"Welcome to Alpha, the city of a 1,000 planets, where for hundreds of years every species has shared their knowledge and their intelligence with each other. It's paradise."

SYNOPSIS: 

Alpha was originally a space station from earth but throughout the years, it continues to expand and now is the home of countless species from various planets. However, there is an unknown force that is trying to destroy Alpha. Therefore, it's a job for Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) to safeguard Alpha and protect the lives that call it home.

First of all, you have to know that I love sci-fi and CGI. That's why I was so excited to see this movie. However, reaching half of the movie, I found myself wishing that it would end sooner because it's rather infuriatingly boring. 

What is wrong with it? Well, the most obvious con is the lack of chemistry between the two main characters, Valerian and Laureline. 

I have loved Dane DeHaan since I first saw him in Chronicle. He has that sinister look and troubled teen kinda charm that I find interesting. Unfortunately, in Valerian and the City of Thousand Planets, his charms just doesn't work. The same goes to Cara Delevingne. She is supposed to be rather sassy and headstrong but Cara fails to deliver. 

As I mentioned, there is no chemistry between Dane and Cara. Their characters are supposed to be intense lovers but there is no intensity. No romance between them too. The banters between them seems so scripted and any physical contact looks painfully awkward. 

Adding Rihanna to the cast is also a mistake. I love her songs and dances but AAAAA she can't act! Obviously, Rihanna is in here because to promote this movie more.

The bad guys are also lame. The one that swears to kill Valerian only appear in the beginning of the movie and the main mastermind is literally asleep throughout the movie. 

Besides that, there are so many missed opportunities to make this movie into a good action movie. For instance, I would love to see Valerian's battle suit to be used more in battle rather than just to crash into multiple walls. The suit looks so cool and I was hoping that he would use that super strength in a fight but no, no, no. It's only good for chasing bad guys. There is the lack of cool elements in this movie. I mean, come on. You have access to alien technology! Can't you come up with more cool weapons and stuff? Urgh. 

Is there anything good about this movie? Hmm... It's hard to think of one. Well, I like the concept of Alpha. When Alpha is introduced at the start, I was like, "Damn... that's awesome." 

The CGI also looks good. There are certain scenes that remind me of the movie Avatar. 

All in all, this movie is rather boring for me because of the lack of chemistry between the two main characters and there is little cool factor in it. Honestly, I am quite disappointed. 

2 out of 5 stars.

"My job is to keep you out of harm's way."

 "Shit, motherfucker. I am... harm's way."

SYNOPSIS:

Micheal Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) works as a bodyguard and under certain circumstances, he finds himself having Darius Kincaid (Samuel L Jackson), a pro hitman, as his client. 

Now, if you have watched many of Ryan and Samuel's individual movies, you would definitely know what to expect from this one. Ryan is famous for his foul words filled rants and Samuel is known for being a badass motherfucker. Put them together and you have a very funny interaction between these two, which is the best thing about this movie. Seriously, most of their lines manage to crack me up. This movie is definitely funny. 

Besides that, the action scenes are over the top and awesome. I enjoy every single car chase, every bullet trade, every hand to hand combat in this movie. Besides awesome, some of the actions are also funny to watch. 

An icing on the cake is the addition of romantic gestures of the main characters to their love interests. No, not towards each other. Don't read that wrong. Amelia Rousel played by Elodie Yung provides a nice backstory on how Micheal Bryce ends up being desperate enough to accept Kincaid as a client while Salma Hayek's Sonia Kincaid provides the story on how Darius wound up being in jail despite of his notorious reputation as a hitman. 

Seriously, the story is nicely written as every reason of how the characters end up connected to each other is explained effectively (though not in a straight lined manner). Don't get me wrong, the plot is not that mindblowing but I just want to say that it's a good one. Again, not Inception kind of mindblowing but the story is nice. 

This movie really reminds me of The Nice Guys (2016) where the story is typical but the movie is a success because of the funny interaction between the two main characters. But I also think that The Hitman's Bodyguard is slightly better than The Nice Guys because there are more engaging action scenes. 

4 out of 5 stars!

SYNOPSIS: 

After her werewolf lover died suddenly, Hana is forced to take care of their two children. Being a single mother is tough but the fact that the children are werewolves makes it even harder for her.

Unexpectedly, I am deeply touched by this anime movie. The greatest strength of this movie is in the story. Surely, the animation is flawless but the story? My oh my... The story touches my heart and convinces me that this is one of my favorite anime of all times, so far. 

The story revolves around Hana who struggles to raise her children who are a hybrid between human and werewolf. The story probably affects me deep because I am a parent myself and I know how hard it is to raise children. My boys are no werewolves but the way they are when they're active and moody? They might as well be. I feel connected to the story. 

Hana faces many challenges. First, to make sure that no one knows the fact that her children are werewolves. People won't understand. Secondly, money. Trying to survive in this era without having access to money? Wow. Tough. Next, to raise her cubs right. Without her werewolf lover by her side, there is no one to guide her on the right way to raise her cubs. Making it more difficult is Yuki is totally different than Ame. What works with Yuki doesn't really work on Ame. Then, the last one. The thing that most parents are afraid of. Letting her children into the world. Leaving the nest. Fuhh. So many challenges! 

So, you see. The story is full of family drama. I can't deny that I shed some manly... no, fatherly tears along the movie. 

Typical in today's anime series and movies, the animation is, like I mentioned, flawless. It's beautiful and vibrant. 

To conclude, this anime is not like what anime is generally perceived: only contains exaggerated battles and sexy characters. No. This anime is more on the story line and drama which in my opinion is relatable to everyone. The graphics are awesome but what makes this movie one of the best is the heart warming story. 

5 out of 5 stars.

An MI6 agent, Lorraine Broughton, was sent to Berlin to investigate a murder of a fellow agent and retrieve a highly important document. 

Lets face it. Charlize Theron is absolutely badass. Just look at her. Her smoldering stare makes you wonder whether she is going kiss you or kill you. So, in this movie, she plays the MI6 agent, Lorraine and she is dynamite as usual. She's cool and collected yet at the same time, kickass. 

Based on that, I would say that she is the best thing about this movie. The next best thing would be the second lead, James McAvoy that plays the drunk and ill mannered, David Percival. 

While Lorraine is rather a typical spy - calm and yet can kill you with any object in the room, David is rather the opposite. What I meant to say is with Lorraine, I always expect her to be badass. She's predictable. David on the other hand is a wild card. You look at him and think that he's just a punk. A jerk. But, surprise! He's actually a good spy with many tricks in his sleeve and can also kill with any object in the room. He's full of agenda too. 

One might say that the character of David Percival is much interesting than the main, Lorraine Broughton. But I just can't shake how awesome Lorraine looks and therefore I am more attracted to her. Maybe that's because I am a guy. 

Another interesting (and attractive) character is Sofia Boutella's Delphine Lasalle. It's a shame that the relationship between Delphine and Lorraine is not developed deeper because I think it would make the movie more memorable. Instead, their interaction is given little depth and can be considered as fan service. 

Despite the awesome lead cast members, I think Atomic Blonde falls short on plot and story. The story is a cliche spy story and the plot lacks suspense. 

Rather than developing the story better, in my opinion, the director spends too much time in gory yet awesome action scenes. I love the fight during the climax. It's just orgasmic to see Lorraine kick ass in a rather fashionable outfit. 

Besides that, one other thing that is good is the setting. This movie is set on the eve of Berlin wall collapse, 1989. The fashion, the mood, the environment, the music... Gah! The detailing on the looks of this movie is so astonishing. It's like they went back in time to film it. 

All in all, Atomic Blonde is a good action movie. The story and character development can still be improved but the action scenes is the thing that make this movie memorable. 

3 out of 5 stars.

The above picture was taken a few weeks ago during a weekend. I was sitting on the kitchen floor, feeling rather exhausted after finished cooking lunch when my first born, Ubaid suddenly came and sat on my lap and hugged me tight. 

And he just did that. He didn't utter any words. He just hugged me tight for about 3 - 4 minutes. And just like that, all my exhaustion went away. 

You have to know that this is rather rare. Often, I would be the one who would call for him for hugs and he would be rather reluctant to do it. But that morning... I think that is one of the most memorable thing that he did. 

My child is growing up. In a blink of an eye, he's now 5. Next year, he would be in kindergarten. Next two years, he would in primary school. Gosh. It feels lightning fast that I can't help but freak out a bit. 

Well, it's good that he's growing healthily. A few more years and I might have a bit of peace of mind. A few more years I might no longer have to tolerate the constant asking for attention. I've been longing for some freedom. 

But, that also mean that he might not come to me to show me stuff anymore. That also mean that he might not want to talk to me anymore. That also mean that he might not want to hug me anymore. 

Hahhh. It's such an emotional roller coaster. A mix of pure emotion. That's how raising a child feels like. 

Whatever it is, after that meaningful hug, I promised myself to always find a chance to hug my children. My second child, Uwais, is only two and it's easy to hug him. I just call him and say "Nak peluk?" and he would gladly hug me. But with Ubaid, like I said, he's rather reluctant to give hugs. However, I won't stop asking for it. I would always ask him for hugs. I would always ask both of them for big bear hugs. I hope I will always remember my promise. Even if they've grown to be bigger, taller than me, I just hope that I would always have the chance to hug them. 

"Shit de fuck de shit de merde de shit de câlisse de TABARNAC!"

SYNOPSIS: 

A sequel to 2006's Bon Cop Bad Cop. Martin Ward (Colm Feore) and David Bouchard (Patrick Huard) reunite and work together to investigate a car theft ring. 

As I mentioned in this post, I love the first installment of this movie series and therefore, I expect the sequel to be, if not better, on par with it. Well well well, I'm not disappointed. I am fond to say that Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 is as entertaining as the first one. 

First of all, I love the chemistry between the two leads. That is the thing that made the first one awesome and I am delighted to see the good chemistry is still there even after all these years. The banters and jokes between them are laughable.  

This movie is Canadian and therefore, the budget is not as bombastic as Hollywood's. Because of that, there's minimum amount of CGI and unrealistic action sequence. However, that's the charm of this film. Even without Fast and Furious like action, the car chases, hand to hand brawls and bullet tradings are still exciting to watch. They're believable and many times funny which is an icing to the cake. 

The plot feels better than the first installment. This time, the plot arranges Martin and David to work together yet separately, leaving enough space for David to shine. This time, we can see David beyond his ill manners and how street smart he is. Don't get me wrong, the story is still rather cliched but come on, if you've watched the first one, you would not be watching because you expect it to be mind blowing. You would be here because you want to see Martin and David together in action. 

All in all, this movie works because of the delightful chemistry between the leads. The action and story are good enough but the thing that sells this movie is the humorous acts of Martin and David. 

4 out of 5 stars.

SYNOPSIS: 

A murdered victim is found at the border of Ontario and Quebec, Canada. David Bouchard (Patrick Huard), an ill disciplined detective from Quebec has to work with Ontario's by-the-book detective, Martin Ward (Colm Feore) to solve the case.

I can say that the story is rather typical - buddy cops with different personalities trying to solve a murder - but the humor, the chemistry between the leads and the action make this movie an awesome watch. 

Seriously, I love this movie mainly because of the humor. It's not over the top, there is a minimal number of slapstick which I appreciate and the lines are rather well written. 

The main actors, Patrick Huard and Colm Feore do a good job in portraying their characters. Most of the laughs come from their dynamite chemistry. Besides that, the side characters are also good. For instance, Suzie, David's ex wife, played by Lucie Laurier. I like her performance. The coroner played by Louis-José Houde is also great. 

 

Apart from that, the action parts are wonderful. They are believable enough and not too over the top. 

As a conclusion, Bon Cop Bad Cop follows every cliche in the book but still manage to entertain thanks to the chemistry between characters, the humor and action. Awesome flick.

4 out of 5 stars. 

"Come on you apes! You wanna live forever?!!" 

SYNOPSIS: 

As the title suggests, there's a traitor and he (or she) unleashes bugs on Mars to serve his (or her) own agenda. 

This film is a continuation of 2012's Starship Troopers: Invasion. 

I have to say that I enjoy the action part of this movie. Especially when Johnny Rico, the main character of this movie found himself being chased by bugs and has to salvage armor parts and weapons from the dead. The weapons, the movement and the explosions, man, they're so enjoyable to watch. I love to see how the mobile infantry move. They look so cool with their jet packs.

Besides that, the CGI is awesome. The images are definitely better than Invasion. The movement of characters seems natural and realistic. 

However, the script and story can still be improved. The script and story lack depth. It's like they don't really put much effort onto them. I would love to see more effective war cries and war speeches. 

All in all, this film is entertaining is the sense of action and beautiful CGI. However, the script and story lack depth and can still be improved. 

When my wife wanted to buy me a new phone, she asked whether I would like to have an iPhone. I told her 'no' simply because I prefer to use an Android phone since it's more customizable. One of the best features of Android phones is the option to change the look of the icons. There are many icon packs available (paid and free ones) for download from the Play Store. 

Now, my favorite icon pack is DarkMatter by mowmo. The price of this icon pack is RM3.99 but I downloaded it for free a couple of months ago when the developer made it free for a limited time. 

I love this icon pack because of the dark outlines. I love this kind of icon pack and DarkMatter is the best among all. The design is also sleek, clean and cute. I love the colors too. 

I'm gonna go straight to the point. This movie is a mess. I usually write a synopsis on top but I can't for this one because the story is just messy. There are two stories in it and both are forced to merge at the very end. 

The director, Gee Malik Linton, intended the movie to be something like a drama that is focused on the themes of child sexual abuse, violence against women and police violence. However, Lionsgate changed the story into a detective story because they want more focus on Keanu Reeves. 

Well, actually, even though the film is messy, it's not all that bad. As I mentioned, there are two stories in this movie. One revolves around Detective Galban (Keanu Reeves) searching for his partner's murderer. The other is about Isabel's (Ana de Armas) little private life where she..... hmm. I can't explain more about it because I fear that I will spoil it for you. But, I'm gonna tell you this, the Keanu part is rubbish while the Ana's is rather amusing to watch. 

The best thing about this movie is definitely Ana de Armas. Not because she's cute, but because she can really act. Her portrayal of Isabel is so interesting to see. Is she crazy? Is she really that innocent? All are revealed at the end. 

Therefore, I am torn. Is this movie good or not? Hmm... Okay, lets just say that it's fifty fifty for me because I really don't like the Keanu part but Ana's part is rather amusing to watch. The ending is quite good too. The plot twist. Damn. Still, I would not recommend this movie if you are not into slow paced movie because yeah, it's slow as hell. 

2 stars out of 5. 

"We know each other, he's a friend from work!"

This review contains spoilers. You've been warned.

A continuation of Thor: The Dark World. Loki's mischievous act of banishing Odin from Asgard has resulted into a forgotten yet powerful enemy setting foot onto Asgard. Defeated and lost in another world, Thor has to find his way back to Asgard to save his people. 

First of all, the best thing about this movie is that we finally can see Thor at his peak of power. It opens brilliantly with Thor wielding his hammer at countless fire creatures. It shows how dependent Thor is on Mjolnir. The moment he lost his hammer of power, he feels quite useless and empty. When he finally sees that the hammer is not the source of power and it is within him all along, he rise up to be the real God of Thunder! Among all the Marvel movies where Thor is in, Ragnarok is the one when Thor is at his best! 

The next best thing is the fight between Thor and Hulk in the arena. In The Avengers, they have a little fight but it was inconclusive. Now, in Ragnarok, we finally get to see who is the strongest Avenger. Boy oh boy, the fight is so awesome. Both of them really SMASH! 

Actually, it's not just the fight between those two is awesome. In fact, all action sequences in Ragnarok are awesome! The concluding fight is rather exciting to watch. Even though there are so many parties involved but the fight doesn't seem cluttered. All characters are able to shine brightly in their fights. 

Next, lets talk about the casts and characters. It's amusing to see how Chris Hemsworth looks like he can't really contain himself from laughing throughout the whole movie. This is probably because the director is Taika Waititi. In the first two Thor movies, Chris looks so serious, but in Ragnarok, the mood is different. It's like they're not being too serious about acting. It is not a bad thing though. Like I said, it's rather amusing to see. It's hilarious. 

I hate that Hela played by Cate Blanchett is pretty one dimensional. We only get to see the angry Hela. I wish that they would give Cate more material to show how awesome her acting is and to portray how rightful Hela is to claim the throne. Do not get me wrong. I'm not saying that Cate can't act. No. She's awesomely, dangerously attractive as Hela. But I want more of Hela. Welp, that's the Marvel curse. Awesome heroes, sucky villains. 

Tessa Thompson looks awesome as Valkyrie. She plays her role well. Karl Urban also does good playing Skurge. Damn, I almost didn't recognize him. Yeah, not just the main characters, the small characters are also lovable. The most lovable one for me is Korg. Haha, he's played by Taika Waititi. Yeah, the director. The funniest scene is when Loki vanished and he's like "Damn ghost!" or something like that. Not to forget Jeff Goldblum as himself! I mean, as the Grandmaster! Man, all cast members and characters are awesome! Haha. Did you notice Matt Damon? He played the Loki actor. HAH. Hilarious! 

This effects are gorgeous. Well, except for the part when Odin perished. The sky looks fake as hell. Don't know what happened there. But all in all, this movie is beautifully edited.

The story is rather predictable. Well, at least, for me. I can see how it ends from miles away. That's one of the cons. Therefore, if you haven't watched Ragnarok but plan to, do not expect intelligent level of twists in the plot. However, it is not wholly badly written. The writers still manage to tie things up well. Like I said before, the beginning of the film is well thought of. The destruction of Asgard also makes the vision that Thor see in Age of Ultron make sense. 

Is this a funny movie? Yes indeed. However, many jokes are predictable and forced. As I mention, I love Korg the most because he's awesomely funny. Damn. I say awesome too much. Wait, where was I? Owh, yeah. Many jokes are funny enough to make me laugh but the others are just painful to see. The slapsticks. Urg. I don't think most of them are necessary. Hmm, maybe I'm just hard to please. 

All in all, Thor Ragnarok is a lovable movie because of the charm of its cast members. Besides that, damn, those action scenes are awe... hmm no. Are... Incredible! Yes! The actions are incredible! I love them! Is it definitely not a serious movie, so if you're planning on watching, just set your mind to enjoy it without over-analyzing anything. Just enjoy the ride.

4 out of 5 stars! 

Don't forget, there are two end credit scenes. 

A little trivia! The line "We know each other, he's a friend from work!" is actually fan written. Meet Darcy. The one who come up with the line. Here's the source.

My wife introduced me to 7 FIT a few weeks back. It's a 7 minute workout app and it's really good. 

For those who doesn't know, the 7 minute workout is proven to be effective in building muscles and endurance. It's good for those who doesn't really have time to hit the gym. My wife has been at it for a few weeks and she is now seeing improvement in her abdomen. Seriously, even though it's just a short period, but boy oh boy, do we sweat! 

But the downside the 7 FIT app is that it contains too much ads which I don't like. Therefore, I seek other alternatives. 

If you don't want to pay for 7 minute workout app and at the same time, you want it to be ad free, then the J&J Official 7 Minute Workout is for you! J&J stands for Johnson & Johnson.

The best thing about this app is that it gives video and audio instructions of the workouts. The audio part is brief but full with useful info. Both input really help in making sure that I do the exercises properly. 

This app doesn't just contain the basic 7 minute workout though. No oh no. It keeps track of your progress. When you think you're ready for the next level, it will suggest you the harder version of the 7 minute workout. Workouts range from 7 to 32 minutes. 

You can also customize your own workout by choosing the 72 exercises and 22 workouts available. For example, if you think you need to do more push ups in your workout, you can customize it to your needs. 

The downside of this app is that it doesn't change sides for a few exercises. For example, the side plank. It doesn't prompt you on when to change sides. But no problem, I can change sides on my own.

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a getaway driver for robbers. He's been wanting to get out of the dark and dangerous life and when he sees his chance, he would surely grab it.

As I mentioned before, I love this movie because it's action packed. Really good, no, awesome action choreography. From the beginning to the end, this movie got me stuck in my seat. Judging from the poster and the title, I'm sure those who have no idea what is it about can guess that it's about cars and driving. Yup, most of the action happen when Baby is in the driver seat. I kid you not, the car chases are if not on par, better than the Fast and Furious franchise. It is suspenseful and thrilling! 

I'm also liking the cast members. First of, Ansel Elgort. Honestly, I've heard of his name but I didn't take much notice of him. In this movie, he's rather awkward but I guess it's suitable to the character of Baby - quiet guy who doesn't get involved with nobody. Next up, Kevin Spacey. Yeah, he's my favorite in this. Well, it's expected of course.  I'm also in love with Jon Hamm. Boy oh boy, he's a sweetheart. I guess, if I go gay, he would be the one... Okay, just forget I said that. Lets not make this too personal. Owh hey, not to forget, Jamie Foxx as the crazy Bats. Haha. He's the most interesting one. He's intense and unpredictable. I love it. 

Besides that, one more awesome thing about this movie is the background music. Baby is always on the earphones and he loves music. Therefore, music is a big part of this movie. When the engine starts revving and the music gets louder, I just can't help to dance or move. It's like I'm in Baby's head. Damn, I love the sounds.

The story line is not too profound. Bad guy who is actually good wants out of the bad world then meets a girl, falls in love but then yada yada yada. It's predictable. But that lack of substance in story is covered by the awesome action and brilliant performance from the casts. 

4 out of 5 stars!