"Movies Collection"

Inception

2011-03-28T12:42:00.001+08:00

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) perform an illegal corporate espionage by entering the subconscious minds of their targets, using two-level "dream within a dream" strategies to "extract" valuable information. Each of the "extractors" carries a "totem", a personalized small object whose behavior is unpredictable to anyone except its owner, to determine whether they are in another person's dream. Cobb's totem is a spinning top which perpetually spins in the dream state. Cobb struggles with memories of his dead wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), who manifests within his dreams and tries to sabotage his efforts.

Cobb is approached by the wealthy Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe), Cobb's last extraction target, asking him and his team to perform the act of "inception", planting an idea within the person's subconscious mind. Saito wishes to break up the vast energy empire of his competitor, the ailing Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlethwaite), by suggesting this idea to his son Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) who will inherit the empire when his father dies. Should Cobb succeed, Saito promises to use his influence to clear Cobb of the murder charges for his wife's death, allowing Cobb to re-enter the United States and reunite with his children. Cobb assembles his team: Eames (Tom Hardy), an identity forger; Yusuf (Dileep Rao), a chemist who concocts the powerful sedative needed to stabilize the layers of the shared dream; and Ariadne (Ellen Page), a young student architect tasked with designing the labyrinth of the dream landscapes. Saito insists on joining the team as an observer and to assure the job is completed. While planning the inception, Ariadne learns of the guilt Cobb struggles with from Mal's suicide and his separation from his children when he fled the country as a fugitive.

The job is set into motion when Maurice Fischer dies and his son accompanies his father's body from Sydney to Los Angeles. During the flight, Cobb sedates Fischer, and the team bring him into a three-level shared dream. At each stage, the member of the team who is "creating" the dream remains while the other team members fall asleep within the dream to travel further down into Fischer's subconscious. The dreamers will then ride a synchronized system of "kicks" (a car diving off a bridge, a fall between hotel rooms, and a collapsing building) back up the levels to wake up to reality. In the first level, Yusuf's dream of a rainy city, the team successfully abducts Fischer, but the team is attacked by Fischer's militarized subconscious projections, which have been trained to hunt and kill extractors. Saito is mortally wounded during the shoot-out, but due to the strength of Yusuf's sedative, dying in the dream will send them into limbo, a deep subconscious level where they may lose their grip on reality and be trapped indefinitely.

Eames takes the appearance of Fischer's godfather Peter Browning (Tom Berenger) to suggest that he reconsider his opinion of his father's will. Yusuf remains on the first level driving a van through the streets, while the remaining characters enter Arthur's dream, taking place in a corporate hotel. Cobb turns Fischer against Browning and persuades him to join the team as Arthur runs point, and they descend to the third dream level, a snowy mountain fortress dreamed by Eames, which Fischer is told represents Browning's subconscious. Yusuf's evasive driving on the first level manifests as distorted gravity effects on the second, forcing Arthur to improvise a kick using an elevator shaft, and an avalanche on the third.

Saito succumbs to his wounds, and Cobb's projection of Mal sabotages the plan by shooting Fischer dead.^[12] Cobb and Ariadne elect to enter limbo to find Fischer and Saito. There, Cobb confronts his projection of Mal, who tries to convince him to stay with her and his kids in limbo. Cobb refuses and confesses that he was responsible for Mal's suicide: to help her escape from limbo during a shared dream experience, he inspired in her the idea that her world wasn't real. Once she had returned to reality, she became convinced that she was still dreaming and needed to die in order to wake up. Through his confession, Cobb attains catharsis and chooses to remain in limbo to search for Saito; Eames defibrillates Fischer to bring him back up to the third-level mountain fortress, where he enters a safe room and discovers and accepts the idea to split up his father's business empire.

Leaving Cobb behind, the team members escape by riding the kicks back up the levels of the dream. Cobb eventually finds an elderly Saito who has been waiting in limbo for decades in dream time (just a few hours in real time), and the two help each other to remember their arrangement. The team awakens on the flight; Saito arranges for Cobb to get through U.S. customs, and he goes home to reunite with his children. Cobb uses his spinning top to test reality but is distracted by his children before he can see the result.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

2011-03-28T12:38:00.001+08:00

Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel) is attacked and bitten by Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), in order to begin creating an army of newborns set to destroy Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Back in Forks, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella discuss the complications of becoming an immortal vampire. At 18 years old, one year older than the age Edward was when he became a vampire, Bella expresses her aversion to the idea of marrying so young, though Edward refuses to turn her until they are married and she's had various human experiences she would otherwise miss. While Charlie Swan (Billy Burke) investigates the disappearance of Riley Biers, Edward suspects his disappearance was caused by the newborn vampires. Furthering his suspicions is the intrusion of Riley into Bella's room.

Although Edward fears for her safety, Bella insists that Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and the rest of the werewolf pack would never harm her, but Edward is still not convinced. Bella goes to La Push to see Jacob, and returns home unharmed. During one of her visits, Jacob confesses that he is in love with Bella, and forcefully kisses her. Mad, she punches him and breaks her hand, and Edward later threatens to break Jacob's jaw. Bella even revokes the invitations of Jacob and his pack members to her graduation party, but when Jacob apologizes for his behavior, she forgives him.

Meanwhile, Alice (Ashley Greene) sees a vision that the newborn army is attacking Forks led by Riley Biers. Jacob, accompanied by Quil (Tyson Houseman) and Embry (Kiowa Gordon) overhear this, which leads to an alliance between the Cullens and Wolf pack. Later, the Cullens and the wolves agree to a meeting place and time to train and discuss strategy. During the training Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) explains to Bella that he was created by a vampire named Maria to control a newborn army. He hated his original existence and upon meeting Alice, joined the Cullens with her. Bella sees the true bond between a mated vampire pair and begins to understand Jasper better. Despite her reluctance to marry, Bella realizes that spending eternity with Edward is more important to her than anything else and agrees to marry him. Edward and Bella camp up in the mountains to hide Bella from the bloodthirsty newborns. During the night, Bella overhears a conversation between Edward and Jacob, in which they temporarily put aside their hatred towards each other. In the morning, Jacob overhears Edward and Bella discussing their engagement and becomes very upset. Before he can run off to get himself killed in the fight with the newborns, Bella desperately asks him to kiss her, and she realizes that she has fallen in love with him. Edward finds out about the kiss but is not angry, as Bella says she loves him more than Jacob.

Victoria eventually finds Bella's hiding spot, and Edward kills her while Seth kills her partner Riley. The Cullens and the Quileute wolves, meanwhile, destroy her "army", though Jacob is injured saving Leah Clearwater from a newborn. Several members of the Volturi arrive to deal with the newborn army. They also see that the Cullens are guarding the newborn, Bree Tanner (Jodelle Ferland), who had refused to fight and surrendered to Carlisle. Jane (Dakota Fanning) tortures Bree to get information, then instructs Felix to kill her, despite the Cullens' efforts to spare her. When Jane notes that Caius will find it interesting that Bella is still human, Bella informs her that the date for her transformation has been set. Bella visits the injured Jacob to tell him that even though she is in love with him, she has chosen to be with Edward. Saddened by her choice, Jacob reluctantly agrees to stop trying to come between her and Edward.

Bella and Edward go to their meadow, where she tells him she has decided to do things his way: get married, make love, then be transformed into a vampire. She also explains that she never has been normal and never will be; she's felt out of place her entire life, but when she is in Edward's world she feels stronger and complete.At the end of the story they then decide they need to tell Charlie about their engagement.

Iron Man 2

2011-03-28T12:10:00.002+08:00

Russian television shows Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) revealing his identity as Iron Man to the world. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), whose father, Anton Vanko (Yevgeni Lazarev), has just died, sees this and begins building a similar weapon.

Six months later, Stark has used his Iron Man armor to help maintain world peace. He re-institutes the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows to continue his father Howard's legacy. Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) demands that Stark turn over the Iron Man technology to the government. Stark refuses, claiming that foreign nations and business competitors are decades away from successfully recreating his achievements, and that the armor is in fact his own property.

The palladium core in the arc reactor that keeps Stark alive and powers the armor is slowly poisoning him, and he has failed to find a substitute. Growing increasingly despondent and reckless due to his impending death, and choosing not to tell anyone about his condition, Stark appoints his personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) CEO of Stark Industries, and replaces her with Stark employee Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson).

Vanko attacks Stark while racing at the Circuit de Monaco, using an arc reactor of his own powering whip-like energy weapons. Stark defeats Vanko with the aid of his portable briefcase armor. He learns that Vanko is the son of his father's old partner, Anton Vanko. Anton collaborated with Howard on the first arc reactor, but was deported to his native Soviet Union following his attempts to profit from the technology and died in poverty, explaining Vanko's desire for revenge on the Stark family. Rival defense contractor Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) fakes Vanko's death and recruits him to perfect a line of armored combat suits to upstage Stark.

At what he believes is his last birthday party Stark gets drunk while using the Iron Man armor, forcing his friend, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), to intervene. Rhodes dons Stark's Mark II armor and after battling him, delivers the armor to the military. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of S.H.I.E.L.D., approaches Stark, revealing Rushman as undercover agent Natasha Romanoff and that Howard Stark was a S.H.I.E.L.D. founder that Fury knew personally. Fury gives him some of his father's old material; a hidden message in the diorama of the 1974 Stark Expo proves to be a diagram of the structure of a new element. With the aid of his computer J.A.R.V.I.S. (voiced by Paul Bettany), Stark synthesizes it. Vanko reveals to Stark that he is still alive and seeking revenge so Stark uses the untested element, removing his dependency on the palladium.

At the Expo, Hammer unveils Vanko's armored drones, led by Rhodes in a heavily weaponized version of the Mark II armor. Stark arrives in his new armor to warn Rhodes, but Vanko seizes control of both the drones and Rhodes' armor and attacks Iron Man. Hammer is arrested while Stark's bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and Romanoff attempt to capture Vanko. He escapes, but Romanoff returns control of the Mark II armor to Rhodes.

After defeating his drones Stark and Rhodes confront Vanko himself, now in a new, very powerful suit of armor. Neither can match Vanko, but Vanko is ultimately defeated when they fire repulsor rays at each other, causing a large explosion. With his suit too damaged to continue the fight Vanko ignites his suit and his drones' self-destruct mechanisms, apparently killing himself in the process. Stark saves Potts from the exploding drones' remains. Potts quits as CEO, but she and Stark kiss.

At a debriefing, while news footage of the Hulk's rampage plays, Fury informs Stark that while Iron Man is a suitable candidate for the "Avengers Initiative", he himself is not. Stark agrees to be a consultant if Senator Stern presents himself and Rhodes with their medals for bravery.

In a post-credits scene, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) reports the discovery of a large hammer at the bottom of a crater in a New Mexico desert.

Shrek Forever After

2011-03-28T12:08:00.002+08:00

The film begins just before Shrek (Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in the first film. Desperate to lift their daughter's curse, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews) meet with con artist Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who requests becoming king of Far Far Away in exchange, and asks them to sign a contract. Just before the deal is contracted, the king and queen learn that Fiona has already been rescued. In the present, a disgruntled Rumpelstiltskin wishes Shrek was never born and seeks revenge.

Meanwhile, Shrek has grown tired of being a domesticated family man and celebrity among the local villagers, leading him to yearn for the days when he felt like a "real ogre." He takes his family to Far Far Away to celebrate his children's first birthday where lots of fictional characters are present. Shrek gets annoyed here when the three little pigs eat the kids' (Farkle, Fergus and Felicia) cake. A boy tells Shrek to roar. After he lets out a roar of frustration, the entire crowd cheers. He then smashes up a replacement cake and storms off. He meets Rumpelstiltskin, who offers to give Shrek a day to live like a real ogre again in exchange for a day from his childhood he wouldn't remember being erased. Shrek agrees and signs the contract, and abruptly lands in a world where he is still feared by villagers. He enjoys causing mischief until he finds wanted posters for the ogress Fiona and his home deserted. He is suddenly captured by witches and taken to Rumpelstiltskin, who is now the king of Far Far Away, which has become derelict and uses ogres and even some of Shrek's friends for slave labor.

Shrek realizes that the day Rumpelstiltskin erased was the day he was born, meaning he never existed in this world before and is unrecognized by everyone he knows. Furthermore, when the day ends, Shrek will fade from existence. Shrek escapes Rumpelstiltskin's castle with the enslaved Donkey. Initially terrified of Shrek, Donkey decides to trust him after seeing Shrek cry over his lost past, something he had never seen an ogre do before. After Shrek explains the situation, Donkey helps him find a loophole: the contract will be rendered null and void if Shrek and Fiona share true love's kiss before the day ends. Shrek and Donkey suddenly encounter a band of ogres who have formed a resistance against Rumpelstiltskin. These ogres are led by Fiona, who is still cursed after escaping from the tower where she was held captive, and additionally keeps the retired and overweight Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) as a pet.

Shrek does everything he can to gain Fiona's love, but she is too busy preparing an ambush on Rumpelstiltskin during his nightly ogre hunt. However, during the ambush, the ogres are instead caught in a trap by the Pied Piper (who was hired by Rumpelstiltskin) and are captured. Shrek insists Fiona kiss him, saying it will fix everything, but because Fiona doesn't love him, it is ineffective. Upon hearing that Rumpelstiltskin is offering anything desired by the one who captures Shrek with no strings attached, Shrek turns himself in exchange for all ogres being released, but Fiona remains in custody because she is only an ogre by night due to her curse (i.e., not "all ogre"). Shrek and Fiona are set to be fed to Dragon, but Donkey, Puss and the ogres raid Rumpelstiltskin's castle, allowing Shrek and Fiona to subdue both Dragon and Rumpelstiltskin.

As the sun begins to rise, Shrek begins to fade from existence, but Fiona, having fallen in love with him all over again, kisses him just before he disappears completely, which nullifies the contract and restores the world just before Shrek originally lashed out at everyone. Shrek embraces his friends and family with newfound appreciation for everything he has, truly living happily forever after.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

2011-03-28T12:05:00.003+08:00

Troubled by a strange recurring dream and mourning the loss of her beloved father, nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh attends a garden party at Lord Ascot's estate, where she is confronted by an unwanted marriage proposal and the stifling expectations of the society in which she lives. Unsure of how to reply, and increasingly confused, she runs away to chase after a rabbit in a blue waistcoat, and accidentally falls into a large rabbit hole. She is transported to a world called Underland, where she is greeted by the White Rabbit, the Dormouse, the Dodo, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. They argue over her identity as "the right Alice", who it is foretold will slay the Red Queen's Jabberwocky on the Frabjous Day and restore the White Queen to power. The group is then ambushed by the Bandersnatch and a group of playing-card soldiers led by the Knave of Hearts. Alice escapes and flees into the woods.

The Knave informs the Red Queen that Alice has returned to Underland and threatens her reign, and the soldiers are ordered to find Alice immediately. Meanwhile, the wandering Alice encounters the Cheshire Cat, who takes her to the March Hare and Mad Hatter. On the way to the White Queen's castle, Hatter relates the terror of the Red Queen's reign, and comments that Alice is not the same as she once was. The Hatter helps Alice avoid capture by allowing himself to be seized instead. Later, Alice is found by Bayard the Bloodhound, who wishes to take her to the White Queen, but Alice insists upon helping the Hatter, so they go to the Red Queen's castle.

The Red Queen is unaware of Alice's true identity (believing she is named "Um") and therefore welcomes her as a guest. Alice learns that the Vorpal Sword (the only weapon capable of killing the Jabberwocky) is locked away in a case inside the Bandersnatch's den. The Knave attempts to seduce Alice, but she rebuffs him. She later manages to retrieve the sword and befriend the Bandersnatch. The Knave finds her with the sword and attempts to arrest her. Alice escapes on the back of the Bandersnatch and delivers the sword to the White Queen. The Cheshire Cat saves the Hatter from execution, and the Hatter calls for rebellion against the Red Queen. The resistance flees to the White Queen's castle, and both armies prepare for battle. Alice remains unsure about the expectation for her to champion the White Queen, and meets with Absolem^[4] the Caterpillar. He reminds Alice of her past visit to Underland (which she mistakenly called "Wonderland" at the time) thirteen years earlier, and helps give her the courage to fight the Jabberwocky.

When the Frabjous Day arrives, both the White and Red Queens gather their armies on a chessboard-like battlefield and send forth their chosen champions (armor-clad Alice and the Jabberwocky respectively) to decide the fate of Underland. Encouraging herself with the words of her late father, Alice manages to kill the Jabberwocky. The White Queen then banishes the Red Queen and the Knave to the Outlands, and gives Alice a vial of the Jabberwocky’s blood, which will take her home. The Hatter suggests that she could stay in Underland, but she decides that she must go back and promises that she will return.

Alice returns home, where she stands up to her family and pledges to live life on her own terms. Impressed, Lord Ascot takes her in as his apprentice, with the idea of establishing oceanic trade routes to China. As the story closes, Alice prepares to set off on a trading ship. Absolem, now a butterfly, lands on her shoulder. Alice recognizes him and greets him before he flutters away.

Toy Story 3

2011-03-28T11:59:00.002+08:00

Andy is now 17 years old and packing for college, and his toys who have not been played with in many years feel forgotten and abandoned. Andy decides to take Woody with him to college and intends to store the other toys in the attic. Andy's mom accidentally throws the other toys away, thinking that they are no longer wanted; they escape and decide to climb in a box to be donated to the Sunnyside Daycare. Woody, the only toy who saw what really happened, is forced to follow the others and tries to explain they were thrown out by mistake, but they refuse to listen.

Andy's toys are welcomed by the numerous toys at Sunnyside, and given a tour of the seemingly perfect play-setting by Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear (simply known as Lotso), Big Baby and Ken, whom Barbie falls for. All of the toys are quickly enamored of their new home, leaving steadfast Woody alone to attempt to return to Andy. However, Woody's escape attempt fails and he is found outside the daycare center by Bonnie, an imaginative little girl. She takes him home and plays with him along with her other toys, who are well treated, happy, and readily welcome Woody. Woody is elated until he hears about Lotso from Chuckles the sad clown. Lotso, along with Big Baby and Chuckles, were once accidentally lost by their original owner, Daisy. The three found their way back to Daisy's home, but Lotso saw that he had been replaced. Though Chuckles realized the truth, Lotso, embittered, convinced Big Baby that they were replaced, and took over Sunnyside, making it like a prison. Worried for his friends, Woody hurries back to the daycare and finds that they have been put on task to be played with by the rambunctious youngest toddlers. They are also kept under guard at night by Buzz whom Lotso has reverted to demonstration mode, restoring his original "Space Ranger" persona and allying with him.

Woody rejoins his friends and they work out an escape plan involving the garbage dumpster. In the process, Buzz is accidentally reset into a Spanish-speaking mode during an attempt to restore him to normal. The toys reach the dumpster, but are caught by Lotso and his gang. As a garbage truck approaches, Woody reveals what he knows about Lotso, leading Big Baby to toss him in the dumpster. Seeking revenge, Lotso pulls Woody in with him just as the garbage truck collects the garbage. Woody's friends board the truck to rescue him, during which Buzz is hit by a falling television while saving Jessie, finally returning to his normal self. The toys find themselves at the dump and are soon pulled onto a conveyor belt leading to an incinerator. They help Lotso to reach an emergency-stop button, but he leaves them to their deaths. Thinking that this is the end, the toys take each other's hands. The toys are eventually rescued by the squeeze toy aliens using a giant claw. As a comeuppance, Lotso is found and strapped to the grill of a garbage truck, while the toys board the neighborhood truck back to Andy's house.

In Andy's room, Woody climbs back into the box with Andy's college supplies while the other toys ready themselves to the attic. Remembering his time with Bonnie and her toys, Woody has an idea, and leaves a note to Andy on the toys' box. Andy, taking it for a note from his mom, takes the box to Bonnie's home, introduces his old toys to Bonnie and gives her the toys to play with. In the end, Bonnie recognizes Woody, who is lying at the bottom of the box, to Andy's surprise. Andy is initially reluctant to give him to her, but eventually does so and then spends some time playing with her before he departs. Woody and the other toys find themselves wanted and played with again, and learn through notes passed in Bonnie's backpack that Barbie, Ken and Big Baby have improved the lives of all the toys at Sunnyside.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

2010-01-21T09:50:00.002+08:00

In 1891 London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) race to prevent a human sacrifice ritual conducted by Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Holmes and Watson stop the sacrifice just in time and neutralize Lord Blackwood while Holmes saves Watson from a glass shard Blackwood used to kill his enemies that he barely sees until the last second, after which the police, led by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), arrive and arrest him.

Blackwood's execution occurs three months later, during which Holmes has become bored without a new case. Watson prepares to leave 221B Baker Street to establish his own business, and he intends to marry Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly). Blackwood requests Holmes' presence on the day of his execution, and warns him that three more deaths will occur after his execution that will change the very nature of their world. Blackwood is executed by hanging, and declared dead by Dr. Watson himself.

Holmes is re-acquainted with Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), a world-class criminal Holmes is smitten with. She offers him a sum of money to pursue a case of a missing red-haired midget by the name of Reordan. Holmes disguises himself to find the identity of Adler's employer, but can only surmise that he is a professor.

Three days after Blackwood's execution, his tomb is found shattered, from the inside out, and an eyewitness reports seeing Blackwood walking away. Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade find Blackwood's coffin contains the body of the red-haired midget. Holmes follows clues from a pocket watch on the body to the midget's home, where they discover several chemistry experiments. They avoid capture by three thugs that have arrived to destroy the evidence in the home. An elaborate chase ensues, with Holmes and Watson narrowly escaping death several times, and ending with a steamship that was being built in a naval yard sinking in the river Thames; the pair are then arrested for property damage.

Watson is soon released on bail by Miss Morstan, while Holmes is left in jail and later taken to the Temple of the Four Orders, an occult-dabbling secret society. Their leaders; Sir Thomas (James Fox) and Lord Coward (Hans Matheson), reveal Blackwood was a former member, and plead for Holmes to help stop him. Holmes declines their generous offers of reward but continues to pursue the case on his own terms.

As Holmes and Watson investigate, two senior members of the order are killed by Blackwood, through apparently magical means. One of them, Sir Thomas, is drowned in his bathtub and there is no trace of anybody else being present in the room at the time of his death; while the other bursts into flames when he attempts to shoot Blackwood during an Order meeting. Blackwood, with the assistance of Lord Coward who is revealed to have been his long time ally, then assumes control of the order, intending to use the Order's power to push for England to retake the United States after their civil war has weakened their defences. Blackwood orders Coward to issue a warrant for Holmes' arrest.

Holmes and Watson follow clues to an industrial slaughterhouse, where they are taunted by Blackwood and forced to rescue Adler from a deadly conveyor belt trap. Watson chases after Blackwood but is caught by a tripwire, setting off an explosion; Watson is able to warn Holmes and Adler to safety but is badly injured himself in the explosion. Holmes learns he is wanted by the police and goes into hiding, and reflects on the clues he has collected. He comes to realize that Blackwood is attempting to cast a spell based on the sphinx, with the three murdered tied to three of the mythical creature's animal constituents: man, ox, and eagle. Holmes deduces the fourth symbol the lion, represents the British Parliament. Holmes allows Lestrade to capture and bring him to the Home Secretary. Overconfident, Lord Coward reveals Blackwood's plan for wiping out all the Lords but save those loyal followers of his. Holmes escapes, diving into the river Thames, and is rescued by a waiting boat with Watson and Adler in it.

The three enter the sewers beneath Parliament and discover a complex machine, based on the midget's experiments, with a radio-controller trigger to release a cyanide derivative into the Parliament chambers. The three fight off Blackwood's men and dislodge the cyanide cylinders from the machine. Adler grabs the cylinders and races away, followed by Holmes.

Meanwhile, Blackwood and Coward realize their plan has failed and attempt to escape. Blackwood manages to get away but Coward is unable to leave. Holmes confronts Adler at the top of the Tower Bridge, still under construction since she has nowhere to run, but Blackwood arrival knocks Adler to a lower platform, where she falls unconscious. Holmes tricks Blackwood into becoming entangled in the ropes and chains, and Blackwood is left hanging precariously over the Thames while Holmes recounts that all of Blackwood's "mystical" acts were simply applications of science and trickery. Holmes intends for Blackwood to stand trial and be appropriately executed but a loose beam falls off the rafter supports, causing Blackwood to plummet off the bridge and be hanged by the chains.

Holmes helps Adler recover, though he handcuffs her. She explains that the mysterious caped man in the carriage is Professor Moriarty. Adler warns Holmes that Moriarty "is just as brilliant as he is, and infinitely more devious". Holmes drops the key to the cuffs in Adler's shirt and leaves her, returning to Watson. The police arrive to report a dead officer found near Blackwood's device, and Holmes deduces that chasing Adler and fighting Blackwood was a diversion by Moriarty, who used the distraction to take a key component of Blackwood's remote control device from the machine. Holmes accepts the case.

Avatar (2009)

2009-12-29T15:34:00.001+08:00

In 2154, the RDA corporation is mining Pandora, a lush, Earth-like moon of the planet Polyphemus, in the Alpha Centauri system.Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), the administrator, employs former marines as mercenaries to provide security. The humans aim to exploit Pandora’s reserves of a valuable mineral called unobtanium.

Pandora is inhabited by the Na’vi, a paleolithic species of sapient humanoids with feline characteristics. Physically stronger and several feet taller than humans, the blue-skinned indigenes live in harmony with Nature and worship a mother goddess called Eywa.

Humans cannot breathe Pandora’s atmosphere. In order to move about Pandora, human scientists have genetically engineered human-Na’vi hybrids called avatars, which are controlled by genetically matched human operators. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic former marine, arrives on Pandora to replace his murdered twin brother, an avatar operator. Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), the head of the Avatar Program, considers him an inadequate replacement for his brother, relegating him to a bodyguard role.

While Jake escorts Augustine and biologist Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore) on an exploratory mission in their avatar forms, the group is attacked by a large predator, and Jake becomes separated and lost. Attempting to survive the night in Pandora’s dangerous jungles, he is rescued by Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), a female Na'vi. Neytiri brings Jake back to Hometree, which is inhabited by Neytiri’s clan, the Omaticaya. Mo'at, (C. C. H. Pounder), the Na'vi shaman and Neytiri's mother, instructs her to teach him their ways.

Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), leader of the security forces, offers to get Jake his "real legs" back in exchange for intelligence about the natives and learning what it will take to make them abandon Hometree, which rests above a large deposit of unobtanium.

Over three months, Jake grows close to Neytiri and the Omaticaya and begins to prefer the life he lives through the avatar. Jake's attachment erodes his loyalty toward the humans, and when he's initiated into the Na'vi tribe, he and Neytiri choose each other as mates. Jake's change of loyalty is revealed when he disables a bulldozer's cameras as it destroys the tribe's sacred Tree of Voices. Col. Quaritch disconnects Jake from his avatar and presents Selfridge and Augustine with a vlog in which Jake has admitted that his mission is fruitless; that the humans have nothing the Omaticaya consider valuable and that they will never abandon Hometree. Selfridge is convinced that negotiations would be fruitless and orders Hometree's destruction.

Augustine protests, and Selfridge gives Jake one hour to convince the Na’vi to leave before Col. Quaritch’s forces arrive. When he reveals his mission to the Omaticaya, Neytiri accuses him of betraying them, which results in Jake and Augustine's imprisonment. Jake’s time runs out and Quaritch’s forces destroy Hometree. Eytucan (Wes Studi), Neytiri's father and clan chief, and many others are killed in the attack. Jake and Augustine are disconnected from their avatars and detained for treason. Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez), a security force pilot who is disgusted by the violence, breaks them out but Augustine is wounded by Quaritch. With Augustine dying, Jake turns to the Omaticaya for help. To regain their trust, he tames the Toruk, an immensely powerful flying beast that only five Na'vi have ever tamed. Jake flies to the Omaticaya, who have gathered at the sacred Tree of Souls, and pleads with Mo'at to heal Augustine. They attempt to transplant her soul into her avatar, but her injuries are too severe.

With the assistance of Neytiri and Tsu'Tey (Laz Alonso), the new leader of the Omaticaya, Jake assembles thousands of Na'vi from other clans. Jake prays to Eywa to intercede on behalf of the Na'vi in the coming battle. Col. Quaritch, seeing the Na'vi's growing strength, orders a preemptive strike on the Tree of Souls, as it is the center of Na'vi religion and culture; its destruction would leave the Na'vi too demoralized to continue resisting.

As the humans attack, the Na'vi fight back fiercely but suffer heavy casualties, among them Trudy. As the Na'vi are on the verge of defeat, the Pandoran wildlife suddenly attacks the humans, overwhelming them. Neytiri interprets this as Eywa answering Jake's prayer.

Quaritch orders the bombing of the Tree of Souls but Jake destroys the bomber before it can reach its target. Quaritch escapes in an AMP (Amplified Mobility Platform) suit. He finds the avatar interface pod where Jake's human body is located and attacks it, exposing Jake to Pandora's atmosphere. Neytiri kills Quaritch and saves Jake, seeing his human form. With the attack successfully repelled, Jake and Neytiri reaffirm their love for each other.

The humans are expelled from Pandora, while Jake and his friends remain. The film ends with Jake's soul being successfully transplanted by Eywa into his Na'vi avatar.

New Moon (2009)

2009-11-24T07:19:00.002+08:00

On her 18th birthday, Bella Swan wakes up from a dream in which she sees herself as an old woman. She expresses her distaste with growing older than her boyfriend Edward Cullen, a vampire who stopped aging at 17. Edward's family throws Bella a birthday party. While unwrapping a gift, Bella gets a paper cut, which causes Edward's adopted brother, Jasper, to be overwhelmed by her blood's scent and attempt to kill her. Realizing the danger he and his family pose to Bella, Edward decides to end their relationship, and the Cullens move away from Forks.

Edward's departure leaves Bella heart-broken and depressed for months. However, when her father, Charlie, attempts to send her to live with her mother, Bella agrees to spend time with her other friends. While shopping with Jessica, she sees a group of men Edward had rescued her from earlier and is surprised to see a vision of Edward warning her against approaching them. Bella discovers all thrill-seeking activities grant her visions of Edward. She also finds comfort in her deepening friendship with Jacob Black, a cheerful companion who eases her pain over losing Edward and nearly replaces him; Jacob and Bella nearly kiss twice, but are interrupted. Bella then discovers that Jacob is a werewolf. After learning that the vampires Laurent and Victoria are searching for Bella, Jacob's pack members begin constant patrols, leaving Jacob little time for Bella. Alone, Bella returns to thrill seeking activities.

A series of miscommunications leads Edward to believe that Bella has killed herself while cliff diving. Distraught over her supposed suicide, Edward flees to Italy to provoke the Volturi, vampire royalty who are capable of killing him, by exposing the existance of vampires. Alice, Edward's adopted sister, and Bella rush to Italy to save Edward, and arrive just in time to stop him. Over there they discover that Bella is immune to all vampire powers. However, the Volturi decide that Bella, a human who knows that vampires exist, must either be killed or transformed into a vampire. Alice stops them from killing her by showing them a vision of the future in which she has transformed Bella. When they return to Forks, Edward tells Bella that he has always loved her and only left Forks to protect her. She forgives him, and the Cullens vote in favor of Bella being transformed into a vampire, to Edward's dismay. However, Edward gives Bella a choice: either she lets Alice change her after her graduation, or, if Bella agrees to marry him, he will change her himself.

Zombieland

2009-11-16T14:12:00.001+08:00

The film takes place within a post-apocalyptic America, where a zombie apocalypse has been triggered by a virulent form of human adapted mad cow disease.

College student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is on his way to Columbus, Ohio to see if his parents are alive. He loses his car in an accident and encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson). They travel together and when they stop at a grocery store, they meet two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The sisters con them into handing over their weapons and steal their truck. The two men walk and soon find a Hummer H2 truck loaded with weapons. They then meet the girls again, who attempt to take the truck; their vehicle having broken down. Columbus proposes a truce and suggests they travel together.

Columbus tells Wichita he is heading home to Columbus, Ohio but she blurts out that it has been burned to the ground and is overrun by zombies. He decides instead to stay with the group. Wichita tells Columbus that she is taking Little Rock to "Pacific Playland" in Los Angeles, an amusement park rumored to be zombie-free.

On the way to the park, they pass through Hollywood and Tallahassee decides to take them to Bill Murray's mansion. Tallahassee and Wichita meet Murray himself, uninfected but disguised as a zombie with make-up so that he can walk safely among the infected. Little Rock is unfamiliar with Bill Murray so Columbus shows her the film Ghostbusters. Murray enters in order to scare Columbus and Little Rock as a practical joke, but thinking he is a zombie Columbus shoots and kills him.

After a makeshift funeral, Tallahassee reveals he lost his son to the zombies; Wichita begins developing feelings for Columbus. Fearing attachment, Wichita leaves with Little Rock for Pacific Playland. Columbus decides to go after Wichita, and he and Tallahassee pursue the sisters in one of Murray's vehicles.

Wichita and Little Rock arrive at Pacific Playland and turn on all the rides and lights, attracting nearby zombies. A battle ensues, leaving the sisters trapped on a drop tower ride and running low on ammunition. Tallahassee and Columbus arrive just as the sisters' ammunition is depleted. Tallahassee manages to lure the majority away, then intentionally locks himself in a game booth while Columbus goes after the sisters. Columbus saves the girls and in thanks, Wichita reveals her real name (Krysta) to him. The two share their first kiss. Tallahassee eliminates the remaining zombies single-handedly. Columbus comes to the realization that this is the only family he needs, and the four leave Pacific Playland together.

Terminator Salvation

2009-11-16T14:08:00.002+08:00

In 2003, Doctor Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter) of Cyberdyne Systems convinces death row inmate Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) to sign his body over for medical research following his execution by lethal injection. One year later, the Skynet system is activated, perceives humans as a threat to its own existence, and eradicates much of humanity in the event known as Judgment Day (see Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). In 2018, John Connor (Christian Bale) leads an attack by the Resistance on a Skynet base. John discovers human prisoners and plans for the development of a new type of Terminator incorporating living tissue, but is the only apparent survivor of the attack after the base is destroyed in a nuclear explosion. However, Marcus emerges from the wreckage of the base and proceeds on foot to Los Angeles.

John returns to Resistance headquarters located aboard a nuclear submarine and tells General Ashdown (Michael Ironside), the current leader, of his discovery. Meanwhile, the Resistance has discovered a radio frequency believed to be capable of shutting down Skynet machines. They plan to launch an offensive against the Skynet base in San Francisco in four days, in response to an intercepted "kill list" indicating that Skynet plans to kill the Resistance's command staff in four days' time. John learns that his own name is second on the list, following Kyle Reese. The Resistance leaders are unaware of Kyle's importance to Skynet, but John knows that it is because Kyle will later become his father (see The Terminator). John meets with his officer Barnes (Common) and wife Kate (Bryce Dallas Howard) and sends radio broadcasts to Resistance members and surviving civilians around the world.

Arriving in the ruins of Los Angeles, Marcus is saved from a T-600 Terminator by Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and his mute companion Star (Jadagrace Berry). Kyle relates to Marcus the events of Judgment Day and the ensuing war between humans and machines. Hearing John's radio broadcast, the three leave Los Angeles in search of the Resistance. They survive an attack by machines, but Kyle, Star, and several other humans are taken prisoner, while a pair of Resistance A-10s are shot down. Marcus locates downed pilot Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) and they make their way to John's base, but Marcus is wounded by a magnetic land mine. Attempting to save his life, the Resistance fighters discover that he is in fact a cyborg with human organs, a mechanical endoskeleton, circuitry, and a partially artificial cerebral cortex. Marcus believes himself to be human, demanding to be released so that he can save Kyle from Skynet, but John believes that Marcus has come to kill him and orders his destruction. However, Blair releases him and helps him to escape from the base. During the resulting pursuit Marcus saves John's life from Skynet hydrobots, and the two form an alliance—Marcus will enter Skynet's headquarters and attempt to disable its defenses so that John can rescue Kyle.

John demands that Ashdown delay the attack so that he can rescue Kyle and the other prisoners, but Ashdown refuses and relieves John of his command. However, John's soldiers remain loyal to him and obey his command not to attack the Skynet base. Meanwhile, Marcus enters the base and interfaces with the computer, disabling the perimeter defenses and allowing John to infiltrate the cell block and release the human prisoners. The Resistance's disabling signal is revealed to be a ruse, and the command submarine with the Resistance leaders aboard is destroyed.

Marcus discovers that he was created by Skynet and has unwittingly fulfilled his programmed mission to lure John into the base to be killed. He tears out the hardware linking him to Skynet and assists John in battling a T-800 model 101 Terminator. John is mortally wounded during the fight, but succeeds in destroying the Skynet base by rigging several Terminator hydrogen fuel cells to an explosive, detonating them as he, Marcus, Kyle, and Star are airlifted out. Kate attempts to save John's life, but his heart is too damaged. Marcus offers his own heart for transplant, sacrificing himself to save John. Recovering, John radios to the other Resistance fighters that though this battle has been won, the war is far from over.

Astro Boy (film)

2009-11-16T10:28:00.002+08:00

The film begins in Metro City, a small city that floats above Earth, which is now covered in discarded robot parts. Toby Tenma finishes a physics pop quiz ahead of all his classmates and is free to leave, so he rewires Orrin (the family servant robot) who takes Toby to the Ministry of Science.

Toby's father, Dr. Tenma, is at the ministry, meeting with President Stone and Dr. Elefun. They have captured two cores of energy, a "positive" (good) core and a "negative" (evil) core. Toby is placed in a room where he is supposed to stay until the end of the demonstration, but he escapes and runs off to the demonstration room.

President Stone orders the Red Core to be placed into a robot called "The Peacekeeper" to power it. The Peacekeeper begins to malfunction and tries to attack the scientists, vaporizing Toby before the adults are able to deactivate the robot.

Soon after, Dr. Tenma is seen holding blueprints of a robot replica of Toby, in hopes of recreating his son. He takes hair from Toby's hat to access all his memories and place them in the robot. Dr. Elefun provides the Blue Core to power the very advanced Toby robot. The robot Toby comes to life, to the excitement of Dr. Tenma. Tenma then takes Toby home, at first excited to spend time with his son, but he quickly realizes the new Toby is not the same as the old Toby.

Dr. Tenma calls Dr. Elefun, fearing that he may have made a mistake. Dr. Elefun makes a point that Toby cannot be exactly duplicated. Dr. Tenma grieves over the fact that whenever he sees Toby, he is reminded that Toby is really gone and will never come back.

While in his room, Toby worries about his father, since he has never been that angry with him before. While Toby gets into a quarrel with cleaning robots outside his window, he discovers he can understand them but falls out the window only to discover that he can fly.

President Stone discovers Toby's energy signature and his blue core, and orders his troops to capture it. When Toby returns home he overhears his father talking with Elefun about deactivating Toby. Dr. Tenma reveals that Toby is only just a copy of the original Toby and that he no longer wants him since his face only reminds him of his real son and the pain of losing him. Devastated, Toby flies off but not before Elefun assures him that he has a place somewhere in the world.

Toby is ambushed by military drones. A barrage of missiles temporarily disables Toby, causing him to fall to the Earth's surface. Toby wakes up on the Earth's surface, covered in broken robots, where he meets a robot dog named Trashcan. Trashcan leads Toby to a trap where he is wrapped up and captured by a group of kids, but released when he appears to be a human. Toby is then abducted by the "Robot Liberation Front", who name him "Astro". They then warn him of Hamegg, who enslaves robots. Cora and the children break in to free Toby/Astro.

Tenma promises to President Stone that he will deactivate Astro when they capture him and give Stone the blue core for the Peacekeeper. Cora takes Astro to their home, filled with tons of children and the Fagin-like ringmaster Hamegg. However, Hamegg isn't as evil as he seems. Hamegg eagerly welcomes Astro into their family. Later that night, Hamegg talks with Astro and how he used to work in Metro City with Dr. Tenma, but was thrown away due to his "intimidating brilliance".

The next day while out searching for parts in Brazil, Trashcan tried to tell everyone else that Astro is a robot, but fails. (Trashcan writes on the ground "He's A Robot" but then one of the kids comments "Makes me wish I knew how to read.") Astro finds a 100 year old robot named Zog. Using the power of his blue core, Astro revives Zog. They take him back to their home and fix him up for the robot games. But Astro is slightly upset when he discovers that it is a fight to the death. Before the games start, Hamegg electrifies Astro and reveals to everyone that he is a robot. So, Hamegg puts him in the games. At Yankee Stadium, Astro easily clears all the robots but is put up against Zog, who refuses to fight Astro. Hamegg, forcibly tries to get Astro to fight, but Zog attacks him (being over 100 years old, the rules of robots not being allowed to harm humans doesn't apply to him, since it has been the rule for 50 years{when Hamegg tries to stop zog with the rule zog says," I'm old school."}). Just then the military arrives and Zog tries to defend Astro, but Astro stops Zog and goes with the military.

Astro is taken back to the lab he was made in and Dr. Elefun tells him that he is wonderful and none of this is his fault, but Astro believes that it is hard to fit in and that perhaps this is his destiny. Dr. Tenma takes out the blue core and apologizes to Astro, who says he shouldn't be sorry and apologizes for not being a better Toby. Dr. Tenma gives Stone the core, but betrays him and takes it back, putting it in Astro. Astro wakes up wondering why Dr. Tenma has done that, but he replies that even though Astro is not Toby, he is still his son.

Astro escapes so Stone uses the red core to reactivate the Peacekeeper, however, the Peacekeeper absorbs Stone and heads to destroy Astro, with Stone's mind controling it. With the entire city cleared and the Peacekeeper on the rampage, absorbing every weapon it comes across, Astro flies into the city to protect it from the rampaging behemoth. Meanwhile, Cora and the others hijack Hamegg's car to head to Metro City and help Astro. In the resulting showdown, the city's power source is destroyed but Astro manages to hold it up and causing it to land unharmed before continueing his destructive battle with the Peacekeeper. He's captured by the Peacekeeper but when it tries to absorb him, it doesn't work. Dr. Tenma tells Astro that if the blue core and red core come together, Astro and the Peacekeeper will die. Knowing that the Peacekeeper must be stopped, even if it means sacrificing himself, Astro flies into the Peacekeeper's red core, resulting in a massive explosion that completely destroys the Peacekeeper. Stone emerges from the rubble unharmed but is quickly arrested while Astro was deactivated since the blue core was drained in the explosion. But Zog arrives and because he was revived with the blue core, he is able to return some of the energy back to Astro, reactivating him.

Astro finds his place as a hero and everyone rejoices. Cora reunites with her parents. But before any celebrating can happen a large alien attacks the city and Astro, now at peace with his robotic nature and his destiny as a hero, immediately launches into action after reassuring his concerned father, "I was made ready!" The movie ends with Astro flying off to fight off the alien.

Surrogates

2009-11-16T10:10:00.002+08:00

In 2017, humans live in near-total isolation, rarely leaving the safety and comfort of their homes, thanks to remotely-controlled robotic bodies that serve as "surrogates," designed as better-looking versions of their human operators. Because people are safe all the time, and damage done to a surrogate is not felt by its owner, it is a peaceful world free from fear, pain, and crime.

Agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) is an FBI agent who, through the use of his own surrogate, investigates the first murder in years: Jarod Canter, a college student and the son of Dr. Lionel Canter (James Cromwell), the original inventor of surrogates, who uses multiple surrogates himself. The case grows more complicated, however, when several police officers are murdered when their surrogates are destroyed, something which is not supposed to happen, as the human operator is normally safe from the damage done to his/her surrogate.

Greer's investigation leads him to the Dreads, a group of humans led by a mysterious man known only as The Prophet (Ving Rhames) who is against the use of surrogates. Greer and his partner Jennifer Peters (Radha Mitchell) determine that the identity of the murderer is a Dread named Miles Strickland. Strickland used a unique weapon called an O.D. (Overload Device) to kill Jarod as well as five police officers tracking him. Greer himself barely escapes death by the weapon. Although his surrogate is physically damaged, it is able to pursue Strickland before it is destroyed by the Dreads.

Suffering damages from the weapon, Greer is found in his apartment by his wife Maggie (Rosamund Pike). She prefers interacting through her surrogate, even with her husband in the privacy of their home. We learn that the couple is particularly distant from each other as they grieve over their young son who died in a car accident. (We see that, from the brief scenes in the film including the real Maggie, she is severely depressed and simultaneously takes many medications.) Greer is taken to the hospital and survives, although he is suspended and will not be issued another surrogate while his actions are investigated.

At the Dread Reservation, Strickland is approached by The Prophet who demands information about the weapon. Strickland is apparently killed by The Prophet or his followers. When Greer goes into the Reservation, he stumbles upon Strickland's funeral and then approaches The Prophet, asking about the weapon Strickland used. As Greer leaves the Reservation, it is revealed that The Prophet has the weapon. Greer meets with Dr. Canter, again using one of his surrogates, who suggests the weapon was manufactured by the military. Greer meets with a member of the military and learns that the weapon sends a computer virus into the surrogates that shuts them down, but it also disables the fail-safe mechanisms which shield the operator from harm, thus killing them.

A mysterious surrogate goes to the home of Greer's partner Peters and kills her, then transfers control of her surrogate to an unknown party who uses it to go through the financial records of the FBI. The Peters surrogate learns that Andrew Stone (Boris Kodjoe), Peters and Greer's boss, is apparently behind the death of Jarod, having been assigned by the company that creates the surrogates to kill Dr. Canter which he in turn assigned to Strickland. Jarod was using one of his father's surrogates and as such was mistaken for him. At the Dread compound, The Prophet orders delivery of the weapon to Peters just before the military attacks. The Prophet and his men are killed, but The Prophet is revealed to be a surrogate of Doctor Canter. The Peters surrogate tricks Greer into getting information about the weapon from Stone's computer. The Peters surrogate then flees from Greer, taking the information and the weapon. Greer chases her, but she escapes and goes to FBI headquarters where she takes a human system administrator (who does not use a surrogate) hostage and hooks the weapon up the surrogate network to kill all the surrogate operators.

Greer calls the system administrator who reveals that Peters has taken him hostage. Greer heads to Canter's home and forces his way in. At the FBI building, the Peters surrogate confronts Stone's surrogate. Canter reveals that he is now controlling the Peters surrogate. Stone confirms he did try to have Canter assassinated. Canter uses the weapon to destroy Stone's surrogate and kill Stone (for killing his son). He then returns to uploading the weapon's virus to all the surrogates, which will destroy them and kill their operators. Greer makes his way through Canter's mansion and finds Canter, who then reveals he wants to destroy the surrogates and the people who use them. Canter expresses anger and regret over the fact that his original purpose for inventing surrogates has been hijacked by VSI in the name of profit and by the masses for their own selfish reasons. His vision was to give physically disabled individuals like himself (Canter is paraplegic) a chance at experiencing what they do not have. Canter has already started the destruction process through the Peters surrogate, and then kills himself via a cyanide pill.

Greer takes control of the Peters surrogate. With the assistance of the system administrator, Greer insulates the surrogate operators so they will survive even if the surrogates go down. He is then given the choice of whether or not to save the surrogates. FBI troops storm the room as Greer decides not to cancel the transmission. The virus from the weapon uploads and permanently shuts down every surrogate worldwide, leaving their operators alive, but having to go back to using their real bodies again. Greer goes home and connects with his wife in her real body. Media broadcasts reveal the surrogates are down worldwide and no one knows if they will ever be able to be recreated again.

2012 (film)

2009-11-14T09:48:00.000+08:00

The film begins in year 2009, when there is a huge explosion on the surface of the sun. We then see Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an American scientist, traveling to a copper mine in India to meet his friend, who discovered that Earth's temperature is increasing rapidly. He returns to Washington D.C. and submits a report to his supervisor, who immediately takes him to the president (Danny Glover). In 2010, we see the President of the United States tell other heads of state the situation and we also see billionaires all over the world buying plane tickets for untold sums of money. In 2011 the original of The Mona Lisa in the Louvre is replaced with a decoy, and is sealed away for unknown reasons.

The story jumps ahead to 2012, to Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a divorced father who works as a limousine driver and writer, and his ex-wife, Kate Curtis (Amanda Peet), and children, Noah (Liam James) and Lily (Morgan Lily), who live with Kate's new boyfriend, Gordon (Thomas McCarthy). Jackson takes his children on a camping trip to Yellowstone, where he meets Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), who hosts a radio segment that addresses the Mayans' prediction.

Enormous cracks soon develop along the San Andreas Fault, California, and disruptive shaking occurs in the San Francisco Bay area, nearly knocking over a cruise ship. Despite government assurances that all is fine, Jackson grows suspicious. After hiring a private plane, he drives to Kate's home to save his family and Gordon from the impending earthquakes of the Earth's crust displacement. Jackson quickly collects his family, and Gordon pilots a plane out of the city. Los Angeles then collapses into the Pacific Ocean. When the plane runs low on fuel, they are forced to land in Wyoming. Jackson uses the moment to contact Charlie, regarding a map to ships being built in order to save humanity. They return to Yellowstone to find Charlie, only to discover that he has gone to the mountains to watch the approaching catastrophe. After getting hold of the map they discover that the ships they are searching for are in China. Jackson and his family leave just in time as Yellowstone's caldera erupts.

In order to get to China they convince a Russian billionaire, Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric), to allow them aboard his plane. The group eventually boards an Antonov at Las Vegas International Airport, as Las Vegas is destroyed by earthquakes and ravaged by the impeding volcanic ash cloud of Yellowstone.

While in the air, the group learns that the plane does not have enough fuel to reach China: they've passed Honolulu, Hawaii, which has been inundated in lava. As they're about to ditch the plane they discover that they are no longer above the ocean: the Earth's crust has shifted thousands of miles and they are heading towards the Himalayas. During a crash landing on a glacier they manage to escape from the plane safely by using one of the luxury vehicles in cargo as a raft, only to be abandoned by Yuri.

The group eventually find their way to the ships with the help of some locals and are smuggled aboard with the help of a Buddhist monk and a construction worker. Tsunamis begin to engulf the Indian peninsula, and a giant wave eventually reaches the ships, which turn out to be arks constructed to save the heads of state, hand-picked individuals chosen to repopulate the earth and the rich elite, who could afford to buy tickets. When the flood eventually recedes, the captains of the arks decide upon the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as a suitable place to reestablish humanity. The movie ends with a view of the world showing the dramatically changed African continent.

Michael Jackson's This Is It

2009-11-14T09:14:00.008+08:00

The film opens with a short text introduction stating the purpose of the footage and its intent "For the fans...". After short dialogues from various dancers, Kenny Ortega is heard talking through the original concert opening sequence involving a body suit made from screens which display fast clips and images with bright intensity from which Jackson emerges on stage. Immediately after this, Jackson begins "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" first solo, which pauses half-way through and a small snippet of Jackson singing his song "Speechless" acapella is shown. Jackson is then joined by dancers and completes the first number. A short clip showing rehearsals of the "toaster" mechanism is shown before rehearsal footage of "Jam" is played. This plays directly into the green screen adaption of soldiers dancers for "Bad" which are also used for "They Don't Care About Us" which is shown next. From here, the film shows Michael directing Ortega and his band for his solo rehearsal performance of "Human Nature" which he performs acapella, then acoustic and finally with full band. Green screen rehearsals for the video vignette for "Smooth Criminal" come next (with scenes from the film Gilda like the one where Rita Hayworth sings "Put the Blame on Mame"), with dress rehearsals of the song following, including parts of the vignette intertwined with the dancing. Jackson is seen next directing his musical team for the cues in his song "The Way You Make Me Feel." Jackson then performs a rehearsal with dancers which he alters and changes as he goes. A small animatic introducing the Jackson 5 is shown afterwards, and Michael then rehearses "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", "I'll Be There" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)." Jackson stops only to report problems with his earpiece. After this, Jackson sings with one of his back up singers on his duet song "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" in which he sings at full strength, directing his partner as he goes. The filming for the "Thriller" vignette is then shown with Jackson and Ortega watching with 3D glasses. Jackson is then seen rehearsing "Thriller" with the vignette intertwined like that in "Smooth Criminal."

During the dance sequence, puppets are suspended in the audience aisles while Jackson emerges from a robotic spider originally seen in the vignette. Jackson and Ortega rehearsing the cherry-picker is seen next, along with Jackson rehearsing "Beat It." Jackson creates the ending he wants for the song, a long drum build up in which he tears off his jacket and burns it. Footage of the show's aerialists rehearsing to the instrumental of "Who Is It" is shown next, followed by the Jackson and his band rehearsing "Black or White," in which he allows guitarist Orianthi Panagaris to take center stage to finish with a high guitar rift. The video-sequence for "Earth Song" is shown next, featuring a small girl who wanders through an abundant forest, falls asleep, and wakes up to find the forest destroyed by man. Jackson then performs the song both onstage and using the cherry-picker, with his voice being heard at the end telling of the dangers of Global Warming and the lack of reversible time left. Afterwards, Michael is seen conversing with Ortega, his dancers and band about the shows, trivial dance moves and his hopes for the concert series. He then performs a quick version of his song "Billie Jean" featuring an extra dance sequence. Michael is then seen talking to all crew members and wishing everyone the best for the London performances. At a sound check, Jackson performs "Man In The Mirror" with strong backing vocals. During the ending credits This Is It plays, then the small girl from "Earth Song" is seen hugging a world, with 'Heal the World' flashing on the screen along with Micheal Jackson's signature. The film concludes with Jackson's arms extended on stage and the message: "Michael Jackson King of Pop Love Lives Forever".

Angels and Demons (film)

2009-11-13T09:13:00.003+08:00

Under the watchful eyes of Father Silvano Bentivoglio and Dr. Vittoria Vetra, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) initiates the Large Hadron Collider and captures three vials of antimatter. Immediately afterward, someone kills Father Silvano and steals a vial.

The Roman Catholic Church mourns the death of Pope Pius XVI in Rome. Vatican City prepares for the papal conclave which will elect the next Pope. Camerlengo Patrick McKenna assumes temporary control of the Vatican while faithful members of the Church crowd into Saint Peter's Square, waiting for a successful vote. The Illuminati kidnap the 'preferiti' (the four most likely candidates to be elected pope) before the conclave enters seclusion. They threaten to kill one every hour and then destroy the Vatican in a burst of light at midnight. A stolen security camera shows the missing antimatter vial, which will catastrophically explode when the vial's battery dies and the magnetic containment field fails.

The Vatican summons symbologist Robert Langdon from Harvard University and Vittoria Vetra from CERN to help them solve the Illuminati's threat, save the four preferiti, and replace the vial's batteries. Langdon listens to the Illuminati message and deduces that the four cardinals will die at the four altars of the "Path of Illumination." However, no one knows where these altars are located.

Vetra calls for Father Silvano's diaries from Switzerland, hoping that they contain the name of the person with whom Silvano discussed the antimatter experiment. Langdon also demands access to the Vatican Secret Archives to see the original copy of Galileo Galilei's banned book. Using the clues from this book, Langdon, Vetra, Inspector General Ernesto Olivetti, and Lieutenant Valenti of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps race to the first church, only to find the first cardinal, Cardinal Ebner, dead, suffocated with dirt, eaten by rats and branded with the word "Earth". They verify the second altar's location and arrive, only to witness the death of the second cardinal, Cardinal Lamassé, his lungs punctured and his body branded with the word "Air". While Vetra studies Silvano's diaries, Langdon and the Vatican officers locate the third church and try to save the third cardinal, Cardinal Guidera, from burning to death, but the assassin appears and kills everyone but Langdon and Vittoria. The cardinal succumbs to the flames, his body branded with the word "Fire".

After escaping, Langdon convinces two Carabinieri officers to race with him to the last church of the "Water" altar, but the assassin murders them and drops the fourth cardinal, Cardinal Baggia, into the Fountain of the Four Rivers. However, Langdon saves the cardinal, who tells him the location of the Illuminati's lair: Castel Sant'Angelo. When Langdon and Vetra arrive, they are confronted by the assassin, who spares their lives since they are not armed and he has not been paid to kill them. He reveals that his contractors were from the Catholic Church. The assassin escapes and finds a vehicle containing his payment, but is killed by a car bomb upon starting the engine. Langdon and Vetra discover that the final victim of the plot will be Camerlengo McKenna. After arriving at the Vatican via a secret passage, they and some Swiss Guards enter the Camerlengo's office and find him in the floor branded with the Vatican's symbol on his chest and Commander Richter near him with a gun. The Guards promptly kill Richter to save the camerlengo. During the confusion, the dying commander gives Langdon a key to his office. Then the camerlengo, Langdon, Vetra, and the Swiss Guards discover the location of the stolen antimatter vial. By the time they find it, the battery is about to expire, the deadly explosion just minutes away. The camerlengo seizes the vial and uses a helicopter meant for escape from the Vatican to fly above the church. He then activates the autopilot and escapes with a parachute. After several seconds, the bomb explodes and the camerlengo lands, now considered a hero by the crowd and even as the best candidate to be the new Pope by the College of Cardinals. Meanwhile, Langdon and Vetra use Richter's key to watch a security video showing that the mastermind behind the murders of the original Pope and the preferiti and the antimatter robbery, in fact, is the camerlengo and not the Illuminati. While Richter tries to arrest McKenna, the priest brands himself with a seal that resembles Saint Peter's upside-down crucifixion and accuses the commander being a member of the Illuminati. Langdon shows the video to the College. After the camerlengo realizes his plot has been uncovered, he burns himself with oil from one of the 99 holy lamps inside St. Peter's Basilica.

The Vatican announces that the camerlengo died due to internal wounds suffered during his landing, while the public demands he be canonized. The College designate the Cardinal Baggia as the new Pope (who chooses to take on the name Luke), and Cardinal Strauss as the new camerlengo. The new camerlengo thanks Robert Langdon for saving the Vatican and the new Pope, and as a mark of his gratitude loans Galileo's "Diagramma Veritas" to Langdon for his reference, and requesting that in Langdon's will, he will ensure the document is returned to the Vatican after his death. The film ends with the new Pope walking out on the balcony to the cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square.

The Pink Panther 2

2009-11-07T10:09:00.002+08:00

When the master thief, the Tornado, begins stealing expensive artifacts (the Magna Carta in London, the Turin Shroud in Turin, and the Imperial Sword in Kyoto), the Government of France assembles a Dream Team of Amateur Detectives to solve the case. Inspector Clouseau is reassigned from his task as a parking officer by Chief Inspector Dreyfus to join the Dream Team in Japan, site of the Tornado's recent heist. At the airport, as soon as he is officially leaving France, news breaks that the Pink Panther Diamond has also been stolen. Clouseau travels back to the scene of the crime, where the other members of the Dream Team, Inspector Pepperidge (Great Britain), Vicenzo (Italy), Kenji (an electronics specialist from Japan), and Sonia (a researcher and criminology expert from India), are gathering. They go to Rome to investigate a black market fence, Alonso Avellaneda, who deals with The Tornado. Assuming he is The Tornado, the Dream Team question him while Clouseau snoops around. Avellaneda successfully vindicates himself by demonstrating that he lacks a bullet-wound to the right shoulder- the Tornado was shot in that shoulder during a theft over a decade ago. After they leave, Avellaneda meets with the Tornado himself.

Later on that night, Clouseau and his partner, Ponton, spy on Avellaneda, using a wire they have planted on him, as he takes a date out for dinner. Unfortunately, the mission is compromised when they find Vicenzo and Clouseau's love interest, Nicole, together at the restaurant. Having been banned for burning down the restaurant three months earlier, Clouseau disguises himself as a dancer and attempts to switch the wire to Nicole's table. In the process, he ends up burning down the restaurant again. At the same time, The Tornado steals the Pope's ring, an act which begins to turn public opinion against the Dream Team. When Clouseau's acts of foolishness aggravate the situation, he is voted off the team, with only Sonia sympathizing with him. Shortly afterward, Clouseau is called to an office where they see the Tornado has killed himself, and left a suicide note claiming he destroyed the Pink Panther- regarding it as being so beautiful that he could not bring anyone other than himself to own it- and left the other treasures to be recovered. Examining a key they found in the Pope's Chambers, they successfully match the DNA of the victim with DNA of the Tornado acquired when he was shot, and thus believe themselves to have solved the case. However, Clouseau is unconvinced and believes the Tornado was not the thief.

For their victory in recovering the stolen items (minus the Pink Panther), a celebration is thrown in the Dream Team's honor. Clouseau, who was not invited, tries to convince Dreyfus that the real thief is still at large, but is ignored. Dreyfus relays to the group that Clouseau told him Sonia was the thief, and the group, treating the idea as a joke, works out a plausible explanation for how she could have done it; as the Tornado's ex-lover, she would have in-depth knowledge of his methods, and has set up a situation to draw all attention to the thefts of the other artifacts while leaving her free to sell on the Pink Panther as the only treasure that could be cut up and sold on without suspicion. Nicole suddenly realizes that Clouseau's story may actually be feasible, prompting Nicole to ask Sonia to conclude the joke by showing the contents of her purse, Clouseau claiming that the Pink Panther is in her purse. Disgusted by this indirect accusation, Sonia attempts to leave the party. As Sonia tries to leave, Nicole again asks her to take everything out of her purse. Sonia pulls out a gun, and after initially threatening to shoot Nicole, she shoots Clouseau, but the bullet ricochets off the medal of honor and kills the waiter instead. She then runs upstairs. Clouseau and the rest of the Dream Team chase her all around the building, while they all—except for Clouseau—make fools of themselves.

Finally cornered, Sonia threatens to destroy the Pink Panther, and Clouseau successfully goads her to do so. Clouseau reveals that she had destroyed a fake gem he had switched with the real one before his departure from France, and that the Tornado, a master thief and a recognized authority on valuable gems, would have recognized this; therefore, his suicide note— where he praised the beauty of the gem in his possession— was forged and he was actually murdered. He reveals that he had given Sonia's car a ticket two days before the Pink Panther was stolen, contradicting her alibi of having been delayed to the crime scene because of her flight. Dreyfus tries to claim credit for having appointed Clouseau to his parking job, but Clouseau, remembering Dreyfus told him to deny this to anyone who asked, rebukes the claim. Clouseau later marries Nicole, though the wedding is short-lived after Dreyfus fires the cork out of the Champagne bottle onto a security device, causing Black Ops to storm the party in a manner similar to an earlier event in the film. Clouseau and Nicole ditch the wedding and head for the airport for their honeymoon with the animated Pink Panther watching them leave. The Pink Panther looks into the camera as he walks into the chaotic wedding and closes the door.

Night at The Museum: Battle of The Smithsonian

2009-11-07T09:42:00.002+08:00

Two years after Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) defeated the three night guards that plotted to steal The Tablet, he is now head of Daley Devices, a company that he founded to manufacture his inventions. These inventions, including the Glow-in-the-Dark Flashlight, the Unloseable Keyring, and the Oversized Dogbone, were created from his experiences as a former night guard. Upon revisiting, he finds that the American Museum of Natural History is closed for upgrades and renovations, and some of the museum pieces are being replaced by interactive holograms due to budget costs. The actual exhibits are due to be moved to the Federal Archives at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. On the last night, Larry reconnects with his museum exhibit friends including Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Rexy the Tyrannosaurus Skeleton, and Dexter the Capuchin Monkey (Crystal the Monkey) and finds out that several exhibits, including Theodore, Rexy, The Easter Island Head (Brad Garrett), and good Pharaoh Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek) and his Tablet are not moving to the Smithsonian Institution - without the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, the other exhibits will no longer be animated, something which Teddy has not told them so they can enjoy their last night. The next night, Larry gets a call from Jedediah (Owen Wilson), saying that Dexter stole the tablet last midnight and evil Pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), Ahkmenrah's older brother, is attacking them. Larry goes to Washington and visits the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Castle to find The Federal Archives with the help of his son Nick Daley (Jake Cherry).

Larry sneaks into the archives and locates the exhibits, frozen in the middle of a battle with Kahmunrah and his troops, who are trying to lock the exhibits in a crate. Larry gets hold of the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, which had been stolen by Dexter, just when the sun sets and all the exhibits come alive again. Kahmunrah and his soldiers lock the crate and take the Tablet from Larry, and he tells Larry that bringing the exhibits to life is just one of the tablet's powers - he intends to use it to raise an army from the underworld and conquer the world. Larry escapes with the help of General George Armstrong Custer (Bill Hader), who gets captured, and meets Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), who is thrilled at the prospect of adventure and accompanies Larry. Larry and Amelia then go through an assortment of paintings and trap Kahmunrah's soldiers in one. Meanwhile, Kahmunrah is able to recruit Evil Russian Czar Ivan The Terrible (Christopher Guest), Famous French General Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat), and Famous American Gangster Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) to help him capture Larry and The Golden Tablet Of Ahkmenrah in return for sharing the world with him when he conquers it. Custer is locked up with the other exhibits from the American Museum of Natural History, and while he conceives a poor plan of attack, Jedediah and Octavius (Steve Coogan) sneak out to help Larry.

They are found out by one of Al Capone's goons, and Jedediah tells Octavius to run away while he distracts them, which leads him to get captured and placed in a bird cage. Octavius sees this and vows to get reinforcements and save him.

Larry and Amelia are captured by Napoleon Bonaparte and taken to Kahmunrah. Kahmunrah then attempts to activate the tablet to open the gates of the underworld by pressing the symbols on the tablet, only to find out that the combination has been changed. He orders Larry to decipher the tablet's riddle and figure out the new combination before sunrise, and traps Jedediah in an hourglass to hasten his attempts. Larry and Amelia consult a bust of Teddy who says that the answer is in the heart of the pharaoh's tomb. The duo then consult The Thinker, but he gets distracted by a beautiful statue of Aphrodite. Finally, at the National Air and Space Museum, they consult a group of Albert Einstein bobbleheads who tell them that the answer to the riddle (and hence the new combination) is pi. Larry and Amelia fly the Wright Flyer to the Lincoln Memorial for a short while, return to the Smithsonian Castle, and Amelia goes for help while Larry delays Kahmunrah. Capone, Napoleon and Ivan arrive and tell him the code (having intimidated one of the Einstein bobbleheads into revealing it to them), and he opens the gates of the underworld and summons an army of Horus warriors. Suddenly, the statue of Abraham Lincoln from the Lincoln Memorial bursts through the window, frightening the bird-men back to the underworld. Amelia arrives, having freed the other exhibits, and Custer orders them to attack. During this battle, Octavius frees Jedediah, who is now covered in sand to the head, by smashing the glass with his helmet. They then attack one of Al Capone's goons by hitting his shoe with swords à la 300. Larry then duels Kahmunrah with his flashlight after distracting Capone, Napoleon and Ivan, defeating him and then pushing him through the gate, which banishes him to the underworld forever.

Amelia flies Larry and the other exhibits back to the American Museum of Natural History, where Teddy welcomes him back, and Larry assures him he has a way for them to remain there. Larry and Amelia say goodbye and kiss before Amelia flies away, leaving Larry outside the museum. Some time later, it is revealed that Larry generously sold his company and donated the money to the museum to pay for Audio-Animatronics exhibits - since the museum now opens late, the exhibits can come to life under the guise of "animatronic" figures, including Teddy as a tour guide, Ahkmenrah and Dexter displaying the Tablet, and Attila as a storyteller. Larry is rehired at the museum as the night guard so as to watch over the rest of his friends, and meets a young woman who looks just like Amelia. The film concludes as they talk and walk off as Larry guides her toward the hall of miniatures. Jedediah and Octavius then fly by in a miniature airplane. During the credits, a man from a black and white photo of V-J day in Times Square is seen examining Larry's Blackberry cell phone, which Larry left in the photo, and makes a new discovery (for his time period). His mother calls him, and it is revealed that his name is Joey Motorola.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of The Dinosaurs

2009-11-07T09:08:00.002+08:00

Ellie (Queen Latifah) and Manny (Ray Romano) are expecting their first child, and Manny is obsessed with making life perfect and safe for the family, since his first experiences as a husband and father went bad when his family was killed by hunters. At the same time, Diego (Denis Leary) finds himself unable to catch a cocky gazelle (Bill Hader) he has been stalking and decides to leave the herd, believing that he is losing his predatory nature as a tiger. Sid (John Leguizamo) grows jealous of Manny and Ellie and “adopts” three apparently abandoned eggs that he finds in an icy underground cavern and call them Eggbert, Shelly, and Yoko. Manny tells him to put them back, but Sid instead looks after the eggs, which hatch into baby Tyrannosaurus the next morning.

Although Sid tries his best to raise the three dinosaurs, their rambunctious behavior scares away all the other animals’ young and ruins a playground Manny built for Ellie’s baby. A female Tyrannosaurus, Momma, whose eggs Sid stole, soon returns and carries both Sid and her young underground, with Diego in pursuit. Manny, Ellie, Crash, and Eddie (Seann William Scott, Josh Peck) follow as well and discover that the icy cavern leads to a vast jungle populated by dinosaurs thought to be extinct. Here, an Ankylosaurus threatens the herd despite Diego’s efforts to fend it off; they are saved from a further crowd of angry reptiles by an insane, one-eyed weasel named Buckminster, or Buck (Simon Pegg).

Buck has been living in this jungle for some time and is chasing Rudy (a huge albino Baryonyx), intending to avenge the eye he lost to it. He agrees to lead the herd through the jungle’s perils to Lava Falls, where Momma has taken Sid and her babies. In the meantime, Sid and Momma try to outdo each other in feeding the offspring; he loses this contest, but is soon welcomed into the family regardless. The next day, however, Sid is separated from the family and attacked by Rudy. Sid is knocked onto a loose rock slab that is floating on a river of lava and about to plummet over the falls.

As the herd moves toward Lava Falls, Ellie goes into labor and a Guanlong pack strikes, causing a rock slide that separates her from Manny and Diego. Manny doubles back to protect her and Diego fends off further attacks, while Buck takes Crash and Eddie ahead to rescue Sid. Just as he goes over the falls, the trio swoops in on a commandeered Pteranodon only to been chased by a flock of Quetzalcoatlus on the way and saves his life. Manny reaches Ellie, and there is suddenly a reaction, the cry of a newborn baby, then he sees that it is a girl. He wants to name her Ellie, or Little Ellie, but Ellie instead names her Peaches after the fruit (and the codeword they had chosen for Ellie to use if she went into labor during the trip). Sid is saddened at the fact that he never had a chance to say goodbye to "his" children as he returns to the herd and learns of Peaches' birth.

Before they can exit the jungle, Rudy attacks at full force; Buck lures Rudy away from the group and is nearly eaten himself, before Diego saves him at the last second. They then ensnare him briefly, but he escapes and resumes his onslaught. The herd is saved by the timely arrival of Momma, who charges at Rudy and knocks him off a cliff before roaring her victory. As she and her children wish Sid well, Buck – now without a purpose in life since Rudy is gone – decides to join the herd and live on the surface. However, a distant roar tells him that Rudy is still alive; he changes his mind and sends the herd home, blocking off the path to the underground jungle at the same time so that no one else can go down there. Manny and Ellie welcome Peaches into their frozen world and admit that Sid did a good job looking after Momma's children (though Manny tells Diego that he will never let Sid babysit Peaches). Diego decides to remain with the herd, while Buck stays where he wants to be: underground, battling it out with Rudy.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2009-11-07T08:35:00.003+08:00

In the near future, weapons expert James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) has created a nanotechnology-based weapon capable of destroying an entire city. His company M.A.R.S. sells four warheads to NATO, and the U.S. Army is tasked with delivering the warheads. Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) are delivering the warheads when they are ambushed by the Baroness (Sienna Miller), whom Duke recognizes to be his ex-fiancee Ana Lewis. Duke and Ripcord are rescued by Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park), Breaker (Saïd Taghmaoui) and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). They take the warheads to The Pit, G.I. Joe's command center in North Africa, and upon arriving rendezvous with the head of the G.I. Joe Team, General Hawk (Dennis Quaid). Hawk takes command of the warheads and excuses Duke and Ripcord, only to be convinced to let them join his group after Duke reveals that he knows the Baroness.

McCullen is revealed to be using the same nanotechnology to build an army of soldiers with the aid of the Doctor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), planning on using the warheads to cause panic and bring about a new world order. Using a tracking device, McCullen locates the G.I. Joe base and sends Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun) and the Baroness to retrieve the warheads with assistance from Zartan (Arnold Vosloo). After a fight, Storm Shadow and the Baroness retrieve the warheads and take them to Baron DeCobray, the Baroness's husband, for him to weaponize, and use them to destroy the Eiffel Tower to serve as a show of the warhead's destructive power. Making their way to Paris, the Joes pursue them through the streets but are unsuccessful in stopping them from launching the missile. The nanomites destroy the Eiffel Tower and much of the surrounding area before Duke manages to hit the kill switch, but in doing so he is captured and taken to McCullen's base under the Arctic.

G.I. Joe locates the secret base and flies there as McCullen loads three missiles with nano-mite warheads. After Snake Eyes takes out one, Ripcord pursues the remaining missiles in a stolen M.A.R.S. prototype Night Raven jet while Scarlett and her group infiltrate the base. While Scarlett, Breaker and Snake Eyes attempt to shut down the Arctic base, with Heavy Duty leading an attack on Cobra's forces, Duke learns that the Doctor is Rex Lewis, Ana's brother believed to have been killed on a mission led by Duke. He was trapped in a bunker with Doctor Mindbender (Kevin O'Connor), disfigured in the blast which everyone presumed had killed him. The Baroness tries to free Duke but the Doctor reveals he has implanted her with nano-mites which has put her under his control for the past four years, admitting his amazement that she is resisting the programming. Attempting to kill Duke, McCullen ends up being facially burned as he flees with Rex to an escape vessel. Duke and the Baroness pursue him while the Joes fall back when Rex activated the base's self destruct sequence. During this Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes Face off. Snake Eyes stabs Storm Shadow and presumably kills him.

Rex then heals McCullen's burned face with nano-mites, encasing it in silver as he christens McCullen "Destro" and assumes the identity of Cobra Commander before they are captured by G.I. Joe soon after. On board the supercarrier USS Flagg, Baroness is placed in protective custody until they can remove the nano-mites from her body. Meanwhile, Zartan, having been earlier operated on by Cobra Commander, infiltrates the White House during the missile crisis and assumes the identity of the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce).

G-Force

2009-11-07T08:26:00.000+08:00

The film revolves around an special FBI organization of trained secret agent animals, equipped with advanced tools including an advanced earpiece that allows the mammalian members to talk to humans. In addition to a team of cockroaches, the primary field team consists of guinea pigs Darwin (Sam Rockwell) (team leader), Juarez (Penelope Cruz) (martial arts), Blaster (Tracy Morgan) (weapons/transportation), star-nosed mole Speckles (Nicolas Cage) (cyber intelligence), and fly Mooch (reconnaissance) (Dee Bradley Baker). Hoping to impress his superiors on the eve of a budgetary review, the unit's leader, Ben (Zach Galifinakis), orders an unauthorized infiltration of the residence of home electronics and appliances magnate, Leonard Saber, who has been under FBI investigation for years. The team is able to successfully retrieve considerable sensitive information about a sinister scheme that is set to occur in 29 hours. However, when Ben's superior arrives for his evaluation, his astonishment at the team's capabilities and technology is overcome by his indignation at Ben's unauthorized mission and the fact that the downloaded intelligence appears to be useless information about Saber's coffee makers. As a result, the government agent orders the unit shut down, the equipment seized and the animals to be used as experimental subjects to be killed as security risks. With the help of their human compatriots, Darwin, Juarez, Blaster, Mooch, and Speckles escape with hopes of stopping Saber's scheme, but find themselves in a pet carrying case bound for a pet shop.

Now trapped in the store's pet rodent display case, G-Force meets Hurley (Jon Favreau), a gluttonous guinea pig, Bucky (Steve Buscemi) an irascible hamster and three sycophantic mice. Although Blaster and Juarez manage to get themselves sold to a family with plans to return to extract their comrades, Speckles' own attempt to escape by playing dead ends disastrously when he is thrown into and apparently crushed in a garbage truck. Meanwhile, Mooch manages to return to Ben to tell him where his mammalian agents are, but Darwin escapes (with Hurley, who is convinced that Darwin is his brother, tagging along) before he can arrive to collect them.

While Blaster and Juarez escape their new owners to return to Ben, he and his partner discover that the discredited intel has a destructive computer function that apparently hid the scheme. At this time, Darwin and Hurley make their own way to their superior. On route, Darwin sees a Saber coffeemaker and decides to investigate it, but his examination of the machine makes it come alive as a dangerous fighting robot that he and Hurley are barely able to defeat. Now with his suspicions vindicated, Darwin and Hurley transport the wreckage to Ben. However, upon arrival, Ben has lost all confidence in his team and confesses the shattering information that they are not special genetically enhanced animals as previously told, but ordinary ones Ben took in and trained for the team. However, Hurley lifts them from their despair by reminding the team of the astounding feats he has seen them do and the fact that they obviously made themselves extraordinary on their own.

Emboldened but with little time to stop the scheme, Ben provides the field team with the means to infiltrate the Saber residence and plant a virus in the computer mainframe. Unfortunately, FBI agents are ordered to capture the animals dead or alive, forcing the team to elude them with an extended pursuit thanks to a high speed vehicle especially designed for them. After that is accomplished and the team infiltrates Saber's mainframe, the plan is put into motion, and the resulting battle separates the group, only leaving Darwin to take the mainframe down. At the same time, Leonard Saber is shocked to discover that his appliances have become killing machines, expecting them to simply be able to effectively communicate with each other, while FBI takes advantage of this obvious pretext to finally openly move against the industrialist. When Darwin reaches the mainframe, he finds out that Speckles, whose home and family had been destroyed by humans, is the mastermind of the plan, whose masterstroke is to cause a massive planetwide bombardment of space junk pulled from orbit to make the planet surface uninhabitable. Speckles promptly amalgamates the various appliances in the vicinity into a giant walking being, which, combined with a localized bombardment of orbital debris, soon overpowers the police forces gathered at the mansion. Darwin manages to persuade Speckles that his new family is with the rest of the team and Ben, who had taken them all in. Speckles consents, and tries to shut it down, but realizes that it has gone too far. However, Darwin uses the computer virus on his PDA to take it down.

At the end of the film, the guinea pigs are personally commended by the FBI Director who also appoints them special agents of the FBI. Furthermore, G-Force is reinstated as a unit of the Bureau and expanded with Hurley, Bucky and the mice inducted as new recruits. Meanwhile, Saber makes the largest product recall in history, and Speckles is given the punitive duty of personally removing the malicious chips from all Saber products, which number in the tens of thousands.

The Final Destination

2009-11-07T08:12:00.000+08:00

While watching a race at McKinley Speedway for a break from studying, college student Nick O'Bannon (Bobby Campo) has a premonition of a car crash which sends debris into the audience, crushing some spectators and resulting in the stadium collapsing, which would have killed almost everyone present in the 180 section. In a panic Nick manages to convince his girlfriend Lori Milligan (Shantel VanSanten), and friends Hunt Wynorski (Nick Zano) and Janet Cunningham (Haley Webb) to leave. The quartet is followed out by a security guard named George Lanter (Mykelti Williamson), spectator Andy Kewzer (Andrew Fiscella), his girlfriend Nadia Monroy (Stephanie Honore), and racist Carter Daniels (Justin Welborn), who have become angry with Nick (except for Janet) after he pushes past them to escape. Cynthia Daniels (Lara Grice), wants to follow her husband, but was ordered by Carter not to. Also, mother Samantha Lane (Krista Allen) follows her family outside. George intervenes when everyone begins to argue outside, just as the catastrophe Nick had foreseen occurs. A tire flies over the arena and decapitates Nadia (shortly after Nadia dies, Cynthia probably was sliced in half like in the premonition). After a memorial service at McKinley Speedway, Carter and Samantha died violently in freak accidents: Carter is blown up with his tow truck after trying to burn a cross on George's lawn as revenge for “killing his wife” and Samantha is killed by a flying rock propelled by a lawnmower, which goes right through her eye. Right before their deaths, Nick had seen omens of how they would die.

After hearing about Carter and Samantha's deaths on the news, Nick and Lori begin doing research, and learn about the disasters that occurred in the previous three films (the explosion of Flight 180 in JFK Airport, the highway pile-up in Route 23, and the roller coaster derailment in McKinley, Pennsylvania) and discover that the survivors (who were saved by premonitions) began dying in a series of improbable accidents shortly afterwards. While Hunt and Janet refuse to believe them, Nick and Lori manage to convince George that Death is after them. The trio begins trying to warn Andy, only to see him killed when a CO² canister flings him backwards to a metal fence which dices his torso. As they learn Hunt and Janet were next, they split up to save both of them in time. Lori and George go to save Janet, which was successful, as they found Janet in a carwash, having her head stuck through her sunroof after escaping being drowned from the amount of water pouring into her car. They save her right before her head gets crushed by a huge pipe in the carwash. Meanwhile, Nick goes to a pool to look for Hunt, only to have him killed after Hunt goes into the pool and has his intestines sucked into the pool drain violently.

Later on, Nick, Lori & George celebrate as they think it’s all over for George was trying to kill himself all day. As Lori and Janet are going to watch a film, Nick realizes George didn’t mean to die for there was another survivor confined to a hospital named Jonathan Grove (Jackson Walker). As he and George arrives at Jonathan's room, Jonathan is crushed by a bathtub from the room above him. As the two go outside the hospital, George is abruptly killed by a speeding ambulance, just before Nick has a second premonition showing him that Lori and Janet will die while in the movie theatre when an explosion occurs in a room behind the theatre. Nick rushes to reach them, while Lori begins spotting omens warning her that the danger is not over. Once Nick arrives, he and Lori attempt to convince Janet to leave, but are unsuccessful in their efforts. Janet is killed in the explosion when nails impale her through her face and a big shard of the screen slices her in half. Lori also meets her demise by being crushed by the escalator conveyor belt. Nick then realizes that the event hasn't happened yet, and is able to save his friends by extinguishing the fire that would have caused the initial explosion.

Two weeks later, Janet, Lori and Nick, thinking they have conquered Death's plan, celebrate surviving in a cafe. Nick notices a loose leg on a scaffold outside the cafe, and he tells a construction worker to fix it up. Once inside he drifts off into thought after seeing omens around him, and realizes that his premonitions and signs, along with all the disasters and deaths that had occurred since the speedway incident, are red herrings from Death used to manipulate them into where and when it would really come for them. Just as Nick realizes this, the scaffold falls, and in order to avoid it, a truck swerves, crashes through the cafe window, and kills the group (Janet is crushed by the truck's tires, Lori is forced against the wall where her neck breaks, and Nick is smashed to the café wall where his jaw cracks), thus leaving all connected to the McKinley Speedway disaster dead.

District 9

2009-11-07T07:57:00.000+08:00

In 1982, a large alien spaceship stops above Johannesburg, South Africa. Reports suggest that the ship became stranded after a command module separated from the ship and dropped to Earth, nowhere to be found. An exploratory team discovers a group of one million unhealthy and leaderless members of an arthropod-like extraterrestrial species who are given asylum on Earth. Some of these aliens engage in criminal and destructive activities, which lead to demands from the human population for more control. As a result, the aliens - derogatorily referred to as "prawns" - are confined to a government camp inside Johannesburg, called District 9. The camp is secured and, even with a massive police presence, soon turns into a slum. In the first decade of the 21st century, Multinational United (MNU), a private military corporation, is placed in charge of policing and relocating the now 1.8 million aliens to District 10, a new camp 240 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg.

Wikus van de Merwe, a MNU field operative, leads the relocation with the serving of eviction notices on August 9, 2010. During the eviction Wikus confiscates alien weaponry and "aborts" their eggs with the use of flamethrowers. As this continues, some nearby aliens are shown distilling a mysterious liquid into a small canister. One of the aliens (designated "Christopher Johnson") resists. While raiding Christopher's shack, Wikus discovers and removes the container, accidentally spraying some of the liquid onto his face. That night Wikus falls ill and is taken to a hospital, where his left forearm is revealed to have mutated into an alien appendage. He is immediately taken into MNU custody. After discovering that Wikus can now operate alien weaponry due to his mutating DNA (the weapons being unresponsive to humans), they force him to test various energy weapons, including against a live alien target. The scientists then intend to vivisect him before he fully transforms, but a panicked Wikus overpowers his captors and escapes.

Now a fugitive, Wikus takes refuge in District 9 and returns to Christopher's shack. Noticing Wikus' arm, Christopher reveals that the canister contains a fluid that would allow him to reactivate the dormant mothership and take his people off the planet. After revealing the lost command module hidden under his shack, Christopher agrees to help reverse Wikus' genetic transformation if Wikus retrieves the canister from MNU. Wikus agrees and tries to buy weapons from the local Nigerian gang. Their leader, the paralyzed warlord Obesandjo, seizes Wikus, seeking to gain his ability to operate alien weapons. Wikus finds an alien firearm and kills some of Obesandjo's men before stealing a cache of weapons and escaping.

Wikus and Christopher break into the MNU offices and retrieve the canister fleeing back to District 9. Christopher, having just seen that MNU is performing medical experiments on his people, informs Wikus that he will seek help for his people before curing Wikus, which would take three years. Wikus knocks Christopher unconscious and powers up the command module. Soon after takeoff, one of the craft's engines is shot off by an MNU missile battery and it quickly crashes nearby.

MNU forces enter District 9 taking Wikus and Christopher prisoner, but Obesandjo's gang ambushes them. During an intense fire fight the Nigerian gang captures Wikus. From the downed command module, Christopher's son activates the mothership and an alien mechanized battle suit which frees Wikus. Wikus pilots the suit and rescues Christopher. Promising Wikus that he will return to reverse his transformation, Christopher activates a tractor beam in the mothership, which lifts the stricken command module towards it. Heavily wounded and in a much more advanced state of his mutation, Wikus crawls out of the wrecked battle suit.

The mothership begins to leave and Johannesburg's residents celebrate its departure. A series of interviews and news broadcasts are shown. The aliens are successfully moved to District 10, said to have a population of 2.5 million and growing. MNU's illegal experiments on aliens are exposed. Those interviewed theorize about Wikus' fate and hypothesize that Christopher Johnson might return for the refugees or declare war on humanity. Wikus' wife reveals that, having found a small metal flower on her doorstep, she has hope that her husband is still alive. In a scrapyard, an alien with a bandaged left arm crafts a flower out of metal.

Fast & Furious

2009-11-07T07:45:00.000+08:00

The movie opens up with Dominic Toretto and his new crew hijacking fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic. The crew consists of Letty, Rico, Tego and Han Lue. After a heist, Dominic believes that the trail is too hot and tells Han that is time for him "to do his own thing". Dom subsequently leaves Letty to go elsewhere. While he is in Panama City, Toretto gets a call from his sister Mia. She tells him that Letty has been murdered. Dom heads back to Los Angeles and examines the car crash that Letty was in and finds traces of nitromethane. Dom then goes to the only car mechanic that uses nitromethane and coerces him into giving him the name David Park, the man who ordered the fuel.

Meanwhile, FBI agent Brian O'Conner is trying to track down a drug dealer named Arturo Braga. His search leads him to David Park. Dom arrives at Park's apartment first and hangs him out of the window by his ankles before letting go. Brian, who was also on his way to Park's place, saves Park and Park becomes the FBI's new informant. Park gets Brian into a street race through Los Angeles; the winner will become the last driver on a team that traffics heroin between the United States-Mexico border for Braga. Brian is able to choose from vairous impounded cars to enter the race with and chooses a Nissan Skyline GT-R which he modifies. Dom, who modifies his Chevrolet Chevelle also shows up to race. At the end, Dom and Brian are neck-and-neck, and Dom wins when he hits Brian's rear fender and causes him to spin out. Brian uses his power as an FBI agent to arrest another driver, Dwight Mueller, and takes his place on the team.

The day after, the team meets Fenix, one of Braga's men. It was revealed to Dom that Fenix was the person who murdered Letty. They drive across the border, using underground tunnels to avoid detection. Brian had prior knowledge that after the heroin was delivered Braga ordered the drivers to be killed (he was able to plant Letty undercover to capture Braga in exchange for Dom's freedom when she was murdered). Upon all the drivers getting out of their cars, Dom, who senses that something is wrong, wrigs his Chevelle to blow up by unscrewing a tube that connects to his car's nitric oxide tank and igniting the car's lighter. After a tense stand-off (and learning that Fenix is the one who murdered Letty) Dom's car does explode, distracting Braga's men long enough for Brian to hijack a Hummer with USD $60 million worth of heroin. Both Dom and Brian drive back to Los Angeles. They hide the heroin in a police impound lot. The next day, Brian tells his superiors that he can lure Braga into a trap, forcing him to personally show up to exchange money for the heroin, so that the police can arrest him. He says he will do this if they will pardon Dom. At the drop site, however, the man who claims to be Braga is a decoy and Campos, the real Braga, escapes and flees to Mexico.

Brian and Dom head out to Mexico on their own to catch Braga. They find him at a church and apprehend him. As Braga's henchmen come down to rescue their leader, Brian and Dom drive through the underground tunnels back to the United States. During the final moments of the chase, Brian crashes his car and is injured after being T-boned by Fenix at the end of the tunnel. As Dom approaches the end of the tunnel, his Charger is severely damaged. Right before his car crashes into a dead end he jumps out of it, into a Chevrolet Camaro, knocking it's driver out of it, who is subsequently run over. Immediately after the Charger crashes it sets off an explosion which causes the tunnels to collapse, crushing Braga's henchmen and seemingly killing Dom as well. Before Fenix can kill Brian, Dom, who was not far behind, drives out of the tunnel ruins and into Fenix, killing him instantly. As police and helicopters start streaming to the crash site on the U.S. side, Brian tells Dom to get out of there. Dom says he is tired of running. Despite Brian's request for clemency, the judge sentences Dom to 25 years to life. In the last scene of the movie, Dom boards a prison bus that will take him to Lompoc penitentiary. As the bus drives down the road, Brian (driving a restored version of Dom's Dodge Charger R/T), Mia (driving her Acura NSX), and Rico and Tego (driving a Pontiac TransAm) soon follow behind and intercept it.

Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen

2009-11-07T07:35:00.000+08:00

It is revealed that thousands of years ago there was a race of ancient Transformers who scoured the universe looking for energon sources. Known as the Dynasty of Primes, they used machines called Sun Harvesters to drain stars of their energy in order to convert it to energon and power Cybertron's AllSpark. The Primes agreed that life-bearing worlds would be spared, but in 17,000 BC, one brother, thereafter dubbed "The Fallen", constructed a Sun Harvester on Earth. The remaining brothers thus sacrificed their bodies in order to hide the Matrix of Leadership—the key that activates the Sun Harvester—from The Fallen, who swore to seek revenge upon Earth.

In the present day, two years after the events of the previous film, Optimus Prime is seen leading NEST, a military organization consisting of human troops and his own team of Autobots (including newcomers Arcee, Chromia, Elita One, Sideswipe, Jolt, and the twins Skids and Mudflap) aimed at killing the remaining Decepticons on Earth. While on a mission in Shanghai, Optimus and his team destroy Decepticons Sideways and Demolishor, being given a warning by the latter that "The Fallen will rise again". Back in the United States, Sam Witwicky finds a splinter of the destroyed AllSpark, and upon contact the splinter fills his mind with Cybertronian symbols. Deeming it dangerous, Sam gives the AllSpark splinter to his girlfriend Mikaela Banes for safe keeping, and leaves her and Bumblebee behind to go off to college. Upon arrival, Sam meets his college roommate Leo Spitz, who runs an alien conspiracy website, and Alice, a co-ed who makes sexual advances on him. Back home, Decepticon Wheelie tries to steal the shard, only to get captured by Mikaela. After having a mental breakdown, uncontrollably writing in Cybertronian language, Sam calls Mikaela, who immediately leaves to get to him.

Decepticon Soundwave hacks into a US satellite and learns the locations of the dead Decepticon leader Megatron and another piece of the AllSpark. The Decepticons retrieve the shard and use it to resurrect Megatron, who flies into space and is reunited with Starscream and his master, The Fallen. The Fallen instructs Megatron and Starscream to capture Sam in order to discover the location of the Matrix of Leadership. With Sam's outbreaks worsening, Mikaela arrives at campus just as Alice—revealed to be a Decepticon Pretender—attacks Sam. Mikaela, Sam, and his roommate Leo drive off, destroying Alice, but are seized by Decepticon Grindor. The Decepticon known as "The Doctor" prepares to remove Sam's brain, but Optimus and Bumblebee turn up and rescue him. In an ensuing fight, Optimus engages Megatron, Grindor and Starscream. Optimus manages to kill Grindor and rip off Starscream's arm, but during a momentary distraction while searching for Sam, he was blindsided then impaled through the chest by Megatron and dies. Megatron and Starscream depart as the Autobot team arrives to rescue Sam, unable to save Optimus.

After Prime's death, The Fallen is freed from his captivity and Megatron orders a full-scale assault on the planet. The Fallen speaks to the world and demands they surrender Sam to the Decepticons or they will continue their attack. Sam, Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee, the twins and Wheelie regroup, and Leo suggests his online rival "RoboWarrior" may be of assistance. "RoboWarrior" is revealed to be former Sector 7 agent Simmons, who informs the group that the symbols should be readable for a Decepticon. Mikaela then releases Wheelie, who can't read the language, but identifying it as that of the Primes, directs the group to a Decepticon seeker named Jetfire. They then find Jetfire at the F. Udvar-Hazy Center and reactivate him via the shard of the AllSpark. After teleporting the group to Egypt, Jetfire explains that only a Prime can kill The Fallen, and translates the symbols, which contain a riddle that sets the location of the Matrix of Leadership somewhere in the surrounding desert. By following the clues, the group arrive at the tomb where they ultimately find the Matrix, but it crumbles to dust in Sam's hands. Believing the Matrix can still revive Optimus, Sam collects the dust and instructs Simmons to call Major William Lennox to bring the other Autobots and Optimus' body.

The military arrives with the Autobots, but so do the Decepticons, and a battle arises. During the fight, Decepticon Devastator is formed and unearths the Sun Harvester from inside one of the pyramids before being destroyed by the US military with the help of agent Simmons. Jetfire arrives and destroys Mixmaster, but is mortally wounded by Scorponok. The Air Force carpet bomb the Decepticons, but Megatron breaks through the offensive and kills Sam. In a vision, Sam meets with the other Primes, who tell him that the Matrix of Leadership is not found but earned, which Sam has done. They acknowledge Sam's devotion to Optimus, the last descendent of the Primes, and instruct Sam to merge the Matrix with Optimus' spark before bringing him back to life. The Matrix is reassembled from the dust, and Sam uses it to revive Optimus. The Fallen arrives and overpower the autobot team before stealing the Matrix and activating the Sun Harvester unearthed by the Decepticon Devastator. In his final moments, Jetfire volunteers his parts and spark to Optimus. With enhanced capabilities, Optimus destroys the Sun Harvester and takes on Megatron and The Fallen, killing the latter. Sam then finally reciprocates Mikaela's love as Megatron and Starscream retreat and vow that their fight is not finished.

The film ends with Optimus sending a message into space saying that the humans and Transformers both share a common past.

During the end credits, Sam returns to college.

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince

2009-11-06T10:30:00.000+08:00

Having returned to power, Death Eaters attack both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, while Lord Voldemort has given Draco Malfoy an assignment. Bellatrix Lestrange goads Severus Snape into making an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Narcissa, to protect Draco and carry out the assignment if he fails. Scarred by his experience at the Ministry of Magic with Voldemort, Harry is reluctant to return to school. Dumbledore brings Harry to entice former Potions Professor Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts. Later, while leaving Fred and George's new shop in Diagon Alley, Harry, Ron and Hermione notice Draco associating with Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback and Narcissa Malfoy in Borgin and Burkes, leaving Harry suspicious. He attempts to eavesdrop on Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express, but Draco Petrifies Harry. He is rescued by Luna Lovegood and her Spectrespecs.

At Hogwarts, Harry and Ron borrow school textbooks for Slughorn's Potions class. The previous owner of Harry's copy, the "Half-Blood Prince", has annotated the book with additional instructions that allow Harry to excel in class and win a vial of the luck potion Felix Felicis. After making it as Keeper on the Quidditch team, Ron becomes a hero and he forms a relationship with Lavender Brown, which leaves Hermione heartbroken. After Harry finds her sobbing in a corridor, he confesses to having feelings for Ginny Weasley and admits that he is feeling distraught over her relationship with Dean Thomas. He hides his feelings from all but Hermione, however, knowing Ron is protective of Ginny and would never allow a relationship between them. Harry spends Christmas with the Weasleys, during which he discusses the situation at Hogwarts with Order of the Phoenix members Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. He becomes closer to Ginny, who has broken up with Dean. They nearly share a kiss but Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback attack the Burrow and attempt to kidnap Harry. The Order is able to keep everyone safe, but the Death Eaters set fire to the Burrow.

Draco continues eluding Harry while perfecting the use of a Vanishing Cabinet inside the Room of Requirement. Harry suspects Draco is behind two attempts on Dumbledore's life, one of which nearly kills Ron. In his semi-comatose state, Ron mumbles Hermione's name, causing his relationship with Lavender to deteriorate. Confronting Draco, Harry hits him with a curse from the Half-Blood Prince's book which severely wounds him. Snape heals Draco as Harry retreats. Fearing the book may be filled with more Dark Magic, Ginny convinces Harry to leave the book in the Room of Requirement so that he won't use it again. While Harry's eyes are closed, Ginny hides the book and kisses him, starting a relationship between them.

During private meetings held throughout the year, Dumbledore shows Harry memories of a young Tom Riddle and reveals Slughorn retains a memory critical to Voldemort's defeat. Harry retrieves the memory using Felix Felicis. It reveals that Voldemort had been seeking information for creating as many as seven Horcruxes, devices that safeguard a portion of the creator's soul, granting him immortality unless the Horcruxes are destroyed. Two of Voldemort's Horcruxes have already been destroyed: Tom Riddle's diary, and his grandfather's ring. After locating another Horcrux, Dumbledore requests Harry's help to retrieve it. Inside a cave, Harry is forced to make Dumbledore drink a mind-altering potion that hides the Horcrux, a locket. Though gravely weakened, Dumbledore defends them from a horde of Inferi and Apparates himself and Harry back to the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore first tells Harry to fetch Snape for help, but then tells him to hide when footsteps approach. Draco appears and reveals that Voldemort has chosen him to kill Dumbledore, but is unable to follow through. Snape arrives, motions to Harry to stay hidden, and joins the Death Eaters that arrive through the Vanishing Cabinet and surround Draco as he hesitates. Snape casts the Avada Kedavra curse, killing Dumbledore and then escaping from the castle with the other Death Eaters. In their wake they cast the Dark Mark, wreck the Great Hall and set fire to Hagrid's Hut. Harry tries to stop them, but Snape deflects Harry's spells and Bellatrix stuns him. Before departing, Snape reveals to Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince. Harry returns to the school to find the staff and students mourning Dumbledore.

Harry reveals to Ron and Hermione that the locket Horcrux was a fake. The locket contains a message from an "R.A.B." stating he has taken the real Horcrux and hopes to destroy it and the others. Rather than return for their final year at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends vow to seek out R.A.B. and the remaining Horcruxes as Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, flies into the horizon.