Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 150
September 9, 2023
Haddi Review – Sturdy Skeleton Wrapped Weakly
For the first one hour of “Haddi”, viewers have no clue what the protagonist’s deal is? Is Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character a transwoman or is he playing a gay man who sometimes cross-dresses? His character is simply known as Haddi, so you are just left confused for a solid hour about Haddi’s gender identity and motives for doing whatever it is that he/she does. While the suspense over the motive is still understandable, the ambiguity over the gender identity for almost half the runtime was confusingly pointless. In-fact, if the write would’ve just revealed Haddi’s motive in the first half-hour too, it would’ve really helped viewers be more invested in the tale. Until then, Haddi is just a confusing kohl-eyed guy, with a thing for guys, who goes around killing guys.
“Haddi”, directed by Akshat Ajay Sharma, who’s co-written the script with Adamya Bhalla, is set in the present day but feels like it should have come out in the early 2000s. Nawazuddin Siddiqui gives his 100 per cent to the character of Haddi, a transwoman (yes, it’s cleared up) on a mission to destroy a powerful politician and his cronies, although we don’t know why. Not until one hour twenty minutes at least.
Anugrag Kashyap plays primary antagonist Pramod Ahlawat, a corrupt Noida-based businessman who is accused in a lot of land-grabbing cases and whose blood Haddi is after. Anurag smirk and swaggers around like a good Bollywood villain, but he might have made a better evil minion than the top boss. Saurabh Sachdeva is more sinister as Inder, who works for Pramod and runs a brothel in the guise of an orphanage. So, the plot follows how Haddi infiltrates Inder’s gang for revenge, eventually revealing the source of her beef with the neta. There are two twists in the tale, one tragic, one quite intriguing and one of them could’ve been unraveled much sooner.
“Haddi” does have an interesting skeleton of a story, it’s dressed up all wrong, with chaotic screenplay and a mediocre background score. In one of the most violent sequences of the story, the choice of song is so bad, it ruins the bloodbath for action/gore fans. Unlike most movies that falter towards the end, “Haddi” has a more entertaining second-half, with things finally falling into place. Ila Arun has a small but memorable cameo as Amma, a madame, who beautifully narrates the story of Iravan from the Hindu epic Mahabharata and his one-day marriage to Mohini before he sacrifices his life for the war. For the uninitiated – Iravan, also known as Aaravan, is the patron deity of several Transgender communities in India.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is ironically both the strongest and weakest links of this movie. There’s no doubt about Siddiqui’s craft, he gets all different shades his character right – from a fiery ruthless murderer who doesn’t bat an eyelid before killing a cop, to being a vulnerable woman who fears losing her male lover to a cisgender woman. But the casting directors should’ve probably gone for a slightly younger actor for the part, because just a one-year-old flashback seems to suggest that Haddi is probably in her early 20s or early 30s, and let’s face it Siddiqui’s age shows, he is almost 50 in real life and his make-up is almost reminiscent of the kind of trans characters we would see in 90s Bollywood movies to provide comic relief. Or the writers should’ve tweaked the script to suit the protagonist more, or maybe just set the story in the 1990s to match with their dated aesthetics and theatrics.
Rating: 2.5 on 5. You can stream “Haddi” on Zee5.
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Duck And Cover Issue #1 Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Snyder’s horror spin on H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds?!
Usually, 30 page comic book issues feel too short & abrupt to me, but this was fantastic! Created by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, the first issue of comic book series “Duck and Cover” takes us back to the 1950s. The story starts off by introducing readers to Del, a young boy who makes home movies with his friends, loves cinema & dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a director. Little does he know, that his dreams will have to be put on break due to a diabolical World War III like situation!
Set in a small American town, Del has it hard because he is a Black American & one of his closest friends is also bullied often for being Asian American. But the racial hostility the kids face becomes the least of their concerns when their school is bombed. It was very easy for me to be invested in the tale due to protagonist Del, who was very relatable due to our mutual love for film and storytelling.
Scott Snyder’s story is backed up by Rafael Albuquerque’s vivid and lively artwork, which add a modern and gritty touch to this retro sci-fi dystopian tale. Scott and Rafael have teamed up in the past for the dark gothic comic series “American Vampire”, which is an epic bloody fictional adventure; so it looks like they might just be able to repeat their success with “Duck and Cover” too. Towards the end of the issue, there’s a scene that looks straight out of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds,” which is one of the best dystopian novels ever written. It remains to be seen how Del and his teenage classmates will survive in a post-apocalyptic America since the first issue just sets the groundwork for the primary theme. It’s going to be crazy teens versus giant killing machines.
The action-packed chapter has really set my hopes up for the rest of the series. So I am going for 5 star rating for now. This was a total page turner since it combines a bunch of my favourite genres – horror, historical fiction, dystopian fiction and film fandom.
You can read “Duck and Cover” on Kindle Unlimited.
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Jun & Jun Review – Sparkly Visuals, Lost Plot
What’s there to complain about a silly fluffy series filled with beautiful men and women? Well, a plot would have been nice. If we just wanted to look at pretty people, there’s always Instagram and a bunch of other social media apps.
Directed by Kim Eun Hye and written by Yoon Na Ra, romantic comedy “Jun & Jun” follows former K-pop idol Lee Jun, who starts his office life as an intern with a company and finds out that the general manager is his childhood friend Choi Jun. Hence the title “Jun & Jun”, since an office romance brews between the two titular protagonists portrayed by Yang Jun Mo and Ki Hyun Woo. Over the course of eight episodes, Lee Jun tries to learn the ropes at his new job, deal with new colleagues and also figure out who he’d like to go out with, as three suitors pursue him.
The cinematography is pretty simple, the creators use a muted color palette through the runtime, which is quite appropriate for the office romance theme. However the dialogue writing and character interactions were quite convoluted, with most people preferring to talk in circles about what they want. After an interesting first two episodes, there’s too many unnecessary office scenes that don’t do much to push the story forward. Too add to the chaos, “Jun & Jun” gives the main protagonists three suitors to choose from, and none of their sub-plots are properly sketched out. And thanks to the title and posters, there’s zero suspense, excitement or anticipation over who gets to win this game of love.
Yang Jun Mo is quite adorable as the bunny-like former boy band member Lee Jun; however, his character is portrayed as dumb and naive. If the story were set in a high school, it would’ve probably been cute and comedic for Jun to be so clueless about things. For example, there’s a model who is clearly pursuing Jun and even directly asks him out on a date, but Jun just smiles it off. Either he is dumb, or he pretends to not understand what’s happening. If it’s the latter scenario, then Jun is clearly not as sweet as he is made out to be; it’s mean to deliberately shrug off a friend’s advances instead of clearing up the air.
Ki Hyun Woo as the buff and handsome manager Choi Jun, who’s had a crush on Lee Jun for the longest time, looks great with Yang Jun Mo. But, unlike the series’ title, Jun & Jun don’t have as many moments as you’d expect, and the story is overtaken by multiple subplots and random office scenes. In fact, it made more sense for Lee Jun to date two of his other suitors. First is the reliable and helpful senior Song Hyun Jae (Jo Chan Hyun), who is always cheering Lee Jun on, and then there’s the flirty, straightforward idol Chim On, played suavely by Park Hyeong Seop.
While the series drags on for seven episodes, it’s only the last episode where the content of “Jun & Jun” is in sync with the romantic comedy genre. The climactic chapter is funny, cute, and, as the popular phrase goes, it has both sugar and spice. Even though Jun & Jun’s romance has an awkward progression, with the two barely communicating with each other, actors Yang Jun Mo and Ki Hyun Woo turn out to have zesty chemistry in the end. A sharper script with more focus on the leads within six episodes would’ve made it a lot more entertaining. Overall, it’s a decent one-time watch.
Rating: 5 on 10.
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September 8, 2023
A Day and a Half Review – 2 Broken Parents & A Cop
After being stood up twice by his estranged wife, an armed man kidnaps her from a medical center in hopes of reuniting with his toddler daughter. A cop gets entangled in the hostage situation and tries to broker a deal with the kidnapper.
Inspired by real events, the Swedish film “A Day and a Half” (original title: En dag och en halv) starts off on a tense note and might give some viewers second-hand anxiety. Directed by Fares Fares, who co-wrote the script with Peter Smirnakos, the 90-minute movie begins by introducing the primary character, Artan (Alexej Manvelov), in a documentary-style footage. The camera movement is shaky as it follows Artan climbing the stairs of a medical center. He then impatiently approaches the counter and demands to see Louise (Alma Pöysti), whom he claims is his wife. When the receptionist asks Artan to take a token and wait like the rest of the patients at the center, a wave of restlessness sweeps over him, and Alexej Manvelov portrays the behavioral aspects of a nervous, impatient man so well that you already begin to suspect that something is going to go awfully wrong. Minutes later, he pulls out a gun, threatens to kill Louise, and spreads panic across the medical center.
Director Fares Fares also stars in “A Day and a Half” as police officer Lukas, who tries to defuse the hostage situation and attempts to negotiate with Artan. An obstinate Artan continues to keep Louise at gunpoint and asks for an unmarked car, then makes Lukas drive them to his daughter. The rest of the film follows how the hostage drama unfolds. Given the limited settings of the tale, the cinematography is stark, realistic, and almost looks like you are watching a live news report. The story morphs from a simple kidnapping to a claustrophobic car ride, where the problems between the couple are laid bare, and you start feeling terrible for the cop who is caught in between the two.
My interest in the story began to dwindle after the first half, especially when it becomes clear that both Artan and Louise are problematic characters. It’s frustrating to see a significant amount of police force of a nation dedicating their efforts to solving a domestic dispute gone wrong. As the plot progresses, the story swiftly explores the damaging effects parents can have on their children. Artan feels like he is a victim who has been abandoned by his wife and alienated by his racist in-laws who don’t consider him a worthy husband, partly because he is an immigrant. Unfortunately, Artan, through his hasty actions, only validates his in-laws’ prejudice and hatred towards him. For the entire nation, he is the villain, a crazed immigrant who storms a healthcare facility to kidnap his wife and then gets on his way with a gun to kidnap his own toddler.
Alma Pöysti effectively portrays the disheveled Louise, who is constantly held at gunpoint throughout the movie and is scared out of her wits for most parts of her nightmarish ordeal. Alexej Manvelov as Artan is quite convincing as an ordinary man landing himself into a soup with the police force due to his impulsive thoughtless actions. Artan is prime example of headstrong patriarchal men, who think they own their wife and children. There’s a scene where Artan threateningly asks Louise why she isn’t wearing their wedding ring, even though she has served him divorce papers. “We are still married, I haven’t signed the divorce papers yet,” he asserts. It’s bizarre that men think they can ‘fix’ their marriage with violence and threats. But well, there’s “Stockholm Syndrome”, so Artan isn’t all too wrong in thinking he has a shot at reconciliation with his wife, despite putting a gun to her forehead for an entire day. Pun very much intended.
Despite its crisp runtime and the story events unfolding over just a day and a half, as the title suggests, the movie feels too overstretched and would have been more apt as a one-hour episode for a fictional crime series. However, for those who love tense realistic dramas, this could be an interesting watch.
You can stream “A Day and a Half” (En dag och en halv) on Netflix.
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September 7, 2023
Jailer Review: Rajinikanth Entertainer Locks in All Action Elements
If you missed catching Rajinikanth’s 2023 movie “Jailer” on the big screen, the action-thriller is now available on Prime Video and damn, watching it in the theater would’ve definitely been worth it. I knew what to expect from the film, and was a little worried about the long 2h 48m runtime, but was thoroughly entertained for most parts!
Written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, “Jailer” follows the trials of Muthuvel Pandian (Rajinikanth), a retired jailer who embarks on a mission to hunt down his son’s killers. As he takes on goons who are part of a criminal organization specializing in temple thefts, the hero must also ensure the safety of his family, which includes his wife Vijaya (Ramya Krishnan), daughter-in-law Swetha (Mirnaa) and feisty grandson Rithvick (Rithvick Jothi Raj). Vasanth Ravi who was last seen in “Asvins”, plays Muthuvel’s son Arjun Pandian, a honest cop who was investigating an elusive gang of temple thieves.
Nelson Dilipkumar and his team deliver some great camera work, complemented by terrific lighting, settings, and smooth, stylish transitions. You might find yourself losing track of dialogues while trying to absorb all the details of a particular scene. The opening scene, with a temple priest lying in a pool of blood inside the sanctum sanctorum of a temple that houses a beautiful ancient deity, sets up the primary theme of “Jailer” perfectly. While a lot of gory action scenes take place in the night, all such sequences are well-lit and viewers can understand what is happening and are not left in the dark. In another wise decision, there aren’t many songs in the film, except for one featuring Tamannaah Bhatia, who plays an actor. This track is seamlessly woven into the story as part of a movie shoot and doesn’t feel like a random number playing out of nowhere.
Actor Vinayakan plays the primary antagonist in the film called Varman, the ruthless ringleader of a gang that smuggles stolen Indian temple artifacts and idols across the world. While his portrayal of Varman works well, he lacks the intimidation factor needed to go up against Rajinikanth and comes across more as a small-time thug who could be brushed aside with a flick of a finger. “Jailer” also features several big actors making small entertaining cameos, but I won’t mention their names to preserve the element of surprise in case you haven’t already seen the full list of actors appearing in the film. Telugu comedian Sunil also has a hilarious little role, he plays a character called “Blast Mohan”, a wealthy generational brat & actor, who is a trustee of a temple from where Varman wants to steal something exceedingly precious.
“Jailer” begins to flounder a little in the second-half, with silly comedy scenes that could’ve been chopped off, especially because a while bunch of new characters make their way into the plot. From a revenge-drama, the story shifts gear to become a heist flick, which actually should’ve given writers more fodder for an even more gripping second-half. Regardless, Rajinikanth eats up with screen with his grand dialogue delivery and stylistic action moves. Nelson Dilipkumar even slips in an iconic cigar flip scene for Rajinikanth and if I were watching Jailer in a movie theater I would’ve hooted and cheered at the scene. There’s lot of threatening, stealing, gunning, knifing and killing, so action fans will definitely not be disappointed by all the blood and gore.
What sets “Jailer” apart from many recent action-thrillers is the fact that, despite being quite exaggerated, it doesn’t portray Rajinikanth as a one-man army or a lone killing machine. Instead, Rajinikanth’s character, Muthuvel, relies on as many allies as he can to seek vengeance. The story also introduces a moral dilemma for his character: Should Muthuvel resort to the same tactics as the thieving, murderous goons who killed his sons, or should he uphold his honest cop ideals?
There are not one, but two unexpected twists in the climax. Instead of concluding with a typical cliché, “Jailer” ends with an emotionally triumphant yet tragically natured conclusion. Definitely watch the film if you are a Rajinikanth fan.
You can stream “Jailer” on Prime Video.
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Unretouchable – Graphic Novel Review
“Unretouchable” is a fictional graphic novel by Sofia Szamosi that follows 18-year-old Olive’s experiences as a fashion magazine intern before she starts Art college. I think any older artist will immediately be able to identify with Olive’s idealistic youthful naivety, as she assumes she could just make art and make a comfortable living out of it. It’s only on her mother’s insistence that Olive reluctantly takes up an internship opportunity at “Fash”, a popular magazine, where she learns how to airbrush and edit models. This stint makes her look at the beauty industry with fresh eyes.
Szamosi’s simple black-and-white illustrations in the book will immediately remind graphic novel memoir fans of works like Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis or Zeina Abirached’s “A Game for Swallows”. And even though “Unretouchable” is a coming-of-age tale too, it has a razor sharp focus on the perils of living in world saturated by digital media. People from all walks of life, especially younger impressionable women like Olive, are constantly bombarded by unrealistic standards of beauty, encouraging them to live a life of filters and insecurities. Like most people around her, Olive is addicted to a multitude of apps and cannot imagine spending a day without her phone. I found the protagonist’s insecurities regarding her appearance, online crushes and struggles with connecting with people quite authentic.
Creator Sofia Szamosi explores the damaging effects of the fashion, beauty and advertising industry on people’s lives through this graphic novel. For example, Olive is shocked to discover that one of the online personalities she looks up to is not real and it leads her to learn about AI influencers and how there’s a rising trend of brands relying on fake personalities to promote their products. If editing already beautiful real models wasn’t bad enough, artificial models are now out to take the already scarce jobs in the highly competitive world.
I remember finding out about AI influencers in 2018, it was after some big news outlet did a long feature piece on Miquela, an AI robot who is quite popular on Instagram. Since then, there’s been an influx of such artificial robots becoming part of every day media. I mean even K-pop band have AI members now, along with real humans! My parents watch a news channel, where the weather reporter is an AI generated woman and my mother hadn’t even noticed she wasn’t real until I pointed it out to her.
“Unretouchable” is a great graphic novel for young readers and might help some of them evaluate the nature of their relationship with social media and their own bodies. The doodle style art is fun and engaging, and since Olive is a young and budding artist, the cartoon-ish comic panels add a youthful charm to the story.
Rating: 3.5 on 5.
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September 6, 2023
The Boy & The Heron Teaser Soars With Miyazaki’s Imagination
Goosebumps!
The first few seconds of the teaser for Japanese animated fantasy “The Boy and The Heron” instantly took me back to the memory of watching “The Grave of the Fireflies”, one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies of all time. And yes, it gave me literal goosebumps.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the 30 second teaser bears his stamp all over it and seems to be a thrilling blend of tragic realities combined with magical fantasies. The teaser is accompanied by haunting music, zero dialogues and a whole range of different characters and scenes that will leave viewers wondering what the story is about. The animation and character designs also bear resemblances to other classic Studio Ghibli movies like “The Wind Rises” and fan-favorite “Spirited Away”.
The creators claim it’s a semi-autobiographical fantasy which follows the adventure of a young boy called Mahito, who “ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning“. While the significance of the Heron might not be clear from the teaser, in Japanese culture, the slender white bird is supposed to represent good luck. It is also a symbol of beauty and purity.
“The Boy and The Heron” is expected to get a theatrical release on December 8. Watch the trailer online, it’s also embedded below.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter Review – Story Sinks Soon
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
When a ghostly derelict ship washes up on the shores of England, the captain’s log recovered from the wreck reveals a blood-curdling story of what happened to the missing crew. Based on a section of Bram Stoker’s classic gothic novel “Dracula,” the 2023 historical horror film “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” focuses on the doomed crew traveling from Carpethia to England. Unbeknownst to the Demeter’s crew, an ancient demon sleeps in their cargo, waiting for the night to devour them.
Directed by André Øvredal, “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is set during 1897 and is quite fantastic when it comes to its dark, ominous gothic settings. However, the film falters with its most crucial element – Dracula himself. The character design for the creature is supposed to be akin to the iconic Nosferatu (Count Orlok), from the 1922 classic horror movie. But for most modern viewers who haven’t seen Nosferatu, the Dracula onboard the Demeter looks like a demented blend of Dobby from the Harry Potter movies and the Gollum from “Lord of the Rings”. And the creators make the mistake of doing his face reveal too early in the runtime, watering down the scares in the story.
Corey Hawkins plays primary protagonist Clemens, a doctor who wounds up on the Demeter as he is looking to get back to London. Liam Cunningham portrays the elderly Captain Eliot, who records his crew’s nightmarish ordeal in battling the Dracula, to serve as a warning for others. With a two-hour runtime, this horror film soon begins to get tedious due to its heavy dialogues and mundane characters. The Cambridge educated Clemens is new to the crew and thus everybody except for the Captain and the Captain’s grand-kid is hostile towards him. The hostility is twofold due to the racial differences between them. Since most of the crew is poor and uneducated, it’s hard to get feel anything about their problematic behavior or coarse language or even their superstitious beliefs. And there lies the biggest problem with “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” – the characters aren’t relatable at all and generic. Dracula could mince them to pieces and viewers might not bat an eyelid. Although I definitely flinched at one scene where Dracula rips off a human’s throat.
Since the writers have obviously taken creative liberties with the story and added their own characters to the mix, one wonders why they did not make the plot more complex or grander in scale. Because the sets are great, the special effects with the stormy sea and ship are also very good. In fact, even Dracula’s exaggerated monster-like visage is not all that bad, but the ragtag band of ruffian crew members mumbling inane stuff just doesn’t make for a compelling watch. The only two intellectual people on the Demeter are Clemens, who is far too serious and uptight, and then there’s Captain Eliot, who is always holed up in his room.
Aisling Franciosi portrays Anna, the only woman on the ship, whose unconscious body is discovered by the crew many days after they set sail and they all mistake her for a stowaway. However, when Anna comes to her senses, she raves like a madwoman and says “he is here! he is here! We have to get off this boat” and NOT ONE PERSON bothers to ask her what she is talking about. Okay, well, Clemens does eventually ask her what she was going on about, but nobody else is in the least bit curious after and it’s frustrating to see the lack of questions, because they are all on a ship were all the animals have been brutally killed and two crew members have also lost their lives. To make things worse, even after the crew realizes an evil vampire-like creature of the night is on their ship, killing them one by one, they decide to fight him during the night! Seriously? The bad decisions of the characters’ can cause frustration among viewers.
Instead of stretching out the story over days, it should’ve been a tense “humans vs demon” tale unfolding in a span of 12 hours. Overall, “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” does have some good horror moments, but it gets uninteresting very quickly. It’s a crying shame, because the cinematography is top notch.
Rating: 5 on 10.
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Bhumi Pednekar Fires Up ‘Thank You for Coming’ Trailer
Most people have all sorts of existential crises on their 30th birthday, and Bhumi Pednekar’s character in “Thank You for Coming” weeps over her cake as she confides in her best friends about what’s eating her away.
The official trailer for the 2023 Bollywood film “Thank You for Coming” offers a fun, comedic girl-squad film that focuses on its protagonist’s quest to find a man who can give her a happily ever-after in bed. But when she finally has the best night of her life, she is not sure who she shared it with because she was too drunk!
Directed by Karan Boolani and written by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh, the trailer promises to be a comedic ride with quirky characters. Bhumi Pednekar co-stars in the film with Shehnaaz Gill, Shibani Bedi, Kusha Kapila, and Dolly Singh, who play her girlfriends. Bhumi shines the best in the teaser with her feisty-funny portrayal of a young woman trying to navigate the confusing waters of adulthood. From flashback scenes of a dewy-eyed disappointed teen to a more confident woman just trying to have fun, Bhumi nails different shades of her character with aplomb.
“Thank You for Coming” is slightly reminiscent of “Veere Di Wedding,” which was also centered around female friendships and the importance of sexual compatibility in a relationship. The movie also stars Anil Kapoor and Karan Kundrra in crucial roles. After her serious role in the thought-provoking Netflix film ‘Afwaah,’ where she portrayed a politician’s daughter on the run from her fiance, we cannot wait to see Bhumi in a more comedic avatar.
Watch the trailer on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.
September 5, 2023
Funny Woman 2 Review – Creepy Follow-up
Two women are engrossed in drinks, laughter, and a great time, when the pizza delivery guy unexpectedly arrives at their door. To their shock, the person holding the pizza box is a peculiarly dressed woman resembling a gypsy fortune-teller, and she’s about to transform their enjoyable evening into a horrifying nightmare.
Produced by Dark Fun Horror Productions, “Funny Woman 2” serves as a six-minute sequel to their earlier horror short, “Funny Woman,” featuring the same titular antagonist. Surprisingly, the follow-up storyline is even more unsettling, contrasting the celebratory opening scene with a chilling climax. The fact that the creators keep dialogue minimal adds to the eerie atmosphere. Mona Hasanzaade, who previously portrayed the nameless protagonist in “The Elevator,” another gripping production from the same team, embodies a more gothic-looking victim this time.
While viewers can be sure something terrible is going to happen in the end, the build-up is quite unsettling. The mere concept of an unexpected intruder entering your home and compelling you to partake in a game is truly frightening. The climax mirrors the conclusion of the first “Funny Woman,” but it offers a gripping short film experience for horror enthusiasts.
You can stream the film on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.
