(MINI SERIES) The Penguin - A Heavy and Dark Series Depicting the Rise and Fall of One of Batman's Adversaries

I knew from the internet that there was going to be this mini series focusing on the character of Penguin, one of Batman's villain. It was released on 19 September in the US and was immediately available on HBO GO the following day. Since it was shown one episode per week, I only started watching two nights ago so I could watch the finale last night. All right then, let's get into the series.

Brief Story Line

Set after the events of The Batman, Oswald "Oz" Cobb (Colin Farrell - Artemis Fowl, In Bruges etc) tried to capitalize on the death of his ex boss, Carmine Falcone. However, he was looked down by people from Falcone family, including Carmine's son Alberto (Michael Zegen - The Stand In, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel TV series etc) and his sister Sofia (Cristin Milioti - Made for Love TV series, The Wolf of Wolf Street etc). Oz decided to build his own criminal empire by tricking, manipulating and pitting the Falcones against their biggest enemy the Maroni family led by Salvatore (Clancy Brown - John Wick: Chapter 4, Dexter: New Blood TV series etc).

(2024) The Killer - An Inferior Remake of One of John Woo's Classic Action Movie

After few days of vacation with my wife and did not really have the time to watch anything, I returned home and started to browse all the new release I might have missed out. To my surprise this film that I was curious about was already available on HBO Go. So I immediately chose to watch it last night. OK, let's get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Zee (Nathalie Emmanuel - Fast X, Arthur the King etc) was one of the assassins working for Finn (Sam Worthington - Avatar: The Way of Water, The Titan etc) who was usually hired by various clients, including French crime boss Jules Gobert (Eric Cantona - AKA etc). During Zee's latest assignment, an amateur singer named Jenn (Diana Silvers - Space Force TV series etc) was caught in the cross fire which resulted to her losing sight. Unexpectedly, Zee decided to let Jenn alive which made Finn furious.

(TV SERIES) Based on a True Story Season 1 - An Entertaining Comedy Series on True Crime Podcast

While I was looking for something to watch on HBO Go as it had been quite some time since I watched anything there, I came across this series which looked interesting. So I gave it a try 2 nights ago and managed to complete it last night. Without further ado, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Ava (Kaley Cuoco - Man from Toronto, The Big Bang Theory TV series etc) was a pregnant woman working as real estate agent and had been married for years with Nathan Bartlett (Chris Messina - I Care a Lot, The Mindy Project TV series etc), a former tennis star who now worked as coach in a luxurious country club. They lived with Ava's younger sister Tory (Liana Liberato - Totally Killer, Light as a Feather TV series etc) and were best friends with several rich people, including Ruby (Priscilla Quintana - Pandora TV series etc).

(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). 

The Promised Neverland - Live Adaptation of Critically Acclaimed and Successful Manga Series

While people were talking about the latest Zombie series in HBO, I opted to watch this movie instead which was released just few days ago. I was interested in watching this as it seemed interesting from its trailer (not the synopsis as it did not hint anything at all). Anyway, let's get to it now.

Brief Story Line

In a special orphanage called Grace Field House, a lot of children were taken care there till they reached certain age and would be adopted. Emma (Minami Hamabe - Ajin: Demi Human, Love Me, Love Me Not etc), Norman (Rihito Itagaki) and Ray (Jyo Kairi) were the most intelligent of them and always scored high in their tests. This made them became the favorites of the caretaker known as Mum (Keiko Kitagawa - The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Your Home is My Business! TV series etc).

(TV SERIES) Vampire Academy Season 1 - A Vampire Series with Rather Unique Story Based on Popular Novels by Richelle Mead

It has been a while since I watched anything on HBO Go as the new and old series were released one episode per week while the new movies mostly I had seen before. I was aware about this intriguing series for quite some time, but as usual I waited till it's completed before started watching. OK I'll get right on it then.

Brief Story Line

Rose Hathaway (Sisi Stringer - Mortal Kombat 2021 etc) was a vampire-human hybrid referred to as Dhampir and training to be guardian for Moroi, the mortal vampires who could do elemental magic. She was best friend with a Moroi lady, Princess Lissa Dragomir (Daniela Nives - Sex APPeal etc) and had vowed to be her guardian once they graduated from the Vampire Academy. After an incident, Lissa was now being guarded by experienced Dhampir named Dimitri (Kieron Moore). 

Horizon Line - A Standard Survival Thriller Movie Which Took too long to Get to the Suspenseful Part

I was actually aware that this movie was released on HBO Go some time ago but did not got the chance to watch it then, and I forgotten all about it. That is until it was suddenly released in one cinema chain in Indonesia 2 days ago that made me gain interest. So, I decided to watch it last night. OK, here we go.

Brief Story Line

Sara (Allison Williams - Get Out etc) was planning to attend the wedding of her best friend Pascale (Pearl Mackie) in Mauritius. Due to some reasons, she had no choice but to ride in a small airplane from a small island piloted by Freddy (Keith David - Nope etc) to the location. Unexpectedly Sara's old boyfriend Jackson (Alexander Dreymon - The Last Kingdom TV series etc) also board the plane.

(TV SERIES) Quantum Leap Season 1 - The Revival/Sequel of the Lovable Cult Classic Series

I was not aware they were planning to revive this sci-fi series which was kind of a favorite of mine back in the 80s and early 90s until I saw it in HBO Go application few weeks ago. But I was a bit skeptical of how this would fare, especially when I noticed somewhere on the internet that it was not that well received. However, I was still intrigued to find out for myself, so I decided to watch it during the weekend after the final episode has been released last week. 

Brief Story Line

Story was set around thirty years after the Quantum Leap project where Dr. Sam Beckett, the person who went into the Quantum Accelerator back then, never returned home and a new team led by Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee - Kevin Can F**k Himself TV series etc) tried to revive this project. One night, despite the machine did not seem to be ready yet, Ben somehow went into the accelerator and leapt into someone else's body just like Sam did in the past.

(TV SERIES) House of the Dragon - An Interesting Prequel to One of the Most Beloved and Critically Acclaimed Fantasy Series

As a major fan of Game of Thrones series and had watched the whole seasons, obviously this prequel series made me excited. I waited patiently till the whole first season was released a little over a week ago and finished it in 2 days time. All right then, why don't I get to it now.

Brief Story Line

Set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, Viserys from house of Targaryen (Paddy Considine - The Outsider mini series, The Girl with All the Gifts etc) had just been chosen as the new king of Seven Kingdoms despite being younger than his cousin and firstborn Rhaenys (Eve Best - Fate: The Winx Saga TV series, The King's Speech etc). 

King Viserys was supported by the Hand, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans - The King's Man, Berlin Station TV series etc) whose young daughter Alicent (Emily Carey - Anastasia: Once Upon a Time etc) was very close with young princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock - Upright TV series etc). Otto and the members of the council that also included Rhaenys' husband Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint - The Knock TV series etc) were worried of Viserys younger brother, the rogue Prince Daemon (Matt Smith - Morbius, Last Night in Soho etc) who always seemed to create trouble.

Till Death - Quite Interesting Thriller with a bit Diabolical Plot

After being released for more than a week, I finally watched this movie on HBO Go. Not that I was not interested, but more towards waiting for the right time as it was already in my to watch list. Well anyway, let's get started then.

Brief Story Line

To celebrate their 11th anniversary, Emma (Megan Fox - Night Teeth, Jennifer's Body etc) and her husband Mark (Eoin Macken - La Brea TV series, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter etc) went to a secluded lake house and spend the night there. 

Unfortunately for Emma, she woke up the next day being handcuffed to her dead husband. And to make matters worse, there were a couple of criminals Bobby Ray (Callan Mulvey - Bleeding Steel, Children of the Corn etc) and Jimmy (Jack Roth) who came to the lake house with their own agenda.

(TV SERIES) The Time Traveler's Wife - A Fresh Adaptation of the Best Selling Novel that Sadly did not get the Chance to Get Proper Closure

I saw this series promoted on HBO Go for a while but only started watching it 2 days ago, which did not take too long to complete as it only had 6 episodes overall. It was a series that intrigued me as it had time travel element, and I happened to like the 2009 film version too. All right, let's get to it now.

Brief Story Line

Ever since she was a kid, Clare Abshire (Rose Leslie - Death on the Nile, The Good Fight TV series etc) had been in love with a time traveller named Henry DeTamble (Theo James -  Underworld: Blood Wars, The Divergent Series: Allegiant etc) who often came to visit her for a short period of time.

(2021) My Son - An Interesting and Intriguing Drama Mystery with Some Wonderful Performance by James McAvoy

Last night I was feeling adventurous and decided to watch a new movie on HBO Go that I was not aware at all, but seemed to have interesting premise. Plus it starred quite famous names as well. So I gave it a try immediately after coming home from hanging out with my wife. OK, let's get started now.

Brief Story Line

Edmond Murray (James McAvoy - His Dark Materials TV series, Glass etc) was called back from his work to his hometown in a small town in Scotland where his ex wife Joan (Claire Foy - First Man, Breathe etc) told him their 7 year old son Ethan had been missing. The lead investigator was Inspector Roy (Gary Lewis - Outlander TV series etc) who together with the local police force were trying to locate Ethan near the camp where he went missing.

Moonshot - A Pleasant Romantic Comedy with Sci-fi Background

Yesterday there was this new movie playing on HBO Go which I was interested in watching as it had simple premise and seemed light and fun. So I gave it a try immediately last night. Well here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in 2049 where living in Mars was possible due to the work by self-made billionaire Leon Kovi (Zach Braff - Cheaper by the Dozen 2022 version etc). A college student named Walt (Cole Sprouse - Five Feet Apart etc) who had been eyeing to go to Mars was feeling frustrated that he could not go.

Jolt - An Interesting Action Comedy with Unique Lead Character

I was looking forward to this movie when I first saw it in the Coming Soon section of HBO Go as the premise seemed interesting. So once it was released on Saturday, I immediately watch it on its premier day. Well let us get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Lindy (Kate Beckinsale - Underworld: Blood Wars and its predecessors, Click etc) was a woman who suffered from intermittent explosive disorder which made her easily irritated and became violent on other people. Her psychiatrist Dr. Munchin (Stanley Tucci - The Witches 2020 version, The Terminal etc) put on a vest which could give Lindy electric jolt whenever she wanted to hurt other people. He also advised Lindy to start having personal relationship that might make her better.

(TV SERIES) Peacemaker Season 1 - An Amazing Series Based on DC Characters Introduced in The Suicide Squad

After waiting for a while, the first season of this series was finally completed on Thursday. And I had the chance to watch the whole season yesterday on HBO Go. All right, why don't I just get right to it.

Brief Story Line

After the events in The Suicide Squad, Chris Smith aka Peacemaker (John Cena - Bumblebee, Vacation Friends etc) who just recovered from his injury, thought he could run free only to find himself recruited again by ARGUS for a special project called Butterfly. The team now was led by Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) supported by Agent Harcourt (Jennifer Holland - American Pie Presents: The Book of Love etc), the tech guy John Economos (Steve Agee - The Sarah Silverman Program series etc) and the newest member Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks - Orange is the New Black TV series etc). 

KIMI - A Unique Thriller Drama with Slow Start but Strong Ending

Yesterday I found out about this movie which was just released on HBO Go that intrigued me. It did not play in the cinemas but seemed to have interesting premise. All right, I'll get right to it then.

Brief Synopsis

Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Divergent Series: Allegiant etc) was a tech worker working for a company that developed virtual assistant application called Kimi. Being an agoraphobic (see Notes below), Angela was not able to leave her apartment.

(TV SERIES) La Brea Season 1 - An Engaging Sci-fi Drama Series

Few weeks ago I found out about this new series that started to be shown on HBO Go platform which immediately intrigued me. But since it was released an episode a week, I had to wait till it was finally completed before I began binge watching it. With only 10 episodes, I managed to finish it in 1 weekend. So here goes.

Brief Story Line

During a normal day in Los Angeles, Eve (Natalie Zea - Justified TV series etc) was driving her teenaged son Josh (Jack Martin) and Izzy (Zyra Gorecki) to school when suddenly a massive sink hole appeared in La Brea, bringing down buildings, vehicles and lots of people as well. Eve's estranged husband Gavin (Eoin Macken - The Night Shift TV series etc) was shocked but he believed that his family actually survived the catastrophe and tried to convince the government to do a rescue mission.

8-Bit Christmas - A Kid-friendly Christmas Movie with Simple Story & Heart Warming Ending

During last weekend, my wife and I decided to watch another movie on Saturday night. It was after we saw 2 new films in a row, so the movie marathon still continued for us that day. After the intensity of the second movie, we chose a light Christmas themed film that was released just few days earlier on HBO Go. OK, I'll just get on with it then.

Brief Story Line

Story was told from the point of view of Jake Doyle (Neil Patrick Harris - Doogie Howser, M. D. TV series, Downsizing etc) who was sharing his childhood experience back in 1988 to his daughter Annie (Sophia Reid-Gantzert) during Christmas eve. Young Jake (Winslow Fegley - Nightbooks etc) was still living with his mother (Jude Diane Raphael - Long Shot etc), father Joe Doyle (Steve Zahn - The White Lotus TV series etc) and younger sister Lizzy (Bellaluna Resnick).

Space Jam: A New Legacy - A Standalone Sequel Which was OK but Less Satisfying Compared to its Predecessor

This movie was a sequel to one of the most popular films back in the 1990s and I was wondering what it would be like with the more sophisticated special effects now. So when it was announced that the movie would be released on HBO Go on 11 November, I made plan to watch it together with my wife. OK, let's find out more.

Brief Story Line

LeBron James (played by himself) was a great and professional basketball player who always taught his sons Darius (Ceyair J. Wright) and Dom (Cedric Joe) to take basketball seriously. However Dom who prefer to create video game instead, was not that keen with his father's teaching. And this was noticed by LeBron's wife Kamiyah (Sonequa Martin-Green - Star Trek: Discovery TV series etc) who encouraged him not to be so hard on Dom.

The Suicide Squad - Shockingly Violent Movie of the Task Force Comprised of Some Villains in DC Universe

This movie had been playing in Indonesian cinemas for quite some time now. But we were not able to see it back then, and so it was a pleasant surprise for me when I found out the film would be released via streaming on 4 November. Anyway, it was released on few platforms but we chose to see on HBO Go which allowed us to watch without additional fee. OK, let's get on with it now.

Brief Story Line

When a coup happened in the country of Corto Maltese, agent Waller (Viola Davis - How to Get Away with Murders TV series, The Help etc) decided to recruit team of ex convicts once again who were referred to as Task Force X aka Suicide Squad. Due to the extent of the danger, there were plenty of them recruited. The team itself was led by Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman - The Informer, Altered Carbon TV series etc).