YvOnchiEnda

movie mania!!

2009-07-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

it's been so damn long since i last posted..
i've watch a hell loads of great movies.. the most recent is ICE AGE 3" DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS, it's really funny, but as always, a happy ending..
and before that i watched TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, twice.. it's a really cool movie..

and the other movie i've watched were: PUSH, KNOWING, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIANS, ANGELS AND DEMONS (which i really liked a lot!!!), YES MAN, THE HAPPENING, DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION, THE BANK JOB, AWAKE, PINK PANTHER 2, JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH (fascinating), BEDTIME STORIES (which i watched twice), TRANSPORTER 3 (don't like it at all!), THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (i hated the ending!!), BOLT, TWILIGHT (didn't fascinate me too much), CITY OF EMBER (i liked it more than twilight), STEP UP 2: THE STREETS, JAMES BOND 007: QUANTUM OF SOLACE (i disgusted this movie!), EAGLE EYE (it's a so cool movie that i watched it twice), an indonesian movie LASKAR PELANGI which has no sense, PAN'S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY, BABYLON A.D. (i don't like it), THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (loved it soo much!!)

the best movies so far were:
1. ANGELS AND DEMONS!!
2. EAGLE EYE
3. JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH
4. PUSH
5. TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

andd the movies i really can't wait for is the one and onlyyyy:
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE..!!
my, my.. i can't wait for 16th july!! i have to book the ticket now, or else i won't catch the premier!!
and i'm also curios about NEW MOON since i've just read the book..

COME ON 16TH JULY!!!!

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES

2008-08-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

A recently divorced Mrs. Grace moves into the Spiderwick Estate with her children when it is given to her by her elderly aunt Lucinda. Twins Jared and Simon, and older sister Mallory do not want to move from the city, but are forced to due to their parents' divorce. When Mallory uncovers a dumbwaiter system behind a wall, Jared finds a monogrammed key and discovers the study of the late owner of the estate, Arthur Spiderwick. Jared uses the key to open a chest, he finds Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You; although an attached note warns him not to read it, he does so anyway.

Soon after, Jared meets a brownie named Thimbletack, who explains that magical creatures are normally invisible, but can reveal themselves at will. He tells Jared about a protective circle that Arthur Spiderwick placed around the house and gives him a stone with a hole through which he can see faeries.

However, a shape-shifting ogre named Mulgarath wants the field guide for himself so he can rule over all faerie-kind. He sends his goblins to obtain it, and they kidnap Simon, mistaking him for Jared. Meanwhile, Jared meets Hogsqueal, a hobgoblin, who has a liking for birds and is revengeful enemy of Mulgarath who gives Jared the ability to see faeries without the aid of the stone. Mulgarath lets Simon go, but Jared, who is hiding, is spotted and the twins are chased into the house, managing to escape only with Mallory's help.

The children decide to visit their great-aunt Lucinda, now in a psychiatric hospital, for advice. While Simon distracts the goblins, Mallory and Jared manage to reach a tunnel under the estate. Lucinda tells them that they need to find Arthur Spiderwick and have him destroy the book; however, Arthur is being held captive by Sylphs, a type of faerie. Suddenly, Mulgarath's goblins attack them and steal several pages from the book before they are driven off. On their return, Hogsqueal warns them that one of the stolen pages will allow Mulgarath to destroy the protective circle when the moon rises.

The siblings use the book to summon Arthur Spiderwick's pet, a griffin, which takes them to the realm of the Sylphs. There they meet Arthur, who has not aged but is also unaware of the time he has spent there. After returning home again, Jared, Simon, Mallory, and Helen arm themselves with steel knives and home-made bombs prepared by Simon. When they are forced into the kitchen, they place all of their bombs into the oven, detonating them and killing all of the goblins.

Someone looking like and claiming to be Mr. Grace enters the house and tells Jared that he came to apologize; however, Jared discovers that it is not him since he only said "I came to tell you, that...I love you" and stabs him in the stomach, revealing him to be Mulgarath in disguise. Jared escapes with the book through the dumbwaiter while Mulgarath transforms into a pit viper and gives pursuit. On the roof, Jared throws the book onto the lawn; as Mulgarath transforms into a raven to catch it, he is snatched and eaten by Hogsqueal.

The Graces bring Lucinda back to the house, and the Sylphs appear, bringing Arthur. He cannot remain outside of the faerie realm, but Lucinda asks to be taken with him instead; the Sylphs transform her back into her six-year-old self and spirit the two away.

The movie ends with Hogsqueal threatening Arthur's griffin that he will eat him proving it will be easy since he swallowed a whole Ogre.

WALL-E

2008-08-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

In the 22nd century, the megacorporation "Buy n Large" (BnL) assumed every economic service on Earth, including the government. Overrun by un-recycled waste, the planet eventually became so polluted that it could no longer support life. In an attempt to keep humanity alive, BnL CEO Shelby Forthrig sponsored a five-year exodus from Earth aboard a fleet of luxury starliners that would support every need for the humans with a fully-automated robot crew. Hundreds of thousands of waste-disposal robots, known as "WALL-E" units, were left behind to clean up the planet by compacting the trash into cubes and stacking them into skyscraper-like towers for easy disposal. However, this plan was rejected when Forthright determined by 2110 that Earth was too toxic for return to ever be feasible. By 2815, almost seven hundred years later, only one WALL-E unit remains operational.

Centuries of prolonged activation have granted this particular WALL-E sentience and a sense of curiosity. He collects items that he finds interesting among the refuse, saves spare parts for himself from other inactive WALL-E units, and frequently watches a videotape of the 1969 musical film Hello, Dolly!, especially the performances of "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment" (which becomes a key motif). This teaches him emotion, emphasizing the act of holding hands, which he interprets to be an act of showing love. However, with no one to hold hands with, WALL-E is forlorn.

One day, WALL-E discovers a seedling plant, which he replants in an old boot. Shortly afterward, a spaceship lands on Earth and deploys EVE, a feminine, probe-like robot sent from the Axiom, and WALL-E falls in love with her upon first sight. Although she expresses fascination and amusement in his personality, she does not reciprocate his feelings of love as her only concern is for her directive of, incidentally, finding signs of plant life, which would allow humanity to return to Earth. She does not disclose this directive with WALL-E who, by chance, decides to show her the plant he found. Her mission fulfilled, EVE stores it inside herself and deactivates. WALL-E goes to great lengths to protect her motionless body until she is retrieved by the ship that delivered her. Distraught, WALL-E races after the ship, clinging to the outer hull as it departs into the depths of space, eventually arriving onboard the Axiom.

After centuries of living in micro-gravity, the humans aboard the Axiom have lost considerable bone mass, rendering them too obese and weak to stand or move without robotic assistance. Even the ship's commander, Captain B. McCrea has delegated all his duties to the ship's autopilot, aptly named "Auto". As WALL-E follows EVE to the bridge of the ship, his unique behavior causes both humans and robots he meets on the way to act outside their normal routines, much to their satisfaction.

EVE tries to present the plant to McCrea to place in the ship's holo-detector—a device which will activate an automatic hyperjump to Earth once it scans the plant—only to find it is missing. She is deemed to be malfunctioning and sent to the robot repair ward with WALL-E. Mistakenly thinking that the diagnostic machine is trying to hurt EVE, WALL-E takes and accidentally uses EVE's detached cannon arm to free the other malfunctioning robots in the repair ward, and both become fugitives from security. Annoyed, EVE tries to send him back to Earth in an escape pod when Auto's assistant GO-4 arrives and deposits the missing plant in the pod, revealing that he had stolen it. GO-4 sets the pod to self-destruct and launches it with WALL-E inside, but WALL-E manages to escape with the plant just before the pod detonates. EVE is so happy that she gives WALL-E a "kiss" (which causes an electrostatic discharge), and they dance around the Axiom, flying together through space.

EVE returns the plant to McCrea, with WALL-E following shortly after. Curious to see images of Earth, the Captain projects EVE's security camera footage, which allows EVE to witness the lengths to which WALL-E went to protect her while she was deactivated, and she falls in love with him. Having been enthralled by earlier images depicting life as it was before the rise of BnL, McCrea is shocked by the environmental devastation on Earth depicted in EVE's recordings, and decides that humanity must return to Earth to make amends. However, Auto insists that they cannot return to Earth, and is forced to reveal that Shelby Forthright ordered the autopilots never to do so after his cleanup plan failed. Unable to disobey his directive, Auto stages a mutiny and tries to dispose of the plant. In the ensuing struggle for the plant, Auto violently shocks WALL-E when he tries to protect it and temporarily deactivates EVE. With both WALL-E and EVE out of his way, Auto drops them into a garbage chute along with the plant and locks McCrea in his quarters.

After managing to avoid ejection into space among the trash in the ship's waste disposal facility, EVE dismisses her directive of bringing the plant to the ship's holo-detector in favor of attempting in vain to repair WALL-E. WALL-E, however, insists that EVE carry out her directive and tells her that if they return to Earth, he may be saved with the spare parts he had stockpiled there. WALL-E and EVE escape with the plant and set out to find the holo-detector.

M-O, who happens to be following WALL-E due to his foreign contaminants, joins EVE and WALL-E on their travel. They are aided by McCrea, who directs them to the holo-detector from the confines of his quarters, and the malfunctioning robots, who help them fight off security. After tricking Auto into believing he has retrieved the plant, McCrea confronts and battles with Auto, during which the Captain opens the holo-detector, a pedestal which rises from the floor of the deck. Auto tilts the ship on its side, piling the immobile humans in a corner. While EVE protects the humans from harm, Auto retracts the holo-detector. WALL-E attempts to hold it open by jamming his body inside, crushing him. McCrea summons the strength to stand up unaided and manually overrides Auto, restoring order aboard the ship. The plant is placed in the holo-detector, releasing the severely damaged WALL-E and activating the hyperjump back to Earth.

Having arrived on Earth, EVE frantically repairs and reactivates WALL-E. However, the extent of the damage seems to have erased his memory and personality completely, making him return to his normal directive. Heartbroken, and believing that the WALL-E she knew and loved is gone forever, EVE takes hold of his hand and gives him a parting "kiss". The resulting spark reboots WALL-E's memory, and he suddenly recognizes her as they clasp hands in joy and kiss once more. With a renewed sense of purpose, humanity and robots begin working together to restore Earth's biosphere, directed by the enthusiastic McCrea.

THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP

2008-08-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

In 1940s Scotland, young boy Angus MacMorrow lives in a large manor house with his mother Anne (who is head house keeper), sister, a maid and an old game keeper. Later they are joined by Lewis Mowbray, who comes to work as a handyman in the manor. As Angus has been told, his father — a sailor in the Royal Navy — is missing since his ship has been sunk in the war, so it is very likely that he is dead. However, Angus hopes he is still alive.

One day, whilst looking for abandoned shells by their respective organisms, he discovers a big mysterious egg. Later, he comes to take care for what hatches from it: a unknown creature, or a 'water horse' (whom he calls Crusoe after Robinson Crusoe), that becomes the fabled Loch Ness Monster. As an old Angus tells his tale to a tourist couple in flash-forwards, Lewis explains to young Angus that there is always only one such creature: creatures of this species asexually reproduce through parthenogenesis, and always die after laying an egg.

The next day troops of the 12th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery arrive at the house commanded by Captain Thomas Hamilton, who is a friend of Lord Mackilern, the owner of the house who is serving with the RAF. An artillery battery is set up near the lake as defence against possible attacking or hiding German U-boats and the troops set up camp in the grounds of the house. The water horse is almost always attacked by Churchill, a bulldog who belongs to one of the soldiers, whenever Crusoe ventured around Angus' household. Angus keeps the creature a secret, but eventually tells his sister and (reluctantly) Lewis about it. Meanwhile, Crusoe grows pretty fast and is brought to the lake by Lewis, despite Angus' protests.

A few days later, Angus flees from the Allies camp and returns to the lake were he left his friend. Crusoe, who, despite released in the wild, still views Angus as its parent, lets him ride on its back. After sometime, it then starts diving underwater playfully, coming to the surface from time to time for breathing. Angus, being scared of the water, loudly protests that it should stop diving, but later he enjoys them himself, perhaps even overcomes his phobia for the sea. This peaceful setting doesn't last long; Crusoe suffers from shell shock after almost getting shot by "Victoria" (a cannon; originally meant to stop submarines) aimed at the lake during a firing demonstration. Two people who previously saw Crusoe, attempt to make a photo of it in order to become rich. When they realised that they wouldn't be able to photograph the real thing due to the bombardment test, they decided to create a fake, which would result in the real-life faked picture of The Loch Ness Monster, also known as "The Surgeon's Photo".

This photo, however fake, piques the interest of a few soldiers. Amongst them was a cold and keen hunter, who wished to kill the creature himself. This surprise attack however proves futile for the soldiers, as Crusoe easily capsizes their boat. When it was about to mortally wound a soldier, Crusoe returns to its senses after seeing Angus almost drown in the Loch and saves his life. After much coaxing from Angus, Crusoe decides to leave the loch for shelter and safety. At first, Crusoe couldn't leave the lake due to the continuous bombardments from Victoria and it being blocked by an anti-submarine net intended to catch possible German U-boats entering the lake, but later succeeds by attempting to jump over the net but instead crushes it with its weight. Angus finally accepts that his father may never return home and sees from afar (along with Lewis and his family) Crusoe's departure.

After the story was told (eventually the story-teller reveals himself to be Angus MacMorrow), a mother calls out to her son, who is walking down the beach and spots a rock. The rock looks similar to the egg that the water horse, or 'Nessie' as known in modern times, had hatched from. The last thing that is heard in the film is a crack from the egg, hinting to the viewers that Crusoe

passed away.

THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING

2008-08-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Will Stanton is a day away from his fourteenth birthday. Will has a crush on a very attractive older girl named Maggie whom he sees on the bus from school and his older brothers tease him about this. While the Stanton kids walk home, Miss Greythorne, the local mistress of the Manor, and her Butler Merriman Lyon invite the siblings to a Christmas party. Later, two farmers, Dawson and Old George, whom Will does not know, arrive at his house with a large Christmas tree ordered by the family. The farmers know Will’s name, wish him a happy birthday, and predict bad weather despite the clear sky. Will’s birthday is so close to Christmas that everyone in his large family ignores it except for his little sister Gwen. The family has moved from the United States to a small English village and a brother has arrived home for the holidays and displaces Will to the attic. For a Christmas present, Will buys Gwen an enigmatic stone pendant at the local mall. Two suspicious security guards accuse him of shoplifting and take him to their office. Alarmingly, whilst questioning Will under the room's flickering lights, the guards metamorphose into rooks. They attack Will but he manages to escape, accidentally using his powers for the first time. Will begins to experience more odd incidents and receives a strange and Celtic-looking belt from his oldest brother.

At the Manor Christmas party, Will once again sees Dawson and Old George who seem to know him well. Miss Greythorne and Merriman debate about when and how to approach Will about his destiny. Maggie appears at the party and Will becomes upset when one of his older brother approaches her and begins dating her. Will leaves the Manor, and an ominous figure mounted on a white horse and accompanied by dogs chase Will. Miss Greythorne, Merriman, Dawson and Old George suddenly appear and save Will in time. Merriman names the threatening figure The Rider who warns them all that in five days' time his power – The Dark – will rise. The four adults are the last of the Old Ones – ancient warriors who serve The Light – and take Will on a walk through time and space to a place called the Great Hall. Will is the last of the Old Ones to have been born: he is the seventh son of a seventh son whose power begins to ascend on his fourteenth birthday. Will is The Seeker: the sign-seeker who must dislocate six signs whose possession will grant The Light power over The Dark – and which The Rider is also seeking. Will returns home to his attic room and falls and twists his ankle. The doctor who calls is The Rider in disguise but recognized by Will. The doctor/Rider demonstrates his powers on Will’s ankle by alternately healing it and making it much worse before restoring it to its injured state. Will discovers he has a lost twin brother named Tom, who as a baby mysteriously disappeared one night and was never found. Since Tom was born before Will, Will is the seventh son of a seventh son. Merriman instructs Will on his powers, which include great strength, the command of fire, the ability to move objects at a distance and the unique knowledge to decipher an ancient text.

Will returns to The Great Hall, and learns the form each sign will take. Will reveals the first sign within Gwen’s pendant. As the sign-seeker, Will travels through time to find the next four signs. The Rider enlists a mysterious figure to help him get the signs from Will. When Will's brother invites Maggie to their home, she reveals some of her powers to Will. Will reveals his affections for her, saying he felt an instant connection with her. He tells her he has been thinking of her constantly. The Rider also tricks Will's older brother Max into helping him. The spell over Max is finally broken when Will uses his great strength to give Max a concussion. By the fifth day, The Dark that The Rider commands has now gained tremendous power and begun to attack the village with a terrible blizzard. Will locates the fifth sign but without the sixth sign, the Dark continues to rise. Maggie is revealed to be the mysterious witch helping the Rider in exchange for immortal youth. She is betrayed by him when she fails to get the fifth sign and ages rapidly, disintegrating into a flood of water. The Old Ones and Will seek sanctuary in the Great Hall, where the Rider cannot enter unless invited. However, The Rider's final trick (impersonating the voices of Will's mother and father, as well as Gwen) gains him access inside The Great Hall. The Rider reveals that he has trapped Tom, whom The Rider mistook for The Seeker and kidnapped, within a glass sphere. He sends Will into an evil dark cloud. As he enters, Will solves the riddle of the sixth sign: he himself is the sixth sign. Using his power over the dark, Will banishes both The Rider – imprisoning the evil figure within one of his own glass spheres – and The Dark. The sphere disappears into murky water. Will and Tom are reunited and return to their family.

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT

2008-08-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

The film begins with the Joker robbing a mob-owned bank with his accomplices, whom he tricks into killing each other before killing the last one himself. That night, a trio of Batman impersonators interrupts a meeting between mobsters and the Scarecrow. The real Batman appears and apprehends all of the criminals and impostors, but suffers injuries from dog bites, leading him to re-design his batsuit. Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon contemplate including new district attorney Harvey Dent in their plan to eradicate the mob, as he could be the public hero Batman cannot be. While hosting a fund raiser for Dent, Bruce Wayne discovers that the new D.A. is dating Rachel Dawes.

When mob bosses meet to discuss Batman, Gordon, and Dent, a Chinese mobster accountant, Lau, informs the gang leaders he has hidden their money to pre-empt a plan Gordon has hatched to seize the mobsters' funds. The Joker arrives unexpectedly, offering to kill Batman for half of their money, but the offer is refused. After Batman successfully abducts Lau in Hong Kong and delivers him to the Gotham City police, the mobsters agree to hire the Joker. The Joker tells Gotham that if Batman does not turn himself in to the police and publicly reveal his identity, people will die each day. When Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and the judge presiding over the mob trials are murdered, Bruce decides to reveal his identity. Before he can, Dent announces that he is Batman and is arrested as part of a plan to draw the Joker out of hiding. The Joker attempts to ambush the police convoy carrying Dent, but Batman and Gordon intervene and arrest him; in commemoration of his actions, Gordon is appointed police commissioner.

At the police station, Batman interrogates the Joker, who reveals that Dawes and Dent have been captured by corrupt police and placed in warehouses rigged with explosives on opposite sides of the city; they are far enough apart that Batman cannot save them both. Batman leaves to save Dawes, while Gordon and the police head after Dent. With the help of a bomb planted at the police station, the Joker escapes with Lau. Having been deceived by the Joker, Batman arrives at Dent's location in time to save him, but the left side of Dent's face is burned in the explosion. Gordon does not arrive in time to save Dawes and she perishes. In the hospital, Dent is driven to madness over the loss of Dawes. The Joker frees Dent from the hospital and convinces Dent to exact revenge on the corrupt cops and mobsters responsible, as well as Batman and Gordon.

Dent, calling himself "Two-Face," goes on a personal vendetta confronting the cops and mobsters one by one, and deciding their fates with the flip of a coin. The Joker burns Lau along with his half of the mob's money, and announces to the public that anyone left in Gotham at nightfall will be subject to his rule. With the bridges and tunnels out of the city closed due to the Joker's bomb threat, the authorities begin evacuating people by ferry. The Joker places explosives on two of the ferries—one ferry with convicts, the other with civilians—telling all the passengers the only way to save themselves is to trigger the explosives on the other ferry; otherwise he will destroy both at midnight.

Batman locates the Joker and prevents him from destroying the ferries after the passengers on both decide not to destroy each other. The Joker acknowledges that Batman is truly incorruptible, but that Dent was not, and his madness has been unleashed upon the city. After Batman subdues him and leaves in search of Dent, the SWAT team arrives and arrests the Joker. At the remains of the building where Dawes died, Batman finds Dent holding Gordon and Gordon's family at gunpoint. Dent proceeds to judge the innocence of Batman, himself, and Gordon's son through coin tosses. He shoots Batman in the abdomen, but before Dent can determine the boy's fate, Batman tackles him, both falling over the side of the building. As Dent lies motionless on the ground, Batman and Gordon realize the loss of morale the city would suffer if Dent's acts of murder were to become known. Batman convinces Gordon to preserve Dent's image by holding Batman responsible for the murders. Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal, and a manhunt for Batman ensues.

HANCOCK

2008-08-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

John Hancock is an alcoholic with superhuman powers, including supersonic flight, invulnerability, immortality, and super-strength. Though he uses his powers to stop criminals in his current residence of Los Angeles, his activity inadvertently causes millions of dollars in property damage due to his constant intoxication. As a result, he is routinely jeered at the crime scenes. Hancock also ignores court subpoenas from the city of Los Angeles to address the property damage he has caused.

When public relations spokesperson Ray Embrey departs from an unsuccessful meeting pitching his All-Heart logo for corporations who are extraordinarily charitable, he becomes trapped on railroad tracks with an incoming freight train. Hancock saves Ray's life, but he causes the train to derail and nearly injures another driver. Hancock is jeered by other drivers for causing more damage, but Ray steps in and thanks Hancock for saving his life. Ray offers to improve Hancock's public image, and Hancock grudgingly accepts. The spokesperson convinces the alcoholic superhero to permit himself to be jailed for outstanding subpoenas so they can show Los Angeles how much the city really needs Hancock. When the crime rate rises after Hancock's incarceration, the superhero is contacted by the Chief of Police. With a new costume from Ray, Hancock intervenes with a bank robbery, rescuing a cop and stopping the leader of the robbers, Red Parker.

After the rescue, Hancock is applauded for handling the bank robbery. The superhero becomes popular once more, as Ray had predicted. He goes out to dinner with Ray and his wife Mary, with whom he reveals his apparent immortality and his amnesia from 80 years ago. After Hancock tucks a drunken Ray in bed, he discovers that Mary also has superhuman powers. He threatens to expose her unless she explains their origins, and she tells him that they have lived for 3,000 years with their powers, having been called gods and angels in their time. She explains that they are the last of their kind and that their kind are paired. Mary does not tell Hancock the entire truth, and Hancock departs to tell Ray about the conversation. The exchange results in a battle between Hancock and Mary that takes them to downtown Los Angeles, causing significant damage to the area. Ray, downtown in a business meeting, sees and recognizes Mary using abilities like Hancock's.

Hancock is later shot twice in the chest and wounded when he stops a liquor store robbery. After being hospitalized, Mary enters and explains that as the pair of immortals gets close, they begin to lose their powers. She also explains that Hancock was attacked in an alley 80 years prior, where he obtained amnesia. Mary deserted him then in order for him to recover from his injuries. After her explanation, the hospital is raided by the bank robber Red Parker and the two men that Hancock had humiliated during his incarceration. Mary is shot in the process. Hancock is able to stop two men but is further wounded by them. When Red attempts to finish Hancock off, Ray comes to the rescue and stops the bank robber with a fire ax. With Mary nearly dying, Hancock uses the last of his strength to flee from the hospital so that their parting would allow her to heal with her powers. He later winds up in New York City, working as a superhero. As gratitude to Ray, Hancock paints Ray's All-Heart logo on the moon and calls the spokesperson to look up to the worldwide advertisement.

MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR

2008-08-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

The film begins with a narration about the rise to power of Emperor Han, first Emperor of China, known as 'the Dragon Emperor'. He conquered all his enemies, many of whom were buried under the Great Wall of China, and mastered the five elements, but could not conquer death. To that end, he sought the help of a witch, Zi Yuan, who knew where to find the secret of immortality.

Han orders his second in command, General Ming, to help her with her research. Han tells Ming that no man is to touch Zi Yuan, as he wants her himself. The two fall in love during their search however and during a moment of passion, are watched by a spy loyal to the emperor. After Zi Yuan supposedly casts the immortality spell on Han, he invites her to the balcony where she is given the choice of becoming Han's wife or watching her lover die. Zi Yuan angrily denies Han and watches in horror as General Ming is pulled apart by horses. Han then stabs Zi Yuan, telling her she can join him in hell. She reveals that she has in fact cursed the Emperor and his army, turning them into terra cotta statues, and manages to escape, as Han and his army transform.

The film jumps ahead to

1946, 13 years after the events of The Mummy Returns. Explorer Rick his wife Evelyn, and brother-in-law Jonathan are now retired: however, it is clear Rick and Evy miss their adventuring days. Their son Alex has dropped out of school and become an adventurer like his parents. With the financial backing of Roger Wilson, an eminent archaeology professor, Alex locates the Dragon Emperor's tomb. Though he is attacked by a mysterious woman, he avoids harm and successfully brings the Emperor back to Shanghai. In the meantime, the British government entrusts the elder O'Connells to take the Eye of Shangri-La back to China as a good faith gesture from the British to the Chinese. All the O'Connells arrive at the Imhotep, a night club in Shanghai owned by Jonathan. Alex gives his parents a tour of the exhibit, where it is revealed that Roger Wilson is in league with a paramilitary group led by General Yang and his Second-in-Command Choi, who wish to resurrect the Dragon Emperor, seeing him as the only one who can bring order to China. Using the Eye of Shangri-La, which contains water from Shangri-La, they are able to resurrect the Emperor into his terracotta statue form. The Emperor accepts the service of Choi and Yang, but kills Wilson. The mysterious woman from the excavation site tries to kill the Emperor with a dagger cursed by Zi Yuan, but he manages to escape.

The mysterious woman reveals herself to be Lin, a protector of the Dragon Emperor's tomb. She explains that the path to Shangri-La can be revealed using the Eye. The O'Connells, Jonathan, and Lin trek through the Himalayas with the help of Rick's pilot friend 'Mad Dog' Maguire and reach the tower that will reveal the path to Shangri-La when the Eye is placed on top of it.

General Yang, his soldiers, and the Emperor arrive shortly after. Lin summons a trio of

yeti to assist in the battle, but the Emperor ultimately succeeds in placing the Eye atop the golden tower. Rick is impaled by the Dragon Emperor's sword while protecting Alex as he triggers an avalanche, which buys them time to reach Shangri-La first.

They reach Shangri-La first and Rick is healed by Zi Yuan, who was rescued by the yeti after cursing the Emperor. She is revealed to be Lin's mother, General Ming having fathered her shortly before his death. Using the water, they have become immortal and have guarded the secrets of the Emperor for over 2,000 years. The Emperor arrives and is able to bathe in the pool, restoring him to his human form and giving him shape-shifting abilities. He takes the form of a three-headed dragon, kidnaps Lin, and flies to raise his Terracotta Army at the excavation site. The O'Connells and Zi Yuan pursue the Emperor, while Jonathan and Mad Dog leave to gather reinforcements to stop him.

The Emperor summons his army, which will become invincible should it cross the Great Wall. To buy time, Zi Yuan sacrifices her immortality and that of her daughter to revive those buried beneath the Great Wall. Led by General Ming, the undead army and the Terracotta army fight. A massive battle ensues, during which Zi Yuan and the Emperor fight one-on-one. Zi Yuan sacrifices herself to steal back the cursed dagger. Alex saves Lin and they find Zi Yuan dying soon after. She gives Lin the dagger and tells her to stab the Emperor through the heart. During the battle, General Yang and Choi go to the tomb to aide the Emperor, only to have their truck hit by a missile thrown by Jonathan, who has returned with a number of warplanes to fight back: however, the Emperor turns into a horned, bestial demon and brings one of the planes down.

While Rick and Alex head off to fight the Emperor, Evelyn and Lin fight General Yang and Choi, who survived the missile and now seek revenge. In the ensuing battle, Yang gets caught in one of the rotating wooden cranks. Choi attempts to pull him out and refuses to let go, crushing and killing them both. During the fight Rick and Alex find themselves outmatched against the shape-shifting Emperor, and the dagger is broken during the confrontation. Rick goads the Emperor into fighting fair, and manages to plunge the dagger hilt into his heart. Alex in turn stabs him in the back, fusing the dagger within the Emperor's heart and destroying him in a brilliant explosion.

Back at the Imhotep, Mad Dog is the new owner and the now-mortal Lin is dancing with Alex and they finally kiss. Rick and Evelyn are dancing as well. Jonathan, on the other hand, decides to move to

Peru with the Eye of Shangri-La, a place he claims has no mummies. As he rides off, it is revealed that once he arrived, mummies were discovered in Peru soon after...

D-WAR

2008-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

As a young boy, Ethan Kendrick encounters in a shop owned and operated by antiques dealer Jack a mysterious reptilian scale that shines with a blue light. This light projects itself upon Ethan. Seeing this, Jack pretends to suffer a heart attack and sends Ethan's father, who is selling him an antique dagAger, to get help. He then reveals to Ethan that the scale belonged to an Imoogi. Ethan listens as Jack narrates a story (largely shown in flashback) explaining the scale.

Jack's Story
According to the story, every 500 years a girl is born who has the power to change one of the Imoogi into a Celestial Dragon. She is be identified by the stylized image of a dragon on her left shoulder. In order to maintain humanity's place in the balance of nature, this cycle must be completed each time she is born. When the evil Imoogi Buraki sought to become a dragon through contact with this woman, who is called the Yuh-Yi-Joo, the authority identified only as "Heaven" sent two warriors, Bochun and his ward Haram, to protect the Yuh-Yi-Joo from him.

When Buraki's ruthless Atrox Army (legions of armored warriors able to create their weapons on demand) advanced on the village where the Yuh-Yi-Joo's father was headman, a village mother revealed the location of the Yuh-Yi-Joo to them in exchange for her own daughter's modesty, which would otherwise have been violated by Buraki's soldiers. The Artox Army murdered the headman and captured his daughter, whereupon Bochun intervened to rescue her. She was sent to join Haram, who, to avoid sacrificing her to the Good Imoogi, led her to the edge of a cliff, where Buraki attempted to kill them. Haram and the Yuh-Yi-Joo then committed suicide to save themselves from Buraki.

Ethan's Quest
Jack, having told this story, reveals that he is himself Bochun, and that Ethan is Haram, reborn to protect the Yuh-Yi-Joo from Buraki, who is soon to return. Jack gives Ethan a medallion formerly belonging to Haram and reveals that the Yuh-Yi-Joo is a girl named Sarah whom Ethan will find in Los Angeles. Ethan accepts the medallion and the responsibility of caring for the Yuh-Yi-Joo.

Nineteen years later, Ethan has become a television news reporter. In this role, he discovers while investigating a disaster site that Buraki has returned. He then inquires into the news office's database for the location of a Los Angeles-based girl named Sarah, who is either nineteen or twenty years old and bears a dragon-shaped mark on her shoulder. His friend Bruce, despite disbelief, helps Ethan search.

Meanwhile, the Sarah Ethan wants, one Sarah Daniels, is with a friend of hers when she sees Ethan's news report and is terrified by the tracks Buraki has left. She hurries home and surrounds herself with protective symbols, which she does not understand but which she feels are the only tools she has by which to protect herself. Her friend Brandy, concerned but not quite understanding Sarah's problem, takes her to a tavern for a drink, hoping to take her mind off of her fears. Sarah, still afraid, leaves the tavern, but is attacked outside by three thugs. Jack, the antique dealer, appears at once, fights the thugs, and leaves Sarah safe. The police later interrogate Sarah, but do not believe the tale of her rescuer. Word of her escape eventually reaches Ethan through another reporter, who thinks that Sarah fought off the thugs herself.

Ethan eventually finds Sarah at a hospital. Although the hospital's receptionist refuses him entry, a doctor leads him to Sarah's room. This doctor is later revealed to be Jack in disguise. Buraki and his army continue to search for Sarah, attracting the attention the United States' Secretary of Defence, and a federal investigation agency.

Ethan is about to explain the truth of their situation to Sarah when Buraki attacks the hospital, intent on capturing her. Ethan and Sarah flee in a car driven by Bruce, with Buraki in pursuit. They are stopped and fight with a commander of the Atrox Army, but eventually escape him as well. Again, their escape is attributed to a disguised Jack.

Ethan subsequently explains the story to Sarah, who accepts it as true and Ethan as her protector. He then takes her to a practitioner of hypnotherapy, who helps her revive the memories of her previous life as the former, unsuccessful Yuh-Yi-Joo. The energy released by her body during the hypnotherapy session attracts Buraki, who destroys the hypnotherapist's house and follows Sarah and Ethan.

In a car, Ethan and Sarah flee to the more densely-populated areas of the city, where they meet with Bruce in a restaurant. Bruce makes Ethan's excuse for his absence from the news office by planning to describe Sarah as a novice reporter, whom Ethan must train. Bruce later takes Ethan aside and gives him a pistol for self-defense. When Bruce has left Ethan alone, Jack warns Ethan that the Yuh-Yi-Joo must fulfill her destiny. Ethan, defiant because of his new attachment to Sarah, demands to be left alone.

Moments later, Buraki finds Ethan and Sarah again. They attempt to escape him, resulting in a chase scene that culminates atop the U.S. Bank Tower. There, Buraki is distracted by a military helicopter, whose pilot fires on him. Buraki then summons the Atrox Army to help him. This legion enters the city and advances through the streets, engaging by the U.S. Army as it goes. Here the Atrox Army is shown to consist of black-armored, humanoid warriors; therapod-like cavalry called "Shaconnes"; small, winged western dragons called "Bulcos"; and huge, slow-moving reptiles identified in the dialogue as "Dawdlers", who carry powerful rocket launchers on their backs. The Atrox Army proceeds, crushing the American soldiers and their weapons while suffering moderate casualties. Meanwhile Ethan and Sarah are taken to an empty garage by two federal officers. The senior officer reveals that he has researched the legend of the Imoogi, and attempts to kill Sarah so that Buraki and his army would depart for another five centuries. The junior officer, horrified, kills his partner and gives the fugitives his car whereby to escape.

Ethan and Sarah enter the rural countryside in a car. Sarah, having given up hope of escape, remarks that wherever she goes, the Imoogi will find her. Ethan, who seems bent on saving her both from Buraki and from the Good Imoogi for whom she is destined, refuses to admit this. Sarah pauses, then tells him that she is now twenty years old, revealing herself to have come into her full power as Yuh-Yi-Joo. Immediately, the Bulcos knock the car over and capture Sarah.

Climax and Epilogue
When Ethan regains conciousness, he is tied to a pillar which stands before a menacing fortress in the midst of a darkened desert landscape. In front of it lies an altar from which Sarah is to be sacrificed to Buraki. Just as Buraki is about to consume Sarah, Ethan's pendant unleashes a light that destroys all of Buraki's legions, though not the Artox Leader or Buraki himself.

Ethan runs up to save Sarah, but is halter by the The Atrox Leader and they engage in combat. The Atrox Leader is killed when he strikes at Ethan with his sword and Ethan's pendant protects him. However, a revived Buraki knocks Ethan down and attempts to eat Sarah, but the Good Imoogi appears and fights him. Ethan and Sarah watch as Buraki and the Good Imoogi battle furiously. Ultimately, Buraki wins. He approaches Sarah, who offers herself to him. Just as Buraki is about to absorb Sarah's power, she redirects it into the open mouth of the Good Imoogi, who is instantly revived. Buraki attacks him again,but the Good Imoogi becomes a gigantic Korean dragon during the struggle. They fight for a few minutes, after which the Good Imoogi, now the Celestial Dragon, flies to the top of Buraki's fortress and breathes fire on Buraki, burning the evil Imoogi to ashes.

Having slain Buraki, the Celestial Dragon approaches Ethan, allowing Sarah's spirit to speak with him. Sarah, now a fully fledged Yuh-Yi-Joo, requests Ethan not to be sad, adding that she will love him for all eternity. The Celestial Dragon then takes Sarah back into his body and ascends to the heavens. Immediately, Jack appears behind Ethan, reminding him that the two of them have been given a great honor. Jack then dissolves into dust. Ethan, recognizing that he will never see Jack again, whispers "Good-bye, old man".

KUNG FU PANDA

2008-06-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Po is a chubby panda who works in the noodle restaurant owned by his goose father Mr. Ping. He is also a kung fu fanatic with secret dreams of becoming a great master in the discipline, but Po's defining characteristic appears to be that he is the clumsiest of all the animals in ancient China. Mr. Ping hopes that Po will one day take over the restaurant.

The tortoise Master Oogway has a premonition that the evil snow leopard warrior Tai Lung, the former student of his own protégé Master Shifu, will escape from prison and return to threaten the Valley of Peace. While Shifu sends Zeng, a messenger goose, to Chorh-Gom Prison to have the security increased, Oogway orders a formal ceremony to choose the mighty Dragon Warrior who can defeat Tai Lung. Everyone assumes that one of the Furious Five — Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane — a quintet of supremely skilled martial artists trained by Shifu, will be chosen for this honor.

While the Five demonstrate their skills at the ceremony, Po finds himself locked outside the walled palace square. He attempts desperately to gain entry through a series of increasingly foolhardy methods. He finally does get over the wall by making a chair out of fireworks, lighting them and waiting for Oogway to choose the Dragon Warrior. Suddenly the chair zooms into the air with Po and burns up, leaving the charred panda to crash into the center of the arena. Inspired by this sudden appearance, the old master designates Po the Dragon Warrior to everyone's shock.

Despite Po's protests and Shifu's pleas to reconsider, Oogway stands by his decision.
Revolted at having this slovenly and obese noodle vendor with no martial arts training whatsoever under his tutelage, Shifu attempts to discourage Po by berating and humiliating him into leaving, including threatening to use the apparently deadly "Wuxi Finger Hold" on him. The Five, profoundly disappointed at being upstaged by the panda, similarly dismiss Po as a worthless interloper.

Although he becomes aware of Shifu's true intentions and is deeply hurt by his heroes' disdain for him, Po endures their abuse willingly for the growing dream to become something better than the failure he thinks he is, gradually earning some sympathy from them. In addition, Master Oogway, still certain that the clumsy panda is the right choice, strengthens Po with sage advice to encourage the panda to believe in himself. Eventually, the affable Po endears himself to the Five (except for the extremely disdainful Tigress) with his tireless tenacity, good cooking, and sense of humor.

Meanwhile, Zeng's errand backfires disastrously when a tour of the prison given to him by the overly confident head of security, Commander Vachir

, inadvertently enables Tai Lung to escape. Tai Lung orders Zeng to send word of his arrival. In the Valley of Peace, Oogway passes on, his final wish that Shifu train Po. However, upon learning of Tai Lung's return, the death of the tortoise who is the only one to have defeated him, and realizing that he has to face such a villain without any skill in fighting, Po attempts to flee, only to be stopped by Shifu who realizes that the panda must be trained. Unfortunately, when Po confesses his deep self loathing due to his obesity and the fact that he will never be a match for Tai Lung, Shifu is at a loss for a solution.

Overhearing the argument between Po and Shifu, the Five take it upon themselves to intercept Tai Lung, especially Tigress, who is confident in her training. After a long night of pondering, Shifu discovers the following morning that Po is capable of impressive physical feats when motivated by food. Realizing that he has found the right focus for the panda, Shifu leads Po to the countryside for an intensive training regime in which Po is offered food as a reward for learning his lessons properly. Thus motivated, Po learns swiftly and finally becomes a talented martial artist in his own right.

The Five battle Tai Lung but are eventually beaten and paralyzed with a specialized nerve-striking technique. When they return defeated, Shifu finally decides Po is ready to take the villain on and gives him the sacred Dragon Scroll, which promises great power to the possessor. When Po opens it, he finds nothing but a blank reflective surface. Stricken with despair at the scroll's apparent worthlessness, Shifu orders his students to evacuate the village while he stays to delay Tai Lung from pursuing them for as long as he can.

As Po participates in the evacuation, he comes across his father, who tries to cheer him up by telling him the secret ingredient of the family's popular noodle soup: nothing whatsoever. Things become special, he explains, because people believe them to be special. Realizing that this truth is the very point of the Dragon Scroll, that the power promised is already inside him, Po rushes off to help Shifu. At this time, Tai Lung confronts Shifu and savagely fights and berates him for his perceived betrayal of not arguing with Master Oogway's rejection of Tai Lung as Dragon Warrior.

To remedy that, Tai Lung wants the Dragon Scroll for himself to complete his training. While fighting, he expresses that he gave in to his aggression and anger so he could make Shifu proud of him. For his part, Shifu is crippled by his profound feelings of guilt and responsibility for his former protégé, whom he loved like a son, turning to darkness.

Tai Lung angrily discovers the Scroll is gone, and before he can kill his former mentor, Po arrives to challenge him as he had already believed in himself. Although the snow leopard scoffs at the fat panda being the Dragon Warrior, the ensuing fight proves Po to be an extremely formidable opponent. Despite Po's skill, Tai Lung temporarily stuns him and gains the Dragon Scroll, but is horrified when he examines it, unable to understand its symbolism. As he recovers, Po delivers some words of wisdom to strengthen Tai Lung's spirit when he reveals his comprehension of the deeper wisdom of the scroll. Deeply frustrated with an apparently useless prize and having worked so hard for the "Powerful" Dragon Scroll, Tai Lung tries to subdue Po with his nerve strikes.

However, the attack proves useless on the panda, as his nerves are "hard to find" due to his body fat. Emboldened, Po effectively counter-attacks with a unique improvised combat style that takes advantage of his girth to absorb and deflect the force from Tai Lung's attacks back at him. In the end, Po uses the Wuxi Finger Hold on Tai Lung (which he claims to have "figured out" on his own) and uses his catchphrase, "Skadoosh!", defeating him with a devastating explosion that ripples through the valley.

The Five return to the valley to investigate the cause of the explosion and find a slightly dazed but triumphant Po. Deeply impressed at Po's victory, Tigress leads the Five to acknowledge the panda as a Kung Fu master. The villagers, including Po's father, follow suit and hail Po as a hero. Po remembers his teacher is wounded, and rushes back to Shifu, who is now finally at peace, though he is not dead ("I'm not dying, you idiot!...er, Dragon Warrior. I am simply at peace.") — he is only resting after such a trying battle. Po lays on the floor with him for a few seconds, then finally asks if he would like to go and get something to eat; Shifu takes him up on the offer.

MOVIE I RECENTLY WATCHED

2008-06-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA PRINCE CASPIAN

In Narnia, Caspian, a Telmarine Prince, is woken up by his professor, Doctor Cornelius, who informs him that his aunt has just given birth to a son and that his life is now in danger. Doctor Cornelius gives him Queen Susan's ancient magical horn and instructs him to use it if he is in dire need of help. Knowing that his Uncle Miraz would kill him in order to be king, Caspian flees.
Chased by several Telmarine soldiers, Caspian falls off his horse and encounters two Narnian dwarfs and a talking badger in the woods. One of the dwarfs, Trumpkin, is captured by the soldiers after sacrificing himself to save Caspian, while the other dwarf, Nikabrik, and the badger, Trufflehunter, save Caspian. Not knowing that they are trying to save him, Caspian blows the magical horn, trying to summon help.

England, the four Pevensie children wait at the Strand tube station for the train to arrive. One year has passed in their world after they left Narnia. Just as the train pulls into the station, the walls start sucking in, and the whole station tears apart to leave the Pevensies in Narnia. There, they discover that Cair Paravel, their castle, had turned into ruins while they were gone.
Meanwhile, Nikabrik and Trufflehunter lead Caspian to the Dancing Lawn, where all the old Narnians have assembled, including the swashbuckling mouse, Reepicheep, and a large number of centaurs and minotaurs. There, Caspian convinces them to help him win his throne back so that he can give them back their land.

The Pevensies save a bound and gagged Trumpkin as they spot two Telmarine soldiers who are about to drown him in the ocean. After the dwarf realizes that the four of them are the kings and queens of old, they set off together. On the way, Lucy glimpses Aslan and tries to convince the others that she's seen him, but only Edmund believes her. After many twists and turns, they eventually encounter Caspian and his troops, who take them to Aslan's How, a huge underground hall built over the Stone Table. From there, Peter suggests that they attack Miraz's castle. Lucy suggests waiting for Aslan to give instructions, but Peter decides they have waited for Aslan long enough.

The Narnians succeed in raiding Miraz’s castle, but Peter calls for a retreat when he realizes that if they keep fighting, all will be killed. Peter, Edmund, Susan, Caspian, and half of the Narnians manage to escape before the gate closes, but the rest are trapped and brutally slaughtered.
When they get back to Aslan's How, Peter and Caspian, who are both guilty and upset over the loss of half their soldiers, have an argument about the attack on the castle, which almost culminates in a swordfight. Later, Nikabrik, along with a hag and a werewolf, draw Caspian aside and tell him that they can help him claim his throne and guarantee Miraz's death. After Caspian agrees, the hag uses black sorcery to summon the White Witch. From inside a wall of ice, the Witch tries to convince Caspian, who had not realized what Nikabrik's true intentions were, to give her a drop of his blood in order to set her free. Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin arrive and quickly incapacitate Nikabrik, the wolf, and the hag, and Edmund shatters the wall of ice before the Witch can be freed.

As Miraz and his army arrive at Aslan's How, Caspian suggests that Peter and Miraz duel one-on-one under the condition of surrender, in order to buy Lucy and Susan more time to find Aslan. Miraz is forced to accept, as it would look cowardly to refuse to fight a boy half his age. Susan and Lucy, who are searching for Aslan in the woods, are chased by Telmarine soldiers along the way; Susan sends Lucy off and remains behind to deal with the soldiers, but she is soon rescued by Caspian and the two of them return to the battlesite. Peter and Miraz battle, and Peter eventually is able to wound Miraz, but gives his sword to Caspian to finish him off. Caspian, who cannot bring himself to do it, lets Miraz keep his life, but says that he intends to give Narnia back to its people.

Lord Sopesian suddenly stabs and kills Miraz with one of Susan's red-feathered arrows and blames the Narnians for shooting Miraz. Sopesian calls the Telmarine army, which is waiting just outside the How, to advance so that they can obliterate the Narnians. The Telmarines unfurl nasty trebuchets which fire a continuous stream of boulders at Aslan's How and the Narnian army. In an effort to fight back, the Narnians try several tactics, including collapsing underground tunnels underneath the army, and sending griffins overhead with archers in their claws. In one final hope, they charge head on to fight with the Telmarines.

Lucy, meanwhile, has found Aslan in the woods; he awakens the trees that have been in a deep sleep. With the whole forest suddenly against them, Lord Sopesian orders the Telmarines to retreat to the bridge of Beruna, where they are confronted by Lucy and Aslan. Aslan summons the

river god, who destroys the bridge and wipes out the majority of the Telmarine army as well as Lord Sopesian; all of the surviving Telmarine soldiers are forced to surrender and hand over their weapons, while the Narnians are honored for fighting well.

Before the Pevensies depart, Peter and Susan declare, much to Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy's dismay, that Aslan has told them they will never return to Narnia. Aslan explains that Susan and Peter have gained everything they could possibly gain from their experiences in Narnia and are no longer needed there. Susan and Caspian share a kiss, knowing they will never meet again. The Pevensies then go back to England, leaving Caspian as King of Narnia.