Showing posts with label David Fincher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Fincher. Show all posts

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Alien 3

 Released Year: 1992
Directed by David Fincher

Casted by:
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley
Charles S. Dutton as Dillon
Charles Dance as Jonathan Clemens
Brian Glover as Harold Andrews
Ralph Brown as Aaron
Paul McGann as Golic
Danny Webb as Morse
 Story:
The Colonial Marine spaceship Sulaco experiences an onboard fire and launches an escape pod containing Ellen Ripley along with Newt, Hicks and the damaged android Bishop. Two hatched Alien eggs somewhere on the Sulaco can be seen in the opening credits. All four are in cryonic stasis. During the launch, the ship's medical scans of the crew's cryotubes show an Alien facehugger attached to one of the crewmembers. The pod then crashes on Fiorina 'Fury' 161, a foundry facility and penal colony inhabited by all-male inmates with "double-Y" chromosome patterns, and histories of physical and sexual violence. After some inmates recover the pod and its passengers, an Alien facehugger is seen approaching the prison dog. Ripley is taken in and awakened by Clemens, the prison doctor, and is told she is the only survivor of the crash. Many of the ex-inmates, led by Dillon, have embraced an apocalyptic, millenarian version of Christianity. Ripley is warned by the prison warden, Harold Andrews, that her presence among them may have extremely disruptive effects.

Suspicious of what caused the escape pod to jettison and what killed her companions, Ripley requests that Clemens perform an autopsy on Newt. She fears that Newt may be carrying an Alien embryo in her body, though she does not share this information. Despite protests from the warden and his assistant, Aaron, the autopsy is conducted. No embryo is found in Newt's body, and Clemens proclaims she simply died in the crash. Meanwhile, Ripley's unusual behavior begins to frustrate the warden and is agitating the prisoners.

A funeral is performed for Newt and Hicks, during which their bodies are cremated in the facility's enormous furnace. In another section of the facility, the prison dog enters convulsions, and a larger than normal Alien bursts from its body. The Alien soon begins to attack members of the colony, killing several and returning outcast prisoner Golic to his former deranged state. To get answers, Ripley recovers and reactivates the damaged android Bishop, who confirms that there was an Alien on the Sulaco and it came with them to Fiorina in the escape pod. She then informs Andrews of her previous encounters with the Aliens and suggests everyone work together to hunt it down and kill it. Andrews does not believe her story and explains that the facility has no weapons. Their only hope of protection is the rescue ship being sent for Ripley by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.

Back in the prison infirmary, while talking to Ripley about the situation, Clemens is killed by the Alien, but when it is about to attack Ripley, it suddenly pauses, then retreats, mysteriously sparing her life. She runs to the mess hall to warn the others, Andrews orders Aaron to take her back to the infirmary, but the alien suddenly ambushes and kills Andrews. Ripley rallies the inmates and proposes they pour highly flammable toxic waste, which is stored at the facility, into the ventilation system and ignite it to flush out the creature. An explosion is caused by the creature's premature intervention, resulting in several deaths. Using the medical equipment aboard the Sulaco escape pod, Ripley scans herself with Aaron's help, and discovers the embryo of an Alien Queen growing inside her. She also finds out that the Corporation truly wants the Queen embryo and the adult Alien, hoping to turn them into biological weapons. Deducing that the mature alien will not kill her because of the embryo she carries, Ripley begs Dillon to kill her; he agrees to do so only if she helps the inmates kill the adult creature first, and he then rallies his men into action. They form a plan to lure it into the foundry's molding facility and drown it in molten lead by trapping it by closing a series of doors. The bait-and-chase style plan results in the death of all the remaining prisoners except Morse and Dillon. Dillon is the last victim; he fearlessly remains in the mold to distract the Alien, allowing it to tear him apart, as Morse pours the molten lead onto both of them. The Alien, covered in molten metal, escapes the mold but is quickly killed by Ripley when she turns on fire sprinklers and sprays the beast with water, causing its exoskeleton to cool rapidly and shatter via thermal shock.

While Ripley battles the Alien, the Weyland-Yutani team arrives, including a man who looks identical to the Bishop android, claiming to be its creator. He tries to persuade Ripley to undergo surgery to remove the Queen embryo, which he claims will be destroyed. Ripley refuses and steps back onto a mobile platform, which Morse positions over the furnace. The company men shoot Morse in the leg, prompting Aaron to pick up a large wrench and strike Bishop II over the head with it. This reveals that Bishop II is human as his blood is red, not white like an androids. Aaron is shot dead, and Bishop II and his men show their true intentions, begging Ripley to let them have the "magnificent specimen". Ripley defies them by throwing herself into the gigantic furnace. Sensing danger the alien Queen erupts from Ripley's chest. Ripley holds on to the alien so it cannot escape the inferno, and they both fall into the fire to their deaths.

The facility is closed down and the last surviving inmate, Morse, is led away. A sound recording of Ripley (her final lines from the original Alien) is heard from the Sulaco escape pod, "This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo...signing off."
 L² Scored: 6/10 

L² Comment:
6 years after the 2nd movie, Sigourney is back in action for another Alien's movie series. This time, i have to admit, it is not as good as the first 2 movie, and kinda disappointed for me. The only part which excited me is when they tried to chase the alien down into a tunnel and try to kill it. The rest is just normal and very predictable...

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

 Released Year: 2011
Directed by David Fincher

Casted by:
Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist
 Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander
Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger
Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger
Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger / Harriet Vanger
 Story:
 Mikael Blomkvist, co-owner of Swedish "Millennium" magazine, has just lost a libel case brought against him by crooked businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström. Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander, a researcher and computer hacker, has compiled an extensive background check on Blomkvist for a job that Swedish magnate, Henrik Vanger wants him to perform.

In exchange for damning information about Wennerström, Blomkvist agrees to investigate the disappearance and possible murder of Henrik's grandniece, Harriet, 40 years ago. While hunting for clues, Blomkvist uncovers a notebook filled with information that may help explain Harriet's disappearance.

Salander, who is under state legal guardianship due to diagnosed mental incompetency, is appointed a new guardian, lawyer Nils Bjurman. He abuses his authority to extort sexual favors from Salander and then forcibly rapes her. She eventually regains control of her life by blackmailing Bjurman after stunning him with a taser, raping him with a dildo, and marking him as a rapist with a tattoo on his chest and stomach.

Blomkvist hires Salander to further investigate the notebook's content, and she uncovers a connection to a series of murders that occurred from the late 1940s to the mid 1960s. During further investigation, Salander and Blomkvist become lovers. Henrik's brother Harald identifies Martin, Harriet's brother, as a possible suspect. Meanwhile, Salander makes increasingly revealing connections between Harriet's disappearance and the entire Vanger dynasty.

Blomkvist breaks into Martin's house to look for more clues, but Martin catches him. Martin brags about his crimes, but denies killing Harriet. Salander arrives, surprises Martin and saves Blomkvist. While Salander is tending to Blomkvist, Martin flees. Salander, on her motorcycle, pursues Martin in his SUV. He loses control of his vehicle on an icy road and dies when it catches fire.

As more connections are made about the Vanger family, Blomkvist deduces that Harriet is still alive, living under a false identity to hide from Martin. Blomkvist confronts Harriet, who describes the generations of abuse within the Vanger family and Martin's knowledge of her involvement in her father's death. Finally free of her brother, thanks to Salander and Blomkvist, Harriet returns to Sweden and tearfully reunites with Henrik.

As promised, Henrik gives Blomkvist the information on Wennerström, but it is not helpful. Salander responds by hacking Wennerström's computer and presenting Blomkvist with the necessary incriminating information about his activities. This evidence vindicates "Millennium" and destroys Wennerström.

Salander also hacks into Wennerström's bank accounts and transfers two billion euros into her own accounts. During this time, Wennerström is murdered. On her way to give Blomkvist a Christmas present, Salander sees Blomkvist and his longtime lover and business partner Erika Berger walking together happily. Heartbroken, she throws the gift away and rides off on her motorcycle.
 L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:
 Everyone is cheering for this 2011 hit movie from Steven Zailian's novel. I have no time to read the novel even though my friend borrow me the novel for almost 2 months, so i watch the movie instead. The whole movie is nice, brutal and kinda violence... but the thing is, i feel that the movie is a bit too long and draggy... 

Rooney Mara is the shine of this movie based on her outlook and acting, Daniel Craig in another hand is as hot as before and more delicious i should say :)

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Social Network

Released Year: 2010
Directed by David Fincher

Casted by:
Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg
Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin
Brenda Song as Christy Lee
Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker
Armie Hammer as Cameron Winklevoss/Tyler Winklevoss
Rooney Mara as Erica Albright
Max Minghella as Divya Narendra
Story:
In 2003, Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg has the idea to create a website to rate the attractiveness of female Harvard undergraduates after his girlfriend Erica Albright breaks up with him. Mark hacks into the databases of various residence halls, downloads pictures and names of female students and, in a few hours, using an algorithm for ranking chess players supplied by his best friend Eduardo Saverin, he creates a website called "FaceMash", where male students can iteratively choose which of two girls presented at a time is more attractive.

Mark is punished with six months of academic probation after the traffic to the site brings down parts of Harvard's network, and becomes vilified among most of Harvard's female community. However, the popularity of "FaceMash" and the fact that he created it in one night, while drunk, brings him to the attention of Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, identical twins and members of Harvard's rowing team, and their business partner Divya Narendra. As a result, he gains a job working for the Winklevoss twins as the programmer of their website, Harvard Connection.

Soon afterwards, Mark approaches his friend Eduardo and tells him of his idea for what he calls "Thefacebook", an online social networking website exclusive to Harvard University students. He explains this would let people share personal and social information securely. Eduardo agrees to help Mark, providing a thousand dollars to help start the site. Once complete, they distribute the link to Eduardo's connections at the Phoenix S-K final club, and it quickly becomes popular throughout the student body. When they learn of Thefacebook, the Winklevoss twins and Narendra believe that Zuckerberg stole their idea while simultaneously stalling on their website. Cameron and Divya want to sue Mark for intellectual property theft, but Tyler convinces them they can settle the matter as "Harvard gentlemen" without resorting to the courts.

At a lecture by Bill Gates, fellow Harvard University student Christy Lee introduces herself and her friend Alice to Eduardo and Mark. She asks that the boys "Facebook us", which impresses both of them. Christy invites them to a bar, where she and Eduardo have sex in the restroom. Mark later runs into his ex-girlfriend, who is not aware of The Facebook's existence because she is not a Harvard University student. Stung by this, Mark decides to expand the site to more schools.

As The Facebook grows in popularity, they expand to other schools in the Northeastern United States, while the Winklevoss twins and Narendra become angrier at seeing "their idea" advance without them. Tyler refuses to sue them, instead accusing Mark of violating the Harvard student Code of Conduct. Through their father's connections they arrange a meeting with Harvard President Larry Summers, who is dismissive and sees no potential value in either a disciplinary action or in Thefacebook website itself.

Through Christy Lee, now Eduardo's girlfriend, Eduardo and Mark arrange a meeting with Napster co-founder Sean Parker. When they meet, Eduardo becomes skeptical of Parker, noting his problematic personal and professional history. Mark, however, is impressed with Parker, since he presented a vision for Facebook similar to his own. Although no deals are reached, Parker suggests that they drop "The" from Thefacebook, to make it simply "Facebook".

Mark moves the company's base of operation to Palo Alto, at Parker's suggestion, while Eduardo remains in New York seeking advertising support, When Eduardo visits from New York, he is angered to find that Parker is living at the house they have rented and is making business decisions for Facebook. After an argument with Mark, Eduardo freezes the company's bank account and returns to New York. Upon returning, Christy takes Eduardo to task about his Facebook profile, which still lists him as "single", and sets fire to a scarf he gave to her as a gift. While Eduardo extinguishes the fire, Mark reveals on the phone that they have secured money from an angel investor through Parker's contacts. As a result of Christy's jealousy, Eduardo ends his relationship with her.

Meanwhile in England, while competing in the Henley Royal Regatta for Harvard, the Winklevoss twins discover that Facebook has expanded to a number of universities there and decide to sue. Eduardo has also discovered that the deal he signed with Parker's investors allows them to dilute his share of the company from thirty-four percent to three hundredths of a percent, while maintaining the ownership percentage of all other parties. He confronts his erstwhile friend Mark and announces his intention to sue him. Later that night, Parker, along with a number of Facebook interns, are arrested for possession of cocaine during a party thrown on the occasion of Facebook's 1 millionth member.

The framing device throughout the film shows Mark testifying in depositions in two lawsuits: one filed by the Winklevoss twins, and the other filed by Eduardo. In the final scene, a junior lawyer for the defense informs Mark they will be settling with Eduardo, since the sordid details of Facebook's founding and Mark's personality will make a jury highly unsympathetic. The film ends with Mark sending a friend request to his former girlfriend Erica on Facebook, and refreshing the page every few seconds waiting for a response.
L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment:
Well, i never really wanted to watch this movie, but luckily i did :) My lovable Andrew Garfield is in here, and Armie Hammer is definitely hot !!! Armie acted as twins and Josh Pencer as his side-body.

Though this film is based on the Facebook's founders story, but the production team add a lil bit of drama inside to spice up the whole movie, which i think is good enough.

And lastly, Ms Brenda Song is so damn pretty :)