Girl with a Pearl Earring 2003

 Released Year: 2003

Directed by Peter Webber

 

Casted by:

Scarlett Johansson as Griet
 Colin Firth as Johannes Vermeer
 Tom Wilkinson as Pieter van Ruijven
 Cillian Murphy as Pieter
 Judy Parfitt as Maria Thins
 Essie Davis as Catharina Bolnes

 Story:

Griet is a shy girl living in the Dutch Republic in 1665. Her father, a Delftware painter, has recently gone blind, rendering him unable to work and putting his family in a precarious financial situation. Consequently, Griet is sent to work as a maid in the unhappy household of the painter Johannes Vermeer. Griet works hard, almost wordlessly, in the lowest position in a harsh hierarchy, where even one of the Vermeer's children treats her spitefully. On a routine shopping trip outside the house, a butcher's son, Pieter, is quickly taken with Griet, though she is slow to return his affections.

As Griet cleans Vermeer's studio, which his wife Catharina never enters, they become casually acquainted and he encourages her appreciation of painting, light and color. Vermeer gives her lessons in mixing paints and other tasks, taking care to keep this secret from his thin-lipped wife, who would react very jealously if she found out that her husband was spending time with Griet. In contrast, Vermeer's pragmatic mother-in-law, Maria Thins, sees Griet as useful to Vermeer's career. Vermeer's rich patron Van Ruijven notices Griet on a visit to the Vermeer household and asks the painter if he will give her up to him to work in his own house, a situation which ruined a previous girl. Vermeer refuses, but accepts a commission to paint a portrait of Griet for Van Ruijven.

As Vermeer secretly works on the eponymous painting, Catharina's growing jealousy of Griet becomes apparent. While Griet suffers through her fascination with Vermeer and his paintings, she also has to fend off Van Ruijven's attempt to rape her. Soon afterwards, Catharina's mother summons Griet, hands over her daughter's pearl earrings and instructs Griet to finish the painting while Catharina is away for the day. At the final painting session Vermeer pierces Griet's earlobe so she can wear one of the pearl earrings for the portrait; she then runs to Pieter to be consoled. They caress in a barn. In the aftermath, Pieter proposes marriage, but she shakes her head and leaves. She then returns the earrings to Catharina's mother.

Catharina discovers that Griet used her earrings, accusing her mother of complicity and orders Vermeer to show her the painting he and Griet have been working on. Heartbroken that Vermeer does not consider her worthy of being painted because she "doesn't understand," Catharina tries but fails to destroy the painting, then banishes Griet from the house forever. Vermeer does not object, and Griet leaves the house in shock. Later, Griet is visited by the cook from the house, who comes bearing a gift: a sealed packet containing the blue headscarf she wore in the painting, which is wrapped around Catharina's pearl earrings.

 L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

Nominated in multiple awards, this movie is based on the same name novel by Tracy Chevalier. I don't know issit my perception or what, i found that Scarlett is so plum in this movie, gosh... can't she slim down a bit before filming this?

3 Days of A Blind Girl 盲女72小時

 Released Year: 1993

Directed by 陳榮照 Chan Weng Zhao

 

Casted by:

　叶玉卿 Veronica Yip as 阿香 Heong

黄秋生 Anthony Wong as 朱森 Sam

陈友 Anthony Chan as Jack

 Story:

Heong was temporary blind for 72 hours after her eyes surgery, her husband has to left her for outstation work for these 3 days as well. Psycho Sam came for his wife revenge. He pretended as Sam's friend and get close to Heong and kidnap the servant in the meantime. Heong discovered Sam's intention and try to escape.

 

But the blind girl can't defeat the crazy man and live her life in fear for these 3 days. Finally her eyesight came back and she managed to kill Sam.

 L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

Even though this is rated as III in HK blockbuster, but for me the storyline buys me, and i love the whole movie quite well. Beside got to see Veronica's nice body, the whole movie bring out the spookiness and you may feel the fear and helpless feeling the heroin is having. Not a bad movie, i might watch it again if i'm in the mood :) 

Jail House Eros 監獄不設防

Released Year: 1990

Directed by 夏秀軒 Ha Shau Hin

 

Casted by:

冯淬帆 Stanley Fung as 狱长冯Sir Fung

李丽珍 Loletta Lee as 陈珍 Jane

陈佩珊 Chan Pui Shan as 黑妹 Hak 

李家声 Lee Kar Sing as 施梦维 Wai

夏志珍 Jane Ha as 女狱警5354 Ghost

叶子楣 Amy Yip as 苏东波 Bo

玛莉亚 Maria Codero as 大家姐 Big sister

Story:

Long time ago, Jane tried to escape from the jail but failed and die in the end by falling down from the building. Jane's spirit was then inside a God's statue.

 

Years later, the same jail, Madam 5354 was dead after sex and she accidentally released Jane's spirit. Hak is a young lady who wanted to escape from the jail crazily. Hak is always bully by other girls, luckily big sister, Bo & gang protected her. Jane look for Hak as Hak found her music box, Jane helps Hak to escape but failed.

 

5354 came back as horrible spirit to haunt the jail. Officer Fung has to invite Wai's aunty came for help. In the end, Jane sacrifice herself to save everyone. Wai's aunty help Jane to release from the jail and get another chance to reborn.

L² Scored: 7/10

 

L² Comment:

1990 Hong Kong film is kinda obssessed with jail-type of film, therefore this female director is smart to film this movie. The whole storyline is predictable but still acceptable.

Nailed 2006

 Released Year: 2006

Directed by Adrian O'Connell

 

Casted by:

Charles Porter as Keller

Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Adam
Sam Sarpong as Scott

Veronica Borchi as Sky

 

Story:

"Nailed" is a thriller about two men who break into a house in attempt to escape arrest by police, and find instead a man lying on a bed, covered in bandages, whose caretaker may have intentions that are less than honorable. All is not as it seems as things begin to go wrong for the thieves and the plot takes a turn for the worse, bringing the supernatural into play.

L² Scored: -10/10

L² Comment:

I don't know what am i watching... seriously

Dark Shadows

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Tim Burton

 

Casted by:

Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins

Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard

Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters

Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman

 Story:

In 1760, the Collins family migrates to America from Liverpool and sets up a fishing port in Maine, naming it Collinsport. Sixteen years later in 1776 the son, Barnabas (Johnny Depp), has an affair with a maid, Angelique Bouchard, who is a witch infatuated with him since childhood. When he tells her he doesn't love or want her, Angelique kills his parents. Barnabas then falls in love with Josette du Pres. In a fit of jealousy, Angelique bewitches Josette into leaping from a cliff to her death. Barnabas leaps after her in grief, but he survives because Angelique turns him into an immortal vampire. She rouses a mob to capture and bury Barnabas alive in a chained coffin in the woods and curses his family.

One hundred ninety-six years later, in the year 1972, construction workers accidentally free Barnabas from his coffin, who reluctantly slakes his two-century thirst by feeding on and killing his rescuers. He makes his way back to his manor to find it inhabited by his dysfunctional descendants and their servants—the family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard; her brother Roger; her 15-year-old daughter Carolyn; Roger's 10-year-old son David; Dr. Julia Hoffman, David's psychiatrist; Willie Loomis, the manor's caretaker; and Victoria Winters, David's newly hired governess and Josette's reincarnation. Upon convincing Elizabeth of his identity by revealing a secret treasure room behind the fireplace, Barnabas is allowed to stay under the condition that he never reveal either the room or the fact that he is a vampire to the rest of the family. At breakfast, Elizabeth makes him out to be "Barnabas Collins III", a distant relative from England who has come to restore the family's business and reputation in town. Barnabas becomes very deeply attracted to Victoria, whom he briefly mistakes for his lost Josette, and immediately begins to pursue her romantically.

As Barnabas helps revitalize the Collins' fishery and manor, he is approached by Angelique, who has used her powers to establish a successful rival fishery, called Angel Bay, and live through the decades by posing as her own descendants. She tries to win him back, later convincing him to make wild, passionate love with her, but he still rejects her, as he loves Victoria. He continues to restore his family's name by inviting the entire town to a party at the manor featuring Alice Cooper (whom Barnabas mistakes for a female due to Cooper's name), where Victoria reveals to Barnabas that her parents committed her to an insane asylum, (under her real name "Maggie Evans"), as a child because she could see and talk to an invisible friend, (Josette's ghost). They kiss and confess their feelings to each other, unknowingly enraging Angelique who has witnessed the scene.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hoffman has discovered Barnabas' true nature after hypnotizing him. She convinces him to try an experimental procedure to become a regular human again via blood transfusions using her own blood, but her real intent is to use his blood to become a vampire to avoid aging. Upon discovering this betrayal, Barnabas drains her to death and dumps her in the ocean. Barnabas catches Roger trying to find the secret room and exposes Roger's lack of interest in his son. Barnabas makes him choose between being a good father to David, or leaving the family with sufficient funding to satisfy his greed. Roger chooses to leave, deeply wounding his son's feelings. Immediately afterwards, Barnabas rescues David from a falling disco ball and stumbles into a beam of sunlight, burning his skin and exposing his secret to the horrified children and Victoria.

Later that night, Angelique calls Barnabas into her office, coaxes him into confessing Dr. Hoffman's murder, and traps him in another coffin that she leaves in his family's crypt until she decides to let him out again. She then burns down the Collins' canning factory and plays a recording of the murder confession to the police and gathered townsfolk, once more turning them against the family. Angie leads the mob to Collinwood to arrest the family, but Barnabas is rescued from the coffin by David and shows up at the manor, attacking her in front of the mob, thereby exposing both his and her true natures. As the townspeople disperse, Angelique sets fire to the manor and admits her role in the family's curse, including turning Carolyn into a werewolf and killing David's mother at sea. Barnabas and the Collins family fight Angelique until David summons his mother's vengeful ghost. The ghost gives a single scream which knocks Angelique into a chandelier.

Before she dies she pulls out her heart and offers it to Barnabas; he refuses the heart, trying to make her admit she didn't really love him, she just wanted to possess him, and it shatters as Angelique dies. Barnabas then discovers that Angelique has bewitched Victoria into jumping off of Widow's Hill, the same cliff Josette did. Barnabas arrives moments before Victoria is about to jump and breaks her hypnosis, but she reveals she wanted to fall. She pleads with him to make her a vampire so that they can remain together forever, but he refuses. She then casts herself off, forcing him to follow and bite her to save her life, and Victoria wakes up as a vampire. As the two kiss on the rocks in the waves, the film ends with an underwater scene showing a school of fish swimming away from Hoffman, who suddenly revives due to managing to make it far enough into the transfusions.

 L² Scored: 6.5/10

 

L² Comment:

As usual, Tim Burton's movie is funny but this movie has a lot of negative feedback and it dowsn't seems to work this time. For me the storyline is ok, but in the end the add on of the warewolf seems to spoil the whole movie... anyway, i still love Depp :)

Freakdog / Red Mist

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Paddy Breathnach

 

Casted by:

Arielle Kebbel as Katherine
 Sarah Carter as Kim
 Andrew Lee Potts as Kenneth

 Story:

The film circles around four medical students who, while out partying one night, spike the drink of an unknowing and loner colleague nicknamed "Freakdog"; it turned out to be a very powerful sedative that accidentally puts him into a coma. The students, not wanting to be involved or else risk their futures for their crime, abandon his body on a road and drive off as fast as they can, hoping someone will come across his body and help him. When they learn about his condition becoming fatal, one of the students attempts to revive him using an experimental drug. The result has horrible and unintended consequences which leads to the colleague having out of body experiences that seem to possess the students who poisoned him and abandoned him, which he is using as means to exact vengeance by possessing their bodies and through them, framing them for murdering each other while they desperately find a way to stop him.

  L² Scored: 6/10

 

L² Comment:

 Well, the storyline is kinda so so, only unexpected part is the freakdog can use his mid to control those who are alive to kill the one who destroy him... but how? There's no explanation on this... but oh well, who cares anyway? But i do~ lol

The Neighbour No. Thirteen りんじん13ごう 隣人13号

 Released Year: 2005

Directed by 井上靖雄 Yasuo Inoue

 

Casted by:

 小栗旬 Oguri Shun as 村崎十三 Jūzō Murasaki

中村獅童 Nakamura Shido as 13号 No. 13
新井浩文 Hirofumi Arai as 赤井トール Tōru Akai
吉村由美 Yumi Yoshimura as 赤井のぞみ Nozomi Akai

 Story:

Juzo Murasaki arrives at a work construction area to take on his new job as a construction worker. To his quiet dismay, his supervising boss turns out to be Toru Akai, who with his gang had made Juzo's middle school life a living hell. Akai, however, doesn't recognise Juzo.

Juzo's more disconcerted when he discovers that Akai lives with his wife, Nozomi Akai and their toddler son above Juzo's new apartment. As Juzo emotionally struggles to handle these unexpected developments, a mysterious and seemingly malicious hooded figure appears. It calls itself Number 13.

As Juzo attempts to control increasing number of flashbacks and a spiral fall into psychological darkness, Akai constantly picks on Juzo and other work colleagues including Seki Hajime, a former middle school student who becomes Juzo's casual friend in spite of Juzo's anti-social tendencies, at work. Meanwhile Akai's wife, Nozomi, attempts to make friends with Juzo and entrusting the care of her toddler son to Juzo. She proudly shows Juzo her husband's school photos. In one class photo, Juzo's space is marked with an X to show he was absent. Juzo suffers a severe flashback to explain his absence that day: in their school's science room, Akai and his friends have thrown acid at Juzo's face.

Seki becomes suspicious about Juzo's increasingly odd behaviour and goes to inform Arai at the work site, but Arai dismisses him without giving him a chance to speak. During this incident, Seki doesn't realise he's being watched by Number 13, but as soon as he does, Number 13 kills him. Similar incidents follow, which eventually attracts Juzo and Arai's attention.

Number 13 takes Nozomi's life and kidnaps her toddler son. After finding their bodies, Juzo knows where Number 13 has disappeared to: the middle school. At the same time Akai, now knowing who Juzo is, discovers his wife's body and his son missing. He also goes to school. Having arrived first, Juzo discovers what happens to the toddler son, whom Number 13 forcibly drowned, and realises it's gone out of control.

He goes to confront Number 13, but by then, Akai arrives and attacks Juzo whom he believes has his son. After a violent confrontation, Juzo—who we realise is Number 13 all along—kneels over fallen Akai. As he is about to bring down a weapon upon Akai's head, Akai shouts out an apology. Juzo freezes. The apology splits Juzo's universe into two.

Universe #1: as described above.

Universe #2: as middle school boys, Akai apologises after Juzo stood up against Akai's bullying. Soon after, Juzo appears in a class photo as a quiet but happy-looking middle school student. As an adult, he walks past an apartment block where he and the Akai family lived in Universe #1. Juzo notes some construction workers are taking down the block sign, which hints the block is slated to be demolished, then he spots a dark figure in a window. It's Number 13, but Juzo doesn't recognise him as he looks away and continues walking along the side of a man who appears to be Juzo's work friend. It's Arai.

At this point, we viewers realise that the events we saw in Universe #1 never took place in Universe #2. Universe #1 is a scenario of what could have been if Juzo hadn't won Akai's apology after standing up for himself on the day of the potential acid incident and their school photo session. The acid incident, if Juzo had failed to stand up for himself, could have given birth to Number 13, thus creating Juzo's path to Universe #1.

 L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

Quite a nice dark-psychological kinda film... Getting bullied is very normal in Japan's school i think, kids are most likely gone crazy or psycho because they are too afraid to speak out~

 

Personally i think the storyline is good and Oguri Shun is still as cute as before hehe

The Haunting of Sarah Hardy 1989

 Released Year: 1989

Directed by Jerry London

 

Casted by:

Sela Ward as Sarah Hardy

Michael Woods as Austin Hardy

Roscoe Born as Allen deVineyn

Morgan Fairchild as Lucy deVineyn

Polly Bergen as Emily Stepford

 Story:

 As a child, Sarah witnesses her wealthy mother's suicide. Later, as a young bride, she is haunted by her mother's voice and other strange manifestations. Is it her imagination, someone playing tricks on her, or her dead mother's spirit?

 L² Scored: 5/10

 

L² Comment: 

First of all, i really really like the big mansion in the movie, it is  so huge and glamorous, i believe everyone whould like to owe one or at least stay a night there right? Same as the bad guys in this movie, i forgive them for being such greedy, who can resist such a nice place right?

Tourist Trap 1979

 Released Year: 1979

Directed by David Schmoeller

 

Casted by:

Chuck Connors as Mr. Slausen
 Jocelyn Jones as Molly
 Jon Van Ness as Jerry
 Robin Sherwood as Eileen

 Story:

Eileen and her boyfriend Woody are driving through the desert. When their car gets a flat Woody goes to find a gas station. Their friends Becky, Jerry and Molly are traveling separately in a different vehicle. They reach Eileen waiting at the car and they all drive off to collect Woody.

Woody has found a gas station but it appears deserted. He enters the back room but becomes trapped. Various mannequins appear in the room, and multiple objects fly at him until a metal pipe impales and kills him.

The others find a tourist trap and conclude Woody is there. As they drive in, their vehicle mysteriously breaks down. Jerry tries to fix his jeep and the girls go skinny dipping in a nearby oasis. As they swim, Slausen appears holding a shotgun. Though outwardly polite he also seems embittered by the decline of his tourist trap since the highway was moved away. The nude girls feel awkward in the water as he chats and they apologise for tresspassing.

Slausen offers to help Jerry with the jeep, but insists the group go to his house with him to get his tools. There, they see the tourist trap: animated wax works type figures including armed bandits. Eileen is curious about a nearby house, but Slausen insists the women stay inside the museum. Slausen takes Jerry to fix the jeep leaving the women. Eileen leaves to find a phone in the other house. There she finds several mannequins inside the house. Someone calls her name, and a stranger wearing a grotesque mask suddenly appears behind her. Various items in the room move of their own accord and the scarf Eileen is wearing tightens and strangles her.

Slausen returns to Molly and Becky saying that Jerry drove his truck into town. When told that Eileen left, he goes to the house and finds Eileen has been turned into a mannequin. He returns and tells Molly and Becky he did not find Eileen and will leave again to continue the search. Frustrated the women also later leave to search for her. Becky enters the nearby house and finds a mannequin resembling Eileen. Becky is attacked by the masked killer and then by multiple mannequins. She later wakes up tied up in the basement along with Jerry. Jerry says the killer is Slausen's brother. Also held captive is Tina (Dawn Jeffory), who is strapped to a table. She is killed when the masked man covers her face with plaster, causing her to suffocate. Jerry frees himself and attacks the killer, but is soon overpowered. Jerry tries to reach for a key but the killer telekinetically moves it from his reach.

Molly, still outside searching for the others, is pursued by the masked man. She meets Slausen who drives her to the museum and gives her a gun while he goes inside. The masked man appears and Molly shoots, but the gun is loaded with blanks. The man removes the mask: it is Slausen. She panics and tries to elude Slausen but is soon captured and restrained to a bed.

Becky and Jerry escape from the basement but, get separated. Slausen appears and takes Becky to the museum. There the Old West figures begin shooting at her, and she is killed by an Indian Chief figure who throws a knife at her, stabbing her in the back of the neck. Back at the house, Jerry arrives to rescue Molly, but he is revealed to have unknowingly been turned into a mannequin. Slausen dances with the figure of his wife, and Molly sees that the wife has become animated. Traumatised, she kills Slausen with an axe.

The film then ends where it takes place the next morning, and a grinning Molly is seen driving away in the jeep with the mannequin versions of her friends.

 L² Scored: 4.5/10

L² Comment:

The storyline is kinda same with "House of Wax", should i say a bad version of it? The whole movie is just so so, luckily the babes are hot, but i won't consider to rewatch this...

Troublesome Night 5 陰陽路5: 一見發財

 Released Year: 1999

Directed by 邱礼涛 Herman Yau

Casted by:

古天樂 Louis Koo as 林中發 Fatt
 雷宇揚 Simon Lui as 发朋友 Fatt's friend
 羅蘭 Helena Law as 老婆婆 Weird old lady
 李蕙敏 Amanda Lee as 發妻 Fatt's wife
 鄧一君 John Tang as 安仔 Onn

 Story:

Fatt is a gambler and cause his family to move to a haunted house during night time. He makes a deal with the devil, if the ghost helps him to become rich, he will give everything that he has in half for the ghost. Fatt started to win lottery and getting richer, hence the ghost rape his wife and wanted his son too. To end this, Fatt burn himself to death.

Onn grew up and work as security for Fatt's friend. The building he incharge is the one Fatt died in. Onn met the old lady who kept warn him about this building. Onn told this to his mother, suspecting this might be cause by Fatt, the wife went back to see Fatt. Fatt's spirit ask for his wife's forgiveness and finally left.

L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

Troublesome night series of movie is kinda popular in Hong Kong & mostly all the actors & actresses are from TVB. For thi 5th movie, storyline is consider still ok, but the excitement/horror part can be better actually...

The Willies

Released Year: 1990

Directed by Brian Peck

 

Casted by:

Jason Horst as Kyle

Joshua Miller as Josh

Sean Astin as Michael

 Story:

 Two brothers camping with their cousin try to frighten each other by telling stories. They start with urban legends, but then there are two main narrations: one involves strange happenings at an elementary school; the other, a teenage boy with a peculiar interest.

 L² Scored: 3.5/10

 

L² Comment:

The movie basically has 2 main stories and a few short one at the beginning part. Overall is still ok, coz kinda goosebump fiction feel, but seriously i won't consider to rewatch.