Wednesday, December 31, 2014

416. Love Destiny

Title: 爱情自有天意 / Ai Qing Zi You Tian Yi / 爱情心心相印 / Ai Qing Xin Xin Xiang Yin
English Title: Love Destiny
Genre: City Story, Romance
Episodes: 81

Summary: 当料理天才唐正遇到千金小姐,两段错位的人生引出了这场上天注定的姻缘,也将三大世家的六个子女牵绊在了一起:20多年前,唐冠中、程实两家同时产下儿女,程实夫妇被逼坠崖身亡,导致两个孩子身份错位,唐正成为“万家香”小饭馆老板唐冠中的长子,而唐家亲生女儿程曦却成为山水集团千金。多年后,唐正与程曦相识,两人互生爱恋。一直认为程曦是养女的哥哥程超群向程曦表明爱意,程曦的拒绝使他将矛头指向唐家,再加上宿敌田在天与曾聪明不断制造阻碍,使两家的合作之路危机重重。

Translation: When cooking genius Tang Zheng meet Cheng Xi, a rich princess, their two misplaced life led to this destined marriage, which also tied together the fates of 6 children from 3 families. 20 years ago, the children of Tang Guan Zhong and Cheng Shi were being born at the same time. The Cheng couple was forced to fall over a cliff to their death, hence the identities of this two children were swapped; Tang Zheng became the eldest son of the boss of a small restaurant "Tang Jia Xiang", while Cheng Xi became the granddaughter of the boss of "Shan Shui" Group. Many years later, Tang Zheng met Cheng Xi and they fell in love. Cheng Xi's older brother Cheng Chao Qun always though Cheng Xi was adopted and this confessed to her but Cheng Xi rejected him, causing him to blame the Tang family for it. Furthermore, the Tang family's mortal enemy, Tian Zai Tian, joined hands with Cheng Chao Qun's father, Zeng Cong Ming, to continuously create trouble for the family, causing the cooperation of both families to have a rocky journey, facing lots of obstacles.

415. Night at the Museum

Title: Night at the Museum

Genre: Adventure, Family, Comedy
Year: 2014

Summary: 
Night at the Museum (2006): When Larry Daley, a divorced father who can't seem to keep a job for more than a week, applies for a job at the American Museum of Natural History, he is assigned as a night guard. However, a seemingly easy job turns out to be a wild ride when he finds that an ancient spell has caused the "inhabitants" of the museum to come to life.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009): Two years after the previous film, several of the exhibits are transferred to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and Dexter the monkey steals the tablet of Ahkmenrah, Larry must break in and team up with his old friends, and new ally Amelia Earheart to get it back from Ahkmenrah's resurrected evil brother Kahmunrah before morning.

Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb (2014): Five years after the previous film, Larry discovers that the tablet of Ahkmenrah's magic is failing. So he, his now-teenage son Nick, along with Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagewea, Jedidiah, Octavius, Dexter, Attila the Hun, and a new caveman figure named Laaa (who looks like Larry) travel to a fictional version of the British Museum to undo the curse with the help of Ahkmenrah's parents, and the narcissistic Sir Lancelot of Camelot before the tablet's magic disappears forever. 

414. Mr. Peabody & Sherman


Title: Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Year: 2014

Summary: Mr. Peabody is a gifted anthropomorphic dog who has an adopted 7-year-old young human son, Sherman. He tutors Sherman travelling throughout history using the WABAC, a time machine. They visit Marie Antoinette in Versailles during the French Revolution in 1789. Getting caught in the Reign of Terror, Peabody is nearly sent to the guillotine by Maximilien Robespierre, but escapes with Sherman through the Paris sewers.
In the present day, Sherman attends the Susan B. Anthony School in New York City on his first day of school. His knowledge of the apocryphal nature of the George Washington cherry-tree anecdote leads to a fight with Penny Peterson in the cafeteria where she puts him in a choke hold. Peabody is called in by Principal Purdy who tells Peabody that Sherman had bit Penny. He is also confronted during this meeting by Ms. Grunion, a Child Protective Services agent, who implies that Sherman's behavior is due to being raised by a dog. She informs Peabody that she will come to their home to investigate whether he is an unfit parent.
Peabody invites Penny and her parents over for a dinner party to reconcile before Ms. Grunion arrives. Penny calls Sherman a liar for claiming first-hand knowledge of history. Despite Peabody's contrary instructions, Sherman shows Penny the WABAC. Penny goads Sherman into taking her into the past, where she stays in Ancient Egypt in 1332 BCE to marry King Tut. Sherman returns to get Mr. Peabody's help. Peabody hypnotises the Petersons, and retrieves Penny by telling her the fate of a pharaoh's widow.
The WABAC runs out of power, but Peabody is able to get them to Renaissance Florence in 1508 where they meet Leonardo da Vinci. Penny and Sherman explore da Vinci's attic, finding his flying machine. Penny goads Sherman into flying it, which he manages to do before crashing. Da Vinci is thrilled the device works, but Peabody is upset that Sherman risked his safety and destroyed a historical artifact.
They again attempt to return, but a black hole forces them into an emergency landing during the Trojan War in 1184 BCE. Upset about learning what Ms. Grunion would do to him, Sherman runs off and joins the army of King Agamemnon in the Trojan Horse. During the final parts of the Trojan War, Penny is trapped inside the Horse as it rolls towards a cliff. Peabody rescues her, but apparently dies during the attempt.
Sherman pilots the WABAC to a few minutes before they left in the present to get Mr. Peabody's help to fix everything. As Sherman and Penny try to explain the situation, Sherman's earlier self shows up. Peabody tries to conceal the presence of two Shermans from the Petersons, then Grunion arrives. Then a second Peabody arrives from Ancient Troy. Grunion's attempt to collect both Shermans causes them to touch and begin to merge. Both Peabodys rush to assist, but they each merge back together amidst a cosmic shockwave. Grunion grabs Sherman to take him away, hurting him in the process. Peabody furiously bites Grunion, who then calls the NYPD. Peabody, Penny, and Sherman race to the WABAC, but cannot time travel due to a rip in the space-time continuum caused by the merger of their cosmic doubles. Historical figures and objects from the past begin falling from the cosmic rip and into the present.
Mr. Peabody crash-lands the WABAC in Grand Army Plaza at William Tecumseh Sherman's statue's base. Historical figures and police officers quickly surround them. Grunion calls in Animal Control to collect Peabody. Sherman explains that everything was his fault, but Grunion contends that it is all because a dog cannot raise a boy. Sherman climactically shouts down Grunion, saying that if being a dog means being as loving and loyal as Peabody is, then he is proud to be a dog too. Penny, her parents, the historical figures, and others all make the same pledge. George Washington is able to grant Peabody a presidential pardon which is supported by Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.
As Peabody, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Agamemnon try to figure out how to close the rip, Sherman suggests they travel into the future. Peabody and Sherman take off in the WABAC and undo the damage. The historical figures are dragged back to their respective times, with Agamemnon abducting Grunion back to his own time as she vows revenge on Peabody.
Sherman returns to school having made great friends with Penny. History, meanwhile, is contaminated with modern traits, while Grunion and Agamemnon get married in the Trojan Horse. 

413. If I Stay

Title: If I Stay

Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Year: 2014

Summary: Mia Hall and her family are getting ready to go on with their normal day activities when it is announced on the radio that school has been canceled. Mia's dad Denny is a teacher and as a result of the snow day does not have to go to work. Mia's mom Kat, a travel agent, decides to call in sick and along with her family get on the road to visit Mia's grandparents who live on a farm. It is also revealed that Mia is dating an older, popular up-and-coming rockstar named Adam Wilde.
The story flashes back to Mia's early life with a rocker dad and an inexperienced mom, when one day they take Mia to a music class where Mia decides that she wants to start playing the cello. After her parents see that Mia is passionate about the cello, they hire a teacher to help her play. Kat is shown pregnant with Teddy, whom Mia thinks is the reason for her father's departure from his band.
Years later, an adolescent Mia is still passionate about the cello and is playing at school in the band room where Adam peeks in on her playing, seeing her for the first time, leading him to ask Kim, Mia's best friend, about her. Adam then asks Mia out on a date to a cello recital, where they show mutual affection towards one another.
The story flashes back to current time with the family driving to the grandparents' farm when their car collides with an oncoming truck. Mia appears to have an out-of-body experience where she finds herself barefoot and sees her body lying on the road while paramedics are trying to help her and her family. Mia tries to ask a paramedic what is happening, but realizes that no one can see or hear her. Mia, now in the hospital, panics as she does not know the current status of any of her family members when they take her in for surgery. A sympathetic nurse, Nurse Ramirez, tells Mia—her physical body, not Mia's spirit, which apparently she cannot see either—that it is up to her whether or not she wants to stay.
The story flashes back once again to Mia attending one of Adam's concerts with his band Willamette Stone, where she does not seem to fit in. Adam's band is steadily gaining more recognition and gets signed to a label, which starts to put a strain on their relationship due to the travel schedule. While at dinner, Mia's grandpa suggests that she should apply to Juilliard, an idea which she initially rebuffs, but later further researches. She eventually lands an audition in San Francisco. It takes a while for Mia to tell Adam about her audition and when she does he becomes upset and leaves for a week-long gig.
In the present day, Mia undergoes surgery. She sees a doctor speaking with her grandparents who are standing outside of a pediatric room where Teddy lies in a coma-like state. Adam comes to the hospital to see Mia, but is not allowed in as he is not an immediate family member. It is then revealed that Mia's mom Kat was pronounced dead on arrival and her dad Denny died on the operating table. She later finds out that Teddy has died from an epidural hematoma. Grandpa talks to Mia, revealing that her father gave up being in a band because he wanted to give her a better life and be a better father. He also, tearfully, gives Mia permission to move on from this life if she wants, which influences Mia to decide that she wants to die so that she can join her family on the other side.
The story flashes back to Mia at her audition for Juilliard, where she plays the best she has ever played, leading her to think that if accepted, she would go. After a reconciliation with Adam, they talk about the huge possibility of her going to Juilliard, which ultimately leads to them breaking up and going their separate ways.
After some time, Mia seems stable enough to receive more visitors. Mia is shown symbolically about to let go when she hears the music performed at the cello recital that she attended with Adam. It is revealed that Adam has come to see Mia and that he is playing his iPod for her. He brings with him a letter Mia has received from Juilliard saying that she has been accepted and lets her know that he would do whatever she wants if she stays. He begins to play the song he has finally written about her. Mia, after flashing back through all the happy moments in her life, squeezes Adam's hand and opens her eyes and sees Adam as he hovers over her and says, "Mia?". 

Sunday, December 21, 2014

412. Captain Philips

Title: Captain Philips
Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Year: 2013

Summary: Richard Phillips takes command of MV Maersk Alabama, an unarmed container ship from the Port of Salalah in Oman, with orders to sail through the Guardafui Channel to Mombasa, Kenya. Wary of pirate activity off the coast of the Horn of Africa, he and First Officer Shane Murphy order strict security precautions on the vessel and carry out practice drills. During a drill, the vessel is chased by Somali pirates in two skiffs, and Phillips calls for help. Knowing that the pirates are listening to radio traffic, he pretends to call a warship, requesting immediate air support. One skiff turns around in response, and the other – manned by four heavily armed pirates led by Abduwali Muse – loses engine power trying to steer through Maersk Alabama's wake.
The next day, Muse's skiff, now fitted with two outboard engines, returns with the same four pirates aboard. Despite the best efforts of Phillips and his crew, the pirates secure their ladder to the Maersk Alabama. As they board, Phillips tells the crew to hide in the engine room and allows himself to be captured. He offers Muse the $30,000 in the ship's safe, but Muse's orders are to ransom the ship and crew in exchange for millions of dollars of insurance money from the shipping company. While they search the ship, Murphy sees that the youngest pirate Bilal does not have sandals and tells the crew to line the engine room hallway with broken glass. Chief Engineer Mike Perry cuts power to the ship, plunging the lower decks into darkness. Bilal cuts his feet when they reach the engine room, and Muse continues to search alone. The crew members ambush Muse, holding him at knifepoint, and arrange to release him and the other pirates into a lifeboat. However, Muse's right-hand man Nour Najee refuses to board the lifeboat with Muse unless Phillips goes with them. Once all are on the lifeboat, Najee attacks Phillips, forcing him into the vessel before launching the boat with all five of them on board.
As the lifeboat heads for Somalia, tensions flare between the pirates as they run low on the plant-based amphetamine khat and lose contact with their mother ship. Najee becomes agitated and tries to convince the others to kill Phillips. They are later intercepted by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge. Bainbridge's captain Frank Castellano is ordered to prevent the pirates from reaching the Somali coast by any means necessary. Even when additional ships arrive, Muse asserts that he has come too far and will not surrender. The negotiators are unable to change his mind and a DEVGRU SEAL team parachutes in to intervene, while Phillips makes an unsuccessful attempt to escape from the lifeboat before being quickly recaptured and repeatedly beaten by Najee.
While three SEAL marksmen get into positions, Castellano and the SEALs continue to try to find a peaceful solution, eventually taking the lifeboat under tow. Muse agrees to board Bainbridge, where he is told that his clan elders have arrived to negotiate Phillips's ransom. In the lifeboat, Phillips prepares a goodbye letter to his wife in case he is killed, while Najee decides to take full control. Najee spots Phillips writing the letter and beats him further. Phillips retaliates by wrestling Najee until Bilal subdues Phillips by striking him in the back with his AK-47, injuring him. Najee convinces Bilal and Elmi that Phillips must be killed. The pirates tie up and blindfold Phillips, leaving him to say his final goodbyes. As the pirates prepare to shoot Phillips, Bainbridge's crew stops the tow, causing Bilal and Najee to lose balance. This gives the marksmen three clear shots and they simultaneously kill all three pirates. Muse is arrested and taken into custody for piracy. Phillips is rescued from the lifeboat and treated. Although in shock and disoriented, he thanks the rescue team for saving his life.
Before the credits it is revealed Richard Phillips soon returned to sea after his recovery while Abduwali Muse was sentenced to 33 years in jail for orchestrating the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama, and the kidnap and attempted murder of Richard Phillips. 

Thursday, December 18, 2014

411. Boarding House No. 24

Title: 하숙 24번지 / Hasook 24beonji
English title: Boarding House No. 24 / Boarding House #24
Genre: Sitcom, Romance
Episodes: 12

Summary:  A sitcom about seven boarders who have different personalities and situations. It is depicting dreams, careers, love and friendship of young people in their 20s who live under the same roof due to the plot of the house owner Kim Kwang Kyu.

410. Pandora Hearts

Title: パンドラハーツ / Pandora Hātsu 
English Title: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Gaslamp Fantasy, Drama, Mystery
Episodes: 25

Summary: Oz is the heir to the Vessalius house, one of the Four Great Dukedoms given excessive power by the country's royalty. He lives a luxurious life alongside his younger sister Ada and valet and best friend Gilbert. This extravagant lifestyle is only diminished by the constant absence of Oz's father Xai, who decided Oz and Ada should be raised by their uncle Oscar when they were still babies. When Oz goes to his Coming-of-Age Ceremony, he meets Sharon Rainsworth and her ominous servant Xerxes Break. Everything appears normal until the Coming-of-Age Ceremony rituals are completed and the giant clock that hasn't worked in a century moves. Suddenly, a group of people in red cloaks known as the Baskervilles proceed to reveal themselves. The Baskervilles say he must be dragged into a supernatural prison called Abyss where monsters called Chains live, a place previously believed to have only existed in fairy tales. The Baskervilles then force Oz into the Abyss, claiming his existence to be a sin, although Oz is clueless as to the true meaning behind these words and the desire to acquire it becomes a driving force for the rest of the series.

Trapped in the Abyss, Oz finds out he can make contracts with Chains by drinking their blood. He does so with a Chain named Alice, infamously known as the Bloody Black Rabbit (or B-Rabbit for short), in order to escape the prison. By the time they escape from the Abyss, ten years have already passed. He is taken under the care of Sharon and Break, who he discovers are members of a Chain-research organization called Pandora that was established a century ago after a disaster known as the Tragedy of Sablier (in which the entire city of Sablier fell into the Abyss) by the Four Great Dukedoms. Wanting to understand why his existence is supposedly a sin, Oz helps Sharon and Break in their investigation in regards to the Intention of the Abyss, the ruler of the Abyss. They have the help of Alice and adult Gilbert, who has now been adopted into the Nightray dukedom and made a contract with the family's chain, Raven. As they investigate, they learn that Alice, Gilbert, and Gilbert's odd younger brother Vincent were involved with the Tragedy of Sablier. Additionally, they come into contact with the soul of Jack Vessalius, the legendary hero of the Tragedy of Sablier who prevented the entire world from being dragged into the Abyss after such a thing happened to Sablier. Jack was also the one who established Pandora. In the current time, he lay dormant in Oz's body. Jack reveals that the one behind the Tragedy of Sablier was Glen Baskerville, the head of Baskervilles and his best friend.
Following a meeting with Duke Rufus Barma, Break reveals he became an illegal contractor thirty years prior and has met the Intention of the Abyss, who is in fact Alice's twin sister. Duke Barma reveals that, according to his ancestor Arthur Barma's memoirs, Jack has sealed Glen's soul by placing it within his own mutilated body, split into five sealing stones. Following the destruction of two of the five sealing stones, Oz and Duke Barma trick foreign noble Isla Yura into conducting a second Coming-of-Age Ceremony for the former in his mansion, wherein one of the sealing stones is located. However, in the middle of the party, Yura and his sect start killing the guests in an attempt to reenact the Tragedy of Sablier. Although Oz and his friends manage to stop Yura's cult from succeeding in their efforts, the sealing stone is destroyed by the Baskervilles and Gilbert's adoptive younger brother, Elliot Nightray, is killed. This leads to Elliot's valet Leo being taken away by Vincent, who reveals that Leo holds Glen Baskerville's soul within him, and thus is the next successor of Baskerville clan. Blaming himself for Elliot's death, Leo accepts his role as Glen Baskerville in order to destroy the Intention of the Abyss.
The Baskervilles and Pandora clash as Leo attacks the latter. Upon destroying the fourth sealing stone, the fourth seal is revealed to contain Glen's head rather than Jack's. Duke Barma then declares he has deciphered an entire code within Arthur Barma's memoirs, which, once decoded, reveal Jack is actually the one who caused the Tragedy of Sablier. Oz then witnesses Jack's memories. It is revealed from such that Jack's motivation for instigating the Tragedy was to merge the world with the Abyss and be reunited with Lacie, who was the younger sister of the previous Glen (originally known as Oswald), as well as Alice and the Intention of the Abyss's mother. Gilbert is also revealed to be a Baskerville who was originally chosen to be the next Glen a century ago. Following this revelation, Oz learns that he is actually the real B-Rabbit and used to be a sentient but still lifeless black rabbit doll that belonged to Lacie until she left him in the care of the Core of the Abyss, of whom gave him life. During the Tragedy of Sablier, Oz was turned into the most powerful Chain in existence, capable of destroying the world, by the Intention of the Abyss in order to help Jack fulfill his goal of plunging the entire world into the Abyss. Meanwhile, Oswald takes over Leo's body and decides to go back into the past to kill Lacie before she met Jack, which would prevent the birth of the Intention of the Abyss, Oz, and Jack's complete slippage of sanity following Lacie's death, thus averting the Tragedy.
Accepting his real origin, Oz decides to prevent Oswald from changing the past with the help of his friends. They come up with a plan to stop the world from falling into the Abyss without changing the past by destroying the Intention of the Abyss' body. Oz's uncle Oscar Vessalius dies on their quest, as well as Break. Traveling back one hundred years into the past during the Tragedy, Alice tries to convince the Core of the Abyss to cut her ties with her twin sister while Oz tries to convince Oswald to reconsider altering the past and focus on helping them stop Jack instead. Alice's words causes the Core to go berserk out of fear of being left alone, which results with the dimensions distorting even more and Oz and the rest being sent further back into the past, before Oswald and Lacie became Baskervilles. In the end, Oswald can't bring himself to kill his sister and passes on, returning control to Leo. Using Oz's illegal contractor seal, they reach the Core of the Abyss and manage to convince the Core to cut her ties with the Intention of the Abyss and restore the world back to normal. Oz and Alice pass away with hopeful dispositions to ensure the safety and security of the world, Gilbert promising them that he will wait for them until they are reincarnated and he can see them again. After the incident, Pandora is disbanded, the Baskervilles establish a new bond with the Core of the Abyss, and Sharon and the rest who have survived move on with their lives. Approximately a century later, Vincent brings the reincarnated Oz and Alice to Gilbert before dying in his brother's arms. Gilbert and Oz both begin crying upon seeing each other for the first time in a hundred years, and Gilbert happily welcomes him and Alice back. 

409. Lucy

Title: Lucy
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Year: 2014

Summary: Lucy is a 24-year-old American woman living and studying in Taipei, Taiwan. She is tricked into working as a drug mule by her new boyfriend Richard, whose employer, Mr. Jang, is a Korean mob boss and drug lord. Lucy delivers a briefcase to Mr. Jang supposedly containing paperwork, but it actually contains four packets of CPH4, a highly valuable synthetic drug. After seeing her boyfriend shot and killed, she is captured and a bag of the drug is forcibly sewn into her abdomen and that of three other drug mules who will also transport the drug for sale in Europe. While Lucy is in captivity, one of her captors kicks her in the abdomen, breaking the bag and releasing a large quantity of the drug into her system. As a result, she begins acquiring increasingly enhanced physical and mental capabilities, such as telepathy, telekinesis, mental time travel, and the ability not to feel pain or other discomforts. Her personality also changes into a more ruthless and emotionless one. She kills off her captors and escapes.
Lucy travels to the nearby Tri-Service General Hospital to get the bag of drugs removed from her abdomen. The bag is successfully removed and Lucy is told by the operating doctor that natural CPH4 is a volatile substance produced in minute quantities by pregnant women during their sixth week of pregnancy to provide fetuses the energy to develop. Lucy is fortunate to have survived with such a large amount introduced into her body. Sensing her growing physical and mental abilities, Lucy returns to Mr. Jang's hotel, kills his bodyguards, assaults Mr. Jang, and telepathically extracts the locations of the three remaining drug mules from his brain.
At her apartment, Lucy begins researching her condition and contacts well-known scientist and doctor Professor Samuel Norman whose research may be the key to saving her. After Lucy speaks with Professor Norman and provides proof of her developed abilities, she flies to Paris and contacts a local police captain, Pierre Del Rio, to help her find the remaining three packets of the drug. During the plane ride, she starts to disintegrate as her cells destabilize from consuming a sip of champagne, which made her body inhospitable for cellular reproduction. Only by consuming more CPH4 is she able to hold off her total disintegration. Her powers continue to grow, leaving her able to telepathically incapacitate armed police and members from the Korean drug gang. With the help of Del Rio, Lucy recovers the drug and hurries to meet Professor Norman. Alongside Professor Norman and his colleagues, she agrees to share everything she now knows after Professor Norman points out that the main point of life is to pass on knowledge, something for which she now possesses an infinite capacity. Jang and the mob also want the drug and a gunfight ensues with the French police.
In the professor's lab, Lucy discusses the nature of time and life and how people's humanity distorts their perceptions. She tells the scientists that time is the only true measure of human life and of existence. At her urging, she is intravenously injected with the contents of all three remaining bags of CPH4. Her body begins to change into a bizarre black substance which behaves like nanites, spreading over computers and other electronic objects in the lab, as she transforms these into an unconventionally shaped, next-generation supercomputer that will contain all of her enhanced knowledge of the universe. She then begins a spacetime journey into the past, eventually reaching the oldest discovered ancestor of mankind, implied to be Lucy. She touches fingertips with her, then goes all the way to the beginning of time and witnesses the Big Bang. Meanwhile, back in the lab, after an M136 AT4 anti-tank weapon destroys the door, Jang enters and points a gun at Lucy's head from behind. He shoots, but in the instant before the bullet strikes, Lucy reaches 100% of her cerebral capacity and ascends within the spacetime continuum, where she explains that everything is connected and existence is only proven through time. Only her clothes, Louboutin shoes, and the black supercomputer are left behind.
Del Rio enters and fatally shoots Jang. Professor Norman takes a star-filled black, presumably highly advanced, flash drive offered by the advanced supercomputer, after which the computer disintegrates. Del Rio asks Professor Norman where Lucy is, immediately after which Del Rio's cell phone sounds and he sees a text message: "I AM EVERYWHERE." With an overhead shot, Lucy's voice is heard stating "Life was given to us a billion years ago. Now you know what to do with it." 

408. Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Title: Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Genre: Comedy, Family
Year: 2014


Summary: The film follows the exploits of Alexander Cooper, an ordinary 12-year-old boy, and his "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day." He is left out by his family; his older brother, Anthony, his older sister, Emily, his mother, Kelly, his father, Ben, and his baby brother, Trevor, living in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of California.
Anthony is trying to earn his driver's license so he can drive his bitter girlfriend, Celia to the prom, Emily is rehearsing for the title role in her school play, Kelly is working for a publication company that is publishing a new children's book which will promote her to vice president of the company, and Ben, who has been unemployed for seven months, has landed a job interview as a game designer for a video game company.
That same morning, Alexander attends school where he experiences another series of mishaps, such as accidentally setting fire to his crush, Becky Gibson's, notebook as well as finding out that his friends, including Becky, and even his best friend, Paul, will all be attending the birthday party of Philip Parker (Lincoln Melcher) instead of his, due to Philip's expensive party entertainment and popularity. That night, Alexander puts a candle on a sundae and wishes that everyone in his family would experience what he is going through.
The next morning, Alexander wakes up to find his family in disarray and chaos erupts; his parents have overslept, Emily has a cold, and Anthony has found out that he and Celia broke up. The battery in Kelly's car is dead, and Ben has to take Trevor with him to the interview after dropping Kelly off at work. At school, Paul gives Alexander good news: Philip's birthday party is canceled (as Philip has the chicken pox), so the kids (including Becky and Paul) that were originally going to attend Philip's party will attend Alexander's party instead, much to Alexander's delight. Alexander calls his father, asking him to plan a party for him. Kelly is informed of an embarrassing typo in the book they are publicizing ("dump" instead of "jump") and needs to stop Dick Van Dyke from reading it at a public reading later. Ben takes Trevor along to the office interview and meets Greg who seems impressed at his credentials, although they decide to hold another meeting after Trevor ingests a non-toxic highlighter. Meanwhile, at school, Anthony finds out that Celia has gotten back together with him. Feeling excited about what happened, Anthony jumps up and hits a banner, not knowing that it's connected to two trophy cases, which fall and smash. Because of this, Anthony is suspended from school.
Kelly manages to arrive at Dick Van Dyke's reading, but she is too late in trying to warn him about the book's typo. He reads it with the inappropriate material, humiliating himself, scaring the kids and almost getting Kelly arrested. Meanwhile, Ben purchases cough syrup for Emily's symptoms and takes Anthony to the Department of Motor Vehicles, where his driving examiner intentionally distracts him by convincing him to pick up his cell phone, causing him to destroy several parking meters and damage the family minivan, and ultimately fail his driving exam. They all go to Emily's play, which is inadvertently sabotaged by her impaired behavior because of her getting excessively drunk after overdosing on the cough syrup. Afterwards, the game design firm calls Ben and asks him to meet them at Nagamaki, a Japanese hibachi restaurant, for another meeting. The family, joined by Celia, goes to the restaurant in their badly damaged minivan, where Ben accidentally sets his shirt on fire at the grill, embarrassing him to the employers. The whole family consoles him, admitting that they will overcome whatever else the day has in store for them. Alexander states, "You just gotta have the bad days so you can love the good days even more", and Anthony suddenly decides not to go to the prom with Celia, stating that his family is more important, and they break up completely.
The family returns home and discovers that Ben had hired a rental animal service to recreate an Australian petting zoo for Alexander's birthday party. A crocodile and kangaroo, however, have escaped from their cage. They then decide to pitch in to try and salvage the day by helping host it. Ben and Kelly receive good news: he got hired for the game design job, and she has been informed that the celebrity reading went viral and has created publicity for the book. Reunited, Ben then brings out the cake, with Alexander wishing for more days like the one they shared together. 

407. Paddington

Title: Paddington
Genre: Comedy, Family
Year: 2014


Summary: In the deep jungles of darkest Peru, British geographer Montgomery Clyde happens upon a previously unknown species of bear. He is about to shoot it to take back a specimen to the United Kingdom when another bear playfully takes his gun away. He learns that this family of bears is intelligent and can learn English, and that they have a deep appetite for marmalade. He names them Lucy and Pastuzo. As he departs, he throws his hat to Pastuzo and tells the bears that they are always welcome should they wish to go to London.
Several years later, the two bears are living in harmony with their nephew when an earthquake strikes their home, forcing them to seek shelter underground. After being trapped by a falling tree, Uncle Pastuzo is unable to reach the shelter in time and dies from his injuries. The next morning, Uncle Pastuzo's hat is found by his nephew. Aunt Lucy encourages her nephew to go and find solace in London, and stows him away on a cargo ship, after which she says she will move into the Home for Retired Bears.
The young bear reaches London's Paddington Station, where he meets the Brown family, who take him home temporarily and name him after the station. Henry Brown, the father and a devoted risk analyst, does not believe a word of why he's here and is adamant that Paddington stay only one night while they find a place for him to live permanently, but his wife Mary - a story illustrator - and their two children find him endearing, as does family relative and housekeeper Mrs. Bird.
Paddington thinks he can find a home with the explorer who found Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo, but does not know his name. Since there seems to be no word of his expedition anywhere on the Internet, Mary takes Paddington to Mr. Gruber, an antique shop owner who discovers that the hat bears the stamp of the Geographers Guild, but the Guild says that it never sent a member to explore darkest Peru. With the help of Henry, Paddington infiltrates the Geographers Guild archives and discovers an expedition to Peru was undertaken by Montgomery Clyde. He uses the city's phone books to track the addresses of all the "M. Clydes" in London.
Meanwhile, the hateful museum taxidermist Director Millicent Clyde captures, kills, and stuffs exotic animals to house in the Natural History Museum. When she becomes aware of Paddington, she immediately sets out to hunt him down. The Brown family departs for the day, leaving Paddington home alone. Scheming with the Browns nosy next-door neighbor Mr. Curry, Millicent sneaks in and attempts to capture Paddington; he manages to defend himself, but inadvertently starts a fire in the kitchen in the process. Disbelieving Paddington's statement of Millicent's capture attempt, Henry states that he must move into a new home as soon as possible and Mary reluctantly agrees.
Feeling unwanted at the Browns, Paddington leaves and attempts to track down Montgomery Clyde himself. He finally locates the house, only to learn that Clyde died years ago, and that Millicent is his daughter. She resents her father for losing his job and membership with the museum; out of a change of heart, he refused to bring a valuable Peruvian bear specimen home, even though it would have made his family wealthy. Millicent is determined to succeed where her father failed and capture a Peruvian bear so she can become rich and famous herself. She tranquilizes Paddington and prepares to stuff him, but when Mr. Curry discovers her true intentions, he informs the Brown family and they rush to save Paddington. They rescue him, and Paddington subdues Millicent by throwing a marmalade sandwich at her which Uncle Pastuzo left in his hat for emergencies. This attracts a huge flock of pigeons, distracting her, as Mrs. Bird opens a roof hatch and pushes her off the roof, trapping her on a flagpole.
In the aftermath, the Browns allow Paddington to move in with their family and Millicent is sentenced to community service at the petting zoo her father opened after he lost his job. Paddington writes to Aunt Lucy saying he is happy and has finally found a home. 

406. Rooftop Prince

Title: 옥탑방 왕세자 / Oktabbang Wangseja
English Title: Attic Prince / Rooftop Prince
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Time Travel
Episodes: 20


Summary: When Crown Prince Lee Gak is transported 300 years into the future to present day Seoul along with his three retainers, they believe that it is their duty to solve the murder case of the Crown Princess in order to return to Joseon. They land in the rooftop apartment of Park Ha, a cheerful woman in her mid-20s, who eventually believes the odd quartet's predicament and becomes their guardian. As Park Ha educates the four on life in the 21st century, Lee Gak comes across Hong Se Na, who seems to be the reincarnation of his wife. Taking on the identity of Yong Tae Yong, Lee Gak slowly begins to unravel the murder of Yong Tae Yong and in turn moves closer to solving the murder case of the Crown Princess. As he finds himself in love with Park Ha, he figures that maybe the Crown Princess was not as he expected after all...

Monday, December 1, 2014

405. The Maze Runner (01)

Title: The Maze Runner (01)
Genre: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Year: 2014


Summary: teenager wakes up inside an underground elevator with no memory of his identity. A group of male youths greet him in a large grassy area called the "Glade" enclosed by tall stone walls. The boys ("Gladers") have formed a rudimentary society, with each assuming specialized tasks. Their leader, Alby, says that every boy eventually recalls his name but not his past. The boy learns that a vast Maze surrounding them may be the only way out. During the day, designated Runners search the Maze for an escape route, returning before nightfall when the entrance closes. No one has ever survived a night in the Maze.
While in a competition with another boy named Gally, the boy suddenly remembers his name: Thomas. The next day, he is attacked by Ben, a Runner who has been stung and left delirious by a Griever – deadly techno-organic creatures that roam the Maze at night. Ben is forced into the Maze and left to die, as there is no cure for his condition. Alby and Minho, the lead Runner, later retrace Ben's steps inside the Maze. Minho reappears at dusk dragging Alby, who is stung, but they are unable to reach the closing entrance in time. Thomas runs into the Maze to help, leaving all three trapped. Thomas lures a Griever into a closing passageway, causing it to be crushed. The trio manages to survive the night, returning the next morning.
The first-ever girl arrives in the elevator, with a note saying that she is the last one to enter the Glade. She recognizes Thomas, though he cannot remember her. Thomas, Minho, Frypan, Winston, and Zart enter the Maze, locate the Griever corpse, and remove a beeping mechanical device from inside it. Gally claims Thomas has jeopardized the fragile peace between the youths and the Grievers and wants him punished, but Newt, the group's second-in-command, instead designates Thomas as a Runner. Minho shows Thomas a hand-constructed model of the Maze based on previous exploration. The Maze's numbered sections open and close in a regular sequence. Thomas realizes that the device corresponds to a section within the Maze.
The girl, Teresa, has two syringes filled with an unknown substance. One is used on Alby, and he recovers from the Griever sting. Minho and Thomas venture back into the Maze with the device and discover a possible exit. A laser then scans the two, and the exit closes. Thomas and Minho start to run away as traps activated by lasers nearly kill them. That night, the Maze entrance does not close while others open, letting Grievers pour in. A massacre ensues as the Gladers struggle to fight back or hide. Alby, Zart, Clint, and several others are killed.
Afterwards, Gally punches Thomas and blames him for everything that happened. Thomas, who has been having disconnected memory flashes since arriving, stabs himself with a severed Griever stinger in an attempt to revive his memory. The others inject him with the last anti-venom. Unconscious, he recalls that he and Teresa worked for the organization that created the Maze, W.C.K.D.; the boys unknowingly have been test subjects for an experiment. Thomas awakens and shares this information with Newt, Minho, Chuck, and Teresa. Thomas then reveals himself and Teresa, confessing that they worked with W.C.K.D. and studied the boys for years.
Meanwhile, Gally has taken command and intends to sacrifice Thomas and Teresa to the Grievers to restore peace. However, several Gladers form a group and free them. They then approach the Maze in an attempt to find an escape, while Gally and a few others refuse to leave. Fighting Grievers as they go, Jeff and several other Gladers are killed. The Gladers eventually enter a laboratory strewn with corpses. In a video recording, a woman named Ava Paige explains that the planet has been devastated by a massive solar flare, followed by a pandemic of a deadly virus called the Flare. The teens learn that they were part of an experiment studying for a cure. Paige is seen shooting herself on the screen as the lab is attacked by armed men.
Gally suddenly appears with a gun. Having been stung by a Griever, he insists they must stay in the Maze and aims at Thomas, but is pierced through the chest by Minho's spear, but not before Chuck is fatally shot. Masked armed men then rush in and take the rest of the group to a helicopter. It flies over a vast desert wasteland and approaches a ruined city. The scene ends with the supposedly-dead scientists meeting in a room. Paige notes that the experiment is successful; the survivors are now entering Phase Two