When you dawdle through life, holding on to it like a glass of water that you’re afraid will spill, it only takes a random bar encounter like his moment with Trudy (Flora Montgomery) to make a fellow like Brendan (Peter McDonald) realize that he is missing something. She brings pizazz into his life that only a burglar can provide. She is willing to take a chance on him too. He is in for the ride of his life.

Director:  Kieron J. Walsh Writer:  Roddy Doyle Cast:
Peter McDonald -  Brendan Flora Montgomery -  Trudy Marie Mullen -  Mother Pauline McLynn -  Nuala Don Wycherley -  Niall Maynard Eziashi -  Edgar Eileen Walsh -  Siobhan Barry Cassin -  Headmaster		Niall O’Brien -  Judge Rynagh O’Grady -  Lynn Ali White -  Mary Julie Hale -  Female Chorister Jack Lynch -  Conductor Dr. Stewart -  Himself Robert O’Neill -  Dylan Eoin Manley -  Cyril

I’ve met a couple of people who I could characterize as so despicable I’d be surprised if anyone who note their disappearance. But they likely have someone in their lives who love them for some vague reason. I’ve not had a reason to ask as my brain is full of enough stuff that I don’t need to waste the storage. But then there is Mona Dearly (Bette Midler) who may be the most detested female living in the small town of Verplanck, New York (characterized as the test site some years past for the Yugo car company). When her car brakes fail and she flies right off a cliff into a watery grave in the opening scene, Police Chief Wyatt Rash’s (Danny DeVito) suspicions are aroused after he learns the brake lines had been intentionally cut. Soon, suspects are popping up all over town. There is her husband Phil (William Fichtner) and her son Jeff (Marcus Thomas), both of whom hated her as much as the rest of the town. Jeff is in the landscaping business with Bobby Calzone (Casey Affleck), who Mona would verbally and even physically batter. Or how about the pretty, tough-spoken Ellen (Neve Campbell)? Or maybe the woman who waving an affair with both Phil and Jeff? Rona (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the plain-speaking waitress at the local diner who was envious of Mona’s family. Lots of suspects and lots of motives.

Director:  Nick Gomez Writer:  Peter Steinfeld Cast:
Danny DeVito -  Chief Wyatt Rash Bette Midler -  Mona Dearly Neve Campbell -  Ellen Rash Jamie Lee Curtis -  Rona Mace Casey Affleck -  Bobby Calzone William Fichtner -  Phil Dearly Marcus Thomas -  Jeff Dearly Peter Dobson -  Lt. Feege Gruber		Kathleen Wilhoite -  Lucinda Tracey Walter -  Clarence Will Ferrell -  Cubby the Funeral Director Paul Ben-Victor -  Deputy Tony Carlucci Paul Schulze -  Deputy Jimmy D. Mark Pellegrino -  Murph Calzone Raymond O’Connor -  Father Tom Stowick Lisa Rieffel -  Valerie Antonielli

What happens when you’re unhappy with your life? Some struggle through it and find a solution. Others change parts of it—job, spouse, city, etc.—to find relief from that which is causing the problems. Some see a shrink to find out whether it is them or something in their life. For Alex (William H. Macy), it isn’t quite so straightforward. He’s working in the family business with his dad Michael (Donald Sutherland). His mom, Dierdre (Barbara Bain) helped start the business and it’s all Alex has known since he was a wee sprout. No wonder he is seeing a psychiatrist. You see being employed as a killer-for-hire can be stressful. But he thinks he may have found a release after meeting Sarah Cassidy (Neve Campbell) in the doctor’s waiting room. She’s cute, perky, available and as interested in him as he is in her. This could be better for a mid-life crisis than that little red sports car.

Director:  Henry Bromell Writer:  Henry Bromell Cast:
William H. Macy -  Alex John Ritter -  Dr. Josh Parks Neve Campbell -  Sarah Cassidy Donald Sutherland -  Michael Tracey Ullman -  Martha ‘Matty’ Barbara Bain -  Deidre David Dorfman -  Sammy Tina Lifford -  Dr. Leavitt		Bix Barnaba -  Louie Nicholle Tom -  Tracy Thomas Curtis -  Alex at Seven Andrea Taylor -  Candice Steve Moreno -  Sean Erica Ortega -  Rachel Greg Pitts -  Alex at Twenty Stewart J. Zully -  Eddie

There have been a number of times when, faced with a decision to make, I’ve chosen an alternative on nothing more than intuition. In retrospect, they have usually been the correct one to make (for me). After doing this a few times in my young and stupid days, I began to trust my subconscious. I thought about the process a lot but I was never able to figure out why it worked for me. Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) seems to have discovered his path to intuition as well. After discovering he sucked at boxing, he’s dared by a girl, Debbie Wilkinson (Nicola Blackwell), to try ballet. Boys never refuse a dare so he joins in and finds that he likes it and has potential, according to Debbie’s mum (Julie Walters), the teacher of the class. Now he has to figure out how to hide this girly activity from his coal miner dad who is near the centre of a 1984 UK miners’s strike.

Director:  Stephen Daldry; Billy Fane Writer:  Lee Hall Cast:
Jamie Bell -  Billy Elliot Jean Heywood -  Grandma Jamie Draven -  Tony Elliot Gary Lewis -  Dad (Jackie Elliot) Stuart Wells -  Michael Caffrey Mike Elliot -  George Watson Billy Fane -  Mr. Braithwaite Nicola Blackwell -  Debbie Wilkinson		Julie Walters -  Mrs. Wilkinson Carol McGuigan -  Librarian Joe Renton -  Gary Poulson Colin Maclachlan -  Mr. Tom Wilkinson Janine Birkett -  Billy’s Mum Trevor Fox -  PC Jeff Peverly Charlie Hardwick -  Sheila Briggs Denny Ferguson -  Miner

We are all plagued by guilt. Guilt over what we’ve done, what we could have done, what we haven’t done. How we handle it is often a measure of how we are able to cope every day. My guilt tends to be associational, that is, something triggers a memory and no matter how hard I try to assuage it, the circumstances I remember cause me to pause and wonder what can be done to eliminate it. But I’m relieved that mine is limited to stuff where I had an element of control over the situation. I wouldn’t want to be Buddy Amaral (Ben Affleck), an ad executive anticipating a one-sight stand with fellow passenger Mimi Praeger (Natasha Henstridge). He gives his airplane ticket to Greg Janello (Tony Goldwyn) who is anxious to get home to his wife Abby (Gwyneth Paltrow) and family. After the plane crashes, Buddy checks into rehab for his drinking. He goes in search of Abby and finds her now working as a struggling real estate agent. Buddy tries to buy some relief by having her as agent for his advertising agency’s new offices but he cannot bring himself to tell her the truth. Serindipitously, Mimi has a chance meeting with Abby, who discovers Buddy’s secret.

Director:  Don Roos Writer:  Don Roos Cast:
Ben Affleck -  Buddy Amaral Gwyneth Paltrow -  Abby Janello Natasha Henstridge -  Mimi Prager Edward Edwards -  Ron Wachter Jennifer Grey -  Janice Guerrero Tony Goldwyn -  Greg Janello Lisa Carpenter-Prewitt -  Carol Wilson Lisa Joyner -  T.V. Announcer		Richard Saxton -  CNN Reporter Caroline Aaron -  Donna David Dorfman -  Joey Janello Alex D. Linz -  Scott Janello Juan García -  Kevin Walters Mary Ellen Lyon -  Ellen Seitz Joe Morton -  Jim Willer Thea Mann -  Karen