High Spirits

 Released Year: 1988

Directed by Neil Jordan

Casted by:

Daryl Hannah as Mary Plunkett Brogan
 Peter O'Toole as Peter Plunkett
 Steve Guttenberg as Jack
 Beverly D'Angelo as Sharon
 Liam Neeson as Martin Brogan
 Jennifer Tilly as Miranda
 Peter Gallagher as Brother Tony

 Story: 

Peter Plunkett, the owner of a dilapidated Irish castle which has been converted to a bed and breakfast supplying the only employment for the local villagers. Owing money to an American businessman, Plunkett has the idea to turn the castle into "The most haunted castle in Europe" for the tourist trade. He and his wacky staff of Irish characters set about creating ghost costumes and effects for their first group of American lodgers.

At first annoyed by the inept hauntings, the American guests soon get what they paid for as the genuine ghosts of Castle Plunkett take umbrage with being cheaply exploited and stage a full scale paranormal event.

Two of the castle's ghosts, Mary Plunkett and Martin Brogan become romantically entangled with Guttenberg and D'Angelo's characters. This romantic twist is the focus of most of the plot.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

One of my favorite black comedy + romance movie during my very very young time. Me and my sister are a real big fans of this movie, we will repeatedly watching it again and again in one day~ we can even memorize most of the dialogue of this movie, just imagine how good this movie is~ a great movie to share with all of ya :) 

After.Life

 Released Year: 2009

Directed by Agnieszka Wójtowicz-Vosloo

Casted by:

Christina Ricci as Anna Taylor
Liam Neeson as Eliot Deacon
Justin Long as Paul Coleman

 Story:

Middle school teacher Anna Taylor is unhappy with her life. She has a selfish, unloving mother, Beatrice, and a boyfriend, Paul Coleman, who cannot seem to figure her out.

A corpse is in the process of being prepared for a funeral; the man preparing the corpse speaks to it mysteriously, but cheerily. He takes a photo, and the scene fades. Anna is introduced along with Paul, as they finish having sex. She appears unaffected and cold, while he is frustrated with her lack of interest. Later, after school, a young boy she teaches, Jack, asks her as she is leaving to the funeral, if he could come along. He says his mother, who had neglected to pick him up from school, would not mind. Confused, she attempts to explain that funerals are a personal occasion. Jack offers that he has never been to a funeral before, but she insists it would be inappropriate. The funeral is revealed to be for her recently deceased music teacher, the corpse from the initial scene. There, Anna encounters the solemn owner of the funeral home, Eliot Deacon. One night, Anna meets Paul for dinner, not realizing he is going to propose to her and ask her to move to Chicago with him for a job promotion. Paul begins ambiguously, so Anna assumes the worst. Before Paul has a chance to explain, she panics, thinking he's breaking up with her. After a short argument in the restaurant, Anna storms out and drives off passionately. She has an accident while trying to use her cell phone and drive in the rain, while a mysterious white Van is seen on the road alongside.

Anna wakes up dazed, confused and numb. She finds the morgue director, Eliot, cleaning her wound and telling her she has died. He appears frustrated with her, explaining that all dead people claim to be alive just because they, "breathe and piss and shit." He tells her he has a gift, to assist the dead crossing over; to help them accept their deaths. Later in the funeral home, Eliot is revealed to have a collection of photographs of corpses, it is implied that he helped each to cross over, and speaks to them, implying a level of mental instability. Unwilling to accept her potential death, Anna clings onto life. Eliot injects her regularly with a chemical to "relax the muscles and keep rigor mortis from setting in."

Paul, unable to fully accept her death, asks Eliot if he could see her one last time; however, Eliot cannot, by law, show the body to anyone but family. Paul becomes quite angry, but leaves. Attempting to gain access to her, he pleads with friends in the police, who are sympathetic but unwilling. Anna is revealed not to have been taken to a hospital, rather pronounced dead at the scene and shipped to the funeral home. At an unknown funeral service, Eliot encounters Jack. They speak for a moment, during which Jack admits he had thought the funeral had been for Anna. As she still grapples with the concept of her own death, Anna attempts to escape several times but is unsuccessful; Eliot tells her she must let go of life, she had not really been living anyway. Eventually, she steals Eliot's keys, escapes, and finds a room with a phone, intent on calling Paul for help. Paul is unable to hear her properly and hangs up thinking it's a prank. Anna finally accepts she's dead, when Eliot allows her to look at herself in the mirror. She is horrified to find she looks like a corpse. Peculiarly, she leaves fog on the mirror from her breathing, which Eliot quickly wipes away with a handkerchief before she can see. Outside, Eliot spots Jack, gazing up at Anna. In a scene in his home, Jack's apparently negligent mother is shown to be sitting with a grotesque appearance, staring at the television set. At school he tells Paul he saw Anna, which sends Paul into a rage, hitting the boy. Upon confronting Eliot, Jack is told he has the same gift: the ability to see those between life and death as they really are. Eliot tells the boy that the first person he saw was his mother, alluding to Jack's ambiguously stoic mother. Over time, Paul becomes ever more paranoid as to whether or not Anna really is dead; he becomes suspicious of Eliot.

During the final preparation for the funeral, Anna asks Eliot if she can see herself one last time in the mirror. Eliot holds up a small mirror, but while she stares at herself, she exhales and notices her breath condensing on the glass. Suddenly concerned that Eliot has been lying to her, she begins to believe she has been alive all along. Disappointed that she had come so close to accepting her death yet failed, Eliot grimly injects her one last time with chemicals to make her numb. It is seen that Eliot is in fact injecting Anna with Hydronium Bromide, a chemical mentioned earlier as being able to induce conditions that mimic death.

In the graveyard while digging Anna's grave with Jack, Eliot explains that there are many corpses walking around with "no life left inside them," and because only they can see them, it is their responsibility to help them into the grave. It is never fully revealed whether this is metaphorical or literal, yet Jack at least appears to take it very literally. A particularly sickly little chick he is instructed to look after as a school assignment, is finally put into a paper box makeshift coffin and buried alive by the boy in order to spare it the pain of living "without truly living" (due to its illness).

After the funeral, Paul drinks alcohol heavily, telling Eliot he knew Anna was not dead. Anna is shown awakening to the sound of earth being shoveled onto her coffin. She cries out as she struggles against death, desperately scratching the satin lining of her coffin lid until her fingers are bloody. As she slowly dies of suffocation, Eliot offers that Paul should go to the cemetery and find out whether Anna is actually dead or not, before it's too late. Paul rushes to the cemetery, driving too fast and under the influence of alcohol. There is another ambiguous cut before he is shown to have dug up Anna's grave, to find her alive. They embrace and Anna tells him "she has always loved him." As they hug, Paul is curious about some rather unusual sounds he hears; Anna explains it's the sound of Eliot's gloves and scissors on the table as he prepares Paul's body. Paul sees Anna literally disappear from his embrace, then sees the bright flash of headlights by the cemetery. A moment later, he finds himself in the funeral home with Eliot preparing his body. He says he saw Anna, but Eliot tells him he never made it to the cemetery due to a car accident that killed him. Paul claims just as vehemently as Anna that he is not dead, as they begin preparing his body, protesting that he is alive until the moment Eliot inserts the trocar deeply into Paul's torso, an act which very obviously ends his life.

  L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

I like the idea of this story, talking about human being die and their spirit still thinks that they are alive. But as the movie goes by, the story started to become so bored as most of the time there is only Ricci, Neeson & Long inside the movie, even Ricci shows her ugly body wont help...

The Next Three Days

 Released Year: 2010

Directed by Paul Haggis

Casted by:

Russell Crowe as John Brennan
Elizabeth Banks as Lara Brennan
Brian Dennehy as George Brennan
Lennie James as Lieutenant Nabulsi

 Story:

 Lara Brennan is convicted of murdering her boss after an altercation at work and after a trial is sentenced to life in prison. Following the failure of her appeal, Lara's husband John Brennan, a professor at a community college, becomes obsessed with the idea of breaking her out of jail, while their son Luke ceases to acknowledge her during their prison visits.

John consults Damon Pennington, a former convict who successfully escaped from prison seven times. Damon advises John to study the prison where his wife is, saying "every prison has a key". Damon also warns him that the initial escape from the prison will be easy compared with avoiding capture after the escape. To that end, John must obtain false passports, new social security numbers, and a "truckload of cash" to have a chance of success. Damon also suggests going to an unpopular foreign country for Americans so that authorities will be unlikely to look for them there. John learns Pittsburgh's time to lock-down the city's exits after a call is made to do so: 15 minutes for the city center and 35 minutes for all interstates, secondary roads, and stations or airports. Damon Pennington tells John to ask himself if he can really "be that guy" who knocks over an old lady or shoots a guard if it's the difference between escape or getting caught.

John contemplates several ideas that do not pan out and is defeated more than once, but he latches onto a solid plan and the necessary paperwork after some painful efforts. He robs a drug lord and sets his meth lab on fire before fleeing the scene. He then falsifies and plants blood work results indicating that his wife is in a state of hyperkalaemia, so she is transferred to the hospital. He follows the ambulance and helps her escape although she is doubtful and reluctant, motivated only by the idea of her son being without either parent.

With the police getting some lucky breaks, they are hot on John and Lara's trail through a series of chases. Throughout the film, John is shown assembling maps, photographs, notes, and other papers on a wall of his house. He tears them down and stuffs them into several garbage bags before leaving to rescue Lara, leaving one bag in the trash outside his home, and the rest in a dumpster some blocks away. As it turns out, he did this selectively to misguide the detectives regarding their final destination. They have an uncomfortable moment at passport control, as a Canadian officer examines their passports and glances at the page of photographs showing people to stop. He allows them to pass. The shift changes, and as they walk down the hall, their photos are added to the list. An international flight is delayed, but the police were after the wrong destination.

At the end of the film, the family ends up safe in Caracas, Venezuela. Back in the United States, a detective who had attempted to catch Brennan returns to the scene of the crime although it had been some years since the crime occurred. Using his forensic skills, he manages to put together what really happened. It turns out that the killer of Lara's boss was really just a mugger—as she claimed in open court—and a series of coincidences led to Lara's conviction. He remembers Lara saying a button popped off as she passed the mugger, and notices that it is raining just as it had been the night of the murder. He tosses a piece of paper in the current where the button would have fallen off, and it leads into a gutter. He searches the gutter but is unable to find the button to prove Lara's innocence. It turns out the button was there, buried under grime, and the detective just missed it. The last shot of this detective shows him turning back to think, implying that there is a possibility of him taking a second look and locating the button, which would've led to the exoneration of Lara. However, that is left open to audience speculation.

 L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment:

Though the critics for this movie is not a "perfect" during that time, but for me, this is a good thriller movie. Love the part when Crowe started to take the first step to save his wife by placing his son in a party, there onwards, i get so tense. My heart beat so fast each time they escaped and each time they almost get caught. Things get so excited until they finally are safe in Venezuela. But the pace of the movie cause a lot of viewer feel bored...

The Grey

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Joe Carnahan

Casted by:

Liam Neeson as John Ottway
Frank Grillo as John Diaz
Dermot Mulroney as Talget
Dallas Roberts as Pete Hendrick

 Story:

 John Ottway works in Alaska killing the wolves that threaten an oil drilling team. On his last day on the job, Ottway writes a letter to his wife Ana that he plans to commit suicide. While holding the barrel of a rifle in his mouth, Ottway hears the howl of a wolf, which stops him. Upon completing the job, the team and Ottway head home on a plane that crashes in a blizzard. Ottway then sees a vision of his wife but awakens to find one of the team, Lewenden, mortally wounded. Ottway calms him, letting him know that he is going to die, and then Lewenden dies peacefully.

Ottway sets the survivors to task collecting material for a fire. He sees a woman in need of help, but finds her being eaten by a gray wolf who also attacks Ottway. He is rescued by the others and explains that they are most likely in the wolves' territory. After starting a fire, the survivors take turns keeping watch. While urinating, Hernandez is killed by two wolves. The remaining survivors find his body in the morning and Ottway suggests they leave the crash site because they are wide open to attack. Diaz questions Ottway's leadership and begins defying his orders. Before they leave, Ottway and the others remove the wallets from many of the bodies with the intention of returning them to surviving family members. Hendrick says a prayer and thanks to God for allowing them to survive the crash and then the survivors leave the crash site.

While hiking across the snow, Flannery falls behind and is killed by three wolves. The remaining survivors continue on and make camp in the woods, where tension between Ottway and Diaz comes to a head as the survivors create makeshift weaponry. Diaz threatens Ottway with his knife, but is disarmed by Ottway. The survivors meet the alpha wolf, who sends an omega to test Diaz. However, the survivors are able to kill the wolf and eat it. Diaz severs its head and throws it back as a symbol of defiance.

The group stop to build a campfire at night and they start a conversation. Diaz tells the group how the men who died aren't in heaven and there is no god; Talget states that he believes in God, but Ottway confesses that he too is an atheist, but that he wishes he could believe. Burke awakens and he begins to hallucinate from hypoxia. He goes back to sleep in front of the campfire. The group bonds over personal stories. Ottoway tells the group about a poem that is hung above his father's desk, a poem that contributes to the film's major theme. He recites the poem:
"Once more into the fray

Into the last good fight I'll ever know
Live and die on this day
Live and die on this day"

A blizzard approaches and they try to preserve the campfire to prevent hypothermia. Despite their best efforts, Ottway finds Burke's frozen lifeless body in the morning. Further in their travels, the survivors come across a high canyon wall within which, screened by trees, they identify a river. Hendrick jumps to the trees to secure a line as a means of traverse. Diaz and Ottway make it across the line to join Hendrick, but Talget, who is afraid of heights, loses his glasses on the way and freezes out of fear. He reluctantly continues across, but soon finds his injured hand has begun bleeding and he gets caught up in the makeshift rope. Talget struggles to untangle himself, but the line breaks and he crashes through the trees to the ground. Wounded, Talget sees a vision of his daughter and is dragged away by the wolves. While attempting to save Talget, Diaz falls from the tree and injures his knee.

The three remaining survivors continue their trek and make it to the river, but an exhausted Diaz can make it no further, preferring to stay and die than go on. Hendrick tries to convince Diaz to carry on, but Ottway tells him it is futile. They give each other final goodbyes and Ottway and Hendrick leave Diaz on the riverside, as the crackling of branches caused by wolves is heard. Ottway and Hendrick continue, but are soon chased by wolves again. Fleeing, Hendrick falls in the river and he gets his foot stuck between underwater rocks. Ottway jumps into the river to attempt to save him but Hendrick drowns in the river. Freezing and alone, Ottway then curses God and asks for his help with no response. Ottway continues on without his wet coat but he is eventually dazed from hypothermia taking effect.

Ottway then stops and pulls out each wallet collected from the dead, examines the mementos they contain, and places them in a pile on the snow, adding his own wallet as well. Suddenly, the pack of wolves surrounds him, leading Ottway to discover that he has walked right into their den. He is soon spotted by the alpha wolf and the other pack members back off. Ottway sees another vision of his wife, which now reveals that she died on a hospital bed. Deciding to make a final stand, he tapes miniature alcohol bottles to his fist and breaks them on a nearby rock and also tapes a knife to his other hand. He quietly recites his father's poem to himself, then charges the alpha wolf before the screen goes black.

In a brief post-credits scene, the back of Ottway's head is seen laying on top of a still-breathing wolf's stomach, leaving it ambiguous as to whether or not he survived.

 L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

Its been such a long time i did not have a good thriller movie, this is a very exciting film which took my breath away. Unpredictable what will happen on the next, you thought you know it, but you don't. Beside expecting the human being attacked by the wolves, you will never guess how they try to escape and where. A movie never to be miss in 2012 :)

Wrath of the Titans

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

Casted by:

Sam Worthington as Perseus
Rosamund Pike as Andromeda

Bill Nighy as Hephaestus

Édgar Ramírez as Ares

Toby Kebbell as Agenor

Danny Huston as Poseidon

Ralph Fiennes as Hades

Liam Neeson as Zeus

 Story:

 Ten years after he defeated The Kraken, Perseus, the demigod son of Zeus, now lives as a fisherman with his 10-year-old son, Heleus. One night, Perseus is visited by Zeus, who tells him that the powers of the gods are fading and the walls of the underworld prison of Tartarus are breaking due to the lack of devotion from humans and states they will need the world's armies to combat the potential threat, but Perseus shows little interest and refuses to get involved. Afterwards, Zeus travels to Tartarus to meet with his brothers Hades and Poseidon, and his son Ares. He tells Hades they must forget the past and unite to rebuild Tartarus, but Hades orders his minions to attack. They severely injure Poseidon, and Ares betrays Zeus over showing Perseus more affection, taking him prisoner and stealing his thunderbolt. Hades and Ares plan to drain Zeus' power to revive Kronos, the father of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, in exchange for the two to remain immortal. The walls of Tartarus break, unleashing monsters into the world.

After slaying a Chimera that attacks his village, Perseus takes Heleus to the Mount of Idols, so they can speak to Zeus, but the dying Poseidon arrives instead. He informs Perseus that Hades and Ares are holding Zeus in Tartarus, and tells him to meet with his demigod son Agenor to find the fallen god Hephaestus, who knows the way into Tartarus. Poseidon gives Perseus his trident before succumbing to his injuries and crumbling into dust. Perseus flies on Pegasus to the campsite of Queen Andromeda's army. Andromeda has imprisoned Agenor for stealing crown jewels, but Perseus has him released.

Perseus, Andromeda, Agenor, and a group of soldiers set out at sea to find Hephaestus, with Agenor explaining that Hephaestus created the three great weapons that Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon wield: Zeus’ Thunderbolt, Hades' Pitchfork, and Poseidon’s Trident, and that together they form the Spear of Triam, the only weapon that can defeat Kronos. Agenor uses Poseidon's trident to direct the boat to Hephaestus's island, where they encounter three Cyclopes who attack them. When Perseus shows them the trident, they lead the group to Hephaestus, the smith god, stripped of much of his godly power after siding with Hades after he betrayed the Olympians ten years prior. He explains that he has a map to navigate the path into Tartarus. He leads them to the door into the Labyrinth, where they are attacked by Ares after a soldier prayed for him to come. Ares kills most of the soldiers while Hephaestus opens the door. Hephaestus then sacrifices himself so that Perseus, Andromeda, and Agenor can enter the door before it closes.

Agenor tries to use the map to direct them, but the labyrinth continually shifts. Perseus gets cut off from the group and encounters and kills a Minotaur. Eventually, The group reunites at Tartarus. Meanwhile, Zeus has been almost entirely drained of power and close to death as Kronos starts to awaken. Zeus apologizes to Hades and asks his forgiveness as he forgives Hades for his actions. Hades has a change of heart and finally decides to help Zeus and the human army, but Ares intervenes. Perseus arrives and uses the trident to free Zeus. As they are escaping, Ares throws Hades's pitchfork into Zeus's back. Perseus, Andromeda, Agenor and Hades carry a weakened Zeus down to the base of the mountain where Andromeda's army is gathered. Perseus combines the trident and Hades’ pitchfork, but he still needs Zeus's thunderbolt, which Ares still has. Perseus prays to Ares, challenging him to a fight at the Temple of Gods, which Ares accepts.

At the temple, Perseus finds out Ares has kidnapped Heleus, who was brought to watch Perseus die. Ares easily subdues Perseus, but is distracted when Heleus tries to challenge him by pointing a sword at him, giving Perseus the opportunity to subdue him. Perseus then destroys Ares with Zeus's Thunderbolt and combines the gods' weapons into the Spear of Triam. Meanwhile, Andromeda's army is subdued by Kronos' army of Makhai, but a redeemed Hades and a revived Zeus use what power they have left to defeat the army, who have murdered almost all of Andromeda's men. Kronos then appears and starts to destroy them, in which Zeus and Hades defend them and at the same time are giving Perseus the opportunity to fly right down Kronos' throat. Kronos lets out one last blast, and Zeus takes the brunt of the force to protect Hades. Perseus throws the Spear into Kronos' stomach, destroying him once and for all. Perseus meets with Zeus and Hades. Zeus commends Perseus for his courage, stating that the time of the gods is over before turning to dust. Hades is now human, though he states he might be better as one before walking away. Perseus reunites with Andromeda and kisses her. Knowing that there are still Titans to battle, Perseus decides to train Heleus to be a soldier.

L² Scored: 3.5/10

L² Comment:

This is much more worth than "Clash of the Titans 2010", first of all, i cannot stand Sam Worthington's ugly hair style; secondly, the storyline is a bit sucks~ i even fall asleep in the cinema. The 3.5 is for all the effect of the movie, and i really hope there is no more sequel to torture us anymore. 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Released Year: 2005
Directed by Andrew Adamson

Casted by:
William Moseley as Peter Pevensie
Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie
Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie
Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie
Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the White Witch
Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan
James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus
Ray Winstone voices Mr. Beaver
Dawn French voices Mrs. Beaver
Story:

During the Battle of Britain, in the suburb of Finchley near London, Great Britain, the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are endangered by an attack of numerous German Heinkel He 111 bombers. They are evacuated to the country home of Professor Digory Kirke.

While they are playing hide-and-seek, Lucy discovers a wardrobe and enters a wintry fantasy world called Narnia. She spends a few hours in the home of the faun, Mr. Tumnus, who explains that Jadis, the White Witch, cursed Narnia, and it has been winter for one hundred years. If a human is ever encountered, they were to be brought to her. Tumnus likes Lucy and cannot bring himself to kidnap her, so he sends her home. When she returns hardly any time has passed in the normal world, and nobody believes her story since that when they look in the wardrobe, it has a normal wooden back.

A few days later, Edmund follows Lucy into the wardrobe, meeting the White Witch and her dwarf Ginarrbrik. She offers him Turkish Delight as well as the prospect of becoming king if Edmund brings his brother and sisters to her castle. After she departs Edmund and Lucy meet again and return; Lucy tells Peter and Susan about the experience, but Edmund lies about it. The Professor talks with Peter and Susan; he does not understand why they do not believe Lucy's story and gives them three possible explanations of Lucy's behavior — madness, dishonesty and sincerity — the others know she is neither mad nor dishonest, so she must be telling the truth.

While running away from the housekeeper after accidentally breaking a window, the four siblings retreat to the wardrobe and enter Narnia. They discover Mr. Tumnus has been taken by the Witch's secret police and meet Mr. and Mrs. Beaver who tell them about Aslan. According to the beavers Aslan is on the move to take control of Narnia from the Witch. The four must help Aslan and his supporters; it has been prophesied that if two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve sit in the four thrones, the White Witch's reign would end. Edmund sneaks off to visit the Witch. When he arrives at her castle, she is angry that he did not deliver his siblings. The Witch sends wolves to hunt down the children and the beavers, who barely escape. Edmund is chained in the Witch's dungeon where he meets Tumnus. The Witch demands that Edmund reveal where his siblings are because her police could not find them; Edmund hesitates when Tumnus claims that Edmund does not know anything. The witch tells Mr. Tumnus that Edmund betrayed him, then turns Tumnus to stone.

While Peter, Lucy, Susan and the beavers travel to the Stone Table, they see what they believe to be the White Witch chasing after them, so they hide. It is really Father Christmas, a sign that the Witch's reign is ending. Father Christmas gives Lucy a healing cordial and a dagger to defend herself with, Susan a bow and arrows and a magical horn that will summon help when blown, and Peter a sword and shield. Pursued by wolves led by Maugrim, the group crosses a thawing river, leaving the Witch unable to reach them. Arriving at Aslan's camp, the group encounters Aslan, who is revealed as a huge and noble lion. Aslan promises to help Edmund in any way he can. Later, two wolves ambush Lucy and Susan while they are frolicking by the river. When Peter intervenes Maugrim attacks him and Peter kills him with his sword. After some of Aslan's troops follow the other wolf to the witch's camp and rescue Edmund, Peter is knighted by Aslan.

The White Witch journeys to Aslan's camp and asserts her claim to the traitor Edmund, but Aslan secretly offers to sacrifice himself instead. That night, as Lucy and Susan covertly watch, Aslan is killed by the White Witch at the Stone Table. In the morning he is resurrected because "there is a magic deeper still the Witch does not know". Aslan takes Susan and Lucy to the Witch's castle, where he frees the prisoners that the White Witch turned to stone, forming reinforcements. Edmund persuades Peter to lead Aslan's Army to fight the White Witch's forces. Because of the White Witch's huge army is much larger than Aslan's (aka Peter's), Peter's army begins losing. To stop the Witch from attacking and killing his brother Peter, Edmund attacks the White Witch and destroys the Witch's wand who soon stabs him. Peter, angered at what the Witch did, fights her. As the Witch fights Peter, Aslan arrives and kills her. After Edmund is healed by Lucy's cordial, the Pevensies become Kings and Queens, staying in Narnia until they are adults.

Fifteen years later they find the wardrobe and return to England, becoming children again. The Professor enters the room and asks what they were doing. Peter replies, "You wouldn't believe us if we told you, sir." The Professor tosses him the ball that broke the window and replies, "Try me." Lucy later attempts to return to Narnia via the wardrobe, but the Professor tells her he has been trying for years, and they will probably return to Narnia when they least expect to return.

L² Scored: 9/10

L² Comment:

The ever first movie of the chronicles and my favourite among all it series :) Love the exciting part when they enter the world of Narnia; the beautiful Tilda Swinton who is so classy and proud in the Narnia world; and of coz all those fantasy creatures ~ And Aslan is the best character among the whole film which is the lead in Narnia.

I am thinking about getting the whole set of novel of Narnia, should I?

The A Team

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Joe Carnahan

Casted by:
Liam Neeson as John "Hannibal" Smith
Bradley Cooper as Templeton "Face" Peck
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus
Sharlto Copley as Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock
Jessica Biel as Charissa Sosa
Patrick Wilson as Agent Vance Burress a.k.a. Agent Lynch
Story:

John "Hannibal" Smith is held captive in Mexico by two corrupt Mexican police officers working for the renegade General Javier Tuco. Hannibal escapes and sets out to rescue Templeton "Faceman" Peck, who is held captive at Tuco's ranch. Hannibal saves Face after enlisting fellow Ranger Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus, driving to the rescue in B.A.'s modified GMC Vandura van. Pursued by Tuco, they stop at a nearby Army hospital to recruit the services of eccentric pilot H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock. They flee in a medical helicopter, chased by Tuco in a dogfight which leaves B.A. with a fear of flying. The battle ends when they lure Tuco's helicopter into American airspace, where it's destroyed by a U.S. F-22 Raptor, as Hannibal planned.

"Eight years and eighty successful missions later," the team is a highly-regarded elite Special Forces unit stationed in Iraq. Hannibal is contacted by CIA SAD agent Lynch, who reveals that Iraqi insurgents possess U.S. Treasury plates that could be used to manufacture U.S. currency. Lynch wants Hannibal and his team to steal the plates and over $1 billion in cash that is due to be moved out of Baghdad in a Heavily-protected convoy. DCIS Captain Charissa Sosa arrives and warns Face, her former lover (who she left after he became serious about their relationship), to stay away from the plates. Against the advice of his commanding officer, General Russell Morrison, Hannibal agrees to steal the plates in an unofficial black ops mission. The mission is successful, but when the team returns to base, the money, plates, and Morrison's vehicle are destroyed by Brock Pike and his men from the private security firm Black Forest. Without Morrison, the only proof that they were authorized to act, the team is sentenced to ten years in prison and dishonorably discharged.

Six months later, Hannibal is visited in prison by Lynch. Lynch reveals that Pike may be trying to sell the plates with the help of an Arab backer. Hannibal, who has been tracking Pike on his own, makes a deal with Lynch: full reinstatement and clean records for his team in return for the plates. Lynch agrees and Hannibal escapes, then breaks out the rest of the team. B.A. Baracus has turned to religion during his time in prison and refuses to kill anyone. Sosa is hot on their trail, and angry after being demoted to Lieutenant after the team ignored her warning. Believing the team is working with Pike, she tries to intercept them before they leave Germany in a military C-130 transport aircraft. The plane is destroyed by drone fighters, but the team escapes inside the body of a tank on 3 parachutes.

They track Pike and launch an offensive to reclaim the plates and kidnap Pike's backer. The team learns that the backer is actually General Morrison, who worked with Lynch and Pike to steal the plates, but then teamed up with Pike to double-cross Lynch and fake his death. When Lynch learns that the team has Morrison, he orders an air strike to eliminate them. The team barely escapes but Morrison is killed.

Face hatches a plan. Hannibal arranges to meet Sosa, knowing her phone lines are tapped by Lynch, on board a container ship at a Los Angeles dock, saying he will hand over Morrison and the plates in exchange for his freedom. Ultimately, Face's plan works and Pike is killed (by B.A., who has returned to his original violent ways, realizing it's who he is), Lynch is taken into custody, and the plates are recovered. Despite their success, the A-Team is arrested for escaping incarceration. Sosa is promoted back to Captain for retrieving the plates and apprehending the A-Team, but promises to do all she can to set them free before kissing Face as he is led into a prison van. In the van, Face reaches into his mouth and smiles triumphantly as he holds a key, given to him by Sosa through the mouth. The film closes with narration (provided by Corey Burton) reminiscent of the original television series' opening credits, stating that the team now live as soldiers of fortune.

In a post-credits scene, Face walks to the tanning bed in prison, asking the man emerging from the tanning bed how to protect his face. The man tells him, "You don't mess with it, kid." In the next scene, Murdock receives electro-shock therapy, while two doctors look on. One of them comments on Murdock's mindstate, saying "This guy, Murdock, is nuts." In the extended cut on DVD and Blu-ray these scenes are put back into the film, and removed from the credits.

L² Scored: 3.5/10

L² Comment:

Well, i really been hoping that this is a good movie since it has hit a good ranking in its TV series. But yawn, its a bit disappointment and the whole movie is kinda noisy and messy for me. Usually when there's Bradley Cooper, my eyes will glue on to the tv set, but no, not this even though there's a lot of shirtless scenes of Cooper in this. YAWN !!!

Unknown 2011

Released Year: 2011
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Casted by:
Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris
Diane Kruger as Gina
January Jones as Elizabeth "Liz" Harris
Aidan Quinn as Martin B.
Frank Langella as Professor Rodney Cole
Bruno Ganz as Ernst Jürgen
Sebastian Koch as Professor Bressler
Story:

Dr. Martin Harris and his wife Liz arrive in Berlin for a biotechnology summit. Upon arriving at their hotel, Martin realizes he forgot his briefcase at the airport. He takes a taxicab driven by Gina, but on the way to the airport, the cab crashes off a bridge into the river after narrowly avoiding a refrigerator that falls off a delivery truck. Martin is knocked unconscious upon impact, but Gina saves him from drowning before fleeing from the scene. On Thanksgiving day, he comes to at the hospital after being in a coma for four days.

Martin returns to his hotel, only to discover another man with his wife, who tells hotel security she does not know him. He attempts to contact his old colleague Prof. Rodney Cole, who is unavailable due to Thanksgiving in the United States. Martin then heads to the office of Prof. Bressler, whom he is scheduled to meet that day. However, he sees the impostor, "Martin B" already in a meeting with Bressler. As Martin attempts to prove his identity, Martin B shows him his ID and family photo – both of which have Martin's name, only with his face replaced by that of the impostor. Disillusioned by the identity crisis, Martin falls unconscious and finds himself back at the hospital, where he undergoes an MRI to see if the accident had caused any head trauma. An assassin sent to target him kills Dr. Farge and Nurse Gretchen Erfurt, but Martin escapes.

He then seeks help from Nurse Erfurt's friend, private investigator and former Stasi agent Ernst Jürgen. Martin's only clues are his notebook and Gina, who works at a diner after being fired from the taxicab company since the incident. While Martin attempts to persuade Gina into helping him clear up his identity problem, Jürgen digs up information related to Martin and the biotechnology summit. He discovers that the summit is to be attended by Prince Shada of Saudi Arabia, who is funding a secret project headed by Bressler. Prince Shada has survived numerous assassination attempts from Islamic militants, and Jürgen suspects that Martin's identity theft may be another attempt at taking the Prince's life. Jürgen receives Cole at his office, but when he realizes that Cole is not who he says he is (surmising that Cole was a former member of a secret HVA assassination unit), he commits suicide by drinking cyanide-laced coffee.

Meanwhile, the assassins attempt to eliminate Martin and Gina, but the couple escape after a fight at her apartment and a lengthy car chase. Martin looks at his notebook and sees a set of numbers written by his wife. The numbers correspond to words found on specific pages of the notebook, which appear as secret codes. Using the schedule written on the notebook, Martin confronts Liz, who tells him that his only hope is his briefcase at the airport. After retrieving his briefcase, Martin parts ways with Gina, who sees him kidnapped by Cole and his henchman Jones. Gina steals a taxicab and chases after Cole's van. Martin wakes up at a car park and discovers the truth of his identity through Cole. It is revealed that Martin Harris is a cover name, and that he, Liz and Martin B are terrorist assassins sent to target the summit. Because he injured his head during the car crash, his memory was altered and he believed that Martin Harris was his real life identity. However, he still does not remember his own true identity. Gina rushes in and stops Jones from killing Martin as Cole hides in his van. There is a brief fight between Jones and Gina which ends when Gina drives her car into Jones and squashes him against Cole's van. The impact of the crash also sends the van plummeting down the tower with Cole still inside. Martin discovers a hidden compartment in his briefcase and finds two Canadian passports, realizing he and Liz were in Berlin three months prior to plant a bomb in the suite that is to be occupied by Prince Shada.

The duo head for the hotel to stop the assassination. They are immediately arrested by security, but Martin convinces them of his presence in the hotel three months back. He then realizes that Prince Shada is not the target, but Bressler – who has discovered a genetically modified breed of corn that is capable of surviving any climate, easing the world's food supply problem. Liz uses her own copy of the notebook's secret codes to remotely access Bressler's laptop and steal the data. After being convinced there is a bomb, security evacuates the hotel. Seeing that their assassination attempt has been foiled, Liz tries to disarm the bomb, but is too late, as she is killed while a section of the hotel is destroyed. Martin B, the last remaining terrorist, attempts to kill Prof. Bressler, but Martin stops and kills him. Bressler later announces his project to the world, and Martin and Gina, who now carry Canadian IDs (that have the same last name, implying that they are married,) leave on a train, now free from their troubled lives.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

Film according to the French novel by Didier van Cauwelaert + directed by my Spanish fav director Jaume, this is not a bad film. The reason why i score it that low is because - Ms Kruger did not show her nice yummy body like what she did before in TROY !!! I was waiting and waiting and waiting, but no... she was fully covered !!! Gosh~ so damn dissapointed.

Clash Of The Titans 2010

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Louis Leterrier

Casted by:
Sam Worthington as Perseus
Ralph Fiennes as Hades
Liam Neeson as Zeus
Gemma Arterton as Io
Alexa Davalos as Andromeda
Story:

The film begins with the story of the Titans. The Titans were finally defeated by their sons Zeus , Poseidon ), and Hades , when Zeus convinced Hades to create a monstrous creature, the Kraken (made from Hades' flesh). Zeus became ruler of the heavens, Poseidon became king of the seas, and Hades (tricked by Zeus) was left to rule the Underworld. Zeus created humankind, and in time, humankind began to question the gods.

A millennium later, a fisherman named Spyros finds a coffin in the sea. A baby and his dead mother are in it. Spyros adopts the boy (whom he names Perseus) and raises him as his own son. Years later, the now adult Perseus is aboard a small fishing boat with his family, when they witness a group of soldiers from Argos destroying a massive statue of Zeus, as a declaration of war against the gods. Hades appears in the form of a flock of and massacres the soldiers. After Hades has achieved victory, he destroys the fishing boat as well, drowning Perseus' family.

Perseus is found by soldiers , though this term is Roman rather than Greek), who march him into Argos. He is brought before King Cepheus and Queen [[Cassiopeia ) , during their celebration of the war on the gods. Cepheus and Cassiopeia are oblivious to the lives already lost in the newly declared war. The King makes boastful statements to disrespect the gods, and the Queen compares their daughter [[Andromeda ) to the goddess [[Aphrodite]), much to their daughter's dismay. n Mount Olympus.

Hades argues that the gods must act with vengeance against the uprising, and Zeus is extremely angered, which gives Hades the opportunity to appear before his brother o convinces Zeus that he has to be allowed to destroy Argos. Hades appears in the courtroom, kills the remaining soldiers and ages Cassiopeia to the brink of death. Hades threatens that if Princess Andromeda is not sacrificed to appease the gods within ten days, Argos will be destroyed by the Kraken. As he departs, he identifies Perseus as a Demigod. Hermes ( the Messenger God informs Zeus that his son Perseus is alive in Argos. Zeus refuses to protect his son when he learns of this.

The King imprisons Perseus, because he will not fight with Argos against the gods. ] reveals to Perseus his true lineage. In order to punish King Acrisius for his own war on the gods, Zeus disguised himself as Acrisius and seduced Danaë, impregnating her. When Acrisius set Danaë and the baby Perseus adrift in their coffin, an enraged Zeus struck Acrisius with lightning leaving him hideously disfigured. She also tells Perseus she does not age as punishment for refusing to be seduced by the god Poseidon . After learning that killing the Kraken would allow him to have his revenge against Hades (whom he blames for his family's deaths) Perseus agrees to lead Argos' finest soldiers on a quest to find the . They are joined by a pair of monster hunters named Ozal and Kucuk . Io follows as well.

Hades finds Acrisius (now called Calibos) and reveals his plan to use the Kraken to destroy Argos, thereby strengthening himself and gaining his revenge against Zeus for his betrayal after the Titan battle. Hades imbues Calibos with superhuman powers in order to kill Perseus. While in the woods, Perseus discovers a sword forged in Olympus, as well as Zeus' sacred herd of flying horses, the Pegasi. Perseus refuses both the sword, which only he can use, and Pegasus, which the gods were offering as assistance, as Perseus does not wish to become a god. Calibos attacks the group and kills nearly all the praetorian guards and tries to murder Perseus, but is forced to flee after Draco cuts off his hand. However, Calibos' blood forms giant scorpions out of the sand, which attack Perseus and kill all of the guards, except for Draco , Solon ([[Liam Cunningham , Eusebios and Ixas (.

The survivors are saved by the , a band of former human shamans who have turned themselves into the Demons of Arabian mythology, by replacing their "battle wounds with charwood and black magic." Though they do not trust the Djinn at first until their leader Sheikh Suleiman (Ian Whyte) heals Perseus' wounds. When Solon and Draco see Suleiman healing Perseus, they think he is attacking him and try to save him. Suleiman effortlessly defeats all the warriors and says that the only way to help Perseus is by them all working together. The Djinn joins Perseus' group, as they too wish to see the gods overthrown.

The heroes go to visit the Stygian witches and are told that the solution lies with the head of the Gorgon Medusa, which could kill the Kraken by turning it to stone. When Perseus is warned that his group will die in the process, all of the Djinn, except for Suleiman, leave them. Ozal and Kucuk also leave, explaining that they cannot fight in the Underworld. Perseus is visited by Zeus who offers him asylum on Mount Olympus, but he refuses. Zeus gives him a golden drachma as a means to bribe Charon, for passage into the Underworld. In the battle with Medusa (Natalia Vodianova), the Gorgon shoots Solon, and he falls to his death. Medusa kills Ixas and Eusebios by petrifying them. Perseus then lures Medusa out, and Sulieman tries to behead her but only manages to cut through a few snakes on her head. Medusa traps Suleiman by coiling her tail around him and attempts to petrify him. Suleiman cannot be petrified and he self-destructs, blasting a part of her body by using his magic. Draco then sacrifices himself by distracting the injured Medusa, so that Perseus is able to behead her. Emerging from the Underworld, Perseus sees Calibos stab Io from behind. After a short duel, Perseus kills Calibos, using the sword from Olympus, which restores Calibos to human form. With his last breath, Calibos (now Acrisius) urges Perseus not to be like the gods. Perseus watches as Io is transformed into gold dust and is swept away to Olympus. He then rides Pegasus back to Argos, with Medusa's head.

In Argos, the Cult of Hades plots to sacrifice Andromeda to the Kraken. As the Kraken is released, Hades reveals to Zeus that the destruction of Argos will give him enough power to overthrow the other Olympians, ending Zeus's reign, as revenge on Zeus for cheating him, but Zeus reveals Perseus is still alive in Argos. Although Hades sends his harpies to kill Perseus, Perseus uses the head of Medusa to turn the Kraken into stone and saves Andromeda. Cepheus stops Prokopion, the cult leader, from killing Andromeda by grabbing his burnt arm, who in turn stabs Cepheus, but both Cepheus and Prokopion are then crushed by the Kraken's stone hand. Hades appears and smugly sneers that as he is immortal, Perseus cannot kill him. Perseus retorts that Hades can live forever, but not in the world of humans. He then uses the Sword of Olympus (amplified with Zeus' lightning) and throws it at Hades, hitting him in the chest with enough force to send Hades flying back into the Underworld (through the crack from which the Kraken emerged, which closes behind Hades). Andromeda asks Perseus to become king of Argos, but he declines. Zeus again offers Perseus his place on Olympus, but Perseus declines this as well. Zeus warns him that Hades will someday return for revenge again when humankind's fear is great. Since Perseus insists on staying on Earth, Zeus (before disappearing) resurrects Io, while Pegasus flies overhead. [edit] Alternate ending The special features of the Blu-ray has an alternate ending that was cut from the film. After defeating the Kraken and Hades, Andromeda falls into the sea and Perseus dives in to save her. When he reaches her, he embraces her with a passionate kiss, indicating that he fell in love with her, and she with him. After reaching the shore and regaining consciousness, Andromeda asks Perseus if he will stay and he says there is someone he needs to talk to, before kissing her again, indicating that he will come back. Getting on Pegasus, he flies to Mt. Olympus where he confronts Zeus, stating that he does not wish to be one of them and that any conflict between them has just started. After slamming his sword into the gods' map and shattering the models of every living person, he leaves and is seen flying on Pegasus over the sea, presumably back to Argos.

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

I have missed this movie in cinema, but luckily i watch it in DVD. Love Worthington and Gemma :) Both of them are hot. But the so-called-ugly Jane March in this film? Sorry, i dont even recognize and realize her existence, maybe too cheap gua... lol

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Michael Apted

Casted by:
Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie
Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie
Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian
Will Poulter as Eustace Scrubb
Simon Pegg as Reepicheep
Liam Neeson as Aslan
Story:

The two youngest Pevensie children, Lucy and Edmund, are staying with their odious cousin Eustace Scrubb during the final days of the second World War. With their older brother Peter is studying for his university entrance exams and their older sister Susan is traveling through America with their parents, Edmund and Lucy feel they are being left out. But one day, after Edmund attempted to join the military, he, Lucy, and Eustace are drawn into the Narnian world through a picture of a ship at sea. The three children land in the ocean near the pictured vessel, the titular Dawn Treader, and are taken aboard.

The Dawn Treader is the first ship Narnia has seen in centuries. King Caspian has built it for his voyage to find the seven lords, good men whom his evil uncle Miraz banished when he usurped the throne many years earlier. His Telmarine ancestors had never built ships as they had always feared the sea.Three years have passed since peace has been established in Narnia, and Caspian has undertaken an oath to find the seven lost Lords of Narnia. Lucy and Edmund are delighted to be back in Narnia, but Eustace is less enthusiastic as he is at odds with the talking Mouse Reepicheep, who joined the crew in hopes to see Aslan's Country beyond the seas of the "utter East". Lucy asked if Caspian has found a queen in the three years they have been gone; Caspian smiles sadly and responds, "none like your sister".

They first make landfall in the Lone Islands, nominally Narnian territory but became a heaven for slave trade with Caspian, Lucy, Edmund and Eustace captured as merchandise. While imprisoned, Caspian meets one of the lost lords, Lord Bern, who reveals those not sold are sacrificed to a mysterious green mist he and the others were investigating. Caspian reclaims the Lone Islands and names Bern its duke while given one of the seven swords the lords possess. At the second island they visit, Lucy is abducted by the invisible Duffers who force her to enter their opressor's manor to recite a spell of visibility. Doing so, while ripping a page from the spell book that detailed an enchantment to make her like her sister, Lucy and the others learn the opressor actually cast the spell to protect the Duffers from the evil green mist that comes from Dark Island. To defeat the Dark Island, the crew must locate the other Swords of the Seven Lords and lay them in Aslan's Table on Ramandu's island. But during a storm after leaving the Duffers' island, Lucy nearly becomes victim to the mist's temptation of her lack of self-value as it tortures Caspian and Edmund with their own personal demons.

The group then made a stop at a volcanic island, with Eustace leaving the group to avoid participating in the work and finding a massive treasure that arouses his greed: filling his pockets with gold and jewels and puts on a large golden bracelet from a corpse. Elsewhere, Caspian and the Pevensies find a pool of water which turns everything immersed in it into gold, including Lord Restimar as they obtain his sword while almost tempted by the gold. Soon after as they are about to leave, the group encounters Eustace, now a dragon and the corpse near the treasure is revealed be Lord Octesian. Eventually they reach the Island of the Star, where they find the three remaining lost lords in enchanted sleep. Ramandu's daughter Liliandil tells them that the only way to awaken the three lords is by setting things right and reveals the last lord, Lord Rhoop, is on Dark Island itself.

At Dark Island, the group battle a sea serpent manifestion that it assumed from Edmund's thoughts as the fear crazed Rhoop stabbed Eustace with his sword. Flying out, Eustace is approached by Aslan who turns him back into a boy and sends him to place Rhoop's sword with the others. As Eustace suceeds in getting the seven swords together, Edumnd manages to overcome his own demons as he slays Dark Island's manifestion. Soon after, Caspian heads to the world's end with Reepicheep, Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace, venturing in a small boat through a sea of lilies until they reach a wall of water that extends into the sky. After Caspian decides not to go further out of realizing he needs to look after Narnia, Reepicheep gains Aslan's blessing to see his country, paddling a coracle up the waterfall to be never again seen in Narnia. Aslan then sends the children home, telling them that Edmund and Lucy will not return to Narnia and that they should learn to know him by another name in their own world. However, Eustace, now a much nicer person from his time in Narnia, could return someday.

L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

I didn't read any of the novel from the chronicles, but i definitely love this movie :) This round they only left Edmund and Lucy go into the world of Narnia together with their arrogant cousin Eustace; Peter and Susan are too old to go into the fantasy world anymore. Most probably Eustace will be the new main character in Narnia film if they are planning to shoot more.

I kinda like Eustace this boy, his character is so attractive~ everything seems so funny when he's turn into dragon ~ lol... u guys must watch this film.