P.S. I Love You

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Richard LaGravenese

Casted by:

Hilary Swank as Holly Reilly-Kennedy

Gerard Butler as Gerry Kennedy

Lisa Kudrow as Denise Hennessey

Gina Gershon as Sharon McCarthy

James Marsters as John McCarthy

Harry Connick, Jr. as Daniel Connelly

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as William Gallagher

Nellie McKay as Ciara Reilly

Kathy Bates as Patricia Reilly

Story: 

Holly and Gerry are a married couple who live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They are deeply in love, but they fight occasionally. By winter that year, Gerry suddenly dies of a brain tumor and Holly realizes how much he means to her as well as how insignificant their arguments were.

Deeply distraught, Holly withdraws from her family and friends out of grief until they descend upon her on her 30th birthday. They are determined to prod the young widow to face the future and explore what her life choices should be. As they rally around Holly and help organize her apartment, a cake is delivered, and with it is a message from Gerry. It proves to be the first of several meaningful messages — all ending with "P.S. I Love You" — which he had arranged to have delivered to her after his death. As the seasons pass, each new message fills her with encouragement and sends her on a new adventure. Holly's mother believes that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past. But they are, in fact, pushing her into the future. With Gerry's words as her guide, Holly slowly embarks on a journey of rediscovery.

Gerry arranged for Holly and her friends Denise and Sharon to travel to his homeland of Ireland. They arrive at their destination, a house in the beautiful Irish countryside where they find letters from Gerry for Sharon & Denise, one asking Denise to take Holly to his favorite pub. While there, they meet William, a singer who strongly reminds Holly of her deceased husband. He asks her to stay to see him after his last song which he dedicates to her. Upon hearing it, she is overcome with emotion and walks out because it was the song Gerry sang to her shortly after they first met. During the vacation, while on a fishing trip they lose the boat's oars leaving the three women stranded in the middle of a lake. During their wait for help, Sharon announces that she is pregnant and Denise reveals she is getting married. This news causes Holly to relapse emotionally and again withdraw into herself. They are eventually rescued by William, whom Sharon and Denise invite to stay the night because of the pouring rain. Unable to deny their feelings for each other, they kiss, and William and Holly become intimate. They begin a conversation about her deceased husband and Holly asks William to drive her to visit her in-laws. Upon Holly revealing their names, William realizes she is the widow of his childhood best friend. Revealing this to Holly causes her to panic, but William calms her down and starts to tell stories about his and Gerry's childhood. The next day, Holly visits Gerry's parents and while there, she also receives a letter from Gerry reminding her of their first meeting.

Arriving home, Holly again withdraws from family and friends. As she continues to become more and more lost, she is inspired by Gerry after finding one his suspender clips next to one of her shoes and realizes she has a flair for designing women's shoes and enrolls in a class that teaches how to actually make the shoes she has designed. A new found self-confidence allows her to emerge from her solitude and embrace her friends' happiness. While on a walk with her mother, she learns that her mother was the one whom Gerry asked to deliver his letters after his death and receives the last letter. As the film ends with Holly taking her mother on a trip to Ireland, we see that Holly has opened herself up to the journey beginning with the next chapter of her life, and wherever it takes her she has the hope of falling in love again.

 L² Scored: 8/10 

L² Comment: 

The movie is based on Cecilia Ahern's same name novel in 2004; though many negative critics were received back in 2007 mainly on Swank's performance, but for me this doesn't affect my scoring, i still think its a good movie :) 

Love the storyline and it really touch me some parts especially the way the dead husband arrange a one year letter to be send to the wife daily and arrange her life perfectly... Lisa Kudrow and Kathy Bates are perfect no doubt; too bad Gerard Butler is not showing us his nice ass instead of Jeffrey Dean Morgan; Swank is not tat bad, but of coz not persuasive enough when she acted like a college student coz her look is a bit too mature for that~

1408

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Mikael Håfström

Casted by:

John Cusack as Mike Enslin

Samuel L. Jackson as Gerald Olin

Mary McCormack as Lily Enslin

Len Cariou as Mike's father

Jasmine Jessica Anthony as Katie Enslin

 Story:

Mike Enslin is a cynical, skeptical author who, after the death of his daughter Katie, writes books appraising supernatural events in which he has no belief. After his latest book, he receives an anonymous postcard depicting The Dolphin, a hotel on Lexington Avenue in New York City bearing the message, "Don't enter 1408." Viewing this as a challenge, Mike forces the hotel to allow him to book the room, referencing a law that any hotel room in New York can be requested as long as it meets safety standards. The hotel manager, Gerald Olin tries to dissuade Mike from checking into the room, explaining that 56 people have died in the room over the past 95 years, and that no one has lasted more than an hour inside it. Mike, who does not believe in the paranormal, insists on staying in the room, and asks Olin if he thinks it is haunted; Olin replies that it is "evil" rather than haunted.

Once inside the room, Mike describes on his mini-cassette recorder the room's dull appearance and its unimpressive lack of supernatural phenomena. During his examination, the clock radio starts playing "We've Only Just Begun". Mike assumes that Olin is playing a trick to scare him. At 8:07, the song plays again and the clock's digital display changes to a countdown starting from "60:00". Mike experiences a series of supernatural events. A window sash slams down on his hand, the hotel operator calls about food he didn't order, and spectral manifestations of the room's past victims and members of his family, particularly his daughter, appear on the TV set. Mike's attempts to leave the room are in vain; the doorknob breaks off, climbing through the air ducts prompts an attack from the corpse of a former room victim, and climbing onto the window ledge reveals the windows of the other rooms have disappeared.

Mike uses his laptop to contact his estranged wife, Lily, but the sprinkler system short circuits his laptop. The room temperature drops to subzero when the laptop suddenly begins to work again, and Lily tells him the police have entered 1408, but the room is empty. A doppelgänger of Mike appears in a video chat window and urges Lily to come to the hotel herself; it gives Mike a diabolical smile. The room shakes violently and Mike breaks a picture of a ship in a storm. Water pours from the broken picture, flooding the room. He surfaces on a beach and relives a surfing accident seen earlier in the film. His life continues from this point, and he reconciles with Lily. Eventually he assumes his experience in 1408 was just a dream. Lily persuades him to write a book about it. When visiting the post office to send the manuscript to his publisher, he recognizes members of a construction crew as the Dolphin Hotel staff. They destroy the post office walls, revealing Mike is still trapped in 1408. A vision of his deceased daughter Katie appears to Mike, and after some reluctance he embraces her; she crumbles to dust. The clock radio begins playing "We've Only Just Begun" again, and Mike looks for it in the rubble. It counts down the final seconds. When the countdown ends, the room is suddenly restored to normal, and the clock radio resets itself to 60:00.

The "hotel operator" calls Mike again. When Mike begs to be released, she informs him that he can relive the hour over and over again, or use their "express checkout system"; A hangman's noose appears and Mike has a vision of himself hanged, but he refuses to kill himself. Mike improvises a Molotov cocktail from a bottle of cognac given to him by Olin, and sets the room on fire. The fire alarm sounds, the hotel is evacuated, and Lily is prevented from entering. Mike breaks a window, causing a backdraft. Mike lies down upon the floor and covers his ears. A group of firefighters enter the room and drag Mike out before the room collapses on them. Mike tells the firefighters, "Don't go in that room... It's evil."

Mike and Lily move to Los Angeles, California. They are unpacking as Lily moves about the house. Mike begins to think again that his experiences were just a bad dream. He finds his tape recorder in a box and plays it. The sound of Mike's encounter with Katie is on the tape. Lily and Mike realize that the ordeal was real.

 L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

A movie based on the short novel of Stephen King in 1999. No doubt the storyline is quite nice, but i feel tat its a bit complicated and messy when comes to the horror part. John Cusack is not really presenting the "scared" part as he should be; while there's not much chances for Samuel L. Jackson to show off his acting skills as well~

Transformers

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Michael Bay

Casted by:

Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes

Josh Duhamel as William Lennox

Tyrese Gibson as U.S. Air Force Sergeant Robert Epps

Rachael Taylor as Maggie Madsen

Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann

Jon Voight as John Keller.

John Turturro as Agent Seymour Simmons

Vocal By:

Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime

Mark Ryan as Bumblebee

Hugo Weaving as Megatron

 Story: 

Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, narrates the collapse of the Transformers' home world, Cybertron. It was rendered uninhabitable by war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Led by Megatron, the Decepticons are searching for the AllSpark so they could use it to take over the universe. The Autobots want to find the AllSpark so they can use it to rebuild Cybertron and end the war. Megatron managed to locate the AllSpark on Earth, but crash-landed in the Arctic Circle and froze in the ice. After stumbling upon his frozen body in 1897, explorer Captain Archibald Witwicky accidentally activated Megatron's navigational system and his eyeglasses were imprinted with the coordinates of the AllSpark's location, an incident that left him blind and mentally unstable. Sector 7, a secret government organization created by President Herbert Hoover, discovered the AllSpark in the Colorado River and built the Hoover Dam around it to mask its energy emissions. The still-frozen Megatron was moved into this facility and was used to advance human technology through reverse engineering.

In the present day, the Decepticon known as Blackout attacks a U.S. military base in Qatar in order to find the location of Megatron and the AllSpark. He tries to hack into the files of the computer base but is stopped when the base commander cuts the computer hard lines. Captain William Lennox and his team manage to escape from the base and search for help. Back in the United States, Captain Witwicky's descendant Sam Witwicky buys his first car, which turns out to be the Autobot scout Bumblebee, who tries to help him woo his crush Mikaela Banes. Later, Sam catches a glimpse of Bumblebee's true form when he signals the other Autobots.

On Air Force One, another Decepticon named Frenzy infiltrates the plane and tries to hack into the network again, only this time is more successful until he is stopped by the U.S. intelligence operatives before he can retrieve the file information. Frenzy is then picked up by his partner Barricade, and they pursue Sam after discovering he has the glasses with the AllSpark's coordinates. Witwicky is rescued by Bumblebee, and Mikaela also learns of the Transformers' existence. Bumblebee fights Barricade and manages to subdue him while Sam and Mikaela decapitate Frenzy although he still survives and disguises himself as Mikaela's phone.

Meanwhile, Scorponok, who was sent by Blackout, fights Captain Lennox and his team, killing Donnelly. and injuring Figueroa. During the battle, Scorponok is forced to retreat when he gets injured by sabot rounds fired on him by the U.S. Air Force. Lennox and his team then return to the United States and report their findings on the Decepticons to the Pentagon.

Sam and Mikaela soon meet Optimus Prime and his other Autobot partners Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet. They explain their origins to the two humans and insist on the urgency to get to the AllSpark first before the Decepticons, knowing that the Decepticons plan to use it to turn all of Earth's technologies into a new army of Decepticons and render humans extinct. The Autobots bring the two humans back to Sam's house to find the glasses, and they nearly reveal their existence to Sam's parents by accident. However, Sector 7 agent Seymour Simmons and his team find Sam and take his family away to a classified location after learning Sam came into contact with the Autobots. Optimus and the Autobots try to rescue Witwicky and Banes, however they fail and Bumblebee ends up getting captured along with Witwicky and Banes. The Autobots, however, retrieve the glasses and use them to find the AllSpark's location so they can destroy it before the Decepticons use it. Sam and Mikaela are taken to Hoover Dam, along with Maggie Madsen and Glen Whitmann, two hackers who were captured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for trying to decipher the information Frenzy stole while working in the Pentagon.

Frenzy, who was transported to the dam while in disguise, finds the AllSpark and contacts the other Decepticons, Starscream, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Barricade, and Blackout. Starscream attacks the dam and Frenzy frees Megatron from his frozen prison, where he joins his cohorts into pursuing Sam and the Autobots. Bumblebee shrinks the cube to a reasonable size so they can escape with it. They then arrive at Mission City, where a large battle ensues. Working together, the Autobots and human soldiers defeat and kill Bonecrusher, Brawl, and Blackout. However, Bumblebee is crippled, and Jazz is killed by Megatron. When Megatron begins to gain the upper hand in the fight, Optimus urges Sam to put the AllSpark in his chest, which will destroy them both. Instead, Witwicky inserts the cube into Megatron's chest, which kills him and destroys the AllSpark.

In the aftermath, the dead Transformer bodies are dumped into the Laurentian Abyss in the Atlantic Ocean to be hidden, the government orders the closure of Sector 7, and the Witwicky family is released from custody. Sam and Mikaela soon start a new relationship, and Optimus says that the Autobots' fates have given them a new home, Earth, and sends a message calling out all surviving Autobots to join them. In a mid-credits scene, Starscream escapes into space, presaging the events of the second movie.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

The first movie of this franchise film is still my favorite among the rest :)  I remember when i watch it in the cinema 8 years back, i was so excited, especially the scene where the transformers are fighting. 8 years later, it steal took my breath away when i was watching this scene :) A very good movie which i believe everyone agrees with me, right?

Bee Movie

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Simon J. Smith

Voiced by:

Jerry Seinfeld as Barry B. Benson

Renée Zellweger as Vanessa Bloome

Matthew Broderick as Adam Flayman

Chris Rock as Mooseblood the Mosquito

 Story: 

Barry B. Benson is "just an ordinary bee" in a hive in Sheep Meadow, Central Park in New York City. Barry recently graduated from college and is about to enter the hive's Honex Industries (a division of Honesco Corporation and owned by the Hexagon Group) honey-making workforce. With his best friend Adam Flayman, Barry is initially very excited, but his latent, non-conformist attitude emerges upon finding out that his choice of job will never change once picked. This prompts Barry to leave the hive and see the world on a daily run with the macho, elite "Pollen Jocks", though Adam tries to talk Barry out of it. He thoroughly enjoys his new freedom, and is impressed by the process of nectar collection and pollination, but after being stuck to a tennis ball during a game and flying through a panicking family's car he decides humans are crazy and that he should go home. Unfortunately, it begins to rain and he crash lands on a windowsill. The apartment's occupants, the same couple who hit Barry with the tennis ball, have just come home and they close the window before Barry can escape. After freaking out the people inside and nearly being squashed, he is rescued by a florist named Vanessa Bloome and gently put back outside. This unexpected act of kindness intrigues Barry, who goes back in to thank the woman even though doing so violates Bee Law #1, "Don't talk to humans". Against both of their expectations, they develop an instant bond, bordering on attraction, and start hanging out together frequently. Of course, all of their friends and family are upset by this relationship.

While they are going through a grocery store, Barry is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees' honey for centuries and decides to journey to Honey Farms, which supplies the grocery store with its honey. On the Honey Farms truck, he meets a mosquito named Mooseblood. A windshield wiper flings the two in a tube and Barry tells Mooseblood about Honey Farms while Mooseblood tells him about how humans have always swatted mosquitoes. Mooseblood departs when he sees a Blood Mobile pass by, while Barry goes on to witness the artificial process by which the honey is gathered. He ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race for stealing their precious honey. This is later shown on Hive at Five's especially on Bee Larry King starring a bee version of Larry King. The trial initially goes well, until the defense lawyer, Layton Montgomery, accuses Barry of several things which are insulting to the bees (having a pet-like relationship with Vanessa, being an illegitimate son, since all bees are sons of the queen bee, and having incestuous flirtings with the female bees, since all bees are siblings) to show the less-lovable side of bees. This goads Adam to sting him, endangering his life. Barry counters by producing the smoke-machine used by Honey Farms to drug and subdue their bees. Adam is sent to the hospital, and is hooked to honey through I.V. His stinger is replaced with a pirate sword toothpick, and it turns out he is going to be fine.

Barry wins the lawsuit, and all honey in the world is confiscated and returned to the bees. However, Montgomery warns them they are disrupting nature's balance meaning that the bees quit their jobs. Adam comments to Vanessa that it might be true since bees had been living their previous lives over 27 million years. However it is too late, as Barry and Vanessa realize that the others were right. The sudden, massive stockpile of honey has put every bee out of a job, including the vitally important Pollen Jocks. Without bees pollinating the flowers, all plant life begins dying with the entire food chain close behind. To set things right, he and Vanessa find a way to save all the flowers by going to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California and bringing back with them all the pollen-filled flowers to re-pollinate the world. Barry and Vanessa fly the flowers as luggage on a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport. The flight begins to take a detour due to lightning, and the delay would be fatal to the flowers. Trying to intervene, Barry accidentally knocks out the terrified pilots. Vanessa joins him and tries unsuccessfully to fly the plane. In the meantime, millions of bees have rallied and arrive at the last minute to help them safely land.

Armed with the pollen of the last flowers, Barry and the Pollen Jocks manage to reverse the damage and save the world's flowers, restarting the bees' beloved honey production. Nothing is mentioned about the fate of companies like Honey Farms, though humans and bees are seen treating each other visibly better, and honey is supposed to be "bee approved". Barry becomes a member of the Pollen Jocks while Adam is working as a krelman, helping to pollinate the plants while running a law firm inside Vanessa's flower shop, as well as helping Vanessa, switching the name from "Vanessa's Flowers" to "Vanessa & co: Flowers, Honey, Music, and Legal Advice". As the film closes, his office door reads "Insects at Law". Mooseblood works in his office with him as a lawyer (stating that he is already a bloodsucking parasite and only needed a briefcase), which is shown when Barry is interviewing a cow about the human exploitation of her milk.

 L² Scored: 5/10

L² Comment:

Well, nothing too special about this cartoon, but of coz its not bored too. What i can say it meet the expectation but not too great to outshine itself from the rest~

Alvin and the Chipmunks 2007

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Tim Hill

Voiced & Casted by:

Justin Long as Alvin
 Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon
 Jesse McCartney as Theodore
Jason Lee as Dave Seville
 David Cross as Ian Hawke
 Cameron Richardson as Claire Wilson
 Jane Lynch as Gail

 Story:

A tree that the chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore live in is cut down and driven to Los Angeles. Once in L.A., the Chipmunks meet struggling songwriter and composer David Seville who had his latest song rejected by JETT Records executive Ian Hawke, his old college roommate. Dave also once had a relationship with his next door neighbor, Claire Wilson.

After winding up at Dave's interview, the Chipmunks hop into a basket Dave stole from one of his coworkers and follow him home. Once at home, Dave discovers the Chipmunks, and is accidentally knocked unconscious. Upon waking, he kicks them out until hearing them sing "Only You (And You Alone)". Dave then makes a deal with them; they sing the songs he writes, and Dave also invites his former boss Gail in exchange to provide food and shelter for them. However, all does not go well, as Dave's job presentation is ruined by their coloring on it, causing Dave to be sacked from his business. When Alvin tries to set the mood for his dinner with Claire, things become peculiar and she rejects him after having told about the Chipmunks. To make it up to Dave, the Chipmunks go to Ian in an attempt to record a song and get a record deal.

Once the Chipmunks sing Dave's song to Ian, Ian signs them to the label and rehires Dave the next day. After a few singles, the Chipmunks become wildly popular. When Dave expresses concern for their well-being and insists that the Chipmunks are "kids" who don't need so much craziness in their lives, Ian convinces the Chipmunks that Dave is holding them back. After a misunderstanding with Dave, they go live with "Uncle Ian". They become enchanted with Ian at first, but once they set off on a coast-to-coast tour, Ian takes advantage of their naivete, changing their image and working them constantly. Meanwhile, Dave misses the chipmunks and he wishes they would come back home. He calls Ian to see if he can talk to them but Ian refuses, and then conceals Dave's motives from the boys. Later, the Chipmunks are wearing out, and it is all over the news. Dave, infuriated by what Ian has done to the three, decides to take matters into his own hands by infiltrating their concert.

Just before the big concert that'll transition the coast-to-coast tour into a world tour, a vet explains to Ian that the Chipmunks' voices have worn down due to exhaustion, and that they need a long rest. Ian refuses to hand out refunds and advises the Chipmunks to lip sync. With Claire's help, Dave sneaks into the concert, but is grabbed by the security guards. When the Chipmunks see Dave being taken away, they realize that they've been tricked and, deciding that they have had enough of Ian, they reveal that they were lip-syncing and ruin the concert. Ian catches them just when Dave is about to rescue them. He locks them up in a cage and prepares to take them to Paris (i.e. a world tour). Dave tries to convince Ian to let the boys go but Ian refuses. Ian then leaves in his limo with the boys and Dave chases them but the boys have already escaped to Dave's car. Dave immediately pulls over and admits that he loves them like his own family. Meanwhile, Ian looks in the cage and is shocked to see the boys have replaced themselves with merchandising dolls.

Later that night, the boys are fully accepted as part of the family, and they invite Claire over for dinner again. Alvin accidentally creates a short circuit as a result of having difficulty opening a bottle of champagne. Dave decides not to say the trademark yell, but the short circuit causes a blackout in the kitchen. As a result, Dave can hold the yell in no longer and lets "ALLLLVINNN!!" out, to which Alvin responds with "Okay!".

In a post-credits scene, Ian (now unemployed) tries to make three squirrels sing, but fails.

  L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

Love love love this movie, first time Alvin & the Chipmunks are on the big screen, its huge... i can't wait to watch the second movie... anybody has it?

Lust, Caution 色，戒

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by 李安 Ang Lee

Casted by:
梁朝偉 Tony Leung as 易默成 Mr Yee
湯唯 Tang Wei as 王佳芝 Wang Chia Chi
王力宏 Leehom Wang as 鄺裕民 Kuang Yu Min
陳冲 Joan Chen as 易太太 Mrs Yee

 Story: 

In 1940s Japanese-occupied Shanghai, a well-dressed, attractive young Chinese woman, "Mrs. Mai", is sitting in a café in a posh neighborhood. When she makes a call to a man, her seemingly innocuous dialogue is a coded signal that prompts a cell of young resistance agents to load their weapons and spring into action.

 Hong Kong 1938
The film then flashes back in time to the events in 1938 that led up to the transformation of the shy, inexperienced university student Wong Chia Chi into the glamorously dressed and seemingly well-to-do Mrs. Mai, her cover role in the Chinese resistance against Japanese invasion. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chia Chi had been left behind in China by her father, who is going to re-marry in the United Kingdom. Chia Chi flees from Shanghai to Hong Kong and attends her first year at Lingnan University. A male student named Kuang Yu Min invites her to join his patriotic drama club. Chia Chi becomes a lead actress in the club, inspiring both her audience and her new-found friend Kuang.

Fired up from the drama troupe's patriotic plays, Kuang urges the group to make a more concrete contribution to the war against Japan. He devises a plan to assassinate Mr. Yee, who is a special agent and recruiter of the puppet government set up by the Japanese Government in China. The beautiful Chia Chi is chosen to take on the undercover role of Mrs Mai, the elegant wife of the owner of a Hong Kong based trading company. She insinuates herself in the social circle of Mrs. Yee. She catches the eye of Mr. Yee and tries to lure him into a location where he can be assassinated. Yee is attracted to Chia Chi and once steps very close to the trap but withdraws at the last minute. It comes to light that Chia Chi is still a virgin, and she reluctantly consents to sleeping with Liang Jun-Sheng, another student involved in the plot to kill Mr. Yee, in order to play into her role as a married woman if she were to sleep with Mr. Yee. It is obvious that Kuang is upset by this, but nevertheless agrees to the two "practicing" every following night. But not long after that, Mr. and Mrs. Yee move back to Shanghai all of a sudden, leaving the students with no further chance to complete their assassination plan. With Yee gone, the university students believe there is no need to maintain the facade and therefore pack up and clean up the rented apartment. An armed subordinate of Yee turns up in their apartment unannounced and finds their sudden packing very suspicious. Spotting their university tank tops, the subordinate realises that "Mr. & Mrs. Mai" are not who they claim they are. The university students kill the subordinate and are forced to go into hiding afterward.

 Shanghai, 1942
In Shanghai, three years later, Chia Chi again encounters Kuang, who is now an undercover agent of the KMT, which is seeking to overturn the Japanese occupation force and their puppet government. He enlists her into a renewed assassination plan to kill Yee. By this time, Mr. Yee has become the head of secret police department under the puppet government and is responsible for capturing and executing resistance agents who are working for the KMT. Eventually, Chia Chi becomes Mr. Yee's mistress. During their first encounter Yee is rough with Chia Chi, virtually raping her by throwing her down onto the bed and tying her up with his belt. However, over the weeks that follow their sexual relationship becomes very passionate and deeply emotional, but also very conflicted for both of them, especially for Chia Chi, who is setting her lover up for assassination.

When Chia Chi reports to her superior officer in the KMT, she exhorts him to carry out the assassination soon, so that she will not have to continue her sexual liaisons with the brutal Yee, but the officer argues that the assassination needs to be delayed for strategic reasons. Chia Chi describes the inhuman emotional conflict she is in, on one hand sexually and emotionally bound to Mr. Yee and on the other hand part of a plot to kill him.

When Mr. Yee sends Chia Chi to a jewelry store with a sealed envelope, she is surprised to discover that he has arranged for a large and extremely rare six carat pink diamond for her, to be mounted in a ring. This provides the Chinese resistance with a chance to get at Mr. Yee when he is not accompanied by his bodyguards.

The next time Chia Chi and Mr. Yee meet, she asks him to go to the jewelry store with her to collect the diamond ring. As they enter the shop, she notices several resistance agents waiting to spring the trap. But, after first demurring, when she puts on the magnificent ring, and experiences Mr. Yee's love for her, she is overcome by emotion and breaks down and urges him twice to "Go, now." Mr. Yee realizes her meaning, runs out of the shop and is rushed away by his driver, and escapes the assassination attempt. By the end of the day most of the resistance group including Kuang and Chia Chi herself are captured. It is revealed that Mr. Yee's deputy has been aware of the resistance cell, but did not inform Mr. Yee, both because of Mr. Yee's relationship with Chia Chi and because the deputy had hoped to use this opportunity to catch the resistance cell leader. Mr. Yee, emotionally in turmoil, signs their death warrants and the resistance group members, including Chia Chi, are led out to a quarry and executed. In the last scene, Mr. Yee sits on Chia Chi's empty bed in the family guest room, and informs his wife that their house guest is gone, and that she should not ask any questions.

 L² Scored: 9.5/10

L² Comment:

Multiple awards winner movie, it has give another peak moment for Ang Lee & Tony Leung. Surprisingly Tang Wei managed to get her fame too from this movie. The whole story is perfect and i like the part which Tony & Tang Wei really have sex. I would have score it a 10/10 if Tony Leung is not so stingy and show us the whole penis :)

Mr. Brooks

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Bruce A. Evans

Casted by:

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

Story:

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

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

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

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

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

 L² Scored: 1.5/10

L² Comment: 

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

We Own The Night

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by James Gray

Casted by:

Joaquin Phoenix as Robert "Bobby" Green/Grusinsky
Mark Wahlberg as Captain Joseph "Joe" Grusinsky
Eva Mendes as Amada Juarez
Robert Duvall as Deputy Chief Albert "Burt" Grusinsky

 Story:

In Brooklyn, New York from November 1988 through early April 1989. Bobby Green is the manager of a successful El Caribe nightclub in Brighton Beach that is frequented by Russian gangster and drug lord Vadim Nezhinski and owned by Vadim's uncle and Bobby's boss, Marat Buzhayev.

Bobby has distanced himself from his father, NYPD Deputy Chief Burt Grusinsky, and his brother, Captain Joseph Grusinsky. He has changed his last name to the maiden name of his mother, Carol Green, preferring to remain on the sidelines and enjoy a hedonistic life with his girlfriend Amada Juarez and best friend Louis "Jumbo" Falsetti.

When police forces led by Joseph make a raid on Bobby's nightclub on November 22, 1988, hoping to net Vadim, Bobby refuses to cooperate. The incident strains his relationship with his father and brother even more, to the point that he and Joseph exchange blows and insult each other's significant other (for Bobby, it is Amada, and for Joseph, it is his wife Sandra).

The police are unsuccessful in capturing Vadim, who decides to retaliate. At 5:43 pm on the evening of November 23, 1988, Joseph is shot by a masked assailant, and his unmarked police cruiser firebombed. Joseph survives the ambush, but the extent of the injury requires him to be hospitalized for four months. Vadim, unaware of Bobby's family ties, confides that the Chief will be the next victim. Bobby resolves to help the police. Behind his father's back, Bobby goes undercover inside Vadim's drug-smuggling operation and has a narrow escape. Bobby and Amada are placed under constant police protection and their relationship begins to deteriorate.

On March 20, 1989, Vadim escapes custody while being transported to a hospital. The police prepare to move Bobby and Amada to a new location. During a blinding thunderstorm, the police convoy is intercepted by Vadim's men and, during a chaotic car chase, Burt is fatally shot. Bobby passes out in the rain when he sees his father's body.

The police take Bobby and Amada back to a Sheraton Hotel near Kennedy Airport. He wakes up a few hours later and finds Joseph in the hotel room. After Joseph tells him that their father died, Bobby cries in Joseph's arms and asks how "they" found them. At the funeral, which is attended by all of the officers and their families, a colleague of Joseph's, Captain Jack Shapiro, gives him Burt's Korean War medal. Bobby is told that a Russian shipment is coming in sometime in the next week.

To avenge his father, Bobby decides to officially join the police force without the consent of Amada, who leaves him. After he is sworn into the NYPD, Bobby, now in uniform, learns the true involvement of Jumbo, his friend, and Marat, his uncle. He and Joseph organize a final sting operation, set for April 4, 1989. During the raid, Joseph is emotionally incapacitated by the memory of his shooting and cannot continue. Vadim flees into the reed beds, and the police toss in flares to smoke him out. As the beds are engulfed in flames and smoke, Bobby runs in to find Vadim himself, ignoring the other officers' pleas that he wait. Bobby shoots Vadim in the chest, mortally wounding him.

The film ends on November 3, 1989, nearly a year after its opening, with Bobby graduating from the NYPD Police Academy to become a full-time police officer, just in time for the 1990s. Before the ceremony, Joseph reveals to Bobby that he has decided to switch to a job in the administration sector, since the shooting made him think about how much he needs to spend more time with his three children (in the beginning, it was two). As the chaplain announces that Bobby is to give the valedictory speech, Bobby thinks he sees Amada in the audience, but it turns out to be an illusion. The story closes with Bobby and Joseph expressing their brotherly love.

L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

Watch this when i was enjoying my trip in Pangkor. Seriously, i was in a good mood and watch it with bunch of friends, or else i wont be able to finish this film at all... To be honest, the storyline is a bit lame, but luckily with Mendes, Phoenix & Walhberg in it, the movie is still watchable... but not for the second time...

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End

 Released Year: 2007

Directed by Mark Villegas

Casted by:

Erica Leerhsen as Nina Papas
Henry Rollins as Dale Murphy
Texas Battle as Jake Washington
Aleksa Palladino as Mara
Daniella Alonso as Amber
Steve Braun as Jonesy
Matthew Currie Holmes as Michael/"M"

 Story:

 Reality show contestant, Kimberly is driving through the West Virginia back country searching for the location of her next project. When driving, she accidentally hits a teenager. She stops to check on him, but the teenager reveals to be a cannibal and bites her lips off. She attempts to escape but runs to Three-Finger, who splits her in half with an axe. The two drag her body halves off.

Former U.S. Marine Colonel Dale Murphy hosted a survival reality game show in the West Virginia Forest and the other contestants: promiscuous Elena, wisecracking skateboarder Jonesy, U.S. Marine officer and Iraq veteran Amber, former high school football player Jake Washington & a goth Nina Papas starting to wait in production. After Kimberly does not show up, the show's producer Mara steps into her place.

As the game starts, Three-Finger kills Neil, one of the television crew, scalps him and wears his scalp as a hair piece. When Dale prepares to set the games, Three-Finger and another cannibal, "Pa" attacks Dale before Pa knocks him unconscious. Nina and Mara find a log cabin in the woods. Mara enters the cabin to try to find a telephone as Nina follows her. When they check the house, they hear the occupants return and force themselves to hide in the bedroom. They witness a female cannibal, "Ma" giving birth to a mutant deformed baby. Her daughter, "Sister" spots them at the bedroom but Nina and Mara manage to escape to the toilet pit. They run away into the woods, but Mara is hit in the head with an axe. As the cannibals drive up with Mara's body, Nina sets off to find the others.

After M and Elena had oral sex, He returns to the RV as Elena stays in the lake. When Elena hears the cannibals and the alarm setting off, she starts to get dressed as Sister emerges out of the bushes and slashes Elena to death with a machete. While M is in the RV, he witnesses the cannibals driving it. Pa attacks M before returning to the cabin. Meanwhile, Dale manages to escape himself and fights Three-Finger. After a short fight, Dale shoots Three-Finger with a shotgun.

As Jake, Amber and Jonesy were eating some meat, Nina returns and tells her story. When Jake realizes it was Kimberly's leg they had been eating, He, Nina, Amber and Jonesy attempt to escape. Dale finds an old man in his cabin. The old man tells him how the cannibals' mutations were caused by effluent dumped in the river by the abandoned paper mill and then reveals that he is their father and attacks Dale. After a brief skirmish, Dale kills the old man by blowing him up with a stick of dynamite. After finding the RV gone, they run towards the woods and encounter Brother and Sister. After fighting the cannibals, Jake searches for Nina while Amber and Jonesy go for help. Jake rescues Nina from the pit and they jump into the river.

After Amber and Jonesy are killed in a trap, Nina and Jake make it to the mill. They enter the mill and find a garage full of vehicles stolen from the victims. They find the RV and Jake enters and witnesses M being decapitated from a live feed monitor inside. He and Nina attempt to leave but Sister and Pa capture them both. The abandoned mill is revealed to be the mutant's home. Jake is strung up and Nina is strapped to a chair with barbed wire at the table. The mutants eat dinner, also force feeding Nina.

Dale sneaks into the compound and distracts the cannibals. As the cannibals were searching for him, Dale manages to kill Brother and Sister with a dynamite attached to an arrow. He frees Nina and Jake, but Dale is killed by Pa and Ma, who were incensed by the deaths of their children. Nina successfully escapes, but Jake wanders in a room fitted an enormous tree de-barker before he was pursued by Ma and Pa. Nina returns to the mill and manages to kill Pa and Ma by pushing them into the de-barker. They find Kimberly's abandoned car and drive away to safety. Meanwhile in the river, Three-Finger is shown feeding his newborn mutant son, Three-Toe with a finger and a bottle filled with nuclear waste. His laugh is heard as the credits roll.

 L² Scored: 9/10

L² Comment:

Wrong Turn series is so cool :) The slashing part never failed to freak me out, even though u know its coming. The best part in this movie, is showing the human organs on the table, its simply yucky and i have a nightmare after watching it~ lol