Frances Conroy

Joker is an original, standalone story that explores Arthur Fleck, a man disregarded by society, and is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale.

A 20-year-old architecture student, falls in love with a music student. However, he fails to confess his feelings to her, and they grow apart. 15 years later, she reappears before him and asks him to design her house. 35-year-old architect Seung-Min receives a visit at his office from a woman. Seung-Min doesn't recognize the woman at first, but then realizes the woman is Seo-Yeon. Seo-Yeon is his first love, but he hasn't seen her since his freshman year in college. Seo-Yeon now has a request. She wants to hire Seung-Min to rebuild her home on Jeju Island. 15 years ago, Seung-Min is a naive young man beginning his architecture studies in college. He first meets Seo-Yeon in his Architecture 101 class. As they work on a class project together, Seung-Min and Seo-Yeon begin to fall in love. Back to the present day, Seung-Min is hesitant to take Seo-Yeon's job offer. Seo-Yeon persists and even goes to his boss with her wish. Seung-Min now has no choice, but to take on Seo-Yeon's home project. Old memories of love and heartbreak will soon resurface, as they find themselves at different junctions in their lives.

Mother goes after her little son to get him out of a military conflict zone. The story is about a young single mother who is compelled to make her way at risk of her life to Tskhinvali, where her son is, whom she had sent there on the eve of the conflict. The film can be divided into two parts that alternate one with the other: one shows how in the eyes of a young boy the South Ossetian conflict transforms into a fantastic war story with super-robots, and the second shows the reality of the war situation and the journey of the main heroine. —Anonymous

A woman endowed with the speed, reflexes, and senses of a cat, walks a thin line between criminal and hero, even as a detective doggedly pursues her fascinated by both of her personas.

Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother trying to get by with her young son Tyler (Tyler Posey) by working as a maid at the Beresford Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. When not in school, Tyler spends time among Marisa's fellow hotel workers who think she is capable of being promoted to management. At school, Tyler has to give a speech about his chosen topic of Richard Nixon for his project. Marisa is separated from her husband Marcus, and they shared custody of Tyler. Marcus had a reputation for being late and Tyler is worried that he would miss his entire speech. Marisa drops Tyler at school in the morning, before heading directly to work. Paula Burns (Frances Conroy) is the head of the maid staff, who teaches under trainees that a Beresford maid is supposed to be expedient, considerate and above all, invisible. The original assistant manager of the maid team is promoted, hence opening a slot for a potential promotion and Marisa is the strongest candidate. John Bextrum (Chris Eigeman) represents senior management and he announces that the position will be filled internally. Bextrum says that any staff who has been with the hotel for three consecutive years is eligible to apply. The Beresford Hotel caters to the rich and famous and hence prides itself on being discreet and providing iron clad privacy to its guests. Caroline Lane is the director of Sotheby's and had shifted over from the Four Seasons after breaking up her engagement. Marisa had overheard Caroline talking to her friend on the phone that she got her assistance on purpose to leak her calendar to her ex-fiance and added a few meetings with him to make him jealous. Marisa was cleaning Caroline's room when she unpacks two dresses from Dolce & Gabbana that she had delivered to her hotel suite. Caroline asks Marisa to buy her three pairs of pantyhose. Marisa obliges her guest but has to scramble to fulfill Caroline's request while completing all her other tasks as she wanted to be on time for Tyler's speech at his school for which she had taken time off at 3 pm. The speech is at 4 pm and Marcus calls Marisa at 3:40 to inform her that he is in Miami and cannot be there for Tyler. Tyler's confidence is shot when he cannot see his father in the audience, and he messes up his entire speech. Tyler leaves the stage on account of the embarrassment. To cheer up Tyler, Marisa offers that he can come with her to the hotel for the entire weekend. Marisa then takes Tyler with her back to the hotel for the evening. Tyler is still feeling very depressed over his school project. While Marisa and fellow maid Stephanie Kehoe (Marissa Matrone) are cleaning the room of a socialite, Stephanie convinces Marisa to try on an expensive Dolce & Gabbana dress and coat worth $5000. The guest, Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson), had previously asked for it to be returned to the store and Stephanie argues that it "technically" doesn't belong to anyone at the moment. Elsewhere in the hotel, Tyler befriends hotel guest and senatorial candidate Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes). Tyler meets Chris in the hotel elevator and says that he knows about his voting record and his stand on environmental issues. Chris is a Republican. Tyler learns that Chris has an interest in Richard Nixon, the subject of his school presentation. Christopher is a Congressman who recently broke up his engagement with a socialite before arriving in Manhattan for his campaign tour. The press labels him as a playboy. Tyler wants to go with Chris to walk his dog and the pair go to Caroline Lane's room to ask Marisa for permission. Chris meets Marisa who is wearing the designer coat and is instantly smitten with her. Of course, he assumes that she is Caroline Lane. The trio spend some time together in the park. Though Marisa and Chris are attracted to each other, Marisa is terrified that management will find out about the ruse and makes it a point to avoid Chris afterwards. Chris asks the hotel's head butler Lionel Bloch (Bob Hoskins) to invite "Caroline Lane" to lunch but he is confused when the real Caroline shows up instead of Marisa. Ironically, Marisa was present when she received the invitation and even offered Caroline some advice on what to wear for their "lunch a deux". However, when the real Caroline shows up, Chris asks his assistant Jerry Siegal (Stanley Tucci) to find "the other Caroline Lane" promising that he will attend an important dinner and wishes her go with him. Jerry asks Lionel to find her. Lionel has figured out that Marisa is the woman Chris has been looking for, and orders her to go to the dinner and end the affair swiftly if she wants to keep her possible future in hotel management. He and the hotel staff assist her in preparing for the evening by styling her hair, loaning her an expensive dress, and a spectacular necklace. However, Marisa is unable to end the affair, and she spends the night in Chris' hotel room. The next morning, Marisa is spotted by the real Caroline Lane and her friend leaving Chris' room. Caroline blurts out the truth to the hotel management, and Marisa is fired directly before Chris in Lane's hotel suite. Both Marisa and Chris spend some time apart, with him still thinking about her. Marisa is also hounded by the press and her disapproving classicist mother Veronica (Priscilla Lopez). Some time later, Marisa has secured another job as a maid at another hotel. Chris is giving a press conference in the same hotel and Tyler attends it and asks Chris whether people should be forgiven if they make mistakes referencing former President Richard Nixon. Tyler leads him to the staff room, where Marisa is having her break. Chris and Marisa are reunited, and the film ends with images of publications showing that Chris has been elected, he and Marisa are still together after one year. Marisa has founded her own hospitality business, and Marisa's maid friends have been promoted to management.

An aging patriarch unites all of his family members for his birthday, but the familial assemblage is teeming with personal and social problems. A man's family reunites for his 77th birthday. He loves all of his children and grandchildren; he doesn't exactly connect with his children, but he connects with his grandchildren much better. When he tells them what he really wants for his birthday, they do what they can to grant his wish. —rcs0411@yahoo.com

Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine) is a cultivated and suave British master con artist who operates in the deluxe hotels along the French Riviera under the watchful and approving eye of French Inspector Andre (Anton Rodgers), the resident chief of police who receives a cut of his take. Their only concern is a mysterious, anonymous character known only as "The Jackal" who has been preying on other wealthy victims of late. When small-time American hustler Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) decides to search for easy marks in Beaumont-Sur-Mer, Lawrence's home base, Lawrence recognizes that the Jackal has shown his face. He briefly has Andre arrest Freddy for conning a gold digger and release him on the promise of a bribe, but Freddy encounters one of Lawrence's past victims on his plane and realizes who Lawrence really is. Freddy returns to Beaumont-Sur-Mer and confronts Lawrence, demanding training in his art of the con in exchange for keeping silent. Lawrence agrees, but only as a way to get rid of Freddy since Lawrence does not want a lowly competitor infringing on his territory. Freddy's roles in subsequent cons are limited, and much to his chagrin, he is forced to play Lawrence's mentally disabled younger half-brother, Ruprecht, whose extremely socially subnormal traits are used to repel women that Lawrence has recently conned, and to whom they believe they will be wed. When Freddy decides that he's had enough of Lawrence's humiliating tutelage and wants to go out on his own, the two agree to a challenge to see who will remain in Beaumont-Sur-Mer, since there is not enough room for the two of them in the same small town. The first one to con $50,000 out of a selected mark will be allowed to stay, while the other must leave and never return to Beaumont-Sur-Mer. The two select Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly), a naive and wealthy American heiress, as their target and embark on their separate strategies while at the same time ruthlessly sabotaging each other. Freddy poses as a Psychosomatically crippled soldier who needs to borrow $50,000 for treatment by a celebrated Liechtenstein psychiatrist, Emile Shauffhausen. But when Lawrence discovers this scheme, he pretends to be Dr. Shauffhausen, insisting Freddy's condition is one he can cure with the stipulation that Janet pay the $50,000 fee directly to him. Lawrence discovers that Janet is not wealthy after all but on vacation as a contest winner. She plans to sell the remainder of her prizes and combine the proceeds with her father's savings to finance Freddy's treatment. Lawrence has always taken advantage of wealthy and corrupt members of society, but he does not take advantage of the poor and virtuous. Impressed and emotionally touched by Janet's innate goodness, Lawrence calls off the bet. Freddy suggests they change the challenge and make Janet herself the bet, with the first to bed her declared the winner. Lawrence refuses to try to "win," agreeing only to bet that Freddy will fail to do so. Scheming with a group of sympathetic English sailors (who pity Freddy and think he really is disabled), Freddy has Lawrence abducted and taken to a transport plane to Honduras. He goes to Janet, who admits that she is in love with him. This "cures" Freddy of his disorder. Lawrence is in the bedroom hidden from view, and Janet reveals that he had told her how to handle Freddy's return, and that he would be 'cured'. Once a member of the Royal Naval Reserve, Lawrence had told the sailors the true story. Frustrated at being played for fools, they strong-arm Freddy into joining their party and glue his palm to a wall to stop him from escaping while Lawrence puts Janet on the next plane out of France. Despite being trapped, Freddy enjoys the party greatly. The next day however, Janet does not board her flight. She instead returns to her hotel room to find a remorseful Freddy there. They kiss, close the door and begin to undress. The news reaches Lawrence as he swims, and he accepts his defeat with grace. He is later seen struggling to retain composure as he waits for Freddy to return and gloat over his victory. Janet later goes to Lawrence in tears. She tells him that Freddy has stolen the money her father sent. Lawrence compensates her with $50,000 of his own and takes her to the airport. At the last minute before she boards the plane, Janet tells Lawrence that she cannot take the money and gives the bag back to him. As the plane leaves, Freddy, in handcuffs, appears claiming that Janet robbed the both of them. Puzzled, Lawrence finally opens up the bag and finds a note from Janet instead admitting that she indeed took the $50,000 and that she was The Jackal all along. Freddy rants his head off, while Lawrence smiles in admiration at Janet's cleverness. Freddy and Lawrence assess their loss. They are about to part company forever when Janet, under a new disguise (as a loud New Yorker named Paula), suddenly arrives at Lawrence's villa with a yacht filled with wealthy people. While the guests refresh themselves, Janet takes the two men aside and announces that as The Jackal she has made a fortune, but she had great fun during her time with Lawrence and Freddy. Joining arms, they set out to fleece their latest victims.