Newest Movies & TV Blogs (200)

Indonesian films are always bonkers. The Raid and The Raid 2 are perfect examples of that.

This film pairs Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim again, after their previous movie, The Raid. Other actors include Julie Estelle, Zack Lee, Sunny Pang, Abimana Aryasatya, Salvita Decorte and Asha Kenyeri Bermudez.

So what is it about?

Joe Taslim plays Ito, a gangland enforcer, caught amidst a treacherous and violent insurrection within his Triad crime family upon his return home from a stint abroad. When Ito turns his back on the Triad, they send their rising star, Arian, played by Iko Uwais, to kill Ito. Ito and Arian are old friends, which makes it a bit awkward, to say the least.

The movie opens with a bang, literally. What follows is a 2 hour brutal film, where there is a lot of blood, dismemberments, guts, broken bones and crushed skulls. The movie is so bloody, that it earned an NC-17 rating, which is only given to movies too violent and brutal to get an R rating.

The acting is great, and the fight scenes are intense. Asha Kenyeri Bermudez does a fantastic job as the child, who Ito takes under his protection.

While I was watching it, I kept thinking "That was absolutely disgusting" several times over. It is definitely not for the squeamish kind of people, and it would most definitely be banned in certain places, due to the graphic violence in the film.

Like I said in the beginning, Indonesian films are ridiculous, but in a good way.

This movie earns a 9/10 from me!

I finally got to see the new Transformers spinoff movie, centered on the yellow Beetle, and later a yellow and black Camaro known as Bumblebee, or B-127 back on Cybertron.

The movie follows Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), a 17 year old girl, who is on the verge of turning 18. She has some issues, namely a family, that doesn't really care about her, and three bullies at school. She finds Bumblebee on a marina, and takes him in. At first, she doesn't know that it's Bumblebee. All she sees is a tired, banged up old Beetle. After inspecting his undercarriage, she discovers a face, making Bee transform.

The opening of the movie is great. It shows some war on Cybertron, and it instantly kicks into action with explosions and gunfire. Once Bee comes to Earth, he goes into hiding, which is how he gets to the marina. Bee is not alone in going to Earth, as two Decepticons also come to Earth, to hunt Bee down.

Apart from the impending two Decepticons, Shatter and Dropkick, Bee and Charlie also has the leader of Sector 7, colonel Jack Burns (John Cena) on their heels, and thus begins an epic adventure, full of fantastic action sequences, lots of emotion and a fair bit of humor.

Other actors include John Ortiz, Angela Davis and Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

Overall, I liked this movie a lot. It is said that this is the best of the Transformers movies, and I agree. Something about this movie is just right. It lacks the cringe elements that Michael Bay stuffed into his movies, and it's nice to see a Transformers movie, without overly sexualising the lead actress.

So for all that it's worth, after nearly two hours of epic sci-fi action, I am gonna give this movie a 9/10.

It has been one of my secret likings lately.

I don't get this african american community portrayed on these shows.
They really are making their own kind of hell.

The other day we got about a 3" (7-8 CM) snowfall. I turned on the TV and got an error message saying something like "searching for satellite". After waiting about 5 minutes with nothig happening, I went outside and looked up on the roof and sure enough, the Direct TV dish was covered in snow. I went back inside and flipped a couple of Co-Ax switches and plugged in the little power inserter, took all of about a minute and Bam, I have about 15 channels to watch from the antenna I bought & mounted on my chimney.

Do any other men find Stephanie Beatriz from Brooklyn nine nine strangely attractive. shes not conventially pretty but I think she is hot!!!!!

What do you get when you take Gerard Butler, Michael Nyqvist, Gary Oldman and Common and put them in a spy thriller?

The answer is a movie, that has a great premise, but somewhat lacks a bit of a punch, to make it into a home run, and it comes across as a bit boring. The story is relatively straight forward: An untested submarine captain named Joe Glass, played by Gerard Butler, assumes command of the USS Arkansas, and he is told that the USS Tampa Bay has been lost in the Arctic. At the same time, a Russian general stages a coup against the Russian President, so now it is up to Glass to stage a rescue operation with some badass Navy Seals, in order to free the President, and fix everything.

I hadn't seen ANY marketing for this movie, only the posters, hanging in my local cinema, so I had my assumptions. If a movie doesn't have any marketing, then it's probably a bit terrible. But I am a big fan of Gerard Butler, and I love submarine thrillers, so I had to see it. I was excited, because Gerard Butler in an action film guarantees a good time.. Just not this time around.

It doesn't spare anything regarding the action. There are shootouts, explosions and exciting bits, but that's about it, really. There is also a TON of CGI work, and you'd think that we in 2018 can make decent submarine CGI, and that you could make explosions look amazing in CGI, but no! The special effect- and visual effect team really dropped the ball on this one, particularly towards the end.

Acting wise, well it has its moments. Gary Oldman is great as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Donnegan, and Gerard Butler is great as Joe Glass. Other actors worth mentioning is Toby Stephens as Bill Beaman, the leader of the Navy Seals. He is a no nonsense, hardcore soldier, who enjoys going into battle and killing. The reason why I think he is worthy of a mention, is that he is SUPPOSED to be a hardcore badass, but he just ends up being a parody of every war-hungry team leader.

Common is also doing a decent job as RADM John Fisk, but it is clear, that he isn't suitable for military parts. He is more suited for secondary parts or even third degree parts.

All-in-all, it's a sub-par film, that is forgotten very quickly. The only stand out thing about this movie is Michael Nyqvist, Gary Oldman and Gerard Butler. If you are thinking about seeing it, wait until it is out on dvd.

Rating: 3/10

I was browsing Amazon Prime, when I came across a movie that I always wanted to see - the 1998 action/crime/drama/conspiracy flick The Negotiator.

The film stars Samuel L. Jackson as Danny Roman, a hostage negotiator, who is framed for his partners murder, as well as taking some money from a Pension Fund. With his life unraveling in front of him, he makes a desperate move, and takes hostages in an office building in Chicago. It is now up to Danny to find the truth, with the help of another hostage negotiator named Chris Sabian, played by Kevin Spacey. Just how far does this conspiracy go?

Let me be clear about this from the start: This film is excellent! It is a thrill from start to finish, and it keeps you guessing as to who killed Danny's partner.

Besides Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey, the other roles are filled by some pretty major names: David Morse, Ron Rifkin, John Spencer, J.T. Walsh, Paul Giamatti, Regina Taylor, Michael Cudlitz, Dean Norris and Nestor Serrano. It is directed by F. Gary Gray.

Movies from the 1990s always have a certain quality to it, that most films lack today. Many of the major blockbusters, that we know and love, are from that era. We are talking about Independence Day, The Rock, Bad Boys, The Big Lebowski, Saving Private Ryan, American History X, The Truman Show, Deep Impact and Armageddon. This was also a time when Kevin Spacey had a clean reputation, regarding his alleged s*xual deviancy.

I really loved how they managed to keep the suspense until the end. It was only in the last 5 minutes of the movie, that we got to know who did it. Something films today lack. Most of the times, a new movie gives away the villain at the end of the first act.

I shall give this movie an 8 out of 10!

At home, in the Vierk-Aaltarboy Tajmahal-like mansions, I do not have land lines, ISP or cable TV. Smart/cell phone much better, occasional wifi use in some favorite places and cable during travels (hotels/hostels/AirB&B/Home away) suffice just fine. Still use antennas on rotator in tall trees for many broadcast TV stations/HF wire lines, even some from ooooott there Oh Canada-Eh?, conditions permitting. Like much in our friends' country to the north, TV and radio are quite different there, and often much better. When twins were still at home, I begrudgingly (tight wad) had all three, supporting lots of fake news sources, and ample brain pollution for children and adults alike. And now amateur radio and short wave broadcasts allow for diverse coverage of world issues, from blended viewpoints, while at the home front. But on this trip, watching cable, have noticed two improved TV sources. Al-Jazeera and i24. By comparison with my using many sources at the V-Aa castles, these sources seem to be far less biased. Of course, apartheid Israel takes it deep up the back side on Al-J., as well she should. And likewise, i24 tends toward the (slightly) more left leaning Eurotrashy view on reality, at times. But in general, I'm seeing these as a breath of fresh air, in trying to feel informed. Silly me? Onward, nose ever straight forward, through the dense fog.

Today, I spent about two hours in the dark, watching a steampunk adventure written and produced by Peter Jackson and some other people.

The premise of the movie is about a mysterious young woman named Hester Shaw, who joins forces with Anna Fang, a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head, and Tom Natsworthy, an outcast from London, to lead a rebellion against a giant predator city on wheels.

So how is it? Is it just another mediocre film, or does this have some meat to it?

In short: This movie is a great popcorn time!

Hera Hilmar, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Robert Sheedan, Stephen Lang and Colin Salmon lead the cast on this enormous adventure, that is a visually stunning piece of film. It's rare that I sit and go "Wow!" to a film, but this one really made me sit in awe.

The CGI is on point, and it is very entertaining. There is one chase sequence, where I found myself on the edge of my seat, thoroughly enjoying the action taking place in front of me.

The acting is good, but some of it is wooden, at best, and there are several cheasy oneliners, that really makes you go "Oh my God, really?!". There is also a funny bit, where you go "Heh, fun!"

But all in all, it is a great time. If you are a fan of huge action sequences, with lots of things happening, then you definitely need to see Mortal Engines!

I shall rate this movie 8/10!

10:50pm here and listening to this. What about you?