Escape from Extinction


            
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Prime Suspect

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Elizabeth I


            A shady character, Colin (Paul Freeman -Raiders of the Lost Ark), carrying a suitcase of money pockets a couple handfuls of cash before making the delivery. In a country farmhouse the three men dividing the money in the case are attacked by gunmen. Outside a pub Colin's accomplices are abducted and killed. Colin is later murdered at a swimming pool.The leading gangster in the London underworld (Harold Shand - Bob Hoskins in his breakout movie role) is forming an alliance with a group of rich, shady Americans to fund the very profitable London docklands development of the 1980s.On Good Friday while Shand's mother attends church, her waiting driver is killed when her car explodes. The news of this is an outrage to Shand who is shocked at the declining code of conduct among the underworld. This decline parallels the decline of his empire throughout the film. He is given 24 hours to fix the situation or the Americans will walk away from the deal.Shand is further unnerved at the news of his friend Colin's murder as well as the discovery of a bomb (which fails to detonate) at his casino. He covers up Colin's murder, the car bomb, and the later explosion of a restaurant where he is about to dine. He frantically rounds up and coerces informants and underworld bosses in an attempt to discover who is behind these events and what they want. He is brutal but he believes his behavior is within civilized boundaries.Throughout he laments the decline of neighborhoods, respect for the church, respect for his power, England's economy, and honor among thieves. At the same time he professes to be appreciative of history, of what has been great about England, and is driven to build great things on the site of now idle dockyards.Shand finds out that the bombings are caused by the IRA in revenge for Colin's having stolen the relatively small sum of 5,000. We also learn that the three men from the farmhouse at the beginning were also IRA. The IRA has connected Shand to Colin even though Colin was moonlighting as a courier without Shand's knowledge. Shand's top man tells him there is no fighting the IRA as they don't care about money ("they're fanatics") and that even if you kill them dozens more will always be ready to take their place. The IRA is taking over his empire and there is nothing he can do about it.In a last attempt to end the fight Shand meets with the IRA under pretense of paying them off with 60,000 but he murders them instead. However, the Americans walk away from the deal anyway, dismissing Shand as a gangster. Shand lectures them on how they have no guts or vision and that he will deal with the Germans instead and not be stopped by them. But Shand is abducted by the IRA as he leaves the meeting and his downfall is complete.
    

The Long Good Friday


            The movie starts in the year 1947 with Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) in his bathtub, writing a script on a typewriter. At this point in time, he is an established screenwriter in Hollywood. We next see Trumbo on set as the film he wrote is shot. He attends a party with Edward G. Robinson (Michael Stuhlbarg). Trumbo goes to the movies and watches a film reel where gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren), speaks of many in Hollywood being Communists, showing Trumbo as an example; the House Un-American Activities Committee has been formed to investigate. After the film is over, a patron recognizes Trumbo and throws his soda at him.Back at his ranch, Dalton's young daughter Niki asks him if he's a Communist. He tells her it's not against the law and he simply wants a better government. He gives her the analogy if she saw someone at school who didn't have a lunch, would she share hers or tell the student to get a job? Dalton and others, including Arlen Hird (Louis C.K.) meet with Edward G. Robinson at his mansion; they discuss the scare tactics Congress is stirring up. At a meeting for the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, John Wayne gives a speech vilifying the Commies and declaring that they need to answer some questions. Arlen and Trumbo hand out pamphlets on free speech but John Wayne argues with them and ostentatiously tears one up while Hedda Hopper looks on. Trumbo points out that he served in the military but John Wayne hasn't - the closest experience he had was on a film set, wearing makeup. Hedda Hopper hints that she will put the exchange in her next column.Trumbo goes to MGM Studios and meets with Louis B. Mayer who tells him that his next deal is going to make him the highest paid writer in Hollywood. But Mayer points out Trumbo has been featured in Hedda Hopper's new column and says he doesn't want to see an article like that again. Trumbo suggests he stop reading Hedda Hopper.Trumbo and his friends and family gather at his ranch. They mention Trumbo's record-breaking, three-year contract with MGM. Trumbo's wife, Cleo (Diane Lane), demonstrates her juggling skills at her daughter's urging. We learn she was an acrobat as a child. The party is interrupted by a man who serves a subpoena to Trumbo, suggesting he and others in Hollywood are using the movies to corrupt democracy and overthrow the nation. We see some news reels of the hearings, then hear Trumbo and the others deciding to answer questions ambiguously. Some worry this will be contempt of court but someone else points out that they can appeal and the Supreme Court will side with them there's a five to four liberal majority who will agree the Committee is unconditional. In court, Trumbo is one of ten forced to testify along with Arlen, who is hesitant and can't afford the legal fees. Trumbo offers to cover him.In the U.S. Capitol, the hearings take place. Trumbo is defiant of the questioning, pointing out he hasn't been accused of a crime. Arlen follows suit, responding to questions with humor. Outside, Arlen admits to Trumbo he has recently found out he has lung cancer. The Hollywood 10 that testified are charged with contempt of Congress. At MGM, Hedda Hopper meets with Louis B. Mayer. She threatens to name him as a supporter if he doesn't fire Trumbo and the others, reminding him of her days as an actress when he tried to force her to have sex with him. Cut to Louis B. Mayer announcing he is dissolving ties to any of the Hollywood 10 under contract at MGM.At Edward G. Robinson's mansion, he collects money for a defense fund for the Hollywood 10. Trumbo realizes Robinson has sold one of his paintings to help fund the cause. The group is found guilty of contempt of Congress. Trumbo's lawyer tells the press the Supreme Court will side with his defendant. Privately, Trumbo admits he is now broke since his three-year contract was annulled the defense is going to cost him $90,000. Trumbo gets to work writing a new screenplay. Buddy Ross, a Hollywood producer, agrees to produce the films Trumbo is writing, independently, as soon as the court case finishes. Trumbo asks him if he would ever name names if he was on trial for being a Democrat Buddy says he wouldn't.Trumbo continues to write but just can't put his own name on his work. He instead gives the credit to Ian McLellan Hunter (Alan Tudyk) and asks him to sell it to the studio in exchange for 30 percent of the payout. The script he's written is Roman Holiday. Meanwhile, contractors are working on the ranch; one mentions to Cleo that they haven't been paid. Right then, Trumbo enters, declaring that he and Cleo are rich - Roman Holiday just sold to Paramount. Cleo is distracted though because one of the liberal judges on the Supreme Court has died, right after another liberal Supreme Court judge. There now is no longer a liberal majority and their appeal is going to be denied, securing the prison sentence that they were given.Trumbo reports to prison for his one-year sentence. He does his best to get along with other prisoners but feels very out of place. Outside, Edward G. Robinson is being questioned at the U.S. Capitol about whether or not he had political meetings attended by Communists at his home. He is asked to name names and Edward does, naming many including Arlen Hird and Dalton Trumbo. Unknown to him, Hopper contemptuously still wants Edward kept on the blacklist regardless of his cooperation, but John Wayne is outraged at this potential double cross for someone he felt did the right thing and successfully demands Hopper to now leave Edward alone.Time goes by. Trumbo feels some measure of satisfaction as he finds J. Parnell Thomas (James DuMont), the senator who interrogated him so harshly at the congressional hearings, a fellow prisoner after being convicted of tax evasion. We see news footage of the Rosenberg espionage trial, where a couple is found guilty of selling atomic secrets to Russia. And of Joseph McCarthy focusing on uncovering Communists in the United States. Trumbo is released from prison and reunites with his kids, who are now much older (Niki is now played by Elle Fanning). His house has been sold. Trumbo runs into Buddy Ross at a restaurant but Buddy blows him off.Arlen suggests they sue the studios but Trumbo suggests they instead make money by continuing to write screenplays. He visits Frank King (John Goodman) at King Brother Pictures, which creates B-movies. Frank says they can't afford him but Trumbo agrees to write screenplays at the same rate as other writers they've hired and will have it done in three days. Trumbo locks himself in the bathtub and bangs out a script. When the script is delivered, Frank loves it. He pays Trumbo and then asks Trumbo to fix other scripts they've had. Trumbo and his family move into a new home. A neighbor has written a note, calling him a traitor, and vandalizing his pool.Roman Holiday is a huge hit. Trumbo continues banging out scripts for the King Brothers who want quantity over quality. He's overwhelmed by the demand so he gets Frank to hire Arlen Hird and Ian McLellan Hunter, who is now blacklisted despite getting an Oscar nomination for Roman Holiday (which Trumbo actually wrote). Trumbo asks his family for their help in keeping the business going they will answer the phone and if they are asked for one of Trumbo's pseudonyms, he will take the call. They'll hand over scripts to messengers at their door based on what name they're under. And Cleo and Niki will make deliveries. Niki is concerned because she's consumed with schoolwork and civil rights projects.Frank King has issues with Arlen's script but assigns Dalton to fix it, despite him not getting paid for rewrites. Arlen is embarrassed to be writing crappy screenplays and keeps integrating political themes into his works. He points out that he was nominated for a Pulitzer and Trumbo won a National Book Award. Trumbo tells Arlen about an idea he has for a screenplay about a bullfighter. Later, the Oscars telecast is on and Roman Holiday wins Best Screenplay. Buddy Ross calls Trumbo at home and asks if it's true that he had actually written Roman Holiday he needs a script and wants to hire Trumbo. Arlen and Trumbo argue, with Trumbo saying if they continue to work despite being blacklisted, they win. Arlen saying he wants to make changes, not just get money and accolades.Jumping forward in time, it's now Niki's 16th birthday. Trumbo is locked in the bathroom, working on a script. Niki tries to get him to come downstairs for cake and he yells at her for interrupting him while he is working. She runs off in tears. Cleo comforts her as she complains about her father.Dalton finds out Arlen has finally died from the cancer. Trumbo attends the funeral, then visits Edward G. Robinson to tell him the news. His walls are now adorned with paintings. Trumbo wants to repay the money Edward gave them for their defense fund, so they're not indebted to him (after he named their names). Edward explains he just wanted his life back. Dalton tells him he didn't have to give names since Congress had no right to demand it of him. Edward tells him he probably shaved years off Arlen's life by forcing him to commit contempt against Congress. In a restaurant, Hedda Hopper approaches Trumbo. She asks him to solidify the rumor that he's been writing popular screenplays under false names. He refuses to give her an exclusive. Hedda reveals that Buddy Ross named names behind closed doors, including Trumbo's.Trumbo asks his son to deliver a script to a film set in Agoura, 50 miles away. Niki points out Chris has a date that night. Trumbo suggests Niki does it instead but she is going to be protesting racial segregation. He is adamant she deliver the script first; she refuses and rushes off. Trumbo then forces Chris to abandon his plans to go to the movies. Niki doesn't come out that night.Cleo tells Trumbo that when she was younger, she chose Trumbo over another boyfriend because that other boyfriend would have been an abusive father. She tells Trumbo he's losing them, always barking orders after returning from prison instead of talking to them like he used to. He is defensive and she tells him she won't let anybody bully their children. Trumbo finds Niki at a protest. He apologizes for being so aggressive but lately he's wired just to fight. Niki says she always wanted to be just like her father; Trumbo says she is. She forgives him.The IASTE Union Leader, Roy Brewer, visits Frank King and tells him he knows hes employing Trumbo and other Communists. He threatens to expose the King Brothers, which would result in protests and boycotts. Frank responds by picking up a baseball bat and smashing things, telling Roy he isn't afraid of boycotts; all of his movies are garbage. He says he is in film for the money and the pussy and if Roy takes that away from him, he won't sue him but he'll beat him to death with the bat. Roy runs off. Trumbo arrives with a new script, The Brave One, using his bullfighter idea. He explains to Frank that it's too good to be made on the cheap.Months later, the film comes out and the family goes to see it although it's credited as being written by Robert Rich. Later, the screenplay is nominated for an Academy Award. But unlike Roman Holiday, which was accredited to his friend, there is no Robert Rich to get the credit if it wins. And it does. Hedda Hopper storms the Motion Picture Alliance Offices and demands Roy Brewer tells her who Robert Rich is, hoping it's not who she thinks it is. Journalists interview Trumbo, asking if he's Robert Rich. He is ambiguous in response. Kirk Douglas comes to visit, asking if Trumbo can work on the script of his new movie. He does, it's called Spartacus and credited to Sam Jackson. Hedda meets with Kirk and threatens to send him to court if he hired Dalton Trumbo. Kirk says he doesn't like the way things are and isn't scared of Hedda.Otto Preminger, the director, has read Trumbo's Spartacus script and wants to hire him to write Exodus for Paul Newman to star in. He waits impatiently during Christmas morning, forcing Trumbo to write pages of the script. He doesn't like the work and says if he keeps it up, he'll put Trumbo's real name on the script to shame him. More new pages and Otto demands the work be more genius. Trumbo says if every scene is is brilliant, the work will be monotonous. Otto tells him to write every scene brilliant and he'll direct unevenly. Kirk visits and asks for some new revisions on the Spartacus script. Trumbo can't begin working on it again for another week. He tells Kirk that Otto said that if he keeps up that level of work, he'll see to it that his name is on the movie twisting his words to make it seem like Otto might give him a screen credit. He then tells Otto that Kirk came by and they discussed him getting a screen credit on Spartacus.On the set of Spartacus, the head of Universal tells Kirk that Hedda Hopper is predicting a boycott unless they fire Trumbo. Meanwhile, the King Brothers have several lawsuits against them from writers claiming that they are Robert Rich and wrote The Brave One. In order to settle the cases, they have to reveal Trumbo was the real writer. Niki points out that the neighbor that had called Trumbo a traitor upon moving in has seen Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger visit and has already figured out Trumbo is writing all of these scripts with mysterious writers. Trumbo will legally be tied to the film and will receive the Oscar. Trumbo admits that he is Robert Rich to a news reporter. He uses this as an opportunity to point that the House Un-American Activities Committee has yet to expose any Communist conspiracies or write any laws yet invested millions of dollars in their investigation. The only thing they've accomplished is keeping people from working. Yet he still managed to win two Academy Awards. Trumbo is able to use this interview to turn public opinion against the blacklist. In response, Otto announces his new film is written by Dalton Trumbo. Kirk also demands that the head of Universal announce Trumbo wrote their screenplay, as well. When he refuses, Kirk threatens to leave the film despite already having shot half the movie (meaning those millions of dollars would have been wasted).Right before its release, Hedda threatens a mass protest of Spartacus unless Trumbo's name is removed. When the Universal head refuses, she threatens it will be the end of his studio. Nonetheless, the film premieres with Trumbo's name in the credits. Cleo begins to cry, stating that it's all over now (i.e., the blacklisting). President John F. Kennedy is asked about his thoughts on Spartacus and the controversy. He responds that he thinks it's going to be a big hit, indirectly supporting Trumbo and denouncing the blacklist. Hedda Hopper, at home, glares at the television, humiliated at her defeat.In March 1970, Dalton Trumbo is given the Writers' Guild of America's Laurel Award. In his speech, he notes that the blacklist was a time of evil but people shouldn't think of the people involved as heroes or villains but every single one of them, victims.Title cards say that Trumbo received his Oscar for The Brave one in 1975, and died a year later at age 70. Cleo accepted an Oscar awarded posthumously for Roman Holiday in 1993, and she died in 2009. Hundreds of Hollywood names were blacklisted, and thousands more unfairly targeted. Teachers, soldiers, government workers and their families suffered terrible losses including suicides. The House Un-American Activities committee continued their investigations until 1975.
    

Trumbo


            The film opens with a London gangster, Albert Spica, arriving at his posh restaurant, La Hollandais, with his entourage of thugs and a man who owes him money. While his thugs hold the man down, Albert smears dog excrement on the him and forces some into his mouth. He leaves the man behind and enters the restaurant's kitchen, where he berates and bullies some of the staff, much to the annoyance of the restaurant's manager and head chef, Richard. Albert has also brought his long-suffering wife, Georgina, with him, whom he also subjects to continual verbal abuse. Meanwhile, Albert's victim is brought into the restaurant and tended to by some of the staff.Albert comes to the restaurant each night and holds court with his entourage and Georgina, while criticizing Richard's menu choices. Georgina notices a quiet regular customer, Michael, who is always reading. The two begin a clandestine affair with most encounters occurring in the restaurant itself. Georgina believes that if she engages in her affair in Albert's place of business, it will be easier to keep hidden from her husband.One night, Albert becomes furious when Georgina doesn't return to dinner - she and Michael are having sex in a back room of the kitchen while Richard hides their tryst from Albert. Albert rushes into the kitchen looking for her and Richard hides them naked in the freezer. He returns for them a few minutes later, after Albert has left the kitchen and offers them a way to sneak out of the restaurant together; they're both hidden in the back of a truck full of rotting meat and driven to Michael's home. Once there, they are cleaned off by one of the restaurant staff and remain, hiding from Albert. However, back at the restaurant, Albert is correctly suspicious that Georgina is having an affair and, after ransacking the kitchen, vows to find the mystery lover and eat him.One of Albert's henchmen, Cory, catches sight of a young boy, Pup, leaving the restaurant with a basket full of food (it is for the hiding lovers). Cory reports to Albert, who orders his men to capture Pup. He tortures the young boy, hospitalizing him. Georgina rushes to the hospital to visit Pup, which was a ruse to lure her away from Michael. Albert finds Michael at home and tortures him by having pages of his books stuffed down his throat, eventually killing him.Georgina discovers that Albert has murdered Michael. She goes to Richard and asks him to cook Michael and serve his body to Albert. Richard is initially reluctant but Georgina is able to convince him, considering Albert's deplorable treatment of everyone around him, including herself and Richard.Albert is invited to the restaurant, which announces a private party for him. When he arrives, Georgina greets him and a procession enters from the kitchen made up of everyone whom Albert has offended or harmed. The procession is carrying a long, covered tray, which is placed in front of Albert. Georgina removes the cover and Albert is horrified to see the roasted body of Michael on the tray. Albert's assistant, Mitchel, grabs a knife but is easily subdued by a few of the guests. Albert attempts to draw his pistol but is easily disarmed. The gun is passed around to a few of the guests and is finally given to Georgina, who points it at Albert and orders him to eat from Michael's body. Very reluctantly and thoroughly sickened, Albert takes a forkful of flesh and eats. After a few moments, Georgina shoots and kills Albert who falls backwards. Her last word is "Cannibal."
    

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover


            In a series of flashbacks throughout the film, Maria Altmann recalls the arrival of Nazi forces in Vienna, and the subsequent suppression of the Jewish community and the looting and pillaging conducted by the Nazis against Jewish families. Seeking to escape before the country is completely shut off, Maria Altmann and members of her family attempt to flee to the United States. While Altmann and her husband are successful in their escape, she is forced to abandon her parents in Vienna.
In the present, living in Los Angeles, a now elderly and widowed Altmann attends the funeral for her sister. She discovers letters in her sister's possession dating to the late 1940s, which reveal an attempt to recover artwork owned by the Altmann family that was left behind during the family's flight for freedom and subsequently stolen by the Nazis. Of particular note is a painting of Altmann's aunt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, now known in Austria as the "Woman in Gold".
Altmann enlists the help of Randol Schoenberg, the grandson of her close friends, but a lawyer with little experience, to make a claim to the art restitution board in Austria. Reluctantly returning to her homeland, Altmann discovers that the country's minister and art director are unwilling to part with the painting, which they feel has become part of the national identity. Altmann is told that the painting was in fact legitimately willed to the gallery by her aunt. Upon further investigation by her lawyer and Austrian journalist Hubertus Czernin, this claim proves to be incorrect, as the alleged will is invalid due to the fact that her aunt did not own the painting in question, the artist's fee having been paid by her uncle. Schoenberg files a challenge with the art restitution board, but it is denied and Altmann does not have the money needed to challenge the ruling. Defeated, she and Schoenberg return to the United States.
Months thereafter, happening upon an art book with "Woman in Gold" on the cover, Schoenberg has an epiphany. Using a narrow rule of law and precedents in which an art restitution law was retroactively applied, Schoenberg files a claim in US court against the Austrian government contesting their claim to the painting. An appeal goes to the Supreme Court of the United States, where in the matter of Republic of Austria v. Altmann, the court rules in Altmann's favor, which results in the Austrian government attempting to persuade Altmann to retain the painting for the gallery, which she refuses. After a falling out over the issue of returning to Austria for a second time to argue the case, Altmann agrees for Schoenberg to go and argue the case in front of an arbitration panel of three arbiters in Vienna.
In Austria, the arbitration panel hears the case, during which time they are reminded of the Nazi Regime's war crimes by Schoenberg. Schoenberg implores the arbitration panel to think of the meaning of the word restitution and to look past the artwork hanging in art galleries to see the injustice to the families who once owned such great paintings and were forcibly separated from them by the Nazis. Unexpectedly, Altmann arrives during the session indicating to Czernin that she came to support her lawyer. After considering both sides of the dispute, the arbitration panel rules in favour of Altmann, returning her paintings. The Austrian government representative makes a last minute proposal begging Altmann to keep the paintings in the Belvedere against a generous compensation. Altmann refuses and elects to have the painting moved to the United States with her ("They will now travel to America like I once had to as well"), and takes up an offer made earlier by Ronald Lauder to acquire them for his New York gallery to display the painting on condition that it be a permanent exhibit.
from Wikipedia
    

Woman in Gold


            EYE IN THE SKY stars Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell, a UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya. Through remote surveillance and on-the-ground intel, Powell discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from capture to kill. But as American pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute, reaching the highest levels of US and British government, over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.
    

Eye in the Sky


            In the opening scene, at a customs office, Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) explains to French Immigration why he and his family want to live in France: his family had owned a restaurant in Mumbai, but on an election night, there was a riot and their restaurant was set on fire, killing his mother who was the chef. He learned everything about cooking from her and has been trying to teach himself as his Papa moves the family about Europe. He fondly remembers buying sea urchins, the seller exclaiming that he gets cooking. Admitting he doesn't have any proof that he knows how to cook, except to offer a homemade samosa and saying that English produce isnt good enough, the Kadam family is allowed in.Papa (Om Puri) is driving the family throughout the French countryside, trying out random vegetable gardens, when their old van finally gives out in the hills above Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, a small village. A young woman passes by, offering to take them to the local mechanic. The family (also brothers Mansur and Mukthar and sisters Mahira and Aisha) push the van into town. Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), the woman, brings them to her apartment and offers a snack- a huge platter of radishes, butter and salt; home baked bread; large, fresh tomatoes; olives she picked and cured herself and little pastries. Delighted, Papa eagerly looks forward to bargaining with the hotel in town, much to Mansurs dismay.In the morning, Papa discovers an abandoned restaurant. As he and Hassan are exploring, Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) announces they are trespassing. She admits she is not the owner either, but keeping an eye on the property for the owner who is in Paris. Again, Papa wants to bargain with the owner and soon we see the family cleaning up the restaurant to turn it into Maison Mumbai. The family finds out the reason why Madame is so hostile- she owns the restaurant just across the street: Le Saule Pleureur, a one star Michelin restaurant.Hassan finds mildewed French cookbooks in the kitchen as they prepare for the opening and strikes up a friendship with Marguerite, who he discovers is the sous chef at Madame's. Madame runs a tight ship, scolding employees for serving limp asparagus, saying food should be passionate. She visits her competition, demanding they turn down their Indian music and studies a menu which she takes with her. On opening day, Papa and Hassan travel to market only to discover Madame has snatched up all the crawfish, mushrooms and everything else in town on their opening night menu. Scrambling to save the day, the family forages the river and forest for the needed ingredients and manages to snag customers with native costumes, Mahira's smile and forceful behavior.Madame appeals to the mayor to close Maison Mumbai for various citations, but he appreciates the food too much. Papa turns the tables on Madame and purchases all the ingredients in town for pigeon truffle, one of the restaurant's renowned dishes. Marguerite tells Hassan that Madame doesn't interview job applicants, but asks them to prepare an omelet, knowing from one bite whether or not they have it. Hassan cooks a dish of pigeon with truffle sauce, (the recipe stolen with a bribe from Papa from one of the cooks), which he presents to Madame, and she then dumps in the trash. This is now war (cue the angry chopping).Madame tells her head chef, Jean-Pierre that he is a soldier, which he takes too seriously and has friends torch Maison Mumbai. Horrified, she personally scrubs their wall free of graffiti, fires Jean-Pierre and accepts when Hassan asks to make her an omelet, although he has to direct her since he severely burned his hands in the attack. His omelet includes Indian spices, onions, cilantro and spicy peppers. She raves after one bite and humbly admits that chefs must study for years for what he instinctively knows and admits that his pigeon was wonderful too.After a brief haggle with Papa over salary, Hassan moves across the street (one hundred feet), leaving behind his disappointed younger sister and hesitant older brother (who now has to cook) to polish off his cooking skills with Madame and Marguerite. At the end of one year, Hassan and Le Saule Pleureur have received the much coveted second Michelin star and Marguerite's controlled anger for she has been working for years to be head chef and also because Hassan will now be courted by many Parisian restaurants. The widowed Madame has clearly warmed to the Kadam family, calling Mahira a beauty, cooing to the younger children and feeding Papa a truffle.Another year later and Hassan is burnt out. He is much applauded, but he has taken up drinking (wine is considered strange in Indian culture). One night before Michelin stars are announced, he scolds a sous chef for ruining a sea urchin dish and finds a fellow Indian co-worker enjoying food sent from home. Soon he is taking a train back to Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, where he tells Marguerite that he has a business proposition for her. Secretly cooking sea urchin for Bastille Day, they consummate their relationship before Madame (who is now Papa's "almost" girlfriend) introduces them as the new partners of her restaurant to her guests and the Kadam family, who didn't even know that Hassan was back in town. When Hassan's phone rings, Papa sees that the call was from Michelin and implores him to call them back, but Hassan insists that he and Marguerite will get a third star next year at Le Saule Pleureur.
    

The Hundred-Foot Journey


            Michael "Mike" Wazowski, a six-year-old monster, visits Monsters Inc., a scaring company, on a school field trip. During the visit, the class meets Frank McCay, an employee of the company who works as a "scarer", entering the human world to scare children at night and harvesting their screams as energy to power the monster world. Mike, enchanted with the idea of being a scarer, slips through Frank's door before anyone can stop him, where he watches Frank's scare performance, then follows him back through the door to the monster world. Frank scolds Mike, but is impressed with his ability to have followed him unnoticed, and gives him his Monsters University hat as a souvenir. Oblivious to his teacher's later admonishments, Mike dreams of being a scarer when he grows up.Approximately eleven years later, Mike is a scare major at Monsters University. On his first day, he meets his new roommate, Randall "Randy" Boggs, a nerdy monster that can turn invisible. During the first class of the scare program, as Mike is answering a question, he is interrupted by another scare student, an arrogant large blue monster named James P. "Sulley" Sullivan. The class is also informed by Abigail Hardscrabble, the strict Dean of the scare program, that they must pass their final exam of the semester to continue in the program. While Mike is studying one night, Sulley inadvertently barges into his room to hide the pig mascot he stole from their rival college, Fear Tech. While the two bicker, the pig steals Mike's MU hat and escapes. Mike and Sulley give chase, but when Mike finally manages to capture it, Sulley takes credit, and is invited to join Roar Omega Roar, the elite fraternity on campus. Mike wishes to join, but is rejected, magnifying the rivalry between the two.Mike studies hard and repeatedly answers questions in class correctly, while the privileged Sulley, convinced all he needs is his natural scaring ability, begins to falter. At the final exam, Mike and Sulley's rivalry causes Hardscrabble to fail them both and dropping them from the program, which prompts Roar Omega Roar to remove Sulley from the fraternity. Dissatisfied in his boring new major, Mike decides to prove himself by entering the Scare Games, an extracurricular scaring competition. As the games are only for fraternity or sorority members, Mike joins Oozma Kappa, a small fraternity of misfit monsters. When Mike and Oozma Kappa are denied entry as they are one team member short, Sulley offers to join, seeing the competition as his ticket back into the scare program, and Mike eventually reluctantly accepts. Mike also makes a deal with Dean Hardscrabble, who remains skeptical, to re-admit their entire team to the scaring program if they win, whereas if they lose, Mike must leave Monsters University. Sulley expects to carry the team by himself, but Mike believes that with enough training, the whole team can succeed.With the last-placing team in each round of the Games being eliminated from the competition, Oozma Kappa fails the first challenge miserably but miraculously advances when another team is disqualified. They then attend a party at Roar Omega Roar house where initially the other competitors appear to accept them, but the fraternity pranks and humiliates them instead. The group is discouraged as they are now the laughingstock of the entire campus, so Mike arranges a secret visit to Monsters, Inc. to lift their spirits. After that, Oozma Kappa uses their wits and training to advance to the final round against Roar Omega Roar. Even having advanced so far, Sulley does not think that Mike can be a true scarer because of his lack of natural ability. After the team wins the final round, Mike discovers that Sulley manipulated the equipment to improve Mike's score. Mike is heartbroken and wants to prove that he is capable of becoming a scarer, so he breaks into the school's door lab and enters a door to the human world, but discovers that the door leads to a summer camp and he is unable to scare the cabin full of children.Back at the university, Sulley confesses to The Dean, Hardscrabble, that he cheated, just as she is notified of the break-in. Realizing what happened, Sulley enters the door to look for Mike. After finding Mike and reconciling, the pair, now being pursued by human adults, attempt to return, but find themselves trapped in the human world, as Hardscrabble has deactivated the door waiting for the authorities arrive. Mike realizes that the only way to get back into the monster world is to generate enough scream energy to power the door from their side. Working together, Sulley and Mike terrify the adults, generating an overwhelming amount of scream energy and allowing them to return to the lab. Their actions lead to their expulsion from the university, but the other members of Oozma Kappa are accepted into the scare program the next semester as Hardscrabble was impressed with their performance in the games. They share goodbyes and as Sulley and Mike leave, Hardscrabble tells them they are the first to have surprised her, and wishes them luck for the future. Mike and Sulley work at Monsters, Inc. in the company mailroom with the Abominable Snowman as the mailroom's manager. Working their way up through the company, the two eventually become part of the Scarer Team.
    

Monsters University


            The film begins on the eve of the 1997 British general election, which sees Tony Blair (Sheen) elected as the United Kingdom's first Labour Party Prime Minister in 18 years. While posing for an official portrait, the Queen (Mirren) talks with the artist and expresses her regret about not being allowed to vote. She is slightly wary of the new prime minister and his pledge to "modernise" the country, but Blair promises to respect the independence of the Royal Family. When Blair visits Buckingham Palace to kiss hands, the Queen follows custom and asks him to form a Government in her name.Three months later, during a visit to Paris, Diana, Princess of Wales is killed in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel along with her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell (Mark Bazeley), immediately prepares a speech in which he describes her as "the people's princess." Blair gives the speech the next morning and the phrase catches on immediately. Over the next few days, millions of British people in London erupt in an outpouring of grief, as they flock to Buckingham and Kensington palaces to leave floral tributes and notes.Meanwhile, the Royal Family are still on their summer residence at Balmoral Castle, the Queen's estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Diana's death immediately sparks division among senior members of the family; while the Queen is saddened by Diana's death, she and her husband differ with Prince Charles, Prince of Wales over what arrangements should be made. The Queen observes that since Diana divorced Charles (Alex Jennings) a year earlier, she is no longer a member of the Royal Family. Consequently, she insists that the funeral arrangements are a "private affair" and are best left to the princess's own family, the Spencers. A visibly grief stricken Prince Charles, however, argues that Diana was mother of the future King and that the Queen's suggestion is dismissive of this fact. Following her mother's suggestion, the Queen eventually sanctions the use of an aircraft of the Royal Flight to bring Diana's body back to Britain. Charles ensures that his ex-wife's coffin is draped with a Royal Standard instead of remaining a "wooden crate."In London, the bouquets begin to pile up along the palace railings, forcing the changing of the guard to use another gate. Meanwhile, British tabloids become increasingly inflammatory about the lack of any statement by the Royal Family. Prince Charles, during a brief conversation with Blair and later through back-channel contacts, leaves no doubt that he shares the Prime Minister's views about the need for a more public expression of grief. As the Queen's ratings plummet, Blair's popularity rises sharply, to the delight of the his Anti-Monarchist advisers and wife Cherie (Helen McCrory).Blair, however, does not share these sentiments. Despite not concurring with the Queen's course of action, he admires her and tells his wife that a Republican Britain is a ludicrous idea. Later on, he angrily denounces the anti-royal disdain of his Labour advisors and accuses Diana of having tried to destroy everything which the monarchy stands for. After days of building pressure, Blair calls the Queen at Balmoral and urgently recommends a course of action he believes is needed to regain the public's confidence in the monarchy. These measures include attending a public funeral for Diana at Westminster Abbey, flying a Union flag at half mast over Buckingham Palace (the flag is only meant to be flown when a Royal person is present and has never been used for mourning), and speaking to the nation about Diana's legacy in a live, televised address from the palace.Blair's recommendations outrage Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (James Cromwell) and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (Sylvia Syms). Philip is also surprised that Elton John is asked to attend and sing a song, "Candle in the Wind" in Diana's honour. They view such steps as an undignified surrender to public hysteria, created by the tabloids, that will eventually calm down when the public comes to its senses. The Queen seems more concerned about this and although she shares their feelings, she begins to have doubts as she closely follows the news coverage. Speaking with her mother, the Queen muses that there has been some shift in public values, that perhaps she should step aside and hand over the monarchy to the next generation. The Queen Mother dismisses these ideas, however, saying that she is one of the greatest assets the monarchy has ever had, stated: "The real problem will come when you leave." She also reminds her daughter of the promise she made in Cape Town, South Africa, on April 21, 1947, her 21st birthday, in which she promised that her "whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong..."Later at Balmoral, Philip attempts to distract his grandsons from their mother's death by taking them deer stalking. While venturing out alone in her Land Rover, the Queen damages her vehicle while fording a river and has to call for assistance. While waiting, she weeps in frustration but then catches sight of the majestic Red Deer stag which her grandsons have been stalking. Hearing a distant gunshot, she shoos the animal away. Later that day, the Queen decides to carry out the recommendations of Blair. While preparing to return to London, she is horrified to learn that the stag has been killed on a neighbouring estate, by a visiting stockbroker. She visits the estate where the stag is being dressed and expresses dismay at the amateurish way it was hunted.In the film's climax, the Royal Family return to London and inspect the floral tributes. The Queen also goes on live television to speak about Diana's life and legacy, even going so far as calling her "an exceptional and gifted human being." Two months later, Blair comes to Buckingham Palace for a weekly meeting. The Queen has regained her popularity, but believes she will never quite fully recover from "that week." She cautions Blair that one day he too will find that public opinion can rapidly turn against him. She declares, however, that times have changed and that the monarchy must "modernise." When Blair suggests that he can help with this, The Queen responds, "Don't get ahead of yourself Prime Minister. Remember, I'm supposed to be the one advising you".
    

The Queen


            In ancient England, warfare reigns between Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) and the Duke of Cornwall (Corin Redgrave). To bring peace, Merlin (Nicol Williamson) secures the mystical sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake (Hilary Joyalle) and gives it to Uther. Impressed by this symbol of power and Uther's promise of land, Cornwall relents and recognizes Uther as king. Cornwall hosts a celebration, where his wife, Igrayne (Katrine Boorman) dances. Uther cannot hide his lust and the fragile truce is broken.Uther besieges Cornwall's castle. He again asks Merlin to intervene. Merlin agrees to give him Igrayne but only if Merlin will receive the result of Uther's lust. That night, Uther's men draw Cornwall out of his castle and ambush him, killing him. Merlin transforms Uther to resemble Cornwall. Uther enters the castle, makes rough love to Igrayne and impregnates her as Cornwall breathes his last.Nine months later, Igrayne gives birth to a son. Upon seeing his son for the first time, Uther vows to become a peaceful king and secure his kingdom for his son. Merlin, who has not been seen since the night Cornwall died, appears and takes the child, as per their agreement. Igrayne is distraught and as Merlin disappears into the forest, Uther tries to stop him but is attacked by knights still loyal to Cornwall. Mortally wounded, Uther drives Excalibur into a stone, declaring no one will have the sword but him. Standing nearby, Merlin recites a spell that will keep the sword in the stone until Arthur is old enough to claim it.For the next sixteen years, no one is able to pull the sword from the stone. Annually a joust is held to see who will be able to try; if any man succeeds, he will be crowned king. Sir Ector (Clive Swift) brings his son, Kay (Niall O'Brien) and Kay's squire, Arthur (Nigel Terry). When Arthur forgets Kay's sword, he goes to the stone and draws Excalibur for Kay to use in the joust. Incredulous, the crowd sees that Arthur has removed the sword. Ector reveals that Arthur was brought to him as a baby by Merlin, who bid the man to raise Arthur and protect him. Many of the other knights refuse to recognize Arthur, who is not a knight, as their king. Only Leondegrance (Patrick Stewart) acknowledges Arthur as the rightful king. After a quick tutorial in the mystic arts, Merlin leads Arthur to Leondegrance's castle, which is besieged by the other knights. Arthur fights bravely but wins the day when he admits that he is not himself a knight and kneels to ask one of the rebel knights, Uryens (Keith Buckley) to remedy the situation. Uryens recognizes Uther Pendragon's courage flows through Arthur's veins and knights him. That night, Arthur begins his courtship of Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), Leondegrance's daughter.Under Arthur, the kingdom is prosperous, the various fiefdoms are united, and many people flock to his gleaming castle, Camelot. The land's mightiest knights have joined Arthur's fellowship. These knights include Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), who had earlier taught Arthur an important lesson in humility. Lancelot, the best knight in the world, had defeated all of Arthur's knights; Arthur himself won only by calling on Excalibur's mystical powers. The sword shattered because Arthur had misused it. Recognizing his sin, Arthur repented and the Lady of the Lake returned Excalibur to Arthur, whole. Lancelot swore his allegiance to Arthur that day. However, he spends little time in Camelot because of his love for Guenevere. In order to maintain his and Guenevere's honor, Lancelot stays in self-imposed exile. Arthur marries Guenevere, establishes the Round Table and peace unites the kingdom.This fact is not lost on another of the castle's denizens, Morgana la Fey (Helen Mirren), Arthur's half-sister. As a child, she had watched Uther ravish Igrayne as her father (Cornwall) died. Now she hides a bitter plan to destroy Arthur and his kingdom. She goads Gawain (Liam Neeson) into accusing Guenevere and Lancelot of infidelity. He challenges the absent Lancelot to a joust. Lancelot's squire, Perceval (Paul Geoffrey), is knighted so he can joust in Lancelot's place but at the last minute Lancelot arrives and defeats Gawain. Then he collapses from a self-inflicted wound, incurred the night before as he wrestled with his unchaste desires for Guenevere in the forest.Merlin has grown tired from helping men forge their kingdoms and accepts that soon science and the Christian God will take the place of magic. Morgana rejects his conclusions and seduces Merlin into revealing all of his secrets, tricking him into reciting the ancient spell of "making", the very same spell Merlin had used to alter Uther's likeness to that of Cornwall. She learns the chant and uses it to imprison Merlin in his cave. Meanwhile, Guenevere has slipped into the forest to find Lancelot. They make love and fall asleep. In a scene that both Morgana and Merlin witness, Arthur finds them and, rather than kill them, drives Excalibur into the ground between them. When they awake, the two adulterers are driven apart by grief. That night, Morgana takes the guise of Guenevere, has sex with a delirious Arthur and begets a child by him.Without Excalibur and despondent over the treachery of his queen and best knight, Arthur is an ineffective king and the land suffers. Crops fail and pestilence spreads. Arthur sends his knights on a quest to find the Holy Grail, the cup Jesus used during the Last Supper; it will heal Arthur and the land. All of the knights search for the Grail for 10 years, and most of them die. Morgana has raised her and Arthur's son, Mordred (Charley Boorman), to hate Arthur. Together they lure Arthur's knights to their lair and hang the ones that cannot be entranced from a tree. Perceval is one of those knights. As he slowly strangles, he has a vision of the Grail. It asks him "What is the secret of the Grail? Who does it serve?" Perceval is too frightened to answer the question. However, the spurs on another hanged knight's armor gradually sever the rope hanging Perceval, and he escapes.In the countryside, Perceval encounters a group of disheveled peasants who appear to be conducting a funeral for a child. He recognizes Lancelot among them, barely recognizable with long hair, a beard and dressed in a monk's robes. Lancelot is now almost insane with disaffection over Camelot. Perceval begs Lancelot to return but instead they attack him. He barely escapes with his life but finds himself at the Grail Castle from his near-death vision. This time, Perceval understands the secret of the Grail: it is the faith that sustains Arthur, and through him the land flourishes. Perceval returns to Camelot with the Grail. Arthur drinks from it and regains his health and the land next to him blooms to life. He visits Guenevere, who retired to a convent after her infidelity. Arthur forgives her and asks her forgiveness. She returns Excalibur to him, having kept it with her through the years.Mordred has challenged Arthur to the throne and has built a massive army comprised primarily of Saxons. Morgana's enchantments protect him from any man-made weapon. They also keep her artificially youthful. On the night before the battle, Arthur prays for Merlin for help. As a wraith, Merlin appears in Morgana's tent and tricks her into undoing her spells and causing her to finally age, becoming an old hag. As she ages, smoke pours from her mouth, enough to cover the camp and the battleground. When Mordred finds his mother as an old crone he strangles her.The next morning, Arthur's forces, though vastly outnumbered, meet and vanquish Mordred's army at Camlann, having the advantage of the smoke let loose by Morgana. They are aided by the timely intervention of Lancelot, who singlehandedly kills many Saxons. Lancelot, however, succumbs to the wound he'd given himself in the forest when trying to requite his love for Guenevere, and collapses. A grateful Arthur forgives him and Lancelot dies, having found peace.Only Mordred himself remains. He impales Arthur on a spear and Arthur stabs him with Excalibur, killing him. Dying, Arthur commands Perceval to take Excalibur and throw it into the nearest body of still water. Perceval takes the sword to a nearby lake but is unable to follow the command; he returns to Arthur saying that Excalibur cannot be lost again. Arthur reassures his knight that the sword will be safe and will be presented to the next worthy king. Perceval returns to the lake and casts the sword in where it's caught by the Lady of the Lake and taken beneath the water. Perceval rides back to Camlann in time to see the Fates sailing away to Avalon with Arthur's body.
    

Excalibur

Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story

Some Mother's Son

The Madness of King George

As You Like It


            The movie starts with a young homeless man running through the street. He runs through several stores, jumping down staircases while continuously looking over his shoulder. He eventually hides under a tunnel behind some boxes and garbage cans. As he looks out from behind the cans, he is shot in the head and the spine by a man (Michael Berresse) carrying a silver briefcase. As he begins to walk away, a pizza deliveryman cycles by and sees the dead homeless man and the gun in the assassins hand. As he tries to get away, the assassin shoots him twice. As hes about to finish the job, a group of people come out of a nearby restaurant. The assassin turns and runs away before the bodies are noticed.The next morning, Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), a writer for the Washington Globe, is driving to the scene of the crime. He bribes the detective, Donald Bell, (Harry Lennix) with coffee and convinces Bell to share some information with him anonymously. The police believe the incident was drug related and that the pizza delivery guy was just collateral damage. Bell also tells Cal that the deliveryman is in a coma, but not dead. As Cal and Bell talk, a girl is seen watching them from above the tunnel.The next scene shows Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer), an aide to Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), getting ready to go to work. She leaves her house and goes to the train station. As she is waiting in a crowd to get on the train, she falls onto the tracks and is killed. As Congressman Collins arrives late for work, he is told of Sonia's death right before his Committee Hearing with military contractor Point Corp. He begins the hearing by announcing Sonia's death (she was lead researcher on Collins investigation) and starts to breakdown in front of the cameras. This causes a media firestorm since Collins is married and leads to speculation that he was having an affair with Baker.Cal is working on the shooting when Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), pays him a visit requesting dirt on Collins for her Washington Globe blog since she heard that Cal and Collins were roommates in college and fairly close. After Cal insults her work and professionalism, Frye walks away. Cal is called into the chief editors office on Dellas behalf. The Editor, Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren), asks Cal to provide Della with information on Collins, which Cal flat out refuses.That night, Cal is writing an article on the shooting when Collins turns up at his apartment. The two talk for a bit and Collins tells Cal that his wife isnt talking to him, reporters are camped outside his house and that he has nowhere else to go. Cal tells Collins that in order to preserve his image he will need to immediately call Sonia's family and offer his condolences since the press at large believes that Sonia killed herself when Collins refused to leave his wife. Collins then shows Cal a video sent to him from Sonia that morning in which she made tentative plans for that weekend. Cal, realizing the significance of the video, tells Collins that the video alone can prove that it was not a suicide and save Collins career. He tells Collins that he should use Sonia's accidental death to exploit the lack of safety of the public transport system. Collins, however, suggests that Sonia may have been murdered.Cal calls Della at 3 AM and tells her to meet with one of his police contacts in order to see the footage from the train station. Reluctantly, Della agrees to meet the contact and see the footage. She finds nothing because Sonia was in a blind spot and there was no recording of her on the platform before she fell.Cal continues following up the shooting. He goes to the morgue to see the body of the homeless man. The coroner lets him in and while they talk, Cal copies all the numbers from the mans cell phone. Just before he leaves he buys a soda from a vending machine and as he turns around, he sees the girl from the tunnel. She makes him buy her a soda too, which he does, and he leaves. Once in his car driving down the road, he begins dialing all the numbers. After reaching a drug dealer, a disabled number and a voicemail, Cal ends up reaching the voicemail of Sonia Baker!Cal interrupts Della's meeting in order to see if Della found a link between Sonia and drugs. Della is upset that Cal would seek to ruin whats left of Bakers reputation. Cal becomes suspicious of a deeper connection. He goes out to get lunch when his bag is stolen. He runs outside to look for it and sees across the street the homeless girl from the tunnel holding it. She offers to tell him what was in the last bag the dead man had stolen before he was killed.She takes Cal to an underground sewer maintenance and shows him the contents from the metal case the homeless man stole. She explains that they would steal businessmens bags and sell them back for a price. The girl tells him that the case had a gun with weird bullets and a bunch of photographs of Sonia. She used the mans phone to call Sonia but she didnt pick up. Despite the girls objections, the homeless man agreed to meet with the assassin to sell back the bag. But he killed him and took the case, without knowing the photos were missing.Cal gives her 500 dollars and takes the photos back to his editor. He, Della and Cameron talk to the legal advisor of the paper who tells them that they can hold onto the photos for 48 hours max before the police can take them away from the paper. Cameron wants to have Cal work on the case with a more experienced political reporter, but Cal is firm in having Della help him out. Cameron is angry that Cal isnt giving her a scoop on Congressman Collins and tosses him a newspaper with an article on Collins character, which shows him with his military friends from his army days. Cal tells Della to go and visit the pizza deliveryman in the hospital since he seems to be coming to and may have information. While Della goes to visit the deliveryman, Cal goes and has a drink with Collins' wife, Ann (Robin Wright Penn).Della arrives at the hospital and passes a man in the hall (the assassin). She makes her way into the deliveryman's room but is shouted at she is not allowed to be there by nurses. When the cop watching starts to take her out of the room, bullets are fired into the room from the opposite building. The deliveryman is killed and the cop is injured. Della is left staring at a pool of blood in shock. This confirms Cals offhanded theory that a professional was hired to take care of Sophie Baker.Cal gets Dellas call and rushes to the hospital. He comforts her and makes sure shes all right before taking her back to the paper. At the paper, Cameron (Cam) and the others call Detective Bell and hand over the photos. Bell and his attorneys are angry that Cal didnt immediately contact them about the photos and tells them that the deliverymans death is on their hands. Cal presents his theory that Point Corp was behind the murder of Sonia Baker, but Bell shakes off the notion as nothing more than a conspiracy theory fit for a television show (joke reference to Lennixs role on '24').Cal and Della are now convinced that Point Corp was behind the deaths of Sonia Baker, the homeless man, and the deliveryman. Della reviews the security footage from the train station and sees the assassin in the crowd. Cal and Della start digging into Point Corp and Sonia's personal history respectively. They discover that Point Corp had created a series of fronts so that they could buy up domestic security contracts. Cal meets with a Point Corp contact who tells him that the assassin worked for an old military contractor. The contact gives Cal the address and Cal sets out to find some answers.Cal arrives at the old contractors building and knocks on the door of the apartment. The apartment door is open due to a sock propped in the corner. As he is about to enter, the assassin arrives carrying a laundry basket. Cal recognizes him and begins making small talk in order to distract the assassin. Once the assassin goes into the room, Cal runs and calls the police. He makes his way to the lobby. As he prepares to go outside, he sees a figure of a person walk toward the enclosure and pass behind a pillar. When it doesnt reappear, Cal takes a side door and enters the complexs garage. The assassin begins looking for him in the garage. After successfully avoiding him, a group of people enter the garage and get in their car. Cal realizes that the assassin knows where he is. When the people drive their car toward Cals hiding spot, Cal jumps onto the car and narrowly avoids being shot. The assassin is about to shoot at Cal again, when Cal throws himself behind another car. The police arrive and the assassin escapes out of a side door.Detective Bell is furious that Cal went after the assassin. Cal assures him that it was purely a coincidence and that he had been chasing a lead. Bell is skeptical. Bell tells Cal that the homeless girl who gave him the photos turned up dead that morning.Della tells Cal that she tracked down Sonia Bakers old roommate who tells her that Sonia and the roommate had a threesome with Congressman Collins and that Sonia had a very large debt, which Collins paid. Cal disregards this theory as bull and goes back to the photos. Cal tells Della to identify a man in one of the photos of Sonia before calling it a night. When he arrives home, he sees Ann Collins sitting on his doorstep. They talk for a bit. It is revealed that Cal & Ann had been lovers but Ann married Collins because Cal wouldnt step up. Cal asks if Collins could have acquired a large amount of money without Ann knowing. She becomes upset after realizing that she is nothing more than a source and walks away. Before she walks out, she tells him that Collins could not get that much money without her knowing since they had two mortgages and spend everything they make paying it off.Della tells Cal that the man who was in the photo is Dominic Foye (Jason Bateman), a PR rep for Point Corp. Cal meets with Collins to ask him about Sonia's history and about what he and Sonia found out about Point Corp. Collins reveals that their investigation into Point Corp indicated that Point Corp was using dummy corporations to bypass monopoly laws and buy up all the available domestic defense contracts offered by the government. He makes it explicitly clear that if Cal can prove the tie between Point Corp and Media Corp (the largest of the dummy corporations), Collins will go on the record about the ties and blow the conspiracy wide open.Cal and Della arrange to have Foye talk about his connection to Point Corp on record and tell them everything about Sonia Baker. After successfully scaring Foye into thinking he is surrounded by Point Corp associates, Cal takes him to an out of town motel. There he negotiates with Foye and convinces him to go on record. He tells Cal that Point Corp needed a girl for one of their business deals and Sonia was the first person that came to his mind. She was in debt, so Point Corp agreed to pay her 26,000 dollars a month to spy on Congressman Collins. Cal calls Collins and asks him who recommended Sonia. He then tells Collins to meet him at the motel.When Collins shows up, he tells Cal that Congressman Fergus (Jeff Daniels) recommended Sonia to him because Sonia was the daughter of an old family friend. Cal shows Collins the recording of Foye and specifically shows him the part about Point Corp. However, Cal lets the tape run further than intended and Collins finds out that Sonia was pregnant with his baby when she died and that she had stopped spying on Collins after she fell in love with him. This revelation sends Collins over the edge and he goes into the next room and proceeds to beat Foye half to death. Cal separates the two and Collins proceeds to mock Cal and leaves.Cal goes to meet with Fergus and he doesn't confirm anything but when Cal asks for Sonia's mothers name, Fergus doesn't answer. As Fergus walks away, Cal tells him that he's running the story with a link between Fergus and Point Corp as a means of undermining Congressman Collins' investigation. He then tells Fergus that Sonia's mothers name is Janine.Cal goes and writes a tentative article but Cameron refuse to print it because of the lack of credible sources. As Cam and Cal argue over whether or not they should go to print, Collins walks in with his wife. He goes on the record and tells them everything he found out during his investigation, his relationship with Sonia and his theory that Point Corp is responsible for everything. When hes done, Ann and Cal talk. She tells Cal that she forgave Collins because Sonia was paid to sleep with him for 26,000 dollars a month. Cal and Della start to write their articles. Meanwhile, the assassin is shown dressing up in military gear and arming a rifle.Cal goes to Della and the two share a drink of whiskey. He presents her with a necklace of pens, however as he begins to talk about his past with Ann, he realizes that she knew a piece of information he hadn't shared with Collins. Collins was never shown the portion of the tape which said Sonia was being paid 26,000 dollars a month. Cal tells Della to hold the front page as he looks at the newspaper Cam tossed to him earlier which showed Collins with his military unit. The assassin is in the photo and his name is revealed to be Robert Bingham.Cal confronts Collins in his office. Cal asks about Robert Bingham, and Collins tells Cal that Bingham was someone whose life he saved from his army days. Collins hired Bingham to follow Sonia around because, during the affair, he suspected something was off. When he found out she was working for Point Corp, Bingham became upset because he felt that Point Corps mercenaries were a disgrace to the officers of the U.S. military. Collins claimed that he tried to tell Cal the truth, but Cal calls Collins on his lie. He leaves after telling Collins that he already called the police.Cal walks toward his car and he is confronted by Bingham cocking his gun. He tells Bingham that regardless of the outcome, Congressman Collins has been exposed. Bingham prepares to fire his weapon as Detective Bell and his officers arrive. As Bingham fires, Cal dives out of the way and a hail of bullets take out Bingham.Cal returns to the Globe, 4 hours after the front page was due. He types up an article exposing Collins and signs it written by Della Frye and Cal McAffrey. He leaves his desk and walks out, letting Della click send for the copy room. She catches up to Cal on his way out and a 'Sent message' appears on the screen of the computer and the movie ends with the credits rollings while the article is printing and being shipped out in the background.
    

State of Play

The Last Station

The Duke


            Based on a true story, eleven middle-aged Englishwomen pose nude for their annual Women's Institute calendar as a fund-raiser for the local hospital. Chris (Helen Mirren) gets the idea to raise money for the hospital after Annie's (Julie Walters) husband dies of leukemia. The calendar is a little different in that each woman is posing behind a different task that the Women's Institute teaches their members, such as making bread rolls, knitting, planting flowers, and playing the piano. Before they know it, the calendar is a big hit in England with tremendous sales. Eventually, they are flown to American to be interviewed by Jay Leno. The calendar has made almost a million dollars for the local hospital. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)
    

Calendar Girls

Savage Messiah

Istintobrass

Hitchcock


            Tel Aviv, Israel. 1966. The hangar doors of an airplane that has just landed open, revealing a woman and two men standing silently at the hatch. They are Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain), David Peretz (Sam Worthington), and Stephan Gold (Marton Csokas). "Breathe," Stephan tells the others as they step off the plane. We notice that Rachel has a large bandage on her right cheek.A narration tells us that the three are Mossad agents who were sent to capture Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen), the 'Surgeon of Birkeanu'; a Nazi war criminal. Stephan is the youngest unit commander in Israel military history and David had his 29th birthday during the course of the mission. Rachel was only 25 at the start.The film cuts to a ballroom scene where a woman is speaking. In part of her speech, she reveals that the three were unable to capture the target; he died trying to evade capture. An older woman listens in the audience with a noticeable scar on her cheek. Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren) speaks with her daughter, Sarah (Romi Aboulafia) who had written a book detailing her mother's mission. The book, and the three agents it is about, is being honored at the celebration. The crowd applauds and Sarah tells her mother that she is so proud to be her daughter.At an apartment complex, a man knocks on a room door. A man opens it and greets David Peretz (Ciarán Hinds), saying he's been expecting him. David walks with the man out to his car. On the street, he looks nearby to another car and sees a man beside it. It is Stephan (Tom Wilkinson). The man David is accompanying asks if everything is all right. David mutters that everything is fine but, without warning, runs into traffic and allows himself to be run over by a large truck as Stephan watches in horror.Back at the party, Rachel sits with her daughter in the ballroom. The audience wants Rachel to read an excerpt from the book. When a friend of Sarah's asks if Rachel helped write the book, Sarah says no and that her father was the one to help with the details. Her father, Stephan, arrives at the party and the audience applauds the two heroes as Rachel stands to read from the book.New Years Eve, 1965. Rachel is in an apartment in East Berlin listening to the fireworks outside. The apartment's walls leak so she places pots around to catch the water. Nearby there is a man chained to the wall. Rachel goes to the kitchen but, when she hears the water plopping in a pot strangely, she goes back into the room to find the man gone. Suddenly, he leaps out and attacks her, slashing her face with a piece of plate. They struggle and the man knocks her out before leaving the apartment. Rachel wakes up and drags herself on the ground, toppling a chair with a coat draped over it. In the coat is a pistol. She drags herself to the balcony as the man runs down the alley. She fires one shot, killing him. The man was Dieter Vogel.After the book party, Rachel and Stephan are in a car talking. They had apparently divorced years ago and are not on good terms. Stephan says he knows David went to see Rachel the day previously and wants to know what he said. Rachel says he had been traveling a lot but didn't say much else. Stephan presses the issue and Rachel says that he should speak to David himself if he really wants to know. Stephan lets his silence speak for itself and Rachel realizes that David is dead. They go to David's apartment and Rachel wonders why David would want to kill himself. She walks into a separate room and breaks down crying.The next day, Rachel and Stephan go to the beach to meet with Sarah's family. Stephan gives Rachel an envelope and a case and tells her to 'handle it'. Rachel waves goodbye to her daughter and leaves for the airport.West Berlin, 1965. Rachel crosses over to East Berlin and meets up with David. They are posing as husband and wife for the mission and rendezvous with Stephan at an apartment. Their mission is to locate The Surgeon, capture him, and smuggle him out of Germany so he can stand trial in Israel. Stephan and David share a room while Rachel bunks alone.Rachel, David, and Stephan spend their time training, taking turns sparring with each other and practicing disarming techniques. Rachel discusses her cover story, making sure she has it memorized to heart.Later that night, Stephan talks to David about women. He notes he's never seen David look at a woman, not even Rachel. Stephan asks if he should know something (hinting at the possibility of homosexuality). They see Rachel come out of the shower wearing only a towel and David stares. "I guess you looked now," Stephan says.Back at David's apartment in the present day, Stephan shows Rachel an article. A man in a mental institution claims to be The Surgeon. Stephan says they need to handle it. He says he'd asked for David's help but he wouldn't give it. Rachel slaps Stephan and yells at him. He knew David had been ill for years. Rachel leaves the apartment.Back in East Berlin, 1965, Rachel and David go to a local ob-gyn clinic and wait for Rachel's appointment. She is pretending to have trouble conceiving with her husband to justify the visit. The doctor, Bernhardt, comes in and asks her about her family fertility history. When she reveals she is an only child, the doctor says that may be a potential sign of infertility. Rachel tells him that her mother died in WWII. "My poor child," he says. Rachel takes pictures with a camera hidden in her necklace as he works to verify this is the man they are looking for.Stephan hands the necklace off to another agent on a bus.Stephan and David take a walk near an abandoned train station. It has been closed to the public and is guarded around the clock by armed guards. Their plan is to knock the doctor out and put him on one of the trains that passes through. There is a postal route that passes right by the tracks, so they will steal one of the vans to get close without anyone suspecting anything. Since trains are not allowed to stop there, they will have one of their agents on the train cause a distraction so they can slip on undetected. All they need is confirmation that Doctor Bernhardt is The Surgeon.David and Stephan steal a postal van for their plan.Stephan does another hand off with an agent on the bus. It is the confirmation they were hoping for. They are authorized to proceed.David reveals it is his 29th birthday. They go to the bar and celebrate. Rachel asks what he wants out of life. David tells them he wants to get this war criminal back to Israel so the world can see what he has done, so that everyone will know the truth. David is a man of honor and truth.The next night, David watches Rachel get out of the shower. She stands by a nearby heater to dry herself. David tells her she is brave. Rachel scoffs at the statement saying she is scared. "But you do it anyway, because it is the right thing to do," David says. They stare at each other and lean in to kiss. David pulls away, realizing he is losing objectivity. Rachel is crushed.Later, she plays the piano and cries. David is in the kitchen going over paperwork, unable to concentrate. Stephan comes in and joins Rachel. He tells her she is so beautiful. Rachel lets herself be seduced by him and the next morning it is clear they slept together. Rachel and David go back to the ob-gyn holding hands, though they seemed strained.Rachel goes back to the doctor. The doctor notes she had sex and says that it is good that she is trying. Rachel then reveals that she knows who he 'really' is. Vogel has no time to react. Rachel uses her legs to put him in a headlock then stabs him with a concealed syringe to knock him out. Rachel screams for the nurse (Brigitte Kren), pretending that Vogel had a heart attack. The nurse calls for an ambulance. Stephan had previously hacked into the phone line so that, when the nurse makes the call, he and David drive off in an ambulance to beat the real paramedics. The nurse reveals on the call that Bernhardt/Vogel is her husband. Rachel is stunned by the implication.David and Stephan come in and wheel Vogel away, telling his wife she cannot ride along due to new regulations. Rachel leaves and is picked up down the block. They prepare to finish the mission.The trio set up at the post office, using the passing trains as cover to cut at the fence so they can slip through.Vogel is tied up in the van. He starts to move; the drugs are wearing off.Stephan and David are almost through the fence when they see an employee come out for a smoke. Rachel goes out and flirts with him to distract him. David and Stephan continue to cut through the fence.Vogel regains consciousness and honks the horn of the van just as the trio's train stops, claiming something is on the tracks as part of the ruse. Stephan knocks Vogel out but it is too late. The guards are spooked by the horn and go to investigate. Rachel tries to play it cool. Stephan says they need to get Vogel on the train but David will not leave without Rachel. The guards see the cut fence. All hell breaks loose. Rachel is forced to knock out the guard she was flirting with, catching the attention of the rest of them. The trio are forced to shoot back at the guards as they get into the van and drive off into the night.Stephan panics, since they missed the drop at the train and says they have failed the mission and their country. David is calmer and says that, since they still have Vogel, the mission is not over. They just need a new plan to get him out.Back at the apartment they determine the terms of the plan. They will keep Vogel locked up and will take shifts guarding and feeding him. Since Rachel has been seen, she is forbidden to leave the apartment.Vogel speaks to Rachel, asking if his wife is okay. Rachel doesn't respond but eventually gives him a nod. Stephan warns her not to speak to him because he can get into their heads.Over the next few days they take turns watching him. Vogel is defiant, routinely spitting up food and trying to fight David and Stephan. However, he is calmer with Rachel. One day he tells her he knows she wasn't lying about her mother dying in war. He tells her he is sorry for her pain. Rachel is unnerved by this.David comes back in as Rachel leaves the room where Vogel is. Rachel asks him why he didn't leave when he had the chance. David looks at her and kisses her. He says he stayed for her. Rachel is stunned, then kisses him back. They are interrupted by Stephan. Stephan tells them the Americans have agreed to help. They just need to wait it out a few more days.A few more days pass and Rachel is getting more stricken with cabin fever. Stephan comes in and says the Americans have changed their minds and decided not to help because apparently an East German border guard had been killed during their getaway. Rachel goes for the door, needing air, but is not allowed to leave. She falls to the floor and cries.The three attempt to plan their next move. Stephan says they should just kill Vogel. David retorts that they are not monsters and Vogel must stand trial. There is a knock at the door. They think Stephan was followed. Rachel answers and Stephan stays with a gun to Vogel, saying if it is one of his friends, he will die first. Rachel comes back in. It was just their neighbor, inviting them to a New Year's party.David is feeding Vogel. Vogel taunts him about Rachel being with Stephan, saying it does not fit. She should be with David since he would want a family. Vogel then drops a bombshell; he knows Rachel is one month pregnant and Stephan is the father. David tries to hold in his rage. Vogel goes on about how Jews are inherently selfish and how four armed men in death camps could lead thousands to die because not one would sacrifice themselves for others. Vogel says he realized, in that moment, that their kind did not deserve to live. David, overcome with rage, smashes a plate over Vogel's face and starts punching him. Stephan finds him and pulls him away.Vogel was able to grab a plate shard and starts cutting at the ropes that hold him. Rachel cleans him and the mess, unaware of this.We now return to the scene where Rachel reads from her daughter's book. The ending plays out in almost the same way: Vogel escapes from his binds, slashes her face, and knocks her out. There is only one problem with the true ending of the story. Rachel never killed Vogel, he got away.In the past, just after Vogel escapes, David and Stephan return to the apartment and find out what happened. Stephan is freaked at the implication of losing a war criminal like this and how they will be punished. David and Rachel agree to take blame. Suddenly, Stephan gets an idea. They will lie. They will say Vogel tried to escape and they killed him. Stephan reasons that they need to save face for Israel. Besides, Vogel should never resurface and will spend the rest of his life hiding in fear of being killed. David agrees to lie. Rachel is shocked that he would give in to his moral code but eventually gives in as well. They hide the truth for thirty years and are celebrated for the heroics they never performed.Rachel and Stephan talk with each other on the beach, 1997. Stephan tells her that Vogel has been located at a hospital. He doesn't know where, but a reporter in the Ukraine does. Rachel will need to find out the location. Stephan looks at her. "If I could go back, I would change it all." Looking at their daughter he adds, "Everything but one."Israel, 1970. Stephan and Rachel are having a dinner party. David is there. Rachel tells him Stephan has a lot of 'girlfriends' and he uses them to punish her. When David asks why, Rachel says for several reasons. Because she got pregnant. Because she doesn't love Stephan. "Because of you," she tells David.David tells her that he is leaving the country tonight. Rachel is shocked but David reveals that he can't keep up the cover story anymore. He pleads for her to come with him. Rachel says she can't (probably afraid to leave her daughter) but David presses for her to do so (he would take care of both of them). Rachel says no and is momentarily distracted by Stephan. David leaves, dejected. That is the last time she will see him for almost thirty years.Back in the present, Rachel has reached the Ukraine and the newspaper office. She pretends to post a classified ad and notes the security code, having placed invisible ink on the ad's envelope. After the place closes, she picks the lock and disarms the alarm. She goes to the reporter's desk and finds the information she is looking for. She is shocked when she sees that the folder contains a recent picture of her. Suddenly, a couple of drunken reporters come in and she has to hide and listen to them have sex until they leave.Back to the day before David kills himself, David attends one of Rachel's speeches and meets up with her. He asks if she has been with anyone since Stephan. Rachel responds there was someone else, but 'he left', hinting at David himself. David tells her he's been traveling for the past 25 years looking for Vogel. Rachel is shocked and asks what he would have done had he found him. David says he would have brought him to trial and told the truth, thinking that she would have done the same. Rachel denies this, saying her daughter would be crushed, not just professionally, but personally if the truth ever came out. David goes to leave but asks that, if they could go back and he had waited for her, would she have gone with him? "We can't go back," Rachel says and leaves.In Ukraine, Rachel goes to the hospital and waits in reception. The reporter in question comes and she overhears the room number where Vogel is apparently held. She goes to the room, number 414, but stops in the bathroom first, opening the case Stephan gave her. Inside is a syringe filled with poison. She goes into Vogel's room to administer the poison through his IV, but doesn't. He starts to speak to her, thinking she is the reporter, and Rachel senses something is off. She sits down and starts writing a note on a piece of paper.Rachel calls Stephan and says the man they found is not Vogel. The old man had been fed the stories and is so senile he is just repeating them. Stephan is relieved that they didn't have to kill anyone. Rachel tells him that David committed suicide, not because the truth was going to be revealed, but because he didn't want to lie anymore. In addition, he looked to her for the approval to tell the truth and she denied him. Being denied that by the woman he loved broke him. He couldn't take it anymore. Rachel just wants her daughter to be proud of her for something she actually did. Rachel decides to tell the truth. Stephan tells her not to but she hangs up the phone. Stephan stares off, realizing the powder keg is about to explode.Rachel is about to leave when she sees a man on the staircase staring at her. She looks back to see him gone. She has been recognized. She gives chase and finds the man in the bathroom. It is Vogel. He has been feeding his stories of the crimes he committed to a senile man in the ultimate ploy to get out of punishment. He pretends to be incoherent to get close to Rachel, only to stab her with a pair of scissors. They struggle, and she stabs him with a piece of broken mirror. Vogel stabs her again and leaves her in the bathroom to die.Vogel takes a few steps then falls to the ground dead. In the struggle, Rachel managed to stab him with the poison syringe. She is badly wounded, but is able to pick herself up, hold a towel to her wound, and limps out into the hall, her mission fulfilled at last.The reporter goes into the fake Vogel's room to finish his story when he sees the note that Rachel had left. It tells him who she is and the truth of what happened in 1966; the truth that had been hidden for so long, finally ready to be told.
    

The Debt

Greenfingers

The Good Liar


            John and Ella Robina have shared a wonderful life for more than fifty years. Now in their eighties, Ella suffers from cancer and has chosen to stop treatment. John has Alzheimer's. Yearning for one last adventure, the self-proclaimed "down-on-their-luck geezers" kidnap themselves from the adult children and doctors who seem to run their lives to steal away from their home in suburban Detroit on a forbidden vacation of rediscovery.With Ella as his vigilant copilot, John steers their '78 Leisure Seeker RV along the forgotten roads of Route 66 toward Disneyland in search of a past they're having a damned hard time remembering. Yet Ella is determined to prove that, when it comes to life, a person can go back for secondssneak a little extra time, grab a small portion moreeven when everyone says you can't.Darkly observant, told with humor, affection, and a touch of irony, The Leisure Seeker is an odyssey through the ghost towns, deserted trailer parks, forgotten tourist attractions, giant roadside icons, and crumbling back roads of America. Ultimately it is the story of Ella and John: the people they encounter, the problems they overcome, the experiences they have lived, the love they share, and their courage to take back the end of their own lives. *goodreads.com
    

The Leisure Seeker


            Nine years ago, the American Discovery One's mission to Jupiter mysteriously failed. As depicted in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Discovery's HAL 9000 computer "Hal" (Douglas Rain)malfunctioned, killing four astronauts. The fifth, David Bowman, disappeared into a large, alien Monolith orbiting the planet. Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider), head of the National Council on Astronautics, received the blame for the failure and left NCA.Although tension is growing between the United States and the Soviet Union, both nations prepare missions to determine what happened to Discovery. Although the Soviet Alexei Leonov will be ready before the American spaceship, the Soviets need American astronauts to help investigate Hal's malfunction and to board an American spacecraft. The US government agrees to a joint mission since Discovery's orbit is deteriorating and it will crash into Jovian moon Io before the US ship is ready. Floyd, Discovery designer Walter Curnow (John Lithgow), and HAL 9000 creator Chandra (Bob Balaban) join the Russian mission.Upon Leonov's arrival in the Jovian system, captain Tanya Kirbuk (Helen Mirren) and the other Soviets wake Floyd early from his hibernation because they have detected chlorophyll and other chemical signatures of life on the frozen moon Europa. A burst of electromagnetic radiation destroys an unmanned probe from Leonov and all telemetry records before the probe takes close-up pictures. Floyd suspects that it is a warning to keep away from Europa.After surviving a dangerous aerobraking through Jupiter's atmosphere Leonov finds Discovery abandoned but undamaged, orbiting the planet close to Io, rotating on an axis at the center of it's spine. Curnow travels with Cosmonaut Max Brailovsky, and the two, in a risky EVA, enter the spinning ship. Curnow reactivates the ship and Chandra restarts Hal, which Bowman had deactivated before Discovery arrived at Jupiter. Brailovsky (Elya Baskin) travels to the Monolith in an EVA pod, but a burst of energy that emerges from the Monolith and heads to Earth consumes him. Bowman, now an incorporeal being, appears on his widow's television and wishes her farewell. He visits his terminally ill mother in a nursing home and combs her hair before she dies.Chandra discovers the reason for Hal's malfunction: The NSC ordered the computer to conceal from Discovery's crew the fact that the mission was about the Monolith. This conflicted with Hal's basic function of open, accurate processing of information, causing him to suffer a mental breakdown.The tensions between the United States and Soviet Union escalate to what is "technically a state of war", and the US government orders Floyd, Curnow, and Chandra to move into Discovery. Both crews plan to leave Jupiter when a launch window opens in several weeks. Bowman appears to Floyd, warning him that they must leave Jupiter within two days because "something wonderful" will happen. Although Kirbuk is skeptical of Floyd's report, the Monolith suddenly disappears and a growing black spot appears on the Jovian surface. The spot is a vast grouping of Monoliths that is rapidly increasing in number, shrinking Jupiter's volume, increasing the planet's density, and modifying the chemical properties of its atmosphere.The Monolith's disappearance convinces the two crews that they must leave soon. Since neither ship can reach Earth with an early departure, they work together to use Discovery as a booster rocket for Leonov. Tension arises when Hal is not told that the Discovery will be left stranded in space, and possibly destroyed; Chandra fears that another deception may cause Hal to again malfunction. During the launch countdown Chandra tells the computer the truth. Hal agrees that it must sacrifice itself for the human beings on board Leonov to complete Discovery's mission.Leonov leaves Jupiter just before the Monoliths engulf Jupiter and increase its density to the point that nuclear fusion occurs, transforming the planet into a small star. Bowman commands Hal to repeatedly broadcast a final message to Earth:ALL THESE WORLDS
ARE YOURS EXCEPT
EUROPA
ATTEMPT NO
LANDING THERE
USE THEM TOGETHER
USE THEM IN PEACEA wave of hot plasma erupts from the forming star, incinerating Discovery.The new star's miraculous appearance inspires the American and Soviet leaders to seek peace. Europa gradually transforms from an icy wasteland to a humid jungle covered with plant life. A Monolith stands in a swamp, waiting for intelligent life forms to evolve.
    

2010: The Year We Make Contact


            Moscow, USSR, 1985Several American CIA agents have their identities compromised. Most of them are captured across the city. One female agent is brought before KGB head Vassiliev (Eric Godon). He tells her that he wants her to send a message to her superiors. At the CIA headquarters in the USA, Leonard Miller (Cillian Murphy) receives the agent's head in a box.Five years later, a recruiter walks through a market and meets Anna Poliatova (Sasha Luss), a beautiful vendor of China dolls. He invites her to become a model, and although hesitant at first, she joins him. Anna is brought to Paris to take modeling gigs, where she meets another model, named Maud (Lera Abova).At a party, Anna meets a man named Oleg (Andrew Howard). The two begin a relationship that spans two months, up until Oleg admits to her that he is an arms dealer. After getting the information she needs, Anna goes into the bathroom, removes a wire, and then comes back out to shoot Oleg dead.Three years earlier, we see that Anna was living with her abusive boyfriend Piotr (Alexander Petrov). After going to pick up groceries, Piotr pulls up to pick up Anna, along with a woman and two other men. They drive around the city until they stop at an ATM and pull out a kidnapped American tourist. They force the man to give up his PIN number to rob him, but the local police show up and begin to shoot. One of Piotr's friends dies, and Anna knocks the woman unconscious. Piotr pulls the woman out while he and his friend escape with Anna. They evade the police until a car crashes into them. Piotr's friend is dead, but he and Anna get out. They return home, and Piotr is shot dead by KGB agent Alex Tchenkov (Luke Evans). He found a recent application of Anna's to join the Navy, but she says she would apply anywhere to escape her existence. He offers her a chance to join the KGB and become a new person, with the promise of freedom after five years. She is reluctant but ultimately agrees.Back in the present, Anna is in an interrogation room with Leonard asking her questions about Oleg's death. She is ultimately let go. We then see Anna earlier as she meets with Alex and KGB handler Olga (Helen Mirren). She has no confidence in Anna's capabilities as an agent, but at Alex's behest, Olga decides to give her a chance.Anna's mission is to acquire the phone of her target within a five-minute time range. She enters a restaurant and attempts to shoot the target, but she finds her gun isn't loaded. The target's thugs start to attack Anna, but she improvises and finds creative and violent ways to kill them, ranging from neck-snaps to bullets in the brain. The target then attempts to attack Anna, but she stabs him to death with a fork. After she gets the phone, she finds that Olga and Alex had left since she took longer than five minutes. Anna returns five hours later with the phone, to Olga's indifference. She is then given a place to stay, and she is later found by the recruiter. We then see the whole hit job from Olga's perspective.Anna approaches Vassiliev with a request to leave the KGB. He responds by taking out a gun and saying there is only one way out before pointing it at her. She realizes she is forced to stay, and she turns down his offer to play Chess.Anna continues to do modeling on the side while also taking on hit jobs. In between, she lives with Maud as girlfriends, but is also in an affair with Alex. After one job in which she is ordered to bring back her target's finger, Anna tearfully asks Olga for a break. She allows her to take a week off, and she goes on vacation with Maud.During another job, Anna is taken in by the CIA. Despite her disguises, she is recognized by Leonard due to how she carries her bag. He promises her a way out by ordering her to kill Vassiliev, and afterward, she will receive full protection and be allowed to retreat to Hawaii. Later on, she also starts an affair with Leonard while showing declining interest in Maud. Leonard later tells Anna about the botched mission with his agents and how Vassiliev had them killed.Anna sets up a Chess game with Vassiliev, whereupon she shoots him in the head in front of Alex. Anna subdues him and manages to get out before the alarm goes off to alert everyone. She then manages to fight her way across a number of guards before getting out.Anna later arranges a meeting between Alex and Leonard, where she kisses both of them to reveal she was working with them. She explains herself and makes it clear she is done with both of them. The two watch her leave and decide to wage a temporary truce. However, Anna is followed by Olga, who tells her "Nobody fucks with the KGB!" before apparently shooting her dead. KGB and CIA agents have each other cornered in the park.A flashback reveals that Olga found out about Anna's plan to kill Vassiliev. She knows that Anna wants to be free, and with Vassiliev out of the way, Olga can become the new head of the KGB. She gives Anna her approval. The hit was a set-up, and Anna managed to find a way to escape through a sewer before emerging a free woman.A while later, Olga, now comfy in her new position, receives a video from Anna. She lets her know that she has a recording of their last conversation, so if she even thinks of trying to screw with her, Anna will leak it to the KGB. Olga smiles and says "Bitch" before deleting the video.
    

Anna


            While trying to lead a normal life with girlfriend Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker), Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is approached by Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), who is afraid that there are people following them, but Frank shrugs him off. After appealing a second time, Marvin drives off, but his car is blown up. Sarah convinces Frank, who does not believe Marvin is dead, to go to Marvin's funeral, and after the funeral, Frank is taken to be interrogated at a Yankee White Facility. During the interrogation, Jack Horton (Neal McDonough) appears, killing most of the facility's personnel, and tells Frank that he will torture Sarah in order to get information out of Frank. Frank manages to escape with the help of Marvin, who turns out to be alive, and they go on the run with Sarah. Marvin explains that he and Frank were being hunted down because they were listed as participants in a secret operation codenamed Nightshade. The operation was conducted in the Cold War in order to smuggle a nuclear weapon into Russia piece by piece. Victoria (Helen Mirren) calls and tells them she has accepted a contract from MI6 to kill Frank. Meanwhile, top contract killer Han Jo-bae (Lee Byung-hun) is given a contract to kill Frank as well.Frank, Marvin, and Sarah travel to Paris to track down a man nicknamed "The Frog" (David Thewlis), with Han, whose plane they stole, and the Americans on their tails. As they arrive in Paris, they are stopped by Katya (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a Russian secret agent who Frank had a relationship with earlier in his career. Katya is in search of Nightshade as well, and teams up with them to find The Frog. After The Frog flees from them, Frank and Katya catch him and bring him back to his house, where Sarah succeeds in wooing him to help them. The Frog gives them the key to his security box, which Katya attempts to take from Frank after drugging him, but Marvin gives her a fake key. He, Frank, and Sarah find documents in the security box which point to Dr. Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant physicist, as the creator of the bomb involved with Operation Nightshade.They find out that Bailey is still alive, having been held in an asylum for the criminally insane in London for thirty-two years. After arriving in London, the trio are confronted by Victoria, but Victoria helps to fake their deaths. Victoria then poses as an insane woman in order to gain access to the asylum. Frank and Victoria meet Bailey, who is hyperactive and does not respond to their questions. After a while, Bailey reveals that the bomb is still in Moscow. They go to Moscow, and after a close call with Han, Bailey comes to the conclusion that he hid the bomb in the Kremlin. They break into the Kremlin, and Bailey locates the bomb, but as they are about to leave, they are stopped by Katya. Frank convinces her to return to their side As they celebrate their success, Victoria calls Frank from London and tells him that Bailey was locked up because he wanted to see the bomb go off. Bailey holds Frank at gunpoint and confirms Victoria's message, revealing that he made a deal with Horton and the Americans to leave with the bomb. He then shoots Katya, staging her death at Frank's hands, and leaves. Horton reneges on his deal with Bailey, intending to question him, but Bailey escapes by using a nerve agent he created. Bailey moves to the Iranian embassy in London, and as Frank attempts to follow, he is confronted by Han, and after a fistfight, Frank asks Han to join sides with him and stop the bomb. Han eventually relents, and they set in place a plan to recapture Bailey and the bomb.Sarah seduces the Iranian ambassador and takes him hostage on the pretext of women's rights in Iran. Marvin sets in place a diversion, and the rest come in disguise to "fix" the problem. When they arrive, they discover that Bailey has set the bomb timer off. Bailey kidnaps Sarah and goes to the airport to escape the imminent explosion. Frank, Marvin, Victoria, and Han give chase, but are themselves chased by guards from the embassy. After they escape, they arrive at the airport, and Frank saves Sarah from Bailey, but is forced by him to take the bomb off the plane. They reunite with Marvin, Victoria, and Han and wait for their imminent deaths, but the bomb explodes in the air, killing Bailey. Frank reveals that he sneaked the bomb on the plane. The movie closes with a scene showing Sarah enjoying herself on a mission with Frank and Marvin.
    

RED 2


            The film opens with Charlie Fox (River Phoenix) explaining that his father, Allie Fox (Harrison Ford), is a brilliant inventor with "nine patents, six pending." Allie has grown fed up with the American Dream and American consumerism, believing that Americans "buy junk, sell junk and eat junk," and that there is an impending nuclear war on the horizon as a result of American greed and crime.Allie and Charlie go to a hardware store to buy components for a new invention, an ice machine known as Fat Boy. Upon seeing that the product was made in Japan, Allie refuses to purchase it. After Allie and Charlie acquire the components at a local dump, he finishes assembling his creation. Allie's boss and asparagus farm owner, Mr. Polski (Dick O'Neill) complains that Allie is not tending to the asparagus, which is rotting. Allie, Charlie, and Allie's youngest son, Jerry (Jadrien Steele), meet Mr. Polski, and Allie shows him "Fat Boy." The machine leaves Polski unimpressed. As he drives past the fields, a dejected Allie comments on immigrants picking asparagus, and says that where they come from, they might think of ice as a luxury. The home of the migrant workers is in a state of disarray, exemplifying their poverty.That night, Jerry tells "Mother" (Helen Mirren), that he believes something terrible is about to happen. Mother rebuffs her son, explaining that she believes something good will happen. The next morning, Allie throws a party for the immigrant workers before telling his family that they're leaving the United States. After they board a Panamanian barge, the family meets Reverend Spellgood (Andre Gregory), a Christian missionary, his wife (Melanie Boland), and their daughter, Emily (Martha Plimpton). Emily flirts with Charlie. Allie and the Reverend begrudgingly try to get along, despite having entirely different religious views. When the barge docks in Belize City, the families disembark and go their separate ways. Allie, with the consent of the Belize government, purchases a small village called Jeronimo in the rainforest along the river.Mr. Haddy (Conrad Roberts) takes Allie and his family upriver to Jeronimo. Allie meets the inhabitants and proceeds to start building a new, 'advanced' civilization, in the process inventing many new things. The locals take kindly to Allie and his family, but Allie's will to build a utopic civilization keeps them working to their limits. One day, Reverend Spellgood arrives to convert Jeronimo's citizens. In the process, Allie and Spellgood angrily denounce each other, leading to a permanent schism: Allie believes Spellgood to be a religious zealot; Spellgood believes Allie to be a communist. Allie sets to constructing a huge version of "Fat Boy" that can supply Jeronimo with ice. Upon completing the machine, Allie hears rumors of a native tribe in the mountains that have never seen ice. Allie recruits his two sons to carry a load of ice into the jungle to supply the tribe. Upon arriving, Allie finds that the load has melted, and that the tribe has already been visited by missionaries.When Allie returns to Jeronimo, he learns that Spellgood has left with much of the populace, scaring them with stories of God's biblical destruction. The near-empty town is visited by rebels, who demand to use Jeronimo as a guerrilla base. Allie and his family accept to accommodate them while Allie constructs a plan to be rid of them. Set on freezing them to death, Allie bunks the rebels up in the giant ice machine, tells Charlie to lock its only other exit, and activates it. The rebels, waking in panic, try to shoot their way through. To Allie's horror, the rebels' gunfire sets off an explosion within the machine. By the next morning, both the machine and the family's home is in ruins. Worse, the chemicals from the destroyed machine have severely polluted the river.Forced downstream, Allie and his family arrive at the coast. Mother and the children rejoice, believing they can return to the United States. Allie, refusing to believe his dream has been shattered, announces that they have all they need on the beach and, lying, tells the family that America has been destroyed in a nuclear war. Settling on the beach in a houseboat he has built, and refusing assistance from Mr. Haddy, a paranoid Allie believes that the family has accomplished building a utopia. One night, the storm surge from a tropical cyclone nearly forces the family out to sea until Charlie reveals that he has been hiding motor components given to him by Mr. Haddy, allowing them to start the motor on the boat. The family becomes physically and emotionally weaker for lack of food, shelter, and other human companionship.Traveling upstream once again, the family stumbles across Spellgood's compound. Coming ashore, Allie sees barbed wire, and mutters that the settlement is a Christian concentration camp. While the rest of the family sleeps, Charlie and Jerry sneak over to the Spellgood home. After finding out that the United States was not destroyed and that Emily will assist them in escaping from Allie, Charlie obtains the keys to a jeep. Before Charlie can convince Mother and his sisters to leave, Allie sets Spellgood's church on fire. Spellgood shoots Allie, paralyzing him from the neck down. The family escapes aboard the boat.The film concludes with the group traveling downriver again, where Allie drifts in and out of consciousness. Allie asks his wife if they are going upstream. She lies to himgoing against the wishes of her husband for the first time. Charlie's final narration reports the death of Allie, but gives hope that the rest of the family can live their lives freely from now on.
    

The Mosquito Coast


            Love & dance in communist Russia.
    

White Nights

The One and Only Ivan


            What would Anne Frank's life have been like had she survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen? What would have happened to the hopes and dreams she wrote about in her diaries? What could she have told us about persecution, about concentration camps? How would she have interpreted the reality of today, the rekindling of antisemitism and new racisms? One thing for sure is that Anne is still a reference point, a looking glass through which teenagers can learn how to see the world and what questions to ask themselves. Anne wrote about herself, about what was happening to a Europe in flames, about Nazism. And in order to confide her fears and thoughts she invented an imaginary friend called Kitty.Helen Mirren will introduce audiences to Anne's story through the words in her diary. The set will be her room in the secret refuge in Amsterdam, reconstructed in every detail by set designers from the Piccolo Theatre in Milan, part of the Union of European Theatres. It is a remarkably faithful, authentic reconstruction of the interior that will take us right back to 1942. The room contains the objects in Anne's life, the photographs she covered the walls of her room with, and the notebooks she wrote.The young actress, Martina Gatti - has the role of guiding us through the places that were part of Anne Frank's life and those of the Holocaust survivors. She travels through Europe showing us the stages of Anne's short life. She is a young girl of today who wants to know about the story of the Jewish teenager who became a symbol of the greatest tragedy to befall the 20th Century, and she speaks to us through social networks. Photos and posts are her language, and in this way, Martina gives us her interpretation of what she discovers, what she sees, from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany (where Anne and her sister Margot died) to the Holocaust Memorial in Paris, up to and including her visit to the secret refuge in Amsterdam. Martina is one of the thousands of teenagers who feel close to Anne, and one of the many imaginary friends, the many Kitties all over the world who dream of having a special place in her heart.Martina writes a sort of digital diary that speaks to her peers: a swift, effective way to place the tragedies of the past in relation to the present, to understand what an antidote could be today against all forms of racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism. It is her curiosity, her desire not to remain indifferent that allows us to rediscover how absolutely contemporary Anne Frank's words are, but also how powerful are the words of those who can still remember - those of Arianna, Sarah, Helga, Andra and Tatiana, and their parallel stories. Like Anne Frank they all suffered persecution and deportation when they were very young. They were denied the carefree light-heartedness of their youth, they lost their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends and loved ones in concentration camps. The stories of the survivors of the Holocaust put words on the blank pages of Anne's diary, since hers fell silent when everyone in the secret refuge in Amsterdam was arrested on August 4th, 1944. These women tell their stories, and sometimes their voices break with emotion, like Arianna, deported when she was 11, when she recalls meetings with her mother through the barbed wire at Auschwitz - but they also tell their stories with strength, defiance, and irony. One example is the description of the "surreal" game Sarah would organize in the camp with the other girls: a flea contest. Nobody won anything but it helped them survive.In the documentary we also hear the voices of Rabbi Michael Berenbaum, historian and professor of Jewish studies at various American universities, Holocaust historian Marcello Pezzetti, director of the Holocaust Museum in Rome, French ethno-psychologist Nathalie Zajde, the testimony of Doris Grozdanovicova and Fanny Hochbaum, world-renowned violinist Francesca Dego, Yves Kugelmann publisher and member of Anne Frank Fonds, Basel, Ronald Leopold - director of the Anne Frank House, Alain Granat director of the online magazine Jewpopo, and photographer Simon Daval.
    

#Anne Frank Parallel Stories

The Door


            Following a nervous breakdown and upon returning home following treatment in a mental hospital, Chase Phillips (Helen Mirren) is hired a helper, Elizabeth (Kyra Sedgwick) by her husband, Richard (Beau Bridges). Chase is opposed to being given a helper and treats both her husband and Elizabeth with contempt. Chase snidely asks Elizabeth what she plans to do with the money she earns from being a helper; Elizabeth replies that she is not doing it for the money. Chase's two teenage sons, Little Richard (Michael Yarmush) and Jason (Lucas Denton), are returned to the family home from school on the same day Elizabeth arrives. The youngest son, Jason, is eager to see his mother but Little Richard treats her with hostility.The following day after questioning her, Elizabeth tells the children that she has one sibling, a sister who is "unwell" and that her mother is dead. When asked what happened to her mother, Elizabeth states, "She had a hard time living." Jason later relays this information to Chase. The next day Richard befriends Elizabeth whilst she is planting tomatoes, which causes tension between him and Chase.Later Elizabeth takes a day off and flies to another state to visit her sister Catherine who is in an institution. After a brief and pleasant conversation Catherine suddenly becomes enraged at Elizabeth, accusing her of various things. After Catherine is escorted away by a nurse, Elizabeth returns to the Phillips residence, where she discovers Chase ripping up all the tomatoes she planted out of spite. Elizabeth lashes out at Chase, initially over Chase's behavior however as her tearful rage continues she screams at Chase for commuting suicide while Elizabeth and her sister were so young and for ruining their lives. Taken back, Chase manages to calm Elizabeth, telling her she is not her mother. Elizabeth realizes what she has been saying, and sobbingly embraces Chase, who returns the hug.The following day Chase's attitude has improved, and she befriends Elizabeth. Richard announces that he will be returning to working away from home, leaving Elizabeth to continue caring for Chase and the children. Chase accompanies Elizabeth and the boys and leaves the house for the first time since returning from treatment. Chase and Elizabeth's friendship grows; Chase tells Elizabeth how the expectations to get married and conform to small town life caused her original breakdown.As the days go by closeness grows between Elizabeth, Chase and the children. Chase gives her old car to Elizabeth as a gift for everything Elizabeth has done for her. Chase laments that Elizabeth will be leaving when summer is over.One day on the beach, Chase watches Elizabeth go swimming as she naps. When she awakes she cannot see Elizabeth in the water and immediately panics. Chase frantically tries to get Little Richard to help her search for Elizabeth. Elizabeth, who had finished swimming and has been preparing lunch, hears the argument between Little Richard and Chase and comes to investigate. As Elizabeth walks away with Chase, trying to figure out exactly why Chase is so upset, Chase kisses her on the lips. Elizabeth initially kisses her back, but then states she cannot go further and runs away. Little Richard sees the kiss.As Chase and Elizabeth deny their feelings for each other, tensions grow between both of them and Little Richard. Elizabeth contemplates leaving. Little Richard calls his father in distress. Richard returns and confronts his wife. Chase confesses she is in love with Elizabeth, who has made her feel alive again in a way that he never could. Richard takes Elizabeth home the next morning whilst Chase is still sleeping. Chase races to the dock to be able to say goodbye, and insists that Elizabeth take the car she previously gave to her. Chase and Elizabeth embrace before Elizabeth leaves.Chase narrates an epilogue. She breaks up with Richard, though they remain on good terms and share custody of the children. She states she never saw Elizabeth again, but still sees Elizabeth in her dreams. Chase concludes with the line, "It was one hell of a storm. Will there be others? There usually are. You just have to wait and see."
    

Losing Chase

Where Angels Fear to Tread

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

Children of God

The Comfort of Strangers

Phil Spector

Pride

Catherine the Great

Invocation: Maya Deren

Critical Care


            Wayne Hayes (Robert Redford), and his wife Eileen (Helen Mirren) are living the American dream, having raised two children and built up a successful business from scratch. He is looking forward to a peaceful retirement with Eileen. However, everything changes when Wayne is kidnapped in broad daylight by a former employee, Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe). While Wayne tries negotiating with the kidnapper for his life, and Eileen tries to secure her husband's release, she finds herself being investigated by the FBI.The kidnapping causes Wayne and Eileen to reevaluate their relationship, after Eileen discovers that Wayne has continued an extramarital affair that he promised to end months previously. Eileen begins to wonder whether she should pay the ransom, as it increasingly appears unlikely that Wayne will be safely released.However, Eileen's efforts to secure Wayne's release turn out to have been in vain, as Wayne was murdered by Arnold early in the kidnapping. Eileen's ordeal takes place over the course of a week, while Wayne is only held for a day before he is killed. The time discrepancy is only revealed towards the end of the movie, and until then it seems that Wayne and Eileen's experiences are occurring simultaneously.
    

The Clearing


            The film begins with a night view of New York. It's the funeral of Ayn Rand (Helen Mirren), the renown novelist. It's on 8th March 1992. The lady who speaks was her best friend, but because of their falling out, she has to wait outside in the cold to see the body, with many other fans of the writer. Finally, the doors are opened by the funeral director (John Lefebvre). Another lady (Katherine Trowell) at the funeral comments that Ayn Rand wouldn't have liked that display of popular sentimentalism. A security guard (Robert Thomas) appears to tell the ladies to keep on moving.Los Angeles, 1951. The door bell keeps ringing. Frank O'Connor "Frank Rand" (Peter Fonda), with a bouquet of flowers on his hand, opens up the door. A young couple wants to talk to Ayn Rand. She appears, dressed almost as a man. The young couple introduce themselves: they are Nathaniel (Eric Stoltz) and Barbara (Julie Delpy) Branden. They want to interview her about the social and psychological implications of her novels. Ayn uses them as examples of the young fresh people who read her novels. Returning home, Barbara says that she's felt as though Rand could read her innermost hidden thoughts. Nathaniel and Barbara kiss on the car, but she prevents her from going further. He has taken her back home: it looks that they are an unmarried couple.Later, Ayn Rand and Barbara have a conversation, and the former concludes that Nathan is the perfect man for Barbara, but the young girl doesn't feel love within her. Rand says she sees herself in Barbara's confusion. Barbara promises not to disappoint Rand ever. They return to the cocktail party. There, Nathan hears about Rand's new novel, entitled Atlas Shrugged . The man who wanted to write a script about Rand's previous novel is pushed to quit the project because he feels guilt - a feeling which Rand doesn't approve of.A scene of Barbara and Nathan making love. Next step, it's their wedding. Rand attends the wedding and dances with Nathan. She starts to feel that Nathan may be the person who will carry on her work. When she tries to speak to Frank, he's busy gardening. Ayn tells him that she wants to live in New York. However, Fran loves their mansion in the countryside. Ayn tries to make love to him passionately to convince him. She shouts to him "Why do you always have to ask for my permission?", so he tears her beautiful dress into pieceds.New York. 3 months later. During a taxi ride, Nathan reads Rand's book. Barbara writes in her diary about her own identity problems. The marriage calls on Frank and Ayn. She says that the dollar sign is her god. Nathan confides to Ayn that Barbara feels confused and needs guidance.That night, Nathan tries to make love to Barbara, but she is a bit passive, as usual. That night, Nathan doesn't want to make the effort. Barbara feels that she always has to fit an ideal. Barbara is outraged that he has talked about their bedroom problems to somebody outside the marriage. Each one of them sleeps feeling angry towards the other.In a later party, Barbara notices that Frank is sad and depressed as well, because he's having problems in his marriage too. Meanwhile, Ayn chain-smokes while writing her novel. She gets stuck because of her personal problems. Finally, she picks up the receiver to make a phonecall. She confides in Nathan. They both stay behind, sitting, while Barbara and Fran ice-skate. Barbara notices them whispering and smiling, as if they were in love.Once alone with her husband, Barbara tells him that Ayn Rand was in love with him. Nathan denies to be in love with her: he mentions that she's 25 years older than him. He says that Barbara's fears are ridiculous. He encourages her to control her emotions. At the same time, Ayn gives the silent treatment to Frank.Nathan finally visits Ayn Rand. At first, she feels outraged of having been misunderstood by Barbara. However, she finally puts it out there: she says she loves him. They kiss.Another day, Ayn defends her idea of lesser people having to accept the moral superiority of higher people like herself. She is proposing to maintain both marriages but allowing herself to have Nathan as lover. Her words about love come down to being proposing open marriages. Frank refuses to oblige with "this insanity". Nathan tries to talk to Barbara, telling her that he loves her, but that he must be with Ayn as well. Frank takes it the works, but at least Barbara offers her arm in consolation. Frank looks defeated, remembering how Ayn used to tell him that he was her ideal for a man. They both talk at a bar. Frank wasn't sure that was equal to love, but he accepted that. He also recognises that, at 54, he's got no job of his own, he's got no higher education: their lifestyle is financed by her on her own. He's got nowhere to go, so he's got no other choice. He tells Barbara that she's got a choice. Finally, Frank and Barbara decide to accept that Ayn and Nathan must meet twice a week at her mansion. Barbara can't stand Nathaniel to touch her, but Ayn is extra-warm towards Frank. While they are leaving, Nathaniel makes promises of love towards Barbara. She knows him and he loves her.Cut to Nathan and Ayn making love: this causes Ayn to enter a period of high creativity. She writes her ideology of love within her books. They see each other, and Nathan and Ayn go at it like rabbits in heat.Ayn sees her novel to spiral out of control in number of pages. She questions Caroline (Sybil Temchen) and other students about love. David (Donald Carrier) and other students (Tomas Chovanec, Patrick Garrow, Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Tara Meyer, Sergio Di Zio) are discussing the matter of love. Caroline wanted to become a teacher to teach others, but Ayn rejects that view, stating that Caroline is looking for appraisal according to her disposal to think of others before herself. Ayn throws another of her diatribes, this time addressing Barbara, who seems to feel dizzy. Meanwhile, a waiter (Daniel Enright), keeps on serving wine around them. Ayn says that the physical symptoms Barbara has been feeling arise from her anxiety. Caroline is eager to do whatever it takes to get better. Nathan tells her that she's not putting effort in getting better. Barbara leaves but Nathan does not go with her, not even to check that she's all right. Barbara has sweaty hands, breathes heavily, feels everything moving around here... Meanwhile, Ayn and Nathan are at it. Ayn picks up the phone, and Barbara asks her to visit them. However, Ayn gets furious, saying that it's all Barbara's fault, that she's brought her condition onto herself, that she knows that this is Ayn and Nathan's time... and Ayn hangs up violently. Barbara cries and has a panic attack. A man knocks on the phone booth and asks her whether she's alright. When Nathan arrives home, he enquires about the treatment of Barbara's illness.Barbara tries to please Nathan, but it's not working. Nathan keeps on treating Caroline, who wants to stop worrying about anybody else's.All of a sudden, Ayn finishes  Atlas Shrugged , after 12 years. Frank and Ayn dance to celebrate it, while Nathan keeps on staring at them, full of jealousy. Frank gives a painting to Ayn as a present. Ayn is very rude to people and rejects a price she's offered. Nathan makes a toast saying how important it was for him to meet his idol, Ayn Rand. She gets up and says that the people who surround her are all heroes and heroines, and also says that her ideology will not have preponderance during her own lifetime. She calls Nathaniel her inheritor. The waiter keeps on bringing liquor to Frank. Nathan finds Frank completely downtrodden and drunk at the end of the party.Caroline reads what she's written, to the effect that she won't care about other people's feelings. She tells Frank, her psychiatrist, that she can't stop thinking about him. They kiss, but Frank says that that can never happen. They separate themselves, only to end up making love in bed.Richard (Tom McCamus) phones Barbara and asks her to see him. For the first time in a huge amont of time, Barbara looks happy. In front of a billboard announcing Bill McManus, they see  Atlas Shrugged  in the shop window of a book shop.A journalist (David Ferry) interviews Ayn, who defends that better people have been enslaved by the morality of poorer people, who should not be taken into account. People should be selfish, Ayn says, and until they are, America won't get better. Barbara watches on her own. Ayn only loves reason. Rand has to defend herself of bad critics, who calls her a fascist.When Frank takes dinner to her in her bedroom, she complains that nobody defends her or her books. Frank is in silence, and sighs. He leaves her crying. Frank turns to painting when Nathan arrives. He gives a massage to her. The Brandens give conferences about Rand's ideology. A young man (Andrew Dolhan), asks Ayn Rand to make an outline of her philosophy standing on one leg. He's vooed by the audience, but Ayn Rand complies.Barbara has realised that there's something between Caroline and Nathan, so she pursues Richard. They kiss passionately. Barbara asks Nathan permission to see Richard, but he thinks that it's a way of degrading herself, as Richard is so below him. Barbara tells him that she knows about Caroline. Even though he denies everything and calls Barbara paranoid, Nathan is worried of Barbara telling Ayn about it. Richard and Barbara see each other. Caroline also wonders what she means to Nathan. They kiss, and she says she loves him.Los Angeles, 1964. Rand talks about her novels and ideology. People argue with her ideas. In a private dinner afterwards, Nathan wants to discuss business, but Ayn realises that he's changed towards her a lot. Nathan says that his marriage is falling apart because Barbara can't change her petty views. Ayn recommends Nathan to free himself for once and all. A young waiter interrupts the conversation to ask Rand for an authograph.Nathan looks at Caroline, who now works at the Branden Institute. Finally, Nathan admits that he's been sleeping around with Caroline to Barbara. Barbara thinks he's got no principles at all. Barbara wants a divorce.Frank explains a painting to Barbara. Ayn asks Barbara why Nathan's love is lost to her, meaning to Ayn. Caroline tells Nathan, who's giving out a conference, that he must see Ayn at once. He leaves the conference unfinished. Ayn feels humiliated, because Nathan owes all his success to her. Nathan has fallen in love with Caroline. Ayn slaps Nathan three times and puts him out of her house immediately. [That's what Barbara should have done a long time ago]. Barbara tries to offer some consolation, but Frank does nothing, as usual.Frank goes out to the conference room, where he says that he has broken up with Ayn Rand, but that shouldn't matter to the supporters of positivism. His nose bleeds while he speaks. He resigns from the institute. Barbara hugs Nathan. Caroline appears, and even though Barbara stares hard at her to make her go, it's finally Barbara who leaves. When Caroline hugs him, Nathan whispers that he's free at last.Ayn wants to destroy Nathan. Finally, Barbara stands up to Ayn, who's on a hunt for Nathan's head. Barbara asks Ayn to show compassion; she also asks Frank to speak on Nathan's behalf, but Frank, drinking as much as usual, says he's never understood anything. Barbara decides to leave Ayn for good, to which Ayn coolly replies that she's disappointed on her.Los Angeles, 1981. Miss Rand answers questions wittyly in a conference, until somebody asks her what the nature of love is. At the beginning, she's confused, and thinks that it's a young Nathaniel Branden who's asked her that. She says that it's the command to rise to one's potential, that it's the greatest moral achievement and that people love superior things.Years later, Barbara takes some flowers to the tombstones of Frank O'Connor (1897-1979) and Ayn Rand O'Connor (1905-1982). Barbara leaves with her new partner.Images of the Chrysler building and New York at night.---written by KrystelClaire
    

The Passion of Ayn Rand


            Arthur (Russell Brand) is a drunken playboy who revels in party and drinking. On the way to a dress party, he and Bitterman (Luis Guzman) dress as Batman and Robin, get arrested, then bail out everyone from jail.The next day, Hobson (Helen Mirren) cleans up after Arthur and kicks out various hookers. Hobson nannies Arthur, trying to keep him sober. She takes him to see his mother Vivienne (Geraldine James), who tells him he must marry Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner) to stabilize the family business. Arthur proceeds to spend money as fast as possible, then bumps into Naomi (Greta Gerwig). They share a moment, and Arthur asks to see her again, but he still has to marry Susan.He goes to ask Susan's father Burt (Nick Nolte) for her hand in marriage. Burt approves, only because he thinks Susan will straighten him out. Arthur goes to dinner with Susan, and she begins to manipulate him. Arthur refuses to abide by the decision, and he clears out Grand Central Station to have dinner with Naomi (Pez). She's impressed by his wealth, but prefers simple fun. She takes him to her house to have dinner - canned pasta - and they bond. Atrhur enourages Naomi to write the story she's been working on. Susan finds out and works to destroy the relationship with Naomi. Naomi also tries to make friends with Hobson.Arthur decides to get a job, and goes to an AA meeting. Hobson stands up and describes Arthur's life at the meeting, embarassing him. Arthur explains his situation to Naomi, and she throws him out.Arthur prepares for the wedding, but Hobson begins to see how miserable he is. She goes to Vivienne to plead for Arthur, then goes to Naomi and tells her Arthur loves her. Hobson falls ill, and Arthur and Naomi share concern over her. Naomi tells Arthur that her book was bought, but Susan intrudes and tells her that Arthur coerced the purchase; she gets angry and leaves.Arthur starts to care for Hobson, feeding her canned pasta at first, but gradually improving, remaining sober. He finds out that Hobson has made sacrifices for him, and she passes away. Arthur is devastated, and starts drinking again.The wedding day arrives. Arthur finds a note from Hobson, telling him to go to Naomi. Arthur refuses to get married, and Susan yells that she needs to marry him to take control of the company. Arthur renounces his wealth and leaves the chapel, stripping nearly naked. He visits Naomi, but she spurns him. He goes to church and stops drinking. He finds Naomi's new book and sees it was dedicated to him. He visits her and apologizes for his behavior. They kiss, and he tells her his mother has forgiven him and they leave together - in the Batmobile.
    

Arthur

Brighton Rock

Love Ranch


            In London, England one Christmas Eve, Mr. Stahlbaum gives his children Christmas presents to fulfill his wife's dying wish. Clara, the youngest sister, receives a handcrafted egg-shaped box, which, to her dismay, she is unable to unlock. In the package, she discovers a note from her mother that states that the inside of the egg contains all she would ever need.The Stahlbaum family then heads to a Christmas Eve ball, hosted by the children's godfather, Drosselmeyer. Refusing to dance with her father, Clara scurries from the crowd to ask Drosselmeyer, a skilled engineer, how to unlock her egg. He then reveals to Clara that the egg was a creation of his that he gifted to Clara's mother when she was younger, and that her mother's wish was to bestow the gift to her daughter.Returning to the ballroom, Clara gets scolded by her father for disobeying him and not dancing with him. Calling him self-absorbed and obsessed with his family's image since his wife's passing, she flees the group when Drosselmeyer announces it being time for the children to receive their gifts. Clara finds her string with her name on it, signifying her gift, and follows it into a parallel world to Christmas Tree Forest, where the key hangs in the center of a tree waiting for her to grab. Nonetheless, before she can grab it, a mouse snatches it. Unable to reach the mouse which crosses a frozen-over lake, Clara approaches Captain Philip Hoffman, who tells her that she is the daughter of Queen Marie Stahlbaum, to cross the bridge he is guarding, which leads to the Fourth Realm. Captain Philip and Clara cross the bridge, but they are unable to obtain the key from the mice.Captain Philip then guides Clara to the palace, where she meets The Sugar Plum Fairy, regent of the Land of Sweets; Shiver, regent of the Land of Snowflakes; and Hawthorne, regent of the Land of Flowers. Hawthorne then divulges to Clara that they are at war with the the Land of Amusements, which they now refer to as "the Fourth Realm."Watching a ballet that tells the story of the world's creation, Sugar Plum explains to Clara that her mother created this world as a young girl. She later explains that Marie animated everyone with a machine that can turn toys into humans. Sugar Plum says that she can use this machine to defend the other three realms against Mother Ginger, regent of the Fourth Realm, but it needs a key. Clara investigates the machine and notices that the key hole matches that of the one on her egg: the same key snatched by the mouse. Clara and her soldiers go on a journey toward Mother Ginger and the mice to get the key back and are successful. However, Clara is disappointed upon finding out that the egg is only a music box.Once Sugar Plum obtains the key, she uses the machine to turn toys into life-size soldiers that obey her every command, including that to attack the Fourth Realm. She also reveals that the machine can turn people into toys as well. Clara suggests that she use the soldiers as defense rather than violence, as it is what her mother would have wanted, but Sugar Plum declares that what her mother would have wanted is irrelevant since she is dead. Infuriated by Clara's resistance, Sugar Plum imprisons Clara, Captain Philip, Shiver, and Hawthorne.Opening her egg-shaped music box, Clara discovers that the top flips to reveal a mirror, illustrating that all she needed was herself. She and the other prisoners escape, eluding being caught. She and Captain Philip are then greeted by one of Mother Ginger's mice who guides them away from the threat. The mouse shows Clara an entry into the machine's room and guides Captain Philip to Mother Ginger to convince her to help Clara overthrow Sugar Plum.Clara successfully enters the machine's room and shuts down the machine while fighting off soldiers, causing the palace's water wheels to cease rotating, catching Sugar Plum's attention. Mother Ginger comes to her aid and helps her to fight off the soldiers. Sugar Plum ultimately traps Mother Ginger and attempts to turn her into a toy with the machine. However, while distracted by Mother Ginger, Sugar Plum was unaware that Clara had tinkered with the machine so that it aimed at Sugar Plum. The machine zaps Sugar Plum and turns her into a porcelain doll as punishment for high treason to the realms, and Mother Ginger remains alive.Thanked for restoring peace among the realms, Clara promises to visit the realms in the future and returns back to London, where time has hardly passed since she left. She then approaches her father and acknowledges how hard everything has been for everyone since Marie's passing while asking him to dance. He accepts, and Clara opens her music box when her father becomes flooded with emotions; as the song that plays was the first song that he and Clara's mother had ever danced to. The two then continue to dance throughout the night.
    

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Shadowboxer

Royal Deceit

Winchester

The Tempest


            Leigh Ann (Katie Holmes) is a high school student who wants to achieve top grades to become valedictorian. However, her grade in History class is threatened by her sadistic teacher, Mrs. Tingle (Helen Mirren). Mrs. Tingle has a special dislike for Leigh Ann and down-grades Leigh Ann's well-designed project. The teacher also stumbles upon Leigh Ann with the final exam, which had been stolen and planted in Leigh Ann's backpack without her consent, and threatens to have her expelled for it.Leigh Ann and her two friends, Luke (Barry Watson) and Jo Lynn (Marisa Coughlan), head to Mrs. Tingle's house that night and try to convince the teacher that Leigh Ann is innocent. Mrs. Tingle, however, does not listen. A physical struggle ensues and Mrs. Tingle is accidentally knocked unconscious. The students panic and tie Mrs. Tingle to her bed. Pretending to be Mrs. Tingle, Jo Lynn calls the school the next morning and feigns illness in order to buy themselves some time, but all are unsure of what they should do next. Mrs. Tingle eventually reveals that she hates Leigh Ann because Leigh Ann has the potential to leave their small town and experience life something Mrs. Tingle never got a chance to do but her honesty only furthers her captors' dislike of her. She also opines that Leigh Ann does not have the guts to do anything that will get her in trouble; in response, an angry and infuriated Leigh Ann kisses Luke and has sex with him on Mrs Tingle's couch.The next day at school, Jo Lynn ignores Leigh Ann because she had a crush a crush Leigh Ann had been aware of. A regretful Leigh Ann tries to make amends with Jo Lynn, but an admission that she'd had sex with Luke further infuriates Jo Lynn.Leigh Ann, Luke, and Jo Lynn decide to blackmail Mrs. Tingle by producing photographic evidence of her love affair with the school's gym teacher. Before they can enact their plot, however, Mrs. Tingle escapes from her bonds. After a fight at the top of the staircase, she seemingly falls to her death but then quickly recovers, scrambles to her feet, and picks up a crossbow. She fires it wildly, trying to hit Leigh Ann. Trudie Tucker (Liz Stauber) walks through the door, gets hit in the chest by the bolt, and appears to be dead just as Principal Potter (Michael McKean) arrives to check up on Mrs. Tingle. Leigh Ann forces Mrs. Tingle to tell everything that happened with her that she wanted Leigh Ann to fail, that she shot Trudie with the arrow, among other things. However, Trudie was protected by a thick textbook she was holding at her chest and was completely unharmed. Mrs. Tingle is fired, and the final scene of the film shows Leigh Ann being named valedictorian.
    

Teaching Mrs. Tingle

F9: The Fast Saga

Hussy


            In 1933, in a castle located high in the Himalayas, master criminal, Dr. Fu Manchu (Peter Sellers), celebrates his birthday by demanding a vial of "elixir vitae," a fountain-of-youth potion responsible for his 168 years of life. When a follower (Burt Kwouk) presents the elixir, his clothing catches fire from the candles on the birthday cake, so he douses the flames with the elixir. Fu Manchu orders the follower tortured and killed, then announces to his other bandit followers, the Dacoits, that they must carry out several international robberies to gather the precious ingredients for more elixir.In America, a Dacoit is sent to a Washington, D.C., museum, where he observes the Star of Leningrad diamond, and learns that Czar Nicolai presented an identical canary diamond to his cousin, King George V, that is on display in London. At night, the Dacoit steals the jewel.In London, FBI agent Giuseppe "Joe" Capone (Sid Ceasar) and his assistant, Pete Williams (Steve Franken), visit Commissioner Roger Avery (David Tomlinson) and his nephew and assistant, detective inspector Robert Townsend (Simon Williams), at Scotland Yard to discuss the case. When Commissioner Avery is shown a clue, he immediately recognizes it as belonging to the Si-Fan, the dangerous, secret Asian crime organization headed by Fu Manchu. The FBI agents ask to speak to Inspector Nayland Smith (Peter Sellers in a dual role), an authority on the Si-Fan, but learn that he is retired.When the Scotland Yard police and the FBI special agents journey to Smith's country home to coax him out of retirement, the retired Inspector examines the evidence and corroborates that the robbery is the work of the Si-Fan. Although Joe Capone believes that Fu Manchu died in 1890, Smith claims that the criminal is alive and well. Just before Smith's retirement, Fu Manchu was responsible for three unrelated diamond robberies. Smith explains that all three jewels represented key ingredients of the elixir vitae that Fu Manchu needs to maintain eternal youth.Later, Smith agrees to work on the case when he deduces that Fu Manchu is assembling a fresh batch of elixir, and will strike next to obtain the George V canary diamond displayed in the Tower of London. There, museum director Sir Nules Thudd assures Commissioner Avery that the jewel is safe behind bars, guarded by a sophisticated alarm system with several guards standing duty. Meanwhile, as Fu Manchu's strength diminishes, he receives electric jolts to his heart that temporarily restore his vitality.At lunch, Smith shares his theory that Fu Manchu will kidnap the royal couple and demand the jewel as ransom instead of stealing the diamond outright. He proposes that Scotland Yard plant decoys to outsmart Fu Manchu. The agents hold auditions to recruit the royal doubles from within their ranks to foil the predicted kidnapping, and Constable Alice Rage (Helen Mirren) is chosen to assume the role of Queen Mary. When Alice, impersonating the Queen, makes a speech at the Botanical Society, she and surrounding officials fall unconscious after breathing the vapors of a deadly plant strategically left by Dacoits. However, the kidnapping plot fails when the kidnappers are unable to move the "Queen" because Smith has handcuffed her to a railing.Soon, King George informs Commissioner Avery that the royal couple plans to attend the theater, so the police alter their strategy. With binoculars, Smith sees several Dacoits waiting to strike, but warns the FBI to wait. When the royal couple appears at their box seats, five sets of identically dressed impostors join them as the national anthem plays. As a result of the confusion, the royal couple is saved and the Dacoits are arrested.Later, Fu Manchu disguises himself as Charles Rotten, an antique dealer that the Queen is scheduled to visit. When Rotten shows Alice some new tapestries, the undercover agent is kidnapped. She is transferred to a secret location in back of a Chinese restaurant, where she informs Fu Manchu and the Dacoits of her real identity. Before she places them under arrest, Fu Manchu serves Alice a glass of rare and addictive wine. Soon, villain and policewoman are singing a music hall duet when a restaurant worker informs Fu Manchu that Nules Thudd is dining at the establishment. Fu Manchu instructs the Dacoits to have Nules tortured by Dr. Arnold Wretch, an obesity specialist.Meanwhile, Alice agrees to play the saxophone as Fu Manchu offers her a lifetime of luxury if she becomes his consort. For treatment, Wretch orders Nules to walk on stilts in a park, where Fu Manchu tempts him with a Chinese banquet. Alice, pretending to be an aristocrat hosting the party, introduces Nules to Fu Manchu disguised as chef Fu. Fu suggests that Nules can enjoy the banquet in return for Fu being allowed to look at the King George V diamond. After Fu Manchu has stolen the diamond and the Crown Jewels of England, he informs Nayland Smith by phone that he has gathered all the elixir ingredients and mayhem will follow.In pursuit of Fu Manchu, Smith and the other agents travel to the retired Inspector's home, which transforms into a hot air balloon that transports them to Nepal. Meanwhile, Alice has joined Fu Manchu at his castle, where he discovers his freshly made elixir is defective. When the Dacoits surround and shoot at Smith's cottage after it lands, Smith demands to see Fu Manchu.At the castle, Smith confesses that the police planted a fake jewel and agrees to surrender the real George V diamond if Fu Manchu will return the Crown Jewels. When the other police officers arrive at the castle, Smith admits that he saved their lives by giving the real diamond to Fu Manchu. Drinking the improved elixir vitae shaves years off of Fu Manchu's life. Alice distributes the missing Crown Jewels to the British officers and the FBI agents receive the Star of Leningrad diamond. For Smith, Fu Manchu has prepared a small bottle of elixir vitae but warns him not drink it until he returns to England. Fu Manchu also suggests that ingesting the elixir will expose Smith to forces he will not be able to resist. When Smith asks for a clue to prepare him for what might happen, the lights dim and Fu Manchu transforms into an Asian Elvis Presley and launches into a rock and roll song "Rock A Fu" with the Dacoits singing backup.
    

Helen Mirren

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