Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 181

‘MH370: The Plane That Disappeared’ Flies on Theories

Rating: 3 out of 5.

There’s no denying that the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 passengers in 2014 is one of the biggest modern mysteries of the world; but what really happened to that doomed plane is a question that still doesn’t have a concrete answer. So, the three-part Netflix docu-series titled ‘MH370: The Plane That Disappeared’ only offers three varying theories of what could have transpired. .

Directed by Louise Malkinson, the docu-series features a string of interviews with aviation experts, journalists, adventurists and officials and other persons of interests who were under the spotlight during the course of the investigation. For those who’ve followed the MH370 case closely in the media, the documentary might not offer any staggering new insights. What makes this a gut-wrenching watch is the interviews of family members of those lost their loved ones with the plane.

Louise Malkisnon and team cleverly re-create representational sequences for the ‘what might have happened’ theories, which add a touch of drama to the documentary. The first episode titled ‘The Pilot’, focuses on the first few weeks of the plane’s disappearance and the earliest suspect/possible villain in the story – the pilot Ahmad Shah Zaharie. The creators then move on to Journalist Jeff Wise’s implausible belief that the MH370 could’ve been hijacked. And finally, the last episode puts the spotlight on a French Journalist’s theory suggesting a baffling political conspiracy.

All three episodes are interspersed with the despair and questions of the victims’ family members, who were constantly puzzled with the manner in which the Malaysian government handled the investigation into the missing plane. A lot of details and disclosure just did not fit. And while ‘MH370: The Plane That Disappeared’ may not have any answers, it serves as a brutal reminder of how those power are capable of manipulating the truth to their convenience. All the common man can do is hope for some closure.

It’s a 6 on 10 from me.

Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘No Hard Feelings’ Looks Hilarious AF

‘What the fuck was that?’ I exclaimed while laughing out loud as the trailer for Jennifer Lawrence starrer “No Hard Feelings’ rolled to an end. Lawrence plays a broke-ass Uber driver who doesn’t even have a car anymore in the R-rated comedy. What does a girl do when she has no car and is about to lose her house? Respond to every weird online ad with the promise of quick money!

“Need a car? Date our son this summer and bring him out of his shell before college. In exchange we will give you a Buick Regal” reads an ad. And it’s not a hoax. So Jennifer’s character goes all out to get the boy to date her.

I don’t think I’ve actually seen Jennifer Lawrence in an out-and-out comedy film and ‘No Hard Feelings’ looks pretty hilarious for a mid-range adult comedy flick. And to add to the hype – it’s directed by Gene Stupnitsky, who had written and directed the 2019 comedy ‘Good Boys’, which was so inappropriate and yet so freaking funny. Fans are going to have their hopes up for this one. The exact release date is not out yet, but you can watch the trailer embedded below.

‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ Trailer is Mildly Mysterious

“Your husband is not who you think he is” says a male voice in the trailer for Jennifer Garner’s thriller series ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’. For a two minute trailer, it’s hard to understand why they have the same dialogue repeat twice. The second time we are shown the speaker’s face and Garner’s character responds by to him by saying, “you make him sound like a criminal mastermind”. We thought child murderer. But okay.

Based on Laura Dave’s best-selling novel of the same name, “The Last Thing He Told Me” follows Hannah Hall (played by Jennifer Garner), whose husband Owen disappears after leaving her a mysterious note that reads “protect her”. The note refers to his teenage daughter Bailey, who isn’t very fond of her step-mom Hannah. The two try to piece together what could’ve happened to Owen. But like the cryptic warning by a dude said – they probably don’t know enough about Owen to crack the case.

While the dramatic music in the trailer suggests intrigue, it’s hard to determine if the show will live up to expectations. Viewers will have to wait until April 14th to stream the series on Apple TV+ and judge for themselves.

‘The Year of the Beasts’ – Book Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I didn’t know what to expect from the young-adult novel ‘The Year of the Beasts’ by Cecil Castellucci because I simply bought it due to a crazy discount and hadn’t ever heard of the title or the author before. It turned out to be an engaging read, even though the principal protagonist is an angsty-jealous-self-centred teen.

The story follows 15-year-old Tessa, whose younger sister Lulu begins to date her crush Charlie, and this drives the siblings apart. Honestly, now that I am writing this review, I realize this book has a lot of story tropes I typically find annoying –

+ angsty teen with nothing better to do than drool over boys.

+ siblings falling for the same person (ugh)

+ best-friends suddenly being not too nice with each-other.

+ Dating someone nice but treating them like a social pariah just because they are not popular

But despite all these typical plot points, I really enjoyed reading ‘The Year of the Beasts’! In large parts because of Cecil Castellucci’s simple smooth prose and also because the story is leisurely set during the summer school-break, so the characters have nothing better to do than eat ice-cream, hang out with friends or make-out with their boyfriends. It made me miss summer vacations sans adult responsibilities.

Each prose chapter in ‘The Year of the Beasts’ is followed by an illustrated comic-book style chapter drawn by Nate Powell. But I felt like the alternate chapters didn’t blend well with each other. While the prose bit follows Tessa and Lulu’s summer adventure, the illustrated pages tell a fantasy-like tale of a teen Medusa struggling at school. She is supposed to be a metaphorical representation of Tessa. For example, Tessa is very insecure about her physical appearance because of her messy hair and she tends to treat people terribly. The Medusa’s hair symbolizes both Tessa’s hatred for her own hair and the poisonous quality of her insecurities; which is why she turns people into stone – a parallel on how it’s hard to make friends for someone who doesn’t love themselves. So, I understand the point of the comic book portion, but it could’ve been a lot better.

What I wasn’t expecting from the novel was a tragic climax, which comes out of nowhere, like an unexpected tsunami. Tessa and her friends are forced to deal with life-changing experiences, and the protagonist has two options – to either be bitter or try to be better.  Cecil Castellucci whips up a summer storm in the end and might leave readers either overwhelmed or underwhelmed, depending on what her writing manages to stir up.

It’s a 3.5 on 5 from me.

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8 Women-Led Series to Watch on Netflix

Here are eight series with women protagonists and characters that are worth a watch on Netflix.

Trial By Fire (2023) – Created by Kevin Luperchio and Prashant Nair, ‘Trial by Fire’ tells the tragic tale of the 1997 Uphaar cinema blaze in India that claimed out 59 lives. Rajshri Deshpande delivers a powerful performance as Neelam Krishnamoorthy, a grieving mother determined to uncover the truth behind her children’s deaths and bring the culprits to justice. The Empress (2022) – Loosely based on the life of Duchess Elizabeth who was married to Franz Joseph I, the emperor of Austria, ‘The Empress’ is an entertaining slice of historical drama. Spread over six episodes, the show focuses on how the rebellious Elizabeth stirs up the royal court due to her refusal to become a puppet bride. Kleo (2022) – This retro German action series follows the action of rogue assassin Kleo, who gets out of prison and goes on a murderous spree against who betrayed her, including some top Army guys. This is a quirky thriller with a lady lead who makes grown men shiver in fear. An unreal but entertaining piece that’s fantastically headlined by Jella Haase. The Law According to Lidia Poët (2023) – Starring Matilda De Angelis as Lidia Poët, Italy’s first female lawyer, this six-part series depicts her struggles against obnoxiously patriarchal men, loss of her license to practice law, and her determination to continue fighting cases. Undeterred by setbacks, she becomes an assistant to her older lawyer brother, Enrico Poët. Although the show takes many fictional liberties, it remains fascinating and engrossing.Wednesday (2022) – Okay, this is probably a ‘duh’ kind of recommendation, the fantasy-thriller starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams has been all over the internet and doesn’t need any more publicity. Regardless, it was one of my favorite shows in 2022 and in the rare chance that you haven’t seen it – watch it if you have time to spare. The Haunting of Hill House (2018) – Based on the novel by Shirley Jackson, ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is a riveting psychological horror series which dwells into the lives of 5 siblings who struggle to come to terms with their mother’s mysterious death in a haunted mansion. Their father packs up all the kids and flees the house on the night of their mother’s demise. Watch this series for both the story and excellent performances by Kate Siegel, Victoria Pedretti and Elizabeth Reaser, who play the Crane sisters. Derry Girls (2018) – This is the only show on the list that I haven’t watched yet, but it has received rave reviews from my journalist girlfriends. A friend said, “I loved ‘Derry Girls’ because it feels authentic. The humor is spontaneous, and the casting is impeccable. The show manages to find a way to make light of a dark time in a believable manner, without minimizing the pain. Also, a part of me correlated with the coming of age stressors because the 1990s North Irish parental behavior is eerily reminiscent of typical Indian parents (zero mollycoddling when exams are around, forced religious behavior, emphasis on family, money management, etc)“Maya and the Three – I obviously had to add an animated series on the list and ‘Maya and the Three’ is a fun and watch-worthy show. Created by Jorge R Gutierrez, this 9-episode Netflix series is an epic tale of Mesoamerican princess Maya of the Tecas, who goes on a quest to find the greatest warriors in her land, to help her defeat the God of War. So it treads on high-fantasy realm, with Gods, demi-Gods, magic and high-voltage battles, all culminating into an Avengers’ style ‘end-game’ war.

‘The Law According to Lidia Poët’ Is Nimbly Executed

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

It’s frustratingly ironic to think that the justice system deemed women unworthy of being lawyers (among other professions) until as recently as 1920s in a country like England, home to one of the most famous woman monarch in the world. It was only in 1922 that Helena Normanton gained the distinction of becoming the first woman barrister in the UK. Two years prior to that, another lady was making history in Italy – 65-year-old Lidia Poët was finally recognized as a lawyer in 1920, despite getting her law degree in 1881 and being inscribed in the roll of lawyers in 1883.

The 2023 Netflix show “The Law According to Lidia Poët” honours Italy’s first woman lawyer and takes a lot of fictional liberties to portray the trailblazer’s struggles and adventures. Obviously.  Created by Guido Iuculano and Davide Orsini, the six-part series stars Matilda De Angelis as the young Lidia and unfolds in the 1880s. In the series, an ambitious Lidia fights poor clients, faces obnoxiously patriarchal men at every turn, loses her license to practice, but undeterred, she becomes an assistant to her older Lawyer brother Enrico Poët (Pier Luigi Pasino) and proxy fights his cases. A journalist called Jacopo Barberis (Eduardo Scarpetta) becomes one of her most trusted ally as she chooses to battle for clients who’d seem like a ‘lost cause’ to most.

Episode one starts with an intriguing classical musical flourish, and immediately reminded me of the Austrian series ‘Die Kaiserin’, and while the sets in “The Law According to Lidia Poët” aren’t as grand, they exude a fascinating old-world charm. The creators need to be lauded for the background score, there’s a lot of post 2000s music, the sound is distinctly modern-rock, but it serves as a clever allusion to their protagonist, who was far ahead of her times.

Viewers are pulled into the first case of the show – a ballerina’s death, which is pinned on a stalker-like admirer. Each of the six episodes serve as stand-alone stories, because they are all different cases, which is a great asset to this series since viewers can just watch one episode per day and not feel incomplete. Although, Lidia’s personal equations with the regular characters in the show do see progress throughout the episodes.

Except for a few scenes where Matilda De Angelis seemed a too young as Lidia Poët, she is charmingly confident as her country’s first barrister. Matilda makes the viewers feel her silent suffocation as Lidia is ridiculed, overlooked, and underestimated simply because she is a woman. Even though the show never gets too dramatic, Matilda De Angelis pulls off some of the subtle emotional scenes with a lot of grace and charm. Pier Luigi Pasino is amusing as her sexist older brother, who doesn’t respect his sister much and thinks of her passion for law as some rebellious trifle; however, there’s a slow but heartening change in his character as the siblings work together on cases. I wasn’t a fan of journalist Jacopo, or of some of the romantic sub-plots that find their way in the series.

As far as the criminal cases that Lidia fights are concerned, most of them were on the simpler side, considering it’s the 1880s and murderers didn’t take extraordinary measures to keep their tracks clean. Thriller and mystery fans might not necessarily be too impressed with the show, but keeping the timeline in mind, the series is largely satisfactory and worth a watch.

It’s a 7.5/10 from me. Stream the series on Netflix.

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The Altered History of Willow Sparks – Book Review

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Another book about a teen nerd who wants to be popular and becomes a bitch the minute she smells a chance at becoming party of the ‘cool clique’? Eh.

Written and illustrated by Tara O’Connor, ‘The Altered History of Willow Sparks’ lured me with the mention of a ‘mysterious book’. And yes, also because of the nicely drawn cover. That’s a mistake I am going to be committing thousands of times over in the future – getting a book because of its cover-art. C’mon, we all judge a book by its cover, maybe mine need an upgrade too (I’ve written a bunch).

Okay, back to ‘The Altered History of Willow Sparks’…. Willow is a teen nerd who has a part-time job at the library, two childhood best-friends and an acne problem. Boys don’t take a second look at her; she isn’t part of the popular clique and is sometimes bullied at school. She has chance to change all that when she stumbles upon a mysterious magical book at the library. Whatever she writes in it can come true!  

Honestly, I was a little skeptical about picking this book, because I didn’t really enjoy Tara’s autobiographical comic ‘Roots’, neither in terms of story nor the art. However, her artwork in this book is different and engaging, the character designs are similar in style with her illustrations for the mystery title ‘Agony House’. So, I definitely did enjoy the artwork, but the plot needed a lot more work. Willow isn’t a very interesting protagonist and becomes unforgivably mean when she discovers magic. Her best-friend Georgia Pratt was a much more measured and likable character. O’Connor explores teen insecurities, friendships and fragility of the human ego.

“The Altered History of Willow Sparks” has the kind of title that sets up a lot of expectations, and Tara O’Connor did have a very interesting concept at hand, but the plot’s full potential is never realized. Nonetheless, it makes for a decent one time read, brownie points to the creator for the art.  

It’s a 3 on 5 from me.  

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‘Never Let Me Go’ Review – Where Boys Play Men

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Seventeen-year-old Nuengdiao Kiattrakulmethee is forced to go into hiding with his teen bodyguard after his mother is fatally shot by the henchmen of his scheming uncle Suphakit who wants to take over the family business. This comes just a few months after the assassination of his father. Will the two youngsters survive and find lasting love?

The Thai series “Never Let Me Go,” directed by Jojo Tichakorn Phukhaotong, stars Phuwin Tangsakyuen and Pond Naravit Lertratkosum as Nuengdiao and Palm, respectively. Nuengdiao is a rich loner who keeps his guard up 24/7, as he suspects that everyone has an ulterior motive to get close to him. He is particularly wary of his cunning uncle Suphakit (Nat Sakdatorn) and his murderous schemes. To protect her son, Nuengdiao’s mother enrolls Pond, the teenage son of her loyal worker, in the same school as Nuengdiao.

The story is a classic tale of class differences and an unlikely romance between two people from different worlds. Phuwin and Pond previously starred together in the romantic comedy ‘Fish Upon The Sky’, which had hilarious moments, and the two were charming as college students. However, in ‘Never Let Me Go’, they play high-school boys, and the story would have worked better if their characters were in college. The script places unrealistic expectations on two teenagers. For instance, Nuengdiao and Palm are on the run for weeks, but when things become extremely dangerous, Palm decides to go back to his palatial home and hires a group of bodyguards. This action could have been taken earlier in the story.

‘Never Let Me Go’ is visually appealing due to its screenplay and aesthetic sets. Some episodes take place on lesser explored beaches in Thailand, providing a beautiful backdrop for the budding romance between the protagonists. Phuwin portrays Nuengdiao with a lot of heart, he poignantly expresses the social isolation his character experiences at school and in life in general. Organ Rasee Wacharapolmek plays his mother Thanya, and the two share a wholesome, healthy relationship. Episode 5 has a moving mother-son scene where Thanya tells Nueng something on the lines of – “You can like whoever or whatever you want. Your happiness is more important than our family’s honor.” It’s one of the nicest coming out interaction between a parent and a child in an Asian series.

While Phuwin and Pond have great chemistry, Pond falters when his character, Palm, is meant to express emotionally charged scenes. Pond struggles to let go of his inhibitions in certain scenes, and his inability to shoulder heavier emotions stands out when he shares the screen with Perth Tanapon Sukumpantanasan. Perth plays Nuengdiao’s first cousin and classmate, Chopper, who steals the limelight from Pond in some crucial scenes. Chimon Wachirawit Ruangwiwat also plays their classmate Ben and is quite charming in his supporting role. Nat Sakdatorn is casually evil as Suphakit and pulls off the ‘bitter young brother’ role well. With some better writing and editing, ‘Never Let Me Go’ could’ve been a lot more gripping. However, the cinematography, cast and cleverly picked background music makes it worth a watch.

It’s 7 on 10 from me.

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Listen to ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ Review

‘Butta Bomma’ – Quick Movie Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

A remake of the Malayalam movie ‘Kappela’, the 2023 Telugu version starring Anikha Surendran and Surya Vashistta remains faithful to the original script. Directed by Chandrasekhar T. Ramesh, the only major difference between the two is the sequencing of some events and the locations. ‘Butta Bomma’ unfolds in the beautiful Araku Valley and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

“Since I had already seen ‘Kapella’, the plot twists in ‘Butta Bomma’ were not novel to me. However, instead of being boring, the movie managed to engage me due to its scenic sets and talented actors. The story follows Satya (Anikha Surendran), a young girl from a humble family in Araku, who falls in love with the smooth-talking auto driver Murali (Surya) over the phone without even having seen him. When her parents push her to marry a wealthy businessman, Satya goes to Visakhapatnam to meet Murali for the first time, but instead, she crosses paths with the mysterious RK (Arjun Das).

Unlike the original, ‘Butta Bomma’ also adds a small comedic sub-plot involving Satya’s friend dating a man secretly. The interactions between the two adds a few needed laughs that were missing from ‘Kappela’. Most of my impressions about the plot remain the same (read my review), but it’s the actors that change the game for this Tollywood reboot. Anikha Surendran fits the bill for a naive girl with her head full of romantic ideas. Surya Vashistta is a lot more convincing as the flirty two-faced auto driver than Roshan Matthew. And Arjun Das has some great pipes on him, his heavy-set voice adds an extra punch to his grey ‘angry young man’ character RK. But his character remains a contradictory weirdo.

Overall, ‘Butta Bomma’ is just as engaging as the original.

It’s a 3 on 5 from me. Stream it on Netflix.

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Listen to ‘Your Place or Mine’ Movie Review – RomCom Abomination

Blue Lock Episode 21 Review

‘Blue Lock’ is at a point where it’s become so ridiculously entertaining that I don’t want the series to ever end! Episode 21 was half-annoying (courtesy Isagi’s non-stop commentary) and half-hilarious, so on the whole it was another edition that kept you amused through its runtime.

(Read ‘Blue Lock’ Episode 1 Review if you have no idea what the show is about)

Episode 21, titled ‘I’m Not Here,’ continues the nail-biting match between Rin Itoshi’s squad and team Isagi, where Nagi’s spectacular soccer skills turn the tables for the underdogs. However, no one on the field is sure who will score the next goal and win the crazy match. Even master Ego is impressed with his players’ evolution on Blue Lock.

Some parts of the match were tedious because there was too much mind-talk going on. Although Bachira is currently my favorite character, he decides to have an existential crisis during the crucial game. While questioning one’s ability when surrounded by talented sportsmen who are demonic in their game is understandable, the creators should have postponed Bachira’s mental monologue for later. Nonetheless, there were some great moments in the episode.

Stream the series on Netflix.

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