Australia

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Casted by:

Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley

Hugh Jackman as Drover

Brandon Walters as Nullah

David Wenham as Neil Fletcher

Bryan Brown as Lesley 'King' Carney

Jack Thompson as Kipling Flynn

David Gulpilil as King George

 Story:

In 1939, Lady Sarah Ashley travels from England to northern Australia to force her philandering husband to sell his faltering cattle station, Faraway Downs. Her husband sends an independent cattle drover, called "Drover", to transport her to Faraway Downs.

Lady Sarah's husband is murdered shortly before she arrives, and the authorities tell her that the killer is an Aboriginal elder, "King George". Meanwhile, cattle station manager Neil Fletcher is trying to gain control of Faraway Downs, so that Lesley 'King' Carney will have a complete cattle monopoly, giving him negotiating leverage with an Australian army officer, Captain Dutton, who wants to buy the cattle.

The childless Lady Sarah is captivated by the boy Nullah, who has an Aboriginal mother and a white father. Nullah tells her that he has seen her cattle being driven onto Carney's land — in other words, stolen from her. Because of this Fletcher mistreats Nullah and threatens him and his mother, so Lady Sarah fires Fletcher and decides to try to run the cattle station herself. When Nullah and his mother hide from the authorities in a water tower, his mother drowns. Lady Sarah comforts Nullah by singing the song "Over the Rainbow" from the film The Wizard of Oz. Nullah tells her that "King George" is his grandfather, and that like the Wizard, he too is a "magic man".

Lady Sarah persuades Drover to take the cattle to Darwin for sale. Drover is friendly with the Aborigines, and therefore shunned by many of the other whites in the territory. It is revealed that he was married to an Aboriginal woman, who died after being refused medical treatment in a hospital because of her race. Lady Sarah also reveals she is unable to have children.

Drover leads a team of six other riders, including Lady Sarah, Drover's Aboriginal brother-in-law Magarri, Nullah, and the station's accountant Kipling Flynn, to drive the 1,500 cattle to Darwin. They encounter various obstacles along the way, including a fire set by Carney's men that scares the cattle, resulting in the death of Flynn when the group tries to stop the cattle from stampeding over a cliff. Lady Sarah and Drover fall in love, and she gains a new appreciation for the Australian territory. The team drive the cattle through the dangerous Never Never desert. Then, when at last delivering the cattle in Darwin, the group has to race them onto the ship before Carney's cattle are loaded.

Afterwards, Lady Sarah, Nullah, and Drover live together happily at Faraway Downs for two years. Meanwhile, Fletcher kills Carney, marries his daughter Cath Carney, takes over Carney's cattle empire, and continues to menace Lady Sarah. It is established that Fletcher was the actual murderer of Lady Sarah's husband, and is also Nullah's father.

Nullah is drawn to go on a walkabout (a rite of passage) with his grandfather "King George", but is instead taken by the authorities and sent to live on Mission Island (a fictitious island, but inspired by Bathurst Island) with the other half-Aboriginal children (dubbed the "Stolen Generations"). Lady Sarah, who has come to regard Nullah as her adopted son, vows to rescue him. Meanwhile, she works as a radio operator in Darwin during the escalation of World War II. When the Japanese attack the island and Darwin in 1942, Lady Sarah fears that Nullah has been killed.

Drover, who had quarrelled with Lady Sarah and left, returns to Darwin and hears (mistakenly) that she has been killed in the bombing. Drover learns of Nullah's abduction to Mission Island, and goes with Magarri and a young priest to rescue him and the other children. Meanwhile, Lady Sarah is about to be evacuated, but when Drover and the children sail back into port at Darwin, and Nullah plays "Over the Rainbow" on his harmonica, Lady Sarah hears the music and the three are reunited.

Fletcher, distraught at the ruination of his plans and at the death of his wife killed during a Japanese air strike, attempts to shoot Nullah, but is speared by King George and falls dead. Lady Sarah, Drover, and Nullah return to the safety of remote Faraway Downs. There, King George calls for Nullah, who returns to the Outback with his grandfather.

 L² Scored: 2/10

L² Comment:

I was having problem in sleeping lately, but thanks to this movie, i slept all the way till morning. For almost a week, I kept on wanted to finish the whole movie, but i just can't stand the lengthy grandmother story kinda movie... The whole movie is so boring, the only exciting part was when Hugh Jackman shower outdoor, but that was like less than 2 mins, gosh... 

Marley & Me

Released Year: 2008

Directed by David Frankel

Casted by:

 Owen Wilson as Johnny "John" Grogan

Jennifer Aniston as Jennifer "Jenny" "Jen" Grogan

Eric Dane as Sebastian Tunney

 Story:

Soon after their wedding, John and Jenny Grogan escape the brutal Michigan winters and relocate to a cottage in South Florida, where they are hired as reporters for competing newspapers. At The Palm Beach Post, Jenny immediately receives prominent front-page assignments, while at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, John finds himself writing obituaries and two-paragraph articles about mundane news like a fire at the local garbage dump.

When John senses Jenny is contemplating motherhood, his friend and co-worker Sebastian Tunney suggests the couple adopt a dog to see if they're ready to raise a family. From a litter of newborn yellow Labrador retrievers they select Marley (named after reggae singer Bob Marley), who immediately proves to be incorrigible. They take him to Ms. Kornblut, who firmly believes any dog can be trained, but when Marley refuses to obey commands, she expels him from her class.

Editor Arnie Klein offers John a twice-weekly column in which he can discuss the fun and foibles of everyday living. At first stumped for material, John realizes the misadventures of Marley might be the perfect topic for his first piece. Arnie agrees, and John settles into his new position. Marley continues to wreak havoc on the household, providing John with a wealth of material for his column, which becomes a hit with readers and helps increase the newspaper's circulation. Jenny becomes pregnant, but loses the baby early in her first trimester. She and John travel to Ireland for a belated honeymoon, leaving the rambunctious dog in the care of a young woman who finds him impossible to control, especially during the frequent thunderstorms that plague the area. Soon after returning from their vacation, Jenny discovers she is pregnant again, and this time she delivers a healthy boy, Patrick. When she has a second son, Connor, she opts to give up her job and become a stay-at-home mom, prompting John to take on a daily column for a pay increase. Due to the crime rate, the couple decides to move to a larger house in the safer neighborhood of Boca Raton, where Marley delights in swimming in the backyard pool.

Although she denies she is experiencing postpartum depression, Jenny exhibits all the symptoms, including a growing impatience with Marley and John, who asks Sebastian to care for the dog when Jenny insists they give him away. She quickly comes to realize he has become an indispensable part of the family and agrees he can stay. Sebastian accepts a job for The New York Times and moves away.

John celebrates his 40th birthday and later goes skinny dipping with Jenny in their swimming pool. Increasingly disenchanted with his job, he decides to accept a position as a reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer with Jenny's blessing, and the family moves to a farm in rural Pennsylvania. John soon realizes that he is a better columnist than reporter and pitches the column idea to his editor. Life is idyllic until the aging Marley begins to show signs of arthritis and deafness. An attack of gastric dilatation volvulus almost kills him, but he recovers. When a second attack occurs, it becomes clear surgery will not help him, and Marley is euthanized with John at his side. The family pay their last respects to their beloved pet as they bury him beneath a tree in their front yard.

 L² Scored: 9/10 

L² Comment: 

This movie has been always in my top rank of "must-watch" movie; coz i'm a dog lover and a big fans for both Anniston & Wilson. Reason of not watching it so many years ago is because I insists to read the novel first before the movie. I have bought the novel many years already and it has been full of dust now and i still have no time to read it lol~ Well, i just couldn't wait but watch it just now.

The movie is based on John Grogan's same name novel in 2005, its simple and sweet. All these while you can see Marley has been part of the family and he occurs in all the things that they do. But of coz there's some scene which shown that this un-tame dog makes Anniston frustrated and she angrily ordered Wilson to give it away, but then she regret and feel sorry for what she has said. 

Dog's lifespan is much more shorter than human being. As Marley grew old, it sadly escape from the house and decided to die alone, out from its' master sighting. As the movie moving towards the end, it was very touching and i almost burst into tears. After this movie, i went out to hugged my two dogs... I love you guys too :)

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 :)

The Accidental Husband

Released Year: 2008

Directed by Griffin Dunne

Casted by:

 Uma Thurman as Dr. Emmeline (Emma) Lloyd

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Patrick Sullivan

Colin Firth as Richard Braxton

Isabella Rossellini as Frau Greta Bollenbecker

Keir Dullea as Herr Karl Bollenbecker

Sam Shepard as Wilder Lloyd

Kristina Klebe as Katerina Bollenbecker

 Story:

Patrick Sullivan is looking forward to a life with, Sophia, until she calls into the show by famed love expert and radio host Dr. Emma Lloyd. Emma questions Sophia’s concept of romantic love and advises her to break their engagement, which she swiftly does.

Patrick is so upset that when he hears that Emma is about to be married herself, he allows his young neighbour, Ajay, to hack into public records and create a fake marriage between himself and Emma. Upon going to the public records office to get a marriage license, Emma and her perfect-gentleman fiancé, Richard, are told she is already married.

Emma sets out to find Patrick and give him annulment papers to sign so that she can marry Richard. Emma finds Patrick in a bar, and their initial meeting ends with her getting drunk. The next day, Patrick comes to Emma's work to give her the annulment papers as she is leaving for a wedding cake tasting. Patrick accompanies her to the tasting, where Frau Greta Bollenbecker assumes he is Emma's fiancé, Richard. Greta later comes to Emma's book launch because her husband, Herr Karl Bollenbecker is planning to liquidate Richard's publishing house. Greta meets Emma during the banquet and tells her of the same. Patrick still has the annulment papers, so he comes to the book launch. Matters get worse when Richard sees Greta and Karl with Emma and Patrick, who is posing as Richard, but Richard agrees to go along with it when he learns that Greta thinks Patrick will charm Karl so much that Karl will decide to continue business with "Richard".

Patrick invites them all to a Hindu "sacred thread ceremony" (Upanayana) rite-of-passage ritual for Ajay. Emma and the other guests have a really good time there, and she sees a whole new side of Patrick, who had been repulsive to her so far. There is a slight spark of attraction, but Emma flees the scene before anything else can happen.

Patrick decides to throw out everything related to Emma or Sophia, but instead reads Emma's book, "Real Love". He comes to confront her about the book because he thinks it only points out all the bad things in a relationship. Patrick and Emma continue their argument in an elevator. Suddenly Patrick flaunts his NYS Fire Department badge and asks the other occupants to leave the elevator. He then locks the elevator and proceeds to kiss Emma. Security staff see them through a CCTV in the elevator and ask them to leave.

Emma finally has the signed and notarized annulment papers, but she considers calling off her wedding. She goes to Patrick’s lodgings and they make love that night. The next morning, Emma finds all the papers related to her and Sophia in the trash. Patrick then confesses that he had initially wanted to teach her a lesson about love but then fell for her. Emma then goes back to the honorable Richard, who still loves her and says that she wants to marry him.

One day before her wedding, Patrick calls her at the radio station and tells her that he loves her. She does not answer him. The next day on her wedding day, she confides in her father, Wilder (Sam Shepard) and asks his advice. He tells her that the decision is hers. Richard comes to see Emma in the bridal chamber. Richard had also heard the radio show the night before when Patrick told Emma of his love for her. He tells her that he wants her to be happy, and they amicably break up.

Emma sets off the church's fire sprinklers in an attempt to get Patrick to the church. Meanwhile, The fire department where Patrick works is called to the church to put out the fire. When Patrick arrives there, Emma and Patrick get married and leave in the fire truck. The final scene shifts to a year later where it is shown that Emma is pregnant and that she and Patrick are still very much in love. The movie ends with a Tamil song "Swasame" from the movie Thenali in the background.

L² Scored: 3/10

L² Comment:

Lately I have not picked up those Romantic Comedy kinda movie to watch anymore.Its always the same old same old in all these similar genre's movie. Basically, this movie will never ever appeal again under my consideration ...

Iron Man

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Jon Favreau

Casted by:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man

Terrence Howard as Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes

Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane

Shaun Toub as Yinsen

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts

 Story: 

Genius, billionaire, and playboy Tony Stark, who has inherited the defense contractor Stark Industries from his father, is in war-torn Afghanistan with his friend and military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to demonstrate the new "Jericho" missile. The convoy is ambushed and Stark is critically wounded by one of his own rocket propelled grenades. He is captured and imprisoned in a cave by the terrorist group the Ten Rings, and an electromagnet is grafted into his chest by fellow captive Yinsen to keep the shrapnel shell shards that wounded him from reaching his heart and killing him. Ten Rings leader Raza offers Stark freedom in exchange for building a Jericho missile for the group, but Tony and Yinsen agree Raza will not keep his word.

Stark and Yinsen secretly build a powerful electric generator called an arc reactor to power Stark's electromagnet and a suit of powered armor to aid in their escape. Although they keep the suit hidden almost to completion, the Ten Rings attack the workshop when they discover their intentions. Yinsen sacrifices himself to divert them while the suit powers up. The armored Stark battles his way out of the cave to find the dying Yinsen, then in anger burns the Ten Rings weapons and flies away, crashing in the desert and destroying the suit. After being rescued by Rhodes, Stark returns home and announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons. Obadiah Stane, his father's old partner and the company's manager, advises Stark that this may ruin Stark Industries and his father's legacy. In his home workshop, Stark builds an improved version of his suit, as well as a more powerful arc reactor for his chest. Personal assistant Pepper Potts places the original reactor inside a small glass showcase. Though Stane requests details, Stark keeps his work to himself.

At a charity event held by Stark Industries, reporter Christine Everhart informs Stark that his company's weapons, including the Jericho, were recently delivered to the Ten Rings and are being used to attack Yinsen's home village, Gulmira. Stark also learns Stane is trying to replace him as head of the company. Enraged by these revelations, Stark dons his new armor and flies to Afghanistan, where he saves Yinsen's village. While flying home, Stark is shot at by two F-22 Raptor fighter jets. He reveals his secret identity to Rhodes over the phone in an attempt to end the attack. Meanwhile, the Ten Rings gather the pieces of Stark's prototype suit and meet with Stane, who subdues Raza and has the rest of the group killed. Stane has a new suit reverse engineered from the wreckage. Seeking to find any other weapons delivered to the Ten Rings, Stark sends Pepper to hack into the company computer system from Stane's office. She discovers Stane has been supplying the terrorists and hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark, but the group reneged. Potts meets with Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D., a counter-terrorism agency, to inform him of Stane's activities.

Stane's scientists cannot duplicate Stark's arc reactor, so Stane ambushes Stark at his home and takes his. Stark manages to get to his original reactor to replace the taken one. Potts and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attempt to arrest Stane, but he dons his suit and attacks them. Stark fights Stane, but is outmatched without his new reactor to run his suit at full capacity. The fight carries Stark and Stane to the top of the Stark Industries building, and Stark instructs Potts to overload the large arc reactor powering the building. This unleashes a massive electrical surge that causes Stane and his armor to fall into the exploding reactor, killing him. The next day, at a press conference, Stark admits to being the superhero the press has dubbed "Iron Man".

In a post-credits scene, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury visits Stark at home, telling him that Iron Man is not "the only superhero in the world", and explaining that he wants to discuss the "Avenger Initiative".

 L² Scored: 6/10 

L² Comment:

 All these while Iron Man is not my favorite superhero and i'm not sure why. Back in 2008, when I first watch this movie in the cinema with bunch of my friends, everyone was kinda excited while waiting the movie to start but not me... Half way through the movie, I actually fell asleep :P 

Well, 8 years later i decided to give it a try and re-watch this movie since Iron Man is one of the main character of Avengers, and apparently without Avengers he won't get famous by himself at all. This time I did not fall asleep half way but its still not that attractive to me. By giving 6/10, it would be very generous of me to do so... All because Gwyneth Paltrow is in it. Beside that, I realize Terrence Howard is the original cast of War Machine, however he was replaced by Don Cheadle in the future movie, not sure what's the reason, but i feel the producer make the right choice to take Terrence Howard away....

Mamma Mia!

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Phyllida Lyod

Casted by:

 Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan

Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan

Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael

Colin Firth as Harry Bright

Stellan Skarsgård as Bill Anderson

Dominic Cooper as Sky

Julie Walters as Rosie Mulligan

Christine Baranski as Tanya Chesham-Leigh

 Story: 

On a Greek island called Kalokairi, bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan posts three wedding invitations ("I Have a Dream") to different men.

Sophie's bridesmaids, Ali and Lisa, arrive. Sophie reveals that she found her mother's diary and has three possible fathers: Irish-American architect Sam Carmichael, Swedish adventurer and writer Bill Anderson, and British banker Harry Bright. As Sophie wants her father to give her away at the altar, she invited them without telling her mother, believing that after she spends time with them she will know who her father is ("Honey, Honey"). Villa owner Donna Sheridan, Sophie's mom, is ecstatic to reunite with her former Dynamos bandmates, wisecracking author Rosie Mulligan and wealthy multiple divorcée Tanya Chesham-Leigh, and reveals her bafflement at her daughter's desire to get married. Donna shows off the villa to Rosie and Tanya ("Money, Money, Money"). The three men arrive; Sophie smuggles them to their room and explains that she sent the invitations. She begs them to hide so Donna will have a surprise at the wedding: seeing the old friends of whom she "so often" favourably speaks. They overhear Donna working (humming "Fernando") and swear not to reveal her secret.

Donna spies them and is dumbfounded to find herself facing former lovers ("Mamma Mia"), and is adamant that they leave. She confides in Tanya and Rosie ("Chiquitita") that she is uncertain which of the men is Sophie's father. Tanya and Rosie rally her spirits by getting Donna to dance with the female staff and islanders ("Dancing Queen"). Sophie finds the men aboard Bill's yacht, and they sail around Kalokairi ("Our Last Summer") and tell stories of Donna as a carefree girl. Sophie plans to tell her fiancé Sky about her ploy, but loses her nerve. Sky and Sophie sing to each other ("Lay All Your Love on Me"), but Sky is snatched for his bachelor party.

At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya and Rosie perform as Donna and The Dynamos ("Super Trouper"). The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Sam, Bill and Harry. Sophie decides to talk with each of her prospective dads alone. While her girlfriends dance with the men ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"), Sophie learns from Bill that Donna received the money to invest in her villa from his great aunt Sofia. Sophie guesses she must be Sofia's namesake and Bill is her father. She asks him to give her away and keep their secret from Donna until the wedding. Sophie's happiness is short-lived as Sam and Harry each tell her they must be her dad and will give her away ("Voulez-Vous"). Sophie cannot tell them the truth and, overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions, faints.

In the morning, Rosie and Tanya assure Donna they will take care of the men. Bill and Harry are about to confide in each other, but are interrupted by Rosie. Donna confronts Sophie, believing Sophie wants the wedding stopped. Sophie says that all she wants is to avoid her mother's mistakes. Donna is accosted by Sam, concerned about Sophie getting married so young. Donna confronts him and they realize they still have feelings for each other ("SOS"). Tanya and young Pepper continue their flirtations from the previous night ("Does Your Mother Know"). Sophie confesses to Sky and asks for his help. He reacts angrily to Sophie's deception and she turns to her mother for support. As Donna helps her daughter dress for the wedding, their rift is healed and Donna reminisces about Sophie's childhood and how quickly she has grown ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Donna admits that her own mother disowned her when she learned that she was pregnant. Sophie asks Donna to give her away. As the bridal party walks to the chapel, Sam intercepts Donna. She reveals the pain she felt over losing him ("The Winner Takes It All").

Sophie and Donna walk down the aisle as the band plays "Knowing Me, Knowing You". Donna tells Sophie that her father could be any of the three men. Sam reveals that while he left to get married, he did not go through with it, and returned to find Donna with another man. Harry confesses that Donna was the first and last woman he loved and he has begun a relationship with a waiter from the taverna. The men agree that they would be happy to be one-third of a father for Sophie. She tells Sky they should postpone their wedding and travel the world as they have wanted. Sam proposes to Donna ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"). She accepts and they are married. At the reception, Sam sings to Donna ("When All Is Said and Done"), which prompts Rosie to make a play for Bill ("Take a Chance on Me"). All the couples present proclaim their love ("Mamma Mia" reprise). Sophie and Sky sail away ("I Have a Dream" reprise).

During the principal credits, Donna, Tanya and Rosie reprise "Dancing Queen", followed by "Waterloo" with the rest of the cast. Amanda Seyfried sings "Thank You for the Music" over the end credits, followed by an instrumental of "Does Your Mother Know".

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

One of my favorite musical movie acted by multiple super stars. The movie was shot in Greece & it is mainly based on all the famous pop music from ABBA. Benny Anderson, the member of ABBA & music composer also appeared as a guest performer as a piano player.

The whole movie is cheerful and lightly. I was really surprise to know that Meryl Streep can sing that well, Pierce Brosnan's singing a bit so so lol~ Anyway, the storyline was great and all the casts are perfect on their role. This is a movie that no matter how many times I watch, I will still get attracted into it and sing along with all those famous songs :)

The Day the Earth Stood Still 2008

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Scott Derrickson

Casted by:

Keanu Reeves as Klaatu

Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson

Jaden Smith as Jacob Benson

John Cleese as Professor Karl Barnhardt

Jon Hamm as Dr. Michael Granier

Kathy Bates as Regina Jackson

 Story: 

In 1928, a solitary mountaineer encounters a glowing sphere. He loses consciousness and when he wakes, the sphere has gone and there is a scar on his hand where a sample of his DNA has been taken.

In the present day, a rapidly moving object is detected beyond Jupiter's orbit and forecast to impact Manhattan. The United States government hastily assembles a group of scientists, including Dr. Helen Benson, to formulate a survival plan. The object is measured to be moving at 30,000 kilometers per second - enough to destroy nearly all life on Earth - but as it nears the planet, the object slows down just before impact and is revealed to be a large spherical spaceship, which lands gently in Central Park. The sphere is quickly surrounded by police and a heavily armed, hostile, and rather chaotic US military force.

An alien emerges and Helen moves forward to greet it, but amidst the confusion, a soldier shoots the alien. A gigantic robot then appears that temporarily disables everything in the vicinity. The alien voices the command "Klaatu barada nikto" to shut down the robot's defensive response.

A military surgeon discovers that the alien body is actually a bioengineered space suit, composed of placenta-like material covering a human-like being. The being quickly ages into Klaatu, who looks like the mountaineer from the opening scene of the film. Klaatu informs Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson that he is a representative of a group of alien civilizations, sent to talk to the leaders of Earth at a United Nations conference in the city. Jackson instead orders that Klaatu be sent to a secure location for interrogation. Klaatu manages to escape and Helen and her stepson Jacob give him a ride out of the area. The trio are pursued and harassed by the authorities for the rest of the film.

The presence of the sphere, and others like it around the world, causes a widespread panic. The military launch a drone attack on the sphere, but are thwarted by the robot. They cautiously enclose the robot and transport it to Virginia.

Klaatu meets with another alien, Mr. Wu, who has lived on Earth for 70 years. Wu tells Klaatu that he has found the human race to be destructive and unwilling to change, which matches Klaatu's experience. Klaatu decides that the planet, with its rare ability to sustain complex life, must be cleansed of humans to ensure that it can survive. Klaatu orders smaller spheres to collect specimens of animal species, to preserve them off the planet. Helen quizzes Klaatu about his statement that he has come to save the Earth and discovers that he means to save the Earth from destruction by humankind.

Meanwhile, the robot, named "GORT" by the military, is being examined in an underground facility. The robot transforms into a swarm of winged, insect-like, nano-machines that self-replicate as they consume everything in their path. The swarm starts to erase all trace of the human race.

Hoping to persuade Klaatu to change his mind about humanity, Helen takes him to the home of Nobel Prize-winning Professor Barnhardt. They discuss how Klaatu's own race went through a drastic evolution to survive their own star's demise. Klaatu is impressed by the beauty of the music by Bach playing in the background. Klaatu finally realizes that he has misjudged humanity when he sees Helen comforting Jacob at his father's grave. They head for the sphere in Central Park to try to stop the swarm.

Klaatu warns that even if he manages to stop the swarm, there will be a price to the human way of life. The swarm arrives and Jacob and Helen become infected by the nano-machines. Helen tells Klaatu to save Jacob and Klaatu draws the nano machines into his body, reviving Jacob. Klaatu then walks through the swarm to the sphere, touching it moments before his body is consumed. The sphere deactivates the swarm, saving humanity, but at the expense of electrical activity on Earth which is apparently all shut down. The giant sphere leaves the Earth.

 L² Scored: 4.5/10

L² Comment: 

This is not the first time i watched this remake film of 1951 same name movie, but still it managed to bored me out and makes me almost fell asleep again... I did not watch the 1951 movie and of course not the fiction "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates; so i'm not in the place to comment how much it follows the original, all i know is, i need to drank coffee to finish this movie.

Technical wise definitely better than the previous movie i suppose, Reeves seems like a piece of wood to me, totally expressionless~ yawn. Connelly in the meanwhile not really outstanding too if compare to little Jaden Smith :) But overall the movie is very so so, guess most probably I won't watch it for the third time anymore...

Inkheart

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Iain Softley

Casted by:

Brendan Fraser as Mortimer "Mo" Folchart

Eliza Bennett as Meggie Folchart

Paul Bettany as Dustfinger

Andy Serkis as Capricorn

Helen Mirren as Elinor Loredan

Rafi Gavron as Farid

Jim Broadbent as Fenoglio

Sienna Guillory as Teresa "Resa" Folchart

 Story:

One evening, whilst Mortimer "Mo" Folchart and his wife Teresa "Resa" Folchart are reading the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" to their baby daughter Meggie, a red velvet hood appears out of nowhere. Several years later, a much older Meggie travels with her father Mo to visit an old book shop in Italy, unaware that he secretly looking for a copy of the book, Inkheart. Shortly after finding one, Meggie comes across a marten with horns outside the shop, who tries to bite her fingers. Suddenly, a man appears from the shadows, claiming to be an old friend while revealing the marten's name as Gwin. When Mo comes out of the book shop, he quickly recognizes the man as a person called Dustfinger, whom quickly asks to be read back into the book, only for Mo to flees with Meggie from him.

Travelling across Italy, Mo takes Meggie on a visit to Meggie's great aunt Elinor, whereupon he reveals to Meggie why he fled from Dustfinger. While she was young, Mo read to her from Inkheart, inadvertently freeing Dustfinger as a result, due to a gift he possessed from birth, that marks him as a "Silver Tongue". Unfortunately, his gift also freed the book's villain Capricorn and several of his henchman, but at the same time, losing Resa after being forced to flee with his infant daughter. Soon, Dustfinger reappears seeking Mo, accompanied by Capricorn's minion, Basta, who quickly captures Mo and his family and takes back Inkheart, destroying Elinor's valuable library in the process.

The four are taken to Capricorn's new castle in the real world, and imprisoned in the stables, which house various creatures from different storybooks, including the winged monkeys from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the minotaur from the story of Theseus, and a unicorn. During their imprisonment, Mo explains to Meggie and Elinor about his gift, stating that when he reads a person or an object out of a book, someone from the real world is sent into it, hence why his wife disappeared. Capricorn, interested in using his gift, forces Mo to read out items from books, causing him to get a stash of treasure from one of the stories in The Arabian Nights, while causing one of the 40 Thieves, named Farid, to be brought out as well and forced into imprisonment. Dustfinger, who believed he could get his chance to return into the book, quickly learns Capricorn tricked him, and so prompts a quick escape using the famous tornado from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; during the escape, he opts not to tell Mo that his wife Resa is in the village, but has lost her voice.

Following their escape, Meggie offers the idea of finding the author of Inkheart, a man named Fenoglio, who may have access to a copy of the rare-to-find book. Whilst Elinor decides to leave them to recover what is left of her book collection, the rest head for the author's location, with Dustfinger initially staying with Farid to teach him to juggle fire, yet secretly afraid of learning his fate in the book. When he does travel with Mo to find and meet with Fenoglio, the author's ecstatic mood, upon seeing his creation live and breath before him, causes Dustfinger to discover that his efforts to save Gwin at the end of the book brings about his death. Angry, he berates the author for not being his god and that he has the freedom to chose whatever fate he wants, before eventually confessing to Mo, who Resa is in the book, that his wife was in Capricorn's castle.

Both he and Mo take Fenoglio's car, leaving Meggie behind with the author, where during the journey, they quickly discover that Farid had stowed away in the car's trunk, and take him along at his insistence. Whilst away, Meggie begins reading a number of books out loud, and discovers she is a "Silver Tongue" herself, just before Basta arrives with men to capture Mo. Upon learning that she can read things out of books, after the author notices she brought Toto from the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Basta takes her and Fenoglio back to Capricorn. Elinor, who has a change of heart and does not take the train back to her home, returns to the author's home and quickly senses trouble, pursuing the captured pair. At the castle, Capricorn reveals to Meggie his intentions of bringing the monstrous Shadow from Inkheart, revealing that, although he burned all the copies, he spared one for such a purpose, threatening to harm her mother if she fails to comply. During this time, Mo sneaks into the castle, but is captured by Capricorn's henchmen.

After escaping his cell, Mo attempts to free Meggie, Resa and Fenoglio from imprisonment, as Capricorn forces Meggie to read out the Shadow from the book. Meanwhile, Dustfinger sneaks back into the castle with Farid and decide to set it alight, after his conscience gets the better of him. The distraction this causes allows Fenoglio to give Toto a rewrite he made to help Meggie stop Capricorn's plan. The plan partly works until Capricorn gains the upper hand. Just then, Elinor arrives with the creatures Capricorn imprisoned, giving Mo the opportunity to quickly throw his daughter a pen, allowing her to write out a story on her arm to combat Capricorn's plan. Meggie quickly reads out her creation, which causes Capricorn to turn into dust, vanishes his henchmen, destroys the Shadow, and return all the read out creatures back where they belong, including Toto. In addition, she grants Fenoglio's wish, and send him into Inkheart to live in the world he created, while restoring her mother's voice, allowing her and Mo to finally reunite with her, before fleeing as the castle collapses.

Shortly afterwards, Dustfinger, having missed his chance for Meggie to read him back into his book, decides to leave, not wishing to force Mo and his family to do anything without risking their happiness. As he does, Farid catches up with insisting on travelling with him to find another reader to send him back into the copy of Inkheart he had stolen before the castle collapsed. After a moment's hesitation, Dustfinger agrees and the two start off together only to have Mo catch them up and fulfill his promise. Dustfinger is soon transported safely back into Inkheart, where he reunites with his wife Roxane at their home. In the real world, Farid quickly reveals he kept Gwin with him, thus allowing Dustfinger to avoid his fate and have control over his destiny. As Mo and his family leave with Farid, Meggie agrees to teach him how to read while Farid agrees to teach her how to use the dragon breath.

 L² Scored: 9/10

L² Comment: 

Till now I still have not find the novel of Inkheart which was written by Cornelia Funke. Not sure how originally the movie follows the novel, but definitely its a very exciting movie and full of fantasy. Brendan  Fraser always give me a dreamy kind of image. His character is usually brighter whenever he was in this kind of fantasy movie... Overall the movie is quite good, how i wish i can find the novel in Big Bad Wolf lol~

Igor

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Tony Leondis

Voiced by:

John Cusack as Igor

Molly Shannon as Eva

Steve Buscemi as Scamper

Sean Hayes as Brain

Jennifer Coolidge as Jaclyn / Heidi

Eddie Izzard as Dr. Schadenfreude

Jay Leno as King Malbert

 Story: 

The Kingdom of Malaria's environment is devastated by a mysterious storm. Its king, Malbert, then blackmails the rest of the world to pay the town not to unleash the various doomsday devices invented by its Evil Scientists. They in turn are assisted by Igors, while the kingdom's annual Evil Science Fair showcases the scientists' latest weapons. One Igor, however, who serves the somewhat tedious-minded Doctor Glickenstein, is a talented inventor who aspires to be an Evil Scientist himself. Among his inventions are his friends "Scamper," a re-animated, immortal rabbit with a death wish and "Brain," a unintelligent human brain transplanted into a life support jar.

When the malfunctioning invention explodes and decimates Glickenstein, Igor sees his chance. With Brain and Scamper's help, he assembles a huge, monstrous being from human remains. When he brings her to life, however, he discovers that the "Evil Bone" he gave her was not activated, making her kind, friendly and feminine. Igor tries to convince her that she is evil, inadvertently naming her "Eva", while an attempt to brainwash her into becoming evil turns her into an aspiring actress instead. Igor decides to exhibit Eva at the science fair anyway, telling her that the fair is an "Annie" audition.

Igor's nemesis Dr. Schadenfreude learns of Eva's existence and attempts to steal her, but when that fails, he exposes Igor to King Malbert, who sends Igor to an "Igor Recycling Plant." Schadenfreude activates Eva's Evil Bone and unleashes her into the Science Fair, where she destroys all of the Evil Inventions. Scamper and Brain help Igor escape from the recycling plant and they learn that Malbert had deliberately killed Malaria's crops with a weather ray that made storm clouds so he could implement his "Evil Inventions" plan, thereby keeping himself in power. Rushing into the arena, Igor reasons with Eva to deactivate her Evil Bone and allowing her to regain her sweet personality, while Scamper and Brain deactivate the weather ray which falls and crushes Malbert to death. Schadenfreude attempts to take power but the citizens revolt upon learning of Malbert's deception. The monarchy has been dissolved and Malaria normally becomes a republic, with Igor as president. Schadenfreude is relegated to a pickle salesman, while the annual Science Fair is now an annual musical theater showcase.

 L² Scored: 9.5/10

L² Comment:

Well, I never knows there is such an animation make few years ago...The beginning is a bit confusing and disturbing looking at the characters... But after a few minutes when I get the meaning of it, the movie started to seems interesting... Though a lot of ppl critics that the character of these are kinda Tim Burton's style, but hey I don't mind at all and i think this movie portrait a very good message to me "u can be simple and just nice by looking like the way u r :)"