China, Later Tang Dynasty, 10th Century. On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) returns unexpectedly with his second son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou). His pretext is to celebrate the holiday with his family, but given the chilled relations between the Emperor and the ailing Empress (Gong Li), this seems disingenuous. For many years, the Empress and Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson, have had an illicit liaison. Feeling trapped, Prince Wan dreams of escaping the palace with his secret love Chan (Li Man), the Imperial Doctor’s daughter. Meanwhile, Prince Jai, the faithful son, grows worried over the Empress’s health and her obsession with golden chrysanthemums. Could she be headed down an ominous path? The Emperor harbors equally clandestine plans; the Imperial Doctor (Ni Dahong) is the only one privy to his machinations. When the Emperor senses a looming threat, he relocates the doctor’s family from the Palace to a remote area. While they are en route, mysterious assassins attack them. Chan and her mother, Jiang Shi (Chen Jin) are forced back to the palace. Their return sets off a tumultuous sequence of dark surprises. Amid the glamour and grandeur of the festival, ugly secrets are revealed. As the Imperial Family continues its elaborate charade in a palatial setting, thousands of golden armored warriors charge the palace. Who is behind this brutal rebellion? Where do Prince Jai’s loyalties lie? Between love and desire, is there a final winner? Against a moonlit night, thousands of chrysanthemum blossoms are trampled as blood spills across the Imperial Palace. Written by Sony Pictures Classics

What’s the nature of being a parent and of being a child? David is a widower grieving for two years. He writes science fiction and was considered weird as a boy. He meets Dennis, a foster child who claims to be on a mission from Mars, stays in a large box all day, fears sunlight, and wears a belt of flashlight batteries so he won’t float away. David takes the six-year-old home on a trial. His sister and his wife’s best friend offer support, but the guys are basically alone to figure this out. Dennis takes things, is expelled, and is coached by David in being normal. Will the court approve the adoption, and will Dennis stay? Can a man become a father and a child become a son? Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Two young men are ineffectual individually, but when together become violent criminals. They break into a wealthy farmer’s home only to find that there is nearly no money at the home and murder the entire family to avoid identification. The first part of the film details the search for them, the second, their trial and execution. Taken from the actual events chronicled by Truman Capote in his book. Written by John Vogel {jlvogel@comcast.net}

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Brooklyn, 1988. Crime is rife, especially drugs and drug violence. A Russian thug is building his heroin trade, while everyone laughs at the cops. Brothers have chosen different paths: Joe has followed his father Bert into New York’s Finest; he’s a rising star. Bobby, who uses his mother’s maiden name, manages a club. Bobby too is on the rise: he has a new girlfriend and a green-light to develop a Manhattan club. Joe and Bert ask him to help with intelligence gathering; he declines. Then, Joe raids Bobby’s club to arrest the Russian. From there, things spiral out of control: the Russian puts out a hit on Joe, personal losses mount, and Bobby’s loyalties face the test. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

The unluckiest man in Vegas - a guy whose bad luck is contagious - is used by the last of the old time mob run casinos to kill high rollers’ action. That is, until he falls in love with a cocktail waitress and gets “lady luck,” which throws the situation into reverse. Things turn nasty when the casino director tries to break up the romance. Written by Anonymous

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This light-hearted romantic comedy centers tells of love sought, found, lost, and found again, revolving around the lives of two college students in New York City. Sophomore Al Connelly (Freddie Prinze Jr.) meets the girl of his dreams, freshman Imogen (Julia Stiles), and true love abounds. The two engage on a whirlwind courtship–they pick a song, eat a cake together, even make love. But Imogen’s fear of lost youth causes her to push away from Al, and they go their separate ways. Al attempts to rebound from the relationship, determined to forget Imogen, and he goes to desperate measures to do so. The story is told from the points of view of both Al and Imogen. Written by Allison L. Venezio {YankeeSNL01@aol.com}

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After a run-in with local thugs, aspiring Harlem rapper Rob flees to a place and father he never knew, and finds his salvation in Reggaeton, a spicy blend of hip-hop, reggae and Latin beats. Puerto Rico, the spiritual home of Reggaeton, inspires Rob and his step-brother Javi to pursue their dream of becoming Reggaeton stars. Together with a dancer named C.C., they learn what it means to stay true to themselves and each other, while overcoming obstacles in love, greed and pride, all culminating in an explosive performance at New York’s Puerto Rican Day Parade. Written by Columbia Pictures

1999, Claremont, California. Middle-class kids, in their 20s, talk trash, wave guns, hang out in a pack. Johnny Truelove, drug dealer and son of a underworld figure, threatens Jake Mazursky, an explosive head case who owes Johnny money; Jake responds by breaking into Johnny’s house. On impulse, Johnny and a couple pals kidnap Jake’s 15-year-old brother, Zach. Zach’s okay with it, figuring his brother will pay the debt soon. Johnny assigns his buddy Frankie to be Zach’s minder, and they develop a brotherly friendship. Zach parties with his captors as things begin to spin out of control. Group think, amorality, and fear of prison assert a hold on the pack. Is Zach in danger? Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Jordan Wells, a talented, seventeen-year-old photographer struggles between falling in line with his father’s plans for his future and following his desire to pursue photography. After he gets throw out of his upscale prep school for taking provocative pictures of some of the girls in his class, he transfers into a public school and becomes involved with Shay, a beautiful girl from the other side of the tracks. As the passion of their relationship heats up, Jordan soon finds himself an accessory to murder –twice. Written by Anonymous