James Rebhorn

Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is the alderman for the 9th Ward in Washington, D.C. Gilliam works a tough neighborhood with a high crime rate. The local residents trust him as he genuinely understands their problems and tries his best to help people. A local woman's home Miss Pearl is due for demolition after she was paid $40,000 for it. The woman comes back on the day of the demolition as her cat is stuck inside the house. As Gilliam tries to argue with the demolition crew, Miss Pearl goes inside the house and Gilliam learns that the demolition countdown cannot be stopped. Gilliam risks his own life to rescue Miss Pearl before the house is demolished. Gilliam learns that is likely to lose his job as the Mayor hates him. The tendency to help people costs money and it makes the Mayor look bad. So, the Mayor evicts Gilliam out of his office. Even Gilliam's lawyer Bernard Cooper (Keith David) asks Gilliam to fit in. Gilliam is also getting dumped by his girlfriend, Kim (Robin Givens). Kim leaves Gilliam as she thought he had potential, but now she believes that he is stuck in a rut. But then Gilliam is unexpectedly chosen as the Democratic Party candidate for the 2004 presidential election after his party's original presidential and vice-presidential nominees die in a plane crash, and Gilliam is being hailed as a hero by the media for saving Miss Pearl. Assuming the election was already lost to incumbent Republican vice-president Brian Lewis (Nick Searcy), the Democrats (led by Senator Bill Arnot (James Rebhorn), Debra Lassiter (Lynn Whitfield) and Martin Geller (Dylan Baker)) decided to pick a likable but unwinnable minority candidate to improve their chances in the 2008 presidential election. All the other options for the Presidential ticket had one vice or another and were too open to attack on the campaign trail. With Gilliam, Bill reckons that the minorities will be happy with the Democrats and will again vote for them in 2008. Bill intends to run for President in 2008 and offers the running mate position to Debra to get her support. Debra convinces Gilliam that Congressmen and Senators are politicians and Alderman work with the people, hence he is perfect for the role. Bill says that in every situation Gilliam cares about the little people and this would be his chance to make a difference on the biggest stage of all. Mr Earl (Jude Ciccolella) is assigned as Gilliam's security director. Nicollette "Nikki" White (Stephanie March) is assigned as the executive director of Internal Liaison. Martin explains that Nikki's main job is to sleep with Gilliam as the campaigns cannot afford sex scandals. Mays even finds time to romance Lisa Clark (Tamala Jones), a gas station attendant he crosses paths with (she works a second job as a cocktail waitress and Gilliam meets her at one of the fund-raising events), and who has been a huge supporter of Mays. Just as Gilliam hits the campaign trail, Kim returns to Gilliam and claims that they are engaged. Gilliam calls in security to remove her. At first, Gilliam feels he will not be able to succeed as president because he would be representing the entire African American populace and does not want to do anything to damage his reputation. Gilliam is given vague and similar sounding speeches to make at every public rally and his support is stuck at 10%. His brother Mitch joins the campaign trail before his rally in Chicago. Mitch is a bail bondsman. However, Gilliam begins to rise in the polls after his brother Mitch (Bernie Mac) persuades him to speak out for what he believes in. He ditches the bland, boring, and uncontroversial speeches prepared for him and begins to talk honestly about major issues such as welfare, health-care, income inequality, pension reforms, education, and society overall. He knows that most people work 2 jobs just to be broke. He coins the catch phrase "That A'int Right" for everything that he finds wrong with American society and economy. Gilliam changes the entire tone of his campaign to represent him and gives his support to niche minority groups such as gays and escorts. After Lewis runs a series of attack ads including one saying Gilliam supports cancer, Gilliam begins to fight back using what he claimed was "kissing" his opponent (taken from Bugs Bunny-Elmer Fudd cartoons). A part of this strategy includes dubbing a videotape of Osama bin Laden saying he hates America but loves Brian Lewis. This strategy gains Gilliam even more points in the polls. As Gilliam gets to 30 points in the poll, even if he loses, he will be the front-runner for 2008. Bill wants Debra to kill Gilliam's campaign, but now even she supports him and refuses to toe the line with Bill. Lewis refuses to have a debate with Gilliam. Bill gets his investigators to release news footage that show Gilliam in association with known drug peddlers and criminals. As election day draws closer, Gilliam eventually learns the reason why he was chosen as the party candidate, fires campaign operatives Martin and Debra. Martin reconciles with him afterwards and says that he really wants to help Gilliam. Martin convinces Gilliam to come back stronger in his campaign and chooses his brother as his running mate. Mitch again brings the attention back to the main campaign topics and helps erase the negativity around Gilliam. Gilliam hounds Lewis till he agrees for a debate. Gilliam reaches out to Debra to help prepare for the debate. Gilliam manages to win the crowd over by speaking truth about American life. He talks about educating the kids by disciplining them, as much as needed. He suggests putting guns laws on video to educate the people about them. Gilliam talks about paying farmers not to grow food, while millions go hungry, about heroine being cheaper than AIDS medicine, and about spending billions overseas without any impact. Gilliam argues that the country was built by people who were doing things for the first time. Finally, Gilliam ends up winning the presidency, and proposes to Lisa by saying he wants to make her his First Lady.

Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is a young man struggling to make a living in late 1950s New York City using his "talents"; forgery, lying and impersonation. One day, while working as a restroom attendant at a fancy Manhattan hotel, he meets a Princeton graduate who bribes him to work at an alumni party at playing the piano because the Princeton guy just broke his hand and cannot play. Ripley accepts. While playing piano at a cocktail party, Ripley is approached by wealthy shipbuilder Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn), who mistakenly believes that Ripley went to Princeton with his son, Dickie, because Ripley is wearing the borrowed Princeton blazer. Greenleaf recruits Ripley to travel to Italy and persuade Dickie to return to the United States, for which he will pay Ripley $1,000. Ripley accepts the proposal, even though he did not attend Princeton and has never met Dickie. Ripley's personal life is soon revealed after the party where he lives in a small, two-room apartment in a rundown part of the city. His home town and origins are unknown. It is implied that several years earlier, Ripley came out as a homosexual to his parents who reacted by throwing him out of their house and severing all ties with him. Now alone, Ripley struggles to get by without family support as well as search for his one true love as an outlet for his loneliness. Upon arriving by ship in Europe, Ripley meets a young and wealthy textile heiress named Meredith Logue (Cate Blanchett). During their brief conversation he impulsively pretends to be Dickie, later commenting in voice-over that "it is better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody." Shortly after his arrival in Italy, Ripley fakes a chance encounter on the beach with Dickie (Jude Law) and his fiancee, Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow), and attempts to convince Dickie that the two met at Princeton. Ripley later visits Dickie and Marge and discloses that Dickie's father paid him to travel to Europe and persuade Dickie to return home. This revelation infuriates Dickie; he declines the invitation and suggests Ripley go back to America and inform his father that he has no intention of ever returning. Ripley instead insinuates himself into Dickie's life under the pretext of being a fellow jazz lover. The two concoct a scheme for Ripley to wring additional funds from Herbert Greenleaf by regularly mailing letters suggesting Dickie is wavering and will likely return to America if Ripley can remain in Italy and continue applying pressure. On a jaunt to Rome, Ripley meets Dickie's friend Freddie Miles (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who treats Ripley with barely concealed contempt. A local girl, whom Dickie had impregnated, drowns herself after he refuses to help her financially; this sends Dickie into a downward spiral. He begins getting tired of Ripley, resenting his constant presence and suffocating dependence. Ripley's own feelings are complicated by his desire to maintain the opulent lifestyle Dickie has afforded him, and his growing sexual obsession with his new friend. As a good-will gesture before Ripley returns to America, Dickie invites Ripley to sail with him for a last trip to San Remo, where Dickie is shopping for a new residence. While at sea, Ripley suggests he return to Italy the following year and the two become housemates. Dickie dismisses Ripley's plan, informs him that he intends to marry Marge and admits he has grown weary of Tom. Upset by this news, Ripley confronts Dickie about his behavior and lashes out in rage, repeatedly hitting Dickie with an oar, killing him. Ripley holds Dickie's dead body as the boat slowly drifts to shore. To conceal the murder, Ripley scuttles the boat with Dickie's body aboard before swimming ashore. When the hotel concierge mistakes him for Dickie, Ripley realizes he can assume Dickie's identity. He forges Dickie's signature, modifies his passport and begins living off Dickie's trust fund. He uses Dickie's typewriter to communicate with Marge, making her believe that Dickie has left her and has decided to stay in Rome. He checks into two separate hotels as himself and as Dickie, passing messages via the hotel staff to create the illusion that Dickie is still alive. His situation is complicated by the reappearance of Meredith, who still believes that he is Dickie. Ripley rents a large apartment and spends a lonely Christmas buying himself expensive presents. Freddie tracks Ripley to his apartment in Rome through the American Express office, expecting to find Dickie. Freddie is immediately suspicious of Ripley as the apartment is not furnished in Dickie's style, while Ripley appears to have adopted Dickie's hair-style and mannerisms. On his way out, Freddie encounters the building's landlady who refers to Ripley as "Signor Dickie" and remarks on the piano music constantly emanating from the apartment. Freddie notes that Dickie does not play piano and goes back to confront Ripley who attacks Freddie, hitting him over the head with a heavy statue, murdering him. Ripley carries the heavy body to Freddie's car, drives to the woods, abandoning the vehicle and leaving Freddie's corpse lying on the ground in a creek, where it is quickly discovered. Ripley's existence then becomes a cat-and-mouse game with the Italian police and Dickie's friends. Ripley eludes imminent capture and clears himself by forging a suicide note addressed to Ripley in Dickie's name. He then moves to Venice and rents an apartment under his real name. Though trusted by Dickie's father, Ripley is disquieted when Mr. Greenleaf hires American private detective Alvin MacCarron to investigate Dickie's disappearance. Marge suspects Ripley's involvement in Dickie's death and confronts him after finding Dickie's rings in Ripley's bathroom. Ripley appears poised to murder Marge but is interrupted when Peter Smith-Kingsley (Jack Davenport), a mutual friend, enters the apartment with a key Ripley had given him. At the climax, Marge, Dickie's father, and MacCarron all confront Ripley at his apartment in Venice, but luck seems to stay with Ripley; MacCarron, after uncovering certain sordid details about Dickie's past, reveals to Ripley that Mr. Greenleaf has requested the investigation be dropped. MacCarron will not share his revelations with the Italian police and asks Ripley to promise to do the same. In exchange for his candor, and implications made in Dickie's suicide note, Herbert Greenleaf intends to transfer a substantial portion of Dickie's trust fund income to Ripley. Marge is dismayed at the resolution, furiously accusing Ripley of involvement in Dickie's disappearance before Greenleaf and MacCarron drag her away. Alienated with them and Ripley, Marge leaves to return to America. Now lovers, Ripley and Peter go on a cruise together, only to discover that Meredith is also on board. Ripley realizes that he cannot prevent Peter from communicating with Meredith and discovering that he has been passing himself off as Dickie. Peter and Meredith know each other and would certainly meet at some point on the voyage. He cannot solve this dilemma by murdering Meredith, because she is accompanied by her family. Ripley enters Peter's room and suggests the two remain below deck for the duration of the cruise, but quickly dismisses this idea as he cannot offer Peter a legitimate reason for doing so. Ripley sobs as he strangles Peter to death, throws his body overboard, then returns to his own cabin, where he sits alone. Although Tom Ripley knows that he has gotten away with his crimes and will never be brought to justice, he has sadly resigned himself to a solitary life without love or acceptance.

In the town of Mossyrock, WA, fisherman Carl Heine, Jr. (Eric Thal), is reported missing after staying out in his fishing boat at night in heavy fog. After scouring the waters around the island, Carl's boat is found, with Carl found dead in his fishing nets. Being a family man with no reason to kill himself, the townspeople suspect foul play. After searching Carl's boat, a spare battery is found to power the boat, that doesn't appear to fit. The battery is soon found out to be the property of Kazuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune), a Japanese fisherman who was known to be friends with Carl as a boy. This evidence immediately makes Kazuo a prime suspect, and he is arrested, and put on trial for the murder of Carl. Covering the story is a man named Ishmael Chambers (Ethan Hawke), who assumed the job of running the town's small newspaper upon the death of his Father. Ishmael takes an interest in the case, because of Kazuo's wife, Hatsue (Youki Kudoh). Many years before, Ishmael and Hatsue were both young lovers, though segregation regarding the town's Japanese population was evident in many places. Ishmael and Hatsue (Reeve Carney and Anne Suzuki during their younger years) continued to meet in private, but then the Empire of Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. After these events, the Japanese population of the town was forced to move into internment camps for the remainder of the wartime, separating the two lovers. At the camp, Hatsue's Mother (Ako) intercepts a letter from Ishmael that reveals her daughter's relationship with him. Hatsue's Mother is adamant that her daughter stop communicating with Ishmael, and Hatsue ends up writing him a letter stating that she didn't really love him, but praising his "gentle heart". Hatsue soon married Kazuo Miyamoto, and although Kazuo soon leaves to fight in Europe, the two had a family by the time they returned to Mossyrock. During this time, Ishmael was sent off to the Pacific to fight in the war. Hatsue's letter, coupled with the loss of his arm, left him bitter in the aftermath of the war. He asks Hatsue for just one embrace, but she refuses. He carries on his father's work on the Island newspaper, but not his father's strong opinions, which had lead to death threats as he supported treating the Japanese the same as Italian and German citizens. As Kazuo is put on trial, he is represented by Nels Gudmundsson (Max von Sydow), an old man who believes strongly in justice. The prosecuting attorney in the case is a man named Alvin Hooks (James Rebhorn). Alvin and Nels question a number of different witnesses. Judge Fielding (James Cromwell) in the judge of that case. During the trial, the questioning brings flashbacks to Ishmael, Hatsue and Kazuo that tell the stories of the affair and the internment. One of the first is the coroner Horace Whaley (Max Wright), who claims that Carl's head appeared to have been struck by a heavy object. The coroner at one point speculates that the strike reminded him of how someone's head would have been impacted by a kendo stick. The art of kendo is practiced by the Japanese, and many of the Japanese men taught this ancient sport to their own children, including Kazuo. Another witness brought forth is Carl's mother, Etta (Celia Weston). Etta explains how Carl Jr. and Kazuo were childhood friends. Their fathers were also good friends, though Etta hints at her disliking of the Japanese in the town. Kazuo's father (Akira Takayama), a tenant farmer on land owned by Etta and her husband, requested to purchase 7 acres of land from Carl Sr. (Daniel von Bargen). Though Etta also voiced her indifference to this deal, Carl Sr. still went ahead with the deal. Due to the law preventing immigrant Asians from owning title to land, they would pay the Heine's over a period of 10 years, with title to pass when Kazou, born in the US, was old enough to own the land. However, before the last payment could be made, the Miyamoto's were taken to an internment camp. During the time they were away, Carl Sr. died, and Etta was unable to care for the farm (her son was away at the time fighting the Japanese, so he was unable to help her either). Etta then sold the farm (including the 7 acres) to another farmer named Ole Jurgensen. Etta claimed she sent the Miyamoto's their money back, but once the war had ended, Kazuo showed up at her doorstep, wanting to finish the purchase of the 7 acres. When Etta explained what had happened, Kazuo accused her of selling the land out from under his family while they were away. Sometime later, Ole Jurgensen (Jan Rubens) suffered a stroke, and was unable to continue farming. It was then that Carl Jr. (having returned from the war by this time), purchased Ole's land. Kazuo had intended to purchase the 7 acres again, but was informed that Ole had sold the land to Carl shortly before his arrival. During the case, Ishmael grows curious about the location of Carl's boat. Carl's boat was found floating in a channel where larger ships were known to pass sometimes in the night. He visits the Coast Guard Light House station, and finds records there that a freighter went through the channel around the time that Carl was reported to have died. However, Ishmael does not reveal his discovery about this to anyone. The trial continues, with the Defense calling Hatsue to be questioned. Alvin Hooks makes note how once it became known that Carl was dead and the Police were looking for any answers, her husband didn't come forward. Hatsue makes it known that they were afraid as to what people might think, given the situation. Kazuo is questioned as well, regarding his meeting with Carl, as he was the last person to see him alive. Kazuo had also been out fishing in the night, and had spotted Carl's boat, with a lantern on the mast, signaling that he needed help. Kazuo came to Carl's boat, to find that the engine had died. Kazuo loaned Carl one of his batteries to get the ship started. The talk the turned to the subject of the 7 acres of land. Kazuo explained that Carl said he would see him in a day or two, and try to work something out. Hooks questions Kazuo's credibility, since he had changed his story after being arrested and getting an attorney. In the closing statements, Alvin Hooks paints a picture in the jury's mind of Kazuo Miyamoto being a man who felt wronged, and wanted revenge, claiming that the meeting between the two on the boat eventually led to Kazuo murdering his childhood friend, and covering it up. Nels Gudmundsson takes a more low-key approach, and claims that Hooks wishes the jury to see not a man, but an 'enemy.' Nels explains how Kazuo was a member of the US Armed Services, and a highly decorated man who served his country. He notes that evidence shows that Carl was still considering Kazuo's offer - why would he murder him if he thought he might receive what he had been seeking for so long? As the jury deliberates Kazuo's fate, Ishmael contemplates his life. After coming to a deep trough regarding letting go of the bitterness over his past, decides to come forward with what he found regarding the shipping channel. Ishmael shows his information to the local police, who go with him to see Carl's boat. Kazuo claimed there was a lantern tied to the mast, but one is not found. However, there appears to be rope where something was once lashed to the mast. Also upon closer inspection, an indent was found in the side of the boat, with some hair stuck in the wood. Ishmael and Sheriff Art Moran (Richard Jenkins) then meet with Nels, Alvin, and the Judge (James Cromwell) regarding this new evidence. Ishmael tells the information he found. According to a log regarding ships going through the channel, a freighter passed through the channel around 1:42am. Carl was wearing a watch when he was found, with the hands stopped around the same time. Ishmael then provides his theory: After Kazuo left, Carl climbed the mast to cut loose the light he had tied. However, after he had cut the lantern down, the freighter mentioned in the log came through the channel. It's wake caused Carl's boat to pitch wildly, sending him falling from the mast, hitting his head on the rail, before falling into his fishing nets where he drowned. The Judge considers this evidence, decides the death was accidental, and releases Kazuo. After these events, Hatsue gives Ishmael a hug, thanking him for his 'gentle heart'.

A man receives a strange birthday gift: he`s chosen to participate in a live-action game that penetrates all aspects of his life. But when it goes out of control - can he escape?

Two NYC roommates have a pact to jump off Brooklyn Bridge if they haven't found life partners before she's 30. That's less than a month away. Joe and Lucy are roommates and best friends. Lucy, whose love life is embarrassingly dull, convinces Joe, who is infatuated with a neighbor he's never met, that if they don't have stable romances within a month, they must jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. —Bob Amaden <rumpus@minn.net>

This movie chronicles the life of Lane Frost, 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion, his marriage and his friendships with Tuff Hedeman (three-time World Champion) and Cody Lambert. This movie chronicles the life of Lane Frost, 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion, his marriage and his friendships with Tuff Hedeman (three-time World Champion) and Cody Lambert. —Michael Crew <m.crew@bbcnc.org.uk>

A former U.S. First Lady wants a particular Secret Service agent to head her bodyguard detail, even though he can't stand her. Doug is a Secret Service Agent who has just completed his stint in charge protecting Tess Carlisle, widow of a former U.S. President, and close personal friend of the President. He finds that she has requested that he not be rotated but instead return to be her permanent detail. Doug is crushed. He wants off her detail. She is very difficult to guard and makes her detail crazy with her whims and demands. Doug returns with no idea of how to continue dealing with her. —John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> After serving three years as the Secret Service Agent in charge of protecting the unbearable widow and former First Lady Tess Carlisle, Doug Chesnic is relieved to return to Washington. However, she asks to her friend, the President of the United States, that Doug stays as her bodyguard for unlimited time. Doug and his team are forced to return to protect Mrs. Carlisle, who wants to impose her whims to Doug, like leaving the guarding team alone with her driver Earl or playing golf in a very cold day. Tess has also an incurable brain tumor that nobody knows. One day, she invites Doug to go to a picnic with her and out of the blue, she is abducted with Earl. The CIA and the FBI arrive to investigate and find her car, Earl doped and a ransom message in the glove compartment requesting US 15 million. Doug and his men feel how much they like Tess and Doug takes an ultimate decision to find her. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In 1975, after serving 5 years of a 30-year prison sentence, Carlito Brigante is freed on a legal technicality exploited by his lawyer, Dave Kleinfeld. Upon release from prison, Carlito decides to return to his old neighborhood of Spanish Harlem. While in the neighborhood, he reconnects with old associates. Carlito vows to be through with crime but is persuaded to accompany his cousin Guajiro to a drug deal at a bar. Guajiro is betrayed and killed and Carlito is forced to shoot his way out. He takes Guajiro's money and uses it to buy into a nightclub, with the intent of saving $75,000 to retire to the Caribbean. Carlito declines a business partnership with an ambitious young gangster from the Bronx named Benny Blanco. Carlito also rekindles his romance with former girlfriend Gail, a ballet dancer who moonlights as a stripper. An old friend, Lalin, recently released from prison and now confined to a wheelchair, comes to see Carlito, but is caught wearing a wire. Carlito realizes that District Attorney Norwalk is determined to put him back behind bars. Kleinfeld develops a love interest with Benny's girlfriend, Steffie, a waitress at the club. Benny's frustration with being rejected boils over and he confronts Carlito at his table, then manhandles Steffie. Kleinfeld pulls out a gun and threatens to kill Benny, but Carlito intervenes. Despite being threatened, Carlito lets Benny go, which alienates Carlito's bodyguard Pachanga. Kleinfeld, having stolen one million dollars from his Italian mob-boss client, "Tony T" Taglialucci, is coerced into providing his yacht to help Tony T break out of the Rikers Island prison barge. Kleinfeld begs for help and Carlito reluctantly agrees. At night, Carlito, Kleinfeld, and Tony T's son, Frankie, sail to a floating buoy outside of the prison barge where Tony T is waiting. As they pull Tony T aboard, Kleinfeld unexpectedly bludgeons him to death, then slits Frankie's throat and dumps both bodies in the East River. The next day, Kleinfeld barely survives a retaliatory assassination attempt. Carlito is apprehended by police and taken to Norwalk's office, where he is played a tape of Kleinfeld cutting a deal and offering to testify to false criminal allegations against Carlito. Norwalk is aware of Carlito being an accomplice to the Taglialucci murders and tries to leverage him into betraying Kleinfeld to save himself. Carlito refuses, but visits the hospital, where Kleinfeld confesses to selling him out. Having noticed a suspicious man dressed in a police uniform, Carlito deftly unloads Kleinfeld's revolver and leaves. The man is Tony T's other son, Vinnie, who sneaks into Kleinfeld's room and executes him. Carlito buys train tickets to Miami for himself and Gail, now pregnant. When he stops by his club to get the stashed money, Carlito is met by a group of mobsters led by Vinnie. The Italians plan on killing Carlito, who slips out through a secret exit. The Italians pursue him throughout the city's subway system and into Grand Central Terminal, where they engage in a gunfight. Carlito kills all of his pursuers except Vinnie, who is shot by police attracted by the gunfire. As Carlito runs to catch the train where Gail and Pachanga are waiting for him, he is ambushed by Benny, who shoots Carlito several times. Pachanga admits to Carlito that he is now working for Benny, only to be shot as well. Carlito hands Gail the money and tells her to escape with their unborn child and start a new life. As he is wheeled away on a gurney, Carlito stares at a billboard of a woman on a Caribbean beach. The billboard comes to life, and the woman, who is clearly Gail, starts dancing as Carlito dies.

A student is hired to look after a blind, retired Army officer while his family is away, but he is unaware that the colonel has an agenda of his own for the weekend.

Lorenzo Odone, a Virginia 5-year-old, develops a degenerative nerve disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his parents decide to immerse themselves in research and tackle the problem themselves. Until about the age of seven, Lorenzo Odone was a normal child. After then, strange things began to happen to him: he would have blackouts, memory lapses, and other strange mental phemonenons. He is eventually diagnosed as suffering from ALD (adrenoleukodystrophy): an extremely rare incurable degenerative brain disorder. Frustrated at the failings of doctors and medicine in this area, the Odones begin to educate themselves in the hope of discovering something which can halt the progress of the disease. —Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer. A small and insignificant bookkeeper, Kleinman, is awoken one night by his neighbors who wants his help to track down a strangler who has been killing people all over town. The citizens form vigilance committees, but when Kleinman has dressed, his neighbors have disappeared. Meanwhile a circus has come to town. Irmy and Paul are two of the artists. After a fight, Irmy leaves the circus in the middle of the night. Eventually she meets Kleinman, scared and alone. —Mattias Thuresson It's the middle of a dark and foggy night. Max Kleinman is awaken from a deep sleep by a group of men wanting him to join their lynch mob to capture a serial murderer, who only seems to strike when foggy and who primarily murders by strangulation with a wire cord. Kleinman is included within the plan even though he is largely treated as a schmuck by those that know him, the members of the mob who don't even tell him what his role in the plan is, despite his repeated requests. In his wanderings through the dark and foggy streets, he encounters many people, most notably a young innocent named Irmy. A sword swallower with a traveling circus in town, Irmy left both the circus and her boyfriend Paul, one of the circus clowns, not only because she wants to have a baby and he doesn't, but because she caught him cheating on her. Irmy's own wanderings through the streets to find a place to sleep for the night takes her to many places, including a brothel. In addition to their initial goals of capturing the murderer and finding a place to sleep for the night, Kleinman and Irmy discover that their time together may bring up larger issues in their life. However, they may not only end up being attempted targets of the murderer, but Kleinman in particular may be a convenient scapegoat for what end up being the competing lynch mobs, who want to see someone - anyone - pay for the murders with his own life. —Huggo

Carol inherits her uncle's night club, discovering his strangeness while confronting memories of their special relationship as she adapts to her new life. Carol inherits a night club from her weird uncle. She moves into the place, only to find out just how weird her uncle really was. She begins to remember more about her very special relationship with her uncle as she battles her memories and her surroundings in her new home. —Rick Lofgren <rlofgren@synopsys.com>

The opening scene is a film-within-a-film of two young women watching a horror slasher film. One of them goes to the ladies room and becomes scared when she feels that someone in the ladies room is watching her. She returns to her seat and tries to tell her friend that there was a man in the ladies room stalking her. The mysterious man sits behind the young woman and waits until there is a murder on the movie screen and then stabs the woman through her seat and then makes a quick getaway into the night. Her friend soon realizes that she is dead and screams. The killer (Tom Rolfing) then boards a bus near the movie theater in Southampton, Long Island. While traveling all night, the killer dozes off and has a flashback to seven years ago; a young bride is murdered on her wedding day by the man she rejected for her current fiancé Len Gamble, a police detective. Meanwhile in the present, Detective Len Gamble investigates the murder at the movie theater and after learning from the murder victim's friend that the dead woman was going to be married, Detective Gamble concludes that the same killer from seven years ago is back and is killing brides-to-be. The killer's name is revealed to be Ray Carlton. The next morning, the killer arrives at Staten Island where he disembarks and sees from a distance university student Amy Jensen (Caitlin O'Heaney). Amy is preparing for her wedding and she sees off her husband-to-be, Phil, and his two friends who leave town for a bachelor party the weekend before the wedding. The killer begins to stalk Amy from this point on. After attending a ballet class with her friends Nancy and Joyce, Amy and her friends run into their psychology professor, Carl (James Rebhorn), with whom Joyce is having an affair. Amy leaves to go to a dress fitting, stopping to get ice cream on the way, where she notices a man following her. She is startled by Marvin (Don Scardino), her ex-boyfriend, outside the ice cream shop, on his break from his job at the local morgue. Amy then goes to the dress shop for her fitting, and as she leaves, the clerk is stabbed to death with scissors from the killer who continues stalking her. Later that night, Nancy and Joyce surprise Amy at her home with a small bachelorette party; her parents are gone for the weekend, leaving Amy in charge of her kid sister. Joyce leaves the party to Carl's house, where the two begin to have sex when the power inexplicably goes out. Carl goes to check on the electrical box, and when he returns, is stabbed to death by the killer with a chef's knife after finding Joyce's lifeless body in the bed. The following morning, Marvin arrives at Amy's house and insinuates that he wants to rekindle their relationship, and Amy expresses second thoughts over her marriage to Phil. While in the kitchen, Amy sees the mysterious man standing in her yard, and becomes frightened; she invites Marvin to come to a local amusement park with herself, Nancy, and her sister, but he declines as he has a shift at the morgue that night. Meanwhile, the police find the dressmaker's body at the shop, and detectives Frank Daley (Paul Gleason) and Len Gamble arrive to investigate. That same morning, Amy and Nancy meet Elliot (Tom Hanks), a psychology student, while jogging through a forest trail, and later attend the amusement park with him, where he questions Amy's claims of a man following her. While riding a dark ride with her sister, Amy sees Ray Carlton inside the ride, and confides in Nancy at her house that night. Amy briefly leaves to take her sister to a birthday party, leaving Nancy alone at the house. Nancy takes a shower and then puts on a record and lies down in the living room where she smokes a joint, and moments later has her throat cut by Ray with his chef's knife. When Amy returns to the house, she discovers Nancy's severed head in the fish tank, and is attacked by Ray the killer. She flees outside to her car, and struggles to drive with Ray on the roof. She crashes the car in a wooded area and runs to the nearby morgue where she finds Marvin and phones the police. Ray enters the morgue, and Detective Gamble arrives as well. Ray confronts Amy and chases her through a tunnel system in the morgue's basement. When confronted by Detective Gamble, the killer stabs him in the heart before he gets shot in his right shoulder by the detective. Neverless, the wounded killer continues to pursue Amy. Amy manages to trap the wounded killer inside a storage closet and escapes from the basement where she finds Marvin. The two flee outside to safety where police are waiting. In the final scene set some months later, Marvin and Amy are to be married, as it is implied that she cut off her marriage to Phil. As Amy sits in front of a mirror in her wedding dress, an unseen person enters the room; she stands, and approaches the camera, and says, "Phil, what are you doing here?" before she screams as the screen fades to red.