FORCE OF NATURE (2020)

 

Directed by: Michael Polish

Starring: Mel Gibson, Kate Bosworth, Emile Hirsch, David Zayas, Stephanie Cayo, Will Catlett, Swen Temmel, Tyler Jon Olsen, Jorge Luis Ramos, Jasper Polish

91 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence)

PLOT:

An NYPD detective accidentally kills his cop girlfriend after receiving a (fake) gun run call from a project. He's later sent to Puerto Rico for work despite not speaking Spanish. A hurricane hits the island. He and his new partner take a call that takes them via a market to an apartment building with a couple of old men who won't evacuate. Five armed men come to rob one of them of his safe's content. Shooting begins.

TRAILER:

MYSTERY IN YELLOWSTONE (2015)

Directed by: Manfred Corrine

Narrated by: John Beach

Starring: Dr. Arthur Middleton, Dr. Frank van Manen, Dr. Robert Gresswell, Todd Koel

46 minutes

(TV-PG - adult themes)

PLOT:

Yellowstone National Park is home to a vast array of landscapes and a huge diversity of animals, united in a fascinating ecosystem, one that is currently in severe trouble. The area once contained over 19,000 elk, but its numbers have plummeted by 80% in the last two decades. The mysterious decline has sparked many questions, and researchers are in a race to provide answers. Join them as they investigate a series of theories and suspects, from wolves to bears to trees to trout, in an attempt to solve this alarming puzzle.

A Smithsonian Channel nature presentation.

 

BULLET TRAIN (2022)

Directed by: David Leitch

Based on the novel by: Kotaro Isaka

Starring: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny (Benito A. Martinez Ocasio), Zazie Beetz, Logan Lerman, Masi Oka, Karen Fukuhara, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Joshua Johnson-Payne, Miles Marz, Parker Lin, Yoshi Sudarso, Ian Martinez, Ryan Reynolds, Channing Tatum, Sandra Bullock

126 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, graphic violence, intense action sequences)

PLOT:

Ladybug is an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug's latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe-all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives-on the world's fastest train. The end of the line is just the beginning in this non-stop thrill-ride through modern-day Japan.

TRAILER:

 

SET IT OFF (1996)

Directed by: F. Gary Gray

Starring: Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, John C. McGinley, Blair Underwood, Ella Joyce, Chaz Lamar Shepherd, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Charles Robinson, Samuel Monroe Jr, Dr. Dre, WC, Vincent Baum, Jeris Lee Poindexter, Samantha MacLachlan

123 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, drug use)

PLOT:

Four Black women, all of whom have suffered for lack of money and at the hands of the majority, undertake to rob banks. While initially successful, a policeman who was involved in shooting one of the women's brothers is on their trail. As the women add to the loot, their tastes and interests begin to change and their suspicions of each other increase on the way to a climactic robbery.

FEATURETTE:

 

PHANTOMS (1998)

Directed by: Joe Chappelle

Based on the novel by: Dean Koontz

Starring: Ben Affleck, Peter O'Toole, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, Liev Schreiber, Nicky Katt, Clifton Powell, Robert Knepper, Rick Otto, Valerie Chow, Adam Nelson, John Hammil, John Scott Clough, William Hahn, Robert Himber, Linnea Quigley, Bo Hopkins

96 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, sci-fi/fantasy violence, some gore)

PLOT:

People have vanished in a small ski resort village nestled in the Rocky Mountains. Two sisters suspect it to be the work of a serial killer on the loose in town but there is no blood near the dead bodies, no sign of struggle or explanation how a single serial killer could possibly kill every resident. The sisters come across a sheriff who is a former FBI agent. The agent calls up for back up. The agents' associates get hold of an academic who theorizes the town has fallen victim to the Ancient Enemy, which periodically wipes out civilizations including that of the Mayans and the Roanoke Island colonists.

DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS (2022)

 

Directed by: Jared Stern

Based pn characters appearing in DC Comics

Starring: (voices) Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Marc Maron, Olivia Wilde, Jameela Jamil, Jemaine Clement, John Early, Daveed Diggs, Dascha Polanco, Keith David, Sam J. Levine, Maya Erskine, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alfred Molina, Lena Headey, Busy Philipps, Dan Fogler, Winona Bradshaw, David Pressman, Michelle Morgan, Amanda Ames, Gavin McCrillis, Jared Stern

105 minutes

(PG - mild language, adult themes, adult situations, animated sci-fi/fantasy violence, rude humor)

PLOT:

When the Justice League are captured by Lex Luthor, Superman's dog, Krypto, forms a team of shelter-pets who were given super-powers: A hound named Ace, who becomes super-strong, a pig named PB, who can grow to giant-size, a turtle named Merton, who becomes super-fast, and a squirrel named Chip, who gains electric-powers.

TRAILER:

RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962)

Directed by: Sam Peckinpah

Starring: Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Mariette Hartley, Ron Starr, Edgar Buchanan, R.G. Armstrong, Jenie Jackson, James Drury, L.Q. Jones, John Anderson, John Davis Chandler, Warren Oates, Byron Foulger, Frank Hagney, Percy Helton, Don Kennedy, Jack Kenny, Michael T. Mikler, Carmen Phillips

94 minutes

(NR - adult themes)

PLOT:

Aging ex-marshal Steve Judd is hired by a bank to transport a gold shipment through dangerous territory. He hires an old partner, Gil Westrum, and his young protege Heck to assist him. Steve doesn't know, however, that Gil and Heck plan to steal the gold, with or without Steve's help. On the trail, the three get involved in a young woman's desire to escape first from her father, then from her fiance and his dangerously psychotic brothers.

TRAILER:

 

THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE (1977)

Directed by: Luis Bunuel

Based on the novel "The Woman and the Puppet" by: Pierre Louys

Starring: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Angela Molina, Julien Bertheau, Andre Weber, Milena Vukotic

102 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, sexual situations, nudity)

Country of origin: France

PLOT:

Just after boarding a train, much to the surprise of his fellow passengers, a man pours a bucket of water over a young girl on the platform. Over the next few hours, he explains (and we see in flashback) how he became obsessed by her (so much so that he failed to notice that she was played by two different actresses, representing different sides of her personality), and how she tantalized him, but would never allow him to satisfy his desire for her.

 

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES (1959)

Directed by: Bernard L. Kowalski

Starring: Ken Clark, Yvette Vickers, Bruno VeSota, Jan Shepard, Michael Emmet, Tyler McVey, Gene Roth, Dan White, George Cisar, Joseph Hamilton, Walter Kelley, Guy Buccola, Ross Sturlin

62 minutes

(NR - adult themes, sci-fi/fantasy violence)

PLOT:

In the Florida Everglades, a pair of larger-than-human, intelligent leeches live in an underwater cave. They begin dragging locals down to their cave, where they slowly feed on them, draining their victims of blood. Two of the first victims of the leeches are local vixen Liz Walker, who has been cheating on her husband, and Liz's latest paramour. Game warden Steve Benton sets out to investigate their disappearance. Aided by his girlfriend, Nan Grayson, and her father, Doc Grayson, Benton discovers the leeches' underwater cavern. The creatures are destroyed when Steve, Doc and several state troopers blow up their underwater cavern using dynamite. However, in the film's closing moments the leeches distinctive sucking sounds are heard, suggesting they may still be alive.

 

EXORCIST II - THE HERETIC (1977)

Directed by: John Boorman

Starring: Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty, Dana Plato, Karen Knapp, Belinha Beatty, Rose Portillo, Barbara Cason, Tiffany Kinney, Charles Parks, Lorry Goldman, Richard Paul, Robert Lussier, George Skaff, Joey Green

117 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, gore, disturbing images)

PLOT:

Dr. Gene Tuskin works with troubled children, perhaps none more troubled than Regan MacNeil, who suffers from bad dreams and repressed memories. The memories she represses are of the time she was possessed by a demon. Dr. Tuskin's invention, a device that hypnotizes two persons and links their minds together, reveals that the demon, named Pazuzu, still lurks within her. It is desperate to emerge again and wreak havoc. Meanwhile, Father Philip Lamont is ordered by his cardinal to investigate the death of Father Merrin, the priest who died while performing an exorcism on Regan. Father Lamont undertakes his task reluctantly. He feels unworthy of his assignment. He also feels that Evil is literally an entity and that this entity is winning the battle over Good. His investigation takes him to Africa where he locates another recipient of Merrin's exorcising and learns something fascinating and terrible about locusts.

CLIP:

 

DEATH SENTENCE (2007)

Directed by: James Wan

Based on the novel by: Brian Garfield

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler, John Goodman, Matt O'Leary, Leigh Whannell, Stuart Lafferty, Zachary Dylan Smith, Jordan Garrett, Edi Gathegi, Yorgo Constantine, Hector Atreyu, Kanin Howell, Judith Roberts

111 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, drug references)

PLOT:

With his beloved, high school hockey-star son murdered before his eyes as part of a gang initiation rite, the mild-mannered family man and successful insurance executive, Nick Hume, finds himself losing hope in the justice system. As a result, seething with revenge, Nick buys a long, double-barreled 12-gauge Rossi Overland shotgun, and summons up the courage to start a war with the hardened criminal, Billy Darley, and his gang of street thugs. But violence begets violence, and now, there is no turning back. And, one by one, Billy's henchmen are going to pay in blood. Will Nick be able to recognize himself when the bloodletting is over?

 

G.I. JOE - RENEGADES (2010 - 2011)

Based on the toyline by: Hasbro

Starring: (voices) Charlie Adler, Clancy Brown, Natalia Cigliuti, Nika Futterman, David Kaye, Matthew Yang King, Jason Marsden, Johnny Messner, Khary Payton, Kevin Michael Richardson, Charlie Schlatter, Kim Mai Guest, Tatyana Yassukovich

26 episodes

(TV-Y7 - animated sci-fi/fantasy violence)

PLOT:

A small group of US military personnel are forced to become fugitives, after uncovering suspicious activity at a Cobra Industries pharmaceutical facility. Now branded as renegades by the media for terrorist crimes that they did not commit and pursued by the military as well as Cobra mercenaries, they must use their specialized military skills to prove their innocence and to expose the true face of Cobra Industries and its mysterious leader, Adam DeCobray.

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)

Directed by: Frank Darabont

Based on the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" by: Stephen King

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore, Mark Rolston, Jeffrey DeMunn, Ned Bellamy, Don McManus, Dion Anderson, Renee Blaine, Scott Mann, Frank Medrano, Bill Bolender, James Kisicki, Claire Slemmer

142 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, rape)

PLOT:

Andy Dufresne is sent to Shawshank Prison for the murder of his wife and her secret lover. He is very isolated and lonely at first but realizes there is something deep inside your body that people can't touch or get to....'HOPE'. Andy becomes friends with prison 'fixer' Red, and Andy epitomizes why it is crucial to have dreams. His spirit and determination lead us into a world full of imagination, one filled with courage and desire. Will Andy ever realize his dreams?

TRAILER:

 

BAIT (2012)

Directed by: Kimble Rendall

Screenplay by: Russell Mulcahy, John Kim

Starring: Julian McMahon, Sharni Vinson, Phoebe Tonkin, Xavier Samuel, Cariba Heine, Alex Russell, Lincoln Lewis, Alice Parkinson, Dan Wyllie, Adrian Pang, Qi Yuwu, Martin Sacks, Damien Garvey, Richard Brancatisano, Rhiannon Dannielle Pettett

93 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, gore, scenes of terror)

PLOT:

One painful year after a bloody encounter with a killer shark, the former lifeguard, Josh, is now working in a supermarket. Then--as if having to deal with his ex-girlfriend; her new boyfriend; a young shoplifter, and a dangerous hostage situation during an armed robbery wasn't enough--a towering tsunami hits the store, flooding the entire place. More and more, the local grocery store turns into an inescapable death trap, as the handful of survivors come to realise that something terrifying is swimming between the aisles: a massive, twelve-foot long great white shark. Is there an escape from the razor-sharp teeth of the ultimate apex predator?

CLIP:

 

211 (2018)

Directed by: York Shackleton

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Dwayne Cameron, Sophie Skelton, Cory Hardrict, Alexandra Dinu, Michael Rainey Jr, Ori Pfeffer, Weston Cage, Shari Watson, Sean James, Michael Bellisario, Amanda Cerny, Bashar Rahal

86 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence)

PLOT:

While on a routine patrol, an aging cop, his partner and their ride-along, get caught in a standoff with a band of former mercenaries robbing a bank.

 

LADIES WHO PUNCH - THE EXPLOSIVE INSIDE STORY OF "THE VIEW" (2019)

Written by: Ramin Setoodeh

Read by: Ramin Setoodeh

563 minutes

(NR - strong language, adult themes, adult situations)

PLOT:

When Barbara Walters launched The View, network executives told her that hosting it would tarnish her reputation. Instead, within 10 years, she’d revolutionized morning TV and made household names of her cohosts: Joy Behar, Star Jones, Meredith Vieira, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. But the daily chat fest didn’t just comment on the news. It became the news. And the headlines barely scratched the surface.

Based on unprecedented access, including stunning interviews with nearly every host, award-winning journalist Ramin Setoodeh takes you backstage where the stars really spoke their minds. Here's the full story of how Star, then Rosie, then Whoopi tried to take over the show, while Barbara struggled to maintain control of it all, a modern-day Lear with her media-savvy daughters. You'll hear about how so many cohosts had a tough time fitting in, suffered humiliations at the table, then pushed themselves away, feeling betrayed - one nearly quitting during a commercial. Meanwhile, the director was being driven insane, especially by Rosie. 

Setoodeh uncovers the truth about Star’s weight loss and wedding madness. Rosie’s feud with Trump. Whoopi’s toxic relationship with Rosie. Barbara’s difficulty stepping away. Plus, all the unseen hugs, snubs, tears - and one dead rodent. 

Ladies Who Punch shows why The View can be mimicked and mocked, but it can never be matched.  

An audiobook presentation.

 

MY DINNER WITH ANDRE (1981)

 

Directed by: Louis Malle

Starring: Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory

111 minutes

(PG - adult language, adult themes)

PLOT:

Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, apparently playing themselves, share their lives over the course of an evening meal at a restaurant. Gregory, a theater director from New York, is the more talkative of the pair. He relates to Shawn his tales of dropping out, traveling around the world, and experiencing the variety of ways people live, such as a monk who could balance his entire weight on his fingertips. Shawn listens avidly but questions the value of Gregory's seeming abandonment of the pragmatic aspects of life.

ACTUAL MOVIE:

LOU (2022)

Directed by: Anna Foerster

Starring: Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green, Ridley Asha Bateman, Matt Craven, Greyston Holt, Daniel Bernhardt, RJ Fetherstonhaugh

109 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence)

PLOT:

A mysterious loner living a quiet life with her dog battles the elements and her own dark past when a neighbor's little girl is kidnapped during a storm.

TRAILER:

 

SHOW DOGS (2018)

Directed by: Raja Gosnell

Starring: Will Arnett, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Natasha Lyonne, Jordin Sparks, Gabriel Iglesias, Shaquille O'Neal, Omar Chaparro, Stanley Tucci, Oliver Tompsett, Andy Beckwith, Kerry Shale, Bradley Gosnell, Flaminia Cinque, RuPaul Charles, Alan Cumming, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, Kate Micucci, Delaney Milbourn, Stephen Hogan, Andrew Ortenberg

91 minutes

(NR - adult language, adult themes, adult situations, some violence)

PLOT:

In a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals, e.g. talking dogs co-exist, a macho but lonely Rottweiler police dog named Max is ordered to go undercover as a primped show dog in a prestigious dog show with his human partner Frank to stop an animal-smuggling scheme that is using the dog show as a front. When Max finds out the criminals are planning to sell Ling-Li, a baby giant panda, at the upcoming Canini Invitational dog show in Las Vegas, he's forced to go undercover as an entrant accompanied by Frank posing as his trainer.

TRAILER:

 

BLOWN AWAY (1994)

Directed by: Stephen Hopkins

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Lloyd Bridges, Forest Whitaker, Suzy Amis, Stephi Lineburg, John Finn, Caitlin Clarke, Christofer de Oni, Loyd Catlett, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Mike Starr, Ed O'Keefe, Cuba Gooding Jr.

121 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence)

PLOT:

Jimmy Dove works for the bomb squad in Boston and he is always the one who is on the tough jobs. One day he decides to quit the force and to become a teacher for the rookies of the squad. A few days later his former partner is killed by a bomb and Jimmy becomes suspicious that maybe this bomb could have been built by a former friend of himself. He begins to investigate and finds out that his worst nightmare has returned from his past.

 

DEATHGASM (2015)

Directed by: Jason Lei Howden

Starring: Milo Cawthorne, James Blake, Kimberley Crossman, Sam Berkley, Daniel Cresswell, Delaney Tabron, Stephen Ure, Tim Foley, Kate Elliott, Nick Hoskins-Smith, Colin Moy, Jodie Rimmer, Erroll Shand, Andrew Laing, Aaron McGregor, Cameron Rhodes, Campbell Rousselle, Paula Hallagher

86 minutes

(NR - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, gore, graphic nudity, drug use)

PLOT:

Metalhead Brodie is sent to live with his Christian aunt and uncle and meat-head cousin after his drug addicted mother is sent away. Brodie seems unable to fit in, until he meets the mysterious Zakk at a record store. Joined by their love of metal, the two form the metal band Deathgasm, along with fellow outcasts Dion and Giles. However, when Brodie and Zakk break into the house of metal star Rikki Daggers they find mysterious sheet music known as The Black Hymn. Deathgasm plays the Black Hymn, which unleashes a demon known as Aeloth who possesses the town's citizens. Now it's up to Deathgasm and popular girl Medina to fight demons, prevent the apocalypse, and save the day.

TRAILER:

 

LOVE AND A .45 (1994)

 

Directed by: C.M. Talkington

Starring: Gil Bellows, Renee Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, Jeffrey Combs, Jace Alexander, Michael Bowen, Jack Nance, Ann Wedgeworth, Peter Fonda, Wiley Wiggins, Charlotte Ross

102 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, drug use)

PLOT:

Watty Watts has made a living out of robbing convenience stores, but after one of these jobs turned into murder by his partner, the psychopath Billy Mack Black, he is on the run with his fiancé Starlene Cheatham and with both Billy Mack, the police, and some loan sharks on his trail. Their plan is to go to Mexico, but before they do that, they want to get married and visit Starlene's parents.

DYKES, CAMERA, ACTION! (2018)

Directed by: Caroline Berler

Starring: Rose Troche, Yvonne Welbon, Rachel Reichman, Lesli Klainberg, Barbara Hammer, Vicky Du, Janet Baus, Desiree Akhavan, Cheryl Dunye, Su Friedrich, Jenni Olson, B. Ruby Rich, Yoruba Richen, Kay Turner, Carrie Moyer, Sarah Schulman

61 minutes

(TV-MA - strong language, adult themes, adult situations)

PLOT:

Lesbians haven't always seen themselves on screen, but they have built visibility and transformed the social imagination about queerness over time. Pioneering women in the entertainment industry share moving stories and discuss how they've expressed queer identity through film. 

 

YOUR LOVE IS MY DRUG (2010)

 

Directed by: Honey

Starring: Kesha

4 minutes

(NR - adult themes)

PLOT:

Music video for the single, off singer-songwriter's debut studio album, "Animal".

MUSIC VIDEO:

TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL (2010)

Directed by: Eli Craig

Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Chelan Simmons, Philip Granger, Brandon Jay McLaren, Christie Laing, Travis Nelson, Alex Arsenault, Adam Beauchesne, Joseph Allan Sutherland, Karen Reigh, Tye Evans

89 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, gore)

PLOT:

Two lovable hillbillies are headed to their "fixer-upper" vacation cabin to drink some beer, do some fishin', and have a good time. But when they run into a group of preppy college kids who assume from their looks that they must be in-bred, chainsaw-wielding killers, Tucker & Dale's vacation takes a bloody and hilarious turn for the worse.

 

CORALINE (2009)

Directed by: Henry Selick

Based on the novella by: Neil Gaiman

Starring: (voices) Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr, Ian McShane, John Linnell, Carolyn Crawford, Aankha Neal, Marina Budovsky, Harry Selick

100 minutes

(PG - some language, adult themes, adult situations, animated sci-fi/fantasy violence, scary images)

PLOT:

When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked-up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coraline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her.

TRAILER:

 

SPEEDWAY (1968)

Directed by: Norman Taurog

Starring: Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, Bill Bixby, Gale Gordon, William Schallert, Victoria Paige Meyerink, Carl Ballantine, Ross Hagen, Charlotte Considine, Poncie Ponce, Harry Hickox, Christopher West, Miss Beverly Hills, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, Dick Hutcherson, Tiny Lund, G.C. Spencer, Roy Mayne, Sandy Reed

94 minutes

(NR - adult themes)

PLOT:

Poor bookkeeping saddles stock car driver Steve Grayson with a huge bill for back taxes which hampers his ability to continue racing competitively.

TRAILER:

 

BLACK NARCISSUS (1947)

Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Based on the novel by: Rumer Godden

Starring: Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, Sabu, David Farrar, Flora Robson, Esmond Knight, Jean Simmons, Jenny Laird, Judith Furse, May Hallatt, Eddie Whaley Jr, Shaun Noble, Nancy Roberts

100 minutes

(NR - adult themes)

PLOT:

Sister Clodagh, currently posted at the Convent of the Order of the Servants of Mary in Calcutta, has just been appointed the Sister Superior of the St. Faith convent, making her the youngest sister superior in the order. The appointment is despite the reservations of the Reverend Mother who believes Sister Clodagh not ready for such an assignment, especially because of its isolated location. The convent will be a new one located in the mountainside Palace of Mopu in the Himalayas, and is only possible through the donation by General Todo Rai of Mopu - "The Old General" - of the palace, where the Old General's father formerly kept his concubine. On the Old General's directive, the convent is to provide schooling to the children and young women, and general dispensary services to all native residents who live in the valley below the palace. Accompanying Sister Clodagh will be four of the other nuns, each chosen for a specific reason: Sister Briony for her strength, Sister Phillipa who is to tend to the garden for food, Sister Blanche - more commonly referred to as Sister Honey - for her general ability to spread happiness, and troubled Sister Ruth, who the Reverend Mother believes will truly find her faith from the change in locale. The palace comes with an elderly female caretaker, slightly off kilter Angu Ayah, and a holy man who meditates in solitude and silence outside the palace grounds night and day, he who is not to be disturbed. The General also provides a young boy, six year old Joseph Anthony, the General's cook's son, who will live at the convent to provide translation services. But the sisters' primary liaison to the General and the outside world is his agent, native Brit Mr. Dean, which may prove to be problematic in his gender and doing any work around the convent. Sister Clodagh faces early challenges in feeling the need to accept two people to the convent: seventeen year old Kanchi, who is pushing the boundaries of her sexuality; and the Old General's son, the "Young General", who wants the same educational opportunities, if not better, than that offered to his female counterparts. Beyond these issues, each of the sisters is challenged by this posting, from the cultural differences, to the isolation, to the general openness of their environment. Sister Clodagh, as the leader, feels that she has no one to turn to in her confusion, her thoughts turning back to her time in Ireland before joining the order and her love for a young man named Con that was partly the reason for her decision to devote her life to God. But it is Sister Ruth whose issues may be the most problematic as she is becoming unhinged in her growing romantic obsession with Mr. Dean, especially as jealousy emerges in she also believing that Sister Clodagh is falling in love with him as well, which may or may not be the case.

REVIEW:

 

NIAGARA (1953)

Directed by: Henry Hathaway

Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters, Max Showalter, Denis O'Dea, Richard Allan, Don Wilson, Lurene Tuttle, Russell Collins, Will Wright

88 minutes

(NR - adult themes)

PLOT:

Polly and Ray Cutler finally get to go on their long delayed honeymoon - they've been married three years - and arrive in Niagara Falls to find that the Loomises - Rose and George - are still in what is supposed to be in their cabin. Rose Loomis is a sultry blond who catches the eye of every man around. Husband George is older and keeps to himself a great deal. The Cutlers take a different cabin but when they go off to visit the falls, Polly sees Rose passionately kissing another man. Rose and her lover are out to kill George and run off together, but things don't quite as planned and Polly soon finds herself kidnapped and in a boat racing to the edge of the Falls.

TRAILER:

 

THE AMAZING ADVENTURE (1937)

Directed by: Alfred Zeisler

Based on the novel "The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss" by: E. Phillips Oppenheim
Starring: Cary Grant, Mary Brian, Peter Gawthorne, Henry Kendall, Leon M. Lion, John Turnbull, Arthur Hardy, Iris Ashley, Garry Marsh, Andreas Malandrinos, Alfred Wellesley, Marie Wright, Buena Bent, Charles Farrell, Quinton McPherson, Hal Gordon

61 minutes

(NR - adult themes)

PLOT:

Ernest Bliss is a rich young man with too little to do. Not realizing the depression he's in is due to boredom, Ernest consults a doctor. Sir James Aldroyd gives Ernest a prescription that he doesn't think Ernest can fill: Ernest must earn his own living for one year using none of his current wealth. Ernest bets him 50,000 English pounds that he can.

ACTUAL MOVIE:

 

ELIZABETH - A PORTRAIT IN PART(S) (2022)

Directed by: Roger Michell

Starring: Queen Elizabeth II

89 minutes

(TV-14 - adult language, adult themes)

PLOT:

A documentary on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-lived, longest reigning British monarch and longest serving female head of state in history.

TRAILER:

 

BLACK FRIDAY (2021)

Directed by: Casey Tebo

Starring: Devon Sawa, Ivana Baquero, Ryan Lee, Stephen Peck, Michael Jai White, Bruce Campbell, Louie Kurtzman, Celeste Oliva, Ellen Colton, Peg Holzemer, Mark Steger, Christopher Mikael, Stanley Bruno, Lonnie Farmer, Bates Wilder, Cindy Lentol, Ripley Thibeault, Matea Thibeault, Seth Green

84 minutes

(NR - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, zombie gore)

PLOT:

On Thanksgiving night, a group of disgruntled toy store employees begrudgingly arrive for work to open the store at midnight for the busiest shopping day of the year. Meanwhile, an alien parasite crashes to Earth in a meteor. This group of misfits led by store manager Jonathan and longtime employee Ken soon find themselves battling against hordes of holiday shoppers who have been turned into monstrous creatures hellbent on a murderous rampage on Black Friday.

TRAILER:

 

SHOWDOWN (1993)

Directed by: Robert Radler

Starring: Billy Blanks, Kenn Scott, Christine Taylor, John Mallory Asher, Ken McLeod, Patrick Kilpatrick, Linda Dona, Michael Cavalieri, Seidy Lopez, Brion James, Mike Genovese, Nicholas Hill, Debbie Bartelt, Michael Collins, Jeremy Duddleston, Cathy Dresbach, James Lew, Ray Gamboa, Ryan Koch, David Van Wie

100 minutes

(PG-13 - adult language, adult themes, adult situations, martial arts violence)

PLOT:

Ken has just moved from Kansas with his mother. He talks to a girl named Julie, not knowing that her boyfriend Tom is very possessive of her. Tom is learning karate from Lee, a sensei whose brother was killed by a rookie cop named Billy. Billy has since then become the janitor of the school that Ken, Julie and Tom go to. When Ken gets beaten up by Tom for talking to Julie again, Billy helps Ken by teaching him how to defend himself, which eventually leads to a battle between student vs. student, and sensei vs. sensei.

CLIP:

 

DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004)

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Screenplay by: James Gunn

Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Michael Barry, Lindy Booth, Jayne Eastwood, Boyd Banks, Inna Korobkina, R.D. Reid, Kim Poirier, Matt Frewer, Louis Ferreira, Hannah Lochner, Bruce Bohne, Ermes Blarasin, Natalie Brown, Tom Savini, Scott Reiniger, Ken Foree

100 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, zombie gore)

PLOT:

Ana goes home to her peaceful suburban residence, but she is unpleasantly surprised the morning that follows when her husband is brutally attacked by her zombified neighbor. In the chaos of her once picturesque neighborhood, Ana flees and stumbles upon a police officer named Kenneth, along with more survivors who decide that their best chances of survival would be found in the deserted Crossroads Shopping Mall. When supplies begin running low and other trapped survivors need help, the group comes to the realization that they cannot stay put forever at the shopping mall and devise a plan to escape.

 

GEORGE A. ROMERO'S SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD (2009)

Directed by: George A. Romero

Starring: Alan van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh, Kathleen Munroe, Devon Bostick, Richard Fitzpatrick, Athena Karkanis, Stefano Di Matteo, Joris Jarsky, Eric Woolfe, Julian Richings, Wayne Robson, Joshua Peace, George Stroumboulopoulos

90 minutes

(R - strong language, adult themes, adult situations, violence, zombie gore)

PLOT:

In the Plum Island, off the coast of Delaware, the long feud between the families of the patriarchs Captain Patrick O'Flynn that intends to eliminate the zombies and Seamus Muldoon that intends to keep his undead relatives waiting for a cure culminates with O'Flynn expelled from Plum. Meanwhile in the continent Sarge "Nicotine" Crocket, Chuck, Cisco and Tomboy are plundering and seeking a safe place to stay. When they rescue the young Boy from group of sadistic hunters, Boy decides to join the group and suggests them to head to Plum Island since he had heard a O'Flynn's broadcast inviting people to move to the island. When Sarge and his team arrive in the island, they are attacked by Muldoon's men and they see that the place is crowded of undead. Sarge's friend Chuck is killed and they decide to fight against Muldoon.