Stand and deliver (side A): Look at the too-cool-to-cope kids in Jamie Escalante's class at East L.A.'s tough Garfield High and many will say they see a bunch of losers. Escalante sees scholars. He cajoles, instructs, challenges and inspires his no-expectations barrio kids to pass the daunting Calculus Advanced Placement Test. Lean on me (side B): A bat-and-bullhorn-toting Principle Joe Clark, whose controversial methods turned the failing school...

The rock: A general and his men take over Alcatraz Island and threaten to gas bomb San Francisco. A biochemical weapons expert and John Patrick Mason, the only man who ever successfully escaped from the prison, are called in to disarm the rockets. Crimson tide: On board a nuclear submarine headed for Russia where radicals are threatening to start World War 3, Captain Ramsey and First officer Hunter clash over the validity of an unverified message...

After an admired soldier leaves his regiment in disgrace, he sets out on a sweeping adventure to regain his honor, recapture his love and save the life of his best friend.