The Iron Lady

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Phyllida Llyod

Casted by:

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher
Jim Broadbent as Denis Thatcher
Alexandra Roach as young Margaret Thatcher
Harry Lloyd as young Denis Thatcher

 Story:

 The film begins sometime in 2008 (opening against the backdrop of news of the Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing) with an elderly Lady Thatcher buying milk unrecognized by other customers and walking back from the shop alone. Over the course of three days we see her struggle with dementia and with the lack of power that comes with old age, while looking back on defining moments of her personal and professional life, on which she reminisces with her (now dead) husband, Denis Thatcher. She is shown as having difficulty distinguishing between the past and present. A theme throughout the film is the personal price which Thatcher has paid for power. Denis is portrayed as somewhat ambivalent about his wife's rise to power, her son Mark lives in South Africa and is shown as having little contact with his mother, and it is implied that Thatcher's relationship with her daughter Carol is at times strained.

In flashback we are shown Thatcher's youth, working in the family grocery store in Grantham, listening to the political speeches of her father, whom she idolised - it is hinted that she had a poor relationship with her mother - and announcing that she has won a place at the University of Oxford. She remembers her struggle, as a young lower-middle class woman, to break into a snobbish male-dominated Tory party and find a seat in the House of Commons, along with businessman Denis Thatcher's marriage proposal to her. Her struggles to fit in as a "Lady Member" of the House, and as Education Secretary in Edward Heath's cabinet are also shown, as are her friendship with Airey Neave (later assassinated by the Irish National Liberation Army), her decision to stand for Leader of the Conservative Party, and her voice coaching and image change.

Further flashbacks examine historical events during her time as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom including the rising unemployment related to her monetarist policies and the tight 1981 budget (over the misgivings of "wet" members of her Cabinet – Ian Gilmour, Francis Pym, Michael Heseltine and Jim Prior), the Brixton Riots of 1981, the miners' strike of 1984–5, and the bombing of the Grand Hotel during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference, when she and Denis were almost killed. We also see (slightly out of chronological sequence) her decision to retake the Falkland Islands following the islands' invasion by Argentina in 1982, the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano and Britain's subsequent victory in the Falklands War, her friendship with Ronald Reagan and emergence as a world figure, and the economic boom of the late 1980s.

By 1990 Thatcher is shown as an imperious but aging figure, ranting aggressively at her Cabinet, refusing to accept that the Community Charge (the "Poll Tax") is regarded as unjust, and fiercely opposed to European Integration. Her deputy Geoffrey Howe resigns after being humiliated by her in a Cabinet meeting, Michael Heseltine challenges her for the party leadership and her loss of support from her Cabinet colleagues leaves her little choice but to resign as Prime Minister, about which she is shown as still angry and bitter twenty years later.

Eventually, Margaret is shown packing up her late husband's belongings, and telling him it's time for him to go. Denis's ghost leaves her – in spite of her cries that she is not yet ready to lose him – fully dressed but without his shoes, and she is left alone washing up a teacup.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

I'm not really fond of this movie as i think Mdm Thatcher's life is a bit boring as she spent almost all her life on politics, which i will not ever do it in my life. However, I'm impress with Meryl Streep once again. She never failed to impress me in all her film, she's totally in the character :) And of course, her excellent acting in this movie has won her a multiples awards' Best Actress, bravo :)

Red State

 Released Year: 2011

Directed by Kevin Smith

Casted by:

Michael Parks as Pastor Abin Cooper
John Goodman as ATF Special Agent Keenan

Melissa Leo as Sarah

Kerry Bishé as Cheyenne

Michael Angarano as Travis

Kyle Gallner as Jared

Nicholas Braun as Billy Ray,

 Story:

 Being driven to school by his mother, Travis notices first a fire station siren being removed from its pole and then members of the Five Points Trinity Church, led by Abin Cooper protesting the funeral of a local gay teenager who was found murdered. During Travis' first class, his teacher talks about how Cooper and his church had their town ridiculed for his actions and beliefs. Later, Jared, a friend of Travis, reveals he received an invitation from a woman he met on a sex site for group sex with himself, Travis and Billy Ray. They borrow Travis' parent's car and travel out into the country to meet with the woman.

Along the way, they accidentally sideswipe the vehicle of Sheriff Wynan, while he was engaged in a homosexual affair in his car. Afraid, the boys drive off. Sheriff Wynan returns to the station and tells his deputy Pete to go and look for the vehicle. Meanwhile, the boys arrive at the trailer of the woman who sent out the invitation, Sarah Cooper. She encourages them to drink, and after being drugged by the beer, they pass out while undressing. Jared wakes up while being moved in a covered cage. He realizes he is in the sanctuary at Five Points after he identifies Cooper. Cooper begins a long, hate-filled sermon before identifying another captive, a homosexual they lured in through an internet chat room. They bind him to a cross using plastic cling wrap, execute him with a revolver and drop him into a small crawl space where Travis and Billy Ray are bound together.

Cooper then begins binding Jared to the cross, but stops when he notices Pete driving up to the church. Travis and Billy Ray use a protruding bone from the corpse to cut themselves free, which is heard by Caleb. He lifts up the trap door just in time to see Billy Ray escape and runs after him. Billy Ray is not able to help Travis out of his tight cling wrap cuffs and leaves him for dead. Caleb chases Billy Ray into a room stocked with weapons, where the two end up shooting each other. Pete hears the gunshots and calls Wynan for back-up, but is shot and killed by Mordechai. Cooper then blackmails Wynan, telling him to stay away or he will reveal Wynan's homosexuality to his wife using explicit photos the church has taken of him. In despair, Wynan calls ATF Agent Joseph Keenan, who begins setting up outside of the church.

While the family mourns Caleb, Travis (who had broken free and feigned death alongside Billy Ray's corpse) arms himself and makes a run for it, eventually making it outside where he is shot and killed by Wynan, who mistook him for a member of the congregation. Keenan tries to reason with the family but a shoot-out erupts instead after ATF Special Agent Brooks is shot in the head. In the midst of the shooting, Agent Keenan receives a call from ATF higher-ups ordering him to start a full raid of the complex to ensure that no witnesses remain of the operation to give details of the events. Another tactical agent named Harry struggles with this decision and argues with Keenan in private against doing this. Keenan dismisses Harry's protests for personal reasons, rationalizing his decision based on personal gain and the reputation of the ATF, and Harry storms off in disgust. During the shoot-out, Cheyenne escapes and is captured by an ATF agent who is about to shoot her (per orders) but he is instead killed by Cheyenne's mother, Sarah. Cheyenne returns to the house and unbinds Jared, begging him to help her hide the congregation's children. Jared refuses due to the fact that the church had killed both his best friends, and her pleas turn into a fight. Sarah notices them and attacks Jared. Cheyenne tries to break up the fight and accidentally shoots Sarah in the process, killing her. Cheyenne sends the children up into the attic, and Jared changes his mind and decides to help Cheyenne hide the children. They run outside to plead with Keenan to spare the children but are killed by Harry, who has come around to accepting Keenan's rationales, though Keenan is now visibly disturbed by Harry's actions. The shoot-out is then suddenly interrupted when a mysterious loud trumpet blast echos across the sky. The remaining Coopers lower their weapons and run outside rejoicing, claiming that "the Rapture" has come upon them as the trumpet continues to play. Abin calmly approaches a stunned ATF team and confidently taunts them that God's wrath is upon the Earth. He raises his arms and stands in the face of a confused and worried Keenan in a moment of triumph, daring him to defy God as the trumpet blares.

Several days later, during a briefing before high-ranking government officials, Keenan reports that he then head-butted Cooper and took the rest of the congregation into custody. He explains that the trumpet noises were not the Rapture but came from a group of marijuana farmers who lived down the road and were irritated with Cooper. As a prank they rigged up an old fire house siren to an iPod with loud trumpet noises, unaware of the shootout taking place over the hill. Keenan is promoted despite disobeying a direct order from his superiors at the time to kill everyone at the compound. Keenan is surprised that he is not punished for his insubordinate actions but his superiors explain that their initial decision to kill the members of the congregation was mostly personal and that they are satisfied with the alternative punishment of taking away the prisoners' constitutional rights to due process, locking them up without ever letting them go to trial. They also laugh at the irony that Abin, who views homosexuality as an abomination, will more than likely be raped numerous times by his fellow male inmates. Keenan laments this outcome in a story he shares about a couple of hungry brawling dogs he once knew that taught him about the darker side of human nature and the way simple beliefs can turn humans into bloodthirsty animals.

Abin is finally seen pacing around his cell singing and sermoning to himself until another prisoner yells at him to "Shut the fuck up!"

 L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment:

This is a interesting movie written & directed by Kevin Smith himself :) It was really cool to see how darkness fall within the cultural side and on the defense force. Each side would do anything to execute one another~ damn nice... :)

Rango

 Released Year: 2011

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Voiced by:

Johnny Depp as Rango
Isla Fisher as Beans
Abigail Breslin as Priscilla
Alfred Molina as Roadkill
Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake
Timothy Olyphant as the Spirit of the West
Ned Beatty as Tortoise John

 Story:

 An unnamed pet chameleon becomes stranded in the Mojave Desert after his terrarium falls from his owners' car by accident. He meets an armadillo named Roadkill, who is seeking the mystical Spirit of the West and directs the parched chameleon to find water at a town called Dirt. While wandering the desert, he narrowly avoids being eaten by a red-tailed hawk and has a surreal nightmare before meeting the desert iguana Beans, a rancher's daughter, who takes the chameleon to Dirt, an Old West town populated by desert animals.

Using bravado and improvisation to fit in, the chameleon presents himself to the townsfolk as a tough drifter named Rango. He quickly runs afoul of outlaw Gila monster Bad Bill, but avoids a shootout when Bill is scared off by the hawk's return. Rango is chased by the hawk until he accidentally knocks down an empty water tower which crushes the predator. In response, the town mayor appoints Rango the new sheriff. Meanwhile, the townsfolk worry that with the hawk dead, the gunslinger Rattlesnake Jake will return to terrorize them.

After discovering Dirt's water reserves — stored in the town bank inside a water cooler bottle — to be near empty, a skeptical Beans demands Rango investigate. That night, however, Rango inadvertently assists a trio of mole and prairie dog bank robbers, mistaking them for prospectors. The townsfolk find their water bottle stolen the next day, so Rango organizes a posse. They discover bank manager Merrimack dead in the desert from drowning, and track the robbers to their mountain hideout. They fight the robbers' clan of subterranean animals over the stolen water bottle in a chase through the mountains before discovering the bottle to be empty. Despite the robbers professing they belatedly had discovered it was empty, the posse brings them to town for trial.

Rango and Beans deduce that the mayor has been buying all the land around Dirt. Rango confronts the mayor, who denies any wrongdoing and shows Rango he is building a modern city with the purchased land. The mayor summons Rattlesnake Jake, who recognizes Rango as a fake and runs him out of town after humiliating him and making him admit that everything he told the town about himself is a lie. Ashamed and confused about his identity, Rango wanders the desert and, in a daze, meets the Spirit of the West, a cowboy whom Rango identifies as the Man with No Name. The Spirit inspires Rango, telling him, "No man can walk out on his own story".

With the aid of Roadkill and mystical moving yuccas, Rango learns the mayor has shut off the water line leading to Dirt's source of water, Las Vegas. Recruiting the robbers' clan to aid him, Rango returns to Dirt to call out Jake for a duel with a single bullet, a diversion so the clan and yuccas can flood the town with water and free the falsely accused robbers. The mayor forces Rango to surrender by threatening Beans' life, trapping them inside the glass bank vault to drown. He then tries to shoot Jake with Rango's gun, only to discover it empty. Rango has the bullet, which he uses to crack the glass and shatter the vault, freeing himself and Beans. Jake acknowledges Rango as a worthy opponent and drags the mayor into the desert to take revenge for double-crossing him. The citizens of Dirt celebrate the return of the water and recognize Rango as their hero.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

Its been such a long time i didn't watch a nice cartoon like this :) This is real good no matter on the character, drawing, storyline & music... everything seems to be so well and perfect... Especially i prefer the 4 birdies who keep on singing no matter what the situation is~ haha ... they are so cute :)

The Hangover Part II

 Released Year: 2011

Directed by Todd Philips

Casted by:

Bradley Cooper as Phil Wenneck
Ed Helms as Dr. Stuart "Stu" Price
Zach Galifianakis as Alan Garner

Mason Lee as Teddy

Jamie Chung as Lauren

Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow
Justin Bartha as Doug Billings

 Story:

 Two years after their escapade in Las Vegas, Stu Price, Phil Wenneck, Alan Garner and Doug Billings travel to Thailand to celebrate Stu's impending wedding to Lauren. Much to Alan's dismay, they are joined by Lauren's younger brother, Teddy. During Lauren's father's toast, he shows his disapproval of Stu by comparing him to congee. At the end of the night, Stu hesitantly joins Phil, Doug, Alan and Teddy for a beer. Sitting at a campfire and roasting marshmallows, the group toast to Stu and Lauren's future happiness.

The following morning, Phil, Stu and Alan, along with flamboyant gangster Leslie Chow - whom Alan befriended after Las Vegas - and a chain-smoking capuchin monkey, awaken in a dirty hotel room in Bangkok. Stu has a face tattoo (a replica of Mike Tyson's tattoo), and Alan's head is completely shaved. However, they cannot find Teddy, only discovering his severed finger. Chow begins recalling the events of the prior night, but he seemingly dies after snorting a line of cocaine. Panicked, the trio dispose of Chow's body in an ice machine.

Through a tip from Doug who is still at the resort, they go to a prison to pick up Teddy but are given a wheelchair-bound elderly Buddhist monk, who knows more about what happened, but does not reveal anything: he has taken a vow of silence, and rejects also an alternative such as writing something down. After finding a business card, they travel to a neighborhood smouldering in ruins. They enter a nearby tattoo parlor where Stu got his tattoo, and they learn that they had started a fight that escalated into a riot. The trio then return the monk to his Buddhist temple, where they are encouraged by the head monk to meditate. Alan is able to recall that they had been at a strip club. There, they learn that Stu had engaged in sex with a kathoey prostitute. Upon exiting, the trio is attacked by two Russian mobsters from whom they had stolen the monkey, and Phil is shot in the arm.

After Phil is treated at a clinic, Alan confesses that he had drugged some of the marshmallows from the previous night with muscle relaxants and ADHD medication in order to sedate Teddy but accidentally mixed up the bags. After noticing an address and time point for a meeting written on Alan's stomach, the trio meet up with another gangster, Kingsley, who demands Chow's bank account code and password by the next morning in exchange for Teddy. They return to the hotel to try to find Chow's password, only to discover that he is still alive. They steal the monkey (who had the code given to him by Chow inside his jacket for safe-keeping) back from the Russian mobsters through a violent car chase, during which the monkey is shot and injured. After taking the code and leaving the monkey at a veterinary clinic, the group complete the deal with Kingsley. Suddenly, Interpol agents appear and arrest Chow. Kingsley turns out to be an undercover agent, who tells the trio that the police have searched all day for Teddy but were unable to find him.

Desperate and out of clues, Phil once again calls Doug's wife Tracy. Stu then has an epiphany and the trio rushes back to the hotel and find Teddy in the elevator unharmed (albeit still missing a finger). Teddy had woken up in the middle of the night to get more ice for his severed finger (after the first bucket of ice had melted) but became trapped after the power went out. The four use Chow's speedboat, the keys for which were in Teddy's pocket, to travel back to the wedding reception. Arriving on land just as Lauren's father is about to cancel the wedding, Stu makes a defiant speech where he rejects being boring and instead states that he is in fact quite wild. Impressed, Lauren's father gives the couple his blessing. After the wedding continues on, Alan presents Stu with a special gift at the post-reception dance: a musical guest performance by Mike Tyson. Teddy later discovers that he had taken many pictures during the night on his mobile phone. The group, along with Tyson, agree to look at the pictures together once before erasing the evidence of their exploits once again.

L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

The second part is a blast especially added in the cutie Mason Lee, who happened to be the son of the great director, Ang Lee. As for the storyline, the thing is more happening and more adventurous and more exciting compare to the first movie. Really hope they can come out with the Part III :)

All About Love 再說一次我愛你

 Released Year: 2005

Directed by 余偉國 Yu Wei Guo

Casted by:

劉德華 Andy Lau as 高醫生 Dr Ko / Derek

蔡卓妍 Charlene Choi as 紫晴 Qing

楊采妮 Charlie Yeong as 謝婉森 Sam

黃秋生 Anthony Wong as 聂醫生 Dr Nie

 Story:

 Ko is a hard working doctor who has little time to spend with his wife. When she dies in a car accident her heart is given to another woman, Tse Yuen Sam. Ko later changes careers and becomes a paramedic. One night while on call in an ambulance, Ko attends a traffic accident involving Sam. He discovers she is the recipient of his wife's heart and that her husband Derek (also played by Lau) has left her. Ko decides to use their resemblance as a means of making amends for both his and Derek's treatment of their wives.

L² Scored: 5/10

L² Comment:

Its a confusing story which Andy Lau acted as 2 characters in the same film. One as a doctor and another one as a designer. The movie didn't stated it out clearly and make me scratching my head and try to figure what the heck has been happening until the 2 Andy Lau appeared in the hospital when Charlie passed away.

But beside the confusing part, this is a sad romance film which reminds me of someone. I think we should really appreciate those who are with us right now~ all da best to everyone...

Summer I Love You 好心相爱（天荒情未老）

 Released Year: 2002

Directed by 杨勇 Yang Yong

Casted by:

任贤齐 Richie Ren as 阿力 Lek

卢巧音 Candy Lo as 韦晴 Qing

 Story:

 Qing is an emo girl after a car crash which she cause 2 of her best friend to die on the spot. She been spreading virus through ICQ, but she met Lek from Koh Samui who invited her to his hotel. Qing found out though Lek is unable to walk but he live in a happy life. On a ride, Qing cause Lek to paralyze. Qing donated out her cel to cure Lek and both of them fell in love.

The side effect of donating out her cel cause Qing to grow old faster than her usual age. Now she looks like a 60 years old woman who came back to see Lek. Lek feel comfortable to deal with Sam (Qing's another identity). Lek later found out Qing is actually Sam who help him. Lek went to doctor and took out his cel as well. Now both of them look old and live happily together.

L² Scored: 2/10

L² Comment:

I have expected too much on this movie because of the nice song sang by Candy Lo. The whole movie is not good, storyline is normal, and the director didnt even show us how beautiful Koh Samui is... very dissapointed~

Gallants 打擂台 2010

Released Year: 2010

Directed by 郭子健 Derek Kwok & 鄭思傑 Clement Cheng

Casted by:

黃又南 Wong You Nam as 梁景祥 Xiang

梁小龍 Leung Siu Long as 林良淳 Chun

陳觀泰 Chen Kuan Tai as 陈德成 Cheng

泰迪羅賓 Teddy Robin as 羅新 Xin
邵音音 Susan Siu as 芬姐 Fen

賈曉晨 Jia Xiao Chen as 桂 Gui

歐陽靖 MC Jin as 叢生猛 Meng
陳惠敏 Michael Chan as 龐青 Qing

Story:

Xiang is a real estate handler who got a job to took over one land in a village. He met bully in the village but was saved by Chun. Later on he found out Chun and Cheng is the apprentice of Xin who is in coma. Qing & Meng in another hand who is the boss of Xiang who force them to surrender. But Master Xin suddenly woke up and shoo them away.

Xiang was mistaken as Xin's apprentice and he accepted the challenge from Meng to fight on stage. Chun, Cheng train Xiang to his very best and though they do not win in the end, but Qing decided to let them off as he understood the meaning of martial arts.

   L² Scored: 4.5/10

L² Comment:

This movie is kinda different from other HK movie, though it has positive review, but for me, this is only so so. The only thing i love about this movie is the way they put on the main Movie's poster. The rest is just ordinary, nothing surprising. I thought all those old HK's action movie should have created some sparks in the movie, but they didn't.