A bitter battle is fought between Australian and Japanese soldiers along the Kokoda trail in New Guinea during World War II.

In a daring attempt to end the war by Christmas, Winston Churchill and the British High Command hatch an extraordinary plan - Operation Market Garden. 35,000 British troops are dropped behind enemy lines in German occupied Holland. In the midst of the largest airborne invasion in history, one small unit of men, codename “Matchbox” has it’s own agenda. When Matchbox are shot down short of their landing zone, the odds of their success seem hopeless. Seven very different British soldiers find themselves separated from the Allied invasion, on a collision course with three renegade German soldiers who also want to lay claim to the horde. Written by RS

British and French troops do battle in colonial America, with aid from various native American war parties. The British troops enlist the help of local colonial militia men, who are reluctant to leave their homes undefended. A budding romance between a British officer’s daughter and an independent man who was reared as a Mohawk complicates things for the British officer, as the adopted Mohawk pursues his own agenda despite the wrath of different people on both sides of the conflict. Written by Ed Sutton {esutton@mindspring.com}

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In the 1870s, Captain Nathan Algren, a cynical veteran of the American Civil war who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing imperial army in modern warfare using firearms. The imperial Omura cabinet’s first priority is to repress a rebellion of traditionalist Samurai -hereditary warriors- who remain devoted to the sacred dynasty but reject the Westernizing policy and even refuse firearms. Yet when his ill-prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. Badly wounded Algren’s courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto spare his life; once nursed to health he learns to know and respect the old Japanese way, and participates as advisor in Katsumoto’s failed attempt to save the Bushido tradition, but Omura gets repressive laws enacted- he must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when the conflict returns to the battlefield… Written by KGF Vissers

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Alain Lefevre is a boxer paid by a Marseille mobster to take a dive. When he wins the fight he attempts to flee to America with the mobster’s girlfriend Katrina. This plan fails and he seeks escape by joining the foreign legion. As part of the legion he tangles with abusive lieutenant Steinkampf and bonds with legionnaires Luther, Mackintosh and Rosetti. The mobster discover his whereabouts and enrolls two hitmen to finish him off. With their fort under siege and enemies within, Lefevre finds that second chances are difficult to come by in the Legion. Written by Paul Hunter aka “Bob the Moo”

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Rather than a paint-by-the-numbers remake of the 1962 John Frankenheimer film, director Jonathan Demme’s 2004 version of “The Manchurian Candidate” is a re-envisioned, revamped and contemporized take on the classic political thriller. Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington stars in the role Frank Sinatra handled in the original. Liev Schreiber takes on the Laurence Harvey part from the first film. And two-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep chews up the screen as the candidate’s political junkie mother, a role which earned Angela Lansbury an Academy Award nomination in 1963 and which might do the same for Streep.

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During the Napoleonic Wars, a British frigate, HMS Surprise, and a much larger French warship, the Acheron, with greater fire power, stalk each other off of the coast of South America. Russell Crowe brings great intensity to the role of Captain Jack Aubrey. Lucky Jack, as he is referred to by his crew, is well regarded by his men, who trust him implicitly, even after the first devastating battle and an apparent personal vendetta against the French captain. While the naval battle sequences are quite fantastic, the film is successful because director Weir chose to build the story to get to know the men who are locked aboard the tight quarters of a small ship and how they interact everyday. The officers and the mates are well-known by the time the final battle comes. Paul Bettany offers a strong performance as the surgeon and naturalist who balances the violence of his chosen life with the quiet demeanor of the scientist. He is the captain’s friend and confidant, the two frequently playing violin and cello duets together. The horrors of the injuries from the war are frequently implied, but vividly depicted in the reactions of the characters. Written by John Sacksteder {jsackste@bellsouth.net}

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In 1412, a young girl called Jeanne is born in Domrémy, France. The times are hard: The Hunderd Years war with England has been going on since 1337, English knights and soldiers roam the country. Jeanne develops into a very religious young woman, she confesses several times a day. At the age of 13, she has her first vision and finds a sword. When coming home with it, she finds the English leveling her home town. Years after that, in 1428, she knows her mission is to be ridding France of the English and so sets out to meet Charles, the Dauphin. In his desperate military situation, he welcomes all help and gives the maiden a chance to prove her divine mission. After the successful liberation of Orléans and Reims, the Dauphin can be crowned traditionally in the cathedral of Reims - and does not need her anymore, since his wishes are satisfied. Jeanne d’Arc gets set up in his trap and is imprisoned by the Burgundians. In a trial against her under English law, she can’t be forced to tell about her divine visions she has had continuously since childhood. Being condemned of witchcraft and being considered as relapsed heretic, she is sentenced to death. Jeanne d’Arc is burnt alive in the marketplace of Rouen on May 30th, 1431, at only 19 years of age. Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}

On January 23, 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is to fly from Karachi to Dubai with his pregnant wife, Mariane, also a reporter. On the day before, with great care, he has arranged an interview in a café with an Islamic fundamentalist cleric. When Danny doesn’t return, Mariane initiates a search. Pakistani police, American embassy personnel, and the FBI examine witnesses, phone records, e-mails, and hard drives. Who has him? Where is he? There’s also the why: because of U.S. abuse of prisoners at Guantanimo, because of a history of Journal cooperation with the CIA, because Pearl is a Jew? Through it all, Mariane is clearheaded, direct, and determined. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

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