Guinevere Turner

The tragic tale of an all-American girl who was transformed into a cold-blooded killer in the summer of 1969. Three young women were sentenced to death in the infamous Manson murder case, but when the death penalty was lifted, their sentence became life imprisonment. One young graduate student was sent in to teach them - and through her we witness their transformations as they face the reality of their horrific crimes. —Guinevere Turner August 9, 1969 is a day that will live in infamy. Hollywood's most beautiful actress Sharon Tate, wife of director Roman Polanski, is murdered at 10050 Cielo Drive along with her friend Jay Sebring and two other guests. The culprits behind this morbid crime were a notorious cult known as The Manson Family who were led by Charles "Charlie" Manson, a failed musician who founded the family consisting of underage teenagers. But what motivated him to enact Sharon Tate's murder? The answer lies through the point-of-view from three young followers who grew attracted to Charlie and slowly begin to descend into his world of madness. —jesusblack-91294

In 1987, wealthy New York investment banker Patrick Bateman's (Christian Bale) life revolves around dining at trendy restaurants while keeping up appearances for his fiance Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon) and for his circle of wealthy and shallow associates, most of whom he dislikes. Bateman describes the material accouterments of his lifestyle, including his daily morning exercise and beautification routine. He also discusses his music collection, with performers such as Huey Lewis and the News, Phil Collins, and Whitney Houston. His focus on a lavish lifestyle is also evident by his taste in expensive designer clothing and his luxurious apartment. Bateman is having an affair with Evelyn' friend Courtney (Samantha Mathis), while Evelyn is having an affair with Bateman's coworker Timothy (Justin Theroux). Courtney is engaged to Bateman's other colleague Luis Carruthers (who is slightly gay). Bateman and his associates flaunt their business cards in a display of vanity. Enraged by the superiority of co-worker Paul Allen's (Jared Leto) card, Bateman murders a homeless man and kills the man's dog. At a Christmas party, Bateman makes plans to have dinner with Paul, with Paul mistaking Bateman for another coworker, Marcus Halberstram (Anthony Lemke). Bateman gets Paul drunk and lures him back to his apartment. While playing "Hip to Be Square" on the stereo, explaining to Paul his opinion and interpretation of the song, Bateman murders Paul with an ax, donning a raincoat moments before, to keep blood off of his clothes. He disposes of Paul's body, then goes to Paul's apartment to stage the situation so that others believe Paul has run off to London. Bateman is later interviewed about Paul's disappearance in his office by private detective Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe), hired by Paul's family. During the night, Bateman takes two prostitutes, whom he names Christie (Cara Seymour) and Sabrina (Krista Sutton), to his apartment and explains to them the improvement he saw in the band Genesis after they moved away from progressive rock toward a more pop rock sound beginning with the album Duke. After they have sex, Bateman tells them to stay, while taking out instruments he uses for torture. In the next scene, the prostitutes leave his apartment bruised and bloodied. In the entire sequence, Bateman makes sure that he introduces himself as Paul Allen. The next day, Bateman's colleague Luis Carruthers (Matt Ross) reveals his new business card. Bateman tries to kill Luis in the restroom of an expensive restaurant but cannot bring himself to strangle him. Luis mistakes the attempted murder for a sexual advance and declares his love for Bateman, who flees in disgust. After murdering a model, Bateman invites his secretary, Jean (Chloë Sevigny), to dinner, suggesting she meet him at his apartment for drinks beforehand. When Jean arrives, Bateman, unbeknownst to her, holds a nail gun to the back of her head while the two converse. When he receives an answering machine message from his fiance, he asks Jean to leave. Kimball meets Bateman for lunch and tells him he is not under suspicion. Bateman has a threesome with his friend Elizabeth (Guinevere Turner) and Christie at Paul's apartment. Bateman kills Elizabeth during sex, and Christie runs, discovering multiple female corpses as she searches for an exit. She is chased by a naked Bateman wielding a chainsaw, and as she is running down the stairs of Paul's apartment building, is killed by the chainsaw which Bateman drops from several levels above her. Bateman breaks off his engagement with Evelyn. That night, as he uses an ATM, he finds a stray kitten; the ATM displays the text "feed me a stray cat". As he prepares to shoot the cat, a woman sees him and tries to stop him; he shoots her and lets the cat go free. A police chase ensues, but Bateman destroys the police cars by shooting their gas tanks. Fleeing to his office, Bateman enters the wrong office building, where he murders a security guard and a janitor. In an office he believes to be his, Bateman calls his lawyer Harold (Stephen Bogaert) and frantically leaves a lengthy confession on Harold's answering machine. The following morning, Bateman visits Paul's apartment, expecting it to be full of decomposing bodies and in the middle of a police investigation, but it is vacant and for sale. The real estate broker tells him to leave. As Bateman goes to meet with his colleagues and lawyer for lunch, a horrified Jean finds detailed drawings of murder, mutilation, and sexual assault in Bateman's office journal. Bateman sees Harold at a restaurant and tries to convince him that he is a serial killer relating to the phone message he left the other night. Harold mistakes Bateman for another colleague and laughs off the phone message confession as a joke, saying he had dinner with Paul in London days earlier. A confused Bateman returns to his friends and in a final voice-over narration, he realizes he will continue to escape the punishment he deserves, that there has been no catharsis: "This confession has meant nothing".

Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) and Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) are comic book artists and lifelong friends. Holden is the calmer, more reasonable of the duo; Banky, meanwhile, is the caustic and short-tempered half. The story opens at a comic book convention in New York City where the two are promoting their latest comic series 'Bluntman and Chronic'. After Holden breaks up a fight between Banky and an antagonistic fan, they attend a panel discussion where they meet Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams). She is a struggling comic book writer whom is friends with the African-American comic book writer and activist Hooper (Dwight Ewell) who puts on this militant image to hide his flamboyantly gay personality. That evening, the four go out for drinks together at a local bar where Holden is attracted to Alyssa based on their conversation during a dart game. Through Hooper she invites Holden to a get together at a bar she frequents. Banks comes along and while there Alyssa is asked to sing a song. During the song Banky notices that they are in a female gay bar and that Alyssa is singing the love song to a woman in the audience and not to Holden who thinks the song is for him. The four of them end up at a booth and Alyssa and Banky have an involved conversation about sex with women while Holden broods, visibly upset about Alyssa being a lesbian. However, they have discovered they are both from the same area of New Jersey and the two begin hanging out, and a deep friendship develops. During their discussions it is clear that Holden has a very narrow heterosexual view on male female relationships and sex in general. The new friendship does not sit well with the homophobic Banky, who dislikes and distrusts Alyssa and is bothered by the relationship that develops between her and Holden. Holden and Banky's business relationship suffers as well -- the two had been on the verge of signing a lucrative deal to turn Bluntman and Chronic into television show and Banky feels that Holden is no longer taking their combined efforts or the TV show seriously. Eventually, Holden is no longer able to contain his feelings, and confesses his love to Alyssa. She is initially angry with him and walks away. Holden follows her and they have a heated discussion about their relationship and she walks away again. Holden is confused and while returning to his vehicle Alyssa runs up, they embrace and that night the two begin a romantic relationship. Banky walks in the next morning and finds them together sleeping on his couch in the studio. This new development worsens the tension between Holden and Banky who distrusts Alyssa and that his friend is going to be hurt when the relationship fails. Banky runs across an old friend who grew up with Alyssa who tells him a sexual adventure story from Alyssa's past. Banky reports to Holden that Alyssa participated in a threesome with two guys during high school, which earned her the nickname "Finger Cuffs" for getting it from both ends. Holden is deeply disturbed by this revelation, having believed based on their conversations about love and sex that he is the first man Alyssa had ever slept with. Holden asks advice from Hooper who tells him that if he wants his relationship with Alyssa to work, he must be honest and truthful and ask Alyssa about her past. Hooper also tells Holden he believes the issue with Banky is that Banky is jealous and in love with him and that his macho sexual banter is a disguise for his true feelings. The following evening, Holden confronts Alyssa while attending a hockey game and he clumsily attempts baiting her into confessing, which she eventually does, prompting her to storm out of the arena. During a tearful argument in the parking lot, she tells Holden about her youthful sexual experimentation involving men. She apologizes for letting him believe that he was the only man she had been with but justifies it by saying she could see that he took pleasure in the thought. However, she refuses to apologize for her past and Holden leaves feeling angry and confused. Later, during lunch at a local diner with the local stoners and drug dealers Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), who were the inspiration for the Bluntman and Chronic comic book characters, Holden gives them their monthly residual pay for sales of the comic book. Here he confides in them about his troubled feelings and relationship with Alyssa. Speaking more than one line for the first time, Silent Bob mentions chasing Amy and reveals that he was once in a relationship "a couple of years ago" which was similar to Holden's. Despite the fact that he was in love with his girlfriend, Amy, his insecurities about her adventurous sexual past caused him to sabotage the relationship and leave her. Angry at himself for letting her go, he has "spent every day since then chasing Amy". Inspired by Silent Bob's story, Holden devises a plan to fix both his relationship with Alyssa and his fractured friendship with Banky. He invites them both over and tells Alyssa that he would like to get over her past and remain her boyfriend. He also tells Banky that he realizes that Banky is in love with him... kissing him passionately to prove the point. Holden suggests that the three of them should have sex with each other in a threesome so he will no longer be envious of Alyssa's broader experiences and it will resolve Banky's issues with them as a couple. Banky reluctantly agrees to participate. Alyssa is appalled and refuses, at which Banky expresses his relief. Alyssa tries to explain to Holden why his plan is so wrong. Before leaving, she states that she will always love him but her past is in the past and she will not be his whore and slaps him across his face. Banky then leaves without saying a word. One year later, the story has Banky busy promoting his own new comic book at a convention in New York. It is revealed that Holden has dissolved their partnership over Bluntman and Chronic, leaving the viewer with the assumption that he sold the publishing and creative rights over to Banky (which is corroborated in the beginning of 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'). Banky looks over and sees Holden at a distance, who silently congratulates him for his success on the new book. Banky gestures over to a booth hosted by Alyssa who is promoting her own comic, and provides wordless encouragement with a hand gesture implying a coming together to Holden to go talk to her. Holden has a brief poignant conversation with Alyssa, and gives her a copy of 'Chasing Amy', his new comic based on their failed relationship. Holden asks her to contact him. After Holden leaves, Alyssa's girlfriend (Virginia Smith) comes back to the booth and asks who that was. Alyssa feigns indifference,casually tosses his comic on the floor behind her and replies, "Oh, just some guy I knew." She then turns to sign the next fan's material.

Cheryl is a young, African American lesbian who works in a video rental store in Philadelphia with her friend Tamara. They earn extra money by making professional home videos for people. Cheryl becomes interested in films from the 1930s and 40s which feature black actresses. She notices that these actresses are often not credited. She watches a film called Plantation Memories with a black actress who is credited simply as "The Watermelon Woman". Cheryl decides to make a documentary about the Watermelon Woman and find out more about her life. Tamara tries to set Cheryl up with her friend Yvette, but Cheryl is not interested. Cheryl meets a white woman in the store called Diana who, to Tamara's annoyance, flirts with Cheryl. Cheryl starts interviewing members of the public, asking them if they have heard of the Watermelon Woman. She interviews her mother who does not remember the name, but recognises a photograph of her. She tells Cheryl that she used to hear the Watermelon Woman singing in clubs in Philadelphia. Tamara's mother tells Cheryl to get in contact with Lee Edwards a man who has done a lot of research into black films. Cheryl and Tamara go to see Lee, and he tells them about 1920s and 30s black culture in Philadelphia. He explains to them that in those days, black women usually played domestic servants. Cheryl meets her mother's friend Shirley, who turns out to be a lesbian. Shirley tells her that the Watermelon Woman's name was Fae Richards, that she was a lesbian too, and that she used to sing in clubs "for all us stone butches". She says that Fae was always with Martha Page, the white director of Plantation Memories, and that Martha was a mean and ugly woman. When Cheryl and Tamara get caught ordering video tapes under Diana's name, Diana takes the tapes and tells Cheryl that she will have to come to her home to collect them. Cheryl goes to Diana's house, stays for dinner, and watches some of the tapes with her, telling her about her project. They have sex, and Cheryl decides that although Diana is not her usual type of woman, she likes being with her. Cheryl meets cultural critic Camille Paglia who tells her about the Mammy archetype, saying that it represented a goddess figure. Cheryl goes to the C.L.I.T. archive of lesbian material, and finds photographs of Fae Richards, including one given by Fae to a June Walker. With Diana's help, Cheryl manages to contact Martha Page's sister who denies that Martha was a lesbian. As Cheryl and Diana grow closer, Tamara makes it clear that she dislikes Diana and disapproves of their relationship. She accuses Cheryl of wanting to be white, and Diana of having a fetish for black people. Cheryl telephones June Walker, learning that she was Fae's partner for 20 years. They arrange to meet, but June is taken to hospital and leaves a letter for Cheryl instead. In the letter she says that she is angry with Martha Page, that Martha had nothing to do with what Fae's life. She urges Cheryl to tell their history. Having separated from Diana, and fallen out with Tamara, Cheryl finishes her project, never managing to make further contact with June.