REACHER Review: Alan Ritchson Makes Jack Reacher Larger Than Life

Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served. When Reacher arrives in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, ... [Read More]

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MOONFALL Chicago Advance Screening and Giveaway

Hey Chicago! Did you want to see MOONFALL, starring Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson? Would you like to see it early and free? Here’s your chance to attend the free advance screening of MOONFALL.  As an added bonus, the kind folks at Lionsgate are including a bonus prize pack giveaway ... [Read More]

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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Review: Many Weaknesses, But Super Fun

 "Watch at the cinema or not, huh?" Well , instead of being confused, just take a look at the following Wonder Woman 1984 review .

There is no denying one of the dilemmas we are experiencing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . Is deciding whether to go to the cinema or not? Especially for the sequel to Wonder Woman (2017).

Yes how not? Despite getting mostly unfavorable reviews, it's still a Wonder Woman man movie !

Especially for those of us who are DC fanboys . Wow, it doesn't feel "legitimate" if you don't watch Wonder Woman 1984 on the big screen. Even though it is. The film also released on December 25, 2020 on HBO Max.

So, are we worth sacrificing all of our physical health, or is it better to just watch Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max?

More Cheerful and Light

Let's open this Wonder Woman 1984 review by thanking and applauding its director, Patty Jenkins.

WOW! It's not easy , guys , from the same director to direct a superhero sequel . As we see in the field. Many directors return to the same superhero franchise , but disappoint at their second attempt.

Luckily, Jenkins realized this and, arguably, managed to get out of that typical hole. Through his hands again, Wonder Woman 1984 , feels much more cheerful ( fun ) and for me personally, easier to digest.

Even the backstory of the villains , aka Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and Cheetah (Kristen Wiig), also feels much clearer and makes sense. Alias ​​is not like Ares (David Thewlis) who feels "immediate" in the first film.

80s Background Just A Gimmick

And the cheerful and colorful impression is also felt through the background of the 80s decade (1984) that was carried. Starting from clothes, hairdos, and even malls and arcade machines , the cheerful 80s nostalgia is enough to make us smile nostalgically ourselves.

But unfortunately this background is nothing more than a gimmick / "patch" only. It's just, "hey, this film is set in 1984, and here are the typical attributes of that era". That's it .

Even though the timeline background is in a film. In essence, it's not just like that. There needs to be a strong reason why the film displays its timeline setting in that decade or year?

And for the case of Wonder Woman 1984 , it is necessary to show that there is an important moment in what happened to Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in 1984.

OK, there are moments. Namely he stopped the action of Maxwell Lord as we have seen in the trailer or YouTube clip. Take actions that threaten the safety of the world.

Vampirski dnevnici Dara iz Jasenovca Quo Vadis, Aida

Not Entering the DCEU Continuity?

But the problem here is that this film is still part of the continuity of the previous DCEU films.

Then why is it that in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), it is at least notified that Wonder Woman once saved the world through an event in this film?

The thing is that all the chaos events carried out by this Lord are really seen and felt. Alas, there is no moment in the film where Wonder Woman or Lord uses powers or tools that can reset all memories.

So it should be in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League (2017). There was one character (anyone) who at that time at least felt like he had remembered what Diana did in this film.

And what emphasizes the most is that "1984" is only to explain the year of the event . It is not well-involved real-world historical elements that occurred in that year.

As we know, this year the Cold War is still going on between the United States and the Soviet Union. Indeed, that element is displayed. But yes, it was just a patch.

It's very different from the previous X-Men: First Class (2011). This X-Men prequel/ reboot film is brilliant in combining the X-Men fiction/fantasy story with the real-life situation of Cold War at that time.

Less Strong Conflict Motive

Another drawback that really bothers me is the conflict motive between Diana and a less powerful villain .

So the motive or source of this whole mess (without any explicit spoilers ) is a “magic thing”. And because of the power this thing has, the three characters of this film are after it for different purposes.

Indeed, for the purposes of the Lord and Cheetah to use this object, it made a lot of sense. Especially the Lord's motive, really emotional. And for Cheetah well , still tolerable.

Because the Cheetah motif is very relatable to those of us who may have been (or are) often bullied in the past . But Diana's motives? Well , indeed his motive gives him a big advantage

But at the same time, his motive is to actually give a fatal loss, this fatal loss that befell him, could be avoided. If I were in Diana's position, I wouldn't want to have her motives. Just because of emotions, the strongest aspects of me just disappear.

Honestly, I prefer the motives / reasons for the conflict between Diana and Ares in the first film. Even though the Ares seems like an impromptu one, at least the motive for the conflict between the two is much simpler and doesn't insult the audience.

Gadot the Wonder Woman We Are All

In fact, there are several other important aspects that are very disturbing. But never mind, you better watch the film first. Isn't it fun if everything is explained?

After all, why focus on the negative. Let's focus again on the more positive aspects. And the next positive aspect, is the cool appearance of all the actors.

The appearance of them all, successfully covered all the shortcomings and existing clichés. Especially Gadot as Wonder Woman who just gets more beautiful. And yes, it looks even cuter in this film.

In Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice we are still okay. In Wonder Woman , I started to really like it. And in Justice League (2017), we finally got used to it. So in Wonder Woman 1984 , we already think of her as "our / the one & only Wonder Woman" .

GOKIL! Her figure can make us forget the legendary first Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter. Gadot as Diana is much more relatable , tough, charismatic, just like in the comics and animated series.

His chemistry with Chris Pine who again plays Steve Trevor is also getting gokil. I'm confused, why aren't the two of them actually dating? Because it fits really well.

Pascal as Lord need not be asked. Want to be a god who made a mistake and showed his face. Or, playing Din Djarin behind his Mandalorian helmet, Pascal is really cool.

What really should be discussed here is Wiig as a Cheetah. OH MY GOD! I don't think so. Wiig who incidentally is better known as a comedian. Really successful showing qualified acting skills.

Wiig is increasingly successful in proving that comedians can also be intense and serious. Absolutely perfect casting !

If You Can Watch in the Cinema

So what is the conclusion of the Wonder Woman 1984 review? Isn't it worth it for us to watch movies in theaters during this pandemic?

Yes, in my personal opinion. It's up to you. But if I suggest this. If it is possible / possible. Watch it at the cinema. Because it's true what all the reviewers on YouTube say.

All of the visual content shown in Wonder Woman 1984 was designed to be seen in theaters. And in my opinion during the pandemic, which incidentally has minimal cinema releases, this film is still okay to watch in theaters.

But if you still have doubts (fear of being ugly) even though you've read this Wonder Woman 1984 review , just watch it from HBO Max or from any media that you like.

Either way , Wonder Woman 1984 isn't super perfect. But it is still successful in providing super positive and positive energy in this world that is still super apprehensive.

5 Movie Moments That We Finally See After So Long Waiting

 Here are 5 movie moments that we finally got to see after a long wait for this to happen.

If we think about it, there are also many movie moments (especially serial ones / franchises ) that we want to happen but unfortunately, it hasn't happened until now.

But at the same time, there are also many movie moments that we want, which finally happened even though we had to wait a long time. So, here are 5 moments that we finally see after a long wait for this to happen.

5. Yoda Fights With the Lightsaber (Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones)

The film moment that we finally see after a long wait for the first, is the Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz) who finally, fights using his lightsaber .

Yes, since watching his figure in Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and 2 films after it: Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999), we have not been denied feel curious.

Specifically, we are very curious about his strength as well as his ability to fight.

And after waiting for 2 decades, finally the awaited scene happened in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (2002). Faced with his own former student (padawan) Count Dooku (Sir Christopher Lee), Yoda fights very gokil.

In addition to his always cool force , Yoda's lightsaber ability is successful in making us gape. It is very agile, effortless. Really shows at the same time in accordance with the predicate of the master it carries.

Vampirski dnevnici Dara iz Jasenovca Quo Vadis, Aida

4. Freddy Krueger VS Jason Voorhees (Freddy VS Jason)

It's like waiting for Batman and Superman to fight, that's how horror movie fans feel about Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger.

With each of them being the main villains of the top horror franchises : Friday the 13 th and A Nightmare on the Elm Street and of course, both of them being "slasher maniacs" , once again it's no wonder that many fans are eager to see the two fighting each other. .

And after waiting for 2 decades, finally the moment of this classic film, we also see through the second cross-over film entitled: Freddy vs. Jason (2003).

Although overall the film is not really cool (just fun ), but the audience / fans feel satisfied. Because the fight between the two is very entertaining and very memorable .

3. Batman VS Superman (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

So, speaking of Batman VS Superman, our fantasy to see these two DC superhero frontmen fighting on the big screen came true in 2016.

Through one of the Worlds of DC aka DCEU film series, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), we watch Batman (Ben Affleck) fight against his DC superhero partner, Superman (Henry Cavill).

The fight between the two can be said to be quite satisfying though, it could be more. It's just a shame the overall arrangement of the film is so messy that, this geeky moment we've been waiting for so long feels super anticlimactic.

Oh yeah, don't remind me again with the problem of the baper crisis with their respective mothers, okay?

2. Harry Potter Finally Fights Voldemort (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2)

Yep, this is the movie moment that we finally see after a long wait and, after years of watching the Harry Potter films .

After going through various magical and tragic adventures, The Boy Who Lived finally fights and defeats his immortal enemy, Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

And every scene as well as the moment of the fight between the two can be said to be very epic and emotional. And when Harry finally defeated Voldy, it was undeniable that everything felt really cool and complete. It's very long.

1. Spider-Man Finally Debuts in the MCU (Captain America: Civil War)

Although Harry VS Voldemort is a movie moment that we finally see too, but the level is still far from this moment.

Yep, it's undeniable that we have waited 8 years for Spider-Man to join the Marvel cinematic world aka the MCU . This is because of course we want to see him in action with Captain America, Iron Man, and other Marvel superheroes .

And finally the moment came when his figure appeared in the 13th MCU film, Captain America: Civil War (2016). Played by young British actor Tom Holland, his Spidey character was immediately well received by all fans .

Besides Holland being very fitting and genius as Spidey, the moment of Spidey's appearance in the film is also displayed very fittingly and very memorable .

Honest Thief Review: Bank Thief For the sake of idols

 Liam Neeson ( Taken ) is back to being a badass figure in Honest Thief . And now he plays the role of a sincere and honest  bank thief to woo his idol.

Wow, this is unique. But isn't the film cool? Well, just take a look at the following review

All for love

As already said. Honest Thief tells the story of Neeson's character, Tom Dolan who is very good at breaking into all bank vaults in all cities and states of the United States.

Anyway, in carrying out his actions he was never caught, aka "clean". To the point, he was nicknamed, In-and-Out-Bandit .

But when he finally meets and falls in love with a beautiful warehouse keeper, Annie Wilkins (Kate Walsh), he immediately decides to "convert". Anyway, he doesn't want to be a thief anymore.

So to show his intentions, he also contacted the local police and asked them to arrest him and he later returned all the stolen money to the FBI.

But like in similar films, of course, even though they have good intentions, there are still big obstacles that stand in their way.

And the obstacle, in fact, is from two FBI agents who come to arrest him: John Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Ramon Hall (Anthony Ramos).

The two, who were supposed to be doing their job, turned 180 degrees to steal back all of Tom's stolen money. And from here finally all the chaos ( chaos ) occurs.

Intruiging Premise That Ends Ordinarily

From the plot, maybe we will frown a little. Specifically, we will feel strange with the development of the main premise, which in fact, is very imaginative .

And indeed guys . That's what I feel too. The premise of this "bank thief insyaf" is very different ( fresh ) but in the end it feels like most films or episodes of most police procedural serials .

The ending was predictable. But fortunately, director Mark Williams ( A Family Man ), is still okay in executing all the drama and action scenes that are shown. So this super standard plot still feels exciting.

Yes, very honest. I just feel confused, why did Williams and his co-writer, Steve Allrich ( Bad Karma ) not maximize or make a difference in their super generic plot?

Vampirski dnevnici Dara iz Jasenovca Quo Vadis, Aida

Maybe say, Tom was also toying with his FBI agent for his more cunning purposes but, when in front of Annie, he appeared like an "angel". Yes, it's a bit general too, but at least it's much better than what is presented in this film.

Fortunately, once again, the action scenes are still exciting. If not, it can be even more boring  when you watch it.

Courtney is more suited to be the antagonist

And of course the entertaining action aspect cannot be separated from Neeson, who again and again, at the age of 68, is still gokil and badass . His distinctive intensity was really still visible.

As for the dramatic acting aspect, there seems to be no need to doubt it. What surprised me here was Walsh and Courtney. I rarely watch Grey's Anatomy let alone Walsh's previous films.

But WOW. Besides still looking tempting, this 53-year-old actress looks very cool here. He succeeded in showing the figure of Annie who was filled with confusion but also wanted to show her tough side as Tom's companion.

The tek-tok of his acting with Neeson was also quite good. And Courtney, after watching his role here, I believe that this Australian actor is indeed much cooler playing the antagonist.

Actually in The Divergent franchise , he already demonstrated this with his Eric Coulter role. But unfortunately at that time, many audiences were still not noticed .

Fortunately in this film, he managed to make us really excited. So that it is guaranteed to be able to confirm that Courtney once again, really fits the antagonist role.

Unfortunately his partner, Ramos, is not as cool as Courtney. In fact, if I'm honest, his appearance in this film is very annoying . Luckily once again, there was Neeson who saved everything.

Very suitable for those who like action

n the end, the film, which is still showing on the XXI cinema network, cannot be expected to be a WOW or class A super action drama film.

This film, is a standard action drama film that we have seen the premise and scenes of before.

But indeed for a film that makes us have fun, release boredom, this Honest Thief film is really okay!

The Conjuring Review: The Devil Made Me Do It, More Dramatic But Less Scary

 Before starting, take it easy guys . This review of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It does not contain any spoilers . So yes, it's safe, boss!

Since knowing the basic plot of the third Conjuring film, I immediately felt unbelievably excited . Because this film is based on the true story of one of the murders that shocked the United States in the early 80s.

Specifically, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it , focuses on the murder committed by Arne Cheyenne Johnson against his employer, Alan Bono. Now what made this murder case a scene was Bono's confession, who at that time admitted that he did it because “the devil made him / ordered him to do it.

In short, after initially the court and some people did not believe, finally the legendary demonological couple, Ed & Lorraine Warren stepped in to help. And sure enough. As a result, Arne, who initially received a life sentence, only served a sentence of 5 years.

Showcasing Some Unexposed Aspects

Well the inspiration base is displayed all-out in this film. But of course, it is added with aspects that were not previously disclosed. Like the actions of the two Warren partners to help solve this case.

Then there are also small aspects, such as how Arne (Ruairi O' Connor) got his start and background to carry out his sadistic murder, and even the health problems experienced by Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) which became the cool supporting plot for the film.

But regardless, how about the whole thing? Is The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It , as cool as its previous two main films?

Lots of Drama, Spooky Down

Yes, as you read through the review title of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It , it's cooler or not depending on your own typical audience. I mean, what was your motivation to watch this film?

Do you want the spooky or dramatic plot? If you want to get a dramatic plot, congratulations, you will be very satisfied. Because even if there are slight modifications (very few), you will be satisfied with the story behind the top murder case.

Then you will also be satisfied with the sub-plot which tells further the story of the early relationship of Ed & Lorraine. And also as previously explained, the film is also successful in bringing Ed's health problems into the overall story. Alias, don't just pass or force it.

But if you prefer the horror aspect, you might not be satisfied. But again remember, horror is just like comedy. Or in other words, subjective. So you might think The Conjuring 3 is just as scary as the two previous films.

But for me, even though there are some good jump scare moments , overall, this film is not that scary. Even The Nun (2018) and The Curse of La Llorona (2019) which also have the same director, Michael Chaves, are still far more heart-wrenching.

Very ironic and funny. In the past for me , The Curse of La Llorona won in the spooky aspect but the plot, MEH! But when Chaves tackled The Devil Made Me Do It , it's actually the opposite now. Life is really funny and really rollercoaster , guys !

Saved By Brilliant Performance

Well, fortunately, the aspect of this deficiency was saved by the brilliant performance of all the actors.

Especially of course the duo Wilson and Farmiga. Both as Ed & Lorraine are choices that are not wrong at all from the start. Even for the appearance of these three, both of them already look very comfortable.

Anyway, it just looks easier. And for the individual appearance of each is also equally strong. So yep, it looks like we don't have to spend too much time assessing the performance of the two.

Better let's just assess the newcomer actors. And overall, everything is cool too. Especially O' Connor as his Johnson. Playing a real person who kills because he is in a trance, of course, is not easy. And also acting suddenly aware and regret is also not easy.

But the cool thing is that O' Connor has succeeded in performing the acting. Even those of us who witnessed it became sad and horrified ourselves with it. Seeing this appearance, let's just pray that O' Connor will appear in other big film projects in the future.

Better Watch Through HBO Max Only

So the conclusion of the review of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It , if you are a fanboy of this franchise, please watch it on the big screen (but REMEMBER to keep implementing health protocols!).

But if you're more of a normal person, who wants to catch up with the spooky ones, you should just stream it via HBO Max. But yeah, it really depends on you. If you feel that it's cheaper to go to the cinema than a short subscription to HBO, then you don't want to go to the cinema. Adjust it to your sikon, guys !

Cruella Review: Disney's Sympathetic Origin Villain and Rock N' Roll

 Before starting, take it easy guys . This Cruella review does not contain any spoilers . So it's safe, boss!

After the success of the two Maleficent films , as a result, this makes Disney feel even more motivated and also convinced that a live-action film project from its classic animated villain film, can also provide a lucrative coffers of profit.

They automatically produced their second project, which now focuses on the origin story of the 101 Dalmatians villain , Cruella de Vill. It is quite unique and we did not expect the choice.

But if we think about it again, it's not too strange the choice. Because as we all know, from the beginning of its appearance through the animated film of those spotted dogs in 1961, even though we know what the villain 's intentions are, but overall we never know the exact background of his intentions.

Specifically, how did he initially intend to make Dalmatians dogs the material for his fashion products ? Then has he been evil since childhood? Now, through Cruella , we hope that everything will be answered.

Then is it answered satisfactorily? And also how the whole film is? Let's take a look at the Cruella review below.

Very Fun Origin Story

OK, I'll just answer the previous question. Cruella aka Estella Miller (Emma Stone) is basically not evil since childhood. However, she is more described as a woman who is tough and has strong principles.

That is, if he has intended to do something, he will definitely make it happen no matter what. Including when he was determined to become a famous fashion designer.

And in short, with her determination and the help of her two street friends: Jasper Badun (Joel Fry) and Horace Badun (Paul Walter Hauser), Estella was able to make her wish come true. He also successfully works at the fashion company owned by a top legend designer, Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson).

However, later due to a specific cause, Estella eventually became Cruella, which we can say is more antagonistic. But even so, even when he becomes Cruella, even though he looks a lot darker, we are still sympathetic to him.

The point is it's almost 11-12 with the origin of Arthur Fleck aka Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) in Joker (2019) first. But unlike the origin Joker , Cruella is certainly a little lighter and there is no blood splatter at all. And just like watching Joker , watching Cruella was fun from start to finish.

Anyway, if you like origin villains , Disney, 101 Dalmatians , or just want to be entertained, you can get everything from this film. There are no dull moments in this film. You will be thrilled yourself when you watch the film.

Double Emma = Double Greatness

The fun is even more pronounced with the amazing performances of the two main actresses, who are both named Emma. Thompson as Barones really makes us want to slap him in the face he..he.

The reason is that the Barones character looks much more “Cruel” than Cruella (come on, those who like or are good at punt words understand the quotes and how to read them he..he).

Although this may seem strange at first and a bit annoying , but seeing the more sympathetic background of Cruella's character, in the end we understand it. After all, once again, Thompson is really cool in playing his character.

His interaction with Stone is also very cool. Stone himself can adjust when to let this "twin" shine, and when to compete with him. And speaking of Stone's performance, WOW GUYS ! WOW! Stone has successfully transformed into his iconic Disney villain .

In more detail, he was successful in portraying two different faces and characters. When she became Estella, she succeeded in displaying an innocent and innocent look and mannerism like an assistant to an office boss in general.

And when Estella became Cruella, Stone successfully turned her acting 180or really like heaven and earth. When it comes to the film awards next year (Oscar or whatever), her performance as Cruella is not nominated, I don't know what else to say.

The British setting of the 70s is ridiculously insane

The positive aspect in Cruella 's review is further supported by the appearance of the 1970s British city setting which is very gokil. Anyway, when we watched it, we immediately felt like we were teleported to that decade.