ANNA - Might Not be Luc Besson's Best but Still Pretty Decent Spy Thriller with Stylish Action

This movie was announced to premiere on Tuesday, but strangely enough it was cancelled on the day and was postponed to yesterday. My wife and I actually already planned to see another drama comedy movie that was also released on the same day, but it did not play in our favorite nearby theater. So I opted to see this movie first instead. I saw this by myself as my wife did not seem to be too enthusiastic with it. Anyway, let us get on with the film then.

Brief Story Line

Anna (Sasha Luss) was a KGB agent recruited by Alexander (Luke Evans - 10 x 10, Beauty and the Beast live version etc) and now worked with her handler Olga (Helen Mirren - The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Gosford Park etc) to do various assignments which included assassinating certain targets in many countries. Her cover was a model which enabled her travel to various locations.

(GALA PREMIERE) Dua Garis Biru - A Review by Yennymakanmulu

Yesterday afternoon my wife suddenly told me that there was a Gala Premiere event of an Indonesian drama movie which we were quite interested after seeing its trailer few times earlier. Despite the movie would only start at 9.15 PM, we were still excited and went ahead to the cinema before 7PM for registration purpose. Luckily the event was in Epicentrum XXI which was only 10 minutes drive from our home. Anyway, my wife has written a wonderful review of this movie, so I am going to share it below:

[MOVIE] Dua Garis Biru – penyesalan selalu datang terlambat

Beruntung gw semalam bisa ikut Gala Premiere Dua Garis Biru di XXI Epicentrum. Semua berawal dari harapan gw mo foto bareng sama Dwi Sasono, pemeran Ali Oncom, yang sangat gw kagumi. Gila, bentukan sekeren Dwi  bisa menghidupkan karakter Ali Oncom dengan sempurna. Tiba2 aja Edi kontek gw nanya bisa ikutan GP-nya gak, kan bisa ketemu Dwi. MAUUUUK. Dan malam itu gw sudah duduk di sebuah coffee shop sambil liatin foto gw bareng Dwi Sasono. *halah gak penting2 amat Yen buat doi* LOL. Anyway, sutradara sekaligus penulis skenario-nya adalah Gina S. Noer. Oya kenapa judulnya Dua Garis Biru, bukan Dua Garis Merah atau Dua Garis Pink? Nonton ya tgl 11 Juli nanti, ntar juga tau. Yuk kita mulai filmnya.

Toy Story 4 - One More Heartwarming Story in this Lovely Series

My wife and I were looking forward to see this movie and we even purchased the tickets for last Friday's show when it premiered during its Advance Ticket Sales event. But as we were invited to the special screening of a really wonderful South Korean movie, winner of 2019 Palme d'Or, we opted to see that one instead and passed our tickets to my wife's nephews. Since our weekend was already filled with various activities, we only got the chance to see the film last night, at the theater near our home. Anyway, I should go on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Set few years after the events of Toy Story 3, Woody (Tom Hanks - Sully, Sleepless in Seattle etc), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen - Home Improvement TV series, Galaxy Quest etc) and the rest of the gang were now living happily with their new child Bonnie. One day, Bonnie brought home a new "toy" that she created from a spoon-fork and was called Forky (Tony Hale - Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Veep TV series etc). It was challenging though for Woody as he tried his best to convince Forky that he was fortunate being a child's toy.

(SPECIAL SCREENING) Parasite - A Really Captivating Thriller Dark Comedy Movie Worthy of Winning Palme d'Or

Once again, my wife and I were some of the fortunate people to be invited in the special screening of this critically acclaimed movie from South Korea, prior to its wide release next week. It was held in CGV Grand Indonesia last night, where I was a bit worried that it might be difficult to reach due to some road closures near the area since 2 PM. Anyway I finally arrived quite on time and the movie started at 7.30 PM. So let us see what the movie is all about.

Brief Story Line

A poor & jobless family of four that included the father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho - Snowpiercer, A Taxi Driver etc), his wife Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin) and their children Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik - Train to Busan, Monstrum etc) & Ki-jung (Park So-dam - Beautiful Mind TV series etc) had to stay in a semi basement house that was not a suitable place to live.

Mendadak Kaya - Another Episode of Those 3 Iconic Pos Kota Characters, Doyok, Otoy and Ali Oncom

Few weeks ago, I noticed about this movie which surprisingly we never saw its trailer before. As my wife and I kind of enjoyed the first movie (here is a link of the great review from my wife: (DOA) Doyok Otoy Ali Oncom: Cari Jodoh), we wanted to see what would be in store for these 3 amazingly iconic characters from newspaper. So when it premiered yesterday, we did not hesitate to buy tickets for the 7.15 pm show at the theater near our home. And now let us get on with the film.

Brief Story Line

Just like in the first film, Doyok (Fedi Nuril - Ayat-ayat Cinta, Surga yang tak Dirindukan etc), Otoy (Pandji Pragiwaksono - Insya Allah Sah, Comic 8 etc) and Ali Oncom (Dwi Sasono - Bukaan 8, Wiro Sableng Pendekar Kapak Maut Naga Geni 212 etc) were all having problems of their own, but mostly it was about money. With pressures coming from all around them like Ali's girlfriend Yuli (Jihane Almira) to get married, Otoy's wife Eli (Nirina Zubir - Shy Shy Cat, Get Married trilogy etc) demanding for daily necessities, plus the owner of food stall Mang Ujang (Ence Bagus - ReuniZ, 22 Menit etc) where Doyok usually eats but never pay, the 3 of them felt the need to start looking for work.

Men In Black: International - A Very Light but Still Pretty Entertaining Reboot of the Popular Franchise

Due to our long holiday in Indonesia 2 weeks ago, this movie was a bit late released here. It was already shown in various countries since last week and we had seen the trailers many many times before and finally got to see it yesterday when it premiered. As usual we chose to see it in Dolby Atmos theater for the pleasure of enjoying great sound effects. Well let us get on to the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Molly Wright (Tessa Thompson - Creed 2, Westworld TV series etc) was a bright & intelligent woman who was "recruited" as an agent of Men In Black in New York, led by Agent O (Emma Thompson - Howards End, Johnny English Strikes Again etc). As part of her probation period, Molly who was now called Agent M was assigned to London office under the leadership of High T (Liam Neeson - Cold Pursuit, A Monster Calls etc). When she finally arrived there, Agent M was somehow partnered with a highly regarded and experienced Agent H (Chris Hemsworth - 12 Strong, Bad Times at El Royale etc), despite the disapproval from a senior officer Agent C (Rafe Spall - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Hot Fuzz etc). 

(TV SERIES) Marvel's Cloak & Dagger Season 1 - A Better than Expected Marvel's Teenager Superheroes

After continuing other older series, I wanted to try another one short enough to finish during the weekend. My choice fell to this one which premiered last year and its second season had just finished airing a couple of weeks ago. It was another Marvel series which only had 10 episodes per season, so should be easy enough to complete. OK, will start with more details now.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in New Orleans several years after an industrial accident which affected a lot of people and killing several workers as well. Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph) was a high school student whose life was also affected by that incident. His mother Adina (Gloria Reuben - Lincoln, ER TV series etc) and father Otis (Miles Mussenden) were sometimes being over protective on Tyrone, which made him felt overwhelmed. Ty went to St. Sebastian school where he would sometimes seek advice from the priest Francis Delgado (Jaime Zevallos).

The Secret Life of Pets 2 - Not Necessarily the Better Sequel but Still a Fun Animated Movie

This was also another movie that premiered in Indonesia only on Friday, but it did not play in the cinema near our home, so my wife and I waited for the weekend to see it for our convenience. We opted to see this at Cinemaxx which had a nice banking promotion, after we saw the other one. We were fortunate to reach the cinema on time before the movie started, with my wife having had to rush to buy the tickets (thanks Hon). Anyway, I would just continue with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Set after the events in the first movie, the two pet dogs of Max (Patton Oswald - The Circle, Young Adult etc) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet - Modern Family TV series etc) now had a new family member, a toddler named Liam. One day, the whole family including Max and Duke went to a farm where they met with a charismatic sheepdog named Rooster (Harrison Ford - Blade Runner 2049, Patriot Games etc) who was very good in farm life, a total opposite of Max & Duke.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix - A Decent X-Men Movie Focusing on Jean Grey but Probably not the Best Finale in the Series

This film was rather late released in Indonesia. Due to the holiday season last week, it was only premiering yesterday together with another movie. I opted to see this one first in my favorite Dolby Atmos cinema to enjoy the sound effects and continue with the other one at a different cinema. Without further ado, here's more details on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Set in the year 1992, the mutants were better received now as the X-Men under the leadership of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy - Glass, Split etc) that included mutants such as Raven aka Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence - Mother, Passengers etc), Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult - About a Boy, Mad Max: Fury Road etc),  Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan - Ready Player One, etc), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner - Game of Thrones TV series, Barely Lethal etc), Storm (Alexandra Shipp - Straight Outta Compton etc), Night Crawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee - Alpha etc), and Quicksilver (Evan Peters - American Horror Story series etc).

Single Part 2 - Not A Better Sequel to the Quite Successful Raditya Dika's Hit

Finally I saw the last of the holiday movies that I wanted to see (there was actually a fifth one but it was a horror movie that I did not have any intention of seeing). This was a sequel to the 2015 film titled Single which my wife did not enjoy, so I saw this by myself at the 5.55 PM show. A bit tight as my office hour was till 5 PM, but I still managed to be in the studio on time, thanks to the short distance. Well let's start with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Few years after the events in the first movie, Ebi (Raditya Dika - Hangout, Koala Kumal etc) was still a single man without ever dating a girl. He was actually still in love with Angel (Annisa Rawles - Marmut Merah Jambu TV series etc) who had moved to Bali to continue her education, but he thought he had lost his chance with her. As encouraged by his new friends/neighbors, the happily married guy Johan (Yoga Arizona) and the seemingly experienced Nardi (Ridwan Remin), Ebi decided to try his luck and look for new woman to be his girlfriend.

Si Doel the Movie 2 - And the Complicated Love Triangle Continues

This would be my third Indonesian movie in a row this week as I was catching up with the films which were released last week during holiday. As my wife was a fan of the TV series (Sinetron) many years ago and also the first movie that was shown last year, she wanted to find out what would happen after that rather cliffhanger ending of Si Doel The Movie. So last night both of us bought the tickets for the 7.15 pm show in the theater near our home. It was a good thing that the movie was still playing there, otherwise we might have to go to a farther location or wait till the weekend. Anyway, let's get on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Set exactly after the first movie, Doel (Rano Karno - Bernafas dalam Lumpur, Romi dan Juli etc) and his uncle Mandra (Mandra) just returned from their trip to Holland. Things became really difficult for Doel when he had to face his wife Zaenab (Maudy Koesnaedi - Garuda di Dadaku, Soekarno: Indonesia Merdeka etc) and told her that he met with his love and still the official wife Sarah (Cornelia Agatha - Elegi buat Nana, Jatuh Cinta Lagi etc) with their teenager son Dul (Rey Bong).

Hit & Run - A Quite Well Done Action Movie with Touches of Cheesy Comedic Moments Purely for Fun

Last night I decided to see another Indonesian movie that was released during the Lebaran holiday. My wife was not keen with this one as it did not really interest her. For me though, I was intrigued to see the action sequence by the main lead actor. As it did not play in the theater nearest to our home, I had to go to another location for the 7.15 PM show while my wife wait for me in a restaurant in the mall. Well I would just get into the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Tegar Satria (Joe Taslim - The Night Comes for Us, Fast & Furious 6 etc) was a narcissistic police who had his own reality show and became more like a TV star than police. However, he also took his job seriously, especially when it involved drug trafficking done by a gang leader Coki (Yayan Ruhian - John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, Wiro Sableng Pendekar Kapak Maut Naga Geni 212 etc). In order to capture Coki, Tegar enlisted the help from a small time crook Lio (Chandra Liow - Single etc) who might have information on Coki's whereabouts.

(2019) Ghost Writer - A Nice Enough Combination of Horror Comedy & Drama

After my long holiday last week, I was quite eager to see some of the new movies that were released during those days. So when I finally got the chance last night, my wife and I opted this one first since we wanted to see this seemingly fun horror comedy movie. It so happened that her sister and nephews who lived in the same apartment as us were also interested to see the film and we ended up watching in the same theater. Anyway, let us find out what the movie was about now.

Brief Story Line

Naya (Tatjana Saphira - Sweet 20, Ayat Ayat Cinta 2 etc) and her younger brother Darto (Endy Arfian - Pengabdi Setan etc) unknowingly moved to a cheap and old rented house which was haunted by a couple of ghosts. In that house, Naya found a diary written by the male ghost who later on revealed to be named Galih (Ge Pamungkas - Jomblo, Negeri Van Oranje etc). Driven by her monetary condition and encouraged by her boyfriend Vino (Deva Mahenra - Dancing in the Rain etc), Naya decided to write a novel based on that diary, despite the disapproval from Galih.

(TV SERIES) Castle Rock Season 1 - An Interesting Psychological Thriller Series in Stephen King's "Universe"

As I was looking for a series to watch before my holiday trip next week, I wanted to try a new and short one. This one fit that category as it was 2018 series with only 10 episodes. It was said to be based on Stephen King's popular novel series and I thought would be interesting. Well to cut the story short, here we go with more details.

Brief Story Line

A criminal attorney lawyer Henry Weaver (Andre Holland - Selma, The Knick TV series etc) was drawn back to his childhood hometown Castle Rock when he got a strange call about a possible client needing his help. The person who later on was referred to as The Kid (Bill Skarsgård - the clown in 2017 It etc) had a really mysterious background but Henry was adamant to help him.