Silent Night, Deadly Night

 Released Year: 1984

Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr.

Casted by:

Robert Brian Wilson as Billy Chapman

Lilyan Chauvin as Mother Superior

Gilmer McCormick as Sister Margaret

Alex Burton as Ricky Chapman

 Story:

In 1971, 5-year-old Billy Chapman and his family went to a nursing home to visit his catatonic grandfather. When the family steps out of the room and leaves Billy alone with his grandfather, the old man suddenly springs to life and warns him that Santa Claus punishes the naughty. That night Billy's family happens to come across a man dressed in a Santa Claus outfit seemingly having car trouble. The man who is actually a criminal who just uses the disguise to commit a robbery in a liquor store, in which he killed the clerk. He then kills Billy's father with a handgun and slits Billy's mother's throat with a switchblade in front of him and his crying infant brother Ricky. Billy then runs off to hide, leaving his baby brother in the car. However, the murderous Santa leaves the children alive. Three years later, Billy and Ricky are celebrating Christmas in an orphanage run by Mother Superior, a strict disciplinarian who persistently strikes children who misbehaves and considers punishment for their wicked actions a good thing. Sister Margaret seems to be the only one who sympathizes with the children. She tries to help Billy open up and play with the other children, but Billy is constantly subject to Mother Superior's scrutinizing eyes and regularly punished. On Christmas morning, the orphanage has a man in a Santa Claus suit who visits the children. Because of Billy's childhood experience, he's terrified. Mother Superior drags Billy kicking and screaming to Santa, where he punches him in the face, causing his nose to bleed and flees to his room with amid looks of horror.

Ten years later, 18-year-old Billy leaves the orphanage in hopes of finding a normal life. He obtains a job as a stock boy at a local toy store and develops a crush on his coworker Pamela. Billy's sexual thoughts regarding Pamela are often interrupted by morbid visions of his parents' murderer. However, he steadily grows unstable.

On Christmas Eve, despite his protestations, Billy is coerced by his jeering coworkers into dressing him up as Santa Claus for the store. Shortly after the store closes and the store staff party begins, Billy happens upon Pamela almost being raped by another coworker, Andy. Billy snaps, finally insane he hangs Andy with a string of Christmas lights and kills Pamela with a utility knife, uttering darkly that punishment is good. Billy's boss, Mr. Sims happens upon the scene where Billy kills him with a hammer. Mrs. Randall discovers Billy's grisly work and attempts to flee, but is attacked with an axe then killed with an arrow in her torso.

As his rampage continues, Sister Margaret comes in only to discover the carnage and returns to the orphanage to seek help via telephone. Billy breaks into a nearby house to attack two unmarried young adults: Denise and Tommy, who were seemingly having sex. After he hacks the door down with a double-bit axe, he impales Denise on a set of deer antlers before he throws Tommy through a window to his death. Tommy's little girl (who was told to get in bed minutes before by her dad's girlfriend) interrupts Billy rather than attack her. Billy simply inquiries whether she's been naughty or nice. He smiles warmly and "gifts" her a bloody knife he used earlier. Billy exits and witnesses bullies picking on two sledding teenage boys. Suddenly he appears and decapitates one of the bullies, caused the other one to flee in horror. Meanwhile, the authorities are investigating the ongoing murders with the aid of Sister Margaret, who has deduced that Billy is the killer and postulates that he is making his way back to the orphanage.

The next morning, a man dressed in a Santa Claus outfit approaches the orphanage. Officer Barnes warns the man to stop but he does not and Barnes shoots him. To his horror, Barnes discovers that the man was in fact Father O'Brien, a deaf pastor on his way to the orphanage when a call came through from a police radio scanner. Billy appears and kills the distraught Barnes with the double-bit axe as punishment and hacks off the head of the snowman with the sudden bloody axe. Billy arrives at the orphanage, through the use of his Santa costume and gains entry and Mother Superior, now in a wheelchair who disbelieves in Santa Claus. Billy raises the axe, yells "Die" and prepares to kill her but is interrupted by Captain Richards' who shoots him. Billy is then struck in the back and collapses. He looks at the nearby children and utters "You're safe now, Santa Claus is gone" before succumbing to his wounds. As the children gather around, an attending Ricky coldly stares at Mother Superior before he eerily utters "Naughty".

 L² Scored: 6/10 

L² Comment:

I have been looking for this franchise series movie for a long time and just couldn't find it anywhere. I'm so lucky because a friend's dad happens to own the DVD :) So being as thick skin as i can, i approached and ask whether i can borrow them or not. Uncle was quite surprise because he said not much people knows about this and then I told him i'm a horror movie freak~ Well, he look at me and say he is a bigger horror freak than me lol :p

Well, i kinda like the movie's name actually... indirectly it attracted people's attention to watch it. While having a good topic and materials to film on this, the movie did not really goes that extreme or i have put too much hope in it? Well, luckily the main actor Robert Brian Wilson is kinda cute and there goes my point for him haha 

Chocolate City

 Released Year: 2015

Directed by Jean-Claude La Marre

Casted by:

Robert Ri'chard as Michael McCoy

Eurika Pratts as DeDe
Vivica Fox as Katherine McCoy

DeRay Davis as Chris McCoy

Michael Jai White as Princeton

Tyson Beckford as Adrian "Rude Boy"

Darrin Dewitt Henson as Magnus

Jean-Claude La Marre as Pastor Jones
Carmen Electra as DJ

Story:

College boy Michael's family is facing financial problem and their house's electricity might be cut off because not afford to pay for the utility bill. But his cute face and hot body has attracted a black guy to offers him as a stripper. Michael has no idea how to earn money to cover back his family financial crisis and his brother Chris keep on persuading him, Michael decided to accept the job offer.

First night dancing in the club, Michael's performance makes the ladies very excited and earning a big amount of money make him overwhelmed with the stripper industry. However his college sweetheart DeDe was slowly being neglected by him because of the work. Until an extend that Michael feel lost because he has to hide all this from his mother and girlfriend.

DeDe was brought to the strip club by her friends and discover Michael working at there, leaving there sadly while Michael decided to confront his mother about the job. Katherine, Michael's mother forgive him and wanted him to win back DeDe as she is a good girl. In the same time, Michael is being jealous by another stripper Adrian & was beaten up badly.

After that Michael confronted DeDe and managed to win her back when he promised her not to work as a stripper anymore...

L² Scored: 5.5/10

L² Comment: 

Well, this movie is mainly just selling the sexy male body only. By getting the hottest male supermodel Tyson Beckford  and showing his ass in this movie definitely win a lot of female audience's applause. The main actor Robert Ri'chard is also hot as hell, yummy :) However, the storyline was just so so and the ending is quite lousy seriously. But if you are watching this movie just for Tyson Beckford, then it is worth it then lol~

Lakeview Terrace

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Neil LaBute

Casted by:

Samuel L. Jackson as Abel Turner

Patrick Wilson as Chris Mattson

Kerry Washington as Lisa Mattson

Jaishon Fisher as Marcus Turner

Regine Nehy as Celia Turner

Story: 

Abel Turner is a twenty-eight-year veteran of the LAPD. A single and widowed father, he is particularly strict with his two children, Marcus and Celia. As his kids leave for school, the new neighbors begin moving in next door. They are a young interracial couple, Chris and Lisa Mattson, who are recently married and buying their first home.

Chris’s first exchanges with Abel have somewhat hostile undertones, with Abel making comments about Chris’ smoking (which Chris hides from Lisa) and listening to hip hop music. The following night, Chris and Lisa have sex in their swimming pool. Unknown to them, Abel's children are watching. Abel arrives home to see this spectacle and is upset, so he repositions the home security floodlights so they shine into Chris and Lisa's window, keeping them awake. When Chris confronts him, Abel claims that the lights are part of his security system to prevent crime and says that it is a complex process to shut down the system and the lights.

Abel attends a housewarming party hosted by Chris and Lisa. He is garrulous but has an edge, and criticizes Chris and his friends for their liberal political and social tendencies. He also exposes Chris' smoking to Lisa, as Chris has been discarding his cigarette butts on Abel's lawn. As he leaves, Chris tells Abel that he is starting to take offense to him, but does not plan to move. One evening, they hear noises downstairs, and find the tires of Chris' car slashed. They suspect Abel and call the police. However, because of Abel's status within the LAPD, the arriving officers are unable to do anything.

Chris and Lisa have dinner with her father, who warns them that acrimony with a police officer may cause trouble. Chris buys his own floodlights and shines them into Abel's bedroom. Lisa later reveals that she is pregnant, which causes conflict as Chris does not yet want to have children. Chris later finds out that Lisa skipped birth control pills to force the issue, and when he confronts her she accuses him of being shortsighted. Meanwhile, Abel is suspended without pay for his abuse of a suspect on the job, which brings even more fury out on him. He hosts a loud bachelor party while the kids are away with their aunt. Chris arrives to complain about the music, but Abel taunts him.

Chris plants trees at the fence between their houses, which leads to an almost violent exchange between the two neighbors, as Abel refuses to have their trees hanging over his property without permission. Later Chris goes to a local bar, and as he finishes his drink, Abel enters and tells Chris that he lost his own wife, when a car hit her on a highway. Abel makes a last cryptic comment about his wife, wondering what she was doing out in that area, at that time with her white boss, when she was supposed to be working, implying she was being unfaithful to Abel.

Both Abel and the Mattsons attend a barbecue in a home down the hill. Abel's informant Clarence Darlington (Keith Loneker) is sent to trash their home, as another means of making the Mattsons uncomfortable in the neighborhood. Lisa goes home early, surprising Clarence. They struggle, which leads to Lisa being knocked out; but not before she triggers the alarm. Chris races home upon hearing the alarm, followed by a frustrated Abel. Chris rushes to the injured Lisa, while Abel comes upon his hired criminal trying to escape and shoots him dead in the pool. The Mattsons go to the hospital, where Lisa is found to be okay.

Wildfires are raging in the hills surrounding the community and the residents of the neighborhood are instructed to pack their things and leave their homes. Abel remains at his house, hosing off his roof, as he does not want to leave his home. With the Mattsons at the hospital, Abel enters their home, hoping to retrieve a cell phone which Clarence left behind, as he is afraid his call to the perpetrator could be traced, implicating him in the break-in. Before he can find it, Lisa and Chris unexpectedly return from the hospital and Abel returns to his home. Chris thanks Abel for helping him during the break-in, trying to express a sense of community with Abel. While the Mattsons are packing to leave, Chris discovers the cell phone under their bed and picks it up. He dials the last number logged on the phone and hears Abel answer. Chris realizes Abel is responsible for the break-in, and Abel realizes Chris has discovered the phone.

Abel comes over with his gun drawn, trying to convince Chris that the perpetrator was trying to set him up. He and Chris struggle and Chris tells Lisa to take the car and the cell phone to the police. Abel shoots Lisa's car and she crashes into a parked car. Chris tackles Abel and gets his gun. After pistol whipping Abel and seemingly knocking him out, Chris runs to help Lisa out of the car. This leads to a standoff, with Chris securing Abel's 9mm semi-automatic handgun and Abel drawing his backup revolver from his ankle holster.

Deputies from the LA County Sheriff's Department arrive. Abel hides his gun behind his back and tries to convince them Chris is unbalanced due to the break-in and attack on Lisa earlier that day. Chris refuses to drop his weapon until Abel puts his down, but Abel raises his arms and insists that he is unarmed. Chris finally throws Abel off, by asking about his wife's death and how he was unable to recognize that she had become unfaithful to him. Infuriated, Abel shoots Chris and is promptly gunned down and killed by the deputies. Chris is taken to an ambulance with a gunshot wound to the chest, but is told he will live. He and Lisa later talk about their pride in their home, neighborhood, and soon-to-be family.

 L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment: 

Well, this might not be a very popular movie outside of USA, but it is not bad. I don't really remember whether Samuel L Jackson portraited any bad guy character before in any movies, but he is really good in this movie. Being a hardcore racist guy, he kept on mentally & physically attacked Patrick Wilson & Kerry Washington throughout the movie. I'm impressed on his acting skill and he is still one of my favorite black actor so far :)

Saw 3D / Saw: The Final Chapter

 Released Year: 2010

Directed by Kevin Greutert

Casted by:

Tobin Bell as John Kramer

Costas Mandylor as Detective Mark Hoffman

Betsy Russell as Jill Tuck

Cary Elwes as Dr. Lawrence Gordon

Sean Patrick Flanery as Bobby Dagen

Chad Donella as Detective Matt Gibson

Gina Holden as Joyce Dagen

Dean Armstrong as Cale

Rebecca Marshall as Suzanne

Naomi Snieckus as Nina

 Story: 

Two men, Brad and Ryan, awaken in a metropolitan storefront window, bound at the wrists to opposite sides of a worktable with a circular saw in front of each of them. Their mutual lover, Dina, is suspended above a third saw. As the scene draws attention and police arrive, a puppet informs the men that they can kill each other or let Dina die. They initially fight each other, during which Brad is cut, but ultimately choose to allow Dina to die instead.

Matt Gibson, an internal affairs detective at Mark Hoffman's precinct, is met by Jill Tuck, who incriminates Hoffman in exchange for protection and immunity from prosecution. Gibson, who has mistrusted Hoffman ever since Hoffman saved his life by gunning down a homeless man, agrees to her terms. Meanwhile, Hoffman abducts a skinhead gang - Dan, Evan, Jake and Kara - and places them in a trap that kills them all, leaving the reverse bear trap at the scene to incriminate Jill, who is put into protective custody. After a meeting of Jigsaw survivors, including Lawrence Gordon, who cauterized his leg on a steam pipe after escaping the bathroom and now uses a leg brace and cane, Hoffman abducts Bobby Dagen, a self-help guru who achieved fame and fortune by falsifying his own survival story. He sends Gibson videos with cryptic clues to the game's location, offering to end the games if Jill is given to him.

Dagen awakens in a cage in an asylum and is told that his wife Joyce will die if he doesn't save her within one hour. Joyce is chained at the neck to a steel platform that gradually pulls her down as she watches Dagen's progress. After he escapes the cage, which dangles over a floor of spikes, he begins searching for Joyce. Along the way, he finds Nina, his publicist; Suzanne, his lawyer; and Cale McNamara, his best friend and co-conspirator. All three are in separate traps representing the three wise monkeys and are killed despite his efforts to save them. After he removes his upper wisdom teeth to obtain the combination for a security door, Dagen finds Joyce and is forced to reenact the trap he claimed to survive: he must drive hooks through his pectoral muscles and hoist himself up to the ceiling to deactivate her trap. He fails, and is forced to watch as a brazen bull capsule closes around Joyce and incinerates her.

Gibson eventually discovers the game's location and sends a SWAT team, who are sealed in another room and killed by toxic gas. Simultaneously, he and two officers infiltrate Hoffman's command center in the junkyard, where they find Dan's corpse sat in front of several monitors connected to the police headquarters security cameras. He sees Hoffman brought into the morgue in a body bag and tries to warn Palmer, but is killed by an automatic turret gun along with his men. Hoffman kills Dr. Heffner, Palmer, and everyone else in his path to Jill, who briefly escapes before she is caught and knocked unconscious. He straps her to a chair and locks a reverse bear trap to her head; she awakens as the timer starts and is killed when the trap activates, tearing apart her face.

After destroying his workshop, Hoffman is attacked and subdued by three pig-masked figures, led by Gordon. Flashbacks show that John Kramer found him unconscious by the steam pipe and nursed him back to health, and Gordon has assisted him ever since. This was known only by Jill, who delivered a package to him at the hospital, a videotape in which Kramer asked him to watch over Jill and take action if anything happened to her. To this end, Gordon has Hoffman brought to the disused bathroom and shackled by the ankle to a pipe. He enters and tosses out of the bathroom the hacksaw he'd used to sever his own foot, and then turns off the lights and seals the door, leaving Hoffman to die.

 L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

SAW has been my favorite horror movie franchise series all these while, I have been scoring the previous movies quite high but the score started to decrease a bit since the 5th movie. Being the 7th movie for this franchise series, the production house decided to end this horror series and shoot it in 3D. But of course human being is always greedy, if this movie continue to earn as much as previous few movies, I believe the production will consider to have a spin-off or something like "the beginning".... right?

But even though this movie hit number one spot in blockbuster on the day it shows on big screen, the result is not as good as its history and finally the 7th movie is really confirm to be the very final one... Overall the story is not bad, it does link up the story of previous 6 movies in this, but the idea of killing started to get boring, i believe other horror fans would agree with me. Well, its better to give a fullstop before it gone uglier...

Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back ミュウツーの逆襲

Released Year: 1998
Directed by 湯山邦彥 Kunihiko Yuyama

Voiced by:
松本梨香 Rica Matsumoto & Veronica Taylor as Ash Ketchum (Satoshi)
飯塚雅弓 Mayumi Iizuka & Rachael Lillis as Misty (Kasumi)
上田祐司 Yūji Ueda & Eric Stuart as Brock (Takeshi)
市村正親 Masachika Ichimura & Philip Bartlett as Mewtwo
林原惠 Megumi Hayashibara & Rachael Lillis as Jessie (Musashi)
三木真一郎 Shin-ichiro Miki & Eric Stuart as James (Kojirō)
犬山犬子 Inuko Inuyama & Maddie Blaustein as Meowth (Nyarth)

Story:

Ash Ketchum, Misty, and Brock are sent to spend a day at a theme park built for Pokémon. Pikachu, Togepi, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle cross paths with a group of bullies consisting of a Raichu, Cubone, Marill, and a Snubbull. The two groups compete against each other in sports, but it leads to Ash’s Charizard getting its head stuck in a pipe. Pikachu, his friends, and the bullies work together and successfully free Charizard, spending the rest of the day playing before parting ways when their trainers return.

A group of scientists obtain a fossilised eyelash of the legendary Pokémon, Mew, and clone it to create a supersoldier, Mewtwo. The project is successful as Mewtwo awakens, but upon learning the scientists plan to treat him as an experiment, he unleashes his psychic powers and destroys the laboratory.

Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket and the project’s benefactor, convinces Mewtwo to work with him to hone his powers. However, Mewtwo learns his purpose was to be a weapon for Giovanni’s benefit and escapes back to New Island where he plots revenge against humanity. Several Pokémon trainers are invited to New Island to meet and battle the world’s greatest Pokémon Master. Ash, Misty, and Brock accept the challenge, but when they arrive at the port city Old Shore Wharf, a powerful storm whips up, preventing the trainers from sailing to the island. However, several trainers use their Pokémon to travel across the sea. Ash’s group are picked up by Team Rocket disguised as Vikings, but the storm sinks their boat, and they individually make it to New Island.

Escorted into the island’s palace by a maid, the trainers encounter Mewtwo, who releases the maid from his mind control, revealed to be a brainwashed Nurse Joy. Mewtwo plots to use the storm to wipe out humanity, leaving only wild and cloned Pokémon alive. Ash challenges Mewtwo’s power, leading to a battle between the trainers’ Pokémon and Mewtwo’s clones who prove to be vastly superior in combat. Mewtwo captures all of the Pokémon to clone them, Ash chasing the captured Pikachu down into the rebuilt lab, where Team Rocket’s Meowth is also cloned. Ash destroys the cloning machine, freeing the Pokémon, and leads them to confront Mewtwo. Mew appears and confronts Mewtwo.

All of the Pokémon battle save a defiant Pikachu, and Meowth, who makes peace with his own clone. Mew and Mewtwo’s psychic battle wounds all of the Pokémon, forcing a desperate Ash to charge into the firing line of their attacks and is petrified by the blast. Pikachu tries to revive Ash with his thunderbolt but it fails. However, the tears of the Pokémon, as per a legend mentioned earlier in the film, are able to heal and revive Ash. Moved by Ash’s sacrifice, Mewtwo realizes that he should not have to be judged by his origins but rather his choices in life. Departing with Mew and the clones, Mewtwo erases everyone’s memories of the event.

Ash, Misty, and Brock find themselves back in Old Shore Wharf unsure how they got there. The storm outside clears up, Ash spotting Mew flying through the clouds and tells his friends of how he saw another legendary Pokémon the day he left Pallet Town. Meanwhile, Team Rocket find themselves stranded on New Island but enjoy their time there.

L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment: 

Pokemon is a gameboy's game which started in 1995, the game is so popular that later on the series came right after it. Without failed, Pikachu leads all its fellow pokemon leap into the big screen on 1998 after they gain their fame through the animation series. Throughout these years, there were already 19 pokemon movies as at July 2016.

This first movie draw a legacy moment for pokemon movie series as everyone who watch the animation series enter the cinema to support the movie. This popular movie has hit a gross of USD163.6 Million worldwide. WOW !!!

Mew has been describe as the best during the series, Mewtwo occurred in the movie but with greater personality and emotional heart & feeling. The movie is great no matter i watched it many years ago or rewatching it nowadays. :)

Van Helsing

Released Year: 2004

Directed by Stephen Sommers

Casted by:

Hugh Jackman as Gabriel Van Helsing

Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious

Richard Roxburgh as Count Vladislaus Dracula

David Wenham as Carl

Kevin J. O'Connor as Igor

Will Kemp as Velkan Valerious

Silvia Colloca as Verona

Josie Maran as Marishka

Elena Anaya as Aleera

Story:

In 1887 Transylvania, Doctor Victor Frankenstein creates a monster with the anticipated aid of Count Dracula, who reveals that he plans to use the creature for his own evil plans and kills the doctor as his castle is raided by a mob of villagers. His assistant Igor escapes, but the villagers chase the monster to an old windmill and set it ablaze. The villagers are scared off by Dracula and his brides, who witness the monster and the doctor's research apparently destroyed by the fire.

One year later, after killing the elusive Mr. Hyde at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, monster hunter Van Helsing returns to the Vatican in Rome. He learns his mission to destroy Dracula and his amnesia are penance for past, unremembered sins that cause nightmares. He is tasked with helping the last of bloodline, Velkan Valerious and his sister Anna, who must kill Dracula before their ancestors may enter Heaven. Carl, a friar provides Van Helsing with aid and weapons. Meanwhile, in Transylvania, Velkan is apparently killed during an attempt to trap and kill a werewolf, and Anna is attacked by Dracula's brides shortly after Van Helsing's arrival. He saves her life and kills Marishka, one of the brides, but as the last of her line Anna becomes more determined to kill Dracula. In order to protect her, Van Helsing knocks her out to prevent her from leaving. Later that night, she awakens and encounters Velkan, who reveals Dracula has a dark secret, but to her horror, he becomes a werewolf and attacks. After she and Van Helsing track him to Frankenstein's castle, they discover that the vampires are attempting to give life to their born-dead children, using Velkan as the source of the power. Van Helsing, dubbed "Gabriel" by Dracula, realizes they had ties in the past. Van Helsing refuses Dracula's offer to return his memory and escapes. The experiment fails however, and the vampire children die, but Velkan turns on Anna as he becomes completely consumed by his curse. The pair then escape together.

Under the remains of the old windmill, Van Helsing and Anna encounter the monster. Because he is not evil, Van Helsing cannot allow it to be killed, even though he claims to be the key to the failed experiment. The werewolf witnesses this and escapes to inform Dracula. Meanwhile, Carl discovers a painting that comes to life, depicting a werewolf and a vampire battling. They travel by carriage to Budapest, successfully luring the remaining brides into a trap and killing Verona. Velkan ambushes the real carriage and bites Van Helsing before being shot and killed. Anna is captured and held as a bargaining chip to exchange her for the monster. They hide the monster in a crypt, but he is taken by the count's undead underlings while Van Helsing and Carl rescue Anna from the count's trap. Returning to the Valerious' castle, Carl discovers an inscription, part of which Van Helsing received in Rome and creates a doorway to the castle. After failing to free the monster from his imprisonment, he lets them know of a cure to lycanthropy that Dracula possesses. Carl determines that the bite of a werewolf is the only way to kill Dracula. He and Anna take Igor to find the cure while Van Helsing goes to free the monster. Igor escapes while the final bride, Aleera, assaults Anna as Carl tries to deliver the cure to Van Helsing. After escaping, the monster saves Anna and urges her to help Carl and Van Helsing. She kills Aleera and arrives at the castle. Meanwhile, the werewolf Van Helsing and Dracula battle. Dracula tries to reason with the werewolf, but Van Helsing bites Dracula, who dissolves into a skeleton. Anna bursts in and is attacked and killed by Van Helsing, but not before she delivers the cure. Van Helsing returns to normal, stricken with grief over what he has done.

At a pyre funeral, Van Helsing witnesses the spirits of Anna and her family ascending into the clouds while Frankenstein's monster rows away on a raft out to sea. Van Helsing and Carl ride off into the sunset.

L² Scored: 9.5/10

L² Comment:

Finally its time for me to re-watch this movie after so many years. I don't quite remember this movie which I have watch in cinema many years ago, seems like a lot of the scenes were censored off in my country. My favorite part of coz is the scene which vampire battle against the warewolf... I think its the peak of this movie, but too bad Beckinsale was killed at the end of the movie by the one she loved... so sad...

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by David Mirkin

Casted by:

Mira Sorvino as Romy White

Lisa Kudrow as Michele Weinberger

Vincent Ventresca as Billy Christensen

Alan Cumming as Sandy Frink

Janeane Garofalo as Heather Mooney

Julia Campbell as Christie Masters

Camryn Manheim as Toby Walters

Elaine Hendrix as Lisa Luder

 Story: 

Romy White and Michele Weinberger are two friends living together in a beachfront apartment in Los Angeles, California. Romy works as a cashier in the service department of a Jaguar dealership; Michele is unemployed. They are both single and unambitious. Romy encounters former high school classmate, Heather Mooney, who informs Romy about their upcoming 10-year high school reunion back in Tucson, Arizona.

At first excited at the prospect of attending, Romy then has the realization that they will not be able to make a good impression at the reunion. Desperate to impress their former classmates, Romy and Michele make last-ditch attempts to improve themselves to avoid the bullying they endured, mostly at the hands of the "A-Group", led by cheerleader Christie Masters.

In a series of flashbacks from 1987, Romy and Michele's suffering is revealed; Christie attached magnets to Michele's back brace and once took a bite out of the burger Romy was eating. Christie humiliated them once again at the prom, telling Romy that her handsome jock boyfriend, Billy Christensen, was in love with Romy and has now broken up with Christie to be with her. Christie tells Romy to wait for a dance with Billy. Christie and Billy then ride away together, unbeknownst to Romy, who patiently waits all night long at the dance for Billy. In tears, Romy then dances with Michelle in a depressed state.

Failing in their attempts to get jobs and boyfriends, Romy and Michele decide to simply pretend they have been much more successful by showing up in an expensive car and business suits. Romy obtains a nice car from the Jaguar dealership, and Michele makes their outfits.

On the way to the reunion, they decide to claim that they invented Post-it notes, reasoning that their true origins are obscure. Romy wants to state it was her idea to invent Post-Its and Michelle's main contribution was deciding they should be yellow, which Michele takes as an insult to her intelligence. This leads to a further argument about who's the cuter of the two. The argument results in their decision to go their separate ways once they reach their destination.

When they arrive, Michele hears Romy saying that she invented Post-its all by herself. Michele convinces the A-Group girls that she invented a special kind of glue, explaining the glue's complicated formula in great detail. Sandy Frink, the nerd who had a crush on Michele in high school, turns out to be incredibly wealthy and gorgeous and hits on Michele, while Billy and Romy reunite and hit it off. Both Romy and Michele win awards as the most successful members of their graduating class. Though still refusing to speak with each other, they look back at each other with longing.

Seventy years later, an elderly Michele learns that Romy is on her deathbed, so she calls her to make amends. However, they rehash the same argument. Romy dies, flipping her the bird, and they never get a chance to resolve their issues.

Michele wakes up alone in the car in the present day, disturbed by the previous dream sequence. At the reunion, Romy has begun to spread her story. Heather Mooney disrupts their lie by revealing the real name of the person who did in fact invent Post-It notes (something Heather learned in business school). The A-Group girls begin a vicious verbal attack on Romy. Michele ineptly defends her. Christie further humiliates the two in front of everyone by revealing Romy's lie; Romy runs out, with Michele chasing after her.

Michele then tells Romy that she genuinely thought that their lives were wonderful just the way they were, before Romy said that they were not good enough. Michele also says that they should not care what everybody else thinks. They change into fun, stylish outfits they've designed, and return to the reunion, determined to have some fun at any cost.

They confront Christie about her bullying. Romy says she no longer cares about Christie because Christie is just "a bad person with an ugly heart". Christie makes fun of their clothes; former classmate Lisa Luder, an ex-member of the A-Group who has since become a fashion editor for Vogue, sees things differently, and announces that the outfits are actually very well made and overall "not bad". Christie begins to attack Lisa, but Lisa coolly dismisses her in front of the crowd that has gathered to watch. The other A-Group girls defect and Christie is left by herself, while everyone makes their way over to congratulate Romy and Michele. Heather apologizes to Romy and Michele and tells them that the two of them had actually made her unhappy in high school, for she had been in love with Sandy. Romy and Michele then make her feel better by saying that she too had the luxury of making someone miserable, referencing former classmate and head of reunion committee Toby Walters, to whom Heather was always cruel in high school.

Sandy Frink then arrives via helicopter, and turns out to be a billionaire who made his fortune from inventing a special shoe rubber. He goes over to talk to Romy and Michele. Michele tells Sandy that he must be the most successful person in their class; Sandy responds that despite all the wealth and success he has, the one thing he doesn't have is her, and asks her to dance with him. Michele agrees, so long as Romy can dance with them too.

After an interpretive dance to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" that receives huge applause, Sandy escorts them to his helicopter.

Heather walks out, not interested in the new Sandy. While smoking, she encounters a mysterious classmate dressed as a cowboy. Heather remembers that in high school, he would often offer her a light by silently flicking lit cigarette butts at her. This time, Heather demands that he talk to her. The cowboy lights her cigarette with matches and apologizes for his previous behavior, stating that he had suffered from a speech impediment in high school.

Romy and Michele leave with Sandy. On their way out, they encounter Billy Christensen, who is now Christie's husband; he is now an alcoholic, living a miserable life with Christie, and unsure if he's the father of her latest pregnancy. When he propositions Romy, she tells him to go up to his hotel room, get undressed and wait for her. He excitedly shuffles off; Romy laughs, having finally settled the score with Billy. They board the helicopter and see Heather down below amongst some bushes, making out with the cowboy.

Six months later, back in L.A., Romy and Michele use money loaned to them by Sandy to open their own fashion boutique. Heather Mooney has stayed in touch and has become friends with the girls, shopping in their store (and finally getting an outfit that's not all black).

 L² Scored: 9/10

L² Comment:

What is the best way to spend a night alone? For me, a good comedy will helps. Miss Lisa Kudrow quite a lot, therefore i decided to watch this movie of hers back in the 1997, when she starts getting her fame through "Friends".

This movie makes me think alot about my old high school time. I'm the nerd back then and not really fix in well with a lot of the schoolmates. But for me, one or two friends who are close and knows me well is enough for me, just like Romy & Michelle. 

I don't need "quantity" friends, i just need "quality" friends to spend my time with ~ cheers !

Warcraft: The Beginning

 Released Year: 2016

Directed by Duncan Jones

Casted by:

Travis Fimmel as Sir Anduin Lothar

Paula Patton as Garona Halforcen

Ben Foster as Medivh

Dominic Cooper as King Llane Wrynn

Toby Kebbell as Durotan

Ben Schnetzer as Khadgar

Robert Kazinsky as Orgrim Doomhammer

Clancy Brown as Blackhand

吳彥祖 Daniel Wu as Gul'dan

Ruth Negga as Lady Taria Wrynn

 Story:

Draenor, the homeworld of the orcs, is being torn apart by a mysterious force known as fel magic. Gul'dan, a powerful orc warlock, unites the orc clans and forms the Horde, and creates a portal to the world of Azeroth. The orcs begin to use fel magic to drain the life out of captive draenei in order to sustain the portal. Once it is operational, Gul'dan leads a small warband to capture prisoners on Azeroth and sacrifice them to bring the rest of the Horde through the portal. Despite their doubts, Durotan, the chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan, his pregnant mate Draka, and his friend Orgrim Doomhammer join this initial warband. While crossing through the portal, Draka goes into labor. When the orcs arrive on Azeroth, Gul'dan assists Draka with giving birth, but the baby is stillborn. Gul'dan then drains the life out of a nearby deer to revive and infuse fel magic into the baby, which Durotan later names Go'el.

The orcs raid several settlements throughout Azeroth. Anduin Lothar, the military commander of the human forces in the Stormwind Kingdom, looks over some of the men that were killed, and finds a trespassing mage named Khadgar, who explains that he was investigating the dead bodies because they contained traces of fel magic. Khadgar persuades Stormwind's king, Llane Wrynn, to consult Medivh, the renowned Guardian of Tirisfal, and Llane sends Anduin and Khadgar to Medivh's stronghold, Karazhan, to inform him of the fel magic's presence on Azeroth. In the Karazhan library, a ghostly shadow leads Khadgar to a mysterious book, which he takes.

Anduin, Khadgar and Medivh join a scouting team following traces of fel magic, but are ambushed by orcs. Medivh uses a spell to kill the fel-corrupted orcs, leaving the Horde's warchief, Blackhand to flee along with Durotan and Orgrim. Khadgar restrains a half-orc slave, Garona, and the soldiers take her prisoner. King Llane frees Garona in exchange for loyalty to Stormwind, and she leads the humans to spy on the orc camp, where they learn of Gul'dan's plan to bring the Horde to Azeroth. Meanwhile, Durotan realizes that the fel magic is responsible for the destruction of Draenor, and if Gul'dan is not thwarted, Azeroth will suffer the same fate. Despite Orgrim's objections, Durotan invites Llane to a secret meeting so that the Frostwolf Clan and the humans can unite to defeat Gul'dan. While studying the book he took from Karazhan, Khadgar learns that Gul'dan could not have opened the portal on his own; he had help from someone on Azeroth. He is confronted by Medivh, who burns Khadgar's research when Khadgar offers to help him with his work.

The Frostwolf Clan meets with the humans to negotiate an alliance, but the group is ambushed by Blackhand. As the humans retreat, Medivh forms a magical barrier to protect them, but Lothar's son Callan is separated from the rest of the group and killed by Blackhand. Medivh is severely weakened, and Garona and Khadgar take him back to Karazhan to recover. After noticing Medivh's eyes shine green, showing that he is infected by fel magic, Khadgar returns to his former home, Dalaran, to seek help from the Kirin Tor, the authority of human and high elven mages. The Kirin Tor facilitate a meeting with Alodi, revealed to be the shadow who led Khadgar to the book; she confirms that Medivh has indeed been corrupted by fel magic and possessed by an unknown demon. At the orc camp, Blackhand purges the Frostwolf Clan. Orgrim helps Draka to escape, and she sends Go'el down a river in a basket, but is then found and killed by another orc. Durotan challenges Gul'dan to Mak'gora, a traditional orcish duel to the death for leadership of a clan – in this case, all of the orcs. During the fight, Gul'dan violates the honorable combat rules by draining the life out of Durotan with his magic, killing him and earning the disapproval of the orcs watching, and he empowers Blackhand with the same magic. Medivh, now in a half-demonic state, starts to open the portal to Draenor, and Gul'dan sacrifices the captured human villagers to allow the rest of the Horde to enter Azeroth.

Llane leads the human army in an assault on the orc camp, while Anduin and Khadgar fight Medivh and destroy the demon that had begun to manifest on the outside. Medivh is left mortally wounded, and uses the last of his strength to close the portal to Draenor and instead open a portal to Stormwind, allowing Llane to evacuate most of the freed prisoners. When Medivh eventually dies, the portal closes, leaving Llane, Garona and a small number of human soldiers to fight the orcs. Llane secretly orders Garona to kill him, bringing her honor among the orcs and putting her in a position of power to bring peace between the two races. Garona reluctantly does so, and is welcomed into the Horde by Gul'dan. As the orcs celebrate, Anduin arrives to retrieve King Llane's body and discovers Garona's knife in the body, realizing that it was she who had killed their king. Blackhand challenges Anduin to Mak'gora, and Anduin quickly disposes of him. Against Gul'dan's demands, the orcs, bound by tradition, allow Anduin to depart with Llane's body. At Llane's funeral in Stormwind, the leaders of the other human nations, along with the high elves and dwarves, proclaim an alliance against the orcs and rally behind Anduin as the leader of the Alliance forces. Elsewhere, Orgrim takes one of Durotan's tusks to one day give to Go'el, and the basket containing Go'el is found by a human.

 L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

It was excited when I saw the trailer of this movie, well, i think every man/boy whom play this game before will have the exact same feeling with me.Though i only started to play warcraft since The Frozen Throne, i wanted to watch this movie in cinema so badly. But because of my hectic workload nowadays, i miss the chance :(

The graphic wise is definitely the best, but story wise is kinda boring. But surprise part is Daniel Wu was also in the film...Who? Check the casting list above pls~ lol