(2024) Cash Out - Definitely not the Best Heist Movie Out There

Last night there was no new movie that interest me on the streaming services, except for series that would take longer to complete. So I decided to give this film a try. It did not play in many studios but it did play in one near our home. Like usual, for movies that are not really convincing, I would see it by myself while my wife would continue watching other things. OK, let's get started then.

Brief Story Line

Mason (John Travolta - The Poison Rose, Hairspray etc) was an infamous criminal who was trying to do a bank heist with his crew that consisted of his younger brother Shawn (Lukas Haas - War of the Worlds TV series, The Violent Heart etc), Anton (rapper Quavo), Hector (Noel G - The Fast and the Furious etc) and Link (Natali Yura - The Row etc). However all the plans fell apart and what started as a simple robbery would develop into a hostage situation.

(TV SERIES) Regeneration - A Psychological Thriller Drama with Some Intelligent Story Telling and Few Surprising Twists

Last week there were plenty of new Asian shows released on Netflix that all looked promising. But after checking them out, I found only this one that would be completed soon, while the rest would continue till next month. So I decided to start watching this Chinese series on Monday and finished yesterday. All right then, let's get on it.

Brief Story Line

He Shan (Zhou Yi Ran - Flaming Cloud, Go East TV series etc) was working as a journalist and invited to the memorial service of her old friend Fei Ke (Jing Bo Ran - Monster Hunt 2, A League of Nobleman TV series etc) held in a remote island. There she met with other people who were also invited including the businessman Chen Su Fa (Wang Yan Hui - Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Nobody Knows TV series etc), the hedge fund VP Cheng Hao (Huang Jue - Dr. Tang TV series etc), the mysterious Su Qian (Peng Yang - The Longest Promise TV series etc) and the cheerful Xuan er (Zhang Yi Fan - Cute Wulin TV series etc). 

(TV SERIES) Bodkin - A Pretty Interesting Irish Dark Comedy Series with a not so Complicated Cold Case Mystery

With so many new shows in various streaming platforms, I was getting a bit overwhelmed and having difficulty in choosing which to watch first. But this series that was released few days ago looked interesting for me. So I decided to give it a try during the weekend and finished it last night. All right then, I'll get on it.

Brief Story Line

Dove Maloney (Siobhán Cullen - Obituary TV series etc) was an Irish journalist working in London, but was forced by her boss to lay low due to some problem on the latest news she wrote. Dove was assigned to assist a True Crime American podcaster Gilbert Power (Will Forte - Sweet Tooth TV series, Good Boys etc) who was working on a new show about the mysterious disappearance of 3 people in a small Irish village, Bodkin. Gilbert was accompanied by his assistant Emmy Sizergh (Robyn Cara - Dr. Jeckyll etc).

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - An Entertaining Movie with Wonderful New Story of The Franchise

When I found out about this movie, I was quite excited and was eager to see it. Since my wife and I already got other plans during the mid week holiday, we decided to watch it during the weekend, few days after its release in Indonesian theater. As usual, we went to our favorite cinema that had plenty of favorite seats. All right then, I will dive into the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Many years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, the apes have became more intelligent and formed different clans & living in various locations, but the humans were becoming like wild animals. A young chimpanzee named Noa (Owen Teague - I See You, The Stand mini series etc) was living peacefully with his family in the Eagle clan. While on a personal mission, Noa unexpectedly encountered a group of vicious and violent apes, later on revealed to be serving their king called Proximus (Kevin Durand - Abigail, Swamp Thing TV series etc).

Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window - A Lovely Anime Movie Based on the Successful Autobiographical Novel

When my wife found out there was going to be this movie released in certain Indonesian cinemas, she was excited and wanted to see it as soon as it was available. However, we did not realize it had a special one day screening two weeks ago and were to late to catch it. So once it was finally having its premier date few days ago, we decided to see the movie last Saturday, after we saw another film. All right, let's get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the 1940s Japan about a very young girl named Tetsuko Kuroyanagi nicknamed Totto-chan (voiced by Liliana Ono) who was too active and did not really fit in in public schools. Totto-chan's mother (Anne Watanabe - Tokyo MER: The Movie, Japan Sinks: People of Hope TV series etc) and father (Shun Oguri - Godzilla Vs Kong, Weathering With You etc) were relieved when she was finally accepted in a unique elementary school called Tomoe Gakuen managed by its principal Mr. Kobayashi (Koji Yakusho - Perfect Days, The Days TV series etc) and the teacher Miss Oishi (Karen Takizawa).

Abigail - A Fun, Enjoyable and Unique Vampire Movie

When this movie was released in Indonesia on Friday, I was a bit disappointed that it did not play in the cinema near our home. So I had to postpone it till Saturday when we already made a lot of plans including seeing another movie. Anyway I finally saw it yesterday and had another movie marathon with my wife. OK, I will get on to it then.

Brief Story Line

A group of criminals were hired by Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito - The Gentlemen TV series, Maze Runner: The Death Cure etc) to kidnap a young girl later on revealed to be Abigail (Alisha Weir - Matilda the Musical etc). The group were known by their aliases with its leader Frank (Dan Stevens - Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Legion TV series etc) and included Joey (Melissa Barrera - Scream VI, Tanto Amor telenovela etc), the sniper Rickles (Will Catlett - True Story mini series etc), the muscle Peter (Kevin Durand - Take Point, The Strain TV series etc), the hacker Sammy (Kathryn Newton - Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Detective Pikachu etc) and the driver Dean (Angus Cloud - Euphoria TV series etc). 

(TV SERIES) Dead Boy Detectives Season 1 - A Fun and Light Detective Story Focusing on Solving Supernatural Related Crimes

As usual, Netflix has provided many new shows that we could choose from, week in week out. And this series was one of those that I was interested in. It was released on 21 April but with so many other options, I only got the chance to start watching earlier this week and finished it two nights ago. All right, I will just get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew) and his partner Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri - The Lodge TV series etc) were a couple of ghosts who decided to stay on earth instead of going to the after life. They formed Dead Boy Detectives agency to help solve mysteries involving the supernaturals, while trying to avoid being taken to where they belonged. After freeing Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson - Hollyoaks soap opera series etc) from demonic possession, the boys went to solve another mystery in the small town of Port Townsend in the US based on Crystal's persuasion.

Civil War - A War Action Movie With Heavy Political Theme and Drama

I was quite surprised to see this movie released on Tuesday as opposed to the usual Wednesday for the release of new films. But since it was public holiday yesterday, I did not have to wait till the weekend to see it. This time, I was accompanied by my wife even though she did not have any idea on the premise. Anyway, I'll just get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in USA where the government led by its President (Nick Offerman - Parks and Recreation TV series etc) was having to fight various states in a civil war across the country. Experienced war photographer Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst - Interview with the Vampire, Elizabethtown etc) and her partner Joel (Wagner Moura - Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Elysium etc) were planning to interview the president in Washington DC before his depleting army were defeated by the growing armies trying to bring him down.

(Mini Series) Shogun - A Critically Acclaimed Historical Drama Series Set in 17th Century Japan

I started watching this limited series a day before its final episode was made available on Disney+ last week. It took me a while, but I finally managed to finish the whole season on Sunday night. OK, let's get started then.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the year 1600 where a trading ship from England was stranded on the coast of Japan in Izu province. It was only left with few crews that included Pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis - Lady Macbeth, Persuasion etc) who were immediately taken prisoner by the locals. Kasugi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano - Kate, 47 Ronin etc), the ruler of Izu planned to use the ship for his own benefit. But Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada - John Wick: Chapter 4, Army of the Dead etc) whom Yabushige served, somehow got wind of it and took over the ship instead. Toranaga also instructed Blackthorne to be brought to Osaka where he was meeting with other regents, including Lord Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira - Gran Turismo, Giri/Haji TV series etc).

The Fall Guy - A Very Entertaining and Fun Action Comedy Movie Loosely Based on 1980s TV Series

After seeing another film earlier, my wife and I continued our movie marathon experience two days ago with this one that I had been eyeing for weeks. We were a bit worried at first if the studio would be full and our favorite seats had been taken. But luckily we still got them. OK, let's get on with the movie then.

Brief Story Line

Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling - Barbie, First Man etc) was a professional stuntman who had been taking unplanned break for some time. When movie producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham - Ted Lasso TV series, Hocus Pocus 2 etc) convinced him to work again as stunt double for famous movie star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Tenet, The Wall etc), he was still not interested. But Colt changed his mind after being told that he would be working with his former girlfriend Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt - A Quite Place, The Adjustment Bureau etc) in her directorial debut.

The Roundup: Punishment - The Fourth Installment of The Roundup Series Which is Still Very Entertaining

It is another weekend where my wife and I got the chance to see two movies in a row with few new ones to choose from. After heavy consideration of how to see both on the same day, finally we decided to see this movie before noon while the other in the afternoon at another location just beside the first cinema. All right then, I will get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the year 2018 where Detective Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok - Eternals, Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days etc) with his partner Kim Man-jae (Kim Min-jae - The Devil's Deal, Shadow Detective TV series etc) and other team members were investigating drug operation and stumbled into major illegal online gambling managed from the Philippines. Since it was related to cyber crime, their captain Jang Tae-su (Lee Beom-soo - Come Back Home, Unfinished etc) sought the help from cyber team led by Detective Han (Lee Joo-bin - Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area TV series, Queen of Tears TV series etc).

City Hunter - Another Live Action Adaptation of the Hugely Popular 1980s Manga

I have seen this movie in the upcoming section of Netflix for quite some time and was looking forward to watch it. So once it was finally released two days ago, I immediately gave it a try. Without further ado, let's get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki - Tokyo MER: The Movie, The Emperor's Cook TV series etc) and his partner Makimura (Masanobu Ando - The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill, Sukiyaki Western Django etc) were asked to find a missing person named Kurumi (Asuka Hanamura). While pursuing a lead, they found that Kurumi was involved in drugs that made people do erratic behavior. The case was also being investigated by the police, led by Detective Saeko (Fumino Kimura - Seven Secretaries: The Movie etc).

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver - The Less Entertaining Second Half of the Space Adventure from Zack Snyder

Having known that this movie would be released by Netflix on 19 April 2024, I already set my time to watch it as soon as it would be available. So yesterday after I came home from work, I immediately watch it from the comfort of my bedroom. All right, let's get to it then.

Brief Story Line

After the events of the First movie, Kora (Sofia Boutella - Argylle, Star Trek Beyond etc), Gunnar (Michiel Huisman - Kate, 2: 22 etc) with the remaining warriors i.e. former General Titus (Djimon Hounsou - Captain Marvel, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword etc), Tarak (Staz Naiz), Darrian Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher - Season 3 True Detective TV series etc) and Nemesis (Bae Doo-na - The Silent Sea TV series, Cloud Atlas etc) returned back to the village on planet Veldt to spread the good news of their victory.

(TV SERIES) Fallout Season 1 - An Entertaining Sci-Fi Action Drama Series Based on the Highly Successful Video Game Franchise

I was already planning to watch this on the day it was released on Prime Video few days ago. But once I again I failed to realize that it was actually a series instead of a movie. So I decided to postpone watching it until the weekend when I could better concentrate to finish the whole season. Well I will go ahead with the series then.

Brief Story Line

219 years after nuclear war in 2077, some people were living peacefully in a Fallout shelter called the Vaults. Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell - Army of the Dead, Yellowjackets TV series etc) from Vault 33 decided to go to the surface in search of her father Hank (Kyle MacLachlan - The House with a Clock in its Walls, Tesla etc) and leaving her younger brother Norm (Moisés Arias - Samaritan, Jean-Claude Van Johnson TV series etc) who preferred to stay behind. During her journey, Lucy got mixed up in an altercation with a Ghoul bounty hunter (Walter Goggins - Ant-man and the Wasp, Vice Principals TV series etc) which would hinder her personal objective. 

Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp - The Second Live Action Adaptation of the Famous Cartoon Charater with His Iconic Laughter

Though this movie was released on Friday, I did not watch it on that day as I was finishing other series. I only saw it last night after hanging out with my wife the whole day. All right then, let's get to it.

Brief Story Line

Woody Woodpecker (voiced by Eric Bauza - Looney Tunes Cartoons etc) tried to prove that he could be a team player by joining a kids summer camp called Camp Woo Hoo. There he befriended Maggie (Chloe de los Santos), the daughter of the camp's owner Angie (Mary-Louise Parker - Red and its sequel, Weeds TV series etc). Maggie and her friends were always bullied by their neighboring camp Hoo Rah, owned by Angie's cousin Zane (Josh Lawson - Mortal Kombat 2021 version, Bombshell etc). 

Fast Charlie - An Action Thriller with a Bit of Dark Humor to Add the Element of Fun

After months of having its poster put in the Coming Soon section of the biggest Indonesian cinema chain, this movie was finally released mid of last week. Since the only other movies were horror type, I decided to watch this one by myself yesterday, as my wife would rather see her favorite K-dramas. All right, I'll get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

Charlie Swift (Pierce Brosnan - Black Adam, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again etc) had been working as a fixer for the mobs led by Stan (James Caan - The Godfather, Misery etc) for over twenty years and was very close to the rest of the people he considered as family. When he did his latest job fixing a problem for another mob leader in the organization called Beggar (Gbenga Akinnagbe - The Deuce TV series etc), Charlie had to seek the help from a woman named Marcie (Morena Baccarin - Deadpool, Greenland etc) to solve it.

(TV SERIES) Parasyte: The Grey - An Entertaining Sci-fi Action Series Inspired by the Manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki

When I saw the trailer to this series in the Coming Soon section on Netflix, I was really excited as it seemed like the kind that I would have liked. So I was looking forward to the day it was released on Friday. OK here's more on the series then.

Brief Story Line

Story focused on the mysterious creatures in the form of parasite that fell on earth and started to inhibit human and took over their brain. A group of special forces called Team Grey led by Captain Choi (Lee Jung-hyun - The Battleship Island, Decision to Leave etc) was tasked to kill all the parasites. Their latest pursue brought them to the city of Namil where there seemed to be a nest of the human taken over by the parasites.

(TV SERIES) My Undead Yokai Girlfriend Season 1 - A Fun & Interesting Fantasy Action Comedy Series

I have actually watched this series on Prime Video more than a week ago but just did not have the chance to write about it. Since yesterday I have not completed a new series that was just released, I decided to write my views about this one instead. And what was the series about? Let us find out more, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Tadashi (Hayato Sano - Usogui, Trillion Game TV series etc) was an unpopular college student who loved to play online game with a group of friends including his best friend Tanuki (Comedian Anthony). While other people his age were already having relationships, Tadashi who was nicknamed Hachi never had any. Through some sort of magical spell, somehow Hachi got his wish of a girlfriend, except she was in the form of a 500 year old Yokai (Japanese spirit) nicknamed Izzy (Ai Yoshikawa - Honey Lemon Soda, Influence TV series etc).

(2024) Road House - Remake of 1989 Cult Classic with Some Satisfying Hand to Hand Fight Scenes

I have been meaning to watch this movie after its release on Prime Video few days ago, but I just got the time to do it last night. I was immediately interested in giving it a try after watching the trailer. Anyway, why don't I just get to it?

Brief Story Line

Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal - Ambulance, Spider-man: Far From Home etc) was former UFC fighter who had to make money from underground fight until Frankie (Jessica Williams - Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Shrinking TV series etc), owner of the Road House in Florida Keys offered him a job as bouncer. Though at first he rejected, Dalton later decided to accept the offer. 

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Type of Movie that Just Need to be Experienced on the Big Screen with Great Sound System

After finding out there would be another movie in this franchise, I was obviously excited to see it, especially when I saw its trailer. I wanted to experience this in a studio with Dolby Atmos system on the weekend to avoid the tired feeling after working on weekday. So my wife and I went to one of our favorite cinemas with such sound effect to see the film. OK, let's get into it now.

Brief Story Line

Few years after the events of Godzilla vs Kong, Kong was now living by himself in the Hollow Earth trying to search for possible others like him, while Godzilla remained on the surface to protect the humans against Titans. When a signal seemed to be coming from down below, Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall - Tales from the Loop TV series, Resurrection etc) the researcher in Monarch decided to investigate further. She was accompanied by the veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens - The Rental, Beauty and the Beast live version etc), security head Mikael (Alex Ferns - Eastenders TV series etc), podcaster Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry - Class of '09 mini series, Bullet Train etc) and her young daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle).

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - A More Family Friendly Sequel with Emphasis on Humor in this Beloved Franchise

This movie was released more than a week ago but my wife and I were unable to see it as we went on short vacation trip. So we only got the chance yesterday during public holiday and saw it in the theater near our home. All right then, let's get to it. 

Brief Story Line

Two years after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Ant-man and the Wasp etc), Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon - The Gilded Age TV series, Gone Girl etc) and her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard - It, Carmen Sandiego TV series etc) & Phoebe (McKenna Grace - Crater, The Bad Seed etc) had moved to New York and lived in the previous location the original Ghostbusters stayed in. They continued working on catching ghosts in the city, though their activities would have adverse impact and were disapproved by the Mayor, Walter Peck (William Atherton - Die Hard, Die Hard 2 etc). 

(TV SERIES) 3 Body Problem Season 1 - Interesting Sci-fi Drama Series Based on Award Winning Chinese Novel

It has been a while since I updated my blog as between the four days holiday last week and heavy work load in the past few days, I was too busy and did not have the chance to write anything. But today, I finally had a bit of time, so I decided to write on this latest Netflix original series that I just finished last night.  OK, here's more on it.

Brief Story Line

When some scientists committed suicide without apparent reasons, Clarence (Benedict Wong - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Gemini Man etc) who worked for Strategic Intelligence Agency under Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham - Way Down etc) was looking into the cases. His investigation led him to a group of briliant scientists that consisted of Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo - To Catch A Killer  etc), Jin Cheng (Jess Hong - The Brokenwood Mysteries etc), Auggie Salazar (Eiza Gonzales - Ambulance etc), Jack Rooney (John Bradley - Game of Thrones TV series etc) and Will Downing (Alex Sharp - The Trial of the Chicago 7 etc). They all used to work together assisting genius physicist Vera Ye (Vedette Lim) and were quite close with her mother Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao - The Joy Luck Club etc).

(TV SERIES) Death and Other Details Season 1 - Another Whodunit Series but With More Complexities

I have been meaning to watch this series ever since it came to my attention few weeks ago on Disney+. By my calculation, it should finish by mid of March, so I was kind of surprised when I checked three days ago that it was already completed in the first week. Apparently the final 2 episodes were released on the same day. Anyway I immediately started watching on Saturday and finished it yesterday. OK, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Imogene Scott (Violett Beane - Truth or Dare, God Friended Me TV series etc) had been living with the wealthy Collier family for 18 years and was best friend with their daughter Anna (Lauren Patten - Blue Blood TV series etc). The whole family that consisted of Lawrence Collier (David Marshall Grant - The Devil Wears Prada etc), his wife Katherine (Jayne Atkinson - House of Cards TV series etc), their son Tripp (Jack Cutmore-Scott - Deception TV series etc), Anna's wife Leila (Pardis Seremi) and including Anna and Imogene went on a cruise to the Mediterranean to celebrate Lawrence's retirement. Some of the notable guests were obnoxious US businessman Keith (Michael Gladis - Mad Men TV series etc), Governor Alexandra (Tamberla Perry - They Cloned Tyrone etc), Father Toby (Danny Johnson) and the Chun family from Shanghai who were planning to merge their business with Collier.  

Exhuma - A Very Successful South Korean Horror Movie that Might not Satisfy Horror Buff

As we are not major fans of horror movies, my wife and I did not consider seeing this one in the theaters. But when it apparently did great box office numbers in Indonesia and still playing in numerous cinemas even after 1.5 months, we finally decided to give it a try yesterday. So how was it then? Let's find out more, shall we?

Brief Story Line

A well known shaman named Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun - Yumi's Cells TV series, Tune in For Love etc) and her partner Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun - Death's Game TV series, The Glory TV series etc) were requested by a wealthy Korean American Mr. Park (Kim Jae-cheol - The King's Affection TV series etc) to help lift curse on his family. Hwa-rim sensed that the family was haunted by their ancestor from his grave.

(TV SERIES) Death's Game - An Entertaining Fantasy Series with Interesting Premise

Although this series had been available on Prime Video for few months, I only started watching it three weeks ago after my wife heavily recommended it as she believed I would have liked it. Since I was concentrating on writing my views of newer movies and series earlier, I just got the chance on doing a post on this now. Without further ado, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Choi Yi-jae (Seo In-guk - Project Wolf Hunting, Doom at Your Service TV series etc) was a young man who had been really frustrated after failing to get proper jobs for the past 7 years. The situation was worsened as his girlfriend Lee Ji-su (Go Youn-jung - Moving  TV series, Law School TV series etc) was more successful. Although Yi-jae's mother (Kim Mi-kyung - Switch, Welcome to Samdal-ri TV series etc) was always supportive, he still felt depressed and decided to end his life.

24 Jam Bersama Gaspar - Not the Kind of Gritty Entertaining Movie for Casual Audience

Once again another new Indonesian movie was shown on Netflix which was never released in the cinemas. With a famous actor as the lead cast, I was obviously interested in watching it. So when it was available yesterday, I immediately gave it a try. OK, I will get on the movie now.

Brief Story Line (warning possible spoiler)

Story was set few decades in the future with a large gap between rich and poor and the impoverished had to live for scraps. Gaspar (Reza Rahadian - Berbalas Kejam, Benyamin Biang Kerok etc) was a detective who had been trying to locate his missing childhood friend for years. His investigation led him to Mrs. Yati (Dewi Irawan - Tabula Rasa, Sang Penari etc) and later a gold store owner named Wan Ali (Iswadi Pratama). Gaspar was also obsessed in a mysterious black box which happened to be inside Wan Ali's store. 

(TV SERIES) The Gentlemen Season 1 - An Entertaining Spin Off from the Well Executed Movie by Guy Ritchie

This series was shown in the coming soon section in Netflix for quite a while and I was intrigued as it reminded me of a movie that I had seen few years ago. Apparently it was indeed based on that film, which made me interested in giving it a try. So I started watching the series few days after its release and managed to finish it last night. All right, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Edward Horniman (Theo James - The Time Traveler's Wife TV series, Divergent movies etc) was called back home due to the poor health condition of his father, Duke Archibald Horniman (Edward Fox - The Day of the Jackal etc). He reunited with his older brother Frederick (Daniel Ings - Instinct TV series etc), younger sister Charlotte (Jasmine Blackborrow - Marie Antoinette TV series etc), their mother Lady Sabrina (Joely Richardson - The Sandman TV series, Endless Love 2014 remake etc) and the groundskeeper Geoffrey (Vinnie Jones - Snatch, X-Men: The Last Stand etc). When the Duke ultimately passed away and the will was read, to everyone's surprise, the whole estate and title was given to Edward which did not go well with Frederick. 

Ricky Stanicky - A Comedy that Would Have Been More Fun if it did not Get too Serious and with Shorter Duration

One of the new movies that was released last week was this comedy that I thought had an interesting plot. But as I had to work late that day and going for holiday during the weekend, I only got the chance to watch it on Prime Video yesterday. All right then, let's get to it.

Brief Story Line

Three best friends Dean (Zac Efron - Scoob!, Neighbors etc), Wes (Jermaine Fowler - Coming 2 America etc) and JT (Andrew Santino - Dave TV series etc) had been using the name Ricky Stanicky which they created since childhood as their scapegoat for the past twenty years whenever they ran into trouble. Dean's girlfriend Erin (Lexi Scott Davis - Sweet Girl etc) and JT's wife Susan (Anja Savcic) had heard about Ricky many times as the best friend whom they never met.

(2024) Damsel - A Fairy Tale with a Twist that would be More Satisfying with More Adventures

There were so many options to choose on various streaming platforms this week that I had a bit of difficulty in deciding what to see first. Ultimately I opted to go with this film as I thought it had an interesting premise. OK then, I will get right with it.

Brief Story Line

Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown - Enola Holmes 2, Godzilla 2: King of Monsters etc), the daughter of Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone - Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Black Widow etc) was arranged for marriage with Prince Henry (Nick Robinson - The 5th Wave etc), the son of Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright - Blade Runner 2049, Wonder Woman 1984 etc) from Kingdom Aurea. Despite her reluctance, Elodie decided to accept the arrangement even though she did not know and love the prince as it would help their people. 

Kung Fu Panda 4 - Though it Still Had Some of the Charm, but This Latest Installment did not Feel Like the Best in the Series

I saw the trailer to this movie a couple of weeks ago in the theater and thought it looked funny and was looking forward to see it. I was quite surprised when I found out that before it was shown in the US, the Indonesian cinema chains already provided a special show on Sunday noon and once every day till its wide release on this Wednesday. Since my wife and I were not having anything urgent to do, we decided to see this in one of the studios that played the movie yesterday. All right, I'll get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

After years of becoming Dragon Warrior, Po (Jack Black - The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle etc) was told by his Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman - Meet the Fockers, Finding Neverland etc) that he would elevate and become the next Spiritual Master like Oogway and must find his successor. But Po was not keen on the new title and preferred to remain as warrior where he could fight against villains. So when he came across a fox thief called Zhen (Awkwafina - Migration, Crazy Rich Asians etc) who told him about latest threat in the form of sorceress Chameleon (Viola Davis - How to Get Away with Murder TV series, The Woman King etc), Po immediately embarked on a journey to fight against her. 

Dune: Part Two - Still Showing Breath Taking Scenes and Wonderful Story Telling that Left Us Expecting More to Provide Proper Conclusion

This was a movie that I kind of looking forward to as it served as conclusion to the successful film that I liked 3 years ago. As usual, I would wait for the weekend to see this kind of movie since I could enjoy it better without thinking I had to work the following day. Anyway, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

After the events of the first film, Paul Artreides (Timothée Chalamet - Wonka, Don't Look Up etc) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson - The Greatest Showman Silo TV series etc) were escaping from the chase of Harkonnen together with a tribe of Fremen led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem - The Little Mermaid live version, Before Night Falls etc), including the girl Paul had prior visions of, Chani (Zendaya - Spider-man trilogy, Space Jam: A New Legacy etc). As Paul tried to learn the ways of the Fremen so he could help save Arrakis, Jessica was convincing the tribe's people that her son was the prophesized savior.

Code 8: Part II - Not Exactly a Better Sequel than the Original, but Remained as a Different Kind of Action Drama Movie

This movie was released two days ago on Netflix which I thought I would see sometime in the future. But when it made to the Top 10 in Indonesia in just 1 day, I thought why delay it. So I decided to watch it last night. And here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Five years after the events of the First Movie, Connor (Robbie Amell - Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, The Babysitter etc) was released from prison after serving time and started to work as janitor in a youth center managed by Mina (Jean Yoon - Kim's Convenience TV series etc). Meanwhile his partner in crime Garret (Stephen Amell - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Heels TV series etc) took over the Psyke drug business and was quite successful. During this time, the Lincoln Police Department under the lead of Sergeant Kingston (Alex Mallari Jr - Dark Matter TV series etc) had developed new kind of robot in the form of dog called K9 to replace the deadly Guardians. 

(TV SERIES) Avatar: The Last Airbender - An Entertaining Action Adventure Fantasy Series Based on the Popular Animated Series from Nickelodeon

I was so looking forward to this series that when it was released on last Thursday, I immediately started watching it. Amazingly I could finish it on the following day which was quite a feat considering it was on weekdays. Anyway let us get on with it then.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the world where people could utilize the four elements of air, water, fire and earth (called "bending") for various purposes. Historically, only an Avatar who could bend all four elements and also the person who would maintain the peace. The fire nation had been trying to rule the world by eliminating the next Avatar said to be an airbender. Aang (Gordon Cormier - The Stand mini series), a 12 year old boy from air nation only wanted to be a regular kid but had to resume the responsibility of the Avatar.

(TV SERIES) A Shop for Killers Season 1 - An Entertaining Action Series with Unique Premise Based on Popular Novel

After its finale was released more than a week ago, I decided to give this series a try yesterday. It was a bit late as usually I would start new series once the final episode was released. But since there were so many new shows, movies and continuing other series that I had been watching for a while, it was kind of challenging to find the time to do so. Anyway, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Jeong Ji-an (Kim Hye-jun - Connect TV series, Another Child etc) was an orphan who had been living with her uncle Jeong Jinman (Lee Dong-wook - A Year-End Medley, Bad and Crazy TV series etc) since her childhood years till she went to college. When Jin-man unexpectedly died, Ji-an returned home to handle the funeral arrangements where she met her old school friend Bae Jeong-min (Park Ji-bin - Children of Heaven, The Killer’s Shopping List TV series etc) who comforted and helped her in the difficult time.

Madame Web - Might be Better Off as TV Pilot but Despite its Shortcomings Still Quite Enjoyable

It had been few months since my wife and I saw a superhero movie in the theater. So when the film was released this week, both of us decided to see it in the weekend when we have the opportunity. All right then, I'll dive into it.

Brief Story Line

Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson - Bad Times at the El Royale, How to be Single etc) was a paramedic in Manhattan working with her partner Ben (Adam Scott - Little Evil, Severance TV series etc).  After an incident during her work, Cassie started to have visions of future which totally confused her. When she saw glimpses of a mysterious person later revealed to be Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim - The Mauritanian, The Serpent etc) trying to kill three teenagers, Cassie decided to save them.

(TV SERIES) House of Ninjas Season 1 - A Fun and Interesting Series about Family of Ninja

I was not aware about this series until it was shown on the Coming Next Week section in Netflix. And once I read the brief synopsis, I was immediately intrigued and could not wait to watch it. So when it was released two days ago, I gave it a try and watched the first half & finish the remaining last night. Well how was it then? Let's find out more, shall we?

Brief Story Line

From the outside, Haru Tawara (Kento Kaku - Tokyo MER: The Movie etc) seemed like a common young man and had a crush on a woman he always saw in a restaurant, later revealed to be journalist Karen Ito (Riho Yoshioka - Gannibal TV series etc). Secretly though, Haru was from a family of Ninjas or Shinobis that consisted of his parents Soichi (Yosuke Eguchi - Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning etc) & Yoko (Tae Kimura - 24 Japan TV series etc), his younger sister Nagi (Aju Makita - True Mothers etc) and their grandmother Taki (Nobuko Miyamoto - A Taxing Woman etc). Except for the youngest Riku (Tenta Banka) who was not aware of his family real identity.

Sleep Call - Not Bad for a Psychological Thriller Even Though it Might be a bit Predictable

When this movie was released a week ago on Prime Video, I was still continuing other series and also busy with other matters. Last night I finally made up my mind to watch it as I was intrigued with the premise. So here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Dina (Laura Basuki - Berbalas Kejam, The Returning etc) was a young woman caught in the debt trap after having to finance the medication of her mother (Jenny Zhang - Sri Asih, Bidadari Mencari Sayap etc). She had no choice but to work with the online loan company where she owed to, under the supervision of Bayu (Kristo Immanuel - The Big 4 etc) and their boss Tommy (Bront Palarae - Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion, My Stupid Boss etc). Dina also work with other colleagues including her best friend Bella (Della Dartyan - The Day Before the Wedding etc).

(TV SERIES) Tira Season 1 - A So So First Indonesian Superhero Series in BCU

I heard the news about this series few months ago and thought it would be interesting, especially since it was set in the Bumi Langit Cinematic Universe (BCU). After seeing all the previous 3 movies, I was curious in finding out the latest superhero to be introduced here. The final episode was just released on Disney+ last week so I began watching it then and finished it last night. OK, I will get to it now.

Brief Story Line

Suci Larasati (Chelsea Islan - Headshot, Sebelum Iblis Menjemput etc) was a young woman aspiring to become a great stunt person like her father Rama (Mathias Muchus - Hangout, Toba Dreams etc). She got scholarship to study in Jakarta and was living together with her best friend Maudy (Agnes Naomi - One Night Stand etc) and her mother Bu Wenny (Asri Welas - Cek Toko Sebelah 2 etc). Her part time gig though, took a lot of time resulting the need to take remedial class led by assistant lecturer Ben (Bhisma Mulia - Sobat Ambyar etc). 

(TV SERIES) Mr. & Mrs. Smith - An Action-Comedy Drama Series Inspired by the Successful 2005 Movie

I was quite surprised when I found out that this new series had all of its episodes released on the same day. Usually Prime Video would release two episodes on its first week and the rest would be shown every week after. So I immediately gave it a try during the weekend and managed to finish it easily. All right, I'll get more to it then.

Brief Story Line

Two strangers who would use the pseudonym of John Smith (Donald Glover - Solo: A Star Wars Story, Spider-man: Homecoming etc) and Jane (Maya Erskine - PEN15 TV series, Blue Eye Samurai animated series etc) were recruited by unknown organization to work on various covert assignments from simple deliveries to dangerous stuff like protecting high value target. For their cover, they lived together as husband and wife.

Argylle - Fun Enough Action Comedy but not as Impressive as Other Movies of this Genre

This was the movie that I was aiming to see during the weekend, but I only managed to do so on Sunday after failing to get proper seats the day before. My wife and I went to the cinema that was a bit further than our favorite place, but we were confident it would have plenty of seats that we like. And indeed it was. So how was the movie then? Let's find out more, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard - Jurassic World Dominion, Pete's Dragon etc) was a successful author of best selling spy novels which focused on the character Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill - Enola Holmes 2, The Man from U.N.C.L.E etc) and his partner Wyatt (John Cena - Peacemaker TV series, Doolittle etc). As she was finalizing her latest book, Elly decided to visit her mother Ruth (Catherine O'hara - Elemental, Beetlejuice etc) for brain storming. But during her trip, she was getting hunted by people said to be agents from a dirty spy organization led by Ritter (Bryan Cranston - Power Rangers, Breaking Bad TV series etc), and she was saved by a rogue agent named Wilde (Sam Rockwell - See How They Run, Trolls World Tour etc).

No Way Up - A Suspenseful Enough Survival Thriller Drama

Yesterday my wife and I were planning to see the latest Hollywood movie released in the cinemas. But it was not playing in that many theaters and by the time we finally reached the place where we want to see it, the studio was already filled so we decided to see another one instead. All right then, let us find out more on this movie.

Brief Story Line

Ava (Sophia McIntosh - Brave New World TV series etc) with her boyfriend Jed (Jeremias Amoore - Zero Chill TV series etc) and their best friend Kyle (Will Attenborough - The Outpost etc) were planning on a holiday trip. As the child of governor, Ava was accompanied by her bodyguard Brandon (Colm Meaney - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Hell of Wheels TV series etc). 

(TV SERIES) Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 - A Nice Adaptation of the Percy Jackson Book Series

As a fan of fantasy & adventure stories, I was quite interested in finding out this series that was released on Disney+ since few weeks ago. I started watching it on Monday as I knew the finale would be available on Wednesday. So I managed to finish the first season two nights ago. OK, I'll get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell - The Adam Project etc) was a twelve year old boy who was suffering from dyslexia and seemed to have vivid imagination. As such he had difficulties in fitting in school and only had one best friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri - Cheaper by the Dozen 2022 version etc). It was found out later that he was actually a half blood, the child of a Greek God and a human. When he was being chased by some monsters, Percy's mother Sally (Virginia Kull - NOS4A2 TV series etc) decided to bring him to the Camp so he would be safe and could train together with other Half-bloods including Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries - Beast etc).

Alienoid: Return to the Future - Second Part of the Hit 2022 Fantasy Sci-fi Action Movie that Provided Satisfying Conclusion

When I found out about this latest South Korean movie to hit the Indonesian theater, I was quite surprised as I did not know there would be a sequel to the 2022 film. This made me quite intrigued, but since I never saw the first movie before, I had to search for it via online streaming. Luckily it was available and I watched it on Saturday with my wife, before we went to see the new one in theater yesterday. OK, why don't I just get to it.

Brief Story Line (1st and 2nd paragraph were from the first movie)

Guard (Kim Woo-bin - Our Blues TV series, The Con Artists etc) and Thunder (voiced by Kim Dae-myung (The Drug King, Hospital Playlist TV series etc) were aliens who have been using people on earth as prison for their criminals for many years. They could come back and forth in time to catch those who somehow managed to escape. During one of their mission in 1380, they found a baby and brought her to the year 2012, named her Yi-an (Choi Yu-ri) & raised her for 10 years. But Guard's behavior was very weird and attracted the attention of Min Gae-in (Lee Hanee - Phantom, The Fiery Priest TV series etc), the aunt of a student who was best friend with Yi-an. When the latest batch of criminals were sent to earth, it created complication as they included the rebel Controller who was put inside Detective Do-seok (So Ji-sub - Confession, My Secret Terrius TV series etc) and wanted to turn earth into a place they could live freely but uninhabitable for humans. This could only be stopped by the Divine Blade hold by Guard.

Sound of Freedom - A Heavy Crime Drama with Some Powerful Messages

This week there was no major Hollywood movies released in the cinemas while the Indonesia films were not of interest for me. But there was a film shown since Wednesday that I wanted to give a try. Since we were not having anything really important to do yesterday, we decided to go and see this movie. All right, let's get to it.

Brief Story Line

Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel - Passion of the Christ, Person of Interest TV series etc), an agent for Homeland Security Investigations had been capturing pedophiles for years and finally realized that the children saved were too few. After apprehended the latest criminal and managed to save a victim who was the child of Roberto Aguilar (Jose Zuniga - Half Brothers, The Duel etc), Tim set his heart on saving other children. Despite not fully approved by his boss (Kurt Fuller - Evil TV series, Ghostbusters II etc), but Tim's wife Katherine (Mira Sorvino - Stuber, The Replacement Killers etc) truly understood and supported his decision.

Badland Hunters - A Heavy Action Movie Based on Webtoon and Different Kind of Sequel to its Predecessor

I already knew there was going to be a new movie starring Ma Dong-seok since few weeks ago on Netflix. As fan of his action style, I obviously did not want to miss the chance of watching the film as soon as it was released yesterday. So much so that I opted to watch it as opposed to see a movie at the cinema. Anyway, here's more on it.

Brief Story Line

After a heavy earthquake rocked South Korea, the country had become quite uninhabitable. Some of the survivors gathered and lived in villages like the hunter Nam-san (Ma Dong-seok - The Roundup: No Way Out, Eternals etc) and his young partner Ji-wan (Lee Jun-young - Love and Leashes, Goodbye to Goodbye TV series etc) who had a crush on Su-na (Roh Jeung-eui - 18 Again TV series, The Day I Died: Unclosed Case etc).