Underworld: Awakening

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Måns Mårlind & Björn Stein

Casted by:

Kate Beckinsale as Selene

India Eisley as Eve

Theo James as David

Michael Ealy as Detective Sebastian

Kris Holden-Ried as Quint

Charles Dance as Thomas

Stephen Rea as Dr. Jacob Lane

 Story: 

Six months after the events of Evolution, both the government and the general public have become aware of the vampire and lycans existence. A program to study and potentially harness their powers soon escalates into an all-out genocide. Shortly after the "Cleanse" begins, Selene and Michael are captured by humans. Due to her enhanced vampiric traits, she is imprisoned in cryogenic suspension.

After being frozen for twelve years, during which both species have been hunted to the brink of extinction, Selene manages to escape. She soon learns that another subject, whom she initially believes to be Michael, has also escaped. While making her way through the high-tech facility, Selene has visions from someone else's point of view. Believing that Michael is mentally guiding her, she follows these "visions", leading her down a garbage chute into a labyrinthine series of basement tunnels. Here she encounters a young vampire named David, who has been tracking her. They quickly realize that the tunnels are infested with Lycans, who are hunting the subject Selene is connected with. Determined to reach Michael, Selene fights her way through the Lycan pack until she reaches the second escapee: not Michael, but a frightened and confused young girl named Eve.

Using David's van, Selene, David and Eve make their way out of the facility, only to be attacked once again by a trio of Lycans. David manages to shoot a lycan while Selene stabs another; the third smashes its way into the rear of the vehicle, where it bites Eve's shoulder. This triggers Eve's partial transformation, revealing her hybrid traits, as she savagely rips the creature's head in half. Selene realizes that Eve is her and Michael's daughter. Eve is believed to be the key to ending the war by "curing" both the vampiric and lycanthropic "infections". However, despite her hybrid nature Selene soon realizes that Eve's bite wound is not healing and she is rapidly growing weaker. David agrees to take the pair to his coven.

The remaining vampires realize that Eve’s weakness is due to her having not fed in a long time. After reluctantly drinking some blood, Eve's wound heals. Recognizing that the coven does not want her there, Selene gets ready to leave. David tries to convince her to stay and help them start an offensive against the humans by training some Death Dealers, but before she makes up her mind, the coven comes under attack by Lycans. Selene joins the fight and kills many lycans. She then finds herself facing a "Super-Lycan" that heals instantly and is not affected by silver. She is knocked unconscious and awakens later to find that Thomas, David's father, has surrendered Eve to the Lycans in return for them leaving. David dies but is resuscitated. Selene confronts a human detective named Sebastian, who is sympathetic to the vampires due to his now dead wife being a vampire. Sebastian confirms that the Lycans have been traced to Antigen, the corporation dedicated to killing off the immortal species. It is also revealed Antigen run the facility from which Selene had earlier escaped.

Selene discovers that Antigen is actually run by Lycans, who have been posing as humans in order to trick the world's governments into believing the Lycans are extinct. The director of Antigen, Dr. Jacob Lane, is trying to perfect the Lycan race and wants Eve's DNA to do so. The "Super-Lycan" Selene faced earlier is identified as Quint – Lane's son and the prototype for Lycan modifications. Selene and Sebastian infiltrate Antigen to stop Lane's plan and manage to save Eve. Selene comes across Subject 0, she then realizes it to be Michael and attempts to free him by shooting his cryogenic tank. Selene is forced to leave the thawing Michael in order to stop the Lycans from escaping with Eve. After confronting Lane and his son, Selene and Eve return to Michael's tank and find it empty with the ice shattered. Selene states that the world will be hunting Michael and the pair vow to find him first.

 L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment:

When I stepped into the cinema and watch the final installment movie series of Underworld, I realized that I have not watch the forth installment of this series at all. So I cheated and postpone the post that I should be blogging on "Underworld: Blood Wars" until I watch this :p hehe

Well the 3rd installment movie, Selene was not the main cast which is a bit upset me. But seeing Beckinsale back in here is a big excitement. The time flew and it was 12 years later after the previous 2nd installment movie. Selene was in her deep sleep and never realize her lovable man has gone; but luckily they fuck enough to have a new hybrid baby of their own. The series added in some new character especially Theo James whom is much more hotter than Scott Speedman :) Eve, Selene's daughter appearance has spice up the whole movie as well. But all these while I have feel some scenes or action of Underworld are familiar, after this installment, I confirmed that it is so "Resident Evil" lol~ but of coz Kate Beckinsale definitely hotter than Milla Jovovich.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath

Casted by:

Ben Stiller as Alex

Chris Rock as Marty

David Schwimmer as Melman

Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria

Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien XIII

Frances McDormand as Captain Chantal DuBois

Jessica Chastain as Gia

Bryan Cranston as Vitaly

Martin Short as Stefano 

 Story: 

Many days after bidding the penguins goodbye, Alex the African lion has a nightmare about himself and his friends still stranded in Africa and finding they have all gotten old. He then wakes up from his nightmare on his birthday and the animals present him with a miniature model of New York City made out of mud. Alex suggests to Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippopotamus and the lemurs, King Julien, Maurice and Mort, that they should go to Monte Carlo to get the penguins and the chimpanzees, Mason and Phil, and fly back to New York City, which they agree to do.

At Monte Carlo, the penguins and chimpanzees have been saving up their daily winnings from the casino to fly back to Africa and bring their friends home. Alex and his gang see them and believe that they had ditched them to stay there and their cover is blown. Animal control, captained by the overzealous Chantel Dubois is called in to deal with the animals. A high-speed chase around the streets of Monaco ensues between the relentless Dubois and the animals in a truck driven by the penguins. They barely escape Dubois, who vows to capture them and add Alex's head to her collection of stuffed and mounted animals.

In the skies of France, the plane's gear assembly fails and it crashes into a suburban rail yard as the authorities close in. They come across a circus train and manage to gain entry, claiming that they are circus animals themselves. Stefano the sea lion and Gia the jaguar let them in despite the protests of Vitaly the tiger. The animals soon learn from Stefano that they are performing in Rome and London, where they plan to impress a promoter to get them on their first American tour. Before the zoo animals' claim is discredited, the penguins suddenly appear with a deal to purchase the circus themselves, resulting in the pleased departure of all the humans. Julien also starts falling in love with a tricycle-riding bear named Sonya. Meanwhile, the circus animals perform their act at the Colosseum in Rome, but the show proves to be a disaster, much to the zoo animals' horror. The angered audience demands refunds, right to going to the point of chasing the circus to the departing train.

En route to London, Stefano soon reveals to Alex that Vitaly was the biggest star of them all. But his attempt at an impossible jump through a flaming pinkie ring ended in disaster when he burned his fur, which he had coated in extra virgin olive oil to slip through the narrow opening. Due to Vitaly's lost confidence and passion, the other circus animals lost their inspiration. The train makes a stop in the Alps, where an inspired Alex convinces the performers to rework their act to become the world's first animal-only circus. Heartened by Alex's vision, the zoo and the circus animals develop sophisticated acts together and become closer friends in the process, especially Alex and Gia, who find themselves falling in love.

Meanwhile, Dubois is arrested in Rome after causing problems with the local police officers while chasing the animals, but escapes and discovers that Alex was the missing lion from the zoo in New York. Once free, Dubois recruits her injured men and they head toward the Alps, forcing the animals to proceed to London despite incomplete rehearsals. Alex finds Vitaly preparing to leave and convinces him to stay by reminding him of how he enjoys performing the impossible. He suggests that he uses hair conditioner as a safer lubricant to perform his flaming ring jump as well as fix his damaged fur. As a result, Vitaly's stunt is performed perfectly and the show is a spectacular success. After the impressed promoter arranges for an American tour, Dubois shows up with a paper showing that Alex was missing. Though the penguins are able to foil Dubois' plan, Alex is forced to confess that the four of them are just zoo animals trying to get home, disappointing the others who feel used and lied to by the four of them. The zoo animals and circus go their separate ways but arrive in New York City at the same time. Realizing how much their adventures have changed them, the zoo animals find that their true home was with the circus. Before they can go back, however, Dubois tranquilizes and captures them, before being discovered by the zoo staff, who believe she is responsible for returning the missing animals. Julien and the penguins manage to get to the circus and convince the circus animals to rescue their friends.

Back at the zoo, Alex awakens to find that he along with Marty, Melman and Gloria are in their old enclosures, which are now surrounded by tall chain-link fences. Dubois steps on stage to receive a million-dollar check of appreciation from the zoo, which she rejects and secretly loads a poison-filled dart into a gun which she hides inside a foam finger in preparation to publicly execute Alex. The circus animals arrive in time to stop her and a massive brawl occurs where the animals use all of what they had developed as part of their revamped act. As the group tries to leave, Stefano is stranded and Dubois attempts to kill him. Alex manages to save him with a performance of the "Trapeze Americano", a trick he made up while pretending to be part of the circus, Alex then defeats Dubois and escapes with all of his friends. Heartened by this valiant demonstration of their new friends' love, Alex and his friends decide to join the circus permanently and they start their tour across the country. Meanwhile, Dubois and her men find themselves inside shipping crates on a cargo ship bound for Madagascar, thanks to Skipper (just like in the first film).

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

This is the best one among the Madagascar series :) And 4 of them were finally back to their home - NEW YORK... but they decided not to stay and went away with the circus on their adventure. Does this mean it is the end of Madagascar series? Because the spin off "Penguin" has been filmed and Madagascar which was suppose to be prepare and out on 2018 was canceled... Anyway, this movie is way way much better than the first two and so colorful... the laughter and comedy part is better, but you can feel that Melman & Gloria's part are getting lesser in the film as well~

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

Casted by:

Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider

Johnny Whitworth as Ray Carrigan / Blackout

Fergus Riordan as Danny Ketch

Ciarán Hinds as Roarke / Mephisto

Violante Placido as Nadya Ketch

 Story:

A French priest named Moreau warns the monks of a monastery about an impending attack by the devil's forces to obtain a boy named Danny, the monastery falls under attack; Moreau tries to help the boy and his mother Nadya escape, but the distrusting mother shoots at Moreau and flees with her son. Moreau manages to distract the men chasing Danny and Nadya, but nearly dies in the process and loses them. He believes that only the Ghost Rider is capable of protecting the boy. He finds the Rider and seeks his help.

Eight years have passed since the first movie, which dealt with Johnny Blaze making a deal with the demon Roarke (Mephistopheles), and becoming the Ghost Rider—a vengeful, fiery spirit who feeds on the evil of his victims and consumes the souls of sinners. No matter how small the infraction—anything from genocide to a white lie—the Rider does not differentiate. This drives Blaze into hiding, fighting the evil spirit within him. Moreau finds him with some ease and convinces him to save the boy in exchange for his priesthood's ability to restore Johnny's soul and remove the Ghost Rider's curse forever. Meanwhile, pursuers force Nadya and Danny from the road and bring them to their leader: her former boyfriend Ray Carrigan. Carrigan has Danny tied up and is about to execute Nadya when the Ghost Rider appears; the Ghost Rider kills several of Carrigan's men and then moves in on Danny. Nadya distracts the Ghost Rider, who then is shot with grenades into submission. Carrigan leaves with Danny in tow.

Johnny wakes up the next morning in a hospital. On the way out, he convinces Nadya not to trust him, but to accept his help to find Danny. However, Carrigan tells Roarke about the Rider, and Roarke speaks an incantation to Danny via phone; this, in effect, puts up a "firewall" preventing the Rider from sensing his whereabouts. He warns Carrigan it will not shield him from being sensed and gives him instructions to deliver Danny. Nadya later tells Blaze that as she lay dying, she made a deal with Roarke: her life in return for him impregnating her with Danny, making Danny a direct vessel for Roarke and the potential for him to have unlimited power on the surface world. Roarke lacks this power so far from hell. Danny nearly escapes, but breaks his ankle and is recaptured. That night, Nadya and Johnny interrogate a known contact of Carrigan's. Johnny takes off ahead of Nadya to deal with Carrigan. Nadya saves Danny as the Rider converts a mining machine (a Bagger 288[9]) into a massive fiery machine, destroying their hideout complex and mortally wounding Carrigan. When Ghost Rider catches up to Nadya and starts to use his Penance Stare on her, Danny is able to stop the rider with a word, exercising his hidden power.

Moreau catches up with the group as they ride off. Roarke is not done with Carrigan; using his power, he turns Carrigan into a demon called Blackout capable of instantly decaying anything he touches while shrouded in darkness. Johnny and Nadya bring Danny to Moreau's monastery with warm reception. Moreau delivers on his end of the bargain and, after explaining that the Ghost Rider is the twisted incarnation of the Spirit of Justice, Zarathos, after being captured and tortured to madness while in Hell, he exorcises Johnny of the spirit and Johnny becomes human again. The head monk Methodius proclaims that Danny will never be safe from the influence of evil and says he must die, taking Johnny, Moreau, and Nadya captive in order to execute the boy. Carrigan intervenes, however, killing the monks and taking Danny captive again to deliver to Roarke. The others follow, with Johnny not wanting to desert Danny after having promised to protect him. With the ritual to transfer Roarke's spirit and power into Danny underway, the three infiltrate the compound to save him. Carrigan kills Moreau, but Danny (who Roarke states has the same powers as he does) gives Johnny back the power of the Ghost Rider. Roarke manages to escape with Danny, and the Ghost Rider and Nadya give pursuit. After a vehicular struggle, Ghost Rider manages to defeat Carrigan and causes the SUV carrying Roarke and Danny to crash. The Ghost Rider literally sends Roarke back into hell while Danny, who had died in the accident, is returned to his mother. Channeling the blue flame of Zarathos, Johnny manages to revive Danny and assures him that his safety is assured.

As the film closes, the Rider, now covered in angelic blue flames, rides off on his motorcycle, saying "My name is Johnny Blaze. I'm the Ghost Rider".

 L² Scored: 4.5/10

L² Comment:

Seriously this sequel movie is not as good as the first one. I find the storyline is a bit dull and a lot of times it makes me yawn~ And the acting of the actors & actresses also kinda disappointing as well~ 

Sinister

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Scott Derrickson

Casted by:

Ethan Hawke as Ellison Oswalt

Juliet Rylance as Tracy Oswalt

Fred Thompson as Sheriff

James Ransone as Deputy

Michael Hall D'Addario as Trevor Oswalt

Clare Foley as Ashley Oswalt

 Story:

The film opens with Super 8 footage depicting a family of four standing beneath a tree with hoods over their heads and nooses around their necks. An unseen figure saws through a branch acting as a counterweight, causing their deaths by hanging.

Months later, washed-up true crime writer Ellison Oswalt moves into the murdered family's home with his wife, Tracy, and their two children, 7-year-old Ashley, a gifted artist who is allowed to paint on her walls, and 12-year-old Trevor, who begins re-experiencing bizarre night terrors upon moving into the home. Only Ellison is aware that the house they are moving into was the crime scene. Ellison intends to use the murders as the basis for his new book, and hopes that his research will turn up the fate of the family's fifth member, a 10 year old girl named Stephanie who disappeared following the murders.

Ellison finds a box in the attic that contains a projector and several reels of Standard 8 mm footage that are each labeled as innocent home movies. Watching the films, Ellison discovers that they are actually snuff movies depicting families being murdered in various ways: being drowned in their pool (Pool Party '66), being burnt to death in a car (BBQ '79), being run over by a lawn mower (Lawn Work '86), having their throats slit in bed (Sleepy Time '98), and the hanging that opened the movie (Family Hanging Out '11). The drowning film proves especially disturbing for Ellison after he notices the face of a demonic figure watching the drownings from the bottom of the pool. Ellison eventually finds the figure observing the murders in each of the films, along with a strange painted symbol; inspecting the lid of the box containing the films, Ellison discovers childish drawings depicting the murders, along with crude sketches of the demonic figure, identified as "Mr. Boogie." Consulting a local deputy, Ellison discovers that the murders depicted in the films took place at different times, beginning in the 1960s, and in different cities across the country. He also learns that the families were all drugged before being killed; and that a child from each family went missing following every murder. The deputy refers Ellison to a local professor, Jonas, whose expertise is the occult and demonic phenomena, to decipher the symbol in the films. Jonas tells Ellison that the symbols are that of a pagan Babylonian deity named Bughuul, who would kill entire families and then take one of their children into his realm in order to consume their souls.

One night, Ellison hears the film projector running and goes up to the attic. There, he finds the missing children in various states of decay, watching one of the films. Bughuul suddenly appears on camera before physically appearing before Ellison. Ellison takes the camera and the films to the backyard and burns them. Then he wakes his family to tell them that they are moving back to their old house. At his old home, Ellison receives a message from Professor Jonas, who sends him scans of historical images associated with Bughuul; each drawing had been partially destroyed by the early Christians, who believed that images of demons served as a gateway for them to come from the spiritual realm to the mortal world. Ellison discovers the projector and films in his attic, along with a new envelope of film labeled "extended cut endings". During this time, the deputy tries calling several times, but Ellison never answers. The next time the deputy calls, while Ellison is assembling the films, he answers. The deputy informs him that he has discovered a link between each of the murders: Every family had previously lived in the house where the last murder took place, and each new murder occurred shortly after the family moved into their new residence; by moving, Ellison has placed himself and his family in line to be the next victims.

Ellison watches the footage. He finds that it depicts the missing children coming onscreen following each murder, revealing themselves to be the killers before suddenly disappearing. Before he can react, Ellison becomes light-headed; inspecting his coffee cup, he finds a note reading "Good Night, Daddy" and a green liquid inside the cup before losing consciousness. Ellison awakens to find himself, his wife and his son bound and gagged. Ashley approaches holding the 8 mm camera, and promises him that she will make him famous again. Ashley proceeds to brutally murder her family with an axe, using their blood to paint images of cats, dogs and unicorns on the walls. Her work complete, Ashley views the Super-8 film of her murders, which concludes with an image of the missing children watching her. Bughuul appears, causing the children to flee. He lifts Ashley into his arms and disappears into the film with her.

The film concludes with an image of the box of films in the Oswalt family's attic, now accompanied by Ashley's reel, labeled "House Painting '12". The camera slowly pans away from the box, until Bughuul appears onscreen before the screen cuts out.

 L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment:

 Gosh, this horror movie spooks me out a bit... The storyline is undeniably good, the cutting of the films also brought out the mysterious of the fiend. The fiend is actually the boogeyman! The bad evil which haunted the children and this time it makes them gone evil too~ cool...

Dark Shadows

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Tim Burton

 

Casted by:

Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins

Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard

Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters

Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman

 Story:

In 1760, the Collins family migrates to America from Liverpool and sets up a fishing port in Maine, naming it Collinsport. Sixteen years later in 1776 the son, Barnabas (Johnny Depp), has an affair with a maid, Angelique Bouchard, who is a witch infatuated with him since childhood. When he tells her he doesn't love or want her, Angelique kills his parents. Barnabas then falls in love with Josette du Pres. In a fit of jealousy, Angelique bewitches Josette into leaping from a cliff to her death. Barnabas leaps after her in grief, but he survives because Angelique turns him into an immortal vampire. She rouses a mob to capture and bury Barnabas alive in a chained coffin in the woods and curses his family.

One hundred ninety-six years later, in the year 1972, construction workers accidentally free Barnabas from his coffin, who reluctantly slakes his two-century thirst by feeding on and killing his rescuers. He makes his way back to his manor to find it inhabited by his dysfunctional descendants and their servants—the family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard; her brother Roger; her 15-year-old daughter Carolyn; Roger's 10-year-old son David; Dr. Julia Hoffman, David's psychiatrist; Willie Loomis, the manor's caretaker; and Victoria Winters, David's newly hired governess and Josette's reincarnation. Upon convincing Elizabeth of his identity by revealing a secret treasure room behind the fireplace, Barnabas is allowed to stay under the condition that he never reveal either the room or the fact that he is a vampire to the rest of the family. At breakfast, Elizabeth makes him out to be "Barnabas Collins III", a distant relative from England who has come to restore the family's business and reputation in town. Barnabas becomes very deeply attracted to Victoria, whom he briefly mistakes for his lost Josette, and immediately begins to pursue her romantically.

As Barnabas helps revitalize the Collins' fishery and manor, he is approached by Angelique, who has used her powers to establish a successful rival fishery, called Angel Bay, and live through the decades by posing as her own descendants. She tries to win him back, later convincing him to make wild, passionate love with her, but he still rejects her, as he loves Victoria. He continues to restore his family's name by inviting the entire town to a party at the manor featuring Alice Cooper (whom Barnabas mistakes for a female due to Cooper's name), where Victoria reveals to Barnabas that her parents committed her to an insane asylum, (under her real name "Maggie Evans"), as a child because she could see and talk to an invisible friend, (Josette's ghost). They kiss and confess their feelings to each other, unknowingly enraging Angelique who has witnessed the scene.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hoffman has discovered Barnabas' true nature after hypnotizing him. She convinces him to try an experimental procedure to become a regular human again via blood transfusions using her own blood, but her real intent is to use his blood to become a vampire to avoid aging. Upon discovering this betrayal, Barnabas drains her to death and dumps her in the ocean. Barnabas catches Roger trying to find the secret room and exposes Roger's lack of interest in his son. Barnabas makes him choose between being a good father to David, or leaving the family with sufficient funding to satisfy his greed. Roger chooses to leave, deeply wounding his son's feelings. Immediately afterwards, Barnabas rescues David from a falling disco ball and stumbles into a beam of sunlight, burning his skin and exposing his secret to the horrified children and Victoria.

Later that night, Angelique calls Barnabas into her office, coaxes him into confessing Dr. Hoffman's murder, and traps him in another coffin that she leaves in his family's crypt until she decides to let him out again. She then burns down the Collins' canning factory and plays a recording of the murder confession to the police and gathered townsfolk, once more turning them against the family. Angie leads the mob to Collinwood to arrest the family, but Barnabas is rescued from the coffin by David and shows up at the manor, attacking her in front of the mob, thereby exposing both his and her true natures. As the townspeople disperse, Angelique sets fire to the manor and admits her role in the family's curse, including turning Carolyn into a werewolf and killing David's mother at sea. Barnabas and the Collins family fight Angelique until David summons his mother's vengeful ghost. The ghost gives a single scream which knocks Angelique into a chandelier.

Before she dies she pulls out her heart and offers it to Barnabas; he refuses the heart, trying to make her admit she didn't really love him, she just wanted to possess him, and it shatters as Angelique dies. Barnabas then discovers that Angelique has bewitched Victoria into jumping off of Widow's Hill, the same cliff Josette did. Barnabas arrives moments before Victoria is about to jump and breaks her hypnosis, but she reveals she wanted to fall. She pleads with him to make her a vampire so that they can remain together forever, but he refuses. She then casts herself off, forcing him to follow and bite her to save her life, and Victoria wakes up as a vampire. As the two kiss on the rocks in the waves, the film ends with an underwater scene showing a school of fish swimming away from Hoffman, who suddenly revives due to managing to make it far enough into the transfusions.

 L² Scored: 6.5/10

 

L² Comment:

As usual, Tim Burton's movie is funny but this movie has a lot of negative feedback and it dowsn't seems to work this time. For me the storyline is ok, but in the end the add on of the warewolf seems to spoil the whole movie... anyway, i still love Depp :)

The Amazing Spider-Man

Released Year: 2012
Directed by Marc Webb

Casted by:

 Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man

 Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard

Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy

 Story:

As a child, Peter Parker discovers his father Richard's study has been ransacked. His father gathers concealed documents before Peter's parents take him to stay with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. His parents leave, but are later killed in a plane crash.

As a teenager, Peter is a student at Midtown Science High School, where he is bullied by Flash Thompson and is romantically interested in the beautiful Gwen Stacy, the daughter of police captain George Stacy. At home, Peter discovers his father's documents, and learns he had been working with scientist Dr. Curt Connors at Oscorp to combine human and animal DNA to cure illnesses. Peter sneaks into Oscorp to meet Connors, who is pressured by his superior Dr. Ratha to complete his serum and cure the terminally ill head of Oscorp Norman Osborn. Connors wants the cure himself to restore his missing arm. Meanwhile, Peter breaks into a lab where a "bio-cable"—a high-strength strand of webbing—is created by genetically modified spiders, one of which bites him. During a subway ride home, a fight reveals that he has developed superhuman speed, strength, the ability to stick to surfaces, and a heightened sense of danger.

Peter finds an algorithm in his father's documents and gives it to Connors−the missing key to his serum. In school, Peter damages school property during a confrontation with Flash, and Ben is forced to work late so that he can pick up Peter. Ben tells Peter to escort May home that night. Peter ignores Ben in favor of helping Connors test their serum on a three-legged mouse. When he returns home, Ben scolds at Peter for not picking up May. Ben then recounts Richard's philosophy of responsibility to Peter, who only leaves in anger after pointing out the hypocrisy. At a grocery store, the clerk rudely refuses to let Peter buy a drink, and when a thief steals money from the register, Peter lets the thief escape. Ben, searching the streets for Peter, confronts the thief but is shot and killed. Peter responds to the gunshot and finds Ben's body. After seeing a police sketch of the suspect, Peter realizes it was the thief he let go.

Peter hunts the killer, apprehending other criminals as a result and attracting police attention for his vigilante actions. During one confrontation he falls into an abandoned gym, where a luchador-wrestling poster inspires him to create a mask to hide his identity. He creates a costume for himself with a spandex suit and builds wrist-mounted mechanical devices that shoot biocable strands. Peter, after going to Gwen's house for a dinner "date" with her family, later reveals he is the vigilante to Gwen, and they kiss.

Seeing that the test mouse has regrown its missing limb using lizard DNA, Ratha demands human trials begin immediately. Connors refuses to risk innocent lives and is fired. Desperate, Connors tests the serum on himself, and his missing arm regenerates. He learns that Ratha is going to test the serum on human subjects and goes to stop him, but his body begins to mutate. By the time he finds Ratha on the Williamsburg Bridge, Connors has transformed into a large lizard-like creature, tossing cars, including Ratha's, over the side of the bridge. Peter, now calling himself Spider-Man, manages to save Ratha and other civilians. Connors retreats into the sewer and reverts to human form.

Peter later meets Connors in his office and suspects he is the Lizard, and later unsuccessfully confronts Connors' Lizard form in the sewers, leaving behind his camera. Connors learns Peter's identity via the name on the camera and pursues him to Midtown Science High School, where they fight. In response, the police start a manhunt for both Spider-Man and Lizard. Connors heads to Oscorp, intending to disperse his serum across the city and make everyone into lizards, while Gwen develops an antidote in Oscorp's lab. The police corner Spider-Man, and Captain Stacy discovers that he is Peter, but lets him escape to go save Gwen. With the help of the father of a boy he rescued earlier, Spider-Man reaches Oscorp in time. Spider-Man manages to replace Connors' serum with the antidote, reverting Connors to human form, but not before Connors mortally wounds Captain Stacy. Spider-Man nearly falls to his death, but Connors saves him. Before his death, Captain Stacy makes Peter promise to stay away from Gwen for her safety. He initially keeps the promise, but later admits to Gwen that failed promises are the best kind; she responds to this with a smile.

In a post-credits scene, Connors, in a dark prison cell, is confronted by a man in the shadows who asks if Connors told Peter the truth about his father. Connors replies, "No", and demands Peter be left alone before the man disappears.

  L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

I still prefer Tobey to be my spider-man, it doesn't mean that Andrew is not as cute as Tobey, but Tobey has the naive look which attracted me & that innocent look kinda match Peter Parker's character. Andrew Garfield in another way have those smart-ass look which is hot too, but not for Peter Parker. But oh well, Tobey has grown old and we cannot stop this fact too, so long the 3 previous movies were good enough, we should welcome the new guy to be our new spider-man.

But Emma as Gwen? Why not Mary Jane? Does it means she will not be in the next movie? Well, we will find out in the 2014 movie then...

Werewolf: The Beast Among Us

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by Louis Morneau

Casted by:

Guy Wilson as Daniel

Adam Croasdell as Stefan

Steven Bauer as Hyde

Nia Peeples as Vadoma 

Ed Quinn as Charles  

Ana Ularu as Kazia

 Story:

Set in a 19th century village, a young man, Daniel studying under a local doctor joins a team of hunters on the trail of a wolf-like creature. Daniel was in love with the pretty Vadoma, but Stefan a rich heir was competing with him to get Vadoma's heart. The weird thing of the werewolf killing target, all of them are those who are useless and cause harms to the village. But due to terror, the villager still want to catch the werewolf.

But on an investigation, Daniel's mother Kazia was in one of the suspect list and brought to the jail. On the night of full moon, Kazia turn into werewolf and killed everyone. Kazia's identity exposed and Daniel also know about his real identity, he ran from the crowd but was stop by Stefan. Stefan turn out to be one of the werewolf's rival - vampire! They fight but in the end Daniel won and left the village with Kazia...

L² Scored: 4/10

L² Comment:

Basically the storyline is ok, though expected it will turn out this way, but i can accept it. The main problem is the acting is not good... even though how good looking Adam Croasdell & how cute Guy Wilson is... it still cant make the movie a big hit~

Life of Pi

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by 李安 Ang Lee

Casted by:

Suraj Sharma as Pi, age 16  

Irfan Khan as Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, adult
Rafe Spall as the Writer

 Story:

Pi Patel, an immigrant from Pondicherry in India living in Canada, is approached by a local novelist who has been referred to him by his "uncle" (a family friend), believing that Pi's life story would make a great book. Pi relates an extended tale:

He is named "Piscine Molitor" by his parents after a swimming pool in France. He changes his name to "Pi" when he begins secondary school, because he is tired of being taunted with the nickname "Pissing Patel". His family owns a local zoo, and Pi takes an interest in the animals, especially a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker (after a clerical error); to teach him the reality of the tiger's nature as a carnivore, Pi's father forces him to witness it killing a goat. He is raised Hindu and vegetarian, but at 12 years old, he is introduced to Christianity and then Islam, and starts to follow all three religions. As an adult he states that he is Catholic-Hindu, and when asked if he is also Jewish, he replies that he lectures in Kabbalah at the university.

When Pi is 16 (and experiencing first love), his father decides to close the zoo and move his family to Canada, transferring the animals in the zoo in the process. They book passage with their animals (to be sold in North America) on a Japanese freighter named the Tsimtsum. The ship encounters a heavy storm and begins to sink while Pi is on deck marveling at the storm. He tries to find his family, but a crew member throws him into a lifeboat; from the rough sea, he watches helplessly as the ship sinks, killing his family and its crew.

After the storm, Pi finds himself in the lifeboat with an injured zebra, and is joined by an orangutan who lost her offspring in the shipwreck. A hyena emerges from the tarp covering half of the boat, and before long begins to attack and eat the injured zebra, killing it. To Pi's distress, the hyena also mortally wounds the orangutan in a fight. Suddenly the tiger Richard Parker emerges from under the tarp, and kills the hyena.

Pi finds emergency food and water rations on the boat, and builds a small raft of floatation devices so that he can stay at a safe distance from the tiger. Realizing that he must feed the tiger to protect himself, Pi begins fishing, with some success. He also collects rain water for both to drink. At one point, he helps the desperate tiger climb back into the boat after it had jumped off to hunt fish. In a nighttime encounter with a breaching whale, Pi loses much of his supplies. Faced with starvation, he eats raw fish. After many days at sea, Pi realizes that he can no longer live on the tiny raft and trains the tiger Richard Parker to accept him in the boat. He also realizes that caring for the tiger is keeping him alive.

After weeks longer at sea, near the end of their strength, they reach a floating island of edible algae supporting a forest, fresh water, and a large population of meerkats. Both Pi and Richard Parker eat and drink freely and regain strength. But at night the island transforms into a hostile environment, with the fresh water turning acidic. Pi finds a human tooth inside a plant and concludes that the plants are carnivorous, requiring them to leave the island.

The lifeboat eventually reaches the coast of Mexico. Finally back on land, Richard Parker stumbles away from Pi and stops at the edge of the jungle. Pi expects that the tiger will turn toward him and acknowledge him. But instead he looks into the jungle for a while and goes in. Pi is distraught when rescued and begins to weep as he is taken to hospital.

In hospital, insurance agents for the Japanese freighter come to hear his account of the incident. They find his story unbelievable, and ask him to tell them what "really" happened, if only for the credibility of their report. He answers with a less fantastic but detailed account of sharing the lifeboat with his mother, a sailor with a broken leg, and the ship's cook. In this story, the cook kills the sailor, and then Pi's mother, to use them as bait and food. Pi kills the cook in revenge.

In the present, the writer notes parallels between the two stories: the orangutan was Pi's mother, the zebra was the sailor, the hyena was the cook, and Richard Parker, the tiger, was Pi himself. Pi asks him which story he prefers; he chooses the story with the tiger, to which Pi responds, "And so it is with God." Glancing at a copy of the insurance report, the writer notices a closing comment about the remarkable feat of surviving 227 days at sea, especially with a tiger--meaning that the agents chose that story as well.

 L² Scored: 9/10

L² Comment:

From the best selling novel of Yann Martel, the incredible Lee Ang has turned it into a nice movie for us. I love the story but the movie is a bit lengthy in some part. But i just don't know which part to cut off if i'm the editor... maybe will be the part of the flying fish~ Overall its just this good looking hindu kid acting by himself with all the graphic around him :) Not bad, a good try to watch. It might win the Best Film~ who knows...