Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 242

Don’t Breathe 2 Review – Blind Anti-Hero Back With A Bloodier Chapter

“Can we not watch this, I don’t think I want to see something so intense,” I said out loud, 20 minutes into ‘Don’t Breathe 2’, after suggesting we watch it on Netflix in the first place. But we did finish it in one go. Directed by Rodo Sayagues, it has Stephen Lang reprising his role as the killer blind man we all saw in the 2016 thriller ‘Don’t Breathe’. The movie was scarier than most horror films that came out that year, and the sequel is just as good. Almost.

Plot overview – A navy veteran trains his adopted daughter in survival skills and keeps the family isolated by home-schooling the girl. Things get out of hand when a band of men intrude into their house and attempt to kidnap the girl.

Let’s quickly recap ‘Don’t Breathe’ to get a better grip on the sequel – Three friends break into the house of a blind old man to steal money, expecting it to be an easy heist. But they find themselves trapped in the house with a dangerous owner who gives them hell. To make things worse, they further incur his wrath by causing the death of a pregnant woman who was being held captive in the house. The blind man claims the woman had caused his daughter’s death, so he impregnated her through artificial insemination, to make her bear him another child. A twisted revenge and a heist gone horribly wrong. That’s what the story is about. It ends with a cliffhanger – only one thief survives, after managing to fatally injure the old man, but she discovers on the news that he is alive and has been taken to the hospital.

Let’s get back to ‘Don’t Breathe 2’ now. Did we really need another movie with the old man going through a similar ordeal? Intruders breaking into his house, not for his money, but for the girl he is raising. How terrible can one’s fortune be? To experience home intrusion not once but twice! Writers Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues create a character that’s a strong anti-hero, a protagonist you cannot decide how to feel for. You are torn between thinking ‘this dude deserves all the shit that happens to him, karma bitch’ and ‘c’mon give the old man a break!’.

The pace is pitch-perfect, keeping you on the edge of your seat once the intrusion begins. You never know who is going to hit/kill who. There’s a lot of violence, gore and jump scares better than most horror movies. The only thing unrealistic about the film is just how hardy Stephen Lang’s blind old man is. He is like a human terminator on steroids. No matter how much you injure him, he stands back up, like a super-human. Some of the action sequences are great.

There is a pretty good twist towards the climax, and just like the 2016 flick, there are no good guys in this one either. For a few minutes the pace slackens at the end, to give way for some emotional moments that doesn’t fit well with the rest of the plot, yet gives the movie a much needed human touch that some viewers would seek.

‘Don’t Breathe 2’ is a morally grey film that keeps you entertained, even though some parts are way too exaggerated. There’s lots of blood and gore, not the ‘Saw’ movies kind, but enough to make those with low tolerance for violence hit the pause button plenty. So be warned.

It’s a 7/10 from me.

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Listen to – 15 Freaky Facts About The Case ‘Conjuring 3’ Is Based On

Decoupled Review – Why I Stopped After Episode 1

By its very Netflix description, ‘Decoupled’ doesn’t pretend to be anything that it isn’t – the makers spell out it’s about a privileged rich couple going through a divorce and bizarre things happen along the way. Created by Manu Joseph, the series stars Madhavan and Surveen Chawla as the lead pair. “A misanthropic writer and his startup-founder wife juggle their impending divorce with the absurdities and annoyances of life in their affluent world…” reads the synopsis.

Problem is, the show itself gets absurd, but in an annoying way. The first few minutes are fun, the slow resentful banter between a couple that’s planning on getting separated elicit chuckles. Madhavan plays Arya Iyer, a best-selling author, second only to Chetan Bhagat (who plays himself in a cameo) in India, and seems to have a lot of issues. Surveen Chawla is his businesswoman Punjabi wife Shruti Sharma Iyer, who doesn’t get much screen-time, at least in the first episode. Maybe the show gets better, and I did try seeing a few minutes of the second episode too, but they makers try so hard to be ‘woke’, that it’s cringe-y, boring and irritating.

And now to spoilers from just the first episode to explain why exactly the show wasn’t enjoyable.

The story starts with Arya and Shruti going to a book-club reading. Shruti is pulling in a favor from her soon to be ex-author-husband for an investor who wants to surprise his reader wife. We soon start seeing what a pretentious asshole Arya is, which is fine, but the character is not written well. Let me break down the ‘trying too hard to be cool’ scenes down into points –

At the book club, the sole male reader of the club asks Arya to meet his teen son who is a fan. Arya recoils in disgust when the boy puts forth his hand for a handshake. Now my first instinct as a viewer was to assume Arya is a germophobe. But nope. He claims he has “a policy of not shaking hands with teen boys”. It’s easy to understand where the joke is going, but the prudish father insists that the author explain. It gets not too funny by then. Arya dashes off from the book club because he has a flight in one hour. I assume the rich author has a chartered flight to himself, since he is chilling at a book club with a plane to catch in the next 60 minutes. Or is just too laid-back and optimistic (which is clearly not the case). Anyway… he reaches the airport 40 minutes before the flight. Luckily for him there is only a small line to get in and a CISF personnel is doing the regular job of checking tickets and identity proofs of passengers. Now Aarya spots the man scratching his pants near the groin area and gets disgusted, then creates a scene when it’s his turn. But he goes on a nonsensical tangent of ‘how do you know my ticket is real?’ and that ‘the government is wasting your time making you do this boring job’. A bunch of uncles get riled up, accuse Aarya of insulting a ‘jawan’ doing his duty and brand the author ‘anti-national’. And things go out of hand…. So are the makers trying to tell us that this rich author, who has to catch a flight for an important meeting in the next 40 minutes, has never been to an airport before? And if this man has such a problem with people putting their hands in problematic places, why doesn’t he just carry a fucking sanitizer? Also, there is definitely no traces of a pandemic going on, because nobody is in masks. But even before the pandemic happened, a lot of people (including me and most of my friends, who aren’t even South Mumbai/Delhi rich) did carry sanitizers. Now, Arya was catching that flight to have a meeting with Netflix bosses, who express interest in buying the rights of his books to make a series or whatever. But because of the scene he creates at the airport, he is immediately put on a ‘no-fly’ list. That no-fly list decision literally takes place in 10 minutes and makes no sense. I get that the makers are trying to show just how sensitive and unreasonable Indians can get over things, but it doesn’t land a punch if the protagonist is a sensitive jackass too. Now, instead of shitting bricks and calling the Netflix guys that he cannot make it to the meeting, the first thing Aarya does is call his wife up, to set up a dinner date. Someone lost track of the script for a bit? Okay then…. The dinner date is at a super fancy Vietnamese restaurant. There’s a pretty girl at the entrance greeting guests with ‘Xin chao’, which is ‘hello’ in Vietnamese. Aarya asks her if she is from Mizoram and she says ‘No, from Meghalaya’. Then Aarya asks her if she feels bad that the owners have put her up in a costume, making her pretend like she is from Vietnam. Umm…. hello asshole, you thought she is from Mizoram and then you are trying to make the poor girl feel bad about her job? Why even go to a fancy Vietnamese restaurant in India? The hypocrisy, the assholery, it’s tiring to watch. Not entertaining. And things only keep getting more annoying. Or should I say Aarya. No wonder the wife wants a divorce. Oh and everybody who seems to know them also happens to be at the same restaurant. The prudish father from the book club who also happens to be Aarya’s neighbour. And Chetan Bhagat, Aarya’s biggest rival.

I could go on… there are 2-3 more points to whine about, but let’s call it quits. Not going to finish watching the show, doesn’t seem worth my time. Netflix has too many other shows I could check out and then there are multiple books waiting on my shelf to read.

Watch it at your own peril. Maybe it does get better.

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Listen to Episode 59 for 9 great animated film recommendations.

Gender Fluid

Episode 61 of Abstract AF’s podcast is poetry themed. Ruminations on gender-fluidity, as more and more people choose to discard the traditional pronouns of ‘he’ and ‘she’.

Listen in and do subscribe to the channel on YouTube.

Here’s the text of the poem –

She said, she had first declared she wanted to be he
Later he said, maybe he didn’t want to be he or she
So he and she had a ‘he versus she’ talk
And then they finally settled for ‘they’
For sometimes he was she
And sometimes she was he
So if you said ‘he’ then she would feel hurt
And if you said ‘she’ then he would feel hurt
So to live in peace, they settled for ‘they’
And yet there are days, when ‘they’ doesn’t cut it
When they want to be only he
And he only wants to be she
Or then there are those very many moments
Where he and she is a little bit of both she and he
So for the majority of their day, they settle for ‘they’
At ease with their many faces that are but the same
And as for me, I only call them by their beloved name

Sneha Jaiswal

Vanishing My First Love Review – Jumps Out Of Manga Panels!

The 2021 Japanese series ‘Kieta Hatsukoi’ or ‘Vanishing My First Love’ is an adaptation of a Manga by the same name. Out of curiosity, I read the manga, and the first episode is exactly how things happen in the comic. It’s as if the comic-book has come to life, readers can just watch it on mute and yet they’ll know exactly what’s happening.

Plot overview – Aoki Sota borrows an eraser from Hashimoto, the cute girl he has a crush on. To his shock, Aoki finds out the eraser has a boy’s name followed by a heart. Troubled, he drops the eraser and a student picks it up to give it back to Aoki. But not before noticing that his name ‘Ida’ is on the eraser, leading to the conclusion that Aoki has a crush on him. Not wanting to expose Hashimoto’s feelings, Aoki goes along with the misunderstanding, only to actually fall for the sweet and sincere Ida. What follows is a lot of confusion, comedy and sweet moments between a bunch of clueless high-school students.

Directors Kusano Shogo, Horai Tadaaki do a fantastic job of staying true to the original material with the opening episode. But as the story progresses, screenwriter Kuroiwa Tsutomu starts making a lot of changes, all for the better, making some of the silly scenes that seemed overtly exaggerated in the manga, more believable and sweet in the live-action series.

Actor Mishieda Shunsuke who plays protagonist Aoki is the beating heart of this show. He plays the shy, confused, comically bumbling high-school student to perfection. From his sad pouts to painfully awkward sequences of grappling his feelings for a fellow student, Shunshuke makes viewers root for his silly but sweet character. Meguro Ren as the calm but slow Ida, the object of Aoki’s new-found affection, offers great contrast to the jittery Aoki. The actor however does look a little old to play a high-school student, which he is – while Shunsuke was 19 at the time the series came out, Ren was at-least 24, older than the other primary cast members playing his classmates.

Fukomoto Riko as Hashimoto is Aoki’s twin sister, both of them suffer from low self-esteem and don’t have the confidence to pursue what they want. But their friendship is adorable, the two keep encouraging each other to find their voice. Suzuki Jin was almost unrecognizable as the impish Aida. His serious passionate persona from the series ‘Given’ is replaced by a fun, easy-going persona in ‘Keita Hatsuke’. One only wishes Ida’s pet-dog Mametaru had more screen-time.

The series has a high re-watch value and has a climax that’s as sweet as Christmas dessert. You’ll know if you see this series – a wholesome, cute teen romantic comedy. Unlike the Manga, the makers give viewers a conclusive ending that’s almost too perfect to be true. But hey, I am not complaining. It’s a 8/10 from me.

5 Ways ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is Super Fun

We are done with the spoiler-free review of the 2021 film ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which is probably the best live-action film of the friendly neighborhood hero. But to fully appreciate the film, one will have to reveal some plot details, so here’s a quick video highlighting 5 things that make the latest Marvel film pure entertainment. Spoiler ahead.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home Review – A Multiverse Throwback!

“This is why I don’t have kids,” Doctor Strange laments while trying to clean up Peter Parker’s multi-verse mess in the 2021 Spider-Man movie. It’s not the funniest punchline, but sort of sums up the movie’s theme – teen hero trying to get his life together but ignoring advice from the wise.

Plot overview: Spider-Man’s identity is revealed to the world, creating a lot of problems for Peter’s friends and family. So the teen super-hero turns to Doctor Strange for help – he wants everybody to forget who his identity. But thanks to Peter’s last minute interjections during the spell, it goes wrong and villains from different worlds show up in their dimension. Can the friendly neighborhood hero fight all these strange baddies and fix things for those close to him? That forms most of the plot.

Ever since the super cool 2018 animated film ‘Spider-Man – Into The Spider-Verse’ came out, a lot of fans imagined it would be hard to top that. However, the 2021 live-action movie directed by Jon Watts with Tom Holland in the lead borrows some of Spider-Verse ideas to give us yet another entertaining and delightful installment. Bringing back super-villains from the older spider-man movies was a master-stroke, since it has heavy nostalgic value for those who grew up watching Spider-Man titles of the early 2000s. Loud cheers went up in the theater each time an old villain showed up on screen, be it Dr Ock (Alfred Molina) or the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). For those who haven’t seen the pre-2016 live-action movies, ‘No Way Home’ might not be as fun. Maybe the makers picked a Thursday release date because of the popular ‘Throwback Thursday’ tag on the internet, meant to take you back in time.

The cinematography is fantastic and worth watching in 3D, because a LOT of scenes have visual effects that wouldn’t be as enjoyable in 2D. Along with the multiverse-madness, there’s also a trippy sequence of Spiderman and Strange having a standoff in the mirror world, which was both chaotic and stunning to watch. Some of the action sequences weren’t as impressive as one would hope for them to be. For example, Spider-Man struggling to fight an unarmed Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin) was a little ridiculous. But for a film filled with magic, multiple universes and a whole bunch of things that don’t make sense; suspending logic and just lying back relaxed is the best way to go about watching it.

This movie is a triumphant teamwork of an ensemble cast, where everybody equally shoulders the responsibility of carrying the story forward and engaging the viewer. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, who reprise their roles as MJ and Ned Leeds, are both adorable in their supporting bits, the girlfriend and best-friend looking out for Peter Parker when the whole world has turned against him. Tom Holland still doesn’t look a day older than 18, and is just such a sprightly Spider-Man that it’s hard not to root for him. The theme of ‘second-chances’ felt a little half-baked, but manages to reel you in.

Trying to keep this review spoiler-free, so all one can say is, the first half of ‘No Way Home’ is quite solid. The second-half is a lot more emotional, with some very clever allusions to the older movies that will have fans tearing up. As the climax approaches, it feels like the story runs the danger of becoming a sob-fest, but the writers get a grip, throw in some light humorous moments and reclaim the pace of the film.

There is a post-credit scene that foreshadows the next Doctor Strange movie, so keep an eye out for that.

It’s a 8/10 from me for ‘Spider-Man – No Way Home’.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 59 for 9 great animated film recommendations.

The Girl From The Sea Review – Sweet Splash Of Island Life

The gorgeous cover and the beautiful splash of colors is what makes ‘The Girl From The Sea’, a graphic novel by Molly Knox Ostertag stand out. The story follows 15-year-old Morgan, who is part of a fun girl group, but she cannot wait to finish school and get away from her friends and family, so she can live her life without carrying secrets. But all her plans go for a toss, when one night, she meets a beautiful creature called Keltie, who saves her from drowning and makes her see life on her little island in a new light.

I love how Molly Knox starts off the story with a teen-group-chat, making it a relatable contemporary comic. Morgan and her best-friends discuss shopping, boys, parties and all the other regular stuff teen girls do. It’s a pretty cliche group by Morgan’s own admission. And then there’s Keltie, who is not like anybody she has met before. Will their two worlds unite in a happy ending?

While the story is cute, one feels like the author tries to squeeze in too many themes that make the graphic novel feel very rushed and unfulfilling. It’s a classic romantic tale with a touch of modernity, with a gay protagonist, ‘cool’ adults, endless texting and a predictable climax. However, all the characters are drawn so well, against settings that are completely inviting, that it will leave most readers turning pages till the end.

The mixing of modern day relationships, with fantasy-like elements, along with environmental issues makes for an interesting read. Although one wishes there was more story. It’s a 4/5 from me, extra love for the captivating artwork.

Algeria Is Beautiful Like America – Book Review

There’s not much to take away from the graphic novel ‘Algeria Is Beautiful Like America’ by Olivia Burton and Mahi Grand. The book follows Olivia’s quest to know more about the land her parents and grandparents came from – Algeria.

The title sounds like a promising look at the region, especially for those who know very little of it. But all we get are some exaggerated tales by Olivia’s grandmother, who fuels her curiosity for Algeria in the first place. Readers who aren’t familiar with its history get to learn a few new terms, like ‘Blackfoot’, a phrase for European origin folks who were born & settled in Algeria during French occupation, but moved to France after Algeria gained its independence.

Olivia’s need to explore her roots is understandable but barely intriguing. It’s not like she was uprooted from a different country, she was born and raised in France. She didn’t face any sort of discrimination or prejudice, and doesn’t seem to have had a rough childhood either. Her eventual trip to Algeria to find out more about her ‘roots’ is almost boring and uneventful. She meets lots of nice, warm people, is practically hand-held by a guide everywhere she goes in the new country. Basically, whatever happens to her is pretty forgettable. It’s the practical old man who shows her around who comes off as the strongest character in the book.

The artwork is very basic and unimpressive, it fails to capture the strongest point of the story – the so-called beauty of Algeria. We just have to trust Olivia’s word for the gorgeousness of the Alegrian landscape, because the art panels in the graphic novel sure as hell don’t capture any of its ‘beauty’.

‘If you don’t know where you’re going, take a look at where you come from”, a welcoming Algerian tells Olivia. That really sums up her quest – a young woman who doesn’t have much purpose in life, is enamored by the tales her grandmother told her of a lovely country, so she hopes traveling back will help her move forward. Which it sort of does.

It’s a 2.5/5 from me.

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Listen to Episode 48 for some great graphic novel suggestions

Shang Chi – Quick Movie Review

My motivation to watch this film was the lead actor Simu Liu. I had very recently been introduced to Canadian show Kim’s Convenience where Liu plays the son to a Korean immigrant couple who raised their kids in Canada, far, far away from their own homeland trying to keep their roots alive even as their kids are anything but Asian. The series is slow but warm, with generous doses of identity politics, an issue that finds a resonance in this latest addition to Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Shang Chi has fled China and his father’s tutelage to carve out an identity for himself and also in a bid to escape the horrors of his past, but as they say, you can run, but you can’t hide. After years of being on the run, Shaun, the monicker that he goes by in America is dragged back to China. What follows is an opulent journey to a hidden land and a battle that is as mythical as Marvel-esuque.

However the transition from an action sequence aboard a bus in San Francisco to an underground fight club in Macau to the folklore-in-motion jungles of the China borders on cliche sometimes. Dragons, pinnacled huts, archers and bright red costumes seem a tad-bit like appropriation on several occasions.

I am sure it was time for an Asian superhero to have his own film when it comes to MCU. Chinese immigrants form a a sizeable portion of the non-native population in America and the ABC (America Born Chinese) are considered pretty influential too. China remains a huge market for Hollywood films despite numerous regulations (Shang Chi hasn’t even been approved for a release in the country) Factors as these surely must have prompted the makers to come up with the movie but it almost inadvertently slides down the slope of stereotyping.

That being said, like most MCU films, Shang Chi too is magnificent- the special effects stunning, the attention to detail immaculate and the casting near perfect. The characters are likeable, even the villain has a shade of grey, making the film full of layers that unpeel as the plot progresses.

I enjoyed the film, and I am pretty sure you would too if you can let some evident stereotyping slide!

Palm Springs – Quick Movie Review

A romantic-comedy with a time-loop twist? Sounds like a fun enough film to watch with friends. So we picked the 2020 ‘Palm Springs’ directed by Max Barbakow. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti play Nyles and Sarah, two strangers who meet at a wedding and find themselves re-living the same day again and again.

The best bit about Palm Springs is how the film doesn’t take itself too seriously and is filled with fun moments. And despite being a light surreal comedy, it also managed to make its viewers seriously ponder upon the question – if given a chance, would you be okay with being stuck in the same day?

The cinematography is vibrant, with a dash of colors juxtaposed against the desert. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti have a refreshingly sparkling chemistry. The two have a lot of fun moments in the story and really look like they had a great time shooting the movie. Andy’s character Nyles is a bit of a man-child, who’s reconciled himself with the reality of waking up the same day every day, so he tries to make the best out of it. However, Milioti as Sarah is more serious and instead of just wasting the same day again and again, decides to do something about it. Her character is quite layered and believable.

It’s been a while since a movie under the ‘romantic comedy’ genre had me laughing so much. A talented cast is just an added bonus to the sharp, modern and witty script. Everyone in the support cast with their little cameos are fantastic. J.K Simmons in his brief role as Roy is a riot, a man who Nyles draws into the ‘time loop’ mess. Camila Mendes is sweet as Sarah’s younger sister.

If you are looking for a fun comedy to watch with friends, ‘Palm Springs’ is a pretty good pick. I loved it. And it’s a 8/10 from me. It’s available to stream on Netflix.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 59 for 9 great animated film recommendations.