The Casual Vacancy

After a series of strange animal attacks, a zookeeper teams up with other locals to hunt down a deadly, escaped black panther on the prowl..

Harry is an eight-year-old boy growing up in Ireland with his dis-spirited widowed mother May and older brother Paul. He is bullied in school, and his only real friend is his dog Max. His great joy and obsession are the Flash Gordon episodes he watches on television, and he believes that he and his dog are really from the planet Mercury. Over time, Harry learns to appreciate the value of his family, but he never ceases to think of himself as the boy from Mercury.

a name, a face, a word or a woman that suddenly and repeatedly emerges in 17-year-old Aida's mind. She tries to get rid of it, but it pops up again and tortures her. The image is that of a dark and remote and possibly not so bad character; she is a stranger who polishes her finger nail and dyes her hair in a blond hue, and leave Aida no peace of mind. But the woman's end is quite real and for the first time Aida consciously experiences doubt. She realizes that beauty and pain are two inseparable ingredients and finally Aida begins to focus on a hope which she has witnessed for one moment in her parents faces. Then she feels in herself the hope for a future whose nature she does not realize. She experiences a profound moment of comprehension and that seems to be sufficient.

This film is based on the real life kidnapping spree of Cheung Tze-Keung who was eventually executed in China December, 1998. Cheung Chi-ho (Simon Yam) makes a living by kidnapping the children of very rich people. However, he's a nice guy outside of 'work', even going so far as to help a little old lady cross the street as the film begins. Cheung Chi-ho is plotting to kidnap several adult sons of Chinese millionaires. Because of their vicious threats, most of these cases go unreported to the cops, and all goes well, until Cheung teams up with another big-time criminal, Cyclone. On their first job, the rich victim calls the police, and Cheung Chi-ho must strategize his next move against the police.

Five high school girls are either shy or lack confidence and are drifting through the year. When they meet at the dance club and begin practicing they find a new energy and purpose that propels them to get better and better. They advance in their abilities and end up on the big stage performing under the spotlights.