an old program that has gone rogue in the Matrix; he has a chateau in the mountains wherein he has the Keymaker imprisoned; his henchmen are from early Matrix programs, and are rumored to be "vampires" and "werewolves".
Persephone — wife of the Merovingian; often betrays him out of spite.
Cain and Abel — two henchmen of the Merovingian.
Vlad — the black-clad, pale-skinned leader of the Merovingian's vampires; he is killed by Niobe, who stabs him through the heart with a wooden stake.
Cujo — the leader of the Merovingian's werewolves; he is killed by being impaled on a wooden stake in the dungeons of the chateau.
The Twins — employees of the Merovingian, they are encountered as the player leaves the chateau; they chase the players down a long tunnel, before they are finally evaded.
Sewing Woman — a character featured in the multiplayer mode of the game. | good versus evil, psychedelic, alternate reality, neo noir, violence | tt0277828 |
Konga | A plane crashes somewhere in Africa and a famous biologist Dr. Charles Decker (Michael Gough) is thought killed. A year later, he re-appears back to London, safe and sound with a pet monkey. He tells everyone that he stayed with a tribe and discovered something fantastic while recovering there.Not one to rest and wait around, the Doctor tells his assistant Margaret (Margo Johns) that he wants to start working on his new idea right away. They begin by planting carnivorous plants in their laboratory, for his experiments.The doctor goes back to teaching and hires one of his students to help him in class, Sandra Banks (Claire Gordon), but Sandras would be boyfriend is a bit jealous.Taking some of the leaves of the carnivorous plants, the doctor perfects a serum. He gives it to his monkey pet Konga. The small monkey grows as big as a chimpanzee.The dean of the college (Austin Trevor) is not happy with what the doctor told the press. It infuriates the doctor. He goes back to his lab and gives Konga another dose, this time turning him into a gorilla. He hypnotizes Konga and has him kill Dean Foster.Margaret puts two and two together and for his love, she agrees to keep things quiet.Another professor was on the brink of publishing the same theory to the world and for refusing to have a join venture, Konga kills the professor.On a field trip, Sandras boyfriend tells the professor how he feels and later Konga kills him too. To help cope with what happened to her boyfriend, the Doctor invites Sandra for sinner. He later tells her how he feels about her and he wants her to come to Africa with him. Margaret hears and sees what is happening and gives Konga another dose. She tries to hypnotize him and fails. Konga grows into a 25-foot gorilla and kills her.While the doctor is trying to persuade Sandra and she's trying to get away from him, Konga grabs the doctor and leaves toward the center of London. Sandra tries to escape, but a carnivorous plant grabs her arm and begins eating her.The police and the army are frantic to get the large beast out of London. They kill the beast, but not before Konga kills the doctor. Konga reverts to what he was and both he and the doctor are dead on the streets of London. | murder | tt0055058 |
The Prowler | It is the end of the second World War and newsreel footage shows us the troops returning from Europe onboard the Queen Mary.In a letter dated March 12, 1945 and sent to her lover abroad, a woman named Rosemary writes that she can no longer wait for him. She tells him that so much has happened and that perhaps they can be friends upon his return.On the evening of June 28, 1945 in the small seaside New Jersey town of Avalon Bay, the townspeople hold it's graduation dance. G.I.s escort their girlfriends to the ball. Inside, the class of '45 are swinging to the orchestra's music.Rosemary (Joy Glaccum) is attending with her new boyfriend Roy (Timothy Wahrer). The two decide to go off by themselves and drive to a lake where they spend some romantic time together in a gazebo. Lights are strung up around the gazebo and along the small nearby walk-bridge. Ominously, someone approaches the couple and cuts the power. The stranger is wearing full combat gear and carrying a pitchfork. As Rosemary and Roy embrace, she looks up and sees the pitchfork over them. Rosemary screams and the stranger plunges it through the both of them...and then leaves a long-stemmed red rose in the dead woman's hand. The revelers are oblivious back at the dance.35 years later. The town prepares for its graduation dance once again. There hasn't been one since that fateful night. Pam MacDonald (Vicky Dawson) stops by to see Sheriff George Fraser (Farley Granger) and they discuss the event. The discussion turns to the invalid Major Chatham (Lawrence Tierney), a fellow World War II veteran, over his refusal to allow the annual celebrations after the murders all those years ago. Sheriff Fraser tells Pam that someone has robbed a store in the nearby town of Columbus and then cut up a kid and took his car.Authorities there are afraid the killer is headed towards Avalon. Despite that possibility, the sheriff is leaving town to go fishing. He puts Mark London (Christopher Goutman), his deputy, in charge. Before Sheriff Fraser takes off, he stops by a convenience store owned by Pat Kingsley (John Seitz). One of the employees is Otto (Bill Hugh Collins), a strange "slow" fellow whom the sheriff seems to mistrust.Pam and Mark have an attraction for each other and go on a lunch date. She shows him an article she wrote about the return of the graduation dance and tells Mark she's concerned about his safety. Pam also tells her roommate Sherry (Lisa Dunsheath) that she's worried about the Columbus killer. Sherry tries to calm her friend's nerves while the other girls in the dormitory are excitedly preparing for the dance. Lisa (Cindy Weintraub) even flashes Major Chatham, who's sitting in his wheelchair in the house across from them.As Pam is putting the finishing touches on her outfit, someone else is getting ready too. But this person is putting on a military combat uniform, complete with a bayonet, hunting knife, and a sawed-off double-barrelled 12-gauge shotgun.Sherry gets into the shower, and before Pam heads out, she asks Sherry if she should wait. Sherry tells her to leave because she's waiting for her boyfriend Carl (David Sederholm). When Carl shows up, he surprises Sherry in the shower. Hoping to have a little fun before they leave, he goes into the bedroom to undress. Suddenly, an intruder grabs him from behind and plunges the bayonet through Carl's head until the other end comes out of his neck. The force is so great that the victim's eyes roll back into his head. Sherry is still in the shower when she sees someone through the curtain approaching. She thinks it's Carl... until the killer (wearing a military helmet and with a gas mask covering his face) pulls the curtain open and is holding a pitchfork. As Sherry screams, he lunges it under her breasts. He then lifts her up as he sticks the pitchfork in further killing her.At the party, Pam is happy to see Mark when he arrives. But before she can talk to him, Lisa pulls him away to dance. Pam stands by the cocktails, frustrated and annoyed. When Mark comes over to talk to her, Lisa follows him. Tipsy from the alcohol, she knocks into him and he spills some liquor on Pam's dress. Pam is furious and heads back to the dorm to change her outfit.When Pam gets to her room, she hears the shower running. Still thinking that Sherry is in the shower, she closes the door. Little does she know that Sherry is dead and that the killer is still in the bathroom. The room is dark enough that she doesn't see Carl's blood on the bed. She changes and then leaves. But as she's going down the stairs, she hears something. Pam looks up at the top of the stairs and sees a dark figure... what looks like a G.I. wearing a gas mask. She gets creeped out and runs through the dorm.There's no one around and just as the killer comes near her, Pam makes it outside. She knocks right into Major Chatham in his wheelchair, who grabs her arm. She breaks free and finds Mark. When she tells him that someone has been chasing her, he takes his flashlight and searches around the dorm. Mark doesn't find anything besides wheelchair marks on the ground which lead to the sidewalk.He returns to his car where Pam is waiting for him - and she tells him to check the dorm because Sherry and Carl are still in there. Mark goes inside and towards the bedroom but the door is locked. He doesn't see that there are two dead bodies in the tub.Pam and Mark go to Major Chatham's house. It's dark and the old man is nowhere to be found. The killer is in the house and he watches them from an upstairs window. During their search, Pam finds an old scrapbook and discovers that Chatham's dead daughter's middle name was Rosemary. She was the girl killed 35 years ago.The two then go back to the dance, where they tell Miss Allison (Donna Davis) about the prowler on the campus. The teacher tells the students they should stay put and not go out until the person has been apprehended. That message comes too late for Lisa.Angry that her date Paul has been puking in the bathroom, she's gone to the pool for a late night swim. After doing a few laps, Lisa ascends the stairs of the pool to go back to the party. The killer is standing above her and kicks her in the face. Shocked by the attack, Lisa tries to swim away but is unable to get her bearings. The killer then jumps into the pool, comes up from behind her, takes his bayonet... and slices her neck. Her body falls lifelessly to the bottom of the pool.Paul wants to leave the dance and find Lisa but the teachers won't let him. He's so drunk and rowdy that he gets thrown out. Mark and Pam take him to the police station house, where Mark puts him in a jail cell.Meanwhile, Mr. Kingsley organizes an armed posse of several men to search the neighborhood for the prowler. Otto is given a rifle and invited to come along with them.Told that the local cemetery has been desecrated, Mark and Pam head out to see what's happened. When they get there, they find Rosemary Chatham's grave dug up. They open the coffin and find Lisa's body in it.Meanwhile, Miss Allison has left to see if she can find Lisa. She sees blood in the pool and panics. As she tries to run away, the killer grabs her and thrusts the bayonet into her neck.Mark tries to reach Sheriff Fraser at the lodge he's staying at but can't get in touch with him when the overweight and lazy front desk clerk refuses to place a call to his cabin, claiming that the sheriff is not there. Before heading back to Major Chatham's house, Mark tries to drop Pam off at the dance. She refuses and insists on going with him. When they get to Major Chatham's house, Mark leaves her for a moment and is knocked unconscious by the killer.Pam spies a necklace dangling from inside the fireplace and tries to pull it out. Still in her graduation dance dress, Rosemary's skeleton falls out of the chimney. Pam tries to find Mark but is confronted by the killer. She runs through the house trying to get away and hides under a bed. The madman is now in the same room. Pam makes every attempt to be still... even as a rat comes near her. Finally, Pam gets up and runs out of the room. She manages to get the pitchfork away from the killer and holds it up for protection as he comes near her.Just then, Otto, the clerk from Kingsley's convenience store, enters the room and shoots the prowler with his hunting rifle. Seconds later, the killer takes out his double-barreled shotgun and shoots Otto in the chest who falls dead. As the killer reloads the shotgun to shoot Pam, she stabs the prowler in the back with the pitchfork and they struggle for the shotgun. The wounded murderer pulls his mask off and Pam is horrified to see who it is. It's been Sheriff Fraser all along. Pam gets the upper hand, points the shotgun at his head and fires... exploding it to bits.The next morning, Pam returns to the dorm, she goes into the bathroom in her bedroom and opens the shower door. The shower is still running and Sherry's body is still on the floor of the tub and Carl is hanging from the shower head by his tie. Suddenly, Carl's corpse reaches out to grab her. She screams and the screen cuts to black. | cruelty, murder, cult, violence, horror, flashback, insanity, romantic, suspenseful, sadist | tt0082951 |
Bull Durham | "Crash" Davis (Costner), a veteran of 12 years in minor league baseball, is sent down to the single-A Durham Bulls for a specific purpose: to educate hotshot rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin LaLoosh (Robbins, playing a character loosely based on Steve Dalkowski) about becoming a major-league talent, and to control Ebby's haphazard pitching. Crash immediately begins calling Ebby by the degrading nickname of "Meat", and they get off to a rocky start.
Thrown into the mix is Annie (Sarandon), a "baseball groupie" and lifelong spiritual seeker who has latched onto the "Church of Baseball" and has, every year, chosen one player on the Bulls to be her lover and student. Annie flirts with both Crash and Ebby and invites them to her house, but Crash walks out, saying he's too much a veteran to "try out" for anything. Before he leaves, Crash further sparks Annie's interest with a memorable speech listing the things he "believes in", ending with "I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days... Good night".
Despite some animosity between them, Annie and Crash work, in their own ways, to shape Ebby into a big-league pitcher. Annie plays mild bondage games, reads poetry to him, and gets him to think in different ways (and gives him the nickname "Nuke"). Crash forces Nuke to learn "not to think" by letting the catcher make the pitching calls (memorably at two points telling the batters what pitch is coming after Nuke rejects his calls), and lectures him about the pressure of facing major league hitters who can hit his "heat" (fastballs). Crash also talks about the pleasure of life in "The Show" (Major League Baseball), which he briefly lived for "the 21 greatest days of my life" and to which he has tried for years to return.
Meanwhile, as Nuke matures, the relationship between Annie and Crash grows, until it becomes obvious that the two of them are a more appropriate match, except for the fact that Annie and Nuke are currently a couple.
After a rough start, Nuke becomes a dominant pitcher by mid-season. By the end of the movie, Nuke is called up to the majors. This incites jealous anger in Crash, who is frustrated by Nuke's failure to recognize all the talent he was blessed with. Nuke leaves for the big leagues, Annie ends their relationship, and Crash overcomes his jealousy to leave Nuke with some final words of advice. The Bulls, now having no use for his mentor, release Crash.
Crash then presents himself at Annie's house and the two consummate their attraction with a weekend-long lovemaking session. Crash then leaves Annie's house to seek a further minor-league position.
Crash joins another team, the Asheville Tourists, and breaks the minor-league record for career home runs. We see Nuke one last time, being interviewed by the press as a major leaguer, reciting the clichéd answers that Crash had taught him earlier. Crash then retires as a player and returns to Durham, where Annie tells him she's ready to give up her annual affairs with "boys". Crash tells her that he is thinking about becoming a manager for a minor-league team in Visalia. The film ends with Annie and Crash dancing in Annie's candle-lit living room. | philosophical | tt0094812 |
Dark Passage | Guy escapes prison (Humphrey Bogart) See? Girl (Lauren Bacall) gives refuge to guy. Got that? Yeah. . .
The exciting scénics of San Francisco become the backdrop for the ensuing manhunt. The escaped con is often recognized and suspected, heightening his wish to flee and hide detection, taking us with him through his Dark Passage into and out of film noir. He is able to do so but must brave a medical metamorphosis and battle the intervening finger of fate that slates him against the quirks of manipulators and those who would see him behind bars in a shake of this finger. Is he guilty? --no. San Francisco creates a symphony of noir elements with a twist. What. . .? A happy ending you say? Of course. It's Bogie and Bacall, likely the only couple to make it out of film noir alive, together in Peru and with a pretty colored tropical drink in hand, in B&W, of course. | murder, atmospheric | tt0039302 |
The Good Mother | This film is about a recently divorced mother, Anna, and how she copes and moves on with her life. Anna is from a family of some wealth and required obedience. She has learned most of what she would like to be from her Aunt Babe, a free-spirited, physically secure, and mouthy young woman. Babe becomes pregnant out of wedlock, is sent to Europe to finish her pregnancy and give up her child, and comes home only to try to resolve and hide from her downfalls at the bottom of a bottle. Babe drowns one night and it is uncertain if it was accidental or purposeful. Anna was considered a conformist at an early age and yearned to be more like Babe. Once her role model is gone, Anna continues with following form.Anna describes her marriage and sex life as rigid, and her attitude towards her husband as frigid. Her ex-husband remarries almost immediately which makes Anna all the more insecure, feeling easily replaced and commonplace. Then she meets an artist from Ireland, Leo, and becomes enveloped in his zest for life, his ability to make every aspect of life interesting, sensual, loving, and his natural beauty and compassion. Suddenly Anna feels like a desirable woman and invites Leo into every facet of her life, including her young daughter, Molly.
Anna had been raising Molly to understand and be secure with herself and her body, reading her books about the differences in gender and from where babies come. Leo is comfortable and nurturing with Molly and genuinely cares for his new family. One night Molly has a bad dream and goes into Anna's room while she and Leo are having sex. They stop while she tells of her bad dream and falls asleep. From the way the scene ends it does not appear that they continue although they don't deny it later.Anna's ex-husband, Brian, shows up at her house to inform her that he is filing for full-custody because of allegations that Leo has been inappropriate with Molly. We learn that Molly came into the bathroom while Leo was showering and saw him naked. She was curious and asked if she could touch him to understand the difference between male and female. Leo allowed her to since he understood that she was a curious child who was beginning to understand physicality and sexual nature. Brian does not know to any extent about Anna's educational book and misinterprets what Molly says happened. In court the lawyers place blame on Leo, who takes it hoping to end legal matters and keep Molly with Anna. He explains that it was a mistake, that he thought it was in keeping with Anna's parenting, since she had bathed with Molly and was very open with her. A counselor agrees that Leo should have known better but he believes that Molly hasn't been abused and is a very well adjusted and happy child, particularly with Anna and Leo. In the end the judge gives custody to Brian and Anna's relationship with Leo ends. She does not fight for her child although an appeal was an option. She only sees Molly on alternate weekends and holidays. One of her loves was taken away and the other she pushed away. | romantic, flashback | tt0095238 |
Subsets and Splits