Philibert, a robust lad and eldest son of an artichoke farmer, stands out from the other boys in the village. Idealistic and ingenuous, he foresees for himself a glorious future in artichokes and is saving his virginity for an as-yet-unknown woman chosen for him by God. Before he dies, his father tells him that he isn’t his real parent. Philibert’s real father was a gentleman murdered in the most cowardly way by a man from Burgundy who is recognisable by a rose-shaped strawberry birthmark on his neck. With a pouch full of ideals and artichokes, Philibert leaves his village and gallops towards Burgundy, accompanied by Martin, his rather deceitful manservant. Philibert’s courage, kindness, physical and moral purity will thus be severely tested when faced with the baseness and venality of villains and the temptation of women each more lustful than the last.

A cinematic adaptation of Jules Verne’s 1874 novel “The Mysterious Island”, the story begins during the American Civil War, as famine and death ravage the city of Richmond, Virginia. Five northern POWs make the decision to escape the war by hijacking a hot air balloon! Drifting through the night, they wake to find themselves marooned on a desert island, but they aren’t alone… Littered with wreckage, the island is home to cast of survivors who have been lost in space and time, including Jules and Abby Fogg, two young women from modern times who become stranded while flying over the Bermuda Triangle. Faced with defending themselves against vicious pirates, terrifying creatures, and an active volcano that’s ready to blow, they must find a way to survive and escape the island. Hope only comes when they encounter the island’s oldest resident, Captain Nemo himself. With his help, they set to work crafting an escape…

Two men separated by 100 years are united in their search for freedom. In 1856 a slave, Samuel Woodward and his family, escape from the Monroe Plantation near Richmond, Virginia. A secret network of ordinary people known as the Underground Railroad guide the family on their journey north to Canada. They are relentlessly pursued by the notorious slave hunter Plimpton. Hunted like a dog and haunted by the unthinkable suffering he and his forbears have endured, Samuel is forced to decide between revenge or freedom. 100 years earlier in 1748, John Newton the Captain of a slave trader sails from Africa with a cargo of slaves, bound for America. On board is Samuel’s great grandfather whose survival is tied to the fate of Captain Newton. The voyage changes Newton’s life forever and he creates a legacy that will inspire Samuel and the lives of millions for generations to come.

School is out, and three girls head to the beach for vacation. Two of the girls are world-wise party-goers who attempt to loosen up their naive, virginal friend, whose uncle has allowed the girls to stay at his beach house. When the near-sighted, drug smuggling Captain Bly dumps his cargo of marijuana, the bales wash up on shore. The two party girls, Ginger and Ducky, quickly stuff the dope into giant bags and spirit it back to the beach house, where it fuels a party with assorted misfits, delivery persons, and passersby.

Hipsters beware: there is no irony in Hardwick’s affinity for Captain Picard, Comic-Con and the Atari 2600. Filmed at Skirball Center for Performing Arts in New York City, “Chris Hardwick: Mandroid” features candid comedy tales that cover virginity, chess club, shark vaginas, awkward childhood, awkward adulthood (which in this case is an extension of awkward childhood) and a myriad of other topics which may or may not include Quidditch. From unearthing his old MySpace page to the futility of attempting to delete his Facebook account, Hardwick displays his comical approach to all things trivial in the digital era, all while #hashtagging completely out of context.