Review Janur Ireng: Sewu Dino the Prequel (2025): Better than the original?

genre: horror, mystery, thriller

The original Sewu Dino had its moments but was ultimately underwhelming and disappointing. Still, it had enough for me to check out the prequel. Normally, I am not a fan of prequels because usually they mess up a lot of established story and lore. However, the possibility of it expanding on the lore had me excited!

And thankfully, this prequel delivers the horror goodness and then some. It starts out mysterious and weird, like it is supposed to. Usually, a film like this would slowly build tension and dread to terrify you. But writer/director Kimo Stamboel felt confident enough to let go of any subtlety and went all in on the loud and unbelievable. It was awesome. The film is so fast-paced and wild that we were entertained throughout. Yes, the film suffers from the average horror tropes. We were screaming at the characters to be smarter. Although at times they did explain why they couldn't have fled even if they had wanted to. 

However, long before events got super weird, Sabdo played by Marthino Lio did have enough opportunities to leave or tell his sister of the strange things he was forced to do. I am sure the sister would have believed him and left with him. But then the film would have been over, and who wants that?

Overall, I had minimal expectations but was pleasantly surprised by how much fun this was. It's not scary nor terrifying, but it did have some effective scares. And it was creepy at times. Definitely one I can recommend! So yes, it's better than the original.

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Review The Greatest Beer Run Ever! (2022): Unbelievable!

genre: adventure, comedy, drama, war

It's very possible that you might not even have heard of this film. And while we aren't the biggest Zac Efron fans, we must admit that he did a good job. Is that enough? 

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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Review A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971): It's a decent title, but Lucio Fulci has done better!

genre: giallo, horror, thriller, mystery

When looking at Lucio Fulci's filmography, I was under the impression I hadn't seen this title before. But as is the case with many titles, I had watched it but never reviewed it. To be fair, it took me a while into the film to realize it. In hindsight, this is a good thing, since I do think that this title is one of those rare thrillers that can be watched numerous times and not lose its magic.

So what is so magical about this? Well, first of all, it's a very seventies film. It starts with a psychedelic dream sequence featuring orgies, hippies, and other forms of debauchery. Second, Fulci combines grittiness with nightmares in such a way that, as a viewer, you are going to wonder what is real or not. Is it psychological or supernatural? This does create some suspense and tension. But the film doesn't contain dread in the traditional sense. This is not a giallo where you get to see multiple murders and where the killer is shown to chase his victims.

But Lucio Fulci wouldn't be Lucio Fulci if he didn't add some of his trademarks to the film. Which is blood and gore. In the opening dream sequence, there is some, and later in the film, there is a scene that got him into trouble. He was accused of animal cruelty. He got cleared once special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi (who later worked on E.T.) proved it was fake by bringing the mechanical, animatronic dog props used in the film to court. Mind you, this very random scene certainly is shocking, but has no real purpose being there. It's not even explained what the scientists were experimenting with. It's possible is one big misdirection concerning the lead character played by Florinda Bolkan.

The viewer is being misdirected once you get to the conclusion. The reveal is a little underwhelming since, up until that moment, there weren't that many red herrings thrown at you. Although it does seem like one that, if you rewatch it, events become more compelling.

That being said, I want to mention the DVD I watched. I have purchased it on Amazon.com and was surprised by how good the quality is. It sounds and looks amazing. It definitely enhanced the viewing experience for me. So if, like me, you want to add this title to your collection, you don't have to purchase the expensive boutique collection. Overall, it's a decent title, but Lucio Fulci has done better! 

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Review Silent Assassins (1988): Fun little action flick!

genre: action, martial arts

This poster does an injustice to the people involved. I mean, Sam J. Jones is the lead. But Linda Blair certainly isn't as featured as much as the poster suggests. Phillip Rhee and Jun Chong definitely have bigger roles. Phillip Rhee is most famous for the Best of the Best franchise. Jun Chong is the lead in L.A. Streetfighters a.k.a. Ninja Turf, and more importantly, he is a martial arts master (taekwondo, hapkido, judo, aikido, and boxing). Phillip Rhee, Simon Rhee (brother of Phillip Rhee), Lorenzo Lamas, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Ian Griffith, Heather Graham, and Sam J. Jones were his students.

Phillip Rhee was also involved as a producer. This is important to note, since you can be assured that, martial arts-wise, the film is going to rock. Not going to lie, I was expecting far more action than I got. Still, the action that is present is of high quality and certainly enjoyable. Everything else should be taken with a grain of salt. The story is nothing to write home about. The characterization is as minimal as it gets. But most actors gave their roles more than enough to get you invested. Especially, Bill Erwin as Dr. London and Mako as Oyama elevated the viewing experience tenfold.

And then there is Rebecca Ferratti as Miss Ami. One of the main thugs. I have never seen her before. But I can't deny that she is extremely beautiful. She also makes it worth your while. Do I really need to explain why? And no offence to Linda Blair, but for me, Rebecca was far more compelling. 

Unfortunately, you can't get this film on Blu-ray. The only version I got hold of was a German DVD (audio: German and English). It was serviceable enough for me. Only later, I found out there is an upscaled version available on YouTube. But to be honest, I don't think that version is better. 

Overall, I had fun. Maybe slightly disappointed. But younger me would have loved this wholeheartedly. Older me is a little more critical. Still, I am glad I finally got to watch it.

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Filmography Philip Rhee

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Listed here are all the titles Phillip Rhee was involved in as an actor/writer/director/producer.

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1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie Klahn's Guard (segment "A Fistful of Yen")

1983 Firefight (short)

1984 Furious

1985 Crime Killer

1985 L.A. Streetfighters

1985 Hell Squad

1988 Silent Assassins

1989 Best of the Best — also producer and storywriter

1993 Best of the Best 2 — also producer

1995 Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back — also director and producer

1998 Best of the Best 4: Without Warning — also director, producer and screenwriter

2015 Underdog Kids — also director, producer and screenwriter

2017 Two Bellmen Three (short)

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Review Dead of Winter (2025): Fargo Lite?

genre: crime, action, thriller

The only reason we checked this out was that Emma Thompson was playing a role she had never done before. Emma Thompson doing action at her age? That is very unusual. We had faith in her because we really like her. Surely, she will make this worth your while?

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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Review Undertone (2025): Very effective horror!

genre: horror, mystery

Undertone, a.k.a. The Undertone, is a return to atmospheric horror, where you basically are watching a woman listening to a bunch of MP3 files. It doesn't sound that exciting, does it?

But it is surprisingly compelling once you realize what the main focus is. Find out what we thought of it. Apparently, we didn't feel the same; perhaps that is because I am more passionate about horror films than Mrs. P.

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Review Timur (2025): OKish directorial debut from Iko Uwais!

genre: action, drama, history

Iko Uwais is an excellent martial artist. And it makes sense for him to be ambitious when it comes to his films and filmmaking in general. But not going to sugarcoat it. He still has a lot to learn.

Timur, which is based on a real incident, the 1996 Mapenduma hostage rescue in Papua, does a poor job of giving some necessary background on the terrorists and the hostages. Why are they there? What are the motives? What are their demands? I mean, I can guess, but sometimes you need to make it clear, since now they appear as a group of disorganized hoodlums and thugs. I don't mind the simplification, but it would have enhanced the subplot concerning Timur, Apolo, and Sila. It would have given some insight into the struggle Apolo is going through.  The pacing is awful. It took a while for the film to really get going, and even when it did, it would stop the momentum too many times. As if it were waiting for something grand to happen, which it didn't.

The highlights of the film are the action sequences, but unfortunately, I need to be critical of those as well. The choreography is good. But for whatever reason, Iko opted for a camera operator suffering from high anxiety. It was too jittery for my taste. Towards the end, it looked like Iko had found his rhythm. It's here where he also hits us hard emotionally speaking. Sadly, he undercut himself by giving us a generic climax I didn't care for.

Overall, the viewing experience was disappointing and didn't deliver on the high-octane action you would expect from Iko Uwais. Hopefully, he will learn from his mistakes and give us something better in the future!

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Review Black Blood a.k.a. Getih Ireng (2025): Entertaining!

genre: horror, mystery

At first glance, this might seem like your typical Indonesian horror film. But the fact that Mrs. P. actually likes this one does point out it's a little different. I think it has to do with the ambition of the lead actress, who was also involved as a producer. At times, this film feels more like a drama. 

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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i5-10400 CPU - GTX 1660 SUPER │Can it run Samson (2026)? │My thoughts on the game!

genre: crime, action, brawler, racing

A while ago, I wanted to see if my PC could run Styx: Blades of Greed. The CAN I RUN website told me I couldn't. Today, I wanted to check out Samson. Since this is an AA title, I was expecting it to have low system requirements. Apparently, it's the opposite. I was like, come on. So I tried it anyway. As it turns out, it plays just fine (in 1440P) thanks to FSR. Never used it, but this game automatically enabled it. I didn't have to tweak anything. It looks quite good. Doesn't play that smoothly due to the clunky controls. Although I am sure I will get used to it.

My thoughts on the game:

The game looks good. The combat, while very repetitive, can be fun. I wished they had added more mechanics to make it more fun. Like environmental kills, being able to use guns, etc. I didn't like the fetch quests. It's one thing if the locations are logical, but who would leave their gear and tools in almost unreachable places? On my second fetch quest, I kept looking and exploring, but couldn't find the last item. Then I tried to reach a place that I hadn't been before and got stuck. I was floating, couldn't wiggle out of it, and then the game decided to fail the mission. I was on this mission for over an hour. That did make me a little mad. If you are insisting to do missions like these, at least give the option to point out the items. Wasting time on these is simply not fun.

But don't get me started on the driving. It doesn't matter which car you use. Driving is a pain in the tuchus. In the video, I mentioned that I probably had to get used to it. But there is no getting used to cluncky driving mechanics. Most driving missions ended up with me and the targets driving in circles until I managed to get close to them. While avoiding getting hit. That required a lot of patience. 

I don't quite understand how this game ended up like this. You would expect that developers who were part of projects like Mad Max and Just Cause would deliver a game with better and smoother mechanics. I must admit that the visuals had me psyched. And it carried me through for a bit. The only reason people don't express rage about the game is the low price. But let me tell you, this game is not even worth 5 euros. Real shame! 

So no, don't buy this game, it's not worth it!

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