Author: ruth

I'm just an ordinary girl who loves flicks across all genres (except horror). From Jane Austen costume-dramas, lush fantasy epics to sfx-laden, full-throttle action, my taste in movies can be quite perplexing. My dad was in the film biz in the 70s in my home country Indonesia, so I guess I inherit his love for writing and movies. But it's my mother who first introduced Hollywood classics early in my upbringing. When I was about 11 or 12, she brought "Gone with the Wind," "The Sound of Music," and "My Fair Lady" VHS tapes from her European vacation. To this day, I still think Clark Gable is one hot & manly man (even for someone who despise mustache!); and who didn't have a crush on that stringent-but-hunky-in-uniform Captain Von Trapp? As for "My Fair Lady," the inimitably classy Audrey Hepburn was (and still is) the fairest maiden in Tinseltown. Top 10 Favorite movies: Batman Begins, Ben-Hur, Casino Royale, Dear Frankie, Gladiator, Moulin Rouge, Return to Me, Roman Holiday, Sense & Sensibility, The Gods Must Be Crazy.

FlixChatter Review – Netflix’s EXTRACTION (2020)

On By ruthIn Flix Reviews2 Comments

Netflix is trying to take on the big Hollywood studios by producing quite a bit of pricey original films within the last couple of years. While their more prestigious films such ROMA and THE IRISHMAN received rave reviews and decent amount of views. Most of their original action/adventure films didn’t do quite well, for example last year’s very expensive TRIPLE FRONTIER was a dud. EXTRACTION is their latest action film that became their biggest hit to date, viewership wise anyway.

As the story begins, we’re introduced to Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), he’s the son of a ruthless drug lord named Mahajan (Pankaj Tripathi). Mahajan is in prison but still very powerful within the crime syndicate of India. While out partying with his friends at a night club, Ovi is kidnapped by men working for Amir (Priyanshu Painyuli), Ovi’s father rival. Upon learning the news that his son has been kidnapped by his rival, Mahajan orders his right-hand man Saju (Randeep Hooda) to do whatever it takes to get his son back alive. Saju hires a mercenary team whose leader is Nik (Golshifteh Farahani), she recruits her old teammate Tyler (Chris Hemsworth) to join the team in rescuing Ovi from danger.

At first Tyler wasn’t interested because he’s still grieving the death of his son. But when Nik told him that the fee is very high, Tyler decided to join her. They traveled to Dhaka to get Ovi and once Tyler found the boy, things went south real fast. He realized that his team has been double crossed and he will need to use all of his skills to keep Ovi and himself alive from the local police and henchmen who’re all chase after them.

Based on a graphic novel named Ciudad written by Ande Parks and The Russo Brothers. The screenplay is credited to only Joe Russo and it’s decent script for an action film. The story is pretty simple and quite predictable. It did try to get too serious for its own good about half way through the story but thankfully it didn’t linger on that too much.

The biggest draw for this film of course is the action and first-time director Sam Hargrave delivered the goods. Being that Hargrave was a stunt coordinator for many of the big Hollywood blockbusters, he knows how to shoot action scenes properly. There’s a “one shot” action sequence that will blow you away, one of the best action scenes I’ve seen in recent years.

Hemsworth hasn’t had much luck in films outside of the MCU but he seems to be a good fit in this role. His 6’2″ muscular frame makes him more believable that he can take on several foes at the same time than say someone like 5’5″ Tom Cruise. There’s not much that was asked of him for the role but Hemsworth did try to give a more personal performance. Being that his character lost a son and now he’s being a father figure to a kid he doesn’t know but trying to save his life. Unfortunately, none of the supporting actors really stood out for me, they were okay in their respective roles but pretty forgettable to me.

It appears Netflix has found a franchise and a sequel has already been moved into pre-production. If you’re a fan of the John Wick franchise, then you’ll enjoy this film.

3/5 stars

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So have you seen EXTRACTION? Well, what did you think?

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FlixChatter Review: SERGIO (2020)

On By ruthIn Flix Reviews4 Comments


Directed By: Greg Barker
Written By: Craig Borten
Starring: Wagner Moura, Ana de Armas, Bradley Whitford, Brían F. O’Byrne

Sergio, is a biographical drama chronicling the life and work of United Nations diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello. Directed by Greg Barker, a man known for his career in television and documentary films such as Sergio (2009) and The Final Year (2017), it marks his first attempt at a narrative feature.

A decade after premiering his doc, Barker returned to Sundance with this adaptation. Making a film about a subject one has already explored so deeply could seem like beating a dead horse. Greg slows the pace, and injects this new film with a sense of poetic romanticism. Given the creative license Barker focuses on on the inner-emotions and Don Quixote like qualities of Sergio. He was a larger than life personality who believed that one could live in and create the future one wanted for tomorrow, today. And that by nations coming together we could bring about a better, brighter, freer global future. He believed the U.N. would be instrumental in achieving this dream and that he could help birth it.

Recounting the days, months, and years leading up to his death, this film’s emphasis on de Mello’s romantic life (with Ana de Armas playing the woman he loved), provides fresh insight into the life of a man many have already heard much about. After making a documentary I can understand the wish to focus on developing the personality of who Sergio was.

While it creates an engrossing story for general audiences who know next to nothing about its titular character, it conversely makes the film a bit drawn-out and lacking focus. This is disappointing for a film that is about a man who led his life with decisiveness and a singular focus.

– Review by Jessie Zumeta

Have you seen SERGIO? Well, what did you think? 

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Thursday Movie Picks: TELEVISION EDITION – BOOK TO TV ADAPTATIONS

On By ruthIn Blog Events, The Flix List, Tube Watch6 Comments

ThursdayMoviePicksHappy almost Friday everyone! I’m a bit late to the TMP party but I love this week’s topic that I still want to participate. The Thursday Movie Picks blogathon was spearheaded by Wandering Through the Shelves Blog.

The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you’re up to it one of each. This Thursday’s theme is… TELEVISION EDITION: BOOK TO TV ADAPTATIONS.

It’s been a month or so since I participated in TMP, but when I saw this week’s topic I decided to do a post since I’ve actually been reading books about the MEDICI family, as I’ve just finished season 2 and 3 of Medici The Magnificent on Netflix.

I’m not including it here as I don’t think the show is based on a certain books/novels, most of it is based/inspired by historical events. I LOVE the last two season and will be sure to blog about them at some point.

In any case, here are three of my fave books-to-tv adaptations in the past few years:

WESTWORLD

Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.

This HBO science-fiction series is based on a novel by Michael Crichton. Per IMDb Trivia, apparently Warner Brothers had been trying to remake the 1973 Westworld movie since the 90s, Crichton even wen to J.J. Abrams who later in 2013 pitched the idea of a TV series to creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Well, I think the show runners did a terrific job and making it a series certainly is a wise move given how complex the story is and the number of opportunities to explore the world-within-world and various characters, from the robots (er, hosts) to humans.

A Discovery Of Witches

Diana Bishop, historian and witch, accesses Ashmole 782 and knows she must solve its mysteries. She is offered help by the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, but he’s a vampire and witches should never trust vampires.

This series is based on All Souls Trilogy, a three-book series written by Deborah Harkness. I was immediately hooked because of the lead cast Matthew Goode and Theresa Palmer. I know the forbidden romance storyline’s been done to death (no pun intended), but the setting in England and Venice are pure escapism stuff. The series’ pacing can be much improved and some parts can be quite cheesy. The two leads were still able to keep me engaged however, and having Lindsay Duncan as mother vampire (Goode’s mother) is inspired casting! I do enjoy vampire movies/shows so long as they’re not too gory. I’m glad there’s season 2 that’s reportedly going to be set in Elizabethan times!

KILLING EVE

Eve is a bored, whip-smart security services operative whose desk-bound job doesn’t fulfill her fantasies of being a spy. Villanelle is a talented killer, who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her. These two fierce women, equally obsessed with each other, will go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse, toppling the typical spy-action thriller.

The BBC America/AMC show was adapted from Luke Jennings’ Codename Villanelle novellas. I got to this series a bit late, but hey better late than never! I love the London setting, perfect for any spy thrillers, and the two lead actresses are amazing! Sandra Oh is such inspired casting and she immediately hooked me. The chemistry between Eve and Jodie Comer as Villanelle is truly what makes the show works so well. I also love Fiona Shaw as Eve’s mysterious boss. It’s definitely the best cat-and-mouse thriller out there, with a healthy dose of humor thanks to show-creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s witty writing!

What do you think of my picks? Have you seen any of them?

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Music Break: 5 Scores To Celebrate JUNETEENTH 2020

On By ruthIn Music Break2 Comments

Happy Freedom Day! Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day, Black Independence Day or Jubilee Day. Per the National Registry, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863.

What has began as a Texas holiday in 1980, is now recognized by 47 states and the District of Columbia as a state holiday or observance and is marking its 155th anniversary this year.

So to commemorate this significant day in history, I thought I’d post five scores from films that deals with slavery, the fight against racial inequality and savagery… and ultimately, the triumph of the human spirit.

“God’s time [Emancipation] is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.” — Harriet Tubman

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“Won’t it be wonderful when Black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history.” — Maya Angelou

Hope you enjoy today’s Music Break. Which of these scores are your favorite(s)?

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FlixChatter Review – THE WRETCHED (2020)

On By ruthIn Flix Reviews3 Comments

Written and Directed by: Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce

In The Wretched, 17-year-old Ben (John-Paul Howard) goes to stay with his father (Jamison Jones) in the small summer vacation town where he works. He notices their neighbor, Abbie (Zara Mahler), acting strangely, and soon discovers that she has been inhabited by a witch who preys on children. Along with his new friend Mallory (Piper Curda), Ben fights to defeat this ancient evil being.

Like many teen horror movies, The Wretched is pretty underwhelming. There’s nothing particularly inspired about the cinematography or direction, the characters feel like cliches, and melodramatic music nearly always plays right before the unimpressive jump scares (although there was one really good jump scare involving a baby toy that actually got me). The dialogue feels like most teen horror movie dialogue written between 1999 and now, although the actors mostly make it work.

That said, it’s not a bad movie. The special effects are pretty good, mostly practical and not over-reliant on CGI, and I really liked the creepy, saggy skin makeup for the witch. It was refreshing watching a movie with a unique antagonist (not that there aren’t other horror movies with witches, obviously, but this movie has its own interesting interpretation). As I mentioned before, the acting is pretty good, and there are some surprisingly talented kid actors in the cast. And the twist near the end genuinely surprised me without feeling like it was unearned; there’s some decent foreshadowing leading up to it.

While The Wretched isn’t an amazing horror film, it’s still entertaining enough, and at a little over an hour and a half run time, it’s a relatively quick, easy watch. If you like horror, are easily scared, and this happens to be on a streaming service you have, you might enjoy this movie.

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Now playing at select Drive-In Theaters and Digital Platforms everywhere

Have you seen THE WRETCHED? Let us know what you think!

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FlixChatter Review: The Trip To Greece (2020)

On By ruthIn Flix Reviews10 Comments

It’s been 10 years since the journey of two actors, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan, who embarked on a tour across UK’s finest restaurants and engage in amusing banters. At the time, it started with Coogan, who was asked by The Observer to do the project, but when his girlfriend backed out, he ended up taking his friend Brydon instead.

I remember quite enjoying that film, which felt like an experimental film by Michael Winterbottom with basically two people bantering while being served sumptuous meals at five-star restaurants and staying in fancy hotels. I guess your enjoyment of the film depends on how you feel about the actors themselves, which I happen to find amusing. I do remember in my super brief review of The Trip To Italy, that I had gotten tired of their schtick and their endless impersonations of other actors, thus I skipped The Trip To Spain.

Now, a decade has passed, and somehow I was intrigued to see both actors reunite, as they traveled from Troy to Ithaca following in the footsteps of the Odysseus. One thing I realize is how much of a snobbish jerk Coogan can be. I guess I have known that for some time, but here he’s quite insufferable as he mentions how he’s won numerous BAFTAS, blah blah blah… which makes Brydon seems far more affable by comparison. I wonder if that’s intentional, but it’s quite off-putting at times even when Brydon deliberately poke fun of his pomposity. One scene in particular highlights that, that is when Coogan ran into a Greek national who did a film with him a few years ago and he didn’t bother remembering his name even though he re-introduced himself. Brydon called him out on it, which was quite amusing.

The two actors talk about Greek history/mythology once in a while when they’re not busy doing impersonations (which is still amusing at times, but does get repetitive). I do enjoy British’s sarcastic humor and there’s plenty of that in this, but what’s different this time is there is a sad incident that gives the film a poignant layer. I won’t mention about it in details, but let’s just say that towards the end of the film it became a journey of grief for one of the characters.

I guess watching this film during a pandemic while most of us are under stay-at-home order feels like a vicarious experience as the Grecian scenery is truly drool-worthy. I do think part of the charm of this movie is the gorgeous cinematography and stunning landscapes. Seeing the bustling restaurants and people enjoying their vacations certainly make me so eager to see the world once again.

I’m glad I watched this movie and there’s certainly plenty of things to enjoy. As it says on the poster, this fourth ‘Trip’ movie is the final course, which means it’s the last of the series. I have to say it’s good that it’s the last one, as it’s on the verge of overstaying its welcome. The finale ends on a poignant and hopeful note, which I think is a proper farewell to the two friends’ decade-long odyssey.

Have you seen The Trip To Greece or other ‘Trip’ movie? If so, I’d love to hear what you think!…

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You can watch JUST MERCY for FREE during the month of June

On By ruthIn Flix News, Flix Reviews6 Comments

Hello friends… pardon the lack of posts and engagements on the blog lately. I had been doing a lot of reflections lately and kind of avoiding social media. There’s only so much one can take before information overload sets in… it’s a delicate balance between wanting to keep updated about what is going on and processing everything we see & hear and let them sink in.

While protests about George Floyd’s horrendous killing is still going on, with many countries across Europe and Canada showing solidarity with Black Lives Matter, one word we hear more and more lately is systemic racism. Per Wiki…

Institutional racism (also known as systemic racism) is a form of racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions. It is reflected in disparities regarding wealth, income, criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power and education, among other factors.

Well, one of the recent films that highlights systemic racism dramatically is JUST MERCY, and if you have not seen it yet by now, Warner Bros has made it available to stream for FREE for the month of June.

Per Variety, WB released this statement: “We believe in the power of story… Our film ‘Just Mercy,’ based on the life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, is one resource we can humbly offer to those who are interested in learning more about the systemic racism that plagues our society. For the month of June, ‘Just Mercy’ will be available to rent for free across digital platforms in the US.”

I had the privilege of seeing this film at TCFF last year and posted this review. This is an excerpt from what I wrote…

It’s the kind of film that gets you riled up for the blatant racism and injustice that sadly still hasn’t been completely eradicated to this day. The scene where attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) first met Walter McMillian’s (Jamie Foxx) family, greeted warmly by his wife who’s astounded that he’d bother to visit them packs an emotional punch. The film made me want to learn more about the McMillian’s case and others similar to his, as well as the Equal Justice Initiative that Stevenson founded in 1989. For that reason alone, the filmmakers and cast did an admirable job.

I hope you’ll take the time to watch this if you haven’t already… or if you have, this is a film worth rewatching. The topic can’t be more timely than it is now… though learning about such an important history shouldn’t just be confined to when there’s a devastating incident.

To make it easy, I thought I’d embed this YouTube link so you can watch it here:

In addition to sharing about this film, USA Today also shared a list of books for kids and adults alike to learn more about anti-racism. I think we all can always benefit for learning more about each other, and make sure these kinds of centuries-old practice of injustice don’t keep getting passed down through generations.

Have you seen JUST MERCY? Let me know your thoughts!

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