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CAYOM YEAR 1: PART 1 (Post the Films of the Year)

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Year 1 of CAYOM 2.0 officially begins! Since detailed instructions are contained in the players' guide thread, I'll simply summarize and say that this is the thread where you post all of your films with info including: Title, Cast, Director, Release Date, Theater Count, MPAA Rating, Budget, and a Plot Summary. I will edit this post a few times a day with updates based on postings.

Part 1 will be open until midnight on the night of Sunday December 11th. I'll ask that Impact or Waterbottle lock this thread once the deadline has passed so we have a hard deadline.

Also: If your plot is of significant length, place it inside spoiler tags so it doesn't take forever to scroll down a page of this thread.

The schedule (taken from the Advanced Scheduling Thread):

Jan. 7–9

The Nine Tailors (2733 Theaters) (Page 3)

Beast of Bray Road (51 Theaters- Limted) (Page 1)

Jan. 14–17 (MLK Day)

Illusiono (3650 Theaters) (Page 1)

Phone Fiend (2811 Theaters) (Page 5)

Beast of Bray Road (106 Theaters- Expansion)

Jan. 21–23

Hills Abduction (3154 Theaters) (Page 1)

You Just Got Beat By a Girl (2875 Theaters) (Page 5)

Spider-Baby (2344 Theaters) (Page 5)

Jan. 28–30

Everglades (3025 Theaters) (Page 5)

Ready...Aim...Fire! (2685 Theaters) (Page 2)

Beast of Bray Road (218 Theaters- Expansion)

Feb. 4–6

Seduction (2754 Theaters) (Page 2)

Teratoma (2427 Theaters) (Page 5)

Beast of Bray Road (287 Theaters- Expansion)

Feb. 11–13

Disco Dan (2915 Theaters) (Page 5)

Valentine's Day Vendetta (2645 Theaters) (Page 2)

Ghost Story (2000 Theaters) (Page 4)

Beast of Bray Road (409 Theaters- Expansion)

Feb. 18–21 (President’s Day)

Cycle of the Werewolf (3255 Theaters) (Page 3)

Corporate Secrets (3345 Theaters) (Page 3)

Feb. 25–27

Siri (3307 Theaters) (Page 5)

Just for Cash (2574 Theaters) (Page 4)

Beast of Bray Road (697 Theaters- Now Wide)

Mar. 4–6

The End of the Universe (3340 Theaters) (Page 1)

Land of Storms (3228 Theaters) (Page 5)

Beast of Bray Road (1533 Theaters- Expansion)

Mar. 11–13

Barren World (3870 Theaters) (Page 1)

God's Deal (3666 Theaters) (Page 3)

Mar. 18–20

Our Friend the Witch (2727 Theaters) (Page 5)

Wed. March 16- Night of Error (2538 Theaters) (Page 2)

Beast of Bray Road (2225 Theaters- Expansion)

Mar. 25–27

The Adventures (3783 Theaters) (Page 1)

Lucky in Love (2904 Theaters) (Page 5)

Beast of Bray Road (2714 Theaters- Expansion)

Apr. 1–3

Band of the Decade (2926 Theaters) (Page 2)

The Machine Stops (3755 Theaters) (Page 2)

Apr. 8–10

Spring Awakening (2863 Theaters) (Page 5)

The Day I Met Mina (2551 Theaters) (Page 5)

Trails of Tears (100 Theaters- Limited) (Page 4)

Apr. 15–17

Paranoia (3325 Theaters) (Page 1)

Sarah's Surefire Cure For The Blues (2886 Theaters) (Page 5)

Trails of Tears (500 Theaters- Expansion)

Apr. 22–24

Elantris (3745 Theaters) (Page 2)

Trails of Tears (3000 Theaters- Now Wide)

Apr. 29–May1

Con Air 2 (3486 Theaters) (Page 5)

Tarsem Singh's Cinderella (3867 Theaters) (Page 1)

May 6–8

Interconnected (3672 Theaters) (Page 2)

Fab 5 (3125 Theaters) (Page 4)

May 13–15

The Secrets of Mana: Journey Begins (3760 Theaters) (Page 4)

Northwest Nightmare (3558 Theaters) (Page 5)

May 20–22

Alien-Nation (3800 Theaters) (Page 4)

Birds of a Feather (3908 Theaters) (Page 4)

May 27–30 (Memorial Day)

Apocalypse (4151 Theaters) (Page 1)

The Penny Jar (3317 Theaters) (Page 5)

Jun. 3–5

The Ultimate Race (3650 Theaters) (Page 2)

Nation (3861 Theaters) (Page 4)

Jun. 10–12

Sitting Ducks (3826 Theaters) (Page 1)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (3D) (3587 Theaters) (Page 2)

Jun. 17–19

Day of the Destructor (3600 Theaters) (Page 5)

Pizza Man (3042 Theaters) (Page 6)

Jane Loves Karen (2204 Theaters) (Page 5)

Jun. 24–26

Fairylight (3705 Theaters) (Page 5)

The Dark Victorian (3435 Theaters) (Page 1)

Jul. 1–4 (Fourth of July)

Call of Duty (3786 Theaters) (Page 1)

Paperboy (3102 Theaters) (Page 4)

Jul. 8–10

Nightmare Chronicles (3469 Theaters) (Page 4)

Cries in the Night (2634 Theaters) (Page 5)

Park51 (203 Theaters- Limited) (Page 2)

Jul. 15–17

Vesta (3800 Theaters) (Page 4)

My Side of the Mountain (3343 Theaters) (Page 4)

Jul. 22–24

City of Bones (4175 Theaters) (Page 2)

Park51 (365 Theaters- Expansion)

Jul. 29–31

The Chrysalids (3834 Theaters) (Page 2)

Beer Buddies (3035 Theaters) (Page 5)

Aug. 5–7

To Kill A Mockingbird (2995 Theaters) (Page 1)

Mr. Belvedere (2819 Theaters) (Page 5)

Park51 (460 Theaters- Expansion)

Aug. 12–14

After Doomsday (3846 Theaters) (Page 3)

Not So Tall Tales (3133 Theaters) (Page 5)

Aug. 19–21

Hired Guns (3042 Theaters) (Page 1)

Flight of Fear (2560 Theaters) (Page 5)

Park51 (775 Theaters- Now Wide)

Aug. 26–28

Defensive (3244 Theaters) (Page 5)

Chronicle (2915 Theaters) (Page 2)

Park51 (1108 Theaters- Expansion)

Sep. 2–5 (Labor Day)

Christine (2977 Theaters) (Page 2)

Park51 (1614 Theaters- Expansion)

Sep. 9–11

Path of Justice (3174 Theaters) (Page 3)

A Family of Families (1768 Theaters) (Page 2)

Sep. 16–18

The Horn (2750 Theaters) (Page 4)

Lenny (1700 Theaters) (Page 4)

Cinerama (261 Theaters- Limited) (Page 3)

Sep. 23–25

Computer Love (3434 Theaters) (Page 6)

The 13th Night (2851 Theaters) (Page 2)

Cinerama (417 Theaters- Expansion)

Sep. 30–Oct. 2

Choose Your Own Adventure (3214 Theaters) (Page 2)

Mac the Knife (2779 Theaters)

Cinerama (584 Theaters- Expansion)

Oct. 7–9

The Great Inferno (3332 Theaters) (Page 2)

Everybody Dies (2780 Theaters) (Page 5)

Oct. 14–16

The Screaming Skull (3002 Theaters) (Page 2)

Number 61 (2579 Theaters) (Page 5)

Rapture (370 Theaters- Limited) (Page 5)

Oct. 21–23

Fright Town (2968 Theaters) (Page 2)

The Vast Dark Trilogy: Part One - The Serpent's Egg (3261 Theaters) (Page 3)

Rapture (1060 Theaters- Now Wide)

Oct. 28–30

Pandemic (3268 Theaters) (Page 2)

Angel of Death (3150 Theaters) (Page 3)

Rapture (2715 Theaters- Expansion)

Nov. 4–6

Bartimaues and the Amulet of Samarkand (3858 Theaters) (Page 1)

Santa Baby (3100 Theaters) (Page 5)

And the Band Played On (12 Theaters- Limited) (Page 1)

56 Days of Love (5 Theaters- Limited) (Page 3)

Nov. 11–13

The Neighbourhood (3,656 Theaters) (Page 1)

The Father Figure (3100 Theaters) (Page 1)

American Idols (10 Theaters- Limited) (Page 4)

And the Band Played On (56 Theaters- Expansion)

56 Days of Love (77 Theaters- Expansion)

Nov. 18-20

Wings Of Icarus (3814 Theaters) (Page 4)

Wolfenstein (3250 Theaters) (Page 6)

American Idols (100 Theaters- Expansion)

And the Band Played On (194 Theaters- Expansion)

56 Days of Love (228 Theaters- Expansion)

Nov. 23- 27 (Thanksgiving Day)

Wednesday (11/23)- The Modern Prometheus: Frankenstein (3279 Theaters) (Page 2)

Santa Goes to Jail (3789 Theaters) (Page 5)

And the Band Played On (402 Theaters- Expansion)

56 Days of Love (493 Theaters- Expansion)

Friday (11/25)- American Idols (1000 Theaters- Now Wide)

Dec. 2-4

A Very Amazing(Crazy) Christmas Movie (3024 Theaters) (Page 2)

American Idols (2500 Theaters- Expansion)

And the Band Played On (750 Theaters- Now Wide)

56 Days of Love (712 Theaters- Now Wide)

Dec. 9-11

The Seventh Seal (3572 Theaters) (Page 2)

A Bend in the Road (3124 Theaters) (Page 5)

And the Band Played On (1509 Theaters- Expansion)

56 Days of Love (1534 Theaters- Expansion)

Dec. 16-18

The Morrow (3D) (3832 Theaters) (Page 3)

Apes on the Run (2345 Theaters) (Page 5)

And the Band Played On (2216 Theaters- Expansion)

56 Days of Love (2304 Theaters- Expansion)

Dec. 23- 25 (Christmas Day)

Wednesday December 21- Spellforce- The Order of Dawn (3968 Theaters) (Page 3)

Wednesday December 21- Mars Trilogy: Red Mars (3993 Theaters) (Page 1)

The Bear and the Fox (3768 Theaters) (Page 4)

Dec. 30- Jan. 1

Edited by 4815162342
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Hired Guns

Genre: Western/Action

Cast: Michael Fassbender (Smith), Josh Brolin (Jackson), Jon Hamm (Marshal Weathers), Idris Elba (Reeves), Ewan McGregor (Oliver Hamwich), Armie Hammer (Joshua Tynford), Josh Holloway (Broyles), Edgar Ramirez (Almeida), with Bryan Cranston (Morton), and Jeff Bridges (Lawrence Tynford)

Written and Directed By: Quentin Tarantino

Release Date: 8/19

Release Platform: 3042 theaters

Budget: $55 Million

Running Time: 133 Minutes

MPAA Rating: R for graphic violence and strong language

Plot Summary: (Everything in Italics is a “flashback.” The film is shot in a grainy and rough feel reminiscent of the westerns of the 1960s.)

1868, Colorado Territory. A wealthy land baron, Lawrence Tynford, has placed a $25,000 bounty on a man. Five men, all of them with a background for their skills as gunmen, have answered the call individually. All have done so for different reasons.

They are: Reeves (Idris Elba), Broyles (Josh Holloway), Oliver Hamwich (Ewan McGregor), Almeida (Edgar Ramirez), and Smith (Michael Fassbender).

The opening credits are also very retro and play across a shot of a dusty and rocky hilltop with a small shack. After the credits end man exits the shack to stand guard but is approached by a second man too far away to identify. The guard tenses up and after a couple seconds reaches for his gun but we see the second man (Josh Brolin) quick-draw his gun and shoot the guard.

The scene changes to show the same shack shown in the first scene, but with the five hired guns arriving at it one by one and waiting inside. Of the five, Hamwich and Broyles are chatty about their past exploits and what they plan to accomplish, Smith and Reeves say little pleasantries but are polite, and Almeida is silent. The 5 are met there by Joshua Tynford (Armie Hammer), Lawrence’s son, who informs the five that there is a man, Jackson (Brolin), who his father wants to be brought to him. Why there is a bounty is none of their business. The reward for capturing the man and bringing him back to the shack for delivery is $25,000. The man was last seen in the nearby town of Destiny, looking to escape eastwards. The men can work together if they wish, or split up on their own. With all of that information delivered Joshua goes back to his horse and rides off.

This leaves the five hired guns to work things out on their own. Reeves makes the sensible suggestion that they all work together because it would be easier for them all to gun down their target in force and without having to worry about getting in one another’s way. Hamwich makes a crack that Reeves is just too weak to go it alone which almost starts a fight then and there if Smith and Broyles didn’t intercede. Broyles says he’ll join a group as long as no one in it double-crosses them. Almeida finally speaks, saying that if any of them gets in his way that they’ll regret it. Smith says he is fine with a group and Hamwich gives in as well. The five ride off towards Destiny. As they ride, a shot of them in the distance pulls back to show Joshua watching them from a hillside.

As another man rides to beside him he comments “They’re on their way.” The other man is his father, Lawrence Tynford (Jeff Bridges), the man who placed the bounty. Lawrence is pleased and tells Joshua to take a band of gunmen to Golden City. Joshua asks if he doubts the hired guns can do the job. Lawrence replies “If we’re lucky, they’ll drive him right into our hands and we won’t have to pay a dime.” Joshua isn’t sure about the plan but Lawrence berates him for being cautious and trusting.

The screen fades to black and we hear a gunshot. We then see the aftermath of the scene from the beginning. The shot guard is twitching on the ground and the shooter, Jackson, walks up to him. Jackson asks if “it” is still inside the shack. The guard refuses to answer so Jackson shoots him in the leg. The guard due to pain confesses that “it” is still inside. Jackson smiles, shoots the guard a third time, and walks inside the shack.

The closing of the shack door instantly shifts to the opening of a door to a saloon in at night. Marshal Weathers (Jon Hamm), the county marshal, enters, looking for somebody. He walks up to a table with people playing cards and leans over the shoulder of one person and says “You’ve got a bad hand.” Jackson looks up at him and replies “I think I got the pot won.” Weathers replies “I’m not talking about the card game.” Jackson excuses himself and follows Weathers out of the saloon. Weathers tells Jackson about a bounty placed on him and that bounty hunters are sure to already be on their way. When Weathers asks Jackson what he did Jackson replies that he took something valuable. Weathers says that he can’t risk Destiny turning into a bloodbath if the bounty hunters show up so he says that in order to keep the town peaceful, and because he and Jackson go back a long way, he’ll escort him to Golden City to catch a train east.

The five hired guns are camping to pass the night. They’re gathered around a campfire and some are swapping stories. One particular story from Hamwich about his journey across the Atlantic to America leaves most of the group, aside from Almeida, greatly amused. After a little more conversation between them all, in which Almeida says nothing, one by one they all fall asleep.

After the screen fades to black the scene shifts to a family doing chores outside their small but comfortable home. The home is in the middle of the Colorado wilderness. The father tells a boy of about eight to go inside and grab a couple tools. The boy rushes inside. He has some trouble reaching the toolbox on a high shelf due to his being short but he eventually gets it. Right after he grabs it is the crack of several gunshots coming from outside.

At this point Smith wakes up startled, implying it was a dream or a memory. Silence is broken by the cursing of Broyles elsewhere. Smith cautiously sits up and sees The Reeves and Hamwich doing the same thing to find the source of the curses. Of Almeida there is no trace. Broyles meanwhile starts gathering his gear. Smith asks what he’s doing. Broyles replies “I’m going on my own.” He finishes packing and then rides off towards town. There is silence as they watch him leave, and then noise is heard from Hamwich’s side of the camp. He’s packing up too. After wishing Smith and Reeves luck mockingly he rides off. There is a moment of awkward tension between Smith and Reeves but they decide to stay together since someone like Jackson is bound to have protection.

Meanwhile Hamwich catches up to Broyles, who claims he could’ve taken Hamwich out from 300 yards away. Hamwich jests that Broyles could if Hamwich was the size of an ironclad. Hamwich says that too large a group could never work, but a pair could. Broyles smiles and says that the Tynfords aren’t the only ones who want Jackson for a bounty. Broyles says if they grab Jackson, they can then drive up his price by playing the bounty givers off against each other. Hamwich is delighted at the idea of making even more money and says Jackson will regret pissing off so many people.

Jackson and Weathers ride out of Destiny with a couple deputies as escort. Weathers says that they’ll probably have a good head start to Golden City and there should be a train there to head east. Weathers asks what Jackson took to get this bounty placed and Jackson says that it’s better if Weathers doesn’t know. “Once you get me on that train, then I won’t be your problem anymore.”

As they ride, the camera has a long-distance shot from a hill that pulls back to show Almeida observing on his horse as he sharpens a knife. He then starts to guide his horse in the same direction.

Smith and Reeves arrive in Destiny and decide to check the saloon for information. Reeves makes small talk with the bartender, who clams up about Jackson’s presence. Smith meanwhile joins a poker game with the same players from the previous night. They play a few hands as Smith chats them up and eventually one of the players lets something about Jackson slip. The others tell him to shut up and threaten Smith, who advises them not to do something foolish. This escalates into a fight where Smith beats up the threatening players and Reeves shoots down one guy in the back who tried to shoot Smith. Smith and Reeves then drag the talker outside and intimidate him into informing them that Jackson went towards Golden City with some guards and the marshal. They then let the talker go and saddle up for Golden City. As they go, we see Hamwich and Broyles coming out of a different building. Broyles observes that the way those two are moving they have some good info and tells Hamwich they’ll follow from a fair distance.

That night, Smith and Reeves are camped and talk a bit to pass the time. We learn that Reeves is an escaped slave who upon returning for his family at an Arkansas plantation after the Civil War ended was forced to kill the former owner and overseer who were brutalizing the now freed slaves as sharecroppers. The bounty will get him a lot of money needed to move them away for a good life. Reeves says that Smith is fast and deadly and asks about his background. Smith brushes off the question and says they should rest.

We also see a scene between Broyles and Hamwich at their campsite. Broyles is confident that they can grab Jackson from under the noses of the other hunters. Hamwich is brooding a little and upon prodding says that hunting Jackson is personal for him. It turns out that Hamwich and Jackson’s families were in a major feud a couple decades ago in Ireland and Hamwich wants to settle the feud once and for all by taking Jackson, since Jackson’s father killed Hamwich’s father and other relatives. Broyles asks Hamwich if he’ll keep his cool and Hamwich says he will.

The scene changes to Golden City under the morning sun. Weathers, Jackson, and the couple men they brought are arming themselves in a hotel room. Weathers tells the two deputies to patrol the area and tells Jackson he is going to the city sheriff to ask him to put his men on alert. Jackson thanks him but Weathers says that it’ll be better for them all if Jackson doesn’t show himself in Colorado again. Weathers then leaves as Jackson fidgets with a rusty key in his hands.

In another hotel some distance away, Joshua and his gunmen are waiting. Another gunman comes in to say that he just learned that Jackson arrived the previous night with some protection. Joshua sends two men to the train station as a failsafe and tells the others to spread out through town and just observe, not to engage without getting permission to.

Weathers meets with the city sheriff and explains that Jackson is an important person criminals are gunning for and his best protection is to leave on the noon train. The sheriff agrees to send his handful of deputies around town to keep the peace if something happens. While this goes on, one of Weathers’ own deputies notices a man entering an alley and follows him. It turns out the man is Almeida, who quickly kills the deputy with a throwing knife. Almeida hides the body and then climbs up a building to bide his time.

Smith and Reeves arrive in Golden City and talk a bit about how the land is changing with the encroachment of the railroads and the “civilization” the follows behind. Reeves doesn’t care since he only plans to be in the West to get money and then leave once he can get his family north. Smith though wonders what future would exist for someone like him. They also remark about Broyles and Hamwich following them and agree to be careful of them and Almeida. Broyles and Hamwich arrive via a different street. Broyles says he will cover Hamwich from a sniper perch and goes to a rooftop to set up position. Hamwich meanwhile tenses up and waits for the moment to come.

That moment comes when Jackson exits his hotel onto a side street and is seen by one of Joshua’s ruffians. The man defies Joshua’s order and demands Jackson surrender. Jackson instead shoots the man in the head in the blink of an eye. The gunshot sends the regular townspeople into a panic and sets both lawmen and the gunmen into action. Jackson rushes into the main street where he is confronted by another gunman who he shoots down instantly. Joshua hears the shots in his hotel room and rushes outside to join up with his men. Weathers hears the shots and rushes into the streets with the sheriff. They take five steps when a stray bullet blows the sheriff’s head off and Weathers has to kill a rogue gunman shooting wildly.

Their deputies are yelling at townsfolk to head indoors and also trying to halt anyone carrying a weapon. One of them shouts at Hamwich to stop where he is but gets shot instead. Another deputy sees this and fires at Hamwich, the two of them trading shots. Limey gets the deputy three times but he is hit in return in the shoulder. Broyles shouts down at him to get into an alley and loop around to the train station. Hamwich nods and goes to do that. Broyles then sees Jackson a fair ways down another street and tries to snipe him, but Jackson is able to dodge and enters a building to exit out the other side. Jackson swears and starts running across the rooftops to find a new angle of fire. Meanwhile Smith and Reeves are trying to pursue but are attacked by one of Joshua’s men on instinct. They shoot him but them Almeida jumps down from a perch and wordlessly stabs Anderson in the gut with a knife. He then tries to stab Smith but Smith fends him off and the two get into a brief fistfight before Almeida scampers off. Smith checks on Anderson, who is alive but badly hurt. Anderson tells Smith to go and Smith hesitates to leave but then does so when he hears a voice from behind shouting at him. That voice is Weathers’ and he rushes up to Reeves, who is going into shock. Weathers demands to know if Reeves is a bounty hunter and Reeves nods. Weathers curses and decides to stop Reeves’ bleeding since if Reeves lives he could obtain information.

The gunfight now sprawls over the town, as everyone tries to get to the train station. Almeida shoots one of the local deputies and then hides behind a shack as he sees Joshua and a couple men rush into a building to take cover. Almeida’s face shows he recognizes them and is angry, and he starts to shadow them. Jackson gets near the station and sees the two men Joshua sent. They shoot at him but then one of Weathers’ deputies shows up and shoots one, Jackson then killing the other. The deputy starts to escort Jackson to the station, but then Broyles appears on a nearby roof and snipes the deputy. Jackson dives into the train station for safety. Broyles then sees Hamwich and motions for him to go around the side but wait for him. Hamwich instead spots Jackson moving and rushes towards the station, prompting Broyles to curse at Hamwich’s impatience. As the train approaches the station, Jackson is surprised by Hamwich. Hamwich is weakened from his shoulder wound but still confident. He tells Jackson that he’s finally going to settle the feud that involved their families. Before he can say another word Jackson fires a single shot from a gun he had hidden under his jacket. As Hamwich dies Jackson says “I think I’ll settle it instead.”

The train appears in the distance and glides on the rails to the station, slowing down just enough for Jackson to run alongside and hop into a doorway. Smith meanwhile has gotten onto the roof of a building near the tracks and jumps onto the top of the train, entering it via the caboose. The train pulls out of the station before anyone else can board it since the engineer wants to get the heck out of town.

Joshua curses as the train pulls out of Golden City and hears two gunshots behind him. He turns to find his escorts dead and an angry-looking Almeida not far away. Almeida accuses Joshua of setting the hunters all up and says he doesn’t like surprises like that. Joshua blames it all on his father and says his dad’s paranoia and worries is hurting business. He offers Almeida a bonus to work with him to get Jackson and to also dispose of his father at the end of things. Almeida after a few seconds accepts, but says that another mistake by Joshua will be his last. They gather up a couple surviving gunmen and exit town for the next train station to the east. Broyles enters the station in town and comments “what a waste” when he sees Hamwich’s body. He then mounts up and rides southeast on a path to interest the railroad when it turns south. Finally Weathers and a surviving deputy get Reeves into the local doctor’s office and tell the doctor to do whatever it takes to save the wounded hunter. Weathers goes outside and sighs as he surveys the carnage in the town.

The scene shifts to a sizable ranch in the desert. Inside a large parlor Lawrence is describing a job that he wants done while his son looks on. Lawrence tells of a carriage coming from New Mexico that is holding something that he wants and that it is worth more money than many can dream of. Six people are being told about the job. One of them is Jackson, another is the man that Jackson later kills at the shack. Lawrence says that once they take the carriage they are to bring it to that shack. The scene changes to show the job being carried out. The six men set an ambush in a canyon. In a fast and violent shootout all of the guards are wiped out along with three of the hired men. Jackson and the two other survivors inspect the carriage and find a locked chest. They take the chest to the shack where the one man Jackson later kills says he’ll watch over it while the other two deliver the news. On the way out Jackson convinces the other man to let him return to the shack. The man agrees and Jackson rides back.

On the train, Jackson is prodded awake by Smith, who points a gun at him. Jackson is unprepared and he tries to talk Smith out of turning him in. He says he can lead Smith to things worth far more than the bounty on him and adds that if Smith keeps him safe from others while he retrieves them he’ll become a very rich man. Smith agrees, but says that he doesn’t trust Jackson. Jackson replies that he doesn’t trust Smith so they’re even.

Back in Golden City Weathers is waiting outside the doctor’s building. He is told by the town’s remaining deputy that over a dozen men have been killed in the sprawling shootout and that some of them are criminals with links to powerful men. Weathers curses and says his friend’s in deeper trouble than he thought. The doctor then comes out and tells him that Reeves will probably live but that he needs some time to heal. Weathers briskly walks inside and starts interrogating Reeves about the bounty. When Reeves is reluctant to say some answers Weathers puts pressure on Reeves’ wound, causing him pain. After a little of this torture Reeves relents and tells Weathers about the man (Joshua) who hired them. Weathers tells Reeves they’ll talk more later and tells the doctor to make sure Reeves doesn’t die before saying anything else useful. He then tells the deputy to warn the lawmen at the next station east about criminals showing up.

The deputy goes to the Golden City telegraph office to send that message. After he does that and leaves, a shifty-looking man enters and sends a message of his own. That message goes to a good-sized town some distance away and a telegram is quickly delivered to a fancy-looking office building, where it is handed to an unknown man (Bryan Cranston) who reads it with concern. When a lackey asks “Mr. Morton” what the matter is, Morton replies that it seems he now has a chance to recoup an “investment.”

The train has traveled on for a little while longer when Jackson looks out a window and says that it is time to go. Smith follows Jackson to the caboose. Jackson immediately leaps off the train to the ground and Smith does the same. Jackson whistles, summoning a pair of escorts who bring a few horses and a wagon. Jackson tells Smith that he has everyone running east for the next train station when in fact he’ll be doubling back west. The two lackeys are nervous about Smith but Jackson calms them. The two lackeys ride alongside the wagon as escorts while Jackson and Smith ride in the wagon. As they drive off Jackson exclaims that in a couple days they’ll be as rich as kings. The camera then slowly pulls back to show that they are being watched from a hilltop by a man on horseback, Broyles, who has managed to intersect the train tracks. He cracks a confident smile and says “Gotcha.”

The next day the train from Golden City has pulled into the station at the next town on the tracks eastward. Joshua, Almeida, and their men get there minutes before the train does after some intense riding. After some scouting they discover that Jackson is not on the train. Joshua sulks at being outfoxed and says he has no clue where to look for him. Almeida says that there is another half to their arrangement and that if Joshua backs out a second time it will be fatal. Joshua agrees and says they’ll go to the meeting shack at once. Almeida then adds that he knows a couple of the hired guns survived Golden City. If they manage to find Jackson and capture him, Almeida wants to be the one to kill them when they bring him in. Joshua quickly agrees. On the way out of town they are stopped by the local sheriff and a couple deputies, who find them suspicious. Joshua tries to talk his way out of the issue but Almeida instead quick-draws and shoots all three lawmen. Joshua’s startled reaction indicates that he is in over-his-head (since at no point did he ever actually participate in the Golden City shootout).

The screen fades to black and we hear several gunshots. Then the screen immediately cuts to show the boy in the house from the flashback before, dropping the toolbox. As he stands he hears his father’s voice shouting in despair followed by more gunshots. Though frightened beyond belief the boy is compelled to look outside. He slowly goes to the door and then opens it to reveal his family dead from multiple gunshot wounds. The boy rushes to his mother’s side and kneels down in disbelief and grief. The boy looks away from the house to see a group of five men some distance away though it isn’t possible to see their faces. As they start to walk over Jackson’s voice is heard saying “Wake up.”

The scene instantly changes to Smith being woken up by Jackson at a campsite the following morning. Jackson says they’re close to the site and both climb into the wagon. As they drive Smith asks Jackson why he decided to piss off one of the most powerful men in the territory. Jackson says that times are changing and that soon enough there won’t be any place for men like the two of them. So if he has a chance to strike it rich for life, he’ll take it. Smith nods and asks if Jackson thought about offing him in his sleep. Jackson smirks and says he thought about it, but since Smith seems like the type who’d work for the highest bidder, and Jackson right now is the highest bidder, he’s safe.

They then arrive at a patch of land at the base of a hill and Jackson’s goons are standing by a patch of freshly altered dirt with shovels in hand. Jackson orders them to start digging and while they do so Smith asks him why he didn’t move whatever’s buried earlier. Jackson says he wanted to make sure a buyer was lined up first. Smith asks who that buyer is and Jackson replies “The guy I stole it from the first time.”

Soon the two goons hit solid wood and uncover a chest. Jackson tells the two goons to get out and asks Smith to help him take the chest out. As the two of them get into the hole to lift the chest a gunshot rings out. Both The Smith and Jackson crouch in the hole and see one of the goons fall to the ground with a bullet hole in his heads. Over the rustling of the wind they then hear the voice of Broyles “I got you boys pinned down! You better just surrender now instead of dragging this out.” The other goon trades a couple shots with Broyles, but Broyles has elevation advantage and is a sharpshooter so he is quickly able to blow the head off of that goon. This leaves Smith and Jackson pinned down in the hole as Broyles taunts them from above. Jackson tries to bribe Broyles but Broyles responds that he has a reputation to maintain.

Smith comes up with the plan of Jackson leaping out of the hole and running for cover. Since Jackson is supposed to be brought in alive Broyles will only be aiming to wound and it will distract him. Jackson objects at first since Broyles could miss by hitting him someplace vital, but Smith convinces him it’s their best option. Jackson sighs and does what was suggested. Up at his perch Broyles says “stupid,” and fires a shot that hits a running Jackson in the left leg. He turns back towards the hole to see Smith already out and with a rifle aimed. He sees the rifle flash and can only say “Sh-” before a bullet tears through his forehead. Smith walks over to Jackson, who has put a makeshift tourniquet on his left leg. Target asks “You got the f***er?” to which Smith replies “Yeah, I got him” and then points his rifle at Target, whose smile immediately fades. Jackson pleads with Smith to not do this since he can pay him more than Lawrence. Smith replies “It’s not about the money. It never has been.” He then smacks The Target in the head with the rifle butt and the screen cuts to black.

Back in Golden City that evening, Weathers as the county marshal is handling a lot of busy work to deal with the aftereffects of the big shootout. As he goes about this work a man enters his office and asks to speak with him. It is Morton. Morton gets quickly to the point and says that Jackson had been in the process of returning rightful property to him when the bounty was placed on his head. He tells Weathers that he wants that property back and that Weathers has a duty to make sure stolen property is returned. He also insinuates that he will make it worth Weathers’ while to return the property. Weathers is silent at first, but says he has a line on where Jackson and the property may be heading if they get taken. Since this bounty has caused a lot of carnage in town, he wants to nail the criminals for that. Morton is pleased and says he appreciates Weathers’ compliance.

After Morton leaves, Weathers sits at his desk and thinks for a moment if he really should get mixed up in this business any further. Eventually he decides what to do and walks over to the local doctor where Reeves is recovering. He demands Reeves tell him where they were supposed to bring Jackson once they caught him. Reeves asks what’s in it for him for telling and Weathers says that it’d be a shame if his wound ended up killing him. Reeves sighs and tells Weathers about the shack. Weathers tells Reeves he better heal up overnight since at first light they’ll be going on a trip.

The following morning at the desert shack, Joshua, Almeida and their men are waiting. Soon Lawrence arrives with some bodyguards. Lawrence is pissed at Joshua over the fiasco at Golden City and says he is going to handle the matter personally. The two go inside the shack with Almeida following. Lawrence is interested by Almeida’s presence but figures it out as Joshua points a gun at him. Lawrence tells Almeida that Joshua doesn’t have the spine for the business and will have his men kill Almeida once Almeida kills Lawrence. Lawrence tells Almeida that he could use someone with Almeida’s skills and lack of empathy and can pay him more than Joshua could. Joshua laughs and says he and Almeida made a deal, but then notices that Almeida has pointed his gun at him. “One double-cross suits another” Almeida says and fires a shot, mortally wounding Joshua. A bodyguard rushes into the shack to investigate and Lawrence tells him that things are under control. Lawrence walks over to Joshua and says “You may be family, but no one gets in my way.”

The scene shifts to a hotel lounge in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Lawrence is sipping a drink when he is joined by Morton. Lawrence is annoyed by Morton’s arrival and tells him to leave him be. Morton says “not before I show you something” and opens a case he brought with him. He pulls a document out and shows it to Lawrence. It is an official deed from the U.S. Government granting hundreds of square miles of land to the deed’s holder. Morton tells Lawrence that through some key bribes and a little bit of “borrowing” he has a number of these deeds in New Mexico and Colorado that cover land key for railroad placement and settlement. When the railroads come through and the settlers follow, he’ll have the best land to offer them. Morton says that he enjoyed competing with Lawrence, but in a few months the competition will be over, since Morton has all the cards. Morton mockingly wishes Lawrence farewell and leaves. Lawrence stares at his drink for a moment and is then disturbed by Joshua who asks what is wrong. Lawrence answers that he’s just been challenged and that soon he’ll make a big response. Joshua asks if that is wise and Lawrence replies that if you get concerned with the people you knock down in the race for the top, you’ll never get there.

Back in Golden City, Weathers and Reeves are saddling up. The lone deputy is staying behind to keep order in town. Weathers is again summoned to meet with Morton in a hotel and Morton suggests Weathers take a few of his men with him. Weathers is reluctant but Morton says Weathers will be outgunned against men who won’t just lie down for the law. Weathers relents and agrees to take a few. Morton then talks with Weathers about the changing land and that men like Morton are here to tame the wildness of the territory and men like Weathers are needed to keep it tame. Weathers agrees to a point and finally extricates himself from the conversation. He returns to Reeves, who wants to know what will happen later. Weathers tells Reeves that if he leads them to the right place and watches his back, then he’ll be free to go. The small group then sets off.

Smith drives his wagon across the rocky plain, Jackson tied up and unconscious in the back along with the chest. He regains consciousness and starts pleading for Smith to let him go. Smith says he’s already about to get what he desires and then says there isn’t any point to complaining since they’re “here.” Jackson sticks his neck up to see that they are near to that desert shack. Smith pulls the wagon to a stop a fair distance from the shack. Lawrence has been alerted to the wagon’s arrival and is pleased when he sees Jackson pulled out of the wagon and thrown to the ground. He motions for Almeida to stay near him while the other several gunmen hang back a ways. A guard shouts out they have company. Everyone turns to see a group of horses nearby.

Weathers, Reeves, and a few of Morton’s men cease their riding a short distance from the shack. They all dismount and walk until they form a triangle with the other two groups, though Reeves is left behind with the horses. Weathers shakes his head when he sees Jackson tied up and announces that everyone is under arrest for murder, kidnapping, and stolen property. Lawrence laughs and says he recognizes Morton’s men and says Morton’s just as much a thief as he is. Weathers says that may be true, but Morton’s men didn’t turn Golden City into a war zone. Smith sees Reeves and asks if he’s okay. Reeves replies that he’s felt better. Lawrence calls over to Smith and tells Smith that they can finish this if he helps him dispose of the marshal. He, Almeida, and his gunmen start to walk towards Smith, and Smith, with a grim intensity, looks at them approach, which slowly morphs into the last seen camera shot of Smith’s most recent memory, which is of the five armed men that killed his family starting to walk toward his kid self.

The five gunmen slowly walk towards the kid. The camera stays behind the gunmen but as they get near the kid the camera swivels around to show the five and in the middle is their leader, a twenty-years-younger Land Baron (Jeff Bridges with makeup to look younger). He says “It looks like we missed one, boys.” One of the other men says “you’re not going to kill the kid are you?” Lawrence laughs and says “I’ll give him a chance. If he’s lucky he’ll live to see another day.” Another man says “You don’t believe in luck though” to which Lawrence replies “Which is why I like my solution. Get the rope.” They make a noose and Lawrence has the kid stand on a narrow rail before having one of his men put the noose around the kid’s neck and attach the rope to the house’s roof. If the kid stays still he would be fine until someone arrived to help him, but if he slipped then he would be hanged. While the men get the horses, Lawrence walks over to the kid and says “If you manage to survive, I hope you show more guts in dealing with me than your weak father did.” He rejoins his men and the kid watches them ride off.

Back in the present, Smith in an instant pulls out his gun and fires a single shot that catches Lawrence in the heart, dropping him. Almeida is a hair too slow to prevent it but he is able to fire a shot that clips Smith in the right shoulder. By this point, Lawrence’s other men, Weathers, and Morton’s men have pulled out their own weapons and a massive shootout begins with people running, dodging, and dying all over the place. Smith and Almeida trade a couple shots as they move but Smith is able to hit Almeida in the chest to drop him. Jackson meanwhile is curled in a ball under the wagon to stay out of the way. When the carnage settles, everyone is immobile on the ground except for Smith, Jackson, Weathers, and Reeves, who was out of the way of the fight.

Smith and Weathers, both with minor wounds, cautiously aim their guns at another as they try to resolve the situation. Reeves starts to stumble over from the horses and tells Smith that Weathers is a friend of Jackson’s. Weathers asks Smith for an explanation and Smith simply says he’s been hunting Lawrence for twenty years and the bounty of Jackson was the first chance he had to get close to him. Whatever happened to Jackson didn’t concern him. Jackson sarcastically thanks him for caring. Weathers asks about the stolen property and Smith says it’s in the wagon. Jackson calls out that he was planning on selling it back to Morton and Weathers says Morton had asked him to retrieve it. Smith says Weathers is free to return the contents. Weathers nods and says if Smith turns Jackson and the property over to him, he’ll turn Reeves over to Smith, since it seems Smith and Reeves know one another. Smith agrees. He unties Jackson and tells him to bring the chest over to Weathers. After Jackson does that Weathers gives him a hug. Jackson comments that he owes Weathers one now, to which Weathers replies “I think more like you owe me a hundred.” The two start to laugh but then a meaty thud noise is heard. Weathers’ face shows an expression of pain and surprise before he falls to the ground with a knife in his back. A fair distance away stands Almeida, far from dead.

Smith and Jackson are both caught completely off-guard and can just watch as Almeida points his gun at them. Almeida says that this is the closest he’s come to being beaten in a job but it’ll end when he kills the two of them. Smith says there’s three of them, not two. Almeida replies that a man barely alive from a knife wound doesn’t count. During this, Almeida is focused on Smith and Jackson so he doesn’t see Reeves painfully crouch and grab a gun from one of Morton’s dead men. Reeves cocks the gun and Almeida turns rapidly but isn’t fast enough as Reeves fires three times. Almeida falls, dead this time.

The situation now completely settled, the couple remaining loose ends are tied up with the bodies buried by the shack. Reeves feels like he let Weathers down for being able to stop Almeida from killing him. He asks Smith and Jackson what happens now. Smith tells Reeves that this “Morton” still wants his property, so Reeves can take the chest back to Golden City and get paid for it, more than enough to move his family North. Jackson complains, saying that it’s his chest to return, but Smith reminds him that he’s unarmed and doesn’t get to make any decisions. Smith helps a limping Reeves onto the wagon and wishes him good luck. Reeves wishes him well in return and asks what Smith intends to do now. Smith looks out over the dusty land and says that men like Morton, Weathers, and Lawrence will eventually turn the territory into just like any other place in the East. Until then though, there’s still a place for a man like him. The two shake hands and Reeves then starts the wagon off towards Golden City.

As Smith watches the wagon, Jackson asks “Well? What about me?” Smith smiles and turns to face Jackson to say “Well, knowing you, there’s bound to be a bounty on you somewhere.” Jackson frowns in confusion and then realizes Smith’s intent. “Really?” he asks with a sigh as Smith points a rifle at him. “Revenge doesn’t pay” Smith replies, “but bounties do.” He then swings the butt of the rifle at Jackson’s head to knock him out, the film cutting to black when it makes contact.

Edited by 4815162342
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The End of the Universe

Voice Cast: Nathan Fillion (William Kidd), Jennifer Hale (Adira), John DiMaggio (Bosch), Adam Baldwin (Jim), Alfred Molina (Vogrit), Jeff Bennett (Hogan), and Mark Hamill (Tovash)

Genre: Sci-Fi/Adventure/Romance/CGI Animated

Written by: Joss Whedon and Bryan Fuller

Original Music By: Martin O'Donnell

Release Date: 3/4

Theater Count: 3340

Budget: $125 million

Running Time: 125 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for animated sci-fi violence, some language, and some disturbing images

Setting: Some centuries now, with humanity having spread out among the stars and encountered a variety of alien races. Generally peaceful cooperation exists, though on the fringes of explored space profiteering is king, the law is barely existent, and there is no end in sight to the universe’s boundaries.

Plot Summary:

Over a thousand light-years from Earth, a giant space freighter lumbers through the void. Suddenly a much smaller ship appears from behind a moon and swoops in for an attack, damaging the freighter’s engines. The smaller ship, identified as a pirate vessel, moves in to dock. A small group of armored pirates blast into the freighter and use non-lethal weapons to stun the security guards and after a brief fight arrive at the freighter’s bridge. There the pirate leader pulls off his helmet, and identifies himself as William Kidd (voice of Fillion). Using charisma and threats, he persuades the freighter captain to give up the most valuable part of his cargo, a couple hundred tons of precious metals, without much resistance. The cargo is loaded onto the pirate ship which then departs, leaving the freighter crew unharmed but somewhat lighter in cargo.

The film then moves to the pirate ship having travelled many light-years away to the edge of the Kinar Nebula where the crew decides to go over its profits. The crew, a collection of humans and exotic aliens, numbers a couple dozen and Kidd is their leader. His second-in-command is Bosch (DiMaggio), an alien resembling a bipedal lobster, and a creature who has a big ego and thirst for blood. In a meeting of the crew he grumbles about not being able to lay waste because of the ship’s rule against killing. Kidd reminds Bosch that the rule is there because a murder charge carries a far greater penalty than theft. The crew has a discussion over what to do next, with Kidd suggesting they lay low for a little while. His suggestion is supported by Jim (Baldwin), the gruff and slightly dense human chief mechanic who is a good friend of Kidd’s, who wants to use the time for repairs. Bosch wants to target another freighter immediately. In a vote Kidd’s motion narrowly wins. After Kidd and most of the others leave, Bosch talks with a few about how Kidd’s rules prevent them from getting more profits. He says that if they really want to get rich, then a change in captain is needed.

Kidd is woken up from sleep by Bosch and several heavily armed crew-members. Bosch announces that he is taking charge of the ship. Everyone else has quickly fallen in line to prevent any more bloodshed. Kidd sees Jim off to the side and his friend says “Sorry boss, but they got more guns and they ain’t afraid to use them.” Kidd asks what Bosch plans to do with him and the lobster alien says that since he isn’t without decency he’ll maroon Kidd with some supplies in one of the ship’s lifeboats and if a god, fate, or luck is on his side he may find a way to survive.

Kidd is thrown into a lifeboat with a few days’ worth of supplies and is ejected into space. Kidd watches as his former ship goes to lightspeed, leaving him alone on the fringe of known space. A couple short scenes show the monotony of the lifeboat as it drifts in space until finally an alarm wakes Kidd from a nap. Gravitational forces have pulled the lifeboat to the edge of the Kinar Nebula, a swirling colorful mass of gas, dust, and other particles. The lifeboat starts to shake as it enters the nebula, with energy readings spiking all over the place. The lifeboat starts accelerating faster as it is twisted about in the nebula and we see it moving towards a strange vortex in the nebula’s middle. As it gets closer Kidd tries to maneuver it away but it is of no use as static energy fries the circuits. The lifeboat starts rocking so much that Kidd is thrown across the cabin and knocked out. The lifeboat is pulled into the vortex, which bursts with colors and gaseous eruptions as it enters, and then blackness.

Kidd wakes up in the lifeboat and through the small viewport he can see a blue sky. After a bit of struggling, he gets the hatch open and pulls himself up out of it. The lifeboat has landed in a small clearing and all around it is lush jungle foliage. Kidd collects a few supplies and decides to try and find some high ground to get the lay of the land. He walks through the jungle, exotic plants all around, strange small mammals watching him from tree branches. He finds a small hill and walks up it. Reaching the summit, the view in all directions is a tropical paradise with jungle stretching as far as the eye can see with giant rocky bluffs some plateaus featuring large waterfalls dropping thousands of feet. It is a gorgeous, utterly breathtaking view.

A few scenes show Kidd making a small camp by the lifeboat, the automatic distress beacon activated. Utterly alone, Kidd talks to himself, animals, or inanimate objects about the situation. He assumes that the vortex or whatever it was transported him to this place, which seems untouched by advanced sentient life. At one point he cracks to a monkey-like creature “Sometimes I wanted to get away from it all, but now I’ve been dropped at the end of the universe.”

At night, as Kidd sleeps, two figures in shadows watch him and discuss him. The male voice (Bennett) is suspicious and thinks that they should get rid of him. The female voice (Hale) is more intrigued about the stranger and thinks he is not of ill intentions and wants to watch some more. The male voice says in the end the elders will make the final decision over what to do with the stranger.

The next morning, Kidd goes on another trek through the jungle,. With a few equipment items he is able to identify some indigenous plants that are not hazardous to health, but he decides to find meat as well and spies a tempting target, an animal similar to a boar. He tries to hunt it but fails miserably and humorously. Hearing a growling noise, he turns to see a huge feline-like creature in a treetop. Kidd races away from the scene, chased by the predator. Kidd is soon cornered against the base of a cliff. The feline lunges and Kidd is able to fend it off with a hunting knife a few times, but one paw strike slices across his chest. A second lunge injures Kidd again and the feline starts in for the kill when the sound of a horn is blown, frightening the feline, which then races off into the jungle. Kidd, losing consciousness, looks up to see two shadows standing above him; shadows with what appear to be wings.

Kidd is on the ground near a campfire, his wounds treated. As he lays there unconscious, we again hear the off-screen voices. The male voice says the predator would have solved their problem. The female voice defends saving the stranger, since he hasn’t shown any bad intentions. The male voice laughs at her fascination with the stranger, saying that though no one has visited from the stars since long before they were born, they both know why this place has been kept isolated. The female is hopeful about the stranger and says she will protect him. The male voice laughs again and says he will go bring word about this to the elders.

The following morning Kidd wakes up and, perplexed, looks at his treated injuries and around at the surrounding area, trying to figure out what happened to him. As he talks to himself a bit comically, he is finally interrupted by the female’s voice commenting that he talks to himself a lot. Kidd replies it is a way for him to get his mind rolling and turns to see a pretty, young woman, though with some slight but noticeable physical differences that makes it clear that she is not human but rather a close genetic relative. The female identifies herself as Adira and says that she was lucky to have been watching him since his object fell from the sky, as he was seconds away from being a meal. Kidd introduces himself and remarks that he must have been out of it due to blood loss because he hallucinated that some people standing over him had wings. Adira laughs playfully and says “Oh, you mean these?” and spreads from her back a set of large white-and-gray feathered wings. Kidd stands in stunned silence for a second and then comically faints.

Kidd wakes up again to find himself alone and again starts talking to himself about the she-angel creature thing that rescued him and that this place is really strange. Before he can say much, a winged humanoid drops from the sky right next to Kidd in a thump, proving to Kidd that he isn’t hallucinating. This is the male voice from before. The man identifies himself as Hogan and says that he will take Kidd to their village. Kidd asks how and then realizes how, backing away saying that he can walk there fine. Hogan says he doesn’t like it either, but Kidd will be dead long before he gets within a day’s walk of the village. Hogan grabs Kidd by the collar of his clothing and drags him along as he flies up into the sky. Kidd is at first terrified and shouts in fear, but soon relaxes and takes in the view of the passing landscape, clouds, etc calmly, though he is still uncomfortable.

After some flying, Hogan reaches the village with Kidd, which is in the caldera of an extinct volcano. They land, dozens of the people in the village stopping to look at the arrival of the stranger. Kidd mutters about never letting someone do that to him again. Hogan nudges Kidd to go to a large wooden structure at the end of a square. Waiting outside is Adira, who greets Kidd and asks how he enjoyed flying. Kidd stammers a bit since he doesn’t want to admit his terror but Hogan saves him by saying there were no problems. Kidd asks what is going on. Adira explains that she and Hogan had been keeping an eye on him, but when they intervened to save his life they created contact with an outsider, so they were charged by the elders to bring him here. The elders now want to talk with Kidd.

Kidd goes inside with Adira and is placed on a chair in front of a semi-circle of middle-aged and elderly humanoids. The leader asks for an introduction and Kidd explains who he is and how he got here, minus talking about his pirate past. Many of the elders are mystified and talk amongst themselves how someone by accident could arrive at this place when it had been sealed away. Kidd asks what they mean. One of the elders, Vogrit (Molina), says that there are many secrets that cannot just be divulged to a stranger. He does say that they are aware of the outside galaxy, saying that by choice his people have separated themselves from the outside universe and advanced technology. After some conferring, the elders believe that Kidd has given them no reason to doubt his intentions, so he will be allowed to reside with them, since his lifeboat is a one-way trip. Vogrit suggests that Adira and Hogan help Kidd acclimate to his new surroundings since they found him. Adira is pleased, though Hogan grumbles about being a babysitter.

Outside, Adira says that Kidd will be living with Hogan until a new home is built for him. Hogan objects at first but soon relents and goes off. As they walk, Kidd asks Adira many questions about the place and the people, learning that their lifespan is only a little longer than a human’s and they have lived for thousands of years in this one village due to the low birthrate of the species. They reach Hogan’s place and Adira says they will have plenty of time to talk more. Before she goes, Kidd asks what her people call themselves, since on his world they have a name for beings like her people: Angels. Adira smiles and says that the name sounds beautiful and comments that perhaps she and the others resemble them more than in just physical appearance.

A progression of scenes shows Kidd adapting to life in the village. The people there, who call themselves the Akrai, live a very pastoral existence, with enough technology to make most necessities and activities simple. Kidd learns that somehow, the Akrai are able to instantly understand a foreign language and replicate it. As he becomes a part of the community he makes friends and engages in communal tasks such as construction, farming, and sport contests, though without wings he is at a disadvantage, which is played for good-natured humor. Even Hogan gets accustomed to his presence. Kidd also goes on daily walks with Adira and they talk about each other’s people, Adira not saying much about Kidd’s big questions but filling him in on enough to understand the general lives of the Akrai. Kidd tells her stories about Earth and other worlds he has seen, along with descriptions of the spaceships he’s seen. Adira immediately understands his emotional attachment to space says he is the kind of being who prefers to be on the move. Kidd says she is right, but after spending some time here he’s found a few reasons to want to stick around. Adira returns to her house and finds Vogrit and a few other elders inside. They remark on her spending a lot of time with Kidd and Adira replies that she feels a responsibility to him. Vogrit explains that no one is questioning her intentions, but some do not want too close an attachment to form between the stranger and any Akrai. When one elder speaks of the stories about the “Others” Adira snaps that she has heard the tales many times as a child and they all happened long ago. She says that Kidd is a good man.

Late that night, before dawn, Kidd is woken by Adira, who asks him to come with her. She flies him up to the caldera rim and says that since he has told her much of what he’s seen, she’d like him to see what she thinks is the most beautiful sight in the world, one she comes to see every morning. Slowly, light peeks over the horizon, progressing into a wondrous and stunning sunrise. Kidd marvels at the beautiful sight and he and Adira share a glance at one another that lingers before Kidd suddenly breaks it off. “This place is a paradise” he comments. “Some humans have a name for a place like this, and though I don’t share their beliefs, I wouldn’t disagree with the name choice.” Adira says that long before anyone now was alive, the stories of her people say that it wasn’t always this way and that it took much work to make the land as it is now. Kidd hopes she tells him more about all of that, since it’s been alluded to a bit. Adira smiles and says it will be a story for another sunrise.

The scene changes to space, outside the Kinar Nebula. Dropping out of lightspeed is Kidd’s former pirate ship and it is in bad shape. In the cockpit Bosch asks his pilot if he managed to lose their pursuers. The pilot says he can’t guarantee they weren’t tracked. Jim radios in from the engine room and says that the main engines are on the verge of bursting so they can’t jump anytime soon. Bosch says it was just bad fortune that a cluster of police vessels were guarding their target. When a lizard-like alien says that Kidd wouldn’t have chosen a risky target like that, Bosch goes ballistic and shoots the alien several times. Adding to the tension is a report by the radar chief that three police vessels have exited lightspeed and are bearing towards them. Bosch curses and says they must try to lose them in the nebula. He orders Jim over the radio to keep the engines going. As Jim grumbles about the situation as he tries to keep the ship’s engines in one piece, the pirate vessel speeds towards the Kinar Nebula, the three police vessels firing warning shots. Soon the pirate vessel enters the fringes of the nebula and the police ships back off. Bosch laughs triumphantly as they pass into the nebula and gives orders for a course that will let them sneak away. Suddenly what happened to Kidd’s lifeboat begins to happen to the pirate vessel as energy charges begin disabling electronic systems. Bosch orders Jim to try and fix the damage but is told it’s happening too fast. The same vortex soon appears and the ship is pulled in. The pirate ship spirals into the vortex, disappearing in a flash.

The world is seen from space. Suddenly a swirling vortex appears and out of it shoots the pirate ship, streaming flames as it descends without control into the atmosphere. Bosch shouts emergency orders to stop the crash, and in the engine room Jim is able to get emergency thrusters working. This slows the descent enough for the pilot to start maneuvering the ship for a crash landing. It is bright day so a few Akrai flying in the sky see in the distance a fiery object coming down many miles away. The pilot picks a long and narrow valley as the best landing spot and guides the ship in, the vessel nicking hundreds of trees as it thumps to the ground and skids hundreds of yards before finally slowing to a halt.

In the Akrai village, Kidd is working on building a house of his own with Hogan when they both seen dozens of other Akrai gathering in a nervous bunch. They check it out and hear that a large object has fallen from the sky and crashed many miles away near the Logurdian Valley. A hush falls over the crowd and the elders consult one another in grave tones. Finally Vogrit announces that a small party of Akrai will go and observe the crash site. He asks Hogan to take a half-dozen to keep watch. Hogan nods and picks out his six, who fly off quickly. Kidd seeks out Adira and asks her why everyone looks so grim. Adira nudges Kidd away from the crowd and says that the Logurdian Valley is a place with a very dark historical reputation and that it is a taboo place. Kidd asks more questions but Adira says some things are just best not talked about.

Out of the twenty people on the pirate ship, barely a dozen are alive now, a few injured. Bosch has taken everyone out of the ship and is shouting various orders. Jim approaches him and tells him that much of the bottom of the ship is buckled in and would need serious repairs with tools and materials that are in short supply. Bosch asks how long and Jim replies “weeks.” Bosch is frustrated by this.

In the trees Hogan and the other Akrai watch suspiciously. They comment about the ship, its technology, and the militaristic nature of the crew. Hogan says they will continue to watch in rotations since he has a bad feeling about this. But things get out of control when a couple pirates stumbling through the woods spot an Akrai who has accidently revealed himself and shoot, startled. This causes Bosch to have his crew fire indiscriminately into the woods as the Akrai, taken off-guard, try their best to hide behind cover, but some have been seriously wounded. Hogan realizes they need to figure out a new plan to deal with the strangers and orders the others to take the wounded back to the village. He spots a pirate away from the others, Jim, who has been repairing a cracked hull breach, and swoops down from the trees and seizes him, carrying him screaming up into the sky.

The firing ceases with all of the pirates freaked out by what they saw. Bosch tries to restore order and says that they need to find a place to regroup. He takes a good look at a line of cliffs to the north and says they will provide shelter.

The village is stirred by the return of Hogan and his men, with the wounding of two of them creating anger towards the prisoner brought back. Vogrit preaches for calm, saying that the wounded will be treated and that the prisoner will be questioned vigorously. By this point Kidd has reached the front and, recognizing his friend, blurts out “Jim?!” Jim, a bit bruised, is shocked, and asks how the hell Kidd is here. This recognition causes a stir amongst the Akrai, and some suddenly accuse Kidd of being a spy for the newcomers. Kidd tries to deny that but the accusation grows in the crowd as they are angry and Vogrit, seeing no alternative, orders Kidd to be locked up with Jim.

That night, the elders debate over what to do, evenly divided over Kidd’s role. Hogan, Adira, and several others are summoned in. Hogan reports that scouts have reported the strangers enter the north of the Logurdian Valley, causing a hush to fall over everyone. Vogrit then says that the strangers cannot be allowed to proceed further as it will meddle with very dangerous things. He tells Hogan that at first light he must take a host of Akrai and destroy the strangers to the last being. Hogan is taken aback by this, since he thinks that perhaps with reason more bloodshed could be averted, but Vogrit browbeats him into acceptance. Adira asks about the prisoners, and Vogrit says that the elders feel it is no coincidence and thus Kidd is one of the enemies, so the two prisoners will be killed.

After the meeting, Adira rushes out and Hogan notices. Stopping her, he warns her not to do what he thinks she is about to, since it will inflame the elders against her. Adira won’t let an innocent man be killed and like Hogan she thinks reason can stop more violence. Hogan asks her if she is really doing this because she cares for Kidd. Adira hesitates answering but then says she does, and Hogan, feeling torn, finally tells Adira to go quickly and wishes her luck.

Kidd and Jim sit in a makeshift prison cell. Jim has been summarizing what has gone on with the ship since Bosch’s mutiny and says that most of the mutineers by the time of the crash had realized their mistake. He asks a few questions about this place and Kidd answers as best he can. Their guard is summoned to the door and upon opening it is knocked out by Adira, who unlocks the cell door. Kidd and Jim are told to follow her out of the village quickly. She leads them towards the edge of the caldera to where an underground river system begins. As cries of alarm sound she tells them that the river system runs through the interior of the caldera and if they keep with the current and don’t panic, it will safely take them to a lagoon at the bottom. From there they are to head east to a hill clearing. Meanwhile she will lead the Akrai on a chase through the sky and after losing them find Kidd and Jim. Jim doesn’t need any more convincing and hops into the current and disappears quickly. Kidd hesitates and asks Adira why she is doing this. Adira only responds by passionately kissing Kidd and telling him to go, which after another moment of hesitation he does. Adira listens to the growing shouts of search parties and leaps into the sky.

At the aforementioned lagoon, Jim suddenly comes flying out of a small cave mouth and with a comical scream of terror soars in the air before landing in the lagoon. Just as he gets himself to dry land, the same thing happens with Kidd. After the two have shaken off their travel, they start walking east. Jim asks if Kidd thinks that angelic chick can cover their asses and Kidd says he hopes so. Jim hopes she shows up again, since she was “a pretty fine piece of work.” Kidd smiles and says “I really did miss you Jim.”

Bosch and the pirate crew reach the entrance of a cave system and take refuge inside. Sent to check for any other entrance or exits, two pirates after some comic grumbling end up finding something strange: A giant metal door blocking their path. They report back to Bosch, who has them rig it with explosives. The door is blown open and on the other side is revealed to be a solid metal corridor. Bosch tells his men that they are going to check this place out.

Kidd and Jim reach the clearing and wait until finally Adira lands in the clearing, exhausted and injured slightly. Kidd rushes to her side and asks her what happened. Adira says that the Akrai looking for her were ready to kill because of their anger. She managed to lose them in the clouds, but not before one came close enough to hurt her. Kidd asks what has gotten her people so fearful and violent, but Adira has lost consciousness. Kidd looks at Jim, who shrugs as Kidd holds her close.

Bosch and the pirates walk through the dark metal corridor. As some speculate over the place, Bosch says the aliens’ reaction means the place is valuable. They soon enter a sizable chamber and activate a switch. Suddenly bright lights switch on. The illuminated chamber is revealed to feature very advanced technology, though most is in disrepair. Bosch orders his men to search the area. As he stands around inspecting various things, he is called by one of his subordinates. He goes through another corridor to find a trio of pirates standing at the entrance of a room. He walks in to find a room filled with all sorts of technology, including component parts for spaceships. Bosch smiles and says “I think we have hit a jackpot my boys.”

As dawn breaks, Adira stirs, which wakens Kidd. He asks how she is and she replies that her kind heal fairly quickly. She asks how long she has been out and Kidd replies at least four hours, which makes her say they have to start moving towards the Logurdian Valley. Kidd tells her to slow down and asks her to explain what is so important that Vogrit and the elders are willing to engage in violence. Adira says that though everything she and her people have heard over the past few thousand years are “legends,” they are still true. Long ago, her people were different from now. They had advanced technology and were travelers of the stars. But some of their people made terrible mistakes that led to a grave civil war, at the conclusion of which the legacy of their technological past had been sealed up in what had been a center of “science” for all eternity. Adira then slows down and says that something even more dangerous is buried with them. When Jim asks what it could be, Adira says “I know from your culture you call beings like us angels. The thing I refer to, it’s what you’d call a demon.”

More searching by Bosch’s crew has uncovered a treasure-trove of technology that would protect them from the aliens and allow them to rebuild their ship and make it more powerful. Bosch, greedy to get it all secured, has his men press further and further. Finally his men stumble upon something and ask him to come. He arrives to find a large sealed door. Bosch has them use the weapons they found to dismantle it. They step inside to find a huge chamber. Unlike the rest of the complex it is still powered. In the middle is a large tank with tubes running up to it. Within it is a greenish liquid, and floating in it is a body. A couple men try to analyze it but Bosch is impatient and tells them to shut it down, which after a moment they do. Bosch tells his men to continue looking for useful things. As most of them do this, one of the pirates walks up to the tank and examines the body inside. It is male. It looks like one of the Akrai, though very muscular and with large portions converted into mechanical or cybernetic parts, a flesh/machine hybrid. The pirate loses interest and walks off, but in the tank, the being’s eye opens, the other one being a cybernetic replacement that also switches on.

Adira, Kidd, and Jim walk through the jungle. As they walk, Jim asks a lot of questions, such as 1) How this thing could be alive after thousands of years, and 2) Why is it still alive? Adira explains that the being, Tovash, was according to the legends their brightest and most powerful and had found ways to sustain himself in suspended hibernation. So long as the machinery worked, he could theoretically survive millennia. Adira explains that after a devastating and brutal civil war, the survivors wanted to put violence and the past behind them, so instead of killing him they sentenced him an eternity of imprisonment with the hope that the resting place was never disturbed. Kidd asks what could make him so dangerous now and Adira says that now the Akrai have almost no technology at all. They arrive in the Logurdian Valley and see from hiding a large force of Akrai land near a cave entrance. All of them are armed with weapons more similar to hunting tools than combat weapons. Suddenly they all hear explosions and gunfire coming from the cave. Suddenly about eight pirates, including Bosch, flee in terror and come to a halt in front of the Akrai. Right behind them, wielding in one hand a sword, with his other arm having been turned into a mechanical arm that has an array of devices attached, is Tovash.

Tovash (Hamill), grinning, speaks to the Akrai. He says he has been waiting to be among his people again and to bring them to glory. Hogan says they know all about Tovash and that his greed for power and advancement had led to disaster. Tovash laughs maniacally and says that legends are written by the winners and slanted to curse the losers. He says he was doomed for simply refusing to accept that the power and reach of the Akrai had a limit. A tense standoff ensues. Kidd, Jim, and Adira slip down to ground-level, reaching it in time for Tovash to deliver an ultimatum. He says that any Akrai willing to restore their species to greatness can join him. Any who try to stop him will repeat the mistakes of their ancestors. A few Akrai, entranced by his charisma and power, flutter over to his side, though most stay put. Hogan gives Tovash a last chance to end this situation, but Tovash simply says that time was millennia ago. Patience on Hogan’s side runs out and an Akrai fires an arrow at Tovash, who simply plucks it out of the air with his mechanical arm and crushes it. “My turn” Tovash says, pointing his mechanical arm at the Akrai who shot at him and returning fire from a nozzle, the energy blast evaporating the being into dust. Hogan shouts an order and his Akrai attack, the few Akrai who joined Tovash now fighting to defend him.

In the confusion, Kidd and Jim try to get to the pirates unnoticed. Bosch is surprised to see Kidd but will take any chance he can to get out of this mess. Meanwhile Tovash is devastating any Akrai who tries to fight him with efficient moves aided by cybernetically enhanced abilities. Hogan tries to duel against him but is outmatched, but before Tovash can strike a killing blow Adira swoops in to tackle him. As Jim leads the pirates to safety, Kidd sees Adira struggling with Tovash and rushes to aid her just as she is injured and thrown aside. Adira shouts at him to get away and save himself. Kidd is torn but when Adira pleads again he relents and joins Jim and the others. Tovash is amused by Adira’s sentiment and says that since she poses no threat he will spare her for now. Many Akrai have been killed or injured so Hogan gives the order to retreat. As they do they see the fleeing pirates and Hogan decides to order the survivors to surround them. Kidd tells his old crew to put down what weapons they have, since they are in this together. Bosch is reluctantly complies. Hogan says that Kidd’s people have unleashed a threat greater than anyone can realize and soon it will be too late to stop it.

The pirates are flown back to the village where everything is explained in detail. Vogrit, the elders, and the villagers are terrified, but Kidd says that the Akrai have themselves to blame for letting legends become rigid laws and not learning from them. The only chance of stopping Tovash he says is for the pirates and Akrai to work together, since technology will be needed to stop him. Many are swayed and Vogrit understands he judged Kidd too harshly before. As they think of what to do, a scout returns and says that Tovash and his small band have found the pirate ship and are working quickly to repair it so he can get off-world and wreak havoc on others. Though this is a terrifying proposition, Kidd smiles and says he now has a plan that can stop this once and for all.

At the crashed pirate ship, Tovash watches as his servants follow his commands in making repairs to the ship. Adira, who is tied up, asks him what he plans on gaining from all this. Tovash says that he is returning to the path he and his forebears started many millennia ago. He says that when the Akrai first learned to travel the stars, they found that they were far from the heart of the galaxy, a trip that would take countless years to traverse. So Tovash found a way to connect with a space vortex that bends the fabric of the universe and by tapping into it a ship could travel to the other side of that vortex. Though it must be opened by a device on the way out, on the way back the vortex already exists and will deposit any object back to this world. Adira is still spiteful and says that though the legends wouldn’t lie about him being a monster. Tovash says he simply dared to make himself better and that it was fear by others that started the war. He briefly narrates past events from his perspective, with a montage showing his description: As the Akrai navigated space; they came across worlds filled with sentient species that were primitive in technology and who intrigued the explorers. It was decided to take a few members of each species and bring them back to this world where they could develop freely under the watch of the Akrai. But Tovash, who was melding body and machinery together to make a superior being, wanted to speed them along, so he brought knowledge to them, with the goal of creating a “united empire of technology across the stars that he would guide and lead.” But his actions were looked down upon by the other Akrai and eventually out of fear launched war, which lasted years and caused massive devastation. When he was defeated but before sealed away, the other Akrai leaders chose to exile the other races from the jungle paradise back to their homeworlds, accompanied by a handful of Akrai to make sure they got there. The trip would be one-way, so the Akrai who left on the journey would stay on those worlds and die out. Though some of this story appeals to Adira, she snaps out of it and says that Tovash had still planned to lead a dictatorship, and asks what he would do if a species did not want his leadership. Tovash says people don’t always know what is best for themselves and must be forced to live the right path. He says he’ll keep Adira on the ship to make sure she doesn’t cause mischief.

A force of Akrai with the pirates overlook the ship, which is almost space-worthy and is being outfitted with powerful technology. Hogan asks what Kidd’s plan is and Kidd explains that the ship is powered by a reactor that if destroyed will trigger an explosion that will disintegrate the entire ship. Most of the Akrai and pirates will need to distract Tovash and his servants so the reactor can be rigged to explode. Kidd says Jim can handle the work and he’ll go along to make sure it is done properly.

As the pirates are the only ones with any modern technology, the initial diversion depends on them. Bosch has a few men toss explosives that immolate a couple of Tovash’s servants. Tovash fires his own weaponry at the pirates, forcing them to hide behind cover, but attention has been diverted as Hogan and his Akrai swoop in, getting in close to force a melee. During this confusion Kidd and Jim sneak onboard the ship.

Onboard the ship, Kidd and Jim rush to the engine room where Jim immediately begins to tinker with the reactor, creating a timed sequence that gives everyone a few minutes to get clear. Before he can do much work, they turn to see Bosch pointing a gun. Bosch says that no one is blowing up his ship and that he is taking it. He also says that he’ll kill Kidd this time. Kidd is able to trigger a steam vent that forces Bosch to recoil, which gives Kidd time to pull out a gun and shoot Bosch dead. Kidd asks Jim if he needs any help and Jim replies he’s good so Kidd might as well find his lady friend. Kidd rushes out of the engine room and scours the ship for her. He soon finds her in a cargo hold tied up. After unbinding her he kisses her passionately, saying afterwards “that’s for before.” He leads her to an exit hatch and they climb out onto the hull of the ship.

Though many of Tovash’s servants have been eliminated, Tovash is still easily dispatching anyone who challenges him. Hogan again tries to fight him but again is on the losing end, and again Adira flies off and intervenes just before Hogan can be killed. Tovash is amused by this and says now he’ll have to kill her because she is a pest. They fight with melee weapons in the air, slashing and tackling until Tovash throws her down against the hull. Kidd by this point has reached the duel and has his gun pointed at Tovash, who says now there is at least some of a challenge and asks Kidd if he thinks he can hit Tovash before Tovash can hit Adira. Kidd has another plan and grabs Adira and flings himself with her off the side of the ship just as an energy blast from Tovash misses them. They fall to the ground and land in a thump. Tovash laughs and after looking at the battle and realizing that with his servants being mopped up he might as well depart, climbs down a hatch into the ship. On the ground Adira wants to know what that was for and Kidd says to trust him.

As Kidd shouts for everyone to get back, Jim finishes up his work starts the overload sequence. But before he can do anything the ship’s engines start as Tovash starts a takeoff. Jim curses that this can’t be good as the ship rumbles, lifting off from the ground. Cursing and grumbling over what to do, Jim finally finds a docking hatch and blows the sealing bolts off, launching the door into the air. “God I hope someone’s there to catch me” he says to himself just before he throws himself outside. Falling in the air, Jim closes his eyes and waits for the end, but a few hundred feet from the ground he is caught by an Akrai who says “Next time you try to fly you should grow some wings first.” Meanwhile a quick sequence of shots show Akrai and pirates on the ground looking up at the sky, the engine room running, and Tovash in the cockpit staring at space in anticipation, until the ship explodes, causing everyone on the ground to cheer in celebration. Hogan finds Kidd and Adira and tells the human that he has proven himself and that he is honored to have known him. Kidd thanks him and then embraces Adira.

With Tovash and the pirate ship destroyed, only a couple loose ends remain. Vogrit and the elders, trying to learn from the past, say that though much of the buried technology is dangerous, some of it is benign and can help the Akrai live better lives. He comes to an agreement with the pirates and offers them the ability to live with them, or they can use parts and blueprints they find to construct a new weaponless ship. Jim and the other pirates decide they will return to their worlds and with his guidance soon have a small ship ready. Kidd has decided to stay behind, as he finally has found a place to settle down. On the day of departure he and Jim bid a sad but fond farewell, with Kidd telling Jim not to get into anymore trouble. The pirates climb onto the ship and it takes off, disappearing into the vortex.

The final scene shows Kidd and Adira sitting at the top of the caldera, waiting for the sun to rise. Kidd asks her what she thinks of the future and she says she’s uncertain, but can hope that wisdom will guide the Akrai’s path. When she asks him what he thinks, he shrugs and says he only knows two things for certain, one of which is that this view is second-most beautiful thing he has seen in his lifetime. Adira, in mock jealousy, asks what the most beautiful could be. The two of them smile and kiss as the sun begins to rise above the horizon in front of them.

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Barren WorldSci-Fi/Drama (Post appocolyptic)Cast: Hugh Jackman, Emily Davis (Made up 7 year old actress)Plot: The movie starts with a scene that looks like it is Nevada. We then hear a man narrating. He goes "My name is Joe Burton (Jackman). The year is 2156, I am in what use to be Butte, Montana." We then see Joe with his young 7-year-old daughter Karen (Davis). Karen is looking up at him saying she loves him and that she wants to go outside. Joe says that she can be she must be watched at all times. Joe then mentions in the narration that the great disaster of 2134 had a huge impact on the planet. After a nuclear war that started between China and Russia in 2087 happened the world started to get torn apart. As then China and Russia combined there forces to destroy countries all around the globe. By the year 2103 most of the biggest nations were destroyed. Then it happened on September 18th, 2134. The war that was going on for decades at the massive attack as a missile in China destroyed nearly everyone on the planet.We then see Joe sitting talking to a lady. The lady says she hopes and prays the world can get better again. Joe says he knows. But he is glad he has his daughter. The lady whose name is Kathy talks about how she lost her husband and son years ago and is still sad but has a sense of hope. Karen is playing with some other kids when suddenly a loud noise happens. Joe calls Karen and tells her to get over here...now. A huge bomb falls into the ground about 30 feet from where they are standing. It looks like some of the "No good people" as they call them have found there camp where they are hiding. So they all run into their caves and Joe says to stay until it is safe to Karen.Loud noises happen outside. We hear some screaming. Joe looks out and sees bodies on the ground. Joe then tells Karen to come with him. He says that she needs to stay by his side right now. They go out and see a giant rocket heading towards them that then blows up a nearby cave that nobody was in. Joe says that it’s safe for now about an hour later. After the rocket and bomb Joe is really worried now. Karen asks her dad what the world use to be like. He explains to her that there were blue skies and mountains and lakes. She goes "wow, that is amazing." He then goes "It sure was honey, sure was." He then kisses his daughter. Karen says thank you. She then asks what her mommy was like. He tells her that she was loving and kind. Like her.The next day we see Joe getting up and we see Kathy again. She tells him hello. The 2 then talk about the world and where they are from. Karen then screams. Joe runs in. He sees a strange man with a knife over her. He then knocks him out and tries to figure out who he is. He then carries him to the doctor that lives in there camp. The doctor then says that this man seems to be infected by the virus that killed millions and is going to try to spread it. So they then get the man out of there with the few military man they have left. The man gets up and says, "Who are you guys? I need to kill you now!" They ask him why. The man says that if he does not, his leader will destroy everything. We find out more that the leader is trying to get rid of what is left of the world. We find out more that the refugees from some camps have relatives that were part of the Chinese government that over through tons of people that were referred to as "The No Good People".Meanwhile Joe, Karen and Kathy all try to figure out how they are going to stop them as they here it from there military. As the movie moves on we find out more about this, and that the survivors must fight now for there lives as the bad guys are coming. Soon one hurts Karen and Joe now has to protect her and heal her. With some help he does. Kathy tells him that he is a very good man. She then hugs him and kisses his cheek. Joe says thank you. The next day we see the refugees go to battle against the bad people that are trying to cause havoc. Alone with other camps around that area of the world. A harsh battle happens. Meanwhile Karen who is feeling a bit better gets up and looks out and sees a bright light. She is amazed and she goes "It felt like seeing the Face of God" to her dad right after she sees it. Joe looks and then suddenly the refugees begin to win. The leader of the bad guys comes out though and shoots Joe right in the arm. Kathy then shoots the bad guy and then the good guys win it seems for now. Joe is now injured and begins to heal. He is asked whats next. He says it is time to rebuild the world. So Joe and other people begin doing that. We then hear his narration saying that it was very harsh on this barren planet but they did it.March 11thRated PG-13 for thematic elements, strong violence, language and some suggestive content.3,870 theaters.Runtime: 2 hours and 10 minutes.Budget: 125M

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Call of Duty

Genre: Action/War/Thriller

Cast: Luke Evans (John “Soap” MacTavish), Sean Bean (Captain Price), Benjamin Walker (Paul Jackson), Richard Armitage (Gaz), Rade Serbedzija (Imran Zakhaev), Jeffrey Donovan (Vasquez), Konstantin Khabenskiy (Vladimir Makarov), Til Schweiger (Nikolai), Gedeon Burkhard (Kamarov), Columbus Short (Griggs), Faran Tahir (Khaled Al-Asad)

Directed By: Paul Greengrass

Release Date: 7/1

Theater Count: 3786

Budget: $140 million

Running Time: 140 minutes

MPAA Rating: R for graphic intense war violence and strong language

Plot Summary: This film is an adaptation of the immense video game hit Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

2015. Russia is experiencing a sharp political divide between the current regime and the Ultranationalist Party, which wants to return to a Soviet-style oligarchy with hardline views towards the West.

(All dialogue in this scene is in Russian). In a bunker in the Ural Mountains, three men meet: Imran Zakhaev (Rade Serbedzija), his son Victor, and his second-in-command Vladimir Makarov (Konstantin Khabenskiy). The three discuss Zakhaev’s plans to stage a military coup. Makarov points out that the West will never sit by to allow the coup to happen, so they agree on a plan to distract the West’s attention. They will secretly support a military takeover of Iraq by Shiite hardliners led by Khaled Al-Asad, who has ties to Iran. The U.S. and its allies will never allow a militaristic Iran-Iraq coalition to exist in the Persian Gulf so soon after the U.S. withdrew most of its forces from the region, so they will have to attack to “secure” the region. Once the U.S. and its allies mobilize towards the Middle East, the coup can begin.

The film shifts to Central England, where Sgt. John “Soap” MacTavish (Evans) (Soap being his callsign) reports for duty as a new member of Bravo Team, a black ops division of the British SAS. Bravo Team is led by Captain Price (Bean), whose #2 man is Gaz (Armitage). Price and Gaz lead the team in jesting with Soap, who as the new guy has to be the brunt of the team’s humor until he proves himself. Price tells him that he’s just in time for the team’s next mission, which will be to intercept a Russian cargo ship that is suspected of carrying illegal materials for terrorist groups. We see a short scene showing Soap integrating into the unit’s social dynamics.

The scene shifts to a U.S. military forward operations base in Qatar, in the Middle East. There we’re introduced to a group of Army Rangers, including Sgt. Paul Jackson (Walker) and the members of his platoon, including the commanding officer Lt. Vasquez (Donovan) and Griggs (Short). We get a couple short scenes showing the characters interacting and the close-knit camaraderie of the platoon. All of them are confident their tour in Qatar will be quiet.

We then see the SAS assault on the Russian cargo ship, using helicopters to quickly land Bravo Team, which splits into two groups. Soap is with Price’s group and they strike for the main cargo hold, while Gaz leads the other group to take control of the ship’s operations center. Resistance is light and soon Price’s group reaches the main cargo hold. After some searching Soap finds the cargo container they’re looking for and the team opens it up to reveal a nuclear warhead. The team is shocked and Price comments that if someone is slipping loose nukes from Russia, then that’s where they’ll need to go to get answers. Meanwhile Gaz is downloading intelligence from the ship’s computers and detects on its radar that Russian fighter jets are approaching. As Price’s team begins to leave the cargo hold one of the jets fires a missile that strikes the cargo ship and the explosion causes it to begin to capsize and sink. Bravo Team manages to evacuate the ship barely in time, with Soap and Price having to leap several feet in the air to a waiting helicopter as the ship crumples beneath them. As the helicopter flies off, Price comments that Soap picked the wrong week to join the team.

(Dialogue here is in Arabic unless mentioned otherwise). The film shifts to Baghdad, Iraq, where a military coup is underway. We see lots of tanks and military trucks roaming the streets, people being rounded up, some of them then being shot, and general chaos. At the presidential palace, Khaled Al-Asad (Tahir), the coup leader, gives a speech before television cameras about how he will lead Iraq into a new era with its strategic partnership with Iran and they will remake the Middle East. We also see Makarov in the back looking on. After the short speech Al-Asad takes Makarov to an office and they talk. He is told by Makarov that he will continue to receive arms and funding for his coup, since “the Americans will be coming.” Makarov also says that his people have lost contact with a freighter of theirs in the Pacific, but the other nuclear warhead is traveling overland through Central Asia and will arrive soon. Al-Asad shows bravado in claiming his people will defeat any attack. He then takes Makarov to the palace courtyard where the previous president, Fulani, is tied to a post in front of television cameras. Al-Asad goes before the cameras, says a few words, and then executes Fulani. As Al-Asad postures for the cameras, Makarov pulls out a satellite phone and makes a call (in Russian). He tells the recipient that now the West will have to respond and it will distract them from the greater threat.

At the Marine base in Qatar, Jackson’s platoon watches the news report of the coup in stunned silence. When the report ends there is a lot of nervous chatter, since everyone thinks that now they’re going to be a part of an invasion force. Vasquez says that everyone needs to get up to speed on all of their skills and all planned leaves are cancelled until further notice. Later, Jackson, Griggs, and a couple others talk about the suspected military response and we learn some more character details about them. Jackson is the only one who has seen combat and he assures the others that if they keep cool under pressure and look out for their squadmates they’ll pull through.

Back at Bravo Team’s base in England, the team is interested by the news about the coup in Iraq. However Price tells them that they have their own missions to concern them. He says that civil unrest in Russia is reaching a boiling point and some outright rebellions have broken out, but between Russia’s inherent secrecy and the media attention on Iraq, no one is really paying attention. He says that a Russian informant, Nikolai, has some important information for them but has gone missing in the middle of one of the rebellion zones. Bravo Team will extract him. Price then coolly departs.

After the meeting, Soap seeks out Gaz and talks to him about Price and Soap’s standing in the group. Gaz assures Soap that he proved himself in the cargo ship raid and he’s one of them now. Gaz also mentions that Price has been through more than several normal soldiers combined, so it’s difficult for him to fraternize with his men.

The scene returns to Qatar and we briefly see the U.S. military gearing up for an invasion of Iraq, with hundreds of planes, helicopters, and transports buzzing around with a naval fleet offshore. Vasquez is in a meeting with other officers of his regiment and learns that a preliminary strike will begin within 24 hours to seize Basra on the coast as a staging area for the push into Baghdad.

(This scene is in Russian) Somewhere Central Asia, Zakhaev and his son Victor are monitoring news reports and other intelligence on the Iraq situation. Zakhaev is very pleased, commenting that the world is reacting even more ferociously than anticipated. He also says that Makarov did well in setting up the deal with Al-Asad. Victor feels like he is underutilized but Zakhaev assures him that he still has much to learn, but his day will soon come.

Several hours later, Bravo Team is dropped by helicopter into an area of Central Russia with military conflict between Ultranationalist rebels and the Russian government. The team links up with a platoon of Russian Loyalists led by Kamarov (Gedeon Burkhard), and some humorous dialogue between him, Price, and Gaz indicates they’ve been on missions together before. Kamarov tells the team about a strong Ultranationalist presence in the nearby villages and says that if their informant is in one of them he is either deep in hiding or is a prisoner. After Price looks over a map of the area he tells Soap and a couple other team members to go with Kamarov and most of his platoon while the rest go under Price’s command via a different route. The two groups go their separate ways as the sound of artillery fire rumbles louder and louder in the distance. As they walk, Kamarov chats up Soap and says that Soap couldn’t have a better leader to serve under than Price. Soap tries to learn more details about Price but Kamarov says it’s probably better if it comes from Price himself since he’s a hard nut to open up.

In the Persian Gulf we join Jackson in a helicopter with his squad, which includes Griggs. A panoramic camera shot shows the helicopter is one of over a dozen flying over a flotilla of landing ship transports heading towards Basra. As the helicopters fly in, we see fighter jets zoom over Basra and fire missiles or drop bombs at targets, causing explosions. Jackson tells his squad that their target is a television station that controls the media for the southern region of Iraq. We see several minutes of intense action (reminiscent of Black Hawk Down) with the helicopter assault coming amidst antiaircraft fire and other resistance and Vasquez’s platoon including Jackson’s squad pushing through the battered streets to the television station. They break in and after some more fighting are able to disable the media signal for southern Iraq. Casualties are light, especially compared to the heaps of dead resistance fighters, and Griggs comments that with opposition like this they’ll be in Baghdad within a week. Jackson is more cautious about their estimates and says the fight’s only just begun and Al-Asad could have a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

(This scene is in Arabic) Cue a scene change to a bunker where Al-Asad is monitoring Western news reports of the invasion, which he laments are more reliable than his army’s own intelligence. A subordinate says that the Americans now control Basra and are marshaling several divisions to push towards Baghdad. Al-Asad says that his forces will martyr themselves to slow the infidel advance, and their sacrifice won’t be in vain. He goes to another part of the bunker where Makarov is waiting. Al-Asad loses the façade of confidence and says the Americans are crushing his forces and he needs an escape route. Makarov tells him that his people are preparing a safehouse for Al-Asad, but they cannot leave for there until the right moment.

We return to Central Russia with Bravo Team and Kamarov’s platoon ready to take back a village seized by Ultranationalists. Soap is detailed as a sniper to cover the assault’s initial strike along with a couple others. They fire from long range, gunning down a number of Ultranationalist militiamen as Price, Gaz, and Kamarov lead a multi-prong assault. Initial resistance is sharp but soon crumbles and Soap is called over the radio to rejoin the group. As he rushes down towards the village, Price and Gaz lead a couple men into a farmhouse where they suspect Nikolai is being held. After clearing some rooms they find Nikolai (Til Schweiger) being held prisoner with a gun to his head. Price and Gaz feign surrender but then use quick moves to shoot the guards before they can harm Nikolai. Nikolai wraps both Gaz and Price in a big bear hug and thanks them for the assistance. Soap and Kamarov then arrive. Nikolai exchanges a presumably vulgar greeting with Kamarov in Russian and the two laugh. He then introduces himself to Soap and says that any man working for Price is a friend of his. Kamarov says that with Nikolai rescued he’ll take his platoon to the west to rejoin with his regiment. After Kamarov leaves Price tells Nikolai that because he came a long way to save his ass, he better have some good information. Nikolai smiles and says that since it’s a long trip back to civilization there’s time for him to talk.

Back in Iraq, Vasquez’s platoon is encamped at an airstrip at the outskirts of Basra. The platoon is full of chitchat about how easy the initial invasion has gone. Vasquez is very confident of further success and says that the platoon will be moving out the following morning to escort an armored column push north along the Tigris River as the coalition force’s east flank. Later Jackson goes to talk with Vasquez about the platoon’s condition. Jackson reports that the men are in good spirits, but seems troubled. Vasquez encourages him to express his feelings and Jackson says he isn’t sure if this massive coalition invasion done on the spur of the moment feels right to him. Vasquez understands his feelings but says that they’re just soldiers; the big picture is for the politicians. The two talk a little more and Vasquez tells Jackson to keep his men sharp since the coalition’s success has come almost too easy.

We return to Bravo Team in a large helicopter flying out of the region. Price is talking with Nikolai about his information. Nikolai says that he’s learned that the recent events in the Middle East have been instigated by unknown parties in the Ultranationalist camp. The goal is clearly to distract the West from events in Russia. Price mentions the nuke his team found on the cargo ship and Nikolai says that he’s heard that at least one other nuclear warhead was stolen from deep storage and may be headed towards Iraq, but he doesn’t know the details. Meanwhile, Gaz tells Soap he did well in the mission and the two chat a bit, revealing some minor info about their personal lives. Gaz makes a couple jests and says that by the way Price looks from Nikolai’s info they’ll be heading right back into the firestorm soon.

At that moment the helicopter banks hard to avoid an anti-air missile, but the explosion damages it enough to force it down in a rough landing. The pilots are killed but everyone else survives, though a couple team members have broken bones. Price says that the radio is dead and they have no way to contact headquarters to relay Nikolai’s info. Their only option is to hike until they can find a way to contact superiors, while Ultranationalist men likely pursue them.

The scene changes to Iraq, where Vasquez’s platoon is being used to escort a pair of tanks through a dusty small town to the main highway on the way to Baghdad. Vasquez tells Jackson and the others that once they clear the route the whole division will have a straight line to send their tanks zooming to Baghdad. The troops chatter about the success of the invasion so far and Griggs goes so far as to boast that in a few days he’ll be sleeping in the fancy beds of Al-Asad’s palace. Jackson tells them all to calm down and stay focused for hostiles. The forward men in the platoon aren’t as careful however and miss a squad of enemies setting up on rooftops who then fire two RPGs down at the first tank, which explodes and takes out a few members of the platoon as well. As the other men in the platoon take cover, the other tank backs up and demolishes a couple buildings with its cannon. A close-quarters street battle ensues with Vasquez’s platoon pushing through the small town, clearing buildings street by street so the other tank can safely advance. Jackson leads the way, inspiring the men with heroics. They soon clear the way and the tank enters the main highway and radios the success in. Helicopters come to pick up Vasquez’s platoon and Jackson hears that with the highway now accessed the final push to Baghdad is about to begin.

We return to Bravo Team hiking through hilly territory. Everyone is quiet at first until Price signals for them all to stop and says they’re being followed. Everyone gets low to the ground and Price goes over to Soap and has him set up a sniper rifle. Price acts as a spotter and through infrared binoculars (it’s night) points out several men at least a few hundred yards to their rear taking up position. With Price calmly guiding him, Soap is able to snipe three of the trackers before the others quickly flee. Price praises Soap and says they all need to move since their trackers will now be calling in support.

After a little more hiking Bravo Team arrives at a deserted hamlet and they check the few houses for power and communication tools. They find enough to jury-rig a communications array and Price is able to get in touch with superiors and order an extraction. The team sets up defenses and soon a company of Ultranationalist soldiers arrive to attack. We get a tense battle scene as Bravo Team and Nikolai fend off the attackers, though a couple men are killed and Gaz receives a minor wound. Things are starting to look bleak but then a series of explosions tear through the Ultranationalists. It’s backup in the form of an AC-130 gunship, which quickly obliterates the enemy. It radios Price that extraction helicopters will be arriving soon.

The helicopters arrive and load up the survivors and deceased. Gaz makes a jest about needing a vacation but Price tells him with Nikolai’s info it looks like he won’t get. Unfortunately they don’t have a long-range secure channel on the helicopter so it’ll still be some hours before they reach a safe house that has those capabilities.

Back in Iraq, it is now just before dawn and we see the coalition soldiers preparing for the main assault into Baghdad, which is exposed. There’s a lot of nervous chatter among the troops, who are eager to bring down yet another villain. Jackson makes a phone call to family back home, saying that he’s nervous and scared but ready to do what it takes to keep his men alive.

(All dialogue here is in Arabic unless otherwise state) In Baghdad, Al-Asad is evacuating his palace, in a nervous state. Makarov and some men are overseeing things and Makarov tells Al-Asad that they’re first going incognito to a safehouse about 20 miles north, and from there arrangements will be made for further travel. Makarov then makes a secure call and says in Russian that it is almost time and that the day has come for the West to begin understanding the price of arrogance. After that call, we see a truck pull up to the palace and men unload a large lead box and bring it inside.

The U.S. military and its allies mobilize for the strike, with hundreds of armored vehicles pushing north into the city as dozens of helicopters buzz overhead carrying strike teams. Vasquez’s platoon is split into two helicopters. Jackson and Griggs man the light anti-armor cannons on their helicopter and help provide cover fire against enemy tanks and soldiers. They hear over the radio that the coalition forces are making great progress in their push towards Al-Asad’s palace. They then get instructions to rescue a stranded recon squad near the city center. Vasquez’s platoon lands in a small square near the squad’s location but soon comes under heavy fire from local militia. After a brief shootout the militia retreats. Vasquez gives orders to find the trapped squad and is then suddenly killed by a sniper. A helicopter rocket blows up the building where the sniper was and Jackson is forced to take command of the platoon. He has his men move out.

We cut to a helicopter assault by Navy SEALs near Al-Asad’s palace. They break through the defenses and enter the palace, looking for Al-Asad. They find no trace of him, but instead the lead box, which they open to find an armed nuclear warhead. The SEAL leader radios “We have a big problem.”

Jackson’s men soon reach the trapped squad’s location and after a short firefight blast their way back to the evacuation point where two helicopters wait. Jackson and half of his men go in one, and Griggs is among the men in the second helicopter. As the helicopters take off they hear a general warning to the coalition forces that there is a confirmed nuclear threat in the city and NEST teams are being sent to disarm the bomb. However all forces are being ordered to retreat at least 10 miles from the city center. Jackson gives the order for his helicopters to withdraw but then a supporting attack helicopter is hit by a missile and crashes in the streets, its pilot still alive. Everyone in the helicopter gives Jackson the same look, so Jackson decides to save the pilot and informs his superiors of the decision, saying his men accept the risk. However he orders’ Griggs’s helicopter to continue withdrawing to be safe, over Griggs’ objections. Griggs finally complies and his helicopter continues to fly away from the city as Jackson’s helicopter lands.

We then see a helicopter landing at Al-Asad’s palace, with several people in radiation suits getting out with special gear. They enter the palace and are directed to the nuke, which they begin to examine.

Jackson and the men with him fight their way to the downed helicopter and he pulls the female pilot out of the wreckage. She’s alive but hurt fairly badly. Jackson carries the woman over his shoulder as he and his men then retreat to their helicopter, which takes off and again starts to fly south, delayed by several minutes.

The scene changes to the safe house north of Baghdad, with Makarov and Al-Asad standing on a hill. They receive news that the Americans have discovered the bomb and are working to disarm it. Makarov laughs and says to Al-Asad in Arabic “And now we will witness the beginning of the West’s failure” before taking out a cell phone and making a call.

In Al-Asad’s palace, the NEST team examining the nuke thinks they have disarmed it, but then realize that there is a secondary trigger connected to a phone. Before they can do anything, that phone receives a call.

On Jackson’s helicopter, everyone is listening to a report that NEST teams are disarming the bomb when a bright flash goes off in the city center. The nuke has exploded. We see the blast wave demolishing the city and knocking helicopters out of the sky. The wave hits Jackson’s helicopter and knocks it out of control, eventually crashing in the streets with a cut to black.

We see Griggs in the other helicopter, outside the blast zone, staring in shock at the mushroom cloud and the ruins of Baghdad. He tries to get the pilot to fly back so they can find Jackson and the others but is told that the radiation could be too high and that they’re all likely dead.

We then see a few short clips of news reports on the nuclear explosion, the news anchors all saying that it appears Al-Asad killed himself to take down over 30,000 soldiers along with tens of thousands of civilians at least. It is revealed that Zakhaev is watching the reports with a smile. He gets a phone call and has a conversation in Russian with Makarov. Makarov says that he is now moving Al-Asad to a safehouse where he will wait things out, and then he (Makarov) will go to other tasks. Zakhaev thanks him for delivering the first blow and says their work is just beginning. Zakhaev then goes to another portion of his compound and finds Victor. Zakhaev tells Victor in Russian that a new day is now dawning for Russia with the eyes of the world focused elsewhere.

The film jumps to Hamburg, Germany, where Bravo Team and Nikolai are also watching news reports. Everyone is shaken by the news. Gaz says it is a shame Al-Asad blew himself up since he’d love to pay him back for what he just did. Nikolai says that Al-Asad is too cowardly to take his life and likely fled. When Soap says that there’s a whole world he could be hiding in, Nikolai chuckles and says that since the Ultranationalists used Al-Asad, they probably have him stashed in a safe house in the general region. Nikolai says he has an idea where that might be. Price tells him to spit it out and tells Gaz to “get on the horn, Command is going to want to know about this.”

We return to the ruins of Baghdad to see Jackson, badly wounded, waking up and seeing that many of the helicopter occupants are dead, but some, including the female pilot, are still alive. He grabs an emergency kit and crawls out of the helicopter, barely functioning, and then activates a series of signal flares that show their location via smoke.

The film jumps to Griggs and several other people in his unit rushing to a landing zone as they see medical personnel rushing out Jackson and several other people on stretchers, all of them barely alive. Later, Griggs is able to go see Jackson, who is conscious but barely hanging on. Before he gets to Jackson he is told (since he is now the acting unit commander) that Jackson won’t make it, but because he popped the flares the other survivors probably will. Griggs tells Jackson that he made Vasquez proud. Jackson asks if they got “her” (the pilot) out. Griggs says they did and she’s going to live thanks to him. Jackson smiles and then flatlines, dying.

Griggs returns to the survivors of their unit and breaks the news, which sends them into a funk. Later, Griggs is approached by an officer who asks if the remaining part of the unit is ready for combat. Griggs says they will be and asks why. The officer says that Griggs’ unit is the only Special Forces team available in the area and the Brits have a line on Al-Asad.

We return to Bravo Team, which is dropped into the mountains of Azerbaijan, where the Ultranationalists are holding Al-Asad. Nikolai gives them directions to the village of the known safehouse and then wishes them luck before departing. The team hikes over a mountain and takes up position above the village, which has a number of Ultranationalist guards. Soap asks what the plan is once they find Al-Asad and Price says that he’s just a pawn for the Ultranationalists and would know who their secret leader is. Once they find him, they’ll get that name by any means necessary.

After using explosives in one building to cause a distraction, Bravo Team fights its way through the village. Al-Asad gets frightened by the sound of gunfire. Unfortunately for him, Bravo Team reaches the safehouse soon after and breaks in, killing the guards and capturing Al-Asad. Price tells Soap to call it in to Command that they got the target and Gaz says he should do it in another room. Outside Soap asks what Price is going to do and the answer is the sound of Al-Asad screaming from the other room.

(All dialogue is in Russian) Somewhere in Russia, Zakhaev receives word that Al-Asad’s safehouse has been attacked. Concerned, he gives an order for an assault on the village to kill everyone in it so Al-Asad can’t spill secrets.

Back at the safehouse, Price has beaten Al-Asad badly and the enemy finally gives in to the questioning and says that he was being helped by Imran Zakhaev, who is pulling the strings. Price shakes his head and then executes Al-Asad. Gaz and Soap are shocked by this, Soap because of the execution, Gaz because Price didn’t wait to get more info. Price tells Soap that Al-Asad wouldn’t have gotten a fair trial anyways and tells Gaz that the name “Imran Zakhaev” is all they need. Price briefly explains that Zakhaev is a former Communist warmonger who has been working to restore a quasi-Soviet Union. Zakhaev disappeared after Price and some others broke up a deal by Zakhaev to buy nuclear material on the black market and was thought dead. Now it seems he is the true villain.

Soap is still a bit shaken by Price’s actions and goes to be alone. Price catches up with him and the two have a good, warm talk about the situation that alleviates some of Soap’s concerns about the job Meanwhile Gaz calls in an extraction and is told that one will arrive at dawn, but a horde of Ultranationalists will get to the village first.

Shortly before dawn, the Ultranationalists attack, using artillery to flatten the village. The extraction zone is across town so Soap, Price, Gaz, and the others have to fight their way across it, dodging enemy patrols and artillery explosions. They get pinned down but rescue arrives with a few American helicopters that blow up enemy positions and land Army Rangers to help evac Bravo Team. Griggs is leading the Americans and helps get Bravo Team onto the helicopters. Griggs asks if “they got him,” referring to Al-Asad and Soap says they did. Griggs wishes he could have been there and Price says he can instead help take down the bastard Al-Asad worked for.

Zakhaev summons Victor and tells him he needs to run an important courier mission. Victor asks why and Zakhaev says that Victor wants more responsibility and this mission is the first step to that.

The American helicopters land at a Russian Loyalist military base where everyone meets Kamarov again. Kamarov says that Imran Zakhaev is like a ghost, never appearing on the grid. Their only link to him is his son Victor, who will presumably have a lot of information to share about Zakhaev’s plans. Price says that the plan then is to capture Victor and get information. At the very least, capturing Victor will flush Zakhaev into the open.

As preparations are made for the capture mission, Bravo Team and the Army Rangers socialize and get to know one another since they’ll be working together. Griggs is a bit solemn since he looked up to the deceased Jackson and says Jackson would have loved to be on the way to taking down the men responsible.

The plan to capture Victor is underway, with information about his whereabouts provided by Nikolai. With help from Kamarov, Price sets up an ambush for the small convoy Victor is traveling in. Victor is using the convoy for his courier mission and is confident about being more powerful in the Ultranationalists. The ambush is sprung and several vehicles are blown up. Victor is initially able to get out of his car and flee, but he is soon cornered in a dilapidated housing project. Victor, desperate, decides to kill himself instead of being captured. As Price, Soap, Gaz, and Griggs stand over Victor’s body, Gaz dryly comments “I guess we have Zakhaev’s attention now.”

(This scene is in Russian) The scene returns to Zakhaev’s hidden compound with the Ultranationalist leader brooding over his son’s death. Makarov enters and tries to persuade Zakhaev not to go through with his plan since he is acting on pure emotion. Zakhaev asks Makarov if he’d act any different if it’d been his son killed and Makarov admits he wouldn’t. Zakhaev tells Makarov that he was like a second son to him and he has done so much in furthering the cause, and it will fall to him to lead the future if Zakhaev falls in this plan. Makarov understands and says that if Zakhaev goes through with this, “the West will never forgive our country.” Zakhaev replies that the feelings of petty men aren’t his concern.

Some hours later, the allies are recuperating at a Loyalist base when they receive word that Ultranationalist forces have just taken over a nuclear missile facility. This news shocks everyone since while they expected a response from Zakhaev; this one seems to be over-the-top. Shortly after they get this news they receive word that Zakhaev sent a message to Moscow that unless the American and British forces leave the country and other political demands are met, he will launch nuclear missiles against the West. Price, analyzing the situation, says that Zakhaev will be at or near the missile facility since this is a purely personal act by him. With a go-ahead from Command, Price quickly plans out with Gaz a way to retake the facility and stop Zakhaev.

The plan is for a mixed group of Bravo Team and Army Rangers to paratroop to the north and knock out the main power to the missile facility, while a force of Loyalists led by Kamarov attack the perimeter as a distraction. Griggs is unsure about jumping out of a plane but Gaz lightens the mood by saying Griggs is more likely to die being shot by the Ultranationalists than by parachuting. Soap meanwhile goes to think alone and is joined by Price, who gives him a cigar. The two smoke and share some personal stories and Price says the unit is his family and that he’s proud to have someone like Soap now be a part of it.

The final mission begins with the attack team parachuting out of a big plane. They group up and push towards a large series of power transformers that powers the main part of the base. The transformers are guarded but the allies soon take the enemies out and set up explosives. They blow the transformers and see most of the power go out in the base. Kamarov then radios that his force is going to attack the main entrance now to distract the Ultranationalists from Price’s team sneaking in the back.

(This scene is in Russian) Inside, Zakhaev is briefly annoyed by the power loss but is told that there are backup internal power generators that’ll be on in a moment. When asked what to do Zakhaev says that their enemies will eventually take this place back, so they will do their best to make them pay for their arrogance.

Price’s team loops around to a back way, hearing gunfire and explosions in the distance, but then as they near the base they see that some power has been restored and two ICBMs are launched. Zakhaev watches the launch on a video screen and then tells a guard in Russian to guard the place to the last man and departs to an exit. Meanwhile Price curses and says their only hope is to get inside the base and disarm the controls before the missiles hit. As they get closer command informs them that the missiles are on a path to hit the US Eastern Seaboard in about 30 minutes.

Price organizes his men into a swift attack, taking out perimeter guardposts with rockets and grenades. They then quickly push into the main area of the missile facility and realize that the only quick way in is to enter via the open silos of the missiles just launched. They rappel down the silos and enter the underground part of the facility and split up. Gaz and Griggs lead some men to a security control center where they fend off Ultranationalist guards and unseal security doors for the others to pass through. Price and Soap lead the other group through the base, fighting in close-quarters, until they reach the missile command center. Amidst heavy gunfire, Soap is able to reach the command console and abort the missiles in flight within minutes of their reaching their targets.

Once they confirm the missiles have self-destructed in mid-flight with no nuke explosion, Price and Soap get in touch with Gaz and Griggs to organize an escape, since outside cameras show Zakhaev returning in a rage with many more Ultranationalists and Kamarov has radioed in that his men have had to pull back. Price and Soap lead the survivors of their group to reunite with Gaz and Griggs in a garage and they commandeer some trucks to escape down an access road. They are pursued by several Ultranationalist trucks and jeeps but they are able to destroy many of them with their weapons. However an enemy helicopter then appears and blows up a bridge just before they cross it, causing their trucks to crash to avoid going over the edge. Everyone gets out as Ultranationalist forces show up to attack. A rocket blows up an oil tanker and the explosion incapacitates most of the surviving allies. Griggs pulls Soap back to a safer position as Soap sees Zakhaev and some guards get out of a jeep. Griggs continues to fight on but is killed by Ultranationalist forces. Soap then sees Gaz trying to crawl to safety but is instead executed by Zakhaev. Before Zakhaev can move towards Soap a Loyalist helicopter arrives to attack the Ultranationalists. This allows a badly wounded Price time to slide Soap his pistol and Soap is able to use it to kill Zakhaev and his bodyguards before Zakhaev can react. Soap then collapses as more Russian Loyalists arrive to aid the surviving allies. Kamarov appears and assures Soap that he’ll be all right. Soap looks to see a medic is performing CPR on Price as Soap is lifted up into a medevac helicopter. The scene fades to black.

Soap wakes up in a Russian military hospital to find Nikolai and Kamarov by his bed. He asks about Price and Nikolai says that Price didn’t make it. Soap sighs and says that at least Zakhaev is gone. Kamarov says that the Ultranationalists are reeling now that their leader is gone and there’s hope for Russia. The three start to reminisce about Price, Gaz, and the other fallen men as the camera pulls away.

The scene changes to a dark room as Makarov watches news reports about Zakhaev’s death and the apparent defeat for the Ultranationalists. Makarov, smoking a cigarette, says to himself in Russian “And now they will learn what happens when you make a martyr.” He picks up a remote and turns off the television, the screen cutting to black when he does so. The credits roll.

*POST-CREDITS SCENE BELOW*

Soap is still recuperating in the same hospital when a military man approaches and identifies himself as General Shepard (Michael Biehn). Shepard asks how Soap is doing and then says that the world’s still a dangerous place and he’s putting together a special team to deal with situations a regular military can’t, so they can stop other men like Al-Asad and Zakhaev. After a little thought, Soap says “I’m in.”

Edited by 4815162342
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The Father Figure

Director: Jason Reitman
Genre: Drama
Starring:
Alec Baldwin...Gregory
Peter Krause...Anthony
Joel Courtney...Sammy
Supporting:
Liz Vassey...Dr. Quince
Elle Fanning...Lisa
Budget: $35 million
Rating: PG-13
Date: November 11
Theaters: 3,100


After the opening credits total black. We hear the following voice:

“Do you know what it's like to have a father who abandoned you? Or do you know how it's like to know your father and want to be nothing like him? Or do you know how it's like to have a father figure who could never live up to your expectations?”

The movie then opens to an old man named Gregory. He's homeless, sleeping on the street in a park in Los Angeles. It's night time. The movie moves closer to him, and in his hand is a crumbled piece of paper. He wakes up and uncrumbles the piece of paper. It's revealed to be an old photo of a kid. He looks at the photo with longing and regret before falling asleep.

It's now day. Gregory is shifting through some trash, looking for items he can recycle for money. A woman, Dr. Quince, goes up to him. She doesn't seem to mind the trash, although she is dressed decently. She tells him that the clinic has the test results back. He asks where what they revealed. She reveals that he's dying of a rare disease. He probably only has a few months to live. He thanks her. She asks for what, and he says for telling him his destiny.

We next see Gregory, shaved, on a bus. He has only one bag, which he is holding to his dear life. Eventually the bus arrives at a different part of Los Angeles, a much nicer part than the one we've seen him in. He goes to the door, and notices the Sunday paper is still out. Gregory knocks on the door. After a couple of minutes a man opens the door. The man obviously just woke up and was making himself coffee (he's carrying a coffee cup). He looks at Gregory and drops the coffee cup before saying “Dad?” Gregory nods. “Yes, son.” The son's name is revealed to be Anthony.

Anthony waits a whole minute before responding by shutting the door on his father. Gregory knocks on the door again and Anthony answers. Anthony starts a rant “Dad, go away. Just go away. I don't care what you have to say, or if you're here to apologize. I just don't care. I want you to go, like you did before, and this time I don't want to see you again. This time I'm not going to miss you, because by now, I just don't care. You have been dead to me for the last couple of decades, and frankly I don't see how that's going to change.” Anthony shuts the door. Gregory looks at the door before walking away, clearly uncertain as what to do next.

Anthony is inside the house as he gets himself a new coffee cup. Pretty soon his son comes downstairs. They have breakfast together and there's mostly silence. The son, Sammy, speaks up near the end “Dad, I'm sorry, okay. I don't want to go to your fancy boring private school.” His father glares at him before saying “You don't have a choice.” The son reveals that his mom, before she died, backed him. His father tells him not to play the dead mom card with him.

Church, Sammy looks bored but Anthony is engaged. After church, as their leaving, Sammy notices Gregory. Gregory looks a bit shocked, although in a good way, to see Sammy. Anthony starts talking to some church friends. Sammy comes closer to Gregory and the two start talking. Gregory doesn't reveal that he's his grandfather. Instead they talk about how church is overrated. Gregory then reveals he knows Anthony back when Anthony was just a kid. This interests Sammy and Sammy wants to talk to Gregory later. Gregory is at first hesitant but he agrees. Anthony then notices Sammy is talking to Gregory and calls Sammy to come to him. Sammy apologizes and leaves Gregory. Gregory and Anthony share a look. Gregory's look shows he's seeking redemption and is sad he's not getting any. Anthony's look is more of a glare, a “leave my son and me alone.”

At home Anthony tells Sammy not to talk to Gregory ever again. Sammy asks why but Anthony refuses to answer. Sammy says some teenage angst stuff, before going up to his room and slamming the door. Anthony leaves the house, gets in his car, and starts driving around. He eventually finds Gregory at a park, and approaches him. Anthony tells Gregory to leave his son alone, not letting Gregory have a single word. Anthony then leaves. Gregory looks sad, but determined.

At school, Sammy is in class looking at a girl, Lisa. She looks back at him and he looks away. He smiles though, happy she noticed him. They share a couple more close encounters before school is let out. He's going to go to the school bus when he notices Gregory. He walks to Gregory and states that he's not supposed to talk to him. Gregory asks him why he's talking to him then. Sammy then states “Because I'm not supposed to.” Gregory understands and the two start taking a walk together.

Sammy asks why his father doesn't like Gregory. Gregory responds that he's Sammy's grandfather. Sammy stops walking for a beat before continuing to walk again. “So you're the man who left my father when he was only 10.” Gregory nods, although he states the whole story is a bit more complicated than that. Sammy asks for the whole story but Gregory states that it's not his place to know. Sammy rolls his eyes.

They bond a little bit more as Gregory takes him to a movie. Sammy has to pay because Gregory has no money. After the movie Sammy reveals that he likes a girl. Gregory gives him advice on how to ask her out. The next day during school Sammy follows the advice and it surprisingly works. Gregory then advices Sammy on what to do to have the perfect first day. He even has a practice date with Sammy (which gets restaurant people concerned until it's explained to them, which doesn't alleviate all of their concerns but they don't call the cops just watch them). Sammy then goes on a date with Lisa and the two hit it off.

Sammy and Gregory are next scene eating an ice cream when per chance Anthony, driving, spots them together. He gets a bit mad. At the house, Anthony and Sammy are seen arguing. Anthony is pissed off that Sammy not only ignored his orders, but that he's liking Gregory. Sammy then replies: “So what? You have issues with your dad! He left you! But, guess what! Everyone has issues with their dads! You think I'm not going to talk to you just because I despise who you are?” Anthony looks actually hurt and doesn't answer. Instead he goes outside. Gregory is there waiting for him.

Anthony tells him to leave Sammy alone. Gregory replies that he's dying. Anthony looks a bit surprised, but still he tells him to leave Sammy alone. Anthony then states “You are so selfish. You try to come back into our lives when you find out you're dying. Great, you know you're not sticking around. God, you deserve to die.” Gregory doesn't answer but merely stands there. Anthony then states “And you know what? Thanks to you, my son hates me.” Gregory shakes his head. “He doesn't like you because sons don't like their fathers. I never liked my father.” Anthony then states “You don't get to complain about my grandfather, because at least he was there, at least he stayed!” Gregory takes some time before answering “I know you're angry with me. You have every right to be angry with me. But I'm dying, and I'd like to have a relationship with my son and grandson before I go.” Anthony replies “Why? You didn't want a relationship when you were living.” Gregory replies “You know what? You know why I left? I lost my job. When that happened, your mom had enough after everything I've done before. She kicked me out. I wanted to stay, but she wouldn't let me. I lost the custody hearing, son, and I know you don't know this because she wouldn't tell you. But I fought and I lost and I've been gone since.” Anthony calls him a liar. Gregory tells him to ask his mom. Anthony reveals that his mom died when he was 14. Gregory actually looks stunned. Anthony then states “I expect you to lie because you're a terrible human being. You are despicable. Don't talk to me, don't even look at me. You know what? If Sammy wants to be your friend, fine, God knows I can't stop him. But don't expect me to be friendly, or to support this, this disease you have of entering people's lives only to ruin them.” As Anthony goes back to enter the house Gregory says “I'm sorry, my son.” Anthony replies “I wish I could believe you.” He enters the house and Gregory merely looks at the house.

The movie then shows Gregory and Sammy getting closer and closer. Sammy still doesn't know that Gregory is dying, but it's obvious Sammy looks up to Gregory. Meanwhile Sammy and his father are growing more distant as they talk even less than they used to. Sammy and Lisa's relationship is also explored. Eventually, Gregory gets a small apartment and there he watches TV as he's in pain (which he manages to hide from Sammy) when he isn't with Sammy. Anthony meanwhile works as a lawyer, getting more and more frustrated by the distance he has with his son. He eventually decides to

One day Anthony goes to Sammy and asks him to go on a weekend camping trip. Sammy at first refuses, but Anthony tells him it's a mandatory camping trip. And so Sammy prepares for the camping trip. Gregory doesn't want Sammy to go, but doesn't do anything to stop him. Gregory is afraid that by the time Sammy comes back he may be dead. He tries to tell Sammy but fails every time. In the end Sammy goes.

At first, it's awkward between Sammy and Anthony. They don't talk much. During the first night out, though, Sammy makes a snide comment. This starts a huge fight. During the fight it's revealed that Sammy has a girlfriend and this is the first time Anthony has heard about it. After the fight Anthony realizes that he may have stayed, but emotionally he has been distant from his son. Anthony tries harder to bond with Sammy, but finds it too hard. For the rest of the camping trip they fail to bond or learn anything about them.

When they return from the camping trip, Sammy calls Lisa. Lisa tells him she's ready for the next step. Next day comes, and Sammy goes to visit his grandfather for the first time. Sammy's hoping Gregory will allow them to use the room for the next step. Gregory doesn't answer. Sammy gets the super to open the door and discovers Gregory laying on the bed, dead. Sammy weeps and calls Lisa. Over the next few days Sammy grieves while Lisa helps him through. Sammy also learns, from the cops, that his grandfather had been dying this whole time.

On the day of the funeral, Sammy asks Anthony to drive him there. Anthony is shocked to learn that his father had died (no-one had told him). Anthony agrees. There they sit through the ceremony. Then it's time to go to the casket. Sammy says “Good-bye grandpa. I'll miss you.” Sammy then leaves. Anthony just looks at his dead father before he is seen shedding a tear. It should be obvious that he regrets not having gotten to know Gregory.

After the funeral, Sammy is crying. Anthony comforts him and in the end the two finally bond. In the final scene of the movie, right before the credits, we see a black screen. The following voice, now revealed to be Sammy's, says the following:

“Do you know what it's like to have a father who abandoned you? Or do you know how it's like to know your father and want to be nothing like him? Or do you know how it's like to have a father figure who could never live up to your expectations?”

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And The Band Played On

Genre: Drama/Period

Cast (In Alphabetical Order): Mathieu Amalric (Luc Montagnier), Jim Caviezel (Don Francis), George Clooney (Robert Gallo), Bradley Cooper (Bill Kraus), John Hawkes (Jim Curran), Emile Hirsch (Cleve Jones), Melvil Poupaud (Gaetan Dugas), Zachary Quinto (Michael Gottlieb), Mark Ruffalo (Marcus Conant), Meryl Streep (Selma Dritz), Stanley Tucci (Larry Kramer)

Directed By: George Clooney

Written By: Grant Heslov and Dustin Lance Black

Release Date: 11/4

Theater Count: 12, 56 (11/11), 194 (11/18), 402 (11/25), 750 (12/2), 1509 (12/9), 2216 (12/16)

Running Time: 172 Minutes

Budget: $65 million

MPAA Rating: R for strong language, drug content, partial nudity, and sexual content

Plot Summary:

The film opens in October, 1987, with the debut of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Helping to oversee its placement and maintenance is Cleve Jones (Hirsch) and once it’s up he starts to walk among the quilts representing the lives of someone lost to AIDS. He reaches one (we don’t see it) and stares at it. The camera then zooms out to show hundreds of quilts in a space larger than a football field.

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON

June, 1980. In Toronto, Gaetan Dugas (Poupaud) is told by a doctor that he is suffering from a rare kind of skin cancer: Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS), which is never found in healthy young or middle-aged adults. Dugas is briefly troubled but puts it out of his mind as he goes to work. He is a flight attendant.

A couple weeks later in San Francisco is the large gay pride parade. In the lead-up to the parade we’re reintroduced to Cleve Jones and we see him interact with friends in the social and political arena of San Francisco, including Bill Kraus (Cooper). Bill and Cleve work together in trying to get recognition for gay rights on a local and national level. Also present in San Francisco is Dugas, who finds another man to spend the night with. The next day he has to get back to work and works a flight to New York City.

Some weeks later, in NYC, we meet Larry Kramer (Tucci), a middle-aged writer who is frustrated with the stagnation of gay culture, it being mostly about one-night stands and casual sex. His attempts to speak out about a more meaningful kind of life has led him to be ostracized except by a small group of friends, the main one being Paul. Curiously enough, one of those friends was recently diagnosed with KS.

At the same time, Bill is in NYC as a political representative for the 1980 Democratic National Convention, where he is working hard to get Ted Kennedy the nomination instead of Jimmy Carter. Though he and his fellow supporters are enthusiastic, Carter keeps the nomination. Elsewhere, a couple doctors consult on the fact that several patients have developed KS for no reason. They find out that most of the patients have engaged in relationships with Gaetan Dugas, but they don’t see how it’s relevant.

Back in San Francisco, Dr. Selma Dritz (Streep), the infectious disease specialist for SF’s Public Health Department, is growing concerned by the large spike in STD transmission in the city, especially in the gay community. Selma’s initial attempts to push for some public health reforms are largely ignored since it isn’t seen as a big deal.

Down in LA, we meet Dr. Michael Gottlieb (Quinto), a new teacher at UCLA, who is confused by a patient’s symptoms. The patient is suffering from Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP), which is very rare and only attacks people with poor immune systems. Gottlieb does some tests and finds that the patient has no T-Helper cells in his blood. He and colleagues brainstorm that some virus or disease is killing off those cells.

The results of the 1980 Presidential Election come in and Ronald Regan beats Jimmy Carter. Cleve and Bill are disheartened but resolve to continue their work to preserve gay rights in San Francisco and California.

Back in NYC, the friend of Larry’s who was suffering from KS dies from it just before Christmas, bringing down the group’s spirits. A few doctors in the city comparing stats on rare infections suddenly cropping up begin to speculate that some new disease is starting to circulate in the city. They find that the rare infections are also surfacing in a hospital home to intravenous drug users.

In San Francisco we meet Dr. Marcus Conant (Ruffalo), who with a couple other doctors find several KS cases in the Bay Area and hear from colleagues about other cases in NYC. Conant thinks that an unknown epidemic is now appearing in the country.

Back in LA, Gottlieb discovers more cases of PCP and depleted immune systems in the city. He realizes something important is going on, more than a coincidence, and starts to study up on suppressed immune systems and frames a paper on the mini-outbreak, which he begins to think is a new STD. He sends it to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for immediate publication. At the CDC, Dr. Jim Curran (Hawkes) is intrigued by the paper and decides it is something the CDC should start looking into. Curran goes to New York and meets with doctors who have patients suffering from PCP or KS. Though Curran is baffled, he agrees that the cause must be a STD or something similar, since all of the patients engaged in high-risk sexual behavior.

At the CDC we now meet Dr. Don Francis (Caviezel). Francis is something of a movie star at the CDC, having been one of the few epidemiologists who eliminated smallpox. Francis speculates that the disease is caused by an immune-system-suppressing virus with a long latency period, possibly even a retrovirus, a recently-discovered kind of virus.

In San Francisco it is the time for the gay pride parade, but a year’s difference shows a subdued crowd based on recent national political defeats. Bill is the center of attention at celebrations, but an article about a growing epidemic in the gay community catches his eye. Discussing it with Cleve, the two conclude that it is just anti-gay bias in the media.

Dugas arrives in New York fresh off a flight and carouses around the gay community’s social scene. Having heard about the KS cases in the city he sees doctors to see if they can tell him anything new. While waiting for a round of chemo, he comes across a former romance who is suffering from a different rare cancer. The encounter shakes him, but he decides to keep on living his promiscuous lifestyle.

Curran assembles a team and they start to realize that the unknown disease is spread by blood as well, based on sicknesses in needle-using drug addicts. They make a note to watch for cases in hemophiliacs and blood transfusion recipients. They also fly in doctors from San Francisco, including Selma and Conant, to talk to them about the cases there. Afterwards Selma and Conant talk about how they could try to contain the spread of disease there. When he gets back to San Francisco, Conant and some other doctors create a special clinic to deal with the new string of infections.

In New York Larry, curious about the epidemic, meets with one of the main local doctors, who says that without money not much can be done to do treatment and research. Larry is concerned about implications for the local community and when meeting with friends starts to set up with Paul plans to raise funds. At the meeting is the same local doctor, who tells the friends that this is the tip of the iceberg and things were likely to get a lot worse. Larry and the doctor’s suggestions are dismissed by some of the people as infringing on their social lifestyle.

Gottlieb is flown into Washington D.C. to go to the National Institute of Health (NIH). Gottlieb is frustrated that the main doctors there are mainly interested in the novelty of a resurgence of a rare cancer and think little of the connection between KS and other rare diseases popping up across the nation and the immune-system suppression in the patients. Gottlieb confides to a friend that those doctors are likely giving the problem little attention because the victims are mostly gay men. When Gottlieb returns to LA, he meets with a couple colleagues and in going over cases in the city; they start to realize that there is a definitive connection between many of the victims in the major cities.

Don Francis meets with Curran and suggests that blood banks nationwide have to be put on alert, since if the disease is blood-borne it will appear in blood transfusions. Curran agrees but says there is little he is allowed to do other than research current cases. Francis does some research of his own and finds that in the early 1970s there were recorded cases of virulent KS and other rare diseases in otherwise healthy individuals in Africa. Francis realizes that whatever the disease is, it probably originated in Africa as a virus.

In January 1982, Cleve meets with Conant, who figures that Cleve as a political force in San Francisco can help build awareness. Cleve is at first dismissive but when Conant shows him several ill patients Cleve gets sick to his stomach and realizes there is a problem. Over dinner Conant convinces Cleve that whatever the disease is, it has already spread far further than it appears and can cross into the general world population. Cleve agrees to help Conant.

Meanwhile, a few doctors in San Francisco and LA link a fair number of their victims to sexual contact with one man: Gaetan Dugas. One of the doctors is able to track him down in San Francisco and has Conant talk to Dugas. Dugas talks about his relationships and during the talk realizes that he may have passed his illness onto them, but says he probably got it from one of them instead. After the talk, Conant has some colleagues talk to some of the people Dugas mentioned being involved with. Some of them are suffering from the strange disease, and hadn’t seen Dugas since 1976. Conant realizes that there could have been asymptomatic people passing the disease around for over 5 years, meaning that a pool of asymptomatic people across the country is larger than anyone thought. He meets with Gottlieb to talk about the scale of the thing and Gottlieb says that people just aren’t listening to the warning signs so far and fears that in the future people like the two them will be blamed for not doing enough.

Curran meets with some Congressmen to try and get budget money for his task force, but is only able to get a token amount. Francis is now an unofficial member of his team and the two hear from the results of investigations into the sick victims reveals that over 40% of them have either had sex with Dugas or have had sex with someone who had. The odds of it all being a coincidence are figured to be zero. The task force begins to refer to Dugas as Patient Zero, thinking he is the most likely candidate for having brought the disease to North America.

The two however feel uplifted when Dr. Robert Gallo (Clooney) says he’ll have his NIH virology lab start to example the blood of some sick patients to try and find the virus cause the problem. Gallo has discovered other retroviruses in the past and figures he can find this one soon enough. However his initial thought is that the disease is linked to HTLV, a virus he discovered some years earlier that causes a slightly similar result for the immune system.

Selma proposes to the San Francisco Public Health Department that some steps needed to be taken to slow down the spread of the disease in the city, such as closing the bathhouses, which are a breeding ground for STDs and other infections. She is told that as a civil liberties issue the government won’t touch them. At the same time, Bill is using his political status in San Francisco to try and bring more attention to the problem to the city government. Bill is also going through a rough time in his relationship with his boyfriend, who is having an affair. Rumors are also beginning to spread of a French-Canadian flight attendant going around having sex with people and afterwards showing his cancer lesions and telling those people they’re going to die.

In Denver, Colorado, doctors there investigating a sick man suffering from apparently the same unknown malady figure out that the only possible mode of transmission was through a blood transfusion he received. When news of this and other infected transfusion recipients reaches Curran and his team, they conclude that this disease is hitting the same types of people as diseases like Hepatitis B, so it must be a virus. They also come up with a name for the disease, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.

In New York, Larry tries to set up a meeting with Mayor Ed Koch to try and discuss the development of AIDS in the city, but is rebuffed since Koch is campaigning for governor and wants to disassociate himself from gay advocates. After Koch loses the primary an aide of his tells Larry and some friends that Koch will start to give the problem attention. Larry’s friend Paul says that it seems too good to be true.

Fall, 1982, Bill is now an aide to Congressman Burton, who is sympathetic to the AIDS epidemic and agrees to fight for more money for the CDC and NIH task forces studying it. Though happy about the change, Bill is sad about his relationship having now fallen apart. He decides to leave relationships behind for now and focus on his political work.

Gottlieb meanwhile is trying to get money from UCLA for his own research and study of AIDS but is stonewalled by the administration. After making many cuts to his proposal, he is told that he will get the money, eventually.

In Paris, France, several French doctors meet at the Pasteur Institute. The head of the group, Dr. Luc Montagnier (Amalric), says that he is now very interested in AIDS, since it has appeared in almost a dozen European countries as well, and his team will now try to find the virus itself. He and some other doctors think the virus different from what Gallo supposes and form a plan for locating it in victims.

Meanwhile, Selma has found that least one infant in San Francisco has acquired AIDS and the only possible method is through a blood transfusion. After checking the records of the blood bank that supplied the blood, she finds that thirteen donors had submitted blood that was transfused into the baby. One of them was afterwards diagnosed with AIDS and died some months later. Selma is aghast at confirming that AIDS is indeed in the national blood bank system. She meets with the local blood bank and helps them in going over their records to see which donors may have contaminated the blood supply. However her attempts to spread the word nationally are met with denial.

By December 1982, Gallo is getting frustrated with his attempts to find the virus causing AIDS. Though he has found trace enzymes which indicate a retrovirus was present, his lab is unable to locate it. Though Curran pushes him to keep working, Gallo decides that too much time is being taken up by a single disease, even if it could be linked to HTLV. He has his staff stick the AIDS samples into freezers and stop working on them for now.

Dugas has relocated to San Francisco full-time but is starting to experience animosity from people in the gay community who view him as responsible for many of their or their friends’ infections. A small group of people menace him and threaten to hurt him if he doesn’t leave the city. Meanwhile Bill learns that a very close friend of his has been diagnosed with AIDS and he starts to become fearful that he is infected as well.

When news of additional cases connected to blood banks arise, Don Francis tries to push the CDC leadership into acting to start screening the blood banks. The CDC holds a meeting with blood bank leaders to discuss the issue, and the blood bank heads are reluctant to do much for financial reasons. With little accomplished, Francis proclaims at the meeting that the blood banks are going to continue to kill people to save a few dollars. In New York, doctors finally diagnose the first woman to come down with AIDS via heterosexual behavior.

In January 1983, a French doctor working for Montagnier finds solid evidence that there is indeed a retrovirus as the root cause of AIDS, and it is not a variant of HTLV like Gallo’s people believed. Montagnier says they need to run many more tests to be sure and says they will have to send results to Gallo so he can work on them as well once testing is completed. However, a disaffected French scientist takes some samples with him and decides to give them to Gallo, who he feels is on the right track.

Bill is back in Washington D.C. working for Burton but is running into walls trying to push for more funding for AIDS research. A visit from his mother who is proud of his political achievements cheers him up, but he still fears that he will contract AIDS, if he doesn’t already have it.

As it turns out for Larry, Koch’s promise was too good to be true as little is done in New York City to spread awareness or create a program to deal with AIDS sufferers. Angry, Larry writes a scathing newspaper article attacking the apathy and denial within and without the gay community. Kramer reflects that he’s known over twenty people who’ve died so far from AIDS and is certain the number will get much higher. His article kicks up a local political firestorm and Mayor Koch is forced to quickly organize a city task force to help combat the problem. Socially, Larry becomes even more ostracized by people who are reluctant to moderate their lifestyle.

Larry’s article goes nationwide and it influences Conant in San Francisco to start thinking of ways to best contain the spread of AIDS to uninfected people. He and Selma met with a number of leaders of the San Francisco gay community to discuss public health strategies. An idea is floated to close the bathhouses but it is quickly booed down.

Dugas has fled San Francisco and moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he is outspoken in denying he has AIDS and says at local forums on the subject that there is no proof AIDS is spread through sexual contact. Eventually a close friend approaches him and tries to convince Dugas that if there is the slightest possibility it is sexually transmissible Dugas should become abstinent. Dugas says it would be unfair to give the disease to another person, but his friend isn’t sure Dugas means it.

Bill and Cleve are working together on a public awareness campaign when Bill, nervous, shows Cleve a spot on his leg and is fearful it is a lesion. Cleve assures him it is nothing, but confides in Bill that his own lymph nodes have been slightly swollen. The following day, Bill receives a call that Congressman Burton has suddenly died. Burton’s widow however is going to run in a special election to fill the seat and is a shoo-in victory, and she wants Bill to stay on to help her as an aide.

In Paris, Montagnier runs tests on samples provided by Gallo’s lab and concludes that the retrovirus his people found is definitely not HTLV and calls his virus RUB. He speaks with Gallo over the phone and says he is going to publish a paper about his potential discovery, Gallo, a bit perturbed at the Frenchman’s claims, persuades Montagnier to, for now, say RUB is from the same family as HTLV. Gallo, aware that the French may get to the discovery first, decides to restart his lab’s work on AIDS so that he can find the responsible retrovirus before anyone else. The samples his lab uses turn out to be the samples given to him in January by the French scientist. It is uncertain whether Gallo knew of this or if it was an accident.

Francis is now in Atlanta full time as the lab director for the CDC’s AIDS Task Force. Curran is a little annoyed that he has to share leadership duties with Francis, but resolves to work with Francis as much as possible. Francis and his family have a little trouble adjusting to the move but he appreciates not having to shuttle between Atlanta and Phoenix, which had stressed his marriage.

In New York City, Larry gets into arguments with Paul and other community leaders about the need to continuously press the city government to do more about the AIDS epidemic. The result is that Larry is forced out of his position in the community leadership, with Paul’s assent. Larry feels betrayed by Paul and tells him that the other leaders will be too timid to do anything and thousands in the city will die because of it.

We return to Gottlieb, whose research at UCLA has still gotten barely any money. After consulting with other researchers, he decides to bypass the university administration and ask for funding directly from the state legislature. He is warned that academia holds grudges and in the future he could get a backlash from the university.

In May 1983 a candlelight march is held in San Francisco to memorialize the local victims of AIDS so far. Cleve is present and is moved by the spectacle, but he also looks tired. He says to a friend that he feels like leaving the city behind for good. Bill meanwhile is getting exasperated since the AIDS discussion in the city is turning into a rabid political battle between groups vying for supremacy amongst the city liberals, with his political opponents labeling him a fascist for trying to curb risky behavior. Selma talks to city attorneys about the legal options for forcing bathhouse closures and learns that politically it is too unfeasible. She is outraged about people mixing politics with public health and saving lives.

In Paris, Montagnier is now convinced that the virus his people found is not linked to HTLV in any way, so he calls it LAV (lymphadenopathy-associated-virus). Most scientists at his institute want to defer any announcement until Gallo’s lab comes up with results. However after some further research Montagnier becomes confident enough to announce at a weekly meeting that he had indeed found a new retrovirus.

During this period of time a lot of false, hysterical rumors about how AIDS is transmitted run through the country, causing a lot of normal people to panic or shun others out of fear they could catch the disease. In one instance, a jury in San Francisco refuses to deliberate because they think one of the members has AIDS. Conant has to come in and convince the judge that AIDS can’t be spread by sitting in the same room as someone else. Conant later goes to Washington D.C. to attend a meeting at the Department of Health and Human Services. Conant tries to convince the government officials to work harder in combating the epidemic but gets vague promises. On the flight home, he talks to a colleague about feeling worn out over the past three years.

Curran is now the unofficial AIDS ambassador of the CDC to local doctors and gives talks about the need for focused local efforts. A reporter at one talk trails Curran and asks him about funding at the CDC. Curran says it is fine but when the reporter insinuates otherwise Curran gets irritable and nearly assaults the reporter before leaving.

Gottlieb is now in Naples, Italy, attending a European AIDS conference. He picks up some ideas on why most gay AIDS victims get KS as the primary infection whereas others get pneumonia or other diseases instead. He also meets with one of Montagnier’s subordinates and after a talk becomes convinced that the French team has in fact found the virus that causes AIDS. Gottlieb decides to set up a conference in Utah the next February to deal with the pure science of AIDS and invites the French doctor to come.

Francis has a meeting with Gallo and several other CDC doctors and beforehand is warned about Gallo’s legendary temper. The meeting starts off well but when one doctor mentions that he is conducting tests using antibodies provided by Gallo months ago, Gallo explodes in a rage about the doctor “going behind his back.” The meeting degenerates into Gallo berating the doctor profanely. Later, Francis drives Gallo to the Atlanta airport. Gallo is contrite over his behavior and Francis says they all just need to communicate better with one another.

In California the state legislature releases several million dollars of funds for AIDS research to university doctors, the success Gottlieb and other doctors wanted. However as Gottlieb and Conant soon learn, the university administrations still control the money and give out only a fraction, holding onto the rest as retribution for the doctors going behind the administration’s back. One friend of theirs is totally cut off from funding and is forced to resign to work in the private sector.

Larry is traveling in Europe when in Munich he visits the Dachau concentration camp and learns it opened in 1933, 6 years before WW2 began. Larry is stunned and realized that like with AIDS, the Holocaust started early because for years no one cared. Shaken, on a flight back to the U.S. with a friend he says that he is going to write a play that will make people finally care. When he gets home, he finds a letter about a memorial service for a recently-deceased friend. It is the 32nd person Larry knew who died from AIDS.

Gallo’s promise to behave better is soon broken. When a doctor from his lab transfers to the CDC to start another branch of retrovirus research Gallo gets enraged. When his attempts to stop the transfer fail he contacts Francis and Curran and tells them that his lab will not cooperate anymore with the CDC’s research. Francis and Curran discuss this and believe Gallo is going overboard based on his own work which they think is incorrect.

Montagnier is in Long Island, New York for a conference to present his team’s findings on LAV and is stunned by the amount of devotion given to promoting Gallo’s HTLV theory. Gallo is present and mocks Montagnier’s work, saying that it was sloppy and incorrect. Though most disbelieve his work, Montagnier hears from Francis that at the CDC there has been some independent corroboration of his work. Montagnier vents to his team about most American doctors treating Gallo as a god and supporting his theories, even though HTLV is not linked to AIDS at all.

Gallo agrees to receive some of Montagnier’s LAV samples and begins to work on them in conjunction with his HTLV research. Gallo is positive that AIDS is linked to a variant of HTLV he calls HTLV-III and berates any underling who suggests otherwise. He also spreads word that LAV was the result of contamination and American scientists shouldn’t trust the French results. He and his lab find some promising results in the HTLV-III tests.

Dugas is still in Vancouver, having had to quit his job as his health is finally beginning to fail in November, 1983. Though he says he should be proud for surviving so long, he admits he is ready for it all to be over. He decides to move home to Quebec City so he could be with family.

The lack of any consistent, focused effort by Congress or the executive branch to tackle AIDS is despairing Bill, who thinks that people are still focusing on the disease as a “gay problem,” even though many people have been infected in other social groups, and they’ll let people die because of that focus.

Francis goes to a global AIDS conference in Geneva, Switzerland and is stunned that delegates from the Soviet Union and its allies deny having AIDS cases and say they’ll never have any. When he returns to the CDC, he and Curran meet with another doctor who has done research on the incubation period. The doctor says he has calculated that the mean incubation period is 5.5 years, with some people taking as long as 11 years to start showing symptoms. Francis and Curran are both horrified, since it means the current cases, a few thousand in the US, are really just the tiny tip of the iceberg.

Conant, Selma, and Bill team up to try to persuade San Francisco’s Public Health Director to close down the bathhouses but the director is afraid the public backlash will be too much. Bill decides to go to a newspaper and leaks statistics about the massive health issues open bathhouses have caused. The resulting news article sends many local gay community leaders into a furor and they make it a civil liberties issue.

In February 1984 Gottlieb hosts his planned AIDS conference in Park City, Utah. Gallo and Montagnier are both present. First, Gallo talks to the conference about the HTLV family of viruses and implies he is near a discovery, but nothing more. He is therefore floored when Montagnier gets up and talks about conclusive links between LAV and AIDS. Gallo tries to pepper Montagnier with questions of doubt but the French doctor easily shrugs them off. The result is that the scientists leaving the conference say that the French had discovered the cause of AIDS a year ago.

Gallo, infuriated by being upstaged, returns to his work with a vengeance, growing even angrier when he hears the CDC has confirmed Montagnier’s work. A month after Montagnier’s announcement Gallo believes he has found HTLV-III conclusively and confides it to Curran. Gallo shares as little info as possible, telling his colleagues that he wants to make sure he gets the credit he thinks he deserves. Francis and Curran try to convince Gallo to be more open since cooperation is the best way to solve the problem. Gallo is reluctant to do so and grows more irritated and suspicious of Francis.

The bathhouse issue in San Francisco reaches even more of a uproar when some people try to make it a citywide referendum, one which would easily result in closure. Feeling overwhelmed by the political aspect, Selma decides it is time for her to retire. Bill and Cleve work together to convince the city supervisors to support closure, but Cleve is feeling unsure because of the political heat he is taking. Cleve, who has had skin rashes and a string of infections for months, decides to back out of the issue and not get involved. Bill fails to convince Cleve to come back and tells Cleve he’ll never forgive him for this desertion. The result of the half-hearted effort is that there is only a ban on high-risk activity within the bathhouses, which seems hard to enforce.

At the end of March, in Quebec City, Dugas is hospitalized. He seems like he is about to recover but then suddenly passes away in the night with no one around.

Francis tries to officiate negotiations between Gallo and Montagnier about a formal announcement, but is frustrated by Gallo’s behavior. Gallo tries to go behind Montagnier’s back to convince Francis of a joint-NCI/CDC announcement, but when Francis declines Gallo gets pissed. When Gallo subtly leaks news of his discovery to the media and it appears a story will run, Montagnier is enraged and threatens to kill Gallo if he does break the arrangement for a joint announcement. Francis and Curran try to persuade Gallo to not do that. The result is that when Gallo’s boss makes an official announcement, some credit is given to Montagnier’s team for their joint work, but the lion’s share of the credit goes to Gallo. Francis and Curran lament that the discovery of the virus has become a fight for fame, and Francis says that if Gallo had gotten interested sooner and stayed involved, he could have found the virus in 1982. The only bright spot is that Montagnier’s team is sending them a blood test to detect LAV in people’s blood.

Selma officially retires from her position and is honored by Conant and other doctors at a warm retirement dinner. Though she is praised as being one of the leading officials in trying to treat the AIDS epidemic, afterwards she talks with Conant and says that she just grew tired of watching the numbers climb higher with few people willing to do anything to stop it all.

At the end of May, a nervous doctor tells a patient that he is suffering from KS. The patient is famous 1950s film actor Rock Hudson. The doctor refers Hudson to Gottlieb, who realizes it was a matter of time before someone really famous came down with it.

The feud between Gallo and Francis grows deeper when Francis and Curran ask for samples of HTLV-III to test against their LAV test results. Gallo refuses to provide more than a tiny amount and continues to deny that HTLV-III and LAV are the same virus. Gallo has his superiors put pressure on the CDC to have them follow his lead and threatens Francis with academic exile. The constant feuding takes its toll on Francis and he starts to suffer from exhaustion and anxiety.

Cleve goes to a doctor with a shingles infection and is told that several other people with a similar infection have developed AIDS. Cleve then learns that one close friend from years ago is dead from AIDS and another has it and is dying. He starts to drown his fears in alcohol.

Later in the summer the Democratic National Convention is held in San Francisco. Bill gears up for a political battle. In the end he is successful in getting the most liberal gay rights platform adopted in American political history. Bill is overjoyed at the success, even if the chances of defeating Reagan in the actual election are slim.

Larry has finished writing his play and before it goes into production tries to reconcile with his friend Paul and other local community leaders, but Paul rebuffs him. Paul shortly afterward receives news from a doctor that blood he donated a couple years ago for a different study has been tested and he is positive for the virus causing AIDS. Larry meanwhile is given offers by producers to start production in early 1985.

Gottlieb meets with one of the doctors on Montagnier’s team. The doctor says that the Pasteur Institute has worked on an anti-viral drug that can reduce the AIDS virus in a person’s body. Gottlieb is thrilled but says there has to be strong FDA testing before the drug can go to market in the US. His attempts to get drug companies to start working on a similar drug are rebuffed since the companies see little money in it. Gottlieb also refers Hudson to a clinic in Paris using the Pasteur Institute’s drug.

Francis is running into marital and family problems due to his heavy workload and the strain it places on him personally. He and his wife argue somewhat and it bleeds over into his work, with him and Curran butting heads more frequently. The result is that Francis in talks with a superior says he is thinking about transferring to a new job to salvage his life.

In early October Bill goes to Conant to check on the results of a biopsy done on a spot on his thigh. Conant sadly confirms that it is KS, Bill likely has AIDS. Bill is devastated and attempts by Conant and friends of his to say that it isn’t an immediate death sentence with the hope of new discoveries does little to help. Later that night, Bill’s closest friends gather with him at his house and try to reminisce about the high points in their lives. Bill is still mournful because he was one of the first people to alter his behavior once the sickness first started appearing and it didn’t matter. Cleve soon hears about the diagnosis and wants to make amends with Bill, but is told by Bill’s friends that Bill won’t see him. Cleve is saddened by this, since he and Bill had been close working together on political issues and he turns to drink even more. Bill hears about the French anti-viral studies and gets hope that he could survive and thinks about going to Paris to enter the studies. Meanwhile, after enough delay, the Public Health Director closes the San Francisco bathhouses. Conant and Selma discuss this over a dinner and Selma, weary, says that closing them now is in the end like closing the barn door after the horse has left. Most of the people who would have gotten infected via bathhouses are already infected by now, they just don't know it yet.

Gottlieb travels to Paris and meets with Montagnier himself. We learn that the French drug in the short-term did clear up Rock Hudson’s system, but the former actor then left thinking he was cured, when all the drug does is delay AIDS’ onset. Gottlieb is impressed by Montagnier’s focus on the scientific issues, but Montagnier is still bitter over Gallo’s actions and says that if he knew that if saving people’s lives required being a politician and a salesman he probably would have found a different line of work. The two also talk about how AIDS has popped up on almost every continent and speculate that the actual presence in Africa, where reporting is unreliable, is likely far higher than anyone’s fears.

It is now January 1985. Cleve has fallen into depression and tries to talk with his mother about it. He gets some understanding, but decides he should leave San Francisco to relieve his stress. At about the same time, Bill leaves for Paris to enter into a trial for the Pasteur Institute’s anti-viral drug. He is optimistic about his chances.

Later that month, Conant’s advocacy over the years catches up with him when the university administrators tell him he should resign as the director of the San Francisco research facility. Conant knows that this is payback for getting direct legislative funding and for continually pushing for more treatment and research. Tired of the political battles and his smeared reputation, Conant agrees to resign.

Francis at the CDC pushes for a comprehensive research and treatment program that contrasts with Curran’s ultimate willingness to just do the best with the tools he is given. Gallo does some behind-the-scenes politicking to sink Francis’ proposal and Francis is told by CDC bosses to do as little as possible while appearing to do a lot. Francis is outraged and is told that if he doesn’t like it he can transfer to a new position in California. Francis decides to take the job opportunity, even though Curran tells him that it’s essentially exile so he can’t cause more “trouble.”

Gallo gloats about Francis being marginalized but it’s soon his turn to feel pressure when Montagnier presents evidence showing that not only are LAV and HTLV-III the same virus, they have only a 1% variation in their gene sequence. The journalists in attendance realize that this means the two viruses came from the exact same source and start to hurl questions asking if Gallo stole his sample from the French (and the viewers will remember that he did use a sample provided by a French doctor, though whether it is intentional is left ambiguous). Montagnier remains diplomatic, but privately gloats that Gallo will reap what he has sown.

We see Larry watching rehearsals of his play, called The Normal Heart, which is close to debuting. A few people who have gotten advance looks call it brilliant and Larry is proud, and hopes the play might accomplish what his activism couldn’t.

Bill receives visitors in France will he undergoes treatment. With his friend Sharon he travels to Lourdes, both being lapsed Catholics. During the visit to the cathedral there Bill experiences a spiritual reawakening, even though he still doesn’t believe in the rules of Christianity itself. Though his future is uncertain, he feels more at peace.

Conant is now working purely as a private practice doctor. His receptionist finally stops coming to work because of sickness and Conant, concerned, has him checked out and diagnoses the man with PCP. Though the man doesn’t want treatment, Conant persuades him to check into a hospital. One day Conant drops by the hospital ward to share some good news and finds instead that the man has just passed away and is in a body bag. Conant goes outside and after four years of working on the epidemic breaks down into tears for the first time.

An effective AIDS antibody test is developed though there is controversy about how widespread it should be used. However Francis and Curran are able to force the test onto the national blood banks so they can eliminate the potential for blood transfusion infections. However, Francis also tries to persuade people to have as widespread voluntary testing as possible and that people who are infected should only have sex with people who are also infected, and that people who are uninfected should only have sex with people known to be uninfected. Though he means it as pure medical common sense, many liberals take it the wrong way and proclaim him a Nazi trying to separate gays and AIDS victims into quarantined pools. Curran, who agrees with Francis, is given a chance by a reporter to back up his colleague, but instead says that Francis is only speaking for himself. Francis, feeling betrayed, talks to Curran about this and Curran says that Gallo is doing everything to make sure people think Francis is irrelevant to AIDS work. Curran doesn’t want Francis causing himself even more trouble, but Francis says he was born to work in the trenches, not be sidelined. He leaves disappointed in his colleague.

Larry’s play The Normal Heart debuts in April to almost unanimous praise from critics. When the first performance ends everyone in the audience stands for a prolonged applause. He invites Paul to a performance, trying to reconcile again, but Paul is still bitter and refuses to go. Paul meanwhile is diagnosed with KS. Larry feels like he is finally making the headway he’d hoped he could have made years earlier.

In May, Cleve is in Hawaii, thinking that if he were to come down with AIDS he wanted to die away from the place that caused him stress. However his health is normal, though his drinking is now out of control. Eventually he realizes that he can’t just bury himself in alcohol and decides to attend an AA meeting, hoping he can restore his life.

Bill meanwhile is getting lower in spirits since while the treatments worked at first, his KS lesions have returned and in larger numbers. When Sharon returns for another visit, they talk and Bill says he wants to return home, since if he dies he wants it to be around people he knows.

In July, Rock Hudson suffers a serious relapse in his health and is told by Gottlieb that he also has a form of lymphoma now. Hudson decides to try and return to Paris for more treatment, but collapses shortly after arriving there. News reports speculate that Hudson has AIDS, uncovering his history as a closeted gay man, and the hospital he is staying in in Paris wants him out. Eventually Hudson, tired, decides to return home to LA.

In Hawaii, Cleve is now sober but reluctant to return home, but the news of Hudson’s illness inspires him to return to San Francisco where he’ll continue the good fight and never give up again.

Once back in LA Hudson immediately goes to the UCLA hospital where Gottlieb asks him if he wants a statement put out. Hudson says he can, so Gottlieb has the hospital assemble a media announcement. There, he releases a statement that Rock Hudson is being treated for complications resulting from AIDS.

Two Years Later

Spring, 1987. Gottlieb is denied tenure yet again by UCLA, even though he is one of the leading AIDS clinicians in the world and got the university grant money. Gottlieb is told that he will never be forgiven for going behind the backs of university officials, and that he will never get tenure and other universities will be told not to hire him. Gottlieb sees no other option but to resign and start a private practice. One day he meets Conant for drinks and the two reminisce about their earlier discussion years ago about their future. While they weren’t blamed for not doing enough, in a way their troubles happened because they “cared too much.”

Cleve is organizing an upcoming protest in Washington D.C. to coincide with an AIDS conference to be held there. Though we learn he is in fact HIV-positive, Cleve is in good health due to taking new medication daily. He also is in good spirits and has the passion and fire of politics back in him once again. He and a few friends also think of an idea for a way to memorialize the victims, a quilt.

Larry’s friend Paul is finally near death from AIDS complications and request Larry come see him. Larry does so and the two finally reconcile, with Paul telling Larry to keep fighting the good cause. The experience, though sad, is ultimately affirming for Larry and he resolves to never back down from the right thing to do.

The Third International Conference on AIDS is held in Washington D.C. A dinner is held to honor international efforts to combat the AIDS pandemic. Gottlieb is one of the main figures at the dinner and he hands out two awards that honor Gallo and Montagnier as co-discoverers of the virus causing AIDS, now called HIV. After their awards are given the crowd applauds both men, who warily regard one another. Later, the two end up having a short chat where Gallo admits in private that Montagnier did find HIV first. Montagnier is a bit put off and says Gallo is only admitting it because now he officially has the glory he wanted. Montagnier says that history will tell who deserves it.

The following morning, Don Francis gives a presentation at the conference. Afterwards he is approached by a member of the World Health Organization. The member says that Francis’ reputation fighting diseases such as smallpox, Ebola, and AIDS is stellar and they want to hire him for a field position in Africa. Francis agrees, knowing this is a chance for him to make a difference once again.

That evening, a major protest is held in front of the White House, belittling the presidency’s slow and weak efforts over the years to fight AIDS. Cleve is one of the protest leaders and he helps lead the protest chants. A shot of Cleve leading the protest then dissolves into the shot from the film’s beginning of him looking at one of the quilts in the October 1987 AIDS Memorial Quilt display. We finally see the quilt he is looking at: It shows pictures of Bill Kraus.

The film flashbacks to the beginning of January 1986, with Bill finally having returned home from Paris, the anti-viral treatments no longer effective. Terribly ill, he is finally convinced by his friends to go to a hospital. Conant is there as his doctor and arranges for his medical care. Bill is at peace, but regrets that he could have done more even sooner. We see Cleve in a parked car outside the hospital, clearly thinking of going in. But in the end Cleve drives off instead, losing his nerve. That night Conant stays late at the hospital and decides to do a check on Bill, who has friends staying with him in 24-hour shifts. The current friend, who had been asleep, tries to wake Bill for Conant but to no success, so Conant checks Bill’s pulse and finds none. He is dead. Conant sighs and with a nod from the friend pulls the bedsheet over Bill’s body. The film holds a shot of Conant standing by the bed for several seconds before fading to black.

Before the credits roll we learn some information about some of the characters: Don Francis, after working on a possible HIV vaccine, co-founded in 2004 a global health initiative to research infectious diseases. Marcus Conant has continued to work with treating HIV and AIDS patients in California and was a lead plaintiff in a landmark medical marijuana case in 1996. Michael Gottlieb co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research and continues to work in private practice in the LA area. Larry Kramer continued his strenuous AIDS and gay rights activism, even after discovering in 1988 he was HIV-positive. He is still alive today and has been a finalist for a Pulitzer for his sequel play to The Normal Heart. Cleve Jones is also still alive today with HIV and continues working for gay rights in the United States. In 2008, Luc Montagnier was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work in discovering HIV. Robert Gallo was not recognized.

Edited by 4815162342
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SPARK

Date: June 10th, Y1

Theaters: 3,711

Genre: 2D Animation/Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure/Comedy/Romance

Cast: Andrew Garfield (Alex Spark), Bryce Dallas Howard (Zenta), Cillian Murphy (Lt. Zagtan), Kat Dennings (Samantha Green), Chris Pine (Dromian), Christohper Mintz-Plasse (Kap), Oscar Issac (Corg), Jenna Ushkowitz (Abigail Chen), Johnny Simmons (Sam Horwood)

Director: Nathan Greno & Byron Howard

Rating:PG for sci-fi action/violence including peril, language, and some sensuality

Runtime: 117min (1hr, 57min - includes 6min short)

Budget: $110,000,000

Composer: James Newtown Howard

Plot Summary: Coming Soon

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Paranoia

Date- April 15th 1

Genre: Horror

Rating- R- strong bloody horror violence, language, disturbing images, and terror

Theaters- 3,325 theaters

Budget- $35 million

Running Time- 110 minutes or 1 hour and 50 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- Frank Darabont

~Cast~

Peter Abe- Xavier Samuel

Cara Patnode- Shelley Hennig

Jessica Fell- Katie Cassidy

Chloe Sheldon- Shenae Grimes

Nick Marino- Kyle Gallner

Alex Finco- Thomas Dekker

Sarah Stonestreet- Ashley Greene

Sheriff Donald Patrick- Tim DeKay

Deputy Ashley Jacobson- Sophia Bu

Deputy Matt Hoefs- Matt Barr

Philip Niemiec- Peter Facinelli

Olivia Rouse- Courteney Cox

This film is based of the popular party game Mafia. http://en.wikipedia....fia_(party_game)

Plot:

The town of Wildwood, Illinous is getting ready to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary when mafia was driven out of the area and put down. However that night, we see two townspeople mysteriously and brutality murdered and robbed by a person in a black suit and mask. Sheriff Donald Patrick and Deputy Ashley Jacobson believe that a murderer is out there trying to strike fear in the town that the mafia has returned. They decide to call in two mafia experts Olivia Rouse and Philip Niemiec to see if this is the real mafia or a fraud.

Meanwhile local teens decide to follow the story themselves for a senior school project. They recruit the new deputy, Deputy Matt Hoefs who will let them enter the crime scenes and document them. The teens lead by school project leaders Nick Marino and Jessica Fell discuss the possibility of the return of the mafia to Wildwood. Chloe interrupts and states that Deputy Hoefs said that the police have called in mafia experts Olivia Rouse and Philip Niemiec. She says that the police believe that it is somebody trying to strike fear into the community. Cara Patnode says that she can’t believe that somebody would do such a thing. Peter says that there will be a witch-hunt to find out who the murderer is. Jessica says that the fun begins.

That night a person dressed in a black suit with a mask on attacks Deputy Jacobson on her patrol of the neighborhood. The person takes her body and places it in Philip’s car and then runs off. The next morning, Sheriff Patrick hears that Deputy Jacobson never returned from her patrol. He immediately calls Olivia and tells her to get Philip because the murderer struck again. They meet in the neighborhood were Deputy Jacobson was patrolling. They find bloodstains on the ground and soon find the police car bathed in blood. They follow the blood trail to Philip’s car and find the body. Philip is shocked and says he didn’t do it. Sheriff Patrick says he has to take Philip to the local jail until the case can be solved. Deputy Hoefs shares this new information with the senior project group. He tells them that the killer is trying to take down the police force first and pan the mafia experts for the crime. He says he doesn’t believe it is Philip though. He says it must be one of the townsfolk. Alex Finco says that they have to not only follow the story but also capture the killer. The other teens agree.

That night Cara invites Chloe, Sarah Stonestreet, and Jessica over for a sleep over. They talk about the kills. Jessica says it would be crazy if the killer attacked them. They decide to sit down and watch My Winter Retreat. The phone rings and Cara answers it. The voice on the other end tells her that he is watching them. He tells them that he is inside. Cara drops the phone is shock and tells the other girls that the killer is in the house. Sarah says that they have to escape. They hear a sound inside of the closet. Cara grabs a knife and walks toward it. She opens the closet and a cat leaps out scaring them. They laugh nervously. Suddenly the masked person leaps out and attacks Chloe and begins to stab her to death. Jessica screams and runs out of the house. Cara dashes at the killer but is knocked aside. Jessica runs outside and screams for help. We see Olivia walking down the street. She hears Jessica’s cries and runs to the house. She and Jessica run into the house and find the living room covered in blood. They see a dead Chloe laying on the broke glass table and see Cara lying on the ground stabbed in the shoulder but still alive. Sarah has disappeared. Suddenly the masked man appears. Olivia and Jessica race up the stairs and bar themselves in the bedroom. The killer pounds on the door trying to get in the room. Olivia tells Jessica to get under the bed. Jessica goes and hides. Olivia grabs a lamp and opens the door. The killer is gone. Olivia walks slowly out and she calls 911 and tells them to come to the house quickly. Suddenly the killer knocks Olivia down the stairs and rushes into the room where Jessica is. Olivia stands up and rushes up the stairs and tries to get in the bedroom. Inside of the room, Jessica lies on the ground hiding. She sees the killer’s feet by the bed. The killer suddenly turns and looks under the bed and grabs Jessica. Jessica screams and Olivia pounds on the room. The police arrive and burst into the room. The killer is gone. Cara is taken to the hospital just for the night though. Sheriff Patrick releases Philip from jail since he isn’t the killer. Olivia says that this isn’t the Mafia but a person trying to impersonate a Mafia attacker.

The next day is the celebration night party and Sheriff Patrick tells Deputy Hoefs, Olivia, and Philip that the killer will for sure strike at the party. He says that they killer is trying to make a visible statement to the town and strike fear in it. At the party, we see the senior project group at the party. We see a recovering Cara with them. They discuss the events of the night to themselves. They say that the killer knows about them and is trying to stop them from finding them. Peter says that he and Nick think the killer is actually one of them. The others look in shock. They immediately start accusing each other of being the killer. Nick says that he really thinks the killer is Deputy Hoefs. Jessica and Cara interrupt and say that Sarah disappeared when the killer attacked them last night. Alex says that he doubts Sarah did it. Sarah appears and asks him who did what. Alex tells her to never mind. The film moves to Philip at the party. He and Deputy Hoefs talk to each other as they walk down a not well-lighted part of the party. Suddenly the masked person appears and slits Philip’s throat. Philip falls to the ground drowning in his blood. Deputy Hoefs turns and begins to run from the masked person. The masked person traps Deputy Hoefs and stabs him over and over again in the stomach, bleeding him to death. The masked man disappears into the night.

The next morning, Deputy Hoefs and Philip’s bodies are discovered. Sheriff Patrick tells Olivia that they killer is coming for them next. He says that Olivia has to leave town. Meanwhile, Alex and Peter go to Sheriff Patrick and Olivia and tell them everything they know. They say that they believe the killer is one of the senior project students. They say they previously thought it was Deputy Hoefs but he is dead and so the only other person remaining is Sarah. That night Sheriff Patrick, Olivia, Alex, and Peter go to Sarah’s house to find out if she is the killer. They question her trying to get her to admit she is the killer. Suddenly Peter’s phone gets a text. It says that Sarah isn’t the killer and the killer is in the room. Everybody starts up and looks at each other. They all cautiously walk to the front door and open it. Sarah’s phone buzzes and she opens the text. The text says the attacker isn’t inside but out. Suddenly the masked person appears out of the shadows. The masked person pulls out a butcher knife and attacks Olivia. The attacker and Olivia wrestle on the ground. Sarah stands screaming in terror. Sheriff Patrick pulls out his gun but the attacker turns from attacking Olivia and attacks him knocking the gun away. Sheriff Patrick tells the injured Olivia to run. Olivia and Sarah flee. Alex and Peter try to get the attacker off of Sheriff Patrick. The attacker disembowels Sheriff Patrick and then turns on Peter and Alex. Peter and Alex run up the stairs and the attacker pursues them. Alex kicks the attacker down the stairs but the masked person gets up and chases after them. The attacker leaps on Peter and stabs him in the hand. Alex tells the attacker to f*** off and that this victim is his to kill. The attacker leaves. Peter looks at Alex in shock. Alex says he is one of the killers. Peter asks why? Alex says he wants to become famous for surviving the Wildwood Mafia Murder. Peter reaches over and grabs a small knife. He stabs Alex in the foot. Alex yells in pain and pulls the knife out and stabs Peter in the crotch. He then stabs Peter all over the body. He then takes the barely alive Peter and hurls him off the balcony onto the outside porch in front of the medics and Olivia, Sarah, Jessica, and Cara. Peter’s head falls on a stake and he is killed. The onlookers scream in horror. The police force rushes into the house but Alex is gone. Later that night, Olivia is taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries. Sarah and Jessica agree to stay at Jessica’s house and to have a police guard the house.

The next day is filled with confusion as authorities struggle to stop the kills. Everybody is accusing everyone in the town. That night we see three people in separate parts of the town and at different locations brutality murdered by the masked attacker. Sarah, Cara, and Jessica remain at the house and under police protection. They begin to talk about who the killer is. They question each other but then they say they haven’t seen Nick since the party. They all agree it is Nick. That evening, Nick rings the doorbell. Cara answers it and lets him in. Jessica nervously talks with Nick while Sarah asks why the hell Cara let Nick inside. Cara says it is all part of the plan. Sarah asks what plan. The camera moves outside we see the masked person attack the patrolling officer outside of the house. The masked person slices off the officer’s leg and then stabs him in the face. The film moves to Cara again. Cara grabs a large cutting knife and says that she is going to end this madness. Sarah says that they don’t have enough evidence to prove Nick is the killer. Cara says that they have enough proof. Cara runs into the room and stabs Nick. Jessica jumps up screaming. Sarah runs into the room. Cara slashes at Nick. Nick cries out that he isn’t the killer. Cara tells him to shut the f*** up. Cara stabs Nick in the heart killing him. Cara stands up covered in blood. Sarah and Jessica stand in utter shock. Sarah tells Cara she just killed an innocent person. Cara smiles and says that she is one of the killers. Sarah asks who the other is. Cara says it doesn’t matter because she always wanted to be noticed by people and she planned these murders on the anniversary, so she could become famous for surviving them. Jessica says that Cara is a sick bitch. Cara says that she is a bitch. Cara rushes at Jessica. Sarah grabs a lamp and strikes Cara. Cara falls over passed out. Suddenly the masked man burst into the house. He reveals himself to be Alex. He attacks Sarah and brutally murders her. Jessica runs out of the house in terror. Cara comes back to her senses. Alex says that Jessica got away. Cara shrieks in anger and strikes Alex with a piece of broken glass in the face. Alex falls back and says that they were in this together. Cara says that Alex did well but she must be the only survivor. Cara grabs her knife and stabs Alex between the eyes. Alex falls over dead. Cara turns and runs after Jessica. Cara who is athletically built quickly catches up to Jessica. Jessica runs as Cara chases her down. Finally Cara grabs Jessica by the hair. Jessica and Cara roll onto the grass. Cara stands over Jessica and stabs her in the shoulder. Jessica screams in pain. Cara raises her hand to stab again when Jessica rolls over and grabs a rock and strikes Cara with it. Cara drops her knife. Cara then smiles and says that Jessica can go ahead and stab her. She says that Jessica will then be panned as the murderer. Jessica drops the knife. Cara grabs the knife and says that she will then kill Jessica. Suddenly a shot rings out. Cara falls over shot through the head. Two policemen run over assist Jessica. The film ends with Jessica safe in the hospital recovering. Jessica begins to journal the events that have happened.

Edited by Hiccup
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The Neighbourhood

Date- November 11th 1

Genre- Cell-Shaded Animation/Musical (The animation is the same type as seen in Family Guy and American Dad)

Rating- R- irreverent and crude humor throughout, language, and objectionable content

Theaters- 3,656 theaters

Budget- 80 million

Running Time- 90 minutes or 1 hour and 30 minutes

Studio- Barbarian Animation Studios

Director- Seth MacFarlane

Actors and Actress- Zach Galifianakis- (Mason Griek), Tina Fey- (Kimberly Griek), Justin Long- (Joseph Griek), Demi Lovato- (Hannah Griek), Will Ferrell- (Tony Griek/Baby), Seth MacFarlane -(Thomas Griek/Elf), B.J. Novak- (Frank Swanson), Neil Patrick Harrison- (Cole Philips), Owen Wilson- (Casey Johnson), Amy Adams- (Rachel Johnson)

Songs Performed and Song to in Film

1. The Neighbourhood

2. Xmas Spirit

3. Christmas Time

4. Oh Holy Nightmare!

5. Blown Up in Your Face

6. Believe in You

7. Flying Through the Night

8. Joy to the Neighbourhood!

The film feature many situational humor, gags, and jokes. It also has several celebrity cameos including Oprah, Barack Obama, Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell, Adele, Lady Gaga, Jack Black, Justin Bieber, and Kim Kardashian

Plot: The film begins with the entire cast singing, “The Neighbourhood”.

Its Christmas time and the residents of the neighborhood are preparing for Christmas Day. We see the Griek family and the Johnson family going to Frank and Cole’s wedding which is a week before Christmas.

At the wedding reception, Tony spots a reindeer. He and Thomas follow it into a forest. They find an abandoned sleigh. Tony persuades Thomas to attach the reindeer to the sleigh and for them to climb in. After doing this, the reindeer takes off with Tony and Thomas. The soon find themselves at the North Pole. Tony is delighted that they are at the North Pole but Thomas is hesitant. After spending several days enjoying the North Pole and Santa’s workshop, they soon find that they elves aren’t busy making toys but making weapons. Thomas asks what is going on. They soon discover that Christmas is being put off because of a dispute between Jesus and Santa. Jesus is angry that Santa is becoming more popular over with people than Jesus. Tony and Thomas soon discover that they have to save Christmas. After vainly pleading for Jesus and Santa to unite to save the holiday and since it is almost Christmas Eve, Tony and Thomas decide that they will have to become Santa and deliver the presents. They sent out into Christmas Eve night. After they have several hilarious incidents at houses when they try to deliver the gifts. Giving up they fly back to the North Pole and finally tell everyone that Christmas is dead and Santa and Jesus will disappear from peoples’ minds if Christmas can’t be saved. Santa and Jesus come to an agreement that Jesus has Christmas Eve and Easter and Santa has Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day. Jesus prolongs Christmas Eve night so Santa can deliver all the gifts on time. Thomas and Tony go with Santa to deliver the gifts. Upon returning home, they find it in ruins and Santa has some elves quickly fix it up. The next morning, they wake up at home and go downstairs and open the gifts with the family. They have saved Christmas.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood prepares for Christmas. Everyone is cheerful and happy. Kimberly tries to do everything to make this Christmas special and the best Christmas ever. She works intensely to make it a very special day. After several comical accidents, everything blows up in her face and she becomes angry when she sees that her family is not having a great Christmas Eve and that the rest of the neighborhood is have the best Christmas Eve ever. She goes on a rampage through the house, neighborhood, and town while Mason, Casey, Rachel, Frank, and Cole desperately tries to stop her from destroying the entire town. She climbs to the top of the town’s giant Christmas tree in a parody of King Kong. The police come and after a battle shoot her with a tranquilizer dart. Kimberly falls to the ground and hits her head, which causes her to regain her sanity. They all go to Frank and Cole’s place, which managed to avoid getting ruined. There they have a wonderful dinner and play games. They have several funny experiences. After a late night, they all go home. The next morning, they wake up at home and go downstairs and open the gifts with the family. Christmas turns out to be great after all and the house is mysteriously fixed.

The entire neighborhood residents come on the screen on a stage. They perform dialogue on what the true meaning of Christmas and about the birth of Jesus. They then wish everyone a Merry Christmas and perform “Joy to the Neighbourhood”. The screen goes black.

Edited by Roger the Alien
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The Dark Victorian

Date- June 24th 1

Genre- Horror/Romance

Rating- R- violence, scary images, strong sexual content, nudity, and brief language

Theaters- 3,435 theaters

Budget- 40 million

Running Time- 123 minutes or 2 hours and 3 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- Tim Burton

Cast:

Davis- Johnny Depp

Victoria- Helena Bonham Carter

Patrick- Michael Fassbender

Elena -Mia Wasikowska

Plot: This gothic romantic horror film takes place in London, 1888. The film is centered on a wealthy and powerful duchess, Victoria who is a witch. She has a maidservant Elena who is a ghost. Victoria is a haughty and determined woman. She is not afraid to use her magic to turn political events in her favor. She often loves to taunt the powerful and famous Queen Victoria. She is unafraid of anything and is one of the only women in England who has her full rights. She is seen as an icon for Women’s Suffrage. One thing that she does love is going on eloquent and lengthy trips to America. On one of her trips, she meets a dashing criminal Davis who is trying to rob a bar in New York City. Capture by his bravery, charm, and wit, she invites him to dance with her and come back to her hotel to stay for the night. After a romantic and sexy night, Davis is about to leave in the morning when he sees Elena. Elena and Victoria are shocked to discover that Davis can she Elena since only supernatural beings can see ghosts. Davis forces the stunned Victoria to spill her secret. Victoria in revenge for her humiliation castes a spell that forces Davis to stay with her. Davis is slightly angered about this but then soon grows to like it when he finds out he can live in style and pomp. When they reach London again, Victoria runs into a childhood friend Patrick. She discovers that Patrick has become a vampire. The run off for the evening and have sex in a graveyard. Davis who has begun to fall in love with Victoria asks Elena way Victoria would cheat on him and run off with a vampire. Elena shares Victoria’s one weakness: she constantly falls for handsome and charming men. Elena tells Davis to get over it because Victoria will not come back. She says that Victoria will cheat on Patrick sooner or later. However when Victoria comes home she announces that next week she and Patrick will be married. Meanwhile, Davis who is not willing to loose Victoria goes on a hunt into Patrick’s past. He discovers that Patrick since he became a vampire dates and marries wealthy woman but then kills them on their honeymoon. Davis says he must stop Patrick. He goes and manages to convince Elena to help him. The next week at the massive gothic wedding, Patrick and Victoria are married. Davis and Elena plan to destroy Patrick at the ball later in the night. At the ball, Davis tells the guest that he is so sorry to have to make the ball violent but that it has to be done. Davis attacks Patrick and the two battle. Davis is almost killed by Patrick when Elena comes and helps him. Patrick escapes and attacks the surprised Victoria. Davis manages to stab Patrick in the heart with a wooden stake, killing him. The guest cheer at the death of the vampire. Davis and Victoria embrace each other and kiss. Later that night, Davis reveals to Victoria he was bitten by Patrick so he has become a vampire. Victoria tells him that she still loves him and tells him that they should go back to Chicago to lives. The next day Davis, Victoria, and Elena leave for Chicago. The film is filled with sex, horror, and some comedy.

The Adventures (3D)

Date- March 25th 1

Genre- CGI Animation (Performance Captured Animation like Mars Needs Mom, Tintin, and A Christmas Carol.)

Rating- PG- adventure, peril, and frightening images

Theaters- 3,783 theaters

Budget- 130 million

Running Time- 113 minutes or 1 hour and 53 minutes

Studio- Barbarian Animation Studios

Director- Robert Zemeckis

Voice Cast:

Jimmy- Mitchel Musso

Paul- Sam Lerner

Alice- Miley Cyrus

Plot: We see 15-year-old Jimmy in his writing class he complains that writing is so boring it is. His teacher tells the class to come back and write a fantasy story for the next assignment. Jimmy meet sup with his friend, Paul who loves school. Paul helps Jimmy write a fantasy story about how the Statue of Liberty was magical guardian of New York City, who protected the humans against dragons, but the statue was eventually destroyed in great battle. The next day after they turn in the essay, Jimmy and Paul look across New York skyline. Statue of Liberty is gone! They discover that whatever Jimmy writes actually happens. They decide to write more stories about fantastic and amazing things. However the stories begin to grow out of control and the creatures that they created begin to terrorize the city. They discover that Jimmy belongs to a secret and magical group of people called, Writers who can create things out of writing. To destroy the creatures and things, which the Writer creates, the Writer must destroy every single story by burning them. Jimmy and Paul race through New York City trying to find all the stories. They manage to destroy them just in time, saving the city from destruction. During the film, Jimmy begins to fall in love with Alice who is the high school captain of the cheerleader squad. In the end they get together.

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Tarsem Singh’s Cinderella

Date- April 29th 1

Genre- Fantasy/Romance

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- 3,867 theaters

Budget- 90 million

Running Time- 125 minutes or 2 hours and 5 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- Tarsem Singh

Cinderella- Emma Watson

Prince Charming- Kellan Lutz

Fairy Godmother- Julie Walters

Delilah- Angelina Jolie

Pandora- Jessica Biel

Linda- Jessica Alba

Gemma- Keira Knightley

Plot: Cinderella is a young girl who lives with her stepmother, Delilah and stepsisters, Pandora, Linda, and Gemma. They treat her like a slave and use her as the housemaid. Cinderella thinks she's all alone in the world, but doesn't know a fairy godmother is constantly helping her. One day, she is collecting wood from the forest and meets Prince Charming. They immediately fall in love with each other, but lose contact. Soon, a ball is arranged by the prince to look for his future wife. The stepsisters think they make a great chance in being chosen by the prince. Cinderella wants to go as well, but isn't allowed to by Delilah.

The stepsisters go to a fortuneteller, who announces the prince will choose a member of the family. The sisters are delighted and think it will be one of the two of them. When they leave for the ball, Cinderella is left behind. The fairy godmother appears and asks if she wants to go to the ball as well. When Cinderella responds positively, the fairy godmother orders her to bring her the biggest pumpkin she can find. Cinderella does so and the fairy godmother changes it into a luxurious stagecoach. She next asks for the smallest mice she can find. Cinderella brings her some mice from the house and the fairy godmother changes them into horses.

The fairy godmother next orders her to bring her the biggest rats there are. After Cinderella collected them, the fairy godmother changes them into servants. She finally changes Cinderella's poor maiden costume into an expensive dress. She reminds Cinderella she will have to be back at home before the clock strikes midnight. Otherwise, her fine dress will turn into rags and the coach and servants will become what they were before.

As Cinderella arrives at the party, Prince Charming is already busy looking for his future wife. It is soon announced an unknown girl has arrived in a coach. Prince Charming immediately chooses her and they go to a private place where they learn to know each other. As they flirt and begin to make out, Cinderella notices it is almost twelve o'clock and storms out. She loses her glass slipper, before she turns into her self again.

The next day, the royal heralds announce the Prince's wish to marry the girl whose foot fits the lost glass slipper. The sisters go to the palace to try fitting their feet into the slippers, while Cinderella is again forced to stay home. It becomes clear the royal heralds every woman of the town has tried but failed to wear the slippers, except for Cinderella. Prince Charming immediately goes to visit her and is shocked when he finds out she is a poor maid. He doesn't turn his back against her, though, and he invites her to try on the slipper. When she does, she is announced as the future princess. The royal heralds give her the opportunity to behead her sisters, but she refuses to. Cinderella and Prince Charming live happily ever after.

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Mars Trilogy: Red Mars

(3D and IMAX)

Date- Wednesday, December 21st 1

Genre- Sci-Fi Adventure

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- 3,993 theaters

Budget- 200 million

Running Time- 162 minutes or 2 hours and 42 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- Bryan Singer

Plot: Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars aboard the Ares, the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever, built, interestingly, from space shuttle external fuel tanks which, instead of incinerating in the atmosphere, have been boosted into orbit until enough had been amassed to build a ship and home to a crew who are to be the first hundred Martian colonists. The mission is a joint Russian-American undertaking, and the First Hundred are mostly drawn from these countries. The film details the trip out, construction of the first settlement on Mars eventually called Underhill by Nadya Chernyshevski, debates among the colonists regarding both the terraforming of the planet and its future relationship to Earth. The two extreme views on terraforming are personified by Saxifrage "Sax" Russell, who believes their very presence on the planet means some level of terraforming has already begun; and Ann Clayborne, who stakes out the position that humankind does not have the right to change entire planets at their will. Russell's view is initially purely scientific but in time comes to blend with the views of Hiroko Ai, the chief of the Agricultural Team who assembles a new belief system (the "Areophany") devoted to the appreciation and furthering of life ("veriditas"); these views are collectively known as the "green" position, while Ann's naturalist stance comes to be known as "Red." The actual decision is left to the United Nations Organization Mars Authority (UNOMA), which greenlights terraforming, and a series of actions get underway, including the drilling of "moholes" to release subsurface heat; thickening of the atmosphere according to a complicated formula that comes to be known as the "Russell cocktail" after Sax; and the detonation of nuclear explosions deep in the permafrost. Additional steps are taken to connect Mars more closely with Earth, including the insertion of a geosynchronous asteriod "Clarke" to which a space elavator cable is tethered. Against the backdrop of this development is another debate, one whose principal instigator is Arkady Bogdanov of the Russian contingent. Arkady argues that Mars need not and should not be subject to Earth traditions, limitations, or authority. He is to some extent joined in this position by John Boone, famous as the "First Man on Mars" from a preceding expedition and rival to Frank Chalmers, the technical leader of the American contingent. Their rivalry is further exacerbated by competing romantic interest in Maya Toitovna, the leader of the Russian contingent. (In the opening of the book, Frank instigates a sequence of events that leads to John being killed; much of what follows is a retrospective examination of what got things to that point. Earth meanwhile increasingly falls under the control of TransNats that come to dominate its governments, particularly smaller nations adopted as "flags of convenience." As UNOMA's power erodes, the Mars treaty is renegotiated in a move led by Frank Chalmers; the outcome is impressive but proves short-lived as the nations of Earth clash over limited resources, expanding debt, and population growth as well as restrictions on access to a new longevity treatment developed by Martian science -- one that holds the promise of lifespans into the hundreds of years. In 2061, with John Boone dead and exploding immigration threatening the fabric of Martian society, Arkady launches a revolution against what many now view as occupying TransNat troops operating only loosely under an UNOMA rubber-stamp approval. Initially successful, the revolution proves infeasible on the basis of both a greater-than-expected willingness of the Earth troops to use violence and the extreme vulnerability of life on a planet without a habitable atmosphere. A series of exchanges sees the cutting of the space elevator, bombardment of several Martian cities including the city where Arkady is himself organizing the rebellion; he is killed, the destruction of Phobos and its military complex, and the unleashing of great flood of torrential groundwater freed by nuclear means. By the end, most of the First Hundred are dead, and virtually all who remain have fled to a refuge established years earlier by Hiroko and her followers. The revolution dies and life on Mars returns to a sense of stability under heavy TransNat control. War breaks out on Earth but cease-fire arrangements are reached when the TransNats flee to the safety of the developed nations, which use their huge armies to restore order. But a new generation of humans born on Mars holds the promise of change. In the meantime, the remaining First Hundred -- including Sax, Ann, and Nadya -- settle into life in Zygote, hidden under the South Polar ice.

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Beast of Bray Road

Date- {Limited January 7th 1} {Wide February 25th 1}

Genre- Horror/Found Footage

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- January 7th- 51 theaters, January 14th- 106 theaters, January 28th- 218 theaters, February 4th- 287 theaters, February 11th- 409 theaters, February 25th- 697 theaters, March 4th- 1,533 theaters, March 18th- 2,225 theaters, March 25th- 2,714 theaters

Budget- 4 million

Running Time- 102 minutes or 1 hour and 42 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- David Stramm

(Handheld Camera Look to the film)

Plot: A group of crypto zoologists head out to Bray Road in Elkhorn, Wisconsin to discover if the legendary werewolf like creature exists. After several nights out in the forest they become hunted and trapped by the creature. The hunters become the hunted. Over the next few nights one by one they are killed off. Two of the scientists manage to escape and seek refuge in a barn. The beast angered that it can’t get in heads off to the city and rampages the entire town killing anybody it crosses. The scientists follow the monster. Once morning comes the beast still stays in the town attacking locals and travelers. The police have a stand off with the beast and eventually kill it. The film ends with the scientists driving down a road to leave Elkhorn. They hear a howl in the distance. There is more than just one beast.

Edited by Hiccup
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Hills Abduction

Date- January 21st 1

Genre- Sci-Fi Thriller/Mockumentary

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- 3,154 theaters

Budget- 15 million

Running Time- 100 minutes or 1 hour and 40 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- David R. Ellis

Plot: (The film tells the story of the Barney and Betty Abduction. The film shows the nightmares and psychiatrist sessions in flashbacks. We do actually see the aliens on the ship testing Barney and Betty.)

The Hills were an interracial couple. Barney, a 39 year-old black man, worked for the postal service, and Betty, a 41 year-old white woman, was a supervisor for the child welfare department. Because of Barney's ulcer problems, the two had embarked on a vacation into Canada. On September 19, they began their journey back home. At about 10:00 PM, Barney, who was driving, saw a star, which seemed to move erratically. He told Betty about it, and they both kept tabs on it as they drove along. They were just north of North Woodstock, when Barney noticed that the star was moving in a very unusual manner. When they arrived at Indian Head, they stopped their car, and got out to have a better look. Using binoculars, Barney zoomed in what he thought was a star. This was no star! He could make out different colors of lights and see several rows of windows around a flying craft. The object moved closer, and now Barney could actually see people inside the ship. The next thing the Hills recalled was being frightened by the unusual flying object, and the occupants inside of it. Barney scurried back to the car where Betty was waiting. They jumped into the car, and raced down the highway. Looking for the object, they found that it was now gone. As they drove on, they began to hear a beeping sound... once, then again. Although they had been driving only a couple of minutes, they were 35 miles down the road. Betty and Barney finally arrived home safely. After seeing the UFO, the rest of their trip home had been uneventful. They were tired from their journey, and immediately went to bed. When Betty awoke the next day, she telephoned Janet, her sister, and told her about the strange object they had seen. Janet urged her to call Pease Air Force Base, and tell them what her and Barney had seen. After hearing Betty's report, Major Paul W. Henderson, told her: "The UFO was also confirmed by our radar." At least the Hills were not seeing things, and they were trying to put the incident behind them. But soon Betty began to have nightmares. In her dreams she would see her and her husband being physically forced into some type of craft. Before long, two writers heard about the Hill's story, and contacted them. The Hills, with the aid of the writers, compiled a time chart of the events of September 19. There could be no doubt that the couple had lost about two hours of time somewhere along the way. As news of the UFO sighting became more commonplace, the Hills were forced to hide from reporters as much as possible. Because of the missing time element, and the desire to know what, if anything, had happened during that time, they decided to contact a psychiatrist. They decided on Boston psychiatrist and neurologist, Dr. Benjamin Simon, well known in his field. He would come to play an important role in the Hill abduction story. His suggestion for treatment was regressive hypnosis, which would hopefully unlock the memories of the two missing hours of time. His sessions began with Betty, and soon Barney followed. After six months of treatment, it was Simon's opinion that the Hills had been abducted and taken aboard an unknown craft. Regressive hypnosis, a controversial treatment, is often used to unlock lost memories. It has been used in a number of other alien abduction cases, including The Buff Ledge Abductions and The Allagash Abductions. Some of the memories that were uncovered from the Hills included that their automobile had stalled on the road. The UFO had landed in the middle of the road, and alien beings came to their car, carrying both Betty and Barney to the UFO. They were subjected to various medical and scientific tests. Before the aliens released them, they were hypnotized and ordered to keep their capture a secret. During the intensive regression sessions, the Hills would describe their captors as "... bald-headed alien beings, about five foot tall, with greyish skin, pear shaped heads and slanting cat-like eyes." This description very much described what would become known as the "greys," now a standard description for the small beings with large heads, small mouths, and little or no ears, and hairless. Also details were released about the actual procedures performed on the Hills. Both physical and mental experiments were conducted. Samples were taken of their skin, hair, and nails. Betty had gynecological testing, and Barney reluctantly revealed that sperm samples were taken from him. The film ends with the narrator questioning the existence of aliens and saying that they facts support it.

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Sitting Ducks

Date- June 10th 1

Genre- CGI Animation

Rating- G

Theaters- 3,826 theaters

Budget- 95 million

Running Time- 91 minutes or 1 hour and 31 minutes

Studio- Barbarian Animation Studios

Director- Andrew Stanton

Actors and Actress-

Bill (voice)- Patton Oswalt

Aldo (voice)- Bruce Willis

Ed (voice)- Jerry Seinfeld

Waddle (voice)- Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Oly (voice)- Will Ferrell

Bev (voice)- Sandra Bullock

Cecil (voice)- Michael Caine

Plot: The movie begins with a duck running in the street at night. He pants as he runs terrified. Suddenly he falls down and sees a massive gator shadow on the building. The ducks screams in terror. Suddenly on the screen appears TO BE CONTINUED. It turns out to be a TV show. Bev the owner of the Decoy Café says that show is completely lame and what duck in their right mind would go out in the middle of the night. Three brothers named Ed, Oly, and Waddle says that they hate the show because every week it says TO BE CONTINUED. Suddenly on the TV an exciting advertisement of the next episode appears and Ed says that they could give the show any other chance. Bev says that the sun is beginning to set and she should close up the café. She then tells the brothers that gators lurk the streets of Ducktown at night when the sunsets. The brothers look nervous. Bev asks if they are scared. Ed and Oly deny it. They say that they have to go wash their feather. Oly says that they have so many feathers to wash in so little time. Ed and Oly leave. Waddle finishes his milkshake and asks for another. Oly runs back into the café and grabs Waddle and leaves. The three brothers run out of the café. Bev tells Bill a duck quietly sitting reading a book that there are rumors that a gator is running around the east side of Ducktown. Bill ignores the rumors saying that they are on the west side. Bill gets up to leave. Bev tells Bill to be careful. Bill tells Bev not to worry and leaves. Bill walks in the dark to his home. He hears strange noises but continues to walk home. He tells himself that gators don’t ever enter Ducktown. He hears a very strange squeaking noise. He stops slightly scared. He then sees a duck walking with a parrot in a cage that is squeaking. Bill laughs to himself and turns to walk across the street but hears a growling behind him. He turns and sees a gator. He screams in terror and runs. Bill runs through the streets of Ducktown screaming for help. He runs up to the Decoy Café but the doors are locked. Inside we see Bev vacuuming while listening to an Ipod. Bill pounds on the door but Bev can’t hear him. The gator closes in and Bill is forced to run. He runs past if apartment building. We see Waddle sleeping inside the apartment in his room. Waddle wakes up to Bill’s screams and walks over to the window. He sees Bill running past. He tells himself that they must be filming the new episode for the TV show. Bill continues to run through the streets until he reaches an alley but finds out that the alley is a dead end alley. Bill stands in terror as the angry gator approaches. Bill says that it is a dream. He shouts, “To be continued! To be continued!” The gator dives for Bill but Bill leaps over the gator and the gator falls in pain. Bill quickly runs out of the alley. As Bill leaves he hears the gator crying in pain. Bill in an act of sympathy asks if the gator is all right. The gator tells him to go away. Bill turns and then turns back angrily and tells the gator that it is rude to eat ducks. The gator says he gets urges and he can’t stop them. Bill says that he will not go so easy on the gator next time. The gator Bill laughs hysterically and Bill soon laughs too. Suddenly they stop laughing and the gator says he has a horrible toothache. He asks Bill if he can help him. Bill pauses for a few minutes and then says that he knows somebody who can help the gator. Bill takes the gator to Cecil the doctor. Bill rings the doorbell and Cecil answers. Bill says that a friend needs help. Cecil says it is late. Bill says it is an emergency. Cecil complies. Bill tells the gator it is all right and the gator appears. Cecil freezes and quickly tells the gator to come inside. When they enter the house, Cecil’s wife freaks out. She runs and locks herself in her bedroom. We see Cecil, Bill, and gator goes into the patient room. Cecil’s wife who is shaking frantically while drinking a glass of tea, opens the door and tells Cecil to rip the gators teeth all out. She then slams the door. Cecil says that he has never worked on really teeth before because ducks don’t have teeth. Cecil then says he will take a peek and he climbs inside of the gators mouth. Cecil after awhile says that it is getting toasty in there. The gators belly rumbles. Bill asks the gator if he is getting an urge. The gator nods. Bill says this is not going to be good. Cecil unaware what is going on says that he thinks he is getting a little to plump. The gator’s belly grumbles harder. Cecil’s wife burst through the door. The gator clamps down and Cecil’s wife goes nuts. Bill tries to open the gators mouth and tells him to let Cecil out. The gator spits Cecil out and when he does his tooth comes out. Cecil says that he thinks he has gotten the tooth out. The gator says that he feels much better. The next morning Bill and the gator named Aldo sit and skip rocks at the lake. Aldo promises never to eat any ducks again. Bill and Aldo decide to become friends. Aldo says that he will visit Bill in Ducktown. Bill asks Aldo to eat before he leaves. They laugh. Bill says that Aldo will have to meet his friends. Aldo agrees. When Aldo enters Ducktown the next day, Aldo is wearing a duck mask to hide his gator face. The ducks are not aware that he is a gator. Aldo walks up to Ed, Oly, and Waddle as the sit basking in the sun. He asks them if they know where Bill lives. Oly tells Aldo where Bill lives and Aldo says thanks and walks away. When Aldo walks away, Ed tells the others that that was one very ugly duck. They laugh. Aldo knocks on Bill’s door. We see Bill open it. Bill is surprised when Aldo says it is him, Aldo. Aldo says that his teeth feel good as new. Bill laughs cautiously and runs toward the open window. Aldo spots Bill’s set of bongos. Aldo says that he loves to play the bongos. Bill says he to likes playing the bongos. Bill and Aldo sit on the couch and play. Suddenly the three brothers burst into the room. Waddle tells Bill that a big ugly duck was looking for him. Oly is about to say something when they all see Aldo without the mask on sitting holding the mask. They all gasp. Waddle screams GATOR!!! They run around the room in a mad frenzy. Ed and Oly run out of Bill’s apartment room and slam the door. The terrorized Waddle runs face first into it. The door opens and Ed grabs Waddle. Bill and Aldo looks at each other and then get up and work toward the door. They open the door and Bill introduces Aldo. Ed says that a gator is no friend. Bill says that Aldo is different and has promised to never eat a duck again. Aldo winks at Bill and says that he doesn’t remember saying that. Waddle in terror screams drool! We see Aldo drooling. Aldo says it is a natural gator reflex. He does say that Waddle is plump though. Bill says that they all should go to a movie together. The three brothers agree. At the movie Aldo is to focused into the movie and misses the popcorn basket and accidently grabs Waddle. After spitting Waddle out, Bill says that a movie in not a good idea. We see the three brothers basking in the sun and Aldo and Bill sitting and fishing. Ed says that he doesn’t like Bill hanging out with a gator. Oly says he has a plan. Later in the day after Aldo leaves we see Bill at the Decoy Café. Bev asks him were his new friend is from. Bill says Swamp wood. Bev says that she doesn’t know any ducks from the gator city of Swamp wood. Bill says that Aldo is a gator. Bev stands in shock. Suddenly Ed and Oly run into the café. They say that Aldo has eaten Waddle. Oly says that Waddle was killing in his prime for duckhood. Oly says they have evidence. He holds a feather. Suddenly Aldo walks into the café without his mask. He says that Ducktown ahs the strangest weather. It is raining feathers. The rest of the ducks scream and run out of the café. Bill asks if Aldo ate Waddle. Aldo says no. Ed asks if Bill believes him and Oly or the gator Aldo? Bill says he believes Aldo 100%. Ed and Oly hold up the feather. Bill says maybe only 75%. Aldo tells Bill that he doesn’t need to believe him because he is just a gator. Aldo leaves. Ed and Oly cry over the feather melodramatically. Bill grabs the feather and says it doesn’t look like a duck feather but a chicken feather. Ed grabs the feather and says that they didn’t know their brother was a chicken. Oly says that the world is a cruel place. Bill tells Aldo that they are going to get to the bottom of this. The walk outside the café and it is raining feathers. They suddenly hear a chicken cackling on the roof. On top of the roof, we see Waddle trying to silence the chicken. Bill asks what Waddle is doing. Aldo grabs the shaking Waddle. Down at the café, Bill tells the rest of the ducks that it was Ed and Oly’s plan to get rid of Aldo. Bill tells Bev to whip up two milkshakes with tadpole sprinkles on top. Bev smiles and says coming right up. Ed, Oly, and Waddle join them. They happily eat drink their milkshakes. The camera zooms out of the Decoy Café.

Edited by Hiccup
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Bartimaeus and the Amulet of Samarkand

Date- November 4th 1

Genre- Fantasy/Family

Rating- PG- for some sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images

Theaters- 3,858 theaters

Budget- 125 million

Running Time- 148 minutes or 2 hours and 28 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- David Yates

Actors and Actress-

Nathaniel- Colin Morgan

Young Nathaniel- Max Records

Bartimaeus- Spencer Treat Clark

Simon Lovelace- Ben Barnes

Arthur Underwood- Bruce Spence

Martha Underwood- Helena Mirren

Farquarl- Adam Brody

Jabor- Alec Hopkins

Jessica Whitwall- Helena Bonham Carter

Rupert Devereaux- Gary Oldman

Simpkin (voice) - Skandar Keynes

Plot:

The film opens with a view of a beautiful mansion’s gardens. We that it is a picnic, two men sitting in chairs talk to each other. The elder man identified as Mr. Arthur Underwood address the young man identified as Simon Lovelace. Mr. Underwood says to Lovelace that his apprentice Nathaniel has an acute ability with magic and should one day be a powerful magician. Lovelace smiles and asks Mr. Underwood to show him this boy. Mr. Underwood calls Nathaniel. We see a young boy run up to Mr. Underwood. Mr. Underwood tells Nathaniel that this is Simon Lovelace. Lovelace looks keenly at the boy and says that he sees nothing special about Nathaniel. Nathaniel narrows his eyes and bluntly tells Lovelace that he is better than Lovelace at magic. Lovelace smiles and pats Nathaniel on the head. Nathaniel caste a spell and it hurls Lovelace several feet back. Lovelace gets up. Mr. Underwood tells Nathaniel to calm down. Nathaniel caste the Inferno spell and a ball of fire flies at Lovelace however Lovelace quickly and coolly caste a spell that blocks the spell caste by Nathaniel. Lovelace then caste a spell that hurls Nathaniel across the garden. Lovelace stands over Nathaniel and raises his hand to caste a spell on Nathaniel but Mrs. Underwood tells Lovelace that she will have no violence in her gardens. Lovelace frowns at her. Mrs. Underwood says that he and she both know she can easily defeat him. Lovelace glares at Nathaniel and tells him that he (Nathaniel) is weak and a low level magician. Mrs. Underwood tells Lovelace to leave the little boy alone. Lovelace grabs his hat and says that he will be leaving. Mrs. Underwood helps Nathaniel up and tells him that she thinks he will be the greatest magician the world has ever known. Nathaniel smiles and walks with Mrs. Underwood inside.

7 Years Later

We see Nathaniel sitting reading book about spells and magic in Mr. Underwood’s library. He looks up and he says that it is almost time of the downfall of Lovelace. He says that Lovelace must pay for not saying he was a great magician. He gets up and says that all he needs is something that is important to Lovelace. That night we see him outside of Lovelace’s gothic styled mansion. The sky is starless and rainy. Nathaniel peers into the window and sees a man standing with Lovelace in the dinning room. The man gives Lovelace a beautiful jade oval shaped amulet hanging on a golden chain. The man tells Lovelace that it is the prized Amulet of Samarkand which can absorb any magic that tries to attack the user. He tells Lovelace that Lovelace can become the most powerful and wealthiest man in the world. Lovelace thanks the man and the man leaves. Nathaniel smiles and says that he will take the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace to punish him. Nathaniel says that he will have a spirit do his work.

We see Nathaniel standing in the middle of a pentacle He closes his eyes and mumbles a spell. Immediately, the ground begins to shake and a green mist rises from one end of the pentacle. Nathaniel looks has the green mist takes the form of a human. The figure asks dryly what Nathaniel wants. Nathaniel startled at the spirit knowing his name ask him how he knows his name. The spirit says that spirits wander to and thro on the earth. They know everything about humanity. Nathaniel says that that is creepy to know that spirits watch humans. The spirit says that it is a good way to pass the time between being summoned. Nathaniel asks the spirit’s name. The spirit says his name is Bartimaeus. Nathaniel tells Bartimaeus that he wants him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace. Bartimaeus looks at Nathaniel and says that that is a completely stupid thing to do. Nathaniel says that he is Bartimaeus’s master and Bartimaeus must do as he says. Bartimaeus rolls his eyes and says that he will steal the amulet.

Bartimaeus sneaks into Lovelace’s house. He quickly walks into the dining room were Nathaniel said the amulet was. Bartimaeus opens a flask on the table and inside is the amulet. Bartimaeus shrugs and says that was easy. He puts the amulet inside of his pants pocket. Suddenly a voice says, “What was easy, Bartimaeus?” Bartimaeus swirls around and sees Jabor and Farquarl two other spirits walking toward him. Farquarl says that it has been a long time since he has seen Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus tells Farquarl that he just wants to leave. Jabor leaps on the table and asks Bartimaeus was here. Bartimaeus says that he was by the government to make sure the amulet was safe in Lovelace’s house. Jabor nods. Farquarl says that they are so sorry for detaining Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus smiles and leaves.

Bartimaeus enters Nathaniel’s room and shows him the amulet. Nathaniel grabs it and looks at it smiling in delight. Nathaniel tells Bartimaeus to hide the amulet in the house. Bartimaeus leaves to do so. After Bartimaeus leaves, Nathaniel laughs and says that his revenge is almost complete. Bartimaeus reenters and tells Nathaniel to dismiss him. Nathaniel shakes his head and says that Bartimaeus is still in one month of serventhood to Nathaniel and he will spy on Lovelace and discover more about the Amulet of Samarkand. Bartimaeus tells Nathaniel that he lied to him. Nathaniel shouts that Bartimaeus is his slave and he (Nathaniel) is the master. Bartimaeus says that spirits are tired of running around doing the silly work of the magicians. Nathaniel caste the Systematic Vice spell and it pins Bartimaeus to the wall. Bartimaeus struggles to escape but the spell binds him tighter. Nathaniel says that he will destroy Bartimaeus if he doesn’t agree to do his bidding. Bartimaeus struggling to breath whisper that he will obey Nathaniel and he will spy on Lovelace and find more about the Amulet of Samarkand. Nathaniel removes the spell. Bartimaeus falls to the floor coughing. Nathaniel tells Bartimaeus to get started on his job. Bartimaeus glares at Nathaniel but obeys.

Later in the day, Nathaniel, Mrs. Underwood, and Mr. Underwood attend the state address in London. Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux starts to give his address. The crowd made up of magicians only cheers wildly. We see some non-magicians walking by, the look in disgust and fear at the massive crowd of magicians. A wild looking youth bumps into Nathaniel. Nathaniel tells him to watch out. The youth looks in hate at Nathaniel. He walks to the middle of the crowd and opens up his jacket revealing bombs strapped to him. The crowd begins to panic and to stampede. The youth shouts, “Down with the magicians!! Down with magic!!!” He pushes a button. The bombs explode. Some magicians caste teleportation spells to escape the explosion. Nathaniel and Mr. Underwood hold up their arms to block the debris. Mrs. Underwood keeping her calm caste the dissolving spell which dissolves the debris. Mr. Underwood grabs Nathaniel and tells Mrs. Underwood that is time to go home. As they drive home Mr. Underwood tells Mrs. Underwood that there is talk of rebellion against the government by non-magicians. They call themselves the Resistance. Mrs. Underwood shakes her head and says she misses the old days when each group was fair and just with each other. Mr. Underwood says that these are darker and dangerous times indeed.

The film switches to Bartimaeus; he is disguised as one of Lovelace’s messenger imps by wearing a ring that he cast a disguise spell on. He makes his way quickly through the dark and apprehensive halls in Lovelace’s mansion. He enters a room and finds a Simpkin a spirit in the form of a small boy with lime green skin and three heads that change color. Bartimaeus asks Simpkin if he knows of the Amulet of Samarkand. Simpkin says that it was under the protection of the government until it was stolen by Lovelace however Lovelace is in great distress because the amulet has gone missing. Simpkin asks why Bartimaeus wants to know about the amulet. Bartimaeus says that he has to go. Simpkin grabs Bartimaeus’s hand and looks at the ring. He says that Bartimaeus is not one of the messenger imps. He then rips the ring off. Bartimaeus turns to his human form. Simpkin shouts for Lovelace. Bartimaeus tells him to be silent but Simpkin continues to shout. Bartimaeus hears voices and footsteps coming. Bartimaeus grabs a knife and runs at Simpkin. Simpkin mutters a spell and snaps his fingers. A flash of light appears and Simpkin vanishes. Lovelace and several other magicians run into the room and grabs Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus struggles to escape but it knocked out by a magician. Bartimaeus awakes in a cell in the Tower of London. The door opens and Jessica Whitwell head of the Ministry of Security, Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux, and Lovelace enter. Jessica Whitwell asks who summoned him and what his purpose is. Bartimaeus remains silent. Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux tells Bartimaeus who they are and that he will be imprisoned until he tells them what they need to know. Bartimaeus says that he doesn’t need to answer to any of the magician’s request. Lovelace turns to the Prime Minster to say something however the Prime Minister signals to him to be silent. The Prime Minister tells Bartimaeus that they will be back to try again. They leave. Bartimaeus sighs. Suddenly Jabor and Faquarl appear. Jabor says that Bartimaeus did an excellent job fooling them at Lovelace’s mansion. Bartimaeus jumps up and asks what they want. Farquarl says that all they want is to help Bartimaeus escape from the cell. Bartimaeus says that he can teleport out since they teleported in. Farquarl laughs and says that Jessica Whitwell caste a spell on Bartimaeus making him unable to escape through teleporting spells. Bartimaeus asks what they really want. Jabor says that they will help him escape if they tell them who summons Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus closes his eyes and sighs. He says that Nathaniel Underwood summoned him to get the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace. Farquarl and Jabor disappear. The camera moves outside. We see Jabor and Farquarl shooting up through the sky in jet of black smoke. The swirl around and head for the tower in which Bartimaeus is imprisoned at a great speed. The strike the tower and it shatters. Debris falls onto the street below. People scream and run away from the tower. The prison’s sirens blare. Bartimaeus flies off toward the Underwood’s villa.

Bartimaeus flies through the night sky in a jet of black smoke toward the Underwood’s villa. He looks behind him and sees Jabor quickly following him. They begin to caste Inferno spells at each other as they fly quickly through the sky. Bartimaeus strikes Jabor. Jabor stops and screams in pain. His essence whirls around him as he plummets out of the sky. Bartimaeus laughs to himself in delight. Telephone poles and houses beneath him explode and collapse due to his essence. When Bartimaeus arrives at the home, he circles the Underwood’s villa and enters the home via the window. Nathaniel whirls around in surprise. Nathaniel says that Lovelace is at the house. Bartimaeus says that he knows and that Nathaniel needs to escape with him but Nathaniel refuses. Down stairs we see Mr. Underwood arguing with Lovelace. Lovelace demands that Mr. Underwood give him the amulet and Mr. Underwood says that he has no knowledge of the amulet. Lovelace says that he will destroy the Underwood’s house if he doesn’t have the amulet. Mrs. Underwood defiantly attempts to strike Lovelace with a spell but Lovelace blocks it. Lovelace then he caste the Convulsion spell which causes all the windows in the house to burst. Jabor lands next to Lovelace, a cut across his face. Mrs. Underwood is about to caste a spell at Lovelace when Mr. Underwood tells Lovelace to come with him to his study. In the study, Lovelace and Jabor angrily rummage through Mr. Underwood’s books. Mrs. Underwood angrily shouts at them to stop. Jabor looking behind a shelf discovers the amulet. He holds it up smiling. Lovelace quickly grabs it and glares at Mr. Underwood. Mr. Underwood slowly backs up saying that he did not steal it. Suddenly, Nathaniel burst into the room saying that he stole it. Bartimaeus follows Nathaniel ready to protect him from Jabor and Lovelace. Lovelace says that he will destroy all of them for stealing the amulet. Mr. Underwood says that Lovelace can kill Bartimaeus and Nathaniel but he pleads with Underwood to spare his and his wife’s lives. Lovelace walks outside of the house saying that he can’t let thieves run lose in England and he must destroy everyone. He nods to Jabor who burst into a cloud of black smoke and zooms into the sky. Mrs. Underwood caste the Denotation Spell at Lovelace and he does the same. As they viciously duel. Mr. Underwood tries to escape but it struck by a spell from Jabor and he falls over dead. Mrs. Underwood distracted by Mr. Underwood’s death is hit by Lovelace with a spell and she perishes to. Bartimaeus grabs Nathaniel and tells him they have to flee but Nathaniel refuses. Jabor shoots high into the sky and then comes rushing at a great speed toward the house to destroy it. When Jabor hits the house it explodes into a ball of fire. Bartimaeus grabs Nathaniel and snaps his fingers. A flash of light appears and Bartimaeus and Nathaniel vanish leaving behind a cloud dust. The house collapses in flames. Jabor circles back and lands by Lovelace. Lovelace says that it is time to stage the coup.

The sun peaks over the eastern sky. Bartimaeus and Nathaniel stand over the white cliffs of Dover. The waves crash on the rocks and spray splashes in their faces. Bartimaeus looks at Nathaniel and asks him what he is going to do. Nathaniel says that he will get his revenge on Lovelace for murdering the Underwoods. Bartimaeus says that that is a foolish idea because Lovelace will inevitably kill him and Nathaniel. Nathaniel turns to Bartimaeus and asks him he is going to help him or not because Nathaniel can dismiss him if Bartimaeus wishes. Bartimaeus looks out over the channel for a moment and then turns to Nathaniel and says that he will help him. Nathaniel smiles and says that they must hurry. Nathaniel asks Bartimaeus to locate Lovelace. Bartimaeus closes his eyes and mumbles the words to the Pulse spell. A yellow light flashes across the land. Bartimaeus finally opens his eyes and says that Lovelace and his followers are at Heddlehem Hall which is in London to over throw the Parliament by summoning Ramuthra the most powerful spirit. Nathaniel says that they must hurry then. Bartimaeus and Nathaniel teleport to London, the sky over London is dark and ominous. The clouds are grey and a slight drizzle is falling. After disguising themselves as servants, they enter the hall. They quickly make there way to the kitchen to discuss their plan to stop Lovelace. When they are just about to enter they kitchen, Bartimaeus grabs Nathaniel and tells him that Farquarl is in the kitchen. Bartimaeus tells Nathaniel to get into the storage room. Suddenly a man walks quickly toward them shouting. Bartimaeus castes the Detonation spell at the man and shouts for Nathaniel to run. Bartimaeus and the man quickly find themselves in a fierce duel. The green colored Detonation spells strike the walls with loud crackles blasting them. Nathaniel meanwhile runs into the storage room and shuts the door. We hear Simon Lovelace say, “Well, well isn’t not Nathaniel!!” Nathaniel whirls around in shock. Simon stands up and says that he is glad to see that Nathaniel is alive and well. He says that he thought that Nathaniel would not show up to see him take over the government. Nathaniel says that he will not let that happen. Simon rises and says that he has to go and Schyler will take care of Nathaniel. Simon leaves. Schyler looks at Nathaniel and tell him that Nathaniel can join Lovelace and his new order or die. Nathaniel says that he would rather die before joining Lovelace. Schyler smiles and says that he hoped Nathaniel would say that. Nathaniel caste the Plasma spell. Schyler tries to dodge it but it strikes him and he disintegrates into dust. Nathan opens the door and finds Bartimaeus laying flat against the ceiling. Bartimaeus says that the man escaped and he (Bartimaeus) was almost discovered by Farquarl and Lovelace. Bartimaeus and Nathaniel quickly hurry to the meeting chamber.

We see the lord of Parliament walking into Heddlehem Hall. In the hall we see Jessica Whitwell telling the Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux that the commoners are in a rebellion against the government, she reminds him of what happened at the state address. The lords begin to discuss what action should be taken. We see Lovelace stand up and address Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux and Jessica Whitwell. He tells them that the empire is in need of reform because the government is weak and petty. Devereaux asks Lovelace what his plans are. Lovelace is about to say when Bartimaeus and Nathaniel burst into the chamber yelling for the lords of Parliament to listen to them. Nathaniel says that Lovelace is going to destroy them by summoning Ramuthra. The lords begin to whisper among themselves. Devereaux looks at Nathaniel and says that it is impossible to summon Ramuthra because if you summon him you will definitely die trying. Bartimaeus says that Lovelace has the Amulet of Samarkand to protect himself and his followers with. Jessica Whitwell exclaims that this is preposterous and castes the Stricture spell on Nathaniel and Bartimaeus trapping them in a web of white webs. Devereaux says that he will deal with the youths later and asks Lovelace to continue with what he was saying. While Bartimaeus and Nathaniel telling Devereaux about Lovelace. Lovelace mean while nodded to his followers to bar the doors and magically seal them. Lovelace pulls out the Amulet of Samarkand and exclaims that a new era has begun. His followers pull back the carpet on the floor and reveal a massive blood read pentacle. The lords of Parliament immediately shout that his is treason against the empire. Lovelace says that it is not treason but a violent reform. With that Lovelace blows on a summoning horn and shouts “Stimulatous Compass!!!” Lightening bolts strike at all five corners of the pentacle and a massive hole appears in the floor in the middle of the pentacle. A blue light shoots out causing the lords to reel back in fright. A cloud of black smoke appears over the hole and it whirls around is great fury slowly forming the form of a man-like creature. The walls and ceiling begin to cave in causing debris to fall everywhere. Everything including people are being sucked toward the cloud of black smoke with is Ramuthra were they disintegrate in to smoke. The web which entangles Bartimaeus and Nathaniel burst apart freeing them. Lovelace holds up the Amulet of Samarkand to protect himself. Bartimaeus runs toward Lovelace to seize the amulet but Jabor quickly burst into a cloud of smoke and rushes at Bartimaeus to stop him. Bartimaeus dodges Jabor who finds himself trapped in Ramuthra’s powerful essence and he is dragged into Ramuthra. Lovelace briefly distracted by Jabor’s fate lets his guard of the amulet down and Nathaniel grabs it. Ramuthra turns to Lovelace and roars at him why Lovelace summoned him. Lovelace drops to his knees in terror. Ramuthra roars and his massive hand reaches out and crushes Lovelace obviating him. Nathaniel grabs the Summoning Horn and shouts the words of dismissal. Nathaniel hurls the horn to the ground shattering it in to tiny pieces. Ramuthra immediately collapses in to the hole with a roar. A powerful blast of wind and an eye blinding flash of light burst throughout Heddlehem Hall. The windows burst and the lights go out miles around. A blue lightening bolt shoots up from the hole into the sky over London. People in London look into the sky at the bolt and start to run in panic. A deafening boom follows as the bolt lights up the sky. Then everything returns to normal. People stop running and look around in shock. Nathaniel who was thrown against the wall slowly get up and staggers over to Prime Minister Devereaux who is has fallen to the ground. Nathaniel places the Amulet of Samarkand in Devereaux’s hand. Devereaux whispers his thanks. Nathaniel looks back at the dust covered Bartimaeus who smiles.

Two days later we see Nathaniel and Bartimaeus walking through a lovely garden at Jessica Whitwell’s mansion. Nathaniel says that Jessica is going to be his new teacher in wizardry and that he will live here. Nathaniel says that he can now dismiss Bartimaeus since there is no need of him. Bartimaeus says that he will not relieve Nathaniel’s real name to the other spirits. Nathaniel says thank you. Bartimaeus says that he say one more thing that he should tell Nathaniel. Bartimaeus says that Nathaniel is a powerful magician warns Nathaniel against the typical road of a magician involving power-seeking behavior, materialism, and a general shallow existence. Bartimaeus tells Nathaniel that he has something other magicians’ lack, something that he should guard, a conscience. Nathaniel says that he will think about what Bartimaeus said. Bartimaeus gives a half smile. Nathaniel says the words of dismissal and Bartimaeus vanishes in a cloud of dust. The dust falls gently to the ground.

Edited by Hiccup
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Illusiono

Date- January 14th 1

Genre- Superhero

Rating- R- strong graphic violence, sexual content, nudity, and strong language

Theaters- 3,650 theaters

Budget- 135 million

Running Time- 167 minutes or 2 hours and 47 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- Zack Snyder

Actors and Actress-

Jack Holmes/Illusiono- Ryan McPartlin

Ashley Holmes- Milla Jovovich

Castor- James Frain

Sheriff Anderson- Terrence Howard

(The film resembles that of Sucker Punch and 300 in visual style)

Plot: The film opens at a circus were we see a man named Jack Holmes performing magical tricks for his audience. After the show he is approached by the director who says that the audience loved him so much that they want him back tomorrow night. Jack smiles and says this is great news. That night he goes to his home where he is greeted by his wife Ashley. She tells him that she has been promoted to owner of a small business. Jack says that that is great. He says that he is going back tomorrow night to the circus to perform. Ashley congratulates him. After dinner in which they discuss their future, they have a passionate sex. The next morning, Ashley says that she is going to the inner city to overlook a building of a new office. Jack tells her to be careful down there since crime rates have raised greatly. Ashley laughs and says that she will be careful. That night after an excellent performance, Jack arrives home to a squad of police cars outside of his home. Sheriff Anderson walks up to Jack and says that his wife was raped and murdered. Jack asks how he knows. Sheriff Anderson says that they don’t officially know however they found her clothing, purse, and her blood stains on the street. He says that they are still looking for a body. He says that they believe it was done by the X gang which dominates the underworld of the city. Sheriff Anderson says that he is sorry for Jack’s loss. Jack nods his head. Jack that night lies in bed vowing vengeance on the gang. The next morning after discussing with the police he discovers that they crime leader is named Castor. He says that he will get his revenge on Castor no matter the cost. That night he begins work on creating the Illusiono. Using magician’s illusions, fire, and his motorcycle, he begins training for his revenge. First he updates his motorcycle creating a blaster that blast out fire and smoke on those following him. He also creates a costume which is black in color with a cape which has a flame on the back of it. As he physically trains he suffers from flash back of him and Ashley. We see that they were very close and absolutely in love. During that time, he realizes that he could stop what happened to his wife from happen to other people by stopping the gang forever. During the night, he goes out and battles criminals from robbers to murders. He uses black smoke balls to suddenly vanish in a cloud of smoke which leaves his enemies baffled. He also uses two sticks which he lights with fire to destroy the criminals. Before he turns the criminals over to the cops he asks what they know of Castor and soon he gains pieces of who Castor and his powerful gang are. He also learns that his wife is not dead but a hostage at Castor’s headquarters and that she has become his right-hand man because she was brain washed by Castor. He is also recognized as the superhero of the city and he begins to work with police however nobody knows his real identity since most people assume that since he was a traveling magician he simply left the city all together. Finally, he plans to attack Castor’s headquarters himself. He quickly defeats the guards outside of the building. When he enters the building, he engages in a furious battle with Castor’s men. After an intense fight he finally defeats them. He burst into Castor’s chambers and Castor turns around. Illusiono asks where his wife is. Castor says that she is right here. Ashley steps out of the dark. She smiles at Illusiono and says that she is happy here with Castor. Illusiono exclaims that he is her love and he loves her. Ashley says that she hates him. Illusiono turns on Castor and they begin to fight. At first Ashley doesn’t join the struggle but seeing that Illusiono with defeat Castor she joins and finally pins Illusiono to the wall. Illusiono tells Ashley who he is and that he knows that she loves him and what ever Castor did to her he will undo. Ashley is about to give in to Illusiono when suddenly the police burst into the room and Castor throws up his hands. Illusiono yells no as he vanishes in a cloud of smoke and Ashley whirls around and after shooting three cops burst out of the window onto the street below and vanishes. Illusiono lands beside his motorcycle he breaths hard and rest against his bike. A note lies on top of his motorcycle. It reads, “Castor maybe out of the way but you will next need to deal with me. I also have control over your wife, signed Marwick.” Illusiono starts up his motorcycle and speeds off. We see Illusiono ride off into the distance as a voice-over says, “I am the night, I am the fire, and I am the guardian. I am the Illusiono”

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Apocalypse

Date- May 27th 1

Genre- Science Fiction/Action/Disaster

Rating- PG-13- science fiction violence, intense action, language, disaster sequences, and sensuality

Theaters- 4,151 theaters

Budget- 150 million

Running Time- 137 minutes or 2 hours and 17 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- Steven Spielberg

Producer- Jerry Bruckheimer

Actors and Actress-

Xavier Samuels--------Pyro

Jamie Bell ------------Delstro

Emma Watson-------Rogue

Alexandra Daddario--------Terrana

Sergio Castellito--------Lord Draedan

Dennis Quaid----------General Michael Worthington

Katerina Graham ------Anna

Plot:

Emma Watson’s voice narrates…. In 2171 A.D Earth’s leaders discovered a planet with life in the galaxy Subero. After sending robots to the planet they discovered a species of human-like creatures. Since Earthlings feared an invasion of their planet the Earth’s nations created the secret UWN to unite the world against any attack. In 2197, General Michael Worthington assumed command over the UWN. After usurping authority he declared an annihilation of the planet and its species. Our planet called Utopia was a place of peace. Our species called the Phylian knew no war and evil. Our planet was unfallen. Yes, we were more advanced than earthlings however we didn’t use technology as a weapon. We lived in harmony with our fellow Phylians. How little did we know that our time was quickly coming to an end? My name is Rogue and I am a Phylian. The year is 2198 A.D. The narrator stops.

As the beginning credits come the camera zooms over Utopia. It is a digital-like world. (The world looks like the Tron: Legacy world.) It is extremely advanced. The Phylians look exactly like humans except that they are mentally and physically stronger. Skyscrapers stand thousands of feet into the sky. They are all lined with bluish lights. Cars and motorcycles speed down the roads in a blur of blue and white. The sky, clouds, and sun are all bright red. The world has a reddish hue to it. The camera zooms into a home.

Rogue is lying in bed. An alarm sounds from the dresser. Rogue rolls over a sleepily turns the alarm off. Lying in bed for a few minutes Rogue leaps up. She exclaims that she forgot that opening of the newly built stadium was today and see had to meet her friends at the stadium. She rushes down stairs and finds that her family has already left for the race. She waves down a taxi to take her to the stadium. When she arrives at the stadium she is taken back at the stunning scale of the newly built stadium. The stadium is diamond shaped. It stands thousands of feet tall it is lined with bluish lights in the exterior and interior. After getting her ticket, Rogue finds her friends inside the stadium. She kisses and then snuggles up to her boyfriend Delstro. Pyro and Terrana are there to. Terrana tells Rogue that they all are going to go to a restaurant to hang out after the race. Rogue says that she will come. Pyro says that he can’t come because his father Lord Draedan wants him to come back home to study for a test. Delstro says that Lord Draedan always has Pyro study for something when the four try to hang out. Pyro smiles nervously. The race begins. Sleeks advanced cars emerge from a corner of the stadium. The line up along a line and then take off at speeds of 500mph. The crowd wildly cheers.

The movie moves to outside Earth’s atmosphere. Hundreds of space-ships await orders from General Worthington. General Worthington makes and announcement to the fleet. He says that the inhabitants of the planet are peace lovers but also dangerous to human existence because of their super technology. He says that the soldiers can breathe the air on Utopia since it is the same as Earth’s. He tells them to give no mercy however scientists want a few alien live specimens. He says that they will be there is one hour so prepare for battle. The camera zooms out and we see the space-ships go into warp.

The movie moves back to Utopia. We see Rogue and her friends eating and laughing at the restaurant. Suddenly black objects appear in the sky. Phylians look up in shock. Terrana asks what those are. The other says that they don’t know. The suddenly hear screams and see thousands of Phylians rushing way from the stadium and other buildings. An explosion shakes the city. The black objects which are ships begin to fire at the buildings. The four rush out of the restaurant. They see the stadium and dozens of buildings completely flattened and burning. The Phylians are dashing around in chaos and terror as the ships begin to fire guns at the Phylians. Phylian cars and air ships are blown to bits by the human space ships. Giant chunks of debris begin to fall, crushing or trapping dozens of Phylians. Rogue says that she needs to find her family. Terrana says that they should head for the country side to hide from the invaders. Rogue refuses to go. Delstro says that he will go with Rogue to find her family. As Pyro and Terrana approach the outer part of the city they are surrounded by a thick blanket of smoke and ash. They can smell chemicals from the energy plants located outside the city. He says that the energy plants are being destroyed to and they must go back. Suddenly a ship bolts out of the smoke; it fires a missile at Pyro and Terrana. The missile splits apart into tiny needles and hits Pyro and Terrana. Pyro and Terrana are knocked to the ground. Terrana says that her body is getting numb and that everything is turning blurry. Pyro says that the same is happening to him. They both collapse to the ground. The ship pulls up next to them and two soldiers appear and lift Pyro and Terrana into the ship. They announce that they have two specimens. The movie moves to Delstro and Rogue. Arriving at Rogue’s house they find it empty. Rogue shouts for her families names but no answer. Suddenly Rogue sees her family entering the house. Just as they cross into the house a missile hits the house. The house begins to crumble. A massive chunk of burning debris falls on top of Rogues family killing them all but her mother. Rogue cries in anguish. Her mother tells Delstro to take Rogue away to safety. Rogue says that she is not leaving her mother. Rogues mother yells at Delstro to go before the invaders find them. Delstro grabs Rogue and rushes out of the burning house. Rogue asks why this is happening but Delstro doesn’t respond. The same ship that attacked Pyro and Terrana is closing in on Delstro and Rogue. Rogue yells at Delstro to drive faster but the ship quickly over takes them. It fires the same missiles at them. Rogue screams when she is hit. The car spins out of control and crashes. Rogue screams in pain since she was hit by the needles. Delstro not hit by the needles grabs a piece of debris and hurls it at the ship. The debris smashes into the ship tearing a hole in the side. Inside the pilot yells at a soldier to neutralize the alien. The ship fires a second missile this time hitting Delstro. He falls to the ground besides Rogue. Rogue whispers that she loves him. The screen goes black.

As the ship slowly flies back to the main shuttle we see Skyscrapers exploding and crumbling. We see Phylians being mowed down by gun fire. Massive fires are raging out of control along the country side. We see thousands of small human ships leaving Utopia from all around which leads the audience to believe that this is a global invasion. As the small ships dock on the main shuttles, General Worthington tells the crew that they did an excellent job and that it is time to head back to Earth. Outside Earth’s atmosphere is a huge space station. The ship carrying the alien specimens docks at the science lab. A soldier says to a scientist that they have seven aliens to study. The scientist calls to a young college age girl to come and help him move the aliens into the lab. The girl helps push the carts into a giant white room which is the lab. A group of scientist begins to study an alien. They put a white curtain around the alien and begin to dissect the alien alive. The girl says that she will go check on the other aliens. Rogue begins to wake up. She doesn’t feel numb anymore but she is strapped down on a bed. Rogue looks over and sees the girl looking at Delstro. Rogue yells no as the girl touches Delstro’s body. The girl whirls around and Rogue and her stare at each other. The girl says something that Rogue doesn’t understand. A man walks in and asks the girl something. The girl points at Rogue. The man grabs a machine and puts it around Pyro, Terrana, and Delstro’s heads. Rogue shouts for them to stop but they walk over to her and put the machine around her head to. Rogue looks around her and she sees a screen in front of her. Suddenly images appear on the screen, they are a jumble of words, images, and letters. They begin to flash quicker and quicker. Rogue’s screams in fright. Suddenly everything turns black and the machine is removed.

Rogue finds herself with her friends in an interrogation room. Around the room are several people. A man sits in front of the four and asks them if they can understand him. To the surprise of the four they are able to understand him perfectly. Pyro asks the man what they did to them. The man says that they programmed into the aliens’ brains the human’s main language English and that they showed them a brief preview of what Earth is like. Rogue says that the humans are maybe not so primitive. Terrana asks why they attacked Utopia. The man says that he will ask they questions and that they will give the answers. Rogue yells that they murdered her family. The man is suddenly silent but then asks if there are more planets like Utopia in the universe. The four says they don’t know and Terrana says that if they did know they wouldn’t tell them. The man tells a soldier to take Terrana back to the lab of more study. The soldier grabs Terrana. Terrana screams for them to let her go. The girl runs up to the man and asks him to let Terrana go. The man pushes the girl away and says no. The soldier calls for more help as Terrana struggles. Pyro is about to help Terrana when Rogue lays her hand on Pyro and whispers in Phylian that they will kill Pyro to if he fights. The soldiers carry the screaming Terrana from the room. The man turns to the other aliens and asks them a series of questions. The aliens tell him about their culture and planet. At the end of the questions the man says that that is all he needs to know and that they can go to rooms assigned for them.

In the room the three discus what happened. Pyro says that they need to get back to their planet. Delstro says that there is no Utopia anymore and that the Phylian culture and people are extinct. Rogue says that they could disguise themselves as humans and live on Earth. Delstro and Pyro agree. Rogue says that maybe the girl who was in the lab can help them. Delstro says that no human is going to help them. Rogue says that she watched how the girl acted to Terrana being taken away. Just then the girl walks in the room. Rogue without a pause goes up to the girl and asks her to help them. The girl says that that was she was just going to do. She tells the three that the scientist will dissect them for study if they don’t escape. Pyro asks if that was what they did to Terrana. The girl nods. The girl who introduces herself as Anna gives them human clothes to wear. She tells them to follow her. They hurry down a long hall until they reach the ship docks. Anna tells them to get in. Rogue says that Anna needs to come with them to help them get use to Earth. Anna at first refuses but finally gives in. The shuttle sets off for Earth.

When they land on Earth they find themselves at a space ship port in Chicago. Pyro remarks how primate it looks. Anna says that they can stay at her apartment until the three get use to Earth. When they arrive and settle down at Anna’s apartment, Anna tells them about Earth and the UWN. She says that the UWN is a secret organization. She says that only a select group of soldiers and scientist know about the existence of Utopia including herself. Suddenly Anna’s phone rings. It is General Worthington. He tells Anna that three of the aliens have escaped the space station. He tells Anna that she needs to begin search for them. When Anna gets off the phone, she tells them that the UWN knows about their escape. She says that she will get an apartment for them near hers because she can’t have them staying with her anymore. Pyro leaps up and says that Delstro and Rogue can stay in an apartment and he and Anna can stay in Anna’s apartment. All three curiously look at him. He says that suspicion could rise if three new people suddenly buy and apartment. Anna says that it is ok with her and the others agree. After setting Delstro and Rogue up in their apartment, Pyro and Anna go back to Anna’s apartment. After an awkward silence they both retire to their beds.

Over the next few months Delstro, Pyro, and Rogue learn and explore the human world. We see them visiting famous landmarks on Earth. They enjoy learning about the human culture. Pyro has joined the same college as Anna. Their relationship grows deeper. One evening on the beach on Lake Michigan, Pyro and Anna romantically get engaged. We see then make out at the apartment. They have also avoided the UWN and Anna is no longer working for them. The UWN is not giving up on looking for the aliens. However the UWN also declares no more expeditions to Utopia since the world is dying.

The movie moves back to Utopia. It has been two years since the invasion. Utopia is a different world. Factories cover the cities. Fog and mist cover the world. It is a dark and gloomy place. We see Lord Draedan sitting at a consul table. He tells the other lords that they must leave Utopia and invade the hated planet Earth. There he says the Phylians can live and make a new home. He says that they have super technology and fire power. However they have a powerful gas/virus called I2V5 that can kill humans in minutes. One of the lords asks if it can kill Phylians to. Lord Draedan says that it can not. The lords all agree to the invasion of Earth. We see massive Phylian space ships that are about the size of Pluto. They are silver and made up of series of wheels that rotate all around inside each other in a complex way. Small saucer shaped

ships carry citizen Phylians and goods aboard the mother ships. With all the Phylian people aboard the twelve mother ships and vessels take off for Earth. Lord Draedan tells the Phylians that their day for revenge is near.

The movie moves back to Earth. We see people bustling in the streets of Chicago. Suddenly dark shade beings to cover the city, people being to stop and start talking and pointing at the sky. We see the huge mother ship in the sky. It looks like a giant planet. We see all over the other major cities of the world slightly smaller mother ships. We see Rogue standing in a park with Delstro, Anna, and Pyro. Rogue looks at Delstro and Pyro and says, “They have come.” Anna asks what has come. Pyro says that the Phylians have come to Earth to probably take it over or destroy it. Pyro is interrupted by a loud voice coming from the ship. “We have come to take over your planet. It will be easy for us and you if you surrender your leaders and planet to us. Otherwise we will take it by force. You have twenty four hours to decide.”

Anna asks what they should do. Pyro says that he will go to his father and ask him to not invade but to take prisoner General Worthington and his staff who are the real criminals. Delstro says that Lord Draedan will not listen to Pyro because he is basically married to a human and that Lord Draedan hates the entire human race. He says that he and Rogue will go to Lord Draedan and beg him to listen. Pyro and Anna will go to the tunnels in the north were they will be safe from the possible attack. Delstro and Rogue slip onto a shuttle heading for the UWN space station. Pyro and Anna get into a car and drive off toward the tunnels. All around we see people in the streets freaking out. They begin to riot and storm the UWN building. UWN soldiers and police are soon quickly losing control over the people. They begin to fire guns shots and terror gas into the crowd however despite many people getting shot down the crowd only grows. We see General Worthington ordering the fall back of the soldiers and police. He also orders and evacuation of the UWN space station. Suddenly a soldier bolts in his office and says that they spotted the alien named Pyro with Anna heading north. General Worthington orders that four military cars be sent in pursuit and that Pyro and Anna be terminated.

All around the globe we see government buildings stormed and officials being murdered. The world is in a state of complete chaos.

We see Pyro and Anna speeding through the streets of Chicago trying to avoid hitting people. We see the UWN cars dashing after them. Ann tells Pyro that the UWN has found out about them and is chasing them. The UWN cars begin to shot at Pyro and Anna. As the cars race through the city leaving confusion and destruction in their wake, when Pyro takes a sharp curve two of the UWN cars go speeding into a building causing a massive explosion. Pyro seeing that the two remaining cars are gaining on him, tells Anna to unbuckle and get in his lap. Anna says that this is not the time to make out. Pyro says that he is going to drive the car off the bridge into the river. Anna asks if he is crazy. Pyro says that he is not. Anna quickly unbuckles and gets in Pyro’s lap. With the UWN cars right behind him, Pyro drives the car off the bridge. He quickly kicks out the side window and leaps out with Anna. All three cars plummet into the water. The UWN drivers are killed instantly. Pyro and Anna surface and begin to swim to shore. Pyro steals a motorcycle and the two make their way north to the tunnels.

Delstro and Rogue board the mother ship of the Phylians. They announce their mission to a guard. He quickly takes them to the lords. Lord Draedan and the others lords rise at the entrance of Delstro and Rogue. Lord Draedan says that he is glad to see them alive and well. He says that they will be considered heroes for enduring captivate on Earth. He asks about Pyro and Terrana. Delstro nudges Rogue. Delstro says that Pyro and Terrana didn’t make it. Lord Draedan turns slightly angry. Rogue says that she has something to say to the lords regarding the invasion of Earth. Lord Draedan says that she can say what is on her mind. Rogue tells the lords that the human race is a young and has many lessons to learn. She tells the lords that the invasion of Utopia was planned and completed by a government group called the UWN lead by General Worthington. She says that the rest of the human race is innocent. She tells the lords that they can destroy the UWN but not all of humanity. She says that the lords don’t want to be guilt of the same sin that the UWN committed against the Phylian race. After she gets done speaking the lords begin to whisper among themselves. One lord asks if it is still wise to invade Earth. The other lords begin to say that it is not wise. Lord Draedan slams his fist on the table. He says that they will destroy all of humanity. He orders that the guns and Phylian soldiers to get ready for attack. The lords exclaim that it is not yet 24 hours yet and that Lord Draedan needs the approval of the lords to issue an invasion. Lord Draedan says that he will sole ruler of the Phylian people and that anyone who gets in his way will be killed. The lords quickly and quietly leave the consul chamber. Lord Draedan orders the guns to be fired. Giant guns appear out of the ship and begin to fire lasers at Earth. The lasers hit the ground with enormous explosions. A laser gun aims at the UWN space station and fires. A massive explosion follows. We see the entire space station be blown to bits. Human shuttle begin to retreat toward Earth. Small saucer shaped crafts pursue the shuttles and shot them down. We see thousands of the saucer shaped crafts entire the Earth’s atmosphere and either land on Earth and drop soldiers and machines off or fly in the air and shoot down human shuttles and planes.

We see General Worthington yelling orders to repel the Phylian attack. At first the soldiers begin to fight but the once rioting crowd which is now panicking is too strong of an influence. The soldiers flee and terror. All around the world millions of humans are massacred.

Lord Draedan orders that the mother ship be lowered closer to Earth so they can drop the virus bomb. Delstro and Rogue desperately plead with Lord Draedan to stop but he ignores them. Seeing that all is lost, they board a ship and head to the tunnels which will protect them from the virus. A scientist approaches Lord Draedan and says that they virus has mutated and they should not drop it. Lord Draedan strikes the scientist and shouts that he wants the bomb dropped. General Worthington seeing the mother ship getting closer to the ground. He yells to the not cowardly soldiers to help him fire an atomic missile at the ship. The soldiers and General Worthington fire the missile. It strikes the mother ship with a massive explosion. General Worthington and the soldiers are killed by the force of the missile taking off. Inside the mother ship we see Phylians running and screaming. The burning ship begins to tilt and fall toward Earth. The ship collides with Earth. An enormous explosion follows. A ball of fire rips up into the upper atmosphere burning up all flying objects. A massive wave of dust, fire, and water rush over the ground destroying everything in their path. A giant earthquake shakes the globe destroying buildings and electricity. The entire world is without power. Billions of humans and Phylians are killed.

We see Pyro, Anna, Rogue, Delstro, and some humans and some Phylians exit the tunnels. They stare around at the barren land. The wind begins to pick up. They soon spy a green cloud moving rapidly over the land. People turn and run. But the virus gas over takes them. People drop over died on the ground. After the virus has passed, a small handful of people look around. Pyro, Anna, Rogue, and Delstro are among them. The look around in shock at the dead corpses. Rogue says that the virus must have exploded. People begin to say that they are immune to the virus. Pyro and Delstro stand up on a high piece of rumble and say that they the survivors will rebuild Earth.

Rogue narrators that they will face great challenges as they try to rebuild humanity but they will succeed. She calls all humans and Phylians to help them rebuild Earth. The narration ends.

The camera zooms onto a dead corpse. The corpse doesn’t look human anymore. It is pale and has red eyes. The skin is hairless and cold. The corpse looks lanky and starved. Its ribs and bones stick out. The corpse lies on the ground. Its eyes open and it breathes quickly. The corpse rises and roars. It’s jaw extents full length. Its teeth are large and sharp. All around it other dead bodies begin to rise and roar. The screen cuts to black.

Edited by Hiccup
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To Kill A Mockingbird

Date- August 5th 1

Genre- Drama

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- 2,995 theaters

Budget- 25 million

Running Time- 144 minutes or 2 hours and 24 minutes

Studio- Number 2 Productions

Director- Tate Taylor

~Cast~

Scout- Hailee Steinfeld

Jem- Asa Butterfield

Atticus- Matt Damon

Dill- Callan McAuliffe

Calpurnia- Viola Davis

Maudie Atkinson- Kathy Bates

Tom Robinson- Quinton Aaron

Bob- Josh Brolin

Mayella- Amanda Seyfried

Aunt Alexandra- Rachel McAdams

Plot: Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb. Maycomb is suffering through the Great Depression, but Atticus is a prominent lawyer and the Finch family is reasonably well off in comparison to the rest of society. One summer, Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who has come to live in their neighborhood for the summer, and the trio acts out stories together. Eventually, Dill becomes fascinated with the spooky house on their street called the Radley Place. The house is owned by Mr. Nathan Radley, whose brother, Arthur (nicknamed Boo), has lived there for years without venturing outside. Scout goes to school for the first time that Fall and detests it. She and Jem find gifts apparently left for them in a knothole of a tree on the Radley property. Dill returns the following summer, and he, Scout, and Jem begin to act out the story of Boo Radley. Atticus puts a stop to their antics, urging the children to try to see life from another person’s perspective before making judgments. But, on Dill’s last night in Maycomb for the summer, the three sneak onto the Radley property, where Nathan Radley shoots at them. Jem loses his pants in the ensuing escape. When he returns for them, he finds them mended and hung over the fence. The next winter, Jem and Scout find more presents in the tree, presumably left by the mysterious Boo. Nathan Radley eventually plugs the knothole with cement. Shortly thereafter, a fire breaks out in another neighbor’s house, and during the fire someone slips a blanket on Scout’s shoulders as she watches the blaze. Convinced that Boo did it, Jem tells Atticus about the mended pants and the presents. To the consternation of Maycomb’s racist white community, Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman. Because of Atticus’s decision, Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse from other children, even when they celebrate Christmas at the family compound on Finch’s Landing. Calpurnia, the Finches’ black cook, takes them to the local black church, where the warm and close-knit community largely embraces the children. Atticus’s sister, Alexandra, comes to live with the Finches the next summer. Dill, who is supposed to live with his “new father” in another town, runs away and comes to Maycomb. Tom Robinson’s trial begins, and when the accused man is placed in the local jail, a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus faces the mob down the night before the trial. Jem and Scout, who have sneaked out of the house, soon join him. Scout recognizes one of the men, and her polite questioning about his son shames him into dispersing the mob. At the trial itself, the children sit in the “colored balcony” with the town’s black citizens. Atticus provides clear evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying: in fact, Mayella propositioned Tom Robinson, was caught by her father, and then accused Tom of rape to cover her shame and guilt. Atticus provides impressive evidence that the marks on Mayella’s face are from wounds that her father inflicted; upon discovering her with Tom, he called her a whore and beat her. Yet, despite the significant evidence pointing to Tom’s innocence, the all-white jury convicts him. The innocent Tom later tries to escape from prison and is shot to death. In the aftermath of the trial, Jem’s faith in justice is badly shaken, and he lapses into despondency and doubt. Despite the verdict, Bob Ewell feels that Atticus and the judge have made a fool out of him, and he vows revenge. He menaces Tom Robinson’s widow, tries to break into the judge’s house, and finally attacks Jem and Scout as they walk home from a Halloween party. Boo Radley intervenes, however, saving the children and stabbing Ewell fatally during the struggle. Boo carries the wounded Jem back to Atticus’s house, where the sheriff, in order to protect Boo, insists that Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo disappears once more into the Radley house. Later, Scout feels as though she can finally imagine what life is like for Boo. He has become a human being to her at last. With this realization, Scout embraces her father’s advice to practice sympathy and understanding and demonstrates that her experiences with hatred and prejudice will not sully her faith in human goodness.

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