Paddington in Peru - A Wonderful Ending to Complete the Trilogy of this Beloved Character

This week there were few new films released in Indonesian theaters that intrigued us. So my wife and I had another one of our movie marathon day with this being the first that we saw. Without further ado, here's more on it.

Brief Story Line

After spending years with the Brown family that consisted of Henry (Hugh Bonneville - Downtown Abbey TV series etc), Mary (Emily Mortimer - Mary Poppins Returns, The Newsroom TV series etc), their children Judy (Madeleine Harris) & Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) and the housekeeper Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters - The Secret Garden, Educating Rita etc), Paddington (Ben Whishaw - Black Doves TV series, The Personal History of David Copperfield etc) was having the best time of his life. But when he received information from Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman - Secret Invasion mini series, Ron's Gone Wrong etc) about his aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton -  Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nuggest, The Crown TV series etc) whose health was decreasing, Paddington decided to visit 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.

Ride On - A Family Friendly Action Comedy with Jackie Chan in a Much More Dramatic Role

Those who have read my posts regularly enough would have known that my wife and I are major fans of Jackie Chan and I think we never missed watching his latter movies in the cinemas. This time we already planned to see his newest movie in the theater and good thing as it was shown in plenty of locations so we did not have difficulty to search for it. After days of playing in Indonesia, we finally saw it yesterday noon. All right, let get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Lao Luo (Jackie Chan - The Foreigner, The Lego Ninjago Movie etc) was an aging stunt man and having difficulties to get work. He had to rely on his beloved horse Red Hare to work on odd jobs but still owed people money and being chased around by debt collectors led by Dami (Andy On - As the Light Goes Out, Black Hat etc). Unfortunately Red Hare was the subject of ownership feud and Lao Luo had no choice but to seek the help from his estranged daughter Xiao Bao (Liu Haocun - Cliff Walkers, One Second etc) who in turn also asked her lawyer boyfriend Naihua (Kevin Guo - My Heroic Husband TV series etc).

Clifford the Big Red Dog - The First Live Action Adaptation of the Popular Children's Books Series

This movie's trailer was shown many times before the start of films that my wife and I saw in theaters. It actually looked funny which was why both of us were interested in seeing it. The movie itself was finally released on Christmas day but perhaps due to so many new movies playing in theaters, it was only shown in very limited theaters with few shows. Anyway my wife and I managed to see this one yesterday. So let's get going then.

Brief Story Line

A young girl named Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp - The Christmas Chronicles 2 etc) was feeling down as she was being bullied by her school friends. Luckily she still got a good friend named Owen Yu (Izaac Wang - Raya and the Last Dragon etc) to cheer her up. As Emily's mother Maggie (Sienna Guillory - The Warriors Gate etc) had to go on a business trip, she had no choice but to ask her younger brother Casey (Jack Whitehall - Bad Education TV series etc) to babysit Emily.

Encanto - Another Disney's Movie with Interesting Characters, Lovely Animation and Lots of Touching Moments

Like in the past few weeks, my wife and I opted to see a new movie that was released during the weekend. This time, it was an animated one from Walt Disney Animation Studios whom we loved as they have produced some wonderful movies in the past. All right, let's get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

The Madrigal family had been known to have magical gift where they live together in a magical house in Colombia, referred to as "Casita". Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz - Brooklyn Nine Nine TV series etc) was the only one who did not posses power, which made her grandmother/Abuela (María Cecilia Botero) and herself depressed. Especially when it was compared with Mirabel's older sisters, the perfect Isabela (Diane Guerrero - Doom Patrol TV series etc) and the strong Luisa (Jessica Darrow).

The Secret Garden - A Decent Family Drama based on 1911 Novel of the Same Title

To my surprise, yesterday I noticed this movie was released on HBO Go together with another movie that I may write later. I had seen the trailer of the film many times before the pandemic hit us and we stopped seeing movies in cinemas. The movie's release was further postponed and finally it's available in Indonesian theaters. Lucky for me, I can see it easily (and legally) from the comfort of my home. OK, I'll dive into it now.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in 1947 during the time when England was still colonizing India. A young girl named Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx) who suddenly became an orphan overnight was sent from India to live with her uncle Lord Craven (Colin Firth - 1917, Love Actually etc) in England. During her stay, Mary met with the very strict housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Julie Walters - Mary Poppins Returns, Paddington etc) who was not a fan of her "uncivilized" behavior. She also met for the first time with her cousin Colin Craven (Edan Hayhurst) who was sick and strapped to bed.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines - Fun, Entertaining and Enjoyable Computer Animated Movie with Lots of Funny and Emotional Moments

During the past few days, there were quite a lot of new movies premiering on various platforms. This was one that I chose to watch on Friday night as it seemed fun and I was looking for light funny entertainment. So let's find out more.

Brief Story Line

Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson - The Lego Ninjago Movie etc) was very excited when she got accepted to college for movie making which has been her long life dream and also to escape from her father Rick Mitchell (Danny McBride - The Angry Birds Movie 2, Pineapple Express etc) who did not seem to get her. This strained relationship always made Katie's mother Linda (Maya Rudolph - Hubie Halloween, The Willoughbys etc) and younger brother Aaron (Mike Rianda) in difficult situation. After their latest disagreement, Rick decided to do a road trip as a family to bring Katie to college while amending their relationship. 

Flora & Ulysses - Fun Family Movie of Super Powered Squirrel with Delightful Performance of the Young Lead Cast

Weekend has always been a favorite time of the week for me, especially now when there are so many new movies/series released in various streaming platforms. Yesterday I checked on Disney+ and saw this family movie which I thought would brighten up my day. The premise looked to be a lot of fun, so I decided to give this a try. OK, I'll just go straight to it now.

Brief Story Line

A 10 year old girl named Flora (Matilda Lawler) loved to read superhero comic books especially the ones created by her father George (Ben Schwartz - voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Force TV series etc) who sadly was unsuccessful in publishing them. Meanwhile Flora's mother Phyllis (Alyson Hannigan - How I Met Your Mother, Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series etc) was a successful romance novelist who was in a bit of a slump recently and struggling to write a new good novel.

The Christmas Chronicles Part Two - Not as Heart Warming as its Predecessor but Still got Enough Charms to Lift Christmas Spirit Up

Another Christmas movie was released by Netflix few days ago and it was a sequel to 2018 film which I had not seen yet. Obviously I watched that first before I see this one, but I am not going to write about that movie and go straight to this.

Brief Story Line

2 years after the event of the first film, Kate Pierce (Darby Camp) felt unhappy having to spend Christmas in the tropics with her older brother Teddy (Judah Lewis - I See You, The Babysitter movies etc), their mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley - Father of the Bride, Alvin and the Chipmunks - The Road Trip etc) plus her new boyfriend and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno).

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting - Light Hearted, Kid-Friendly Movie for Halloween

In this Halloween month, there were quite a number of horror movies released on various streaming platforms. Last week, I saw a horror comedy movie on Netflix and this time, I tried a seemingly fun movie based on its brief synopsis. And what's it all about? I'll go straight to it now.

Brief Story Line

A young high school student Kelly Ferguson (Tamara Smart - Artemis Fowl etc) was given the task to babysit for her mother's boss' child Jacob (Ian Ho) on the Halloween night. However, during her care, Jacob was abducted by the Boogeyman (Tom Felton - Stratton, Rise of the Planet of the Apes etc).

Aided by another babysitter named Liz Lerue (Oona Laurence - Bad Moms and its sequel etc) who apparently was part of secret babysitter society who protect children from monster attacks, Kelly tried to save Jacob and get him back home before his mother returned.

Abominable - A Heart Warming Story of Friendship with Some Breathtaking Beautiful Animations

When this movie was scheduled to be released on last Friday, my wife and I already planned to see it after work. But alas, the movie was only playing in very few theaters and not even those that were located near our home. We finally did get to see it on Saturday night after we saw another film earlier, at a different location. So it took a bit of effort but we thought it would be worth it. Anyway, I should move on with the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Yi (Chloe Bennet - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D TV series etc) was a teenager who lived with her mother and grandmother. One night she found a Yeti (mythical creature said to be found in Himalayas) who hid on the roof of her apartment. After finding out the yeti wanted to return to its home in mount Everest, Yi decided to help the creature whom she later called "Everest". Together with her neighbors, the very active Peng (Albert Tsai - Trophy Wife TV series etc) and his cousin Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor), they embarked on a journey to help Everest return to his home.

Instant Family - A Truly Heartwarming and Touching Family Drama Comedy

This movie was one that I wanted to see as soon as it's shown in Indonesian theaters. My wife and I were supposed to see it on last Friday but turned out it did not play at our most comfortable time in the theater near our home. We only saw this yesterday after my wife's events. And why I was eager to see the film? Will tell you more about it below.

Brief Story Line

Pete (Mark Wahlberg - Deepwater Horizon, Mile 22 etc) and Ellie (Rose Byrne - Peter Rabbit, Spy etc) were married couple who did not have kids. After casually discussing about possibly adopting a child, both of them went to a foster care course where they met with social workers Karen (Octavia Spencer - The Shape of Water, The Help etc) and Sharon (Tig Notaro) who encouraged and guide them to be ready.

Smallfoot - A Funny Entertaining Animated Movie for Family with Unique Perspective & Heavy Moral Message

I have seen the trailer to this film many times in theater for the past few months and I noticed that it had a very unique premise which seemed to promise a lot of funny moments. So my wife and I who also like to see good 3D animated movies, definitely were looking forward to see this. It was a good thing that it premiered on the day where we were quite free. Anyway, I will go straight to the movie now.

Brief Story Line

In the hilltop of Himalaya and hidden by clouds, there was a group of Yeti living peacefully in their village. Migo (Channing Tatum - Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Logan Lucky etc) was a young simple minded Yeti who accidentally met with a human with their small feet (referred by Yeti as small foot). Unfortunately though, no one in the village believed him, especially the Stonekeeper (Rapper Common -  John Wick: Chapter 2, etc) and even Migo's father Gorgle (Danny DeVito - Batman Returns, Twins etc).

The House with a Clock in Its Walls - A Nice Enough Novel Adaptation Fantasy Movie

Yesterday this movie premiered in some of the Indonesian cinema chains. It was rather odd that it did not play in all cinemas, and since that was the case, there were limited options to see the movie. After discussing our plans, my wife and I decided to see this in the cinema nearest to my office at CGV Pacific Place. Although we did not have any idea what the movie was all about (never saw the trailer at all either), we thought it would be a fun one since it had Jack Black in it. OK, now let's move on to the movie.

Brief Story Line

Set in the year 1955, a 10 year old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro - Daddy's Home and its sequel) moved to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Goosebumps etc) in the city of New Zebedee. Jonathan's house was an old and very weird looking place that seemed to have lots of strange stuffs. And there were countless clocks everywhere, plus rather scary sounds at night. Jonathan's neighbor and best friend Florence (Cate Blanchett - Ocean's 8, Cinderella etc) was always around the house and would soon become quite close with Lewis as well. But there was also another very nosy neighbor Mrs. Hanchett (Colleen Camp - The Swinging Cheerleaders, Clue etc) who was not appreciative of the noises Jonathan made during late nights.

The Fate of The Furious - Another Nonstop Action Movie and the Latest Installment of the Series

This is one of the must see movie of the year for me and my wife which was announced to be premiering on 12 April 2017. Due to the hype that the movie was having, all cinema chains in Indonesia informed that we could purchase the tickets in advance starting from 8 April. My wife and I immediately decided to see it on its first day. However, due to a seminar that I had to attend to on that day, I was worried that I could not make it to the 6 or 6.30PM shows in our favorite theaters. So we opted to buy the 9.15PM show in the cinema nearest to our place which would take least time for us to go home. Well now, why don't we go to the movie itself?

Brief Story Line

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel - Riddick series, xXx and many others) were having his honeymoon with his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez - Machete Kills, Smurfs: The Lost Village etc) in Cuba. There, Dom met with a mysterious lady whom later on revealed to be called Cipher (Charlize Theron - The Devil's Advocate, Mad Max: Fury Road etc). She was able to convince Dom to help her doing something bad.