cryptexcode/MPST huggingface dataset:
Sanctimony

Plot synopsis:
In an anonymous American town, Tom Gerrick is a Wall Street Whiz Kid. He's also a serial killer. Six victims have had their eyes cut out, six their ears cut off and three their tongues removed. By the time he gets to his fourth 'tongue' victim, Gerrick is getting sick of his success. Detectives Jim Renart and Dorothy Smith are under pressure from their superior to capture the killer, and they finally get a break when Gerrick offers himself for questioning. He calls the police himself, claiming to have found the body of the sixteen-year-old girl on the street. He wants to get caught, but first he wants to play with his captors for a while. His initial sensitivity to the crime is soon replaced with a psycho-smirk and a high priced lawyer. By the time the police find out he is the killer, he is on a shooting spree, first on live television during an interviews on "the secret of success", then at his ex-fiancés non-wedding party. Actually catching Gerrick proves to be a difficult matter, especially with the feds set to take over the case in mere hours.

Tags: murder

Review:
Nadunisi Naaygal

Plot synopsis:
Samar (Veera Bahu), an eight-year-old motherless boy lives with his father in Mumbai. The father leads a colourful life indulging his sexual passions. Samar is sexually abused by his father and is rescued by his neighbour, a middle aged single woman Meenakshi Amma (Swapna Abraham). She names him Veera, takes him under her wing and protects him. Daunted and chased by the ghosts of his painful past, Veera rapes Meenakshi Amma. She, though reluctant at first, indulges in the act. After coming back to her senses the next morning, she refuses Veera's apology and decides to marry her colleague. On her first night, where they consummate their marriage, Veera stabs the man brutally and sets him and the room on fire. Meenakshi Amma is injured in the fire. After treatment, he brings back the scar-faced woman to his bungalow. After a few weeks, Veera meets a girl named Priya (Priya) on the Internet and they fall for each other. He invites her home and they grow intimate, interrupted by a loud scream from Priya, because Meenakshi Amma stabs her brutally. She orders Veera to cut off Priya's hair as she wants it.
In the following years, Veera kidnaps women, rapes them and finally kills them in cold-blood. As the murders continue, Veera stumbles upon Sukanya (Sameera Reddy), a girl he fell in love with in 10th grade at a theatre with her boyfriend Arjun (Ashwin Kakumanu). He lies to her that he had gone with another girl and offers her a ride home. An upset Sukanya agrees but does not know that Veera had been stalking her. Veera suddenly slaps her, making her unconscious and kisses her. Disgusted and terrified, Sukanya then finds Arjun in a pool of blood, in the backseat of the car. Sukanya tries to escape, engages in a fist fight with Veera but is stabbed in the abdomen. Police surround the car and take Sukanya to a hospital.
A bystander who had sensed something fishy with Veera's car follows him to his bungalow and informs the Assistant Commissioner Vijay (Deva). Veera takes Sukanya to his bungalow and informs Meenakshi Amma that he loves this girl truly and is going to live the rest of his life with her. Sukanya tries to escape but is captured by Veera. Veera says to Sukanya that Samar is responsible for all these events and murdered all the victims and even Meenakshi Amma. He says Meenakshi Amma is actually dead, but Samar still thinks she is alive. In a few moments, Vijay arrives at the residence and is confronted by four Rottweilers ready to pounce on him.
Alarmed by this, Veera tries to fend him off. He returns to take Sukanya into a hidden basement, where another two girls are captives, with their heads half-tonsured. He locks her in the basement and fights with Vijay. Sukanya, meanwhile, finds a way into the bungalow, takes a gun and shoots at Veera. He is shocked as he thinks it was Meenakshi Amma who shot at him. All this is recorded on tape as Veera narrates it to the Assistant Commissioner. Finally he is taken to a mental asylum where another patient (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) is also shown as a psychopath, victimised due to child sexual abuse and the end credits roll.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
Harikrishnans

Plot synopsis:
The Harikrishnans ( Mohanlal and Mammootty ) are one of the most famous lawyer duos in India. To avoid confusion one is called as Krishnan (Mohanlal) and Hari(Mammooty) the other as . They head the organization called Harikrishnan Associates, which consists of around 300 lawyers. They get engaged in a murder case of Guptan, who was allegedly killed by Gabriel. Gabriel is a friend of Hari's sister and Harikrishnans become the defense lawyers upon her request. Harikrishnans begin investigation and come across Meera (Juhi Chawla), a friend of Guptan. Both of them fall in love with her. After some trouble over the matter, they rediscover their friendship and get involved in the case again. They discover that Guptan actually died due to poisoning by his relatives who were doctors. At the end Meera decides to go for a random method of choosing her lover as she liked both Harikrishnans equally. Two different climaxes of the film show either of Harikrishnans winning the toss for being Meera's friend; the losing person presumably becoming Meera's lover.

Tags: murder

Review:
Well made commercial entertainer. Harikrishnans is a well made commercial entertainer by Fazil which has all the typical ingredients like comedy , drama , romance , action and suspense. The real highlight of the movie is the amazing chemistry between the lead actors Mammooty and Mohanlal , their comic scenes are too good.Their combination scenes are really well taken by the director. The music is also really good. Juhi Chawla also gives a good performance in her only malayalam film.The search for Mohini Varma and the innovative climax are other highlights. On the negative side at some places the script feels contrived to suit the star images and to give them equal importance.Overall a must watch for the coming together of the Giants of malayalam cinema .. Irritatingly Cheesy !!!. Extremely loosely based on Bollywood movie Deewana Mastana. With a big starcast the director Fasil worked more on appeasing fan following of each star. Plot, acting and dialogues came a distant second. Juhi Chawla did not have a major impact in the film hence her presence seemed unnecessary. Overacting during comedy scenes used to cover up overall deficiencies in the film. Watch only out of desperation.
I crudeli

Plot synopsis:
Colonel Jonas is a fanatical and unrepentant Confederate who led a regiment called the Hellbenders in the recently ended Civil War. Similar to Edmond O'Brien's character in Rio Conchos, he is determined to reorganise the Southern Army and defeat the Union. With his sons Ben, greedy Nat, and rapist Jeff, he massacres Union soldiers transporting a consignment of banknotes and conceals the loot in a coffin supposedly belonging to a deceased Confederate officer, Captain Ambrose who was killed in the Battle of Nashville.
A drunken prostitute, Kitty, pretends to be the officer's widow. When Kitty is killed attempting a double-cross, Ben persuades Claire, a combination saloon hostess and professional gambler, to take Kitty's place - they fall in love. They consummate their love during a gunfight between Jonas and a local bounty hunter.
The cool Claire proves her worth when feigning grief to a sheriff's posse who stop the wagon and wish to search the coffin suspecting the party may have been responsible for the theft and massacre. The party has another close shave when they stop in a town where the local minister who knew the late Captain Ambrose forces the party to stay for a memorial service where the town can pay their respects.
Later the party is attacked by Mexican bandidos but is rescued by the US Cavalry who capture several of the Bandidos. Heeding Claire's wishes, the soldiers escort the wagon to the fort where Captain Ambrose was a former commander.
Claire, resentful of Jonas' fanaticism, arranges for the coffin to be buried in 'her' husband's fort. Jonas orders his sons to sneak back into the Union fort, dig up the coffin, and return the money to the buckboard; in the meantime, he whips Claire and makes her stay outside of the cave where the group takes shelter in the storm, leading Claire to become deathly ill from pneumonia.
The group moves on - but their horses are killed what appears to be a mad beggar but is a thief who wishes to rob them. They later fall afoul of Indians who were thought to be 'friendly' and would be agreeable to selling horses to the Hellbenders. The chief demands that Jeff (who raped and murdered his daughter with a bayonet when he should have been buying horses) be handed over to him. Ben denounces his family's fanaticism and offers the Indians all the money in the coffin, only to be caught in the crossfire between his arguing brothers, who shoot each other over the money; satisfied, the Indians ride away. The mortally wounded Jonas discovers that he has dug up the wrong coffin that contains the remains of the Chief Bandido who promised Jonas they would meet again. Jones crawls away like a real hellbender dragging the coffin which falls into the river, as the flag of the fictional Hellbenders regiment floats down the river to the Jonas ranch.

Tags: western, cult, revenge, violence

Review:
Panjaa

Plot synopsis:
Jaidev (Pawan Kalyan) is an accomplished hitman and the most trusted aide of Bhagavan (Jackie Shroff), who is the supreme don of Kolkata. Jaidev remains loyal to him as he helped in seeking revenge with the people who raped his mother and sister when he came to Kolkata in his childhood after his father's death. They share a business rivalry with Kulkarni (Atul Kulkarni), who aims to overthrow Bhagavan. Things are smooth until Bhagwan’s son Munna (Adivi Sesh) returns to India. He is a psychotic and highly impulsive youngster. He has his eyes on club dancer Jahnavi (Anjali Lavania), but she rejects him as she adores Jaidev.
Jaidev meanwhile comes across Sandhya (Sarah-Jane Dias), who is a soft-spoken environmentalist and tree lover. A mutual admiration for each other leads to a romantic involvement between the two. Munna meanwhile, continues to go crazy about Jahnavi and a tragedy ensues.
Sabhapathi (Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao) works for Bhagavan. Munna mistreats Sabhapathi, but Bhagavan doesn't care. Sabhapathi joins Kulkarni's gang to protect himself. Jaidev kidnaps Sampath's (Sampath Raj) son. Munna kills Sampath's son due to laughter over Jahnavi loving Jaidev. Munna confronts Jahnavi at Jaidev's flat. Munna brutally murders her. Jaidev kills Munna by throwing him from his flat. This scene is seen by Guravayya (Tanikella Bharani), an associate of Bhagavan who is an informer to Kulkarni. He reports this to Bhagavan to get rid of Jaidev.
Jaidev is forced to decide whether to retaliate or leave Kolkata completely. He chooses to leave out of loyalty to Bhagavan and heads to Palasa, the village of Sandhya where Sandhya's brother Ashok (Subbaraju) is a valiant and kind-hearted cop. He comes across S. I. Paparayudu (Brahmanandam), and he solves the problems of the village by cleverly using Paparayudu. Jaidev cannot hide the truth from Sandhya anymore. Jaidev tells Sandhya about his life in Kolkata. Jaidev tells Sandhya that he made it look like that Paparayudu solved the problems of village. Since Jaidev told the truth, Sandhya still loves him.
On the other hand, Bhagavan cannot rest until he seeks out Jaidev for revenge. Firstly, Bhagavan kills Chotu (Ali), Jaidev's best friend and associate. Meanwhile, Sandhya gets kidnapped and taken to Kolkata. In a fit of rage at losing Chotu and Sandhya, Jaidev returns to Kolkata and starts hunting his rivals. He goes to Kulkarni's house with heavy ammunition and kills everyone except Kulkarni, as Jaidev promised him that he would not kill him. Kulkarni dies in his attempt to kill Jaidev. Later, Jaidev kills Guruvayya, as he gets information that Guruvayya was responsible for this saga. At last, Jaidev reaches Bhagavan, who actually kidnapped Sandhya. Although Jaidev tells Bhagavan that Munna killed Jahnavi, Bhagavan still believes that Jaidev should not have murdered Munna. After an emotional sequence, Jaidev shoots Bhagavan in his chest as Bhagavan shoots Sandhya. Sandhya survives, but Bhagavan dies. Jaidev unites with Sandhya, and they both start a new and happy life.

Tags: romantic, murder

Review:
American Burger

Plot synopsis:
American Burger follows the stories of a bunch of stereotypical American school students (Nerds, Jocks & Cheerleaders) on a culture trip through Europe. Among the students are Fat Nerd (Liam Macdonald) & Preppy Nerd (Benjamin Brook), Camera Nerd (Charlie Petersson) & Wonky Eyes Nerd (Ben Thorton) and Nice Cheerleader (Aggy Kukawka), Adorable Cheerleader (Madeleine Borg) & Ponytail Cheerleader (Hanna Nygren). Heading the group is the enthusiastic Teacher (Lena Bengtsson) who tries her hardest to ensure the children appreciate their trip.
The students soon find their way to the mystical country of Kraketch, whose main source of economy is the American Burger Factory run by Demented Butcher (Fredrik Hiller). The school students are invited to tour the factory, but not before Demented Butcher orders his Butchers to kill the students and bring them into the factory. Several students escape and form unlikely pacts: Fat Nerd, Preppy Nerd, Wonky Eyes Nerd (whose name is later revealed to actually be 'Mike) & Ponytail Cheerleader and Camera Nerd, Jock, Quarterback & Nice Cheerleader for the other. Adorable Cheerleader loses the others and runs off by herself as does Teacher.
Slowly, the Butchers hunt, stalk and kill the students. Preppy Nerd is kidnapped by butchers, thinking he is already dead; Adorable Cheerleader hilariously loses almost all her clothes and now speaks with a lisp after eating poison berries; Fat Nerd steals a dead Butcher's outfit and escapes to the main road leading out of Kraketch and Nice Cheerleader & Camera Nerd run to escape a horde of butchers.
Whilst at the American Burger factory awaiting to be slaughtered, it is discovered that Preppy Nerd is actually a Canadian. A disgusted Demented Butcher apologises profusely and allows Preppy Nerd to leave with his blessings. Preppy Nerd then locates the student's bus and drives away from the factory.
On the way out of Kraketch, Preppy Nerd locates some of his classmates. He first picks up Adorable Cheerleader, then Fat Nerd & Teacher before saving Nice Cheerleader from a horde of Butchers. The gang drive away in the school bus and leave Kraketch for good.

Tags: comedy, murder, violence, flashback

Review:
Looking for Alibrandi

Plot synopsis:
Looking for Alibrandi begins light-heartedly, and the viewer gets a very quick understanding of Josie's character through her interactions with her friends and family. As the film progresses, the glamour that is initially associated with Josie begins to fade as she struggles to cope with her final year of school (especially the racist attitude of one girl in particular, Carly Bishop (Leeanna Walsman)), the suicide of her crush, John Barton (Matthew Newton), and meeting with Michael Andretti (Anthony LaPaglia), her father, of whom has only just found out about her existence upon returning to Sydney for work. She also has continual conflict with her grandmother, Katia Alibrandi (Elena Cotta).
However, these complications are seemingly resolved quickly, in keeping with Josie's brusque and forthright outlook on life. For example, in response to Carly's continuous snide remarks, she breaks her tormentor's nose with a history textbook. It is this summary act that brings her father back into her life.
Another complication—the suicide of her close friend and unrequited crush, John Barton—tests her resilience. Struggling with her grief, she finds comfort to a certain extent within Jacob Coote, he was a 'bad boy' on the outside, but he was found out to be a sincere and caring person on the inside.
The most significant complication and challenge for Josie, though, is her rocky relationship with her father, Michael Andretti. When they finally get to know each other, and recognise themselves in each other, their rift heals, and she can confide in him.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Honô no mirâju

Plot synopsis:
Takaya Ougi, a high school student, wants nothing more than to protect his best friend Yuzuru Narita and live a normal life. That is, until Nobutsuna Naoe, an intense and charismatic man, informs Takaya that he is in fact the reincarnation of Lord Kagetora, the adopted son of a noble samurai lord, Kenshin Uesugi. Naoe, himself a "possessor," or a soul reborn through time, reawakens Takaya's abilities to exorcise evil spirits and fight the Feudal Underworld, a collection of restless warrior spirits bent on modern-day conquest. While most possessors remember their former lives before being reincarnated, Takaya does not, and is often hostile towards any effort for the complete recovery of his memory. As the plot unfolds, the complex history of the characters and their past suggests why this is so, and the true nature of the tempestuous and somewhat ambiguous relationship between the two leads provides the backdrop for a melodrama that spans several generations of Japanese history. As they ascend to the living world to renew their ancient war, Naoe, Takaya, and two other possessors gear up to prevent that from happening.
=== OVA ===
The OVA Rebels of the River Edge (2003) has animated the book with same title. this OVA resumes the plot of the anime television series, yet incorporates several new developments, among them the question of unswerving loyalty and personal honor. Takaya is sent to Kyoto to investigate the re-awakening of the Ikko sect and Araki Murashige, a one time member of the Ikkō sect who has since deserted the clan. With the help of his vassal and fellow possessor Haruie, the two are successful in tracking him down, only to discover that Murashige is after a 400-year-old mandala (a Buddhist ritualistic artifact and meditative aid) made of the hair of the deceased Araki clansmen. Unfortunately, by the time they meet up with Murashige, Haruie recognizes him as Shintarou, her former lover in a past life. Whether it's true or not, and despite the confusing emotional complication of this development, Takaya orders Haruie to eliminate Murashige once he becomes a true threat to the balance of power. Meanwhile, Takaya finally reunites with Naoe after a prolonged period of estrangement. Unresolved sexual and psychological tension dominates their initial exchange, and it's uncertain whether these two powerful possessors will resolve their differences and work together against this latest threat.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Pee-wee's Playhouse

Plot synopsis:
The premise of the show was that host Pee-wee Herman went to play in a fantastic house (situated in Puppetland) known as the Playhouse, which was filled with toys, gadgets, talking furniture and appliances (e.g., Magic Screen and Chairy) and puppet characters such as Conky The Robot, Pterri the baby Pteranodon and Jambi the Genie (John Paragon), a disembodied genie's head who lives in a jeweled box. The Playhouse was also visited by a regular cast of human characters, including Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart), Reba The Mail Lady (S. Epatha Merkerson), Captain Carl (Phil Hartman), Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne) and a small group of children, The Playhouse Gang.
Although primarily a live-action comedy, each episode included segments featuring puppetry, video animation and prepared sequences using Chroma-key and stock footage, e.g., when Pee-wee jumps into the Magic Screen, as well as inserted clay animation sequences (some made by Richard Goleszowski and Nick Park, creators of Wallace & Gromit) and excerpts from cartoons from the Golden Age of American animation, usually presented by the character "The King of Cartoons". Each episode also featured specially written soundtrack music by noted rock/pop musicians such as Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Todd Rundgren, Mitchell Froom and The Residents. The show's theme song performance was credited to "Ellen Shaw", though in her autobiography, Cyndi Lauper admits to being the actual singer.
Each episode usually contained a running gag particular to that episode, and/or a specific event or dilemma that would send Pee-wee into an emotional frenzy. The show had many recurring gags, themes, and devices. For example, at the beginning of each episode, viewers were told the day's "secret word" (often issued by Conky the Robot) and were instructed to "scream real loud" every time a character on the show said the word. Pee-wee would often say the word himself at the end of the episode, just before launching himself and his little scooter out of the playhouse through a hidden exit. During the closing credits, images of him were chroma-keyed together with footage of various roads and highways to make it appear that he was traveling along them. At the beginning of each episode he is seen travelling into the house, on the same scooter.
CBS and Reubens mutually agreed to end the show at the end of the 1990-91 season after 5 seasons and 45 episodes. The last original episode aired on November 17, 1990. In July 1991, Reubens was arrested for exposing himself in a Sarasota, Florida adult movie theater, prompting CBS to immediately stop airing its Playhouse re-runs, which were originally intended to air until Fall of that year. The show was replaced by reruns of The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy.

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
The Genie from Down Under 2

Plot synopsis:
Penelope Townes, a 13-year-old British girl, comes into possession of an opal pendant when she explores the dusty attic of her family's decaying mansion. The opal contains two Australian genies, Bruce and his son Baz. Typically, an episode revolved around the consequences of one of Penelope's flippant wishes, or the efforts of an outside party to steal the opal (and thus, the genies).
There is also a strong subplot involving Bruce's efforts to manipulate Penelope's wishes in order to become free from the opal – something which Penelope, who is snobbish and sees the genies as her property, is too selfish to allow.
When Penelope inherits a property in Australia (Townes Downs), Bruce and Baz are very happy because it means that they can spend more time in their own country. When they go to inspect the property, they meet Otto von Meister, who runs tours of outback Australia. His family had once owned the opal, and according to Otto, Penelope's great grandfather had stolen it from his family years before. When he finds out that Penelope has the opal, he tries to steal it from her. He often enlists his nephew Conrad to help him. Penelope falls in love with Conrad, which gives Otto far more opportunity to steal the opal.
Things are further complicated when Bruce (the genie) falls in love with Penelope's mother, Lady Diana Townes. She is already supposedly in love with Lord 'Bubbles' Uppington-Smythe, however, it is revealed that this is only because of his money, and she in turn falls in love with Bruce.
In the end, Penelope accepts that Bruce and her mother are in love, and gives the opal to her mother, allowing Bruce to reveal his true identity. Bruce and Diana end up marrying.

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
All Hallows' Eve 2

Plot synopsis:
After a night of trick or treating, Sarah (Katie Maguire) is surprised to see that Tia (Sydney Freihofer) and Timmy (Cole Mathewson) have received an unmarked VHS tape in one of their bags. They decide to watch the video which contains three stories featuring a creepy clown (Mike Giannelli). The first features a young woman who is drugged and kidnapped by Art the Clown while waiting for a bus. She awakens chained in a room with two other women. Demonic creatures enter, killing two of the women and taking the third to a room where a devil-like creature rapes her. A humanoid fetus is then removed via c section by the creatures. The second features a woman living in a new countryside home who begins to experience strange occurrences. It's revealed she's being stalked by aliens, and as she's dragged off by the aliens, she grabs a sheet which pulls away to reveal a painting of Art the Clown. The final segment features a college student driving down an isolated road. Stopping at a gas station, she finds the attendant furiously kicking out Art who had apparently smeared feces all over the bathroom. The attendant fills her tank and goes inside to fetch her directions. When he doesn't return, the girl inspects to find Art chopping up the attendants body with a hacksaw. She flees and a chase ensues. Eventually Art catches her and she comes to on a crude operating table with her limbs cut off by Art. It ends with Art laughing silently but maniacally. Disturbed, Sarah attempts to shut off the tape but to no avail. Art then steps into frame in a dingy looking basement. He approaches Sarah from within the screen and begins to pound the television glass, ending when she pulls the TV cord. Sarah goes to check on the children only to find out that Art has murdered them.

Tags: dark, murder, violence

Review:
Heaven's Burning

Plot synopsis:
Japanese bride Midori Takada (Youki Kudoh) arrives in Sydney with her new husband Yukio (Kenji Isomura). She believes her marriage is a mistake and uses the honeymoon as a means to escape. Colin O'Brien (Russell Crowe) is an experienced getaway driver. He is hired by an Australian-Afghan family to help rob a bank. During the robbery one member is killed. Midori is in the bank at the same time and they grab her as a hostage. After escaping, the two Afghan brothers decide to get rid of her. Colin will not allow this. He kills one of the brothers and threatens to shoot the other, Mahood (Robert Mammone). He and Midori escape.
Colin wishes to travel to see his father, Cam, at his ranch because he hasn't seen him in years. Midori chooses to stay with Colin. The duo rob a bank to fund their trip. Mahood and his father, Boorjan (Petru Gheorghiu), swear revenge and set out to catch Colin. The police, aware of the Afghani family's illegal activities, are also in pursuit. Yukio is told of his wife's involvement and he is aware that she left him by choice. His honor injured, he goes to find her.
Colin and Midori venture across New South Wales. The Afghans catch up with Colin and begin to torture him, but Colin manages to kill the patriarch and remaining son. Yukio searches for Midori, killing people along the way. Colin and Midori eventually reach the ranch owned by his father, Cam (Ray Barrett). The duo stays for a short while and officially become lovers. They then leave to visit the seashore.
Yukio reaches the ranch soon after and threatens Cam with death if he doesn't tell him where Midori has gone. Cam responds that he believes in karma and Yukio will soon pay for his evil ways. Enraged, Yukio doesn't simply shoot Cam; he drowns him. After some set backs, Yukio catches up with the lovers and shoots Colin in the torso. Midori retrieves a gun from their car and shoots Yukio, who then shoots her in the side. He tells her that he still loves her, but she counters that he doesn't know what love is and then kills him. The police hear about the shootout and chase the lovers. Midori drives while Colin is slowly dying in the passenger's seat. They reach the shore, but their car rolls over and catches fire. She shoots herself and the car explodes. The police watch as the car burns.

Tags: revenge, cult, murder, romantic

Review:
Cafe Society

Plot synopsis:
The wealthy Christopher "Chris" West is a member of the cafe society. To win a bet, she marries reporter Crick O'Bannon, who believes Chris married him for love. When Crick overhears Chris telling one of her friends about the bet, he decides to get even by writing a story about her betrayal. In response, Chris's grandfather, Christopher West Sr, apologizes for his granddaughter's behavior and requests that the couple live together until the divorce is quietly finalized in order to avoid a scandal. Because he dislikes Chris' society friends, Crick refuses and lives apart from her.
While still married, Chris and Crick constantly argue. When she notices that Crick is close to nightclub singer Bells Browne, Chris becomes jealous but resigned that Crick prefers Bells. She decides to sail for Europe, but is surprised when Crick appears on the ship, having been alerted to Chris's departure by her grandfather. Crick explains that Bells is only a friend and Chris returns to shore with him. However, Chris's jealousy resurfaces upon seeing Bells singing at the club that night and she persuades the club's owner to fire Bells. When the bartender, Bill, calls Chris out on her brash behavior, a contrite Chris asks that Bells be rehired and admits to Crick that she has been an awful fool.

Tags: romantic, neo noir, storytelling

Review:
Trick or Treat

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with the song "Trick or Treat for Halloween", the lyrics of which tell the film's moral – one must be generous on Halloween or face trouble.
One Halloween night, Witch Hazel observes Huey, Duey, and Louie trick-or-treating. When the trio go to their uncle Donald Duck's house, Donald decides to prank the boys (giving them a "trick" instead of a treat). So instead of giving them candy, he intentionally puts firecrackers in their bags, then pulls a string that dumps a bucket of water on their heads. After Donald bids farewell to the boys, the discouraged nephews go and sit on the curb.
But Hazel, who was watching the drama unfold, approaches the boys and tries to encourage them. When she discovers that they believe in witches, she offers to help them get their treats from Donald after all. At first, she tries to convince Donald herself, but he skeptically retorts, pulls and releases her stretchy nose, and pranks her as well with a bucket of water, not believing she is a real witch. Realizing that the job may be harder than she anticipated, Hazel tells the boys she will use her magic for this situation. In another location, a scene paying homage to Shakespeare's Macbeth shows Hazel and the nephews concocting a magic potion, adding somewhat more whimsical ingredients than the Three Witches in Macbeth. After testing the potion, Hazel fills an insecticide duster (similar in appearance to a Flit gun) with the potion and returns to Donald's house with the nephews.
Upon arriving back at Donald's house, Hazel sprays the potion at an assortment of objects, causing them to become animated or anthropomorphic. Donald, stunned at the magic being displayed before him, immediately gives in and agrees to treat his nephews, but when Hazel refers to him as a pushover, he changes his mind. Donald then locks his pantry and swallows the key. Hazel then uses the potion on Donald's feet to give her control of their maneuverability, and commands them to kick out the key, causing Donald to perform a crazy dance. But when the key is kicked out, Donald throws it under the pantry door. Hazel sprays Donald's feet again and orders them to smash the door down with Donald. This is initially unsuccessful, so Hazel commands him to take a longer start ('bout a MILE OR TWO!), and he literally runs that far before he breaks down the pantry door and is left unconscious on the floor in defeat.
In the end, Huey, Duey, and Louie collect their treats and Hazel departs. A final shot shows an enchanted Jack-o'-lantern suddenly pop onto the screen saying "Boo!" to the viewers before smiling.

Tags: good versus evil, revenge, cult, violence

Review:
The Outcasts of Poker Flat

Plot synopsis:
A murderous western outlaw (Mitchell), his wife (Baxter), a disgraced gambler (Robertson) and a faded dance hall floozie (Hopkins), along with a few other socially undesirable characters, are trapped in a snowbound mountain cabin. As the chances for rescue fade, the true natures of the cabin's occupants rise to the surface. A murderous western outlaw, Ryker, leaves death and destruction behind after a robbery in Poker Flat and leaves the loot with his wife, Cal, before riding off. A while later, the shaken town decides to banish all undesirables. They include gambler John Oakhurst, saloonkeeper and madam The Duchess and the town drunk, as well as Cal, who had been spotted with Ryker, even though no one knows they are husband and wife.
The others follow Oakhurst, not knowing what else to do. They come across young Tom Dakin and pregnant sweetheart Piney, who were headed for Poker Flat to be wed. In a snowstorm, John leads them to a remote cabin. They have no horses, so Tom takes off for Poker Flat on foot to get help, given $500 of the stolen money by Cal in case he needs to pay someone to form a rescue party.
Ryker turns up, also on foot. He is shocked to find Cal, becomes suspicious and beats her, as well as bullying the others and eating all of their remaining food. He shoots the drunk just for taking a bottle of whiskey. Cal develops a bond with Oakhurst and eventually reveals her situation to him. A fight begins after Ryker shoots and kills The Duchess in cold blood, and Oakhurst is able to strangle him to death. Some head back toward town, while Oakhurst and Cal go the other way.

Tags: murder, sadist

Review:
Danger Zone

Plot synopsis:
In the fictional African nation Zambeze, American mining engineer Rick Morgan is conned into an illegal operation involving toxic waste by his old friend, Jim Scott. Immediately after, the mine is attacked by a team of mercenaries, led by a rogue agent called Chang. Scott attempts to flee, but is supposedly killed by Chang. The mercenaries leave right as the army arrives. The government assumes Morgan is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of villagers, apparently caused by toxic waste. Due to the CIA, Morgan is allowed to return to America.
One year later, Morgan is approached by Maurice Dupont for a mission to clear his name and prevent further deaths. Morgan reluctantly agrees upon finding out that Scott is alive. Morgan is introduced to World Health Organization researcher Dr. Kim Woods. The two are teamed up. After searching a mine, Morgan and Kim are captured by rebel forces. Morgan and Kim are almost executed until Scott reveals himself to be their secret leader. Not long after, Chang's mercenaries attack and lay waste to the camp. Scott gives Morgan a code and the last clue he needs to find the barrels. Chang then murders Scott as Morgan and Kim escape.
Back at their hotel rooms, Kim is confronted by Dupont who reveals his duplicity. Morgan subdues Dupont, only for him to be rescued by Chang and another mercenary. Satisfied that he fulfilled his purpose, Chang shoots Dupont while Morgan and Kim make a run for it. Morgan reaches a contact who tells them the location of the barrels. Morgan recognizes the location as being an old hangout of his and Scott's. Chang arrives, kills the contact, forcing Morgan and Kim to flee.
The two finally reach the old hangout which is a cavern. Upon retrieving the uranium rod, Chang corners them and reveals he had been tracking them the whole time. Chang takes the uranium rod, kidnaps Kim and attempts to leave Morgan to die of radiation. Morgan survives due to a prototype protective powder developed by the WHO.
Morgan escaped the cavern and meets with Madumo, a rebel leader. Chang attempts to escape on a freight train headed to Point City. Morgan rallies the rebels to launch a massive assault against the train. The rebels are defeated by the government troops. Morgan and Madumo infiltrate the train. They are attacked by Chang's remaining mercenaries. After killing both of them, Morgan drops in, frees Kim and fights Chang. Morgan throws Chang off the train. Kim manages to detach the forward cars, leading them to a track in which the rebels sabotaged, killing all the soldiers. Scott's uncle, a CIA agent, arrives to provide extraction. However Morgan opts to save the uranium rod first. The second half of the train stops at a bridge where Chang reveals himself and attempts to drown Kim. Morgan arrives an sets Chang on fire, where he explodes along with the explosives on board the train. Morgan fishes Kim out of the water and drags her onto shore. Madumo arrives with the remaining rebels as Morgan and Kim kiss.
An African warrior is seen observing all that has transpired.

Tags: murder

Review:
Torch Song Trilogy

Plot synopsis:
1971: Arnold (Harvey Fierstein), a New York City female impersonator, meets Ed (Brian Kerwin), a bisexual schoolteacher, and they fall in love. Ed, however, is uncomfortable with his sexuality and he leaves Arnold for a girlfriend, Laurel.
1973-79: During Christmas, Arnold meets the love of his life, a male model named Alan (Matthew Broderick). They settle down together, later spending a weekend with Ed and Laurel in the country, where their relationship is tested but endures. Eventually, they apply to foster a child together with a view to adoption, and their application is eventually successful and so they move to a bigger apartment. However, on their first night at their new home, Alan is killed in a homophobic attack.
1980: Months later, in the spring of 1980, Arnold's mother (Anne Bancroft) comes to visit from Florida, but her visit leads to a long-overdue confrontation. Arnold's mother disapproves of Arnold's homosexuality and his planned adoption of a gay teenage son, David (Eddie Castrodad), as well as Arnold's use of their family burial plot for Alan. They have a series of arguments where Arnold demands that she accept him for who he is, insisting that if she can't then she has no place in his life. The following morning, before she returns to Florida, they have a conversation where, for the first time, they seem to understand each other. With both David and Ed (who is now more mature and settled) in his life, and a successful new career creating his own stage revue, Arnold's life is finally complete.

Tags: romantic, autobiographical

Review:
The San Antonio Kid

Plot synopsis:
A geologist, Walter Garfield (LeRoy Mason, discovers oil on land owned by Ben Taylor (Jack Kirk). Believing that the deposits extend to the surrounding ranches as well, Garfield wires his company that oil may be present and then teams up with Red Ryder’s arch enemy, Ace Hanlon (Glenn Strange) . Hanlon, the local saloon owner and his gang instigate a wave of terror against the ranchers hoping to drive the ranchers away, buy their land cheaply and make a fortune selling it to Metropolitan Oil Company for whom Garfield works.
Taylor is killed and his closest neighbors, the Duchess (Alice Fleming), her nephew, Red Ryder (Wild Bill Elliott), and his Indian ward, Little Beaver (Robert Blake), look after Ann Taylor (Linda Stirling). Red doesn’t believe that the attacks are the work of ordinary outlaws but fearing that the Duochess’ ranch will be next, Red and his foreman Happy Jack (Earle Hodgins) confront Hanlon. After Red overwhelms Hanlon in a fistfight, Hanlon decides to have Red killed and sends for Johnny Bennett, an old friend who is known as The San Antonio Kid (Duncan Renaldo). As Bennett nears the town of Maverick, the "Kid" has a freak accident nearly costing him his life but is saved by Red Ryder. When the "Kid" meets with Ace Hanlon he learns that Red Ryder is the man he has been paid to kill.
Johnny refuses Hanlon’s offer until Hanlon asserts that he will have Red killed anyway. Johnny informs Red of the situation, and the two lay a trap for Hanlon. Johnny distracts Garfield and Hanlon with a poker game while Red searches Hanlon's office where he finds proof of the oil discovery and Hanlon's partnership with Garfield.
Red Ryder arranges for a confrontation with Ace Hanlon but when Johnny fails to kill Red as ordered, one of Hanlon's men shoots him. Johnny is only wounded, however, and helps Red, Happy Jack and Little Beaver as they engage in a shootout with the gang. Ryder chases Garfield and Hanlon to a series of nearby caves, where a fight breaks out and one of the oil pools is set on fire. Garfield is killed by the blaze, and the gang is rounded up. Later, Red, Little Beaver and Happy Jack ride off in search of another adventure, and Johnny promises to look after the Duchess and Ann.

Tags: comedy

Review:
Inspector Gadget

Plot synopsis:
John Brown is a security guard working at the Bradford robotics laboratory in Riverton, Ohio, run by Artemus Bradford and his daughter Brenda, to whom John is attracted. Brenda and Artemus create a lifelike robotic foot as part of the Gadget Program, an organization for manufacturing computerized law enforcement officers. Sadistic tycoon Sanford Scolex attacks the lab, steals the foot, and has Artemus murdered before escaping in his limo. Brown chases him down in his Chevette and in the ensuing chase Scolex blows up the upside down wreck and leaves John for dead. A bowling ball coming from the blast of the Chevette crushes Scolex's hand, forcing him to replace it with a mechanical claw and taking the alias "Claw."
John barely survives the explosion, and due to his devotion to pursuing her father's killer, Brenda chooses him to be the first test subject for the Gadget Program. Under Brenda's guidance, John becomes Inspector Gadget, equipped with a variety of crimefighting and investigating tools, as well as a car named the Gadgetmobile run by an AI program. Claw, with the help of scientist Kramer and minion Sykes, plots to use the technology he stole to make robotic mercenaries to sell to the world. However he is unable to get the foot to function due to a control chip left in the lab. Police chief Quimby, seeing Gadget as merely a publicity stunt and not a true police officer, refuses to let him help on the Bradford case, causing Gadget to procure evidence on his own. With help from Penny, Gadget suspects Claw, who Brenda now works for. Claw uses Brenda's robotics research to manufacture a new control chip for his android, a robotic version of Gadget, "Robo-Gadget," and sets it loose to cause chaos in Riverton. Gadget infiltrates Claw's lab but is caught and deactivated, Claw crushing his control chip.
Brenda, Penny, her dog Brain, and the Gadgetmobile track Gadget to the junkyard but find him unresponsive. Brenda kisses him, and the power of Gadget's heart reanimates his body without the need for the control chip. After dropping Penny and Brain off at home, Gadget, Brenda and the Gadgetmobile give chase to Claw's limo. Gadget and Robo-Gadget are thrown off and do battle, ending with Gadget detaching Robo-Gadget's head. Gadget uses his helicopter hat to fly to Claw's headquarters, where he is planning to escape with Brenda via a helicopter. In the confrontation, Gadget uses an improvised weapon to forcibly activate Claw's claw, breaking the helicopter's control stick and causing it to go out of control. Gadget and Brenda use a parasol to escape safely, and Claw lands via parachute but is arrested by the police. Penny arrives with a guilt-stricken Sykes who surrenders the technology Claw stole from Brenda and has told Penny everything about Claw's plans. Saluted by Quimby, Gadget departs with Brenda and Penny as Claw vows revenge.
During the end credits, several afterscene clips play, including Sykes going to a minion-recovery group, and the Gadgetmobile addresses the audience till the end of the credits.

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
Star Wars: Threads of Destiny

Plot synopsis:
Ninety-four years after the Battle of Endor and the death of emperor Palpatine, the New Republic has been resurrected, and democracy once again presides in the galaxy. The Jedi Order is reestablished on the planet Yavin 4, and has continued to train new Jedi Knights in the art of peace and justice. But all is not peaceful in this new world. With the fall of the Galactic Empire, the ancient Skenvi Empire now comes out of the woodworks.
The Skenvi now oppose the New Republic for control over the galaxy with their growing empire. The Skenvi seek to seize control of all the galaxy's most valuable resources to cripple their enemies. And if a planet refuses to join them, they have been known to take very aggressive actions.
Caught in between this struggle over the fate of the galaxy is the little planet of Coreign. The planet possesses a very powerful resource that would greatly favour the side that has access to it if a galactic war was to emerge.
In its eagerness to gain access to Coreign's resources, the Skenvi Empire sends its most infamous negotiator, Lord Siege. He is a man who is known throughout the galaxy for seeing that the Skenvi Empire gets what it wants by all means necessary. The New Republic sends two of its Jedi ambassadors, Jedi Master Soran Darr and his Padawan, Raven Darkham.
Toward the end of the story, a suggestion was raised of the possibility that Jedi Raven and Princess Arianna's entanglement could lead to an ill consequence similar to what appeared to have happened earlier with Lord Siege, as briefly alluded to by his lament over his earlier involvement with Tashia.

Tags: revenge, flashback

Review:
Black Sails

Plot synopsis:
Black Sails is set roughly two decades before the events of Treasure Island and during the Golden Age of Piracy. Feared Captain Flint brings on a younger crew member as they fight for the survival of New Providence island. According to the first episode, "In 1715 West Indies, the pirates of New Providence Island threaten maritime trade in the region. The laws of every civilized nation declare them hostis humani generis, enemies of all mankind. In response, the pirates adhere to a doctrine of their own....war against the world." Real life pirates who are fictionalized in the show include Anne Bonny, Benjamin Hornigold, Jack Rackham, Charles Vane, Ned Low, Israel Hands and Blackbeard.
The plot of the first season focuses on the hunt for the Spanish treasure galleon Urca de Lima. At the beginning of the second season, the treasure from the Urca de Lima has been stranded on the shores of Florida with Spanish soldiers guarding it, but by the conclusion of the second season, the treasure has been taken by Jack Rackham and his crew and brought to New Providence Island. During the second season, the questions of how and why Flint—a man who was a navy officer and London gentleman—turned to piracy are answered. The third and the fourth seasons focus on the war for the control of New Providence between the pirates and the British Empire, represented by Captain Woodes Rogers.

Tags: action, historical fiction

Review: