CAYOM Year 7: Part 1

[Blankments]

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Movie the Third

Director: Rupert Sanders

Genre: Dark Family Comedy

Date: December 8

Studio: Blankments Productions

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld as Violet, Asa Butterfield as Klaus, Gary Oldman as Count Olaf, Quvenzhané Wallis as Carmelita Spats, Stephen Fry as Vice Principal Nero, Max Records as Duncan Quagmire, Elle Fanning as Isadora Quagmire, Ben Stein as Mr. Remora, Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. Bass, Jean Dujardin as Jerome Squalor, Marion Cotillard as Esme Squalor and Paul Bettany as Mr. Poe.

Music by: Danny Elfman.

Runtime: 110 min

Tagline: Third times the harm.

Plot Summary: An adaptation following book five and six of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

 

Plot:

The film begins with the Baudelaire orphans and Mr. Poe on the grounds outside of the school, Prufrock Preparatory School. Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire meet Carmelita Spats, a rude girl who calls the Baudelaire orphans "cakesniffers". Mr. Poe tells the children to go to Vice Principal Nero's office. On their way there, they notice the school's motto:

Memento Mori which Klaus, being well read, translates.

 

They soon meet Vice Principal Nero. He explains the rules of Prufrock Prep and tells them that his advanced computer system will keep their enemy, Count Olaf, away. He also tells them about the fine dormitories they have, but that unless students have parental permission, they must sleep on hay in a tin shack. He considers himself to be a genius and thinks that he plays the violin well, but in fact he is unworthy, stupid, mean, arrogant, obnoxious, annoying, and cannot play the violin well at all. Nonetheless, students must attend his lengthy violin recitals every day, or else they must buy him a large bag of candy and watch him eat it as punishment.

 

Reluctantly, the Baudelaire orphans go to the shack and find that it is crawling with crabs and has dripping fungus and horrible wallpaper. The orphans go to lunch, where two women with metal masks serve them their food. Carmelita Spats mocks them again as they try to sit down. They are rescued by Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. The Quagmires tell about themselves. They are in a similar situation to that of the Baudelaire orphans. They are triplets, but their brother, Quigley Quagmire, died in a fire along with their parents. They, like the Baudelaire orphans, were left an enormous fortune in the form of sapphires. Duncan would like to be a journalist, and Isadora is a competent poet. They both have notebooks, or commonplace books, which they use to write down observations and notions. They become good friends with the Baudelaire orphans.

 

Violet's teacher, Mr. Remora, is a man who tells very short, dull stories while eating lots of bananas as the children take notes. Klaus's teacher, Mrs. Bass, obsesses over the metric system. She makes her students measure countless objects, then she writes the measurements on the board. Because Prufrock Prep doesn't have a class for babies, Sunny becomes Nero's administrative assistant.

 

They are then introduced to Coach Genghis. The Baudelaire orphans immediately recognize him as Count Olaf in disguise but pretend to be fooled. He makes an unusual remark about how orphans have stronger legs. Then they all rush to the auditorium to listen to Vice Principal Nero's daily concert, where they are forced, along with the rest of the school, to listen to his violin playing for six hours. At the concert, the Baudelaire orphans decide that they will go to Vice Principal Nero's office the next day to drop hints about Genghis. However, when they attempt to do this, Coach Genghis enters. The Baudelaire orphans try to unmask him, but he eludes them.

 

At lunch, Carmelita Spats delivers the message that the Baudelaire orphans are to meet Coach Genghis on the front lawn at sundown, the time of Nero's violin concert. Genghis makes them paint a circle and run "Special Orphan Running Exercises" or S.O.R.E. laps around the luminous circle at night, for nine days. Violet and Klaus start failing their tests, too exhausted to tell one end of a metric ruler from another. Sunny's work suffers because she runs out of staples.

 

Then Vice Principal Nero tells the children that if they keep failing their tests, they are going to be tutored by Coach Genghis, and that Sunny will be fired. He says that they will have extra-hard comprehensive exams the next morning. He also demands that they give him nine bags of candy each, as punishment for missing his concerts, and give Carmelita earrings for each time she brought them a message.

 

The Baudelaires go see the Quagmires and tell them what happened. Then the Quagmires plot a plan. The Quagmires disguise themselves as Klaus and Violet, get a sack of flour to represent Sunny, and do the exercises so that the Baudelaire orphans can study and make staples. The Quagmires leave their notebooks with Violet and Klaus so that they can study. Violet invents a staple-making device and makes staples while Klaus reads the notebooks out loud.

 

The next morning, Vice Principal Nero and the two teachers, Mr. Remora and Mrs. Bass, come to the Orphans Shack. They test Violet and Klaus, and give Sunny a stack of papers to staple. Then Coach Genghis arrives. He has discovered, by trying to kick Sunny, that Sunny had been substituted with a sack of flour. Genghis uncovers the Quagmires' disguises as a result, and gives them canteen duty. The orphans, unable to stand it any longer, attempt to reveal that Coach Genghis is Count Olaf. About that time, Mr. Poe comes to deliver the candy and earrings. Vice Principal Nero tells him that the orphans have been caught "cheating", and announces that the Baudelaire orphans are going to be expelled.

 

The Baudelaire orphans tell Mr. Poe that Coach Genghis is Count Olaf. Coach Genghis runs out of the shack, and after the orphans manage to remove his disguise, he succeeds in kidnapping the Quagmires. The two lunch ladies remove their metal masks and reveal themselves as Count Olaf's assistants, the white-faced women. The orphans see Olaf's assistants shoving the Quagmires into an old car. Before they close the door, Duncan yells to the Baudelaire orphans "Look in the notebooks! V.F.D.!" before they are captured. Unfortunately, Olaf steals the notebooks before he and his henchmen drive away. The orphans are then taken away by Mr. Poe to be placed with another guardian.

 

A few days later, the Baudelaire children walk with Mr. Poe to their new home on 667 Dark Avenue. The street is dark, as light is "out", or unpopular. The elevators in the apartment building are not working, as elevators are "out", leaving the Baudelaires to walk up the 66 flights of stairs to the penthouse where the Squalors live. Jerome Squalor welcomes the children to their new home. He offers them "aqueous martinis", and introduces them to his wife, Esmé Squalor. the city's sixth most important financial adviser, who is concerned about what's "in" and what's "out". Jerome avoids disputes with Esmé, as he hates arguing with her, and follows her instructions. Esmé sends the children and Jerome to Café Salmonella for dinner, because she will be busy privately discussing arrangements for an auction with trendy auctioneer Gunther.

 

The Baudelaires recognize Gunther as Count Olaf, despite his attempt to disguise his unibrow with a monocle and high boots to cover up the tattoo of an eye on his ankle. Despite their protestations, Jerome takes the children to the restaurant. Jerome believes the children are being xenophobic, and dismisses their suspicions of Gunther.

 

Klaus notices that there is one elevator door on each floor except for the top floor, which has two. The children discover that the extra elevator is "ersatz", fake, and consists of nothing but an empty shaft. They climb down the shaft, to find the two Quagmire triplets trapped in a cage at the bottom of the shaft. The Quagmires say that Count Olaf is planning to smuggle them out of the city by hiding them as an object at the "In" auction, which one of his associates will bid on. The Baudelaires return to the penthouse to find tools with which they can free the Quagmires, but they return to find that Gunther has cast the Quagmires away already. They return, dispirited, to the penthouse.

Klaus finds a Lot #50, V.F.D., in the auction catalog. It is announced that Esmé knew who Gunther was, and was actually on the plan to kidnap the Quagmires. When the Baudelaires show her the ersatz elevator, she pushes them down the empty shaft. They land halfway down in a net.

 

Sunny climbs up the shaft with her razor sharp teeth, gets their ersatz rope and jumps back down into the net. Sunny bites a hole in the net, and using the rope, they climb down from the net. Using Violet's ersatz welding torches, they travel along the hallway at the bottom of the shaft, only to find that it leads to a dead end. Pounding on the "ceiling" reveals that it is in fact a trap door; the children escape through it, only to find themselves in the charred remains of the Baudelaire Mansion.

 

They rush to Veblen Hall, the location of the auction, and join the crowd already there. The auction has begun, and Gunther and Esmé are on the stage auctioning off Lot #46. The children ask Jerome to buy them Lot #50. Mr. Poe and Jerome both bid and then back down, but Sunny bids on it and wins. The Baudelaires open the box, only to reveal Very Fancy Doilies. Gunther slips on the doilies and is revealed as Count Olaf when his boots and monocle fly off, revealing his unibrow and tattoo. Count Olaf and Esmé flee, pursued by the audience. The doorman is revealed as the Hook-Handed Man, and the Quagmires are hidden in the statue of a red herring. Although Jerome wants to keep the Baudelaires, he insists on taking them far away. They refuse this, however, because they want to rescue the Quagmires.

 

The film ends when Jerome is forced to give them up, because he is too cowardly to help them, Mr. Poe is calling a Vietnamese restaurant instead of the police, and the three children sitting on the stairs in the hall of the Squalor's apartment building.

 

Theaters: 3,883

MPAA Rating: PG for some violence, and terror

Budget: $60 million

Previous Films Grosses: OW/DOM/WW

A Series of Unfortunate Events: 42.0/173.5/286.5

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Movie the Second: 44.5/186.5/317.8

Edited September 28, 2014 by Blankments

[Alpha]

Amulet

Director: Bryan Singer

Composer: Michael Giacchino

Genre: Fantasy Animation

Date: July 28

Studio: 906 Studios

Format: 2D animation, converted to IMAX

Budget: $75 million

Theaters: 3,873

MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of fantasy action violence, including frightening scenes and some mild language

Running Time: 133 mins

Tagline: What You Know Is Dangerous To You

Cast:

Joey King as Emily Charnon

Preston Bailey as Navin Charnon

Jessica Chastain as Karen Charnon

Tara Strong as Miskit

Daniel Craig as Leon Redbeard

Jake Abel as Prince Trellis

Hugh Jackman as Cogsley

Christoph Waltz as Luger

Berenice Marlohe as Morrie

Dustin Hoffman as Silas Charnon

Stanley Tucci as David Charnon

Naomie Harris as Dr. Weston

Alec Baldwin as Balan

Julian Glover as Father Adler/Brother Malken/Other Trees

Michael Fassbender as The Stone

Jeff Bridges as The Elf King

Plot:

We fade into a city skyline of Los Angeles, in black and white. From the mountains we see an SUV traveling on a road alongside the mountain.

The screen cuts to a digital clock. It reads 7:45. The family driving the car is the Charnon family. They compose of Karen the mother, David the father, and Emily the daughter. They are picking up Emily’s younger brother Navin from his friend’s house. David states “they still have a half hour to go before 8.” Since fifteen minutes is not a half hour, Emily remarks it’s like “Dad lives in his own alternate universe. Time moves slower there.” Karen and David have an argument about David’s self-being saying such a thing like that, and with David not paying attention, he suddenly hits on the gas pedal hard. He sees a man in front of him with a broken down car, and tries to swerve. The car then flies over the fence. The family screams and braces as the car crashes down below off the side of a cliff.

When they stop rolling, David tells Emily to get out of her seat and climb out the front. Emily pulls Karen out of the car too. Emily reaches for David, but David’s legs are stuck under the dashboard. Karen (with a bloody nose) and Emily try to grab for David, as the car begins to tip. David can’t get out of his seat, as Karen and Emily try even harder. The car tips even more, and Emily tries to hold the car down. She’s not strong enough though, and the car tips EVEN more. David tells Karen to let go since it is impossible to get him out, and with no choice Karen lets go. Emily holds Karen back from the car as it falls from the cliff onto the ground below. Emily and Karen sit down and cry over the side of the cliff.

We cut to a funeral scene for David. The body is carried as the Charnon family (including Navin) mourns David’s death. During the funeral proceeding, a friend of Karen remarks to Karen that she shouldn’t worry, because “everyone goes somewhere when they die. Somewhere…special.” Karen nods with approval.

AMULET

We fade from the opening credits to a pleasant river. A minivan is going over a bridge. Inside the car is Karen, Emily and Navin. Navin tries to cheer Emily up by making funny faces. Emily says that his face is going to become that way if he doesn’t stop, but Karen says the one thing they need to do is to cheer up. Karen says they’ll like the town where their new home is. She says the house needs a lot of work to make it comfortable, but it’s a house that’s been owned by the family for generations. The “Welcome” town sign says “Norlen, Pop. 18,261” to which Emily describes as “the middle of nowhere.”

When they arrive, they find the house to be very messy and dirty. Since they could never sleep under such conditions, they decide to clean up the house. While brushing the floor, Emily sneaks upstairs. She finds a door at the end of the hall. When she opens it, she finds what has the fashion of a museum. There are paintings, skeletons, a balcony, and clockwork. Emily looks at a big portrait of a young man in an Edwardian suit, which is labeled SILAS CHARNON. She finds a book lying on a table. On the first page, a note is written “READ WITH PRECAUTION.” She flips pages from things such as “On Stone Power” or “Handling An Amulet.” Emily hears Navin call for her, and he sees what is in the room. Karen also heads upstairs, and finds Emily. Karen says it is their grand uncle Silas Charnon’s room. Emily asks if he is still alive. She says he disappeared when he was only 30 years old. The police found no evidence of a murder scene or suicide. Karen continues, saying that after their grand aunt Isabel passed away, Silas lived in the house for 2 weeks and was never seen again. She also states that Silas was a puzzle maker, which she says was very proud of. Emily flips open the book she was reading, and shows to Karen the “On Stone Power” section. She pauses, and says she doesn’t know.

Karen goes back to cleaning, but Emily spots a podium with a hand mark engraved, with the design of a spiral. Despite Navin’s warnings, Emily puts her hand on the engraving. Her finger is pricked for identification. The engraving starts to light up, and the engraving flips over to the other side. On this side is a plastic neck, which an amulet necklace around it. Navin wants to go back to cleaning before they get in trouble, but Emily stays. She studies the amulet, and puts it around her neck. Navin says they should tell Mom about it before Emily does anything with it, but Emily says she wants to check it out. Navin rolls his eyes, and goes downstairs with Emily.

We cut to the kitchen at night. There is no electricity, so Karen lights candles. The power is supposed to come back on in a couple of days, so Karen tries to cheer them up, saying it’s like camping. She continues that all she wants to do is start a new life after David’s passing, and she hopes that Emily and Navin will join her. The three hug, and Karen kisses Emily and Navin. Karen says she wouldn’t know what she’d do if she’d lost them. Karen wishes them a good night, and blows out the candle.

While Emily is sleeping, she hears a voice in her head. Saying, “Emily…” the voice gets louder and louder. Emily soon wakes up from her sleep after hearing the rising voice. Emily then hears a noise from downstairs, which wakes up Navin and Karen. Karen decides to go check out the noise, saying the two should stay put. Grabbing a flashlight, Karen heads down into the basement. Secretly, Emily and Navin follow her. Karen waves the flashlight around the room. She hears a shuffling of papers on a desk. She turns the light towards the desk, and sees a flying gelatinous creature. Karen drops the flashlight and screams. Emily and Navin rush downstairs, and see Karen being cornered by the creature. Karen tells the two to back away to be safe. Not seeing a giant octopus-like creature behind her, she is caught. The creature runs away from them and goes through a door.

After grabbing the flashlight, Emily and Navin run the way the octopus was going. They encounter a giant hall, frozen. They see another doorway, and go through it. It is a staircase downwards. As they run down, the brick stairs disappear behind them. They panic and run faster. They finally jump through an opening as the bricks form behind them. (At this point, everything is in color). Emily and Navin then see the octopus creature, with Karen trying to pull herself out of one of the holes. Navin tries to run, but the octopus grabs him too. When Navin lands in the belly, Karen tries to get him through the hole. The octopus creature also grabs Emily, but in a fury of rage, uses the amulet’s power to weaken the creature. She is surprised for a second, but sees Navin trying to get out. Karen is trying her hardest to push Navin out of the hole. Emily runs over, and grabs Navin. They tumble down a few rocks, but land soon.

Emily hears the stone’s voice again in her head. The voice says the only way to find her mother is to find “the house.” Emily and Navin find some giant mushrooms, and use them as sails to escape from the creature. The land on the ground below, and the stone tells Emily to use the stone’s power wisely, saying that being a Stonekeeper is a job that must not be taken lightly. Confused but determined, Emily tells Navin to follow her lead through the cavern. The camera pans out to the top of the cliff, where an ominous figure watches.

After much traveling, Emily and Navin find presumably “the house” mentioned by the stone. It is surrounded by a lake, so they’ll need to cross. They spot a figure inside a rowboat, arriving at the dock. They hide for a second, as they see the figure (revealed to be a robot dressed like a detective) pull out a gun (with power similar to a taser). They begin to run, as the robot aims. They then realize it’s not them that the robot is chasing after; it’s the ominous figure from before. The robot fires at the figure, which falls backwards off the side of a cliff. Emily asks the robot if he killed him. The robot says he only stunned him, so they must hurry. Navin asks what he’s after, and the robot says the amulet, as like many others, the figure seeks its power. Emily asks if he’s after it as well, and the robot says he helped the amulet get to her, and it is a gift from Silas Charnon. The robot continues, saying that Silas chose her to inherit to amulet’s power. Emily asks if Silas will help them get their mom back. The robot says, “Well, you should meet him first.”

The three go into the house, and the robot welcomes Emily and Navin to Charnon House. The robot begins to disassemble, and driving the robot is a pink bunny. Getting out of the cockpit, the bunny jumps out and introduces herself as Miskit. They shake hands, and Miskit says to follow her upstairs, saying “everyone” is waiting for them. They go upstairs, and they meet a robot named Cogsley. Cogsley is dissatisfied, as Emily is just a child, along with Navin. Miskit tells Cogsley to show respect, as Silas knows what he’s doing. Cogsley responds, “I hope you’re right.”

They also meet another robot named Morrie, who is more kind than Cogsley about the children’s arrival. While the children talk with Morrie, Miskit goes over to a very old man on a patient’s bed, and says to the old man, “They made it.” The old man wakes up, and Emily asks if he is Silas Charnon. The old man says yes, and also identifies Emily. Silas says that he built everything in the mansion along with Miskit, Cogsley and Morrie. Emily says that their mother is in danger and the stone told her to find him, and that he would help them. Silas responds that he already has, and that the amulet contains power that could grant someone the power to rule Alledia, the alternate dimension of Earth. Silas says if Emily can master the amulet’s power, then she will not only save her mother’s life, but gain a great and glorious power beyond anything she’d every imagine. Emily still isn’t interested in power, as she just wants to get her mother back. Silas responds that she could turn back time with this power, to the way things once were. If she can master the art of the Amulet, and it will help her attain the power to shape her world.

Silas, gravely ill, tells Miskit that he has left all his thoughts in the databanks, and it is her duty to teach Emily and lead her down the right path. MIskit denies, saying she isn’t ready to teach Emily and she can’t do it on her own. Silas says that the moment he saw Emily and Navin’s faces, he knew everything was going to be all right. “That’s the feeling I’ve been waiting for my entire life,” Silas continues. A close up view shows Silas’ eye become dead black instead of gray, signaling death. Miskit is extremely upset over Silas’ death, saying she can’t teach the kids alone. She begins to weep in bed, but calms down. Brushing a tear from Silas’ face, she says, “We’ll take it from here, sir,” and snaps her finger. Miskit tells a service robot to put Silas in a sleep chamber for transport to Kanalis. She tells Emily and Navin that they’ll have to consult the main computer to locate their mother. As they follow Miskit, Navin whispers to Emily that he has the feeling that Emily is getting them into even more trouble. Emily retaliates, and says that without Mom, she’s in charge and she can handle it. The camera zooms from the house, and we see the figure from before looming over the house.

Down in the command center, Miskit tells Emily and Navin that the main computer is hooked up to a holographic display, which shows maps and charts. Miskit pulls up a map showing their current location, Gondoa Mountain. The map also shows the life forms within. The map shows the octopus-like creatures from before. Miskit tells the children that they are Aranchnopods, and they are carrying their mother, and it’s heading north towards Morley’s Cave. Cogsley comes downstairs, and grumpily asks Miskit if they’re working for the children now. Miskit said it was Silas’ last order, and Cosgley says they’re just kids, and asks what they’re looking at. Miskit says it is the location of the Aranchopods, and they can head them off before they leave the cave. Cogsley says it’s the gauntlet, and that they are infested with Rakers, creatures that eat anything they can get ahold of. Emily asks what other options they have, and that it’s the “Albatross.”

We cut to the four in the hatch for the Albatross, a small fighter plane. Cogsley says they can navigate through the gauntlet, though Miskit argues the plane hasn’t been flown in years. Cogsley just responds that they get prepared for takeoff. Navin asks Miskit if they can trust Coglsey. Miskit says Coglsey can be a pain in the butt, but “he’s the most honest, hard-working robot I know.”

Down in the cabinet, Miskit, Emily and Navin open a large chest, and find tranquillizer darts. They’ll have to make every shot count, since they only have four. Emily asks what they do after the Arachnopods have been sedated. Miskit pulls out a harpoon, and responds that they’ll drag it to a stop. Cogsley fixes the Albatross, so it is ready for takeoff. Cogsley tells the “runts” that Miskit’s gonna need a co-pilot and he can’t get aboard the plane on account of weighing too much with all the metal. That means either Emily or Navin has to help fly the Albatross. Emily says Navin is too young, and she can do it. Navin is appalled, saying that he’s better at flying planes, because of playing many video games. Emily says this isn’t a video game, but real life. Navin begs for Emily to let him fly the plane, and reluctantly Emily agrees. Cogsley tells Miskit, “This wasn’t the ideal situation I was looking for.”

Before takeoff, Cogsley gives Miskit a laser gun, to stave off the Rakers. Emily sits in the backseat, and Miskit and Navin start the plane. Miskit flies left or right, and Navin flies up and down. The Albatross takes off, and at first the ride is bumpy, but Navin gets the hang of it and the plane flies swiftly.

The three travel into the gauntlet, where the Rakers await their arrival. Miskit sets the controls to one pilot and tells Navin he has to take control of the plane, as Miskit needs to repel the Rakers. When Miskit gets out the laser gun, she tells Navin that they’ll be attacking from all sides, so it’s best to fly in the middle. The Rakers “wake up,” and Miskit begins to fire. One comes near the Albatross, and Emily ducks as the Raker swifts overhead. While Miskit reloads, a Raker grabs her. Miskit calls for Emily, who uses the amulet’s power to stun the Raker, which releases Miskit. Miskit begins to fall downwards, and Emily grabs Miskit. Miskit says she’s alright. Emily asks where the gun is, and Miskit realizes she dropped the gun, and curses under her breath. Navin says that there are more Rakers up ahead. These Rakers are bigger and stronger, and they begin to brush against the plane. Emily uses the stone’s power to stun the Rakers, and they are able to make it out of the cave.

When the Albatross comes out, Miskit calls up Cogsley to see how far they are from the Arachnopod. Over the radio transmission, Cogsley says they’re right on top of it. Navin flies downwards to the side of a cliff, where the Arachnopods are running alongside. There’s about four, and they’re moving fast. Miskit tells Navin to glide downwards, but carefully. Once they are in a good position, Emily gets the poison and hands it to Miskit. Miskit fires the tranquilizer at one of the Arachnopods. The Arachnopod isn’t immediately affected, and Miskit is confused. Miskit goes to the back, and brushes the dust off the poison box. To her shock, the poison is really vitamin supplements. Miskit tells Navin to let her drive, and she glides the plane towards the Arachnopods. Miskit puts the harpoon on a wire, and fires at one, supposedly the one that contains the children’s mother. Inside the Arachnopod, Karen dodges the harpoon landing inside. The Arachnopod, boosted by the vitamins, tugs at the wire, causing the plane to go out of control. Emily asks Miskit why it isn’t working. Miskit says she brought the wrong darts, and they need to cut the rope. Emily, not wanting to lose her mother again, decides to take matters into her own hands. She jumps off the side of the Albatross, and uses the amulet’s power to float in the air. She flies herself towards the top of the Arachnopod carrying her mother. Emily sends out a burst of energy from the stone, which weakens the Arachnopod as the creature gives off a squeal. Emily sees a hand pop up out of a hole in the Arachnopod. Karen calls for Emily, and Emily tells her to grab a hold of her hand. Once Karen grabs Emily’s hand, Emily tugs at Karen’s hand, trying to pull her out. The Arachnopod tries to fight back, and begins to tug at Karen, and another Arachnopod begins to force the Albatross downwards and crash it. Emily tugs even harder at Karen. Karen tells Emily to go help her brother, but Emily in despair won’t let go. Karen tells Emily to just let go. Emily pauses, and says to Karen that she’ll come back for her. “I promise.” The two let go, and Karen sinks back into the Arachnopod.

In her fury, Emily creates a swirl of energy around her, and attacks the Arachnopod holding the Albatross, killing it. Miskit and Navin regain control of the plane, and Emily flies back on. The energy causes the Arachnopods to burn, and a giant ball of energy explodes. Smoke appears, and it looks like our heroes have died. Suddenly, the plane flies out from the smoke. Emily tells Miskit to get back on the wheel, and Navin sees a forest up ahead, and they’ll have to cut the rope. Miskit grabs a pocket knife, and forces the blade on the rope. Just before they fly into the trees, Miskit cuts the rope, and Navin keeps the plane steady to glide. Unfortunately, the Albatross begins to fly downwards, and it disassembles through a couple of trees and onto the ground. After sliding downwards, it crashes into a tree trunk. Emily looks around, and sees one Arachnopod with a harpoon sticking out of it. She gets out of the plane, and chases after it, ignoring Navin and Miskit’s warnings.

Emily finds herself deeper in the forest. It is pouring rain. She climbs on rocks, and comes across a small cleared area, full of mud. She then sees the ominous figure from before. We finally see the face of the figure, recognizable as an elf’s. The Arachnopod comes to the elf. The elf, who also has a stone, conjures a blast of energy and explodes the Arachnopod, leaving a pool of brown blood. The elf also uses the energy to pick out Karen, unconscious. Emily yells to let her go, and conjures energy to attack the elf, but the elf reflects the energy towards Emily, and forms a circle around Emily’s neck. Emily, choking, says that if the elf wants the stone, he can take it. The elf says that he’s not after the amulet, moreso after Emily. Without Emily, the stone is worthless. The elf says that he wants Emily to kill his father, the Elf King. Emily says that she’s not an assassin, she just wants her mother. The elf lets Emily go, and tells Emily that he wants to free the land from his iron grip by assassinating him. Trying to persuade Emily more, the elf says it’s what Silas wanted to do his whole life. The elf then summons a creature called a Sybrian, which the elf says that will travel into Emily’s brain and persuade her to agree with the decision. The stone’s voice talks in thought-speak to Emily to focus on power. Emily then builds energy, and makes the Sybrian explode into bits. She then sends her energy towards the elf, which sends him flying towards a rock. The voice tells Emily to destroy him. Emily builds a giant force, as the voice persuades her even more, as the elf begs for mercy. Emily then sees the fear in his eyes, and breaks down the energy. She tells him to run away, and never come near her family ever again. The elf then runs away, and suddenly Miskit and Navin come up the hill and sees Emily. Emily notices her mother, lying on the ground, unconscious. She the picks Karen up, and Miskit and Navin run towards her. Emily, exhausted, puts down her mother on the ground. The screen fades to black.

We fade back to Charnon House. Inside, Karen is in a medical room. Morrie says that the poison of the Arachnopod won’t kill her, but she needs an antidote, otherwise she may never wake up again. Emily, crying, kisses her mother, and leaves the room. In the hallway, she clasps the amulet, and tries to pull it off. A force then keeps it on her neck, and the voice tells her to relax, and said that it promised to get her mother back. Emily argues that she shouldn’t be poisoned, and that they need to find a cure. The voice says, “That, my dear, will be up to you. The stone stops flashing, and Emily comes back into the room. She sits next to her mother, and crying, tells her mother, “I’m so sorry, mom. I’m so sorry.” Morrie says that Kanalis is the nearest city, and they have the best doctors in all Alledia. Unfortunately, Miskit says the trip could take three weeks on foot without the Albatross. Cogsley says they’ve got one more vehicle. While they are talking, Navin asks Emily if Karen can hear them talking. Navin kisses Karen, and tells Karen everything’s going to be all right. “Right, Em?” Emily holds the stone in her hand, and says, “I hope so.” Miskit tells the two it’s time to move. Miskit tells two other robots to secure all loose items and furniture. Emily asks Miskit where she’s going. Miskit tells the two to come up, and they need to get the house “on it’s feet.” Navin questions why Miskit would say a house has “feet.”

They come upstairs, and see a giant control room. Miskit, Cogsley and another robot are piloting. Cogsley tells the children to sit down, as they’ll be leaving soon. Navin asks Miskit what’s going on. Miskit tells the children that they need to go to Kanalis to get an antidote, and there’s only one way to get there. Emily asks what that way is, and suddenly we hear loud creaking of metal (enough to make the theater rumble). Miskit yells to everybody to get secured. Cogsley tells another robot, “Let’s do this thing.” Cogsley thrusts the levers forward, and we see from the outside the house form into a giant robot, which begins to walk. The robot begins to walk into the lake surrounding the house. Inside the house, everything is rumbling. We hear a pot break, and Miskit says, “We missed something.”

The ladders crumble and the plumbing breaks, and the house begins it’s walk. It begins to climb up a giant cliff. Cogsley tries hard to get up, and the robot climbs up and finds its footing. It begins to travel through the valley, giving one beautiful landscape shot.

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We see a giant village on a hilly island. It is sunset. On the bridge, two guards are carrying the elf from before. The elf yells that he does not want to see the Elf King. The guards say, “You better start behaving, boy. Your father will hurt you worse than us, I swear.” The elf says, “Just remember who you’re talking to, servant.”

The guards come up to a door, with a hole. A pair of eyes asks who goes there. The guards say, “Prince Trellis is here to see his father.” The door opens, and a tiny elf guides the guards with Prince Trellis.

Up in the throne room, the Elf King waits for Prince Trellis. The doors open, and the guards come with Trellis. The Elf King (who wears a mask that obscures his face) says, “It comes as no surprise that my son has failed again.” Despite Trellis’ argument, the Elf KIng assigns Elf Officer Luger with Trellis on the next mission. The Elf KIng says that Luger has the force of ten soldiers, and he will serve Trellis well. The Elf King asks Luger about the children’s location, and Luger says they have not found them, but the hunt has already begun.

We see the Charnon House robot idle inside the forest. Inside, Cogsley is fixing parts of the robot, while Navin helps. Cogsley says he will show Navin how to control the driver’s seat, and Cogsley will show Navin how to control the house. If Cogsley is disabled, then Navin will need to take control. Navin agrees.

In the kitchen, Miskir is cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and suddenly the plates begin to break as the house shakes. Once again, the house rumbles loudly. Cutting back to the control room, Cogsley tells Navin that the trick is to remain calm, and to treat the house as an extension of himself. “When you tremble, the house trembles. So stay relaxed.” Navin thrusts the pedal and the house begins to move forward. Back in the kitchen, Miskit is cooking (as robots help her clean up), and tells another robot to deliver scrambled eggs to Emily.

The robot delivers it to Emily, who is kneeling alongside the bed of Karen, still unconscious. Emily thanks the robot, and looks at her mother. She prays for her mother to get better, crying a bit. She blows her nose with a tissue, just as Morrie comes into the room. Morrie says that Karen’s condition is getting worse and the poison is growing even stronger. Morrie also exclaims that she’s had one weird feeling this whole time traveling, as if someone is in the house besides Emily, Morrie and Karen. Morrie then leaves, telling the others that Kanalis is about 10 minutes away. Once Morrie leaves the room, the stone flashes and the voice begins talking to Emily. The voice says Emily should’ve destroyed Prince Trellis when they had the chance. Trellis and Luger are after them, and by not joining them, she has become their sworn enemy. “You must prepare for battle.” Emily asks what battle the stone is talking about, but the stone stops glowing.

In the control room, Navin and Cogsley look out the window. Cogsley says they’ve expanded quite a bit, since the last time he came to Kanalis was 10 years ago. There are now houses on the hills near the city. Finally, they catch a glimpse of the city state of Kanalis. The city lies on a giant hill, with a huge waterfall coming from the front end. Cogsley dials up the dock manager, requesting for permission to dock at a pier. The manager gives permission, and Navin comes in slowly and easily. The house docks at pier 10. While the house comes in, Trellis, Luger and a few other soldiers watch in the crowd. One soldier asks Luger if they should attack. Luger says that someone needs to follow them, and separate them from the house. He whispers to Trellis, “I’ll show you how to earn back your father’s trust.”

While they leave the house, Miskit tells Emily and Navin that the citizens of Kanalis look quite different. Emily asks why, and Miskit says, “You’ll see soon enough.” Once they pass through a hall, they meet a border inspector who asks for their passports. One thing is different; he has the body of a pig but the characteristics of a human. Navin asks if all the people of Kanalis look like him. Miskit says that the natural-borns are being altered by an ancient curse, that gives them the appearance of animals. Emily ponders if it is contagious. In an alley, Luger spies on the group. He tells the Elf King through a small amulet that he has the children in his sight. The Elf King tells him to strike swiftly and silently.

At a small restaurant, a humanoid fox, Leon Redbeard is paying for his food at the front counter when he sees Luger drifting through the crowd. He leaves and puts on a hat, walking with some weapons. In the crowd, Luger tries to find the children, and sees Leon blocking his way. He walks up, and asks for Leon to move (politely at first). Leon says, “And why would I do that for your people?” Luger pulls out a knife, and in a much darker tone, demands Leon to move away. Leon says, “Make me.” Luger attacks, but Leon dodges and punches Luger into barrels of fruit.

Back to the group, Miskit thinks they should try and ask where they can get medicine. Emily sees a soup kitchen, and asks why so many people are in line. Leon walks up and says that they’re farmers, but the elves took their land and left them with nothing. Emily asks if Leon is a farmer too, but Leon says that he’s a bounty hunter. Angered, Miskit says that they shouldn’t meddle with “his kind.” Leon says, “Well that’s too bad, because you could use my help right about now.” Leon then points to Luger getting up, along with some guards coming towards them. The guards notice them. Leon tells Miskit, Emily and Navin to follow his lead. Leon runs towards a parking lot, and gets into a small van. The group also gets in, a robot setting Karen in the backseat. The elf guards get on more formal motorcycles, and a chase sequence begins. Leon pulls out a gun and begins to shoot at the elves, who instead pull out laser guns and respond with shooting. After a few moments of chasing, the elves pop a tire on the motorcycle, and the bike begins to slow down. Leon gets off, and yells to the other three to get back. The elves drive closer towards the group and begin shooting, but miss. A guard gets off the motorcycle, and begins to have a fight with Leon. After a bit of fighting, the guard takes a blow to Leon, which sends him flying. Leon gets up, and the elves drive away. A woman (who looks like a mouse) asks Leon if he’s hurt, and Leon says he’s okay. The woman remarks that she wishes those terrible elves would just go away. Leon says, “I think help has finally arrived,” looking at Emily’s stone.

The group (without Leon) arrive at the hospital. A nurse (who looks like a squirrel) asks if they need any help. Miskit explains about Karen and the poison, and the nurse asks everybody to follow her. Inside a medical room, a woman doctor (who looks like a rabbit) is observing another patient, who’s turning into a slug. She gives the patient some pills to slow the process, and the patient leaves. The group comes in with the nurse, carrying Karen. The doctor introduces herself as Dr. Weston, and Emily also introduces herself too. Emily explains the situation, and Dr. Weston lays Karen on a medical bed. Dr. Weston says that the poison of an Arachnopod is highly toxic, as most cases result in death. She says only the fruit of a Gadoba tree can fight the venom and cure her. The Gadoba fruits grow on trees at the peak of Demon’s Head Mountain. Unfortunately, of the hundreds of soldiers the Elf King sends to the mountain never return, meaning their chances of survival are dim. Even with Dr. Weston’s warnings, Emily says that she has only one thing she wants to do, and it’s to get her family home safely. “If we have to climb up a mountain, then that’s what we're going to do.” Dr. Weston says she needs to leave the room for just a minute, and closes the door behind her.

Emily rests down, and to her right Leon asks, “Why is that the only reason? Or did Silas forget to teach you about your inheritance?” Emily then knows Leon isn’t a bounty hunter. Leon introduces himself, and apologizes for the trouble before. Leon climbs down from the windowsill, saying he doesn’t want any pay of any kind, just that Emily allows him to travel with them and fight by their side. Miskit argues, saying that Silas left her with the duty of protecting Emily from “people like him.”

Morrie in another room, gets a signal from a phone. On the line, Cogsley says that the elves are about to storm the house. Back at the house, Cogsley looks out the window and sees the elves. He tells all the other robots to do a complete shutdown so the elves can’t get any other information, while saying to this to Morrie on the phone. The elves are just coming upstairs, and Cogsley clicks a small button. Sparks fly, and the robots shut down. The elevs storm into the room and see the robots, asleep, but still steaming.

Morrie races back to the room with everyone else, and says the elves have stormed the house, and are making their way to the hospital. Leon asks Dr. Weston if they have an underground exit, and Dr. Weston says that they have a mass transit line that runs outside the city and to the smaller towns nearby. Leon replies to send the patients and staff to the nearest station at that moment. Miskit questions why they need to take the patients and staff. Leon replies, “Because the elves are already here.”

Back outside, the elves are prepping a cannon outside the hospital. Luger tells to fire the cannon on his mark. Trellis asks about the patients, and they have no part in this. Luger says, “Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good.” Luger makes the signal, and the guards fire the cannon. The cannonball destroys the bottom floors, sending the hospital crumbling. Inside, the group hears the explosion. Leon tells everyone to leave now. Dr. Weston makes an announcement over the PA system, signaling everybody to move downstairs. The group, along with the thousands of other patients, race down a flight of stairs to the subway station connected to the hospital. Leon signals everybody to get aboard the next train, which arrives in the station conveniently. Leon stops emily, and says, “Except for you. I need you to come with me.” Navin is against the idea, yelling that he will stay with Emily. Leon says that it’s just him and Emily. Emily says that he needs to stay with mom. Pulling Navin back, crying, Dr. Weston pulls him back from the closing doors.

Outside, the elves fire more cannons, which makes the rock formation above begin to crumble. As the train leaves the station, Leon and Emily run away from the falling rocks, which begin to fall behind the path. Emily and Leon find a safe spot in the sewers, and Emily remarks the two of them are fine. We hear Miskit’s voice say, “Three of us.” Miskit then tells Leon that Silas “created” her to aid Emily, so Leon can’t get rid of her so easily. Leon remarks, “So be it, rabbit.” They run through the sewers, and climb up a ladder leading outside. Leon gets to the top, and spies outside to look for the elves. He sees nobody, and motions for Emily and Miskit to climb up. They find themselves in an alley full of water pipes, and see that the elves have taken over the street. Leon looks up, and says, “We need to take the high road.”

Leon jumps from wall to wall, and finds himself on the rooftop of an apartment. Miskit yells that there’s no way they can do that. Leon says that maybe then Miskit shouldn’t have tagged along, but Emily can. Emily at first is confused, but then realizes the power of the stone. She asks Miskit to climb on her back. Emily then uses the power to lift herself up to the top of the building. Leon then motions for the two to follow him, and he jumps from building to building. Miskit tells Emily, “He’s gotta be kidding.”

In an alley, the elves lurk in the debris from the explosion. The guards tell Luger that there’s no sign of the children anywhere, and Luger tells them to look harder. Trellis asks Luger if this was how it was supposed to be. Luger responds, “It’s only getting started.” In his hand, a small stone glows, and on the other line, an elf soldier tells Luger they’ve spotted them on the rooftops.

Leon jumps from building to building, Emily and Miskit doing the same, as Luger sends a protocol to destroy the fox and rabbit, keep the girl alive. The elf soldiers climb the building, and Miskit spots them. She tells Emily and Leon to run even faster, they’ve got company. Leon looks back and jumps off a cone-shaped entrance, kicking the elves in the head. Leon tells Miskit and Emily to stay back, as he pulls out a sword and has a duel with an elf soldier. Another one climbs up and charges towards Leon, and Emily conjures energy and blasts away the second soldier. The second soldier lands on a small market, and people look at the soldier, surprised.

Leon maintains a grip of the sword against the first soldier, and Emily realizes Leon needs help. Miskit says that if she can’t control it, then she could hit Leon by accident. Emily says she can do it, and Emily forms a huge ball of energy. Leon looks the other way, and kicks the soldier in the air, as the ball or energy hits the soldier violently. The soldier lands on the rooftop hard, bruised and unconscious. Emily, shocked at her power, tries to pull the amulet off. The amulet uses a force that pulls down on Emily’s neck. She tries and tries, but can’t get the amulet off her head. Leon says it is her curse, and it is her chosen path. When she gains control of the stone, the prophecy is she will turn the curse into a blessing for Alledia. Leon continues that he has spent his entire life preparing for this moment, and as a child the “Elders of the Resistance” told Leon he would meet her. Leon also says that her brother Navin will meet them soon. Emily asks if Navin and Mom will be all right. Leon sighs, and says, “They’ll be in good company. Much better than ours.”

We cut to the mass transit train moving into a station called “18th Street, Ferris State.” The doors open, and hundreds of people unload from the cars. Guards are moving the crowds along, to the nearest exits. Dr. Weston tells Navin to follow her, and Dr. Weston goes somewhere no one else is going. We cut to a small den. A dozen people (who have the Kanalis curse) are watching on a small TV the news coverage of the explosion of Kanalis Hospital. The reporter says that nearly 125 people were killed as the floors above floor 3 collapsed. Some are blaming the elf government for this catastrophic disaster, sending tribulations against the government. The government has denied any of this (we know they’re lying), saying that it was nothing but a terrorist attack. Dr. Weston knocks on the door, and the moose guy Balan opens the door. Balan greets Dr. Weston, and asks where Leon is. Dr. Weston says that Leon had a “dilemma,” so he couldn’t come. Balan asks why, and Dr. Weston says that he’s found the new Stonekeeper. Dr. Weston then introduces Navin, Emily’s daughter. Balan is pleased to see Navin, and is excited about the news. Navin says they need to bring Karen to a safe place, and Balan tells the robot that came along to bring Karen to bring her to the medical room, and Dr. Weston should accompany Karen. Balan then tells Navin that he will show Navin around the headquarters. Navin asks what headquarters, and Balan responds, “To the Resistance.” Inside, the Resistance members greet Navin with “sir.” Navin asks why, and Balan says that he’ll find out soon enough. Balan then tells Navin that there’s someone waiting to meet him. He’s an old friend of Silas, and one of the first members of the Resistance. Balan says his name is Father Adler. Navin asks if he is a priest. Balan says not quite.

We cut to Navin, Balan and Morrie at the top of a mountain. A very old oak tree, who is Father Adler, and has a face, wakes up. Balan says that he has brought the brother of the Stonekeeper. Father Adler tells Navin to sit down on one of the mushrooms. Father Adler then tells Navin he can see the future, since he has been around for so long. “When you are around for so long, you see patterns in life. When I look into the future, I am looking into these patterns. Your creatures are not as complex as you make yourselves out to be.” Navin asks if Emily will be okay. “If there is only bad news to tell, do you still wish to hear it? It might be better to simply hope for the best.” Navin pleads for Father Adler to tell the truth. “All right, then. I see your sister picking a fruit off a tree. This will be the fruit that will cure your mother. The images that follow are much less clear, but one picture appears vividly. It is the image of your sister falling off a cliff. She is unconscious, and death awaits her below.” Navin, realizing the danger Emily is in, tells Morrie they need to leave now. Navin and Morrie run as fast as they can down the cave they came through. Balan calls to Navin that he still needs to hear his future. Father Adler tells Balan that Navin has heard enough.

Down in the caves, Navin asks how long it will be until Cogsley’s memory gets wiped out. Morrie says about five hours, and Navin says they better not stop running until they get back to the house. Morrie tells Navin that the house is being guarded by elves, and they won’t be able to stop them. Morrie then asks if Navin has an idea. Navin responds, “No. I improvise.”

Back at the headquarters, Navin tells Dr. Weston they need to leave now, and they need to take back the house. Dr. Weston then tells Navin they’re in no shape to fight the elves that are guarding the house. Balan then interrupts, saying they can help. Navin looks, and sees the Resistance, smiling. Balan says that he was afraid Navin already left, calling Navin “sir.” Navin asks why everyone calls him “sir” now. Balan says, “Because you’re our commander.”

In Kanalis, the elf soldiers from before are healing, and Luger says that these are some of his best men, and the girl is probably getting help from a powerful ally. Trellis argues that the girl is much more powerful than Luger assumes. Luger pulls out a stone shaped like the mask of the Elf King. Steam rises, and the face of the Elf KIng forms. Luger reports that the young Stonekeeper has escaped, and she is being aided by a formidable warrior. The Elf King says that Luger’s mission remains clear; destroy the warrior and capture the girl. If the girl resists, then killing her is their only option. The Elf King adds that if so, he prefers Trellis to deliver the fatal blow. By killing the girl, he can prove his loyalty to him. Should Trellis fail, then Luger has his permission to kill him. “Is that understood?” Luger says, “Yes, my lord.” The Elf King’s face in the steam fades away, and Trellis questions why Luger would kill him. Luger says that he will do as he is told, something Trellis should do more often. Luger sees red fur on the ground, and smells it. It smells like fox. A guard reports that the girl and her ally are en route to Demon’s Head Mountain. Luger tells the guard to bring the Crawler Hounds. “It’s time to finish this manhunt.”

In a forest, Emily, Leon and Miskit are walking towards Demon’s Head. Leon says they will stop here. Miskit argues that they haven’t even started climbing. Leon says they must prepare first. Emily says she’s ready, and Leon says she isn’t. Before they continue, Emily needs to learn how to control her powers. Otherwise, she will pose a greater threat to society than the elves. Leon kneels, and offers Emily the sword, so she can harness her power and focus her energy. Emily tells Leon to keep the sword, and picks up a walking stick. Leon shrugs, saying that it’ll be adequate for their purposes. Emily asks Leon why he is taking time out of his life to help Emily and her friends. Leon responds that in the end, it it will be her helping all of us. Leon is here to show her the way. Leon asks how much did Silas tell you about his life’s work. Emily said not much, she only saw him for 2 minutes before he died. Leon says that what he would’ve told her is that there is a group of people in Alledia fighting against the Elf King and his regime. Silas was one of these people, and now Emily is his successor. Emily says all she wants to do is find a cure for her mom and get her family back home safely. Leon says he will help her do that, but there’s an even greater mission ahead of her. “You must understand that if we do not stop the Elf King, your mother will not be the only one to die. If we fail, we all perish.” Leon continues, that Silas left mom and Emily’s grandfather in the dark, to keep them unaware of their duty as heirs to the stone, and left them to lead what he felt was a normal life. Emily was also meant to lead a normal life, but it so happened that Emily discovered the amulet, and now Emily has to fulfill her duty, despite being only 12 years old. Emily says that not everyone wants to be a hero, and that she wasn’t aware of her destiny until everyone came out and said it straightforward and clear. Leon says, “Yes, not everyone should be a hero. But you so happen to be in that position that you should.” Miskit says to Leon that even though he is a great warrior, Silas left no mention of him. He did, however, leave her to look after Emily. “Now if you kindly show us the way up the mountain, we can be on our way up.” Leon sighs, and says that if that is all they care about, then they should follow him. Miskit whispers to Emily, “See? You just have to ask nicely.”

They arrive at an entrance, blocked by a sack. Leon says it is the entrance to the mountain, and twenty tons of explosive material are blocking the way. The only person who can get past it is a Stonekeeper, who needs to move it. Leon looks at Emily, and says that this is why Emily is not ready, and if she fails to control her powers, she’ll just blow up the entrance, and kill the three of them. Emily, seeing the possibility of this, agrees to let Leon be her mentor. Leon then says, “Good. Let us begin.” He picks up a small seed, and tells Emily that he wants her to pick up the seed using the power of the stone. Emily conjures the energy, but breaks the seed in two. Leon picks up another, but the same thing happens. Emily says she can’t do it the same, but Leon says she can, and puts down another seed. Again, Emily breaks it in two. Leon then tells her to try it this time with the staff, and infuse the power of the stone with it. Miskit adds that Emily lifted herself with Miskit earlier, and she didn’t burn herself or Miskit. Emily says that with Miskit, it’s different, because she doesn’t want to hurt her, but to protect her. Leon then tells her that the seed is living, too, so Emily can protect it. Emily tries her hardest, and conjures the energy and transfers it to the staff. The energy begins to swirl around the staff and Emily. Emily focuses on the seed, and the seed begins to rise. It swirls in the air, and Leon compliments her. Leon then says, “Let’s try something, well, bigger.”

We see Leon on top of a giant tree log. Leon is talking and inside Emily’s head, the voice says, “Hello, young master. I was beginning to think you were upset with me. But one’s quest for power is too important, right? I like the fox man. He has a desire to fight. Let’s show him what a powerful ally he is.” Emily then rises the log, and Leon tumbles off and lands flat on the ground. Miskit yells to Emily to stop, but Emily continues to rise the log. The voice continues that with her power, they can accomplish anything. Emily turns to the sack of explosives, and creates the energy that moves the sack out of the way. She sets it down on the ground, and Miskit asks Emily if she’s okay. The voice continues that Emily doesn’t need them. All they will do is slow her down. “Leave them behind. This road belongs to us.” Emily in thought speak says that they travel together, and the voice replies, “As you wish, master.” Miskit asks Leon if he’s alright, and Leon says he’s fine. Emily says to Leon that something’s happening to her. Leon says she’s growing in strength, but so is the stone. The more powerful the amulet comes, the more difficult it is to control. Leon then tells Emily and Miskit to follow him, they have no time to lose.

Back at the house, it is quiet and calm. The elves guard the house, and inside the robots are still in shutdown mode. A Resistance slug is with Navin inside a dumpster full of fish, saying that they only have a few soldiers on patrol, and it’s now or never. Balan, in-costume, will push a cart that carries the dumpster. He gives the signal to close the hatch, and begins pushing the cart. When he comes close, a guard tells him the docks are off-limits tonight. Balan tells the guard that he is working his night shift emptying garbage for Milo’s Rubbish, a nearby sanitation company. The guard says that he wants to see the load. Balan warns him, saying anything could be in there. The guard demands that he see the load. Balan says, “Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.” He opens the hatch, and the smell of rotten fish reeks. Navin and the slug are hiding under. The elf covers his mouth in disgust, and Balan says that elves can’t stand the smell of fish, and the last pickup must’ve been the marina. The guard just tells him to unload it, as he rushes towards a nearby bathroom. Balan chuckles, and connects the tube to the side of the house while the guard is in the bathroom. Balan opens the hatch and tells Navin and the slug to leave through the pipe. Navin and the slug climb up, and Navin and the slug find themselves in the basement.

They rush upstairs to the attic, and find the robots in shutdown mode. Navin pulls out a USB disk, which Morrie said would reboot the power to the robots if plugged into the main terminal. He plugs the drive into the slot, and power is restored. Lights turn back on, and the robots shriek with electricity. Navin welcomes Cogsley back, and the slug says that his work here is done. Navin and Cogsley rush upstairs to the control room. While Cogsley gets the engine started, Navin asks Cogsley if he believes in premonitions. Cogsley says he has heard of predictions based on sound mathematical assumptions. If the premonition was based on such math, then he would believe in them. Navin puts on a headset, and says, “Then let’s hope trees are bad at math.” The eyes of the house robot flash on, and the sound of machinery makes a rumble. Inside a bathroom, the elf guard is washing his face when he hears the booming sounds. He rushes outside, and sees the robot ready to move, rumbling in awe.

On the side of a cliff, Leon is perched on a small den, watching Emily try to climb the cliff with Miskit on her back. Leon asks her why she isn’t using the stone to climb the cliff. Emily shouts that she doesn’t need the stone. Leon pulls Emily up, saying she’s going to kill herself. They will rest in this den for the night. Later, they make a fire, and Emily asks what happens when to a Stonekeeper if they lose control of the stone. Leon says, “They...change.”

We transition to a flashback as Leon narrates. Thirty years ago, four young Stonekeepers lost control of of their powers. The stones took control of their minds and bodies, and with the power surging through them, they were turned into colossal beasts. When the transformation was complete, they became determined to destroy everything in their path, setting the surface of Alledia aflame. If it were not for the Stonekeepers who fought back against the monsters, Silas one of them, none of them would be around today. The Resistance was able to destroy these power-hungry rouge Stonekeepers, except for one. He used to be a quiet boy from a small elf village, but after his transformation, he was never the same. The Elders were able to separate him from his stone, and despite his requests to be executed, they locked him up in an attempt to cure him of his curse. But when he talked, he spoke only for his desire of power, and warned of dark days to come. He told them that they would regret having kept him alive, and he would show them that way. Leon’s father was one of the guards assigned to watch over the elf. He was there the night the stone returned to help the boy escape. It was the last time Leon saw his father alive. Setting the section of the town aflame, it was the night the Elf King was born.

Emily realizes that boy was the Elf King, and thinks this is why Leon is doing this, because the boy killed his father. Leon said he is not motivated by vengeance, and he is doing this to honor him. Emily adds that stones like hers are what killed Leon’s father, so how could Leon trust her? Leon says that his mission has always been to destroy the Elf King, and and Emily is the best hope he has for seeing that happen.

We cut to the forest. Luger, Trellis and a few soldiers are walking in the forest. They have brought Crawler Hounds, giant monsters that resemble wolves. Luger and Trellis are riding on one, and Luger asks Trellis what he is hiding. Luger adds that he can sense Trellis’ hesitation. “The air around you is thick as blood.” Trellis acts like he doesn’t know what Luger is talking. Luger thinks for a second, and orders to stop the convoy. Luger gets off, and orders Trellis to get off. Both of them get off, and Luger orders the guards to pin Trellis down on the ground. Luger grabs a long stick, and says that it’s time to end this. Trellis argues that he hasn’t gotten a chance to prove himself. Luger says he’s had plenty of chances already, and in every instance Trellis has failed. The only way to make sure Trellis succeeds is taking him out of the equation. Luger, with his stone’s power, transfers the energy to the stick, and tells Trellis that after the wounds have healed, he will thank him for this. Luger raises his stick as Trellis yells to stop. Luger makes a fatal blow to the crotch, and Trellis screams in agony. Luger drops the stick, lifts Trellis’ head, and says that someday Trellis will learn to do what is right, even if it hurts. Luger then tells the guards to move along, and they will continue the hunt without Trellis. Trellis lays on the ground, moaning in pain.

In the thick fog, Emily, Leon and Miskit are going to the top of the mountain. They climb up, and see nothing. Miskit is confused, saying that the trees should be right in front of them. The fog clears away, and we see trees (similar to Father Adler) with the Gadoba fruit, sleeping. There are lots of skeletons laying of the ground, and Emily asks Leon who all these people were. A tree says they are travelers, just like the three. They all came looking for the same thing, the Gadoba fruit that can cure any poison. Many have killed their companions to have it for themselves. Another tree chimes in, saying that he senses something different about Emily. The other tree says that for every fruit that gives life, there is another that takes it away. Very few succeed in finding their prize. Leon walks up, and the first tree recognizes Leon, and saying that it has been a long time. Leon says he promised he would return, and the trees ask if Emily is the one they’ve been anticipating. Leon says he’s certain of it. Leon then turns to Emily, and tells her to pick a fruit. Emily asks what happens if the fruit she picks isn’t the right one. Leon then tells her, “Remember what I taught you. Everything has a life force.” Emily then conjures power, which swirls around the fruit. It’s none of these. Suddenly, one drops from a tree. Emily picks it up, and realizes it is the one. Emily takes a bite of the fruit, and says it tastes disgusting, but is the right one. The trees offer more, and Miskit asks Emily to bring a couple more, arguing that they could lose that one. Emily says that if they take more than one, they’re bound to cause more trouble. Leon shushes them, and looks into the mist. Miskit asks what is it, and Leon says that he saw something moving out there, and they need to leave now. Leon tells the tree, named Brother Malken, that the elves are likely on their trail. Malken replies that they need to leave quickly, and keep Emily safe. "It will be up to you to see that she reaches her full potential. And be careful, your journey down the mountain will be far more treacherous than the journey here." Leon says he will, and tells Emily and Miskit that they'll be harder to track in the night. Once they leave, one free asks why Malken did not tell them about what lies ahead. Brother Malken says, "He already knows."

Later, Luger comes to the top of the mountain, and meets with Brother Malken. Luger notices the skeletons are the remains of elves, and accuses the trees of killing more elves than a plague. Malken says every one of them chose the fruit that brought their demise. "It was not our doing, but their own." Luger says he will not let such crimes go unpunished. He tells the guards to burn all the trees down. From a distance, the group sees the forest begin to burn. They then realize the elves were right behind them. They realize they need to hurry, as the elves are very close.

They reach a point in the mountain where fog obscures everything. They come across a tree with a hole in between. They hear footstepsin the mist, and Leon says, "They're here." We see shadows, and then figures. It's Luger, with a Crawler Hound. Leon whispers to Emily to retain control of her power. The more energy Emily uses, the stronger the stone becomes. Luger then tells the Crawler Hound to kill them. The Hound runs towards Emily, and Emily forces energy from the stone to the walking stick. She swings it across the ground, sending the energy to the Hound. The Hound then yelps, and Emily jumps in the air, and swings her stick, sending a huge blast of energy towards the Hound, oliberating it into ashes. A guard comes after Leon with a sword, and both have a duel. Leon swings his sword and cuts the guard, who is briefly stunned, and Leon stabs the sword into the back. Luger takes matter into his own hand, forcing energy towards Emily. Emily does the same, and the energy meets in the middle, an ever-growing ball of tension. The stone yells in thought speak to Emily that he is much too powerful, and she needs to give in to the stone. Her tension broken, Emily's walking stick breaks, and Luger strangles Emily with his stone's power. Miskit tries to stop Luger by throwing Leon's sword, but Luger blocks it and throws Emily to the ground.

Emily tries to regain energy, but the stone tries to force Emily into letting the stone take control. Leon grabs his sword, and fights Luger. They reach a point of tension between the two swords, but Luger kicks Leon in the face, sending him to the ground. Luger grabs Miskit by the neck, and throws her towards a tree. Luger walks up to Emily, and says that if this is supposed to be the Stonekeeper who would destroy the king, then how could anything pose such a threat? Luger pulls out a sword, and says that a simple execution will do. Before Luger swings, a blast of energy comes and hits him behind the back. Luger looks back in pain, and sees Trellis, staggering a bit, but ready to fight. Luger demands why Trellis has come back. Trellis responds, “I know what is right.” He swings a stick full of stone power, and it shocks Luger to a massive degree. Luger stumbles on the ground, and Trellis tells him the Elf King taught him everything he taught Luger. Luger responds, “Not everything.” Suddenly, his stone’s energy makes him begin to grow. His clothes rip with his ever-growing body, as he forms into a colossal beast. By the end of the transformation, Luger is a 200-ft tall giant. Leon comes towards Emily, who is trying to fight for control of the stone. Emily regains consciousness, but is weak and fighting for control. Leon carries Emily, yelling to her to regain control as she dozes off again. Luger sees this from a distance, and Luger pounds on the ground, making the ground rumble and sending Emily and Leon off the cliff.

The two fall down in slow motion. Emily closes her eyes, awaiting what will be her death. Suddenly, a giant hand, obscured by the mist, picks up Emily and Leon, falling from the sky. It’s the Charnon House robot. Inside the cockpit, Navin and Cogsley give each other a high-five, and Cogsley orders Morrie and another robot to retrieve both of them from the hand, before Luger notices. Morrie and the robot rush out, and they grab Emily and Leon. Leon is a bit shaken, but Emily is unconscious again. Morrie pulls out a walkie-talkie, and reports to Cogsley that they have both of them. Leon takes EMily and puts her on a medical bed, saying that she is battling control of the power of the stone. “The stone’s influence is strong, but hopefully she will succeed. Inside the cockpit, Navin tells Cogsley to strap everyone in, they need to prepare for battle. Cogsley argues that the house was only meant for transportation, and Navin responds, “Well, what do we do? Stall?” Cogsley reluctantly agrees, and makes an announcement to strap everyone in. Navin then faces the house towards Luger, and says, “Bring it.” He makes the house run, and the house punches Luger in the torso. Luger in response rips the left arm of the house off. Cogsley tells Navin to retain control, and keep going at him. The house punches Luger in the face, but Luger rips off the other arm. Cogsley yells they need to retreat. Luger gets on top of the house, and pushes it downwards. Everyone goes flying, and all the systems are down. Navin says, “If there’s one time I want my sister awake, it’s right freaking now!” Navin rushes to Emily’s bed, and yells for her to wake up, saying she’s the only one who can defeat the giant. Navin then looks at Mom, and starts crying. “We need you.”

The stone begins talking to Emily again. “They need you, master. Just give in to the stone and harness it’s power. The stone can take down the giant in a single blow. Just give in.” Emily opens her eyes, and tells the stone that she can defeat it without losing control. Emily tells Navin to get back into the driver’s seat. She has an idea. Leon asks what Emily intends to do. Emily says, “Remember what you said. Everything has a life force.” Navin rushes to the cockpit, and Cogsley asks what’s all the huff. Navin says, “Emily has an idea. It may not be a good one, but it’s the best we have.” Emily then conjures power from the stone, and spreads it to the entire house. Everyone looks up in amazement, and the machinery begins turning. Navin lets go of the controls as they flash, too. The house begins repairing itself, it’s parts and machinery coming back together. The house gets up off the ground, and Navin tells Cogsley that he needs some of the auxiliary power to fight Luger. Luger takes a punch to the house, but Emily’s power sends a shock through Luger’s body. Emily yells to Navin to hit him while he’s in pain. Navin thrusts forward, and knocks Luger to the ground. Emily yells, “Now let’s give him all we’ve got!” Navin then thrusts the robot, but this time, the right arm flies off the robot in a straight direction, towards a stumbling Luger. The force of the arm punches Luger in the side of the face, sending him off the cliff of the mountain, into the mist below.

The arm flies back onto the robot, and Navin screams “We did it!” and everyone cheers. Cogsley then sees the stone power withering away from the dashboard. Cogsley looks at Emily, who appears to be stumbling. The stone begins to stop glowing, and Navin rushes towards Emily. Emily groans, and in her vision we see her eyelids closing, as Navin gets help.

After a small beat, we hear a small radio. It sounds like a news report, though it’s quite and faint. Still in her vision, Emily opens her eyes. She’s in a small bedroom. Emily wakes up, and smell eggs downstairs. Emily then walks, in her pajamas, down the hallway. She arrives in the kitchen, and sees her mom, alive and well, making scrambled eggs. Emily races up to Karen, and the two hug. It seems normal, and Emily realizes that it all was a dream. Emily begins to tell Karen that she had the craziest dream, when she feels something on her neck. She tells Karen she needs to go to the bathroom, and walks inside. She unbuttons the top of her shirt, and sees the amulet, still on her neck. Everything was real. Emily races back into the kitchen, and asks her mom where they are. Karen says that they’re inside the house. Emily looks out the window, and sees the Charnon House, still moving through the forest. Karen asks Emily how they got here. “Navin says it’s all your fault.” Emily looks, and sees Navin and Leon. Emily and Navin hug, rejoiced to see each other. Leon says both performed admirably. Emily asks if they won. Leon responds for now, this is only the beginning. The elves will come after them with the full strength of the army. Emily looks at her amulet, and says, “We’ll always be ready.” Leon leaves the room, saying that their training begins tomorrow, but he’ll leave them be for now. Karen remarks he’s a very nice “animal person.” Walking down the hallway, Miskit notices Emily, and the two meet up again. Emily sees that Miskit has a cast on her arm from the fight, and Miskit tells her that it should repair itself by the end of the day. Emily then thanks Miskit for all she’s done. Miskit says that it what she was created to do. Cogsley reports that the main engine is back online, and they’ll be operational by the end of the day. Navin says that he’ll see Cogsley in the control room, and Cogsley says to himself, “I gotta go wash my head.” When everyone leaves to their rooms, Karen remarks it isn’t the life they’d imagined, but it’ll do for now. “I can get used to this.” The three of them look out the window, into the forest and the mountain range.

Outside the house, which begins to move, we zoom in on Trellis. He looks at the house for a brief couple of seconds. He then begins to follow it, as the end credits music plays.

THE END

After the first end credits song, another song, "Life, Death, Pain" by Paul McCartney & Alicia Keys plays.

Edited April 19, 2013 by Iron Alpha

[Blankments]

The Once and Future King: The Queen of Air and Darkness

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Genre: Fantasy

Date: December 25

Studio: Blankments Productions

Cast: Freddie Highmore as King Arthur, Gary Oldman as Merlyn, Douglas Booth as Kay, Gibson Bobby Sjobeck as Gareth, Jakob Miller as Gaheris, Pierce Gagnon as Agravaine, Owen Bento as Gawaine, Elizabeth Olsen as Morgause, Jeremy Irons as King Lot, Helen Mirren as Morgan le Fay, Geoffrey Rush as St. Toirdealbhach, James McAvoy as King Pellinore, Liam Neeson as Sir Grummore, Martin Freeman as Sir Palomides, Ewan McGregor as Archimedes, Daniel Craig as Sir Ector, Kristen Schaal as Piggy, Jean Dujardin as Bors, Gérard Depardieu as Ban, Helena Bonham Carter as Nimue, and Anthony Hopkins as the narrator.

Music by: Howard Shore.

Runtime: 126 min

Tagline: The First Test of a King.

Plot Summary: An epic adaptation of the classic novel.

Plot:

In an uncomfortable castle in Orkney, a medieval kingdom in Ireland, four brothers, Gawaine, Gaheris, Gareth, and Agravaine, whisper to one another. Gawaine tells the story of their grandmother, Igraine, the countess of Cornwall, whose husband was killed by Uther Pendragon so Pendragon could have Igraine as his wife. In the room below, Morgause is trying to turn herself invisible. She boils a live cat, separates the bones from the flesh, and then puts each bone into her mouth while watching herself in a mirror. Before she finds the right bone, however, she grows bored and throws the whole mess out the window. Above her, the boys promise that they will avenge the death of their grandfather by fighting Uther’s son, Arthur.

Back in England, Arthur stands on the battlements of a castle with Merlyn. They discuss a recent battle with one of the Gaelic kings, King Lot of Orkney, who is Morgause’s husband. Arthur is proud of his victories, but Merlyn scolds him for not knowing how many kerns, or foot soldiers, were killed in the battle. Merlyn also tells Arthur that he will have to start thinking for himself, because Merlyn knows that he will soon fall in love with a girl named Nimue, who will use Merlyn’s own spells to trap him in a cave for several centuries. As Arthur holds a rock in his hands, he is awestruck by the fact that he could drop it on somebody’s head down below and nobody could punish him. Merlyn watches Arthur intently while Arthur thinks about this power aloud, but Arthur breaks out of his bloodthirsty reverie and uses the stone to knock off Merlyn’s hat.

One day, Kay, Merlyn, and Arthur go hunting for grouse. Merlyn explains that there are many reasons why the Gaelic kings are rebelling against Arthur. One of these is the long-running ethnic feud between the Gaels, an older race who once ruled England, and the Normans, who drove them out. Another is the fact that Arthur’s father killed the count of Cornwall, who was the father of Queen Morgause, Morgan le Fay, and a woman named Elaine. Arthur says he understands why the Gaelic kings are fighting him. Merlyn retorts, however, that two wrongs do not make a right. Even though Merlyn is a Gael himself, he says the Gaels destroyed another race before they themselves were driven out, and that this conflict occurred so long ago that it is time to forget it.

Later, Merlyn argues that fighting is generally wrong, except in cases of self-defense. Kay is skeptical that the aggressor is always so easy to identify, but Merlyn stubbornly disagrees. He tells Arthur that his enemy, King Lot, the aggressor in this case, starts wars as casually as if he were fox hunting and has no regard for the common soldier.

In Orkney, Gawaine, Gareth, Gaheris, and Agravaine are visiting the house of Mother Morlan, a local woman. St. Toirdealbhach, a “relapsed saint,” is also in the house. After a drink of whiskey, the fierce and battle-scarred old saint tells them the story of King Conor, who was shot in battle by a magic bullet. The ball lodged in his temple, and his surgeons told him to avoid all excitement. One day during a thunderstorm, a servant told King Conor that Jesus was being crucified that day, and as the king rushed to defend his savior, he fell down dead. St. Toirdealbhach thinks sadly that war isn’t what it used to be and that battles have gotten so big that it is hard to remember what is being fought over. The boys protest that one needs many men in a battle or there would be no one to kill.

The boys ride a couple of donkeys to the beach, beating the donkeys furiously as they go. A magic barge lands, and three knights—King Pellinore, Sir Grummore, and Sir Palomides—descend with a dog. A crowd of local townspeople gathers around them.

Arthur stops by Merlyn’s room to ask his advice, but Merlyn tells him that the king should always summon people to him. Merlyn is summoned to the Royal Chamber an hour later, and he, Arthur, Kay, and Sir Ector talk about the idea of chivalry. Arthur tells the others that might does not equal right and that currently, knights do whatever they please while the people slaughter, torture, and rape one another. For example, Arthur says, there are knights like Sir Bruce Sans Pitié, who rides around the country killing people and carrying off maidens for sport. Might can be used to achieve right, Arthur reasons, saying that he will use force to put down the Gaelic rebellion and then try to harness this power for good by creating an order of knights that will fight for just causes.

Back in Orkney, King Pellinore, Sir Palomides, and Sir Grummore go hunting for a unicorn with Morgause, who is trying to make the three men fall in love with her. According to legend, a unicorn can be caught only if a virgin attracts it, but despite what the Orkney children think, Morgause does not fit the description. The boys visit St. Toirdealblach, who tells them another story about a witch. The Orkney boys decide to capture a unicorn to please their mother. They coerce a kitchen maid into playing the virgin, binding her to a tree in the forest. A unicorn appears and lays its head in the kitchen maid’s lap with grace and majesty. Agravaine, seized by a fit of passion, kills the unicorn, yelling incoherently that the girl is his mother and the unicorn has dared to put its head in her lap. They take the unicorn’s head home as a trophy, but Morgause fails to notice it, and when she learns what they have done, she has them whipped.

On the plain of Bedegraine, before joining in battle with King Lot and his forces, Arthur, Merlyn, and Kay make further plans for Arthur’s order of knights. Arthur decides that the knights should all sit at a round table, so that each of the places are equal. Merlyn informs Arthur that King Leodegrance, whose daughter, Guenever, eventually marries Arthur, has such a table. Merlyn also asks Arthur to remind him to warn Arthur about Guenever in the future. Kay tells Merlyn that he thinks it is right to start a war if he knows that a victory will bring a better life to the conquered people. Merlyn angrily tells Kay that it is much better to make ideas available than to force them on others. Trembling with rage, he tells Kay that he knows of an Austrian who shared Kay’s views and dragged the whole world into bloody chaos.

Sir Palomides and Sir Grummore create a costume that looks like the Questing Beast and then convince King Pellinore that they have spotted the beast on the island. Meanwhile, Morgause, her advances spurned, decides that she hates the knights and that she loves her children. Gareth runs to bring the others the good news that they are forgiven, and he finds them squabbling. Agravaine wants to write their father a letter telling him that Morgause has been cheating on him with the English knights. This suggestion enrages Gawaine, and when Agravaine pulls a knife to defend himself, Gawaine almost kills him. That night, as Palomides and Grummore march in costume to lead Pellinore on a hunt, they run into the real Questing Beast. The beast mistakes them for another one of its species, falls in love, and chases them halfway up a cliff.

The night before the battle with King Lot, Merlyn reminds Arthur that he will marry Guenever and that he must be wary of the relationship between Guenever and Lancelot. He also tells Arthur a parable with the moral that no one can escape fate.

In Orkney, King Pellinore is walking along the beach when he comes across Sir Palomides and Sir Grummore trapped on a cliff ledge. They are still in costume, and the Questing Beast has fallen in love with what she thinks is her mate. She watches them adoringly from the foot of the cliff. Pellinore, unwilling to kill the beast, holds her by the tail while the two knights make a run for Morgause’s castle. They make it safely into the castle, but the beast escapes from Pellinore and waits outside for them to exit. Pellinore returns to the castle with Piggy, the daughter of the queen of Flanders. She tells them that she and the Questing Beast rode the magic barge from Flanders to find Pellinore. Their joy at being reunited is not shared by the inhabitants of the castle, since it appears that the Questing Beast intends to wait outside until what she thinks is her mate comes outside.

In his great battle against Lot and the rest of the Gaels at Bedegraine, Arthur ignores the knightly rules of war: he attacks during the night and attacks the knights directly, ignoring the foot soldiers. Arthur’s army is much smaller than the Gaelic kings’, but his forces swell when he calls in his allies, two French kings named Bors and Ban. The French kings bring their armies to support Arthur in exchange for help with their own battles in France. With the help, Arthur’s army swiftly defeats the Gaelic army.

Back in Orkney, the Questing Beast continues to guard outside the castle. King Lot’s defeated army returns home, and Sir Pellinore, Sir Ector, and Sir Grummore are surprised to learn that England and Orkney have been at war. Merlyn stops by, looking sleek and happy because he has begun a fateful love affair with Nimue. The knights ask Merlyn for advice on how to make the Questing Beast go away, but Merlyn is troubled because he cannot remember a particular warning he wants to give Arthur and can only tell them to psychoanalyze the beast. Under the pretense of reconciliation, Morgause makes plans to travel to England with her children. As she packs, she sinisterly fingers her spancel, a magic tape made of human flesh that is designed to make men fall in love with her.

Morgause, her children, and the English knights make the journey to England. King Arthur, who still has fond childhood memories of Pellinore, has prepared an extravagant marriage for Pellinore and Piggy. Meanwhile, in North Humberland, Merlyn suddenly remembers what he has forgotten to tell Arthur: his mother was Igraine, who was also the mother of Morgan le Fay and Morgause. Thus, Morgause is Arthur’s half-sister, and Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth are his nephews. Merlyn is too sleepy and muddled to take care of the problem immediately, however, and before Merlyn can warn Arthur, Morgause uses the spancel and her own charms to get Arthur to sleep with her. Nine months later, she gives birth to their son, Mordred. The narrator notes that what makes the Arthurian story so tragic is that a simple, unwitting mistake by Arthur tears him and his dreams apart many years later.

Theaters: 3,927

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for epic scenes of fantasy violence, language, thematic content, and brief sexuality

Budget: $175 million

Previous Film Gross: 43.7/154.9/669.8 (OW/DOM/WW)

Edited November 16, 2014 by Blankments

[Blankments]

Bone - Solstice

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Genre: CGI Animation Fantasy
Date: February 17
Studio: Blankments Productions
Cast: Elijah Wood as Fone Bone, Denis Leary as Phoney Bone, Jeff Goldblum as Smiley Bone, Rachel McAdams as Thorn, Kathy Bates as Gran'ma Rose, Ian McShane as Lucius, James Earl Jones as the Red Dragon, Michael Madsen as Kingdok, John Cleese and Eric Idle as the Rat Creatures, Susan Sarandon as the Hooded One, and Tim Curry as the Lord of the Locusts.
Music by: Howard Shore.
Format: 3D and IMAX 3D
Runtime: 123 min
Tagline: Phoney Strikes Back!

Plot Summary: An adaptation of the middle three Bone graphic novels.

Plot:

Following the message that a Rat Creature army is crossing the Eastern border, Fone Bone, Thorn and Gran'ma Ben travel off-road to the Barrelhaven. Gran'ma Ben suffers an attack of her “gitchy feeling” - a dizziness that has long been her omen of impending trouble. Meanwhile, at the Barrelhaven tavern itself, Phoney Bone's tales of dangerous dragons make his end of the bar the most popular. Lucius, who dislikes Phoney's dishonest manipulation, attempts to call off the bet, but Phoney declines.

After fending off their ambush, Gran'ma Ben captures one of the two Stupid Rat Creatures and learns from him that the valley is being evacuated. Kingdok arrives and attacks the party, and knocks out Fone Bone with his war club, steps on Thorn and attacks Ben. Taking up Gran'ma Ben's sword, Thorn swings the blade in a blur and slices off Kingdok's right arm. Through a haze of pain, Kingdok sees Ben and Thorn as the queen and crown princess of old, and describes them to himself as "Earth and Sky", before he flees with the two Stupid Rat Creatures. Smiley Bone, hearing Fone Bone's cries of distress, rushes out with the townsfolk to look for him, but they only find the blood-splattered scene of the fight.

The two Rat Creatures find the fainted body of Kingdok and blame themselves for his wounding. They decide to desert the pack rather than face the consequences. As Thorn dresses Gran'ma Ben's wounds in the aftermath of the fight, Ben tells her the reason she was sent to Deren Gard as a child; Thorn is the “Veni-Yan Cari”, the Awakened One, a person who is most in touch with “The Dreaming”. Ben goes on to explain how she, Thorn, will be at risk from enemies in her dreams; indeed, she has already been threatened by The Hooded One, who Gran'ma suspects is in contact with the Lord of the Locusts, and may be one of the “Venu”, a sect of mystics who study dreams and are traditionally clad in hooded robes. The Hooded One is interested in Thorn because she has more power than even the Lord of the Locusts, and seeks to control her. Angered by further revelations that her past has been concealed from her, Thorn turns her back on Gran'ma Ben and leaves for the Barrelhaven alone. Fone Bone makes to follow her, and Gran'ma Ben gives him her sword, as well as a pendant bearing the royal crest with instructions to show it to Lucius. The minute Fone Bone leaves, Gran'ma runs off into the woods. When Thorn and Fone Bone arrive at Barrelhaven, they find Phoney Bone has taken control of the town and barricaded the roads.

The Hooded One brings news to the Lord of the Locusts that the armies of Pawa in the South have joined their cause, and the kingdom of Atheia has fallen to them. The Lord of the Locusts fears Thorn's power is awakening and their opportunity to seize control of her is slipping away, instructing The Hooded One to succeed soon or else kill her.

At Barrelhaven, Phoney Bone has the town in his thrall with his tales of dragons, and has stockpiled many of the townspeople's goods in payment for his “protection”. Late one night, Fone Bone finds a baby rat creature scrounging in the garbage. Staying at the inn that night, Thorn is once again visited by The Hooded One in her dreams, this time revealing its face like young Gran'ma Ben's. She is only saved in the nick of time when Fone Bone wakes her to tell her about the Rat Creature cub that has found its way into the town. Thorn threatens to kill the cub so Fone Bone takes it back to the barn only to wait in agony for Thorn to kill it.

Lucius Down, who has been out searching for Gran'ma Ben for two days, returns to find the town barricaded. He protests about Phoney appointing himself leader, and orders the fences to be torn down, but the townsfolk, terrified of dragons, turn against him and refuse to even let him back into his own tavern. Meanwhile, Fone Bone turns to Smiley Bone for help with the baby rat creature.

In the barn, Smiley is delighted to meet the Rat Creature cub, and promptly adopts him as a pet. Fone Bone meets with Lucius and explains what happened in the forest. Lucius fears that the Rat Creatures evacuating the valley could be a precursor to another sneak attack like the Nights of Lightning. Smiley is shocked to learn that Thorn is a princess.

Meanwhile, the Hooded One addresses his army of Rat Creatures and men from Pawa. He tells them the two laws that the Lord of the Locusts has set down for them and then orders them to prepare for war.

The townspeople's patience begins to wear thin as Phoney continues to press them for his “dragon slayer” fees. He lectures the townsfolk on the dangers of hoarding their goods and announces how he plans to use everything he has collected to lure a dragon and kill it. Meanwhile, Thorn, exhausted and unable to sleep for fear of her dreams, decides to return to the farm house, throwing down her sword and leaving the village.

In the mountains enclosing the valley, the Rat Creature army and the Pawans have massed under the instructions of The Hooded One. They are, just as Lucius and Gran'ma Ben feared, preparing to strike at the inhabitants of the valley.

Fone Bone and Smiley sneak out of the compound to release the Rat Creature cub, but Smiley strays out of sight with the cub,and Fone goes after him. Thorn tries to return home to the farm house, but collapses with exhaustion on the way, where four Veni Yan monks catch up with her and return her sword, which she left at the Barrelhaven. In her dream, she meets the Great Red Dragon, who convinces her not to run away by showing her visions of her friends, her grandmother, and Rat Creatures coming to attack them.

The next morning, Phoney Bone puts his “dragonslaying” plan into action, rallying the townsfolk to carry him and his cache of loot into the mountains where, he tells them, he will capture and kill a dragon.

Phoney and the townspeople reach the Dragon's Stair, a pass high in the mountains. Phoney gets the townsfolk to set up a dragon trap as he prepares to flee with his ill-gotten gains, but the plan becomes more complicated when the Great Red Dragon deliberately walks into the trap, courtesy of Ted. The townspeople urge Phoney to kill the trussed-up dragon, but just as he is about to reluctantly bring the knife down, Thorn arrives and stops him. She points out the columns of smoke rising from the valley; in their absence, the town has been attacked and burned by Rat Creatures, but the townspeople don't believe her and say the dragons have attacked the town. Suddenly another pack of Rat Creatures encounters the party. Thorn, with the four Veni Yan monks fighting alongside her, drive the Rat Creatures back, and Phoney uses Thorn's sword to free the dragon. The dragon and Veni Yan monks chase the Rat Creatures away, and Thorn at once instructs the townsfolk to arm themselves and head back to the town; war against the Rat Creature army and their allies has begun.

Fone Bone and Smiley trek into the Eastern Mountains to set free the baby Rat Creature, who Smiley names Bartleby, and accidentally encounter the two Stupid Rat Creatures. During an effort to ditch the two, they encounter the giant mountain lion Rock Jaw. Rock Jaw finds the Bones familiar, knowing that the Hooded One is searching for one of them. He explains the Hooded One fears “the one who bears the star” will rise as a new leader and unite the valley against him. However, Rock Jaw remains taciturn about whose side he is on. And they can decide whether to befriend him or not. So they set out on journey seeking freedom from a dog named James.

Roque Ja escorts Smiley and Fone higher into the mountains, against their wills. The possum kids, who have been tracking them since they disappeared from the Barrelhaven compound days earlier, discover them in the company of Roque Ja and grow concerned for their safety. Knowing Roque Ja hates interlopers in his mountains, the possum kids and their raccoon friend Roderick lure the two stupid Rat Creatures to Roque Ja, causing them to fall off a cliff and giving the Bones a chance to escape, however Roderick refuses to leave until he calls out for all of his other orphaned friends. Meanwhile Roque Ja climbs back up the mountain and he is infuriated.

The Bones flee the enraged Roque Ja and escape into a tunnel in the mountainside, after a debate with Bartleby, they make it to the other side where they discover a magnificent abandoned temple to the Rat Creatures, and wonder about Roque Ja's tale that the mountains themselves were created long ago when the Dragons fought and pushed up the land. As the Bones try to make their way back towards the valley, they encounter the two stupid Rat Creatures, but before they can give chase, Kingdok appears. He is angry at the two stupid Rat Creatures for deserting him, and attacks them and the Bones, forcing them onto a very narrow ledge.

Trapped on a narrow ledge with the ferocious Kingdok ahead of them, the Bones and the Rat Creatures are forced to edge their way to safety along a precarious cliff face after deciding to die rather than sell out their friends. However, on the way they are attacked by a swarm of locusts. Fone Bone stumbles and falls onto a lower ledge. The locusts try to carry him away, but a medallion given to him by Gran'ma Ben falls from his backpack and scares the locusts away. As the locusts flee, Kingdok vanishes into thin air, having been an illusion generated by the locusts' magic. Thanks to the orphans, the Bones realize the locusts could manipulate Thorn or even the whole valley with illusions, as they press on down the mountainside with a suspicious Roque Ja watching.

The Rat Creatures, the Bones and their friends make their way down from the mountains, unaware they are being followed and eavesdropped upon by Roque Ja. As they descend, the Rat Creatures reveal that the current unrest has only come about since The Hooded One arrived, bringing with him the locusts and the strange dreams. At that moment, Roque Ja reveals himself to the party and orders them back up the mountain. Before they can go too far, the real Kingdok arrives and starts to fight with Roque Ja. The Bones use the opportunity to escape, fleeing from the scuffle and running down the mountain while Roque Ja gets revenge on Kingdok and seriously wounds him. Roderick, the possum kids, and the orphans split up and leave. Bartleby rejoins the pack and the Rat Creatures carry the unconscious Kingdok away. Fone Bone and Smiley Bone then begin their journey back into the valley, although Smiley is sad to see Bartleby leave.

Fone Bone is trying to climb a tree so he can see the whole valley while Smiley Bone is at the bottom so he can catch fone bone. A groundhog comes out the hole and starts to complain that Smiley is in his hole. then Fone Bone falls into the groundhog's hole. Ted comes and finds them and the groundhog gets scared about rumors going around that Fone Bone had killed Kingdok. He is outraged by this, so him, Smiley, and Ted go and try to warn Thorn about what is happening.

The villagers are with Phoney Bone and Thorn, who save the other villagers before the rat reatures come. When they do come, they talk about "the one who bears the star." Wendell, still mad about Phoney's dragonslayer scheme, starts to threaten Phoney. they want to tie him up, but Thorn doesn't let him.

Thorn has left in the night in search of Fone Bone, while Phoney Bone and three of the villagers head for Old Man's Cave, where they are met by Gran'ma Ben and Lucius. Meanwhile, Fone and Smiley have made it down from the mountains. They are ambushed by Rat Creatures, but Thorn finds them and fights the Rat Creatures off. The Rat Creatures are terrified to discover that she and the Bones were the ones who wounded Kingdok.

Deep in the mountains, The Hooded One tells the Lord of the Locusts of the Bones' latest deeds. The Lord of the Locusts has doubts that “the one who bears the star”, with whom The Hooded One seems obsessed, is as powerful as The Hooded One believes, but allows the search for the "star-bearer" to continue.

Thorn, Fone and Smiley lie low for a few days while planning an attack on The Hooded One. Thorn explains how she believes The Hooded One plans to use her and Phoney to speed the release of the Lord of the Locusts from where it lies trapped in the stone of the mountains. She also explains her mistrust of Gran'ma Ben - Thorn believes the tale of how her parents were betrayed by the nursemaid is a lie; she never had a nursemaid. Meanwhile, The Hooded One approaches Roque Ja and asks him to recapture the Bones.

At Old Man's Cave, the survivors of the Rat Creature attack are gathered, along with a large group of Veni Yan warriors. Gran'ma Ben gives Phoney Bone a history lesson, telling him the story of when dragons ruled the world; their Queen, Mim, kept The Dreaming in balance until the Lord of the Locusts entered her mind and drove her mad. The other dragons were forced to turn Mim to stone, trapping the Lord of the Locusts inside her. The Hooded One, she tells him, wants to sacrifice him to free the Lord of the Locusts.

Thorn returns to the farmhouse to collect her belongings. She plans to take on The Hooded One alone, after a conversation with Fone and Smiley - during which it is revealed that the three Bone cousins are orphans, and Phoney, as the oldest, raised the other two - she is convinced to trust Gran'ma Ben, and the three set off for Old Man's Cave. Meanwhile, a patrol of villagers and Veni Yan warriors, led by Lucius Down, scout the area for Rat Creatures. Lucius comes across The Hooded One, who reveals under the hood a young woman, the same woman who was killed along with Thorn's parents, alive and not looking a day older. However, it soon becomes clear The Hooded One is trying to distract Lucius to allow a Rat Creature party to attack.

Later, at Old Man's Cave, with no word of Lucius Down and his scout party, Gran'ma Ben continues filling in Phoney on the history of the valley and the nature of the Dreaming. Just then, Gran'ma Ben suffers another attack of her “gitchy” feeling, and sure enough trouble is afoot; a cloud of smoke rises from the Eastern mountains, where the Lord of the Locusts lies. Soon after, Lucius' party arrives back at the cave, many of them wounded, and with a pack of Rat Creatures still in pursuit.

Lucius Down relates to Gran'ma Ben his meeting with The Hooded One, that she is in fact her now-undead sister Briar Harvester. Gran'ma Ben tells him that despite pleading with the council of dragons at Deren Gard, they refused to get involved in the fight, meaning the valley folk must face her and her Rat Creature armies alone. The villagers argue over whether or not to hand Phoney Bone, “the one who bears the star”, over to The Hooded One to appease her, and in the confusion Phoney slips away, leaving his star-bearing shirt behind. Gran'ma Ben goes after him, catching up with him in the mountains, but Roque Ja, who has been tracking them, catches up and she and Lucius get into a vicious brawl with the colossal mountain lion. Thorn and Fone meet up with them and enter the fray, but she and Phoney get knocked out and taken away in Roque Ja's jaws. Fone Bone, also knocked out in the battle, sees in his dreams the Great Red Dragon, who hands him the royal medallion and orders him to save Thorn.

Some time later, at the ancient temple high in the mountains, The Hooded One prepares to sacrifice Phoney to the Lord of the Locusts. Phoney insists that there is a case of mistaken identity and that The Hooded One has the wrong person, but Briar reveals what led her to believe Phoney was a person of great power; a huge inflatable likeness of Phoney, the runaway balloon from his disastrous election campaign back in Boneville, that drifted into the valley. With its fierce expression and the banner reading “Phoncible P. Bone will get you,” Briar took it as an omen that he would be the Veni-Yan-Cari, the Awakened One. Gran'ma Ben arrives on the scene and confirms Briar's mistake. The locusts that supported Briar's shriveled body leave her, a punishment by the Lord of the Locusts for her mistake. The locusts swarm on and try to enter Thorn, but Fone Bone drives them away with the royal medallion. Awake again, Thorn leads the others to safety away from the collapsing mountain temple, drawing her cloak around her head like a Veni-Yan warrior.

Theaters: 3,971
MPAA Rating: PG for fantasy action violence, some drunkenness and smoking
Budget: $105 million
Previous Film Gross: 41.1/169.6/300.6 (OW/DOM/WW)

Edited April 1, 2013 by Blankments Into Darkness

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The Golden Legend: The Knight of Fire (3D)

 

Date- April 7th 7

Genre- Live Action Family Fantasy

Rating- PG

Theaters- 3,717 theaters

Budget- 130 million

Running Time- 100 minutes or 1 hour and 40 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures

Director- Sam Raimi

Actors and Actresses

George- Chris Evans

Brother Ethan- Dave Franco

Princess Diana- Freida Pinto

King Selinus- Omar Sharif

 

Plot: The film takes place in the middle ages. The film opens with an introduction to George who is a knight in the Kingdom of England. We learn about his backstory and find out that he is assigned to journey to the distant land of Libya, which lies in the Islamic Caliphate. He is being sent to this distant region because the Kingdom of England is a close ally with the Kingdom of Libya. King Selinus who is king of Libya has begged for George to come to slay the Giant Dragon who ravages the land. Along with George comes his trusted friend, Brother Ethan who is a young monk at the monastery. They journey across many strange lands and eventually reach Libya. They meet King Selinus and his beautiful daughter Princess Diana. George falls in love with her. That night the dragon attacks the city and kidnaps Princess Diana. George vows to kill the dragon and bring back Princess Diana. He and Brother Ethan set off to bring back Princess Diana. They journey through weird forests and finally reach the dragon’s lair. George meets the Giant Dragon. The dragon attacks George and a deadly battle happens. After battling for a long time, George is wounded severely and is about to be killed when Ethan distracts the dragon giving George time to grab his sword and kill the Giant Dragon. George severs the dragon’s head off for a trophy. He then finds Princess Diana and they embrace. George, Ethan, and Diana return to the city and the people celebrate the death of the dragon. Ethan marries George and Princess Diana. George is later given the title by King Selinus as Saint George. George and Diana return to England were they live happily ever after. The film is filled with several funny moments between George and Ethan.  The film also carries Sami Raimi’s signature directing touch. 

Edited March 31, 2013 by Hiccup

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Unbalanced 4 3D

 

Date- January 6^th 7

Genre- Horror

Rating- R- bloody violence, gore, strong language, frightening and scary images, disturbing content, suspense, some sexual content, and moments of extreme terror

Theaters- 3,558 theaters (2,425 theaters with 3D)

Budget- 40 million

Running Time- 139 minutes or 2 hours and 19 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures and Guernica Films Partnership

Director- Ariel Schulman

Actors and Actresses- Unknowns

 

Films: Unbalanced- 10.6M (limited)/30.6M (wide)/101.2M/138.2M

Unbalanced 2- 40.2M/106.6M/184.7M

Unbalanced 3- 48.6M/95.2M/148.5M

 

Giant Spiders- 42.5M/102.8M/117.8M

Giant Spiders 2- 47.7M/103.1M/183.2M

Chuck Norris and Liam Neeson vs. Giant Spiders- 61.4M/131.9M/246.7M

 

Plot: Each stories begins with a warning to warn views that the content that is going to be viewed is disturbing and actual footage.

 

 

Story 1: The Creature: The film opens in 1735 with a woman named Mother Leeds who has 12 children and, after meeting an enchanting stranger she becomes pregnant. She joking says, “I hope it is the devil!” After several strange occurrences, Mother Leeds went into labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were her friends. After a hard birth, the child was born normal, but then suddenly and graphically changes form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a horse's head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife and several bystanders before flying up the chimney laughing hideously. It circled the village killing as it went before heading toward the pines, which lined the village. The next day the beast returns. After several brutal killings and after discovering Mother Leeds had actually had sex with the devil himself. A priest banishes the demon known as the Jersey Devil to live forever in the pines and never leave them again. Mother Leeds along with her children are burned at the stake.

 

Story 2: The Monster: His eyes flew open, just as the paralyzing nightmare was reaching its terrifying climax. He shut his eyes; a feeble attempt at blocking the horrific images which bled into his every thought. It was dark, pitch black in his miniscule bedroom, rendering him useless as claustrophobia threatened to smother him. Helplessly he reached for the heavy cover engulfing him, desperately trying to uncover himself. To his horror, his hands met not the woolen material of a blanket, but the moist surface of dirt and leaves. Only now did he realize that his entire body was cocooned in a mess of rotting detritus. He leapt to his feet, but his hands were covered in sweat, and were futile in trying to rid himself of the debris.

This sudden commotion awoke the forest in which he now realized he stood. Birds scattered from the nearby trees, and ascended powerfully into the air, silhouetted against the eerie glow of the full moon. As the forest fell silent once more, he heard the faint whimpering of some sort of animal drifting from behind him. He turned warily, unaware of what he may find as he made his way towards the sound. He approached, with great caution, what appeared to be a pile of abandoned rags, on the realization that it was from this that the sounds were emanating. He sank to his knees beside the material and unveiled the creature.

Beneath, there lay a woman. Her body was contorted into an unnatural position, her head seemingly disconnected from her torso. Her hair was matted with dried blood and covering her naked body were horrific puncture wounds. His bloodcurdling scream echoed in the darkness, yet his will to run was overshadowed by his numbness at the discovery. He froze, as the girl’s eyes quivered, and then focused on his. Her face remained perfectly still, yet the terror in her eyes revealed more than any expression. He shrank back in horror, recognizing those ice blue eyes from the nightmare he thought he had escaped. Of course, in his mind, her eyes had been pleading with him, as the grotesque monster, rather than the terrified and condemning expression, which she now bore, mauled her. Fighting his instinct to run, he returned tentatively to the body. Her eyes were firmly shut. He reached out with trembling fingers and delicately caressed her white cheek. Feeling the freezing surface, he pulled his hand sharply back. She was definitely dead and clearly had been for some time.

He stumbled away, tripping over branches and thick roots that littered the forest floor. His heart was pounding; he was confused, and completely lost in the unfamiliar surroundings. He could remember nothing: who he was, what he was doing here, how had he ended up completely alone in this isolated territory. What’s more, there was a corpse lying in front of him. A corpse he knew nothing about, other than what he had seen in his nightmare. He had seen the huge, hideous monster flinging her from side to side like a rag doll, whilst he, the coward that he was, watched from a distance, as she begged him wordlessly for his aid.

He was suddenly distracted from the vision by a sound in the distance. He crouched down low to the floor, steadying his rapid breathing in an attempt to decipher the sound. He whipped his head sharply to the side, in response to another snap from behind him. Footsteps? Another sound, to his left now; the crunch of crumpled leaves. Terror seized him, if this was a person, they would never believe his dubious and irrational explanation of events. They would assume he was a murderer, rather than accept his innocence. They would mistake his panicked state for guilt; instead of recognizing he was in shock. With this realization, his breathing accelerated once more, and his heart thumped loudly against his chest. He stopped. The sound emerged from behind him once again. But it was faster, and more rhythmic – like running. A new thought hit him. One infinitely more chilling and terrifying than merely being caught by a fellow human. He took a few cautious steps backwards, frantically scanning the line of trees before him. He let out a terrified cry as he tripped over an exposed root and bolted from the clearing, desperately trying to escape from the monster.

He was standing in the corner of a darkened room, where a bed dominated the small space. He surveyed his surroundings, deeply confused about what was happening. He edged away nervously as the door swung slowly open, the hinges squeaking eerily as it did. He gasped in horror, as the monster crept around the door. It didn’t acknowledge him, as focused as it was on the sleeping figure huddled unsuspectingly on the bed. The monster wielded a knife, and stepped towards the sleeping woman with malicious intent. It stood towering above her, a wry smile etched across its hideous face. It slowly lifted the knife, examining the blade intently. Reaching out with a malformed, grotesque hand, it lightly stroked her face. She awoke with a start, and her gaze rose up its huge frame, until she was staring directly into its sinister, black eyes. As it slowly brought the knife to her exposed throat, its face spread into a terrifying grin. The woman’s eyes grew wild, and she let out a bloodcurdling shriek of terror….

His scream awoke the still forest and he sat bolt upright. He wiped a clammy palm against his forehead; disorientated by the vividness of the most recent nightmare. Having spent the night obsessing over the monster, he had begun to wonder if his imagination had run wild, and it wasn’t all that monstrous. But no – it absolutely was. The image of the grotesque being emanated into his every thought, and he was consumed with paralyzing fear. All he imagined were the evil, dark eyes fixed on him, as it lurked menacingly behind him, shrouded by trees in the dim morning light, waiting for its moment to ambush him. With this thought, he struggled to his feet, glancing sideways nervously. He spotted a lake in the distance as he did so and began to make his way swiftly towards it.

In his haste to reach the welcoming water he failed to notice a protruding tree root, and stumbled, his head glancing off an angular rock. He lay there for some time, dazed by the blow. Eyeing the water meaningfully, he attempted to get to his feet but was overwhelmed by another vision. As the image became clearer, he gasped in shock, unable to contemplate what he was seeing.

He saw himself walking down a dimly lit hallway, stealing cautiously towards a closed door. The glint of a knife could be seen, and he waited for the terrifying monster to appear. Yet as the vision of him reached the door, he realized that it was he who carried the knife subtly against his side. Muffled screeches and rhythmic banging were emanating from the room, yet the man in the vision failed to respond to any of the startling sounds. He pulled a key from his shirt, and turned it slowly in the lock. He then reached up and slid the many bolts across, leaving the door completely unlocked.

As he grabbed the doorknob, the door suddenly flung open, and a woman emerged, screaming manically between the feral snarls, which erupted from her. She lunged at the man, but he was mechanical in his response, and plunged the knife into her chest. Leaving her without a second glance on the floor, he reached into his pocket, and produced an aged photograph. The picture showed the man, standing next to the woman he had just slaughtered, on their wedding day.

The man in the forest gasped. He fell to his knees in disbelief at what he had just witnessed. What did this mean? Before he had time to recover, he was thrown back into another vision. He saw himself once more, but in a different location. He was sitting on a park bench, watching a woman walking through the field. He was forced to look on in horror as she came unsuspectingly closer, as he gripped a knife tightly beneath his coat. The view shifted once more, and he saw another woman, again with a depiction of himself walking discreetly behind her. The image changed again and again, each showing him eyeing a different woman meaningfully. It was the final image, which shocked him the most. He hadn’t realized that throughout the various images the view of himself had been changing. Not only growing older, but uglier, with harder features; becoming increasingly grotesque.

In the forest, the man crawled painfully to the shore of the lake, blinded by the images, which clouded his vision. On reaching the water’s edge, he splashed water frantically on his face, trying in vain to rid himself of the horrific pictures in his head. As the ripples radiated from where he was laid, the water became flat and calm once more. He lifted his head, and stared at his reflection. On seeing himself, he was filled with a new vigor. He remembered everything, acknowledging who he was, and accepting what he had become. A wry smile etched across his face and, in the water opposite, the monster smiled back.

 

Story 3: String Theory: Have you ever had an experience that suggested someone else was in your house, and just thought “I don’t want to know” and left it? Sometimes, fear of the unknown just seems like the preferable option than facing a real, concrete danger. Normally it’s nothing, though. One time, the beeper function of my wireless house phone went off, when I was the only one home. It could only be called from the living room. Another time, I swear someone took some change from my desk. They’re all probably just slightly disconcerting tricks of the memory.

But what would you do when something truly suggestive happens? Would you run, or just ignore it, like I did?

Last Monday was a normal day. I got up, brushed my teeth, changed into school clothes… All little parts of my morning ritual. It seemed like it would be another totally un-noteworthy day, until I saw the strings.

There were three or four thick twine strings in my room. They crisscrossed between the walls around my bed, one attached to the door. No way would I have missed them before; I should have tripped over them. They were tied to pins in the walls, which had also not existed before ten seconds ago.

Nobody could have been in my room while I was in it, let alone set this up. It was early, and my brain wasn’t processing correctly. I simply discredited the sight, untied the strings and left for school, leaving them balled up on my desk.

It didn’t get any better later. Outside my house there were hundreds of them, tied between houses, around cars, across streets… This had to be some super elaborate prank. One of those hidden camera shows, or a comedy improve blog. They had gotten everyone else to play along too; passer-bys were tangled in them, tying them to objects they were walking towards and away from, as if they had been and were continuing to follow the course laid out for them.

I nervously continued my journey to school. On the bus, every except me was tied to the door. At school, groups of friends were tied to each other; teachers were tied to their desks and boards. Oddly enough, at this point all I could wonder was why I had been left out.

When my friend Lucy sat beside me in first period, she simply plonked her bag down on my lap and rested her chin in her hand, looking right past me to the window outside.

“Hey Lucy.”

No response.

“Come on, I didn’t expect you to be in on this too. “

She sighed and started taking books from her bag. All the books were tied to her hands. I grinned, and yanked one of the strings off a book. She didn’t seem to notice, instead simply disregarding the book completely, letting it drop to the floor without a moment’s hesitation.

“Um.” I leaned down, picking up her book and placing it back on her desk. She took no notice.

“Well, if that’s how we’re gonna play it.” I smiled, trying to look playful, but really just trying to hide my nervousness. I bundled all the strings attached to her together with one hand, then pulled them all free.
She blinked, turning to stare at me.

“Holy crap, Martin. You’re like a ninja or something.”

“I’ve been sitting here for maybe ten minutes.” I smiled again; relieved my friend had finally “noticed” me.

“Where did all these strings come from??” She gasped, seemingly noticing for the first time. 
“I assumed you were all fucking with me…”

She stood up, backing into a corner. No one else in the class noticed.

“They weren’t here just a minute ago! Do you see them too??” Her tone made it clear she was genuinely scared.

“No. Didn’t you-. “ I was interrupted by my teacher slamming the door behind her. Everyone except Lucy and me murmured a good morning, and still, no one seemed to pay either of us any notice. 
“People have been ignoring me all day.” I said to Lucy, before turning to our teacher. “Hey! Dumb bitch! You can’t teach for shit!”

No reaction.

“I’m getting away from all this shit.” Lucy pulled a few strings aside and left the class. I followed, and surprise-surprise, no one else noticed.

We wandered the corridors, leaving and entering classes as we saw fit. Whenever we untied a chair or book from someone else, it was like it suddenly didn’t matter to them. It didn’t exist.

I showed her the street outside; there were more strings than when I came in this morning. Twice as many. We carefully picked our way through the tangle, making our way to a nearby coffee shop. Not particularly grand, I know. But what would you do in our situation? As I said, fear of the unknown sometimes seems like the safer option. On a few occasions, I suggested we untie a few more people. Lucy was opposed to it, remembering how terrified she’d been.

In the coffee shop, we grabbed a couple of sandwiches and drinks from the fridge. We found a table, untied all strings attached to the chairs, and sat down. We both ate in silence, both of us too scared, both of us distracting ourselves by watching the strangers in the shop, oblivious to the strings.
After twenty minutes, Lucy spoke up. “Now she’s gonna take that sandwich.” She said, pointing at a woman across the shop. Sure enough, she walked to the fridge and took the plastic wrapped sandwich she was tied to. “She pays for it and leaves.” She did so, according to the prophecies of the strings. “That guy doesn’t intend to pay.” I watched as a man took his coffee and ran out of the store, the two servers just looking too exasperated to go after him.

“This is horrible.” She whimpered. “Let’s go. Please.”

Outside wasn’t much better. Everyone just followed the strings’ instructions, going about their daily lives. Lucy announced she was going home to sleep this off, and I agreed to walk her home. She only lived ten minutes away.

Away from the busier part of town there were fewer strings. It was nicer; we could pretend it wasn’t happening.

When we turned onto Lucy’s street, she stopped, her mouth falling open.

“What now?” I broke the silence, my voice sounding surprisingly small.

”Look.” She pointed outside one of her neighbors houses.

I saw it clearly, and I’ll take my memory of that moment ‘til the day I die. A little dark imp, maybe three feet tall, walking along with its knuckles on the ground, almost like a monkey. It had two bulbous yellow eyes taking up about half its face, and no mouth or any other facial features. It was holding a hammer and a ball of twine, which it was letting out behind it.

It walked quickly and quietly from the front door of the house to the mailbox. It stopped, hammered a nail into the side of the box, and tied it’s string around it. It turned to face us, and stopped when it spotted us.

My bottom fell out even further than it had already been, but it just stared with a look of surprise and curiosity. You could almost say it was the more frightened one. Suddenly, it beckoned to us with its tiny hand.

I looked at Lucy, she hadn’t moved. I looked back at the imp, which stared at me.
I halved the distance between us, and then halved it again. This wasn’t fear of the unknown anymore; it was fear of this little guy. Didn’t seem like anything to be scared of. When I was a meter away from it, it extended its hand.

“Uh. Hi.” I shook it. It nodded in approval, blinking its massive yellow eyes up at me.

“So you’re the ones in charge of the strings?” It nodded eagerly. I called Lucy over, but she stayed where she was.

“There are more of you?” Another nod. I wanted to ask it so many questions, about what it was and where it came from, but it seemed for now I was stuck with only yes or no questions.

“Do we even have free will?”

It just looked at me, almost sadly. I immediately felt sick to my stomach, and couldn’t bear looking at the little monster anymore. I grabbed Lucy, who had been listening to our exchange, and now sat on the curb with her head in her hands.

“Come on.”

We entered her house, and I made her a cup of tea. When I found her in the living room, she had untied her dog and was curled up with it, crying. I set the tea down and sat beside her.

“I’m so scared.” She whispered after a good ten minutes of sobbing. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

“I’m going to sleep” She mumbled suddenly, and was under within the minute. Sleep was starting to sound pretty good all of a sudden, my eyelids suddenly felt like they were being weighed down.

I collapsed to the rug, and the last thing I heard before I fell asleep was the scurrying of several sets of little feet nearby.

I felt much better the next day, as if the whole affair had been a dream. I’d probably have believed that if I hadn’t been awoken by Lucy’s mother that morning, wondering what I was doing sleeping over without permission or something.

Over breakfast, Lucy asked me why I looked so pale and nervous. I turned to her and smiled, mumbling something to her about feeling sick.

But the truth was, I was scared because I couldn’t see any strings, and was wondering whether my actions were truly my own.

 

Story 4: Mr. Wide-Mouth: During my childhood my family was like a drop of water in a vast river, never remaining in one location for long. We settled in Rhode Island when I was eight, and there we remained until I went to college in Colorado Springs. Most of my memories are rooted in Rhode Island, but there are fragments in the attic of my brain which belong to the various homes we had lived in when I was much younger.

Most of these memories are unclear and pointless– chasing after another boy in the back yard of a house in North Carolina, trying to build a raft to float on the creek behind the apartment we rented in Pennsylvania, and so on. But there is one set of memories which remains as clear as glass, as though they were just made yesterday. I often wonder whether these memories are simply lucid dreams produced by the long sickness I experienced that Spring, but in my heart, I know they are real.

We were living in a house just outside the bustling metropolis of New Vineyard, Maine, population 643. It was a large structure, especially for a family of three. There were a number of rooms that I didn’t see in the five months we resided there. In some ways it was a waste of space, but it was the only house on the market at the time, at least within an hour’s commute to my father’s place of work.

The day after my fifth birthday (attended by my parents alone), I came down with a fever. The doctor said I had mononucleosis, which meant no rough play and more fever for at least another three weeks. It was horrible timing to be bed-ridden– we were in the process of packing our things to move to Pennsylvania, and most of my things were already packed away in boxes, leaving my room barren. My mother brought me ginger ale and books several times a day, and these served the function of being my primary from of entertainment for the next few weeks. Boredom always loomed just around the corner, waiting to rear its ugly head and compound my misery.

I don’t exactly recall how I met Mr. Widemouth. I think it was about a week after I was diagnosed with mono. My first memory of the small creature was asking him if he had a name. He told me to call him Mr. Widemouth, because his mouth was large. In fact, everything about him was large in comparison to his body– his head, his eyes, his crooked ears– but his mouth was by far the largest.

“You look kind of like a Furby,” I said as he flipped through one of my books.

Mr. Widemouth stopped and gave me a puzzled look. “Furby? What’s a Furby?” he asked.

I shrugged. “You know… the toy. The little robot with the big ears. You can pet and feed them, almost like a real pet.”

“Oh.” Mr. Widemouth resumed his activity. “You don’t need one of those. They aren’t the same as having a real friend.”

I remember Mr. Widemouth disappearing every time my mother stopped by to check in on me. “I lay under your bed,” he later explained. “I don’t want your parents to see me because I’m afraid they won’t let us play anymore.”

We didn’t do much during those first few days. Mr. Widemouth just looked at my books, fascinated by the stories and pictures they contained. The third or fourth morning after I met him, he greeted me with a large smile on his face. “I have a new game we can play,” he said. “We have to wait until after your mother comes to check on you, because she can’t see us play it. It’s a secret game.”

After my mother delivered more books and soda at the usual time, Mr. Widemouth slipped out from under the bed and tugged my hand. “We have to go the the room at the end of this hallway,” he said. I objected at first, as my parents had forbidden me to leave my bed without their permission, but Mr. Widemouth persisted until I gave in.

The room in question had no furniture or wallpaper. Its only distinguishing feature was a window opposite the doorway. Mr. Widemouth darted across the room and gave the window a firm push, flinging it open. He then beckoned me to look out at the ground below.

We were on the second story of the house, but it was on a hill, and from this angle the drop was farther than two stories due to the incline. “I like to play pretend up here,” Mr. Widemouth explained. “I pretend that there is a big, soft trampoline below this window, and I jump. If you pretend hard enough you bounce back up like a feather. I want you to try.”

I was a five-year-old with a fever, so only a hint of skepticism darted through my thoughts as I looked down and considered the possibility. “It’s a long drop,” I said.

“But that’s all a part of the fun. It wouldn’t be fun if it was only a short drop. If it were that way you may as well just bounce on a real trampoline.”

I toyed with the idea, picturing myself falling through thin air only to bounce back to the window on something unseen by human eyes. But the realist in me prevailed. “Maybe some other time,” I said. “I don’t know if I have enough imagination. I could get hurt.”

Mr. Widemouth’s face contorted into a snarl, but only for a moment. Anger gave way to disappointment. “If you say so,” he said. He spent the rest of the day under my bed, quiet as a mouse.

The following morning Mr. Widemouth arrived holding a small box. “I want to teach you how to juggle,” he said. “Here are some things you can use to practice, before I start giving you lessons.”

I looked in the box. It was full of knives. “My parents will kill me!” I shouted, horrified that Mr. Widemouth had brought knives into my room– objects that my parents would never allow me to touch. “I’ll be spanked and grounded for a year!”

Mr. Widemouth frowned. “It’s fun to juggle with these. I want you to try it.”

I pushed the box away. “I can’t. I’ll get in trouble. Knives aren’t safe to just throw in the air.”

Mr. Widemouth’s frown deepend into a scowl. He took the box of knives and slid under my bed, remaining there the rest of the day. I began to wonder how often he was under me.

I started having trouble sleeping after that. Mr. Widemouth often woke me up at night, saying he put a real trampoline under the window, a big one, one that I couldn’t see in the dark. I always declined and tried to go back to sleep, but Mr. Widemouth persisted. Sometimes he stayed by my side until early in the morning, encouraging me to jump.

He wasn’t so fun to play with anymore.

My mother came to me one morning and told me I had her permission to walk around outside. She thought the fresh air would be good for me, especially after being confined to my room for so long. Exstatic, I put on my sneakers and trotted out to the back porch, yearning for the feeling of sun on my face.

Mr. Widemouth was waiting for me. “I have something I want you to see,” he said. I must have given him a weird look, because he then said, “It’s safe, I promise.”

I followed him to the beginning of a deer trail which ran through the woods behind the house. “This is an important path,” he explained. “I’ve had a lot of friends about your age. When they were ready, I took them down this path, to a special place. You aren’t ready yet, but one day, I hope to take you there.”

I returned to the house, wondering what kind of place lay beyond that trail.

Two weeks after I met Mr. Widemouth, the last load of our things had been packed into a moving truck. I would be in the cab of that truck, sitting next to my father for the long drive to Pennsylvania. I considered telling Mr. Widemouth that I would be leaving, but even at five years old, I was beginning to suspect that perhaps the creature’s intentions were not to my benefit, despite what he said otherwise. For this reason, I decided to keep my departure a secret.

My father and I were in the truck at 4 a.m. He was hoping to make it to Pennyslvania by lunch time tomorrow with the help of an endless supply of coffee and a six-pack of energy drinks. He seemed more like a man who was about to run a marathon rather than one who was about to spend two days sitting still.

“Early enough for you?” he asked.

I nodded and placed my head against the window, hoping for some sleep before the sun came up. I felt my father’s hand on my shoulder. “This is the last move, son, I promise. I know it’s hard for you, as sick as you’ve been. Once daddy gets promoted we can settle down and you can make friends.”

I opened my eyes as we backed out of the driveway. I saw Mr. Widemouth’s silouhette in my bedroom window. He stood motionless until the truck was about to turn onto the main road. He gave a pitiful little wave good-bye, steak knife in hand. I didn’t wave back.

Years later, I returned to New Vineyard. The piece of land our house stood upon was empty except for the foundation, as the house burned down a few years after my family left. Out of curiosity, I followed the deer trail that Mr. Widemouth had shown me. Part of me expected him to jump out from behind a tree and scare the living bejeesus out of me, but I felt that Mr. Widemouth was gone, somehow tied to the house that no longer existed.

The trail ended at the New Vineyard Memorial Cemetery.

I noticed that many of the tombstones belonged to children.

 

And Now For Our Final and Main Special, “Giant Spiders 4 in 3D” Enjoy the show!!

 

Story 5: Giant Spiders 4: Dan "Dash" Dashiell (David Hasselhoff) is a retired Olympic skier who works at a ski resort in the mountains of Utah. On a restricted side of the mountain, Dr. April Sommers (Halle Berry) is working on creating a new breed of spider with several others. When a group of teen skiers arrives at the mountain, Chad (Liam Hemsworth) challenges Dash to a race. The two show some impressive moves as the others look on. When Dash reaches a large rocky slope, he turns back and goes down another way rather than risk a leg injury like the one that ruined his career. As Dash makes it to the bottom, he meets Dr. Sommers. While they talk for a while, Frank (Terry O'Quinn) takes the teens inside the resort.

 

After a brief discussion, Dr. Sommers returns to the lab, where she finds dead scientists everywhere.

Flashbacks: We see how the scientist were killed one by one by Giant Spiders. One ends up his face trashed and the spiders legs gauging his eyes, entering his nose and mouth and soon exploding his head entirely. One manages to survive as the spiders had enough killing for the hour.

 

She finds the sole survivor cocooned in a spider web. He warns Dr. Sommers about the spiders escaping and then slowly dies. When she turns to leave, the last spider remaining at the lab, a mutated Giant Spider attacks her and forces her into a locked office. She finds an alarm and engages it, which alerts Professor Marks (Tim Blake Nelson) and Army Captain Baker (Kiefer Sutherland) who are elsewhere on the mountain, to her location.

 

Meanwhile, back at the lodge, Dash meets up with Ranger Rick (Michael Madsen) who asks Dash to assist him in finding two hunters who did not return to their homes. When they find the hunters' truck parked, they dismount their snowmobiles and take a look around. Dash finds a mutilated Elk and thinks it was killed by a bear. He shoots a flare to summon Rick. When Rick arrives, they find the body of one of the hunters. When they reach a huge spider web, they find the other hunter, cocooned in the web. As they turn to run, Rick is snagged by a web and is dragged to a spider that kills him as Dash watches in horror. Dash makes it back to the hunters' truck and hot-wires it to get away.

 

Back at the lab, Professor Marks, Captain Baker, and a squad of soldiers enter the compound and find Dr. Sommers, who tries to warn them of the danger. Inside the lab, the spider attacks and kills a soldier. Dr. Sommers steals records of the experiment and realizes Professor Marks deliberately accelerated the spiders' growth, which makes them larger, faster, and stronger. She drives back to the lodge.

 

When Dr. Sommers meets up with Frank and Johnny, a man comes in and screams for help. Frank and Dr. Sommers watch as the spiders kill several guests, including the teens' ski coach. Frank sees the teens hiding in a shed, leads them to a bus and gets them safely inside. Chad gets the keys and drives off, crashing the bus into a snow bank and causing it to fly off of the road.

 

Dash returns to the hotel and helps secure it. When he and Dr. Sommers search the basement, a spider gets in and almost attacks them, but they stun it with a fire extinguisher and lock it in the basement. Back in the lobby, a spider crawls in through the chimney and kills two guests before Dash impales it with the antlers of a mounted deer head.

 

Meanwhile, on the crashed bus, after checking the area, Frank makes sure the kids are okay. However, one of them is unconscious and injured. They think of a way to get out as the black widow tries to get in. Eventually, Franks traps the spider and the kids escape. Frank is almost killed but is rescued thanks to the timely arrival of Captain Baker and his squad.

 

Back at the lodge, Dash devises a plan with Captain Baker over a radio to trap the spiders. He takes his skis and leads the spiders to a snowboardhalf-pipe, which Baker and his men are blocking off. Johnny heads toward an avalanche cannon and waits for Dash's signal.

 

At the half-pipe, the spiders are captured and Dash signals Johnny, who blows the spiders up. Professor Marks, who had been opposed to killing the spiders, charges at Dash and tries to kill him. Marks falls down the side of the half-pipe to the last spider, which kills him as Baker shoots the beast.

 

A government agent then arrived with a group of military soldiers that begins erasing all traces of evidence. The agent demands that the survivors keep quiet about recent events and explains the cover up, being a spill of hallucinogenic chemicals.

Edited April 1, 2013 by Hiccup

[Hiccup]

The Wanders

 

Presented in 3D and IMAX

 

Date- March 3^rd

Genre- Horror/Suspense/Psychological Thriller/Sci-Fi

Rating- R- strong violence, disturbing violent images, terror, some sexual content, and language

Theaters- 3,375 theaters (Presented in 3D at 1,956 theaters and presented at 178 IMAX theaters)

Budget- 60 million

Running Time- 125 minutes or 2 hours and 5 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures

Director- Ridley Scott

Composer- Marc Streitenfeld

Actors and Actresses

Jackson: Alex Russell

Adam: Xavier Samuels

Ethan: Jason Dolley

Tia: Kat Graham

Nicole: Emma Roberts

Aros (voice): John Krasinski

Europa (voice): Emily Blunt

Kamila: Lorna Raver

 

During the opening credits the song “Tornado” by Little Big Town plays.  During the credits the camera pans over the beaches and coast of Florida filled with amazing shots.

 

Plot: 

The film begins with a shot of a college campus and students quickly heading to and from classes. The film follows three students (Adam, Nicole, and Jackson) as they walk back to their dorm. Nicole says that she is excited to go to Jackson’s family’s beach house in Florida. She says that she is tired of this cold weather and needs to relax on a beach. Adam and Jackson agree. Adam says that it should be a good time for him and Nicole to celebrate being together for 3 years. Jackson rolls his eyes and laughs. Adam asks if Jackson invited Tia. Jackson nods. Nicole says that Tia obviously likes Jackson. Jackson denies it saying that they have been friends since he can remember and nothing would ever happen between them. They arrive at their dorm and split up to go pack. Jackson walks into his room and sees his roommate Ethan packing. Ethan tells Jackson that he has never been to Florida before so it should be pretty cool. Jackson says that he has been to Florida way to many times but this time should be fun. Ethan asks if it is because Tia is going. Jackson asks way everybody keeps saying that. Ethan says that it is obvious that she likes him and it is clear that Jackson does have feelings for Tia. Jackson says that he cares about her as a friend and nothing more. Ethan pats Jackson on the back of the shoulder and says that Jackson’s opinion might change after this next week. Ethan leaves the room.

 

The film moves to them at the airport. They get their tickets and pass through security without any problems. As they are getting ready for take off Jackson asks Tia if she is all right since she looks a little nervous. She says that she has never flown before. Jackson smiles and says that she has nothing to be worried about. As the plane lifts off Jackson holds Tia’s hand. The rest of the group cheers. During the three-hour plane ride most of the group naps or watches movies on their IPhone. Sometimes they chatter about what they will do when they get to Florida. During the flight we learn about each character’s backstory. Jackson comes from a single parent family. His dad is retired from the military and has pressured his son into joining the ROTC. Tia is a Jackson’s childhood friend and talented violin player. Nicole is a recovering drug addict. Adam and Ethan share both more a quiet background. Both were raised in ideal Mid-Western family households. Ethan is the star athlete at the school. The plane eventually lands in Fort Meyers, Florida and they get onto a boat and drive to Cabbage Key Island The camera pans over the island as they drive through it to the beach house. The house sits on the farthest end of the tiny island facing the vast ocean. As night settles in, they unpack and decide to get rest tonight and then start having their fun tomorrow. 

 

The next day they get up and prepare of a day of fun. Nicole and Tia decide to make a delicious breakfast. After eating the crew head out on to the beach with drinks and begin to drink. The day is filled with drunkenness and fun. They explode the island and swim in the ocean. Later that night after dinner, Adam and Nicole decide to go out and have sex on the beach. After having passionate sex, they decide to venture out into the dark waters. Nicole doesn’t want to but Adam persuades her. The film moves back to the beach house, Ethan is already passed out on the bed and Jackson and Tia sit by the fire and talk. They share their hopes and dreams about the future. Tia says that she has something to tell Jackson. She says that she hopes Jackson will not think weird of her for thinking this. Jackson says he will not judge Tia. Tia is just about to share her feelings for Jackson to him when they hear a scream coming from outside. Jackson and Tia jump up and run outside. They see Adam and Nicole on the beach. Nicole is sobbing and Adam tries to console her. Jackson asks what happened. Adam says that they went swimming and suddenly some strange thing in the water pulled Nicole under. He said that he managed to pull Nicole free and they got to shore as quick as they could. Tia grabs Nicole and asks her if she is ok. Nicole nods. Tia walks Nicole back to the house. Jackson tells Adam that he is an idiot for going out in the ocean at night. He says that all sorts of animals swim the waters at night. Adam apologizes and they walk to the house.

 

They enter the house as Tia walks out of the bedroom adjacent to the main room. She says that Nicole is resting. The rest of the night, they just sit around the bonfire outside and talk about their lives. The movie moves back to Nicole we see her sleeping. Her eyes begin to move back and forth under her eyelids. She begins to back and final bolts upright and lets out a little scream. She calms down and says that it was just a nightmare. She reaches over and grabs her purse. Inside she pulls out some pills and takes them. She calms down and lies back down. She suddenly hears a noise coming from the window. She pauses and hears it again. She asks if it is one of the kids. There is no response. She looks again at the window and sees red eyes glowing back at her. She turns away and begins to breath quickly. She hears the sound of the window opening and footsteps walking toward her. She hides under the sheets and holds her breath. She feels a hand pull back the sheets and whisper her name. She holds her eyes tight together. The voice begins to whisper more things to her taunting her relentlessly. Nicole opens one of her eyes and sees an ungodly looking demon looking down on her. He smiles and shows his jagged white teeth. Nicole lets out a scream of terror and closes her eyes. When she opens them the demon is gone. Nicole shakes and grabs the bottle of drugs. She says that it was probably just an illusion from the drugs. She turns the light on and the window is sealed shut. This confirms to her that it was just an illusion.

 

The next day, Nicole wakes up late. The others are busy with having fun. They say they didn’t want to bother Nicole’s sleep. Throughout day she acts disorientated and zones out. She begins to hear the voice of the demon from last night. The demons tell her that they are testing her to see if she is strong. They ask her to believe in them. Nicole says no and begins to talk out loud. This draws the attention of the others. She complains about voices in her head. Jackson and Ethan laugh but Adam is worried about her. Nicole claims that demons want her and are testing them each one by one. Tia questions Nicole if she had drugs. Nicole admits that she had some drugs last night after she had a nightmare. Nicole says that she had some this morning too. Tia says that Nicole might have overdosed and is have hallucinations. Tia stresses that Nicole should go to the hospital but they others say she is fine since she is active and that she will become fine with in a day. They take the drugs from Nicole and destroy them.

 

That night, Adam and Nicole head to bed. Adam decides to stay by Nicole just to make sure she is ok. The rest decide to go to bed and hope for the best tomorrow. That night, they hear sounds of doors opening and shutting, footsteps in the house, and sounds of crying and mourning. Nicole and Adam both have a restless night as Nicole can barely sleep. The next morning it is clear that Nicole isn’t getting better. Throughout the day she is angry, depressed, frantic, and violent. She keeps on chattering to herself about the demons whispering in her head and about that there is something in attic that the demons want the kids to see. They don’t believe her. However they are bothered by the events last night. She becomes angry that they aren’t believing what she is saying and she finally attacks Adam. She wrestles him to the ground and tries to bite him. Jackson and Ethan pull her off despite her suddenly increase in strength. She begins to flail around and is uncontrollable. They drag her into the bedroom and lock her in. After smashing on the door for a while she calms down and begins to talk to herself. Adam proposes that they go up to the attic and just check it out. Tia doesn’t want to but after some persuasion, they all head up. The group head up into the attic and turn on the lights. Jackson says that nobody has been up her since they built the house. At first they don’t see anything but then on the back wall Ethan discovers a massive illustration. The picture is of two humans both male and female being lead into a massive ship by giant humans. Underneath the ship lays bodies of many humans. Tia says that the picture is kind of disturbing. The others agree. Adam says that the painting explains everything Nicole has been telling them. As they discuss the picture and argue whether it is actually real or a joke that Nicole drew last night or somebody else drew, the begin to hear strange sounds of mourning and crying. They decide to check on Nicole and they want to leave the attic because it is creepy. As they leave we see red glowing eyes appear in the corners of the attic.

 

The group walks quickly down the stairs from the attic. Ethan says that there is a woman who lives on the island that many believe is a witch. He said he read is in a brochure. Jackson laughs and Tia asks why would they go see a witch. Ethan says that a witch might be able to help tell them about the strange picture (where it came from) and occurrences and help them heal Nicole. Tia says that Nicole needs a doctor and there is no such thing as supernatural ritual or hauntings. She says that it is just in their mind. She says that anybody could have gone up in the attic and drawn the paintings. Jackson agrees with her. Adam stands up and says that he doesn’t think science can explain what happened to Nicole. He says that the paintings are too elaborate for a common prankster to draw. He says that he has decided to take Nicole to the witch and see if she can help them. Tia furiously tells him that get into reality and that he needs to make the right decision and take Nicole to the hospital. Adam refuses. Tia runs at him but Jackson holds her back. He tells Tia that they will go to the “witch” and if she can’t help them then they will go to the hospital. Tia upset agrees. They enter the bedroom where Nicole is sitting. Nicole stares outside. Adam approaches Nicole. Nicole turns and tells Adam that “they” are coming. Adam asks, “Who are coming?” Nicole laughs and rolls her head back laughing hysterically. She suddenly turns toward Ethan, Adam, Jackson, and Tia and says that they all can’t stop “them” from coming to get them all. She says one by one each of them will get picked off. She says it is like a game. She rolls her eyes and head back and laughs. She stands up and asks them if they are taking her to the witch. They are shocked that she knows about where she is being taken already. Adam nods, while the others look at each other disturbed. Nicole suddenly begins to gag and cough. Adam tries to help her. Nicole continues to cough wildly. She begins to turn blue and then she passes out. As she lies there her skin resumes its normal color. Adam grabs her and they head outside. 

 

The wind has picked up and storm clouds gather in the sky while bolts of heat lightening flash across the sky. Ethan pulls out a map of the island and they follow the road up to a dinge old house. Ethan knocks on the door. They hear the sound of footsteps inside and the door opens. In front of them stands an old woman. She asks them what they are doing at this time of night outside. Adam tells them that they are from the beach house down the road. He says that strange things have happened and that Nicole their friend is acting possessed. The woman lets them in quickly. Tia tells the woman that she told her friends to get Nicole to the hospital. The old woman cuts her off and says that science can’t save their friend. She says that dark spirits are at work here.  She says she saw it in a dream. Tia and Jackson laugh but they shut up when she gives them an evil look. She asks them what happened and they retell the story. The old woman nods and says that thing in the water, the possession, the hauntings, and the paintings are all connected. She begins to tell them who and what it is when suddenly a bolt of lightening strikes the house and the power goes out. The house trembles and dishes and other things crash to the ground. The lights flash on and the old woman appears alarmed. She says the things, which she was going to tell them about don’t want the kids to know who they are. Tia says that is it crazy and that they are all crazy. She says that there is no such thing as the supernatural beings. She says that everybody is losing their fucking minds. The old woman tells Tia to be silent. She says that Tia offends the spirits. Jackson quiets Tia. The old woman says that she think she can get the spirit out of Nicole.  She says she will need all their help. The old woman lights some candles and begins to burn some incense. She begins to speak in Latin. Nicole immediately awakens. Nicole’s body rises from the chair over the table. The kids grasp in horror. Jackson says that this isn’t real. Nicole opens her eyes and they are black. She roars at the old woman whose name is Kamila that she has interfered with the spirits and their wishes. The spirit says that Nicole’s soul is theirs for the keeping and there is nothing anybody can do to stop them. Kamila commands the spirit to leave Nicole. The spirit screams no! Nicole possessed knocks over the candles and a massive fire lights up the table. Nicole hurls Ethan, Adam, Tia, and Jackson back. She begins to hurl things around the house. Adam asks Kamila what is happening. Kamila says that the spirit is too strong. Kamila rises to her feet and commands the spirit to leave this house and Nicole’s body. Nicole screams, “Nooo!” A massive burst of windblasts the roof of the house and a torrent of rain and hail pounds down on them. Kamila grabs a knife and stabs Nicole in the heart. Tia screams. Adam runs to Nicole’s body. Kamila pushes Adam back. Nicole falls to her knees and opens her mouth. She begins to cough. Suddenly a hand appears out of her mouth. Adam falls back in horror. Nicole’s jaw dislocates and demon begins to emerge out of Nicole’s dying body. Do to the size of the demon, Nicole’s body eventually tears itself apart and the demon is full emerged. The demon turns to Kamila and attacks her. Ethan grabs the traumatized Adam and along with Jackson and Tia run from the destroyed house. As they run through the wind, rain, and hail, they hear the screams of Kamila and the demon. 

 

They run into the house and Ethan and Jackson block up the rooms and lower windows. Adam collapses on the couch upset and begins to start to cry. Tia says that she is going to call the cop. She picks up the phone and tries to call but it is dead. She says that the power lines must be down. She tells everybody to try their cell phones. The cell phones don’t work either. Adam finds Nicole’s phone and they try it. They call the police and they phone works but suddenly loses reception just as the police pick up. They try it desperately again but it doesn’t work. Adam says that they are down for. He says that he can hear voices in his head. Jackson says that there are no voices that it is just in Adam’s head. Adam denies it. He says that the demons are encircling the house. He says he can hear them whispering. Tia puts her hand on her head and says Adam is going crazy like Nicole. Adam rises to the window and looks out. Outside we see the demons moving in the bushes. A demon suddenly rushes up to the window. Adam screams and falls back. Jackson and Ethan both get up and look out the window and see nothing. After a minute they turn around and say that there is nothing outside. Adam says that there is something. The camera goes behind Jackson and Ethan as they turn around from the window. We see demons running outside through the bushes. 

 

Adam begins to have a mental breakdown and begins to blame Jackson for what is happening. Jackson says that this isn’t his fault. He says that he didn’t know all this stuff would go down. Tia jumps up and says that they need to stay calm until the morning. She says that everything that happened here can be explained through physical evidence. She says that nothing what has happened is supernatural necessarily. She says that Nicole had a drug problem as they all knew and that she might have had something, which caused her to act like something had grabbed her in the water and caused her to believe she was possessed. Tia says that people have that all the time. Jackson affirms what Tia says. They say that while they can’t explain everything that happened at the Kamila’s, they do know that they are exhausted and stressed with dealing with Nicole. They could have simply illusionated the entire event. Tia says that the paintings in the attic could have been simply done by vandals. She says that ultimately nothing happened to them. She says that Nicole overdosed on a drug and that is it. Adam shouts at Tia to shut up. He says that she is being offensive and trying to act like smart-ass in this situation. He says that Tia is becoming the crazy one not them. He says that she is trash talking Nicole and making her sound like she was a crazy addict. Adam and Tia begin to argue intensely with each other. Adam threatens to kill Tia if she doesn’t shut up. Outside the demons shout for them to fight. Adam begins to go crazy with Tia’s yelling and the demons shouting. Adam rushes at Tia but Jackson leaps into front and the two fall to the ground. Jackson and Adam fight. Adam grabs a knife laying on the counter and stabs Jackson in the shoulder. Ethan intervenes and manages to pull the knife away from Jackson. He says that they need to stop this. He says it is what the creatures outside want. He tells Adam that he can hear the voices too faintly. He says that something is clearly wrong here but they need to encourage each other since it is what will keep them sane. Tia shakes her head. Ethan then walks out of the room. Tia gets a rag and helps Jackson with his wound. Adam with his hands over his ears, strides back and forth through the house. 

 

Ethan upset at what has happened walks into the bedroom to try to clear his mind from the other kids fighting. He splashes water on his face to wake himself up. He begins to hear the voices of the demons outside. They taunt him. Ethan tells them to stop before he goes crazy like Adam. The demons say that he is weak and is already beginning to go crazy. Ethan denies it. He looks up in the mirror and sees a figure behind him. He turns around quickly and sees nothing. The demons laugh. Ethan puts his hands to his ears to block out the voices. He can still faintly hear them. He looks back in the mirror and sees blood coming out of his eyes, ears, and nose. He panics and feels his face but there is nothing. The voices grow louder and more intense almost to yelling. Ethan turns and smashes the mirror. The demons roar in anger. Ethan tells himself that there is no escape. The demons respond by saying there is one way to escape them. Ethan enters a trance like state. He grabs a piece of glass and slowly slits his throat. He exits the trance and falls to the ground and bleeds to death. 

 

Adam, Jackson, and Tia hear the noise of the glass shattering and body falling to the floor. They run to the bathroom and discover Ethan’s body. Adam immediately flips out and panics. Jackson tries to calm him done but can’t. Tia upset and angry grabs the glass piece from Ethan’s hand and stabs Adam in the chest. She says that she has had it with him. She tackles him to the ground and stabs him repeatedly until he is dead. She rises slowly and suddenly shakes out of a trance. She looks at Adam dead on the ground and then looks at Jackson’s face. Jackson has a look of horror on his face. Tia in a broken voice asks if she killed Adam. Jackson nods slowly. Tia collapses on the ground sobbing. She looks at Jackson and says that she is going insane like Adam, Nicole, and Ethan did. Tia says that she can’t stop hearing the voices. Jackson asks what voices? It becomes clear that Jackson for some reason can’t hear the voices outside. Tia says that the voices don’t want themselves revealed to Jackson right now. Jackson takes Tia to the main room and lays her on the couch. She desperately denies the supernatural and says that the voices are coming from her head. She says that she can’t recognize what is her voice from the voices in her mind. Jackson tries to console her but becomes afraid of Tia’s growing insanity. He begins to feed on the demons and Tia’s fears. He is afraid that he will hear the voices and go crazy. Hours go by and the voices begin to torment Tia worse and worse. Jackson can hear noises of creatures moving outside. Shadows pass in front of the windows.  Suddenly a loud banging sound is heard on the door. The banging grows louder and louder. Tia say that the voices are breaking into the house. Jackson tells Tia that she has to stop denying the supernatural. He says that if she accepts the fact that she is being tormented by demons, she will be able to distinguish what is her inner voice. Jackson says that the voices, which are demons, are testing them like in the painting on the wall. He says that they have to find away to pass this test. The door burst open and demon like creatures run at Jackson and Tia. Jackson grabs Tia and runs into an adjacent room and locks the room. Tia says that there is a church she saw a few yards down the road. She says that the demons will not be able to enter “holy” ground. Jackson grabs a lamp and shatters the window. He and Tia climb out. 

 

Jackson grabs Tia and they run from the house. The rain pours down intensely and lightening cracks the sky. Behind them they hear the demons chasing them. Tia shouts for Jackson to hurry. The demons close in on them just as they run into the church. Jackson quickly bars the door.  The demons bang on the door trying to break in. Tia and Jackson run up to the altar as the door begins to crack and give in. The demons burst into the church with a rush of wind. The windows shatter and Tia screams. The demons begin to taunt and laugh at Jackson and Tia. They ask them if they believe in them yet. The demons approach Tia and Jackson and ask them again if they believe in them. Jackson grabs a cross and strikes one of the demons. The demon attacks Jackson. Tia screams that they believe in them and for the demon not to hurt Jackson. She screams that she believes in them. The demon laughs and turns toward Tia.  The demon says that that is all they wanted from the both of them and that it is time for the demons to head back. The demon says that the two passed the test. He says that humanity has forgotten about them since science has been advanced and the supernatural world ignored. The demon says that it is time for humans to re-believe in demons. Tia says that the demons killed their friends just so that humans will believe in demons again?  She says that they might have her and Jackson believing in demons but the entire world will not believe and that her family and friends will think her and Jackson are insane.  She says humans will never fully believe in the supernatural world again like they did in the past. The demon smiles and laughs. He says that believing in them is what will save them (humans). The demons leave the church snickering as the sun begins to rise over the horizon. Tia falls on her knees and begins to cry. Jackson comforts her. He says that it is over and they can go. 

 

As they walk over to the cabin to gather their things they notice that clouds are gathering rapidly in the sky. Tia begins to panic saying the demons are returning. Jackson tells Tia to run. They begin to run toward the cabin. Just as they reach the cabin the ground shakes knocking them off their feet. The sky is black with clouds and the clouds begin to form a vortex. A bright light lights up the vortex and the light begins to descend out of the sky. Jackson and Tia stand up and stare at the lights. The lights are revealed to be coming from a space ship descending from the sky. Jackson tells Tia that he doesn’t think those are demons. The ship descends to about a 1,000 feet above them. The wind blows hard and the ground trembles furiously. Suddenly a bolt of light flashes from the ship and Jackson and Tia black out.

 

Jackson opens his eyes. He is lying on a metal bed in a room. He sees figures standing over him. As his eyes adjust to the light, he asks where he is. One of the figures tells him he is on the Origo.  He asks where Tia is and who these people are. The figure identifies herself as Europa says that Tia is fine and is resting in a room nearby. Europa tells Jackson that he will soon find out who they are and what they want from him and Tia. Europa says that it is time to go. Jackson stands up and sees what the aliens look like. They are humanoid in appearance. They stand 8 feet tall and with almost whitish skin. Europa and tow other aliens lead him into a main room. Tia joins him. The leader humanoid alien named Aros rises from his seat on the opposite side of the room and walks toward them. He and Europa embrace. He says that they are Wanders, human like aliens from a distance planet. Tia asks what they want from them and if they are related with the demons that killed their friends. Aros tells them to be seated since the story is a long one. (The story is told through a flash back). 

 

Aros says that 250,000 years ago the Wanders were experimenting with creating life on the planet presently known as Earth. He says that they created many other creatures as well humans. He says that humans were most dear to the Wanders heart so they created them as intelligent and knowledgeable creatures who looked like the Wanders. As humanity rapidly advanced scientifically, it became violent and humans got out of hand. The humans constructed a massive spaceship to travel to the Wanders home world. The Wanders feared humans would kill themselves off or even worse threaten the Wanders by succeeding with the spaceship, the Wanders scattered humans throughout the earth and confounded them with different languages and race. They also destroyed the spaceship and erased the memory of them from the humans’ minds. The Wanders decided that humans needed morals of good and evil to stop the progression of violence and evil. The Wanders decided to create religion about Gods, angels, and demons so that humans would live good and peaceful lifestyles. For thousands of years, human advancement slowed down and Earth became a peaceful and flourishing place. Wanders wanting to keep religion going disguised themselves as angels and demons to convince humans the supernatural existed. Jesus of Christianity, Allah of Islam, Moroni of Mormonism, Zeus of Greece, Atman of Hinduism, and Devas of Buddhism are all Wanders disguised as gods. He says that however humans have begun to reach their previous intelligence and have thrown off the idea of the supernatural. The human world has grown more violent and chaotic and the chaos is rapidly spreading. The Wanders reached an agreement that Earth must be destroyed and their creation left to history. However several leader Wanders fought for having two selected humans be saved and re-populate a planet very far away from the Wander’s home planet. Here human and rebuild itself as it wishes with out threatening the Wanders. Aros says that Jackson and Tia are the selected humans. Leaders had voted on three male and two female options for rebreeding the new Earth. Jackson and Tia won the elimination process. 

 

Jackson and Tia stare at each other in shock. Europa smiles and says that it must be hard for them to accept the fact that they (The Wanders) are their creators. Tia says that she is shocked. She says that she never was religious or anything but she is still shocked. Jackson agrees. Aros asks if they are to begin the flight back to new planet. Jackson says that they can’t do it. He says that human still have a chance for goodness. He pleads with them to give humanity another chance. Europa shakes her head. She says that humanity has been a thorn in the side long enough and they must be ended. Jackson says that he can’t abandon his family and friends left on Earth. He says that he will not do what the Wanders want. He says that they brutally killed his friends at the beach house just to see who would repopulate the new Earth. He stands up and says he refuses to do what they wish. Tia stands up and she says that she is with him. Europa looks at Aros. Aros rises and says that humans are a defiant race just the their creators are. He smiles and says that Jackson and Tia have no option. He commands them to be taken back to the bedroom on the ship. Europa with some guards leads them away.

 

Jackson and Tia sit in the room together alone. Tia says that maybe they should just go with the Wander’s plan. Jackson says no. He says that humans still have a chance and if only they could get a message to Earth to warn people of the coming destruction. Tia says that nobody would believe him. Jackson says no. He thinks for a while and says that humans like physical evidence. He says that they must crash the ship. He says that it will give the evidence people want and will also slow done the Wander’s attack. He says that if they don’t stop the Wanders there will be no family or friends to go back to. Tia says that when she was in her room she saw a map of the ship. She says that the flight controls are just on the other side of the main room and in the rook next to the controls is a space with escape pods. Jackson says that he will distract the Wanders while Tia heads to the control room and destroys the flight controls, which will bring the ship down. He says that when she destroys the controls to head straight for the escape pods and take off right away. She says that she isn’t leaving with out him. He says that she must. She gives him a kiss and they embrace. They both leave the room. 

 

Jackson begins to distract one of the guards as Tia slips away. Tia runs for the control room and arrives quickly at the room. She suddenly hears the sounds of a Wander approaching. She quickly burst open the room and runs into the control (flight) room. The alarm goes off and the entire ship is in a state of alarm. Lights flash and alarms blare as Wanders run to control the spacecraft. The camera moves to Aros and Europa. Aros and Europa leave their room and walk through the ship ordering other Wanders to lock down the ship. Aros tells Europa that they humans can’t escape. Europa turns and heads for the flight room. Meanwhile Tia frantically brings to smash buttons hoping to bring the ship down. She destroys the auto-flight and grabs the flight steering wheel and turns it into a noise dive. The ship begins to descend rapidly into the atmosphere. Europa reaches the flight room and her and Tia struggle. They are thrown around the control room since the ship is free falling quickly. Europa final throws Tia out of the room and tries to control the ship’s movement but can’t. Tia meanwhile escapes to the escape pod room. She makes it to the escape pod room. She quickly gets into an escape pod but waits to eject since Jackson isn’t there. The ship nears the ground and the Wanders panic. Europa frantically tries to stabilize the ship. Several Wander’s enter the escape pod room and try to stop Tia. Tia panics and hits the eject button, which shoots the pod out into the sky. The film moves to Jackson. When the ship noise dived, it pulled the Wanders off of Jackson. Jackson managed to crawl to the escape pod room just as Tia ejected away. The ship begins to gain speed as it descends. Jackson runs into Aros. Aros hurls Jackson around like a rag doll. He tells Jackson that he will not escape. A sudden jerk of the ship throws Jackson into a pod. Aros lets out a roar on anger and climbs onto the pod as it ejects. Meanwhile Europa leaps into a pod and ejects. Aros remains on Jackson’s pod. The pod crashes onto the Earth. Jackson climbs out dazed. Tia runs to him and she asks if he is ok. He nods. Aros leaps up and walks toward Jackson and Tia. He tells them that they have no idea what trouble they are in. He says this defiance toward them, the humans creators is the reason they will be distorted. Europa joins him. She says that they have destroyed all humanity and not a trace will be left. She says that they (The Wanders) tried to show mercy by saving two humans and Jackson and Tia foolishly rejected it. They suddenly hear and explosion from the sky. The massive spacecraft brings to explode. Debris rain from the sky onto the beach and ocean. Aros, Europa, Jackson, and Tia run as the spacecraft slams into the beach. Debris, fire, and smoke cover the entire length of the island. Jackson and Tia run to the collapsed beach house to find shelter. Europa falls and trips over a rock and is crushed by the debris. Aros runs to help Europa but is struck by a large piece of debris and dies. After the smoke clears, Jackson and Tia emerge from under the house. The spacecraft is merely a burning pile of wreckage. They see Aros body laying there dead. Tia says that they are safe. Jackson and her embrace each other passionately. They see police boats and other island residents gather in the distance. Tia says that they have to alert the police of the potential attack. Jackson nods and they head for the people. Suddenly, a loud boom is heard and a massive bolt of blinding light appears from the sky and smashes into the ocean. The people on the beach scream in terror and run. Tia and Jackson look at each other in horror. Tia says that it is over. Jackson says that he loves Tia. He holds her in his arms. The screen goes white. 

Edited March 30, 2013 by Hiccup

[Hiccup]

Life After Death

 

Date- June 2^nd

Genre- Thriller

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- 3,530 theaters

Budget- 120 million

Running Time- 150 minutes or 2 hours and 30 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures

Director- Ron Howard

Actors and Actress-

James Lewis- Aaron Eckhart

Alice Jacobson- Maggie Gyllenhaal

Eric Davis- Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Mary Lewis- Rachel McAdams

Peter Haines- Jude Law

 

Plot: The film takes place in the year 2014. The film follows an agnostic professor James Lewis. He is a professor in criminal studies but likes religious history particularly as a side study. We learn that he use to be a Christian but dis-converted after his wife, Mary Lewis’s brutal murder three years ago. He still mourns her death.  During the film, James struggles with his feelings toward religion and the death of his wife. He suddenly one day receives a phone call from the Vatican who says that two cardinals were brutally killed by a secret organization known as the “Scientia”. This group has discovered a drug that can “kill” a person for several minutes and allow them to see if there is an actual heaven and hell on the other side. James is briefed on the history of this group and discovers that in the 1800’s the group tried to take down the Church but after a unification of the Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Mormon churches they were defeated. The group is led by Peter Haines who sees this drug as an opportunity to defeat Christianity once and for all. He learns that the group plans to literally destroy the major centers of the Christian faith by Easter, which is a week away. On Easter Day, they plan to tell the world that Christianity is a lie by using the drug. James is assigned to work with Alice Jacobson and Eric Davis. Alice Jacobson is an FBI agent and Eric Davis is a young priest who has studied the “Scientia” and other cults for several years. They have to race against time to find out where, when, and how this group plans to destroy the centers of each Christian division. After searching and get a few suspects, they discover that the group plans on destroying first the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City. James, Alice, and Eric quickly alert the officials and fly to Salt Lake City. When they arrive, the building has been cleared. Eric however notices a man in the crowd with the “Scientia” symbol tattooed on his hand. Eric alerts Alice and they chase the man. Suddenly, they hear a boom and the ground shakes. The massive Mormon Temple begins to crash to the ground. Eric stands petrified and stares. Alice looks and continues to chase the man. James intervenes and grabs the man. They take him away. The entire city is in a panic. Mormons begin to fear that persecution from the USA government is re-happening like in the 1800’s. The city is filled with angry and fearful riots. After interrogating the man, James, Eric, and Alice learn the next location is Lakewood Church, which has been deemed the center of the Protestant faith. However it is too late, the mega-church is destroyed and over 25,000 thousand people perish in the attack. This horrific tragedy horrifies the team and hurts their morale. They are called back to Rome were they meet with the top leaders of the Christian faith. The leaders tell them that the entire Christian world is in full panic and rumors are spreading that this is the end times. Eric tells them that he thinks the “Scientia” group is attacking the Christian church from the smallest denominations to the largest. He says that would make the Orthodox Church next. He tells them that they must evacuate The Church of St. George in Istanbul, which is the center of the Orthodox faith immediately. The church is evacuated and put on lock down. The attacker is captured and brought to Rome. The attacker tells them that they can’t stop what will happen. He says the group has infiltrated the Vatican and they will not only bring down the church physically but psychological. He tells them that Christianity will be proven for once and all as a false religion. He tells them that the Vatican will fall and then Heaven will be next. Later the next night, a priest who is revealed to be part of the “Scientia” murders the Pope. The priest kills himself. The Orthodox, Protestant, and Mormon leaders panic and the Catholic Church is sent into confusion. Riots begin to erupt around the world. Government centers are stormed, as many Christians believe that this is the government’s doing. Muslims begin to worry and join the side of many Christians in the riots and protests. James meets with the leaders. He tells them that he has clues on were the “Scientia” are planning on conducting the drug. He says he will stop them if and only if they can control their followers and tell them what is actually going on. The aged Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox faith rises and says he will. He immediately is broadcasted worldwide and tells the world what is going on and that they will stop the group of destroying the Christian faith. Meanwhile, James, Eric, and Alice head to the secret location where after a fight, they stop they stop the group. James says that he will destroy the drug and capture Peter Haines. Alice and Eric leave him. James enters the room with Peter. After talking, Peter shots at James wounding him. James and Peter fight in which Peter is mortally wounded. Peter challenged James about his wife and asks him if he would like to see if there is a heaven or isn’t. James emotionally weak decided to take the drug. Alice and Eric burst into the room just as James goes under. There faces blur away as James “dies”.  James awakens in a weird and strange world. He is surrounded by fire and lava. The air smells of death and rottenness. He hears the weeping and crying of people. Suddenly, a man in white appears before him. The man is an angel. James is shocked. He asks if he is dreaming. The angel says no. The angel leads James through the nine circles of Hell. James is horrified and frightened at Hell. Finally, they reach Heaven. James doesn’t see his wife her. He asks the angel where his wife is. The angel leaves him. James is upset and shocked. He is shocked that his beliefs are false and that Christianity is the correct religion. Mary then approaches him and she tells him that his wife is in Purgatory and that the only way to let her out is for James to give his life to God. James is conflicted but then Mary takes James to his wife. James after seeing his wife decided to give his life to God. James then begins to awaken in real life. James says the drug is going away. Mary tells him that his lips must be sealed but what he saw. She says that God has given people enough evidence to mankind to believe in Him. She says that human have the choice to accept salvation. James swears to keep what he has seen silent. James awakens in real life. Alice and Eric ask him what he saw. James says that the drug didn’t work and he only slept. Later that day James after getting out of the hospital is surrounded by the leaders of Christianity who beg him to tell them what he saw. He tells them that he just slept and the dream didn’t work. He tells Christians around world on a broadcast to keep their faith and believe since their faith has not been undermined. The film concludes with James retiring and becoming a monk at a Catholic monetary. 

Edited April 6, 2013 by Hiccup

[Ezen Baklattan]

*Opening Night Selection: CAYOM Festival Y7*
 

SPARK: IGNITION

"He's still burning bright."

Genre: Animation (CGI)/Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure

Date: June 2nd

Theaters: 3,951 (The film will also be released in IMAX 3D and Digital 3D)
Directors: Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
Cast: Paul Dano (Alex Spark), Bryce Dallas Howard (Zenta), Benedict Cumberbatch (Ezen), Steven Barr (Degg), Jeremy Shada (Arino), Mark Strong (Kozar Alzana), J.K. Simmons (President Suran), Brie Larson (Roxen), Chloe Moretz (Plip), Dante Basco (Pennir Alzana),
Cameos: Richard Armitage (Talirad Bandit), Cillian Murphy (Human bandit), Jenna Ushkowitz (Claire Chen), Johnny Simmons (Johnny Makowitz), Michael Fassbender (Masked alien), Anton Yelchin (Welan)
Composer: John Powell
Rating: PG for sci-fi action/violence, peril, brief language, and some thematic material
Runtime: 116min (1hr, 56min)
Budget: $170 million
Previous Film: $600m Worldwide and 9 Oscar Nominations, Including 2 Wins

Note: This movie takes place 4 years after the events of Spark. Alex and his friends have grown up a little bit, while Alex has entered adulthood, along with Zenta and Ezen. Arino is still young, but he’s now a young teen, albeit as energetic as he ever was. Ezen and Alex have been appointed to be representatives of the Galactic Federation. (Which is much like the United Nations)

In the darkness of space, we see a spaceship passing through at great speed. We soon follow this ship as it lands on an asteroid with what appears to be a large facility on it. The ship lands within the area of the facility, and there is heavy security surrounding the entirety of the facility. We see a group of guards, all of which are aliens, surround someone in a helmet. They guide him through the facility, passing through several experimental areas and examples of impressive technology. The guards soon arrive at a door, where the helmeted person enters a complicated password and a voice code, as well as a DNA scan. He soon passes into a large facility, with many aliens working. They notice that he is here, and they all look on in silence. The entity finally takes off his helmet and his suit, revealing himself to be a green alien. He is basically similar to a Human, but he has many distinctive qualities that give him more of an alien look. His nose is small and the top of his head is characterized by a somewhat spiked look. A scientist comes up to him and says, “Kozar Alzana, we’ve finally got it.”

Kozar is the trillionaire head of Rubiran Industries, one of the most prominent companies of engineering and technology in the entire galaxy. Kozar comes up to him and says, “Good. That’s probably the only reason I would have come here In the first place.” The scientist, intimidated by his ultimate boss, takes him to a room made of a strong glass-like substance, and a scrawny alien trapped inside. The scientist pulls down a lever which sets up a target board in the room. Kozar then proceeds to tell the alien inside to impress him. The alien, feeling very nervous, lifts up the dartboard from its attachment, and he proceeds to fire a blast of energy onto the target, which destroys it immediately. Kozar smiles darkly at this glorious display of the special powers. We soon find out that it’s no coincidence that these powers imitate the exact capabilities of Alex Spark. The scientist gives Kozar a small bottle with a blue substance in it. “This substance separates all of us from becoming just like the boy who saved the galaxy.” Kozar grabs it from his hands, and he goes on to say, “Alex probably thinks that with his ‘special powers’ he’s the destined guardian of the galaxy, but let me tell you. I know his secret, and I intend to capitalize on it.

SPARK: IGNITION

Meanwhile, a familiar face is struggling to get himself ready for something. He looks quite good, but he is very nervous about what is about to happen. This person is Alex Spark, the hero of the war against the Savior. Alex is about to present a commencement speech to the graduating class of Ascension Academy, the most prestigious university in the entire universe. Zenta, Arino, and Ezen, three of his best friends, are also helping him get ready, reassuring him that he’s going to do fine. Ezen mutters to himself how ironic it is that someone with incredible powers who saved the world from a great evil would be afraid of public speaking. Alex says that he heard that, to which Ezen replies that he thought it was clever. Meanwhile, Arino is distracted by hanging out with some of the jocks in the academy, while Zenta comes up to Alex. She tells him that he just needs to talk about the progress in the past three years of galactic relations, as well as adjust his necktie. Alex, feeling assured, wonders where Degg is, and Zenta thinks back. We soon see a humorous moment of Degg unable to get in for bringing weapons. The thing is, Degg’s minigun is built in to his body, and it’s actually his arm. He couldn’t take it off even if he wanted to, and he tries to explain that to no avail. An alien soon comes on to tell Alex that he needs to be out there in five minutes, to which Alex says that he’ll be right there. Alex receives a kiss on the cheek from Zenta, and she wishes him luck as he heads out to speak.

Alex, seeing the vast volume of students, mostly aliens but with a handful of humans, takes a deep breath and begins to speak. He starts off a little awkwardly, but he soon gets comfortable. Alex begins to discuss how the universe has made a lot of great progress over the last three years. It certainly beats being in a totalitarian regime, to which the crowd of students laughs. Alex then goes on to talk about how humans have gotten their representation on the Galactic Federation, and how new projects are being undertaken to increased amicability among species and push the limits of our world, and how these students may very well be the ones to push those limits. These are shown while Alex’s speech serves as a voiceover to describe the progress. Alex soon wraps up his speech, to which everyone cheers. Alex breathes a sigh of relief, and everyone says that he did a pretty good job. While he is leaving the academy on a spaceship, he is crowded by news reporters and adoring students.

After getting into his spaceship, his friends are waiting for him there. They congratulate him on the job well done, to which Alex is relieved that he didn’t mess up. They soon head of to Luminon, the planetary base of the Galactic Federation. After intensive study of alien government and society, Alex Spark was appointed as representative of Earth for the Federation. Ezen was also appointed as representative for his own planet, Zekarn, inhabited by the Talirads. Humans and Talirads are working together to develop a new source of renewable energy found in each of their planets, taking the form of a newly discovered element called Fenirium, which is abundant on both planets’ atmospheres. After beginning to work out a system of energy plants using Fenirium, it is possible that the entire galaxy could be living off of Fenirium energy in half of a century. Ezen is highly knowledgeable on the element, although Alex is a bit more confused on the matter. He decides to let Ezen do most of the talking when they attend the conference on the matter. Before they continue, Alex goes to meet Zenta in a separate room. The main thing that he wants to talk about is the two of them. Zenta tells Alex that they’ve been dating for a while now, but she’s never been able to make big steps in their relationship. That, and relationships with alien species are generally frowned upon on my planet. Alex jokes that he’s having a hard time getting used to being called an alien, even if it is essentially true. Alex still says that they’re perfectly fine as they are, and he’s a bit nervous about it too. As they arrive on the planet, Arino notices a ship coming towards them, and it doesn’t appear to be a friendly one. Zenta mutters, “people just love attacking ships that we’re in, don’t they?” and the gang decides to step into action.

The enemy ship is small, much like the ship Alex is on, but it is armed with state of the art machine guns. The guns begin to fire as Alex’s ship tries to maneuver around them. Degg and Alex get out onto the roof of the ship, where Deg uses his own minigun arm to retaliate and Alex uses energy blasts to throw the ship of course. It does some damage, but the ship gets back up to speed. Arino soon gets up on the top of the ship as well, and he launches a tiny spherical object, landing perfectly into the other ship. Arino soon presses a button, and the other ship explodes. As Arino and Degg get back in, the others look at them in disbelief. Arino soon breaks the silence and says, “And you thought my love of explosives was a bad thing. No! It’s awesome!” Alex soon notices that his own ship was badly damaged, and it crashes on a street outside of the Federation City. Everyone gets out of the shuttle safely. No one has been killed in this incident, although Alex is badly injured. Alex begins to have his vision fade, as the others look at him in concern. We see this scene in first person, as his vision soon goes to white while Zenta is seen yelling, “Come on, call the hospital!”

Alex soon wakes up in what appears to be a hospital bedroom. A nurse tells him that his injuries weren’t so good, but with the right touchups, he’ll be back on his feet in no time. While he’s stuck in the hospital, Zenta comes in to talk with him. She says that the Federation wanted to have the discussion of the Fenirium as soon as possible, so Ezen had no choice but to do it without Alex. He’s going to visit later tonight, and he sends Alex his best wishes. Alex smiles, saying that Ezen’s a smart guy, and he (Ezen) can handle the discussion without him. Zenta soon leaves, telling Alex that he should be able to leave in about a week. Alex sighs and turns on the television. Meanwhile, we see President Suran, leader of the Galactic Federation, interviewing Ezen on the matter. Suran demands to know how this project will be financed, because while Fenirium has potential as renewable energy, it is also very costly to deal with. Ezen insists that he knows exactly how to plan out this operation, showing elaborate diagrams of the way the Fenirium can be used, and the plants that would convert Fenirium from the air to energy. Another representative speaks when it becomes time for the Q&A. She states that many people are forgetting about the accident that Ezen and Alex were involved in. Apparently there have been witness reports that another ship was actually attacking them, and their energy plan may be a motivation. Ezen admits that he has thought hard about this, and he has certainly kept the thought as a big possibility. The politicians soon begin to argue about the cause of the accident, to which Ezen becomes annoyed. He gives his fingers a loud snap and walks out of the room, saying that this discussion is over.

A week later, Alex is leaving the hospital, and many of the populants of the galaxy are happy for this news. Alex returns to his home on Earth, a lofty apartment located in Seattle. He returns to his home and finds out that he has a video message. His old friends, Claire Chen and Johnny Makowitz, now run a famous video game company across the galaxy, and they’re giving Alex the download code to their new beta game. They both hope that they try it soon. The two sign off, and the computer says that the codes have already been downloaded, and the game is ready to play. Alex soon smiles and begins to play. Meanwhile, in a distant planet, with a greatly lush backdrop of forests and oceans, we see Kozar meeting with a tribe of desolate aliens. These aliens are similar in culture to a mix of Native Americans and Ancient Japanese. Kozar is explaining that there are special elements that he needs to complete a very special project. The tribe leader says that he will not allow him to decimate their land for his selfish purposes. Kozar retaliates, becoming somewhat angry. He insists that he is doing this project for the good of the universe, and that bulldozers are coming down this path, whether or not the chief allows it. Kozar advises that he get out while he still can. The chief is still reluctant. Kozar smiles darkly and says, “so be it.” He uses an energy blast against the chief, killing him, and he soon walks away, telling his men to get the dozers out. We soon cut to a ship flying above the tribe, with Kozar looking at the aliens screaming in fear as their home is being destroyed. Meanwhile, back at his home, Alex receives a message from an anonymous sender. “Get back to Federation City ASAP. Also bring the giant robot, the hyperactive kid, the girl liberator, and the nerdy yet attractive one. You’re gonna have to save the world again.” Alex tests his energy blasts and says to himself, “so much for staying on Earth.”

The five heroes meet in Federation City’s spaceport, and Alex shows them the message. Ezen looks at the message and begins to sigh. Ezen knows exactly where this person is, as she has a very distinct attitude that comes off in her writing. Ezen guides the gang to a business building in the downtown area and enters a secret combination on the elevator, which leads to a secret floor within the building. Alex is surprised that he was able to get all of that from his memory. They soon arrive on a floor with a single room, and there is a secretary waiting at the front desk. “Roxen told me that you were all coming, so just get inside. She’s been waiting for you.” Alex notes that the mystery sender was Roxen. The five enter a darkly lit room and see the silhouette of an alien woman leaning against the wall. She fires a pistol at a light switch, causing it to turn on and reveal herself in the surprisingly large and beautifully decorated room, which also have quite a view of the city skyline. She is a beautiful young alien wearing a black and red dress. Think of the Pokémon Sneasel and Weavile, and that’s not far off from what she looks like. “Alex Spark. Degg. Zenta. Arino. Last but not least, Ezen. I’m glad that you all could make it, and I’m equally pleased to offer a nice little proposition to such heroes.” Zenta whispers to Alex, “Why do I get the feeling that this involves something illegal.” Roxen notes that she heard that, and asks if she’s on the side of good, but she just likes to do it in style. “Anyways, I need your help. I’m trying to reveal the corruption of a nasty little man named Kozar Alzana.”

Roxen has been acquiring data and information about Kozar for the past few years, admitting that she’s pretty much an equal to Ezen in terms of wit and skill. Ezen admits he knew about Kozar, but Roxen clearly knows a lot more about him than Ezen did. She needs the gang to help take down Alzana Industries and stop him from achieving a feat that may lead to the destruction of the world. Concerning the plan involving Fenirium as energy, Kozar has actually been developing a different kind of energy to be used for all purposes, primarily that of the military. To give a hint, Roxen takes Alex’s arm and tells him to make some light. Alex complies, creating an orb of bright energy around the room. The five look on in horror as they interpret this, but Arino doesn’t see what the harm is in light energy. “No! The energy like his powers, you explosive-obsessed fool. Remember the infamous Savior’s experiments with this gene-changing element? Well, it works on aliens too.” Roxen tells Arino. Alex realizes that this is very bad. If more people had his powers, destruction and warfare could result from the actions of the selfish and irresponsible. Still, the gang needed proof that Kozar really was someone who couldn’t be trusted. Roxen pulls out some files on her electronic device and says, “For some of what I’m going to show you, well, I hope you haven’t eaten anything in awhile.”

Meanwhile, on a distant planet, we see Kozar experimenting with his powers in the atrium of Alzana industries’ Main Headquarters. He takes a broken generator and zaps it with his energy blast. Lo and behold, it begins to work again. Alzana gives a dark smile and rudely tells his lesser worker to make sure that they include this on our press conference for GalaxyCon, the galaxy’s biggest convention of universal entertainment, politics, technology, and more. Cut back to the five and Roxen. Alex cannot believe what he had just seen. Kozar bribed politicians to pass supportive legislation and protect him from federal action, ruined the lives of innocent people for profit, and works with criminal gangs to provide muscle for his workings. This trillionaire genius truly was evil, and he needed to be stopped. However, they would have to do more than just show the information, due to the volume of bureaucrats on Kozar’s payroll. They soon stop awkwardly, saying that they’ve got to get a plan together to stop him. Alex says that “We have a plan to stop him……the first step is to come up with a plan to stop him.” Roxen laughs, saying that she really did think of everything. Knowing Kozar, he’s going to reveal his plans for the powered energy at the last night of GalaxyCon. Alex remembers going to this massive event last year. It’s so big that it lasts three months and takes up the entire surface of a certain planet. They have until the next GalaxyCon in four weeks to stop Kozar. “It looks like we’re going on another adventure, guys,” Alex says to the others. Arino pipes up and cheers, “It’s gonna be awesome! Alex Spark’s second adventure: Electric Boogaloo!” Alex tells Zenta it’s not funny how often people use that term whenever he does something new.

A breaking news announcement soon comes up on Roxen’s device that shows footage of a robbery of a Celestial Bank and the criminals being pursued down the city streets. Roxen tells Alex and his friends to “go work their magic.” We see two criminals, an alien and a human, driving down the street in black ski masks. Alex runs down the staircase of the building and onto the street, where a car moving quickly followed by police cars comes after them. Alex knows that this is their guy, and he flies after them. Ezen notes that Alex must be really enjoying this. Meanwhile, the two bandits are bickering about what to do with the money they’ve stolen, while a voice coming from the back wants them to acknowledge the fact that they also happened to take a young tween girl hostage. She is a youngish alien, mammalian in appearance. She looks out the window for a moment, and he warns the two to keep an eye out for a flying twentysomething human. The bandits ask what in the galaxy she’s talking about, right when Alex uses his powers to lift the car right off the road and onto a nearby rooftop. Alex comes up to the driver and asks if he’s impressed. The next scene is of the two burgulars being unmasked and arrested. One was a human, and the other was a talirad. They continue to bicker, as Ezen tells the others that this is somewhat surprising because Zekarn, the Talirad homeworld, has most of its crimes involving fraud and corruption, rather than an all out robbery. Zenta then remarks that Ezen must be so proud that his worlds’ most common crimes at that of the intellectual variety.

Meanwhile, the girl in the car comes out to see her heroes. She screams as she finally meets her hero for the first time. Alex is flattered to hear this, but she pushes him aside and runs to her real hero: Arino. Arino is very confused by meeting a girl who really likes him, and he is also a little bit terrified. She introduces herself as Plip, and she says that she loves sunshine, rock bands, and blowing things up. Arino soon pauses and asks her to repeat the last thing. Plip does so, going into greater depth about how she loves blowing bad guys away and her favorite heavy weapons. While she is talking, Arino’s eyes widen, and he tells everyone that she should hang out with them. Alex is still hesitant about letting another young person join them, but Plip insists that she can take care of herself. Besides, she’s been ridiculed all her life because of how small she was in reference to the other young aliens of her race, and joining Alex could finally be her chance to make friends. Arino gives sad eyes, taking out a box of tissues, and Alex decides to let her come along. Plip is ecstatic at this news, and that she promises to take care of herself. “This is the best day evey!” She jumps around and cheers, while Degg assumes that she’s ignoring the fact that she was just held as a hostage.

Roxen soon finds them and congratulates them on yet another day saved. “You’re quite the miracle worker, you know what?” Roxen says to Alex. Alex soon notices a beep on his device, and it’s surprisingly from Kozar Alzana, who managed to find Alex’s contact information. Kozar congratulates Alex for his heroic act, and he invites him to come to his own private small planet, covered in a paradise entirely for Kozar and his associates. Alex takes a moment to think about it, while Kozar disconnects to handle a different issue. Roxen tells Alex to accept the offer, and she’ll bring the others to scout for some information that can bring Kozar down. Alex nods and reconnects to Kozar, saying that he’s willing to come. Kozar smiles, telling Alex to come to the Federation airport in two days time, and he will arrange for a private jet to pick Alex up. Roxen and the others will sneak in through the cargo hold of the plane. It won’t be a glamorous flight for the others, but they will be able to infiltrate Kozar’s facility. Arino and Plip note how awesome it is that they’re going to be spies, and they’ve gotten the old band back together. Alex looks at his team, ready to go, and he says, “Yeah, that’s good.” He’s thinking about Welan, a former ally of the team who died in the previous film. He keeps his feelings to himself, however, and he tells everyone that they should get some rest, it’s gotten rather late. That night, Presidnet Suran is the only person left in the central of the Galactic Federation. He takes a secret passageway to the cargo hold. He enters a code onto the warehouse’s door, and two aliens in suits are waiting for him outside in the rain. They step inside the facility and dry off, telling Suran that he hoped that he would arrive in a bit more of a timely fashion. Suran merely insists that he is a busy man. One of them presents Suran with two large suitcases, each with huge sums of money in them. The other ones says that Suran made the big man proud, and to remember to keep up the good work. If he did so, he would continue reaping these lovely benefits. Suran smiles, telling them that it was a pleasure to partake in business with the lot, soon walking away.

The next day, Alex arrives at the airport, looking rather spiffy. He meets a contact of Kozar outside of the checkin area, and he drives him out to the private aircraft. The two drive out in a luxurious vehicle, while the others sneak around in a cheaper kart. They soon arrive at the huge jet, which has a wholly luxurious interior with television, a bar, a billiards table, and more. “Kozar is waiting to meet you inside of the craft,” the contact says. Your bags will be loaded onto the jet before we depart. As someone, a worker for Kozar, begins to load in the bags, Roxen knocks him out from behind so that she, Zenta, Arino, Degg, Plip, and Ezen can all sneak onto the plane. They are stuck in a dark space for most of the flight, but they all agree that this is necessary to help Alex. Degg says that Alex owes them big time for this. As they soar through the stars, Alex and Kozar are enjoying hour d’ourves and listening to fine music. Kozar tells Alex that he will give him a brief tour of the highlights of his own private world, followed by a brief discussion of an opportunity that may be very beneficial to them. Alex simply smiles and nods. He could tell that Kozar was just trying to be nice, and he knew that Kozar was going to convince him to side with his energy program, but he decided to say nothing, fearing that it might compromise their infiltration. They soon arrive on a landing strip to what appears to be a beautifully designed mansion. Alex and Kozar walk into the building, while the others sneak behind the two.

Alex is amazed at the beauty of the interior, and Kozar tells him that if he was impressed by that, he’ll have to brace himself, because that’s just the beginning of the wonders that Kozar possesses. Kozar calls up an electronic tram for Alex and Kozar to easily travel around the entire planet with great speed. Kozar decides to show him a massive library, a theater, a zoo full of exotic alien creatures, and so on. Kozar also mentions how he lives with his son, Pennir. This planet is so large, that he doesn't actually know where he currently is, but perhaps it would be nice for the two to meet before Alex leaves. The tour lasts a fair number of hours, but Alex would be lying if he said that he wasn’t impressed by all of this. He knew that Kozar was an evil man, but he needed to stay on his good side in order for the gang to stay long enough to collect more information pertaining to the GalaxyCon presentation. Alex and Kozar soon end in a fancy, futuristic parlor atop a large observation deck. The two sit down and discuss certain matters. “What makes you special, Alexander,” Kozar begins to say, “is your source of powers.” Alex lets his hands glow, looking to Kozar who nods. “I’ve discovered that this gene code can actually allow people to create their own energy, and harness it to provide power to anything.” Kozar shows Alex his own energy blasts, to which Alex is shocked? How did he also have knowledge of the makeup of the powers? Kozar laughs, telling him that the so-called Savior’s “magical recipe” wasn’t that hard to figure out. Kozar soon decides to cut to the chase, making Alex a deal. Alex can support his efforts to create the new source of renewable energy on the entire world, and he would receive enough money to live a hundred lifetimes. Alex had doubts about his real use of the power, as well as how the market of this gene, marketed under the name Infinitum, could cause greed to drive the world to collapse. To prevent anything from becoming final, Alex asks if he can stay here a little longer and think about it. Kozar politely lets him do so, but assures him that his advancements in this field will truly be the future of the galaxy. He asks Alex to think about that as he decides to depart for his private corners.

Meanwhile, in an office in the building, a guard is pacing the room, but two greenish-purple, scaly hands drop down from the ceiling and knock him out. Ezen soon drops down, followed by the others. Degg lands on the others, causing great pain for most of them, especially Ezen. Zenta says that a monitor in the room could probably be used to get some information on the GalaxyCon presentation, and Roxen is glad that she pointed this out. She hacks into the monitor and collects some information, on it is a file entitled “GALAXY CON PRESS CONFERENCE.” Roxen tells everyone that she’s going to read over this data in a secret hole in the wall that Roxen often hid in when she sneaked into the place. She then gives coordinates for the others to find Alex. Roxen jumps back up into the vents, thanks to a lift from Degg. Zenta tells everyone to follow her back to Alex, and that they would soon be able to report to him that they found some data. Alex is happy with this news, but Plip comes up and kicks him right in the knee. Plip then says that they’re even for him enjoying the lap of luxury while the others did all the work. Alex, in wincing pain, squeaks, “fair enough.” Alex soon gets back up and leads them to his guest quarters, where they will discuss a plan of attack for the evening.

They arrive in an equally nicely decorated room, Alex’s guest bedroom. Arino and Plip jump on the bed, enjoying how awesomely soft it is, and Degg decides to join them. Alex, Zenta, and Ezen look on in serious confusion. Ezen says that Roxen would come meet them here in a few minutes, and she told him that a few minutes ago. Roxen soon cracks open a vent on the ceiling and jumps out. “And now, to come up with our plan for attack.” Roxen says that when she analyzed the data, she hacked into a secret message at the end of it that said that he had more information on his presentation in his private archives, a room even Roxen couldn’t infiltrate alone. It contains so many secrets that it is guarded heavily and difficult to infiltrate. Degg will keep the guards busy. Arino and Plip will act like children who became lost here, thus causing some guards to leave to get them to safe. Roxen and Ezen will try to hack into the system, while Zenta and Alex would sneak in through the vents in case the two hackers didn’t do their work (It would still require some infiltration to reduce security in the vents). Plip is slightly offended by having to be a young child, especially considering that she’s 14. Roxen says that she’s sure that she’ll be able to blow something up eventually. Ezen also says that the love of explosives held by Arino and Plip is rather concerning, so it is probably for the best anyway. Plip calls Ezen a nerd, but he takes this as a compliment.

Their plan soon comes into action. Around the room of the archives, there is a large number of guards patrolling the facility. Alex and Zenta are up in the vents, and Alex admits that she does not mind being in tight spaces with her. Zenta gives him a strange look, and Alex asks if she can just pretend that he never said that. Zenta says, “too late.” Meanwhile, Arino and Plip are crying as they pace the halls in front of the guards. Two of the guards come up to them and ask what’s the matter. Arino tells them that he was with some of his friends on a private tour of Kozar’s mansion, but he got lost with his best friend, Plip. The two guards agree to bring them to safety and leave the immediate area. Roxen says to herself, “2 down……6 to go. Do your thing, Roboman.” Degg nods, and he walks up to the guards and knocks all of them out simultaneously by crunching them in his arms. They are only knocked out temporarily, of course. Ezen and Roxen soon examine the keycode in front of the door. Ezen decides that he should actually be able to bypass this gate with some help. He tells Alex and Zenta via walkie-talkie to give them a few. Ezen and Roxen soon start hacking, saying that it’s been a while since she met a good hacker like him. They eventually get past all of the hacking that they can do, but they soon reach a level that is so heavily protected that neither of them can get in. Rather than try to set off their alarm, they tell Alex and Zenta to pass through and get into the archives. Alex and Zenta soon get in, entering through a vent on the ground. They are amazed by the vast array of monitors in the private archives. Zenta reports that they’ve landed in the next, to which the gang cheers silenty. Roxen tells the duo that they are indeed cheering silently. Alex soon takes the data that Roxen gave her and plugs it into the central matrix. Alex soon uncovers the truth of the power purposes, reporting it to the others.

Kozar isn’t trying to create a new energy source, but rather an army of Infinitum powered soldiers, and he’s going to reveal them at the climax of his GalaxyCon presentation. Better yet, Galactic Federation President Anirus Suran is working for him, trying to prevent the silly lizard’s plans for Fenirium energy. Ezen grows as he hears this, confirming one of his own superstitions. He doesn’t care about creating better living, or even messing up the balance of the universe. He just wants to make profit from warfare, and perhaps gain power over the federation and perhaps have the world at his fingertips. After all, the ones with money are the ones with power. The feed soon cuts off as a silhouette appears behind them, and he pulls out a gun. Alex immediately turns around and uses his powers to throw the stranger against the wall. Alex and Zenta examine the body, and they find that it is a young man similar to Kozar, but younger. Footsteps are soon heard rushing down the hallway, and the door to the archives opens to him. It is none other than Kozar, who is not pleased at all. “What are you two doing in here, and how, young lady, are you even here? With all that racket you caused, you must have-“ Kozar soon looks to the side and sees the unconscious alien lying on the ground. Kozar soon becomes horrified, for this alien, Pennir, was his son. Pennir is not moving, and Kozar believes that he is dead. Rather than mourn for his son, he glares at Alex, who must have killed his son.

Alex looks in horror. Those blasts weren’t strong enough to kill anyone, and Alex did not realize who this was. Kozar tells Alex to stop playing him like a fool, even though Alex was telling the truth. “I knew that you were in favor of the fenirium energy program, and that you would kill my own son to send a message to me. Is that not the only reason you came here?” Alex confesses that there was no way around the fact that he killed an innocent in cold blood, to which Zenta looks on in sorrow. Meanwhile, Kozar shows them footage of their friends tied up in a different room, surrounded by guards, except for Roxen. Alex asks for an explanation, and Roxen walks up to him from the darkness, asking if it is not obvious already. Alex soon pauses and realizes that Roxen was never on their side. She was working for Roxen all along, and every move that they made was a complete set up to this very instance, but Alex went too far in murdering Kozar’s son. The accident with the shuttle was merely an act of violence against Alex and Ezen, but the two bandits were also on Kozar’s payroll, and this distracted Alex and his allies, while it also provided Roxen the opportunity to send data on the heroes to Kozar. Roxen tells the guards to take this murderer away, to which Alex’s emotionless, cold body simply limps as it is dragged by the guards. Kozar and Roxen smile darkly as the newly titled anti-hero is taken away.

Later, with breaking and entering and murder of a youth, primarily as a result of political motivations. After a heated trial headed by the galactic federation, Alex is declared guilty. He is being sent to a high security prison on a separate planet, at the command of President Suran. People are calling off their love for the newly spoiled hero, heartbroken by their hero’s cruel act, and many people are harsh towards him in the news footage. Alex is escorted to his prison cell where he sits silently and sadly. Alex was still convinced that he murdered his son, making the pain feel even worse, because he really did deserve to be here. He receives a prison visit from Zenta, who doesn’t know what to say. She saw Alex murder Pennir, but she was disgusted on how the universe turned its back on Alex. He tells him not to pity him, and that he probably deserves to be here. Zenta tells him that the situation is currently dire, but so was that of four years ago. Zenta tells Alex not that they’ll find a way out of this, but that she only hopes so. “And I still love you,” Zenta says as the door closes behind her. Alex looks sadly, at the door as it closes. Meanwhile Plip, Degg, Arino, and Ezen are still stuck at a prison in Kozar’s mansion. Plip has flashbacks of her peers making fun of her back on her own homeworld, and how she soon ran away from it all, yet this fate wouldn’t make anything better for her. The GalaxyCon is being prepared heavily, while Roxen and Kozar finalize the details in the presentation of the Infinitum energy It seemed like all hope would be lost for the heroes when GalaxyCon eventually arrived.

GalaxyCon was finally here, being hosted on the entire surface of Planet Staddox, the homeworld of the Jesimas, a race of aliens including Zenta. There are hundreds of millions of Aliens all across the planet, sampling everything that the universe has to offer: games, film, food, entertainment, botany, arts, knowledge, and so on. The scene is very colorful and jubilant across the entire planet, and this lasts for two months. Kozar is preparing to end the convention with a bang and the day soon comes when he must present his pitch for Infinitum energy. The day before his presentation, Alex is seen alone in his prison, when the two guards come to his cell. Much to their surprise, someone has paid an extremely generous amount of money to pay for Alex’s bail. Given what he did five years ago, the guards decided that he could be let out with extreme caution. Besides, this was a relatively small offense given what some of the other convicts had done. Alex is escorted to a shuttle, but Alex does not recognize it as Zenta’s. He soon gets in and is shocked upon seeing him. The alien tells him that Alex probably thought that he killed him. “I think we need to talk,” the alien says, “but you should probably know my name first; it’s Pennir Alzana.”

The two are driving across the cosmos while Pennir explains everything. He was indeed the son of Kozar, but he ran away from home after finding out about the monstrosities that his father had committed to become the filthy rich alien that he is today. He took a huge sum of money with him, but it was still a fraction of what Kozar has. Pennir spent most of this money for good causes, like promoting better living in small alien countries and fighting against cruelty. He tells Alex that only wishes that he were a part of his team in taking down the Savior, but he was one of the few who tried and failed to fight him before the Spark revolution. As for the supposed murder, it was all set up. The man whom Alex supposedly killed was merely a dead ringer for Pennir, and the double simply pretended to be dead with the energy blast. Alex didn’t kill anyone, let alone Kozar’s son. Pennir says that because he helped him get out, all he asks is that Alex help him take down Kozar once and for all. “Are you kidding, You don’t have to strike a deal with me! Let’s finish this man once and for all.” Pennir also says that his friends should be joining them soon, thanks to a package that he might have sent Arino and Plip. Back at the jail in the Alzana mansion, we see Ezen pacing the cell rapidly, trying to devise a way out, while the others sit around, feeling very bored. Arino and Plip soon find a box snuck into Kozar’s home by a friend of Pennir inside the cell wall. Inside is a bomb, and Arino and Plip look on in upmost glee upon opening the box. We soon see an explosion occur outside of the mansion and the four prisoners running out to a shuttle. Degg attacks any guards in their way, while Plip yells out, “I was so very wrong! This is really the best day of my life!” Meanwhile, Zenta also receives a call from Pennir, telling her to report to Kozar’s speech area. She was already at GalaxyCon alone, but she will now be able to meet up with everyone.

“At long last,” a reporter announces at GalaxyCon, “the trillionaire genius Kozar Alzana is announcing a new form of energy that can make the world a better place. It is quite impressive that he is here after the tragedy caused by disgraced human hero Alex Spark. Without further ado, here is Kozar Alzana!” There is vast applause for Kozar’s appearance at the massive amphitheater, and he begins to discuss the wonders of his new energy program at the center stage. Meanwhile, Alex and Pennir are reunited with their allies on a secret location within the planet. The four are still skeptical of Alex, but Pennir tells them what happened, and they are once his side once again. Zenta apologizes on behalf of the galaxy for doubting him. Alex says that Roxen and Kozar fooled everyone, and as far as he can tell, there are only three enemies: Roxen, Suran, and above all, Kozar. Alex decides that he must go into the event and expose Kozar with Pennir, and the others are to stay behind in case something goes wrong. Kozar, nearly finishing his presentation, continues his speech, saying, “Now that you’ve seen all that I have to offer, I must ask all of you if-“

-“You know that he’s a fraud.” Alex chimes in from the edge of the amphitheater. The crowd boos at him and throws garbage at him, but Alex remains steadfast. Kozar tells Alex to go, and how murdering his own son was enough insult more than trying to ruin his presentation. “I’m sorry, who did you say that he killed?” Pennir comes up with Alex, and the crowd gasps. Kozar insists to all angrily that Alex is playing another cruel joke on him, but Pennir tells everyone that Alex was set up, and he exposes just some of the evil things that Kozar has done, but the public never knew about. Kozar tells his son to shut up, but Pennir continues, outraging the crowd and causing them to boo at Kozar rather than Alex. They now knew that Alex was the hero that he always was, but their favorite industrialist was a terrible organic being. Kozar finally reveals his true colors. He says that being a good person does not get you power and money, and he releases a fleet of Infinitum powered soldiers from the sky and he orders them to destroy the convention. People soon run out of the amphitheater and panic all across the planet. Alex sighs and returns to his allies, saying that it’s time for yet another battle of good vs. evil.

Many alien races and humans have mobilized troops to send into to GalaxyCon to try and fight off Kozar’s army, while Degg, Arino, and Plip try to protect the civilians. This battle is very intense and somewhat prolonged, and much destruction is caused to many cities and GalaxyCon facilities. Alex, Ezen, and Zenta look for a way to try and shut down the power of the forces, and Pennir decides that it’s time to confront his father to confront his father. The two get into a fight on the center stage of the atrium, and Pennir tells his father that this was why he left in the first place. All he ever cared about was money and power, and he hopes that he’s happy for finally achieving it. Kozar tells his son that he is naïve, and he frankly would have had no problem killing him, much like Alex. The two continue fighting as the three protagonists are running to Kozar’s jet, which might have central controls. Meanwhile, they see Roxen running from some of the soldiers, who are just attacking anyone and everyone. Roxen is able to hold her own in combat, and she gets away from them, presumably to a ship off of the seemingly doomed planet. “Heh,” Zenta says, “I almost thought that we would have to save her life and cause her to have a change of heart. “That’s not important though, we need to find the emergency shutdown for these freaks.”

Alex, Ezen, and Zenta try to run through the aggressive fleet of soldiers to find their way to the control, getting involved in some intense sequences of battle. Meanwhile, Arino and Plip are throwing explosives at the enemies, while Degg fires his minigun at the enemies. Plip says that this is the actual best day ever, and she means it for real this time. Pennir and Kozar are still fighting, but Kozar’s use of the infinitum power is causing Pennir to be defeated, and it seems as if Kozar may actually kill his son. “The problem with Joseph Arden is that he ended up showing pity and respect for his enemies. I say that anyone who stands in my way will be eliminated, no matter how close we once were.” Before he can attack his son, soldiers enter the ampitheater and begin to attack; Pennir uses this opportunity to escape his dad, who soon pursues him. He was so close to power that this surge of energy is bringing about corruption within him, and it really shows in his messy suit, the inconsistency in his spiked hair, and his deranged eyes.

The three heroes arrive at the jet, where Ezen goes in to find the controls to shut down the soldiers. Alex and Zenta fight them off in the meanwhile. The two are not doing so hot against the enemies, and Ezen is struggling to hack into the shutdown operation. Pennir soon finds the four and decides to go help them. Pennir gets into the Jet to find Roxen trying to shut down the soldiers. However, Alex is blown to the side by some guards, and he is dragged away by them. Ezen tries to grab Alex, but the soldiers’ grips are too strong, and they carry Alex off. Alex yells to the others to keep Pennir and Roxen safe. Alex is soon thrown into a long strip of road where Kozar is standing at the end. “It looks like we’ve got an old fashioned duel at high noon,” Kozar says darkly, soon activating his own powers. “and we don’t even need a single gun.” Kozar then says that while Pennir may have gotten away, he makes for a satisfactory target as well. Alex and Kozar soon get into an all out duel using their powers. Although Alex is able to use some new tricks, such as lighting objects on fire and creating barriers to protect himself, Kozar uses the advantage of having his soldiers fight for him. As a result, Alex comes close to being defeated. As Alex approaches extreme danger, he seriously hopes that the soldiers are shut down soon. Alex tries to run away, but the others are moving too fast. Alex is soon grabbed by a large soldier, who picks up Alex and attempts to strangle him. Kozar walks up to Alex with a dark smile and says, “You see, no entity, no matter how powerful, can live forever. Goodbye, Alexander.” Just as he is close to death, Pennir and Ezen manage to work out the shutdown code and manage to drain the power of all the soldiers. In doing this, each soldier crashes to the ground, and the one strangling Alex falls down, loosening his grip on the human. Alex gives a huge sigh of relief as his life was saved. The attendees of the convention are awestruck when they see that the fog of the disaster has cleared up, and that they were safe from further destruction. People begin to cheer and hug each other, because thanks to Pennir, countless lives were spared.

Amidst this cheering, Kozar points a gun at Alex in rage, telling him that he ruined everything that he had worked for, and that he would pay for this. Before he finishes, Alex punches him in the face, knocking him to the ground immediately. Alex looks at his smoking fist, saying how he did realize that he had it in him, laughing a little bit. Alex soon comes back to the others, who are all very relieved to see him. Degg gathers up everyone in a group hug, to which Alex is almost suffocating once again. He and Zenta embrace, and he soon proceed to give Ezen an elaborate handshake. Roxen admits that being the good guy actually felt kind of nice, and Pennir is relieved that he has finally finished the matter. Pennir was finally at peace, and he owes it to the seven people in front of him: Degg, Arino, Plip, Ezen, Zenta, Alex. Pennir and Alex shake hands as a crowd of people come up to them and continue cheering. Meanwhile, an unconscious Kozar is taken away by the police and thrown into a police cruiser, as Ezen notes that a life sentence would be rather generous, and that the federation’s going to have a hard time overlooking his crimes now. “I still can’t believe that Roxen got away,” Degg growls, “She deserves to go down with her allies.” Alex tells him not to worry, and that the federation will know to keep a close eye out for her.

However, President Suran comes up to them and yells at them for ruining GalaxyCon by causing the utter parade of carnage and destruction. The heroes glare at him, and Ezen tells him that it was because of them that he is even alive, and he should also remember his own relationship with Kozar Alzana. He nods to Pennir, who plays an audiotape revealing an exchange between Suran and Kozar, explaining that he would be paid greatly if he were to side with Kozar in his decisions and ignore all of the slight messes that he caused. Suran insists that this evidence was forged, but no one is willing to believe him, and two officers arrest Suran for acting as an accomplice to activity against good for the galaxy, and he is obviously removed from his role as leader of the Galactic Federation. He is taken away in a police cruiser as an official of the Galactic federation says that they must find another candidate for president of the federation, and Alex decides to nominate Ezen. He was always with Alex when he went through hell and back, and his sharp wit and knowledge would make him a valuable part of the political world. Ezen smiles and gets slightly sentimental, but he looks forward to seeing if this is the future that the world has in store for Ezen.

Lo and behold, it was. Ezen was soon voted for widely in an election for president, and he won. As president of the galactic federation, he appoints Alex Spark to be the chairman of galactic defense. Arino and Plip continue to be best friends, causing Plip to live her dream of finally having a best friend. Degg still resides on Gola Base, where he has stayed ever since the revolution began. Roxen has gone off the radar, but federation police are now on high alert for her. Pennir took over his father’s industry, but he has donated much of his money to good causes, and he is implementing the clean Fenirium energy that Alex and Ezen sought at the beginning of the film. After the inauguration of Alex to chairman of galactic defense, he goes out on a balcony to talk to Zenta. It has been five years that the two have been together, and they were always so close. Alex becomes somewhat nervous, while Ezen, Degg, Arino, and Plip look at the corner in excitement with. “Zenta,” Alex soon says, kneeling down and pulling out a ring (she does not understand the human custom of this method of proposing, so she is surprisingly nonresponsive), “Will you marry me?” Zenta gasps, soon saying with little hesitation, “Yes!” The two soon kiss as the sun sets, and the camera pulls out into the stars.

THE END

End Credits: An animated rendition of events in the film, set to the song, “Ready, Aim, Fire” by Panic! At The Disco

Post Credits Scene: We see an alien wearing a mask looking down at an operating table, with a wolf-like alien laying underneath a sheet. He says that since Joseph and Kozar have both failed him, that he must take matters into his own hands. He has done something impossible, and he will use this to make the galaxy suffer. “Are you ready, Welan?” We see the wolf-like creature wake up and tell the masked man, “Yes, yes I am.”

Edited April 26, 2013 by Spaghetti

[Ezen Baklattan]

EXTRASENSORY

Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller/Horror

Date: August 11th

Theaters: 2,904

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Kodi Smitt-McPhee (Kyle Slater), Michael Sheen (Dr. Patterson), Julianne Moore (Lisa Slater), Mark Ruffalo (Michael Slater), Kara Hayward (Molly), Alexander Ludwig (Nicholas)

Composer: Clint Mansell

Cinematographer: Mihai Mălaimare, Jr (The film is shot in 70mm film)

Rating: R for disturbing violent content & language

Runtime: 96min (1hr, 36min)

Budget: $30 million

 

The first shot of the film is the front of a car driving through a lit up highway and approaching a bridge in the night. We see the driver, wearing a black uniform and a kid leaning against the window of the car. He is a 14-year old boy wearing jeans and a graphic t-shirt. He tells the driver that he doesn’t like where this is going, and that he wants to leave. The driver says, “Listen to me, Kyle, you have no reason to just make a clean getaway what just happened. Besides, this is a relatively nice outcome for anyone else in your situation. “ Kyle tells the driver to stop the car and let him out. The driver resists firmly, telling Kyle to stop thinking that someone with his powers could just waltz out of here, and he was just being silly. Kyle tells him a much more stern voice, “Stop the car. Now.”  The driver becomes cross with him, telling him that he needs to stop acting this way. Kyle asks a third time, but more aggressively.  The driver snaps at him and tells Kyle looks at a car on the side and says, “fair enough.” He uses what appears to be telekinesis on the other car to push the car he is in to the side with a heavy force, all while the other driver is scared of the lack of control he has over the car. The car is pushed off of the side of the bridge in slow motion, and it soon lands into the water. As the car begins to drown, we see the driver frantically moving, trying to escape, while Kyle gives a dark stare at the driver, not even lifting a finger.

 

EXTRASENSORY

 

We now see Kyle, in a change of blue clothes but with wet hair, sitting down at a table in a room with white walls and a small table for two people. A door opens on the side of the room, and a man, probably in his early 40s and a nice suit, sitting at the table, on the opposite side of Kyle.  He introduces himself as Dr. Patterson, explaining how this room is set off to send calming sound waves that only Kyle will be able to experience, and it will “sedate” him to the point where he cannot use his powers. “We’ve been working a long time on this room,” Patterson says, so don’t you try and do anything funny.” Keep in mind that Patterson is not meant to sound threatening while he says all of this. In fact, he speaks in a rather calm and even playful voice. Patterson says that he would like to ask Kyle a few questions pertaining to him. Kyle remains firm to Patterson, trying hard to stay firm even amidst the effects of the sedative.

 

Kyle: “Where’s my mom? Where’s Lisa?!”

 

Patterson: “She’s safe and sound at her home. She know that you’re at a special facility to discuss recent events. Due to the confidentiality of this matter, she has been declined an invitation to come here.”

 

Kyle: “Fine.”

 

Patterson: “So, Kyle Benjamin Slater, would you like to explain that stunt you pulled off not very long ago? Your actions caused the death of one of our associates.”

 

Kyle: “I was sending a warning.”

 

Patterson: “Oh, were you? What exactly were you trying to warn us against?”

 

Kyle: “Against me. You of all people should know damn well what I’m capable of. I just want to go home and pretend that this never happen. ”

 

Patterson: “Please, Kyle, we cannot simply pretend that the death of someone did not ‘ever happen.’ Rather, I’d like to work out a mutually beneficial offer, one that could change the world forever.”

Kyle: “….I’m not unreasonable. I’ll hear you out on this request.”

 

Patterson: “Thank you very much, Kyle. Before I talk about this, I’d like to ask a few questions about you.”

 

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We see a few toy blocks floating at the center of the screen, in what appears to be a different setting. We zoom out and a three-year old is making them float inside in what appears to be some kind of room, similar to that of a hospital bedroom, and he laughs happily as he does this. His mother soon comes into the room, stopping in silence upon seeing what he does with the blocks. “Mommy, look what I can do!” the three-year old says. “That’s amazing, sweetie!” The mother says, backing out of the room slowly. The mother returns to her husband and a special doctor, and she tells him about what she had just seen. This isn’t the first time that the child had displayed psychic abilities. In fact, that’s what brought the husband and wife here in the first place.

 

“Kyle’s genetic code is special. As a result of his original genetic make-up, he has special extrasensory powers, on top of his already high level of intelligence. It’s truly a case of the stars aligning. Lisa, Michael, your child is going to make history.” Lisa (note that she is wearing a beautiful blue bracelet. This subtle detail will be important.) is clearly very nervous about what her child is going through. The doctor soon tells the two parents that he would like to take their son with them, and that Kyle is not a child that can be raised in normal situations. Lisa is shocked upon hearing this, and that she’s just trying to let everything sink in. Her son apparently has psychic powers, and she can’t even be with him. The doctor tries to reason with her, but she still refuses to let her child go. The doctor finally gives up, telling her that Kyle will hopefully end up normal, but that he cannot promise anything in this situation. “Farewell,” the doctor tells the two parents.

 

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Kyle: “You were from the same organization as that doctor, weren't you?”

 

Patterson: “It’s impressive that you remembered that.”

 

Kyle: “Please, remember who you’re talking to. I was a bright and attentive mind, even when I couldn’t even ride a tricycle.”

 

Patterson: “So, after having your chance at living just like any other kid, did you like it? Was fitting in and living like any other child satisfying to you?”

 

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First is a brief montage of Kyle growing up, learning about his various powers over time and practicing them within his own home. He found great intelligence at age 4, pyrokinesis at age 9, and most recently, mind reading at age 12. These powers were overseen with some concern, yet perhaps a trace of amazement, by the two parents.

 

We now see a 14-year old Kyle, only a few months before he was here. He is walking through the hallways of his high school (he’s currently a freshman,) and he’s feeling rather uncomfortable in the school. Note that he while he walks, his left hand trembles a little bit, as this image will reoccur throughout the film. This will be important later on. He has just gotten a perfect score on a difficult test in AP Biology, and a few people are talking about it in the hallways. They congratulate him on the test, and he thanks them. As he walks past, he overhears the students talking about what a freak he is, and all that he really did was break the curve on the test. Kyle frowned upon hearing the people gossip about him, but he was pretty much used to this at this point. People made fun of him for his weak social life and his preference to studying.

 

The day progresses for him as any other day, with Kyle excelling in his classes and struggling to fit in a school. One of the harshest bullies to Kyle, Nicholas, finds him in the hallway and begins to hit him playfully, calling him juvenile names much to Kyle’s annoyment. He tries to ignore it as much as he can, but Nicholas will just never stop tormenting him. The only person whom he sits with at lunch is his best friend, Molly. She thinks that Kyle’s knowledge is very cool, although she does not know about his powers. The two take the bus home from school together, and she really is the only person at school whom he looks forward to seeing each day.

 

Kyle comes home to his house. It’s a two-story home, much like any other house on the block. Lisa comes up to greet him, asking how his day was. Kyle says that it was the same as usual and that there was pretty much nothing of note today. Kyle tells her that sometimes, he’s very tempted to sometimes just let loose against everyone who won’t let him fit in. Lisa tells her that he knows why he can’t do that, and he grudgingly agrees. “It’s just sad that I can’t use my powers so that I can fit in, yet I don’t use my powers because I want to fit in.” Lisa hugs him, telling that when people have special gifts, it’s common to be opposed by others around them? Do you remember what Alfred Einstein said?” “Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds.” Kyle decides to go up to his room.

 

His room consists of a large bookshelf and a laptop computer, as well as the usual dresser and the bed. It has a blue wallpaper, and it is generally a calming environment. He logs onto his computer, and he sees Nicholas badmouthing him on online social network, and others making concurring comments on his post. He becomes angry upon looking this, and he lifts up a pencil telekinetically, aiming the sharp end at the wall, and the music gets tense. He soon just snaps it in half, and the music fades. He is breathing heavily as the pieces of the pencil fall to the ground. He had control of his powers, but he sometimes got so angry. He was well to make it this far without having a public outbreak with his powers. He sits alone on his bed, but he sees a vision of a body diagram poster having the bones snap within it. Kyle has experienced many hallucinations such as this, as a result of his powers.

 

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*Kyle is beginning to cry slightly, probably remembering his hard time fitting in.*

 

Patterson: Kyle…I also had trouble with bullies in school.

 

Kyle: Please, every adult tries to present a relatable situation in our own times of darkness, and the way I see it, they’re just asking for pity for their own issues.

 

Patterson: Actually, I just wanted you to feel like you weren’t alone.

 

Kyle: If that helps you sleep at night, Mr. Patterson.

 

Patterson: Now, why don’t you continue your story? It’s getting quite interesting.

 

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Michael is seen driving his son in to school today and the two are talking in the car ride. Kyle seems to be enjoying a lot of what he is learning and Michael is glad that he’s able to find something he likes in school. He tells his son, concerning the bullies at the school, just, “f#ck them.” Kyle says that he curses a lot, but that’s okay, because quite frankly, so does he. He curses in the car, and the two laugh. Kyle soon arrives at school, and he finds the word “FAGGOT” written on his locker, and he uses his psychic powers in secret to smear the ink off. No one would notice it, so it would be okay for him to use his powers. He also finds a poster for the upcoming school dance. He didn’t want to go, but his parents thought that it would be good for him to go out and make friends.

 

At the night of the dance, we see pop music blazing in the school gymnasium, and most of the students having a very good time. Kyle is sitting alone at the wall, but Molly comes up to talk to him. The slow dance is coming up, but she doesn’t have a partner to dance with. Kyle agrees, thanking her for being a close friend after all of this time. The song is, “You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago. The dance scene features many wide shots, focusing mainly on the two children. Near the end of the song, though, Nicholas finds the two, and he trips Kyle during the dance. He soon falls to the floor, and many people laugh at him. Molly helps him up, but she didn’t see what happened. Still, Kyle runs out of the dance floor and comes outside, on the verge of tears.

 

Kyle’s father is seen driving him home, much in a similar setting to the prologue. He tells his dad that Nicholas tripped him on purpose, and he always keeps tormenting him. He continues his upset anger, while Michael tells him that they can arrange an appointment with the administration with Nicholas, and that Kyle cannot take matters into his own hands by using his powers against Nicholas. Kyle repeats that he’s been told this repeatedly, but sometimes, he just wants to let loose for once in his life. Michael pleads with him not to be the bad guy in the situation, and they can talk about it later with Lisa. Kyle nods, as the drive home continues.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Patterson: “Oh, my, I’m so sorry about what happened.” (He is a bit more serious and concerned with this line”)

 

Kyle: “You don’t have to worry, I talked to my parents, and we worked something out.”

 

Patterson: "I somehow have a hard time buying that."

 

Kyle: *laughing slightly* "I guess you're not as stupid as I had thought."

 

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Before Kyle goes to school another day, Lisa tells him that she talked to the school counselor, and she’ll be available to talk to the two after school today. Kyle, however, spends the day in a state of excitied anticipation. He doesn’t care about anything bad, as he has big plans for the afternoon. He envisions people walking down the hall, staring at him in fear, not bullying him at all. Still, Kyle suspects that Nicholas won’t bother to show up, but he had different plans in store. Molly senses that Kyle is happier than normal at school today and Kyle makes up a lie that a video game he ordered should be arriving in the mail when he gets home. Also, his left hand doesn’t tremble at all.

 

Outside of school the next day, Nicholas is hanging out outside of the school. He is looking at adult magazines and laughing. Kyle soon comes up to him, and Nicholas laughs at him. Nicholas walks up to him, telling him to “f#ck off.” Kyle, looking around and seeing no one else in sight, taunts Nicholas. An angered Nicholas soon pulls in to punch Kyle, but his fist is unable to hit Kyle. In fact, it doesn’t even move at all, much to Nicholas’s confusion and frustration. He tries to punch him with his over fist, but it also freezes in place at an equal distance from Kyle’s face. He now becomes scared, and he sees Kyle with his hands placed towards each of Nicholas’s fists. The music takes a turn for the very intense.

 

Kyle proceeds to twist his palms, causing Nicholas’s arms to go limp and twist. Nicholas screams in pain, cursing and trying to find out what is happening. “You treat me like crap every day. Let’s see how you like it.” In this scene, Kyle uses his extrasensory powers to torment Nicholas, not showing a faint trace of mercy. He screams in pain and has no idea what’s happening, but Kyle doesn’t show any stray. The camera shots in this scene come from several angles, and they also show a distorted vision from Nicholas’s point of view.  As the final blow, Kyle uses telekinesis to snap the bones in his right arm, breaking it and causing massive pain for Nicholas. He begs for Kyle to stop the pain.

 

Kyle then kneels down and comes up to a miserable Nicholas’s face and tells him, “You were hit by a car, and your arm broke as a result. You tell anyone otherwise, and I’ll finish the job.” Nicholas nods, trying to hold back tears. Kyle’s ESP allowed him to control the thoughts of the other people around him. He gets up and runs away with his limp arm. As he runs away, Kyle looks back with a dark smile.

 

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*Patterson looks at Kyle in stunned silence. For once, he has no idea what to tell him. He’s not sure if he should be impressed or terrified.*

 

Kyle: “Looking back, I don’t regret my actions. He tormented me throughout my entire school career. At least I spared his life.”

 

Patterson: “Well, based on your description, killing him would have been merciful.”

 

Kyle: Maybe, but I wasn't certain if he deserved a merciful punishment.

 

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For the next week, Kyle acts very strangely at school. He is far more introverted than he normally is, due to people talking about the car accident that seriously injured Nicholas. No one knows who the driver that caused the accident was, but Nicholas insists that this is how it happened. Kyle walks through the halls with his trademark trembling left hand. When Kyle sees Molly at lunch, she asks about how he is doing. Kyle tells her that he just wants to sit alone at lunch today. Molly had other friends, so Kyle tells her to sit with them. She declines this request, but Kyle snaps at her, causing her to back off and leave him, showing faint sadness. Kyle looks around, feeling regret for what he had just done. He has another hallucination of Molly in the corner, with a terrified look, telling him that he’s not the person that she was friends with.

 

We see Nicholas in a hospital bed, clearly in a very poor condition. We see a man in a suit come up to him and greet himself as a worker for a very special agency. He asks Nicholas who did this to him, and Nicholas insists that he was hit by a car, worried about what Kyle had told him. The man asks if that really is true, and he takes off his sunglasses and stares deeply into Nicholas’s eyes. “Tell me, Nicholas, who did this to you?” After Nicholas trembles a little bit in his bed, a nurse comes up to the man and tries to stop him, but he places his hand on her chest to stop her. Michael eventually caves and shouts, “Kyle Slater!!!” The man releases his hands, thanking Michael and leaving casually, as the other two in the room just stare at him.

 

That night, Kyle has a dream that the city is on fire, on a state of near destruction, and several bloodied bodies lay on the street. Kyle then walked alone on the street, towards the city hall. He kills everyone in his way using his brutal psychic powers, eventually killing the mayor of the town. It is only then when Kyle has a vision of the terror that he caused, and he can picture in his heads the screams of terror of everyone, and the agony and horror of the atmosphere, as well as several flashes of multiple colors. It causes Kyle to cover is ears and collapse, begging for all of this to stop. The noises and flashing become increasingly intense, until Kyle soon wakes up in a cold sweat with his alarm clock.

 

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Patterson: “So, you felt as though your gift was getting the best of you?”

 

Kyle: “That’s one way of putting it.”

 

Patterson: “Kyle, I’d like you to know that I’ve been in your shoes.”

 

Kyle: “Everyone says that when another entity must endure something agonizing. I doubt you’re being honest.”

 

Patterson: “I am being completely honest, Kyle. Our resemblances are, below the surface, surprisingly uncanny.”

 

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As the days pass, Kyle becomes increasingly agitated and isolated among his peers and his family. He stops coming to class to spend time in a forest, believing that since he was already significantly more intelligent than his peers that he needed to spend time honing his powers. He had also convinced himself to dismiss any feelings of guilt for Nicholas, and that he had deserved the punishment given to him. He is able to get away with this by sneaking into school each morning and using his controlling powers on the faculty to convince them that he was at school. He uses his powers on some of the plants and animals, losing his humanity for some intense moments. Once he realizes what he’s doing, he runs away, eventually finding a highway.

 

On the highway, he sees a family with three children in a minivan, and he can see into the immense details of all the cars moving down on the highway. He however chooses to focus on this car. It makes him happy to see such a happy family, one much like any child would deserve to have. However, he notices that there is a car moving at a dangerously fast speed, whom Kyle can detect is drunk. Kyle sees that the car is on track to kill the entire family in a horrific death. He sees this as a premonition, and he is horrified. However, Kyle decides that he will not let this happen. He looks at the fast car, and he lifts the car up from the ground, causing it to fly to the side and proceed to roll on its side.

 

The other drives on the road look at the uncontrollable car in horror, as it continues to turn. The children with the family are also looking at the car, screaming. As the car comes to stop, we see a man impaled on the inside, and it was actually him who had died a brutal death. The family drives away, shaken by what had just happened. Kyle also realizes what he had just done. He had saved the family’s life after killing that man. He soon decides to get home as soon as possible. He soon arrives home, but it is rather late. Lisa is in the living room, and she yells at Kyle, asking where the hell he’s been. Mark is also there, but he is more worried rather than angry.

 

He runs upstairs, but Lisa tries to stop him and demanding an answer. Kyle insists that it doesn’t matter now that he’s home safe and he just wants to be alone. Lisa becomes more tense, but Kyle becomes increasingly angry. Lisa eventually gets even more forceful with him, but Kyle finally snaps. He stomps his foot, causing the objects in the house to shake, and much of the glass to burst. Michael is almost cut by one of the flying pieces of glass, but he only receives a minor cut on his hand. Lisa and Michael become terrified, and Lisa transitions to a state of begging for Kyle to calm down. Kyle soon runs down the stairs to go outside, but he opens the door, two suited men are waiting outside, suited similarly to the uniformed men seen throughout the film.

 

“Kyle Slater, I’d like you to come with us,” one of the men says. Kyle asks what they need him for. “Remember how Nicholas Garretson hasn’t been in school in a while?” Kyle soon pauses cold. “Nicholas?...the kid who was bullying Kyle…” Lisa pauses for a moment, and she has a horrifying realization, “…oh my god! Kyle, what have you done?!”Kyle tells her that he didn’t kill him, all he did was break his arm. “But you used your powers outside of home?! Damnit, Kyle, how many times have we tried to prevent you from doing this?!” Kyle soon snaps at his parents, telling them that he’s done trying to fit in, and he create another burst of objects around the house. He knocks Lisa off of her fee, nearly breaking her blue necklace, and he causes a piece of window glass to fly into Michael’s chest, knocking him to the ground with blood dripping out of his mouth. Lisa looks on in horror after what has happened, looking in tears at Kyle. Kyle comes to reality with what he had done, and he tries to fight back tears. He soon shrugs it off and begins to run frantically outside, away from the house. The two men soon get into their car.

 

Kyle runs frantically around the town in agony and rage, using his psychic powers to stop anyone who comes in his way. He even breaks into a parked car and drives it away from the others. This chase scene is frantically shot, with blaring colors and intense music. Kyle soon crashes the car, and he steps out in great rage, beginning a move of destruction, even more so than he had already caused. However, the two men have also caused much destruction in trying to find Kyle, so the town that Kyle lives in has already taken much damage. Kyle runs into a building into the downtown area of the city, where the group of men try to find him.  He eventually climbs up to the rooftop, and there are many civilians watching his actions in terror. He soon looks around at the destruction he has caused, and he kneels down in shame. He hears Lisa’s words echo in his mind, “Kyle, what have you done?!” He killed his own father, who did nothing wrong to him. He caused significant damage to the town he grew up in. He was in a messed up shirt with stains of blood on it. He steps off of the roof of the building to kill himself, but the screen goes to black just before he lands.

 

We then see a car pull up to the downtown area, and we see two of the men carrying Kyle’s barely conscious body to the car. Many townspeople looks at him in horror, while others curse at him and call him the spawn of the devil. Also in the crowd, however, is Molly, who looks at him with a sad, desperate look. She didn’t know who he was anymore. She doesn’t know what to say, other than that she doesn’t know who he became. However, Kyle does not show any sadness, and he just looks at her with a blank stare, until he is pulled into the car. We then see the car driving on a bridge, which was pretty much the prologue of the film, although we see a wide shot of the scene, including the car’s plunge into the lake. The drive was about two hours long before this happened, allowing Kyle to regain consciousness as this happened.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Patterson: “And now we’re back to where we started.”

 

Kyle: “Now that you know who I am, what are you trying to offer me?”

 

Patterson tells him that he was offering Kyle a chance to turn it all around, by working with a special agency, one that he was the founder of, referred to as The Myraid. This agency uses people with Extrasensory powers to do good for the world. These include devising energy conservation methods, obtaining information from terrorists without torture, and devising cures for scientific diseases. However, the agency has to work in great secret, and almost no one knows that they even exist. (The people at the town assumed that the men were just special police.)

 

Patterson: “You have the chance to undo all of this, to make things right. Or, you could just go to Juvenile Hall, just with a pinch more security.”

 

Kyle: “No…no…I can’t do this. I can’t give up my life for this.”

 

Patterson: “Please, Kyle, think about what good this would bring, what you could do in this world.”

 

Kyle could not be reasoned with, he wanted to leave and just go to a special jail. He was done with his will to live anyways, and he was perfectly fine choosing jail over trying to keep living with his powers. All that he would do is just hurt the people around him. Patterson frowns, telling him, that if that is what he wants, then so be it. Kyle is escorted out of the room, while Patterson stands up alone in this white room standing square in the center of the room in a wide shot, overlooking Kyle taking one last glance at him. As the doors close, falls to the ground, placing his right hand over his head and his left hand trembles a little bit. He then moves to a very sleek, almost sci-fi like, living quarters, where he finds an old woman sitting in a chair.

 

On the large television screen, we see news that a cure for leukemia is currently being finalized, and it will enter the world soon. Patterson says that this was merely one of the brighter days of his company, considering how his company also used psychic powers to torture criminals and develop dangerous weaponry. He then admits that what was worse was what he had done to end up as he was, from the very start, but he feels as though he can finally move on. “We must all fight our inner demons at one point, isn’t that right, Lisa?” He takes the hand of the old woman, who is currently wearing a familiar blue bracelet. The two smile at each other.

 

The film ends to a more melancholy cover of “You’re The Inspiration” by Radiohead, the song at the dance.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Spaghetti

[Ezen Baklattan]

THE RICH & FAMOUS

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama

Date: September 29th

Theaters: 2,853

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Gwenyth Palthrow (Janie Coleman), Jennifer Garner (Julia Walters), Anjelica Huston (Diana Coleman), Chris Cooper (Samuel Coleman), Jason Bateman (Nick Findel)

Rating: R for language some sexual content, & a scene of drug use

Runtime: 109min (1hr, 49min)

Budget: $25 million

 

There is footage shown of some generic  80s/early 90s sitcom. The show, which is called, “That’s Kristen’s Life!” follows a teenage girl named Kristen (played by Janie Coleman) and her best friend Margaret (Julia Walters) as they struggle to make their way through the various hurdles of high school, boyfriends, and life. The show features many of the characteristics of old sitcoms, with laugh tracks and “complicated” matters. However, it is now revealed that all of this footage is actually on a TV set in what appears to be a bedroom in a rather nice home. The camera zooms out to find a woman asleep on her bed, (which is a mess of blankets) wearing a night mask. She appears to be in her late 30s, and she has hair very similar to Janie Coleman on the show, which allows us to conclude that this is indeed an older version of Janie Coleman. There is also a small dog, Pepper, trying to wake her up. He is a small Pomeranian with white fur. “Those were the f#%king days,” Janie says as she wakes up and watches the sitcom.

 

What follows is a montage of Janie Coleman going through her daily life, now working as a writer. She has written a few novels about life and fame, among other things, but she never did one of those phony “tell-all” novels that most actors seem to be obsessed with. She works at her own home, accompanied by her pet cat, Diamond. She wears her robe and slippers when she writes, and it looks like she just doesn’t feel as enthusiastic about it as she once was. Even though her books do bring her decent revenue, she still spends a lot of money, even bringing Pepper along for the ride in her purse. She drives around the colorful scope of Los Angeles living the high life, going to expensive restaurants and doing much shopping. However, Janie realizes that almost no one recognizes her while she goes out. As far as the others can tell, she’s just another pretty face living it up in 90210. As she arrives home that night to her spiffy home, she finds that there is a message left on the phone from her parents, Diana and Samuel. Samuel leaves the message that they’re coming to visit Los Angeles, and they’d like to say hi to their daughter if she’s able to take time out of her busy schedule. Samuel is clearly being very sarcastic with that last part. Janie sighs, picking up the phone to call her parents, asking when they’d want to meet up.

 

We see a rather nice restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, on top of a large observatory overlooking the city. Janie’s parents are seen sitting opposite their daughter. All three of them are dressed well, but Janie is a bit slumped over. Both of the parents seem a bit annoyed with their daughter, who has been spending money a bit recklessly over the past few days. Janie insists that she is able to pay for all of it thanks to the money that her books have been bringing her. She just doesn’t feel as motivated to do much more writing nowadays, explaining that the call of fame and fortune is still beckoning for her. Samuel sighs, annoyed that this is happening again. He asks that Diana talk to her, considering how she went through all of this before. Diana tries to talk to her, saying that being a former Broadway star, she has had a lot of similar feelings as she faded from the spotlight. Yet, she was able to finally settle down after a while. She had a beautiful daughter who was able to follow in a variation of her footsteps, and a beautiful husband (Sam tells her that she’s bluffing.)

 

Janie insists that she’s not like them, and how unlike Diana, she never got into drugs and sex and nearly destroyed her life. Diana becomes rather annoyed. She argues that first of all, it was the 1970s. Everyone was doing it. Secondly, Diana herself was never a whiny bitch who complained about boredom when she essentially had anything she could ask for at her fingertips. Their conversation tones down a bit after the parents realize that they may be bringing attention to their table. The night soon comes to a close, but before the two parties depart, the parents tell their daughter that she ought to see a therapist. Janie sighs, realizing that this might actually be a good idea. That night, she decides to humor her parents and go find a therapist. She soon comes across one with a reasonable rate: a man named Nick Findel.

 

While she is looking at the therapist’s website,  there is an ad for a tacky celebrity lifestyle show on E! Julia Walters, who had more luck in maintaining a strong career once “That’s Kristen’s Life” had ended, and she eventually became someone who was famous for “being famous.” She has a new show called, “That’s Julia’s Life!” where she basically just lives lavishly in Los Angeles, dealing with petty matters such as affairs, family, large parties, and so on. The footage of “That’s Julia’s Life” makes Janie seems reasonable and calm. Janie constantly whines when she doesn’t get her way, complaining about most things in life. Janie soon hears the ad clearly, and she immediately goes up to the tv to shut it off. She was extremely jealous of Julia’s higher level of fame, especially since she had the starring role of the show. It wouldn’t have been as bad if Julia didn’t decide to become “mean and bitchy” a while ago. At least she’ll be able to let her feelings out with someone.

 

Nick Findel’s office is a bit small, but it otherwise looks like a slightly-upper scale office. A lot of his clients are rich people, and they wanted a good therapist for that money. Janie soon comes into the office, saying that she’s here for an appointment with Mr. Findel. The receptionist affirms her request and tells her that he’ll be ready in just a few minutes. Janie sits down on a long couch, and Dr. Findel comes out. He’s a fair man in his early 40s. Upon looking at his client for the first time, he drops his things in shock. “My god…my client is the Janie Coleman?!” Janie smiles and nods, much to Findel’s ecstatic reaction. He has been a huge fan of “That’s Kristen’s Life,” and he can pretty much quote every episode. As he continues to express his joy over the situation, Janie smiles at meeting her first big fan in a while, looking at Dr. Findel almost like a cat walking on its hind legs. “It’s always nice to see a fan,” Janie says, “but apparently I need some help in life.” Nick corrects himself and sits down on a chair, while Janie lies down on the couch.

 

Janie tells Findel that she just feels so discouraged lately. Life has never been the same for her ever since she left the glorious façade of screen acting. She’s tried to reboot her career several times in the past, but alas, all of these times were met with the same failures. She just needs something to kick start her life once again, be it finding another role, of the very unlikely probability of something else. Nick had heard several of these stories before where he lacked much desire to pay great attention, but he was very attentive to the girl that he had been in love with for 20 years. Nick tells her that he knew many clients with this same matter, and how he was able to help them. Usually he recommended things like Yoga, self help classes, and other mundane things, but he felt that Janie was feeling lonely, and that she would benefit from having someone to be with often. Janie insists that she has a large group of friends, but she soon realized that none of them were truly close to her. Janie soon realizes that Nick just wants to spend time with his favorite celebrity, and how he’s using this as an excuse to be with her. Janie sighs, telling her that she might as well give her a chance, and how the two can meet for lunch on another day, outside of the regular therapy sessions.

 

She goes back to her house, where Pepper goes crazy to see her. She notices that his food bowl is empty, so she sighs and goes to fill it up once again, deciding to sit out on her sundeck and just crash. That therapist just wanted to play with her heart, just wanting to live his dream of dating his favorite celebrity crush. “If only our lives were as interesting as our characters’,” Janie says as she begins to lie down. She soon receives a cell phone call, and she picks it up while still lying on the sun chair. It’s actually Julia Walters. She’s never actually talked to Janie in a very long time, as the two had gotten into a fight and they had never talked to each other ever since. Janie tells her that she’s throwing a huge party at her mansion in a few weeks, and she’s trying to get as many guests as possible. She was so eager to have guests, that she decided to invite her old friend. Julia sees herself as being virtuous and putting aside such imprudent passive aggression. She gives her the full details of her party, but Janie is pretty silent for the whole conservation. She shows neither excitement nor anger, but she simply doesn’t know how to react to her old friend-turned-bitch calling her and inviting her to a party after all of this time. As she hangs up to Julia’s prissy invitation, she tosses her cell phone onto the patio table, but she soon picks it up again to browse the internet. She finds out that the party will play a big role in an upcoming episode of “That’s Julia’s Life,” and that this could be her chance to finally tell her off, something she could never bring herself to do. She tells her phone (which works somewhat like Siri on the iPhone), with a somewhat devious smile, to place Julia’s party on her personal schedule.

 

We cut to a stylish café at a complex in Hollywood. Nick Findel is sitting at a table by himself while Janie soon comes up to him, sitting down. “I bet you got the sinking feeling that I wouldn’t come?” Findel admits that many celebrities he’s worked with have been unpredictable, but he’s glad that she’s better than most of them. Janie says that she usually honors her commitments, unless she ends up getting so drunk that she’s too f$&king hungover to do anything. They both laugh. Rather than talk about what’s bothering Janie, the two just decide to have a casual conversation about life and love in their worlds. Nick Findel had recently gotten a divorce, and Janie Coleman was never married to anyone in her life, although she did have sex with a few men at parties before. Nick is surprised that she would be so upfront about her own life experiences, and she says that it doesn’t really matter. Nick adds that many people go insane over what you had for breakfast the other day, let alone who you slept with, when you’re a Hollywood celebrity. The two continue to talk casually, as their conversation comes to a close. Janie drives home, saying to herself that this Findel guy is actually pretty cool.

 

At another therapy session, we see Findel give advice to Janie about alternative ways to finding happiness. A humorous montage of such attempts follows. She tries to join a yoga class, but in reality, she’s not very good at it, and even that’s an understatement.  She tries touring new restaurants in LA, but she never finds any of them delectable. One of them is owned by a rather creepy fan of “That’s Kristen’s Life,” who instantly recognizes Janie. Janie decides that it’s probably not a very good idea to eat here. She then tries to jog daily, but when she is running on the side of the road, she is almost hit by a reckless driver. As the driver passes by, she stops and shouts at him from an increasing distance, shouting insults and obscenities. We then cut back to Janie in Findel’s office, where she bluntly tells him that all of that probably isn’t working out well for her. Nick Findel tells her that people sometimes a bit more than the usual treatments to find some energy in life. Nick decides that since she rather enjoyed the last meeting that she had at a café, that he knows a great Sushi restaurant and he has tickets for a special production of Cats on LA’s Broadway. Janie decides that she’d like to go along with Nick, but he better not call this a date. Suddenly, the TV at the office comes on, showing footage of “That’s Julia’s Life!” with her preparations for the epic party that she’s going to have.

Nick admits that he loves watching this show, and he was also a big fan of Julia Walters. Janie sighs, muttering under her breath that she knew that she forgot to mention something. Janie turns off the television and tells Nick that she and Julia went way back, but complicated things happened. Janie sums it up by saying that she became nasty, and their friendship ended. She still, for some reason, wanted to invite her to her party, and she would decide to go. Dr. Findel soon sighs and tells her that the night of the party is the same day as the show. After a pause, Findel says that he was just screwing with her, and that the two events are occurring on different nights. Having said that, Findel asks her why she wants to go to a party of a girl that she apparently hates. Janie sits down again, admitting that she just wants a chance to say to her face what a jerk she’s been, even if it means causing a scene. Findel sighs and tells her that he wouldn’t re-open old wounds just for fame, but if that’s what she wanted, who was he to stop her?

 

The days soon pass, and Janie continues to attend the therapy sessions with Findel, and she finds that her outlook on life is beginning to improve a slight bit. She has more motivation in her free writing, and she’s not as reckless in her spending. In addition, Julia is becoming somewhat bratty in the way that she is planning her party, demanding that every detail be just right. Naturally, the camera tends to follow her around a lot. Her friends and family try to keep her calm and collected, but she is still in a very agitated and actually mean state of mind. This party must be perfect at all costs. The night soon comes when Findel and Janie soon go out on the date. Findel is wearing a nice suit, while Janie is wearing a beautiful dress which she hadn’t worn in a long time. Thus, the dress wasn’t really a perfect fit, but she honestly didn’t care. The sushi at the restaurant, which happens to be beautifully decorated inside, is delicious, and the theatrical production of Cats is also very good. Janie decides to drive afterwards, telling Nick that she never showed her around her own home, and now would be a pretty time to do so. They soon arrive at Janie’s home, nicely lit at night.

 

The two step into the house as Janie turns on the light. Findel tells Janie that he’s impressed by the place, even though she probably saw better from other celebrities. His white lie served mainly to merely flatter Janie. After Janie shows her around the place, introducing Nick to Pepper as well, Janie soon decides that she really does love Findel, telling him so. It was kind of a stupid Hollywood movie premise, but she openly admits that she loves Nick Findel. Dr. Findel tells her that he’s been dreaming of this moment his entire life. The two soon get on top of Janie’s bed, and they kiss passionately as Pepper watches. The two soon strip down their clothing and get under the covers, but the camera cuts away before much else is shown. The night soon comes to an end, and the camera fades away.

 

 Cut to the next morning, where only Janie is left lying in her bed. She wakes up drowsily, and she is licked awake by Pepper. She initially thinks that it was Nick, being somewhat grossed out, but she is relieved that it’s just her dog. She soon gets out of bed, looking for Nick. She soon finds a note left by Nick on the kitchen island, telling her that he had an appointment to attend to. Janie notes that this is a bit odd for a therapist to have an appointment on a Sunday morning. She decides not to worry about, and she gets dressed for the day. She goes into her jewelry cabinet to pick out something to wear, but she finds something lodged into the cabinet that wasn’t there yesterday. She picks up the object and finds what appears to be a wedding ring. After looking at it for a moment, Janie has a sudden realitization, throwing the ring on the ground. “That bastard!” She yells out.

 

The next day, Dr. Findel is in his office as he usually is, but Janie comes storming in, demanding to see him right now in a rather angry tone of voice. A confused Dr. Findel is happy to see Janie, but is confused as to the state of anger she is in. Janie slaps Dr. Findel, berating him for having lied to her all of this time. Dr. Findel denies knowing what she is coming at, so she shows her the wedding ring that he left at her home. Dr. Findel soon cracks, admitting that he really was married to someone else (He has a picture of his wife, Melissa, on his desk that Janie had never seen before.) Findel insists that all of this was because he and Melissa weren’t really that happy with each other all of this time, and that he finally got to be in love with his favorite celebrity. Janie says that that’s not an excuse. She thought that their relationship actually meant something more than just playing around with a different girl. Nick says that it did mean something, and he tries to justify his actions to no avail. They soon get into a fight in the office, after Nick says that this is quite a lot coming from a girl who f$&ked many men and constantly complains about having a perfect life.  Janie decides that she has had enough of him, and she storms out of the office. The only thing left on her plate right now was the party.

 

Dr. Findel soon goes to his own home, where we see a note left by Melissa, Nick’s wife. The only thing it says is, “Fuck You, Nick.” Findel sighs to himself, saying how he knew that she would tell her about this. He goes to his bed, lacking any energy at all. What he had done was wrong, ruining his personal live just to live out a foolish childhood fantasy. As he begins to rest, we see blaring party lights and dance music begin to play. The film has moved to the party at Julia’s house. Many people are partying and drinking, while some are even engaging in sexual activity or binging on drugs. Janie soon arrives at the party, and Janie comes to the front door to greet her. Julia is very enthusiastic, although she is essentially acting like a drunken party girl, not having a single care in the world. Janie smiles, telling Julia that she’s glad that she could make it to the party, although Janie doesn’t mean it whole heartedly.

 

Janie is now sitting on a fancy couch next to Julia and some of her girlfriends, while a camera crew is recording the footage of her. Julia is talking to the camera, introducing her to her friends, Mikayla and Bridget. The camera doesn’t focus at all on Janie, probably to the request of Julia. While the camera is rolling and Julia is talking about how awesome her party is, Janie shouts obscenities and says that she’s had enough. She yells at Julia for always trying to steal her spotlight, becoming such a bitch on the set of “That’s Kristen’s Life,” and how she pretty much threw away their friendship. The two soon get into a verbal fight, while the cameraman records it excitedly. Julia says that Janie can’t blame her for Janie’s own not being famous, and that not all stars get to shine forever. Janie says that she’s just being a complete ass, and their fight continues. Suddenly, however, Julia begins to act faint, and this even causes Janie to stop for a moment. She soon vomits and falls to the ground, as the people around her begin to panic, and Janie is too shocked to speak.

 

At a hospital, we see Julia unconscious in a hospital bed. The doctor tells her that she’s currently in a coma, most likely as a result of a drug overdose. It’s not very likely that she’s going to live to tell the tale. Janie suddenly becomes blank in her facial expression. She hated the person whom Julia had become, but did she deserve to die? She doesn’t cry, but she sits down in the waiting room, with only a frown. As she moves to the waiting room, we see a swarm of media reporters come towards Julia, trying to take pictures. We then see Samuel and Diana Coleman come into the hospital. Janie asks with little expression what they’re doing here. Diana says that they just wanted to say goodbye to Julia, adding that Janie and Julia were like sisters during the filming of the first part of the series. Samuel also adds how funny it is that both names have five letters and start with ‘J.’ Janie says that she noticed that, but she doesn't smile. A doctor comes in with a piece of paper. The doctor says that Julia has passed on. She did, however, say that Julia left a note for her, even though it’s really brief. Janie reads it.

 

Julia reveals her honest feelings in this letter. This life was tearing her apart, and having nearly every moment of her artificial life being brought to TV was killing her. She intentionally overdosed to escape from it all. However, what Julia was aiming for was that she was sorry for the way she acted towards Janie. If only they had been friends as they were on the show. Julia hopes that as she passes on, she can finally break free of her disillusionment of Hollywood and become on good terms with her former friend. As her parents begin to cry, Janie simply looks at the letter, simply adding a bit of writing in a different color pen. She adds, “I forgive you.” She bundles the note in her purse and walks away as headlines of the celebrity's death take over the news in a voiceover montage.

 

We then see Julia packing boxes in her home, with Pepper being of not very much help. Her parents are also helping her pack, while Sam mocks how much stuff that she has. Julia says that she’s going to donate a lot of it and sell some of it. As she is finishing packing her bags, the doorbell rings. Dr. Nick Findel is at the door, and Janie’s smile disappears. Dr. Findel says that he knows that she probably hates him at this point, but he wanted to wish her luck on her move. “Denver’s a really nice city,” he adds. Janie smiles again, saying that she doesn’t hate him, but she doesn’t really want to see him again. Dr. Findel nods that he understands that he understands, but Janie admits that she wouldn’t mind finding a guy who liked her as much as he did. The next scene involves Janie having all of her bags in the car, and Pepper in the passenger seat. She takes a deep breath, and she drives away. While she drives, she is seen putting in a music CD. “That Hollywood Ending…if only, Pepper, if only.” She then puts in the CD, and music begins to play.

 

The song is “Hollywood” by Michael Buble.

 

THE END

Edited April 8, 2013 by Spaghetti

[Alpha]

Assassin’s Creed

Director: Frank Darabont

Composer: Alexandre Desplat

Genre: Period Action

Date: March 10

Studio: 906 Studios

Format: Digital, post-conversion to 3D

Budget: $130 million

Theaters: 3,497

MPAA Rating: R for intense action violence, language, sexual content and some blood

Runtime: 114 min

 

Cast:

Colin Farrell as Desmond Miles/Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

Ben Kingsley as Robert de Sable

Ian McKellen as Rashid ad-Din Sinan

 

Plot: 

Desmond Miles, a bartender, is kidnapped by the company Abstergo Industries for use as a test subject in the "Animus," a device that can stimulate Genetic memory . Abstergo intends to put Desmond in the device to recall the memories of his ancestor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood in the year 1191 as part of the Third Crusade in the Holy Land. Desmond has trouble adjusting to the device, but eventually relives Altaïr's exploits over the next several days. The film then primarily takes Altaïr's point-of-view, with occasional swaps to Desmond, due to problems with the Animus or Bleeding Effect.

 

The movie opens with Desmond entering Altaïr's memory but faces synchronization problems. Lucy's and Vidic's voice can be heard. After experiencing a few problems, Desmond exits the Animus. Vidic briefs him about the Animus and gets him inside a tutorial program. After Desmond is done with the tutorial, he enters the closest synchronizable memory of Altaïr. Lucy says that Desmond has to relive key moments of Altaïr's life to increase his synchronization before reaching the final memory which holds the information the Templars are seeking.

Altaïr is first shown attempting to retrieve one of a series of artifacts known as the "Pieces of Eden" from Solomon's Temple with the help of Malik and his brother, but is stopped by Robert de Sable, Grand Master of the Templars and sworn enemies of the Assassins. While retrieving the treasure, Altaïr breaks all three tenets of the Assassin's Creed("Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent," "Hide in plain sight," and "Do not compromise the Brotherhood") in an attempt to kill de Sable but fails. In the following commotion, Malik's brother is killed, and Malik's left arm is crippled and later amputated. When Altaïr returns to the Assassins' stronghold at Masyaf with apologies, Malik, who survived de Sable, comes back with the artifact and curses Altaïr's because of his arrogance.Altaïr, Rauf and another Assassin performing Leap of Faith.

 

After narrowly defeating a retaliatory attack by the Templars, Al Mualim, leader of the Assassins, demotes Altaïr to a novice but gives him another chance to rise through the ranks of the Brotherhood. Al Mualim assigns Altaïr the task of assassinating nine key figures across the Holy Land in Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus, aiming to bring peace between the Crusader and Saracen forces. Each target is based on an actual historical figure from the Third Crusade, including Majd Addin (Regent of Jerusalem),Garnier de Naplouse (Grand Master of the Hospitalier), Jubair al Hakim (an eminent scholar in Damascus), Abu'l Nuqoud (the wealthiest man in Damascus), Grand Master Sibrand of the Knights Teutonic, William of Montferrat (Regent of Acre), and Robert de Sable.

Altaïr completes each task, learning how each target is connected to Robert and the Templars and how together they aim to end the Crusades and place the Holy Land under their own control. With men on both sides killed, he discovers that de Sable's last plot is to attempt to unite Christian and Muslim peoples against their new common enemy, the Assassins themselves. Altaïr defeats de Sable before Richard the Lionheart, failing to convince the King that an end to the war would be welcome to both sides, but ending Robert's plot. From de Sable, he discovers that Al Mualim was himself a member of the Templars and used Altaïr to kill the other members who held to secret to the treasure's power so he could selfishly keep the artifact for himself.Altaïr discovers a map detailing the locations of other Pieces of Eden.

 

Altaïr quickly returns to Masyaf to accost his master who reveals the truth: the Piece of Eden, which he had recovered with the help of Altaïr directly before his transgression, creates illusions. He denounces religion and other seemingly supernatural events (e.g. the Ten Plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the presence of the Greek Gods in the Trojan War) as illusions caused by the Piece, then states his intention to use the artifact to compel mankind into a brainwashed state and in, doing so, bringing an end to all conflict. Altaïr is eventually able to see through deceptions created by the artifact to kill Al Mualim. When Altaïr recovers the artifact, the Piece of Eden activates, showing a holographic view of the world with numerous locations of other Pieces of Eden marked across the globe.

 

When the process is complete, Desmond learns that Abstergo is a modern-day front of the Templars, and they are already seeking other artifacts at locations identified in Altaïr's memory. Further, he learns that the modern-day Assassins had tried to rescue him before the memory had completed but had failed. Desmond was to be killed after on order of a high ranking Templar, Alan Rikkin, but a researcher named Lucy Stillman saves him from death and, at one point, tucks her ring finger into her palm, referring to the Assassins' tradition of cutting off the finger.

 

Though Desmond remains trapped in the Abstergo laboratory, his experience in the Animus has created a Bleeding Effect of Altaïr's life in his own, allowing Desmond to use Altaïr's Eagle Vision, which, in turn, allows him to see strange messages painted on the walls of his room and the floor of the lab. The messages all deal with various forms of the end of the world from different cultures, including several references to December 21, 2012, the date that Abstergo plans to launch a satellite that will "permanently end the war." It is hinted at that this will be by the same method that Al Mualim hypnotized Masyaf, only on a larger scale. The game ends with Desmond wondering what these images all mean and who could have drawn them.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Alpha

[Alpha]

Harlem Shake: 28 Days Later

Director: Kevin Willmott

Composer: Erich L. Timkar, Kelly Werts

Genre: Horror Comedy

Date: July 7

Studio: 906 Studios

Format: 35mm film

Budget: $4 million

Theaters: 2,344

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, sexual references and some brief scary images

Runtime: 89 min

 

Cast:

Andy Samberg as Jim

Salma Hayek as Selena

Taran Killam as Mark

Jason Sudeikis as Frank

Ellen Page as Hannah

Bill Murray as Mjr. Harry West

Will Ferrell as Sgt. Farrell

Jay Pharoah as Corp. Mitchell

 

Plot:

Executives from Mad Decent Records are planning on releasing DJ Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” single to the world. While trying to upload the song on iTunes, they are interrupted by an executive. Despite his desperate warnings that the CD are infected with a virus dubbed "Harlem," which he claims is highly contagious and only takes one play of the song to spread, the activists proceed with the upload to music-sharing sites. On February 2, YouTube personality Filthy Frank posts a dance to the song with friends, and soon enough thousands of other videos spread across other video sharing sites, becoming an Internet phenomenon.

 

28 days later, a YouTube user named Jim awakens from a coma in St. Thomas' Hospital in London. He finds the hospital deserted and seemingly empty. He finds a medical suit and dresses. Outside, he discovers the city completely deserted with signs of catastrophe everywhere. Jim then wanders into a seemingly abandoned church, only to alert a small group of Harlem-infected people who were hiding there. As he tries to approach a priest who he then realises has also been infected, the 'Infected' spot him and try to dance for him to spread the disease, giving chase. At the last minute, he is saved by Selena and Mark, who throw iPods with Beatles music at Jim's pursuers to slow them down, resulting in the explosion of a petrol station.

 

Afterwards, they rush him to their hideout in the London Underground. There, they reveal that while Jim was comatose from his accident, an unknown virus spread uncontrollably among the populace, turning most people into annoying, Harlem Shake-obsessed people, overwhelming the government and security services, resulting in societal collapse. It is a virulent, blood-borne virus that sends its hosts into a state of dancing like they’re “going crazy.” They also explain that infection has been reported in Paris and New York. The next morning, Selena and Mark accompany Jim to his parents' house where he discovers that they have committed suicide. That night, two of the infected see a candle Jim lights in the kitchen and attack. Mark is badly cut and begins dancing to the song; Selena quickly kills him, later explaining to Jim that the Harlem virus overwhelms its victims once a voice says “Do the Harlem Shake.” This necessitates the immediate dancing of people who may have been infected. She also assures him that, should he get infected, she would kill him "in a heartbeat." After leaving, they discover two more survivors, Frank a cab driver, and his teenage daughter, Hannah, holed up in a block of flats, and are invited to spend the rest of the night with them.

Frank informs them the next day that supplies, particularly water, are dwindling, and plays them a pre-recorded radio broadcast apparently transmitted by a military blockade near Manchester. The broadcast claims the soldiers have "the answer to infection" and invite any survivor to try to reach their safe haven. The survivors board Frank's cab in search of the signal source and during the trip bond with one another in various situations. When the four reach the deserted blockade, Frank is infected when a drop of blood from a dead body falls into his eye. As he begins to shake in the car, he is killed by the arriving soldiers, who then take the remaining group to a fortified mansion under the command of Major Henry West.

 

After settling in the mansion, West promises the three protection from the infected. Jim learns that West's "answer to infection" involves waiting for the infected to get bored of the phenomenon (like what happened to Gangnam Style after Harlem Shake was released), while at the same time trying to rebuild society by inviting other survivors of the virus. However, Jim eventually discovers that part of the "answer" also includes luring female survivors on to 4Chan (a reference to Kevin Willmott’s 4Chan films) so the users can force them into sexual slavery to rebuild the population with West's platoon. Jim attempts to escape with Selena and Hannah, but is captured by the soldiers, along with Sergeant Farrell, who disagrees with the major's plan and tried to stop the other soldiers from imprisoning the group. During their imprisonment, Farrell theorizes that there is no worldwide pandemic, and that only Great Britain has been quarantined, which is proved when a NATO plane scouts the land.

 

The next day, Selena and Hannah are made to post pictures in /b/ and prepare for rape, as two soldiers lead Jim and Farrell to be executed. After his escorts quarrel after killing Farrell, Jim manages to escape. After luring West and one of his men to the blockade and ambushing them, Jim runs back to the mansion where he releases Mailer, an infected soldier whom West kept chained outside for observation. Mailer attacks the soldiers in the mansion, while Jim sets out to rescue the girls, who had been split up in the chaos. Selena, held hostage by Corporal Mitchell, is then rescued by Jim, who arrives and savagely kills Mitchell with his bare hands. Selena mistakes Jim for an infected and raises her machete to kill him, but when she hesitates, Jim remarks, "That was longer than a heartbeat." The two kiss, reunite with Hannah, and run to Frank's cab, only to encounter a vengeful West, who shoots Jim in the stomach. Hannah commandeers the cab and backs it up to the front door, where Mailer drags West out through the smashed rear window and kills him. She then drives away with Jim and Selena.

 

Selena and Hannah rush Jim to a deserted hospital, where Selena performs life-saving emergency procedures, but to no avail, as he falls into the coma again. They take his body to the cab and leave Manchester.

28 days later, Jim is shown waking up in recovery again, this time at a remote cottage. Downstairs, he finds Selena sewing large swaths of fabric when Hannah appears. The three rush outside and unfurl a huge cloth banner, adding the final letter to the word "HELLO" laid out on the meadow. A jet plane flies over, and sees the group and their distress sign. In Korean, the pilot calls in something we can’t understand, since it’s in Korean. We see a sexy Korean woman begin waving a tennis racket up and down. As it flies away Selena says with a frown, "Oh, crap," as Gangnam Style plays.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Alpha

[Alpha]

Shiloh

Director: Peter Hewitt

Composer: Rupert Gregson-Williams

Genre: Drama

Date: December 8

Studio: 906 Studios

Format: 35mm film

Budget: $8 million

Theaters: 1,890

MPAA Rating: PG for language and smoking

Runtime: 101 min

 

Cast:

Chandler Canterburry as Marty Preston

Tom Waits as Judd Travers

Gerald Butler as Ray Preston

Mila Kunis as Louise Preston

Iris Apatow as Dara Lynn Preston

 

Plot:

The novel begins when a young beagle follows 11-year-old Marty as he takes a walk up in the hills on the road past the old Shiloh schoolhouse near Friendly, West Virginia. Because the dog is "slinking down, . . . tail between his legs like he's hardly got the right to breathe" and backing off and cringing when Marty puts out his hand, he is sure the dog's owner is abusing him. Marty feels protective of the dog, and names him Shiloh.

 

Marty's father thinks the dog belongs to Judd Travers, who recently got another hunting dog. Marty doesn't like Judd or trust him. Marty saw Judd cheat Mr. Wallace in the corner store, Marty knows that Judd kills deer out of season, and he hates that Judd chews tobacco and tries to spit it close to people he doesn't like. When Marty's father takes him to Judd's trailer to return Shiloh, Marty sees Judd kick Shiloh and pleads with Judd to stop kicking the dog.

 

Marty can't stop thinking about Shiloh. He decides that he has to buy Shiloh from Judd. Unfortunately, there aren't very many jobs in Friendly for a boy his age. Marty starts collecting cans and bottles to try to make some money, but realizes it will take him forever to raise enough money to buy Shiloh. He also thinks about what he will feed Shiloh. Because his family is sending money to help care for his Grandma Preston, the family doesn't have any extra money to spend on dog food.

 

Before long, Shiloh runs away from Judd again and ends up at Marty's house. This time, Marty hides Shiloh in a makeshift pen just off the path that leads up the hill behind his house. He makes sure Shiloh has water and protection from the weather. Marty becomes attached to Shiloh as he continues to care for him — taking Shiloh on long walks, playing with him, and feeding him whatever he can manage to save from his own meals. Marty even swallows his pride and asks Mr. Wallace at the corner store for old food that he can buy cheap, just so Shiloh won't go hungry.

 

Marty's Ma discovers Marty's secret when she finds Marty with Shiloh in the pen one evening. She agrees to keep his secret until the next day, giving him time to decide what to do about Shiloh. That night, a German shepherd jumps into Shiloh's pen and attacks him. Marty's Dad takes Shiloh to Doc Murphy. Even though Doc Murphy is not a vet, he agrees to help Shiloh. Marty's Dad agrees to let him keep Shiloh until Shiloh is well, and then Shiloh will have to go back to Judd. Marty feels guilty. He feels it was his fault Shiloh was hurt because he didn't make the pen tall enough. He also feels relieved because his secret is out in the open and he has time to figure out how he can keep Shiloh.

 

The next day, Doc Murphy shows up with Shiloh. Marty's Ma tells Marty to get a box and put it in the kitchen for Shiloh. As Shiloh's condition improves, and he is able to hobble about, Marty's family slowly but surely falls in love with him. Marty is more determined than ever to keep Shiloh. He feels that his only option is to talk directly to Judd.

 

Early in the morning on the day Shiloh is to be returned to Judd, Marty cuts through the woods on his way to Judd's trailer. On his way, he catches Judd shooting a deer out of season. Marty knows that if the Warden finds out, Judd will be fined for shooting the deer. Marty confronts Judd, and, thinking quickly, he makes a bargain with Judd. He agrees to be silent about Judd shooting the doe in exchange for Shiloh. Marty also agrees to work for Judd twenty hours for two dollars an hour, in order to pay for Shiloh.

 

The work Marty does for Judd is difficult, backbreaking work; however, he attempts to do his best. During the time he works for Judd, Marty gains understanding about Judd and feels almost sorry for him. Marty can finally see Judd as a person who doesn't know how to care about other people or animals. Marty feels proud of himself for keeping up his end of their bargain in spite of the obstacles that Judd has put in his way. On the last day that Marty works for Judd, Judd gives Marty a collar for Shiloh and tells him, "you got yourself a dog." Marty's family celebrates the fact that Shiloh belongs to them and Marty realizes that "nothing is as simple as you guess."

Edited March 25, 2013 by Alpha

[Hiccup]

Paper Towns

 

Date- October 13^th

Genre- Mystery

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- 3,316 theaters

Budget- 50 million

Running Time- 109 minutes or 1 hour and 49 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures

Director- Andrew Niccol

Actors and Actresses

Quentin “Q”- Josh Hutcherson

Margo- Saoirse Ronan

Marcus “Radar”- Rupert Grint

Lacey- Evanna Lynch

Ben- Skandar Kenyes

 

Plot: The film takes place in Orlando, Florida. The novel begins in a subdivision called Jefferson Park. The protagonist and narrator, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen, and his neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman, both nine years old, go to the park and discover the corpse of Robert Joyner, a divorced man who has committed suicide. The novel flashes forward to Quentin and Margo as high schoolers who have grown apart. One night Margo shows up at Quentin’s bedroom window wearing all black and black face paint. She convinces him to sneak out and help her get revenge on people she feels have hurt her.

 

The first characters they visit are Margo’s ex boyfriend Jase and the girl with whom he was cheating on Margo, Becca. Margo has Quentin call Becca’s father and inform him that Becca is having sex with Jase in the basement of their home. Then Quentin and Margo break into their home, graffiti a blue ‘M’ on their wall, and leave a fish for Becca. The second person they visit is Karin, a character mentioned only once throughout the story. They leave her a bouquet of flowers, as she is the character who informed Margo that her boyfriend was cheating on her. After that they go to Jase’s house, break in and leave him a fish and a blue ‘M’. They then visit a character named Lacey. Margo felt that Lacey had never been a good friend to her, and that she had ridiculed her too often and made backhand comments that were truly meant as insults. They leave a fish for her in her car and graffiti a blue ‘M’ on the roof of her car. At 3:15 in the morning, they enter the SunTrust bank building and they relax on one of the higher floors for a short while. This is the first time Margo calls their town a "paper town", describing it as “fake” and “not even hard enough to be made of plastic”. Once they leave the SunTrust building, Margo asks Q who he would like to get revenge on, and he chooses the high school bully Chuck Parson. Margo and Q sneak into his house, remove one of Chuck’s eyebrows with hair removal cream, and slather Vaseline on all of the door handles in his house. After getting revenge on Chuck they break into SeaWorld, but leave disappointed because none of the animals are in their showcases.

 

Margo and Q return to their homes close to the time they are supposed to be getting up in the morning to go to school. The next day at school all Q thinks about is how things have changed. He wonders if Margo will start hanging out with him and his friends and sitting with them at lunch, but Margo doesn’t show up to school that day. After Margo has been missing for three days her parents file a report. Margo had run away five times in the past so her parents were more frustrated than worried. After learning that Margo has run away, Q notices a poster of Woody Guthrie taped to the back of her shades. The poster leads him to a song called Walt Whitman's Niece, which, in turn, leads him to a book of poems, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. The poem has highlighted sections that Q believes to be clues left by Margo to lead him to where she is. Q continues to search for clues and finds an address scrawled on a small piece of paper. Hoping it will lead them to where she is hiding, Q and his friends Radar and Ben skip school the following day and go to the place on the piece of paper. They find an old abandoned mini-mall which contains evidence that Margo was recently there.

 

Eventually the clues lead Q to believe that Margo may be hiding out in one of the many abandoned subdivision projects around Orlando; what Q’s mother likes to call "pseudodivisions". He drives to all of the pseudodivisions where he feels she may be hiding, but has no luck locating her. While getting ready for graduation, Q makes a connection which leads him to discover that Margo has been hiding in a fictional town in New York called Agloe. Q, Radar, Ben, and Lacey all opt to skip graduation to drive to New York to search for her. They make the drive from Orlando, Florida to Agloe, New York in just shy of twenty-four hours. They find Margo living in an old dilapidated barn. But instead of being grateful for them finding her, she reacts negatively. Angry that Margo is not grateful for all their efforts to find her, Radar, Ben, and Lacey leave and spend the night at a motel. Q stays behind and talks things over with Margo. She decides to stay in New York. Margo and Q kiss and Q wants to stay with her, but returns home with his friends in the end.

[Hiccup]

The Dark Victorian: Pursuit

 

Date- July 21^st, 7 

Genre- Horror Comedy/Romance

Rating- PG-13- violence, scary images, sexual content, brief nudity, and language

Theaters- 3,711 theaters

Budget- 75 million

Running Time- 112 minutes or 1 hour and 52 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures

Director- Tim Burton

Actors and Actresses

Davis- Johnny Depp

Victoria- Helena Bonham Carter

Elena- Mia Wasikowska

Henry- Alan Rickman

Catherine- Michelle Pfeiffer

 

Previous Film: The Dark Victorian: 41.6M/152.4M/344.2M (Was released in the Summer)

 

Plot: This gothic romantic horror film takes place in London, 1890, exactly two years after the previous film. The film is centered on a wealthy and powerful duchess, Victoria who is a witch and her husband Davis who became a vampire in the last film. She has a maidservant Elena who is a ghost. They three have moved to Chicago since the last film and enjoy a casual and relaxed lifestyle. A life of pleasure, sex, and drinking. While living in Chicago, Victoria is seen using her magic and the mayor of the city, Henry who is a witch hunter, declares her capture and the capture of her husband. Victoria flees back to England with Davis and Elena where they think they are safe. However Henry manages to find them. After a battle with Davis, he discovers their secret about Davis and Elena. He vows to kill them all. We learn that his parents were killed by a witch and vampire, thus Henry has a deep hatred for witches and vampires. His wife, Catherine who is Russian ventures along with him on his quest. She shows some sympathy for Victoria but she despises Davis. Henry and Catherine plan out. She will take Davis while Henry will take down Victoria. The film continues with Davis and Victoria dodging Henry and Catherine. The film is filled with sex, horror, fights, magic, and moments of comedy. There are often jokes regarding the lifestyle of Victorian England. The rest of the film is spent of Henry and Catherine chasing Davis, Victoria, and Elena around Europe. The film climaxes in a thrilling chase though London city. Victoria manages to kill Henry. Distraught over her husband’s death, Catherine wounds Davis severely and flees when Victoria and Elena arrive. She returns to Russia and vows vengeance. 

[The Dark Alfred]

White Cargo

 

Director: Ken Loach

Genre: Documentary

Date: March 10-12 (722 theaters,) March 17-19 (1722 theaters) - Friday is St. Patrick's Day

Studio: Guernica Studios

Narrator: Michael Fassbender

Format: Black and white archives, coloured 2D

Original Score: Adam Clayton

Original Song:  Never Forgotten by U2

Runtime: 93 min

 

MPAA Rating: R 

Budget: $2 million

 

Plot:

 

 

We see archive photos, sad, melancholic celtic theme floats in and we hear Michael Fassbender's narration:

 

"They came as slaves; vast human cargo transported on tall British ships bound for the Americas. They were shipped by the hundreds of thousands and included men, women, and even the youngest of children. Whenever they rebelled or even disobeyed an order, they were punished in the harshest ways. Slave owners would hang their human property by their hands and set their hands or feet on fire as one form of punishment. They were burned alive and had their heads placed on pikes in the marketplace as a warning to other captives. We don’t really need to go through all of the gory details, do we? We know all too well the atrocities of the African slave trade. But, are we talking about African slavery? King James II and Charles I also led a continued effort to enslave the Irish. Britain’s famed Oliver Cromwell furthered this practice of dehumanizing one’s next door neighbor."

 

The title fades in: WHITE CARGO

 

The documentary tries to explore the type of slavery that hardly gets into the mainstream media circles. It contains shocking images and tragic tales by the relatives, but also educates the audience immensely.

The Irish slave trade began when James II sold 30,000 Irish prisoners as slaves to the New World. His Proclamation of 1625 required Irish political prisoners be sent overseas and sold to English settlers in the West Indies. By the mid 1600s, the Irish were the main slaves sold to Antigua and Montserrat. At that time, 70% of the total population of Montserrat were Irish slaves.

Ireland quickly became the biggest source of human livestock for English merchants. The majority of the early slaves to the New World were actually white.

From 1641 to 1652, over 500,000 Irish were killed by the English and another 300,000 were sold as slaves. Ireland’s population fell from about 1,500,000 to 600,000 in one single decade. Families were ripped apart as the British did not allow Irish dads to take their wives and children with them across the Atlantic. This led to a helpless population of homeless women and children. Britain’s solution was to auction them off as well.

During the 1650s, over 100,000 Irish children between the ages of 10 and 14 were taken from their parents and sold as slaves in the West Indies, Virginia and New England. In this decade, 52,000 Irish (mostly women and children) were sold to Barbados and Virginia. Another 30,000 Irish men and women were also transported and sold to the highest bidder. In 1656, Cromwell ordered that 2000 Irish children be taken to Jamaica and sold as slaves to English settlers.

Many people today will avoid calling the Irish slaves what they truly were: Slaves. They’ll come up with terms like “Indentured Servants” to describe what occurred to the Irish. However, in most cases from the 17th and 18th centuries, Irish slaves were nothing more than human cattle.

As an example, the African slave trade was just beginning during this same period. It is well recorded that African slaves, not tainted with the stain of the hated Catholic theology and more expensive to purchase, were often treated far better than their Irish counterparts.

African slaves were very expensive during the late 1600s (50 Sterling). Irish slaves came cheap (no more than 5 Sterling). If a planter whipped or branded or beat an Irish slave to death, it was never a crime. A death was a monetary setback, but far cheaper than killing a more expensive African. The English masters quickly began breeding the Irish women for both their own personal pleasure and for greater profit. Children of slaves were themselves slaves, which increased the size of the master’s free workforce. Even if an Irish woman somehow obtained her freedom, her kids would remain slaves of her master. Thus, Irish moms, even with this new found emancipation, would seldom abandon their kids and would remain in servitude.

In time, the English thought of a better way to use these women (in many cases, girls as young as 12) to increase their market share: The settlers began to breed Irish women and girls with African men to produce slaves with a distinct complexion. These new “mulatto” slaves brought a higher price than Irish livestock and, likewise, enabled the settlers to save money rather than purchase new African slaves. This practice of interbreeding Irish females with African men went on for several decades and was so widespread that, in 1681, legislation was passed “forbidding the practice of mating Irish slave women to African slave men for the purpose of producing slaves for sale.” In short, it was stopped only because it interfered with the profits of a large slave transport company.

England continued to ship tens of thousands of Irish slaves for more than a century. Records state that, after the 1798 Irish Rebellion, thousands of Irish slaves were sold to both America and Australia. There were horrible abuses of both African and Irish captives. One British ship even dumped 1,302 slaves into the Atlantic Ocean so that the crew would have plenty of food to eat.

There is little question that the Irish experienced the horrors of slavery as much (if not more in the 17th Century) as the Africans did. There is, also, very little question that those brown, tanned faces you witness in your travels to the West Indies are very likely a combination of African and Irish ancestry. In 1839, Britain finally decided on it’s own to end it’s participation in Satan’s highway to hell and stopped transporting slaves. While their decision did not stop pirates from doing what they desired, the new law slowly concluded THIS chapter of nightmarish Irish misery.

 

Fassbender's narration fades in:

 

"But, if anyone, black or white, believes that slavery was only an African experience, then they’ve got it completely wrong.

Irish slavery is a subject worth remembering, not erasing from our memories.

But, where are our public (and PRIVATE) schools???? Where are the history books? Why is it so seldom discussed?

Do the memories of hundreds of thousands of Irish victims merit more than a mention from an unknown writer?

Or is their story to be one that their English pirates intended: To (unlike the African book) have the Irish story utterly and completely disappear as if it never happened.

None of the Irish victims ever made it back to their homeland to describe their ordeal. These are the lost slaves; the ones that time and biased history books conveniently forgot."

 

The end.

 

Forgotten plays from U2 during the end credits.

 

Edited March 26, 2013 by Alfred Beyond The Pines

[The Dark Alfred]

South Pacific

 

 

Director: Rob Marshall

Genre: Musical/War/Drama

Date: May 26-29 (3247 theatres)

Studio: Guernica Studios

 

Cast: 

Emile de Becque - Jean Dujardin

Nellie Forbush - Amy Adams

Luther Billis - Gerard Butler

Bloody Mary - Tamika Radix (made-up)

U.S. Marine Lieutenant Cable - Robert Downey Jr.

Captain George Brackett - John Laroquette

Commander William Harbison - Nathan Fillion

 

Format: Digital 2D

Original Score: Danny Elfman

Runtime: 122 min

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Budget: $75 million

 

Plot Summary: On a South Pacific island during World War II, love blooms between a young nurse and a secretive Frenchman who's being courted for a dangerous military mission.

 

Plot:

On a South Pacific island during World War II, two half-Polynesian children, Ngana and Jerome, happily sing as they play together ("Dites-Moi"). Ensign Nellie Forbush (Amy Adams), a naïve U.S. Navy nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, has fallen in love with Emile de Becque (Jean Dujardin), a middle-aged French plantation owner, though she has known him only briefly. Even though everyone else is worried about the outcome of the war, Nellie tells Emile that she is sure everything will turn out all right ("A Cockeyed Optimist"). Emile also loves Nellie, and each wonders if the other reciprocates those feelings ("Twin Soliloquies"). Emile expresses his love for Nellie, recalling how they met at the officers' club dance and instantly were attracted to each other ("Some Enchanted Evening"). Nellie, promising to think about their relationship, returns to the hospital. Emile calls Ngana and Jerome to him, revealing to the audience that they are his children, unbeknownst to Nellie.

Meanwhile, the restless American Seabees, led by crafty Luther Billis (Gerard Butler), lament the absence of women to relieve their boredom. Navy nurses are commissioned officers and thus off-limits to enlisted men. There is one civilian woman (Tamika Radix – made-up) on the island, nicknamed "Bloody Mary", a sassy middle-aged Tonkinese vendor of grass skirts, who engages the sailors in sarcastic, flirtatious banter as she tries to sell them her wares ("Bloody Mary"). Billis yearns to visit the nearby island of Bali Ha'i — which is off-limits to all but officers — supposedly to witness a Boar's Tooth Ceremony; the other sailors josh him, saying that his real motivation is to see the young French women there. Billis and the sailors further lament their lack of feminine companionship ("There is Nothing Like a Dame").

U.S. Marine Lieutenant Cable (Robert Downey Jr.) arrives on the island from Guadalcanal, having been sent to take part in a dangerous spy mission whose success could turn the tide of the war against Japan. Bloody Mary tries to persuade Cable to visit "Bali Ha'i", mysteriously telling him that it is his special island. Billis, seeing an opportunity, urges Cable to go. Cable meets with his commanding officers, Captain George Brackett (John Laroquette) and Commander William Harbison (Nathan Fillion), who plan to ask Emile to help with the mission because he used to live on the island where the mission will take place. They ask Nellie to help them find out more about Emile's background, for example, his politics and why he left France. They have heard, for instance, that Emile committed a murder, and this might make him less than desirable for such a mission.
After thinking a bit more about Emile and deciding she has become attracted on the basis of little knowledge of him, Nellie tells the other nurses that she intends to spurn him ("I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair"). Émile arrives unexpectedly and invites Nellie to a party where he will introduce her to his friends. Seeing how much he cares about her, Nellie realizes she is still in love with him and accepts his invitation. Emile again declares his love and asks Nellie to marry him. When she mentions politics, he speaks of universal freedom, and describes fleeing France after resisting a local bully and choking him to death in self-defense. After hearing this, Nellie agrees to marry Emile. After he exits, Nellie joyously declares her love ("I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy").
Cable's mission is to land on a Japanese-held island and report on Japanese ship movements. The Navy officers ask Emile to be Cable's guide, but he refuses their request because of his hopes for a new life with Nellie. Commander Harbison, the executive officer, tells Cable to go on leave until the mission can take place. Billis convinces Lt. Cable to take him to Bali Ha'i. There, Billis participates in the native ceremony, while Bloody Mary introduces Cable to her beautiful daughter, Liat, with whom he must communicate in French. Believing that Liat's only chance at a better life is to marry an American officer, Mary leaves Liat alone with Cable. The two are instantly attracted to each other and make love ("Younger Than Springtime"). Billis and the rest of the crew are ready to leave the island, yet must wait for Cable who, unbeknownst to them, is with Liat ("Bali Ha'i" (Reprise)). Bloody Mary proudly tells Billis that Cable is going to be her son-in-law.
Meanwhile, after Emile's party, Nellie and he reflect on how happy they are to be in love (Reprises of "A Wonderful Guy", "Twin Soliloquies", "Cockeyed Optimist" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair"). Emile introduces Nellie to Jerome and Ngana. Though she finds them charming, she is shocked when Emile reveals that they are his children by his first wife, a dark-skinned Polynesian woman, now deceased. Nellie is unable to overcome her deep-seated racial prejudices and tearfully leaves Emile, after which he reflects sadly on what might have been ("Some Enchanted Evening" (Reprise)).
We see a montage of all the characters as we prepare a little time jump. This beckons after a slow wipe-out.

It is Thanksgiving Day. The seabees and nurses dance in a holiday revue titled "Thanksgiving Follies". In the past week, an epidemic of malaria has hit the island of Bali Ha'i. Having visited Bali Ha'i often to be with Liat, Cable is also ill, but escapes from the hospital to be with Liat. As Liat and Cable spend more time together, Bloody Mary is delighted. She encourages them to continue their carefree life on the island ("Happy Talk") and urges them to marry. Cable, aware of his family's prejudices, says he cannot marry a Tonkinese girl. Bloody Mary furiously drags her distraught daughter away, telling Cable that Liat must now marry a much older French plantation owner instead. Cable laments that Liat is no longer part of his life ("Younger Than Springtime" [Reprise]).
For the final number of the Thanksgiving Follies, Nellie performs a comedy burlesque dressed as a sailor singing the praises of "his" sweetheart ("Honey Bun"). Billis plays Honey Bun, dressed in a blond wig, grass skirt and coconut-shell bra. After the show, Emile asks Nellie to reconsider. She insists that she cannot feel the same way about him since she knows about his children's Polynesian mother. Frustrated and uncomprehending, Emile asks Cable why he and Nellie have such prejudices. Cable, filled with self-loathing, replies that "it's not something you're born with", yet it is an ingrained part of their upbringing ("You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"). He also vows that if he gets out of the war alive, he won't go home to the United States; everything he wants is on these islands. Emile imagines what might have been ("This Nearly Was Mine"). Dejected and feeling that he has nothing to lose, he agrees to join Cable on his dangerous mission.
The mission begins with plenty of air support. Offstage, Billis stows away on the plane, falls out when the plane is hit by anti-aircraft fire, and ends up in the ocean waiting to be rescued; the massive rescue operation inadvertently becomes a diversion that allows Emile and Cable to land on the other side of the island undetected. The two send back reports on Japanese ships' movements in the "Slot", a strategic strait; American aircraft intercept and destroy the Japanese ships. When the Japanese Zeros strafe the Americans' position, Emile narrowly escapes, but Cable is killed.
Nellie learns of Cable's death and that Emile is missing. She realizes that she was foolish to reject Emile because of the race of his children's mother. Bloody Mary and Liat come to Nellie asking where Cable is; Mary explains that Liat refuses to marry anyone but him. Nellie comforts Liat. Cable and Emile's espionage work has made it possible for a major offensive, "Operation Alligator", to begin. The previously idle sailors, including Billis, go off to battle.
Nellie spends time with Jerome and Ngana and soon comes to love them. While the children are teaching her to sing "Dites-Moi," suddenly Emile's voice joins them. Emile has returned to discover that Nellie has overcome her prejudices and has fallen in love with his children. Emile, Nellie and the children rejoice ("Dites-Moi" (Reprise)).

Edited March 26, 2013 by Alfred Beyond The Pines

[Alpha]

Move Amulet to August 4th.

[The Dark Alfred]

The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time
 

 

Director: Sam Mendes

Genre: Mystery/Drama

Date: December 15-17 (2488 theatres), Christmas period expands to 3255 theatres

Studio: Guernica Studios

 

Cast: 

Chris – Craig Roberts

Father - Tim Roth
Mrs Shears – Sally Hawkins
Mr Shears – Eddie Marshan
Policeman – Paddy Considine
Old Lady – Maggie Smith
Teacher – Rachel Weisz
Mother – Angela Riseborough
 

Format: Digital 2D

Original Score: James Horner

Otriginal Song: Cyber Brainstorm by Arctic Monkeys

Runtime: 128 min

MPAA Rating: PG

Budget: $35 million

 

Plot:

 

We start of nice English countryside shots. We’re getting familiar with a nice town outside London in Surrey.

Four minutes after midnight, 15 year old Chris (Craig Roberts) finds a dead dog with a garden fork through its body in the front yard of Mrs. Shears’s house. He thinks that someone has killed the dog. A few minutes later, Mrs. Shears (Sally Hawkins) arrives and starts yelling at him.

The music gets tense and we get a feel of a murder mystery and lot of talking is going on in the neighbourhood, but as we see things from Chris POV and all this interactions blur into one messy noise. Chris is autistic and very good with math and noticing the smallest details that everyone else ignores. But he has a lot of trouble interacting with other people and reading their emotions and intentions. A policeman arrives (Paddy Considine) and start questioning Chris. This freaks him out so he punches him. The policeman arrests Chris, which calms him down because that's what cops do -- arrest people. While in the car, he thinks about the big bang theory, universal expansion – we see these images in a hand-drawn, cute, sketchy animation. Then Chris decides to number the chapters in his book using prime numbers because he likes primes.

At the station, the police make him empty his pockets and he lists the contents. They also try to take his watch, but he throws a fit because he always needs to know exactly what time it is. Chris finds people very confusing because he doesn't understand non-verbal communication and he doesn't understand the use of metaphors. Chris's father (Tim Roth) arrives at the police station and a few minutes later they are both talking to the inspector in an interview room. The policeman decides to let Chris leave with a warning after making sure he understands that it is wrong to hit a policeman.

Chris can't lie because when he starts to think of something that's false in a situation, he cycles instantly into thinking about all the possible falsities that exit. His father tries to get Chris to forget about the dog, but Chris wants to solve the murder.

We learn in a short flashback that Chris's mother died two years earlier of a heart attack. Chris should have been the first to discover her when he got home from school, but instead he went straight to his bedroom to work on a model and his father discovered her hours later.

The following day, Chris digresses a bit by thinking about his personality and his fondness of order -- even if it's not a logical order. He decides to solve the murder, so in the evening he goes over to Mrs. Shears’s house to tell her he didn't do it and ask her if she knows who did. She is no help to his investigation. He searches around her yard and determines that whoever killed the dog probably used her garden fork.

On Saturday, Chris decides to do some more investigating while his father watches a football match. He decides he must ask his neighbours if they saw anything unusual that evening. He will have to be very brave to do this because strangers scare him. So first he draws a map of his neighbourhood. He then talks with many of the neighbours. Chris skips his next door neighbours because they use drugs and scare him and his father has told him never to speak to them. One old lady (Maggie Smith) invites him to tea, but Chris gets nervous and leaves after she had been gone for six minutes.

After talking to numerous people, he reasons that the murderer was either a stranger or Mr. Shears (Eddie Marshan). Mr. Shears didn't like Mrs. Shears and he knew the dog well. He digresses into thinking about the fact that he's a special needs child. Chris doesn't understand that label because everyone has special needs like glasses or medicine. He used to think that his parents would divorce because they used to argue a lot about raising him, but his mother died before that happened.

When Chris returns home for dinner, his father tells him that he had just gotten off the phone with Mrs. Shears. His father is angry at Chris for his investigation and yells at him when Chris tells him that he suspects Mr. Shears of the crime. He makes Chris promise him that he will stop his investigation. As he goes to bed, Chris daydreams about what a great astronaut he would make.

The next day he tells his teacher (Rachel Weisz) that the book is finished because his dad won't let him do any more investigating. She says that’s fine, but Chris doesn't think so.

At the corner store five days later, he runs into the old lady who had invited him to tea. Chris uses his reasoning to determine precisely what he can and cannot ask the lady about the incident of the dog without violating the promises made to his father. If they are going to talk about that subject, she suggests that they take a walk in the park to have some privacy. This makes him very nervous, but he overcomes his fear because of the possibility that she will tell him a secret or something important.

Inside the park, she tells him that Chris’s father thinks Mr. Shears is evil because Mr. Shears was having an affair with his wife before her death. This is why he doesn't want Chris to talk about Mr. Shears or keep asking about him. When he gets home, Chris thinks about why he likes math and why he likes Sherlock Holmes. Another cute animation fades in with sweet music.

Chris shows his teacher the progress he had made with the book the next day in school. After reading it, she asks him if he was sad to learn about his mother's affair. After telling her that he wasn't, she tells Chris that he can talk to her about it if he ever wants. When he gets home from school, he accidently leaves the book on the table while he watches one of his favorite nature videos. His father finds it and is very upset. At first Chris tries to argue that he had followed his father's orders, but the situation quickly spirals out of control and he throws a fit. Frustrated, his father hits Chris in order to try to control him. When it's over, his father throws out Chris's book.

The next day, his father takes Chris to the zoo to show him that he was sorry for hitting him. Chris enjoys the trip because it is cloudy. Therefore, not so many people are there. When they get home, he thinks about hoaxes and the theorem of Occam's Razor. Another cute animation fades in with sweet music.

On the next Monday, his teacher asks about his bruise and the fight with his father. Although Chris isn't concerned about it, she is. After school, he decides to get his book out of the trash, but it isn't there anymore. Chris decides to search the house for it while his father is still at work. He thoroughly searches every nook and cranny as if his father had sought out the best hiding place. Out of respect for his father, the last room he searches is his bedroom. He finds the book in a cardboard box in the closet. He hears his father's van pull into the driveway so he quickly decides to leave the book for the moment. Closing the box, he notices that there are a number of letters addressed to his father with writing that includes circles instead of dots above each i. Chris only knew three people who dotted their i's like that, and one was his mother. He quickly takes one and exits the room as his father enters the house.

Although Chris wants to read the letter right away, he hides it under his mattress and goes downstairs to eat dinner with his father. Chris excuses himself to his room after dinner so that he can finally read the letter. He has a convenient excuse for staying in his room because his father is going to make a racket installing new shelves. The letter is from his mother, addressed to Chris, and it is dated from London eighteen months after she died. Chris doesn't understand the letter, but perhaps it was meant for a different Chris and it was from that Chris's mother. He’s excited that he has another mystery to solve, but decides that he won't think about it again until he has a chance to read the other letters.

Six days pass before Chris has another chance to search his father's cardboard box. He counts forty-three letters, all addressed to him. After reading a few of them, he knows that his mother didn't die. Instead, she moved to London with Mr. Shears. He feels sick, so he curls up on his father's bed and falls asleep. His father finds him there and tries to comfort him. His father is very sorry for lying, but he did what he thought was the best for Chris.

It takes his father a long time to get through to Chris. He gives him a long bath and sits and talks soothingly to him. He promises never to lie to him again. Finally, he tells Chris that he killed the dog. The dog had attacked him and he had been so angry at Mrs. Shears that he could have overreacted.

Chris is frightened now. If his father had lied about killing the dog, he couldn't trust him. And if he could kill the dog, he could kill him too. He waits until late in the evening when he was sure that his father has fallen asleep in the living room in order to sneak out the house. He takes along his pet rat, a couple of jackets, and his food box. He hides behind garden shed while he decides what to do next.

Chris falls asleep shortly before 6 am. His father comes out to look for him in the morning, but doesn't find him. He knows that he can't live with his father anymore after the murder. He decides that he would go tell Mrs. Shears who had killed her dog, thus making her know that he was her friend. Then she would let Chris stay at her house.

Chris gets scared when he realizes that Mrs. Shear isn't at home. He tries to think of all the reasonable possible other places he could live, but every possibility scares him. He finally determines that the only possible solution is to go live with his mom in London. Unfortunately, he has never been further than the corner store by himself.

He formulates a plan of all the steps he will have to take in order to get to London. The first step is to ask the old neighbour lady to take care of his pet rat for him. Chris gets scared when the old lady disrupts his plan by suggesting they call his father. He runs home and tries to enter the back door, but it’s locked. He uses a brick to smash the door window and let himself in. He quickly gathers some food and clothing and takes his father's bank card from his wallet. He knows the pin number because his father had said that Chris’s memory was more reliable than writing it down in some safe place.

Now fully supplied, Chris decides to walk to school to ask his teacher how to get on the train. Although the walk scares him because he had never walked to school before, he also becomes calmer the further and further away he gets from his father's house. He arrives at the school about 45 minutes later, but feels sick when he sees that his father's truck is there. After taking a few minutes to collect himself, he decides that he should stay away from the school and instead ask a stranger how to get to the train station.

He decides to ask a lady because he has been told that women are safer than men. He finds a woman and asks her where he could buy a map in order to find the train station. Instead, she just points out the train station to him, which is within sight of where they were standing. Chris still gets lost on the way there, but eventually he finds it.

When he enters the station, he’s surprised to see that its layout is not the same as his toy station at home. It’s too crowded inside the building but somehow he makes it to an open chair in a corner so that he can try to think. To calm himself, he starts doing math problems in his head. Numbers spreading through the screen and mysterious music fades in. He finally looks up to see a policewoman looking down at him.

The policewoman tells him that he had been sitting there for two and a half hours. She begins questioning Chris about why he’s there. Finally, the policewoman takes him to use the cash machine. Satisfied that the boy isn't a vagrant, she points him to the ticket office and then leaves. Chris manages to purchase a ticket for a train that leaves five minutes later. He then manages to get himself onto the train before it departs.

Chris likes schedules so much because time is relative and it's a way of putting more order into it. Just before the train leaves, the same policeman (Considine) catches up with Chris inside the train. He’s out of breath and calling Chris’s name. He tells Chris that they need to get off the train so that he can talk about whether Chris should be moving to London. However, before he can coax Chris off the train, the train begins to pull out of the station. The policeman radios his partner and arranges for him to meet them at the next station.

Chris wets his pants during the trip because he doesn't know how long it will take to get there and he doesn't know that there are bathrooms on trains. When the policeman notices, he directs Chris towards the bathroom. Chris hates using public bathrooms, but he doesn't have a choice. When he finishes, he notices that across the carriage there is a small place where it’s dark. He could stay there for the rest of the trip.

When the train arrives at the next stop, the policeman looks for him, but to no avail. The policeman exits to continue his search and Chris stays put in his quiet place. He stays there even when they get to London and continues riding for numerous stops after that. Chris doesn't know whether the train is traveling in a straight line or in a circle.

He stays in his small, dark place until the train stops completely. It gets dark and quiet inside the carriage. The music underlies his isolation. He goes to retrieve his bag, but it’s missing. Then Chris sees some police searching the carriages. He decides that he doesn't like them anymore because they might take him back to his father, so he gets off the train. He makes his way to an information booth to ask whether he was in London. The lady in the booth confirms that he is and directs him to the correct subway line to take to his mother.

Once inside the metro station, he hides in a photo booth until he has watched enough people to know what he needs to do to get on the train. He makes it to the proper train tunnel, which quickly starts to fill with people. This makes him very sick, as does the rushing noise when the train approaches. He is paralyzed with fear and just sits there and endures it while many trains pass through the station.

He sits frozen on a bench until the crowds grow thinner, later in the evening. He finally opens his eyes to find that he has been sitting there over five hours. He notices that his pet rat is missing, so he starts looking for it around the station. He sees it on the tracks, so he climbs down to retrieve it. He grabs the rat, but at that very moment a train is speeding into the station. Without a moment to spare, a man reaches down and pulls him from the tracks.

The man is angry at him for putting everyone at risk and making him miss his train, but there is a lady who is more concerned with Chris's well being. Chris doesn't interact well with them and they leave on the next train. Chris waits for a few trains more and then decides he should go too.

He gets off at the correct station and buys a London map from a man in a sales booth. After he figures out where he was going, he starts a half-hour walk to his mother's flat. She’s not home when he gets there, so he decides to wait on her stoop. It starts to rain, but he just shivers through it.

His mother (Angela Riseborough) is surprised to see him and tries to hug him to warm him. He doesn't like being touched so he pushes her away. So instead she brings him inside and makes him a bath. When he’s finished with the bath, she asks him why he has never written to her. Chris tells her it was because his father told him that she was dead. She is very distressed to learn this.

After he has a wonderful meal of tomato soup, a policeman arrives at the door, demanding to speak with Chris. Chris is scared that he will have to go back to his father. But after a short discussion, the policeman lets him stay. Then Chris goes to sleep on an air mattress.

At 2:00 in the morning he wakes to the sound of shouting, including that of his father. After arguing awhile, his father comes into Chris's room. Chris has his Swiss army knife in case his father tries to grab him. After awhile, the police return and his father leaves without reconciling with Chris.

In the morning, Chris’s mother tells him that he can stay for as long as he wants, even though Mr. Shears has said that he could stay for only a few days. She tries to take Chris to buy some clothes and toiletries, but he freaks out at the crowd. When they get home, Chris tells her that he needs to go back to his father's town because he has to sit for exams. However, Chris doesn’t want to see his father while he’s there. His mother is getting exasperated with him, but says that they would talk about it later.

Chris couldn't sleep that night so he goes for a walk out at 2:00 in the morning, when it’s quiet. A while later his mother comes screaming after him, worrying because it’s dangerous for him to be out alone.

Chris is uncomfortable with all the noises and people. He doesn't like how small the apartment is and that it doesn't have a garden. He doesn't like that he can't see the stars at night. His mother loses her temporary job a few days later because of her absences. She keeps fighting with Mr. Shears. And his father keeps calling his mother, threatening to hire a lawyer. Finally, his mother tells Chris that he will have to take his exam the next year, which makes him very mad.

A few days later, after Mr. Shears leaves for work, Chris’s mother packs a few suitcases and takes him back to his father's town in Mr. Shears's car. When his father gets home from work, his parents fight and Chris hides in his room. Finally, his mother tells him that his father will be staying with a friend for a while and that they could stay in the house. In a few weeks, the two of them would find their own place to stay.

Over the next few days, Chris concentrates on taking his exams while all around him his mother and father and Mr and Mrs. Shears fight. As the days pass, his parents argue about her moving out. Eventually, they tell Chris that his father won't be arrested for killing the dog unless Mrs. Shears presses charges.

Within a few weeks, his mother gets a job and moves into a very small apartment with a shared bathroom. But Chris has to stay at his father's house at night for two hours until his mother gets off from work. This scares him, so he pushes the bed against the door and doesn't answer when his father tries to talk to him. Then his pet rat dies. Chris’s mother doesn't let him get another because the apartment is too small.

A little later, his father has a talk with him to let him know that it’s time for Chris to start trusting him again. He shows Chris a puppy that he had bought and tells him that he could name him. The dog helps Chris feel safe and he starts spending more time with his father. He eventually learns that he gained an A on his exams and starts planning for future exams and university. Now he knows he can do anything because he went to London on his own and found his mother and solved who killed the dog and wrote this book. He hugs his father and smiles for the first time.

The end.

 

Cyber Brainstorm from Arctic Monkeys plays during the credits.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Alfred Beyond The Pines