The Risky Journal

Female-led superhero movies are rare US’ export commodity. CBS Supergil Poster Since the booming of superhero movies in 2000, for instance, only Catwoman (2004) and Elektra (2005) featured female as the lead hero. Unfortunately, citing many reasons, the feline antihero and the female assassin successfully failed in the market. The failure of female superhero movies re-affirmed the existing myth in Hollywood that female superhero movies are cursed (or, are allegedly set to fail according to this website ). This is interesting because according to the statistics released by the Motion Picture Association of America, 52 percent of moviegoers are women . Therefore, I was excited when I found out that a Supergirl series was being made . And, after watching the first episode of the series, I actually think that this time, female superhero characters will not fail. Supergirl series first aired on Monday, October 26, 2015 at CBS. This is the latest installment of DC Comics charact...

The Philippines also experience colonial mentality Last night, I had dinner with two friends at an Italian restaurant around Thamrin area, one of the main business districts in Central Jakarta. It was a nice and open door restaurant to hang out since I could enjoy the beautiful scene of Jakarta’s glowing skyscrapers from where I sat. My friends and I then ordered some snacks and beverage. The food was good and not too pricy. But, j ust a couple of minutes after I finished my meals, one of the waitresses cleaned my plate and my glass. “Do you want to order anything else?” she asked me who replied with a simple “no thanks.” Then, the same waitress approached and cleaned my friend’s plate as soon as she finished her meals, while asking the same question she asked me. To which, my friend said, “later probably.” My friends and I continued chatting for a while, talking about life and future plan . While chatting, my other friend was finishing her food an...

App-based motorcycle taxi, known as ojek, in Jakarta is the capital’s newest sensation. When you hit the road, you will find it extremely easy to see motorists donning green helmet which displays Gojek or Grabbike logo on it. They boast that they have thousands of drivers in the capital. Gojek and Grabbike are two smartphone applications that enable users to order ojek with a rational price. They break away from the conventional ojek which usually charge irrational fare. They calculate fare based on distance through google map. For instance, I once tried to take an ojek from my office building to a train station which is only 5 km away. If I took a taxi, it would cost me around Rp 40 thousand. However, it was a Friday evening, meaning that only miracle could help me get a taxi in Sudirman area, the main business district in the capital. After waiting for an empty cab for more than an hour, I gave up. The notorious 'Macet' in Sudirman Area during peak hours credit:...

In one week, Muslims all around the world will welcome the holy month of Ramadan. In this month of devotion, evaluation and reflection, Muslims are all expected to increase their prayers so that after the month ends, they will become better persons. The Holy Quran has taught Muslims that during the Holy Month, they should have more worshipping activities. Muslims are essentially taught to be closer to the Creator. However, my two year stay in Jakarta has taught me a different face of Ramadan The capital city has taught me that Ramadan is the month of discounts and sales. Starting next week, malls around the city will probably start offering discounts that are so hard for us to ignore. Thus, during Ramadan, instead of swarming mosques, people will swarm malls. Sales and discounts have clouded our memories of a promise that God once made. We suddenly forgot He once said that our one good deed would be counted as ten good deeds during Ramadan. We suddenly forgot th...

News Giant Battle Credit: Pulsk.com As the presidential election draws closer, observing some major media in Indonesia has become a very interesting activity to do. By doing such a thing, one can really learn how media actively engages in the nation’s political environment. This post was written as a simple result of observation in some online media. I observed the twitter accounts of television stations Metro TV and TVone. Metro TV belongs to the Media Group owned by businessman Surya Paloh, who happens to be the chairman of the National Democratic Party (NasDem). In this presidential election, the party sides with presidential and vice presidential candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jusuf Kalla, or known as JK. Meanwhile, TV One belongs to the Viva News group owned by businessman Aburizal Bakrie, who chairs the Golkar Party. The party chooses to support presidential and vice presidential candidate Prabowo and Hatta Rajasa. I once wrote in this blog about m...

Credit: Todayonline.com It has been a week since the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) announced that instead of nominating its chairperson as it used to do, the party would endorse its most famous member, Jakarta Governor Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo, as a presidential candidate in the upcoming election. Public is split into two: those who support the nomination and who are against it. The supporters deem that Jokowi, who won the second runner up in the 2012 World Mayor Prize, needs to join the race to reach the nation’s top office because he represents a fresh figure and a young leader. Public also deem him worthy enough to grace all people of Indonesia with his humble characteristic, a rare trait among many nation’s contemporary political elites. However, Jokowi's participation is met with lots of criticisms. Jokowi, who was elected as the Jakarta Governor in 2012, still has three more years until the end of his term at the capital city. His participation i...

Lego, the ubiquitous colored plastic brick toys, has paved its way to the big screen. And guess what? Their first ever 3D animated movie should be on your must-watch list. The Lego Movie follows the life of Emmet (voice of ChrisPratt ), a yellow-skinned construction worker, who finds a piece of relic that is sought by everyone. In the movie opening, sorcerer Vituvius ( Morgan Freeman ) prophesizes that anyone finding the relic would save the world from the Lord Business ( Will Ferrel ). Emmet should fulfill his destiny to become “The Special One”, a master builder destined to save the world. Accompanied by his faithful companions, Wyldstyle ( Elizabeth Bank ), Batman ( Will Arnett ) and Vituvius, Emmet embarks on an adventurous journey that will forever change not only his life but also the world. During the adventure, Emmet and his friends must avoid from being captured by the Lord Business and his trusted servant, Bad Cop ( LiamNeeson ). One hundred and forty minutes run...