Kill Bill Volume 1

 Released Year: 2003

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Casted by:

Uma Thurman as The Bride (Black Mamba)

Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii (Cottonmouth)

Vivica A. Fox as Vernita Green (Copperhead)

Michael Madsen as Budd (Sidewinder)

Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver (California Mountain Snake)

Julie Dreyfus as Sofie Fatale

Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo

劉家輝 Gordon Liu as Johnny Mo

栗山千明 Chiaki Kuriyama as Gogo Yubari

 Story: 

An intertitle displays the proverb "Revenge is a dish best served cold". A pregnant woman, known as "The Bride", lies badly wounded at her wedding, telling an unseen Bill that she is carrying his baby as Bill shoots her in the head. However, it is later revealed that she miraculously survives the headshot, but was left comatose for four years.

The Bride's second revenge killing is shown some time after her recovery. The Bride finds Vernita Green at her home and fights her, but they cease after Vernita's young daughter Nikki arrives from school. It is revealed that both women are former members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, elite assassins under the employ of Bill. Bill and the Deadly Vipers had attacked The Bride at her wedding. While the two women are talking in the kitchen during their truce, Vernita attempts to kill The Bride with a pistol hidden in a box of "Kaboom" cereal. The shot misses the Bride, who retaliates by throwing a knife to Vernita's chest; she dies slowly. When the Bride notices Nikki standing in the doorway, she offers Nikki revenge should she seek it as an adult, then leaves. The Bride then strikes Vernita's name off a checklist; the name "O-Ren Ishii" has already been crossed out.

Going back to the time of her coma, another member of the Deadly Vipers, the one-eyed Elle Driver, enters The Bride's hospital room where she lies comatose, and prepares a lethal injection. Driver is interrupted by Bill on the phone, who states they will take action only if she awakes. Four years later, the Bride awakens and is horrified to discover that she is no longer pregnant. Meanwhile, she learns that a hospital worker named Buck has been raping her in her comatose state, and accepting cash from those who wish the chance to do the same. While a trucker is preparing to assault her, the Bride bites off his tongue, killing him. She then incapacitates and kills Buck by repeatedly smashing his head between a door and its jamb, and steals Buck's truck. She swears revenge, and picks her first target: O-Ren Ishii, who has since become the leader of the Tokyo yakuza.

Once she recovers, the Bride travels to Okinawa to obtain a sword from legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzō, who has sworn never to forge a sword again. After learning that her target is his former student, Bill, he agrees he is morally obligated to forge his finest sword for her. The Bride tracks down O-Ren at a Tokyo nightclub, challenging her to a fight and severing the arm of Sofie Fatale, O-Ren's assistant and a protégée of Bill's. She then fights off O-Ren's Yakuza army, including the elite "Crazy 88" squad and O-Ren's personal bodyguard, 17-year-old sadist Gogo Yubari, before dueling O-Ren in a snow-draped Japanese garden and killing her. She finally tortures Sofie into revealing information about Bill, leaving Sofie alive to tell Bill that the Bride is coming to kill him and the others. Bill asks Sofie whether the Bride knows that her daughter is, in fact, still alive.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

Gosh, this is such an awesome awesome movie... i should have watch it years ago, damn me!!! Uma Thurman & Lucy Liu is fighting their bitch paws off at each other and i totally love it~ the storyline is interesting and i was simply amazed with it...

Lost In Translation

Released Year: 2003
Directed by Sofia Coppola

Casted by:
Bill Murray as Bob Harris
Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte
Giovanni Ribisi as John
Anna Faris as Kelly
Story:

Bob Harris, an aging American movie star, arrives in Tokyo to film an advertisement for Suntory whisky, for which he will receive $2 million. Charlotte, a young recent Yale graduate, is left behind in her hotel room by her husband, John, a celebrity photographer on assignment in Tokyo. Charlotte is unsure of her present and her future and about the man she has married as she believes he takes more interest in his celebrity models, most notably a young and popular American actress named Kelly, than he does in her. At the same time, Bob's own 25-year marriage is tired and lacking in romance as he goes through a midlife crisis.

One night, after a long photo shoot, Bob retreats to the hotel bar. Charlotte, sitting at a table with John and friends, notices Bob and has a waiter bring him a bowl of peanuts from her table. Later, Bob and Charlotte have brief encounters each night at the hotel bar, until Charlotte invites Bob to meet up with some local friends of hers. Bob accepts and arrives later at her hotel room dressed in an outfit for a young appeal style. Meanwhile, the two begin a friendship bond through their adventures in Tokyo together while experiencing the differences between Japanese and American culture, and between their own generations.

On the penultimate night of his stay, Bob attracts the attention of the resident vocalist. The next morning, Bob awakens to find this woman in his room, having apparently slept with her. Charlotte arrives at his room to go out for breakfast only to find the woman in his room, leading to conflict and tension over a subsequent lunch. Later that night, during a fire alarm at the hotel, Bob and Charlotte reconcile and express how they will miss each other as they make one more trip back to the hotel bar.

On the following morning, Bob is set for his departure back to the United States. He tells Charlotte goodbye at the hotel lobby shortly before checking out and sadly watches her retreat back to an elevator. While riding in a taxi to the airport, Bob sees Charlotte on a crowded street and he gets out and goes to her. Bob embraces Charlotte and whispers something (substantially inaudible to the audience) in the tearful Charlotte's ear. The two share a kiss, say goodbye and Bob departs.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

Bill Murray + Scarlett Johansson is a brand new team and it definitely created some good sparkles for this movie. Johansson was so young that time, but i dont feel that she's pretty actually, but no doubt that she can act.

Coppola, Murray & Johansson has been nominated in multiple awards and they did won a few but all three of them failed in the Academy awards. Coppola is really a talented female director, really hope can see more of her movies coming up soon :)