Minions & Monsters - The Minions Hilarious Adventures During Golden Age of Hollywood

This movie had its advance ticket sales since 11 days ago which was kind of a surprise as it was usually available only few days before. My wife and I who are fans of Minions decided to buy the tickets for today's first show in the cinema not very far from our home (cause the one very near us did not have the schedule). Anyway since there are plenty of other things I plan to write tomorrow onwards, I thought I'll just post about the movie today. OK, let's just get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Set in the year 1920s, the minions (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) were still looking for the Big Boss to serve when they somehow ended up arriving in Hollywood and accidentally ruined the shooting of a movie directed by Max (Christoph Waltz - Alita: Battle Angel, Most Dangerous Game TV series etc). However the Bright Brothers (Jeff Bridges - Tron: Ares, Kingsman: The Golden Circle etc) who owned the film studio found them to be very amusing and wanted the minions to star in their movies.

Hoppers - Funny & Entertaining With Simple Enough Story But Still Have Plenty of Heart Warming Moments

This week there were a lot of new movies released in Indonesian cinemas. I think since the operators wanted to focus on local films starting from next week as it is nearing the biggest holiday season in Indonesia, they opted to show them now while international movies will be available in 2 weeks time. My wife and I had another movie marathon yesterday and saw this one first. OK I'll just get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda - The Wretched, I Didn't Do It TV series etc) had been living in Beaverton since her childhood years and loved all animals especially the ones in the glade. However when mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm - Transformers One, Baby Driver etc) decided to build freeway passing through the glade, Mabel was adamant not to allow it happen as the animals had to move out. When Mabel found that her biology professor Dr. Sam Fairfax (Kathy Najimi - Sister Act, Veronica's Closet TV series etc) was conducting science experiment that would allow a person's mind to be transferred to an animal-like robot, she somehow got herself to be part of it and hopped to the body of a beaver. 

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants - A Fun Movie But Probably Best Enjoyed by Fans of the Animated Series

This movie was released together with another one that I was looking forward to on Wednesday, no doubt to give families chance to see during Christmas holiday. As I was busy with my wife, we only managed to see the two of them yesterday in our movie marathon day. Without further ado, here's more on the film. 

Brief Story Line

When SpongeBob (Tom Kenny - Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp etc) realized he just grew taller, he wanted to prove that he was a big guy by following the footsteps of his boss Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown - The Penguin TV series, Warcraft: The Beginning etc) and became a swashbuckler. SpongeBob somehow summoned the pirate ghost Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill - The Wild Robot, Star Wars: The Last Jedi etc) who convinced him to go on a dangerous adventure to get the swashbuckler certificate. Together with his best friend Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke - Coach sitcom etc), SpongeBob went on the journey along with the Dutchman and his crew that included his assistant Barb (Regina Hall - Me Time, Think Like a Man etc).

Zootopia 2 - A Long Awaited Sequel that Was Still As Entertaining as the Original

When this movie was made available for advance ticket sale last week, my wife and I decided to buy tickets for its earliest show yesterday cause we were free on that day. We saw it in one of the cinemas not far from our home and pretty easy to access. Without further ado, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

Story was set not too far after the events of the first movie where Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin - Once Upon a Time TV series, He's Just Not That Into You etc) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman - Carry On, Game Night etc) had been partner in Zootopia PD for a week, though they seemed to be a bit incompatible due to their different characteristics. After a sting operation on a smuggling ring that created lots of commotion, Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba - Heads of State, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw etc) ordered Judy and Nick to attend therapy session before working on other cases. 

Elio - Another Wonderful Work from Disney Pixar Studio with An Unconventional Setting but Still Provide Meaningful Story

As my wife and I would not be able to see any movies this weekend since we would be going out of town, we decided to watch this new film yesterday on its first day of release. It was very convenient for us as it played in the cinema walking distance from our home, so we could make it just nicely after I came back from work. OK, let's just get to it then.

Brief Story Line

Elio (Yonas Kibreab - Sweet Tooth TV series etc) was a young kid who had difficulty in fitting in and always felt lonely. Despite her effort, Elio's aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana - Avatar: The Way of Water, The Adam Project etc) was unable to keep him really happy. After finding out about an expedition space ship to find life outside earth, Elio had been trying to make himself abducted by aliens so he could live with them. And somehow his dream came true and he was really taken by various aliens who lived in one location called Communiverse.

Ne Zha 2 - An Absolutely Entertaining, Action-packed Chinese Animated Movie that Broke Various Box Office Records

After reading the news about this movie for a couple of months, I was excited to hear that it would be released in Indonesia. However it was done while I was on vacation with my wife and hence we had to wait till we return to Jakarta. Yesterday we finally got the chance to see it in one of the cinemas not far from our home. Without further ado, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

Story was set immediately after the events in the first movie where the bodies of Ne Zha (Lu Yanting) and his best friend Ao Bing (Han Mo) were destroyed. Ne Zha's teacher Master Taiyi (Zhang Jiaming) tried his best to recreate their bodies but due to some complications, they had to find other ways to complete the work. To do so, Ne Zha had to leave his parents General Li Jing (Chen Hao) and Lady Yin (Lu Qi) to go to Yu Xu castle managed by Master Wuliang (Wang Deshun - Wu Kong, Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre 2019 series etc) to complete three trials and collect a special treasure.

Mufasa: The Lion King - An Entertaining Prequel that Complement the Awesome Original Story

I was a bit surprised when I found out about this movie cause I did not know its existence until few months ago. Nevertheless when I realized it was going to be released this week, we decided to look for the time to see it during the weekend. Without further ado, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

After the events of The Lion King, Simba (Donald Glover - Mr. and Mrs. Smith TV series, The Lazarus Effect etc) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) had a female cub named Kiara (Blue Ivy-Carter). One day, Kiara was left with Pumbaa (Seth Rogen - The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Kungfu Panda etc) and Timon (Billy Eichner - Bros, Noelle etc) as Simba had to accompany Nala outside. During this time, Rafiki (John Kani - Murder Mystery 2 etc) joined them and later told the story of Kiara's grandfather, Mufasa.

Moana 2 - An Enjoyable Sequel to the Lovely 2016 Animated Adventure Movie

After playing in the cinemas for few days, my wife and I finally went and see this movie in the theater very near to our home today. It's a good thing we were still able to get seats that we preferred as the studio was quite full till the next two shows. OK without further ado, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

After the events in the first movie, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho - Mean Girls 2024 version, The Power TV series etc) had been searching for people from other islands, but without success.  So when she got a vision about the lost island of Motufetu which would help connect the ocean, Moana decided to search for it. As advised by her family, Moana went to the ocean together with a crew that consisted of the "inventor" Loto (Rose Matafeo - Starstruck comedy series etc), the old farmer Kele (David Fane - Next Goal Wins etc) and Moni (Hualālai Chung) who was a major fan of Demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson - Red One, Rampage etc).

The Wild Robot - A Lovely and Heartwarming Animated Movie Based on Best Selling Novel

This movie already had its early screening last weekend, but due to limited number of seats available in the studios, my wife and I decided to wait it up. Finally the film was released on Friday and we saw it yesterday in one of our favorite cinemas not far from our home. OK, let's get to it now.

Brief Story Line

A robot specifically designed for assisting people was somehow crashed in an island without any humans. The robot who was identified as Rozzum-7134 (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o - A Quite Place: Day One, Us etc) tried her best to look for anyone who need her assistance. After days of unsuccessful effort to convince all animals, the robot nicknamed "Roz" by the sly fox Fink (Pedro Pascal - The Bubble, Wonder Woman 1984 etc), decided to take care of a baby goose. As advised by an opossum named Pinktail (Catherine O'hara - Argylle, Home Alone etc), Roz agreed she would ensure the goose was able to swim and fly. 

Transformers One - A Highly Entertaining Prequel of the Transformers Series

I was already quite excited when I saw the trailer to this movie, despite it's an animated as opposed to the live version of these beloved robots that could transform. I was already planning to see this together with my wife on Friday night in the cinema near our home but we cancelled it due to various reasons. So we finally saw it yesterday in another one of our movie marathon. All right, I'll just get to it then.

Brief Story Line

In the planet Cybertron after huge war with their enemy Quintessons, the robots who were unable to transform were tasked as miners to harvest energy source. Among them were two best friends Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, 12 Strong etc) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry - Class of '09 TV series, The Woman in the Window etc) who had been working in the mines for a long time and were also friends with high ranked officer Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson - Avengers: End Game, Ghost in the Shell etc). 

Despicable Me 4 - Not Our Favorite in the Series, Although it Still Provided Few Laughs

Since the first time we found out about this movie, my wife and I were totally excited and eager to see it at the earliest. Which was why we were willing to see the film on the first day of its special screening on Sunday where it only had one show. It was very challenging since apparently with the school holiday in Indonesia, most families decided to see it as well. Luckily we managed to get a couple of seats in a cinema that was quite OK for us. All right then, let's get on with the movie.

Brief Story Line

Gru (Steve Carrell - The Big Short, Speed Force TV series etc) who now worked as Agent for Anti Villain League and married to Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig - Wonder Woman 1984, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World etc) were happily living together with their adopted daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove - Mother of the Bride, iCarly TV series etc), Edith (Dana Gaier), Agnes (Madison Polan) and the new born baby Gru Jr. However, after the criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell - Barbie, Eurovision Song Contest etc) escaped from prison, he vowed to get revenge on Gru together with his fianceé Valentina (Sofia Vergara - Griselda TV series, The Emoji Movie etc).

Inside Out 2 - A Wonderfully Animated Sequel to the Beloved 2015 Movie with Awesome Story and Full of Emotions

This was one of the movies that I was quite eagerly waiting. It appeared the cinema chains knew there were a lot who wanted to see it first by having a special screening on Wednesday before its full release on Friday. My wife and I saw this on Saturday as the second of our movie marathon day. Without further ado, let's get on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Riley (Kensington Tallman) who had just turned 13 and her 2 best friends Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin) were invited to join a hockey summer camp. Joy (Amy Poehler - Movie, Duncanville TV series etc) and the rest of the emotions inside Riley's head, Disgust (Liza Lapira - The Equalizer TV series etc), Anger (Lewis Black - The Last Laugh etc), Fear (Tony Hale - Clifford the Big Red Dog, Toy Story 4 etc) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith - The Office TV series etc) were very excited with Riley's experience.

The Garfield Movie - A Fun Animated Movie Based on Hugely Popular Comic Character

When this movie had special screenings in the past few days at certain cinemas, I was busy with a lot of things and only managed to see it yesterday with my wife. It was in the studio that we seldom go to, but it was quite convenient for us. Anyway I'll just get on with the film then.

Brief Story Line

Garfield (Chris Pratt - The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Terminal List TV series etc) was a large and lazy orange cat who had been living with his owner Jon (Nicholas Hoult - The Menu, Those Who Wish Me Dead etc) and Odie the beagle dog (Harvey Guillén - What We Do in the Shadows TV series etc) for years. However his perfect life was turned upside down when Garfield's father Vic (Samuel L. Jackson - Secret Invasion mini series, Argylle etc) who had abandoned him for years suddenly appeared. Turned out Vic had been in an altercation with the Persian cat Jinx (Hannah Waddingham - The Fall Guy etc) and she forced Vic, Garfield and Odie to perform a crime.

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. 

Migration - Fun Adventure Animated Movie from the Studio that Brought Us the Hilarious Minions

During the Christmas holiday weekend, this movie had its limited theatrical release in Indonesia for two days in a row but only in several cinemas. Yesterday my wife and I decided to see it while we were available. OK, why don't I get to it then.

Brief Story Line

A family of Mallard ducks that consisted of the protective father Mack (Kumail Nanjiani - Eternals, Men in Black: International etc), the more adventurous mother Pam (Elizabeth Banks - Charlie's Angels 2019 version, The Lego Movie 2 etc) and their children Dax (Caspar Jennings) & Gwen (Tresi Gazal) had been living in a small pond safe from the predators outside.

(2023) The Monkey King - Quite Funny but not the Type of Classic and Most Memorable Adaptation of this Legendary Character

I was only interested in watching this new movie on Netflix as I saw the trailer once few days earlier which seemed funny. I already planned to watch it as soon as I could yesterday when it was released, but due to some late night work discussion, I arrived home quite late and forced myself to see it even though I was a bit tired. Anyway, let us get on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Young Monkey had been treated as an outcast since he was a child. So when he grew up, Monkey (Jimmy O. Yang - Love Hard, Crazy Rich Asians etc) decided to change his own fate. As luck would have it, he somehow acquired a powerful stick that would help him fighting a demon. After being told that he should defeat many demons to become an immortal, Monkey who proclaimed himself as Monkey King went on a mission to kill as many as possible.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - An Awesomely Done Reboot of the Beloved Ninja Turtles

I knew about this movie few weeks ago and became intrigued since its trailer was shown in theaters few times. I was planning to see this in the cinema near our home but unfortunately it was not playing there and only in several theaters. So my wife and I decided to see this on the weekend in the cinema a bit further. All right then, let us get on with it.

Brief Story Line

After a scientist for a research institute called TCRI led by Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph - Luca, Hubie Halloween etc) managed to develop mutagen that could transform animals into humans, it was thought to have been lost for good. However the mutagen somehow ended up in the sewer where a rat called Splinter (Jackie Chan - Ride On, The Knights of Shadows Between Yin and Yang etc) and four baby turtles were transformed into human. 15 years after the incident, the turtles that consisted of the leader Leonardo (Nicholas Cantu - The Walking Dead: World Beyond TV series etc), the hot headed Raphael (Brady Noon - Good Boys etc), the free spirited Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr) and the smartest Donatello (Micah Abbey) were now teenagers and wanted to be accepted as normal kids by human. Though they realized it was not possible due to various reasons.

Nimona - Wonderful Animation Movie with Amazing Story

Like any other Friday, I always look out for new movies released on Netflix and this time it was an animated film which has familiar premise but looked light enough to be enjoyed after tiring day at work. OK without further ado, here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

In the kingdom where knights were trained in an institute to protect people from monsters, Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed - Venom, Sound of Metal etc) managed to be the first commoner in history to be knighted by the queen (Lorraine Toussaint - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Equalizer TV series etc). Despite his background that made him become an outcast among the knights, one of them named Ambrosius (internet celebrity Eugene Lee Yang) was in love with Ballister and always supported him. Unfortunately due to some incident, Bal had to run away, leave everything and became fugitive.

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.

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.