Pink and Undecided: indonesian movie

Movie Review : I Am Hope

Hello guys!

As you might already know, i am quite a movie buff. I love watching movies in the cinema and i always do a monthly movie reviews (speaking of which, January movie reviews will be mashed with February's and i'll post it in March for a reason which i'll be explaining in the said post, stay tune!). I also always try to support Indonesian industries (by wearing Indonesian made products, among all), including movie industry so i'm pretty much always on the lookout for a good local movie to support.

That's why when Fika hooked me up with one of the latest Indonesian movies' nobar event (nobar means "nonton bareng", loosely translated into "watch together", sort of like a premiere and supposed to include the actors, producers, etc) for I am Hope the movie, i was quite excited ^^.

Due to some issues, the nobar didn't quite happen *LOL*, well it did-but purely among bloggers only haha.

Before we talk more about the movie, let's take a look at the trailer :

All of my readers can watch the trailer (and the movie) because there's an English translation in it.

About the movie.

I Am Hope is a movie about this young girl, Mia, who had a pretty successful parents working in artistic industries. Her mum was a famous theater director (whose passion is shared strongly by Mia) and her dad a famous music composer. Growing up, Mia had pretty much everything. She also has this imaginary friend called Maia (whose fashion sense is off the park. Love it!) who's always around her whenever she needs her. Mia could never need her more than when her mum was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away within months.

Mia and her dad (who pretty much lost all of his mojo when his beloved wife was diagnosed) now live modestly since they sold pretty much everything of value to pay for Mia's mum's treatments-but they are still happy-until one day Mia herself's diagnosed with the same disease that took her mum's life.

Despite her dad's insistent on her focusing on her treatment (rightfully so too, i mean... The dude lost his wife and then his only daughter's diagnosed with the exact same thing? That's cruel, man!), Mia is adamant about making her dream of being a theater director a reality. And despite all of the hardship, she and Maia still fight to make their dreams a reality-including by trying to get in touch with a famous theater producer that used to work with her dad.

Thanks to Maia (who represents Mia's HOPE), cancer also didn't hinder Mia from having a love life. She met David, a good looking (if you like the type. Not mine *LOL*), slightly awkward but super gentleman actor who ended up helping her to finally really got recognized by the theater producer Mia idolized, Rama. Mia's dream's almost a reality, but at the same time her condition is worsening and she needs to make a fast choice-her life or her LIFE (as in her passion and dreams).

I want y'all to go check out the movie so i won't spoil the ending for y'all, but i can tell you one thing : it's good.

I am not much of a drama movie kind of person, but I Am Hope did not bore me for a sec, because the storyline is so engaging and it's peppered with good humor, i found myself chuckling in many scenes. The central characters are also developed so well that i root for them.

What i love about the movie? For one, the acting. I was gripped with Tio Pakusodewo's acting as the father-but that's totally expected from such an experienced, veteran actor-what i did not expect is how good the leading actress' acting was.

Tatjana Saphira is Mia in I am Hope

I'm not gonna lie, i don't really follow Indonesian entertainment industry so my knowledge for local actors are severely limited. I've never heard or seen Tatjana before, but her acting was so natural and engaging that i developed an admiration for her, especially after i learnt that she's only 19 years old! OMG! I can so see a bright future in front of her. Btw, hunny mentioned that from some angles she looks like her screen mom-Febby Febiola, and that's awesome!

I also love how Mia is sick but she's still super strong at the same time. She's not a damsel in distress, she didn't milk her condition to her advantage and she is not the typical woman who lost her head when she's in love. That's a strong woman alright, and strong women deserves my admiration.

Another thing that i love is their portrayal of Maia, the imaginary BFF. She's not depicted as your usual "fairy" in glossy light and feathery costume, instead she looks like your regular, uber hip and cool boho-style BFF. At the same time, hey devil may care attitude and carefree style makes the comparison to Mia' reserved, nerdy, prissy style even more stark. I feel that not only Maia represents Mia's hope, she also represent the other side of her-the wild child, if you may. I believe we all have that side (some more dominant than others) and it's fun that they touched on this in such a way.

I really enjoyed I Am Hope, and i won't lie-i cried quite a bit *LOL*. And i said this many times, when a movie successfully made me cry : it's good :p.

This movie is actually inspired by Gelang Harapan (bracelet of hope), which you can buy to support cancer patients because the profit is donated to cancer foundations. You can buy the bracelet online or at the booths in cinemas while the movie is playing.

Bracelet of Hope's booth in Ciputra World Surabaya

I love how the bracelet looks like, they're really pretty! Isn't it awesome that you can support the cause, wear the support and actually looks good wearing it? All the bloggers invited to the Nobar are gifted a bracelet, i haven't gotten mine yet but i can't wait to rock it. And yes, i will buy more with my own money!

I love nothing more than a good movie with a good heart and a good purpose, i believe I Am Hope is one. Not gonna lie that i was a bit annoyed with the event's organizer, but that shouldn't cloud my judgement of a good movie.

I Am Hope the Movie Facebook Page

I Am Hope the Movie Instagram

Gelang Harapan Instagram

I want to thank Fika for inviting me, and for y'all : go watch the movie!

#Pink

9:22:00 PM
5 Comments

November Movies

action movie

Hey guysss :D.

Can't believe it's a week into December already, geez. Time is not running away, it's whizzing past! I wonder if it feels faster the older you get??? I remember thinking that the clock seemed to stood still when i was little (up until i was a teenager actually), but now.... Days feels like seconds.

Anyway, towards the end of November i started picking up the pace of my blog posting, but once December starts.. I was feeling down again for no reason whatsoever the last couple of days *sigh* i truly have no idea what's wrong with me! Maybe it's pre-mid life crisis *grumble grumble* or maybe it's just PMS -___-.

Oh, i have a good news though! No, not a baby on the way, but we got ourselves a new fur baby! I named him Bear and he loveeessss me <333 *LOL*. Would probably blog about him soon, as soon as i teach him to wefie hahahaha.

Oh well, let's get into the topic... It's movie review time!

1. Paranormal Activity : The Ghost Dimension

Okay, how many Paranormal Activity movies are out already? It's crazy, i feel like we just watched the last one and here comes another one *LOL*. Wonder when the cow's gonna be dried out of milk? Hahaha. But yeah, i still gotta watch it (coz when you watch the first movie, then how can i not watch the sequels? #OCDlogic ). Anyway, this one's actually brought some excitement back for me (as in it's got me less sleepy and more scared haha), the previous few started to really be lackluster to me.

So The Ghost Dimension is following yet another new family, the Fleeges which consists of a young father, mother and their little daughter. They move into a house and of course, found some old stuffs belonging to the previous owner, including a video camera and tapes. The father started to use the camera (and watch the old tapes, which first few ones started innocent enough but soon turns more and more disturbing) he began seeing things that naked eyes can't see and paranormal activity start happening around them. Young Kristi and Katie (from the previous movies) re-emerge at the old videos.

Okay... Don't raise your hope too high, it's the fifth movie (not counting the spin offs) so originality is totally far from happening *LOL* but like i said earlier, i personally found it slightly better than the last few ones (which made me yawn instead of getting scared). I shared before how i don't like how the franchise's direction going (cult is not my kind of thang), but this latest movie brings back the classic jump-out-of-your-seat scenes, which i like i horror movies. It's nothing special, it's not super scary, but it's not super horrible either. If you're a huge horror fan like me, watching this movie doesn't harm haha.

2.Spectre

Hm yeah. Another James Bond Movie *LOL*. You can tell that i'm not that enthusiastic, right? But it was alright la, maybe because i have no expectation. Hunny told me it was below the expectation and lots of people are disappointed at the finale of the trilogy, i thought it was not bad especially from mid to the end.

James Bond receives a cryptic message from the past and he went to inspect it all the way from Mexico City to Rome (without actual permission from his bosses). He infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of a dark organization called Spectre. At the same time, a new head of CNS tries to close down MI6. Bond roped in Q to help find find Madeleine Swann, daughter of Mr. White (his old nemesis) who has connection and understanding about Spectre. They went to the heart of Spectre and Bond learns the connection between him and his enemy.

The first half an hour (or was it 45 minutes...) was super slow, draggish and boring. I was almost asleep *LOL*. But when it gets to the mid of the movie, the pace started to pick up and it keeps getting better from it. Admittedly, it's not as action packed as how die hard Bond fans would like it, but i think it was pretty good and entertaining. Not something that i would bash my head for if i missed it haha.

3. Kakak

I haven't been watching local horror movies for the longest time. I used to love local horror movies, but then they started to shift into porn-comedy horror, which is so not my cup of tea so i stopped going. Such a shame because back then, we really had some very memorable, creepy horror movies *sigh*. I'm still hoping for some good one to be available and usually when the leading lady is an actress known for their chops instead of their willingness to show a lot of skin, that'd be the indicator that the movie should be decent (but then again i used to watch Shandy Aulia's horror movies hoping that they'd be good and so far i've also been disappointed. I mean, no boobies shown and no real scares, that's worse than boobies+no scare okay hahahaha)

This movie Kakak (which is Indonesian word to call someone older than you, like big bro/big sis) is starring Laudya Cynthia Bella (who recently started using Hijab and there's a lot of brouhaha because she's hijab-less in this movie and actually wore some quite skimpy outfits if you compare it with hijab! This was shot before she started using though, so personally i don't think she should be crucified for it...) who's a rather serious actress locally, and i thought the trailer looked decent so i decided to check it out.

This movie follows a married couple who's struggling to have a baby, the wife already suffered multiple miscarriages. They decided to move to a house (they used to live with the husband's very dominating, extremely irritating mother) and soon the wife (who suffers from chronic asthma) discover that they're not alone in that house. There's a spirit of a young girl (who was the daughter of the previous house owner) who died there, likes to help them out and treats them like her parents. But like all children, she can be quite mischievous and since she's no longer alive-sinister at times.

I quite like the plot and they classy way they make the ghost appear (not gross and overly narcissistic like most local horror nowadays), the storyline's not bad and there are actually some really good jump-out-of-my-seat scenes. Of course, loads of plotholes (can't escape them with Indonesian horrors) and there are some things that's bothering me badly. Laudya Cynthia Bella's not a bad actor, but her acting whenever she gets the "asthma attacks" annoys the shit out of me -___-. She makes some really ugly faces and weird whizzing sounds from her teeth. As someone who actually suffers from asthma, that really offended me -___-. Well at least they didn't make her wear long, sheer lingerie and wakes up wearing crazy falsies and blue eye shadows (like Shandy Aulia in most of her horror movies LOLOLOL).

It's not bad at all, i actually enjoyed it a lot (aside from those cringe-worthy asthma attack scenes).

4. The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2

Well, i never hid the fact that i'm not a fan of The Hunger Games, i only started to like it in Mockingjay Part 1 (no offence to Hunger Games fan, it's a matter of preference. I like idiotic love stories like Twilight better, Hunger Games' a bit too political for my daft brain) so i was quite looking forward to the second part. Aside from the very brief (i was like "HUH??? That's it???") climax, i do like Mockingjay Part 2.

Picking up from where the last movie left off, Katniss continues to be the Mockingjay (symbol of the rebellion). Peeta is still not his normal self and tries to attack her from time to time but she never gives up on him. Despite President Coin's order for her to stay back, she found her way to the Capitol with one purpose, to kill President Snow. Katniss and her squad (including her old friend/old lover Gale and later on, still kinda uncontrollable Peeta) must find their way safely (well, that part doesn't quite happen) to the Capitol while dodging traps and muts.

The movie's rather exciting and entertaining for me, lots of action scenes and unexpected attacks (coz i don't read the books, i guess). It keeps on building up momentum, that's why the climax is a bit (or very) brief and unsatisfactory for me hahaha. It's still good though, i can totally say i like Mockingjay movies although i found the first two movies quite so so. Oh, and i found Jennifer Lawrence a lot more likable in these last two movies (that's saying a lot because i used to really really dislike her haha).

5. Victor Frankenstein

Okay, here's another story that i found being retold way too often and i'm not really a fan of hahaha. I mean, there's only so many ways you can look at the angles of the Frankenstein story and i personally find it's kinda stale already. But since it's starring the always so passionate James McAvoy, i decided to give it a try.

This movie is telling the story from Igor (Frankenstein's assistant, which i didn't even know existed *LOL* i guess he doesn't get a lot of parts usually), starting from his origins and how Frankenstein rescued and gives him proper life. Of course then we're led to the part where he is introduced to his master's crazy experiments and actually have a pivotal role in the success (if we can call it that).

It's quite good actually, a lot better than i anticipated. I mean, i actually expect to be bored out of my wits, already knowing the basic story and the fact that it won't deviate too far from it. But looking from Igor's eyes are quite refreshing. It's quite gross too, i'm glad we didn't bring any snacks in or i'd be gagging zzzz. I guess mostly i was mesmerized by James McAvoy's acting (hell, he can act as anything and i guess i'd still be mesmerized)-Daniel Radcliff wasn't so bad either, although i kept on having to hold the urge to shout "Harry Potter, is that you?" in annoying fake British accent WTF.

6. The Good Dinosaur

Little O's been waiting for the longest time for this movie! While i.... Am not a fan of dinosaurs anything (but i do like animation movies) so i was not that enthusiastic hahaha. I ended up liking it quite a lot though, not crazy over it or whatever (it's no Inside Out), but i do enjoy it very much.

The movie begins with the what if, what if the asteroid that changed life on earth missed our planet entirely and dinosaurs never became extinct? Well, according to the maker, they become civilized and humanized hahaha. We follow the life of a farmer Apatosaurus family consists of a papa dino, mama dino and three little dinos. Arlo is the youngest of all three and since he's little, he feels like he's different-not as good as his sibling or parents and is always scared. He cannot find his place just yet.

Like usual, the family fams corns and hoard them to survive winter-but a vermin (which turn out to be, yeah you guess it-a little human boy hahaha) keeps on stealing their stash. Papa Dino set up a trap and sent Arlo to finish the vermin if it got caught, but Arlo's soft (and kind, although often mistaken as weak) heart prevent him from killing the human boy. Papa Dino lost his patience and bring Arlo to hunt for the vermin and finish the job, but tragedy struck. A while after, Arlo got into another accident and lost his way, that's when he realized that the "vermin" is actually a lot like him, and that he is looking out for him. Together they go on a journey to find their way back home.

Spot

It's quite a nice movie, some (of course) touching and tear jerking scenes and i really love Spot (the human vermin *LOL*, he's so so cute!) but i personally don't find it to be one of Disney's best. Again maybe because i am a girl and dino movies are always more like boys kind of thing? Hunny, Little O and i enjoyed the movie from start to finish though and i totally recommending it for everybody, especially if you're a fan of animation movies.

And that's all for November movies. I just realized that most of them are very so so, i don't have any strong feeling for any of them. I guess my fave would be The Good Dinosaur, least fave Kakak haha (i don't hate it though). Hope for more exciting movies in December (i already listed 3 movies to watch ASAP)!

#Pink

9:51:00 PM
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July Movies

action

Hey guys!

I planned to do my monthly reviews during the first week of the month but... Well, it's somehow becomes more of mid-month now *LOL*, can i say.... Better late than never again? LOL. It takes the a special will for me to sit down and write down a movie review, i have no idea why. It's too tiring for me (most probably because we watch so many movies in a month hahaha), but i still want to do it *zzz*. I know, i even annoy myself sometimes. Anyhoo. Let's start!

July Movies

1. Ted 2

I liked the first movie, or at least i think i did. Hm. Crap, i actually don't remember much about it. I sure remember the rude, forever cursing, bong using teddy bear and Mark Wahlberg, and i remember it being quite funny, but i don't actually remember what the movie was all about. Anyway, i was quite excited when the second movie came out and we watched in Singapore. Eh... It was so so for me. I was even a bit sleepy at parts *sigh*.

John (who got married in the first movie?) got divorced, and after a while Ted and Tami-Lynn's marriage seems like it's not going to make it as well. To try to get things back to how it used to be, they planned to have a child with John's help. But the plan went kaput and Ted is even being investigated and ultimately, being declared a "property" so all his civil rights are gone (even his job) and his marriage to Tami-Lynn is now invalid. Now the two buddies must fight a hopeless battle (with the help of an inexperienced, free-spirited young lawyer) to regain his legal status. Their quest is, of course, crazy!

Hm. Like i said, i don't remember much about the first movie, but somehow i feel like it was funnier? This second movie sure has its moments, but most of the time i feel like the joke is too crude (i know i should be expecting it from this movie though) and i simply am not the biggest fan of slapstick comedy. Hunny also didn't seem to enjoy it THAT much so... I dunno. I think it's an okay movie if you're bored, but definitely not a must watch.

2. Barely Lethal

I dunno why but i really don't like Jessica Alba. LOL. I think she's very one-dimensional and boring, i just can't name one movie where i actually like her. I, however, find Hailee Steinfield to be a breath of fresh air from the typical skinny as a stick, big boobied blonde young Hollywood stars. She's hilarious, she has a fit, strong body, and she's not afraid to look ditzy. In short, i find her to be super likeable. This is also another so-so movie (it's actually quite entertaining, but definitely not memorable or leave a lasting impression), but her presence made it a tad more special.

Megan Walsh is part of an international assassin organization called Hardman that recruit young girls (from infancy, actually!) to be trained as a high class assassin. Megan (who, like the other girls in the organization, is addressed by number only) has always feel like she doesn't belong there, always wanting and feeling something more than the cold, solitary way of living that Hardman's making his girls live. She feel it even more now as a teenager, catching glimpses of how teenagers like her having fun and living their lives. After faking her own death, she enrolls in a student exchange program and lives with a foster family. She soon realizes that being a normal teenager is not as easy as she thought it would be, at the same time her former boss is tracking her down and determined to bring her back in while a disgruntled enemy tries to kill her.

It's an action comedy, and it's actually quite wholesome. It's got some exciting action scenes, and its funny moments (again, Hailee is so adorable and likeable, and she really has a funny bone!) and i would recommend you to watch it if you have sometime to spare and don't mind a light, popcorn movie to accompany you. It's not mind blowing, but it doesn't suck at all.

3. Ant Man

I enjoy superheroes movies now (thanks to hunny) but i definitely do not have too much knowledge about them other than the super famous ones (Avengers, Batman, Superman, you know what i mean) so when i first heard about Ant-Man i was like... A what? LOL. Hunny obviously insisted on watching it, and i actually quite like it (but not as much as i like other Marvel's super heroes movies) especially after i immediately recognized the forever handsome Paul Rudd as the leading man.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is an ex convict recently released from prison, he is banned by his ex-wife to see their daughter until he sort his life out and start paying child support. Although he's trying all he can to not go back to criminal life, it is really hard for him to get a job and soon he agreed to do another "job" with his two silly pals (who ended up being his sidekicks)-which leads him to Dr. Hank Pym who has a job for him. A heist on his ex-protege who is obsessed with Pym's rumored (but it's actually a fact) size-changing suit and is able to almost replicate it because he is crazy enough to destroy the world with it.

It's Paul Rudd, people! I kept on exclaiming in wonder (because i don't really follow that kind of news, so i actually had no idea he's even in it, although his name is clearly plastered all over the posters hahaha), because i mainly knows his for his comedic roles-and sure, he doesn't disappoint-he's still hilarious as an unlikely super hero! And not to mention easy on the eyes, look at those blue blue eyes! Ant Man is... Definitely quite entertaining! It's funny, it's exciting... Well, everything you look for in a Marvel's super hero, i guess. My fave part though, is whenever Luis (Michael Pena) start explaining things and all kinds of people would start talking in his voice and in his demeanor, HILARIOUS!

It's not the best super hero movie or whatever (Hm. I guess i like Iron Man better, you know... If we're talking about Marvel), but it's still worth a watch. Younger kids (under 12 i guess) might get bored during the drama-parts though, Baby Boy was a bit restless since it's not a nonstop action kind of movie.

4. The Gallows

This is another case of me having a horror movie withdrawal (i watch movies a lot at hdmovies14.net now so i can have my fix easier hahaha). Honestly i was a bit hesitant when i saw how bad this movie rated in IMDb (only 4.4!) but then i read the user reviews and surprisingly a lot of them actually got confused by the low ratings because they like it! I tend to trust user reviews more than the numbers, so i decided to go watch it anyway. I... kinda like it!

A high school production of The Gallows went horribly wrong and one of the student died as a result of a freak accident. Twenty years later, the students of that school resurrected the failed stage production. In the midst of theater enthusiasts, there's also Ryan who hangs around with his camcorder mainly to tease his friend (who's a former football player) Reese *but i think he also does it for extra credit, i don't remember the specifics* who's now the lead actor for the play but he's there just because he has a crush on the leading lady. Ryan convinces Reese to go to the school to trash the stage so he wouldn't have to actually perform and soon they found out there's a non-human force punishing them for it.

It's not the best horror movie out there or whatever, but it's not bad at all! It's actually quite good in the jump-scare kind of way, i was shocked out of my skin more than a few times. Not actually very scared (because the ghost-if it's even a ghost-is not scary at all), but definitely terrorized hahaha. Lots of plotholes (who the hell Pfeifer really is??? Is Charlie's girlfriend pregnant when he died??) and there's not much on the storyline, but for die hard horror movies looking for a cheap thrill and some good time, it's actually a pretty good choice!

5. Pixels

Again, another movie that scores kinda low in IMDb but i ended up liking, i wonder if my taste is really that bad or those rates are given by pretentious "critics" wannabe? LOL. I really think it's a very entertaining, funny, silly movie! And which kid at heart wouldn't love it if their favorite games come to life? Maybe not this way, but still... Hehehe. This movie totally entertained me, hunny and Baby Boy thoroughly!

Sam Brenner was really really good at arcade games, he even almost won the championship before getting beaten by Eddie. Life has not gone as he planned to ever since, all grown up and working as a "tech guy" who installs and repair gadgets. His best friend, now president of the USA, reached out to him one day when some alien misinterpret the video of their arcade championship as a declaration of war and attack the earth in the form of classic video games. Now the world's existence hangs on the hand of Sam and his friends.

Really, i think this is a fun movie! It's Adam Sandler and Kevin James but they're being mild (no crazy slapstick antics like in most of their movies) but effective, it's funny, entertaining and imaginative! Again, i am reading the user reviews and they all tell you to ignore the critics. I agree! It's fun! If you're a fun person, go watch this! If you take movies way too seriously and cannot stand pop corn movies, don't! Simple as that!

6. Comic 8 Casino Kings (Part 1)

So when the first Comic 8 movie played, i was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. It was hilarious, and the cinematography was also not super cheap looking-all in all it was a good comedy movie that is like a sign that our cinema world is not entirely dead (it's been dominated by horror comedy porn lately, it's sad) and we CAN produce a good, quality movies. And that we have some kick ass stand up comedians. Hunny especially, loved the movie-so when the second movie is showing, he insisted on watching it.

Continuing from the previous movie, the 8 comic who's really undercover agents receive their next assignment : to pretend to be comics and join the nation wide comic tour to try to find the highly private casino king. Not only they have to go undercover and try to avoid being captured by the bad guys, they are also wanted by the police and even interpol (i think Prisia Nasution is gorgeous and her body is da bomb-and i know this is a comedy movie but still. I think her Singaporean accent is a total overkill, it drives me crazy!).

Well, i think it's still pretty good! It's funny, it's silly, it's kinda stupid (in a good way), and it looks "expensive" (i guess it really is expensive)-and the CGI-although not the best, also not as bad as most local (or even Asian in general) movies can be (and i find it hilarious how they air-brushed Sophia Latjuba, making her look like Arwen in LOTR). Of course, it's not perfect, like the first movie there are parts which i find to be dragging and absolutely unnecessary (i find myself getting bored in those parts), but all's forgiven because when they're funny, they're REALLY funny. Those comics really are saving our comedy movie's industry, IMO! Totally worth a watch!

And those are the movies we watched in July! My fave is probably... Not so sure, i find most of them so so, but i was probably most entertained by Pixels (The Gallows' really not bad too!), my least fave is actually Ted 2. How about you? Did you watch any of the movies i mentioned here?

Family #wefie for a change!

#Pink

10:20:00 PM
4 Comments

January Movies

action movie

Hellooo...

Anyone waiting for my monthly movies review? No? Oh well hahaha. I've been postponing this post as usual (somehow reviews use the most brain cells for me...) but here it is, still in early February category right... January's always been quite off-movies wise-for me *sigh*. I didn't even realize that we watched SO MANY movies last month!

Mainly because most of them are so mediocre i don't even remember watching them *LOL*. Since i have so many movies to share, better start right off!

1. Paddington

Quite obviously Baby Boy's movie, but i was honestly quite excited to watch it because i liked the trailer and thought Paddington's way too cute. Well, i quite liked the movie as a whole. It's cute, quite funny and entertaining. It's a solid, warm-hearted family movie-perfect to bring your little ones to. Nothing spectacularly amazing for me though, somehow the funniest bits were already shown in the trailer...

A young Peruvian bear just lost his family and went to London in search for a new home. He met the Brown family who offered him a temporary home (until he found his new home, that is). Being unaccustomed to city life, he created quite a trouble and caught the eye of an evil taxidermist, keen on making him the newest addition to her collection.

I would definitely recommend this movie if you have a young child, but even if you don't-it's still quite worth watching. I am not terribly excited or whatever, but it is quite good *why do i feel like i sound super unconvincing hahaha-it got a high 7.6 rate in IMDb, i don't manage to convince you :p*. I especially love how crazy and evil Nicole Kidman can be, and she seems to like being a villain for kids movies!

2. The Eyes Diary

I LOVE Asian horrors! Nowadays Hollywood seems to do more and more horror movies that suit my fancy (The Conjuring is definitely my fave Hollywood horror movie of all time), but nobody does it as well as the Asian! I don't always get Japanese or Korean horror movies that have very confusing storyline and annoying cliff-hanger endings (i HATE cliff-hangers -___-), but i love love love South East Asia horror movies. Maybe because i understand and relate to the cultures better? Or their ghosts are very familiar and similar to our own urban legends/horror stories? One of our neighboring countries that has the best horror movies for me is definitely Thailand.

Our local cinemas in Surabaya *we sadly only have XXIs zzzz* don't show a lot of Asian movies, and almost no Thai movies so whenever we're in Jakarta, i make a point of checking the movies that are playing in Blitz Megaplex, most of the time they would at least have one or two Asian horrors that would never play in my city. This time round they were showing The Eyes Diary (i think it has no relation to the Chinese The Eye movies despite the resemblance in titles) and a Japanese horror, of course i picked the Thai one. I had no expectation whatsoever, sometime you score but sometimes Thai horror movies can also be so ridiculously bad hahaha. It's always a gamble-but i'm glad to find out that this movie's not bad at all!

Nott recently lost his girlfriend due to an accident, he's very miserable and is willing to do anything to be able to see and talk to Pla (the girlfriend) again-as a spirit/ghost. It's obviously not an easy thing to do, especially because he is not supernaturally sensitive. Even when all of his friends managed to see ghosts one way or another, he never does. He even voluntarily join an emergency crew whose job is to clean up and pick up on dead bodies and their belongings-secretly stealing dead people's stuffs so that they would come to him and look for their stuffs.

There are two types of horror movies that Thai does best, one that is super serious and scary like Shutter, and the other type is the comedic horror. Unlike most of Indonesian super silly and almost-porn comedic horrors, Thais often manage to create a really funny horror movies. The Eye Diary is not the best Thai horror i have ever seen, but it struck the balance between scary and funny quite well. One thing about Asian movies, most of them are still unable to avoid huge plotholes and super silly (as in stupid) scenes, and this one is no exception. But i liked it a lot! It's funny, it's quite scary and i had a great time and didn't get bored watching it. If you like Asian horrors, especially the funny ones-i would recommend you to check it out!

3. Outcast

I saw the trailer and for some unknown reasons i thought it'd be good :p. I should really be cautious when i see Nicholas Cage really, been burnt way too many times by his movies lately-i should know to avoid them like a plague from now on zzzz. But seriously, i moderately like Hayden Christiensen and i love Liu Yifei-she's one of the prettiest Asian star at the moment in my opinion (the prettiest if still Fan Bing Bing ^^) and i like seeing her in movies. I was quite excited to see her branching out into Hollywood movies, but... well.... She should've picked her movie better *LOL*

Liu Yifei is has the perfect face and demeanor to play a sweet and demure Chinese Princess!

A mysterious (Caucasian) warrior somehow made his way to China during the complicated and full of drama Emperor time and stumbled into a little prince and his elder sister who are running away from their evil brother (the crowned Prince who just killed his Emperor father because the Emperor wanted to pick his little brother as his heir instead), he ended up helping them escaping.

Well. The storyline is already so weak, but it could be a saveable movie if only : 1. They have Chinese dialogs (at least between the Chinese actors, i understand that they'd need to speak English to the Western casts), 2. Hayden acts less drunk and 3. They get rid of Nicholas Cage *LOL*.

I don't even know where to begin... I actually think Hayden and Yifei had a pretty good chemistry together, they were quite convincing as two people falling for each other (but i am conflicted to see such a demure Princess being so promiscuous *LOL*. Not that i'd know how Princesses of old are like, but it's just such a different portrayal than those traditional Chinese Princesses that i know. At least i don't think they would be so aggresive-due to their upbringing) but that's probably the only good thing about this movie.

It's just so weird to see Chinese people in an old Chinese kingdom setting, wearing tradional costumes talking in perfectly American accented English (and later there's even a young girl with British accent. WTF). It's just weird (just as weird as seeing Egyptians speaks perfect English to each other in Moses) and make the dialogs very disconnected with the movie.

Hayden's usually a pretty good actor, isn't he? But in the first half of the movie, he plays a drunk-but that's the problem. He ACTS drunk, and we can tell *LOL*. He's just not very convincing either. And Nicholas Cage, my GOD, it was probably the worst performance by him yet. He was crazy with a very very weird accent, and he kept on forgetting to keep one of his eyes *that's supposed to be blinded and shut close* close -_____-. He just made the whole movie go from bad to horrible.

In short, it was not the worst movie of the year-but probably one of the candidates *LOL*. My advise is definitely to skip it. It's not worth your time! Not even on DVD.. (i hope this stupid movie does not halt Liu Yifei's Hollywood career -___- i'd love to see her in more Hollywood movies-just not as stupid as this one, PLEASE!)

4. Taken 3

I do not remember the first Taken movie (i don't think we even watched it... Or did we?) but i liked the second one-hunny did too so we're mildly excited when the third installment hits the theater.

Liam Neeson reprise his role as Bryan Mills, the ex-government operative. He was framed of murdering his ex-wife and went on a run in search of the real murderer. He has to evade CIA, FBI and the police all the while.

Well... I liked the previous movie better! LOL. It's an action movie, so... Storyline is not that important really, at least if the action sequence's cool enough to keep you entertained. I find this third movie lacked the suspense and breath-taking actions that the second movie has. It has more story and heart in it, but it still pales in comparison to its predecessor. If you are a fan of Taken movies, then i guess you should still go to see this, but personally i prefer the second movie better.

It's not bad, but it's not that good.

5. Assalamualaikum Beijing

So you probably already know by now that i like to support local products, including movies. However, i have not been watching Indonesian movies for a while because i didn't see any that caught my fancy lately. One day out of the blue, my cousin L bugged me to watch either Assalamualaikum Beijing or Merry Riana. Since i definitely have no interest to see the second option, i went to google Assalamualaikum Beijing and find the synopsis pretty interesting-so we went to watch it (movie date with cousin L hahaha).

Asmara is an Indonesian Moslem woman about to get married to her boyfriend-but one day prior to the wedding, he admits his affair with another woman who's now bearing his child. Heartbroken and in need of a fresh beginning, Asmara moved to Beijing, China. Her best friend and her husband helped Asmara scored a reporting/writing job in Beijing. Her job requires her to visit different destinations in Beijing and one day she met Zongwen, a handsome Chinese guy who's fluent in Indonesian because of his job as a tour guide.

I didn't have any expectation going in, and i admit making the crime of discussing and nitpicking everything on the screen with L *LOL* (we made a point of sititing faraway from other audiences though), but i ended up enjoying it a LOT more than i thought i would be. Revalina S. Temat's a seasoned actress so you can count on her to deliver, i especially love Laudya Cynthia Bella's portrayal of her hubbly, animated and talkactive BFF, she brings humor and light heartedness to the movie-i'd say she needs to get more comedic roles coz she's good at it, but who really surprised me was Morgan Oey. I admit that i judged him for his SMASH (Indonesian boyband that pretty much copies K-Pop band-not very successfully as well *LOL*. Don't get me wrong, somehow they have quite a huge fan base, but i... I don't even like K-Pop, so K-Pop imitation is just... yekh) past, but he actually held his own and was able to match Revalina's acting in this movie.

Indonesian does make drama movies best, although sometimes romance movies makes me wince and cringe, but not this one. The story flows effortlessly (because it was based on a novel, and that's always best coz Indonesia really does have wonderful literature writers!), the acting were excellent, the cinematographic quite wonderful and the whole thing very engaging. I find myself immersed in the story and had no regrets watching it. I also praise the writer to avoid a sensitive subject for Indonesian, in this case religion change-i like how they make the person who's making the transition did not have a religion in the first place, which if he did might insult some people (we're sensitive people, Indonesian *LOL*).

My only complain would be the way they stereotyped China so much, particularly to music they played in the movie >.<. Don't get me wrong, i am not sensitive because i am Chinese-but it's just a bit annoying because that's really not the kind of music all Chinese people would be happy to be associated to. Read on and you'd see that i am equally as offended when people stereotyped Indonesian with cliches that are not even accurate!

6. Woman in Black 2 : Angel of Death

I know it's not everybody's cup of tea (received a pretty low rate in IMDb), but i actually liked the first Woman in Black. It was creepy, haunting and disturbing, all in the right way. So i had a pretty high hope for the sequel, i was pretty excited about watching it. Sadly it's nowhere near as good as the first movie (maybe i should be alarmed when i see no Daniel Radcliff on the cast hahaha).

40 years after the first movie was set, during World War II a group of children escaped London and seek refuge at the Eel Marsh house under the care of two women. Their arrival awakened The Woman in Black and terror was soon upon them.

Yeah well, it started out okay-it was quite creepy in a quiet, haunting way. But after the same quietness continues in the next half an hour, i realized that the movie will never pick up. It's flat, monotonous and quite frankly-boring. Even the ghost did not scare me one bit hehe. That's weird because it's the same ghost from the first movie, but even she has lost her charm *LOL*.

In short, it's boring and totally failed if it was supposed to creep the hell out of me : NEXT!

7. Blackhat

I never heard about this movie before it was playing, and Sabsab already told me that the movie's... not that good, but i was sold once i saw Wang Lee Hom's in it (one of the most handsome face, ever *LOL*) :p. I was also doubly curious when i heard that part of the movie's shot in Jakarta, Indonesia-so we went to watch it despite the worrying warning signs *LOLOLOL*.

A nuclear plant was attacked in China by a hacker who caused the coolant pump to overheat and explode, a military officer named Chen Dawei (the dreamy Wang Lee Hom) was appointed to find the terrorist, he enlisted his sister Lien and they went to LA to team up with the USA to crack the case. It was then revealed that the worm used on the attack was written by himself and his friend Nicholas Hathaway (who's doing jail time for computer crime) during college. He requested for Nick to be released to help him find the hackers who they suspected would strike again soon.

Actually i find the first half of the movie to be quite okay, a bit slow but still bearable. Had a bit of a hard time keeping up with all those technical and computer language so it was a bit boring-but still okay. It pains me to say this, but when they reached Jakarta-any semblance of coherence went out the door. It became shaky, confusing and extremely unbelievable (not in a good way, God no!)-it was supposed to be the climax-but it turned to be extremely ridiculous and weird that it became a total anti climax instead.

I don't understand why, but the cinematography were so different when the setting was in LA and even Hong Kong to those that was shot in Jakarta. At least in the first half, it still felt like a decent Hollywood-class movie, but it became badly indie-like (almost embarrassingly sinetron like) *no disrespect to indie movies, there are a LOT of good ones, but in this case i meant that it seems to be lacked of fund*. It's just so bad! Even the bank looked sooo fake, it was stupid. As an Indonesian i also cannot help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of a huge Hindu celebration in Jakarta (they should really shoot in Bali if they want this), or how some Ondel-ondel just came out of nowhere in the background. It's like they're trying so hard to cram all Indonesian elements into a few scenes, none of which is even remotely believable. And the terrorist's boss? He's so stupid, it's sad. *LOL.

It's sadly, a BAD movie in general, i think it'd be best to just skip it. I liked the actors though, even though people say Chris Hemsworth is all wrong for the part, i don't mind his acting, and i like his chemistry with Tang Wei. That's rare because even with Natalie Portman i didn't feel like he was in love with her at all in Thor. And Wang Lee Hom is GOOD. I didn't know that he can act so well! Now that i think about it, all fell apart after his character died. Wait, did i just give you a spoiler? Well, didn't i tell you not to watch it?

The only saving grace of this movie :

Is this face. LOL.

8. Seventh Son

Oh well. In case you don't already think i am a boy-crazy teenager trapped in a body of a 31 year old married woman, now you will coz i really really wanted to watch this movie solely for this.

Ben Barnes as Tom Ward in Seventh Son

Oh, and the trailer looked good :p. It's a fantasy adventure movie, right up our alleys...

Thomas Ward is a normal farm boy who gets a vision from time to time, but he always knew that he's meant to do something more. One day John Gregory (Jeff Bridges is hilarious...), who is a local spook who protects his country from anything unusual (as in witches, boggarts, ghouls, etc) lost his current apprentice and went to look for another-who has to be a seventh son of the seventh son-Thomas Ward is it. They had very little time to train because Mother Malkin', the most dangerous witch of all, has freed herself from the prison Gregory trapped her in many many years ago.

It's a fun film! It really is. Entertaining, with good humor, great costumes, better looking casts and awesome villain. Julianne Moore should play fantastical villains more often, she was SMOKING! But having said that, it's... just that. A popcorn movie. It was very entertaining and i loved it, but it didn't leave any deep impression and i'd forget all about it within a few days. But it is good, so if you like light hearted (well, there are some deaths too but nothing too gruesome, at least for me), funny and entertaining fantasy adventure, you should totally watch it!

The only thing i was quite taken aback with was how brief Kit Harrington's role was *LOL*, it was so short it was shocking! His name shouldn't even be in the credit #LOLOLOL. But no matter, it was Ben Barnes i watched this movie for anyway, and he didn't disappoint. I know i rave about different guys every month (and i seem to almost always spot a cutie in any movie hahaha), but Ben Barnes really is one of my absolute favorite, since his Prince of Caspian days-with scrawny body and ridiculous hair! I think i will always love him ^^!

Especially now that he's so manly and all. He's my only choice to play Christian Grey (Fifty Shades of Grey). DROOL!

9. The Imitation Game

I don't know why but whenever hunny asks to watch this type of movies-i am always the one who ended up enjoying it a lot more than he does!

It is based on the real life story of Alan Turing, the legendary cryptanalyst. It flashes back and forth from his current self, then to him when he was a young boy in school and then to his time during WWII-when he was recruited by English government on a top-secret mission to crack the enigma code with the other mathematicians to help their country win the war against Germany.

I loved it!!! It's such a SMART, BRILLIANT and interesting movie! The life of Alan Turing is so fascinating, and i didn't even know that being gay was once considered a crime. WTH. Other than the very engaging storyline, Benedict Cumberbatch's acting is... To the roof! He totally embodied this genius, who's so literal and obsessive that he's having difficulties in day to day social life. Think Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, but in a serious way. Seriously, those kinds of roles should only be done by Benedict Cumberbatch (the serious ones) and Jim Parsons (the crazy ones).

It's definitely not for everyone though, it's highly non-popcorn movie, i noticed the guy sitting near me kept on yawning and shifting and complaining about how he's falling asleep. It's a movie for smart people who wants to use their brain but not so heavy that it cease to entertain (like some Oscar winning movies hehe). And you must. Focus. Like Benedict as Alan Turing said "Are you paying attention?"

10. Vice

I love sci-fi with A.I theme (or something similar to that. Basically i love the idea of very humanoid robots, cloning, artifically controlled environment, or using avatars in real life!) so when i read the synopsis of this movie, i was interested.

Julian Michaels (Bruce Willis) is the CEO and designer of VICE : a controlled environment built like a city within a city where you can do whatever you want and live out your wildest (and cruelest) fantasies with the artificial inhabitants who look, speak, think and feel like real human. You can rape them, you can torture them, you can even kill them-they'll bleed, they'll cry and they'll die-but they'll be reset and restored exactly how they were every single day. An artifical suddenly became self-aware and escaped, she then being hunted by both Julian's goons and a cop who hates VICE and trying all his might to shut it down.

Weeellll... I LOVE the idea. It's just fascinating if you can actually create artificial that are super humanoid, and even more fascinating if there is such a place like Vice! I honestly am sick on the head enough to be one of those who'd visit it, but i have no desire to kill anything-not even a robot, don't worry. But that's where the greatness end *LOL*. The awesome idea never got developed enough to be an awesome movie. If it was up to me, i'd explore more about VICE and the people who visits them-and reduce the chasing part to a minimum. Get to know the characters better, because we never got the chance to. We never even knew enough to start caring for the.

Granted, i didn't hate the movie at all. Nope, i even find the 4.0 rate in IMBDb harsh, i'd give it... 6.5? Even 7. It was quite entertaining-although i do agree the action scenes were not gripping or exciting, and it was really annoying to see people (supposedly trained, merciless mercenaries) shooting like mad but hitting nothing while the bad-boy wannabe cop always manages to shoot point blank, no matter where his position is (and leave with barely a scratch when more than 5 people shoot at him at once) *LOL*. It's just plain ridiculous.

If like me, you love A.I movies, i don't think it would hurt to give it a watch. Maybe on DVD?

ANDDDD, we've finally come to the end of the super long post! Phew, watched 10 movies in one month! My favorite would be The Eyes Diary and The Imitation Game-for very different reasons, i also enjoyed Seventh Son and Assalamualaikum Beijing a lot. My least fave's Outcast, and Blackhat's the close runner up hehe.

What about you? Did you watch any of these movies i've listed? Or are you planning to after reading this?

Talk to you soon!