From Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ===== {| style="text-align:center" align=center ! \Re \left[ \mathrm{Ai} ( x + iy) \right] ! \Im \left[ \mathrm{Ai} ( x + iy) \right] ! | \mathrm{Ai} ( x + iy) | \, ! \mathrm{arg} \left[ \mathrm{Ai} ( x + iy) \right] \, |- |200px |200px |200px |200px |- |200px |200px |200px |200px |} {| style="text- align:center" align=center ! \Re \left[ \mathrm{Bi} ( x + iy) \right] ! \Im \left[ \mathrm{Bi} ( x + iy) \right] ! | \mathrm{Bi} ( x + iy) | \, ! \mathrm{arg} \left[ \mathrm{Bi} ( x + iy) \right] \, |- |200px |200px |200px |200px |- |200px |200px |200px |200px |} ===== The protagonist and narrator is Dexter King (Goldblum), an American actor working in London and living platonically in Camden Town with his "educated, charming... nymphomaniac" landlady (played by Geraldine James). He has just finished his sixth year playing "The Tall Guy", a straight man in a two-man, long-running comedy revue starring (and dominated by) Ron Anderson (Rowan Atkinson, playing a role based on himself). Chronic hay fever prompts him to see a doctor, where he meets and falls quickly in love with Kate (played by Emma Thompson), who works there as a nurse. Soon after meeting Kate, Dexter is fired by Ron. After being rejected for a role in a new Steven Berkoff play for "lacking anger", Dexter wins the title role in a new Royal Shakespeare Company musical based on The Elephant Man. It's "a sparkily nasty send-up of Andrew Lloyd Webber" called Elephant! which features a song called "He’s Packing His Trunk" and a finale which ends with the lyric "Somewhere up in heaven there's an angel with big ears!" During rehearsal, Dexter succumbs to the advances of a married co-star (played by Kim Thomson). On the new musical's opening night, Kate puts together evidence of the affair from a few subtle clues, and leaves Dexter without further ado. After seeing a scene in a televised award show that suggests Ron is now dating Kate, Dexter impulsively gives up his role in Elephant! just before the curtain rises, with plans to make an impassioned plea to Kate to take him back. With Ron's involuntary help (Dexter ties him up in his dressing room and steals his car), Dexter presents his case to Kate in a busy hospital ward. Kate agrees to give him another chance. ===== Jack Hall, an American paleoclimatologist, and his colleagues Frank and Jason, drill for ice-core samples in the Larsen Ice Shelf for the NOAA, when the ice shelf suddenly begins to split away. At a UN conference in New Delhi, Jack discusses his research showing that global warming could cause an ice age, but US Vice President Raymond Becker dismisses his concerns. Professor Terry Rapson, an oceanographer of the Hedland Centre in Scotland befriends Jack over his views of an inevitable climate shift. When several buoys in the Atlantic Ocean show a severe ocean temperature drop, Rapson concludes Jack's theories are correct. Jack's and Rapson's teams, along with NASA meteorologist Janet Tokada, build a forecast model based on Jack's research. A massive storm system develops in the northern hemisphere, splitting into three gigantic hurricane-like superstorms above Canada, Scotland, and Siberia. The storms pull frozen air from the upper troposphere into their center, flash-freezing anything caught in their eyes with temperatures below −150 degrees Fahrenheit (−101 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, the weather worsens across the world: Tokyo is struck by a giant hail storm, Nova Scotia has a 25-foot (7 meters) storm surge in seconds, a three helicopter special task force tasked with rescuing the British Royal family from Balmoral Castle crashes in Scotland after all their fuel lines freeze, and Los Angeles is devastated by a tornado outbreak. Following this, President Blake issues an executive order for the FAA to ground all air traffic across the country. In New York City, Jack's son Sam, and his friends Brian Parks and Laura Chapman participate in an academic decathlon, where they meet a new friend JD. New York is soon caught in the North American storm and the weather becomes progressively more violent, resulting in street flooding, and eventually a massive tsunami-like storm surge inundating Manhattan. This forces Sam's group to seek shelter at the New York Public Library, but not before Laura accidentally cuts her leg. While cellphone communications are down, Sam is able to contact Jack and his mother Lucy, a physician, through a working payphone; Jack advises him to stay inside and promises to rescue him. Rapson and his team perish in the European storm, while Lucy remains in a hospital caring for bed-ridden children, where she and her patients are eventually rescued by the authorities. Upon Jack's suggestion, Blake orders the southern states to be evacuated into Mexico; the northern half are doomed to be hit by the superstorm but are warned by the government to seek shelters and stay warm. With the storm having reached Washington, Blake perishes after his motorcade is caught in it, making Becker the new President. Jack, Jason, and Frank make their way to New York against all odds. In Pennsylvania, Frank falls through the skylight of a mall that had become covered in snow, and sacrifices himself by cutting his rope to prevent his friends from falling in after him. In the library, most survivors, as well as those from other structures, decide to head south once the floodwater outside freezes in spite of Sam's warnings, and are later found frozen to death by Jack and Jason; only a few survivors end up taking heed of Sam's advice to stay put, burning books to stay warm as the temperatures plunge. Laura develops blood poisoning from her injury, whereupon Sam, Brian, and JD scour a Russian cargo vessel that had drifted into the city for penicillin, fending off a pack of wolves which had escaped from Central Park Zoo. The eye of the North American storm arrives, freezing Manhattan solid, but Sam's group make it inside just in time. Likewise, Jack and Jason take shelter in an abandoned restaurant. Days later, the superstorms dissipate and Jack and Jason successfully reach the library, finding Sam's group alive. Becker, in his first address as president from the US embassy in Mexico, apologizes on television for his ignorance and vows to send helicopters to rescue survivors in the northern states. Jack and Sam's group are picked up in Manhattan, where many people have survived. On the International Space Station, astronauts look down in awe at Earth's transformed surface, now with ice sheets extending across the northern hemisphere. ===== After letting Dominic Toretto escape from the authorities, former LAPD officer Brian O'Conner flees from Los Angeles to escape prosecution. He subsequently relocates to Miami and makes a living participating in illegal street races organized by his local mechanic friend Tej Parker. After winning a race against drivers including Suki, the police show up and Brian is arrested. He is taken into custody, but given a deal by his former boss FBI Agent Bilkins and U.S. Customs Agent Markham to go undercover and bring down Argentinian drug lord Carter Verone in exchange for clearance of his criminal record. Agent Monica Fuentes, who has been undercover with Verone for a year, agrees to assist bringing Brian into the organization. Brian agrees on the condition that he is given permission to choose his own partner. This prompts Brian to travel to Barstow, where he enlists the help of childhood friend Roman Pearce, who served jail time for housing stolen cars in a garage. Roman, currently on parole, blames Brian for his arrest, but reluctantly agrees to help in exchange for the same deal Brian was offered. For their mission they are issued two confiscated, modified cars—a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII and a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GTS. Roman and Brian are later hired by Verone, who tasks the duo to compete against rival drivers to obtain a package from a confiscated car located in a lot. Markham, who mistakenly thinks that the duo are trying to run away, follows them to the lot. The police ambush spooks Roman, who shoots at Markham to help maintain his cover. Roman later confronts the agent for interfering with the mission. Brian is able to salvage the situation, however, telling Bilkins that Verone is allegedly aiming to launder his money in Miami before escaping on his private jet. Brian and Roman challenge a pair of muscle car drivers they raced when competing for Verone's hiring, for pink slips. Despite engine and power output handicaps, they win the race and obtain the rival cars—a 1969 Yenko Camaro SYC and a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. Roman later confronts Brian about the constant threat of Verone's men; however, they patch up their differences and focus on completing the mission. At the VIP section of a nightclub, Brian and Roman witness Verone torturing MPD Detective Whitworth into giving his men a window of opportunity to make their getaway. The next morning, Monica warns them that they will be killed once the drop is made. Despite this, Markham refuses to call off the job, claiming that it is their one chance to catch Verone. On the day of the mission, Brian and Roman begin transporting duffel bags of Verone's money with Verone's associates—Enrique and Roberto—riding alongside to accompany them. Before the window is set, Whitworth decides to call in the police to move in for an arrest of the drivers of the cars used by Brian and Roman. This results in a high-speed chase across the city. The duo leads the police to a warehouse, where a "scramble" by dozens of street racers organized by Tej disorients the police. Following the scramble, the police manage to pull over the Evo and the Eclipse, only to find out that they were driven by Tej and Suki. As it turns out, the duo had switched cars and had escaped in the two muscle cars they had won earlier. As Brian approaches the destination point in his Camaro, Enrique tells him to take the Tarpon Point Marina exit, instead of heading to the airfield. Meanwhile, Roman gets rid of Roberto by using an improvised ejector seat in his Challenger powered by nitrous oxide. At the airfield, Customs agents have Verone's plane and convoy surrounded, only to discover they have been duped into a decoy maneuver while Verone is at a boatyard several miles away. Verone reveals he knew Monica was an undercover agent, and purposely gave her wrong information on the destination point. When Brian arrives at the Marina, Verone forces Monica onto his private yacht and orders Enrique to kill Brian. As Enrique prepares to kill him, Brian's ejector seat fails, but Roman suddenly appears and helps Brian to incapacitate Enrique. Verone makes his escape, but Brian and Roman use the Camaro to drive off a ramp, crashing on top of the yacht. Brian shoots and wounds Verone, who is then arrested by Monica. Markham grants Brian and Roman full pardons, and in return Roman turns over the second half of Verone's money. The two agree to stay in Miami, and Brian suggests opening a garage – funded by a cut of Verone's money Roman kept for themselves. ===== Charged with a murder he did not commit, truck driver Frank Webster (John Ireland) has broken out of jail. While on the run, and the subject of radio news reports, he is cornered in a small coffee shop by a zealous citizen who is suspicious of the stranger. Frank manages to escape and, as he gets away, kidnaps a young woman named Connie (Dorothy Malone). Frank drives off with Connie in her Jaguar sports car. She soon proves a difficult hostage, trying to escape a few times, which leads him to treat her more roughly than they both would prefer. This mutual struggle soon leads the two to fall in love. Continuing to elude police, the couple slips into a cross-border sports car race, which Frank plans to use to his advantage to escape into Mexico. Faber (Bruce Carlisle), one of Connie's friends, is wary of the new stranger driving her car and tries to learn more about Frank. During the race, Frank abandons his chance to escape when he chooses to aid Faber who has crashed. Out of sympathy for Frank and a desire to be with him, Connie informs the police of his plan to reach Mexico so he might face trial and be acquitted. At the last moment, Frank also decides it is better to turn himself in and somehow find a future with Connie. The race ends with his imminent capture by the police. ===== Max Fischer (Schwartzman), an eccentric 15-year-old, is a scholarship student at Rushmore Academy, a private school in Houston. He is both Rushmore's most extracurricularly active and least scholarly student. He spends nearly all of his time on elaborate extracurricular activities, dramatically affecting his grades. He also has a feud with the school's headmaster, Dr. Guggenheim. At a school assembly, Max meets Herman Blume (Murray), a disillusioned industrialist who finds his operation of a multimillion-dollar company to be tedious. He is upset that his marriage is failing and the two sons he's putting through Rushmore are impolite and obnoxious brats spoiled by their mother. Herman comes to like Max, and the two become good friends. Max is impressed by Herman's success, while Herman is interested in Max's confident persona. Max also develops an obsession with Rosemary Cross (Williams), a widowed teacher who arrives at Rushmore as a new first grade instructor. She joined Rushmore after the death of her husband, who was a former student. While she initially tolerates Max and his attempts to pursue her, Rosemary becomes increasingly worried by his obvious infatuation. Along the way, Blume attempts to convince Max that Rosemary is not worth the trouble, only to fall for Rosemary himself. The two begin dating without Max's knowledge. After Max attempts to break ground on an aquarium without the school's approval, he is expelled from Rushmore. He is then forced to enroll in his first public school, Grover Cleveland High. Max's attempts to engage in outside activities at his new school have mixed results. A fellow student, Margaret Yang (Tanaka), tries to befriend Max, but he acts hostile towards her. Rosemary and Blume attempt to support him in his new school. Eventually, Max's friend Dirk discovers the relationship between Rosemary and Blume and informs Max as payback for a rumor Max started about his mother. Max and Blume go from being friends to mortal enemies, and they engage in back-and-forth acts of revenge. Max informs Blume's wife of her husband's affair, thus ending their marriage. Max then puts bees in Blume's hotel room, leading to Blume breaking Max's bicycle with his car. Max is eventually arrested for cutting the brakes on Blume's car. Max eventually gives up and meets Blume at his mother's grave. He explains that revenge no longer matters because even if he wins, Rosemary would still love Blume. Max becomes depressed and stops attending school. He becomes reclusive and works as an apprentice at his father's barber shop. One day, Dirk stops by the shop to apologize to Max and brings him a Christmas present. Dirk suggests Max see his old headmaster in the hospital, knowing Blume will be there. Max and Blume meet and are courteous. Blume tells Max that Rosemary broke up with him out of her continuing love for her dead husband. Max begins to apply himself in school again, and also develops a friendship with Margaret, whom he casts in one of his plays. Max takes his final shot at Rosemary by pretending to be injured in a car accident, soliciting her affection. When she discovers that Max's injuries are fake, he is rebuffed again. Max makes it his new mission to win Rosemary back for Blume. His first attempt is unsuccessful, but then he invites both Herman and Rosemary to the performance of a play he wrote, making sure they will be sitting together. In the end, she and Blume appear to reconcile. Max and Margaret become a couple and dance together at the "Heaven and Hell Cotillion" after Max's play, and then Max shares a dance with Rosemary. ===== The novel is a comedy set in 6th-century England and its medieval culture through Hank Morgan's view; he is a 19th- century resident of Hartford, Connecticut, who, after a blow to the head, awakens to find himself inexplicably transported back in time to early medieval England where he meets King Arthur himself. Hank, who had an image of that time that had been colored over the years by romantic myths, takes on the task of analyzing the problems and sharing his knowledge from 1300 years in the future to try to modernize, Americanize, and improve the lives of the people. Many passages are quoted directly from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, a late medieval collection of Arthurian legends that constitutes one of the main sources on the myth of King Arthur and Camelot. The frame narrator is a 19th-century man (ostensibly Mark Twain himself) who meets Hank Morgan in modern times and begins reading Hank's book in the museum in which they both meet. Later, characters in the story retell parts of it in Malory's original language. A chapter on medieval hermits also draws from the work of William Edward Hartpole Lecky. ===== Operating primarily in Wyoming Territory (1868–1890), Hannibal Heyes and Jedediah 'Kid' Curry (whose boyish face spawned the nickname) are the two most successful outlaws in the history of the West. However, the West is starting to catch up with the modern world--safes are becoming harder to crack, trains more difficult to stop, and posses more adept at tracking them down. Heyes, the brains of the "Devil's Hole Gang," falls in disfavor with fellow members. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Curry and he decide to "get outta this business!" With some public acclaim, and having "never killed anyone," they seek amnesty (not a pardon, as they were never convicted of a crime) after they are given a handbill about a program offered by the territorial governor. Through an old acquaintance, Sheriff Lom Trevors (James Drury in the pilot, alternately Mike Road and John Russell in the series), they contact the territorial governor. Unsure of voter reaction, he grants them a conditional amnesty. Should they remain lawful "until the governor figures you deserve amnesty," and stay mum about the agreement, they will be granted clemency. But until that time, "they'll still be wanted." Heyes asks, "That's a good deal?" The cousins find the straight and narrow difficult. Now calling themselves Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones, they find themselves tangling with lawmen, bounty hunters, operatives of the Bannerman Detective Agency, and other nefarious figures. They are forced to rely on Heyes' silver tongue, Curry's fast draw, and occasionally a little help from friends on both sides of the law. ===== During the 1960s, scientist David Banner has the idea to create super soldiers by introducing modified DNA sequences extracted from various animals to strengthen the human cellular response, but General Thaddeus Ross denies him permission to use human subjects. Banner subsequently conducts the experiments on himself. After the birth of his son Bruce, he finds his son may have inherited the effects. He seeks a cure, but when Ross stops his experiment, an enraged David causes a massive explosion of the facilities' gamma reactor before being arrested. Bruce, who is subsequently raised by the Krenzler family, remembers nothing of the incident. Years later, Bruce is a geneticist working on nanomed research with his ex-girlfriend, Betty Ross, at the Berkeley Biotechnology Institute. The pair hopes to achieve instantaneous cell repair by using low level gamma radiation exposure to activate the nanomeds once they are introduced into a living organism. During routine maintenance of their appropriated gamma-ray spectrometer, a circuit sparks and triggers the experiment's program sequence. Unable to prevent the machine from firing, Bruce throws himself in front of a colleague to shield the man and is exposed to a massive amount of gamma radiation. Betty visits Bruce in the hospital and remarks that he should be dead, but Bruce feels great. A new lab janitor reveals himself be Bruce's biological father, David, of whom Bruce has no recollection. Under extreme stress, Bruce transforms into the Hulk, a huge, humanoid, green-skinned monstrous being who destroys the laboratory, though Bruce later has no memory of this. Thaddeus Ross suspects Bruce of collaborating with David Banner but deduces Bruce has repressed memories. He orders Bruce to be put under house arrest. Through a phone call with his father, Bruce learns that the radiation unleashed something that was already in his DNA, and that David plans to have Betty killed by his dogs, which now have similar powers to the Hulk thanks to David mutating them with gamma radiation. Bruce is then attacked by Major Glenn Talbot, who believes that Bruce went behind his back with Thaddeus to close his involvement but learns this is not true, leading to a transformation into the Hulk. The Hulk seriously injures Talbot before leaping to save Betty. After being wounded in a lengthy struggle, the Hulk kills David's dogs and changes back into Bruce before being captured by the military the next morning. Bruce is kept under observation at a secret base, while Talbot intends to weaponize the Hulk's powers. David tries to recreate Bruce's failed experiment, but instead of turning into another Hulk he finds himself able to absorb any material he touches or energy to which he is exposed. He hands himself over to the military after lying to Betty and telling her he had murdered his wife in front of young Bruce. Through nightmare about the event, Bruce realizes his father thought Bruce was a monster and tried to kill him while his mother protected him. David wounded her in the process before leaving and causing an explosion in the facilities gamma reactor. This leads to a more powerful transformation into the Hulk. While attempting to gain a sample of the monster, Talbot is killed. The Hulk escapes the base and rampages to dry land, battling Army forces sent after him. Betty calms Bruce into his human form. David tries to taunt his son into transforming into the Hulk, feeling that since he gave him life, he must give it back to him. David then bites an electrical cable, absorbing all the electricity in it. The electricity hits Bruce, triggering his transformation. A brutal fight ensues, with David absorbing the Hulk's energy. It proves too much for David to handle and when he himself transforms into a massive creature, he is killed by an army missile. One year later, Bruce is presumed dead, while Ross mentions apparent Hulk sightings and Betty admits her love for Bruce. In a South American jungle, Bruce works as a medicine supplier and is approached by rebel militants who want to take medical supplies from the poor. Bruce faces the militants' leader, warning him that, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." His eyes turn green and the roar of the Hulk is heard from the distance. ===== A young martial artist named Alex Kidd learns of a villain named Janken the Great who has defeated King Thunder of the city of Radaxian and who has kidnapped his son, Prince Egle (or 'Igul'), and Egle's fiancée Princess Lora. Discovering that he is the lost son of King Thunder, Alex sets out to rescue the kingdom. On his quest, he defeats Janken's henchmen and retrieves various items which lead him toward Janken whom he defeats and sees turned to stone. Alex retrieves the crown, and the people of Radaxian are restored under the newly crowned King Egle. ===== Jennings, a talented electronic engineer, has accepted a secret contract with Rethrick Construction. The terms of the contract state that he will work for two years on a secret project after which he will have his memory of the time erased and will be paid an inordinate sum. It is implied that this type of working contract has replaced non-disclosure agreements in business and is commonplace. He wakes up to find that during his tenure he decided to forgo the payment of money and instead receive an envelope of trinkets. Rethrick states that this in itself is not unusual and that people often change their mind as to their method of payment during the course of contracts. Soon after exiting the building he discovers that in the two years he has forgotten, America has become a police state—he is seized by the Security Police who want to know what Rethrick is doing. One of the trinkets he received as payment enables his escape from the police. Jennings soon realizes that the only way to secure his safety is to blackmail Rethrick who will be able to shield him from the government. Using several more of the trinkets he is able to make his way back to Rethrick's hidden facility. He has also realized that during his tenure at Rethrick Industries he worked on a machine that allowed people to view the future and the trinkets are part of a carefully crafted plan to ensure his survival. When he finally enters Rethrick's complex it dawns on him that there is a lot more going on than the construction of an illegal device that can show the future. Rethrick is building an army to support a revolution which would free the country from the oppressive government. The story concludes with Jennings successfully blackmailing Rethrick into allowing him to join the company in a partner-like capacity. The trinkets that Jennings received as payment are as follows: *A length of fine wire (allows him to short out and open the door of a police car) *A bus token (allows him to quickly board a bus and escape the Security Police) *A ticket stub (tells him where Rethrick's building is) *A green strip of cloth (a worker's armband, enabling him to enter Rethrick's building) *A code key (opens a rear exit from Rethrick's building) *Half of a broken poker chip (permits entry to a gambling den where he hides from both the Company and the police) *A parcel receipt (permits access to material stored in a bank that allows him to blackmail Rethrick into protecting him from the government) ===== ===== As the game opens, Huey runs to his uncle Scrooge McDuck with a torn piece of paper, which is a piece of a treasure map drawn by Fergus McDuck. Inspired to discover the hidden treasure left by Fergus, Scrooge starts an expedition to find the missing pieces, unaware that his archenemy Flintheart Glomgold is also after the lost treasure of McDuck. Scrooge travels to Niagara Falls, a pirate ship in the Bermuda Triangle, Mu, Egypt and Scotland. Each area has its own unique treasure that is guarded by a boss. After all five main stages are cleared, Webby is kidnapped by Glomgold and held for ransom on the pirate ship in the Bermuda Triangle. Scrooge arrives and gives Glomgold the treasures, only to discover that this "Glomgold" is actually a shapeshifting robot called the D-1000 programmed to destroy him. After the D-1000 is defeated, Glomgold sinks the ship and tries to take Scrooge and the treasures with it. Scrooge and Webby escape the ship, but the treasures go down with the vessel. Despite the loss, Scrooge admits that at least he and his family are safe and that their friendship is what truly matters. The treasures are recovered by Launchpad, cheering everybody up. If the lost treasure of McDuck was found, Scrooge reveals that he hid it from Glomgold by putting it under his hat. However, if the player has no money left at all, a bad ending plays in which Glomgold finds the lost treasure and is named the greatest adventurer in the world, which infuriates Scrooge. ===== The plot of the novel takes place in four separate time periods. The bulk of the novel is contained in the 2675 and 2727 sections. ===== Jason Shepherd is a 14-year-old compulsive liar living in Michigan. He tries to get out of his creative writing essay by making up a lie, but gets caught by his English teacher Phyllis Caldwell, who alerts his parents. He is given three hours to submit his essay or he will fail English and attend summer school. Jason uses his talent for lying to write a story titled "Big Fat Liar". Riding a bike to turn in the essay, he is struck by the limousine of Hollywood producer Marty Wolf, who gives him a ride. Marty is in town shooting an action comedy film, Whitaker and Fowl. During the ride, Marty reveals he also tells lies and that the truth is overrated. In a rush, Jason accidentally leaves his essay in the limo. Marty is inspired by the story when he reads it and decides to keep it for himself. Jason realizes his essay is missing and explains what happened, but his parents and Caldwell do not believe him and he is sent to summer school to repeat English. Later, Jason and his best friend Kaylee discover Marty has plagiarized Jason's essay into a film upon seeing a preview for it. They fly to Los Angeles while their parents are out of town, and Jason sneaks into Marty’s office at the Marty Wolf Pictures studio to request a confession to his parents, only for Marty to purposefully burn the essay and call security to remove Jason and Kaylee. Angered, the two decide to inconvenience him until he confesses. Due to his own troubled history with Marty, limo driver and struggling actor Frank Jackson agrees to help Jason and Kaylee as they sabotage Marty through various pranks. This includes dying his skin blue and hair orange; super gluing his headset to his ear; tricking him into going to a child's birthday party, where he is mistaken for a clown and gets beaten up by the young guests; and tampering the controls to his car, causing it to malfunction. In addition, Marty's car is rear-ended by an elderly woman, knocking his vehicle forward into a monster truck owned by a wrestler known as The Masher. Thinking Marty purposely hit him, The Masher runs over Marty's car and crushes it. Marty intends to produce Big Fat Liar with Universal Pictures, but Universal president Marcus Duncan loses confidence in Marty after the critical and box office failure of Whitaker and Fowl. Marcus declines to approve the budget for Big Fat Liar, so Jason agrees to help Marty in exchange for his confession. With Jason's advice, Marty makes a successful presentation which gets the film approved by Universal, but Marty subsequently betrays Jason and calls security to remove him and Kaylee. Wolf's assistant, Monty Kirkham, has grown tired of his behavior and decides to help Jason and Kaylee. They gather Marty's other tormented employees and devise a plan to expose him, while Jason has his parents fly to Los Angeles. The next morning, Marty heads to the studio to begin filming, but his employees delay him through multiple mishaps. As Marty finally arrives, he witnesses Jason snatching his stuffed monkey toy Mr. Funnybones. Jason flees across the studio, luring Marty to a rooftop where he retrieves his toy and mocks Jason for trying to make him confess, admitting his actions and proclaiming he will never tell the truth to anyone. The entire conversation is revealed to have been caught on camera and is witnessed by Jason's parents, the media, and Marcus. Jason thanks Marty for teaching him the importance of truth-telling. A furious Marty tries to attack Jason, but the latter leaps off the building and safely lands on a stunt cushion, where he finally regains his parents' trust. Universal produces Big Fat Liar without Marty while utilizing the skills of people whom Marty had abused. The film becomes a critical success, with Jason receiving full credit for writing the original story, pleasing Jason's parents and Caldwell. Meanwhile, Marty begins a new job as a birthday clown. During a visit to a birthday party, he is kicked in his crotch by Darren, the son and birthday boy of the Masher. ===== ===== The story is told from the perspective of Afanasi Ziukin, the majordomo of Grand Duke George Alexandrovich. Erast Fandorin investigates the abduction of Grand Duke Mikhail, the four-year-old youngest son of George Alexandrovitch, by criminal mastermind "Doctor Lind" whom Fandorin has been pursuing for several years. Their initial confrontation is briefly described in the novella "Dream Valley" from the Jade Rosary Beads collection. This time, Lind demands the Orlov diamond, a prerequisite for the upcoming coronation, as a ransom.Wachtel 204 Nicholas II is portrayed as dependent on his uncles Cyril and Simeon, the Governor-General of Moscow. Akunin distorts the Romanov family relations somewhat. The three uncles of Nicolas II (sons of Alexander II) are semi- fictitious: *George Alexandrovich, named after George Alexandrovitch, Nicholas' younger brother, but based on Nicholas' brother-in-law Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. *Simeon Alexandrovich, the Governor General of Moscow is based on Nicholas' real uncle Sergei Alexandrovich. *Cyril Alexandrovich is based on Nicholas' real uncle Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, and named after Cyril, Vladimir's son. ===== The principal character of Karaoke is Daniel Feeld (played by Albert Finney), an English playwright in late middle-age who is working on the television production of his latest play, itself entitled Karaoke. The play concerns the relationship between a young woman, Sandra Sollars, her boyfriend Peter Beasley and Arthur 'Pig' Mailion, the owner of the sleazy karaoke/hostess bar where Sandra works. One evening, while sitting in a restaurant, Feeld becomes convinced that a couple at a nearby table who resemble the fictional Sandra and Peter are repeating lines of dialogue from the play. Daniel later encounters the young woman (Saffron Burrows) and discovers that her name is indeed Sandra, and that she works in a club owned by one Arthur Mailion (Hywel Bennett). He relates the coincidence to a frightened Sandra, who runs away, leaving behind her handbag. Daniel subsequently relates the story to his agent Ben Baglin (Roy Hudd) and producer Anna Griffiths (Anna Chancellor), who assume that Daniel's apparent paranoia is due to his worsening health through heavy drinking and smoking. Daniel discovers a small pistol and a credit card in Sandra's handbag. After using the card to determine her address, he visits her home in order to return the bag, but first removes the pistol. He discovers that Sandra was carrying the pistol because of her intention to avenge a savage attack on her mother (Alison Steadman) carried out by Mailion years earlier. Disturbed by the possibility that the death of the fictional Sandra in his play may come true in real life, Daniel decides to change his play. Meanwhile, having also discovered the existence of the real Mailion, Anna discusses with the play's director, Nick Balmer (Richard E. Grant) the possibility of changing Mailion's name in order to avoid litigation. Nick has been conducting an affair with Linda Langer (Keeley Hawes), the actress who plays Sandra in the film version of Karaoke, but is also the intended victim of a blackmail plot hatched by Linda and Mailion. He dismisses the attempt, is beaten up by Mailion's thugs, and confesses all to his wife, Lady Balmer (Julie Christie), with whom he is reconciled. Daniel is admitted to hospital and told he has only weeks to live. He changes his will, leaving his body to an experimental cryogenics laboratory, and offering a generous portion of his estate to Sandra and her mother, on the condition that Sandra ceases working at the club and renounces her intention to kill Mailion. Sandra agrees, but Daniel remains uneasy about her intentions. One night, he leaves the hospital, taking the pistol with him, and visits Mailion's club, where he performs a striking version of "Pennies from Heaven" before shooting Mailion dead in his office and arranging an alibi with the unsuspecting Baglin to cover up the murder. ===== The film tells of novice American dancer Irene Foote (Ginger Rogers) who convinces New York-based British vaudeville comic Vernon Castle (Fred Astaire) to give up slapstick comedy in favor of sophisticated ballroom dancing. Their big break comes when they are stranded in Paris, along with their friend Walter Ashe (Walter Brennan), with no money. They catch the eye of influential agent Maggie Sutton (Edna May Oliver), who arranges a tryout for them at the prestigious Café de Paris, where they become an overnight sensation. After taking Europe by storm, the Castles return to the United States and become just as big a sensation. Their fame and fortune rises to unprecedented heights in the immediate pre-World War I years. When World War I starts, Vernon returns to Britain and joins the Royal Flying Corps, while Irene makes patriotic movie serials to aid the war effort. However, Vernon is killed in a training accident, leaving Irene to carry on alone. ===== USGS volcanologist and geologist Dr. Harry Dalton and his lover, Marianne, witness an eruption in Colombia. As they try to escape, a piece of debris pierces through the roof of Harry's truck, killing Marianne. Four years later, Harry is assigned by his boss, Dr. Paul Dreyfus, to investigate seismic activity near Dante's Peak, a small town in Washington near a dormant stratovolcano. There, Harry meets Mayor Rachel Wando, along with her children, Graham and Lauren. Rachel offers to take Harry with them as they see her estranged ex-mother-in-law, Ruth, who lives near a lake at the base of the volcano. While exploring, they witness various calamities, including a young couple boiled to death in a hot spring pool. Paul arrives with a USGS team that evening, and they set up a base to monitor the volcano. Harry believes that the disturbances to be signs of an impending eruption, but Paul disagrees and advises against giving a false alarm. Still, Harry partially convinces Rachel to prepare for a disaster, while developing a relationship with her and the children. A few days later, Harry and his colleague, Terry, go to the volcano's summit crater to obtain further evidence, but a rock slide traps Terry, and Harry goes down to help him. A chopper escorts the two to safety as the volcano opens up. In the aftermath, Terry has suffered a broken leg, while Harry and Paul argue, as Paul denies evidence that such danger is imminent, and the USGS team eventually begins preparing to leave. When Harry goes to say goodbye to Rachel, they discover that the town's water supply has been contaminated by sulfur dioxide, and the next morning, seismic readings and gas levels rise dramatically. Finally convinced that the volcano will eventually erupt, and with the National Guard unavailable until the next day, Paul gives Harry permission to put the town on alert. During a town meeting taking place at the high school, an earthquake strikes, sending the townsfolk into a panicking frenzy. As the volcano erupts, Harry and Rachel go to retrieve the children, but find a letter explaining that they went to get Ruth, who previously refused to leave her home. Minutes after they reach Ruth and the children, a lava flow engulfs Ruth's cabin and destroys the vehicles. The five flee across the lake in a motorboat, but the lake has become acidic due to sulfur-rich gases from the volcano, destroying the motor and eating away at the boat. Ruth jumps out of the boat to help it to shore, but sustains severe chemical burns, and by next morning, she dies of her injuries. Meanwhile, the heat from the volcano has melted the glaciers on the peak, forming a lahar that collapses a dam on the river leading into town. At the same time, Harry and the Wandos ride an abandoned ranger's truck and set off back to town, where the National Guard is helping evacuate the remaining survivors. The lahar strikes a bridge as the USGS team is driving across. The team makes it, but Paul does not, and is thrown off the bridge to his death. Meanwhile, Harry and the Wandos cross over a rough terrain with hardened lava, and they rescue Ruth's dog, Roughy, just in time before another lava flow catches up. When they arrive back at the deserted town, Harry retrieves an extremely low frequency distress radiobeacon by NASA that was removed from a robot known as Spiderlegs earlier, but learns that the volcano is due for one final eruption. As he and the Wandos begin to leave, the volcano makes its final eruption, releasing a pyroclastic cloud that simply obliterates everything in its path. With no way out of town, Harry and the Wandos narrowly make it to an abandoned mine that Graham and his friends had been using as a hideout earlier. Witnessing the eruption from afar, the USGS team presume Harry and the Wandos to be dead. Inside the mine, Harry forgets the beacon in the truck and goes back for it. Rock slides separate Harry and the Wandos, partially caving the mine in, and Harry suffers a broken arm in the process. Despite his injuries, he still manages to activate the beacon. By nighttime, Terry notices that the beacon has been activated, and the USGS dispatches search and rescue teams. Harry and the Wandos are freed from the mine, reunited with Harry's team, learn of Paul's death, and are airlifted out by helicopter. As the credits roll, the camera pans over the obliterated town before turning to the volcano, now reduced to a Mount St. Helens-like caldera. ===== The primary protagonist is Misaki Suzuhara. Despite her short appearance she is a seventh grader who just moved to Tokyo to live with her aunt, Shouko Asami. After arriving in the city outside of Tokyo Station, Misaki watches a battle between two dolls on a big live-screen called Angelic Layer, a highly popular game in which players (called Deus) buy and custom-design dolls known as Angels that are moved by mental control when on a field called the "layer." Interested in learning about Angelic Layer, an eccentric man wearing a white lab coat and glasses, calling himself "Icchan" (いっちゃん), encourages Misaki to purchase and create her own angel. She wants the angel to be "a short girl, but strong and happy", and names it Hikaru, based on Hikaru Shidō from Clamp's Magic Knight Rayearth (a manga in Angelic Layer's world). Even though she's clueless about the game, Misaki soon competes in tournaments and is assisted and watched carefully by Icchan. Later, Icchan's identity is revealed as Ichiro Mihara, the co-creator of Angelic Layer. Misaki begins studying at the Eriol Academy, an educational institution which include grades from kindergarten through high school. There she becomes friends with Hatoko Kobayashi, a very intelligent and mature kindergarten girl who is a famous Deus and an Angelic Layer expert. Her incredibly fast angel Suzuka is a favourite contender in tournaments. Misaki also befriends Hatoko's older brother Kōtarō and his friend Tamayo Kizaki, a girl fascinated by martial arts. Both turn out to be Misaki's classmates. While adjusting to her new surroundings, Misaki is also gripped by her past. Her thoughts often dwell on her mother, whom she has not seen since pre-school. Eventually, Misaki learns that her mother was key in the development of Angelic Layer, which she worked on in an attempt to develop a perfect prosthesis for her multiple sclerosis, which has confined her to a wheelchair. Her mother is also the Deus of Athena and the champion of Angelic Layer. The differences in the anime series: Misaki names her angel of her favorite doll from childhood. The ending to the manga also has different couplings. In the manga, Misaki's mother does not have multiple sclerosis. Icchan plays an important role in the Chobits storyline, but this connection was reduced to a single scene in the anime; the Chobits anime was also made by a different company. Kaede's younger brother Minoru is also a Chobits character. ===== ===== Great Maytham Hall Garden, Kent, England At the turn of the 20th century, Mary Lennox is a sickly, neglected, unloved 10-year-old girl, born in British India to wealthy British parents who never wanted her and made an effort to ignore the girl. She is cared for primarily by native servants, who allow her to become spoiled and self- centred. After a cholera epidemic kills Mary's parents and the few surviving servants flee the house, Mary awakes to find herself alone. She is discovered by British soldiers who place her in the care of an English clergyman, whose children taunt her by calling her "Mistress Mary, quite contrary". However, this is only temporary: she is soon sent to England, to live with her wealthy hunchbacked uncle Archibald Craven (whom she has never met) at his isolated mansion Misselthwaite Manor on the Yorkshire Moors. At first, Mary is as sour and rude as ever. She dislikes her new home, the people living in it, and most of all, the bleak moor on which it sits. She only begins to like a good- natured maid named Martha Sowerby, who tells Mary about Mary's aunt, the late Lilias Craven, who would spend hours in a private walled garden growing roses. Mrs. Craven died after an accident in the garden, and the devastated Mr. Craven locked the garden and buried the key. Mary becomes interested in finding the secret garden herself, and her ill manners begin to soften as a result. Soon she comes to enjoy the company of Martha, the gardener Ben Weatherstaff, and a friendly robin redbreast. Her health and attitude improve with the bracing Yorkshire air, and she grows stronger as she explores the moor and plays with a skipping rope that Mrs Sowerby buys for her. Mary wonders about the secret garden and about some mysterious cries that echo through the house at night. As Mary explores the gardens, her robin draws her attention to an area of disturbed soil. Here Mary finds the key to the locked garden, and eventually she discovers the door to the garden. She asks Martha for garden tools, which Martha sends with Dickon, her 12-year-old brother, who spends most of his time out on the moors. Mary and Dickon take a liking to each other, as Dickon has a kind way with animals and a good nature. Eager to absorb his gardening knowledge, Mary tells him about the secret garden. One night, Mary hears the cries once more and decides to follow them through the house. She is startled to find a boy of her age named Colin, who lives in a hidden bedroom. She soon discovers that they are cousins, Colin being the son of Mr and Mrs Craven, and that he suffers from an unspecified spinal problem which precludes him from walking and causes him to spend all of his time in bed. He, like Mary, has grown spoiled and self-centred, with servants obeying his every whim in order to prevent the frightening hysterical tantrums Colin occasionally flies into. Mary visits him every day that week, distracting him from his troubles with stories of the moor, Dickon and his animals, and the secret garden. Mary finally confides that she has access to the secret garden, and Colin asks to see it. Colin is put into his wheelchair and brought outside into the secret garden. It is the first time he has been outdoors for several years. While in the garden, the children look up to see Ben Weatherstaff looking over the wall on a ladder. Startled and angry to find the children in the secret garden, he admits that he believed Colin to be a cripple. Angry at being called crippled, Colin stands up from his chair and finds that his legs are fine, though weak from long disuse. Colin and Mary soon spend almost every day in the garden, sometimes with Dickon as company. The children and Ben conspire to keep Colin's recovering health a secret from the other staff, so as to surprise his father, who is travelling abroad. As Colin's health improves, his father experiences a coinciding increase in spirits, culminating in a dream where his late wife calls to him from inside the garden. When he receives a letter from Mrs Sowerby, he takes the opportunity finally to return home. He walks the outer garden wall in his wife's memory, but hears voices inside, finds the door unlocked, and is shocked to see the garden in full bloom, and his son healthy, having just won a race against Mary. The children tell him the story, and the servants watch, stunned, as Mr Craven and Colin walk back to the manor together. ===== The Sea, the Sea is a tale of the strange obsessions that haunt a self-satisfied playwright and director as he begins to write his memoirs. Murdoch's novel exposes the motivations that drive her characters – the vanity, jealousy, and lack of compassion behind the disguises they present to the world. Charles Arrowby, its central figure, decides to withdraw from the world and live in seclusion in a house by the sea. While there, he encounters his first love, Mary Hartley Fitch, whom he has not seen since his love affair with her as an adolescent. Although she is almost unrecognisable in old age, and outside his theatrical world, he becomes obsessed by her, idealising his former relationship with her and attempting to persuade her to elope with him. His inability to recognise the egotism and selfishness of his own romantic ideals is at the heart of the novel. After the farcical and abortive kidnapping of Mrs. Fitch by Arrowby, he is left to mull over her rejection in a self-obsessional and self-aggrandising manner over the space of several chapters. "How much, I see as I look back, I read into it all, reading my own dream text and not looking at the reality... Yes of course I was in love with my own youth... Who is one's first love?" ===== Following mistreatment by Indian agency authorities, Ulzana breaks out of the San Carlos Indian Reservation with a small Chiricahua war party. When news reaches Fort Lowell, the commanding officer sends riders out to alert the local settlers. However, both troopers are ambushed separately; one is dragged away while the other kills the European woman he is escorting and then himself. The Apaches play catch with his liver. The woman's husband, who stayed behind to protect his farm, is captured and tortured to death. McIntosh, an ageing US Army scout, is ordered to bring in Ulzana. Joining him will be a few dozen soldiers led by the inexperienced lieutenant, Garnett DeBuin, a veteran Cavalry sergeant and Ke-Ni-Tay, an Apache scout. Ke-Ni-Tay knows Ulzana because their wives are sisters. The cavalry troop soon discover the brutal activities of the Apache war party. The soldiers know they are facing a merciless enemy with far better local skills. DeBuin is shocked by the cruelty and harshness he sees because it conflicts strongly with his Christian morality and view of humanity. After failing to find Ulzana, McIntosh and Ke-Ni-Tay consider how to outwit their enemy. But DeBuin remains cautious and mistrustful of Ke-Ni-Tay because Ulzana did not let him join his war party. Ulzana and his warriors decide to continue on foot to tire out the pursuing cavalry while their horses are circuitously led back the other way. However, after Ke-Ni-Tay notices that the tracks are of unladen ponies, McIntosh leads an ambush that kills the two Apache escorts and the horses; one of whom was Ulzana's son. Despite angry protestations, DeBuin forbids his men from mutilating the dead boy. The war party attack another farm, burning the homesteader to death and seizing two horses. McIntosh realizes that the remaining Apaches physically and psychologically need horses and will try to obtain them by raiding the troop. The woman of the burned-out farm, instead of being murdered following her gang rape, was left alive but injured so that the cavalry will be forced to send her to the fort with an escort. By splitting the troop, Ulzana hopes to successfully attack the escort and seize its horses. McIntosh suggests a decoy plan to make Ulzana falsely believe that his tactics are successful. Ulzana's warriors ambush the small escort detachment obtaining all of its horses and killing the sergeant and his soldiers before DeBuin can arrive with the rest of his force. McIntosh is left mortally wounded. Only the woman survives unharmed though now apparently crazed by her experiences. Ke-Ni-Tay scatters the captured horses just as bugle calls from the cavalry ineptly alert the Apaches to DeBuin's approach. Ulzana flees on foot as the remnants of his band are killed. Ke-Ni- Tay confronts him and shows him the Army bugle taken from the body of his son. Ulzana puts down his weapons and sings his death song before the Apache scout kills him. A corporal suggests that Ulzana, or at least his head, should be taken back to the fort. However, DeBuin, now hardened by what he has witnessed during the mission, sternly orders him to be buried. Ke-Ni-Tay insists on carrying out the task himself. The surviving troopers led by DeBuin pack up to leave but McIntosh knows that he will not survive the journey back to the fort, so chooses to stay behind to die alone. ===== The series revolves around Marshall Teller, a teenager whose family moves to the desolate town of Eerie, Indiana, population of 16,661. While moving into his new home, he meets Simon Holmes, one of the few normal people in Eerie. Together, they are faced with bizarre scenarios, which include discovering a sinister group of intelligent dogs that are planning on taking over the world, and meeting a tornado hunter who is reminiscent of Captain Ahab. They also confront numerous urban legends such as Bigfoot and a still-living Elvis Presley. Although the show was host to a plethora of jokes, it also featured a serious tone. After thirteen episodes, one of which did not air during the network run, the series was retooled with Jason Marsden's "Dash X" added to the cast and Archie Hahn's Mr. Radford is revealed to be an imposter, with John Astin revealed to be the "actual" Mr. Radford. The final produced episode was a tongue-in-cheek, fourth wall breaking sequence of events depicting Dash X's attempts to take over as star of the show. ===== In the FOX show, Greg was the co- star of a children's television show called Sweetknuckle Junction. Like The Muppet Show, Greg the Bunny treated puppets as though they were real creatures within the reality of the show. Although in this show, they were treated as a racial minority (who prefer to be called by the politically correct term "fabricated Americans"), sometimes struggling against second-class citizenship. ===== The plots of each of the films differ, but one constant remains: Clive Owen plays "The Driver," a man who goes from place to place (in BMW automobiles), hired by various clients to provide driving or other services. ===== The game's title screen. An evil being known as Hanzo the Dark Ninja escapes after 10,000 years of confinement and kidnaps Alex Kidd's new girlfriend from planet Shinobi. After the kidnapping, Alex encounters the ghost of the ancient warrior who originally vanquished the Dark Ninja, who explains that the Dark Ninja intends to sacrifice Alex's girlfriend to conquer the world. The spirit of the ancient warrior fuses itself with Alex's body, lending Alex his strength, skills, and courage. The game is composed of four different rounds roughly based on the missions from the original Shinobi, which are divided into three stages. The third stage in each round is a boss battle. The rounds are as follows. ===== Amidst the ancient Irish Catholic mourning process for his grandfather Kilty, 12-year-old Conor Larkin has a vision of the town storyteller, who tells him of the history of the Fenians, an early 19th-century rebel group. This stirs the fire of rebellion in Conor, and sets him onto the path for freedom for his Irish people. Conor's best friend Seamus O'Neill begins school in town under a Protestant named Mr. Ingram. Conor, needed at home, helps his father in the fields, until he becomes an apprentice at a blacksmith shop. As the years pass, the boys become friends with Mr. Ingram, who teaches them of the power of books and the history of their Irish forefathers. Seamus goes to college in Belfast, and Conor heads to Derry. In Bogside Conor witnesses the extent of the disaster that has befallen the Irish people. Bogside is in tatters and a state of despair that has stricken its inhabitants since before the Great Famine that had occurred between 1845 and 1852. Held down by the Protestant reign in Derry's labor unions, the Catholics are dying slowly without hope. In Derry, Conor discovers other like-minded Irish tired of the oppression of the Catholics by the British and Protestants. This small group, with the support of the few Irish politicians, becomes the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the roots of Sinn Féin, and the whisper of freedom throughout Ireland. ===== An angel-like being is ordered to return to Heaven the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. The divine being, however, cannot himself travel to Earth, and on several occasions in the book resorts to influencing events. He affects the personal lives of three people (two men and one woman) in order that a child will be conceived. This child would then have an innate desire to seek out and return the Tablets. The book consists of four parts (dubbed "The Beginning of the Beginning", "The End of the Beginning", "The Beginning of the End", and "The End of the End"). In between these four parts, the angel-like being discusses "The Plan" with his superior, who is supposedly an archangel. ===== Jeroen (Jeroen Krabbé) reminisces about 1944 when he (Maarten Smit) and other children were sent by their parents to the countryside to escape the effects of the war. The city suffers from food shortages, with more food available in the country. He stays with an eel fisher's family but, while there is an abundance of food, he suffers from homesickness. Jeroen and his friend Jan go to the ocean and see an American plane in the water; Jan tries to go under but claims there are too many eels and surfaces with a big cut on his thigh. Things change when the village is liberated by Canadian troops. Jeroen meets Walt Cook (Andrew Kelley), a Canadian soldier in his early 20s, who befriends him. Walt at first treats Jeroen like a younger brother and the boy revels in the attention the soldier showers on him. Eventually, however, their relationship becomes sexual. They also engage in friendly, platonic activities, with Jeroen driving Walt's jeep and cleaning his guns. Jeroen's foster parents are aware of the closeness between the boy and Walt, but it is left ambiguous whether they are aware of the sexual nature of the relationship. After a few more days, Walt's unit is ordered to move and Walt leaves without saying goodbye. Jeroen hears from his foster sisters that the soldiers are leaving and rushes to their billet but finds that they have already left. (The film suggests that Walt attempts to tell Jeroen's foster father the previous evening that the troops would be leaving, but gives up when the language barrier becomes obvious.) Jeroen searches throughout town, unable to find any trace of Walt, and is further devastated when he returns home and sees that the shirt where he had stored a photo of Walt was on a clothesline in the rain, ruining the photo. Later that night, Jeroen is lying awake in his bed and notices Walt's dog tag on a scarecrow that had posed as "Walt" in a photo with his foster family, and races outside to grab the tag. However, Jeroen catches his hand on pigeon wire on the scarecrow and badly hurts it. He collapses in tears and is taken inside by his foster father. The next morning, his foster father notices the sunglasses that Walt left on the wire while his foster father is burning the dangerous scarecrow. After the war is over, Jeroen returns to his family in Amsterdam, and later decides to go to the United States. The film ends with grown-up Jeroen affectionately recalling the story and trying to express it as a ballet dance. While rehearsing the dance, his assistant hands him an envelope. He opens the envelope to find an enlargement of the only photo of him and the foster family and also a further enlargement of the soldier's dog tag with his identification. He realizes that he can now find his lost soldier. ===== The film's plot centres on three married women — a grandmother, her daughter, and her niece — each named Cissie Colpitts. As the story progresses, each woman successively drowns her husband. The three Cissie Colpittses are played by Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson and Joely Richardson, while Bernard Hill plays the coroner, Madgett, who is cajoled into covering up the three crimes. The structure, with similar stories repeated three times, is reminiscent of a fairy tale, most specifically 'The Billy Goats Gruff', because Madgett is constantly promised greater rewards as he tries his luck with each of the Cissies in turn. The link to folklore is further established by Madgett's son Smut, who recites the rules of various unusual games played by the characters as if they were ancient traditions. Many of these games are invented for the film, including: *Bees in the Trees *Dawn Card Castles *Deadman's Catch *Flights of Fancy (or Reverse Strip Jump) *The Great Death Game *Hangman's Cricket *The Hare and Hounds *Sheep and Tides In Drowning by Numbers, number-counting, the rules of games and the repetitions of the plot are all devices which emphasise structure. Through the course of the film each of the numbers 1 to 100 appear, the large majority in sequence, often seen in the background, sometimes spoken by the characters. The film is set and was shot in and around Southwold, Suffolk, England, with key landmarks such as the Victorian water tower, Southwold Lighthouse, and the estuary of the River Blyth clearly identifiable. ===== Mari Aldon and Richard Webb in Florida for the movie premiere. In 1840, U.S. Army General Zachary Taylor sends out naval Lieutenant Tufts and scout Monk to a remote Florida island home, where the reclusive Captain Quincy Wyatt lives with a 5-year-old son. The soldiers' mission is to destroy an old Spanish fort used by gunrunners, and rescue men and women taken prisoner by Seminole warriors. One of them, Judy Beckett, develops a romantic attraction to Capt. Wyatt as they flee the Natives into the Everglades. Most of the other Army troops are massacred after Wyatt and Tufts separate from them to construct canoes. Back at his home, Wyatt is distraught to find that his son is gone. He has an underwater fight to the death with Seminole chief Ocala, then is relieved to learn that his boy is safe. ===== Rachel Marron is an Academy Award- nominated actress and music superstar who is being sent death threats by a stalker. After a bomb explodes in her dressing room, her manager Bill Devaney seeks out professional bodyguard Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service agent who served during the Carter and Reagan presidencies, to protect her. Frank reluctantly accepts Devaney's offer, though he feels Rachel is a spoiled diva who is oblivious to the threats against her life. Rachel soon accuses Frank of being paranoid, complaining that his extensive protection techniques are intrusive. Her existing bodyguard Tony resents Frank's presence, leading to a brawl between the two in Rachel's kitchen. However, Frank and Rachel grow closer when he rescues her from danger after a riot erupts at one of her concerts. Though Frank tries to remain professional, he and Rachel sleep together; he breaks off the affair the next day, realizing it compromises his ability to protect her. Hurt, Rachel begins to defy Frank's security measures, then attempts to sleep with his former Secret Service colleague Greg Portman, whom she meets at a Miami party. When her stalker places a threatening phone call, Rachel finally recognizes the seriousness of the situation and her need to trust Frank completely. Frank, Rachel, her son Fletcher, her sister Nicki, and her driver Henry then travel to a large lakefront cabin in the mountains, the home of Frank's father Herb. The next day, Frank rescues Fletcher from a small motorboat just before it blows up. After Frank secures the house for the night, a drunk Nicki, upset that Fletcher could have died, admits to Frank that she hired a hitman to kill Rachel during a fit of jealousy, but that the letters from the stalker came before that. She has paid in full and does not know the killer's identity. Abruptly, the hitman breaks into the dark house and fatally shoots Nicki. Frank pursues the killer into the woods; he shoots at the assailant but misses, allowing the latter to escape. Frank learns that the stalker had been apprehended earlier that day, and was in custody when Nicki was killed. A few days after Nicki's funeral is the Academy Awards ceremony, where Frank gives Rachel a panic button in the shape of a cross to immediately alert him to any trouble. Despite this, a plethora of backstage technical issues hamper Frank's efforts to monitor the proceedings closely. While presenting an award, Rachel freezes and runs offstage, angry at Frank for embarrassing her with overprotective measures. Later, Rachel is announced as the winner for Best Actress, but as she comes on stage to accept the award, Portman is revealed to be the hitman, masquerading as the bodyguard for the ceremony's host. Frank notices Portman pointing a gun disguised as a camera at Rachel; as Portman prepares for the fatal shot, Frank runs onstage and leaps in front of Rachel, taking the bullet meant for her and setting off chaos amongst the audience. Quickly regaining his balance, Frank shoots and kills Portman as the latter aims at Rachel again. Frank is left wounded and Rachel calls for help, all the while urging him to stay with her as he slowly passes out. Frank recovers from the shooting and bids farewell to Rachel at the airport, both knowing their relationship would never work out. After the plane starts to take off, Rachel suddenly orders the plane to stop, jumps out and runs to Frank for one last passionate kiss. Some time later Rachel performs "I Will Always Love You" on a stage, while elsewhere Frank is keeping a vigilant eye on his next assignment while a priest is seen holding a cross similar to the one he gave Rachel. ===== The story is narrated by John Wheelwright, a former citizen of New Hampshire who has become a voluntary expatriate from the United States, having settled in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and taken on Canadian citizenship. The story is narrated in two interwoven time frames. The first time frame is the perspective of John in the present day (1987). The second time frame is John's memories of the past: growing up in New Hampshire in the 1950s and 1960s alongside his best friend, Owen Meany. ===== This Present Darkness takes place in the small college town of Ashton. Bernice Kreuger, a reporter for the Clarion, Ashton's town newspaper, is falsely arrested on prostitution charges after taking a photograph at the annual Ashton Summer Festival. When she is released the next day, she discovers that the film in her camera was destroyed. Marshall Hogan, owner/editor-in-chief of the Clarion decides to go to the town police station/courthouse and confront Alf Brummel, the police chief, about the incident. Brummel denies any wrongdoing on behalf of the police department and insists it was all a mistake. Brummel then advises Marshall to drop the matter. Marshall does not fall for Brummel's story and, ignoring Brummel's advice, begins an investigation. As the investigation continues, Marshall and Bernice begin to realize that they're onto something much bigger than they thought. They slowly uncover a plot to take over the town via buying the college, that is being carried out by The Universal Consciousness Society, a powerful New Age group. When the Society decides Marshall has found out too much they take the Clarion, and his house. They also falsely accuse him of murder, adultery and molesting his daughter, who attends the college and who unwittingly has been pulled into the Society. When he and Bernice are caught in a desperate attempt to keep the society from winning out, he is arrested and thrown in jail, and she escapes, running off to find help. Meanwhile, Hank Busche, the unwanted pastor of the little Ashton Community Church discovers that there are many demons in the town and wonders why they have all congregated here. When he gets to be a nuisance to the demons they have the Society falsely arrest him for rape. Hank and Marshall meet in jail. They compare stories and finally put both halves of the puzzle together. During the time that this is happening, the story takes on a spiritual dimension – revealing a perspective based on the idea of unseen forces at work. The angels who wage warfare for the souls of mankind look and act similarly to humans—they have names, they are in charge of specific regions of earth, and they are propelled by heavenly forces that often manifest as wings. They wear armor and wield weapons forged in heaven - most notably, swords. Demons, as well, are depicted as being ink-like shadows in the darkness, flowing from shadow to shadow, until the time comes when they truly reveal themselves as monstrous beasts with bat-wings and armor. Their spiritual combat spans from one-on-one battles to vast armies charging into each other in the "unseen realms" above us. Meanwhile, Bernice finds help and makes contact with the County Prosecutor, the State Attorney General, and the Feds. When Alf Brummel finds out about this he releases Hank and Marshall. After Hank and Marshall are released they "team up" against the Universal Consciousness Society and the demons working to take over Ashton—in which they are (possibly unwittingly) aided by a "local" demon whose position has been usurped by a somewhat more powerful one summoned by the Society, and strikes vengefully at the usurper. ===== The USS Enterprise finds the derelict SS Botany Bay adrift in space. A landing party consisting of Captain Kirk, Doctor Leonard McCoy, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, and historian Lieutenant Marla McGivers beams over to the freighter. The landing party finds a cargo of 84 humans, 72 of whom are alive in suspended animation after nearly 200 years, the other 12 having perished during the journey. McGivers identifies the group's leader, who begins to revive and is taken back to the Enterprise for a medical examination. Kirk has Botany Bay taken in tow by a tractor beam, and Enterprise sets course for Starbase 12\. In sickbay, the group's leader awakens and introduces himself as "Khan". McGivers marvels over Khan, a living relic from the 20th century, her field of interest. First Officer Spock discovers that their guest is actually Khan Noonien Singh, who, along with his people, are products of 20th-century selective breeding designed to create perfect humans. The genetic superhumans instead became tyrants and conquered more than a third of the planet during the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. Khan is placed under guard in quarters. McGivers is sent to brief him on current events. Taking advantage of McGivers' attraction towards him, Khan tells her he means to rule mankind again and needs her help to take over Enterprise. Reluctantly, she agrees, beaming Khan to Botany Bay, where he revives the rest of his people. They return to Enterprise and take control of the ship. Khan throws Kirk into a decompression chamber, and threatens to slowly suffocate him unless Kirk's command crew agree to follow Khan. Having a change of heart, McGivers frees Kirk from the chamber. Kirk and Spock vent anesthetic gas throughout the entire ship to disable Khan and his people. Khan escapes the gas and goes to Engineering, where he attempts to destroy Enterprise, but Kirk confronts him; they fight and Kirk knocks Khan unconscious. Kirk holds a hearing to decide the fate of Khan and his people. Kirk exiles them to Ceti Alpha V, a harsh world that he believes would be a perfect place for Khan to "tame". Khan accepts, citing Milton's Paradise Lost. Instead of a court-martial for McGivers, Kirk allows her to go into exile with Khan. Spock notes that it would be interesting to see what Khan makes of Ceti Alpha V in 100 years. ===== Negotiations between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire have collapsed, and The USS Enterprise is sent to the world of Organia, a non-aligned planet near the Klingon border, to prevent the Klingons from taking advantage of its strategic location. As Enterprise approaches Organia, the ship is attacked and destroys a Klingon vessel. Upon arriving on the planet's surface, Kirk and Spock find a peaceful but technologically primitive town. Kirk appeals to Ayelborne, the head of the local council to allow the Federation to help them resist Klingon occupation, but the Organians adamantly oppose any use of violence. When a Klingon fleet appears in orbit, Kirk orders the Enterprise to withdraw, which strands himself and Spock on the planet. Ayelborne disguises Kirk and Spock to avoid suspicion and the Klingons seize control of the planet without resistance, installing the ranking Klingon officer, Kor, as the military governor. Kor has Spock questioned with a "mind sifter" device to confirm he isn't a spy and designates Kirk as the Organian civilian liaison with the occupation force. Spock uses his mental discipline to withstand the scrutiny of the device. That evening, in an attempt to inspire the Organians, Spock and Kirk sabotage a munitions dump outside the town. Ayelborne reveals the true identities of the Federation officers to Kor. He and the council then mysteriously free the two before the Klingons can torture information out of them. While Kirk and Spock try to comprehend the council's contradictory actions, Kor orders the execution of two hundred Organians, yet the council seems unmoved. As the Federation and Klingon fleets ready themselves for a confrontation in the system, Kirk and Spock raid the Klingon headquarters in hopes of rousing the population into resistance. They capture Kor and prepare to make a last stand. The Organians then reveal their true nature: they are highly advanced incorporeal beings. They instantly incapacitate both sides, forcing them to agree to a cessation of hostilities. The Organians predict that the two sides will work together in the future. ===== The story centers on Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, a small- time loan shark based in Miami. After a run-in with mobster Ray "Bones" Barboni, Chili goes to Las Vegas in pursuit of Leo Devoe, a dry cleaner who has scammed an airline out of $300,000 in life insurance by faking his own death, as well as avoiding his $10,000 debt to Chili's employers. After relieving Leo of the money in Vegas, Chili gambles it all away. However, at the casino, he finds a more interesting assignment: the casino is looking to collect from Harry Zimm, a horror film producer based in Los Angeles. Chili, himself very interested in the movie business, heads for Los Angeles to make Zimm pay. Chili sneaks into the house of actress Karen Flores, where Harry is staying, in the middle of the night. After he warns Harry to pay his Las Vegas markers, he explains that he has an idea for a movie. Harry is immediately taken in by Chili's charm and his movie premise. For the movie's plot, Chili recounts Leo's story to Harry in the third person, as if it were a work of fiction. Karen, however, recognizes the premise as a true story and identifies Chili as the unnamed shylock. The next morning, Harry asks for Chili's help in dealing with a script he wants to buy from his writer's widow, Doris Saffron, who wants $500,000 for it, and he guaranteed a $200,000 investment from Bo Catlett, a local limo driver and drug dealer, to make another movie, Freaks. (Harry gambled Bo's $200,000 away in the Vegas in hope of making the $500,000 he needed for Mr. Lovejoy). In a meeting with Bo, Harry and Chili tell them that their investment in Freaks is sound, but they are making another movie first. Bo tells them to move the money into the new picture; Harry says he cannot since the new movie deal is "structured." Meanwhile, Bo is involved in a Mexican drug deal that falls through. He has left the payment in a locker at the Los Angeles airport, but the Colombian sent to receive the money, Yayo, does not feel safe unlocking the locker with so many DEA agents staked out nearby. Bo later meets Yayo at the limo garage, and after Yayo threatens to tell the DEA who Bo is, Bo shoots him. Bo soon offers the locker money to Harry as an investment and tells him to send Chili to get the money. Chili senses something wrong, signs out a nearby locker as a test, and is taken for questioning by DEA agents. After the questioning, Chili seeks the interests of Michael Weir, a top-tier Hollywood actor to play the lead in "Mr. Lovejoy". Ray Barboni, after learning about Leo's money from his wife, comes to Los Angeles looking for the money Chili collected from Leo, only to find the key to the locker from the failed drug deal in one of Chili's pockets. Thinking Chili has stashed his cash in a locker, he goes to the airport and is busted by drug officials. In a final showdown with Bo, Chili is held at gunpoint by Catlett. One of Catlett's henchman, known as the Bear, arrives just in time to apprehend Catlett, and in the struggle for the gun, Catlett falls through the railing of his sun deck. As Chili recounts his story to Karen and Harry, it shares some comparisons with Mr. Lovejoy. ===== Spock, the first officer of the USS Enterprise, begins to exhibit unusual behavior and requests that he be granted leave on his home planet Vulcan. Captain Kirk and Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy, having witnessed one of their friend's outbursts, agree and Kirk diverts the ship to Vulcan. En route, Kirk receives orders from Starfleet to travel to Altair VI to represent the Federation at the inauguration ceremony for the planet's new president. Though Kirk instructs the crew to set course to Altair VI, Spock secretly changes course back to Vulcan. Kirk confronts Spock, who claims to have no memory of ordering the course change. Kirk orders Spock to Sick Bay, where McCoy finds evidence of extreme physical and emotional stress, a condition that will kill him within eight days if not treated. Spock is forced to explain that he is undergoing pon farr, a condition male Vulcans experience periodically throughout their adult life, and that he must mate or die. Kirk contacts Starfleet to request permission to divert to Vulcan but is denied. Kirk disobeys orders, believing that saving the life of his friend is more important than his career. At Vulcan, Spock invites Kirk and McCoy to accompany him to the wedding ceremony. He explains that Vulcans are bonded as children so as to fulfill the pon farr commitment, and that T'Pring is to be his mate. T'Pring arrives with Stonn, a pureblood Vulcan, whom she prefers to Spock. T'Pau, a matriarch renowned as the only person ever to refuse a seat on the Federation Council, prepares to conduct the ceremony. However, T'Pring demands the kal-if-fee, a physical challenge between Spock and a champion she selects. To everyone's surprise, she chooses Kirk instead of Stonn. Spock begs T'Pau to forbid it as Kirk is unaware of the implications, but T'Pau leaves the decision to Kirk; another champion will be selected if he refuses. Kirk accepts the challenge, only to learn that it is "to the death." The two begin combat with lirpa, a traditional Vulcan weapon. Kirk is challenged by Spock's strength and agility, even in his current state, as well as the thinner atmosphere of Vulcan. McCoy convinces T'Pau to allow him to inject Kirk with a tri-ox compound to offset the effects of the Vulcan atmosphere. The battle continues, with Spock eventually garroting Kirk with an ahn'woon. McCoy rushes to Kirk's body and declares him dead, and requests immediate transport back to the Enterprise. Spock renounces his claim on T'Pring, but not before demanding an explanation from her. She explains that she feared losing Stonn in the kal-if-fee. By choosing Kirk, T'Pring would be assured of having Stonn in some capacity regardless of the outcome: if Spock was the victor, he would release her from the marriage (for having made the challenge in the first place), and if Kirk had won, he would not want her either. Spock, now free of the pon farr, compliments T'Pring on her flawless logic, and returns to the Enterprise, warning Stonn that "having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting." Aboard the ship, Spock announces his intent to resign his commission and submit himself for trial for killing Kirk, when he discovers Kirk is alive and well in sickbay. McCoy explains that the injection he gave Kirk was a neuroparalyzer drug that merely simulated death. Asked about what followed, Spock states that he lost all desire for T'Pring after he thought he killed Kirk. Kirk then learns that Starfleet, at T'Pau's request, has belatedly given the Enterprise permission to travel to Vulcan. ===== The Federation starship USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain Kirk, encounters an alien ship, from which a mysterious woman beams onto the Enterprise bridge. She stuns the entire crew then examines each of them, taking particular interest in the Vulcan First Officer Spock. When the crew awakens, Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy finds Spock in sick bay with his brain surgically removed. Because of his unusual Vulcan physiology, Spock's body can be kept alive in this state for no more than twenty-four hours, giving Captain Kirk that much time to recover his stolen brain. The Enterprise follows the alien ship's ion trail to the sixth planet of the Sigma Draconis system, a harsh world in the middle of an ice age. A band of male inhabitants attack the landing party, and a captured attacker warns Kirk about the "others", also known as "the givers of pain and delight". Kirk asks about the females of his kind, but is met only with bewilderment. The landing party is joined by Dr. McCoy, accompanied by Spock's mobile body, controlled by a device McCoy has fashioned. The party travels deep underground and encounter a woman named Luma. When questioned, Luma shows the mentality of a child. Spock's voice is heard through a communicator, but before the conversation goes further, Kirk and his party are captured. The party is brought before the leader of the women, Kara, the same woman who appeared on the Enterprise bridge. Kirk demands to know what they have done with Spock's brain, but Kara claims not to understand what a brain is. As they try to explain the function of a brain, she realizes that what they are seeking is the "Controller", on which the underground civilization is completely dependent. The landing party escapes and follow Spock's signals to a control room where his brain has been placed. Kara tells them that the skills needed to remove a brain were provided by a machine called the "Teacher", and that knowledge so obtained lasts no more than three hours. McCoy decides to use the Teacher himself, and then quickly begins the procedure to restore Spock's brain. McCoy's new knowledge begins to fade before the operation is complete, but Spock provides assistance after McCoy reestablishes Spock's ability to speak. Without their Controller, Kara fears for the women's existence. Kirk assures Kara that the men and women can learn to survive together on the surface. Spock begins a long winded history of the culture of Sigma Draconis VI, much to the dismay of McCoy. ===== In 1853, soldier-of-fortune William Walker flees Mexico after a failed attempt to incite an armed insurrection. He is placed on trial by US officials, but wins acquittal on breaking the Neutrality Act. Walker believes in Manifest Destiny and has plans to marry and start a newspaper until his fianceé Ellen Martin dies of cholera. Financed by American multimillionaire Cornelius Vanderbilt, Walker and 60 mercenaries embark on a mission to overthrow the government of Nicaragua, to secure Vanderbilt's rights over an overland shipping route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Walker and his corps score a bloody victory in Nicaragua and when the capital falls, Walker allows the President to stay in charge, but takes his mistress, Doña Yrena. With increasing disruption in the country, Walker orders the President shot and assumes the presidency for himself. From 1855 to 1857, his actions as president become increasingly manic and delusional, with Walker antagonizing his financial backer by revoking Vanderbilt's license to the overland trade route. Nicaragua and its neighbors unite to rid themselves of the unwelcome dictator, and they drive the despot out. Eventually, without the support of Vanderbilt or the US government, Walker's further forays into Central America lead to his capture and execution. ===== Cream Lemon is a collection of sometimes surreal stories having different settings and situations, with genres including fantasy, comedy, suspense, sci-fi, action, drama and mystery. The overriding theme of the series is sex of almost any kind imaginable. Most chapters stand alone as separate titles, having no relation to any other stories within the Cream Lemon series. The main recurring character is Ami Nonomura, who has an incestuous relationship with her step-brother Hiroshi. Cream Lemon often focuses on unrealistic and exaggerated sexual themes. One example is the story of a girl who does not like sex because of a series of rapes in her family. To cure this, the school counselor orders her to strip in front of the art class and masturbate herself to the point of orgasm. She then has public sex with a boy and likes it, causing the whole class to start having sex. Many others are similarly surreal. ===== The USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain Kirk, is transporting Federation ambassadors to a conference on the planet Babel, to discuss the admission of the Coridan system into the Federation. The system is a prime source of dilithium crystals but is underpopulated and unprotected, a situation that some would prefer to maintain by keeping Coridan out of the Federation. Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan boards with his human wife Amanda, ignoring Spock's greetings. Captain Kirk learns that he is in fact Spock's father, estranged from Spock because of his decision to join Starfleet rather than the Vulcan Science Academy. During a reception for the passengers, the Tellarite ambassador, Gav, demands to know Sarek's position on Coridan. Pushed for a response, Sarek refers to the need to protect Coridan from unauthorized mining operations, with which Tellarite ships have been involved. Gav takes offense at the allegation and the confrontation briefly becomes physical before Kirk intervenes, warning all parties to keep order on his ship. Meanwhile, Communications Officer Lt. Uhura has detected an encoded transmission beamed from Enterprise to a fast-moving vessel at the extreme edge of sensor range. Shortly afterward, Ambassador Gav is found murdered, his neck broken by what Spock describes as an ancient Vulcan method of execution called Tal-Shaya, casting suspicion on Sarek. During questioning, Sarek suffers a cardiovascular event, and is rushed to sickbay, where Chief Medical Officer McCoy determines that he requires immediate surgery. Because there is a shortage of his rare T-negative-type blood, Spock volunteers to donate some of his own blood for the operation, using an experimental stimulant for increased blood production. Plans for the procedure come to a halt when Thelev, a member of the Andorian delegation, stabs Captain Kirk. Kirk subdues Thelev but is seriously wounded and taken to sickbay, while Thelev is imprisoned in the brig. In accordance with regulations, and despite Amanda's emotional plea, Spock refuses to continue the blood donation and turn command of Enterprise over to anyone else, as the situation is too critical. Hearing of Spock's refusal to relinquish command, and having recovered sufficiently to be able to walk, Kirk returns to the bridge to relieve Spock and order him to the sickbay, intending to turn command over to Mr. Scott. When Uhura picks up another encoded transmission from inside Enterprise and traces the source to the brig, Kirk decides to stay on the bridge. When Thelev is searched, it is discovered that one of his antennae is fake and conceals a small transceiver. The unidentified vessel closes in to attack, moving too quickly for Enterprise to lock phasers. The ship takes several hits from the attacking vessel. McCoy begins the operation on Sarek, who is receiving blood directly from Spock. Kirk orders Thelev brought to the bridge and questions him about himself and the attacking ship; Thelev is unresponsive. Kirk decides on a ruse, shutting down internal power to make Enterprise appear crippled. The attacker approaches, and Enterprise damages it with a surprise phaser attack. The disabled ship self-destructs, and Thelev reveals that both he and the ship were on suicide missions; he then collapses and dies from a delayed-action poison. Kirk returns to sickbay for further care and finds Spock and Sarek both alert, the surgery an apparent success. Spock speculates that Thelev and the attacking ship were of Orion origin, and the speed and power of the latter were consistent with a suicide mission, with all energy dedicated to attack. Thelev's mission aboard Enterprise, Kirk and Spock presume, was to sow distrust among the Federation members and weaken Enterprise prior to the attack. In support of this theory is the fact that Orion has been raiding Coridan, and would profit by selling dilithium to both sides in a war. Amanda asks Sarek to thank Spock for saving his life, but Sarek shrugs and says that it was only logical. Amanda expresses anger at this harping on logic, and Spock, noting her temper, asks Sarek why he married her. Sarek replies, "At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do," and offers Amanda his hand in a ritual gesture of affection. McCoy then firmly orders Kirk and Spock to remain quietly in bed, finally getting the last word. ===== Carl Boehm as Mark Lewis In London, Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) meets Dora (Brenda Bruce), a prostitute, covertly filming her with a camera hidden under his coat. Shown from the point of view of the camera viewfinder, he follows the woman into her flat, murders her, and later watches the film in his den. The following morning, Lewis films the police's removal of Dora's corpse from her home, posing as a reporter. Lewis is a member of a film crew who aspires to become a filmmaker himself. He also works part-time photographing soft-porn pin-up pictures of women, sold under the counter. He is a shy, reclusive young man who hardly socializes outside of his workplace. He lives in the house of his late father, renting most of it via an agent while posing as a tenant himself. Helen Stephens (Anna Massey), a sweet- natured young woman who lives with her blind mother in the flat below his, befriends him out of curiosity after he has been discovered spying on her 21st birthday party. Mark reveals to Helen through home films taken by his father that, as a child, he was used as a guinea pig for his father's psychological experiments on fear and the nervous system. Mark's father would study his son's reaction to various stimuli, such as lizards he put on his bed and would film the boy in all sorts of situations, even going as far as recording his son's reactions as he sat with his mother on her deathbed. He kept his son under constant watch and even wired all the rooms so that he could spy on him. Mark's father's studies enhanced his reputation as a renowned psychologist. Mark arranges with Vivian (Moira Shearer), a stand-in at the studio, to make a film after the set is closed; he then kills her and stuffs her into a prop trunk. The body is discovered later during shooting by Diane, a female cast member who has already antagonized the director by fainting for real at points which are not in the script. The police link the two murders and notice that each victim died with a look of utter terror on her face. They interview everyone on the set, including Mark, who always keeps his camera running, claiming that he is making a documentary. Helen goes out to dinner with Mark, even persuading him to leave his camera behind for once, and briefly kisses him once they return. Her mother, Mrs. Stephens, finds his behavior peculiar; aware, despite her blindness, how often Mark looks through Helen's window. Mrs. Stephens is waiting inside Mark's flat after his evening out with her daughter. Unable to wait until she leaves due to his compulsion, he begins screening his latest snuff film with her still in the room. She senses how emotionally disturbed he is and threatens to move, but Mark reassures her that he will never photograph or film Helen. A psychiatrist is called to the set to console Diane. He chats with Mark and is familiar with his father's work. The psychiatrist relates the details of the conversation to the police, noting that Mark has "his father's eyes." Mark is tailed by the police to the newsagents, where he takes photographs of the pin-up model Milly. Slightly later, it emerges that Mark has killed Milly before returning home. Helen, who is curious about Mark's films, finally runs one of them. She becomes visibly upset and then frightened when he catches her. Mark reveals that he makes the films so that he can capture the fear of his victims. He has mounted a round mirror atop his camera so that he can capture the reactions of his victims as they see their impending deaths. He points the tripod's knife towards Helen's throat but refuses to kill her. The police arrive and Mark realizes he is cornered. As he had planned from the very beginning, he impales himself on the knife with the camera running, providing the finale for his documentary. The last shot shows Helen crying over Mark's dead body as the police enter the room. ===== This character survives on drugs, alcohol, and counseling sessions until he transforms into a Chicano activist. At the end of the work, the protagonist adds the middle name of "Zeta," a symbol which represents his Chicano and Mexican culture and roots. By traveling to his birthplace, the lost character discovers himself and learns lessons on the road as he reflects on his life. On the back of some copy of the books it says "Oscar Zeta Acosta was famous as a Robin Hood Chicano Lawyer and notorious as the real-life model for Hunter S. Thompson's "Dr. Gonzo"" a character in book and movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." ===== Harry Sanborn is a wealthy New York music mogul who has had a 40-year habit of dating women under 30, including his latest conquest, Marin Klein. The two drive to her mother's Hamptons beach house expecting to be alone, but are surprised by Marin's mother, the successful playwright Erica Barry, who is there with her sister Zoe. After an awkward dinner, the night turns disastrous when—during foreplay with Marin—Harry has a heart attack and is rushed to a hospital. The doctor, Julian Mercer, tells Harry to stay nearby for a few days, so Harry ends up staying with Erica. Their personalities clash and create awkward living arrangements—until they get to know each other. Harry's relationship with her daughter and Julian's crush on Erica leave the two struggling to deal with relationships. Marin tells her mother that she will break up with Harry after having met another man closer to her age, but he ends things first. Harry and Erica spend more time together and eventually consummate their relationship. Harry discovers that his improving health means that he no longer has to stay with Erica, so he heads home. Marin receives news that her father and Erica's ex-husband, Dave Klein, whom Erica still allows to direct her plays, is getting remarried to Kristen, an ear, nose and throat doctor who is only two years older than Marin. Though Erica is unaffected by the news, Marin is devastated and pressures her mother into accompanying her to a family dinner. Erica is the life of the party until she sees Harry at another table with another much-younger woman. In the argument that follows, Harry suffers from what he believes is another heart attack, but is told by the young ER physician, Dr. Martinez, who treats him like her father, that it was only a panic attack. Erica is heartbroken but figures that these events would be great to use in a play. Harry hears about it and rushes to the NYC theater where it is being rehearsed. Despite her denials, it is quickly obvious that she has used the most personal details of their affair in the play. Erica coolly rebuffs his every insinuation that he cares about her and hints that his character will die in the play—for a laugh. He then has another panic attack and is again treated by Dr. Martinez, who warns him that he needs to learn to "decompress". Six months pass. Erica's play is a huge success. Harry pays Marin a visit to apologize for anything he ever did to hurt her, and discovers she is happily married - and pregnant. Marin tells Harry that he was nothing but nice to her, and informs him Erica is in Paris celebrating her birthday. Remembering how they had once planned to spend their birthdays together there, Harry flies to Paris and surprises Erica at her favorite restaurant. He tells Erica that over the past six months, he reached out to all the women he had affairs with; though repeatedly rebuffed at first, he finally broke through. They all had identical harsh stories that helped him learn how he arrived at being him, with his trip to find Erica being the last and farthest. Julian, whom Erica is now dating, then appears, since she had been waiting at the restaurant for him. It is subsequently implied that he plans to propose to her. Harry, Erica and Julian get along well during dinner, but they part outside the restaurant. While Harry gazes in heartache over the river Seine, Erica shows up. She tells him Julian realized what was happening and decided to step aside to let her be with Harry. Harry explains that his search during the last six months made him realize he truly loves Erica. As a plus, it starts snowing. A year later at a New York restaurant, Erica and Harry, now married, are out with Marin, her husband Danny and their new baby daughter as one big happy family. ===== The story arises from the murder of Rikaine Delmarre, a prominent "fetologist" (fetal scientist), responsible for the operation of the planetary birthing center of Solaria, a planet politically hostile to Earth, whose death Elijah Baley is called to investigate, at the request of the Solarian government. He is again partnered with the humanoid robot R. Daneel Olivaw, and asked by Earth's government to assess the Solarian society for weaknesses. The book focuses on the unusual traditions, customs, and culture of Solarian society. The planet has a rigidly controlled population of 20,000, and all work is done by robots, which outnumber humans ten thousand to one. People are taught from birth to avoid personal contact, and live on huge estates, either alone or with their spouse only. Face-to-face interaction (referred to in the book as "seeing"), and especially impregnating a woman, when replacement of a descendent is necessary, was seen as a dirty chore. (Other science fiction novels examine the extra-uterine care of fetuses, but this is not Asimov's concern here.) Communication takes place through technology unknown of off their world: holography, 3-D television. At the time, 2-D (ordinary) color television was a novelty, with very limited programming and not many of the expensive receivers. Asimov was a scientist with a wide range of interests, and was familiar with the principles of electron microscopes then being developed, and from which holography descends. The Solarians have no modesty when communicating with each other in this fashion. In the book it is referred to as "viewing", in contrast to "seeing", which is face-to-face and dangerous, because a disease could be transmitted. Nudity was frequent. Baley, however, insists on face-to-face conversations, traveling in a closed vehicle because of his own agoraphobia, resulting from his life in the enclosed cities of Earth. Normally the prime suspect in a murder would have been Delmarre's wife Gladia, who was present in the house when he was killed by being beaten over the head. She claims to have no memory of what happened, nor is there any sign of the object used to beat Rikaine Delmarre to death. The only witness is a malfunctioning house robot that has suffered damage to its positronic brain because it allowed harm to be done to a human, in violation of the First Law. Baley's first encounter with Gladia is through viewing, at which point he discovers that Solarians have no taboo about nudity when viewing, though Baley is shocked. Thereafter he develops a relationship with Gladia in face-to-face contact. She reveals to Baley that she does not like all Solarian customs, and was on bad terms with Rikaine, partly from sexual frustration. The situation becomes more complex when Hannis Gruer, the Head of Security on Solaria, is poisoned while viewing with Baley. Baley, unable to intervene physically, has to call on Gruer's robots to save him. Baley is able to prevent the house robots from cleaning up the scene and destroying evidence, which happened after Delmarre's death. Ultimately, it is revealed that Delmarre's neighbor, roboticist Jothan Leebig, was working on putting positronic brains in spaceships. This would negate the First Law, as such ships would not recognize humans, and would be able to attack and destroy other ships without regard for their crews. Delmarre was one of his opponents, as were other Solarians who were horrified by the prospect of robots that could actually harm them. Leebig poisoned Gruer by tricking his robots, using his knowledge of positronic brains, into putting poison into Gruer's drink. Daneel goes to arrest Leebig, who kills himself in Solarian fear of human contact, not knowing that Daneel is a robot. It is assumed that he also engineered the murder of Rikaine Delmarre. Baley conceals Gladia's role on the grounds that her emotional breakdown was under the pressure of the Solarian way of life. Leebig had instructed the Delmarre house robots to detach an arm and give it to Gladia in the heat of an argument. She then hit her husband with it, killing him, before going into a fugue state, after which she remembered nothing. She decides to emigrate to the Spacer planet of Aurora. Baley returns to Earth to acclaim from his boss. Asked by his boss to reveal any weaknesses he found, Baley says that the features once regarded as Spacer strengths; their robots and long lives, will ultimately prove to be weaknesses. They discourage an active, exploratory attitude that Earth-born humans will eventually rediscover once they are able to leave Earth. The story of the aftereffects can be found in the sequel The Robots of Dawn. ===== Bugs Bunny, looking for a place to spend the night, happens in an abandoned gothic farmhouse, which, unbeknownst to Bugs, is the hideout of two gangsters, Rocky and Hugo. Shortly thereafter, Rocky and Hugo return pursued by rival gangsters. The running gunfight continues as they take cover inside the farmhouse; Bugs comically gets up in the middle of the gunfight to use the bathroom and get a glass of water before returning to bed just as the shooting ends. Later while Rocky is doling out his and Hugo's shares of the money from the heist they just pulled, Bugs slyly cuts in after noticing Rocky is not paying attention. He poses as several gang members until he gets all of the money. Rocky then wises up, and demands the money back. When Bugs refuses, Rocky has Hugo take Bugs for a ride. Bugs returns to the house without Hugo (who is absent from the rest of the cartoon, his fate unknown), and Rocky at first does not notice. When he does, he demands to know where the "dough" is, and after promising not to look (since Bugs does not want him to know where he hid it) gets a bowl of pie-dough in the face. Bugs then poses as Mugsy, another gangster, who threatens that "It's curtains for you, Rocky", and then pulls an actual set of curtains from inside his jacket and hangs them over Rocky's head. Bugs then pretends to be a policeman and has Rocky hide inside a chest while he "deals with" the police. Bugs acts out the officer breaking in, ensuing in a fight over the chest which he is in, and play-acts a fight in which he eventually throws the imaginary cop out of a window. Before the phony fight, Bugs opens the chest and hands Rocky a time bomb, which soon detonates and leaves Rocky's clothes in shreds. Rocky flees the house, not wanting to be left "with that crazy rabbit". Bugs sighs, "Some guys just can't take it, see? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!". ===== The ORN Empire (antagonists of the game) has built a large asteroid fortress named the Dyradeizer to oppose the Galaxy Federation. In addition to its high firepower capabilities, Dyradeizer is supported by shield generators hidden in various locations by ORN, which render the fortress invisible. In an attempt to destroy Dyradeizer, the Galaxy Federation sends their specially designed fighter, the FIRE LEO (controlled by the player), to locate and destroy the shield generators and defeat Dyradeizer. ===== When Porky finds a golden egg in his henhouse, a goose reveals to the audience that he laid it. However, knowing full well what happened to the goose that laid the golden egg (a reference to Aesop's Fables), the goose tells Porky that Daffy is responsible. After reading about how much Daffy is worth, Rocky and his gang strong-arm Porky and 'talk him into' selling the duck to them. They hustle Daffy back to their den where Rocky demands he lay a golden egg. Daffy tries to stall for time, at one point asking for surroundings that would make him more comfortable. Rocky and his henchmen oblige, but when Daffy tries to get out of providing the egg, they shoot him out of the nice pool he has been enjoying and take him back to their hideout. Daffy is given five minutes to lay the egg, or else. The duck insists on privacy, then tries various ways to escape his predicament, but is stopped at every turn. When time runs out, Rocky fires his gun at Daffy's head. The extreme stress results in him actually laying a golden egg. Relieved he is now free to go, Daffy prances toward the door. Rocky holds him up, points into a room containing dozens of empty egg crates and orders the duck to fill them. Daffy groans, "Oh, my achin' back" and faints. ===== Tweety, who is a rare and valuable bird, has been captured and held for ransom by a duo of criminals: Rocky and his assistant Nick. Sylvester, who is interested only in finding food to eat, makes a number of attempts to steal Tweety: *Sylvester climbs up the fire escape, then edges along a ledge to the apartment. Rocky sees him and places a banana peel on the ledge, causing Sylvester to slip and fall off. *Sylvester climbs up the main stairs. Tweety escapes and meets Sylvester on the landing. Tweety refuses Sylvester's offer to use his mouth as a hiding place (the cat tried to eat him; "Not so hard!"). Sylvester instead hides Tweety under a can just as the criminals arrive. Nick takes Sylvester inside for searching, while Rocky removes Tweety from under the can and replaces the bird with a firecracker. Sylvester escapes with the can, unaware of the firecracker, and is injured when it explodes. *Sylvester hoists himself up using a pulley on a building site. He grabs Tweety and escapes, but the steel plate on the end of the pulley falls back down and lands on him. Sylvester then gains access using a dumbwaiter. At the same time, police surround the building. Nick hides Tweety in the dumbwaiter, unaware that Sylvester is in there. Rocky is arrested (and likely Nick too). Sylvester escapes from the apartment block with Tweety and is quickly hailed as a hero by the press, who are unaware that he was only interested in eating the bird. Sylvester is forced to attend a celebration in which the mayor requests Sylvester to kiss Tweety, but he eats him, only to get forced to spit Tweety out by the mayor. Tweety ended the cartoon with "Oooh, he's a bad putty tat". ===== The games are set somewhere in a galaxy known as the Bomber Nebula, usually on Bomberman's home planet, Planet Bomber. The original Japanese home computer games had no real storyline. Bomberman for Famicom/NES and Atomic Punk for Game Boy begin with "Bomberman" (the eponymous character of the game) who worked day in and day out making bombs in an underground compound, but he dreamed of liberty, so he plotted his escape. After hearing a rumor that robots reaching the surface become human, he decides to escape. He was aided by the only skill he knew, bomb making. He uses the bombs to destroy the enemies preventing his escape and to clear blocked walls. When he reaches the surface, he transforms into an organic human being and becomes known as the "Runner". This storyline is not present in some versions, such as Bomberman Party Edition, and this setting was largely abandoned but used for connections with Hudson's Lode Runner games and Bomberman: Act Zero. In the Bomberman for the TurboGrafx-16, Bomberman is used as a prototype for further Bomberman robots by Dr. Mitsumori. To distinguish him from other Bombermen, the main character is given the name White Bomberman (or White Bomber). In earlier appearances, the second Bomberman model (known as Black Bomberman) is an enemy due to a programming error, but starting with Super Bomberman, the two have forged an alliance. They have joined forces to handle bigger threats, most notably the evil alien Professor Bagura, who is most infamously known as the creator of the Five Dastardly Bombers. Paths were also crossed with an intergalactic crime organization called the Hige Hige Bandits (led by Mujoe and Dr. Mechado), as well as a mysterious rival known as Regulus. There is no central series antagonist, but these are the most common foes. Bomberman appears to be part of an intergalactic police force to help protect the galaxy. This has been elaborated upon in later games, where a friendly figure named Dr. Ein directs Bomberman's objectives. There is also Bomber Base on Planet Bomber, where Bomberman trains daily. After the shapeshifter (if fed) Pommy was introduced, Charaboms became a part of the gameplay in some later single player games. A cyborg character called Max also became a semi-regular member. ===== Aya Mikage and her twin brother, Aki, are forced to go to their grandfather's home for their sixteenth birthday, unaware that it's actually a test to see if they have angel or celestial maiden blood. Aya learns she is one of many reincarnations of a vengeful and supremely powerful celestial maiden named Ceres who takes over her mind and body only under intense stress or fury. When she transforms into Ceres, Aya obtains supernatural abilities of flight, teleportation, telepathy, powerful telekinesis, premonition, and superhuman speed; she can also project destructive pink energy blasts from her hands, and create impenetrable shields of bright pink-colored celestial energy. According to myth, Ceres will ultimately exterminate the entire Mikage family in retaliation for stealing her hagoromo (celestial robe), thus preventing her returning home to Heaven. Because of this, Aya's paternal grandfather and his party attempt to kill her, but she is saved by Suzumi Aogiri, another descendant of a heavenly maiden with incredibly strong celestial and mental abilities of her, and Suzumi's brother-in-law, Yūhi. Aya struggles to control Ceres' influence over her and appease her spirit once and for all. Her brother Aki is eventually completely taken over by the vengeful spirit of "Mikagi", the original ancestor/progenitor of the entire Mikage family who stole Ceres' celestial robe (or "mana"), forcing her to stay with him on Earth. Aya promises Ceres that she will help find the celestial robe in exchange for not killing those who hunt her, especially Aki, since Aya still loves them as family. It's revealed(in Episode 7, "Celestial Awakening") that "The Hagoromo Legend" not only exists in Japan, but in other countries around the world such as Europe, Africa, all three regions of Oceania, Germany, China, Korea, Russia, and even all fifty states in the United States. Aya also wrestles with her strong romantic feelings for Toya, a former servant of the Mikage. Toya is trying to kill her as well, and has lost his memory of his past. However, he begins to reciprocate Aya's feelings, and they conceive a child together. Toya regains his memory and learns that he was the immortal humanoid organism, also known as "the manna," that the celestial robe created to help it reunite with Ceres and enable her to reach the full evolution as a celestial maiden. In the end, Aki, having resisted Mikage's spirit, sacrifices himself to save Aya, and Toya sacrifices his own manna and immortality to save Aya and their unborn child. Months later, Aya and Toya await the birth of their child, knowing that Toya may have limited time left to live, however Toya did claim that he will live longer, for his new family's sake. ===== Read or Die takes place in an alternate history world where the British Empire has remained a major superpower. The Empire's continued existence is guaranteed by the , an external intelligence agency working within the actual British Library; its Special Operations Division (the British Secret Intelligence Service, more widely known as MI6) is also often mentioned, despite Kurata's editors (erroneously) telling him it no longer existed.R.O.D volume 5, Hideyuki Kurata, Shueisha Super Dash bunko, The series follows Yomiko Readman, also known as "The Paper", a superhuman agent of the Library's Special Operations (possessing a "double 0" certification that denotes a "license to kill", as in the James Bond series, although she rarely invokes it). In both the novels and manga, her adventures alternate between doing missions for the British Library and helping young novelist Nenene Sumiregawa. Only the first novel and first manga have similar stories, involving rescuing Nenene Sumiregawa from a vicious kidnapper. Otherwise, the novels, manga, and animated versions of the stories have divergent plotlines. While characterizations are usually consistent even when storylines are not, some characters have different origins in different versions of the story, or do not appear at all. ===== Bugs has relocated his home due to heavy winter rains; he now lives under the floor of a condemned building. All of a sudden, he hears police sirens, which are followed by a car stopping, and then clambering footsteps. Rocky and Mugsy, two gangsters, burst into the room. They have just committed a jewelry robbery, "all 14-carat". Bugs hears the last word as "carrot", and emerges to see what is happening. He realizes what is going on, and vows to take care of the two while they rest for the night. First, Bugs takes a candlestick telephone, slips one end near Rocky's ear and whispers from the other end in his hole that Mugsy is not so very trustworthy and is coming up with ideas, until Rocky gets out of the chair and confronts Mugsy, slapping him in the face. Mugsy has no idea what is up. Next, Bugs sneaks out and places an ax in Mugsy's right hand. Then, in his hole, he whispers through the old phone and informs Rocky that Mugsy is not called "the Detroit Butcher for nothing". Rocky once again confronts Mugsy, seizes the weapon and slices one of the couch's arms cleanly. Mugsy still does not know what is up. Next, Bugs is in the attic unscrewing the ceiling light over Rocky's head with a screwdriver. Mugsy sees the screws coming loose. Knowing that Rocky will blame him if the light falls on him, he grabs his own screwdriver and a ladder and tries to screw the light back in. But Bugs beats him to it and the light falls right on Rocky, with Mugsy looking as if he did it when Rocky sees him. Mugsy tries to explain, but Rocky kicks him several times in the air. Next, Bugs switches Rocky's cigarette with a dynamite stick. He walks over to Mugsy and imitates Rocky's voice asking for a light. Mugsy gladly does, and Rocky is blown up. Rocky finally snaps, ties Mugsy up, and shuts him in a corridor bathroom. Next, Bugs saws a circle around Rocky's chair, only letting him see the tool near the end. Bugs then slips it into Mugsy's hands and hides, while Rocky shoots wildly and confronts Mugsy with some hitting while screaming, "I don't know how ya's done it, but I know ya's done it!!!". Finally, Bugs pops out from under the floor, unties Mugsy, and puts him up on his feet with a pair of roller skates and a powerful magnet and drags it down with him. Mugsy skates all around Rocky. Then, Bugs and Rocky cause Mugsy to crash from wall to wall. Soon, the police arrive and arrest the crooks. Rocky thinks that it was Mugsy that gave them away to the police (and then begins to mercilessly beat up Mugsy in the police car), but it was actually Bugs, who had put up a neon sign flashing the words "ROCKY'S HIDEAWAY". ===== The narrator explains how the Roaring Twenties was a time of jazz, new fashion trends, dance parties, and mobster violence. Over in Washington D.C., Bugs Bunny (addressed as Agent Elegant Mess in this cartoon) is assigned by his chief to infiltrate the gangster underworld in Chicago. As Bugs takes a taxi out to Chicago, he discovers that it has been compromised by Rocky and Mugsy. At the hideout, Rocky and Mugsy have tied up Bugs and given him the concrete shoes treatment. Both men then throw Bugs into Lake Michigan in the dark of the night, but Bugs manages to use a pipe as a snorkel and hop out of the lake. The next night, the gangsters decide to throw a party to celebrate Rocky's birthday and the (supposed) death of Bugs. Mugsy announces Rocky's entertainment just as Bugs pops out of the cake, disguised as a flapper. Just as Rocky comes up to Bugs to tell him that he loves him, Bugs kicks Rocky up the jaw, making him drop his guns. The third kick has Rocky so deep under his hat that he has to feel the floor for his guns and fire aimlessly. Once Bugs flees, Rocky sees he has been set up and orders all of the gangsters in attendance to capture Bugs, but they all fall to the floor dead (Rocky having shot them by accident). Bugs comes in, disguised as a police inspector, and books Rocky for murder. Determined not to be booked, Rocky whips out a revolver. Bugs then whips out a carrot, which Rocky and Mugsy find funny, until the carrot's end opens up and blasts them. Rocky then retaliates with real gunfire and he and Mugsy chase Bugs across town into a factory and up a set of stairs into what is supposedly a storeroom. Bugs then escapes, locks the door, and runs down the stairs. A light then goes on revealing that the three characters are in the ACME Cereal Factory. Bugs then throws a switch, which sends Rocky and Mugsy into a mixer, then the popper. When the cereals come out on the conveyor belts, the crooks have been boxed up. The next day, with Rocky and Mugsy apprehended, Bugs takes them to Juliet Prison to spend 20 years of hard labor. We see in the final shot that a disgruntled Bugs is joining them in the sentence, as the narrator explains that Bugs had lost the keys to the handcuffs. ===== Sir Topham Hatt and his family have left the Island of Sodor on holiday, leaving Mr. Conductor in charge of the engines. Gordon complains to Thomas, when Diesel 10 races by, scaring both engines. Meanwhile, in Shining Time, Mr. Conductor is suffering a crisis; his supply of magic gold dust is alarmingly low and not enough for him to travel back from Sodor. At Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas is talking to James, when Diesel 10 arrives and announces his plan to rid Sodor of steam engines by finding and destroying Lady, the lost engine, the key to steam engines living in peace. Thomas leaves to collect Mr. Conductor. Lady is hidden in a workshop on Muffle Mountain after Diesel 10's previous attempt to destroy her. Lady is unable to steam despite trying all of the coals in Indian Valley. That night, Diesel 10 approaches the shed where the steam engines are sleeping and destroys the side of it with his claw. Mr. Conductor tries to keep him in order, but the gold dust fails and Mr. Conductor scares Diesel 10 away by threatening to pour a bag of sugar in his fuel tanks. Burnett's granddaughter, Lily Stone, is visiting her grandfather. She meets a dog named Mutt at the railway station. At the sheds, the steam engines conclude that they should find Lady before Diesel 10, unaware that his oafish diesel minions Splatter and Dodge are spying on them. Lily meets Mr. Conductor's cousin Junior and Stacy Jones before she is taken to Burnett's house. Mr. Conductor calls his cousin, Mr. C. Junior, to help him with his gold dust crisis. That night, Percy and Thomas conclude there is a secret railway between Sodor and Shining Time. After spying on their conversation, Diesel 10 goes to the smelters yard to tell Splatter and Dodge of his plans to destroy Lady. Observing this, Toby distracts Diesel 10 by ringing his bell, causing Diesel 10 to knock one of the supports out from the shed with his claw, which collapses the roof on top of them. The next morning, Thomas collects six coal trucks for Henry, and one of them accidentally rolls through the buffers that lead to the secret railway. Later that day, Mr. Conductor is abducted by Diesel 10, who threatens to drop him off a viaduct unless he divulges the location of the buffers, but Mr. Conductor cuts one of the claw's hydraulic hoses with a pair of tin snips, and is thrown free. He lands at the Sodor windmill, where he finds a clue to the source of the gold dust. Lily meets Patch, who takes her to Shining Time, where she meets Junior again. Junior takes her through the Magic Railroad to Sodor, where they meet Thomas. Thomas is not happy to see Junior, but agrees to help him and Lily and takes them to the windmill, where they find Mr. Conductor. Junior climbs onto one of the sails and is thrown onto Diesel 10's roof. Later that night, Percy finds that Splatter and Dodge have found the Sodor entrance to the Magic Railroad and goes to warn Thomas. Thomas agrees to take Lily home. While traveling through the Magic Railroad, Thomas discovers the missing coal truck, which he collects. Lily goes to find Burnett, leaving Thomas stranded. Thomas rolls down the mountain and re-enters the Magic Railroad through another secret portal. Meanwhile, Junior reunites with Mr. Conductor after managing to escape with James from Diesel 10 by using the last of his gold dust. Lily finds Burnett in his workshop and he explains the problem getting Lady to steam. Lily suggests using a special coal from Sodor. Patch retrieves the truck and Burnett uses the coal to start Lady. Now steaming, Lady takes Burnett, Lily, Patch and Mutt along the Magic Railroad. Thomas arrives and the two engines return to Sodor, where they meet Mr. Conductor and Junior. Diesel 10 arrives with Splatter and Dodge, who decide to stop helping him. Diesel 10 chases Thomas and Lady to the viaduct, where the steam engines make it safely across, but the viaduct collapses under Diesel 10's weight, and he falls and lands onto a barge filled with sludge. Thomas, Lady and Burnett return to the grotto; Lily combines water from a wishing well and shavings from the Magic Railroad to make more gold dust. Junior decides to go to work on Sodor and Mr. Conductor gives him his conductor's hat before sending him to another railway. Lily, Burnett, Patch and Mutt return to Shining Time, and Lady returns to the Magic Railroad while Thomas travels home into the sunset. ===== Anarchy 99, a Russian terrorist group, acquires a biochemical weapon, "Silent Night", presumed missing since the fall of the Soviet Union. Anarchy 99 easily discover and kill an undercover agent sent by the NSA to recover it. NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons suggests sending someone who lacks ties to the US government, such as Xander "XXX" Cage, an extreme sports professional wanted by the FBI for acts protesting against a senator. Gibbons's team takes Cage into custody, who passes two field tests: stopping a staged diner robbery and escaping from a Colombian cartel's plantation during an army raid. Cage reluctantly accepts the job after Gibbons says his only other option is prison. Cage meets the NSA support team in Prague, which includes Czech agent Milan Sova, who has been tasked with supervising and, if necessary, deporting Cage. While scouting an Anarchy 99 party, Cage identifies Sova as a police officer to Anarchy 99's leader, Yorgi, earning him favor with the group, which is enhanced when Yorgi's brother Kolya reveals he is Cage's fan. Cage asks Yorgi about purchasing high end sports cars, and Yelena, Yorgi's girlfriend and lieutenant, gives Cage an account number after arguing about pricing. Gibbons calls Cage about changes to the plan but is impressed when Cage gives them information provided by the star- struck Kolya. Impressed by his work, Gibbons sends tech-specialist Agent Toby Shavers, who provides Cage with a special revolver, binoculars that can see through walls and explosives disguised as bandages. As Cage attends the car deal he made with Yorgi, Sova attempts to intercede. Using the trick revolver and special effects, Cage fakes killing Sova. Having earned Yorgi's trust, Cage joins Anarchy 99. Yorgi brings Cage back to a castle after a dance party at one of his nightclubs that serves as Anarchy 99's headquarters. Cage, while searching for the biochemical weapon, catches Yelena investigating Yorgi's secret safe. He takes her to a nearby restaurant to discuss the matter and reveals his true identity. Sova betrays Cage to Yorgi on the phone. Furious, Yorgi sends his trusted sniper Kirill to kill Cage. While watching the pair, Kirill, who is in love with Yelena, warns her. As Cage and Yelena stage a fight, the NSA suddenly appears to capture Cage, and Yelena is taken back to Anarchy 99. Cage meets with Gibbons, who demands that Cage return to America now that his cover is blown and special forces are planning to siege the castle. Cage refuses, fearing for Yelena's life and bitter that Sova purposely blew his cover. Cage sneaks into Yorgi's castle and follows him into a secret underground lab. Cage overhears Yorgi's plan to launch "Silent Night" from a water-borne drone named Ahab. Cage flees the area after killing Kolya. At his hideout, he finds Sova waiting for him, now in Yorgi's employ. Before Sova can kill Cage, Yelena saves him and reveals herself to be an undercover FSB agent who was abandoned by her handlers. Cage relays Yorgi's plans to the NSA in return for Yelena's asylum. Against orders, Cage gives his car to Shavers and tells him to load it up with weaponry. Cage paratroops from a plane on a snowboard in a snowy region near Anarchy 99's communication tower. He starts an avalanche that destroys the tower but is captured by Yorgi, who already knew Yelena's identity. As Yorgi prepares to kill them, the special forces attack. Cage and Yelena free their restraints, but Yorgi launches Ahab before Cage kills him. The Czech military prepares to destroy Ahab with airstrikes, though this will release some of the biochemical agent. Cage and Yelena take his car, now heavily modified by Agent Shavers, to race alongside the river to catch up to Ahab. Cage harpoons the drone, crosses over to it, and disables the weapon moments before it goes off. Cage and Yelena are recovered, and Gibbons follows through on his promises to Cage and Yelena. Cage and Yelena are relaxing in Bora Bora when Gibbons contacts Cage to offer him another mission. Cage ignores him. ===== In Edwardian-era London, Gabriel Syme is recruited at Scotland Yard to a secret anti-anarchist police corps. Lucian Gregory, an anarchistic poet, lives in the suburb of Saffron Park. Syme meets him at a party and they debate the meaning of poetry. Gregory argues that revolt is the basis of poetry. Syme demurs, insisting the essence of poetry is not revolution but law. He antagonises Gregory by asserting that the most poetical of human creations is the timetable for the London Underground. He suggests Gregory isn't really serious about anarchism, which so irritates Gregory that he takes Syme to an underground anarchist meeting place, under oath not to disclose its existence to anyone, revealing his public endorsement of anarchy is a ruse to make him seem harmless, when in fact he is an influential member of the local chapter of the European anarchist council. The central council consists of seven men, each using the name of a day of the week as a cover; the position of Thursday is about to be elected by Gregory's local chapter. Gregory expects to win the election but just before, Syme reveals to Gregory after an oath of secrecy that he is a secret policeman. In order to make Syme think that the anarchists are harmless after all, Gregory speaks very unconvincingly to the local chapter, so that they feel that he is not zealous enough for the job. Syme makes a rousing anarchist speech in which he denounces everything that Gregory has said and wins the vote. He is sent immediately as the chapter's delegate to the central council. In his efforts to thwart the council, Syme eventually discovers that five of the other six members are also undercover detectives; each was employed just as mysteriously and assigned to defeat the Council. They soon find out they were fighting each other and not real anarchists; such was the mastermind plan of their president, Sunday. In a surreal conclusion, Sunday is unmasked as only seeming to be terrible; in fact, he is a force of good like the detectives. Sunday is unable to give an answer to the question of why he caused so much trouble and pain for the detectives. Gregory, the only real anarchist, seems to challenge the good council. His accusation is that they, as rulers, have never suffered like Gregory and their other subjects and so their power is illegitimate. Syme refutes the accusation immediately, because of the terrors inflicted by Sunday on the rest of the council. The dream ends when Sunday is asked if he has ever suffered. His last words, "can ye drink of the cup that I drink of?", is the question Jesus asks St. James and St. John in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, vs 38–39, a rhetorical question intended to demonstrate that the disciples are wrong to covet his glory because they are unable to bear the suffering for the sins of the world for which he is destined. ===== The film begins with the silhouettes of soldiers being ordered to stand in the sun as an endurance test. It is a recollection of Adjudant-Chef Galoup (Denis Lavant), from his home in Marseille, where he is writing his memoirs. He remembers the heat of Djibouti, where he led his section of men under the command of Commandant Bruno Forestier (Michel Subor). We see numerous training scenes, including assault courses and the securing of buildings. Much of the reminiscence has a balletic quality; many of these reminiscences are set against a back-drop of the traditional, local Djibouti life. Galoup has a beautiful young local girlfriend and they often go out dancing. Galoup says of Forestier: I admired him without knowing why. He retains a wristband with the word Bruno. Galoup envies many things in Forestier, including his clear affection from the men. However, they happily socialise together, playing chess and snooker. One day, Galoup’s section is joined by Gilles Sentain (Grégoire Colin), whose physical beauty, social skills, and fortitude make Galoup envious. Repressed homosexual feelings from Galoup are suggested. He swears to destroy Sentain. When Sentain hands a canteen of water to another soldier who is being punished by being ordered to dig a large hole in the heat of the day, Galoup chastises Sentain and knocks the water from his hand. Sentain strikes Galoup, who retaliates by taking Sentain into the desert and leaving him to walk back to the base alone. However Sentain does not return because Galoup has tampered with his compass, and the soldier consequently becomes lost. When Sentain fails to return, he is assumed to have deserted. Sentain collapses in the arid salt flats. His compass is spotted by fellow legionnaires at a sale of local salt-encrusted novelties and is believed to prove Sentain is dead. However, Sentain is found by tribespeople who place him on a bus where he is looked after. However, on the assumption that Galoup has either killed or tried to kill Sentain, Galoup is sent back to France by his commander for a court martial. It ends his career in the Foreign Legion, his only real love. We see him make his bed in the immaculate military manner, then lie on top clutching a pistol. The final scene is a lively acrobatic solo dance to "The Rhythm of the Night" at a night club in Djibouti. ===== Set in 1888,Conan Doyle, A. The Sign of the Four, "Chapter 2: The Statement of the Case", in which characters state: "He disappeared upon the 3d of December, 1878,—nearly ten years ago." & "About six years ago—to be exact, upon the 4th of May, 1882" The Sign of the Four has a complex plot involving service in India, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen treasure, and a secret pact among four convicts ("the Four" of the title) and two corrupt prison guards. It presents Holmes's drug habit and humanizes him in a way that had not been done in the preceding novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887). It also introduces Dr. Watson's future wife, Mary Morstan. According to Mary, in December 1878, her father had telegraphed her upon his safe return from India and requested her to meet him at the Langham Hotel in London. When Mary arrived at the hotel, she was told her father had gone out the previous night and not returned. Despite all efforts, no trace was ever found of him. Mary contacted her father's only friend who was in the same regiment and had since retired to England, one Major John Sholto, but he denied knowing her father had returned. The second puzzle is that she has received six pearls in the mail from an anonymous benefactor, one per year since 1882, after answering an anonymous newspaper query inquiring for her. With the last pearl she received a letter remarking that she has been wronged and asking for a meeting. Holmes takes the case and soon discovers that Major Sholto had died in 1882 and that within a short span of time Mary began to receive the pearls, implying a connection. The only clue Mary can give Holmes is a map of a fortress found in her father's desk with the names of Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan and Dost Akbar. Holmes, Watson, and Mary meet Thaddeus Sholto, the son of the late Major Sholto and the anonymous sender of the pearls. Thaddeus confirms the Major had seen Mary's father the night he died; they had arranged a meeting to divide a priceless treasure Sholto had brought home from India. While quarrelling over the treasure, Captain Morstan--long in weak health-- suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to bring attention to the object of the quarrel--and also worried that circumstances would suggest that he had killed Morstan in an argument, particularly since Morstan's head struck the corner of the chest as he fell--Sholto disposed of the body and hid the treasure. However, Sholto himself suffered from poor health and an enlarged spleen (possibly due to malaria, as a quinine bottle stands by his bed). His health deteriorated when he received a letter from India in early 1882. Dying, he called his two sons and confessed to Morstan's death; he was about to divulge the location of the treasure when he suddenly cried, "Keep him out!" before falling back and dying. The puzzled sons glimpsed a face in the window, but the only trace was a single footstep in the dirt. On their father's body is a note reading "The Sign of the Four". Both brothers quarreled over whether a legacy should be left to Mary, and Thaddeus left his brother Bartholomew, taking a chaplet and sending its pearls to her. The reason he sent the letter is that Bartholomew has found the treasure and possibly Thaddeus and Mary might confront him for a division of it. Bartholomew is found dead in his home from a poisoned dart and the treasure is missing. While the police wrongly take Thaddeus in as a suspect, Holmes deduces that there are two persons involved in the murder: a one-legged man, Jonathan Small, as well as another "small" accomplice. He traces them to a boat landing where Small has hired a steam launch named the Aurora. With the help of dog Toby that he sends Watson to collect from Mr. Sherman, the Baker Street Irregulars and his own disguise, Holmes traces the steam launch. In a police steam launch Holmes and Watson chase the Aurora and capture it, but in the process end up killing the "small" companion after he attempts to kill Holmes with a poisoned dart shot from a blow-pipe. Small tries to escape but is captured. However, the iron treasure box is empty; Small claims to have dumped the treasure over the side during the chase. Small confesses that years before he was a soldier of the Third Buffs in India and lost his right leg to a crocodile while bathing in the Ganges. After some time, when he was an overseer on a tea plantation, the 1857 rebellion occurred and he was forced to flee for his life to the Agra fortress. While standing guard one night he was overpowered by two Sikh troopers, who gave him a choice of being killed or being an accomplice to waylaying a disguised servant of a rajah who had sent said servant with a valuable fortune in pearls and jewels to the British for safekeeping. The robbery and murder took place and the crime was discovered, although the jewels were not. Small got penal servitude on the Andaman Islands. After twenty years, Small overheard that Major Sholto had lost much money gambling and couldn't even sell his commission, necessitating his resignation. Small saw his chance and made a deal with Sholto and Captain Morstan: Sholto would recover the treasure and in return send a boat to pick up Small and the Sikhs. Sholto double-crossed both Morstan and Small and stole the treasure for himself after inheriting a fortune from his uncle. Small vowed vengeance and four years later escaped the Andaman Islands with an islander named Tonga after they both killed a prison guard. It was the news of his escape that shocked Sholto into his fatal illness. Small arrived too late to hear of the treasure's location, but left the note which referred to the name of the pact between himself and his three Sikh accomplices. When Bartholomew found the treasure, Small planned to only steal it, but claims a miscommunication led Tonga to kill Bartholomew as well. Small claims the treasure brought nothing but bad luck to anyone who came in touch with it--the servant who was murdered; Sholto living with fear and guilt; and now he himself is trapped in slavery for life--half his life building a breakwater in the Andaman Islands and the rest of his life digging drains in Dartmoor Prison. Mary is left without the bulk of the Agra treasure, although she will apparently receive the rest of the chaplet. Watson falls in love with Mary and it is revealed at the end that he proposed to her and she has accepted. ===== The world has been struck by a mysterious incident called the "Violent Unknown Event" or VUE, which has killed many people and left a great many survivors suffering from a common set of symptoms: mysterious ailments (some appearing to be mutations of evolving into a bird- like form), dreaming of water (categorised by form, such as Category 1, Flight, or Category 3, Waves) and becoming obsessed with birds and flight. Many of the survivors have been gifted with new languages. They have also stopped aging, making them immortal (barring disease or injury). A directory of these survivors has been compiled, and The Falls is presented as a film version of an excerpt from that directory, corresponding to the 92 entries for persons whose surnames begin with the letters FALL-. Not all of the 92 entries correspond to a person – some correspond to deleted entries, cross references and other oddities of the administrative process that has produced the directory. One biography concerns two people – the twin brothers Ipson and Pulat Fallari, who are played (in still photographs) by the Brothers Quay. In addition to the common VUE symptoms mentioned above, a number of themes run through the film. Among these are references to a number of bureaucratic organisations including the VUE Commission and the Bird Facilities Industries (a parody of the British Film Institute, which produced the film), the history of manned flight from Daedalus with the suggestion that birds may be responsible for the VUE (and that the film may thus be seen as a sequel to Hitchcock's The Birds), complex debates over the location of the epicentre of the VUE, and repeated references to Tulse Luper. Luper is a recurring off- stage character in Greenaway's early films, and would eventually appear on film in the epic series The Tulse Luper Suitcases (2003 onwards), which is itself named in The Falls. The Falls includes clips of a number of Greenaway's early shorts. It also anticipates some of his later films: the subject of biography 27, Propine Fallax, is a pseudonym for Cissie Colpitts, the central figure of Drowning by Numbers (1988), while the car accident in biography 28 prefigures that in A Zed and Two Noughts (1985). The largely formal and deadpan manner of the narration contrasts with the absurdity of the content. =====