Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 250

“Klaus” Review: Engaging AF!

Grant Morrison re-imagines the legend of Santa Claus in “Klaus” and it’s the amazing inks by artist Dan Mora that make this graphic novel/comic series an absolute page turner.

Klaus in this tale is a wild man with a snowy-white wolf called Lilli for a side-kick. The story mixes magic, folklore, witchcraft, shamanism and what not. Morrison throws in a mad tyrant ruling over a town called Grimsvig, where celebrations of any kind is banned. Enter Klaus, a wild rebel, who vows fo bring

back joy into the lives of people and he starts off by dropping gifts at the doorstep of every child in the town.

Lilli the wolf doesn’t get a lot of space in this comic-series, but she is a show stealer every time she makes an appearance. Majestic and adorable at the same time. Artist Dan Mora has done an incredible job with the some of the characters.

Klaus looks like a blend of Wolverine/Robinhood and is dressed up like one of those hooded heroes from the game “Assassin’s Creed”. The primary antagonist reminded me a little of Loki, a very grim version, with dark circles and the crazy glint of a psychopath in his eyes.

Readers would love how Morrison keeps the traditional spirit of Santa Claus alive and slowly incorporate all his trademark characteristics with his own clever twists. So while it’s a dark, modern retelling and nothing like what an average kid would imagine for ‘father Christmas’, it has its sweet moments.

There’s a lot of action, blood and conflict through the pages that makes this comic series engaging AF. Klaus can give superhero origin stories a run for their money. It’s a 5/5 from me.

Woolf Vs King – A Writer’s Perspective

For a lot of English Literature students around the world, Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” is mandatory reading material. In the essay, Woolf talks of how women writers were at a disadvantage versus their male counterparts, because they lacked financial and physical freedom.

According to Woolf, women could not afford much privacy, and neither were they allowed to travel alone out into the world, so they lacked the experiences and world-views male writers collected. For a woman from 1920s, she was obviously quite right in postulating that theory – that to be a writer, you needed a room of your own.

The room is a metaphor for freedom. But like hundreds of naive aspiring young writers around the world, I took Woolf’s ideas rather literally as a 19-year-old. Even now, a lot of people have this notion – that to write or create art, you need to have a room with a beautiful view to be inspired, it could be by the sea or somewhere in the mountains. People have ‘writing retreats’ for aspiring authors, where they can isolate themselves in a pretty cabin in the woods somewhere, to write in peace.

Fortunately for me, this silly notion in my head was challenged a few years later. It was when I read about how famous author Stephen King came upon the idea for his debut fiction novel ‘Carrie’, which went on to sell millions of copies around the world. King came upon the idea while working as a janitor in a High School. At this point of his life, he wasn’t financially well of at all and neither had he traveled around the world. He was a poor nobody, with nothing but ideas in his head, and the will to write them down into stories.

While talking about my book “Love, Loss, Lockdown” at an online art event recently, I spoke about the Woolf Vs King outlook to writing. The basic idea was to convey that it doesn’t matter where one is, ideas can come to us anywhere… all one needs to do is start. Just start writing. Wherever you are. Any corner could serve as a room of your own.

The Man With The Answers – Movie Review

The 2021 film “The Man With The Answers” is a picturesquely shot road-trip movie directed by Stelios Kammitsis, with a pretty straight-forward plot.

Victor (Vasilis Magouliotis) is a young Greek athlete who decides to visit his estranged mother in Bavaria after the demise of his grandmother in Greece. A persistent stranger called Matthias hitches a ride with him, however, Victor is vary of him, while the latter seems to be happy-go-lucky and is always full of questions. How these two different individuals develop a bond forms the rest of the film.

Since the movie largely focuses on the two protagonists, the makers are able to make the characters grow on the viewers. Victor is relatable as the young restless man, who takes his time to trust the stranger in his car. Matthias is a cocky but fun guy, who always has something wise to say, much to the chagrin of his co-passenger. As they spend more time together, Victor learns to loosen up too.

At some points, viewers may hope for some unexpected twists, but the writers keep it simple yet pleasing. There was one scene, where the two men attend a wedding and dance without a care, that sequence was slightly reminiscent of the party scene from the famous film “Call Me By Your Name”. What works best in “The Man With The Answers” is how the character of Matthias is pretty straightforward about his intentions. There is no manipulation or misunderstanding. And it’s laudable that director Stelios Kammitsis manages to steer clear from the temptations of using classic tropes or cliched romantic moments.

The story is leisurely paced, and yet, it doesn’t feel slow or boring, with scenic European roads keeping the viewer visually engrossed. The winding mountain roads, clear blue skies and the chemistry between the lead actors keep you invested in their trip. The climax was unexpectedly light, with an almost tragicomic family reunion. The script is filled with some underrated humor, the kinds that is so natural that it doesn’t feel scripted and gets the viewer laughing.

While there aren’t any emotional high-points in this movie, it’s a sweet summer romance, the kind that would make it to a ‘feel-good LGBTQ films’ list. It’s a 7/10 from me.

Eva Goes Solo – Graphic Novel Review

Eva Goes Solo” by Evangeline Neo is an adorable graphic novel about her stay and experiences in Japan.

While Neo is from Singapore, she has cleverly captured the exaggerated style of Manga artists. So the exaggerated but cute drawings help make her stay in the foreign country seem more hilarious than it is.

Since the author/artist studied in the country for a significant time, she has interesting cultural insights to share than the average traveler who stays in a place for a few months. From earthquake drills to wedding etiquettes, this books covers a lot of ground.

What made me smile the most was Eva’s frustrations when it came to dealing with the bureaucratic way in which the Japanese execute things. Just getting a phone connection discontinued takes her a whole day’s time. A lot of people who have been there on work trips have often observed that while the Japanese may be hardworking, they still stick to old methods of doing things and aren’t very tech savvy. So a work problem that can be solved in an hour using an app, will take four hours for them to do. Eva concurs with this opinion.

Overall, “Eva Goes Solo” was a fun read. Towards the end, the author shares some useful tips that one would find in a travel guide, but look adorable with her illustrations. It’s a cute book and will make for great reading for anybody who is fascinated by Japan.

‘Nectar In A Sieve’ Explained & Reviewed

“Nectar In A Sieve” is an Indian classic that follows the story of an impoverished family in South-India. It’s told through the eyes of Rukmani, the youngest daughter of a village headman, who couldn’t arrange a lavish wedding or a “good match”, because he had spent most of his wealth in the wedding of his elder daughters and lost most of his clout by the time it was Rukmani’s turn.

In the latest podcast episode of Abstract AF, we quickly explain the title’s meaning and relevance and also tell you if you should invest your time in this book.

Listen in and do subscribe to our channel.

This Stephen King Twitter Thread on Shoes Is Hilarious

Stephen King followers on Twitter were in for some hilarious banter when the king of horror tweeted about owning a pair of shoes for half a decade.

“Best pair of sneakers I ever owned. 5 years, at least 6500 walking miles, and still going” King had tweeted on Saturday, along with a picture of a clearly worn out set of shoes. One of them was slightly ripped at the toe area.

One twitter user cheekily responded to the tweet saying maybe someday the author would “make it big” and then he could afford a new pair. Little did they know that King would respond, and with good humour.

King’s response pretty much went viral and some more hilarious tweets followed, all continuing Laura’s joke that maybe some day the writer would become famous.

These are some of our favourites!

Trivia: Stephen King has written over 70 novels and most of them have been adapted into movies.

Be Loved in House: Taiwanese Series Review

“Be Loved in House” is a 2021 Taiwanese 12 episode series that finished airing on July 29th, and I’ve been pushing writing a review, because I do not have very nice things to say about it. If it hadn’t been for the exceptionally good-looking cast and great production quality, this series would have been unbearable to watch.

Directed by Chiang Pin Chen, the story is about how a mean new director Jin Yu Zhen (Aaron Lai) takes over a small firm and puts up a rule that employees cannot be in a relationship. The place literally has only four employees and two of them are in love with each other, so obviously the new rule does not go down well with the team. So when Jin Yu Zhen moves to share a flat with his subordinate Shi Lei (Hank Wang), tensions brew between the two. But they eventually become friends and looks like it could turn into something more. Will Yu Zhen be willing to break his own rules for love? That forms the rest of the story.

The plot is pretty straightforward and even ridiculous at points – it seems the employees aren’t allowed to have romantic relationships outside of work either. That’s just bizarre. And throughout the show, very cliched tropes are used to carry the story forward. The two leads are absolutely adorable, Hank Wang who plays Shi Lei is such a ball of cuteness, that it makes complete sense for a cold boss to fall in love with him. But the whole old trope of ‘from enemies to lovers’ is quite cheesy, or at least the treatment is.

There is also a side-couple, whose story is easily the cheesiest of them all – cute student goes to the same coffee place every day and the owner falls for him. When cute student is kicked out of his flat, coffee-shop owner takes him in and their romance feels more like an adult man adopting a pet. Everything is predictable in this series, except for an interesting twist towards the ends that involves an ex-boyfriend. Even that flashback comes with a some ‘cringe cringe’ script.

Watch it only if you like to watch fluffy romances with good-looking leads. A lot of us don’t mind that once in a while I suppose. Aaraon Lai and Hank Wang look like a power-couple, their chemistry is sizzling, and one can only hope to see them again as leads, but with a better script.

It’s a 5/10 from me for “Be Loved in House”.

Simon’s Cat – Quick Comic Book Review

Simon’s Cat is a comic book by Simon Tofield that follows his cat’s antics and adventures. It’s a cute collection of illustrations that like an animal version of “Dennis, the Menace”, without the dialogues.

Simon’s cat is a chubby little thing, that is always making trouble at home, knocking things over and creating a lot of mess at all possible places. The artwork is adorable – it’s simple, clean and at points might remind the reader of Garfield. Although, personality-wise, the two cats aren’t very similar, except for their fondness for food. Garfield loves to stick to one corner and laze, while Simon’s cat is running riot everywhere.

Tofield is able to evoke a bunch of laughs from his material, but they run thin soon enough. However, the basic theme of the cartoons gets repetitive & is not as amusing as you turn more pages.

A lot of the panels are just of the cat either annoying birds, dirtying a different spot, or annoying Simon. The author originally started a youtube channel with the same name and they consist of short animated videos of the cat. After reading the book, I checked out some of the shorts and they are more engaging and funny.

The book might make for a great gift for kids or people who love cats. Got the ebook for free on my Kindle Unlimited subscription, or I wouldn’t really have picked it up. It’s a 3/5 from me.

Remind – Graphic Novel Review

Jason Brubaker’s graphic novel ‘reMIND’ is about a cat called Victuals that gets lost and then re-appears washed up on the shore, with a brain injury and the ability to talk. He tells his owner Sonja that he is actually a lizard-man who lived in an underwater world. Yes, it’s a weird weird science-fiction story that mixes elements of fantasy and mysticism.

The artwork of this novel is visually quite stunning, with a blend of water-colour paint style panels. However the plot felt a little bland. While the idea of an underwater world that is inhabited by a human-sized walking lizards with own civilization, complete with kings, guards and scientists was interesting; the novelty of a lizard-world fades out fast enough. Although, the characters of Sonja and Victuals are adorable and when the cat starts talking like a worldly-wise man, it’s pretty humorous and interesting.

Sonja is very endearing as a young independent woman who takes care of the lighthouse in her beach-town ‘Cripple Peak’, which attracts a lot of tourists due to the legend of a ‘Lizard Man’. It was her father who had claimed to have seen a lizard man, sparking a lot of interest in the town. And although Sonja wasn’t sure what her father saw, she dedicated a lot of time in building a suit that could have enabled her father to breathe underwater and look for the legendary ‘lizard man’ he had spotted. When Victuals turns up claiming he is actually a ‘lizard man’ trapped in a cat’s body, the two of them set out on their own adventure.

Brubaker blends old themes like family, love and betrayal into this tale, and even though it’s not predictable, it doesn’t elicit too much excitement in the reader either. And the trickiest bit is the religious angle in the story. The ‘Lizard’ people seem to worship a stone-carving that is believed to have a lot of powers. There is a humorous/witty reveal of the origins of the stone that leans towards atheist beliefs. But Brubaker largely keeps that angle a little ambiguous. Maybe there’s more to it in the next volumes.

Full points for the artwork, but not as much for the story-telling. I don’t think I will be picking up the next volume to this one.

It’s a 2.5/5 from me.

Sweet Curse – Korean Movie Review

Just 30 minutes long, the 2021 Korean movie “Sweet Curse” is a bizarre mix of horror, comedy and witchcraft. Directed by Kang Woo, it follows a bunch of friends who hang out at a gay bar and play with something that’s akin to an Ouija board, a spirit-summoning device. The heart of the group is the handsome Ha-jun (Bang Ji Hyun), who everybody dotes on, so a jealous Min-woo (Kim Sung Soo) summons an evil spirit to haunt Ha-jun, but with unexpected results.

Film-maker Kang Woo is known for making LGBTQ+ themed movies, but tries blending different genres in this one, with interesting results. Those who like quirky stories would definitely be intrigued by the plot. It’s slightly eerie, but more comical and somehow the ingredients work. It helps that the lead actors Bang Ji Hyun & Kim Sung Soo look their parts and have great visuals (‘visual’ is k-pop slang for a good-looking member).

The brief banter between the friends was fun and easy, they really look like a pack of old buddies hanging out, having fun. The horror bit has more humorous than scary, with a twist that will leave most viewers grinning. It’s nice that they keep it simple with the ghost/demon and do not go for some garish make-up or weird vfx. Actor Sung Yeon Ho who plays the ghost doesn’t have a lot to do and due to the short run-time, there really isn’t much scope for character development, or demon development for that matter.

Overall, it makes for an amusing short film, worth a one time watch. It’s a 6/10 from me.