Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 225

The In Between Review – Loses Steam Midway

A song called ‘Teenage Headache Dreams’ plays in the background as viewers get a visual introduction to the teen protagonist of 2022 film ‘The In Between’. Joey King is Tessa, an introvert student who loves taking photographs. The song might remind some of us that every emotion in the world is multiplied by two when you are young. So when Tessa loses her boyfriend in a car crash, she believes he is trying to reach out to her and is stuck ‘in between’ life and after-life. Is she delusional due to trauma or is he really out there?

Directed by Arie Posin and written by Marc Klein, ‘The In Between’ has a great first half for a teen-romance movie. Tessa meets the charismatic Skylar (Kyle Allen) at the movies, they are the only two people in the audience and manage to strike a connection. What follows is a summer romance, that’s shown through flashbacks, while Tessa in the present tries to reach out to the dead boyfriend. It’s a beautifully shot film, especially since the setting is by a lovely seaside town, and we get some great outdoor scenes. Joey King and Kyle Allen compliment each other well and make an adorable onscreen couple. But the story begins to drag after sixty minutes and Tessa’s overtly dramatic reaction to everything begins to get on your nerves. Skylar on the other-hand, despite being a ‘jock’, is a lot more likeable.

The supernatural plot of the story borders on plain silly/hilarious and would’ve probably been more entertaining if this was an animated film, because there’s so much scope to go a little crazy with ghosts and effects. For a live-action feature-length film, the ghostly bits are boring and snooze-worthy. Actor Celeste O’Connor brings some life to the weak second-half as Tessa’s best-friend Shannon, who is extremely supportive and does her best to lighten up Tessa’s life.

Had this been a plain old teen romance film about a young girl coping with the loss of her boyfriend, ‘The In Between’ would’ve probably worked much better. The ‘after-life’ bit just ruins things and the long runtime doesn’t help. For young viewers, the plot promotes some twisted notions of love and loss – like making you think waiting for the ghost of your loved one to help you get closure is a great idea.

It’s a 5/10 from me. You can stream the film on Netflix if a sappy romance is your weakness.

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

Tropic Of The Sea – Book/Manga Review

‘The neologism “Tropic of the Sea” is my own doing. This work whose title is quite embarrassing in hindsight ran in Kodansha’s Young Magazine in eleven installments between March and June of 1990.’ – Manga creator Satoshi Kon explains in the afterword of the book. I don’t know about embarrassing, but the deep blue cover art of a boy looking straight out you… somehow leads you into believing the Manga is going to be a deep-dive into something intriguing…

The premise treads on fantasy, focusing on a family that lives in a small sea-side town in Japan. Yosuke Yashiro’s family receives an egg from a mermaid every 60 years and it is their duty to protect it for the duration, until it’s time to return it back to the sea and they receive another one. In return, the mermaids grant the town with a bounty of fish and keep the shores calm. But Yosuke’s father thinks all of this is mere myth and decides to make the egg an attraction, thus putting the town in danger of facing mermaid wrath.

While Satoshi Kon never explains why the mermaids leave their egg with the Yashiro clan, it is for the reader to draw their own conclusions over the strange pact. Sixty years for an egg to mature is a long time, and maybe the beings don’t want to constantly look after it, and what better way to ensure its safety than to hand it over to the world’s worst predators for protection – humans.

Satoshi’s art is gorgeous, and despite the black-and-white panels, you immediately feel pulled into the seaside town, as the if the waves are engulfing you and not just the characters in the book. The ‘industrialization vs nature’ theme pierces throughout the story. However, after a beautiful engrossing start, the manga starts to rush through things, with too many things taking place, and before you know it, the story is over!

I wish there was more to this book. It all happens so swiftly, I can’t even recall any names of the characters, they just don’t stay with you. It’s a 3/5 from me.

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

My Ride Review – Fast and Feeble

The 2022 Thai series ‘My Ride’ tries to pack in three romantic stories in 10 episodes, and ends up doing justice to none. So while the pace of the series is fast, the script is feeble and lacks punch.

Directed by Por Saroch Nuamsamran, the primary romantic plot is sweet – Dr Tawan (Fame Chawinroj) is a busy young doctor, who has no life outside of the hospital, while Mork (Fluke Pongsakorn) is a lively bike-taxi-rider with a bumpy life, when these two very different personalities cross paths on a regular basis, an unlikely friendship blooms. But Tawan is already in a relationship with a charming senior dentist called Dr. Por (Pat Chatburirak).

One of the other sub-plots revolve around Tawan’s best-friend Dr Nadia (Ging Aria), a funny pretty woman who is constantly getting dumped by the men in her life. A sweet barista called Mayom (Oat Sumethi) in their hospital’s cafeteria has a huge crush on Nadia, but he tries to strike a friendship with the doctor. While Ging Aria does a great job of playing Tawan’s goofy best-friend, her chemistry with Mayom is lukewarm at best. Fame Chawingroj is quite convincing as the nerdy dedicated Dr Tawan, but his naivety when it comes to relationships seemed a little odd. Fluke Pongsakorn

Dr Tawan’s friendship with bike-taxi-rider Mork has a slow-burn progression, but it’s in sync with their personalities, so the leisurely paced growth of their relationship works well with their personalities. It doesn’t feel rushed or awkward or plain ridiculous like romances in many mini web-series tend to be. Mork has two gay uncles who’ve been in a stable relationship for years and are his pillars of support in times of need. Nu Surasak Chaiat and Patson Sarindu play the older couple and paint a believable picture of domesticity that comes with long-term companionship. The strongest onscreen chemistry in this show however is displayed by actors Yoon Phusanu and Best Cholsawas, who play doctoral students Toy and Boss; even though their story-line is not the best.

Toy literally toys with Boss, his senior, by using an embarrassing picture of his as leverage. His behavior is pretty much on the lines of bullying, but the makers make amends and change the eventually change the equation between the two. A different actor was cast earlier as Boss, but the changes worked out well for the series – Yoon Phusanu and Best Cholsawas make a great onscreen pair and are more charming than the lead couple. Hopefully someone will give them a show of their on in their future.

‘My Ride’ works okay as a romantic-comedy series, but could’ve used some more story-building for the lead pair. Mork has a gang of bike-taxi-rider friends, who are used as comedy relief, but some of their scenes are just unnecessary and not even funny. Instead of some of the pointless ‘friends trying to be funny’ scenes, the writers could’ve given more screen-time to either the lead pair or the more interesting characters.

The climax is cute and feel-good, some get an overtly romantic ending, others make do with a sweet closure. Overall, this makes for a decent fluffy watch for the weekend. It could’ve been so much better.

It’s a 6.5/10 from me.

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

Moonshot – Quick Movie Review

Cole Sprouse = super cute. Lana Condor = super cute. But oddly, the two actors put together just don’t sparkle the way you would expect in the 2022 space-romance ‘Moonshot’. Directed by Christopher Winterbauer and written by Max Taxe, it’s a futuristic story about an ‘average’ boy sneaking into a space-craft bound for Mars to re-unite with his crush.

How has nobody made a film with one of the Sprouse brother’s playing son to Leonardo DiCaprio yet? Or to Matt Damon? Obviously enough fluff pieces have been written about the similarity, but it’s just so so uncanny at the beginning of ‘Moonshot’, which starts with Cole making a little monologue. He looks like the spitting image of the Titanic hero. Fine, moving on from the pointless comparison, let’s get back to the film…

Cole Sprouse plays college student Walt, who dreams of going to Mars, and ends up tailing rich-nerd Sophie (Lana Condor), while she in on her way to the planet to reunite with her boyfriend. It’s a typical enemies to lovers kind of story, but Sprouse and Condor just don’t have the kind of scenes that would qualify this film to be called romantic. Not a lot of the jokes land, so it’s not a great comedy either.

“You pretty, but you dumb,” a character tells Walt at some point and you could sum up “Moonshot” the same way – it’s a good-looking film, with cute actors, fancy lights and sets, some decent CGI, but a pretty dull script. Although there is a hilarious twist in the end that makes up for what looked like a major loophole in the first-half, so it might make some viewers re-evaluate the story in fresh light.

It’s a 6/10 from me. You can stream it on Amazon Prime Video.

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Listen to – Sharmaji Namkeen Review – Like A Crisp Savory

How Cobalt Blue The Film Differs From The Novel

The 2022 Netflix film ‘Cobalt Blue’ has been adapted from a novel of the same name by Sachin Kundalkar. But despite the author of the book donning the director’s cap for the film, they aren’t exactly the same.

We discuss a few major differences between the book and onscreen adaptation in the latest podcast episode of Abstract AF. Listen in and do subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Spy x Family Episode 1 Review

If you are an anime fan, it’s hard not be curious about the 2022 Netflix anime ‘Spy X Family’ which is based on the manga by Tatsuya Endo. Consider the plot – a spy on a undercover mission has to quickly find a wife and child, because the only way to get close to his target is by attending parent-teacher meets at a private school. So he adopts an orphan girl called Anya and marries city hall worker Yor, but unknown to him, the child and new wife have secrets of their own – Anya can read minds and Yor is a former assassin.

The first starts with a bang (a car crash really) and we are introduced to our spy hero Loid Forger who goes by code-name Twilight. Those who’ve read the manga shouldn’t have any complaints with the adaptation, from the character-art, to scenes, to even dialogues, everything in the anime is completely faithful to the original material and is better – since it’s in color and is live-action.

This is like a campy-silly-comedic take on the Spy genre, so Loid Forger is basically a anime version of Ethan Hunt (from Mission Impossible), constantly changing identities and faces to fool his enemies. Episode one just sets up the introduction to Loid and the tiny little Anya, who is an adorable psychic child and gets attached to her adoptive father. The interactions between the new father-daughter duo is hilarious and warm. Some viewers would definitely go ‘aww’ at Anya’s antics.

‘Spy x Family’ promises to be a funny action comedy with family and espionage as central themes. Check it out if you are looking for something light. It’s streaming on Netflix.

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Ep 50 – A Brief Look At 21 Studio Ghibli Films & Why You Must Watch Them

Blueming Review – Its Simplicity Is Endearing

Remember me whining about how I had to see an entirely new romantic web-series to cleanse the disappointment of watching the Ben Affleck starrer ‘Deep Water’? It was the 2022 Korean mini-series ‘Blueming’, it was engaging enough to binge-watch all 11 episodes (each only 12 minutes long though) in one go.

Directed by Hwang Da Seul, ‘Blueming’ follows the story of Si Won (Kang Eun Bin), a handsome boy who feels self-assured of being the most popular kid in class on the first day of college, but when a good-looking Da Un (Jo Hyuk Joon) turns up on campus next day, Si Won feels threatened. As the two spend more time together for class projects, an unlikely romance brews.

I like how the first episode starts on a candidly honest note – the protagonist Si Won admits good-looks are extremely important for Korean people and that he is popular because of his looks and fit physique. His mother ensures Si Won and his sister eat healthy and drink protein shakes instead of cola. It’s both sad and amusing. Anybody who is familiar with the world of K-pop would know also that South-Korea has the highest number of cosmetic procedures per capita in the world. And this need to look perfect is oftentimes internal and not necessarily driven by peer pressure.

Kang Eun Bin is goofy and cute as the insecure Si Won, who used to be a fat kid, so even though he is fit and handsome now, he suffers from an unhealthy need to please everyone and be popular. Jo Hyuk Joon was a little awkward as the reclusive rich kid Da Un, but since it also seems a trait of the character, he blends in just fine. The straight-forward friends-to-lovers transition between the two characters was the highlight of the show. Sure, we all love some drama and grandstanding when it comes to romance. But the simple charm of a direct heart-to-heart in this story works brilliantly. The characters just talk things out every time they face a problem and it was so refreshing to watch a realistic take on modern relationships. On the flip-side, the makers erase the complications that come with being a gay couple in the conservative South-Korea, but hey, I am not going to complain about a smooth sweet romantic show okay!

The lead pair is treated like a regular couple, so the focus is on themes of self-worth, peer-pressures, family ties and loneliness. The cinematography is simple, it does take artistic turns for some scenes, playing with lights and giving viewers some very memorable moments. A sub-plot about Si Won making a film about being an outcast as a child helps carry the series forward. The conflict towards the end felt like de-ja-vu from a 100 other series, but the resolution was drama-free and sweet.

Kang Eun Bin and Jo Hyuk Joon make a great looking onscreen couple and the blooming romance between them is a good distraction from life’s other things.

It’s a 8/10 from me.

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Ep 66 – 5 Things That Make #AllofUsAreDead Entertaining

The Lost City Review – Sandra, Channing Charm In Campy Comedy

Just the other day, a bunch of friends and I were discussing how it’s cool older women are getting cast in younger roles, because that’s been a perk reserved for male actors for far too long. And then there’s 57-year-old Sandra Bullock romancing 41-year-old Channing Tatum in 2022 film ‘The Lost City’ and I am here cheering for it.

If you’ve seen the trailer, you get exactly what it offers – an action-comedy, which is about a popular (recently widowed) romance author Loretta (Sandra) getting kidnapped by a psycho Billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) to help him find a mythical treasure on a remote island. Because he thinks ‘amidst the pages of coital revelry’ of her latest novel, lies buried her knowledge of an ancient language that’ll help uncover the mysteries of an ancient king’s tomb. Luckily for Lorretta, her handsome cover-model Alan-aka-Dash sets out to rescue her, but he is no hero, so their escape adventure is filled with hiccups.

For most of the film, Loretta is wearing a shiny-glitter-filled-loud tight purple jumpsuit, which she was already uncomfortable wearing at a book launch; imagine having to run through jungles in it. So the dress is a whimsical character in itself. Sandra is on point as the jaded/tired/disillusioned romance author, who thinks her work is trash, but well, they pay the bills. Channing Tatum with his G.I. Joe action figure body is kind of childlike and adorable as the blonde model Alan, evidently crushing on Lorretta. It’s Brad Pitt who gets to kick most of the butt in his very brief but exciting cameo. Daniel Radcliffe with his stunning blue eyes is incredibly entertaining as psychotic villain Abigail Fairfax. He has some of the most witty lines in the film and delivers them with a dramatic British accent.

Channing Tatum’s dashing entry sequence as a book-cover model with long luscious hair, riding a horse on a beach, while dramatic music plays behind (The Final Countdown), reminded me of the 1990 Bollywood blockbuster ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ starring Salman Khan, because one of its track used the same music. While Alan is a bit of simpleton, Sandra’s character is a lot more layered, she may write pulpy-sexy-romances, but is an intelligent being who knows her history. Losing her archaeologist husband to death makes her reclusive, bitter and closed to adventures. Any other history enthusiast in their right mind would’ve said agreed to an eccentric rich dude’s offer to go to a beautiful pacific Island on a treasure-hunt. And if you were wondering, yes, there is an intriguing bit of fictional history surrounding the treasure in the story.

This is a campy action comedy, which absurdly exaggerates things to draw laughs. Like a scene where cars are exploding in the background, but Brad Pitt flips his hair like a supermodel on the runway, while escaping from the blast. Sandra and Channing make a great on-screen team, so a lot of scenes that would’ve otherwise come across as awkward, are instead entertaining. However, the scenes minus the principal characters aren’t interesting enough, like a small sub-plot about Loretta’s agent Beth (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) going on her own to rescue her writer. Most of the movie is pretty fun, even though the writing keeps floundering in between.

If Paramount decides to make a sequel the with lead duo, I’d definitely go watch it in the theater. Oh and there’s a post credit scene, it doesn’t come at the exact end, but just a little after the end credits start rolling.

It’s a 7/10 from me. (The film is only in theaters for now)

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Ep 66: 5 Things That Keep ‘All Of Us Are Dead’ Alive

Dasvi Review – Too Optimistic, But Fun

‘A Tiger Never Changes Its Stripes’ Abhishek Bachchan often uses this punchline as politician Ganga Ram Chaudhary in the 2022 film ‘Dasvi’. But ironically the makers try to prove their own protagonist wrong.

Directed by Tushar Jalota and written by Suresh Nair, Ritesh Shah; the plot is interesting – the Chief Minister of a fictional Indian state decides to study for class 10 exams in jail, to avoid laboring under a strict cop. Meanwhile, his wife takes over the reins of power and starts making plans of her own that don’t involve him anymore.

Abhishek Bachchan takes time to slip into the role of a proud-corrupt Chaudhary, but manages to find his rhythm soon enough, giving an entertaining performance as the uneducated egoistical politician. Yami Gautam as honest-upright cop Jyoti Deswal exudes the attitude required from a boss-woman. However, her character traits are inconsistent, from a toughie who ensures nobody is handed VIP prison perks, she changes into a softie who even sheds a few tears for a goon-like-neta. Basically, the writers ruin Yami’s character growth with weak plot details. It’s Nimrat Kaur who shines the brightest in her grey role as Mrs Bimla Chaudhary, a nervous shy woman who is pushed to power – the CM’s chair no less – when her husband is jailed. Nimrat’s transformation from a hamming home-maker to a confident drunk-on-power politician is an absolute treat to watch. Despite being a grey character, she’ll win over hearts. Guess that’s how politicians work!

Chaudhary’s political journey is almost like Lalu Prasad Yadav (yes, I know he studied law and even attained a masters degree, I am talking politics) turning into Kejriwal. Needless to say, the story is overtly optimistic on its take of how education could perhaps change a corrupt neta, but a little extra positivity never hurt anyone. The primary message of the film about knowledge wielding the power to transform lives for the better will resonate with the masses. Even though the impact of class 10 study material is grossly exaggerated.

While both the editing and writing could’ve been smarter, the makers manage to pull in enough laughs to keep things light-hearted and engrossing. Some of the comedy comes at the cost of the ill-treatment of an IAS officer, which might upset some viewers, but babus being maltreated like by their political bosses is probably a cruel reality many have to deal with. The pace is pretty consistent throughout the film, but the script meanders unnecessarily in the last half hour.

There’s a little twist in the climax which saves ‘Dasvi’ from becoming too predictable and cliched. With a strong supporting cast, this is a nice breezy film to watch with the family on the weekend.

It’s a 7/10 from me. You can stream the film on Netflix.

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Listen to – Sharmaji Namkeen Review – Like A Crisp Savory

RRR: Tried And Tested Tropes, Just Made Larger Than Life

Two years of a raging pandemic had gotten filmmakers to revisit their strategy, with many a pundit claiming it was the dawn of the OTT era. As movie-watching experience moved from the silver screen to our smart TVs thanks to theatres being shut, I wondered if we would ever be able to enjoy the good-old cinema going experience. But if someone knows how to make a spectacle and a splash, it is SS Rajamouli.

The Telugu director shot to fame with his magnum opus Baahubali that created ripples around the world and for a brief moment brought cine-lovers across the country together despite the language barrier. Continuing with the tradition, the filmmaker released his much-hyped, crazily-delayed venture ‘RRR’. The film is an out and out masala entertainer. Just the right mix of grandeur, hyper-nationalism, exaggerated action sequences and a wild plot.

The movie is set in pre-partition era with the two lead actors, no wait, we call them heroes here, who are polar opposites. One is a loyal servant of the British empire, while the other is hatching a plan to take on the unjust oppressors. The introduction sequence of both heroes elicited shrill whistles and loud hoots at the theatre I went to watch the film in. The insane action sequence introducing NTR Junior was ridiculous when I saw it and I was like ‘What even is happening?’, but an hour later when the scene wraps up with another cinematic moment, I was left awestruck.

While I could heap praise on that one scene, I felt most other such action sequences were only there for hyper arousal and boy it served its purpose. However, there are some tender moments too sprinkled across the movie aided by beautiful tunes that act as a subtle palate cleanser for the audience. A sequence with a young girl kept in captivity meeting an elder from her tribe was done rather tastefully.

Both Ram Charan and NTR Junior play their characters to perfection. Alia has a small and honestly, pretty pointless role. Ajay Devgn is great in the very small portion that he appears on the screen. Shriya Saran unfortunately doesn’t even have a dialogue.

Most things work for the film except for the end which is just a crazy mix of nationalism, mythology and well, to be honest, absurdity. But the audience in the cinema hall surely relished each bit and refused to get up till the credits rolled completely, which is something that I have never seen. If you are a fan of grandeur, action and masala, and have three hours to spare, give it a shot while it’s still running in the theatres because it will just be a drag on the small screen!

It’s a 6.5/10 from me.

Munish Rathore

Munish is a full-time journalist, part-time dreamer and an aspiring writer. In his free time he can be seen curled up in front of the TV bawling over the latest tear-jerker.

instagram.com/munishrathore/

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Listen to – Sharmaji Namkeen Review – Like A Crisp Savory