Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 131
December 5, 2023
Yu Yu Hakusho Trailer Looks Crazy Fun
Netflix dropped the official trailer for its live action adaptation of the fantasy-action series “Yu Yu Hakusho” starring Kitamura Takumi as protagonist Yusuke Urameshi. The show thrusts viewers into a realm where the lines between the human and demonic worlds blur, with monstrous beings infiltrating Japan. Tasked as a “spirit detective,” Yusuke embarks on a mission to investigate supernatural aberrations in the human domain.
Running at approximately two and a half minutes, the trailer immerses audiences in a whirlwind of flashy visuals, colossal inhuman monsters, and intense fight sequences. Amidst the chaos, we witness Yusuke’s training to become a full-fledged spirit detective. For the uninitiated who haven’t delved into the manga or the anime adaptation, the trailer might initially appear a bit chaotic. However, with its rapid succession of action-packed scenes, exaggerated characters, and a dramatic musical backdrop, it’s sure to captivate the hearts of action-fantasy enthusiasts.
Actors Shison Jun, Hongo Kanata, and Uesugi Shuhei take on pivotal roles as the other primary protagonists in the series, each bringing their own amusing and intriguing flair to the show. Veteran actor Kaji Meiko plays Genkai, the elderly and powerful martial arts master who becomes Yusuke’s mentor and plays a crucial role in his development as a spirit detective.
Originally penned and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi, the “Yu Yu Hakusho” manga was serialized in Shueisha’s “Weekly Shonen Jump” from 1990 to 1994. Renowned for its seamless blend of action, supernatural elements, and quirky characters, the series has amassed a devoted fan base over the years.
Mark your calendars, as “Yu Yu Hakusho” is set to hit Netflix screens worldwide on December 14, promising a fantastical journey into a world where the extraordinary becomes the norm.
Candy Cane Lane Review – Sweet-ish, Then Gets Sour
Chris Carver loves hand-carving his own Christmas decorations and aims to win his neighborhood competition for the best-decorated yard, which comes with the $100,000 grand prize. Unfortunately, Chris gets fired from his job days before Christmas and is determined to win, his greed driving him into an accidental devil’s bargain with an evil elf during purchases for fancy festive ornaments at a blindingly sparkly pop-up shop. It probably sounds a bit bizarre when someone writes down the plot like that, and the 2023 Christmas comedy “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy is quite weird, wacky and funny in parts.
Directed by Reginald Hudlin and written by Kelly Younger, “Candy Cane Lane” is driven by its fun cast, rather than the script because the plot isn’t able to convey the Christmas spirit of ‘caring & sharing’ like it intends to. Eddie Murphy is surprisingly measured in his performance as super-dad Chris Carver, who wants to do everything by himself and tries to hide the fact that he got fired from his kids because he doesn’t want to “ruin Christmas”. Madison Thomas plays Chris’ youngest kid, Holly Carver, and the two of them set out to buy ornaments to make their yard stand-out, when they discover a gorgeous shop run by a woman called Pepper (Jillian Bell). Chris buys a whole bunch of things from Pepper, including a giant spectacular Christmas tree, and when the large bill comes, he signs it without realizing it’s an agreement to become Pepper’s slave if he doesn’t complete a certain task set by her before a set time.
Jillian Bell is goofily malevolent as Pepper, her mischievous demeanor slightly reminiscent of the Sanderson witches from ‘Hocus Pocus’, a holiday classic. The plot also involves talking porcelain dolls, giving “Candy Cane Lane” a “Toy Story” like twist and the special effects for the animated dolls was pretty good. Chris Redd lends his voice to Lamplighter Gary, a feisty little doll who is always causing trouble and flirting with the ladies, not even sparing Chris’ wife, Carol Carver (Tracee Ellis Ross). Which brings one to the fact that “Candy Cane Lane” isn’t exactly very family-friendly and has a few jokes laced with sexual innuendos that aren’t even very funny and could’ve been knocked out of the script. For example, right at the beginning of the film, Chris has a conversation with his neighbor who decorates his yards with inflatable dolls, where the neighbor jokes about how his entire family likes to blow.
The cinematography is bright, colorful, rife with Christmas shades and sparkles, although some of the decor does get a little too tacky and loud. While the first-half of the film is well-paced, fun and comedic, the plot becomes slow, chaotic and stretched out in the second half. And sometimes, just one gross joke is enough to ruin the whole movie experience, and for me, it was this really creepy gag about a woman milking a cow that was just disturbing and inappropriate instead of being funny. With a 2-hour runtime, “Candy Cane Lane” gets too long for a fun Christmas comedy and could’ve trimmed its runtime by 20 minutes at least.
Madison Thomas as Holly Carver is the sweetest thing about this film. She is like a cute little elf who is always helping her dad and has a curious, sharp mind, and a kind heart. Candy Cane Lane” incorporates some traditional Christmas themes such as the importance of family unity, helping one another, and appreciating your neighbors. However, the film is densely populated with numerous characters and gags, preventing any single theme from truly shining through. Unfortunately, it fails to strike an emotional chord with the viewer. Nevertheless, it serves as a decent one-time watch, especially if you’re on the lookout for new Christmas comedies.
Rating: 5 on 10. Stream Candy Cane Lane on Prime Video.
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Migi to Dali Episode 10 Review
Story so far – Based on a manga by Nami Sano, this mystery-thriller series follows orphaned identical twins, Migi and Dali, who pretend to be one child called Hitori to their adoptive parents Sonoyama Osamu and Sonoyama Youko. Migi and Dali take turns to play Sonoyama Hitori, while they try to find out their biological mother’s murderer in Origon village. The twins decide Eiji Ichijo is the culprit but invite danger into their lives by meddling with the Ichijo family.
“Migi to Dali” episode 9 concluded with one of the darkest twists in the anime series, as Eiji’s mother, Reiko Ichijo, killed Micchan at the Sonoyama house. In the pursuit of their mother’s murderer, twin brothers Migi and Dali find themselves suspected of murder themselves, with the police considering Hitori as a potential perpetrator in Micchan’s death.
Episode 10 of “Migi to Dali” opens with a comically-tragic scene of the blonde-haired Sonoyama Youko weeping hysterically as the cops question her. “Hitori would never do it,” the adoptive mother stands by her son as the twins secretly watch in horror that they’ve been framed for murder. The edition thus centers on the boys’ endeavors to establish their innocence and collect evidence against the malevolent Reiko.
Just like the last edition, this chapter too features almost all major characters in the anime series. With the story rapidly heading to its conclusion, it’s a fast-paced episode with its usual share of creepy and unsettling scenes. The animation is simple as usual, but the creators also change some of the art styles in between to illustrate imaginary scenarios out of Migi and Dali’s minds. It’s hilarious how the kids view Reiko Ichijo as some superhuman vampire-like villain who would devour them all if they don’t play their cards right.
I was actually hoping for a major revelation in the story, but the creators have astutely managed to postpone the unraveling of new secrets for the next episode. Migi and Dali will finally learn the truth about their mother, Metri, as the episode closes with the promise of an exciting flashback chapter.
You can watch “Migi to Dali” on Crunchyroll.
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December 4, 2023
Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 10 Review
Totomaru Isshiki is beginning to get famous! Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 10 begins with a journalist coming around Totomaru’s office, requesting that she do a feature piece on him since he solved quite a few complicated cases with lighting speed. Though flattered, Toto gets completely anxious over being interviewed since he cannot reveal it was his genius partner Ron Kamonohashi who has been solving all his murder cases.
For plot overview, read – Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 1 Review
After the dark and tense Observatory murder case episodes, the anime series returns to a more comical and bright tone, reflected in both mood and animation settings. Titled “The Case of the Poisoned Latte” episode 10 of Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions is also a little random, because Ron out of nowhere is suddenly working at a cafe as a barista. At this point, one begins to wonder if he is stalking Toto, because Toto and the journalist walk into the same place for their interview. The journalist’s name, amusingly enough, is Chicory Monki – chicory is a popular ingredient used to flavor coffee. Makes one wonder if Chicory was written specifically for this one episode or will become a recurring character.
“The Case of the Poisoned Latte” is a quick filler-like episode, featuring an easy murder case involving three friends visiting a cafe. Ron and Toto miraculously happen to be at the crime scene as always; the duo is like murder magnets in this show. Chicori adds some more comic relief to the proceedings with her awe for the clueless Toto, whom she thinks is a super-cool detective capable of deducing at super-speed.
You can stream “Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions” on Netflix.
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Happiest Season Review – Navigating Killjoy Families, Coming Out
A few weeks ago, I saw a hilarious tweet* that went, “When I’m feeling old, I like to visit my parents so they can push all my buttons until I lose my shit, and just like that, I’m 16 again,” and shared it with a bunch of close friends. One of them promptly responded, saying, “Oh, once bitten, twice shy.” See, the thing is, while having a family is amazing, sometimes families can bring out the worst in people, and the 2020 Christmas film “Happiest Season” is essentially about how some folks tend to regress to their teenage selves around their parents.
Directed by Clea DuVall, who co-wrote the story with Mary Holland, “Happiest Season” follows the trials of the young couple Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) when they decide to spend five days, including Christmas, with Harper’s family. The only problem? Harper invited Abby on a romantic whim, not expecting her to accept the offer, and reveals at the last minute that Abby will have to pretend to be her roommate because she is still not out to her family. At home, Harper herself transforms into a completely different person, further putting Abby ill at ease. So, the couple’s efforts to put up a successful charade for the holidays gets tougher by the day.
Except for a sweet romantic opening scene, for most of “Happiest Season,” you feel bad for Kristen Stewart’s character, Abby. Not only does Harper push Abby back into the closet for five days, but she practically ignores her during the duration of the stay. To make things worse, Harper’s family is unbearably snooty and mean, referring to Abby as “Harper’s orphan friend.” Kristen’s earnest portrayal of an awkward girlfriend surrounded by strangers just makes the characters seem doubly reprehensible. Abby’s only ally during the stay turns out to be Harper’s ex-girlfriend Riley (Aubrey Plaza), who figures out their relationship due to an overheard conversation.
Dan Levy is hilariously sassy in his cameo as Abby’s close friend John, who agrees to cover for Abby’s pet-sitting jobs while she is away for Christmas and is brutally honest in his opinions and amusingly sarcastic. “Ask her dad for his blessing? Way to stick it to the patriarchy,” John tells Abby when she reveals she is going to ask Harper’s dad for permission before proposing to her. Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen play Harper’s upper-class stiff parents, who have unrealistic expectations from their children. Due to this, Harper has an unhealthy competitive relationship with her sister Sloane (Alison Brie) and a non-existent one with her other sister Jane (Mary Holland) because nobody takes her seriously anyway. Mary Holland is subtly comical in her wallflower-like role, and as a viewer, you seriously begin to wonder if she is adopted or from a different family until someone explicitly mentions that she is indeed from the same family.
“Happiest Season” isn’t really a romantic-comedy, because it doesn’t deliver a lot of laughs or romance, but it does have heart and tells a slightly fresh tale about how “coming out” to one’s family is rarely easy and just how suffocating putting up a facade can be. Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis make an interesting onscreen pair, they look like a very in-love couple when they are first introduced in the film and then slowly a distance creeps in between the too due to familial circumstances. Despite the cheery Christmas colors, decorations and parties, this isn’t a “feel-good” movie, instead, it’s a semi-serious look at the struggles of a gay couple to survive Christmas with family, complicated by the mother’s effort to revive her daughter’s relationship with an ex-boyfriend. It’s definitely worth a one-time watch.
Rating: 6.5 on 10. You can stream “Happiest Season” on Netflix.
*The tweet was from a handle called @IHideFromMyKids
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December 3, 2023
Get ‘Love, Loss, Lockdown’
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
To any book enthusiast looking at this post – my debut fiction book ‘Love, Loss, Lockdown’ is available on all Amazon Kindle stores for free only for the next few hours. It’s free even for those who don’t have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. So grab your copy now.
A little about the book – It falls under contemporary fiction and is a collection of 10 short stories, each dealing with a different theme. The only thread binding the tales are that they are loosely set against the Covid19 pandemic.
“Not only are the stories completely individual but so are the characters. One never seems to be a reflection of another, each with their own personalities that come through brilliantly. They are instantly relatable and personable; I saw something in all of them which I also see in myself.” Dale Maplethorpe in his review for “Love, Loss, Lockdown” for the Indie Magazine “This Is Empty”.
If you get the book, do leave a rating/review.
Following are some links –
If I’ve missed your country, look for it on Amazon or on your kindle store.
FYI – It’s also an Amazon Bestseller.
Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 9 Review
A frazzled Yor is gasping for breath as she fights assassins on the luxury ship’s upper deck, while Loid and Anya retreat towards their rooms after enjoying a beautiful fireworks display. The opening scene of Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 9 effectively sums up the vastly different experience that Forger family is having onboard the Luxury Cruise Lorelai, with a dash of subtle humor.
Read: Spy x Family Episode 1 Review for plot overview
Titled “The Hand That Connects to the Future,” this episode of Spy x Family continues its focus on Yor Forger’s battle with hired contract killers. Unbeknownst to her, the ship has been planted with several bombs to ensure they all die before their planned escape. Luckily, Loid figures out about the plnated explosives after overhearing state security personnel. So, even the top spy finally gets to do some serious work as he slips into a disguise to help with the bomb situation after dropping Anya at a child-care station. However, mind-reader Anya is determined to help her mom Yor and slips out to have her own dangerous little adventure. Will the Spy Family survive this?
With each protagonist busy with their own missions, this edition moves at lightning speed and will keep loyal fans entertained throughout. Anya, being her goofy, nosy self and thinking she can save the world, had the most amusing bits in the story. In some more character development, Loid too starts to have a slight shift in his views on what it means to be a family. While most of the tone of this episode is dark and serious, with Anya’s scenes serving as comic relief in between, the ending, for a change, does not close with a cliffhanger and instead wraps up the cruise chapter on an optimistic note. It’s a well-rounded chapter.
You can stream Spy x Family on Netflix.
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December 2, 2023
The Velveteen Rabbit Movie Review
“The Velveteen Rabbit” opens with a scene depicting a family moving to a new town and for anyone who experienced changing schools as a child, protagonist William’s sadness at leaving his school friends will resonate deeply. This is one of those stories crafted for children but carries a poignancy that may be too sad for younger audiences, making it more resonant for adult viewers seeking to reconnect with their childhood selves.
Directed by Jennifer Perrott, Rick Thiele, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is based on a book of the same name by Margery Williams. Phoenix Laroche plays William, a shy little boy who is too nervous to make friends at his new school, so he spends all his times with his stuffed rabbit. While William’s mother (Samantha Colley) begins to worry about his lack of human friends, William goes on the best imaginary adventures with his beloved toy.
With a 45-minute runtime, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is well-paced, starting off sweet and silly as William’s toys come to life, reminiscent of “Toy Story” despite Perrott’s work being much older, first published in 1922. Towards the second-half however, the movie ramps up it’s emotional quotient, taking on an almost tragic turn, which might just reduce younger viewers to buckets of tears. In between, there are also some animated sequences of William and his rabbit going on dangerous quests, although the artwork wasn’t captivating and looked quite dated. Besides, the animated William doesn’t have the cute charms of the real boy.
Phoenix Laroche’s portrayal of William feels like the little boy practically jumped out of the illustrated version of the book. Phoenix perfectly conveys William’s fear and isolation over moving to a new school and then smoothly switches to an excited little boy living in his own world of make-belief with his playthings. Alex Lawther lends his voice to the Velveteen Rabbit, giving it a curiously endearing personality of a toy that wishes to be real. While William’s family members have very small cameos, the story does serve as an important mirror for parents about the kind of impact moving homes can have on little children and that their silence could be a cry for help.
“Velveteen Rabbit” is a bittersweet little Christmas film about the importance of friendship and I think it might be a little too sad for kids below 8, but it’s definitely a good pick for family movie night.
Rating: 7 on 10. You can watch “The Velveteen Rabbit” on Apple TV.
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B&B Merry Review – Pretty But Cold
“You can travel more if you travel wisely!” is the chirpy tagline of travel blogger Tracy Wise, who gets invited to review a cozy B&B in Vermont and meets the handsome Graham. Tracy also chooses to review the only rival property of the B&B in Vermont for a magazine, which leads to some conflict. The rest of the story of the Christmas romance “B&B Merry” writes itself, so within the first fifteen minutes, you know what’s going to happen and how things are going to end. However, the predictability of the plot isn’t even the movie’s primary problem; it’s the lack of warmth in Jen Lilley’s portrayal of Tracy Wise and also the zero chemistry between the lead pair. Even though Jesse Hutch, as the tall and handsome Graham, makes a worthy romantic hero, watching Tracy Wise and Graham’s interactions is like watching a couple dance, where one of them is fluid and smooth, while the other has two left feet.
Director by Paula Elle and written by Hayley Carr & Guy Yosub, “B&B Merry” shines best in its beautiful Christmas settings. So, it’s a very pretty looking movie, with lots of festive cheer in the visuals, but any sense of joie de vivre is completely missing from the romantic plot. ShellyLyn Williams plays Graham’s mother Barbara, who runs the B&B and is often helped by her sister Saraha (Kate Twa). The older actors as cheery nosy ladies who try to set up Graham with Tracy are a lot more fun to watch and made me wish this was a simple-sweet movie about two sisters running a bed-and-breakfast with the help of their handsome young son/nephew, instead of the more boring “travel blogger falls in love with local” plot.
The character Tracy White doesn’t possess the casual confidence of an avid travel blogger who is used to facing the camera, instead she is stiff and looks more like a corporate businesswoman. Laura Yenga plays Tracy’s best-friend Annie, and even their interactions feel staged, there’s no bestie energy to their conversations. So, well, it wasn’t very surprising to see a lack of spark between Tracy and Graham too, and everybody else exclaiming how great they are doesn’t really make things better. Overall, “B&B Merry” is a pretty looking film, but there’s very little Christmas charm or warmth in the story.
Rating: 4 on 10. You can stream the film on Netflix.
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The Railway Men – Salutes Working-Class Heroes & a Surprise Thug
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“What does someone responsible for taking 15,000 lives get? As punishment, he gets a government-plane, with VIP service. A royal ride back home with champagne & caviar.”
The 2023 Netflix series “The Railway Men” starts with a journalist lamenting how those accountable for the 1984 Bhopal gas leak tragedy, the world’s worst industrial disaster, escaped justice too easily. Directed by Shiv Rawail, the four-part series is a fictional account of the real-life catastrophe and has been written by Aayush Gupta. It focuses on the efforts of courageous railway workers who risked their lives to save and rescue civilians on the fateful night when poisonous gas leaked from Union Carbide’s plant in Bhopal.
Divided into four parts, “The Railway Men” doesn’t unfold chronologically, but each scene deviating from a given timeline is marked with a small time-stamp graphic, while doesn’t just make it easier for viewers understand ‘when’ the event is taking place, but also adds a sense of emergency to the proceedings. Warm-toned, with a predominantly bleak color palette, the series recreates the Bhopal of the 1980s—crowded, dusty, and slowly choking to its death under the grip of the poisonous gas leak.
The first episode opens with a prologue scene summarizing the aftermath of the disaster. It then takes viewers to 2nd December 1984, sixteen hours before the gas leak, introducing one of the primary protagonists – Iftekaar Siddiqui (Kay Kay Menon), the sincere station master of Bhopal Junction railway station. The rest of the major characters and players are smoothly introduced through clever story tosses. For example, as Iftekaar leaves for work, his son informs him about having a job interview at Union Carbide the next day and the scene shifts to a panic-stricken environment at the plant. Union Carbide workers are in a tizzy over fears of a potential leak, an emergency alarm is sounded and the manager Kamruddin (Dibyendu Bhattacharya) tries to take stock of the situation. Meanwhile, not too far from the plant, Jagmohan Kumawat (Sunny Hinduja), a journalist, is interviewing a former Union Carbide worker, Imad Riaz (Babil Khan) over the blatant lack of safety measures at the plant. Fired for asking questions, Riaz gets a job at the Bhopal Railway station as a loco pilot, but vows to help the journalist expose Union Carbide.
The only character who doesn’t have anything to do with Bhopal city or the railways is Balwant Yadav (Divyendu Sharma), a bandit from Delhi who plans to loot railway funds from Bhopal station in the guise of cop on the unfortunate night of the gas leak. The Balwant Yadav sub-plot is kind of contrived, where a gruesome killer/dacoit is given a redemptive arc of a villain turned savior in times of crisis, although it adds some element of surprise & suspense in the tale. R. Madhavan is introduced in the second episode, he plays Rati Pandey, the general manager of the West Central Railway zone, who rebels against higher-ups to lead a rescue train to Bhopal. Juhi Chawla makes a brief cameo as his senior, symbolizing a detached class of officials stationed in New Delhi, making crucial decisions for the rest of the country based on what would garner good PR rather than what’s in the best interest of civilian lives.
Kay Kay Menon and Babil Khan deliver measured yet standout performances as the titular railway men, their characters displaying heroic grit and wit to save as many lives as possible when the poisonous gas envelops Bhopal railway stations, steadily killing people or rendering them unconscious. The cinematography vividly portrays the horrors of dying from an unknown source, with people gasping for breath, and you can feel their suffocation as a viewer. However, it did feel slightly strange to watch it in a post-Covid era where masks had become an obvious protective measure. One wonders, with slight frustration, why nobody was covering their faces, but it’s a hindsight-like wisdom they weren’t armed with.
Except for some unnecessary slow dramatic pauses, like a scene where Rati Pandey goes into mute shock for a few seconds after being informed about the Bhopal gas leak, which was quite unlike a professional response, “The Railway Men” is well-paced and retells a tragedy that would hit a nerve with viewers. It’s both a tragic reminder of how corporate greed can reduce human lives to a mere statistic on paper and a celebration of working-class heroes who go the extra mile even when don’t have to.
Rating: 7.5 on 10. Stream “The Railway Men” on Netflix.
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