(TV SERIES) The Greatest Teacher - A Drama Heavy with Very Interesting Premise Mystery Series

During the past several weeks, there were so many new shows released on Netflix that I was having a bit of challenge to keep up with them. But this Japanese series caught my attention due to its very intriguing premise. Hence I decided to just give it a try from 2 nights ago and finished it last night. OK then, I'll just get started.

Brief Story Line

Kujo Rina (Matsuoka Mayu - A Silent Voice, Fence TV series etc) was the hometeacher of Class 3D in Horai high school who during the graduation day was pushed down from 4th floor by one of her students. But instead of being dead, she found herself standing in front of the class on the first day of their previous year. Rina realized that she had gone back in time and decided to find out who among her 30 students that wanted to kill her within a year.

Jingle Bell Heist - Lack the Charm for A Supposedly Christmas Themed Rom-Com Movie, Though At Least the Heist was Interesting Enough

I was kind of looking forward to this movie when I saw it in the Coming Soon section of Netflix. But when it was released, I did not realized as I was finishing another series and ended up only watching it yesterday. OK then, I'll dive straight into it now.

Brief Story Line

Sophia (Olivia Holt - Totally Killer, Cruel Summer TV series etc) was working as staff for the large Sterling department store in London owned by Maxwell Sterling (Peter Serafinowicz - How to Train Your Dragon live version, John Wick: Chapter 2 etc) and his wife Cynthia (Lucy Punch - A Series of Unfortunate Events TV series, Hot Fuzz etc), though secretly she sometimes would steal from the store. Meanwhile Nick O'Connor (Connor Swindells - Sex Education TV series, William Tell etc) was working in a small IT shop but he had access to the security system of Sterling stores.

Zootopia 2 - A Long Awaited Sequel that Was Still As Entertaining as the Original

When this movie was made available for advance ticket sale last week, my wife and I decided to buy tickets for its earliest show yesterday cause we were free on that day. We saw it in one of the cinemas not far from our home and pretty easy to access. Without further ado, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

Story was set not too far after the events of the first movie where Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin - Once Upon a Time TV series, He's Just Not That Into You etc) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman - Carry On, Game Night etc) had been partner in Zootopia PD for a week, though they seemed to be a bit incompatible due to their different characteristics. After a sting operation on a smuggling ring that created lots of commotion, Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba - Heads of State, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw etc) ordered Judy and Nick to attend therapy session before working on other cases. 

The Family Plan 2 - Not a Better Sequel but Still Pretty Entertaining Christmas Themed Action Comedy

During the weekend, I was looking for some light entertainment and noticed this film that was just released on AppleTV+ on Friday. It was sequel to a film that I remember had some fun, so obviously I decided to watch it as it really fit what I was looking for. But since I was busy the whole day yesterday, I only got the chance to write about it today. OK then, let's jut get to it now.

Brief Story Line

Few years after the events of the first movie, Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg - Play Dirty, The Union etc) had opened his own private security consultant, while his wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan - Bad Monkey TV series, Echoes mini series etc) was working as atheltic coach. They were still living in Buffalo, Texas with their children Kyle (Van Crosby) who was in his senior year and their youngest child Max (Peter and Theodore Lindsey), but their oldest Nina (Zoe Colletti - Boo, Bitch TV series, A Boy Called Christmas etc) was now studying in London.

(2025) The Hand That Rocks the Cradle - An Inferior Remake of the Well Received 1992 Thriller

Some time back, I noticed this film on Disney+ in the coming soon section. It was something that interest me so I was looking forward to it. However, I was not aware when the movie was finally released as it was not announced in the website I checked for new shows/movies on streaming service. Anyway last night as I was looking for new release movies, I noticed it was already available. Hence I decided to immediately watch it. OK, I'll just get started then.

Brief Story Line

Caitlyn Morales (Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Kate, Birds of Prey etc) worked as attorney and met with Polly Murphy (Maika Monroe - Independence Day: Resurgance, Longlegs etc), a young woman who was having trouble with her landlord on her lease. After their short encounter, Caitlyn delivered her baby and struggled with her older daughter Emma (Mileiah Vega) while her husband Miguel (Raúl Castillo - Army of the Dead, Class of '09 mini series etc) busy with his own business.

(MINI SERIES) All Her Fault - A Drama Thriller Series With Brilliant Performance by Some of Its Cast Based on Best Selling Novel

After completing another series earlier, I browsed various new shows in different streaming platforms and came across this Mini Series that looked interesting on HBO Max. If you have read my previous posts, you would know why I was interested in limited series as it definitely had a closure. OK then, let's get started shall we?

Brief Story Line

A pretty successful wealth manager Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook - Succession TV series, Predestination etc) went to pick up her 5 year old child Milo (Duke McCloud) after his play date with the son of Jenny Kraminsky (Dakota Fanning - The Perfect Couple mini series, The Equalizer 3 etc), another mom from same school. To her surprise, there was no such play date and the address was also fake. Marissa's husband Peter (Jake Lacy - The White Lotus TV series, Rampage etc) and his younger siblings Lia (Abby Elliott - The Bear TV series, Sex Ed etc) and Brian (Daniel Monks - Ricky Stanicky, Pulse etc) were not aware of Milo's location either. 

(TV SERIES) Last Samurai Standing Season 1 - A Wonderfully Created Martial Arts Series with Some Visually Striking Sword Fight Scenes & Engaging Story

I gave this series a try on the day it was released by Netflix last Thursday and finished it the day after. However I only got the chance to write about it today as I focused more on the new films that I saw during the last weekend. All right then, I'll get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in 19th Century Japan during the Meiji restoration period where Samurai were no longer allowed to hold sword and were forced to change profession. Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada - Hell Dogs: In The House of Bamboo, SP TV series etc) former great Samurai had been living normal life and married with two children. However when cholera hit their village and his family were all sick, Shujiro decided to join a mysterious contest held in Kyoto where the winner would receive large prize that should help for their medication.

(2025) The Running Man - An Interesting Dystopian Action Thriller Based on the Novel by Stephen King

Next one on our movie marathon day was this film that was just released on Wednesday in Indonesia. I did not have too much info about it until I saw its trailer few weeks before and thought it look interesting. Without further ado, let's just get on with the movie then.

Brief Story Line

Set in the dystopian future, the US society was divided into the wealthy living on the side of the well established cities while majority lived at the slum side. Ben Richards (Glen Powell - Twisters 2024, Chad Powers TV series etc) had been out of job and had to rely financially on his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson - Sinners, Genius TV series etc) who worked at a night club. But when their infant daughter was sick and in need of medication, Ben decided to audition for any programs from the FreeVee network that would offer cash rewards.

The First Ride - Adventure Comedy Film with Plenty of Comedic Moments and Lots of Heart

When this movie was released last week, my wife and I were still on vacation. Luckily for us, it was still available this week as my wife would really love to see it due to its cast. As there were still other films that we were playing catch up, we had to have another movie marathon and this was the first one. OK let's get on it then.

Brief Story Line

Four young men that consisted of the intelligent Tae-yung (Kang Ha-neul - Wall to Wall, Love Reset etc), the one supposed to be a monk Geum-bok (Kang Young-seok - Waiting for the Rain, Newtopia TV series etc), Do-jin (Kim Young-kwang -  Mini series Trigger, Mission: Possible etc) who wanted to be a basketball player and Yeon-min (Cha Eun-woo - Decibel, Wonderful World TV series etc) who aspire to be a DJ, had been wanting to go for a trip together to Thailand.

Predator: BadlandsBadlands - Very Entertaining Fresh Look of The Long Running Predator Films

For the second of our movie marathon day, we had to wait for several hours cause it only played at night in the cinema we went to. It was already released since last week while we were on vacation, so we thought it was better to do it fast before it was no longer available in our favorite theaters. OK then, let's just get started.

Brief story line

Story focused on a Yautja warrior named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi - Red, White & Brass) who after being seen as weakness to his clan, somehow arrived at the dangerous planet Genna where he aimed to kill a wild beast called Kalisk to prove his worth.

Now You See Me: Now You Don't - An Enjoyable Sequel to the Series with Interesting Addition of New Generation of Magicians

Today I finally got the chance to start seeing new movies in the cinema after our holiday. My wife and I decided to have another movie marathon and this was our first option due to the schedule in the cinema very near to our home. All right then, let us get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Ten years after the events of Now You See Me 2, the original four Horsemen that consisted of Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg - Zombieland: Double Tap, The Social Network etc), Merritt (Woody Harrelson - The Man from Toronto, Venom: Let There be Carnage etc), Jack (Dave Franco - Nerve, Neighbors etc) and Henley (Isla Fisher -Back to the Outback, Keeping Up with the Joneses etc) were reunited after they got invitation by The Eye. They were joined by three brilliant young magicians, the impressionist Bosco (Dominic Sessa - The Holdovers etc), the pickpocket June (Ariana Greenblatt - Fear Street: Prom Queen, 65 etc) and the brain behind the scene Charlie (Justice Smith - Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Detective Pikachu etc). They were supposed to work together on a heist against owner of large diamond company, Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike - I Care A Lot, Jack Reacher etc).

Hallow Road - A Smartly Done Pychological Thriller in Confined Space With Surprising Twist

During the last two weeks, my wife and I went on another vacation out of the country and therefore did not have the chance to see any new movies in the theater. Despite still have access to certain streaming services, I focused on continuing old series rather than watching new releases so I would not feel "obligated" to write my views about them. Anyway on my flight home using Garuda Indonesia, I watched this film that I never heard of but had interesting premise. All right then, here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Awaken at 2 AM in the morning, Maddie (Rosamund Pike - The Wheel of Time TV series, The Informer etc) decided to clean her kitchen when she got a call from her teenaged daughter Alice (Megan McDonnell - The Rainmaker TV series etc). Maddie's husband Frank (Matthew Rhys - Perry Mason 2020 TV series, Seal Team etc) who also woke up was concerned on Alice whereabouts. It was later revealed that Alice had taken Frank's car and stormed out after they had a huge fight.

(2023) The Toxic Avenger - A Superhero Film Definitely not For Every One

As the second of our movie marathon day, we decided to see this film. It was something that I was not sure if it would be liked by my wife, but she still wanted to accompany me. All right then, let's find out more, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage - Transformers: Rise of the Beast, The Croods: A New Age etc) was just an ordinary janitor who worked for the most hazardous company in the city called BTH, owned by dirty businessman Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon -The Bondsman TV series, Leave the World Behind etc). Winston had been looking after his step son Wade (Jacob Tremblay - Luca, The Predator 2018 version etc) ever since the mother passed away even though their relationship was a bit rough. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Winston was somehow exposed to the toxic waste of BTH which gave him super strength but made him looked like a monster. Unfortunately his new looks made him frightening to everyone including Wade.

Murder Report - A Quite Captivating Slow Burn Psychological Thriller Drama Movie

Yesterday my wife and I had another one of our movie marathon day as we opted to see two films in a row. This film was released just the day before but I was already quite interested when I saw its trailer a week earlier. OK, why don't I just get right on it then.

Brief Story Line

Seon-joo (Cho Yeo-jeong - Parasite. My Daughter is a Zombie etc) was a senior journalist who had been in a bit of a slump in her career, especially after her previous failed big scoop. So when she was invited to interview a man later on revealed to be Yeong-hoon (Jung Sung-il - Uprising, Unmasked TV series etc) who claimed to be serial killer, she was curious to find out if there was any truth in it. 

A House of Dynamite - Intelligently Done Gripping Thriller Drama From Various Angles

After several weeks of missing out watching new films on Friday in Netflix, last night I remembered to give this one a try. The brief synopsis sounded interesting, plus the involvement of many well known people made me intrigued. So let us get on with the movie then.

Brief Story Line

On what started as a normal day in Fort Geely Alaska, the team led by Major Daniel Gonzales (Anthony Ramos - Ironheart mini series, Hamilton etc) detected a nuclear missile that was of unkown origin and seemed to be heading towards the US in less than 20 minutes. The White House situation room team led by Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson - Silo TV series, Reminiscence etc) immediately coordinated with Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris - Morbius, Reawakening etc). STRATCOM Commander General Brady (Tracy Letts - Deep Water, The Post etc), Deputy NSA Jake Baerington (Gabriel Basso - The Strangers: Chapter Two, The Night Agent TV series etc) and also the President (Idris Elba - Heads of State, H/JACK TV series etc) on how to handle. 

Abadi Nan Jaya - Intense Indonesian Horror Movie with Some High Quality Zombie Effects

I was really interested in this Indonesian movie when I saw it was promoted in the Coming Soon section in Netflix. So when it was finally released yesterday, I immediately gave it a try. Without further ado, here's more on the movie. 

Brief Story Line

Story was set in a small town in Central Java, where a traditional company that specialized in making herbs was tasked to create a medicine that could make person younger by its owner Mr. Sadimin (Donny Damara - Kembang Api, Perwira dan Ksatria etc). When the experiment seemed to be successful, Sadimin decided not to sell the company which gravely upset his family that consisted of his new younger wife Karina (Eva Celia - Andai Ibu Tidak Menikah dengan Ayah, Pendekar Tongkat Emas etc), his jobless son Bambang (Marthino Lio - Seperti Dendam. Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas, Glenn Fredly the Movie etc), his younger sister Kenes (Mikha Tambayong - Bismillah Kunikahi Suamimu, Induk Gajah TV series etc) with her husband Rudi (Dimas Anggara - Sri Asih, Lafran etc) who came together with their young son Raihan (Varren Arianda Calief) just to sign the sale paper.

(Mini Series) Harlan Coben's Lazarus - A Pretty Interesting Psychological Horror Series with Multiple Surprising Twists

I was not aware there would be this new series to be released on Prime Video earlier. But when I got notification yesterday and read a bit on the synopsis, I was immediately intrigued and gave it a try. Having only 6 episodes where all of them were released at the same time, made it easy for me to complete the whole series last night. All right then, I'll just get right to it.

Brief Story Line

When forensic psychiatrist Joel Lazarus aka Laz (Sam Claflin -Enola Holmes, Adrift etc) was informed that his father, the experienced psychiatrist Doctor Jonathan Lazarus (Bill Nighy - The Wild Robot, Love Actually etc) had shot himself, he immediately came back to his home town. Laz did not believe that his father would have committed suicide, though his sister Jenna (Alexandra Roach - No Offence TV series, Anna Karenina etc) did not have any doubt. The suicide was investigated by Laz's old friend Detective Seth McGovern (David Fynn - Trolls Band Together, Undateable TV series etc) and his superior DCI Alison Brown (Kate Ashfield - Shaun of the Dead, This Little Life etc).

Black Phone 2 - A Rather Different Kind But Still Terrifying Horror Sequel to that 2021 Hit Movie

I was not aware there was going to be this movie until I saw its trailer few weeks ago. My wife who is not a fan of horror movies somehow remembered the original and was OK to accompany me seeing this. All right then, let's get on with the film.

Brief Story Line

Four years after the events in the first movie, Finn (Mason Thames - How to Train Your Dragon live version, Moster Summer etc) was struggling emotionally with the aftermath while his younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw - Outcast TV series, Toy Story 4 etc) was still having various dreams. This time it might involve brutal killings of some young children.

From what she could find out, Gwen decided to go to the Alpine Lake Christian camp where the missing children case occurred, together with her friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora) who had a crush on her. Though reluctant, Finn also went there to protect Gwen. They were later met by the supervisor of the camp Armando (Demián Bichir - Chaos Walking, Alien: Covenant etc) and his niece Mustang (Arianna Rivas - A Working Man etc). Things though gotten worse for Gwen when her nightmares became more frequent and affected her physically, while Finn started to get calls on the phone from the Grabber (Ethan Hawke - Leave the World Behind, The Guilty etc). 

(TV SERIES) The Terminal List: Dark Wolf Season 1 - A High Octane Action Thriller Based on Characters from Best Selling Novel Series

I read about this series several months ago which was the prequel of an action thriller that I enjoyed on Prime Video 3 years ago. As usual I would only start watching when all episodes were already available. But since the final episode was released also during my long holiday trip, I just watched this after I returned and finished it few days ago. Without further ado, let's get on with the series then.

Brief Story Line

Seven years before the events of The Terminal List, Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch - American Assassin, Friday Night Lightss TV series etc) was the Chief of Navy Seals Charlie platoon who was stationed in Iraq together with Lieutenant Raife Hastings (Tom Hopper - Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, The Umbrella Academy TV series etc) and Lt. James Reece (Chris Pratt - The Garfield Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy etc). After a dangerous mission with their unit, Ben and Raife were discharged but later recruited to work for the CIA by Jed Haverford (Robert Wisdom - Vacation Friends, Barry TV series etc) for a special mission. Though reluctant at first, both of them decided to join him.

(TV SERIES) Twelve - A Rather Disappointing Developed Series for Such an Interesting Premise

When I heard about this series from my wife who saw it mentioned in various social media, I was quite interested to give it a try due to its interesting premise, plus the lead cast of Don Lee aka Ma Dong-seok. However, as usual I wanted to wait till the whole season/series is completed before I started to watch. It just so happen that the final episode was released while both of us were on long holiday. So after watching other series and films, I finally decided to watch three nights ago and finished it last night. All right then, I'll get right with it.

Brief Story Line (warning possible spoiler)

Story was set in the world where twelve Angels were created by God to protect humans. They were given exceptional powers as they had to fight against evil. After the last war centuries ago, the evil was defeated and were sealed in the hellmouth along with the Angels' power making them just like ordinary people. The angels led by their Chief Taesan (Ma Dong-seok - Holy Night: Demon Hunters, Ashfall etc) now worked as money lenders to criminals, along with his siblings that consisted of the rather hot-headed Won-seung (Seo In-guk - Death's Game TV series, Pipeline etc), the one who loved to eat Doni (Ko Kyu-pil - Tarot, The Fiery Priest 2 TV series etc) who worked together with Bangwool (Regina Lei - The Sadness, Port of Lies TV series etc) in oriental medicine shop, tech expert Jwidol (Sung Yoo-bin - Count, No Way Out: The Roulette TV series etc), the athletic Malsook (Ahn Ji-hye - Badland Hunters, Mine TV series etc) and the one who symphatize human Kangji (Kang Mi-na - Love Untangled, Welcome to Samdal-ri TV series etc).

The Woman in Cabin 10 - A Standard Adaptation of Best Seller Novel with Interesting Enough Plot

I already noticed this new movie released on Netflix last Friday. But as I returned home rather late that night after having movie marathon and finishing other series, I only got the chance to watch it two nights ago. It has interesting premise that made me curious. OK so here's more on the film.

Brief Story line

Laura Blacklock (Kiera Knightley - Black Doves TV series, Pirates of the Caribbean movies etc) was a famous investigative journalist who was invited to a private cruise initiated by wealthy couple Richard Bullmer (Guy Pearce - Memory, The Brutalist etc) and his terminally ill wife Anne (Lisa Loven Kongsli - Force Majeure, The Orheim Company etc) to celebrate the forming of cancer foundation. During the short cruise, Laura met with other invitees that included the rich and powerful people such as Heidi (Hannah Waddingham - Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, The Fall Guy etc) and her husband Thomas (David Morrissey - The Walking Dead TV series, State of Play etc), Adam (Daniel Ings - The Gentlemen TV series, The Gold min series etc) and several others. 

Dongji Rescue - The Awesome Story of the Amazing Rescue Act Based on Historic Event During World War 2

For the second of our movie marathon day, my wife and I went to see this Chinese film. Its premise seemed interesting from the very brief synopsis in the cinema website. But we had to move to different location since it did not play in the cinema we saw the first movie. All right then, I'll just get started.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the year 1942 where Japanese ship named Lisbon Maru carrying 1816 British Prisoners of War (POW) was shot down by US submarine in the waters of Zhousan islands. As the ship started to sink, the Japanese saved their own crews but left the POWs inside the hatches.

Tron: Ares - An Entertaining Sci-fi Action Movie in Tron Universe

I saw the trailer to this movie last week and noticed it to be a bit different with what I expected. It was actually what made me interested in giving it a try (I'll get more into it later). Anyway yesterday my wife and I planned to see this with another film that we were interested in, so we had another movie marathon day. OK, why don't I just get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

Fifteen years after the events of Tron: Legacy, ENCOM was now led by its CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee - Russian Doll TV series, Past Lives etc) and competing against Dillinger Systems headed by their CEO Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters - Mare of Easttown mini series, American Animals etc). They had been in competition to seek for codes that would revolutionize the tech industry. While Eve sought them through the old data from Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges - The Old Man TV series, True Grit etc), Julian had created a sophisticated Master Control program that could be constructed into real world which he called Ares (portrayed by Jared Leto - Haunted Mansion 2023 reboot, House of Gucci etc). In the digital world referred to as Grid, Ares was assisted by another program named by Julian as Athena (portrayed by Jodie Turner-Smith - Bad Monkey TV series, White Noise etc).

(TV SERIES) Mobius - An Intelligently Done Detective Story with Unique Time Loop Element

I have been intrigued by this series ever since it was promoted in Netflix more than a month ago. But it was not immediately released full episodes when it was made available early last month, so I only decided to watch it last week after my return from holiday. All right then, I'll get right to it.

Brief Story Line

Ding Qi (Bai Jingting - Yesterday Once More, The First Frost TV series etc) was a police detective who somehow could experience limited time loop and used this "ability" to solve crimes. His supervisor Duan Zheng (Chen Baoyuan - Firestorm, The Hand TV series etc) was sometimes confused by Ding Qi's unique knowledge. In one of his previous cases, Ding Qi got to know and was attracted to An Lan (Janice Man - Lost in the Stars, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 2021 TV series etc), an intelligent biologist who also worked as researcher in a large genetic engineering company Moma Technology.

(TV SERIES) Alien: Earth Season 1 - A Nice Addition to the Alien Universe with Some High Intensity Moments & Awesome Special Effects

When I read about this series few months ago, I was immediately intrigued. As usual, I would only watch a new series after it was completed. But since it finished during my holiday, I just got the chance to watch 2 days ago and finished it last night. All right then, let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Two years before the events of the movie Alien, earth was led by the Five wealthiest organization including Prodigy Corporation led by its CEO Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin - Mary & George TV series etc) which developed new kind of synthetics and Weyland-Yutani that focused on space exploration. When one of the science vessel owned by Weyland with its Chief security Morrow (Babou Ceesay - Guerilla TV series etc) crash landed on earth, Kavalier decided to send his new team of hybrid synths led by Wendy (Sydney Chandler - Pistol mini series etc) along with her friends that included Slightly (Adarsh Gourav - The White Tiger etc), Nibs (Lily Newmark - Cursed TV series etc) and few others to the crash site. They were accompanied by chief scientist Kirsch (Timothy Olyphant - Havoc, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood etc) who was also the mentor of Wendy & her friends.

(2025) Play Dirty - A Not too Sophisticated Heist Movie with Pretty Entertaining Action Based on Character from Best Selling Novels

Last Wednesday, this movie was released on Prime Video but as I just came back from holiday and busy with other activities (including catching up ongoing series), I only got the chance to watch it last night. It was something that intrigued me due to its premise. OK without further ado, here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Parker (Mark Wahlberg - Flight Risk, The Family Plan etc) was a professional robber who had gain fame for doing many successful heist jobs. After finishing the latest job, Parker somehow was drawn by his former getaway driver Zen (Rosa Salazar - Brand New Cherry Flavor TV series, Birdbox etc) into an even larger score involving major New York crime syndicate called The Outfit led by Lozini (Tony Shalhoub - Monk TV series, Cars trilogy etc) and his right hand man Kincaid (Nat Wolff - Body Cam, The Stand mini series etc).

The Strangers - Chapter 2 - Not as Good as the First Chapter but Still Pretty Intense

After my wife and I had a small get together with her sisters' families, we decided to see another new movie in the cinema yesterday. We opted to watch this one which I was interested as it was sequel to the film that we saw last year. All right then, let's just get to it.

Brief Story Line

Set after the events of the first chapter, Maya (Madelaine Petsch -Riverdale TV series, Jane etc) who survived the Strangers terror was treated at the hospital in the small town of Venus under the care of Nurse Danica (Brooke Johnson - Cruel Intentions TV series etc). She was also being questioned by Sheriff Rotter (Richard Brake - Barbarian, Mayor of Kingstown TV series etc) and his deputy Walters (Pedro Leandro - Portrait of Dangerous Women etc) on what happened to her and her fiancee.

No Other Choice - Critically Acclaimed Movie with Heavy Topic Which Should Please Fans of Festival Films

After weeks of missing out on recent movies in the cinemas, yesterday my wife and I browsed through various options in several locations & decided to see this film. It was something that we were interested in due to the cast, though we did not have knowledge of the story. Anyway, after finishing our important errand in the morning, we finally head to the studio and saw the film at 3.20 PM.

Brief Story Line

Man-su (Lee Byung-hun - Concrete Utopia, Squid Game TV series season 2 & 3 etc) was a manager in paper factory for 25 years and living the dream life with his wife Miri (Son Ye-jin - The Negotiation, Thirty Nine TV series etc) and their two children & two dogs. However it suddenly turned bad when he lost his job.

After months of having difficulties in managing their finances, Man-su decided to go for the only available job. But he had to face stiff competition from people more suitable such as Gu Bum-mo (Lee Sung-min - Handsome Guys, The Queen Who Crowns TV series etc), Go Si-jo (Cha Seung-won - Uprising, Our Blues TV series etc) and the one still working in the company, Choi Seun-chul (Park Hee-son - My Name TV series, The Policeman's Lineage TV series etc). In order to ensure he got the job, Man-su really went to the most extreme. 

Mantis - An Interesting Addition to the Kill Boksoon Universe

After having a one month vacation with my wife out of the country and busy with our itineraries, we finally returned home last night where I decided to watch a film released on Netflix end of last week. It was something that intrigued me and seemed like a no brainer kind. OK let's just get started then.

Brief Story Line

Lee Han-ul (Yim Si-wan - Unlocked, Summer Strike TV series etc) was a well known assassin with nickname Mantis and worked for the largest organization called MK. After the events in Kill Boksoon, Mantis who just returned from holiday was surprised with the latest condition and not sure of what to do next. Upon meeting with Jae-yi (Park Gyu-young - Sweet Home TV series, Love + Sling TV series etc) who used to be assassin trainee with him during their time with MK and their other friends, Mantis decided to form a new group and took on small jobs.

Eenie Meanie - Could Have Been Better Heist Thriller Movie

After some time focusing more on other streaming services, I started browsing Disney+ a couple of days ago and found this movie which was originally released on Hulu. Apparently it had been made available since 22 August so I missed it for more than a week. Although the synopsis was too brief, the thriller genre mentioned on Disney+ was what made me intrigued. Without further ado, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

Edie (Samara Weaving - Scream VI, Snake Eyes: G. I. Joe Origins etc) used to have a dark past since her teenaged years but managed to turn her life around by returning to college and working in a bank. However when her ex boyfriend John (Karl Glusman - Civil War, The Bikeriders etc) made a fatal mistake that hurt the business of major criminal Nico (Andy Garcia - Expendables 4, Ghostbusters 2016 remake etc), Edie had no choice but to fulfill his demand of working on a  heist.

The Thursday Murder Club - Whodunit Movie Based on Popular Novel

I have been quite looking forward to this movie ever since I found out about it in various websites. As fans of whodunit genre and looking at the well known cast, obviously this one made me feel excited. So once it was made available last Thursday (I think Netflix purposely released it on that day), I immediately watch it. All right then, let's dive into it.

Brief Story Line

In the Coopers Chase retirement home, former union leader Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan - Fast Charlie, The Out-laws etc), retired psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley - Shang- chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Killer's Game etc) and Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren - Fast X, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms etc) formed a club to discuss and try solving cold cases. When retired nurse Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie - Nanny McPhee, Better Things TV series etc) became the latest member of their club, an actual murder of someone close occurred and they tried to solve it.

(Mini Series) Hostage - A Fast Paced and Quite Intense Political Thriller Series

Once again Netflix has released another mini series last Friday. I was not aware about it until Saturday while browsing for new series to watch. Although the topic was intriguing but the political side made me a bit doubtful cause it was not exactly something I really looked forward to. However since this was the most interesting new show, I decided to give it a try. All right then, let's get to it now.

Brief Story Line

UK's Prime Minister Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones - A Christmas Star, Gentleman Jack TV series etc) and French president Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy - Before Midnight, On the Verge TV series etc) were having a summit to discuss on possible cooperation among the two countries. A lot was riding on the success of this summit for each leader who were assisted by Abigail's Chief of Staff Kofi Adomako (Lucian Msamati - Conclave, His Dark Materials TV series etc) and Vivienne's Secretary-general Adrienne Pelletier (Jehnny Beth - An Impossible Love etc) respectively.

(2025) Pretty Crazy - An Unusual but Sweet and Deeply Moving Romantic Comedy Film

This movie did not seem to get a lot of hype before its release in Indonesia mid of this week. And to make it worse, it was playing not in that many studios despite available in more than one cinema chains. So when my wife and I wanted to see it during the weekend, it was a big challenge for us. Luckily it did play in a the theater not that far from our home, though it was our least favorite cinema chain. OK I'll just get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Gil-gu (Ahn Bo-hyun - My Name TV series, Noryang: Deadly See etc) was a jobless man who was bored with his life. However it started to change when new neighbour Jeong Sun-ji (Im Yoon-ah aka Yoona - Confidential Assignment, King The Land TV series etc) moved to the unit downstairs with her cousin Jeong Ara (Joo Hyun-young - The Story of Park's Marriage Contract TV series etc) and opened a bakery store near their apartment building. 

The Shadow's Edge - Most Entertaining Jackie Chan's Movie in Years

When I found out about a new Jackie Chan's movie going to play in Indonesia, obviously I was interested seeing this in the cinema since my wife and I are major fans of his films. So when it was finally released mid of this week, we decided to see it last night instead of waiting till the weekend like we used to do. All right then, I'll just get on with the film.

Brief Story Line

A group of thieves led by the Shadow (Tony Leung Ka-Fai -  The Legend of Condor Heroes: The Gallants, Double Vision etc) with his god-sons including the briliant hacker Simon (Ci Sha - Creation of the Gods I & II, The Legend of Heroes TV series etc), Hu Feng (singer Jun) and few others had done a highly sophisticated heist in Macau. To capture them, the Judiciary police decided to ask retired inspector Wong (Jackie Chan - Panda Plan, Karate Kid: Legends  etc) to help track them.

(Mini Series) Smoke - An Unexpectedly More Character Driven Drama than Intense Thriller Series

I have known about this series for few months now ever since I noticed it as part of the upcoming shows on AppleTV+. Its premise looked interesting which made me look forward to the series. But as usual, I had to wait till it was completed (which was exactly last week), before starting to watch it 3 nights ago. Well all right then, let's just get on with the series.

Brief Story Line

David Gudsen (Taron Egerton - Carry-On, Kingsman: The Golden Circle etc) was an arson investigator who had been dealing with two serial arsonists in his area. During his free time, Dave started to write a book which centered around his life and experience with the support from his wife Ashley (Hannah Emily Anderson - Jigsaw, The Purge TV series etc). After some time unable to catch the criminal, Metropolitan PD assigned Detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett - Spiderhead, Friday Night Lights TV series etc) to assist in the investigation. Despite his reluctance and objection to his boss Commander Harvey Englehart (Greg Kinnear - As Good as It Gets, Sabrina 1995 remake etc), Dave had to accept the decision. 

Nobody 2 - Enjoyable Sequel to the Entertaining 2021 Action Comedy Movie

I noticed about this movie for quite some time already and was very interested in seeing it due to few reasons. My wife and I wanted to do it during the early days of its release but sadly the film did not play in any of our favorite studios near our home. So we had to wait till the weekend to go and see in one of the remaining cinemas that were still playing it. All right then, let us get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk - Long Shot, Better Call Saul TV series etc), the former assassin for US government had to continue working to pay off his debt. Due to his continuous time at "work", Hutch was getting distant with his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen - Gladiator II, Wonder Woman etc) and his children Brady (Gage Munroe - Paw Patrol TV series etc) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath). So he decided to take family vacation to the small town of Plummerville together with his father David (Christopher Lloyd -  Back to the Future trilogy, Taxi TV series etc).

(2025) Weapons - Entertaining Horror Movie with Effective and Intelligent Story Telling

When this film was released last Wednesday along with another movie that we were interested in, my wife and I were not able to see any one of them. As we went for vacation during last weekend, we only got the chance to go to the cinema this week. However, only this movie that was still available. So last night we decided to see it in one of my favorite cinemas not far from our home. OK, I will get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the small city of Maybrook where seventeen children in the same class taught by Ms. Justine Gandy (Julia Garner - The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ozark TV series etc) somehow left their house at 2.17 AM on the same night but never come back. The only child from that class who did not disappear was Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher - Days of Our Lives TV series etc) though he did not have any knowledge or reason for the disappearance.

(TV SERIES) Butterfly Season 1 - Pretty Entertaining Spy Action Thriller Based on Highly Rated Graphic Novel

I read briefly about the upcoming spy series on Prime Video few weeks ago and thought it would be interesting to give a try. To my surprise when it was made available 2 days ago, all episodes were already released. So without hesitation I immediately started watching then and finished it last night. All right then, how was the series? Let's find out more shall we?

Brief Story Line

David Jung (Daniel Dae-kim - Avatar: The Last Airbender live action series, Hellboy 2019 version etc) used to be a spy working for Caddis organization that he created together with his partner Juno Lund (Piper Perabo - Spontaneous, Coyote Ugly etc). After an incident, he decided to quit his work and led a normal life in Seoul while getting remarried with Eunju (Kim Tae-hee - Iris: The Movie, Hi Bye Mama TV series etc). His peaceful life was disrupted when he found the mysterious assassin named Rebecca (Reina Hardesty - Startup TV series etc) whom he had been searching for years.

My Daughter is a Zombie - Melodramatic Zombie Comedy Movie Based on Popular Webtoon

Last week this movie was already having the Advance Ticket Sales program. Since my wife is a major fan of the lead star, obviously she did not want to miss out and immediately purchased two tickets for Friday's show, which was also the first day of its release. So few hours ago we went to see this in the cinema a bit further away from our usual location. OK why don't I get started then?

Brief Story Line

When South Korea was hit with a virus that made people sick and became zombies, Lee Jung-hwan (Jo Jung-suk - Pilot,  Captivating the King TV series etc) and his teenaged daughter Soo-ah (Choi Yoo-ri - The Soul-Mate, Itaewon Class TV series etc) tried to escape from Seoul to the village where Jung-hwan's mother aka Granny (Lee Jung-eun - Light Shop TV series, Hommage etc) lived. Unfortunately Soo-ah got infected and Jung-hwan tried to protect her from being killed by the government.

The Pickup - A Heist Action Comedy Movie that Lacked the Twist and Suspense & not Enough Eddie Murphy

I found out about this latest movie on Prime Video few days ago prior to its release and thought it looked interesting, plus it has Eddie Murphy starring in it. So when it was made available yesterday, I gave it a try last night. Well how was it then? Let's find out more shall we?

Brief Story Line

Russel (Eddie Murphy - Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Daddy Day Care etc) had been working as armored truck driver for many years and was preparing to retire and do business with his wife Natalie (Eva Longoria - The Boss Baby: Family Business, The Sentinel etc). On the day of their 25th anniversary, unexpectedly Russel was given a task by his superior Clark (Andrew Dice Clay - A Star is Born, Blue Jasmine etc) to accompany overly excited rookie driver Travis (Pete Davidson - Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Meet Cute etc) for a long drive delivering valuable items.

(TV SERIES) Creature Commandos Season 1 - A Wonderfully Written Animated Series Focusing on the Weird Metahuman Team from DC Comics

I have been meaning to give this series a try from the time it was released end of last year. But as I was waiting for it to be completed and busy with finishing other series, this became a bit of my least priority. However when it was mentioned that the last Superman movie had a bit of connection with the series, I wanted to revisit it. Last night, I finally set aside my time to watch the whole season on HBO Max. OK, let's just get to it then.

Brief Story Line

After her failed Task Force X (Suicide Squad) program, ARGUS director Amanda Waller (Viola Davis - G20, Kung Fu Panda 4 etc) decided to form another group which later she referred to as Task Force M to be led by Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo - Copshop, Reprisal etc) and consisted of monsters previously captured and jailed in Belle Reve prison. They were the Bride (Indira Varma - Disclaimer mini series, Bride and Prejudice etc), radioactive metahuman Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk - Peter Pan & Wendy, Doom Patrol TV series etc), the aquatic mutant Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao - Senior Year, The Afterparty anthology series etc), G. I. Robot who was created with sole purpose of killing Nazis and the mysterious John Doe/Weasel (both voiced by Sean Gunn - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gilmore Girls TV series etc).

Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy - Not the Kind of Adaptation that Fans of the Web Novel Expected but Still Entertaining Enough for Casual Audience

This movie had been promoted in various Indonesian cinema social media for the past few weeks. While I was intrigued with the premise, my wife was more interested with the famous cast in the film. Although it was released since mid of the week, we only got the chance to see it yesterday. All right then, let's get on with the film.

Brief Story Line

Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop - Business Proposal, Dr. Romantic 2 TV series etc) was a normal working man and major fan of apocalyptic fantasy novel titled "Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World". While going home with his co-worker Sang-ah (Chae Soo-bin - Hijack 1971, When the Phone Rings etc), somehow they were transported to the world just like in the novel. Using his complete knowledge of the story, Dok-ja was able to survive the imminent danger by fighting against the monsters and coordinate with other people like the soldier Hyun-sung (Shin Seung-ho - Pilot, Weak Hero Class 1 TV series etc) & the young boy named Eun-son (Lee Gil-young - Citizen of a Kind etc). However his effort to convince the original hero of the novel Joong-hyuk (Lee Min-ho - The Bounty Hunter, Pachinko TV series etc) to cooperate was not that easy.