Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 212

Triage Review: Curious Case of Time-Loop Trials

Emergency doctor Tin isn’t new to patients dying around him, but when he isn’t able to save a college student’s life, not only is he pulled up by his senior at the hospital for not doing better, he finds himself waking up the same day again and again, and saving the young man could be the key to getting out of the ‘time-loop’ nightmare! Tae Darvid and Tee Thanapon play leads in the 2022 sci-fi/medical-mystery ‘Triage’, a 13 episode long series.

Directed by Aum Natthaphong Aroonnet, ‘Triage’ is a surprisingly fast-paced thriller of sorts, with a dash of romance and two charming actors at the helm. There’s also an intriguing sub-plot involving an organ donation racket at the hospital, which is being run covertly by a senior doctor. So the writers also explore the rampant corruption, exploitation and medical malpractices in the field. How the fate of the two protagonists is intertwined doesn’t make a lot of sense, at least not logically, but it does work from a romantic point of view.

Tae Darvid is convincing as the young cynical Dr Tin, who finds himself stuck in a time-loop and must save a youth who he thinks might not deserves rescuing. Tee Thanapon is the patient in question, a handsome wealthy student called Tol, who is aptly described as one of the characters in the show as someone who likes a charming ‘Korean Idol’. Most viewers probably saw Tee last in ‘The Miracle of Teddy Bear’, where he plays a sweet grounded delivery boy, but it’s in ‘Triage’ where Tee gets to show off his acting prowess. His character starts off as an aloof arrogant rich boy, but as the plot progresses, he grows into a empathetic caring young man. Same goes for Tae Darvid’s Dr Tin. So none of the usual ‘opposites attract’ spiel here.

It’s hard to say how accurate the medical equipment and jargon thrown around by the characters in the series is, but for an average viewer with only basic knowledge of how hospitals work, ‘Triage’ makes for a gripping watch. There’s both enough hospital drama and events happening outside of the clinical premises to keep the plot engaging. Even though the organ racket plot felt a little to easy, for the way the ‘corrupt’ doctors were carrying it out, if that’s how it functions in the real world or in Thailand, they have some serious problems. Regardless, the clash of two very different worlds gives scope for some lighter moments. One one hand you have Dr Tin’s emergency ward and people dying, on the other there’s the laid-back yet complicated life of college student Tol. Thai-American actor Morris K plays the ‘time-loop’ angel who guides Dr Tin through his repetitive hell of watching the same guy die over and over again. So be prepared for a lot of ‘2nd chances’.

The slow-burn romance between Tin and Tol is sweet, the actors have been paired up in the past, but in ‘Triage’ their chemistry is a lot better than ever. Some more romantic moments between the leads would’ve been great. While 13 episodes seems like a lot for a thriller in this genre, ‘Triage’ could have had a couple of more episodes, however there was the risk of lot of repetitions, so perhaps it was a wise decision to wrap it up. Only the last episode was a mess, it didn’t seem like the writers had a clear hold on how to end things, so the climax is chaotic and trite. While one can absolutely binge-watch the first eleven episodes, things get slippery in the last two.

It’s a 7/10 from me.

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Listen To: Persuasion Review – Anne With A Drinking Problem

Anne of Green Gables – Graphic Novel Review

“She looks dead, like a raggedy Ann doll brought to life through witch-craft,” was my first thought when Anne made her first appearance in the graphic novel adaptation of ‘Anne of Green Gables’. She has green eyes, but they have no light in them, like a hypnotized puppet.

Just look at the image from the book and tell me if she doesn’t seem slightly creepy at first glance (because of those button-like eyes)? She does, doesn’t she? But once you get past that empty stare, Anne is quite endearing in the graphic novel. Adapted by Mariah Marsden and illustrated by Brenna Thummler, the book feels very rushed, but still makes for a delightful read.

The bright, crayon-like artwork is gorgeous, painting a memorable image of Anne’s beloved Avonlea, the place where she spends her happiest years. The story is about orphan Anne Shirley, who is taken in by the Cuthbert siblings Matthew & Marilla. While they were expecting a boy to help them with their farm, the orphanage only had the loquacious Anne left to spare. Despite their initial apprehensions, the siblings increasingly grow fond of the girl, who is charmingly melodramatic and chatty.

You don’t even have to have read the original to understand that a lot of the original text didn’t make it to the adaptation, simply because there isn’t enough space to accommodate all of Anne’s thoughts. The plot progresses at an escalated pace, and Thummler’s artwork so succinctly captures countryside charm that you don’t want the pages to end ever. So, when the climax arrives a little to quickly, you cannot help but feel disappointed. Regardless, this was such a fantastic distraction that I can’t help but give it a full 5/5!

The original author Lucy Maud Montgomery first published ‘Anne of Green Gables’ in 1908, and the novel went on to become a beloved children’s classic, spawning several sequels and adaptations. The story celebrates the feisty individuality of a young girl and lays emphasis on both the importance of education and quality relationships in a person’s life. It’s a book that is both sentimental and practical in parts, and entertaining throughout.

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Listen To: Persuasion Review – Anne With A Drinking Problem

Marry Me Review – JLo Show All The Way

If you’ve seen the trailer for ‘Marry Me’, you can pretty much guess the whole story, but that doesn’t stop this 2022 romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson from being an absolute entertainer. It’s just what movies in the genre should be like – wholesome, cute, romantic, and a tad bit unrealistic.

Directed by Kat Coiro, the plot follows music superstar Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) who is set to wed fellow musician Bastian (Maluma) in a global concert packed with thousands of fans, but seconds before they are supposed to take their vows on stage, Kat learns Batian has been cheating on her, so in a moment of spontaneous grief she decides to marry a random man in the crowd holding a placard saying ‘Marry Me’. The two have a public wedding and in a twist, Kat resolves to continue with her marriage to math teacher Charlie (Owen Wilson), to not make further fool of herself in the media. Will these two completely different strangers hit a chord? Oh we know where it goes!

In their own odd way, Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson make a pretty cute onscreen couple. Largely playing herself – a widely successful pop Goddess with a string of failed relationships – Lopez is charming as a busy diva flying around the world, working every minute, yet trying to do everything possible to make love happen in her life. Her character is a lot more grounded than one would expect a star singer to be. Wilson has mastered the art of playing middle-aged casual dad, so he just does his usual thing with ease.

It’s the string of songs that Lopez performs as Kate Valdez throughout the movie that breathes life into this production. Fans of the singer are going to fall in love with the diva all over again as they watch her in her element. It’s what makes Charlie’s heart flutter too, when Valdez loses herself in music. The climax switches up the gender roles a little, even though the makers do use the oldest trick in the romance book for endings – someone rushing to make a grand gesture. Regardless, this was a warm entertaining romantic watch. Stream in on Amazon Prime if you want to watch it too.

It’s a 7/10 from me.

Under The Amalfi Sun – Overstretched, Not Fun

One of the very few things 2022 Netflix movie ‘Under The Amalfi Sun’ (Sotto il sole di Amalfi) does right – is capture the beautiful beach vibe of Amalfi, a seaside town in Italy. The trailer promises a fun holiday film about a young blind man going on vacation with his long-distance girlfriend and a bunch of other friends. It turned out to be an annoying slow story that couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a fun teenage romantic comedy or a soppy social destination drama.

Directed by Martina Pastori, it stars Lorenzo Zurzolo as the visually impaired Vincenzo who hopes to settle down with his girlfriend Cami (Ludovica Martin), but little does he know that she has other plans. Vincenzo’s character is only 20, he behaves like a high-school boy in his ‘rebellion’ phase. His friends don’t have the same problems, but they aren’t any better. There are so many half-done sub-plots and issues going on in the film that nobody stands out. Okay, maybe the gorgeous Kyshan Wilson is a little memorable, only because, well, she is stunning… and ironically has body issues in the film.

Except for the lead pair, every other young character has known each other only for a few hours, but they all behave like long-term disgruntled spouses. Why so much drama on a break? And for absolutely no reason, we also have a parallel sub-plot about Vincenzo’s over-protective mom, who is trying to get comfortable in a new romance herself. After a point, it gets really difficult to continue watching the movie, despite it’s reasonable 90 minute runtime.

The film’s IMDB credit has three writers – Caterina Salvador, Enrico Vanzina, Ciro Zecca – yet, they bring nothing fresh to the table. For conflict, they use the old annoying ‘miscommunication’ trope – just when a character wants to say something important, a bunch of other people scuttle the moment. I mean these are kids who were born in the cell-phone age, send a text, or a voice note, with the phone that’s practically attached to your hand like an extra finger.

It’s a 3/10 from me.

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Listen To: Persuasion Review – Anne With A Drinking Problem

Incantation Review – Invokes Dread, Then Begins To Falter

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

A ‘cursed’ woman does all she can to ensure her little daughter isn’t affected by the evil following her in the 2022 Taiwanese horror movie ‘Incantation’. Available to stream on Netflix, the film is directed by Kevin Ko, who has co-written the script with Che-Wei Chang.

Shot in the style of films like ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘Incantation’ feels very documentary like in nature; actor Hsuan-yen Tsai who plays Li Ronan shoots most of the scenes on a webcam. The story opens with a bare-faced Ronan recording a home video, where she reveals how she was cursed for violating a ‘taboo’ six years ago. She then appeals to those watching the video to memorize a symbol and then chant an incantation along with her. It’s meant to seek blessings that will help keep her daughter safe. But fighting off evil is never as easy.

What sets apart ‘Incantation’ from most films in the genre is how the makers barely use jump scares. So, there are no sudden loud sounds to startle the viewer, instead, the story works up a slow dread, keeping you in suspense over what’s going to happen next and how things came to be so? What ‘taboo’ did Li Ronan break? Will the little child live? The script however does rely on some creepy stuff that will only scare a certain set of viewers, but make other seasoned horror fans sigh and wonder if things will ever get crazy.

A talented set of actors hold this story together, especially Husan-yen Tsai, who starts off as an intense accursed mother, but flashbacks show her to be a lively carefree woman, who is eventually broken by terrible experiences and loss. The child actor who plays her daughter does a fantastic job of keeping in character… together the two make a tortured mother-daughter duo, who’ve only recently re-united, but the ghosts of Ronan’s past haunt them, stifling a bond that was doomed from the start. Perhaps one can look at as a metaphor for how you some people can never get second chances, and each attempt to re-build cannot fix what’s broken.

Director Kevin Ko is said to have been inspired by real-life incidents for the story, but the script obviously infuses a lot of fictional elements to make the film more cohesive and intriguing in nature. There’s a generous amount of religious, mythological, cultural and supernatural elements sprinkled through the runtime. Except for a few tense tunes employed to accentuate dramatic developments, there’s close to no use of background score. Ko employs only ambient sounds to keep things moving and it helps in keeping things real and gritty.

The camera work helps in connecting the audience more intimately than regular cinematography, it’s like the characters are speaking directly to you, dragging you into their bizarre world of incantation and idols. However, things don’t head to a crescendo, we don’t get ‘what the hell’ twist we would hope for from such a production. Instead, despite an unexpected enough surprise in the end, you are left with an underwhelming feeling…. “Was that all?…” is the question I was left with. It still is an interesting attempt at horror and may have those with ‘belief’ in these things a lot more shaken than cynics.

It’s a 6/10 from me.

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Listen To: Persuasion Review – Anne With A Drinking Problem

Clementine Book 1 – Graphic Novel Review

Set in Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead (TWT) universe, ‘Clementine’ is a graphic novel by Tillie Walden exploring a disabled teen girl’s adventures in a post-apocalyptic world rife with zombies.

Plot-wise, Tille Walden manages to capture the essence of Kirkman’s dystopian comic series, but the artwork is nowhere close to as impressive as Charlie Adlard’s killer inks in TWT. On the contrary, Walden’s illustrations are cluttered, chaotic and make it hard to decipher the panels sometimes, because the strokes aren’t clean. The art’s more like notebook scribbles. Wasn’t a fan.

Clementine is an interesting protagonist, those familiar the TWT will completely understand her need to be on her own & complete distrust towards strangers. She is someone who doesn’t remember much of the world before zombies took over, and thus the cynicism. Regardless, in Walden’s worlds, she does make a few friends.

Set largely in a snowy mountain, the reader may feel some chills reading it, but not due to the horror. Nevertheless, Clementine makes for a quick read, and is essentially about a bunch of teens trying to survive under extremely harsh circumstances that don’t include many walkers. But book one gets over too soon and ends with the kind of cliffhanger that would want readers to pick the next installment.

It’s a 3/5 from me.

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Listen to: Why The Walking Dead Comics Are Better Than The Show

Persuasion: Dakota Charms In This Frivolous Re-Telling

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Confession time – I have never seen a film with Dakota Johnson as the lead, not until the 2022 Netflix film ‘Persuasion’. So, as a viewer, I didn’t have any prejudice or preconceived notions against the actor and was quite taken in by her charm as Anne Elliot in ‘Persuasion’.

Directed by Carrie Cracknell, the film is based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen, but the makers take a LOT of creative liberties with the story, so much so that perhaps fans who feel very strongly about the book might be terribly disappointed with this frivolous re-telling. Fortunately for me, I don’t feel too passionately about Austen’s work and thought the flick was beautifully shot, breezily told, but predictably closed with a trite stale ending. In short – it’s not a bad one time watch for an old-fashioned summer romance set in a distant past.

Plot overview: Anne Elliot is the only sane middle-child of an affluent family, with two very vain sisters and an even vainer father. She’s been nursing a heartbreak for over eight years, ever since she was ‘persuaded’ into turning down the man she loved, because he wasn’t rich enough. But when the two meet again under different circumstances, Anne begins to rethink her life decisions, which are further complicated by the arrival of another attractive eligible man on the scene.

The story is narrated by Dakota’s Anne, who constantly breaks the fourth wall, looking to the viewer to voice what’s on her mind. Like what Deadpool does in Marvel movies. Dakota employs the plot device with a lot of easy sass, baring her mind and critiquing those around… basically being a casual bitch with an aching heart. Cosmo Jarvis plays her ex-lover Mr Wentworth, who looks tired, scruffy and done with life; not the dashing romantic hero one would hope for. He has zero charm and no screen presence. Henry Golding plays the other possible suitor, and is a lot more interesting than Wentworth, but has a surprisingly small cameo.

It’s a movie that exists in its own bubble, where Anne drinks a lot of wine, has her hair down all the time, goes for a swim in the sea when she feels like… nothing she does is typical of a lady of her stature from the 1800s. And then there’s the Bridgerton bubble (yes, the Netflix show) – it’s a world where African-American folks were part of British aristocracy and married White people as if they were all part of a big happy country devoid of racial divides. So you also have the very Asian-looking Henry Golding as part of the cast, who is supposedly related to the Elliot family.

It’s best not to wonder about historical inaccuracies and treat things like fan-fiction if you want to enjoy this film. The contrasting character of Anne amid her conceited family makes for an amusing watch, especially against her younger whiny little sister Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce). The lavish colorful sets, the blue waters and the fancy sprawling houses where the story unfolds is all very engaging. Too bad Dakota has no chemistry with Cosmo Jarvis. Also, considering how the makers shook everything up, the climax was at odds with the rest of the tale. Was really hoping for something more different at the end too.

It’s a 6/10 from me.

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Listen To: Little Notes of Anguish & Other Poems – Author’s Take

Jaadugar Review: Boringly Long Show With Old Tricks

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The first few minutes of the 2022 Netflix film ‘Jaadugar’ are deceptively entertaining. Directed by Sameer Saxena, the follows small-town magician Meenu (Jitendra Kumar) in Neemuch, M.P, who has to win a local community football tournament in order to marry the woman he loves. While the odd combination of football & magic seemed amusing in the 2 minute 23 seconds trailer, the predictable plot gets overbearing over the overstretched 2 hour 46 minute runtime, despite entertaining performances.

Even for an actor with Jitendra Kumar’s caliber, the long runtime of the film is too ambitious for the thinly written plot. Kumar’s Meenu neither does enough magic, nor make serious attempts to play decent football. He is a slightly creepy road-side Romeo who throws around cheesy dialogues, tries to woo a pretty doctor, and even proposes marriage to her, without as much as finding out her last name. Apparently he is ‘serious’, but really he is just a self-centered jackass who gets incredibly lucky. Arushi Sharma who plays Meenu’s love interest delivers a decent performance, but her character is half-baked. Jaaved Jaaferi as Meenu’s uncle who coaches the colony’s football team was a little random, but he manages to pull off the role. So do the motley crew of actors who make up his team, a bunch of mostly unfit oddballs who aren’t as passionate as Meenu’s uncle about the game.

The makers resort to cheap emotional tricks to make the viewers feel something for the characters, so there are too many moving/dramatic scenes in a movie that should have been a light funny comedy flick about sportsmanship/community spirit. One thing the makers do right – they capture the way people talk in the Hindi heartland quite well… so a lot of the banter is believable and realistic. As far as the football part of the story is concerned, since Meenu’s team is supposed to be a bunch of losers, the on field game is in sync with their skills, the writers could’ve tried to make things a little more exciting or funny though.

Unfortunately, despite being a boringly long movie, ‘Jaadugar’ still doesn’t have enough time or story to make viewers connect with the characters. So when the predictable climax comes, some viewers will just be relieved the show if finally over. Too bad, because the plot did have potential, plus a talented cast to boot.

It’s a 5/10 from me.

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Listen to – ‘Night of the Ghoul’ Horror Comic Series Review

Resident Evil (2022) – Deadly Drab

It’s been 20 years since the first ‘Resident Evil’ movie starring Milla Jovovich came out, it quickly became one of my favorite action-horror movies as a school kid. However, the 2022 Netflix series ‘Resident Evil’ might make fans swear off from watching anything related to the franchise in the future.

Created by Andrew Dabb, the drab series flits between 2022 and 2036, and follows an annoying cocky Jade Wesker (Ella Ballinska) researching the T-virus. Eight episodes long, the flashbacks explain Jade and her sister Billie’s role in a global zombie breakout. Their father was a scientist with the Umbrella Corporation, the firm responsible for creating the T-virus. So while the scenes from the past unfold like an intriguing but slow thriller; the present day plot about Wesker trying to conduct research while goons from Umbrella Corporation constantly chase her, was extremely random, irritating and fast-forward worthy. Also, it’s hard to understand how Jade’s Caucasian looking sister Billie (Siena Agudong plays the younger version) grows up looking like an Asian woman (Adeline Rudolph)! No explanations for that glaring inconsistency in the first season, so it really bugs you as a viewer.

Look, horror fans completely understand they have to suspend logic if they want to enjoy a series like this, but ‘Resident Evil’ is BEYOND DUMB at points. The creators cook up their own absurd rules along the way, a lot of stuff makes no sense, especially Jade Wesker escaping death by a whisker a million times, all due to sheer luck and no amount of handwork, intelligence or diligence. On the contrary, the character is so reckless, you wish she would just die and someone would take charge as the lead. Also, unfortunately, Ella Ballinksa has neither the charm, nor the screen presence to headline a show. She feels more like a support character, whose head should’ve been chewed off mid-series. Perhaps someone like Sonequa Martin-Green (who playhs Sasha Williams in ‘The Walking Dead’) would’ve been more fitting as the protagonist.

Actor Lance Reddick who plays scientist Albert Wesker, father to Jade and Billie, and Paola Nunez as the evil Evelyn Marcus, head of Umbrella Corporation, are the only two actors in the cast that deliver watch-worthy performances. Reddick is intimidating as the morally grey scientist with a very dark past, while Nunez is quite the bitch as the neurotic power-hungry Evelyn. The actors playing younger versions of Jade and Billie do a decent job too, but their characters are written sloppily. They are supposed to be only 14, making them a little older, at least 16 or 17 would’ve been a little more in sync with their onscreen personalities and stories.

‘Resident Evil’ does have a few entertaining moments, but they are too few and far in between. Some action sequences that could’ve been worth watching are shot in really bad light. Even the zombies don’t get to do much. And most disappointing of all, we barely get to see any ground-zero action of how the breakout spread. The climax ends in a cliffhanger and but considering how frustrating most of the show was, I doubt a lot of viewers would care about a season two. I sure don’t. It’s best to skip this monstrosity. Or stream it on Netflix anyway. You have been warned. It’s a 4/10 from me.

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Listen to – ‘Night of the Ghoul’ Horror Comic Series Review

Invisible Differences – Graphic Novel Review

‘Invisible Differences’ by Julie Dachez is a graphic novel about 27-year-old Marguerite, who struggles with social interactions both in her personal and professional life. People around her aren’t too kind and consider her weird, fueling her insecurities, she only begins to be believe in herself after learning she falls on the autism spectrum.

Reading this work can be a frustrating at times, especially if you are an introvert and identify with some of Marguerite’s traits, like of wanting to be home with a book instead of going to a party. It’s annoying to see people around the protagonist treat her like she is some circus specimen, just because she doesn’t dress stylishly and avoids friendships at work. The author in the graphic novel explains how there is very little awareness in France when it comes to autism. Regardless, a lot of Marguerite’s asocial behavior at work is absolutely harmless, she just prefers to keep to herself and is an excellent performer when it comes to her professional role. But since Marguerite is autistic, something she isn’t even aware of until she is 27, the anxiety and distress she suffers due to uncomfortable social interactions and situations is a lot more serious and pronounced. She is less tactical, has difficulties understanding innuendos and finds comfort in routine repetitive behavior. On the surface she may seem like just another introvert, but she also has neurological problems that are completely out of her control.

‘Invisible Differences’ is an essential read for those who know nothing about autism, it gives readers a fresh pair of eyes to see how inconvenient life can be when everybody is trying to impose their idea of ‘normal’ or ‘fun’ on someone else. The artwork is simple, smooth and has a whimsical French touch to it, making it an engaging read. The panels start off black-and-while, but slowly, as Marguerite starts to understand her condition and begins to accept herself for who she is, the pages begin to have more color, symbolic of the renewed zeal for life the protagonist experiences.

It’s a 4/5 from me.

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Listen to Ep 76 – 10 Book Reviews Under 10 Minutes – 14th Edition