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.

Mantis - An Interesting Addition to the Kill Boksoon Universe

After having a one month vacation with my wife out of the country and busy with our itineraries, we finally returned home last night where I decided to watch a film released on Netflix end of last week. It was something that intrigued me and seemed like a no brainer kind. OK let's just get started then.

Brief Story Line

Lee Han-ul (Yim Si-wan - Unlocked, Summer Strike TV series etc) was a well known assassin with nickname Mantis and worked for the largest organization called MK. After the events in Kill Boksoon, Mantis who just returned from holiday was surprised with the latest condition and not sure of what to do next. Upon meeting with Jae-yi (Park Gyu-young - Sweet Home TV series, Love + Sling TV series etc) who used to be assassin trainee with him during their time with MK and their other friends, Mantis decided to form a new group and took on small jobs.

(2025) Ballerina - An Enjoyable Addition to the John Wick Expanding Universe

After the announcement of this spin off to the John Wick universe, I was really excited to see what would be in store. So when it was finally released few days ago, I already set plan to watch the movie yesterday as it happened to be public holiday in Indonesia. Without further ado, let's get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas - Ghosted, No Time to Die etc) had been training to become a ballerina assassin with Ruska Roma led by its Director (Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor, The Addams Family etc) for many years as she wanted to get revenge to the killing of her father. In one of the nights living in the head quarter, she encountered for the first time John Wick (Keanu Reeves - Sonic the Hedgehog 3, The Matrix movies etc) and was given brief advice on this dangerous life. 

(TV SERIES) Paris Has Fallen Season 1 - A Pretty Entertaining Action Thriller Series

In the website where I could check on new movies or series released in various streaming platforms, I saw the title of this series on Catchplay+ which intrigued me. After finding out more, I realized that it was indeed related to the movies with similar words in their title. So obviously I wanted to give it a try. I started watching 3 nights ago and finished it last night. All right then, I'll just get right with the series.

Brief Story Line

After a major terrorist attack in Paris, Vincent Taleb (Tewfik Jallab - Like a Prince, Oussekine TV series etc) a security protection for Minister of Defence and former Special Forces had to work together with an MI6 agent Zara Taylor (Ritu Arya - Red Notice, Humans TV series etc) to stop further terror. They were joined by other people in the Counter Terrorist unit led by Matis (Jérémie Covillault) who report directly to the French president Juliette Levesque (Emmanuelle Bercot - De grandes espérances, Mon Roi etc).

(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).

(MINI SERIES) Agatha All Along - Might be Interesting for Certain Viewers but not so Much to My Personal Taste

After playing for few weeks, the finale of this series from Marvel Cinematic Universe was released two days ago. I started watching on Wednesday and finished it last night. Without further ado, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Three years after the events in WandaVision, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, A Bad Moms Christmas etc) who was trapped under a spell in Westview, was able to free herself after meeting with a witch called Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza - Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, The White Lotus season 2 etc). Agatha who lost her magic later agreed to cooperate with a teenager referred to as Teen (Joe Locke - Heartstopper TV series etc) to go to the Witches' road where they could get their wish after completing certain trials.

A Quiet Place: Day One - A Less Terrifying Spin-Off/Prequel of A Quiet Place Movie Series

I was made aware about this movie few weeks ago when I saw the poster in the Coming Soon section and also in some social medias. Since I liked the previous movies in the series, I was interested in seeing this. All right then, I will dive right into it.

Brief Story Line

Sam (Lupita Nyong'O - The 355, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever etc) was a terminally ill cancer patient who was living in a hospice in New York. After being convinced by the care worker Reuben (Alex Wolff - Jumanji: The Next Level, Hereditary etc) to have a bit of fun, Sam decided to go along with some of the other patients to Manhattan. Unfortunately there was a major alien attack and it was soon realized that people must keep quiet to avoid being killed.

(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. 

(TV SERIES) Berlin - A Light Romance Series with Heist as Background in the Money Heist Universe

Despite already released on Netflix since late last year, this series was still quite popular. I was pretty late in watching this one due to trying to catch up with other series & movies earlier. But on Saturday, I gave this a try and finished it during the whole weekend. Now I will get on with the series.

Brief Story Line

Set years before the events of the original series, Andres de Fonolossa aka Berlin (Pedro Alonso - Gran Hotel TV series etc) was planning a heist on jewels to be auctioned worth around Euro 44 million. He enlisted the help from his old friend Damian (Tristán Ulloa - Warrior Nun TV series etc) along with Keila the hacker (Michelle Jenner - Los hombres de Paco TV series etc), Berlin's trusted guy Roi (Julio Peña Fernández - Through My Window etc), Bruce (Joel Sanchez) and newcomer Cameron (Begoña Vargaz - Welcome to Eden TV series etc).

(TV SERIES) Gen V - Season 1 - The Entertaining Spin-off from The Boys with Almost Same Characteristics as Its Original Series

After reading the hype surrounding this series, obviously I was interested in watching it, especially since it was the spin off of The Boys that I really liked. So as soon as it finished the first season few days ago, I immediately start watching and finished in just 2 days. OK, why don't I get to it now.

Brief Story Line

Godolkin University was founded to give advanced education for the young Supes which was run by Vought International and headed by Dean Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn - Terra Nova TV series etc). The university had a unique ranking system where the highest would have the chance to become one of the Seven. Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair -  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV series, Paper Town etc) was an orphan who managed to attend God-U and had the ambition of getting to the top. She was staying with her friendly roommate Emma (Lizze Broadway - American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules etc).

(TV SERIES) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The Star Trek Series that Brought Back so much Nostalgia and the Reason Why I love this Franchise

When this series was released last year, I was thinking it might be difficult to watch it as the newest Star Trek series have been taken out from one streaming platform. Lucky for me as I was browsing through Catchplay+, I found that few series from Paramount+ are also available there. So without hesitation, I immediately start watching this few days ago and finished it last night. Well, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

After a bit of hiatus, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount - Visions, Inhuman TV series etc) was called up by the Starfleet to re-navigate USS Enterprise on a special mission. Despite his reluctance, he agreed to do so as it involved the rescue of his old friend. Captain Pike would be assisted by science officer Spock (Ethan Peck - 10 Things I Hate About You TV series etc), chief security officer La'an (Christina Chong), Doctor M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokum), Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush), Chief Engineer Hemmer (Bruce Horak) and helmsman Ortegas (Melissa Navia). There was also a new cadet named Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and later they would be joined by Number One/Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn - X-Men trilogy, The Librarian TV series etc).

(TV SERIES) National Treasure: Edge of History - The Spinoff of the Popular Treasure Hunt Movies

As a fan of the two National Treasure movies starring Nicolas Cage, I would not want to pass the opportunity to watch the series based on those films and set in the same universe. It was released every week on Disney+ since mid December last year and its final episode was just shown last week. So I began to watch it in the weekend and finished it yesterday. OK, I will go straight to it now.

Brief Story Line

Jess Valenzuela (Lisette Olivera - We Need to do Something etc) was a young woman of Mexican descent who lived in the US under DACA immigration policy. She lived with her childhood best friend Tasha Rivers (Zuri Reed) and they were best friends with Oren (Antonio Cipriano) and his roommate Ethan (Jordan Rodrigues - Light as a Feather TV series etc). When Jess somehow met with a former FBI Agent Peter Sadusky (Harvey Keitel - Taxi Driver, Bugsy etc), she found herself caught in the middle of treasure hunt led by ruthless antiquities dealer Billie Pearce (Catherine Zeta-Jones - Wednesday TV series, Entrapment etc). 

Ben & Jody - A Completely Different Type of Filosofi Kopi Movies

Last week, there was this new movie released on Netflix. It happened to be an Indonesian film that I wanted to see when it was shown in the cinemas few months ago, but I was not comfortable yet to go to the theaters due to the surge of Covid-19 cases. So I was quite happy that I could see this one only few months later, especially having seen the first and second movies earlier. OK, let's get right to it then.

Brief Story Line

During the trip to his hometown, Ben (Chicco Jerikho - A World Without, Surat dari Praha etc) was involved in a demonstration with some villagers coordinated by Mr. Hasan (Arswendi Bening Swara - Habibi & Ainun 3 etc) against an illegal logging company. Unfortunately, the company hired some thugs led by Tubir (Yayan Ruhian - John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, Beyond Skyline etc) to stop the strike, including by way of kidnapping Ben.

(TV SERIES) How I Met Your Father Season 1 - Modernized Gender Swap Version of One of the Most Beloved Sitcom

I have heard about this sitcom for a while now which was spin-off (or sequel?) of the very popular and beloved series How I Met Your Mother and was shown on Hulu streaming platform starting January 2022. When the series was finally released in Indonesia through Disney+, I wanted to give it a try to see if I would like this as much as the original series & finally finished the whole season last night. Well I will dive right to it then.

Brief Story Line

Sophie (Hillary Duff - Lizzie McGuire TV series, A Cinderella Story etc) was a struggling photographer who lived in New York and a hopeless romantic who tried to find the love of her life through apps. She was living with her best friend Valentina (Francia Raisa - Grown-ish TV series, Bring It On: All or Nothing etc) who was having a relationship with a British guy Charlie (Tom Ainsley).

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild - A Disappointingly not Entertaining Spin Off from the Ice Age Franchise

This new movie was released on Disney+ on Friday, but as I already set my mind on another series, I postponed this till Sunday noon. Since my wife and I like light comedy movies, we thought it would be a good idea to watch this one just for fun. So how was the movie then? I'll get into it now.

Brief Story Line

Wanting to find their own "destiny", the possum twins Crash and Eddie (both voiced by Vincent Tong), left their adoptive sister the mammoth Ellie (Dominique Jennings) & her husband Manny (Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes), the saber tooth Diego (Skyler Stone) and the sloth Sid (Jake Green) for an adventure of their own. They somehow ended up in the Lost World and met with their old friend, the one eyed weasel Buck Wild (Simon Pegg - Truth Seekers TV series, Star Trek Beyond etc).

(TV SERIES) The Mandalorian Season 1 - Magnificent Series in the Star Wars Universe

I have seen many times the promotion of the second season of this series which is set to premier today, and it was quite funny that I never got the chance to watch it until last night. As it is available on Disney+, it was quite convenient for me. My review might have been a bit late, but I think it should be just nice before the new season is released. OK let's get on with it.

Brief Story Line

Set 5 years after Return of the Jedi (Star Wars Episode VI), a bounty hunter known as The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal - The Equalizer 2, The Great Wall etc) was famous for being able to capture hard and dangerous criminal. He would usually got the assignments from Bounty Hunters' Guild leader Greef Karga (Carl Weathers - Rocky movies, Action Jackson etc). When the Mandalorian was given a special task by The Client (Werner Herzog) to capture something referred to as The Child, he decided against all odds to protect it instead.

(TV SERIES) L.A.'s Finest Season 1 - A Disappointing Spin Off of Bad Boys Franchise Lacking the Chemistry Between the Lead Stars & the Spectacular Action

I watched glimpses of this series on cable TV sometime ago and when I found out that it was spin-off of the hugely popular Bad Boys franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, I was really intrigued and wanted to watch the whole season. Especially when the third Bad Boys movie scheduled to be released in the theaters soon. So how was this series? Let's get into details now.

Brief Story Line

Syd Burnett (Gabrielle Union - Bring It On, Cradle 2 the Grave etc) was a former DEA agent in Miami who had transferred to Los Angeles and working as LAPD detective with her partner Nancy McKenna (Jessica Alba - Mechanic: Resurrection, Barely Lethal etc). Aside from Syd and Nancy, there were also a couple of detectives who sometimes work on the same case with them i.e. Baines (Duane Martin - All of Us TV series etc) who loved to joke around and his partner Walker (Zach Gilford - Friday Night Lights TV series, The Purge: Anarchy etc).

Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw - A Spectacular Ride and Worthy of Being Spinoff from Fast & Furious Series

This is one of the most anticipated movie in my list and it was great that the Indonesian cinemas opened advance ticket sales from last week, making me and my wife easier to aim for the studio and time of our choosing. As usual, we would opt to see this kind of movie in a Dolby Atmos theater on its premier date. OK, I would not go into so much detail and get straight to the movie.

Brief Story Line

When a dangerous virus that could endanger human lives was being targeted by a team of highly skilled ex military led by Brixton (Idris Elba - The Dark Tower, Star Trek Beyond etc), one MI6 personnel (Vanessa Kirby - Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Everest etc) managed to escape the attack along with the virus. DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson - Skyscraper, Baywatch movie etc) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham - The Meg, Mechanic: Resurrection etc) were asked to capture the agent with the virus.

Men In Black: International - A Very Light but Still Pretty Entertaining Reboot of the Popular Franchise

Due to our long holiday in Indonesia 2 weeks ago, this movie was a bit late released here. It was already shown in various countries since last week and we had seen the trailers many many times before and finally got to see it yesterday when it premiered. As usual we chose to see it in Dolby Atmos theater for the pleasure of enjoying great sound effects. Well let us get on to the movie now.

Brief Story Line

Molly Wright (Tessa Thompson - Creed 2, Westworld TV series etc) was a bright & intelligent woman who was "recruited" as an agent of Men In Black in New York, led by Agent O (Emma Thompson - Howards End, Johnny English Strikes Again etc). As part of her probation period, Molly who was now called Agent M was assigned to London office under the leadership of High T (Liam Neeson - Cold Pursuit, A Monster Calls etc). When she finally arrived there, Agent M was somehow partnered with a highly regarded and experienced Agent H (Chris Hemsworth - 12 Strong, Bad Times at El Royale etc), despite the disapproval from a senior officer Agent C (Rafe Spall - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Hot Fuzz etc). 

Master Z: Ip Man Legacy - A Nice Enough Spin-off from the Ip Man trilogy

At first when I read the title to this movie, I thought it was just some kind of film that used the fame of Ip Man and try to gain audience by adding his name. But when I saw the trailer, I realized it would be interesting. Will go into that more below. OK, so let's start with it.

Brief Story Line

After beaten by Ip Man, Cheung Tin Chi (Max Zhang - SPL II: A Time for Consequences, The Brink etc) decided to leave town and stop being teacher of Wing Chun martial arts. Together with his young son, they opened a small grocery shop. But his peaceful life would soon be ruined when he was involved in altercation with the gang led by Sai Kit (Kevin Cheng - Ghetto Justice TV series etc) who were trying to collect money from Nana (Chrissy Chau - An Inspector Calls, 29+1 etc) and her best friend Julia (Liu Yan - Badges of Fury, Martial Universe TV series etc).