Top Gun: Maverick - An Even Better and More Entertaining Sequel to the 1986 Hit Movie

I have been meaning to see this movie with my wife for many days but due to some reasons, we only managed to do so yesterday. As it was a sequel to the 1986 hit movie and both of us have forgotten the story, we preferred to watch the original first. Fortunately, it was available on HBO Go, so we could refresh our memory again. All right, let's get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise - American Made, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back etc) who was working as a test pilot was ordered to be instructor in Top Gun program to train some pilots for a special mission, despite the irritation of Vice Admiral Cyclone (Jon Hamm - Bad Times at the El Royale, No Sudden Move etc). Maverick who was reluctant at first, finally agreed to do so after he was convinced by his old rival/friend Admiral "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer - Batman Forever, The Saint etc). Maverick also met with Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly - Snowpiercer TV series, Hulk etc) who was close with him many years ago.

(TV SERIES) How I Met Your Father Season 1 - Modernized Gender Swap Version of One of the Most Beloved Sitcom

I have heard about this sitcom for a while now which was spin-off (or sequel?) of the very popular and beloved series How I Met Your Mother and was shown on Hulu streaming platform starting January 2022. When the series was finally released in Indonesia through Disney+, I wanted to give it a try to see if I would like this as much as the original series & finally finished the whole season last night. Well I will dive right to it then.

Brief Story Line

Sophie (Hillary Duff - Lizzie McGuire TV series, A Cinderella Story etc) was a struggling photographer who lived in New York and a hopeless romantic who tried to find the love of her life through apps. She was living with her best friend Valentina (Francia Raisa - Grown-ish TV series, Bring It On: All or Nothing etc) who was having a relationship with a British guy Charlie (Tom Ainsley).

(TV SERIES) The Lincoln Lawyer Season 1 - An Exciting Legal Drama Series with Interesting Court Room Drama and Some Mysteries

I have been intrigued with this series ever since it was released 10 days ago. But since I never got the chance to watch the movie version, I was thinking of watching it first before starting this. Sadly though, it's not available in any of the streaming platform I subscribed. So I decided to just go ahead watching the series and finally completed it last week. OK, let's get on with it then.

Brief Story Line

Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo - Murder on the Orient Express, Sweet Girl etc) was a defense attorney who was having personal issues in the past year and was very fortunate to have gotten a bunch of new clients that would restart his career. Supported by his ex-wife Lorna (Becki Newton - Ugly Betty TV series etc) and his investigator Cisco (Angus Sampson - Insidious movies etc), Mickey started to take over the cases of various clients from petty crime to the high profile murder case involving tech billionaire Trevor Elliot (Christopher Gorham - Insatiable TV series etc).

Hard Hit - An Almost Nonstop Thrilling Movie with Some Dramatic Moments

This month, there were plenty of new interesting movies released on Catchplay+. Although mostly I have seen in the cinemas before, there were still few films that I have not, including this South Korean movie which has truly interesting premise. I was definitely intrigued by the movie and decided to watch it as soon as it was available last night at 9 PM. So let's get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Lee Sung-gyu (Jo Woo-jin - Kingmaker, Seo Bok etc) started his day like any other when he drove to work together with his daughter Hye-in (Lee Jae-in - Racket Boys TV series, Svaha: The Sixth Finger etc) and her younger brother Min-joon (Kim Tae-yul). While driving, Sung-gyu got a call on a mobile phone left in his car with the voice on the other line telling him about a bomb below the car seats. Sung-gyu who at first did not believe the call, started to panic when he found out it was not just an empty threat. 

(2022) Memory - A Better Than Average Liam Neeson's Action Thriller

I saw the poster of this movie when I went to one of the cinemas few weeks ago in the coming soon section and thought it was an old film. But turned out it was only released in the US around 3 weeks ago and it's still pretty fresh when it premiered in Indonesia yesterday. My wife and I decided to see it last night so we have our weekend free. OK, why don't I get right to it.

Brief Story Line

Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson - The Ice Road, Blacklight etc) was a professional hitman who wanted to retire as he started to suffer memory loss. When his last assignment turned out to be something he was against principally, Alex became the target of the people he worked for.

Srimulat: Hil yang Mustahal - Babak Pertama - A Review by Yennymakanmulu

Yesterday this new movie was released in Indonesian theater which was based on the famous group of comedians that my wife and I sort of grew up with. So for sure we were interested in seeing it. And despite not playing in the theater nearest to our home and the not so favorable starting time, we still managed to get to the location and enjoy our time. As usual, my wife has already done a well-written post of this movie. Hence I am going to share her review below.

[MOVIE] SRIMULAT: HIL YANG MUSTAHAL - BABAK PERTAMA

 Lupa deh kapan gw tau bakal ada film Srimulat: Hil yang Mustahal - Babak Pertama ini. Cuma emang jadi gw tunggu2 sih krn kebetulan gw digedein dengan lawakan mereka. Kayanya yang selalu rajin ditonton itu emang cuma Srimulat sih. Konyol2nya, receh2nya, nyambung aja gitu sama konsep lawak di otak gw. Berhubung gak maen di bioskop deket rumah, mayan effort jadinya gw gojekan ujan2 ke Kuningan City, bawain indomie goreng buat hubby yang langsung meluncur dr kantor. Iye, jam tayang 17:40 emang riskan sebetulnya. Untung kaga telat tadi nontonnya. Film ini ditulis dan disutradarai oleh Fajar Nugros.

(2022) Firestarter - Definitely Not a Better Remake of the 1984 Stephen King's Novel Adaptation

I read in one of the Indonesian cinema chain's social media that this movie was supposed to be released last week. However, it turned out that never happened and finally the film premiered yesterday. As I was unsure of the quality of the movie, I decided to watch it by myself while my wife preferred to finish one of her South Korean drama series.

Brief Story Line

Andy (Zac Efron - The Greatest Showman, High School Musical trilogy etc) and his wife Vicky (Sydney Lemmon - Helstrom TV series etc) had a young daughter named Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) who had pyrokinesis power. As they tried their best to avoid the spotlight by moving around a lot, it turned out that there were some people who worked at "The Shop" that were looking for Charlie.

The Shop was led by Captain Hollister (Gloria Reuben - Marvel's Cloak & Dagger TV series, Mr. Robot TV series etc) who later assigned a mercenary named John Rainbird (Michael Greyes - Woman Walls Ahead etc) to capture Charlie.

So how would the story conclude? You can find them all in this movie.

End of Brief Story Line

The reason I hesitated on convincing my wife to see this movie together was because I read that it was not well received by critics and audiences. Usually I am still open minded about movies that did not get high critical rating, but when audience did not embrace it either, then it might be really bad. Anyway, I still went ahead and try it for myself. As the movie began, I thought it was still OK. But as the story continued, I started to feel that the characters seemed to be a bit soulless. It's like watching people who were not that interesting. 

However, when Charlie started to show her powers, it was actually more enjoyable and once the mercenary started to show up, the movie became more intense, especially the way the powers were being used. There were few times where the film felt suspenseful too, but I felt the pace was inconsistent especially with the appearance of people who were supposed to be important but did not leave too much impression. They were the good samaritan named Irv (John Beasley - The Soul Man TV series etc) and the scientist Dr. Wanless (Kurtwood Smith - That 70's Show TV series, Rambo III etc). It's a good thing that at least the climax still managed to give some excitement, although it was not that spectacular.

For those of you who are unaware, this movie was adapted from one of Stephen King's popular novel of the same title. It had already been adapted to a movie back in 1984 which I have seen once on TV but probably I was not really concentrating then as all I could remember was the girl (played by Drew Barrymore) who could start fire using her mind and was very close to her father while being chased by some bad guys. Oh funnily enough, I actually felt a bit resemblance of Ryan Kiera Armstrong with Barrymore as sometimes I could see the likeness in few scenes. Btw, the 1984 movie was not liked by Stephen King at all, but at least critics and audience were not totally against it, unlike this remake. It's pretty sad actually that even a remake was not well liked either. 

As I said above, I myself did not feel any real fondness of the characters in here. It's like they were just passing through. There was no real sympathy on Andy whose chemistry with his daughter was not that convincing, though at least Sydney Lemmons was slightly better as the mother Vicky. The movie was written by Scott Teems (writer of Halloween Kills etc) and directed by Keith Thomas whose prior work The Vigil was critically acclaimed. It has a duration of 94 minutes without any mid or post end credit scene. 

Overall to me this was a forgettable sci-fi thriller movie that fail to impress. It has nothing truly special or memorable and I could understand the dislike of audience/critics. Although it still have few moments that I could still enjoy like the climax scene, but I personally do not like the final ending as to me it made the whole build up seemed senseless. Anyway, if you are in the mood for this kind of movie and do not mind the lack of characters proper development, then you might be able to enjoy it. However, if you want to see a good adaptation of Stephen King's novel or even an amazing thriller movie, then likely you are going to be disappointed.

Mike's movie moments rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Vidkill - A Quite Thrilling Indonesian Movie with Unique Concept

After getting the notification of this movie released on Disney+, I was interested in giving it a try, especially since it got a unique premise that (I think) has never been done in Indonesia. Anyway, I decided to see this yesterday evening. All right, I'll get right to it.

Brief Story Line

Stella (Estelle Linden - Sabar Ini Ujian, Valentine etc) who was engaged to Theo (Pradikta Wicaksono - Love or Fate etc) went to have her bachelorette party outside the city. She went to a secluded villa together with her best friends Cheryl (Gesya Shandy - Tersanjung the Series web series etc) and Kimi (Shindy Huang - Pretty Little Liars web series etc) during the weekend, while Theo stayed at home to work on an assignment from his boss.

(2022) Senior Year - A Pretty Fun Rebel Wilson Comedy Movie

There was this new movie released on Netflix yesterday which interest me due to its seemingly fun premise. So without hesitation, I decided to watch this one ahead of other new films/series. OK, let's get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Stephanie Conway (Angourie Rice - Mare of Easttown mini series etc) was a popular high school student, cheerleader captain and strong candidate for prom queen. While doing a cheer performance, she accidentally fell and suffered coma. After 20 years, a 37 year old Stephanie (Rebel Wilson - The Hustle, Jojo Rabbit etc) awaken from her long coma. Unsure of what to do with her life now, she finally decided to return to school & finish her senior year with the support from her father Jim (Chris Parnell - Home Sweet Home Alone etc). She also managed to convince her best friend Martha (Mary Holland - The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window mini series etc) who was now the school principal of her intention. 

Uncharted - Another Adaptation of Popular Action Adventure Game with Treasure Hunt Background

When this movie was released back in February 2022, my wife and I were not having the courage to go to the cinemas yet. So we opted to wait till the film is available via streaming. Earlier this month, I noticed the announcement from Catchplay+ that it's going to release this movie on 12 May. And last night, we finally got the chance to see it. OK, I'll get right to it.

Brief Story Line

Nathan Drake (Tom Holland - Chaos Walking, Onward etc) was a treasure hunter who side job as a bartender. He had been eyeing for the gold treasure of the Magellan expedition centuries ago. So when a more senior professional hunter named Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg - Spenser Confidential, All the Money in the World etc) approached him to work together on finding the gold, he decided to go along with Sully. They would later be joined by Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali - The Wilds TV series etc) who had also been looking for the treasure.

No Exit - A Nice Little Thriller with Simple Story & High Intensity

Another new movie was released this weekend on Disney+ which from what I read on the synopsis, it had an interesting premise. So once I have the time yesterday, I immediately gave this a try. OK, I'll head on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Darby (Havana Rose Liu - The Sky is Everywhere etc) was a recovering addict who after receiving news that her mother had to be operated, decided to drive overnight to the hospital. However, a heavy storm ruined her plan and she had to wait it up in a small place together with other people who were stuck as well. They consisted of retired marine Ed (Dennis Haysbert - Playing with Fire etc), his wife Sandi (Dale Dickey - Winter's Bone etc), a young man named Ash (Danny Ramirez - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series etc) and an awkward guy Lars (David Rysdahl - Nine Days etc). 

The Takedown (Loin du périph) - A Really Standard Buddy Cop Action Comedy Movie

I saw the trailer to this movie on Netflix few weeks ago in the coming soon section and was quite intrigued since it starred Omar Sy who impressed me in Lupin TV series. And I thought it seemed like a fun action comedy film. So let's find out more now.

Brief Story Line

Ousmane Diakhité (Omar Sy - Jurassic World, The Intouchables etc) was the chief of Paris criminal division who was infamous for doing things his own way which bothered his superior. Meanwhile François Monge (Laurent Lafitte - Elle, The Crimson River etc) was a mid level police who was disliked by his own colleagues. When Monge came across a dead man's body and decided to be involved in it, he somehow integrated himself in the investigation and partnered again with Ousmane who he knew years ago in another case.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - A Different Style Marvel Superhero Movie with Some Chaotic Multiverse Concept

After failing to acquire tickets to this movie during the pre-sale period, my wife and I anxiously waited till today to see if there would be any new studios showing it. As luck would have it, there were indeed plenty of other studios that started to sell tickets this morning and we were able to get nice seats for 12.30 PM show in a theater near our home. And so how's the movie? Let's find out more, shall we?

Brief Synopsis

While attending the party for Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams - Game Night, The Vow etc), Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch - The Current War, The Grinch 2018 etc) and Wong (Benedict Wong - Raya and the Last Dragon, Deadly Class TV series etc) had to work together to save a young girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez - The Baby-sitters Club 2020 TV series etc) who was from another universe. As it involved things that he was not expert of, Stephen decided to seek the help from Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen - I Saw the Light, Godzilla 2014 movie etc). 

(Mini Series) Moon Knight - Should Have Been a More Interesting Dark Tone Superhero Series

Like previous TV series based on Marvel Comic characters, I was excited to watch a new one that was released on Disney+ few weeks ago. As usual, I prefer to wait till the finale almost released to start watching it. So as soon as the final episode was available, I could immediately finish the whole season. Well, let's get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac - Dune, Star Wars: The Last Jedi etc) was a socially awkward man who worked at a museum in London. He was having sleep disorder and was suffering from lost time, waking up in places he could not remember. After one of his "dreams" where he met with a mysterious cult leader named Harrow (Ethan Hawke - The Guilty, The Magnificent Seven (2016) etc), Steven was somehow being chased by him in real life.

(TV SERIES) The 7 Lives of Lea (Les 7 vies de Léa) - A Nice Mystery Series Combined with Time Travel and Body Swap

While searching for short series that I could complete fast, I came across this new French series that was just released on Netflix few days ago. It had a very interesting premise that raised my curiosity. OK I'll just get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

Lea (Raïka Hazanavicius), a 17 year old depressed girl accidentally stumbled upon some skeleton remains while wandering by herself. It was later found out that the remains belonged to a person who had disappeared for 30 years named Ismael (Khalil Ben Gharbia). On the following day, to her absolute shock, Lea somehow woke up in the body of Ismael in the year 1991. 

Gara-Gara Warisan - A Review by Yennymakanmulu

Last Saturday, my wife and I went to see this new Indonesian movie which was written and directed by one of her favorite comedian Muhadkly Acho. Despite not knowing anything about the premise, once we saw the name Ernest Prakasa as one of the producers (and also played a part in the movie), we were immediately intrigued to see it. As usual, my wife has written a wonderful post on the film. Below is a bit of her views in Bahasa Indonesia.

(MOVIE) GARA-GARA WARISAN

Minggu lalu deh gw ngeh kalo Gara-Gara Warisan tayang 30 April 2022 di bioskop. Seperti biasa gw langsung info hubby. "Beb, nonton GGW!! Harus Kudu Musti! Ini yg bikin si Yuyun!!" Hubby udah apal paporit gw hahaha. Tiap ada reels baru dari Acho pasti gw lgs pasang, dan kasi dia nonton sambil gw ngakak2. Nah, kali ini Acho jadi sutradara sekaligus writernya. Perdana nih dia. Tapi gw gak ragu sih. "Pasti bagus!" dengan pede gw komen ke hubby. Akhirnya setelah paginya ke Pamulang dan Bintaro, pulang dari sana dalam kondisi hujan lebat, mampirlah kami ke Kuningan City ambil jam tayang 16:15. Oiya, produsernya Ernest Prakasa dan Chand Parwez Servia.

Run Hide Fight - A Pretty Enjoyable Action Thriller Movie of High School Taken Hostage by A Group of Students

I was delightfully surprised to see this movie going to be released in the month of April in Catchplay+, cause I remember that the film was playing in one of Indonesia's cinema chain only a couple of months ago. But since we were having the third wave of the pandemic, we did not dare go to the theaters then. Anyway it was quite nice as the movie could be watched without additional fee. So let's get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

A 17 year old high school student named Jennifer Hull (Isabel May - Alexa & Katie TV series etc) was having constrained relationship with her father (Thomas Jane - Before I Wake, AXL etc) and dealing with the memory of her mother (Radha Mitchell - London Has Fallen, Phone Booth etc). She was looking forward to be graduated soon and was only managing her remaining days with her best friend Lewis (Olly Sholotan - Bel-Air TV series etc).