Frances McDormand

A lonely young man introduces his new girlfriend to his parents and they immediately hate her for no reason. Lucas, a college senior, meets a sweet and anxious girl named Addison one night at a house party. Despite some hesitation, the pair quickly realizes their chemistry is undeniable. The new relationship makes them both feel at ease for once, but Lucas' ridiculous and snobbishly protective parents see Addison as a bad influence and attempt to destroy the relationship. Lucas isn't sure what to believe, his bond with Addison fractures, and he begins to have a hard time discerning what is real. Will Lucas and Addison's love be lost, or will it transcend the confines of reality?

Four-time Oscar-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen write and direct Hail, Caesar!, an all-star comedy set during the latter years of Hollywood`s Golden Age. The film follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix.

Katie (Swinton) copies her soon-to-be-ex-husband`s CIA files onto a disc and misplaces it in a gym. When found, gym employees (Brad Pitt & Frances McDormand) try blackmailto make fast cash. But the plan is foiled accidently, leading to chaos, confusion, and ultimately redemption.

As in MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS and BEING JULIA, this period comedy brings wit and style to its depiction of 1930s London. It's based on Winifred Watson's novel, MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY. With its witty script and jazzy score, MISS PETTIGREW may seem feather-light at times, but there's an undercurrent of sadness that gives the comedy a bit of weight. Overall, Miss Pettigrew is a breezy period comedy carried by the strong performances of Amy Adams and Frances McDormand, A must watch this season.

Jennifer Aniston plays a poor maid & is friend with 3 rich women, who sympathize with her. Aniston tumbles through her love life & finally finds Mr. Right in the most unexpected of places. It's a fat guy, whose house she is cleaning who turns out to be ultra rich. Meanwhile her friends, though rich, deal with their own middle age problems. Gay Husband, Egoistic husband & unfaithful husband. Movie shows that money can't buy happiness. Even rich people have issues, and they are probably less equipped to deal with them than the unprivileged ones who have other bigger problems in life. Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) is a single, cash-strapped woman working as a maid in Los Angeles in order to make ends meet. She is surrounded by a support network of well-off friends consisting of Franny (Joan Cusack) - a stay at home mom with a large trust fund; Christine (Catherine Keener) - a successful television writer; Jane (Frances McDormand) - a successful fashion designer; and their respective husbands. While the disparity in financial situations between Olivia and her friends creates some friction, each woman is facing her own individual struggles. Olivia can't seem to find love or money and resorts to questionable tactics to satisfy both. Franny's inheritance sometimes causes tension between her and her accountant husband Matt (Greg Germann), who likes to spend it. Matt frequently buys tables for expensive lunches for charity dinners etc. Franny is worried that her son Richard (Timm Sharp) is gay. Franny and Matt have regular sex, something which their other friends are jealous of. They think that its because Franny accepts Matt for who he is. Christine's marriage is falling apart because she and her husband David (Jason Isaacs) can't communicate effectively. They have just commissioned a builder to build their dream beach facing home. They haven't had sex in a year, and they fight constantly about the next TV script they are writing together. They have a son together named Max. They fight constantly. David says Christine is getting fat and she responds by saying David has always had bad breath. Finally, Jane is becoming increasingly unpleasant to be around (Her hair is dirty, and she refuses to clean it), possibly because of the onset of menopause symptoms and her husband's Aaron (Simon McBurney) sexual ambiguity. It's also implied that she is bipolar. They have a son Wyatt (Jake Cherry). Aaron meets another guy named Aaron (Ty Burrell) and they hit it off instantly. Other Aaron loves the cosmetic products that Aaron's company makes, while our Aaron wears the socks made by the other Aaron. They go out for a movie and have lunch together. Together, these women attend charity benefits, have lunch, lean on each other, and wade their way through life. The girls donate a lot of money (millions), but Olivia rebuffs any suggestions that she needs any help or charity from them. she is acknowledged to be a pothead. Olivia starts a new gig for a fat guy Marty (Bob Stephenson), charging him $50 per day, when her usual is $65 per day. Mike (Scott Caan) is Franny's fitness instructor and Franny wants to set him up with Olivia. Olivia shops for beauty product samples at malls as she can't afford the real thing. Mike goes with Olivia on a date but obsesses about his ex-junior high girlfriend who dumped him. and they have nothing in common. Mike goes with Olivia to her cleaning job and ends up having sex with her. But then he charges Olivia for helping her clean part of the house. Olivia is still hung up on her ex, Raymond, who is now married. She still makes blank calls to him every night. Mike tells Olivia if she takes a fitness instructor course for $1800, she can earn $65 per hour. Olivia doesn't like exercise and Franny refuses to lend her the $1800 to complete the certification course. Jane has a huge fight at the supermarket when a couple cuts her at the checkout line. She is asked to leave for creating a scene and then she walks into a glass door, breaking her nose. Franny and Olivia have a huge fight over wasting money on charity dinners, while they wait for Jane to be out. Olivia gets frustrated and calls Raymond. This time she identified herself, but Raymond refuses to speak to her, and his wife Edie tells her to get her own husband. Mike gets Olivia a sexy maid's dress as a Christmas present, and they have sex. Olivia steals a jar of face cream from a job that Christine got her. Christine finds that her neighbors hate her now as her new 2nd floor is blocking the view for everyone on the street. She stops the work. David tells her that she is just pretending to have not noticed, but this build job was always going to ruin the street. Olivia decides to do something about her life and quits all the maid jobs. But when she calls Marty, they start chatting. Olivia decides to take Marty for the charity dinner. They have tons in common. Marty is divorced and has a 10 year old daughter named Ivy. It's not clear what Marty does, and he always fumbles the answer. Turns out Marty is really rich as he inherited all his father's money. Olivia has sex with Marty. Christine asks David to move out and finally sells the house and moves out herself.

In 2011, a deadly pathogenic virus killed 99 percent of the Earth's population, forcing the survivors to regroup and scatter across the Earth. A scientist named Trevor Goodchild developed a cure to the virus. Four centuries later, in 2415, the remaining five million humans inhabit Bregna, a dystopian walled futuristic city-state, which is ruled by a congress of scientists. Although Bregna is largely an idyllic place in the destroyed Earth, people routinely disappear, and the population is plagued by nightmares. The Goodchild dynasty has ruled Bregna for 400 years. But now, rebels have emerged to challenge the Goodchild regime. The Goodchild regime provides for the city, till they relinquish their freedom and agree to live quietly in a gilded cage. Relical, the dirigible, floats above the city to remind the people of what they have survived. The city is surrounded by an impregnable wall and citizens are not allowed to go beyond. A skilled warrior, named Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron), is a member of the Monicans, an underground rebel organization who communicate through telepathy-enabling technology and are led by the Handler (Frances McDormand). After a mission to destroy a surveillance station, Aeon comes home to find her sister Una (Amelia Warner) has been mistaken for a Monican and killed. Una was married to her husband Claudius (Nikolai Kinski). Aeon feels her life has been stolen from her and now she dedicates her life to her mission. Aeon is sent on a mission to kill the government's leader, Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas). Goodchild is addressing the congress of scientists at the citadel. Aeon has to cross the frontier garden and then cross a confusing maze inside the citadel. Aeon is told that Goodchild will be at the Forum. Sithandra accompanies Aeon for the mission, who has hands instead of feet. The Frontier Garden is defended by many autonomous defense systems, such as self-aiming darts and razor blades concealed in grass. At the Forum, Trevor is worried that his brother Oren is being too brutal against the Monicans and soon, brute force will not be enough to stem the rebellion. Trevor believes that the system they put in place was temporary and was meant to allow Trevor to continue his work. He knows that the control system is wrong, but Oren believes that the system can be controlled and be made permanent. Aeon finds Trevor alone, while he is practicing his speech to the Forum. But as she prepares to shoot Trevor, Aeon has flashbacks of kissing Trevor, and Trevor calls her by the name "Katherine". In her hesitation, Aeon is discovered and arrested. It is revealed that the attack on Trevor was organized by Oren who had passed on the information to the Monicans and allowed Aeon to overcome their defenses. Aeon escapes custody and finds Claudius alive inside the Citadel. Claudius tells Aeon that Trevor is trying to help by solving the problem of nightmares and memories that people have, of things that never happened to them. Aeon turns back into the Citadel and seeks Trevor. They end up having sex as Aeon has feelings when she is in Trevor's presence. Aeon finds Trevor's secret lab and is attacked by Oren's guards, forcing her to escape. Sithandra is livid that Aeon came out of the citadel without killing Trevor. Aeon tries to convince Sithandra to help investigate the matter further, but she refuses. Aeon breaks into the Relical. There she meets Keeper (Pete Postlethwaite), the old man who monitors everything. Aeon finds that her sister Una has been "recycled" and assigned a new identity. Meanwhile, Oren declares Trevor a traitor and assumes power. The Handler declares Aeon a fugitive on the basis on Sithandra's report. Trevor realizes that all the members of his test group 7B, of which Una was a part, have been killed in police action, by being labeled as Monicans. Aeon visits the address, where her sister had been reassigned, and only finds a newborn baby, with eyes exactly like Una's. Aeon questions the origins of everyone in Bregna and in particular, her personal connection to Trevor. Trevor arrives at the address and reveals the truth to Aeon. Everyone in Bregna is revealed to be a clone, grown from recycled DNA. With the dead constantly being reborn as new individuals and bearing partial memories of their previous lives, their troubling dreams have increased. Cloning was required because the antidote to the virus made humans infertile. Trevor's ongoing experiments were attempts to reverse the infertility. His preceding clones had all worked on this problem. Aeon learns that she is a clone of the original Trevor's wife Katherine and that she is the first "Katherine" clone in over 400 years. Una was one of Trevor's most successful experiments; part of a group of clones that proved to be fertile, with Una having been pregnant when she was killed. However, in order to keep the dynasty of Goodchild clones in power, Trevor's brother, Oren (Jonny Lee Miller), had Una killed along with the other members of the fertile experimental group. He ordered all of Trevor's research to be destroyed. In a confrontation with Trevor and Aeon, Oren reveals that nature has corrected the infertility problem and that some women are becoming pregnant without intervention by scientists. Oren has had them all killed to maintain the Goodchild reign. Aeon then goes against both Oren and her former allies, who want to kill Trevor and also kill her for not killing Trevor. Aeon convinces the other Monicans tracking her, including her friend Sithandra (Sophie Okonedo), to ignore the Handler and to help her kill Oren and his men. Aeon goes to destroy the Relical, the dirigible that stores the DNA for cloning. She discovers that he preserved Katherine's DNA for years, although an earlier Oren clone had ordered it to be destroyed so "Katherine" could not influence any Trevors. The dirigible crashes into the city wall, breaking it down to reveal the surrounding land for the first time in centuries.

Josey's (Charlize Theron) life leaves much to be desired when we see her waiting by the Christmas tree with her pre-adolescent son and younger daughter, alone in the house. Her husband drives up. And we next see her lying on the floor bloody after hes beaten her. At that point, she wastes no time packing up her stuff into her pick up truck and moving herself and the kids out of there never to return. They move to her parents home in northern Minnesota. This living arrangement is not much better. At the very least, she and the kids are safe from her husband. But the minute her father (Richard Jenkins) observes her face, he has to ask her if the husband caught her with another man. He clearly has no respect, whatsoever for his daughter. Her mother, more nurturing (played by Sissy Spacek), encourages her daughter to reconcile with her husband and take him back, without regard for the fact that he is abusive. Neither parent has a clue or any respect for her. Josey works temporarily washing hair in a local salon when she runs into an old acquaintance, Glory (Frances McDormand), who informs her that there are some good paying jobs available to women at the iron mines. Knowing that her father works there, Josey realizes that applying and working there will not go over well with him. But Glory informs her that she would be making as much as he makes. Realizing she doesn't have too many options, that the iron mine job pays six times what she makes washing hair, she has kids to feed and she cannot live with her parents forever, her choices are pretty clear. So she goes and applies. Of course, before they can hire her, they have to do a pelvic exam in order to prove that she is not pregnant. She and the kids move in with Glory and her husband after she's applied for the job. Next, we see her and the other women at their orientation. Her supervisor makes it very clear that he does not approve of women doing the type of work that they are hired to do. And he answers the very obvious question of why, in that case, does he hire them in the first place? He clarifies to them that the Supreme Court mandates that the company hires women whether he likes it or not. And given that the guys are forced to let the women work with them, we can clearly see that they are determined to make their working environment unbearable all the while they are there. The first thing that is revealed is the reason why the company requires the pelvic exam for all women before they start. The supervisor all but spells out that it is completely unrelated to any medical protocol. When the women start working, they get introduced to their shift leader who is clearly relishing the opportunity to abuse and sexually harass them. And Josey looks at his face and remembers he is Bobby Sharp (Jeremy Renner), her old high school boyfriend. She also remembers an old teacher she had many years ago who observed the two of them together. When the women start working, they see pictures and profanity with their names written on the walls. The guys talk filthy and intimidate them. And they discover obscene surprises in their lunch boxes and locker. Josey goes and talks to the supervisor about the unacceptable working conditions. But he clearly states to her that nobody wants her there and nothing is going to change. So what can anybody do? It looks like not many people intend to quit. What other jobs pay enough to live on in a town like that in the 80s? Josey finds herself making enough to get a home loan, buy a house and provide all the stuff that her kids want and need. There is an uphill battle for the company to provide porta-johns for the women. Glory explains to management that it takes women longer to use the bathroom than it does men since they must pull down their overalls and cannot simply whip it out within seconds. And as soon as there is a porta-john for women, a worker named Sherry (Michelle Monaghan) goes to use it. They guys stand around and inform her that they have taken a big dump in it before she enters. When she goes in, they surround it and tip it back and forth. And they knock it over with her in it. The filth spills all over and she is hurt and very traumatized. But what can she do about it? At that point, Josey is determined to do whatever it takes, including taking a day off work to drive into the city for a formal meeting with the owner, Mr. Pearson (James Cada). He tells her he will "help" her by arranging for her immediate resignation. But she protests that she does not intend to quit. Hearing that, Pearson concludes in that case, she needs to spend less time stirring up her female co-workers, less time in the beds of her married male co-workers, and more time developing her job performance. These are the accusations that not only the company charges her with. But all over town, rumors go around that shame and disgrace her in front of her kids, parents, friends and co-workers. Her son tells her she is a whore and disrespects her. He is only responding to what he hears about his mother. One day, things get way out of hand at work. The women are all called to clean up a big filthy mess which looks like defecation on the wall. And Bobby calls Josey to do a job for him. She goes with him to a private place and he attacks her. At that point, she announces that she quits. She goes and finds a lawyer she's met through her friends (Woody Harrelson). She tells him she wants to file sexual harassment charges against the company. He tells her that he does not want to get involved in it. Although he is not disputing anything she says, he warns her that she will be ripped apart in the courtroom and they are not likely to win. But he later reconsiders and asks if she can get the other women to corroborate her story so they can file a class action suit. At first nobody wants to help her. Glory, who at that point, is in the hospital, dying from Lou Gehrig's disease and not able to work anywhere anymore, is not about to help her and she demands Josey leave her alone. Josey, then asks Sherry who asks Josey what if they lose? She will have to go back there and face those sons-of-bitches. She knows they can get away with doing whatever they want. The others conclude the same thing, realizing its easy for Josey to make noise since she no longer has to work there. But one night, Josey enters a town meeting with her lawyer. All the guys are sounding off about the false charge she's made against Bobby. The women are also at the meeting and none are arguing. But Josey demands they let her talk. And lo and behold, her father comes to her defense after hearing the way these people are trashing his daughter. And he gets up and announces although he's worked with them for his entire life, he is disgraced by them and very proud of his daughter. Josey and her lawyer start the court hearing even though they are presently alone. Her former co-workers are all present in the courtroom after having been asked to sign affidavits that she is lying. Pearson has hired a woman lawyer (Linda Emond) who does not hesitate to rip Josey apart, asking her about her sexual history and the fact that nobody else believes what she is alleging happens at the mine. Yet the lawyer has privately warned Pearson that he may not win his case. All it takes is three plaintiffs to bring charges against him and new sexual harassment laws will be in effect all over the nation. Throughout most of the trial, nobody speaks up except Josey. The lawyer has even subpoenaed her old teacher with whom she has been accused of having a sexual relationship when she was 16. She realizes the only witness of her involvement with the teacher is Bobby Sharp, since he was her previous classmate, present right before the teacher raped her. Bobby obviously knew what happened yet did nothing. And to this day, he affirms that she was not raped. She chose to have sex with the teacher. But others know better. Josey's father suddenly stands up and goes to physically attack the teacher for raping his daughter. And he gets removed from the courtroom for his outburst. Josey's lawyer finally coerces Bobby into admitting that he had witnessed Josey's rape and had run away as he was too afraid to stand up for her. Josey's lawyer then makes a speech that a courageous person stands up for what is right, even if they are alone, like Josey. At that point, Glory suddenly motions, from her wheelchair, in the back row of the court-room, that she backs Josey. Josey's lawyer reminds the judge that they only need three plaintiffs to file the class action. And they now have two. At that point, Sherry stands up. Then the woman beside her stands. Then we see many people all over the courtroom standing including both men and women at the mines and Josey's parents. Next, we see her life back on track. Her teenage son plays hockey with her lawyer and he wants his rich mom to buy him a car. She reminds him that he is still too young to drive. But when she is driving him home, she decides she will teach him to drive. It looks like she is finally living a life of quality and being respected.

Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson) is a wealthy New York music mogul who has had a 40-year habit of dating women under 30, including his latest conquest, Marin Klein (Amanda Peet). Harry finds younger women very uncomplicated and extremely satisfying. Harry tells the girls that women above a certain age do not date him, so it is not his fault. The two drive to her mother's Hamptons beach house expecting to be alone, but are surprised by Marin's mother, successful playwright Erica Barry (Diane Keaton), along with her sister Zoe (Frances McDormand). Harry was in the kitchen chilling the champagne when Erica and Zoe walked in from outside and assumed that Harry is a burglar. Only when Marin comes into the kitchen, is when the situation is clarified, and Erica cancels her 911 call. Harry offers to leave, but Zoe says that they are all adults, and there is no reason why all four could not stay for the weekend. Together they go shopping to a local supermarket. Erica learns that Harry owns a records company called Drive-By Records which produces hip-hop albums. Erica says she hates hip-hop as she finds it violent and misogynist. Harry already regrets agreeing to stay over. Harry and Marin met at a wine auction at Christie's. Harry and Marin had restrained from having sex and this weekend was when they were both looking forward to having it. The dinner is awkward as it is revealed that Harry has never been married and Zoe remembers an article on Harry in the New York Magazine. The article was titled "the escape artist". Harry was once engaged to Diane Sawyer, which impresses Erica. Zoe is amazed that Harry is 63 and never married. If he was a woman, he would be consider cursed, and yet as a man he is celebrated as elusive. The whole over 50 dating scene only looks like older men dating women as young as Marin. The night turns disastrous when, during foreplay with Marin, Harry has a heart attack and is rushed to a hospital. The doctor, Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves), tells Harry to stay nearby for a few days, so Harry ends up staying with Erica. Their personalities clash and make for awkward living arrangements at first until they get to know each other. The fact that Harry is dating her daughter, and that Julian has fallen for Erica leave the two struggling to deal with relationships. Marin tells her mother that she will break up with Harry, but he ends things first. He and Erica spend more time together and eventually consummate their relationship. Harry discovers that his improving health means that he no longer has to stay with Erica, so he heads home. He and Erica share an awkward goodbye, as despite their strong feelings, Harry is clearly hesitant to enter into a relationship. Marin receives news that her father, Erica's ex-husband, whom she still allows to direct her plays, is getting remarried. Although Erica is unaffected by the news, Marin is devastated and pressures her mother into accompanying her to a family dinner. Erica is the life of the party until she sees Harry at another table with another woman. An argument follows and Erica confesses that she is in love with him, but he does not seem to reciprocate, so she ends things between them and leaves. Harry suffers from what he believes is another heart attack, but he is told by the young ER physician, Dr. Martinez (Rachel Ticotin), who treats him like her father, that it was only a panic attack. Devastated, Erica returns home where she cries almost nonstop for several weeks. She pours her heartbreak into a new play about a woman who falls in love with her daughter's boyfriend, titling it "A Woman to Love," a phrase Harry had used to describe Erica. Harry hears about it and rushes to the NYC theater where it is being rehearsed. Despite her denials, it is quickly obvious that she has used the most personal details of their affair in the play. When Harry tells her he still cares about her, she rebuffs him. After learning his character dies in the play, he suffers another panic attack. At the hospital, he is told he needs to reduce stress, and he relocates temporarily to the Bahamas. Six months pass. Erica's play is a huge success. Harry pays Marin a visit to apologize for anything he ever did to hurt her. She replies that he was nothing but nice to her and happily tells him that she is pregnant and has a new husband. Harry expresses a desire to see Erica. Marin tells him that her mother is in Paris to celebrate her birthday. Harry decides to surprise Erica. Remembering how they had once planned to spend their birthdays together there, he shows up at the Parisian restaurant where she is seated at a table. Harry explains that over the past six months he reached out to all of the women he ever had affairs with, and even though repeatedly rebuffed at first, finally broke through. They all had identical harsh stories that helped him learn how "I arrived at being me." He tells Erica that his trip to find her was the last and the farthest. Julian appears. All along, Erica has been waiting at the restaurant for Julian, whom she is now dating. Harry and Erica get along well during the dinner, but they part outside the restaurant. While he is gazing in heartache over the river Seine, Erica pulls up in a taxi. She explains that Julian figured out what was happening between them and decided to step aside to let Erica be with Harry. Harry explains that his search the last six months has made him realize he truly loves Erica. He tells her that at age 63, he is in love for the first time in his life, and they embrace. Harry and Erica kiss. A year later, at a New York restaurant, Erica and Harry, now married, are out with Marin and her husband and new baby, as one big happy family.

Vincent Lamarca, whose father was executed for a 1950s kidnapping of a child, grew up to become a police officer, only to see his own son become a murder suspect. New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, making a name for himself as a man intensely committed to his work. But on his latest case, the stakes are higher for Vincent--the suspect he's investigating is his own son. He and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced his wife and left the decaying boardwalks of Long Beach, Long Island for the anonymity of Manhattan and a successful career with the NYPD. He lives his life in solitude, keeping his girlfriend at arm's length; the closest relationship he maintains is with his partner, Reg--and Vincent makes sure that stops at the precinct door. As long as Vincent lives in the protection of the present, he doesn't have to deal with the pain of his past--or his sorrow over his broken relationship with Joey. But this murder investigation is drawing Vincent home to Long Beach, the self-proclaimed City by the Sea, where the past has been waiting for him to return. The agonizing memory that has tortured him all his life--the death of his father, a convicted murderer who was executed when Vincent was just a boy--still plagues him. In the course of the investigation, he discovers that his own unresolved pain and failures as a father have deeply influenced Joey's life, and now his 18-month-old grandson may be fated to follow their self-destructive paths.

A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong. 1949, Santa Rosa, California. A laconic, chain-smoking barber with fallen arches tells a story of a man trying to escape a humdrum life. It's a tale of suspected adultery, blackmail, foul play, death, Sacramento city slickers, racial slurs, invented war heroics, shaved legs, a gamine piano player, aliens, and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Ed Crane cuts hair in his in-law's shop; his wife drinks and may be having an affair with her boss, Big Dave, who has $10,000 to invest in a second department store. Ed gets wind of a chance to make money in dry cleaning. Blackmail and investment are his opportunity to be more than a man no one notices. Settle in the chair and listen. —<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is a novelist who teaches creative writing at an unnamed Pittsburgh university (the movie was shot chiefly in and around Carnegie Mellon University). He is having an affair with the university chancellor, Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand), whose husband, Walter, is the chairman of the English department and thus Grady's boss. Grady's third wife, Emily, has just left him, and he has failed to repeat the grand success of his first novel, published years earlier. He continues to labor on a second novel, but the more he tries to finish it the less able he finds himself to invent a satisfactory ending - the book runs to over two and a half thousand pages and is still far from finished. He spends his free time smoking marijuana. His students include James Leer (Tobey Maguire) and Hannah Green (Katie Holmes). Hannah and James are friends and both very good writers. Hannah, who rents a room in Tripp's large house, is attracted to Tripp, but he does not reciprocate. James is enigmatic, quiet, dark and enjoys writing fiction more than he first lets on. During a party at the Gaskells' house, Sara reveals to Grady that she is pregnant with his child. Grady finds James standing outside holding what he claims to be a replica gun, won by his mother at a fairground during her schooldays. However, the gun turns out to be very real, as James shoots the Gaskells' dog when he finds it attacking Grady. James also steals a very valuable piece of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia from the house. Grady is unable to tell Sara of this incident as she is pressuring him to choose between her and Emily. As a result, Grady is forced to keep the dead dog in the trunk of his car for most of the weekend. He also allows James to follow him around, fearing that he may be depressed or even suicidal. Gradually he realizes that much of what James tells him about himself and his life is untrue, and is seemingly designed to elicit Grady's sympathy. Meanwhile, Grady's editor, Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.), has flown into town on the pretense of attending the university's annual WordFest, a literary event for aspiring authors. In reality, Crabtree is there to see if Tripp has written anything worth publishing, as both men's careers depend on Grady's upcoming book. Terry arrives with a transvestite whom he met on the flight, called Antonia Sloviak (Michael Cavadias). The pair apparently become intimate in a bedroom at the Gaskells' party, but immediately afterwards Terry meets, and becomes infatuated with, James Leer, and Sloviak is unceremoniously sent home. After a night on the town, Crabtree and James semi-consciously flirt throughout the night, which eventually leads up to the two end up spending an awkwardly intimate night together in one of Grady's spare rooms. Tired and confused, Grady phones Walter Gaskell (Richard Thomas) and reveals to him that he is in love with Walter's wife. Meanwhile, Walter has also made the connection between the disappearance of Marilyn Monroe's jacket and James Leer. The following morning the Pittsburgh Police arrive with Sara to escort James to the Chancellor's office to discuss the ramifications of his actions. The jacket is still in Grady's car, which has conspicuously gone missing. This car had been given to him by a friend as payment for a loan, and over the weekend Grady has come to suspect that the car was stolen. Over the course of his travel around town, Grady has been repeatedly accosted by a man claiming to be the car's real owner. He eventually tracks the car down, but in a dispute over its ownership the majority of his manuscript blows out of the car and is lost. The car's owner gives him a ride to the university with his wife, Oola, in the passenger seat, wearing the stolen jacket. Remembering James Leer's distress at how lonely the jacket looked in its own special closet, Grady finally sees that making things right involves having to make difficult choices. Grady tells Oola the story behind the jacket and allows her to leave with it. Worried that Grady's choice comes at the expense of damaging James Leer's future, Crabtree convinces Walter not to press charges by agreeing to publish his book, "a critical exploration of the union of Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe and its function in American mythopoetics", tentatively titled The Last American Marriage. The film ends with Grady recounting the eventual fate of the main characters - Hannah graduates and becomes a magazine editor; James wasn't expelled, but drops out anyway and moves to New York with Crabtree to rework his novel for publication; and Crabtree himself "goes right on being Crabtree." Grady finishes typing his new novel (now using a computer rather than a typewriter), then watches Sara and their child arriving home before turning back to the computer and clicking "Save."

In 1969, young William Miller (Michael Angarano) lives with his widowed mother Elaine (Frances McDormand) and older sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) in San Diego, California. While William gets along well with his family, his academic-minded mother and rebellious sister are at odds with each other about a number of things. William also receives a startling revelation when Anita has Elaine confess that William is actually 11, and not 13 as he has been led to believe. Once she turns 18, Anita leaves home to become a stewardess. In the wake of her absence, she leaves her record collection to William. Four years later, the albums have led William (Patrick Fugit) to write a number of freelance articles about rock and roll. When famed rock journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) visits San Diego, William takes the opportunity to meet him. Impressed by William's drive, Lester gives him an assignment to interview Black Sabbath at the San Diego Sports Arena. While the arena's door person refuses to let him in, William manages to enter with some help from the band Stillwater, who are the opening band for Black Sabbath. William also meets a group of young women calling themselves Band-Aids. Led by Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), they claim they are there to support and inspire the bands. After the concert, Stillwater's lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) invites William and Penny to meet up with the band in Los Angeles. The two make the trip, where it becomes apparent to William that there is something going on between Russell and Penny. William next receives a phone call from Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres (Terry Chen), who requests William write an article for the magazine. William suggests interviewing Stillwater, and is soon touring with the band (and the Band-Aids!) for a few days to interview them (much to the horror of his mother). On the road, William is privy to a number of notable events. In Tempe Arizona, Russell gets electrocuted, leading to the band leaving before finishing their set, much to the ire of the show's promoter. In Topeka Kansas, the band's first t-shirt design focuses more on Russell, leading to an argument with lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee). Following this, William and Russell go to a local party where Russell drops acid and proclaims himself to be "a golden god." In Greenville Tennessee, William is "deflowered" by the Band Aids (not including Penny Lane), and has to contend with a phone call from Ben Fong-Torres about the story. William manages to buy himself some more time to finish it, but is informed that Rolling Stone is considering putting the band on the next issue's cover. Still not having gotten an interview with Russell, William is forced to accompany the band to Cleveland, Ohio. He gives his Mom a call to try and make amends that he is staying longer than intended, but the call is intercepted by Russell, only for the lead guitarist to be freaked out by Elaine's well-educated "directness." Following the Cleveland concert, a manager named Dennis Hope (Jimmy Fallon) meets with the band at the behest of the record label. While the band does not want to lose Dick Roswell (Noah Taylor) and claims they play for the fans, they soon buy into Dennis' vision of making more money by adding more tour dates. The next day, the band ditches their tour bus "Doris," and hop aboard a private airplane to Boston, Massachusetts. It is here that William is privy to a poker game wherein the Band-Aids and Penny Lane are "sold" to Humble Pie before Stillwater reaches New York, where Russell's girlfriend Leslie (Liz Stauber) is to meet up with the band. William tries to keep quiet about this, but hearing how Penny believes that Russell really does love her, he lets slip what he heard. In New York, William receives a call from Ben Fong-Torres, claiming the magazine has approved the band for their next cover, and requesting he send what he has for the fact-checker to start reviewing. The band celebrates the cover news at a restaurant, but Leslie soon sees Penny Lane eyeing the band from a corner. Dick gets her to leave and she rushes off with William giving chase out of concern. He follows her to the Plaza Hotel, where he finds she has overdosed on Quaaludes. He manages to call a doctor and saves her life. In the aftermath, Penny confesses to William that her real name is Lady Goodman, and he makes sure she gets back to San Diego via airplane. William rejoins the band afterwards, but as their plane flies over Mississippi, they are buffeted by extreme turbulence and it seems possible that the plane may crash. Fearing that they may die, people begin to confess secrets: Dennis tells how he was a hit-and-run driver Dick tells how he took more than his salary from the group Jeff confesses to sleeping with Leslie, and also tells about Russell and Penny William confesses what happened to Penny, and that he loves her Silent Ed Vallencourt (John Fedevich) finally speaks up, and confesses that he's gay The plane makes it through the weather, and once the plane lands, William separates from the band, with Russell telling him to "write whatever you want." William eventually makes it to Rolling Stones' main office with plenty of notes, but no interview with Russell. He begs for the evening to get everything put together. Seeking advice, William calls up Lester, who tells him to be as honest and truthful as possible about what he saw. This results in an article about the band revealing everything from their infighting, to the confessions on the plane. In the end, Russell denies the story to the magazine's fact-checker, and William is sent home. At the airport, his sister Anita sees him, and offers to go on an adventure with him. In the end, she helps William get back to San Diego, and she and her mother make up. As Stillwater's tour ends, the band members go their separate ways. During a meal, a Band-Aid named Sapphire (Fairuza Balk) chastises Russell for causing Penny to almost kill herself, let alone killing William's story. Russell then calls Penny, claiming he wants to meet with her and make up. She gives him an address, but when Russell arrives, he realizes he is at William's house! Talking to William, Russell mentions that he did contact Rolling Stone and retracted his previous statement. William also takes the time to get what he never could while on the tour: an interview with Russell. Following these events, Stillwater goes on tour the following year, touring on their bus "Doris." Anita returns home to live with William and Elaine. William's article is published by Rolling Stone magazine. Penny Lane fulfills a dream, and heads off to live in Morocco for one year.

A young Irishwoman becomes governess to 3 daughters of a rich family in Spain in 1936, just before the civil war. The mom likes Franco - the dad doesn't. She becomes family. She befriends 5 Irishwomen. This is the story of a young Irish woman who comes to Spain to escape from the pressures she feels about her impending marriage to a political activist in Ireland. But in Spain in the 1930's, taking a job of governess in a wealthy family, she finds the same kinds of political unrest. In fact, it isn't long before she finds herself attracted to a married man who is similarly involved in the struggle against fascism and Franco. This awakens her to her nature that brings her to such men and resolves for her what she must do about the life she left in Ireland. —BOB STEBBINS <stebinsbob@aol.com>

Horrified at the prospect of her beloved school being sold, a young French girl uses her wit and craftiness to attempt to save it, making an unlikely new friend in the process. The adventurous, young Madeline is very good at getting into trouble, but she's also fantastic in solving problems as well, and her school-mistress Miss Clavel is not too approving of her. The biggest problem comes up when Lord Covington decides to sell Madeline's school. —Anonymous

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A lawyer chases the spotlight by taking up the famous case of a teenager charged with an archbishop`s murder. But the cynical attorney`s client may actually deserve his best defense.

A clairvoyant impulsively marries a butcher, moves to New York City, and has a positive impact on the people she meets, changing their futures...which in turn changes hers. A clairvoyant thinks that she has met her husband-to-be because she has seem him in her dreams. They marry quickly and return to her husband's ("the butcher") home in the city. The new bride makes a big impact on everyone she meets by anticipating their questions and actions and advising them on their love lives. Eventually her interference brings her into contact with the real man of her dreams.

When an American human rights lawyer is assassinated in Belfast, it remains for the man's girlfriend, as well as a tough, no nonsense, police detective to find the truth. When an American human rights lawyer is assassinated in Belfast, it remains for the man's girlfriend, as well as a tough, no nonsense, police detective to find the truth... which they soon discover to be contained in an audio tape which the man had with him, exposing political manipulations at the highest levels of government. But such underlying agendas require careful considerations to avoid worse things than murder. —BOB STEBBINS <stebinsbob@aol.com>

A brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive. Mild-mannered scientist Peyton Westlake, who works out of a lab set up in his loft apartment, is beaten within an inch of his life but assumed dead by criminal Robert Durant and his thugs, Durant solely wanting to retrieve a document discovered by Peyton's lawyer girlfriend Julie Hastings implicating Durant's developer associate Louis Strack, Jr. of offering bribes to get his latest waterfront development passed by the zoning commission, and about which Peyton ostensibly knew nothing. In the aftermath of the lab being destroyed in an explosion set by Durant, Julie knows nothing about Strack being behind what happened let alone that Peyton was targeted or that Peyton survived in only fragments of his body being discovered in her assumption that he perished in the explosion. She further believes that the document was also destroyed in the explosion, while in reality Durant was able to locate it in the loft. Peyton's still alive body is discovered, he only a John Doe, and is operated on by an experimental burn unit whose operation is able to keep him alive albeit permanently physically scarred, but change him fundamentally in three ways: that he no longer is able to feel physical pain; that he has increased physical strength; and that he is emotionally more aggressive to the point of being violent if pushed. Able to escape, Peyton returns to his work in developing synthetic skin. He plans to use this synthetic skin to don disguises in exacting revenge not only on Durant and his entire team of thugs, but on Strack. The problem for Peyton is that he is only able to maintain the skin for ninety-nine minutes in open light in the discovery that the material is light sensitive. —Huggo Peyton Westlake is a scientist who has discovered a way to produce synthetic skin. This could revolutionise skin grafting, except for one minor glitch; the synthetic skin degrades after 100 minutes of exposure to light. When gangsters attack Peyton, he is horrifically burnt, and assumed dead. In his quest for revenge, Peyton, aka the Darkman, is able to take on the appearance of anyone (using the synthetic skin,) but he only has 100 minutes per disguise. —Rob Hartill Scientist Peyton Westlake is working on a project to create synthetic skin. Now the skin he has developed has a flaw--it will not remain stable for more than 99 minutes. His girlfriend, Julie, a lawyer is investigating a developer. She leaves some incriminating documents at Peyton's. One night Peyton was working when the lights in his lab went out, he then discovers that the synthetic skin has remained stable past 99 minutes, he deduces that it's because of light that the skin doesn't remain stable. And it is at that moment that a psychotic criminal, Robert Durant appears demanding the documents that Julie left there. They beat up Peyton, and after finding the documents they blow up Peyton's lab. Peyton was blown away and everybody believes he is dead but in reality, he was found, burned seriously and a new procedure was performed on him that renders him unable to sense pain, he also now has tremendous strength and is now prone to violent outbursts. He is now working on perfecting the synthetic skin and at the same using his technology to make synthetic skin masks of the men who attacked him so that he could strike back at them. —rcs0411@yahoo.com

In 1955 Florida, a Korean vet has a breakdown and is incarcerated in a "maximum security" mental health prison, where patients are abused. An American war hero attempts suicide and ends up in Chattahoochee State Mental Hospital. But he realizes that the doctors in the hospital are humiliating patients, and staff are murdering them. —Harun Mehmedinovic <Pkojovic@concentric.net> Emmet Foley, a decorated but troubled Korean War vet suffering from PTSS and impotence, has a breakdown and goes on a shooting spree in his neighborhood, subliminally hoping to commit "suicide by cop." Failing that, he shoots himself in the chest but survives to be sentenced to a "maximum security" mental health facility in 1955 Florida. While recovering, he begins to feel a sense of rage over the mistreatment and open abuse of his fellow inmates, whose needs are ignored in an atmosphere of neglect and filth. With the help of another inmate and his faithful sister, he begins a campaign against the entrenched bureaucracy to improve conditions for his fellow patients. —duke1029

Two FBI agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists. Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his former Sheriff partner. —Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca> After three Civil Rights workers, who were organizing a voter registry clinic, go missing in Mississippi's Jessup County, the FBI deputes Agents Rupert Anderson and Alan Ward to investigate. After the duo encounter hostility at the hands of the county police and other males, more agents are brought in. This leads to a media frenzy, with Clayton Townley proclaiming openly that this community is an Anglo-Saxon democracy, an example of successful segregation that has been able to withstand the onslaught of integration, and total non-acceptance of Jews, Papists, Turks, Mongols, Orientals, Asians, and Negros. While differences crop up between investigative tactics of the two agents, the Ku Klux Klan, aided by the police, target the fearful African-Americans, brutally torturing them and setting their houses on fire. With the entire local community - both black and white - refusing to come forward with any information - the FBI must now consider using other methods to try and find out what really happened to the three workers. —rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com) Two authority agents team up and travel to Mississippi to investigate the disappearances of multiple activists. Everything that they discover along the way will contribute and effect the history behind the beginning of a movement that will impact the world. —RECB3 In 1964, three civil rights workers from the North disappear in a small Mississippi town and the FBI are sent to investigate. Agent in charge Alan Ward does everything by the book. Agent Rupert Anderson however was a Sheriff in Mississippi before joining the FBI and understands the local culture. He's also prepared to bend the rules a bit if it will help in the investigation. They focus on the Sheriff's office and Deputy Clinton Pell in particular as they think he may be the weakest link in the conspiracy. As the investigation intensifies however, the KKK launch a series of attacks against the local African-American population. With no one on either side prepared to talk, Ward agrees to Anderson using his own unorthodox methods to learn what happened that night and who killed the three men. —garykmcd

In an unnamed Texas town, a sleazy bar owner Julian Marty suspects his wife, Abby (Frances McDormand), of being unfaithful. Abby gets one of the bartenders, Ray, to give her a ride out of town to Houston. She mentions her husband gave her a pearl handled pistol for their first anniversary and she states she figured she leave before she uses it on her husband, A seedy private detective Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) hired by Marty to follow Abby, takes photos of Abby and Ray, when they end up at a local motel together rather than leaving town. Marty makes a menacing wake up phone call to them, making it clear that he is aware of their tryst. The next day Ray confronts Marty at the bar, it ends badly and Ray quits, walking out at which point Marty threatens Ray. Marty arranges for the private detective to kill the pair, and on the detective's suggestion, Marty goes out of town to create an alibi. That night, the detective breaks into Ray's house and steals Abby's revolver, partially loaded with 3 bullets, that was originally given to her by her husband. Visser uses photos he has doctored to make it appear that he has actually murdered the lovers and goes to collect his $10,000 fee from Marty, whereupon he shoots Marty with Abby's gun and drops it on the floor. Upon leaving, the detective does not realize not only has he has left behind his lighter but also the doctored photo that Marty has removed from the envelope and placed in his safe when getting the money. Later, that same evening, Ray arrives at the bar to insist that Marty pay him the back wages he's owed. Ray finds Marty shot in his chair bleeding out onto the floor. Ray discovers the gun, when he kicks it and it goes off. He recognizes the pistol as belonging to Abby. Ray is interrupted by another employee, Meurice, who arrives in the bar. Ray uses the noise from the bar jukebox to mask his attempt to clean up the blood. He removes Marty's body, dropping Abby's gun into Marty's coat pocket, puts the body into his car and drives off after throwing the bloody windbreaker and towel into the incinerator behind the bar. Driving down the highway, he hears a noise from the rear seat: Marty is alive. Panicking, Ray stops the car, jumps out the passenger door, and runs a short distance into a field. On returning to the car, he sees that the back driver's side door is open and finds Marty crawling down the highway. At first Ray debates running him over with his car, but then grabs a shovel from the trunk, intending to kill him that way, but is interrupted by an oncoming tractor-trailer. Ray considers throwing Marty into the path of the truck, but instead he picks up Marty and drags him back and into the car. Ray drives to the middle of a farmer's field, digs a hole and throws the still alive Marty in. He is in process of burying him when Marty pulls Abby's gun from his jacket pocket. He points it at Ray, and pulls the trigger and it clicks; he pulls it again twice more with the same result. Ray removes the gun from him and continues to bury Marty alive. At dawn, Ray gets his car started and drives off. Meanwhile, the private detective burns the series of doctored copies of the photograph he used to fake the murder of Abby and Ray. He opens the envelope in he handed to Marty and got back and he discovers that Marty has replaced the photo with a sign asking employees to wash their hands before returning to work. Annoyed, he tries to light his cigarette and notices his engraved prized lighter is gone. At Abby's apartment, a deeply disturbed Ray arrives and tries to explain that he cleaned up Abby's mess. Abby does not understand what Ray is talking about, and they get into an argument. Ray has blood on his shirt and Abby thinks the two men had a fight. Ray thinks Abby is being coy when she uses the same term her husband told Ray she used when he caught her cheating. The phone rings, interrupting their argument, and Abby answers but the caller doesn't speak. Abby hangs up thinking it was Marty when it was really the detective. "Well, that was him." "Who?" "Marty." Horrified, Ray leaves and drops Abby's revolver on the table on his way out. Meanwhile, Meurice, the other bartender, checks his answering machine and gets a delayed message from Marty claiming that a large amount of money has been stolen from the safe and that either he or Ray took it. Meurice goes to confront Ray about the theft of the money. Abby goes to Marty's bar to try to find out what happened with Ray. Abby finds the bar ransacked, the safe's combination lock dented, chipped, and partially shattered. The private detective had been trying to break into the safe to retrieve the photo and was interrupted by Abby's arrival: he is hiding in the bar watching Abby move about. She picks up a towel from the top of the safe; a hammer falls out. Abby spins the dial but does not open the safe. The now-rotting fish that Marty brought back from his trip are still on the desk where Marty was killed; and the detective's lighter is still underneath. At her apartment, Abby lies in bed; she gets up to wash her face and hears someone enter the apartment. She calls Ray's name, then pushes open the bathroom door. Marty is sitting on the bed. He tells her that he loves her, and then warns her; "He'll kill you too.", then pitches forward and vomits a torrent of blood. Abby wakes up from the dream. Ray is at his apartment packing when Abby arrives. Abby thinks that Marty refused to pay Ray, that Ray broke into the bar to get his money, and that the two of them got into a fight. Ray interrupts and tells her he found her gun at the bar, that he can't eat or sleep lately, and that Marty was alive when he buried him. Abby leaves to tell Meurice that she thinks Marty is dead; Meurice leaves for the bar. Ray is at the bar; he opens the safe and finds the faked photo showing him and Abby in bed, bodies riddled with holes, blood staining the sheets. He leaves for Abby's apartment and notices the same older model VW parked behind him, the same car that was following them earlier,when they ended up at the motel. Ray pulls out, and the private detective follows him. Abby arrives at her apartment and turns on the lights; Ray is looking out a large window and tells Abby to turn off the light. Abby is reluctant to do so. The private detective is on top of a nearby building, watching the two through a sniper scope, and shoots Ray through the back, killing him. Abby runs to crouch beneath the window, takes off her shoes, and throws them at the light bulb, breaking it. Visser arrives at Abby's apartment, and she goes into the bathroom to hide; outside the bathroom window is a precipitous drop. In Abby's sparsely furnished living room, Visser bludgeons Ray with a large coin bank, then searches Ray's pockets for the lighter, thinking he took it. Failing to find it, he goes into the bathroom. Abby is not there; he looks outside the window, then hearing a sound through the wall, he reaches his arm over, finding another window. He opens the window; Abby slams it on top of his wrist and drives a knife through his hand into the windowsill. The detective screams and then shoots holes through the wall and finally punches through and removes the knife from his other hand. Abby, dazed, backs out of the room and slides down the wall opposite the bathroom door, finding her revolver on the table by the door. The door is partly closed; eventually the man's shadow darkens the doorway, and Abby fires through the door, using up the third and final bullet. The detective falls. "I'm not afraid of you, Marty," Abby says. Visser, laying out on the bathroom floor, bleeding from his chest and hand, suddenly bursts into laughing. "Well, ma'am, if I see him, I'll sure give him the message." The detective lies looking up at the underside of the bathroom sink. Water collects on its underside, grows into a drop, and drips. The movie ends.