(TV SERIES) Gotham Knights - The Superhero Series Focusing on Bat-Family that did not Exactly Lived Up to Expectation

This was another superhero series that I was interested in finding out, especially when I read the premise. And it was kind of surprising that it was available on HBO Go with few days difference from the time it was shown in the US. The final episode was just released few days ago and I started watching it on Wednesday & spent my holiday to complete the whole season. OK, I'll get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

When Bruce Wayne was killed, his adoptive son Turner (Oscar Morgan) and the rest of Gotham were shocked to find out that he was actually Batman. The DA Harvey Dent (Misha Collins - Supernatural TV series etc) who was also close friend of Bruce, swore to capture the suspects which included Joker's daughter Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan - Days of Our Lives TV series etc) and the siblings Harper Row (Fallon Smythe) and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara - Relish etc). 

(Mini Series) Class of '09 - Got Interesting Premise Across 3 Distinct Timelines but Lacking the Spark to Make it Extraordinary

After finishing another series, I was browsing through Disney+ to see what's new and came across this one which truly intrigued me from its brief synopsis. Plus the fact that it was a mini series, I was even more interested. So I began watching on Sunday and finished it two nights ago. All right, I will get on it now.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in three different time lines, year 2009 (the past), year 2023 (the present) and year 2034 (the future) and focused on a group of FBI new recruits in 2009 referred to as Class of '09. They consist of Tayo Michaels (Brian Tyree Henry - Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse, Super Intelligence etc) formerly insurance adjuster, Ashley Poet (Kate Mara - Transcendence, House of Card TV series etc) who used to be a nurse, Daniel Lennix (Brian J. Smith - The Matrix: Resurrections, Sense8 TV series etc) former lawyer, Hour Nazari (Sepideh Moafi - The L Word: Generation Q TV series etc) an Iranian-American graduate from MIT, Murphy (Jake McDorman - Greek TV series etc) who was formerly a police detective and several others.

(TV SERIES) Citadel Season 1 - A Pretty Exciting Spy Action Series from Prime Video

I already knew about this interesting looking series on Prime Video since end of April, but as usual I wanted to wait till full season before starting to watch it. However, I somehow forgotten about it and just remembered few days ago. Apparently the first season was already finished in end of May as it only had 6 episodes So I immediately watch in the weekend and managed to finish it on the same day. OK, let's get right at it.

Brief Story Line (Warning Possible Spoiler)

Mason Kane (Richard Madden - Eternals, 1917 etc) and his partner Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas - We Can Be Heroes, Baywatch etc) were working for a global spy agency called Citadel who had been protecting the world from various threats. They were supported by tech genius Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci - Jolt, Winchell TV series etc) and fellow agent Carter Spence (Osy Ikhile). 

The Childe - An Interesting Enough Action Thriller from Acclaimed Director Park Hoon-jung

In the past few months, there were plenty of new South Korean movies released in Indonesian cinemas not long after their premiere date in their own country. This was one of those which was even shown on the same day just 3 days ago. My wife and I decided to see this during the weekend. And so how was the movie? Let us find out more, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Marco (Kang Tae-ju - Hello, Me! TV series etc) was a mixed Korean and Filipino (referred to as Kopino) who had to do illegal boxing to earn money for his mother's medication. He was asking the help from Mr. Kim (Lee Ki-young - Night in Paradise, Big Mouth TV series etc) to search for his father to assist his mother's operation.

(2023) Hypnotic - A Movie with Interesting Plot and Some Mind Bending Part which Sadly not Explored Enough

After seeing the trailer to this movie multiple times in the theaters, I was quite intrigued and interested in seeing it. But it took a while till it's finally released in certain cinema chain in Indonesia three days ago. Anyway last night I gave it a try by myself as my wife was feeling too tired. Well, let us get into it.

Brief Story Line

Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck - The Flash, Deep Water etc) was a police detective who had traumatic experience when his young daughter Minnie was kidnapped and never found for years. After being called up for a possible crime in a bank by his partner Nicks (J. D. Pardo - The Terminal List TV series etc), both of them decided to do a stakeout. When Rourke saw a mysterious man (William Fichtner - Prison Break TV series, Armageddon etc), he immediately suspected he was the culprit which turned out to be true. 

(TV SERIES) Bloodhounds - An Exciting Action Series based on Popular Webtoon

More than a week ago, I was going to see this new release on Netflix, but I did not realize that it was actually a series instead of a movie. As I was watching other series at that time, I opted to postpone this one and honestly kind of forgotten about it. Until I saw an article about the series having plenty of action. So on the weekend, I gave this a try and finished it last night. All right then, let's get to it now

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the end of 2020 when Covid-19 was affecting the economy of the whole world, including South Korea. Kim Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan - The Divine Fury, The King: Eternal Monarch TV series etc), an amateur boxer & former marine had to do various part time jobs to help her mother So-yeon (Yoon Yoo-sun - The Interest of Love TV series etc) paying large debts. During a rookie boxing tournament, Gun-woo had to fight Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi - Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Once Again TV series etc) in the final but they somehow became best friends after that fight. 

Elemental - A Lovely and Pretty Engaging Romantic Love Story from Disney & Pixar Studio

The trailer to this movie had been shown so many times in the cinemas that I practically already have a picture on my mind of what the story would be. Nevertheless, I am still interested in watching as it is from Disney Pixar studio. Yesterday there was a special early screening of the movie in certain studios but only for 1 show. Luckily my wife and I still got our favorite seats in the theater not far from our home. OK let's get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis - Nancy Drew TV series etc) was the daughter of Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Ommi) of fire element who had been living in Elemental city where there were other elements of water, wind and earth. Bernie opened up a convenience store and wanted to pass the store to Ember once she was ready. As time passed, Ember was looking forward to take over but there was always something that made Bernie decided not to.

Extraction 2 - An Entertaining Sequel to that Violent Movie with Some Brilliantly Done Action Sequence

When I fInd out this movie, which was sequel to an amazing full of action movie on Netflix was coming soon, I was eager to watch it as soon as it is released. So once I was ready last night, I immediately watch it. OK, will get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

After the events of the first movie, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth - Thor: Love and Thunder, 12 Strong etc) was saved and kept in hospital for a long time, while his partner Nik (Golshifteh Farahani - My Father's Dragon, Paterson etc) and her brother Yaz (Adam Bessa - Harka, Mosul etc) were looking out for him. When Tyler was approached by a mysterious person (Idris Elba - The Suicide Squad, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 etc) to extract Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and her two children Sandro (Andro Japaridze) & Nina (Miriam & Marta Kovziashvili) from a Georgian prison, he decided to come out of retirement as it was the request from his ex wife.

The Flash - A Fun Ride of the Fastest Man Alive that should Satisfy Fans of DC comics

This movie has been one of my most anticipated films of the year as I am quite a major fan of Flash. And just like many blockbuster films in the past, it also had an Advance Ticket Sales program where I immediately asked my wife to buy them. Sadly I was unable to do so on its first day of release, but we did go on the second day last night. So how was it? Let's find out more, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequels, The Stand miniseries etc) who had been part of the Justice League was frequently asked to help other members like Batman (Ben Affleck - The Last Duel, The Accountant etc) in catching criminals and saving the world. While trying to help exonerate his father Henry (Ron Livingston - The Conjuring, Band of Brothers miniseries etc) for a crime he did not commit, Barry often reminisce the fond time with his father and mother Nora (Maribel Verdú - Pan's Labyrinth, Raymond & Ray etc). And for some reasons, Barry somehow managed to go back in time and changed the past against the advice from Bruce.

The Roundup: No Way Out - Another Ma Dong-seok's Movie with Plenty of Satisfying Action Scenes

As soon as I found out there was another movie starring Ma Dong-seok aka Don Lee in the theaters, I encouraged my wife to see it at the earliest possible time. And since she is also a fan of him, she did not hesitate to do so. We decided to see this in one of the not so many cinemas showing the movie as it did not play in the Indonesian largest cinema chain. OK, will get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

Few years after the events of The Roundup, Detective Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok - Ashfall, The Gangster, the Cop and the Devil etc) now working in the Metropolitan Investigation Unit and partnered with Kim Man-jae (Kim Min-jae - Train to Busan: Peninsula, Unstoppable etc) under the supervision of Captain Jang (Lee Beom-soo - Come Back Home, The Prime Minister and I etc). Their latest case involved new dangerous drugs called Hiper that were sold at some clubs in South Korea. These drugs were distributed by some criminals who got them from a mysterious vicious man (Lee Joon-hyuk - Strangers TV series, No Mercy etc).

(TV SERIES) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The Star Trek Series that Brought Back so much Nostalgia and the Reason Why I love this Franchise

When this series was released last year, I was thinking it might be difficult to watch it as the newest Star Trek series have been taken out from one streaming platform. Lucky for me as I was browsing through Catchplay+, I found that few series from Paramount+ are also available there. So without hesitation, I immediately start watching this few days ago and finished it last night. Well, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

After a bit of hiatus, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount - Visions, Inhuman TV series etc) was called up by the Starfleet to re-navigate USS Enterprise on a special mission. Despite his reluctance, he agreed to do so as it involved the rescue of his old friend. Captain Pike would be assisted by science officer Spock (Ethan Peck - 10 Things I Hate About You TV series etc), chief security officer La'an (Christina Chong), Doctor M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokum), Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush), Chief Engineer Hemmer (Bruce Horak) and helmsman Ortegas (Melissa Navia). There was also a new cadet named Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and later they would be joined by Number One/Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn - X-Men trilogy, The Librarian TV series etc).

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Another Transformers Movie that Lived Up to the Expectation of Epic Fight Scenes

As major fans of Transformers, my wife and I would not pass the chance to see this latest movie on the big screen with great sound system. So without a doubt, when the Advance Ticket Sales was announced, I convinced my wife to buy the first day showing. Not because I was worried of spoiler, but just because I was excited to see Autobots again. OK then, let's get started.

Brief Story Line

Set 7 years after the events of the Bumblebee movie, the Autobots including their leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Mirage (Pete Davidson - Marmaduke etc), Arcee (Liza Koshy - Freakish TV series etc) and Bumblebee himself were left stranded on earth and looking for way home to Cybertron. Once they found out there was a key to do so, they gathered and try to locate them. However, they had no choice but to ask the help from Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos - In the Heights etc), an ex military who was somehow caught up in the mission and unexpectedly met an intern at a museum named Elena (Dominique Fishback - Judas and the Black Messiah etc).

Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse - A Greatly Done and Even Grander Sequel to the Already Wonderful Original Spider-man Animated Movie

As this film was the sequel to a highly rated animated movie back in 2018, I was obviously interested in seeing this, especially when it involved Spider-man. It actually had advance ticket sales since last week but I thought there were not too many audience who would be fearing on missing out, so not that hard to get the tickets during the weekend. Which was why we could still get them yesterday, though not our most favorite seats. OK, I will get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

Almost 1.5 years since the event of the first movie, Miles  Morales (Shameik Moore - Wu-Tang: An American Saga TV series, Cut Throat City etc) was doing fine as the new Spider-man in Brooklyn. However, his parents the police Liutenant Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry - Bullet Train, Hotel Artemis etc) and  Rio (Luna Lauren Velez - Shaft, Dexter TV series etc) were worried about Miles sometimes missing out classes and planning to leave for university soon. Miles had been fighting many villains during that time, but the latest one who called himself The Spot (Jason Schwartzman - Fantastic Mr. Fox, Saving Mr. Banks etc) proved to be a more difficult enemy than he anticipated.

Kandahar - A Heavier than Usual Gerard Butler's Action Thriller Movie

When this movie was released few days ago, my wife and I were actually quite interested because it starred one of our favorite action stars, even though it looked a bit like B movie (at least from its trailer). Anyway we finally saw it last night after failing to do it due to various reasons earlier. All right, I'll get to it then.

Brief Story Line

As undercover agent working for the CIA on a covert mission in Iran, Tom (Gerard Butler - Plane, The Vanishing etc) was offerred additional task by his handler Roman (Travis Fimmel - Warcraft, Raised by Wolves TV series etc) in Herat, Afganishtan where he would be accompanied by translator Mohammad (Navid Negahban - 12 Strong, Aladdin etc). However, Tom's cover was somehow blown and various parties like the Iranian operatives led by Farsad (Bahador Foladi) and Pakistani agent Kahil (Ali Fazal - Death on the Nile, House Arrest etc) were trying to capture him.

(TV SERIES) American Born Chinese Season 1 - Nice Blend of Coming of Age Story with Martial Arts, Mythology and Cultural Differences

While looking at new shows released on Disney+, I came across this series that looked very interesting with quite well known cast and intriguing premise. Besides, it seemed pretty light which was something I needed after days of hard work. OK, let's find out more on this series.

Brief Story Line

Jin Wang (Ben Wang - Chang Can Dunk etc) was the son of Chinese immigrants Simon (Chin Han - Mortal Kombat, Ghost in the Shell etc) and Christine (Yeo Yann Yann - Wet Season etc) who desperately tried to fit in in his high school. He had a crush on fellow student Amelia (Sydney Taylor - Just Add Magic: Mystery City TV series etc) and wanted to join soccer club. However he always felt insecure because of his Chinese descent, and the situation was worsened when an old sitcom involving a Chinese character Freddie Wong portrayed by actor Jamie Yao (Ke Huy Quan - Finding O'hana, Second Time Around etc) suddenly became popular and the object of fun making.