TRAVEL TO MOVIES: THE INVISIBLE THREAD

Director: Marco Simon Puccioni

Cast: Filippo Timi , Francesco Scianna , Francesco Gheghi , Giulia Maenza , Valentina Cervi , Jodhi May , Matteo Oscar Giuggioli , Emanuele Maria Di Stefano , Mauro Conte , Gerald Tyler

Plot: A teenage son of two fathers makes a documentary about his parents but is surprised when a real-life plot twist occurs in his family.

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

My Movie Review: The movie is very forward thinking it's innovative explores the breaking up of a two-dad family and use humour to tackle complex themes such partnership and blood ties! This charming Italian rom-com/coming-of age dramedy is a feel good tale with heart, easy to follow story and creating opportunities to ask questions without sacrifacing the humour and wit! I never know I will have much fun watching The Invisible Thread deals with the cultural issue of same-sex love and dual paternity, has lazy sassy couch vibe but as it progress make sense! Catch up with the major events of Leone’s (Francesco Gheghi) life autobiographical school video project: He has two dads; the cool one is Simone (Francesco Scianna), a restaurateur, and the uncool one is Paolo (Filippo Timi), a furniture retailer. Gay couples can’t legally adopt in Italy, so they found a surrogate mother, Tilly (Jodhi May), to carry a child for them, and although she lives in the U.S., she’s very much a part of their lives. By the time Leone was 11, Simone and Paolo could finally be legally joined in a civil union. By the time he was 15, which he is now, both his fathers’ names could be on his birth certificate, so everything’s officially official, although the legality of that is fluid, so we’ll see if it sticks, or possibly has something to do with the progression of the plot. Gheghi is the movie’s most lovable presence, finding the sweet spot between naivete/confidence, tapping into palpable uncertainty when both qualities are obliterated by fresh circumstances, forcing him to find a new ways to navigate through life:)

Critics Reviews: I really did enjoy The Invisible Thread. While the film is slightly unbalanced from the pedigree of acting performances, and it’s pacing, there’s a lot here to enjoy. The Invisible Thread has its moments, but its mixture of drama and comedy is far too lumpy to recommend. The story didn't thrill me! This character-driven dramatic comedy remains wholly engaging from start to finish. Leone’s 110-minute coming-of-age story might not overstayed its welcome if it wasn’t so frequently interrupted by drawn-out scenes of his two petty, vindictive asshole fathers hysterically yelling at each other, scenes which don’t function either as broad comedy or plausible drama. That’s a tough tone to strike, and credit director and co-writer Marco Simon Puccioni for taking a stab at it, but the gamble doesn’t pay off. What Puccioni ends up with is two movies: A grating divorce saga crossbred with the potentially winning story of Leone’s attempt to muddle his way to adulthood as his personal life shifts from smooth-sailing to perilously choppy waters. The writing is remarkably uneven – ham-handed situations frequently threaten to derail the easy charm Gheghi lends to scenes of teenage travails. A significant plot thread addresses the question of who Leone’s true biological father is, leading to dumb jokes about semen cocktails and actions by Paolo and Simone that come off as cruel and thoughtless, even for these irritating & illogical characters. That's it, happy family so happy!

Source: https://decider.com/2022/03/07/the-invisible-thread-on-netflix-stream-it-or-skip-it/

TRAVEL TO PLACES: SINGAPORE-- TRAS STREET

My Personal Experience: I went to the hip Tras Street in Tanjong Pagar last August 27, 2022, together with my sister who took my pictures to this colorful walls along the hallways and road! Tras Street is a sight to behold with such vibrant energy of the paint through establishments along the way truly an experience itself, this outlets offer different service's most trendy in style!

Tras Street

Tras Street is a street located in Tanjong Pagar in the Outram Planning Area and Downtown Core in Singapore. The road connects Enggor Street and Gopeng Street to Cook Street, and is intersected by Wallich Street. The street is named after Tras, a small town near Raub, Pahang, Malaya. It dates from an 1898 municipal resolution to "use names of rivers and districts in the Malay Peninsula as being better adapted to the purpose than the names of persons or families". Other Malayan place assigned in the same year to new streets laid out on either side of Anson Road near Tanjong Pagar included Bernam (after the Bernam River), Gopeng (after Gopeng near to their Ipoh, Perak), Enggor (after Enggor, Perak) & Raub (after Raub, Pahang)!!

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tras_Street

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: THE WEEKEND AWAY

Director: Kim Farrant

Cast: Leighton Meester , Christina Wolfe , Ziad Bakri , Luke Norris , Amar Bukvic , Iva Mihalic , Adrian Pezdirc , Parth Thakerar , Marko Braic , Lujo Kuncevic , Sinisa Novkovic , Maro Drobnic

Plot: A weekend getaway to Croatia goes awry when a woman is accused of killing her best friend and her efforts to get to the truth uncover a painful secret.

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

My Movie Review: The movie is suspenseful mystery great thriller with twists and turns that bring plenty of surprises, based on the book by Sarah Alderson about a woman whose friend is murdered while they're on vacation in Croatia only to find out the killer's closer than she thinks! Leighton Meester shines the impeccable qualities match as does Croatia primarily filmed in Split, Croatia, the film also features scenes in other Croatian cities like Dubrovnik and Zagreb! Specific locations within Split that's breathtaking and scenic were used include Peristil Square, the Palace Cellars and Zenta Club, I'll like the blue waters you can really feel the vacation vibe! A decent crime drama whilst it may take a little time to get into, The Weekend Away does have an interesting plot , it's a mystery that makes you look further but the culprit is within reach full of surprises, as character who appear suspicious at first glance remains suspicious throughout! While looking for her car keys, she finds beads from a necklace she gave Kate in Rob's coat pocket as the mystery come to unfold, she realizes Rob the husband she loves killed Kate and confronts him while on the line with the police. He admits he flew to Croatia to stop Kate from revealing their affair, argued with her and pushed her into the water before running off to home! The two main cast Christina Wolfe-Kate and Leighton Meester-Beth are just lovely to watch! The duo's class act with that rekindled friendship mystery and all, just make this a perfect 10! Moreover, Ziad Bakri-Zain, Amar Bukvić-Pavic and Adrian Pezdirc-Sebastian, the escort actors' performances boost the edgy experience' as they make any scenes tense and more impactful:)

Critics Consensus: The Weekend Away makes for all excessive painless enough home viewing experience, but Leighton Meester's performance deserved a better film. Not a bad little number, this, well-directed to the genre template by Kim Farrant and with an excellent supporting performance by Luke Norris as Beth's husband Rob. His scene on the phone is a mini-masterclass in emotionally authentic acting. A large glass of white wine on a Friday night! While it does not break the mold of a disappearance thriller in any way, The Weekend Away is an enjoyable 90-minute ride of tension and suspense set in beautiful Croatia. Despite its narrative exaggerations, A Weekend Away is an enjoyable thriller thanks to the escalation of its tension and effective execution. A nifty little thriller that sets up its premise and then draws you in as each potential solution turns out to be another red herring. Leighton Meester tries her best but she can't overcome the holes in the plot. This is the kind of movie actresses make when they wish to prove they're more than just a pretty face - or are desperate to be taken seriously. Meester wears no make-up, dresses frumpy, puts on a few pounds to play a post-partum mom, and goes method.  Fast-moving enough to provide a decent night’s disposable home entertainment for viewers whose expectations aren’t geared higher. The film manages to craft some solid suspense and keeps you glued with a quick pace and some unexpected characters in a truly alluring location. Predictable and clunky as may be, The Weekend Away is watchable as hell serving suspenseful showcase a strong performance from Leighton Meester!

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

TRAVEL TO PLACES: SINGAPORE-- TANJONG PAGAR

My Personal Experience: I went to Tanjong Pagar for the first time last August 27, 2022, together with my sister and her husband working nearby I want to come finally we made a visit! Tanjong Pajar is unexpected oasis in the heart of business district and it's getting modern by the minute with lot of running food establishments that are uniquely crafted-- truly is on the rise!

Tanjong Pagar

Located at the gateway of the Central Business District, Tanjong Pagar has an interesting mix of old and new charm. It is home to one of the oldest Historic Districts with beautiful conserved shophouses, local hawker centres, modern cafes and markets, hotels, residences, and also the tallest building in Singapore. Tanjong Pagar is probably the most diverse part of Central Business District and the stakeholders hope to capitalize on this diversity, our attributes, assets and offerings to build strong community where the people and businesses are well connected:)

Source: https://www.discovertanjongpagar.sg/about-discover-tanjong-pagar/

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: AGAINST THE ICE

Director: Peter Flinth

Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Joe Cole , Heida Reed , Charles Dance , Diarmaid Murtagh , Gísli Örn Garðarsson , Nick Jameson , Þorsteinn Bachmann , Frankie Wilson , Árni Lárusson

Plot: Against the Ice is a true story of friendship, love, survival, and the power of the human spirit as two men (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole) trek unknown parts of Greenland on a harrowing expedition that changed history.

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

My Movie Review: The movie is cold yet warm delivers all the delirious period drama thrills and survival horror angst that you could want from a movie with that title fill up me some chills:) Against The Ice is based on a true story of two men who didn’t hesitate to take the journey to explore Greenland’s vast landscape. It was a part of Denmark’s 1909 polar expedition where they set an example of true friendship, love, and courage. I loved their conversations and most importantly their strength to fight with the polar bear without flinching an eye. I equally admired their way of surviving but in the later months, they started hallucinating a lot and cracked conversations while running ideas in their brain if their loved ones are dead or alive. A fantastic film in every respect brilliant and on-location photography in one of the wildest, harshest, most challenging yet beautiful climates and scenery in the world. Every aspect had obviously been thoroughly researched, especially that of surviving despite deprivation, storms, near-starvation and other near-disasters that have been inevitable in Arctic exploration expedition it's hardcore! Although its mostly enjoyable one and impressive first half honestly it lost me towards the middle or the latter part though not quite as gripping as it could have been given the intensity of the situation, but charged with just pacing scenes and incredible phenomenon I still quite find myself underwhelm I don't know if got boring it deserves a better second half rather a safe one!

Critics Consensus: Against the Ice isn't the most original or exciting wilderness thriller, but viewers in search of man-versus-nature entertainment could easily do worse. Considering the epic nature of the trek, the film did feel rather pedestrian. This one is interesting because it plays out in a very particular way that actually has something to do with what's happening today. A tense encounter with an angry polar bear and a phantom hot air balloon are highlights during the endless plodding across the frozen wilderness. Many unforgettable moments of tension and deprivation will surely grip the audiences’ attention. However, the slow and sloppy pacing ultimately makes the movie a bit shaky. While it may lack the overall tension you might expect from a movie like this, the film still does a good job immersing you in its story and setting. A tropey but fairly watchable survival drama... The first half of the survival tale is engrossing and tense. The waiting around in the second with some questionable visual psychosis without the dread softens its overall impact. Although the scenery is beautiful, the action is solid rather than spectacular, and viewers of ice-bound adventures such as TV's The Terror and The North Water will know what to expect. If only a good cast was enough to salvage a plodding, tedious film from the snowy wreckage. Based on the autobiography, Against The Ice shows the grim reality of what it takes to cross arctic tundra & does a smooth job. Against the Ice has many rewarding qualities but faults threaten to throw as film off course!

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