Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 221

Banned Book Club – Graphic Novel Review

‘Banned Book Club’ by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada and Ko Hyung-Ju is a dramatized account of Hyun Sook’s life as a South-Korean student activist in the 1980s. The story starts off with a young woman excited about her first day in college, but what she encounters on campus is far from the ideal environment she had in mind – angry protests against the current President and cop vs student clashes. And if you aren’t familiar with South-Korea’s political history, it’s best to treat this book as a fictional account (like I did) and go with the flow.

The year is 1983, Hyun Sook slogged through two jobs to save for college, where she hopes to study and steer clear from politics. But when the charming Editor of the school newspaper asks her if she’d like to join a book club, she is thrilled to bits, hoping it would enable her to discuss her favorite fictional classics. Sook soon realizes it’s a club exploring banned material and discovery could lead them straight to prison. So she panics and tries backing out of the club, but the spirited members make her re-think things.

The artwork is simple, sketch-book/doodle style, expressive and joyous. There’s something youthful about the panels that capture the protagonists’ fear, excitement, angst against the system. The creators vividly capture the role of students in political movement and how the totalitarian military regimes suppress dissent in the most insidious ways, imposing heavy censorship to hide and distort ground realities. ‘Banned Book Club’ celebrates the act of reading, how it can empower people to look beyond the blinkers their rules want them wear.

Depending on what page you are on, the mood tends to dramatically shift, from violent defeated scenes, to moments celebrating friendship, love and rebellion. The climax ends with a mini reunion of Hyun Sook and her friends in 2016, readers are informed how their lives turned out to be after their stormy student years. ‘Banned Book Club’ is worth reading for anybody who likes reading graphic novels and doesn’t mind a politically packed story grounded in realism.

It’s a 4/5 from me.

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Ep 15 – Banned & Censored Graphic Novels – What’s The Fuss About ?

Sneakerella Review – Snooze-y Shoe Ad

Would you want to sit through a 1 hour 50 minutes long shoe ad? Because that’s what the 2022 Disney musical ‘Sneakerella’ feels like. Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, the film is a modern Cinderella reboot set in New York.

Just by the trailer, one can guess what’s going to happen, but who doesn’t love the re-telling of popular classics? Actor Chosen Jacobs plays El, a young boy who helps his mean step-father run a sneaker shop that belonged to his late mother. Constantly bullied by his two step-brother, El spends his day slogging at the shop and dreams of designing sneakers. As fate would have it, El’s path crosses with Kira King (Lexi Underwood), the daughter of one of the biggest names in the business, the meeting leads to his own shot at a fairy-tale ending.

‘Sneakerella’ starts off with a fun song titled ‘Kicks’, it’s got a nice 90s retro beat going on and does a fantastic job of establishing El’s passion for sneakers. But after that number, every other track in the film sounds very generic and stock-like, as if taken off from one of those copyright-free sounds available on YouTube for content creators and remixed a little with tailor-made lyrics. They aren’t enjoyable, so I ended up fast-forwarding a bunch of them. Although, there is a fun rap-battle kind of musical face-off in the end, between El and Darius King (John Salley).

What’s weird about the film is that it’s tailored for younger viewers, however, it’s hard to imagine kids being kicked over a bunch of sneakers. Not sure what kind of sponsorship the makers got for name-dropping brands, but the story seems like an excuse to glorify expensive custom-made pair of shoes. The cast does a decent job, Chosen Jacobs sings and dances like he is out of a boy band, but with a poor script, the dancing and singing only slows things down. The climax has a slightly more positive ending than the classic Cinderella tale, but is tooooo long-drawn and tedious.

Overall, it’s just another very forgettable flick. It’s a 4/10 from me. It’s available to stream on Disney Hoststar.

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Listen to – Heartstopper The Netflix Series Is As Adorable As The Comics

The Cemetery Boys – Book Review

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The problem with reading too many good things about a novel is that you tend to have exaggerated expectations, some works live up to them and some might even surpass your imagination, but many don’t. Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas fell in the latter category.

The main story is definitely intriguing – a trans boy called Yadriel is fighting against his traditional Latinx family’s ideas of gender, he wants to be a ‘brujo’ (wizard), while his relatives expect him to be a ‘bruja’ (witch), so he ends up being excluded from his father’s clique of Brujos. His family lives by a huge cemetery and is part of a Latinx bloodline that can see, summon and release spirits. Yadriel with his bestfriend Martiza’s help does his own initiation ceremony to become a Brujo. On the same day, his entire family feels the death of a member who was on guard duty at the cemetery, but cannot find his body. In his quest to solve the mystery of the missing cousin, Yadriel ends up summoning a spirit of a boy called Julian, whose appearance complicates things.

‘Cemetery Boys’ is rich in Latinx culture, traditions and beliefs. Author Aidan Thomas paints a vivid picture of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations and weaves in interesting lore about Gods into the story to keep things interesting. In the first few chapters, the mystery of the dead cousin and Yadriel’s identity are the core themes, however, in the second-half the focus gets diluted. Romance begins to take more center-stage, so in the end, it neither makes a great mystery read nor a romantic one. Also, the title might make some readers expect horror elements, and while the tale does have ghosts and spirits, the spook factor is very low.

Those who are used to reading thrillers would be able to guess who is villain before they getting half-way into the book, which is absolutely fine, the meager background to the antagonist is more disappointing. Yadriel is the only character who is fleshed out in detail, and his journey as a trans-boy fighting to gain his family’s acceptance is both heart-breaking and inspirational. Julian Diaz is the other teen protagonist, whose back-story isn’t as elaborate, but readers do get a good sense of his overall personality. You have the classic ‘opposites attract’ trope at play, Yadriel is a shy, awkward, asocial, while Julian is loud, social, with a loyal gang of his win and a lot more spontaneous. It would’ve been nice to have a little bit more of Maritza, who in her brief appearances comes across as a fierce, sassy, lovable and reliable friend.

The queer representation in ‘Cemetery Boys’ is positive, wholesome and wrapped in a bitter-sweet package of teenage aspirations. While the novel isn’t the ‘stay up all night’ kind of engaging, it’s decently paced, with the plot slowing down a bit toward a predictable end.

It’s a 3/5 from me.

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Listen to – Heartstopper The Netflix Series Is As Adorable As The Comics

Spy X Family Episode 6 Review

The Forgers have made it to Eden College! Titled ‘The Friendship Scheme’, Episode 6 of the Netlifx anime series ‘Spy X Family’ focuses on Anya’s orientation day at the fancy new school. Not only do our primary protagonists face hiccups in this one, but the episode isn’t as comical or entertaining as the previous few.

(Read Spy x Family Episode 1 Review if you have no clue what the show is about)

Like the teaser suggested, there’s an attempt to kidnap Anya while she in on a outing with Yor, but the thugs choose to mess with the wrong mom. Action fans will love the sneaky little ways in which writer constantly slips in fight sequences to keep the tempo up. Either spy dad Loid or assassin mom Yor almost always get an opportunity to show off their killer skills. And Anya is their biggest fan-girl.

‘Operation Strix’ is finally rolling, Anya is now classmates with Donovan Desmond’s son, however Loid’s plan to see that the two kids become friends, so that he can gain access to Donovan, doesn’t really go as he hopes. The episode gives a lot of screen-time to Anya and her new little classmates, none of who speak like typical 6-year-olds, but maybe that’s how well-groomed super rich kids talk.

A new theme is now introduced to the show – bullying. Japan seems to have a scary bullying problem in its schools, which is reflected in a lot of its shows and movies, and so it makes its way to ‘Spy X Family’ too. Eden is a school for highly privileged folks, which means there’s bound to be some class differences, and even though this is only an animated series that cannot be expected to explore disparities rising due to a student’s economic standing, it sure does touch upon it. To see even six-year-olds keen on cornering and hurting their classmates on the very first day is disturbing. Anya is mocked for having a simple psychiatrist for a father (psst… nobody is supposed to know he is a famous spy and his little girl can keep a secret).

Episode 6 largely sets ground for Loid Forger’s main mission and it remains to be seen how he is going to get Anya to become friends with the nasty little Desmond junior.

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Yes, Heartstopper The Netflix Series Is As Adorable As The Comics

Cutie Pie Review – Cute But Childish

(Scroll to the bottom for an audio version of this review)

If you don’t say ‘cute’ at least once while watching ‘Cutie Pie’ – congratulations, you have a tenacious heart that isn’t easily swayed by the charms of pretty looking people. The 2022 Thai BL series directed by Aoftion Kittipat Jampa has a ‘barely there’ basic story – a wealthy engaged couple are hiding secrets from each other, so can they make their relationship work without being transparent with each other?

Debutant NuNew Chawarin plays Kuea Keerati, who is still in college and heir to an affluent family. His fiance is successful businessman Lian Kilen Wang (Zee Pruch Panik) and the two were betrothed to each other with the blessings of their parents. While the two seemingly love each other, but Kuea lives a double life, he hides the fact that he sings in a popular club, has a YouTube channel and rides super bikes because he is scared the older, serious Kilen won’t be thrilled by his lifestyle. There’s a parallel silly sub-plot about Kuea’s best-friend Khondiao (Nat Natasitt Uareksit) living with Kilen’s best-friend Hia-Yi (Max Kornthas R).

The series is great to look at visually, the sets are lavish, with brilliant mood-lighting and contrasting colors, add to that a gorgeous looking cast… well, it’s all obviously very pleasing to the eyes. The show has its own original soundtrack and Kuea performs a bunch of songs that are foot-tapping. However, despite an evidently high-budget, it doesn’t seem like they invested in writers, because the plot and character development is pretty poor. There’s a very stereotypical power balance in the relationship of both couples in the series – Kilen and his friend Hia Yi are the older, dominant men, while Kuea and Khondiao are the younger, submissive ones who are scared of their partners. The friendships between the men are way more meaningful than their romantic lives, especially that of Kuea and Khondiao, who look out for each other and candidly honest and hilarious while hanging out.

NuNew Chawarin is absolutely adorable as Kuea, but his character often comes across like a toddler, instead of a grown-up college student. For example, he is completely in awe when he first goes to Kilen’s fancy house, as if he has never set foot in a plush apartment before, even though he is wealthy enough to afford an entire ‘hideout bungalow’ for himself. Remember, he is just an engineering student. What works best for this show is the smooth chemistry between NuNew and Zee Pruch Wang, who are completely at ease onscreen in all their romantic moments. The pair makes temperatures soar with their chemistry and look like childhood sweethearts who are in the ‘can’t keep their hands off each other’ phase.

The first few episodes are interesting, but soon, not a lot happens. Things slow down at the beginning of episode six, with Kuea and his college gang being up to no good and behaving like total kids. It’s in this episode that Max Kornthas R who plays Hia-Yi shows his lack of acting skills and isn’t able to pull his emotional lines off when the spotlight is on him. Nat Natasitt Uareksit also felt a little miscast as Khondiao, the character is a confusing mess – on one hand he is shown as a helpless lost puppy who behaves like a scared little slave around Hia-Yi, but then the writers also want us to believe that he is a Karate pro who can kick butt. Khondiao’s relationship with Hia-Yi feels very half-baked, with a superficial back-story that makes no sense. Then there’s a completely random third couple too, Kuea’s college friend Syn (Yim Pharinyakorn Khansawa) falls in love with classmate Nuea (Tutor Koraphat) who at first tries to pursue Kuea but then shifts attention to Syn. Not complaining about the third couple, because they have a more realistic/healthy/normal relationship growth than everybody else in the series.

The climax was on expected lines, but it was great to see the series promoting marriage equality in the end. Kuea and Kilen lobby for the LGBTQ+ community’s right to get married, it’s something that is rarely seen in Asian shows, despite there being a massive influx of queer themed content.

Watch this series if you are looking for a romantic story with very little plot, and a good-looking couple that gets cosy a lot. Cutie Pie offers a lot of fan-service to BL enthusiasts.

It’s a 6/10 from me. You can stream the series on YouTube.

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Listen to the spoiler-free review of Cutie Pie embedded below

Metal Lords Review – Pretty Banging

Teen Kevin doesn’t know anything about ‘post-death metal’, but agrees to be the only other member of his metal-head best-friend’s band ‘Skullf*ckers’. The duo now need a bassist to make their band banging and Kevin thinks the answer may be in the form of new girl Emily, who is grappling with mental-health problems.

Directed by Peter Sollett and written by D. B. Weiss, the 2022 Netflix film ‘Metal Lords’ might sound like it’s made specifically for metal fans, but it’s really just a fun high-school movie with music as its core theme. Actors Jaedan Martell and Adrian Greensmith play besties Kevin and Hunter who aren’t really popular at school, but hope to become music Gods through their metal band. Isis Hainsworth is the vulnerable yet adorable Emily, who plays clarinet quite crappily for the school’s marching band, but is a great closet cellist.

The casting directors have done a fantastic job with their picks for the leading trio. Jaedan Martell’s Kevin is a bespectacled sweet boy, who looks like a young Harry Potter (more like Daniel Radcliffe) shredding on the drums. Greensmith’s character Hunter on the other hand is asocial, selfish and mean, but thankfully he expresses most of his anger through his guitar and heavy metal music and surprisingly without indulging drugs/alcohol/smoking or well any sort of substance abuse. Of the three leading actors, Adrian is the only professional musician in real life and damn… he can really play the guitar like a star. Jaedan Martell and Isis Hainsworth on the other hand were coached for their roles and they do a pretty convincing job.

For those who aren’t familiar with metal music, it helps that Kevin’s character is pretty clueless about it too, so the story weaves in plot devices to enlighten viewers about famous metal bands and what the genre means to his friend Hunter. The makers obviously sneak is some very popular songs (expect some Ed Sheeran) and whole lot of pop-cultural references which keep the story entertaining. While the film looks it’s headed towards a predictable climax, there’s an unexpected little twist thrown in, so we get a more believable ending.

‘Metal Lords’ is definitely a fun tribute to the metal genre, but also a tale of friendship, first love and forging lasting relationships. For large parts, it’s a very relatable film due to its characters, especially Kevin, who might play the drums like a God, but is an empathetic human boy you’d want for a friend.

It’s a 7/10 from me.

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Listen To Ep 73 – Cobalt Blue, A Book Vs Film Review

Senior Year Review – Fun Cast Makes This Pass

‘Rated A – Crude Language’ is the first thing Netflix flashes on the screen when you stream the 2022 comedy film ‘Senior Year’ starring Rebel Wilson. So brace yourself from some cringe-y jokes, inappropriate gestures, bunch of cuss words and some amount of hilarity in between.

Directed by Alex Hardcastle, this film is a straight-up mash between Jennifer Garner’s ’13 Going on 30′ and Drew Barrymore’s ‘Never Been Kissed’. Rebel Wilson plays ‘Prom Captain’ Stephanie Conway, who wakes up as a 37-year-old after being comatose for 20 long years; the last thing she remembers doing is a cheer-leading routine as a 17-year-old. Having lost two decades of her life, Stephanie goes back to finish her senior year and aims to win Prom Queen. Can a 90s kid who has never held a cellphone in her life survive school in 2022?

For large parts ‘Senior Year’ plays out like a parody of every American Prom-theme movie ever made, but with a post #MeToo era update, where cheerleaders are fully-dressed and dance about ‘consent’. You get the same old ‘dorky girl wants to be popular, ignores her real friends and family to be with the cooler kids’ theme at the center of it all. The script is feeble, with some terrible jokes that’ll give you second-hand embarrassment. Its the energetic cast led by Rebel Wilson that keeps the film entertaining, especially the younger bunch.

I absolutely loved Joshua Colley as the spirited Yaz who rocks gender-fluid outfits like a star, he stands out even while casually sitting in the background. Actor Avantika plays his best-friend Janet is also adorable as a young brown teen who aspires to be nothing less than the future American President. Mary Holland and Sam Richardson play the most level-headed characters in the film, they are both Stephanie’s closest friends and happen to be there to help her navigate school again. Rebel on her part goes overboard while exaggerating her body language to seem like a teen stuck in an adult’s body, however, very few actors would perhaps have pulled off all the weird comedic gestures she is made to do.

For a comedy movie, the runtime is longer than necessary and could’ve been sharper. The makers try to cash on pop-culture nostalgia, so a lot of the soundtrack are older hits that viewers will immediately recognize. There’s a whole dance tribute to Britney Spear’s song ‘You Drive Me Crazy’, and it’s actually quite fun to watch. The climax gets surprisingly emotional, with a Drew Barrymore cameo that pops out of nowhere! And there’s a decent enough message squeezed in too, one we’ve seen too many times, but guess it never gets old – be yourself.

It’s a 6/10 from me. Five for the film, an extra one for the cast.

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Episode 74 – 10 Book Reviews Under 10 Minutes #13thEdition

‘First Kill’ Trailer Evokes Buffy Nostalgia

When ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ was at the peak of its popularity, there were many who couldn’t pick a favorite between Buffy the protagonist and Willow her best-friend. Willow happened to be one the first few LGBT+ characters on a major hit show and some ‘Buffy-Willow’ fan-fiction was inevitable. And then there were a whole host of fans who firmly believed Buffy belonged with the Vampire Spike. Well, Netflix’s 2022 Vampire show ‘First Kill’ is giving viewers just the kind of show that perfectly mixes all elements of the ‘Buffy-Willow-Spike’ romance – a story about a lady-monster-hunter falling for a pretty Vampire! The quintessential forbidden love story fans can never get enough of.

Netflix dropped the official trailer on YouTube and kind of gave away a LOT of the story already. Falling in love is tricky for teens Juliette and Calliope: One’s a vampire, the other’s a vampire hunter — and both are ready to make their first kill. – reads the description. Imani Lewis looks every bit a badass monster-hunter Calliope, while Sarah Catherine Hook has a more of a Bella Swan aesthetic, instead of a young teen vampire. But the two actors look like a promising pair and the trailer promises to give viewers an action-packed show.

First Kill Season 1 premieres June 10 on Netflix.

A Quiet Place 2 Review – Splintered But Swift

‘A Quiet Place 2’ picks off where the first film ended, but not before a quick flashback to ‘Day 1’ of the apocalypse – when aliens invaded the earth. So viewers get a glimpse of director/actor John Krasinski, who if you’ll remember, doesn’t make it alive in 2018 flick’s climax.

Plot overview – After Lee Abbott’s (Krasinski) tragic death, his wife and kids move out of their home, only to realize the alien-monsters aren’t the only villains in the outside world.

There’s a hint of ‘The Walking Dead’ survival mode in this sequel, however, the Abbott family’s trouble pale out in comparison to a lot of other post-apocalyptic stories. Millicent Simmonds who plays Regan Abbott, the stubborn annoying eldest child, does very little growing up and continues to be a naive teen who thinks she can ‘save’ the world. While her mom Evelyn (Emily Blunt) is trying to keep them all safe, Regan packs up her stuff and ventures out alone, because apparently she thinks she is Lara Croft, the alien slayer. No prizes for guessing someone else has to step up and save her ass.

The cinematography is visually appealing, especially in the outdoor scenes; a world devoid of an overwhelming human population looks a lot more greener and steeped in natural beauty. Some of the scene transitions are brilliantly done, especially in the second-half of the film, where the story is splintered between Regan’s solo adventure and Evelyn’s supply run for her son and newborn. This is a film made for the big-screen, so all of us who missed watching it in the theater have something to lament about. On a streaming-platform, it all feels slightly underwhelming, largely due to the fact that as a sequel, the story has already lost its novelty value, and the writers use a lot of classic tropes that make the film highly predictable.

Cillian Murphy has an interesting cameo as Emment, a survivor who crosses paths the with Abbott family. Noah Jupe delivers a layered performance as Regan’s younger brother Marcus; his character is ironically a lot more mature than his older sister. Emily Blunt as mother-hen Evelyn doesn’t get the screen-time fans might expect, neither does she get to do many action sequences, which was a bit of a bummer. The climax felt slightly repetitive, but manages to be somewhat satisfactory, ending on a note that clearly leaves a lot of scope for another sequel.

Despite all its flaws ‘A Quiet Place 2’ is a worthy sequel, with a crisp runtime and engaging performances.

It’s a 6.5/10 from me. You can stream it on Amazon Prime Video.

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Episode 74 – 10 Book Reviews Under 10 Minutes #13thEdition

My Evil Mother – Quick Review

It’s the 1950s, a single mother who loves wearing short-waist dresses, is always warning her teenage daughter against stuff. The teen is convinced her mother is a witch, the real deal, who can turn people into animals and cast spells. At the heart of it, ‘My Evil Mother’ by Margaret Atwood is a short little story that celebrates motherhood and the ingenious ways in which they protect their children.

“You’re so evil” says the opening sentence. What follows is detailed description by the narrator on how her mother was either off the rails or really just a witch. Atwood’s charming language, combined with her fluid story-telling skills, will make you finish reading the story even before you realize it. The short captures the conservative attitudes prevalent at the time against single-mothers raising kids on their own.

Atwood cleverly combines elements of fantasy, comedy against the domestic setting of a woman running her household without the need of a man. Towards the second-half of the story, a sort of sad realistic tone seeps into the story, but the melancholy is quickly dispelled by an humorous ending. “Oh that was cute!” was my only thought when I finished the tale.

It’s a 3/5 from me.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – AbstractAF

Episode 74 – 10 Book Reviews Under 10 Minutes #13thEdition