LIFT, 2024

Lift is a 2024 American heist comedy film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Daniel Kunka. The film stars Kevin Hart (who also served as a producer), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D'Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, and Sam Worthington.

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PLOT

Cyrus, a renowned international thief, leads a heist crew that consists of Denton, pilot Camila, hacker Mi-Sun, safecracker Magnus, and engineer Luke. They undertake two simultaneous thefts, stealing a Van Gogh painting in London while staging the fake kidnapping of renowned NFT artist N8 in Venice. The team staged a kidnapping for N8 and Cyrus points out that famous paintings rapidly increase in value after being stolen and he says that his crew stole the Van Gogh painting and sold it in the black market for $20 million to buy N8 NFTs. After being "kidnapped", N8's NFT ballooned in value to $89 million. N8 decides to celebrate with the team after being promised a cut of the money.

Interpol agent Abby Gladwell, a former fling of Cyrus, uncovers evidence implicating Denton, in the theft and arrests him. Rather than proceed with charges against the crew, Abby's superior, Commander Huxley, leverages their legal predicament to force them to help capture billionaire Lars Jorgenson, who intends to make more money by working with the hacking group Leviathan to stage a massive flooding in Europe, allowing him to make billions in profit through stock manipulation. As Leviathan requires payment in untraceable gold bullion, Jorgenson has arranged for a shipment of gold to be taken from his vault in London and flown to Leviathan's bank in Zürich via a commercial airliner. As part of the deal for clean records for Cyrus and all his members, Cyrus insists Abby join the team to provide certain cover for Interpol.

The crew determines they will only be able to steal the gold while the airliner is in mid-air. To do so, they procure a private jet from a rich private art collector named Molsen that Camila will fly directly underneath the airliner, allowing Mi-Sun to switch the radar signals to make it seem like the plane is still on course while the crew diverts it to a private airfield. In exchange for loaning his private jet, Cyrus promises Molsen to persuade N8 to make a special NFT art for him. After Magnus cracks the safe and Jorgenson's henchmen are incapacitated, the crew will extract the gold via the jet.

Their timing is complicated when Jorgenson executes a mole in his organization and moves up the delivery date. Nevertheless, the crew is ready on time. After successfully diverting the plane, Jorgenson's henchmen attempt an hijack, resulting in a fight on board the plane. Magnus, Abby, Cyrus, and Camila are captured. Magnus escapes on the ground, while the remaining three are taken aboard the jet with the gold, headed for Jorgenson's estate in Tuscany.

Desperate for the gold to not reach Jorgenson, Huxley orders the plane shot down by NATO. Harry, the crew's contact at air traffic control, works with Camila to get a message to the pilots that there are hostages on board, forcing them to stand down. Another fight between the crew and Jorgenson's henchmen results in the jet crash landing on the grounds of Jorgenson's villa.

Abby, Cyrus, and Camila are captured at gunpoint by Jorgenson, who also executes Leviathan's representative after they decide to cancel the deal. The Carabinieri arrive, and Cyrus uses N8's NFT technology to show them a recording of Jorgenson murdering the representative. Jorgenson is arrested, while Abby punches Huxley upon learning he authorized the NATO jets. She resigns from Interpol and joins Cyrus.

Weeks later, Cyrus reveals to Abby that the crew stole the gold shipment during the heist on the airliner, replacing the actual shipment with iron bars painted to look like gold. Together, the crew recover their gold haul and celebrate their success while Cyrus and Abby rekindle their relationship.

Rating: 10 Stars

Wednesday, 2022

Wednesday 2022 is an American coming-of-age supernatural mystery television series based on the character Wednesday Addams by Charles Addams. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character, with Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer, Naomi J. Ogawa, Christina Ricci, and Moosa Mostafa appearing in supporting roles. Four out of the eight episodes of the first season were directed by Tim Burton, who also serves as executive producer. It revolves around Wednesday Addams, who attempts to solve a murder mystery at her new school.

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Premise

Wednesday Addams is expelled from her school after dumping live piranhas into the school's pool in retaliation for the boys' water polo team bullying her brother Pugsley. Consequently, her parents Gomez and Morticia Addams enroll her at their high school alma mater Nevermore Academy, a private school for monstrous outcasts, in the town of Jericho, Vermont. Wednesday's cold, emotionless personality and her defiant nature make it difficult for her to connect with her schoolmates and cause her to run afoul of the school's principal Larissa Weems. However, she discovers she has inherited her mother's psychic abilities, which allow her to solve a local murder mystery.

She discovers that her parents were involved in the assassination of a student named Garret Gates in the past and she is also investigating who is the werewolf, one of her friend transforms himself in a Hyde, that are killing the students. 

Rating: 10 Stars

THE Beguiled, 2017

The Beguiled is a 2017 American Southern Gothic thriller film written and directed by Sofia Coppola, based on the 1966 novel of the same name (originally published as A Painted Devil) by Thomas P. Cullinan. It stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning. It is the second film adaptation of Cullinan's novel, following Don Siegel's 1971 film of the same name.

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PLOT

Martha Farnsworth runs a girls school in Virginia during the Civil War. By 1864, almost all of the students, teachers, and slaves have left. In addition to Farnsworth herself, only five students and one teacher, Edwina Morrow, remain. While out in the woods searching for mushrooms, Amy, a pupil, comes across John McBurney, a corporal in the Union Army who was wounded in the leg during battle, and has since deserted. Amy brings McBurney to the school where he falls unconscious. The women lock McBurney in one of the rooms while Miss Farnsworth tends to his wounds. All the women and girls in the school are immediately fascinated by the handsome man.

Initially, some of the school's residents want McBurney to be delivered as a prisoner of war to the Confederate Army, but Miss Farnsworth decides that they will let his leg heal before they decide what they will do with him. When Confederate soldiers arrive at the school, Miss Farnsworth does not tell them that a Union soldier is on the premises. While McBurney is recovering, the women and girls subtly vie for his affection by giving him presents, wearing jewellery, and preparing a lavish dinner for him. He returns the affection, concentrating especially on Miss Morrow and Miss Farnsworth. When he is able to move again, he begins to help in the garden. It becomes clear that he fears returning to battle.

When Miss Farnsworth indicates that McBurney is healthy enough and will have to leave the school in a few days, he tries to convince her to let him stay as a gardener, and tells Miss Morrow that he has fallen in love with her. One night, he tells Miss Morrow to await him in her room. When he does not appear and she hears strange noises, she investigates and finds him in bed with Alicia, a teenage pupil. McBurney tries to appease the angry Miss Morrow, but she pushes him away, causing him to fall down the stairs, badly breaking his already injured leg and falling unconscious. Miss Farnsworth decides that the only way to save his life is to amputate the leg.

When he awakes the next day and realizes he has lost his leg, McBurney is devastated and furious, accusing Miss Morrow and Miss Farnsworth of having punished him for going to Alicia's room instead of theirs. He is locked inside the music room, but threatens Alicia into giving him the key. He then breaks out, steals a gun, and loudly threatens the women before storming off. When Miss Farnsworth sends Amy to the gate to signal McBurney's presence to Confederate troops, he spots her and pursues her at gunpoint to a shed, where Miss Farnsworth rescues her by talking him down.

After McBurney storms out, Miss Farnsworth and the students try to find a solution to the issue. Miss Morrow follows McBurney to his room, where she initiates sex. Meanwhile, Marie suggests killing McBurney by preparing him a dinner containing poisonous mushrooms, to which Miss Farnsworth agrees. During the dinner, Miss Morrow, unaware of the plan, is deterred by the others at the last minute from putting the mushrooms on her own plate, but McBurney's suspicions are not aroused. Promptly after eating the mushrooms, he falls to the floor dead.

While the students sew McBurney's body into a shroud, Miss Morrow looks on, devastated. The women drag McBurney's body to the road and attach the signal to the gate so that he will be found by the next Confederate soldiers who pass by.

CAST

Colin Farrell as Corporal John McBurney

Nicole Kidman as Miss Martha Farnsworth

Kirsten Dunst as Miss Edwina Morrow

Elle Fanning as Alicia

Oona Laurence as Amy

Angourie Rice as Jane

Addison Riecke as Marie

Emma Howard as Emily

Wayne Pere as the captain

Matt Story as confederate soldier

Joel Albin as cavalry man

Rating: 10 Stars

Mother of the Bride #TOP 10

 Mother of the Bride  is a 2024 American romantic comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Robin Bernheim. It stars Brooke Shields, Miranda Cosgrove, Sean Teale, Chad Michael Murray, Rachael Harris, and Benjamin Bratt.

After a year abroad in London, Emma returns home and stuns her mother Lana with the news that she's getting married in a month at a resort in Phuket, Thailand. Things get worse when Lana discovers that the husband-to-be RJ is the son of Will, the man who broke her heart years earlier.

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PLOT

After a year working for Discovery Resorts in London, Emma Winslow's boyfriend RJ surprises her with a proposal. She happily accepts, but is concerned about her mother Lana's reaction as it's been just the two of them since her father died when she was only eight. 

In San Francisco, Lana Winslow heads a medical research lab. Emma returns home and announces that, rather than go to grad school or find a job, she's going to run her own business. She'll be receiving a 6-figure-sponsorship in exchange for promoting Discovery.  Emma then stuns Lana with the news that she's getting married in a month at a resort in Phuket, Thailand. Once she convinces her mother that she's sure, Lana insists that she's happy for her. Discovery is footing the bill, in exchange for publicity for the resort.

Arriving in Thailand are Lana's best friend Janice, as well as their friends from Stanford, Scott and Clay, who've recently married. Lana soon discovers that RJ is the son of Will Jackson, Scott's brother and her ex-boyfriend also from Stanford.

Lana goes to Will's room to clear the air, inadvertently seeing him naked. Mortified, she leaves hurriedly. Soon after arriving to dinner, Lana goes to 'freshen up', and Emma follows. In the bathroom, she explains that Will ghosted her after graduation. Devastated, Lana changed her number and moved so he couldn't hurt her again. A geneticist, she fears RJ will do the same to Emma.

Back at the table, Lana and Will agree to be maid-of-honor and best man, then RJ thanks Lana for her gift of a cappuccino maker. Will gifts them his condo in Tribeca. Lana later confides to Janice that she fears she can't compete with him.

Discovery brand manager Camala doesn't want Lana's input for most of the wedding planning, as they are pushing certain brands and designers. Lana meets with Janice to vent, then they meet up with their Stanford crew for pickle ball. Playing mixed doubles, Lana and Will shoulder out Janice and Scott. The game ends abruptly when she launches the ball into his privates.

LA doctor Lucas Campion is in awe of Lana, so asks her out for drinks. She meets him, but doesn't stay for very long. The next day, Camala shows Lana the flamboyant, black designer dress she is to wear in the wedding. She reluctantly agrees to it, feeling the brand manager is taking away the joy of the wedding by imposing plans to make it into an event.

As Lana isn't included in that day's wedding plan, she and the Stanford group head out to a secluded island and go skinny dipping. As it's prohibited on hotel property, they get reprimanded. Camala threatens to pull funding for the wedding, so Emma accuses Lana of intentionally undermining the wedding. Emma asks her to leave.

Will overhears, so takes Lana on a ride to cheer her up. The jeep they take to the remote spot fails to start for their return, so they head down to the nearest beach to flag down a boat. There, they finally talk about their past and make peace.

As Emma regrets scolding Lana, RJ suggests she apologize. Realizing Will and Lana are missing, a resort employee goes to fetch them via boat. They are disrupted just before they can kiss. On their return to the hotel, Lucas sees Will and Lana looking cozy together. So, he asks her to call if things don't work out with Will. At the rehearsal dinner, Lana overhears Will on the phone to a Katrina, saying he cannot live without her. Feeling déjà vu, she immediately distances herself from him.

Emma feels there is something off about her mother, so goes to her room. They talk, and she falls asleep there. The next day, although Lana becomes overwhelmed and cries, the wedding ceremony runs smoothly. When Emma throws the bouquet, Lana dodges it but Will catches it for her.

Confronting Lana, Will demands to know why she's been ignoring him. She asks him about Katrina and he reveals that she is his secretary, who's brought the ring he'd bought for Lana many years ago. Will proposes and, after a moment's hesitation, she accepts.

Brave, 2012

Brave is a 2012 American animated fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman (in the former's feature directorial debut), co-directed by Steve Purcell, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, with John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter serving as executive producers. The story was written by Chapman, who also co-wrote the film's screenplay with Andrews, Purcell, and Irene Mecchi. The film stars the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, and Craig Ferguson. Set in the Scottish Highlands, the film tells the story of Princess Merida of DunBroch (Macdonald) who defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in the kingdom by expressing the desire not to be betrothed. When Queen Elinor (Thompson), her mother, falls victim to a beastly curse and turns into a bear, Merida must look within herself and find the key to saving the kingdom. Merida is the first character in the Disney Princess line to be created by Pixar. The film is also dedicated to Pixar chairman and Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who died before the film's release.

TRAILER

In Medieval Scotland, a young Princess Merida of the celt clan Dunbroch celebrates her birthday and is given a bow and arrow by her father, King Fergus, dismaying his wife Queen Elinor. In the forest, Merida encounters a will-o'-the-wisp and Mor'du, a huge demon bear, attacks the family. Fergus and his men fend off Mor'du, though the fight costs the king one of his legs.

Ten years later, Merida discovers she is to be betrothed to the son of one of her father's allies. Failure to consent to the betrothal could harm Dunbroch; Elinor reminds Merida of a legend of a prince whose pride and refusal to follow his father's wishes destroyed his kingdom.

The allied clan chieftains and their first-born sons arrive to compete in the Highland games for Merida's hand in marriage. Twisting the rules, Merida announces that, as her own clan's firstborn, she will compete for her own hand. She easily bests her suitors and, after arguing with Elinor, runs away into the forest. Wisps lead her to the hut of an elderly witch, where she bargains for a spell to "change" Elinor. The witch gives her an enchanted cake.

Elinor eats the cake and is transformed into a bear, unable to speak but retaining most of her human consciousness. Merida returns to the deserted witch's cottage, and discovers a message from the witch: she must "mend the bond, torn by pride" by the second sunrise, or the spell will become permanent. Merida and Elinor encounter Mor'du and realize Mor'du was the prince in the legend. Merida vows not to let the same thing happen to her mother, and concludes she needs to repair the family tapestry she deliberately damaged during their argument.

They return to the castle to find the clans on the verge of war. Merida intends to declare herself ready to choose a suitor as tradition demands, but at Elinor's prompting, she instead allows the firstborns to marry in their own time to whomever they choose. The clans agree, breaking tradition but renewing their alliance.

Losing her humanity, Elinor attacks Fergus and flees the castle. Mistaking the Queen for Mor'du, Fergus pursues the bear with the other clans, locking Merida in the castle. Merida escapes with the assistance of her triplet brothers, who have become bear cubs after eating the enchanted cake. She repairs the tapestry as Fergus and the clans capture Elinor. Merida thwarts them before the real Mor'du arrives. Mor'du targets Merida, but Elinor intercedes, causing Mor'du to be crushed by a falling menhir. This releases the spirit of the prince, who thanks Merida for freeing him and transforms into a wisp. The sun rises for the second time, but Elinor remains a bear. Merida reconciles with her mother, begging to have her back, and unknowingly fulfills the true meaning of the witch's message. This reverses the spell's effects on her mother and brothers.

With Mor'du gone, Merida and Elinor work together on a new tapestry, bid farewell to the other clans, and ride their horses together.

Frozen, 2013

Frozen is a 2013 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fairy tale, "The Snow Queen", it was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (in her feature directorial debut) and produced by Peter Del Vecho, from a screenplay by Lee, who also conceived the film's story with Buck and Shane Morris.

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PLOT

Princess Elsa of Arendelle has magical powers of ice and snow. After she accidentally injures her younger sister Anna with her magic, their parents bring them to a colony of trolls led by Grand Pabbie. He heals Anna by taking away her memories of Elsa's magic. The king and queen decide that until Elsa learns to control her powers, they will close the castle gates and isolate her. Years of isolation creates a rift between the sisters and, when they are adults, their parents are killed at sea.

On Elsa's coronation day, the castle gates open to the public for the first time. Visiting dignitaries include the handsome Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Hans proposes to Anna, but Elsa objects to the alliance and lashes out, accidentally revealing her powers to the terrified court. Accused of witchcraft by the scheming Duke of Weselton, Elsa flees to the North Mountain and feels free for the first time. She builds an ice palace and decides to live a hermit's life, unaware that her magic has plunged Arendelle into an eternal winter.

Anna ventures out to find Elsa, leaving Hans in command. She meets an iceman named Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven, and convinces them to bring her to the North Mountain. On the way they meet Olaf, a living snowman created by Elsa's magic. At the ice palace, Anna tells Elsa about what has become of Arendelle. Elsa's fear makes her hit Anna with ice, accidentally freezing her heart. In desperation, Elsa creates a giant snow monster and casts Anna out of the castle to keep her safe.

With Anna slowly freezing to death, Kristoff takes her to the trolls for help. Grand Pabbie says that only "an act of true love" can thaw her heart. Kristoff races back to the castle so Hans can give Anna true love's kiss. Meanwhile, Hans captures Elsa. Instead of kissing Anna, he says that he has been plotting to become ruler of Arendelle by marrying Anna and then killing both sisters. The sisters escape and Olaf helps Anna reunite with Kristoff, whom he has deduced is in love with Anna.

Hans confronts Elsa, saying that she has killed Anna. Elsa breaks down, which abruptly stops the blizzard she created. Seeing Hans about to kill Elsa, Anna sacrifices her chance to be saved by Kristoff and steps between Elsa and Hans. She freezes solid, which devastates Elsa. As she hugs her sister, Anna slowly thaws; her heroism is "an act of true love".

Realizing that love is the key to controlling her powers, Elsa ends the winter. Hans is arrested and exiled for treason and attempted assassination. Elsa appoints Kristoff the royal ice deliverer, and he and Anna share a kiss. The sisters mend their relationship, and Elsa promises never to lock the castle gates again.

Rating: 10 Stars

Home, 2015

Home is a 2015 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Loosely based on Adam Rex's 2007 children's book The True Meaning of Smekday, the film was directed by Tim Johnson from a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, and stars the voices of Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and Matt Jones. The story follows the shared adventures of a friendly alien who is shunned by the rest of his kind, and a teenage girl searching for her mother after they are separated during an invasion of Earth.

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PLOT

A cowardly alien race known as the Boov, led by Captain Smek, commence their "friendly" invasion of the planet Earth. Relocating the humans, whom the Boov deem as simple and backwards, to the Australian Outback, the Boov inhabit their homes. Oh, an accident-prone, free-thinking Boov, decides to invite the other Boov to his apartment for a housewarming party, but no one comes. Meanwhile, 13-year-old[6] Gratuity "Tip" Tucci and her Japanese Bobtail cat Pig, who managed to avoid being taken during the invasion, drive around the city searching for Lucy, Tip's mom.

Oh visits grumpy Boov traffic officer Kyle, to invite him to the party. However, Oh accidentally sends the invitation email to every alien race in the galaxy, including the hostile Gorg, who have been the Boov's longtime enemy ever since a failed peace meeting, during which Captain Smek stole an artifact he later dubbed "the Shusher". Furious with Oh for revealing their new home to the Gorg, the Boov declare him a fugitive. Oh runs into a convenience store to hide, just as Tip crashes the car and enters the store in search of supplies. Tip attacks Oh on sight, and locks him in a freezer, until he promises to fix her car, which he turns into a flying craft named "Slushious".

To hide from the Boov, Oh promises to help Tip find Lucy. However, Oh secretly plans to abandon Tip and take himself to Antarctica, the only place on Earth with no Boov. His attempt to leave Tip in a public restroom is thwarted by Kyle, who arrives to force Oh to give him his email password so Smek can cancel the invitation.

Escaping Kyle, Oh and Tip reach Paris and sneak into the Boov Command Centre. Oh cancels the invitation before it reaches the Gorg; he then looks for Lucy, and the computer confirms she is in Australia, where she also looks for her daughter. Trying to return to Slushious, Oh and Tip are cornered by Smek and many other Boov at the Great Antenna (Eiffel Tower). Smek orders Oh's execution, despite the invitation being stopped. Tip uses a Boov gravity device to turn the tower upside down, and she and Oh escape.

Oh informs Tip that he no longer believes Smek's propaganda about humans being simple and backward, and apologizes to her. They fly to Australia, but are suddenly surrounded by hundreds of Boov fleeing from Gorg drones, sent to search for them. Slushious is wrecked, but Oh finds a Gorg SuperChip in a crashed drone, and uses it to repair the car.

When they reach the human relocation camp, Oh realizes the other Boov are evacuating, and fears that the Gorg will take vengeance on Earth when they cannot find the Boov. He tries to convince Tip to flee with them, but she refuses. Oh joins the Boov, but runs back towards the Gorg to use the SuperChip to power the Boov mothership, which then easily outpaces the Gorg. Impressed at his bravery, the other Boov listen as Oh berates Captain Smek for his lies, and the other Boov for their cowardice. Moved, Kyle takes the Shusher from a horrified Smek and decrees that Oh should be the new captain. Oh reluctantly accepts, turns the ship around, and returns to Earth. He helps Tip reunite with Lucy, fulfilling his promise.

Realizing from a chance remark of Tip's that the Gorg are actually tracking the Shusher and not the Boov, Oh locks Tip and Lucy inside Slushious, and faces the approaching Gorg ship alone. Tip and Lucy escape and try to stop him. The Gorg ship hits the brakes, only just avoiding crushing Oh. He returns the Shusher, revealed to be an egg containing the entire next generation of Gorg. The lone Gorg inside the ship happily accepts the egg; being the last of his kind, he had been desperately searching for his children.

Two weeks later, the Boov have relocated their colony to the Moon. Many Boov visit Earth, which has been returned to normal, and mingle with the humans, who are restored to their original homes. Oh moves in with the Tuccis; many other aliens, invited by Oh, come to visit Earth and attend his parties.

Rating: 10 Stars