Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 203

‘The Curse of Bridge Hollow’ Review – Halloween Goodness

In a town that takes Halloween very seriously, things get spooky when a curse is unleashed upon it, rendering fake skeletons, plastic spiders, clowns, zombies and every lifeless decor into living monsters. Directed by Jeff Wadlow, ‘The Curse of Bridge Hollow’ stars Marlon Wayans and Priah Fergusson as father-daughter duo Howard and Sydney Gordon.

The Gordons are new in town and are inhabitants of a house which some folks believe is haunted. Marlon Wayans is amusing as science teacher Howard, who doesn’t believe in supernatural stuff. Priah Fergusson, who won over several fans with her feisty act in ‘Stranger Things’, is just as engaging as Sydney, who accidentally sets free a malicious spirit which breathes life into Halloween decorations and causes havoc around town. It’s up-to the feuding father-daughter duo to find the story behind the curse and end it.

‘The Curse of Bridge Hollow’ captures the spirit of Halloween all too well and there’s some fantastic horror themed decorations throughout the runtime. Zombies from ‘The Walking Dead’, creepy clowns with axes, skeletons in baseball uniforms, coffins filled with treats, old-age-homes decked with giant spiders… there’s just all sorts of colorful stuff in there, which makes the film visually appealing. It’s a family-friendly horror film, with zero gore, tame jump scares, mild violence and a predictable ending.

Lauren Lapkus plays the goofy ‘mayor’ of the town, and is so bad in her few seconds, she single-handedly manages to pull down the mood of the film in the first ten minutes. Luckily, Priah Fergusson takes over soon enough and the ‘paranormal activities’ begin. If you are looking for a Halloween themed movie to watch with the entire family, ‘The Curse of Bridge Hollow’ is a fun pick.

It’s a 7/10 from me.

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Listen To Ep 45 – 15 Freaky Facts About ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ Case

‘Takara-kun to Amagi-kun’ – Quick Series Review

“Watching you two misunderstand each other is hilariously painful,” a friend of the protagonist says something on these lines in the 2022 Japanese series ‘Takara-kun to Amagi-kun’. That sentence pretty much sums up what the show is about – two teens in love having a hard time expressing their feelings.

Based on the manga of the same name, the eight-episode series directed by Yoshino Mamoru is set against a scenic seaside town. Sato Arata plays Takara-kun, the cliched cold hero who is popular in school and his facial emotions have the range of a blank page. Oriyama Nao is Amagi Taichi, a regular cheery classmate, who inadvertently blurts about his crush on Takara-kun when they are doing a chore together, and to his surprise, Takara suggests that they try dating. The two teens agree to keep their relationship a secret, but have difficulty navigating a hush-hush bond.

There isn’t much going on in the series, but Oriyama Nao makes for an awkward lead as Amagi, he looks like a high-school kid and has some distinct traits that set him apart from the rest of the cast. For example, we walks like a bend rubber doll, as if he has no bones in the body. The leads don’t have a lot of chemistry, but there are some fluffy romantic moments, some which are endearingly funny. The supporting actors Suzuki Kosuke, Komiya Rio have far more livelier characters as the leads close friends Katori and Tanaka.

‘Takara-kun to Amagi-kun’ is a simple, silly, ‘opposites attract’ kind of teen romance. So if you aren’t looking for a complex story, it’s a pretty cute-ish watch for the weekend.

It’s a 6/10 from me.

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‘Dobaaraa’ Review – Intriguing Enough For Ek Baar

The description for the 2022 drama ‘Dobaaraa’ made me expect something along the lines of the 2020 Korean thriller ‘The Call’, where two women from different timelines are able to communicate with each other. However, the Taapsee Pannu starrer is an official remake of the 2018 Spanish film “Mirage”, where her character connects with a boy from the past through an old television.

Directed by Anurag Kashyap and written by Nihit Bhave, ‘Dobaaraa’ might not be nail-biting, but has enough events unfolding to keep things interesting until the end. Set in 2021, Taapsee plays Antara Awasthi, a nurse who has just moved to a new house with her husband and daughter. The family finds an old television connected to a video-camera, and in a freaky turn of events, Antara finds herself talking to Anay, the son of the previous owner who is also in the same room but in 1996. Aware that Anay died in a road accident the same year after witnessing a murder, Antara tries to save the boy, without realizing how changing the past can change the future too and have implications on her present life.

Just like Taapsee’s ‘Looop Lapeta’, Dobaara also plays with time, but is better spun and a lot more gripping. There are a lot of ‘too convenient to be realistic’ plot points through the story which seem ridiculous and annoying at first, but most of those loose threads are tied up in climactic explanation. For example, when Antara realizes her current timeline has been drastically affected by her interference with the past, she teams up with a rather suspiciously accommodating police officer named Anand (Pavail Gulati). Despite limited screen-time together, Taapsee and Pavail Gulati have palpable chemistry and might make for a good lead in a romantic drama.

The film has a very domestic touch to it, since almost all characters are familiar with each other, so it’s like a big family thriller. And with the timeline constantly flitting between the 1990s and 2021, viewers have to keep their attention glued to the screen, lest they get confused with what’s happening when. The 90s timeline is very nostalgic, the makers do a pretty great job in creating the pre-internet era, with actors who perfectly blend into the timeline.

It’s a 6/10 from me. You can stream it on Netflix.

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‘Blue Lock’ – Amusingly Twisted Soccer Anime

Trust Japanese creators to pick any theme and turn it into a dystopian series, like the anime ‘Blue Lock’, where 300 teen Forwards in a prison-like facility, where they get trained to become the country’s best soccer player. The goal of the facility is to mold selfish sportsmen who can help Japan’s dream of winning the Football World Cup. The trainer wants players to abandon the traditional notion of soccer being a ‘team sport’ and become egotists who’d rather take a shot of scoring a goal themselves, than passing the ball.

Based on the manga of the same name, 2022 series ‘Blue Lock’ has been animated by Eight Bit studio, and while the animation seemed slightly glitch-y the first few seconds in ‘Episode 1’, it smooths out soon enough and is just as good as any big ongoing anime series. The prime protagonist is Isagi Yoichi (voiced by Kazuki Ura), a forward player in his High-School, who is extremely disappointed when his team loses a chance at making it to the nationals. When he is picked for the mysterious ‘Blue Lock’ program, Yoichi doesn’t agree with the ‘egotist’ concept, but feels like it’s his only shot at representing Japan at a global level.

While most Japanese sport series focus on hard-work and team-building, ‘Blue Lock’ stands out by putting spotlight on megalomania. One player is expected to crush the 299 others to win the treacherous training regime. It means Yoichi having to turn against those he looks up to, for he knows the winner will have to stand alone. Filled with low-key hilarious moments, the anime is amusingly dark, dwelling on the intrinsic selfish nature of humans. Be prepared for some blood, violence, disorder and a whole lot of twisted soccer.

It’s a 8/10 from me. You can stream it on Netflix. New episodes drop Sunday.

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‘Babli Bouncer’ Review – Bubbly Light Entertainer

We’ve had enough onscreen Bollywood ‘heroes’ riding bikes, chasing women, beating up goons and saving the day, but flip the genders and you get ‘Babli Bouncer’, a breezy story with its share of silly cliched bits.

Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, the 2022 film stars Tamannaah Bhatia as lead protagonist Babli, a class 10 fail tomboy from a village in Haryana, whose only ambition in life is to marry and have kids. But when she falls in love with the village teacher’s son Viraj (Abhishek Bajaj), a polished educated young man working in New Delhi, Babli takes up a job in the city to impress him.

The soundtrack ‘Babli Bouncer’ is very forgettable, only the nightclub music is all right because Bhandarkar uses hits from his own old films, like ‘Jalwa’ from Fashion. Tamannaah Bhaita is bubbly and lovable as the confident, physically strong Babli, who becomes a bouncer in a night-club and unabashedly woos Viraj in her own little ways. Priyam Saha and Sahil Vaid are endearing as Babli’s friends Pinky and Kukku.

What begins as a love story, morphs into a plot about Babli finding her own feet in the big city, so we get a few misadventures and mishaps at the club. However, Bhandarkar and team romanticize her journey, giving the protagonist an easy, hero-like journey. Due to this, the second-half becomes too contrived and Viraj’s role nose-dives into being an idiot. Thankfully (for the viewers), the ending ends on a light note, instead of closing on a forced dramatic note.

It’s a 6/10 from me. You can stream it on Disney Hotstar.

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‘The Least We Can Do’ – Issue #2 Review

There’s so much stuff happening in issue #2 of ‘The Least We Can Do’, you won’t even realize you are on the last page and the comic is already over! Eliza Romboli and Iolanda Zanfardino quickly introduce a whole bunch of diverse characters in their new dystopian-fantasy series and it gets a little hard to keep track since the story is only getting started.

(Read: ‘The Least We Can Do’ – Issue #1 Review for a quick recap)

Uriel the protagonist is trying to find her place among the Eclipse Rebels, whose members are adamant she learn how to fight and train for all eventualities. So the issue offers plenty of action and the clueless Uriel is no match for the badass members who know how to throw a good punch. To realize her dreams of a peaceful regime which isn’t oppressed by corrupt dictators, Uriel will have to learn the secrets to channeling the magical powers of the ‘Medium’ stones.

With each new comic, Iolanda Zanfardino seems to be shedding a little more light to these mystery stones that are at the heart of the series. For example, in this issue we learn the stones might now work for its wielder if someone else owned them before. Eliza Romboli’s playful artwork keeps changing the colors and mood of the story through the pages. Just like the first issue, this one too feels like a lively video-game filled with fun players.

I love the little twist this one ends with and it would be exciting to see if the cliffhanger will get a back-story of its own in the coming issues.

It’s a 4.5/5 from me.

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Enyou Yang Sparkles in ‘Lighting Up The Stars’

Enyou Yang, the child star burns brightest in 2022 Chinese drama ‘Lighting up the Stars’ (original title – Ren sheng da shi), a film about death, grief, family and filial piety. Written and directed by Jiangjiang Liu, the film follows spunky Wu Xiaowen, who stalks funeral director Mo Sanmei (Yilong Zhu) and gang, demanding that they give back her grandmother. Unable to immediately explain the child her grandma is dead, the unruly Mo Sanmei ends up forming an unlikely bond with the girl.

Enyou Yang absolutely lovable as Wu Xiaowen, the little girl adamant on finding her grandmother, who used to be her sole loving guardian. Dressed in a bright yellow-blue shirt and armed with a colorful spear at the beginning of the film, Enyou is mini-Mulan like, the Chinese folk heroine. Yilong Zhu plays lead Mo Sanmei, who is fresh out of prison and not too keen on running his family’s funeral services business. Actors Lu Liu, Ge Wang play Sanmei’s loyal friends Yin Baixue and Wang Jianren, who help him run the business and also support him in all his ridiculous ventures. The movie packs in a lot of Chinese culture and is an interesting look at their funeral rituals, beliefs and practices. There’s this hilarious lavish funeral conducted by Sanmei, where everybody is dressed like they are in a regional Opera, which was visually both bizarre and beautiful to watch.

The mood of the film capricious for most parts, you never know when the mood will change from ridiculously funny to seriously sombre. While some of the emotional scenes were cliched, there are plenty of subtle funny moments which makes ‘Lighting up the Stars’ an entertaining family fare. About two hours long, the runtime of the movie is long enough, yet, the plot moves too fast. From being a hot-headed irresponsible goon-like guy, Mo Sanmei’s character softens too quickly into becoming a dad-like figure to Wu Xiaowen. But the onscreen bond between the lead characters is incredibly sweet, making the transition between ‘strangers to family’ believable.

A twist in the end makes ‘Lighting up the Stars’ unnecessarily emotional, but it’s the kind of conflict that will appeal to a lot of viewers who love some drama in life. Enyou Yang and Yilong Zhu makes the movie worth a watch with their heartfelt performances.

It’s a 7.5/10 from me.

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‘The Book Tour’ – Graphic Novel Review

‘A page-turning, Kafkaesque dark comedy in brilliant retro style, this graphic novel watches one man try to keep it together while everything falls apart.’ – reads the description for ‘The Book Tour’ by Andy Watson. However, this title specifically reminded of ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus. Both Kafka and Camus were known for the absurdist, existential nature of their works and Andy Watson does incorporate those elements to tell his story.

The book follows little known writer G. H. Fretwell, who bids farewell to his wife and leave for a tour to promote his latest published novel. While he grapples with one poor show after another in book-shops, Fretwell unwittingly becomes a suspect in the murder case of a woman. While I do enjoy peculiar absurdist exaggerated works now and then, ‘The Book Tour’ failed to hit a chord with me. It was a frustrating read, even though Fretwell’s experiences as a fairly unknown author were depressingly real.

Watson captures the mundane painful life of a unsuccessful writer too well, but apart from that, the graphic novel has little to offer. The artwork were like scrawls off a cartoonist’s notebook, adding a slight touch of raw reality to the otherwise idiosyncratic plot. The black-and-white panels with their simple strokes are reminiscent of newspaper strips from the 1940s. Both the absurd nature of the plot and retro style art makes it very hard to ascertain what timeline things are supposed to be set in. But in all honesty, it doesn’t even matter, given the strange nature of events unfolding through the novel.

Fretwell’s book tour is definitely straight out of a Kafkaesque nightmare. He first loses his suitcase to a conman, then goes to book signings where nobody shows up, finds himself staying at weird hotels; his publishers don’t seem to value his time and then… there’s the whole business of becoming a murder suspect. Maybe a lot of readers would enjoy Watson’s graphic novel, it’s a depressingly lonely tale and I wasn’t in the mood to read something like it.

It’s a 2/5 from me.

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‘More Than Words’ Review – Bittersweet Slice of Broken Bonds

Proponents of polyamory could write books and books about there being enough space for three and more in intimate relationships, but for most people, regardless of their sexual orientation/preferences, three is a crowd. Japanese series ‘More Than Words’ explores how the life of high-school best friends Makio (Yuzu Aoki) and Mieko (Ryoko Fujino) changes when the sweet Eiji (Daisuke Nakagawa) enters their circle. Mieko dreams of spending the rest of her life with her two close friends, but with love in the mix, things get complicated.

‘More Than Words’ unfolds in a cozily shot ten episodes, with warm tones and a relaxing background score. Yuzu Aoki as Makio is the most endearing character in the show, he is casually chatty and outspoken, the kinds who can diffuse tension in painfully awkward situations with his carefree banter. Daisuke Nakagawa plays the shy gay Eiji, he begins to date Makio and the two share a uncomplicated loving relationship until Eiji’s father opposes it. Ryoko Fujino is poignant in her delivery of the flawed Mieko, she cherishes her platonic relationship with the male leads and stands up for their love. Unfortunately, her misguided affection ends up causing a lot of heartbreak for them all.

Makio and Mieko barely even finish college before they hastily take a huge decision that changes the dynamics between the three protagonists. So, while the first few episodes are very modern and contemporary in nature, the primary twist/conflict is retrogressive. Many viewers may not like how the story progresses, but it reflects realities of societies where LGBTQ+ relations are largely frowned upon.

The series explores the challenges of being coming out to a family that isn’t ready to accept the truth and the desperate measure some are willing to take to keep their loved ones happy. However, friendship is the strongest theme in the show, the emotional connection Makio, Mieko and Eiji have is precious. Kanechika Daiki is introduced as Makio’s former classmate Asato in the last part of the show, and except for a terrible hairstyle, his character breathes some fresh life to the story that becomes too abstract/complicated and un-interesting. Asato is featured in the last two episodes, so his sudden merger into the main-plot feels jarring, 2 more episodes would’ve done his character more justice, but extending the runtime might have made the show overstretched.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the ending, but after a muddled second-half, the makers surprisingly manage to tie all loose ends in a bitter-sweet climax. There’s no cliched ‘happy ending’, no forced twists, but an emotional closure too akin to real life.

It’s a 7.5/10 from me.

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‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ Digs Up Buried Trauma

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Censorship is a writer’s worst fear, but the most brutal kind of critic is often the self. Before our words are scanned by a second pair of eyes, we unconsciously or deliberately write a version of things we think would be most palatable to our reader. And so, one of the most powerful scenes in the 2022 Netflix film ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ isn’t delivered by its protagonist Ani, but by her editor Lolo, who fiercely admonishes her for penning a half-arsed personal op-ed about a traumatic event.

Directed by Mike Barker, ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ is based on a novel written by Jessica Knoll. It stars Mila Kunis as Ani, a journalist who has built a picture-perfect life for her in New York, but finds herself unraveling when a true-crime documentary director pursues her for her version of a mass-shooting that took place in her school. Who is Ani? Victim? Survivor? Or co-conspirator? The film is a thriller of sorts, which flits between the past and present to tell a compelling story of gun violence, sexual abuse and class privilege.

While Mila Kunis plays the older Ani who seems to have her life under control, Chiara Aurelia is her younger, vulnerable version, a scholarship student who lives through hell in a private school ruled by rich kids. Kunis’ Ani is nothing like the typical ‘victim’ we are used to seeing in films and tv, she has a thriving writing career, is engaged to a wealthy successful man and constantly delivers bitchy inner monologues about things around her. Not the kind of character everybody can take a shine to, but it makes for an interesting change in narrative.

‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ is essentially a dark tale, however the cinematography makes space for some beautiful frames, with some sunny scenic outdoor spots serving as canvass for crucial exchanges. The transitions between the past and present are cleverly shot. That said, there are also some graphic scenes of sexual violence, scenes that made me flinch and turn away from the screen. However, unlike some movies where the insertion of such sexual scenes feel extremely exploitative (Netflix’s Blonde for example), in this film it aids in making Ani’s trauma more visceral and terrifying.

Chiara Aurelia surpasses Kunis in delivering the emotionally charged role of a teen who is broken by an unfair system. The film brilliantly brings out the conundrum faced by sexual abuse victims regardless of their social status, the ones who are poor can’t hope to win and the affluent don’t want to lose their social standing. Unless the victim has a watertight case, both the real and emotional costs of a legal battle don’t seem ‘worth it’ to most. At least Ani gets her moment in the sun and the film comes to close on an optimistic note, with a final bitchy parting shot by the protagonist.

It’s a 7.5/10 from me.

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