(TV SERIES) The Judge Returns - A Well Done Legal Drama With Interesting Plot, A Little Bit of Fantasy Element and Entertaining Battle of Strategies

This series was made available on HBO Max in Indonesia since few weeks ago. I was not too sure if it would be interesting, but my wife who loved the acting of its lead cast was immediately intrigued. After watching several episodes, she highly recommended me to give it a try which I did from last weekend & managed to finish it last night. So how was the series then? Let us get into it now, shall we?

Brief Story Line

Lee Han-young (Ji Sung - Confession, Connection TV series etc) was a corrupt judge in Seoul who agreed to sway decision in favor of the ones willing to bribe him. However after an incident, he had a change of heart and turned his life around to clean corrupt Korean justice system powered by senior judge Kang Sin-jin (Park Hee-soon - My Name TV series, The Policeman's Lineage etc). Realizing he could not do everything alone, Han-young reconnected with his high school best friend Seok Jeong-ho (Tae Won-seok - Good Boy TV series, My Puppy etc) who was now a successful loan shark. He also enlisted the help of prosecutors Park Cheol-woo (Hwang Hee - Love Song for Illussion TV series etc) and Kim Jin-ah (Won Jin-ah - Secret: Untold Melody, Hellbound TV series etc), plus the support from reporter Song Na-yeon (Baek Jin-hee - The Real Has Come TV series etc).

Blades of the Guardians - Very Entertaining Martial Arts Movie with Some Brilliantly Done Fight Sequence

I have been highly anticipating this movie ever since I found out about it more than a month ago. But since it was released while my wife and I were away on holiday, I only got the chance to see it four days after it was available in Indonesia. Without further ado, here's more on the second of our movie marathon day. 

Brief Story Line

Set during the Sui dynasty era, Dao Ma (Wu Jing - Meg 2: The Trench, Wolf Warrior 2 etc) was a well known bounty hunter who himself was actually the second wanted man in the country. One day he was asked by his benefactor, the chief of Moji village Lao Mo (Tony Leung Ka Fai -  Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, The Lover etc) to escort the most wanted man Zhi Si Lang (Sun Yi Zhou - iPartment series, This is Not What I Expected etc) to Chang'an capital. Despite his reluctance, Dao Ma fulfilled the request and went there together with the child under his protection Xiao Qi, Lao Mo's daughter Ayuya (Opera performer Chen Li Jun) and her bodyguard Ani (Xiong Jin Yi - My Sassy Deskmate TV series etc).

(2026) Crime 101 - A Pretty Well Adaptation of Highly Praised Crime Thriller Novella

After spending a week's vacation out of town, I was in the mood to see films that I missed out while I was away. So yesterday my wife and I decided to have movie marathon and saw two of them in one of our favorite cinemas. Without further ado, here's more on the first film.

Brief Story Line

An intelligent jewel thief who went by the name Mike (Chris Hemsworth - Transformers One, Extraction etc) had been doing various robberies without using violence and always managed to escape via route 101. Detective Lou Lebinsky (Mark Ruffalo - Mickey 17, Dark Waters etc) from LAPD was able to link the robberies done by Mike who he dubbed as lone wolf, although his partner Tillman (Corey Hawkins - 6 Underground, The Color Purple etc) and other colleagues were skeptical about his theory.

(Mini Series) The Art of Sarah - An Intricate and Complex Mystery Thriller Series

Since I was on holiday the past week with my wife, I only got the chance to watch things on streaming service when I was back at hotel at night. After completing different series earlier on Netflix, I opted to watch another one that I thought sounded interesting. It was actually released exactly last week but I only started to watch three nights ago and completed it last night after I returned home. All right then, let us get into the series now.

Brief Story Line

When the body of a young woman was found in the sewer, Detective Park Mu-gyeong (Lee Joon-hyuk - Mercy for None mini series, The Roundup: No Way Out etc) was assigned to investigate the case. He was assisted by energetic rookie detective Jae-hyeon (Shin Hyun-seung - Han River Police TV series etc) who was eager to prove his worth. The body was later identified as the Boudoir luxury brand regional head Sarah Kim (Shin Hye-sun - Following, Welcome to Samdal-ri TV series etc) by her friend Jeong Yeo-jin (Park Bo-kyung - Genie, Make a Wish TV series, Hopeless etc) who was also the largest investor of Boudoir. 

(TV SERIES) How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Season 1 - A Well Written and Fun Mystery Comedy Series With Wonderful Performance by Its Cast

When this series was released last week, I was in the midst of completing other series and not until I was away for holiday with my wife that I began to watch it few days ago. It took me a while to finish as I only had chance to watch at night when I was not too tired. Anyway I just completed it last night. All right then, I'll get on with the series.

Brief Story Line

Three childhood best friends that consisted of successful TV show writer Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher - Lazarus mini series, Mandrake etc), Robyn (Sinéad Keenan - Being Human TV series, Trouble With Sex etc) the mother of 3 children and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne - Industry TV series, In View etc) reunited when their estranged friend from high school Greta (Natasha O'Keeffe - C. B. Strike TV series, Filth etc) passed away. They decided to go to the wake to honor her despite their personal reservations.

Playdate - Unfortunately not As Entertaining As I Hoped For

I noticed in the website for upcoming movies that this film was going to be released in Prime Video on November12, 2025. But as I waited and waited, it never appeared on that day. After re-checking, I came to conclusion that it was only available in the US. To my surprise, three days ago it was finally released in Indonesia and I got the chance to watch it yesterday. OK, I'll just get started with it then.

Brief Story Line

Brian Jennings (Kevin James - Hubie Halloween, Paul Blart: Mall Cop etc) was a forensic accountant who just got laid-off from the company he worked for. His wife Emily (Sarah Chalke - The Wrong Missy, Roseanne TV series etc) decided to return to work as lawyer, leaving Brian to be a stay-home dad and taking care of his step son Lucas (Benjamin Pajak - The Life of Chuck etc). On their first time spending the day together, Brian and Lucas went to the park and met with single dad Jeff (Alan Ritchson - The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Reacher TV series etc) who was playing with his son CJ (Banks Pierce). 

(TV SERIES) Million-Follower Detective - Could Have Been a Really Good Series with Better Execution in Certain Areas

I had seen this series promoted in the Coming Soon section of Netflix for quite some time and was immediately interested when I noticed the lead cast was Ekin Cheng, the famous Hong Kong star from 1990s and 2000s. Plus it looked to have an interesting premise. Anyway once it was released yesterday, I started watching and finished it today. OK, let's get right on it now.

Brief Story Line

When a mysterious masked influencer called the Witch Baba started to give prediction of people dying, no one really believed until it became a reality as a famous influencer was shot by Detective Chen Chia-jen (Ekin Cheng - Young and Dangerous movies, The Twins Effect etc) in front of police station. Another well known influencer You Tzi (Singer/Rapper Shou Lo - I am the Secret in Your Heart, Organ Child etc) was upset and made it a major issue by blaming Chia-jen for his friend's shooting.

(TV SERIES) The 'Burbs Season 1 - Reimagining Adaptation of the Cult Classic of 1989 Movie with the Same Title

As I was looking for something new to watch last night, I came across this brand new series from Peacock that was released on HBO Max. It looked like fun so I did not hesitate to give it a try immediately and just finished the whole season today. All right then, why don't I get right on it.

Brief Story Line

The newlyweds Rob Fisher (Jack Whitehall - Clifford the Red Dog, Fresh Meat TV series etc) and his wife Samira (Keke Palmer - The Pickup, Lightyear etc) had just moved to Rob's childhood home in the suburb where they decided to raise their infant child. Samira became good friends with their neighbors that included kind hearted, recently widowed Lynn (Julia Duffy - Christmas with the Campbells, Newhart TV series etc), ex marine Dana (Paula Pell - Girls5eva TV series, Summer of 69 etc) and the calm & collected Tom (Mark Proksch - What We Do in the Shadows TV series, Decker comedy series etc), while Rob reconnect with his best friend from school Naveen (Kapil Talwalkar - Night Court sitcom, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist TV series etc).

The Strangers: Chapter 3 - The Final Part of The New Strangers Trilogy With Some Story of their Origins

I noticed this movie in the Coming Soon section a couple of weeks ago. Since my wife and I had seen the two films before this one, we definitely did not want to miss the final installment of the trilogy. So when it was released yesterday, we decided to watch it in our favorite cinema. OK, I'll just get right to it now.

Brief Story Line

After killing one of the strangers in the second chapter, Maya (Madelaine Petsch -  Maintenance Required etc) was trying to run away from them when he met with Gregory (Gabriel Basso - The Night Agent TV series, A House of Dynamite etc), the only man left in the house she stayed for short while before. However, Maya encountered the strangers again while trying to escape out of Venus town.

(2025) Wildcat - A Disappointing Action Thriller Movie with Only the Action Sequence Worth Watching

Last week, this action thriller was released in Indonesia together with other movies that I already set my eyes on. It was not something that I was too interested in, but as I got spare time yesterday, I decided to give it a try by myself since I was not sure my wife would enjoy it. Anyway the movie played in quite a lot of cinemas in Jakarta, including the one just walking distance from my home. OK, I'll just get on with it then.

Brief Story Line

Ada (Kate Beckinsale - Jolt, Underworld movies etc) was a former Special Forces agent who had retired and decided to lead normal life with her only daughter Charlotte (Isabelle Moxley) while taking care of her depressed brother Edward (Rasmus Hardiker - Krypton TV series, Cockneys vs. Zombies etc). However, when Charlotte was kidnapped by London's strongest gangsters led by Frasier Mahoney (Charles Dance - The Day of the Jackal TV series, Godzilla II: King of the Monsters etc), Ada had no choice but to work together with her old friends from the forces, Roman (Lewis Tan - Mortal Kombat 2021 version, Shadow and Bones season 2 etc) and Curtis (Bailey Patrick - London Kills TV series etc) to perform a heist job on Frasier's competitor Christina Vine (Alice Krige - Star Trek: First Contact, The Rig season 2 etc).

Send Help - A Fresh & Original Entertaining Movie with Interesting Plot and Intelligent Writing

This movie actually had early screening last week but my wife and I were not available as we were out of town. Yesterday we finally got the chance to see it in one of our favorite cinema. OK, why don't I just get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Mean Girls etc) was an intelligent strategist and had been working at a Financial Management company for many years. But due to her weak character, she had trouble fitting in and was looked down by her colleagues, especially Donovan (Xavier Samuel - Blonde, Elvis etc) who took advantage of her works. When Bradley Preston (Dylan O'Brien - Love and Monsters, The Maze Runner trilogy etc) was appointed as new CEO, Linda who was supported by one of the executive Franklin (Dennis Haysbert - No Exit, 24 TV series etc), was hoping to get her promised promotion, though it never materialized.