Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Twilight Saga Eclipse

Synopsis and Movies The Twilight Saga Eclipse : Eclipse opens at nighttime where Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel) is exiting a store on his way home. A driving rainstorm begins as he walks on his way. Without warning, he is knocked down. Looking around, startled, he cannot see anyone– the street he is walking down appears completely deserted. Getting scared, he pulls his coat closer and picks up his pace. Just as suddenly he is hurled through the air and against a wall– and still there is nobody and nothing in side. Riley starts to yell for help and breaks into a run. He gets too close to a pier on a marina and almost falls into the water. Terrified, he screams out to his unseen assailant what he wants. There is a blur as something rushes past far too quickly to be seen, and Riley’s hand is wounded. He screams in agony and falls to the ground– and the wound on his hand strongly resembles some kind of bite wound.

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are in a meadow where she is reading from “Fire & Ice” in preparation for an English final. Edward again asks Bella to marry him, and runs into the old impasse– he asks her, “marry me,” and Bella responds with, “change me.” Finally Edward offers a compromise where he will change her when they’re married. Bella kisses him but then says it’s more like coercion. Their views om marriage differ and she teases him about the divorce rate. Edward assures her that the “vampire-human divorce rate” is lower. They kiss more and Bella says she’s due back home at four. Edward just smiles as she gathers up her things and starts on her way home.

Charlie (Billy Burke) is reading the newspaper headline that discusses a rash of murders in Seattle. Bella arrives home exactly at four like Charlie wanted. There is a bit of brief debate about her being grounded “for life” (as in New Moon) and Charlie admits that he would like to see a bit of separation between Bella and Edward, even though he expects her answer that Edwart is part of her life. So Charlie offers her a deal. He’ll end her punishment if she agrees to see some of her other friends as well, and suggests she see Jacob, as Billy has told Charlie that Jacob is going through a very rough time lately, and just a short time ago, when Bella was in that position, Jake was there for her when she needed him. Bella calls Jacob but gets his voice-mail and chooses not to leave a message. A voiceover from Bella explains that Jacob hasn’t spoken to her in weeks, and she’s been hoping to set things right. She pulls a handwritten letter out of her dresser drawer and looks at it briefly.

Bella gets into her truck to drive to the reservation, but it won’t start. Suddenly Edward is in the passenger seat. He knows she was heading to the reservation, and Bella realizes that Alice saw it, and that Edward rigged her truck to not be able to start, in order to prevent her from driving there. They argue about her seeing Jacob. She is adamant that she has until graduation but Edward is obsessed with her safety and is convinced she won’t have any among the Quileutes.

The next day at school, during lunch, Edward joins Bella at her main table with Mike (Michael Welch), Eric (Justin Chon), Jessica (Anna Kendrick) and Angela (Christian Serratos). Jessica is the class valedictorian and Mike and Eric are helping her prepare her speech. Alice (Ashley Greene) and Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) join them all as well, and Alice stuns them all with an announcement that she is going to host a graduation party– at the Cullen home. Jessica and Angela are pleasantly shocked, as nobody has ever been to the Cullen home before (except Bella of course). Suddenly Alice sits back with a worried look on her face, and Bella quickly realizes she’s having a vision of something. But neither she, Jasper nor Edward will discuss it with her.

Edward drives Bella to the police station where Charlie is on duty. They see him with Riley Biers’ parents discussing his ‘missing persons’ case– Riley has been missing for a year now. Bella realizes Edward knows something about it, and he tells her that the Cullens have been paying very close attention to the rise of murders and disappearances in Seattle. They suspect vampires and believe that if the crime wave escalates, the Voluri will take action. Bella is worried that the Volturi will then make their way to Forks and see that she is still human, but Edward assures her it won’t come to that. The Cullens are prepared to go to Seattle if need be to try and get to the bottom of things themselves.

As Riley’s parents exit the station, Charlie comes out as well. Edward tells Charlie that Carlisle and Esme have bought a plane ticket for Bella to fly down to Jacksonville for a few days to visit her mother Renee. Charlie is surprised but agrees to the visit. Bella is reluctant until it is revealed that Edward will be going with her. This Charlie doesn’t like so much but he still consents to the trip.

Bella is in Jacksonville laying in the sun with her mother Renee (Sarah Clarke). They are talking about her college plans. Renee hopes Bella will consider a college in Florida, both because it will let her see her daughter more, and because Bella was always a sun-lover. Bella is planning to attend college in Alaska, saying they have a good science program, but Renee knows better– she knows Bella is in love with Edward and wants to follow him. Finally Renee gives Bella her graduation present– she collected college T-shirts from every state and sewn them together into a quilt for Bella. Bella is touched and hugs Renee gratefully.

Back in Forks, it is nighttime and the Cullens are standing watch in the forest. Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) asks Alice if she’s certain this is the spot in her vision. Alice is certain, and they keep watch. Suddenly Alice alerts them to look to their left. The Cullens all take off in pursuit, and it is seen they are chasing Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard); Alice had foreseen her return to Forks. Emmett (Kellan Lutz) nearly catches Victoria but she wriggles free and keeps running with the Cullens in hot pursuit. Finally Victoria leaps across a stream– into Quileute territory, where the Cullens are under treaty not to venture. Victoria and the Cullens continue running down opposite sides of the stream when the Quileute wolf pack, having smelled Victoria’s presence, emerges from the trees in pursuit of Victoria. Looking to pit one side against the other, Victoria cleverly leaps back and forth from one bank of the stream to the other. Both sides narrowly miss catching her. Finally Emmett loses his patience and jumps after her onto the Quileute lands. Victoria’s plan pays off as Paul (Alex Meraz) moves to block Emmett from crossing into Quileute territory. So intent is Paul on not letting Emmett pass that Victoria escapes from both sides in the confusion.

Edward and Bella have returned to Forks and are driving to school. Jacob (Taylor Lautner) is there waiting. He confronts Edward about the Cullens trespassing on Quileute territory. Naturally Bella wants to know what Jacob is talking about, and Edward evasively says that Emmett and Paul had a misunderstanding. Jacob is amused despite his anger and finally helps Bella put two and two together– Alice’s vision in the lunchroom was Victoria’s return to Forks, and Carlisle and Esme bought her the plane ticket to Florida to get her out of town so she would be safe from Victoria. Bella is furious at Edward’s lie, but also confronts Jacob on not caling her. He says he had nothing to say, and Bella says she has plenty. She climbs on Jacob’s motorcycle behind him despite Edward’s protest and rides with him to the reservation.

Some of the wolf pack members are there to greet them on their arrival, teasing Jacob about his continuous thoughts about whether Bella would call him, and whether or not he should call her. Bella then meets Leah Clearwater (Julia Jones), Harry Clearwater’s daughter. On Leah’s shoulder is both the mark of a Quileute wolf-pack member… and a chip larger than Bella’s truck.

Sam Uley (Chaske Spencer), the leader of the wolf-pack, and his fiance Emily (Tinsel Korey) emerge from the house. Emily goes to hug Bella as Sam and Jacob talk about Victoria’s return. Sam assures Jacob that Victoria won’t get through their line again. As they enter the house, Bella glances over her shoulder to see Leah assume wolf form and practice the cliff-dive.

Bella and Jacob are talking later. Jacob explains how Leah and her younger brother Seth gained the gift of the ‘spirit warrior’ (ability to assume wolf form) after Harry died. Jacob also explains that Leah was once in love with Sam, and he loved her in return, until Emily came into the tribe’s life. Jacob explains to Bella, the Quileute wolf-pack’s process of ‘imprinting’ on someone– an event that bonds a male and female as complete soulmates. The imprinting process is often very sudden, spontaneous, and beyond the control of the wolf-pack member doing the imprinting. As all the wolf-pack members can always hear each other’s thoughts, they always have to live with the pain Leah feels about losing Sam, and Sam’s guilt over imprinting on someone else after he and Leah had grown so close. Bella begins to suspect that Jacob has imprinted on her, but Jacob says that if he’d imprinted on anyone, Bella would know it for certain. He’s still him, and as he says, Bella is still Bella. But when Bella says, ‘until graduation,’ Jacob realizes that Bella intends to go through with becoming a vampire, which sickens him beyond belief. In a fit of disgust he voices a preference for Bella to die rather than let her become something that is unnatural and neither dead nor alive. Quickly he curses himself for going too far, looking painfully stricken at Bella’s expression of indignant anger.

At the Swan house, Riley is in Bella’s room. He fingers the dreamcatcher on her bed and steals one of her red blouses, sniffing it closely. Stealthily descending the stairs, he passes Charlie asleep on the couch and bends over him as if to feed on him.

The door opens and Bella enters… and Charlie comes up to her, revealing it is some time later and Riley left Charlie undisturbed. Charlie is pleased when Bella tells him she was with Jacob and not Edward. But suddenly there is a knock at the door and both of them realize it’s Edward. Bella steps outside to greet him, but he is deeply concerned. He almost broke the treaty to make sure she was okay. Suddenly he smells something and rushes up to her room. Fingering her dreamcatcher, he tells her that someone’s been in her room.

Edward brings Bella back to his house. Edward didn’t recognize the scent of whoever entered Bella’s room. The Cullens have scouted around the area and determined that the scent vanished five miles south of Bella’s house. They suspect a nomad vampire might be involved, as Alice would have seen a vision of Victoria. They suspect the Volturi might be involved, but Alice disagrees, saying she’s also been watching Aro, the Volturi ruler, through her visions.

The Cullens are discussing another round of protection vigils over Bella’s house (to the displeasure of Rosalie (Nikki Reed)). Bella knows that the Cullens cannot keep watch over her and Charlie, and still search for both Victoria and the mysterious intruder, all while keeping themselves fed.

It is dayime and Bella has brought Jacob to her house so he can get the scent of the intruder. Outside Jacob tells Edward that he will know the scent if he crosses it again. Edward refuses to trust Jacob and Bella has to force herself between them to break them apart. A voiceover from Bella explains the extremely uneasy partnership between the Cullens and the Quileute wolf-pack, as they guard the house in shifts– the wolves relieving the Cullens at intervals so they can hunt for animal blood to feed on (two wolves are seen relieving Alice and Emmett as Bella watches).

Edward and Bella go to meet Jacob on the shoulder of a road through the woods. Edward is dropping Bella off to spend some time on the Quileute reservation. Despite the partnership, the antipathy between Edward and Jacob drips out of the very air between them whenever they are face to face. Edward passionately kisses Bella goodbye in front of Jacob, and Jacob in turns gives Bella an affectionate hug before Edward drives off.

Jacob brings Bella to attend a meeting of the Quileute tribal council. Some of the younger pack members are attending, including Seth (BooBoo Stewart), who Bella meets for the first time. Seth’s mother, Sue Clearwater, is on the council now after the death of her husband Harry. Bella is to attend the gathering as the first person not of the tribe to hear the tribe’s histories.

Billy Black (Gil Birmingham) recites a story of the Quileute tribe as spirit warriors; shapeshifters; able to assume the form of a powerful wolf. He tells of the tribe’s first encounter with one of the Cold Ones. Two soirit warriors vanquished one of them after it had fed on some of the tribe. But the Cold One vanquished had a mate (like Victoria was the mate of James) and she attacked the village in vengeance. The Tribal Elder, Taha Aki, engaged her in combat. The vampiress was winning the battle and seemed poised to kill him, when Taha Aki’s third wife, who had no powers and could not join the battle, stabbed herself with a knife so the vampiress would smell the blood and be distracted, allowing Taha Aki to recover and slay the vampiress. Taha Aki’s third wife is celebrated as a heroine of the tribe for her selfless courage; her sacrifice of herself saved the village and the people. The Cold Ones are the only remaining enemy of the Quileute people. The magic in the tribe’s blood awakens when they are near. Billy warns that conflict is near… and the tribe must be ready to face it.

In Seattle, Riley is watching over a small scene of violence and Mayhem. He bends over a teenage girl, Bree (Jodelle Ferland), who we see has just been changed into a vampire. Bree is confused and terrified over her new state, and Riley only tells her he’ll “find her someone to drink” and suggests she “try not to get killed.”

Back at the Cullen home, Edward is arriving with Bella. They find Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett watching a news report about the escalating violence in Seattle; the rise in killings and disappearances. Jasper knows that no one vampire could cause such destruction. The Cullens realize that the culprits are “newborns,” which they explain to Bella is the state when a human is first transformed into a vampire; their first few months as one. This is when a vampire is at their most vicious, uncontrolled state, overwhelmed with a wild thirst for blood. The newborns are completely undisciplined. Jasper and Carlisle deduce that someone is creating a small army of them. This means they must go to Seattle to try and stop it. The newborns are being created to destroy someone or something– the Cullens are the only vampire family close enough to be targets. Carlisle knows that if the Cullens don’t stop the newborns, the Volturi will arrive to do so– he’s surprised they haven’t stepped in yet. Edward theorizes that the Volturi are actually behind the uprising; he knows that Aro and Marcus dearly want for both himself and Alice to join them, and if the rest of the Cullen family were slain, they would have nobody else to go to.

Bella is arriving home to find her father looking at a missing persons poster for Riley, made by his parents when he first vanished. Charlie notes that they are still desperate to find their son even after a year. Bella wonders why they keep looking, and Charlie answers that he would do so in their place, if it were Bella that was missing.

At night, Bella is lying beside Edward in her bed. Despite her determination to become a vampire, she is coming to terms with knowing she can never see her family or the rest of her friends again, as her body will never age and she will appear 18 years old even when she’s supposed to be 40. Edward uses this as more ammo in the argument not to change her. He warns her that he’s been through the consequences she will face for undergoing the change. She believes that Edward has a soul, but he doesn’t, and he cannot bear the thought of taking her soul away just so she wouldn’t grow old and die as his mortal wife. Even though he’d eventually lose her, he feels that taking her soul away would be the most selfish act he could do.

The next day Bella is on the reservation with Jacob, admiring the beauty of the land. She invites him to the graduation party, though she is not surprised at his lack of an answer; going to the Cullen home is the last thing on his ‘to-do’ list. Bella notes there’s something on his mind. Jacob says he didn’t want to be so forward, but there’s no time left; she needs to hear the truth. Jacob confides that he is in love with Bella, and he is fighting for her heart; he desperately hopes she will choose him over Edward. He puts her hand on his chest so she can feel his heart beating and that he is a living being of warm flesh and blood. With him, Bella would never need to change; she would never need to give up being human or say goodbye to her family. Bella tries to explain that she doesn’t feel that way for him, but Jacob doesn’t buy it; he is convinced she just doesn’t want to admit it to herself. He intends to fight for her until her heart stops beating, and is visibly pained at her response that he wouldn’t be waiting for long. Jacob says that unlike Edward, he can kiss her without fear of hurting her. But Jacob goes too far when he grabs Bella and passionately kisses her to demonstrate his point; kissing her without her consent. Bella blazes with anger and she slams her fist into his face. Jacob doesn’t flinch; he barely feels the punch… but Bella does, and her hand is broken. When Jacob drives her home, Edward is there, ready to start an altercation with Jacob for hurting Bella– he read Jacob’s thoughts. He demands that Jacob wait next time for Bella to ask for him to kiss her, and Jacob vows that one day, she will.

Charlie has to separate Edward and Jacob, and he is amused at Jacob’s explanation that Bella broke her hand hitting him in the face. Bella’s insufferable clumsiness and tendency to be accident-prone makes the explanation completely plausible to Charlie.

Edward brings Bella to his house where Carlisle bandages her hand and determines that it is not actually broken, but merely sprained. Emmett is amused at Bella’s bravado in hitting Jacob and there is a brief exchange of teasing words between them about her becoming a newborn. Rosalie hears, gets very annoyed, and she curtly leaves the room. Bella follows her, determined to finally get an explanation of why Rosalie hates Bella so much. Rosalie smiles sardonically and even a little sadly as she says she doesn’t hate Bella… in fact she envies her, because unlike Rosalie herself or any of the Cullens, Bella has a choice, and Rosalie is the most adamant that she is choosing wrong.

Rosalie finally opens her heart to Bella and tells her about herself as a human in the early 20th century. She was engaged to the town’s most eligible bachelor, a man named Royce, even though she didn’t know him that well. She was young and a romantic, in love with the idea of being in love. But one fateful night she happened across him on a street corner where he was with some of his friends, and all of them were drunk. He tried to come on to her, and she pushed him away, seeing he was drunk. In response Royce grabbed her and brutally raped her, and then beat her within an inch of her life, all while his friends watched, and they left her in the street to die– and as Rosalie tells Bella, she dearly wanted to have died. But Carlisle happened across her, and changed her in order to save her, though to Rosalie, he wasn’t actually helping her at all. The two things in her vampire existence that brought her true happiness and pleasure, were exacting a brutal vengeance on Royce (we see a flashback of her smashing into his apartment wearing a wedding dress and smiling wickedly), and finding and falling in love with Emmett. But even her relationship as Emmett’s mate, to her, is incomplete. She is young and beautiful, but she would give it up in a moment to be able to bear Emmett’s children. She and Emmett are frozen in time, and she does not fear or worry that she would grow old as a human– she would do it in a minute if both she and Emmett could become human again and raise their own family. Bella sympathizes with Rosalie but insists that Edward is the one thing she wants more than anything else in life. But Rosalie knows better. She knows that once Bella is a ‘newborn,’ there is one thing she will want more; one thing she will crave so desperately she will kill in order to get it… blood.

On the streets of Seattle, the newborns are causing more havoc and violence. Riley furiously reins them in, reprimanding them about the need to keep a low profile. He tells them something big is coming on the horizon, and they can’t gain control of themselves, then they’ll all soon die, including himself. He looks out to the sky, seemingly worried about something.

High on a rooftop, watching, is the source of Riley’s worry, even if he doesn’t know it– Jane (Dakota Fanning) is watching the scene unfold, along with Felix (Daniel Cudmore), Alec (Cameron Bright) and Demitri (Charlie Bewley). Jane has, in fact, been keeping close tabs on the newborn uprising, and the Volturi are concerned. Felix believes that the amount of attention the newborn uprising has drawn, will cause other vampires to question the effectiveness of the Volturi, and that the four of them should consult Aro. Jane silences Felix with her power to cause intense pain, and says she knows that Aro’s decisions are being watched, which is why the four of them were sent here; they must decide themselves. Jane is deep in thought over whether to terminate the newborns immediately, or to first let them do what they were created for– she knows they were created for a reason.

Graduation Day arrives at Forks High School. Jessica’s valedictorian speech centers around what kids want to be when they grow up, and this time in all their lives being about making mistakes, changing their minds, and this being what enables them to finally know what their future will be. Bella is thoughtful as she listens; knowing that it applies to her and her desire to join Edward.

The senior class is enjoying a lively party at the Cullen home. Bella congratulates Jessica on her speech. Bella is surprised when Jacob shows up at the party, even though she invited him. He gives her a hand-made bracelet as a graduation present; a bracelet with a small wooden carving of a wolf.

Alice comes down the stairs, and stops in her tracks, a look of worry on her face. Both Bella and Jacob know she is seeing another vision. Alice grimly tells them that the Cullens aren’t going to need to go to Seattle– “they are coming here.”

The Cullens and the three Quileutes convene with Bella in the den. Carlisle explains to Jacob about the newborn army– newly changed vampires. Having read Alice’s mind, Edward has seen her vision and has determined that the missing teenager, Riley Biers, is among them; possibly even a leader in the army, though he is not their creator… Carlisle realizes that whoever is behind the uprising knows of Alice’s power and is exploiting the ‘blind spots’ in her visions to stay under the radar. The worst part, though, is that Alice saw Riley passing around the red blouse he stole from Bella’s room so all the newborns could get her scent. The newborns are coming to Forks and will arrive in four days… and their mission is to kill Bella.

Carlisle tells Jacob that this means the Cullens have to face the newborns in what is sure to be a terrible and ugly fight. He knows lives will be lost. Jacob looks at his tribemates and answers that the Quileutes are in; they will fight alongside the Cullens to destroy the newborns. Carlisle says that Jasper has extensive knowledge of newborns, including how to battle and defeat them. He asks Jacob to see if Sam will agree to the wolf-pack meeting with the Cullens so they can all train in these combat methods. Jasper is satisfied that the newborns will have no knowledge of the Quileute wolf-pack, thus giving them and the Cullens an edge, in addition to sufficient numbers. Bella is against Jacob fighting, but he waves her off, reminding her that battling and killing vampires is the wolf-pack’s job; the reason they have their powers. He also reminds Bella that she has long desperately wanted to see the Quileute wolf-pack and the Cullens set aside their differences and work together.

The next day the Quileutes meet with the Cullens in the woods. They are in wolf-form, still not trusting the Cullens enough to take human form when they will be more vulnerable. Edward, who can read their minds, volunteers to ‘translate’ for them. Edward says that the Quileutes are asking how newborns differ from other vampires. Carlistle explains that the newborn stage is when a vampire possesses the greatest degree of physical strength and power, because their own human blood still lingers in their bodies. Jasper has the experience they will all need to learn to fight and defeat them.

Jasper explains what he knows of a newborn’s immense power and how they fight. He admonishes everyone that a newborn will often try to move behind an enemy and get their arms around them, which will allow them to crush their enemy in their grasp instantly. Jasper warns everyone that they must never go for an obvious kill, because a newborn will know to watch for it… and they will turn the tables. Jasper puts his family members through a training session practicing combat tactics and moves to use against the newborns. Jasper himself is the best fighter in the family; the only one who can even match him is Alice, who can not only foresee his actions, but as his mate, she knows him better than anyone else.

After the training is done for the day, Bella asks Jasper if there’s any way she can contribute to the battle. Jasper answers that her scent will distract the newborns and divert their attention; their hunting drive and bloodthirst will take over and make them vulnerable. Bella is curious about Jasper’s knowledge and experience with newborns. Jasper simply smiles and doffs his sweater, showing battle-scars on his arms. He regales Bella with stories of his human life as a major in the Texas army, fighting for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Near Galveston he met a woman named Maria who was a vampire; looking to change others so they would be able to destroy Union soldiers in battle. Maria was dangerously clever and cautious. She made use of Jasper’s power to control the emotions of others, and had him destroy the newborns before they had been a vampire for one year, in order to cover her tracks. But Jasper could feel all the emotions of every newborn he killed and realized that Maria didn’t love him, but rather controlled him like a puppet. Finding Alice was what helped him escape and become free. She had seen a vision of him and gone to meet with him. Alice finds her way to them and she shares a passionate kiss with Jasper, and Bella smiles and politely turns her head away.

Later that night Bella has a dream of Maria whispering something into Jasper’s ear, gently coaxing him into killing someone. She sees this as if she were the one Maria was directing Jasper to kill. Awakening in her room, in Edward’s arms, Bella says that the dream has given her the final piece of the puzzle. She realizes that Victoria is the ultimate mastermind behind the newborn army, and she is using a second-in-command to do all the dirty work, in order to evade being seen in Alice’s visions.

As if in answer, we see Riley in Seattle delivering another hapless recruit to Victoria.

In the morning, outside the house, Edward is telling Bella that he will taking her to a hidden spot away from the battlefield. With the Quileute wolf pack fighting beside them, the Cullens will be able to handle the newborns, but Bella, as a human, will be too vulnerable. In the chaos of the battle, it would be too much risk of a newborn slipping past the defenders and reaching her. Bella argues that if she and Edward are too far apart, they will both be too worried about each other and both of them will be vulnerable. For once, Edward assets and agrees– but instead of bringing her to the battlefield, he will go with her to stand guard over her at her hiding place.

The two of them meet Jacob and Jasper on a field in a woodland clearing. Jasper has chosen this site for the battle to take place, believing it will provide them with a tactical advantage. Bella’s scent must end at this field– the newborns must be able to track her to it, but not past it. This means she must be carried to the campsite where Edward will be guarding her– and Edward cannot carry her there because the newborns will still be able to pick up Bella’s own scent. But Jacob, as a werewolf, has a scent that vampires find so repellent that it will mask Bella’s trail effectively. The newborns won’t smell Bella past the battlefield, only the smell of werewolf which they won’t be able to stand. Edward doesn’t like the idea but he won’t question Jasper’s knowledge on what will give them every edge they can get in the battle. Too much rides on it.

Jacob and Bella talk as he carries her through the woods. Despite the tactical reasons for it, he’s sardonic about Edward not being in the battle, but Bella won’t try to talk Jacob into not being part of it. Bella knows Jacob would refuse to honor her wishes. Jacob mentions that as Billy’s son he had the right to be the alpha wolf of the spirit warriors, but as he originally didn’t even want to be one of the wolf-pack at all, he yielded the alpha position to Sam, and Sam feels Jacob will be needed on the battlefield. When Jacob remarks that every choice has its consequences, Bella knows he’s referring to her becoming a vampire and asks him to let it rest– everyone makes their decisions and she’s made hers. Jake says he knows that Bella feels something for him; he can sense it about her… and that the Sam-Leah-Emily triangle is proof that she can love more than one person. Bella thinks Jacob is about to try and kiss her again. He just smiles and says he promised not to until she asked. Bella thinks he will have to wait a long time for that, but he thinks she’s wrong.

Back on the field, Edward is waiting. Jasper has followed Jacob and Bella partway to make sure the plan is working. Jasper tells Edward that he could only smell wolf, meaning Bella’s trail has ended on the field as planned. Despite Jasper’s assurances that the plan is working, Edward’s reaction shows how much effort he has to exert to follow the plan. The thought of Jacob carrying Bella is too harsh for him.

Bella is driving home. She finds Alice leaving her house, chatting pleasantly with Charlie– she’s charmed her way into his good graces. Out of Charlie’s earshot, Alice tells Bella she’s arranged a cover story; that the Cullens are going on a camping trip and Charlie has agreed to Bella having a sleepover with Alice so that Alice will have some company. In fact it is Edward who will be at the Cullen house with her, while Alice goes with the Cullens into the woods to hunt for animal blood so they will be ready for battle. Charlie is going fishing so Bella won’t have to worry about him being concerned for her.

Inside the house, Charlie confirms that unlike Edward, Alice meets with his approval. Bella asks her father why he never remarried after the divorce with Renee. She’s looking to get his viewpoints on marriage to help with her own decision whether to marry Edward, although of course she doesn’t tell him that. Charlie says he never really met the right woman for him after the divorce, but he sees value in marriage, pointing to Renee’s happy marriage to Phil. He does, however, mention that it tends to work out better, later in life, not earlier as a result of ‘not being careful.’ This leads to a rather awkward chat about premarital sex (and whether Bella is still a virgin) that leaves both Charlie and Bella rather embarrassed.

Bella arrives at the Cullen house for the ‘sleepover.’ Edward adds a small diamond to Bella’s charm bracelet. Going up to his room, Bella sees he has brought a bed in for her to sleep on. Bringing up Edward’s desire to marry her as a condition for changing her, Bella says she wants to negotiate her own condition, and gets Edward to promise her anything she desires. But then Bella starts to come on to him and he backs off, afraid of hurting her. Bella begs him to ‘try,’ because she wants him while she’s still human. They start to kiss and make out, but when Bella starts to undress herself, and he sees that she wants to have sex, Edward again backs off. His “old school” values that Bella had assured Charlie that Edward has, start to assert themselves and he says that back during his days as a living mortal, he would have done things different, including a full courtship, and asking her father for her hand, before proposing. But as he speaks, he takes one knee and presents Bella with an engagement ring that belonged to his mother. He restates his request for Bella to marry him. Bella’s heart is finally touched the right way and she says yes.

On a secluded rooftop in the darkness over Seattle, another conversation, much more sinister, is taking place. Victoria is gently admonishing Riley not to underestimate the Cullens. Her “dead friend” is a testament to their powers– he learned about them and they killed him. Victoria sweetly tells Riley that this is the Cullen family’s hunting grounds, and she is afraid of them retaliating against her for trying to slake her own thirst. Riley assures her he’ll make the city safe for her, and they begin to kiss. Riley has fallen in love with Victoria and has bought her lies hook, line, and sinker. He clearly has no idea what her true motives are… he’s become the Jasper to Victoria’s Maria.

The next day Bella and Edward are walking through the woods so she can ‘mark’ a trail leading to the field. Bella’s pricked her finger so she can leave a drop of blood at intervals. She finds that Edward has gained the ability to resist the lure of her blood completely, brought about by when he thought Bella had died (back in New Moon). He notes she’s not wearing the engagement ring and Bella says she doesn’t want to lose it, but Edward knows she also doesn’t want Jacob to see it. Bella gives in and says she feels they should wait to tell him. She wants his mind to be focused on the battle. Jacob arrives at that moment– he’ll be carrying Bella the rest of the way. Edward says that Alice has seen a storm coming, and Jacob says he can feel its approach.

As Jacob carries Bella, a storm of a different kind also begins moving toward Forks; Riley is leading the newborn army through the woods and across a lake. Clearly he knows the land and how to get where the army needs to go.

Jacob arrives with Bella at a small secluded plateau among the mountains, well defensible. Edward has a tent set up. Jacob reveals he will be staying at the campsite as well, so that Edward and Bella can stay apprised of the battle through his telepathic link to the pack. Seth wants in on the battle very badly, and it will keep him out of trouble. Seth will take Jacob’s place on the battlefield.

Nighttime comes, the storm blows across the mountains and the temperature drops dangerously low. The tent, the sleeping bag and Bella’s own winter clothing all prove inadequate, and she is shivering miserably with cold. Jacob enters the tent, having heard Bella’s soft moans of discomfort. Edward realizes that Jacob intends to use his own 109-degree body heat to keep Bella warm, and is dead set against it. Jacob warns Edward that Bella is in danger of getting frostbitten. Edward’s distrust for, and rivalry with, Jacob is so intense that it takes every iota of his will to assent to Jacob holding Bella, even for the purpose of keeping her warm.

Edward and Jacob finally manage to speak civilly while Bella is asleep. They discuss their respective feelings for Bella. Jacob asks if Edward ever considered that Bella might love him as well, even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself, and if Jacob could provide a good life for her. Edward insists he has tried to stop Bella from making him change her, and admits that he understands that Jacob can protect her as well as Edward can, and that Jacob can give Bella a human life. Jacob asks Edward how he coped with the belief that Bella had died and he’d lost her. Edward says he wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Bella’s greatest wish comes true as Edward finally admits he’s glad Jacob is here. Edward and Jacob finally have found some measure of common ground.

Morning comes. Seth arrives at the campsite so that Edward will know that Jacob has gone scouting and will return soon. As Seth leaves, Edward and Bella talk about the nighttime experience. Bella knows how hard it was for Edward to let Jacob do what he had to do. She’s amused that Edward has a ‘list’ of his favorite evenings… at the top of the list, is, naturally, her accepting his proposal. He jokingly calls her Mrs. Cullen and she jokes back that in the 21st century, she has the right to choose whether to change her name.

But it is no longer a joking matter when she finds that Jacob has returned and overheard that Bella is planning to marry Edward. She turns toward Edward, furiously angry when she realizes that Edward knew he was standing there. Edward simply said that Jacob deserved to know the truth. Jacob storms off and Bella starts to follow. Edward tribes to grab her arm but she sternly warns him off.

Bella rushes after Jacob, pleading to him as he curtly says he’s off to kill some vampires– and maybe let one of them kill him in turn. She begs him not to be reckless, and when he won’t listen to her reason, she asks him to kiss her. This he does, and they share a long, passionate kiss. Jacob says he has to go to the battlefield but he’ll return. Bella realizes Edward knew what was going on– he says Jacob’s thoughts were very loud. Edward understands that Bella loves Jacob, but takes comfort in her assurance that she loves him more.

Seth returns to the campsite, taking Jacob’s place there so his telepathic link to the pack will keep Edward up to date on the battle.

The Cullens stand on the battlefield, waiting as the newborn army rushes forward. On Jasper’s signal, the Cullens rush forth into battle, luring the newborns to the rock outcropping behind which the Quileutes await. Led by Jasper, the Cullens and the Quileutes fight together with expert teamwork, allowing them to overwhelm the newborns who, despite greater numbers, fight blindly and recklessly. Victoria is seen observing the battle briefly before rushing off.

Bree is the one newborn who is afraid and deeply uncertain about what she’s been ordered to do. Seeing the newborns being decimated, she starts to run, only to be cornered by Carlisle and Esme (Elizabeth Reaser). The two look at each other, sensing Bree’s terror and uncertainty.

Back at the mountain camp, Edward realizes Victoria is near– he can hear her thoughts. She had noticed Edward was not on the battlefield, and also knew that he wouldn’t leave Bella’s side, meaning once she found him, she’d find Bella. She’s managed to track Edward to the campsite. Edward realizes Victoria is close, and not alone. He urges Seth to hide for ambush.

Riley slowly walks out of the trees to confront Edward. Edward tries to reason with Riley, appealing to his logic, explaining Victoria’s intent on avenging James and caring for nothing else, and she chose Riley to be her second in the newborn army only because Riley is a Forks native and knows the town and area well. Victoria arrives on the scene and pleads gently to Riley about her love for him and her warnings about Edward’s mind tricks.

Riley’s desire for Victoria ultimately wins out over his logic.and he rushes to attack. Seth intercepts him and tears off his hand. Seeing the odds start to turn against her, Victoria begins to flee. Needing to keep her from escaping again, Edward calls out to her and taunts her about his killing James. She turns and glares as Edward goads her about her need to hurt him because of how he killed her lover and mate. Victoria is quickly goaded into a rage and she leaps at Edward in fury. They fight and Edward throws her into a tree, which she begins to climb. Getting Bella to one side, Edward pushes the tree down and leaps at Victoria.

Seth is distracted by the sound, and Riley kicks him viciously in the snout, knocking him unconscious. He joins the battle and turns the tide. Seeing Riley and Victoria working together and poised to kill Edward, Bella scrabbles desperately in the snow. She finds a rock with a sharp edge and, taking a page from Taha Aki’s hird wife, Bella lacerates her arm, letting her blood flow freely. Both vampires quickly smell her blood and are struck with blood frenzy, breaking their concentration and allowing Edward to turn the tide of the battle again. Seth recovers and seizes Riley, dragging him away. He cries desperately to Victoria, but she finally reveals her true nature and abandons him to try and feed on Bella, who stands before her unflinching. Edward intercepts Victoria and grapples with her. Outmaneuvering her, he rips her head off and kills her.

Seth growls urgently and Edward notes that Alice needs them all on the battlefield. He burns Victoria’s body and they rush to regroup with the Cullens and the Quileutes.

Alice has seen the approach of Jane. As Edward, Bella and Seth arrive, Carlise urges the Quileutes to hurry away, because he knows the Volturi will not honor a truce with them.

One newborn has survived and is lurking in ambush. Leah leaps on him, but this last newborn is tougher than his brethren. He is about to overpower Leah when Jacob joins the battle, but even then the newborn is able to maneuver around and grab Jacob from behind in a crushing bear hug that shatters the right side of his rib cage. The Quileutes finally finish the newborn off, but Jacob is badly injured, Leah cursing him for risking his life. The pack rushes to his side. Carlisle determines the extent of Jacob’s injuries. He tells them that Jacob’s wolf powers will allow his body to heal very rapidly, but because he cannot go with them immediately, this will cause his bones to begin to mend out of proper alignment– this means when he arrives to treat Jacob, he must re-break them in order to set them properly. He promises to meet the pack at Billy’s home as soon as possible. Quickly Jacob’s tribe mates, all in human form now, gently lift him and carry him away.

The Volturi arrive and survey the battlefield. Jane is only mildly impressed that the Cullens survived and that she and her underlings were not needed. She then notices Bree cowering behind the Cullens. Carlisle and Esme say they offered Bree asylum in exchange for her surrender, but Jane coldly states the Cullens had no asylum to offer. She torments Bree with terrible pain, interrogating her to learn about her creation. But Bree doesn’t know who the leader of the newborn army was– Riley trusted none of them with the knowledge. Edward slyly suggests that the Volturi knew about Victoria, but Carlisle insists that if they had known, they would have acted early and stopped her themselves. Carlisle and Esme vow to take responsibility for Bree, but Jane says the Volturi don’t offer second chances– the Cullens will be in enough trouble when Caius learns that Bella is still human. Bella quickly says, “a date has been set.” Jane backs off from Bella but orders Felix to destroy Bree. Knowing that trying to protect Bree will bring the full wrath of the Volturi upon them, they resignedly step out of Felix’s way, leaving the terrified Bree to her fate.

Bella arrives at Billy Black’s home to hear Jacob screaming in pain, which makes Billy shudder. Carlisle emerges from the house and says that Jacob is out of danger and will start to recover, and he’ll return as necessary to help. A grateful Billy shakes Carlisle’s hand as he would a friend’s. Carlisle tells Bella that Jacob was asking for her.

She goes into his room and they talk. Jacob knows that Bella has made her choice and he can no longer fight it. He is still struggling to accept the truth, and desperately wishes he could still change things, but he knows that he has lost the battle for Bella’s heart. She asks if she can return to see him again. He says he will need time, but will wait for her– even after her heart has stopped beating.

Bella and Edward are in a meadow talking about the wedding. Edward is amused that Bella is letting Alice plan the whole affair out. He again questions her about her desire, and she explains that as much hardship as she’s endured in Edward’s world, she’s never felt “normal” as other people define it, and only by making the world of the Cullens into her own world as well, has she felt a true sense of completeness. She jokingly tells Edward there is one more dangerous task ahead of them– they have to tell Charlie about the wedding. Edward puts the engagement ring on her finger and they kiss passionately as the screen fades to black.

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Remember Me

Synopsis and Movies Remember Me : In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn’t think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. Soon, hidden secrets are revealed, tragedy lingers in the air, as the circumstances that brought them together threaten to tear them apart. Set in the summer of 2001, Remember Me is a story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one’s life.

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Friday, June 25, 2010

Crazy Heart

Synopsis and Movies Crazy Heart : Fifty-seven year old Otis Blake – better known by his stage name Bad Blake – is a minor legend as a country & western singer. But that minor legend status only allows him currently to perform in not even B-rate venues such as bowling alleys, although he does have a standing gig to perform at his friend Wayne Kramer’s bar in Houston. Bad is an overweight, chain-smoking alcoholic. He is informed by a doctor that his self-destructive lifestyle will send him to an early grave. This self-destructive behavior has also led to several failed marriages and a grown son who he has not seen since he was aged four and whose current whereabouts Bad does not know. While performing in Santa Fe, Bad meets newspaper journalist Jean Craddock, who wants to do a piece on him for her newspaper. Despite the differences in their ages, Jean and Bad begin a relationship. Jean and her four year old son Buddy are the closest thing Bad has had to a family in quite some time. Bad’s professional career also takes a turn when he reconnects with a more famous former touring partner named Tommy Sweet, who wants Bad to write some songs for him. What looks to be both a promising professional and personal future for Bad may be jeopardized by his long standing self-destructive lifestyle

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From Paris with Love

Synopsis and Movies From Paris with Love : A personal aide to U.S. Ambassador in France, James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has an enviable life in Paris and a beautiful French girlfriend, but his real passion is his side job as a low-level operative for the CIA. All James wants is to become a bona fide agent and see some real action. So when he’s offered his first senior-level assignment, he can’t believe his good luck until he meets his new partner, special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta) – a trigger-happy, wisecracking, loose cannon who’s been sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack. Wax leads James on a white-knuckle shooting spree through the Parisian underworld that has James praying for his desk job. But when James discovers he’s a target of the same crime ring they’re trying to bust, he realizes there’s no turning back…and that Wax himself might be his only hope for making it through the next forty-eight hours alive.

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Dear John

Synopsis and Movies Dear John : Special Forces Army Sergeant John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is home on a two-week leave from Germany. He meets Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) after he dives into the ocean to retrieve Savannah’s purse that had fallen off the pier. John is smitten by Savannah and falls in love at first sight. Savannah is a college student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is on spring break and is helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity. John joins in with Savannah to help build the house. Along the way a budding romance occurs, and Savannah falls deeply in love with John. As she is about to go back to college, she promises to write John overseas during the next 12-months until he returns to her after completing his enlistment. Their love is put to the test when John reenlists after the 9/11 attack. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)

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When in Rome

Synopsis and Movies When in Rome : Beth is a hard working career woman whose last relationship says that she puts her work above him so he left her. When he tells her he found another career woman and is willing to stick it out with her and is engaged to her. Beth feels that there is no one for her. And when she goes to Rome to attend her sister’s impromptu wedding and after meeting the best man, Nick she’s attracted to him but after seeing him with another woman, she gets drunk and goes into the famed Fountain of Love and takes some coins thrown by people looking for love. When she goes back to New York four men start coming onto her. And Nick keeps calling her asking her out. She later learns that what she did–is a no no. It seems legend says that if you take a coins out of the fountain the person who threw it will fall in love with who took the coin. So she has to find a way to break the curse. And she wonders if Nick whom she likes is with her cause he wants to or is he under the spell

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Thursday, June 24, 2010

The Princess and the Frog

Synopsis and Movies The Princess and the Frog : In New Orleans, a young girl named Tiana and her mother are visiting the La Bouff family, where Tiana’s mother is crafting a dress for the family’s daughter named Charlotte. Charlotte is a lover of fairy tales, and Tiana’s mother reads the two the story of “The Frog Prince.” While Charlotte is enamored with kissing a frog that becomes a prince, Tiana finds the thought disgusting.Upon returning home, Tiana helps her Father prepare gumbo. As the meal is finished, her Father tells of his dream to one day open his own restaurant. When Tiana eagerly chimes in that she wants to help, her Father claims they’ll call it Tiana’s Place. Upon seeing the North Star outside her window, Tiana makes a wish, to which her Father explains that wishing can only go so far, and that she has to help that wish along.

As time passes, holds onto the dream, even after her Father has passed away. Working two different jobs, Tiana spends almost all of her time working and saving for a place, with little time for friends or fun. One morning, she runs into Charlotte and her father. Charlotte’s father, ‘Big Daddy’ La Bouff, has been named King of the Mardi Gras (for the 5th year in a row), but Charlotte is tickled pink that a visiting Prince named Naveen is in New Orleans. As Naveen is single, Charlotte hopes to fulfill her wish of marrying a Prince and living Happily Ever After, and has invited him to attend a social function at the family mansion.

Knowing of Tiana’s cooking skills, Charlotte pays her friend a large sum of money to cater the event. Tiana is pleased, as the money is just enough to allow her to purchase the place to start her restaurant. Tiana contacts the building’s owners and shows the place to her Mother. While her Mother is pleased, she is worried that Tiana seems to have no time for herself, with her one-mindedness regarding the restaurant.

At the La Bouff mansion, Tiana shows up to cater the event, and soon, Prince Naveen arrives. Charlotte eagerly goes to him for a dance. However, as Tiana watches her friend, the realtors of the property have also attended the function. Tiana eagerly tells of her wish to sign the papers to the building as soon as possible, but the two men explain that someone else has offered a larger sum, and are planning to deny her the property. Upset and heartbroken, Tiana accidentally makes a mess of her outfit. Charlotte, seeing her friend in need, allows her to change out of the outfit, into a blue gown with tiara. While in Charlotte’s room, she sees the star shining in the sky, and wishes for help regarding her restaurant. As she looks down, she finds a frog sitting near her, that suddenly starts to talk!



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Youth in Revolt

Synopsis and Movies Youth in Revolt : Nick Twisp, a 16-year-old teen, who is forced to spend a week in “cabin” in a trailer park which isn’t a cabin, it’s a trailer. While staying the week there, Nick meets the girl of his (wet) dreams, Sheeni. Nick, a lonely virgin, who hasn’t kissed, held hands, or had sex with a girl. Sheeni and Nick suddenly become intimate and Sheeni admits her really tall, sexy, French, poet, and extremely smart boyfriend. While his mother and step-father where looking for a new trailer, Sheeni and Nick purchase a dog using a Subway coupon. The dog, Albert (pronounced Al-beare), is suddenly know as their love child. Sheeni is forced to get rid of Albert because of sins (of ripping up a bible), Nick takes Albert to live with him. Nick and Sheeni make a plan to stay together. Nick must be bad, SuperBad, to be able to live by Sheeni. When they arrive home, Jerry, Nick’s Step-Father, dies of a heart attack. His mother begins to date a cop. Nick decides that he must get to Sheeni as possible. Nick causes a city-disaster by setting his mother car on fire, so that he can live with his divorced father (who happens to live by Sheeni). While talking to Sheeni on the phone, Nick tells her all the bad things he did, but while admitting all the crimes; Sheeni’s mom was listening to it on the phone. When Nick arrives to Sheeni’s trailer, her mother tells him that he’s the devil and is going to hell and that Sheeni is getting sent to boarding school. Sheeni tells him that it is not punishment, it is helping her with her dream. Nick and his (newly) friend go on the road to get to Sheeni. When he arrives, he is invited to spend the night. Nick’s bad side is convincing him to have sex. The bad side took over his good side and they begin to have intercourse, but are caught and forced to leave. Nick sends a letter to a roommate/friend of Sheeni, that tells her to drug Sheeni with a sleeping pill so that kicked out of boarding school. When Sheeni finds out that Nick got her kicked out, she gets angry and hates him for it. Sheeni’s brother invites Nick over and Sheeni isn’t too happy. In the end, Nick comes over dressed a woman and Sheeni forgives him and they have make-up sex. Nick is caught by an boy who also loves Sheeni, and he calls the cops on Nick. Nick is arrested for 3-months (since he is a minor) and he knows Sheeni is the right girl for him.

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Leap Year

Synopsis and Movies Leap Year : A woman who has an elaborate scheme to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day, an Irish tradition which occurs every time the date February 29 rolls around, faces a major setback when bad weather threatens to derail her planned trip to Dublin. With the help of an innkeeper, however, her cross-country odyssey just might result in her getting engaged.

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Its Complicated

Synopsis and Movies Its Complicated : The films starts off with a nice view of a neighborhood and the view of the ocean. We are then bought to a house party. Jake (Alec) proposes a toast to his friend’s anniversary (Ted & Ally). The four talk momentarily about their son’s graduation, and then Alec’s young wife (he divorced with Jane; played by Meryl Streep, 10 years ago) walks towards them. Jane seemed shock the way Agness approaches the group and the lack of clothing she had on. Jane leaves as Agness walk towards Jake, they exchange a few words of meeting up in New York at a hotel. Jane and Ally, to much dismay talked about Jane’s divorcement as they walk towards the door and how Ally didn’t seem to feel comfortable around the sight of Agness. As Jane closes the gate, Jake turns around just in time to take a glimpse of Jane, letting us know that he still has feelings for her, although they’re divorced for 10 years now.We then follow up to Jane’s middle child, Gabby (Zoe Kazan) who is moving out of the house. The oldest daughter, Lauren (Caitlin Fitzgerald) and her fiancee, Harley (John Krasinski) assists Gabby as Jane arrives home. Although reluctant to let Gabby move out of the house, she agrees. Lauren teases her mother, saying she must be lonely and afraid to sleep alone. Jane denies that and says, “One of you is always moving out”. Harley, “They just grow up so freaking fast”. Lauren, “Mom, you should get a dog”. The couple leaves and Jane walks into her kitchen, and reminiscences of the many memories with all her children at home with her, now all grown up.

The following day, at her bakery, Jane’s friend Peter brings along another architect (Steve Martin) to show blueprints to remodel parts of her house. They talk briefly before she remembers she has an appointment with a doctor. As she leaves the office, the elevator stops on the Fertility Center floor and Jake walks in.

That night, Jane and her friends enjoy laughs over dinner. They recommend Jane should find a date, rather be semi-miserable at home. The next day, at New York, Jane’s family all meet up with Luke, the youngest son, one last night before graduation. They book a hotel (mention earlier at the house party). The kids leave to a party, leaving Jane in the hotel. Again, Jane gets in an elevator, this time with a random couple hugging and kissing. She decides to go to the bar and grab a drink. Coincidentally, Jake is there and they talk. He tells her that he is “flying it low” because Pedro has a stomach flu, so he is free for the night. Jane asks when was the last time they were together, he says 1999. Next thing they’re having a good time on the dance floor and they go back to the hotel room. They do their thing and Jane felt horrible; drunk and half realizing she had just slept with her ex-husband. Jake said, “This is amazing, we just had a great time” as Jane is leaning on the toilet, throwing up and regretting it. During the graduation, the whole family is together and the kids were excited to see their father Jake, despite the divorce. At lunch, the family is having dinner and Jake flirts with Jane, and proposes a toast to Jane, however the family thought it was suppose to be to Luke’s academic success. They take it and drink. Gabby properly finishes the toast to Luke.

Adam (Steve Martin) drives his Audi to Jane’s house to talk about the project of modeling her home. In his car, he is listening to a CD, lecturing on divorcements. He sees Jane jogging, calls her and she apologizes for almost forgetting the appointment. She gets in the car and hears the audio and Adam, embarrassingly tries to turn it off. As he finishes talking about the blueprint, Jake arrives in his Porsche. They introduce each other and Adam leaves. Jake goes inside for “coffee”, which actually turns out to be more flirting and another sex affair. Once again, Jake is happy and Jane is dismayed for being a “mistress”(all in a fun, comedic way, of course.) He claims fate brought them together again and that he is a walking cliche, father to a kid in kindergarten, but they’re all grown up. That night, Jane’s three closest friends talk over wine. They all notice Jane is acting differently, more energetic. She tells them she’s been having sex and having an affair with Agness’s husband, Jake. The four ladies all get excited and accepted the fact that Jane is having an affair with Jake. They all hate Agness and one says, “Karma is a b-tch).

Her energetic passion moves along to the bakery. She tells her bakers to make the breakfast menu more lively. SHe then receives a phone call from Adam, whose waiting at her house for another appointment. He set up a chunk of land with different color tapes and a ladder acting as stairs to the second floor. All this is just a preview of how Adam is going to fix the house. She receives a call from Jake, but doesn’t answer it. That night at Jake’s house, we see him leaving a message for Jane to pick up her phone. He is in the bathroom with the water running, to prevent Agness from hearing. Pedro, being a nosy brat, asks Jake why he was “showering” with his clothes on. Agness comes in and Pedro snitches, but Jake leaves without getting caught. He drives over to Jane’s house. Meanwhile, Adam is having dinner at her house. They talk and Jake spies on them through the kitchen window, then accidentally falls. As Adam leaves, Jake knocks on the door and says, “Oh Em Gee , I thought he’d never leave.” He grabs her and flirts. Jane says “it’s Nine o’clock, shouldn’t your wife be concern?” He reaches for her delicious dish and goes to the bathroom. He is sitting next to the bathtub eating her lavender ice cream, while she baths. He takes out marijuana and asks if she remembers the old days, when they would smoke and get high. But that night, Jane tells Jake she has changed, but he insists and puts the marijuana in the sink’s cabinet, saying one day they will smoke it together for old times sake.

The next morning, Jane meets her psychiatrist, Dr. Alan. She asks if an affair is okay. He sees her condition of affair as a good way to reconnecting with Jake, so suggests she continues. That night she arranges a candle-lit dinner in hopes of being back with Jake as a family, which Jake agrees happily over the phone. He was at the fertility center when she called. They meet up in the same hotel the same afternoon, to Harley’s surprise while having lunch with Lauren. He kisses her, trying to distract her from noticing Jane and Jake getting into the elevator and kissing as the doors close. In the room, Jake faints and a doctor goes up as Harley sees this as well. Jake tells the doctor he is taking “Flomax” to reduce constant urination. In return, it decreases his semen. (He tells the doctor due to to his decrease in semen, it isnt good for his wife, which Jane thinks is the reason for the fertility center, but actually Jake was saying it to her. Both the doctor and Jane were surprised, but Jane agrees to follow the story and says she prefers lots of semen, all in which the doctor said “wow” as if it was a competitive matter to please a women, LOL!)

That night, Jane prepares the special dinner for Jake, making his favorite dishes and picking a nice dress. Jake at home, anxious to leave the house, grabs his phone and walks to the bathroom. Agness notices the phone and grows suspicious, preventing him from calling Jane. She tells him to put Pedro back in his bed, and takes off her shirt, saying she is ovulating, compensating the dinner arrangement which Jake had thought was able to attend, since Agness was going to a party, but canceled due to ovulation. Jane drinks a glass wine walking around with the food getting cold and she waits for Jake, unknowingly of the situation. Jake seemed distressed as he sets Pedro in his bed and puts his hand on the boy’s chest. At this moment, Jake feels torn apart from two different families. He goes over to Jane’s house the next morning, hoping for forgiveness, but Jane ignores him as if he wasn’t there. The kids are happy to see him and ask if Jane will be coming to the party with dad. She says “No, I have another date with Adam.” to much of Jake’s surprise, so he leaves the house since he couldnt stay over because of Agness.

Adam and Jane’s relationship grows stronger. They have dinner together and one night, she takes him to her bakery to make croissants. They flirt and eventually Adam was going to ask if he could kiss her, but she already kissed him. Afterwards, Adam drives her to Luke’s party and before they arrive, Jane takes the marijuana that was supposedly meant for Jake and her to smoke, decided to smoke it with Adam. He was hesitant at first, but let in. Luke’s friend walks by and asks, “Who brought the reefer?”, unknowingly Jane and Adam were smoking behind the shrubs. They go inside and dance/laugh. Adam sees Jake at a table, glaring at him with Jane, enviously. He walks over and asks if he can talk with Jane for a second. Jake takes her to the bathroom and confess his love for her. He realizes she was high and she admittedly said she smoked the reefer with Adam instead. Jake gets annoyed because it was meant for him and Jane, but he takes it from her just as Harley opens the door and sees them together, again this time, but smoking the reefer. Harley was going to leave them two alone, but Jane intervened and asks him to take a pull, which at first he didn’t want to, but took a big pull. The three walk out and Adam is dancing with Agness, and Jake dances with Jane, which Agness sees and gets emotional and a bit upset, now that the secrets revealed. She sees Jake happily dance and smile affectionately at Jane. Jake was just about to kiss Jane, but she turns away and tells him that it’s over and stop this affair immediately. She walks towards Adam. Jake sees Jane smile happily as she approaches Steve and feels sad, as Agness is across the room staring at him, which he doesn’t notice.

The following morning, everybody is drunk. Harley is wearing female pajamas, Luke forgot what happened last night. Gabby yawns, just as she asks, “What is dad doing outside?” Jane walks out and Jake approaches her. He told her that he left Agness that night, for good. He really loves Jane and wants to live here again, since he has no where to go. The kids come out to see whats going on and sees the truth that although the parents are divorced, Jake wants to be back again. Luke wants Dad to stay for the night, which Jane didnt allow but the kids really want dad back home so she allows him to stay. That night, Jake is at the dinner table devouring the delicious food Jane made. The kids stare at him with smiles. Jane however, isnt at the dinner table, but upstairs video-chatting with Adam over the computer. Jake decides to run upstairs, as she’s in the bathroom. He takes his clothes off and lays on the bed. The computer is on the bed, which Jake doesnt realize Adam is watching. But both Adam and Jane went to the bathroom, so Jake adjusts the computer as Jane walks out and screams, Adam comes back and sees Jake’s private area and yells all different kinds of things. Jake surprised gets off the bed and turns around to pick up his clothes, only to moon at the computer (Adam). The kids run to the room and asks whats going on. Jake confesses that he left Agness for their mother. They have been meeting secretly since New York, and having an affair. The kids, shocked asks Jane if this is correct, which she agrees to. Gabby asks if they’re going to be back together, which Jake says yes they will, but Jane strictly says, “No, we’re not going to be together again.” Adam hears this and immediately turns off this computer, which Jane sees. The kids, all upset and emotional deprived, leaves the house. Jake, astonished and rejected packs his bags and drives off. That night Jane sleeps outside the pool area, staring at the full moon, realizing the mess she has gotten into- an affair with Jake and a growing relationship with Adam, it’s complicated.

The following morning, Jane arrives at Adam’s office and apologizes. Adam tells her that her divorcement isn’t officially over. He sees the love that Jake is expressing towards her is real. He continues to say that, it’s best if he discontinues to meet with Jane, incase of getting into a serious relationship. He wants to resolve this situation simply by leaving her and allowing her divorcement with Jake heal. Jane asks if he will continue with remodeling her kitchen, but he says he might let Peter fill in the job instead. She becomes speechless and walks out. She drives home and sees Jake sitting on a swing outside her house. She sits down with him and they talk. Jake says he loves her and doesn’t regret a second chance. Jane smiles and says the same. It starts to rain, but we just see the rain hitting the swing they were sitting on. The camera then focuses on a group of men outside, huddle under a tent discussing the project. Jane walks outside in hopes of seeing Adam, but doesn’t. However, he pops out from the crowd and tells her, “Its a lucky day to construct in the rain.” She smiles and asks the group if they want coffee. They all walk inside the house as Adam walks with her and asks if she has any of those double fudge chocolate cakes in her house. She laughs and says “you love that stuff, dont you?” The credits roll.



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Killers


Synopsis and Movie Killers : Spencer Aimes is just your average, undercover, government-hired super-assassin accustomed to a life of exotic European locales, flashy sports cars and even flashier women. But when he meets Jen Kornfeldt, a beautiful, fun-loving computer tech recovering from a bad break-up, he finds true love…and happily trades international intrigue for domestic bliss. Three years later, Spencer and Jen are still enjoying a picture-perfect marriage – that is, until the morning after Spencer’s 30th birthday. That’s when Spencer and Jen learn he’s the target of a multi-million dollar hit. Even worse, the hired killers have been stalking the happy couple for years, and could be anyone: friends, neighbors, the grocery store clerk, even that crabby old guy shuffling across the street. Now Spencer and Jen are on the run for their lives. As their suburban paradise turns into a paranoid game of dodge-the-bullet, they must find out who wants Spencer dead and why, all the while trying to save their marriage, manage his in-laws, keep up neighborly appearances … and just plain survive

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Wonderful World

Synopsis and Movies Wonderful World : Ben Singer (Matthew Broderick) is a failed children’s folk singer, a career proofreader, a compulsive marijuana smoker, and a less-than-extraordinary weekend dad. He’s also the most negative man alive. Floundering in all aspects of his life, Ben’s only comfort comes from regular chess games and friendly debates on game theory with his Senegalese roommate Ibou. When Ibou is suddenly struck ill, and an insensitive municipal employee exacerbates the emergency situation, Ben’s pessimistic worldview seems unequivocally confirmed. His only recourse is to pour his energies into a frivolous lawsuit against the city for depraved indifference. But Ben soon finds that cynicism may be all a matter of perspective.Writer/director Josh Goldin increasingly calls into question Ben’s misanthropy and carefully navigates the character’s midlife melancholy as a possible product of his own mind. Goldin delicately balances both seriousness and levity, giving texture and depth to this offbeat and entertaining character study. Broderick brings the unlikable but undeniably savable Ben to life with the wry antics of his performance

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Up in the Air

Synopsis and Movies Up in the Air : The opening credits have a montage of aerial shots of the ground as seen from an airplane in flight, as “This Land Is Your Land” is being sung. The plane lands and we then see a series of head shots of people who have just received the news they have been fired. The reactions run the gamut between incredulousness, sadness to anger, and are directed at Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), who is sitting calmly behind a desk. He works for CTC, Career Transition Counseling. In a voice-over, Ryan introduces himself:”I work for another company that lends me out to pussies like Steve’s boss, who don’t have the balls to sack their own employees.” A quick montage of possible retaliatory actions a disgruntled fired employee might engage in is shown (pouring bleach in the coffee, sniper shooting), and we see Ryan offer a pat, sincere consolation to Steve, a fired employee.In a hotel room, experienced traveler Ryan expertly packs his suitcase. We see him drop off his rental car at an airport, bypassing the vacationers in the airport to check in at the frequent flyer desk, and powering through security with practiced moves as his voice over lyrically describes the airport as his home. In first class, the stewardess asks him, “Cancer?” He looks at her quizzically. “Cancer?” He is confused, and she holds up a soft drink can, repeating, patiently: “Can, sir?” He shakes his head quickly and politely declines.

Next, Ryan is seen giving a motivational speech, Unpacking Your Backpack, where he admonishes a thin crowd in a non-descript hotel meeting room to consider how uncomplicated their lives would be if they didnt have responsibility for so many things knick-knacks, photos, furniture, homes and relationships. “Imagine waking up tomorrow with nothing. Its kinda exhilarating, isnt it?” The crowd is underwhelmed. Back at the airport, Ryan strides into a frequent flyer lounge flashing his membership card, where he is cheerfully greeted. He calls his office and talks to Ned, an assistant, who tells him that he has been invited to speak at GoalQuest XX in Las Vegas as a motivational speaker. Ryan is excited GoalQuest is a very high-profile conference. He is transferred to his boss, Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman), who asks him to come back to Omaha by the end of the week for big news. In a Dallas Hilton bar, Ryan begins trading frequent traveler observations with an attractive blonde business woman, Alex Gordon (Vera Farmiga). They begin to compare perks cards, and she sees his American Airline Concierge Key and is impressed. (“Carbon fiber?” she inquires. “Graphite,” he responds modestly.) She mentions that she flies about 60,000 miles a year, and Ryan politely says, “Not bad,” and she challenges him to disclose his the challenge turns into verbal foreplay as she teases him on the size of his miles. Later, they are swapping stories about the most outré places they have had sex she declares that she has done it in an airline lavatory on a regional flight. They end up in bed together, and later compare calendars to see if they will be in the same town sometime soon. She decides to return to her room, and he agrees that that would be the ladylike thing to do.

The next morning, he goes through what is obviously a routine: his workout in the hotel pool, a shoe shine, and the airport. While waiting for his plane, he receives a call from his sister Kara, who is discussing their sister Julies wedding in three weeks. She tells him that she is sending him a cardboard cutout of Julie and her fiancé, because Julie wants him to take a photo of the cutout in Las Vegas at the Luxor pyramid. He reluctantly agrees.

Omaha: Voice over: “Last year I spent 322 days on the road, which meant I spent 43 miserable days at home.” He enters his small studio apartment which has less personality than a hotel room: minimal utilitarian furniture, no decorations. His neighbor, a diffident young woman, brings over a package that she has signed for the cutout that his sister wants him to photograph. He invites his neighbor over, and she awkwardly declines, telling him that she is now seeing someone. Ryan is unconcerned.

At a staff meeting, Craig is chortling that the economic downturn has created a wonderful opportunity for their firm, and introduces Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a fresh young Cornell graduate who has recently graduated at the top of her class. Natalie introduces an on-line monitor that will be used to fire people from a remote location over the internet, eliminating the need for human resource specialists such as Ryan to travel. Ryan is appalled at the impersonality of the process, and after the meeting, he goes to Craig’s office to protest. Natalie joins them, and Ryan tells her that she knows nothing of the realities of firing a person. She brightly tells him that she majored in psychology, and Ryan challenges her to fire him. She takes on the challenge, and tries to fire him, failing miserably. Later, Craig accuses him of not being a team player and becoming a dinosaur. Craig tells Ryan that Natalie will be accompanying him on the road for the next few days to learn the ropes, much to Ryan’s chagrin.

At home, Ryan packs for another road trip — his shelves are as sparse as his apartment, utilitarian, containing nothing that is not traveling business attire. He is chagrined when he realizes that he has to carry the cut-out, which does not quite fit into his luggage. At the airport, he checks in with his usual efficiency, and then sighs when he sees Natalie arriving with a large, impractical suitcase. He forces her to buy a suitcase that will fit in the overhead compartment, telling her that he flies over 370 days a year, and that not checking luggage saves him the equivalent of a week a year. He ruthlessly pares her packing, tossing things he deems unnecessary into the trash. In the security line, he gives her the benefit of his traveling experience: Never get behind families or old people and try to find an Asian, who are neat and move through security faster. Natalie declares that “Thats racist!” Ryan disagrees: “I sterotype–its faster.”

St. Louis: Alex calls Ryan as Ryan and Natalie are heading for the car rental. She’s in Atlanta, and they try to match up overlapping time somewhere. They agree to meet at SDF (Louisville). Ryan and Natalie enter another office and begin their job of firing people. Natalie is instructed to stay quiet and simply hand them their benefits package, but she can’t resist piping up with an inanity when a man (J. K. Simmons) asks what his family is supposed to do when he is on unemployment. Ryan, who has taken the time to read the man’s resume, rescues the interview by helping him realize that this is an opportunity for him to follow his dream of being a chef. The man leaves, resigned but less angry.

At the Hilton, Ryan is checking in at the Hilton Honors desk, bypassing a long line of people waiting at the check-in desk. An irate customer protests that Ryan just waltzed to the front of the line, but a smiling desk clerk tells her that “We reserve priority assistance for our Hilton Honors members!” Ryan helpfully hands the customer a brochure, and, still irate, she snatches it from him. At dinner with Natalie, Ryan orders several dinners to use up his $40 per diem. Natalie is surprised, and he tells her that he tries not to spend a nickle that doesnt go towards his frequent flyer miles. She asks why, and he tells her that he is aiming for ten million miles. She scoffs at what she deems to be a meaningless hobby, but he points that that he would be only the seventh person to attain that level, and goes on to describe the award: Lifetime executive status, meeting the chief pilot Maynard Finch, and getting his name painted on the side of a plane. Natalie is unimpressed, and declares that if she had those miles, shed show up at the airport, pick a place, and go.

That evening, in bed, Ryan is looking at his sister’s wedding invitation. He receives text messages from Alex that quickly becomes sexually suggestive. He smiles and turns out the light.

The next morning, Natalie is helping Ryan by taking a photo of the cutout in front of the St. Louis airport. She doesn’t understand the significance of the airport, and Ryan explains that “The Wright Brothers flew here!” and goes on to ask Natalie if she never wondered why Charles Lindbergh’s plane was called Spirit of St. Louis. Dismissively, she tells him no, she never wondered.

Wichita. Another office. Another firing, but the employee is angry. Afterwards, Ryan tells Natalie that sometimes, they just need to vent. Natalie is taken aback, but wants to try firing the next person, who at first appears to take the news calmly, but then announces in the same calm fashion that “There’s this beautiful bridge by my house. I’m going to go jump off it.” Natalie is distraught, and races from the building. Ryan reassures her that people say all sorts of things while they are being fired, and never mean them.

Kansas City. They enter an office that has been decimated only a few employees remain, and the receptionist is resigned when she sees them. In the hotel, Ryan overhears Natalie talking to her boyfriend as she declares, “I dont even think of him that that way–he’s OLD.” Ryan is taken aback. Alex joins him, and they enter a hotel room.

Des Moines. Another office, another firing. Natalie is starting to feel the emotional strain.

Miami. Ryan is giving another motivation talk, which he continues with the same allusion getting rid of people, because relationships are the heaviest components of their lives. He declares, “The slower we move, the faster we die . . . we’re sharks, we have to keep moving.” Returning to the hotel, Natalie challenges Ryan about never getting married. He declares he is never getting married, and invites her to try to sell him on the idea of marriage. Hes not buying. As they continue the discussion in the hotel lobby, Ryan wraps up the argument by declaring “Make no mistake, we all die alone.” Natalie suddenly dissolves in great sobbing tears and announces that her boyfriend, Bryan, has left her. As she falls sobbing into Ryans arms, he sees Alex descending the stairs. Ryan introduces Alex to Natalie, and over drinks, Alex commiserates with Natalie: “He broke up with you by text? What a prick!” Ryan slyly agrees: “Almost as bad as being fired by internet.” Natalie glares at him. Natalie goes on to tell them that she moved to Omaha to follow Bryan, giving up a chance to move to San Francisco, and goes on to lament that no matter how much success she might have professionally, it wont seem to matter unless she finds the right guy. She has a mental schedule of deadlines that she had hoped to accomplish, and earnestly declares that she could have made her relationship with Bryan work he fit the bill Alex and Ryan smile and tell her that deadlines pretty much go out the window after a certain age. Alex goes on to describe that at 34, her expectations for a man have radically changed and describes the kind of man she;d like. Ryan listens with interest. Natalie observes that “thats depressing. We should just date women.” Alex says, matter-of-factly, “Tried that. Were no picnic ourselves,” she observes, to Ryans surprise. Natalie says that she doesnt want to settle, and Alex tells her thats she’s young, so settling seems like failure. Natalie declares, earnestly, that is IS failure, by definition.

As they are returning to their rooms, Natalie asks what the plans for the evening are. Alex and Ryan are taken aback and obviously not willing to tell her what their plans were. Ryan then announces that they are going to hit the party for the tech conference that is being held in the hotel. Natalie says that she didnt know they were registered, and Alex and Ryan hem and haw until Natalie realizes that they are planning to crash the party, at which point she enthusiastically declares, “I’m in!” They casually walk up to the registration desk, grab some unclaimed badges and enter the party. Natalie has inadvertently picked up a nametag for Jennifer Chu, but Ryan assures her that no one will notice. Natalie proceeds to quickly down a few drinks and begins to mingle, meeting a man. Ryan and Alex dance. MC comes on stage to sing and gets the crowd amped up. Later, Ryan offers Alex his hotel room key, “the key to my place,” and Alex takes it, commenting lightly that she didn’t realize they were at that point in their relationship. On an evening boat ride with other members of the conference, Natalie is enjoying the karaoke and Ryan and Alex are sitting on the back of the boat talking. Alex tells Ryan that she never has a chance to act this way at home, and asks him about his motivational philosophy: “Is the bag empty because you hate people or you hate the baggage that they come with?” He comments that recently, he’s been thinking about emptying the backpack, and what he’d put back in it. He smiles, they kiss and at that moment, the boat loses power. A speedboat rescues them and ferries them to shore, where they have to splash through the surf to the beach. Laughing and drenched, the crowd scurries into the hotel. The next morning, Ryan wakes to see Alex finishing getting dressed – she has stayed the night. She declares that if she catches a standby, she can make a meeting in Cincinnati. Ryan looks momentarily disappointed, and she chides him playfully, “Oh, I made you feel cheap!” They laugh, and as she leaves, Ryan tells her, “Hey–I really like you.”

At breakfast at a poolside table, Natalie tries to apologize for what she might have said or done the night before, and Ryan tells her that it was good to see her cut loose. He then asks her if she woke him up or slipped out (referring to a man she picked up at the party). Natalie admits that she just slipped out, and Ryan observes that “The protocol’s always tricky.”

As they are taking another picture of the cutout against the Miami skyline, Natalie asks Ryan questions about Alex, finally asking, “So, what kind of relationship do you have?” He tells her that its casual, and Natalie asks if theres a future. Ryan tells that he hadnt thought about it, but Natalie becomes annoyed. Ryan tries to explain: “You know that moment when you look into someone’s eyes and you can feel them staring into your soul and the whole world goes quiet just for a second?” Natalie nods, “Yes!” Ryan declares, “Yeah, well, I dont.” Angrily, Natalie throws down the cutout on the dock and declares that hes an asshole, Alex might be a chance at a real relationship, and then goes on to tell him that his philosophy is bullshit, he has a “cocoon of self-banishment” and that he has set up a way of life that makes it impossible for him to have any kind of human connection. She storms off, and the cutoff blows into the water. Ryan tries to reach it, but falls into the water, too. Back in his room, he carefully blow dries the picture, but safely tucked in the suitcase on the way to Detroit, it is a bit worse for wear.

In Detroit, Ryan warns Natalie that Detroit is a rough town and that the employees are touch and will be difficult. When they enter the office, Ryan is surprised to see a computer screen sitting on the table. Craig greets them from the screen–he has arranged for a trial run of the internet-based firing procedure. They will be at a desk in the next room, but will only talk to the employees via computer screen. Natalie takes the first employee. At first, he is belligerent — they can hear him bellowing in the next room through the thin walls — but he later starts to sob disconsolately. Natalie is distressed, but hides it behind some stock encouraging phrases. She sends the employee away, and takes a deep breath. Craig has been monitoring the exchange, and is thoughtful. Ryan tells her, unconvincingly that she did good as she looks forlornly at the list of employees — this was the first of over fifty employees that will be released.

In the parking lot, Natalie leans against the car as Ryan is talking to Craig as, trying to convince him that they are still needed on the road. After the conversation, he resignedly tells Natalie that Craig has called them off the road. Were going home. At the airport, Ryan stares out the large plate glass window, gazing at an airplane that has a large white area, just waiting for a name to be painted on it. He looks at his sisters wedding invitation, and realizes that the date is this weekend and he has never returned the RSVP card. As they walk through the airport, Natalie tries to apologize for what she said about Alex, and Ryan ungraciously accepts her apology. Suddenly, he turns and tells Natalie that he will meet her in Omaha, but that hes got to catch another flight.

In Las Vegas, Ryan meets Alex and gets the requested photo of the cutout in front of the Luxor pyramid. Ryan invites Alex to his sisters wedding in northern Wisconsin. Surprised, Alex demurs, but finally agrees, and they fly into Milwaukee. They check in at the local hotel, the Chalet, a pseudo-Tyrolean motel, and stand in line. Seeing a clerk behind the desk, Ryan asks her if she is free, but she condescendingly tells him that “This line is only for members of our Matterhorn program!” As he is entering his room with Alex, his sister Kara comes out of her room, and he introduces Alex to Kara. Kara is surprised: “Ryan has told me . . . nothing about you.” She tells him that she is staying at the hotel because she and her husband are having a trial separation, and reminds him of the rehearsal dinner that evening. At dinner, Julie is pleased to see Ryan and meet Alex, proudly showing off a small, diamond chip ring that Jim designed, and introduces her fiancé Jim, who is friendly in an awkward sort of way. Ryan offers her the photos that he has taken, and she asks him to pin them to a map that contains dozens and dozens of photos. Ryan has a hard time fitting his in. They explain that all of Jim’s money is tied up in a real estate investment and made a honeymoon unfeasible financially, so the photos would be the next best thing.

After the dinner, Ryan offers to walk Julie down the aisle the next day since their dad isn’t around, but embarrassed, she gently refuses, telling him that Jim’s uncle will be escorting her. Ryan is somewhat hurt, but puts a good face on it and tells her that he just wanted to make sure she was covered. Julie is distressed that she might have hurt his feelings but when he asks when he should be at the church, she tells him, “Well, guests are supposed to be there at 5:00 so, 5:00 would be good,” again relegating him to the status of a mere guest.

The next day, Alex and Ryan break into the local school so that Ryan can show her around. He points out his state basketball championship photo in the trophy case Alex is surprised, and they end up kissing in the make out stairs behind the gym. They sit down to watch a practice, but his cell phone rings: Its Kara, who tells him that hes needed at the church.

Alex drops him off at the church and returns to the hotel to grab his suit. Julie is distraught Jim has gotten cold feet. Kara wants him to talk to Jim, but Ryan points out that he might not be the best one, because his job is to tell people how to avoid commitment. “What kind of fucked up message is that?” exclaims Kara. “It could have helped you,” he retorts, referring to her separation, but reluctantly agrees to talk to Jim. He finds him in a Sunday school classroom reading The Velveteen Rabbit. Jim tells him that he began to think about what his life was going to be like house, children, jobs, losing his hair, and then dying, and wonders what the point is. Ryan observes that a good marriage is something that people aspire to, but Jim points out that Ryan was never married, and that he seems happier than anyone else he knows. Ryan agrees that theres no point, but points out that the most important moments of his life had other people involved, and observes that life is better with company, with a co-pilot. Jim accepts this, and then asks “Whats it like out there?” Ryan admits that Julie is upset. Jim comes out and apologizes to Julie, asking her “Will you be my co-pilot?” Julie tearfully agrees, and the wedding proceeds. Alex and Ryan hold hands during the vows, and dance intimately at the reception.

At the airport, Alex asks when she will see Ryan again and Ryan tells her that shes going to have to come visit him, since hes been essentially grounded. She moves to her gate and tells him to “call me when you get lonely.” As she walks away, he calls out,”I’m lonely.” She laughs, and keeps walking. In Omaha, back at his apartment, he puts his things away, and looks around, dissatisfied. He opens the refrigerator to reveal an impressive collection of airline miniature bottles in the refrigerator door.

At the office the next morning, Natalie is proudly showing him around the call center that is being beta tested, and comments that the people are called “termination engineers. I wanted to call them Terminators, but was bumped by Legal.” “I cant imagine why,” Ryan responds drily. Ryan sits at a desk and distastefully tries on a headset. He checks the internet for the schedule for GoalQuest XX, and sees when he is scheduled.

In Las Vegas, he is mentally preparing for his speech, and as he is introduced to a crowd of several hundred, he takes the podium with his backpack. He begins to start in on his spiel that we have heard before but then stops and gazes out over the audience. He looks down at the podium, shakes his head ruefully and turns around and walks out, to the consternation of the event organizers. He dashes through the airport and catches a flight to Chicago, where he arrives in the evening. In a hurry, he steps out of his routine and drives away without giving the car clerk his rewards card. He pulls up in front of Alexs townhouse and rings the doorbell. Alex comes to the door. She is shocked as he says, smiling, “So, I was in the neighborhood . . .” Suddenly, he hears children arguing and we see them running in the hall behind Alex. Ryan begins to back away, and with a stricken look on Alexs face, we hear a male voice ask, “Who’s at the door, honey?” She closes the door gently as she responds, “Just someone asking directions.”

At the hotel, Ryan sits on a bed in a darkened room with a drink, staring out into the evening. On the train to the airport the next morning, he receives a call from Alex, who unrepentantly demands, “What were you thinking, showing up at my door like that?” He protests that he didn’t know she was married, and she declares that he could have seriously messed up her “real life,” and that she thought he understood. He said that he thought he was part of her real life, and asks her to help him understand. She tells him that he is an escape, an escape from their normal lives, a “parenthesis.” “A parenthesis?” he repeats, dully. Alex is unapologetic. “Well, what did you want? If you want to see me again, give me a call.” He hangs up on her gently.

Returning to Omaha, Ryan is gazing out the window when the flight attendant comes on the intercom to excitedly announce that they are flying over Dubuque, which means that a startled Ryan has hit the 10 million miles mark. Champagne is brought for all the first class passengers, and Chief Pilot Maynard Finch (Sam Elliott) greets Ryan. He sits in the seat next to Ryan and congratulates him, telling him that hes the youngest yet to get to 10 million. He pulls out the special silver card, engraved Ryan Bingham, #7 and presents it to Ryan, telling him that they really appreciate Ryans loyalty. Ryan is speechless, and tells the Captain that he forgot what he always wanted to say at that movement. The Captain asks him where hes from, and Ryan, looking down, says softly, “I’m from here.”

In his office, Ryan looks at his card, and, making a decision, dials the number on the card. He is greeted with a cheery “Good morning, Mr. Bingham!” Surprised, he asks how they knew it was him, and is told that it’s his dedicated line. He then begins to make arrangements to transfer miles to Julie and Jim for an around the world trip, which costs half-a-million miles each.

Craig comes into his office and asks him if he remembers a Karen Barnes that Natalie fired. Ryan says that they have fired dozens of people, and doesnt remember, and Craig tells him that Karen jumped off a bridge and killed herself, and he needs to know if anything was said that could get them into trouble legally. Ryan says he doesn’t remember anything, and asks if Natalie is alright. Craig tells him that Natalie quit by sending him a text message. “Fucking nice, right? Nobody has any manners anymore,” he grouses, and then goes on to tell Ryan that he is returning the workforce back to the field.

San Francisco. Natalie is interviewing for the job she had been offered when she first graduated from Cornell. The interviewer asks her why she went to Omaha, and she reluctantly admits that “I followed a boy.” After a few searching questions, the interviewer shows Natalie a letter of recommendation that he has received from Ryan. The letter is glowing, and the interviewer offers her the job.

A montage of interview clips follows. Employees that we have seen being fired throughout the movie are in some sort of interview/counseling session. Each in their own way, they are declaring that while losing their job was difficult, it was made easier by the support of their friends and families.

Ryan enters an airport, suitcase in tow, and comes to stand in front of a large Departures and Arrivals board, gazing at the number of flights. He releases the suitcase, and he stands alone, in front of the board with no baggage. We hear a voice over: “Tonight, most people will be welcomed home by jumping dogs and squealing kids. Their spouses will ask about their day, and tonight theyll sleep. The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places and one of those lights, slightly brighter than rest, will by my wingtip passing over.” The credits roll over a view of early evening blue clouds as seen below from an airplane, with a faint sunset in the far distance.



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