What is it about temptation that leads us so easily astray? We work hard, we lead a staid life and, all of a sudden, a chance to experience something new presents itself. We ignore our moral compass and begin to sway towards the dark side. Sometimes we realize what we could lose and sometimes we don’t. It’s all about the lure.

Harry (Alan Rickman) is teased in an ever-increasing fashion by Mia (Heike Makatsch), his assistant. She begins the spiral of seduction with first the alluring look, later the exotic move of spreading her legs, then the erotic whisper in his ear that she’s all his should he want it. He’s hooked and about to be reeled in when his wife Karen (Emma Thompson) discovers the expensive Christmas gift she thinks is for her. When she doesn’t get it, Harry has to decide between his wife and two children and the prospect of a passionate office affair.

Director:  Richard Curtis Writer:  Richard Curtis Cast:
Bill Nighy -  Billy Mack Colin Firth -  Jamie Bennett Liam Neeson -  Daniel Emma Thompson -  Karen Alan Rickman -  Harry Kris Marshall -  Colin Frissell Heike Makatsch -  Mia Martin Freeman -  John		Thomas Sangster -  Sam Joanna Page -  Just Judy Chiwetel Ejiofor -  Peter Andrew Lincoln -  Mark Keira Knightley -  Juliet Hugh Grant -  The Prime Minister Martine McCutcheon -  Natalie Laura Linney -  Sarah

Losing a spouse is an agony beyond words. Robert Burns (Steven Seagal) in on an archaeological dig when a drug smuggling ring plants a batch of drugs and calls the police. Trying to outrun them, they fire upon his car, killing his wife Maya (Kata Dobó) with slow motion bullets, prolonging the anguish for him. Vengeance will follow.

Director:  Michael Oblowitz Writer:  Danny Lerner; Dennis Dimster; Sam Hayes; Dennis Dimster-Denk Cast:
Steven Seagal -  Prof. Robert Burns Michelle Goh -  Tommie Ling Corey Johnson -  Ed Grey Eloise Anderson -  Tattoo Artist #2 Edward Cox -  D.E.A. Agent Kata Dobó -  Maya Burns Michael Junior Harvey -  King Chooi Kheng-Beh -  Wong Dai		Chris Pavlo -  Luc Breton Michael J. Reynolds -  Dean Elaine Tan -  Luo Yi Giselle Tcherniak -  Tattoo Artist Raicho Vasilev -  Bulgarian Thug Bruce Wang -  Tony Zhili Dave Wong -  Yin Vincent Wong -  Luo Dazkong

I’m a math guy. In point of fact, I’m a statistician by training and career. At one point in the movie, we discover that ten people get stranded in a remote motel and the all have the same birthday, May 10th. There is Ed (John Cusack), a former cop who is a driver for an actress, Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca De Mornay). He accidentally runs down a woman Alice York (Leila Kenzle), the mother of a 10-year-old self-imposed mute boy (Bret Loehr) and the wife of George (John C. McGinley), all of whom Ed transports along with his boss to the motel run by Larry (John Hawkes). Later, a hooker on her way to Florida named Paris (Amanda Peet) and a pair of newlyweds, Ginny (Clea DuVall) and Lou (William Lee Scott), are forced off the road and into the motel. And there is a cop Rhodes (Ray Liotta) who is holding in custody the loopy but dangerous Robert Maine (Jake Busey). They are scampering frantically to solve the mystery of who is in the process of murdering all of them and why.

Terrific movie… but let’s get back to the math. I went looking up details in my math stuff and figured out that the chances are one in eight that two people in a room of ten would have the same birthday. And if you had 23 in the same room, chances would be 50-50 that two people would have the same birthday. To have a 50 percent chance of ten people in the same room with the same birthday, you’d need approximately 1,181 people. If any of this is of interest, do a Google search on “birthday problem” or “birthday paradox.”

Director:  James Mangold Writer:  Michael Cooney Cast:
John Cusack -  Ed Ray Liotta -  Rhodes Amanda Peet -  Paris John Hawkes -  Larry Alfred Molina -  Dr. Malick Clea DuVall -  Ginny John C. McGinley -  George York William Lee Scott -  Lou		Jake Busey -  Robert Maine Pruitt Taylor Vince -  Malcolm Rivers Rebecca DeMornay -  Caroline Suzanne Carmen Argenziano -  Defense Lawyer Marshall Bell -  District Attorney Leila Kenzle -  Alice York Matt Letscher -  Assistant District Attorney Bret Loehr -  Timmy York

Every so often we meet someone who is so thoroughly reprehensible that we find it hard to understand how they can spend any time with them let alone get to know them. Sue (Lauren Graham), a rather dim bartender serves Willie (Billy Bob Thorton), a sloppy drunk who masquerades as a department store Santa and has a penchant for backdooring large women, which leads to them swapping shots. A quickie in his car is just the beginning of an affair that seems destined to fail.

Events intervene to show that Santa’s fall is more a case of self-disgust that it being one of a lack of morality. It only takes someone caring about another to make even a sodden thief think he has a future in which Sue can play a role. But their antics in a jacuzzi had me in stitches. For, as we discover, Sue has always had a thing for Santa.

Director:  Terry Zwigoff Writer:  Glenn Ficarra; John Requa Cast:
Billy Bob Thornton -  Willie Tony Cox -  Marcus Brett Kelly -  The Kid Lauren Graham -  Sue Lauren Tom -  Lois Bernie Mac -  Gin John Ritter -  Bob Chipeska Ajay Naidu -  Hindustani Troublemaker		Lorna Scott -  Milwaukee Mother Harrison Bieker -  Milwaukee Boy Alex Borstein -  Milwaukee Mom with Photo Dylan Charles -  Milwaukee Bratty Boy Billy Gardell -  Milwaukee Security Guard Lisa Ross -  Milwaukee Bartender Brian Callen -  Miami Bartender Tom McGowan -  Harrison

I was idling away an evening watching this movie again when the bad guys had forced the good guys to lead them to the Cradle of Life to find Pandora’s box. They were headed into the are of the shadows and we see a portion of the country that looks like it has been swept through by a forest fire when Cthulhu Mythos popped into my head. Geez, where did that come from? Then the bad guys get picked off one by one and thoughts of the minions of the Elder Gods surfaced. Then Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) drops the glowing bowling ball map down into what looks like a hole in a pinball table and I wondered whether we were in the middle of a H.P. Lovecraft shooter game. The unseen horror of Doom arises made me smirk.

Director:  Jan de Bont Writer:  Steven E. de Souza; James V. Hart; Dean Georgaris Cast:
Angelina Jolie -  Lara Croft Gerard Butler -  Terry Sheridan Ciarán Hinds -  Jonathan Reiss Christopher Barrie -  Hillary Noah Taylor -  Bryce Djimon Hounsou -  Kosa Til Schweiger -  Sean Simon Yam -  Chen Lo		Terence Yin -  Xien Daniel Caltagirone -  Nicholas Petraki Fabiano Martell -  Jimmy Petraki Jonathan Coyne -  Gus Petraki Robert Cavanah -  MI6 Agent Stevens Ronan Vibert -  MI6 Agent Calloway Lenny Juma -  Village Leader Raymond Offula -  Village Leader