The Whistleblower 2010

 Released Year: 2010 & 2011

Directed by Larysa Kondracki

Casted by:

Rachel Weisz as Kathryn Bolkovac
Vanessa Redgrave as Madeleine Rees
Benedict Cumberbatch as Nick Kaufman
David Strathairn as Peter Ward
Roxana Condurache as Raya Kochan
Monica Bellucci as Laura Leviani
Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Jan
Liam Cunningham as Bill Haynes

 Story:

 Kathryn Bolkovac is a police officer from Lincoln, Nebraska who accepts an offer to work with the U.N. International Police in post-war Bosnia at a U.K. company called Democra Security. Upon fighting for the trial for a Muslim woman suffering from domestic abuse and succeeding, Kathryn is made head of the department of gender affairs. She becomes involved in the case of a young Ukrainian woman named Raya, who had recently been sold by her uncle to a sex trafficking ring. She escapes and Kathryn sends her to a women's shelter specifically set up for the victims of sexual slavery. Through Raya's case, Kathryn is able to uncover a wide-scale sexual slavery and human-trafficking ring that various international personnel, including that of the U.S., have participated in. Furthermore, when she brings the scandal to the attention of the U.N., she discovers that they have covered it up in order to protect lucrative defense and security contracts. Kathryn finds allies in Madeleine Rees and Peter Ward, authority figures who support her investigation.

Kathryn is soon fired from her job due to her knowing too much about the scandal and her reluctance to stop the investigation. Meanwhile, Raya had been captured again and is later found dead, only pushing Kathryn even more to bring the scandal to light. She and Ward eventually capture evidence of an official admitting to the scandal, and she brings it to the BBC. It is said in the ending credits that following Kathryn's departure, a number of peacekeepers were sent home, though none faced criminal charges because of immunity laws. It is also noted that the U.S. continues to do business with private contractors like Democra Security, including ones worth billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

This film received a lots of positive critics and even won Best film in some small  movie awards. For me this is not bad, but the storywise is a bit slow and dry for me. I know Weisz is trying so hard for this, but her sweet look is just not convincing enough for me to make me think that she's strong and able to defeat the mobster like how she did in the movie.

Case 39

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Christian Alvart

Casted by:
Renée Zellweger as Emily Jenkins
Jodelle Ferland as Lillith Sullivan
Ian McShane as Detective Mike Barron
Bradley Cooper as Douglas J. Ames
Callum Keith Rennie as Edward Sullivan
Kerry O'Malley as Margaret Sullivan
Story:

Social worker Emily Jenkins is assigned to investigate the family of 10-year-old Lillith Sullivan , as her grades have declined and an emotional rift with her parents has emerged. Emily suspects that the parents have been abusing Lillith, and proposes to her department to take the child away from her parents' custody. Emily's fears are confirmed when Lillith's parents try to kill her by roasting her in the oven at their home. Emily saves Lillith with the help of Detective Mike Barron. Lillith is originally sent to a children's home but she begs Emily to look after her instead. With the agreement of the board, Emily is assigned to take care of Lillith until a suitable foster family comes along. In the meantime, Lillith's parents are placed in a mental institution.

Not too long after Lillith moves in, strange things begin to happen around Emily. Two weeks later another of Jenkins's cases, a boy named Diego, suddenly murders his parents, and Barron informs Emily that somebody phoned Diego from her house the night before the crime. As she is suspected of involvement in the incident, Lillith undergoes a psychiatric evaluation by Emily's best friend, Douglas J. Ames. During the session, however, Lillith turns the evaluation around, asking Douglas what his fears are and subtly threatening him. That night while studying he receives a strange phone call in his apartment, Douglas is panicked by the sight of a mass of hornets coming out of his body and kills himself in his bathroom by snapping his own neck.

Emily gradually becomes fearful of having Lillith in her home, so she heads to the mental asylum for answers from Lillith's parents. They tell her that Lillith is a demon who feeds on feelings, and that they tried to kill her in an attempt to save themselves. Lillith's father tells Emily that the only way to kill Lillith is to get her to sleep. Shortly after Emily leaves the asylum, both parents die in unusual circumstances. Lillith's mother is imaginatively fatally burnt and her father is stabbed in the eye with a fork.

Barron initially thinks Emily should seek psychiatric help, but is later convinced when he receives a strange phone call in his home from Emily's cellphone, which is being used by Lillith. He arms himself at the police precinct to aid Emily in handling Lillith. However, he inadvertently shoots himself in the head with a shotgun when Lillith makes him imagine he is being attacked by dogs. That night, Emily has Lillith drink tea spiked with sedative. While Lillith is asleep, Emily sets fire to her house, hoping to get rid of her. However, the girl escapes unharmed from the burning house.

The police offer to escort Emily and Lillith to a temporary place to sleep. As Emily is following the police cars, she suddenly takes a different route and drives her car at a high speed, hoping to bring fear to Lillith. She then drives the car off a pier. As the car sinks, Emily struggles to lock Lillith (now in the form of her demon self) in the trunk by folding the rear seats against her. Emily then exits the car, but as she swims away, Lillith grabs her leg after punching a hole through the car's left tail light section.

Emily struggles to break free until Lillith finally lets go as the car continues to sink. She climbs back ashore, relieved to be rid of Lillith.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

Well, this film has been on shooting since 2006 and a fire burn and destroy the scene set, but luckily no one was hurt. Then the movie completed roughly at somewhere around 2008. However, due to unknown reason, this movie has been delay for quite sometime until it hit the cinema in 2010 Oct.

Of course, being a fans of Renee and Bradley, i love this film to death. But the storyline is kinda predictable. The only scary and a bit of horrify scene is the one when Lilith's parents try to burn her in an oven, the rest will be ok ok only.

Though it receive a lot of negative critics from everywhere, but i think u can try to watch it just for once :)

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Chris Columbus
Casted by:
Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson
Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase
Brandon T. Jackson as Grover Underwood
Pierce Brosnan as Chiron
Uma Thurman as Medusa

Story:

Movie starts with Poseidon appeared from the sea and went up to a towel to meet up with Zeus. Both brothers are arguing about the lost of the lightning weapon which Zeus create. Zeus suspect that Poseidon's son has stole the weapon and ask Poseidon to return it or else he will starts a war for it.

Son of Poseidon, Percy Jackson is a semi-god which mean he is a half god and half human. Percy never know his real identity until one day he was attacked by one of the teacher. But luckily he was saved by Grover and Chiron. Grover is his protection who is a half man and half goat while Chiron is half human combined with horse body.

Percy and Grover went back to find Percy's mum. While traveling to the training camp of the semi God, Percy's mum was caught by Hades. To rescue his mum, Percy need to learn all the tactics and fight he can get from Chiron. During the training, Percy meets the pretty Annabeth, daughter of Athena. When all the semi god students are having barbeque in the woods, Hades occurred from the fire and ask Percy to surrender the lightning weapon for him to exchange his mother back from hell.

Percy decided to leave and search for Hades. Eventually, Grover and Annabeth followed to help. Even Luke also lend out a good shield and flying shoes for Percy to accomplish this mission. But they need to find 3 pearls for their own used to get out from the hell after they enter. So, their first spot is on a statue garden. They discovered that Medusa is incharge at there, Medusa can turn others into rocks when you look at her eyes. Percy was smart enough to use the reflection and defeated Medusa by chopping her head off. Annabeth suggested to keep Medusa's head for a further use.

Their second location is at the Athena hall and they saw the pearl was at the Athena Statue's head. They will have to wait till the late night to get it. While knocking off 5 cleaners to unconsious, Percy used the flying shoes and managed to get the pearl. But then they found out the cleaners are actually the dragon with 5 heads. Three of them was unable to fight against the strong 5-head fire dragon, but luckily Grover remember Medua's head and turn the dragon into a statue instead.

Driving off their 3 pearl will be at the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas. After they eat the lotus, they were obssessed in the casino and forgot about their purpose of the journey. But in the end Percy was warned by a voice of his father and get the gang back into track. On the very last day of the war, they reach Hollywood and found the door to hell. The gang went there and met Hades. When Hades knocked down Percy, he discover that the lightning weapon was actually in the shield. Luke was the lightning thief !!! But in the end, Hades' wife released them but Grover has to stay and satisfy her sexual desire.

By saving Percy mother, they rush to the towel and handle the lightning weapon to Zeus. But Luke came with his flying shoes and tried to stop them. Luke told them his intention is to let the God fight against themselves and will try to take over their place and make the semi-god into the higher rank. Percy managed to control huge amount of water and defeat Luke.

Finally Percy managed to stop the war and explain everything to all the God assembly at there. Poseidon beg for Percy's forgiveness and Percy went back to the camp which where he belongs to.

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

Uma Thurman is the main reason i went for this film, this is exactly those poison ivy kind of character she's good at :) Her beautiful eye is breath-taking. Though she does not appear much but enough to make you remember her appearance. The story is kinda nice, but i'm not sure whether it follow the original novel or not.

Greek's God and Mythic Creatures are always the fancy kind of thing that i like. And all the actors and actresses are cute :) seriously, look at logan and u jst feel like pinching his cheeks~