Insidious: The Red Door

I do not remember much about the Insidious franchise beyond the first film. The first film was very good and it found itself a permanent good spot in my memory. So when I knew a new sequel is coming, I knew I must watch it. 

Spoilers ahead.

Okay, the hypnotic thing is a little too convenient for this movie's story-telling, but let's allow that sloppy lazy plot slide for a moment. This movie is not as scary as the previous, because the focus is more on the father and son's separate but simultaneous journey in recollecting their suppressed memory of the traumatising events.

The plot was okay except the convenience I mentioned above. The setting is dark because most of the events occur at night, and it seems to me that the actors playing the father and son probably have got a bit tired portraying these characters already.

Also it's becoming increasingly unbelievable that the demon still fail to possess them after, what, the fourth try?

But otherwise, still good. Better than most scary movies out there, but the first film remains the champion.

My rating: 9/10.

p/s I watch this at night,a 9.50pm screen at Bishan. The movie ended close to midnight and I walked alone back home. Suffice to say it wasn't a pleasant walk home. 

H2, 2023

We've officially entered the second half of the year, huh?

Time flies, doesn't it?

I'm inching towards 30, and the last chapter of my 20s is closing. 

I've made a lot of progress on myself, and I regret to say I wouldn't be able to achieve everything I want to do within the remainder of the year.

But I'm proud that I've at least progressed.

Well, let's all work towards achieving a better 2023. Hopefully, my 29-year-old can end with a joyous note.

Coldplay & The Chainsmokers - Something Just Like This [Tokyo Remix]

Coldplay announces tour in Singapore and holds concert for 4 days. The queue was so massive, Coldplay decided to add one more day. It did not water down the heat, so Coldplay added a record-breaking 6th day to an already record-breaking 5 days concert in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Malaysia only celebrates Coldplay for one day. Thanks PAS.

Anyway, as much as I like Coldplay, I don't like them enough to attend their concert.

I would like the Chainsmokers to come, though. Here's one of my favourite Chainsmoker's song, which is a collaboration with Coldplay.

Pizza Hut My Box

I used to like eating it and often ordered it on Friday for dinner as a celebration for ending a busy week. It had one personal pizza of generous portion with two sides at only $8.90, which is highly affordable. I especially like the Curry Pizza with the hash browns and chicken nuggets (the chicken strip was bad, and cheesy penne was too cheesy to my liking). But now Pizza Hut changed it - it's now $9.90, with only three sides to choose from: chicken wing, chicken thighs or garlic bread. No more hash browns I like. No more nuggets, no more french fries. 

Why the hell would Pizza Hut downgrade something this nice? I can understand the price increase, but the removal of delicious sides? 

Nah. 

Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

One of the little things to know about me is that every time I hear a song, I immediately tied it to what was happening when I was listening to it for the first time.

That's why listening to songs is always an involuntary habit of reminiscence.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3

 Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) was the first Marvel movie I watched, even though back then I didn't really enjoy Marvel movies, but I remember vividly it was a fun movie. I watched it in 2014, in theatre, in GSC CityOne Megamall, Kuching, when I was studying in Swinburne. GOTG thus becomes the first Marvel movie that truly etches into me, hence I was very excited for the third movie. I wasn't happy about what happened to James Gunn and how Disney handled the situation, but after a series of convoluted events, James Gunn came back to close this chapter, and hence I must give it a witness I know the movie would fabulously deliver.

James Gunn does not disappoint.

This is a movie full of emotions - of anger, of sadness, of joy, of tears. The villain is very simplistic. The High Evolutionary isn't some aliens or celestial, but just a human who's probably genetically enhanced but still yards from Captain America's durability. But James Gunn manages to picture him as someone so scary despite his simplicity. That's the power of James Gunn.

The ending of the movie is gut-wrenching. I know the characters finally get what they truly deserve, but somehow, after 10 years, watching them disband is very heartbreaking. Gamora and Quill will not get together because this is a different Gamora. Nebula has finally found her happiness. It's sad also that Mantis and Drax separate. Dog Days are over is an awesome song by the way.

But good things must come to an end, to ensure they don't outlive their welcome.

My rating: 10/10. Marvel would continue to soar if this quality persists.

The Pope's Exorcist

I watched The Pope's Exorcist in Emperor Cinema in R&F. Sidetracked a little, R&F has stagnated, or rather deteriorated, to a rather sorry state today. It has not recovered from the damage incurred by the pandemic. However, the cinema was still rather marvellous. I went there on a weekday, and bought the ticket for a screening before 6pm, and thus it cost only RM12, which is a steal compared to what I would have to pay to watch in Singapore. 

I was hesitant to watch this because the name of the film heavily implies that this show contains religious elements, which I've never been receptive to. But, I heard the reviews had been good, and it was being screened two weeks earlier than the States, and I had time to kill, so I thought, why not?

As it turns out, it indeed was good! It wasn't very religious - there was the Church, the Pope, and two Fathers and a demon. That's it, nothing like Angels & Demons which befuddled me who had zero knowledge on Christianity.

The movie didn't start slow. Russell Crown played the role fabulously. What really made this show captivating was how the demon defied all expectations of the characters and resisted all exorcism attempts. And what made this show different from other horror movies was the investigation to identify the demon who stubbornly repelled all attempts for submissions by studying the history of the place and unearthing what had been hidden beneath the place, like a detective.

I must say, horror movies like this has been very rare, and this was a very, very enjoyable film for a horror movie fan like me. Finally, Hollywood has shown some recovery from numerous subpar movies that were released in the past few years.

My rating: 8.5/10.