The Risky Journal

A day of work and sleep deprivation exhausted me. Yet, last night I still decided to go see Marlina Sang Pembunuh Empat Babak (Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts) at a movie theater nearby my office. As the film started to roll, I was half awake. “I would fall asleep,” I told myself. I was wrong. In just several minutes, the film cast its spell, making my eyes and my mind wide open. I was hungry to know what would come next. Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts tells the story of Marlina (Marsha Timothy), a widow living by herself in the savannah of East Sumba, Indonesia, with the mummified corpse of her husband, who died a year after she lost her son in a miscarriage. Local belief hold that people must arrange a traditional ritual, which cost millions of rupiah, to bury the death. If one has not gathered enough money, then the deceased must be kept at his or her house. To bury her husband, Marlina had been working hard to raise enough fortune. However, one day, a ...

Growing up, I was always more familiar with DC superheroes. Therefore, ever since Avengers arrived on the cinematic world in 2011, I had long wondered when their DC’s counterpart would follow suit. After six years of waiting, I finally Justice League appeared on the big screen. I was disappointed, unfortunately. The waiting was for nothing. Justice League follows the events of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), where Superman (Clark Kent/Henry Cavill) died after fighting Doomsday. Crimes spike and hope is lost in a Superman-less world. Batman (Bruce Wayne/Ben Affleck), however, smells a graver danger threatening humanity. With the help of Wonder Woman (Diana Prince/Gal Gadot), the Dark Knight enlists a group of meta-humans – Aquaman (Arthur/Jason Mamoa), Flash (Barry Allen/Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Victor Stone/Ray Fisher) – to help fight the extraterrestrial threats, led by Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds). A group of superheroes defend the earth against alien inv...

Rotten tomatoes rated X-Men: Apocalypse, the latest installment of X-Men universe, rotten,   with only 49 percent of approval.   Critics’ consensus in the website mentioned that the movie had wasted several “strong performers” and “resonant themes.” Meanwhile, Metacritic gave a mixed review for X-Men: Apocalypse with   a 52 Metascore,   making the movie to be the lowest rated of the X-Men movie adaptation since X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), which has   a 58 Metascore.   An X-Men movie which is even worse than The Last Stand? How bad can it be?   Apocalyptic reviews have indeed slammed Bryan Singer’s latest take on X-Men. However, I still went and watched the movie last night. I was satisfied. love it. And I want more …   X-Men: Apocalypse is set 10 years after Magneto’s attack to the White House in the acclaimed movie X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), which was also directed by Singer. In Apocalypse, Charles Xavier aka Professo...

There was a time when martial arts movies or television series were very popular in Indonesia. At such time, I really loved watching Saur Sepuh movies on local television. I also really enjoyed watching popular TV series such as Si Buta dari Goa Hantu , Wiro Sableng or Misteri dari Gunung Merapi . Therefore, I was very excited when I heard that Mira Lesmana and Riri Reza would produce an Indonesian martial art movie called Pendekar Tongkat Emas (The Golden Cane Warrior). “About time,” I said to myself."Can't wait to see it!" Since its resurrection in 2000, Indonesian film industries have never paid much attention to martial arts movie. They have mostly produced crappy horror movies, or romantic comedy, which frankly deserved no place on the big screen. Thus, I thought that PTE could rekindle my lost joy of watching martial arts movie. I became more excited when I learned that Ifa Isfansyah, the man behind an acclaimed movie, Sang Penari , would direct PTE....

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...

I still recalled a day when Laskar Pelangi , a 2008 film inspired by Andrea Hirata’s best-selling novel of the same title, became the talk of the town. The same happened when Sang Pemimpi , the second adaptation to the second Laskar Pelangi novel was released in 2010. Therefore, hopes were high that the third sequel of Laskar Pelangi  would follow their steps. Produced by Mira Lesmana and directed by Riri Reza , LaskarPelangi and Sang Pemimp i have definitely secured their places in Indonesia’s film history as key films that will be discussed in years to come. They are a good example of movie adaptation. Not only did they enjoy commercial success, they were also considered as acclaimed cinematic products. Mira and Riri are indeed well-known for their magic hands. Their initial works – Kuldesak (1998) , Petualangan Sherina (2000) and AdaApa dengan Cinta? (2002)- have brought Indonesia’s film industry to a renaissance era.   However, the movie geniuses are a...

Who does not know about Soekarno? He is the very first president of Indonesia. He is the one who proclaimed Indonesia’s independence. He is Indonesia’s greatest hero. He is simply great. At least, that is how I remembered Soekarno, based on the history lessons I received since elementary school. However, apparently, that is not how Hanung Bramantyo remembered him as reflected in his latest movie, Soekarno,  which narrates various stages about the life of the first president. As a boy, Koesno Sosrodiharjo frequently falls sick more than others. Therefore, his parents decide to change his name into Soekarno, inspired by Adipati Karna, a noble character in Mahabarata narratives . Now bearing the name of Soekarno, the boy is then sent to live with Tjokroaminoto, one of the founders of Sarekat Islam (an Islamic tradeorganization which holds an important role in Indonesian history) . Through Tjokroaminoto, young Soekarno learns nationalism. However, according to the movie,...

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire   Last night, two and a half hour just slipped out of my notice when I watched the second installment of The Hunger Games Trilogy: Catching Fire . The cliffhanger ending of the movie, which according to critics resemble the spirit of The Empire Strikes Back , makes me ‘hungry’ for more. I demanded that the third and the fourth movie be released right away! Yes, the third installment of the trilogy novel, Mockingjay, is going to be made into twomovies , following the trend set by Harry Potter and Twilight series. Winning Oscar does not make Jennifer Lawrence reluctant to embrace her character as Katniss Everdeen. Instead, as usual, Lawrence gives all her best acting to portray Katniss who in this movie starts to be the beacon of hope for people of Panem. In Catching Fire, Katniss is caught in a dilemma. Her heartbreaking and breathtaking fictive romance with Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson , in the 74 th Hunger Games has stirr...

Last Saturday, I got a runny nose -kind of severe, as I recalled- not because of sick, but because I watched a Korean movie entitled WeddingDress . Wedding Dress Movie Poster (link contains spoiler) I have frequently watched Korean movies. In my opinion, they are much better than Indonesian movies. Not that I dislike my country (I just dislike Indonesia’s movies), but yeah, Korean movies have a wide range of preference. You can watch cheesy-funny-romantic movie that make you feel happy and smile all the time. Or try to watch a horror-romanticmovie  that makes you laugh and scared. You can also find cool action movie ! Some movies even make me cry a lot . I really mean it when I say some Korean movies really make me cry so badly. Wedding Dress is one that makes me cry. I am a boy and I cry. So what? I don’t buy the ubiquitous saying ‘Boys don’t cry’. Wedding Dress narrates the life of a single mother, Go-eun, played by Song Yun Ah . Her husband dies already, leaving ...

Gravity Movie Poster  “I think that movie is boring. It only features two actors. What’s so cool about that!” said an acquaintance of mine, commenting on a movie entitled Gravity . But I have an entirely different opinion. You probably have seen countless movies about space. But I bet you have never really experienced what it feels like to be in space. This, in my opinion, is what Gravity has to offer. Joining space shuttle Explorer, Dr. Ryan Stone, a Mission specialist nicely played by Sandra Bullock, is hired by NASA to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Accompanied by veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski, starred by George Clooney, Dr. Stone floats away in the space, trying to service the telescope. It will be outrageous if you are not stunned by a jaw dropping view of the blue Earth, which shades the work field of Dr. Stone and Kowalski. However, all of sudden, the Mission Control in Houston warns of a high-speed space debris, created by a defunct Russian satellite destr...

"Cool !! I have never seen that side of Superman." That’s what I thought after spending more than 120 minutes inside a movie theater in Central Jakarta last night to watch Man of Steel, a reboot of America’s most iconic superhero, Superman.  In my opinion, Man of Steel showcases an image of Clark Kent aka Kal-El aka Superman that I have never seen before.   Man of Steel , featuring Henry Cavill as Superman Man of Steel, featuring Henry Cavill as Superman, became one of the most anticipated movies this year because it is directed by Zack Snyder, the director of 300 and Watchmen, and produced by Christopher Nolan, the director of Batman Trilogy. Hopes soared high that the marriage of the two would resurrect Superman from its slumber. Opened with a narration of Superman’s origin, Man of Steel provides its audience with a scenic view of Krypton’s environment and civilization. Compared to previous Superman movies, Man of Steel probably has the most complete narrati...