Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 196
November 29, 2022
Spy x Family Episode 21 Review
There’s a new agent on the horizon, a poker-faced woman called ‘Nightfall’, who is intent on ruffling things up in ‘Spy x Family’. Assigned by the handler to work with agent Twilight AKA Loid Forger, the spy protagonist of the series. Nightfall thinks ‘Operation Strix’ would make better progress if she takes up the role of Mrs Forger. Is that even possible?
(Read Spy x Family Episode 1 Review if you have no clue what the show is about)
Titled ‘Nightfall/Jealousy For The First Time’, episode 21 made for a fun change, with the first half focusing on the new character’s motives. Nightfall visits the Forger household, triggering a series on hilarious incidents and interactions between Loid, Yor and Anya. It’s in these family settings where the show’s writing shines best. Despite Loid insisting in his mind that he is only ‘playing house’ for a bigger global mission, the ‘fake’ family exudes the warmth of a real one.
While Twilight is usually professional in his demeanor, there’s been a slow steady growth in his character from ‘cold spy’ to ‘warm dad’ figure as Loid Forger. There aren’t actually very many scenes that dwell into Loid’s more domestic side, but the episode really highlights the kind of work he has been putting into taking care of Anya. While there was plenty of comedic moments as usual, a few serious scenes were slipped in via the new character. It’s going to be interesting to see how agent Nightfall fits into the picture and what their next mission is going to be.
Stream the series on Netflix.
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Listen To ‘The House – An Unusual Animated Anthology’
‘The Court Charade’ Book Review – Delightfully Mad!
By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Right from page one, ‘The Court Charade’ by Vesco Flore and Kerascoët is a mad, mad graphic novel, with whimsical sarcasm that might seem like pointless silliness to some! In-fact, even I couldn’t help but sneer over some events unfolding in the story, but I couldn’t stop turning the pages either. Readers will fall into a rabbit hole reminiscent of the kind of eccentricity that made ‘Alice in Wonderland’ a classic. Goes without saying – it isn’t for everyone. Moving on to the plot…
Young Serine’s family is on the verge of starving to death, but her mother insists she takes lessons on how to ‘sit’ properly, instead of picking up an actual skill that might help pull their lot out of poverty. So Serine runs away to pursue her dream of becoming the queen’s lady-in-waiting; is ill-prepared to deal with the trials of serving tyrannical royals. From miraculously gaining the queen’s favor, to becoming the victim of a nefarious plot, Serine goes on a crazy roller coaster ride at court and soon turns into a mischief-maker of unprecedented scale.
Kerascoët is an artist duo – Marie Pommepuy and Sébastien Cosset – whose playful water-painting like art adds a dash of magic to ‘The Court Charade’. It didn’t strike me they were the same duo from ‘Beautiful Darkness’, a whimsical take on fairy tales by Fabien Vehlmann. Anyway, their illustrations are fantastic and the life of this graphic novel too. Writer Vesco Flore just has a lot of fun with the story, it’s filled with dark humor, witticism and does a fantastic job of mocking those in power.
Serine is a spirited protagonist, she is naive yet conniving, forgiving but vengeful, without an ego but capable of vanity…basically a whole spectrum of contrasting shades packed into one little person! Like I mentioned in the beginning, it’s a mad, mad book. Things however do get predictable and readers get a classic ending, the sorts straight out of a fairy-tale, despite the build-up being anything but conventional.
It’s a 4/5 from me.
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Ep 79 – Five Graphic Novel Adaptations Worth Checking Out
November 28, 2022
‘Big Dragon’ Series Review – Wait… What??
Those who made the 2022 Thai show – had the money, roped in a good looking cast, shot it well, but forgot to put a decent story in. Directed by Puwadon Naosopa, ‘Big Dragon’ was marketed like some mafia-themed romance which some hoped would fill the void left by the highly entertaining show ‘KinnPorsche’… But it’s really just a well-budgeted typical college love story, with a bizarre/problematic first episode that doesn’t even fit with the mood or tone with the story unfolding later.
Mos Panuwat Sopradit and Bank Mondop Heamtan play protagonists Mangkorn and Yai respectively. Yai is a bratty wealthy college student who has inherited his father’s pub and thinks the handsome Mangkorn has eyes on his girl-crush. So one evening, Yai gets his men to mix something in Mangkorn’s drink, but due to a mix-up, the two end up spending the night together. Over the next seven episodes, the protagonists hanker for each other’s attention, squabble over petty jealousies and sleep together a bunch of times. Yai’s character goes from being a ‘creepy evil dude who’d drug his opponents’ to a silly confused puppy in heat. Mos and Bank look stunning together, their chemistry is about decent, but the story just doesn’t click
The brand endorsements through the episodes are too awkward. For example, in episode 4 Mangkorn offers Yai a snack and baby-talks with him. At this point of the story, they are still in their ‘rivalry’ phase, they literally beat each other a couple of hours before… so it was just cringe-y. However, the production value of this series is great. Some of the night shots are shot really well, they are colorful, aesthetic and charming. In fact, almost all locations and sets are pretty and pleasing to the eye, especially some of the scenes that are shot at Thai temples.
In Episode 6, there’s a sweet one-on-one accidental meeting between Yai and Mangkorn’s mom at a restaurant and the whole mood during the sequence was nostalgically beautiful. Koy Narumon Phongsupan plays a supportive empathetic mother, too bad her role is very brief. None of the other supporting characters get enough screen time or make much sense in the overall story. Good thing they ended the show in eight episodes, maybe they will hire better writers for season two.
It’s a 5/10 from me. You can stream the series on YouTube.
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‘The Closet’ Horror Comic Series Review
How do you get rid of monsters that follow you everywhere?
‘The Closet’ is a three part comic-series by James Tynion IV, Gavin Fullerton and Chris O’Halloran. It follows married man Thom, who is packing stuff up in his New York flat to move to a new city. Thom hopes the move will ease things between him and his wife, and maybe Jamie finally stop screaming every night about there being a monster in his closet.
Listen in to a quick spoiler-free audio review of this dark horror comic series.
November 27, 2022
Blue Lock Episode 8 Review
Episode 8 doesn’t have a lot of soccer, yet it gets over in a flash! This edition sheds some light on a whole bunch of new characters, especially the top scorers of the ‘Blue Lock’ program. They all seem to be impressive unbeatable beasts. While episode seven ended with a brief glimpse of the three best strikers in the facility, episode eight titled ‘Formula For Goals’ builds upon their characteristics.
(Read ‘Blue Lock’ Episode 1 Review if you have no idea what the show is about)
The next match will seal the fates of protagonist Isagi Yoichi and fellow members of Team Z. The boys barely survived by managing to get a draw in their last game, how will they manage to take on a team that didn’t suffer a single defeat so far? Strategy, strength, spirit, solidarity… Team Z cannot just study their opponents, they will have to pool in all everything they have to survive in ‘Blue Lock’. And Ego suggests something that makes everything think – can their be a formula to win goals?
Reo Mikage and Nagi Seishiro from Team V really stand out, their contrasting personalities – is a rich egocentric bored brat who wants to win the world cup, while the other is a asocial gamer who just happens to be naturally talented at soccer – makes their friendship both bizarre and sweet. Zantetsu Tsurugi completes the power trio of team V, although, viewers don’t get any back-story on him, at least not yet. I really want to see a lot more of the impish Bachira in the show, he is whimsical, spirited and fun.
Despite being a tense episode that’s supposed to set ground for a ‘do or die’ match, the writers sneak in a few hilarious seconds where Team Z members unwind a little and play a silly game that has nothing to do with soccer. The final match kicks off in this very episode, which means fans are left with a nail-biting start, it’s not even a cliff-hanger, for the ‘Team Z Vs Team V’ match barely begins and the episode is over! Cannot wait to stream the next one.
Stream the series on Netflix.
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Listen To ‘The House – An Unusual Animated Anthology’
‘The Noel Diary’ Review: Not A Typical Cheery Romance
The ending of this film was so abrupt, it makes you forget all the elements it gets right! Directed by Charles Shyer, 2022 Netflix movie ‘The Noel Diary’ follows cynical best-selling author Jacob Turner, who visits his childhood home for the first time in 20 years, after getting a call from a lawyer about his estranged mother passing away and leaving everything to him. Jacob’s (Justin Hartley) visit takes an interesting turn when a young woman called Rachel (Barrett Doss) comes knocking on the door, claiming her birth mom worked for his family. The two embark on a quest to find Rachel’s mom. On and the movie is based on a book of the same name by author Richard Paul Evans.
There are a lot of little things in the story that are quite unrealistic, for example, Rachel chooses to binge-read Jacob’s novel through the night, instead of going through her mother’s diary. Seriously? How did nobody notice the error in that? A woman who is desperate to re-connect with her birth-mother, so much so that she camps out in front of a stranger’s house for hours, decides to finish the dude’s book instead of her mom’s diary. Anyway…
While the story is set during Christmas-time, it’s not the cheery, funny, festive kind of romance. But I like that bit about the story, not everyone is drinking with joy during the holidays, many grapple with darker demons. So you have a rich author sorting out two decades worth of clutter gathering dust in his hoarder-mother’s home during Christmas, while a young woman is out on a wild chase to find the woman who gave her up for adoption as soon as she was born, when she should be planning her engagement with her fiance.
Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss portray their roles with a lot of conviction, but while their individual characters are interesting, the romance between them doesn’t click. It should’ve been a platonic tale of two strangers trying to connect with their parents/family. Jacob Turner might be a world-famous author, but he is still hurting from being abandoned by his father when he needed the man the most; instead he had to grow up with a mother who had serious mental health issues and wasn’t capable of nurturing him. James Remar plays senior Turner, and a father-son reunion sub-plot was the most poignant part of the movie. The climactic conflict felt cliched and ends on a note does not do justice to its title.
It’s a 6.5/10 from me.
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Listen To ‘The House – An Unusual Animated Anthology’
November 26, 2022
‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ Review
By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“We agreed it would be best for all of us if you’d just stop being who you are and doing the things you love” – this dialogue from the 2022 movie ‘Weird: The Ak Yankovic Story’ was both heartbreaking and hilarious, and you’ll have to watch the scene to understand the duality.
Directed by Eric Appel, who co-wrote the script with Yankovic, the film is a parody-biopic starring Daniel Radcliffe as the titular protagonist. If you just go appearances, Yankovic and Radcliffe look nothing like each other, but the script needed an actor like Daniel to pull if off, not only is it the kind of goofy/eccentric role he is bound to shine in, but also the whole point of a parody is to not resemble reality. For example, in the movie, Yankovik dates ‘Like A Virgin’ singer Madonna (played by Evan Rachel Wood), while in reality they were barely acquaintances.
The film begins with a sliver of truth of how Weird Al started playing the accordion as a little boy. Richard Aaron Anderson is amusingly adorable as little Al, who loves wearing loud shirts and listening to Dr Demento, despite his strict father’s warnings against it. Older Yankovik isn’t much different and Daniel Radcliffe is just brilliant as the exaggerated version of the parody-song-king. He channels a strange energy and makes all the farcical stuff seem a lot more earnest than intended. Some of Yankovik’s biggest hits find their way into the script, from his first debut single ‘My Bologna’ a parody of ‘My Sharona’, to ‘Eat It’ a play on Micheal Jackson’s hit ‘Beat It’ and of-course ‘Like A Surgeon’ which is a funny as hell re-hash of Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’. Evan Rachel Wood makes a fine Madonna in the film, she is a hoot as a scheming seductress, but her sub-plot was a little overstretched.
A whole bunch of actors make little cameo appearances throughout the runtime. Rainn Wilson gets the most significant support role, he plays Dr Demento, Yankovik’s mentor/guide/best-friend in the movie. From a scared introverted little boy who’d hide in a closet to practice the accordion, Radcliffe’s Weird Al breaks out of his shell to taste phenomenal success in the music industry, making every artist hope he’d parody their track. But like every great biopic ever made, ‘Weird’ too has it’s share of conflicts (even if ridiculously fake) and then comes an unexpected climax – a comically tragic ending to close Al’s life.
I honestly hadn’t even heard any of Yankovik songs before watching the film and checked all the original parodies later, they are clever, entertaining and I am definitely a fan of the singer now! ‘Weird’ made me laugh out loud at the end of a very exhausting sucky day, so it’s a 8/10 from me.
You can stream ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ on Roku.
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Blue Lock Episode 7 Review
For the first time, anime series ‘Blue Lock’ features a proper flashback sequence to shed light on a character’s past. Viewers get an interesting glimpse into Chigiri’s past and what his ‘special’ talent really is.
(Read ‘Blue Lock’ Episode 1 Review if you have no idea what the show is about)
Since episode six ended with a tense cliffhanger, seven continues to be a serious episode, with Isagi Yoichi and team sweating their ass off to win against the devious opponents. Betrayed, outnumbered, out of breath – can Team Z still win the crucial match? The show’s razor-sharp focus on soccer so far has kept thing pacy and interesting.
Chigiri’s flashback was quite dramatic and he takes center-stage in this edition, things drum to an exaggerated but wholly satisfactory climax. A few new cocky characters are introduced at the end of the episode, leaving fans with the promise of an exciting chapter.
Stream the series on Netflix.
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Listen To ‘The House – An Unusual Animated Anthology’
November 25, 2022
‘Christmas With You’ – Quick Movie Review
‘Christmas With You’ follows Angelia, a pop-star living off re-hashing her old songs, but her label wants a new track and she might get fired if they don’t get one. Right off the bat, the film felt like a re-hashed version of Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Marry Me’. Both romances are about a famous singer falling for an ‘ordinary’ single father with a teen daughter and in another similar detail, both male leads also happen to be teachers at their kid’s school.
Directed by Gabriela Tagliavini, ‘Christmas With You’ stars Aimee Garcia as Angelina and Freddie Prinze Jr. as widower Miguel. With no ideas for a new song, Angelina decides to distract herself by surprising a high-school fan with a visit in a nearby town, but little does she expect to find some inspiration for next track when she meets the girl’s dad – music teacher Miguel.
This was pretty simple (although exaggerated tale) movie about a ‘super rich singer celebrity’ romancing a regular guy, a Christmas love miracle we’ve seen in plenty of holiday films. Notting Hill and Hairspray (both the old and new versions) are among my favorite such flicks. Aimee Garcia is actually pretty entertaining, However, Freddie Prinze Jr. just doesn’t have any charm anymore. He looked exhausted in the part; Owen Wilson is almost a decade older than Freddie, but is absolutely endearing as the awkward middle-aged teacher dad in ‘Marry Me’. Freddie is just awkward.
Unfortunately, even the music, which is a central theme of the film, was completely forgettable. Through most of the runtime, Angelina and Miguel collaborate on a new Christmas song, and when they finally performs the track, it was underwhelming. ‘Christmas With You’ has some sweet moments, but pales out against other holiday themed releases. ‘Falling for Christmas’ starring Lindsay Lohan was far more entertaining.
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Listen To ‘The House – An Unusual Animated Anthology’
November 24, 2022
Kantara Review: Plenty High Jinks, Less Lore
Kannada movie ‘Kantara’ begins with a fascinating legend of a king that’s reminiscent of tales from Amar Chitra Kathas and Chandamama. The king has everything but peace of mind, so he strikes a deal with a forest community to give him ‘Panjurli Daiva’, the divine spirit they worship, in exchange for a portion of his land. After a few minutes, the focus of the film turns to Shiva, an unemployed man-child, who spends his time hunting, drinking and picking fights in his village, while his mother and brother work hard for their livelihood.
Rishab Shetty dons multiple hats for ‘Kantara’, he is the director, writer and also lead character Shiva, who is supposed to carry forward his father’s legacy of performing the ‘Bhoota Kola’, a ritualistic dance to worship Panjurli Daiva. Instead, his younger brother Guruva (Swaraj Shetty) shoulders those responsibilities. The first fifteen minutes of the movie packs a lot of folklore, culture, traditions of Karnataka, after which the script largely follows Shiva’s antics.
A not very compelling ‘man vs nature’ premise is introduced to give viewers a villain. Strict forest officer Murali (Kishore Kumar G) begins to target the villagers; he accuses them of encroaching upon government land and prohibits them from hunting animals. Landowner Devendra Suttooru (Achyuth Kumar), a direct descendant of the king, hires a lawyer to help the villagers with litigation work, as most of them are illiterate. Can Shiva and his people keep their land or will they become homeless?
The film is well shot, capturing interior Karnataka’s beauty and some of its vibrant art forms. However, plot-wise, the script meanders a lot in the between, with typical jokes and scenes of a mass south-Indian entertainer. An unexpected mysterious murder serves as the turning point for the movie, but the sub-plot isn’t fleshed out well. The second you see the dead body, you would think “why?” and not “who killed him?”, since it’s pretty evident who did it and soon it’s not too hard to understand why either. It’s the last 20 minutes that are absolutely arresting, with Rishab Shetty breaking out of his shell and delivering a goosebumps inducing performance.
I was hoping for more folklore and insights into the rituals and beliefs of the community, but all we get is Shiva and gang gorging on meat, fish and cheap liquor. It was hard not to think about the 2022 Malayalam film ‘Kumari’ while watching ‘Kantara’, because it also has similar themes and is just as good (if not better), but hasn’t received half the attention. Overall, it’s definitely a film that’s made for the big screen. But for now you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video.
It’s a 7/10 from me.
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