Review Maryam: The Untold Story a.k.a. Maryam: Janji dan Jiwa yang Terikat (2025): Not scary but very effective drama!

genre: horror, drama

Maryam has lived in the shadow of perpetual terror since childhood. Mysterious letters frequently appear to her, unknown to the sender. Even after being burned or thrown away, the letters always return, as if with a will of their own.

It is stated that the terror comes from the King of Djinns, Irfit, because he is the only one allowed to be by her side. Actually, worse. She is possessed by him and will act out against anyone whom he deems a threat. Maryam is at her wits' end and can't bear the guilt of people getting hurt and killed by the Djinn. But a few people reach out to her to have faith in God, as God is by her side. Not going to lie, this story is more heartbreaking than scary. Maryam is innocent. The one entity she used to regard as a friend turns on her, and she seems to be doomed. What can she do? Several times, we see Maryam give up and be ready to kill herself. Only to be stopped by her mother, priest, and the ones who believe. It's up to God (Allah) who dies or not. And she should remain to have faith in him. 

Now, if you are skeptical, this could be seen as nothing but religious propaganda. And sure, that is definitely true. However, the way it was presented was very effective. You could replace the religion with another, and the message will remain the same. In that regard, I viewed this as a sincere and positive story about the last line of defense. Who will be there for you in your hour of need?

Overall, the ending is a bit questionable but speaks in favour of faith. And its purpose. It serves as deep consolation. Far from perfect but sometimes all you need. This is one I can recommend!

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Review Sukma (2025): Don't bother with this one!

genre: mystery, horror, thriller

Arini, who moved to a small town to start a new life, instead faces terror after finding an ancient mirror in a secret warehouse.

The film opens with a harrowing scene and then cuts back to the past. Arini (played by Luna Maya) has to deal with a mentally unstable husband who is a threat to her and her son. He leaves. Soon after, she marries someone else and moves to a new place. This new place is an old, mysterious house where things start to happen. The film has the right idea about building suspense. But the execution of this idea is heavily flawed. It takes too long for the dread to occur. This remains an issue throughout the whole film. 

But you do feel for Arini since she is subjected to events that are definitely too much for a person to deal with. Although I do want to point out that Arini, in my opinion, is overreacting. She should take a minute and compose herself. Instead, she is in full panic mode after a few seconds when she realizes that things concerning her son might not be in order. Arini also isn't that bright. After finding out something important, instead of being cautious, she looks up the danger. And I would have been fine if this resulted in something positive for her. Unfortunately, this leads her to further trouble. I wished some other characters were smarter too. They are undoubtedly going to aggravate you.

I have seen a review where it was stated that the twist was nice and surprising. That must have come from someone who has never seen other mystery horror films before, since all of the twists and turns in this film are predictable. There is one character in this film who is hardly subtle. You even get to see this character in action in the opening scene, telling the audience this person can't be trusted. Why did they do this? It had me thinking that everything is not what it seems and that more surprises were on their way. It's not.

The ending is immensely unsatisfying. I don't mind dark endings if it really has an impact. But it doesn't. The people involved were very optimistic and probably were going for a sequel. I don't think that is in the cards. Don't get me wrong, with better pacing and direction, this could have been a better viewing experience. Thanks to the actors, except Christine Hakim, Sukma is relatively decent. But to me, it looked like Christine doesn't want to be there. Like it is beneath her. I am aware she is an icon in Indonesia. But her role was of such significance that she had to give it more effort than she did. Still, I could have overlooked all of this had the film delivered horror goodness. But it's barely there. Don't bother with this one!

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Review Michael (2026): Light biopic but fun!

genre: biography, drama, music

After having watched Michael, we had a lot to say. So much so that we had to cut it extensively. We might post a longer video in the future, but for now this will have to do.

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Review Backrooms (2026): We hated it!

genre: horror, thriller, science fiction

So yes, compared to the fans, we know very little of The Backrooms, but if you are going to introduce a general audience to this topic, you should pique the interest of people. The idea of getting stuck in a liminal space forever is a very scary notion. Seems ideal for a horror film. Except Backrooms fails to deliver in almost every aspect we look for in a horror film.

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on the film.

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Review In the Grey (2026): Entertaining but forgetable.

genre: crime, heist, action

In the Grey is like what is left over from The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, and then scraped together.

While the film shouldn't be taken seriously one bit. Everything is played in a way that you should. This is supposed to be a clever heist film, but instead of getting twist after twist, everything plays out as you predicted. So if you are hoping to be surprised, then this film won't be for you. If you are expecting typical Guy Ritchie dialogue scenes, then this won't be for you. It's not there. What you do get is decent action.

It takes a while for that to start. But once it does, you will be entertained. In that regard, it's a better film than Operation Fortune. However, this film does demonstrate that A Guy Ritchie without humour doesn't work. I know some people are tired of Guy Ritchie doing his early films over and over again. But without his signature style, the films aren't really that compelling. Granted, I had fun while it lasted but didn't think about it for even a second after I was done. Hence, I forgot to do the review.

Overall, it's definitely light on many things, but it has decent action, and sometimes, that could be enough!

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Review Masters of the Universe (2026): It's Fun!

genre: fantasy, science fiction, adventure, comedy

Apparently, Masters of the Universe underperformed at the box office. While we do acknowledge some issues, like the overall pacing, there were some things we did like. Want to know what they were?

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My thoughts on Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (XBOX SERIES X): It's OK but has some major flaw that will get in the way of enjoyment.

genre: action RPG

Hunt ghosts as two memorable characters in a story-driven action-RPG where your decisions have dramatic consequences. Solve haunting cases and battle supernatural forces, combining Antea's spiritual powers and Red's arsenal.

The Banishers is a decent game that is more of an adventure game with combat in it. Some people have complained about the combat being repetitive. I agree with this. There are RPG elements where you improve your weapons and skills, but to be honest, the progression takes too long and is not that different compared to how you start. I didn't even bother changing up my gear. I am sure those matter in some way, but OG gear is good enough. But it's something I can live with.

What is unforgivable is the backtracking. The map is big, with lots to explore, but is it worth exploring?  A lot of locations have a samey feel. This also goes for the enemies btw. There are fast travel points, but even with these it's pretty hard to find the locations. And if you do have an idea where you need to go, you probably are prevented since it requires a case or activity to be activated. It's padding of the worst kind.

After finishing the main game, there is no new game plus. The game does warn you of the point of return, so you'd better save if you still feel like exploring and solving the haunted cases that are left. I don't know. I used to love these narrative games where you had to solve mysteries. Actually, deep down I do still love them but not like this. After a while, even the compelling haunted cases feel samey. And with the immense backtracking and illogical navigation, it will take you a while to finish them.

Forza Horizon 6, this game and some others were the reason to subscribe to Game Pass again for two months. And I am glad I did. I really would have felt bamboozled if I had purchased this for 30 euros. Don't get me wrong. I was liking the game until I realized how much time you need to invest in order to progress. That would have been worth it if the investment was worth it. It's not.

I think The Banishers doesn't go deep enough about the afterlife. Actually, the main characters who should know more are also clueless. They don't even dare to mention certain terms. Probably to keep it universal. But by doing this, it kind of destroys the impact of the events that occur. The game also doesn't give you enough background on the main characters. There is one boss towards the end which should have been an emotional fight for Antea, but it ends just like another enemy you have to beat to get back to New Eden.

Overall, The Banishers could be worth it if you have a lot of patience and time. If not, forget about it!

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Review The Furious (2025): Even casual fans will love this!

genre: martial arts, action

For a while now, The Furious has been hyped like crazy. Knowing some of the actors/martial artists, I had no doubt that this film would come through. But is it really worth the hype?

Please watch/listen to our thoughts in this review.

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Filmography Xie Miao a.k.a. Mo Tse

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Listed here are all the titles Xie Miao was involved in as an actor.

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1993 Bian cheng lang zi a.k.a. A Warrior's Tragedy

1994 The New Legend of Shaolin a.k.a. Legend of the Red Dragon

1994 God of Gamblers' Return and The Return of the God of Gamblers

1995 My Father Is a Hero a.k.a. The Enforcer a.k.a Letter To Daddy a.k.a. Jet Li's The Enforcer

1995 Peter Pan

2003 Iron Lion

2008 Champions

2011 Empire of Assassins

2012 Zombies Return

2017 The Thousand Faces of Dunjia

2019 Battle of Ao Lun Prague

2019 Matchless Hero Fang Shiyu

2019 Thirteen Generals of Dahan

2019 Thirteen Generals of Dahan 2

2019 Drunken Chivalrous Conquering the Demons

2022 Eye for an Eye

2024 Eye for an Eye 2

2024 Hunt the Wicked, also known as Ji e 

2025 The Furious

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Review Coyotes (2025): It's aggravating!

genre: horror, comedy, thriller

Coyotes is being advertised as a horror comedy. Then you would expect some laughs and scares, right? Unfortunately no. The laughs weren't there. So that leaves us with the scares. There were some. But some factors got in the way of those scares. Want to know what these were? Well, watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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