Cloris Leachman

Esther Harrison has it good and got exactly what she wanted in life; steady income two kids and a loving husband but, when a dark figure from her past comes calling, it reveals a secret that will change everything.

While looking for a new home, The Croods come across a more evolved caveman named Guy. Together they explore fantastic creatures and a whole new world of adventure!

The movie opens with a warning: "The performers in this movie are professionals. Please do not attempt to perform these activities at home. If you attempt to drink this much, you will die." It opens with a man and another man engaged in a game of quarters. The other man tells him that he's tired of losing all his money to him and that this is a winner take all competition. This man's name is Jan Wolfhouse. He manages to successfully flip the coin into the very narrow flower vase full of beer. The other man - Jan's father, drinks the beer down without fail. Jan's brother Todd shows up and their father is talking about how he's berating Jan in a friendly beer drinking competition. Todd informs the both of them that everyone is waiting. It's then revealed that everyone is at a funeral for the patriarch of the family - Johan Wolfhouse. Johan is in the hospital hooked up to a machine. He gives his own eulogy via a pre videotape where he gives his final wishes while downing a beer for each one of them. One was for his mother who he always knew would outlive him, the other is for his grandsons Todd and Jan, and for them to take good care of the family restaurant. The final one is to himself. He then entrusts Jan and Todd with his most prized possession - a German doll wearing leiderhosen that he calls "Bobo". At the end of the video, Johan pulls his own cord and he falls over and dies. Later that day, Johan's mother - Great Gam Gam is telling Jan and Todd what to do with Johan's remains. It's then revealed that they are to go to Munich, Germany during a special festival where they are to place Johan's ashes among the remains of their elders. That special festival happens to be Oktoberfest. At Oktoberfest, they are to meet a man who is named Mr. Schniedelwichsen, who is to take them to the family resting place where they are to place Johan's remains with the remains of their elders. At Oktoberfest, Jan and Todd are drinking quite heavily and are becoming friendly with the other tourists who are in town for the festivities. As they sing the beloved drinking songs of their country, Jan and Todd somehow manage to offend the entire Oktoberfest community with a rendition of "99 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall". As they manage to escape the chaos that ensues, which they themselves had caused, and set off a Rube Goldberg style chain of events that causes the entire tent to collapse, they finally meet their contact that Great Gam Gam had managed to hook them up with. He then takes them from the chaos of Oktoberfest to an underground layer. That layer happens to be the home of a secret competition called "Beerfest". As Jan and Todd marvel at the competition that's called Beerfest, they are stunned to learn that there is an actual competition involving the drinking games they love - quarters, beer pong, upside down chug, and so on and so forth. It's later revealed that there is no USA team - they're laughably unqualified among international drinking teams because as comes with heavy drinking and Americans so does some heavy fighting. As the competition ends, the German team manages to defeat the Irish team with a game called "Das Boot" - where the team drinks with a huge cup that's shaped like a shoe. The game ends, Jan and Todd cheer on the German team. It's then learned that Jan and Todd share a common ancestry with the German team. But they are not amused as the German Wolfhause squad tells the Jan and Todd that Johan had stolen a beer recipe that was regarded as the best beer recipe that's ever come out of Germany. Jan and Todd challenge their German relatives to a drinking contest only to be humiliated. They're then greeted by the German patriarch of the Wolfhause family who then proceeds to give Johan the proper memorial that they feel he deserves (hint: it's not flattering). They also refer to Great Gam Gam as a prostitute. But Baron Wolfhouse reveals he's the first born, not Johan, and orders the guy who brought them to Beerfest killed. Jan and Todd are then humiliated and knocked out. Back at home, Jan and Todd are in denial about Great Gam Gam being a prostitute. They then decide that they're going to honor her honor and their late grandfather's honor. They are going to train for an entire year and go back to Germany where they are going to lay the smack down on the German team. They decide that they're going to get the best beer gamers, the fastest chuggers and they're going to give the German team a run for their money in the next Beerfest. The first one they set about finding is a guy they simply call "Landfill". Real name is Phil Krundel. Landfill rightfully earned the nickname because he is essentially a human garbage disposal and can eat and drink anything and hold his weight appropriately. They first find Landfill at the county fair's hot dog eating contest, where he is dominating the competition. In his past, Landfill was involved in an infamous incident from the brewery (involving him guzzling beers that came off the assembly line) that he was working in that got him fired, arrested, and had him spent some time in jail where he found religion and became a changed man. Landfill tells Jan and Todd that he would give it all up if it meant reclaiming his former glory. Jan and Todd explain to him that this is his opportunity and he's ecstatic. The next member of the team that they find is Dr. Charles Finklestein, aka Fink. They meet Fink in the lab that he's working in. Landfill has a "get a load of this guy" moment as Fink, an acclaimed scientist and devout Jewish man, is seen collecting the male fluid specimens from a toad. Todd assures Landfill that Fink can beat the boot because he has studied everything about everything, including beer. Fink has two Ph.D's and a nice house with a two car garage. Fink doesn't believe Jan and Todd until they explain that he will be competing against the German team. He then tells the three of them that they've got 15 minutes to explain more. The final member of the team is Barry Badrinath. Barry and Todd had a fallout in college when Barry had a sexual affair with the woman who Todd would later go on to marry. Todd has held a grudge against Barry ever since. But Barry has fallen on hard times. His pimp won't cut him a bigger paycheck and he's living underneath a bridge with a bunch of other like-minded individuals. Jan assures the group that Barry is the best beer gamer that there ever was, but Barry is having a hard time proving the opposite. Back at the family restaurant, called "Schnitzengiggle", the guys are trying to decide who to get in place of Barry, but suggestion after suggestion proves to the group that they can't anyone who's worthy enough to fill his shoes. Barry enters and proves he is worthy of competing in Beerfest. He then stuns Jan, Todd, Fink, and Landfill by scoring perfect scores on any game he comes in contact with. He claims it's because he's better when he's drunk - that's enough to convince everybody that he's worthy of joining the team. The next day Jan and Todd present the team with their own training facility. They get a keg of beer and give the team a pep talk about how the next year is going to be tougher than anything they've ever experienced in their entire life - they're going to drink beer, and a lot of it. And if anyone isn't up to the task, they can walk out that door. It's then revealed that Barry can't play beer pong. They then proceed to drink extremely heavily and it's revealed what happened as time went on. The next morning Landfill nearly dies of asphyxiation, while Barry wakes up in the middle of nowhere, completely naked, next to a deer and screaming "Oh god not again!!!". With half a keg left over from the wild night before, Jan and Todd decide that they need some serious help if they're going to beat the Germans. They go to Great Gam Gam's house where she has enlisted the help of an obese caretaker named Cherry to help her now that Johan is gone. They then consult Great Gam Gam about why the Germans are amazing beer drinkers. She assures them it's because they drink the urine of a ram, because if you can drink that, you can drink almost anything. Barry comes to the revelation that Great Gam Gam just might be in fact a prostitute because of the not so subtle clues that she was giving during their visit. The guys then set about acquiring the substance and trying it for themselves. While on a rooftop, Fink decides that this isn't the way to go and that they should go about mixing it up with some random people rather than the "traditional method". The first party they go to is a wild teenage party. The party stops when they enter until Landfill grabs two large beers and chugs them down, he announces that they're the Party Brigade and that they're there to play some drinking games. They do so. Fink tries something called a "strikeout" - where you take a hit, chug your beer, do a shot and then blow out the smoke. He is knocked out almost instantly. Elsewhere in the party Barry and Todd are getting ready to box each other dressed as a bride and groom while the cops are called. Fink is wrapped in cellophane atop a set of monkey bars and cannot escape when the cops arrive. Now with 8 months to go, while practicing drinking games, Fink discovers the problem with the boot and has the guys gather around to show the problem. He gets into a fight with Landfill and knocks Bobo to the ground. But they discover something inside Bobo - it's a beer recipe. The one that claims to be the best beer in all of Germany, proving the claims about Johan and Great Gam Gam right. Another two months pass and the finished brew is completed and the guys have a toast for Johan. Drinking the beer they have just brewed proves to be a religious revelation for the guys and they think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Four months to go. The guys are out at the bar having some fun playing a card game called "asshole", Barry drinks too much and becomes his alternate persona. Jan shows off the awesome bottle that he created for the house brew, now called "Schnitzengiggle Ale". Barry then picks up what he thinks is an incredibly attractive woman and they head back home for a night of foreplay. The morning however, it reveals that he actually picked up Cherry - Great Gam Gam's overweight assistant and the things that happened are not exactly what he pictured in his head. Barry then reassures the audience that while he was drunk, he knew what was going on the whole time. Less than two months remain until Team USA heads to Germany. At the restaurant - Schnitzengiggle, it turns out the beer they brewed is a hit and is flying off the shelves and attracting record crowds. So much that a bottle was sent to the German team. Baron Wolfhouse discovers this and sends his team to Colorado where they humiliate the guys at their own restaurant. As they try to think of a name for the operation, Baron tells his team that it's not about names. It's about reclaiming the family heritage. They then challenge the guys to a winner-take-all beer pong tournament for the family recipe and 500,000 Euros. At first they deny the challenge, saying they'll make more money selling the beer than they ever would if they take the money being offered. Todd then accepts the challenge, with Barry as his partner but Barry gets in a fight with Jan because beer pong is the one game he just won't play. He then leaves. The German team then humiliates Jan and Todd by destroying multiple items in the restaurant. The next day sets off a chain of events that has Jan and Todd nearly calling the whole thing off. Fink reveals that he got fired from the lab due to slipping performance, and accidentally created a mutated race of monkey - frog hybrid animals. The German team files a fake report on live television against Schnitzengiggle that has health inspectors nearly condemning the place and reservations being cancelled left and right. Landfill comes in visibly upset because his wife couldn't take the lies and the heavy drinking and took the kids to her mothers'. Jan, Todd, and Fink are stunned to learn that Landfill has kids. While having one last brew in the back, and recalling the good times, Landfill discovers something suspicious happening. Turns out Cherry is a spy that was hired by the German team to steal the recipe back. Cherry copies it off the computer and she and Landfill get in a fight, and Cherry ultimately knocks Landfill into a vat of unfinished brew. Landfill attempts to escape by drinking his way out. Unfortunately he drowns and is discovered by Jan. Jan, Todd, and the gang are devastated by the incident and consider packing the whole thing in.Todd decides that he's had enough and that Team USA is done. They're packing it in - Schniztengiggle, the beer, their hopes and dreams of conquering the German team. While at Landfill's funeral, Fink gives a tear-and-beer filled eulogy, while Barry accidentally knocks Landfill out of the casket while being confronted by his incredibly angry wife, who was horrified by the truth surrounding the events leading up to Landfill's death. During the reception, the reunited team wonders what they're going to do next. They're then confronted by Great Gam Gam who reveals the truth about the family. That she was in fact a German Prostitute. That Baron's father Ludwig had an affair with her and she gave birth to Johan, and that he, not Baron was the real first born Wolfhause. And the Von Wolfhausen Family Brewery belongs to Jan and Todd - not Baron and his sons Otto and Rolf. When the town found out about Ludwig's affair, they had Johan and Great Gam Gam tarred and feathered and run out of town. Great Gam Gam then tells Team USA that it's their destiny to go to Munich to defeat the German team, that the family heritage and the real truth about the Von Wolfhausen family must be reclaimed. Barry reveals to the group the exact incident that rendered him unable to play pong. He was in Thailand playing, and got beat up, and somebody shoved a ping pong paddle up his ass. Great Gam Gam tells Barry that, as a fellow prostitute, she's had all kinds of things shoved in her ass, but she got over it, and so will Barry. As they ponder who to get to replace Landfill, Landfill's identical twin brother Gil shows up and wants to join the team. He proves he's every bit as good if not better than Landfill. It's now time for Team USA to head to Germany to face their destiny. As they wander around Munich, Jan and Todd actually forget exactly where the competition is. Fink remembers some research that he did back in college and got published in Maxim magazine. It's called "drunken recall". Since Todd was the drunker one at the time, the guys proceed to get Todd really drunk. He does and immediately remembers everything that they needed to do to get to where they're going. They're at first denied entry until they try the old Trojan horse trick and disguise themselves as a keg. At first they're denied the ability to play until the crowd demands that they are allowed to do so. Team USA and Team Germany have no problems eliminating the competition that they face. They then ultimately face each other in the final round. The first game is beer pong. Otto brings up a technicality that Todd has not competed in any event. They're nearly disqualified until both Todd and Barry announce that they'll be competing in the challenge. Barry and Todd are on the losing end of the match it appears until Barry takes the proverbial bullet and sends the ball flying into the cup. Barry and Todd then reconcile their differences over the past incident involving Todd's wife. Team USA then makes a comeback. The next games are Thumper and Turbo Quarters, and Team USA has no problems in those games. But then it comes down to a tie which means that they go to sudden death and drink from Das Boot. In the bathroom, Fink discovers exactly what they need to do to beat Das Boot. It's because when you drink it, it forms a bubble. All they need to do is when the bubble comes, turn the boot. In the final round, they have Gil as the anchor, but while the competition is going on, Cherry reveals that she was the one who killed Landfill, causing Gil to fail. Team USA is laughed at until Jan challenges a double or nothing final elimination round. Ten boots, ten players. Winner take all. If Team USA wins, the winner gets control of the Von Wolfhausen Family Brewery. If Team Germany wins, the winner gets control of the recipe. Cherry laughs at them, telling them it's a moot point because Cherry had stolen the recipe off Fink's computer. Baron laughs at Team USA and has them nearly kicked out of the arena. Jan proves that they're the real heirs to the brewery by showing Todd next to the portrait of Ludwig Van Wolfhausen. The Canadian team remarks that they look remarkably similar. Fink reveals that's not the family recipe they really want. In fact, it's a recipe for an experimental low carb strawberry brew called "She Hulk". Baron then has Cherry taken away and killed. Gil then mocks the German team telling them "we're not that drunk". The audience watching starts joining in on the chant. It's time for the final match. The team gives a pep talk like you see in sports movies. Fink instructs the team to do exactly as he discovered to beat the boot. Then before the match, during some trash talk, Otto knocks Fink's yarmulke off, and that angers him to the point where Jan decides to make Fink the anchorman over Gil. It's time for the match, the referee tells them not a drop can be spilled. Fink manages to beat the German team by drinking furiously from Das Boot. It all comes down to a final drop from the Germans that spills. That makes Team USA champions and they get control of the brewery. Cut to several months later. The guys are in Amsterdam for some much needed R&R as they find running one of the biggest breweries in Germany isn't easy. After cruising the red light district, they get lost on the way back to their hotel. As they wonder down the alley, they notice a familiar face. It's Willie Nelson. Willie tells Team USA that he's competing in a super secret international pot smoking competition and that his partners Cheech & Chong chickened out on him. He then invites the guys the guys to join them as his teammates. The movie ends with a teaser for the sequel "Potfest".

The film starts with Cristina Moreno applying to Princeton University. She tells the story of her childhood in her college essay. Flor Moreno (Paz Vega) is a poor, Mexican single mother who is hired as the housekeeper for John (Adam Sandler) and Deborah Clasky (Téa Leoni), their kids Bernice (Sarah Steele) and Georgie (Ian Hayland), and Deborah's alcoholic mother Evelyn Wright (Cloris Leachman), a rich American family in Los Angeles. John is head chef at a popular restaurant, Deborah is a former businesswoman turned stay-at-home mother, and Evelyn is a former jazz singer. Flor speaks very little English. She does not mention that she has a daughter, Cristina (Shelbie Bruce). John, Evelyn, Georgie and Bernice are very likeable; Deborah, however, is uptight, her behavior often upsetting both households. Summer comes and Flor is needed 24/7 at the Claskys' summer home. Unable to communicate well in English, Deborah finds a neighbor to interpret. Flor reveals that she is unable to maintain these hours because she has a daughter, so Cristina is invited to come stay with them. Cristina interprets for her mother. She impresses Deborah, who begins to treat her like a daughter, taking Cristina shopping, getting her hair done, enrolling her in a private school, and showing her more love than she does the sensitive Bernice. Flor becomes unhappy when it appears that Cristina is influenced by Deborah, in part because she wants Cristina to keep in touch with her Mexican roots and working-class values, and partly because Deborah is overstepping her bounds. Flor objects to Deborah's actions to John, who apologizes. Flor loses her temper when she finds out that John has given Cristina over $600 in cash for a minor task. She threatens to leave but John convinces her to stay for Cristina's sake. Flor begins to learn English so she can communicate better. She becomes closer to John, who is having difficulty with Deborah's self-centered behavior. The now-sober Evelyn realizes that her daughter is having an affair and that her marriage is in trouble. She pleads with Deborah to end the affair, telling her she'll never get another man as good as John. Deborah confesses to John that she cheated on him. John walks out and gives Flor a ride in his car. They go to his restaurant, where he cooks for Flor and they enjoy the "conversation of their lives," feeling love for one another. Flor quits and takes her daughter home, upsetting Cristina, who got along well with the Claskys. On their way home, she tells Cristina that she can't go to the private school anymore either, upsetting Cristina even more; she screams in the middle of the street that Flor can't do this to her and that her life is ruined. Flor loses patience with Cristina after she asks her mother for space. Flor explains to her daughter that she must answer the most important question of her life, at a very young age: "Is what you want for yourself to become someone very different than me?" Cristina considers this on their bus ride home, and they make up and embrace. The film ends with Cristina as an adult, years later, acknowledging that her life rests firmly and happily on the simple fact that she is her mother's daughter.

Set in New York City, the film follows three Mozell sisters, who deal with their self-obsessed lives and hang up on others in phone conversations. The eldest sister Georgia (Diane Keaton), age 50, is single and runs a successful women's magazine in NYC. The youngest sister Maddy (Lisa Kudrow), age 34, is also single and a not-very-bright nobody who has just landed her big break as a soap opera actress. Middle child Eve (Meg Ryan), age 39, is an event planner living in Los Angeles with a husband named Joe Marks (Adam Arkin) and their young teenage son Jesse, and spends most of her time worrying that her ailing and cantankerous 79-year-old father, Lou Mozell (Walter Matthau), will die at any minute. Much of the story proceeds around phone calls the three sisters make to each other (rudely hanging up on each other without saying good-bye), and calls that Lou makes to Eve. Eve places Lou in the hospital for tests because he has been having memory problems. He recalls his days writing a screenplay with his wife for a John Wayne movie. His wife, the daughters mother, left them in the 1980s because she no longer loved him and felt she did not make it as a mother. Eve tends to Lou in the hospital, whose senility is becoming more evident. At one point, Lou even comes on to Eve, thinking she is a past love named Cleo. In a flashback to 11 years ago in 1988, Eve remembers when she and her sisters came to visit Lou for Christmas at his house in L.A., and found him in bed with their female dental hygienist. Afterwords, Lou gets sad and says he misses his wife. Eve goes off to visit her mom Pat (Cloris Leachman), asking her to return to Lou, but she is adamant about her reasons for leaving. She does not care that Lou recently tried to kill himself. Eve returns to their house and goes out with Lou to get a Christmas tree, which cheers him up. In the present day, Maddy brings a huge St. Bernard dog to visit Eve. Some hilarity ensues. Meanwhile, Lou wanders out of the hospital back to their old house, and Eve comes to pick him up. In another flashback to six years earlier, Eve remembers Halloween in 1993. She throws a big costume party for her son Jesse, but Lou shows up drunk and ruins the party. He insults her and she throws him out. In the present, Lou has a "mini-stroke" as Eve is dealing with planning a speech Georgia will deliver to a women's group. Georgia suggests to Eve (by phone) that Lou should sign a blank check for their needs because he has plenty of money in the bank, but he refuses. After the mother of a doctor tells Eve that she needs to let go of her estranged mother, Eve goes to Lou and lies that his wife died in an earthquake. He whispers to her, "I won." Eve gathers up all cell phones in her house and puts them in a cupboard. Georgia makes a big entrance at the women's event, then makes a surprising and insincere speech about her father dying, leaving her sisters aghast. She concludes that her generation of women are dealing with the death of their parents as they face their own mortality. Eve gets upset at Georgia and Maddy because she deals with their dad more than them. The three of them then bicker at length. They get a call that Lou has gone into a coma and rush to the hospital. After more tension between the sisters, Eve tells Georgia that she needed her help. The sisters sit by Lou's bed as Eve tries yet again to recall the name of a short blonde actress from the 1950s who always played sad roles. Lou becomes conscious for a second and says, "June Allyson." The sisters are thrilled that he is right, but just as suddenly as he spoke, his heart stops beating. A nurse comes in to find he has no pulse, and he dies before their eyes. In the final scene, some months later at Thanksgiving, the three sisters make turkey, and get into a mild food fight. Eve has another memory of her father, this time dancing with his daughters and wife.

In October 1957, during the Cold War, an object (Vin Diesel) from space crashes in the ocean just off the coast of Maine and then enters the forest near the town of Rockwell. A fishing boat collides with the object, which appears to be a giant robot made of Iron. The boat sinks, but the skipper survives and swims to the coast, guided by the lighthouse. The skipper reaches Rockwell and makes a call to the Government about what he saw. Hogarth meets an artist named Dean in a diner, where Hogarth's mother Annie works as a waitress. The following night, nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) is watching a late-night movie on TV, as his mother is working late at the cafe. The TV suddenly has no picture, and Hogarth climbs to the roof to find the antenna cut off, and a trail going into the forest. Hogarth investigates a trail of destruction in the forest and finds the object, a 50-foot-tall alien robot. He runs away but then returns to save the robot when he gets electrocuted while trying to eat the transmission lines of an electrical substation. Hogarth turns the substation power off, to stop the robot from being electrocuted. Hogarth's mother returns from work and is worried at not finding him at home. She goes into the forest looking for him and finds him near the substation. Hogarth tries to tell her about the robot, but his mother refuses to hear anything and takes him home. Hogarth eventually returns and befriends the Giant, finding him docile and curious. The robot follows Hogarth back to his house, where he lives with his mother Annie (Jennifer Aniston). Upon their return, the Giant attempts to eat the rails off the ties of the nearby railroad tracks. Alarmed by the sound of an oncoming train, Hogarth tells the giant to repair the tracks. The Giant attempts this, but takes too long, causing the train to collide with his head. Hogarth and the robot flee before the train crew can investigate. Hogarth discovers that the giant is self-repairing, as loose parts from the collision return under their own power and reassemble. Hogarth hides the robot in their barn and helps to teach it about life. He is able to teach the robot how to speak English through his comic books. The robot is impressed with Superman but distressed when he discovers a comic about an evil robot; Hogarth tells the Giant that he can be "who you choose to be". Investigating the destroyed power station, US government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) discovers evidence of the robot and decides to continue his inquiries in nearby Rockwell. At the substation, while he is investigating, the robot eats Mansley's car. Finding a BB gun Hogarth left near the substation, Mansley takes up a room for rent at Hogarth's home and trails the boy to learn more. He is paranoid about an alien invasion and alerts the U.S. Army to the possible presence of the robot. Worried that they will be discovered, Hogarth evades Mansley and takes the robot to beatnik artist Dean McCoppin (Harry Connick, Jr.). Hogarth enjoys his time with the Giant but is compelled to explain the concept of death to the Giant after he witnesses hunters killing a deer. Hogarth is detained and interrogated by Mansley when he discovers evidence of the Giant after finding a photo of him next to Hogarth and summons a U.S. Army contingent led by General Shannon Rogard to the scrapyard to prove the Giant's existence. Dean is able to pass off the robot as one of his works of art when Mansley and Lieutenant General Rogard (John Mahoney) investigate. Later, while playing with a toy gun, Hogarth inadvertently activates the Giant's defensive system, firing a laser beam in the process. Dean yells at him for nearly killing Hogarth, and the saddened Giant runs away with Hogarth giving chase. Dean realizes that the Giant was only acting in self-defense and catches up to Hogarth as they follow the Giant. In Rockwell, the Giant rescues two boys falling from a roof when he arrives, winning over the townspeople. Mansley, having seen the robot, orders an attack to stop it. Hogarth and the robot attempt to flee but Hogarth is knocked unconscious. Hogarth is knocked unconscious, but the Giant assumes that Hogarth is dead, and in a fit of rage and grief transforms into a war machine and returns to Rockwell. Mansley convinces Rogard to prepare a nuclear missile launch from the USS Nautilus, as conventional weapons prove to be ineffective. Hogarth awakens and returns in time to calm the Giant while Dean clarifies the situation to Rogard. Rogard is ready to stand down and order the Nautilus to deactivate its primed nuke, but a panicked Mansley snatches Rogard's radio and orders the missile launch. The missile is targeted to hit Rockwell, where it will destroy the town upon impact in the resulting nuclear detonation. Mansley attempts to escape, but the Giant intervenes, and Rogard has Mansley arrested. To save the town, the Giant bids farewell to Hogarth and flies off to intercept the missile. As he soars into the missile's path, the Giant remembers Hogarth's words, "You are who you choose to be," smiles contentedly, and declares himself "Superman" as he collides with the weapon. The missile explodes in the atmosphere, saving Rockwell, its population, and the military forces nearby, while the Giant is presumably destroyed, leaving Hogarth, Dean, Annie, and Rogard devastated. Months later, Dean and Annie, now a couple, have a chat at a memorial of the Giant made by Dean, standing in Rockwell. Hogarth is given a package from Rogard containing a screw from the Giant, which is the only remnant found. That night, Hogarth finds the screw trying to move on its own and, remembering the Giant's ability to self-repair, happily allows the screw to leave. The screw joins many other parts as they converge on the Giant's head on the Langjökull glacier in Iceland, and the Giant smiles as he begins reassembling himself.

After Roberta Guaspari separates from her husband, she receives encouragement from her mother to take up a job of a music teacher at the Central Park East School in East Harlem. The true story of a young teacher who fights against the board of education in her bid to teach underprivileged kids in a Harlem school the beauty of music through the violin. In her struggle she loses everything as the system comes down on her with all their might but her determination for the kids happiness helps her to battle back with wonderfully inspirational results.

Our intrepid adolescent heroes wake up to find their beloved television stolen, and embark on an epic journey across America to recover it, and, who knows, maybe even score. Our intrepid adolescent heroes wake up to find their beloved television stolen, and embark on an epic journey across America to recover it, and, who knows, maybe even score. On the way they encounter a murderous smuggler of a deadly virus and his treacherous wife, an FBI agent with a predilection for cavity searches, a couple of rather familiar looking ex-Motley Crue roadies, Mr. Van Dreesen singing "Lesbian Seagull", a little old lady and of course Mr. Anderson and his trailer. Can the Great Cornholio save the day? Uh-huh. Huh-huh. —Martin H. Booda <booda@datasync.com>

The story of Paul Weaver and his strained relationships with women and his family. Thirty-seven year old Paul Weaver, an ex-major leaguer turned insurance salesman, a job he hates, has just received final divorce papers a year after his wife Nancy Weaver left him because of his chronic infidelity. Paul can admit to himself that Nancy is the only woman he's ever loved but sometimes it was easier to turn to other woman as those one-nighters carried less baggage. Despite the probability of seeing Nancy, Paul decides to make the ten hour drive from his home in New York City to his small hometown in Pennsylvania for his sister Karen Weaver's wedding, he planning on staying with his parents in his old bedroom. What Paul is unaware of until he arrives is that Nancy and their their two children, teenage David Weaver and preteen Sarah Weaver, have temporarily moved in with his parents out of circumstance. While David understands the machinations of what happened with his parents, Sarah, who nonetheless misses New York life and always has plans on running away, blames her father for their collective situation. Within this situation, Paul will face others with difficulties in marriage despite love. One is his parents, Boomer and Ruth Weaver, Boomer who can only function and cope when he has alcohol in his system. Two is somewhat inexperienced Karen herself, who is questioning whether she can tolerate the thirty percent of her fiancé Doug Whipkey that bothers her and whether there is someone else out there for her who has less than thirty percent. And three is Susan Volcheck, one of Karen's bridesmaids who may want to fall into Paul's arms if only because she is certain that her husband, house painter Danny Volcheck, is cheating on her when he is in Wheeling, West Virginia on a job. —Huggo

A farm girl nurses a wounded reindeer she believes is one of Santa's, hoping to bring it back to health in time for Christmas. Her holiday spirit inspires those around her, something her disheartened father is having trouble understanding. Jessica, the daughter of an impoverished farmer, still believes in Santa Claus. So when she comes across a reindeer with an injured leg, it makes perfect sense to her to assume that it is Prancer, who had fallen from a Christmas display in town. She hides him in her barn and feeds him cookies, until she can return him to Santa. Her father finds him and decides to sell him to the butcher, not for venison chops, but as an advertising display. —<Vertigus@aol.com>

In Vevey, Switzerland, Randolph C. Miller, a young American boy, runs around a hotel by himself. On the outdoor patio, he asks another American, Frederick Winterbourn, for a lump of sugar. When Annie P. Miller, known as "Daisy," saunters onto the patio carrying a parasol, Randolph identifies her as his older sister. Frederick engages Daisy in conversation and learns that she and Randolph are from upstate New York, and plan to visit Italy after their stay in Switzerland. Daisy chats nonstop, hardly allowing Frederick time to respond to her questions. They make plans to visit Chillon, a nearby castle. Later, Frederick's aunt, Mrs. Costello, tells him that the Miller family are not well-mannered. She criticizes Daisy and her mother's familiarity with their European courier, Eugenio, and suspects they may even dine with him. Frederick tells her about the plans he made to go to Chillon with Daisy, and she reprimands him. After dinner at the hotel, Frederick finds Daisy on the patio. Based on Frederick's description of his aunt, Daisy suspects she disapproves of her but tells him not to worry. When Daisy introduces her mother to Frederick and mentions their upcoming date, Mrs. Miller drones on, in the same manner as her daughter, about her reasons for not visiting the castle. As in conversation with Daisy, Frederick finds it difficult to interrupt. Daisy begs Frederick to take her out on a boat, but Mrs. Miller does not approve. Eugenio arrives and, at Mrs. Miller's command, forbids Daisy to go on the boat. Daisy leaves with her mother and Eugenio, telling Frederick she hopes the disappointment doesn't keep him awake. One morning, Frederick and Daisy run to catch the ferryboat heading to Chillon. At the castle, Frederick tells her he went to school in Geneva as a boy and has lived in Europe ever since. After he recites a poem, Daisy decides he would be a good teacher for Randolph and suggests he accompany her family to Italy, but he declines, saying he must return to Geneva. Agitated by the rejection, Daisy storms outside where Frederick catches up to her. She demands to know if he has a romantic interest in Geneva but Frederick denies it. Calming down, she asks him to meet her when her family is in Rome, and he agrees. Sometime later, Frederick visits his aunt at her new apartment in Rome. She supplies him with gossip about Daisy, namely that she has been associating with an Italian gentleman. Frederick attends a tea party at the home of Mrs. Walker, and encounters Daisy there. The hostess is irritated as Daisy flirts with Frederick and urges him to escort her to her next destination. Soon after, Mrs. Walker spies from a nearby carriage as Frederick and Daisy meet her Italian friend, Mr. Giovanelli, in a park. The trio walk, arm in arm, with Daisy in the middle. Mrs. Walker sends a messenger to Frederick who goes to her carriage, where she informs him that Daisy is embarrassing herself and should come to the carriage at once. Daisy comes over with Giovanelli and introduces him, but Mrs. Walker orders her into the carriage, saying her reputation is in danger as long as she stays out with the two men. Daisy refuses and asks Frederick what he thinks, and he agrees with Mrs. Walker. Peeved, Daisy leaves with Giovanelli. Mrs. Walker insists Frederick get into the carriage. As they drive away, she tells him everyone in town is talking about Daisy and her reckless behavior. Frederick agrees that Daisy's family seems tasteless, but insists that he likes her regardless. Disappointed, Mrs. Walker allows Frederick to leave the carriage and rejoin Daisy and Giovanelli. Before he catches up to them, however, Giovanelli spots him and uses Daisy's parasol to block Frederick's view. One night, Mrs. Miller arrives at Mrs. Walker's home for a party, apologizes that her daughter is late, and explains that she has been singing and playing piano with Giovanelli at their hotel. Later, Daisy and her Italian suitor arrive, and she insists that he sing for Mrs. Walker's guests. While Giovanelli performs, Frederick finds Daisy and warns her that her actions are improper, saying that flirting is an American custom, unacceptable in European society. Daisy rejects his advice and reunites with Giovanelli after his performance. When Daisy departs with her mother and Giovanelli, Mrs. Walker ignores their goodbyes, telling Frederick that Daisy will never be invited to her home again. Frederick later visits Daisy at her hotel and notices two bellboys snickering at him, assuming he's another of her many suitors. Frederick runs into his aunt, and they observe Daisy walking with Giovanelli. His aunt again discourages Frederick from associating with her. One day, at the Millers' hotel suite, Frederick visits with Daisy and Giovanelli, who are at the piano, playing "Pop Goes the Weasel." Giovanni plays a song for Daisy to sing, and Frederick watches, mesmerized. Mrs. Miller returns home and mentions her suspicion that Daisy might be engaged to Giovanelli, and Frederick abruptly leaves. One day, Daisy finds Frederick walking alone and joins him. He informs her that Mrs. Miller mentioned a possible engagement, and Daisy teases him by saying she is engaged and, moments later, denying it. In a carriage at night, Frederick confides to his friend, Charles, that he cannot decide whether Daisy is reckless or exceedingly naive. Despondent, he leaves the carriage and walks home. On his way, he passes through the Colosseum and runs into Daisy and Giovanelli. He reprimands Giovanelli for bringing her there, as it is a breeding ground for the Roman flu. Frederick criticizes Daisy's lack of prudence, and she leaves in a huff. At the opera, Frederick overhears a group of women gossiping about Daisy and learns that she has caught the Roman flu. Soon after, Frederick visits the Millers' hotel suite. Mrs. Miller complains that Giovanelli has disappeared since Daisy became ill and says that Daisy wanted Frederick to know she is definitely not engaged. Sometime later, Frederick mourns alongside Giovanelli, Mrs. Miller, and Randolph at Daisy's funeral. Giovanelli tells Frederick that Daisy was the most innocent girl he knew but admits she never would have married him. Frederick later expresses to his aunt that he regrets the manner in which he treated Daisy.

One morning in November 1951, Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges), co-captains of the dismal high school football team in the small dying town of Anarene, Texas shrug off insults about the team's last game of the season. Sonny relaxes with his friends, Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson), the aging but still vital cowboy who owns the small town's cafe, pool hall and movie theater, and Sam's ward, the mute, gentle, simple-minded Billy (Sam Bottoms). Sonny and Duane have breakfast at the cafe, run by salty-tongued waitress Genevieve (Eileen Brennan), and discuss their usual Saturday night plans of seeing the "picture show" and necking with their girl friends in the pickup they jointly own. Sonny goes to work and that night, while Duane and his blonde girl friend, Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepherd), take the first turn in the pickup, Sonny joins his girl, Charlene Duggs (Sharon Taggart), in the theater. The unpleasant and bickering Charlene complains that Sonny has forgotten their one year anniversary, but Sonny is more interested in watching Jacy, the most beautiful and wealthiest girl in town, as she and Duane come into the theater and begin to kiss. Sonny and Charlene then take their turn in the pickup, but the frustrated Sonny, longing to do more than fondle Charlene's breasts, ends their stale relationship when she becomes petulant. Later at the cafe, Genevieve comforts Sonny and wonders why both he and Duane live in a boardinghouse rather than with their parents. At basketball practice one afternoon, Coach Popper offers to get Sonny excused from class the next day for driving the coach's wife Ruth (Cloris Leachman) to her doctor's appointment, and Sonny agrees. That night, Jacy is confronted by her alcoholic mother Lois (Ellen Burstyn), who does not want her daughter to waste her youth as she did. When Lois advises Jacy not to marry Duane and instead sleep with him to learn that there is "nothing magic about it," Jacy is shocked. Then next day, Sonny arrives at Coach's home to pick up Ruth, and the shy woman is disappointed to see that her husband has not come himself. During the return trip, Sonny is nonplussed by Ruth's tears, although she tells him that there is nothing seriously wrong. Afraid to be alone, Ruth invites Sonny in for a soda, but her continuing sobs unsettle him even more, although he timidly tries to comfort her. Another few days later, at the town's annual Christmas dance, Lester Marlow (Randy Quaid), one of Jacy's country club friends, asks her to come to a nude swimming party at the home of wealthy Bobby Sheen (Gary Brockette). Eager for excitement, Jacy consents, then schemes on how to end her date with Duane. Perturbed to see Lois dancing with Abilene (Clu Gulager), the oil driller with whom Lois is having an affair, Jacy lures Duane to the pickup. There, Duane gives Jacy a lavish Christmas present and Jacy, hoping to distract him, places his hand under her skirt before announcing that Lois had ordered her to attend the swimming party with Lester. Meanwhile, Sonny helps Ruth clean up and while they are outside, they engage in a passionate kiss and agree to meet soon. In the nearby town of Wichita Falls, Lester introduces Jacy to Bobby and his crowd of sexually adventurous friends, and Jacy, eager to attract Bobby's attention, strips on the diving board and finally jumps into the pool, fully naked, and joins the group. Back at Anarene, Duane suggests to the other boys that they ought to buy a hooker for Billy so that he will not die a virgin. Sonny's attempts to stop them are unsuccessful and soon Billy is in the back seat of a car with local waitress Jimmie Sue, who, angered by Billy's fumbling, bloodies his nose with a massive punch. The group returns Billy to Sam's pool hall, and while Sam questions them, Duane hides. Upon hearing what the boys have done, Sam condemns their "trashy behavior" and bans them from entering his businesses. Duane pretends to have fallen asleep in the car, and as the weeks pass, continues to patronize Sam's establishments, while Sonny stays away and is lonesome for Sam, whom he admires deeply, as well as Billy and Genevieve. In the meantime, Sonny begins an affair with Ruth, although during their first encounter at her house, Ruth is so horrified by the loud squeaking of the bed springs that she cannot enjoy herself. Several weeks later, Sonny enters the cafe one night and Genevieve, while reprimanding him for his treatment of Billy, allows him to stay. She attempts to caution him about his affair with Ruth, which is common knowledge, but Sonny remains silent. Sam and Billy enter, and after Billy joyfully greets his friend, Sam forgives the repentant youth. Another afternoon later on New Year's Eve, Sam takes Sonny and Billy fishing and reminisces about a time 20 years earlier when he brought a young lady friend swimming at the same spot. Although he and his paramour were in love, she was already married and Sam lost her. Meanwhile, in Wichita Falls, Jacy attends another party at Bobby's, where the arrogant young man asks if she is a virgin. When Jacy admits that she is, Bobby tells her to come back when she is more experienced. Back in town, a bored Sonny and Duane decide to go to Mexico for the weekend and Sam, bemused by their exuberance, gives them some money. Upon their return a few days later on January 3, however, the boys are shocked to learn that Sam has died from a sudden heart attack during their absence. In his will, Sam leaves the movie theater to Miss Jessie Mosey, who ran the theater's concession counter, the cafe to Genevieve and the pool hall to Sonny, which stuns the young man. A few months later, the spring season arrives. The senior class attends their class picnic in Wichita Falls and Jacy plans a rendezvous with Duane at a local motel so that she can be rid of her virginity. The excitement and pressure make Duane impotent, although he is successful upon their second attempt after graduation. Meanwhile, Ruth, who has blossomed under Sonny's attention and fallen in love with him, gives Sonny a wallet for graduation. Jacy breaks up with Duane, telling him that she would rather be with Bobby. Heartbroken, Duane leaves town for an oil-drilling job. Jacy's plans go awry, however, when Bobby dallies with her, then marries his girl friend. One night, bored and lonely, Jacy is sitting at home when Abilene arrives to see Lois. Flirting outrageously, Jacy asks Abilene to take her to the pool hall, where he has sex with her on a pool table. Upon their return, however, Abilene treats Jacy coldly, and when she sees her mother, Jacy breaks into tears. As Lois is comforting her, she mentions Ruth and Sonny's relationship, and Jacy, who was unaware of Sonny's liaison, is intrigued, as she knows about Sonny's crush on her. Determined to win Sonny away from Ruth, Jacy begins to date him, and promises that eventually they will spend the night together. Intoxicated, Sonny avoids Ruth, who waits miserably for him every afternoon. Skipping forward another few months later, the summer passes until one day, Duane comes home for a visit and questions Sonny about Jacy. Sonny admits that they have been dating and as the confrontation grows more heated, reveals that Jacy told him about Duane's impotence. Furious, Duane smashes his beer bottle against Sonny's temple, nearly blinding him. While he is in the hospital, Sonny refuses to see Ruth and Duane joins the US Army. Later, when Sonny returns home, Jacy, who is thrilled to be the center of attention due to the fight over her, tells him they should elope. Eagerly anticipating having sex with Jacy, Sonny acquiesces, but after they are married and are driving home, Jacy reveals that she left a note for her parents detailing their plans. Sonny is crushed when they are stopped by a patrolman and Jacy is driven home by her furious father, who arranges for the marriage to be annulled, but Jacy, who wanted only to heighten her notoriety, is pleased. A resigned Lois drives Sonny back to Anarene, where she reveals that she was the woman with whom Sam had the affair twenty years earlier. Another month or two later in the autumn season, Sonny watches the school football team play and learns that Duane is home on leave. Both dreading and needing to see his friend before he ships out for Korea, Sonny finds Duane and asks if he wants to attend the picture show, as Miss Mosey is being forced to close it due to lack of business. Duane agrees and the boys spend a companionable evening watching the last movie. In the morning, Duane admits that if he had married Jacy, her father would have forced them to get an annulment, too. After Duane leaves on the bus, Sonny is in the pool hall when he hears the screech of brakes in the street and rushes outside to discover that Billy has been hit and killed by a trucker who did not see him, but then drove away from the scene in a hit-and-run. Grief-stricken, Sonny lashes out at the gathered men who deride Billy as a simpleton, then drags his friend's body to the sidewalk, where he carefully covers him. In the final scene, Sonny then drives to Ruth's house, where the surprised woman admits him but then upbraids him for breaking her heart. Although Ruth tells Sonny that he has ruined what was between them, when he tenderly takes one of her hands, she caresses him in return and tells him, "Never you mind, honey. Never you mind."