After years of no contact with his Uncle Henry, London banker and bond trader Max Skinner learns that Henry has died intestate, so Max inherits a château and vineyard in Provence. Max spent part of his childhood there, learning maxims and how to win and lose, and honing his killer instinct (at chess, which serves him well in finance). Max goes to France intent on selling the property. He spends a few days there, getting the property ready to show. Memories, a beautiful woman, and a young American who says she’s Henry’s illegitimate daughter interrupt his plans. Did Max the boy know things that Max the man has forgotten? Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

A foundling lad, Patrick “Kitten” Braden, comes of age in the 1970s. He leaves his Irish town, in part to look for his mother and in part because his transgender nature is beyond the town’s understanding. He’s taken in by a rock band, falls for the lead singer, has brushes with the IRA, is arrested by the London police, works in a peep show, and poses as a survey researcher for the phone company. Throughout, his nationality and his nature put him at great risk. In his search for his mother, he makes surprising discoveries of friendship and family. But, will he survive? Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

The story begins with Speed Racer who is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win The Crucible, a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer. Speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents Pops and Mom. Pops designed Speed’s car, the Mach 5. The owner of Royalton Industries makes Speed a lucrative offer, Speed rejects the offer, angering the owner. Speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including Royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. With the offer to Speed denied, Royalton wants to ensure that Speed will not win races. Speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend Trixie and enters The Crucible in a partnership with his one-time rival, Racer X, seeking to rescue his family’s business and the racing sport itself. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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What sounds like an excellent set-up for a movie turns out to be just another run of the mill, disappointingly mediocre comedy. Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stay) and starring Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, Stranger Than Fiction takes the idea of a man facing his impending death at the whim of a British writer and instead of running with it, casually swaggers to a predictable finish.

Mel Coplin departs on a mission of discovery dragging his wife and 4 month old son behind. He and wife, Nancy, won’t agree on a name for their son until adopted Mel gets in touch with his roots. He assures her that once he knows who he really is, the right name for their boy will be a snap. Enlisting the aid of student-psychologist and part-time adoption agent, Tina Kalb, they embark on a journey across the United States to find Mel’s “birth” mother. “The best part,” Mel tells Nancy, “is it’s all free.” Tina is finishing her dissertation and will film the happy reunion of mother and child as part of her research. For this privilege, she’s footing the bill. His adoptive parents are left behind feeling abandoned by an ungrateful son. Clerical errors, mistaken identities, Nancy’s misplaced high school friend and his gay lover, and a super-charged libido here and there are thrown into the mix along the way until — at last — Mel’s real parents, the Schlictings (mispronounced as “Shit-kings” by Mrs. Coplin), are discovered in remote New Mexico. There, Mel begins to wonder if he would have been better off not knowing these people, after all. Written by MARK FLEETWOOD {mfleetwo@mail.coin.missouri.edu}

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Those so young they need to be read the Dr Seuss books and those old enough to have read first editions as kids should equally enjoy this engaging, hilarious, and heartfelt tale of an elephant who hears Whos. Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino from a screenplay by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, the classic Dr Seuss tale springs to life on the big screen using a color palette so vibrant you may feel the urge to don a pair of shades. Although the animation itself isn’t groundbreaking in its technique, it is perfectly in keeping with the tone and style of Dr Seuss’ work.

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Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) is the top-rated anchorman in San Diego in the ’70s. When feminism marches into the newsroom in the form of ambitious newswoman Veronica Corningstone (Applegate), Ron is willing to play along at first-as long as Veronica stays in her place, covering cat fashion shows, cooking, and other “female” interests. But when Veronica refuses to settle for being eye candy and steps behind the news desk, it’s more than a battle between two perfectly coiffed anchor-persons… it’s war. Written by austin4577@aol.com

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Joe Young was a simple young man trying to spread the word of the Book of Mormon when he picked the wrong house to preach at! The owner, a porn director named Maxxx Orbison, tells his henchmen to kill the guy at the door who interrupted their scene, but Joe fights off the guards with great skill, which impresses Maxxx so much that he offers Joe the lead role in the movie he’s making at the moment: Orgazmo, which is about a sex superhero who fights crime with his Orgazmorator and ChodaBoy, his sidekick. Joe, against his beliefs, takes the job so that he can pay for the wedding he plans for he and his fiancee, who he doesn’t tell about his risque new acting job. However, when the movie becomes an amazing hit just about everywhere and he finds out that Ben (ChodaBoy) has created a real Orgazmorator, Joe is in some serious hot water! Written by Danii

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Fans of “Desperado,” prepare to be wowed again. There’s really just one word to describe “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” - Cool. Antonio Banderas is cool, Salma Hayek is cool, and Johnny Depp… Well, Depp could have invented the word.

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