Freaks and Geeks


            
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The Deuce

11.22.63 Iconoclasts


            The film opens at Gen Sys, a genetic therapy pharmaceutical company. A female ape (Terry Notary), designated No. 9 and known as "Bright Eyes" by the staff, has been given the drug ALZ 112, and has shown considerable progress. She is more sociable and calmer than normal apes, and has succeeded in completing the Towers of Hanoi puzzle in 20 moves, which is close to a perfect score of 15. Will Rodman (James Franco) talks to his boss, Steve Jacobs (David Oyelowo), and convinces him that he has data to enable them to proceed with human trials for the drug.The next day, Rodman and Jacobs appear before the board of directors in the Gen Sys conference room. Will explains that the new drug causes neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells (something that doesn't typically happen after birth) and may heal any number of degenerative brain disorders, such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. The only side effect is that the subjects exposed to the drug have a green sparkle to their eyes.Back in the lab, the senior ape caretaker, Robert Franklin (Tyler Labine), is having trouble coaxing Bright Eyes out of her cage. She acts aggressively towards Robert and the other helpers. They attempt to lure her out of the cage with orange soda, but when they try to wrangle her with a lasso pole, she goes "ape" and runs rampant through the building. The chase ends when she crashes through the glass window of the conference room and the building's security guards kill her.Fearing that what they witnessed with Bright Eyes is a violent side effect of the drug, Jacobs pronounces the drug project 'dead.' Will attempts to change his mind, but Jacobs refuses, claiming he wants the remainder of the test apes 'put down.'After returning to the lab, Robert shows Will a baby ape hidden in Bright Eyes's cell. This explains that their assumption was in error: Bright Eyes was not acting violently because of the drug, but to protect her child. Robert does not have the heart to put down the baby, and gives the task to Will. Unwilling to do so, he decides to take the baby home.Will returns home, where he lives with his father, Charles (John Lithgow). Charles suffers from Alzheimer's and needs care from a nurse when Will is not around. Will shows the baby ape to Charles, who soon takes a liking to it. Charles playfully calls the baby Caesar (due to his love of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, it is implied).Caesar soon shows incredible progress, able to feed himself after only 2 days; he has apparently contracted the virus-based ALZ 112 from his mother. His "temporary" residence with Will extends to 3 years and Will sets up a room for him in the attic. Though apelike in some ways, the now half-grown Caesar (Andy Serkis) is a beloved member of the family and shows great intelligence, communicating complex ideas with sign language.While Caesar has been showing mental growth, Charles's Alzheimer's is getting worse and he has an altercation with his nurse. Will takes a major risk and steals ALZ 112 from Gen Sys. He gives a dose to Charles, and it appears it is a miracle drug when the next day, Will finds his father sitting at the piano, playing perfectly.Meanwhile, Caesar has grown enamored of watching the neighbors playing outside, and escapes out the window into their neighbor's backyard. However, his appearance frightens the neighbor's daughter, and her father, Hunsiker (David Hewlett), angrily attacks Caesar. Will and Charles manage to rescue Caesar, but not before Hunsiker has injured him.Will sneaks Caesar into a zoo for treatment. Caesar is treated by a veterinarian there named Caroline Aranha (Freida Pinto). During the procedure, Caroline is fascinated by how well Caesar knows sign language; he even implies through sign language that Will and Caroline should go out to dinner.To counter Caesar's wanderlust, they take him across the Golden Gate bridge to a redwood forest for some outdoor play time. Upon arriving at the forest, Caesar will not leave Will, but makes a supplication gesture of extending out arm, palm up, which is his way of asking for permission to play. Will gives his permission, and Caesar takes to the trees.Five years later, Caroline is living as part of the Rodman family and Caesar has grown. Will has even started dressing him in a shirt and pants. During a visit to the forest, Caesar is barked at angrily by a dog, and he counters with a primal cry that scares it off. Will notices that Caesar seems sad and confused about just what he is. They drive past Gen-Sys and Will explains to Caesar about the drug that made him more intelligent, as well as the death of his mother.In the five years since he was given ALZ 112, Charles' condition has deteriorated. Will reasons that his immune system has developed antibodies and a more aggressive virus is needed. Will takes a risk by going to Jacobs, confessing his secret experiment with his father, and explains that the drug not only repairs cognitive damage but makes people smarter. He says he has reworked the virus and needs Jacobs to approve new animal testing.Back at home, Charles gets confused and wanders outside and into their neighbor's car. He attempts to drive it, but ends up damaging it. Hunsiker (the same neighbor who attacked Caesar) angrily pulls Charles from the car; in his demented state, Charles is unable to convey his reasons for being there.Caesar watches this from his window in the attic, and upon seeing the neighbor yelling and angrily pushing Charles, rushes out of the house. He attacks Hunsiker, throwing him to the ground, jumping on him, beating him, and finally biting off a finger. Charles recognizes Caesar, and yells "Caesar, no!" Caesar backs off and goes to Charles. The incident causes Caesar (by court order) to be taken to a primate "'sanctuary" by animal control. Will and Caroline walk him in, and say good bye.The sanctuary proves to be tough on Caesar during his first days. It is run by John Landon (Brian Cox), with the care of the animals supervised by his short-tempered and abusive son Dodge (Tom Felton) and a timid man named Rodney (Jamie Harris). When Caesar flings his food at Dodge and laughs, the young man angrily responds by turning a fire hose on him, forcing a cowering Caesar into a corner of his cage.When released with the other animals into the main play area, Caesar meets the alpha male of the group, an ape named Rocket (also Terry Notary). Rocket tears off Caesar's shirt and beats him. Caesar also takes note of a gorilla named Buck (Richard Ridings) in a locked cage and an orangutan across from his cage who speaks sign language. Quietly, Caesar begins to communicate with the orangutan, Maurice (Karin Konoval).The sanctuary ships 12 apes to Gen Sys for the testing of the newer version of ALZ 112, which is named ALZ 113. Will is once again in charge of the testing, and chooses a rather harried ape named Koba (Christopher Gordon) as his first subject. Koba is strapped down and given the new drug through a breathing mask. However, Koba struggles, and the hose comes off the machine. Almost everyone in the lab has their breathing masks on, except Robert, who is accidentally exposed.That night, Will takes some of the ALZ 113 home to treat his father. Charles refuses the treatment, and dies that night in his sleep. After Will and Caroline pack up the remainder of Charles' belongings, Will's eyes fall on a copy of Julius Caesar.Some time afterward, Dodge brings some of his friends into the cage area at the sanctuary, where Caesar manages to steal a pocket knife from one of the visitors. Caesar befriends the large gorilla in the yard named Buck, who is never let out of his cage, by letting him loose. Next he releases Rocket, who ventures into the yard. Caesar hits him with a steel gas can. Rocket is ready to fight, but realizes that Buck is loyal to Caesar and will protect him, so he submits. Caesar is now the alpha male. Caesar later lets Rocket out of the cage area and allows him to give stolen cookies (from Dodge) -- one to each ape, bringing solidarity to the group. Caesar has also found a walkway and controls to the windowed enclosure at the top of the play area.Will returns to work, where he finds that Jacobs has greedily and recklessly pushed the research schedule ahead. While Jacobs is largely thinking of business profits, Will warns him that the major hurdle they need to worry about is how the newer ALZ 113 will affect humans. When Jacobs refuses to listen to Will's warnings, Will quits Gen-Sys. Meanwhile, Robert has been experiencing side-effects from his exposure to the virus, including sneezing that produces droplets of blood from his sinuses.Will returns to the ape sanctuary and attempts to bribe John Landon into letting him have Caesar. John is willing to do so, but when Will coaxes Caesar to go with him, Caesar refuses.That evening, Caesar busts out through the window he found and goes back home. He steals ALZ 113 from Rodman's refrigerator and gives it to the apes at the preserve. The next day, John Landon observes the apes having something like a conference. The apes scatter, playing it off. Landon dismisses it as just something weird.That night, the apes are returning to their cages, but Caesar balks, confronting and 'defeating' Dodge in the yard. When grabbed, Dodge says "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!" Caesar speaks (audibly) for the first time, shouting "NO!" The other caretaker is a witness and runs into the cage area, trying to rescue the now unconscious Dodge.The apes attack him, but Caesar calls them off and, in a show of mercy, puts him into Caesar's cage. Dodge tries to escape and gets killed. (He is holding a cattle prod and Caesar hits him with the fire hose.)At dawn, Will calls to check on Caesar but receives no answer. Driving over to investigate, he finds the facilities wrecked, the apes gone, and the ALZ 113 canisters open in the cage areas. He decides to raise the alarm.Meanwhile, the apes are making their way across town. Caesar divides them into two groups. Buck goes with one group to the zoo to liberate the apes there, while Caesar leads the second group to Gen Sys.Robert goes to Will's home to talk to him, but Will isn't there and Robert is accosted by Will's short-tempered neighbor, Hunsiker. Startled, Robert sneezes on him. Later on, a woman in Robert's building finds Robert dead.The news about the ape escape is relayed to Jacobs, who has just made his way to work. He finds that Caesar and the other apes have taken over the building and freed the 12 ALZ 113 test subject apes.The police are called in. Jacobs boards a police helicopter as Caesar and Buck's groups join forces, now some 50 to 60, chimps, orangutans, and gorillas strong. However, the apes seem to be intentionally preventing the deaths of humans they encounter.Will and Caroline have heard about the rampage, and upon learning that the apes are headed for the Golden Gate Bridge, they surmise that Caesar is leading the apes to the redwood forest.The officers are waiting on the bridge to fire on the apes, but Caesar again divides his forces. One group climbs the suspension cables, while another swings from the underside of the structure to get past the blockade.In the helicopter, Jacobs catches sight of Caesar and orders the men to shoot at him, reasoning that the death of Caesar will call off the others. However, as the helicopter hovers low to the bridge, Buck leaps onto it, bringing it down at the cost of his own life. Caesar feels sadness over the loss of his comrade, and soon finds the remains of the helicopter precariously clinging to the side of the bridge, with Jacobs pleading for help. Instead, Caesar turns away and Koba pushes the helicopter off, killing Jacobs upon impact with the water.The apes proceed into the forest. Will and Caroline, meanwhile, have made their way onto the bridge. Will steals a police car and heads for the forest. He calls out Caesar's name, but is accosted by one of his followers. However, Caesar soon appears, and the others back away. Will attempts to reconcile with his friend, promising that if Caesar comes home with him, he'll protect him. Caesar shocks Will by holding him close and whispering "Caesar IS home." Will watches as Caesar and several other apes climb up into the trees and survey the forest... and the world beyond.In an aftermath sequence, we see Will's neighbor Hunsiker reporting for duty as a pilot at San Francisco International Airport. As he walks to his plane, he realizes that he is bleeding from his nose. As the camera pans up, we see the digital boards flashing to different destinations... a sign that soon, these places will be infected with ALZ 113, sealing mankind's fate.A recurring sub-plot throughout the film is the TV and newspaper reports of a troubled manned Mars probe named Icarus which has become lost in space. What will the astronauts find on their return?
    

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

127 Hours


            Peter Parker is finding his double life increasingly difficult. Precariously struggling to balance his crime-fighting duties as Spider-Man with the demands of his normal life, Peter often finds his personal life taking a back seat. He loses a job delivering pizzas in Manhattan, faces financial difficulties, and struggles to maintain his physics studies at Columbia University. Moreover, he has become estranged from both love interest Mary Jane, who to Peter's disappointment is in a relationship, and best friend Harry Osborn who falsely accuses Spider-Man of murdering his father, and his Aunt May is threatened with foreclosure.Harry, now head of Oscorp's research division, has invested in the research of brilliant scientist Otto Octavius, Peter's idol. To perform a sustained fusion experiment, Octavius has developed a set of artificially intelligent mechanical arms, which are impervious to heat and magnetism. Though the experiment overloads and becomes unstable, Dr. Octavius refuses to halt it, with devastating results: his wife is killed; the neural inhibitor chip which prevented the advanced AI of the arms from influencing Octavius's own mind is destroyed and the arms become fused to his spine. Unconscious, he is taken to a hospital to have the appendages removed, but the tentacles develop their own ability to move at will and brutally kill the surgeons, and Octavius escapes. Uncontrolled, the tentacles begin to corrupt Octavius' mind, playing on his vanity and ego, and he decides he must complete his experiment at any cost. J. Jonah Jameson names him "Doctor Octopus" or "Doc Ock". In an effort to finance his experiments, Doc Ock attempts to rob a bank where Peter Parker and his Aunt May happen to be present. After a short glitch in his powers, Spider-Man manages to recover and soon the two take their fight outside the bank where Doc Ock takes Aunt May as a hostage. When Spider-Man rescues her, she revises her former opinion of him and realizes that he is a hero. Octavius escapes unharmed.During a party, Peter learns that M.J. is planning to marry J. Jonah Jameson's son, John Jameson, an astronaut. He also gets into a physical altercation with Harry, who is drunk because Octavius' failed experiment left Oscorp bankrupt; shortly after, Peter loses his powers while web-slinging across town; he is unable to spin webs, his ability to adhere to smooth surfaces fails and his spider sense is greatly diminished. Meanwhile, Octavius rebuilds his experimental reactor. Peter questions if he could ever have what he "needs", a life as Peter Parker, which involves a vision of Uncle Ben, and resolves to give up being Spider-Man, to which J. Jonah Jameson is delighted, having been given the abandoned Spider-Man suit. Back home, after visiting Uncle Ben's grave, Aunt May is distressed by Peter's confession that he was somewhat responsible for his Uncle Ben's death. Aunt May and Peter reconcile, and she tells Peter of the hope that Spider-Man brings to others, in spite of what dreams he may have to sacrifice. Peter attempts to re-connect with Mary Jane, but she informs him it is too late. In the meantime, Doc Ock has completed rebuilding his reactor, and needs one final item: tritium, a rare metal which fuels the reactor. He goes to Harry Osborn for it, dangling him over the edge of the Osborn mansion balcony when he refuses. Harry agrees to give Ock what he needs in exchange for capturing Spider-Man.Mary Jane meets Peter in a coffee shop to ask if he still loves her, but Peter tells her that he does not. Doc Ock, having been advised by Harry that Peter was the key to finding Spider-Man, destroys the coffee shop. Peter regains his spider-sense at the right moment to throw Mary Jane and himself out of the way of a thrown taxi, but Doc Ock abducts Mary Jane in a plot to lure Spider-Man into a trap. Peter's powers fully return, and he dons his costume (stealing it back from an infuriated Jameson) and engages Doc Ock in a battle, which starts off at the top of a bell tower and then on top of a train. During the battle, Octavius disables the brakes to the train, forcing Spider-Man to rescue the runaway train.Spider-Man manages to stop the train before it can plunge over the end of the track, but at great physical exertion. He nearly falls, but the people in the train catch him and see him without his mask on. They agree to keep his identity a secret and try to protect him from Doc Ock, but his mechanical arms are too much for them. Weak from his exertions Spider-Man becomes dizzy and faints and he is captured by Doctor Octopus and delivered to Harry Osborn. Harry unmasks Spider-Man and is shocked to discover that his sworn enemy is his best friend. Spider-Man awakens and convinces Harry to reveal Octavius' whereabouts so he can rescue Mary Jane, learning that Octavius is rebuilding his machine and threatening the world. Spider-Man finds Doctor Octavius in an abandoned warehouse on a waterfront pier, where he's restarted his fusion experiment. After battling with Doc Ock, Spider-Man manages to stun the villain with an electric shock. Peter then reveals his true identity to Octavius and pleads with him to stop the machine. Returned to his senses by the shock and determined to end his doomsday experiment before it causes more harm, Octavius uses his mechanical arms to collapse the floor of the building, successfully drowning the device at the cost of his own life. Mary Jane sees Peter without his mask on, but Peter tells her they can never be together, as he will always have enemies.Across town, Harry has visions of his father, the late Norman Osborn, in a hanging mirror. The illusion demands that his son kill Peter Parker to avenge his death. Harry refuses and hurls a dagger at the mirror, shattering it and revealing a secret room containing the Green Goblin's combat gear and the serum that gave him his super strength. At the end of the film, Mary Jane leaves her wedding and finds Peter in his apartment, telling him that she has decided to be with him despite the risks. She persuades Peter to finally let her in while accepting the need of his vows by letting him respond to a sudden call for help. She looks on in uncertainty as Spider-Man swings away.
    

Spider-Man 2


            Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is a nerdy high school senior in New York City. His parents are dead and he lives with his Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) and Aunt May (Rosemary Harris). He has a crush on his next door neighbor, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), who is also one of the few classmates who is nice to him. Her boyfriend, Flash (Joe Manganiello) and his buddies pick on him. Peter's only friend is Harry Osborn (James Franco), who, though rich and good-looking, is similarly an outcast. Harry, however, is somewhat jealous of the affection his father, Norman (Willem Dafoe) shows Peter. Norman, the head of weapons contractor Oscorp, appreciates Peter's scientific aptitude and can barely conceal his desire that Peter was his own son.Peter's science class takes a field trip to a genetics laboratory at Columbia University. The lab works on spiders and has even managed to create new species of spiders through genetic manipulation and combination. While Peter is taking photographs of Mary Jane for the school newspaper, one of these new spiders lands on his hand and bites him. Peter comes home feeling ill and immediately goes to bed. At the genetic level, the venom injected by the spider bite begins to work strange magic on Peter. Meanwhile, General Slocum (Stanley Anderson) visits Oscorp to see the results of their new super soldier formula. When one of Norman's top scientists, Dr. Stromm (Ron Perkins) warns him the formula is unstable, General Slocum threatens to pull all of the military's funding from Oscorp. Later that night, Norman exposes himself to the formula. He gains superhuman strength and agility but is driven insane. He kills Stromm and steals two other Oscorp inventions, an exoskeleton and jet glider.Peter wakes up the next morning feeling better than ever. He also learns his scrawny physique now ripples with muscles and his eyesight is perfect. At school that day, he learns he can shoot webs out of spinnerettes in his wrists. He demonstrates his own new agility by catching Mary Jane and her food tray when she slips at lunch and then beating an enraged Flash in a fistfight. That night, he and Mary Jane casually flirt across the fence separating their backyards, although Flash breaks this up when he arrives with his new car. Peter believes he needs a car to impress Mary Jane but knows neither he nor the cash-strapped and retired Ben and May would be able to afford one.One night he spies an advertisement in the paper. A local professional wrestling league will pay $3000 to anyone who can survive three minutes in the ring with their champion, Bone Saw (Randy "Macho Man " Savage). Peter designs a suit and heads out to the arena, telling Ben and May he is going to the library. Ben and May are worried about the changes in Peter's personality and Ben insists on driving him to the library. He tries to explain his and May's concerns. He encourages Peter not to get into any more fights; he might have the power to beat the Flash Thompsons of the world, but "with great power comes great responsibility" -- the responsibility to know when and how best to use that power. Peter reacts badly. He tells Ben he is not Peter's father and should not act like he is. Peter not only survives the wrestling match, he defeats Bone Saw in two minutes. But the promoter pays Peter only $100. Angry at being gypped, Peter stands aside as an armed robber (Michael Papajohn) holds up the promoter. However, when he gets out to the street, he discovers the robber fatally wounded Ben and stole his car. In anguish, Peter chases down the robber and beats him. The robber falls out of a window where his body is recovered by the police. That same night, a menacing figure wearing the stolen Oscorp exoskeleton and riding the jet glider attacks a weapons test at Quest Aerospace, Oscorp's chief competitor. Their prototype is destroyed and General Slocum is killed.Peter is inspired by Ben's admonition to use his spider powers for the greater good. He designs a new costume and swings around New York, foiling petty robberies and muggings as the Amazing Spider-man, a name he borrows from the announcer at the wrestling match. This does not endear him to J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), the editor and publisher of the Daily Bugle, New York's leading muckracking tabloid. However, when he learns Spider-man sells newspapers, he puts out a call to photographers for better photos for his front page. Peter, Harry and Mary Jane graduate from high school and move to Manhattan. Peter and Harry get a loft together and attend classes at Empire State. Mary Jane works as a waitress and struggles to get acting auditions. She and Harry also begin seeing one another. Harry apologizes to Peter but points out Peter was always too shy to make a move himself. Peter struggles to hold down a job. Norman offers to help him find one but respects Peter's desire to make his own way in the world. Peter sees Jameson's advertisement for good photos of Spider-man and, webbing his camera in convenient places, gets excellent photos of his own heroic actions. Although Jameson doesn't pay well, he agrees to buy more of Peter's photos.Norman is also happy; Quest has to reorganize after the debacle that killed Slocum, Oscorp has more government contracts and the company's stock is soaring. He is crestfallen to learn the Board of Directors has chosen this moment to accept a buyout offer from Quest. His insanity manifests itself in a split personality: the driven yet confused Norman, and the murderous, scheming villain who will soon become known as the Green Goblin. As the Goblin, he attacks Oscorp's annual Unity Day street fair and kills the Board of Directors. His attack also endangers Mary Jane. Spider-Man fights off the Goblin and rescues Mary Jane when she nearly falls to her death. Mary Jane finds herself falling in love with Spider-Man, a feeling only reinforced when he saves her from some rapists a few days later during a rainy night. This time, she thanks him with a deep kiss. She doesn't know he is really Peter.The Goblin decides he and Spider-Man should be partners. He attacks the Bugle office to lure Spider-Man into a trap, using knock-out gas to subdue him, and then gives Spider-Man a few days to think over his offer of partnership. He warns Spider-Man the city will eventually turn against him, and that they should rule it together. A few days later, on Thanksgiving, Goblin stages a fire in an apartment building to get an answer from Spider-Man. Spider-Man refuses to join with Goblin, and the two fight. Spider-Man receives a bad cut on his arm. As Norman and Peter, the Goblin and Spider-Man are due at the loft for Thanksgiving dinner. They each race back separately. When Peter arrives to dinner with fresh blood from the cut on his sleeve, Norman realizes Peter is Spider-Man and hastily leaves. On the way out, he insults Mary Jane and she leaves, hurt that Harry didn't defend her. That night, Goblin attacks Aunt May at home, sending her to the hospital. While visiting her, Mary Jane reveals her crush on Spider-man to Peter but they wind up having an intimate moment themselves. Harry sees this and knows his relationship with Mary Jane is over.Goblin decides to strike at Spider-man through Mary Jane. He kidnaps her, then sabotages a trolley car along the Roosevelt Bridge. When Spider-Man arrives, Goblin gives him the choice of saving Mary Jane or the trolley car, then drops them both from the bridge. Spider-Man manages to save both, with an assist from a passing barge and pedestrians on the bridge who pelt Goblin with debris and delay him from his attempts to kill Spider-man. Goblin instead grabs Spider-Man and throws him into an abandoned building.The two fight, and the Goblin overpowers Spider-Man, even throwing a pumpkin bomb directly at Spider-Man's face, heavily damaging Spider-Man's mask and wounding him. As the Goblin holds back Spider-Man and is about to kill him with dual blades, he makes the mistake of threatening Mary Jane. Enraged at this, Spider-Man beats Goblin senseless, overpowering him, but stops when the Goblin unmasks to reveal himself to be Norman. Peter is shocked that Norman is the Goblin. Norman then tries to reason to Peter that all of the actions that had occurred were from the influence of the Goblin's persona upon him. As Norman talks to Peter, asking for forgiveness, Goblin's jet glider appears behind Spider-Man, and the Goblin persona takes over Norman. Goblin tries to use his jet glider to kill Spider-Man, but he leaps out of the way just in time; Norman is impaled and killed. As he dies, Norman asks Peter not to tell Harry about the Green Goblin. Spider-Man takes Norman's body back to his penthouse apartment. Harry sees them and blames Spider-Man for Norman's death. At the funeral, he vows revenge and thanks Peter for being such a great friend.Peter goes to visit Uncle Ben's grave. Mary Jane finds him there and confesses her love for him. She kisses him tenderly, passionately. Peter wants to tell her the truth but can't. Instead, he tells her he can never be more than her friend. Mary Jane has an inkling that she might have kissed him before but Peter walks away, knowing both his blessing and his curse in life: "Who am I? I'm Spider-Man."
    

Spider-Man


            The film starts with a bunch of celebrities (Kristen Bell, Ike Barinholtz, Kevin Smith, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Keegan-Michael Key, JJ Abrams, and Danny McBride among others) talking about a particular movie that is incomparable, unlike anything they've seen before, and perhaps even a bit amazing. That movie is "The Room".San Francisco, July 1998Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) is in an acting class doing a scene from "Waiting For Godot", but he's very shy and cannot express his acting talent the way he wants. The teacher, Jean Shelton (Melanie Griffith), criticizes Greg and his partner for not being fearless enough to show the class who they really are. When Jean asks for someone to be fearless, one man in the class responds. His name is Tommy Wiseau (James Franco). He and his partner get up in front of everyone to do the "STELLA!" scene from "A Streetcar Named Desire", but Tommy just does weird stuff like climbing the wall and yelling incoherently. Nobody is impressed, except for Greg. After class, Greg approaches Tommy and expresses his admiration for Tommy being as bold as he was. He asks Tommy if they can read a scene together, and Tommy agrees.Tommy picks Greg up in his neighborhood. Greg admires Tommy's car, but he firmly tells Greg not to ask him anything about what he does, where he gets his money, or where he comes from. The two then go to a restaurant where Tommy convinces Greg to read a scene. Greg reads it nervously, but Tommy pushes him to give a performance that the whole restaurant hears.Tommy and Greg become very close. Tommy tells Greg about how he wanted to be an actor and went after it despite what others have told him. After watching "Rebel Without A Cause", they drive out to the site of the car crash that killed James Dean, with Greg musing that he was so young and talented and was gone so soon. Tommy decides that they should waste no time in making their dreams come true, so they decide to move to Los Angeles and stay in an apartment that Tommy owns.Greg packs up his bags to move out. His mother (Megan Mullally) is concerned for Greg going off with a man he barely knows. Tommy picks Greg up and they head off.Los Angeles, November 1998Greg signs to an agency with Iris Burton (Sharon Stone) as his agent. Meanwhile, Tommy is less lucky, with nobody liking his head shots or auditions. The two go to a nightclub to celebrate Greg getting signed. He hits it off with the bartender, Amber (Alison Brie), which appears to make Tommy a bit jealous. He forces Greg out of the club just as Amber is giving him her number.Greg and Amber start dating regularly. Tommy grows more rude and frustrated as he isn't having any success. One night, he is at a restaurant where he spots a well-known producer (Judd Apatow). Tommy approaches him in the middle of his dinner and tries to do a very loud and over-the-top "Hamlet" monologue before security comes to get him. The producer flat-out tells Tommy that he will never make it.Tommy and Greg stand on the rooftop of their place, both feeling dejected with their lack of work. Greg says that Iris hasn't been returning his calls, and he hasn't been nabbing many auditions. Tommy feels as though Hollywood has straight-up rejected him. Greg says he wishes they could make their own movie so they can have their own roles. Tommy thinks it's a great idea.Tommy immediately begins working on his movie script. In 2001, he has completed the script for "The Room". He shows the script to Greg and lets him read it at a diner. The dialogue is ridiculous, but Greg tells Tommy he thinks it's good. Tommy tells him he will play the main role of Johnny, and Greg will play his best friend Mark. The two vow to make the film and howl (literally) with excitement.The guys go to Birns and Sawyer to meet with Peter Anway (Jason Mantzoukas) and Bill Meurer (Hannibal Buress) to gather film equipment. Although it's an equipment rental store, Peter and Bill let Tommy purchase all of what he needs. They get a bit apprehensive when he says he wants to shoot on both 35mm film AND digital, but Tommy insists he has the money for it. Peter and Bill agree to it, and they give him the equipment at a reduced price on the condition that he shoots in their studio. Tommy and Greg agree.The next move is to gather other actors and crew members. Tommy and Greg audition a bunch of actresses for the part of Lisa, Johnny's girlfriend. The auditions are ridiculous, and at least one woman is horrified to think she would have to play Tommy's girlfriend. They eventually land on an actress named Juliette Danielle (Ari Graynor). Peter and Bill introduce Tommy to Rafael Smadja (Paul Scheer), the director of photography, and Sandy Schklair (Seth Rogen), the script supervisor, as well as Amy (Kelly Oxford) for makeup and Safoya (Charlyne Yi) for wardrobe.Once the whole cast and crew have been gathered, Tommy gives them a speech as they prepare to make a great movie. They start by shooting a scene with Philip Haldiman (Josh Hutcherson), who plays Denny, and Dan Janjigian (Zac Efron), who plays Chris R. Tommy is impressed with Dan's intensity during the scene where Chris R violently presses Denny for money owed to him.While out at dinner, Greg and Amber tell Tommy that they plan on having him move into her apartment. Tommy goes outside and angrily thrashes newspapers around.Although the production starts off smooth, things quickly start to deteriorate. Of note is when the crew has to film the notorious "Oh hi Mark" scene. Tommy forgets his own line (that HE wrote) and forces them to go through over 60 takes. Greg goes to hand him an empty water bottle so that Tommy can be more "intense". Tommy does the line in one last take, and the crew bursts into applause.Another rough moment comes when they film a sex scene between Johnny and Lisa. Tommy walks around naked and insists that he "show his ass" to sell the movie. He starts to insult Juliette when he notices a pimple on her shoulder and demands that it be covered with makeup for not being sexy enough. Tommy goes too far and pisses off Rafael, who threatens him. Tommy threatens to fire Rafael, but Greg tries to quell the tension, and Juliette is brave enough to continue as is. The scene itself is just awkward from Tommy's positioning, as Sandy notes it looks like Tommy is penetrating Juliette's belly button.On a particularly hot day, the cast and crew are overheated since Tommy refused to pay for air conditioning or water. On top of that, he's four hours late. When he arrives, Sandy and Rafael grill him, and the actress playing Claudette, Carolyn Minnott (Jacki Weaver), faints from heatstroke. The others try to wake her up, but Tommy coldly accuses her of napping on the job. As the arguing grows intense, Tommy brings out someone named Markus that he hired to film the crew when they weren't looking to see what they were saying about him. Tommy knows they don't take him seriously and call him things like Frankenstein and a "vampire rapist".During lunch, Greg sits with the rest of the cast. Philip asks Greg just what the hell the movie is about. Robyn Paris (June Diane Raphael), who plays Michelle, muses that the characters are inspired by people Tommy knew, and that Lisa, who betrays Johnny, is the universe as a whole. Greg then asks Carolyn why she continues to do the job even after all she's been put through. She responds that it's because they're actors, and even for them, the worst day on a set is better than most days anywhere else.Greg and Amber are out getting coffee when they see Bryan Cranston. Greg is a fan and Amber knows him from a Pilates class. She introduces them, and when Bryan learns that Greg is an actor, he tells him that they need an actor to play a lumberjack on an upcoming episode of "Malcolm in the Middle", and as long as Greg has his beard, he's got the part. Excited, Greg goes to tell Tommy since the next day would call for a scene where Greg gets shaved. Tommy doesn't like the idea since he thinks Greg wants to be committed to something other than his project. When given an ultimatum, Greg doesn't respond, and Amber leaves out of disappointment for him being unable to stand up to Tommy.The crew is now more than 12 days over filming. They shoot a scene where Johnny commits suicide after discovering Lisa's betrayal. Tommy puts the gun in his mouth and then starts writhing around and humping Lisa's dress (which Juliette wanted to keep).On the last day of filming, Tommy takes Greg to the park to film a scene just for him to get real emotions. Tommy also mentions that he let Sandy and Rafael go. Greg gets very real and starts to ask Tommy personal questions he hates, like where he gets his money, how old he is, and where he's really from. Tommy always insisted he's from New Orleans, despite his accent. The two eventually get into a fight, and they split up.Eight months later.Greg and Amber have broken up since she moved to Austin. He has gotten a steady gig at a local stage theater. Greg is driving and talking to his mom when he sees a billboard for "The Room" with Tommy's face.Tommy finds Greg after one of his performances. He personally invites him to the upcoming premiere of "The Room". Although hesitant, Greg accepts.The two pull up in a limo that is filled with a bunch of "The Room" merchandise that Tommy paid for. When they get to the theater, Tommy is surprised that Sandy, Rafael, and the whole cast have shown up.Tommy introduces the film before a packed house. The audience reacts with laughter at the ridiculousness of the film, as well as loud disgust at the sex scene with Tommy's ass in full view. Even Juliette is horrified that the scene is so long. The rest of the film is met with uproarious laughter, and the cast stating how bad most of it is. Tommy becomes visibly upset at the audience's reaction, and Greg notices. Tommy walks out before the end. Greg runs outside to comfort him, with Tommy expressing how he feels everyone hates him. Greg insists that's not the case, as the audience is having a great time. They chant "Do it! Do it! Do it!" when Johnny commits suicide, and once the film ends, everyone gives Tommy a standing ovation. He goes to the front and thanks them for liking his "comedy", as he claims was always his vision. He credits Greg for helping him, and Greg joins Tommy as they receive another round of applause.The final text states that "The Room" was shown in one theater and made $1,800 in its opening weekend. Tommy Wiseau paid for it to stay an extra two weeks in order for it to get a qualifying Oscar run. To this day, nobody knows where Tommy's from, how he got his money, or how old he is. He and Greg Sestero remain friends and continue to write, act, and produce. They will always be best known for "The Room".The credits feature side-by-sides of the actual film of "The Room" with almost exact shot-for-shot copies from this film. After the credits, we see Tommy approached at a party by a weird stranger named Henry (played the real Tommy Wiseau). Henry invites Tommy to hang out, but he declines.
    

The Disaster Artist

James Dean

Cultureshock

A Fuller Life

Eames: The Architect & The Painter


            The movie starts off in 1937 when a car pulls up to an empty field with a large rock. Two men get out of the car, and lift the rock, which reveals a sewer opening. The climb down to a military facility and watch behind a two-way mirror as a soldier, smoking marijuana, begins to reveal very graphically what he hates about the army, but still remains very relaxed and happy. The higher-ranking officer immediately closes the project and deems marijuana ILLEGAL!Jump forward to the present is Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) in his car listening to talk radio, smoking pot, and giving his own advice to listeners. He is a process server and drives from client to client, changing into different disguises to more easily serve people court documents and collection notices. On his break, he visits his 18-year-old girlfriend Angie (Amber Heard) at her high school, and tries to avoid going to her house for dinner with her parents, who he has yet to meet. When they're discussing this, a teacher asks for his vistors pass and picks a fight with Dale, who responds very crudely, even giving him the finger several times (one of many funny scenes). Only after seeing Angie talking to good-looking male student does he finally agree to go to dinner.Leaving the school, he calls Saul (James Franco) to pick up some more weed. When he gets to Saul's place, Saul introduces him to Pineapple Express, a rare form of marijuana he got from his supplier Red (Danny McBride). Saul repeatedly tries to keep Dale from leaving, coaxing him with a cross-shaped joint, which creates a trifecta effect when all three points are lit at the same time. After they take a hit, Saul again tries to leave, but Saul begins asking questions about what he does. Saul explains, and tells him he's actually going to serve a man named Ted Jones (Gary Cole) right after leaving. Saul says his supplier Red gets his stuff from a guy named Ted Jones. It would be funny if it were the same guy.Dale gets to Ted's house, but parks to smoke a quick joint. As hes smoking, he notices a cop car pull up behind him, so he ducks down to avoid being noticed. A female cop (Rosie Perez) gets out and marches into Ted's house with her gun drawn. Dale gets freaked out when hears gunshots and looks up at the bedroom in time to see Ted and Carol (the cop) shoot an Asian man. He freaks out and tries to leave quickly, but repeatedly backs into Carol's squad car and another car before making his getaway. In his haste, he threw his joint out of the window. Ted and Carol hear the commotion and come outside. Ted sees the joint, takes a puff, and says, Pineapple Express.Dale gets to Saul's place, but doesn't get in right away because Saul keeps pressing the buzzer too quickly. When he finally gets upstairs, he begins to freak out and vomits on Saul's printer. Saul tries to calm him down, but them mentions Pineapple Express is really rare. Dale asks if he's the only person that has it in town. Saul says yes. Dale again begins to panic. They begin to run around the apartment, trying to figure out what to do. They get the weed, bring some snacks, get the hell out.Driving around, they decide to go nowhere, so they pull off into the woods, begin to smoke. Saul calls Red and tells him they'll be by at noon the next day. Red is not alone in his home. Ted sent his men, Budlofsky and Matheson, who call him to give him the news. Budlofsky is a quiet, white man whos married. Matheson (bouncer from Knocked Up) is a bigger, black man who keeps telling Budlofsky he's gone soft.Dale and Saul begin freaking out in the woods. They become paranoid their phones can be traced, so they decide to smash them. Dale smashes his on a rock, while Saul tries to throw his at a tree, but misses. As they're looking for the phone, Saul panics and thinks he hears something, so he begins running. Dale takes his cue and runs in the opposite direction. They both fall multiple times before making it back to the car. Dale turns on the radio to listen to talk radio.They wake up the next morning to find they slept till 4pm. Dale tries to turn on his car, but the batteries dead, so they have to hike through the woods. Funny sequence of them smoking in the woods and dancing. They hitchhike to Red's place, where Red invites them in for cake. It's obvious hes been beaten up, but he says he's got herpes, which disgusts Saul since they shared joints before. Red says he's going to call his wife; Dale starts to get suspicious and takes the phone. When he doesn't give it back, Red throws an ashtray at him. He and Dale begin to fight. When Dale has him down, he runs into the bathroom and throws it in the toilet. Red and Saul begin to fight and Dale joins in again. (Awesome scene!) They trash Red's house with all the fighting. Red manages to lock himself into the bathroom, and tries to use the phone. Saul and Dale break down the door, knocking Red into the sink, which breaks, and squashing him under the door with Dale on top. He calls time-out, which causes Dale and Saul to momentarily stop, then calls time-in, and throws Dale off the door and runs into his living room. Dale finally throws Red headfirst into a wall to get the fight to end.They duct tape him to his deceased grandfathers wheelchair, and pump him for info. He tells them about Matheson and Budlofsky and promises to help them get away. Just them, Matheson and Budlofsky knock on the door. Dale and Saul run out the back way and into an alley to hide. Red immediately tells Matheson and Budlofsky, who call Ted with the news. Ted tells them to kill Red, so they each shoot him in the stomach and leave. Ted begins to wonder if Dale works with the Asians he's at war with, who are camped outside his house. Dale realizes if Red tells Ted's guys who he is, then Angie's in danger since she has things in his apartment, so they run to Angie's house.When they get there, Dale goes in, looking and smelling horrible. Angie is upset with his appearance and lateness, and as he tries to explain the whole situation, her father goes to get his gun. When Saul notices Matheson and Budlofsky outside, he runs inside to warn them only to be stabbed in the shoulder with a fork by Angie. Dale explains Saul is the good drug dealer, his drug dealer just before her father arrives with his gun and begins shooting at them. Dale calms them down and gets them to leave the house before the others get there. He tells Angie to go to a motel on the other side of town and use the name Garagely. He and Saul hide in a tree for the night. They talk. Saul tells Dale he considers him a friend.The next morning, they decide to sell weed to make some money, so they sell a few handfuls to some high school kids. While Saul gets them food, Dale just sits back and smokes. A cop driving by catches him. She arrests him and alerts officers, including Carol, of their location. He explains the situation to her. She seems to believe him, asking him for more info. Saul sees Dale in the back seat and assumes the cop is Carol, so he creates a division while she's driving towards him. He throws himself on her car and throws cherry slushies at the windshield. When she gets out to see who she hit, he climbs into the driver's seat and reverses the car. She begins firing at them, and Carol tries to ram them from behind. A very funny car chase ensues. He cant find the wipers, so he kicks the windshield with his foot, only to have it get stuck, so he drives around with his foot through the window. They lose Carol by getting her to ram several cars and flip hers.When they get out of the car, Dale calls Angie to see how shes doing. They argue and basically break up. Dale suggests to Saul they stop smoking, so they can be more aware of whats going on. Saul disagrees and this leads to an argument between them, where Dale coldly tells Saul they aren't friends, which upsets Saul and causes them to go their separate ways. Saul goes to the park and cries as he eats a sandwich. Dale calls Angie, and cries he loves her and how important she is to him. She responds she loves him back, and explains how she kept thinking she wants to marry him. This immediately stops Dale from crying and causes him to backtrack what he meant, and how quickly they're moving. This just pisses Angie off and causes her to hang up on Dale. He then looks up the address of Saul's grandmother whos in a nearby retirement home.Saul arrives at the home and is surprised by Matheson and Budlofsky. As he tries to get away, he smashes a coffee pot in Matheson's face, but is tackled by Budlofsky before he can get away. Dale arrives to find the police taking statements from Saul's grandmother and other residents. He realizes Saul's with Ted's guys and goes to Red's house. He finds Red in his bathroom with noodles and a knife. He attempts to pump Red up to rescue Saul, but Red mentions he's been shot and is probably close to death. After a minute, he says what the hell and gets up to unveil his stash of guns. They arm themselves then take Red's Daewoo Lamas to the farmhouse where Red grows his marijuana, the same facility used in the beginning of the movie.At the farm, Matheson reveals he now has a terrible scar on the side of his face and attempts to attack Saul. Budlofsky forces him to lock Saul in a room downstairs, the same room where the soldier in the beginning was being observed. Dale and Red arrive, but Red chickens out and goes home. Dale busts in and holds one of Ted's men hostage, hoping to trade him for Saul. It fails when Budlofsky shoots the guy and also forces Dale into the room with Saul.While there, they talk and make up, which annoys Matheson since he heard from outside. When he leaves again, they attempt to break the ropes around their hands by using the buckle of Dales belt. The commotion sounds like they're having sex, which freaks out Matheson, who they attack. He fires a shot at Dale and then is shot by Saul. Dale is alive, but was shot in the ear (Think Evander Holyfield). They arm themselves with guns that are around, while the Asians attack Ted, Carol, and their men from above. A huge gunfight goes down. Carol covers Ted so he can go down and see whats going on, they kiss before he goes. Dale and Saul kill a few of Ted's men. Dale helps Saul into an airduct, but is shot at by Ted before he can make it up there too.Dale and Ted have a shootout, then a fight. Ted tries to bite Dale's ear, but realizes too late it's bloody. He screams in disgust, which gives Dale time to pummel. They hit each other with fire extinguishers, fluorescent lights and pipes. Just as Dales winning, an Asian guy throws a bomb towards them. They run to avoid it, but Ted is blown into a wall and killed.In the meantime, after Saul climbs out of the vent and he goes back inside the farmhouse and ends up fighting Carol. They have a pretty good fight, before he ultimately wins. Just as he is about to finish her off, Budlofsky fires a shot. He decides to go home to his wife rather than get more involved. As hes leaving, hes shot by Matheson, who is about to shoot Saul when he is rammed by Red's Daewoo Lamas. Hes doing a little victory dance when Carol shoots him several times. When shes about to shoot Saul, the explosion from below blows the car onto Carol, killing her. Dale climbs out, and notices his pants are on fire, so he takes them off. He then pulls an unconscious Saul out of the burning building.When he comes too, they get up in time to see the farmhouse explode. Oddly enough, Red crawls out, still alive. They celebrate their escape with breakfast at a nearby dinner. Red makes a joke about how hes probably dying, and as they take a moment to reflect on the miracle of their escape, he falls unconscious. They think hes dead, but he comes to when they call him. Sauls grandmother arrives and they climb into her car.
    

Pineapple Express

The Iceman


            A gripping tale of two young lovers whose forbidden love crosses the boundaries of rival kingdoms and marital commitment. At the film's commencement, Britain is at war with Ireland, and the English lords and barons are seeking to form an alliance to overturn the ruthless Irish king, Donnchadh. However, on the night they are to sign treaties to unite their kingdom, the Irish penetrate the Castle Tantallion, slaughtering all but a few of the English. Among these is young Tristan of Eragon, whose life is saved by Lord Marke, Britain's only promising leader remaining. As Tristan enters his young adult years, having been raised and nurtured by Lord Marke, he uses his sharpened knowledge and cunning battle skills to fight bravely against the Irish when they cross into the Land of Cornwall. Though he defeats their strongest warrior, Morholt, he suffers a fatal strike of poison, and is presumed dead with his fellow martyrs. The triumphant English soldiers return with a bittersweet victory, and inform Lord Marke of the grievous loss. However, when Tristan's burial vessel washes ashore the Irish coast, he is found by the beautiful Princess Isolde, daughter of King Donnchadh, who discovers that he is indeed alive. Distraught by a betrothal to an undesirable suitor in her father's army, and desperate for a life of true meaning, she risks her life to save Tristan. With the assistance of her disapproving maid, Bragnae, she spends her days and nights solely caring for Tristan's wounds, and sharing her heart's wishes - to have love, for it is greater than life.Although Isolde conceals her true identity as the princess of Ireland, that doesn't stop their young attraction from blossoming into a deep love for each other. Nevertheless, the remaining defeated Irish soldiers return to the coast of Ireland, and Tristan is forced to leave before he is discovered by the king. With the hope that their love will exist even if apart, Tristan and Isolde bid farewell, and he returns back to the Castle D'or, knowing his heart will never be the same. With the untimely death of his prize warrior, and desperate for a means to retaliate to the English, King Donnchadh decides to hold a tournament - a battle between the barons for the prize of his daughter, Isolde. The victor will insure a truce between the nations, in which time King Donnchadh plans to replenish his forces and devise a final attack.
When Lord Marke hears of the plans, he fears the barons he hopes to unite as a strong kingdom of England will fall for this devious plan, including the skeptical Wictred, whose cowardly manner is reminiscent of a would-be traitor. Tristan, seeking to rid his heart of depression, and eager to please Lord Marke, begs to fight in his place and win him a bride - a queen to bring the warring nations to unity and peace.Once granted the journey to Ireland, Tristan arrives and fights courageously, even defeating his final opponent Wictred only to discover that the prize he is to give to Lord Marke is his dear love, Isolde. Heartbroken and torn by their impasse, Isolde begs Tristan for escape, so that they can be together. Yet Tristan is loyal to his promise to the king and desire for an end to the years of bloodshed, and vows to live with the pain and sorrow of seeing Isolde wed Lord Marke.Nevertheless, time bears a heavy strain on the young lovers and their true emotions eventually surface. Unable to live without true love, and bound by the unfortunate circumstances, they see each other in secret, stealing moments away to be together in any way they can. However their secret is not safe for long, as the scheming Wictred discovers their affair and quickly arranges with King Donnchadh to unveil their love at the coronation ceremony and then invade Cornwall. Once discovered, Lord Marke is overwhelmed with the blatant betrayal and deceit in his own beloved Tristan, loved like a son, and his dear Isolde, whom he has fallen deeply for. After hearing the truth of their love's beginning in Ireland and struggle until the present, he graciously accepts the truth and gives them their freedom. Seizing Marke's moment of weakness, Lord Wictred and King Donnchadh join forces to penetrate the castle, along with the distrusting members of Marke's seemingly doomed treaty. Shocked and awed by the King's nobility, Tristan is unable to leave the English with Isolde, and sends her off to return and fight bravely in Lord Marke's favor. His undying loyalty plays the key role in overturning the Irish' futile attempts to invade the Castle D'Or. While he succeeds in killing Wictred, and unveiling the traitors of England, he suffers a fatal wound. Isolde rushes to be by his side at the bitter conclusion of the battle, where Tristan finally acknowledges their love to be truly greater than life, and then dies. . .A memorable story that draws you in further, envelops you in the estranged love that stretches beyond the sea that separates England and Ireland, and breaks your heart every time. It defines the feats that true love will go to - that it can go beyond life, that it is greater than death, that it is the epitome of happiness and sorrow... Tristan & Isolde.
    

Tristan + Isolde


            Jay Baruchel arrives in Los Angeles to visit with old friend and fellow actor Seth Rogen, who invites Baruchel to attend a housewarming party hosted by James Franco. At the raucous party, many celebrities and others drink, take drugs, have sex, and commit other immoral acts. Baruchel is uncomfortable being around many people he does not know well including Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Michael Cera, Craig Robinson, and Emma Watson and Rogen accompanies him to a convenience store for cigarettes.Beams of blue light from the sky suddenly carry away several store customers. The frightened Rogen and Baruchel flee to Franco's home amid explosions, vehicular crashes, and mass chaos, but find the party undisturbed by the blue beams. The partygoers scoff at Baruchel's account, but rush outside because of a powerful earthquake and see the Hollywood Hills on fire. A large crack opens in the earth, and Cera, Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, Jason Segel, and David Krumholtz are among those killed. Rogen, Baruchel, Franco, Hill, and Robinson survive, and learn that the largest earthquake in California history has struck Los Angeles. Believing that as famous actors they will soon be rescued, the five take inventory of the available supplies, including food and water, various drugs, and a pistol. They set up a ration system, board up the doors and windows, and await help.The next morning, Danny McBride who, unknown to the others, crashed the party and fell asleep wakes up first. Ignorant of the crisis he wastes much of the supplies, and disbelieves the others' accounts until a desperate outsider seeking aid is decapitated in their presence. The men pass the time by taking many drugs and filming a homemade sequel to the 2008 film Pineapple Express, which most of the group had appeared in. Tensions rise, however, due to various conflicts, including Baruchel and Rogen's growing estrangement, and the others' skepticism of Baruchel's belief that the disasters might be the Apocalypse the Book of Revelation predicts.An armed Watson returns and reports mysterious animal noises. Due to a misunderstanding she quickly leaves, taking all of the drinks. Robinson is chosen to travel outside to the cellar for water, but is frightened by something monstrous. The group successfully reaches the water but McBride's boorish behavior results in much being lost, and the others decide to evict him. McBride tries to kill the others with the pistol but fails as the gun is a prop, and angrily leaves the home.Robinson's experience causes him to believe in Baruchel's theory of the Apocalypse and that the blue beams have, as part of the Rapture, taken good people to Heaven. He volunteers to explore a neighboring home for supplies with Baruchel. Hill secretly wishes for Baruchel to die, and is subsequently raped by an incubus. Now demonically possessed and supernaturally strong, Hill chases Franco and Rogen, while Robinson and Baruchel flee a demonic bull. The group subdues Hill, but during an exorcism attempt, a fire destroys the home and Hill's body, forcing the four outdoors.Regretful for the mistakes in his life that kept him from Heaven, Robinson volunteers to sacrifice himself so his friends can escape a large winged demon. The plan succeeds but, unexpectedly, Robinson is taken in the Rapture because of his good deed, giving hope to the group. When cannibals led by McBride capture the men, Franco similarly volunteers to sacrifice himself. Although the plan succeeds and a blue beam begins to take Franco, his taunting sneers to McBride cause the beam to vanish, and the cannibals eat Franco. As Satan is about to consume Rogen and Baruchel, they reaffirm their friendship and await death. A blue beam suddenly strikes Baruchel, who tries to pull Rogen up with him, but together they are failing to reach Heaven. Rogen lets go to allow his friend to ascend, and just before being killed is also taken by the Rapture.Robinson, now an angel, welcomes Baruchel and Rogen in Heaven. He explains that it is a paradise where any wish comes true. Baruchel wishes that the Backstreet Boys would reunite, and the film ends with the band performing "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" for a raucous heavenly party.
    

This Is the End

Howl


            In the winter of 1944, World War II was coming to a close. The Japanese held some of the American prisoners who had survived the Bataan Death March in a notorious POW camp at Cabanatuan and subjected them to harsh treatment; many prisoners were also stricken with malaria. At the time of the raid the camp held about 500 prisoners.The film opens with the massacre of prisoners of war on Palawan by the Kempeitai, the Imperial Japanese military's secret police.Meanwhile at Lingayen Gulf, the 6th Ranger Battalion under Lt. Col Mucci is ordered by Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger to liberate all of the POWs at Cabanatuan prison camp before they are killed by the Japanese. The film chronicles the efforts of the Rangers, Alamo Scouts from the 6th Army and Filipino guerrillas as they undertake the Raid at Cabanatuan.Throughout the film, the viewpoint switches between the POWs at Cabanatuan, the Rangers, the Filipino resistance and the Japanese.In particular, the film covers the resistance work undertaken by nurse Margaret Utinsky, who smuggled medicine into the POW camps. The Kempeitai arrested her and sent her to Fort Santiago prison. She was eventually released, but spent six weeks recovering from gangrene as a result of injuries sustained from beatings. Once recovered, she escaped to Bataan, where she served as a nurse with the Philippine Commonwealth troops and recognized guerrilla units until liberation in February 1945.(Source: Wikipedia)
    

The Great Raid


            In the opening scene, a little Korean girl is singing the North Korean national anthem, which features hateful and violent lyrics against the United States. Then in the next shot, a nuclear missile is launched into the sky. News stations around America report on the controversial actions of North Korea, and comment on the leadership of Kim Jong-un (Randall Park).Meanwhile, Dave Skylark (James Franco) is the host of an entertainment talk show called "Skylark Tonight" in New York City. He starts his show by interviewing Eminem (appearing as himself). Dave's producer and best friend Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) is in the control room with the crew. Dave asks Em about the offensive lyrics to his songs. Em says most of them stem from personal feelings while very casually letting it slip that he's gay. The crew freaks out and decides to strike while the iron is hot and exploit this. Aaron tells Dave what to ask while he and the crew celebrate Eminem coming out on their show.After the episode is done, Dave takes Aaron out at night to a surprise party that they hold for Aaron in celebration of airing 1,000 episodes. There, Aaron meets an old schoolmate named Jake (Anders Holm). Jake criticizes Aaron for selling out and reporting on stupid celebrity stories while Jake is working at "60 Minutes". This bothers Aaron and makes him self-conscious over his work.Dave has Rob Lowe as a guest on the show, where the actor reveals that he is bald and is wearing a hairpiece. He removes the hairpiece and shows off an odd-looking bald spot that grosses out the crew. The show is interrupted by more news on North Korea and their supply of nukes. After the taping, Aaron talks to Dave about doing more serious stories. Dave agrees to help Aaron with this.Aaron is on the phone with John Kerry's office to book an important figure for a guest, when Dave comes in and shows Aaron the Wikipedia page for Kim Jong-un. Apparently, he is a big fan of "Skylark Tonight". This inspires Dave to try and have Aaron book an interview with the reclusive dictator. Aaron decides to go for it, saying that he can get in touch with an office in Korea that holds the Olympics. One of the crew members then comes in and says there's a video of Matthew McConaughey having sex with a goat ("McConaughey goat fuck!"), which they NEED to get on.Aaron gets a phone call from a representative of the D.P.R.K. (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea), inviting him to travel to China to meet with North Koran officials to determine what to do with securing an interview with Kim. Aaron makes the trip to China, hiking all the way to the top of a mountain near the North Korean border. He collapses with exhaustion and is awoken by a helicopter descending. North Korean soldiers step out, followed by a woman named Sook (Diana Bang). She gives him instructions on what to do when meeting Kim. There will be written questions for Dave to ask Kim, scripted by his people. They leave him there with a small bottle of water.Returning to New York, Aaron tells Dave and everyone at the studio of his experience. Dave gets excited and brags to everyone on live TV that he has scored an interview with Kim Jong-un. He is subsequently criticized by other TV hosts like Seth Meyers and Bill Maher. Dave thinks they're just jealous, and he later does ecstasy with Aaron. They host a wild and destructive party at their house.The next morning, the guys are visited by Agents Lacey (Lizzy Caplan) and Botwin (Reese Alexander) from the CIA. Dave is immediately attracted to Lacey as she tells them the reason for her visit. Since they are going into North Korea, the CIA has decided to use them to assassinate Kim. This is so that a coup d'etat by the North Korean military can happen and the people of North Korea can finally have a suitable leader. Dave immediately accepts, but Aaron pulls him into another room and tells him that Lacey is probably trying to "honeypot" them by exploiting her good looks to rope them into a plot like this.Dave and Aaron go to the CIA headquarters where Lacey briefs them on their mission. She warns them that Kim is a master manipulator and that the people have spread rumors like that he doesn't go to the bathroom. The plan is to use a ricin-laced strip to poison Kim when Dave shakes his hand. Dave thinks a better plan would be to blow Kim up on live TV, and then get rescued by Seal Team Six. Lacey comments on how stupid and unsafe this is, and that the ricin strip is simple and more effective. They test it out with Dave, but he accidentally covers his mouth when sneezing. They leave with the strip, which Dave put in a pack of gum instead of the bag that the CIA gave him, because he thinks Kim would get suspicious if he saw Dave with an unflattering bag. The two walk out before a crowd of cameramen to whom Dave brags about meeting him and "giving him something using a hand".The two travel to North Korea and are welcomed by a big crowd at the airport near the capital city of Pyongyang. Sook guides them through the city to dispel the rumors of North Korea's famine. They drive by a supermarket and see a chubby boy on the street to convince Dave and Aaron that the people there are not starving. Sook takes them to Kim's palace outside the city in a wooded area and introduces them to Officers Koh (James Yi) and Yu (Paul Bae). Yu looks through Dave's bag and finds the strip. Panicking, he and Aaron say it's gum. Yu chews it and then spits it out. The guys are then escorted to their room and they scan the place for listening devices using a watch from the CIA. They contact Lacey and inform her that they lost the strip.That evening, the CIA sends a package with a replacement strip to be air dropped. Aaron is forced to put on dark clothes and sneak out of the hotel to retrieve the package while communicating with Dave and Lacey. While out there, he encounters a tiger. Aaron makes a run for it and the tiger chases him. He is saved when the package lands on the tiger and kills it. Aaron gets the package and then hears from Lacey that they see people arriving toward his location with guns. Dave tells Aaron to hide the package in his butt. Aaron reluctantly does so and is taken back to his room by soldiers. They strip him nude but find nothing. Aaron removes the package from his butt and shows it to Dave. They find that there are two strips in there in case they messed up again.Later, Kim shows up to Dave's room and is excited to meet him. He invites Dave to join him on a tour of his land. They hang out in his tank and listen to Katy Perry's "Firework" and drink margaritas, even though Kim was previously ashamed of liking those. He plays basketball with Dave on a private court and talks about how he has been trying hard to carry on his father's and grandfather's legacy. Kim surprises Dave by inviting a bunch of gorgeous Korean women so they can all party together.The guys are invited to a state dinner with a performance from three children. Aaron notices Yu looking sweaty and unwell as the ricin is starting to take effect. He motions to Dave, who notices. Yu stands up and vomits blood. Koh tries to calm him down. Yu takes out his gun to kill himself, but he ends up shooting Koh in the head, spraying blood everywhere. Kim cries for them, as does everyone else.Afterwords, this incident gives Dave doubts on the mission, and he throws the ricin strip away in a fountain against Aaron's protest.Kim goes to Dave's room again to invite him to another dinner. Aaron sticks his hand out with the other strip in his palm to poison Kim himself, but Dave stops him. At this dinner, the once-charming Kim reveals his true aggression and violent nature when he threatens nuclear warfare against every enemy of his in retaliation for the deaths of his two best officers. Dave leaves frightened. On the streets, he walks past the supermarket and finds that it's a fake with a wall painted to look like a grocery store, along with fake fruits on display. His trust for Kim has completely gone.Sook visits Aaron in his room as he is trying to get the strip off his hand. They acknowledge their attraction for each other and start to try having sex, but they stop when Sook says she gave Aaron false information regarding potato growth. Dave comes in, forcing Sook to hide under the covers. He tells Aaron of his distrust for Kim and blurts out the assassination plot. Sook gets up and admits her hatred for Kim and plans to manipulate the interview so that they can catch Kim in a moment of weakness so that all his people will stop viewing him as a god.The time comes for the interview to take place. Kim and Dave prepare themselves while Aaron and Sook operate the control room. Kim gives Dave a puppy as a gift to remind Dave of his old dog. Both the United States and all of North Korea watch the event. Dave begins by asking Kim the scripted questions as instructed about Kim's life and upbringing. Dave slowly builds up to sensitive topics until he asks Kim why his people are starving. Kim counters this by saying that his people are well-fed and argues that they would have more food were it not for the unfair sanctions held by the United States. As Dave's questions get more intense, a man in the control room attempts to cut the feed, but Aaron fights him off. The man bites off two of Aaron's fingers while Aaron bites off one of his fingers and causes the man to sit on a control stick that gets shoved up his ass. Sook shoots the man in the head before he can kill Aaron. Meanwhile, Dave brings up the margaritas, Kim's father, and then starts singing "Firework" to cause Kim to break down in tears and even "shart" himself. The soldiers and station crew start arguing and can't believe what they're seeing from their leader. In his rage, Kim pulls out a gun and threatens Dave. He shoots Dave in the chest on live TV. Dave falls to the floor as Kim leaves. Dave stands up and reveals he was wearing a bulletproof vest.The soldiers storm toward the control room. Sook shoots them all down. She and Aaron reunite with Dave and the puppy. Kim learns that Dave survived and gets angry because he got "honeydicked" by Dave when he was already trying to "honeydick" him. Dave, Aaron, and Sook attempt to escape when they see more soldiers heading toward them. Dave runs back to commandeer Kim's tank and run the soldiers over. Kim gets in his chopper and prepares to launch a nuclear strike. The chopper fires at the three in the tank. Dave aims the tank at the chopper and launches an RPG, obliterating Kim in a fiery blast, and holding off the launch.Sook leads Dave and Aaron to a mining tunnel that will take them west to the coast. She and Aaron part with one last passionate kiss. He and Dave make it far enough and are rescued by Seal Team Six. They take the guys home. As they ride across the sea, the two reflect on their adventure.Back home, Dave writes a tell-all book on the mission. North Korea is shown to be prospering with democratic elections starting to take place. Aaron also manages to keep in touch with Sook through Skype.
    

The Interview

Homefront


            World War I began in Europe in 1914, but by 1917, the United States had still not entered the war. However, many brave young American men went to France to fly and fight for the Allied powers. They joined the Lafayette Escadrille fighter squadron. The Germans had better planes, weapons, and pilots. The average life expectancy for a fighter-pilot was three to six weeks. Why did these Americans volunteer to fight in France with certain death when their own country was not at war? This was a time when men were idealistic, but naive to embark on a great adventure. Blaine Rawlings (James Franco) was forced to leave his home in Texas after the family ranch was foreclosed by the bank. Blaine sees a newsreel of fighter-pilots in France and decides that he has nothing to lose. Briggs Lowry (Tyler Labine) can't do anything right and is shamed into joining by his rich father. African-American boxer Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis) had been living in France, a racially tolerant country, for many years, wanted to give something back to his new country. These Americans were under the command of French Captain Georges Thenault (Jean Reno) and American Squadron Leader Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson). Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)
    

Flyboys


            Christian Longo (James Franco), an Oregon man whose wife and three children have been discovered murdered, is arrested by police in Mexico, where he had been identifying himself as a reporter for the New York Times named Michael Finkel.In New York City, Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) is an ambitious and successful reporter. He is confronted by his editors about a story he has written which featured on the cover of the New York Times Magazine. They accuse him of using a composite character as the focus of his story, a violation of basic reporting principles. Finkel briefly attempts to defend his actions, but he is unsuccessful and is fired. He returns home to his wife Jill (Felicity Jones), and struggles to find work as a journalist due to his public firing from the Times.Finkel is contacted by a reporter for The Oregonian,seeking his opinion on Christian Longo's assumption of his identity. Finkel, who was unaware of Longo's case, is intrigued, and arranges to meet Longo in prison. During their first conversation, Longo claims he has followed Finkel's entire career and always admired his writing. Longo agrees to tell Finkel his side of the crimes he is accused of, in exchange for writing lessons and Finkel's promise not to share their conversations until after the conclusion of the murder trial.Finkel becomes increasingly absorbed with Longo, who is likeable but evasive about his guilt. Convinced the story will be redemptive, Finkel visits Longo in prison and corresponds with him for several months. Longo sends Finkel numerous letters as well as an 80-page notebook entitled "Wrong Turns" which contains what Longo describes as a list of every mistake he has made in his life. Finkel begins to recognize similarities between Longo and himself, their handwriting and drawing, and Longo's letters and Finkel's personal journals. As the trial approaches, Finkel grows increasingly doubtful Longo is guilty of the murders, and Longo informs Finkel he intends changing his plea to not guilty.In court, Longo pleads not guilty to two of the murders, but pleads guilty to the murder of his wife and one of his daughters. Finkel confronts Longo, who claims he cannot share everything he knows, because he has to protect certain individuals who he refuses to name. Greg Ganley (Robert John Burke), the detective who tracked Longo down and arrested him, approaches Finkel and claims Longo is an extremely dangerous and manipulative man. He tries to convince Finkel to turn over as evidence all his correspondence with Longo. Finkel refuses and Ganley does not press him for an explanation.At the trial, Longo takes the stand and describes his version of the events in detail. He claims he had, after an argument with his wife about their financial situation, come home to discover two of his children missing, one of his daughters unconscious, and his wife sobbing, saying she put the children "in the water". Longo says he strangled his wife to death in a blind rage. He says he thought his other daughter was dead at first, but then realized she was still breathing and strangled her as well because she was all but dead. Finkel's wife, Jill, watches Longo's testimony.As the jury deliberates, Jill visits Longo in jail and tells him he is a narcissistic murderer who will never escape who he is.Longo is found guilty of all four charges and sentenced to death. After he is sentenced, he winks at Finkel, who, to his shock and rage, realizes Longo has been lying throughout their conversations, using him in order to make his testimony more believable. A short time later, Finkel meets Longo on death row. Longo tries to convince Finkel he discovered his wife strangling their daughter and then blacked out, so he has no memory of the murders. Finkel angrily tells Longo he will not believe any more of his lies and will warn the judge, when Longo appeals against his sentence, of Longo's manipulative nature. Longo retorts by pointing out the success Finkel has had with his book about their encounters, leaving the reporter shaken.Finkel reads a section of his book, entitled True Story, at a promotional event in a bookstore. Taking questions from the audience, he imagines Longo standing in the back of the room. Longo says if he has lost his freedom, Finkel must have lost something as well. Finkel is unable to respond.Title cards reveal Longo admitted, a year later, to killing his entire family. Finkel never wrote for the "New York Times" again, but Longo has contributed articles to a number of publications from death row, including the "New York Times." The final title card says Finkel and Longo still speak on the first Sunday of every month.
    

True Story

Oz the Great and Powerful


            The film starts with a Facetime chat between 32-year-old Laird Mayhew (James Franco) and his 22-year-old college girlfriend Stephanie Fleming (Zoey Deutch). She invites him to come over to "Netflix and chill". Laird gets excited and starts naming Netflix shows as he points the phone's camera down toward his groin.In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Stephanie's younger 15-year-old brother Scotty (Griffin Gluck) puts on a slideshow at an Applebee's in honor of their dad Ned's (Bryan Cranston) 55th birthday. Ned's wife/the kids' mother Barb (Megan Mullaly) and some of Ned's coworkers are in attendance. Scotty arranges for Stephanie to pop in via webcam, just as Laird walks into her room. He takes his pants off and exposes his bare ass to everyone. Scotty frantically tries to shut the feed off, but he accidentally freezes it on a shot of Laird's ass. Ned just grabs the laptop and smashes it when the restaurant employees come in to sing "Happy Birthday".Ned is the CEO of a printing company that has been having a rough year. The company is in debt and is unable to close deals with other companies due to the lack of demand for printing. Ned talks to his coworker Lou Dunne (Cedric The Entertainer) about the incident from the previous night. Ned tells Lou that Stephanie wants the rest of the family to meet Laird who lives outside of San Jose, California, even though Stephanie never even mentioned having a boyfriend up until that night.On December 22, Ned and family arrive in San Jose where they meet Stephanie at the airport who then drives her family to Laird's house, which is surprisingly huge. She explains to Ned that Laird is the CEO of a video game company, meaning he's super rich. They arrive at the house, and the eccentric Laird greets the family as "the motherfucking Flemings!" They also meet Laird's right-hand man Gustav (Keegan-Michael Key), who acts as the voice of reason to Laird. Laird gives the family a tour of his house, complete with curse words and overly complimenting Barb's looks in front of Ned. He even shows off a back tattoo that he got of the Flemings' Christmas card, with "Happy Holidays" written on the bottom. In the living room is a tank with a moose filled completely with its urine. The basement has a bowling alley that Laird built with a mural of Ned, complete with a "crotch-chop" pose of his.Ned talks to Stephanie about Laird's behavior, which she knew he would bring up. She asks Ned to give him a chance.During dinner, Laird starts talking about times that he and Stephanie have had sex, in full and graphic details. She later tells him that he is making her parents uncomfortable, so Laird vows to be better for her.That evening, Laird enters Ned and Barb's bedroom and apologizes to for making them uncomfortable. He then introduces them to his Siri-like voice system called Justine (Kaley Cuoco), who is there to accommodate Laird and his guests.The next morning, Ned tries to use the bathroom, but unfortunately, Laird has declared his home a "paper-free" zone, so Ned has to clean himself with an automated toilet. Gustav tries to help Ned clean himself, but it just becomes complicated.Laird invites Ned to go out for a walk in the woods outside his house. He brings Ned to a tepee so that he can ask Ned for his blessing to propose to Stephanie. Ned is quick to say no, which completely blindsides Laird since he was confident Ned would say yes. Laird promises to win him over so that he can get his blessing, but he also asks to keep it a secret from everyone, including Barb and Scotty.Later, Laird bonds with Scotty as the boy tries out Laird's new video games and gives him feedback, while also talking business with him since Ned has been grooming Scotty to take over his business. Meanwhile, Barb encounters someone with a vape pen, and she gets really high. She later tries to get Ned to come onto her, but he refuses.Ned contacts his co-worker Kevin Dingle (Zack Pearlman) to dig up some dirt on Laird. Dingle tries to hack into Laird's personal content, only for him to get hacked back by an anti-hacking program that Laird installed, causing all of Dingle's power to crash. He tells Ned to try and break into Laird's personal computer by trying to figure out his password. Dingle assumes it must be something dirty ("StephaniesBoobs" for example), but Ned is surprised when he finds the only piece of paper in the house with a password that says "StephaniesDude" (which he actually thinks is sweet). Before Ned can read too much, Laird and Stephanie both walk into his office and talk about how Laird has been acting. He apologizes and tries to get her to have sex. Instead, she lets him go down on her, which Ned is forced to listen to as he hides under Laird's desk.The following evening, Laird decides to throw a Christmas Eve party for the Flemings. He sends invites to some of his fellow entrepreneur buddies. Ned meets a pair of siblings that run a company that is something of a rival to Ned's company. Ned makes a comment that he feels "bukkake" after hearing Laird use it in the sense that he is feeling overwhelmed, only to be told by everybody else that it literally means "jizz in your face."The family gathers in Laird's living room for the party. Ned takes the chance to tell everyone that Laird is in debt since his company hasn't been doing so well. Laird then reveals that he bought Ned's company as a gift to remove all his debts. Instead of expressing gratitude, Ned punches Laird in the face. The two start fighting childishly (Ned bites Laird's dick), and Laird runs to the top of the moose tank. The glass beneath his feet breaks and he falls in. Scotty runs over to break Laird out, but the tank breaks completely and sends moose urine all over the place. The moose itself is on top of Scotty, and its balls are on his face. Stephanie and Barb are both pissed at the men's behavior, and the family leaves Laird's home. Ned, Barbara and Scotty then return to Michigan.Upon returning to work, Ned finds that all of his employees are celebrating Laird's purchase of the company since their jobs are now safe. They get him an iPad as a gift, which has a wallpaper of him and Laird from the bowling alley, making Ned feel guilty.On Christmas Day, the Flemings are celebrating without Stephanie. They are surprised when Laird's helicopter comes down to the middle of the street since he wanted to surprise Stephanie and bring her home for Christmas. She is still mad at both Ned and Laird for their behavior around her, and she goes inside the house. Ned and Laird have a talk, since Laird still wants to propose but won't do so until he officially gets Ned's blessing. Laird also reveals that he got doves and another special surprise as part of the proposal, but Ned says that Stephanie doesn't like the flashy stuff and that she loves Laird for who he is. He finally gives Laird his blessing. Ned goes inside to talk to Stephanie and get her to talk to Laird. Through a miscommunication, Ned tries to call off the surprises, but Gustav thinks it's still a go. He sets the doves free and also brings out Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS to come out and play "I Was Made For Lovin' You". Laird tells the two to go inside the Fleming house while he proposes.Moments later, Laird and Stephanie go inside the house. Laird tells Ned that Stephanie declined the proposal because she's just not ready to get married, but she still wants to continue dating Laird.Later during the party, Ned and Scotty approach Laird for a new business idea since they are all part of the same company now. Scotty says they should sell the same toilets Laird has in his home since they would be very profitable. Laird likes the idea and agrees. The couples then dance together as music plays, with Ned referring to Laird as "son".
    

Why Him?

The Director: An Evolution in Three Acts

Palo Alto

Kink

The Company

City by the Sea

In Dubious Battle

I Think You're Totally Wrong: A Quarrel

Camille


            Actor James Franco wrote and directed this independent drama about two siblings who are by turns raised up and brought down by the bonds of family. Max (James Franco) boasts a genius level IQ, and his brother Adam (Matt Bell) is nearly as bright, but while Adam has the common sense and ambition to make something of his gifts, Max's greatest talent seems to be getting into scrapes and disappointing those around him. Adam has a successful practice as a doctor in New York City, but when Max foolishly tries to swindle some well-connected drug dealers, he has to leave the Big Apple, and somehow persuades his brother to take him to California. On the West Coast, Adam is able to use his medical background to get a lucrative new job, and Max fast talks his way onto the staff of a computer firm. However, Max's inability to stay on the straight and narrow and face his responsibilities quickly resurfaces, and when he starts using crystal meth, he loses his job. Adam also experiences a stretch of bad luck and loses his job, and as a sense of desperation takes hold, he starts joining Max in his drug fueled excesses, leading both down a road to destruction. "Good Time Max" received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
    

Good Time Max

Annapolis

Goat

Queen of the Desert

The Mad Whale

King Cobra

I Am Michael

Good People


            Thadeous and Fabious (Danny McBride and James Franco) are two sons of King Tallious (Charles Dance). They are both warriors, but Fabious is dashing and skilled and Thadeous is lazy and ineffectual with both an inferiority complex and poor track record in quest taking. While celebrating his latest victory over the evil sorcerer who has been ravaging Tallious's kingdom, Leezar (Justin Theroux), Fabious introduces the virgin Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) he freed from a tower and wishes to marry her. Though he is made the best man, Thadeous skips the wedding after overhearing Fabious's Elite Knights, led by Boremont (Damian Lewis), talk about him negatively. But the wedding is then crashed by Leezar, revealing himself to be the one who placed Belladona in the tower before spiriting her away. Returning to the castle with his servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker), Thadeous is forced into joining Fabious on his quest to rescue Belladonna.Visiting the perverted Great Wise Wizard, Thadeous and Fabious learn that Leezar is attempting to fulfill a prophecy of a warlock having hard-core sex with a maiden when the two Moons converge, impregnating her with a dragon that will allow him to take over King Tallious' kingdom. To destroy Leezar, they are given a magic compass that would lead them to the fabled Sword of Unicorn which is located within a labyrinth. On the way there, after finding that Fabious's slave, Julie (Toby Jones) has been reporting to Leezar of their progress, Thadeous and Fabious learn that Elite Knights are also serving the warlock and escape from them alongside Courtney. While collecting themselves at a river, after his brother sends his mechanical bird Simon to tell the king of the Elite Knights' betrayal and request reinforcements, Thadeous, Fabious and Courtney are captured by nymphs under their leader, Marteetee (John Fricker), who imprisons them at an arena where Fabious kills off Marateetee's finest warrior. In retaliation, Marteetee summons his hydra-like familiar to kill them.However, Thadeous and Fabious are rescued by Isabel (Natalie Portman), a warrior that is seeking revenge for her father's murder at Marteetee's hands. Later that night, as Fabious and Courtney leave them for the mood to set in, Thadeous learns that Isabel is also after Leezar for the slaughter of her brothers before accidentally revealing their quest and the compass to her. The next day, the party learn too late that Isabel stole the compass from Thadeous and ran off. Finally infuriated of his brother's selfish behavior as they arrive to a village, Fabious decides to find the Sword of Unicorn alone as Thadeous and Courtney go to a tavern, where they find Isabel and steal the compass back. But finding that his brother has been captured by Leezar's men, Thadeous wins Isabel over as they join forces, entering the labyrinth where they encounter a minotaur. Getting separated from the others, Thadeous retrieves the Sword of Unicorn and, after a test of worth, slays the minotaur as Isabel uses a panflute to soothe the monster as he is about to rape Courtney. A changed man, proudly wearing the minotaur's severed penis as a trophy necklace when unable to get one of the beast's horns, Thadeous and his group make their way to Leezar's castle and free Fabious while giving him the Sword of Unicorn. As the others kill off Julie and Boremont's men along with Leezar's mothers, Fabious uses the Sword of Unicorn to end Leezar's life before he is able to rape Belladonna, saving the kingdom.After their victory, the heroes go back home, but Isabel goes on another quest. Fabious and Belladonna marry as Thadeous retreats to his bedroom to masturbate before going to bed. There, he is approached by Isabel, who reveals that she has fallen in love with him. However, for them to have sex, he must first slay the witch that cast a spell on her, locking her in a chastity belt. Though he is not in the mood to go out, Isabel's suggestion to cuddle convinces him to go on a new adventure.
    

Your Highness

Every Thing Will Be Fine

Child of God

If Tomorrow Comes

As I Lay Dying

Don't Come Back from the Moon

The Adderall Diaries

Memoria

Interior. Leather Bar.

The Pretenders

The Sound and the Fury

Maladies


            The film opens with a series of shots of newspaper clippings about a bank robbery involving hostages, that resulted in a standoff with police lasting several days. This series of clippings ends in a shot of a masked man holding up a lighter. This cuts away to a billowing cloud of smoke rising from a building and firetrucks racing by to extinguish the fire.Elsewhere, assistant bank manager Ed is seen standing alone in a break-room, quick cuts of disturbing content, including the same masked man from the beginning of the film, as well as several other people with bloody bags over their heads are shown, interspersed with close shots of Ed's face.Out in the main lobby, a man is let into the bank by a policeman stationed at the door. He walks over to a self-serve coffee station and pours himself a cup of coffee, spiking it with a small bottle of liquor. He proceeds to go up to the teller, and completes his transaction, asking the teller out for a drink during "happy hour". The teller remarks that it seems the man had already been drinking, and hands him his receipt, prompting him to leave. On his way out, the policeman at the door addresses him as a detective, and the man responds by telling the police officer to keep the people in the bank away from the fire down the block.While this is all happening, a young woman named Leah is sitting in a waiting area, and is called over by the bank's manager. She enters his office and hands over her resume, indicating that she is here to apply for a position as a teller. The bank manager tells her that they have three teller spots to fill, as the tellers that he has hired in the past keep quitting. When Leah asks the manager why they keep quitting, he hesitates, but after reassuring the bank manager that she still wants the position, the bank manager reluctantly tells her that the tellers all quit after seeing and hearing "spooky" things in the basement of the bank.Outside of the office, back in the lobby, another woman, Vee, walks up to a teller and begins to complain that several cheques she has written have bounced, leading to charges from both the bank and the people the cheques were written out to. Vee becomes increasingly irate, using profanities, and asks for a manager. In the background, the police officer, as well as a security guard for the bank begin to approach her, but the police officer returns to the door to let in a group of firefighters, presumably responders from the fire nearby. Finally, becoming fed up with Vee's use of profanity, and refusal to quiet down and act civil, the security guard attempts to arrest her. Vee struggles against him, hitting him with brass knuckles pulled from her pocket. Seeing this, the police officer calls in a disturbance at the bank over his police radio, and goes to subdue Vee. Suddenly, Leah, back in the manager's office, pulls out a shotgun and holds the manager at gunpoint, while one of the 'firefighters' hits the police officer with the flat edge of his axe, knocking him unconscious.It is revealed that Leah, Vee, and the three men disguised as firefighters, Kramer, Michael, and Cyrus, are all part of the same crew working to rob the bank. After taking hostages of all the staff and clients in the bank, and forcing the head teller, Susan, to open the vault, the Michael begins to move hostages into the vault, while Kramer forces Susan to open the vault's cash deposit box, which is disappointingly nearly empty. Kramer takes the bag of money back out to the lobby where he tells the rest of the group that there is only about $70,000 dollar, which is nowhere near their goal of $500,000. An argument ensues between the members of the crew about what they should do next, some saying that they should cut their losses, and make a run for it; the others saying that they should stay and keep looking for more money, because they need to pay back a debt, and they cannot leave without the money.Ed, now a hostage, yells over to the crew that he knows where there is more money in the bank, and that he will help them. The crew holds him at gunpoint demanding more information. Ed agrees to tell them if they promise not to hurt anybody else. The crew agrees, and Ed tells them that there is an old vault in the basement of the bank that holds over $6 million in cash. Imbued with a new sense of urgency at this news, Kramer takes a drill and goes down to the basement to drill out the vault and open it, stating that it will take about 20 minutes. Leah and Cyrus take Ed to the security office to observe to proceedings over the live camera feeds, and Michael goes to the vault with the hostages to watch them. Vee stays in the lobby of the bank.In the vault the hostages plead to Michael's good nature, telling him that they don't think he is a bad man, and asking him to let them go. He tells them all to shut up, at which point Susan tells Michael that she needs to go to the washroom. Michael reluctantly takes her to the washroom, at which point she again pleads with Michael to rethink taking them as hostages. In the washroom Michael reveals that Vee and Leah are his sisters, and they are helping him rob this bank because he owes money to bad people, and can't afford to pay them back. Susan, yet again asks Michael to let her go, but Michael ignores these requests again, and brings her back to the vault when she tells him she can't go when he is pacing outside the stall door. Upon seeing Michael, Vee tells him to go start cutting through a pipe in the basement that wills serve as the group's means of escape once they have raided the vault. Michael agrees and goes down to the basement, to a different section than Kramer.During these events, ever since Kramer began drilling in the basement, the lights had been flickering in the bank. The group finds it odd, but dismisses it as a power surge. Kramer, finishing up the drilling job in the basement begins to try to open the vault, at which time Vee, Leah, and Cyrus watch him through the cameras. When he looks up from his tools, Kramer sees a silhouette at the end of the dimly lit hallway, and, assuming its a member of the crew, tells them to go back upstairs and watch the hostages. The figure remains, not moving, and Kramer looks through his tools for a flashlight, which doesn't work. Looking back up, he sees a second silhouette has appeared, and begins just staring at them. Confused at his behaviour, as the figures cannot be seen on the camera feeds, Vee radios Kramer, asking him what he is doing. Kramer tries to respond, but only static comes through to Vee, Leah, and Cyrus. Hearing a noise behind him, Kramer turns to see the masked man from the beginning of the film, and looking back at where the two silhouettes were, sees they have multiplied into four. Looking back and forth as the silhouettes slowly grow in number and move towards him, Kramer screams, which is heard by Michael, and falls backwards into the vault, and out of sight of the camera feed. Ed is the only one in the room who doesn't look shocked by these events, and has been staring at the screen with a straight face the whole time.Concerned, Vee goes runs to the basement door, which closes on its own just as she reaches it, locking itself. At the same time, Cyrus goes into the vault to check on the hostages, and Leah stands guard in the lobby. Cyrus is asked to count the hostages and make sure they are all there, and begins counting, only to see that some of the hostages have dirty and bloody bags over their heads, pressed into their eye sockets and mouths, making them look like skulls. These are the same in appearance as the hostages seen in Ed's visions from the beginning of the film, and standing behind them is the masked man. The vault door slowly closes, locking Cyrus in, and he begins to fight with the nightmarish hostages, managing to pull one of their hoods off, revealing a heavily charred corpse underneath. Cyrus is then forced to the ground, and the masked man puts the barrel of a shotgun into Cyrus' mouth, forcing Cyrus to pull the trigger. This sound is masked by the sound of Vee shooting out the lock on the Basement door.While this is happening, Michael, who had heard Kramer screaming earlier, has gone to investigate, and upon reaching the vault, finds Kramer sitting inside with a bloody rag over his face. Pulling it off, Michael sees that Kramer's eyes had been gouged out, but that he was still breathing. At this time, Kramer starts to gasp, and puts his vault drill through his own head, killing himself. Michael back out of the vault, terrified.Back in the security office, Leah is questioning Ed about whether he knew what was going on, accusing him of setting them up. Ed swears he has no clue what is going on, at which point the phone rings. Leah picks it up and puts it up to Ed's ear, telling him to make them go away. However, it is the detective who was in the bank earlier, identifying himself as Tom, and he demands to speak with Leah. Realizing that the police know they are robbing the bank, as up until this point the crew thought that nobody was aware of their actions, Leah hangs up the phone. Demanding answers, Leah gets Susan from the Vault and asks her if she was the one who contacted the police. She denies it and says that it was the bank itself. Susan explains that in 1982 a man tried robbing the bank, taking many hostages, and demanded transportation. This is the robbery from the clippings in the beginning shots of the film, and the robber is the man in the mask. Susan explains that the man held out for several days without food or water, and that in the end he snapped, executing the hostages in various ways, including burning several of them alive in the vault. According to Susan, the police kept finding more and more bodies, but never found the masked man, or any trace of him. Susan is sure that the masked man is still in the basement, and that he is the source of the crew's trouble. Leah does not believe Susan, and threatens to electrocute her with a broken lamp that is still plugged in. Michael catches her before she can hurt Susan though, and walks away disappointed.Vee returns from checking the basement with a duffel bag full of cash. Leah remarks that something is wrong, however, and upon closer inspection, she sees that every bill was printed in 1982, the same year of the robbery that Susan was speaking of. Vee is unconcerned by this, and tells Leah that she is going insane, which causes a fight between the two. Suddenly, a window near them shatters, which Leah and Vee assume is the police shooting at them. Michael returns to the basement to continue cutting the pipe for their escape. He hears a woman calling for help, and after following the voice down a corridor, finds a young lady laying on the ground, asking for help. She says that she thinks that her ankle is broken, and asks Michael is he is "one of them" Michael is confused by this. He hears Vee call for him and turns to face the source of the sound. When he looks back, the woman has become a rotting corpse, which lunges after Michael.Back up in the Managers office, Leah gets a phone call, and when she picks up, she hears a staticky voice inform her that a robbery is happening at the bank she is in. She knows that this cannot be anyone of her hostages, and is slowly becoming convinced of Susan's story. Meanwhile, Vee is speaking to Ed, who asks her what she plans on doing next, as she seems to be the only one with any sanity left. This is out of the ordinary for Ed, who hasn't commented on any of the odd occurrences up until this point. Almost immediately after the call indicating a robbery in progress, Leah gets another call from the Detective, apologizing for the shot that was taken at Leah and Vee. Leah says that she can only keep control of the situation for so long, and to keep the police at bay a little longer, releases one of the hostages. After releasing the hostage, Leah gets yet another call, and it is the same ghostly call from earlier, complaining of a robbery at the bank. Susan, who is sitting near the phone, looks up at Leah and asks her if she heard 'it'.Returning to the basement, Vee beings to search for Michael. In one room she finds Cyrus' body, with his head blown of from the jaw up, with blood splattered all over the wall behind him. Going a bit further she sees Michael, looking deranged, and splashing gasoline all over the walls of the corridors. Seeing Vee, Michael grabs her and tells her that the escape pipe has been cut and is ready for her to escape through, and tells her to run. Vee asks Michael what he is doing, and begs him to go with her, but he picks his jerry can back up and continues to douse the walls in gas. Vee returns to the vault and begins to look inside it, as Michael lights the gasoline and begins to burn the bank. As the fire alarms start to go off Ed, with whom Leah is now with, indicates that now the police will be forced to come into the bank. Leah, realizing that she is running out of time, cuts Ed free, gives him a knife, and tells him to let the rest of the hostages go. She then grabs the duffel bag of cash and runs down to the basement.In the basement Michael has begun to throw Molotov cocktails into rooms as he walks by them, spreading the fire. Leah runs to the escape pipe, but thinks she hears Michael calling for her, so she runs in the direction of the voice, eventually coming to the vault. When she enters the vault, she spaces out for a moment, but soon becomes aware that the ghosts of the hostages are now surrounding her, and the vault door is closing. She manages to get her arm through the vault door and is trying to pry it open, and eventually manages to when Michael comes to the vault and helps her. Together they run from the ghost hostages, Michael throwing Molotov cocktails behind him as they go. Eventual he falls behind, and Leah makes it to the pipe first. She calls for Michael but begins to hear a song playing lightly down the hallway. Out of the fire's smoke appears the masked man, as well as several of the hostage ghosts, with Michael following behind them. Realizing that they are about to kill Leah, Michael opens a gas line and lights it, blowing up the masked man and the other ghosts just as Leah entered the escape pipe.The next shot shows Leah driving down a back road, with the radio playing in the background. The radio host is talking about the robbery, and says that police believe all the suspects to be dead. Leah pulls to a stop on the side of the road, and the camera pans over to Vee, who is revealed to have made it out safely. Vee angrily asks where the money is, and what happened to Michael. Leah gets the duffel bag of money out of her car, and throws it at Vee's feet, explaining that Michael had died, and begging Vee to tell her that she saw the ghosts too, and that she was not going crazy. Vee explains that she doesn't know what she saw, and that all she remembers is the police shooting at her.In a police interrogation room, the Detective Tom is questioning the hostages about who helped the robbers with the codes, the vault and disarming the alarm systems. Every hostage says that they did not recognize Ed, even though he claimed to be the assistant bank manager. When questioning Susan, one of the only hostages to have admitted to seeing Ed, she recognizes Ed's picture on the wall of the police interrogation room. Detective Tom tells her this is impossible, as Ed was one of the original victims of the 1982 bank robbery. Susan realizes that Ed himself was a ghost, and that was how he knew about the basement vault. The film then cuts to the same scene from the beginning of the movie with Ed in the break-room. This time, however, he hears screams and gunshots from outside the break-room, and calls the police, which is recognizable as the same call that Leah had been hearing throughout the robbery.Back at Leah and Vee's meet-up point, Leah's car won't start, prompting Vee to get out and check the engine. Suddenly the radio turns on, and every station is playing the same thing, which is the song that Leah heard in the basement of the bank. When Vee drops the cars hood, Leah sees the masked man behind her, and screams as he snaps Vee's neck, and the credits start to roll.
    

The Vault

Wild Horses

About Cherry

The Broken Tower

Arctic Dogs

Burn Country

Yosemite

Zeroville

The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards


            Art theorist Francisco Ricardo examines questions of art, authenticity, and celebrity through a collage of experimental filmmaking full of interviews, spontaneous epiphanies, and poetry for the true cineaste who is seeking a documentary about how we create value in art. The film is particularly relevant for those who enjoyed Morgan Neville's documentary "They'll Love Me When I'm Dead," since "F for Franco" gives the viewer a contemporary glimpse into many of the same institutions of value and meaning explored by Neville in that documentary and in Orson Welles' "The Other Side of the Wind." "F for Franco" encourages viewers to follow the philosophical reflections of James Franco as Ricardo asks the question "What makes the artist?" and then examines Franco's answer to the question from the moment he ponders his look-alike doll to his rumination on the cult of celebrity and what is 'real' in the portrayal of the actor, including a glimpse into Franco's re-interpretation of the 1970's hit series "Three's Company." At one point, Franco, Bidart and RIcardo go in search of the grave of the actor Rudolph Valentino in the middle of the night, symbolizing the quest for meaning in the life (and death) of the celebrity. The film is an intellectual ride through the philosophical underpinnings of fame, institutions of value, and art. "F for Franco" encourages the audience to engage in philosophical inquiry on the 'real' and 'fake' asks us to conceptualize how art and celebrity are ways of defining reality. The film offers numerous possible ways of interpreting Picasso's quote, "Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth." This films also interrogates institutions of power that often define what we call the truth and leaves viewers with lasting epiphanies that will heighten their critical acceptance of representations of so-called 'reality' in art.
    

James Franco

James Franco Movies or Tv Shows (upto May 2025) - Watch Online

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Fan Zone

James Franco's Movies and Tv Series available to Stream now ..

James Franco

James Franco Movies or Tv Shows (upto May 2025) - Watch Online

Your region:USA

Fan Zone

James Franco's Movies and Tv Series available to Stream now ..

Your region:
USA