Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

 Released Year: 2014

Directed by Shawn Levy

Casted by:

Ben Stiller as Larry Daley & Laa

Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt

Owen Wilson as Jedediah

Steve Coogan as Octavius

Ricky Gervais as Dr. McPhee

Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot

Rebel Wilson as Tilly

Skyler Gisondo as Nicky Daley

Rami Malek as Ahkmenrah

Patrick Gallagher as Attila the Hun

Mizuo Peck as Sacagawea

Ben Kingsley as Merenkahre

 Story: 

 In 1938, in Egypt a team of archaeologists are digging into a tomb to look for a valuable artifact. A young boy falls through a hole that leads his father and the others to what they came for - the tablet of Ahkmenrah. Several local men see the tablet and say that if the archaeologists remove it, then "the end will come".

In the present day in New York City, Larry Daley is overseeing a nighttime event at the Museum of Natural History with Dr. McPhee in attendance. Larry gathers the favorite exhibits, including Theodore Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, Sacagawea, Dexter the Capuchin Monkey, and Rexy the Tyrannosaurus skeleton. Elsewhere, Jedediah and Octavius are watching a cat video on YouTube.

Larry meets a new wax figure Neanderthal named Laa who was modeled to look like Larry as a joke. Ahkmenrah had earlier alerted Larry to the fact that the tablet is starting to corrode, causing all the exhibits to act abnormally. The corrosion causes chaos during the event, with the attendees having to flee from dangers caused by the affected exhibits. When Larry returns home, he catches his son Nick throwing a party for which he is serving as the DJ. Nick tells Larry that he does not intend to apply to college, wanting to take time to pursue being a DJ and to figure out what he wants to do with his life.

Larry researches the tablet and learns that Cecil Fredericks, the former museum security guard that tried to steal the tablet for himself, was the boy present at the discovery of the tablet. Larry finds Cecil in a retirement home along with his cohorts Gus and Reginald. Larry explains to Cecil what is happening and he recalls "the end will come" prophesy. He suggests that they consult Ahkmenrah's parents, who are in the British Museum of Natural History. Larry later goes to McPhee, who is in the process of being fired, and convinces him to call the British Museum and allow Larry to travel there with Ahkmenrah and the tablet.

Larry and Nick travel to London to get to the British Museum. They meet the security guard of that museum, Tilly, who lets them through the gate. When Larry gets into the museum, he sees that Laa, Teddy, Sacagawea, Attila, Dexter, Jed, and Octavius have all stowed away to join on the adventure. The Tablet brings the British exhibits to life and the gang encounters a Triceratops skeleton which chases them. They are saved by Sir Lancelot. Unfortunately, the gang has lost Jed and Octavius; they discover that they have fallen into the ventilation chambers. Larry sends Dexter into the ventilation with Nick's cell phone attached to his waist to find Jed and Octavius. Jed and Octavius land on a Pompeii exhibit just before it erupts. The gang fights off a nine-headed Xiangliu statue, which Larry defeats using a defibrillator. Meanwhile, Dexter urinates on the lava to save Jed and Octavius.

The gang finds the tombs of Ahkmenrah's parents, Merenkahre and Shepseheret. Merenkahre is at first hesitant to reveal the truth behind the Tablet, but he eventually admits that it was a gift made for his son when he was a baby to keep the family together always. Endowed with the power of Khonsu, the tablet needs moonlight to retain its magic.

Lancelot steals the tablet, thinking it to be the Holy Grail and then leaves to find Guinevere. The tablet continues to corrode, causing Teddy's hands to return to wax and Ahkmenrah to age. The gang splits up to find Lancelot and regain the tablet, but Larry is caught by Tilly, who then locks Larry and Laa in the security room. There, Larry starts to think about his relationship with Nick. Laa eventually smashes the glass of the door with his head to free Larry and himself. Larry and the gang continue to search for Lancelot again, but are cornered by the Trafalgar Square lion statues. Larry distracts them with a flashlight like in the cat video Jed and Octavius had previously watched on YouTube.

Lancelot has made his way to a local theater showing a Camelot production starring Hugh Jackman as King Arthur and Alice Eve as Guinevere. Sir Lancelot runs onstage with the tablet and tries to convince "Guinevere" to join him. The actors eventually convince Lancelot that they are actors, upsetting Lancelot and causing him to take a lighted torch from the stage and run to the roof. Larry and the gang chase Lancelot and attempt to get him to adjust the tablet appropriately in order for the moonlight to restore it. Larry convinces Lancelot to give him back the tablet to save his friends once the other exhibits all return to their lifeless state due to the corrosion of the tablet. Larry then adjusts the tablet and it is restored by the moon, reanimating Teddy, Dexter, and the rest.

Larry returns the tablet to Merenkahre after the New York exhibits explain that they believe the tablet and the pharaohs should stay together. On the way out, Larry catches Tilly and Laa in a romantic moment. As they leave, Larry tells Tilly that, starting the next day, she will have the greatest job in the world.

Three years later, a British History event is happening at the Museum of Natural History. Tilly shows up to McPhee's office with a box. McPhee says that Larry left the museum and went on to become a teacher after taking the blame for what happened when the exhibits went ballistic, granting McPhee his job back. Tilly opens the box and takes out the tablet. She brings McPhee to show him all the exhibits coming to life, including some new light displays. Outside, Larry watches and smiles.

 L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment: 

Is this the final chapter of this movie? I hope not as I enjoyed watching it :) Same like the first two movie, the statue and wat-so-ever thingy turns alive in the museum... But this time, they went to England and get their power board fix... Its kinda sad to see Robin Williams in the movie, knowing this great actor kills himself make me think of the sad and bad things which happened in my life as well... 

Hugo

 Released Year: 2011

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Casted by:

 Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret
Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliès
Chloë Grace Moretz as Isabelle

Sacha Baron Cohen as Inspector Gustave
Helen McCrory as Mama Jeanne

Michael Stuhlbarg as René Tabard

Jude Law as Hugo's father

 Story:

 In 1931, Hugo Cabret, a 12-year-old boy, lives with his widowed father, a master clockmaker in Paris. Hugo's father takes him to see films and his father particularly loves the films of Georges Méliès. Hugo's father dies in a museum fire, and Hugo is taken away by his uncle, an alcoholic watchmaker who is responsible for maintaining the clocks in the railway station Gare Montparnasse. His uncle teaches him to take care of the clocks and then disappears. He is later discovered to have drowned.

Hugo lives between the walls of the station, maintaining the clocks, stealing food and working on his father's most ambitious project: repairing a broken automaton, a mechanical man who is supposed to write with a pen. Convinced the automaton contains a message from his father, Hugo goes to desperate lengths to fix it. He steals mechanical parts to repair the automaton, but he is caught by a toy store owner, Papa Georges, who takes Hugo's notebook from him, with notes and drawings for fixing the automaton.

To recover the notebook, Hugo follows the shopkeeper to his house and meets Isabelle, an orphan close to his age and Georges' goddaughter. She promises to help. The next day, Georges gives some ashes to Hugo, referring to them as the notebook's remains, but Isabelle informs him that the notebook was not burned. Finally he agrees that Hugo may earn the notebook back by working for him until he pays for all the things he stole from the shop.

Hugo works in the toy shop, and in his time off manages to fix the automaton, but it is still missing one part—a heart–shaped key. Hugo introduces Isabelle to the movies, which her godfather has never let her see, while she introduces Hugo to a bookstore whose owner initially mistrusts Hugo. Isabelle turns out to have the key to the automaton. When they use the key to activate the automaton, it produces a drawing of a film scene, signed by Georges Méliès. Hugo remembers it is the film his father always talked about as the first film he ever saw (Voyage to the Moon) and Isabelle recognises the signature as being the name of her godfather, Papa Georges and the two of them take it to her home for an explanation.

Hugo shows Georges' wife Mama Jeanne the drawing made by the automaton, but she will not tell them anything and makes them hide in a room when Georges comes home. While hiding, Isabelle and Hugo find a secret cabinet and accidentally release pictures and screen boards of Georges' creations - the noise attracts Georges, who is deeply upset and throws Hugo out, feeling betrayed.

The bookseller refers Hugo and Isabelle to a book on the history of film and are surprised that the author, Rene Tabard, refers to Méliès as having died in World War I. Tabard himself appears, and the children tell him that Méliès is alive. Tabard, a devotee of Méliès' films, owns a copy of Voyage to the Moon. Then Hugo convinces Tabard to go to Georges' home. That night Hugo dreams of being run over by a train when trying to retrieve the heart key from the rails, a sequence that ends in a re-creation of the Montparnasse train accident. When he wakes up, he hears a loud ticking sound and discovers it is coming from his own chest, at which point he suddenly turns into the same form and shape as the automaton, but then awakens for good.

Hugo, Isabelle and Tabard go to Georges' home, and at first Jeanne tells them to go before her husband wakes. However, Jeanne accepts their offer to show Voyage to the Moon when Tabard compliments her as the beautiful actress in Georges' films. As they finish watching the film, Georges appears and explains how he came to make movies, invented the special effects, and how he lost faith in films when World War I began, being forced to sell his films as chemicals to get money, and opening the toy shop to survive. He also believes the automaton he created was lost in the museum fire and nothing remains of his life's work.

Hugo goes back to the station to get the automaton, to surprise Georges, but he is cornered by the station inspector and his dog. Hugo escapes and runs to the top of the clock tower and hides by climbing out onto the hands of the clock. Once the inspector is gone, he runs for the exit with the automaton, but he is trapped by the inspector and the automaton is thrown onto the railway tracks. Climbing onto the tracks, Hugo is almost run over by an approaching train when the officer saves him and detains him as an orphan without a guardian. While Hugo pleads with the officer, Georges arrives and says Hugo is in his care. The officer lets him go.

At the end of the movie, Georges introduces a tribute ceremony to his movies with Tabard announcing that over 80 films have been recovered and restored. Georges thanks Hugo for his actions and invites the audience to "follow his dreams".

 L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

A very interesting movie based on the novel of Brian Selznick. And the actor are chosen well for this film. Basically everybody acted well, even Jude Law who appeared a short while can steal our glance away. Pretty much like the young actor, Asa Butterfiled. I think in the coming future, we will see some big film from this kid~ good luck.

Shutter Island

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Martin Scorsese

Casted by:
Leonardo DiCarpio as Edward "Teddy" Daniels
Mark Ruffalo as Chuck Aule
Ben Kingsley as John Cawley
Michelle Williams as Dolores Chanal
Story:

In 1954, Teddy Daniels with his new partner Chuck Aule went into Shutter Island to investigate a runaway psycho patient, Rachel Solando. They went to the hospital but the head psychiatrist Dr John Cawley didn't seems to help them willingly. Teddy is frustrated and decided to give up but they were not able to leave the island due to the heavy windstorm.

During his sleep, Teddy saw his wife Dolores who has been killed 2 years ago in a fire which caused by Andrew Laeddis who is now in the Shutter Island too. Dolores told Teddy not to give up and continue search for Rachel and Andrew. Teddy and Chuck questioned patients and hospital workers who are in Rachel's therapy session and one of the patient told Teddy to run while he still can.

The heavy windstorm has cause the electric generator to malfunction. Patient from the dangerous Ward C has tried to escaped. Teddy happened to meet George Noyce in a cell. George told Teddy that the hospital trapped innocent people in the island and will accused them of being sick so that nobody from outside will believe them. After that they will be sent to the lighthouse for experiment.

Teddy and Chuck went over rock hill for the lighthouse. Teddy thought Chuck has fell down the hill and crawl down but it was a mistake. Just when Teddy wanted to climb up, he saw rats climb out from a hole. He crawl in and found a woman inside, she's the real Rachel Solando. Rachel told Teddy that she was a real doctor, but just because she asked too much, Cawley and others accused her of being sick and put her in the hospital. She also stated that patient will be sent to lighthouse for experiment.

Next morning, Teddy ran to the lighthouse and find nothing but Cawley alone. Teddy was took back to the hospital and when he woke up, they told him the truth. Seems like Teddy real name is Andrew Laeddis! Teddy Daniels can be rephrase as Andrew Laeddis while Rachel Solando can be rephrase as Dolores Chanal. Andrew has been married Dolores, a psycho lady who drowned their 3 children in a lake. Andrew can't stand it and shot Dolores to died.

Andrew was then sent into the hospital and being cured. But he keep on roleplay everything in his mind. Though he has knew it in the end but he rather chose to live in his fantasy world.

L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

My God, this film is superb. A very exciting psychological thriller movie which we can never miss this year. I love Martin Scorsese's movie, he has been partnering with DiCarpio these few years and they have make a hit and success in all these film.

Love the way how Leonardo presented in this film, totally outshine Ben Kingsley who is always good in acting. The story is a bit predictable which is based on the novel of Dennis Lehane in 2003.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Mike Newell

Casted by:
Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan
Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina
Ben Kingsley as Nizam
Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar
Richard Coyle as Prince Tus
Toby Kebbell as Prince Garsiv
Story:

Dastan, an orphan in the Persian Empire, commits an act of courage in a public market place and is adopted by the king because of it. Fifteen years later Dastan, his royal-blooded foster brothers, Tus and Garsiv, and his uncle, Nizam are planning an attack on the sacred city of Alamut, which is believed to be selling weapons to Persia's enemies. Despite his doubts as to whether they should attack a sacred city, and orders to avoid the front-line of the fighting, Dastan leads the way in breaching the walls of Alamut. In the confusion, the princess of Alamut, Tamina, instructs one of her guards to take a dagger from a shrine to safety. During the fight, however, Dastan defeats this guard, and steals the dagger. Alamut falls to the Persians and Tamina is captured. In order to pacify the captured city, Tus suggests that he and Tamina marry, which she agrees to only upon seeing that the dagger has fallen into Dastan's possession.

When the king of Persia arrives at Alamut, he reproaches Tus (the eldest son) for having made the decision to attack the city. He suggests that Dastan, rather than Tus should marry Tamina. Prince Dastan unknowingly presents a poisoned robe, given to him by Tus, to his father, King Sharaman who dies upon donning it. Dastan is blamed for the king's murder and flees Alamut with Princess Tamina. In their first camp, Tamina attempts to kill the prince and recover the dagger, during which Dastan finds out what the dagger is capable of and believes that Tus framed Dastan for their father's murder in an attempt to seize the throne and the Dagger. During their journey, the duo meet an ostrich racing-organizer and tax-averse shady entrepreneur Sheik Amar, with his knife-throwing African friend Seso. Dastan offers Tamina up as a slave in return for supplies, however Amar betrays him because he recognizes him as the murderer of the king, for whom there is an "obscene" price being offered. Dastan and Tamina escape and return to Persia for King Sharaman's funeral; here, Dastan attempts to convince his uncle Nizam that he did not kill his father. Dastan discovers that Tamina has taken the Dagger; however, he then notices Nizam's hands are burned. Garsiv and the city guards appear and attack Dastan and he is forced to escape.

Dastan catches up with Tamina and explains that the villainous brother of the King, Nizam, was behind the murder. He wanted the Dagger of Time to use it with the massive Sandglass to go back in time and undo saving Sharaman from a lion so he can become king: however, opening the hourglass would trigger a sandstorm that would end the world. He fabricated the false allegations that Alamut had been dealing weapons to Persia's enemies so that he would have the opportunity to search the city for the Sandglass. The pair put aside their differences and agree to work together to protect the Dagger. Meanwhile, back in Persia, Nizam tries to convince Tus and Garsiv that Dastan is trying to overthrow them and must be killed. When this fails, Nizam hires the Hassansins, a group of highly skilled warriors who once served as hired killers for Persian royalty, to slay Dastan.

Dastan and Tamina are again captured by Sheik Amar and Seso, seeking to rebuild his ruined business by turning them in for a bounty. But that night, when everyone is asleep, the Hassansin leader attacks the group by controlling a number of vipers. Many of the group die, but Dastan uses the Dagger to rewind time and foreseeing the attack, manages to kill all the snakes and saves everyone. The Hassansin leader then leaves in a sand dervish. The next day, the pair accompanied by Sheik and Seso travel to the secret sanctuary in the mountains near India, where it is possible to seal away the Dagger. However, they run into Garsiv's men. Dastan manages to persuade his brother that he is innocent, only for Garsiv to be fatally wounded by a Hassansin. The Hassansins attack, killing many of the group, while their leader manages to snatch the Dagger of Time from Tamina. However, Dastan is saved from the last Hassansin by Garsiv, who then dies of his wounds.

The group returns to Alamut to reveal the truth about Nizam and the Dagger to Tus. Seso duels to the death with a Hassansin and is mortally wounded, though he manages to kill the Hassansin and get the Dagger to the others before dying. Dastan confronts Tus and explains the Dagger's mechanics to him and then kills himself; Tus brings Dastan back to life by rewinding time and realises his brother has been innocent all along. Soon after, however, Nizam arrives and kills Tus, leaving his Hassansin guard to kill Dastan. The Dagger is once again in Nizam's hands, but Dastan manages to defeat the Hassansin with Tamina's help. Nizam goes to the Sandglass caves beneath Alamut, as Dastan and Tamina take a more secret route. After a short battle with the Hassansins' leader, fatally wounding him and sending him plummeting to his death in a chasm, Dastan and Tamina kiss. They then reach Nizam before he can pierce the Sandglass with the Dagger, but he knocks Tamina and Dastan over the edge of the chasm. Dastan holds on to Tamina but she reveals that it is actually Dastan's destiny to stop Nizam, not her's, and releases her grip on his hand; Tamina professes her love for Dastan and then lets go, falling to her death. Driven to fight on, Dastan manages to pull himself up. Nizam stabs the Sandglass with the Dagger, but Dastan grabs a hold and opens the Dagger, rather than activating it, causing the Sands of Time to flow through freely, reversing time to when Dastan first obtained the Dagger, fully aware of all that occurred since. Dastan stops the siege of Alamut, revealing Nizam's treachery. Nizam attempts to kill Dastan, but is killed by Tus. After apologizing for the ransacking of her city, Tus suggests that perhaps Tamina should become Dastan's wife as a sign of good will. The Prince returns the Dagger of Time to her. The two take a walk together and Dastan expresses his feelings for her.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

Due to time consuming, i got the story review from wikipedia. What do we expect a film based on a video game? Storyline? Nope, coz its predictable. What i look at is the effect and graphic. Obviously its good and nice. Jake Gyllenhaal still being hot, never wonders Gemma would be this hot :)

Wonder whether there will be a sequel for this prince of persia...

House of Sand and Fog

Released Year: 2003
Directed by Vadim Perelman

Casted by:
Ben Kingsley as Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani
Jennifer Connelly as Kathy Nicolo
Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadareh "Nadi" Behrani
Ron Eldard as Lester Burdon
Jonathan Ahdout as Esmail Behrani
Story:

Kathy's husband left her 8 months ago, she was so depressed and live in a messy life. She has been ignoring a number of letter which warned her that she has not paying the business tax which is a mistake and need to settle in court. Kathy only realize it when police came to her house and sealed up her house for auction. Deputy Lester who incharge of this advice Kathy to look for lawyer's advice.

In the meanwhile, Massoud and his family were originated from Iran. They live in a grand house in order for their daughter to marry a richman. But after that, Massoud has to move his family into a cheaper house which he found Kathys house from the auction. Lawyer informed Massoud about the mistake of the auction, but Massoud has no intention to return back the house with the purchase price but ask for a higher price instead. Kathy was helpless and can't do anything to take back the house which her father left for her. Deputy Lester started to pity Kathy and fall in love with her and dumping his own family.

Kathy try a few times to get back the house but failed. Deputy Lester threaten to send Massoud's family back to Iran if he doesn't return back the house. Highly depressed, Kathy tried to suicide herself in front of the Behrani family but was save by Massoud. Lester misunderstood the situation and locked the Behrani in the toilet after he discovered Massoud sue him in the station and he was fired. Massoud and Esmail was took to sign the contract, but on a fight, Esmail grabbed Lester's pistol but in the end he was shot to death for misunderstanding as a terrorist due to his races. Lester was put to jail.

Massoud went home and fed his wife with poisonous tea, he then wore his colonel uniform and suffocated himself with plastic bag. Kathy wake up from her unconsciousness and shocked to found the Behrani's couple is dead.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

The movie is based on the same name novel from the writer of Andre Dubus III. The director smartly use the end of this film to do as the beginning of the film. A flashed back of Kathy's memories has brought the whole movie to life.

This film is kinda sensitive in terms of the terrorist problem in USA, never wonder it still able to win good critics among it. Shohreh has also won a few best supporting actress in several awards by this film.

This film also shows us that sometime, something can be solved on the beginning, but human being tends to get affected by their own emotion and greediness and cause a much more problem after it.