Tuesday, December 29, 2020

(TV SERIES) Sweet Home Season 1 - Intense, Suspenseful Sometimes Melodramatic Monster Action Series based on Popular Line Webtoon

I have noticed this series a while ago but chose to skip it as I was finishing other series or watching new movies released on various platforms. Few days ago though, my wife's friend asked whether I had seen this and I decided to give it a try, since the premise did seem interesting. OK, let's head down to the series now.

Brief Story Line

Hyun-soo (Song Kang - When the Devil Calls Your Name, Love Alarm TV series etc) was a suicidal high school student who just moved to a new apartment. One day, the apartment was suddenly put on lockdown along with other buildings, in what appeared to be precaution due to monsters attack in the whole country. A very composed and calm man named Eun-hyuk (Lee Do-hyun - 18 Again TV series etc) realized the best way would be to keep themselves safe in the apartment and tried to keep everyone inside including his rebellious younger sister Eun-yoo (Go Min-si - Secret Boutique TV series etc). 

Sunday, December 27, 2020

We Can Be Heroes - A Truly Kid-Friendly Children Superhero Movie from Robert Rodriguez

I said earlier there were more than 1 movie released on various streaming platforms on Christmas day and I already watch one of them on that holiday, while this one I watched the day after. It seemed like a safe bet for Christmas holiday. Well let's find out more on it.

Brief Story Line

In the world where superheroes exist, a group of them who were referred to as Heroics always protected the earth. Heroics was led by Marcus Moreno (Pedro Pascal - The Mandalorian web series, Kingsman: The Golden Circle etc) and included many heroes such as Miracle Guy (Boyd Holbrook - Logan, Narcos TV series etc), Tech No (Christian Slater - Mr. Robot TV series, Broken Arrow etc), Blinding Fast (Sung Kang - Fast & Furious movies, Code 8 etc), Ms. Vox (American Idol alum Haley Reinhart), Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley) with her husband Sharboy and few others. 

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Soul - Another Beautifully Animated Movie from Disney/Pixar though Hardly the Most Memorable & Touching on a Personal Level

Yesterday this highly anticipated movie from Disney Pixar was finally released on Disney+, and as a fan of their works, I was definitely going to choose this one to watch despite there were other new movies available on different streaming platforms. Anyway, let's just get on with it.

Brief Story Line

When a middle school music teacher named Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx - Project Power, Ray etc) somehow gotten the gig of his lifetime to perform in a quartet with the famous jazz musician Dorothea Williams (Angela Basset - American Horror Story TV series, What's Love Got to do with It etc), he was so excited despite the disapproval from his mother Libba (Phylicia Rashad - Creed 2, Good Deeds etc).

Friday, December 25, 2020

The Midnight Sky - A Rather Slow-paced Sci-Fi Drama Movie Aided by Some Wonderful Special Effects & Awesome Musical Scores

There was this new sci-fi movie on Netflix which I thought would be a nice option to watch. It also stars George Clooney who has been playing in more serious roles in recent years. So I gave this a try yesterday and I'll get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

Set in the year 2049, the earth was exposed to radiation which would make it inhabitable. Dr. Augustine Lofthouse (George Clooney - Money Monster, Syriana etc) was one of the scientist working in the Arctic who refused to be evacuated due to his poor health condition. As he was looking at space missions, he noticed one was still active called Aether that was heading back to earth and tried to warn them not to return.

Thursday, December 24, 2020

(TV SERIES) Alice in Borderland Season 1 - Dark, Dramatic & Disturbing Series of Game of Life and Death based on Popular Manga

Again while looking for interesting new series to watch during last weekend, I found this one which seemed to be quite interesting. It was said to be based on a quite popular manga series and since I have not watched any Japanese movies for a while, I thought I'd like to give this a try. Now let's dive in to this series.

Brief Story Line

3 best friends that consisted of the unemployed & slacker Arisu (Kento Yamazaki - Death Note TV series, Kingdom etc), the tough & loyal Karube (Keita Machida - High & Low TV series & movies etc) and the kind hearted & religius Chota (Yûki Morinaga - Little Love Song etc) were just having fun on a normal day in Tokyo. But soon they found themselves in a world where they seemed to be the only ones left. Still confused on what happened, they were caught in the middle of a game of life and death where they have to win and extend their lives just for few more days.

Monday, December 21, 2020

(TV SERIES) The Wilds Season 1 - Surprisingly Quite Intense & Dark Teenage Survival Series

As I was browsing for series to watch during last weekend, I realized this one that I postponed a bit since I was in the middle of something else. It was released through Prime Video on 11 December, so it's not that late. I was intrigued by the premise as it reminded me a lot of a series which I loved a lot. Well, I'll get more into it now.

Brief Story Line

A group of high school girls went on a retreat to Hawaii for a trip which were supposedly good for their mental health. The teens consisted of the depressed Leah (Sarah Pidgeon), the strong willed Dot (Shannon Berry - Hunters TV series etc), the all American girl Shelby (Mia Healey), the short fused Toni (Erana James) and her best friend, the always positive Martha (Jenna Clause), the twins Nora (Helena Howard - Madeline's Madeline etc) & Rachel (Reign Edwards - The Bold and the Beautiful soap opera etc), the party girl Fatin (Sophia Ali - Truth or Dare etc) and the cheerful Jeannette (Chi Nguyen). 

Friday, December 18, 2020

(TV SERIES) The Flight Attendant - Fun Indeed with Lovely Performance from Kaley Cuoco

I saw this mini series getting a lot of hype on the internet and I read that the final episode was going to be released this week. So I decided to start watching it 3 days ago and managed to complete it last night. Well let's get on with the series now.

Brief Story Line

A flight attendant who was also an alcoholic named Cassie Bowden (Kaley Cuoco - The Big Bang Theory TV series, Lucky 13 etc) was quite irresponsible and loved to have sex with some of the passengers, such as Alex Sokolov (Michiel Huisman - 2:22, The Haunting of Hill House TV series etc). Her life was turned upside down when during one of her crazy nights, she was so drunk and woke up with dead body of her date. Fearing to be caught by police, she left the hotel and returned to work as if nothing happened.

Sunday, December 13, 2020

AVA - The Story of an Assassin with a Conscience

It was one of those weekends where I went back to browsing through TV cables on Saturday night (as I used to do years ago) and I came across this movie which I have seen its poster somewhere. Anyway since I have not seen it and looking at the brief synopsis seemed intriguing, I decided to watch it on Fox Movies channel. Well here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Ava Faulkner (Jessica Chastain - It Chapter Two, Miss Sloane etc) was an assassin working for an organization led by Simon (Colin Farrell - Artemis FowlFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them etc) with her handler Duke (John Malkovich - Mile 22Unlocked etc). After various missions, Ava started to question the reason for assassinating her targets which prompted Duke to ask her to take personal leave.

Thursday, December 10, 2020

(Mini Series) The Undoing - Bright Start with Wonderful Performance from its Main Cast, Some Predictable Twists and not Entirely Satisfying Ending

I have been meaning to watch this series when it was first released almost 2 months ago, but as usual I waited till it was completed before starting. I forgotten about it until there was news about it few days ago, so I decided to watch the whole series yesterday on a public holiday. Now let's get into it.

Brief Story Line

Grace (Nicole Kidman - AquamanPaddington etc) and Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant - The Gentlemen, About a Boy etc) were rich couple living in New York with their son Henry (Noah Jupe - Ford v Ferrari, The Titan etc) who was educated in a very expensive & exclusive private school Reardon. Grace herself was a successful psychiatrist and the only daughter of the wealthy Franklin Reinhardt (Donald Sutherland - Ad Astra, Pride and Prejudice etc), while Jonathan was a well known oncologist. In her spare time, Grace became part of Reardon's auction comittee together with several other mothers including her best friend Sylvia (Lily Rabe - Vice, American Horror Story anthology series etc) and a new young mother named Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis).

Sunday, December 6, 2020

The Rhythm Section - Slow Build Up Led to a Dissatisfying Climax

While browsing through new movies in few platforms, I noticed this one that was released on HBO Go on Saturday which I never heard of. But after reading its very brief synopsis, I was immediately intrigued. So I decided to watch it in the morning before its premiere on HBO channel at 8 PM. OK, I'll go on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively - A Simple Favor, The Age of Adaline etc) life was turned upside down when she lost her family in a plane crash three years earlier and became a drug addict & prostitute. However when she found out that the crash was not accidental, she decided to take revenge on the people responsible.

With the reluctant aid from a former MI6 agent Iain Boyd (Jude Law - Captain MarvelKing Arthur: Legend of the Sword etc), Stephanie trained herself to be ready and later resumed the identity of a contract killer. She also met a former CIA agent Marc Serra (Sterling K. Brown - The Angry Birds Movie 2Hotel Artemis etc) who would become sort of her liason.

And what would happen to Stephanie? Find them all in this action thriller movie.

End of Brief Story Line

I always have a soft spot for movies that have revenge element. There was always a satisfying feeling when seeing the really bad guys who had ruined the life of the lead character got what they deserved. Perhaps this had been embedded in my mind since young age when I used to watch Chinese Kung Fu movies. That's why when there was a revenge movie/series, I would always give it a try.

Now this movie might not have the totally exact formula (the hero's life was ruined but indirectly due to the result of villains' action), however the rest was the same. The story telling in the early part was a bit too slow for my taste. It was not until almost half way that the movie became more interesting. The action sequence was pretty standard, but there was 1 scene that I thought was awesome relating to the car chase. What I did not really like was it felt a bit of anti climax in the end, especially with a good enough build up.

For a movie that had 1 hour 45 minutes, it felt a bit too long especially because of the slow first half. There was no mid or post end credit scene. It was a bit violent and there might be one disturbing scene. I saw in the movie database that the movie had an R rating, though I thought it was not truly full of violence like other films. However, there might be some really violent scenes that were cut, because the duration on HBO was only 1 hour 45 minutes, whereas according to few websites, it was supposed to be 109 minutes. It meant there could have been a potential 4 minutes that were censored.

The lead cast Blake Lively I thought was pretty good in playing this part. She was really convincing as a drug addict who transformed into a killer and still kept her humanity. Her physical appearance was also very good in here (especially in the early part where I could barely recognize her). Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown were OK. The rest of the cast had too little screen time to leave me with any impressions. 

The movie was based on the novel of the same title written by Mark Burnell. I also saw Barbara Broccoli's name as the producer and when I read more details, one of the production company was Eon Productions which produced James Bond movies. It was such a shame though that the movie itself was not successful commercially and got mixed critical review, despite directed by Reed Moreno who had directed movies like Meadowland and few episodes of The Handmaid's Tales series (and even won Emmy Award for it). 

Overall I thought this was a mediocre action thriller movie about revenge. The first half was not fast enough to keep me interested and the climax was not truly satisfying. There were some actions with one awesome car chase scene, but other than that, there was not much that I enjoyed. So if you wish to see some revenge movie, this one might tick the box, though you might not be truly satisfied by the ending.

Mike's movie moments rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Godmothered - Great Idea but Personally did not Feel Magical Enough as Disney Christmas Movie

Yesterday a new movie was released on Disney+ which I was intrigued by the trailer I had seen few days earlier. It seemed like really fun. And was it? Let's find out, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Eleanor (Jillian Bell - Bill & Ted Face the Music, Workaholics TV series etc) was a young fairy godmother in training, who got information that her home, the Motherland might be on the verge of closing and there would be no more fairy godmothers. She wanted to prove that they were still required and thus save her home, so she wanted to grant the wish of a young girl named Mackenzie to live happily ever after.

However, things did not go as planned as when she managed to finally meet Mackenzie, she was already an adult (played by Isla Fisher - Keeping Up with the Joneses, The Great Gatsby etc) and single mother of 2 daughters who were usually being babysit by her sister Paula (Mary Elizabeth Ellis - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia TV series etc). Eleanor would find that it would be a real challenge to fulfill her "mission" on Mack and trying to set her up with her co-worker Hugh Prince (Santiago Cabrera - Star Trek: Picard, Heroes TV series etc).

Monday, November 30, 2020

The Christmas Chronicles Part Two - Not as Heart Warming as its Predecessor but Still got Enough Charms to Lift Christmas Spirit Up

Another Christmas movie was released by Netflix few days ago and it was a sequel to 2018 film which I had not seen yet. Obviously I watched that first before I see this one, but I am not going to write about that movie and go straight to this.

Brief Story Line

2 years after the event of the first film, Kate Pierce (Darby Camp) felt unhappy having to spend Christmas in the tropics with her older brother Teddy (Judah Lewis - I See You, The Babysitter movies etc), their mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley - Father of the Bride, Alvin and the Chipmunks - The Road Trip etc) plus her new boyfriend and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno).

Saturday, November 28, 2020

(TV SERIES) His Dark Materials Season 1 - Interesting Fantasy Series based on Successful Novels with Beautiful Visual Effects

I never got the chance to watch the first season of this series due to various reasons, but when I saw that the second season was already started like a couple of weeks ago, I decided to watch it so I could catch up soon. It was easy because all episodes are available on HBO Go. Anyway I watched it during the whole weekdays with average 2 episodes per night and finished it before the weekend. Well let's get on with it then.

Brief Story Line

Set in an alternate world where every person has an animal companion called daemon which was actually the person's inner spirit and thus could not be separated, a young orphan girl named Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen - Logan, Ana etc) was placed by his uncle Lord Asriel (James McAvoy - Atomic Blonde, IT Chapter two etc) in Jordan College, Oxford since baby. Her daemon was called Pan and she also befriended with a kitchen boy named Roger (Lewin Lloyd). The headmaster of Jordan College (Clarke Peters) later told Lyra to go live with Mrs. Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson - The Affair TV series, Saving Mr. Banks etc) who was a famous explorer but not before he passed a mysterious equipment called Althiometer which was said could tell the truth. 

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

(TV SERIES) Snowpiercer Season 1 - Interesting Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Series with More Complexities than the Movie Version

I have been meaning to watch this series for some time but I could not seem to get my mind set on it until last weekend. As I like the 2013 movie, it was not hard for me to give this a try. So let us go into more details now.

Brief Story Line

Due to global warming in 2014, the earth had been transformed into frozen land and was inhabitable for humans. Wilford Industries who foresaw this, built Snowpiercer, a train consisted of 1001 cars that could circle the globe and sustain people's life who were willing to pay handsomely. Inside the train, there were people living in First class with all the best perks, Second class with less comfort, Third class for working people who had to ensure the train operating properly and compensated by living in Snowpiercer for free. However, there were also illegal passengers who filled up the tail sections, obviously without having any benefits at all and had to survive with the bare minimum.

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Once Upon a Time in Indonesia - Action Movie Filled with Greatly Done Fight Sequence Sadly Lacking in Other Areas

There was a notification about a new movie on Disney+ during the weekend which usually would be Indonesian drama, or romance or teenage movie, but this time it was an action movie. So I was intrigued to find out if it was any good. OK, let's start with it now.

Brief Story Line

Story focused on a young man named Max (Franki Darmawan) who was working as financial advisor in a bank. He was very close with his younger sister Misha (Maria Parkis) and her husband Leo (Djaitov Tigor - Trinity Traveller, Suami Suami Takut Istri TV series etc) who worked as a night club's bouncer. Max and Misha were children of a former criminal who had been in prison for a while.

Due to his access to various people who required money, Max was approached by a notorious loan shark, Ruel (J Ryan Karsten) through his right hand man Dave (Rendy Septino), though Max was obviously reluctant helping them. Meanwhile by chance, Max met and became close with a young woman named Kay (Dyana Rea - Puber etc) who was actually working for Ruel.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Okay! Madam - Hilarious Action Comedy Movie

I noticed this movie was only released in Indonesian theaters almost 2 weeks ago, so I was surprised when I saw a tweet promoting TVN Movies channel new release in November which included this. I forgotten about it on the Saturday when it premiered, but luckily it was shown again on Sunday noon. I watched it by myself as my wife decided to watch it herself during weekdays. OK here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

A married couple Mi-young (Uhm Jung-hwa - Tidal Wave, Dancing Queen etc) who sold bread sticks and her husband Seok-hwan (Park Sang-woong - When the Devil Calls Your Name TV series, New World etc) who opened computer repair shop, won the prize for a trip to Hawaii. Together with their young daughter Na Ri (Jung Soo-bin), they went for their first trip abroad. 

Monday, November 16, 2020

(TV SERIES) Truth Seekers Season 1 - Interesting and Fun for a Comedy-Horror Series

I was interested with the series ever since it was promoted a little while ago. The combination of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg was the main attraction for me and finally I got the chance to watch it during last weekend. So here goes.

Brief Story Line

Gus Roberts (Nick Frost - The Huntsman: Winter's War, Paul etc) was an expert broadband installer working for a large broadband corporation called Smyle under his boss Dave (Simon Pegg - Ready Player One, Mission: Impossible movies etc). During his spare time, Gus would sometimes do paranormal investigation and had his own show on youtube called Truth Seeker. He also lived with his dad Richard (Malcolm McDowell - Bombshell, Franklin & Bess TV series etc) 

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula - Might not be as Amazing as its Predecessor but Still Entertaining as Zombie Movie

I learnt about the sequel to that amazing South Korean zombie movie Train to Busan perhaps over a year ago and obviously I was excited. But unfortunately the Covid-19 pandemic change all our plans and the movie was only released in Indonesian cinemas few weeks ago. As my wife and I were not comfortable going to the cinema yet, we opted to skip it first. Luckily, the movie was released on the platform Catchplay last night and I could easily watch it in the comfort of my room. My wife decided to watch it later by herself. Well let's get on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Four years after the insident of the first movie, Korea (now known as Peninsula) was locked down to avoid the virus spread. A group of survivors who fled to Hong Kong led by Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won - Golden Slumber, A Violent Prosecutor etc) and his brother in-law Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) were trying to locate valuable items in Korea.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

(Mini Series) The Queen's Gambit - Perfect Blend of Drama and Sport Combined with Extraordinary Performance from Anya Taylor-Joy

During the weekend, after watching 2 light movies, I was ready for a bit heavier series and my choice went to this mini series that has garnered popular and critical recognition. With the focus on chess that was not considered as "real sport" by some people, but a sport nonetheless, makes it interesting to see how they could make this so highly rated.

Brief Story Line

The series was set in the 1960s and focused on Elizabeth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy - Split, Playmobil: The Movie etc) a young woman who was famous for being a chess prodigy. Being an orphan since the age of 9, Beth was put in an orphanage where she befriended an older girl named Jolene (Moses Ingram). It was during that time when she first learnt how to play chess from the janitor Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp - The Outsider mini series, Molly's Game etc).

Monday, November 9, 2020

Holidate - Interesting Premise for a Rom-Com with Predictable Formula

After watching a Christmas movie on Netflix, I realized there was another one that was released earlier and seemed to get ourselves ready for the festive season. This looked like a fun one, especially with such interesting premise. All right, I will go straight to the movie now.

Brief Story Line

During the Christmas holiday, Sloane (Emma Roberts - Nerve, We're the Millers etc) who was still single had a terrible time being judged by her mother Elaine (Frances Fisher - The Host, The Lincoln Lawyer etc), her older sister Abby (Jessica Capshaw - Grey's Anatomy TV series, The Practice etc) and the rest of the family.

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Operation Christmas Drop - A Christmas Romantic Comedy Based on Real Life Humanitarian Mission

As I just finished watching a very long series that ran for 5 seasons (117 episodes), I wanted to look for something light. And I found this movie on Netflix which was released few days ago. It is a movie in the spirit of Christmas which usually translates to a light heartwarming movie. So let's get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

A young woman named Erica (Kat Graham - The Vampire Diaries TV series, All Eyez on Me etc) who worked for congresswoman Bradford (Virginia Madsen - Candyman, Sideways etc) got an assignment during Christmas to review the efficiency of an Air Force Base in the pacific. But her actual mission was to find reasons to close the base to save some government fund.

Friday, October 30, 2020

(TV SERIES) The Mandalorian Season 1 - Magnificent Series in the Star Wars Universe

I have seen many times the promotion of the second season of this series which is set to premier today, and it was quite funny that I never got the chance to watch it until last night. As it is available on Disney+, it was quite convenient for me. My review might have been a bit late, but I think it should be just nice before the new season is released. OK let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Set 5 years after Return of the Jedi (Star Wars Episode VI), a bounty hunter known as The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal - The Equalizer 2The Great Wall etc) was famous for being able to capture hard and dangerous criminal. He would usually got the assignments from Bounty Hunters' Guild leader Greef Karga (Carl Weathers - Rocky movies, Action Jackson etc). When the Mandalorian was given a special task by The Client (Werner Herzog) to capture something referred to as The Child, he decided against all odds to protect it instead.

Thursday, October 29, 2020

(TV Series) The Outpost Season 1 - Refreshing Enough for an Adventure Fantasy Series

I cannot remember when I first found out about the series, but needless to say, I am always fond of fantasy adventure type of story and with the very short synopsis available, it raised my curiosity to give it a try. Well let's find out if it's as good as other similar series.

Brief Story Line

Story focused on a young woman named Talon (Jessica Green - Roman Empire TV series etc) who was a descendant of Blackbloods race which were hunted by humans. As she witnessed her whole village murdered and became the only survivor, Talon was determined to get revenge. She later found clues that one of the people who murdered her family was at an outpost at the edge of the realm. While investigating, she met with captain Garret Spears (Jake Stormoen) who helped her to enter the outpost despite the suspicion from gate marshal Wythers (Andrew Howard - Perry Mason 2020 TV series, Truth or Dare etc).

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Motherless Brooklyn - Wonderful Setting, Great Music and Brilliant Performance from Edward Norton Making this a Worthwhile Neo-Noir Crime Movie

Last weekend I noticed there was a new movie on HBO Go which I was not sure when it was released, but the premise was truly intriguing that made me wanted to see it immediately. It was one of those neo-noir type that I liked with some well known names in the cast. Well I'll just get on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Set in the 1950s New York city, a man named Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton - Primal Fear, Fight Club etc) who had Tourette syndrome (more on that below) worked as a private investigator under his boss Frank Minna (Bruce Willis - Glass, Die Hard series etc). While working on a case which he kept secret from Lionel and his other colleagues, Frank was somehow murdered and Lionel was determined to find out the truth.

Monday, October 26, 2020

(TV SERIES) Helstrom Season 1 - Very Dark with Some Supernatural Element Series Adapted from Marvel Comics

I wanted to try something different during the weekend and I chose this series as it was adapted from Marvel comics, albeit not characters that I was familiar with. And was this as interesting as the premise suggested in the brief synopsis? Let's find out, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Daimon Helstrom (Tom Austen - The Royals TV series etc) was working as an anthropology professor with a side job of doing exorcisms as requested by the Catholic church. Daimon was usually accompanied by a young Nun in training named Gabriella Rosetti (Ariana Guerra) who was encouraged to work together by Dr. Louise Hastings (June Carryl) the head of psychiatric hospital where Daimon's mother Victoria (Elizabeth Marvel - Homeland TV series etc) was institutionalized.

Friday, October 23, 2020

(2020) Rebecca - A not so Satisfying Romance Thriller Drama

This movie was released through Netflix on 21 October again I believe still in line with their commitment to celebrate Halloween month. Although this one is not a horror movie per se but instead a romance thriller but I think should still fit in nicely with the spirit of Halloween. Anyway, let's get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

A young British woman (Lily James - Baby Driver, Cinderella etc) who was working as the companion of Mrs. Van Hopper (Ann Dowd - The Handmaid's Tales TV series etc) met with a wealthy widower named Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer - Cars 3Hotel Mumbai etc) and immediately hit it off. They soon got married and returned back to Maxim's large mansion called Manderley which was run by the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas - The Darkest Hour, The English Patient etc).

Monday, October 19, 2020

(TV SERIES) Evil Season 1 - Wonderfully Written Supernatural Drama Series with Really Interesting Premise

I noticed this series some time ago on one of cable TV and finally got the chance to watch it during the weekend. I was not that intrigued by it until I read the synopsis which promised an interesting premise. Well without further ado, I'll just get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers - Manhattan TV series etc) was a forensic psychologist who worked for the D.A as expert witness. Due to a disagreement, she stopped working for them and was hired by Catholic church's assessor/Priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter - Luke Cage, Black and Blue etc) to investigate possible supernatural incidents and verify the truth. They worked together with a technology consultant Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi - The Brink TV series etc) who provided background check from science point of view.

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Vampires vs. the Bronx - A Light Vampire Movie with its Own Charms

Still in the spirit of watching Netflix new (horror) movies, I continued with another one that was released a couple of weeks ago. I was not in the mood for something heavy, so this one suit my need as the synopsis hinted it to be interesting and light. OK let's start with it.

Brief Story Line

Set in the Bronx, a large real estate company led by its manager Frank Polidori (Shea Whigham - Perry Mason 2020 version etc) started buying off small businesses in the area resulting to many people leaving the neighborhood. A group of young teenagers consisted of Miguel (Jaden Michael) with his 2 best friends Bobby (Gerald W. Jones III) and Luis (Gregory Diaz IV) tried to save a bodega owned by Tony (Joel "The Kid Mero" Martinez), the place where they hang out since childhood.

Saturday, October 17, 2020

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting - Light Hearted, Kid-Friendly Movie for Halloween

In this Halloween month, there were quite a number of horror movies released on various streaming platforms. Last week, I saw a horror comedy movie on Netflix and this time, I tried a seemingly fun movie based on its brief synopsis. And what's it all about? I'll go straight to it now.

Brief Story Line

A young high school student Kelly Ferguson (Tamara Smart - Artemis Fowl etc) was given the task to babysit for her mother's boss' child Jacob (Ian Ho) on the Halloween night. However, during her care, Jacob was abducted by the Boogeyman (Tom Felton - Stratton, Rise of the Planet of the Apes etc).

Aided by another babysitter named Liz Lerue (Oona Laurence - Bad Moms and its sequel etc) who apparently was part of secret babysitter society who protect children from monster attacks, Kelly tried to save Jacob and get him back home before his mother returned.

Sunday, October 11, 2020

(TV SERIES) Dream Raider - Intriguing & Interesting for the First HBO Asia's sci-fi Series

I noticed this series was released on HBO Go since August but as usual, I would only watch it when it's already completed. I am not sure when the final episode was shown, but I watched this during the weekend and managed to complete it fast. Well let me get into it now.

Brief Story Line

Set in the near future, detective Li Xiao (Weber Yang - The Masked Lover TV series etc) and his partner Che Na (Aggie Hsieh - Code TV series etc) had to face the mystery of missing young girls. The only clue was one of the victim who was found in comatose condition. They sought the help from professor Cheng (Wang Shih-hsien - The Paradise etc) who invented a machine that could infiltrate people's mind, even though it was known to be dangerous and resulted to an incident 10 years before involving Cheng's partner Mo Qi Feng (David Wang - Wine War, Project Guttenberg etc) and his wife Li An (Vivian Hsu - The Accidental Spy, The Sorcerer and the White Snake etc).

Friday, October 9, 2020

Hubie Halloween - May not be His Best Work, but Still a Fun Movie from Adam Sandler

This movie was just released through Netflix and I got the chance to watch it last night. It starred Adam Sandler so I thought it would be good to have some fun. This was also one of those rare times that my wife had seen a film before me. OK, I'll get on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler - Hotel Transylvania 3, 50 First Dates etc) was a very kind & simple minded person who has lived in Salem all his life with his mother (June's Squibb - Nebraska etc). He has made it his personal mission to make sure Halloween was safe for everyone by becoming self-appointed Monitor, though this action was not accepted by the townspeople, including Sgt Steve Downey (Kevin James - Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Pixels etc). However, Hubie's old crush Violet (Julie Bowen - Life of the Party, Modern Family TV series etc) was always supportive of his kind deeds.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

(TV SERIES) Utopia Season 1 - Surprisingly Violent with Touches of Dark Comedy & a bit of Controversy but Quite Entertaining

I found out about this series a couple of weeks ago with a brief synopsis that truly intrigued me. I got the chance to watch it since Sunday, and due to lack of concentration & time, I only managed to finish it last night. Well what's the story and how's the series? I'll get on to it now.

Brief Story Line 

When a graphic novel that has garnered cult following was said to have a long awaited sequel titled Utopia to be sold to the highest bidder, all the fanboys were totally excited. A group of fans consisted of the paranoid Wilson (Desmin Borges - You're the Worst TV series etc), the intelligent Samantha (Jessica Rothe - Happy Death Day etc), the gentle & shy Becky (Ashleigh LaThrop), the common insurance person Ian (Dan Byrd - Easy A, Cougar Town TV series etc) and Grant (Javon Walton) were trying to outbid the others. However, it also received the attention of other people with mysterious background such as Arby (Christopher Denham), and an unknown woman (Sasha Lane - Hellboy 2019 version etc).

Monday, September 28, 2020

(TV SERIES) Warrior Season 1 - Superbly Done Action Series Based on the Writings of Bruce Lee

I actually have seen the first 3 episodes of this series some time ago when it was released an episode every week on Cinemax channel. However, as it was hard to wait and I got distracted with other series that have completed, I forgotten about this one. Not until few days ago when I browse for something new on HBO Go apps that I saw there was going to be a second season coming soon. Hence, during the weekend I quickly finished the first season so I could write about it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the 19th century San Francisco, where the Chinese were enslaved by the Americans for cheap labor work which resulted to lots of turmoil in the state. In Chinatown, there were few gangs (referred to as "Tongs") occupying the city with the biggest ones Hop Wei Tong led by Father Jun (Perry Yung) and Long Zii Tong led by himself and his young wife Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) along with their strong enforcer Li Yong (Joe Taslim - The Night Comes for Us, The Raid etc). 

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals - A Mediocre Teenage Superhero Movie

Yesterday I noticed there were few new movies released on Disney+, and my eyes was fixed on this as it seemed interesting (whereas another one was an Indonesian comedy movie which I lost interest after its 2nd sequel and the rest were not intriguing). OK I'll get right on it now.

Brief Story Line 

Sam (Payton Elizabeth Lee - Andi Mack TV series etc) was the second-born royal in the kingdom of Illrya where she was quite rebellious with the monarch tradition and often having disagreements with her mother, Queen Catherine (Elodie Yung - The Hitman's Bodyguard, G.I. Joe: Retaliation etc) and her older sister/future queen Eleanor (Ashley Liao - Fuller House TV series etc). With her childhood best friend Mike (Noah Lomax), Sam sometimes did things against the regulation.

Friday, September 25, 2020

Enola Holmes - A Delightful Performance from Millie Bobby Brown as the Younger Sister of The Iconic Detective

There was a new movie that premiered on Netflix this week and after spending almost 3 weeks watching a total of 121 episodes of a famous TV series, I was happy to watch this one as it was from a totally different genre. Anyway let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Set in England during the Victorian time, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown - Stranger ThingsGodzilla II: King of the Monsters etc) was the younger sister of the famous detective Sherlock (Henry Cavill - Mission: Impossible - Fall Out, The Witcher series etc) and their oldest brother Mycroft (Sam Claflin - Charlie's Angels 2019 version, Me Before You etc). Enola was raised only by their mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter - Ocean's 8, The Lone Ranger etc) with unconventional teachings such as science, martial arts etc which made her did not really fit in the society at that time.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Sabar Ini Ujian - First Indonesian Movie with Time Loop Element

When I started subscribing Disney+, I noticed there were quite a lot of Indonesian movies there, though mostly the ones that I was interested in I have already seen, while the rest were horror or typical romantic drama that I was not really a fan of. I actually saw the title of this movie but did not read the synopsis until I read in twitter that it has a time loop element. Obviously it intrigued me and therefore I decided to watch it last night. Well here goes more of the film.

Brief Story Line

Sabar (Vino G. Bastian - Wiro Sableng Pendekar Kapak Maut Naga Geni 212, Chrisye etc) had been out of relationship with his ex girlfriend Astrid (Estelle Linden - Darah Daging etc) for the past four years. So when he got the invitation to her wedding with one of their high school friend Dimas (Mike Ethan), Sabar was very reluctant to go despite the encouragement from his best friend Billy (Ananda Omesh - The Wedding & Bebek Betutu etc) and his mother (Widyawati - Mama Mama Jagoan, Critical Eleven etc).

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

(2020) Mulan - The Live Version of 1998 Disney Animated Classic with Some Distinctive Changes

This movie has been very hype in the internet since it was officially released on Disney+ few days ago. I was thinking of watching it later but the temptation was too hard for me to resist, so I decided to watch it by myself last night, especially after many comments have been circulating around in various social medias. Anyway let's get on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Hua Mulan (Liu Yifei - The Four trilogy, The Return of Condor Heroes 2006 series etc) was the first daughter of an army veteran Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma - Rush Hour, Wu Assassins TV series etc) who had the seeds of becoming a great warrior herself. However, being a woman, she had to suppress her talent and become a common woman at that time. When the country was being attacked by powers from North led by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee - The Jungle Book 1994 version, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story etc) who was assisted by powerful witch Xian Lang (Gong Li - Miami Vice, Farewell My Concubine etc), the emperor (Jet Li - Fist of Legend, Romeo Must Die etc) decreed that every family must provide 1 man to become part of the army to defend the kingdom.

Monday, September 7, 2020

(TV SERIES) Young Wallander Season 1 - Another Re-Imagining Prequel of Popular Character

Few days ago, a new series was released on Netflix and I was intrigued by the brief synopsis. Obviously a very short 6 episodes for the first season was also main attraction, especially since I wanted to watch other series/movies during the weekend. Now I'll just get into it then.

Brief Story Line

Set in the city of Malmo, Sweden, a young rookie police officer Kurt Wallander (Adam Pålsson) was drawn into a case which happened near his home in the area filled with immigrants. The detectives who were assigned to the case were Superintendent Hemberg (Richard Dillane) and his partner Frida Rask (Leanne Best - The Woman in Black: Angel of Death etc). Due to his unique perspective, Kurt was asked by Hemberg to join in the investigation while leaving his unit and partner Reza (Yasen Atur).

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Artemis Fowl - A Messy Story Telling Sadly Ruined the Chance of New Supposedly Entertaining Franchise based on Successful Novel Series

I registered for the new streaming service Disney+ which was only activated yesterday in the hope of watching a much anticipated live version movie of Mulan. However that movie was not available yet. Although I felt a bit disappointed, but at least there were other movies and series that I could watch which were not available at other streaming service providers. This was one such movie that I watched last night. OK, here's more details.

Brief Story Line

A 12 year old boy named Artemis Fowl Jr (Ferdia Shaw) was shocked when his father Artemis Fowl Sr (Colin Farrell - Dumbo live version, In Bruges etc) was kidnapped and held for ransom. Together with his trusted butler Domovoi (Nonso Anozie - RocknRolla etc) and Dom's young niece Juliet (Tamara Smart), Artemis had to find a mysterious "weapon" called the Aculos. What amazed him was the fact that Aculos was related to the Irish fairy tales his father told him and they were very real. There were indeed fairies, dwarves, goblin and even centaurs. 

Monday, August 31, 2020

The Sleepover - A Truly Kid-Friendly Action Adventure Comedy Movie

Last weekend, I watched this movie which was said to be quite a hit. It was released a week earlier on Netflix but honestly I was only interested after reading the news about it. OK, I will get on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Young Kevin Finch (Maxwell Simkins) was having his best friend Lewis (Lucas Jaye) for a sleepover at his house. Meanwhile his older sister Clancy (Sadie Stanley - Kim Possible movie etc) was trying to sneak out with her best friend Mim (Cree Cicchino - Game Shakers TV series etc) to a party held by their high school friends. 

However, everything went sideways when Kevin & Clancy's mother Margot (Malin Åkerman - Rampage, 27 Dresses etc) and father Ron (Ken Marino - Veronica Mars etc) were kidnapped by a couple of criminals Baxter (Harry Aspinwall) and Elise (Enuka Okuma - Impulse TV series etc). Apparently they have a plan to rob a famous treasure with the help from a thief named Leo (Joe Manganiello - Drunk Parents, True Blood TV series etc).

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

(TV SERIES) Upload Season 1 - A Really Unique Series with Interesting Premise of Virtual After Life

During the last long weekend holiday, after watching some serious series, I was looking for a lighter comedy type and found this one which I thought just perfect. So without further ado, let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the future where humans could "live" in a virtual life referred to as Heaven by transferring their consciousness through process called "Upload" after their demise. Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell - Code 8, The DUFF etc) was a young man who recently died and was encouraged by his wealthy girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards) to upload into one of the most luxurious heaven called Lake View. 

In Lake View, Nathan met with other people who also "live" there, including a war veteran named Luke (Kevin Bigley - Sirens TV series etc) who would soon became his best friend. Nathan's customer service representative (referred to as Angel) was a young woman named Nora (Andy Allo). In the real world, Nora worked with other Angels with one in particular named Aleesha (Zainab Johnson) who happened to be Luke's angel.

Friday, August 21, 2020

(TV SERIES) Perry Mason Season 1 - A Wonderful Start of the Iconic Character's Latest Adaptation

I have seen this series for the past few weeks in HBO Go application and was interested to watch it, but I had to patiently wait till the first season is completed as I want to watch a complete season rather than waiting weekly for another episode. Anyway, I decided to watch it during this long weekend holiday and just finished it last night. So here goes.

Brief Story Line

Set in the year 1932 Los Angeles, Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys - The Post, The Americans TV series etc) was a war veteran who now worked as a Private Investigator with his friend/partner Pete Strickland (Shea Whigham - Kong: Skull Island, Boardwalk Empire TV series etc). Usually they would work on cases that involved non subtle approach but this time Perry was hired by his old friend, the lawyer EB Jonathan (John Lithgow - Pet Sematary 2019 version, Terms of Endearment etc) to investigate on a high profile kidnapping case.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Project Power - A Decent Action Movie on People with "Powers"

Few days ago, this movie was released on Netflix and honestly I had no idea what the movie's premise and therefore no intention of watching it. But as it was a long weekend holiday and after finishing last seasons of 2 series I had been following for years, I wanted to watch a feature movie. So I read the synopsis which apparently seemed interesting (with superhero and stuff), and thought I should give it a try. OK let's get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

Set in the New Orleans, a new drug called "Power" was distributed by a person later on revealed as Biggie (Rodrigo Santoro - Reprisal TV series, The 33 etc). This drug was said to give people a special power specific to the person who used it but only lasted for 5 minutes. With the increase of criminal activities done by the people who used Power, a cop from NOPD named Frank Shaver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Snowden, The Walk etc) decided he should also use it to level the playing field. He bought them from a small time dealer named Robin (Dominique Fishback - The Deuce TV series etc) who was also a struggling high school student.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

(TV SERIES) Stargirl Season 1 - A Refreshing and Youthful Story of DC Superhero

I heard about this brand new series in DC universe which just completed its first season around a week ago. As a fan of series based on comic books superhero, obviously I would not let this one slip by. So I watched this during my last week's long weekend holiday. Well let's get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) was a teenager who reluctantly had to move with her mother Barbara (Amy Smart - Crank, The Butterfly Effect etc) to her hometown in Blue Valley, Nevada together with her stepfather Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson - Vacancy, Legally Blonde etc) and his pre-teen son Mike (Trae Romano). The reason for moving was Barbara got a new job at a company called The American Dream owned by Jordan Mahkent (Neil Jackson - Blade: The Series etc) located at Blue Valley. At her new school, Courtney made new friends with the outcasts such as Yolanda (Yvette Monreal - Rambo: Last Blood etc), Beth (Anjelika Washington - Tall Girl etc) and Rick (Cameron Gellman). She also met with the school's most popular and mean girl Cindy (Meg DeLacy) with her boyfriend Henry King Jr (Jake Austin Walker). 

Monday, August 3, 2020

(TV SERIES) Cursed Season 1 - A Surprisingly Entertaining Re-imagining of Arthurian Legends

During last long weekend holiday, I was intrigued to watch this series which was already released on Netflix a couple of weeks earlier. Again, this was another one of their original series and as the premise was interesting, one of my favorite genre, I would not pass this one up. OK so let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Set in Britannia during the medieval time, a young fairy (or referred to as Fey) named Nimue (Katherine Langford - Knives Out etc) was considered an outcast and always felt she did not belong. She tried to escape to another place and accompanied by her best friend Pym (Lily Newmark) where they met with a young cut-throat named Arthur (Devon Terrel). However, when Nimue's village was attacked by group of mercenary priests called Red Paladins led by Father Carden (Peter Mullan - The Vanishing, War Horse etc), she was given a task by her mother to deliver an item to Merlin the magician (Gustaf Skarsgård - Vikings TV series etc).

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Code 8 - Dark "Superhero" Indie Movie

This was a movie that was released on Fox Movies during their Saturday night premiere last week. It has an interesting premise that quite intrigue me and since it was not a major Hollywood movie that had theatrical release in Indonesia, it was certainly nice to be given opportunity to see it, even if it was on small screen. OK, I'll get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

In the world where people with extraordinary abilities (referred to as Powers), live among the normal people, their existence were hugely undermined especially after machines were used to replace their works. Becoming the marginalized people, they had to work odd and sometimes illegal jobs in order to survive. Connor Reed (Robbie Amell - Desperados, Nine Lives etc) was one of those who had power, specifically electric and had difficulty in finding real job to support his mother Mary (Kari Matchett - Covert Affairs TV series) who happened to be a cryokinetic and suffering from cancer.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Official Secrets - Amazing Film with Some Great Performances Based on The True Events on the 2003 Iraq Invastion

It's been quite some time since I watched new movie on HBO on a Saturday night, as usually I have seen them before in the cinemas. Last weekend though, this new film premiered at 8 PM but when I saw on HBO Go application, it was already available on the same day few hours before (or maybe the day before?). Anyway, I decided to watch it first in the app. OK I'll go into more details of this movie.

Brief Story Line

In the year 2003, the US government was insistent on invading Iraq with the support of United Nations using the danger of weapons for mass destruction as basis. As its ally, UK was requested to support US despite the objection from British people. When an employee of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHC) named Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley - The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, The Imitation Game etc) received confidential instruction from the US government that might change the UN's position, she felt it was an inappropriate thing.

Monday, July 27, 2020

(TV SERIES) The Head - Absolutely Brilliant and One of the Best I Have Seen in Years

Last weekend, after watching a new movie on HBO (will write about that later), I caught a glimpse of this new series which seemed really interesting and I really could not wait to write about it. It was a mystery thriller and only consisted of 6 episodes. Now why don't I just get into it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the Antarctic where due to its location on earth, half of the year was filled with darkness. A group of scientists were working in Polaris VI station during this period where they would be cut off from the civilization until the summer arrived. The group consisted of 10 people with their leader Arthur (John Lynch - In the Name of the Father etc), his partner Annika (Laura Bach), Erik (Richard Sammel - 3 Days to Kill etc) who was in charge of security, the cook Ramón (Álvaro Morte - Money Heist series etc), the doctor Maggie (Katharine O'Donnelly), the new guy Aki (Tomohisa Yamashita - Kurosagi, Code Blue the Movie etc) and few others.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Desperados - Sadly not Fun for Drama Comedy and Lacking Real Chemistry

As a follow up to the comedy movie I watched 2 nights ago, I continued it by watching this romantic comedy film that I thought would be interesting, even though the plot was a bit familiar. OK I'll just get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

Encouraged by her two best friends Brooke (Anna Camp - Pitch Perfect 3, True Blood TV series etc) and Kaylie (Sarah Burns - Enlightened TV series etc), Wesley Darya (Nasim Pedrad - Aladdin 2019 live version etc) went on a date with a guy named Sean (Lamorne Morris - Bloodshot etc). However things did not work out well and instead Wes met a guy who she thought was perfect named Jared (Robbie Amell - The Babysitter, The Tomorrow People TV series etc).