soeprijo19 Reviews

Damsel (2024)

Valar Morghulis

[7/10 · 12 March 2024]

I had the privilege of watching Dragonheart (1996) on big screen back then. It was an awesome experience. And wow how tech just developed so fast and CGI was far more advanced now. The dragon in Dragonheart would be so lame comparing to this Damsel's dragon. The setting also much more realistic and believable that you won't believe it's all just green screen.

Millie Bobby Brown delivered awesome performance, as princess Elodie who had to married a prince from kingdom far away from her homeland, so that her people would have a chance to survive the harsh winter. As the plot developed, when she has to survive from the terror all alone, Millie managed to make us care for her character. And in the end, I almost cried "DRACARYS!" just to cheer Millie!

Overall, Damsel was quite a pleasant surprise. It surpassed my expectation, especially the CGI parts. But, I refuse to believe that in the far cold north, even in a galaxy far far away, there would be a black woman who was chosen to be a queen. And that made my rating for this movie dropped 2 points from 9 to 7.

Refuse to be brainwashed 7/10.

A Shop for Killers (2024– )

Excruciatingly Slow

[6/10 · 17 February 2024]

I just finished watching this series and decided to give it a 6/10. I know maybe it"s such a low rating for a series that has good action sequences but I had to do it.

The main reason I gave it such a low score was because of how the director presented this series. If you ever watched the original Saint Seiya The Sanctuary Arc, you may find the similarity with this series. For every action the main character about to jump on, the story would flashback to the time where he/she was trained to deal with such situation. In Saint Seiya case it worked because: 1. It was an anime 2. It was produced in the 80's. But A Shop For Killers is a live action, and the year is 2024!

I almost fell asleep every time the story does this! And episode 7 is the worst!

Excruciating 6/10.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023– )

This is a great show but.....

[8/10 · 21 December 2023]

I just watched the first two episodes of Percy Jackson and The Olympians. It was great and stay more true to the original source than the movies. The cast was great and CGI was better. Story pace well done, not too quick not to slow. But..... for me personally something still missing.

Bring me back Alexandra Daddario and Pierce Brosnan! I don't care what role they would play in this series but really, they were really iconic as Annabeth and Chiron. Actually I miss Logan Lerman too but since he cannot reprise his role as Percy, so I think I just might let it go this time. But Alexandra and Pierce?! No way man

Good series 8/10.

Mask Girl (2023– )

Sympathy For Lady Vengeance 2023

[7/10 · 28 August 2023]

Major Spoiler Ahead!

A girl has a dream to be a star since her childhood, but the road wasn't that smooth. She can sing. She can dance. But her face wasn't pretty enough. So her dream faded day by day, until she became a white collar worker. Her name was Kim Mo Mi.

But internet era brought up some new uncharted opportunities. Kim Mo Mi became Mask Girl. A mysterious dancer and singer on the internet with her mask on. Many men fell for her, because of her perfect body and intimate behaviour online. And that's when the storm coming in.

This series wasn't mean for the faint of heart. It showed many dark sides of the society and evil faces of human being. Rape, torture, bullying, mutilation, murder, rejection, human trafficking, destructive gossips, affairs, corruption, you name it what the worst could a person possibly does and you will find it here.

Kudos to the actress who played Kim Mo Mi: Lee Han Byeol (this was her debut), Im Jin Ah (Nana saranghae) and the perfect Go Hyun Jung. And my special compliment to Yeom Hye Ran. After her special appearance on The Glory series, she shone brightly again in Mask Girl. Her devilish character was so tangible that I felt a chill down my spine every time she appeared on the screen.

So, after all that many compliments, why only 7/10?! Because the last 20 minutes ruined it. I could forgive two junior high school girls who still have time to cry and hugging each other in time of crisis, but Kim Mo Mi who didn't finish off her nemesis for the second time really didn't make any sense. Kim Mo Mi already sentenced for live, so killing one more person would made no difference at all. And all those special force policemen that pointed the riffle, did no one has the ability to shoot the arms or fingers of an old lady to stop her before she could do any damage?! Really?!

I know the director/script writers wanted to stay true to its source, but adaptation doesn't have to be 100 percent exactly the same as its source. However, this is a good series and you won't be disappointed watching it.

Thrilling 7/10.

Moving (2023– )

Korean Heroes!

[9/10 · 27 August 2023]

When Tim Kring's Heroes first aired in 2006, I watched in awe. That series was a groundbreaking one (the first season only). Hiro Nakamura, Claire Bennet, Peter Petrelli, Niki Sanders, you named it and I can recall their fantastic moments in Heroes.

Fast forward 2023, South Korean launched their own superheroes drama series. I can't help but thinking about Heroes because the vibe was so similar. The beautiful Go Youn Jung was as pretty as the cheerleader Hayden Panettiere (save the cheerleader save the world right?!). The simple hearted Kim Bong Seok just as heartwarming as Hiro Nakamura. Electric man Cha Tae Hyun was just as tragic as Peter Petrelli.

One thing that differentiate Moving from Heroes was its POV. Every episode, we were treated with different vibes from different characters. One episode felt just like teenage K-Drama series, another one felt like office romance series, and the other would felt like mob movie. This really makes us wonder what comes next?!

A 20 episodes series that really grasp our attention 9/10.

Heart of Stone (I) (2023)

Set For A Franchise!

[8/10 · 15 August 2023]

After Thor became an extractor in his spare time, now it's Wonder Woman's turn to become a secret agent. Don't say no, because there's even one homage scene to Wonder Woman, where Gal Gadot is lying on sandbeach while gasping for breath. The only difference was that it wasn't Chris Pine who came to her.

I grew up watching many 80's and 90's action flicks. One man army like Stallone or Schwarzenegger, or Bruce Willis's Die Hard franchise. So for those who commented that this film was lifeless, cliche, boring, not edgy enough etc., you better ask yourself whether you would like to live up to that old vibe again or not. This film is never meant to be an Oscar contender, this is a pop corn action flick, so get a life people.

I found Heart Of Stone worth watching. And if the producers feel that this film is profitable enough, then a film franchise would be very easy to make because its universe has been laid out. It's always a pleasure to see Gal Gadot acts, whether as a superhero or a secret agent.

Worth watching 8/10.

Revenant (2023– )

Award winning casts for an award winning show

[9/10 · 31 July 2023]

FYI: Kim Tae Ri - Baeksang Best Actress (25 21), Oh Jung Se - Baeksang Best Supporting Actor (It's Okay Not To Be Okay). Hong Kyung - Baeksang Best New Actor (Innocence), Kim Eun Hee - Baeksang Best Screenplay (Signal). And together they made The Revenant. So what would you think will happen? Yes, a masterpiece.

I waited almost every week for another 2 episodes because the series was very intriguing. The characters were all smart and open minded, and also learnt from their mistakes. This what made the show different from any other horror/thriller movie, where most of the characters were looked so panic and clueless when it came the time to face the devil.

Supporting casts were also very good. The mother, the good friend, the old detective, the demonic granny, the shaman, even the evil spirit, all stole the moment when it came to their screen times. Last but not least: kudos to the screen writer and director that pay attention to story details example: when the mom complaint about how Gu San Yeong never ask her to ride along with her new car, or when the scar in Gu San Yeong's head remained seen until the end of the series.

Excellent 9/10

A very minor spoiler : at the end, we will still feel pity for the main character.

Secret Invasion (2023)

Lazy Writing

[6/10 · 27 July 2023]

MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD!

I'm going to go straight to the point about this series, because it has so many flaws. First, killing important characters do not make a series worth watching. Secondly, characters development were really suck to the point that I thought that AI wrote the script. And last but not least, I know Fury was (or is still) a secret agent, but if everything has to be about double crossing and backstabbing, well you really need to check your options about the story. Because it has been done in Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier.

Another thing: do Skrulls know each other when they're in shapeshifting mode?! Or not?! Because if not, then millions of year of evolving in their home planet Skrull, so that they now become a shapeshifting species, does really raise a question about how they can recognize each other. Why am I asking this?! Because in the final act, the villain DID NOT recognize his own species, that's why!

Lazy Writing 6/10

Note: don't ruin Nick Fury's character please, that ending's Casablanca style was really bland.

The Roundup: No Way Out (2023)

Ma Seok Do Never Let Me Down

[9/10 · 11 July 2023]

In The Outlaws, detective Ma Seok Do confronted thugs from Mainland China. In The Round Up, he clashed with Vietnamese robbers and kidnappers. And now in No Way Out, Ma Seok Do has to put his line of duty against Japanese Yakuza.

Explosive from beginning to the end, 100 minutes of running time seemed just fly by. Every 5 minutes or so, we get to see thugs flew around like scrap papers due to Ma Seok Do's invincible fists. It's very satisfying to watch, especially just before those scenes, we actually got to see how bad ass and brutal those thugs were. But Ma Seok Do managed to send them to slumberland one by one.

Explosive 9/10

Note: there's an end credit scene with a familiar face, that really put a big smile on my face, because I know that there will be a fourth installment of Ma Seok Do!

Knights of the Zodiac (2023)

What Did I Just Watch?!

[5/10 · 4 July 2023]

I grew up watching Saint Seiya. It gave me a lot of positive traits: resilient, solidarity and sense of justice. So when I heard they're going to adapt it to live action, my expectations were high. The trailer was okay, I found many flaws but I still tried to positive. And then.... they blew it sky high.

Instead of Saint Seiya, they gave us a Dark Phoenix rip off.... literally. From Famke Jansenn as Guradd (remind me again who that is in anime?!) to Sienna's (that's right, they changed the name from Saori to Sienna) nightmares about how she will destroy the world, and the final battle that copies the X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2006) from frames to frames. Seiya apparently could healed his wounds too, just like Wolverine does. What the.....

Blasphemy 5/10

Spoiler: Sean Bean did die in this movie.

The Orville (2017–2022)

Gene Roddenberry would've been proud

[9/10 · 6 June 2023]

I saw a clip of The Orville a few months ago, but was hesitated to follow up. My past experiences with Star Trek Discovery and Picard were not pleasant, so I have definitely no high hopes for The Orville. But, oh boy I was so wrong. Last week I watched the first episode of first season and instantly fell in love with the series. It has the vibes of TOS and TNG, it really has!

STD and Picard were so bleak and full of conflicts without any gratify solutions, which was not the spirit of Star Trek made by Gene Roddenberry. He made TOS in 1966 to give us hope about an utopian future. STD and Picard destroyed that completely by making wars and persecution as the answers for conflicts. The Orville represents the spirit of early Star Trek as Gene Roddenberry would have it. I think Gene would've proud to see this series.

Fascinating 9/10.

Citadel (2023– )

A massive action thriller with heart

[9/10 · 26 May 2023]

First of all, I would like to say to those bad comments on this series, it's not true at all. This series is excellent in every way, the cast, the script, the execution and the story. You wouldn't dare to imagine we can have this kind of high budget series 10 years ago. So enjoy this series like a big movies on small screen.

Now, let's review the series. I personally like the story, because it has a heart. The conflict is basically about love and lost, thrilling actions are actually just a side menu. Good spy blockbuster movies actually also did this in recent times. No Time To Die and MI: Fallout did it in their own way, adding personal touch to their main characters, such as they have family and or love ones. And that makes the story more human and complicated, instead of just completing some missions or try to prevent some megalomania destroying the world.

So yeah, Citadel is an excellent series. And they will have Citadel: Diana next year, which I can't wait to see. Hopefully they don't cancel it just because some people try to look like edgy or try to be different, making a social media war to prove their points.

Thrilling 9/10.

Mimi wo sumaseba (2022)

This is how Disney should make their live action

[8/10 · 24 May 2023]

I watched Whisper Of The Heart (1995) when I was very young and it left a very deep impression on me. And now, I have the chance to watch its sequel and also live action of it. How did it go? Well, it went very well.

Shizuku and Seiji both are very well casted (teens and youth). Many scenes from its original can be seen here, with high quality and precision. Some modifications were made to fit the settings, such as Seiji learnt to be a cellist instead of violin maker, but it's alright. Overall, it's not affecting the story.

The story revolved around 25 years old Shizuku and Seiji in 1998, about Shizuku's working as an editor and Seiji chasing his dream as a cellist in Italy. Ten years of long distant relationship, can Shizuku and Seiji put aside their differences and become one although very far apart?!

Classic 8/10

Note: only one downside for me in this Ghibli classic live action, there's no Baroness for Baron, even though I really expected it.

Missing (2021)

Good premise poor execution

[6/10 · 10 March 2023]

This movie has a very promising premise. A psycopath on the loose, killing those people who wanted to die. A father who was in debt, and as a single parent who tried to raise a teenage daughter alone. The father wanted reward money for catching the serial killer and decided to go for it and leave her daughter behind. Then the daughter tried to find his father by putting together all the pieces she could find.

But a weak 1st and 3rd acts destroyed it all. Instead of a thrilling chase between our protagonist and the serial killer, we were forced to watch a somehow ambigous drama. The daughter and his boyfriend was really annoying all the time, and contributed nothing to the story except her constant ranting and screaming. What a waste of a good premise movie.

Poor execution 6/10.

Call Me Chihiro (2023)

"You came from the same planet as I do"

[8/10 · 1 March 2023]

First of all, this movie can only happens in Japan. Chihiro, an ex sex worker with no drug and alcohol addiction, no tattooes and no foul mouth, that retired from her"dark past" just like snapping your fingers and still maintained positive attitude.

Her ex boss was also retired from sex industry to open a tropical fish store, and still maintained a good relationship with her. Basil, her friend from her past job, occasionally came to Chihiro's house to have a few drinks and talked about the past. Chihiro also befriended a stray cat, an old bum, two beautiful high school girls, a nine year old boy and got flirted (politely) by a bunch of factory workers who passed by her workplace every afternoon. Tell me if that's not a perfect world, what would that called?!

Later in the story, we learnt that many characters were struggling with their own problems. Some were heavier than others, but nonetheless it's still problems. How Chihiro coped with her problems and how she affected people around her was the heart of the story, and it was a really heartwarming one.

Heartwarming 8/10.

Lesson in Murder (2022)

No lessons learned

[6/10 · 21 February 2023]

This movie 1st act promised a lot of things. A serial killer got caught, trialled and sentenced to death. But he refused one killing among others. A young law college student was mailed by him and over time agreed to help him. Sounds really exciting for a thriller movie, right?!

But it went downhill after that. The 2nd act especially was the weakest. Unnecessary side plots and characters, confusing characters development and many loose end that made viewers scratched their heads. And don't ask me about the ending, cause it really put the last nail in the coffin. Such a shame, it could have been a great thriller movie.

Disappointing 6/10.

Lockwood & Co. (2023)

A thrilling young adult adventure

[8/10 · 8 February 2023]

A young adult adventure, thrilling, many dangerous relics and set on alternate universe. Sound cliche right?! Not if you execute it in a good way. And this series manage to do it in quite a charming way. Fast paced, good chemistry and stay true to the novel source.

Our protagonist, Lucy Carlyle along with her colleagues, super charming Anthony Lockwood and the living library George Karim, are those gifted youngsters in an alternate universe where ghost roamed the earth and and cause disaster everywhere. An event happened 50 years ago called The Problem. Now the society has an agency called DEPRAC to battle the ghosts with agents, mainly consists of gifted youngsters that have one the abilities: hearing, vision or touch.

It's nice to see alternative universe where modern days still don't have modern technology. The Problem happened around the 60's and since then technology development was stalled. So no computers, no internet and no smartphones. People still go to the library to find information about anything instead of just googled it. How to contact your comrades in the field?! Use walkie talkie, fun isn't it?!

Exciting 8/10.

Pacific Rim: The Black (2021–2022)

Gone In The Wrong Direction

[5/10 · 2 February 2023]

Pacific Rim (2013) was a popcorn action blockbuster movie, with big robots and even bigger monsters. It was fun and thrilling at the same time. Then came Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) that destroyed it all. Bad acting, worse jaegers and even worst script. So I was very much in anticipation when I heard they would make anime series of this franchise. I hope it would set things right. And oh boy, I was so very wrong.

Instead of explaining why the aliens sent kaijus to our world, this anime series went full The Walking Dead directions. They have gangs all over the abandoned outback Australia: Bogan, Ferno, The Sisters and god knows what else. They even have a kaiju tamer that only last about 5 minutes of screen time. What did that even add to the story?! They should have gone with the original story instead. Thank god they stopped at season 2. I can't watch anymore of this crap.

Disappointing 5/10.

Sakra (2023)

Wuxia at its best

[9/10 · 30 January 2023]

Jin Yong's wuxia novel Demi Gods And The Semi Devil was published way back in 1963. Many tv series and movies already adapted this great novel. So what's new about this movie?!

First of all, we got Donnie Yen. His stunt actions is unquestionable. Stellar casts also adorned the movie. From veteran such as Kara Hui and Ray Lui to new bright stars such as Chen Yu Qi as Ah Zhu and Zhao Hua Wei as Duan Yu. And last but not least, the story itself has depth plot and vivid characters to explore. Of course, 2 hours long movie couldn't capture all of the stories, so this movie focused on Qiao Feng (Donnie Yen) storylines.

If you already read the novel or movie/series adaptation, then you'll know how the story goes. But if you are new to this, then you'll have to know that this movie only covers the first 1/3 of the novel. Hopefully, the producers will make second and third installments soon enough for us to see next year

Trivia: 18 Dragon Subduing Palms that was Qiao Feng's powerful stance, also appeared on Dragon And Tiger Gates (2006) used by Dragon Wong, also played by Donnie Yen

Must See 9/10.

Tao xue shen tan (2022)

Fight Back To School 2022

[8/10 · 27 January 2023]

If you had watched Fight Back To School (1991) then you'll be familiar with the plot of this movie. Here, Chen Hu (Aston Chen) has to solve a murder which maybe involved students from St. Martin's High School. So the adventures began, along with all silliness and hillarious incidents. Although Aston Chen is not as comical as Stephen Chow, it's still has some comedic moments. Chen Hu happened also as a skillful vigilante fighter, a homage to Return Of Chen Zhen (2010) starred by Donnie Yen.

And as his teacher, beautiful Ms. Bai (Huang Qiao), whose beauty is comparable to Sharla Cheung Min. For the third uncle, the late legendary Ng Man Tat, now played by Liu Tian Zuo as Li Da. Although he's quite funny but still could not replace the happy go lucky third uncle Ng Man Tat.

Collin Chou as Li Jin Hu, the antagonist here. He's already 55 but still kick ass in this movie. Some of the action brawls between him and Aston Chen remind us of Flashpoint (2007) sequences, so don't miss it.

Overall, this was a great homage to three legendary movies. The actions were great, the comedy was hilarious and it has drama and mystery too. One of a few good movie from mainland China.

Recommended 8/10.

Do Revenge (2022)

Queenbee And The Wannabees

[4/10 · 26 January 2023]

Believe it or not, it's been 19 years since the released of Mean Girls. And of course somebody somewhere would like to make a new version, a reboot of it. But so many things happened in real life on that period of time, and it effects the POV of movies eventually. This Do Revenge is not an exception either.

Every characters in this movie are like the representation of politically correct movement. It's so boring, unlikeable and has brainwashing intentions. In Mean Girls (2004) even Regina George was still likeable and has her moments. Cady Heron, although not perfect, but still could be named as a protagonist. But Do Revenge movie doesn't have any likeable nor relatable characters. And who's the antagonist at the end?! Well, you could guess by the standard of politically correct, right from the beginning.

A word of advice: better re-watch Mean Girls than watch this nonsense.

Brainwash intentions 4/10.

Ditto (2022)

Sky of Love 2022

[9/10 · 20 January 2023]

I've seen the mandarin version of this called Sky of Love (2003), so yeah it's almost 20 years ago. It's also the adaption of Korean novel Ditto but they reversed the gender. This movie The Agreement was more faithful to the original source and has a better ending too.

Kim Yong (Yeo Jin Goo) was a senior mechanical engineering college student in 1999. In the faculty that most of its student were male, it's hard to find a girlfriend, not to mention at time South Korea was hit by monetary crisis. So when a beautiful junior Han Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) came in, it was a big deal and everyone wanted to know her. Luck came knocking at Kim Yong's door because he was chosen to introduce Han Sol to her new enviroment. Kim Yong love struck at first sight, and apparently Han Sol was too. But will it have a happy ending?!

Meanwhile, in 2022, a psychology student, Kim Mu Nee, was trying to find a stranger as her source person for college project. She tried her luck with her father's old HAM radio CB. And guess who answer on the other side? None other than our protagonist Kim Yong.

So how could a guy from 1999 had a conversation via HAM radio CB with a girl from 2022?! And is there any connection between Kim Yong and Mu Nee?! You have to see it for yourself to know the explanation.

Mesmerizing 9/10.

M3GAN (2022)

"This is the part where you run"

[7/10 · 19 January 2023]

Do you think your children have too much screentime?! Always attach to their gadgets?! Well, now replace those gadgets with a 4 feet creepy looking doll, with titanium body, super learning capabilities and murderous intentions. That's how every child should've raised, right?!

M3GAN deals with a long life time question since the dawn of AI, what if AI gains its own consciousness, and it's not benign but treacherous?! And now, more than ever in the history of mankind, like it or not, AI is coming into our life. The question is not are we ready or not, but rather how can we control it instead of being controlled by it.

M3GAN has some great moments in the discussion of how AI may effects our life, but fell flat in the 3rd act. It became Newt and Ripley vs Mother Alien in some way, that I could even hear Ripley screamed in my head: Get away from her, you bi***!

Enjoyable 7/10.

Alice in Borderland (2020– )

"Life's just like a game, enjoy it"

[10/10 · 15 January 2023]

Review of season 2: 8 episodes of intense action packed that I've bingewatched it only in 1 night without noticing it's already 8 hours passed by. That's how good season 2 of Alice In Borderland was.

One thing to add about season 2, how Arisu managed to look like a bum all episodes (except the last 10 minutes). Although he was just drowned in the river or after having onsen bath, he just came out look like a bum. Meanwhile. Chisiya and Ann managed to look neat and white all the time no matter what they do. Kuina always looks hot in her blue bikini. Even Usagi, who trained everyday, still looks good in her camisole. My good Arisu, you really need to go to some stylist.

And if, I mean IF, there's season 3, I hope they would explain more about the Borderland universe, rather than threw all fans speculations into it and confused us even more.

Great 10/10.

First Love (I) (2022)

An instant classic!

[10/10 · 13 January 2023]

What a well directed and scripted this series was! Big budgeted, great story and stellar performances from all actors/actresses. A nine episodes of emotional roller coaster. You have to see it for yourself to enjoy this beautiful series.

The song "First Love" by Hikaru Utada was a massive hit back then in 1999. So no wonder it would left a big impression on writer/director Yuri Kanchiku to make this beautiful series. She was around 17 years old at that time, so who knows she might have her own first love story to tell at that time.

Kudos to Hikari Matsushima/Rikako Yagi (older/younger Yae Noguchi) and Takeru Satoh/Taisei Kido (older/younger Harumichi Namiki) that brought this series to live. We, as audience, could really feel their emotion in every scene.

The only downside in this series was the constant back and forth timeline every 3-5 minutes, sometimes we as the audience, got lost to which timeline the scene was, because not every scene transition was accompanied by the date and place.

Caution: episode 7,8 and 9 was a real tear jerker, so please prepare a handkerchief or a box of tissue or if you are an emotional person, you should prepare a bath towel instead.

Classic 10/10.