(2000)

Submitted by Steve

POOPER
The SprocketHoles finish shooting the movie at a drive-in showing Honey Whitlock films.  The police arrive and a shootout happens, killing several of the SprocketHoles.  Cecil kills himself by setting himself on fire so that the surviving crew can get away with the film.  Honey is arrested and is placed in a police van as the drive-in audience gives her an ovation.

LONG VERSION
Honey Whitlock (Melanie Griffith) is an A-list Hollywood actress appearing in Baltimore at the premiere of her latest movie.  Shortly after speaking to the crowd, several movie theater staff members set off bombs inside the theater, kidnapping Honey in the process, and take her across town to an abandoned movie theater.  Once there, they introduce themselves to her as The SprocketHoles, a band of “kamikaze filmmakers” led by Sinclair Stevens (Stephen Dorff), who goes by the screen name Cecil B. Demented.  The rest of the SprocketHoles (including Alicia Witt, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Adrian Grenier, and Michael Shannon) are the crewmembers/co-stars, and each of them has a tattoo of the name of a famous filmmaker on themselves.  Cecil tells Honey that he needs her to be the star of “Raving Beauty”, his masterpiece movie about the evils of Hollywood cinema.  But when they start filming the opening scene, Honey gives an emotionless performance.  When Cecil demands that she do better, Honey gives a campy over-the-top performance, and everyone loves it.  Meanwhile, one of the people injured during Honey’s kidnapping dies, so all of the SprocketHoles are now fugitives eligible for the death penalty under Maryland law.

Cecil and the SprocketHoles then take Honey to various locations throughout Baltimore where, at gunpoint, they film scenes to the movie without permission and involving innocent bystanders.  One scene is at a luncheon hosted by the Maryland Film Commission, which involves Honey having to jump from a rooftop without any safety gear.  During the mayhem, the police arrive and a shootout occurs between them and the SprocketHoles.  Several police officers and one of the SprocketHoles are killed and Cecil is wounded, but they are able to get away.  Honey sees a chance to escape and turns herself in to the police, but they don’t recognize her and hurt her while being handcuffed.  When she is being taken to the police station, the SprocketHoles crash their production van into the police car and retake her.

During the filmmaking process, Honey has started to become sympathetic to the filmmakers and their view of cinema, but she is still resistant when it comes to joining their group.  However, that ends when she sees a TV news report about her kidnapping and the incident with the Film Commission.  In numerous interviews with other famous celebrities as well as her ex-husband (Eric Roberts), Honey is painted as a rude, mean-spirited diva with radical tendencies who may have staged the kidnapping herself to revitalize her failing career.  Realizing that escaping means returning to Hollywood, where no one ever liked her, Honey announces she will join with the SprocketHoles.  She officially declares herself “demented forever”, and brands herself with their logo.  Honey then suggests they film the next scenes on the set of the sequel to Forrest Gump, currently being filmed in Baltimore.

The SprocketHoles reach the film set, and one by one they subdue the Teamsters that make up the film crew and take over their positions.  As the scene is being shot, the Teamsters are able to escape and another shootout occurs.  Several SprocketHoles are killed or wounded, but the surviving members, including Honey and Cecil, get away.  They are chased by the Teamsters into a adult film theater, but the audience helps them escape.  The remaining SprocketHoles then go to a drive-in theater featuring Honey Whitlock films to shoot the final scenes of their movie.  With the police on the way, Cecil convinces Honey to set her hair on fire for the final shot.  The police arrive just as the last scene is finished, and yet another shootout occurs.  Cecil decides to set himself on fire as a distraction in order for Honey and the crew to get away, which kills him.  The movie ends with the last remaining SprocketHoles escaping with their film, and Honey is taken into custody.  As she is being placed into the police van, she is excited to see the audience at the drive-in theater is giving her an ovation.