Natasha Richardson

Sixteen-year-old Poppy Moore (Emma Roberts) has always got what she wanted and lives a pampered life in her L.A. world. Though she's handed credit cards with unlimited balances and surrounded by countless hangers on, Poppy can't escape the mounting frustration she feels with her family situation and she makes sure everyone knows it. After an over-the-top prank pushes her father (Aidan Quinn) one step too far, Poppy is shipped off to an England/English boarding school. Finding herself in a foreign world of early curfews, stern matrons, and mandatory lacrosse, the United States|American princess has finally met her match: a school of British girls who won't tolerate her rebellious ways. Under the watchful eye of the school's headmistress (Natasha Richardson) and surrounded by a new circle of friends (Josie, Kate, KiKi & Drippy), Poppy begrudgingly realises her bad-girl behavior will only get her so far. But just because she must grow into a fine young lady doesn't mean this Wild Child won't be spending every waking hour shaking up a very proper system. Poppy Moore starts Abbey Mount as she means to go on-her way,or no way. Realising her Dad's not coming back to get her, and having nowhere to fit in, room-mate Kate tells Poppy she'll have to get herself expelled. Later that night, Poppy reads a book (Alice In Wonderland - her punishment for fighting) with a lighter when her room-mates sneak up on her with torches, and offer their help. They give their ideas on how she can get expelled, and act on them as a group, and let her take the blame. This brings the girls closer, but Poppy still wants to leave. When none of the plans to get Poppy expelled are working the girls realise they will have to go all out and hit the headmistress closer to home by snogging her son Freddie, which is completely forbidden by the school. After some flirting, Freddie asks Poppy out on a date, during which they kiss. Before going out with Freddie, Poppy is so excited she doesn't log off the computer, and runs off. Harriet takes her revenge on Poppy by rewriting her emails to best friend Ruby, and sticks one on the girls' door, suggesting that Poppy is just using them and is faking the friendship. Harriet also rewrites an email about Freddie, stating Poppy's plan to kiss him only to get expelled and that she thinks he is a loser. Coming back from her night out, Poppy is ready to confess she's actually happy, to find the girls upset. They read the email to her and leave. Upset, Poppy goes to see Freddie but he has found the email about him also and feels betrayed. Poppy, with no one else to turn to, sneaks down to the cook's room to use the phone and rings Ruby, who it turns out is sleeping. Even more alone, Poppy starts playing with her lighter, setting a curtain alight. Hearing footsteps, she quickly puts out the fire and runs off. A few minutes later, she looks out her window to see a fire, and wakes Kate and the rest of the school. After the fire is put out, Freddie looks at the damage and finds her lighter. He gives it back to her, refusing to listen to what happened. Poppy goes to the headmistress and confesses. Poppy also asks Mrs. Kingsley to give a letter to Freddie apologizing and confessing her feelings about everything. While waiting for the Honour Court which will decide if she should be expelled, she finds a picture of her Mum and the lacrosse team. Poppy sits with the picture when Freddie finds her crying. After a heart to heart, they are friends again. At the Honour Court, Poppy tells her story while her room-mates find out Poppy was out with Freddie when the email was sent, and Harriet was the only one around. Going to the court,they get the whole school to confess they were present at the fire. Harriet then lets slip about Poppy's lighter being used to start the fire, which only Poppy and Freddie knew about, and accidentally confesses to restarting the fire after Poppy successfully put it out. Poppy is innocent. The movie is left off where Harriet is expelled, and Poppy will remain at Abbey Mount.

In 1930s Shanghai, a blind American diplomat develops a curious relationship with a young Russian refugee who works odd--and sometimes illicit--jobs to support members of her dead husband's aristocratic family. Shanghai. 1936. Crossroads of the world. Into this city of political intrigue comes Sofia, a Russian Countess whom the Revolution has left stateless with the remains of her family. Forced by her reduced circumstances to support herself and her family as a bar-girl and taxi dancer, Sofia forms a relationship with Jackson, a blind former diplomat who opens an elegant bar, The White Countess. Their curious relationship matures, but they are caught up in the fall of the city to the Japanese invaders. —johnno.r@xtra.co.nz Living exiled in Shanghai during the 1930s, Russian Countess Sofia Belinskya remembers old times of opulence and fancy dance parties, memories she cherishes as she endures her current poor life with her daughter Katya and her husband's family. The Countess works as a hostess and companion lady in a dance club, where she entertains all kinds of men, dancing with them and having a chat. She comes to know American diplomat Todd Jackson, a nice, kind man with whom she begins a friendship, despite the fact that Jackson is blind. Meanwhile, Jackson meets there friendly Japanese diplomat Matsuda and they become friends. Years later, Jackson sets up a glamorous club, "The White Countess", taking Sofia with him to work there as a companion lady. But Sofia doesn't want Katya to find out about her real work, protecting the girl from following in her footsteps in the future. Between Jackson and Sofia exists a special attraction which could turn into love at any moment. But Jackson is being tortured by a traumatic event from the past, while Sofia is longing to leave the city. The Japanese invasion takes place and threatens their dreams and longings. —Alejandro Frias

A romantic comedy about two trashy couples travelling to Reno to see a monster truck show. Roy and Candy and Lonnie Earl and Darlene are two married couples who thought they knew one another, until they decided to take their dream vacation together. Hitting the road in a brand-new SUV, they're having the time of their lives until something funny happens on the way to the monster truck show in Reno. Turns out Lonnie Earl has a thing for Candy, and when evidence of this starts to surface, things really start to heat up.

Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother trying to get by with her young son Tyler (Tyler Posey) by working as a maid at the Beresford Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. When not in school, Tyler spends time among Marisa's fellow hotel workers who think she is capable of being promoted to management. At school, Tyler has to give a speech about his chosen topic of Richard Nixon for his project. Marisa is separated from her husband Marcus, and they shared custody of Tyler. Marcus had a reputation for being late and Tyler is worried that he would miss his entire speech. Marisa drops Tyler at school in the morning, before heading directly to work. Paula Burns (Frances Conroy) is the head of the maid staff, who teaches under trainees that a Beresford maid is supposed to be expedient, considerate and above all, invisible. The original assistant manager of the maid team is promoted, hence opening a slot for a potential promotion and Marisa is the strongest candidate. John Bextrum (Chris Eigeman) represents senior management and he announces that the position will be filled internally. Bextrum says that any staff who has been with the hotel for three consecutive years is eligible to apply. The Beresford Hotel caters to the rich and famous and hence prides itself on being discreet and providing iron clad privacy to its guests. Caroline Lane is the director of Sotheby's and had shifted over from the Four Seasons after breaking up her engagement. Marisa had overheard Caroline talking to her friend on the phone that she got her assistance on purpose to leak her calendar to her ex-fiance and added a few meetings with him to make him jealous. Marisa was cleaning Caroline's room when she unpacks two dresses from Dolce & Gabbana that she had delivered to her hotel suite. Caroline asks Marisa to buy her three pairs of pantyhose. Marisa obliges her guest but has to scramble to fulfill Caroline's request while completing all her other tasks as she wanted to be on time for Tyler's speech at his school for which she had taken time off at 3 pm. The speech is at 4 pm and Marcus calls Marisa at 3:40 to inform her that he is in Miami and cannot be there for Tyler. Tyler's confidence is shot when he cannot see his father in the audience, and he messes up his entire speech. Tyler leaves the stage on account of the embarrassment. To cheer up Tyler, Marisa offers that he can come with her to the hotel for the entire weekend. Marisa then takes Tyler with her back to the hotel for the evening. Tyler is still feeling very depressed over his school project. While Marisa and fellow maid Stephanie Kehoe (Marissa Matrone) are cleaning the room of a socialite, Stephanie convinces Marisa to try on an expensive Dolce & Gabbana dress and coat worth $5000. The guest, Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson), had previously asked for it to be returned to the store and Stephanie argues that it "technically" doesn't belong to anyone at the moment. Elsewhere in the hotel, Tyler befriends hotel guest and senatorial candidate Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes). Tyler meets Chris in the hotel elevator and says that he knows about his voting record and his stand on environmental issues. Chris is a Republican. Tyler learns that Chris has an interest in Richard Nixon, the subject of his school presentation. Christopher is a Congressman who recently broke up his engagement with a socialite before arriving in Manhattan for his campaign tour. The press labels him as a playboy. Tyler wants to go with Chris to walk his dog and the pair go to Caroline Lane's room to ask Marisa for permission. Chris meets Marisa who is wearing the designer coat and is instantly smitten with her. Of course, he assumes that she is Caroline Lane. The trio spend some time together in the park. Though Marisa and Chris are attracted to each other, Marisa is terrified that management will find out about the ruse and makes it a point to avoid Chris afterwards. Chris asks the hotel's head butler Lionel Bloch (Bob Hoskins) to invite "Caroline Lane" to lunch but he is confused when the real Caroline shows up instead of Marisa. Ironically, Marisa was present when she received the invitation and even offered Caroline some advice on what to wear for their "lunch a deux". However, when the real Caroline shows up, Chris asks his assistant Jerry Siegal (Stanley Tucci) to find "the other Caroline Lane" promising that he will attend an important dinner and wishes her go with him. Jerry asks Lionel to find her. Lionel has figured out that Marisa is the woman Chris has been looking for, and orders her to go to the dinner and end the affair swiftly if she wants to keep her possible future in hotel management. He and the hotel staff assist her in preparing for the evening by styling her hair, loaning her an expensive dress, and a spectacular necklace. However, Marisa is unable to end the affair, and she spends the night in Chris' hotel room. The next morning, Marisa is spotted by the real Caroline Lane and her friend leaving Chris' room. Caroline blurts out the truth to the hotel management, and Marisa is fired directly before Chris in Lane's hotel suite. Both Marisa and Chris spend some time apart, with him still thinking about her. Marisa is also hounded by the press and her disapproving classicist mother Veronica (Priscilla Lopez). Some time later, Marisa has secured another job as a maid at another hotel. Chris is giving a press conference in the same hotel and Tyler attends it and asks Chris whether people should be forgiven if they make mistakes referencing former President Richard Nixon. Tyler leads him to the staff room, where Marisa is having her break. Chris and Marisa are reunited, and the film ends with images of publications showing that Chris has been elected, he and Marisa are still together after one year. Marisa has founded her own hospitality business, and Marisa's maid friends have been promoted to management.

Ben's paroled after 15 years prison for killing his pregnant wife. His social worker helps him find work. She doubts his guilt and investigates. A man gets out of prison after 15 years for stabbing his wife to death, and his social worker becomes convinced he was innocent. As she researches his case, and interviews other people who were involved, she begins to fall in love with him, as her friends warn her that he's dangerous. —Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

Under a dystopian religious tyranny, most women cannot conceive children. Those young women who can live in a form of sexual slavery to provide children for influential families. In a future dystopian land (formerly the United States of America), the story tells of Kate, a "handmaid". Kate is a criminal, guilty of the crime of trying to escape and sentenced to become a Handmaid. Handmaids' sole function is to bear the children of influential men whose wives (like most women) have been rendered infertile due to pollution. After rigorous group training by "Aunt" Lydia ("Aunts" train and discipline handmaids) in the proper way to behave, Kate is assigned as Handmaid to the Commander. Kate is attracted to Nick, the Commander's chauffeur. At the same time, a resistance movement begins to challenge the regime. —Reid Gagle (updated by R.M. Sieger) In the not-too-distant future, the USA has become the Republic of Gilead. It is a tyrannically run state that brutally suppresses all opposition, whose policies are based primarily on the Old Testament and which downgrades women in particular to mere child bearers and deprives them of all rights. Former librarian Kate therefore tries to flee Gilead with her husband and their daughter. However, she is intercepted at the border and ends up as a "servant" of the state in the household of Commander Fred, one of the leading military officers in Gilead, and his wife Serena. They need Kate primarily for the purpose of procreation and henceforth call her "Offred". However, when she learns that Fred is incapable of procreating, Kate sees her position in jeopardy, as her predecessors have also been solely blamed for her failure to conceive. In her situation, Kate believes the best strategy is to maintain a good relationship with both the commander and his wife, especially as they both have ways of finding out where their daughter is. Through the commander's chauffeur, Nick, Kate hopes to escape, but must continue to be obedient. Her situation becomes untenable over time, and when she sees how her friends treat servants who do not fulfill their duties, she wants to act as quickly as possible. —Arte Following a coup, America is a country still at war with itself and ruled by a repressive Bible-inspired regime. Past pollution means only 1% of women can bear children, and anyone committing a crime and found to be a potential mother is put into an institution run by "Aunts" to be indoctrinated. One such young woman is Kate, who is turned over to Fred, a high ranking member of the security forces, to attempt to procreate. Kate then becomes known as "Offred" (for property "of Fred"). Serena, Fred's wife, is jealous and vicious. The state's grip seems to be tightening but Kate still has her own mind and she finds some other people who are prepared to resist. —Jeremy Perkins {J-26} (updated by R.M. Sieger)

This film reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret WWII project, and the first atomic bombs designed, built, and tested in Los Alamos. In real life, Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific head of the Manhattan Project, the secret wartime project in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs were designed and built. General Leslie Groves was in overall command of it. This film reenacts the project with an emphasis on their relationship. —Anonymous

Through her half-sister Claire Clairmont [Miriam Cyr], Mary Godwin [Natasha Richardson] and her future husband Percy Shelley [Julian Sands] came to know Lord Byron [Gabriel Byrne]. During the summer of 1816, Lord Byron invited them to stay for a while at his Villa Diodati in Switzerland. There they met Byron's physician friend Dr John Polidori [Timothy Spall]. On June 16th, while a storm raged outside, the five of them amused themselves by telling ghost stories and revealing private skeletons. From Mary's previous experience of miscarriage came the desire to raise her child from the dead which led to the creation of the Frankenstein monster. From Polidori's homosexuality, suicidal thoughts, and fascination with vampires came the story "The Vampyre".