Is there room for principle in Los Angeles? Mike Terry teaches jujitsu and barely makes ends meet. His Brazilian wife, whose family promotes fights, wants to see Mike in the ring making money, but to him competition is degrading. A woman sideswipes Mike’s car and then, after an odd sequence of events, shoots out the studio’s window. Later that evening, Mike rescues an action movie star in a fistfight at a bar. In return, the actor befriends Mike, gives him a gift, offers him work on his newest film, and introduces Mike’s wife to his own - the women initiate business dealings. Then, things go sour all at once, Mike’s debts mount, and going into the ring may be his only option. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Some guys get all the luck, whether they like it or not. Chili Palmer (John Travolta) happens to be in Hollywood collecting a gambling debt when he’s struck by lightning (not literally). Called a natural for the movie business, he’s snagged up by a producer. The rest is history. Written by Joshua Davis {xtnb64a@prodigy.com}

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Ma Jun, a cop known for dispensing justice during arrests, teams with Hua Sheng, who’s undercover, to try to bring down three merciless Vietnamese brothers running a smuggling ring in the months before the mainland’s takeover of Hong Kong. The eldest, Xian Wei Cha (called Zah), is arrested in an operation that exposes Sheng and almost gets him killed. His girlfriend, Qiu Di, who’s been unaware of Sheng’s profession, wants to see him quit. Jun pursues the gang tirelessly, sometimes ignoring police protocols. Zah’s trial approaches, witnesses are in danger, and a showdown is inevitable. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Hollywood send-up. No-name actors are making a low-budget period drama called “Home for Purim,” when an anonymous post on the Internet suggests that one performance is Oscar-worthy. Then, two more cast members get Oscar-related press: buzz in “Variety” and appearances on TV prompt the studio executives to insist on changes in the script in anticipation of a blockbuster. Jump ahead a few months to the days before Oscar nominees are announced: just the possibility of a nomination has changed the actors’ lives. Agents, publicists, make-up artists, local celebrity reporters, and other bit players round out the backstage ensemble. Hooray for Hollywood! Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

A comedy about a video store clerk Ed (Matthew McConaughey) whose life is thrown into chaos when he agrees to let an executive of a televison studio (Ellen DeGeneres) film him for 24 hours. Written by Jordan Chamerski

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Has-been director Harry Dawes gets a new lease on his career when independently wealthy Kirk Edwards hires him to write and direct a film. They go to Madrid to find Maria Vargas, a dancer who will star in the film. Millionaire Alberto Bravano takes Maria from Kirk. Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini takes Maria from Alberto. Written by Ed Stephan {stephan@cc.wwu.edu}

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“Bewitched” is a TV-show-turned-into-a-movie hybrid. It’s not a remake of the show itself; it’s a movie about remaking the classic TV show, focusing on the behind-the-scenes antics of the actors cast to fill the roles of Samantha and Darrin from the original “Bewitched” TV series. Does that sound confusing? It’s actually not, though my explanation may well be.

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