cryptexcode/MPST huggingface dataset:
9 rota

Plot synopsis:
At a farewell ceremony in Krasnoyarsk, a band of young Soviet army recruits is preparing for their departure to their place of military service. On arrival at their bootcamp in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan they meet their drill instructor, Senior Praporschik Dygalo, a seasoned, traumatized veteran of several tours in Afghanistan and a brutal trainer who treats the recruits harshly and at one time suffers a nervous breakdown. During their training, the recruits overcome their differences and build bonds. Between the training sessions, they receive lessons in operating plastic explosives (which prompts some comic relief) and how to conduct themselves in Afghanistan (underlining the vast cultural differences between Western and Arabic culture).
On their arrival at Baghram air base they greet a group of VDV troops who have fulfilled their military service and are due to return home. One of the departing soldiers gives one of the new arrivals, Lyutyi, a talisman that he claims has kept him safe through several tours and multiple firefights. Homeward bound, the departing soldier's transport plane is hit by enemy fire from the nearby mountains and crashes, giving the new recruits their first taste of war.
Shortly thereafter, the soldiers are assigned to the 9th company, where their trainer and drill instructor, Dygalo, had previously served. The company is soon deployed to the front as part of Operation Magistral and is instructed to hold a nameless hill at all costs. After some preliminary skirmishes, the company's position comes under sustained attack by a large number of Mujahedin fighters and is overrun. In the end, the company holds the hill until reinforcements arrive, by which time seemingly only Lyutyi is still alive.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Whity

Plot synopsis:
In 1878 in the south west of the USA, Ben Nicholson is the richest rancher of the area. A tough man who strikes a hard bargain, he has been outwitted by his second wife Katherine, a flirtatious intriguer. Of his two sons from the previous marriage, Frank is gay and the unfortunate David is a half-wit. There is a third son in the house however, born from the black cook Marpessa, who acts as butler: this is Whity.
Despite his capability, Whity gets humiliated and whipped. His only hope of any decency lies in his friendship with the town's saloon singer and whore, Hanna. She has landed a job back in the east and offers to take Whity with her, but he says he must stay with his family.
To trap Katherine, Ben arranges for a Mexican called Garcia to pretend he is a physician and to seduce her, confiding to her that Ben has not long to live. The plot succeeds but, rather than pay what he promised, Ben kills Garcia. When he learns that Hanna witnessed the murder, he pays her for her silence.
Excited by the prospect of inheriting the ranch, both Frank and Katherine try to get Whity to kill Ben. In the end, after repeated humiliations in a household where everybody is trying to seduce or kill each other, Whity decides he must at last act. He shoots all four Nicholsons and flees into the desert with Hanna, whose money he had earlier stolen and gambled away. Once their water is finished, they dance together as the sun sets behind them.

Tags: romantic

Review:
The Burning Plain

Plot synopsis:
Typical of Arriaga's works, this film is told in a nonlinear narrative, where events are revealed out of sequence. The following plot summary is in chronological order, thus does not reflect the exact sequence of the events as seen on screen.
The story starts some time during the mid-1990s in a small town near Las Cruces, New Mexico (close to the border with Mexico), where Gina (Kim Basinger), a wife and mother to four children, is introduced. Gina is having an affair with a local man named Nick Martinez (Joaquim de Almeida), who also has a family of his own, but unbeknownst to the two, Gina's teenaged daughter Mariana (Jennifer Lawrence) finds out about their love affair. Mariana follows her mother to Nick's trailer. Knowing the two are inside, and in an effort to make them end their affair, she disconnects the gas pipe leading into the trailer and sets it on fire. The flames eventually reach a gas tank, which explodes, consuming the entire trailer and claiming Nick and Gina's lives, although Mariana had no intention of killing either of them. After their funeral, Mariana and Nick's teenaged son, Santiago (JD Pardo), slowly begin to develop a relationship of their own. Mariana soon becomes aware that she is pregnant with Santiago's daughter. The two flee to Mexico amid disapproval from their families and decide to have the baby there; after she gives birth to their daughter, Mariana abandons her family and changes her name to Sylvia.
More than a decade later, Sylvia (now played by Charlize Theron) is working at a high-end restaurant in Oregon. Despite her success, she resorts to promiscuity and has persistent thoughts of suicide. Here, a mysterious man follows her around. It is Carlos (Jose Maria Yazpik), a close friend and business-partner of Santiago. After an accident involving their crop-dusting plane, the hospitalized Santiago urges Carlos to look for Sylvia, for whom Santiago has been searching since she abandoned him and their two-day-old daughter.
Because Carlos does not speak English and Sylvia does not speak Spanish, he has trouble explaining to her the purpose of his visit. Instead, he surprises Sylvia with her now 12-year-old daughter, Maria (Tessa Ia). Maria, who was already reluctant to meet her estranged mother, is heartbroken when Sylvia hastily departs without speaking to either when she sees Maria and Carlos waiting for her outside her home. After realizing her mistake, Sylvia enlists the help of her friend Laura (Robin Tunney) to find Carlos and Maria.
After reuniting, Sylvia, Maria, and Carlos go to Mexico, where Sylvia apologizes to Maria for the years she has been absent from her life. They visit Santiago, who is sedated due to the extent of his injuries. Sylvia confesses her past sins by his bedside, unsure if he will ever wake up again. The doctor reassures them that he will be fine, and the story concludes on a hopeful note.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Fat Slags

Plot synopsis:
The film chronicles the (mis)adventures of Sandra (Fiona Allen) and Tracey (Sophie Thompson), the famously vulgar and crass Fat Slags of the title. The pair leave their home town of Fulchester for London, shagging and boozing their way to fame and fortune. On the day the Fat Slags arrive in London, internationally renowned billionaire Sean Cooley (Jerry O'Connell) suffers a blow to the head, rendering him temporarily insane. When he spots Sandra and Tracey on a daytime chat show he falls for their larger-than-life outlook. A media sensation is brought about when Cooley forces fashion designer Fidor Konstantin (James Dreyfus) to base his upcoming collection on the Fat Slags. In a whirlwind turn of events, Sandra and Tracey take the United Kingdom by storm, hitting #1 in the record charts and inadvertently winning the Turner Prize. As far as the press is concerned, fat is the new black. Throughout their journey into the world of fame, the Slags maintain their unique and endearing vulgarity, coupled with an innocence that draws the British public to their cause. However, in private, jealousy is driving a wedge between Sandra and Tracey as they vie for Cooley's attentions. Only when he regains his mental faculties and turns on the girls do they realise that their friendship is the only real thing they have in the mad world they have become a part of.

Tags: humor, satire

Review:
Ram Aur Shyam

Plot synopsis:
Ram (Dilip Kumar) lives with his sister Sulakshna (Nirupa Roy) and niece Kuku in his family estate. His brother-in-law Gajendra (Pran) looks after his factories and controls his property with an iron hand. Ram is shy and coward in nature. He is always abused and brutally beaten by Gajendra. Sulakshna and Kuku try to protect Ram from Gajendra whenever he whips Ram. Everybody decides to get Ram married for his well being. Gajendra finds a rich girl Anjana (Waheeda Rehman) with the aim of getting a huge dowry. Anjana dislikes Ram after he spills tea over her due to nervousness. Gajendra angry at Ram's behaviour, conspires with the support of his mother and cunning Munimji to kill Ram and take over his property. Ram overhears this and escapes to the city to save his life. Meanwhile, Ram's long lost twin brother Shyam (Dilip Kumar) lives in a village with his adopted mother Ganga whom he believes to be his birth mother. No one other than Ganga knows the truth about the twin brothers. Shyam is strong, brave and mischievous, unlike his brother. He has a love hate relationship with Shanta (Mumtaz). Shyam escapes to the city, after a mischievous conflict with Ganga, and meets Anjana, who is impressed by his personality. Anjana and her father confuse Shyam with Ram. Ram meets Shanta who thinks he is Shyam and takes him forcefully to his mother. Ram and Shanta develop feelings for each other. Meanwhile, Shyam decides to take the place of Ram to face Gajendra. Shyam refuses to sign his property after which angry Gajendra attacks him. Shyam retaliates and whips Gajendra hard, shocking everybody. Sulakshna stops her brother to protect her husband. Gajendra is startled after being beaten up by Shyam, whom everybody believes as Ram. Shanta and Anjana meet and both claim the picture of Ram as their fiancé. Gajendra learns that Shyam has taken the place of Ram. He abducts Ram and Shanta, and plans to kill Ram. He frames Shyam for the murder of Ram though Ram is alive. Shyam is arrested by police. Anjana and her father learn from Ganga that Ram and Shyam are twin brothers lost in a village fair. Shyam escapes from police custody and battles Gajendra and his henchmen. Gajendra tries to shoot them but both the brothers and Shanta manage to defeat him. At the end twin brothers are happily married and the family reunited.

Tags: revenge

Review:
Hard Contract

Plot synopsis:
CIA assassin John Cunningham (James Coburn), a cold-blooded killer with nerves of steel and no conscience, kills a man on election day, votes in the local election and spends the rest of the afternoon with Ellen (Karen Black), a prostitute. The next day, Cunningham goes to see James Ramsey (Burgess Meredith), his mobilizer, a CIA man whose cover is a job as a college physics professor.
Ramsey offers one final, lucrative job, or "hard contract" as he calls it, that can allow Cunningham to retire from the business for good. This consists of three hits, two in Spain and Belgium, with the last victim to be revealed after the first two are dispatched.
On his way to Spain to make the first hit, Cunningham meets two women who will change his life: American tourist and jet setter Sheila Metcalfe (Lee Remick), and her naive but good-hearted friend, socialite Adrianne (Lilli Palmer).
He does kill the first two victims, but later, as remorse slowly takes hold over him, Cunningham can't bring himself to knock off his third target, former top CIA hit-man Michael Carson (Sterling Hayden). A more vicious and effective hit-man in his day than Cunningham is now, Carson has become so passive, he wouldn't even defend himself.
Ramsey flies to Spain to persuade Cunningham to complete the job, and promises Cunningham that if he does not do so, he will himself be killed, and so will Sheila. Cunningham drives Ramsey, Sheila, Carson, and everyone else who knows about him back down a mountain, and is close to deliberately causing a car crash that would free him for all time, only to relent at the last moment, telling a confused Ramsey afterwards that murder is obsolete. Ramsey is then romanced by Adrianne, much to his bemusement, and it's unclear if he has also weakened in his resolve.
The ending is enigmatic, with Cunningham and Sheila running off together and beginning to make love, as Cunningham tells her that the worst deeds can be done for the best motives. The final image of them narrows to a circle around their heads, reminiscent of the image one would see in a rifle scope.

Tags: romantic, murder

Review:
Operation Thunderbolt: Entebbe

Plot synopsis:
On June 27, 1976, four terrorists belonging to a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine under the orders of Wadie Haddad boarded and hijacked Flight 139, an Air France Airbus A300 in Athens, Greece. Two of the terrorists are West Germans named Wilfried Boese (Klaus Kinski) and Halima (Sybil Danning), and the other two are Palestinians.
After landing to refuel in Libya, the four hijackers force the airliner to take off once again. With President Idi Amin's (Mark Heath) permission, the terrorists divert the airliner and its hostages to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. The hijackers are joined at Entebbe by more Palestinian militants. After identifying Israeli passengers, the non-Jewish passengers are freed while a series of demands are made, including the release of 40 Palestinian militants held in Israel, in exchange for the hostages.
The Cabinet of Israel, unwilling to give in to terrorist demands, is faced with difficult decisions as their deliberations lead to a top-secret military raid. This commando operation, "Operation Thunderbolt", will be carried out over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from home and will take place on the Jewish Sabbath.
While still negotiating with the terrorists, who now numbered seven individuals, the Israeli military prepared a group of Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports for the raid. The transports refuelled in Kenya before landing at Entebbe Airport under the cover of darkness. The commandos led by Brigadier General Dan Shomron (Arik Lavie) had to contend with a large armed Ugandan military detachment and used a ruse to overcome the defenses. A black Mercedes limousine had been carried on board and was used to fool sentries that it was the official car that President Amin used on an impromptu visit to the airport.
Nearly complete surprise was achieved but a firefight resulted, ending with all seven terrorists and 45 Ugandan soldiers killed. The hostages were gathered together and most were quickly put on the idling C-130 aircraft. During the raid, one commando (the breach unit commander Yonatan Netanyahu (Yehoram Gaon), brother of future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), and three of the hostages, died. 
With 102 hostages aboard and on their way to freedom, a group of Israeli commandos remained behind to destroy the Ugandan Air Force MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters to prevent a retaliation. All the survivors of the attack force then joined in flying back to Israel via Nairobi and Sharm El Sheikh.

Tags: violence

Review:
Ganja & Hess

Plot synopsis:
The film follows Dr. Hess Green (Duane Jones), a wealthy black anthropologist who is doing research on the Myrthians, an ancient African nation of blood drinkers. One night, while staying in Green's lavish mansion, richly decorated with African art, Green's unstable assistant George Meda (writer/director Gunn) threatens suicide. Green successfully talks him down, but later that night Meda attacks and stabs Green with a Myrthian ceremonial dagger, and then kills himself. Green survives, but on discovering the body, drinks Meda's blood; he has become a vampire endowed with immortality and a need for fresh blood. Though he steals several bags of blood from a doctor's office, he finds that he needs fresh victims.
Soon, Meda's estranged wife, Ganja Meda (Marlene Clark), arrives at Green's house searching for her husband. Green and Meda quickly become lovers, and she moves into Green's expansive mansion. When she unwittingly discovers her husband's corpse frozen in Green's wine cellar she is initially upset, but then agrees to marry her host, who turns her into a vampire as well. Ganja is initially horrified by her new existence, but Green teaches her how to survive. Soon, he brings a young man home, who Ganja seduces and then kills. The two vampires dispose of the body in the water.
Eventually, Green becomes disillusioned of this life and resolves to return to the Christian church headed by his chauffeur (Sam Waymon). Returning home, he kills himself by standing in front of a cross. Ganja, though saddened by his death, lives on, presumably continuing her vampiric lifestyle. The film ends with the young man Ganja had earlier killed rising out of the water, naked but alive, and running towards her.

Tags: allegory

Review:
Super Mario World

Plot synopsis:
After saving the Mushroom Kingdom in Super Mario Bros. 3, brothers Mario and Luigi agree to take a vacation to a place called Dinosaur Land, where there are many types of dinosaurs. However, while resting on the beach, Princess Toadstool disappears. When Mario and Luigi wake up they try to find her and, after hours of searching, come across a giant egg in the forest. It suddenly hatches and out of it comes a young dinosaur named Yoshi, who then tells them that his dinosaur friends have also been imprisoned in eggs by evil Koopas. Mario and Luigi soon realize that it must be the evil King Bowser and his Koopalings.
Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi set out to save Princess Toadstool and Yoshi's dinosaur friends, exploring Dinosaur Land for Bowser and his Koopalings. To aid him, Yoshi gives Mario a cape as they begin their journey. Mario and Luigi continue to follow Bowser, defeating the Koopalings in the process, and save all of Yoshi's dinosaur friends. They eventually make it to Bowser's castle, where they fight him in a final battle. They defeat Bowser and save the Princess, restoring peace to Dinosaur Land.

Tags: fantasy

Review:
Vishwanath

Plot synopsis:
The film starts with the convict Vishwanath (Saravanan) escaping from jail. Vishwanath is searched by the whole state, his photo is on the front pages of every newspapers. One day, Swathi (Swathi) sees him near her house, feared of him, she runs away. Swathi lives with her sister Sindhu (Sindhu) in a bungalow. One day, her sister falls unconscious and Vishwanath checks her like a doctor. Vishwanath tells her his tragic past.
In the past, Vishwanath was a doctor working in a clining owned by Michael (Prakash Raj), a greedy hospital owner. They both clashed, there was a difference of opinion between them : Michael gave more importance for money, whereas Vishwanath gave more importance for human life. Vishwanath resigned from his work, and got an offer from a better hospital. Michael's hospital was in bankrupt while Vishwanath's hospital was gaining in popularity. Under debts, Michael decided to treat illegally terrorists in his clinic, and got huge amount to treat them. With the help of the terrorists, Michael hid weapons in Vishwanath's hospital, thereafter Vishwanath was arrested for 'illegal possession of weapons' in his hospital. Michael even killed Jenifer to hide the thruth behind his illegal activities.
The police officer Rajkumar (Radha Ravi) is charged to catch the convict Vishwanath. In the meantime, Swathi falls in love with Vishwanath. What transpires next forms the rest of the story.

Tags: revenge

Review:
Takkar

Plot synopsis:
Takkar revolves around the lives of three characters — Ravi Malhotra (Sunil Shetty), Mohini (Sonali Bendre) and Inspector De Costa (Naseeruddin Shah). Ravi is a freelance photographer, in love with Mohini, who works hard to make a living so they can be together. Inspector De Costa is an efficient but corrupt cop who takes advantage of criminals by helping them in return for money and then double crossing them; he pretends to be on the side of the law.
No one is considered strong or wise enough to confront De Costa. De Costa one day notices Ravi and Mohini on the beach, and he immediately falls for her. To keep Ravi away from her, he frames Ravi on the day before his marriage to Mohini by falsely implicating him in a drug deal case in a fake raid. Ravi is sentenced to four years of imprisonment. In prison, Ravi decides to study the law so he can fight injustice. He is helped by hardcore criminals who are in jail because of De Costa and want him dead.
In Ravi's absence, De Costa befriends Mohini. She begins to like and respect him as though he were a good man. After two years, Ravi is released from jail because of good behavior and on recommendation by the circle inspector on Mohini’s pleas. Soon Ravi and Mohini are married. De Costa learns about Ravi’s release from prison and his marriage. Infuriated, he harasses the couple repeatedly to get close to Mohini. But Mohini never gives in to De Costa’s moves. Ravi soon realizes that it was Inspector De Costa who had framed him on the day before his marriage, and he decides to take revenge. He follows De Costa closely, watching all his activities. Being a photographer, he captures the cop on camera.
The circle inspector is killed by De Costa when both of them rescue a group of school children from terrorists holding them captive in a school. This is noted by Ravi, and he makes it known publicly. Soon an enquiry is arranged by the police (on Ravi’s request), and Ravi plays the prosecution lawyer. He traps De Costa in his own words, making him confess his crime. He also provides evidence for the same.
The helpless De Costa is suspended from service. But Ravi and Mohini know that De Costa will never leave them in peace. So they approach his mistress (Archana Puran Singh) for help; she says that De Costa’s desires can be used against him. They hatch a plan. Ravi leaves the house before Mohini, pretending to go out of the city. De Costa learns of this and immediately goes to the couple’s house, where he is met by a surprise reception. Mohini dances with him, pretends to seduce him and, as they enter the bedroom, she screams, and Ravi breaks in. He beats up De Costa badly, and police arrive and arrest the former cop.
De Costa is now jailed. But enemies are not at bay for him. In prison, he comes across the men whom he has jailed, as they are working in the jail compound. The criminals together attack and kill De Costa.
The film ends with De Costa’s burial, as Ravi sticks a cross with De Costa’s name painted on it on the grave. He then says "Everything has come to an end for good" and walks away with Mohini, as the others look on.

Tags: murder

Review:
The Land Beyond the Sunset

Plot synopsis:
Joe is an impoverished New York newsboy who lives with his abusive grandmother. While selling papers, he is given a ticket for a children's excursion sponsored by the Fresh Air Fund.
The next morning, Joe sneaks out of his tenement home to join the excursion, where he sees the countryside and the ocean for the first time. After a picnic, an adult volunteer reads the children a story about a young prince who is beaten by an old witch. A group of fairies rescue the boy, take him to a boat, and sail off for "the Land Beyond the Sunset, where he lived happily ever after." Joe imagines himself as the boy in the story.
When the group returns to the city, Joe stays behind because he is afraid of his grandmother. He wanders to the beach, where he finds a rowboat and decides to go to the Land Beyond the Sunset himself. He pushes the boat into the water and climbs in. The film ends with a long shot of Joe drifting out to sea.

Tags: fantasy, storytelling

Review:
Afro Samurai: Resurrection

Plot synopsis:
Afro spent his days making wooden sculptures of historical people and follows the rule of not wearing the No. 1 headband, until Jinno and Sio take the headband and Rokutaro's mandible. Sio tells Afro that she will resurrect and use Rokutaro for vengeance.
Brother 3 cheats the dice game and tells Afro that Shichigoro has the No. 2 headband. After Afro meets to spend time with Kotaro and Shichigoro, both men fight until Afro takes it and Kotaro sadly vows revenge.
Afro destroys three past warriors and revealed as Sio's relatives, while she resolves to resurrect Rokutaro as a mindless robot. After strangling and seemingly killing Afro, Rokutaro impales Jinno and Sio with the broken sword, before Jinno's robotic body gives off an electrical surge through Sio's blood to save Afro. After defeating Rokutaro, Afro retrieves to wear the No. 1 headband, gives the No. 2 to Kotaro and tells him to fight.

Tags: revenge, psychedelic, violence

Review:
Death and the Maiden

Plot synopsis:
Paulina Salas is a former political prisoner in an unnamed Latin American country who had been raped by her captors, led by a sadistic doctor whose face she never saw. The rapist doctor played Schubert's composition Death and the Maiden during the act of rape; hence the play's title.
Years later, after the (also unnamed) repressive regime has fallen, Paulina lives in an isolated country house with her husband, Gerardo Escobar. When Gerardo comes back from a visit to the president, he gets a flat tire. A stranger named Dr. Miranda stops to assist him. Dr. Miranda drives Gerardo home and later in the night he returns. Paulina recognizes Miranda's voice and mannerism as that of her rapist, and takes him captive in order to put him on trial and extract a confession from him.
Unconvinced of his guilt, Gerardo acts as Roberto Miranda's lawyer and attempts to save his life. After hearing the full story of her captivity from Paulina, Gerardo formulates a confession with Roberto to appease Paulina's madness and set her free from her past.
Paulina records the entire confession and has Roberto write it out and sign it. She sends Gerardo out to get Roberto's car so he can go home. While they are alone for the last time, Paulina accuses Roberto of being unrepentant and guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Throughout the play it is uncertain whether details are evidence of Roberto's guilt or Paulina's paranoia. At the end of the play it is unclear who is innocent.

Tags: revenge, suspenseful, psychological

Review:
The Young Poisoner's Handbook

Plot synopsis:
Graham Young has been obsessed with death and the macabre since childhood. He is highly intelligent, with an aptitude for chemistry; he dreams of poisoning as many people as he can. In his teen years, he actually poisons a schoolmate — which made him ill rather than killing him — in order to date a girl his schoolmate was seeing. His conversation with his date involved vivid, graphic descriptions of deadly car accidents. He also reads a comic book account of an event in which the Dutch Resistance killed a whole German army camp in the occupied Netherlands during the Second World War by poisoning their water supply with thallium.
Graham is arrested at the age of 14 outside his home in Neasden after having poisoning his father and stepmother with thallium, killing his stepmother and making his father seriously ill. During the struggle with police, he drops his "Exit Dose" of thallium, which he intended to use to commit suicide should he be caught. He is hospitalised for nine years in an institution for the criminally insane, during which time a psychiatrist works with him in the hopes of rehabilitating him.
Graham's dishonesty becomes evident to the doctor, who can see that Graham is trying to deceive him. Graham apparently has no dreams to share with the psychiatrist so he "borrows" a fellow prisoner's dreams. This source is shut off to him, however, once the fellow prisoner commits suicide. Despite the initial evidence of deceptiveness on Graham's part, the doctor eventually gets him released.
Graham then goes to work in a camera factory and is shown the secret ingredient used in the company's shutter system — thallium. It is not long before Graham starts poisoning people again. He kills two of his workmates by poisoning their tea with thallium stolen from the laboratory, and makes many others ill. For months, the source of the "bug" afflicting the workers at the factory remains a mystery until one unforeseen event leads to Graham's being found out. As a hygiene measure, all the personalised teacups are replaced with uniform ones, leaving Graham unable to poison people selectively. His efforts to memorise which cup is going to which person give him away and his workmates finally realise what is going on.
Graham is arrested soon afterwards and he is later sentenced to a lengthy custodial term, this time in an ordinary prison. He commits suicide by poisoning himself with the "Newton's Diamond" he made in the psychiatric hospital.
=== Differences between the film and the real case ===
The Young Poisoner's Handbook is not a strictly factual account of Graham Young's crimes. The film depicts Young committing suicide immediately after his arrest; the real Graham Young died of a heart attack in 1990, at the age of 43. The film insinuates that his ambition in life was to create an untraceable poison based on thallium using his knowledge of chemistry; in reality his ambition was to become an infamous poisoner, an ambition he achieved.

Tags: comedy, murder

Review:
Cover Up

Plot synopsis:
In a small Midwestern town, Roger Phillips is found dead. When insurance investigator Sam Donovan (O'Keefe) arrives looking into the apparent suicide, all clues lead him to suspect murder. The man was shot, but there are no powder burns on the body (which would indicate he was not shot at close range) nor was a pistol found. Unfortunately, no one wants to assist him with the case, including Sheriff Larry Best (Bendix), despite a double indemnity clause. It turns out the dead man was universally hated.
One of the prime suspects is Frank Baker, who eloped with Phillips' daughter the night of the death when Phillips objected to the marriage. During the investigation, Sam and local girl Anita Weatherby (Britton) are strongly attracted to each other. This causes complications when Anita finds her father's hidden Luger pistol (Phillips was shot with a Luger) while searching for a place to store her diary away from her inquisitive younger sister.
Meanwhile, at the annual town Christmas tree lighting, the residents are grieved to learn that beloved longtime physician Dr. Gerrow has died of a heart attack.
Finally, Sam plants a false story in the newspaper, stating that he has sent for a chemist to find clues of the killer's identity from the floor of the house where Phillips died. The chemist is due very soon, so Sam waits for the murderer at the scene of the crime. Sheriff Best shows up first, but he knew the story was a fake. Next to arrive is Anita's father, Stu Weatherby, followed by Anita. Sam accuses Stu of the crime, but then realizes from the position of the murderer that he had to have been left-handed, which rules Stu out. Then Sam remembers, from his previous investigation, that Dr. Gerrow was left-handed. Stu confirms Sam's guess. Weatherby came upon Dr. Gerrow, just after the doctor snapped and killed the man responsible for so much misery to his loved townspeople. He talked Gerrow out of turning himself in and took the Luger away.

Tags: revenge

Review:
Under the Gun

Plot synopsis:
At a Miami nightclub, gangster Bert Galvin offers to take singer Ruth Williams under his wing and to New York, helping her career. She agrees once it is made clear that their relationship will be strictly business.
On the road, they stop for dinner at Claude's Restaurant, where Bert knows the owner. The local sheriff, Bill Langley, recognizes Bert and tips off a revenge-minded man whose brother Bert killed. But given a warning by Claude what's about to happen, Bert shoots and kills the man.
Charged with murder, Bert is defended by Milo Bragg, a smooth-talking Southern lawyer. Claude testifies that the killing was in self-defense. Ruth is expected to do the same, but when district attorney Arthur Sherbourne reminds her that she's under oath, Ruth breaks down and tells the truth.
Bert is convicted and sentenced to 20 years in a prison farm. There, prisoners are all literally "under the gun" of a ruthless trustee, Nugent, who is a convict like themselves but carries a rifle. Bert intends to escape, but fellow inmate Sam Gower befriends him and explains that a trustee is promised an immediate pardon if he should kill any prisoner who tries to flee.
As a test, Bert lies to a gullible con called Five Shot that there's $25,000 waiting for him if he can break out. Five Shot is killed by Nugent, who does indeed immediately receive his parole. Bert seizes the opportunity to take his place as trustee.
Bragg, the lawyer, pays a visit, now a drunk, disbarred and desperate for money. Bert has him dig up information about Gower, his fellow inmate. He learns that Gower's family was left in dire financial straits. Bert makes a proposition, saying he will pay the family $25,000 if Gower will try to escape. Guilt-ridden about his family, Gower agrees. He nearly makes it out safely before Bert kills him.
Now paroled, Bert immediately tracks down Ruth, seeking vengeance for her testimony. Sheriff Langley is following, though, as they take a speedboat, then end up on foot in a swamp. Ruth gets her hands on Bert's gun, but cannot bring herself to shoot him. Langley has no such hesitation, taking aim and shooting Bert dead.

Tags: murder

Review:
Hare Ribbin'

Plot synopsis:
The short opens with a dog with a Russian accent (a la Bert Gordon's "Mad Russian") hunting for a rabbit by sniffing a trail. He happens upon Bugs who begins to torment the dog. This prompts a chase, which leads to a nearby lake where the rest of the story continues. Most of the action takes place underwater.
Eventually, after a few gags, with Bugs dressed up as a mermaid, playing tag with the dog and throwing the dog into a rock, leaving his feet sticking out and Bugs disguising himself as Elmer Fudd, the dog corners Bugs and demands he gives him a rabbit sandwich. Bugs obliges, and the rabbit places himself between two giant slices of loaf bread with his legs curled next to his body. The dog takes a bite and Bugs screams and fakes his death. The dog becomes instantly grief-stricken and sobs, declaring that he should be the one to die. With this statement, Bugs springs back to life asking, "Ehhhh...do you mean it?", and obliges the dog's death wish (see Alternate endings below). The dog falls to the ground, Bugs plants a flower on his chest and dances away into the distance. As the cartoon is about to "iris out" the dog sits up (revealing that he is still alive), holds the iris before it closes, and declares "This shouldn't even happen to a dog!". He then lets the iris go, but it closes on his nose in the process, making him yelp in pain.

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
Allegheny Uprising

Plot synopsis:
In the southwestern Pennsylvania region, of colonial America, in the 1760s, colonial distaste and disapproval of the British government is starting to surface. Many local colonists have been killed by Native Americans, who are armed with rifles supplied by white traders. Local adventurer, James Smith (John Wayne) and his followers complain to British officials, pressuring them to make it illegal to trade weapons to the Indians. Trader Ralph Callender (Brian Donlevy) and other businessmen are not happy with the new law, as it cuts into their profit. They continue to trade with the local Native American population, hiding rifles and rum inside military supply trains. When the British authorities fail to do anything to prevent this, James Smith organizes his men and heads out to intercept the wagon train. Smith's spirited and bold girlfriend, Janie McDougall (Claire Trevor), assists him and his men in posing as Indians to intercept the gun shipments.
Captain Swanson, a British army officer, is sent to protect the wagon train at all costs, following a complaint lodged by Callender, that Smith and his men intend to rob the wagon train, while neglecting to state that the train contains guns and liquor. Captain Swanson considers the involvement of Smith and his men as a revolt against his authority, and in retaliation, he jails more than half of the local colonists, holding them without trial. This sets Smith and Swanson on a collision course.

Tags: murder

Review:
The Mod Squad

Plot synopsis:
They were The Mod Squad ("One black, one white, one blonde"), the hippest and first young undercover cops on TV. Each of these characters represented mainstream culture's principal fears regarding youth in the era: long-haired rebel Pete Cochran was evicted from his wealthy parents' Beverly Hills home, then arrested and put on probation after he stole a car; Lincoln Hayes, who came from a family of 13 children, was arrested in the Watts riots, one of the longest and most violent actual riots in Los Angeles history; flower child Julie Barnes, the "canary with a broken wing," was arrested for vagrancy after running away from her prostitute mother's San Francisco home; and Captain Adam Greer was a tough but sympathetic mentor and father figure who convinced them to form the squad.
The concept was to take three rebellious, disaffected young social outcasts and convince them to work as unarmed undercover detectives as an alternative to being incarcerated themselves. Their youthful, hippie personas would enable them to get close to the criminals they investigated. "The times are changing," said Captain Greer. "They can get into places we can't." Examples included infiltrations of a high school to solve a teacher's murder, of an underground newspaper to find a bomber, and of an acting class to look for a strangler who was preying on blonde actresses.
More than a year before the release of the film Easy Rider, The Mod Squad was one of the earliest attempts to deal with the counterculture. Groundbreaking in the realm of socially relevant drama, it dealt with issues such as abortion, domestic violence, student protest, child neglect, illiteracy, slumlords, the anti-war movement, soldiers returning from Vietnam, racism, and the illegal drug trade. Spelling intended the show to be about the characters's relationships and promised that the Squad "would never arrest kids...or carry a gun or use one."
The show was loosely based on creator Bud "Buddy" Ruskin's experiences in the late 1950s as a squad leader for young undercover narcotics cops, though it took almost 10 years after he wrote a script for the idea to be given the greenlight by ABC Television Studios.

Tags: revenge, comedy, murder

Review:
The Other Side of Midnight

Plot synopsis:
In France just before the outbreak of World War II, young Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with Larry Douglas (Beck), an American pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force stationed in France. The couple has a torrid love affair that ends abruptly when Larry receives orders to return to the United States. Larry promises to come back for Noelle and marry her. She later finds out that she is pregnant with his child. However, he never returns.
Vowing revenge after a harrowing abortion, Noelle begins using men for their money and power. She seduces her way into becoming a famous European actress, then arranges to be the mistress of one of the world's wealthiest men, Greek tycoon Constantin Demeris (Raf Vallone), whom she does not love.
During this time, Larry has met and married Catherine Alexander (Susan Sarandon), a sweet and trusting young woman from Chicago. Larry meets her in Hollywood, where she has gone to produce a film promoting military enlistment. Larry is now a United States Army Air Forces fighter pilot. He seduces the virginal Catherine with some of the same lines he used with Noelle.
After the war, Larry is employed by various civilian airlines. Noelle hires a detective to keep tabs on him, then sabotages any job Larry is able to find. Larry is in no position to refuse a job offer to come to Greece and be a private pilot, unaware that Noelle is who is hiring him.
Larry initially fails to recognize her. Noelle treats him rudely until Larry is not sure how much more he can take. When he is positive it is her, he bursts into Noelle's hotel suite, where they rekindle their romance. Larry claims he will keep his long-ago promise and stay with her, but when his wife refuses a request for a divorce, Larry and Noelle begin to plot Catherine’s murder.
They carry out their plan, but things go wrong. Larry and Noelle ultimately are convicted of murder by a Greek court, which is under the influence of Constantin Demeris. They are executed by a firing squad. Catherine has miraculously survived. Suffering from shock, she ends up living in a convent, under the patronage of Demeris.

Tags: revenge, flashback

Review:
Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster

Plot synopsis:
Based in a small town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is a story packed with intrigue betrayal and ambition between a beautiful Raani (Mahi Gill), her Raja husband (Jimmy Shergill) and an ambitious young man Babloo (Randeep Hooda).
The Raja and his Raani live in their ancestral royal house trying to maintain the status and structure their ancestors had left behind. But due to the changing times, some extreme financial conditions and the long gone habit of a royal having a mistress, the Raja tries hard to maintain his status and financial conditions. His rival political party, belonging to Gainda Singh (Vipin Sharma), is on a constant mission to eliminate the Raja and his allies, to get a hold of the administration, which has been with this royal family for decades. Eventually he is left with just one ally, Kanahiya (Deepraj Rana), who is Saheb's most trusted and dangerous servant. Due to the Raja's interest in his beautiful mistress, Raani yearns for his attention and tries to get him to return to her. The Raja starts taking contract killing assignments to be able to cope up with his lifestyle and to be able to get a stronger hold over his political situation while campaigning for the elections, which becomes a difficult battle considering the loss of his allies and deteriorating financial situation.
The drama deepens when the same rival gang plants Babloo (Randeep Hooda) to get information and plot the Raja's killing, as the temporary driver for Raani. Raani, saddened by the lack of her husband's attention and slightly hysterical due to the same, gets into a sexual relationship with Babloo who seems to be giving more of his time to her. In this process, Babloo falls deeply in love with Raani and confesses his assignment in front of Raja. The Raani uses Babloo to get the mistress killed to gain her husband. Babloo manages to fulfill her demand but in turn gets ambitious, wanting the Raani and the power which Saheb now holds for himself.
The climax is set at a point where Babloo has planned to execute Saheb, and succeeds in shooting him and Kanahiya. After intercourse with his mistress, she reminds him of her payment of Rs. 20000 and he reminds her of her stature and that he will return her money the next time he visits. Later, Raani has Babloo shot dead stating that "he can only be a partner in the bedroom, but not as a Saheb". Saheb slowly recovering, as he wins the election. In the end, Raani is shown appointing a new driver for herself, which hints at a sequel.

Tags: neo noir

Review:
California Suite

Plot synopsis:
In Visitor from New York, Hannah Warren is a Manhattan workaholic who flies to Los Angeles to retrieve her teenaged daughter Jenny after she leaves home to live with her successful screenwriter father William. The bickering divorced couple is forced to decide what living arrangements are best for the girl.
Conservative middle-aged businessman Marvin Michaels is the Visitor from Philadelphia, who awakens to discover a prostitute named Bunny unconscious in his bed after consuming a bottle of vodka. With his wife Millie on her way up to the suite, he must find a way to conceal all traces of his uncharacteristic indiscretion.
The Visitors from London are British actress Diana Nichols, a first-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and her husband Sidney, a once-closeted antique dealer who increasingly has become indiscreet about his sexual orientation. The Oscar is an honor that could jumpstart her faltering career, although Diana knows she doesn't have a chance of winning. She is in deep denial about the true nature of her marriage of convenience, and as she prepares for her moment in the spotlight, her mood fluctuates from hope to panic to despair.
The Visitors from Chicago are two affluent couples who are best friends. Stu Franklyn and his wife Gert and Mort Hollender and his wife Beth are taking a much-needed vacation together. Things begin to unravel quickly when Beth is hurt during a mixed doubles tennis match and Mort accuses Stu of having caused her injury by lobbing the ball.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Love Story 2050

Plot synopsis:
Karan Malhotra (Harman Baweja) is a spirited and happy-go-lucky boy who does not follow the rules. Sana (Priyanka Chopra) is the opposite of Karan: a sweet and shy girl who lives life by the rules. Even though they are completely opposite, they fall in love, leading to a magical love story.
A scientist, Dr. Yatinder Khanna (Boman Irani), has dedicated 15 years of his life to building a time machine. Sana expresses a wish to time-travel to Mumbai in the year 2050, but she is killed in an accident before her marriage to Karan. Karan wishes to travel back in time and find Sana. Dr. Yatinder, Karan, and Sana's siblings, Rahul and Thea, travel forward in time and reach Mumbai in 2050. They are fascinated by the futuristic Mumbai, with its flying cars, holograms, robots, 200-story buildings and more.
Twists and turns lead to the introduction of Ziesha (Priyanka Chopra), the reincarnation of Sana. Ziesha is a popular singer in 2050 who does not remember her past life, but gets flashbacks of it after meeting Karan. Unlike Sana, Ziesha is an arrogant, headstrong and rebellious girl who does not believe in love. She leads a lonely life after the death of her parents, which has embittered her.
Karan and the others find themselves under the threat of the demi-god, Dr. Hoshi. After Karan tells Ziesha he loves her, he is taken away from her by the guards. Ziesha does not believe him when he tells her about his time travel. However, after reading Sana's diary, Ziesha ultimately remembers her past life. Karan returns to her and she declares her love for him and tells him she is Sana. Dr. Hoshi tries to capture Karan because he wants the time machine. After a wild attempt to catch Karan and Ziesha, Hoshi crashes into a nuclear substance truck and dies. Karan goes back to 2008 in the time machine with Ziesha and the rest of his family. Everyone is overjoyed to see their beloved Sana again and Karan proposes to her.

Tags: good versus evil, romantic, sci-fi

Review: