Transformers (569.259)

Transformers is a 2007 live action film adaptation of the Transformers franchise. The film stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager involved in the war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. The Decepticons intend to possess the All Spark, the very object that created their robotic race, and use it to build a new army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight and John Turturro also starred, while Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving provided the voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively. The film was directed by Michael Bay and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
Development of the film began with a 2003 treatment written by producers Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto. Executive producer Steven Spielberg acquired the treatment the following year, and he hired Orci, Kurtzman and Bay on the project in 2005. The filmmakers wanted a realistic depiction of the story, and created a complex design aesthetic for the robots to stress their alien nature. The computer-generated characters were programmed to have thousands of mechanical pieces move as they transformed and maneuvered. The United States military and General Motors lent vehicles and aircraft during filming, which saved money for the crew, and added realism to the battle scenes.
Hasbro organized an enormous promotional campaign for the film, making deals with hundreds of companies. This advertising blitz included a viral marketing campaign, coordinated releases of prequel comics books, toys, and books, as well as product placement deals with GM and eBay. Transformers was a box office success despite mixed fan reaction to the radical redesigns of the characters and reviews criticizing the focus on the humans at the expense of the robots. It became the twenty-eighth most successful film released, grossing approximately US$706 million worldwide. The film revitalized media interest in the franchise, and a sequel is expected for release on June 26, 2009. It earned three Academy Award nominations in the visual effects and sound categories.

Plot
The film opens with Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), heroic leader of the benevolent Autobots, describing in a voice-over the destruction of the Transformers' home world, Cybertron. It was destroyed by the evil Decepticon leader Megatron (Hugo Weaving) in his quest to obtain the All Spark. The Autobots want to find the All Spark so they can use it to rebuild Cybertron and end the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, while the Decepticons want to use it to defeat the Autobots and conquer the universe. Megatron found the All Spark on Earth, but crash-landed in the Arctic Circle and was frozen in the ice. Captain Archibald Witwicky and his crew of explorers stumbled upon Megatron's body in 1897. Captain Witwicky accidentally activated Megatron's navigational system and his eye glasses were imprinted with the coordinates of the All Spark's location. Sector 7, a secret United States government organization, discovered the All Spark in the Colorado river and built the Hoover Dam around it to mask its energy emissions. The still-frozen Megatron was moved into this facility and was reverse engineered to advance human technology.
In the present day, the rest of the Decepticons-Blackout, Scorponok, Frenzy, Barricade, Starscream, Devastator and Bonecrusher-have landed on Earth and assumed the disguise of Earth vehicles (except Scorponok, who hides within Blackout). Blackout and Scorponok attack the U.S. SOCCENT FWD military base in Qatar and try to hack into the U.S. military network to find the location of Megatron and the All Spark. Their mission is thwarted when the base staff severs the network cable connections. While Blackout destroys the rest of the base, Scorponok chases a small group of survivors who have photographic evidence of the robots, but he is eventually repelled. During this battle, the military discovers its only effective weapons against the Transformers' armor are high-heat sabot rounds.
After Blackout's failure, Frenzy infiltrates Air Force One to try again to hack into the military network, and in doing so plants a virus. He finds the map imprinted on Captain Witwicky's glasses, whose descendant, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), intends to sell on eBay. Frenzy and Barricade begin tracking Sam's location. The Autonomous Robotic Organism (shortened to "Autobot") Bumblebee is also on Earth, disguised as a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro, and is bought by Sam while shopping for his first car. Bumblebee helps him woo his crush, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox). Bumblebee leaves at night to transmit a homing signal to the rest of the Autobots and Sam sees him in robot mode. Barricade confronts Sam and demands Archibald's spectacles, but Bumblebee rescues him and Mikaela. They leave to rendezvous with the rest of the Autobots-Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet-who have landed on Earth and taken the forms of Earth vehicles as well. Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots return to Sam's home and obtain the glasses; however, agents from Sector 7 arrive and capture Sam, Mikaela and Bumblebee.
Frenzy, disguised as a cellphone, secretly accompanies the group to Hoover Dam and releases Megatron from his frozen state. Locating the All Spark, Frenzy sends an alert to the other Decepticons. Sam convinces the Sector 7 agents to release Bumblebee so that he can get the All Spark to Optimus Prime. Frenzy's virus has shut down government communications, but a pair of hackers manage to establish a signal to the Air Force. The Autobot-human convoy goes to nearby Mission City to obtain a radio that will guide the Air Force's defense and secure a rendevouz point as a safe destination for All Spark. The Decepticons attack and Bonecrusher, Frenzy, Jazz, Devastator and Blackout are all killed during the ensuing battle, but Sam manages to ram the All Spark into Megatron's chest, killing Megatron and destroying the All Spark. Optimus takes a fragment of the All Spark from Megatron's corpse, but realizes that with its destruction, their home world Cybertron cannot be restored. Consequently, Optimus sends a signal to other surviving Autobots in the universe, directing them to their new home, Earth. The government orders the closure of Sector 7 and has the four Decepticons killed in Mission City battle dumped into the Laurentian Abyss. Starscream, who fled the battle, escapes into space.

Production

Development
Producer Don Murphy had been planning a film adaptation of G.I. Joe, but when the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003, Hasbro suggested the Transformers instead. Tom DeSanto joined the project because he was a big fan of the characters, and they wrote a treatment featuring the Autobots Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Jazz, Prowl, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee, and the Decepticons Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble, Skywarp and Shockwave. DeSanto and Murphy met with comic book writer Simon Furman, and cited the Generation 1 cartoon and comics as their main influence. They made the Creation Matrix their plot device, though Murphy felt it would have to be renamed because of the The Matrix film series. DeSanto chose a human point-of-view in his treatment to engage the audience, while Murphy wanted it to feel realistic, with a tone reminiscent of a disaster film.
Steven Spielberg, a fan of the comics and toys, signed on as executive producer in 2004, and John Rogers was hired to write the script. His draft pitted four Autobots against four Decepticons, and featured the Ark spaceship. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, fans of the cartoon, were hired in February 2005 to begin a rewrite. Spielberg suggested a focus of "a boy and his car". This appealed to Orci and Kurtzman because it conveyed themes of adulthood and responsibility, "the things that a car represents in [the United States]". Sam and Mikaela were the sole point-of-view given in their first draft. Controversially, the Transformers had no dialogue, as the producers feared talking robots would look ridiculous. The writers felt that even if they would look silly, not having robots talk would betray the fanbase. Spielberg read each of Orci and Kurtzman's drafts and gave notes on improvement. The writers remained throughout production, even rewriting robot dialogue during the sound mixing after finding unexpected quirks in the characters's animation.
Michael Bay was asked to direct by Spielberg on July 30, 2005, but he dismissed it as a "stupid toy movie". Nonetheless, Bay wanted to work with Spielberg, and, upon visiting Hasbro, he gained a new respect for the mythology. Bay considered the first draft "too kiddie", so he increased the military presence for greater realism. The writers sought inspiration from G.I. Joe for the soldier characters, though they were careful not to mix the brands. They also experimented with numerous robots, ultimately selecting the characters most popular among the filmmakers to form the final cast. Bay acknowledged most of the Decepticons were selected before their names or roles were developed, as Hasbro needed to start designing the toys quickly. Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream were the only characters present in the rewrites from start to finish. Arcee was a female Transformer introduced by Orci and Kurtzman, but she was cut because they found it difficult to explain robotic gender; Bay also disliked her motorcycle form, thinking it too small. An early idea to have the Decepticons simultaneously strike multiple places around the world was also dropped.

Design
The filmmakers designed the size of each robot with the size of their vehicle mode in mind. This supported the Transformer's rationale for disguise-choice made during the voyage to Earth. The concept of traveling protoforms was developed by Roberto Orci while wondering why "aliens who moonlight as vehicles need other vehicles to travel". This reflected a desire to move to a more alien look, away from the "blocky like Generation 1 Transformers". Another major influence in the designs was samurai armor, returning full-circle to the Japanese origins of the toy line.
A product placement deal with General Motors supplied alternate forms for most of the Autobots, which saved $3 million. GM also provided nearly two hundred cars destined for destruction in the climactic battle scene. The United States military provided significant support, enhancing the film's realism: the film features F-22s, F-117s, and V-22 Ospreys, the first time these aircraft have been used for a film; soldiers served as extras, and authentic uniforms were provided for the actors. A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and Lockheed AC-130s also appear. Captain Christian Hodge joked that he had to explain to his superiors the film wanted to portray most of their aircraft as evil Decepticons: however, he remarked "people love bad guys".

Filming
Michael Bay planned an eighty-three day shooting schedule, and to save money he cut his usual fee by 30%. He maintained the necessary pace by doing more camera set-ups per day than usual, and shot the film in the United States (rather than Australia or Canada), with a crew he was familiar with and who understood his work ethic. A pre-shoot took place on April 19, 2006, and principal photography began on April 22 at Holloman Air Force Base, which stood in for Qatar. To film an attack by Scorponok on a village set at White Sands Missile Range, a sweep was performed to remove unexploded ordnance before set construction; ironically, the village would ultimately be blown up. The scene was broken down for the pilots flying the AWACS aircraft, who improvised dialogue as if it were an actual battle.
The company also shot at the Hoover Dam and The Pentagon, the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks that film crews had been allowed into these locations. The external Hoover Dam scenes were shot before tourists arrived daily at 10:00 a.m., with shooting moving inside for the remainder of the day. Production in California was based at Hughes Aircraft at Playa Vista, where the hangar in which Megatron is imprisoned was built. Six weekends were spent in Los Angeles, California shooting the climactic battle, and elements of the battle were also shot on the Universal backlot and in Detroit. The crew was allowed to shoot at Griffith Observatory, which was still closed for renovations begun in 2002. Filming wrapped on October 4, 2006.

Effects
Spielberg encouraged Bay to restrict computer-generated imagery to the robots and background elements in the action sequences. Stunts such as Bonecrusher were performed live, while cameras were placed into the midst of car crashes and explosions to make it look more exciting. Work on the animatics began in April 2005. Bay stated Industrial Light & Magic made three-fourths of the film's effects, while Digital Domain made the rest, including the Arctic discovery of Megatron, Frenzy's severed head, a vending machine mutated by the All Spark, and the Autobots' protoforms. Many of the animators were big Transformers fans and were given free rein to experiment: a scene where Jazz attacks Devastator is a reference to a scene in The Transformers: The Movie where Kup jumps on Blitzwing.
ILM created computer-generated transformations over six months in 2005, looking at every inch of the car models. Initially the transformations were made to follow the laws of physics, but it did not look exciting enough and was changed to be more fluid. Bay rejected a liquid metal surface for the characters' faces, instead going for a "Rubik's Cube" style of modeling. He wanted numerous mechanical pieces visible so the robots would look more interesting, realistic, dynamic and quick, rather than lumbering beasts. One decision made was that the wheels should stay on the ground for as long as possible, allowing the robots to cruise around as they changed. Bumblebee uses a piece below his faceplate as an eyebrow, and pieces in his cheeks swivel to resemble a smile; all the characters' eyes are designed to dilate and brighten. Bay instructed the animators to observe footage of two martial artists and numerous martial arts films to make the fights look graceful.
Due to the intricate designs of the Transformers, even the simplest notion of turning a wrist needs 17 visible parts; each of Ironhide's guns are made of ten thousand parts. Such detail needed 38 hours to render each frame of animation, which meant ILM had to increase their processing facilities. Each rendered piece had to look like real metal, shiny or dull, which became difficult to model because the aged and scarred robots had to transform from clean cars. Close-up shots of the robots were sped up to look cool, but in wide shots the animation was slowed down to convincingly illustrate a sense of weight. Photographs were taken of each set. These were used as a reference for the lighting environment, which was reproduced within a computer, so the robots would look like they were convincingly moving there. Bay, who has directed numerous car commercials, understood ray tracing was the key to making the robots look real, in which the CG models would look realistic based on how much of the environment was reflecting on their bodies. Numerous simulations were programmed into the robots, so the animators could just focus on animating the particular areas needed for a convincing performance.

Music
See also: Transformers: The Album and Transformers: The Score
Composer Steve Jablonsky, who collaborated with Bay on The Island, scored music for the trailers before work began on the film itself. Recording took place in April 2007 at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California. The score uses six major themes across ninety minutes of music, including the teaser music. The Autobots have three themes, one named "Optimus" to represent their friendship with Sam, and another played during their arrival on Earth. The Decepticons have a chanted theme, which relies on electronics, unlike most of the score. The All Spark has its own theme as well. Hans Zimmer, Jablonsky's mentor, also helped compose the score.

Cast and characters

Humans
Shia LaBeouf stars as Sam Witwicky, the teenager who unknowingly buys Bumblebee as his first car. The character is based upon the mechanic Spike from the television series, but the nickname was considered inappropriate because the character's profession was dropped from the adaptation. Bay stated he wanted to make Sam be an average Joe, and not a geek. Bay initially considered LaBeouf too old, having only seen his performance in Constantine, but he was bowled over by the actor's enthusiasm. A Transformers fan, LaBeouf also reminded the filmmakers of the young Tom Hanks. He worked out five days a week for three months and gained twenty-five pounds of muscle to prepare for the role, but realized during shooting that his role required agility rather than strength. LaBeouf performed his own stunts, including a scene in which Sam clings to a statue as Megatron approaches, with only a safety harness to protect him. "There are action stars who wouldn't have been as dumb," he joked.
Megan Fox plays Sam's crush, Mikaela Banes, whom he woos with Bumblebee's help; Banes is mechanically skilled because her father was a car thief. She had auditioned for Bay's production of The Amityville Horror. To encourage a tough performance from Fox, Bay often threatened to repeatedly film takes of scenes at night so she would appear frustrated and tired. Fox gained ten pounds of muscle during shooting to support the physicality of the role.
Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson play the soldiers, Army Captain William Lennox and Air Force Technical Sergeant Robert Epps, respectively. The characters are part of a seven-man Joint Special Operations Command team in Qatar, who survive Blackout's attack on the base. Lennox has a wife and newborn daughter in the United States. Duhamel and Gibson were fans of the toy line as children, and the latter even paid the filmmakers so he could be in the film. They spent three days in boot camp to prepare for the role. Gibson met combat controller Ray Bollinger, and spent time learning technical terms and military code to make his dialogue sound convincing.
John Turturro played Reggie Simmons, a Sector 7 agent. Bay wanted Steve Buscemi for the role, but he was busy, so Turturro, whom Bay had wanted to work with ever since seeing The Big Lebowski, was cast instead. Turturro gave a slapstick performance, which was intended to be in contrast to the serious military scenes, so that a sense of fun would not completely disappear. The actor claimed to have based his performance on the director, although Bay himself stated he cannot see anything of himself in Turturro's performance. A backstory was fashioned for Simmons, explaining his family had served in Sector 7 for generations, giving him a mother's boy personality. Bay deleted these many jokes as they were too crude.
Rachael Taylor played Maggie Madsen, who assists the Department of Defense in decoding the virus left by Frenzy. She realizes that those hacking into the government's data files cannot be human, due to the ease with which they made the attack. The writers had initially envisioned Maggie as quirkier and more cyberpunk. The filmmakers opted for Taylor's natural Australian accent to give the film a global sensibility. She found many of her scenes difficult because of the high heels she had to wear.
Anthony Anderson played Glen Whitmann, a computer hacker and friend of Maggie. Jon Voight played the United States Secretary of Defense John Keller. Michael O'Neill played Tom Banachek, the head of Sector 7. Kevin Dunn and Julie White played Sam's parents, Ron and Judy. Bernie Mac cameoed as Bobby Bolivia, a used car dealer from whom Sam purchases Bumblebee.

Autobots
Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader who comes to Earth to destroy the All Spark in order to end the war, even if this means merging with it and killing himself to do so. Don Murphy decided after discussions with fans on his website that they wanted the surviving voices from the 1980s cartoon. Cullen described reprising the role as easy as "slipping into an old pair of very comfortable shoes that you haven't worn for a while", and was grateful to the fans for wanting him back. His vocal performance consisted of much improvisation with Bay, and portraying the traditional heroism of the character as well as bringing a sense of humor. Bay told the animators to seek inspiration from Liam Neeson to inspire Optimus's body language. Optimus transforms into a Peterbilt truck. The original cab over design was rejected because that would only transform into a twenty-feet tall model of the character, because the filmmakers wanted him to stand twenty-eight feet tall. Optimus has red flame artwork on his blue body. This acted as a compromise between Hasbro, who wanted to retain the character's iconic red chest, and Bay, who felt red alone would not photograph well. Hasbro had rejected early designs of Optimus as there was too much blue. Optimus's head was built on set as a prop.
Mark Ryan voiced Bumblebee for the character's two lines at the end of the film, when he regains his voice. For most of the film's duration, Bumblebee communicates with radio soundbites because of his damaged vocal processor. Before being cast in the role, Ryan had acted as a stand in for the robots during filming, reading out their lines. The decision to make Bumblebee silent was inspired by Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, in order to show that his bond with Sam was beyond words. They had considered using lines from various Paramount films, including "I feel the need for speed!" from Top Gun. They decided such lines would be too obvious. Credited clips used in the film include John Wayne from El Dorado and Nichelle Nichols as Uhura from the Star Trek television series. A full scale puppet of Bumblebee was also used for the film. The animators modeled Bumblebee's performance on Michael J. Fox. Bumblebee transforms into a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, and upgrades into the 2009 model. Bay rejected the G1 form of the Volkswagen Beetle, as it reminded him of Herbie the Love Bug. Hasbro did not mind as long as the car remained yellow. In reference to his original form, the Beetle is parked next to Bumblebee when Sam is buying it. The modern Camaro was chosen for its friendly appearance, while the old model was chosen to show that Sam's father could only buy him the cheapest car he could find. In the film, Bumblebee upgrades because Mikaela calls his choice of form "a piece of crap".
Darius McCrary voices Jazz, a lieutenant who develops a fondness for urban culture. McCrary said he was honored to follow in the footsteps of Scatman Crothers, who voiced Jazz on television. "When I was actually [recording], I really did feel Scatman's presence," he said. Mark Ryan had tried out numerous voices for Jazz, including a Sean Connery impersonation, before McCrary was cast. Jazz transforms into a Pontiac Solstice, a car the director felt was too small, but he decided not to argue with GM. Hasbro felt it was still a "cool silver sports car" reminiscent of his G1 Porsche 935 form. The screenwriters chose to kill off Jazz as they felt he was the most likeable character after Optimus and Bumblebee.
Jess Harnell voices Ironhide, who transforms into a GMC Topkick pick-up truck. He is the grumpy weapons specialist of the group. Peter Cullen voiced Ironhide on television and also auditioned to reprise the role. When Ryan was voicing the character on set, he had used a Southern accent as Cullen did.
Robert Foxworth voices Ratchet, the team's medical officer. He transforms into Search and rescue Hummer H2. The writers had wanted to keep his G1 ambulance form, but the producers wanted something else. Hasbro did not mind if the character was either an ambulance or a fire apparatus.

Decepticons
Hugo Weaving voices Megatron, the Decepticon leader who crash-landed in the Arctic thousands of years ago in his quest to obtain the All Spark. When he is defrosted he keeps his original alien jet form out of vanity. Frank Welker, who played the part on television opposite Peter Cullen, auditioned to reprise the role. Bay considered his voice too soft and felt it would be disrespectful to ask Welker to change his voice. Weaving's voice had been the inspiration Bay had given to his animators for the character, and the character's voice had become that of Weaving in the director's mind. Weaving recorded his lines in Australia, directed by Bay through iChat. The change from Megatron's G1 form, the Walther P38 pistol, to that of a Cybertronian jet was done to avoid morphing. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman also felt it would be "the equivalent to Darth Vader [becoming] his own lightsaber and having someone else swing him around." Fans disliked leaked images of the character's head design, so it was redesigned during filming. The prototype design had a much narrower face than that seen in the finished film. Optimus calls Megatron his brother; Cullen interpreted this line literally, but while the writers state this was the case in early drafts, they consider the line in its final context to be metaphorical.
Charlie Adler voices Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command. Despite being a popular character, his role is limited because of the film's running time. A post-credits scene of him escaping Earth was added because audiences at test screenings wanted to know what happened to him. He transforms into a F-22 Raptor jet, which is the successor to his G1 form, the F-15 Eagle. This keeps the character's role as the powerful and technologically advanced air commander.
Reno Wilson voices Frenzy, a small and vicious spy who transforms into a boombox, and later into a mobile phone. Frenzy was primarily animated by a French man who gave the character quirky movements: Bay could tell which shots were not done by him and felt the character totally changed in those scenes. A puppet was also used on set. Frenzy was originally named Soundwave, but the writers decided to rename him because he was significantly different from the original character. Jess Harnell voiced Barricade, a Saleen Mustang police car, whom Frenzy guides to Sam. The character was inspired by the G1 Autobot Prowl, because the writers thought a Decepticon displaying authority would use the police car form.
Jim Wood voices Bonecrusher, who attacks Optimus on the highway to Mission City. The animators modeled his fighting styles on hockey and football players, and his alternate form of the Buffalo H Mine-Protected vehicle was altered with a larger fork. For Devastator, the crew chose to use an M1 Abrams tank prop built for xXx: State of the Union. The character was intended to be named Brawl, but the Cybertronian subtitled line reads "Devastator reporting". It was not fixed despite recognition of the error.
Blackout transforms into a MH-53 Pave Low helicopter, with his minion Scorponok attaching to him. Soundwave had been considered for this role, with Ravage as his minion, but Hasbro insisted Soundwave have a music-based role. Scorponok was chosen after the writers discovered him in the pages of The Ultimate Guide and felt he was appropriate to the setting. A model of his tail was built, while primacord explosives were used for his ripple movements in the sand. This was potentially dangerous to cast members, therefore creating genuine terror in the film's shots.

Release
Transformers had its worldwide premiere at N Seoul Tower on June 11, 2007. The film's June 27 premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival used live digital satellite feed to project the film on to a screen. A premiere took place at Rhode Island on June 28, which was a freely available event offering fans to buy tickets for $75 to benefit four charities: the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the Autism Project of Rhode Island, Adoption Rhode Island, and Hasbro Children's Hospital. The film was released on IMAX on September 21, 2007, with an additional two minutes that were not seen elsewhere.

Marketing
Further information: Transformers: The Movie toy line, Transformers: Movie Prequel, Transformers: Movie Adaptation, Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday, and Transformers: The Game
Hasbro made deals with 200 companies to promote the film in 70 countries. Their toy line for the film was created over two months over late 2005/early 2006, collaborating heavily with the filmmakers. A pair of preview toys, Protoform Optimus Prime and Starscream, were released in the United States on May 1, 2007, before the first wave of figures were released on June 2. The line featured characters not in the film, including Arcee. A second wave of toys set for late 2007 is labeled the "Allspark Power" line, which includes ordinary vehicles in the film turned into Transformers, and repaints of existing toys. The toys feature "Automorph Technology" in which moving parts of the toy allow other parts to shift automatically. Michael Bay directed tie-in commercials for General Motors, Burger King and PepsiCo, while props including the Camaro used for Bumblebee and the All Spark were put up for charity on eBay. A viral marketing alternate reality game was employed through the Sector 7 web site, which presented the film and all previous Transformers toys and media as part of a cover-up operation called "Hungry Dragon," perpetrated by a "real life" Sector 7 to hide the existence of "real" Transformers. The site featured several videos recording "evidence" of Transformers on Earth, with cameos by the G1 characters Grimlock and Bumblebee.

Home video
Transformers was released in Region 1 territories on October 16, 2007 on DVD and HD DVD formats. The standard DVD was released in single disc and two disc editions. The Wal-Mart edition of the DVD included an animated version of the prequel comic book, entitled Transformers Beginnings. Mark Ryan, Peter Cullen and Kevin Dunn reprised their roles, while Frank Welker played Megatron. The Target casing is a transformable two-dimensional image of Optimus Prime, and it contained a prequel comic book focusing on the Decepticons. The DVD sold 8.3 million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling DVD of 2007 in North America, and it sold 190 thousand copies on HD DVD, which was the biggest debut yet on the format. The DVDs altogether sold 13.74 million copies, becoming the most popular DVD of 2007.

Reaction
Transformers fans were initially divided over the film due to the radical redesigns of many characters, although the casting of Peter Cullen was warmly received. Transformers comic book writer Simon Furman and Beast Wars script consultant Benson Yee both warmly received it as spectacular fun, but Furman argued there were too many human storylines. Yee felt that being the first in a series, the film had to establish much of the fictional universe and therefore did not have time to focus on the Decepticons. Nonetheless, the film created a greater awareness of the franchise and drew in many new fans. Transformers' box office success led to development of films based on Voltron and Robotech, as well as a Knight Rider remake.

Box office performance
The film was released in ten overseas markets on June 28, 2007, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Philippines. Transformers made $29.5 million in its first weekend, topping the box office in ten countries including a $1.7 million four-day weekend gross in Singapore, the biggest yet. It grossed $5.2 million in Malaysia, becoming the most successful film in the country's history. Transformers opened in China on July 11, setting a record for the biggest foreign language film opening there, with $3 million. It became the second highest-grossing foreign film behind Titanic, making $37.3 million. The film was officially released in the United Kingdom on July 27, making ?8.7 million, and helped contribute to the biggest attendance record ever, for that weekend. It was second at the UK box office, behind The Simpsons Movie. The film has grossed $706.3 million worldwide, including $319 million in the United States, making it Michael Bay's highest grossing film to date, not adjusting for inflation.
The film was released in the United States and Canada on July 3, 2007, with 8 p.m. preview screenings on July 2. The US previews earned $8.8 million, and in its first day of general release it grossed $27.8 million, a record for Tuesday box office attendance. It broke Spider-Man 2's record for the biggest July 4 gross, making $29 million. On its opening weekend, Transformers grossed $70.5 million, amounting to a $155.4 million opening week, giving it the record for the biggest opening week for a non-sequel. The opening's domestic gross was 50% more than what Paramount Pictures expected, with one executive attributing it to word of mouth, telling parents that "it's OK to take the kids." A Cinemascope poll indicated the film was most popular with children and parents, including older women, and attracted many African American and Latino viewers.

Critical reception
Rotten Tomatoes listed 195 reviews for the film, 56% of which were favorable. In the website's "Cream of the Crop" section, 68% of the 36 reviews listed were positive. It earned a Metacritic score of 61/100 (generally favorable) from 35 reviews. IGN's Todd Gilchrist found it Michael Bay's best film, and "one of the few instances where it's OK to enjoy something for being smart and dumb at the same time, mostly because it's undeniably also a whole lot of fun". The Advertiser's Sean Fewster found the visual effects so seamless that "you may come to believe the studio somehow engineered artificial intelligence". The Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy praised the depiction of the robots as having "a believably rendered scale and intimacy", and ABC presenter Margaret Pomeranz was surprised "that a complete newcomer to the Transformers phenomenon like myself became involved in the fate of these mega-machines". Ain't It Cool News's Drew McWeeny felt most of the cast grounded the story, and that "it has a real sense of wonder, one of the things that's missing from so much of the big CGI lightshows released these days". Author Peter David found it ludicrous fun, and that "[Bay] manages to hold on to his audience's suspension of disbelief long enough for us to segue into some truly spectacular battle scenes".
Despite the praise for the visual effects, there was division over the human storylines. The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt liked "how a teen plot line gets tied in to the end of the world", while Empire's Ian Nathan praised Shia LaBeouf as "a smart, natural comedian, [who] levels the bluntness of this toy story with an ironic bluster". Ain't It Cool News founder Harry Knowles felt Bay's style conflicted with Spielberg's, arguing the military story only served as a distraction from Sam. James Berardinelli hated the film as he did not connect with the characters in-between the action, which he found tedious. Los Angeles Times's Kenneth Turan found the humans "oddly lifeless, doing little besides marking time until those big toys fill the screen", while ComingSoon.net's Joshua Stames felt the Transformers were "completely believable, right up to the moment they open their mouths to talk, when they revert to bad cartoon characters". Daily Herald's Matt Arado was annoyed that "the Transformers [are] little more than supporting players", and felt the middle act was sluggish. CNN's Tom Charity questioned the idea of a film based on a toy, and felt it would "buzz its youthful demographic... but leave the rest of us wondering if Hollywood could possibly aim lower".

Awards
Before its release, Transformers was voted "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. Entertainment Weekly named Bumblebee as their fourth favorite computer generated character, while The Times listed Optimus Prime's depiction as the thirtieth best film robot, citing his coolness and dangerousness. Visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar was honored at the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony on October 22, 2007 for his work on the film.
In 2008, Transformers was nominated for three Academy Awards, in the fields of Achievement in Sound Editing, Achievement in Sound Mixing, and Achievement in Visual Effects.

Sequel
Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg are expected to return as director and executive producer for Transformers 2, and Paramount has announced a June 26, 2009 release. Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Peter Cullen are signed on to return. Before Transformers was released, Bay expressed interest in an aircraft carrier character, while producer Tom DeSanto was interested in the Dinobots, Constructicons, and Soundwave. Ehren Kruger was hired to write the script, alongside the returning Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. The script is incomplete due to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, but filming is expected to begin on June 2, 2008. Meanwhile, IDW Publishing will release its own sequel to the film, Transformers Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream, the first issue of which is due in April 2008.

Knocked Up (509.314)

Knocked Up is a 2007 comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Judd Apatow. It stars Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. It is rated R for some sexual content, drug use, and profanity.

Plot
Ben Stone is a lazy, dimwitted and immature 23-year-old Jewish Canadian slacker from British Columbia in the process of establishing with his friends a website listing the greatest nude scenes in film called www.fleshofthestars.com. He lives illegally in Los Angeles, California, so he will not be paying state or federal taxes, but he instead lives on a $14,000 settlement after a mail truck ran over his foot as a teenager. Alison Scott is a responsible, career-minded woman who is promoted anchorwoman for E! Entertainment Television and lives with her sister's family. While celebrating her promotion, Alison meets Ben at a popular club. The pair get drunk and end up having sex at her house. Due to a misunderstanding, they do not use contraception: Alison uses the phrase "just do it" to encourage Ben to put the condom on faster, which he misinterprets as "a condom is not needed."
When the alcohol wears off, they quickly learn they have little in common over breakfast, during which Ben disgusts her with his drug habits and profession. Eight weeks later, however, Alison experiences morning sickness during an interview with James Franco and comes to the discovery that she is pregnant. After trying 15 different pregnancy tests with the same result, she finally contacts Ben to tell him the news. Although taken aback, Ben says he will be there to support Alison having the baby. While one of his friends advises him to convince Allison to terminate the pregnancy, Ben's father tells him that he was the best thing that ever happened to him. In addition, Allison's mother tries to convince her daughter to have an abortion, but she ultimately decides to keep the child. Later, she and Ben decide to give their relationship a chance. The odd couple's efforts include Ben making an awkward marriage proposal with a ring box without a ring.
After some considerable success at first, tensions surface in the relationship. Alison is increasingly anxious over Ben's lack of responsibility and is fearful that he will leave her. Alison begins to realize that Ben also fears she will leave him as well. These thoughts race through Alison's mind due to her sister (Debbie) and her unhappy marriage. Debbie's husband Pete works as a talent scout, but he strangely leaves at odd hours in the night which makes Debbie suspect that Pete is having an affair. Upon investigating, she learns that he is actually part of a fantasy baseball draft, which he explains that he needs to have some time free from Debbie's controlling manner, because she always gets paranoid whenever he wants to go somewhere. Similarly, Ben feels that Alison is overly controlling. As a result of Pete's confession to his wife, they decide to split up. Allison is further convinced Ben will not be supportive after seeing he has not read their books on child birth. While driving to the doctor's office, they erupt into a furious argument which results in Ben getting out of the car and walking the remaining three miles. Upon finally arriving, he blames her hormones for making her this way, and she tells him in response that it would be better if they stopped seeing each other.
After the break up, Ben decides to go with Pete on a road trip to Las Vegas. Under the heavy influence of drugs, they realize their loss and decide to return and take responsibility. Eventually, Pete and Debbie reconcile at their daughter's birthday party. When Ben tries to work things out with Allison, she is still reluctant to get back together with him, since she feels they are different and have little in common. After an unsuccessful talk with his father, he decides to take responsibility and starts reading the birth books. Ben goes to great effort to change his ways, including moving out of his friends' house, getting a real job and an apartment with a baby's room. Subsequently, Alison goes into labor and is not able to contact her doctor, forcing her to contact Ben again due to her sister Debbie and Pete's out-of-town trip. Ben also tries to contact Alison's gynecologist, but finds out through his secretary that he is at a Bar Mitzvah in San Francisco, violating an earlier promise that he doesn't take a vacation or leave his office. After leaving a hate-filled message on the doctor's voicemail, Ben increases his efforts to find a doctor that will deliver his child. He eventually finds one, but Alison's wishes clash with the doctor's choice for a smooth and safe birth. Ben talks with the doctor, after which a suitable solution is proposed. During the birth, Alison apologizes for doubting Ben's commitment and admits that she never thought the man who got her pregnant would be the right one for her. A while later, Debbie and Pete arrive, but Ben makes them wait in the reception room, as he wishes to take care of Alison. The couple welcomes the birth of a baby girl (a boy in the alternate ending), and settle down happily together.

Cast
Seth Rogen as Ben Stone
Katherine Heigl as Alison Scott
Paul Rudd as Pete
Leslie Mann as Debbie Scott
Jason Segel as Jason
Jay Baruchel as Jay
Jonah Hill as Jonah
Martin Starr as Martin
Charlyne Yi as Jodi
Maude Apatow as Sadie
Joanna Kerns as Mrs. Scott
Harold Ramis as Mr. Stone
Alan Tudyk as Jack
Kristen Wiig as Jill
Bill Hader as Brent
Ken Jeong as Dr. Kuni
Tim Bagley as Dr. Pellagrino
Loudon Wainwright as Dr. Everett Howard
J.P. Manoux as Dr. Angelo
Jessica Alba (uncredited) as Herself
Steve Carell (uncredited) as Himself
Andy Dick (uncredited) as Himself
James Franco (uncredited) as Himself
Eva Mendes (uncredited) as Herself
Ryan Seacrest (uncredited) as Himself
Dax Shepard (uncredited) as Himself

Production

Casting
A good portion of the cast members are returning actors from previous Judd Apatow projects. Seth Rogen, Martin Starr, Jason Segel and James Franco all starred in the short-lived, cult television series Freaks and Geeks which Apatow produced. Rogen and Segel would also later star in the Apatow-created Undeclared with Jay Baruchel and Loudon Wainwright III. Paul Feig, who co-created Freaks and Geeks and starred in the Apatow written movie Heavy Weights, also makes a brief cameo as the Fantasy Baseball Guy. Steve Carell, who makes a cameo appearance as himself, co-starred alongside Rogen and Rudd in Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin, as well as appearing in the Apatow-produced Anchorman. Finally, Leslie Mann, who also appeared in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, is married to Apatow.
Anne Hathaway was originally cast as "Alison Scott" in the film, but dropped out due to creative reasons. Apatow wrote that "Hathaway dropped out of the film because she didn't want to allow us to use real footage of a woman giving birth to create the illusion that she is giving birth." Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kate Bosworth auditioned for the part after Hathaway dropped out but ended up losing to Katherine Heigl.
This movie was originally going to be a follow up to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, having Seth Rogen and his team to reprise their roles as the Smart Tech team.

Product placement
In the film, one of the main characters is employed by a web design agency called Jetset Studios. The name and logo shown belong to a real-life online interactive agency for Apatow Productions. Other product endorsements occurred throughout the film from companies such as Sprint Nextel, Apple, Red Bull, Corona beer, Sierra Nevada beer, Pepsi, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Google, Volkswagen, Spider Man 3, MrSkin, Baby Bj?rn , Puma and Seventh Generation, Purely Decadent Dairy Free Ice Cream, and OBEY clothing.

Alleged copyright infringement
Canadian author Rebecca Eckler has written in Maclean's Magazine about the similarities between the movie and her book, Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be, which was released in the U.S. in March 2005. She is pursuing legal action against Apatow and Universal Studios on the basis of copyright infringement. In a public statement, Apatow said, "Anyone who reads the book and sees the movie will instantly know that they are two very different stories about a common experience." Another Canadian author, Patricia Pearson, has also publicly claimed similarities between the film and her novel, Playing House. She has declined to sue.

Reception
Overall Knocked Up was well received by many early critics despite widespread accusations of sexism.

Critical reviews
The Los Angeles Times praised Knocked Up's unexpected, punctuated humorous moments despite its plot inconsistencies, noting that, "probably because the central story doesn't quite jell, it's the loony, incidental throwaway moments that really make an impression." Chris Kaltenbach of The Baltimore Sun acknowledged the comic value of the film in spite of its shortcomings, saying, "Yes, the story line meanders and too many scenes drone on; Knocked Up is in serious need of a good editor. But the laughs are plentiful, and it's the rare movie these days where one doesn't feel guilty about finding the whole thing funny."
Nevertheless, following its release the film had a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 203 reviews (187 fresh, 20 rotten), and early on the film was deemed the best reviewed wide release of 2007 by the Tomatoes' website (although the review did warn that early reviews such as itself could be "over-enthusiastic.") In another such review, Variety magazine, while calling the film predictable, said that Knocked Up was "more explosively funny, more frequently, than nearly any major studio release in recent memory." On the television show Ebert & Roeper, Richard Roeper and guest critic David Edelstein gave Knocked Up a "two big thumbs up" rating, with Roeper calling it "likeable and real," noting that although "at times things drag a little bit.... still Knocked Up earns its sentimental moments."
A more critical review in Time magazine noted that, although a typical Hollywood-style comedic farce, the unexpected short-term success of the film may be more attributable to a sociological phenomenon rather than the quality or uniqueness of the film per se, positing that the movie's shock value, sexual humor and historically taboo themes may have created a brief nationwide discussion in which movie-goers would see the film "so they can join the debate, if only to say it wasn't that good."
The film was #10 on Peter Traver's (of Rolling Stone) list of the Best Movies of 2007, tying with the film Juno, another contemporary film similarly involving an unexpected pregnancy between unwed youths and which the New York Times called "a feminist, girl-powered rejoinder and complement to Knocked Up." Regardless of the validity of multiple copyright infringement allegations leveled against the film, the prominence of nearly identical topics in the general media could similarly suggest the significance of such cultural issues.

Top ten lists
The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.
3rd - Kyle Smith, New York Post
4th - Cole Dabney, coleandbobby.com
4th - Christy Lemire, Associated Press
5th - Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club
6th - David Ansen, Newsweek
8th - Ella Taylor, LA Weekly
9th - Empire
9th - Scott Foundas, LA Weekly (tied with Superbad)
10th - A.O. Scott, The New York Times (tied with Juno and Superbad)
10th - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
10th - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone (tied with Juno)

Accusations of discrimination
Mike White (long time associate of Judd Apatow and screenwriter for School of Rock, Freaks and Geeks, Orange County and Nacho Libre) is said to have been "disenchanted" by Apatow's later films, "objecting to the treatment of women and gay men in Apatow's recent movies," saying of Knocked Up, "'At some point it starts feeling like comedy of the bullies, rather than the bullied.'"
In early reviews, both Slate's Dana Stevens and the Los Angeles Times' Carina Chocano wrote articles noting the sexist attitudes propagated by the film, a topic which was the primary focus of a Slate magazine podcast in which New York editor Emily Nussbaum said: "Alison [Heigl's character] made basically zero sense. She was just a completely inconsistent character.... she was this pleasant, blandly hot, peculiarly tolerant, yet oddly blank nice girl. She seemed to have no actual needs or desires of her own...."
In a later and highly-publicized Vanity Fair interview, lead actor Katherine Heigl admitted that though she enjoyed working with Apatow and Rogen, she had a hard time enjoying the film itself, calling it "a little sexist" and claiming that the film "paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys."
In response producer and director Judd Apatow did not initially deny the validity of such accusations, saying flippantly, "I'm just shocked she [Heigl] used the word shrew. I mean, what is this the sixteen-hundreds?"
Heigl clarified her comments in People magazine, stating that, "My motive was to encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously and to remember that it's a broad comedy," adding that, "Although I stand behind my opinion, I'm disheartened that it has become the focus of my experience with the movie."
Meghan O'Rourke of Slate magazine called Heigl's comments unsurprising, noting "Knocked Up was, as David Denby put it in The New Yorker, the culminating artifact in what had become 'the dominant romantic-comedy trend of the past several years-the slovenly hipster and the female straight arrow.'"
In the wake of mounting accusations of sexism, director Judd Apatow claimed to strive to avoid marginalizing women in his work and to develop authentic female characters. New York Magazine quotes Apatow as admitting, "I think the characters are sexist at times, but it's really about immature people who are afraid of women and relationships and learn to grow up," dismissing Heigl's comments saying that they were "taken out of context," noting, "It reminds people that they need to buy Knocked Up on DVD and judge for themselves." In response to another one of Apatow's remarks regarding sexist accusations (i.e., "If people say that the characters are sexist, I say, yeah, that's what I was going for in the first part of the movie, and then they change.") another article in New York Magazine noted that Apatow was not directly responding to the nature of the accusations, which were not directed at his characters but rather the movie itself, saying, "the characters aren't all that sexist, but the movie kind of is," adding that, "The problems with Knocked Up have been pointed out by many writers..."

Box office performance
The film opened at #2 at the U.S. box office, earning $30,690,990 in its opening weekend. As of December 30, the film has grossed $148.8 million domestically and $70.1 million in foreign territories, totaling 218.9 million. The unexpected financial success of the film (commonly referred to as a "sleeper hit") has been in part attributed to advertising strategies, which caused an estimated doubling in domestic audience attendance.

Awards
On December 16, 2007, the film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best movies of the year, It was one of the two pregnancy comedies on the list (Juno being the other). E! News praised the film's generally unacknowledged success, saying that, "The unplanned pregnancy comedy, shut out of the Golden Globes and passed over by the L.A. and New York critics, was one of 10 films selected Sunday for the American Film Institute's year-end honors."
The 2007 Teen Choice Awards awarded the film "Choice : Comedy". They also gave Ryan Seacrest "Best Hissy Fit", for his brief cameo, where he becomes self-obsessed and complains about rising young talents.
Judd Apatow was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Music
Strange Weirdos: Music From And Inspired By The Film Knocked Up, an original soundtrack album, was composed for the film by folk singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and Joe Henry.
In addition to Wainwright's tracks, there were approximately 40 songs featured in the motion picture that were not included on the official soundtrack on Concord Records.

DVD Details
Several separate Region 1 DVD versions were released on September 25, 2007. There was the theatrical R-Rated version, an "Unrated and Unprotected" version (fullscreen and widescreen available independently), a two-disc "Extended & Unrated" collector's edition, and an HD-DVD "Unrated and Unprotected" version. On December 26, 2007 the "Extended & Unrated" version was released in Region 2.

Shooter (399.960)

Shooter is a 2007 action/conspiracy thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua. The film is based on the novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter. Shooter was released on March 23, 2007. The film's DVD was released on June 26, 2007, reaching the top of the sales charts.

Synopsis
Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) is a retired United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper who left the Marines after a betrayal by the CIA which left his best friend and spotter, Donnie Fenn, dead. A group that leads him to believe they are federal agents, approaches him to help entrap a potential assassin, who may attempt to shoot the President at one of three possible locations. Swagger is framed, and afterwards every law enforcement agency is after him, and he is forced to use his military training so that justice prevails.
Shooter was filmed mainly in British Columbia, Canada.

Plot
Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg), retired USMC Force Recon Marine Sniper, is one of the few snipers in the world whose sharpshooting abilities allow him to "take out a target from a mile away." He reluctantly leaves a self-imposed exile from his isolated Wyoming mountain home at the request of Colonel Isaac Johnson (Glover) and a team of agents. Johnson appeals to his expertise and patriotism to help track down a purported presidential assassin who plans on shooting the president from a great distance with a high powered rifle. Johnson gives him a list of 3 sites where the President is scheduled to visit so Swagger could determine if an attempt could be made at any of them.
Swagger assesses each of the locations given to him by Johnson and determines that a site in Philadelphia would be most conducive to a long range assassination attempt. He passes this information to Johnson, who purportedly arranges for a response.
In Philadelphia, the Ethiopian archbishop is instead assassinated, while standing next to the president, during a speaking engagement, while Swagger is consulting with the group of Johnson's agents to find the rumored assassin. Swagger is shot by a police officer, but manages to escape, realizing that he has been framed. The agents tell the police and public that Swagger is the shooter, and stage a massive manhunt for the injured sniper. A lengthy chase scene takes place, but Swagger manages to escape and take refuge with Donnie Fenn's widow Sarah Fenn (Mara). She saves his life by cleaning and stitching Swagger's gunshot wounds, and a healing Swagger later convinces her to help him contact rookie FBI agent Nick Memphis (Pe?a). Memphis was blamed for allowing Swagger's escape, and in the process of being disciplined for negligence has independently learned that Swagger may have been framed for the assassination by rogue elements conspiring with a politician.
Once the rogue agents realize their secret has been compromised, they kidnap Memphis and attempt to stage his faked suicide. Swagger tails the agents and kills Memphis' captors with a .22 and homemade silencer. Swagger and Memphis then join forces against the rogue agents and visit a firearms expert living in Athens, Tennessee. Together they plot to capture who they think is the real assassin, an ex-sniper allied with Colonel Johnson. Once they find him in Lynchburg, Virginia, he commits suicide after revealing that the archbishop was actually the real target of the assassins, and he was murdered in order to prevent him from speaking out against U.S. involvement in the genocide of an Ethiopian village. The genocide occurred in order to advance the aims of a consortium of American corporate oil interests headed by corrupt U.S. Senator Charles Meachum (Beatty). Swagger records the ex-sniper's confession as proof of the involvement in the African genocide, Swagger and Memphis escape from the trap set to ensnare them by killing all 24 mercenaries.
Meanwhile, other rogue mercenaries have found and captured Sarah Fenn and tie her up in order to entrap Swagger. With his new evidence and cat-and-mouse strategy, Swagger and Memphis are able to rescue her when Colonel Johnson and Senator Meachum arrange a meeting to exchange their hostage for Swagger's evidence of their wrongdoing. After killing several enemy snipers in an isolated mountain range, Swagger and Memphis finally surrender to the FBI. Later appearing in a closed meeting with the head of the FBI and the United States Attorney General present, he clears his name by loading a round into his rifle (which is present as evidence as it was supposedly used in the killing), he then aims the rifle at the Colonel and pulls the trigger, but the shot isn't fired. Swagger explains that every time he leaves his house, he replaces the firing pins from all his rifles with slightly shorter pins, rendering them unable to fire until he replaces them again. Unfortunately, although Swagger is exonerated, there is no solid evidence to charge Colonel Johnson and he walks free. Afterwards, Swagger kills both the Colonel and the Senator in the Senator's vacation house, as well as one of the Colonel's aides and two bodyguards, before breaking open a gas valve. The fire in the fireplace ignites the gas, blowing up the house. The final scene shows Swagger getting into a car with Fenn and driving away.

Differences between the novel and the screenplay
The greatest difference between Point of Impact and Shooter is that Swagger in the novel is in his 40s, a veteran of the war in Vietnam, while in the film Swagger was a younger veteran of 1990s combat in Ethiopia. Sarah is likewise much younger.
Otherwise, the film largely follows the novel, though several subplots are eliminated or modified for the sake of brevity. The character of Nick Memphis is reduced from a major, well-developed character (also a trained sniper) to a sidekick, and his relationships with supervisor Howard D. Utey and a female coworker are barely addressed. Utey's last name is even changed, eliminating the "Howdy Duty" plot line. In the novel, Utey was connected to the conspiracy, and attempts to influence Memphis' testimony in the climactic trial. In the film, Howard is little more than a bit part. Dobbins, the psychologist, loses all depth of character -- he is killed in the "final comeuppance" scene. In the novel, the Colonel is killed during the fight on the mountaintop, as is the wheelchair-bound sniper.
The ultimate climax in the novel is Swagger's very public trial, in which Swagger's innocence is proven the same way, but in front of a media-packed courtroom (with Howard D. Utey being the big loser). The film features a secret hearing, with the climax taking place in the Senator's cabin.

Sniper weapons, tactics, and technical accuracy
Shooter features some of the most realistic sniper tactics displayed in a movie at the time of its release. The filmmakers employed former U.S. Marine scout sniper Patrick Garrity, in order to train Mark Wahlberg in accurate sniper tactics. As Wahlberg was already in excellent physical condition, Garrity submitted him to a very rigorous and realistic sniper training. Crucial to the movie was for Wahlberg to learn shooting both left and right handed (the actor is left handed), as he had to switch shooting posture throughout the movie, due to Swagger's sustained injuries. He was also trained to adjust a weapon's scope, judge effects of wind to a shot, master rapid bolt manipulation and develop special breathing skills. His training concluded with extreme distance shooting (up to 1100 yards), and the use of ghillie suits. Following the success of Wahlberg's training, Fuqua was impressed enough to appoint Garrity as the film's military technical advisor.
Throughout the film Swagger uses an array of sniper weapons, among which are the USMC M40A3 rifle and Barrett M107 sniper rifles in the African opening sequences, Cheyenne Tactical M-200 Intervention in .408 CheyTac used to shoot the Dinty Moore stew can and Remington 700P in .300 Winchester Magnum. Handguns used by Swagger include a Beretta 92 used in the fight against the 24 mercenaries and a Colt M1911-A1 in the final shootout scene.
The level of technical accuracy in the film is high. Such things as the use of sugar and other supermarket supplies for Swagger's medical care were portrayed in a realistic manner. When saving Memphis, Swagger makes a field-expedient sound suppressor by mounting an empty plastic bottle on the rifle muzzle.

Cast
Mark Wahlberg - GySgt. Bob Lee Swagger
Michael Pe?a - Special Agent Nick Memphis
Danny Glover - Col. Isaac Johnson
Kate Mara - Sarah Fenn
Elias Koteas - Jack Payne
Rhona Mitra - Special Agent Alourdes Galindo
Jonathan Walker - Louis Dobbler
Justin Louis - Special Agent Howard Purnell
Tate Donovan - Russ Turner
Rade ?erbed?ija - Michael Sandor
Ned Beatty - Senator Charles F. Meachum
Alan C. Peterson - Off. Stanley Timmons
Lane Garrison - LCpl. Donnie Fenn
Brian Markinson - Attorney General Russert
Levon Helm - Mr. Rate

Pirates Of The.Caribbean At World's End (379.749)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is an Academy Award nominated 2007 adventure film, the third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The plot follows the crew of the Black Pearl rescuing Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), from Davy Jones' Locker, and then preparing to fight the East India Trading Company, led by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who plan to extinguish piracy.
Gore Verbinski directed the film, as he did with the previous two. It was shot in two shoots during 2005 and 2006, the former simultaneously with the preceding film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The film was released in English-speaking countries on May 24, 2007 after Disney opted to move the release date to a day earlier than originally planned. Critical reviews were mixed, but At World's End was a box office hit, becoming the most successful film of 2007, grossing approximately $960 million worldwide, and making it the second most successful in the series, behind Dead Man's Chest.

Plot
Lord Cutler Beckett begins executing anyone associated with piracy and commands Davy Jones to destroy all pirate ships, as he now has power over Jones via possession of his heart. To confront Beckett's assault the sentenced pirates sing a song which summons the nine pirate lords making up the (fourth) Brethren Court to convene on Shipwreck Cove. However, Captain Jack Sparrow, pirate lord of the Caribbean, never appointed his successor, and therefore must be present. Captain Barbossa leads Will, Elizabeth, Tia Dalma and some of the original crew from the Black Pearl to rescue Jack. Sao Feng, pirate lord of Singapore, possesses a map to World's End, the gateway to Davy Jones' Locker. Elizabeth and Barbossa attempt to bargain with Feng for the map and a ship, but Feng is furious that Will had already attempted to steal it. The British Royal Navy, led by Mercer, acting under orders from Beckett, suddenly attack Feng's bathhouse. During the ensuing chaos, Will strikes a bargain with Feng for the Black Pearl in exchange for Sparrow, whom Feng wants to turn over to Beckett, presumably in exchange for immunity from Davy Jones' attacks on pirates. Will wants the Black Pearl to rescue his father from the Flying Dutchman.
The crew journey through a frozen sea and sail over an enormous waterfall into the Locker. On board Gibbs begins to explain the mysterious "flash of green light during the last glimpse of sunset", whereupon Pintel interjects, and completes the tale; it means that a person is returning from the land of the dead. Aboard the Pearl, Sparrow is suffering hallucinations about an entire crew comprising himself, each representing a different facet of his character. The Pearl is dragged to an ocean shore by crab-like creatures (assumed to be sent by Tia Dalma), and Jack is reunited with his old shipmates, though he is initially reluctant to rejoin a crew who, among them, include four people who had attempted to kill him in the past. As the Black Pearl crew seek an escape route, they see dead souls floating under the water. Tia Dalma reveals that Davy Jones was appointed by his lover, Calypso, goddess of the sea, to ferry the dead to the next world. In return, Jones was allowed to step upon land for one day every ten years to be with his love, but when she failed to meet him, the scorned captain abandoned his duty and transformed into a monster. Elizabeth sees her father, Governor Weatherby Swann's soul pass by in a boat; Beckett murdered him. A distraught Elizabeth vows revenge.
The Black Pearl remains trapped in the Locker until Sparrow deciphers the map, realizing the ship must be capsized to return to the living world. They overturn the ship at sunset, upturn back into the living world as the sun is rising, and witness a flash of green light, marking Jack's return to the living. Upon their return, Sao Feng attacks, revealing his agreement with Will. However, he betrays Will, having made a deal with Cutler Beckett to hand over the crew and keep the Black Pearl. Aboard the Endeavor, Sparrow refuses to divulge to Beckett where the Brethren Court will convene. Beckett double-crosses Feng by keeping the Black Pearl for his armada, and in turn, Feng gives Sparrow the ship back, while taking Elizabeth, whom he believes is Calypso. Aboard his warship, the Empress, Feng tells Elizabeth that it was the first Brethren Court who trapped Calypso into human form so they could control the seas. Feng is mortally wounded when Davy Jones attacks his ship. Before dying, he appoints Elizabeth his heir, making her captain and the pirate lord of Singapore. She and the crew are imprisoned in Flying Dutchman's brig. Also aboard is Admiral James Norrington, who betrays Beckett and frees Elizabeth and her crew, who escape back to their ship, although Norrington is killed when Bootstrap Bill discovers him.
Will leaves a trail of corpses for Beckett's ship to follow. Sparrow catches him and tosses him overboard, but he first gives him his magical compass, apparently intending for Beckett to find them. Will is picked up by Beckett's ship, and it is revealed that it was Davy Jones who masterminded Calypso's imprisonment by the pirate lords. At Shipwreck Island, the nine pirate lords disagree over freeing Calypso. Barbossa calls upon Captain Teague Sparrow, Keeper of the Pirata Codex and Jack's father, to reveal that a Pirate King is needed to declare war. Elizabeth, newly ordained Pirate lord of Singapore, is elected "Pirate King" after Sparrow's vote breaks a stalemate (each of the other pirate lords voted for themselves). She orders the pirates to fight Beckett. During a preceding parlay with Beckett and Jones, Elizabeth and Barbossa swap Sparrow for Will.
Barbossa tricks the other pirate lords into giving him their pieces of eight, which he needs to free Calypso, who is bound in human form as Tia Dalma. When Barbossa releases her in a ritual, her fury over Jones' betrayal unleashes a violent maelstrom just as the Navy's massive fleet appears on the horizon. During the battle, Sparrow escapes the brig of the Flying Dutchman and steals the Dead Man's Chest. Meanwhile, Davy Jones kills Mercer and obtains the key to the chest, which Jack then steals back from Jones. As the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman face off near the center of a massive maelstrom, Will proposes to Elizabeth. They insist Barbossa marry them as Captain of the Black Pearl. Barbossa agrees, marries them and continues fighting as they exchange vows and kiss in the ensuing chaos. Will then boards the Flying Dutchman to retrieve the chest. When Davy Jones mortally wounds Will aboard his ship, Bootstrap Bill attacks Jones. Sparrow, who wanted the heart for his own immortality, places his broken sword in Will's hand and helps him stab Jones' heart, killing Jones and making Will the Flying Dutchman's captain. After Jack tears Elizabeth away from the seemingly dead body of her husband, they escape the Flying Dutchman. The crew of the Dutchman cut out Will's heart and place it into the Dead Man's Chest: the crewmen regain their humanity, and Will and Sparrow captain the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl respectively to destroy Beckett's ship, the Endeavour, killing Beckett in the process and forcing the enemy fleet to retreat.
Although Will has been saved and the Dutchman crew has regained their humanity, he must now spend the next ten years at sea. He and Elizabeth have one day together and consummate their marriage on an island before Will must leave for his new life. Will gives Elizabeth the Dead Man's Chest for safekeeping. Shortly after, Barbossa again commandeers the Black Pearl, stranding Jack and Gibbs in Tortuga. Having anticipated Barbossa's deception, however, Sparrow has already removed the map's middle that leads to the Fountain of Youth. In a post-credits scene set ten years later, Elizabeth is standing on top of a cliff with her and Will's nine-year old son near sunset, when a flash of green light is seen in the sky. Out in the bay, Will appears aboard the Flying Dutchman, sailing towards his family. The screenwriters have said that because Elizabeth stayed true to Will for the interim 10 years and he continued to ferry souls to the next world, the curse was lifted and he becomes free of the Flying Dutchman. This is contradicted by the "Pirates Secrets Revealed" leaflet insert in the DVD release, which states that Will is bound to the Flying Dutchman forever and may only step onto land once every ten years.

Cast
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow: Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea, he was tricked by Elizabeth Swann into being swallowed by the Kraken to save the crew. Sparrow is trapped in Davy Jones' Locker until a rescue party arrives, whereupon he returns to the living world to battle his nemesis, Davy Jones. While in the Locker, he suffers hallucinations, seeing multiple versions of himself, each representing a different facet of his personality.
Orlando Bloom as William "Will" Turner Jr.: A blacksmith turned pirate, and the son of the pirate "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, a crewman on the Flying Dutchman, commanded by Davy Jones. Will eventually becomes the Captain of the "Flying Dutchman" after killing Davy Jones. Will hopes to free his father, and marry Elizabeth.
Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann: Governor Swann's daughter and engaged to Will. She tricked Jack Sparrow into being swallowed by the Kraken to save herself and the Black Pearl crew. Jack is at first unable to forgive her for sending him to his doom, but eventually relents.
Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa: Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, he was the first mate of the Black Pearl under Jack's command before leading a mutiny. Although he was killed by Sparrow a year before, he was brought back by Tia Dalma, Barbossa returns to lead the Black Pearl and many more Pirates to the World's End. Rush said that in the film, Barbossa becomes more of a cunning politician. Depp said he was pleased he got more screentime with Rush than in the first film. "We're like a couple of old ladies fighting over their knitting needles", he said.
Bill Nighy provides motion capture and voice acting for Davy Jones: Ghostly ruler of the ocean realm, captain of The Flying Dutchman, and to whom Jack owed a blood debt. James Norrington captured his heart, and as a result, he is now trapped into service to Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company, who forces him to kill the Kraken. During a brief reunion, Tia Dalma shortly restores his former human form.
Tom Hollander as Lord Cutler Beckett: Chairman of the East India Trading Company and the main villain of the film. Beckett possesses Davy Jones' heart, thus controlling the world's oceans and seven seas.
Naomie Harris as Tia Dalma/Calypso: A witch who travels with the Black Pearl crew to rescue Jack, she also raised Hector Barbossa from the dead at the conclusion of Dead Man's Chest and is the woman Davy Jones fell in love with. She is a goddess who was bound in human form by the first Brethren Court, because they believed that the power of the seas should belong to man and not to her. She has the ability to raise the dead, imply curses, voodoo and witchcraft, and is in touch with the elements when in human form. When unleashed, she becomes numerous crabs and a maelstrom and is again able to control the seas and weather.
Stellan Skarsg?rd as William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner Sr.: Will's father, he is cursed to serve an eternity aboard The Flying Dutchman. As he slowly loses his humanity to the sea, he becomes mentally confused, barely recognizing his own son.
Chow Yun-Fat as Captain Sao Feng: Pirate Lord of the South China Sea, he captains the Chinese ship The Empress. He has a bad history with Sparrow and is reluctant to aid in his rescue from Davy Jones' Locker. "Sao Feng" means "Howling Wind" in Chinese. Chow was confirmed to be playing Feng in July 2005 while production of the second film was on hiatus. Chow relished playing the role, even helping out crew members with props.
Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs: Jack's loyal and superstitious first mate.
Jack Davenport as James Norrington: Promoted to the rank of admiral, he has an alliance with Lord Beckett and the East India Trading Company after stealing the heart of Davy Jones and bargaining it to Cutler Beckett in exchange for his career. He is also Elizabeth's former fianc? and still loves her.
Lee Arenberg as Pintel: A slightly mischievous, stolid member of Jack's crew.
Mackenzie Crook as Ragetti: A Black Pearl crewman and Pintel's eccentric companion who wears a wooden eye.
Jonathan Pryce as Weatherby Swann: Governor of Port Royal, Jamaica. He is Elizabeth's father and is trapped in Beckett's service.
Keith Richards as Captain Teague: A pirate and the Keeper of the Pirata Codex for the Brethren Court. He is Jack Sparrow's father, and keeps Jack's dead mother's shrunken head with him. Richards, who partially inspired Johnny Depp's portrayal of Sparrow, was meant to appear in Dead Man's Chest, but there was no room for him in the story, and he almost missed filming a scene in At World's End following injuries sustained by falling out of a palm tree. In June 2006, Verbinski finally managed to make room in Richards' schedule to shoot that September.

Production
See also: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest#Production
Following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl's success in 2003, the cast and crew signed on for two sequels to be shot back-to-back. For the third film, director Gore Verbinski wanted to return the tone to that of a character piece after using the second film to keep the plot moving. Inspired by the real-life confederation of pirates, Elliott and Rossio looked at historical figures and created fictional characters from them to expand the scope beyond the main cast. Finally embellishing their mythology, Calypso was introduced, going full circle to Barbossa's mention of "heathen gods" that created the curse in the first film.
Parts of the third film were shot during location filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, a long shoot which finished on March 1, 2006. During August 2005, the Singapore sequence was shot. The set built on Stage 12 of the Universal backlot, and comprised 40 structures within an 80 by 130-foot tank that was 3? feet deep. As 18th century Singapore is not a well-documented era, the filmmakers chose to use an Expressionist style based on Chinese and Malaysian cities of the same period. The design of the city was also intended by Verbinski to parody spa culture, with fungi growing throughout the set. Continuing this natural feel, the floorboards of Sao Feng's bathhouse had to be cut by hand, and real humidity was created by the combination of gallons of water and the lighting equipment on the set.
Filming resumed in August 2006 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and continued until early 2007 for seventy days off the California coast, as all the shooting required in the Caribbean had been conducted in 2005. Davy Jones' Locker was shot at Utah, and it was shot in a monochromatic way to represent its different feeling from the usual colorful environment of a pirate. The climactic battle was shot in a former air hanger at Palmdale, California, where the cast had to wear wetsuits underneath their costumes on angle-tipped ships. The water-drenched set was kept in freezing temperatures, to make sure bacteria did not come inside and infect the crew. A second unit shot at Niagara Falls. Industrial Light & Magic did 750 effects shots, while Digital Domain also took on 300. They spent just five months finishing the special effects. The film posed numerous challenges in creating water-based effects.
Filming finished on January 10, 2007 in Molokai, and the first assembly cut was three hours. Twenty minutes were removed, not including end credits, though producer Jerry Bruckheimer maintained that the long running time was needed to make the final battle work in terms of build-up. Hans Zimmer composed the score as he did for the previous film, composing eight new motifs including a new love theme for the At World's End soundtrack. He scored scenes as the editors began work, so as to influence their choice of cutting to the music. Gore Verbinski helped on the score. He played the guitar in the parley scene between Barbossa, Sparrow, Elizabeth and Will, Davy Jones and Cutler Beckett. He also co-wrote the song "Hoist the Colors" with Zimmer.

Release
The world premiere of At World's End was held on May 19, 2007, at Disneyland, home of the ride that inspired the movie and where the first two films in the trilogy debuted. Disneyland offered the general public a chance to attend the premiere through the sale of tickets, priced at $1,500 each, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation charity. Just a few weeks before the film's release, Walt Disney Pictures decided to move the United States opening of At World's End from screenings Friday, May 25, 2007 to Thursday at 8 PM, May 24, 2007. The film opened in 4,362 theaters domestically, beating Spider-Man 3's theater opening record by 110.

Marketing
After a muted publicity campaign, the trailer finally debuted at ShoWest 2007. It was shown on March 18, 2007 at a special screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl named "Pirates Ultimate Fan Event", and was then shown on March 19 during Dancing with the Stars, before it debuted online. Action figures by NECA were released in late April. Board games such as a Collector's Edition Chess Set, Monopoly Game and Pirates Dice Game (Liar's Dice) were also released. Master Replicas have made sculptures of characters and replicas of jewelery and the Dead Man's Chest. A video game with the same title as the film was released on May 22, 2007 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PSP, PlayStation 2, PC and Nintendo DS formats. The soundtrack and its remix were also released on May 22.

Censorship
At least one nation's official censors have ordered scenes cut from the movie. According to Xinhua, the state news agency of the People's Republic of China, 10 minutes of footage containing Chow Yun-Fat's portrayal of Singaporean pirate Sao Feng have been trimmed from versions of the film which may be shown in China. Chow is onscreen for 20 minutes in the uncensored theatrical release of the film. No official reason for the censorship was given, but unofficial sources within China have indicated that the character offered a negative and stereotypical portrayal of the Chinese people.

Home video
The one-disc and two-disc versions of the Region 2 DVD were released in the UK on November 19, 2007, on both standard DVD and Blu-Ray formats. The movie was released on DVD in Australia on November 21, 2007, and released on December 4, 2007 in the United States and Canada. The 2-Disc DVD is a "limited time only" release, in contrast, the Blu-Ray release will stay. The initial Blu-Ray release was misprinted on the back of the box as 1080i, although Disney confirmed it to be 1080p. Disney has decided not to recall the misprinted units, but will fix the error on subsequent printings.

Reaction

Box office
On May 24, 2007 the film earned US$58 million worldwide, and earned the fifth-biggest three-day opening yet, breaking the Memorial Day weekend record of X-Men: The Last Stand, with a domestic gross of $142 million. The addition of the Thursday screenings brought the opening total to $156 million. Elsewhere, it grossed $205 million, bringing the worldwide opening gross to $332 million. By June 13, 2007, the film had grossed $500 million overseas in 20 days, breaking Spider-Man 3's record for reaching that amount the fastest. The film has grossed an estimated $960 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing film of 2007, and the fifth-highest grossing film worldwide.

Awards and critical reception
As with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, At World's End received mixed reviews. The most common criticism of the film from reviewers was that the plot was too convoluted for them to follow. In review aggregate websites, At World's End has a "rotten" rating of 45% on Rotten Tomatoes and 50% at Metacritic. Favorable reviewer Alex Billington noted, "This is just how the film industry works nowadays; critics give bad opinions, the public usually has a differing opinion, and all is well in the world of Hollywood since the studios made their millions anyway." In contrast to the reviews, the film was voted "Best Movie" and "Best Threequel" at the People's Choice Awards. Depp and Knightley also won awards for their performances.
The film has 2 nominations for the 80th Academy Awards in the Visual Effects and Makeup categories.
Drew McWeeny was an exception, praising its complexity as giving it repeat-viewing value, and its conclusion as "perhaps the most canny move it makes." Todd Gilchrist found the story too similar to other cinematic trilogies such as Star Wars but praised the production values. Brian Lowry felt that "unlike last year's bloated sequel, it at least possesses some semblance of a destination, making it slightly more coherent - if no less numbing during the protracted finale." Total Film praised the performances but complained that the twists and exposition made it hard to care for the characters. Edward Douglas liked the film but had issues with its pacing, while Blake Wright criticized the Davy Jones' Locker and Calypso segments. James Berardinelli found it the weakest of the trilogy as "the last hour offers adventure as rousing as anything provided in either of the previous installments... which doesn't account for the other 108 minutes of this gorged, self-indulgent, and uneven production." Peter Travers praised Richards and Rush but felt "there can indeed be too much of a good thing," regarding Depp's character. Travers later declared the movie to be one of the worst films of the year.

Ratatouille (359.904)

Ratatouille is a traditional French Proven?al stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille ni?oise. It is made famous in the Pixar movie - "Ratatouille". (2007)

French version
The word Ratatouille comes from "touiller," which means to toss food. Ratatouille originated in the area around present day Nice. It was originally a poor farmer's dish, prepared in the summer with fresh summer vegetables. The original Ratatouille Ni?oise used only courgettes (zucchini), tomatoes, green and red peppers (bell peppers), onion, and garlic. The dish known today as ratatouille adds aubergine (eggplant) to that mixture.
French ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but also may be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by rice, or simple French bread). Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, zucchini (courgettes), aubergine (eggplant), bell peppers (poivron), some herbes de Provence. All the ingredients are saut?ed lightly in olive oil.
There are two common ways to prepare ratatouille. The ingredients can be cooked separately and combined together towards the end of the cooking time; alternatively, the garlic, onions, zucchini, aubergine, and peppers can be cooked together for an extended time over low heat, and combined with the tomatoes when soft and beginning to brown. The key to either method of preparation is making sure the vegetables, and especially the aubergine, are cooked sufficiently.
When ratatouille is used as a filling for savory crepes or to fill an omelette, the pieces are sometimes cut smaller than in the illustration. Also, unnecessary moisture is reduced by straining the liquid with a colander into a bowl, reducing it in a hot pan, then adding one or two tablespoons of reduced liquid back into the vegetables.

Comparable dishes in other cuisines
In the Philippines, two dishes called pinakbet and dinengdeng share a similar look and very similar ingredients with ratatouille. Both dishes include eggplants, tomatoes and onions among others and bear a striking similarity to ratatouille. There is a Maltese version of ratatouille called kapunata, which is very similar to its French counterpart. Kapunata is made with tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant, and garlic. Olives and capers are optional but common additions to this recipe, especially when it is served with grilled fish. A similar recipe is called caponata in Italian, while a comparable Spanish dish is called pisto and the Hungarians have lecs? (the vegetarian version without kolbasz). Also there are a Bulgarian version of ratatouille named guivech and a Romanian one which is called ghiveci. A similar dish in Southern Slavic cuisine called ?uve?, but in most versions it contains green beans and rice. It's often served as a side dish with grilled meat. The Greeks have a similar dish called briami, which typically includes potatoes. Two comparable Turkish dishes, imam bay?ld? (which translates to: "the imam swooned"), uses small eggplants sliced lengthwise as outer shells for an aromatic vegetable filling and t?rl? (translated: "vegetable cassarole"), uses a mixture of various vegetables. Similar filled eggplant exists in Venetian and Dalmatian/Croatian cuisine, but it includes salted sardines or anchovies. American chef Thomas Keller invented a contemporary variation, confit byaldi, for the 2007 animated film Ratatouille.

300 (358.226)

300 is a 2007 film adaptation of the graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller, and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film is directed by Zack Snyder with Frank Miller attached as an executive producer and consultant, and was shot mostly with bluescreen to duplicate the imagery of the original comic book.
Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fight to the last man against Persian King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his army of over one million soldiers, while in Sparta, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) attempts to rally support for her husband. The story is framed by a voice-over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios (David Wenham). Through this narrative technique, various fantastical creatures are introduced, placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy.
300 was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters in the United States on March 9, 2007, and on DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD on July 31, 2007. The film broke box office records, although critics were divided over its look and style. Some acclaimed it as an original achievement, while others criticized it for favoring visuals over characterization and its controversial depiction of the ancient Persians.

Plot
A Spartan named Dilios narrates of the young Leonidas undergoing his childhood training, explaining the rigors of Spartan life. Leonidas is cast out into the wild, and survives the harsh winter to return to his home, when he is crowned King. Dilios then tells the story of the Persian messengers arriving at Sparta and demanding Sparta's submission to King Xerxes. Outraged and offended at their behavior, King Leonidas kicks the messenger into a pit; the other messengers suffer the same fate. Resolving to face the Persians, Leonidas visits the Oracle, proposing a strategy to repel the numerically superior enemy, and offers the priests a customary payment in gold. The priests, called Ephors, having already been bribed by Xerxes, interpret the Oracle's message to mean that Sparta should not go to war, so as to not interrupt the sacred Carneian festival.
Despite the warning, Leonidas gathers 300 of his best soldiers to fight the Persians, selecting only those who have already sired male children, so that their family name can continue even after their death. As they march north, they are joined by a group of Arcadians and other Greeks. Arriving at the narrow cliffs of Thermopylae (referred to as the "Hot Gates"), in sight of the Persian army, they build a wall to contain the Persians' advance immediately in front of their position. Ephialtes, a hunchbacked Spartan whose parents had fled to save him from customary infanticide, approaches Leonidas, requesting to redeem his father's name in battle, and warning him about a secret goat path that the Persians could use to outflank them, and surround them. Leonidas turns him away because he is unable to properly hold the shield, and would therefore create a weak spot in the phalanx.
Before the battle starts, the Persians ask that the 300 drop their arms. Leonidas responds: "Persians! Come and get them!" The Spartans use the phalanx formation, the narrow terrain, and their fighting skill with shield, spear and sword to effectively fight off numerically superior waves of attackers, driving the regular Persian infantry off of a cliff and withstanding a cavalry charge without any losses. Xerxes, impressed after the two armies' first engagement, personally approaches Leonidas and attempts to bribe him with wealth and power in exchange for his surrender. The Spartan king declines, saying that he will instead make the "God King" bleed. The Spartans then face the Immortals, losing a few of their number to the Persian elite guards but still defeating them, with Leonidas personally killing the Uber-Immortal. The Spartans prevail over other types of troops from the vast reaches of the Persian empire, including Mongolian barbarians and their rhinos, soldiers with explosive grenades, and Indian war elephants. However, their last victory is overshadowed by the death of Captain Artemis' eldest son Astinos. Two days after the fighting begins, an embittered Ephialtes reveals the location of the goat path to Xerxes, having been promised a lucrative and powerful position in the Persian Empire.
Back in Sparta, Queen Gorgo, upon the advice of a loyal councilman, attempts to enlist the influential Theron to help her persuade the Spartan council to send reinforcements to Leonidas. Theron agrees to help, but demands that Gorgo submit sexually to him; Gorgo reluctantly consents to his advances. Meanwhile, the Greeks realize that Ephialtes has betrayed them, and the Arcadians decide to retreat in the face of certain death. The Spartans refuse to follow, obedient to their law. Leonidas orders only one man, Dilios, to retreat and use his rhetorical skills to tell the story of the 300 to the Spartan people, ensuring that they be remembered. Dilios reluctantly leaves with the Arcadians. At Sparta, Queen Gorgo appears in front of the council, but is not supported by Theron, who furthermore accuses her of adultery. The Queen, enraged at this betrayal, snatches a sword from a nearby soldier and kills Theron. When Persian coins fall from his purse, the Council denounces him as a traitor and unites against Persia.
At Thermopylae, the Persians have surrounded the 300 on all sides. Xerxes's general demands their surrender, saying that Leonidas may keep his title as King of Sparta and become warlord of all Greece, answerable only to Xerxes. Ephialtes begs him to do so as well; Leonidas quips back "may you live forever" (the ultimate Spartan insult, as they wish to die in battle). After feigning submission Leonidas orders his man to cut down the general, causing Xerxes to order his troops to attack. The remaining Spartans are killed in the hail of arrows; Leonidas finally falls, but not before delivering on his promise to "make the 'God King' bleed", wounding him on the cheek with a thrown spear. The Persian king is visibly shaken by this reminder of his own mortality. Dilios eventually returns to Sparta and inspires the council with the bravery of the 300.
Dilios finishes his tale on a new battlefield surrounded by raptly listening soldiers. He concludes that the Persian army, who lost countless numbers defeating a mere 300 Spartans a year earlier, must now be terrified to face 10,000 Spartans and 30,000 Greeks from the other city-states. The roused Greek host charges the Persian army, beginning the Battle of Plataea.

Cast

Production
Producer Gianni Nunnari was not the only person planning a film about the Battle of Thermopylae; director Michael Mann already planned a film of the battle based on the book Gates of Fire. Nunnari discovered Frank Miller's graphic novel 300, which impressed him enough to acquire the film rights. 300 was jointly produced by Nunnari and Mark Canton, and Michael B. Gordon wrote the script. Director Zack Snyder was hired in June 2004 as he had attempted to make a film on Miller's novel before making his debut with the remake of Dawn of the Dead, Snyder then got Screenwriter Kurt Johnstad to rewrite Gordon's script for production and Frank Miller was retained as consultant and executive producer.
The film is a shot-for-shot adaptation of the comic book, similar to the film adaptation of Sin City. Snyder photocopied panels from the comic book, from which he planned the preceding and succeeding shots. "It was a fun process for me... to have a frame as a goal to get to," he said. Like the comic book, the adaptation also used the character Dilios as a narrator. Snyder used this narrative technique to show the audience that the surreal "Frank Miller world" of 300 was related from a subjective perspective. By utilizing Dilios' gift of storytelling, he is able to introduce fantasy elements into the film, explaining that "Dilios is a guy who knows how not to wreck a good story with truth." Snyder also added the sub-plot in which Queen Gorgo attempts to rally support for her husband.
Two months of pre-production were required to create hundreds of shields, spears and swords, some of which were recycled from Troy and Alexander. An animatronic wolf and thirteen animatronic horses were also created. The actors trained alongside the stuntmen, and even Snyder joined in. Upwards of 600 costumes were created for the film, as well as extensive prosthetics for various characters and the corpses of Persian soldiers.
300 entered active production on October 17, 2005 in Montreal, and was shot over the course of sixty days in chronological order with a budget of $60 million. Employing the digital backlot technique, Snyder shot at the now-defunct Icestorm Studios in Montreal using bluescreens. Butler said that while he didn't feel constrained by Snyder's direction, fidelity to the comic imposed certain limitations on his performance. Wenham said there were times when Snyder wanted to precisely capture iconic moments from the comic book, and other times when he gave actors freedom "to explore within the world and the confines that had been set". Headey said of her experience with the bluescreens, "It's very odd, and emotionally, there's nothing to connect to apart from another actor." Only one scene, in which horses travel across the countryside, was shot outdoors. The film was an intensely physical production, and Butler pulled an arm tendon and developed a foot drop.
Post-production was handled by Montreal's Meteor Studios and Hybride Technologies filled in the bluescreen footage with more than 1500 visual effects shots. Visual effects supervisor Chris Watts and production designer Jim Bissell created a process dubbed "The Crush," which allowed the Meteor artists to manipulate the colors by increasing the contrast of light and dark. Certain sequences were desaturated and tinted to establish different moods. Ghislain St-Pierre, who led the team of artists, described the effect: "Everything looks realistic, but it has a kind of a gritty illustrative feel." Various computer programs, including Maya, RenderMan and RealFlow, were used to create the "spraying blood." The post-production lasted for a year and was handled by a total of ten special effects companies.

Soundtrack
In July 2005, composer Tyler Bates had begun work on the film, describing the score as having "beautiful themes on the top and large choir," but "tempered with some extreme heaviness." The composer had scored for a test scene that the director wanted to show to Warner Bros. to illustrate the path of the project. Bates said that the score had "a lot of weight and intensity in the low end of the percussion" that Snyder found agreeable to the film. The score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and features the vocals of Azam Ali. A standard edition and a special edition of the soundtrack containing 25 tracks was released on March 6, 2007, with the special edition containing a 16-page booklet and three two-sided trading cards.
The score has given rise to some controversy in the film composer community, garnering criticism for its striking similarity to several other recent soundtracks, including James Horner and Gabriel Yared's work for the film Troy. The heaviest borrowings are allegedly from Elliot Goldenthal's 1999 score for Titus. "Remember Us," from 300, is identical in parts to the "Finale" from Titus, and "Returns a King" is similar to the cue "Victorius Titus." Commentators have also noted that the melody of "Message for the Queen" is identical to the song "Zajdi, zajdi" from the Balkan. However, on August 3, 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures acknowledged in an official statement, "a number of the music cues for the score of 300 were, without our knowledge or participation, derived from music composed by Academy Award winning composer Elliot Goldenthal for the motion picture Titus. Warner Bros. Pictures has great respect for Elliot, our longtime collaborator, and is pleased to have amicably resolved this matter."

Promotion and release
The official 300 website was launched by Warner Bros. in December 2005. The "conceptual art" and Zack Snyder's production blog were the initial attractions of the site. Later, the website added video journals describing production details, including comic-to-screen shots and the creatures of 300. In January 2007, the studio launched a MySpace page for the film. The Art Institutes created a micro-site to promote the film.
At Comic-Con International in July 2006, the 300 panel aired a promotional teaser of the film, which was positively received but despite stringent security, the trailer was then leaked on the Internet. Warner Bros. released the official trailer for 300 on October 4, 2006 and later on it made its debut on Apple.com where it received considerable exposure. The background music used in the trailers was "Just Like You Imagined" by Nine Inch Nails. A second 300 trailer, which was attached to Apocalypto, was released in theaters on December 8, 2006, and online the day before. On January 22, 2007 an exclusive trailer for the film was broadcast during prime time television. The trailers have been credited with igniting interest in the film and contributing to its box-office success.
In April 2006, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced its intention to make a PlayStation Portable game, 300: March to Glory, based on the film. Collision Studios worked with Warner Bros. to capture the style of the film in the video game, which was released simultaneously with the film in the United States. The National Entertainment Collectibles Association produced a series of action figures based on the film, as well as replicas of weapons and armor.
Warner Bros. Pictures promoted 300 by sponsoring the Ultimate Fighting Championship's light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, who made personal appearances and participated in other promotional activities. The studio also joined with the National Hockey League to produce a 30-second TV spot promoting the film in tandem with the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In August 2006, Warner Bros. announced 300's release as March 16, 2007, but in October the release was moved forward to March 9, 2007. 300 was released on DVD, HD DVD and BD on July 31, 2007 in Region 1 territories, in single-disc and two-disc editions. 300 was released in single-disc and steelcase two-disc editions on DVD, HD DVD and BD on August 2007 in Region 2 territories, albeit not in every Region 2 country such as the United Kingdom and Germany.
On July 9, 2007, the American cable channel TNT bought the rights to broadcast the film from Warner Bros. TNT will be able to start airing the movie in September of 2009. Sources say that the network paid between $17 million and just under $20 million for the movie. TNT agreed to a three-year deal instead of the more typical five-year deal.

Reception

Box office
300 was released in North America on March 9, 2007, in both conventional and IMAX theaters. It grossed $28,106,731 on its opening day and ended its North American opening weekend with $70,885,301, breaking the record held by Ice Age: The Meltdown for the biggest opening weekend in the month of March. 300's opening weekend gross is the 24th highest in box office history, coming slightly below The Lost World: Jurassic Park but higher than Transformers. It was the third biggest opening for an R-rated film ever, behind The Matrix Reloaded ($91.8 million) and The Passion of the Christ ($83.8 million). The film also set a record for IMAX cinemas with a $3.6 million opening weekend.
300 opened two days earlier, on March 7, 2007, in Sparta, and across Greece on March 8. Studio executives were surprised by the showing, which was twice what they had expected. They credit the movie's stylized violence, the strong female role of Queen Gorgo which attracted a large number of women to the movie, and the MySpace advertising blitz. Producer Mark Canton said, "MySpace had an enormous impact but it has transcended the limitations of the Internet or the graphic novel. Once you make a great movie, word can spread very quickly."

Reviews
Since its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 14, 2007, in front of 1,700 audience members, 300 has received generally mixed reviews. While it received a standing ovation at the public premiere, it was reportedly panned at a press screening hours earlier, where many attendees left during the showing and those who remained booed at the end. In North America, critical reviews of 300 are divided. On Rottentomatoes.com, it has a 61% approval rating from listed critics and 49% from its "Cream of the Crop." On MetaCritic.com, 300 received a rating of 51/100 based on 34 reviews, resulting in "Mixed or Average Reviews" status.
The two major industry trades published generally positive reviews. Variety's Todd McCarty describes the film as "visually arresting," while Kirk Honeycutt, writing in The Hollywood Reporter, praises the "beauty of its topography, colors and forms." Writing in the Chicago Sun Times, Richard Roeper acclaims 300 as "the Citizen Kane of cinematic graphic novels." 300 was also warmly received by websites focusing on comics and video games. Comic Book Resources' Mark Cronan found the film compelling, leaving him "with a feeling of power, from having been witness to something grand." IGN's Todd Gilchrist acclaimed Zack Snyder as a cinematic visionary and the "possible redeemer of modern moviemaking."
A number of critical reviews appeared in major American newspapers. A.O. Scott of the New York Times describes 300 as "about as violent as Apocalypto and twice as stupid," as well as criticizing its color scheme and suggesting that its plot includes racist undertones. Kenneth Turan writes in the Los Angeles Times that "unless you love violence as much as a Spartan, Quentin Tarantino or a video-game-playing teenage boy, you will not be endlessly fascinated." Some Greek newspapers have been particularly critical, such as film critic Robby Eksiel saying that moviegoers would be dazzled by the "digital action" but irritated by the "pompous interpretations and one-dimensional characters."

Awards and nominations
At the MTV Movie Awards 2007, 300 was nominated for Best Movie, Best Performance for Gerard Butler, Best Breakthrough Performance for Lena Headey, Best Villain for Rodrigo Santoro, and Best Fight for Leonidas battling "the Uber Immortal". It eventually won the award for Best Fight. 300 won both the Best Dramatic Film and Best Action Film honors in the 2006-2007 Golden Icon Awards presented by Travolta Family Entertainment. In December 2007, 300 won IGN's Movie of the Year 2007, along with Best Comic Book Adaptation and King Leonidas as Favorite Character.

Historical accuracy
300's director Zack Snyder stated in an MTV interview that "The events are 90 percent accurate. It's just in the visualization that it's crazy.... I've shown this movie to world-class historians who have said it's amazing. They can't believe it's as accurate as it is." He continues that the film is "an opera, not a documentary. That's what I say when people say it's historically inaccurate". However he is quoted in a BBC News story that the film is, at its core "a fantasy film." He also describes the film's narrator, Dilios, as "a guy who knows how not to wreck a good story with truth."
Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at Cambridge University, advised the filmmakers on the pronunciation of Greek names, and states that they "made good use" of his published work on Sparta. He praises the film for its portrayal of "the Spartans' heroic code," and of "the key role played by women in backing up, indeed reinforcing, the male martial code of heroic honor," while expressing reservations about its "'West' (goodies) vs 'East' (baddies) polarization." Cartledge writes that he enjoyed the film, although he found Leonidas' description of the Athenians as "boy lovers" ironic, given his views on the institutional pederasty of the Spartan educational system.
Ephraim Lytle, assistant professor of Hellenistic History at the University of Toronto, states that 300 selectively idealizes Spartan society in a "problematic and disturbing" fashion, as well as portraying the "hundred nations of the Persians" as monsters and non-Spartan Greeks as weak. He suggests that the film's moral universe would have seemed as "bizarre to ancient Greeks as it does to modern historians."
Victor Davis Hanson, formerly professor of Classical history at California State University, Fresno, who wrote the foreword to a 2007 re-issue of the graphic novel, states that the film demonstrates a specific affinity with the original material of Herodotus in that it captures the martial ethos of ancient Sparta and represents Thermopylae as a "clash of civilizations". He remarks that Simonides, Aeschylus and Herodotus viewed Thermopylae as a battle against "Eastern centralism and collective serfdom", which opposed "the idea of the free citizen of an autonomous polis". He further states that the film portrays the battle in a "surreal" manner, and that the intent was to "entertain and shock first, and instruct second."
Touraj Daryaee, associate professor of Ancient History at California State University, Fullerton, criticizes the central theme of the movie, that of "free" and "democracy loving" Spartans against "slave" Persians. Daryaee states that the Achaemenid (Persian) empire hired and paid people regardless of their sex or ethnicity, whereas in fifth-century Athens "less than 14%" of the population participated in democratic government, and "nearly 37%" of the population were slaves. He further states that Sparta "was a militaristic monarchy with a council of elders which decided political matters, but it was not a democracy."

Controversy
Prior to the release of 300, Warner Brothers expressed concerns about the political aspects of the film's theme. Snyder relates that "There was a huge sensitivity about East versus West with the studio." Media speculation about a possible parallel between the Greco-Persian conflict and current events began in an interview with Snyder that was conducted before the Berlin Film Festival. The interviewer remarked that "everyone is sure to be translating this [film] into contemporary politics." Snyder replied that, while he was aware that people would read the film through the lens of contemporary events, no parallels between the film and the contemporary world were intended.
Outside the current political parallels, some critics have raised more general questions about the film's ideological orientation. The New York Post's Kyle Smith writes that the film would have pleased "Adolf's boys", and Slate's Dana Stevens compares the film to The Eternal Jew, "as a textbook example of how race-baiting fantasy and nationalist myth can serve as an incitement to total war". Roger Moore, a critic for the Orlando Sentinel, relates 300 to Susan Sontag's definition of "fascist art".
However, Newsday critic Gene Seymour stated that such reactions are misguided, writing that "the movie's just too darned silly to withstand any ideological theorizing." Snyder himself dismissed ideological readings, suggesting that reviewers who critique a "graphic novel movie about a bunch of guys...stomping the snot out of each other" using words like " 'neocon,' 'homophobic,' 'homoerotic' or 'racist' " are "missing the point."
Since its opening, 300 also attracted controversy over its portrayal of Persians. Various critics, historians, journalists, and officials of the Iranian government including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denounced the film. As in the graphic novel, the Persians were depicted as a monstrous, barbaric and demonic horde, and King Xerxes was portrayed as androgynous. Critics suggested that this was meant to stand in stark contrast to the masculinity of the Spartan army. Steven Rea argued that the film's Persians were a vehicle for an anachronistic cross-section of Western stereotypes of Asian and African cultures.
The film's portrayal of ancient Persians caused a particularly strong reaction in Iran. Azadeh Moaveni of Time reported that Tehran was "outraged" following the film's release. Moaveni identified two factors which may have contributed to the intense reaction: its release on the eve of Norouz, the Persian New Year, and the common Iranian view of the Achaemenid Empire as "a particularly noble page in their history." Various Iranian officials condemned the film. The Iranian Academy of the Arts submitted a formal complaint against the movie to UNESCO, labelling it an attack on the historical identity of Iran. The Iranian mission to the U.N. protested the film in a press release, and Iranian embassies protested its screening in France, Thailand, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
Slovenian philosopher and author Slavoj ?i?ek defended the movie from those who attacked it as an example of "the worst kind of patriotic militarism with clear allusions to recent tensions with Iran and Iraq." He wrote that the story represents a "poor, small country (Greece) invaded by the army of a much larger state (Persia)," suggesting that the identification of the Spartans with a modern superpower is flawed. Instead of seeing a "fundamentalist" aspect in the Spartan identity, he stated that "all modern egalitarian radicals, from Rousseau to the Jacobins imagined the republican France as a new Sparta".
In response to the criticisms, a Warner Bros. spokesman stated that the film 300 "is a work of fiction inspired by the Frank Miller graphic novel and loosely based on a historical event. The studio developed this film purely as a fictional work with the sole purpose of entertaining audiences; it is not meant to disparage an ethnicity or culture or make any sort of political statement."

Popular culture
300 has been spoofed in various media, spawning the "this is Sparta!" internet meme, with parodies also appearing in film and television. These include the short United 300, which won the Movie Spoof Award at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. Skits based upon the film have appeared on Saturday Night Live and Robot Chicken, the latter of which mimicked the visual style of 300 in a parody set during the American Revolutionary War, titled "1776".
20th Century Fox released Meet the Spartans, a spoof of 300 and Stomp the Yard, among others. Universal Studios is planning a similar parody, titled National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas.
300 was also parodied in an episode of South Park named "D-Yikes!"

Next (354.044)

Next is a 2007 film, loosely based on the science fiction short story "The Golden Man" by Philip K. Dick. The film is directed by Lee Tamahori and stars Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel. The film was released on April 27, 2007.

Plot
Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) is in a Las Vegas diner. He looks at the clock above the counter. He checks his own watch, and then glances out the door. He is looking for someone, but that person doesn't show. He appears to be haunted by visions of a young woman, probably connected to the diner. Cris is a clairvoyant living under an assumed name, Frank Cadillac, in Las Vegas. He has a minor magic show at one of the hotels, but he makes his living at "low stakes" gambling against the casinos. He manages to stay beneath the radar, never revealing his gift-the ability to see two minutes into his own future.
During one of his magic shows (involving a small role with Cage's real-life wife, Kim), two FBI agents observe him, although he doesn't realize that's who they are or that they are even after him. After the magic show, when he goes to a casino to gamble, he is observed by the casino's security. They have watched him for a while and tonight they are convinced he must be cheating in some way. Cris, however, knows they are coming. He goes to cash his chips and get out of the casino. That is, until a nervous man approaches the money cages of the casino just as Cris cashes in. Cris looks at him, and the man pulls a gun. He tries to rob the casino, and shoots two people in the process. The scene freezes - this is a vision of the future and now Cris knows what's going to happen. He tackles the robber and grabs the gun, but the casino security thinks he's the danger as they see him holding the gun as he stands up. Using his ability, Cris eludes security and steals a car. He escapes the police in a car chase, narrowly avoiding a train, and heads for home in the car.
Meanwhile, the FBI agents peruse the security video from the casino. One of them, Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore), is convinced Cris is the key to help the FBI stop terrorists from detonating a stolen Russian nuclear bomb. All the information she has obtained until this point proves Cris has some unexplainable ability to see into the future. She has her partner get the head of casino security, to ask some more questions before they go and pick up Cris.
Cris goes to see his friend Irv (Peter Falk), but realizes that the police and Callie are on his tail. Before Cris leaves Irv's place, however, he decides to see what Callie wants. Cris views the future and realizes that Callie wants to use his powers and will not take no for an answer. He escapes from her, but he won't leave town. He has been living every day in hopes of meeting the woman from his vision, and understanding why - where she is concerned - he can see farther ahead than he ever has before.
Meanwhile, two of the French terrorists kill the casino's head of security, trying to find out more about Cris.
Cris goes to the diner. This time the woman from his vision shows up. Her name is Liz (Jessica Biel) and Cris "tries" a number of ways to meet her (i.e. he looks into the near future that would result from each). Her abusive ex-boyfriend shows up and gives him an opportunity to save her. Cris "tries" to avoid being hit, but finds out he gains more sympathy from Liz when he lets the ex-boyfriend hit him. He tells her his car was stolen, and before long she offers to drive him to his destination - Flagstaff - which is conveniently where Liz is headed.
Callie in the meantime is insistent on tracking Cris down. She finds the diner where he was, and learns in the process that the casino head of security was murdered - she doesn't connect it yet to the terrorists. She learns that Cris is heading towards Flagstaff, and goes to see if she can track down a video of him.
Cris and Liz are driving through Nevada together. She has a stop to make at an Indian reservation where she teaches. One of her students has a birthday, and she has brought a present for him. While they descend to the reservation, Cris mentions he would like to meet their shaman. He asks Liz if she believes the stories they tell about shaman - their abilities to control water, to see the future. Liz says she believes anything is possible. At the reservation, Liz draws closer to Cris, particularly after her students point out how much he seems to like her and he performs a magic trick for the birthday boy.
Meanwhile, the French terrorists have their nuclear bomb delivered to the docks. The leader of the terrorists, who goes by the name of "Mr. Smith" (Thomas Kretschmann) wants Cris eliminated, and so the "henchmen" are off to track Cris down before the FBI can get their hands on him.
Cris is driving Liz's car through the rain. She falls asleep on his shoulder, and then jerks herself awake. They come up to a roadblock, the road to Flagstaff is flooded, and are forced to turn back to a hotel called the Cliffhanger (quite literally perched atop a cliff).
Callie finds out who Liz is, but is still unable to locate where they have gone.
At the hotel, Cris leaves Liz in the room and sleeps in the car himself. Liz glances out the window at one point, and watches him, feeling guilty that he is sleeping in the cold. The next day, Cris "makes" a rose appear in place of a paper one for Liz and the two of them share a kiss.
Because of the police officer at the roadblock, Callie finds out where Liz and Cris are hiding. The government has detected nuclear radiation levels, and so Callie is able to mobilize a large group of FBI agents to go and capture Cris. The French terrorists have been watching the FBI building, in the apartment of a murdered girl, and they follow the FBI to Cris's hideout.
Cris and Liz are curled up in bed together. Liz is asleep, but Cris's eyes suddenly pop open and he stares at the ceiling. Liz leaves the Cliffhanger to go shopping, watched and then intercepted by Callie and the FBI. The French are also watching, and they mark Liz as being someone connected to Cris. In the car, Callie convinces Liz that Cris is a dangerous sociopath and that Liz must drug him so Callie and the FBI can arrest him. In shock, Liz agrees. The French watch the hotel, but cannot get a clear shot at Cris. So they wait, like the FBI, to see what happens next.
Liz does not follow through on drugging Cris, and instead warns him that Callie and the FBI are there. Cris tells her his secret, and insists if she believes everything is possible, she needs to believe in him. After Liz sees the proof she believes, but doesn't understand why he won't help the FBI. He explains that his gift is limited to his future alone for two minutes only and that this wouldn't help the FBI. Only Liz gives him a glimpse of a more distant future. Cris wants to escape the FBI, and have Liz go into hiding. Liz promises to wait for him to find her. Neither is aware that the French know who Cris and Liz are. Liz smashes her car into a mill on the edge of the cliff, causing a giant chain reaction slide of wagons and falling logs. Cris almost succeeds in getting away, but at the last minute saves Callie from the falling logs. Callie arrests him, and hauls him off with the FBI. The French, unable to get their hands on Cris, kidnap Liz instead.
At FBI headquarters in Los Angeles, Callie hooks Cris up to a machine, in front of a television, and tells him to seek out the future for where the nuclear blast takes place. Instead, Cris gets a vision of Liz being killed by terrorist bombs strapped to her body. He escapes the FBI and runs to the parking garage where he saw it happen. When he gets there, there is no sign of Liz. Cris's powers of the future, however, have expanded as far as Liz is concerned. Liz's death won't occur for two more hours. Callie finds him there and warns him that the French probably have a sniper prepared to kill him. Callie promises to help Cris save Liz, if he'll help her.
Using Cris as bait, the FBI tries to catch the sniper but the sniper is killed in the attempt. Cris visualizes the future again, this time getting a picture of the license plate on the French terrorists' van. Callie uses this to track down the French near the port. The FBI swarms on the port, but Callie makes it clear to her team that Cris calls the shots in terms of when and where to shoot. They work together and chase the French, who use a bomb-strapped Liz as a shield, into a tanker. Cris helps them evade traps and a sniper, and get down to the last terrorist. Cris uses his ability to see in to the future to defuse a hostage situation by prejudging where the terrorist will shoot if he does a certain action, and by doing so, eliminates down to a certain path which is safe for him to walk. Callie shoots him and Cris frees Liz. Outside, however, the FBI has discovered that the nuclear bomb has been moved. Callie shows Cris where the ra