TODAY’S PICKS
Kubo And The Two Strings
HBO, Astro Ch 411/HD Ch 431, 5.40pm
“If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear, no matter how unusual it may seem,” narrates the movie’s protagonist Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson). And he’s right, you won’t want to miss a moment of this stop-motion animation by Laika studios, who also made the fantastic movies Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls. Frankly, it was robbed of the Best Animation Oscar at the 89th Academy Awards by some movie that basically animated animal hair well. Kubo’s tale also features top notch voice acting thanks to Charlize Theron as Monkey, Matthew McConaughey as Beetle, and Ralph Fiennes as the villain who must not be named. Make sure to stay on through the credits for a beautiful rendition of the Beatles’ (not McConaughey) While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Regina Spektor.
Cinta Mat Semperit
TV3, Astro Ch 103/unifi TV 103, 1.30pm
This Malay drama series follows the exploits of baker Kak Lola (Fasha Sandha) who has a knack for making kuih semperit (dahlia biscuits), making her the talk of her small village. However, this earns her the ire of Chef Kamus (Roy Azman) who is desperate to find out the secret to her biscuits. The jealous chef gets his sister Ariani (Izara Aishah) to spy on Kak Lola’s kitchen to steal the recipe, even if it means seducing Kak Lola’s son Ariel (Aeril Zafrel). Hilarity ensues as silly names, corporate espionage and family feuds get mixed up like flour for a cake of drama.
The Karate Kid
Fox Family Movies HD, Astro Ch 430/unifi TV Ch 403, 9.30am
This 1984 classic tells the story of school jock Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who makes an enemy of new kid in town, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) after he accidentally breaks a radio belonging to his cheerleader, ex-girlfriend Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue) during a beach party. Daniel picks a fight with Johnny but is easily beaten thanks to Johnny’s martial arts training. Undeterred, Daniel swears revenge and studies Karate under the tutelage of troubled army veteran Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita). Will Johnny manage to defend the Cobra Kai dojo’s honour after Daniel challenges him in the Under-18 All-Valley Karate Tournament, and will he win back the affections of Ali?
Power Rangers: MegaForce
ntv7, Astro Ch 107/unifi TV Ch 107, 6pm Supernatural guardian of Earth, Gosei and his faithful robot assistant Tensou, turn to child soldiers to protect the world from the evil Warstar aliens. Five teenagers with attitude are recruited as Power Rangers to combat the invading alien forces, equipped with powers that grant them mastery over martial arts and other forms of combat, plus giant robots for good measure. The 20th season of this sci-fi soap opera is one of its most epic thanks to a revolving door of cameos by Power Rangers of seasons past. Starring: Andrew Gray, Ciara Hanna, John Mark Loudermilk, Christina Masterson and Azim Rizk.
Antisocial
Boo, Astro Ch 404, 3.45am
Not to be mistaken with the 2015 Hungarian-British crime film, which was Meghan Markle’s last silver screen role before marrying her way into British royalty, this is the 2013 Canadian sci-fi horror film of the same name. Here, plucky college student Sam Reznor (Michelle Mylett) decides to join always-platonic friend Mark Archibald (Cody Ray Thompson) for a New Year’s Eve party after being dumped via video chat by her loutish boyfriend. Once there with Mark’s friends, they hear news of a wave of violent crime, and decide to lock themselves in. This is basically an updated 28 Days Later built around the idea of social media as a possible origin of the disease, with locked room paranoia for additional tension. With a solid 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes, this is shlocky horror fare at its finest for times when you’re feeling anti-social.