The Grandmaster 一代宗師

 Released Year: 2013

Directed by 王家卫 Wong Kar Wai

Casted by:

梁朝偉 Tony Leung as 葉問 Ip Man

章子怡 Zhang Ziyi as 宮若梅 / 宮二 Gong Er

張震 Zhang Zheng as 一线天 Yi Xian Tian

赵本山 Zhao Ben Shan as 丁连山 Ding Lian Shan

張晉 Zhang Jin as 馬得月 / 馬三 Ma San

宋慧喬 Song Hye-Kyo as 張永成 Zhang Yong Cheng

 Story: 

The film chronicles the life of the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man from the 1930s in Foshan, his flight to Hong Kong after the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the events leading to his death.

The movie begins with Ip Man reflecting on martial arts, and then cuts to a scene of a fight under the rain between Ip and a dozen combatants. Ip Man wins, and experiences flashbacks of his life, from his early training at the age of seven to his induction into martial arts by his master Chan Wah-shun, and his marriage to his wife Cheung Wing-sing.

Ip Man's peaceful existence is threatened by the arrival of Gong Yutian, the Wudang Boxing martial arts grandmaster from northern China, who announces that he has already retired and has appointed Ma San as his heir in the North. He then concedes that the South should have its own heir. A flurry of discussions and fights erupt as various masters attempt to challenge Gong, but they are all barred by Ma San. As the Southern masters are deliberating on a representative, Gong Yutian's daughter Gong Er arrives and she tries to convince her father not to continue the fight, as she feels they are all unworthy. Meanwhile, the Southern masters decide on Ip Man to represent them, and Ip proceeds to be tested by three Southern masters before he challenges Gong Yutian. However, the "fight" between Ip and Gong turns out to be actually an exchange of philosophical ideas. Gong declares Ip the winner and returns to northern China. However, Gong Er sets out to regain her family's honour by challenging Ip Man, and they agree that if anything breaks, Ip loses. "Kung Fu is about precision", so whoever breaks a piece of furniture during the fight will be the loser. An intense fight breaks out between Ip Man and Gong Er, which concludes with victory for Gong because Ip broke a step at the very end. Ip and Gong then part on friendly terms, with Ip saying he wants a rematch.

Ip Man and Gong Er keep in contact after parting ways by exchanging letters, and Ip intends to bring his family with him to northern China, but his plans are disrupted by the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938. During the war, Ip Man and his family descend into poverty and he loses his two daughters due to starvation. In the meantime, in northern China, Ma San becomes a hanjian and ends up killing Gong Yutian. When Gong Er returns, she confronts her elders for forsaking her father but they tell her that her father's final wish was for her to be happy and not to seek vengeance. Gong Er refuses to accept that, and she vows to never teach, marry or have children her entire life, in order to choose the path of vengeance.

Ip Man moves to Hong Kong in the hope of starting a career as a martial arts teacher, but ends up facing all sorts of challenges because there were also numerous other martial arts masters. He defeats them soundly and earns a reputation. He meets Gong Er again on Chinese New Year's Eve 1950 and asks her for a contest one more time while implying that she should start rebuilding her martial art school. But Gong Er refuses, stating that many martial arts disappeared in the course of history; and that hers would not be the only one. A flashback 10 years earlier shows a confrontation between Gong Er and Ma San at a train station on Chinese New Year's Eve 1940, and Gong kills Ma after a brutal and intense fight. However, Gong herself is heavily injured and loses her desire to use martial art.

The film then fast-forwards to 1952, when Ip Man and Gong Er meet each other for the last time. Gong confesses to Ip that she has had romantic feelings for him right from the beginning. She dies shortly after. Ip explains in a voice over that in the fight with Ma San, Gong was injured so badly she turned to opium for the pain and this was her downfall. The final scenes offer a visual montage as Ip Man's school flourishes, including a statement that Ip made Wing Chun popular worldwide and his most famous student was Bruce Lee. Off screen, it is stated that Ip Man died in 1972.

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment: 

I watched this because of Ziyi Zhang, she won so many awards out from this movie, but is she really that good? I'm a bit doubt about it... it was nothing special that what she did in "House of Flying Daggers", how can the judges be so stupid and let her won as much as 12 Best Actress? Its kinda bullshit to me...

Story wise is so so... this is not the first Ip Man movie, so basically everybody knows a bit here and there... Not really fancy Wong Kar Wai's action movie, it makes all those fighters look so sissy when they fight, yuck!

You Again

 Released Year: 2010

Directed by Andy Fickman

Casted by:

Kristen Bell as Marni Olivia Olsen

Jamie Lee Curtis as Gail Byer Olsen

Sigourney Weaver as Ramona "Mona" Clark

Odette Yustman as Joanna "J-J" Clark

James Wolk as Will Olsen

Victor Garber as Mark Olsen

Betty White as Grandma Bunny

Billy Unger as Ben Olsen

Sean Wing as Charlie Mason

Kristin Chenoweth as Georgia King

 Story:

In 2002 Marni is an acne-riddled high school sophomore at Ridgefield High School, with glasses and braces, making a video about how much she hates high school, and reveals how she is tormented and bullied by other children, specifically J-J, who made Marni's high school life miserable. She adds that her protective older brother, Will, was very popular as a handsome basketball player. However, at a very important basketball game, J-J pushes the mascot (Marni), who runs into Will, resulting in a loss of the game.

Years later, in 2010, she is a successful public relations executive, recently promoted to a job in New York. When she flies home to her older brother's wedding, she discovers that Will is about to marry a girl named Joanna, who happens to be J-J. When Marni meets Joanna for the first time in eight years, Joanna seems to not recognize her. Marni is also upset to see that Joanna fits in very well with the family. The plot thickens when Marni's mother Gail meets up with Joanna's aunt Ramona, Gail's former best friend who pushed her into a pool at their senior prom. Ramona is now a successful, wealthy woman who owns several hotels and a private plane.

Although Gail seems willing to put the past behind her, she still feels the need to "outdo" Ramona during their interactions together. On the other hand, Marni is unwilling to forget the things Joanna did to her in high school, unless she apologizes, and decides to try to let her brother know of Joanna's bullying past. Her attempts to get Will alone for a conversation fail. When Marni tells Joanna that she knows who she really is, it is obvious that Joanna remembers Marni. She refuses to give Marni a meaningful apology, and treats her disrespectfully, leaving Marni convinced that Joanna has not changed. Meanwhile, Gail comes to Ramona's hotel room for "closure" about anything bad between them that happened in the past. They appear to make up, but Ramona still seems not to be too fond of Gail.

One day on the street, Will and Marni's grandmother Bunny meets a man named Tim. Joanna reveals that they have dated, and Tim appears devastated when he hears that she's marrying Will. Marni decides to bring Tim to the rehearsal dinner as part of her plan to stop the wedding. When it is time for guests to make a toast to the bride and groom, Tim unexpectedly jumps up to give his toast to Joanna. He reveals to a stunned wedding party that Joanna left him at the altar. Later, a video is presented (recovered by Marni) from their old high school time capsule. The video reveals Joanna as she was in high school: an alpha-female bully, with the footage showing proof of her tormenting Marni and other students. However, Will unplugs the video projector before the video is complete and walks out, furious.

Marni is in trouble when everyone discovers that she was responsible for the video at the rehearsal dinner. Joanna's defense for pretending not to remember Marni is: "I thought we could start over." Marni is now convinced that Joanna hasn't changed, and walks away. Joanna then starts a fight with Marni, who fights back. Will walks in and witnesses the fight. He confronts Joanna, calling her a bully and a liar and then scolds Marni for starting the mess behind his back. Joanna tries to reason with Will but he doesn't care about her past and is furious that she lied to him.

Meanwhile, Ramona and Gail argue after the rehearsal dinner, and Ramona accuses Gail of trying to ruin her life throughout high school. A catfight ensues, with both of them falling into the pool. Ramona reveals that she had a grudge with Gail, even when they were best friends, because she always competed with and outdid her, culminating with Gail taking the boy that Ramona wanted to the prom. Ramona stated that Gail was already a legendary head cheerleader and prom queen, and drama was supposed to be hers, yet Gail also defeated her with the auditions. She sarcastically thanks Gail for what she did, because it motivated her to become successful in life. Gail apologizes for being insensitive, but reveals that she is proud of Ramona, and that her loving family is her accomplishment. Ramona, remorseful of her actions, tells Gail that she was jealous of Gail's happy family especially that her marriages didn't work out, and feared that Gail was trying to take Joanna away from her. The two are hugging in the pool when Gail's husband, Mark, shows up. At home, he says that he is disgusted with the wedding and weekend being a disaster and grounds Marni and Gail.

Later that night, Marni finds Joanna in the kitchen binging on junk food. She finally admits to Marni that she feels truly awful for bullying and tormenting her and feels like a terrible person, and that she loves Will and his entire family. She explained that when she found out that Marni is her fiance's sister, she panicked and therefore decided to pretend not to remember her. Marni forgives her and promises to get them back together. The next day, during a jog, Marni apologizes to Will for her actions, saying she was only trying to protect him.

Joanna and Will reconcile in the family's old tree house, but it collapses and injures both of them when Marni and Will's little brother, Ben, loosened the screws as a part of his plan in hiding the tree house. They are both forced to stay at a hospital, which delays the wedding. However, Marni puts together a makeshift wedding at the hospital, with the bride and groom bandaged, but properly dressed and able to walk down the aisle. Gail has a surprise for Ramona, it's Richie Phillips, the boy from high school that Ramona wanted to go to the prom with. Richie welcomes Ramona home and wants to be her date for the wedding, which makes Ramona very happy and they appear to start a relationship. Marni appears to start a relationship with Charlie (Sean Wing), her brother's best friend who has always been kind to her. Joanna introduces Marni's grandmother Bunny to an elderly woman, Helen Sullivan. It is revealed that Helen and Bunny were rivals in high school when Helen stole a boy from her. However, Bunny gets her revenge when she cuts in on Helen's dance and takes her partner.

During the credits, at the wedding reception, Marni presents her wedding gift to Will and Joanna—Hall & Oates in person performing Will and Joanna's favorite and special song, "Kiss on My List" (as the movie's couples, each share kisses—Will and Joanna, Marni and Charlie, Gail and Mark, Ramona and Richie, and Georgia forces a kiss from Tim). Everyone then joins Hall & Oates on stage.

 L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment: 

This is a very fun movie to watch. At first I thought the story will go between the 2 young ladies, but who knows their mother and aunty are involved in it as well... Seldom see Sigourney on a comedy... She's not bad, as good as those action movie she is in :)

What Happens in Vegas

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Tom Vaughan

Casted by:

Ashton Kutcher as Jack Fuller, Jr.

Cameron Diaz as Joy MacNally

Rob Corddry as Jeffrey "Hater" Lewis

Lake Bell as Toni "Tipper" Saxson

Story: 

In New York City, high-strung equity trader Joy Ellis McNally is dumped by her fiancé at a surprise birthday party she throws for him. At the same time, easy-going carpenter Jack Fuller is fired from his job by his father, Jack, Sr. Both become emotionally distraught and, with best friends Toni "Tipper", a bartender, and Jeff "Hater", a lawyer, take a debauched trip to Las Vegas.

Joy and Jack meet by chance when they are given the same hotel room because of a computer error. After clearing up the misunderstanding and receiving upgraded rooms and coupons to various clubs, they party and drink together and end up getting married. The next morning, they realize it was a mistake and decide to divorce.

Before they do so, Jack uses a quarter Joy gives him in a slot machine. He hits a three million dollar jackpot and Joy reminds Jack that they are married and hence, she is entitled to half of the money. The couple return to New York, where they attempt to divorce. The judge declares that the couple cannot divorce until they attempt to co-exist for six months, while attending weekly sessions with a marriage counselor. If they work at the marriage but still want to divorce after six months, each will be permitted to keep half the winnings. If either party does not cooperate, the money will be tied up in litigation by the judge.

The newlyweds devise more and more cunning schemes to undermine each other, such as Jack telling Joy that their counseling session is canceled to prove she's not committed, and Joy inviting girls to their apartment to try to get Jack to cheat on her, throwing a party where Jack's friend Dave shows up. Jack gives Joy's ex-fiancé, Mason, her engagement ring back without Joy knowing. At Joy's job retreat, Jack and Joy find themselves developing an unexpected attraction to one another and they soon realize that being with each other has brought out the best in both of them.

After they get back from the retreat, it's time for the judge to decide what happens to the money. On her way to the hearing, Joy sees her ex-fiancé Mason and he tells her that he wants her back. He gives her back the engagement ring and tells her that she is good enough for him. Joy realizes that Jack set her up to get back with him, therefore cheating on him and letting Jack keep the money. Joy walks away from Mason and goes to the hearing. At the hearing, their marriage counselor testifies that the couple truly tried to work on their marriage. The judge decides that they will split the remaining 1.4 million dollars (after taxes, bills Joy ran up, and money Jack spent on his new woodworking business). Joy tells the judge she doesn't want any money and gives the engagement ring to Jack, telling him she officially doesn't want anything from him. Jack realizes she knows that he talked to Mason.

Joy gets the promotion she'd been working for, but tells her boss she would rather be happy doing nothing than doing something she hates and being miserable. Jack talks to his parents and they tell him it looks like he and Joy are in love. Realizing his mistake, he goes to find her. Tipper tells Jack that she quit her job and that nobody knows where she is. He has a suspicion that she has gone to a beach (Fire Island, New York) that she told him about, the only place that makes her feel truly happy. Jack asks her to be his wife (again) and she says yes. As the two embrace, Joy says that she quit her job and has no idea what she's going to do. Jack reminds her that they have a lot of money between them. Joy states that they hit the jackpot, to which Jack replies that he certainly did (referring to both the money and to Joy).

L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment: 

After watching so many heavy movies such as LOTR & Gantz... its nice to enjoy myself with a romantic comedy~ Watched it before a few years back, but i really do enjoy the simple storyline that happen in the movie. What happens in Vegas, Stay in Vegas.. hahaha

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

 Released Year: 2013

Directed by Peter Jackson

Casted by:

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins

Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey 

Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf

Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel

Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman

Lee Pace as Thranduil

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield II

Ken Stott as Balin

Aidan Turner as Kíli

Dean O'Gorman as Fíli

Mark Hadlow as Dori

Jed Brophy as Nori

Adam Brown as Ori

John Callen as Óin

Peter Hambleton as Glóin

Stephen Hunter as Bombur

Cate Blanchett as Galadriel

Hugo Weaving as Elrond

Christopher Lee as Saruman the White

Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown

Andy Serkis as Gollum

Manu Bennett as Azog the Defiler

Benedict Cumberbatch as The Necromancer

Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin

 Story: 

At the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree, Gandalf persuades Thorin Oakenshield to obtain the Arkenstone to unite the Dwarves, and suggests that a stealthy burglar may be needed to steal the jewel back from Smaug.

One year later, Thorin and his company are being pursued by Azog and his Orc party down the Carrock following the events of the previous film. Bilbo Baggins informs the group that a gigantic bear is also tracking them, and are ushered along by Gandalf to the nearby home of Beorn to seek his assistance. Beorn is revealed to be a skin-changer who sometimes takes the form of the bear. That night, Azog is summoned to Dol Guldur and instructs his son Bolg to take over the hunt for Thorin. The following day, Beorn escorts the company to the borders of Mirkwood, where Gandalf discovers Black Speech imprinted on an old ruin. This coincides with a telepathic message from Galadriel urging him to investigate the tombs of the Nazgûl, forcing him to depart. He warns the company to remain on the path and leaves. Upon entering the forest they lose their way and are ensnared by giant spiders. Bilbo then sets about freeing the dwarves with the help of the One Ring. He subsequently drops the Ring and first begins to understand its dark influence after he brutally kills a centipede-like creature to retrieve it.

The remaining spiders are fended off by the Wood-elves led by Tauriel and Legolas. They in turn capture the Dwarves, and bring Thorin before Thranduil. He confronts the Elvenking about his neglect of the Dwarves of Erebor following Smaug's attack 60 years earlier, and is consequently imprisoned with the other Dwarves. Bilbo, having avoided capture, arranges an escape using empty wine barrels that are sent downstream. While being pursued by the Wood-elves, they are ambushed by Bolg and his Orc party, and Kíli is wounded with a Morgul shaft. They engage in a running three-way battle down the river, but ultimately the Dwarves are able to escape both groups of pursuers. Thranduil then seals off his kingdom when an Orc captive reveals an evil entity has returned and is amassing an army in the south, but Tauriel decides to leave and assist the Dwarves. Legolas goes after her. Meanwhile, Gandalf meets Radagast to investigate the tombs of the Nazgûl, which are found empty.

The company are then smuggled into Esgaroth by a boatman called Bard. Thorin promises the Master and the people of Lake-town a share of the mountain's treasure. It is then revealed that Bard is a descendant of the last ruler of Dale, and possesses the last black arrow capable of killing Smaug. Kíli is forced to remain behind, tended to by Fíli, Óin, and Bofur, as the remaining company receive a grand farewell. Meanwhile, Gandalf travels south to the ruins of Dol Guldur, while Radagast leaves to warn Galadriel of their discovery at the tombs. Gandalf finds the ruins infested with Orcs and is ambushed by Azog. The Necromancer overpowers and defeats Gandalf and reveals himself as Sauron.

Thorin and his remaining company reach the Lonely Mountain, where Bilbo discovers the hidden entrance. He is sent in to retrieve the Arkenstone, and while doing so accidentally awakens Smaug. While trying to find Bilbo, Smaug reveals his knowledge of Sauron's return. Back in Lake-town, Bard attempts to bring the black arrow to the town's launcher, as he fears what may happen when the Dwarves enter the mountain. However, he is arrested in the process and leaves his son to hide the arrow. Bolg and his Orc party then infiltrate the town and attack the four Dwarves, but are quickly dispatched following the arrival of Tauriel and Legolas. Tauriel then tends to Kili, and the two acknowledge their affection toward one another, while Legolas leaves in pursuit of Bolg. Meanwhile, an imprisoned Gandalf watches helplessly as Azog and an Orc army march from Dol Guldur towards the Lonely Mountain.

Back inside the mountain, Bilbo and the Dwarves try to rekindle the mountain's forge in an attempt to bury Smaug alive in molten gold. This fails however and Smaug stumbles out of the mountain and flies off to destroy Laketown in revenge for aiding the Dwarves. Bilbo watches in horror at what they have unleashed, saying to himself, "What have we done?"

  L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

Finally I found the hobbit 2 :) Lee Pace is surprisingly gorgeous in this movie, he looks hotter than "Pushing Daisies" time... nevertheless, i think he is more hot than Orlando Bloom here ;) Finally i understand better of this movie and rethink back what i watch in the 3rd movie, now it all make sense. Really an exciting series of movies, the epic that you will never miss in this century~