MPOV: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 8/10
Released: May 5, 2017
Director: James Gunn
Casts: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper
Category: A 2017 American superhero film

In 2014, Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Baby Groot are renowned as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Ayesha, leader of the Sovereign race, has the Guardians protect valuable batteries from an inter-dimensional monster in exchange for Gamora's estranged sister Nebula, who was caught attempting to steal the batteries. After Rocket steals some for himself, the Sovereign attacks the Guardians ship with a fleet of drones. The drones are destroyed by a mysterious figure, but the Guardians crash-land on a nearby planet. The figure reveals himself as Quill's father, Ego. He invites Quill, Gamora, and Drax to his home planet, while Rocket and Groot remain behind to repair the ship and guard Nebula.

Ayesha hires Yondu Udonta and his crew, who have been exiled from the greater Ravager community for child trafficking, to recapture the Guardians. They capture Rocket, but when Yondu hesitates to turn over Quill, whom he raised, his lieutenant Taserface leads a mutiny with help from Nebula. Taserface imprisons Rocket and Yondu aboard Yondu's ship and executes his loyalists while Nebula leaves to track down and kill Gamora, whom she blames for all the torture inflicted on her by their father, Thanos. While imprisoned, Rocket and Yondu bond. Groot and Yondu's loyalist Kraglin free Rocket and Yondu, and they destroy the ship and its crew as they escape, though not before Taserface warns the Sovereign.

Ego, a god-like Celestial that manipulated the matter around its consciousness to form his "home" planet, explains that he projected a humanoid guise to travel the universe and discover a purpose, eventually falling in love with Quill's mother Meredith. Ego hired Yondu to collect the young Quill after Meredith's death, but the boy was never delivered and Ego has been searching for his son ever since. He teaches Quill to manipulate their Celestial power. Nebula arrives at Ego's planet and tries to kill Gamora, but the pair reach an uneasy alliance when they discover caverns filled with skeletal remains. Ego reveals to Quill that in his travels he planted seedlings on thousands of worlds which can terraform them into new extensions of himself, but they can only be activated by the combined power of two Celestials. To that end, he impregnated countless women and hired Yondu to collect the children, but killed them all when they failed to access the Celestial power. Under the influence of Ego's power, Quill helps him activate the seedlings, which begin to consume every world, but Quill fights back when Ego reveals that he killed Meredith due to the distraction she posed.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

This is an awesome movie!!! Very enjoyable from the start to the last of the post credit scenes! BTW, it has many ya! It may not be as logical but then it is a superhero movie with many superheroes and an unlikely villain. Emoted as many emotions from funny to sad to touche to spunky to etc!

Fast paced and never a dull moment, I nearly can't keep up with it! Quill having found his real father, Ego (How apt his name was LOL!). Gamora's new bond with her sister, Nebula. The adorable Baby Groot. Rocket's unexpected reveal by Yondu who has also turned over a new leaf. So many exciting plots within the action-packed movie!

Thankfully it didn't looked like it was cramped into this movie, paced well with realistic visual effects... truly a movie worth watching and I can't wait for Vol. 3 now!!! FYI, Michelle Yeoh has been casted ya!!!

MPOV: Patriots Day

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 7.4/10
Released: January 13, 2017
Director: Peter Berg
Casts: Mark Wahlberg, Peter Berg, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman
Category: A 2016 American action-drama about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing

On April 15, 2013, brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev detonate two bombs during the Boston Marathon, causing widespread panic. A young couple, Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky, are injured and taken to separate hospitals, where they are both required to have their legs amputated; while family man Steve Woolfenden is injured and separated from his young son, Leo, who is rescued by the police and taken to a safe location.

FBI agent Richard DesLauriers is assigned to investigate the bombings in collaboration with Boston police commissioner Ed Davis and Watertown police sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, while Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders searches for evidence and helps people that have been injured or separated from their loved ones in the chaos, including Patrick and Jessica as well as Steven and Leo. FBI analysts review footage of the bombing and identify Dzhokhar and Tamerlan as suspects, but DesLauriers is reluctant to release their pictures to the public without further evidence. His hand is forced when the pictures are leaked to the press, while Pugliese's men begin conducting door-to-door searches for the pair.

Attempting to lie low, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan kill officer Sean Collier to steal his sidearm and carjack student Dun Meng, announcing their plans to conduct another bombing in New York City. Just before Dzhokhar leaves the convenience store, Meng quickly escapes the car and goes to the different convenience store so that he can call the police; the brothers flee in the stolen car. Saunders arrives at the scene, learns of the brothers' plan and is given the stolen car's GPS tracker code, leading police to the pair's hideout. The ensuing shootout sees several officers injured, while Tamerlan is shot by Pugliese and run over by Dzhokhar, killing him. Dzhokhar escapes in the chaos; meanwhile, Tamerlan's wife Katherine Russell and Dzhokhar's college friends are later detained by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and questioned by the High-Value Interrogation Group, but Katherine refuses to disclose any knowledge of her husband's illegal activities, while Dzhokhar's friends appear oblivious to his plans, despite having earlier found bomb components in his possessions. A local man name David Henneberry later finds Dzhokhar hiding under the sheets of his boat and calls the police. Dzhokhar is quickly surrounded and arrested after a brief standoff, as Saunders and his colleagues celebrate. The Boston police are invited to attend a Boston Red Sox game, where David Ortiz thanks them for their heroism and telling them to "stay strong".

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Truly a captivating movie revealing the hours before the bombing and the subsequent terrorist manhunt. Some scenes were kinda gory but this made it more realistic. The hero's role definitely shine through the movie filled with courage and empathy. The terrorists, one was as young as 19 years old! Why would he do it? He could have a bright future but all's lost and now waiting for the lethal injection. His older brother has a wife and daughter but it didn't bothered him that he'll abandoned them? It did piqued me but then whatever the reasons, they do have a sick mind. This is such an eye-opening movie for me.

MPOV: War for the Planet of the Apes

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 8.2/10
Released: July 14, 2017
Director: Matt Reeves
Casts: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Amiah Miller, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer
Category: A 2017 American science fiction drama film

Some time after the U.S. military was called to fight off an increasingly intelligent and dangerous army of apes, the apes' clan, led by the chimpanzee Caesar, is attacked by a military faction known as Alpha-Omega. Caesar's clan hides in Muir Woods, and Caesar offers the humans peace if the apes are left alone. This conflict has become further complicated as various apes, including the gorilla Red (a former follower of Koba, who previously led a failed coup against Caesar), have joined Alpha-Omega after being disillusioned with Caesar's leadership and out of fear of retaliation from Caesar due to their betrayal. Learning that Alpha-Omega follows the leadership of a mysterious Colonel, Caesar makes plans to relocate the clan across the desert, not wanting to suffer any more ape casualties after Koba's wrath on San Francisco. The night before their journey, Alpha-Omega launches an assault on the ape home and Caesar's wife Cornelia and their eldest son Blue Eyes are slaughtered by the Colonel, leaving only Caesar's youngest son Cornelius alive.

Leaving Cornelius in the care of Lake, the mate of the late Blue Eyes, Caesar departs to confront the Colonel. He is accompanied only by Maurice the orangutan, Luca the gorilla and Rocket the chimpanzee, while the other apes head for the desert. Confronting traitorous albino gorilla Winter, they learn that the Colonel has departed for a location called the "border". The group is forced to silence Winter by asphyxiating him, which causes Caesar to worry he is becoming like Koba. During their journey, they are forced to kill a human living alone in an abandoned village, but when they discover his young daughter, apparently unable to speak, Maurice insists that they take her with them. Further along, they discover some Alpha-Omega soldiers that have been shot and abandoned. Their examination of a survivor reveals that he, like the girl, cannot speak. In an abandoned souvenir shop, the group meets Bad Ape, a chimpanzee hermit who lived in the Sierra Zoo before he was exposed to the Simian Flu virus. Bad Ape is able to direct them to the border, a former weapons depot that was turned into a containment facility when the virus began to spread.

When the group arrives at the border facility, Luca is killed by an Alpha-Omega patrol, prompting Caesar to enter the facility alone. However, he is captured shortly after learning that the rest of his ape clan have been caught by the Colonel. Witnessing his fellow apes being forced to build a wall with no food or water, Caesar confronts the Colonel, who reveals that the Simian Flu virus has evolved further and is now causing some surviving humans to become mute and regress back to a primitive mentality. The Colonel barricades himself into the facility to fend off rival military forces coming to execute him, as he favors killing any infected humans – including his own son – while others believe that a cure is still possible. At the labor camp Caesar is threatened by the Colonel with his life to persuade the apes to keep working. Lake intervenes, encouraging the other apes to get back to work in order to spare Caesar.

During an interview with MTV News in mid-November 2014, Andy Serkis talked about possible sequels: "It might be three films, it could be four. It could be five. Who knows? The journey will continue." In October 2016, it was announced that a fourth Planet of the Apes film is being planned.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

This is by far the most realistic and relevant movie, totally resonates with me. With the incredible computer graphics and engaging plots, the movie transcends to various locations smoothly with an impressive casts especially the little mute girl acted by Amiah Miller. I was so taken into the movie, with the cinema so cold that I felt I'm in the movie too! LOL! With the addition of funny Bad Ape, there was a little of everything in this movie which was enthralling! Apparently the fourth film is being planned so I can't wait to see what's next since Caesar has passed on.

FYI, while watching the movie, there were a couple of monkeys at the back of the cinema who were sarcastic of some scenes involving the apes. Honestly, if you are not favourable of such movie, please don't watch it then and made an arse of yourself! Damn noisy lot of hooligans!

Apes are definitely more humane than humans!

MPOV: Okja

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Released: June 28, 2017
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Casts: Ahn Seo-hyun, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Lily Collins, Steven Yuen, Paul Dano
Category: A 2017 action adventure film

In 2007, Lucy Mirando becomes CEO of the Mirando Corporation, succeeding her controversial grandfather, her father and her cruel twin sister Nancy. She announces that they have been breeding a special kind of superpig. Twenty-six of the best pigs will be sent to locations around the world, and ten years later, one will be crowned the winner.

In 2017, a young girl named Mija lives happily in the countryside of South Korea with her grandfather and her super pig, Okja. They are visited by Mirando spokesperson and zoologist Dr. Johnny Wilcox, who declares Okja the best super pig and announces they will take her to New York City. Mija's grandfather takes her to visit the graves of her parents where he presents her with a gold pig and explains to her that rather than buy Okja, which was not allowed, he saved up the money for Okja and bought the solid gold item. Devastated, Mija runs away to Seoul to find Okja, where she sees her as she is being loaded onto a truck. Mija manages to chase down the truck which is eventually intercepted by another truck, run by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). In the resulting chaos Mija and Okja run away causing havoc though they are eventually saved by the ALF. Recognizing that Mija is Okja's owner, they tell her that their plan is to put a recording device in Okja's ear and let her be re-captured by the Mirando corporation to show how brutally they treat their animals. Mija tells them to return her to the mountains but their translator, K, deliberately lies, causing the group to believe Mija went along with their plan. They abandon her, and Okja is recaptured.

Meanwhile, footage of Okja and Mija running through the streets of Seoul has gone viral. In order to do damage control, Lucy pays for Mija to come to New York to be reunited onstage with her pig. Okja is taken to the laboratory where she is forcibly bred with another super pig and bits of meat are extracted from her flesh for a taste test by a drunk Wilcox. Members of the ALF overhear the recording through the device they placed in Okja's ear. Jay vows to help Okja and Mija and use the recording to expose the Mirando corporation's animal abuse.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

I honestly thought it was another Korean scary movie due to it's title LOL! Then I noticed the few American actors and I was like ok... and then it's about super pigs O.O

Overall, it was a good movie about humanity, a good cross-over between American and Korean with a traditional, local look and modern technology feel. Though Okja was a CGI creation, it's so realistic like any other pigs but in gigantic size. The young Korean actress definitely brought the movie to another level of sensitivity. In the end, the animal abuse made me feel nausea... it's like hinting that I should go vegan =.=

This movie did reminds me of a duck my dad had brought back many moons ago when I was around 10 years old. I had treated it like a pet, talked to it after I have returned from school every single day. But a few weeks later, it went missing. It was not there anymore. Then I saw a new dish on the dinner table... I bit my tongue and held back my tears thinking how could they?! I just couldn't eat it and have not eaten ducks ever since. Such trauma over a duck but this movie resonates with me.

MPOV: Spider-Man: Homecoming

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 8.2/10
Released: July 7th, 2017
Director: Jon Watts
Casts: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Downey JR, Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton
Category: PG-13: A 2017 American super hero film

Following the Battle of New York, Adrian Toomes and his salvage company were contracted to clean up the city, but their operation was quickly taken over by Tony Stark's U.S. Department of Damage Control (D.O.D.C.). Enraged at being driven out of business, Toomes persuades his employees to keep the Chitauri technology they already scavenged and use it to create advanced weapons to sell on the black market. Eight years later, Peter Parker is drafted into the Avengers by Stark to help with an internal dispute, but resumes his studies afterwards when Stark tells him he is not yet ready to become a full Avenger.

Parker quits Midtown School of Science and Technology's academic decathlon team so he can spend more time focusing on "the Stark internship", which is a cover for his crime-fighting activities as Spider-Man. One night, after preventing criminals from robbing an ATM with their advanced weapons from Toomes, Parker returns to his Queens apartment where his best friend Ned accidentally discovers his secret identity. On another night, Parker comes across Toomes' associates Jackson Brice / Shocker and Herman Schultz selling weapons to local criminal Aaron Davis. Parker nearly drowns intervening, and is rescued by Stark, who is monitoring the Spider-Man suit he gave Parker. Angry at Brice for jeopardizing the operation, Toomes accidentally kills him, and Schultz becomes the new Shocker.

Parker and Ned study a weapon left behind by Brice, removing its power core. When a tracking device on Schultz leads to Maryland, Parker rejoins the decathlon team and accompanies them to Washington, D.C. for their national tournament. Ned and Parker disable the tracker Stark implanted in the Spider-Man suit, and unlock all of it's features. Parker tries to stop Toomes from stealing weapons from a D.O.D.C. truck, but is overpowered and trapped inside the truck, causing him to miss the decathlon tournament. When he discovers that the power core is an unstable Chitauri grenade, Parker races to the Washington Monument where the core explodes and traps Ned and their friends in an elevator. Evading local authorities, Parker saves his friends, including his fellow classmate and crush Liz.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Firstly, I watched this movie in Bangkok. SF World Cinema was huge and it definitely has a very nice cinematic experience. Their seats were cool too especially since it will automatically leaned backwards once seated! Their patrons were by far more civilized and educated than humans in Malaysia! When the movie starts, all devices cleared, no one talks through the movie and no one shakes their legs/ kicks behind our seats! How cool is that?! Anyway, back to the movie.

Tom Holland definitely worked his butt off and portrayed Peter Parker/ Spider-Man so well! It sure fits like a glove... way better than Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. The way he blended in the movie was way cooler and more realistic... not as woody nor stick-like. The overall movie was awesome and exciting with many cool CGI flicks, not forgetting the villain... Michael Keaton has shed his previous Batman stigma and really felt more like Vulture. With Robert Downey JR breezing through as Tony Stark/ Iron Man, it sure made the movie more Avengers like... grooming it for the next Avengers sequel LOL! Definitely another fantastic Marvel movie to look forward to next!

By the way, there are 2 post credit scenes - 1 midway and another right at the end. Also the next sequel is coming in mid 2019.

MPOV: Gifted

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Released: April 7, 2017
Director: Marc Webb
Casts: Chris Evans, Jenny Slate, Mckenna Grace, Octavia Spencer, Lindsay Duncan
Rated: PG-13; A 2017 American comedy drama film

In a small town near Tampa, seven-year-old Mary Adler shows remarkable mathematical talent on her first day of first grade, which impresses her teacher, Bonnie Stevenson. Mary is offered a scholarship to a private school for gifted children. However, her uncle and de facto guardian, Frank, turns it down. Based on his family's experiences with similar schools, he fears Mary will not have a chance at a "normal" childhood.

It emerges that Mary's mother, Diane, had been a promising mathematician, dedicated to the Navier–Stokes problem (one of the unsolved Millennium Prize Problems) before taking her own life when Mary was six months old. Mary has lived with Frank ever since.

Frank's estranged mother and Mary's maternal grandmother, Evelyn, seeks to gain custody of Mary and move her to Massachusetts, believing that Mary is a "one-in-a-billion" mathematical prodigy who should be specially tutored in preparation for a life devoted to mathematics. However, Frank is adamant that his sister would want Mary to be in a normal public school and have the childhood she didn't have. Worried that the judge will rule against him and he will lose Mary completely, Frank accepts a compromise brokered by his lawyer Greg Cullen that sees Mary placed in foster care and attend the private school where Evelyn wants to have her enrolled. The foster parents live just 25 minutes from Frank's home, Frank will be entitled to scheduled visits, and Mary will be able to decide where she wants to live after her 12th birthday.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

A touching, vulnerable, sensitive movie of a young, intelligent, gifted girl who has been brought up by her uncle after her mother committed suicide. It's simple plots with a charismatic protagonist brought the movie to a whole new level, so into it from the start to the end.

Mckenna, though young, definitely lights up the whole movie! She's such a natural, talented actress who portrayed Mary to the nines! She even outshines the handsome Chris Evans! It's one of those movies with thin plots but projected out beautifully thus engaging the audience from the get-go. Not as sob-worthy as I would have thought and it's quite predictable but with closure-worthy ending.

Do stand-by your box of tissue if you are going to watch this movie ya...

MPOV: Transformers: The Last Knight

My rating: 2/5
IMDb rating: 5.3/10
Released on June 21, 2017
Director: Michael Bay
Casts: Michael Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Stanley Tucci, Anthony Hopkins
Category: A 2017 American science fiction action film

In 484 AD, King Arthur's wizard Merlin forges an alliance with the Knights of Iacon, a group of twelve Transformers who have hidden on Earth. The knights give Merlin an alien staff, and combine into a dragon to help Arthur triumph over the Saxons.

In the present day, most of the governments of Earth have declared Transformers illegal (except Cuba), and the multinational Transformer Reaction Force (TRF) has been formed to eliminate all the alien robots. Despite the absence of Optimus Prime (who left the planet to search for his creator), new Transformers continue to arrive regularly; the newest ship to arrive crash-lands in Chicago, where it is found by a group of children. When a TRF mecha confronts the kids, they are saved by Izabella, a survivor of the Battle of Chicago, and her Transformer companions Sqweeks and Canopy, but Canopy is killed by the TRF in the process. Bumblebee and Cade Yeager arrive and help them escape, but Yeager is unable to save the Transformer, Steelbane, in the ship. Before he dies, Steelbane attaches a metallic talisman to Yeager’s body—an act observed by Decepticon Barricade, who reports to his leader Megatron.

On the far reaches of the Solar System, Optimus Prime discovers that the Transformers' home world, Cybertron, now disassembled into pieces, is heading directly for Earth. Optimus finds the being in control of Cybertron's movement, a sorceress named Quintessa, who professes to be the maker he is searching for. The staff which the knights gave to Merlin was stolen from Quintessa, and using her powers, she places Optimus under her control and charges him with recovering it. Earth, she reveals, is actually Cybertron's "ancient enemy" Unicron, and she intends to drain his life force so that Cybertron can be restored.

A Bumblebee spin-off and a sequel, Transformers 6, are set to be released on June 8, 2018, and June 28, 2019, respectively

The above taken from Wikipedia.

With a thin plot and half-hearted script, this has to be the dullest Transformers I've ever watched. Though it was filled with loads of action, the story itself did not carry much weight and had me nearly dozed off a few times. It just wasn't as engaging and predictable most of the time... monotonous and noisy too. I am not surprised that Michael Bay has announced this as his last Transformers movie, I sure hoped a much better director next for the spin-off and sequel. Please don't watch this movie with high expectations and just treat this as any other CGI filled action packed movie.

MPOV: Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 8.6/10
Released: September 20, 2002
Directors: Hayao Miyazaki, Kirk Wise
Voice casts: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers, John Ratzenberger
Category: A 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film produced by Studio Ghibli. Disney won the rights to dub the English adaptation of Spirited Away

Ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino and her parents are traveling to their new home when her father takes a wrong turn. They unknowingly enter a magical world that Chihiro's father insists on exploring. While Chihiro's parents eat like pigs at an empty restaurant stall, Chihiro finds an exquisite bathhouse and meets a young boy named Haku who warns her to return across the river before sunset. However, Chihiro discovers too late that her parents have turned into pigs and she is unable to cross the flooded river, becoming trapped in the spirit world.

After finding Chihiro, Haku has her ask for a job from the bathhouse's boiler-man, Kamaji, a spider yōkai commanding the susuwatari. Kamaji already has soot spirits working for him, but he asks the worker Lin to send Chihiro to the witch, Yubaba, who runs the bathhouse; Yubaba tries to frighten Chihiro away, but she persists, so Yubaba gives Chihiro a job but renames her Sen (千?). While visiting her parents' pigpen, Sen finds a goodbye card addressed to Chihiro and realizes that she has already forgotten her name. Haku warns her that Yubaba controls people by taking their names and that if she forgets hers like he has forgotten his, she will not be able to leave the spirit world. While working, Sen invites a silent masked creature named No-Face inside, believing him to be a customer. A 'stink spirit' arrives as Sen's first customer. She discovers he is the spirit of a polluted river. In gratitude for cleaning him, he gives Sen a magic emetic dumpling. Meanwhile, No-Face tempts a worker with gold, then swallows him. He demands food and begins tipping extensively. As the workers swarm him hoping to be tipped, he swallows two other greedy workers.

Sen discovers paper shikigami attacking a dragon and recognizes the dragon as Haku transformed. When a grievously-injured Haku crashes into Yubaba's penthouse, Sen follows him upstairs. When she reaches Haku, a shikigami that stowed away on her back transforms into Zeniba, Yubaba's twin sister. She transforms Yubaba's baby son Boh into a mouse, creates a decoy baby and turns Yubaba's bird creature into a tiny bird. Zeniba tells Sen that Haku has stolen a magic golden seal from her, and warns Sen that it carries a deadly curse. After Haku dives to the boiler room with Sen and Boh on his back, she feeds him part of the dumpling, causing him to vomit both the seal and a black slug, which Sen crushes with her foot.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Finally watching this movie after crocheting many Susuwatari's LOL! An ok animation with simple storyline which was quite engaging at some point. Uniquely Asian with a few cutie's making it a favourable animation to watch. It did touched on many meaningful conscience like greed, love, trust plus don't judge a book by it's cover. Even my princess enjoyed this animation.

MPOV: Wonder Woman

My rating: 5/5
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Released: June 2, 2017
Director: Patty Jenkins
Casts: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston
Category: PG-13: A 2017 American superhero film

In present-day Paris, Diana Prince, a staff member of the Louvre's antiquities department, receives a World War I-era photograph sent by Bruce Wayne and recalls her past.

Born and raised on the island of Themyscira, the child Diana dreams of becoming an Amazonian warrior. Her mother, Queen Hippolyta, tells Diana that their people were enslaved by mankind, who were corrupted by the god of war Ares. Ares also slaughtered his fellow gods on Mount Olympus, including his father Zeus. Zeus manage to defeat Ares, but is mortally wounded. Before dying, Zeus created Themyscira and left behind a weapon (apparently in the form of a ceremonial sword) capable of killing his renegade son.

Hippolyta insists that Ares will never return, and forbids Diana to train in combat. However, Diana disobeys her mother and is secretly trained by her aunt Antiope. When the two are discovered by Hippolyta, Antiope convinces the queen to allow Diana's training to continue.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Diana, Princess of Themyscira aka Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman is my all time super heroine now! Definitely loved the movie hence the highest rating plus it was portrayed in the utmost delicate yet relatable plots, similarly to Captain America but more humane and engaging. At times, the CGI may be a little off but it did not impacted the movie overall.

I am so glad Gal Gadot has improved tremendously... she came a long way from Batman VS Superman and I can't wait for her next movie! She is the true epitome of Wonder Woman and the role suits her like a glove. Surprisingly, she's an Israeli and apparently Wonder Woman has been banned in Lebanon. Fret not, this movie is a blockbuster internationally! Chris Pine, though a sidekick, was so compatible with Gal that the movie was thoroughly enjoyable... funny, romantic, sad... a good war hero guiding Diana in and out of the war.

The best part I liked about this movie... it has been directed by a female director and she definitely made a fantastic job! Patty Jenkins sure knows how to direct this action packed, bad ass, super heroine movie... unbelievably as good as any other super hero movies, if not better! There's a possibility of a sequel so fingers crossed and just wait patiently lah...

Note: there's no post-credit scenes so don't wait ya...

MPOV: John Wick: Chapter 2

My rating: 2/5
IMDb rating: 8/10
Released: February 10, 2017
Director: Chad Stahelski
Casts: Keanu Reeves, Ruby Rose, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Bridget Moynahan
Category: A 2017 American neo-noir action thriller film

About four days after the events of the first film, former assassin John Wick tracks down his stolen 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 at a chop shop owned by Abram Tarasov, brother of Viggo and uncle of Iosef. John dispatches Tarasov's men in a violent fight that heavily damages his car. He then spares Tarasov under the auspices of peace and returns home.

After Aurelio takes John's Mustang for repairs, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio. It is revealed that to complete his "impossible task"—which allowed him to retire and marry Helen—John asked D'Antonio for help. As a form of contract, D'Antonio swore John to a "Marker", an unbreakable promise symbolized by a "blood oath" medallion. D'Antonio presents the medallion to demand services from John, but John refuses, claiming that he is "retired". In retaliation, D'Antonio destroys John's house with a grenade launcher.

Winston, the owner of the Continental hotel in New York City, reminds John that if he rejects the Marker, he will be violating one of the two unbreakable rules of the underworld: no killing on Continental grounds, and Markers must be honored. John accepts his commitment and meets with D'Antonio, who tasks him with assassinating his sister Gianna D'Antonio so he can claim her seat on the "High Table", a council of high-level crime lords. D'Antonio sends Ares, his personal bodyguard, to follow and keep an eye on John.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Similar to the first, generally a weak story line but action packed with gory fights that appealed more to the male audiences. Not forgetting more of a fan fad hence the higher rating in general. Well, I do know the fans are truly happy since Chapter 3 is in the making.

It was just something to watch when there's nothing much in the movies for me. At some point, it definitely looked so unrealistic on how it was plotted for the casts to be killed or how they could be easily swayed to die or how John was indestructible even when he was rained with so many bullets! Unbelievably unrealistic... nuff said.

MPOV: The Boss Baby

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Released: March 31, 2017
Director: Tom McGrath
Voice casts: Alec Baldwin, Lisa Kudrow, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Tobey Maguire
Category: A 2017 American computer-animated comedy film

A man named Timothy Templeton (Tobey Maguire) tells a story through his imaginative point of view as his 7-year-old self (Miles Bakshi) who lives his days having fun with his parents, Ted (Jimmy Kimmel) and Janice (Lisa Kudrow), and wishes it to be just the three of them forever. While tucking Tim in bed one night his parents ask if he wanted a baby brother; Tim declines the offer, saying that he is enough. After he goes to sleep, we see that Janice is pregnant.

While sleeping Tim begins to wonder where babies come from. One day, Tim is surprised when a business suit-wearing infant shows up in a taxi at his house, and Ted and Janice proudly call him Tim's little brother. Tim is envious of the attention the baby is receiving, not to mention suspicious when the infant acts odd around him, but his parents, being blind to the baby's eccentric behavior, try to convince him that they will grow to love each other.

Soon, Tim learns that the baby can talk like an adult (Alec Baldwin) and he introduces himself as "The Boss". Seeing an opportunity to be rid of him, Tim decides to record a conversation between him and other toddlers who are over at Tim's house for a meeting (under the guise of a playdate by the parents) to do something about how puppies are receiving more love than babies. The Boss Baby and the other infants catch Tim with the recording and after a chase scene throughout the backyard and the house, the tape is terminated after The Boss Baby threatens to tear up Tim's favorite stuffed animal, Lam-Lam. With no evidence to support him, Tim is subsequently grounded by his parents for his actions during the chase between him and the infants, much to Tim and even Boss Baby's dismay.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Initially, I wasn't into it when I first saw the poster but then Angels had to watched it and so did I. Honestly, it was funny, cute, sad, emotional, unruly, bossy all in one! I guess life should be as it is and we shouldn't change mother nature like producing babies to be trained to act and talk like adults. Babies are babies, to be cooed and dote on... those adorable innocent beings LOL. Truly an entertaining baby animation to watch with the family.

MPOV: The Fate of the Furious

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 7.1/10
Released: April 14, 2017
Director: F. Gary Gray
Casts: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriquez, Scott Eastwood
Category: A 2017 American action film

Dominic "Dom" Toretto and Letty Ortiz are on their honeymoon in Havana when Dom is challenged to a street race at an auto show by local racer Raldo. Dom races for Raldo's car, intending to give it to his cousin Fernando, while wagering his own show car. After narrowly winning the race, Dom allows Raldo to keep his car, earning his respect, and instead leaves his cousin with his show car. The next day, Dom is approached by elusive cyberterrorist Cipher, who coerces him into working for her.

Shortly after the encounter, Dom and his team, comprising Letty, Roman Pearce, Tej Parker, and Ramsey, are recruited by Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs to help him retrieve an EMP device from a military outpost in Berlin. During the getaway, Dom goes rogue, forcing Hobbs off the road and stealing the device for Cipher. Hobbs is arrested and locked up in the same high-security prison he helped imprison Deckard Shaw in. After escaping, both are recruited by intelligence operative Frank Petty/Mr. Nobody and his protégé, Eric Reisner/Little Nobody, to help the team find Dom and capture Cipher.

Deckard reveals that Cipher was the mastermind of previous encounters with the team, such as employing his brother Owen Shaw to steal the Nightshade device and orchestrating the attempted theft of God's Eye, Ramsey's software program. The team tracks Dom and Cipher to their very location just as they attack the base and steal God's Eye. When Dom begins to question Cipher's motives, she reveals that she has held Dom's ex-lover and DSS agent Elena Neves – as well as their son, whose existence Dom was previously unaware of – hostage in order to keep Dom loyal to her. Elena tells Dom that the child was born as a result of an unintended pregnancy, and that she wanted him to decide the child's first name, having already given him the middle name Marcos.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

The much anticipated movie after Paul Walker, this time around, not as nail biting nor fist clenching. It has somehow toned down but still as entertaining. Charlize Theron made a great bad guy with all those cornrows but somehow lacked the nerdy, geeky feel of a hacker. Scott Eastwood sure looks like his father, Clint, and was as good an actor too. Overall, not too shabby a movie, still as exciting with some elements of surprise.

MPOV: Allegiant

My rating: 2/5
IMDb rating: 5.7/10
Released: March 14, 2016
Director: Robert Schwentke
Casts: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Zoe Kravitz, Ansel Elgort
Category: A 2016 American action adventure, dystopian, science fiction film

Many Chicago citizens run toward the wall, but soldiers under Evelyn (Naomi Watts) are told to shut down the perimeter, and thus, no one is allowed through. Evelyn directs Jack Kang (Daniel Dae Kim) of Candor to hold trials for the Erudite and Dauntless conspirators, in which a number of them become executions, starting with Max (Mekhi Phifer). Evelyn and Johanna (Octavia Spencer) attempt to pressure Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) into taking leadership positions in the new world order but both refuse. After seeing that the hostile situation within the city is only going to get worse, Tris escapes with Four, Caleb (Ansel Elgort), Christina (Zoë Kravitz), Tori (Maggie Q), and Peter (Miles Teller) to journey beyond the wall that encloses Chicago. However, Tori is killed by Edgar (Jonny Weston) in the attempt.

The group is ambushed by Edgar, who is later disabled by an armed group of individuals and airships. The soldiers take the group to the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, a highly advanced city where they learn that years ago the government believed that society's problems were caused by "damaged genes". In an attempt to create a better society, they began to modify people's genes, with disastrous results. The government set up "experiments" in an attempt to repair this mistake, establishing isolated cities across the remains of the United States. The hope is to raise enough genetically pure Divergent individuals to fix the "genetic damage" left in the wake of the Purity War.

Tris and Four are tested by Matthew (Bill Skarsgård) and Nita (Nadia Hilker) to verify and study their Divergence. Tris is shown to be truly Divergent, but Four's genetic structure indicates that his genes are still "damaged". Caleb and Peter are assigned to surveillance teams that monitor Chicago. Matthew then brings Tris to the leader of the Bureau, David (Jeff Daniels). David gives Tris a device that allows her to view her mother's memories, and sees that her mother was rescued and adopted by the Bureau before volunteering to join the Chicago experiment out of dedication to the project. In return for his help in restoring peace to Chicago, Tris agrees to help David, who claims that only the council he reports to have the power to intervene.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

This is the final movie adapted from Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy. I did watched the first, Divergent, and it was the best of the lot. I think I've only watched Insurgent midway as I fell asleep *grinning unabashedly*

So this one was slightly better with more actions that I managed to watch till the end. It was rather slow, lukewarm at times and the ending was predictable. Nothing exciting about the movie, sorry Divergent fans. To be honest, I find that dystopian type of movie is just not my cup of tea thus far.

MPOV: The Warriors Gate

My rating: 2/5
IMDb rating: 5.3/10
Released: May 5, 2017
Director: Matthias Hoene
Casts: Uriah Shelton, Mark Chao, Ni Ni, Dave Bautista, Francis Ng
Category: a 2016 Chinese-French action-adventure-fantasy film

A teenager was transported to China in a magical way for a mission to accomplish by saving the princess from danger. He transforms himself into a Kung Fu warrior to battle the evil villains by converting his video game skills.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

I honestly thought this is a Chinese movie but instead it's actually English. Well, even the poster is in Chinese so you can't fault me here.

Overall, the movie felt unnatural, probably CGI was a little over and some of the plots were predictable. Also it wasn't as logical like when the ancient princess was able to speak English immediately. All in all, it's definitely another movie to watch at home, just for entertainment and nothing more.

MPOV: The Founder

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 7.2/10
Released: January 20, 2017
Director: John Lee Hancock
Casts: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, Laura Dern, John Carroll Lynch, Patrick Wilson
Category: A 2016 American biographical drama

Ray Kroc is a traveling salesman selling Prince Castle brand milkshake makers in 1954. While he has a supportive wife, Ethel, and has saved enough to live a simple comfortable life in Arlington Heights, Illinois, he craves more. After learning that a drive-in in San Bernardino is ordering an unusually large number of milkshake makers, Ray drives to California to see it. What he finds is McDonald's—a highly popular walk-up restaurant with fast service, high-quality food, disposable packaging, and a family-friendly atmosphere.

Ray meets with the two McDonald brothers, Maurice "Mac" McDonald and Richard "Dick" McDonald. Ray tours the kitchens and notes the employees' strong work ethic. Dick explains the high-quality food and lightning-fast service are the backbones of their diner. Ray takes the brothers to dinner and is told the origin story of McDonald's. The next day, Ray suggests that the brothers franchise the restaurant and discovers that they had previously attempted to do so only to encounter absentee owners and inconsistent standards which ultimately led to the failure of the endeavor. Ray persists and eventually convinces the brothers to allow him to lead their franchising efforts on the condition that he agree to a contract which requires all changes to receive the McDonald brothers' approval in writing.

Initially, Ray begins building a McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois while attempting to entice wealthy investors (specifically fellow members at the country club he and Ethel were members of) to open franchises, but encounters the same poor management ethic which doomed the original franchise efforts. Ray hits on the idea of franchising to middle-class investors, who are more likely to be hands-on and willing to follow the McDonald's formula. This proves successful, and new franchises begin opening across the Midwest, with Ray representing himself as the creator of McDonald's. During this time, Ray meets Rollie Smith, an upscale restaurant owner in Minnesota who wishes to invest, and his wife Joan, to whom Ray is immediately attracted.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

I didn't know McDonald's founder was a crook! Well that was my thought after watching this movie. He lied and cheated the real founders! I know I know, he's making way for progression and taking the opportunity which the real founders didn't want to pursue. Hmmm... Ray was an opportunist true and true but then he shouldn't be shrewd lah to the brothers. This movie definitely did not shine right on Ray as once he's rich, he got rid of his wife Ethel and woo Joan, a married woman.... jeez!

All in all, it's an eye-opener for me since I didn't know the history of McDonald's. I liked the honesty in this movie and Michael Keaton did a good realistic job. It may be a drama but with deets and gists.

MPOV: Moana

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Released: November 23, 2016
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Voice casts: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Scherzinger, Jemaine Clement, Rachel House
Category: A 2016 American computer-animated musical family film

A small pounamu stone that is the mystical heart of the island goddess, Te Fiti, is stolen by the wind and sea demigod, Maui, who plans to give it to humanity as a gift. As Maui makes his escape, he is attacked by Te Ka, a lava demon of Earth and fire, causing his power-granting magical fishhook and the heart of Te Fiti to be lost in the ocean.

A millennium later, Moana, daughter and heir of the chief on the small Polynesian island of Motunui, is chosen by the ocean to receive the heart, but drops it when her father, Tui comes to get her. He insists the island provides everything the villagers need. Years later, a blight strikes the island as fish become scarce and the island's vegetation begins dying. Moana proposes going beyond the reef to find more fish. Tui rejects her request, claiming that sailing past the reef is forbidden.

Moana's grandmother, Tala, shows Moana a secret cave behind a waterfall where she finds boats inside and discovers her ancestors were voyagers, sailing and discovering new islands across the world. Tala explains that they stopped voyaging because Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti, causing monsters to appear in the ocean. Tala then says Te Ka's darkness has been spreading from island to island, slowly killing them. Tala returns the heart of Te Fiti to Moana, which she had recovered after Moana dropped it.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Overall, a very entertaining musical movie with a little bit of everything. Happy, sad, action, funny, sarcasm, etc! The best part, The Rock, can sing! Oh yes! I was delighted as I didn't know he could sing that well... LOL! Anyway, Moana did reminds me of Mulan... a female protagonist/ heroine/ saviour of her village. Although a little unrealistic for a little girl to travel alone in the high seas, it's just animation and definitely a story of a brave young girl with a mission to save her village. Anyhow, it's a warm-hearted movie to be watched with the family.

MPOV: The Great Wall

My rating: 2/5
IMDb rating: 6.2/10
Released: February 17, 2017
Director: Zhang Yimou
Casts: Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Andy Lau, Lu Han, Pedro Pascal
Category: PG-13; A 2016 monster film

In the time of the Song dynasty during the reign of the Renzong Emperor (i.e. AD 1010–63), a few miles north of the Great Wall, a mercenary group originally consisting of twenty men searching for black powder are pursued by Khitan bandits, who have already killed some of the men. Upon escaping they seek refuge in a cave but are then attacked by an unknown monster, leaving only William and Tovar alive, with the former having slashed off the monster's hand. The two decide to bring the arm with them. The next day, they stumble upon the Great Wall and are taken prisoner by Chinese soldiers of a secretive military sect called the Nameless Order, led by General Shao and Strategist Wang.

The Nameless Order is a Chinese military order commissioned by the Imperial Court of the Song Dynasty as a special division of the Imperial Army conceived for the sole purpose of repelling a horde of alien monsters (the Taotie ??) who rise every 60 years. The commanding officers are shocked upon seeing the monster's severed hand, as the Order believed the invasion was still weeks away. Suddenly, a wave of monsters attack the Great Wall, and the battalions are mobilized. The Nameless Order is divided into five special units: the melee-specialist Bear Troop, the acrobatic-specialist Crane Troop, the archer-specialist Eagle Troop, the siege engine-specialist Tiger Troop, and the horse-mounted Deer Troop. Losses are sustained on both sides before the monsters' queen recalls her drones. During the battle, William and Tovar are freed by Sir Ballard, a European who, like them had ventured east twenty-five years ago in search of black powder. William saves Peng Yong, a warrior in the Bear Troop from the attacking monsters. William and Tovar's battle skills earn the respect of General Shao and Commander Lin, leader of the Crane Troop. Later, William and Tovar meet Sir Ballard who had also been taken prisoner and had been serving as an English and Latin teacher. The three foreign mercenaries discuss plans to steal black powder from the storeroom and flee while the soldiers are occupied by battle. Later, Strategist Wang meets William and explains the situation: the monsters that William fought were Taoties (in the film collectively called the Tao Tei), which originated from a green meteor that crashed onto Gouwu Mountain two thousand years ago. The Chinese believe the Taotie were sent from the gods to punish the Emperor for abusing his authority over the Middle Kingdom and its people. They attack northern China once every sixty years, an invasion for which the Order has been training for their entire lives.

During the night, two Taoties reach the top of the Wall and silently kill several watchmen. Shao and Lin lead the Deer soldiers to investigate, but are ambushed. The Taoties are slain but Shao, wounded beyond recovery, succumbs to his injuries and dies, leaving Lin to take command of the Nameless Order. Around this time, an envoy from the capital arrives with an ancient scroll which suggests that the monsters are pacified by magnets. Wang believes that the stone William carried all this time enabled him to slay the Taotie he fought before entering the Wall. To test the hypothesis, William suggests that they should capture a Taotie alive and agrees to help. This results in his delaying his escape plans, which puts him at odds with Tovar who nevertheless delays his escape plan to assist William, much to Ballard's chagrin. During the next attack, the Taotie are numerous enough to cause Lin to resort to using black powder rockets, whose existence had been kept secret from the Westerners until now. They manage to capture a living Taotie and prove the hypothesis. The Taotie is taken to the capital by the envoy. A short while later, a hole is discovered in the base of the Great Wall, which the Taotie queen has used to lead her hordes to the capital. While Lin investigates, Tovar and Ballard try to escape and knock William unconscious for resisting. William is then arrested by the Chinese soldiers, and despite being saved by a statement from Peng Yong, William eventually is locked up in the Wall. Some distance away, Ballard betrays and abandons Tovar, but is himself captured by the Khitans, who inadvertently destroy themselves and Ballard after carelessly igniting the powder. Tovar reclaims the horses but is recaptured by the Deer Troop. At the capital the envoy decides to show their theory to the Song emperor, but the Taotie wakes up and signals to the Taotie queen.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

This movie, aside from the famed whitewashing, was a disappointment for me. Firstly, the CGIs were truly unreal, very fake. Then the enemies were aliens which can be controlled by magnets? Funny thing was the Chinese armies were colour coded! I just don't get it... In the end, the hero is a White man and most Chinese heroes have died. Predictable and simple as that. It was a good effort but not my cup of tea lah...