John Malkovich

A Silicone Valley coming of age story about a scrappy rise to a successful business!

James Silva, an operative of the CIA's most highly-prized and least understood unit, is aided by a top-secret tactical command team to retrieve and transport an asset who holds life-threatening information to Mile 22 for extraction before the enemy closes in.

When a rare disease begins decimating humanity, a group of scientists embark on a mission in search of a cure.

A retired film star's wedding to her fourth husband brings chaos when their families (and her ex-husband) show up for the festivities.

Based on a true event, the film attempts to document the worst oil spill in U.S. history as a drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico.

They`re cute...they`re cuddly...they`re back! Your favorite super-spies - Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private - join forces with the elite North Wind team to save the world.

The film follows Chavez`s efforts to organize 50,000 farm workers in California, many of whom were bracerostemporary workers from Mexico permitted to live and work in the United States in agriculture, and required to return to Mexico if they stopped working. Working conditions are very poor for the braceros, who also suffer from racism and brutality at the hands of the employers and local Californians. To help the workers, Mexican American Cesar Chavez (Michael Pena) forms a labor union known as the United Farm Workers (UFW). Chavez`s efforts are opposed, sometimes violently, by the owners of the large industrial farms where the braceros work. The film touches on several major nonviolent campaigns by the UFW: the Delano grape strike, the Salad Bowl strike, and the 1975 Modesto march.

Frank Moses, a former black ops agents is threatened by a high tech assassin. For one last times, he reassembles his old team to fight and uncover the assailant.

In `Red 2`, the high-octane action-comedy sequel to the worldwide sleeper hit, retired black-ops CIA agent, Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. To succeed they'll need to survive an army of relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazed government officials, all eager to get their hands on the next-generation weapon. The mission takes Frank and his motley crew to Paris, London and Moscow. Outgunned and outmanned, they have only their cunning wits, their old-school skills and each other to rely on as they try to save the world and stay alive in the process.

A funny new twist on a classic love story, 'Warm Bodies' is a poignant tale about the power of human connection. After a zombie epidemic, R (a highly unusual zombie) encounters Julie (a human survivor), and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world.

Funny and touching, coming-of-age story based on the beloved best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hopeand the unforgettable friends that help us through life.

Red is based on the cult DC Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Frank (Bruce Willis), Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren) used to be top agents for the CIA but the secrets they know have made them targets. Now framed for assassination, they must use all of their cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. The team embarks on an incredible mission to break into the CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history.

A serial killer is taking down the hip hop industry one rapper at a time and the detectives on the case must get to him before the killer gets to them. "You're Nobody 'til somebody kills you" is an action packed and gritty story of two New York City homicide detectives that are forced into the high-stakes world of the hip hop industry. A complex web of murder, sex, money and music unfolds as the homicide detectives track a serial killer with an appetite for some of hip hop's biggest stars. —Anonymous

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.

In 1920s Los Angeles, a woman`s kidnapped son is found alive but she realizes the child is not her own. She faces corrupt police and a skeptical public in her pursuit of answers.

Strathmore Art School is where Jerome Platz (Max Minghella) has come to develop his drawing and painting talent and become the greatest artist of the 21st Century. Surrounded by a collection of art school clichéd misfits, and a cloud of mystery on the campus due to a strangler who has murdered many young female art students, Jerome plies his considerable talent, and is smitten by an older young woman Audrey (Sophia Myles) who models for classes. Jerome makes friends with Audrey discovering she is the daughter of a famous artist, but she has eyes for the unusually straight-laced Jonah (Matt Keeslar) whose art is broad and bold and far from the traditional art of Jerome. His teachers Professor Sandford (John Malkovich) and Sophie (Anjelica Huston) only offer consolation in broad nebulous terms for the students, so Jerome makes friends with the older talented Jimmy (Jim Broadbent) a painter whose art reflects a darkness that Jeromes admires because it is so different from his own positive viewpoint. When Jerome realizes that Audrey is not in love with him he uses Jimmy's art as his own but is surprised by an undercover activity that could be the worst and best thing that could happen to him.

When the country`s top undercover agents are killed by an evil guy to fulfill his cruel intentions, Johnny English, an unintelligent yet confident spy comes to rescue his nation.

A dying family man in need of money is persuaded to assassinate a European crime boss. Tom Ripley - cool, urbane, wealthy, and murderous - lives in a villa in the Veneto with Luisa, his harpsichord-playing girlfriend. A former business associate from Berlin's underworld pays a call asking Ripley's help in killing a rival. Ripley - ever a student of human nature - initiates a game to turn a mild and innocent local picture framer into a hit man. The artisan, Jonathan Trevanny, who's dying of cancer, has a wife, young son, and little to leave them. If Ripley draws Jonathan into the game, can Ripley maintain control? Does it stop at one killing? What if Ripley develops a conscience? Luisa prepares for her concert. —<jhailey@hotmail.com>

The wannabe sons of mobsters go to a remote town in the Midwest, and get themselves into more trouble than anyone could anticipate. The four sons (Diesel, Green, Pepper, Davoli) of major Brooklyn mobsters have to team up to retrieve a bag of cash in a small Montana town ruled by a corrupt sheriff. Specifically, the story gets started when Matt Demaret (Pepper) goes on a job to deliver the money for his mob father (Hopper) on the advice of his uncle (Malkovich). Things don't go as planned though... —Ryan McIntosh

Depressed by a dead-end job and a stale marriage, Craig Schwartz changes his life when he discovers a portal into the mind of actor John Malkovich.

In 1420, Henry V, King Of England and Charles VI, King of France, sign the treaty of Troyes, which states France will belong to England upon the King's death. But both Kings die within months of each other. Henry VI is a few months old and the new King of England and France. Charles VII, the Dauphin of France, will not abandon his Kingdom to a child. English Invade France. The English forces are held at the river in Loire. Charles VII (John Malkovich) is at Chinon and needs to get to Reims for his coronation, but Reims is in English hands. As a child, Joan has a violent and supernatural vision (she even receives a sword, which appeared next to her while she had the vision). She returns home to find her village burning. Her sister Catherine tries to protect her by hiding her from the attacking English forces, part of a longstanding rivalry with France. Joan (Milla Jovovich), while hiding, witnesses the brutal murder and sexual assault of her sister. Afterward, Joan is taken in by distant relatives. Joan is anguished by her sister's death and her own survival. The priest explains to her that God has a special calling for her. So long as she answers that call, her sister would not have died in vain. Several years later at Chinon, the Dauphin and soon to be King of France, Charles VII, receives a message from the now-adult Joan (Milla Jovovich), asking him to provide an army to lead into battle against the occupying English. After meeting him and his mother-in-law Yolande of Aragon (Faye Dunaway) she describes her visions. Desperate, he believes her prophecy (That a virgin from Lorine will be the Savior of France and that Joan herself will lead Charles to his coronation). Yolande believes that French already believe in Joan and will follow her into battle. Joan wins Charles's faith when she correctly says that Jean d'Aulon (Desmond Harrington) (installed by Charles on his throne as a test for Joan) is not the Dauphin of France. Gilles De Rais (Vincent Cassel) is the Marshall of France. John II, Duke of Alençon (Pascal Greggory) is Charles's cousin and the richest man in France. La Hire (Richard Ridings) is the captain of the King's bodyguards. Joan is also given a test of virginity upon the insistence of the church, to be sure of her motives. The church leaders also interrogate Joan as to the specifics of her vision. They want a sign as proof that she is indeed a messenger of God. Joan says she will not perform any tricks and also adds that her surviving a journey of 500 leagues in enemy territory is sign enough that God wanted it to be so. She demands an army for an attack on English forces around Orleans. Clad in armor, Joan leads the French army to the besieged city of Orléans (The city is ruled by Jean De Dunois (Tchéky Karyo), Charles's half brother). She travels to the other side of the river and gives the English a chance to surrender, which they refuse. The armies' commanders, skeptical of Joan's leadership (Joan wanted to recross the river and attack the English head on, which Dunois said was pure insanity, as that would leave Orleans exposed to an attack from other sides. Joan remarked that God would prevent that), initiate the next morning's battle to take over the stockade at St. Loup without her. By the time she arrives on the battlefield, the French soldiers are retreating. Joan ends the retreat and leads another charge, successfully capturing the fort. They proceed to the enemy stronghold called the "Tourelles." Joan gives the English another chance to surrender, but they refuse. Joan leads the French soldiers to attack the Tourelles, though the English defenders inflict heavy casualties, also severely wounding Joan (She is shot in the chest by an archer). Nevertheless, Joan leads a second attack the following day (she removes the arrow with her bare hands and uses a mobile attack tower to destroy the draw bridge of Tourelles and enter the fort). As the English army regroups, the French army moves to face them across an open field. Joan is aghast at the bloodshed and feels this is not God's will. Joan rides alone toward the English and offers them a final chance to surrender and return to England. The English accept her offer and retreat. Joan returns to Rheims to witness the coronation of Charles VII of France. Her military campaigns then continue to the walls of Paris, though she does not receive her requested reinforcements, and the siege is a failure. Gilles and Hire are still loyal to Joan, but tell her that Charles has his throne and is not interested in this war anymore. Joan tells King Charles VII to give her another army, but he refuses, saying he now prefers diplomacy over warfare. Joan is also deserted by her followers as she reveals that she has had no more visions since Charles's coronation. Believing she threatens his position and will require the expenditure of treasure, Charles conspires to get rid of Joan by allowing her to be captured by enemy forces. She is taken prisoner by the pro-English Burgundians at Compiègne, who sell her to the English. Led in chains, her trial begins at the town of Rouen. Joan feels betrayed when she is told Charles never even offered to pay her ransom. Charged with the crime of heresy, based on her claim of visions and signs from God, she is tried in an ecclesiastical court proceeding, which is forced by the English occupation government. The English wish to quickly condemn and execute Joan since English soldiers are afraid to fight while she remains alive, based on their belief that she could supernaturally affect battles even while in prison. Bishop Cauchon (Timothy West) expresses his fear of wrongfully executing someone who might have received visions from God. About to be burned for heresy, Joan is distraught that she will be executed without making a final confession. The Bishop (who is under pressure from the English, but wants to save Joan) tells her she must recant her visions before he can hear her confession. Joan signs the recantation. The relieved Bishop shows the paper to the English, saying that Joan can no longer be burned as a heretic. Whilst in her cell, Joan is confronted by an unnamed cloaked man (Dustin Hoffman), who is implied to be Joan's conscience. The man makes Joan question whether she was actually receiving messages from God. The cloaked man says there are an infinite number of ways a sword (which Joan claims was God's sign to her), could have been in the field, but Joan saw what she wanted to see.. The frustrated English devise another way to have Joan executed by the church. English soldiers go into Joan's cell room, rip her clothes, and give her men's clothing to wear. They then state she conjured a spell to make the new clothing appear, suggesting that she is a witch who must be burned. Although suspecting the English are lying, the Bishop abandons Joan to her fate, and she is burned alive in the marketplace of Rouen, though a postscript adds that she was canonized as a saint 500 yrs later (she was burnt in May 1431, when she was 19 yrs old)

Gifted poker player Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) loses his entire $30,000 bankroll in a hand of Texas hold'em against Teddy "KGB" (John Malkovich), a Russian mobster who runs an illegal underground poker room. Shaken, Mike decides to concentrate on law school, while promising his girlfriend and fellow law student Jo (Gretchen Mol) not to play the game anymore. Mentor and fellow rounder Knish (John Turturro) offers him a part-time job driving a delivery truck to make ends meet. Time passes, and Mike is true to his promise. He focuses on school and work until his childhood friend Lester "Worm" Murphy (Edward Norton) is released from prison. Worm is also a card player, who owes an outstanding debt accumulated before his incarceration. At Worm's influence, Mike is soon rounding again, which interferes with his studies and hurts his relationship with Jo. When Worm is given a five-day deadline to pay off his debt, Mike joins him in a furious race to earn the money. Worm wants to cheat to win, but Mike insists on playing straight. Played out through several card games in and around New York City, the two nearly make the $15,000 needed, but the pair are caught cheating and lose their entire bankroll. After this, Worm decides to leave the city, and he advises Mike to do the same. This is when he reveals to Mike that his debt is owed to KGB, the same Russian mobster who cleaned Mike out of his $30,000 bankroll several months before. Infuriated, Mike cuts ties with Worm once and for all. Mike refuses to flee. In a race against time to pay off Worm's debt, Mike gets his shot at redemption by placing his life on the line against the man who forced him out of the game. With the help of a $10,000 loan from his law school professor Petrovsky (Martin Landau), Mike sits down to play KGB in a no limit, heads-up game of Texas Hold'em. In two heated heads-up matches, Mike beats KGB, winning enough to pay off Worm's debt, repay his loan to the professor, and regain his original bankroll of about $30,000. The movie ends with Mike officially dropping out of law school, saying goodbye to Jo, and going to Las Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event.

In 1638 Queen Anne of France gives Birth to a boy, who will inherit the throne one day. But, only known to few, there is a twin brother born minutes later. 22 years later. The Kingdom of France faces bankruptcy from King Louis XIV's (Leonardo DiCaprio) wars against the Dutch, causing French citizens to starve (he has rationed all the food for the army). As the country moves toward revolution, King Louis prepares for war. At this point, the four musketeers have gone their separate ways (Of the Musketeers, who had served his father Louis XIII faithfully, only one is still on the king's side); Aramis (Jeremy Irons) is now a priest, Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) is a womanizing drunkard, and Athos (John Malkovich) has retired to his farm. Only D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) has remained loyal to the musketeers and is now the captain. Louis XIV is having trouble with the Jesuits (who have declared his wars unjust and the source of public hunger). After an assassination attempt on Louis by the Jesuit order is foiled by D'Artagnan, Louis instructs Aramis to hunt down and kill their leader. Athos' only son, Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard), aspires to join the musketeers. At a palace festival, Louis sets his eyes on Christine Bellefort (Judith Godrèche), Raoul's fiance. He immediately plots to send Raoul to the battlefront (Raoul has already served at the front and knows that he has been recalled on King's orders as his eyes have fallen on Christine), where he is killed soon after. Aware that Louis orchestrated his son's death, Athos renounces his allegiance to the king (& makes an enemy out of D'Artagnan in the process). After Raoul is killed, Athos wants to attack Louis XIV, but is stopped by D'Artagnan. Aramis summons Porthos, Athos, and D'Artagnan for a secret meeting in which he reveals he is the Jesuit's secret leader and has a plan to depose Louis. Athos and Porthos agree to join him, but D'Artagnan refuses. Athos brands him a traitor and threatens him with death should they ever meet again. Aramis cannot understand why D'Artagnan chooses to stand up for Louis XIV. Meanwhile, Louis seduces Christine (he invites her to the palace and assigns her an apartment there), who later begins to suspect his part in Raoul's death (after she gets a letter from Raoul, which he had posted before his death, in which he forgives her for what he knows Christine would have done). The musketeers infiltrate the Île Sainte-Marguerite prison and free a prisoner wearing an iron mask. The prisoner is taken to the countryside, where Aramis reveals he is Philippe, King Louis' brother. Their mother, Queen Anne (Anne Parillaud), gave birth to identical twins. Louis XIII, to avoid dynastic warfare between his sons, sent Philippe to live in the countryside and grow up without knowing his true identity. When Louis XIII died, he revealed Philippe's existence to Anne and Louis XIV. Anne wanted to restore Philippe's birthright. Instead, Louis was too superstitious to have his brother killed and, to preserve his power, imprisoned him in the iron mask to conceal his identity, an act that Aramis executed. Aramis wishes to redeem himself and save France by replacing Louis with the more benevolent Philippe. The musketeers tutor Philippe in courtly life and how to behave like Louis. Meanwhile, Athos develops paternal feelings for Philippe. At a masquerade ball, the musketeers lure Louis to his quarters and subdue him. They dress Philippe in Louis's clothes and return him to the festivities while taking Louis to a waiting boat in the dungeons. D'Artagnan, however, sees through the ruse (Anne also visited Philippe at the ball, in a major departure from protocol) after Christine publicly accuses Philippe of Louis's role in Raoul's death (instead of dismissing her, the King bends down to comfort her). He forcibly escorts Philippe to the dungeons. Musketeer soldiers intervene before Athos, Porthos, and Aramis can escape with Louis. The king is rescued as the three musketeers get away, but Philippe is captured. Though Louis is prepared to kill Philippe, D'Artagnan, upon learning Philippe's true identity (as Louis's brother), begs that he be spared. Louis instead orders Philippe back to the Bastille and into the iron mask. Soon after, a grieving Christine commits suicide. D'Artagnan contacts the musketeers to help rescue Philippe from the Bastille. Louis, suspecting an attempt, ambushes them at the prison. Louis offers D'Artagnan clemency in exchange for surrender. D'Artagnan refuses, privately telling his comrades that he is Louis and Philippe's father from an affair with the Queen, and that that was the reason for his loyalty to Louis. As they charge one final time at Louis and his men, they are fired upon; their bravery compels the soldiers to close their eyes before firing, and all miss. Louis attempts to stab Philippe but fatally wounds D'Artagnan. Philippe nearly strangles Louis to death, but D'Artagnan's dying words halt him. D'Artagnan's top lieutenant, Andre (Edward Atterton), angered by his mentor's death, swears his men to secrecy and sides with Philippe. They switch the twins again, and Philippe orders Louis locked away. He then names Athos, Porthos, and Aramis as his closest advisers. At a small graveside service for D'Artagnan, Philippe tells Athos that he has come to love him like a father, which Athos reciprocates. Philippe later issues Louis a royal pardon and confines him to the countryside to live in seclusion, while he goes on to become one of France's greatest kings.

A housemaid falls in love with Dr. Henry Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Edward Hyde. Somewhere in England in the nineteenth century. A pretty housemaid works in a nice house, which is Dr. Henry Jekyll's (John Malkovich's) house. Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts) think she found her best job, because she is poor and the doctor is well-known and rich. This movie tells the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" story as a woman sees the two men, one of them is good and the other is evil. And she loves them. —Kornel Osvart <kornelo@alphanet.hu> In the nineteen century, in London, dedicated housemaid Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts) is part of the staff under the command of the butler Mr. Poole (George Cole), who works for Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Malkovich). Mary is a traumatized woman that was abused by her father when she was a child, and is very devoted to Dr. Jekyll. One day, he gathers Mr. Poole and the servants in a room and tells them that his assistant Mr. Edward Hyde will be working in his laboratory with free access to the house. Mary Reilly and her mates are unsuccessful to see the mysterious Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll trusts on Mary Reilly and she helps him, delivering letters to the notorious Mrs. Farraday (Glenn Close), who owns a brothel, to clean the mess that Mr. Hyde makes in the city. Mary Reilly is seduced by the educated Dr. Jekyll and by the reckless and violent Mr. Hyde. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts) is a lonely servant in the home of Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Malkovich), devoted to her position and her master. Slowly, a gradual friendship between Mary and the doctor begins, as well as a growing attraction. However, Mary's quiet presence is thrown upside down when she meets Henry Jekyll's assistant, the handsome but enigmatic Edward Hyde. Although initially repelled, Mary soon finds herself drawn towards his passionate nature. But Edward Hyde is not all he seems. —Psyche-8 <whistlingfish@hotmail.com>

A Secret Service agent seeks to redeem himself by saving the life of his country's highest elected official, even if it means sacrificing his own.

Two itinerant farm workers, George Milton and his simple-minded friend, Lennie Small, are forced to flee armed men after Lennie rips a woman's dress while trying to feel its material. They jump on a train and arrive at Soledad, California, where they take jobs as ranch hands. As they walk, George sees Lennie is carrying a dead mouse. George throws the mouse away, causing Lennie to cry that he misses the woman who gave him mice to play with. George reminds Lennie that the woman was his Aunt Clara, who stopped getting him pets because Lennie kept killing them by petting too hard. George promises Lennie a puppy if he stops crying. At nightfall, George tells Lennie to gather firewood so he can cook some beans, and becomes irate when Lennie whines about not having ketchup. George yells that Lennie has ruined his life by always getting into trouble. A contrite and confused Lennie offers to run away and live in a cave, but George mutters that Aunt Clara would not like him wandering off on his own. That night, George recites an oft-told dream of him and Lennie buying their own ranch, with lots of rabbits for Lennie to feed. Commanding Lennie to look around and remember where they are, George instructs him to return to this spot and hide in the bushes if he gets in trouble. In the morning, they arrive at the Tyler Ranch, where they meet an old, one-handed man named Candy. He takes George and Lennie to meet the "Boss," who yells at them for being a day late. During the interview, George explains that Lennie is his cousin and was kicked in the head by a horse when he was child. After stepping out of the ranch house, George admits to Lennie he lied about the horse and being cousins. Candy shows them the bunkhouse, where they run into the boss's son, Curley, a short man wearing one black glove. Curley demands to know why Lennie is late, and orders George to shut up and let Lennie talk for himself. After Curley leaves, Candy explains that Curley is a boxer, but still has a little man's dislike for anyone bigger than he is. George warns Lennie to keep clear of the boss's son. Curley's young and attractive wife pretends to look for her husband, but it is only an excuse for her to check out the new ranch hands. Her flirting turns George away, and he warns Lennie to stay away from her. At noon, the laborers arrive, including Slim, their foreman, and another ranch worker named Carlson, who asks Slim about his dog's puppies. When Slim says he drowned three because the mother could not produce enough milk, Carlson suggests they kill Candy's old mongrel and give him one of the surviving pups. After a hard day of haying, George asks Slim if Lennie can have one of the puppies. Impressed by how hard Lennie worked, Slim agrees. However, George informs Lennie that the puppies are too young to be separated from their mother, so Lennie beds down with the dogs. The next day, a mule throws a shoe and Slim orders George to take it to the barn. He arrives to find Curley's wife waiting, but her attempt to seduce him is interrupted by the arrival of "Crooks," a hunchbacked African-American stable man, and Curley. When Curley demands to know what George is up to, he answers that he is minding his own business. Curley warns he will beat George if he ever finds him minding his own business with his wife again. That night, Carlson and Slim pressure Candy into letting Carlson put his old dog out of its misery. When Candy hears the shot, he curls up on his bunk and cries. The next day, George tells Slim he lived near Lennie's Aunt Clara, and picked on Lennie when he was a boy. One day, they were playing near a river and George ordered Lennie to jump in. Lennie did, but could not swim, and almost drowned. When George got him to dry ground, Lennie forgot it was George who told him to jump in. From that moment on, George felt responsible for his friend, and when the aunt died, the two hit the road together. That night, George tells Lennie he knows of a farm they could buy when they get a few more dollars. Candy overhears and offers $350 dollars out of the $600 they need if they take him with them, because he is getting too old to work. George agrees. When Curley accuses Slim of sleeping with his wife, the foreman threatens to beat the little man. Seeing Lennie smiling about the farm, Curley thinks he is making fun of him. He punches Lennie in the face. The large man refuses to defend himself, until George yells for him to "get him." Lennie grabs Curley's hand and crushes it. Slim orders Curley to tell the boss he got his hand crushed in a harvester, and threatens to expose what really happened if he refuses. As George cleans the blood off his friend's face, Lennie asks if he can still feed the rabbits. The next night, George goes to town with the other men and leaves Lennie with the puppies. Later, George returns and finds Lennie talking to Crooks in the barn. As he walks Lennie to the bunkhouse, they meet Curley's wife, who wants to talk to someone, but George refuses, and she runs away in tears. The next morning, Curley's wife finds Lennie crying over the corpse of a puppy he accidentally killed while petting it too hard. Instead of leaving, she talks to Lennie about her dreams of being a movie star, and how she married Curley to be free of her mother. When Lennie states he likes stroking soft things, she suggests he touch her hair, but Lennie cannot control his strong hands. As he musses her hair, Curley's wife screams, and with his attempt to silence her, he accidentally breaks her neck. Lennie runs to the stream and hides in the bushes where he earlier agreed to go in times of trouble. Candy later finds the dead woman, and informs George. He believes Curley will lynch Lennie, but George vows he will not let anyone hurt his friend. The other men form a posse, and Slim tells George he can let Curley shoot Lennie or watch his friend go to jail. George steals a pistol and goes to the stream, where he finds Lennie. Hearing dogs approaching, George stands behind Lennie and regales him with dreams of a ranch full of rabbits, then shoots him in the back of the head.

John Berlin is a detective who moves to a small town in Northern California in search of a fresh start after facing challenges and disillusionment in his previous career in Los Angeles. Newly arrived at the local police force, Berlin is met with skepticism by his colleagues but soon finds himself entangled in a complex case that tests his investigative skills and sanity. The plot begins when Berlin uncovers clues that lead him to believe in the existence of a serial killer targeting young blind women. His first encounter with the case occurs while investigating a landfill where a mutilated body is found, which he believes to be the eighth victim of an unknown killer. However, the local authorities, including his partner Freddy Ross, do not share his conviction, and Berlin is forced to fight against widespread disbelief while trying to gather the evidence needed to prove his theory. During the investigation, Berlin meets Helena Robertson, a young blind woman who becomes the primary witness and a potential next victim of the killer. The relationship between Berlin and Helena intensifies as he feels increasingly responsible for her safety while developing feelings for her. However, this closeness also puts him in a delicate position, as his obsession with the case begins to affect his objectivity and his relationship with his colleagues. Determined to protect Helena and capture the killer, Berlin faces a series of obstacles, including pressure from his superiors and resistance from his peers, who question his credibility and ability to solve the case. As Berlin delves deeper into the investigation, the tension escalates. On Christmas Eve, Berlin convinces Ross to accompany him on a secret surveillance at the institute, believing that the killer might attempt to harm Helena. The atmosphere is fraught with uncertainty, and although Berlin is determined, he begins to show signs of exhaustion and paranoia. During the vigil, Berlin notices suspicious movement inside the institute and decides to investigate alone, despite Ross's objections. As Berlin explores the dark building, he realizes he is not alone and is confronted by a mysterious figure. The confrontation ends in tragedy when Ross, waiting outside, is attacked and fatally wounded by someone he initially believes to be Berlin. However, before he can react, Ross is shot multiple times and left to die. Devastated by the death of his partner and haunted by guilt, Berlin begins to emotionally unravel. He returns to the institute and confides in Helena, revealing that the killer was there and that he failed to capture him. The relationship between Berlin and Helena deepens, but the detective finds himself trapped in a web of distrust and suspicion. The police begin to suspect Berlin's involvement in Ross's death, especially when a gun belonging to Berlin mysteriously disappears, and new incriminating evidence emerges. Amid this growing pressure, Berlin finds himself interrogated by the relentless FBI investigator St. Anne, who is convinced that Berlin is the true culprit behind Ross's murder. The internal investigation against Berlin intensifies, and he is cornered, facing charges of premeditated murder. Facing the possibility of imprisonment and aware that his credibility is in tatters, Berlin fights to prove his innocence, even as everything seems stacked against him. With Berlin now formally accused of Ross's murder, he finds himself in a desperate race against time to clear his name. Margie, Ross's wife, intervenes and posts his bail, allowing Berlin to return to the case in a final attempt to uncover the truth and capture the real killer. His investigation leads him to Amanda, a woman connected to a Volkswagen van that Berlin believes holds the key to solving the mystery. By following her, Berlin discovers that the killer is actually Sergeant John Taylor, a fellow officer who had previously used the investigation to cover up his own crimes. In a final showdown at the institute, Taylor attempts to eliminate Helena, believing she is a dangerous witness. However, Margie, in an act of vengeance and courage, disguises herself as Helena and surprises Taylor, shooting him multiple times and ultimately killing him, putting an end to the threat. In the end, Berlin and Helena are reunited, bound by the traumatic experience and the promise of a new beginning. Despite the losses and suffering, Berlin finds redemption by finally exposing the true killer and ensuring justice is served. The story concludes with Berlin and Helena embracing, symbolizing the hope for a better future.

This story is about a ne'er-do-well and his girlfriend as they search for a thief. Two Americans living sumptuously abroad find their relationship challenged by an unexpected lack of finances. When Jake, a commodities broker, is unable to pay the bills (due to a dock strike that holds up a cocoa shipment), he suggests that Tina (sensuous, beautiful, and still married to another man) file an insurance claim on her 'little Henry Moore' in order to help pay their bills. Tina balks. The statue is her only source of security, all that she owns in the whole world. Does he realize what he's asking of her? Then the statue simply disappears. Circumstances become more dire and questions emerge. Can Tina trust Jake? Can Jake trust Tina? When things spin out of their control, each is forced to reckon with doubt--doubt of themselves, doubt of each other, and doubt of the strength of their bond. As it is with love, "to some people, cocoa is very scary." The story that unfolds is sensuous, understated, witty, and elegant--a true 'Object of Beauty.' —JCrickett American couple Jake and Tina are living in an expensive London hotel way beyond what they can afford. When they were asked to pay the bill, Jake wants to sell Tina's 20,000-pound Henry Moore sculpture, but she is not happy about that. The deaf-mute hotel maid admires the sculpture for its beauty rather than its value. When the sculpture goes missing, the couple start fighting over it. —Sami Al-Taher <staher2000@yahoo.com> Charming comedy about how a couple's relationship wavers in tandem with the disposition of their statuette. With no fixed abode, Jake and Tina live in hotels across the world. With a large bill due and money in short supply, their plan to "steal" their Henry Moore statue and claim against it is thwarted when someone else steals it first. They soon start distrusting each other's motives as they search for the statue, and keep trying to get its valuation boosted while avoiding the bill. With no sign of it, they drift apart, despite being in love, and don't reconcile until it reappears one day--having been stolen by a deaf-mute maid who feels the statue "spoke" to her. —Cynan Rees <cynanrees@hotmail.com>

The story opens in 1941, just prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Jamie Graham is a precocious and privileged boy living with his parents in Shanghai. His father is a rich British businessman and the family lives in a mansion on the outskirts of the city and Jamie attends an exclusive prep school. Much has been done to shelter Jamie from the Chinese culture that surrounds him and he is quite spoiled, treating the family's servants with utmost disrespect. Very interested in aviation, Jamie harbors an interest in one day joining the Japanese air force, a dream that his father finds disturbing. The family attends a costume ball thrown by one of the father's business associates, Mr. Maxton. While there, Jamie runs off to fly his wooden glider. He finds the wrecked fuselage of a fighter plane near an abandoned airfield. While he plays with the controls, his glider slips out of sight behind a mound. He scrambles up the mound and finds an encampment of Japanese soldiers. While he stares at them, his father and Maxton appear and call him down, specifically telling Jamie not to run. As they walk away and the Japanese soldiers return to their camp, Jamie remarks that they "seem to be waiting for something to happen". Maxton suggests that Graham take his family to their apartment in the city and seek an exit from Shanghai, most likely by sea. The family returns to their Shanghai apartment. Early the next morning, Jamie spots a Japanese warship in the harbor communicating with land forces using flashing lights. Jamie begins using his own flashlight from his room when an explosion throws him back from his window. The Japanese move into the city in full force. Jamie's family is able to make it to their limousine but are unable to get very far due to the crowds of people filling the streets. They exit the limo and find themselves crushed and separated among the crowd. Jamie's mother manages to hold on to Jamie when separated from her husband but Jamie lets go of her hand when he drops his toy plane. He sees his mother being helplessly pushed away and she bids him to return to their mansion. Shortly after Jamie witnesses fighting between the Chinese resistance and the Japanese army, seeing a man die in front of him for the first time. The resistance fighters are quickly found and killed. Jamie arrives home to find the house empty. He sees signs of a struggle in his parents bedroom, perhaps indicating that his mother was taken from the house by force. He hears noise downstairs and finds the maid of the house with the other Chinese servant, stealing furniture. When Jamie demands to know what they're doing, the servant, whom Jim had treated badly over the years, calmly walks over and slaps his face and leaves. Jamie stays in the house several months (indicated by the falling level of water in the swimming pool), eating whatever food he can find. When his food and water run out, he rides his bike back to Shanghai to find that the Japanese have long since cemented their control of the city. Jamie tries to surrender to a passing battalion of marching soldiers but they ignore him and his bike is stolen. A homeless Chinese boy notices Jamie and tries to call him over. Jamie refuses and runs through the streets and back alleys, people ignoring his cries for help. The Chinese boy catches and beats him, taking whatever Jamie has on him. Jamie manages to break free and runs into the street, nearly being hit by a truck. The truck's driver, Frank, scares Jamie's tormentor off and takes Jamie with him to an abandoned freighter where Frank's friend, Basie, is cooking rice. Basie deftly searches Jamie for anything of value, taking Jamie's aviator sunglasses and a British crown coin he'd found in the swimming pool. He also gives Jamie a new name, "Jim" and coldly serves Jamie Frank's share of the rice he'd made. The next day Frank and Basie set about trying to "sell" Jim to anyone who needs a manual laborer. When they're unable to sell Jim they decide to leave him to the streets as an orphan. Jim pleads with them to let him stay, even offering them the pickings of rich houses in his old neighborhood outside the city. The three travel to Jim's old house where the lights are on and music, Jim's mother's favorite tune, can be heard. However, the house has been seized by the Japanese, who march out immediately and capture all three. As Jim is held back, Basie is severely beaten. Basie and Jim find themselves in a holding center for foreign prisoners in Shanghai. They spend a significant amount of time there; Jim discovers that the other kids there will steal openly from him to survive, a tactic he also learns from Basie. One day, when the Japanese come to select prisoners for transport to an official camp, Basie is chosen, who boards the truck and ignores Jim's pleas to take him along. Jim begs the driver to take him along and finds that the driver is unsure of the route to the camp. Jim assures the driver that he can guide them to the camp, which is near his parents' old country club. The truck driver throws the annoying Jim into the truck and they leave. The truck arrives at Soochow Creek Interment camp, which is situated right next to an airbase construction site. As the prisoners get off the truck they are ordered to carry white stones up to the spot where a runway is being laid. Jim breaks off from the group, seeing a work area for Japanese Zero airplanes. As he touches one of them, a guard, Nagata, prepares to shoot him. A group of three Japanese pilots approaches and Jamie salutes them; Nagata lowers his rifle when the pilots return Jamie's salute. The story jumps ahead to the Summer of 1945, near the end of the war. Jim has etched out a considerably active life for himself involving an intricate trade network among the other British prisoners and even Nagata himself, who has since been invested as the commanding officer of the camp. While dropping off Nagata's freshly polished boots, Jim slyly steals a bar of soap. Jim's last stop is at the camp infirmary, where he aides the camp doctor, Rawlins, in performing CPR on a dying patient. The woman moves her eyes slightly, seemingly looking at Jim, who now believes he's brought her back to life. Jim appears to lose control, frantically pumping the woman's chest until Rawlins is forced to throw Jim off the dead woman. Rawlins has been schooling Jim in Latin and classical poetry, but is unable to teach Jim to recognize when his efforts go too far. Jim leaves the hospital and goes to the American prisoners barracks, delivering the soap to Basie. Basie shows Jim his latest project which involves laying snares in the marsh next to his barracks, hoping to catch pheasants for next Thanksgiving. Basie also makes a deal with Jim: if Jim lays the snares, Basie will let Jim move into the American dorm and take him along if he finds a way to escape the camp. That night the airbase is bombed by American pilots, who drop a bomb very close to the prison camp. In retaliation, Nagata and a few of his officers begin breaking windows in the British and American barracks. When Nagata moves on the infirmary, Rawlins tries to stop him. The sergeant begins to violently and mercilessly beat the doctor. Jim steps in, smashing two windows and begging Nagata in Japanese to cease his punishment, which he does. Rawlins, in gratitude for Jim's actions, gives Jim a pair of two tone golf shoes that belonged to a recently deceased patient. The next day, Jim steals away from the camp to the marsh near the American dorm. Waiting for the tower guard to sit down and leaving his golf spikes behind, he crawls into the marsh to place Basie's snares. However, Basie has another motive for planting the traps: he is using Jim to test the marsh for mines. Moments later, Nagata appears and yells at the guard to take up his post. Nagata finds Jim's shoes and wades into the marsh after him. He is just about to find Jim when a Japanese boy from the airbase calls the sergeant over; the boy has lost his toy glider in the marsh and Nagata retrieves it for him. As the two walk away, the boy salutes Jim, whom he'd seen all along. Jim is given his own space in the American dorm, much to Frank's chagrin, who has to give up some of his own personal space for the young upstart. One day, Basie and another American prisoner, Dainty, are going over potential escape plans using a cork and needle as a compass (provided them by Jim & his pilfering network). Nagata shows up unexpectedly and sees how comfortably Basie has been living. He also finds the bar of soap stolen by Jim and becomes instantly furious, beating Basie severely. Basie leaves Jim in charge of his possessions, knowing he'll be sent to the infirmary. Jim visits him there after seeing through his binoculars that Basie has been given the mosquito net usually reserved for dying patients. (Basie tells him that he merely bribed Dr. Rawlins for it.) During their conversation, Basie suddenly asks Jim why he isn't back at the dorm minding Basie's things; Jim says that the older and larger men in the dorm took everything, Jim being fairly helpless to stop them. Ashamed, Jim leaves the American dorm shortly after Basie returns from the hospital. Now essentially homeless, Jim awakes one morning after falling asleep on the grounds of the camp and sees a kamikaze ritual taking place at the airbase. Moved by the ceremony, he begins to sing "Suo Gân" a Welsh folk song from his childhood days of singing in the choir. As the planes take off one suddenly explodes in midair; a squadron of American P-51 Mustang fighters have arrived and begin to destroy the airbase. Exhilarated, Jim climbs to the top of a bombed-out building to watch the battle and sees one of the American pilots waving at him. Jim begins to scream in joy. As the battle continues, Rawlins, fearing for Jim's safety, yells for the boy to come down. Jim doesn't listen and Rawlins climbs after him, finally catching him as the battle winds down. He yells at Jim to return to reality and Jim breaks down, saying he can't recall what his parents looked like. Rawlins carries him down, Jim blankly reciting the poem that Rawlins had been teaching him. The next day, the camp is evacuated by Nagata. The prisoners are told that there will be food waiting for them further inland and a march is quickly started. As they leave, Jim sees the young Japanese boy he'd befriended through the camp wire taking the ceremonial drink of the kamikaze pilots. The boy jumps into his plane but cannot take off because the plane refuses to fire up. The group reaches Nantao Stadium, many miles away, where the Japanese spoils from Shanghai are stored. Among the automobiles there, Jim finds his father's old limo. After being told that there's no food or water there, Jim stays behind with Mrs. Victor, a woman who acted as a guardian to Jim back in Soochow. Jim tells her to act dead so they can stay, however, Mrs. Victor actually dies. As a devastated Jim sits with her body, he sees a gigantic flash of light to the east, one of the atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Japan. Jim believes it is Mrs. Victor's ascending soul, however, he hears a radio broadcast later that reports about the new weapon and the surrender of the Japanese Empire, ending the war. As the starving and weakened Jim staggers back to Soochow he notices large canisters falling from the sky on parachutes. They are from the Red Cross and contain food and other supplies. Jim gathers what he can and returns to the prison camp. There he finds the young Japanese boy from the airbase, who is angrily slashing at the marsh with his katana sword. Recognizing Jim, he stumbles away crying. Jim hears an engine revving and sees a car break through a wall of fire. In the car are Basie and a couple of other men he'd joined up with who are looting the relief containers. The Japanese boy offers Jim a mango and is about to help Jim cut it with his katana when he is shot by one of Basie's companions. As the man rushes over Jim flips him into the marsh and leaps on him, punching him wildly. Basie pulls Jim off, who turns his attention to the Japanese boy. He tries to revive him using CPR but the boy is clearly dead and Basie again pulls Jim off. As he tries to soothe Jim, Jim pulls away, a crazed look in his eye; Jim's experiences during the war of stealing, death and fear have finally pushed him onto the path to adulthood. Basie decides to leave Jim behind, knowing the boy will survive. Jim stays in the camp a bit longer, riding a bike like he did in childhood and laughing. He is found by a U.S. Army unit, to whom he "surrenders". Jim returns to Shanghai and is housed in an orphanage for child war prisoners. The kids are assembled by the nuns for a group of parents who have returned to Shanghai following the war; Jim's parents are among them. They wade through the sea of children, not able to find Jim at first, but spot him after a few moments. Jim, scarred from his experiences and still in shock, doesn't believe his own eyes as he recognizes his mother by her face and hair and eventually collapses in her loving arms.

A mother's love for her children leads to a son's revenge for her death in this dramatic thriller that begins during the Greek civil war. Nick is a writer in New York when he gets posted to a bureau in Greece. He has waited 30 years for this. He wants to know why his mother was killed in the civil war years earlier. In a parallel plot line we see Nick as a young boy and his family as they struggle to survive in the occupied Greek hillside. The plot lines converge as Nick's investigations bring him closer to the answers. —Robert B. Young <youngb@tastemaker.com>

Places in the Heart is an emotionally gripping story that centers around Edna Spalding and her unending struggle against extraordinary hardships in the 1930s in Waxahachie, Texas.