Angels & Demons

 Released Year: 2009

Directed by Ron Howard

Casted by:

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon

Ewan McGregor as Father Patrick McKenna

Ayelet Zurer as Dr. Vittoria Vetra

Stellan Skarsgård as Commander Maximilian Richter

Pierfrancesco Favino as Inspector Ernesto Olivetti

Nikolaj Lie Kaas as The Assassin

Armin Mueller-Stahl as Cardinal Strauss

 Story:

Under the watchful eyes of Father Silvano Bentivoglio and Dr. Vittoria Vetra, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) initiates the Large Hadron Collider and creates three vials of antimatter particles larger than any that have ever been produced before. Almost immediately, Father Silvano is killed and one of the vials of antimatter goes missing. At the same time, the Roman Catholic Church is mourning the sudden death of Pope Pius XVI in Rome and prepares for the papal conclave to elect the next Pope. The Camerlengo, Father Patrick McKenna, assumes temporary control of the Vatican. The Illuminati kidnap four of the 'preferiti' (the favourite cardinals to be elected pope) before the conclave enters seclusion and threaten to kill one candidate every hour and destroy all of Vatican City at midnight, using the missing vial of antimatter as a bomb. The Vatican summons symbologist Robert Langdon from Harvard University and Vetra from CERN to help them save the four preferiti and locate the vial.

Langdon listens to the Illuminati's message and deduces that the four cardinals will die at the four altars of the "Path of Illumination," marked by statues of angels in locations relevant to the four classical elements. Over the objections of Commander Maximilian Richter, head of the Swiss Guard, but with McKenna's consent, Langdon is granted access to the Vatican Secret Archives. He examines Galileo Galilei's banned book with Vetra. Following the clues and accompanied by Inspector General Ernesto Olivetti and Claudio Vincenzi of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps, they arrive at the Chigi Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. There they find Cardinal Ebner dead, suffocated with soil and branded with an ambigrammatic word "Earth". They verify the second location is Saint Peter's Square but are unable to save Cardinal Lamassé; his lungs punctured and his body branded with "Air".

While Vetra studies Silvano's diaries, Langdon, Olivetti and Vincenzi locate the third church, Santa Maria della Vittoria, but are unable to save Cardinal Guidera from being burned to death. His body is branded with an ambigrammatic word, "Fire". The assassin appears and kills Olivetti and Vincenzi, while Langdon barely manages to escape with his life. Langdon and two Carabinieri officers race to the Water altar, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, where the assassin murders the officers and drops a bound and weighted Cardinal Baggia into the fountain. Langdon, assisted by bystanders, saves the cardinal, who tells him the Illuminati's lair is Castel Sant'Angelo. There Langdon and Vetra discover a hidden passageway leading to the Vatican, being used as a hideout for the assassin. Discovering a case with marks for five branding irons, they realize the fifth brand is for the camerlengo but are confronted by the assassin before they can alert McKenna. The assassin spares their lives, then cryptically warns them that his contractors were "men of God". He escapes but is then killed when his car explodes.

Inside the Vatican, Langdon and Vetra find Commander Richter hovering over McKenna with a gun, the Vatican symbol branded into McKenna's chest. Richter and Archbishop Simeon are shot by the Guards, and Langdon takes a key that slips from Richter's hand. The stolen antimatter vial is found in St. Peter's Tomb below the church, but the battery life is too low to risk re-connecting it to a battery. McKenna, a former military pilot, seizes the vial and uses an awaiting helicopter to fly above the Vatican. At a high altitude, he parachutes out as the antimatter bomb explodes overhead. McKenna is hailed a hero and savior, and the cardinals move to elect him pope. Langdon and Vetra use Richter's key to watch a security video showing McKenna speaking to Richter before the attack. The video reveals that it is McKenna, not the Illuminati, who masterminded the scheme. McKenna reveals that he murdered the previous pope because he felt the pope had betrayed the church by trying to bridge the gap between science and religion. Once McKenna had killed the pope, he intended to have himself elected to the papacy whilst rallying the most conservative Cardinals to his side. The recording is shown to the Papal conclave, and when it dawns on McKenna that he has been exposed he flees to a remote recess in the building where he is able to commit suicide by setting himself on fire.

The Vatican officially announces that McKenna died due to internal injuries suffered during his parachute landing, and Cardinal Baggia is named Pope Luke, with Cardinal Strauss as the new camerlengo. Strauss thanks Langdon for his assistance and gives Langdon Galileo's "Diagramma Veritatis" for his research, requesting only that Langdon's will contain a request that it be returned to the Vatican, and that any future references he may make about the Catholic Church in his future publications be done gently, to which Langdon replies, "I'll try."

 L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

It has been such a long time I didn't watch any movie and update this blog... almost one month without any new update, a friend message me & order me to update soon or else he will dis-follow my movies' blog lol~

Well, I have been wanting to re-watch this movie, a sequel of "The Da Vinci Code". Angels & Demons was one of my favorite movie back in 2009 before i started to blog about movies review. However, watching it the second time, its a bit boring to be frank. Of course beside solving hints, Tom Hanks with a new girl running around like mad dog & the villain change to Ewan McGregor... Of course its a good movie still, but maybe not for the re-watching time...

The Da Vinci Code

 Released Year: 2006

Directed by Ron Howard

Casted by:

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon

Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu

Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing

Alfred Molina as Bishop Aringarosa

Jürgen Prochnow as André Vernet

Jean Reno as Police Captain Bezu Fache

Paul Bettany as Silas

 Story:

Jacques Saunière is being pursued by a mysterious hooded figure known as Silas through the Grand Gallery in the Louvre in Paris. Silas demands the location of the Priory's clef de voûte or "keystone." Under threat of death, Saunière finally confesses the keystone is kept in the sacristy of Church of Saint-Sulpice, "beneath the Rose." Silas thanks him, and then shoots him in the stomach. Meanwhile, American symbologist Robert Langdon, who is in Paris as a guest lecturer on symbols and the sacred feminine, is contacted by the French police, and summoned to the Louvre to view the crime scene. He discovers the dying Saunière has created an intricate display using black light ink and his own body and blood. Captain Bezu Fache asks him for his interpretation of the puzzling scene.

Silas calls a mysterious man known as "The Teacher", revealing that he has killed all four protectors of the keystone and that all confirmed the same location. He dons a metal cilice on his thigh and proceeds to flagellate himself with a whip for the sins of murder. Facilitated by Bishop Manuel Aringarosa, Silas then travels to Saint-Sulpice and is admitted by an elderly nun; left alone, he excavates beneath the floor of the church to find a stone saying only JOB 38:11. He confronts the nun, who quotes the passage: "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further." Realizing that he has been deceived, Silas is enraged and kills the nun.

Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist with the French police, enters the Louvre as well and slips Langdon a message which leads him to the bathroom. There, Sophie meets him and tells him that he is being tracked, a GPS tracking dot has been (unknown by him) slipped into his jacket and that he is a primary suspect in the murder case because of a line of text found by the corpse ("P.S. find Robert Langdon"). Sophie however, believes that Saunière, who is revealed to be her grandfather, wanted to pass a hidden message on to her (Princesse Sophie, P.S., was the nickname he used for her), and that he had wanted to bring Langdon into the equation so that he could help her crack the code.

Buying some time by throwing the tracking device into the back of a truck, the pair begin exploring the Louvre, finding more anagram messages that Saunière had left behind. Many of these relate to Leonardo da Vinci's art, and the pair find a key with a Fleur-de-lis behind Madonna of the Rocks painting. Langdon deduces from this that Saunière was a member of the Priory of Sion, a secret society associated with the Knights Templar.

Pursued by the French police and cut off from the United States Embassy, the pair escape to the Bois de Boulogne where Langdon closely inspects the key. He notices an inscription on the side - an address. The address directs them to the Depository Bank of Zurich where the key is used for a safety deposit box. In the bank, they find Saunière's deposit box and open it using the 10 digit Fibonacci numbers in order (1123581321). Inside the box, they find a rosewood container, which contains a cryptex: a cylindrical container with five alphabetical dials which must be arranged in the correct sequence to spell out a 5-letter code word, in order to open and access the papyrus message inside. Using force to open the cryptex would break a vial of vinegar inside, which would dissolve the papyrus and destroy the message.

Unfortunately, the police are called by a security guard and they are forced to leave. The bank manager, Andre Vernet, assists them in escaping by taking them as passengers in an armoured van to escape the routine checks of the police. In the back of the truck Langdon and Neveu have a lengthy discussion about the cryptex and Neveu says that her grandfather often played games with her involving cryptexes. Langdon says that the cryptex might hold valuable information or another clue about what they are trying to discover. Eventually, they come to a sudden stop and Vernet forces them at gunpoint to give him the cryptex. Langdon tricks Vernet and disarms him and he and Sophie escape with the cryptex in their hands.

Langdon suggests that they visit his friend, Sir Leigh Teabing, for assistance to opening the cryptex. Teabing turns out to be an enthusiastic seeker of the Holy Grail, which he believes is not actually a cup but instead Mary Magdalene. Mary was pregnant at the time of Christ's crucifixion, and Teabing tells Sophie that the Priory of Sion was formed to protect the descendants of Jesus. Jacques Saunière was believed to be a part of this society and Teabing suspects that he was training Sophie to join it also. Silas, meanwhile, breaks into Teabing's mansion and attempts to steal the cryptex. Teabing uses his cane to knock Silas out and they escape again, taking the butler, Remy Jean, and Silas with them. The group escapes in Teabing's plane, following the next clue to London. Fache learns of their destination, and alerts the London Metropolitan Police to apprehend them at the airport. But Teabing manages to slip the party past the police with a trick of misdirection.

Teabing leads Langdon and Neveu to the Temple Church in London, which is shown to be a red herring. Silas is freed by Remy Jean, who is revealed to be a follower of The Teacher as well. The two take Teabing hostage, and Silas, believing Remy to be The Teacher, holes up in an Opus Dei safehouse. Remy is killed by the mysterious man after deceiving Silas. Silas is attacked by the police and, in the ensuing gunfire, accidentally shoots Bishop Manuel Aringarosa. In his grief, Silas dies in police-assisted suicide and a wounded Aringarosa is hospitalized, as well as being arrested by Fache for using him to chase Langdon.

Langdon is betrayed by Teabing, who is revealed to be the true Teacher. He escapes with the cryptex, and attempts to find the next clue at Isaac Newton's tomb in Westminster Abbey, as Newton was another member of the Priory. Langdon and Neveu catch up with him, and chase him into the nearby chapter house. Teabing explained that he wanted to find Mary Magdalene's remains to prove he was correct about the Holy Grail and threatens to shoot Sophie if Langdon does not open the cryptex. Langdon responds by throwing the cryptex into the air. Teabing catches, but fumbles it, and it hits the ground, shattering the internal vial of vinegar. Teabing becomes distraught, as he believes the vinegar has destroyed the papyrus within the still intact cryptex.

After Teabing is arrested, it is revealed that Langdon had cracked the code ('Apple', a reference to Newton) and removed the clue from the cryptex before throwing it. Using the clue, they travel to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland where Magdalene's remains had previously been hidden. The remains had since been moved, but they meet other members of the secret organization that protected her. It is revealed that Sophie is actually Magdalene's descendant and therefore is the current living descendant of Jesus Christ. They vow to keep her safe. Langdon and Sophie part ways shortly after.

Back in Paris, Langdon accidentally cuts himself while shaving and the line of blood on the sink reminds him of the Rose Line, which sparks an epiphany. He goes out into the streets of Paris and follows the Rose Line and finds the location of the Holy Grail, buried under the pyramid in the Louvre. Langdon then kneels above Mary Magdalene's tomb as the Knights Templar did before him.

 L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

About 10 years time I rewatch this movie, it still gives me the thrill of it... Yet after so many years, I still did not read the book hehe~ Tom Hanks is the one who attracted me to walk into the cinema for this movie, after that I was deeply fall in love with Paul Bettany's nice ass lol~ Overall the movie is great, and still good even you rewatch it... :)

Toy Story

Released Year: 1995

Directed by John Lasseter

Voiced by:

 Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody

Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear

Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head

Jim Varney as Slinky Dog

Wallace Shawn as Rex

John Ratzenberger as Hamm

Annie Potts as Bo Peep

John Morris as Andy Davis

Erik von Detten as Sid Phillips

 Story: 

In a world where toys pretend to be lifeless in the presence of humans, Woody, a pullstring cowboy toy, is the leader of a group of toys that are owned by a boy named Andy Davis. With his family moving away one week before his birthday, Andy is given a week-early party to spend with his friends, while the toys stage a reconnaissance mission to discover Andy's new presents. Andy receives a spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear, whose impressive features see him replacing Woody as Andy's favorite toy. Woody becomes resentful, especially when he notices that Buzz also gets attention from the other toys. However, Buzz believes himself to be a real space ranger on a mission to return to his home planet, while Woody tries to convince him that he is just a toy.

As Andy prepares for a family outing at Pizza Planet, his mother allows him to bring only one toy along. Fearing Andy will choose Buzz, Woody attempts to trap Buzz behind a desk, but the plan ends in failure when Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out the window, which results in the other toys turning against Woody by accusing him of eliminating Buzz out of jealousy. Now that Buzz is missing, Andy reluctantly takes Woody to Pizza Planet, but Buzz climbs into the car and confronts Woody when they stop at a gas station. As they fight, they fall out of the van, which drives off and leaves them behind. While Buzz still believes he is a real space ranger, Woody spots a Pizza Planet delivery truck and convinces him that it can take him to a space port. As Woody looks for Andy at Pizza Planet, Buzz sees a rocket-shaped skill game and jumps inside, mistaking it for a real spaceship. Woody follows him in it, but Andy's toy-abusing neighbor, Sid Phillips, arrives and operates the machine, maneuvering the claw to snag Buzz and Woody who are then taken to his house.

At Sid's house, Woody and Buzz try to escape before Andy's moving day, encountering Sid's abused toy creations and his vicious bull terrier Scud. During an attempt, Buzz sees a commercial for Buzz Lightyear action figures and realizes that he is actually a toy himself. Disbelieving, he attempts to prove that he could fly, but falls and crashes down the stairs, breaks his left arm off and becomes depressed. Woody sees Andy's other toys from a distance and cannot convince them that Buzz is alive. After Sid's toys fix Buzz's arm to Woody's surprise, Sid decides to blow up the space ranger with a firework rocket, but a thunderstorm delays the plan. That night, Woody tells Buzz that he can bring joy to Andy as a toy, reinvigorating his spirit. The next morning, Woody and Sid's toys rescue Buzz and scare Sid into no longer abusing toys by coming to life in front of him. Woody and Buzz then leave Sid's house just as Andy's mother drives away toward their new house.

They manage to climb onto the moving truck, but Scud chases after them and tries to pull Woody off the truck. Buzz tackles the dog and is left behind. Woody tries rescuing Buzz with Andy's RC car, but the other toys, still thinking Woody is eliminating fellow toys, attack the cowboy and toss him off the truck. Having evaded Scud, Buzz and RC pickup Woody and continue after the truck. Upon seeing Woody and Buzz together on RC, the other toys realize their mistake and try to help them get back aboard but RC's batteries become depleted, stranding them. Woody then ignites the rocket on Buzz's back and manages to throw RC into the truck before they soar into the air. Buzz opens his wings to free himself from the rocket before it explodes, gliding with Woody to land safely into a box in the van, right next to Andy.

On Christmas, at their new house, Woody and Buzz stage another reconnaissance mission to prepare for the new toy arrivals. As Woody jokingly asks what might be worse than Buzz, they discover Andy's new gift is a puppy, and the two share a worried smile.

 L² Scored: 9.5/10

L² Comment:

Love rewatching this first movie of Toy Story, never realize it has been 20 years ago... This is the first animation movie (excluding the short film) that has been produced by Pixar together with Disney. Pixar is an American computer animation film studio, they don't have much films yet and most of them are incorporate with Disney. 

The storyline is fresh and nice back in 1995, and of course it didn't get bored either if you watch it now. Woody & Buzz LightYear are so hit during that time and even myself once dress up as Woody for a company event :) 

Splash

 Released Year: 1984

Directed by Ron Howard

Casted by:

Tom Hanks as Allen Bauer

Daryl Hannah as Madison

John Candy as Freddie Bauer

Eugene Levy as Dr. Walter Kornbluth

 Story:

As an eight-year-old boy, Allen Bauer is vacationing with his family near Cape Cod. While taking a sight-seeing tour on a small boat, he gazes into the ocean and sees something below the surface that fascinates him, while his older brother Freddie Bauer is walking around the boat fascinated by the women. Allen jumps into the water, even though he cannot swim. He grasps the hands of a girl who is inexplicably under the water with him and an instant connection forms between the two. Allen can now breathe under water as he is in the hands of a mermaid. However, Allen is pulled to the surface by the deck hands and the two are separated, though apparently no one else sees the girl. After the ferry moves off, Allen looks back at the girl, who dives underwater showing her mermaid's tail. Allen comes to believe the encounter was a near-death hallucination, but his bond with the mermaid proves so strong that his subsequent relationships with women fail as he seeks the connection he felt with the mermaid.

Years later, Allen is a co-owner of a wholesale fruit and vegetable business in New York City with his womanizing older brother Freddie. Depressed after his latest breakup, Allen returns to Cape Cod, where he encounters eccentric scientist Dr. Walter Kornbluth and again falls into the sea. He wakes up on a beach with a headache where he encounters a beautiful naked woman with long blonde hair, a necklace with a lion medal, and the inability to talk who, unknown to him, is the mermaid he met as a boy (her tail transforms into legs when it becomes dry). After kissing him, she dives into the sea and leaves Allen to return home. Kornbluth, while diving in order to seek proof of strange sea creatures, also encounters the mermaid in her sea form, causing him to become obsessed with finding her again.

The mermaid finds Allen's wallet in the water and goes to a sunken boat where she finds a map. Using Allen's wallet to find where he is from, she then decides to find him in New York. She comes ashore naked at the Statue of Liberty, where she is arrested for indecent exposure. Using information from Allen's wallet, the mermaid gets released into his care. She learns how to speak English from watching television, and says her name is a high-pitched chirp sound in the language of mermaids. She's eager to see a big city for the first time in her life, and she chooses the name Madison from a Madison Avenue sign. She tells Allen that she will be in New York for "six fun-filled days when the moon is full" and if she stays longer, she can never go home again (the reason for this is unexplained). Despite Madison's occasional unusual behavior, she and Allen fall in love. Allen proposes to Madison, but she declines and runs away. After pondering her reason for coming to the city in the first place, Madison returns to Allen and agrees to marry him, with the added promise of telling him the truth about herself at an upcoming dignitary dinner to welcome the President of the United States.

Meanwhile, Kornbluth, realizing that the naked woman at Liberty Island was the mermaid he had encountered, pursues the couple trying to expose her as a mermaid by splashing her with water. Many attempts are unsuccessful, and Kornbluth ends up with multiple injuries including a badly broken arm and whiplash. When he is finally successful at the dignitary dinner, the exposed mermaid is taken in by government scientists led by Kornbluth's cold-hearted former colleague and rival Dr. Ross for examination. However, Kornbluth regrets his actions after he learns that Madison is due to be studied and dissected, as he just wanted to prove that he wasn't crazy.

Allen is shocked by Madison's secret and when he denies his love for her, Freddie lashes out at him, telling his brother how happy he was with her. Allen confronts a guilt-ridden Kornbluth, who agrees to help him.

Impersonating Swedish scientists, Freddie and Allen enter the lab with Kornbluth and smuggle Madison outside. Madison makes it back to the ocean and tells Allen that he can survive under water as long as he is with her. Allen realizes she was the young mermaid he had met so long before. The United States military arrive to recapture her, ignoring Allen's demands to let her be free. Although Madison warns him that if he comes to live in the sea he can't return, he jumps into the water and they elude their pursuers. Together they swim along the ocean floor toward what appears to be an underwater kingdom.

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment: 

This movie starts well, but towards the ending part, it become a bit too fast. First, can't feel how much Allen missed Madison and got the desire to save her; Second, issit a bit too fast that Dr Kornbluth joined in the saving team without trying to fight for his right to participate in the experiment on the mermaid which he took risk on?

Overall the other parts are still good. Daryl Hannah is so so beautiful, I have been watching her "High Spirit" a lot of times before, never wonder she can look so hot in naked too lol~ 

Forrest Gump

Released Year: 1994

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Casted by:

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump

Robin Wright as Jenny Curran

Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor

Mykelti Williamson as Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue

Sally Field as Mrs. Gump 

 Story: 

While waiting at a bus stop in 1981, Forrest Gump begins telling his life story to strangers who sit next to him on the bench. His story begins with his being named for a relative, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and proceeds to the leg braces he had to wear as a child in the 1950s, which resulted in other children bullying him. He lives with his mother, who tells him that "stupid is as stupid does." His mother runs a rooming house and Forrest teaches one of their guests, a young Elvis Presley, a hip-swinging dance. On a bus for his first day of school, Forrest meets Jenny, with whom he immediately falls in love, and they become best friends. One day, while fleeing from bullies, Forrest's leg braces break apart and he discovers that he can run very fast. Despite his below-average intelligence, his speed earns him an athletic scholarship to the University of Alabama. While in college, he witnesses George Wallace's Stand in the Schoolhouse Door, is named an All-American football player, and meets President John F. Kennedy.

After graduating, Forrest enlists in the United States Army, where he befriends former shrimp fisherman Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue, and they agree to go into the shrimping business together once they end their service. They are sent to Vietnam, and while on patrol their platoon is ambushed. Forrest saves four of the men in his platoon, including platoon leader First Lieutenant Dan Taylor, but Bubba is killed. Forrest himself is wounded and receives the Medal of Honor from President Lyndon B. Johnson. While recovering from his injuries, Forrest meets Lieutenant Dan, who has had both of his legs amputated due to his injuries. He is furious at Forrest for leaving him a "cripple" and cheating him out of his destiny to die in battle.

Forrest discovers an aptitude for ping pong and begins playing for the U.S. Army team, eventually competing against Chinese teams on a goodwill tour. After his return from China, he appears on the The Dick Cavett Show with John Lennon, which after describing his experience in China as best as he can inspires Lennon to write his 1971 hit Imagine. He visits the White House again and meets President Richard Nixon, who provides him a room at the Watergate hotel, where Forrest inadvertently helps expose the Watergate scandal. He again encounters Lieutenant Dan, now an embittered drunk living on welfare. Dan is scornful of Forrest's plans to enter the shrimping business and mockingly promises to be Forrest's first mate if he ever succeeds.

Forrest is discharged from the military as a Sergeant and uses money from a ping pong endorsement to buy a shrimping boat, fulfilling his wartime promise to Bubba. Lieutenant Dan keeps his own promise and joins Forrest as first mate. They initially have little luck, but after Hurricane Carmen wrecks every other shrimping boat in the region, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company becomes a huge success. Forrest returns home to care for his ailing mother, who dies soon afterwards. He leaves the company in the hands of Dan, who invests the proceeds of the company in shares of "some kind of fruit company", making them both wealthy.

Jenny returns to visit Forrest and stays with him. He proposes but she turns him down. They make love, but she quietly slips away the next morning. Distraught, Forrest decides to go for a run, which turns into a three-year coast-to-coast marathon. Forrest becomes a celebrity, attracting a band of followers. One day he stops his marathon suddenly and returns home, where he receives a letter from Jenny asking to meet.

This brings Forrest to the bus stop where he began telling his story at the start of the film. During his reunion with Jenny, Forrest discovers they have a young son, also named Forrest. Jenny reveals that she is suffering from an unspecified viral illness, presumably HIV/AIDS. She proposes and he accepts, and they return to Alabama with Forrest Jr. and marry. At his wedding, he meets Lieutenant Dan, who now has titanium alloy prosthetic legs and can walk (although he still has a cane at this point), as well as his fiancee.

Eventually, Jenny dies of her illness. Forrest waits with Forrest Jr. for the bus to pick him up for his first day of school, and watches his feather bookmark float off in the wind.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment: 

 This epic movie is based on the novel of Winston Groom in 1986. It has won the best movie, the best director, best actor and many others~ The storyline is just damn perfect, its a motivation and inspirational movie which makes me feel like "if u dont give up, the God will prepare a road for u"~... i really do believe that there are chances and faiths always wait for those who tries~

Larry Crowne

Released Year: 2011
Directed by Tom Hanks

Casted by:
Tom Hanks as Larry Crowne
Julia Roberts as Mercedes Tainot
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Talia
Wilmer Valderrama as Dell Gordo
Cedric the Entertainer as Lamar
Taraji P. Henson as B'Ella
Story:

The middle-aged Navy veteran Larry Crowne is fired from his job at a big-box store, despite his seniority and satisfactory work, because the company has decided that his lack of a college education impedes any chance of advancement.

Larry, who is divorced and lives alone, cannot find a job and he almost loses his house. A neighbor advises him to enroll in the local community college and get an education in order to get better opportunities in the future.

At the college, Larry makes friends quickly with his younger classmates, purchases a scooter, studies economics and begins to work at a diner kitchen, having been a Navy cook. Larry also falls in love with an unhappily married teacher, Mercedes.

Beside this, Larry also met Talia & Dell who is the scooter gang. Larry feel young again when he join the groups. He is having his good youth life back. While Mercedes divorced with her husband and started to fall for Larry too. As Larry graduated, he was happy with his life and with Mercedes as well.

L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

I think this is the first ever movie that Hanks & Roberts work together which directed by Hanks. Its not really an exciting movie but good enough for you to enjoy with your love one. Its been a while i have not watch any Julia Roberts' movie, so this is a refreshing one for me :)

And and and, Wilmer Valdarrama is kinda hot :P

Toy Story 3

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Lee Unkrich

Vocal by:
Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody
Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear
Joan Cusack as Jessia
Ned Beatty as Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear
Don Rickles as Mr Potato Head
Estelle Harris as Mrs Potato Head
Michael Keaton as Ken
Jodi Benson as Barbie
John Morris as Andy (17 teenager)
Wallace Shawn as Rex
Blake Clark as Slinky Dog
Story:

As Andy grow up, he is about to leave his house and went to college. Mrs Davis asked him to packed along his stuff. After a long thought, Andy decided to move all his toys to attic and only bring along Woody to college. He packed all the toys into a garbage bag but Mrs Davis accidentally thought it as rubbish and throw it out.

Woody went for rescue of the mistake but the toys thought Andy is dumping them, they decided to went along to be donated to Sunnyside DayCare. Woody try to persuade them and accidentally follow them along. They met Barbie in the donated box also. When they reach the day care, they were welcome by Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear who introduce them around. Barbie even met her dream guy Ken. Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear let them go into the Caterpillar house while the others stay in butterfly house as toy. Woody try to ask them to go back but nobody listen, sadly he gone away by himself but accidentally stuck on a tree. A little girl Bonnie saw him and bring him back home.

Just when the toys thought they will have new kids to play with, but they are so wrong. They were play harshly, nobody really care about them in the caterpillar house. Only good kid in butterfly house care about the toys. Night time, everyone sent Buzz to talk to Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear. Buzz discovered they are evil and purposely put them in the caterpillar house for torture. They caught Buzz and changed his mode. Buzz become their slave. The bad toys put the gang into prison, Barbie insists to follow her old friend and stay in the prison too.

Woody found out the truth while his stay in Bonnie house. The toys at there told Woody that Lots-O-Huggin'-Bear was a dictator in the Sunnyside day care. He manipulate other big toy such as the Big Baby. Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear was once left away by his master so he hate new toys, he even rules the whole day care. New toys were torture if they try to escape. Woody went back to day care for rescue. Woody later got inform by a moving phone of how to save the gang.

Follow the rules, Barbie went back to Ken's dreamhouse and forced him to tell how to change Buzz back; Woody bring along Slinky Dog to attack the monkey toy who incharge of guardian. Rex and Hamm trapped Buzz in a box while Mr Potato Head sneak out to keep an eye on other bad toys. They managed to escape and reach the garbage area but Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear brought his gang there. Woody told everyone about the truth. Big baby angry because get treated and throw Lot-O'Huggin'-Bear into the garbage bin. But he pulled Woody along. The gang went together to save Woody, in the meanwhile Buzz was changed back to his normal mode.

During the garbage side, Woody and Buzz save Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear, but finally everyone was betrayed by this bad bear and almost drop into fire and burn to death. Luckily the 3 squeeze toys aliens used claws to save them back. Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear was put in front of the garbage car as toys. The gang went back to Andy house. Woody wrote a note ask Andy to give them away to Bonnie who knows how to take care of toys. Andy do so, he was surprise that Woody was in the box too.

Feeling sad and unwilling, Andy finally gave Woody together with all the other toys to Bonnie also. Everyone feel happy in the new place and wish Andy all the best ever.

L² Scored: 9/10

L² Comment:

No doubt this is the best movie i have watch in cinema this year :) The selling points are:-
1. Touching part which make me almost tears when Andy packed all his toys and chose between Woody and Buzz, finally he chose to take Woody along to college.
2. Crying part when all the toys are in danger at the garbage area, they hold hand when all of them almost ended their life in fire.
3. Funny part when Mr Potato Head use roti canai to be his temporary body.
4. Scary part when the big baby sitting on the swing, kinda feel like chucky!!!
5. Horrible part when the monkey slam his clang clang like crazy.
6. Long gone Whoopi Goldberg vocal as the purple octopus.
7. Barbie become so fierce in this movie while Ken is a sissy boy.

My god, no regret to watch it in cinema. I wonder whether there will still be a toy story 4 or not since Andy gave them away in the final scene. Good film :)