Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Wednesday, 11 October 2017

nonton film • Pengabdi Setan (2017)

Source: Joko Anwar's instagram (@jokoanwar)
Posternya yang ini saja soalnya Tara Basro so prettyyy! Daripada foto ibu, ya kan?

The horror film that has taken Indonesia like a raging storm! Sudah cukup lama nggak nonton film di bioskop, dan sekalinya pergi nonton gue sendirian, dan memutuskan untuk nonton film ini. Jujur saja, gue kurang suka nonton film horror; they rarely impress me karena bagi gue biasanya setannya atau kejadiannya nggak mirip. Film horror yang terakhir gue nonton adalah ~The Conjuring 2~, karena teman-teman gue pengen kepoin "film Valak" dan "scene Valak yang serem banget di lorong" dan akhirnya gue terbawa peer pressure untuk ngepoin film ini bersama.

Ya gue ketawa doang sih waktu itu. Mungkin gue yang rusak, tapi scene-nya tuh lucu dan gak believable buat gue? My friends and I ended up breaking the scenes down together in the darkness of the theater and whisper obscene things to each other.

But anyway! We are here to talk about ~Pengabdi Setan~ karya Joko Anwar. Senang melihat animo masyarakat yang besar untuk film-film Indonesia sekarang. Gue nonton film ini di weekday, early afternoon, dengan prasangka kalau teaternya bakal agak sepi, tapi ternyata yang nonton banyak juga. Ada yang bawa anak-anak segala, padahal rating-nya D17 kalau nggak salah. Tapi nggak ada adegan senonoh kayak di film horror jaman-jaman 2000an awal, kok. Mungkin rating-nya karena ada gore-nya sedikit ya. Atau karena... Masalah yang membangun latar belakang karakter hantunya?

Oke, gue akan bahas film ini sebisa mungkin dengan spoiler sesedikit mungkin, ya. Dan disclaimer: Gue belum pernah nonton film aslinya Pengabdi Setan (1980) jadi ini pure review film versi 2017-nya aja dan pendapat gue setelah nonton. Gue nggak ada pengetahuan sama sekali dengan film aslinya dan plotnya dan seberapa bedanya versi 2017 ini dengan versi 1980.

(BTW denger-denger yang versi 1980 jadi cult film di Asia. Cari bioskop alternatif yang screening ah!)

Sekeluarnya gue dari bioskop waktu itu, gue sempat nge-post kesan gue tentang film Pengabdi Setan ini di Twitter:


I feel like it is really well-made. The setting is conveniently haunting, the textbook jump scares work like wonder, everyone in the theater is scared and bracing for the scary parts, it was pretty intense. Tapi yang paling gue suka adalah dinamika ceritanya yang gak melulu setan-setanan. Dialog antara cast anak-anaknya sih terutama menurut gue membantu bikin film ini jadi kayak roller-coaster, ngatur tensi supaya penonton gak tegang, terus pas semua caught off guard, scene yang seremnya dimasukin. Yang paling epic sih yang minta ditemenin pipis malam, soalnya scene lanjutannya pas gitu, kerennn parahhh! Tapi dialog favorit gue sih yang tentang micin, karena candaan itu cukup terkenal di kalangan anak muda sekarang. Long live micin jokes!


Tapi highlight dari film horror adalah bagian yang seram-seram. My favorite one is the "Loh, ibu sudah bisa bangun?" (yang jadi meme-meme lucu di Twitter, pinter banget deh promosiin filmnya) scene, karena cuma scene itu yang bikin gue bener-bener kaget. Sound-nya tahik banget dan camera movement-nya sangat pas. Diulang pula, jadi serunya dua kali. He. Scene impresif yang kedua menurut gue yang "kain putih dan pigura foto ibu". Keren deh efeknya, gimana cara bikinnya ya? Dulu gue sempat jadi kru film Tugas Akhir kakak kelas yang genre-nya horror juga, dan kita sempat mau bikin scene yang sama, tapi gagal. Di bagian ini editing beat-nya pas banget deh, gue suka! Di atas gue sempat bilang textbook jump scares, itu lebih ke arah beat-nya sih. Ketukannya pas gitu seperti yang dulu sempat gue research ketika mau coba bikin film pendek genre horror juga sama teman-teman buat tugas kampus.

Nah tapi beberapa scene seram lainnya kok kayak miss gitu ya beat-nya? Ada momen di mana gue sampai greget sendiri karena ganti gambarnya kurang cepat sepersekian detik sehingga suspense yang sudah gue rasain jadi agak turun sedikit, khususnya di scene "Toni, radio, dan sisirin rambut ibu" dan scene "Rini, mukena, dan cilukba". Padahal build-up-nya sudah asyik banget.

(Heh, penjelasan adegan macam apa barusan.)

So, other than the "ibu sudah bisa" scene, the rest of the film is actually not that scary for me. Jatohnya sih beberapa lucu absurd gitu entah kenapa, bikin nahan ketawa di bioskop karena banyak yang ketakutan. Setting-nya sangat membantu sih sebenarnya di rumah tua remang-remang sebelah kuburan, ada sumurnya pula, sehingga memang mendukung untuk menjadi lokasi cerita hantu-hantuan. Sama desain karakter hantunya juga oke. Klasik dan familiar untuk orang Indonesia, jadi mungkin terasa lebih menghantui. Gimmick-gimmick Suzanna gitu. Tapi yang tertahik adalah sound design-nya sih. Ganggu banget ih parah dah! Nggak ada apa-apa secara visual tapi audio-nya tegang. DAN LAGUNYA SI IBU ITU. Bagus! Banget!

Sama jeritannya Bondi sih melengking banget bikin kaget.

Oiya, filmnya warnanya bagus deh. Agak-agak desaturated gitu. Apa lebih enak disebut remang-remang ya? Soalnya kadang gelap-gelap gitu juga sih gak kelihatan. Tapi gue suka deh color palette-nya, kayak ada pattern warnanya gitu yang ke-notice. Biru, merah, kuning, sama putih? Mungkin ini semacam semiotik buat plot ya? Kayak Rosemary's Baby (1968)? Soalnya pattern warnanya paling keliatan di warna baju. Tapi jujur sampai di akhir film gue nggak nangkap artinya sih. Atau hanya desain palette warna dasar? Tapi bagus lah pokoknya!

Source: Tara Basro's instagram (@tarabasro)
Bukan scene dari film-nya, but I am quite sure that's one of their costumes, hahaha.

Ya kira-kira vibe-nya seperti foto itu, sih? Apa ngga? Apa gue amnesia selektif karena ibu sudah bisa bangun?

:p

Ehem. Oke, pembahasan terakhir gue adalah storyline-nya. Jujur, dengan audiovisual yang menurut gue cukup luar biasa, entah kenapa ceritanya justru agak mengecewakan buat gue. Apa karena ceritanya dipersiapkan untuk memiliki sekuel? Gue merasa ceritanya banyak bolongnya dan plot twist-nya tuh malah kayak? Hah??? Gitu. Paham gak, hehe.

Dari awal tuh berasanya prolog-nya panjang, stretchy tapi kurang jelas gitu. Mungkin karena karakter yang mau diperkenalkan banyak juga, sih. Ya ada empat bersaudara, ibunya, bapaknya, neneknya,  dan ada tambahan bapak ustadz beserta anaknya bapak ustadz. Ramai sekali, meskipun semua karakter punya fungsinya masing-masing tapi kayak ada yang penting gak penting dan berujung pada unnecessary deaths gitu? Dan btw, plot-nya bisa di-breakdown pakai myth structure! Gue baru sadar pas tiba-tiba plot twist sih, yang gue sudah pikir oh oke sudah mau tamat, tapi nggak jadi gitu dan malah shit happens. Padahal gue sudah benar-benar pikir bakal selesai soalnya filmnya rasanya sudah panjanggg sekaliii lebih panjang dari rangkaian KRL dua belas gerbong.

Ceritanya jadi membingungkan buat gue karena seperti ada sub-plot yang nyempil-nyempil, kayak Rini dan anak pak ustadz, bapak tua reporter majalah Maya, omongan bapak dan ibu di penghujung usia ibu yang nggak ke-reveal di filmnya padahal ditanya, Bondi yang mendadak emo sejak dihantui tapi mendadak normal tanpa konklusi, dan lain-lain deh. Plot twist-nya juga bukan ngagetin tapi malah bikin bingung karena the turn is too abrupt? But again, maybe all of this is a grand build-up for a sequel? Who knows? Because I sure don't. Yang gue tahu sih, saking detailed-nya cerita filmnya, gue malah jadi merasa detached dan nggak terhantui gitu. Jadi sekadar simpati saja sama keluarga itu kenapa tragis banget ya hidupnya. Mungkin harus nonton di teater 4DX agar terasa seperti menjadi Toni.

Verdict: ★★★★
Sempat baca postingan sutradaranya, Joko Anwar, di Instagram yang chat ke temannya, katanya Pengabdi Setan (2017) tidak seram dan lebih ke drama. Mungkin itu cuma omongan buat ngebujuk temannya, tapi gue setuju, sih. HAHA. Tapi buat gue filmnya recommended sih! Wajib nonton! If not for the thrill, supaya gaul saja karena yang nonton banyak banget sudah 2 juta lebih. Yakin mau ketinggalan jaman dan nggak ngerti meme ibu sudah bisa? Filmnya bagus kok, suer! Semua review yang gue tulis di atas itu subjektif karena gue memang gak terlalu affected dengan hiburan berbau horror, jadi come and meet ibu yourself!

Tuesday, 27 December 2016

top 5 • yes chick-flick moments

Honestly, I should be stressing out about finishing my final project report and preparing for thesis defense AND applying for an internship, but, you know, Christmas is upon us all and it's finally yule hols after a long semester (that actually feels really short, but was exhausting all the same) and I want to just relax and have good long sleeps because it's technically rainy season and rainy season is the best time to have a good long sleep.

You can say that "sleep is only for the weak" and I can comfortably admit that I am the weak, okay?

Also, when I'm not busy sleeping and relaxing, I ended up having lots of movie marathons. Technically, it's still related to my education and my future because I'm pursuing a degree in filmmaking, so, yeah, I don't feel too guilty about it. It's for, ahem, references, amirite? Well, I keep telling myself that but I'll still bless myself with strings of profanities near the deadlines when I'm not even halfway done with my shits, but whatever!

It's the season of feel-good movies, and I'll share my top five all-time favorites with you cheeky readers! My criteria of a feel-good movie is quite similar to my idea of a perfect crush: 1) beautiful (not necessarily visual), 2) good for my soul, 3) can be seen over and over without being sick of, and 4) yes chick-flick moments.

According to that criteria (but not entirely following that, because I'm an indecisive bastard) here's my top 5 beautiful-soulful-addicting-yes chick-flick moments movies:

1. Ten Inch Hero (2007)


This might be inappropriate for the season because of the summer vibe and the beach, but frankly, this is one of the most beautiful rom-com my heart has ever came into contact with. It came with a plethora of journey to self-love, a topic which I am quite fond of, and it comes with a happy ending, which makes me really happy, because it gives me the closure I need. Seriously, sad open ending is so overrated. (Although I do like sad open endings too, if it's what's best for the story).

Anyway, the format is kinda like omnibus, except the stories are linear and conjoined? There are several stories from each characters, all of which work in a sandwich shop together. Each character's archetypes are different, some of them are from the opposite of the spectrum, but somehow, each of them work like a puzzle. I like the dynamic between the characters, the wit, the backhanded affection, the conspiration theories, the cheesy dialogues that don't feel cheesy at all because they fit the characters, and I like the funny-looking Jensen Ackles (Yes, I like me the Jensen Ackles) with his character's sassy t-shirts.

Somehow, even though I don't own a sandwich shop near the beach, a blue-green mohawk plus a lot attitude, a daughter I gave up for adoption, a friend with benefit so in the closet he won't admit his feelings for his roommate, or a handsome internet boyfriend from LA I've never met, each character is quite relatable that I can sympathize with them. And in the end when all of them found their own true love, because it's what's this all about really, I can feel happy with them too. It feels good to see that everything do work out in the end. <3

PLUS:
  • The setting. THE BEACH TOWN. I always like the look of a suburb near the beach. How hippie yet undeniable cozy and homey it is, the view of the beach from a cliff, the small sandwich shop, the night fair, the everything else. Lovely, just lovely.
  • The diversity. It's just heartwarming. They are totally my #squadgoal. Teehee.
  • The audiovisual is absolutely brilliant. The color, the sets and props, the soundtracks. Hell yes.
MINUS:
  • It's really cheesy, I guess, in a totally worth-it cheesy kinda way. So obviously it's not that bad of a minus point, ok?
  • Tadd and Brad are fucking assholes.

2. The Breakfast Club (1985)


"But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, and a princess, and a criminal."
First of all, the film has nothing to do with breakfast. :( Up until now, I don't know why they're called The Breakfast Club. Maybe I missed some points of the movie somewhere around the crazy sneaking out and smoking weed scenes.

A classic, really. This movie sets the bar of expectation about high school real up there for me. Like, come on, they make a detention session looks really fun (also, suddenly deep and sad but let's not talk about that)! (Which, after I experienced high school myself, is really fake, sad face).

You might see the pattern of my preferences here, haha. Another movie with diverse characters with insecurities, all of which represent the high school cliques we all know and love. I adore their bubble of issues and how typical all of them are, because it's kind of relatable, especially when I was around the characters' age. There's a lot of expectation for us to conform to, you know what I mean? And we don't even know where those crappy expectations came? Like, why can't we just go through our teenage years smoothly and happily? Who defined the criteria for the title "social pariah"? And why, really?

Ahem. Back to the film:

Honestly, the synopsis in the poster just totally spoil everything. Huh.

PLUS:
  • It's really fun! Everything is all over the place and it was happy but suddenly it turned serious but it's an emotional roller-coaster I love and needed.
  • THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD! Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds is a great listen.
MINUS:
  • The oh-so overrated (kinda) sad open ending with one of the main guy walking away into the bleak future ahead.

3. Flipped (2010)


One of the must watch for me and my close friends when we have a sleepover (other than The Notebook, which makes them cry horribly every time). There's something pure and innocent about this movie, even though the genre is actually rom-com. I mean like, the protagonists are teenagers and they talk about boyfriend-girlfriend things but it's so cute? And they have a lot of childish feuds and misunderstanding but in the end, I feel like the movie isn't really talking about love in a romantic kinda way.

I like the exploration of the triggers for the conflicts in the progression of the movie. Most of them are simple, like a tree and eggs and a stupid basket boy auction, but they have several punchline too, like bullying and mental illnesses and other stuff. I also like the way they narrate the story. It switches between the POVs of the male and female lead, but the transition is seamless. AND, the ending is so lovelyyy I can't help but coo at them every time.

This film just feel so good, right in my heart. <3

4. Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl (2015)


I stumbled upon this movie randomly when I am browsing in PopcornTime. The title intrigued me, so I decided to watch it, and I never regret any second of it. And I repeated, and repeated, and repeated, but I never regret any second of every single repeat of it. The story is crazy good. And the movie posters are really funny, you should look up for all of them, hahaha.

Actually, no. The main plot is really cliche, because I someone asked me for a logline, it'll be something along the line of this: "A broody high school social butterfly (and I use the term loosely) teen got his life topsy-turvied because of a terminally ill, jaded, high school teenage girl." OKAY, but that lousy logline DOES NOT give this film any justice. This film is really, really, really beautiful in a witty, biting, charming, harrowing, heartbreaking, occasionally funny kind of way. My feelings just went ASDFGHJKL!? every time, hahaha.

Greg, the main character, feels so close to my heart. That fucking awkward bastard! He's annoying and tactless in an endearing kinda way, somehow. Thankfully, he has Earl, his so-called co-worker, who balances him, slaps the reality hard into his face, and redeems every social faux pas he made. And the dying girl, what can I say about her. Well, her name is Rachel, she has Leukimia, but no, she does not die.

Spoiler much? No, I swear it's not a spoiler. I am not sorry.

Last but not least, the audiovisual is off the chart! The filmmaking techniques are there. The script and dialogues, the soundtrack, the framing, the production design (so hella goals), and the editing is on point. They also combined a lot of techniques, like stop-motion and stuff. It is a gift for the eyes. I am so blessed. <3

PLUS:
  • The abundance of classic films parodies. Much witty, very funny.
  • THE FUCKING PLOT TWIST.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)


Total epic epicness, truly. I heard that it is adapted from a comic book, but I haven't read the comic book yet. The storyline is the epitome of crazy absurdity, but I enjoy everything. It does not really make sense, but not everything has to make sense, right?

The League of Evil Exes. Seven evil exes. What a ride. I think I laugh from the beginning to the end. It is very dazzling and witty and sometimes even the unexpected things are funny. I mean like, Scott is in a band called Sex Bob-Omb, and they have hilarious songs including "We Are Sex Bob-Omb" and "Garbage Truck" - they are funnier than Mudslide Crush from Lemonade Mouth. :")

(Also, Sex Bob-Omb is legit on Spotify, guys, haha.)

I think they managed to capture the essence of comic book storytelling really well? The visual effect is VERY GOOD! The format is kinda of similar to an RPG video game, with battles and fighting sequences and superpower techniques. It is very comical to watch. Everything is so eye-catching with bursts of raining rewards coins on top. The VFX also cover even the smallest details, like the first time they showed Wallace's place (where Scott live/crashes) and they give tiny bitty descriptions about the things in the room.

PLUS:
  • "Bread makes you fat?"
  • "I have to go pee due to boredom."
  • "We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff."
  • "He punched the highlights out of her hair!"
  • And the list of funny/stupid quotes went on.

• • •

SO! It's the end of the top 5 list and ugh I got writer's block several time because I can't just express how I really feel about these films. I hope you can enjoy them as much as I do. Laterz! <3

Sunday, 26 July 2015

baca buku • Bumi (Tere Liye, 2014)



(Minor Spoiler Alert!)

Beberapa hari yang lalu, setelah sekian lama ngga baca novel karena terlalu terpaku mencari filem-filem referensi, mata gue menemukan sebuah buku lumayan tebal bersampul menarik. Sejak awal masuk toko buku, entah kenapa gue tertarik dengan dua buku bertajuk Bumi dan Bulan yang ditulis oleh pengarang yang sama, Tere Liye. Kebetulan bokap punya salah satu buku karya pengarang ini, dan katanya bukunya bagus. Dan siapa yang ngga tahu Hafalan Shalat Delisa, minimal tahu lah filmnya (yang dulu sukses bikin gue nangis-nangis sendirian bersama televisi dan tumpukan tisu), yang juga dikarang oleh orang yang sama. Setelah baca sinopsisnya, gue semakin tertarik. Buku fantasi, gais! Gue suka banget genre itu. Tapi karena takut menyesal, gue belilah buku pertamanya dulu, Bumi. (Terus gue menyesal cuma beli yang pertama ketika gue sampai pada lembaran terakhir novel tepat waktu tengah malam, karena greget gemes penasaran lanjutannya.)

Dan, wow, gue benar-benar-benar suka.

Meskipun awal ceritanya terlalu lama, mungkin karena dari sudut pandang orang pertama dan pendalaman latar belakang karakternya cukup lama, mulai dari Raib, si tokoh utamanya, dan keluarganya, kemudian sahabat sebangkunya Raib, Seli, dan sahabat-musuhnya Raib, Ali. Awalnya cukup ngejlimet, ditambah tokoh-tokoh lain yang membuat semuanya semakin kompleks. Mungkin karena ini build-up untuk novel berseri, jadi memunculkan banyak pertanyaan yang seiring waktu dan buku akan terjawab? Gue pribadi sih suka, karena bikin penasaran, bikin ngga bisa lepas. Sampai gue makan sambil baca buku (yang jarang terjadi, karena makanan adalah cinta pertama dan terakhir gue), dan sampai kesal sendiri sama naluri alam gue untuk buang air kecil karena ingin menamatkan buku itu dalam sekali duduk.

Tapi ya agak kaget sih pas pertama baca bab-bab awal kayak novel TeenLit, haha. Ada kejadian agak buruk menimpa keluarga, terus ngga sengaja ada masalah sama kakak senior, masalah jerawat, masalah benci-bencian sama anak cowok di sekolah, agak redundant gitu. Terus ada detail-detail kecil yang kelewat, kayak mamang bakso ketukar dengan mamang batagor, lamanya pernikahan orang tua Raib beda, hal-hal kecil yang sebenarnya ga begitu penting. (Tapi jadi sadar karena belajar continuity di film hft). Anyway, bagian serunya baru mulai kira-kira hampir seperempat dari novelnya. Tapi ya, semakin ke belakang, terbayar kok dengan keseruan perjalanannya.

Gue suka gimana Tere Liye mendeskripsikan ceritanya, lumayan mengalir, jadi meskipun berbelit di awal, tetap enak buat dibaca. Ikut tegang pas kucingnya Raib diancam, ikut dag-dig-dug pas Tamus, si antagonis, berantem sama Miss Selena, guru matematikanya Raib. Rasanya kayak ikut ada di tempat itu dan melihat mereka berantem. Sampe-sampe gue sempat ikut simpati sama Tamus ketika dia cerita tentang masa lalunya. Tapi bagian paling asyiknya pas mereka di dunia pararel sih, deskripsi tempatnya enak banget bikin beneran kebayang dunianya kayak gimana. Kompleks, tapi dengan deskripsinya itu gue bisa menempatkan karakter-karakter buku ini di dunia yang terasa nyata meskipun cuma karang-karangan.

Masalah karakter, karakterisasinya belum terlalu kelihatan, tapi deskripsinya bisa bikin lumayan jatuh cinta sih. Meskipun bikin lambat, gue bisa mengapresiasi karakter Mama-Papanya Raib yang dinamika interaksinya menggemaskan, yang kemudian mirip pasangan yang ada di dunia pararel. Gue bisa suka tiga remaja kelas 10-9, Raib-Seli-Ali, mengikuti roller-coaster emosi dalam perjalanan mereka. Gue bisa suka manusia-manusia dunia pararel yang ketiganya temui dalam perjalanan mereka. Karakter-karakternya sungguh lovable.

Gue pribadi suka karakter Ali, si jenius dengan kepekaan sosial minim, haha. Mungkin karena gue paling bisa relate sama karakter jenius tapi dungu ini. Sama-sama berantakan, kepo berlebihan, dan jarang peduli sekitar, serta kurang ajar, aha. Tapi yang agak ganggu, mungkin karena ini dari sudut pandang Raib, kalimat 'jenius' dan 'rambut berantakan' dan 'biang kerok' terus-terusan dipakai untuk mendeskripsikan Ali. Tapi, ya, manusia banget ngga sih, mengidentifikasi seseorang dengan suatu sifat yang menonjol? Jadi, oke lah. Oiya, gue juga suka perumpamaan-perumpamaan Ali untuk menjelaskan teori-teorinya, seperi Teori Lapangan Olahraga dan Teori Ikan Buntal.

Alur cerita lumayan standar, polanya The Hero's Journey, seperti yang sering kita temui dalam bacaan atau tontonan petualangan (contohnya Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, dkk). Sempat terbersit kemiripan dengan heksalogi(?) (pokoknya 6 buku, apalah namanya) The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel-nya Michael Scott. Yeah, impresi pertama gue sih serial Bumi dan kawan-kawan kayak heksalogi(?) itu versi Indonesia, dalam arti yang positif. Sama-sama menciptakan dunia fantasi yang keren, sama-sama captivating, sama-sama bikin jatuh cinta. Bedanya, The Alchemyst, buku pertama heksalogi(?) Nicholas Flamel ngga pake ba-bi-bu panjang langsung jder! bertualang. (Catatan kecil: Serial Nicholas Flamel ini salah satu novel fantasi favorit gue.)

Oiya, gue sempat baca beberapa review orang-orang yang bilang kejadian-kejadian di novel ini serba kebetulan dan memberikan kemudahan, tapi menurut gue pribadi sih itu terjadi di semua cerita petualangan? Ya, cuma pendapat gue aja, haha.

Verdict: ★★★★
Overall, gue sangat merekomendasikan buku ini. Jarang-jarang, kan, ada novel fantasi petualangan dari pengarang Indonesia? Seru kok, gue rasa cocok untuk generasi penyuka Harry Potter, atau mungkin, penyuka heksalogi(?) Nicholas Flamel. Buku keduanya, Bulan, lebih seru dari Bumi. Mungkin karena petualangan yang diceritakan di buku Bumi lebih domestik? Gue sangat menunggu novel ini naik ke layar lebar, kayak kebanyakan novel-novel Indonesia sekarang ini. Tapi gue rasa sulit dengan kemampuan perfilman Indonesia sekarang, hahaha.

(◕‿◕✿)

End note: Ngomong-ngomong, gue pikir Tere Liye itu perempuan. Ternyata laki-laki. Untung insting saya bilang untuk pakai m8/mate pas dengan semangat bikin status di media sosial, hampir saya bilang mbak. Ah sudahlah. Ngomong-ngomong lagi, setelah galau seharian kepikiran dan penasaran, gue akhirnya beli Bulan. Sungguhhh ngga kecewa, saya kelewat bahagia. Buku kedua ini lebih feels lagi dari yang pertama. Sedih harus tunggu 2016 untuk lanjutannya, Matahari.

Monday, 18 August 2014

dora the explorer × nom nom nom • pantai indah kapuk, hong tang, hakata ikkousha

Hanging out with friends, enjoying decent summer sun, developing a tan, and getting some sore (in a good way) muscles. In short, I finally get a sliver of fun in my boring, all work no play summer break, all thanks to Thia and Michelle that practically pulled me out of my hermit nest. Yas!

Pantai Indah Kapuk has been popular for quite some time, and I always wonder what the hype is. There's a recreational pool. Cool. There's rows and rows of restaurants. Cheeky. And then there's a mangrove conservation. Interesting. But for the love of God why do they call it Pantai Indah Kapuk if there's no beach on site?!

Or maybe there's a beach somewhere. Meh.

The area as a whole itself is quite neat. You get off from the highway and rows of restaurants/cafes/shops are waiting for you to choose. The signs are easy to read, the roads are as smooth as a baby's bottom, and the traffic is hella crazy starting afternoon. Anyways, we went to a dessert shop, the infamous mangrove conservation, and a ramen/noodle house, in that particular order.



1. HONG TANG


I was hungry, okay? And dessert is the best appetizer you could ever have. And of course, Chinese dessert is so IN right now! I don't even remember the name of the order, but THE PORTION IS HELLA BIG! I shared this bowl with Thia and I still feel full after we finally reached the bottom. The green tea ice cream is really good, and I always love boba. And yas, even my gummi bear loves it!

The interior is decent, kinda plain, I guess, but it serves the purpose. And the air conditioner is a nice change from the hot humid weather outside, so there's that. The door girl is so nice too!



Service - 4/5
Ambience - 3/5
Food - 4/5


2. MANGROVE CONSERVATION


DAMN this place is very VERY PHOTOGENIC!

It is actually quite generic and below my expectation of a nature conservation, since I've been expecting something TNGGP-like, but I guess you can't expect something that real smack in the middle of urban area. It is very photogenic, though. I love the lighting, I love the scenery, I hate the wood walkway because it's not neat and it hurts, but I guess they gave you a little experience of walking in the woods.

IMHO the ticket is way overpriced for something so... ordinary? But it do looks good though. Kinda small, I guess. But it's pretty popular for photoshoots, which leads to another minus for a poor uni art student like me: we have to pay like one mill rupiahs to have a professional camera with us. Thank God for high-tech cheap cellphones.

But I'll definitely come back if I got the company, twas fun.

Overall - 3.75/5


3. HAKATA IKKOUSHA


They sell pork. Figures I should get that warning out before reviewing the food.

Food's great! It may not looks like it, but it is really great. The noodles are A+, the broth is love, and overall the food is great. The portion is quite big too, for me, and they are quite generous with the toppings. I love the refillable ocha, because I drink a lot of liquid, so it's a perk I can't refuse, really.

Interior's okay, I don't really remember but I think they have that bar facing the kitchen for the Japanese ramen house authenticity. Nice touch on that side. Staffs are grumpy cats, but they do their job, I guess, and they are not outwardly rude, just looking grumpy and tense.

Service - 3.75/5
Ambience - 3.75/5
Food - 4/5


4. RATI RATI

Bonus review! Went here to get roll cakes to go for my parents. They got this cutesy cafe interior, nice display and all. In short, somewhere I'd definitely choose for a photo-session. Anyways, cake's great, soft and dreamy and everything happy. They also offer customization, I guess? Because Thia can have a happy birthday text with her roll cake, but I don't really know the details. Worth a visit! They also got quite an array of baked goods.

Overall - 3.75/5

THIS IS THE END OF THE REVIEW.
*tacky song playing in the background*
*TOEFL's listening section style!*

I'm sorry for the shitty quality photos, because I'm a shitty photographer, really. All photos are taken with my camera phone and post-processed with VSCO Cam + Giddylizer. And blargh, what is grammar, really? My English is rusty as hell. Thank you Thia & Michelle for being the coolest companies of the day! It's cool to finally meet you guys IRL, lotsa love.

Toodles! x