MichaelNontonMulu Reviews

Stealing Raden Saleh (2022)

A Pretty Well Executed Indonesian Heist Movie

[8/10 · 26 August 2022]

This movie was a lot better than I expected. At first I thought it would be a bit cheesy especially looking at the cast that consisted of young actors and actresses. But as I continued watching, it was surprisingly good with some smooth transition between one plot to another and a wonderful story telling with some excitement throughout the movie.

It obviously had high production value with the awesome setting, amazing fight choreography, some cool enough action sequence and especially the heist itself. There was even a trademark plot twist of such genre that was brilliantly inserted in here. With such ending, I would not mind to see a sequel should they chose to do so, even if this time the duration was probably a bit too long.

Great job from the cast and crew, in particular Angga Dwimas Sasongko as the writer and director who I believed had put in so much effort into making this as good as it is.

Heroes (2022– )

A Recommended Series for Wuxia Lovers

[8/10 · 15 July 2022]

This is one of my favorite wuxia series that focused on brotherhood, honor, ambition in the martial arts world. Even if there was romance, it was more of background rather than the main element like those romance costume drama.

Most of the fight scenes were great (better than some that rely on visual effects), costume department did great job, except for the wigs that did not look good for some people. The music was awesome, the settings were well created and have plenty of extras to make for convincing large scale fight.

The story was really good and though it might deviate from the novel, I still felt it was amazing. The actors/actresses mostly did their job adequately, obviously some better than others. Only thing lacking was the big fights between two important side characters towards the end, but the final few episodes were satisfying.

Overall a recommended series for wuxia lovers!

My other reviews available in michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id.

Srimulat: Hil yang Mustahal - Babak Pertama (2022)

A Nice Biopic of the Legendary Srimulat Group

[8/10 · 20 May 2022]

At first I thought this movie was just another remake of the various famous Indonesian comedy icons. So I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually more like a biopic of the Srimulat group from their early years.

What I loved the most in here was definitely the exceptional performance of majority of the cast who managed to make us believe they were the real Srimulat members, not only through their posture likeness but also through their body language, facial expressions and the way they spoke.

It was made even better by the trademark slapstick jokes that we loved, as they certainly brought back a lot of fond memories of our childhood years. Though this movie might be more challenging to be enjoyed by the new generations who were not familiar with them, it certainly would be much appreciated by those who have known them before like me and my wife. Still it is a wonderful tribute to the beloved & legendary Srimulat and we could not wait for the second part.

For my other reviews, you can visit michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id.

Gara-Gara Warisan (2022)

Managed to blend the drama & comedy quite perfectly

[8/10 · 2 May 2022]

To my surprise I found myself to be enjoying this film a lot more than I expected. It has plenty of great family values with enough comedy that would please you along the way to its ultimate, albeit simplistic conclusion. The acting of the cast were very natural with the support cast providing well written jokes, no doubt due to the brilliance of Muhadkly Acho & Ernest Prakasa (as co-writer). It was a movie that managed to balance the drama, comedy and emotional moments quite perfectly and would satisfy fans of Indonesian smart dramedy, including me and my wife who were really entertained.

For my other reviews, please see michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id.

S.W.A.T. (2019)

Terrible Story Telling & Acting Ruining Any Chance of This Elite Squad to be Better Appreciated

[4/10 · 15 February 2021]

At first I thought this movie seems to get its idea from the Western TV remake of SWAT (released in 2017), with similar plot of showing the elite unit training day in day out and completing their assignments, plus the addition of female member in the squad.

However, this one truly lacking in the characters development as there were too many people involved making it truly hard to relate with them in particular. Not sure if the intention was not to have any member stood out, but I personally felt huge challenge to like these characters when they seemed to be having no background at all.

Having relatively unknown actors/actresses playing certainly did not help, especially since their acting inexperience were too apparent (aside from Robert Knepper who was a familiar face). The only thing watchable was the action part which despite understandbly looked like from B movies, but at least they tried to do them professionally.

There was mid end credit scene showing real life SWAT unit in China which this movie was dedicated to. If only they use a better writer/director and more well known stars to play in it, it would have gotten the proper attention and better appreciation to this unit.

For my other reviews, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Zao le jiang hu (2019)

Bright Beginning Terrible Ending

[5/10 · 26 August 2020]

The movie starts of brightly with some amazing fight scenes that would please fans of wuxia genre. But after that start, the pace slowed down a lot which was still understandable to provide the background story. However, the ending was totally disappointing as it felt like anti climax. I have no problem with the ultimate end, but at least there should be something worthwhile to see. Sadly after that build up, it made me regret for giving it a try in the first place. The cast did their job adequately, if only the writing had been better.

For my other reviews, pls see michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Ancient Detective (2020)

Perfect Blend of Wuxia and Detective Story

[9/10 · 25 May 2020]

For a wuxia series, this one truly surprised me with the unconventional hero who does not possess any martial arts skill but amazing detecting ability. The mystery solving was done a la famous Sherlock Holmes/Hercule Poirot/Detective Conan style.

The two male leads have got nice chemistry and the bromance was realistic without the ambiguity of possible love relationship within the two. Supporting characters are fun to watch with so many hilarious moments that would make you laugh out loud.

Even the fighting scenes were carefully done and surprisingly well crafted without any of those CGI effects. And another interesting attribute, it has only 24 episodes which would not take long time to complete and did not dilly dally on unimportant part.

If you like those attributes in a wuxia series, then this one is perfect for you. I personally would love to see a second season should they do so.

For my other reviews, you can read in michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Milly & Mamet (2018)

An Enjoyable, Fun & Entertaining Romantic Drama Comedy

[8/10 · 21 December 2018]

To my personal opinion, this movie was wonderful in terms of combining the elements of drama and humor. I quite enjoyed the banter between the supporting characters (who were mostly comedians) and the chemistry between Milly and Mamet's characters which were performed very nicely by the two lead cast. And this time around, I think the drama and humor part were quite balanced, although I did feel the conclusion was a tinsy bit oversimplified, but overall it was indeed a fun & entertaining romantic drama comedy. Another great job by Ernest Prakasa!

Venom (2018)

The Origin Movie of Anti-hero from Spider-man Universe

[8/10 · 4 October 2018]

Movie was slow in the first half hour and only became exciting after Eddie and Venom became one. Special effects were quite awesome, some of the fight scenes (chasing sequence and climax fight scenes) were amazing. The interaction between Eddie and Venom were quite funny at times.

I also felt the movie was too short, having less than 2 hours duration which include the long end credit scenes. Btw, it has 1 mid end credit scene which I think could only be appreciated by the fans of the comic books and 1 post end credit scene. So be sure not too leave your seats too soon.

The sound effects with Dolby Atmos was awesome and it is also specialized for IMAX theaters. Overall it was quite fun and entertaining movie. Oh and this movie is in Spider-man own universe but NOT Marvel Cinematic Universe, so you need to manage your expectations.

For my complete review, please have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Aruna & Her Palate (2018)

A Nice Romantic Movie with Some Wonderful Culinary Experience

[8/10 · 3 October 2018]

This movie was filled with some of the most exotic and special food from just several cities in Indonesia. And combined with the love stories amongst all the main cast, plus wonderful acting, made this an entertaining movie to fans of romantic drama genre. There was a bit of side story involved, but I felt the main plot was on the journey to find romance.

If you are looking for a movie that would probably motivate you to start culinary journey and want to experience love story plus watching performances from some of the Indonesian top actors & actresses (who were able to portray their characters very convincingly & showed how superior they were compared to some of the more junior newcomers), then you definitely should give this a try.

For my other reviews, please feel free to go to michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

The Meg (2018)

A Jason Statham VS Giant Prehistoric Shark Movie

[7/10 · 9 August 2018]

This movie was actually pretty good in term of scaring people out of the sea. Yes the movie premise especially the second half was a bit similar to the 1975 Jaws movie, but the special effects here were obviously a lot better now. Now from the angle of a movie where the shark was the main focus, this one did not disappoint in term of scaring us especially during the scenes where Megalodon was chasing its victim(s). It certainly made my wife and some of the audience screamed most of the time whenever it appeared. Problem was the movie was rated PG-13 which made it felt a bit lighter than I would have expected for a shark attacks movie.

The movie felt a bit light to my opinion as it was not entirely scaring or thrilling us nonstop. Throughout the 113 minutes duration, some of the time the movie gave us occasional brief funny moment. I believe it was the aim of director Jon Turteltaub to make the movie not too dark or heavy. Every now and then there would be some light humor that quite cheered us. But it did make the appearance of Megalodon felt not frequently enough to my opinion.

The movie also had quite a large cast in the supporting roles such but the one person who stood out from the rest was to my opinion the young newcomer Shuya Sophia as Meiying (Suyin's daughter). I personally thought she stole the show with her adorable comments and actions as a smart 8 year old girl.

Seeing this movie in a large studio with Dolby Atmos sound system was very satisfying as it gave the terror felt more so with the very huge shark on screen. Plus of course the sound effects were also very good. The movie did not have any mid or post end credit scene, unless you just want to enjoy listening to the song "Mickey".

Overall this was a movie purely for fun. It was to give us some kind of nice adventure with very big shark chasing human. It was not as completely scary and suspenseful from beginning till the end like Jaws or a survival movie with great acting like The Shallows. It was a summer movie with good special effects and something that would give you fun for almost 2 hours, though it might have probably been a lot enjoyable had the Megalodon was given larger screen time to scare us more. But anyway, if you are looking for something like this, want to see Statham fight a giant prehistoric shark and do not mind the so-so plot, then you surely could enjoy this movie. However, be warned that if you prefer your movies to be very logical or you want a very nonstop action, then this might not fully satisfy you.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

A Hilarious Action Comedy Movie

[8/10 · 3 August 2018]

Well this movie was a lot more fun that I anticipated. First I thought that the comedy would be just so so or only glimpses of them. But apparently the film was filled with so many hilarious moments. The comedic and rather absurd situations they were in and sometimes because of themselves were always fun to watch. Sometimes the fun stuff also came from the conversation they had or the comments Morgan (Kate McKinnon) made on Audrey (Mila Kunis) which was really spot on. There were so many hilarious scenes in the movie but my most favorite one was the chasing sequence in the roads of Vienna and also the library scene (which made my wife could not stop laughing). And most of the audience in our studio were really enjoying themselves as we were laughing throughout the whole movie.

The film also had some unexpectedly good action sequence, particularly the fight & car chase scenes which I thought was done nicely and professionally. The movie was quite old school in the action part and did not use too much computer for their special effects. While the sound effects were pretty decent for such movie.

The main attraction for this movie was definitely the 2 lead stars Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon who had good chemistry & quite convincing as two best friends. While Mila's character Audrey was what you could expect from her, but Kate I think truly excelled in her role. She looked really natural as the person who does not seem to think ahead and just go with her heart.

This movie should not be compared to the serious spy movie like James Bond or the more recent one like Mission: Impossible series. I actually felt that the movie had some similarities with another very funny 2015 action comedy movie titled Spy starring Melissa McCarthy. This film may not have the most original story/plot but it certainly gave me & my wife a bunch of laughter, making us feeling very happy after leaving the theater.

With a duration of almost 2 hours, the movie did not feel too long. In fact I think it's just nice as the story did not feel rushed to complete and we were given plenty of hilarious scenes with some nice action sequence. During the end credit scene, there were few funny scenes that you could enjoy but there was no such scene at all after it was complete.

So if you are looking just pure fun without overthinking of the plot, then this one would do nicely. But if you are looking for some serious spy stuff or prefer the full action movie, then better find some other movies to fill your time.

For my complete review, please see michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

A Much More Family Friendly & Super Light Marvel Superhero Movie

[8/10 · 5 July 2018]

Well this movie was real fun to see. In this sequel, Paul Rudd & Michael Pena reprised their roles and I got to say that most of the fun I had were involving them. Rudd's Scott was charming, made a lot of jokes and his sometimes high school love struck scenes with Hope were amusing to see. Plus his relationship with cute daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) was adorable.

Apart from those amusing scenes, the movie plot was actually rather simple. It was a rescue mission while avoiding the chase by 2 groups of people. The Ghost character, however, was what I personally felt as the rather weak point of this film. It was not a great villain that I had hoped for to be the enemy of Ant-man. And despite having another villain, I also thought that he was not a scary one. But I guess Marvel just want to make sure that this movie was kept as light as possible, which was why even the villains were not the scariest and in fact rather grey.

Special effects of the movie were as good as you can get. The enhancing or miniaturizing of objects were done nicely. It was also the part where the movie became very funny as we would be amused by the very giant Ant-man (or the half sized Scott). The supporting cast here were also fun to see, especially Randall Park as agent Woo, and Luis' team Dave & Kurt (played by Tip T.I. Harris and David Dastmalchian respectively). Even though their screen time were not so much, they were still able to provide some laughter for us audience.

For an almost 2 hours movie, the movie did not feel boring or rushed at all. The pace was quite steady, the funny moments were quite abundant. And the jokes definitely still manageable for younger children. So the movie is definitely safe to be seen by kids and the whole family. In case you are wondering, there was 1 mid end credit scene and 1 post end credit scene.

Overall this movie was a really family friendly one. It was super light, not having a difficult plot to understand (apart from maybe the quantum realm matter that was a little bit complicated) and definitely to be enjoyed as a fun Marvel superhero movie. So please do not expect an awesome great fight between Ant-man & the Wasp with the enemies as the fights were also made rather light. It was definitely not the one that would amaze you by the full action but you would be leaving the theater feeling happy and intrigued as the same time especially after seeing those end credit scene. If you are looking for a light entertaining superhero movie, then this one definitely suit your need.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Deadpool 2 (2018)

A Very Very Entertaining Sequel to the Wise Cracking Superhero

[9/10 · 16 May 2018]

Wow, this movie truly delivered. When I saw the first Deadpool movie, I was surprised at the totally different way of showing a superhero and I was really intrigued of how they would pull it off again in this sequel. It turned out that this time around, the action sequence was even grander and more amazing. I totally loved the scenes involving Domino, Deadpool and Cable in the city which were absolutely thrilling. And I was also amazed during the finale fights scene as well. With a great sound system from the theater, it really gave the complete awesome experience.

Just like in the original movie, there were so many funny moments which were delivered by the actors (mostly involving Deadpool and his friends). One person that was given quite a lot of comical role was the taxi driver Dopinder (Karan Soni) reprising his role from the first movie. Almost all the scenes in the film were funny and I personally felt that this one was even funnier than the original movie. It gave us various jokes and one liner, making fun of so many things which gave all the audience a good amount of laughter. My wife and I really enjoyed watching this movie as it made us laughed really hard a lot of time. My own personal favorite funny moment would definitely be during the scene involving Deadpool and his old roommate Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) which was really hilarious.

The pace of the movie was quite fast but there were occasional slower paced more dramatic scenes here and there. There was even a brief moment of touching scene towards the end that affected my wife a bit. Overall though, the movie was having a lot more fun and entertaining scenes. Through the entire movie duration which lasted for 2 hours, audience would be filled with a lot of craziness and jokes which should not be taken too serious. Like in all Marvel movies, this one also had 2 mid end-credit scene with the latter one also quite hilarious and should not be missed.

What I also like about this movie was the additional characters in this sequel were actually quite memorable. Domino was an awesome superhero and really kick-a$$. Cable was amazingly characterized by Josh Brolin (who was able to transform into a different character from playing Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War earlier). And Russel was also greatly portrayed by the young Julian Dennison. The chemistry of all those characters were nice to see and you would notice that they really had great fun playing this movie. One thing that I noticed missing here, were the use of the fourth wall was not as frequent compared to the original movie and replaced more by the narratives by Deadpool.

In the end, this was a very fun, enjoyable and entertaining superhero movie, which was very violent, had an R rating and should not be seen by children. There were so many killings, body dismemberment and foul language used here that were really not suitable for the young audience. So if you are a fan of the original movie, you should definitely watch this one and I am sure you would have just as much fun as my wife and I did.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Rampage (2018)

An Entertaining Movie of Giant Animals Rampaging Throughout City of Chicago

[8/10 · 12 April 2018]

Wooow, this movie was amazing in term of the action sequence. The giant gorilla, wolf and another animal that would be better found out when you see the movie (unless of course if you have seen the trailer that would let you know) were really cool, enormous and rampaging through out the whole city. The special effects of these animals/creatures were fantastically done and real life like. To my personal opinion, the greatest part of the movie would definitely be the giant monster scenes in Chicago. Of course the earlier part was also great (like the scene in the jungle and on the plane), but from the final third of the movie, it was totally awesome and made my wife and I really thrilled.

But if you talk about the story itself, I felt that it was a tinsy bit too complicated. The movie seemed to be trying too hard on making the story sophisticated and also having many characters to support the story. However, I personally felt that it became a bit complicated and was not simple enough to grasp. Perhaps it would be more realistic had it been simplified a bit, like in Jurassic World where the story was simple enough to understand (could not help but feel there was a little similarity with that movie, having Chris Pratt as a friend to few of the T-Rex which later on ran amok). Which is why I could understand for audience who were looking for very smart monster movie might be disappointed as its main focus seemed to be aimed at making us amazed on those giant monsters. Don't get me wrong though, my wife and I personally really really enjoyed the movie, but there is possibility that critical audience would not like it.

Anyway, I did not get to see the end credit scene till finished as half way through it, the operator had switched off the projector (perhaps he thought no one else around), so I did not see if it had any post end credit scene. Btw, I understand that this movie was loosely adapted from a 1986 arcade game with the same title where players would take control of George, Ralph (the wolf) and another character called Lizzie which were originally people who could transformed into those creatures and rampaging through out various cities. So the movie was quite different from the game play. I am not sure if this would appeal to the fans of the games, but if they just want to enjoy seeing those creatures came to life in this movie, then it would certainly not disappoint.

Overall, this is a movie that was entertaining if you disregard the logical parts. It has few funny moments and great action finale sequence, and it even had a touching moment as well (though my wife was only a bit affected). If you are looking for giant animals rampaging city and fight against military, then this movie is definitely for you.

For my complete review, please have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Sherlock Gnomes (2018)

Not the Best Adaptation of Sherlock Holmes Story

[6/10 · 24 March 2018]

OK, after seeing this movie, I felt that it was inferior compared to the prequel Gnomeo & Juliet. That movie was having many cute gnomes with lots of silly fun moments, romance & a little bit of emotional touching scene. But in here, the movie felt a lot less of those.

To my personal opinion, the movie seemed unclear of its direction. Was it supposed to be a movie about Sherlock Gnomes, or was it a sequel to Gnomeo & Juliet? If it was a Sherlock Gnomes movie like its title, then Gnomeo and Juliet's portion should probably be lessen a bit. But if it was a Gnomeo & Juliet's sequel, the focus on Sherlock Gnomes was too much, as it was having the characteristic of a Sherlock's movie with his deductions & investigations, his personal fight with his nemesis & having his love interest as well.

The problem is, the lovable characters from the original movie was actually Gnomeo and Juliet. Those who loved that movie, would rather have more of their screen time. Which is why I think that the movie would be better if it was a Gnomeo & Juliet part 2, where Sherlock and Watson were the additional supporting characters. I felt that this sequel did not resonate with the audience as the funny scenes were not as much as the first one (I loved the scenes of the gnomes had to freeze themselves whenever there was a human, but there was only 2 such scenes in here). With the focus on Sherlock's investigation, the movie did not feel a good one for all ages as I think the children would be having a hard time understanding the multiple twists. Though for adults, we should have been able to guess them.

The good thing about this movie was definitely the animation. I really think they were done very beautifully. Especially the lips movement were really life like. It was as if they were really alive and speaking the things voiced by the actors and actresses. It might have been better had I saw this one in 3D as the effects would have been wonderful. One thing that I did not enjoy was the song sang by Mary J. Blige in the middle which I felt a little bit out of place and seemed to be added just to accommodate her great singing talent. But the end credit scene was fun to see as it was having some funny animations, especially the final scene which you could see at the very end, plus it was accompanied by nice songs.

In the end, the movie's intention might be good by having Sherlock Holmes' famous character adapted into the Gnomes universe. But sadly the execution and story writing was not done properly which resulted to an uneventful and unmemorable movie. It might be difficult for the movie maker to have a profit from this movie as the ratings by critics and audience were not great. Although my wife and I could still enjoy the movie albeit not as much as the prequel. Now if you just want to see gnomes acting cute, you could opt to see this movie but it's advisable to see the first one so you could better understand it. However, if you are not a fan of such animated movie, or you are a super fan of Sherlock Holmes, better avoid watching this one as you might not like what you see. The choice is yours.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)

A Sequel With More Robots and Major Fights

[8/10 · 22 March 2018]

This was a sequel of the film that I quite enjoyed back in 2013 , but with mostly different characters. I believe it would be best to see the first movie before seeing this one to understand better on the war history plus the plot involving those characters. My personal view of the movie was it had a lot more action compared to the prequel. If you are a fan of those Jaeger fights in that movie, you would be amazed with the major screen time involving these fights. Especially since there were exciting Jaegers like Gypsy Avenger, Bracer Phoenix, Guardian Bravo and Saber Athena. Those fight scenes were totally amazing and intense and those who love to see big robots fight against other robot and big monsters should be satisfied.

The special visual effects of the Jaeger fights were totally awesome and looked amazingly real to me, obviously with a major budget of USD 150 million, it was really worth it. The sound effects of Dolby Atmos was very good, though at times (during conversations among the pilots in the Jaeger, sounded a bit too loud and seemed broken). And seeing those big robots and monsters in a large studio was certainly the right choice as it gave the feeling the robots were really enormous. I think seeing this in IMAX would be a lot better.

Aside from those cool actions and special effects, the plot itself was not really great. John Boyega was able to portray his character brightly and he was surprisingly very charming and looked to have fun in here. Newcomer Cailee Spaeny was not bad either, while Scott Eastwood was pretty standard and not spectacular. The disappointing part would be the rest of the Cadets (and the supporting characters) whom I think did not have sufficient screen time to give us any sense of closeness and empathy towards them, including Jing Tian whose character felt a bit out of place. And the plot of Kaiju's re-appearance was probably a bit too short which did not give adequate room to absorb & understand. Maybe because the movie was not long enough as it was not even 2 hours including the very long end credit scenes duration to appreciate those wonderful visual artists.

The movie also had some fun light moments, as well as the emotional moment in the middle which affected my wife a bit. It may not win the critics heart, but for my wife and I who love to see this kind of action movie, we thought it was intense, pretty awesome and we can still have fun by disregarding some of the obvious flaws mentioned above. I personally think that the movie might be appealing to certain type of audience, but definitely not all in general, which would be a sad thing if it's not successful commercially, especially since the ending hinted a third movie to complete the trilogy. There was no end credit scene if you are wondering, so you can hit the restroom immediately.

If you are not a fan of this kind of genre, you might feel the movie to be too childish, light, illogical and so on. Especially if you do not like Transformers or Power Rangers movies. But if you are like my wife and I, then by all means, see this one and enjoy the Jaeger fights.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Tomb Raider (2018)

A nice reboot of the iconic video game character's movie

[8/10 · 8 March 2018]

At first when I found out about the reboot of this iconic video game character movie, I admit that I had my doubts when they cast Alicia Vikander to play Lara Croft. My doubt was due to the her prior experience of mostly having dramatic roles rather than action role. It would really require a great physical attributes in order to play this heroine who was famous for her agility and ability to run and jump through a whole lot of dangerous places like in the video game. But it turned out my doubt was completely unwarranted. Alicia Vikander truly deserves the praise for being a new action star and she was really great in playing this role. There were soo many action sequences that required her to do all those stuff and what surprised and amazed me was the fact that she did all of her stunts.

This movie's main attraction was definitely all those wonderful action sequence. The plot/story line might not have been appealing to the movie critics as I also found it a bit weak. But that was not the point anyway. When we go to see Tomb Raider, the first thing that comes to people's mind would be lots of actions. The final third of the movie did not disappoint at all. Though I personally felt that the first half was not full of those. But whenever there were actions involved, they were always suspenseful and intense (my most favorite part would be when Lara was going through the jungle and waterfall until finally went to the ground).

In here the movie focused on Lara Croft's early days. Which means the movie was more of an origin story of Lara Croft. This was a nice different approach by the film makers. It was also rather a surprise that the movie was not directed by Hollywood's more well known action director. The director was Roar Uthaug, a Norwegian film maker whose prior experience were directing Norwegian films. But I personally think he did wonderful job on the action sequences.

As for other aspects like the sound effects, it was definitely great. The musical effect though not too good to my opinion (sometimes there was too much volume in certain scene which I think was to give more dramatic effect but felt unnecessary to my opinion). The special effects were good, and the CGI was done neatly & nicely. There were also few dramatic moments where my wife was also affected a bit. Oh there was also a brief fun appearance from Nick Frost. The other supporting characters in the movie that stood out was obviously Walter Goggins (as usual truly nailed it as a villain). The rest were OK, but sadly Daniel Wu's character was not really that great in here (not clear on whether he was supposed to be Lara's sidekick or what). The movie did not have middle or post end-credit scene, so you can relief yourself to the restroom if you have been holding off during the almost 2 hours duration of the movie.

Overall, this movie was a nice reboot of Lara Croft. Do not overthink the plot or the sometimes not really logical part like how Lara was so strong & very good in doing all those stunts despite not having the proper training. Go to this movie to be entertained by the amazing action sequence (even if Lara seemed to be always very lucky like what my wife said). If you enjoy this kind of movie or if you are a fan of Tomb Raider games, then I think it would be satisfying. But if you want to see a lot of the tomb raiding scenes like in the previous Tomb Raiders movies, or if you are looking for the Indiana Jones quality, then this might not be too fulfilling.

for my complete review pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Death Wish (2018)

A Remake of 1974 Cult Classic

[6/10 · 3 March 2018]

I knew that this movie was a remake of a 1974 movie played by Charles Bronson. I honestly could not remember if I had seen that one, but I remember the main story of a man who had revenged the persons responsible for his family's suffering in a very brutal violent way. From what I felt when watching this, my first thought was the crime to Paul's family was violent but the transformation from a good rich doctor to become a sadistic vigilante felt a little bit unrealistic. Then when the news of his family's suffering was told to him, I thought that Bruce Willis did not seem sad enough. Personally I felt it would have been a lot better and resonate more to audience had the condition he was in were a lot worse and devastating to him personally. We could probably be a lot more understanding why he could become a sadistic vigilante.

This is where I think the original movie was more logical. The things happening to Paul's family in that movie was a lot worse and would make us be more "receptive" of his actions (though morally unacceptable). My personal feel is that this movie tried to tone down a bit on the violence on Paul's family and put some more back story about whether vigilante's actions could be accepted. The pace of this movie felt a bit slow and only started to pick up in the middle. But I have to admit, the killing of the villains were truly brutal and would not disappoint fans of this kind of genre.

As an action star, I think Bruce Willis still got it. But lately he had been cast to play in various roles which did not really suit him. This was no exception. Apart from those killing scenes on the bad guys (which I am very sure most of the audience would be satisfied to see, just as my wife and I did) that he truly nailed, his representation of a doctor turned vigilante was not really convincing to my opinion. There were also scenes which probably served as reminders to US government not to give guns permit so easily. I think that Eli Roth (director of several horror films such as Cabin Fever, Hostel & its sequel and several others) took this film very seriously to convey his messages and make the film to be more relevant to the current situation. But I personally think that if he was able to make Bruce Willis showed more emotions and provided more of those vigilante actions, it would be more satisfying to me. Btw, the sound effects of this movie was awesome especially during the gun shooting scenes which really added the intensity.

Now if you are looking for a vigilante action movie where the plot did not really matter or the dramatic part was not a determining factor (as long as the revenge scenes are there), then this could still satisfy you. And if you are able to stomach few of the brutal killings, then it should be a good option. But if you are not fan of such genre and you prefer to see a not so violent movie, then perhaps this would not be appropriate for you.

For my other reviews, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Red Sparrow (2018)

A Unique and Dark Movie of a Different Kind of Russian Spy

[7/10 · 1 March 2018]

This was a very different and unique kind of spy movie. It was not the conventional James Bond type since the spy here was not taught about the use of cool gadgets, fight skills or even the weapons & explosives use. But it was a rather psychologically advanced type of spy where the Sparrow would use their minds in finding out what the target was looking for in a person and became such. Therefore you should not expect a movie with full of action or fight sequences. This was more like a drama movie focusing on the lead character Dominika who was played truly brilliantly by Jennifer Lawrence. It was so amazing to see her characterization of this person, her transformation from an innocent ballerina to a ruthless, strong-willed, manipulative spy.

The movie's main attraction was the high intensity dramatic moments which all involved Dominika. The way she had to adjust herself into many situations, or her expressions in various conditions even in the most scary times. My wife and I were really amazed by her performance in this movie. Aside from Jennifer Lawrence's factor, the movie was also excellent in providing us few surprising twists. The final twist in the end was really mind blowing. And be sure to really concentrate on the first 10-15 minutes of the movie where you would find out how dark the tone of the movie really was. Plus the background music was also very good as it really added the element of intensity during the suspenseful moments.

This movie had a duration of more than 2 hours which for some audience might be too long for a thriller drama movie. But my wife was able to go through it without even going to the bathroom (that's how intense the whole movie was). Though for me personally, there were some moments in the middle which felt a little bit too slow. Before you decide to see this movie, you have to know that it was categorized for 21 years above in Indonesia (R rating in the US), due to the violent nature of the killing and some sexual content. So beware that the movie is really for mature audience and do not bring your children to see this.

If you are looking for a different unique kind of spy movie, based on the book written by former CIA operative named Jason Matthews (who would really know his stuff), this would be an interesting option. But if you expect a full action spy movie, then this would surely not be your thing.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Black Panther (2018)

Not the Best Superhero Origin Movie Marvel Had Produced

[7/10 · 15 February 2018]

I was actually hoping to see a story of how T'Challa from his childhood could became the Black Panther. But it was not the case. And this was not a conventional Marvel movies either as usually origin story was made first before the superhero appeared in other movies. Regardless though, the story was made a bit short and went straight to the time when T'Challa would be made king. Plus the how he came to know Everett Ross was not shown which made me felt the movie was not too complete as an origin story.

Other than those minor shortcomings that I personally felt, the movie definitely had some good moments. The action sequence in Korea plus the climax scene was awesome. The special effects (apart from few brief "a bit obvious" computerized scenes of Wakanda in the background during the time T'Challa was going to be crowned king) were very good. And there were also a bit of funny moments which involved Shuri plus surprisingly from M'Baku (Winston Duke).

I would really advise you to be fully concentrated from the start to understand better on the earlier parts. To my personal opinion, the movie developed to be more interesting when the villains began to appear and the fights started.

I get the appeal of this movie to critics due to its rather complex character development of T'Challa plus the appearance/representation of the African people in a world where third world country were still looked down. I myself as a simple minded movie audience preferred a more intense superhero movie, which I thought I did not really get in here. Therefore, even if the movie was hailed as one of the best in Marvel Cinematic Universe, I personally did not feel that. It may be good, but certainly not the best. Again this does not mean the movie was bad at all, even my wife was able to truly enjoy it. But as I felt it was not the best superhero origin movie & the fact that the action sequence were not too much, I still prefer other such MCU movies like the first Iron Man, Ant-Man or Captain America. Oh another thing, there was not a lot of surprises here, even 1 or 2 supposed surprising moments could have been guessed by my wife and I.

As usual, there would be end credit scene which was having 2 of them in this movie. So wait till the very end to make sure you see them. In conclusion, my personal view is that this movie was probably a little bit over-hyped.

The Commuter (I) (2018)

Another Cool Liam Neeson Action Thriller Movie

[7/10 · 18 January 2018]

What was wonderful about seeing Liam Neeson was that he had such a commanding presence on screen that it felt whenever he was in a movie playing a tough guy, he really nailed it. In here, he played a character who was being suppressed so hard that he had no choice but to fight back, and boy he really fought.

As usual, he would be able to do the fight skillfully but not in the very fast style a la Jason Statham or Donnie Yen but his own style which was brutal and kind of like a street fight. In here, all the fights done were good, but my most favorite would definitely be the one in the small compartment before the final stop. Apart from the cool fight scenes, there were also various intense moments involving the train. The train's high speed sequence towards the end was absolutely breath taking and so intense that I was literally holding my breath. And I know my wife also screamed a little during some of those awesomely done intense moments.

For a movie that was shot mostly in a confined space of a train, the early part of the film was a bit too long to my personal opinion. This resulted to a bit of a slow pace at the start. Not until the scene in the train did we feel the movie picking up the pace. Personally I think that if the earlier part was made a bit shorter, the movie would have been a nonstop thrill. To tell you the truth, I also felt a bit of similarity with another Liam Neeson's movie Non-Stop where the scenes were mostly done in an airplane. This should not come as a surprise since both were directed by the same person Jaume Collet-Sera who also directed few other Neeson's movies such as Unknown and Run All Night.

I found that the sound effects of the movie was excellent and the special effects were good. It also provided us some twists and an interesting plot of finding out who the person was which kept us guessing till almost the end. The opening sequence was uniquely done but may seemed a bit confusing first, though after a while you would understand it better. The movie's main attraction would definitely be Liam Neeson who already built up a rapport for being an action star even at his age. I pretty much enjoyed the movie as it was truly entertaining though I would have loved it more had the intensity started a lot earlier. Overall it was a good entertaining movie, and one that should be enjoyed as an action thriller film.

So if you are a fan of Liam Neeson and want to see his collaboration with Jaume Collet-Sera again, then this should be a definite choice. If you like this kind of genre, you would surely be entertained. And it is worth to note that during this Award period in January where the movie options were limited to heavy drama (or a horror movie), then this could be a good alternate movie.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)

The Final Performance of the Bellas

[7/10 · 29 December 2017]

As the third part of this musical comedy movie, I could not help but to compare this with the first and second movie. Just what I suspected, the movie's story was not as good as the second one, let alone the first one. To me personally (and my wife shared the same sentiment as I did), the first one was the best. That one was truly honoring the a cappella style of music with the competition to be the best at university level and we get to see the earlier problems a big group would have in real life. The second one despite the movie expanded their universe to a world competition, the story itself was probably a bit less good, but the competitors of the Bellas were still a cappella singers. Whereas this time, the competition comes from a real band which I think was not really apple to apple, plus the story of this third one was a bit forced.

The nice thing about this movie was still the performance of the Bellas were still as good as before and they also seemed to give more portion to other members of the group (except Jessica and Ashley characters. LOL). And the jokes were still quite similar to the earlier movies. My favorite character in this film (and the 1st & 2nd ones) was definitely Fat Amy who was very funny, plus she gave a surprisingly cool scenes in the boat towards the end of the movie. Oh, Lily's character was also very fun. This time, the characters of John and Gail were not as much as the previous movies, but they still gave crazy fun commentaries as usual. 1 other thing, I still think that the movie might not be suitable for children whom I noticed were there when I saw this in the cinema today.

The songs this time were quite up to date and seeing this movie, you should expect to see a lot of songs wonderfully sung in a cappella style. My favorite song scene was the very cool brief riff-off between the Bellas and other groups. Basically the movie was having a similar formula with the earlier movies, like the competition, the crazy stuff they always managed to do, some relationships, and funny moments. The best thing about this movie to my personal opinion was the last song which would bring out lot of emotions for fans of the Bellas (like my wife). Plus the end credit scene was also fun to see as it served as reminder of the journey these girls had all the years.

Overall, if you are fans of the group and also love to see songs sung in a cappella style, or any other style, plus some fun jokes, then this movie is definitely for you. This is a light movie that should not be over thought and just to be enjoyed as pure entertainment. However, if you must have a logical story in a movie, then this might not be to your liking. My advice for you to forget all your logic and just go enjoy the movie, maybe sing in your own heart. Do not forget to watch the Pitch Perfect 1 and 2 first before watching this one so you could be familiar and understand the characters (and some of the jokes) better.

for my complete review pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

A Funnier Sequel to the Famous Robin Williams' Movie

[8/10 · 20 December 2017]

Well this movie was exactly what I would hope for in term of comedic situation and provided us a good amount of laugh. In fact what my wife and I noticed was the movie was a lot more comedic than adventurous. This was a bit different from the movie's predecessor, the 1995 version of Jumanji which felt having more adventure. Apart from being a sequel to that movie, this one also served as a tribute to Robin Williams who played the lead character of Alan Parrish. From my personal view, the original movie was something that truly blow my mind with the obviously awesome special effect at that time and also a wonderful experience seeing so many animals came and wreak havoc in the city. While in this movie, the characters were the ones who went inside the game and the animals scenes were not that frequent.

The movie seemed to focus on the characters development and chemistry which were fun to see. I actually loved Jack Black's character whom I think was totally spot on. Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson seemed to hit it off very easily, most likely because they had played in an action comedy movie earlier Central Intelligence. Meanwhile Karen Gillan was totally different from the other roles that I had seen earlier as she provided few funny moments, with the funniest one relating to 2 bad guards. What I loved the most was the high school students were transformed into totally different adult persons and had to adjust themselves with their transformation. Though this also provided some rather crude jokes which probably not understood by young children.

The special effects were definitely a lot better than the 1995 version (especially if you see the old one now). During the almost 2 hours duration of the movie, my wife and I had plenty of laughs and for me personally, I was happy and satisfied watching this one as it provided me with the light pop corn movie where I do not have to overthink and just enjoy it. Btw, there was no end credit scene in the movie which was rather surprising as I thought (and hoped) there would be one.

Anyway, if you are looking for a fun, light, comedy adventure movie, then you definitely should see this one. If you have seen the original movie, you might also enjoy this as it had the aura and some scenes that would remind you with that one. It would be best if you have seen the original movie first before seeing this one to really appreciate and understand it better. And please do not expect a heavy logical movie where you need to over analyze it. Just go to the cinema and experience the fun.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Ferdinand (2017)

A Nice Story of an Extraordinary Bull

[7/10 · 15 December 2017]

This movie was about a bull who had to make a bold choice in his life. The story was not very heavy and quite easy to understand but there was a major moral message in the movie where anybody could and should be anyone they wanted to be even if it was of different nature. This film was rather light and gave us some laughters combined with brief emotional moment. Despite starting off rather slow, but from the middle onward, Ferdinand's character would grow on you. It was fun to see a very very big bull who would be scary to all people but loved to smell flowers.

In an era of more serious & heavy animated movie especially those from Disney and Pixar such as Coco, this movie brought some freshness and I believed would be much easier to understand by children. When my wife and I saw this movie, there were quite a lot young children as well and they were able to laugh on most of the funny scenes. This is understandable since the movie was based on a children's book titled The Story of Ferdinand.

The movie was very very colorful and the animation was actually pretty good and beautiful. It was no doubt due to produced by Blue Sky Studios which produced other hit animated movies such as Ice Age series, Rio and The Peanuts Movie. This one was a nice movie where you could enjoy fun times and few touching moments, specifically the climax where my wife was quite emotional. Although it was rather light, apparently this film was good enough to be nominated for 75th Golden Globe's Best animated movie. Oh, there was a brief quite funny moment in the middle of end credit scene.

So if you are looking for a fun light hearted movie, easy enough to understand for whole ages, then this one could certainly be an option, especially if the children are already on holiday. One thing that audience have to remember is that this is not up to the caliber of those Disney/Pixar movies so there is no need to compare with those movies.

for my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id