On the lighter side-Movies-The Woman (2011)-Pollyanna McIntosh, Brandon Gerald Fuller

A lawyer catches a feral woman and tries to civilize her with gory and brutal results. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-The Aeronauts (2019)-Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne

A rich widow and a scientists tries to discover weather patterns by riding in a hot air ballon reaching the highest ever elevation in late 19^th century. Availabe on Amazon Prime Video. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Irishman (2019)-Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

A mob hit man tells his story in this great drama with top notch actors and acting. Available on Netflix ®. Very long but highly recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-6 Underground (2019)-Ryan Reynolds, Melanie Laurent

A billionaire assemble a team of experts with no names to go after a murderous dictator in this action packed movie. Available on Netlfix ®. Recommended with caution 

On the lighter side-Movies-Hellboy (2019)-David Harbour, Milla Jovovich

Another updated but unnecessary remake of the movie with the same name. A super being battles an evil sorceress. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Monster Hunt 2 (2018-China)-Tony Chiu-Wai Leung

The fantasy continues with the cute Monster leaving his human family and embarking on his own journey. Special effects galore with comedy thrown in. Subtitled. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Shaft (2019)-Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher

Shaft’s son enlists his father help in uncovering the mystery behind his friend’s death. Although Mr. Jackson shows his cool, this was an unnecessary remake/reboot or sequel. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Brightburn (2019)-Elizabeth Banks, David Denman

A childless couple adopts an alien child only to find out that he is an evil superhero. A twist on the Superman movies with a what if question. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Furies (2019-Australia)-Airlie Dodds, Linda Ngo

Several women are kidnapped and are preyed upon by men who are hunting them. Small budget movie with bloody special effects. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Rabid (2019)-Laura Vandervoort, Benjamin Hollingsworth

After a horrible accident, a woman gets a radical treatment to remove facial scars only to have a desire of human blood. Based on 1977 movie of the same name with more updated gory effects. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Incident in a Ghost land (2018)-Crystal Reed, Mylene Farmer

A brutal and gory horror movie about what happens when a single mother and her two daughters are subjected to a home invasion in an isolated stretch of land. Also known as Ghostland. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Dumbo (2019)-Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny Devito

Live action movie from Disney® about a small elephant whose ears are big enough to make it fly. Good movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-US (2019)-Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke

A Family’s vacation turns into terror when their doppelgangers try to kill them in this unique and entertaining horror movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Shazam! (2019)-Zachary Levi, Mark Strong

A superhero takes on evil in this interesting and entertaining comedy action movie. Recommended 

On the lighter side-Movies-Polaroid (2019)-Kathryn Prescott, Tyler Young

An evil Polaroid camera takes lives whenever someone takes picture with it. Interesting concept and okay horror movie. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-3 From Hell (2019-HK)-Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley

The brutal trio escapes police and ventures into Mexico where they unleash their brand of extreme violence. Boring with below par acting. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Stuber (2019)-Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani

A detective forces an Uber driver to join him in following this criminal target. Not funny or good. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Pet Sematary (2019)-Jason Clarke, Amy Simetz

A family finds a hidden pet graveyard behind the house with terrifying results. Based on Stephen King Novel of the same name, filmed previously in 1988, but this one is much better version. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-How to train your dragon: The Hidden World (2019-Animated )-Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera

When Hiccup discovers that Toothless isn’t the only Night Fury, he races against time to send Toothless to his own kind in a hidden world before a villain gets to them. Okay movie, sequel keeps on coming and this one is no exception. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019-Animated)-Voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks

The Lego world is living in peace with space aliens come in to destroy it. I liked the first one better as this one seems to go on and on with bad jokes that fall flat. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Cold Pursuit (2019)-Liam Neeson

A snowplow driver goes after drug dealers who killed his son. Although good action movie, I will stick with the Norwegian version on which this was based “In order of disappearance”. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Unstoppable (2018-Korea)-Dong-Seok Ma

An ex-gangster goes after people who have kidnapped his wife. Good action movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Escape Room (2019)-Taylor Russell, Logan Miller

Six strangers find themselves in a maze of rooms and try to survive their own deaths. Enjoyable movie. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Dead don’t die (2019)-Bill Murray, Adam Driver

A small town battles the rise of the dead in this entertaining comedy horror movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Jacob’s Ladder (2019)-Jesse Williams, Joseph Sikora

An ex-soldier returns from war a changed man with severe hallucinations and violent images of people going after him. A remake from the 1990 movie. Watch at your own risk. An unnecessary remake. Not Recommend

On the lighter side-Movies-The Upside (2019)-Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston

The relationship that develops between a wealthy quadriplegic man and the ex-con who is hired to take care of him. Good Comedy movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Furie (2019-Vietnam)-Veronica Ngo

An ex-gangster who is laying low goes after people who have kidnapped her daughter in this martial arts thriller. Good effort from Vietnam. Available on Netflix. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Glass (2018)-James Mcavoy, Bruce Willis

The culmination of Split, Sixth Sense and Unbreakable in which the security guard from Unbreakable traces the guy with the 24 split personalities to seek what is common among them. You need to see all the movies before getting to this. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Happy Death Day 2U (2019)-Jessica Rothe

Sequel to Happy Death day, in which a girl keeps on getting killed over and over again and tries to get out of this mess. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Creed II (2018)-Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone

Rocky balboa Protégé face off against the son of Ivan Drago, the Russian whom Rocky defeated long time ago. Good but unnecessary continuation of the new franchise. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Prodigy (2019)-Jackson Robert Scott, Taylor Schilling

Parents fear their growing son has supernatural abilities with sinister motive. A different kind of super hero movie with deadly results. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Stan & Ollie (2018)-Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly

Laurel and Hardy, the most famous comedy duo tries to reignite their comedic acts way past their prime in post-war Britain. Somber and serious movie with few comedic elements. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police (1939-B&W)-John Howard, Heather Angel

Drummond and his girlfriend plans to marry in a castle when they are caught up in a treasure hunt inside it. Have not seen this series of films before but if I have nothing else to watch (unlikely), I will see more of it since they are very short. Not recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Rogue Warfare (2019)-Will Yun Lee, Jermaine Love

Elite soldiers from various countries fight off against a terrorist organization. Action galore. Standard fare. Not recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-In the tall Grass (2019)-Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted

A brother and sister enters a tall grass field after hearing a boy cry for help, only to get trapped in the evil field. Available on Netflix. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Hit-man in the hand of Buddha (1981-HK)-Jung-Lee Hwang, Mei Sheng Fan

A simpleton from the countryside visits his sister and brother and gets revenge after they are murdered by criminals. Good Martial arts. Available on Youtube® and Amazon Prime® Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)-Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton

The story of the British rock band Queen and its lead singer Freddy Mercury. Entertaining. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Aquaman (2018)-Jason Momoa, Amber Heard

The human born heir to the underwater kingdom tries to prevent war between ocean and land in this lavish and stylish action/fantasy movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Bumblebee (2018)-Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena

Spin off from the Transformers movie franchise, a scarred and damaged Bumblebee

Hiding in a junkyard. You have to  watch the Transformers movies to understand this story. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Blind Woman’s curse (1972-Japan)-Meiko kaji, Hoki Tokuda

A mysterious woman follows the female head of a Yakuza gang in this crime mystery movie. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972-Japan)-Meiko kaji, Famio Watanabe

A female prisoner after enduring a year in solitary confinement escape with six other female prisoners who are then pursued by the vengeful prison warden and his guards. This can only be done in Japanese movies as nudity and violence is way ahead of its time. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Fighting with my Family (2019)-Vince Vaughn, Florence Pugh

A former wrestler and his family entertain small town venues with their wrestling while their kids try to join the big league. Entertaining movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)-Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista

A security expert tries to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Hong Kong Tech tycoon. Continuation of the series with more of the same. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Mojin: The Worm Valley (2018-China)-Hang Cai, Xuan Gu

An adventurer seeks the tomb of an emperor on a mysterious island. Fantasy effects overwhelms story. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Avengement (2019)-Scott Adkins, Craig Fairbrass

A guy seeks revenge for the violence he endures in prison. Hard core action thriller. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Curse of La Llorona (2019-)-Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz

A child social worker risks herself and her family when she tries to intervene in a suspected case of child endangerment. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Against the Druken Cat Paws (No one can touch her) (1979- Taiwan)-Ling Chia, Chia-lin Sun

A blind martial artist seeks revenge for her father’s killers. Standard martial arts movie. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Deadtectives (2018)-Martha Higareda, Chris Geere

A team of fake ghost hunters goes to Mexico to enhance their TV ratings but get caught in a real ghost hunting. Okay comedy movie. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Girl in the Spider’s web (2018)-Claire Foy

A computer hacker and a journalist are caught up in the world of intrigue and conspiracies. Hit or miss movie with acting and story not that great. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Sisters Brothers (2018)-John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed

Entertaining Western about two brother assassins and their adventures. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Halloween (2018)-Jamie Lee Curtis

Direct sequel to the horror classic as the sister Laurie Confronts Michael and tries to destroy him. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Mary Poppins Return (2018)-Emily Blunt

Exactly what the titles says as the magical nanny comes back to rescue a family in time of crisis. Recommended family fare

On the lighter side-Movies-Master Z: The Ip Man legacy (2018-HK)-Tony Jaa, Dave Bautista, Max Zhang Jin, Michelle Yeoh

Master Z after his defeat by IP Man lays low but gets into trouble with a powerful foreigner. Good Marital arts action but nothing much. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Mortal Engines (2018)-Hugo Weaving, Hera Hilmer

In a world where cities ride on wheels and devour small cities for their energies, two people try to stop a massive city from destroying the world. Intriguing concept but execution could have been better and also it is very loud and sometimes obnoxious to watch. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Unbeaten 28 (1980-Taiwan/Hong Kong)

A man whose whole family was massacred by an evil warlord trains hard to take revenge in this standard Martial arts movie. Most of the time is spent on training of the man and the most annoying is the female lead. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Instant Family (2018)-Mark Wahlberg, Rose Bryne

A couple fosters three kids and in the process disrupt their tranquil life. Enjoyable heartwarming movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Spider-Man into the Spider-verse (2018-Animated)-Voices of Shamiek Moore, Jake Johnson

A teen becomes spider man in reality and asks help from other super heroes to fight off a threat to the real world. Uneven but a new spin on Spider man saga. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-A dog’s Journey (2019)-Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid

Enjoyable movie about a Dog’s journey through the lives of several related people. Recommended.

On the lighter side-Movies-The Wandering Earth (2019-China)-Jing Wu

The biggest grossing Chinese movie of all time, this Science Fiction movie tells the story of a group of people are tasked with saving humanity when a dying sun triggers governments to install thrusters to movie the Earth away from the Sun. Great Special effects and a good patriotic movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Grinch (2018-Animated.)-Voices of Benedict Cumberbach, Cameron Seely

A Grinch tries to ruin Christmas for a small village in this animated movie. It was okay movie with the oft told story everybody already knows. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-A Private War (2018)-Rosamund Pike, Tom Hollander

The story of one of the most celebrated war correspondents in recent history, Marie Colvin. Good acting by Rosamund Pike and an enjoyable movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-A Star is Born (2018-)-Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga

A musician helps a young woman become a singer while his own life and career goes down the hill. Enjoyable movie with excellent acting all around. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Assassination Nation (2018)-Odessa Young, Abra

After a computer hack exposes secrets in a small town, four girls survive an onslaught of angry citizens and must fight their way out of it. Fun movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Ralph breaks the Internet (2018-Animated)-Voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman

I have not watched the first one, but the story picks up after the two characters become friends and find a Wi-Fi router in their arcade through which they go into a whole new undiscovered world. Available on Netflix. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Operation Mekong (2018-China)-Hanyu Zhang, Eddie Peng

Two Chinese merchant ships on the Mekong River are attacked and 13 crew people are murdered along with a discovery of huge cache of drugs. The Chinese government outraged at this send in special team of law enforcement people to find out what happened in Thailand. Great action sequences and a good movie. Recommended. Available on Netflix

On the lighter side-Movies-Abduction (2019)-Scott Adkins, Andy On

I like Scott Adkins movies as they are kick ass and action packed. But this one was a bit let down as the alien factor ruins it. A British citizen wakes up with no memory of who he is and who is pursuing him for what. Skip this one. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Project Gutenberg (2018-China)-Yun-Fat Chow, Aaron Kwok

Hong Kong Police searches for a criminal gang dealing with Counterfeit money. Great acting by Yun-Fat chow. Recommended with caution. Available on Amazon with prime membership

On the lighter side-Movies-Triple Frontier (2019)-Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac

Former Special Forces friends take on a drug lord’s money in South America. Okay movie with little action and more melodramatic talk. Available on Netflix. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Venom (2018)-Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams

A reporter gets inhabited by an alien who instead of destroying earth tries to protect it. Good combination of action and comedy and good acting by Tom Hardy. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Peppermint (2018)-Jennifer Garner

After her husband and kid gets killed and the perpetrators released for lack of evidence, a woman comes back to seek revenge. Action packed with good acting by Jennifer Garner. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Shadow (2019-China)

A Chinese movie with court intrigue as a deposed king plots his return along with this trusted companions. Stylish but not for all tastes. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Suspiria (2018)-Dakota Johnson

A remake of the 1977 Italian movie. An aspiring dancer comes to an world renowned dancing company which happens to be a coven of witches. Long movie, needs patience to navigate till the gory climax. Available on Amazon with prime member. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Final Score (2018)-Dave Bautista, Ray Stevenson

An ex soldier springs into action when armed terrorists take over a soccer stadium. Standard action movie, nothing special. Available on Amazon with prime membership. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Book of Monsters (2019)-Lyndsey Craine, Michaela Longden

A girl’s 18^th birthday turns into a blood bath when monsters from an evil book comes alive to slaughter them. Okay horror/comedy movie with gory special effects. Available on Amazon with prime membership. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Great battle (2019-Korea)-In-sung Jo, Joo-Hyuk Nam

A historical movie about the siege of Ansi Fortress and how a rebel general defends it against an invading Chinese army. Huge battle spectacle. Great action and war movie. Available on Netflix. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Maria (2019-Philippines)-Christine Reyes

A Filipino action movie about an assassin who quits the game but his former boss goes after her family inviting revenge from the former assassin. A story told several times before, nothing new. Not recommended. Available with Netflix

On the lighter side-Movies-Weaverfish (2013-U.K.)-Shane O’Meara, Lucy-Jane Quinlan

I was literally duped into watching this sorry excuse for a movie by an excellent review on the internet. A group of friends go a forbidden area of a river to party and then get stuck by a virus which slowly consumes their bodies. Very slow moving and the action/horror comes nearly at the end which is not enough. Available on Amazon with prime membership. Highly NOT Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Tag-along (2015-Taiwan)-Wei-Ning Hsu, River Huang

A group of people on a hike are stalked by a girl in red dress. Not know how to put it in any other way. It is a just a ghost chasing movie. Highest grossing Taiwanese movie at that time. Available on Amazon with prime membership Recommended for curiosity sake.

On the lighter side-Movies-The Piper (2015-Korean)-Zach Aguilar, Woo-hee Chun

Inspired by the story of Pied Piper of Hamelin, a father and a son comes to an isolated village after the Korean war which has strange happenings going on. Good Mystery, thriller movie. Available on Amazon with prime membership. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Point Blank (2019)-Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo

An ER nurse and a criminal form an uneasy alliance to rescue the ER nurse wife from crooked cops who have kidnapped her. Standard action movie. Available with Netflix. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-24 Hours to Live (2019)-Ethane Hawke, Qing Xu

An assassin is given 24 hours to fulfill his mission after being revived from death. He seeks those who have wronged him in this action movie. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-I am Mother (2019-Australia)-Luke Hawker, Rose Bryne

A girl is raised by a robot called mother in an underground mother and their bond is threatened by a female from the outside world. Slow moving Sci-Fi but enjoyable. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Headshot (2011-Thailand)-Nopachai Chaiyanam

A cop turned hit man gets an upside down view of the world when he a bullet hits his head. Hit or miss movie, and okay time killer but slow. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Anna and the Apocalypse (2017-Britain)-Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming

A zombie apocalypse breaks out in a sleepy town and Anna with the help of her friends try to slice and dice their way out of harm’s way. With actors singing and fighting zombies, it is a weird blend of two genres. Recommended for curiosity sake.

On the lighter side-Movies-Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018-Britain)-Margot Robbie, Michael Sheen

A British boarding schools staff and students fight for their lives when a nearby fracking project unleashes monsters. Comedy and Horror blend in. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Triple Threat (2019-China, Thailand, U.S.)-Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Scott Adkins

A down and out group of mercenaries help a billionaire’s daughter on a hit list evade assassins in this huge wastage of action talent and stars. Not enough action and not enough concentration on one action star. I was so upset after watching it as I was expecting much action but only I saw underwhelmed action and acting. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Overlord (2018)-Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell

A small group of Allied soldiers find a Nazis human experiment lab behind enemy lines. Enjoyable horror movie with gory special effects. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Mamma Mia! Here we go again (2018)-Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan

The sequel to the original hit sees the daughter opening up a restaurant on a Greek island while trying to uncover her mother’s past. Great ABBA songs and fun movie to watch. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Monster Party (2018)-Sam Strike, Virginia Gardner

Three friends decide to rob a lavish mansion not knowing that they are hosting a party for reform killers. Gory and bloody but entertaining nonetheless. Available on Shudder.com. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Goose Bumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)-Madison Iseman

Two friends unexpectedly summon an evil dummy who wants to start a family of his own. Good enjoyable movie but not for young kids. Available on Netflix. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Possession of Hannah Grace (2019)-Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon

A former cop trying to cope with her mental states fights for her life when the morgue she is working in comes into a possession of a corpse which seems to be possessed. Good Horror movie. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Hole in the Ground (2019-Finnish-Irish)-Seana Kerslake, James Quinn Markey

A single mother and her son living in an isolated house near the edge of a forest encounter supernatural happenings traced to a hole in the forest. Some tense moments but cannot be classified as a horror movie. Boring stuff. Available on Amazon.com. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Ranger (2019)-Chloe Levine, Jeremy Holm

A deranged and sadistic ranger terrorizes some people escaping from a robbery in this gory and slow movie. Obnoxious acting derails this movie. Available on Shudder.com. Not recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Backdraft II (2019)-William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland

Unnecessary sequel to the good Backdraft movie in which an Fire arson investigator, investigates suspicious arson fires. Not worth your time. Available on Netflix. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Robin Hood (2018)-Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx

Umpteenth remake of the Robin Hood saga as a crusader with the help of this trusted side kick subverts the plans of the corrupt English crown. Some good action sequences but enough of these remakes. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-The White Butterfly Killer (1973-Taiwan)

There is nothing white in this martial arts thriller as girl who witnessed her grandfather death devises a scheme and hunt their killers one by one. Only for Martial arts fans. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Widows (2018)-Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez

Four women with nothing in common except for the debt their late husband has left them, conspire to rob in order to clear their debt and live a comfortable life. Again a slow moving drama with nothing going for it except its actors. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-The Highwaymen (2019)-Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson

Two former Lawmen help in the hunt for the depression era robbers, Bonnie and Clyde. Slow moving drama saved by the acting of the Costner and Harrelson. Available on Netflix. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Johnny English Strikes again (2018)-Rowan Atkinson

Passable comedy movie, in which English is pressed into government spy service when a hacker exposes the names of all British spies. A good joke here and there and if you want to continue with the series, watch it, otherwise skip it. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018)-Jack Black

A boy helps his uncle find a clock that has the ability to bring an end to this world. Some magic and some fun but not as great comedy as it would have been. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Silence (2019)-Stanley Tucci. Kiernan Shipka

A cheap knockoff of the blockbuster movie, A Quiet Place, this movie tells a similar story with creatures hunting with the voice of sound and how a family whose daughter is deaf, due to an accident tries to survive by communicating in sign language. Skip this one even if you see it on Netflix. Not worth your time. Not Recommended

The Mosque massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand

A shocking massacre in the peaceful island nation of New Zealand just shattered what would have been a place where the world wide violence of massacres perpetuated against helpless people praying peacefully in an island would never occur in one’s mind. But it did happen and 50 people killed and on top of this the massacre was streamed live on the internet which makes it all the more disgusting. It was done by a white supremacist Australian guy who had an anti immigrant agenda, the irony of it being he was also an immigrant which shows he was against Muslim immigrant in particular. This kind of massacre would have been more suited to the United States where the guns are easily available and the right to bear arms is constitutionally protected but not in a place which ranks constantly in the top countries of the world where the crimes are rare and a sort of massacre on this scale unheard of and unprecedented.

Now this plague of white supremacy turning into a killing spree is entering some of the most peaceful areas of the world and again access to guns have become an issue with semi automatic guns getting the most criticism and banning its access to all civilians gaining much voice even in the countries where this massacre phenomena all started. But for all this hatred, the island nation has come together to start the healing process and show that people of all different backgrounds can stand together and defeat this hateful agenda of racism, nationalism and bigotry.

The College admission scandal

It never seizes to amaze me how creative can dumb people become when it comes to their kids who may or may not be interested in pursuing a college education. The recent college admission scandal where almost 50 people were charged including some high profile celebrities is a case in point. These people made sure their kids get into some of the prestigious colleges through hook or by crook (mainly crook) , paying enormous sums of bribes (disguised as donations)  to make sure their kids get admission to this great colleges. The changing of test scores on college admission tests and the recruitment of athletic departments to make their kids sports kids are some of the allegations. Is America trying to raise dumb kids or are the parents really to blame for pushing their reluctant kids to enter college when their kids are truly not in favor of it is the real question and the amount of bribes given makes me think that if they would have truly invested in some sort of company for their kids future, it would have been much better.

And some of the accused people have been so upstanding in their communities that they were consider honest to God people who would do no wrong and the accused people themselves thought that given these kind of money would not be considered against their moral judgments and against the law. The delusion of these uptight people and the scandal that they have created has really exposed the admission process of some of these colleges. I do hope that something good comes out of this scandal and people start to trust their kids and not push them in fields and in areas where they feel uncomfortable and out of place.

Retail stores still needed

Despite the growth of the internet shopping craze with their 24 hours availability, the retail stores are not dead yet and they will not probably be as the internet craze led by Amazon.com giant plans to open bookstores after decimating or plainly saying outsmarted the books business and other business. For example the growth of home delivery of groceries may be increasing but I still go to the grocery store to buy my stuff as I cannot be at home by a certain time to receive my deliveries. The same can be said about buying Ice creams and pizza stores and pickup food from restaurants. Another example I can give you is buying your personal items, I have no hesitation in placing an order of dress shirts and socks and underwear and under vest for I have known their sizes for long and am comfortable with the orders that I place but for pants and shoes I really need to go to a retail store to trying them out. It is just me and I am sure some people may have perfected this art too so as to avoid going to retail store altogether.

My point is there are certain things that you are comfortable to order online and certain things which you cannot and for me buy a house, test driving a car before buying, pants and shoes and groceries still need my trips to them. Maybe some people feel different but I don’t see whole bunch of stores closing anytime soon although sometimes it seems that way with the headlines screaming one store or chain of stores closing. But despite this some of the retail stores are also enhancing their online presence and for once you cannot order your hot coffee and ice cream on line because for that you will have to get your ass up and either walk or drive to that store to enjoy fresh stuff.

On the lighter side-Movies-Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)-Johnny Depp, Eddie Redmayne

In this second installment, the Young wizard join forces with another wizard to battle his enemy who is hell bent on raising wizards to lord over non magical beings. Too much special effects and not much story ruins this second installment for me. Not Recommended

The non-war between India and Pakistan

If you have been out of touch with some world reality, you would have not noticed that the two nuclear armed nations came close to a war which lasted hardly two to three days with casualties counted on your fingers. It all started by a suicide attack on a paramilitary convoy on the Indian side of Kashmir killing more than 40 people. It was claimed by a member of a group based in Pakistan fighting for Kashmir autonomy or independence from India. India immediately blamed Pakistan for the suicide attack and decided to send in its fighter planes on the Pakistani side of Kashmir. Naturally Pakistan had to reply and downed two of the Indian planes and captured on one of its pilot, who was released quickly. Although the escalation of war was prevented and some sense of uneasy calm has prevailed but the threat remains of some skirmishes between the two nuclear armed neighboring nations.

Despite both governments threatening to use nuclear weapons (like it is a toy) on each other if war escalates, this war and the rest of their history wars have shown that both the countries are very ill equipped to wage a war for more than a few days and thinks come to their senses as both of them scramble behind closed doors to desperately reach out to world powers (namely U.S., Russia and China) to help them defuse the tension. As long as the Kashmir issue is there which has been unresolved since the bloody separation between the two countries, the threat of war will be there but even after the issue is resolved (unlikely to anybody’s complete satisfaction) these two nations whose population has been brainwashed to hate each other since their independence in 1947, the nuclear armed neighbors will be ready to decimate their populations by millions and tens of millions more by radiation by itching to have to trigger the button on the nuclear device. This will only set the two countries back to pre-war independence stage but will never recover from it and also will destroy what is left of the neighboring countries.

On the lighter side-Movies-You might be the Killer (2018)-Fran Kranz, Alyson Hannigan

A camp counselor comes to realize that he might be the killer after a phone in with his best friend. Fun and enjoyable though bloody horror/comedy movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018-China)

Detective Dee is back, this time facing accusations from the empress, while trying to solve crime spree. Mystery, martial arts action and mayhem and fantasy blend to make it a fun movie to watch. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Car: road to revenge (2018)-Micah Balfour, Jamie Bamber

If you remember, long time ago (1977 to be exact) a supernatural horror movie by the name of The car came and vanished quickly and I did not see the need for a sequel to an unforgettable movie of yesteryears. But I guess some body has run out of ideas and so we have this new updated sort of sequel ( but it is not) horror movie where a district attorney is murdered and his soul transferred to his car which takes bloody revenge. Some bloody and gory scenes but forgettable. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Papillon (2018)-Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek

Papillon, a common Parisian thief is framed and sent to the infamous Devil’s island prison to serve his sentence. Although updated for modern times, it is still inferior to Steve McQueen movie of the same name in 1973. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Merantu (2009-Indonesia)-Iko Uwais

A young man trained in ancient martial arts leaves his village to go to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia) as male rite of passage and gets entangle with human trafficking. Early Iko Uwais martial arts movie. Good action sequences. Recommended for curiosity.

On the lighter side-Movies-A girl name Iron Phoenix (1973-HK)

A female police captain is given the task to infiltrate a dock labor group, where the workers are mysteriously dying. Comedy and martial arts action combine to make it somewhat a fun movie to watch. Short and not extended unnecessarily. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-A simple Favor (2018)-Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick

A single mother with social media presence befriends a mysterious woman who suddenly disappears promptly her to investigate. Looks like a made for TV movie with bigger cast. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Golem (2018-Israel-U.S.)-Hani Furstenberg

An outbreak of plague forces a desperate woman to conjure up an entity to fight of invaders but ends with far deadly than imagined. Decent horror movie. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Iceman: The Time Traveler (2018-China)-Donnie Yen, Simon Yam

A mess of a movie, wasting the talents of Donnie Yen as three friends continue their battle to bring in the imperial guard from the first movie. You have to see the first one in order to understand the story but in another case, just forget this mess. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Rampant (2018-Korea)-Hyun Bin

A prince returns to his kingdom to fight off zombies in this combination of action and horror. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Holy flame of the Martial world (1983- HK)

Magic, martial arts and revenge is the theme of this weird martial arts movie from Hong Kong. Depending on your taste, recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Happytime Murders (2018) – Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth banks

The puppet cast of a 90s show keeps getting murdered; a disgraced private eye tries to investigate. Bad jokes and puppet sex makes this a really adult oriented mess. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies- Crazy Rich Asians (2018)-Constance Wu, Henry Golding

A regular New Yorker goes to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family. Global box office hit, but I did not find it particularly unique. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-The Predator (2018)

Silly reboot of the original movie, with much advanced technology trying to destroy humankind. Only for action fans. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)-Josh Brolin

The U.S. government engages a mysterious operative to stop terrorists from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. Action packed continuation of the first movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)- Colin woodell, Stephanie Nougeras

A teen comes into possession of a laptop whose owner not only watches him and his friends but wants to get hold of the laptop at any cost. Good horror/thriller movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The first purge (2018)

This is where it all starts, the prequel to the purge movie series. Trying to push the crime rate below one percent, a government starts a social experiment to give an isolated community no laws for 12 hours. I like the original purge which was a unique idea but this one just felt like it had to tell a story and it is somewhat racist in its nature too. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Hereditary (2018)-Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne

When the maternal grandmother passes away, a family in mourning starts to experience terrifying and frightening events in this good horror movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Cold Skin (2018-French-Spanish)-Ray Stevenson, David Oakes

A young man comes to an isolated island to take up a job of weather observer but fights for his life against deadly creatures. Not your conventional horror movie, but close by. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-The Equalizer 2 (2018) - Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal

When Equalizer’s friend is murdered, he goes on rampage to find her killer in this action packed movie. But I still liked the first one better. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies- Incredibles 2 (2018)-Animated-Voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter

A new mission is given to Incredibles which involves the male lead (Mr. Incredible to manage his three kids while his wife (elastigirl) goes to work saving the world. Good family entertainment. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Christopher Robin (2018)-Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell

A working class unhappy man discovers the joys of childhood when he encounters his friend Winnie the Pooh. Family movie but it is a slow one for me. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Nun (2018)-Damian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga

A priest and a nun are sent by Vatican to a church in Romania to investigate the death of a nun and discover evil forces lurking in it. Recommended 

On the lighter side-Movies-Mile 22 (2018)-Mark Wahlberg, Iko Uwais

An American intelligence officer tries to smuggle an Indonesian Police officer out of Indonesia in this mix of superb action and martial arts. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Mission: Impossible: Fallout (2018)-Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill

Ethane Hunt races against time with this team and CIA to secure stolen Plutonium. Again, a high action and fun movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)-Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily

The Ant man is back fighting a powerful enemy alongside Wasp in this super hero action comedy movie. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Big Brother (2018-HK)-Donnie Yen

More of a drama then an action movie, Donnie Yen is an ex-soldier who starts teaching a school with poor and aimless kids and tries to inspire them, while dealing with criminals trying to take over the school. With emphasis on relationship between teacher and students, it seems like a feel good movie but Donnie Yen martial arts skills although used but that was not enough for me to feel like it was a letdown and not enough use of Donnie Yen martial arts skills. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Monstrum (2018-korean)

A man, his daughter and his side kick tries to kill a monster that is terrorizing an ancient Korean city. Enjoyable monster fest from Korea. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Vengeful Beauty (1977-HK)

A pregnant martial artist seeks revenge for the killing of her family and husband. Good martial arts sequences. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Velvet Buzzsaw (2018)-Jake Gyllenhall, Renne Russo

A discovery of a dead painter’s painting brings death and destruction for those who profit from it. Horror, thriller movie with great cast but even story. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Upgrade (2018)-Logan Marshall-Green

A mugging paralyses a guy until he is approached by a mysterious man that he can get his revenge with this prototype technology. Surprisingly entertaining and intriguing. Very well done. Highly recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-The Night comes for us (2018-Indonesian)-Iko Uwais

Ultra violent martial arts movie about a drug cartel enforcer who saves a girl from execution and unleashes bloody retribution from drug cartels. Highly Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)-Woody Harrelson, Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke

Based on a Star wars character, a young Han Solo finds adventures with a group of rebels trying to steal a super space fuel. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Hunter Killer (2018)-Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman

Still making cold war movies, this one involving a coup by a renegade general who is holding the Russian President hostage and the race by an American battleship to rescue him before world war III starts. More suited for Television than Cinema. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Rendezvous with Death (1980-HK)

A new martial artist agrees to escort a mysterious box for a huge sum of money and along the trail gets involved with rivals seeking to steal the box from him. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Bastard Swordsman (1983-HK)

A bullied boy in a martial arts school comes to the defense of it when bad guys want to eliminate it. Weird martial arts with some special effects and magic thrown in. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Shadow whip (1971-HK)

Bad guys are looking for a shipment of gold stolen by a thief and it leads to lots of fighting with a master whip man. Just enjoy the fights and not get into too much detail about the story. Recommended with caution

The forced Advertisements

As many of you watch YouTube®, I have started to notice any annoying thing that of ads which you are forced to watch and can’t skip. Usually some of the ads which seem to be few and far and are longer have a skip ad options which I sure believe many of people use it to watch their videos but for ads that are less than 10 seconds, you are forced to watch it and there is no skip button. I can understand that websites have to make money but even for a song or some little videos, it is excruciating to watch ads before you go on to watch your videos. Sometimes even for a news item video, one has to go through sometimes 30 seconds of video ads just to watch a two minute clip. And in news videos, you don’t have the option to skip ads.

I know that it may become a future staple where if you want to watch a free video, you would have to sit through the ads to enjoy it. It is just an annoying nuisance and there seems to be no way around it unless you want the ad-free version of the websites, where you would have to pay in order to enjoy it. It is all part of the effort by the media companies to generate revenues whichever way they can in order to offset the costs of streaming and to make up for the lost revenues due to lower subscription to the paper publication and also to increase revenues in order to pay for the increasing expense of proprietary and exclusive content that is now the buzz word for every streaming media. The more exclusive your content is the more you can charge your subscribers and advertisers. I hate it but have to deal with the necessary evil.

On the lighter side-Movies-Hotel Inferno (2013-Italian)-Rayner Bourton

A hired assassin is hired to kill two serial killers at a hotel but gets involved with zombies and undead killers. Gross out First person movie, which I am still unable to get my head around it. Bloody and comically gory that gets tiresome after a while. Thankfully at almost 80 minutes, ends not so soon.  I have heard they will be making six sequels to it. Not looking forward to it though. Not Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Revenger (2018-Korean)-Bruce Khan

A cop infiltrates an Island prison in order to avenge his family’s killing at the hands of the top prisoner who rules the island. No holds barred martial arts thriller with very minimal special effects. Recommended

A new trend in Unforgiveness

Recently an actor who was supposed to be host of the Oscar show had to withdraw because some of things he said about gays came online and he said it seven or eight years ago and people have pounced on it like he has committed capital. He has since apologized but in this politically charged and political correct climate when everybody wants people to be angels from the day they are born, it did not matter much. One can say one thing at one time and can redeem themselves after a while, you are not the same frame of mind when you are young and talk things with your friends which are just a joke but later on, you gain enough insight to retract your statement and apologize. But NO, now people want everybody to have a clean childhood and talk about being inclusive from day one.

Everybody wishes that it be a peaceful world and everybody embraces all kinds of people and don’t say anything bad but it does not work that way. Sometimes you can say things which are ignored during a time of jest but it despite offering apologizes, some people don’t want to forgive them. It seems the so called political correct people also have monsters in their closet and they should be afraid of getting them revealed. People makes mistakes during their younger years and when they don’t fully comprehend the gravity of their words, but people should be able to have the courage to forgive them when someone apologizes; otherwise they are not creating any friends of allies.

On the lighter side-Movies-Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)-Chris Pratt

The heroes try to save as many dinosaurs as possible before the possible eruption of a once dormant volcano. Again a movie, best watched on the big screen. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Avengers: Infinity War (2018)-Josh Brolin

The Avengers band together to try to defeat Thanos before he destroys the Universe and create a new one. Super special effects extravaganza best viewed on the wide screen. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies- The Meg (2018)-Jason Statham

A shark versus an action star. It is interesting to see an action star fighting off a shark and saving lives. Recommended

And the Government shutdown continues

The longest in the U.S. history, the shutdown continues over a budget deal that no side either the Democrats or the Republican President is willing to budge. Since the Congress is getting paid during this shutdown, the effect of this childish behavior has started to increasing impact every day Americans working class. The dispute over the payment of the wall between Mexico and United States is increasingly being played out to the world in ridiculous ways than it was intended. I wrote long time ago in my blog that the neither parties are interested to get rid of this debt ceiling and each side use it to their advantage to keep the government open for a while till the next doomsday debt ceiling limits hits and they try to get whatever they can to get their agenda (whatever it can be) included in the budget deal.

Instead of automatic extensions in the debt ceiling, the bickering and increasing divisive parties of the United States tries to get what they think their voters or constituents want and don’t hear the fact that the people of the United States only want things to work smoothly since it is they who will eventually foot the bill. But working together on budget deals is so loathsome to these parties that in order for what they want, they will hurt people and their country in the process. But again since the representatives are elected from people, it is also the people’s fault that they are electing them to do these kinds of things. That is why people are not confident; their representatives are listening to them and we will have to wait how long this shutdown continues.

On the lighter side-Movies-Insomnia (1997-Norway-Sweden)-Stellan Skarsgard

A Swedish detective is invited to investigate a teen’s murder in a north Norway town with 24 hour daylight. The sleep deprived detective stumbles through the investigation with increasing insanity due to the lack of sleep. Interesting movie, slow at times but very watchable. Recommended

On the lighter side-Movies-Mandy (2018)-Nicolas Cage

A couple living off the grid in a forest in the northwest United States gets their life upside down when the wife gets kidnapped by drug crazed lunatics. The husband takes revenge in brutal and bloody ways in this drug fuelled action, horror journey to hell. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Charlie’s Farm (2014-Australian)

A group of friends venture out to an abandon farm despite being told by the locals to stay away due to a legend of killer still lurking around. And as usual, listening is not one of the traits in these horror movies as curiosity gets the best of them every time. Killing starts anew and in gory fashion. Usual fare of a killer offing the characters one by one.

Not recommended

The 10th Anniversary of my Father’s Death

Another year, another death anniversary, it is true that time heals everything but not the parting of your loved ones especially if it is your child, your parents or your siblings. The day was Friday, January 3^rd, 2009 when I got that life devastating and altering phone call from my sister that my father had passed away. I still miss my father immensely and just to hear his voice will be the greatest gift of all. But after you leave this world, you venture into the next with nothing under your control and so I mourn another year without him in silence as I being his only son knows how to mourn in my own way, celebrating his achievements, being proud of his son and trying to strive to be the son he wanted me to be. Sometimes I feel so lost that I feel like I have nobody to guide me where to go when a problem arises as I don’t feel I can confide my problems to anyone and if there is anyone who can see through me to know how I need help.

Parents are a true blessing and if you lose one, you lose a part of yourself which some people may quite not understand if they had not had close relationship with their parents. I may not have inherited many of this traits but I am very proud to be his son and I am eternal great GOD gave me enough time to enjoy his company and gain from his insights in life and his wisdom. May GOD bless his eternally and may be enjoying his life in Heaven. I love you DAD.