From Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License


Hulk (video game)

Bruce Banner is a genetic scientist who specializes in studying the effects of gamma radiation on damaged tissue. After continually struggling with fits of anxiety, embarrassment, and rage, a freak lab accident results in Banner transforming into a powerful beast known as the Hulk whenever he is agitated. Years later in San Francisco, Banner receives an offer of a cure from his old mentor Professor Geoffrey Crawford, who is suffering from a neurodegenerative disease that has left him wheelchair-bound. Crawford has invented a device for siphoning and storing gamma energy named the Gamma Orb, and he guides Banner via earpiece to his laboratory in the midst of a military raid led by John Ryker, who desires the Orb. However, Crawford betrays Banner by capturing a fraction of the Hulk's power and using it to mutate himself into the Hulk-like creature Ravage, alleviating his frailness. Banner transforms into the Hulk and pursues Ravage through the city while fighting off Ryker's forces, but loses him in the sewer system. The Hulk is ambushed by the energy vampire Half-Life, who reveals that Ravage has taken the Orb to Alcatraz. Upon his defeat to the Hulk, Half-Life boasts that if the Hulk is detected in Alcatraz, a hostage will be killed.

Banner infiltrates Alcatraz, where the Leader is building an army of gamma-powered soldiers using Ravage's Orb. Banner deactivates the facility's gamma detection system, allowing him to transform without endangering the hostage, who he discovers is Betty Ross. The Hulk fights through Alcatraz and defeats the Leader's brother Madman, who had placed Ross in an irradiation chamber for her lack of cooperation in the Leader's plan. Ross instructs the Hulk to take her to the military's subterranean Gamma Base to treat her radiation exposure. The Hulk takes Ross to the base, but is incapacitated by a force field. Banner is injected with gamma-suppressing sedatives and strapped to an operating table, where Ryker plans on dissecting him. Ross frees Banner, who formulates an antidote while disguised as a soldier. The Hulk fights the military while trying to find and destroy the force field generator. He confronts and defeats a gamma-powered soldier named Flux, throwing him into the generator to destroy it.

The Hulk escapes and returns to Alcatraz. Navigating through the underground complex, the Hulk finally confronts Ravage, who guards a teleportation device used to transport the Leader's forces from his lair, "New Freehold". Ravage is defeated and returns to the form of Crawford, who expresses remorse for his desperation and treachery assisting the Leader's machinations. He informs Banner that the Gamma Orb is in the Leader's possession at New Freehold, and allows Banner to teleport there. Banner is ambushed by Half-Life and Madman, provoking the Hulk into fighting them. Madman abandons Half-Life in the middle of the fight, leaving him to his defeat. The Hulk confronts the Leader, who hands him the Gamma Orb and cures Banner of his condition. Banner, disallowing the Leader from abusing the Gamma Orb's power, reclaims its energy and becomes the Hulk once more. The Hulk defeats the Leader and destroys the Gamma Orb, bringing about New Freehold's collapse. The Leader escapes and leaves the Hulk to make his way to the teleportation device, only managing to escape after Madman delays him in a last-ditch effort to bury him under the collapsing lair. Crawford unsuccessfully tries to recreate the Gamma Orb, Ryker experiments on Flux, and Banner hitchhikes along a desert road.


Cavegirl

The main characters are Cavegirl herself and her family Dad, Mum, Big Sis, Gran and Little Bro. Other tribe members feature prominently. Cavegirl is a pretty, feisty individual and a bit of a tomboy although during the series she begins to become interested in boys and many of the storylines involve her becoming more mature. Big Sis is very interested in her appearance and how boys see her. She is also rather shallow. Dad is the stereotypical rugged caveman, although he is protective of his children, and is the chief of the tribe. Mum is a little dozey and Gran is very young at heart and more than a little crazy. Little Brother is curious about the world and often annoys Cavegirl immensely.

In season 2, Dad has left to look for new hunting grounds, and a new character, "Chief", has replaced him. In a flashback episode near the end of the season it was shown that Dad left Mum in charge, but she lost a bet with "The Chief of the Tribe to the North" and the tribes merged to form a larger one.


Casino Night

Michael Scott (Steve Carell) organizes a casino charity event in the warehouse, and unwittingly winds up with two dates for the evening, his boss Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) and his real-estate agent Carol Stills (Nancy Carell). Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) go through audition tapes for her wedding band and discover that colleague Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) has his own band. Jim, upset about Pam's impending marriage to Roy Anderson (David Denman), tells the documentary crew that he met with Jan about transferring to the Stamford, Connecticut branch of Dunder Mifflin because he has "no future here."

During Casino Night, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) wins a game of craps and kisses Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) on the cheek, disregarding their attempts to keep their intimate relationship a secret. She slaps him and walks away, with the two quietly enjoying the experience. Jan and Carol share an awkward conversation when they realize Michael has invited them both. Jim tells Jan that he's made a decision about the transfer. After Roy leaves, Jim tells Pam that he is in love with her. After a stunned pause, she states she cannot be with him. He tells her he wants to be more than friends, but she claims he "misinterpreted things." Heartbroken, Jim apologizes for misinterpreting their friendship and discreetly wipes a tear from his cheek as he walks away. Jan leaves Michael and Carol, noticeably upset from the night's events, and it is revealed she packed an overnight bag in her car, implying she had planned to spend the night with Michael. Pam returns to the office and talks to her mother over the phone about Jim's confession. Jim enters the room and approaches her as she hastily hangs up. She begins to say something but Jim kisses her, and after hesitating, she returns the kiss, ending with the two staring at each other in silence.


Clifford's Really Big Movie

The film begins in Birdwell Island, while Emily Elizabeth calls for Clifford. She hears a rustling in the bushes, and Clifford pops up and rushes toward her. Emily Elizabeth tells Clifford that they are going to be late for a carnival. Clifford is excited and then races away.

Clifford visits the carnival with Emily Elizabeth, Charley, Jetta, Cleo and T-Bone. Clifford, Cleo, and T-Bone are amazed by an animal act known as Larry's Amazing Animals, consisting of Shackelford the High Flying Ferret, Dorothy the High Wire Heifer aka Daring Cow, Dirk the Extreme Dachshund, and Rodrigo, Chihuahua of Steel. However, despite the animals' best efforts, their show is failing due to their respective failed acts, but all remain oblivious of the truth as their owner and the show's host, Larry Gablegobble, expresses his pride towards their efforts. After the show, Larry tells the worrisome carnival owner, Peter Tiberius "P.T." Jones, that the only way for their performances to continue is to win a Tummy Yummies Animal Talent Contest, promising fame, fortune, and a lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies. When Clifford and his friends go to collect their autographs, Shackleford attempts to convince them to join the act, believing Clifford's size and appearance would help revive the group's popularity, but they decline, unwilling to leave their owners.

The next day, Clifford overhears the Howards talking with Mr. Bleakman. He mistakenly believes he is financially burdening the family and decides to join the Amazing Animals, with T-Bone and Cleo joining him. After escaping a town afraid of Clifford, the group finds Larry's animals. Since Larry cannot accept animals with owners, they dispose their pet tags, claiming they are to trick dogcatchers. Larry happily welcomes Clifford and his friends and during their next performance, Clifford manages to save the show, receiving a great round of applause and sparking jealousy from Shackleford. Clifford soon begins to benefit the show as he manages to help the others improve their acts, such as helping Dorothy conquer her acrophobia. He immediately becomes the star of the show, much to Shackleford's jealousy, believing Clifford has replaced him, and the newspapers are sent to P.T., who is proud of Larry. Meanwhile, Emily Elizabeth discovers Clifford ran away.

Larry's Amazing Animals finally receives entry for the Tummy Yummies contest that will perform the next night. However, when Clifford goes to find Shackleford and reveals the news, Shackleford reveals his jealousy towards Clifford, believing they are all better off without him. Hurt by Shackleford's words and missing Emily Elizabeth, Clifford decides to leave early and return home to Birdwell Island to reunite with Emily Elizabeth. Cleo and T-Bone join him, but manage to convince Clifford to return and consequently, they save Larry and the others from their broken-down bus, making it to the contest. Larry's Amazing Animals wins, but the CEO of Tummy Yummies, George Wolfsbottom, tricks Gablegobble into signing a contract giving him full custody of Clifford and kidnaps him for his spoiled daughter Madison.

At a hotel, Shackleford tries to convince everyone Clifford just wanted the Tummy Yummies, prompting Cleo to expose his true intentions. Shackleford realizes he was wrong about him and shows the tags to Larry, who contacts Emily Elizabeth. Larry drives the animals to Wolfsbottom's mansion. While Larry talks to a security guard, the animals infiltrate the mansion and Shackleford breaks Clifford out of his cage. Shackleford apologizes to Clifford for being jealous, but T-Bone accidentally sets off the alarm and Wolfsbottom's security guards try to capture the animals. The group narrowly escape from the security guards and Emily Elizabeth arrives in time to claim Clifford before Wolfsbottom can get him. Wolfsbottom refuses to let her keep Clifford, showing his contract, but Madison, having a change of heart, convinces her father to release Clifford. Wolfsbottom complies and allows Clifford to go to Birdwell Island where he truly belongs. Cleo and T-Bone bid the Amazing Animals a farewell and Clifford reconciles with Shackleford. The film ends with the Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, Cleo and T-Bone returning home and moving on with their lives.


Death in Venice (film)

At the turn of the century, composer Gustav von Aschenbach travels to Venice for rest, due to serious health concerns. In Venice, he becomes obsessed with the stunning beauty of an adolescent Polish boy named Tadzio, who is staying with his family at the same Grand Hôtel des Bains on the Lido as Aschenbach.

While Aschenbach attempts to find peace and quiet, the rest of the city is gripped by a cholera epidemic. City authorities do not inform the holiday-makers of the problem, for fear that they will abandon Venice and leave; however, Aschenbach himself is dying from heart disease. Aschenbach suddenly decides to depart from Venice, but his trunk has left the train station without him. In a moment of impulse, he decides to stay longer, waiting until his trunk has been returned; in fact, he is happy to return to the Grand Hôtel des Bains. Aschenbach continues to observe Tadzio whenever possible, even following him and his family through the narrow streets of Venice. Aschenbach soon realizes that something is seriously wrong, as a disinfectant wash is being applied to public places within the city. Later, when Aschenbach questions the hotel manager about it, the manager downplays the epidemic as nothing of concern.

Later, rejuvenated by the continuing presence of Tadzio – though they never actually converse – he visits a barber who, in his words, "Returns to you merely what has been lost", dyeing his grey hair black and whitening his face and reddening his lips to try to make him look younger. As he leaves the barber's shop the barber exclaims: "And now Sir is ready to fall in love as soon as he pleases". Once again, Aschenbach follows Tadzio and his family through the tiny streets of Venice, gazing at Tadzio from afar, the latter becoming more aware that he is being gazed upon. Later that evening, Aschenbach dreams in flashback, when his last opera was received with jeers and boos from an angry crowd.

In the climactic scene, Aschenbach sees Tadzio being beaten up on the beach by an older boy. When released, Tadzio walks away from him alone towards the horizon. He suddenly turns back to look at Aschenbach, then turns away to face the sun, and stretches his arm out towards it. Aschenbach too, stretches his hand as if to reach Tadzio, and at that very moment—heightened by the crescendo in Mahler's ''Adagietto''—he dies from a heart attack. A few people notice him collapsed on his chair and alert the hotel staff. They carry Aschenbach's body away.


My Fair Lady (film)

In London, Professor Henry Higgins, a scholar of phonetics, believes that the accent and tone of one's voice determines a person's prospects in society ("Why Can't the English?"). At the Covent Garden fruit-and-vegetable market one evening, he meets Colonel Hugh Pickering, himself a phonetics expert who had come from India to see him. Higgins boasts he could teach even Eliza Doolittle, the young flower seller woman with a strong Cockney accent, to speak so well he could pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball. Eliza's ambition is to work in a flower shop, but her accent makes that impossible ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly"). The following morning, Eliza shows up at Higgins' home, seeking lessons. Pickering is intrigued and offers to cover all the attendant expenses if Higgins succeeds. Higgins agrees and describes how women ruin lives ("I'm an Ordinary Man").

Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle, a dustman, learns of his daughter's new residence ("With a Little Bit of Luck"). He shows up at Higgins' house three days later, ostensibly to protect his daughter's virtue, but in reality to extract some money from Higgins, and is bought off with £5. Higgins is impressed by the man's honesty, his natural gift for language, and especially his brazen lack of morals. Higgins recommends Alfred to a wealthy American who is interested in morality.

Eliza endures Higgins' demanding teaching methods and treatment of her personally ("Just You Wait"), while the servants feel both annoyed with the noise as well as pitiful for Higgins ("Servants' Chorus"). She makes no progress, but just as she, Higgins, and Pickering are about to give up, Eliza finally "gets it" ("The Rain in Spain"); she instantly begins to speak with an impeccable upper-class accent, and is overjoyed at her breakthrough ("I Could Have Danced All Night").

As a trial run, Higgins takes her to Ascot Racecourse ("Ascot Gavotte"), where she makes a good impression initially, only to shock everyone by a sudden lapse into vulgar Cockney while cheering on a horse. Higgins partly conceals a grin behind his hand. At Ascot, she meets Freddy Eynsford-Hill, a young upper-class man who becomes infatuated with her ("On the Street Where You Live").

Higgins then takes Eliza to an embassy ball for the final test, where she dances with a foreign prince. Also present is Zoltan Karpathy, a Hungarian phonetics expert trained by Higgins, who is an impostor detector. After he dances with Eliza, he declares that she is a Hungarian princess.

Afterward, Eliza's hard work is barely acknowledged, with all the praise going to Higgins ("You Did It"). This and his callous treatment of her, especially his indifference to her future, causes her to walk out on him, but not before she throws Higgins' slippers at him, leaving him mystified by her ingratitude ("Just You Wait (Reprise)"). Outside, Freddy is still waiting ("On the Street Where You Live (Reprise)") and greets Eliza, who is irritated by him as all he does is talk ("Show Me"). Eliza tries to return to her old life but finds that she no longer fits in. She meets her father, who has been left a large fortune by the wealthy American to whom Higgins had recommended him, and is resigned to marrying Eliza's stepmother. Alfred feels that Higgins has ruined him, lamenting that he is now bound by "middle-class morality", in which he gets drunk before his wedding day ("Get Me to the Church On Time"). Eliza eventually ends up visiting Higgins' mother, who is outraged at her son's callous behavior.

The next day, Higgins finds Eliza gone and searches for her ("A Hymn to Him"), eventually finding her at his mother's house. Higgins attempts to talk Eliza into coming back to him. He becomes angered when she announces that she is going to marry Freddy and become Karpathy's assistant ("Without You"). He makes his way home, stubbornly predicting that she will come crawling back. However, he comes to the unsettling realization that she has become an important part of his life ("I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"). He enters his house feeling lonely, reflecting on his callous behaviour and missing Eliza so much that he turns on his gramophone and listens to her voice. Suddenly, Eliza reappears at the door and turns it off to catch his attention, with Higgins asking, "Eliza, where the devil are my slippers?"


The Sound of Music (film)

Maria is a free-spirited young Austrian woman studying to become a nun at Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg in 1938. Her youthful enthusiasm and lack of discipline cause some concern. The Mother Abbess sends Maria to the villa of retired naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp to be governess to his seven children—Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl. The Captain has been raising his children alone using strict military discipline following the death of his wife. Although the children misbehave at first, Maria responds with kindness and patience, and soon the children come to trust and respect her.

While the Captain is away in Vienna, Maria makes play clothes for the children from drapes that are to be changed. She takes them around Salzburg and the surrounding mountains, and she teaches them how to sing. When the Captain returns to the villa with Baroness Elsa Schraeder, a wealthy socialite, and their mutual friend, "Uncle" Max Detweiler, they are greeted by Maria and the children returning from a boat ride on the lake that concludes when their boat overturns. Displeased by his children's clothes and activities, and Maria's impassioned appeal that he get closer to his children, the Captain orders her to return to the abbey. Just then he hears singing coming from inside the house and is astonished to see his children singing for the Baroness. Filled with emotion, the Captain joins his children, singing for the first time in years. He apologizes to Maria and asks her to stay.

Impressed by the children's singing, Max proposes he enter them in the upcoming Salzburg Festival. But the suggestion is immediately rejected by the Captain as he does not allow his children to sing in public. He does agree, however, to organize a grand party at the villa. The night of the party, while guests in formal attire waltz in the ballroom, Maria and the children look on from the garden terrace. When the Captain notices Maria teaching Kurt the traditional ''Ländler'' folk dance, he steps in and partners Maria in a graceful performance, culminating in a close embrace. Confused about her feelings, Maria blushes and breaks away. Later, the Baroness, who noticed the Captain's attraction to Maria, hides her jealousy by indirectly convincing Maria that she must return to the abbey. Back at the abbey, when Mother Abbess learns that Maria has stayed in seclusion to avoid her feelings for the Captain, she encourages her to return to the villa to look for her purpose in life. After Maria returns to the villa, she learns about the Captain's engagement to the Baroness and agrees to stay until they find a replacement governess. However, Captain's feelings for Maria have not changed, and after breaking off the engagement, the Captain marries Maria.

While they are on their honeymoon, Max enters the children in the Salzburg Festival against their father's wishes. Having learned that Austria has been annexed by the Third Reich in the ''Anschluss'', the couple return to their home. There, the Captain receives a telegram, ordering him to report to the German Naval base at Bremerhaven to accept a commission in the Kriegsmarine. Strongly opposed to the Nazis and the ''Anschluss'', the Captain tells his family they must leave Austria immediately. That night, the von Trapp family attempt to flee to Switzerland, but they are stopped by a group of Brownshirts waiting outside the villa. When questioned by ''Gauleiter'' Hans Zeller, the Captain maintains they are headed to the Salzburg Festival to perform. Zeller insists on escorting them to the festival, after which his men will accompany the Captain to Bremerhaven.

Later that night at the festival, during their final number, the von Trapp family slips away and seeks shelter at the nearby abbey, where Mother Abbess hides them in the cemetery crypt. Brownshirts soon arrive and search the abbey, but the family is able to escape using the caretaker's car. When the soldiers attempt to pursue, they discover their cars will not start, as two of the nuns have sabotaged their engines. The next morning, after driving to the Swiss border, the von Trapp family make their way on foot across the frontier into Switzerland to safety and freedom.


A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)

The film covers the years 1529 to 1535, during the reign of Henry VIII.

During a private late-night meeting at Hampton Court, Cardinal Wolsey, Lord Chancellor of England, chastises More for being the only member of the Privy Council to oppose Wolsey's attempts to obtain from the Pope an annulment of Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, as their marriage has not produced a male heir. With the annulment, Henry would be able to marry Anne Boleyn, with whom he hopes to father such an heir and avoid a repeat of the Wars of the Roses. More says that he cannot agree to Wolsey's suggestion that they apply "pressure" on Church property and revenue in England. Unknown to More, the conversation is being overheard by Wolsey's aide, Thomas Cromwell.

Returning to his home at Chelsea at dawn, More finds his young acquaintance Richard Rich waiting for his return so as to lobby for a position at Court. More instead offers Rich a job as a teacher. Rich declines More's offer, saying that teaching would offer him little chance to become well known. More finds his daughter Meg chatting with a brilliant young lawyer, William Roper, who announces his desire to marry her. The devoutly Catholic More says he cannot give his blessing as long as Roper remains a Lutheran.

Some time later, Wolsey dies in a rural monastery in disgrace after banishment from court for failing to obtain the papal annulment Henry wanted. Henry appoints More Lord Chancellor of England. The King makes an "impromptu" visit to the More estate and again requests More's support for an annulment, but More remains unmoved as Henry alternates between threats, tantrums, and promises of unbounded royal favour. As the King leaves, Cromwell promises Rich a position at Court in return for damaging information about More.

Roper, learning of More's quarrel with the king, says that his religious views have altered considerably and declares that by attacking the Church, the king has become "the Devil's minister." More is admonishing Roper to be more guarded when Rich arrives, pleading again for a position at Court. When More again refuses, Rich denounces More's steward as a spy for Thomas Cromwell. An unmoved More responds, "Of course, that's one of my servants."

Humiliated, Rich joins Cromwell in attempting to bring More down. Meanwhile, the king orders Parliament and the bishops to declare him "Supreme Head of the Church of England". Embracing Caesaropapism, the bishops and Parliament accede to the king's demands and renounce all allegiance to the Pope. More quietly resigns as Lord Chancellor rather than accept the new order. His close friend, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, attempts to draw out his opinions in a friendly private chat, but More knows that the time for speaking openly of such matters is over.

In a meeting with Norfolk, Cromwell implies that More's troubles will be over if he will attend the king's "wedding" to Boleyn. After More does not, he is summoned again to the royal palace of Hampton Court, where Cromwell interrogates More inside Wolsey's former office. More refuses to answer and an infuriated Cromwell reveals that the king views More as a traitor, but allows him to leave. The Thames boatmen are aware of the King's hostility to More and refuse to ferry him, so More returns home on foot.

As More finally arrives, his daughter Meg informs him that a new oath is being circulated and that all must take it or face charges of high treason. Initially, More says he might be willing to take the oath, depending on its wording. Upon learning that it names the king as Supreme Head of the Church and allows no legal or moral loopholes, More refuses to take it and is imprisoned in the Tower of London.

More remains steadfast in his refusal to take the Oath and refuses to explain, knowing that he cannot be convicted if he has not explicitly denied the king's supremacy. A request for new books to read backfires, resulting in the confiscation of the books he has, and Rich removes them from More's cell, providing an opportunity for Rich to further debate More.

More says goodbye to his wife Alice, Meg and Roper, urging them not to try to defend him, but to leave the country.

Soon after, More is brought to trial, with Cromwell appearing as counsel for the prosecution. More refuses to express an opinion about the king's second marriage or why he will not take the Oath. As an experienced lawyer and judge, he cites his silence as part of his defence, based upon the legal principle that silence is to be interpreted as consent. Cromwell calls Rich to testify. Rich alleges that, when he went to confiscate More's books, More told him that while Parliament has the power to dethrone the king, it does not have the authority to make the king the Head of the Church.

A horrified More offers to take any oath required by the court that he never said any such thing to Rich. More adds that he would never be so suicidal as to entrust so dangerous an opinion "to such a man as that." As Rich leaves the witness box, it emerges that Rich has been made Attorney General for Wales as a reward from Cromwell for committing perjury, much to More's chagrin.

Under a direct order from Cromwell, the jury convicts More without leaving the courtroom to deliberate. But as the judges begin to pronounce the death penalty, More interrupts and reminds them that prisoners are to be asked before sentencing if they have anything to say.

Upon being so asked by the judges, More declares, "I do." More calls Parliament's Act of Supremacy repugnant to every legal precedent and institution in all the history of Christendom. He cites the Biblical foundation for the Petrine Primacy and the authority of the Papacy, rather than national governments, over the Church. More further declares that the Church's freedom from state control and interference is guaranteed both in Magna Carta and in the king's coronation oath. As uproar ensues, the judges pronounce sentence according to the standard form: More is to be remitted to the Tower to await execution by beheading.

The scene switches from the court to Tower Hill, where More observes custom by pardoning and tipping the executioner. More declares, "I die his Majesty's good servant, but God's first." He kneels at the block and, off-screen, the executioner cuts off More's head.

A narrator intones an epilogue, listing the subsequent untimely deaths of the major characters, apart from Rich, who "became Chancellor of England, and died in his bed."


A Man for All Seasons (1988 film)

King Henry VIII wants to divorce his wife, and seeks the approval of the aristocracy. Sir Thomas More is a man of principle and reason, and is thus placed in a difficult position: should he stand up for his principles, risking the wrath of a corrupt King fond of executing people for treason? Or should he bow to the seemingly unstoppable corruption of King Henry VIII, who has no qualms about bending the law to suit his own needs?


Oliver! (film)

Act 1

At a workhouse in Dunstable, the governors hold a sumptuous banquet while the orphans are served their daily gruel and dream of enjoying ("Food, Glorious Food"). Forced by some of the other boys, who draw lots, where the tangled one falls on Oliver, Oliver approaches Mr. Bumble and the Widow Corney, and asks for more to eat. Enraged, Bumble takes Oliver to the governors for punishment ("Oliver!"). Paraded in the street to be sold to the highest bidder ("Boy for Sale"), Oliver is purchased by an undertaker. When his apprentice, Noah Claypole insults Oliver's dead mother, Oliver attacks him and is thrown by the undertakers into a coffin, until Mr. Bumble arrives to explain to them that Oliver should have been fed gruel instead of meat. Mr. Bumble grabs Oliver out of the casket and throws him into the cellar. Alone in the dark, surrounded by empty coffins, Oliver wonders ("Where Is Love?") before escaping through a window grate.

After a week on the road, Oliver reaches London. He meets the Artful Dodger, who takes him under his wing ("Consider Yourself"). Dodger brings Oliver to a hideout for young pickpockets led by Fagin, who instructs the gang in the art of stealing, declaring that ("You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two") to get by. Fagin later meets with Bill Sikes, a burglar. Sikes's girlfriend, Nancy, ponders her life ("It's a Fine Life"). When Fagin returns to his den, he opens up a secret wall where the box of valuables are kept, talking to an owl, until Oliver wakes up, startling Fagin, who explains to Oliver that his treasures were for his old age, before tucking him back in and singing him to sleep("You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two" reprise).

In the morning, Nancy and her friend Bet arrive at the hideout to collect Sikes' money. The boys mock Oliver for his manners, which Nancy finds charming. Dodger attempts to be just as gentlemanly ("I'd Do Anything"). Fagin sends the boys out for the day, entrusting Oliver to Dodger ("Be Back Soon"). Dodger steals a wallet from Mr. Brownlow, but Oliver is apprehended instead. Fearing Oliver will lead the police to the gang, Fagin and Sikes send Nancy to court. Oliver is too terrified to speak, but before the verdict is finalized, a witness named Mr. Jessop, the owner of the bookstall where Brownlow had been shopping just before the robbery, arrives and proclaims Oliver's innocence. Brownlow takes Oliver in, while Sikes and Fagin send Dodger to follow them, to Nancy's displeasure.

Act 2

Oliver wakes up in Mr. Brownlow's house, and happily watches from his balcony the merchants and inhabitants of Bloomsbury Square singing about this particular morning being so beautiful ("Who Will Buy"). Meanwhile, Fagin and Sikes decide to abduct Oliver and bring him back to the den with Nancy's help. Nancy, who has come to care for Oliver, at first refuses to help, but Sikes physically abuses her, forcing her into obedience. In spite of this, Nancy still loves Sikes, and believes he loves her too ("As Long as He Needs Me").

The next morning at Mr. Brownlow's house in Bloomsbury, Mr. Brownlow sends Oliver to return some books, with a five-pound note, to the booksellers. Before he departs, Oliver notices a portrait painting of a beautiful young girl. Mr Brownlow notes Oliver's resemblance to the girl - his niece Emily who disappeared years ago. He begins to suspect he may be Oliver's great-uncle.

As Oliver stops to enjoy a puppet show with other children, Nancy and Sikes appear and grab Oliver. They bring him back to Fagin's den, where Sikes quarrels and demands the five pound note from Fagin, for all of the trouble Sikes went through to kidnap Oliver, while Fagin keeps the books. After Oliver slaps Sikes, Sikes is about to hit him with a belt, until Nancy saves Oliver from a beating from Sikes after the boy tries to flee. Nancy remorsefully reviews their life, but Bill maintains that any living is better than none. Fagin tries to act as an intermediary, suggesting to Sikes to calmly sit and talk things out; however, Sikes takes Fagin by the scruff of his neck, warning him that if anyone led the authorities to their hideout, Sikes would kill Fagin. At this instant, Fagin declares Sikes to be a violent man. Left alone, Fagin wonders what his life might be like if he became an honest man ("Reviewing the Situation"); however, after thinking of various excuses, he elects to remain a thief.

Bumble and Corney pay a visit to Mr. Brownlow after he begins searching for Oliver's origin. They present a locket belonging to Oliver's mother, who arrived at the workhouse penniless and died during childbirth. Mr. Brownlow recognizes the locket as his niece's and throws the two out, enraged that they selfishly chose to keep the trinket and information to themselves until they could collect a reward for it. Meanwhile, in an attempt to introduce Oliver to a life of crime, Sikes forces Oliver to take part in a house robbery. The robbery fails when Oliver accidentally awakens the occupants, but he and Sikes get away. While Sikes and Oliver are gone, Nancy, fearful for Oliver's life, goes to Mr. Brownlow, confessing her part in Oliver's kidnapping; however, she refuses to state the name of Fagin or Sikes. She promises to return him to Mr. Brownlow at midnight at London Bridge; then she goes to the tavern. When Sikes and Oliver appear, Sikes orders his dog Bullseye to guard the boy. Nancy starts up a lively drinking song ("Oom-Pah-Pah"), hoping that the noise will distract Sikes. Bullseye, however, alerts Sikes, who gives chase.

As Oliver and Nancy share a farewell embrace at London Bridge, Sikes catches up and grabs both of them and throws Oliver aside. Nancy then tries to pull Sikes away, angering him. He then drags her behind the staircase of London Bridge and violently bludgeons her, injuring her fatally. He then takes off with Oliver, but Bullseye returns to the scene where Nancy has succumbed to her injuries and alerts the police. The dog leads Mr. Brownlow and an angry mob to the thieves' hideout. Sikes arrives at Fagin's den and demands money, revealing that he killed Nancy as well. Upon seeing the approaching mob, the thieves disband and flee. Sikes runs off with Oliver, using him as a hostage. During the evacuation, Fagin loses his prized possessions, which sink into mud. Sikes attempts to flee to an adjacent roof, but is shot dead in the process by the police. Fagin makes up his mind to change his ways for good. Just as he is about to walk away a reformed character, Dodger steps out from behind a post box with a lined wallet he stole earlier. The two of them then dance off into the sunrise together, happily determined to live out the rest of their days as thieves ("Reviewing the situation reprise") while Oliver returns to Mr. Brownlow's home for good.


Mrs. Miniver

Kay Miniver (Greer Garson) and her family live a comfortable life at a house called "Starlings" in Belham, a fictional village outside London. The house has a large garden, with a private landing stage on the River Thames at which is moored a motorboat belonging to her devoted husband, Clem (Walter Pidgeon), a successful architect. They have three children: the youngsters Toby (Christopher Severn) and Judy (Clare Sandars), and an older son, Vin (Richard Ney), a student at Oxford University. They have live-in staff: Gladys, the housemaid (Brenda Forbes), and Ada, the cook (Marie De Becker).

As World War II looms, Vin returns from the university and meets Carol Beldon (Teresa Wright), granddaughter of Lady Beldon (Dame May Whitty) from nearby Beldon Hall. Despite initial disagreements—mainly contrasting Vin's idealistic attitude to class differences with Carol's practical altruism—they fall in love. As the war comes closer to home, Vin feels he must "do his bit", and enlists in the Royal Air Force, qualifying as a fighter pilot. He is posted to a base near to his parents' home and can signal his safe return from operations to his parents by "blipping" his engine briefly (rapidly open and closing the throttle, which results in short, sharp roars of sound) as he flies over the house. Vin proposes to Carol in front of his family at home, after his younger brother prods him to give a less romantic, but more honest, proposal than he had envisioned. Together with other boat owners, Clem volunteers to take his motorboat, the ''Starling'', to assist in the Dunkirk evacuation.

Early one morning, Kay, unable to sleep as Clem is still away, wanders down to the landing stage. She is startled to discover a wounded German pilot (Helmut Dantine) hiding in her garden, and he takes her to the house at gunpoint. Demanding food and a coat, the pilot aggressively asserts that the Third Reich will mercilessly overcome its enemies. She feeds him, calmly disarms him when he collapses, and then calls the police. Soon after, Clem returns home, exhausted, from Dunkirk.

Lady Beldon visits Kay to try and convince her to talk Vin out of marrying Carol on account of her granddaughter's comparative youth at age eighteen. Kay reminds Her Ladyship that she, too, had been young—sixteen, in fact—when she married her late husband. Lady Beldon concedes defeat and realizes that it would be futile to try to stop the marriage. Vin and Carol marry; Carol has now also become a Mrs. Miniver, and they return from their honeymoon in Scotland. A key theme is that she knows Vin is likely to be killed in action, but their short love will fill her life. Later, Kay and her family take refuge in their Anderson shelter in the garden during an air raid, and attempt to keep their minds off the frightening bombing by reading ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', which Clem refers to as a "lovely story". They barely survive as a bomb destroys part of Starlings. The Minivers take the damage with nonchalance.

At the annual village flower show, Lady Beldon silently disregards the judges' decision that her rose is the winner. Instead, she announces that the rose entered by the local stationmaster, Mr. Ballard (Henry Travers), named the "Mrs. Miniver", as the winner, with her own Beldon Rose taking second prize. As air raid sirens sound and the villagers take refuge in the cellars of Beldon Hall, Kay and Carol drive Vin to join his squadron. On their journey home, they witness fighter planes in a dogfight. For safety, Kay stops the car, and they see a German plane crash. Kay realizes Carol has been wounded by machine-gun fire from the plane, and takes her back to Starlings. She dies a few minutes after they reach home. Kay is devastated. When Vin returns from battle, he already knows the terrible news. Ironically, he is the survivor, and Carol the one who died.

The villagers assemble at the badly damaged church where their vicar affirms their determination in a powerful sermon:

We in this quiet corner of England have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us, some close to this church. George West, choirboy. James Ballard, stationmaster and bellringer, and the proud winner only an hour before his death of the Beldon Cup for his beautiful Miniver Rose. And our hearts go out in sympathy to the two families who share the cruel loss of a young girl who was married at this altar only two weeks ago. The homes of many of us have been destroyed, and the lives of young and old have been taken. There's scarcely a household that hasn't been struck to the heart. And why? Surely, you must have asked yourselves this question? Why, in all conscience, should these be the ones to suffer? Children, old people, a young girl at the height of her loveliness? Why these? Are these our soldiers? Are these our fighters? Why should they be sacrificed?

I shall tell you why. Because this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is the war of the people, of ''all'' the people. And it must be fought not only on the battlefield, but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the farms, in the home and in the heart of every man, woman, and child who loves freedom. Well, we have buried our dead, but we shall not forget them. Instead, they will inspire us with an unbreakable determination to free ourselves, and those who come after us, from the tyranny and terror that threaten to strike us down. This is the People's War. It is ''our'' war. ''We'' are the fighters. Fight it, then! Fight it with all that is in us! And may God defend the right.

A solitary Lady Beldon stands in her family's church pew. Vin moves to stand alongside her, united in shared grief, as the members of the congregation rise and stoically sing "Onward, Christian Soldiers". The camera pans to empty sky showing through the gaping hole in the bombed church's roof. Underscored by a full orchestra triumphantly playing “Land of Hope and Glory,” flight after flight of RAF fighters in the V-for-Victory formation depart to face the enemy.


How Green Was My Valley (film)

The film begins with a monologue by an older Huw Morgan (voiced by Irving Pichel): "I am packing my belongings in the shawl my mother used to wear when she went to the market. And I'm going from my valley. And this time, I shall never return." The valley and its villages are now blackened by the dust of the coal mines that surround the area.

A young Huw (Roddy McDowall), the youngest child of Gwilym Morgan (Donald Crisp), walks home with his father to meet his mother, Beth (Sara Allgood). His older brothers, Ianto (John Loder), Ivor (Patric Knowles), Davy (Richard Fraser), Gwilym Jr. (Evan S. Evans), and Owen (James Monks) all work in the coal mines with their father, while sister Angharad (Maureen O'Hara) keeps house with their mother. Huw's childhood is idyllic; the town, not yet overrun with mining spoil, is beautiful, the household is warm and loving, and the miners sing as they walk home (in this case "Bread of Heaven" in Welsh). The wages are collected, the men wash then eat together. Afterwards the spending money is given out. Huw is smitten on meeting Bronwyn (Anna Lee), a girl engaged to be married to his eldest brother, Ivor (Patric Knowles). At the boisterous wedding party Angharad meets the new preacher, Mr. Gruffydd (Walter Pidgeon), and there is an obvious mutual attraction.

Trouble begins when the mine owner decreases wages, and the miners strike in protest. Gwilym's attempt to mediate by not endorsing a strike estranges him from the other miners as well as his older sons, who quit the house. Beth interrupts a late night meeting of the strikers, threatening to kill anyone who harms her husband. She and Huw head across the fields in a snowstorm in the dark to return home. Later on their way home the strikers hear Huw calling for help. They rescue Beth and Huw from the river. Beth has temporarily lost the use of her legs and the doctor fears that Huw, who has also lost the use of his legs, will never walk again. He eventually recovers with the help of Mr. Gruffydd, which further endears the latter to Angharad.

The strike is eventually settled, and Gwilym and his sons reconcile, yet many miners have lost their jobs. The exceptionally beautiful Angharad is courted by the mine owner's son, Iestyn Evans (Marten Lamont), though she loves Mr. Gruffydd. Mr. Gruffydd loves her too, to the malicious delight of the gossipy townswomen, but cannot bear to subject her to the hard, spartan life of an impoverished churchman. Angharad submits to a loveless marriage to Evans, and they relocate out of the country.

Huw begins school at a nearby village. Abused by other boys, he is taught to fight by boxer Dai Bando (Rhys Williams) and his crony, Cyfartha (Barry Fitzgerald). After a beating by the cruel teacher Mr. Jonas (Morton Lowry), Dai Bando avenges Huw with an impromptu boxing display on Mr. Jonas to the delight of his pupils.

Bronwyn learns Ivor has been killed in a mine accident. The shock causes her to go into labor and she gives birth to a son. Later, two of Morgan's sons are dismissed in favor of less experienced, cheaper laborers. With no job prospects, they leave to seek their fortunes abroad. Huw is awarded a scholarship to university, but to his father's dismay he refuses it to work in the mines. He relocates with Bronwyn, to help provide for her and her child.

When Angharad returns without her husband, vicious gossip of an impending divorce spreads through the town. It is eventually announced there will be a meeting of the Deacon - the governing council of the local Calvinistic Methodist chapel - to discuss, denounce and excommunicate Angharad. This prospect enrages Mr. Gryffudd, for he knows she has done nothing other than return home from Cape Town without her husband. After condemning the Deacon's small-mindedness, he storms out before the meeting intent on leaving the town.

But that evening, the alarm whistle sounds, signalling another mine disaster. Several men are injured, and Gwilym and others are trapped in a cave-in. Mr Gryffudd catches sight of Angharad, who has rushed to the mine for word of her father; and we know from his expression that he will never leave now. As she looks pleadingly at him, he calls, "Who is for Gwilym Morgan and the others?"

Young Huw, Mr. Gruffydd, and Dai Bando then descend with other volunteers to rescue the remaining miners. Gwilym and his son are briefly re-united before he succumbs to his injuries.

Above, in the cold of light dawn, the women of the family - Angharad, Bronwyn and Beth Morgan - have stood vigil all night; when Beth says, just after Gwilym's death, "He came just now. Ivor was with him. He told me of the glories he had seen!" Then the sound of the pulley announces the lift is returning from the depths of the mine. Huw is cradling his father's body, his coal-blackened face devoid of youthful innocence.

Narration by an older Huw recalls, "Men like my father cannot die. They are with me still, real in memory as they were in flesh, loving and beloved forever. How green was my valley then." The movie ends with a montage of family vignettes showing Huw with his father and mother, his brothers and sister.

File:How Green Was My Valley 1.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 2.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 3.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 4.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 5.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 6.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 7.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 8.jpg File:How Green Was My Valley 9.jpg File:How Green was My Valley 10.jpg


Summer with Monika

In Stockholm, the young working-class Harry meets Monika, an adventurous young woman, in a cafe near to his workplace. Monika invites Harry to join her to see a movie at the local cinema after his work shift. The two spend the rest of the evening together, and find themselves enamored of one another. At her home, Monika tires of her alcoholic father's incessant drinking and violent outbursts, packs her belongings and runs away. She seeks help from Harry, who goes to spend the night with her in his father's docked boat. After getting into an argument with his boss the following morning, Harry quits his job.

The two decide to leave the city, and take the boat into the Stockholm Archipelago, where they spend an idyllic summer together. When the end of the summer forces them to return home, it is clear that Monika is pregnant. Harry happily accepts responsibility and settles down with Monika and their child; he gets a real job and goes to night school to provide for his family. Monika, however, is unsatisfied with her role as homemaker. She yearns for excitement and adventure, a desire which finally leads her astray. Harry leaves town for work and comes home a day early to find his wife with another man. After deciding to separate and in his rage at her flippancy, Harry hits her and leaves the apartment. They get a divorce and Monika flees the responsibility of child rearing leaving Harry with custody of their daughter, June, to raise alone. In the final shot while he looks in a mirror, he fantasizes about the time they spent together.


The Knights of the Cross

''Krzyżacy'' tells the story of a young nobleman, Zbyszko of Bogdaniec, who together with his uncle Maćko of Bogdaniec returns from the war against the Order (Knights of the Cross) in nearby Lithuania. In a tavern inn Zbyszko falls in love with the lovely Danusia, who is traveling with the court of the Duchess Anna. He swears to her his knight's oath and promises to bring her "three trophies" from the Teutonic Knights.

On his way to the royal city of Kraków, Zbyszko attacks Kuno von Liechtenstein, who is an official diplomatic delegate of the Teutonic Knights. The penalty is death. Yet, on the scaffold, Danusia saves him from execution when she jumps onto the platform in full view of the crowd, and promises to marry him, covering his head with her handkerchief (an old Polish tradition that carries with it a stay of execution if the couple wed). Zbyszko and Maćko return home to their estate, where they rebuild their mansion. After some time Zbyszko returns to Danuśka and marries her. However, she is soon treacherously kidnapped by four Teutonic Knights who want revenge – her father Jurand fought against the Germans. Jurand himself is soon captured by them, imprisoned and cruelly tortured and maimed.

Zbyszko's quest to find and save his kidnapped Danusia continues until, at long last, he rescues her. However, it is too late already. Danuta has been driven insane because of her treatment at the hands of her captors, and eventually dies. The long-awaited war begins. The combined forces of Poland and Lithuania under the command of Polish King Ladislaus Jagiello destroy the Teutonic Order in the monumental 1410 Battle of Grunwald. This battle signals the true terminal decline of the Teutonic Order.


The Dark Age (series)

The Devil in Green

The Devil in Green centres around Mallory, a recently recruited Knights Templar based at Salisbury Cathedral, his comrades and his relationship with a new age traveller/Wicca called Sophie. The Knights Templar and the remnants of the Christian Church are trying to restore some form of order within the sphere of their world.

During a mission to rescue a vicar, Mallory finds himself in one of the courts of the Otherworld where he learns of his destiny as a Brother of Dragons; one of 5 chosen by Existence to help restore the balance of light vs. dark in our world. He returns to Salisbury to discover supernatural forces have surrounded the Cathedral laying it to siege. The priests become more fundamentalist after their leader is killed mysteriously and a sacred artefact with alleged powers is recovered.

It falls to Mallory, with the help of Sophie to end the siege and overthrow the fundamentalist priests. During the siege his friend, Miller, is nearly crucified but saved when Cernunnos places a fabulous beast hatchling within him, infusing him with the Blue Fire. This leaves Miller with the ability to heal the sick. The story concludes with Mallory and Sophie heading off in search of their fellow Brothers and Sisters of Dragons.

The title refers to Cernunnos: although he is worshipped by the pagans as a nature god and part of life, the Christians portray him as the Devil; hence, 'the Devil in Green'

The Queen of Sinister

An incurable plague is sweeping the country. Caitlin Shepherd, a local GP, is working all the hours to do what she can in her community. Caitlin's husband and young son succumb and die. Overcome by grief, Caitlin thinks she cannot continue, but is helped by her friend, Mary the local herbalist. Mary is visited by an old Professor named Crowther, who says Caitlin is a Sister of Dragons, and that she must find a cure for the plague in the Otherworld. Caitlin goes with Crowther, meeting up with three others; Mahalia, a teenage girl, Carlton, a mute boy, and lastly, Matt, who is looking for his missing daughter.

Whilst in the court of Lugh in the Otherworld they rescue Jack, a teenager from our world, who was taken as a baby by the Tuatha Dé Danann during The Age of Misrule He has had placed within him a powerful weapon known as a Wish Hex.

Caitlin is suffering from multiple personality disorder. Inside her mind are also Briony, Brigid, Amy, and a fourth persona that the others are terrified of. As Caitlin's group continue on their quest, Mary discovers that Caitlin is in danger, and sets off to help her. On the group’s journey to the House of Pain, the source of the plague, they are attacked and Caitlin is thrown back into our world, ending up in Birmingham

Here we meet Thackery and Harvey, struggling to survive against the local gang who are killing plague victims. Life is bleak within the city and little hope remains. Thackery finds and takes care of Caitlin, who has retreated into herself and is non-communicative.

Thackery is captured by the gang but rescued by Caitlin whose hidden persona emerges as The Morrigan. Caitlin, as The Morrigan, continues to the House of Pain. Once there she is given a choice to remain as its queen, with her son, in exchange for giving up being a Sister of Dragons, the fight for Existence and a cure for the plague.

Meanwhile, Mary’s quest reaches its conclusion and she must confront her past in order to help save Caitlin. This she achieves, the plague is stopped and the story concludes with Mahalia, Jack and Crowther heading off into the Otherworld, Caitlin no longer tied to the House of Pain, but also no longer a Sister of Dragons nor the Morrigan's host. Her son is now free to pass on to the Afterlife with her husband. Thackery and Harvey follow her to the House of Pain and leave it with her.

The title of the book is the position Caitlin is offered in her deal to save her son

The Hounds of Avalon

This story is set mainly in Oxford where the Government is trying to restore law and order after the Fall. Hunter, a Government special forces agent and his friend Hal, a Government office clerk are the central characters who find themselves Brothers of Dragons up against a dark power, The Void which wants to stamp out all of Existence. The Government want to round up the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons for their own end and this leads Hunter to capture Mallory and gets Sophie Shot. Believing her dead Mallory escapes with Hunter to seek out the remaining original Brothers and Sisters of Dragons.

Hal keeps his identity as a Brother of Dragons secret but goes on his own mission to find out what he can to help the fight against the Void. He has several encounters with creatures from the Otherworld.

Sophie is not dead but ends up in the Far Lands where she joins Caitlin Shepherd, no longer a Sister of Dragons. Caitlin regains the Morrigan and the two help Lugh and his court escape a siege before returning to Oxford.

During the final battle against the Void's army, Hal is accused of killing the Prime Minister. This is a ruse by the Government to get all the Brothers and Sisters together in order to sacrifice them to The Void. The Government want law and order restored and see the unpredictability that magic, and the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons offer as a threat to this. The Void regains control, people return to their mundane ordinary lives and the world has reverted to how it was before The Age of Misrule

Hal escapes The Void and enters the Blue Fire to travel through time and set in motion events to bring back the original leader of the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, Jack Churchill, as Existence's last hope in the battle with the Void.

The title of the book refers to The Hounds of Avalon, who once heard baying indicate the end of the world


Carry On Columbus

Christopher Columbus (Jim Dale) believes he can find an alternative route to the far East and persuades the King (Leslie Phillips) and Queen of Spain (June Whitfield) to finance his expedition. But the Sultan of Turkey (Rik Mayall), who makes a great deal of money through taxing the merchants who have to pass through his country on the current route, sends his best spy, Fatima (Sara Crowe), to wreck the trip...


Simoun (TV series)

Setting and themes

''Simoun'' takes place on the earth-like planet . The people of Daikūriku are all born female. The theocratic nation of Simulacrum has a monopoly on the helical motor technology and as a result grew to prosperity. The two nations Argentum and Plumbum wage war against it in an attempt to steal the technology. In Simulacrum, the girls grow up until age of seventeen, when they make a pilgrimage to a holy place known as "the Spring" to select their permanent sex. Simulacrum is defended by advanced airships known as "Simoun", two-seater aircraft propelled by two helical motors. Simoun are piloted by priestesses known as , each a girl who has not yet chosen a permanent sex; doing so renders one physically incapable of piloting a Simoun. ''sibyllae'' are organized into "choirs" or "chor" of twelve that pilot six Simoun when at full strength. The ''sibyllae'' can inscribe enormous glyphs known as Ri Mājon in the sky using the Simoun to produce powerful magical effects both for combat and ceremony.

Story

A war breaks out between three nations Simulacrum, Argentum, and Plumbum over Simulacrum helical motor technology that powers the airships known as Simouns. Two fleets of the Simoun, Chor Caput and Chor Tempest, stumble upon a huge Argentum airship fleet attempting steal a Simoun. Suffering massive losses in the battle, the pair Neviril and Amuria of Chor Tempest attempt an extremely powerful but extremely dangerous maneuver out of desperation named the ; Neviril hesitates after making eye contact with the enemy, and the pair fail resulting in an explosion that takes Amuria with it. The fight leaves the ''sibyllae'' or members of Chor Tempest extremely demoralized and Neviril in despair.

Four new ''sibyllae'' join Chor Tempest, one of them an excellent pilot with an unshakeable morale named Aer. Aer immediately decides to partner with Neviril, however despite her persistent attempts, Neviril remains too mired in her grief over Amuria's death to accept her. After continued battles with Chor Tempest, the Plumbish government eventually sues for peace. Neviril's father orders two ''sibyllae'' to join Chor Tempest bringing it back to full strength and assigns one to be Neviril's partner in attempt to jar his daughter out of her depression; however Neviril, becoming more accepting of Aer, rejects her. A Plumbish suicide bomber sabotages the peace talks jarring Neviril out of her funk and she agrees to pair with Aer.

Chor Tempest beings to operate aggressively against the enemy nations. But in an ensuing battle, the enemy manage separate Chor Tempest forcing two of its ''sibyllae'', Limone and Dominūra, to in desperation perform the Emerald Ri Mājon. They succeed, but disappear without a trace. Chor Tempest retreats to secure Simulacrum's holiest site, the Ruins. There, Aer and Neviril learn that Emerald Ri Mājon allows the ''sibyllae'' piloting the Simoun to travel through time. Limone and Dominūra are shown to have landed in the distant past where they pass on the knowledge of the Emerald Ri Mājon. Chor Tempest continue to fight as they slowly retreat back, and eventually Simulacrum sues for peace. The allied Plumbish and Argentum forces demand in their terms that all ''sibyllae'' become adults by visiting the holy Spring, thereby no longer being able to pilot Simoun. While the members Chor Tempest head off to the Spring, Aer and Neviril stay back and soon confess their feelings for each other. The allied occupation arrest them, however with the help of their former choirmates and the Plumbish priestesses, Aer and Neviril break free and say their farewells. Performing the Emerald Ri Mājon, the two vanish in a flash of light.


Back to the Moon

The prologue of the novel begins with a dramatized account of the second EVA of Apollo 17. Astronaut Jack Schmitt discovers orange soil in Shorty Crater at the very end of the EVA and gathers samples in a race against time to get back to the LEM. Meanwhile, Wernher von Braun is watching the end of the mission on TV with other NASA engineers. Katrina Suttner, the young daughter of one of von Braun's colleagues, is in on a secret involving the mission, and is certain that humans will soon return to the Moon.

The novel then skips ahead 30 years. Jack Medaris, the protagonist, is preparing the launch of a privately funded, uncrewed mission to the Moon to gather more of the orange soil, which appears to have enormous potential as a source of clean nuclear energy on Earth. Shortly before launch, Medaris' probe is destroyed by unknown terrorists or saboteurs. It also becomes clear that Medaris is driven to go to the Moon to recover the secret left by Katrina, who later became his wife and was killed in a test-stand accident.

Medaris hatches a plot to hijack the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' on a routine mission. The plan nearly comes off, but his renegade pilot is accidentally shot and killed, and one payload specialist from the planned crew, Penny High Eagle, launches with him. Medaris takes the controls of ''Columbia'', and gradually persuades High Eagle that she should help him, if only for their mutual survival. NASA also reluctantly agrees to help, in order to prevent the loss of their spacecraft.

Medaris has developed a new rocket motor which will make it possible to take ''Columbia'' into lunar orbit. With the help of High Eagle, he is able to attach the smuggled engine, and boost the shuttle to the Moon. He has also smuggled a bare-bones LEM, of his own design, aboard the shuttle, which will allow him to make a one-man EVA to the Apollo 17 landing site.

Back on Earth, a mysterious consortium is using a private security company to try to sabotage Medaris' mission by any means possible, including hiring a group of computer hackers to take control of a set of hunter-killer satellites parked behind the Moon, and persuading Roscosmos to intervene and take over the shuttle in LEO. In spite of these obstacles, Medaris successfully lands on the Moon, gets the orange soil, retrieves the message from Katrina, and returns to Earth. High Eagle and Medaris form a romantic and physical relationship during the return.


Yawara!

Yawara Inokuma is a young girl who aspires to an ordinary life but due to her innate talent is forced to practice judo by her authoritarian grandfather, Jigorou Inokuma, with the aim of achieving the championship in Japan and the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Because of the pressure from her grandfather she generally has a bad attitude about judo, avoiding it as much as she can. However, over time she comes to understand why her grandfather loves judo and appreciates it more.


Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (novel)

The book begins in fictional Landsdale County, Connecticut, where Jim and Muriel Blandings are being shown an old farmhouse by a real estate agent. Blandings, a successful New York advertising executive, and his wife want to leave their tiny Midtown apartment, where they live with their two daughters. They fantasize that the farmhouse will meet their needs. After some negotiation, they buy the house.

They soon learn that the house is structurally unsound and must be torn down. They design the perfect home in the country, imagining an idyll, but they are quickly beset by construction troubles, temperamental workmen, skyrocketing bills, threatening lawyers, and difficult neighbors. The Blandings' dream house soon threatens to be the nightmare that undoes them.

Hodgins wrote a sequel, ''Blandings Way'', published in 1950.


Game (2003 film)

Advertising executive Shunsuke Sakuma (Naohito Fujiki) is at the top of his game. Winning numerous advertising awards, the cool Shunsuke lives a life most men only dream of. He luckily lands a new massive product campaign for Mikado Beer, Japan's largest conglomerate corporation. Working on the project for almost two years with an estimated three-billion Yen invested, the project would "make" Shunsuke. But in its final stages, the project is suddenly dropped by a single man - Katsutoshi Katsuragi (Ryo Ishibashi) the son of the original founder and Vice President of Mikado Beer.

Declared "incompetent" by peers in the world of advertising and replaced by a nobody on the project, Shunsuke gets drunk and drives to Katsuragi's mansion to "tell him off." But instead, he sees a girl climbing out from the house and trails her. The "girl" happens to be Juri Katsuragi (Yukie Nakama), Katsutoshi Katsuragi's eldest daughter from a mistress. Shunsuke approaches Juri, threatening that he would tell her father if she did not come with him. Initially, Shunsuke planned to bring her back to Katsuragi to win his favor, but after thinking things through, he plots a "payback" scheme by kidnapping Juri. Juri, not wanting to stay with her father, goes along with the kidnapping. Scared of the media frenzy that would result if they found out that he had an extramarital affair, Katsutoshi Katsuragi goes along with the kidnapping. . . or does he? In a world of players where everyone is playing a game, who is the one to pull the strings? . . .


Dead Man's Letters

The film is set in a town after a nuclear war, the town is destroyed and polluted with radioactive elements. The main character, Professor Larsen, played by Rolan Bykov, is a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, who lives in the basement of a museum along with his sick wife and several other people who used to work at the museum. He often writes letters to his son Eric, though he has no way of contacting him. Larsen believes the war has ended and that more surviving humans exist outside the central bunker, but nobody else believes his theories.

Larsen visits an orphanage where the current caretaker of the surviving children explains that she's thinking of evacuating to the central bunker, though may have to leave the children behind as they likely won't be allowed in since they're sick, to Larsen's disapproval. Larsen is informed that he also might be rejected from entering the central bunker due to his old age. With his wife's health declining, Larsen sneaks past several soldiers during curfew hours and attempts to find medicine for his wife, escaping from a military raid in the process. When he returns to the museum's basement, however, he finds that his wife died. The other museum employees bury her body.

In one of his letters to Eric, Larsen tells a darkly humorous story on how someone failed to prevent the nuclear war. According to him, an operator from an electronics center had a chance to cancel the first missile launch (which happened due to a computer error), but was unable to reach the computer in time to abort the launch as he was slowed down by a cup of coffee in his hands. The operator then hung himself in return.

Larsen makes a trip to the central bunker in an effort to find Eric. After sneaking into a medical facility, he enters the children's department, only to find all the children sick, injured, and screaming in agony, much to Larsen's horror.

After returning to the museum's basement, he finds that a museum employee is about to take his life as he thinks the history of mankind has ended and that mankind was doomed from the very beginning. He then leaves the group, lies down in a grave, and shoots himself dead, to the horror of his son. Later, while salvaging books from a flooded library, Larsen talks with a man who disagrees with his theory on how there's hope for mankind, referencing how Jesus said mankind was doomed.

Larsen visits the orphanage where he learns the children were rejected from entering the central bunker. The caretaker leaves the children for Larsen to look after, as she is evacuating to the central bunker herself. The remaining museum employees also evacuate to the central bunker, though Larsen stays behind to look after the children (it's assumed they're the only people left in the town). On Christmas Day, Larsen creates a makeshift Christmas tree out of sticks and candles while the children design Christmas ornaments to decorate it with. In his final letter to Eric, Larsen writes that he finally found purpose in life and that he hopes his son doesn't leave him alone in the world.

The final scene is narrated by one of the children Larsen looked after, who explains that Larsen died some time later. On his deathbed, he told the children to leave the museum and find somewhere else to go while they have the strength, still believing that life exists elsewhere. The film ends with the children wandering through the apocalyptic landscape together, their fates unknown.


The Pro (comics)

A parody of mainstream superhero comics, the story details the brief career of an unnamed prostitute given superhuman powers by an alien called the Viewer. The Pro reluctantly joins the League of Honor which is a parody of the Justice League, composed of the Saint, the Knight & the Squire, the Lady, the Lime, and Speedo who are a parody of Superman, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash, respectively.

Together, the League fight an array of lackluster villains, such as The Noun and The Adverb, until the Pro’s coarse language and actions, violence, bloody retributions, and her fellating The Saint result in her being expelled from the League. The Pro rejoins them to fight a terrorist attack, flying into space holding a nuclear bomb, and facing death (more in an effort to save the life of her young child than anyone else in the vicinity).

Later editions feature an additional eight-page story entitled "The Pro Vs. The Ho" in which the Pro squares off with a 12-armed prostitute. In the story, the Ho receives powers in much the same way that the Pro does via the alien "Viewer" that orbits the Earth in a cloaked ship. Because the Pro has superpowers, she is able to perform sex acts using superspeed. The problem arises when several of the Johns complain that by the time they relax enough to enjoy themselves, their "job" is over. The Ho then appears and confronts the Pro, who knocks her into the river and eventually saves her from drowning. Subsequently the two women get to know one another. The Ho explains that she never wanted superhuman powers, and all she ever wanted to do was work with small animals as a veterinarian. The Pro resolves to take the Ho to animal husbandry facility where she uses all 12 of her arms to "service" the animals for breeding.


Brain Lord

Remeer's father, the last of the dragon warriors, was sent on a quest to find the last of the dragons terrorizing the village. His father never returned.

Years later Remeer sets out on his own journey to find out what happened to his father. Remeer is joined by his four friends: Kashian (a bounty hunter), Barness (a spiritual guru), Rein (a warrior), and Ferris (a witch). Each help him as he makes his way through the five dungeons in the land.

Remeer (or its equivalent 'Lemele') is used for prominent characters in two more video games developed by Produce! and published by Enix, ''The 7th Saga'' and ''Mystic Ark''.


Hornblower and the Atropos

On a December day in 1805, Hornblower travels with his very pregnant wife and their son to London on a canal boat via the Thames and Severn Canal and the Thames. He is excited about getting his new orders and obtaining his first command as a post-captain. On the canal, the assistant boatman becomes incapacitated through drink, thus allowing Hornblower the opportunity to learn much of canal boat operation when he volunteers to take the man's place at the boat's helm.

Upon their arrival in London, Hornblower assumes command of the ''Atropos''. His first assignment is a unique one: to organise Admiral Horatio Nelson's funeral. The Battle of Trafalgar had just taken place, in which Nelson was shot and killed by a musket. The whole nation is in deep mourning and all eyes are on the funeral. The funeral consists of a procession on the Thames between Greenwich Pier and Whitehall Steps, during which the ceremonial barge conveying Nelson's coffin springs a leak. The crew, after frantic bailing, barely manage to unload the coffin without disrupting the proceedings noticeably.

Once Hornblower finishes with the funeral, he is presented to the King at Court. He is informed that the King's nephew, a German prince driven out of his principality by Napoleon, is to be one of his midshipmen on the ''Atropos''. Hornblower's treatment of the prince is a continuing subplot.

Hornblower is then sent to collect from Gibraltar three Sinhalese pearl divers and their quarrelsome salvage master to recover treasure from a sunken British ship, the ''Speedwell'', which went down in Marmorice Bay in Turkey carrying a fortune in silver and gold – the pay chests of the British Army in Egypt. Hornblower is given the salvage operation. The Turks are already aware of the presence of the gold, and in the weeks ''Atropos'' is present in Marmorice become aware of the supposedly secret recovery operation. They bring a Turkish warship into the bay, and man a previously deserted fort, trapping ''Atropos''. When the Turks demand all the money Hornblower has so far recovered, he puts them off until the following morning. In the middle of the night, he makes a daring escape by an extremely perilous route, avoiding both ship and fort, and outsmarting the Turks.

Following Hornblower's delivery of the treasure at Gibraltar, he helps capture a Spanish ship, the ''Castilla'', and makes his way into a Sicilian port for repairs. He does such a fine job that his ship attracts the notice of the King of The Two Sicilies. The British government transfers the vessel to the Sicilian navy in return for the King's allegiance. Hornblower makes his way back to England, only to find both of his children mortally ill with smallpox.


Two Solitudes (novel)

The novel's plot revolves around the life and times of the fictional character Paul Tallard and this character's struggles in reconciling the differences between his English and French Canadian identities.


NFL Head Coach

The game begins the week after Super Bowl XL when the Pittsburgh Steelers pull off a 21–10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The coach that the player is about to take control of was formerly the offensive/defensive coordinator for the Steelers, will soon become a head coach. First, the player selects a team and then proceeds to the job interview. The coach overall will range from 50 to around 80 at the end of the interview. Depending on how well the interview goes, the player will receive up to five offers from five teams though there are eight teams that are likely to send the player an offer although the player can pick any team they wish. The player selects a team and then signs a contract with them. In addition to being the head coach, the player is also the general manager of the team. On the first day, the player will meet the team owner. Aside from meeting the team owner, the player also meets the other coaches with whom he will work. Daily activities, depending on the time of the season, include hiring and firing coaches, calling players' agents, checking e-mail, identifying players to scout at the NFL Scouting Combine, gameplanning for the next game, and running practice. During the game, the player can motivate and discuss strategy with the team, which can affect the motivated player's reception. The career is 30 years long from 2006 to 2036.


Three Hands in the Fountain

Falco arrives home in Rome with Helena Justina and Julia Junilla Laeitana, his new baby daughter, and barely have time to settle in before being subjected to a welcome-home party. Falco and Petronius sneak out for a drink in a nearby street next to a fountain, which is not working. When a worker turns up to clean it, it is revealed that a severed hand had blocked the aqueduct. Falco and Petro start to investigate, but their case is stolen by Anacrites. Petro puts up a sign proclaiming that awards are to be given on the discovery of any body parts. Falco talks to his brother-in-law and is told that severed body parts have been discovered in the rivers and aqueducts for several years, usually after festivals. When he's told that Petro put up the sign he runs back to his old apartment (where Petro now lives after being kicked out by his wife) as a slave hands over a new hand to Petro. Petro takes down the sign.

Anacrites, who is rather annoyed at being muscled out of his stolen case, sends four men to beat up Falco and Petro. They defeat the bruisers easily and trail them back to Anacrites. Soon afterwards, Julius Frontinus finds and gives over a new hand. It looks the same as the other hands but this one has a wedding ring with two names inscribed (Asinia and Caius). They track down Caius Cicurrus, the widower of Asinia. He is innocent and is greatly grieving for his lost wife. Petro's wife dumped him after he took up with Balbina Milvia from ''Time to Depart''. Milvia's husband Florius sends men to beat up Falco and Petro. Falco, with the help of his trainer Glaucus and Glaucus's trainees, beats off his attackers but Petro has no such help and is heavily injured. Milvia comes to Falco asking him to help her, as she fears that her mother, who has vanished, has been taken by the killer. Falco finds Cornella Flaccida at a new apartment. He goes out to the country but finds no suspects. After continuous reconnaissance he has two problems: First, Claudia Rufina, the heiress from ''A Dying Light In Corduba'' and the new fiancee to Helena's brother Aelianus, has vanished, and second, a slave called Thurius has been identified as the murderer. Falco goes out to rescue Claudia and apprehend Thurius. He captures Thurius and finds his lair and his victim. He finds that it's not Claudia, it's Milvia's mother, who vanished again. Unlike Claudia, however, no one liked her enough to send out a search party. Claudia is later found to have eloped with Helena's other brother Justinus, an act that has disastrous consequences. The book ends with Falco telling Petro his wife went out with another man, and later receiving a visit from Anacrites.


Battle Arena Toshinden 3

With the Secret Society, the sponsors of the two previous Battle Arena Toshinden tournaments, finally defeated, it would soon transpire and be known that the Secret Society's long-time rival criminal group, the Organization, who have been observing both tournaments from the shadows, are now ready and prepared to make their own move in having to bring forth the destructive fighting god, Agon Teos, into the world.

The Organization's leader, Abel, requires the sacrificial blood of the world's strongest warriors and through the knowledge of his loyal agent, Vermilion, Abel organizes and sponsors a third Battle Arena Toshinden tournament in order to lure Eiji Shinjo and his fellow Toshinden fighters out in the open while pitting them against his own chosen warriors, who have copied and learned their specific targets' respective fighting styles. Furthermore, Abel targets a young English boy named David as he seeks to use him as a potential human vessel for Agon Teos. Managing to escape from the relentless pursuit of the Organization, David is soon saved and rescued by a young Japanese female gambler named Shizuku Fuji and in due time, both David and Shizuku enter the tournament in order to help aid Eiji and the rest of the Toshinden fighters against the Organization.

Eiji and the Toshinden fighters progress through the tournament and defeat their chosen rivals, during which a few storyline developments occur and happen from within the competition, such as Organization members Atahua and Tau forfeiting their matches to both Ellis and Gaia (with Atahua learning and understanding from Tau that the murder of a fighter couldn't justify the means of restoring an ancient empire), Tracy sparing the life of her vengeful older twin sister Rachael, who had refused Tracy's offer of starting over with her and walking away from her to never be seen again, and Organization member Cuiling switching sides in order to help Eiji and the rest of the Toshinden fighters out after killing Bayhou and avenging Fo Fai's past death while also realizing that Abel had to be stopped before he could succeed in bringing Agon Teos to the world. Eiji comes face-to-face once again with Vermilion and overcomes the assassin before finally encountering his long-lost older brother, Sho. The two battle and Eiji wins, with Sho complimenting his brother's skills before leaving. Eiji soon faces and slays Abel in single combat, but at the same time, accidentally frees the Organization's previous leader, Veil, who was betrayed and usurped by Abel long ago. Robbed of his revenge, Veil battles Eiji but is also killed as well.

With the deaths of both Veil and Abel, the Organization is completely destroyed and the world is miraculously saved from the malevolent wrath of Agon Teos. However, Eiji soon discovers that Vermilion had somehow survived and escaped the Organization's destruction while completely disappearing without a trace. Faced with an enticing offer, Eiji starts his own plan in order to lure Vermilion out for a final battle.


City Hunter (film)

Ryo Saeba and Kaori Makimura are assigned to locate Shizuko Imamura, the runaway daughter of the CEO of a prominent Japanese newspaper. Kaori leaves in the middle of the search, unhappy with the way Ryo ignores her romantic feelings for him and flirts with other women. Ryo finds Shizuko at a skateboarding park and a chase ensues, but she escapes in disguise.

Shizuko boards a luxury cruise liner, the ''Fuji Maru'', with the ticket she found in the suit she stole. Kaori also boards the ship with her lustful cousin while Ryo sneaks inside to follow her. A terrorist gang led by MacDonald have plans to hijack it and take the rich passengers hostage with Police Officer Saeko Nogami and her buxom sidekick in pursuit.

Staying next door from each other, Shizuko overhears MacDonald's plan. MacDonald discovers her and sends one of his men to kill her, but she knocks him out and escapes. She then bumps into the ship's first officer, who takes her to the boiler room and reveals himself as a terrorist. When he attempts to silence Shizuko, Ryo, who had been staying there since his encounter with Kaori and her cousin at the swimming pool, saves her. When MacDonald's gang arrive, the officer is killed in the shootout while Ryo and Shizuko escape into the movie theater, where ''Game of Death'' is being shown. To beat two towering opponents, Ryo interprets Bruce Lee's techniques from the film.

At the ship's casino, a party hosted by the captain is interrupted when MacDonald kills the captain and terrorizes the partygoers, including Saeko and her sidekick. After robbing them of their valuables, he entices the rich patrons into a sadistic card game. A few opponents are quickly disposed of until Kao Ta, a skilled card gamer who uses his cards as shurikens, joins in. When MacDonald is distracted by seeing Ryo and Shizuko not far away, Ta and Saeko put an end to his game.

MacDonald's henchman Kim kidnaps Kaori and takes her to his room. When Ryo bursts in, both men fight before MacDonald and his men interrupt, capturing Ryo in the process. Kaori escapes, bumping into Shizuko, Saeko, and the rest of the main characters. They take down a gay terrorist trying to seduce Kaori's cousin and prepare to save Ryo.

The next day, Ryo is stood before a firing squad. Shizuko, Saeko, and her sidekick interrupt the planned execution, but are forced to separate by MacDonald's gang. Shizuko uses her gymnastic skills to defeat one henchman, Saeko saves Ta after he runs out of cards in a fight with several terrorists, and her sidekick falls off a ledge and is left unconscious. Ryo goes into the gaming parlor with his hands still tied, but is thrown into a ''Street Fighter II'' arcade game by Kim and suffers an electric shock. This causes him to hallucinate and think Kim is Ken from the game. After a failed attempt to defeat him as E. Honda, Ryo defeats him as Chun-Li.

As a Taiwanese counter terrorism unit, the "Thunderbolts Squad", arrives and take his men out, MacDonald blows up bombs he had set up all over the ship and takes Kaori hostage at the casino. When Ryo and Saeko arrive, he injures both women and starts a long fight with Ryo. However, MacDonald is thrown into the stage and dies when he accidentally steps on his remote, setting off the bombs behind the T.V. panels.

Ryo and Kaori find Shizuko and return to her father. He speaks to Ryo privately, seeing him as a future husband to Shizuko. Listening to their conversation, Kaori leaves in anger, unaware that Ryo has declined the man's offer. However, Ryo finds her and tries to apologize with a rose, but then Saeko drives up and flirts with him. He gives her the rose instead and furious, Kaori smashes him through the air with a big hammer. Ryo wakes up in his recurring dream with beautiful women at the swimming pool.


Sink or Swim (video game)

Players control Kevin Codner, the aquatic hero. After hearing that the SS Lucifer has suffered some sort of mishap (the exact nature of the incident is not made clear in the game; somehow the captain is shown pulling the plug from his bath, and a fountain of water shoots up and starts flooding the ship). Kevin gets into a yellow submarine and begins saving the passengers.


King David's Spaceship

A planet called "Prince Samual's World" had been bombed heavily during the Secession Wars and had spent about 400 years in isolation. As a result, much of the technological knowledge of the First Empire was lost on the planet; when Second Empire ships found the planet, its technological level was somewhere around that of 19th century Europe.

For years, Colonel Nathan "Iron" MacKinnie had been famous on the planet for his masterful defense of the city-state republic of Orleans against the expansionist kingdom of Haven (ruled by King David). After allying with the Second Empire, Haven embarked on a new unification campaign, and MacKinnie set up a decisive battle that, had Orleans won, would have broken Haven. However, unknown to MacKinnie, the new Haven campaign was a lure to get Orleans' forces into the field, so that the Second Empire's more advanced weaponry (including spaceships) could destroy them. These weapons quickly killed most of Orleans' troops, as well as MacKinnie's fiancée. After the loss of its army, Orleans was forced to surrender, and MacKinnie was then pensioned off by the Haven authorities.

Months later, drinking in a Haven tavern with his former top sergeant, Hal Stark, MacKinnie overheard a drunken Imperial officer boast of having been on Makassar, a nearby primitive planet that had a store of First Empire knowledge in a surviving building that locals treated as a temple. Leaving the tavern, MacKinnie and Stark were arrested by the Haven secret police and taken to see their leader, Citizen Malcolm Dougal (who was secretly a key advisor to King David, although without official government portfolio). Dougal had learned through his spy network (and told MacKinnie) that under Imperial law, planets without crewed space travel at the time of assimilation into the Second Empire became colonies, governed by outworlders and at the mercy of the Imperial Traders Association; but planets with crewed space travel, even primitive space travel, became self-governing. Dougal thus offered MacKinnie an opportunity to go to Makassar disguised as a merchant/trader, to locate and return with information from the library to help Haven build a spaceship. Dougal also told MacKinnie that every non-Imperial in the tavern who may have heard the Imperial officer's remarks had been killed, except for MacKinnie and Stark. To save both Stark's life and his own, MacKinnie accepted.

With Stark and a company of Haven agents not known to the Imperials, including Mary Graham, a young woman with a university education (highly unusual for Haven), MacKinnie boarded a ship of the Imperial Traders Association as the leader a merchant company looking for trade opportunities on Makassar. McKinnie's company was restricted to arming themselves with medieval chain mail, shields and swords, because Imperial law mandated that no more advanced technology may be introduced to a more primitive planet, and were fitted with Imperial space suits for the trip.

Reaching Makassar, MacKinnie and his company found few trade goods in the main city, because it was blockaded on both land and sea, which Dougal had anticipated would be the case, giving the company an excuse to travel to Batav, the city where the First Empire library/temple was located. MacKinnie, with the help of a former Haven Navy commander in his company, bought and refitted a sailing ship with leeboards. (Although a primitive technology to Imperials, leeboards were an advanced one in Makassar terms (which the Imperials failed to appreciate) that would allow their ship to travel much faster than any other on the planet). MacKinnie's ship then outran most of the blockading pirate ships and soon arrived in Batav, which was under the control of "temple" high priests who were themselves besieged by vast hordes of barbarian horsemen. There were also Second Empire missionaries stranded in Batav, who believed that the Traders allowed them to travel to Batav because the killing of Imperial missionaries would provide a pretext for Imperial intervention on Makassar.

MacKinnie convinced the high priests to let him recruit Batav citizens into an army to defeat the barbarians. He then maneuvered the most intelligent and suspicious of the high priests and Temple guards into a suicide mission, while his army defeated the barbarians by utilizing superior tactics. He used the resulting power vacuum to install the Second Empire missionaries as Batav's new religious leaders. The grateful clerics were unexpectedly supportive of MacKinnie's secret mission and were willing to allow MacKinnie's company full access to the library archives. One of MacKinnie's men was a physicist chosen for his eidetic memory, to research early plans for space travel. During this period, after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on MacKinnie by the barbarians (which wounded Stark), MacKinnie and Mary Graham, who served as commander of the commissary for MacKinnie's army, secretly became lovers.

MacKinnie and company (minus the injured Stark, who remained on Makassar as commander of the army in MacKinnie's name) then returned to Prince Samual's World. Back in Haven, Dougal's men used the acquired knowledge to build a primitive crewed spaceship, adopting a low-tech design of Robert Goddard—a rapid firing cannon using high-explosive shells detonating behind the ship to provide propulsion (but which might blow up the ship). Because the ship would not be airtight, only members of MacKinnie's company (who still had their space suits) could pilot it, and because it would only be able to carry a minimal payload, Graham (the lightest of the company) volunteered and was chosen as pilot. Before the launch, MacKinnie proposed to her, and she accepted. As soon as Prince Samual's World was unified, and in the presence of unsuspecting Imperial witnesses, Graham's ship was launched and achieved orbit, although it could not re-enter the atmosphere (meaning that the Imperials had to rescue Graham). King David then immediately requested that Prince Samual's World be admitted to the Second Empire as a self-governing world capable of crewed space travel, not as a colony.

The Imperials eventually conceded the self-governing issue, but they realized that MacKinnie and Graham (who have now become the most famous couple on the planet) were part of a Dougal plot to acquire knowledge from the First Empire library during the Makassar trip, which embarrassed the Imperial Navy. The Navy officers insisted that MacKinnie and Graham, at least, be visibly punished, while the Imperial political representatives wanted to give Makassar a chance to continue to develop independently. Using the pretext of Graham's illegal introduction of new technology—wooden horse collars—on Makassar, the political representatives offered MacKinnie and Graham exile on Makassar as punishment (while reminding them that Dougal was likely to execute them due to their fame), and they accepted.


The Graduate (novel)

Benjamin Braddock has recently graduated from a small Eastern college and has returned home to a suburb of Los Angeles. Benjamin, visibly uncomfortable as his parents deliver accolades and neighborhood friends ask him about his future plans, evades those who try to congratulate him. Mrs. Robinson enters his room, asking him strange questions and probing into his life. After he drives her home, Mrs. Robinson attempts to seduce him. Benjamin rebuffs her and quickly goes downstairs as he hears Mr. Robinson arriving home.

A week after his 21st birthday, Benjamin begins his affair with Mrs. Robinson and meets her at the Taft Hotel. In mid-September, Benjamin spends the time drifting around in the pool by day, purposefully neglecting to select a graduate school, and seeing Mrs. Robinson at the hotel by night. One evening, Mrs. Robinson reveals that she is in a loveless marriage, because in the 1940s, she became pregnant with her daughter, Elaine, dropped out of college, and married to avoid scandal.

After being increasingly pressured by his parents and Mr. Robinson to go on a date with Elaine, he takes her out but deliberately sabotages the date by driving recklessly and taking her to two clubs and a strip show. Benjamin discovers that he likes Elaine and decides to tell her everything. Elaine is furious and returns to Berkeley where she is a university student.

Several months later, Benjamin goes to Berkeley and moves into a rooming house near Elaine's dormitory. Elaine is uneasy in his presence and tells him that she has started dating Carl Smith, a medical student. Elaine accuses him of taking advantage of her mother's drunken state and raping her, refusing to believe that it was her mother who initiated the affair. Elaine eventually realizes that her mother was lying, and makes Benjamin promise to not leave Berkeley until he has definite plans.

When Benjamin proposes marriage, Elaine says she is concerned about graduating from college and her relationship with her parents if she continues to see him. Benjamin receives a telegram from Mrs. Robinson, telling him to get out of town immediately. Mr. Robinson arrives at the college and tells Benjamin that he is divorcing his wife and terminating his partnership with Mr. Braddock. Robinson forces his daughter to drop out of school and takes her away, warning Benjamin against further contact. Benjamin returns to his hometown and sneaks into the Robinsons' home but encounters both Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, who call the police and claim that a man has broken into their house. He escapes from the house and returns to Berkeley to find Elaine.

In San Francisco, he learns that Carl will marry Elaine that very morning. Benjamin takes a plane to Santa Barbara, finds the church, and interrupts the ceremony. He runs downstairs to the sanctuary, punches Mr. Robinson, and fights Carl off using a cross as a weapon. Together, Benjamin and Elaine flee the church and ride off on the nearest bus to elope.


Step by Wicked Step

Five children on a school trip stay overnight in Old Harwick Hall, a reputedly haunted house. They find the dusty diary of a boy called Richard Clayton Harwick and read that after Richard ran away to sea to escape his stepfather, he returned to an empty house. His mother had died of grief while his sister had also died in childbirth. This sparks a discussion of Richard's actions between the children. The discussion leads to each of them divulging their own family problems.

Claudia reveals that her parents had divorced after several fights. The 'scarlet woman', a pleasant woman named Stella, tries but fails to win Claudia's approval. However, after a dinner party with her father's friends who also ignore Stella, Claudia realises her mistake and attempts to get them into attention by wearing beautiful green pyjamas bought by Stella in front of the guests, shocking them into politeness.

Colin reveals that his 'Dad' (who was his mother's partner but not his biological father) was left behind by his mother after they had absconded one day. While his mother was frustrated with Jack (Dad)'s unemployed state, Colin, who loved him very much, attempted to keep in contact with Jack. Failing to do so, he plans to find him in the future.

Pixie recounts her parents' separation and her father's second marriage. She dislikes both her stepsisters. In a quarrel with her stepmother Lucy, Pixie unburdened herself of her grievances. Lucy aired her frustrations as well, and they made up.

Ralph entertains the children with a comical description of his extended step-family, spanning two previous stepmothers and their children, one stepfather and one future stepmother, whom he is infatuated with.

Robbo's story is about his stepfather, The Beard, and his sister Callie, who cannot get along. This had caused much trouble for the family especially after the birth of stepbrother Dumpa. Callie finally moved in with her father instead.

Before going to bed, the other children secretly place a broken wooden cow made by Richard Harwick into Colin's bag, as a reminder to him to make the best of what he faces.


Sodom and Gomorrah (1962 film)

The twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah prosper because of their great deposits of salt, which are mined by an army of slaves. The decadent citizens, who have become wealthy by trading salt, live in luxury and use slaves as servants and for violent games of entertainment.

After a night of revelry, Astaroth (Stanley Baker), the Prince of Sodom, tells slave girl Tamar (Scilla Gabel) to carry a message to the king of the Elamites, with whom he plans to overthrow his sister, Bera, Queen of Sodom (Anouk Aimée). Returning from her meeting in the desert with the Elamite leader, Tamar is captured by a Sodomite patrol. Queen Bera demands the name of her co-conspirator. Tamar refuses to speak under interrogation and Bera has her and her two young sisters killed.

Meanwhile, Lot (Stewart Granger) leads his family and a Hebrew tribe through the desert, hoping that he can find a permanent home for his people along the fertile banks of the River Jordan. By contrast with the people of the twin cities, the Hebrews are presented as a pious and austere people with high moral standards. As the Hebrews approach their destination, Lot meets the beautiful Ildith (Pier Angeli), who luxuriates in a litter while a group of slave girls in chains precede her over the rocky terrain. Lot assumes that Ildith owns these women. She tells him that she is also a slave, albeit the chief of the Queen of Sodom's body slaves. Lot tells her that owning slaves is evil. The following dialog ensues:

Once Lot and his people reach the Jordan, he negotiates the use of the land on one side of the river with Queen Bera, promising her both grain and defense should Sodom's desert enemies attack. In a surprising turn, she gives Lot Ildith, who does not wish to leave the queen or her life of luxury in Sodom. Astorath is disgusted and baffled by his sister's easy terms with the Hebrews. However, he soon turns his attentions to Lot's flirtatious daughter, Shuah (Rossana Podestà).

Ildith dislikes the rough conditions of the Hebrew camp, but soon befriends Lot's daughters. She and Lot also fall in love and plan to marry. Meanwhile, Shuah and Astaroth begin a secret affair. Lot's other daughter, Maleb (Claudia Mori) and his headstrong lieutenant, Ishmael (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) also plan a marriage.

Lot and Ildith's wedding day celebrations are interrupted by an Elamite attack. Although the Hebrew farmers and the Sodomite soldiers fight valiantly, they are nearly defeated by the fierce nomadic warriors. In a last, desperate measure, Lot orders that the dam that the Hebrews have built be broken. His quick thinking saves the twin cities and the Hebrews, but the camp and the crops are destroyed. However, the flood waters reveal that the Hebrew camp is also the site of a vast salt deposit. Lot now believes that the Hebrews can move out of the wilderness and live among the Sodomites ("separate, but in their full view", he cautions) by selling salt.

Some time later, Lot and Ildith now live in luxury in Sodom. Sodomites and Hebrews both revere Lot and seek his judgment. Ishmael however, believes that Lot has succumbed to luxury and instead should liberate Sodom's mine slaves. Lot disagrees and advises Ishmael to wait, believing that the Sodomites will change their ways in time. Ishmael does not heed Lot and unsuccessfully tries to set the slaves free, believing that the Hebrews will harbour them. Instead the Hebrews shut their doors on the desperate escapees who are soon recaptured and sentenced to death. As the newly appointed minister of justice, Lot must now sentence Ishmael. However Ishmael is only one of Lot's problems, as he is confronted by the jealous Astaroth, who tells him that not only has he slept with both of Lot's daughters, but that Ildith had known and kept the affairs secret. An outraged Lot kills Astaroth.

At this point, Queen Bera's plot becomes clear: she used the Hebrews to destroy the Elamite threat and also used Lot to rid her of her scheming brother. Lot becomes deeply remorseful that he has not only killed but he led his family and people into sin. Bera has him taken to prison.

While Lot asks God for forgiveness and guidance, two angels appear to tell him that God is displeased with the twin cities and will destroy them. Lot pleads with the angels to spare the city if he can find just ten Sodomite citizens who will repent and leave the cities with him. The angels agree and free both Lot and Ishmael from prison after warning Lot that anyone leaving Sodom who looks back will be struck down as well.

Meanwhile, many recaptured slaves are tortured to death on the wheel. Queen Bera exclaims "But wait, the entertainment has just begun", as Lot appears seeking ten righteous Sodomites. Although he has God's consent, Lot finds it impossible to persuade any Sodomite citizens to follow him; only the slaves are willing to accompany him. Even his own daughters, who believe Lot a hypocrite, at first refuse. Ildith, however, convinces them to leave, hoping that they will someday understand their father and his greatness as a leader. Shuah goes only grudgingly, telling Lot that she hopes to see him suffering, as she does now that Astaroth is dead.

Immediately after the Hebrews and Sodomite slaves leave, God assails Sodom with earthquakes and lightning. Queen Bera retreats with her slave Orphea to her palace, where they are killed under the collapsing pillars. The Sodomites flee into the streets, still committing vile and selfish acts to save themselves or exploit the chaos, and are killed by collapsing buildings and fire.

Meanwhile, Ildith now wishes she were back in Sodom. Despite her love for Lot, she cannot accept his God, choosing to believe in Lot rather than in a Divine plan. Despite Lot's warnings, Ildith looks back at Sodom. God turns her into a pillar of salt just as He destroys the city with a final fiery explosion. Lot collapses in grief. Maleb and Shuah attempt to comfort Lot. Distraught, he staggers off with the Hebrews, who wander the desert once more.


The African Queen (novel)

The story opens in August/September 1914. Rose Sayer, a 33-year-old British woman, is the companion and housekeeper of her brother Samuel, an Anglican missionary in German East Africa (present-day Tanzania). World War I has recently begun, and the German military commander of the area has conscripted all the natives; the village is deserted, and only Rose and her dying brother remain. Samuel dies during the night and Rose is alone. That day, another man arrives at the village: this is a London Cockney named Allnutt, who is the mechanic and skipper of the ''African Queen'', a steam-powered launch, owned by a Belgian mining corporation, that plies the upper reaches of the Ulanga River. Allnutt's two-man crew has deserted him at the rumours of war and conscription. Allnutt buries Samuel Sayer and takes Rose back to the ''African Queen'', where they consider what they should do.

The ''African Queen'' is well-stocked with tinned food, and carries a cargo of two hundredweight of blasting gelignite. It also holds two large tanks of oxygen and hydrogen. Rose is inflamed with patriotism, and also filled with the desire to avenge the insults the Germans piled on her brother. It occurs to her that the main German defence against a British attack by water is the gunboat ''Königin Luise'', which guards the fictional Lake Wittelsbach into which the Ulanga feeds. She asks Allnutt if he can make the gelignite into a makeshift torpedo. Allnutt replies that that is not possible, but after some thought, he concludes that by loading the gelignite inside the emptied tanks, putting the tanks into the bow of the launch, and rigging a detonator, they could turn the ''African Queen'' itself into a sort of large torpedo. Allnutt is inclined to laugh off the idea, but he gives in to Rose's greater strength of will and the two of them set off down the Ulanga, Rose steering and Allnutt maintaining the launch's ancient, balky, wood-burning steam engine.

The descent to the lake poses three main problems: passing the German-held town of Shona; passing the heavy rapids and cataracts; and getting through the river delta. After many days on the river, they come close to Shona, and Allnutt's nerve fails; he refuses to take the launch under fire, anchors in a backwater, and gets drunk on gin. Unable to work the launch single-handed, Rose sets out to make Allnutt's life miserable until he agrees to her plan; while he is asleep she pours all his gin overboard, then refuses to speak to him. The weak-willed Allnutt eventually gives in and the ''African Queen'' gets under way again. They come in sight of Shona at midday; the German commander assumes the launch is coming in to surrender (because he believes no boat could pass the rapids below the town, so Shona is the only possible destination); he does not realise his mistake until too late, and though he and his men open fire, the launch receives only minor damage.

Below the town, the ''African Queen'' spends several days shooting the rapids; Allnutt is exhilarated, and he and Rose are reconciled and become lovers. Rose, embarrassed, admits that she does not know Allnutt's first name; he tells her it is Charlie. On the third day the launch strikes on rocks while passing another rapid; she loses way and does not respond well to the tiller, so they are forced to anchor in the lee of a rock outcropping. Allnutt dives and finds that the driveshaft is bent and the propeller has lost one of its blades. Over the next weeks they slowly repair the damage without being able to beach the launch; Allnutt has to dive again and again to remove the shaft and propeller. On shore they gather wood and construct a makeshift bellows to heat the shaft so Allnutt can straighten it. Then Allnutt makes a new propeller blade out of scrap iron and bolts it to the stump of the old blade. After numerous dives to fix the shaft and propeller, they continue on their way and eventually pass the rapids, coming out of the Ulanga River into the larger Bora River, which feeds into the lake. By this point, Rose has become an expert with the tiller and in reading the complex changes of the river.

Passing the river delta is long and arduous. Tormented by myriads of biting insects, sickened with malaria, and wracked by the terrible heat and powerful thunderstorms, they drag the launch through miles of reeds and water-grass with their boat-hooks, occasionally diving to cut fallen logs out of their way. Even the shallow launch (which has a draft of only thirty inches) constantly grounds on the thick mud. Finally, after weeks of exhausting labour, they emerge into the lake.

They hide the launch in a stand of reeds and begin constructing the torpedo. Allnutt releases the gas from his two tanks and unscrews the valves, leaving a hole big enough for him to fill the tanks with gelignite, packed in mud. He cuts two holes in the front of the launch, right at the waterline, and fixes the two tanks there; he then constructs detonators from nails and revolver cartridges, so the gelignite will detonate on impact. All that is left is to pilot the launch right into the side of the ''Königin Luise'', and the resulting explosion will destroy both vessels. They have been keeping track of the gunboat's habits, and choose a night when it will be anchored close to them. They argue about which of them should pilot the launch and which stay behind, but in the end they agree that they will both go. They fire up the engine and set out on the attack, but halfway to their target a sudden storm sweeps up out of nowhere and overwhelms them; the ''African Queen'' sinks, and Rose and Allnutt have to swim for safety.

The two lovers are separated in the storm, but both are captured by the Germans the next day. They are brought before the captain of the ''Königin Luise'' to be tried as spies. Both refuse to say how they came to the lake, but the captain sees "African Queen" written on Rose's life-saver and deduces that they must be the mechanic and the missionary's sister from the mysteriously missing launch. He decides it would be uncivilised to execute them, so he flies a flag of truce and delivers them to the British naval commander, who dismissively sends them to separate tents under guard while he takes his newly arrived reinforcements out to sink the ''Königin Luise''. Having succeeded in this, he sends Rose and Allnutt to the coast to speak to the British Consul, where he advises Allnutt to enlist in the British Army. Rose and Allnutt agree that when they reach the coast they will ask the Consul to marry them. The story ends with the narrator's comment that "Whether or not they lived happily ever after is not easily decided."

The MV ''Liemba'', named SMS ''Graf von Goetzen'' during World War I, was the inspiration for the German gunboat.


The Music Man (1962 film)

In 1912, notorious con man Professor Harold Hill arrives in River City, Iowa, anxious to swindle the famously stubborn citizens. Masquerading as a band instructor, Hill’s plan is to convince the townspeople into paying him to create a boys marching band. Once he collects payment for instruments and uniforms he will take the next train out of town.

With his associate, Marcellus Washburn, Hill realizes he needs a red herring ploy, so he incites concern among River City's parents that their boys are being seduced into sin and vice by the town's new pool table. He convinces them that a marching band is the only way to keep boys out of trouble, and begins collecting money for the band. Anticipating that Marian Paroo, the town's conscientious librarian and piano instructor, will attempt to discredit him, Hill sets out to seduce her into silence. Also in opposition to Hill is the town's Mayor Shinn, owner of the billiard parlor, who orders the school board to obtain Hill's credentials. When they attempt to do so, Hill avoids their questions by teaching them to sing as a barbershop quartet via "sustained talking". Thereafter, Hill easily tricks them into breaking into four-part harmony whenever they ask for his credentials.

Hill's wooing of Marian, who distrusts him, has little effect, though he succeeds in winning the admiration of her mother Widow Paroo and attempts to befriend her unhappy younger brother, Winthrop. When Marian discovers that Hill's claim to being a graduate of "Gary Conservatory, Gold Medal, Class of '05" is a lie (the town of Gary was founded in 1906, so there could be no music conservatory with that name before that date), she attempts to expose him, but is interrupted by the arrival of the Wells Fargo wagon. When Winthrop, after years of moody withdrawal, joins in the townspeople's singing and speaks effusively about his new cornet, Marian sees Hill's work as beneficial and hides the evidence of his deceit from Mayor Shinn. Hill tells the boys to learn to play via the "Think System", in which they simply have to think of a tune over and over and will know how to play it without ever practicing on their instruments.

Hill's con is nearly complete: all he has to do is collect the rest of the money and disappear. Meeting Marian at the traditional footbridge – the first time she has ever been there with a man – he learns that she knew of his deception but did not tell because she is in love with him. He is about to leave town when Charlie Cowell, a disgruntled anvil salesman who was run out of Brighton, Illinois because Hill had conned the townspeople there, comes to River City and exposes Hill. Sought by an angry mob and pressed to leave town by Marcellus and Marian, Hill realizes he is in love with Marian and does not want to leave her.

Hill is captured by the mob and brought before a town meeting to be tarred and feathered. Marian defends Hill; the townspeople, reminded of how he has brought so many of them together, elect to relent. Mayor Shinn reminds the townspeople how much money Hill has taken, with no apparent result. When he demands to know "Where's the band?" Hill is saved by the town's boys, who play Beethoven's Minuet in G presumably via the "Think System." Although their technical expertise leaves much to be desired, the boys' parents are enthralled. As the boys march out of the town hall, they are suddenly transformed in the townspeople's imagination into a spectacular marching band in resplendent uniforms, playing and marching with perfection, led by Hill. Hill is reunited with Marian, and all the other main characters join in during the credits.


Night Without End

A BOAC airplane crash-lands on the Greenland ice cap far from its usual route after flying in a seemingly erratic fashion. An International Geophysical Year scientific research team based near the crash site rescues the surviving passengers and takes them to their station. Most of the flight crew are dead. The station's only means of contact with the outside world, a radio set, is destroyed in a seemingly accidental manner.

With not enough food for everyone and no hope of rescue, the leader of the scientific research team, Dr Mason, decides that they must set out for the nearest settlement, some 300 kilometers away at the coast. Meanwhile, the crew member who was found with massive brain injuries an who since fell in a coma is found to have been suffocated with a pillow. Inspecting the plane, Dr Mason discovers that one of the pilots had been shot in the back. The dead passenger is determined to be a military courier. An attempt is also made on Mason's life by stranding him in the arctic night, soon after that the wreck goes up in flames. The scientist's suspicion falls on the stewardess but she is soon cleared. Mason orders another scientist, Joss, to stay behind and try to repair the radio so that a field expedition can be contacted.

Mason leaves with the group along with the other scientist, Jackstraw, while remaining in touch with their station by means of a short range radio. Meanwhile, the field expedition returns to the station and contacts Mason. They inform him that a massive military mobilization has located the crashed plane and that it carried something very important. The government, having refused to divulge anything, had tried to contact Mason's station. Finding the station to be non-responding, they have requested the expedition chief, Captain Hillcrest, to investigate.

Mason decides to go on with the journey since any attempt to return will induce the murderers to act. He keeps this new development to himself and Jackstraw. Hillcrest sets out after the group but soon finds that the petrol he picked up at the station has been tampered with. Sugar has been added to the petrol disabling the engine and leading him to get bogged down. A solution is found when one of the passengers, a chemist, suggests that the petrol be mixed with water and the top layer of the resultant mixture be siphoned off. At almost the same time, the government relents and informs Mason through Hillcrest that the military courier carried a top secret missile guidance mechanism disguised as a tape recorder. Mason realizes that one of the passengers picked up such a device at the crash site. This precipitates the murderers into action and they take over the group.

Finding that killing the entire group is not possible, the criminals initially take the survivors with them, but soon abandon all of them except for the stewardess, for whom Mason has developed a romantic attachment, and the father and manager of a passenger who is a boxer. In the process, one of the passengers left behind is killed. The group stumbles on in the arctic blizzard guided by sled dogs. Soon they come across an abandoned sled that contains rocket radiosondes, which they use to guide Hillcrest to them. A chase ensues across the arctic landscape to the shore where a trawler waits for the criminals. But the intervention of the Navy, on information from Hillcrest, frightens off the trawler. The criminals are surrounded and after a bitter hand-to-hand struggle, the secret device and surviving hostages are rescued.

The first criminal is killed, however the second is still on the go. Having himself and the stewardess locked in a fast moving glacier, Dr. Mason manages to rescue her, but the killer is left to die.


Don (2006 Dutch film)

The film is about bullying (with death threats and assaults causing injuries), friendship, and soccer. Don (Clemens Levert), a 12-year-old boy, is the main character. Don's best friend at his new school is Milos (Marius Gottlieb). Milos boasts about his big brother who supposedly protects him and is a sportsman. However, this brother is already missing several years after the war in former Yugoslavia, and he is probably dead. Don confronts him with his lies and false hope. Initially this shocks Milos.

Henri (Samir Veen) is the worst bully.

Don gains respect by being good at football. He organizes a football team. Several former bullies become friends. Don even invites his worst enemy, Henri, to join, because he plays well. On and off Henri is in the team; when he is, he is team leader, when not, Don is. Milos is so afraid of the ball that he seems to be of no use for the team. However, he can run fast, and is assigned the task to stay near one strong opponent, making him ineffective.

Don gets little support from his parents: when he comes home beaten up, he is blamed for fighting. When this happens a second time, they are about to send him to a boarding school in England. However, the whole class except Henri comes, led by Milos, to the house, and asks the parents to allow Don to stay. After Don says also that he wants to stay, the parents give in.

At the final of the competition they win by unfair tactics such as kicking their opponents.

Henri refuses to shake hands with Don. However, he does one positive thing: he makes good for destroying Milos' football by asking the judge to give them the ball, and, after he gets it, giving it to Milos.


Rampage 2: Universal Tour

George, Lizzie, and Ralph have been captured and confined for the world to see. George is held captive in New York City, Lizzie is imprisoned in Tokyo, and Ralph the Wolf is stored in London (references to ''King Kong'', ''Godzilla'', and ''Werewolf of London'', or possibly ''An American Werewolf in London''). However, Scumlabs, who has just rebuilt their facilities in Salt Lake City, causes another accident that results in three new monsters: Boris (a rhinoceros monster), Curtis (a mouse monster), and Ruby (a lobster monster). Players choose one of the three original monsters to rescue. The player then uses the characters in the part of the world where the rescuee is held. They work as a collective to break buildings, eat people, and destroy cars and this creates competition among players. When a player frees George, Lizzie, or Ralph, then they become playable characters. Once all the monsters are rescued, aliens begin to invade the Earth leaving the monsters the only ones who can save the planet that they just helped partially destroy. After fending off the invasion on Earth, the monsters rescue Myukus (a green cyclops-like alien) from Area 51, who joins them before chasing the aliens through space, destroying the aliens' bases throughout the Solar System and eventually rampaging through their home-world and destroying their capital.

A news channel covers all the destruction caused by the monsters. At the end of the game, it is revealed that the aliens have a news program, but the alien anchorman who runs the program is eaten by Myukus.


Look Who's Talking Now

A puppy is up for sale, who is also talking. He sees Mikey passing by and begs him to take him home. Mikey, however, has to hurry past in tow of his mother, and other people buy the puppy. He manages to escape and starts his life as a stray. James is a pilot working for Samantha - who extends trips to spend more time with him. Mollie is looking for a job after getting laid off. Mikey tells Santa Claus that he wants a dog for Christmas, James feels the time has come to give him one and tells Samantha. One day, the dog gets caught by animal rescue and taken to a kennel. He is about to be put down when James brings Mikey there to select one. Overjoyed, he bumps into the dog he saw as a puppy and decides to take him home. He names the dog Rocks.

When they get home, they see Samantha is there with her dog, Daphne, who is highly trained and wants James to have her as a present. Rocks and Daphne do not get along. Rocks is messy and untrained while Daphne is well trained and spoiled. However, Daphne bonds with Julie while Rocks does with Mikey. Rocks wears Mollie's patience due to his behavior, leaving her to clean up after his messes. Samantha starts having James fly on long trips. Mollie has to job hunt and take care of the kids and dogs. James and Mollie develop tensions over Samantha. Mollie suspects that James is cheating on her.

James states he has faith in his wife and wants her to have faith in him. She agrees but still distrusts Samantha's intentions. After another trip, both have dreams of the other being unfaithful. James and Mollie are still in love with each other and miss each other while they are apart. As Mollie becomes more tired, Daphne realizes that she needs to become more independent.

Rocks helps her learn how to go outside by herself and use her sense of smell to track people or things. The two dogs start becoming friends. On Christmas Eve, Samantha tricks James into coming to fancy cabin in the woods by saying that she wants to introduce him to a prospective client. She stalls for time until James cannot leave because of a snowstorm. James calls Mollie to tell her that he cannot make it home for Christmas. Mollie learns that he is alone with Samantha and becomes worried he is going to cheat on her. However, Mollie's mother convinces her to trust her instincts that James loves her and would never do that.

Mollie drives through the storm with the kids and dogs to "bring Christmas to Daddy". Their car gets stuck in the woods due to the storm. They are attacked by wolves, and Rocks scares them off while Mollie and the kids get inside the car. Daphne sets out to find help using the tracking skills that Rocks taught her.

Rocks runs out to track down James on his own. He finds Samantha's cabin, and James realizes that Mollie has set out to find him. He confronts Samantha about her lies and quits his job, then goes with Rocks to track down his family. Samantha picks the vase up off the table and tries to throw it at him but he shuts the door so it hits the door and shatters instead. They are attacked by wolves, and Rocks fights them off while James escapes. Meanwhile, Daphne finds forest rangers that take Mollie, the kids, and Daphne to safety into their cabin. James finds them, and Rocks runs in. Then James tells Mollie that if it wasn't for Rocks he would've not even made it and then Mollie says he stays so James and Mollie carry Mikey and Julie to bed to wait for Santa to come.


The Executioners (MacDonald novel)

The basic plot of the novel concerns an attorney named Sam Bowden, who caught Max Cady, an illiterate, brutal rapist, in the act. Bowden later testifies against him. The jury finds Cady guilty and Cady is sent to prison for fourteen years, where he develops and nurses an obsessive grudge, fueled with rage and hatred over how Bowden sent him to jail. After Cady is paroled, he begins stalking Bowden's family, not only seeking vengeance, but also envying what Bowden has, particularly eyeing Bowden's innocent teenage daughter. Cady's vendetta slowly escalates from stalking and annoying the family to attempting to kill those he deems close to the family.

Bowden sends some thugs to beat Cady hoping to run him off. Unfortunately, the plan fails and Cady manages to beat them instead. However, as the cops respond to the fight, Cady swings his arm into a police officer and gets arrested for assaulting a cop. While this sends him to jail, Bowden realizes he will be back out soon enough.

Cady attempts to kill Bowden's son by shooting him with a high power rifle from far away but fails due to the wind velocity sending the bullet into his son's arm instead.

As his wife is leaving the hospital, she nearly dies in a car crash after Cady removes the lug nuts from one of her wheels.

Desperate, Bowden decides to work with the police to set up a trap. If Cady enters Bowden's house, he can be shot for trespassing. The plan is to convince Cady he is out of town. He will hide in the attic of a detached garage outside the house while a police officer named Kersek covertly stands guard in the house ready to shoot Cady, should he show up.

Bowden anxiously waits in the dead of night with a gun of his own. Then he hears his wife screaming, followed by gunshots, but badly sprains his ankle falling from the ladder from the detached garage's attic. As he approaches the front door, it's too dark to see clearly but he can see a shadow of Cady running towards him. They collide, violently knocking Bowden to the ground, yet Bowden manages to keep hold of his revolver. As Cady is fleeing the premises, Bowden angrily shoots his gun in Cady's direction and then makes his way inside. He finds out that Cady began assaulting his wife but was interrupted by Kersek. Unfortunately, Kersek was not fast enough to kill Cady and Cady killed him instead and then left once he realized this whole thing was a setup.

Cady killed a cop, so the police begin their search for Cady. As daylight begins, they find a trail of blood in Bowden's backyard. They follow it and find Cady's corpse. It turns out Bowden's frantic shot hit Cady and severed an artery and he bled to death.

The Cape Fear River is not featured in the novel, though it is integral in both film adaptations.


Love (2011 film)

During an 1864 battle of the American Civil War, a lone Union soldier, Captain Lee Briggs (Bradley Horne), is dispatched on a mission to investigate a mysterious object reported to Union forces. He leaves to venture on the mission.

175 years later, in the year 2039, United States Astronaut Lee Miller (Gunner Wright) is sent to the International Space Station (ISS) as a one-man skeleton crew to examine if it is safe for use and to perform necessary modifications after it had been abandoned two decades earlier for reasons unknown. Shortly after arriving on board, tumultuous events break out on Earth, eventually resulting in Miller losing contact with CAPCOM and finding himself stranded in orbit alone, forced to helplessly watch events on Earth from portholes 200 miles above his home planet. Miller struggles to maintain his sanity while in isolation by interacting with Polaroid pictures of former ISS crew members left aboard the ship.

When the station has some power glitches, Miller journeys into an unpressurised module of the space station to perform repairs and discovers the 1864 journal of Briggs. Miller reads Briggs's account of the war and becomes enthralled by the mysterious object he is searching for, not realizing he will soon become more familiar with the very same object, and not by accident.

In 2045, six years after losing contact with CAPCOM and with a failing oxygen system inside the ISS, Miller puts on a space suit and goes for a spacewalk, deciding that it would be easier for him to detach his tether and slowly drift towards Earth and to burn in the atmosphere than slowly suffocate to death on board the ISS. He finds, however, that he is unable to go through with his suicide.

Miller is seen still aboard the ISS, presumably much later: his hair has grown extremely long, and he is extensively tattooed. He has drawn sketches of people and battles of the Civil War from the journal all over the interior of the ISS. The cramped quarters of the space station have become a rat's nest symbolic of his diminished sanity. He then seems to be contacted from outside the ISS, and to receive instructions to dock and transfer over. He does so, and seems to arrive in a giant uninhabited structure of distinctly human making. It is unclear whether this is reality or imagined by Miller, who is now insane.

Miller wanders around until he happens upon a server mainframe where he finds a book titled ''A Love Story' As Told by 'You''. Inside this book, he finds pictures of Captain Lee Briggs with his discovery, a gigantic cube-like alien object that may have helped advance Human society. In the index of the book, Miller finds a reference to himself and types it into the computer prompt. He then finds himself inside a generic hotel room, where a disembodied voice says:

How are you doing, Lee? Sorry about this projection, but it's the only way we could reach you. We can't tell you how relieved we are to have you here. Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, we have to tell you something. You're the last one, it's all gone. We understand how you might feel. Connection is perhaps the most cherished thing any being can have. That's the thing. That's why we've been listening. The place you see here is a scrapbook of sorts, a collection of memories and mementos of mankind's brief existence. It's a good thing we found you. We look forward to meeting you, Lee.

During the speech, we see the same cube-like object in space in the year 2045. The viewer is left to assume that this object has 'obtained' Lee Miller and is speaking directly to him. The film ends with the voice of a computer speaking of human connections and love.


The Music Lovers (The Goodies)

Tim and Graeme are listening to a string quartet in an open-air classical music concert. Bill is also present at the concert, but he is listening to rock music on his radio. Suddenly, some men in dark-coloured suits force the string quartet members to leave the stage. Shocked and disbelieving at what they have just witnessed, the Goodies go home.

Both Graeme and Tim are very disappointed. They had been enjoying listening to the classical music, and they check the newspaper for some live classical music elsewhere, but find that all the live music concerts have been replaced by jukebox music. Turning on the television to hear classical music, they find that Moira Anderson is missing — and they are just in time to see Kenneth McKellar being dragged off stage. The live music television programmes are all being taken over by recorded music.

The Goodies decide to investigate what is happening and form their own music group so that they would also be stolen. Bill 'tunes' their piano so that all the notes sound identical. When Graeme complains, Bill 'tunes' the keyboard so that the keyboard will play musical tunes when a person moves his hand up and down the keyboard (Graeme makes him change the keyboard back to normal). The Goodies try various types of music, and various musical instruments (including a piano accordion which stretches to "the point of no return"). Finally, with Bill playing the guitar, and Graeme programming his computer to play orchestral music, they decide to sing "''Land of Hope and Glory''" — Bill is the principal singer, and Graeme and Tim sing harmony — with Tim receiving help with his harmony in the form of his "glee singers" (two very pretty girls). At the end of the song, they wait to be kidnapped, and are upset when only Tim's "glee singers" are stolen; the kidnappers reject them because they "ain't good enough."

The next step in their plan to be stolen has the Goodies giving a non-stop Woodstock Festival-type concert, in which they perform songs as various types of music groups. After a week of performances, which nobody comes to watch, they are about to give up their plan as being hopeless, but unbeknown to them, the Goodies have also been stolen.

They are driven to a house in the country, where they discover the identity of the mysterious being behind the kidnappings. Telling the Goodies that he is the Music Master, he explains the reason why the kidnappings occurred. The Goodies are not impressed and Graeme says: "You're a loony!", to which the Music Master replies proudly: "Thank you!"

Horrified at what they have found, the Goodies plan to right the situation — however, one of their decisions leads to unforeseen consequences for themselves.

The Goodies are enslaved by the Music Master until Bill finally comes up with an escape plan: to play the square dance rhythm and rescue all the musicians except Rolf Harris and Cilla Black. Gerald and the mobsters chase after the trio as they playing their instruments to get a head start and defeat them. But as the Music Master rides over the hill with his cannon organ, The Goodies call out the violinists to shoot violin bows as arrows on the defeated Music Master.

All the musicians are grateful to The Goodies and reward them with gifts but when Cilla finally escapes she blasts the trio with her high-pitched voice.


American Psycho (film)

In 1987, Patrick Bateman, a young and wealthy New York City investment banker, spends most of his time dining at popular restaurants while keeping up appearances for his fiancée Evelyn Williams and his circle of wealthy associates, most of whom he hates. At a business meeting, Bateman and his associates flaunt their business cards. Enraged by the superiority of his colleague Paul Allen's card, Bateman confronts a homeless man in an alley at night and stabs him and stomps his dog to death. Bateman and Allen, who mistakes Bateman for another coworker, make plans for dinner after a Christmas party. Bateman resents Allen for his affluent lifestyle and ability to obtain reservations at Dorsia, an exclusive restaurant that Bateman is unable to get into. Bateman manipulates Allen into getting drunk. He lures Allen into his apartment and kills him with an axe. Patrick goes into Allen's apartment and leaves a message on his answering machine claiming that Allen has gone on a business trip to London.

After private investigator Donald Kimball interviews Bateman regarding Allen's disappearance, Bateman takes two prostitutes, Christie and Sabrina, to his apartment, where they have sex before he tortures them and sends them on their way after paying them. Bateman's colleague Luis Carruthers reveals a new business card, so Bateman tries to strangle him in the restroom of an expensive restaurant. Carruthers mistakes the attempt for a sexual advance and declares his love for Bateman, who panics and flees. After murdering a model, Bateman invites his secretary Jean to dinner, suggesting that she meet him at his apartment for drinks. Bateman plans to kill her with a nail gun, but desists after he receives a message from Williams on his answering machine.

Kimball meets Bateman for lunch and tells him he is not a suspect in Allen's disappearance. He reveals that a colleague of Bateman's claims to have spotted Allen in London, calling the investigation into question. Bateman is relieved, but becomes perturbed and begins to doubt himself. Bateman brings Christie to Allen's apartment where he drugs his acquaintance Elizabeth before having sex with her and Christie. After Bateman kills Elizabeth, Christie runs, discovering multiple female corpses as she searches for an exit. Bateman chases her and drops a chainsaw on her as she flees down a staircase. Afterwards, Bateman breaks off his engagement with Williams.

As Bateman uses an ATM, he sees a cat. The ATM displays the text "feed me a stray cat", so he prepares to shoot the cat. When a woman confronts him, he shoots her. A police chase ensues, but Bateman kills the officers and blows up a police car. Bateman kills two more people before hiding in his office. He calls his lawyer Harold Carnes and frantically leaves a confession, claiming to have killed 20–40 people. The following morning, Bateman visits Allen's apartment to clean up the remains, but finds it vacant and for sale. The realtor tells him that the apartment does not belong to Allen before ordering him to leave.

While Bateman goes to meet with his colleagues for lunch, Jean finds detailed drawings of murder and mutilation in Bateman's office journal. Bateman sees Carnes and mentions the phone message. Carnes mistakes Bateman for another colleague and laughs off the confession as a joke. Bateman clarifies who he is and again confesses the murders, but Carnes says his claims are impossible since he recently had dinner with Allen in London. A confused Bateman returns to his friends; they muse whether Ronald Reagan is a harmless old man or hidden psychopath before discussing their dinner reservations. Bateman, unsure if his crimes were imaginary, realizes he will never receive the punishment he desires.


Gregor the Overlander

Eleven-year-old Gregor is left home alone in his family's New York City apartment to watch his sister and grandmother. When Gregor's baby sister Boots falls through an old air duct grate in the building's basement, he dives in after her. The two fall miles below into the Underland: a subterranean world home to humans with near-translucent skin; giant sentient bats, rodents, and insects; and an escalating conflict between the human city of Regalia and the rats' King Gorger. They meet several "Underlanders", among them the Regalians' crown princess Luxa, her cousin Henry, and the bats who are "bonded" to them. At first, Gregor wants only to return home, but when he is attacked by two rats during an escape attempt and saved by the Underlanders, he inadvertently brings the conflict between the two groups to a head.

It is then that he learns the real reason for the rats' hatred of Overlanders: a mysterious prophecy written by the human colony's founder Bartholomew of Sandwich hints that an Overland "warrior" will stop an attempt by the rats to take over the underground realm once and for all. The Regalian council believes Gregor to be this warrior, and tries to convince him to undertake the quest mentioned in the "Prophecy of Gray". Though he sympathizes, Gregor is reluctant to help until he learns a surprising fact: his father, who disappeared unexpectedly over two years before, had actually fallen down into Regalia just like Gregor and Boots and been taken prisoner by the rats. Gregor, his sister, and a group of Regalians go on a journey to rescue Gregor's father and recruit allies for a war against the rats.

The quest group is challenged to successfully recruit allies for the Regalians, and then journeys to find Gregor's dad emaciated and tortured in the personal prison of King Gorger. When the rat king discovers their rescue attempt, Henry reveals that he has been helping the rats all along, hoping to ally them with the Regalians and conquer the entire Underland. During the questers' attempt to escape, Gregor sacrifices himself to lure the rats' attack force — King Gorger and Henry among them — off the edge of a cliff. Henry's bat Ares, who had no knowledge of his bond's treachery, chooses to save Gregor rather than Henry as they fall. When the few remaining quest members make it back to Regalia, Luxa and her family are devastated, both because of Henry's treason and death and because Ares has been sentenced to banishment (essentially a death sentence in the Underland) for allowing his bond to die. Gregor saves his life by using his status as the "warrior" to form a new bond with him. When things have settled down somewhat and the Regalian doctors have done all they can for his father, Gregor and his family return to the surface.

The Prophecy of Gray

''Beware, Underlanders, time hangs by a thread''
''The hunters are hunted, white water runs red.''
''The gnawers will strike to extinguish the rest.''
''The hope of the hopeless resides in a quest.''

'''Meaning:''' The usually uneasy balance of power in the Underland is in flux, with the rats' king planning to launch an attack against the other species in the Underland. The phrase "white water runs red" refers specifically to how the humans deposit the bodies of two rats who try to kill Gregor into a fast-flowing river beneath the Regalian palace. "Hope of the hopeless" may be interpreted as a reference to Gregor, who refuses to "allow himself to think about the future at all", because it makes him sad as he has made rule, thinking if he thinks good thoughts they are never to happen. He made this rule after he lost his father.

''An Overlander warrior, a son of the sun,''
''May bring us back light, he may bring us back none.''
''But gather your neighbors and follow his call''
''Or rats will most surely devour us all.''

'''Meaning:''' Gregor is an Overlander and the son of another fallen Overlander (thus a "son" of the "sun", in multiple ways). He brings the Regalians "light" (an Underland idiom for "life") by killing King Gorger and the traitor Henry. The humans ally themselves with the other species of their world, warding off an attack by the rats, who are carnivores and occasionally cannibalistic.

''Two over, two under, of royal descent,''
''Two fliers, two crawlers, two spinners assent.''
''One gnawer beside and one lost up ahead.''
''And eight will be left when we count up the dead.''

'''Meaning:''' Gregor and Boots; Luxa and Henry; the bats Ares and Aurora; two giant cockroaches named Temp and Tick; the spiders Gox and Treflex; and the rat Ripred all journey on a quest to find the "one lost up ahead": Gregor's dad. Out of the original twelve, Tick, Treflex, Gox, and Henry all die during the quest.

''The last who will die must decide where he stands.''
''The fate of the eight is contained in his hands.''
''So bid him take care, bid him look where he leaps,''
''As life may be death, and death life again reaps.''

'''Meaning:''' Henry, the last "quester" to die, decides that he is a traitor to the humans, and seals his fate by failing to notice as Gregor leads him off a cliff. He may be interpreted as controlling the "fate of the eight" because of his powerful connection with the rats, whom he could have manipulated had he lived. The final line may have many different meanings; among them may be a hint about how miserable Luxa is even though she lives, as Henry was her best friend until he had his life "reaped".

Characters

Quest Members


Cobra Woman

The beautiful Tollea is abducted and taken to Cobra Island, where she discovers that the Queen is her grandmother. Hava warns the angered Ramu not to go after her, but he sets sail for the forbidden island, with his young friend Kado accompanying him as a stowaway.

A panther attacks Ramu, who is saved by a dart from Kado's deadly blowgun. They continue the search for Tollea, unaware that the high priestess of the island is Naja, her twin sister. The queen has ordered Tollea to be forcibly returned to Cobra Island only so she can displace her evil sister.

Ramu mistakenly becomes involved with Naja, who falls in love with him. Kado is captured and tortured by the brutal Martok, but refuses to reveal Ramu's whereabouts. Martok proceeds to murder the Queen.

When they finally meet, Naja attempts to kill her sister with a spear, but plunges to her own death instead. The evil Martok insists that Tollea perform a forbidden cobra dance, whereupon the island's volcano begins to violently erupt. It ceases when Martok is killed by Hava. When Ramu is about to return home, Tollea asks him to remain by her side and help her rule Cobra Island.


The Bank (2001 film)

The film opens with a group of elementary school children in 1977, who have a Victoria State Central Bank representative, Mr.Johnson, who give them lessons on saving and give them the chance to open their first checking account, and telling them that if they will put in any money for 25 years, at the end they will eventually set aside $727,000.

In the present, the Centa Bank's board of directors orders CEO Simon O'Reily to find a way to increase profits. Then he discovers the work of a mathematician, Jim Doyle, whose software B.T.S.E., based on fractal geometry of Benoit Mandelbrot makes it possible to predict stock market trends. Doyle is hired by O'Reily and supplied with the best computer hardware. He befriends Vincent, who had advised O'Reily to hire him, and enters into a relationship with his colleague Michelle Roberts, who views O'Reily's business activities critically.

Meanwhile, the couple Diane and Wayne Davis, who took out a loan in a foreign currency at the bank, become insolvent. The son of the couple is found dead after a meeting with the deliverer of the eviction notice. The Davises hire a lawyer, Stephen O'Connor, to sue the bank on the grounds that they were not informed about the risks of a loan in foreign currency. Invited by O'Reily to a party at his house, Jim takes Michelle, she insults the landlord and the relationship between her and Jim is broken, because he is hiding something and don't want to open up with her. O'Reily asks Jim to change his attitude to him and their business and ask him as a proof of loyalty to falsely state in court that he was present as an intern in the bank's loan counseling to the Davises and that Wayne Davis was sufficiently informed. That causes the Davises to lose their lawsuit. This also causes the final breakup between Jim and Michelle; the latter then decides to investigate Jim's past. Jim informs his boss that a stock market crash will soon occur. Michelle finds out in Jim's hometown that his real name is not Jim Doyle but Paul Jackson; the bank had terminated his father's credit, whereupon his father committed suicide. A man who watches Michelle on behalf of O'Reily learns the truth and warns O'Reily. O'Reily wants to stop the bank's stock sale in that moment, but Wayne Davis breaks into O'Reily's house to shoot him. O'Reily offers him two million dollars if Davis allows him to make a phone call. Wayne realizes that it would be a very important call for the bank, so he destroys the house's power-box to stop this important phone call, which is intended to warn the bank of Jim's plans, and leaves the estate.

Stock prices initially perform as expected, but then they rise instead of falling. The bank goes bankrupt after losing $50 billion. Jim must leaves the country. He meets Michelle for the last time and tells her that the money has partly been lost forever and partly has been "redistribuited". Then ask to her to come after him before departure, which she refuses.

The Davises find out from their bank statement at an ATM, to have $727,000 - a reference to the opening credits and possibly the ones that Jim mentioned - . They want to clarify the matter in the neighboring bank branch, but this is one of the numerous branches which were closed by order of O'Reily. They decide to keep the money.


Skinwalkers (2007 film)

Two packs of werewolves, divided by principles, are signaled by the moon of the coming of an ancient prophecy. A young boy named Timothy (Matthew Knight) approaches his 13th birthday, unaware this marks the time of his transformation. Timothy has been raised by his grandmother Nana (Barbara Gordon), his mother Rachel (Rhona Mitra), his uncle Jonas (Elias Koteas), his cousin Katherine (Sarah Carter) and Katherine's boyfriend, Adam (Shawn Roberts). His father is said to be dead.

Rachel and Timothy have been unaware that the rest of the family are "good" werewolves who have guarded Timothy and his secret since birth. They know that Timothy is a "half-blood" who is prophesied to end the curse. But they also know that Timothy's power will put him in danger, for there are other werewolves that revel and embrace their blood-lust and are bent on finding and killing the boy. Four of these werewolves are a motorcycle pack—leader Varek (Jason Behr), and cohorts Zo (Kim Coates), Sonya (Natassia Malthe), and Grenier (Rogue Johnston), who use a hawk as an airborne spy—who track down Timothy in the small town of Huguenot, precipitating the movie's extended chase.

Varek discovers the location of Timothy via a video tape which is shown to various "good" werewolves that he is alive and well. Reaching Huguenot, Varek saw Nana and Timothy and proceeds with a gunfight between his pack against the "good" werewolves and various townspeople. Adam's father is killed in the gunfight and Nana sacrifices herself to let Timothy and the others escape. Jonas explain the whole situation to both Rachel and Timothy and they are convinced after Jonas and others turn into werewolves at night.

The next day, Timothy faints and is sent to a nearby hospital. Varek's gang infiltrate the hospital and attack Timothy. Grenier is killed by Adam while Katherine is being held hostage by Varek. It is subsequently revealed that Varek was Caleb, Rachel's husband and Timothy's father, and his transformation was due to him feeding on humans.

After escaping to a safe place, Adam goes off on his own and finds Katherine and brings her back. At sundown, Katherine was discovered to have been forced to feed on humans and kills Adam with his own gun. Just as Katherine is about to attack Timothy, Jonas manages to kill her with a gunshot in the back.

They manage to find their next safe place, with Rachel and Timothy hiding in a steel cage while Jonas sets out to ambush Varek, Zo & Sonya. Zo is killed after being trapped and being dropped down from a height. Sonya tries to attack Rachel and Timothy but is shot by Timothy. Rachel then proceeds to finish Sonya off. Varek then tries to kill Timothy but is stopped by Jonas. They get into a struggle and in a bid to win, Jonas feeds on Varek's arm and knocks Varek unconscious. Taken over by the blood frenzy, Jonas attempts to attack Timothy, but is shot to death by Rachel. Varek wakes up and bites Timothy but the clock chimes midnight. He is then struck by Rachel and knocked to the ground. He then transforms back into a human and to his former self, Caleb.

It is later revealed that Timothy is the cure via his blood and that they travel around, giving the cure to those who want it. They also fill bullets with Timothy's blood. The film leaves off with Timothy saying "For some I am salvation, for the others their destruction".


Gorillas in the Mist

Occupational therapist Dian Fossey (Sigourney Weaver) is inspired by anthropologist Louis Leakey (Iain Cuthbertson) to devote her life to the study of primates. She writes ceaselessly to Leakey for a job cataloging and studying the rare mountain gorillas of Africa. Following him to a lecture in Louisville, Kentucky in 1966, she convinces him of her conviction.

They travel to the Congo, where Leakey and his foundation equip her to make contact with the gorillas, and introduce her to a local animal tracker, Sembagare (John Omirah Miluwi). Settling deep in the jungle, Fossey and Sembagare locate a troop of gorillas, but are displaced by the events of the Congo Crisis and forcibly evicted from their research site by Congolese soldiers, who accuse Fossey of being a foreign spy and agitator.

Fossey is resigned to returning to the United States, but Sembagare and her temporary host Rosamond Carr (Julie Harris) motivate her to stay in Africa. Fossey establishes new research efforts in the jungles of neighboring Rwanda, where rampant poaching and corruption become apparent when she discovers several traps near her new base at Karisoke. Nevertheless, Fossey and her colleagues make headway with the gorillas, taking account of their communication and social groups. Her work impresses Leakey and gains international attention.

''National Geographic'', which funds her efforts, dispatches photographer Bob Campbell (Bryan Brown) to highlight her research. Fossey, initially unreceptive, grows increasingly attached to Campbell after several photo sessions with the gorillas, and the two become lovers, in spite of Campbell's marriage. Campbell proposes to divorce his wife and marry Fossey but insists that she would have to spend time away from Karisoke and her gorillas, leading her to end their relationship. Fossey forms an emotional bond with a gorilla named Digit, and attempts to prevent the export of other gorillas by trader Van Vecten (Constantin Alexandrov).

Appalled by the poaching of the gorillas for their skins, hands, and heads, Fossey complains to the Rwandan government and is dismissed, but a government minister (Waigwa Wachira) promises to hire an anti-poaching squad. Fossey's frustrations reach a climax when Digit is beheaded by poachers. She leads numerous anti-poaching patrols, burns down the poachers' villages, and even stages a mock execution of one of the offenders, serving to alienate some of her research assistants and gaining her various enemies. Sembagare expresses concern at Fossey’s opposition to the emergent industry of gorilla tourism, but she nonchalantly dismisses his worries.

On December 27, 1985, Dian Fossey is murdered in the bedroom of her cabin by an unseen assailant. At a funeral attended by Sembagare, Carr, and others, she is buried in the same cemetery where Digit and other gorillas had been laid to rest. Sembagare symbolically links the graves of Fossey and Digit with stones as a sign that their souls rest in peace together before leaving.

The epilogue text explains that Fossey’s actions helped save the gorillas from extinction, while her death remains a mystery.


L. T.'s Theory of Pets

The story is told from the first-person perspective of a working-class husband, who recalls a story told by L. T., a chatty co-worker, about the brewing trouble behind his marriage. These problems are attributed to pets purchased by L. T. and his wife. The wife purchases a dog for L. T. which dislikes him instantly and sides with his wife. Soon, L. T. purchases a cat for his wife, which immediately takes to L.T. instead. Despite the fact that the dog and the cat get along fine, L. T. and his wife continually argue. While riding home in the narrator's car, L.T. asks if his arrogance is to blame. L.T.'s wife eventually leaves him, saying she is going to her mother's house, but fails to arrive there. The narrator reveals that she has taken the dog with her, and her car was discovered abandoned on a deserted roadside in Nevada. The only thing found was her dog, axed to death. It's revealed that a serial killer is on the loose in the area, who kills women with an axe. L.T. still hopes she is alive, although this is unlikely.


Camelot (The Goodies)

Tim says that he is expecting a letter from his Uncle King Arthur. Bill points out that King Arthur is not Tim's uncle. Tim responds, "Okay, Arthur King", and goes on to point out that his uncle's name is King Arthur on his birth certificate, although admits that there is a comma between "King" and "Arthur". He insisted that the uncle does look "king-ish" and he does live at Camelot, not "Camelot" in Bill's sense, but "Camelot, 33 Acacia Road, Wessex. Graeme and Bill mock Tim about it, and Graeme asks Tim if his aunt is Queen Guinevere. Tim answers "No, of course she's not Queen Guinevere. She's Queen Doris". Tim's other relatives include his Uncle Sir Lancelot, and a parson (the Venerable Bede).

Tim's Uncle King Arthur's heralds signal their arrival by blowing their trumpets, and deliver the letter to Tim by hand. Uncle King Arthur writes that he is having trouble with the local Town Planner and asks Tim to look after "Camelot" while he and the family are on holiday. He says that he will make Tim the Earl of Northumbria if Tim succeeds in keeping "Camelot" out of the Town Planner's hands.

Then, the Town Planner arrives accompanied by two of his clerks (standover men), and asks the Goodies to sign a release for "Camelot" to be handed over to him (following which "Camelot" can be demolished and replaced by a super-highway). Graeme decides that they should fight for "Camelot".

When the Goodies arrive at "Camelot", which is located in an ordinary suburban street, they are surprised to find that "Camelot" is indeed a real castle, complete with drawbridge and moat.

Graeme, wandering around the castle, sees some notices on the wall: "An Englishman's castle is his home." and "You don't have to be mad to live here, but it helps", both of which he proceeds to rip off the wall. Bill walks into the room dressed in medieval clothes, while Tim arrives dressed as a jester and immediately begins to tell jester jokes. Tim and Bill say "Once a Knight, always a knight, twice a night, and you're doing all right!" followed by Tim and Bill singing (and dancing) a duet of the ''Morecambe and Wise'' song "''Bring Me Sunshine''".

Graeme is determined to keep "Camelot" safe, and he decides to open the castle to the public to help with its financial upkeep. He sings: "Roll up, roll up to ''Camelot'' in 1973, and tour the Middle Ages for only 50p".

The Town Planner then arrives at "Camelot", and Bill signs over the castle to him, saying that Tim's uncle and aunt would like a "two up, two down". Graeme is horrified at what Bill has done and says that Bill should not have sold the castle. Graeme refuses to hand the castle over to the Town Planner, saying that everyone who comes to the castle has to be dressed in medieval clothes. The Town Planner says that he will be back and will take over the castle by vacant possession. Graeme says that they do not intend to leave the castle. However, a fire-breathing dragon and a woman's scream succeed in making the Goodies do so. While they are outside rescuing the 'damsel in distress' from the dragon, the Town Planner returns (dressed as the Black Knight in a suit of medieval armour) to take over the vacant castle, sending the Goodies to the torture chamber to force their consent, but fails.

To regain the castle, the Goodies fight the Town Planner and his clerks in archery, swordsmanship and jousting (with the Goodies riding their trandem instead of a horse). The Goodies and their adversaries also fight other medieval contests, and the Goodies end up winning the battle, so they are able to hold on to the castle for Tim's relatives.

King Arthur and Queen Doris and their family then return from their holiday and everything returns to normal at "Camelot".


Earthlight (short story)

The short story details two astronomers caught outside their base on the Moon as a battle rages between the forces of Earth and the Federation of the outer planets of the Solar System over possession of the Moon's supply of uranium. It differs dramatically from the novel in chronology - the story is set in c. 2015, while the novel is c. 2175. In most other respects the plot of the short story is retained by the novel.


Kingdom of the Spiders

Dr. Robert "Rack" Hansen, a veterinarian in rural Verde Valley, Arizona, receives an urgent call from local farmer Walter Colby. Colby is upset because his prize calf is sick for no apparent reason. Hansen examines the calf, which dies shortly afterward. Hansen cannot explain what made the animal go ill so quickly, but sends samples of the calf's blood to a university lab in Flagstaff.

Diane Ashley, an arachnologist, arrives to tell Hansen that the calf was killed by a massive dose of spider venom, which Hansen greets with skepticism. Undaunted, Ashley tells him that she wishes to examine the carcass and the area where it became sick. Hansen escorts Ashley to Colby's farm. Moments after they arrive, Colby's wife, Birch, discovers their dog is dead; Ashley discovers that it also died from a massive injection of spider venom. Hansen is incredulous, until Colby states that he recently found a massive "spider hill" on a back section of his farmland. He takes Hansen and Ashley to the hill, which is covered with tarantulas. Ashley theorizes that the tarantulas are converging due to the heavy use of pesticides, which are eradicating their natural food supply. In order to survive, the spiders, normally cannibalistic of each other, are combining to attack and eat larger animals.

Hansen and Ashley return to the Colby farm to burn the spider hill. As the scientists and the Colbys walk past a barn, a bull, attacked by tarantulas, stampedes out. Colby douses the spider hill with gasoline and lights it on fire, but many of the spiders escape using a distant tunnel. Colby is attacked by a group of tarantulas while driving his truck the next day, sending the truck over the side of a hill and killing him. Hansen happens upon the accident scene and he and sheriff Gene Smith find Colby's body encased in spider webs. Ashley is notified by her colleagues that a sample of venom from one of the spiders is five times more toxic than normal. Hansen is told by the sheriff that several more spider hills have been located on Colby's property.

Hansen, Ashley and the sheriff examine the hills along with the mayor of Camp Verde, who orders the sheriff to spray the hills and the surrounding countryside with pesticide. Ashley protests that pesticide caused the problem to begin with and that the town would be better off using birds and rats (tarantulas' natural enemies) to eradicate them. The mayor dismisses the idea, fearing that having a large number of spiders and rats would scare away patrons of the county fair. A crop duster is enlisted to spray the pesticide; but once airborne, the pilot is attacked by tarantulas, causing the plane to crash before he can disperse the spray.

The spiders begin assaulting local residents, killing Birch and Hansen's sister-in-law, Terri. Hansen arrives at their home and rescues Terri's daughter, Linda. Hansen, Ashley and Linda take refuge in the Washburn Lodge and consult with the sheriff, who tells them the spiders are everywhere and Camp Verde is cut off. Officer Smith drives into town, while Hansen and the other survivors at the lodge plan to load up an RV and escape. However, the spiders have them trapped in the lodge, and they barricade themselves inside. Smith arrives at Camp Verde and finds the town under siege by the spiders. He is killed when another car crashes into a support post under the town's water tower, causing it to fall on his vehicle.

At the lodge, the power goes out, and Hansen is forced to venture into the lodge's basement to change a blown fuse. He succeeds, but is besieged by spiders who break through one of the basement windows, and just barely makes it back upstairs. The next day, the survivors rig up a radio receiver and listen for news of the attacks. To their surprise, the radio broadcast does not mention the attack; the outside world is oblivious to what happened. Hansen pries off the boards from one of the lodge's windows, and discovers the building, along with the entire town of Camp Verde, encased in spider silk cocoons.


Piccolino no Bōken

Although the plot was slightly changed from that of the original story, the basis remained similar.

Set in a small village in the Tuscany district in Italy, the story starts with a poor old carpenter named Geppetto, who lives alone. One day, Geppetto finds a mysterious wooden log, from which, he carves a marionette which comes to life and becomes the child he never had. Geppetto decides to call him "Pinocchio".

Later on, Geppetto convinces Pinocchio to start going to the local school. Pinocchio sets out towards the school, but on his way, he meets the Fox (who is pretending to be limping) and the Cat (who is pretending to be blind) who manage to persuade him to join them in a walk to the theater to watch a puppet show. Pinocchio decides to join the puppet theater in order to save up money, which he would be able to give to the poor Geppetto. Pinocchio performs in the theater in different cities and, after he manages to save enough gold coins, he decides to escape from the theater and return home with the gold coins he earned.

On the way home, Pinocchio meets the fox and the cat again, who have decided to trick Pinocchio. They tell him that if he plants the coins in the fields of wonder, they would rapidly grow into a large tree which would produce thousands of new golden coins. Pinocchio doesn't understand that they are trying to trick him, even though Pinocchio's companion, Bella the duckling, tries to warn him. Pinocchio, who believes their lies, follows the fox and the cat towards the fields of wonder. They stop at an inn, where the cat and fox eat a full meal on Pinocchio's expense. During the night, the inn keeper wakens Pinocchio, notifying him that the fox and cat had to leave urgently, but they would meet Pinocchio at the fields of wonder. Pinocchio sets out immediately towards the fields of wonder. When he passes through the forest, the fox and cat, who are dressed up as robbers, surprise attack him and try to rob Pinocchio. Pinocchio manages to run away into the forest. While running into the forest, Pinocchio meets the fairy with turquoise hair. Later on, the cat and the fox (who are still in disguise) manage to seize Pinocchio, and they hang him on a tree in order to retrieve the golden coins. Pinocchio holds on to the golden coins and, eventually, the fox and the cat decide to leave him hanging on the tree. The fairy with turquoise hair appears later on and rescues Pinocchio.

After Pinocchio continues his journey towards his home, along the way, he meets the Fox and the cat yet again (although he doesn't know that they were the robbers who tried to steal his golden coins). They remind Pinocchio about the fields of wonder, and he agrees to follow them once again in order to plant the golden coins. When they reach the fields of wonder, Pinocchio plants the golden coins in the soil, and while he goes to get water, the fox and the cat dig up the golden coins and quickly disappear. After Pinocchio discovers that he was a victim of fraud, he goes back to Geppetto.

Later on, Pinocchio, The fox and the cat, and several children join a wanderer, who leads them towards the land of toys, which consists of amusement facilities and as much candy as they desire. The next morning Pinocchio and his friends wake up and discover that they have transformed into donkeys during the night- the real reason for which they were initially brought to the land of toys by the wanderer. The donkeys are later on taken to the market and sold by the wanderer to a circus. Only after Pinocchio understands that the curse would be removed only after he would change his ways and would start doing good deeds, does he decide to change his ways. After Pinocchio manages to save the circus from burning in a big fire, he transforms back to his former-self.

Later on, Geppetto is tricked by the fox and the cat and, therefore, he sets out to search for Pinocchio in the ocean. After Pinocchio discovers that, he decides to search for Geppetto. While searching for Geppetto out in the ocean, Pinocchio gets swallowed by a whale. In the whale's stomach, he meets Geppetto (who had also been swallowed by the whale). Pinocchio manages to find the courage and wisdom needed to get himself and Geppetto out of the whale's stomach safely.

Eventually, as a token to Pinocchio's good deeds, the fairy with turquoise hair decides to transform Pinocchio into a real boy.


Wacky Wales

The Goodies receive an invitation, from the Reverend Llewellyn Llewellyn Llewellyn Llewellyn, to attend an Eisteddfod in Llan Dlubber in Wales. Tim is excited by this; the others less so. Despite this, Graeme gets his computer to create a traditional folk song. Tim declares it to be rubbish, provoking Bill's retort: "It's good enough for the Taffy Druids, isn't it?" Tim takes offence to this, warning Bill that Welsh people are very sensitive - "if you annoy them, they break your fingers!"

When they meet the Reverend, they find that he is amazed that the Goodies want to eat and drink tea etc. He tells them that eating, drinking tea, and other such activities are sinful. The Reverend is with the Church of the Seventh Day Repressionists, and the church has disallowed anything that could even be remotely construed as fun: "You'll catch none of us committing one... of the Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred, and Sixty-Four Deadly Sins!"

When the Goodies comment on the fun there should be at the Eisteddfod, the Reverend says that the Eisteddfod is the ''International Festival of Gloom'', stating: "Enjoyment? There's no enjoyment at the eisteddfod. 'Eisteddfod' is an old Welsh word, you see, from the Old Welsh — 'Eistedd' meaning 'bored', and 'fod' meaning 'stiff'". The Reverend suggests the Goodies go to bed early, after a nice brisk rub down with a Brillo Pad.

At this point, Bill is ready to leave and go home. Graeme, however, decides that the Goodies should stay, and remain as competitors in the Eisteddfod, and to be as entertaining as possible. As a consequence, they put on an enthusiastic display of entertainment, and they bring down the wrath of the Reverend on their heads. The Reverend decides to sacrifice the Goodies.

Before he sacrifices the Goodies. he leads his congregation in a devotional song, which just happens to be a well-known rugby song. The Goodies, recognising the song, throw themselves into singing in full voice. This surprises the Reverend. When the Goodies press this temporary advantage by pretending to be Welsh, the Reverend declares that he can't kill fellow Welshmen, tells them that his church (revealed as "Welsh Druids") worships the game of rugby union, and invites the Goodies to join them. Tim declines on the basis that they are Church of England. The Reverend claims that his is the greatest religion, and Tim challenges him to prove it. This results in the "Ecclesiastical Rugby Sevens" competition, in which various teams made up from churchmen from religious groups play against each other (one of the Seven Rugby teams is made up entirely of Derek Nimmos, and the "Festival of Light" is dominated by Mary Whitehouse, who is amusingly brutal).

Eventually, the "Welsh Druids" win the tournament, and their celebrations are less than holy. Tim discovers that half of the Welsh rugby national team are not holy and they're playing with the "Druids", and he disqualifies the team because they had brought in nonreligious players. The "Druids" take offence at being denied their rightful position as winners, and decide to use the Goodies as balls in a rough informal game of Rugby.


The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

In London in 1874, Dr. Henry Jekyll's wife, Kitty, is secretly involved with his friend Paul Allen (who hounds money from Jekyll). Ignoring the warnings of his colleague and friend Dr. Ernst Littauer, the middle-aged, mild-mannered Jekyll concocts a chemical potion which he hopes will help him learn the depths of the human mind.

By testing the potion on himself, he transforms into Mr. Edward Hyde, a young and handsome but also murderous and lecherous man. Soon, Hyde becomes bored with conventional debauchery and when he sets his eyes on Kitty, he decides he must have her. When Kitty rejects him, Hyde rapes her and leaves her unconscious. When Kitty wakes up in the bed, she immediately notices that Hyde has scratched her neck in various places. Distressed, Kitty walks over to the table, where she finds a note written to her. When Kitty goes into the other room looking for Paul, she looks in to find out that her lover has been bitten by a venomous snake. To Kitty's misfortune, Paul is dead. Kitty walks over to the patio, puts her leg over the balcony, covers her ears in response to the loud music playing from the party and allows herself to fall off the balcony and through the glass roof covering the party guests. Hyde frames his other self for these crimes.

The next day, Jekyll is horrified to learn of what Hyde has done. After speaking to his other half via a mirror, Jekyll turns uncontrollably into Hyde. Hyde then kills a man in Jekyll's laboratory by shooting him in the back and sets his body up on a desk. Hyde then sets fire to the laboratory as the police arrive. Via a window, Hyde pretends that Jekyll is trying to kill him as the building burns. After escaping the building, Hyde claims Jekyll tried to kill Hyde and ended up shooting himself due to madness as the innocent man and Jekyll's laboratory burns.

A few hours later, Hyde is summoned to the police station where he and some officers discuss the crime. After declaring Dr. Jekyll responsible for the crimes, Hyde tries to leave the building, but at the last minute Jekyll fights him from the inside and takes over again. As Dr. Jekyll sits on a bench, he is surrounded by astonished people and arrested for his alleged crimes.


One Day in Europe

''One Day in Europe'' consists of four stories about communication misunderstanding which take place on a single day in four cities (Berlin, Istanbul, Moscow and Santiago de Compostela). The Champions League match between Galatasaray and Deportivo La Coruña which takes place in Moscow on that particular day only worsens the problem.

The movie shows how four tourists in four places interact with the local police after being robbed or staging a robbery with the intent to collect a police report to be used to claim insurance. The football match actually plays a silent role in the movie showing how the policemen are engrossed in the game and care little for the loss of the tourist.


Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End

Sarah and Jacob Witting are on their farm with their family. Jacob's estranged father John reappears one winter, wanting to make amends with his son.


Billy (novel)

Barton Royal is an overweight man in his 40s who is obsessed with boys. He lives in Los Angeles but travels out of state to find and abduct a suitable young boy so he can be his "father". When he spots 12-year-old Billy Neary in an Iowa shopping mall, he follows the boy home, abducts him late that night, and drives back to California with Billy strapped into the back of his Aerostar minivan. The narrative includes glimpses of Barton's miserable childhood, especially the physical and sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his father and his recollections of what he has done to other boys before Billy.

Billy tries to escape and also manages to make a few telephone calls, both on the road to and from Barton's home. Barton's behaviour switches between extreme violence and interludes of self-delusion. Billy finds his way into Barton's dungeon, his "black room", and discovers the remains of many other young boys. Billy's father beats the police to Billy's location, just barely preventing Barton from torturing and killing him.


Someone's Watching Me!

Leigh Michaels relocates from New York City to Los Angeles, where she lands a job directing live television for a local station. Leigh rents a spacious apartment in a downtown high-rise building. She quickly befriends Sophie, a lesbian co-director with whom she will be working, and is aggressively pursued by Steve, a male director. During her first day on the job, Leigh receives an anonymous phone call from an unknown man. When she returns to her apartment, she finds the door unlocked, and presumes it was a worker who forgot to lock it after performing maintenance. Unbeknownst to Leigh, the man who phoned her at work— a stalker residing in a building across from hers— has infiltrated the apartment, and placed recording devices inside to monitor her.

One day, Leigh receives a letter from a company called "Excursions Unlimited," which informs her she has won a free vacation to Europe. At a bar, Leigh meets Paul Winkless, a philosophy professor at the University of Southern California, whom she finds herself attracted to. She subsequently begins receiving gifts in the mail, including a telescope and a swimsuit mailed to her anonymously.

Leigh begins to grow frightened as the anonymous calls continue, as well as unusual phenomena in her apartment, such as her lights dimming of their own accord. One night, she finds a letter slid under her door from someone claiming to be from Excursions Unlimited, there to discuss her vacation reward. Leigh is skeptical of the claim, and suspects the anonymous caller and other odd phenomenon is related to the purported "free vacation" notice. Armed with a knife, Leigh attempts to trail the person who left the letter, and ventures into the basement laundry room. Leigh accidentally drops the knife into a large floor drain; she removes the grate to retrieve the knife and hides beneath it when she hears someone walking down the hall. She watches from below as a man stands over the grate. Leigh crawls out of the drain when he leaves and flees back to her apartment.

In a subsequent phone call, the stalker comments on Leigh's appearance, leading her to realize the man resides in the building across from hers. She, Sophie, and Paul stake out in Leigh's apartment and attempt to identify the stalker by using the telescope to view the opposite apartments. A meeting with Gary Hunt, a police officer, is unfruitful as he informs Leigh that the man has not committed a crime. Back at Leigh's apartment, the stalker phones again, asking Leigh to look out the telescope; she sees the man she witnessed in the laundry room, apparently looking back at her through his telescope. Police subsequently arrest the man for harassment, though he denies any involvement, and he leaves California to return to his native Iowa.

Leigh is horrified when she receives another letter, and spots a different man spying on her from his balcony— she realizes the wrong man was caught. Armed with a walkie-talkie and a knife, Leigh goes to confront her stalker, communicating with Sophie, who watches from Leigh's apartment. When Leigh manages to enter the stalker's apartment, she witnesses Sophie being attacked in hers. She rushes back, but finds Sophie has vanished. Police find that Sophie had a flight to Fort Worth that night, and assume she left Los Angeles; they also explain to Leigh that the apartment she believes her stalker resides in is temporarily empty, as the resident is working abroad.

Alone in her apartment again, Leigh discovers a hidden microphone the stalker has used to surveil her. Through further investigation, Leigh and Paul learn the name of the apartment building's inspector, Herbert Stiles, a prominent inspector who has access to numerous buildings in the city. Suspecting Stiles may be the stalker, Leigh discovers his address and breaks into his house. There, she finds a number of microphones and other devices suggesting he has been the one bugging her apartment. After phoning Paul, Leigh returns to her apartment, but finds the lights out. On the coffee table is a typewritten suicide note signed with Leigh's name. In the dark, Leigh is suddenly attacked by Stiles, who attempts to throw her over the balcony, but she manages to stab him with a shard of glass before he falls over to his death.


Accumulator 1

After a young surveyor, Olda (Petr Forman), watches himself on television, and his colleagues Slezák (Bolek Polívka) steals his love interest Jitka (Tereza Pergnerová), he is suddenly completely without energy and ends up unconscious for three days. In hospital he meets Fišarek (Zdeněk Svěrák), a healer who is visiting his neighbour, Mikulík (Jiří Kodet). After leaving hospital he works on his energy problems with Fišarek, who shows him how to take energy from his surroundings, especially wood. When Mikulík dies, they go to inspect his body. They are interrupted by his daughter Anna (Edita Brychta), who displays antagonism towards Fišarek.

Fišarek continues his tests on Olda, with some other healers. They witness a teacher on television, struggling to express himself, as Olda did. We then witness an alternate universe in which alternate versions of people on television party raucously using energy sucked from their real world counterparts. Back in the real world Olda visits Anna at work and they go for coffee together. Despite meeting a drunken Slezák in the cafe, they click, and Olda drives Anna home. They admit their feelings for each other, and progress to the bedroom to make love. However, Olda accidentally turns the television on, and his energy is again sucked from him, at which point he realises the truth. When he visits Fišarek to tell him, he meets the teacher from the television, who has reached the same conclusion. The teacher heads to the High Tatras to escape televisions, while Olda stays in Prague to be near Anna. The teacher comes into contact with a television even in the High Tatras and appeals to Fišarek for help, who joins him.

The next time he is at Anna's, Olda suggests marriage, but then discovers that she has a daughter. She tells him to meet her at the opera the next day if he wants to keep seeing her. In the meantime he buys several remote controls as protection. Back at his flat he meets Jitka, who complains about Slezák and propositions him. He rejects her and goes to meet Anna at the opera (''Nabucco''), where he has trouble staying in his seat due to fluctuating energy levels. After the opera they drive back to Anna's, with Olda struggling to avoid televisions on the way. During a power cut that evening, Olda formulates a plan to overcome his condition by flooding the television with energy.

The next day Olda collects as much energy as he can from his surroundings. In the evening Anna and Olda go to her work party, but Olda is preoccupied. Eventually he leaves to carry out his plan. He is interrupted by Slezák, who is looking for Jitka. Olda continues undeterred and on a bridge near his house, uses a stockpile of wood in his flat to overwhelm the television set with energy. When the dust settles his television alter-ego has appeared; they embrace and merge. Slezák, who had broken into Olda's flat by the time of the explosion, is arrested. The next morning Olda phones Anna to apologise and it is presumed that their relationship will proceed normally.


Everybody's Famous!

Seventeen-year-old Marva Vereecken is a regular at singing contests which she never wins. When her father, Jean, gets laid off, he decides to kidnap the number one singer in the country, Debbie. The kidnapping greatly increases sales of Debbie's latest single, much to the pleasant surprise of Michael, Debbie's manager. Michael in turn proposes a secret deal to make Marva a star if Jean agrees to keep Debbie out of the way for as long as Michael wants.


MechWarrior 3

The story opens with a short briefing of the Inner Sphere's Operation: Bulldog, a daring plan to eliminate the most hostile and vicious clan in the Inner Sphere: Clan Smoke Jaguar, led by Anastasius Focht and Victor Steiner-Davion. Operation Bulldog and Task Force Serpent have already completed their objectives, but there is one last operation left—the one with which the player is tasked—the disruption of a ranking Smoke Jaguar officer's attempt to rally and restore the Clan forces. This mission (codename: ''Damocles'') is to destroy key Smoke Jaguar installations on the planet Tranquil, including a mech factory, a starport, a geothermal power plant, and the Smoke Jaguar control structure. The mission is a commando operation with limited forces, and does not include elimination of the enemy as an objective.

Two dropships are deployed to release the BattleMech force to destroy these installations. However, while in orbit above Tranquil, a dropship is attacked by naval laser fire. The ''Blackhammer'' is shot down and the remaining dropship, the ''Eclipse'', retreats to safety. The player was already deployed from the dropship, which had been slightly off target before it was destroyed. The Mobile Field Bases (MFB), which were deployed at the same time as the player, land on target. The player's first mission is to rendezvous with the MFBs and secure the area from hostile forces.

At least seven Mechs are deployed. Two are destroyed by the enemy near the beginning of the game and one toward the end. The novelization mentions one more casualty lost due to a parachute malfunction. The remaining four survivors gradually link up over the course of the game. Twelve more Mechs remain aboard the ''Eclipse'', but they cannot be deployed directly, and an attempt to fight through from a safe landing area fails after heavy casualties. Despite this setback, the player must continue with his objectives, and eventually secure a Clan shuttle to rendezvous with the ''Eclipse'' in low orbit.


Toshinden 4

Ten years after the events of ''Toshinden 3'', Eiji Shinjo, who is now the new leader of an organization called the "Gerard Foundation", has organized a fourth Toshinden tournament which revolves around the gathering of four holy weapons that can be used to either save the world or destroy it. Eiji's old enemy, Vermilion, is after the four holy weapons for his own malevolent ambition and that many fighters from within the tournament, including Eiji's own nephew Subaru, find themselves getting caught from within the conflict itself.

A plot point introduced in this game focused on the Four Sacred Arms. Though seen in full since ''Battle Arena Toshinden 2'', their relevance was never previously brought up. Each weapon bears a reference to one of the Chinese cardinal beasts, Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryu and Genbu. The weapons also seem to change appearance depending on the user. While the Byakko no tachi (White Tiger Fang) is usually seen as a rather plain katana, the Seiryuu no yari (Azure Dragon Spear) was a long leaf tipped spear while held by Mondo, yet altered to an ornate golden rod in the hands of Eos. As a purely cosmetic addition, when using a certain attack, an image of the beast associated with the weapon will display in the background.

Plotwise, it was said that when all four weapons were gathered together, they would bestow tremendous power on a person. Most characters in the game have their endings based around uniting the weapons and receiving the power of them. In some endings, they use this power to speak to a parent or loved one. However, Eiji's ending reveals the true nature of the power behind the weapons: It is the "Toshin", or god of fighting.


Death of a Whaler

Byron Bay, 1962. On the second last day before the whaling station is closed down for good, Flinch, the young spotter, is involved in a terrible accident.

Over a decade later, Flinch has become a recluse, unable to move on from that fatal moment. The Bay, too, seems stalled in its bloody past, the land and the ocean on which it was founded now barren and unyielding.

It is only after crossing paths with Karma, a girl living in one of the hinterland's first hippie communes, that Flinch gradually and reluctantly embarks upon a path towards healing, coming to terms with his past, present and future.


Off Beat (comics)

''Off Beat'''s story begins with Tory's first encounter with Colin. While out running errands, he catches Colin and Dr. Garrets as they move in across the street. Almost a year later, Tory convinces his mother to pull him from public school and send him to St. Peter's, where he expects to be more academically challenged. This is, however, merely an orchestration to get closer to Colin, who also happens to attend the same institution.

While Tory generally has an over-active imagination, Colin truly has secrets to conceal. After bribing Paul into tracking down a license plate number for him, Tory discovers that Colin and his guardian are somehow connected to something known as the "Gaia Project," which may or may not be responsible for episodes of sickness that the boy experiences. Behind the guise of a student council member, Tory offers peer tutoring sessions to students whose conduct is below what is considered acceptable, thereby dragging Colin into his scheme along with his newfound friend, Mandy.

As their study sessions grow more frequent, Colin starts to treat Tory more like a friend. The boys pursue private outings, but their closeness indirectly results in Tory running into trouble with his mother, Paul, and Mandy, though they are ultimately reconciled when Tory admits to errors on his part. Paul's hard drive is mysteriously hacked, but key bits of information concerning the Gaia Project manage to be salvaged. In order to investigate just how much he has unearthed about the Project, Colin steals one of Tory's journals while dining at the Blake household. Puzzled as to why he is drawn to Tory, Colin attempts to determine whether or not Tory has "attunement" after collapsing in a café, then proceeds to voice his own suspicions regarding the other's intentions in returning his journal. Volume 2 ends with Colin hitting Tory after Tory insists on working with him on the project.

Colin's slap turns out to be a "time out" moment for the two and both boys go up to Colin's apartment. Colin is amazed at how his cats react so positively to Tory and the two boys start talking. At one point, Tory begins to see Colin in a new light and misspeaks, practically spilling the beans about feelings that, up until then, were not clear to him. Tory leaves frustrated and Colin has an idea about Tory's true intentions at this point. A steamy dream seals the deal for Tory and his feelings towards Colin are in focus... just in time for Colin to up and disappear with his guardian. A few weeks pass and Tory, now more curious, decides to see the newly available apartment with a real estate agent. He finds a plant left behind and starts to care for it. He also starts feeding Colin's cats who were left behind as well.

Two days before Christmas, late in the afternoon, Colin comes back for his plant and is surprised to find it at Tory's. The boys, still unsure how to deal with all the discovery decide to try something... a kiss... Tory is most interested in contact information from Colin but Colin is not forthcoming, with the exception of a package of plant food labeled "Grow-Pak" and a hint about a new backer for the project. Colin leaves, telling Tory not to be bored, a subtle suggestion that Colin wants Tory to figure out where he's going. As Colin drives away, Tory is broken hearted, but starts to put the clues together in his journal to try to find out about "Grow-Pak" and where Colin went.

In the epilogue, we see Tory a few years older starting a job at "Grow-Pak". The reader is then treated to what seems like the first meeting between Colin and Tory since the day they kissed. The book leaves us with an ambiguous "The End... ?" to let the reader decide how their relationship continues.


Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family

The story begins by describing the ancestors of Sir Arthur Jermyn, a British nobleman. His great-great-great-grandfather was Sir Wade Jermyn, an early explorer of the Congo region, whose books on a mysterious white civilization there were ridiculed. He was confined to an asylum in 1765. Lovecraft describes how the Jermyn family has a peculiar physical appearance that began to appear in the children of Wade Jermyn and his mysterious and reclusive wife, who Wade claimed was Portuguese.

Wade's son, Philip Jermyn, was a sailor who joined the navy after fathering his son and disappeared from his ship one night as it lay off the Congo coast. Philip's son, Robert Jermyn, was a scientist who made two expeditions into the interior of Africa. He married a daughter of the (fictional) 7th Viscount Brightholme and fathered three children, two of whom suffered from severe disabilities, but the middle one of whom, Nevil Jermyn, had a son, Alfred, who was Arthur Jermyn's father. In 1852, Robert Jermyn met with an explorer, Samuel Seaton, who described "a grey city of white apes ruled by a white god". Robert killed the explorer after hearing this, as well as all three of his children. Nevil Jermyn managed to save his son, Alfred, before his death. Robert was put in an asylum and, after two years, died there.

Alfred Jermyn grew up to inherit his grandfather's title, but abandoned his wife and child to join a circus, where he became fascinated with a gorilla "of lighter colour than the average". He became its trainer, but was killed in Chicago after an incident in which he attacked the gorilla and it fought back. Arthur Jermyn inherited the family possessions, and moved into Jermyn House with his mother.

Arthur Jermyn is described as having a very unusual appearance, and supposedly the strangest in the line descended from Sir Wade Jermyn. Arthur became a scholar, eventually visiting the Belgian Congo on a research expedition, where he heard tales of a stone city of white apes and the stuffed body of a white ape goddess, which had since gone missing. Returning to a trading post, Arthur talks to a Belgian agent who offers to both obtain and ship the goddess's body to him. Arthur accepts his offer, and returns to England. After a period of several months, the body arrives at Jermyn House. Arthur begins his examination of the mummy, only to run away from his room screaming, and later commit suicide by dousing himself in oil and burning himself alive.

Lovecraft then describes the contents of the stuffed goddess's coffin—the ape goddess has a golden locket around her neck with the Jermyn arms on it, and bears a striking resemblance to Arthur Jermyn. It is clear that Wade Jermyn's supposedly Portuguese wife was really the ape goddess, and all of his descendants were the product of their bestial union. Arthur's remains are neither collected or buried, on account of this. The mummy is removed and burnt by the Royal Anthropological Institute.


A Simple Twist of Fate

When high school music teacher Michael McCann discovers his wife is pregnant by his best friend, he divorces her and retreats into a life of solitude as a maker of finely crafted furniture in rural Virginia. Five years later, his only companion is a valuable collection of gold coins. Tanny Newland, the unsavory younger brother of politician John Newland, crashes his brother's car in the woods surrounding Michael's house, seriously injuring the woman he is with. Afraid of being arrested for drunk driving, Tanny steals Michael's coins while he is sleeping, takes off into the night and is never seen again.

Weeks later during a winter storm, Michael is startled to discover a toddler has wandered into his home while he was outside gathering wood. A short distance away he discovers the body of her mother, a heroin addict whose car had run out of gas nearby. Unbeknownst to him, the child is the out-of-wedlock daughter of John Newland, who participates in the investigation but keeps his relationship to the child a secret in order to protect his career.

Michael is permitted to adopt the child and christens her Mathilda. She proves to be a bit of a handful in her early years, but with the help of friend and local shopkeeper April Simon, Michael manages to raise her to be a bright, personable, precocious young lady, and the once sour, lonely man is transformed by her presence. As John Newland watches his daughter grow older, he begins to invite her to join him and wife Nancy in their home. John arranges for her to learn to ride a horse, eventually giving her one of her own.

Due to Nancy's two miscarriages and the couple's deep desire to have a child, Nancy insists on adoption. John finally reveals Mathilda's true identity and his desire to adopt her properly. Nancy encourages him to gain custody of the girl, and a trial ensues.

Although the lawyer tries to manipulate the court and Mathilda herself to see that the Newlands are the better parents, Mathilda herself still refuses and honestly prefers Michael. The judge is inclined to side with the Newlands, given their wealth and ability to provide Mathilda with advantages she never would have with Michael. Then the remains of Tanny Newland - surrounded by the gold coins he stole from Michael - are found at the bottom of the quarry his brother was draining to create a lake surrounded by real estate he planned to sell.

Michael's sudden return to wealth - and the judge's realization that Tanny was most likely killed by his brother - convinces him that Mathilda should remain with Michael. The film ends with Michael taking Mathilda to visit her late mother's grave, in a remote potter's cemetery.


The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones

Following a lecture on the gases the enemy will use, Captain Mainwaring reads a communiqué sent by GHQ, which says that there is insufficient communication between the ARP and the Home Guard, so the new Chief Warden is attending to discuss co-operation. Mainwaring is disgusted to learn from Wilson that the new Chief Warden is that 'common fellow' Mr Hodges. Mainwaring believes that Hodges' occupation (a greengrocer) doesn't entitle him to be Chief Warden. Wilson agrees by saying that he has dirty finger nails. When Hodges arrives, he and Mainwaring have a brief argument about who should get the church hall every Wednesday evening.

Some time afterwards, Walker talks to Jones about his delivery van. He reckons that he should lend it to Mainwaring as platoon transport. Jones is suspicious, so Walker admits that it will help his black market activities, but offers Jones petrol coupons in return. Jones reluctantly agrees.

The next day, Mainwaring congratulates Jones and Walker on their efforts with the van. Jones tells Mainwaring that it not only serves as a troop carrier and armoured car, but it also serves as an ambulance. Wilson demonstrates with some of the platoon to Mainwaring, their new embarking and disembarking strategy, which interrupts Hodges' ARP lecture. He demands to know the reason why, and is intrigued to learn that the van doubles up as an ambulance. He asks the men to come down to Saturday's air raid practice and act as stretcher bearers for the ambulance. Mainwaring concludes the lecture by telling Jones and Walker that the van is being converted to gas.

Jones and Walker reluctantly travel to the church hall with a giant gas-bag on the roof. Jones' bayonet accidentally punctures the gas supply pipe and Jones becomes light-headed. Walker plugs the hole in the pipe, and Jones tells him to "be like that little Belgian boy". Walker corrects him, realising that he is getting confused between Manneken Pis and the Little Dutch Boy. They reach the church hall to find it empty except for Frazer, who tells them that everyone's already at the practice. Frazer decides the gas fire of the Vicar (the Reverend Timothy Farthing) can be used to refill the gas bag. The Vicar interrupts, but Frazer passes it off as filling the Vicar's gas fire.

The trio arrive at the practice, and they prepare to load an old man on a stretcher into the back of the van, but Jones has left the back door keys at his shop. They attempt to put the old man through the front window of the van, while Jones 'borrows' an irate man's bike to fetch the keys. When he returns, they try to load the old man into the van, but Hodges accidentally gives the signal of "two bangs" before they can fully load him on, and it drives off. After one more unsuccessful attempt, the old man gets up off the stretcher, declaring "I'll walk to the flippin' hospital!"


Bullet Boy

Upon being released from prison, Ricky (Ashley Walters) is collected by Wisdom, an eccentric and naive friend who is desperate to establish himself within their neighbourhood. Immediately after arriving back, Wisdom accidentally breaks a wing mirror off a car belonging to a local gang member. The following confrontation leads to Ricky pulling away Wisdom in an attempt to keep peace. Wisdom later returns a gun to Ricky, who stores it within his bedroom, which is shared with his younger brother Curtis who finds the weapon and hides it away for his brother himself.

Wisdom hunts down the gang member, named Godfrey, for spreading word that he does not want to fight, and to get revenge shoots the Staffordshire bull terrier which Godfrey used to threaten Wisdom during the earlier altercation. As a result, Godfrey and his associate destroy Wisdom's car with a baseball bat and drive past his home shouting that he is "dead." Knowing that Godfrey would soon kill him otherwise, Wisdom tries to kill Godfrey. However, he fails and is seen by Godfrey.

As the two flee from here, Curtis accidentally shoots his friend Rio when Rio suggests they take the gun out and play with it. Their mother when she next sees Ricky, asks him to go home, pack his belongings and leave whilst they are at church to give Curtis a chance to avoid the gang lifestyle.

Just before heading home, he goes to Wisdom's house to get the money Wisdom told him to take before he left, only to find Wisdom dead, presumably at the hands of his rival, he leaves after sitting there for a long time thinking. As he packs his bags, he asks Curtis to go to the takeaway and get a kebab, and when Curtis returns, his brother has already left. As Ricky is waiting at the train station, mysterious hooded figures are appearing and closing in around Ricky.

As Ricky is about to run away, Godfrey comes out and shoots him six times in the chest. His body is later identified, and the film ends with Curtis reclaiming the gun from where he hid it and throwing it into the river.


Krippendorf's Tribe

Respected anthropologist James Krippendorf and his wife, Jennifer, bring their three children along during their much-enjoyed search in New Guinea for a lost tribe. The search fails, despite the family's best efforts. After Jennifer's death back in the U.S., James falls into academic stagnation, having spent all his foundation grant money raising the children as a single parent. Scheduled to lecture at a college and fearful of being charged with misuse of grant funds, James concocts an imaginary tribe, the Shelmikedmu, using the names of his children as a basis. He later fakes a 16 mm "documentary" film, casting his children as tribe members and superimposing footage of a legitimate New Guinean tribe so as to enhance the illusion.

Anthropologist Veronica Micelli contacts cable-TV producer Henry Spivey, forcing James to continue creating fraudulent footage as James' rival Ruth Allen becomes suspicious. Because he has described a culture unlike any other, Krippendorf's fraud becomes increasingly famous. James himself masquerades as a tribal elder, while his two sons, Mickey and Edmund, create and enact increasingly imaginative rituals. Only the eldest child, James' daughter Shelly, refuses to participate due to her disgust at the dishonesty perpetrated by her father.

Taking advantage of her curiosity, James tricks Veronica into participating in his false documentary. When she discovers the truth, she is initially angry, but later helps James continue his fraud. Ruth Allen travels to New Guinea, discovering no tribe in the location specified by James. She transmits the news via fax to a colleague, who exposes James at a gala. James' imaginative son, Mickey, improvises a lie, that the Shelmikedmu hide by means of a magical ritual known only to them.

Unknown to the majority of the characters, Shelly has contacted the New Guineans befriended by her family during the futile search for the lost tribe, urging them to masquerade as the Shelmikedmu in order to disappoint Ruth Allen. The ruse succeeds, and the accusation of fraud is abandoned. James, relieved of his worries, ends his fraud. Because Veronica has become sexually involved with him during her participation in his deceit, she assumes the role of a mother toward the children, though she is not explicitly said to marry James.


A Night in Terror Tower

Sue and her younger brother Eddie are American tourists in London. After Eddie wants to visit Terror Tower, they join a tour of the castle. As the tour progresses, Sue notices that a man wearing black is following them as they move throughout the castle. The man in black, who also wears a cape, chases them and the children manage to escape. After going back to their hotel room, they find out that the suite is empty and that their parents are not in the hotel. They have trouble remembering their last name as well. After they leave the hotel's restaurant, the man in black blocks their path, and sends them to Medieval times with magical stones.

Confused, alone, and frightened, Eddie and Sue are once again stalked by the man in black and eventually find refuge in the home of a peasant woman who promises to keep them safe. However, this turns out to be a ruse, as the woman quickly betrays them and turns them over to the man in black, who is revealed to be the Lord High Executioner of the reigning British Monarch. Sue and Eddie are then taken back to Terror Tower to await execution.

In the dungeon, the children meet Morgred, a sorcerer, who informs them that they are Edward and Susannah, Prince and Princess of York, heir to the throne, and niece and nephew to the current King. It is revealed that the King murdered their parents—the rightful King and Queen—to claim the throne for himself, and was attempting to murder the children in order to forestall any challenge to his rule. However, before he could succeed, Morgred sent the children into a distant future with new memories in hopes of saving them from their uncle. However, he was unable to complete their new memories, resulting in them forgetting their parents and their own surnames.

Fully aware of their identity, Sue and Eddie, along with Morgred, are led to their execution. After a brief standoff with the Lord High Executioner, the children manage to break free and recover the magic stones, allowing Morgred to, once again, send them into the future. Now in the present, they are part of their tour group again. A bearded man, Morgred, joins the children as their guardian and tells them to call him Mr. Morgan.


Bye Bye, Lady Liberty

Lupin is forced to give up his life of crime when he encounters Michael, a young boy who demonstrates that police computers are able to predict his every move. His retirement is short-lived when his colleague Jigen learns the location of the giant diamond called the Super Egg which was stolen from the Three Masons, a sinister secret society. The Egg is hidden in the Statue of Liberty and Lupin helps recover the diamond by stealing the entire Statue. Meanwhile, Goemon becomes bodyguard to Isabelle, a beautiful woman who is also seeking the Super Egg. It transpires that Michael is the son of the women, Isabelle Silverman, Number 2 of the Masons and a computer scientist who invented the Neovirus. She conspires with Jimmy, Number 3, to get the Super Egg and kill number 1 to take over the Masons. However, once they have the egg, Jimmy fatally stabs Isabelle and releases the Neovirus. The virus causes the US and USSR to prepare their nuclear missiles for launch, but Lupin helps Michael to halt the computer program and avert a global disaster.


The Ship (novel)

A vital convoy is heading to Malta, escorted by five Royal Navy light cruisers, including HMS ''Artemis''. It is afternoon, and ''Artemis'', commanded by Captain Troughton-Harrington-Yorke, has just beaten off a number of air attacks. An Italian surface fleet, with the battleships ''San Martino'' and ''Legnano'' and several light cruisers, will intercept it soon. The convoy must get through, so the British ships must fight. The crew, from the command level officers on the bridge down to the ordinary seamen in the lower decks, prepares for the coming confrontation, while part of them is also occupied with their own, very colorful lives.

Upon receiving reports from the lookouts at the masthead of enemy ships ahead, the cruisers lay a smoke screen, then attack. The ship sustains two hits, the first of which kills the ship's surgeon and several other crewmembers, while the second one does more damage to the ship and requires the flooding of "X" gun turret aft. The other two turrets continue to fire upon the Italian fleet, while destroyers lay a torpedo attack. A single shell, whose history from the mining of the ores to the firing of the gun is described in detail, hits the Italian flagship and strikes the final blow to the morale of the enemy commanders. With the ''San Martino'' being hit by a torpedo, the Italian fleet retires as night falls, and the convoy continues for Malta.

The captain remains on the bridge, more determined than ever to continue "the long struggle of sea power against tyranny", which so many naval commanders fought before him.


The Slicer

George gets a job with Kruger Industrial Smoothing. He sees himself in the background of a photo from a 1989 beach trip Kruger keeps in his office. On the trip, George returned from swimming to find all his things gone. Believing Kruger's two sons had taken them, George screamed at the boys and threw their boombox into the ocean. Moments later, he found his things in the water and concluded that they had been taken by the tide. Kruger demanded George pay for the boombox, and George evaded it by giving him a fake address. George fears he will be fired once Kruger recognizes him from the photo. Kramer suggests sneaking the photo out and getting George's image airbrushed out. However, the clerk mistakenly airbrushes out Kruger's image instead. The only way to restore Kruger's image is to get a photo of him without his shirt on (as he was in the photo).

Kramer is dissatisfied at the meat in his sandwiches, so he buys a meat slicer. Elaine cannot sleep because her neighbor forgot to turn off the alarm clock before leaving for Paris. To fix the problem, Kramer inserts a paper clip into a socket to blow her neighbor's circuit. Elaine hears constant meowing and realizes her neighbor's cat cannot eat because Kramer shut off power to its automatic feeder. Kramer uses the slicer to cut meat thin enough to slip under the door for the cat. Impressed, Elaine borrows the slicer. She slices her shoe heels to even them out, gets a piece of heel stuck in the slicer, and dings up the blade removing it. When Kramer picks it up, she slams the door before he can complain about the damage. Trying to get back in, he accidentally pulls off her doorknob, trapping her inside. To drown out the cat's meowing, Elaine turns up her stereo. She calls a locksmith to fix her door. A neighbor yells at her to turn down her stereo, before getting fed up and blowing Elaine's circuit, cutting off her call.

Jerry dates a doctor, Sara Sitarides, who irks him by boasting about saving lives. When Elaine tells him that Sara is a dermatologist, Jerry becomes indignant, not seeing how a dermatologist could save lives. At George's suggestion, Jerry takes Sara on a "revenge date" and mocks her profession. A man thanks Sara for saving his life from skin cancer. Elaine explains to Jerry that Sara goes to offices screening people for skin cancer. Hearing this, George sets up a screening at Kruger's so he can get a photo of Kruger with his shirt off.

Jerry apologizes to Sara to get her to agree to do the cancer screening at Kruger, and she condescendingly pats his cheek. Jerry gets hives on his jaw. Kramer suggests Sara gave it to him when she patted his cheek as revenge. Jerry goes to the screening and accuses Sara. She storms out. Seeing Kramer in a white butcher's coat (for using his slicer), Kruger mistakes him for the doctor. At George's urging, Kramer accordingly takes Sara's place. He takes a photo of Kruger, but finds a mole on Kruger's shoulder.

George gets the photo fixed and Kramer gets into dermatology. While flipping through Kramer's medical book, Jerry learns hives can be caused by benzene, commonly used in metal cleaner. Kramer had been using Jerry's hand towel with metal cleaner to clean his slicer, and gave him hives. Jerry sees another dermatologist who prescribes aloe for his hives. George suggests Kruger see a dermatologist about his mole, but Kruger reasons that because the mole looks the same in the 1989 photo, it cannot be harmful. Kruger then recounts to George that on the day of the photo, he and his sons took his things and threw them into the ocean. Enraged, George boasts about how he removed himself from the photo. Kruger is surprised but indifferent to George's deception, and keeps him as an employee.

Kramer, George and Jerry camp outside Elaine's apartment, feeding her under the door until the locksmith arrives.


Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars

Following the arrival of an unpleasant and dull new astronomer neighbour Dennis Sidebottom, a supposed lottery winner, the gang plot their biggest ever practical joke: an elaborate conspiracy involving a penguin stolen from a supermarket Christmas display, an alien from Mars, a spaceship and a "message for mankind" carved on a meteorite.

The series also included a number of subplots, such as Ben's infatuation with Sidebottom's pianist daughter, Samantha, and the thieving activities of the Sidebottom's disturbing son, Tod - on one occasion he is caught shoplifting a large quantity of Dolly Parton albums.

It was also notable for its realisations of Ben's fevered imagination, which led to extravagant dream sequences, such as a recurring image of him as a millionaire, complete with a well-spoken butler called Finlay, and another featuring Sidebottom as a vampire.


Comet in Moominland (film)

Before the events of the film, Moomin's father had finished building Moominhouse. During one rainy evening, the Muskrat suddenly appears at the front door to stay because his riverbank home had been destroyed by Moominpappa's bridge, built earlier that day. The next day, the rain's turned everything black and according to Muskrat, it is soot from outer space. He believes that a threat is coming from space and nothing can be done. Moominpappa gets an idea about the astronomical observatory in the Lonely Mountains, where a telescope can see far into space. The next morning, on their way, the trio meets Snufkin for the first time, who has heard about a comet that could crash to Earth at any time. He joins the group, and they climb the steep mountains towards the observatory. On the way, Moomin finds a golden anklet, which Snufkin knows belongs to the Snorkmaiden.

They arrive at the observatory, where they discover that the comet will be colliding in two days. On the way back home, Moomin saves the Snorkmaiden from a giant carnivorous plant, and they immediately fall in love with each other. Both Snorks join the group while they try to reach Moominvalley before the comet. Two days later, Moomin and friends meet the Hemulen and when a hurricane strikes them, they all fly to the Moominhouse with Snufkin's tent. Back home, they all decide to move to a cave Sniff had found for shelter. Sniff is lost during the move when he sees a kitten and begins to follow it with a piece of cake. When there are only minutes left to the expected moment of the comet impact, Moomin and Snufkin find Sniff, who is paralyzed with fear, and they carry him into the cave at the last minute. The comet almost crashes into Earth, but suddenly changes its course and turns away.

The next morning, the sea returns and the characters celebrate on the beach, where Moomin gives Snorkmaiden a pearl he had found.


Necromancer (2005 film)

Itti (Chatchai Plengpanich) is a former police officer, now convicted criminal, and endowed with powerful black magic abilities that make him a feared prisoner. He is moved to solitary confinement in a specially constructed cell, but with his mind-reading abilities, is able to detect a weakness in the one jailor who brings him food. In his interactions with the jailor, he is able to take over the man's mind and use the man to help him escape.

A young police officer, Santi (Akara Amarttayakul) is assigned to track Itti down, and in confronting Itti, Santi becomes increasingly obsessed with gaining magical powers himself.


Stronghold (novel)

After the trials and tribulations faced with the High Prince and others, Rohan, Sioned, Pol and Andry along with the rest of their families and friends, must defend their land against a large army of barbarians. No one knows where this army comes from or why they are attacking the Continent - or focusing on the Desert, High Prince Rohan's beloved homeland.

Rohan and Pol are forced to flee across the Desert as they are pursued by the invaders. The Dorvali are forced to flee their island, but Ludhill, Prince Chadric's heir, and his wife stay on the island and form a resistance. Prince Kostas of Syr revels in leading his army and manages to secure his princedom. Rohannon defends Kierst after the death of Prince Volog, and manages to fend off the invaders by having the army pad their armor to look like women. Andry protects Goddess Keep by using a ''ros'alath'', a sorcerous wall, which terrorizes and kills those who touch it.

As Rohan and Pol retreat across the Desert, they discover the enemy's fear of dragons. For a while the Desert forces are able to outsmart the enemy, but at the Battle of Stronghold the High Warlord arrives with his elite forces. The defenders of the Desert lose the battle, and High Prince Rohan dies as his beloved Stronghold burns.

Category:Dragon Prince series Category:Novels by Melanie Rawn Category:1991 American novels Category:DAW Books books Category:Books with cover art by Michael Whelan


Floricienta

First season

Florencia Fazzarino, an orphan girl who tries to live and works in a greengrocery store, dedicating her free time to her friends in the band. When the singer leaves, Florencia takes her place in the group and they get a presentation at the party organized by the brothers Nicolás Fritzenwalden and Maia Fritzenwalden in their mansion. There his destiny will be united forever to that of that family. On the other hand, Federico Fritzenwalden, the older brother of the family, has to return from Germany in order to take over the family business and his four brothers who have been orphaned by parents. His arrival coincides with the party that his brothers have organized without his consent and there he meets Florencia among the foam and unable to recognize it. Soon clashes between him, serious and responsible with his little brothers will begin. And after the escape of the minor named Tomás there will be numerous misunderstandings that will eventually lead Florencia to the mansion to work as a nanny. In the mansion Florencia will win everyone's love. When Malala and Delfina learn that Florencia is not the biological daughter of Eduardo Fazzarino but Alberto Santillán they do the impossible so that Florencia does not find out. They create multiple situations that will face Delfina and Florencia but leaving Federico in between. However, Federico will always prefer Florencia. Finally, Florencia finds out but Delfina seems to have never known and Malala makes several excuses to avoid Florencia claiming her inheritance and being ruined. Florencia falls madly in love with Federico. Being reciprocated by him, they begin a very beautiful and secret love, which becomes impossible when the evil stepsister Delfina makes Federico believe she is pregnant. Then this is the cause of a very serious illness the gynecologist Claudio Bonilla and the real husband of Delfina named Lorenzo who pretends to be a Chinese doctor so that everyone thinks she is sick. There Florencia convinces Federico to marry Delfina to give her happiness before her death. Already at the altar, Federico humiliates her before everyone by refusing to marry her and announcing that he loves Florencia. They rejoin but their love has a tragic turn after Federico's heroic death in a car accident since he interposed to save the life of Conde Máximo Augusto Calderón de la Hoya. Federico will have time to say goodbye to his great, unique and painful love and leave his brothers in charge of Conde Máximo Augusto Calderón de la Hoya. Thus ends the season with the meeting in the foam of Florencia and Conde Máximo Augusto Calderón de la Hoya as happened when she and Federico met. Finally, all this happens when Federico leaves the body of Conde Máximo Augusto Calderón de la Hoya to go definitively to heaven.

Second season

After the death of Federico (Juan Gil Navarro), Florencia (Florencia Bertotti) meets the Count in foam that turns out to be the reason why Federico had died since he saved his life so that he would not be hit by a car. There is a video in which Federico had recorded the death of the Count on the ground saying that Federico "was" in Máximo (Fabio Di Tomaso) and had to wake up his sleeping heart. Máximo feels that something strange is happening to him because of the irremediable love he has for Flor as if he knew her from another life. Added to this is new ability to handle airplanes, use of foil and love for the Fritzenwalden family.

Florencia and Máximo face a series of funny situations which they will have to fight to defend their love since Delfina (Isabel Macedo) wants to conquer Máximo to keep his fortune and have any cravings he wants to be the Countess of Krikoragán, situations such as blackmail for alleged donation of marrow carried out by Delfina to Ana [Máximo's mother (Claudia Lapacó)] supposed disease with which she remains after this donation will be situations that must be overcome.

But Máximo falls in love with Florencia and Delfina will put a series of obstacles to prevent their happiness and that Florencia receives an inheritance from Santillán but she will not succeed. She will also confuse Florencia with these obstacles, making her feel guilty about her relationship with Máximo. But force of destiny, fairies and magic of Florence with them. In the end, he claims an inheritance and Malala (Graciela Stéfani), Delfina and Malala's husband, that is, Bonilla (Gerardo Chendo) end up in jail for hiding the truth and for the near-murder of Flor when they went on a camping day. Florencia becomes pregnant with the Count and triplets named Federico are born, (who is probably the reincarnation of Fede) Andrés and Margarita. Delfina kidnaps Margarita and realizes that that special being could have been hers if she had not been so bad and she did not hate her husband. She returns Margarita by ending great evil and turning good. In baby baptism she asks forgiveness for her wrongdoing. Franco (Benjamín Rojas) upon discovering that he is adopted, returns with Olivia (Brenda Gandini) and they go to a tennis tournament abroad. But after a fight, Olivia returns home. At the end when Franco returns home days later they reconcile. Finally Floricienta and Count Máximo get married in a beautiful wedding.


Fate/hollow ataraxia

The plot of ''Fate/hollow ataraxia'' is set about 8 months after the events of ''Fate/stay night''. Like its predecessor, the story is set in Fuyuki City. Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a member of the Mages' Association and a master in the Fifth Holy Grail War, wakes on the fourth day of the Fifth Holy Grail war with a new servant, Avenger, and no memory of what happened to her beforehand. She and Avenger set off to fight and win the Holy Grail War.

Meanwhile, Shirou Emiya lives a peaceful life with all of his friends from the Fifth Holy Grail War. After one of her experiments changes time and space, Rin Tohsaka leaves for the Mages' Association in England to fix things. The Servants sense a new danger while dark creatures appear soon afterward. Shirou, as a precaution, sets off to ensure nobody is in danger and instead finds himself frequently meeting a mysterious girl, Caren Ortensia.

Both Bazett and Shirou find themselves in a time loop that lasts four days, beginning on the fourth day of the Fifth Holy Grail War. Each time they die or survive four days, they always awake on the first day of the loop, aware of what has happened to them since the first time loop began. Determined to end the loop, Bazett, Avenger, and Shirou fight to discover the truth behind what is causing the endless four days.


Cría Cuervos

The events of the film are set mainly in 1975, but interweave the past, present and future.

Eight-year-old Ana overhears her father, Anselmo, in bed with a woman, followed by choking sounds. The woman rushes out alone and leaves. Ana finds her father dead in bed, apparently from a heart attack. Calmly, Ana removes a half-full glass of milk from the dresser, carries it to the kitchen, and washes it. Ana's mother, Maria, enters the kitchen and chides her for being up so late. It is revealed shortly that Ana is imagining her mother, who previously died of cancer.

At Anselmo's wake, Ana again sees the woman who fled the bedroom - Amelia, who is married to Nicolas, a longtime Army compatriot of Anselmo's. (It is mentioned later that the two men had served in División Azul, volunteering to fight alongside the Nazis in World War II.) Although Ana views her father's body, she refuses to kiss his forehead when prompted by the adults.

Upon returning home from the wake, Ana goes into the basement and retrieves a tin containing a white powder. The camera pans to an adult Ana, who looks exactly like Maria and begins to address the camera. She explains that her mother had once told her the powder was a potent poison, and that after her mother's death, she came to the conclusion that her father's cruelty had caused the cancer, so she used the powder to kill her father.

Ana, who is on summer vacation from school, lives in a large, quiet house with her young sisters, Irene and Maite; her grandmother, who is mute and a wheelchair user; Roni, a pet guinea pig; and Rosa, the vivacious family maid and Ana's closest companion. Following the funeral, Maria's sister Paulina becomes the orphaned children's guardian and moves in. Flashbacks reveal that Maria was a warm and imaginative mother; in contrast, Paulina is stern and patronizing.

Ana rebels against her aunt's authoritarianism while routinely reliving memories of life with her mother and imagining her presence. Many of the memories are distressing, including witnessing Maria writhing in pain in her final days. In another, Ana watches her parents argue late at night. Maria begs Anselmo to be more present in his family's life, saying that she is sick and wants to die; Anselmo dismisses her coldly, countering that she is trying to manipulate him into ending his infidelities by feigning illness.

Growing increasingly despondent, present-day Ana offers to help her grandmother die by administering the same poison powder she used to kill her father, which her grandmother accepts, but then declines once Ana tells her that the "poison" is called baking soda. Later, Ana discovers Roni dying and strokes him until he goes still. Nicolas comes to the house to visit Paulina, who is revealed to be his mistress. Ana, holding a pistol she found in her father's study, walks in on an intimate moment between the two adults. Nicolas eventually persuades her to hand him the gun, and discovers that it was loaded.

That night Ana attempts to kill Paulina by dissolving the "poison" in a glass of milk, which she later retrieves and washes as she did her father's glass. Ana then enters Paulina's bedroom and strokes her hair as she lies asleep in bed. Ana is briefly shocked that Paulina is alive the next morning. At breakfast, Irene recounts a dream from the night before: two men kidnapped her and couldn't reach Maria and Anselmo for ransom, but when they were about to kill her, she woke up. The sisters leave for school, emerging from their cloistered lives into the vibrant, noisy city, captured in a long tracking shot that contrasts with the tighter framing of the preceding scenes.


The Blindflyers

Two 13-year-old blind girls Marie and Inga are close friends in a boarding school for the blind, and share a love for music. The girls are fairly sheltered in their school, and have a motto, "Trau bloß keinem Gucki!" ("Don't trust a "lookie"" [sighted person]). They try out for a school band, but despite their musical skills they are turned away for their blindness.

Then Marie meets a young émigré from Kazakhstan, "Herbert" (Oleg Rabcuk), and hides him from the police in the school, with the help of the sighted caretaker Mr. Karl (Dominique Horwitz). Herbert needs money to return to his homeland, against his father's wishes. Inga proposes that the three form a band of clowns (which is what the German name of the film implies) to play music in the street, "The Blind Flyers", with Herbert pretending to be blind as well. The band is successful—for a time.

According to the director, the film was not supposed to be about blindness ''per se'', and aimed to portray blind people as normal. And although the characters Marie and Inga are totally blind, they are played by partially sighted actresses Ricarda Ramünke (who won "Best Young Actress" award) and Maria Rother, who in real life attend boarding schools for the visually impaired.


Nick Fury's Howling Commandos

A powerful magician claiming to be the one true Merlin (one of many characters in the Marvel Universe to make this claim) escapes from a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility dubbed the Warehouse. He journeys to the United Kingdom where he transforms the entire country into a fantasy realm. The Howling Commandos are charged with stopping him.

The team is headquartered in Area 13, a classified base run by S.H.I.E.L.D. for its supernatural black op program. It also serves as a research and development facility, specializing in the supernatural.


Dudley Do-Right (film)

Three children are with a horse. These are young versions of Dudley Do-Right, Nell Fenwick, Snidely Whiplash, and Horse. The three talk of their aspirations; Dudley believes he is destined to be a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer (Mountie), and Nell wishes to see the world, while Snidely wishes to be the "bad guy".

Several years later, all three have fulfilled their supposed destinies. Dudley is now a Mountie (but always adheres to the rules and is frequently oblivious to even the most obvious of things), and Snidely has become an infamous bank robber. After Snidely and his gang rob a bank of its money and gold, Snidely tricks his entire gang into believing he has fled with all the gold to the Sudan and going on a wild goose chase after him. Snidely subsequently salts local lakes with the stolen gold. Dudley catches him in the act, but Snidely fools him into thinking he is vampire hunting, and uses a similar tactic to scare Horse off. Not long after, Nell returns from her world tour and reunites with Dudley, and the two spend the night attending a festival at the nearby Kumquat tribe.

Meanwhile, Prospector Kim J. Darling, the poorest man in Semi-Happy Valley, stumbles across the gold in the river and is made into a media sensation by Snidely. The subsequent gold rush boosts Snidely's popularity and, after foreclosing many local mortgages, he quickly takes control of the town, renaming it "Whiplash City". Eventually, Snidely's men return from the Sudan to kill him for his deceit, but Snidely convinces them otherwise by offering them lives of luxury in his new town. Dudley becomes convinced that Snidely is up to something and confronts him, but Snidely laughs him off and snatches Nell from him. Snidely sends his second-in-command, Homer, to assassinate Dudley with a bomb, but Dudley is absent when the bomb goes off. Nell's father Inspector Fenwick, who is in good favor with Snidely, discovers Dudley's feud with Snidely and discharges Dudley from the Mounties. Dudley falls into a depression and wanders across the town until he runs into a drunken Kim, who offers him shelter at his cave in the woods. Darling tells Dudley of Snidely's plans and newfound popularity and takes him to see a Gala Ball in Snidely's honor. Despite Kim's warning not to challenge Snidely due to his loss of favor, Dudley comically attempts to take Nell back from Snidely, but loses pathetically.

Feeling sympathy for Dudley, Kim decides to put him through a very harsh training regimen to make him a more formidable opponent and take back Semi-Valley from Snidely. Dudley's first act is to intimidate one of Snidely's men into telling him the next gold shipment. Disguised as a motorbike-driving vigilante, Dudley sabotages the shipment and leaves his mark on Snidely's workshop as well as his favorite golf course. Snidely, unaware that Dudley lost his job, is offended by this and more so with his men's incompetence to stop him, believing Dudley is enjoying the perks of being the villain. Eventually, Kim leaves to find his family and parts ways with Dudley, thanking him for his friendship. Dudley then uses his new training to win Nell back from Snidely, who swears revenge. At a nighttime town meeting, Snidely attempts to rally the people against Dudley, but it falls on deaf ears. The populace have grown weary of Snidely and shows more respect for Dudley in his efforts to retake their town.

Snidely ultimately discovers that Dudley and Nell are at another festival with the Kumquat tribe and leads a full-scale attack on them. The Kumquats flee for their lives until Horse reappears and helps Dudley sabotage Snidely's tanks by making Snidely and Homer accidentally shoot each other. A cavalry of Mounties appears and arrests Snidely and his men. Kim also arrives with his wife, the Prime Minister of Canada (Jessica Schreier), and is reunited with Dudley, revealing that they called out the cavalry. Inspector Fenwick reinstates Dudley in the Mounties. The final scene shows Dudley and Nell living together in Dudley's rebuilt house, sharing a kiss.


The Five Pennies

Red Nichols (Kaye) is a small-town cornet player who moves to New York City in the 1920s and finds work in a band led by Wil Paradise (Crosby). He meets and marries singer Willia Stutsman, a.k.a. "Bobbie Meredith" (Bel Geddes). Red and his friends Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Schutt and Dave Tough form their own Dixieland band called "The Five Pennies" (a play on Nichols' name, since a nickel equals five pennies). As their popularity peaks, the Nichols' young daughter Dorothy (Susan Gordon) contracts polio, and the family leaves the music business, moving to the balmier climate of Los Angeles, where Nichols works in the shipyards and both parents help Dorothy work on her recovery.

As a teenager, Dorothy (Tuesday Weld) learns of her father's music career and persuades him to make a comeback. His first attempts to play a horn (he threw his own treasured instrument into the San Francisco Bay in despair when Dorothy was ill) are a miserable failure. Eventually he listens to his wife and daughter, and practice restores his skill. His old friend Tony Valani (Guardino), now a huge success, gets him a gig to perform at a small club, with The New Five Pennies. Nichols, nervous and terrified of splitting his lip, is disappointed when he sees no other old friends in the audience. He opens the show, and after a few notes, “Won't you come home Bill Bailey?” echoes through the dark. The lights comes up, and it is Satchmo and his friends. Willa comes up on stage and tells him she has a surprise for him. Dorothy steps onto the dance floor without her cane and asks her father to dance. Willa sings “This little penny is to wish on...” while they do. Then Nichols takes his horn and plays “Glory Hallelujah!” His friends join in.


Bumageddon: The Final Pongflict

Immediately after the events of the previous story, Zack Freeman and the entire chapel are crushed under a giant brown blob. He manages to escape with his bum and Eleanor, but the others cannot be rescued in time. As they attempt to do so, four Great White Bums descend from the sky and attempt to crush the protagonists under more giant brown blobs, but are saved, and believed to be burned to death by, another Great White Bum. The group discovers that they have been teleported inside a spacecraft disguised as a Great White Bum named Robobum, which was constructed and is being operated by Ned Smelly. Ned reveals that he had no idea that the zombie bumvasion has happened, as he had been trapped underground in a giant stinkant cave in search for their juice, a rare and sought-after fuel for his spacecraft. After discovering a massive reservoir of the juice and mapping out the cave, Ned had discovered three skeletons huddled under a warning written on the cave wall. One of the skeletons was holding a piece of soap that Zack realizes belonged to his grandmother (who had been sucked into a brown hole along with the Forker, the Flicker, the Great White Bum and his cronies, the Prince and Maurice). The warning foretold to future readers that Great White Bum was using the brown hole to send prehistoric bumosaurs to the future in order to bring along Bumageddon.

The group realizes that they can prevent Bumageddon by killing the Great White Bum with the arseteroid that killed the bumosaurs. The group use Robobum to travel back sixty-five million years, but accidentally travel back six hundred and fifty million years due to an error in Robobum's system. There, they realize that they have landed at the exact moment that the Great White Bum hatched from its egg, and Zack attempts to kill it, believing that he will stop Bumageddon by doing so. The Great White Bum escapes and is pursued by the group in Robobum, where Zack inadvertently fixes the time-travel glitch and causes Robobum to travel to the correct era. The group is forced to abandon Robobum when a tyrannosore-arse rex attacks, leaving Robobum to fight it. After a near miss with a tricerabutt, the group is saved by a bum, who agrees to take them to the Crack of Doom to stop the Great White Bum.

At night, the bum recalls her former owner, a child who took good care of her and then abandoned her for no reason. The group is kidnapped by giant stinkants and taken into their nest, where Zack and Eleanor find the freshly-written and incomplete warning. Zack's grandmother, the Pincher, reveals herself along with the Flicker and the Forker, who were responsible for the message. Robobum saves the group from a giant stinkant attack and teleports the group inside, but leaves behind the three aging bum-fighters, who have to stay behind and complete the message.

Zack's bum and the tour guide bum fight over who was responsible for keeping the group safe, with Eleanor breaking up the fight and revealing that the tour guide bum is her bum. Eleanor explains that she got rid of her bum after the Great White Bum killed her mother, in order to become a bum-fighter and get her revenge. Her bum angrily leaves the craft, despite Eleanor's pleas to stay.

Robobum detects a molecular signature exactly that of the Great White Bum at a nearby location and determines that the Crack of Doom is at this point. The group tries to depart, but realizes that they are stuck in bumantula webs. While Eleanor and Ned try to cut Robobum out of the web, Zack and his bum rescue a creature stuck in the web. They discover that the creature is the kisser, who was consumed by mutant zombie maggots in the previous book and regurgitated in the past when they became blowflies, leaving him in his liquid form. Zack believes his claim that he is on their side and rescues him. The group retreat into the craft as a bumantula latches onto it, almost crushing Robobum and killing her occupants as she attempts to fly away. She is rescued by the Great White Bum, who believes that she is a real bum, and falls in love with him.

Realizing their opportunity, the group plots to stop Bumageddon by accepting the Great White Bum's marriage proposal and paralyzing him at their wedding at the Crack of Doom, hours before the arseteroid is due to hit the site. Robobum is carried away by a bumodactyl up to its nest, where Eleanor discovers her bum being fed to its chicks. Eleanor and Zack rescue Eleanor's bum before the Great White Bum arrives, but returns to see that the Kisser has shot Ned dead. Realizing that the Kisser is still allied with the bums, Eleanor and Zack subdue him by sucking his liquefied body into a vacuum cleaner. Eleanor's bum, who had jumped in front of Eleanor to stop her from being shot, is saved by Zack's bum. Ned's corpse is teleported out of Robobum, so that he can rest in peace.

The Great White Bum takes Robobum and the group to the wedding ceremony. After receiving a dress, flowers and a singing quartet, Robobum goes AWOL and refuses to buy more time for Eleanor and Zack. Before they can paralyze the Great White Bum, the Kisser escapes the vacuum cleaner and teleports outside, revealing to the ceremony that Robobum is a spacecraft. The Great White Bum shakes out her occupants and attempts to crush them, but Robobum tricks the Great White Bum into thinking that she has real feelings for him. Robobum sacrifices herself by pulling the Great White Bum into an inescapable hug before shorting out, fusing them together and preventing his escape.

With the arseteroid impact imminent, the Great White Bum announces victory, revealing that the young Great White Bum that Zack had chased off the Earth earlier in the story was still on Uranus, and would simply go into the brown hole to perform Bumageddon anyway. Zack's bum, however, admitted that he used Robobum's interplanetary death ray to kill any life on Uranus in the time that Zack and Eleanor had gone to save Eleanor's bum from the bumodactyls. Accepting defeat, the Great White Bum cries as the arseteroid hits the wedding ceremony.

For unknown reasons, Zack and Eleanor wake up in a barn owned by Ed Kelly, and return to their homes in Marbletown. The two float the possibility that the impact of the arseteroid opened a brown hole, which transported them into the future that they had created. Along the way, they realize that their fellow bum-fighters have jobs in other fields, and that Zack's grandfather and Eleanor's mother are alive. They learn that Eleanor's father is a whaler, and Zack's parents play wind instruments in an orchestra (the cover that Zack's parents used when they were participating in bum-fighting missions). Eleanor attempts to tell the story of their adventures, but Zack stops her, telling her that nobody would believe them. Previously thinking that bums were no longer sentient creatures, the two discover their bums staring into the sunset, making out. Zack remarks that the adventure isn't over, and that he thinks it's only just begun.


Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

7-year-old Kelly (Mary-Kate Olsen) and 7-year-old Lynn Farmer's (Ashley Olsen) parents, Don (Eric McCormack) and Christine (Kelli Fox), are deeply in debt and in danger of losing their home. During the Halloween season, they visit Christine's cold and cruel Aunt Agatha (Cloris Leachman) to ask for a loan, which is immediately refused. While the girls wait outside, they meet Agatha's grave digger (Wayne Robson) who tells them the story of Agatha's twin sister Sophia (also played by Cloris Leachman) who is trapped inside the house. He explains to the girls that Agatha's home once belonged to a powerful witch who, before being burned at the stake 200 years before, had hidden her moonstone, the rare gem which gave her power. As children, Agatha and Sophia, tired of being twins, heard the tale and began looking for the stone in hopes of using its power to no longer look like each other. Agatha found the moonstone but hid it from her sister and instead began using the magic it possessed to make her sister's life miserable. Years later on Halloween, Sophia and her fiancé George (Matthew Walker), now Agatha's butler, prepared to elope and begin their life together, but Agatha, out of jealously and rage, cast a spell that banished her sister into the netherworld through a mirror, which she keeps hidden in the attic. On the 7th year at midnight, this Halloween, the spell will become permanent and there will be no way for Sophia to be rescued.

Back at home, Kelly and Lynn learn of their parents' financial problems. Christine expresses that if Aunt Sophia were still around, she would be able to help them. Knowing this, the girls begin a rescue mission to free Aunt Sophia before it is too late. The spell can only be broken by twins who have possession of the moonstone, so Kelly and Lynn's ultimate goal is to apprehend it. The only problem is, Aunt Agatha wears the gem around her neck at all times. While out trick or treating, they swap costumes with two other kids so they are able to get away from their parents. The first person they meet is a homeless man who dreams of money and stardom, Mr. N (Meshach Taylor), who offers to help the girls because they should not be on such a dangerous journey without an adult. The girls carry with them a toy magic wand that they won at a Halloween party, which actually has unexplained genuine magical powers (though it is heavily implied that the twins have the magical powers and not the wand). Kelly, Lynn and Mr. N visit a phony psychic to ask where they are able to find the witches gathering that Aunt Agatha will attend that night. Lulu is unable to answer and instead they use the wand to find the location and set off again by hitching a ride on a pumpkin truck. They get dropped off near a woods and find a small house deep inside, the home of a man named Oscar (Phil Fondacaro) who wishes to be taller. They tell him the whole story and he agrees to go along with them. Meanwhile, Don and Christine discover the girls have gone and inform the police.

Aunt Agatha overhears the girls' plan using the magic mirror and begins a plan to get rid of them. She is threatened by their presence because she knows that the power of twins combined is superior to her own. Kelly, Lynn, Mr. N and Oscar turn up at the gathering in costumes in hopes of fitting in and they oversee the events inside. Aunt Agatha reveals the story of her spell on her sister to the crowd while Mr. N and Oscar create a plan to try to get her to hand over the moonstone, which she does, intrigued by their promise to double her power. However, they are soon found out and are chased through town. They decide to split up; Lynn, who has the moonstone, with Oscar, and Kelly goes with Mr. N.

Followed by Agatha and her butler, Kelly and Mr. N run into a dead end at an abandoned warehouse. Mr. N goes out to confront Agatha, but she turns him into a crow, leaving Kelly alone. Later on, Aunt Sophia appears to Kelly, expressing that Lynn and Oscar have freed her, but Kelly realizes it is a trick and that Aunt Agatha has transformed herself to try and catch her. She manages to get away but is then gets caught by George when she flees from the building. Mr. N, as a crow, finds Lynn and Oscar to tell them what has happened (but not before puncturing one of Agatha's tires off-screen to help Lynn and Oscar buy time). Lynn starts to panic, since she and Kelly have never been apart and Kelly is probably scared all by herself. In the same part of town, Lynn finds where Mr. Gravedigger lives and goes to ask for his help in getting to Agatha’s house. On their way, the police officer looking for the girls sees them driving away. She informs Don and Christine where she saw them, and Christine realizes it is near Aunt Agatha's mansion so that is probably where they are heading.

Fifteen minutes to midnight, the group break into the house to search for the mirror. Lynn hears Aunt Sophia crying out for help in the attic and she goes to investigate. The good news is, Lynn has the moonstone, but the bad news is, Kelly is not there, and she needs both twins to free her. Minutes later, Agatha, George and Kelly arrive. Agatha tries to persuade Lynn into betraying her sister, but Lynn refuses. Still, she promises to hand over the moonstone if Agatha lets everyone go, to which Agatha agrees. Lynn places the moonstone on the floor and then Aunt Agatha breaks her end of the promise, threatening to turn everybody into animals forever. Mr. N flies down the staircase and snatches the moonstone away in his beak, while Kelly escapes from George's watch and the girls flee upstairs to free Sophia together. Oscar and Gravedigger are turned into turtles when they make their last stand towards Agatha. The twins ask Sophia what the incantation is, but Sophia reveals that it has to come from their hearts.

Aunt Agatha bursts into the room laughing, revealing that it is after midnight. Lynn and Kelly tell each other that they love each other and want to be sisters no matter what anybody else says or thinks, and Sophia is finally freed. Lynn explains she pushed the clock ahead by five minutes, so it was not too late after all. Enraged, Agatha attempts to push her sister back into the mirror, but the twins fight back and Agatha falls into the mirror herself. All of Agatha's dark magic is destroyed and the mirror is shattered, thus trapping her in the netherworld forever.

Don and Christine arrive at the mansion to find Sophia safe and happily returned. Everyone keeps what happened a secret, preferring to tell them that Agatha went on a long trip to "reflect". Kelly and Lynn thank their new friends for helping them out: Mr. Gravedigger for his courage and bravery when standing up to "you know who", Oscar for his fabulous plans and distractions, and Mr. N for being their first companion who looked out for them on the road. He tells them he has also learned that money is just money and that friends are more important. Aunt Sophia and George fall in love all over again, and redecorate the mansion so it is a second home for the whole family. She also agrees to give the Farmers the money they need to save their home.

Days later while enjoying family time in the garden, Lynn and Kelly are cleaning up the broken mirror in the attic and they see Aunt Agatha in one of the broken pieces. She asks for help, but the twins say "no chance" and walk out of the attic while holding hands and the magic wand. The movie ends with Aunt Agatha shouting, "I hate Halloween!"


Little Manhattan

Gabe, an adventurous 10-year-old boy, lives in Manhattan with his parents who are on the verge of divorcing. Gabe spends most of his free time exploring the city on his scooter. His daily exploits are followed and encouraged by the friendly concierge at his building. Gabe encounters Rosemary, an 11-year-old classmate whom he's known since kindergarten, in a self-defense class. After being partnered with her for sparring, he suddenly notices her as a girl, not another face. To Gabe's elation, they begin spending time together and he is completely enamored with not only her, but her life. Rosemary lives with her loving upper-class parents on the edge of Central Park. One day, Gabe takes Rosemary on a tour through Central Park, and another day they venture across the city for fun and try to inspect an apartment for rent, worrying Gabe's nervous parents. Rosemary's parents take them to hear a jazz pianist at The Carlyle, where the young twosome finally hold hands. After the show, Rosemary's parents tell them to say goodnight and her parents go to get milk. After they walk off, Gabe and Rosemary begin talking, and he interrupts her by kissing her.

Rosemary's family's life is in contrast to Gabe's; his parents have declared an awkward truce while waiting for their divorce to be finalized. As their relationship progresses, Gabe begins to question what is happening to him and why he is falling in love with Rosemary. To complicate matters, he discovers Rosemary is going to summer camp for six weeks and her parents are enrolling her in a private school when she returns. When things seem to be going perfectly, Gabe's world is turned upside down when he and Rosemary are assigned new sparring partners. Gabe is jealous of Rosemary's new partner, a tall blonde boy who's much better at self-defense than Gabe is. With their remaining time running out, Gabe tries to get closer to Rosemary, but only drives her away. In a desperate move to win Rosemary back, Gabe attempts to show off and earn his yellow belt, but painfully fractures his hand in the process.

Being crushed with what love really is, he learns from his father that his parents' marriage fell apart because of things left unsaid. Realizing he is running out of time, Gabe goes to find Rosemary at a wedding reception she is attending and declares his love. Taken aback, Rosemary replies she does not think she is ready for love, but is really happy to see Gabe and asks him to dance. As they dance, Gabe muses that he and Rosemary were on different paths—"like two ships that passed in Sheep Meadow". He returns home to find his parents laughing over their honeymoon recollections. Gabe is pleased and surprised when his father says he "cleared out some old stuff" and his parents appear to have reconciled. They happily go out for dinner, and as the movie ends, Gabe, narrating, summarizes what Rosemary meant to him: "...I'm never gonna get another first love. That one's always gonna be her."


O Crime do Padre Amaro

The novel concerns a young priest, Amaro, who serves as diocesan administrator at Leiria. Amaro lacks a vocation, having been pushed into the priesthood by his aristocratic patrons, the Marquesa de Alegros and, later, the Conde de Ribamar, and, owing to the vow of chastity he was obliged to take, is obsessed with women and deeply sexually frustrated.

Upon arriving in Leiria, he falls for Amélia, the beautiful daughter of his landlady, a pious widow and the mistress of his superior, Canon Dias. After Amélia's fiancé, João Eduardo, publishes an exposé of the local clergy's venal habits in the town's newspaper under a pseudonym, Amaro and his colleagues and parishioners expose João Eduardo as the author of the piece, pressure Amélia to break off the engagement, and drive João Eduardo out of town.

Amaro begins a sexual relationship with Amélia, meeting first in his coal cellar and then in the bell-ringer's house, using charitable visits to his bedridden, mentally disabled daughter as a cover. His love affair with Amélia ends in tragedy when she becomes pregnant and is forced to seclude herself in the countryside for the duration of the pregnancy in order to prevent a scandal.

João Eduardo returns to Leiria, and there is talk of convincing him to marry Amélia and hence make the child legitimate, but this does not come to pass. Amaro and his maid, Dionisia, who also acts as a midwife, find a wet-nurse who, it is implied, kills babies in her care. Amélia gives birth to a healthy boy, who is handed over to the wet-nurse by Amaro and killed. Amélia suffers complications after the birth and dies of a burst aneurysm, or so the doctor tells everyone. She was in good health immediately after the birth, but became hysterical when she was not allowed to see her son. The actual paternity of Amélia's child, while the subject of gossip, never comes to light, and Amaro moves on to another parish. The novel leaves him in Lisbon, discussing the events of the Paris Commune.


Dave the Chameleon

Episode 1

The first episode details the biography of Dave. A blue David the Chameleon emerges from a blue egg – royal blue being the Conservative party's colour – and goes to school, wearing a straw hat, an allusion to his Etonian past. Dave, like David Cameron, joins the Conservative Party during its time in power under John Major, but when Major's government begins to collapse, Dave the Chameleon 'disappears' into the background to work in public relations (again reflecting Cameron's career).

According to the story, Dave the Chameleon learns a number of 'sneaky' skills in PR, making him a master of spin. He changes his name to the more informal 'Dave' and learns that, as a Chameleon, he can change his colours at will. As the narrator says:

"And Dave the Chameleon changed into every colour of the rainbow, as he told everyone just what he 'thought' they wanted to hear. But underneath it all he was still true blue, through and through."

Dave the Chameleon is then shown as very blue, accompanied with a quotation from David Cameron that 'I am Conservative to the core of my being, as those who know me best will testify' (taken from an interview with ''The Daily Telegraph''). He then turns red – reflecting the colour of the Labour Party – and is accompanied by the David Cameron quote that he is the 'heir to Blair'. Next Dave turns yellow – to reflect the UK's third biggest party, the Liberal Democrats – alongside Cameron's quote that 'I am a liberal conservative'. Dave then becomes green (and visits a solar panel shop) – mocking David Cameron's attempts to make the Conservative Party more environmentally friendly – before finally turning blue. The campaign's tag line is: 'Available in any colour (as long as it's blue).'

Episode 2

The second episode of Dave the Chameleon's adventures was aired on 28 April, a week before the Local Elections (4 May). The plot of this episode is largely the same as that of the previous one; repeating a number of scenes and accusations. This second episode, however, twice links Dave to Black Wednesday, seen as being the low point in John Major's reign as Prime Minister. Ironically, the press had dubbed the previous day a 'Black Wednesday' for Tony Blair, after scandals involving John Prescott, Charles Clarke and Patricia Hewitt, three British Cabinet members. It also criticises the Tory manifesto for the 2005 general election, which Dave helped write, as a "little blue book ... which they loved, but nobody else did."

The second episode also makes references to Dave's trip to a glacier in Norway, parodying Cameron's similar visit; it makes the point that for an apparently pointless trip, the harm on the environment from Dave's flight would be high. Dave is shown "turning into his greenest green" and the Conservative election slogan, "Vote blue, go green" is highlighted to indicate Dave's colour changing tendencies.

Dave the Chameleon's specific colour changes are then mentioned; all of these show that he is "True Blue, through and through" and refer to apparent position changes from David Cameron. These include changes in policy on the minimum wage and the Iraq War. The narrator then refers to David Cameron directly by name (as opposed to Dave the Chameleon), saying that:

"David Cameron will tell you whatever he thinks he want you to hear, because he knows you will never give him your vote if you see his true colours."

The final scene shows the Vote Labour slogan, before ending.


Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)

During a chair hockey game at the power plant with office supplies, Mr. Burns chastises Homer for behaving unprofessionally during the game. Homer gets in more trouble when an ice cream truck passes by the plant, causing him to fantasize that Mr. Burns is an ice cream cone and try to lick him, resulting in Homer being fired as he runs towards the ice cream truck. Homer uses a $100 bill to buy a 25 cent ice cream from the ice cream man, Max, who collapses and dies of a fatal heart attack while changing the bill into coins. Max's widow sells the truck to Homer, and Homer has Otto remodel it à la ''Pimp My Ride''. Meanwhile, the television series ''Opal'' — Springfield's version of ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' — has a show about successful women, which sends Marge into a deep depression, as she feels she has not done anything memorable with her life. Marge is inspired by all the Popsicle sticks Homer brings home, and makes sculptures out of them.

Kent Brockman sees the sculptures and interviews Marge, who says she creates them so they will serve as a reminder of her when she is gone. Kent includes her on a news special, ''Kent Brockman's Kentresting People''. Thanks to the publicity, Rich Texan creates an art show to showcase Marge's talent; however, it opens on Saturday, a day with high ice cream sales. Homer promises to return by 3 o'clock to see the art show. He loses track of time and hurries home, but accidentally crashes into his own lawn in the process, destroying all of Marge's sculptures. Marge says that Homer has ruined her dreams and locks herself in the bedroom.

Homer tries to express how bad he feels by slipping pictures of himself under the door but falls asleep. When he wakes up, Marge is gone and Grandpa is looking after Bart and Lisa, who tell him that Marge left hours ago. Marge is on top of city hall, where she declares she will show the world how she feels about Homer. She reveals the largest Popsicle sculpture she has ever made, and the subject is Homer. Marge realizes that Homer tried to keep his promise to her and make it on time, not that he did not care, much to the shock of a nearby Opal. Marge apologizes to Homer for the way that she acted, Homer apologizes for ruining her sculptures, and the two reunite. The scene shifts 200 years into the future, where the Homer sculpture is the only remaining element of Western art in a world where iPods have conquered humanity, whipping them with headphones for a hobby.


In Memoriam (video game)

The game centers around the disappearance of journalist Jack Lorski, and his young female companion, Karen Gijman, in Europe while investigating a series of bizarre murders. Some weeks later, the agency they work for receives a package containing a CD-ROM. On this CD-ROM is a mixture of disturbing footage and reports made by Jack, but also some other data including puzzles and messages, created by someone referring to themselves only as "The Phoenix."

The agency then decides to release the CD-ROM to the public in the hope of finding out what happened to Jack and Karen. This is where the player comes in.

In 1975, a beach goer accidentally witnesses the murder of Peter Volker, a German professor of epigraphy. Years later, Jack Lorski randomly purchases the video camera with the film still inside. He tracks down Karen, the daughter of the cameraman who went missing the same year, presumably in connection to the murder. The two decide to track down the killers. It turns out a group called Manus Domini, a solar cult, murdered Volker to prevent him from releasing the "cursed codex" of the Nag Hammadi. The Phoenix in turn, is murdering the members of Manus Domini, in order to fulfill the initiation ritual of Giordano Bruno, whom he claims to be the reincarnation of. After realizing he is being tracked by Karen and Jack, he kidnaps them both in order to bring attention to the murders, and reveal the existence of Manus Domini.

Upon completing the primary games, the player is given the opportunity to play a game with the Phoenix for Karen's and Jack's life. Regardless of the outcome, a member of SKL, the paper investigating Jack's disappearance, hacks the Phoenix's site and locates Jack and Karen, who are found and rescued.


The Student Prince (film)

Near the turn of the 20th century, young Prince Karl of Karlsburg, a small but fiercely proud kingdom within the German Empire, is the grandson of one of a handful of petty kings within German-speaking central Europe.

Karl has been raised most of his life for the military, but when it comes time for him to marry, the princess who has been picked for him cannot stand his stiff formality. His tutor recommends that he be sent to a university in Heidelberg to develop an easier, more sociable manner.

He eventually slips into the social mix at the university, becomes accepted by his peers and falls deeply in love with Kathie, a pretty, popular and musically inclined barmaid who holds court in the local biergarten. When his grandfather dies unexpectedly, Karl must marry the princess and take his place in Karlsburg. He returns to Heidelberg one last time to bid Kathie a poignant farewell.


Comrades: Almost a Love Story

The film, spanning years, centres on two Chinese mainlanders who migrate to Hong Kong to make a living, but end up falling in love. Leon Lai plays a naive Northerner, Li Xiao-Jun (T: 黎小軍, S: 黎小军), and Maggie Cheung plays an opportunist/entrepreneur and Cantonese speaker from Guangzhou, Li Qiao (T: 李 翹, S: 李 翘), who takes advantage of mainlanders like herself for financial gains. The loneliness of living in the big city inevitably brings the two into a passionate love affair. But their different ambitions (Li Xiao-Jun wants to bring his fiancé to Hong Kong; Li Qiao wants to get rich) mean that they are unable to be together. Eventually, Li Xiao-Jun marries his fiancée, Fang Xiaoting (方小婷) (Yang) in Hong Kong and Li Qiao winds up in a relationship with a mob boss named Ouyang Pao (T: 歐陽豹, S: 欧阳豹, P: ''Ōuyáng Bào'') (Tsang). Li Qiao also becomes a successful entrepreneur, achieving her Hong Kong dream. Despite their seemingly separate lives, however, they are still in love and they have one final tryst in the room they used to share before they are separated again.

Burdened by guilt and his love for Li Qiao, Xiao-Jun confesses to his wife that he has not been faithful. He then leaves Hong Kong, and becomes a cook in the United States. Pao, chased by the Hong Kong police, escapes with Li Qiao to the U.S. as illegal immigrants. After almost 10 years, Xiao-Jun and Li Qiao meet again as lonely immigrants in the U.S. (after the latter gets her green card). By then, both of them have already been freed from their previous partners - Xiao-Jun left his wife, and Pao is killed in a mugging in the U.S. The film ends with Xiao-Jun and Li Qiao fatefully meeting each other in front of an electronic store that has a display television playing a music video by Teresa Teng, after news of the singer's death had broken. It is revealed that the two had sat back to back on their first train ride to Hong Kong.


RHEM 2: The Cave

The game opens with the player's arrival in a series of caves underneath the city of Rhem. A video greeting from another explorer, Kales, explains that the player must find an artifact hidden somewhere within the caverns, take a photograph of it, and bring the photo to Kales's brother Zetais. The player must find the artifact in order to unlock the train and leave Rhem.


The Ron Clark Story

In 1998, Ron Clark leaves his teaching at an elementary school in his North Carolina hometown, where he is known for his innovative teaching methods which results in raising test scores. He decides to look for a teaching job in a tough New York inner city school where he feels he could be more useful. He finds a job at Inner Harlem Elementary School, where the students are sorted according to their potential.

The principal of the school believes Clark may be too "nice-looking," to take on the rough, disruptive students in a 6th grade class that has just been abandoned by their teacher. He offers Clark a third-grade class, but Clark insists on taking the older kids that nobody else wants. He quickly learns that it will be a battle of wills between himself and his students to see who can outlast the other. He struggles to understand them, both individually and collectively, before he can teach them the standardized materials.


Atomic Twister

A series of tornadoes cripple Hellman-Klein Nuclear Power Plant in Basset County, West Tennessee by damaging a power transformer and a generator, killing the plant's security guard Stu (Carl Lewis) in the process, and leaving the plant with very little power to operate. Hellman-Klein's shift supervisor Corrine Maguire sets out to try and contact the NRC, while an operator shuts down non-vital systems, which include the electric pumps to reduce power. Just then, a second tornado hits the plant, damaging the diesel pumps, losing almost all controls. Meanwhile, Campbell Maguire (Daniel Costello), the plant's shift supervisor's 12-year old son, is caught in the twisters. His babysitter, Stacy is killed and he runs away towards the plant on his bike.

When the diesel pumps fail, the staff try to restart the electric pumps, but they won't respond. The nuclear reactor overheats, causing coolant to evaporate from the waste pool, threatening to expose radioactive material. The staff attempt to initiate SCRAM procedures to try to shut down the nuclear reactor, but the computer fails to respond. With no communications between the plant and the sheriff's department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; leaving them on their own, Corrine, Potter, and Neville venture inside the containment room to shut down the reactor manually, but radiation leakage prevents them from doing so. Neville (John Summer) decides to manually shut down the reactor himself in order to divert the reactor's coolant to the waste pool to buy the operators more time, taking full responsibility for ordering them to shut down the electrical pumps while Corrine is away trying to establish contact. He successfully does so, but is now locked himself inside the containment room.

A Deputy Sheriff named Jake (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a friend of Corrine, and whose mother was killed by a tornado during his childhood, searches for Campbell and finds him on the road. Together they make their way to safety at Corinne's request. On the way they discover Jake's girlfriend, Ashley (Charmaine Guest), trapped on a steep hillside in her car. Jake goes down to rescue her. Both Jake and Ashley are nearly killed when her car slides over the cliff but Campbell saves their lives, risking his own to do it when he is given an option to escape. Jake lauds Campbell as a hero and lets a relieved Corrine know of her son's survival and heroism.

Firemen who arrived at the site began spraying water into the reactor pool, but it only slows down the evaporation. Meanwhile, a disused diesel generator is found in the original blueprints by the NRC, and the plant workers plan to hook it up to the electric pumps to save the plant. They order some diesel fuel for it, but the tanker truck driver panics at the idea of driving in the adverse weather. Jake, a former truck driver, intercepts the fleeing truck driver and delivers the diesel to the plant himself. At the plant, the heat is starting to prove too much for the firemen and they start to pass out while the water from the hoses is having very little effect. Mere minutes before meltdown, Jake helps the firefighters while Corrine hooks up the fuel and attempts to start the generator, eventually she is able to turn it on. With the generator running, the pumps restart and the waste pool starts to refill. Although the plant is damaged, a nuclear meltdown is averted.

Campbell and Corrine are finally reunited and held together as Jake and Ashley set a date to get married. Corrine and Neville; who has suffered terminal radiation poisoning from being trapped inside of the locked reactor containment room, looked at each other before she thanked the latter for his "self-sacrifice" as Neville is taken away to the hospital.


How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)

Every Who down in Whoville really likes Christmas. However, the Whos dislike the Grinch, a misanthropic green creature who lives in a cave on nearby Mount Crumpit, north of Whoville, because of his mean-spiritedness, especially during the holiday season. Six-year-old Cindy Lou Who believes that everyone is focusing more on gifts and festivities rather than personal relationships. She encounters the Grinch at the post office (while he plays with the mail by switching everything around as well as throwing unpleasant jury duty notices into random mailboxes), where he saves her life after getting stuck in the mail shaft. Cindy starts researching the Grinch and later discovers more of his past.

The Grinch arrived in Whoville as a baby and was adopted by two elderly sisters. In school, the then-timid Grinch was attracted to Martha May Whovier, a girl in his class who reciprocated his feelings. Classmate Augustus MayWho, however, started bullying him, jealous that Martha favored the Grinch over him. That Christmas, he made an angel as a gift for Martha, but accidentally cut his face while trying to shave due to MayWho claiming he had a beard. When MayWho and their other classmates saw his cut face the next day, they (except Martha) teased him, causing him to lose his temper, declare his hatred for Christmas, and flee to Mount Crumpit, where he has resided since.

Cindy nominates the Grinch as the town's "Holiday Cheermeister", outraging MayWho, now mayor. Cindy climbs to Mount Crumpit to invite the Grinch to the celebration and he eventually accepts, realizing he could potentially encounter Martha there and finally upset MayWho. As Cheermeister, the Grinch participates in several events and begins enjoying himself until MayWho presents him with an electric razor, reminding him of his childhood humiliation. MayWho then publicly proposes to Martha, giving her a gaudy engagement ring and a new car. Enraged, the Grinch berates the Whos' materialism, mocking their belief that Christmas is only about gifts that will ultimately be discarded. He shaves MayWho's head, burns down the tree with a makeshift flamethrower (the Whos, however, have a spare) and goes on a rampage before returning home.

Finally disgusted with the Whos' Christmas, the Grinch vows to crush their spirit by stealing all of their presents, decorations and food while they are asleep. He disguises himself as Santa Claus and his pet dog Max as a reindeer, then descends into Whoville. The first house he enters is Cindy's, and when she catches him stealing their tree, he lies to her to facilitate his escape. The Grinch continues stealing all of the gifts, decorations and food and stuffing them all in a large sack, before climbing back atop Mount Crumpit to destroy it all by pushing the sack off the side. Upon awakening on Christmas morning, the Whos horrifyingly discover the theft and Mayor MayWho blames Cindy for enabling the Grinch to ruin the town's spirit. However, her cheerful father, town postmaster Lou Lou Who, defends her by informing MayWho and the others that Cindy has been trying to tell them that Christmas mainly involves time with family and friends, not just gifts and fancy decorations. The Whos agree with Lou and start singing Whoville's Christmas carol.

Before the Grinch can push the sack off the top of Mount Crumpit, he hears the Whos singing and realizes that he has failed to prevent Christmas, but then figures out the true meaning of Christmas, causing his heart to grow three sizes, and breaks down in tears. The sleigh full of gifts then begins to slide over the edge of the cliff along with Cindy, who had come to spend Christmas with him. The Grinch gets the strength to lift the loaded sleigh and carry Cindy to safety, and they ride down the mountain to return everything. The Grinch apologizes for his pranks and the burglary before surrendering himself to the police, who accept his apology and deny MayWho's request to arrest and pepper spray him. Martha even rejects MayWho's proposal and returns his engagement ring to him, declaring that she loves the Grinch. Afterwards, the reformed Grinch joins in the Whos' celebration feast and carves the roast beast himself in his cave.


The Settlers IV

The game begins shortly after the failure of a rebellion instigated by the dark god Morbus against the great god HE. For his treachery, HE banishes Morbus to Earth, Morbus's most hated place in the universe, due to its vast amounts of greenery. Unable to bear touching foliage, Morbus determines to destroy all of Earth's plant life. His dark gardener eventually develops a substance known as shadow-weed, which sucks the energy out of the land, killing all nearby foliage, and transforming the terrain into a blackened wasteland: the Dark Lands.

Meanwhile, unaware of the presence of Morbus, a war is raging between three races who have recently come into contact with one another; the Romans, the Vikings and the Mayans. The first to encounter the Dark Lands are the Romans, whose scouts return word of the effects of shadow-weed, which they initially believe to be a new Mayan weapon. As a result, the Romans attack and destroy a nearby Mayan colony, but quickly realise the Dark Lands are not the Mayans' doing. When the Mayans, who have also encountered the Dark Lands, suggest a temporary alliance, the Romans reluctantly agree. However, as they begin to investigate the Dark Lands further, the Mayans turn on them.

Elsewhere, the Vikings also encounter the effects of shadow-weed, when they discover one of their most sacred burial grounds surrounded by the Dark Lands. Setting out to reclaim their territory, they are attacked by an army of mindless soldiers. Nearby, the Romans learn the secret of how the Dark Army is created - human settlers are converted by Shamans into servants of Morbus, thus forming the Dark Tribe. They are then put to work on mushroom farms, converting mushroom spores into manna, which is transported to the nearest Dark Temple, where it is used to create the Dark Army. With this clearer understanding of the Dark Tribe, the Romans ally with the Vikings, and determine to destroy the farms.

However, the Mayans see the alliance between the Romans and the Vikings as a direct threat. Only after attacking colonies belonging to both do they realise the alliance was not focused on attacking them, but on combating the Dark Tribe. By this time, however, they find themselves surrounded by the Dark Lands. Despite their previous animosity, the Romans and the Vikings save the Mayans, and the three unite, going on the offensive in an effort to wipe out the Dark Tribe.

Eventually, the Vikings locate what they believe to be the final Dark Temple. They destroy it, but the remnants of the Dark Tribe survive, and rally for a final battle. Secure in the knowledge that one more victory is all that is required, the Mayans launch an attack. They prove victorious, and with all of the Dark Tribe's temples and farms eradicated, and no way of breeding new troops, Morbus retreats to his lair. Begging HE for mercy, Morbus is horrified to see vines infesting the building, quickly wrapping themselves around him, and turning him to stone.

''The Trojans and the Elixir of Power''

''The Trojans and the Elixir of Power'' begins many centuries after the events of the main game. Morbus remains in a petrified state in territory now controlled by the Trojans, who are unaware of the other races, of Morbus's identity, or of the war against the Dark Tribe. The story begins when Morbus's assistant, Q'nqüra, spreads shadow-weed around the statue, releasing him. When the Trojans discover the statue gone and the effects of shadow-weed spreading, they elect to abandon the area. Landing on a new island, they encounter friendly Romans and hostile Mayans. Allying with the Romans, the Trojans tell them of the disappearance of Morbus's statue, and the Romans tell them the history of the war, and call a meeting of all four races. They are all shocked, however, when they learn the Dark Tribe are now using aerial vehicles, dubbed manacopters, to easily infiltrate their lines and inflict huge losses.

After the Romans, Vikings, and Mayans are all attacked, the Trojans are tasked with destroying the Dark Tribe's research lab and, with it, the manacopter blueprints. When they raid the lab, they discover Morbus's plan; his dark gardeners are attempting to create an elixir to cure his inability to touch greenery by using a complex combination of herbs, and are only one herb from a final breakthrough.

The four races divide the land up into sectors to search for the final herb, and shortly thereafter, the Vikings locate it. Their priests begin to harvest it, but the Dark Tribe soon arrive, and the Trojans develop a poison to use on the herb should the Vikings be unable to harvest it in time. The Viking priest is ambushed and killed, and the Dark Tribe acquire the herb, but it remains unclear if the priest was able to use the poison before his death. Meanwhile, Morbus's temple is located, and the Trojans lead an assault. They succeed in destroying it, but not before Morbus is able to create and drink the elixir. Emerging from the ruins of his temple to see the greenery surrounding it, he laughs and declares "nothing can stop me now". The game then cuts to some time later; on the site of the temple now stands a small cottage with a garden full of blooming flowers. Morbus then emerges from the cottage and happily attends to his garden, fully cured of his hatred of foliage.


The Story of Mankind (film)

Scientists have developed a weapon called the Super H-bomb that can exterminate the human race. A high tribunal in the Great Court of Outer Space is convened to decide whether divine intervention should be allowed to stop the bomb's detonation. The devil, who goes by the name of Mr. Scratch, prosecutes mankind while the Spirit of Man defends it.

Scratch and the Spirit of Man are allowed to take the tribunal to any period of time to present evidence for mankind's salvation or damnation. They take the tribunal from prehistory through Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Enlightenment and modern times, looking at historical figures.

Ultimately the tribunal is asked to rule. The high judge, facing Mr. Scratch and the Spirit with a large assemblage of peoples in their native costumes behind them, declares that the good and evil of mankind are too finely balanced. A decision is suspended until they return. When they return, they expect to see a resolution of humanity's age-old struggle with itself.


Another Hope

''Another Hope'' is an alternative history re-imagining of the events in ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' (1977). Mixing familiar moments from the film with new story material, Jareo drew inspiration and mixed in elements from the prequel films. The book deals in minute details of the Death Star, the politics of Darth Vader's henchmen, and insight into Vader and Princess Leia's adoptive parents. Biggs Darklighter, a minor character in the film, has been given an expanded role. The text adds a "Mary Sue" version of Ryoo Naberrie, described as "a gutsy underling on the Death Star".


The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid

One morning, the little town of Newnan, Georgia, is thrown into hysteria when a UFO is reported over the nearby lake; even the personnel from the nearby Air Force base is mobilized. The only one remaining untouched by this hubbub is Sheriff Hall (Spencer), the big and punchy keeper of the local law; indeed, he does not believe in aliens, especially since layabouts like Brennan (Joe Bugner) use the excitement to commit all sorts of mischief. Still, strange things begin to happen to some of the citizens who share his point of view: a barber's chair begins to spin rapidly around its axis – along with its customer – and an ice cream cart suddenly disgorges its entire load (and more) onto the street after the vendor makes a joke about the aliens being hungry for his ice cream.

The same night, a blackout hits the city. Hall goes on patrol when his rheumatic deputy Allen (Luigi Bonos) calls him to retrieve a runaway boy. Arriving at the boy's favorite place, the local amusement park, Hall finds not one but two boys; one of them – wearing a silver spacesuit – turns out to be the runaway, the other (an apparent nine-year-old; Cary Guffey) perpetually introduces himself as H7-25, comes up with space-related terms like lightyears and spaceship, brandishes a strange device which makes all things around him go haywire, and even enables Brennan (who has been taken into custody) to escape on two occasions and Allen to (temporarily) overcome his rheumatism. Still, the sheriff is not convinced – not until the boy irradiates him with what he calls "bio-magnetic energy", enabling him to make a very big trout leap into his hands and a horse talk in English!

Meanwhile, however, an ambitious Air Force Captain named Briggs (Raimund Harmstorf) sees his chance with the UFO sighting and the evidence of an alien landing (which is, of course, H7-25's doing and caused the aforementioned blackout) to further his own career. Working without the knowledge of his highly sceptical general, Briggs finally manages to track down the boy – but his attempts to take him away are foiled by the sheriff's hard-hitting fists and H7-25's technical wizard device, as well as Brennan's assistance.

Finally, while Hall and H7-25 camp out at Stone Mountain to await the arrival of the boy's pick-up, Briggs and his men manage to kidnap the boy and bring him to the base. The sheriff, however, manages to infiltrate the facility and gets the boy out. In a mass showdown at the local fire brigade hall, where a party was to be held, Briggs and his men get their share from the Sheriff Hall, the little alien and their friends. Later that night, a spaceship comes to pick up H7-25, and he and Hall part ways. But as Hall returns home, he suddenly finds H7-25 sitting in the back of his car – he has managed to get an additional period of leave on Earth to spend with his big friend.


Le Péril jeune

Ten years after having left high school, four friends, Momo, Léon, Alain and Bruno meet for the birth of the child of their friend Tomasi, who recently died. Together they dwell on their mutual memories concerning their last year at their Parisian high school during the seventies. This includes demonstrations, first experiments with drugs and women and also the contents of the courses.


Lovelock (novel)

When the book begins, the Cocciolone family is packing for their new life aboard the ''Mayflower''. The family consists of Carol Jeanne, her husband Red, their daughters Lydia and Emmy, and Red's parents Mamie and Stef. They take a shuttle to the Ark, during which Lovelock is ashamed of his primitive, terrified response to free-fall.

Aboard the ''Mayflower'', the Cocciolone family begins to integrate themselves into the society of the Ark. When Lovelock meets a scientist who attempts to communicate with him via sign language, Carol Jeanne explains that she hadn't taught her Witness sign language because she didn't want him "chattering to [her] all the time." This event marks Lovelock's first feelings of furious rebellion.

Lovelock begins to long for a mate, and children of his own. After learning about a supply of cryogenically frozen capuchin monkeys, he steals a young female monkey and hides her in the low-gravity poles that support the Ark. Unfortunately, she grows up stunted and sickly. Lovelock, realizing that should his actions be discovered he would be put to death, begins to write his story in a hidden file on the Ark's computer.


Monster Island (2004 film)

The film begins with a high school senior, Josh, who is stunned to see that he unknowingly won an MTV contest to see Carmen Electra, and it was actually his sister, Jen, who won the contest and invites everyone they know in their school. Josh and his classmates arrive on an isolated island (which is later revealed to be located in the Bermuda Triangle) where they have an enormous party, but Josh, who has been dumped by his girlfriend, is not really into the fun. Despite having his best friends Andy and Stack with him, he is angry that Jen, who wanted her brother to have an awesome time, scammed him.

After catching a quick glimpse of a flying winged ant, Josh and Jen get backstage passes to see Carmen Electra. Josh then finds himself attracted to the singer. Later on, a concert featuring Carmen begins and Josh dances with joy. Suddenly, the flying ant Josh saw earlier appears before the crowd, sending everyone into a panic, and heads toward the stage. Eightball, Carmen's bodyguard, is grabbed by the insect followed by Carmen. Josh then watches as the flying ant takes Carmen to a faraway mountain (which later turns out to be a volcano) after dropping Eightball.

The partygoers, terrified, attempt to call on their cell-phones but are cut off from the mainland, and despite the assured announcements by Bob Staton, they then start to leave on the boats. However, Josh, who thinks he can go and rescue Carmen, halts them and manages to convince them to join him but thanks to statements by Staton, they leave for real. Josh, Andy, Stack, and Jen then prepare for the journey, but before going, they are joined by Lil Mindi, who is determined to highlight her career, and her cameraman GT as well as Josh's ex-girlfriend Maddy and her new boyfriend, arrogant class president Chase.

As the gang travel into the jungle, Stack climbs up a tree after settling down the arguing group and catches a glimpse of the mountain before falling down. Eightball appears, having fell on the tree after being dropped, and faithfully joins the group's search for Carmen. Before moving on, Maddy finds a mysterious necklace and wears it, which leads her to point out to the mountain. The group heads further down, encounters a gigantic praying mantis, and escapes with a canoe on a lake. On the other hand, Carmen awakens to find herself deep within the mountain and is held prisoner.

The group camps out, and are attacked by a fish-like monster (Piranha Man), which kills GT. The creature is then tranquilized by a mysterious man in a white suit. He introduces himself as Dr. Harryhausen, who leads them to an abandoned United States military base and tells them that he has been on the island for many years while he reveals that the island was once home to a tribe of prehistoric humans that disappeared and the military attempted to claim this land but to no avail. The doctor also says that the monsters that the gang has encountered have been transformed thanks to radioactive bombs dropped on the island, and warns them that the island, polluted and dumped with toxic waste, will soon sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Josh and company take the doctor's advice and continue. They then see that Maddy is acting strangely heroic and determined, and shows them the way to the mountain. The team then hide from a pair of praying mantises, and flee from the female which killed its mate. Josh and the others cross a bridge, and Eightball sacrifices himself to save the others by using a bulldozer to knock down the mantis down the ledge and him along with it. Panicked, Chase yells about the dangers they may face and Maddy rejects him furiously.

Upon reaching the mountain, Josh, Stack, Andy, Maddy, and Jen arm themselves before heading up. Meanwhile, Chase mercilessly abandons Lil Mindi, who is then killed or taken by a monstrous spider, and takes her camera footage. Josh and the remaining group reach the top, and Josh manages to kill an attacking soldier ant with his makeshift bow and arrow. They see Dr. Harryhausen who decides to join them, and go into the mountain. In there, they see the queen ant and her underlings order a group of ancient people, revealed to be the disappeared tribe, to bring food to a pile and discover Carmen, who is being worshipped. Maddy, revealed as an incarnation of the island's goddess, uses the necklace to break the tribe free from control of the ants, and they retaliate.

Eventually, the gang manage to get out of the volcano with Carmen while Harryhausen remains behind and uses an explosive to destroy the attacking queen along with himself. Soon enough, the island begins to shake and Josh then grabs the necklace from Maddy, bringing her back to her senses. However, the boat waiting for Lil Mindi left, and just when hope seems to be lost, a helicopter carrying Nick Carter arrives and saves the group and a couple of ancient people. In the helicopter on the way home, Rudy, a creature left in the care of the group, comes along and Josh and Maddy renew their relationship.

The film ends with Chase being left behind, and he is then pursued by the Piranha Man.


Hourglass of Summer

The story revolves around a Japanese sophomore named Kotaro Makimura. As the school year ends and summer vacation approaches, he decides to admit his feelings to his crush, the beautiful Kaho Serizawa. As hopeless as the situation looks to his best friends Ai and Takeshi, he is determined to make Kaho his girlfriend by the end of summer vacation. However, on his way home, he has a collision with a mysterious stranger, and ends up getting covered in a strange multi-colored powder. When he wakes up the next day, he finds himself waking up on September 1 - the first day of the next school year. He also learns that Kaho, who had been his girlfriend, had died in a car accident. Eventually, Kotaro discovers that he has begun day-dropping, in which he skips days, and goes back and forth in time through different days of the summer vacation. With the help of Ligene the Time Patroller (also translated as Lee Jane), Kotaro must win Kaho's heart and prevent her death before he runs out of time.

Although Kaho is the girl that Kotaro aspires for at the beginning of the game, the player can choose different decisions that will eventually lead him to relationships with one of the other four girls. Of course, the wrong decisions could result in an ending in which Kotaro wins the affections of none of them. Although the objective of the game is to become the boyfriend of one of the girls, some of these other endings can be the only way to view certain images not found in the other paths.


Cruising (novel)

The novel focuses on three main characters, the killer Stuart Richards, the undercover policeman John Lynch, and the policeman Captain Edelson, who assigns the undercover role to Lynch. Each chapter (20 in total) focuses on one of the character's thoughts. Focus is placed on Lynch's feelings about various minority groups, including gay men and his feelings related to working undercover and how his life is changing as the job progresses. Additional focus is Richard's various heterosexual exploits, his rocky relationship with his father and many more memories of his life, both past and current, and Edelson's thoughts on the case and how he hopes it will garner him a promotion if he solves it.


King Boxer

A promising young martial arts student named Chi-Hao has spent most of his life studying under a master and has fallen in love with the master's daughter Yin-Yin. After the master fails to properly fight off a group of thugs, he sends Chi-Hao to study under a superior master, Shen Chin-Pei. He instructs Chi-Hao to learn from Chin-Pei and defeat the local martial arts tyrant, Ming Dung-Shun, in an upcoming tournament in order to earn Yin-Yin's hand.

Chi-Hao meets a young female singer, Yen Chu Hung, on the road to the city and rescues her from Dung-Shun's thugs. She falls in love with him, but he resists her advances with difficulty. He reaches town and begins studying under Suen Chin-Pei. After an initial beating by Chin-Pei's star pupil, Han Lung, Chi-Hao improves rapidly. One day, another thug of Dung-Shun's, Chen Lang, breaks into the school and beats all of Chin-Pei's students. Chin-Pei finally arrives and fights him, but is struck by a dishonorable blow and severely wounded. Chi-Hao tracks Chen Lang down and defeats him. When Chin-Pei hears of this, he selects Chi-Hao to receive his most deadly secret, the Iron Fist.

Han Lung discovers that Chi-Hao has been chosen as Chin-Pei's successor and becomes intensely jealous. He conspires with Dung-Shun to have Chi-Hao crippled. He lures Chi-Hao into the forest, where Dung-Shun's three new Japanese thugs ambush him. They overpower him and break his hands. Later, they visit his old master's school and kill him as well. Yen helps Chi-Hao recuperate and again tries to woo him, but he resists her. Finally, Chi-Hao's fellow students locate him and encourage him to regain his fighting spirit. He begins training and soon overcomes his wounds. Yin-Yin arrives, but withholds the news of her father's death. A rejuvenated Chi-Hao successfully defeats all the other students to become Chin-Pei's representative for the upcoming tournament. Han Lung returns to Dung-Shun with the news, but Dung-Shun's son blinds him and casts him out.

On the day of the tournament, a conscience-stricken Chen Lang warns Chi-Hao of the three Japanese thugs lying in ambush on the road to the arena. Chi-Hao fights the thugs killing two of them. Then Chen Lang arrives and holds off the head of the Japanese thugs so that Chi-Hao can get to the tournament on time. He arrives just in time and defeats Dung-Shun's son to win the tournament. Dung-Shun stabs and kills Chin-Pei in the midst of the celebration and departs. As Dung-Shun arrives back home, he discovers that all the lights are out. Han Lung appears in the darkened room and, guided by Yen's direction, fights Dung-Shun and his son. Han Lung blinds the son, who is then stabbed by his father in the confusion. Dung-Shun bursts out of the dark room and summons his minions who kill Han Lung and he himself kills Yen Chu Hung.

Chi-Hao arrives at Dung Shun's house, but Dung-Shun flees and commits suicide by stabbing himself before Chi-Hao can fight him. As he leaves, the chief Japanese thug arrives with Chen Lang's head. He and Chi-Hao face off. Chi-Hao uses his Iron Fist power, causing his hands to glow red, and delivers several powerful blows that send the thug smashing into a brick wall. With the thug defeated and killed, Chi-Hao, Yin-Yin, and Ta Ming departs.


The Star of Christmas

Cavis Appythart (Bob the Tomato) and Millward Phelps (Larry the Cucumber) are jingle writers who want to make their big break in musical theatre. While Millward is content to see their work featured on billboards and in newspapers, Cavis believes they can make a difference in crime-ridden London by staging a grand musical—moving citizens to greater expressions of love. Their opportunity arises when Millward's Uncle Nezzer grants them the use of his theater on Christmas Eve. They plan the huge production of a new musical called "The Princess and the Plumber."\

Seymour Schwenk, their friend and inventor, shows up in an experimental rocket car and delivers a box of light bulbs. Cavis believes that if their production is glitzy and bright, then it will be a bigger hit and reach more people. He plans to integrate the lights into the scenery and costumes

However, they still have much work to do. They need to convince the city's premiere talent, Constance Effie Pickering, to star in the lead role as well as convince Prince Calvin Fredrick to attend the premier. While Cavis and his assistant, Bob Winston, work on Pickering and the Prince, Millward struggles to complete the script. Everything starts to come together, and Cavis feels confident their production will be a huge success.

After noticing a flyer for a Christmas pageant planned to debut on the same night at a local church, Cavis goes to investigate. He observes Edmund Gilbert preparing a children's play featuring an object called the "Star of Christmas". Wondering aloud about this as he leaves the church, Cavis is overheard by Arthur Hollingshead. Arthur, a historian, reveals that the Star of Christmas is an ancient relic not been seen by the public in 79 years. He rushes off with great excitement to report the news, which promptly makes the front page headline the following morning.

Faced with the prospect of losing their audience to the pageant, Cavis vows to make their own production greater and flashier. But they cannot compete with the Star of Christmas, and in desperation Cavis and Millward go to the church to steal the Star. They narrowly escape the aged "Moyer the Destroyer" who guards the relic. With the Star and flashy lights, Cavis is certain "The Princess and the Plumber" is now a guaranteed success, but during dress rehearsal, the excessive amount of lights ignite the curtains. In minutes the theater goes up in flames and with it the Star of Christmas. An officer named Dwiglight Howarde arrives with Moyer McGonnigal, and arrests Cavis and Millward.

In the jail, they meet a scallion prisoner, Charles Pincher, who laughs at their efforts to spread love by means of an elaborate stage production. He claims real love does not expect fame or wealth in return— real love makes sacrifices to help others without expectation of personal gain. That kind of love, he says, is extremely rare.

Edmund and his father, Reverend, arrive at the jail to release Cavis and Millward. They have chosen not to press charges for the theft of the Star. Cavis is moved, and he expresses his desire to attend the pageant, but the pageant starts in ten minutes and there is not enough time to get there. Just then, Seymour shows up in the rocket car, trusting Millward to drive the vehicle and get them all to the church on time. It is a harrowing ride fraught with collisions and near-misses, but they do arrive just as the pageant is about to start.

The pageant goes on with the Prince and Miss Pickering in attendance. Cavis finally learns Christmas is not about glitz and grand productions; he understands it is about Jesus. After the play, Millward’s Uncle Nezzer arrives revealing he heard about what happened to the theater, and hires the two to work at his factory to pay it off. Then Moyer shows up and says the real Star of Christmas is actually safe, and they had taken the Turtle of Damascus, which most people consider a hoax. The episode ends with Cavis and Millward taking cookies and a gift to Charles Pincher in jail.


The Tracey Fragments (film)

Fifteen-year-old Tracey Berkowitz is first seen naked in a tattered shower curtain at the back of a bus, looking for her little brother Sonny, who thinks he's a dog. The film shares its story in choppy, disjointed fragments, telling the story from Tracey's point of view.

Tracey is a caustic, sarcastic, and vulgar teenager, living with her well-meaning but often verbally abusive and neglectful parents. Bullied at her public school, Tracey's closest person to a friend is her homely psychiatrist, Dr. Hecker, who is at first cold to her and doubtful of her perception of the world as accurate. Tracey is seen briefly in a flashback at a police station, while her parents tearfully demand to know where their son is. Tracey reveals that she hypnotized Sonny into behaving like a dog, a game between siblings that actually manifested into Sonny acting like a dog all the time, angering her father, who finds it an annoying phase. Sonny gives Tracey a necklace on her birthday, and he's the only person who Tracey expresses a great deal of affection for. Not long after that, Sonny disappeared during a freak blizzard, something shown to be connected with an older boy Tracey had a crush on called "Billy Zero". She fantasizes about Billy and her in a famous tabloid relationship, in which they run a metalcore band duet with Tracey taking on the stage name "Estuary Palomino" and bleaching her hair blonde.

Tracey's everyday world is shown to involve riding the buses in Manitoba repeatedly, looking for Sonny, having stopped attending classes or living at home. Dr. Hecker becomes more curious about Tracey's strange behaviour, and wonders if she has borderline personality disorder. Tracey recalls in a flashback her father telling her a bedtime story about Sonny's birth as a child. He tells her that Sonny's mother was a dog who died up north, a statement that confuses Tracey. Meanwhile, on the bus, she begins associating with the other lost and homeless people of the city, mostly hipsters and junkies with similar lives to hers and not a lot of money or emotional support. Tracey witnesses physical violence, drug use, sex and alcohol consumption in her new environment. She asks Dr. Hecker if she could rent a room in her house. Dr. Hecker, pitying Tracey, explains that there are ethical boundaries preventing such an arrangement, and she urges Tracey to go home and reconcile with her family. Tracey stays in the apartment of a grown man, Lance, who promises to help her. She becomes fixated on a crow that keeps stopping by a broken window in the building, and she tries to fit in with an older adult crowd. When Tracey is nearly raped in the apartment, she uses a rusty tin can lid to defend herself, escaping with no clothes on, only the flower-print shower curtain around her shoulders that she grabbed from the apartment at the last minute.

A final flashback reveals that, on the night of the blizzard, Tracey was grounded but escaped her house under the guise of "taking Sonny for a walk" while she went to meet Billy. Billy, only interested in hooking up, had sex with Tracey in the back of his car at a deserted park. During this time, Sonny disappeared. It is implied that he fell in the river and drowned. Tracey is devastated. A final fragment shows Tracey wandering naked under her shower curtain, unresponsive, through a Winnipeg park at night. The ground has grass on it, in contrast to the film's mostly winter weather and snow, suggesting a full season has gone by since Sonny's disappearance in the blizzard.


The Tracey Fragments (novel)

Tracey Berkowitz, a young Canadian teenager, suffers from mental health issues, and as an unreliable narrator, she gradually reveals a dark family trauma involving her little brother, Sonny Berkowitz, and a boy from Tracey's school. Tracey narrates as she travels from bus to bus naked under a shower curtain, unable to return home for fear that her emotionally distant parents won't accept her back. The closest person Tracey has to a friend is Dr. Hecker, a homely psychiatrist whose ethical obligations prevent her from being emotionally invested in Tracey as a patient. Tracey also shares stories about her grandmother, a woman with the same mental afflictions as Tracey herself; Tracey's grandmother faced an apparent home invasion and sexual assault in her home in Poland.

Tracey eventually reveals a sexual encounter with "Billy Speed", the boy from her school who she likes. Tracey fantasizes about starting a metalcore band with Billy under a stage name she's invented in her head, "Estuary Palomino." She hints at the possibility that during a bad blizzard in her home city, Sonny may have wandered off and drowned in a nearby river. She suggests that her parents never wanted Sonny, noting a bizarre story her father shared with her when she was young about a female dog being killed after birthing Sonny. Unable to cope with whatever has happened, Tracey continues to wander, staying with strangers and putting her life in danger as she travels from place to place. The novel ends with Tracey still on the public city bus, remarking (of finding Sonny) "we're getting warmer."

The 2007 paperback release of ''The Tracey Fragments'', a media tie-in to the film adaptation, contained multiple pages of full-colour screenshots of the main featured actors including Elliot Page, Julian Richings and Slim Twig.


ManBearPig

Al Gore (voiced by Trey Parker) visits South Park Elementary and warns the school's students about an imaginary monster named ManBearPig which roams the Earth attacking humans. Gore describes the monster as “half human, half bear, half pig.” While Gore continues to spread awareness of the fictional cryptid, Randy advises Stan and the boys to not be involved with Gore as he is only seeking attention. One night, Gore calls Stan about ManBearPig and Stan tries to turn him down gently; Gore weeps from this rejection until Stan changes his mind. Gore then persuades Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny to attend a ManBearPig meeting, where Gore states that the creature is hiding in the Cave of the Winds. The boys agree to assist Gore in his hunt for ManBearPig in exchange for being officially dismissed from school that day.

In the caves, the echo sound the cave is named for causes Gore to mistake the sound for the creature. He fires a shotgun wildly, which causes a cave-in that leaves the boys trapped in the caverns; all others escape before the cave-in and Gore believes ManBearPig is at fault. While the boys search for a way out of the cave, Cartman discovers a small cavern filled with what appears to be treasure. Greedily, he starts swallowing the treasure piece-by-piece to smuggle it out of the cave.

As a rescue team assembles outside the cave to find the boys, Gore diverts the flow of a nearby stream in order to cause a flood which fills the cavern in an attempt to kill the still-unseen monster. The boys manage to escape just as a memorial service is being held for them. When Gore tries to take credit for saving them, Stan, having lost all sympathy for him, angrily yells at Gore and calls him a "loser" for using the situation 'as an excuse to draw attention to [himself]', but he is unfazed as he is certain that he killed ManBearPig. Cartman tries to walk away, but he does not get far before he begins painfully defecating pieces of treasure. It is revealed to Cartman that the treasure was a prop used for tourist photo ops and is only worth about $14; this upsets Cartman as he continually defecates the fake treasure and Kyle angrily admonishes him for all the trouble of trying to save him. Gore announces his plans to make a film starring himself and dons a cape before pretending to fly away.


Squealer (film)

A quartet of women on a road trip experience car trouble, and seek shelter in a seemingly abandoned farmhouse, where they have an orgy. The girls are interrupted mid-coitus by the home's owners, a group of hillbilly cousins who make the travellers have sex with them. Afterward, two of the women are tied to chairs and placed in a boathouse, though one of them manages to free herself, and undo her companion's ropes. While those two have sex, they are spied on by three of the rednecks, who eventually join them.

Outside, one of the girls has been tied up and placed in the back of a truck. While her abductor digs a grave, the woman tries to make a run for it, but she is quickly recaptured. The girl is taken back to the house, where she and two of her friends (one of whom is placed in a swing) are used for sex. Next, a female member of the backwoods clan has sex with one of the girls, choking her and suffocating her with a bag during the act.

Another orgy occurs, this time involving two men and two women, the latter being urinated on before the sex begins. After one of the hillbillies climaxes, the film abruptly ends, with the women presumably still being held prisoner in the farmhouse.


Bunny (1998 film)

Bunny, an elderly female rabbit, lives alone in a small cabin in the forest. While baking a cake one night, she is continually bothered by a large moth that keeps flying around her kitchen. No matter what she does, she cannot get rid of the intruder; she is especially annoyed when it runs into a photograph, taken many years ago, of herself and her late husband on their wedding day. Eventually, she knocks it into the cake batter, which she quickly and angrily pours into a pan and shoves into the oven. She then sets the kitchen timer and falls asleep, only to be awakened by loud rumblings and blue-white light coming from the oven, whose door soon falls open. Crawling inside, she finds herself face-to-face with the moth and begins to float through an otherworldly space toward the source of the light, with a pair of giant moth wings sprouting from her back to propel her as the insect leads her along. She is soon revealed to be among dozens of moths being drawn to the light. The film ends with a close-up of the wedding photo, which comes to life as the younger Bunny nestles her head contentedly on her husband's shoulder; the shadows and reflections of two of the moths play across the image as well.

During his introduction to the film on the ''Ice Age'' DVD & VHS, Wedge offers his take of these events: Bunny dies in her sleep, and the oven serves as a gateway to the afterlife. Her spirit is instinctively drawn into it, as a moth going toward a bright light, and is finally reunited with her husband.


Joan of Lorraine

It is about a company of actors who stage a dramatization of the story of Joan of Arc, and the effect that the story has on them. As in the musical ''Man of La Mancha'', most of the actors in the drama play two or more roles.

The main character is Mary Grey, the fictional star actress who portrays Joan. As the play begins, Mary Grey and the fictional director of the play-within-a-play, Jimmy Masters, are in conflict over how Joan is to be played. The conflict is resolved during the course of the play.


Dungeon Magic

An evil magician has brought an evil spirit back to life and is plotting to seize control of the kingdom, and has kidnapped the princess for use as a sacrifice. Four warriors venture into the world of magic to save the princess of the kingdom from the wicked magician: Ash the knight, Gren the roving warrior, Cisty the elf, whose whole family was destroyed by the evil spirit in the past, and the old magician Vold with the magic staff must now set off to save the princess.


Dr. Seuss on the Loose

The Sneetches

The first (and longest) story in the collection tells of a group of yellow bird-like creatures called the Sneetches, some of whom have a green star on their bellies. At the beginning of the story, Sneetches with stars discriminate against and shun those without. An entrepreneur named Sylvester McMonkey McBean (calling himself the Fix-It-Up Chappie) appears and offers the Sneetches without stars the chance to get them with his Star-On machine, for three dollars. The treatment is instantly popular, but this upsets the original star-bellied Sneetches, as they are in danger of losing their special status. McBean then tells them about his Star-Off machine, costing ten dollars, and the Sneetches who originally had stars happily pay the money to have them removed in order to remain special. However, McBean does not share the prejudices of the Sneetches and allows the recently starred Sneetches through this machine as well. Ultimately this escalates, with the Sneetches running from one machine to the next... : "...until neither the Plain nor the Star-Bellies knew : whether this one was that one... or that one was this one... : or which one was what one... or what one was who." This continues until the Sneetches are penniless and McBean departs as a rich man, amused by their folly. Despite his assertion that "you can't teach a Sneetch", the Sneetches learn from this experience that neither plain-belly nor star-belly Sneetches are superior, and they are able to get along and become friends.

The Zax

In The Zax, a North-going Zax and a South-going Zax bump face to face on the Prairie of Prax. Each one asks the other to make way, but neither budges, saying it is against their upbringing to move any other way. Because they stubbornly refuse to move (east, west, or any direction except their respective headings) to get past each other, the two Zax then face off against each other with their arms crossed, thinking if they stand still, the world will too. The Zax stand so long through nights, weather, and seasons, that eventually, they didn't realize that the world didn't stand still, the world grew, because after a couple years, a freeway is built around them with a highway overpass over them. The story ends with the Zax still standing there "unbudged" in their tracks.

Green Eggs and Ham

In Green Eggs and Ham, Sam-I-Am pesters Guy-Am-I to eat a plate of green eggs and ham. However, Guy refuses multiple times by responding, "I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am." Sam further asks Guy to eat them in various locations (House, box, car, tree, train, dark, rain, and boat) and with some animals (Mouse, fox, and goat), but is still rebuffed. Finally, Guy vainly accepts the offer, samples the green eggs and ham. When he declares he likes the food, he happily says, “I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you. Thank you, Sam-I-Am.”


Heechee Rendezvous

Robinette Broadhead, a married millionaire with health problems, returns in this novel. Even with his need for medical care, Broadhead does not feel that he deserves transplants to keep him alive, as he is still feeling guilty about his horrible journey to a black hole many years ago. He still attempts to research more about the advanced alien Heechees and their star-travelling technology.

At the same time, a madman named Wan attempts to search for his father within black holes, using stolen equipment and a Heechee ship. Wan's probing is noticed by a sentient race of slow-moving creatures who inform a Heechee patrol that is sent out of their black hole to observe the galaxy. Fearing that humans may alert a malevolent race of beings known as the Assassins, the Heechee patrol tries to find out more about human achievements in space flight and whether or not the damage done by them can be undone. Wan's probing also releases Gelle-Klara Moynlin from her two decade-long entrapment. Moynlin was a companion of Robinette on his journey to the black hole, which Moynlin experienced as only several elapsed days. The journeys of these past and future friends of Robinette begin to converge, and in the end, humans finally meet the Heechee race.


The Giant of Marathon

The story is set in 490 BC, the time of the Medic Wars, during which Persian armies sweep through the Ancient world. Having brought home to Athens the Olympic victor's laurel crown, Phillippides becomes commander of the Sacred Guard, which is expected to defend the city-state's liberty, a year after the expulsion of the tyrant Hippias.

Athenian supporters of Hippias conspire, hoping to sideline Phillippides with a marriage to Theocrites' expensive servant Charis, and thus neutralize the guard. She fails to seduce him, as his heart is already taken by a young girl before he learns her name is Andromeda, daughter of Creuso.

Everything personal is likely to be put on hold when the news breaks that the vast army of Darius, the Persian King of Kings, is marching on Greece, hoping that its internal division will make its conquest a walk-over. Theocrites instructs Miltiades to hold back the Sacred Guard to defend the temple of Pallas after a likely defeat, and proposes instead to negotiate terms with Darius, but is told an alliance with Sparta could save the Hellenic nation.

Phillippides makes the journey and survives an attempt on his life by conspirators; he returns with Sparta's engagement during the Persian attack in far greater numbers on Militiades valiant troops. Charis, left for dead after overhearing Darius's orders, reaches the camp to tell that the Persian fleet, now commanded by the traitor Theocrites, is heading for the Piraeus to take Athens. Miltiades sends Phillippides ahead to hold out with the Sacred Guard until his hopefully victorious troops arrive, and after his perilous journey back they successfully beat back the Persians.


Amnesia Moon

The protagonist is a survivalist named Chaos, who lives in an abandoned megaplex in Wyoming after an apparent nuclear strike. The residents of his town of Hatfork are reliant on a sinister messianic figure named Kellogg for food. Kellogg also has powerful dreams, which he transfers into the minds of others. Chaos's mind is especially receptive, making him reluctant to sleep.

Both Lethem and Chaos abandon this premise early on, and Chaos also goes by the name of "Everett Moon", depending on where he is. The novel plays with several other dystopian and post-apocalyptic setups. One area is covered in a thick green fog, save for an exclusive private school. Vacaville, California, has converted to a luck-based social system, taken to totalitarian extremes.

''Amnesia Moon'' bears homage to Philip K. Dick. During a party scene, one guest describes a battle of wills in West Marin, and another cites a West Marin inhabitant named "Hoppington", both references to Dick's ''Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb''. Vacaville is reminiscent of Dick's ''Solar Lottery'', where society is also based on chance. When Moon and Melinda reach San Francisco, hallucinogenic drugs play a role in altered perceptions that provide access to other characters in this world, as in ''The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch''. Elsewhere, it is argued that the depicted realities splintered away from each other to provide resistance to a hive-like alien invasion of Earth. Such solipsistic worlds are reminiscent of Dick's early novel ''Eye in the Sky''.

The one constant throughout is the idea that reality is shaped by powerful and charismatic "dreamers". The reason for the break in realities, and Chaos/Moon's place in this world, is a unifying mystery.


Ichneutae

The plot of the play was derived from the inset myth of the ''Homeric Hymn to Hermes''. A newborn Hermes has stolen Apollo's cattle, and the older god sends a chorus of satyrs to retrieve the animals, promising them the dual rewards of freedom and gold should they be successful. The satyrs set out to find the cattle, tracking their footprints. Approaching the cave in which baby Hermes is hiding, they hear him playing the lyre, which he has just invented. Scared by the strange sound, the satyrs debate their next move. The nymph of the mountain in which Hermes is hiding, Cyllene, explains to them the nature of the musical instrument. Outside the cave the satyrs see some sewn cow-hides and are convinced that they have found the thief. Apollo returns as the papyrus breaks off.


Secuestro Express

The film follows the kidnapping of Carla (Maestro) and her boyfriend when they are suddenly kidnapped in Caracas, Venezuela. Carla (Mía Maestro) and Martin (Jean Paul Leroux) are a young upper-class couple fresh from a night of dancing and partying when they cross paths with Trece (Carlos Julio Molina), Budu (Pedro Perez) and Niga (Carlos Madera), three men who make their living by kidnapping unwitting young adults to extort quick money from their wealthy parents.

Carla and Martin become their next victims and are sent on a terrifying overnight journey through Caracas as they wait for Carla's father Sergio (Rubén Blades) to hand over twenty thousand dollars - a small amount for a rich ''Caraqueño'', but the equivalent of more than 8 years of the Venezuelan minimum wage.

They are emotionally and physically hurt, but soon form a relationship with their captors to try to escape. However, none of their plans pan out. They continue in the Land Cruiser, listening and understanding, even if slightly, their captor's point of view. Through the many mishaps they encounter, they begin to, albeit scarily, bond with the kidnappers.

Martin flees the kidnappers in a crowded square, telling Niga to kill his girlfriend, abandoning her. However, he is soon apprehended by one of their cronies and returned to them and murdered in the trunk of a taxi.

After her father pays their ransom, the kidnappers heatedly argue over her fate, between murder, rape, and release. Trece pays some of his shares to the others to release her unharmed, and Carla is soon released, only to be found by another set of kidnappers. However, Trece returns to the scene and shoots them, freeing her again at that time. In the final scene she can be seen with much more modest attire and an inelegant car, continuing her work with sickly, impoverished children.


Ugly Betty

Betty Suarez is a quirky, 22-year-old Mexican American woman from Queens, New York, who is sorely lacking in fashion sense. She is known for her adult braces, rather unusual wardrobe choices, sweet nature, and slight naïveté. She is abruptly thrust into a different world when she lands a job at ''Mode'', a trendy, high-fashion magazine based in Manhattan that is part of the publishing empire Meade Publications owned by the wealthy Bradford Meade. Bradford's son, Daniel, has been installed as editor-in-chief of ''Mode'' following the death of Fey Sommers (Bradford's longtime mistress). Bradford hires the inexperienced Betty as his womanizing son's newest personal assistant to curb his habit of sleeping with his assistants. As time goes by, Betty and Daniel become friends and help each other navigate their individual professional and personal lives.

Life at ''Mode'' is made difficult for both Betty and Daniel by their co-workers. Their most serious threat comes from creative director Wilhelmina Slater, a vindictive schemer who devises numerous plots to steal Daniel's job and seize control of the Meade empire. In addition, Wilhelmina's loyal assistant Marc St. James and ''Mode'' receptionist Amanda Tanen continually mock and humiliate Betty for her lackluster physical appearance, awkward nature, and initial lack of taste in fashion, though they both ultimately warm to Betty in later seasons. However, not everyone at ''Mode'' is against Betty; she gains loyal friends in Scottish seamstress Christina McKinney and nerdy accountant Henry Grubstick. She also receives strong support from her father, Ignacio, older sister, Hilda, and nephew, Justin.

Season 1: 2006–2007

Season one premiered in the United States on September 28, 2006, and aired 23 episodes. Major plot lines during the first season include: Betty and Daniel settling into their respective roles as personal assistant and editor-in-chief at ''Mode'' fashion magazine; Betty's relationships with pre-''Mode'' boyfriend Walter and new love interest Henry; Daniel's numerous sexual relationships and his relationship with fellow editor Sofia Reyes (Salma Hayek); Wilhelmina's plots with the "Mystery Lady" to undermine Bradford and Daniel's positions at Meade Publications; Christina's temporary switch to Wilhelmina's side in an attempt to boost her career; the truth behind the murder of Fey Sommers and the death of Daniel's older brother Alex; Ignacio's immigration status and health problems; and Hilda's struggle to find a new career and salvage her relationship with Justin's dad, Santos.

Season 2: 2007–2008

The season's theme was "Brighter, Bolder, Bettyer" with a reworked version of Mika's "Hey Betty (You Are Beautiful)" being used as the featured song in its promos. Nine new recurring characters, played by Freddy Rodríguez, Illeana Douglas, Alec Mapa, David Blue, John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Gene Simmons, and Eddie Cibrian were introduced. Lorraine Toussaint continued in her role as Claire's fellow prison escapee, Yoga, as a recurring character. Production was halted in November 2007 due to the Writers Guild of America strike; ultimately, the season episode order was cut to 18 instead of a proposed 23. New episodes did not air on U.S. television until April 24, 2008, starting with "Twenty Four Candles", and ending on May 22, 2008, with "Jump". This was the last episode to be produced in Los Angeles.

Major plotlines this season include the love triangle between Betty, Henry, and a deli shop worker named Giovanni "Gio" Rossi; Claire's escape from prison, recapture, and trial for the murder of Fey Sommers; the aborted wedding of Wilhelmina Slater and Bradford Meade; Hilda and Justin's reaction to the murder of Santos in the season-one finale; Daniel and Alexis's power struggle for ''Mode'' after their father's death; Amanda's search for her biological father; Marc's relationship with fashion photographer Cliff St. Paul; Hilda's attempt to start her new beautician career and a relationship with Justin's gym teacher; Christina's reunion with her recovering alcoholic husband; and Wilhelmina's scheme to conceive an heir to the Meade fortune using Bradford's sperm.

Season 3: 2008–2009

ABC renewed the series for a third season on February 11, 2008. In addition, production was moved to New York City from Los Angeles to make the series more realistic and to take advantage of increased tax incentives in New York. The third season premiered on September 25, 2008. This season added 10 new recurring regulars, played by Grant Bowler, Mark Consuelos, Heather Tom, Val Emmich, Ralph Macchio, Sarah Lafleur, Bernadette Peters, Lauren Velez, and Daniel Eric Gold. Lindsay Lohan, Julian De La Celle, Derek Riddell, and Eddie Cibrian returned from the second season for more appearances. "The Show" by Australian singer Lenka was used as the promo theme for the season.

The season begins with Betty moving to an apartment in the city, after rejecting both Henry and Gio. Major plotlines include Daniel and Wilhelmina's respective relationships with Molly and Connor—a former couple; Betty and Marc both competing in the YETI program, a series of classes for aspiring editors; Betty's new relationship with Matt Hartley, a wealthy sports editor also taking part in YETI; Christina's surrogate pregnancy for Wilhelmina, and later belief that the baby is in fact her own; Molly developing terminal cancer and Ignacio's heart problems resulting in Betty having to return home, resulting in Marc and Amanda taking on Betty's apartment.

The season was the last that featured Rebecca Romijn and Ashley Jensen as regulars, with Romijin's character, Alexis, moving to France to be with her son early in the season and Jensen's character, Christina, returning to Scotland with her family in episode 21.

Season 4: 2009–2010

Following dropping ratings in season three, ''Ugly Betty'' was moved from its Thursday night slot to the "Friday night death slot", resulting in further ratings decreases and protests from fans. Despite moving the show to a new Wednesday night slot in January, ratings failed to improve, and on January 27, 2010, ABC confirmed that the series would end in April, at the same time reducing the season length from 22 to 20 episodes. [http://weblogs.variety.com/on_the_air/2010/01/exclusive-ugly-betty-set-to-end-its-abc-run-this-spring.html Exclusive: "Ugly Betty" Set to End Its ABC Run This Spring] , ''Variety'', January 27, 2010

Following the events of the season-three finale, Betty is promoted to editor at ''Mode'', but faces increased pressure when her former boyfriend Matt is named as her boss, in addition to hostility from Marc, who was passed over for promotion by Betty. Further storylines include Justin being bullied upon starting high school and subsequent relationship with male classmate Austin; Daniel struggling to adapt following Molly's death; Claire tracking down her long-lost son Tyler and his subsequent alcoholism; Hilda renewing her relationship with Bobby Telercio (Adam Rodriguez) and subsequent engagement and marriage.

The series concludes with the Suarez sisters leaving home, with Betty accepting a new job in London and Hilda and Justin moving out to live with Bobby. Daniel gives up his position at ''Mode'', handing the reins to Wilhelmina, not wanting to lose Betty in his life; Marc's efforts are finally vindicated via promotion and Amanda is successful in finding her birth father. In the final scene, Daniel follows Betty to London and bumps into her, informing her that he is looking for his passion, and asks her out to dinner.

Following news of the show's cancellation, a number of former cast members returned to reprise their roles in guest appearances, including Ashley Jensen, Christopher Gorham, Freddy Rodríguez, and Grant Bowler.


Wikipedia:Articles for creation/2006-04-27

WARNING! ''Spoiler warning''

The movie starts out with a teenager walking down the hall. The teenager (soon to be Driver Man) notices that he fell in love, but the soon-to-be Driver man was turned down. He drives home, discouraged. Later that day, he ventures onto the internet, and stumbles upon the "Movies Online Chrysler Competition", and suddenly a man in a black suit pops out of nowhere, according to a "ping" sound. He then says, "Congradulations, you won! Now eat this radioactive bannana!!" There is a corresponding subtitle saying, "Radioactive Bannana of Doom!".

The teenager turns into Driver Man, corrosponding after he ingests the radioactive bannana. He stops a robbery, and is congradulated by bystander's cheers. he then hears a scream, and rushes to where he heard it. He defeated the villain trying to assasinate the girl. After defeating the villain, he is congradulated with a kiss from the almost victim. Then it turns out that the villain was in the woman's form, and says "I am your MOTHER!" . He is then shot by a bannana, and he wakes up, meaning that the whole chain of events was a dream.

He then goes online and says, "What's this, The Movies Online Chrysler Competition..." . The man in the Black Suit appears in a ping, winks at the camera, leaving the story available for a sequel


Wikipedia:Articles for creation/2006-04-27

The story focuses on Carol Shelton, a woman in her fifties who is going on a second honeymoon with her husband Bill. As they're driving to the house they rented in Florida, Carol gets a strong feeling of déjà vu, which she's been feeling since they were on their chartered plane. She is obsessively predicting what she'll see next on the side of the road as they approach the house, but for the most part her predictions are inaccurate. As they draw near, she wakes up and finds she's still on the plane. Things progress again as they had in her dream, and this time her dream seems to be coming true. She becomes panicked as they approach the house for a second time, and once again she wakes up to discover it had been a dream. She realizes that she is in fact dead, and is reliving the same period of time indefinitely.

King's note, at the end of the story, reads: " I think this story is about Hell. A version of it where you are condemned to do the same thing over and over again. Existentialism, baby, what a concept; paging Albert Camus. There's an idea that Hell is other people. My idea is that it might be repetition."


Fallen Earth

The ''Fallen Earth'' story begins in the 21st Century, when the first in a series of natural disasters hits the United States. As Americans struggle to recover, an investment tycoon named Brenhauer buys a controlling stake in a mega-corporation named GlobalTech. By 2051, he moves his headquarters to the Grand Canyon Province, where GlobalTech eventually creates a self-sufficient economic and military mini-state. Meanwhile, in India and Pakistan, the Shiva virus, named for the dance-like convulsions that it caused in its victims, appears among the human populace. As the infection starts to spread, countries accuse each other of engineering the virus. Political paranoia turns to open aggression and nuclear conflict. The nuclear conflict combined with the virus devastates the planet. Less than one percent of Earth's population survived the Fall, and the Hoover Dam Garrison and Grand Canyon Province are the only known outposts of human civilization. Outside the protective confines of the Hoover Dam Garrison, the player encounters ruins of the old world, genetically altered creatures, strange technology, and six warring factions. Some factions seek to rebuild the old world, others wish to build a new one in their own image, and some simply desire chaos and anarchy.


The Battle of Kerzhenets

The story is based on the legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh (made into a 4-act opera by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1907), which disappears under the waters of a lake to escape an attack by the Mongols. (Russia was under the Mongol-Tartar yoke for a period of three centuries in the Middle Ages.)

The film itself follows the legend only loosely, however, and its highpoint is a battle between the Russian soldiers and the Mongol hordes, symbolizing a clash of cultures (the Virgin Mary appears early in the film, in effect watching over the Russian side of the battle).


True Believer (1989 film)

Eddie Dodd is a burnt-out attorney who has left behind civil rights work to defend drug dealers. Roger Baron is an idealistic young legal clerk, fresh out of law school, who encourages Dodd to take on the case of Shu Kai Kim, a young Korean man who was imprisoned for a gang-related murder committed in New York's Chinatown and has now killed a fellow inmate in self-defense. Kim's mother believes her son was wrongfully accused in the gang-related murder. Dodd and Baron's investigation leads to a conspiracy among the district attorney, a police informant, and several police officers.


Shutter (2004 film)

After a friends' party, Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) and her photographer boyfriend Tun (Ananda Everingham) get into a car accident, with Jane accidentally running over a woman. Tun prohibits her from getting out of the car; they drive away, leaving the girl on the road.

Tun begins to discover mysterious white shadows and faces in his photographs. Jane thinks these images may be the ghost of the girl they hit. Tun, who has been experiencing severe neck pains since the accident, visits a specialist and is dismayed to find that his weight is double his regular weight. He dismisses the idea of being haunted, though his friends are also being disturbed by this entity.

Jane discovers that the girl was Natre, a shy young woman who had attended the same college as Tun. Tun admits that he and Natre were in a relationship, which Tun had kept secret from his friends. Natre loved Tun and threatened to commit suicide when he broke off the relationship. Tun witnesses his friend, Tonn, committing suicide, and discovers that his two other close friends from college have also committed suicide. Believing that they have been coerced into doing so by Natre's ghost, Tun becomes convinced he will be next.

Tun and Jane visit Natre's mother and discover Natre's decaying body in the bedroom. Natre had committed suicide, but her mother could not bear to have her cremated. They convince her mother to have a proper funeral for her, after which Jane hopes that everything will return to normal. They spend the night at a hotel, where Tun is confronted by Natre's ghost. While trying to get away, he falls off a fire escape and is injured.

On returning to Bangkok, Jane collects some photographs. One of the films shows a series of images of Natre crawling towards the bookcase in Tun's apartment. Jane finds a set of negatives hidden behind the bookcase. She develops them to find photographs in which Tun's friends—the ones who committed suicide—are sexually assaulting Natre. Disgusted by her findings and now convinced that Natre tried to warn her, a teary Jane confronts Tun. Tun admits that he witnessed the rape but did nothing to stop his friends, and that he was the one who had taken those photos. He says he did it out of peer pressure and has never forgiven himself but Jane leaves him.

Knowing he is still haunted by Natre, Tun begins taking pictures of every room in the house, but does not see her. He throws the camera in a rage, only for it to go off and take a photograph of Tun, showing Natre sitting on his shoulders and revealing the true cause for his neck pain and double body weight. Natre covers his eyes, making him lose balance and fall out of the window.

The final scene shows a bandaged Tun slumped over, sitting on a hospital bed while Jane visits him. As the door swings closed, the glass reflection shows Natre still sitting on his shoulders.


The Face on the Poster

Wilson enters Mainwaring's office to find him writing a Confidential Report about him. Mainwaring shows it to him so he can sign it and make sure he is playing fair. Wilson scoffs at his attempts, comparing it to a headmaster's end-of-term report. Mainwaring is not quite so blasé, and hints that the Confidential Report could lead to big changes. He hints that he may be promoted to Major very soon, and admits he wants to start a recruiting campaign to triple the platoon and turn it into a company.

He convenes a parade and tells them of his plan. Jones suggests a poster similar to that of Lord Kitchener's recruitment poster, and Mainwaring is delighted with the suggestion. Jones then suggests a secret ballot to decide the face for the poster, and Frazer decides to bring in a professional photographer.

Jones wins the ballot by a large margin and the photographer turns out to be Mr Blewitt. After four unsuccessful attempts, the photo is taken, and Wilson takes it round to the printers.

At the printers, a police officer is asking for a Wanted poster of an escaped prisoner of war to be printed. The photo is placed on the out-tray along with Jones' photo on top.

Two days later, Godfrey brings in a sample of the poster, and the platoon discover that the disorganised printer mixed the photographs up. Jones now appears to be a wanted man.

Jones notices the poster outside a Free Polish Club (not, as Pike mistakenly believes, somewhere giving away free polish). A Polish Army major comes out, comments on the poster, "Ugly-looking swine," and then sees Jones is the man on the poster. Jones is arrested and interrogated; despite his protests, the major persists in believing Jones is the escapee, and puts him in the local POW camp.

Hodges drives Mainwaring and the rest of the platoon to the POW camp, where they too are arrested by the same major. Mainwaring puts his foot in it by declaring Jones is his colleague, and they are all placed in the POW camp with Jones. Wilson comments that the Colonel will not be very impressed with what happened, and wonders what he will write in Mainwaring's Confidential Report.


One More Time (1970 film)

Chris Pepper and Charlie Salt lose their nightclub and turn to Pepper's aristocratic twin brother for help. He refuses to help them, and is then found murdered. Pepper assumes his identity, and soon discovers that he was a diamond smuggler, and was murdered by his accomplices. Salt and Pepper band together to put the criminals behind bars.


Ninja Senshi Tobikage

It is the 23rd century and the earthlings have colonized Mars and the Moon. Much like the legendary convicts in Australia during the 18th and 19th century, the settlers of Mars consist mostly of convicts from Earth. The Martian colony is run by a dictatorial Commander Hazzard Pascha, who tests every settler on whether they should serve in the military or become a laborer.

Joe Maya is a 16-year-old who lives on Mars and dreams of returning to Earth. He has two friends: Mike Coil and Jenny Ai. When escaping from the Martian military police, Joe and Mike stumble upon a crashed spaceship, the ''Xenos 5'', being attacked by huge robots. In his attempt to escape chasing robots, Joe gets into the spaceship where he encounters three human-looking aliens: the beautiful Princess Romina, her willowy attendant Jade, and a young General Icelander. A robot locates them and the three aliens hide, leaving Joe to fend for himself. Joe tries hiding in a pile of glowing metal, which turns out to be a ninja robot named Black Lion. The battle leads outside the ship where a mysterious ninja robot Cybertron suddenly appears when the Black Lion struggles. It wipes out several enemy robots before merging with Joe's robot, transforming into a mechanical lion that destroys the remaining attackers.

After the attack, Joe, Mike, and Jenny are forcibly taken to the alien spaceship. It transpires that the aliens are from the planet Ladorio (also romanized as "Radorio") in a distant galaxy (Andromeda, also "Black Star Galaxy" in the English version), and are at war with the Zaboom army who captured their planet. They came to the Milky Way seeking ninjas who could operate their three ninja robots. Joe, Mike, and Jenny agree to help them for a variety of reasons. Along the way, as they fend off the constant attacks by the Zaboom army and their allies, they make new friends and enemies, while Cybertron looms mysteriously in the background.


Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River

George Lester is an American living in Britain. His passion is get-rich-quick schemes, and they have caused financial and personal grief for him and his wife, Pamela, who is considering divorce if he continues with them.

Willy Homer is a conman who plans to help George raise some quick cash by selling plans for a drill to a group of Arabs. The plans, which were stolen, are smuggled to Lisbon with help from his accomplice, Fred Davies. As they are about to trade the plans, they realise that they are being double-crossed. A series of chases follows, and eventually the plans are revealed to be worthless to everyone.

Distraught, George finds comfort in his wife and promises to never embark on any more schemes, but Willy shows up at his door with another one.


The Lost City (2005 film)

Fico Fellove is the owner of El Trópico, a swank nightclub in Cuba in 1958. Fico lives for his family and his music, while facing the harsh realities of Batista's dictatorial regime. His brother Ricardo becomes a revolutionary for Castro's rebel army, his brother Luis joins the student opposition, and his father Federico, a well-respected university professor, pushes for change by constitutional, peaceful means.

When Ricardo is arrested and threatened with execution, Fico calls upon an old prep school friend Castel, now a police captain, for help. Ricardo is released from jail, and Fico offers to help him go to Miami or New York City, but Ricardo instead joins a rebel column headed by Che Guevara.

Fico is approached by Meyer Lansky, of New York's Genovese crime family, who wishes to open up a gambling room at El Tropico. Fico, who intends for his club to remain a place of music, turns down the offer. When a bomb later explodes at the club, killing Fico's star entertainer (who is also his lover), Fico assumes that Lansky is behind it. However, in the increasingly unsettled climate, he cannot be certain.

Luis becomes connected with a plot to seize the presidential palace, kill Batista, and restore democracy. The plot fails and most of the attackers are killed. Luis escapes but is killed later by Batista's secret police. At the urging of his mother, Fico tries to cheer up Luis’ distraught widow Aurora Fico and Aurora fall in love.

Castro's rebels seize power after Batista flees the country. Fidel Castro declares there will be no elections and Che Guevara oversees the arrests and summary execution of all those who supported the Batista regime. Among those to be executed is Captain Castel. Fico asks Ricardo, now a high-ranking officer in the new regime, to return the favor that Castel once carried out to save Ricardo's life, but Ricardo does nothing to save Castel.

Ricardo visits his uncle Donoso, a tobacco farmer and cigar maker. Donoso feels that while Castro may be in power now, “the land endures” and says that the farm will next pass to Ricardo. Ricardo announces that the reason for his visit is to appropriate the farm for the state. Donoso, furious, has a heart attack and dies. Ricardo, overcome by grief, commits suicide shortly after the funeral.

The revolution affects Fico in other ways as it takes a communist direction. The musicians' union, controlled by Castro, has declared the saxophone to be an imperialist instrument and forbids its use. The club is eventually shut down on a flimsy pretext. After a chance meeting with Castro, Aurora is declared Revolutionary Widow of the Year and begins to work for the State, and she ends her relationship with Fico.

Fico's parents beg him to leave Cuba and start a new family. Reluctantly, he procures exit visas for himself and Aurora. In a last effort to convince her to join him, Fico barges in on a reception for revolutionary leaders and Soviet Bloc ambassadors, but Aurora refuses to go. He raises a toast to a democratic Cuba, then leaves the reception. He says his goodbyes to his parents and goes to the airport, where most of his money and possessions including a prized family pocket watch from his father are confiscated.

Fico begins a new life in New York. Working as a dishwasher and piano player at a Cuban club, he hopes to save enough money to bring his family to America. Meyer Lansky approaches him with an offer of a Cuban nightclub in Las Vegas, but Fico turns him down. He runs into Aurora, who is in New York as part of a Cuban delegation to the United Nations. He now realizes that Aurora is like Cuba: beautiful, alluring, but also damaged and unattainable. He decides now that his cause is to build a new life until he can return to the city he lost. Fico recites a poem by Cuban nationalist Father José Martí and commits himself to someday returning to his "lost city". He later opens a new nightclub in New York.


Uncle Fred Flits By

At the Drones Club, a Crumpet and his guest see Pongo Twistleton looking distraught. The Crumpet explains that Pongo has learned his mischievous Uncle Fred, Lord Ickenham, is coming to London, and tells the following story about what happened the last time Uncle Fred came.

Uncle Fred suggests to his nephew that they visit a suburb, Mitching Hill, formerly an estate owned by an uncle when he was younger. They go there, but get caught in a shower of rain and take shelter in a doorway.

The door is opened by a maid, and Uncle Fred, finding the owners are away, gains access to the house by posing as someone come to clip the parrot's claws, with Pongo introduced as his assistant Mr Walkinshaw. The maid leaves on an errand, and Uncle Fred makes himself comfortable. A pink-faced man visits the house looking for Mr Roddis. Uncle Fred claims to be Mr Roddis and introduces Pongo as his son Douglas. The visitor is Wilberforce Robinson, an eel-jellier, who is in love with Roddis's wife's estranged sister Connie Parker's daughter Julia, but is disapproved of by the family as being beneath them socially. He has come to Mr Roddis for help. When Julia arrives with her parents, Uncle Fred suggests Robinson hide behind the sofa to avoid trouble.

The Parkers enter, and Uncle Fred introduces Pongo as a deaf veterinarian attending to the parrot. Julia's parents tell the story of the eel-jellier wooing their daughter, and Julia insists she loves him, on which the man leaps from behind the couch and kisses her. Uncle Fred criticizes the Parkers' insistence that their family is superior to Robinson's by claiming that various cousins and uncles made their money in immoral and even criminal ways. Though Mrs Parker denies all, Robinson sees it as vindication of his own family background, and claims all he needs is a hundred pounds to buy a share in a business. Uncle Fred provides the money at once, and Robinson and Julia leave delighted.

Uncle Fred and Pongo leave the Parkers drinking a reviving cup of tea after their bizarre ordeal, and in the street meet Mr Roddis, the owner of the house. Uncle Fred introduces himself as a neighbour Mr J. G. Bulstrode, and Pongo as his brother-in-law, Percy Frensham. He tells Roddis two people broke into his house, pointing through the window to the tea-drinking couple, and advises Roddis to call the police. Though Uncle Fred is pleased with his actions, Pongo is shaken by his uncle's mischief. Thus, concludes the Crumpet, is Pongo's demeanour - on hearing he has to face another visit from his uncle - explained.


Ring Dem Bells

The platoon are to be featured in a film to help the war effort. Private Pike, a keen cinema-goer, is very excited but once the film producers arrive to measure them for uniforms, it becomes clear that the platoon are going to be playing the Nazis. Despite his protests, Captain Mainwaring is informed that they will be only in the distance anyway. Mainwaring is measured for his uniform, but they do not have an officer's uniform to fit him. Instead, Wilson and Pike are chosen to be the officers. Mainwaring is excused from appearing in the film by the Colonel.

The platoon are dressed as German soldiers for their parts. Pike is enjoying his turn as an officer, goosestepping around and acting like the German officers he has seen at the cinema. Mainwaring informs the platoon that they must stay inside Jones' van to avoid being spotted and creating an alarm.

Once they reach the film location, they are met by the producer who says that the filming has been postponed due to a problem with the lead actors, much to Mainwaring's disgust. Mainwaring halts outside the "Six Bells" public house to telephone Headquarters. Pike sees the pub and persuades Wilson that, now they are officers, they should all go for a drink. Thus the platoon converge upon the pub dressed as Nazis, much to the shock of the landlord, who tells his barmaid to warn the village.

Mainwaring discovers what has happened and orders the men outside, where they are met by an angry mob. They accuse Mainwaring of being a quisling. The landlord telephones Walmington-on-Sea to tell the Home Guard that Nazis are heading that way. Unfortunately, the telephone is answered by Warden Hodges and the Vicar, who assume the landlord is drunk. After going outside and seeing the backs of the platoon, who are still dressed as Nazis and Mainwaring (whom Hodges declares a traitor) speaking to them, they decide to sound the alarm by ringing the church bells.

The platoon realise what has happened and they rush to the church to try and stop the bells, but the door is locked. Mainwaring tells Pike to phone GHQ to inform them it is not an invasion. They eventually get in after Wilson unbolts the door from the inside, and find a terrified Hodges, Vicar and Verger hanging from above by the bell ropes. Pike returns to inform Mainwaring that he had managed to stop the Coldstream Guards and a whole armored division from coming. Laughing, Pike adds that the whole south coast was on red alert and the Brigadier himself wanted to know what "blithering idiot" was responsible. Pike tells Mainwaring that he has made him an appointment to see the Brigadier at 10:30 tomorrow.


Deathlord

The world of Lorn is under attack from the Deathlord's forces. The Emperor of Kodan has sent word asking for a party to defeat the Deathlord. The party must search the world to find seven words, six items, venture into Hell, defeat the Deathlord, and return. There is no linear path to the goals, and much of the story lies in subtext as the developer chose to keep dialog options to a minimum within the game.


Wartime (film)

On his way to UNIT HQ in order to deliver some radioactive materials, Warrant Officer John Benton has an unexpected flashback to his childhood in Lancashire. After visiting the grave of his older brother Chris, Benton has a further flashback to his childhood in 1944. Later, having failed to contact UNIT successfully, Benton senses that there is potential trouble lurking nearby and orders Willis to repair the jeep while he himself investigates. Unbeknownst to both of them, there is a stranger lurking in the woods who aims to steal the radioactive material. As Benton wanders through the woods, he is further haunted by his childhood; it is revealed that Benton blames himself for the death of his older brother Christopher—while playing a game of chase, Christopher slipped off a wall and fell to his death. A ghostly entity, which takes the form of Benton's father, torments John and tries to convince him that he is weak and unworthy of being in the army. John eventually breaks the hold over the spirit and realizes that his brother's death was an accident and that he was actually trying to save him. Returning to the jeep, having now exorcised his demons, he manages to subdue the mystery man who was attempting to steal the radioactive source. Benton and Willis leave the woods and resume their journey while the voice of his father states that the game is now over.


I've Gotta Horse

Based on the star's famous love of animals, this musical comedy portrays Billy setting out to add a sheepdog to his vast entourage of animals and coming back with an irresistible horse named Armitage instead. To his manager's horror, Billy smuggles the horse backstage during rehearsals for his big show and the horse proceeds to create havoc. Little do either of them know that Armitage is actually a thoroughbred racehorse. Then Billy's horse contracts pneumonia and Billy must choose between love of his horse and the big show.


Babylon A.D.

In a dystopian near-future, Russian mobster Gorsky (Depardieu) hires the mercenary Toorop (Diesel) to bring a young woman known only as Aurora (Thierry) from Europe to New York City. Gorsky gives Toorop a variety of weapons and a subdermally implanted UN passport. Toorop, the girl, and her guardian Sister Rebeka (Yeoh), travel from the Noelite Convent in Kyrgyzstan to reach New York via Russia.

Unlike in the technologically advanced U.S., war and terrorist activity have transformed Russia's cities into dangerous, overpopulated slums. The stress of humanity's situation causes Aurora to act out in strange ways and display clairvoyance abilities. On one such occasion, Aurora, seemingly for no reason, panics and runs from a crowded train station, just before it explodes in a terrorist attack.

The protagonists must also evade an unknown group of mercenaries claiming to have been sent by Aurora's supposedly dead father. Later, they board a submarine that carries refugees to Canada. To avoid satellite detection, the Captain of the submarine orders his crew to dive and he shoots some of the refugees still trying to get on board. Aurora, infuriated by the loss of life, operates the 30-year-old submarine without training. Sister Rebeka tells Toorop that Aurora could speak nineteen different languages by the age of two, and always seems to know things she has never learned. Three months before leaving with Toorop, she began acting differently. This occurred after a Noelite doctor administered a pill. The doctor told her to go to New York City and arranged for Toorop to escort them.

After arriving in Alaska with help from Toorop's associate Finn (Strong), the protagonists are attacked by weaponized drones. Toorop manages to destroy all the drones, but also gets wounded. These perils cause Finn to betray the group, so Toorop shoots him dead.

Once in Harlem, a news broadcast about the bombing of the Kyrgyzstan convent causes the group to realize there is more going on than they know. The Noelites have become a major new salvationist religion, which vast numbers of people cling to as the world spirals out of control. However, in private meetings, it is seen that their High Priestess (Charlotte Rampling) only desires power and uses invented miracles to court converts. Gorsky, working for the Noelites, had planted a tracking device in Toorop's passport and bombed the convent when he knew they were in the United States. The doctor who earlier saw Aurora examines her again in a hotel room. When he leaves, Aurora reveals (without being told) that she is pregnant with twins despite being a virgin.

Looking outside the hotel, Toorop sees Gorsky's men and the Noelite group, heavily armed and waiting for them on the street. The High Priestess calls Toorop and asks him to bring Aurora outside. Just before they take her away, Toorop changes his mind and starts a firefight with the two groups to get the two women to safety. Gorsky's men fire guided missiles at Toorop that track his subdermal passport. Rebeka gets killed defending Aurora, who in turn shoots Toorop, saying, "I need you to live." Toorop's clinical death causes the guided missile to go off target (missing Toorop) and explode near Aurora instead; she inexplicably survives.

Dr. Arthur Darquandier (Lambert Wilson) revives Toorop using advanced medical techniques, but several of Toorop's body parts are replaced with cybernetics to undo the damage of being dead for over two hours. Darquandier explains that when Aurora was a fetus, he implanted a supercomputer into her brain. It is also implied that the Noelite group had him create Aurora to become pregnant at a certain time to use her as a "virgin birth". After she was born, the Noelites hired Gorsky to kill Darquandier, but he failed. Darquandier remained "dead" until he found his daughter in Russia with Toorop.

Darquandier uses a machine to scan Toorop's memory to find out what Aurora said to him before and shortly after shooting him. In Toorop's memory, Aurora tells Toorop to "go home". Toorop and several of Darquandier's men leave the facility. En route to Darquandier's lab, the High Priestess calls Gorsky, and during their videocall Gorsky is killed by a nuclear missile launched at him by the High Priestess. The High Priestess confronts and kills Darquandier, but Toorop has already escaped. Toorop goes to his old house in the forest, finds Aurora, and takes her to a hospital, where, 6 months later, she dies after giving birth. Aurora was "designed to breed", not to live, so her death after childbirth was preprogrammed. Toorop takes care of her two children.

In a scene that is only present in the theatrical cut but was removed from the director's cut, the twins are shown to be one that looks like Aurora and the other like Toorop.


Yesterday Was a Lie

A hard-drinking female investigator named Hoyle (Kipleigh Brown) sets out to locate a reclusive genius (John Newton) who may be able to distort reality. Instead she finds her life becoming more and more fragmented and surreal. Trusting only her partner (Mik Scriba) and a sexy lounge singer (Chase Masterson), she is shadowed by a dangerous man (Peter Mayhew).


Turkey Dinner

Mr. Blewitt has finished painting a wooden plague on Mainwaring's office door, and Mainwaring has finished writing a speech for an upcoming rotary dinner. Mainwaring tells Wilson that before a battle, their commander told them a joke. However, when Mainwaring attempts to cheer up his unusually quiet platoon with a joke about an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman, it does not work. Jones asks Mainwaring if he and his section can speak to him in private. Once in the office, Jones admits that he took his section for a quick drink in the Horse and Groom. Mainwaring is less than impressed, so is annoyed when he hears that they also stopped in the King's Head to stop Cheeseman shivering, and then the Goat and Compasses.

Mainwaring is then amused to learn that Godfrey had begun to sing rather raucously, so he was taken into the Red Lion to sober up. The landlord had come up to Jones and had told him about something rustling in the haystack. Jones shot at the rustler, and was shocked to learn that it was a turkey - which is now plucked and stuffed in his refrigerator! Mainwaring is shocked, and insists that they pay Mr Boggis, a farmer at the North Berrington Turkey Farm, the only place where the turkey could have come from, for the loss of his turkey. However, Mr Boggis is not there.

Eventually they discover Mr Boggis is at market day; however the farm worker is unwilling to accept money for the bird unless he is certain that one is missing. They attempt to count the birds, and discover after much chaos that no birds are missing. Therefore, Jones' section decides to hold a turkey dinner for the OAPs of Walmington-on-Sea. Mainwaring is delighted and decides to organise a Turkey Dinner General Purposes Committee, with himself as chairman, of course. Mrs Fox will cook the turkey, Mrs Pike will make the stuffing, and Mrs Cheeseman will do the gravy.

Everything goes well, until Mainwaring emerges from the office in his dinner suit: he is guest speaker at a Rotary Club dinner. Pike whirls around with a plate in his hand, and accidentally spills gravy all over Mainwaring's suit. Jones uses blotting paper to get rid of the gravy, but ends up making a mess of Mainwaring's shirt, which he covers up with white enamel paint, which ends up on Mainwaring's dinner jacket.

A sling is the only answer to the problems, as it will not only hide the paint, but it will also make Mr Mainwaring appear more brave at the dinner. However, Hodges comes bursting through the door, bumping into Pike, and knocking gravy onto his sling once again.


The Iron Hand of Mars

Following the events of ''Venus in Copper'', the Imperial authorities are seeking Falco out for an assignment in Germany (which given the events of his last mission abroad, Falco is slow to accept). Meanwhile, Falco is not pleased with Titus Caesar attempting to seduce Helena. When Helena gets an invitation to a private dinner with Titus, she pleads that Falco stay by her side on the same day, but he instead decides to see a client in Veii — who unfortunately turns out to be a widow more intent on pleasure than business. Disgusted, Falco returns to Rome, but Helena has disappeared, apparently leaving Falco for good. Romantically depressed, Falco goes over to the Palatine to be personally briefed by the emperor Vespasian on his latest assignment — broker peace between Rome and the Celtic tribes of Germany (whose leaders are thought to be Veleda, a priestess and Julius Civilis, a local strongman), locate a missing military officer named Munius Lupercus, and deliver a new standard in the form of a two-foot long human hand, cast in iron, to the 14th Gemina at Moguntiacum — the last actually being a pretext for Falco to investigate them, given that the 14th's loyalty is held in doubt. Much to Falco's annoyance, he is also to escort an ex-slave named Xanthus into Germany as well, whose specialty is hairdressing.

Falco's trip is marked by a number of misadventures — poor food and even poorer wine, unscrupulous souvenir sellers and cramped conditions, as well as murder. At Lugdunum, Falco and Xanthus bump into two travellers quarrelling with a group of potters, who are later found murdered. At the crime scene, Falco makes the acquaintance of a centurion named Helvetius, before trying to contact Helena's brother Justinus, a military tribune serving at Argentoratum, but discovers that Justinus has been transferred elsewhere, and so proceeds down the Rhenus further into Germany, where the relatively wealthy Xanthus is accosted by a peddler named Dubnus. Falco discovers that Dubnus is selling curios which may have been relics of Varus' ill-fated expedition, and asks Dubnus about Veleda, who tells him that she lives in a tower in the middle of the forest somewhere in the north.

At Moguntiacum, Falco tries to contact the local military legate, Florius Gracilis, but discovers that like Lupercus, Gracilis is missing. Falco finally meets Justinus and upon discussing Gracilis further, he discovers that Gracilis has been absent without leave, and his whereabouts are unknown, and in addition to his official duties, begins tracking down Gracilis. Running out of leads, Falco finally tries to make enquiries with the camp prefect of the 14th Legion, but accidentally lets it slip that he was part of the infamous 2nd Augusta. Brusquely driven off and humiliated, he is warned by to cease his inquiries. Later, three apparently drunk soldiers attack Falco, but he is saved by Xanthus who kills one of the soldiers, and finally discovers that Justinus has another guest, and it's none other than Helena, who has also brought along his niece, Augustinilla, because her mother, Victorina, is having "woman problems".

Falco and Helena go shopping and meet a German potter, Julius Mordanticus, whose uncle Bruccius has gone missing along with his cousin in Gaul. Falco immediately identifies Mordanticus' relatives as the men killed in Gaul, and tells Mordanticus to contact Helvetius, while Helena uncovers strong business rivalry between the potters of Lugdunum and Moguntiacum over commercial contracts to supply high-quality ceramics to the Roman army — suggesting that Gracilis himself was bribed by Lugdunum. Helena then buys a bowl from Julius Mordanticus for Falco to bring back as a gift for his mother in Rome.

Eventually, Falco goes north with Justinus, Dubnus, Helvetius and twenty young recruits from the 1st Aduitrix, another legion present in Moguntiacum, in search of Civilis and Veleda, but is captured by the Bructeri along with Helvetius and the twenty other soldiers. He manages to meet Veleda and tries to convince her that Vespasian wants to make peace, but Veleda refuses to listen to him. Just as things begin to look bleak, however, Justinus rides in and speaks with Veleda ''in Celtic'', offering himself up as a hostage in return for the safe passage of Falco and his team back to civilisation. Veleda agrees and gives Falco a silver token taken from Lupercus' body. Apparently, Lupercus was murdered en route to Veleda. She asks Falco and Helvetius to use a galley captured from Petillius Cerialis (now decrepit from neglect) to escape so as to throw off the tribesmen's suspicion — she must not be seen aiding the Romans.

Justinus shortly after manages to rejoin the men, and tells Falco and Helvetius that Veleda does not wish for further war with Rome, and they take off in Cerialis' galley. Unfortunately, the galley is in poor shape and Falco and the men are soon shipwrecked in the lands of the Tencteri, a staunchly anti-Roman tribe, where they encounter the 14th Gemina's legate, Florius Gracilis, hunting for aurochs with the Gauls of Lugdunum, who then kill Helvetius. Gracilis and his followers soon decide to kill the survivors as well because they know too much, but Gracilis is gored to death by an aurochs, and Falco banishes the survivors of Gracilis' party. The Tencteri then attack Falco's party, but they are saved by the arrival of the 14th Gemina.

One last job remains to be solved — finding Civilis. Fortunately for Falco, his formidable niece Augustinilla managed to track down Civilis in Augusta Treverorum, and Falco goes to meet him, only to discover that Civilis is now an aged and broken man. Realising his time is up, Civilis agrees to accept Roman parole (as well as a new haircut from Xanthus!) Xanthus joins Civilis to start a new life as a freedman in Germany (although Falco now suspects that Xanthus was an Imperial agent meant to watch over Civilis). Back in Moguntiacum, a military parade is held to commemorate Vespasian's birthday, and the Iron Hand is officially handed over to the 14th Gemina. During the ceremony, Falco decides that Helena ought to marry Titus, but she asserts that she is staying put at Falco's side, and even writes the official report on the mission for Falco!


The Silver Pigs

This first novel in the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series introduces the main characters as well as establishes relationships that continue and grow throughout the series.

Falco stumbles upon a conspiracy in the trading of silver ingots, but not before it claims the life of a young girl (Sosia Camillina) Falco meets and is smitten with. Hired by Sosia's uncle, a senator, to find out who murdered her and by the Roman Emperor Vespasian, to uncover the conspiracy, Falco finds himself on the next boat to Britain.

Once there he meets a lady way out of his class, Helena Justina, the daughter of the Senator who hired him, and Sosia's cousin. At first sight Falco and Helena loathe each other: He hates her class, and she hates his prejudice. Things are made no easier by Sosia's death, especially for Helena. Working under cover, Falco himself working down a silver mine, acting as a mine slave, Falco learns the meaning of hate, pain and abuse. After being rescued by Helena and a friendly centurion, Falco heads back to Rome, as the reluctant charge of the even more reluctant Helena.

After spending so much time together, and many arguments, misunderstandings and denials, Falco and Helena fall in love (and subsequently consummate this in a horse stable, in a public garden). Eventually, Falco sorts out the case and only has to bring the culprits to justice. However, there is no justice, as one of the culprits is Domitian, the Emperor's wayward son, and the only other surviving culprit is very close to Helena and her senator father.

After a final, bloody, retribution is carried out in the climax, Falco is offered a promotion to the equestrian rank. As an equestrian Falco would be upper middle class and could marry Helena without bringing her or her family shame, as would with his current meagre earnings. He refuses, seeing the offer as a bribe to keep the conspiracy hushed-up. After realizing his mistake and how he must have insulted Helena, he returns to Vespasian and asks for the chance again, and while he is told that his name can be added to the equestrian lists, he must first raise the 400,000 sesterces himself in order to purchase the land of that value, which is the qualification for equestrian status. Vespasian came from an equestrian family that rose into the senatorial rank under the Julio–Claudian emperors, and although he fulfilled the standard succession of public offices, he had really made his name and earned his power in military service. Dejected, Falco returns to his dilapidated tenement in the Aventine Hill and there finds Helena waiting for him. She promises to wait for him for as long as it takes.


Is There Life Out There?

Lily Marshall (McEntire) has a loving, supportive husband, two great kids and an unfulfilled dream: to return to college and get the degree she always wanted. Lily wonders if there is life beyond her family and home. The hole in Lily's life is soon filled by too much. There's a confusing new social life on campus, schoolwork keeping her up late, a part-time job keeping her from her husband and kids whose mom is turning into a stranger. Lily's strength, love and perseverance are the only things that can help her now.


Ali and Nino

A cross-cultural family in Baku: Alexandra, a Georgian, her Azerbaijani husband Alipasha Aliyev, and their daughter Tamara (early 1900s).

It is the early 1910s in Baku, Azerbaijan, under Russian control. Ali Khan Shirvanshir and Nino Kipiani are both still at school, but have loved each other for many years. He belongs to a distinguished Azerbaijani family (of Persian ancestry) and is a Muslim. Despite his European education, he feels deeply that he is Asian. She belongs to a distinguished Georgian family, and the Russian authorities have permitted her to use the title 'Princess'. She is a Christian, and culturally European.

The novel is related in the first person by Ali.

Russia goes to war (in 1914); some of Ali's Muslim friends eagerly join the Russian army, but he feels it is a Christians' war. Then the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) declares war on Russia; the Ottomans are Muslim, but Sunnites, while the Azerbaijanis are Shiites. There is bafflement, and uncertainty about the future.

Ali's father permits him to marry Nino. Nino's father permits her to marry in a year's time, when she has finished school; his permission is apparently partly thanks to the persuasion of Ali's friend Melek Nacharyan, a (Christian) Armenian. But, totally unexpectedly, Nacharyan kidnaps Nino, persuading her that she will be safe with him whatever happens in the war, and drives away from Baku with her. On the unpaved road, Ali overtakes his car on horseback, and stabs him to death. He is entitled to kill Nino as well, but spares her, and orders his companions not to harm her.

To escape the revenge of Nacharyan's family, Ali hides in a mountain village in Dagestan. After a time, Nino joins him; they still love each other. They are married, and live in blissful poverty. Then the news comes: the Tsar has been deposed, the government of Baku has evaporated, and all the Nacharyan family have left. Ali and Nino return to Baku.

Baku becomes surrounded by an irregular Russian army seeking loot. Ali joins the defenders; Nino refuses to take shelter, and aids behind the front line. But they have to flee, and the Shirvanshir house is stripped by looters. With Ali's father they flee to Persia, which is at peace. Ali and Nino stay in Tehran in great comfort, but she is confined to the harem and is deeply discontented. Ali joins the parade on Muharram and comes home bloodied, to Nina's extreme distress.

In the war, the Turks begin to prevail against Russia. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic is declared, and the Turks occupy Baku. Ali and Nino return, and she takes charge of renovating and refurnishing the Shirvanshir house. It is a happy period. But the Turks are forced to make peace and withdraw, and their place is taken by a British occupation (and protection) force. The Republic still exists and Ali and Nino, who both speak English, serve as hosts for government events. On her own secret initiative, Nino arranges for them to be posted to the embassy in Paris, but Ali cannot bear to leave Baku, and she yields to him and apologises. She gives birth to a daughter.

The war has ended, and the British troops are going to be withdrawn. The Russians are pressing again. In the hot weather, Ali, Nino, and the baby go to his estate near the Azerbaijani town of Ganja. They cut themselves off from news and events and are very happy. But the news comes: the Russians have taken Baku, and Ganja is coming under attack by a large force. Nino flees to Georgia with their daughter, but Ali refuses to leave. He is killed defending the town. (The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic fell in 1920 and the country became part of the Soviet Union.)


The Big Wheel (film)

Billy Coy (Mickey Rooney) arrives in the town of Carrell, California and offers himself as a mechanic for Arthur "Red" Stanley (Thomas Mitchell) at his garage. Red turns down Billy initially, but after seeing a photo of his father, "Cannonball" Coy, a famous driver, Red scares up a job for Billy. Billy's father died in an accident at the Indianapolis 500 several years previously. Red was Cannonball's mechanic, riding with him the day he died in the north turn of the Indianapolis motor speedway. Red inquires after "her"; he still carries a torch for Mary (Spring Byington), Cannonball's widow and Billy's mother.

At the garage, Billy befriends a tomboy, Louise Riley (Mary Hatcher), whose father owns the nearest racetrack. Billy gets a chance to prove his skills as a driver in a qualifying race, but he is too arrogant to follow his employer's advice and is unsuccessful. He asks Louise to meet on Saturday night at the track. Thinking it is a date, Louise does the unheard of for her—she buys a dress and heels (in which she is unskilled at walking), assisted by her family's maid (Hattie McDaniel). As it turns out, Billy needed her help with changing some carburetors, much to Louise's disappointment. She gamely wobbles on high heels with him to the garage, buoyed by her love of cars and affection for Billy.

Billy gets another chance to drive for another car owner, Deacon Jones. The car is green and referred to as a "Hoodoo Wagon" due to a racing superstition that green cars are unlucky. A helpful gadfly in the pits reminds Billy this is the same color as the car his father drove when he crashed and burned. Billy drives but is pushed off the track by driver Vic Sullivan (Michael O'Shea). Billy survives the crash but fails to qualify. He vents his frustration at the dirty trick by punching Vic. Distracted by the spectacle, another driver injures his hand by absentmindedly placing it on the searing exhaust pipe of his car in which he's sitting; Billy is offered the opportunity to drive in the incapacitated man's stead.

Billy wins the next race and continues driving for Jones. Together with his team's other driver, Happy Lee (Steve Brodie), they make headlines with their success. Billy gets arrested for speeding after he has too much to drink. Red bails him out, and contrary to Red's advice, Billy goes on to race that same night.

When the left rear wheel in Happy's car breaks, Billy tries desperately to catch up to Happy and alert him but instead crashes into Happy's car after the wheel comes off. The car skids to a stop in Billy's path. Happy's car is smashed through the wall, rupturing the gas tank and the car bursts into flames. Despite Billy's frantic efforts to save him, Happy dies in the blaze. After the race, the other drivers avoid Billy, convinced Billy made good his tyro promise to "...drive over them" and he is fired from Jones's garage. Billy decides to move "back east, where the big cars and the big money are."

Billy stays in contact with Louise, and starts fresh as a race car driver. In his absence, his mother and Red get married.

On the day of the next Indianapolis 500 race, Mary, Red and Louise turn out to support Billy. He drives one of Red's cars and leads, but on the final lap Billy drives through flaming gasoline from a wreck which causes Billy's engine to catch fire. Battling the smoke, Billy finishes the race, taking third place, leaping from the car just before it explodes. Billy is bitterly disappointed not to have won, especially since without a winning purse Red can't afford to race again. To Billy's delight, in a show of great sportsmanship, the winner insists officials give the trophy to Billy for his bravery.


Smile for the Camera

Two students uncover a series of mysterious signs in otherwise normal photographs taken around New York City with an antique spoon. They determine that these are clues that depict a pathway from a train station in New York City to a seahorse in the wilderness. Kate sets off alone to follow the crumbs, which leads her to a terrifying encounter with a psychic in a decaying cottage. The psychic falls prey to the Boxheads, a mysterious and evil cult that traps victims, whose smiling photographs appear on boxes that hide the faces of the cult members. Escaping from the psychic's cottage, Kate waltzes through the woods, taking shelter for the night in an eerie motel where she has frightening dreams and hallucinations. In one of these, a young girl falls victim to the Boxheads and disappears.

Joined by her friend Mark, who has been analyzing and enhancing the photographs, Kate discovers that the young girl's image can be found hidden in all the pictures she had taken. The trail of photographs leads Kate and Mark to the home of Walter, the domineering leader of the Boxhead cult. Walter bombards his guests with pompous opinions about porcupines, as his young wife Lisa silently cowers in his presence and vents her emotions on a turnip mash. After dinner, Walter overpowers his guests. Kate is chained in a basement dungeon and told to "smile for the camera" as she fights back her tears. Mark is taken to a remote place in the woods to be sacrificed in a Boxhead ritual. Mysteriously freed from her chains by the young piglet, Kate escapes and follows Walter into the teacup, where she fights for her life and exacts her revenge.


A Ship of the Line

Hornblower has recently returned to England from the Pacific in the frigate HMS ''Lydia'', having gained widespread fame (but no financial stability) as a result of sinking the superior ship ''Natividad'' in battle. As a reward for his exploits, he is given command of a seventy-four ship of the line, HMS ''Sutherland'', once the Dutch ship ''Eendracht''. A ship that is, in Hornblower's estimation, "the ugliest and least desirable two-decker in the Navy List".

He is assigned to serve under Rear Admiral Leighton, Lady Barbara Wellesley's new husband. Throughout, Hornblower is torn between his love for Lady Barbara and his sense of duty and loyalty to his frumpy wife, Maria. His feelings for Maria are complicated by the previous loss of both of his children to smallpox.

Hornblower's first orders are to escort a convoy of East Indiamen off the Spanish coast. He successfully fights off simultaneous attack on the convoy by two fast, manoeuvrable privateer luggers. Since he has been forced to sail with an understrength crew, and had to make do with "lubbers, sheepstealers, and bigamists", he breaks Admiralty regulations and presses twenty sailors from each Indiaman just before they part company. With his ship now at full complement, Hornblower wreaks havoc on the French-occupied Spanish coast. He captures a French brig, the ''Amelie'', by surprise, storms a French fort and takes several more vessels in its harbour as prizes, repeatedly fires upon several thousand Italian soldiers marching along a coastal road, and saves his Admiral's ship from certain ruin by towing it away from a French battery during a severe storm.

When Hornblower encounters a squadron of four French ships of the line that have broken through the English blockade of Toulon, he attacks them despite the odds of four to one, and manages to disable or heavily damage all of them. However, with many of his crew killed or wounded, including Bush, who loses a leg, and his ship dismasted, he is then forced to strike his colours and surrender. This novel ends as a cliffhanger.


Dealing with Dragons

Princess Cimorene is frustrated by her life and persuades the castle staff to teach her fencing, magic, cooking, Latin, and other interesting subjects that are considered very "improper" for princesses to learn.

The King and Queen take Cimorene on a state visit to a neighboring kingdom. Cimorene learns that they plan to arrange her marriage to an annoying prince named Therandil. Faced with the prospect, Cimorene runs away. She meets a group of dragons and volunteers to become the "captive" princess of the dragon Kazul. Kazul assigns Cimorene to cook for her and organize her library and treasure hoard.

Cimorene likes her position and becomes friends with Kazul, but finds she must constantly deal with knights and princes who want to rescue her. She hopes that a sign on the road to the cave will keep would-be rescuers at bay.

While posting the sign, Cimorene encounters a wizard. After being annoyed, the wizard leaves using complicated magic, and Cimorene guesses that he is a powerful wizard. Later, Kazul explains that the dragons and the wizards disagree about the wizards' access to the Caves of Fire and Night. The wizards' staves absorb magic from any magical sources nearby – including dragons.

Cimorene and Alianora, princess to the dragon Woraug, find another wizard gathering herbs near the dragon caves. Cimorene brings a sample of the herb back to Kazul. Panicking, the dragon burns it up immediately, but the inhalation of the smoke causes Kazul to fall ill. The plant is dragonsbane, poisonous to dragons. Kazul sends Cimorene to warn another dragon that the wizards are gathering dragonsbane. This news comes too late as the King of the Dragons has already been fatally poisoned.

Although Kazul is still ill, she must leave to compete in the trials to choose the next King of the Dragons. (The King is a King regardless of gender.) Cimorene hurries through the dragon caves on errands for Kazul, where she meets a prince turned into a living statue.

Based on information from the Stone Prince and Alianora, Cimorene realizes that the wizards poisoned the King with the help of Woraug. The wizards plan to interfere with the trials to allow Woraug to win the title of King. In exchange, Woraug will give them access to the Caves and magical items held by the dragons.

Alianora discovers a way to melt wizards: soapy water mixed with lemon juice. With this discovery, and the help of her friends, Cimorene foils the wizards' plan. Meanwhile, Kazul wins the trials fairly and becomes the King of the Dragons.


Avatar: The Last Airbender (video game)

Characters

The main playable characters in the ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' video game are Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Haru, the former three of which are main characters in the television series the video game is based on.

Aang is the fun-loving, 112-year-old (physically 12) protagonist of the video game, he was frozen in an iceberg for a century. He is the current incarnation of the Avatar, a human whose essence is forever bonded with that of the Avatar Spirit of Light and Peace. As the Avatar, Aang must master all four elements to bring peace to the world and restore the order between the Four Nations. Aiding him is the fourteen-year-old Katara, the sole remaining waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, and her older brother Sokka, a fifteen-year-old warrior of the Southern Water Tribe. Haru is a young teenage Earthbender who helps the gang in their mission to save a missing friend. Many characters from the show appear on this; King Bumi, who appears in the fourth level.

Story

While training at the Northern Water Tribe, Avatar Aang and Katara hear reports of a waterbender, Hiryu, going missing, which they investigate. They arrive at the Water Tribe as a Fire Nation ship attacks, led by Prince Zuko. They are able to fend off the attackers, but Katara is captured during the battle. Aang and Sokka follow the ship, but are slowed by a firebending machine.

They follow the ship to an Earth Kingdom port. They slip into the jail and release Katara, who informs them of another prisoner named Lian the Maker, who is being forced to make machines for the Fire Nation. When they arrive at Lian's cell, they find it empty, except for a map to an Earth Kingdom village.

They find the village under attack by machines. After fending off the machines, picking up Haru and being informed that one of his earthbending friends Yuan was kidnapped, they travel to the library of Omashu for clues to where the machines might originate from. The information from the library leads them to an uncharted island.

On the island, they find Lian, making more machines. She fears that Avatar Aang will not be able to master all four elements before Sozin's comet arrives. Aang refused her help, seeing as how the machines were disrupting villages. Lian then voiced her contempt for him as she sends a machine to fight them to flee to the Air temple, attempting to destroy the Avatar statues. They stop Lian, but Katara, Sokka, and Haru are all captured by another machine.

Aang pursues Lian and the machine to a fortress. After Aang rescues his friends, they find Prince Zuko, also captured by a machine. Upon rescuing him, Prince Zuko attacks the group. At the end of the resulting fight, the Fire Nation prince is knocked over a cliff and swept over a waterfall.

The four enter the fortress, where they find Lian, where she finished a machine being operated by the missing waterbender Hiryu, Haru's friend Yuan and a nameless firebender. Lian tries to attach Aang to the machine, but he battles it instead. During the fight, Katara is struck down, causing a furious Aang to enter the powerful Avatar State and destroy the machine once and for all, burying Lian under its rubble, killing her (though she survives in the portable versions of the game.)

As the four leave the fortress, Prince Zuko is seen crawling up on the shoreline, grumbling angrily, due to having failed to capture the Avatar.


The Clock Winder

The protagonist of the story is Elizabeth, a young woman who is taking time away from college to earn a bit of money and discover a sense of direction. By happenstance, she ends up landing in Baltimore near the home of Mrs. Pamela Emerson, a recent widow and the mother of seven grown children. Seeing Mrs. Emerson struggling to store her porch furniture in the garage for the winter, she stops to offer help and ends up becoming Mrs. Emerson's handyman and companion.

The story, which spans 14 years, discusses the relationship between first Elizabeth and Mrs. Emerson and then the relationship between Elizabeth and several of Mrs. Emerson's children, particularly Timothy and Matthew. Elizabeth and the Emersons end up changing each other's lives in fundamental ways.


Girl from Rio (2001 film)

Raymond Woods, a junior manager in a bank in the City, is becoming increasingly bored of his life as it takes a downhill tumble. First he finds out that he has missed the promotion opportunity at work by his bad tempered and disapproving boss, Strothers, and then he catches his wife a couple of days before Christmas having an affair with Strothers.

(MISSING:) There is a plot detail left out here. Hugh Laurie character decides to get back at his bank boss by stealing money from the bank and get back at his wife by leaving her and living the high life in Rio. His character loves to watch latin dancing, hence another reason to go to Rio, where the dancer Orlinda is.

Touching down in Rio, he calls a cab to take him to a nice hotel. The cab driver, Paulo, takes him to a fairly run down hotel. Raymond insists he needs a much nicer hotel with a beach, while Paulo insists Raymond would not be able to afford such a hotel, but suddenly changes heart once Raymond shows him a large wad of cash. Paulo immediately befriends Raymond, with his eyes greedily on his cash as he owes money to the biggest Mafia leader in Rio. He insists that he is prepared to take Raymond wherever he needs to go and whatever he needs done can be done. Therefore, Paulo takes Raymond to the nicest hotel in Rio. Raymond trips up in a commotion at the door of the hotel, dropping his bag and spreading his cash all over the floor. Once he hastily shuffles it all away, the hotel clerks immediately show him to the Presidential suite. After a day of shopping and generous spending Raymond reveals to Paulo he has come to Rio to look for the famous samba dancer Orlinda.

Paulo then calls to tell Raymond he has found Orlinda. After dropping Raymond off at the club where Orlinda is performing, Paulo sneaks back to the hotel in an unsuccessful attempt to steal the money. Meanwhile, Raymond and Orlinda dance together, then Paulo drives them back to the hotel. Paulo tells Orlinda about the safe. Raymond enjoys a passionate night with Orlinda, but wakes to find the money gone. Raymond tries to find Orlinda, believing she has been kidnapped along with the money. Realising it is Christmas Eve, Paulo helps Raymond find Orlinda at midnight mass. She confesses to stealing his money, but tells him she doesn't have it, as she owed money to a Mafia leader, Bichero. On leaving mass, Raymond sees Bichero handing out cash, and runs after Bichero's car, but is captured. Bichero is about to have him executed, but instead locks him in a safe and forces him to count Bichero's money.

On Christmas Day, Orlinda visits Raymond to give him a present. Raymond is still angry at the fact that she has ended him up in this situation. She tells him that she wished the money was only a small portion of what he owned and it wouldn't matter that she took it, and tells Raymond he's a "common crook". She tells Raymond not to give up hope. Raymond collects a large portion of the money and claims it is his. Orlinda then meets up with Paulo who takes his taxi and ties a rope to pull away at the bars of Raymond's prison.

Raymond decides he should return the money to the bank, as he still has enough time to get back to England and return the money to the vaults without anybody noticing it had gone. He quickly buys a ticket back to London and hires a taxi driver to rush him back to the bank. However, when he arrives, the police are all over the building. About to rush in and explain to the police inspector, he discovers that over the Christmas period, somebody tunnelled into the vault and swiped the remainder of the money. Confused and relieved, Raymond leaves the bank, intending to return to Rio. Catching a taxi, when a couple leave, he recognises them as his wife and Strothers who have evidently just returned from their holiday in Tenerife. He tells his wife he'll leave her the address of where he's living in Rio to send the divorce papers, resigns from his job and goes back to Rio. He is next shown living with Orlinda and Paulo some years later with two babies and Bichero as his servant.


Andersonville (novel)

The novel interweaves the stories of real and fictional characters. It is told from many points of view, including that of Henry Wirz, the camp commandant, who was later executed. It also features William Collins, a Union soldier and one of the leaders of the "Raiders". The "Raiders" are a gang of thugs, mainly bounty jumpers who steal from their fellow prisoners and lead comfortable lives while other prisoners die of starvation and disease. Other characters include numerous ordinary prisoners of war, the camp physician/doctor, a nearby plantation owner, guards and Confederate civilians in the area near the prison.

''Andersonville'' is clearly based on prisoner memoirs, most notably ''Andersonville: A Story of Rebel Military Prisons'' by John McElroy. Henry Wirz, who received an injury earlier in the war and never recovered properly, is portrayed not as an inhuman fiend but as a sick man struggling with a job beyond his capacities.

Kantor's novel was not the basis for a 1996 John Frankenheimer film ''Andersonville''. Although Kantor did sell the motion picture rights of his novel to one of the major Hollywood studios in the 1950s, it was never produced. Kantor's novel and the movie of the same name are two separate properties.


Safe Area Goražde

Joe Sacco visits Goražde, a mainly Bosniak enclave in eastern Bosnia surrounded by hostile Serb-dominated regions. Sacco visits the locals and gets a first-hand view of the war's brutal effect on the town.

The story of Goražde develops through the narrations of Edin, a graduate student who was studying engineering in Sarajevo before the war, and other residents of Goražde.

Yugoslavia had been a multi-ethnic country and its cultural pluralism was proudly propagandized throughout the world. Edin and many others recall having fun with their Serb and Croat friends during the Josip Broz Tito era. However, after the death of the charismatic former Partisan leader, the newly elected president of Serbia Slobodan Milošević begins to incite extreme Serb nationalism among the Serb population. By bringing back the painful memories before the Tito era in which bloody conflicts raged between Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks, he succeeds in inciting chauvinistic sentiment among the Serbs. The republics of Slovenia and Croatia, intimidated by the development of the situation, declare independence from Yugoslavia.

The political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is rapidly deteriorating. The Serbian Democratic Party led by Radovan Karadžić represents the ethnic Serbs and is against disintegration; the Party of Democratic Action and the Croatian Democratic Union, respectively representing Bosniaks and Croats, are in favor of breaking apart from the Yugoslav federation. Bosnian Serbs, fearing that once Bosnia gains independence they would be persecuted by the numerically superior Bosniaks and Croats, organize their armed forces and prepare for the upcoming war. The tension among nations is now visible; Serbs and Bosniaks now go to separate cafés. Vigilantes raised from both sides patrol the streets and night for fear of Serb/Bosniak attack. Amid this atmosphere, Edin returns home from Sarajevo to protect his family.

The first attack on the community is realized in 1992. Bosniaks are caught unaware, and many lose their family members and loved ones while escaping from the indiscriminate attack. In the joint offensive of Bosnian Army and Bosniak militias captured Goražde. They find their homes looted and burnt by Serbs. Bosniaks who couldn't escape and were caught by the Serbs were killed in horrendous manners and buried ''en masse'', amongst them Edin's friends. Refugees who flocked from nearby towns of Višegrad and Foča testify their accounts of atrocities committed by Serbs, among them mass executions, rapes, etc.

Residents of Goražde try to maintain life in the town, now sieged by Serb-dominated areas of Republika Srpska. They suffer from destruction of basic infrastructures, shortage of utilities such as electricity, and hunger. Food supplies airlifted by U.S. C-130s flown from Germany help relieve food shortages, but Bosniaks have to risk their lives in the long winter trail to reach the airdropped packages.

In 1994, the town is subjected to a second major Serb offensive. This offensive, orchestrated by the Serb general Ratko Mladić, is in scale much larger than the first offensive, and causes massive destruction to the town. Edin and other Bosniak militiamen desperately try to defend Goražde from the enemy that outnumbers them. Meanwhile, the international society is blind to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Goražde. Despite having designated Goražde a 'safe area', the United Nations and its military arm in former Yugoslavia, UNPROFOR, make no effort to stop the Serb advance for fear that UN could also be implicated in the conflict and compromise its neutrality. Only after pleas for intervention from the Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović, and the terrible situation in Goražde reaches media and sparks international indignation do the UN and the United States respond with bombings on major Serb military positions. The bombings stop the attack and the people of Goražde once again manage to defend their village at a heavy cost of 700 dead, most of them civilians. A contingent of British peacekeepers are stationed in Goražde thereafter to supervise the disarmament process of the militias.

There were also a few Serbs whose loyalties stood with the Republic of Bosnia and chose to remain in Goražde throughout the war. They were despised by the Bosniak refugees, who lost everything they had at the hands of Serbs; they were equally hated by the Serb militias, who took them for traitors and threatened to kill them.

In 1995 Gen. Mladić plans another offensive in eastern Bosnia and takes it into action. The offensive succeeds due to the inaction of the UN peacekeeping forces. Serb forces take Dutch peacekeepers hostages, and assault the towns of Srebrenica and Žepa, both designated 'safe areas' by the UN. Bosnian forces firmly believed that the UN troops would protect them from attack, hence they were totally unprepared. Both Srebrenica and Žepa fall to the Serbs. Over 8,000 Bosniak males were massacred in Srebrenica, while the Bosniak population in Žepa was expelled. The UN's peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia have failed. After suffering much diplomatic humiliation at the hands of Bosnian Serbs, the United States begins bombing strategic Serb positions. Now the Serbs have turned the rest of the world their enemy; a joint Croat-Bosnian offensive drives most Serbs out of northern Bosnia, and the Serbs return to the negotiating table. Sacco came to Goražde in the immediate aftermath of these events through the 'blue road', a narrow road opened by the UN peacekeepers that links sieged Goražde to the rest of Bosnia.

The Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats finally come to an agreement, and the Dayton Accords is adopted. Among the conditions for peace, Goražde is not to be receded to the Serbs and both sides are required to demobilize their troops. Edin and other residents of Goražde rejoice at this news.

However, townsfolk point out that there is still much more to go. According to the agreement, Bosniak refugees evicted from their homes can return to their homes, but no refugee would dare enter Serb-dominated areas without any assurance of safety.

Sacco re-visits Goražde a year later. Much has changed within a year. The 'blue road', which only aid workers, peace-keepers and journalists could pass through, is now open to everybody. Life goes on in Goražde. A Benetton merchandise shop has opened in Sarajevo. Edin and his friend Riki go to Sarajevo to resume their studies. Edin has no time to waste; he has wasted the most important period in his life in battlefields. He now must get used to everything.


The Magic of Lassie

The Mitchell Vineyard, in the rolling hills of Northern California, is the very blood of Clovis Mitchell (James Stewart), a spare and dignified grandfather and guardian to Kelly (Stephanie Zimbalist) and her brother Chris (Michael Sharrett). The heart of the household, though, is Lassie, a handsome young collie, affectionate, obedient, sensitive, and very wise. A threat is in the air one night when Jamison (Pernell Roberts) and his associate Finch (Robert Lussier) appear at the winery and offer to buy the land from Clovis. They get a refusal from the old man, while Lassie growls in the background. Jamison promises to return, and does, to claim Lassie, one of a litter he says escaped during a fire. She has a tattoo mark in her right ear to prove it. Clovis has no alternative but to give up the dog, and tells his heart-broken grandchildren. Lassie has an alternative; taken by private plane to Jamison's home in Colorado Springs, fitted with a handsome green collar with gold studs, Lassie makes her escape. Chased by helicopter and kennel men through the rocks and hills of Colorado, Lassie manages to elude them and out-stare a cougar before she joins up with new friends – Gus (Mickey Rooney), a down-at-heel wrestling manager and Apollo (Mike Mazurki), a kindly mountain of a man and Gus's so-called star.

About the time they are binding up Lassie's sores, giving her food and water, and moving along in their van, young Chris bolts on his first day of the school term and sets off alone in search of Lassie. With his distraught grandfather setting out to find the boy, and Kelly and her sweetheart, attorney Allan Fogerty (Lane Davies), checking with the police, Chris takes a car conveyor in the direction of Colorado Springs. Soon after the truck takes off, a hungry and frightened Chris leaves the vehicle, buys food in a restaurant from a sympathetic waitress (Alice Faye), then goes out to look for another truck, and finally dives into the back of a cattle truck. The restaurant waitress, hearing reports of Chris's disappearance, calls his home and tells his sister where the boy has been, but Chris is on the move again, and so is Lassie. He in an empty cattle truck, she in the doorway of a freight car. Lassie leaps from the freight car and continues her journey. Clovis and the police officer who is aiding in the search for Chris, hear his cries as he is about to be crushed by a herd of Longhorns being loaded into his hiding place. Everybody is home – everybody but Lassie, whose ownership by Clovis has been clarified by Allan, the young attorney, who is about to join the family as an in-law.

Lassie continues her long, painful journey. Wet, sore-footed, and limping, she stumbles upon the Mike Curb Congregation, who are rehearsing. The group takes Lassie along to their engagement, where a flare is knocked over, causing a fire. Panic ensues. Lassie is trying to save the life of a kitten from a burning dressing room and is presumed dead, but she is not, and the next day – Thanksgiving – Lassie, tired and filthy, comes wagging over the hill to Chris, Clovis, Kelly, and home.


Brother Fish

Brother Fish is a story spanning four continents and eighty years, though the story primarily took place in Australia and Korea. The story deals with the friendship of Jacko McKenzie, a native of the (fictional) Queen's Island in the Bass Strait, and James ‘Jimmy’ Pentecost Oldcorn, an orphan American ex-soldier, who have been meeting at the Gallipoli Bar of the ANZAC Hotel, Launceston, Tasmania for 33 years, since their release from a prisoner of war camp in Korea.

In the bar, Jacko reminisces back to his youth on Queen's Island, of the poverty being the son of a fisherman and a washerwoman, and the characters inhabiting his home town. One of the defining points of Jacko's life was his first encounter with Miss Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan, town librarian and indomitable justice of the peace. The librarian would go on to fundamentally influence Jacko's life, starting with additional English lessons during his formative years, as a friend, and ultimately as a business partner.

A key feature of the novel is Jacko's recounting of his army days, first as an infantryman, who did not see service in World War II (on account of joining up too late), and most importantly, those spent in Korea. It was during this spell that Jacko met Jimmy, an American soldier, and care is taken to delve into the background of the latter.

Following their release, the lads return to Queen's Island, where Jimmy is a big hit with the local girls. During the brief stopover in Launceston, Jacko meets Wendy, the daughter of a local doctor, and ex-finance of one of Jacko's comrades, sadly fallen in Korea and the two eventually marry. As Jacko and Jimmy set about rebuilding their lives, ideally based on starting their own fishing business, they turn to the domineering Miss Lenoir-Jourdan once more. Her own chequered past as a Russian émigré, first to Shanghai, and later on to Australia via Hong Kong, following a dramatic fallout with a Chinese Triad boss is described in detail, and ultimately rounds out the novel.

The story concludes with Jimmy and Jacko enjoying their pint in the ANZAC, before going to say their final goodbyes to an old and dear friend, who is dying.


Battle of the Giants!

While Jones and the rest of the platoon hold a bayonet practice, Mainwaring and Wilson discuss the upcoming Ceremonial church parade of all the Home Guard platoons in the area. Mainwaring receives a new officer's cap in the post and hangs it on a nail on the door. Unfortunately, while charging at a dummy of Adolf Hitler, Pike bayonets the door, and subsequently punctures Mainwaring's new hat. Mainwaring is incensed and shouts at Pike, while Wilson receives a telephone call from Mrs Mainwaring. He hands the phone to Mainwaring, claiming she heard him shouting. Mainwaring is forced to leave the parade to put back the bedding in the air-raid shelter, leaving Wilson in charge.

Captain Square arrives, and compliments Jones on his impressive row of medals. He goes into the office and confronts Wilson about a note he sent about the church parade, which stated that all medals should be worn. Wilson finds the note hidden under some other papers, and Square surmises that the reason he hid the letter is because Mainwaring hasn't got any medals, and he didn't want to feel out of place. Square orders Wilson to read the letter to the platoon.

Next parade, Mainwaring inspects the men, and is shocked to see that they are all wearing their medals (except for Pike who has been forced, by his mum, to wear his Scout badges instead!). He riles Wilson about the unimportance of medals, and is even more disgusted when he learns that Chief ARP Warden Hodges, the Vicar and the Verger also have medals.

After the church parade, Square irks Mainwaring by saying that his platoon are too old to be of any real use. Mainwaring responds by claiming that his platoon could wipe the floor with his any day, because they're fitter, better trained and better led, and insults Square by saying that he has a Colonel Blimp mentality. Square is angered and says that Mainwaring should prove that or apologise, and the Colonel suggests some initiative tests to settle the argument. Both Square and Mainwaring accept the challenge. Hodges, the Vicar and the Verger volunteer to be umpires.

Once they receive the details of the test, Mainwaring convenes a parade to discuss their plan of action. Walker tells Mainwaring that he has made separate flags for both platoons to fly at the top of a tower, to mark the end of the test. Frazer foresees a snag: while they're performing the test, Godfrey will still be trying to climb out of Jones' van, and suggests that he breaks his leg to avoid going on the test, but Jones suggests that they carry Godfrey the way the natives carried Dr. Livingstone in Africa. Mainwaring agrees.

As the first part of the test, a race between the two platoon vans to the site of the initiative tests, gets underway, Jones suffers an attack of malaria, forcing them to pull over. Frazer recommends quinine, but Godfrey only has tonic wine in his Red Cross bag. As they set off again with Mainwaring taking over as driver, they realise they have been travelling in a circle, and the Eastgate van is catching them up. Mainwaring tries to stall them by swerving all over the road, but Hodges stops them, allowing the Eastgate platoon to get ahead. However, their van breaks down and Mainwaring's platoon resume their lead. To stall the Eastgate platoon, Mainwaring decides to release some sheep onto the road, but they eventually end up blocking the Walmington-on-Sea platoon, while the Eastgate platoon simply drive around the sheep and take the lead.

They eventually come to a halt on a bridge, with the Eastgate platoon approaching from one direction and the Walmington platoon arriving from the other. Neither commander is willing to back down, so both platoons get out and push their respective vehicles. Hodges arrives and is accidentally pushed into the river by Wilson. Mainwaring and Square rush to help, but tell their respective Sergeants to let down the enemy's tyres, leaving them both stranded.

After they arrive, the first initiative test begins, which involves puncturing balloons with bayonets. The Eastgate platoon take the early lead, mainly thanks to a drunken Corporal Jones. However, Walker and Godfrey use their initiative by using a cigarette and a safety pin respectively. The final balloon floats away out of reach, but Mainwaring shoots it and they quickly rush off.

The second initiative test begins, which involves carrying feathers from a tank to three barrels. Many ideas are suggested, but Pike comes up trumps by suggesting that they carry the barrels to the tank, and fill them up from there. This works, and gives them a huge advantage. Hodges attempts to stifle the platoon's effort by pulling the plug out of one of the boats they must use to cross the river, but Mainwaring and the platoon choose the other boat, leaving Hodges fuming. He rows over in a dinghy to fetch another boat, but it's revealed that Sergeant Parkins, of the Eastgate platoon, had removed the plug from the dinghy and tested it for the plugless boat, and Hodges ends up in the water again.

The platoon pass successfully through a battlefield, and successfully fire five rounds at the target, leaving them with just the flag to fly at the top of the tower, with still a huge margin for victory. However, their plans are temporarily scuppered when Mainwaring inadvertently pulls the rope off the flag pole. A still drunken Jones bravely, and successfully, shins along the pole and secures the rope again. However, he suffers another attack of malaria, giving the Eastgate platoon the opening they need to fly their flag. But Frazer notes that it's the Walmington platoon's flag they're flying, and Square is irate. The Walmington platoon have won!

The Eastgate platoon leave the tower in a huff, and Wilson prepares to chuck the Eastgate flag over the parapet, but Walker stops him. Mainwaring is shocked to learn that both flags are theirs. Walker offers up an excuse, but Mainwaring sees through him, knowing he did it on purpose. However, he is prepared to let him off because they won the contest.


Rose (comics)

The prologue tells the story of how the world was created by a powerful dragon named Mim, who maintained peace and created powerful dreams. She was possessed by the powerful Lord of the Locusts, driving her mad and leading the other dragons to seal her, as well as the Lord of the Locusts, away in stone.

Rose, the youngest of the two sisters, is being trained to be a Veni-Yan-Cari (an "Awakened One"). Her mastery of the Dreaming Arts, a talent possessed by nearly everyone in her family except her older sister Briar, is renowned throughout the Valley. She sets off for Old Man's Cave to take her final exam with Briar, Lucius, the Captain of the Guards, and her two dogs, whom Rose can understand and talk to. It is clear that Rose is falling for Lucius and that he reciprocates her feelings, but he behaves oddly around Briar. The Red Dragon appears and meets with the headmaster to alert him that the River Dragon has gone rogue. On the way, Rose gets her "gitchy feeling" (a manifestation of her dreaming arts), alerting her that something is wrong. She then dreams about freeing a dragon from a river.

The next day, Rose encounters the Red Dragon, who orders her to go to her headmaster. On the way, she is attacked by locusts and then by Balsaad, the River Dragon she freed in her dream. She cuts off his hand, but it suddenly reattaches. Balsaad flees and Rose describes the ordeal and her dream to Briar, who asks her to not tell the Order about it. Rose goes after Balsaad once more and is told by the Red Dragon how to defeat it – at a price. She must take Balsaad to the river where she freed it, kill him, and then kill the next living thing she sees. Meanwhile, Lucius then leads the Veni-Yan-Cari in battle with the rat creatures, who are being led by a mysterious new master to take back the valley.

As Rose leads Balsaad back to the river, she is knocked out and has a dream. It is revealed that Briar is Balsaad's new master and the one who led the rat creatures to the valley. The Lord of the Locusts has discovered Briar's hidden hatred of her sister, inspired by jealousy of the powers Briar would never have as a dreamer and future queen, and has taken advantage of it through her dreams. Rose is about to be killed by the Lord of the Locusts, but Briar stops him, as she wants to be the one to kill her. She then wakes up and kills Balsaad by chopping him up and his body parts are washed away by the river's current, and then Briar appears at almost the same time as one of her dogs. She has aged as punishment for defying the Locust King and begs Rose not to kill her, thus Rose kills her dog rather than Briar. She brings Briar back to the valley and bursts into tears when her other dog asks where its companion is. Later, the people of the valley cheer her victory while the Red Dragon looks on disapprovingly.


My Brother and I

As Mainwaring and the platoon return from an exhausting route march, he discovers Wilson reading Pike's ''Hotspur'' comic. There is a letter written in Pike's handwriting hidden amongst the pages. Mainwaring reads it and is instantly disgusted. He convenes an impromptu parade, where he confronts Pike about the letter, and asks Wilson to read it. It says that the Home Guard will only spot any parachutists if they land in a public house, and that their section made sure there were no parachutists in eleven pubs in two hours!

Mainwaring makes the platoon promise that he will not hear any more stories about his men drinking. He goes on to say that he has offered to be the host for a sherry party for local civil dignitaries and army officers. Jones' section (sans Frazer, because he's "meeting" a client in Eastbourne) volunteer themselves as stewards. When they leave, Mainwaring praises his men, declaring them indispensable. Wilson asks if Mainwaring was harsh about the public house business, but Mainwaring does not think he was, and blames it on the way he was brought up: every member of his family knew when to stop.

Meanwhile, on board a train carriage, a drunken figure with more than a passing resemblance to Mainwaring downs a hip flask of Scotch. The train stops at Eastbourne, and Frazer joins the man in the carriage, and quickly learns that the drunken man is Mainwaring's black sheep brother Barry, and that he is on his way to Walmington to collect a half-hunter watch that, he claims, Mainwaring stole from him after their father's demise. Frazer is more than happy to tell Mainwaring that his brother is in town.

A few days later, Mainwaring tells Wilson that he is not ashamed of his brother, but he feels that he let his talents go to waste, while he became a respected and trustworthy figure who can look the world full in the face. Barry rings and Mainwaring declines the call, leaving it to Wilson. Mainwaring tells Wilson to tell Barry that he will meet him at the Red Lion inn.

When he gets there, he confronts Barry about the watch. Barry claims that their father intended to give Barry the watch for looking after him. Mainwaring scoffs at his attempts to look after their father, and refuses to hand over the watch. Barry blackmails his brother by saying that he will show him up at the sherry party if he does not. Mainwaring reluctantly hands over the watch, getting Barry's solemn oath that he will be out of Walmington on the 9:30 train.

The party goes well until Barry unexpectedly arrives, wanting to apologise for his earlier behaviour, and gets into a lengthy chat with Chief Warden Hodges, the Vicar and the Verger. Pike drags him into the dressing room, giving him a bottle of sherry to himself, in exchange for keeping his mouth shut. Mainwaring arrives, and Hodges gleefully tells him that he had a chat with his brother. Mainwaring is shocked and asks Wilson, Frazer, Jones, Sponge and Pike to get him out as soon as possible.

They try shoving him through the window, but he is too fat, so they carry a comatose Barry out in an empty cupboard. Wilson admits to Mainwaring that he retrieved the watch for him, but Mainwaring's heart of gold allows him to give the watch back to Wilson, and tells Wilson to give it back to Barry and wish him well.


The Love of Three Oranges (Dad's Army)

The platoon are parading in their snow camouflage suits so they can blend in with the snow, if there was any. Jones' glasses are completely white except for two small, dark holes in the middle because he has highly coloured eyes. He also has cotton wool pushed up his nostrils, because he claims that his nostrils flare. Pike is wearing a white sheet over his head because his mother would not let him put whitewash on his face. Frazer is dressed in his mother's wedding dress (it was all he could find) and Godfrey is wearing a pierrot costume he wore, complete with pompoms, for the Army and Navy Stores Christmas party, where they made up a troupe called the Gay Gondoliers.

The vicar and the verger interrupt the parade and inform Mainwaring of a church bazaar they are holding for the Comforts for the Troops Fund. Mainwaring naturally takes charge, and forms a small executive committee. Godfrey will provide chutney and homemade wine, Frazer will draw silhouettes, Mrs Pike will run a jumble sale, Mrs Fox will perform fortune-telling in a gypsy tent, Mrs Mainwaring will provide lampshades, Mrs Yeatman will organise the tombola, and Jones will auction a monster brawn. Hodges shoves his oar in by declaring he will auction three oranges, much to the committee's surprise.

The bazaar opens, and Mrs Mainwaring's lampshade stall is empty, and Mainwaring tells Wilson that Mrs Mainwaring had an unfortunate incident with the bath (their bath had been recently enamelled, and the enamel paint came off in one long strip, making an enamel skirt around her as she prepared to take a bath), and she won't be coming. Mainwaring admits to Wilson that he would only be embarrassed by the lampshades anyway, but it turns out that Pike picked them up from Mainwaring's house.

Jones and Pike carry Jones's brawn into the yard, as it is melting in the heat. Mainwaring tries to win a bottle of whisky from the tombola stall, but loses out to the Vicar. When he notices the town clerk and some of his men drunk, he confronts Godfrey, who admits that everybody's tasting the wine, but nobody's buying it. A dispatch rider arrives with a message but, when he leaves, his motorcycle runs over Jones' brawn, making it unsellable. Mainwaring finds that Sponge is selling the lampshades as funny hats.

Just as Hodges announces the auction of the oranges, Mainwaring tells Wilson that he must get one of the oranges for Mrs Mainwaring. The Verger overhears and warns Hodges, who resolves to stop Mainwaring. The first orange is sold for 1 shilling to Mrs Yeatman, before Mainwaring had finished bidding. The second orange is withdrawn from the sale because Mainwaring was the only bidder. Wilson tells Pike to buy the orange for Mainwaring. As they end up bidding against one another, the orange eventually sells for an enormous 10 shillings.

Mainwaring brings Jones' section into the office. Mrs Mainwaring rings and tells Pike that she's gone to stay with her sister for the weekend. Pike tells her about the orange, but she promptly slams the phone down. Mainwaring therefore decides to share the orange with Wilson and Jones' section. Suddenly Hodges comes bursting in and tells Mainwaring that they'll find the orange rather bitter: it's for making marmalade with.


Battle School (Dad's Army)

The platoon are travelling to a battle school in the country. Save for an incident involving Godfrey's weak bladder, the journey is uneventful. Disaster strikes when they arrive at the station; Mainwaring opens the secret instructions, and it is clear that he doesn't know how to read a map. They start off confidently, but it's not long before they find themselves back at the station. They try again and Mainwaring leads them into an ambush led by a rugged captain.

When they finally reach the school, they are greeted by a cheery Major Smith, who then proceeds to tell them that, to the platoon's horror, they have missed the evening meal by four hours. He introduces them to Captain Rodrigues, a tough Spanish captain (the one who had led the ambush) who fought in the Spanish Civil War and doesn't approve of military disciplines such as arm-waving. He gives Mainwaring and the platoon a single blanket each to keep them warm and some carrots and onions to eat.

Rodrigues wakes up the sleeping platoon in the morning with a thunderflash, telling them that they have missed breakfast as well. Walker is fed up with this and is determined to search for food at a nearby farm, but is scared off by the unimpressed farmer. Rodrigues hints that they will have an opportunity to capture his HQ; unfortunately no one has succeeded due to the fierce Alsatians, barbed wire and the electrified fence.

The platoon are soon put to the test, and are handed what was clearly a quickly-made meal. As the exercise continues, Mainwaring falls down a hole, finds a secret tunnel and discovers it leads to Rodrigues' HQ. Later that night having been missing all afternoon, he returns to take the platoon through the tunnel and ends up in the food stores. Walker is impressed, and it isn't long before the HQ is captured. On the train home, Mainwaring is relieved to find himself in his men's good graces again, though laments that he felt the platoon deserved a more tangible reward. Walker then reveals that he is fully laden with food as whilst the others were dealing with Rodrigues, he was cleaning out the stores.


Klatretøsen

Ida, with help from her two best friends Sebastian and Jonas, robs the bank where her mother works, to get the money to save her dying father. During the heist, the kids overcome high-tech security systems, guard dogs, and a nasty head of security to get to a bank vault suspended 100 feet off the ground.


The River (novel)

Brian Robeson, a 13-year-old boy who spent 54 days surviving alone in the Canadian wilderness the previous summer, is hired by the government to again live in the woods and surviving only by his wits, so the military can learn his survival techniques. Though reluctant at first, Brian eventually agrees. This time, Brian sets out for a remote Canadian location accompanied by Derek Holtzer, a government psychologist.

Though the government stipulated the duo take emergency supplies, Brian insists they abandon everything but a knife and an emergency radio, saying that it would be impossible to eat bugs and sleep in the rain when a tent and prepared food is within reach. During their stay, things take a grim turn when their camp is struck by lightning, which knocks Derek into a coma and destroys the radio. Knowing that Derek will die of dehydration long before anyone finds them, Brian builds a raft in a desperate bid to navigate down the unknown river to Brannock's Trading Post, the nearest inhabited point, for emergency aid. The biggest problem is the trading post is 100 miles downriver. Despite rapids, the craft's unwieldiness, exhaustion, and a lack of geographical knowledge, they finally reach the trading post and Derek survives. After the two get back home, Derek buys Brian a canoe named ''The Raft'' as a thank you present.


Reno 911!: Miami

The film opens outside a building where terrorists are holding hostages and a nuclear bomb. The Reno Sheriff's Department arrives in a helicopter, called in as experts. As the group prepare to deal with the situation, Deputy Travis Junior wakes up and realizes it was a dream; he was sleeping at the wheel and the vehicle he and Lt. Dangle are in crashes.

The film continues with introductory clips of the officers, telling how they became interested in law enforcement, à la ''COPS''. After a scene involving a chicken in the road miscoded as an "armed person on a roof", Dangle tells everyone that they have been invited to the American Police Convention in Miami Beach. On arrival, the group finds they're not on the entrant list. Having nowhere to stay, they rent rooms at a motel that seems to be a hub of illegal activities. After partying most of the night, most of the police officers unsuccessfully attempt to seduce one another at the motel, with the males eventually turning to pleasuring themselves to the shock of the ones outside.

As everyone recovers from their hangovers, Johnson discovers a tattoo on her breast of a mystery man. The team return to the convention to see if their tickets were found, but discover the building has been the subject of a bio-chemical terrorist attack that has quarantined the police inside. The only city official left outside is assistant deputy mayor Jeff Spoder. The head of National Security asks the Reno Sheriffs Department to provide law enforcement for Miami Beach. A high-ranking SWAT agent, Rick "The Condor" Smith, arrives on the scene to give a pep talk, but soon ends up blowing himself up with a grenade he had unpinned during the talk.

The team assume the Miami Sheriff's responsibilities, and respond to several emergency calls including an alligator in a swimming pool; street prostitution that leads to ''Reno: 911'' regular Terry who is in town to record an album; and a dead beached whale, which they eventually remove by blowing it up. Jones and Garcia are repeatedly kidnapped by Ethan, a drug lord who tries to act like Tony Montana from ''Scarface''. Spoder fires the team for their incompetence, but as the team brings a cake to apologize to him they discover Spoder in cahoots with Ethan to create a drug empire. Spoder kills Ethan and escapes with the bio-terrorism antidote. The team chase Spoder, who holds them at gunpoint until Jones and Garcia arrive in a Marine helicopter and Spoder surrenders. Lt. Dangle arrests him, but Wiegel, who had been siting in the helicopter, accidentally blows Spoder up.

The antidote is distributed, and the Reno Sheriff's Department are eventually congratulated by their peers for their actions. Dangle accepts a job at the Sheriff's Department at Aspen, who had repeatedly turned him down previously. The remaining team are offered a flight back to Reno by Terry, revealed to have a rich father, on his private jet. Back in Reno, Garcia briefs the team on their day's work. Dangle enters, interrupting the briefing, and explains that Aspen has a zero-tolerance policy forbidding homosexual sheriffs. Dangle continues the briefing, and reveals the group have been invited to a convention at Scotland Yard.


The Scarlet Ibis

The narrator, who is not named but simply called "Brother", recounts the life of his younger brother, William Armstrong, nicknamed "Doodle". Doodle is born a sickly child, who is not expected to live because of his birth defects. His family even has a small coffin made in the case of his death, and presumably chooses the robust name 'William Armstrong' because it would look good on a gravestone. Doodle survives, but for most of his childhood, he is unable to move or respond to his environment. Brother even goes so far as planning to smother the baby with a pillow, thinking that having no brother was better than having a brother who wasn't truly there. Luckily, Doodle smiles at Brother before he can do the deed, and, overjoyed that his brother is smart, Brother leaves him be.

Doodle eventually learns to crawl, even though the doctor says the strain of even sitting up might kill him because of his weak heart. He crawls backwards, though, reminding Brother of a doodlebug, leading him to nickname William, "Doodle". But Doodle is still very weak and feeble. Brother wanted someone who could run and jump and play with him, but resents having the weak and fragile Doodle instead. Brother even has to pull his brother around in a wooden go-kart his father built him, because Doodle can't walk. It is now that Brother decides to train Doodle to be a "normal human being". He takes Doodle down to the swamp to teach him how to walk.

Eventually, shortly before his sixth birthday, Doodle learns to walk with help from Brother. Encouraged by this, Brother decides to teach Doodle how to run, climb vines, swim, row and even fight to prepare Doodle for school. However, almost a year after the plan was made, Doodle is far from accomplishing the goals by the nearing deadline.

One day, a big red bird appears in their garden, looking sick and tired. The boys' father identifies it as a scarlet ibis, a tropical bird that was blown off-course by a recent storm. When the bird dies, Doodle, pitying the creature, buries it, while the rest of the family looks on and laughs. Afterwards, the boys go to the nearby Horsehead Landing to continue Doodle's "training". On their way back to the house, Brother has Doodle practice rowing. A sudden rainstorm comes, and when they reach the riverbank, Doodle is tired and frightened. Brother, angry and frustrated that Doodle could not finish his training before school starts, runs ahead of Doodle, leaving the frightened boy behind. When Brother does not see Doodle, he returns for him, his anger dissipated. To his horror, he finds Doodle, lifeless, lying on the ground with blood flowing out of his mouth, staining his throat and shirt a brilliant red. The story ends with Brother crying and cradling Doodle's body. As this happens, Brother recalls how he killed Doodle with his selfish pride.


Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

''Hordes of the Underdark'' continues the story of ''Shadows of Undrentide''. While in the plane of shadows, the player character finds an artifact called the Relic of the Reaper, that transports them to the Realm of the Reaper if they are mortally wounded, preventing them from actually dying. The player character escapes the plane of shadows, and stays for a while in Waterdeep. Soon, it is discovered that the drow, residents of the Underdark, are using the Undermountain under Waterdeep in an attempt to invade the surface world. Since the Undermountain is supposed to belong to the wizard Halaster, who hates the drow, an ex-adventurer named Durnan asks the player character to investigate.

With the help of a good drow named Nathyrra, the player character finds Halaster imprisoned by the drow. Upon being freed, Halaster informs the player character that the drow queen, the Valsharess, wishes to rule both the Underdark and the surface. He then asks the player character to kill the Valsharess, placing a geas on the player and his allies to ensure that they obey. The player character is then taken to the city of Lith My'athar, populated by good drow, where the player is given more information. The player character is told that the Valsharess has made alliances with various races of the Underdark, and has somehow enslaved the archdevil Mephistopheles. After forming alliance with other nearby races of the Underdark, the player is approached by the Valsharess in a dream in order to turn the player to her cause. Afterwards, she attacks Lith My’athar, and with help from the player character, they either are able to push her armies back to her lair, or the good drow of Lith My'athar are slaughtered. The player character is then captured by Mephistopheles and placed in a cage in the Valsharess's throne room (if fighting on behalf of Lith My'athar), or brought there by invitation (if he or she betrayed Lith My'athar to the Valsharess). Either way, the Valsharess soon turns on the player character and orders Mephistopheles to kill him or her. The archdevil instead releases the player character, who must then fight and kill the Valsharess. Mephistopheles then informs the player character that he intends to use the armies of the Valsharess to conquer the surface world and turn it into another hell. He then kills the player character so they cannot stop him.

The Relic of the Reaper transports the player character to the Realm of the Reaper, where he/she discovers that the Reaper is under orders from Mephistopheles to keep the player character there. He cannot go against this order, because Mephistopheles knows his true name, giving Mephistopheles complete control over the Reaper. The player character enters Cania, one of the levels of Baator and eventually learns the Reaper's name from the Knower of Names, a being who knows all beings' true names, and is taken to Waterdeep, where the forces of Mephistopheles have already arrived. When the character confronts the devil, Mephistopheles attempts to persuade the player's allies to his cause, before the final battle. Afterward, an epilogue is given for all of the player's companions who survive.


To the Devil a Daughter

American expatriate occult writer John Verney (Widmark) is asked by Henry Beddows (Elliot) to pick up his daughter Catherine (Kinski) from London Heathrow Airport. Catherine is a member of the Children of the Lord, a mysterious heretical religious order based in Bavaria that was founded by excommunicated Roman Catholic priest Michael Rayner (Lee). Catherine's deceased mother was part of the order, and had arranged for her daughter to be brought up as a member of the order. Once Catherine arrives in London, Beddows then insists that she stays with Verney for the time being. The order, however, under Rayner, makes all efforts to get Catherine back and uses black magic to stop Verney as he protects her. Verney learns that the order harbours a group of practicing Satanists, who have prepared Catherine to become an avatar of Astaroth upon her eighteenth birthday. Upon learning that Verney has discovered his secret, Rayner kills off Verney's occult writer friends while in the midst of retrieving Catherine from Verney. Using his knowledge of the occult, Verney battles the priest and his henchmen in order to rescue Catherine, who was taken back by Rayner. As Rayner prepares to baptise Catherine in blood, Verney manages to save Catherine by knocking the priest unconscious and carrying her out of the circle of blood created by Rayner.


Twins of Evil

Set during the 17th century in Styria, identical twin sisters Maria and Frieda Gelhorn move from Venice to Karnstein in Central Europe to live with their uncle Gustav Weil after becoming recently orphaned. Weil is a stern Puritan and leader of the fanatical witch-hunting 'Brotherhood'. Both twins resent their uncle's sternness and one of them, Frieda, looks for a way to escape. Resenting her uncle, she becomes fascinated by the local Count Karnstein, who has the reputation of being "a wicked man".

Count Karnstein, who enjoys the Emperor's favour and thus remains untouched by the Brotherhood, is indeed wicked and interested in Satanism and black magic. Trying to emulate his evil ancestors, he murders a girl as a human sacrifice, calling forth the vampiress Countess Mircalla Karnstein from her grave. Mircalla turns the Count into a vampire.

Frieda, following an invitation from the Count, steals away to the castle at night, while Maria covers for her absence. In the castle, the Count transforms Frieda into a vampire, offering her a beautiful young chained victim. Returning home, Frieda threatens Maria to keep covering for her nightly excursions, but secretly fearing she might bite her sister.

Meanwhile, Maria becomes interested in the handsome young teacher, Anton, who is initially infatuated with the more mysterious Frieda. Anton has studied what he calls "superstition", but becomes convinced of the existence of vampires when his sister falls victim to one. One night, when Frieda attacks a member of the Brotherhood, she is captured by her uncle and put in jail. While the Brotherhood debates the vampire woman's fate, the Count and his servants kidnap Maria and exchange her for Frieda in the jail cell. Anton goes to see Maria, not knowing that she is actually Frieda. She tries to seduce him, but he sees her lack of reflection in a mirror and repels her with a cross. Anton rushes to rescue Maria from a burning. Maria kisses a cross, revealing her innocence.

Weil now listens to Anton's advice on hunting vampires, and the two men lead the Brotherhood and the villagers to Castle Karnstein to destroy the Count. The Count and Frieda attempt to flee, but they are surprised by Weil. Weil captures Frieda and decapitates her. The Count captures Maria, but Weil appears with an axe. Weil challenges the Count and is killed. Anton seizes his chance and pierces the Count's heart with a spear. Maria and Anton reunite while Karnstein crumbles to corruption.


Chamber of Horrors (1966 film)

Anthony Draco (Danova) and Harold Blount (Hyde-White) are proprietors of a wax museum in Baltimore who are also amateur sleuths. They are drawn into the investigation of Jason Cravette (O'Neal), an insane murderer who kills a woman and then "marries" her. They help the police capture him, and he is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. He escapes while being transported by chopping off his own hand. Presumed dead by the police, Cravette flees to New Orleans. With a hook in place of his severed hand, and under an assumed name, he plots vengeance on all who "betrayed" him.

As part of his plan, he takes the prostitute Marie Champlain in his charge, turning her into a "lady" and returning with her to Baltimore. There he sets Marie on a mission to seduce the judge who condemned him in order to trap and murder him. After killing the judge, he chops off the judge's arms and head, obscuring his identity.

Draco and Blount discover the crime scene and realize the judge has been murdered, and that the murderer toasted the crime with champagne after butchering him. With only the report of a mysterious blonde as a clue, Draco and Blount seek out one of the judge's friends who reveals the judge's sordid fondness for women, as well as the name "Marie" of his latest dalliance.

After tracking Marie to her home address, Draco calls on her. Using the missing judge as a reference, Draco asks Marie to pose for him in order to make a wax model of her. Overhearing Draco's offer, Cravette encourages Marie to accept the offer, as well as Draco's subsequent proposal for an evening on the town.

While Draco is distracted with Marie, Cravette kidnaps Dr. Cobb, who had testified at Cravette's trial, murdering him and also severing his hands, which he sends to the police with a cryptic note.

Draco and Blount conclude that the mysterious murderer is delivering a corpse of a man to the police piece-by-piece, with the arms and head still missing. When Draco accidentally surprises Marie with a wax dummy of the dead judge, she realizes her role in the murders and tells them the story of the man with the severed hand she met in New Orleans. Confronted with a wax dummy of Cravette, Marie tells them that he is the man she met in New Orleans.

Now realizing that they are up against a man they thought dead, and that he is no doubt seeking to kill the rest of his enemies as a way of finishing the "body", Draco, Blount, and the police set up a dragnet for the escaped murderer.

Cravette is apparently apprehended by one of the patrolmen (Rogers) who originally arrested him. But Cravette kills him with a pistol concealed in a mock hand over his severed hook, sending his arms to the police.

Draco, knowing that he is intended to be the "head" of Cravette's assembled revenge corpse, concludes that Cravette will come for him in his wax museum. Remaining inside his museum all night with Marie and Blount, and with the police protecting the building, Draco awaits the arrival of his deadly nemesis.

Cravette evades the police stakeout by sneaking into the building through the roof. After distracting and knocking out Draco's companions one by one, Cravette confronts Draco, telling him he wants his head. After a struggle using antique weapons, Cravette is impaled in ghastly fashion on his own wax image.

In the concluding scene, it is revealed that Marie was given a light sentence of two years. Draco and Blount then notice that the female wax dummy in their exhibit of an iron maiden is "too real." Realizing that she is an actual murder victim, they call for the police.


The Unlimited Dream Company

In ''The Unlimited Dream Company'', a man named Blake crashes a stolen aircraft into the River Thames outside the Surrey suburb of Shepperton. Whether he survives the crash, to become a sort of supernatural messiah for the small town, or if he actually drowns, and dying, imagines the whole thing, is never truly revealed. Contradictory hints are scattered throughout the novel which may support both interpretations.

Since the story is told by Blake in the first person, we know what he wants us to know, and we are only told what he chooses to tell us. In the first chapter of the novel, where Blake outlines his life before the air accident, there are elements that may make us suspect that he is insane, so that he is an absolutely unreliable narrator.

Blake has extraordinary powers: he can fly, heal sick people, phagocytize other people whenever he likes; but he cannot leave the suburbs, though he repeatedly tries to get away. Moreover, Blake is obsessed by the relic of the small Cessna aircraft that he crash-landed on, which has been left submerged in the Thames. This might support the hypothesis that he is dead and is only imagining the strange events of the story.

However, there is a crucial moment when Blake, who is about to absorb all the citizens of Shepperton in order to gain energy to escape the suburb, is shot by Stark, another loner who manages a rickety zoo. The wound triggers a deep inner change in the character, who gets rid of his cannibalistic drives and becomes more human and compassionate. He then helps other people to escape Shepperton, and remains there alone, waiting for the return of the woman he loves, Miriam St. Cloud.

As well as the protagonist's name, the novel draws on the works of William Blake, particularly his epic work ''Milton: A Poem'' in other ways. The surreal descriptions of Shepperton's transformation are drawn in part from William Blake's psychogeographical descriptions of London, while the final confrontation between Blake and the corpse of the drowned pilot (which he comes to realise is himself) echoes that between Milton and Satan at the end of ''Milton a Poem''.


Forever Love (1998 film)

Lizzie (Reba McEntire) and Alex Brooks (Tim Matheson) are a fairy tale young couple, wildly in love and the parents of a little girl named Emma. Without warning, Lizzie suffers a stroke at the age of twenty-four. Alex is informed by the hospital doctors that Lizzie has slipped into a deep coma and there is nothing to do but wait to see if she comes out of it. Determined to keep his vow to love Lizzie in sickness and in health, Alex decides to bring her home to care for her. Gail, Lizzie's best friend, helps and consoles Alex. However, Gail's help extends further when she aids in raising Emma as well. When Gail's husband is killed in a car crash, Alex, Gail and Emma form a practical family unit of their own.

Twenty years after her stroke, Lizzie wakes up. Miraculously, she is pronounced perfectly healthy and begins to try to assimilate back into a world that has radically changed. Emma, who is about to be married, is thrilled to have her mother back, as are Alex and Gail. But, Lizzie's presence is also confusing for all of them as she attempts to move back into the place she rightfully occupies in their lives.


The Dogs of War (film)

Having escaped from Central America with his comrades Drew, Derek, Michel, Terry and Richard, mercenary Jamie Shannon gets an offer from Endean, a British businessman working for a major tycoon. Endean's company is interested in "certain resources" in the small African nation of Zangaro, which is run by the brutal dictator, President Kimba.

Shannon goes on a reconnaissance mission to Zangaro's capital of Clarence and meets a British documentary filmmaker named North, who fills him in on the political situation in Zangaro. However, Shannon's activities arouse the suspicions of the police (especially a suspected dalliance with a woman who turns out to be one of Kimba's mistresses) and he is arrested, severely beaten and imprisoned. His wounds are treated by Dr. Okoye, a physician and prisoner who was formerly a moderate political leader. North agitates for Shannon's release, and two days later he is deported.

When Shannon tells Endean that there is no chance of an internal coup, Endean offers him $100,000 to overthrow Kimba by invading Zangaro with a mercenary army. Endean's employer intends to install a puppet government led by Colonel Bobi, Kimba's greedy former ally, allowing Endean's employer to exploit the country's newly discovered platinum resources, an agreement guaranteed by Colonel Bobi. Shannon refuses the offer and instead proposes to his estranged girlfriend Jessie that they start a new life in the western U.S. When she refuses his proposal, he accepts Endean's contract on condition that he will have complete control of the military operation.

Provided with a million dollars for expenses, Shannon contacts some of his associates from Central America and they meet in London to plan the coup. The group illegally procures a supply of Uzi submachine guns, ammunition, rocket launchers, mines and other weapons from arms dealers. North encounters Shannon by chance in London and suspects him of being a CIA agent. Shannon asks Drew to scare North away without hurting him, but North is killed by a hitman hired by Endean to follow Shannon and his crew. Drew captures the assassin, and when a furious Shannon learns that Endean had sent the hitman but that the hitman had killed North on his own initiative he kills the assassin in turn and leaves the body at Endean's house during a dinner party held for Colonel Bobi.

To transport the group and equipment to the coast of Zangaro, Shannon hires a small freighter and crew. At sea, the team is joined by a force of Zangaran exiles trained as soldiers by a former mercenary colleague. Once ashore in a night attack, the mercenaries and their troops use their array of weapons to attack the military garrison where Kimba lives. Drew bursts into a shack in the barracks' courtyard and finds only a young woman with a baby; when he turns to leave without harming them, she shoots him in the back with a pistol. After the mercenaries storm the burning, bullet-scarred ruins of the garrison, Shannon blasts his way into Kimba's mansion. There he finds the dictator stuffing packs of bills into a briefcase; when a whimpering Kimba offers Shannon some of the money to spare his life, Shannon kills him.

The following morning, Endean arrives by helicopter with Colonel Bobi and they enter the presidential residence, where they find Shannon and Dr. Okoye awaiting their overdue arrival. Shannon introduces Dr. Okoye as Zangaro's new president, and when Endean protests ("This whole country's bought and paid for!"), Shannon tells him, "You're going to have to buy it all over again," and silences him by shooting Bobi.

Shannon, Derek and Michel load Drew's body onto a Land Rover, in line with the toast they drank on planning the operation: "Everyone comes home." The film concludes with the mercenaries driving through the deserted streets of Clarence until they are out of frame.


Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails

In the principal story, the Bones' culture hero, Big Johnson Bone, has suffered the disappearance of compatriot Gertie Bone, and is traveling with Mr. Pip: a cantankerous capuchin monkey. En route, Johnson and Pip are blown by a tornado into the valley of the earlier ''Bone'' comics, where they learn that the antagonist Rat Creatures are attacking every other inhabitant thereof. Accompanied by some local animals, and the miniature dragon Stillman, Johnson invades the Rat Creatures' territory to recover their hostages; but finds the latter imprisoned alive in the entrails of Tyson, the son of the Rat Creatures' Queen Maude. There, Johnson and his companions give Tyson indigestion, while Pip, Stillman, and the others are taken to Maude's dungeon. Stillman's fiery breath enables their escape, while Johnson's music prompts Tyson to disgorge him and the others. Trying to recapture them, Tyson severs his own tail, and Johnson severs Maude's to make a hat for himself. Thereafter Johnson and Pip establish a dry-goods store, which later becomes the center of Boneville. Upon their departure, Stillman is commended for protecting the animals by the Great Red Dragon of the earlier series, and Maude orders that all Rat Creatures be deprived of their tails annually, to compensate for the loss of her own.


War of the Buttons (1994 film)

In the Republic of Ireland in the 1960s, more precisely the centre of the bridge over the river that separates the Irish villages of Carrickdowse and Ballydowse, there is a white line that few young people dare cross. The boys of each village spend most of their time trying to upstage the other, whether over the sale of hospital raffle tickets, or something more important, such as deciding who is a "tosspot" and who is not, or, for that matter, defining "tosspot". This "War of the Buttons", in which the buttons from the enemies clothes are captured, has gone on as long as the youths can remember, and "to the death", though rarely does either group hurt more than its pride.

The leader of the ''Ballys'' is Fergus (Gregg Fitzgerald), the son of a pauper family and an unpromising student who lives in a trailer on the edge of Ballydowse with his mother and abusive stepfather. What Fergus lacks in education, he makes up for in leadership, and the youth of Ballydowse will follow him anywhere. The members of the Ballys include Marie (Eveanna Ryan), the narrator, who revisits her memories of what happened from her adult viewpoint. The leader of the ''Carricks'' is Jerome (John Coffey), the son of a wealthy family. He is nicknamed ''Geronimo'' after the Apache tribal chief.

The story explores how events escalate, gang class differences (the original and main incentive for their war), Fergus's troubles with his oppressive environment, conflicts that arise when the adults of the villages discover the feud, and conflicts within the Ballys. Their tactics to "win" the war, including a nude ambush of their enemies, are shown in great detail. After a series of battles, Fergus denounces Riley (Thomas Kavanagh) as a traitor to the cause before the final showdown which has the Ballys attacking an abandoned castle ruin defended by the Carricks. The Carricks lose, and, taken prisoner, Geronimo himself cuts off his buttons and gives them to Fergus. While the Ballys celebrate in their headquarters, Geronimo, driving Riley's father's tractor like a tank, levels the Bally clubhouse.[https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-war-of-the-buttons/review/131110/ TVGuide, "The War of the Buttons"], ''TV Guide,'' accessed 8 March 2018 This puts a bitter end to the War of the Buttons.

Finally fed up, the towns' adults, including Geronimo's father (Colm Meaney) and Fergus' abusive stepfather (Jim Bartley), reclaim their children. Fergus runs off to the mountains, where Geronimo follows him in an unspoken gesture of solidarity. After being captured, the two boys are put in the church orphanage, where they put aside their differences and become best friends. Marie narrates the coda, expressing that she married one of the boys, and that the other became the couple's closest friend, but she does not reveal whom she chose to wed.


Ue o Muite Arukō: Sakamoto Kyu Monogatari

The movie follows Sakamoto's life from being 3 years old to a teenager and finally a family father. The plot focuses on many well known things about his life such as the background of the popular song "Sukiyaki" (J: "Ue o muite arukō") and his death in the Japan Airlines Flight 123 plane crash in 1985. It also brings up some more obscure aspects such as surviving a car accident, how he met his wife Yukiko Kashiwagi as well as his time in the Japanese band Paradise King.


The Stewardesses

A single eventful night in the lives of a crew of Los Angeles-based, trans-Pacific stewardesses. The leading character is killed in a 30-story suicide leap, and the others simply "party," using drugs and engaging in various sexual encounters. One of the girls befriends and beds a returning Vietnam combat soldier.


Jyu-Oh-Sei

Three hundred and fifty years have passed since humans first settled the Balkan star system, located approximately 150 light years from Earth, where a number of planets have been terraformed to resemble Earth. Two 11-year-old twins, Thor and Rai, live on the space colony Juno until they come home to find their parents have been murdered. The unknown assassins drop Thor and Rai on Chimaera, a secret planet used as a penal colony. Thor learns about Chimaeran society's four "Rings" and how to leave Chimaera by becoming the Beast King from Zagi, who rescued Thor and Rai after they immediately run into trouble on the planet. Thor proceeds to the Ochre Ring where he gets swept up into that Ring's politics and winds up defeating its Top, bringing him closer to becoming the Beast King. After several years Thor faces off with Zagi who has violently taken over the Blanc ring and is determined to rule over and change Chimaeran society. Their encounter ends with an uneasy truce and a plan to force Juno to negotiate with Thor. When Thor finally meets Odin, the President of Juno, the mystery of Thor's and Chimaera's secret origins are revealed. Odin tells Thor he is a genetically engineered human created from the DNA of all the previous Beast Kings. His mother Eve was the lead researcher at the facility where he was created, and was a surrogate mother to him. Thor's genes adapt to survive under any circumstances, so they mimicked Eve's physical appearance. This is the reason Thor appeared to be Rai's twin. Odin also reveals no new children are being born in the colonies, and that Thor is humanity's last hope for survival. Finally, Odin reveals a long-kept secret: that Earth was destroyed by an asteroid collision long ago, and humanity cannot return there, so they must adapt to survive in the Balkan Star System. However, Odin's plans involve dissecting Thor in order to mass-produce more genetically engineered humans capable of surviving in Balkan, and terraforming Chimaera, which would kill the planet's current inhabitants. With the help of Third, Thor stops the terraforming process, though Third dies in the process. Thor returns to Chimaera to live with Chen, Zagi and the rest of the planet's inhabitants.

In the end, it is revealed that Thor's genes have adapted once again, causing him to take on Third's physical appearance. He and Chen appear to be together. He adopts an orphan girl they both found, naming her "Tiz", saying it means hope.


The Fourth Protocol (film)

In 1968, an East-West agreement is established to halt nuclear proliferation. One of its clauses, the Fourth Protocol, forbids the non-conventional delivery of a nuclear weapon to a target.

MI5 officer John Preston breaks into the residence of British government official George Berenson on New Year's Eve and finds a number of top secret NATO files that should not have been there. He reports his findings to high-ranking British Secret Service official Sir Nigel Irvine, who deals with the leak. Preston's unauthorised method of retrieving the documents embarrasses the acting Director of MI5, Brian Harcourt-Smith, and as punishment for his insubordination, Preston is relegated to lowly "Airports and Ports".

KGB officer Major Valeri Petrofsky is sent on a mission to the United Kingdom by General Govorshin, the head of the KGB. Govorshin's subordinate, Pavel Borisov, complains to his old friend General Yevgeny Karpov, about his department being stripped of resources and personnel, particularly his star officer Petrofsky. A surprised Karpov quietly investigates and learns about Petrofsky's unsanctioned mission – to violate the Fourth Protocol by assembling and detonating an atomic device as a false flag, to appear to be an American nuclear accident at a nearby military base, intended to strain British-US relations and strengthen the anti-nuclear movement in advance of an election in favour of the Soviet Union.

In Glasgow, a Soviet sailor is struck by a truck while fleeing from a port guard. Among the dead man's possessions, Preston finds a disk of polonium, which could only be useful as a component of a detonator for a bomb. He informs Harcourt-Smith, but is promptly suspended, as Harcourt-Smith believes that Preston is manufacturing a fake incident to work his way back into MI5. Preston, however has the confidence of Sir Bernard Hemmings, the gravely-ill Director of MI5, as well as Irvine, who is happy to sidestep Harcourt-Smith's directives. Preston sets to work and eventually comes across Winkler, a known Czech KGB agent, and tails him from the airport.

Meanwhile, Petrofsky meets KGB agent Irina Vassilievna, a bomb expert who is pretending to be his wife. Under her guidance, they assemble the device from the smuggled items and she sets it on a two-hour delay as they agreed on. Unbeknownst to Petrofsky, Vassilievna follows her own orders, resetting the delay to zero. After sleeping with Petrofsky, she finds his own secret order to eliminate her and tries to warn him about the double-cross, but he kills her before she can.

Afterwards, Petrofsky is observed contacting Winkler. Preston tracks him to Ipswich, loses him, then finds him again. Preston eventually realises that Petrofsky's target is RAF Baywaters, and locates Petrofsky's house, which lies right next to the base.

When Petrofsky starts to activate the bomb, on an impulse, he checks the timer first and realises he has been betrayed. At that moment, an SAS team storms the house and during a struggle, Preston subdues and disables Petrofsky. To Preston's outrage, one of the SAS team cold-bloodedly shoots and kills Petrofsky, explaining bluntly afterwards that he had orders to do so.

At Hemmings' funeral, Preston is unsurprised to find Irvine secretly meeting with General Karpov. Preston had become suspicious when known KGB agent Winkler was used as a courier, making it easy to follow him, and also when Petrofsky was killed instead of being captured for questioning. He surmised that discrediting Govorshin would benefit both Irvine and Karpov (sneering to both that keeping hold over their careers is all that matters to them). Preston does not see any point in exposing them and leaves after expressing his contempt for their cynical power play (Irvine secretly assuring Karpov that they have control over Preston, as they covertly observe him reunite with his young son).


Carnosaur (film)

Dr. Jane Tiptree has withdrawn from public life to conduct sequestered research for the Eunice Corporation. The DARPA is wary of her work with genetically modified chickens but cannot legally interfere in her research. While in transport, one of Tiptree's chickens hatches a reptilian creature which kills the driver and escapes. Meanwhile, near her laboratory in the small town of Climax, Nevada, the populace begin suffering from a mysterious illness with flu-like symptoms.

At a neighboring Eunice-owned quarry, watchman Doc Smith protects excavation equipment from environmentalists. He reports a trespasser, Ann Thrush, but Sheriff Fowler is investigating a series of gruesome killings, perpetrated by Tiptree's missing creature, a ''Deinonychus''. Among the victims is the daughter of Eunice employee Jesse Paloma, but before he raises any suspicion to her research, Tiptree lures him into a laser-protected dinosaur pen where a fully grown ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' devours him.

Despite the deaths, Thrush and a group of activists handcuff themselves to excavation equipment in a form of protest. They are encountered by the ''Deinonychus'' and everyone except Thrush is slaughtered. Still in shock, Thrush is brought back by Doc to his trailer, where she survives another attack by the creature. Doc discovers a truck with two corpses belonging to Eunice and contacts Tiptree on the vehicle's radio, deducing the creature originated from her facility. As he approaches the lab, Fowler discovers a dinosaur embryo in a carton of eggs and takes it for investigation.

Doc infiltrates Tiptree's laboratory and, at gunpoint, she reveals her experiment subjects to him. The town's mysterious illness is caused by infected chicken eggs, which contain a lethal airborne virus and impregnate women with dinosaur embryos. Her objective is to exterminate the human race, which Tiptree faults as disastrous, and enable dinosaurs to repopulate the Earth. News of the town's deaths reach Eunice sponsors who trace it to Tiptree. In response, the government places the community under quarantine and resolves to kill all civilians — infected or not — on sight.

With the illness rapidly spreading, Fowler responds to a disturbance at a pet shop. He confronts the ''Deinonychus'', but both he and the dinosaur suffer fatal wounds in the exchange. Top governmental officials, in a secure underground bunker, also begin plotting the repopulation of the human race in response to the virus; they envision a new social order prograted by strict fertilization policies and artificial wombs. At the laboratory, Doc attempts to escape with a cure to the illness and mistakenly enters the dinosaur pen. Tiptree releases the ''T. rex'' which pursues Doc out of the facility. Infected herself, Tiptree births a dinosaur and succumbs to the illness.

Doc returns to Thrush, who has been exposed to the illness. The ''T. rex'' enters the quarry where Doc use a loader to battle it. He disembowels and kills the dinosaur with Thrush's assistance. After injecting her with the serum, Doc is killed by government soldiers alerted to his presence, and both his and Thrush's bodies are burned.


The Lion Has Phones

After a successful exercise in camouflage, Mainwaring delivers a lecture on communications. Apparently, the four main targets are the gasometer, the railway bridge, the telephone exchange and the reservoir. They are vital to the town's survival, so two men will be posted at each location. If they see anything suspicious, they will phone Mainwaring via the nearest telephone box. Frazer asks Mainwaring what will happen if the telephone boxes are out of action, and many alternatives are suggested, including a heliograph, tick-tacking, shooting a hole in the top of the gasometer and setting fire to it, and tapping the railway line and laying your ear onto it (Pike dismisses this idea by telling Jones that a train may come and run over your ear).

Pike and Godfrey admit they do not know how to use a telephone box; Mrs Pike believes they are unhygienic and Godfrey is hopeless with machines. After a hilarious practical demonstration, they march down to the telephone box nearest the reservoir. Pike is the first to get the lesson, but the recipient of the call is his mum, who gives Mainwaring and Wilson an earful. When a queue begins to form, Walker cons them into believing that telephone calls are going on ration from tomorrow.

That evening, while out on patrol, Frazer and Walker spot a German plane crash into the reservoir. Walker phones Mainwaring, then mysteriously vanishes. Mainwaring and the rest of the platoon arrive, and their verbal attempts to persuade the Germans to surrender result in heavy gunfire. Mainwaring writes GHQ's phone number on some paper and tells Jones to go and phone them and to memorise and destroy the paper afterwards, but Jones' muddle headedness as he says "Memorise and destroy the phone", and him reading the phone number upside-down (991 instead of 166), results in him ringing the Embassy cinema instead, and ends up believing that Googie Withers and Eric Portman are aboard the plane. He gets no joy from emergency services either, so ARP Warden Hodges helps Jones get through.

Eventually, Lieutenant Hope-Bruce of the Coldstream Guards arrives and tells Mainwaring that they've surrounded the reservoir. He pompously tries to get Mainwaring to leave the situation in the hands of the regular army, but is quick to cancel an incautious order for mortar bombs under Mainwaring's persuasion. Walker returns and tells Mainwaring that he's talked to the man in charge of the reservoir: he has opened the sluices, and the Germans will have to swim for it in less than two hours. Laughing, Mainwaring says they should leave the mopping up to the Coldstream Guards.


Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!

The premise of the show revolves around the fact that Shaggy Rogers' incredibly rich Uncle Albert Shaggleford disappears and names Shaggy as his sole heir for an inheritance. With the help of the inheritance, Shaggy has upgraded the Mystery Machine, giving it the ability to transform itself into a number of other different vehicles, like the "Hotdog Making Machine".

Dr. Albert Shaggleford had made some enemies before disappearing. Among the most dangerous is the archetypal evil genius and technology pirate out to take over the world and or become immortal—Dr. Phineas Phibes (who gets his name from the Vincent Price villain ''The Abominable Dr. Phibes''). Dr. Phibes recruits other sidekicks and minions to help him with his plans, among them Dr. Trebla.

It appears that the supposedly late Dr. Shaggleford was, beyond being rich, an inventor in his own right, and his clueless young heir is now in possession of some very interesting nano technology. The top secret nanotech formula has been mixed in with Scooby Snacks, which, when eaten, cause a variety of day-saving side effects.

Shaggy and Scooby-Doo have a mission: armed with an updated Mystery Machine, a loyal robot servant named Robi, their new riches, and the new and improved Scooby Snacks, they must stop the evil plans of Phineas Phibes and save the world. In episode 2, Shaggy upgrades the Mystery Machine from its original form, to a high-tech transforming vehicle. However, it usually transforms into machines inappropriate for the tasks at hand (however, in episode 11, it does transform into vehicles appropriate to finish the Polar Bear 3000). In their spare time, Shaggy and Scooby are fans of the show ''Chefs of Steel'', and the famous mystery solver Chad Chaddington.


Turk 182

34-year-old firefighter Terry Lynch (Robert Urich) lives with his 20-year-old brother Jimmy (Timothy Hutton) in New York City. They have spent most of their respective lives taking care of each other as both of their parents are deceased. Terry, while off duty, rushes from a neighborhood bar into an apartment fire to rescue a young girl, when firefighters inadvertently aim the fire hose at him. The force of the stream pushes Terry, with the child in his arms, through a window and some four stories down, landing flat on his back on the roof of a parked car. The girl is uninjured, but Terry is seriously hurt.

Six months later, and after countless rejections from welfare, workers' compensation and others, Jimmy goes to City Hall with the letters to show to Mayor John J. Tyler (Robert Culp). But when Tyler rebukes him, calling Terry a drunk, Jimmy promptly sneaks into Tyler's office and pastes all the letters on the office walls while security is diverted by a fire set in a nearby bathroom.

Believing Terry was behind the vandalism (as Terry's name was on all the letters), the police, led by Lieutenant Ryan (Peter Boyle), Tyler's chief security officer, come to Hooly's, the brothers' hangout, to arrest Terry. When Terry, drunk and high on pills, takes a swing at Ryan, he roughs Terry up while Jimmy is clubbed by another officer when he tries to help. While posting Terry's bail at the police station, Jimmy meets Danielle "Danny" Boudreau (Kim Cattrall), a social worker assigned to Terry's case; she tells Jimmy that Terry is hospitalized in a body cast after a suicide attempt.

Jimmy goes to Battery Park to again confront Mayor Tyler at his anti-graffiti speech, but is pushed away by police. After seeing Tyler unveil a giant apple, which slowly revolves to show handiwork by vandals saying "Zimmerman Flew, Tyler Knew" to the delight of protesters at the speech, Jimmy is inspired to start a campaign of his own.

Earlier, the ''Daily News'' ran a story about Tom Zimmerman, the city's former public works commissioner, who had fled the country to avoid trial for an unspecified crime. The report implies that Tyler not only knew of Zimmerman's fleeing, but masterminded it, referring to Tyler's ordering a continuation of Zimmerman's trial until after the upcoming election; Tyler denies all knowledge and responsibility.

Armed with this knowledge, Jimmy, adopting the alter ego of "Turk 182", begins his personal battle of wits with the mayor by, among other things, leaving his mark on a supposedly graffiti-proof subway car to be used by Tyler in an anti-vandalism campaign; surreptitiously exchanging an airplane banner ad for one that says "Tyler Knew! Turk 182!"; and hacking into a scoreboard computer (with a friend's help) at Giants Stadium during halftime of a football game at which Tyler and New York's governor make an appearance.

Jimmy's goal to embarrass Mayor Tyler broadens to the point where "Turk 182" begins leaving his mark in numerous places, capturing the imagination of the city's entire population, most of whom revere Turk as a hero. But Jimmy soon develops an ulterior motive for his actions: impressing Danny. When Jimmy and Danny return to his apartment after the Giants game, Jimmy goes back out for pizza, and Danny explores the brothers' apartment. Looking through photo albums in their keepsake trunk, she finds an award for Terry with a nameplate on the front bearing Terry's nickname "Turk". When she finds Terry's fireman's cap with badge number 182 on it, she realizes that Jimmy is "Turk 182". Jimmy returns to find a thoroughly impressed Danny waiting for him in his bed, and the two engage in sexual intercourse.

Police Detective Kowalski (Darren McGavin) opens up a case file on "Turk 182", while Jimmy pleads guilty to papering the Mayor's office and is given a nominal fine. When Jimmy and Danny visit Terry in the hospital, Terry tells Jimmy that he's going to try to kill himself again when he is cut out of his body cast.

After spotting Kowalski and Ryan waiting outside his apartment, Jimmy decides to reveal himself as Turk. But when he and Danny arrive at the Daily News Building they find themselves waiting in line behind several other crank characters all claiming to be Turk. Just as Jimmy leaves in exasperation he is intercepted by a TV reporter who suggests that if Jimmy is the real Turk, he should give an interview on camera. On the evening news, a reporter reveals Jimmy as "Turk 182", but describes him as a disgruntled civil servant seeking a pension. Angered that the interview was not aired and he is being called a "nut case", Jimmy decides to put Turk to rest once and for all, but he tells no one, not even Danny, what his final act will be.

Mayor Tyler appears at a dedication ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the Queensboro Bridge. Ryan, his job now on the line after the Giants Stadium debacle, clamps down security on and around the bridge in preparation of the ceremony. With all local media on hand, the mayor throws the switch lighting up the bridge sign. The lettering on the bridge, which is supposed to say "Queensboro 1909 1984", instead reads gibberish; Jimmy, disguised in an electrical worker uniform, is up on the scaffolding rearranging the words.

All hell breaks loose when spotlights and cameras catch Jimmy on the rigging; TV stations break into regular programming to cover the incident live, and the rally crowd, aroused by Turk's presence, begin chanting "Turk! Turk!" much to Tyler's mortification. Ryan dispatches all police to climb up in the scaffolding to catch Jimmy, but they cannot reach him because he greased all the bridge's lower girders.

At the hospital, Danny and Kowalski are with Terry when a group of patients barge in with a TV tuned to one of the channels showing Jimmy on the bridge. The news anchor then shows Jimmy's interview at the Daily News. Now focusing on his brother's safety instead of his own troubles, Terry, Danny, and Kowalski go to the Queensboro Bridge to get Jimmy down. Tyler also catches a part of Jimmy's interview; seeing it was "that kid", Tyler can only turn away from the TV in total defeat.

Still frustrated in efforts to stop Jimmy, Ryan goes to the bridge power house and orders the sign turned off. But when the foreman, citing union and safety issues, refuses, Ryan draws his gun and shoots out the controls and knocking the power off. After Ryan leaves, the foreman turns on the auxiliary power. Undaunted, Ryan climbs aboard an industrial forklift and, when in range, opens fire on Jimmy himself. Kowalski, having arrived with Danny and Terry moments earlier, goes to the lift and disables the hydraulics, knocking Ryan unconscious. Jimmy, now unhindered, completes his task, and reconnects the power to the 25-foot-high letters which now read "TURK 182", all to the wild cheering of the crowd and the TV audience.

Amid the cheering, Tyler says to Deputy Mayor Hanley, "As soon as [Jimmy] gets down we're gonna find him and tell him we've been rooting for him the whole time!"


Rules of Engagement (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Worf commands the ''Defiant'' on an escort mission to guard Cardassian medical vessels. While under attack from Klingon raiders, a vessel de-cloaks in front of the ''Defiant''. Expecting the vessel to be a Klingon warship, Worf orders it fired upon immediately without visual confirmation. However, the destroyed ship turns out to be a Klingon civilian transport, and the Klingon Empire wants Worf tried in their court.

Admiral T'Lara presides over Worf's extradition hearing aboard Deep Space Nine. Captain Sisko serves as Worf's defense counsel. Ch'Pok, the advocate representing the Klingon Empire, argues that Worf attacked due to uncontrollable bloodlust and was motivated by seeking revenge against the Empire for his family's dishonor, rather than following proper rules of engagement. He calls Worf's friends and acquaintances to testify. Jadzia Dax testifies that, in her experience, Worf is capable of restraining his bloodlust, but that he played a holosuite game before the mission in which he played a warrior who murders civilians. Quark testifies that Worf stated before the mission that he was hoping for an attack. The combat-experienced Chief O'Brien says that he would not have given the order to fire if he had been in command. After Worf testifies that he would never attack an unarmed opponent, Ch'Pok baits Worf into attacking him, contradicting his claim.

In the end, Constable Odo's investigation uncovers evidence that the names of all the 441 people who were reported to have died on the transport were the exact same names of the people who were reported to have crashed on a distant planet three months prior to the battle. Sisko concludes that the entire incident was staged by the Empire to frame Worf for the purpose of smearing the Federation. Despite having no civilian deaths on his conscience, Worf admits that he did accept the mission assignment because he was hoping for vengeance against the Klingon Empire. Sisko reprimands Worf for accepting the mission for that purpose, and for not following Starfleet regulations and identifying the vessel before firing upon it; but he tells him that he will make a fine captain some day.


Our Sons

With his partner Donald dying of AIDS, James asks his mother Audrey, a businesswoman in San Diego, to travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas and notify Donald's estranged mother, Luanne. A small town waitress, Luanne must overcome her own overt homophobia and learn to love her son unconditionally. In the process, Luanne cements a lasting friendship with Audrey, who is struggling with her own internalized homophobia.


Sacred Flesh

Sister Elizabeth, the mother superior of a medieval convent, has visions of Mary Magdalene and a skeletal dead nun. Father Henry, the abbot, and his servant Richard are summoned by the convent's abbess to help with the hysteria spreading among the order.

Elizabeth recounts the confessions and fantasies of the nuns, flagellating herself and becoming excited as she does so: Sister Sarah masturbates; Sisters Mary and Helena flagellate one another and then have sex. Sister Catherine is violated by Fathers James and Peter. Finally, Sisters Jane, Teresa and Helen engage in three-way sex and violate Sister Ann after tying her to a cross. Elizabeth writhes violently in her cell and, as she dies, is tormented by visions of a crucified woman and Christ's beating Sacred Heart.

Mother Elizabeth and an (imagined) demonic Mary Magdalene (who has relapsed from sainthood, back into the sex worker the church once claimed she was) debate desire and chastity within what seems to be a heavenly antechamber. Mary remarks to Elizabeth that, as her convent is full of repressed female desire, the Mother Superior too is enveloped within this voluptuous fold. Elizabeth details four fantasy vignettes. These are interspersed with conversations between the convent's former abbess, a priest, Abbess Elizabeth, an odd dead zombie nun and an actress Eileen Daly playing the spirit of Catechism..

The sex scenes conform to standard pornographic sequencing. They each start simply and culminate in erotic release at the end. There are scenes of the full lesbian sexual gamut, which extends from episodes of individual nuns' self-stimulation to non-monogamous lesbian sex to a final nun-centered crucifix-bondage scene, with copious use of the whip and the rope.


Dark Intruder

The film opens, after the murder of a woman in dark alley by a mysterious caped figure, on a scene between Kingsford and his fiancé Eveleyn Lang (Meredith). Kingsford is an expert on the supernatural and along with his dwarf assistant Nikola (Charles Boldender) he is called in by police to uncover the scheme of a Sumerian demon to return to earth and take over a human body. A series of murders of women similar to those committed in 1888 London by Jack the Ripper has taken place in San Francisco; in the San Francisco killings, however, a series of statuettes carved of ivory and depicting a repulsive reptilian head is left beside each body. In each statue found at a victim’s feet, the demon in the little figurines emerges from the back of a man, budding out farther with each crime. It as though with each killing, the demon is freeing itself from its host a little bit more. There also seem to be connections between the four victims.

Kingsford initially consults an old Chinese curio dealer, Chi Zang (Peter Brocco) for advice. The dealer, (whose shop has a statue of a multi-armed Chinese god who may be Yu Lueh) shows Kingsford a mummified creature with a hideous fanged mouth which the priest claims is a Sumerian demon. The mummified demon is accompanied by a seven-spoked wheel. The priest says that the demon will commit seven killings, one for each spoke, until it accomplishes its purposes, according to mystic periods of time known only to itself. Kingsford picks up the small mummy but drops it when it becomes hot and leaves him with a scratched hand.

Kinsford then goes to the import shop of his friend Robert Vandenburg where they earlier arranged to meet. A shadow trails him, and in the shop, Kingsford is attacked by the hump-backed, long-fingernailed, black hat-wearing, caped and demonically-growling figure who murdered the woman at the start of the film. Kingsford fends off the attack and the figure disappears. The police arrive, as does Vandenburg.


Carrie (1976 film)

Shy 16-year-old Carrie White, who lives with her fanatically religious and unstable mother Margaret, is unpopular at school and often bullied by her peers. When Carrie experiences her first period in the school shower, she panics, having never been told about this process. Carrie's classmates humiliate her by throwing tampons at her while chanting "Plug it up!" until the gym teacher, Miss Collins, intervenes. Following conversations with Miss Collins and the principal, Carrie is dismissed from school for the day. After arriving home, Margaret tells Carrie that her menstruation was caused by sin, and she locks Carrie in an altar-like "prayer closet" to pray for forgiveness. At school, Collins reprimands Carrie's tormentors, punishing them with a week-long detention during gym class. She threatens that those who skip the punitive measure will be suspended for three days and barred from the upcoming prom. However, Carrie's longtime bully, the wealthy and popular Christine "Chris" Hargensen, walks out and gets excluded from the prom.

Plotting vengeance against Carrie, Chris and her boyfriend Billy Nolan break into a local farm and kill pigs to drain their blood into a bucket, which they place above the school's main stage in the gymnasium. Norma, Chris' best friend and a prominent figure in the school's student council regime, plans to rig the Prom Queen election in Carrie's favor to get her on the stage. Meanwhile, Sue Snell, a deeply remorseful classmate, asks her handsome and popular boyfriend, Tommy Ross, to invite Carrie to the prom. Carrie initially thinks the proposition is a prank, but he insists that it is genuine and she reluctantly accepts after Miss Collins consoles her. Back at home, she begins to discover that she has telekinesis as she shakes off her shyness. Despite Margaret's protests, Carrie puts on a flattering dress and hairstyle for the prom. Margaret sees Carrie's telekinetic powers and denounces her as a witch before Carrie leaves with Tommy.

During the prom, Chris and Billy hide under the stage while the other conspirators switch the ballots to ensure that Carrie wins the Prom Queen title. As Carrie stands onstage with Tommy, finally beginning to feel accepted by her peers, Sue arrives just in time, realizes Chris and Billy's plan, and begins to intervene. Miss Collins spots Sue and, thinking that she is up to no good, throws her out of the prom. Chris and Billy pull the rope attached to the bucket of pig blood, dousing Carrie; they then promptly sneak out of the school. The empty bucket hits the outraged Tommy in the head, and he collapses. The crowd is left shocked and speechless at the prank, but Carrie hallucinates that everyone, even Miss Collins, is mocking her and, in a sudden outburst, telekinetically seals the exits from the gymnasium and controls a fire hose, which injures several party-goers attempting to escape and sprays the overhead lights, setting the gym on fire. Miss Collins is crushed by a falling basketball backboard and Carrie's principal and teacher are electrocuted. As Carrie walks home, Chris and Billy attempt to run her over with Billy's car but Carrie senses their presence and causes their car to swerve, overturn and explode, killing them.

After Carrie bathes herself at home, Margaret reveals that Carrie was conceived when her husband was drunk, an act that Margaret shamefully admits she enjoyed. She comforts Carrie, and then stabs her in the back with a kitchen knife and begins to chase her through the house. Carrie levitates several sharp implements and sends them flying toward Margaret, crucifying her; then, she destroys the house and perishes.

Some time later, Sue, the only survivor of the prom, struggling to deal with the trauma she has experienced, has a nightmare in which she goes to lay flowers on the charred remains of Carrie's home, upon which stands a "For Sale" sign vandalized in black paint with a scornful phrase reading: "Carrie White burns in Hell!". Suddenly, Carrie's bloody arm reaches from beneath the rubble and grabs Sue's forearm. Sue wakes up screaming and writhing in terror as her mother tries to comfort her.


Pullet Surprise

In the cartoon, Pete Puma is trying to raid the henhouse Foghorn Leghorn is guarding; Foghorn decides to have some fun with Pete. He tells Pete what he really wants is a Venezuelan Racing Chicken which has unfortunately run back to Venezuela. Pete runs there and back in time. Next, he really wants an Irish Wrestling Chicken, which turns out to be a rope tied to a bull's tail (this bull resembles Toro from ''Bully for Bugs''). When Pete makes off with a chicken, nest and all, Foghorn grabs the chicken, then says Pete's found the rare Mongolian Disappearing Chicken, and the only way to make it reappear is tap dancing; Pete dances into a hole; Foggy drops an anvil on Pete's head ("a whole lotta lumps!"). Foggy walks away, chuckling at his cleverness, when a genuine Irish Wrestling Chicken pins him down ("I'm glad I say I'm glad I didn't show him the Norwegian Exploding Chicken").

During the cartoon, Foghorn tries to convince Pete to go hunting for rabbits to which Pete quickly and frantically declines ("uh-uh! No rabbits!"). This is most likely referencing Pete's previous run in with Bugs Bunny during the cartoon ''Rabbit's Kin''.


Cloaca (film)

The career of homosexual art historian Pieter, who has been working as an archivist at a municipality, has been going nowhere for 20 years: he is ignored by his colleagues, and for many years now, as a sort of revenge, he has been taking a painting from the depot in the cellar on his birthday. Brest, his boss's boss, takes Vermeulen out for a meal. Pieter expects good news, but instead hears he must return the paintings: in any case the eight paintings by Van Goppel (who died recently) which all of a sudden have become worth a lot of money. This produces a major problem, because Pieter has sold four of the Van Goppels in order to pay for his apartment.

If anyone can help him, it would be his old student friends Joep and Tom. Joep, a politician who is slated to become the next Minister for Foreign Affairs, has been turned out of his house by his wife Conny because he proved to have an extramarital affair with Jennie. He thought he would be able to stay at Tom's, but Tom went insane a couple of months earlier as a result of cocaine abuse. As a lawyer, Tom wants to take the case of Pieter himself. Joep cannot help with Pieter's problem now, because he's on the verge of being appointed. The rancid Maarten comes also; his pretentious stage play "The Wheel of Ixion" is about to have its opening night, in which Joep's almost 18-year-old daughter is to play Laura, a role where she stands naked on the stage. Joep is with him there and does not know that Maarten had sex with Laura.

The friends celebrate Joep's birthday by hiring a prostitute for him, but that leads to tears from Joep and a brawl with Maarten who also wanted to use her services. The friends go to the première of Maarten's play. Joep's mistrust about his daughter acting in the play disappears. He gets a chance afterwards of a reconciliation with his wife, but bungles it totally. Tom goes crazy and goes into the city to obtain cocaine. Meanwhile, Pieter tries to convince his colleagues to attest that the Van Goppels had been given to him. When the friends return to Pieter, they look back on their past.

Just when everything seems about to end well for Pieter, Joep withdraws from the matter because he has become Minister for Culture. Tom breaks down now entirely and runs away. Maarten, who still has not confessed to Joep what he did with his daughter, continues to wait until Pieter comes home and gives him the bad news. Pieter cuts one of his arteries open in the bathroom.


The Bullet is Not for Firing

As the 'all clear' air raid siren blares, Mainwaring and Wilson wake up from a snooze, but both are quick to deny it. As they go into the hall and begin to make some tea, Mainwaring remarks on a low-flying Nazi plane that passed over Walmington. The platoon arrive and Mainwaring asks them to hand in their ammunition, but Jones admits they haven't got any: they wasted it all shooting at the low-flying plane. Godfrey is the only one with a full magazine, because by the time he had got it out of his overcoat, the plane had flown away. Mainwaring decides to report the night's events to GHQ. As the tired platoon prepare to make a cup of tea, Mainwaring bursts their bubble by saying their rifles have to be pulled through and boiled out.

Mainwaring decides to organise a thorough search around the area to find the missing cartridges. As they leave to supervise the rifle maintenance, Jones is having a bit of trouble removing his pull-through, and several methods are tried, including tying it to the banister and pulling it out. However, this destroys the banister, much to the Verger's chagrin. When Mainwaring ties it to a thicker pillar, the string breaks and it becomes impossible to remove. Mrs Pike arrives to take Frank home, and solves Jones' rifle problem by pulling the string out from the other end.

Later, the empty cartridges are collected. Mainwaring explains that GHQ has decided to hold a Court of Inquiry to find out what really happened. Wilson is sceptical, but Mainwaring reminds him that honesty is the best policy. The two officers overseeing the Inquiry, Captain Cutts and Captain Pringle, are keen to get it over and done with as soon as possible, as they have made alternative arrangements.

At the church hall, the platoon are busy preparing for the Inquiry. Jones arrives in his old army uniform that he wore under Lord Kitchener, and Frazer brings in a sword that he owned back in the Navy, as it was standard procedure for swords to be laid on the table during inquiries. Mainwaring finds this unnecessary, however. Just before Cutts and Pringle arrive, Pike enters with a box of ammunition from HQ, and Mainwaring quickly hands it out to the men. Jones lines the witnesses up outside, and they prepare to begin the Court of Inquiry. However, they are twice interrupted by members of a choir who have come for the Vicar's practice. Through the course of the Inquiry, it is revealed that Jones gave the order to fire.

Suddenly, thunder crashes, and the platoon rush in, not wanting to be soaked. Cutts and Pringle, who are becoming quite irritated, decide that the platoon should demonstrate what happened. Jones states that as soon as he spotted the plane, he gave the order "shoot". Mainwaring corrects him by saying "fire", but the platoon follow his command and shoot the ceiling, bringing it down on top of them. Mainwaring suggests they meet same time, same place, next week.


Valley of the Stereos

''Valley of the Stereos'' involves an escalating battle between a hippie ('River', played by Danny Mulheron) and a metalhead (Murray Keane) who live next door to each other in the countryside. Following the metalhead's late-night music playing, the two battle over who can drive the other away with their incompatible music tastes. Each accumulates a larger and larger pile of stereos, until eventually River converts his house into a multi-stereo mecha and (accidentally) blasts both homes out of existence.


Something Nasty in the Vault

Walker arrives to pay some money into the bank, and a rather posh looking gentleman is standing behind him. As Pike prepares to cash his money, he discovers one of Walker's £5 notes is a forgery. Mainwaring is shocked to learn that the money came from him, and decides to hush it up. As Walker leaves, the posh gentleman introduces himself as Mr West, a Bank Inspector. Mainwaring's face falls.

He takes him into the office, where West tells him that his monthly report to Head Office has become irregular. Mainwaring blames it on his Home Guard duties. West is shocked to see a Lewis gun Mk1 perched on the windowsill, and berates Mainwaring for putting the bank in danger. Mainwaring points out that the Lewis gun covers the High Street from Stead and Simpson's to Timothy Whites (referring to chain stores of the period). Suddenly, the air raid siren sounds and their meeting is cut short.

West is less than pleased when they return two hours later, complaining that it could have been one of their planes they heard. Suddenly, he notices a hole in the roof, and flies into a fit of rage, believing that while they were in the Anderson shelter, someone broke into the bank. As he picks up loose notes, both Mainwaring and Wilson vanish. West searches for them, and is shocked to see a massive hole in the floor, where Mainwaring and Wilson are stranded, clutching an unexploded bomb on their laps. West rushes off to get help, bumping into Jones, who quickly takes charge and puts the bank under martial law. He rushes off to get the rest of the platoon and ring the Bomb Disposal Unit, while Pike and ARP Warden Hodges dither about in the office.

Eventually, Jones returns with the platoon, but Mainwaring orders him to get them all out, as he feels there is no point in the platoon risking their lives as well. Initially, Walker agrees with the idea, only to be upbraided for it by an outraged Jones. Jones then asks the rest of the platoon if they want to leave as well, which all the men refuse to do (Godfrey reminds the platoon that Mainwaring would not leave any of them if they were in the same situation; while Pike adds that he could not leave his "Uncle Arthur", as his mother would not like it if he did). Walker then tells Jones that he is not going to leave either. Shortly afterwards, Hodges returns and has a brief argument with Jones as to who is in charge of the situation; this is quickly resolved when Captain Rogers of the Bomb Disposal Unit arrives and takes charge. Unfortunately, both the keys to the strongroom are still under Mainwaring and Wilson's possession, so Frazer uses a fishing rod to yank up one of the keys. Rogers enters the strongroom, and identifies the bomb's fuse as a 'trembler'. He exasperates Mainwaring and Wilson by saying he has to go back to GHQ to pick up some special equipment.

Jones realises that Mainwaring and Wilson cannot hang on much longer, so he proposes an elaborate plan to remove the bomb from them. He and the others build a makeshift pulley in the office and tie the bomb to a piece of rope to pull it up, but in the process, it takes Jones with it.

Later, they all have a drink in the pub, and West congratulates the platoon for saving the bank. Mrs Pike rushes in and offers her compliments to Mainwaring and Wilson. West offers to pay for the drinks, but the note he uses is a dud, so Walker pays it with some money he nabbed from the bank.


Dirty Ho

Master Wang is actually the 11th prince of Manchuria in disguise. Posing as a sophisticated jewellery dealer and connoisseur of fine art and wine, the prince is trying to determine which of the other 14 heirs to the throne is trying to assassinate him. A jewel thief, Dirty Ho (Wong Yue) runs afoul of the prince, who uses Ho to help him flush out his enemies.

Wang is a martial arts expert, but in order to conceal his identity he systematically hides his skills, even as he deploys them.

In the opening sequence of the film proper (after a title sequence which already features two highly abstract fight sequences by the principals) Wang encounters a jewel thief named Dirty Ho at a brothel. They come into conflict by vying with one another for the attentions of the courtesans. Dirty Ho, who is not too bright, can't figure out why his efforts to fight with the seemingly cowardly, effete Wang inevitably result in clumsy disaster. It is Wang, of course, who skillfully deflects Ho into tripping over chairs and so forth.

In a later confrontation with Ho, Wang pretends that a female musician is his "bodyguard", invisibly manipulating the bewildered woman's arms, legs and musical instrument in order to make her fight with Ho and eventually to graze him in the forehead with a poisoned blade.

It is, however, all part of Wang's scheme: he is secretly protecting Ho from the police, and is training the bumbling Ho as his disciple and bodyguard. Ho eventually seeks out Wang in order to discover the antidote for the poison, which Wang administers to him in return for Ho's becoming his disciple.

Ho is initially puzzled at this since he has not detected any kung fu prowess in his master at all, and he remains initially a clueless bystander during two attempts on Wang's life: first, an attack at a wine-tasting, and then a visit to an antique-dealer's shop. Wang manages to defend himself admirably while maintaining the fiction that he is simply having a friendly aesthetic conversation with his opponents. Only at the end of the antique-shop attack does Ho figure out what's going on and intervene, but Wang receives a wound in the leg through a stratagem of the antiques dealer.

The master and his disciple sequester themselves in their residence – Wang for recovery, Ho for some kung fu lessons. But it is nearly time for the princes to assemble for the announcement of the heir to the throne, and so Wang and Ho undertake the dangerous journey to Peking with Wang in disguise, being pushed in a wheelchair by Ho.

Defeating an army of assassins in a ruined city, they manage to extract from the assassins' leader the identity of the Prince (Number Four) who is targeting Wang. The heroes then encounter their most formidable enemy, General Liang plus two other bad guys, and a climactic fight sequence follows.

They manage to defeat their enemies just in time for the prince to enter the throne room in time for the Emperor's appearance. Ho, outside the door, passes his master his necklace of beads on the pole they've used during the fight; the Prince takes them and deftly uses the pole to send Ho flying outside the room. The film ends with a freeze-frame on Dirty Ho in mid-air.


Room at the Bottom (Dad's Army)

Wilson is sitting at Mainwaring's desk, when Captain Bailey from GHQ arrives. He asks Wilson about how long Mainwaring has been in charge. Wilson says it was ever since they were Local Defence Volunteers. Bailey is surprised because there were no commissions in the LDV, and Wilson admits that Mainwaring made himself a captain. Bailey tells him that it's more ordinary to have a lieutenant in charge of a platoon, so Mainwaring must remove one of his pips. Wilson is delighted, and is even more delighted when Walker brings him his new hat: a beret.

Wilson, with some glee, practises what he is going to say to Mainwaring, who then arrives, announcing that he's recruited a Drill Sergeant for drill practice. Wilson tells him about Bailey's visit, but Mainwaring laughs it off. He rings GHQ and speaks to a sergeant, who knows nothing about it. He waits for Wilson's explanation, and concludes that Wilson is jealous of him, and that is the reason why he bought a beret. GHQ rings; Mainwaring answers, and is horrified to learn that Wilson was telling the truth. Wilson insists that he is sorry for Mainwaring, even though he is laughing in his face.

Godfrey sees Mainwaring removing his pips, offering to assist based on his former experience in tailoring, but is quickly dismissed by Mainwaring, who is determined to make sure nobody finds out, but Godfrey blabs to the rest of the platoon. Frazer, Jones and Walker wonder whether he's been promoted to major, though Walker hopes not, believing that Mainwaring is pompous enough already. When the parade is about to be dismissed, Mainwaring emerges from the office with a rubber tyre on his shoulders, covering up his badge of rank. Walker and Frazer point out that they can't salute Mainwaring unless they can see his rank. A reluctant Mainwaring is about to reveal the truth, when the Verger comes rushing in, announcing that the ''Bismarck'' has been sunk. The platoon cheer and Mainwaring quickly dismisses them, the Navy having "saved his bacon".

The next day, Captain Bailey returns and tells Wilson that Mainwaring hasn't even been commissioned as a lieutenant, and he must join the ranks. He adds that Wilson will be in charge for the time being. Bailey gives Wilson the news in an envelope and leaves via the main hall so as not to disturb the platoon's drilling. Mainwaring then arrives and opens the letter as Wilson quickly leaves the office. He hears a shot, and thinks Mainwaring has committed suicide. He rushes in and is joined by Jones, who explains that it was Godfrey's rifle that fired, and the two of them help a speechless Mainwaring into his chair.

Wilson commands the next parade and admits he will be leading them on the divisional scheme on Sunday. Mainwaring enters, wearing a private's uniform, nobly declaring that the protection of the town must come before pride. The platoon, particularly Jones and Godfrey, are saddened as he joins the ranks. Wilson calls the platoon to attention, but Mainwaring mistimes his drill, while Jones has improved. However, the roles are soon reversed.

Suddenly the pre-arranged Drill Sergeant, Gregory, turns up and immediately barks orders at the men, insulting many members of the platoon. Mainwaring speaks up in their defence but, now as a private, is picked on for speaking out of turn. However, he is soon given a taste of his own medicine when they practise sloping arms. Jones mucks it up, accidentally throwing his rifle on the Drill Sergeant's foot.

At the exercise Wilson does not make a good job of leadership. Jones volunteers to be the scout, but ants climb up his trousers and he has to take them off to get rid of them. Believing it's the signal to advance, the platoon move forward, but soon find themselves in an ambush. It is a disheartened platoon that heads back to Walmington. Sponge remarks there'll soon be no platoon for the new officer to take charge of. Therefore, the platoon decide to write to GHQ, asking for Mainwaring to be commissioned. In his letter, Walker offers a couple of bottles of scotch "if it will make any difference". Frazer declines to write with his colleagues, instead writing at home and asking for promotion himself.

As a result of the letters, Mainwaring is reinstated and everything is back to normal... almost. He and Wilson then muse on the events of the past few days. When Wilson laughs at the fact that Mainwaring had had no authority whatsoever to command the platoon, the latter then shocks Wilson by saying that he, therefore, had had no authority to promote him to sergeant in the first place. Wilson realises what Mainwaring is implying, but the latter plays on the moment by saying that he was sure everything would be sorted out ... and then says nonchalantly, "Perhaps you'd like to borrow my penknife!" (to remove his sergeant's stripes).


Atonement (2007 film)

In 1935 England, 13-year-old Briony Tallis, the youngest daughter of the wealthy Tallis family, is set to perform a play she wrote for an upcoming family gathering. She spies on her older sister, Cecilia and the housekeeper's son, Robbie Turner (with whom Briony is infatuated), from her bedroom window. During their (Cecilia's and Robbie's) argument near the fountain, Robbie accidentally breaks a vase and yells at Cecilia to stay where she is – so as to avoid cutting her feet on the broken pieces on the ground. Still angered, Cecilia then strips off her outer clothing, stares at him and climbs into the fountain to retrieve one of the pieces. Briony observes all this from the window, and misinterprets the relationship between Cecilia and Robbie.

Robbie drafts a note to Cecilia to apologise for the incident. In one draft of the note, he pens his true, unfiltered feelings of attraction for Cecilia in very explicit language. Although he never intends for Cecilia (or anyone else) to see this version of the note, he mistakenly places it (instead of the second more formal note he drafts) in an envelope which he asks Briony to deliver to Cecilia. Only after Briony departs does he realise the wrong version of the note is in the envelope destined for Cecilia's hands. Making matters worse, Briony reads the letter before giving it to Cecilia. Later, she describes the note to her 15-year-old visiting cousin, Lola, who calls Robbie a "sex maniac". Paul Marshall, a visiting friend of Briony's older brother, introduces himself to the visiting cousins and appears to be attracted to Lola. Before dinner, Robbie and Cecilia are alone in the library, at which time he apologises to Cecilia for the obscene letter but, to his surprise, she confesses her secret love for him. They proceed to make passionate love against the wall in the library as Briony walks in and sees them together against the wall. Briony mistakenly thinks her sister is being raped.

During dinner, Lola's twin brothers go missing and the household organises into search parties. While participating in the search, Briony comes across Lola being raped by a man who flees upon being discovered. The two girls talk and Briony becomes convinced that it was Robbie; a confused Lola does not dissent. The girls return home. Later, Robbie—who finds the twins unharmed—returns to the house to see everyone waiting for him suspiciously. He ushers the twins inside and is promptly arrested despite Cecilia's pleas of his innocence. Lola and Briony's testimony, along with her turning over the explicit letter convinces everyone but Cecilia of his guilt.

Four years later, during the Second World War, Robbie is released from prison on the condition that he joins the army and fights in the Battle of France. Separated from his unit, he makes his way on foot to Dunkirk. He thinks back to six months earlier when he met Cecilia, now a nurse. Briony, now 18, joined Cecilia's old nursing unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London rather than go to the University of Cambridge. She writes to her sister, but Cecilia cannot forgive her for her part in Robbie's arrest and conviction years earlier. Robbie, who is gravely ill from an infected wound and hallucinating, finally arrives at the beaches of Dunkirk, where he awaits evacuation.

Later, Briony, who regrets implicating Robbie, learns from a newsreel that Paul Marshall, who now owns a factory supplying rations to the British army, is about to marry Lola. Briony attends the wedding and she realises that it was Paul who assaulted Lola during the search for the twins years ago. Briony visits Cecilia to apologise directly, and suggests correcting her testimony to which Cecilia says she would be an "unreliable witness". Briony is surprised to find Robbie there living with her sister, while in London on leave. Briony apologises for her deceit, but Robbie is enraged that she has still not accepted responsibility for her actions. Cecilia calms him down and then Robbie instructs Briony how to correct the record and get Robbie's conviction overturned. Briony agrees. Cecilia adds that Briony include what she remembers of Danny Hardman, but Briony points out that Paul Marshall was the rapist and Cecilia adds he has just married Lola and now Lola will not be able to testify against her husband.

Decades later, when Briony is an elderly and successful novelist, she gives an interview about her latest and last book, an autobiographical novel titled ''Atonement.'' She explains she is dying from vascular dementia. During the interview, the audience learns that the portion of the book where Robbie and Cecilia are living together and she (Briony) attempts to apologize to them, is completely fictitious. The sad reality is that she can never atone for her mistake—Cecilia and Robbie were never reunited; Robbie died of septicaemia at Dunkirk on the morning of the day of his evacuation; Cecilia died months later in the Balham tube station bombing during the Blitz. Briony admits that she hopes to give the two, in fiction, and in death, the happiness they never had because she was responsible for the awful mistaken identity regarding Lola's rape. The last scene shows an imagined, happily reunited Cecilia and Robbie staying in the house by the sea which they had intended to visit once they were reunited.


Total War: 2006

The future history the book lays out begins in 2001 with many minor conflicts taking place around the world, such as the end of the Algerian Civil War, victory belonging to the Islamist fundamentalists; Morocco following suit; and a military coup in Turkey to prevent such a development.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and the United States invade Iraq as the final action of a failing US president whose nation is attempting to draw ever more into isolationism. North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons; a second Korean War follows closely followed by an attempted Chinese invasion of Taiwan which is easily stopped by American air power.

In 2003, Russia has a military coup which (officially) restores the communists to power, closely followed by an invasion of the Baltic States resulting in a conventional war with NATO. Whilst the attention of the west is drawn here however Saudi Arabia also has a take over by Islamic fundamentalists.

The Islamic Alliance is united behind a Saladin-like figure and forms an alliance of convenience with Russia launching its attack on the West, the principle acts of terrorism being a midget submarine attack on San Francisco harbor and an attack on RAF Brize Norton by home-grown Islamic terrorists.

At the end of the book, much of the Middle East is in ruins, biological weapons launched by the Islamic Alliance against Israel having been met with an implementation of the Samson Option by the Israelis, with nuclear weapons launched at cities across the Islamic crescent by the dying Jewish state. In a desperate bid to prevent Israel from laying waste to much of the world in its death throes, the US President authorizes a nuclear strike on Israel itself.


Big Guns (Dad's Army)

Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson are discussing a church parade in the Vicar's office when they are interrupted by the Verger, accompanied by an official from Pickfords, complaining that a large gun has been left in the yard. It is revealed to be a 13 pounder naval gun. The platoon call in Frazer, who was in the navy, to tell them how it works, but Frazer reveals that he was only a cook. The man from Pickfords returns with the manual however, and Mainwaring begins to read it.

The platoon are each assigned different positions, with amusing consequences. However, when they attempt to rehearse the drill, they cannot open the breech until the verger reveals that they had the safety catch on, to the indignation of the platoon.

The next day, the platoon organise a TEWT (Tactical Exercise Without Troops) and make a miniature version of Walmington to test their new battle strategy, using, among other things, a powder puff, a scrubbing brush and a bottle of whisky. Mainwaring orders the destruction of the cricket score-board (much to Wilson's annoyance), the allotments (to Frazer's disapproval) and the bandstand (to the dismay of Lance Corporal Jones, who reveals that he was present when it was erected and dedicated to Queen Victoria) within 48 hours. He tells Wilson he is meeting with Mr Rees, the Town Clerk to confirm it. However, Mr Rees is less than pleased, and asks for a demonstration.

On the day of the demonstration, Mainwaring gives the command "enemy tank right! Action!", and the platoon jump to it. However, the gun is covered by camouflage netting, which proves to be the downfall of the platoon as they all become entangled in the netting whilst attempting to remove it. Mr Rees has had enough at this point, and promises to tell his committee that "they can sleep sound in their beds, provided they make them inside that enemy tank".