Keeping it real, reviewing as a hobby isn’t sustainable by itself. As I plan to convert this site into a full-blown website for film, TV, and pop entertainment, it will require some out-of-pocket expenses, which ain’t cheap from my side of the world.
It would be awesome if a few of my readers would help keep this blog going so I can continue writing about films, shows, and many other things that I wish to share. Maybe even a YouTube channel in the future. For now, I’m just doing this because I love doing it.
Last year, Netflix introduced Moments, a mobile feature that lets you save, relive, and share unforgettable scenes like Wednesday Addams’s viral dance moves or the debut of Saja Boys’ iconic track “Soda Pop,” in KPop Demon Hunters, which now ranks as Netflix’s most popular moment.
Whether you’re reliving the demon boy band’s entrance into the K-pop scene or replaying their hit song on loop, it’s clear fans love having a way to hold on to the scenes that stick — and now here are even more ways to make them your own.
Today, alongside the release of Wednesday Season 2, Part 2, Netflix is rolling out an update that lets you set both a starting point and an end point when saving a scene — so you can turn your favorites into full clips to save, relive, and share anytime.
When you’re watching on mobile, tap the “Clip” button when you hit a scene you love. Now you’ll see the option to adjust where the scene ends, so you can make the clip as long or as short as you like. Once saved, it’ll live in your “My Netflix” tab, where you can rewatch or share whenever you want.
So cue up Wednesday and start creating the clips that deserve to live forever in your personal Addams family archive, hand-picked, of course.
Watch the how-to video and read this article on TUDUM.
Genie, Make a Wish is written by Kim Eun-sook (The Glory) and tells the enchanting story of Jinn (Kim Woo-bin), a genie who awakens after a thousand years, and Ka-young (Suzy), his new impassive master. The show blends romantic comedy around their conflicts over three wishes, which sets the stage for a magical twist of destiny, desire, and of course – love.
Genie, Make a Wish follows the story of Genie — a magic spirit in a lamp who has come back to the human world after a millennium of his career being put on hold — encounters Ka-young, an impassive woman who goes through the motions of life by her grandmother’s rules and her own routines.
Kim Woo-bin(Officer Black Belt, Black Knight) portrays Genie. Unlike the kind Genie everyone is familiar with, he is a Satan who tempts and corrupts humans with three wishes. However, he’s not just any Satan—he’s an eccentric character who has awakened after a thousand years and is naive about the world.
Suzy(Doona!, Start-up) plays the role of Ka-young, the owner of the Genie’s lamp. She is an emotionless psychopath, but not just any psychopath—she is an extraordinary and beautiful woman raised with hope by her grandmother and the entire village, possessing wealth, education, and beauty.
Supporting them are Ahn Eun-jin (Goodbye Earth, The Good Bad Mother) as the mysterious Mi-joo. Noh Steve Sang-hyun (Love in the Big City, Pachinko) as Soo-hyun, Genie’s brother and rival. Ko Kyu-phil(The Fiery Priest, Veteran) as Sayyid, Genie’s assistant who’s secretly a black jaguar. Lee Zoo-young (The 8 Show, Believer 2) as Min-ji, Ka-young’s only friend.
Yet another promo using the voice of the late legendary astronomer Carl Sagan, quoting his book, The Pale Blue Dot. I just wish this film would justify using Carl again for legitimacy.
The day starts like any other. From Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow comes A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE.
Starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, and Jason Clarke. In select theaters October 3 in the UK, globally October 10 and on Netflix October 24.
A famous movie once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” I would have preferred receiving a box of chocolates over this, but this drama from Java Indonesia, locally released as Traditional Kamasutra Teacher (International title: Gowok: Javanese Kamasutra), definitely served a mountain of surprises.
Don’t let the title fool you. One would immediately suspect a sticky show about sensuality education, or maybe a story about a book illustrator and a nude model. I was suspecting something of the former at the start of the press screening. Was I in for a wild ride.
In the beautiful province of Java, Indonesia, it was customary for the groom’s family to hire the services of a gowok to teach household and sexuality to the boy before marriage. It’s like an early bachelor’s party, but more religious ritual.
The family of Kamanjaya (the young Kamanjaya played by Devano Danendra, the older played by Reza Rahadian) arranges for the services of the local gowok Santi (Lola Amaria). On the morning of the presentation, the young Kamanjaya instantly takes note of the enchanting Ratri (Raihaanun) – Santi’s servant and gowok apprentice. A secret romance would bloom between noble and servant, despite Santi performing the ritual that bound her to the boy.
The first half hour was an endless exposition of rituals that I thought were going to bore me to death. To be fair, explaining where and how the gowok custom began, and the introduction to a few Javanese traditions were all interesting if slightly encyclopaedic. All the info dumps were welcome to a point.
Having completed his transition to adulthood, Kamanjaya is sent to the provincial capital and married off to the provincial princess, to Ratri’s devastation. Betrayed, Ratri throws her energy into becoming the best gowok successor to Santi, and at the same time, involves herself with the emerging women’s movement brought into Java by the communist Chinese. I didn’t know this film was about female empowerment, I told myself. Again, I was wrong. I should keep checking myself for giving things too much credit too soon.
Fast forward more than ten years, and the royal family descends into their little town to seek the services of the legendary gowok for the ritual manhood of the young prince, Bagas (Ali Fikry.) Out of spite for Kamanjaya, Ratri agrees to be the gowok of Kamanjaya’s son. In a private conversation, Ratri confronts Kamanjaya, but nothing is resolved between them. Worse, she casts a love spell on the young boy. The boy is smitten, to the point of violence. Thus, Santi says, the curse of the gowok continues.
It’s at this point that the film takes the mantle of Shakespearean opera away and goes full-blown Bollywood-meets-Greek-tragedy (minus song and dance). Before the screening, I was suspecting a less violent but equally sleazy Jan Dara (2001), but it turns out Gowok was as narratively violent but without the sleaze. So I was only off by half.
Like a roller coaster ride that has lost its brakes, Traditional Kamasutra Teacher made so many twists and turns that the audience in my screening began to laugh. More to its silliness and propensity towards the absurd, but after some time, the laughter was definitely because we were enjoying the ride, with all due respect to the filmmakers.
You see, the film was shot gorgeously – the tropical, lush Java landscape captured stunningly by cinematography and production design. The actors clearly gave it their all, especially Raihaanun. It’s a story that Filipinos can easily recognize: rich boy, poor girl, bad family karma. What was enjoyable was the melodrama that could have been a Pinoy film from the golden age of the 1980s – shouting matches, slaps and counter-slaps, adopted children, jealousy, revenge, over-the-top orchestral music, dictatorship, death and machetes – everything including the kitchen sink.
The film overpowers with its melodrama, that it was impossible not to succumb to its camp. I mean this as a compliment. It’s like a full season of twisted Pinoy teleserye in one movie sitting. I totally did not expect this to go batshit “reveal the missing diary stashed behind the ref” level (that’s a Pinoy soap reference). So crazy fun.
And so Traditional Kamasutra Teacher became an R-rated tropical Romeo and Juliet-turned full season of Days of Our-Lives set in the tumult of Martial Law Java. How’s that for a pitch?
Traditional Kamasutra Teacher shows exclusively in Ayala Malls Cinemas on September 3, 2025, as the first title under the new “A-REEL ASIA: Stories from the Heart of the East” program of Ayala Malls Cinemas.
Traditional Kamasutra Teacher (AKA Gowok) Exit reaction:
Don’t let the title fool you.
At some point, the film overpowers with its melodrama that it is impossible not to succumb to its camp. I mean this as a compliment. It’s like a full season of twisted pinoy teleserye in one movie sitting. I totally did not expect this to go batshit “ilabas ang nawawalang diary sa likod ng ref” level. So crazy fun.
Exclusively screening in Ayala Malls cinemas beginning Sept 3.
Darren Aronofsky’s attempt at being unserious is just fun enough for a bloody wild misadventure, but leaves a mildly dour aftertaste. Thank goodness it has all Austin Butler super beefcake power.
Review next week, closer to the local release date.
In cinemas Sept 10 from Columbia Pictures Philippines
Further thoughts on Kpop Demon Hunters, once more.
I’m more interested in the eventual deal between Sony Animation and Netflix for the expected sequel and other content. Neither of them thought this would spawn a huge IP, and so Sony sold it to Netflix for a pittance just to get something after developing it for almost a decade. Now that Netflix is forced to hire the same team (unless they want to risk backlash), which will now ask for higher pay and maybe a sign-up bonus to compensate for the measly amount they got in the first place.
Netflix will need that sing-along box office cash to pay for the eventual sequel with Sony Animation.
As for the awards season – again, not sure if Netflix is paying attention. KDH is already a lock for the Oscar, against Demon Slayer (Japan), NeZha 2 (China) and Zootopia 2. (Elio? Will Disney dare?) But if you ask me, KDH has a shot for original screenplay.
If the Globes will nominate Sinners in Drama, KDH should join Wicked 2 in Comedy & Musical. If that happens, KDH should then appear as the 10th BP nominee (or maybe under the best boxoffice category) at the Oscars.
I hope Netflix grabs the opportunity to flex its content. Can anyone please take it seriously now?
Reviewing “Starfleet” the documentary, as a film in the 24th century (AKA Strange New Worlds S3E7):
Media crewman Beto Ortegas (Mynor Luken) presents an in-universe documentary that seeks to define what Starfleet is from the point of view of the main officers of the crew of Starfleet’s flagship, the Enterprise.
Narratively uneven, dishonest, and obsessed with form. After going about following officers in their stations and quarters and interrogating them, the docu makes this haphazard definition of what Starfleet is about. No portion from the regular ensigns, the brutes in the lower decks, the admins from HQ who send commands from shareholder boardrooms.
I mean, its coverage is amazing, that it has a camera angle for every line of dialogue. I wondered, as a filmmaker, how the documentarist was able to have his ONE drone instantly fly and find an angle for cut-to-cut multiple conversations. Also hate it when the documentarist tries to take center of attention.
AS AN EPISODE, I hate the excessive cutting for the effect.
That said, Strange New Worlds S3E7 is relevant to the times, and is symbolic that it is told from the POV of youth.
acid reflects 