13 Bom di Jakarta - An Indonesian Film with Some High Quality Action Sadly Downgraded by Poor Acting of Majority of the Cast

With so many publicity about this Indonesian movie in the past few weeks, I was obviously intrigued to see if it lived up to the hype. It was released yesterday in all cinema chains with the studio near my home as one of them, so it was convenient for me and my wife to go. All right then, I'll just get right on it.

Brief Story Line

When Jakarta was rocked by a terror attack in the middle of the day by a group led by the mysterious Arok (Rio Dewanto - Foxtrot Six etc), the Indonesian intelligence agency (ICTA) was in disarray as they were caught off guard. Arok later sent video threatening to blow 13 bombs they have planted in Jakarta. The ICTA head Damaskus (Rukman Rosadi - Srimulat: Hil yang Mustahal - Babak Pertama etc) instructed his team leader Karin (Putri Ayudya - Mudik etc) to investigate immediately, although she was heavily doubted by the tactical team leader Emil (Ganindra Bimo - Kamu Tidak Sendiri etc). 

Migration - Fun Adventure Animated Movie from the Studio that Brought Us the Hilarious Minions

During the Christmas holiday weekend, this movie had its limited theatrical release in Indonesia for two days in a row but only in several cinemas. Yesterday my wife and I decided to see it while we were available. OK, why don't I get to it then.

Brief Story Line

A family of Mallard ducks that consisted of the protective father Mack (Kumail Nanjiani - Eternals, Men in Black: International etc), the more adventurous mother Pam (Elizabeth Banks - Charlie's Angels 2019 version, The Lego Movie 2 etc) and their children Dax (Caspar Jennings) & Gwen (Tresi Gazal) had been living in a small pond safe from the predators outside.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Not a Better Sequel but Still a Fun and Entertaining Superhero Action Movie

This was the last superhero movie of the year which I surely would not want to miss on the big screen. Having seen the last few movies from the same genre under performing, I no longer push myself to see it on its release day and just wait till I was more available. So my wife and I went to our favorite Dolby Atmos theater near our home yesterday and still manage to get nice seats without hassle. All right then, let's get on with the movie.

Brief Story Line

Few years after the events of the first movie, Arthur (Jason Momoa - Fast X, Dune etc) had become the king of Atlantis, got married with Mera (Amber Heard - The Danish Girl, Drive Hard etc) and had a baby boy named Arthur Jr. Arthur had to juggle between life at sea and the surface where he stayed with his father Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison - The Book of Boba Fett TV series etc). However their peaceful life were soon interrupted with the reappearance of David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II - Ambulance, Candyman  etc) who was now working with scientist Stephen Shin (Randall Park - Totally Killer, Paw Patrol: The Movie etc) to search for artifacts that would help Kane to revenge on Aquaman.

Rebel Moon - An Epic Space Adventure Movie with Some Wonderful Visual Effects and Cool Action Scenes

This movie has already been promoted by Netflix for quite some time and looked interesting. So on the day of its release yesterday, I immediately watch it once I got the chance last night. Well here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the galaxy where it was ruled by an empire called Motherworld led by Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee - Hawkeye TV series etc) along with his right hand man Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein - Midway, Deadpool etc). They always used force to conquer the whole empire while fighting some rebels called the Bloodaxe. 

The Family Plan - A Fun to Watch Action Comedy Movie

I was not aware about this movie until I noticed it in the website of newly released film/shows in various streaming platform. As the premise really looked interesting for me, I watched it as soon as I got the chance on Saturday, a day after it was released on AppleTV+. Let's get on with it then.

Brief Story Line

On the outside, Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg - Me Time, All the Money in the World etc) seemed like a normal suburban man working as car salesman and living with his wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan - Echoes mini series, Eagle Eye etc), their teenage children Nina (Zoe Colletti - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark etc), Kyle (Van Crosby - Splitting Up Together TV series etc) and baby Max. However, apparently Dan used to work for a dangerous person named McCaffrey (Ciarán Hinds - Treason mini series, First Man etc). 

The Boy and the Heron - The Latest Studio Ghibli's Production and Highly Praised Work by Hayao Miyazaki

When my wife and I found out there was going to be a new movie from Studio Ghibli, we were eager to see it. But we only got the chance to do so yesterday after it was released few days ago. We decided to see the film in the cinema where the picture and sound quality was better than others. OK, I'll get right at it then.

Brief Story Line

Set in the year 1943, the 12 year old Mahito (Soma Santoki) had moved with his father Soichi (Takuya Kimura - Long Vacation TV series, Hero etc) to a big house in the country side belonged to his wife's younger sister Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura - Masquarade Night etc). 

(TV SERIES) Yu Yu Hakusho Season 1 - Live Adaptation of the Popular Manga Series with Plenty of Wonderfully Crafted Fight Scenes

I saw the notification of this series few weeks ago on Netflix and was immediately intrigued. Despite never watched the anime it was based on or the manga series, I was interested due to its interesting premise. So when it was released two days ago, I started to watch and finished it last night. All right, let's get into the series.

Brief Story Line

Yusuke Urameshi (Takumi Kitamura - Tokyo Revengers movies etc) was a deliquent high school student who was infamous for skipping school and getting into fights, particularly with Kuwabara (Shuhei Uesugi - River's Edge etc). At school he was only close with his childhood friend Keiko (Sei Shiraishi - Prince of Legend etc). When Yusuke got into an accident and died, he was approached by a spritual being named Botan (Kotone Furukawa - Konto Ga Hajimaru TV series etc) who told him he could be resurrected.

Leave the World Behind - A Good Adaptation of the Highly Praised Novel

I saw this movie in the "Coming This Week" section in Netflix and was quite interested with the premise and the stars. So I did not hesitate to watch it on its first day of release yesterday. And so how was the movie? Let's find out more shall we?

Brief Story Line

A family that consisted of Amanda (Julia Roberts - Ticket to Paradise, Money Monster etc), her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke - The Black Phone, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets etc), their teenaged children Archie (Charlie Evans) and his younger sister Rose (Farrah Mackenzie - Logan Lucky etc) left New York city to go on a short vacation to the Long Island. They rented an expensive house and were enjoying their time there.

(TV SERIES) OBLITERATED Season 1 - An Action Series that Managed to Nicely Combine with Some Extreme Hilarious Condition

I knew about this new release on Netflix since last week and was interested in watching this. But when it was available on Thursday, I found out it was a series and not a movie. So I decided to watch another film that was released on that day instead and postpone it later. I only began watching this series on Friday night and finished it this morning. All right then, I will get straight to it.

Brief Story Line

A special ops team that consisted of the leader, CIA agent Ava Winters (Shelley Hennig - The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window mini series etc), operation chief Chad McKnight (Nick Zano - DC's Legends of Tomorrow TV series etc), Navy SEAL Trunk (Terrence Terrel - B Positive TV series etc), sniper Angela (Paola Lázaro - The Walking Dead TV series etc), Air Force Pilot Paul Yung (Eugene Kim), tech expert Maya (Kimi Rutledge) and explosive expert Haggerty (C. Thomas Howell - Gettysburg etc) were given task to stop terrorist attack in Las Vegas.

(TV SERIES) Based on a True Story Season 1 - An Entertaining Comedy Series on True Crime Podcast

While I was looking for something to watch on HBO Go as it had been quite some time since I watched anything there, I came across this series which looked interesting. So I gave it a try 2 nights ago and managed to complete it last night. Without further ado, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Ava (Kaley Cuoco - Man from Toronto, The Big Bang Theory TV series etc) was a pregnant woman working as real estate agent and had been married for years with Nathan Bartlett (Andrew Messina - I Care a Lot, The Mindy Project TV series etc), a former tennis star who now worked as coach in a luxurious country club. They lived with Ava's younger sister Tory (Liana Liberato - Totally Killer, Light as a Feather TV series etc) and were best friends with several rich people, including Ruby (Priscilla Quintana - Pandora TV series etc).

Family Switch - An Enjoyable Christmas Comedy Movie Based on Children's Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I was aware about this movie when I saw its brief trailer in the Coming This Week section in Netflix. So I have set my time aside to watch it when it was released yesterday, as I thought the premise looked fun. OK, why don't I just get to it?

Brief Story Line

Bill Walker (Ed Helms - Ron's Gone Wrong, Tag etc) and his wife Jess (Jennifer Garner - The Adam Project, Peppermint etc) used to be very close with their children CC (Emma Myers - Wednesday TV series etc) & Wyatt (Brady Noon - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem etc). But they seemed to grew apart as the children reached their teenage years. Three days before Christmas, Jess decided to go to the Planetarium for once in a lifetime occurrence with the whole family, including baby Miles and the dog Pickles. 

Tokyo MER: The Movie - A Much Bigger Rescue Mission with More at Stake for the Beloved MER Team

I read that there would be a new Japanese movie to be released in certain cinemas this week and found out that it was based on TV series which is available on Disney+. My wife had already watched the full season and recommended me to see it as she loved it. So I immediately began watching the series few days ago and completed on Friday night, just in time before I saw the movie yesterday. All right then, I will get to the movie now.

Brief Story Line

The Tokyo Mobile Emergency Room (MER) program initiated by Governor Akatsuka (Yuriko Ishida - Princess Mononoke, Contrail TV series etc) two years before was quite a success despite the reckless behavior of its team leader Kota Kitami (Ryohei Suzuki - Segodon TV series, Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai etc). This was due to the great cooperation among the team members that consisted of Dr. Hina (Ayami Nakajo - Love You as the World Ends TV series, Setoutsumi etc), the anesthesiologist Dr. Fuyuki (Shinya Kote - Shinigami San TV series etc), Nurse Natsume (Nanao - Masquarade Hotel etc), Nurse Minh (Phuongchi), medical engineer Tokumaru (Hayato Sano - Usogui etc) and new joinee Dr. Shiomi (Jesse Lewis). 

Thanksgiving - A Pretty Entertaining Slasher Movie with Good Background Story

There were few new movies released in Indonesian theaters yesterday which interest me. However, only one that played in the cinema nearest to our home. So if felt like this film was chosen for us to see first. Anyway my wife who is not a fan of horror movies was still OK with this one as it was a slasher genre. All right, I'll get on it then.

Brief Story Line

One year after a fatal incident at Rightmart Superstore on Thanksgiving night, people were not comfortable with the idea of having same Huge Sale event. However the owner Thomas Wright (Rick Hoffman - Suits TV series etc) was adamant that it should continue as they have taken more precautions with the support from the Sheriff (Patrick Dempsey - Enchanted, Grey's Anatomy TV series etc) and his deputies.

(TV SERIES) Goosebumps Season 1 - An Interesting Latest Adaptation of the Popular Horror Book Series

I remember seeing this interesting series released last month in Disney+, no doubt to celebrate Halloween. However it had 10 episodes and was completed just last week. So I only started watching during the weekend and finished it two nights ago. All right, let's get to it then.

Brief Story Line

In the small city of Port Lawrence, few high school students that consisted of the popular Isaiah (Zack Morris - Eastenders TV series etc) with his girlfriend Allison (Rhinnan Payne) and best friend James (Miles McKenna) decided to throw a party in an old house that was said to be haunted. They were joined by Isaiah's neighbor Margot (Isa Briones - Star Trek: Picard TV series etc) and later other students like Lucas (Will Price) and Isabella (Ana Yi Puig). 

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes - Lovely Animation Movie that Managed to Combine Fantasy Element and Sweet Romance

When I noticed there was a new anime movie shown in the theaters few days ago and read the interesting premise, I asked my wife to join me in seeing this yesterday. We caught the earliest show available at 11AM so we have more time to enjoy ourselves after. All right, let's get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Kaoru Tohno (Oji Suzuka - Listen to the Universe etc) was a high school student living in a small city who mostly kept to himself. In the city, there was an urban legend of the existence of Urashima tunnel that could grant the wish of people entering it, but with dire consequence. 

When Tohno unexpectedly found what he believed to be the tunnel, he decided to give it a go. However, his life was turned upside down with the appearance of new girl in school named Anzu Hanashiro (Marie Iitoyo - Love You as the World Ends TV series etc).

In Love and Deep Water - A Romance Drama Movie with a Bit of Murder Mystery Element

As usual I would check on new movies on Netflix every Friday and noticed this Japanese film that was actually released a day before. It was something of interest to me due to its premise involving mystery.  OK, I'll get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

Ubukata (Ryo Yoshizawa - Kingdom, Tokyo Revengers movies etc) was working as butler in a large cruise ship under Captain Yabuchi (Yoh Yoshida - Hero, Flying Colors TV series etc). In their latest journey, there were plenty of passengers like the Kuruma family that consisted of the father Dr. Sohei (Hatsunori Hasegawa), his son Michihiko (Ken Yasuda) & his wife Misaki (Saki Takaoka) and their daughter Rena (Rumika Oogai).

(Mini Series) Culprits - A Unique Series Focusing on the Aftermath of a Grand Heist

This series was released on Disney+ just last week which I was not aware of as it did not get any promotion & hype at all. I only gave it a try as the premise looked interesting. OK, without further ado, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

On the outside, Joe Petrus (Nathan Stewart-Jarret - Candyman 2021 version etc) looked like a normal family man living with his fiance Jules (Kevin Vidal - Sunnyside TV series etc) and his two young children. However, Joe actually had a dark past and was part of a heist crew 3 years before, led by the masterful Dianne Harewood (Gemma Arterton - The King's Man, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters etc) who all went their separate ways.

The Marvels - A Fun and Enjoyable Superhero Movie with Nice Chemistry of the Lead Characters

Few days ago this latest movie from Marvel Studios had its wide release including in Indonesia. As fans of Marvel movies, my wife and I would not want to miss the chance to see it in the cinema. So we went ahead to one of our favorite cinemas with Dolby Atmos system for better experience yesterday. All right, I shall dive into it now.

Brief Story Line

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jakson - Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, Incredibles 2 etc) with his team that also included Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris - They Cloned Tyrone etc) who were onboard SABER station, experienced an energy disturbance later revealed to be a jump point anomaly. Nick asked the help from Carol Denvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson - Fast X, Trainwreck etc) to investigate the occurence as it was near her location. She found out that it was due to the action by Krees new supreme leader Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton - Fresh Meat TV series etc) which threaten the peace talks with the Skrulls and potentially lead to war. 

(2023) The Killer - An Action Thriller of a Professional Hitman With Rather Unconventional Story Telling

In the past two weeks I have been a bit behind on watching Netflix, but yesterday I noticed a new movie that was just released which I was quite interested. So I decided to watch this one last night as soon as I had the time after work. OK, I'll get into it now.

Brief Story Line

Story focused on a professional hitman, the Killer (Michael Fassbender - X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Alien: Covenant etc) who after an assignment by the coordinator, referred to as The Lawyer (Charles Parnell - Top Gun: Maverick etc), found that he became the target to tie-up loose ends.

Virgo and the Sparklings - A Very Light Drama of Teenage with Powers & Fresh Addition to the BCU

When this movie was released last March, my wife and I did not got the chance to see it since it did not play in many theaters including the one near our home. In just few days time, there were even fewer studios that showed the movie. So I decided to just wait till it's available via online streaming. Few days ago, the film was finally released on Disney+ which gave me the chance to watch it easily. OK, I'll get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

Riani (Adhisty Zara - Dua Garis Biru, Keluarga Cemara etc) was a high school girl who had unique power of creating fire which always got her into trouble. After the latest incident, Riani had to move to a new school in Bandung where she easily hit it off with Monica (Ashira Zamita - Cinta Fitri TV series etc), Ussy (Satine Zaneta) and Sasmi (Rebecca Klopper - Pelukis Hantu etc). They later formed a group band called Virgo and the Sparklings and wanted to join a National competition to become famous like their idol, Scorpion Sisters led by Carmine (Mawar de Jongh - Para Betina Pengikut Iblis etc).

(TV SERIES) Gen V - Season 1 - The Entertaining Spin-off from The Boys with Almost Same Characteristics as Its Original Series

After reading the hype surrounding this series, obviously I was interested in watching it, especially since it was the spin off of The Boys that I really liked. So as soon as it finished the first season few days ago, I immediately start watching and finished in just 2 days. OK, why don't I get to it now.

Brief Story Line

Godolkin University was founded to give advanced education for the young Supes which was run by Vought International and headed by Dean Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn - Terra Nova TV series etc). The university had a unique ranking system where the highest would have the chance to become one of the Seven. Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair -  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV series, Paper Town etc) was an orphan who managed to attend God-U and had the ambition of getting to the top. She was staying with her friendly roommate Emma (Lizze Broadway - American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules etc).

Love Reset - An Enjoyable Romantic Comedy Drama Movie

This weekend, I chose to see this latest South Korean movie which was of romantic comedy genre where my wife did not need any convincing at all as she was very familiar with the lead stars. We went to the nearest studio that showed the film and caught the earliest show at 11 AM. All right then, let us get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Jung-yeol (Kang Ha-neul - The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, Curtain Call TV series etc) and Hong Nara (Jung So-min - Project Wolf Hunting, Because This is My First Life etc) had been married for years but their relationship was so bad that they decided to file for divorce. The judges who reviewed their request told them to reconsider within 30 days. Unexpectedly though, an accident somehow made them lost their memories.

Fear the Night - A not Satisfying Home Invasion Thriller Movie

I was actually planning on seeing another movie in the theater last night with my wife, but alas it no longer played in the cinema near our home. Instead this movie replaced it, so I saw it by myself as my wife was not interested in it. Anyway here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

Tess (Maggie Q - The Protege, Designated Survivor TV series etc) and her estranged older sister Beth (Kat Foster - 'Til Death TV series etc) decided to temporarily set aside their differences for bachelorette party of their youngest sister Rose (Highdee Kuan). The party was set in their old house located in a secluded place and they went together with several old friends such as Mia (Gia Krovatin - Dirty Weekend etc), Noelle (Ito Aghayere -  Carol's Second Act TV series etc), Divya (Roshni Shukla) and few others.

Lost in the Stars - Entertaining Psychological Thriller with Some Surprising Twists

While I was on my way home from the trip last week with my wife using Singapore Airlines, there was this movie that looked really interesting. Even though the time would not be sufficient to watch it, I still went ahead and hoping that it would be available on streaming soon. As luck would have it, turned out it was available since Tuesday in Netflix, but I only realized it yesterday. So I immediately finished the second half last night. All right then, let's get to the movie.

Brief Story Line

Story focused on He Fei (Zhu Yilong - Lighting Up the Stars etc) who reported his wife Li Muzi missing while they were celebrating anniversary in Barlandia (fictional country in South East Asia). The matter became complicated when a woman claiming to be Li Muzi (Janice Man - Cold War 2, The Message TV series etc) appeared, but He Fei insisted that she was not his wife. However, lots of circumstances seemed to prove otherwise.

Freelance - Another One of John Cena's Action Comedy Movie

After my wife and I return from our short holiday trip two nights ago, we decided to see one of the newest movie released in Indonesia yesterday. I was interested in seeing this one as it looked like a fun action comedy that we could enjoy. OK, I'll get right to it then. 

Brief Story Line

Mason Pettits (John Cena - Hidden Strike, Peacemaker TV series etc) was former Special Forces who tried a freelance gig from his old army buddy Sebastian Earle (Christian Slater - We Can Be Heroes, Hard Rain etc) by providing security to journalist Claire Wellington (Alison Brie - The Rental, GLOW TV series etc). 

(MINI SERIES) Bodies - A Fascinating Mystery Drama Series with Some Complex Sci-fi Element

As soon as I read the plot of this upcoming series on Netflix last week, I immediately felt intrigued and wanted to watch it at the earliest. I began to do it on Saturday night and managed to finish on the following day. All right, let us just get right to it.

Brief Story Line

In the year 2023 London, DC Shahara Hasan (Amaka Okafor - Greatest Days etc) found a naked body with a bullet wound in the left eye and a unique mark on his right wrist at Longharvest Lane. As she investigate the case under the supervision of her boss DCI Jack Barber (Michael Jibson - The Lighthouse etc), they found that it was more than met the eye.

Retribution - Another Remake of the Spanish Hit El Descoconido

After playing in Indonesian cinemas for more than a month, this film that was released while my wife and I were on holiday was still shown in several theaters. I think some people were still interested in seeing this cause there were surprisingly additional theaters showing the movie yesterday. As we happened to be in the mall where its cinema was playing the movie, we spontaneously decided to see it. OK, I'll get on with it then.

Brief Story Line

Matt Turner (Liam Neeson - Memory, Cold Pursuit etc) was a very busy man working for Nanite Capital under his best friend/CEO Anders (Matthew Modine - Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Full Metal Jacket etc). One morning as he was going to work, Matt's wife Heather (Ember Davidtz - Paranoia, Old etc) asked his help to bring their children Zach (Jack Champion - Scream VI etc) and his younger sister Emily (Lilly Aspel - Wonder Woman 1984 etc) to school.

No Hard Feelings - A Sex Comedy Movie that Felt More Like a Drama Comedy Movie with Some Sexual Contents

This was another movie that was released in Indonesia while I was away on holiday. And when I returned, it no longer played in the cinemas. However, two days ago the film was released via online streaming service Catchplay+ with additional price. So I decided to watch it last night. OK now here's my thoughts on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence - Red Sparrow, X-Men: Dark Phoenix   etc) was a thirty two year old single woman who had been living all her life in Montauk city. When she faced financial trouble, Maddie decided to answer an ad placed by wealthy couple Laird (Matthew Broderick - Wonder Park, Wargames etc) and Allison Becker (Laura Benanti - Supergirl TV series, Tick, Tick...Boom! etc) even though it was a weird assignment. Maddie was tasked to date and possibly had sex with Beckers' 19 year old son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman - A Tourist's Guide to Love etc) who was very socially awkward.

(Mini Series) The Continental - An Entertaining 3 Part Event from the John Wick Universe

I did not realize that this series only consisted of 3 episodes until few days ago and was already completed for more than a week. So after finishing the 3rd season of another series, I immediately gave this a try 2 nights ago and watched the last episode yesterday night. All right, let us get on with the show.

Brief Story Line

Set in the late 1970s, The Continental hotel infamous as sanctuary for assassins was managed by the ruthless Cormac O'Connor (Mel Gibson - Boss Level, Daddy's Home 2 etc) along with his trusted man Charon (Ayomide Adegun). After an incident in the hotel that involved Frankie Scott (Ben Robson - The Boy etc), his younger brother Winston (Colin Woodell - Ambulance, The Purge TV series etc) was called back to New York by Cormac. Although Winston had a strained relationship with Frankie, he was able to locate him who apparently was already married to a Vietnamese woman named Yen (Nhung Kate).

(TV SERIES) HALO Season 1 - An Interesting Adaptation of the Popular Video Game With Great Visual Effects and Some Amazing Action Sequence

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that there was a series that I watched during my trip last month on the inflight entertainment of Emirates airline. As the series was not available in Indonesia via any of the legal streaming services, I decided to give it a try while I had the chance. I began watching it during my departure flight but since the time was not sufficient, I had to continue on my way flight home. Anyway, let's get right at it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the 26th century where there was a war between humans and the alien race called Covenant. Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone - The Truman Show, Californication TV series etc) together with Admiral Parangosky (Shabana Azmi - City of Joy, What's Love Got to do With it? etc) and Captain Keyes (Danny Sapani - Harlots TV series etc) developed a Super Soldiers program referred to as Spartan to fight against the Covenant. These Spartans were led by Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber - Skyscraper, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi etc) and consisted of Kai-125 (Kate Kennedy), Riz-028 (Natasha Culzac) and Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu) as the Silver Team. 

Jigen Daisuke - A Stylish Action Movie Based on Character from the Famous Lupin the 3rd Manga Series

This new movie on Prime Video was released two days ago but as I already decided to watch another film on different streaming platform, I only watched it yesterday. I was interested as this looked like one of those nice action genre. Anyway I'll get straight to it now.

Brief Story Line

Daisuke Jigen (Tetsuji Tamayama - Ajin: Demi Human, Samurai Gourmet TV series etc) was the legendary gunman who had been going around the world for years. But when he felt his gun no longer had the best aim, Daisuke was told to search for the rumored best Gunmaker in the world located in small town in Japan. However, Daisuke's plan went awry when he finally met with Yaguchi (Mitsuko Kusabue - Miyamoto Musashi etc) who instead of repairing his gun, requested him to help a young girl named Oto (Kotoka Maki - Burn the House Down TV series etc).

The Conference - An Interesting Swedish Horror Slasher Movie

Looking through the various streaming services yesterday, I came across this new movie on Netflix which did not seem to be highlighted. But as the premise sounded interesting, I decided to give this a try. Now I'll get to it then.

Brief Story Line

A group of employees went for a conference in a rather remote place to discuss on their project to build a mall and also for team building. They consisted of their supervisor Ingela (Maria Sid), project leader Jonas (Adam Lundgren - Chernobyl mini series etc), Lina (Katia Winter - Blood & Treasures TV series etc) who just returned after having breakdown, Amir (Amed Bozan), Nadja (Bahar Pars) and few others. 

Saw X - The Most Critically Well Received Saw Movie in the Series

I was actually not too looking forward seeing this movie in the cinema. But after noticing it was well received by critics and audiences, I thought I should give it a try. And since the movie was playing in the theater very near our home, I had no difficulty in going at it last night. Due to its horror nature, I saw this by myself as my wife is no fan of such genre. OK, let's dive into it.

Brief Story Line

John Kramer aka Jigsaw (Tobin Bell - 12 Feet Deep, The Quick and the Dead etc) decided to go to Mexico for a special treatment for his cancer. He met with Doctor Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund - Ragnarok TV series etc) who worked together with other people like, nurse Valentina (Paulette Hernandez) and brain surgeon Mateo (Octavio Hinojosa). He also met with another cancer patient Parker (Steven Brand - The Scorpion King, Teen Wolf TV series etc) who claimed to have had success in his treatment.  

To Catch a Killer - A Dark and Rather Heavy Crime Drama Movie

While going home from my trip around two weeks ago, I watched few movies (and series) on the inflight entertainment of Emirates airline. This was one of them which I just noticed was in the Coming Soon section of Indonesian's cinema chain and reminded me that I have not written about it. All right, I will get to it now.

Brief Story Line

When a mass shooting happened on New Year's eve, police officer Eleanor (Shailene Woodley - Adrift, Snowden etc) was one of the first to arrive at the scene where she showed some quick thinking, though the suspect was never caught. Due to the severity of the case, the experienced FBI Agent Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn - Secret Invasion Mini Series, Spies in Disguise etc) was assigned to lead a task force. He then asked Eleanor to join even though she did not have any proper background and another experienced detective Jack Mackenzie (Jovan Adepo - Babylon, The Leftovers TV series etc).

Totally Killer - A Fun Combo of Slasher and Time Travel

Last night I watched this movie that was released on Prime Video 2 days before as I was really interested in the premise. It was the slasher horror genre that was more of my thing as compared to the supernatural horror. Anyway, why don't I just get to it?

Brief Story Line

Jamie Hughes (Kiernan Shipka - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV series etc) was a teenager who just wanted to have fun on Halloween night with her best friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema - To All the Boys movies etc), but her parents Pam (Julie Bowen - Hubie Halloween, Boston Legal TV series etc) and Blake (Lochlyn Munro - Peacemaker TV series, White Chicks etc) were very protective of her. This was due to the killing spree during Halloween back in 1987 where the killer was never caught.

The Equalizer 3 - The Supposedly Final Installment of the Kind Hearted Vigilante Story

As one of the movies that my wife and I had not seen while we were on holiday last month, we were not sure if we would be able to see while it was still in the cinema. But amazingly there was one studio still playing this movie in Jakarta. Yesterday after we had our lunch, both of us decided to see the film. OK, let us get to it then.

Brief Story Line

After one of his "operation" in Sicily, Italy, former DIA agent Robert McCall (Denzel Washington - Flight, The Taking of Pelham 123 etc) was brought to a small town of Altamonte by local police Gio Bonucci (Eugenio Mastrandrea - From Scratch TV series etc) where he was treated by Doctor Enzo (Remo Girone - Live by Night etc) for his wounds. While taking the time to heal himself, McCall grew fond of the town and became quite close with the people. Unfortunately his peaceful time was interrupted with the mafia led by brothers Vincent (Andrea Scarduzio) and Marco (Andrea Dodero) who had plans for Altamonte and started terrorizing them. 

(2023) Ballerina - A Dark Thriller Movie with too Few Stylish Action Scenes

Like my usual activity on Friday night after coming back from work, I would browse through new released movies on Netflix and came across this seemingly interesting one. Well without further ado, I will get straight to it.

Brief Story Line

Ok-ju (Jeon Jong-seo - Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area, Nothing Serious etc) was an ex bodyguard who was very close friend with Min-hee (Park Yu-rim - Miraculous Brothers TV series etc). After receiving a personal message from Min-hee, Ok-ju went on a vendetta mission to fulfill her request. Through a bit of investigation, she found out the person responsible for Min-hee's misery was Choi (Kim Ji-hoon - Love to Hate You TV series etc).

Reptile - An Ordinary Mystery Drama Movie

Last weekend, I got the chance to watch this movie that was just released on Netflix. I did not have any knowledge of it before but when I was looking for something new on that streaming service, I came across this one which seemed intriguing enough. All right then, let us get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Detective Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro - No Sudden Move, 21 Grams etc) had just moved to town with his wife Judy (Alicia Silverstone - Clueless, Batman & Robin etc) and working under Judy's uncle, Captain Robert Allen (Eric Bogosian - Uncut Gems, Law & Order: Criminal Intent TV series etc). He was later caught up in a murder case which involved a Real Estate agent Will Grady (Justin Timberlake - Trolls: World Tour, The Social Network etc).

The Creator - Interesting Premise with Amazing Visual Effects Action-Drama Movie of Human versus AI

My wife and I were trying to catch up the movies that we have not seen during our holiday trip a month before. But we decided to see this one first even if it was just released recently as it was available in all cinema chains. So after a small gathering of my wife's family, we both went to the cinema not very far from the restaurant and were just in time to buy the next earliest show. OK, I'll start on it now.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the future where Artificial Intelligence (AI) that was created to help humans had instead done major destruction to the U.S and was ultimately prohibited. However, a country called New Asia was trying to maintain the AI which led to an operation by the U.S government in that region. They sent a team of soldiers led by Colonel Howell (Allison Janney - Lou, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children etc) with Sergeant Joshua Taylor (John David Washington - Amsterdam, Malcolm & Marie etc) as their guide to search for Nirmata, the alleged creator for next high level AI weapon and destroy it.

A Haunting in Venice - A Well Done Adaptation of Agatha Christie's Novel with a Bit of "Supernatural" Element

Since my wife and I are fans of Agatha Christie's novels, we wanted to see this latest adaptation of her book. As it was released more than 2 weeks ago, it was a bit challenging to look for the studio showing the movie. We ended up seeing this one in the place not far from our home where to our surprise, there were still plenty of people in the cinema. OK, let's get right to it.

Brief Story Line

Set in 1947 in Venice, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) had decided to retire from solving cases and had a personal bodyguard named Vitale (Riccardo Scamarcio - John Wick: Chapter 2, The Ruthless etc). But when Poirot's old friend the famous novelist Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey - Only Murders in the Building TV series, Sisters etc) convinced him to attend a séance, he could not resist it. So on Halloween night, the three of them went to the house of former opera singer Rowena (Kelly Reilly - 10x10, Flight etc) where it would be held. 

EXPEND4BLES - A Disappointing Sequel to the Fun Action Movie Series

As fans of the previous movies in the series, obviously we wanted to see this one in the cinema. It was already released since last week, so there were not too many studios showing the film, but luckily one of them was located very near our home. So after I came back from home last night, we both immediately went and saw the movie there. OK, let us get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Barney (Sylvester Stallone - Samaritan, Creed 2 etc) and Christmas (Jason Statham - Meg 2: The Trench, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre etc) were given assignment by their new CIA boss, Agent Marsh (Andy Garcia - Geostorm, Wrath of Man etc) to prevent the stealing of dangerous item by a team of mercenaries led by Rahmat (Iko Uwais - Mile 22, Wu Assassins TV series etc). This time they were accompanied by old members of demolition man Toll Road (Randy Couture - 3 Geezers! etc), sniper Gunner (Dolph Lundgren - Minions: The Rise of Gru, Aquaman etc) and new members of Easy Day (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson - Escape Plan: The Extractors etc) & Galan (Jacob Scipio - Bad Boys for Life etc).

(TV SERIES) Moving Season 1 - A Fantastic Sci-Fi Disney+ Original Series Adapted from Successful Webtoon

I noticed some time ago about this new series in Disney+ that sounded interesting due to its premise. But I did not pay attention to it until around a week ago when I read the hype it was getting, after it completed. So I decided to give it a try immediately after my wife and I returned from our trip abroad 3 days ago and finished it late last night. All right then, let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Story focused on Jeongwon high school student Kim Bong-seok (Lee Jung-ha - Nevertheless series, Run On TV series etc) who was overly protected by his mother Lee Mi-hyun (Han Hyo-joo - The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, W: Two Worlds Apart TV series) as they tried to hide his super human ability. But Bong-seok's peaceful life would soon take an unexpected turn with the arrival of new student named Hui-soo (Go Youn-jung - Alchemy of Soul TV series, Hunt etc) who just moved in the same town with her father Jang Ju-won (Ryu Seung-ryong - Extreme Job, Life is Beautiful TV series etc). The class president Gang-hoon (Kim Do-hoon - Today’s Webtoon TV series, The Faceless Boss etc) who was the only son of Lee Jae-man (Kim Sung-kyun - Golden Slumber, Divorce Attorney Shin TV series etc) looked to take an interest on Hui-soo as well. 

Once Upon a Crime - Definitely not Your Typical Fairy Tale Movie and with Proper Execution, Might Even be More Entertaining

As mentioned in my earlier post, I felt fortunate that Netflix can still be accessed in other countries which made it possible for me to watch movies and series while I am on holiday abroad. I already had my eyes on this movie due to its interesting premise since I was in Jakarta few weeks ago. So I was pleased to have the chance to see it yesterday, albeit few days late. All right then, let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

When Little Red Riding Hood (Kanna Hashimoto - Gintama, One Page Love TV series etc) grew up, she decided to go on an adventure to have experience in life. One day she met with the poor Cinderella (Yuko Araki - Million Yen Women TV series, See Hear Love etc) who had been abused by her step sisters and their mother. Red Riding Hood decided to accompany Cinderella to the ball that was held by the King (Jiro Sato - The Fable: The Killer Who doesn't Kill etc) to find a wife for Prince Gilbert (Takanori Iwata - High & Low movies, Sherlock: Untold Stories TV serie etc).

(TV SERIES) One Piece Season 1 - A Wonderful Adventure Series Based on the Highly Popular Manga

After being hyped in various social medias as well as by Netflix, I was eager to find out about the series.  Lucky for me, I could access my Netflix account even when I am not in Indonesia. Anyway, I finally got the chance to watch it 3 days ago and finished it last night. OK, without further ado, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy - The Imperfects TV series etc) had been dreaming of becoming a pirate since he was a child and wanted to find the treasure left by the infamous pirate Gold Roger referred to as One Piece. During his quest, Luffy met and befriended with various people, from the cabin boy of a pirate ship named Koby (Morgan Davies - Evil Dead Rise etc), the master swordsman Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu - Knights of the Zodiac, The Master Plan etc), the thief Nami (Emily Rudd - Moonshot, Fear Street Part Three: 1666 etc), Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson) who always talk big and the cook Sanji (Taz Skylar). 

Knights of the Zodiac - Disappointing for Hard Core Fans but Personally not as Bad as I Thought would be

While I was on the flight for my holiday trip with my wife few days ago, there were so many options of the inflight entertainment on Emirates Airline. And since both connecting flights took several hours, I managed to watch few movies that never got the chance to be shown in Indonesia till now. This was one of those. All right, let's get to the movie then.

Brief Story Line

Seiya (Mackenyu - Rurouni Kenshin: The Final Chapter, Pacific Rim Uprising etc) had been trying to make ends meet by becoming a street fighter while trying to search for his older sister Patricia. After showing some sort of energy burst (cosmo) when he fought with Cassios (Nick Stahl - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Carnivale TV series etc), Seiya was approached by a mysterious wealthy man named Alman Kido (Sean Bean - Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Golden Eye etc) who was locating people with such cosmo. Despite his reluctance, Seiya had no choice but to cooperate with Alman and his trusted assistant Mylock (Mark Dacascos - John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, Double Dragon etc) as a group of cyborg soldiers tried to capture him.

(Mini Series) Who is Erin Carter? - A Fairly Entertaining Action Thriller Mystery Series

I was not too excited to watch this series when it was released a week ago. But after it made to the top 10 soon enough, I became interested and decided to give it a try few days ago. OK, so let's find out more about the series then.

Brief Story Line

Erin Carter (Evin Ahmad - Snabba Cash TV series etc) had moved to Barcelona from England with her daughter Harper (Indica Watson - A Boy Called Christmas etc) few years before. Now she worked as subsitute teacher at a prestigious school and best friends with one of the school staff Olivia (Susannah Fielding - This Time with Alan  Partridge TV series etc). She also got married to a male nurse named Jordi (Sean Teale - The Gifted TV series etc) and living in a rich neighborhood where one of their neighbors Penelope (Charlotte Vega - Wrong Turn etc) always looked down on Erin.

Gran Turismo - An Exciting and Entertainment Movie Based on True Story of a Gamer Turned Real Life Car Racer

I was interested in seeing this movie after I saw the trailer few weeks before. So I convinced my wife to see it this weekend together with another film as part of our movie marathon. OK without further ado, I'll get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom - Carnival Row TV series, The Lord of the Rings trilogy etc), the marketing executive of Nissan managed to convince his bosses to form an academy for players of the "Gran Turismo" racing simulator and turn them into actual racer. He later decided to employ Jack Salter (David Harbour - Violent Night, Stranger Things TV series etc), a former race driver as the trainer for the GT Academy. In order to find the best players in the world for this purpose, they put up a competition.