P.D. James’ novel Children of Men comes alive onscreen (albeit with a couple of major plot changes) via the masterful filmmaking of Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y Tu Mama Tambien). Cuaron skillfully weaves a fascinating story of nightmarish proportions by smoothly mixing high drama, dark humor, and one of the most riveting action sequences in recent history, into the tale of a dystopic society we can only hope is in no way prophetic.

Children of Men envisions a world in which women can no longer give birth. The youngest person on Earth has just died at the age of 18 and the fact that man will soon be extinct is a foregone conclusion. The world is one big war zone and no one feels safe or secure. A totalitarian government is in place in London and people who try to enter the country who aren’t residents are placed in holding pens and treated like cows.Theo (Clive Owen) exists in this world as an ex-activist-turned-bureaucrat. He begins most days by stopping in at a café to pick up his morning cup of coffee. But one particular day is unlike any others. Upon exiting the shop, a bomb goes off. Shortly thereafter, he’s kidnapped and reunited with his ex-lover, Julian (Julianne Moore in a restrained performance), a fearless, furious freedom fighter who needs help only Theo can provide.

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When a single mother (Juliette Binoche) and her six-year-old daughter move to rural France and open a chocolate shop - with Sunday hours - across the street from the local church, they are met with some skepticism. But as soon as they coax the townspeople into enjoying their delicious products, they are warmly welcomed. Written by Anonymous

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When a broken hearted boy loses the treasured wooden nativity set that links him to his dead father, his worried mother persuades a lonely ill-tempered woodcarver to create a replacement, and to allow her son to watch him work on it. The commission takes their relationship to unexpected places as the young client makes greater and more difficult demands of the woodcarver’s ability, and as Christmas approaches, the three struggle to come to terms with each other, their painful memories and the process of putting their unhappiness behind them. Written by Anonymous

Story of a group of U.S. movie moguls who arrive in the UK to shoot a mvoie about the great English wartime prime minister. On arrival for the first day of the shoot, however, the filmmakers discover the actor playing Churchill to be a robust, unattractive cigar-smoker and decide to replace him with a better-looking, more virile actor

An American accountant bombarded with cable news and the media’s obsession with terrorist plots in the post 9-11 world, receives a jolt when an unattached Islamic graduate student moves in next door.

Brian Stimpson is the headmaster of a comprehensive (high) school in England. He sets himself, his staff and pupils very high standards. On the way to a conference at which he is to talk, all manner of disasters strike. Written by Rob Hartill

Alex and his three droogs, live in a futuristic Britain void of proper law and civil protection. They do drugs, drink, skip school, and wreak havoc during the night. They beat up an old drunkard, steal cars, rape helpless women, and start gang fights in the streets. Alex, being a rather arrogant leader, is rude and disrespectful towards his other droogs, and because of this they plot behind his back against him. In their plan to rob a woman on the outskirts of town, Alex enters the house alone to unlock the door for the other. When confronted by the owner of the house he strikes her in the head in attempt to knock her out. Meeting his droogs outside he is met with a bottle being smashed over his own head, stunning him long enough for the cops to finally arrive and arrest him. It turns out the woman he struck inevitably ended up dieing from the blow and Alex now finds himself with a 14 year prison sentence. In hopes of severely shortening his sentence, Alex signs up for a new breakthrough treatment that “cures” criminals of their want to do evil. The Ludovico treatment, as it is called, consist of Alex living a very high lifestyle while twice daily being subjected to gory and hateful films full of all that is considered wrong and evil. Part of Alex’s diet contains a special drug that causes him to slowly get sick as he is forced to watch these films. After a short period of time he is shown as being cured and when, in front of a small audience, he is subjected to another bullying man and a beautiful woman, he is unable to fight back or do what he would like to do, and instead is utterly paralyzed with sickness. The process stripped him not only of his evil, but more importantly and symbolically stripped him of his right to think and be free and live the life he wishes to. After being released from prison and kicked out of his home he is taken in by small group of people who want to get Alex’s pitiful story out to the public to attempt to harm the current regime in time for the next election. During this process, Alex attempts suicide and fails, but because of this the doctors of the original Ludovico treatment set out to cure him. Alex awakes from his coma cured of the sickness and is finally able to think and do what he wishes again. Written by Walker Parkhill

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In 1943, A dying gunner, who was in a crash involving a United States B-17, gives a ring to a local to return to his girlfriend in the USA. Fifty years later, a man finds the ring and tracks down the girlfriend and the history of this ring. Set in Belfast and North Carolina. Written by Trent Johnson

Code 46 is a love story set in a Brave New World-type near-future where cities are heavily controlled and only accessible through checkpoints. People cannot travel unless they have “papelles,” a special travel permit issued by the totalitarianistic government, the “Sphinx”. Outside these cities, the desert has taken over and shanty towns are jammed with non-citizens - people without papelles forced to live primitive lives. William is a family man who works as a government investigator. When he is sent to Shanghai to solve a case of fake papelles, he meets a woman named Maria. Although he realizes she is behind the forgeries, he cannot help but fall completely in love with her. He hides her crime and they have a wild, passionate affair that can only last as long as his papelles: 24 hours. Back home, William is obessed with the memory of Maria. When the original investigation is inevitably re-opened a week later and William is sent back to finish the work he started, he tracks her down, only to discover she has been accused of a Code 46 violation and any further relationship is impossible. Written by Anonymous

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I am not a gullible person but “Cold Creek Manor’s” trailer had me completely fooled. I assumed from watching the suspenseful publicity tool that the movie would be intriguing, maybe a little scary, and yes - suspenseful. Boy was I had. Shame on me.

Sharon Stone and Dennis Quaid play parents of two young kids growing up in the big city. When an accident causes them to reassess their lives, they take the seemingly over-reactive step of selling their NY home and moving to the country. They purchase Cold Creek Manor, a huge house filled with the previous owner’s furniture, clothing, and most personal and private possessions.

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