Mr. Brooks

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Bruce A. Evans

Casted by:

Kevin Costner as Mr. Earl Brooks
William Hurt as Marshall
Demi Moore as Detective Tracy Atwood
Dane Cook as "Mr. Smith"

Story:

Earl Brooks is a wealthy, successful businessman recently honored by the Portland, Oregon Chamber of Commerce as "Man of the Year." In his secret life, Brooks is a serial killer, known as the "Thumbprint Killer." Brooks has abstained from murder for the past two years by attending meetings for addicts to cope with his killing addiction. He feels the compulsion to kill rising again, however, as his alter ego, Marshall becomes more insistent. Brooks, to satisfy his addiction, kills a couple while they are having sex in their apartment and, as part of his pathology, leaves each of the victims' bloody thumbprints on a lampshade. Brooks follows his meticulous modus operandi, including fastidious preparation and cleaning up the crime scene, even locking the doors. before departing. Marshall then notices that the couple's curtains were open.

Brooks' daughter Jane unexpectedly arrives home, having dropped out of college in Palo Alto, California. She visits Brooks at work and mentions that she would like to get a job with his company. The same day, “Mr. Smith” turns up at Brooks' work and blackmails him with photographs of Brooks at the most recent murder. He demands that Brooks take him along on a murder; reluctantly, Brooks agrees. Mrs. Brooks reveals that Jane dropped out of college because she is pregnant. The Brookses are then visited by detectives from Palo Alto who want to interview Jane about a hatchet murder committed in her former dorm building. Marshall and Brooks realize that Jane committed the murder and consider letting her go to jail to "save her" from becoming like them. Eventually, however, Brooks uses an alternate identity, flies to Palo Alto, and commits a similar murder to make it appear as if a serial killer is loose, thereby exonerating Jane.

Brooks decides that he no longer wants to kill, but knows that he cannot stop himself. Not wanting to be caught and shame his family, Brooks concocts a plan where he will write a note to his family claiming to be terminally ill, and leave, never to return. Brooks researches the background of the police officer chasing the Thumbprint Killer, Detective Tracy Atwood, and discovers she's in the middle of a messy divorce from Jesse Vialo. Brooks decides that Vialo and his lawyer will be Smith's first "victims". At the scene of the Vialo murder, Smith urinates in a fit of panic, leaving his DNA for the police to discover later. While driving away from the scene, Smith pulls a gun on Brooks, which Brooks and Marshall had predicted would happen. Brooks explains his plan to Smith, who agrees to kill Brooks. Brooks takes Smith to a cemetery he owns, and explains that they will find an open grave; Smith will shoot Brooks and then cover him with just enough dirt to mask the body. The next day, a casket will be lowered into the grave and covered, and Brooks' body will never be discovered.

Smith attempts to shoot Brooks, but Brooks reveals that, at some point prior, he had broken into Smith's apartment and bent the firing pin on Smith's pistol, rendering it inoperable on the off-chance that Brooks would change his mind. Brooks' brush with death makes him realize he wants to see his grandchild, and he turns on his would-be murderer, slitting Smith's throat with a shovel. With Smith's urine providing the only DNA evidence of the Thumbprint Killer at a murder scene, Brooks will remain undetected.

Mr. Smith is named as the Thumbprint Killer and Brooks returns to his normal life. Knowing he is in the clear, Brooks calls Detective Atwood, whom he has come to admire, to ask her why she is a police officer. She replies that her wealthy father had wanted a boy, and she wanted to succeed in spite of him. Atwood is unable to trace the call before Brooks hangs up, but she realizes that the Thumbprint Killer is still at large. That night Brooks has a nightmare in which Jane kills him, suggesting that he fears Jane will become like him.

 L² Scored: 1.5/10

L² Comment: 

I watched this movie continuously 2 times (back-to-back)... but ~ i really don't understand why it tried to brought out in the movie... The second time i even fell asleep on the mid way, but i try my best... too bad~ maybe its not up to my level to watch this movie yet :P

The Village

Released Year: 2004
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Casted by:
Bryce Dallas Howard as Ivy Elizabeth Walker
Joaquin Phoenix as Lucius Hunt
Adrien Brody as Noah Percy
William Hurt as Edward Walker
Sigourney Weaver as Alice HuntStory:

The movie starts out at a funeral of a child in a small village. The death date on the tombstone establishes the date as 1897. As the story progresses, it is revealed the villagers live in fear of nameless creatures in the woods that surround the village. They have built a barrier of oil lanterns and watch towers that are constantly manned to keep watch for "Those We Don't Speak Of", who are spoken of numerous times early in the film. It is explained that the villagers have a long-standing truce with the monsters; the villagers do not go into their woods, and the creatures do not enter their village. Even so, dead, skinned bodies of small animals are starting to appear around the village.

After the funeral, Lucius Hunt asks the village elders for permission to pass through the woods to get medical supplies from "the towns." His request is denied and, later, he is admonished by his mother, Alice, for wanting to go to the towns, which the villagers describe as "wicked places where wicked people live." It is revealed in that scene that the Elders seem to keep dark secrets of their own in the form of black boxes, the contents of which they keep hidden from their own offspring. After Lucius makes a short venture into the woods, the creatures leave warnings around the village in the form of splashes of red paint (referred by the villagers only as "the bad color") on all the villagers' doors.

Meanwhile, Ivy Elizabeth Walker, the blind daughter of the chief Elder, Edward Walker, informs Lucius that she has strong feelings for him, and he returns her affections. They arrange to be married, but things go horribly wrong when Noah Percy, a young man with apparent developmental problems who is in love with Ivy, stabs Lucius with a knife that he kept hidden away in his pocket.

Edward goes against the wishes of the other Elders, agreeing to allow Ivy to pass through the forest and seek out medicine for Lucius. Before she leaves, the first plot twist is revealed when Edward explains the secret of the creatures – they are fabrications created by the Elders in an attempt to keep any of their children from leaving the village. He does mention, however, that he had heard rumors of "real creatures" living in the woods at one time.

While Ivy is traveling through the forest, one of the beasts suddenly attacks her. She tricks it into falling into a deep hole to its death. It is then that the second plot twist is revealed — the creature is actually Noah in a costume that he had found under the floor of the room where he was kept locked from others. It is implied in that scene that it was Noah who had been skinning the animals all along.

Ivy eventually finds her way to the edge of the woods, where she encounters a large wall. After she climbs over the wall the final plot twist is revealed: the film is set in the present day (a newspaper in one scene shows July 30, 2004, the date of the film's release). A park ranger driving a Land Rover with the words "Walker Wildlife Preserve" on the side spots Ivy and is shocked to hear that she has come out of the woods. He then learns that Ivy's last name is "Walker."

It is revealed that the village was actually founded some time in the late 1970s, when Edward Walker, professor of American History at the University of Pennsylvania, approached other people he met at a grief counseling clinic after his father had been murdered. He asked them if they wished to join him in "an idea" he had. From this apparently grew "the village," a secluded town in the middle of a wildlife preserve purchased with Edward's family fortune, a place where they would be protected from any aspect of the outside world. The head ranger named "Jay" in the ranger station seen reflected in a glass door, fills in several plot points; the Walker estate pays to maintain the ranger corps, the rangers make sure no one goes into the wildlife preserve to "disturb the animal(s)", the Walker estate "paid off" the government to keep the entire wildlife preserve a "no-fly zone". Once the village was created, it appears the original "Elders" rolled the clock back to the late 19th century to what they thought was a simpler, more peaceful time.

The ranger retrieves medicine from a ranger station and Ivy returns to the village. This sequence is intercut with brief segments showing the Elders opening their black boxes, which are revealed to contain mementos from their lives in the actual outside world, including one or more items related to their past traumas. The film ends with a scene in a cabin where all the Elders are sitting around Lucius' bed. In that scene Edward points out that Noah's death will allow them to continue deceiving the rest of the villagers that there are "creatures" in the woods and all the Elders take a vote to continue living in the village. The film ends with Ivy arriving and saying "I'm back, Lucius."

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

Well, this is definitely a good movie which i'm really interested on. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan himself is a movie which u shouldn't miss. I remember when i watched it in the cinema, i was so gan zheong during the whole movie and was shocked on the twist of the story at the end...

But this is definitely not a movie for rewatch, guess knowing the ending has spoiled the mood of watching it again.

Robin Hood

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Ridley Scott

Casted by:
Russell Crowe as Robin Longstride / Robin Hood
Cate Blanchett as Lady Marion Loxley
Mark Strong as Sir Godfrey
Oscar Issac as King John of England
Story:

During the 12th century of England, Richard the Lionheart was dead in a war with French. Richard passed his crown to Sir Robert Loxley and asked him to delivered it back to England for the next king. But Sir Robert Loxley was killed by Sir Godfrey during his journey. Sir Godfrey is an English Knight with French lineage and allegiance. While trying to get the crown away, Robin Longstride along with Alan, Will & Little John appeared and shoo them away.

Robin promise Sir Robert Loxley to return his father's sword back to Nottingham. Therefore, Robin and gang dress up as the knight and hoping to return to England safely and richer in pocket. Upon arrival, Robin brought the corwn back to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and she announced the death of king and crown the youngest son, John as the king of England.

Robin then went to Nottingham and return the swrod to Sir Walter and met up with Lady Marion. Sir Walter request Robin to stay and pretend to be his son since Robert Loxley has left for 10 years and nobody will recognise him. Robin stays because of the pretty Lady Marion but Lady Marion did not prefer the idea. In the meanwhile, the arrogant King John shows no sympathy to his kingdom and demand harsh taxes to be collected, he even send off Sir Godfrey off to North with the task of raising revenue.

Sir Godfrey uses this royal degree to stir up the civil war in England, but this was later found out by Eleanor and she request the new Queen Isabella to inform King John. All the barons are pissed and they went to meet King John and demand him to sign the charter of rights. Having realize Sire Godfrey's deception, King John agrees on it just to reunite his people in order to meet an imminent French invasion.

All the England armies went to Nottingham to fight against Sir Godfrey and Robin managed to save Lady Marion and both of them quickly falled in love with each other. The England armies tailed after Sir Godfrey's armies to the beach and found out that the French King has came with his armies from sea. A war began and finally Robin shoot Sir Godfrey to death by arrow and England won the war.

However, everyone was cheering for Robin and this pissed the King John. During the sign-day, King John refused to sign the charters and declares Robin to be an outlaw. After this Robin moves to Sherwood Forest with Lady Marion and his friends to form what will become the Merry Men of Sherwood Forrest. And this is how Robin Hood came from...

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

Love Robin Hood badly since i was a kid, a good old english chap who shot the bad guys with arrows, YENG!!! :) That's why i went for archery whenever i have chances.

About the movie, Ridley Scott has been working the fifth time with Russell Crowe, and both of them really given a good film for this. Cate Blanchett being the classic pretty is always found in this kind of film, no doubt her acting is good, but not really a blast like "Elizabeth".