Jack Ryan, a charming but mischievous kid with a history of small cons, never nasty, as he always approaches life from the pleasant side, goes to surfers paradise Hawai, where dodgy district judge Walter Crewes enlists him to get to real big criminals. Jack finds himself teaming up in bed and thieving ‘business’ with Nancy Hayes, the greedy mistress of evil hotel magnate Ray Ritchie and his dumb lieutenant Bob Rogers, Jr. and a real temptress gold-digger but is about the only one without an hidden agenda… Written by KGF Vissers

A comedy that follows the misadventures of two friends from Brooklyn who are forced to deliver mob money to Australia. While taking pictures of a kangaroo, one of them places his red jacket on it. When the wild kangaroo bounces off, they realize the mob money is in the jacket and are forced to give chase through the Outback. Written by Sujit R. Varma

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Kevin Spacey’s name is being tossed about once again as a potential Best Actor Academy Award nominee. With a plethora of outstanding performances from leading men this year, it’s tough to handicap the upcoming race. Spacey’s impressive repertoire of films outshines most of his probable competitions’, but does he deserve a nomination for “The Shipping News?” I’m going to have to hesitantly say, in my opinion, no.

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In an era when the country’s first line of defense, intelligence, is more important than ever, this story opens the CIA’s infamous closed doors and gives an insider’s view into the Agency: how trainees are recruited, how they are prepared for the spy game, and what they learn to survive. James Clayton might not have the attitude of a typical recruit, but he is one of the smartest graduating seniors in the country - and he’s just the person that Walter Burke wants in the Agency. James regards the CIA’s mission as an intriguing alternative to an ordinary life, but before he becomes an Ops Officer, James has to survive the Agency’s secret training ground, where green recruits are molded into seasoned veterans. As Burke teaches him the ropes and the rules of the game, James quickly rises through the ranks and falls for Layla, one of his fellow recruits. But just when James starts to question his role and his cat-and-mouse relationship with his mentor, Burke taps him for a special assignment to root out a mole. As the suspense builds toward a gripping climax, it soon becomes clear that the CIA’s old maxims are true: “trust no one” and “nothing is what it seems.” Written by wild62

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Roslyn divorces Ray in Reno and then meets widower Guido. He likes her but introduces her to cowboy Gay, and those two fall in love. When she learns that Gay, Guido and Perce are going to turn wild horses (”misfits”) into dog food, she protests. Written by Ed Stephan {stephan@cc.wwu.edu}

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In World War II Casablanca, Rick Blaine, exiled American and former freedom fighter, runs the most popular nightspot in town. The cynical lone wolf Blaine comes into the possession of two valuable letters of transit. When Nazi Major Strasser arrives in Casablanca, the sycophantic police Captain Renault does what he can to please him, including detaining Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo. Much to Rick’s surprise, Lazslo arrives with Ilsa, Rick’s one time love. Rick is very bitter towards Ilsa, who ran out on him in Paris, but when he learns she had good reason to, they plan to run off together again using the letters of transit. Well, that was their original plan…. Written by Gary Jackson {garyjack5@cogeco.ca}

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Sydney Pollack returns to the land of thrillers with “The Interpreter,” a timely, thought-provoking drama with a superb cast and an interesting premise. A little long-winded and sometimes confusing, “The Interpreter” benefits from solid performances by Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, and Catherine Keener.

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McMurphy thinks he can get out of doing work while in prison by pretending to be mad. His plan backfires when he is sent to a mental asylum. He tries to liven the place up a bit by playing card games and basketball with his fellow inmates, but the head nurse is after him at every turn. Written by Colin Tinto {cst@imdb.com}

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When a serial killer indicates that his next target is the Miss United States beauty pageant, the F.B.I. decides that they must get an undercover agent as a participant in the contest. A search uncovers no suitable candidate other than a bumbling female agent (Sandra Bullock). Reluctantly, her captain (Ernie Hudson) agrees to let her join the team working the case. The team is led by a womanizing agent (Ben Bratt) who has an apparent reluctant attraction to Bullock’s character. She enters as Miss New Jersey, replacing a contestant who was discovered to have acted in a porno film. The pageant managers (Candice Bergen, William Shatner) are immediately aghast about the agent appearing in the pageant, but arrange a top handler (Michael Caine) to come give her a quick makeover, with the expected outstanding results. Unfortunately, she still is bumbling. When the killer is suddenly caught, everything seems to be over, except the female agent tries to convince her boss that something is still not right. She has discovered that the pageant managers are being dismissed after 21 years for younger people, and Bergen’s character may not be as solid as she seems on the surface. Written by John Sacksteder {jsackste@bellsouth.net}

Explores the question of whether it’s ever too late to say ‘I love you’. The story revolves around Lucy Kelson (Bullock), a brilliant but neurotic attorney, and her client (Grant), who is “charming, irresponsible and fabulously wealthy.” Witt plays a young Harvard graduate who also represents Grant’s character. Written by SJS

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