Spiritual Trinity 人鬼神

Released Year: 1991
Directed by 吴勉勤 Yat-Kan Wu

Casted by:
林正英 Zhen-Ying Lam as 傲天龙 Long
郑则仕 Kent Cheng as 大贵 Gui
王小凤 Pauline Wong as 梦梦 Meng
黎姿 Gigi Lai as 傲凝霜 Shuang
金少龙 Shao-Long Kam as 运高 Gao
符钰晶 Bonnie Fu as 素文 Wen
Story:

Gui and Meng has a son name Gao, three of them live in a village. Later on their big master brother Long came with his daughter Shuang. But before that, Long has managed to captured the Fire Spirit on their journey.

When Long and Shuang reached Gui's house, they realised there's a spirit Wen in their house. Wen is a spirit which Gao accidentally captured a few nights ago. But they managed to express to Long that Wen is a good ghost. Long and Gui is still not happy with each other, they always fight and argue. During an argument, Gui accidentally released The Fire Spirit. Both Long and Gui can't defeat the evil and forced to cooperate and defeat the evil with the help of Meng, Gao, Shuang & Wen.

Finally, everyone use their power to help Wen and send her back for re-born in next life.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

Its not a bad film i believe during that time, but it didn't have a good selling in the HK box office at that year. A mix of ghost story + martial arts is so Lam Zhen Ying's style of movie. Too bad this actor died in his early 40's. What a waste.

Lost In Translation

Released Year: 2003
Directed by Sofia Coppola

Casted by:
Bill Murray as Bob Harris
Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte
Giovanni Ribisi as John
Anna Faris as Kelly
Story:

Bob Harris, an aging American movie star, arrives in Tokyo to film an advertisement for Suntory whisky, for which he will receive $2 million. Charlotte, a young recent Yale graduate, is left behind in her hotel room by her husband, John, a celebrity photographer on assignment in Tokyo. Charlotte is unsure of her present and her future and about the man she has married as she believes he takes more interest in his celebrity models, most notably a young and popular American actress named Kelly, than he does in her. At the same time, Bob's own 25-year marriage is tired and lacking in romance as he goes through a midlife crisis.

One night, after a long photo shoot, Bob retreats to the hotel bar. Charlotte, sitting at a table with John and friends, notices Bob and has a waiter bring him a bowl of peanuts from her table. Later, Bob and Charlotte have brief encounters each night at the hotel bar, until Charlotte invites Bob to meet up with some local friends of hers. Bob accepts and arrives later at her hotel room dressed in an outfit for a young appeal style. Meanwhile, the two begin a friendship bond through their adventures in Tokyo together while experiencing the differences between Japanese and American culture, and between their own generations.

On the penultimate night of his stay, Bob attracts the attention of the resident vocalist. The next morning, Bob awakens to find this woman in his room, having apparently slept with her. Charlotte arrives at his room to go out for breakfast only to find the woman in his room, leading to conflict and tension over a subsequent lunch. Later that night, during a fire alarm at the hotel, Bob and Charlotte reconcile and express how they will miss each other as they make one more trip back to the hotel bar.

On the following morning, Bob is set for his departure back to the United States. He tells Charlotte goodbye at the hotel lobby shortly before checking out and sadly watches her retreat back to an elevator. While riding in a taxi to the airport, Bob sees Charlotte on a crowded street and he gets out and goes to her. Bob embraces Charlotte and whispers something (substantially inaudible to the audience) in the tearful Charlotte's ear. The two share a kiss, say goodbye and Bob departs.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

Bill Murray + Scarlett Johansson is a brand new team and it definitely created some good sparkles for this movie. Johansson was so young that time, but i dont feel that she's pretty actually, but no doubt that she can act.

Coppola, Murray & Johansson has been nominated in multiple awards and they did won a few but all three of them failed in the Academy awards. Coppola is really a talented female director, really hope can see more of her movies coming up soon :)

The Crazies

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Breck Eisner

Casted by:
Timothy Olyphant as David
Radha Mitchell as Judy
Joe Anderson as Russell
Danielle Panabaker as Becca
Story:

In the town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa, David, the local sheriff enjoys a baseball game. His deputy, Russell, spots Rory Hamill, a local resident, entering the outfield holding a shotgun. David is forced to shoot and kill the unresponsive Rory. David and his wife Judy, the community doctor, begin to notice other town residents exhibiting bizarre behavior. The next night, a local farmer burns his house down with his wife and son trapped inside, killing them.

While investigating the discovery of a pilot's body in a swamp, David and Russell discover a cargo plane submerged under the water. Communication services are lost, and soldiers arrive to take all residents to quarantine at the high school. Everyone is examined for symptoms of infection. Judy does not pass the examination and is separated from David. She explains her fever is due to pregnancy, but is sedated anyway. She wakes strapped to a gurney as the perimeter of the facility is breached by the infected. The military personnel evacuate, leaving Judy and others behind. David is nearing evacuation, but escapes and rejoins Russell. They rescue Judy and her hospital assistant, Becca.

David, Judy, Russell, and Becca make their way out of town on foot, unable to find a working vehicle. They encounter Becca's boyfriend, Scotty, when they pass through his farm. Soldiers raid the farm, shoot Scotty and his mother, and burn the bodies. The group repair a patrol car, and once on the road are spotted by an attack helicopter and drive into a car wash for cover. Infected attack and kill Becca, and the helicopter destroys the car. On foot, Russell disables a passing government SUV with a police spike strip. The driver, presumably a government agent, reveals the cargo plane contained "Trixie," a "Rhabdoviridae prototype" biological weapon. Enraged, Russell shoots the driver and threatens Judy and David. When confronted about his behavior, Russell realizes he is infected and after being disarmed, begs to go on with Judy and David, later dying while distracting soldiers at a blockade, so Judy and David can sneak past.

David and Judy arrive at a truck stop to search for a vehicle, discovering the military also executed those who were evacuated. Fending off infected, they escape in a semitruck. Ogden Marsh is destroyed in a huge explosion as they flee, and their truck flips in the passing shockwave. As the couple walk towards Cedar Rapids, a view from a military satellite highlights the city, and the words "initiate containment protocol" appear, signifying another containment attempt.

In the credits, a news clip is shown in which the newscaster reports that an explosion originating from the Dakon Pendrill chemical plant started a massive fire in Ogden Marsh, "with eyewitness reports of a 400-foot fireball that lit up the sky." He goes on to report a second explosion at a nearby truck fueling station, alluding to the truck stop. He says a perimeter has been set and civilians are not being allowed into the area. After that, the news clip cuts to a soldier with his rifle brandished, and then to a snarling crazy.

L² Scored: 3/10

L² Comment:

Though there's a lot of positive feedback for this film, but i feel its kinda boring and big yawn yawn. The storyline is really really boring, predictable. Although its a remake of a 1973's film, but i expect it to be better than this.

Until the very end of the movie, the explosion scene did wake me up a bit, but its too late :P

Little Children

Released Year: 2006
Directed by Todd Field

Casted by:
Kate Winslet as Sarah Pierce
Patrick Wilson as Brad Adamson
Jennifer Connelly as Kathy Adamson
Jackie Earle Haley as Ronald James McGorvey
Noah Emmerich as Larry Hedges
Story:

Sarah Pierce is a reluctant housewife and mother in an upper-middle class suburb of Boston. She is married to Richard Pierce, a successful yet distant husband, who is secretly obsessed with an internet porn star. Sarah refers to her daughter Lucy as an "unknowable little person" and feels out of place around the other mothers at a local playground.

Brad Adamson is a former college football player who's married to Kathy, a documentary filmmaker, with a young son named Aaron. Brad is depressed and frustrated, as his wife is the breadwinner and he is a stay-at-home father who has failed the bar exam twice. Each day he leaves home with the pretense of going to the library to study, but spends the time watching skateboarders at the nearby park. He joins a policeman's touch football team at the urging of a friend, Larry Hedges, a disgraced former police officer.

Sarah and Brad meet on the school playground, where Sarah suggests they hug to shock the watching mothers nearby. Brad kisses her, and it quickly becomes apparent that the two are attracted to each other. Over the course of several visits to the local pool, Sarah and Brad get to know each other while their children also bond, which soon leads to an affair.

Meanwhile, Ronald "Ronnie" James McGorvey, who has served a prison sentence for indecent exposure to a minor, has moved back into the neighborhood to live with his mother. Larry launches a hate campaign against Ronnie, handing out posters, vandalizing his house, harassing and almost assaulting the man and his mother. Ronnie's mother tries to help by setting him up on a date, which ends badly with him masturbating in his date's car outside a children's playground.

Brad and Sarah finally see each other at a football game, where he asks her to run away with him; the two agree to meet up at a local park the next night. After the game a drunken Larry goes to McGorvey's house and further harasses him, using a megaphone to wake the entire neighborhood. When Mrs. McGorvey tries to stop him, Larry pushes her down. She has a heart attack and later dies in the hospital. Ronnie is devastated at losing the one person who loved him.

That evening Sarah packs a bag and takes Lucy to the playground to wait for Brad. On the way to the playground, Brad is again transfixed by the young skateboarders, who dare him to try one jump on a short stair rail. Brad can't resist and ends up injuring himself. Sarah is unexpectedly met at the playground by Ronnie instead and tries to comfort him, leaving Lucy to wander off by herself. This frightens Sarah into realizing that leaving Richard would be a terrible mistake. Once she finds Lucy, Sarah tearfully embraces her daughter and goes home. Brad is taken to the hospital and asks the police officer on the scene to call his wife.

Larry comes to the park to find Ronnie and apologize for harassing him. Noticing blood dripping off Ronnie, he is horrified to discover that Ronnie has castrated himself. Panicked, Larry picks Ronnie up and takes him to the hospital. They arrive just as Kathy meets Brad's ambulance at the emergency room doors. The film ends with an image of a remorseful Sarah sleeping alongside Lucy in their home.

L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment:

From the novel of Tom Perrotta, director Todd Field simply created a marvelous film. Love the simpleness of this movie, the romance, the chemistry between a married man and a married woman. Both of them unable to get enough satisfaction from each partner, therefore, they are getting it from each of them they meet.

The film spice up by adding in a pedophile scenes/story acted by Jackie Earle Haley. And the final "self- castrate" part is definitely not a scene that you will enjoy. But overall this is a good film and Kate Winslet was nominated in a lots of awards for the best actress category :)

2046

Released Year: 2004
Directed by 王家卫 Kar Wai-Wong

Casted by:
梁朝偉 Tony Leung as 周慕雲 Chow
巩俐 Gong Li as 蘇麗珍 / 黑蜘蛛 Zhen / Black Spider
木村拓哉 Takuya Kimura as TAK
王菲 Faye Wong as 王靖雯 Jing
章子怡 ZiYi-Zhang as 白玲 Ling
刘嘉玲 Carina Lau as Lulu/Mimi
张震 Chang Chen as Bouncer
张曼玉 Maggie Cheung as 蘇麗珍 Zhen
董洁 Angel Dong as 王洁雯 Jie
Story:

The film is the third chapter of a shared story that began with Days of Being Wild and continued with In the Mood for Love. There are four main story arcs to the film. Three are about the relations of Chow with women that he meets after losing Su Li-Zhen. The first concerns Chow and Wang Jing Wen, the second is about Chow and Bai Ling, and the third is about Chow and a different woman who is also named Su Li-Zhen. The fourth takes place in Chow's mysterious world of 2046 and concerns a Japanese passenger falling in love with an android. Typical of Wong Kar-wai films, the arcs are presented in pieces and in non-chronological order. The approximate order of the arcs is listed below.

2047 Arc Part I
This section is the only part narrated by Chow's fictional character and not Chow himself. Set in the far future, a huge rail network connects the planet. The world is a vast dystopia, and lonely souls all try to reach a mysterious place called 2046 in order to recapture lost loves. In the world of 2046 nothing ever changes, so there is never loss or sadness. No one has ever returned from 2046 except the protagonist, a lonely Japanese man named Tak. As the story begins, Tak is on a long train ride returning from 2046.

"All Memories Are Traces of Tears"
As Chow Mo-Wan's life is revisited, we learn that he is still struggling to get over the loss of his idealized love, Su Li-Zhen. He returns to Hong Kong after being in Singapore for a number of years to try to forget his anguish. To cover up his pain, he becomes a suave ladies' man. Chow attends many lavish parties and beds many women. On Christmas Eve, Chow meets Lulu from the first film (Days of Being Wild) whom he remembers from Singapore, although she has no recollection of him. That night, Chow Mo-wan takes Lulu home as she is quite drunk, but accidentally keeps her room key. As he leaves, he notices that her room number is 2046, the same room number that he and Su Li Zhen had when they conducted their private affair. Upon returning a few days later to return the room key, the landlord informs Chow that the room is not available due to renovations. The landlord offers him the adjacent room 2047. Chow later learns that Lulu was stabbed in the room the night before by a jealous boyfriend. Chow agrees to rent room 2047 in the meantime. After the renovation of room 2046 is complete, the landlord asks Chow if he wants to move in. However, by this time he has gotten used to room 2047 and decides to stay there. The rooms 2046 and 2047 are connected by a common hallway, Chow regularly watches and gets involved with the people that move into 2046.

Wang Jing Wen and Wang Jie Wen Arc Part I
The first person that moves next door into 2046 is the landlord's daughter, Wang Jing Wen. Chow spends a good deal of time just observing her from his room. He learns that she has a Japanese boyfriend working in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the relationship is forbidden by her father. Eventually, Wang breaks up with her boyfriend, then suffers a breakdown and is institutionalized. Afterwards, the next tenant that moves into 2046 is the younger daughter of the landlord, Wang Jie Wen. She is young, attractive, and flirtatious. She frequently tries to seduce him but he refuses each time. A short time later, Chow runs into some financial difficulties, and stops going out. To make some extra money, he starts to write a science fiction series called 2046. The story is set in the distant future, about a group of heart sick individuals looking for love. The only place to find it is at a mysterious location called 2046. Virtually all of the characters in 2046 are based on people that Chow has met, such as Su Li-Zhen, Lulu, or Wang Jing Wen. Whether 2046 is a place, a room, or a state of mind is never explicitly defined. Chow makes the story somewhat bizarre and erotic, and readers seem to take notice.

Bai Ling Arc Part I
The third person to move into room 2046 is the coquettish Bai Ling. She wears similar qipao dresses as the original Su Li-Zhen but radiates a much more aggressive sensuality than her. While it is never explicitly stated in the film, it is implied that she is a nightclub girl who occasionally doubles as a high-class prostitute. However, she is intent on finding a long-term relationship. In one instance, when Chow overhears her arguing with a man, Bai tells the man that to continue seeing her, he must end his relationship with the other woman. Chow again spends a lot of time observing her across the thin wall separating rooms 2046 and 2047. On the next Christmas Eve, Bai runs into Chow just after she is dumped by her boyfriend before they are to go to Singapore. Chow suggests that they go for dinner, to which she grudgingly accepts. During dinner, Chow tells Bai about his experiences in Singapore. She is intrigued, and after dinner she agrees to try to form a platonic friendship with him by borrowing time from each other. Their brief friendship does not last however, as they soon develop carnal lust for each other. Not surprisingly, Chow wants to keep the relationship strictly physical; he continues to pick up other prostitutes. To compromise, Bai soon develops a compensation system where he pays her $10 each time he stays over. However, over time Bai finds that she has feelings for Chow, and she asks him to discontinue seeing other women. Chow refuses and gives a counter offer, the option to be his customer for $10 each night. Bai is crushed and breaks things off with Chow. As a way of revenge, Bai then descends into seeing men exclusively for money, frequently changing partners. A short while later, she moves out of Room 2046.

Wang Jing Wen Part II
After Bai Ling moves out, Wang Jin Wen moves back into 2046 after returning from the mental hospital. She is a shell of a former self, and still very depressed over the loss of her Japanese boyfriend. Her ex writes numerous letters in an attempt to reconcile with her, but she refuses due to her father. Wang passes the time by assisting her father at the hotel. She also starts to spend more and more time with Chow helping him with his writing and editing. At this point, he is regularly publishing chapters of 2046. These scenes are very similar to those in In the Mood for Love when Su Li-Zhen used to help Chow with his writing in their hotel room. Chow remarks that this period in his life is the happiest that he has been after Su Li-Zhen. However, before he realizes it, he develops feelings for Wang Jing Wen. He makes some minor attempts to start a romance with her, but nothing develops since she is still very much in love with the Japanese man. One day Wang Jin Wen asks Chow rhetorically if some things in life never change. He answers her by writing a story called 2047. In this story, a Japanese man leaves the world of 2046, but falls in love on the journey home. While he initially tried to base the story on Wang Jing Wen's ex-boyfriend, he realizes that the story is ultimately about himself.

2047 Arc Part II
Chow's fictional world is revisited. However, this time it is narrated by Chow himself. Set in the far future, for passengers to reach or leave 2046 they must take a long journey on a vast train network. The main character, Tak (who is portrayed by Wang Jing Wen's Japanese boyfriend) is trying to leave 2046 because he lost the love of his life in that world. As the train travels through the extremely cold sections 1224-1225, Tak becomes intimate with one of the train's female android assistants and later falls in love with her. He then asks her numerous times to come with him. However, each time the android does not answer. Tak has heard earlier that excessive operation causes the android's response time to slow down and decides to wait on the train to see if this is the case. He sits quietly on the train, and counts the seconds that go by, hoping the android will decide to leave with him. However, the android still does not respond. Ultimately, Tak realizes that it is not a delayed reaction that causes that android not to respond, but that she is in love with someone else and that their relationship is simply not meant to be. With this knowledge, he finally has the strength to leave the train and 2046. Completing the story marks a turning point in Chow's recovery.

Wang Jing Wen Part III
Next Christmas, Chow invites Wang Jing Wen out to dinner. After finding out that she still misses her ex in Japan, he takes her to his office so that she can call him to wish him well. Looking sadly through the window panes as Wang Jing Wen is overjoyed talking to her ex, Chow remarks that in fact Section 1224-1225 from the story are simply the dates for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day when everyone is especially lonely and needs additional love. He goes on to say that while he had feelings for her, and most likely could have taken advantage of the situation (as he did the previous year with Bai Ling) he was happy that in this situation he did the "right thing". The call re-ignites the romance. Soon afterward, Wang Jing Wen moves to Japan and gets engaged. A short while later, while still feeling depressed over the loss of Wang Jing Wen, Chow runs into Lulu again as she has a violent confrontation with another woman that is sleeping with her current playboy boyfriend. This incident is identical to one that occurred in the original Days of Being Wild when she confronted the original Su Li-Zhen for sleeping with Yuddy. Chow remarks that Lulu, is likely to forever remain living in the past. However, he then remarks that this is not really a sad thing, as she seems perfectly content to be miserable. The incident strengthens Chow's resolve to get over Su Li-Zhen.

Bai Ling Arc Part II
Some time later, Chow gets a call from Bai Ling and the two go out to dinner. This time, Bai looks much less glamorous and more "run-down". She informs Chow that she plans to leave for Singapore, and asks him to provide a reference and plane fare. She also asks where he was last Christmas, as she stopped by at that time, and was hoping to see him. In fact, she remarks that she really misses him. It turns out, during last Christmas, Chow had gone back to Singapore in an attempt to find a former lover, another woman named Su Li-Zhen.

Su Li-Zhen Arc
Chronologically, this arc occurs first in the film. Chow met the second Su Li-Zhen some years back when he first arrived in Singapore. At that time, he was still grieving over losing the original Su Li-Zhen and spending much of his free time in the local casinos. After losing much of his savings, he encounters the second Su Li-Zhen, a mysterious gambler. They become lovers, and he soon wants to know everything about her. But she insists that he beat her in a "high-card" draw before she will reveal anything about her past, which he never is able to do. Eventually, she agrees to help him win back his money so that he can return to Hong Kong. When she does so, he prepares to leave, and asks her to go with him. Again, she challenges him to a high-card draw, which he again loses. Knowing little about her, Chow speculates that she, like himself, has a troubled past. Initially heartbroken about this, he remarks that after he completes the story '2047' he finally understands why the second Su Li-Zhen did not go with him, as he would again have tried to recapture the past by looking for elements of the original Su Li-Zhen. When Chow went back to Singapore to visit her the second time, he does not find her. He makes some inquiries as to her whereabouts and speculates that she either returned to Cambodia or was killed.

Bai Ling Arc Part III
Shortly after the events of 'Bai Ling Arc Part II' and the night before she boards a plane for Singapore, Chow again meets Bai Ling for dinner. Bai remarks that, between their two meetings, one of her clients has given her a lot of money and she wants to pay Chow back immediately. He refuses to take the money. Bai insists on paying for dinner, and Chow is stunned when she hands him a stack of money, each $10 bill representing one night they had spent together. Bai tells Chow to pay for dinner with this stack of bills, while unbeknownst to him, she sadly watches behind the restaurant's green window veils. After dinner, Chow walks her back to her apartment. Grasping his hands at the apartment door, she begs him to lend his time to her once more and spend the night. She then asks him "Why can't it be like it was before?" He refuses to stay over, even out of pity, coldly stating that that is simply something he would never lend. He exits by jerking his hands away from her and remarks in voiceover that this was the last time he ever saw her. He leaves in a taxi, staring emptily into space, as the camera slowly enters a whispering hole.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

Winner of multiples awards, 2046 does created some fame in 2004 with all the stunning actors & actresses. But seriously, beside all these bling bling celebrities, how good is Wong Kar Fai? Is he good because of the uniqueness he shot his film? Well, in this movie, i see the good part of his directing, but i remember an old movie which i watch way earlier before was a disaster, but i dun remember the name.

Well, let's hope this weird director will give us some good movie in the upcoming future then :P

24 Hours Ghost Story 猛鬼通宵陪住你

Released Year: 1997
Directed by 钱升玮 Wellson Chin

Casted by:
吴镇宇 Francis Ng as 大毛 Mao
黄子华 Dayo Wong as 陈查礼 Charlie
雷宇扬 Simon Lui as 蕃茄 Frankie
钱嘉乐 Ka-Lok Chin as 牙丫Yaya
黎姿 Gigi Lai as 小云 Wan
Story:

4 friends (Mao, Yaya, Frankie & Wan) decided to open a 24 hours shop in a corner lot. When they visit the shop before rent, Mao feel eerie because he saw a lot of uncomfortable things but they still rent the place.

During renovation, they met a silly policeman Charlie. Mao still always having the thoughts of seeing ghost, but after verified with Charlie. It was confirm that this shop lot is haunted. Rumors said that there were 4 friends opening a shop in the same lot, but one of them believe there's ghost there but the other 3 doesn't believe. After killing his friend, the guy suicide with a opera make up on his face.

Mao and Charlie tried to stop Yaya, Frankie & Wan to go back to the shop before 12am by pulling them to play mahjong together. But later on they found out it was a day before. On the actual day, everyone is in the shop before 12am. They were arguing as Frankie thought Yaya tried to tackled Wan, who is his girlfriend. When Charlie reach to help, he discover the ghost has haunted into Mao's body. All of them work together to fight against Mao, who is the ghost now. But Mao was too strong to be defeat.

At last, the real Mao feel the friendship that exits in real life and defeated the ghost in himself.

L² Scored: 3.5/10

L² Comment:

Well, the movie is a bit boring actually, but it managed to create the spookiness in some part. Especially the part when the ghost drawn himself an opera make-up. Nothing much to talk about this movie, but just to say Yuen Keng Dan is damn funny :P

Ghost Ballroom 猛鬼舞庭

Released Year: 1989
Directed by 唐伟成 Wilson Tong

Casted by:
徐少强 Norman Chui as 鸡毛 Mao
刘家辉 Gordon Liu as 劲楸 Chao
卢惠光 Kenneth Low as 神雕 Diao
单桂枝 Guai Zhi-Sin as 阿美 May
陈百祥 Natalis Chan as 赌客 Gambler

Story:

May is a hooker who borrow money from loan shark Diao. She was forced to service the Bangladesh customer whom she refused. She tried to escape but was killed by Diao. Full of grudge, she came back as a ghost to take revenge on Diao.

She seek helps from Mao and Chao for help. At first they refuse, but after May helps them to win over a gambler, they agreed to help May. Mao helps May to suck some dead woman's breath so she will be more powerful to attack Diao after being hurt by a monk.

May later on was strong enough and managed to kill Diao before she have to leave and go back to hell forever.

L² Scored: 2/10

L² Comment:

This is not a typical ghost movie, its involve a lot of action because the director Wilson Tong is a martial art director. The whole film was ok, make more sense than the Thunder Cops which i just watch a few days ago.

Unknown 2011

Released Year: 2011
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Casted by:
Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris
Diane Kruger as Gina
January Jones as Elizabeth "Liz" Harris
Aidan Quinn as Martin B.
Frank Langella as Professor Rodney Cole
Bruno Ganz as Ernst Jürgen
Sebastian Koch as Professor Bressler
Story:

Dr. Martin Harris and his wife Liz arrive in Berlin for a biotechnology summit. Upon arriving at their hotel, Martin realizes he forgot his briefcase at the airport. He takes a taxicab driven by Gina, but on the way to the airport, the cab crashes off a bridge into the river after narrowly avoiding a refrigerator that falls off a delivery truck. Martin is knocked unconscious upon impact, but Gina saves him from drowning before fleeing from the scene. On Thanksgiving day, he comes to at the hospital after being in a coma for four days.

Martin returns to his hotel, only to discover another man with his wife, who tells hotel security she does not know him. He attempts to contact his old colleague Prof. Rodney Cole, who is unavailable due to Thanksgiving in the United States. Martin then heads to the office of Prof. Bressler, whom he is scheduled to meet that day. However, he sees the impostor, "Martin B" already in a meeting with Bressler. As Martin attempts to prove his identity, Martin B shows him his ID and family photo – both of which have Martin's name, only with his face replaced by that of the impostor. Disillusioned by the identity crisis, Martin falls unconscious and finds himself back at the hospital, where he undergoes an MRI to see if the accident had caused any head trauma. An assassin sent to target him kills Dr. Farge and Nurse Gretchen Erfurt, but Martin escapes.

He then seeks help from Nurse Erfurt's friend, private investigator and former Stasi agent Ernst Jürgen. Martin's only clues are his notebook and Gina, who works at a diner after being fired from the taxicab company since the incident. While Martin attempts to persuade Gina into helping him clear up his identity problem, Jürgen digs up information related to Martin and the biotechnology summit. He discovers that the summit is to be attended by Prince Shada of Saudi Arabia, who is funding a secret project headed by Bressler. Prince Shada has survived numerous assassination attempts from Islamic militants, and Jürgen suspects that Martin's identity theft may be another attempt at taking the Prince's life. Jürgen receives Cole at his office, but when he realizes that Cole is not who he says he is (surmising that Cole was a former member of a secret HVA assassination unit), he commits suicide by drinking cyanide-laced coffee.

Meanwhile, the assassins attempt to eliminate Martin and Gina, but the couple escape after a fight at her apartment and a lengthy car chase. Martin looks at his notebook and sees a set of numbers written by his wife. The numbers correspond to words found on specific pages of the notebook, which appear as secret codes. Using the schedule written on the notebook, Martin confronts Liz, who tells him that his only hope is his briefcase at the airport. After retrieving his briefcase, Martin parts ways with Gina, who sees him kidnapped by Cole and his henchman Jones. Gina steals a taxicab and chases after Cole's van. Martin wakes up at a car park and discovers the truth of his identity through Cole. It is revealed that Martin Harris is a cover name, and that he, Liz and Martin B are terrorist assassins sent to target the summit. Because he injured his head during the car crash, his memory was altered and he believed that Martin Harris was his real life identity. However, he still does not remember his own true identity. Gina rushes in and stops Jones from killing Martin as Cole hides in his van. There is a brief fight between Jones and Gina which ends when Gina drives her car into Jones and squashes him against Cole's van. The impact of the crash also sends the van plummeting down the tower with Cole still inside. Martin discovers a hidden compartment in his briefcase and finds two Canadian passports, realizing he and Liz were in Berlin three months prior to plant a bomb in the suite that is to be occupied by Prince Shada.

The duo head for the hotel to stop the assassination. They are immediately arrested by security, but Martin convinces them of his presence in the hotel three months back. He then realizes that Prince Shada is not the target, but Bressler – who has discovered a genetically modified breed of corn that is capable of surviving any climate, easing the world's food supply problem. Liz uses her own copy of the notebook's secret codes to remotely access Bressler's laptop and steal the data. After being convinced there is a bomb, security evacuates the hotel. Seeing that their assassination attempt has been foiled, Liz tries to disarm the bomb, but is too late, as she is killed while a section of the hotel is destroyed. Martin B, the last remaining terrorist, attempts to kill Prof. Bressler, but Martin stops and kills him. Bressler later announces his project to the world, and Martin and Gina, who now carry Canadian IDs (that have the same last name, implying that they are married,) leave on a train, now free from their troubled lives.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

Film according to the French novel by Didier van Cauwelaert + directed by my Spanish fav director Jaume, this is not a bad film. The reason why i score it that low is because - Ms Kruger did not show her nice yummy body like what she did before in TROY !!! I was waiting and waiting and waiting, but no... she was fully covered !!! Gosh~ so damn dissapointed.

Thunder Cops 猛鬼大厦

Released Year: 1989
Directed by 劉鎮偉 Jeffrey Lau

Casted by:
樓南光 Billy Lau as 阿光 Kwong
吳君如 Sandra Ng as 阿君 Kwan
張敏 Sharla Cheung as 阿敏 Mun
柏安妮 Annie Bridgewater as 阿妮 Anna
關秀媚 Suki Kwan as 阿媚 Mei
胡楓 Hu Fung as 阿信 Shun
Story:

Shun is an inspector who brought along Kwan, Mei, Anna & Mun to investigate a criminal which involve Soh. Kwong is Kwan's husband who follow them because he thought Shun has an affair with Kwan. They went to live in a building which believe to be haunted by a bunch of ghost. A monk went for exorcist but left a female ghost behind.

The ghost chase after the police team and they accidentally chop off her head which fall into Soh's bag. The ghost threatened Soh to help and he went back to fight against the police team. They are unable to fight against the ghost which later on invited all ghost from hell.

Finally Kwan invited a God to enter her body and managed to defeat all the ghost.

L² Scored: 1.5/10

L² Comment:

The whole movie is silly, i should say. Though some part is a bit funny, but never thought Jeffrey is the director, coz the style is so "Wong-Jing". Lol, anyway, don't think i will ever watch this movie in my life again :P

World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles

Released Year: 2011
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

Casted by:
Aaron Eckhart as Michael Nantz
Ramon Rodriguez as William Martinez
Will Rothhaar as Lee Imlay
Michelle Rodriguez as Elena Santos
Story:

On August 11, 2011, mysterious objects thought to be meteorites crash into Earth's oceans near several major cities. These objects are revealed to be spacecrafts, containing hostile alien forces. The U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton arrive in Los Angeles to defend against alien ground forces and assist in the evacuation of civilians, in preparation for a bombing campaign. Among the military's forces are Michael Nantz, a U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant who had planned to retire, and his new platoon.

The Platoon Commander, 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez, attends a briefing at a FOB (Forward Operating Base). The platoon's mission is to rescue civilians from a LAPD police station with a three-hour time limit before the Air Force bombs the area. They are ambushed by aliens multiple times and suffer casualties. They also encounter a group of U.S. Army soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division, including an Air Force intelligence Technical Sergeant Elena Santos. Eventually, the combined team reaches the police station, finding five civilians inside. A helicopter arrives and attempts to evacuate some of the wounded Marines, but it is destroyed by the aliens upon takeoff.

The Marines commandeer a bus for evacuation. During this ordeal, they learn of the aliens' weaknesses and military tactics, finding that alien infantry have a weak point in the torso and that the alien aircraft are remote-controlled drones. The Marines speculate that there must be a central command center, and that the destruction of this command center would cripple the enemy forces. On a freeway, the bus is attacked and the Marines begin rappelling the civilians off the side of the freeway. One of the civilians, Joe Rincon, is wounded after firing on the aliens. Martinez is also wounded and sacrifices himself by detonating explosives inside the bus shortly after placing Nantz in command of the platoon.

Nantz leads what remains of the platoon outside the bombing zone, and they rest at a convenience store. A news report speculates that the aliens have attacked Earth for its water supply. The team waits for the bombing to begin, but nothing happens. They arrive at the FOB, only to discover that it has already been destroyed by the aliens, nullifying the airstrike. They decide to head for another extraction point, where a helicopter should be available to evacuate them but Rincon dies before they reach the new extraction point. As they are being evacuated, Nantz spots a large black area on the ground, where electric power seems to be disabled. Nantz believes the black area to be the location of the alien command center, and that it is hidden underground. Nantz disembarks from the helicopter, his platoon follows, planning to find the exact location of the command center so they can call in a missile strike.

Going underground, the Marines confirm the presence of a large alien vessel. They return to the surface and succeed in calling in a missile strike. However, the command center remains intact, and rises from the ground. The Marines repel alien forces as more missiles are launched at the hovering command center and, eventually, they are able to destroy it and alien ground forces begin to retreat.

Soon after, the team is extracted to a temporary base in the Mojave Desert, where they are greeted as heroes for their outstanding bravery. All other cities under attack now plan to emulate their strategy, destroying the alien command center in each city. More forces are being sent to Los Angeles to finish off the aliens there. Despite orders to rest, Nantz and the platoon instead rejoin the fight.

L² Scored: 4/10

L² Comment:

Military film is always not my choice of movie, but well... i can't waste a free ticket if somebody is buying me one, right? lol... Well, the movie is ok. A bit boring in the 1st 20-30 minutes. The whole film did not really make you "No~~" "Wow~~" or anything like this. But i love their aliens :)

9 Songs

Released Year: 2004
Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Casted by:
Kieran O'Brien as Matt
Margo Stilley as Lisa
Story:

The film tells the modern love story set over a period of 12 months in London, England of a young couple: Matt, a British climatologist, and Lisa, an American exchange student. The story is framed in a personal review from Matt's perspective when he is working in Antarctica. Their main common interest is a passion for live music and they frequently attend rock concerts together; the film depicts the couple, or Matt alone, watching nine songs at Brixton Academy and other concert venues. It also shows their weekend getaway into the countryside, and their travels around London. Lisa brings their short and intense relationship to an end at Christmas time when she returns home to the United States.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

Well, basically the movie is simple, just the love story of 2 lover. The film mainly focus on their sexually activities. Blowjob, fingering, felatio, masturbation, hardcore sex and even ejaculation. Kieran is the only actor who ever ejaculate in British main stream movie ever in the cinema. Cool huh?