The Whistleblower 2010

 Released Year: 2010 & 2011

Directed by Larysa Kondracki

Casted by:

Rachel Weisz as Kathryn Bolkovac
Vanessa Redgrave as Madeleine Rees
Benedict Cumberbatch as Nick Kaufman
David Strathairn as Peter Ward
Roxana Condurache as Raya Kochan
Monica Bellucci as Laura Leviani
Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Jan
Liam Cunningham as Bill Haynes

 Story:

 Kathryn Bolkovac is a police officer from Lincoln, Nebraska who accepts an offer to work with the U.N. International Police in post-war Bosnia at a U.K. company called Democra Security. Upon fighting for the trial for a Muslim woman suffering from domestic abuse and succeeding, Kathryn is made head of the department of gender affairs. She becomes involved in the case of a young Ukrainian woman named Raya, who had recently been sold by her uncle to a sex trafficking ring. She escapes and Kathryn sends her to a women's shelter specifically set up for the victims of sexual slavery. Through Raya's case, Kathryn is able to uncover a wide-scale sexual slavery and human-trafficking ring that various international personnel, including that of the U.S., have participated in. Furthermore, when she brings the scandal to the attention of the U.N., she discovers that they have covered it up in order to protect lucrative defense and security contracts. Kathryn finds allies in Madeleine Rees and Peter Ward, authority figures who support her investigation.

Kathryn is soon fired from her job due to her knowing too much about the scandal and her reluctance to stop the investigation. Meanwhile, Raya had been captured again and is later found dead, only pushing Kathryn even more to bring the scandal to light. She and Ward eventually capture evidence of an official admitting to the scandal, and she brings it to the BBC. It is said in the ending credits that following Kathryn's departure, a number of peacekeepers were sent home, though none faced criminal charges because of immunity laws. It is also noted that the U.S. continues to do business with private contractors like Democra Security, including ones worth billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

This film received a lots of positive critics and even won Best film in some small  movie awards. For me this is not bad, but the storywise is a bit slow and dry for me. I know Weisz is trying so hard for this, but her sweet look is just not convincing enough for me to make me think that she's strong and able to defeat the mobster like how she did in the movie.

Irréversible

Released Year: 2002
Directed by Gaspar Noe

Casted by:
Monica Bellucci as Alex
Vincent Cassel as Marcus
Albert Dupontel as Pierre
Jo Prestia as Le Tenia
Story:

The beginning of the film (that is, the chronological end of the story) features two men talking in a small apartment suite. One of them is the "Butcher", the protagonist of Noé's previous film, I Stand Alone. In a drunken monologue, the Butcher reveals that he was arrested for having sex with his daughter, which happens in I Stand Alone. Their philosophical musings shift to the subject of a commotion in the streets outside, which is derisively attributed to the patrons of a nearby homosexual S&M nightclub called The Rectum.

Minutes earlier, two men named Marcus and Pierre are escorted out of that nightclub by the police. Marcus is on a stretcher, apparently injured, and Pierre is in handcuffs. Men on the streets shout homophobic insults at them. Earlier that evening, Marcus and Pierre arrived at the club in a frantic search for somebody nicknamed le Tenia — "the Tapeworm". Marcus finds the man believed to be le Tenia and attacks him. The man pins Marcus down, then breaks his arm and attempts to rape him. Pierre rescues Marcus by bludgeoning the attacker's face using a fire extinguisher, fatally crushing the man's skull after repeated blows. During the onslaught, the real le Tenia is seen to be amused by the situation.

Before entering the club, it is learned that Marcus and Pierre went in search of le Tenia after questioning several prostitutes. Apparently their goal is retribution for someone's rape. They track down a transsexual prostitute named Concha who identifies the rapist as le Tenia after Marcus threatens to slash her with a piece of broken glass. Concha also reveals that the rapist is likely to be found at a nightclub called The Rectum.

Marcus and Pierre were aided in their search by a street thug named Mourad and his friend Layde. Mourad promised to help them find le Tenia for money so that Marcus could have his revenge, rather than leave the matter to the police. It is revealed that le Tenia raped Marcus's girlfriend Alex, and beat her so severely that she fell into a coma.

The rape takes place after Alex encounters le Tenia beating Concha in a pedestrian underpass. Le Tenia then turns his attention on Alex and threatens her with a knife to her throat. He then proceeds to rape Alex, pinning her down on her stomach and threatening her. After raping Alex, le Tenia brutally beats her. From this scene, it becomes clear that Pierre and Marcus attack the wrong man later in the story (earlier in the film). Le Tenia was in fact standing right next to the man Pierre killed in Club Rectum.

In the next scene, we see Alex, Marcus, and Pierre at a party. Alex is annoyed by Marcus' unrestrained use of drugs and alcohol and his flirtatious behavior with other women, and consequently decides to leave the party. The next scene shows the trio discussing sex in a metro station and in the train. It is revealed Pierre used to be Alex's lover.

The penultimate scene shows Marcus and Alex lying in bed after sex. Alex reveals she might be pregnant, and Marcus is pleased with the possibility. To prepare for the party, Marcus leaves to buy wine and Alex has a shower. Alone, Alex uses a home pregnancy test that confirms she is now carrying a child, for which she is elated. She is shown sitting on the bed clothed, with her hand on her belly: a poster for Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the tagline "The Ultimate Trip", is above the headboard.

The final colorful scene shows Alex reading An Experiment with Time by John William Dunne in a park, surrounded by playing children. Beethoven's 7th Symphony is heard in the background. The camera spins around faster and faster until it blacks out into a strobe effect, accompanied by a pulsing, roaring sound. A rapidly-spinning image of a water spray can be dimly perceived. The final title card reads: LE TEMPS DETRUIT TOUT ("Time Destroys Everything") — a phrase uttered in the film's first scene by one of the men in the apartment.

L² Scored: 5/10

L² Comment:

Love Vincent Cassel, especially his big dick hanging around his belly~ lol. The whole movie was in the "reverse" motion which let you know what's happen in the end while slowly claw out the previous scene which cause the ending.

Kinda special in this kind of filming, but not a very good story i should say.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Jon Turteltaub

Casted by:
Nicolas Cage as Balthazar Blake
Jay Baruchel as Dave Stutler
Teresa Palmer as Becky Barnes
Alfred Molina as Maxim Horvath
Toby Kebbell as Drake Stone
Monica Bellucci as Veronica
Alice Krige as Morgana la Fay
Gregory Woo as Sun Lok
Story:

The evil Morgana is trying to kill Merlin in advance to learn "The Rising". The Rising is the highest and evilest magic to conquer the whole human being. Morgana has got one of Merlin's apprentice Horvath to betrayed them. Morgana managed to kill Merlin, but Veronica sacrificed herself and captured Morgana's soul together with her ownself in a doll. Balthazar the one left has to look for the prime Merlin's in future.

Finally the destiny came to Dave when he's in 4th grade. Dave found out he got the talent of become a sorcerer from Balthazar, but accidentally broke the doll has released Horvath. Balthazar fought with Horvath and both of them was trapped in a big vase. 10 years later, Dave has become a physic freak and found her dream girl Becky. Horvath and Balthazar both released from the vase. Balthazar found Dave while Horvath got a evil magician helper, Drake.

Balthazar and Dave both look for the doll in China Town but Horvath has got on it and broke one more layer which released a chinese evil wizard Sun Lok. Sun Lok used his evil dragon power to attack Dave but was killed instead. Balthazar and Dave managed to get the doll but lost it again. Horvath broke another layer and free a young wizard whom trick Becky into a trap. Horvath then killed Drake and the young wizard to gain their power to break another layer.

When another layer broke, both Veronica and Morgana were free. Morgana rise all the dead wizard to alive again. Dave tricked Morgana into his experimental things and killed her without the sorcerer's ring. This proves that Dave is really the prime Merlin. Becky accepted Dave is a sorcerer and both of them live happily together.

L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

Basically, this fantasy and adventurous magic film is my cup of tea :) Love the storyline, the casting and all the magic. Been watching a lots of Jay Baruchel's movie lately... Though he's too skinny, but i think he'll be a hit like Shia Labouf in no longer time.

Gregory Woo is extremely hot! Try to google a lil bit about him but i get nothing at all... jst know that he's a dj or things like tat... 2 thumbs up