The Day the Earth Stood Still 2008

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Scott Derrickson

Casted by:

Keanu Reeves as Klaatu

Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson

Jaden Smith as Jacob Benson

John Cleese as Professor Karl Barnhardt

Jon Hamm as Dr. Michael Granier

Kathy Bates as Regina Jackson

 Story: 

In 1928, a solitary mountaineer encounters a glowing sphere. He loses consciousness and when he wakes, the sphere has gone and there is a scar on his hand where a sample of his DNA has been taken.

In the present day, a rapidly moving object is detected beyond Jupiter's orbit and forecast to impact Manhattan. The United States government hastily assembles a group of scientists, including Dr. Helen Benson, to formulate a survival plan. The object is measured to be moving at 30,000 kilometers per second - enough to destroy nearly all life on Earth - but as it nears the planet, the object slows down just before impact and is revealed to be a large spherical spaceship, which lands gently in Central Park. The sphere is quickly surrounded by police and a heavily armed, hostile, and rather chaotic US military force.

An alien emerges and Helen moves forward to greet it, but amidst the confusion, a soldier shoots the alien. A gigantic robot then appears that temporarily disables everything in the vicinity. The alien voices the command "Klaatu barada nikto" to shut down the robot's defensive response.

A military surgeon discovers that the alien body is actually a bioengineered space suit, composed of placenta-like material covering a human-like being. The being quickly ages into Klaatu, who looks like the mountaineer from the opening scene of the film. Klaatu informs Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson that he is a representative of a group of alien civilizations, sent to talk to the leaders of Earth at a United Nations conference in the city. Jackson instead orders that Klaatu be sent to a secure location for interrogation. Klaatu manages to escape and Helen and her stepson Jacob give him a ride out of the area. The trio are pursued and harassed by the authorities for the rest of the film.

The presence of the sphere, and others like it around the world, causes a widespread panic. The military launch a drone attack on the sphere, but are thwarted by the robot. They cautiously enclose the robot and transport it to Virginia.

Klaatu meets with another alien, Mr. Wu, who has lived on Earth for 70 years. Wu tells Klaatu that he has found the human race to be destructive and unwilling to change, which matches Klaatu's experience. Klaatu decides that the planet, with its rare ability to sustain complex life, must be cleansed of humans to ensure that it can survive. Klaatu orders smaller spheres to collect specimens of animal species, to preserve them off the planet. Helen quizzes Klaatu about his statement that he has come to save the Earth and discovers that he means to save the Earth from destruction by humankind.

Meanwhile, the robot, named "GORT" by the military, is being examined in an underground facility. The robot transforms into a swarm of winged, insect-like, nano-machines that self-replicate as they consume everything in their path. The swarm starts to erase all trace of the human race.

Hoping to persuade Klaatu to change his mind about humanity, Helen takes him to the home of Nobel Prize-winning Professor Barnhardt. They discuss how Klaatu's own race went through a drastic evolution to survive their own star's demise. Klaatu is impressed by the beauty of the music by Bach playing in the background. Klaatu finally realizes that he has misjudged humanity when he sees Helen comforting Jacob at his father's grave. They head for the sphere in Central Park to try to stop the swarm.

Klaatu warns that even if he manages to stop the swarm, there will be a price to the human way of life. The swarm arrives and Jacob and Helen become infected by the nano-machines. Helen tells Klaatu to save Jacob and Klaatu draws the nano machines into his body, reviving Jacob. Klaatu then walks through the swarm to the sphere, touching it moments before his body is consumed. The sphere deactivates the swarm, saving humanity, but at the expense of electrical activity on Earth which is apparently all shut down. The giant sphere leaves the Earth.

 L² Scored: 4.5/10

L² Comment: 

This is not the first time i watched this remake film of 1951 same name movie, but still it managed to bored me out and makes me almost fell asleep again... I did not watch the 1951 movie and of course not the fiction "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates; so i'm not in the place to comment how much it follows the original, all i know is, i need to drank coffee to finish this movie.

Technical wise definitely better than the previous movie i suppose, Reeves seems like a piece of wood to me, totally expressionless~ yawn. Connelly in the meanwhile not really outstanding too if compare to little Jaden Smith :) But overall the movie is very so so, guess most probably I won't watch it for the third time anymore...

P.S. I Love You

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Richard LaGravenese

Casted by:

Hilary Swank as Holly Reilly-Kennedy

Gerard Butler as Gerry Kennedy

Lisa Kudrow as Denise Hennessey

Gina Gershon as Sharon McCarthy

James Marsters as John McCarthy

Harry Connick, Jr. as Daniel Connelly

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as William Gallagher

Nellie McKay as Ciara Reilly

Kathy Bates as Patricia Reilly

Story: 

Holly and Gerry are a married couple who live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They are deeply in love, but they fight occasionally. By winter that year, Gerry suddenly dies of a brain tumor and Holly realizes how much he means to her as well as how insignificant their arguments were.

Deeply distraught, Holly withdraws from her family and friends out of grief until they descend upon her on her 30th birthday. They are determined to prod the young widow to face the future and explore what her life choices should be. As they rally around Holly and help organize her apartment, a cake is delivered, and with it is a message from Gerry. It proves to be the first of several meaningful messages — all ending with "P.S. I Love You" — which he had arranged to have delivered to her after his death. As the seasons pass, each new message fills her with encouragement and sends her on a new adventure. Holly's mother believes that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past. But they are, in fact, pushing her into the future. With Gerry's words as her guide, Holly slowly embarks on a journey of rediscovery.

Gerry arranged for Holly and her friends Denise and Sharon to travel to his homeland of Ireland. They arrive at their destination, a house in the beautiful Irish countryside where they find letters from Gerry for Sharon & Denise, one asking Denise to take Holly to his favorite pub. While there, they meet William, a singer who strongly reminds Holly of her deceased husband. He asks her to stay to see him after his last song which he dedicates to her. Upon hearing it, she is overcome with emotion and walks out because it was the song Gerry sang to her shortly after they first met. During the vacation, while on a fishing trip they lose the boat's oars leaving the three women stranded in the middle of a lake. During their wait for help, Sharon announces that she is pregnant and Denise reveals she is getting married. This news causes Holly to relapse emotionally and again withdraw into herself. They are eventually rescued by William, whom Sharon and Denise invite to stay the night because of the pouring rain. Unable to deny their feelings for each other, they kiss, and William and Holly become intimate. They begin a conversation about her deceased husband and Holly asks William to drive her to visit her in-laws. Upon Holly revealing their names, William realizes she is the widow of his childhood best friend. Revealing this to Holly causes her to panic, but William calms her down and starts to tell stories about his and Gerry's childhood. The next day, Holly visits Gerry's parents and while there, she also receives a letter from Gerry reminding her of their first meeting.

Arriving home, Holly again withdraws from family and friends. As she continues to become more and more lost, she is inspired by Gerry after finding one his suspender clips next to one of her shoes and realizes she has a flair for designing women's shoes and enrolls in a class that teaches how to actually make the shoes she has designed. A new found self-confidence allows her to emerge from her solitude and embrace her friends' happiness. While on a walk with her mother, she learns that her mother was the one whom Gerry asked to deliver his letters after his death and receives the last letter. As the film ends with Holly taking her mother on a trip to Ireland, we see that Holly has opened herself up to the journey beginning with the next chapter of her life, and wherever it takes her she has the hope of falling in love again.

 L² Scored: 8/10 

L² Comment: 

The movie is based on Cecilia Ahern's same name novel in 2004; though many negative critics were received back in 2007 mainly on Swank's performance, but for me this doesn't affect my scoring, i still think its a good movie :) 

Love the storyline and it really touch me some parts especially the way the dead husband arrange a one year letter to be send to the wife daily and arrange her life perfectly... Lisa Kudrow and Kathy Bates are perfect no doubt; too bad Gerard Butler is not showing us his nice ass instead of Jeffrey Dean Morgan; Swank is not tat bad, but of coz not persuasive enough when she acted like a college student coz her look is a bit too mature for that~

The Blind Side

Released Year: 2009
Directed by John Lee Hancock

Casted by:
Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher
Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy
Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy
Jae Head as Sean Junior "SJ" Tuohy
Lily Collins as Collins Tuohy
Kathy Bates as Miss Sue
Ray McKinnon as Coach Cotton
Story:

Michael Oher known as Big Mike is accepted by a college due to his talent in sports. After school one day, Michael meet SJ and both of them quickly become friend though the difference of their age and size. This has attracted SJ's mother, Leigh Anne's attention. During a cold night, the Tuohy family met Michael on his way back to the school's gym for a night spend over. Feeling pity on him, Leigh Anne brought Michael home.

Both Leigh Anne and her husband, Sean agreed to let Michael stay in their house and the family accepted him with open arm. Leigh Anne even brought him out for clothes' shopping and back to the black people area to visit his mother. Michael the quiet boy also been freshened up by all his happy moment with the Tuohy's family.

Michael has joined the school's rugby team, Tuohy has also become legally foster parents for Michael. On one competition, Michael's talents has attracted everybody attention in the field. Plenty of colleges called after this and invited Michael to join their college. To make sure Michael can go to college, Leigh Anne has employed Miss Sue to give tuition to Michael for a 2.5GPA. In the end of finalize, it comes to the selection of Ole Miss College and University of Mississipi. Because of Leigh Anne, Michael chose the Ole Miss which has cause a conflict of interest.

The NCCA called up Michael and questioned his option. Michael confronted Leigh Anne and asked her whether she only took him in so that he would play football for her alma mater which the Tuohy is the main sponsor. Michael then went back to his black people area. They make sexually fun about Leigh Anne and Collins which pissed Michael off. Michael attacked them and went back to Tuohy only realize the love that Tuohy give him is priceless.

In the end, Michael chose Ole Miss. Leaving Michael at school, Leigh Anne feel proud and happy for what she has done for Michael and also what he has done for them all.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

I have had enough of everybody keep on telling me how good Bullock is in this film, so i have to watch it once i got the DVD from my fren. After the 2 hours film, hmmm~ what should i say? No doubt Bullock is a good actress, but for me, she's more on the goofy doofy comedy thingy. I dont really find how good she is in the film.

I mean, maybe its time Oscar reward this great actress a gift? ; or is it becoz of the character she's acted in? U know la~ American is going "color" nowadyas, president black, winner black, this black that black... no wonder the "Leigh Anne" character is kinda attracting for helping out the poor black people...

Don't you think so?