TRAVEL TO MOVIES: WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE

Director: Bruno Ascenzo

Cast: Stephanie Cayo , Maxi Iglesias , Anai Padilla , Amiel Cayo , Mayella Lloclla , Vicente Vergara , Renata Flores , Wendy Ramos , Muki Sabogal , Nicolás Galindo , Rodrigo Palacios

Plot: The opposite lives of a workaholic architect and a fiery artist are upended when their chance encounter in breathtaking Peru shifts their views on life.

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/without_saying_goodbye

My Movie Review: The movie is a nice little treat let you explore the wonderful destinations and enjoy the journey along the way, the night cap festivities' and the people give in camp vibe! Without Saying Goodbye is a romance about self-discovery through love filmed in spectacular sites around Peru making it a escapist but in such a good way, highly recommend this feature:) Having said that this film mainly suffers from poor writing, superficial at times based its strength on actor's charisma and nothing much happen insightful- not memorable I've forgot how it end! The story moves forward very quickly, failing to properly establish the characters even though the actors do a decent job, the plot is so predictable and the dialogue seems stiff and forced! This takes away from the realism in the film, making the characters seem somewhat dumb at times I don't understand why a man would chase after a woman that says she doesn't believe in marriage or romance, compares it like to being chained to a bridge and every time a problem comes her way she runs: she's not worth it say she's 34 but looks more mature like 44 sheesh! The lead actors are attractive and relaxed together as they dive into a pool, go backpack together and argue through the mountains if you take it lightly you enjoy it just don't dwell on it, some light comedy never gets too broad or irritating; the romance doesn't become a pointlessly steam mashfest; the drama keenly avoid being too deep instead rehash make things go away:) The nice takeaway is like you experience all they showed in the movie, it was so satisfying specially the culture shown in it, personally I am unexposed in those parts of the world but watching that made me realize what I want to do travel, discover cultures, different languages, come across people and know their lives, part shown in most natural way they ace so worth it:)

Movie News: ‘Without Saying Goodbye’ on Netflix, a Romantic Drama Set Against the Luscious Backdrop of Peru! Netflix movie Without Saying Goodbye is a romantic drama with comedic tendencies and scads upon scads of handsome scenery. So get ready to get lost in countless drone shots of Peruvian mountaintops and Cuzco cityscapes, and maybe find yourself lost in a romance between an architect and an artist. You know, opposites attract and all that, but they sure seem to be more heavily magnetized when the backdrop is this beautiful! The Gist: Salvador Campodonico (Maxi Iglesias) wakes up at zero-dark, his to-do list exploding on his phone. He hits the gym and takes a shower so we can understand how he maintains the ripped physique which we’ll get several opportunities to ogle throughout the movie. Then he heads to work – he’s an architect for his father’s hotel conglomerate, the biggest in Spain. Salvador remodels hotels into gleaming high-class urban monstrosities or beauties, depending on your point of view. He works so much, he makes your average workaholic look like Brad Pitt in True Romance. Cayo is magnetic as an unapologetic bohemian whose joie de vivre is cut with the melancholy of her tragic past. She finds nuance in her character, most importantly, transcends cliches. Thank the deity of your choice the Peruvian tourism board seems to have directed this movie, because its biggest draw is Peru itself. The mountains, the valleys, the lovely rugged terrain, the clouds kissing the peaks, the burbling brooks, the peaceful wooded expanses. Cuzco bustles with charm, delicious-looking food, lively people, rich cultural textures. Book your vacation now and imagine what a hotel full of $400/night rooms would look like among the stone churches and other loving preserve historical architectural delights, right:)

Source: https://decider.com/2022/03/21/without-saying-goodbye-netflix-review/

TRAVEL TO PLACES: SINGAPORE-- LIHO TEA- NO. 1 BUBBLE TEA

My Personal Experience: I went to Downtown East in Singapore, one of the nearest mall in our area and found Liho Tea on the mall entrance and considered the No. 1 Bubble Tea Chain!! I went there around August 2022 and it's my first time visiting Downtown East alone and it's relaxing to see this place with lesser people just a chill afternoon drinking my Wintermelon Tea!

LiHO Tea- No. 1 Bubble Tea

LiHO Tea- No.1 Bubble Tea Chain in Singapore 2025, it is a famous Bubble Tea in Singapore, known for its creative Tea variety, Cheese Tea. The first outlet of this chain was established in 2017 by Royal T Group. We were the first major Tea chain in Singapore to introduce Cheese Tea on a commercial level. The word “LiHO” means “How are you” in Hokkien Language. It became very popular and gained a loyal following for its creative tea flavors. Started in 2017, the chain is currently running 85 outlets in Singapore. Its famous drinks: Cheese Tea, Avocado Smoothie, Da Hong Pao Milk Tea, and Earl Grey Milk Tea. Soon it expanded across Singapore!

Source: https://lihoteasg.org/

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: WINDFALL

Director: Charlie McDowell

Cast: Lily Collins , Jesse Plemons , Jason Segel , Omar Leyva

Plot: A Hitchcockian thriller following a wealthy couple who arrive at their vacation home only to find it's being robbed. A man breaks into a tech billionaire's empty vacation home, but things go sideways when the arrogant mogul and his wife arrive for a last-minute getaway. The plot unfolds as the couple initially tries to deal with the intruder, but events spiral out of control leading to a series of unfortunate, and ultimately deadly, outcomes. The film explores themes of greed, wealth, and the dangers of opportunism.

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/windfall_2022

My Movie Review: The movie is aesthetically pleasing supposed to be deliciously dark but one leave some unwanted aftertaste but what matter is the journey while chewing it quite tasty! Windfall is a solid enough chamber piece and a showcase for its three leads' talents, but on a story level it struggles to establish the themes it brings up uncertainty and unbalance trajectory! Coolly efficient noir traps Lily Collins into this victim-aggressor dynamics aren't all they initially seem in this lean silent, mean domestic hostage story from Se7en writer Andrew Kevin Walker! It starts off with kind of a wacky, Coen Brothers energy and then turns into a much darker thriller, it's an intriguing premise and I liked the cast they balance each other plus a random gardener hired by the wealthy couple, accidentally falls through glass door, result in fatal injury! There's a crackle missing from the dialogue, the script outdone by McDowell's crisp, bright visuals- a hell of a house and sun kissed dry plantation of oranges want you slurge on the zest! The film's overall minimalist approach reminded me more than once of Steven Soderbergh's work. Bottom line: this movie is nothing earth-shattering but still worthy checking out on casual! This is what happened the wife successfully escapes the robber's grasp she walks up and down the long driveway, something changes in her face and she makes a decision as Nobody is about to leave, she smashes him on the head, kills him but instead of untying her husband and setting him free, she shoots him dead and plants the gun in Nobody's hand, what a twist!?!

Critics Consensus: Windfall is hardly a bounty of cinematic riches, but a killer cast keeps this minimalistic thriller from going creatively bankrupt. Short, sharp and mostly satisfying, this is a thriller that sticks to the stripped-back fundamentals of the genre — no more, no less. There's at least one great performance in here, and the whole venture clocks in at a blissfully brief 90 minutes. It should be commended, however for making its flawless setting as claustrophobic for us as it is for the three characters. Although Windfall efforts to not be “more of the same” is what makes it entertaining, the fact that the movie ends with a forced climax that's typical of the genre that it tried so hard to undermine is even more frustrating. Windfall embodies a classic noir suspense story, fraught with some incredible character performances from Jesse Plemons, Lily Collins, and Jason Segel. Terrible, talky three-hander...A good idea squandered, waste of a top cast. Chalk it up as a dud. From the retro font and music of the opening titles, Windfall announces itself as a throwback, Hitchcock-esque thriller, and proceeds, in its tidy runtime, to deliver. What could’ve been an unequivocal thrill transgresses into a languid chamber piece loaded with dramatic tedium and rote acting...The performances are good as Segel, Collins, and Plemons make the most of what they’re given. But the commentary is uninspired and barely explored. And the vague hints of tension aren’t enough to make this throwback thriller as good as it could have been. A modest, intriguing little crime drama that lets Jesse Plemons kind of take over for stretches and do his thing which I always approve off:)

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/windfall_2022/reviews

TRAVEL TO PLACES: SINGAPORE-- BIRDS OF PARADISE

My Peronal Experience: I went to Birds Of Paradise in Katong their first and most successful branch of their ice cream company last December 20, 2022, night time together with my sister:) Birds Of Paradise is always pact of customers and patrions make sure you come prepare to hustle with the crowd while picking flavors and this visit come surprise to me never know going!

Birds Of Paradise

Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique creates botanical gelato that is flavoured using real, natural ingredients: fruits, flowers, pods, herbs and spices. Within two years of opening, gelato boutique Birds of Paradise made it into the Michelin Guide; today, another six years later, its founding Katong outlet still attracts long queues. The local brand is now Singapore's only Michelin-featured ice-cream parlour, with a spot on the “selected establishments” list. Pricing is reasonable too, with a double scoop costing around $9. Our favourite flavour is lychee raspberry, followed by white chrysanthemum - cocoa nibs. The mango sorbet is also wonderful!

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=singapore+birds+of+paradise+ice+cream&

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: BLACK CRAB

Director: Adam Berg

Cast: Noomi Rapace , Jakob Oftebro , Dar Salim , Erik Enge , Ardalan Esmaili , David Dencik , Aliette Opheim , Martin Hendrikse , Cecilia Säverman , Joakim Sällquist , Nora Rios , Ilir Latifi..

Plot: Black Crab is a Swedish action thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world torn apart by war! During a long, harsh winter, six soldiers embark on covert mission across a frozen archipelago, risking their lives to transport a mysterious package that could end the war. As they enter hostile enemy territory, they have no idea what dangers lie ahead or who--if anyone--they can trust. But for speed skater turned soldier Caroline Edh, the mission is about something else entirely. Starring Noomi Rapace in film directed by Adam Berg, Black Crab follows six soldiers on a desperate mission to bring an end to the war which has destroyed their lives.

My Movie Review: The movie is a very well made deep freeze action thriller unfortunately hampered by idiotic character motivations, a bit of a different twist on the post apocalyptic war:) Black Crab was entertaining but flawed yet still enjoyable, great opening scene that grabs your attention then falls off a bit overall a very good film and an unusual take on the unknown future! The lack of context, which others have downvoted it for and it lacks a lot of being anything memorable or exciting, thank its particular strength is the lead Noomi Rapace who is quite a great actress and phenominal in her role as a speed skater forced to take part in a civil war in an often tense yet mostly forgettable action film, this Swedish apocalyptic thriller has a lot of big violence ,some obscenity in language and people as injured or killed in a variety of manner! The film is about a story of an ordinary person with her hope, wishes and traumas- I like the fact that it depicts wars from different perspective, war wages on in a post-apocalyptic Sweden! Volunteer soldier Caroline (Noomi Rapace) teams up with five others to embark on a death-defying icy backdrop, it's explained there's an ice-covered archipelago where the team must cross and deliver two packages to a research facility at the other end of the archipelago, which lead to victory operation black crab, they win, they can leave the army and do what they want! So much so while the story, based on Jerker Virdborg's novel of the same name, is fictional, Sweden does have a specialized unit that trains to conduct covert operations in the harshest conditions, like what is shown in Black Crab. Though its core concept is executed well, Black Crab's dour tone, shallow writing and derivative plot-beats make for a movie experience that leaves you as cold as the ice its characters forced to skate on you'll still want to see it through:)

Critics Consensus: Black Crab can be exciting in the moment, but its bleak and derivative story add up to a fairly forgettable viewing experience. For those who could use a break from real explosions on the news, the fake ones in “Black Crab” are well-crafted, exciting and mostly harmless. Though its core concept is executed well, Black Crab’s dour tone, shallow writing and derivative plot-beats make for a movie experience that leaves you as cold as the ice its characters are forced to skate on. Black Crab is more than sufficiently gripping to make you want to see it through. There may never be an answer to all the unanswered questions in Black Crab, but one thing is for certain, the movie lacks certain elements of crucial storytelling! While the world-building leaves too much to the imagination and some of the characters lack much needed depth, “Black Grab” still manages to get its hooks in you. It is not exemplary of genre that exploits dystopian habitats, but it mobilizes enough facets to warrant satisfactory result. The action is often bloody but unfailingly tense and gripping. For "Black Crab" to succeed, Berg needs its central mission to be riveting and atmospheric an original take on a familiar concept. For the most part, he does just that, with the films middle hour a dark and icy quest that's a welcome reprieve. This Swedish thriller is example of an action film that would have benefitted from more story, could leave viewers as cold as icy Nordic atmosphere. Bergs film rarely inspires anything beyond a distanced recognition of his shallow pastiche. Rapace makes a experience comprising not much other than misery and suffering, it's worth tolerating:)

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_crab/reviews

TRAVEL TO PLACES: SINGAPORE-- TANJONG KATONG ROAD

My Personal Experience: I went to Tanjong Katong Road last December 20, 2022, it's a jump from the date from my last post since I came back to Singapore that year for a second time too around Christmas Season that rarely done as I spent days during those time in the Philippines! Tanjong Katong Road really come alive during at night when neon lights pops, glad I've seen it!

Tanjong Katong Road

Tanjong Katong was an early landmark in Singapore. It marked the eastern boundary of the British settlement that Stamford Raffles established in 1819. The new night light life and old boundaries of Tanjong Katong spanned the coastal stretch from Upper East Coast Road to Tanjong Rhu. While it is now a self-contained estate, Tanjong Katong used to be known for its boathouses and beachside retreats. The main Tanjong Katong Road now stretches from Sims Avenue to Tanjong Katong Road South, Tanjong Katong Flyover link with East Coast Parkway:)

Source: https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail=b07a0dea-48c0-4969-a1d5-9b3eab25021d

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: THE ADAM PROJECT

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds , Walker Scobell , Mark Ruffalo , Jennifer Garner , Catherine Keener , Zoe Saldana , Alex Mallari Jr. , Braxton Bjerken , Kasra Wong , Lucie Guest , Mellanie Hubert

Plot: A time-traveling pilot teams up with his younger self and his late father to come to terms with his past while saving the future after unintentionally crash landing in 2022.

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_adam_project

My Movie Review: The movie is long overdue heard it before and I thought it's never gonna happen until it did but I didn't watch it right away but one click away there's out to be discovery! I thought it lost its momentum for being release later than expected so I decided to skip it for awhile and put it on my list until I came back for it the thing I like were hiding in plain sight! Pretty much what everyone else said this is beautifully well done from start to finish it's a cinematic masterpiece that delivers on every front- the cinematography, the characters arc, an actual great story with great scripting and direction plus lesson in life looking back and moving! Basically what I felt like I was deprived of this whole time longer really good storytelling they finally have it here in this movie with the script and direction are spot on, providing a refreshing change from the typical Hollywood fare and biggest blockbuster with its heart at the center of it! It strikes the perfect balance between emotion and humor, seamlessly blending heartwarming moments with laugh-out comedy exception in an industry saturated with uninspired storytelling! Surprisingly good heartfelt as expected by the reviews and marketing, but also some good sci-fi action love the dynamics of the young actor which was excellent and Ryan Reynolds was always at his best and of course the strong supporting cast was right of no small impact either:) The film ranks as the third most popular movie on Netflix worldwide, accumulating 157.6 million views in its first 28 days safe to say that The Adam Project is a sleeper hit and lowkey success!

Critics Consensus: You've seen Ryan Reynolds do this sort of thing before, but The Adam Project offers slickly entertaining and occasionally even moving sci-fi action. There's nothing as good as Back to the Future, but I think Levy finds the heart to this picture. It really works. There are far worse ways to spend 106 minutes of your life, but The Adam Project seems likely to fade from the memories of Netflix viewers relatively quickly meaning it's pretty in line with most of the Netflix original films that have come before it. Shawn Levy’s straight-to-Netflix sci-fi feature is a heartfelt journey for the whole family. “The Adam Project” latches onto viewers and takes them on an exhilarating joyride. The Adam Project is not a perfect film, but it’s exactly the kind of film we need right now: a highly enjoyable adventure with the right dose of nostalgia and plenty of heart. The Adam Project will undoubtedly be a big hit for Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds. The film goes beyond its sci-fi time travel tropes and delivers some wonderful character-rich performances. Has great character roles from Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffulo and new comer Walker Scobell they all have great chemistry that even in times of this being very silly it never goes off the rails! That’s probably all the audience should expect from a picture like this, one released direct-to-streaming for delivery of perfunctory content meant to bring eyes to the service, but not providing the level of quality one can often find at the cineplex. The goal here is to make you feel good about the magic that movies can grab a hold of, even if only temporarily--and how simple father-son pathos can cue the waterworks when it performed well!

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_adam_project/reviews