Mark Blum

At the end of a lengthy relationship, Michal, 33, returns to her parents' small, cramped apartment in Herzliya, a sleepy, bourgeois suburb. Michal is a young, promising director, who should be devoting her time to writing a screenplay, but instead shuts herself up in her room, frustrated, and spends most of her time sleeping. Things change when Michal meets Zeev - the principal of the local high school, a 50 year old married man, and falls in love. The forbidden passion and stormy emotions that develop between Michal and Zeev reminiscent of first love. Unaware, Michal becomes a teenager all over again. But this time, contrary to her earlier adolescence, Michal rebels. The apartment, too small to contain two parents and a 30 year old teenager, is transformed into a pressure cooker teeming with conflict. Can Michal commit, give her all and fulfill her love and passion? Or is she too attached to the fantasy youth that she has created to break away? Perhaps she is just too busy rebelling? —Lama Hafakot

It tells the story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), who was the youngest journalist at the New Republic. This newspaper prides itself to have been read by everybody in the political field in Washington, and to be the only one in the American president's plane. Little by little, we see how things work in the editorial room: Stephen's direct boss and editor is Michael Kelly, who is constantly insisting on having every single detail checked through direct notes. The first time Stephen gets in trouble in the film it's on an article about a Republican young people convention, where he alleged they got drunk and called a prostitute. Stephen gets into trouble because the hotel manager complains that hotel rooms did not have any drink or food fridges in them, all the opposite of what Stephen had said in his article. Kelly talks with Stephen about that. Stephen comes back later admitting he has made a mistake: he saw so many mini spirits bottles and he took it for granted that they came from a mini-bar. Stephen says he's sorry, and that if Kelly wants his resignation, he'll sign it right away. However, Kelly is not about to do anything of that sort. Stephen's girlfriend is Caitlin Avey (Chloë Sevigny), a fellow journalist at the newspaper. She is worried because Stephen has had much success lately, she's even a bit jealous. Stephen is freelancing and writing stories for other magazines, like Rolling Stones, because his news stories have always got an edge to them: he investigates, finds out the truth and talks about humourous situations and peculiar characters. Also, to Caitlin's dismay, he's even going to be busier, as he is about to start to study law, which he considers to be more prestigious. In the small row they have over this matter, Stephen blames his parents, who follow the peer pressure of their friends and think that a lawyer is the most prestigious job in the world. Kelly is fired as editor and replaced by one of Stephens colleagues: Charles "Chuck" Lane (Peter Sarsgaard). One of his most successful stories is about how software companies try to stop hackers from damaging their products. In a computer-geek convention, Stephen tells how a computer company hired and paid one million dollars to a hacker so that he would stop breaking their security system. That hacker signed a contract right there, and then boasted about it in front of everybody. While Stephen is telling this story at the meeting room, all journalists and editors sitting together deciding the new news stories, he jumps on his chair in the meeting room and shouts "show me the money, show me the money" emulating the hacker with a cocky attitude. Everybody knows this is the best news story for years, and they all wonder "where he gets these characters from". Stephen's news story is so appealing: the attitude, the streetwise teenagers who make the best out of it and beat computer tycoons to their money, etc... In a later scene, Amy (another reporter at TNR) is trying to copy Stephen's sense of humour, but Caitlin tells her to come back to what she does best: glossing figures, explaining in plain words economic concepts and situations, and being serious and formal at all times. In the Forbes internet magazine, Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn) is told off by his boss. Adam is supposed to be responsible for all the high-tech content of the subscription magazine; he didn't even get a hint of the news story everybody is talking about, that about about the million-dollar contract to the hacker. Adam calls Chuck asking for more details about the story, as he would like to go on investigating it. Stephen reads his notes and gives him some further details. Adam starts investigating, but soon he finds out things don't add up. He calls Chuck and Stephen once again, asking where the latter had got wind of the story. Stephen fabricates the ghost-company's website, but he doesn't realise that he put it in a net section which could only be seen by AOL subscribers. He didn't think or didn't have time of fabricating a whole fake website domain. Stephen admits that he may have made a mistake over some minor details on the story, but he insists on the truth of the main article. This time, Chuck starts to get the hint that something fishy is going on. Although he doesn't dismiss Stephen yet, this time the journalist is not going to find it so easy to move on. Caitlin supports Stephen through and through. As many more untruthful details spring to view, and Adam won't let things be, Chuck comes to the point when he insists on being taken to the location where that computer-geek convention took place right away. Stephen feels unsure, and tries to talk his way out of it, but this time to no avail. Chuck comes to realise that there are many problems with Stephen's story: the hotel where it was celebrated does not know anything about a convention of that kind, the actual room where it was supposed to have taken place is not big enough to accommodate the huge number of people Stephen says he himself saw, etc... More and more details appear missing, and the teenager who supposedly earned that million dollars is nowhere to be seen. The pressure increases, especially on Chuck. More facts come to light proving Stephen fabricated stories, but he continues to hopelessly deny it to Chuck and is subsequently fired. Chuck faces a wall display with The New Republic's old numbers, and he starts pulling them out, re-reading Stephen's editorial contributions once again, this time with a view to finding strange details, unlikely events, non-existent names of people and companies, dates which don't hold up, etc. Caitlin talks to Chuck. She is angry that Stephen was fired, and she is disappointed because Chuck and higher levels of management are not standing by Stephen. Chuck talks to her, saying that everybody believed what Stephen said because they all liked him, and that she should use her journalistic instinct to find out whether Stephen had been lying or not. This makes Caitlin think, and after reviewing articles, she admits that Chuck is right: they all had been fooled by Stephen's charm and his news bombshells. The New Republic will write an editorial retracting almost half of Stephen Glass' news stories, and admitting to some more details in some more articles which cannot be put to the test concerning their veracity. The last captions of the film say what happened to the people behind this story: Caitlin kept on writing for the New Republic Stephen did not want to comment on the film, and he dedicated full time to the study of law at university. Adam Penenberg's story made it to the headlines itself, and it became recorded as the first real breakthrough for internet newspapers. >> written by KrystelClaire

A group of men are having a bachelor party. But when misfortune befalls one of the strippers at the stag, a convoluted scheme is hatched by the party-goers to avoid blame. Victor Mallick returned to his home and found out that all of his friends have arranged a surprise bachelor/stag party for him. Two strippers were hired to cheer up the party. However, when some of the men accidentally killed one of the strippers, they are left to face the consequences of their action. —Anonymous

A group of friends in New York, working away at their PCs and laptops, keep in touch exclusively by phone and fax; all are too busy to meet face-to-face. By phone, Gale plays matchmaker for Jerry and Barbara who hit it off beautifully--via phone and fax. Martin gets a telephone call from somebody he has never met: it's Denise, and she has extraordinary news. Tapping away at his computer, he develops a sort of telephonic friendship with Denise. And so it goes as the friends tap, tap, tap away, sharing news, hopes, and dreams--via phone and fax. Finally Gale has an unfortunate encounter with a phone, Denise has more news for Martin, and Frank plans a gala New Year's Eve party--but will he answer the door? —Helen Stavrou <h.stavrou@agora.stm.it>

A San Francisco civilian police detective is forced to work on a series of murders with his former enemy commanding officer while dating his daughter. Jay Austin is now a civilian police detective. Lieutenant Colonel Alan Caldwell was his commanding officer several years before when he left the military police over a disagreement over the handling of a drunk driver. Now a series of murders that cross jurisdictions force them to work together again. That Austin is now dating Caldwell's daughter is not helping the relationship at all. —John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> At the Presidio, the Army base in San Francisco, a female M.P. was conducting her rounds when she came across the officer's club and the door had been forced open. She went to investigate and was shot. The individuals who broke in got into their car and drove off, and what followed was high speed chase that got both the Army M.P.s and the San Francisco police involved, which ended badly for both. Jay Austin, a San Francisco Police detective, is sent to investigate and he is met by Lieutenant Colonel Alan Caldwell, who was his commanding officer, when he was an M.P. at the Presidio. It seems that Austin tried to arrest an Army officer, but didn't follow procedures, and Caldwell didn't support him, and the murdered M.P. was Austin's partner. A preliminary investigation casts suspicion on the officer Austin tried to arrest. —rcs0411@yahoo.com

Roberta Glass (Rosanna Arquette) is disillusioned New Jersey housewife who is stuck in a passionless marriage with Gary (Marl Blum), the owner of a spa and hot tub company. For emotional escape, Roberta follows the relationships of strangers via personal advertisements in the newspaper. One day during an excursion to a beauty salon for her birthday with Gary's sister Leslie (Laurie Metcalf), Roberta sees an advertisement from a man named Jim "desperately seeking" a woman named Susan. Roberta has been following Jim and Susan's relationship through their cryptic ads for a while and finally decides to show up at the specified time and place of their meeting to catch a glimpse of the couple. Meanwhile in Atlantic City, Susan (Madonna) is in a hotel room with Bruce Meeker, a local gangster, Susan sees Jim's message in the newspaper and decides to return to New York City. Before she leaves, she steals two ornate Egyptian earrings from Meeker's jacket pocket. In the hallway, Susan passes another gangster, Wayne Nolan (Will Patton), who makes note of her appearance, including her unique jacket with a gold pyramid on the back. Arriving in New York, Susan stores her suitcase in a locker at the Port Authority bus terminal. She then goes to a seedy nightclub called The Magic Club, where her friend Crystal (Anna Levine) works as the assistant to a magician. Susan asks Crystal if she could crash at her place for a few days. Crystal agrees. The next day, as Susan makes her way to Battery Park, she spots a newspaper headline announcing that Meeker was murdered shortly after she left the hotel. Roberta goes to the park as well, and watches from afar as Susan and Jim (Robert Joy) reunite. Following the two at a distance, Roberta overhears Jim telling Susan that he has to go to Buffalo with his band. When Susan mentions Meeker's murder, Jim gives her the number of his movie projectionist friend, Dez, in case she runs into any trouble. After Jim leaves, Roberta follows Susan through the streets of the city. When Susan sees a pair of boots she likes in a boutique window, Roberta follows her inside. Susan exchanges her jacket for the boots, and after she leaves, Roberta buys the pyramid jacket for herself. That evening back at her house, Roberta discovers a Port Authority locker key, a newspaper clipping with Dez's phone number, and a Polaroid of Susan in the pocket of her new jacket. By this time, Susan has returned to the store in search of the locker key and leaves her name and phone number in case the new owner of the jacket returns. Roberta decides to put a her own "desperately seeking Susan" advertisement in the personals, asking Susan to meet her at Battery Park regarding the key. Susan and Jim both see the ad, and Jim calls Dez (Aiden Quinn), asking him to go to the meeting point to make sure Susan is safe. Having never met Susan, Dez asks for a description, and Jim mentions the jacket with the pyramid on the back. The next day, when Roberta, wearing Susan's jacket, arrives at Battery Park, Nolan mistakes her for Susan tries to engage her in conversation. Meanwhile, Susan takes a taxicab to the rendezvous but is arrested when she tries to shortchange the cabdriver on the fare. Before getting into the police car, Susan spots Nolan and Roberta. Nolan asks Roberta about her boyfriend in Atlantic City and the earrings. Not knowing what he is talking about, Roberta tries to run away but hits her head on a lamppost, falls unconscious, and loses her purse as it rolls into the water... and this is where the movie really takes off. Roberta awakens to find Dez next to her, but she now has amnesia and cannot remember any details about herself or her life. Assuming that Roberta is Susan based on her jacket, Dez suggests she look in her pockets for any material that could confirm her identity. When she pulls out the newspaper clipping, Dez confirms the phone number written on it is his. He also identifies the locker key as coming from the Port Authority, so he takes Roberta there, hoping the contents of the locker will jog her memory. At the locker, Roberta rifles through the suitcase and finds one Egyptian earring along with an assortment of other material, none of which helps her remember who she is. Dez offers to let Roberta stay in his apartment for the night since she has nowhere to go. Meanwhile, Gary, his sister, Leslie, and Leslie's new boyfriend, Larry, worry about Roberta. Gary has reported Roberta's disappearance to the police and was told that she is probably having an affair. Also, after making bail, Susan goes to the Port Authority and finds her locker where she stored her belongings empty. The next morning, Roberta and Dez go to a cafe for breakfast and Nolan follows. Roberta gets mistaken for Susan by the owner and both she and Dez are denied service and thrown out. Roberta then takes a taxicab to the Magic Club, having found a postcard for it in Susan's suitcase. There, she walks into a job interview by chance and is hired as the magician's assistant after he fires Crystal on account of her myopia and unable to perform without her eyeglasses. Meanwhile, Gary goes to the store where Roberta bought her jacket, and the boutique owner gives Gary Susan's contact information, suggesting maybe they can help each other. Gary calls Susan at Crystal's apartment, and they arrange to meet. That same night, Roberta goes onstage at the Magic Club and fumbles through her routine. In the audience, Nolan notices that Roberta is wearing one of the Egyptian earrings. Elsewhere, Gary and Susan meet at a nightclub, and Susan tells him she thinks Nolan and Roberta are working together to frame Susan for the murder of Meeker. Gary doesn't believe this, and Susan suggests they go back to his place. Outside the Magic Club, Nolan follows Roberta and eventually catches her, but they get into a scuffle and Roberta hits her head once again. The police show up, forcing Nolan to escape. Assuming Roberta is a prostitute, the policemen arrest her and take her to the station. Having regained her memory, she identifies herself as Roberta Glass. Back in New Jersey, Susan shares a marijuana cigarette with Gary while lounging around the Glass' home. When Roberta calls from jail and hears Susan and Gary laughing, she hangs up and calls Dez instead. The next morning, Gary and Leslie get word that Roberta has been arrested, but when they arrive at the police station, she has already been bailed out. When a police officer (Victor Argo) suggests that Roberta's pimp probably paid her bond, Gary refuses to believe that his wife has turned to prostitution. Meanwhile, Roberta and Dez find Dez's apartment ransacked. Dez blames Roberta for all the bad luck he has been having. She gets angry and packs up her suitcase to leave. When the contents of the suitcase spill out onto the floor, Roberta begins to cry and Dez, who still thinks Roberta is "Susan", kisses her. They make love. Meanwhile, back at Gary's house, Susan is seen relaxing at the house when sees a television news story about the theft of two ancient Egyptian earrings, for which Meeker and Nolan are prime suspects. Susan recognizes the earrings as those she took from Meeker. When Gary and Leslie return home from the police station, Susan tells them she knows what is going on. She goes to the Classifieds office and inserts an advertisement into the personals with a message for Roberta. Back at Dez's apartment, Roberta tells him her true identity, but Dez does not believe her, still thinking her to be Susan. Jim arrives, and Dez tells him about the relationship that has developed between him and Roberta; however, Jim does not believe him, saying Susan is not the type to settle down. When they both decide to ask "Susan" to what is going on, Roberta had left. Later, Roberta sits on a bench at Battery Park, unsure what to do now. Then she reads from a discarded newspaper and sees Susan's advertisement, directing her to meet that night at the Magic Club. Jim and Dez also see the message and decide to go to the rendezvous location to confront "Susan". Gary, Leslie, Larry, Dez, Jim, Susan and Nolan all show up that night at the Magic Club. Before the show begins, Jim sees Susan and points her out to Dez, who says that she is not "his Susan". Gary, Leslie, Larry and Dez all recognize Roberta as she appears onstage. At the end of the show, Nolan jumps up from the audience, grabs Roberta's wig and earring, and runs backstage. Dez and Gary both rush over to make sure Roberta is all right. As she tries to explain what has happened, Gary does not seem to believe or even listen to her, so Roberta announces that she will not be going home with him. Meanwhile, Nolan comes across Jim and Susan kissing backstage and puts a gun to Susan's head, taking her hostage to help him escape from the nightclub as the bouncers are now chasing him. He notices that Susan is wearing the other earring. After Nolan and Susan crawl through a window into the women's dressing room, Roberta hits Nolan over the head with a bottle, knocking him unconscious. There, Susan and Roberta officially meet for the first time. Later, Roberta finds Dez in the projection booth at the movie theater where he works. She tells him her real name once again, and as they begin to kiss, Roberta knocks the projector, causing it to malfunction and burn the movie. The audience is outraged, all except Jim and Susan who smile and continue eating their popcorn. Soon after, Roberta and Susan are celebrated as heroes in the newspaper and credited with recovering the stolen earrings.