Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 258

BTS & Lil Nas’ New Songs Have More In Common Than Release Date

While the whole world is talking about all the records the Korean boyband BTS is breaking with their latest English single “Butter”, let’s talk about something just a little different.

“Butter” was the first song I heard on May 21st 2021, the day of its release. As a fan (army), it was a good new summer song to begin your day with – the boys were dressed their best, with stunning new colored hair, like Jungkook in electric violet, Jimim with purple strands. “Butter” has pretty much the same happy, bubbly & cheery vibe like their first all-English song ‘Dynamite’.

After about an hour, YouTube suggested me a new song by American singer Lil Nas X and I thought to myself “oh wow, BTS & Lil Nas releasing music on the same day… what a co-incidence!”. The song titled “Sun Goes Down” was a completely different mood. It was poignant, personal and emotional. Nas in the new single gives us a glimpse into his younger self – a closeted gay black man struggling to come to terms with his identity.

In the video Nas sings “I wanna run away,” while he is at a prom party, feeling lost & alone. So he goes to the bathroom & starts to cry. That scene is heart-breaking and would have connected with so many people – haven’t we all at some point in our lives sought cover in the bathroom? To drown our sorrows, wash our faces and hope nobody would notice?

But Nas’ video ends in a hopeful tone, he goes back to the party, shakes off the blues and starts dancing with joy. He realises he is enough, he doesn’t need a “partner” to make prom night special. And it’s such a strong unsaid message – LOVE YOURSELF. Which also happens to be a dominant message of BTS.

Despite both songs being two worlds apart, they still share a unified theme – of being confident in your skin. In ‘Butter’, the boys are already self-assured pop-stars, sure of getting whatever they want. In the other song, Nas is on the road to getting there – where he can dance with abandon too.

It’s interesting to remember that the BTS boys had made their debut Grammy performance with Lil Nas, singing along his hit number “Old Town Road”. And BTS fans around the world know how it had been a big dream of all the seven icons – RM, Jim, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, Jungkook, Taehyung – to be on that stage.

As a music fan, one only wishes that Lil Nas’ new song gets all the love it deserves. Both ‘Butter’ & ‘Sun Goes Down’ were released an hour apart, hours later, the difference in the views is staggering. While the ‘Butter’ video raked up over 80 million views in less than 17 hours on YouTube, ‘Sun Goes Down’ garnered over 2 million views in the same time.

Well, Lil Nas X the musician sure knows how grab eyeballs and his latest song will get there soon enough. The new single might not have instantly broken records & charts, but was quick to win over hearts.

Love from a random fan, to both BTS & Nas.

Ending of Norwegian Wood by Murakami Explained

Some readers cannot wrap their head around the ending of the popular novel ‘Norwegian Wood’ by Haruki Murakami. So we come up with two possible explanations for the cryptic climax.

Listen in to Episode 32 of Abstract AF to understand the ending of the bestseller that came out in the 1980s. And if you never plan on reading the book, we discuss the plot before breaking down the end. So hear it all out in less than 9 minutes!

‘Army of the Dead’ Review – Faster Zombies Can’t Beat Sluggish Script

Zack Snyder’s 2021 film “Army of the Dead” starts with a really good montage of mayhem in Las Vegas – a powerful fast-moving Zombie wreaks havoc in ‘Sin City’, turning it into a mass living grave of the living dead. The U.S army manages to contain the spread and cordon off the entire city.

Like the trailer suggests – the film is about a team led by Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) tasked with entering the Zombie zone to recover 200 million USD from the underground safe of a casino within 48 hours. The deadline is important because the government plans to nuke the area and finish off the horde of zombies for good.

Director Zack Snyder introduces some new tropes to the zombie genre that makes the story interesting. The zombies are no longer slow or completely dumb; but we see very little thinking by the so called ‘Alphas’ anyway. A few more new behavioral traits are also thrown in the mix. What could have been a great fast-paced ‘The Italian Job’ meets ‘The Walking Dead’, is reduced to just another forgettable zombie caper that is too long for its own good. The script is complicated by some emotional sub-plots, like Scott Ward’s attempt to reconcile with his daughter Kate (Ella Purnell) and a brief romantic diversion with another team member that was absolutely unnecessary.

Interestingly, one of the side-characters gets the most intense action sequence – actor Samantha Win who plays Chambers, flawlessly enacts an kick-ass zombie-killing spree inside the casino. So there are some gratifying scenes for those who came to see some blood and gore. However, the pace of the film is all over the place, disrupted at crucial juncture by slow emotional sequences. While the title ‘Army of the Dead’ suggests an epic bloodbath, you never get a ‘life and death’ battle between the humans and the ‘undead’ freaks. One never feels “these guys are so screwed”. Everything is too convenient and yet in the end, almost everybody turns out to be a loser in this horror-heist film.

The climax was slightly underwhelming, making fans pray for some redemptive twist, and Zack Snyder finally does throw a little spin to the tale in the end that doesn’t leave regular horror fans disappointed when the credits roll in. ‘Army of the Dead’ could have been bigger, better, faster, but if you ‘un-think’ like the ‘un-dead’, you will really enjoy this one.

It’s a 6/10 from me.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 29 for some fun movie recommendations. And do subscribe.

‘Last Twilight In Phuket’ Review – The Last Episode We Deserved

Nadao Bangkok (A Thai media house) surprised fans with a special short-film starring Billkin and PP Krit from the popular series “I Told Sunset About You”. The film starts off from where the series ended and acts as a transitioning piece between the last series and the upcoming sequel titled “I Promised You The Moon”.

(Also Read – Our review of I Told Sunset About You)

Titled “Last Twilight In Phuket”, this little surprise film was just as visually stunning as the series, capturing Phuket in all its moods, from the bustling streets to it’s beautiful blue beaches. The lead pair is spending their last day together in their home-town, before they move away to the big-bad Bangkok to start their college life.

In less than 14 minutes, Director Naruebet Kuno manages to tug at our emotions again, giving us a heartwarming side-story of first-love and the pain of leaving your home for the first time. The chemistry between Billkin and PP Krit is electric, leaving viewers with the promise of a wholesome sequel. Cannot wait for season two – it will be out on May 27th.

Until then you can watch ‘Last Twilight In Phuket”.

‘Hippie’ Review – A Slice of Coelho’s Life

The 2018 novel “Hippie” is a non-fictional account of a young Paulo Coelho’s life as a long-haired Brazilian trying to see as much of the world he can, with as little money.

The book largely focuses on how the author meets a beautiful woman called Karla, who convinces him to buy a ticket for a “Magic Bus” that offers to take travelers from Amsterdam to Nepal for 70 dollars (travel cost only). Except for some of the mundane sentimental/spiritual stuff that’s peppered in, Hippie is quite an interesting read of an era that saw the rise of “free love”.

For those who enjoyed reading “The Alchemist”, they would definitely like reading this personal account of the author’s life as a man in his early 20s. Coelho’s always been good with words, however, the content’s power to hold the reader’s interest varies from title to title.

“Hippie” is written in third person and is quite fascinating, with some interesting characters, like a French father-daughter duo traveling around the world together, each with their own personal motive.

What really works for “Hippie” is how the author manages to detach himself a little and write about himself in a way most writers cannot. He does not shy away from showing us moments in his life were he would be considered “weak” or “cowardly”. Nowhere do you feel like it’s a glorified or embellished account. It’s a little too philosophical for my liking, but has enough story to hold the reader’s attention.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 15 – about controversial graphic novels. Do subscribe.

‘The Woman In The Window’ Review

Some viewers might have to do a double-take when they see the 2021 psychological-thriller ‘The Woman In The Window’ starring Amy Adams, because they may not recognize her as the actor who plays Lois Lane in the Superman universe. Adams is Anna Fox in this 2021 flick, a middle-aged frazzled woman who suffers from Agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that makes people fearful of leaving their homes or entering certain places. But it’s clear from the beginning that Anna’s disorder is perhaps new, because she herself is a child-psychologist and seems to have been recently separated from her husband and has a young daughter. Anna spies on her neighbors when she is free and things take a turn when she witnesses the murder of Mrs Russell. But when the cops turn up for their investigation, turns out Mrs Russell is very much alive. So who did Anna see being killed? Or did she even actually see someone being killed? That forms the rest of the mystery, including a traumatic incident in Anna’s own past that leads to her mental-health issues.

Amy Adams is quite brilliant as the mentally fragile Anna Fox; she looks tired, exhausted and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The viewer is perhaps left wanting a little more of Julianne Moore, who has a very small cameo as Mrs Russell, the woman who is murdered. Gary Oldman as the abusive Mr Russell and Fred Hechinger as his teen son Ethan Russell however felt jarring in their roles.

Despite being largely shot in just one place (Anna’s home), the movie is visually interesting, with the house becoming a character in itself. After a slow start, the plot picks steam after the murder. Anna attempts to start putting the pieces of the puzzle together, even as she struggles hard to keep her nerves intact. Just like everybody around her, the viewer begins to question her sanity too.

Things soon escalate, every little anomaly gets a decent explanation and there is a neat little twist in the end, which might begin to feel like a weak fictional exaggeration if one begins to rationalize the facts closely. The ending was almost satisfying, almost, because after a whole lot of nothing, one finally gets to see some action. The movie heavily relies on Adams, because the script is not on the stronger side. Viewers looking for a fast-paced intelligent thriller will be left disappointed.

Watch ‘Woman In The Window’ if you are looking for a psychological thriller. It’s a 6/10 from me.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 29 for some fun movie recommendations. And do subscribe.

‘Us’ Horror Movie Review

The 2019 American horror-thriller ‘Us’ directed by Jordan Peele, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, is one of those rare few films that fall under the horror genre and yet have a more than 90% approval rating on ‘Rotten Tomatoes’. Although IMDB users are not as kind, with the movie raking a 6.8/10. That’s a good enough score for a horror movie; Asian & Indian parents wouldn’t agree.

The story follows the Wilson family, who are vacationing in their beach-house. One night, they find themselves confronted by intruders – four people who look exactly like them (but creepier) and are baying for their blood. Which side will survive? The real family or their creepy clones? That’s the rest of the story, along with answers to what the hell is going on.

The cast is fantastic – Lupita plays Adelaide Wilson, a mom who is haunted by an incident from her past, actors Shahadi Wright and Evan Alex who play her kids match up to her talent with their equally brilliant dual performances, first as the regular Wilson kids and then as the evil doppelgangers.

Deeper philosophical and metaphorical meanings aside, the plot of the film just doesn’t make much sense on the surface. Most average viewers are not going to sit and meditate on the symbolism of it all. When it comes to sheer entertainment value, ‘US’ doesn’t fare too well. It could have been more fun and more fast. The movie definitely has a few moments where the viewer would be left exclaiming “oh shit! oh shit”, especially due to some graphic violence. That’s a good sign when it comes to thriller/horror films.

Watch ‘US’ for some interesting performances and a decent enough plot-twist when the climax comes. It’s a 6/10 from me.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 29 for some fun movie recommendations. And do subscribe.

Neighbors – Quick Book Review

‘Neighbors’ by Elizabeth LaBan & Melissa DePino is a sweet little non-fiction story celebrates the friendship between two women. It’s less than 100 pages long and makes for a quick, emotional read.

Quite often, our women friends are our strongest pillars and we don’t often get to see that in fiction books. In ‘Neighbour’, co-authors Elizabeth and Melissa tell the readers how they first met as 31-year-old strangers but soon became inseparable. For over a decade, they lived on the same street and their friendship grew into a deeper familial relationship. The story alternates between the two writers, so we get to see both perspectives.

Since it’s non-fiction, there is no heightened drama, no jarring twists. Just a simple story about two grown women being each other’s anchors when the weather gets stormy, preventing the other from drowning. It’s a pretty good read and most women readers would enjoy the book.

The book is also available to read for free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen in to Episode 31 for a spoiler-free review of the animated show Castlevania

‘Love, Death + Robots’ Vol 2 – Quick Review

Netflix has released the second volume of ‘Love, Death + Robots’, an anthology of short animated films and well… they are not riveting. While the first edition with 18 films on the menu offered a wide range of stories – from super stunning to shitty stuff, the second volume with just 8 movies on offer is largely just slow, boring and repetitive.

The first one titled ‘Automated Customer Service’ is about a cleaning robot going crazy and attacking its old owner. Another Netflix animated film ‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ basically had the same theme – robots rebelling against humans – and was released in the same month too. So unfortunately, the whole ‘machine vs man’ angle in two of the short films in this collection just felt stale.

The animation quality in most of the films are A+, some of them are visually stunning. However, the plot-lines aren’t very interesting and pale out in comparison of the first installment. The one titled ‘All Through The House’ had an interesting spin to the Santa Claus legend. In fact, most of the plot-lines seemed to be inspired by classic tales and stories. Like the one called ‘The Tall Grass’ was a total rip-off of Stephen King’s novel ‘In The Tall Grass’ and nope, King gets no credit. The most boring story in this collection was ‘The Drowned Giant’, which at first felt like a promising watch and looked like it was inspired from ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, but was painfully insipid. And some warning – do not watch it while eating anything, you will lose your appetite.

Some of us love watching animation, because it offers a more fun escape from reality than live-action-movies. But the problem with ‘Love, Death + Robots’ is the fact that the animation in some of them are too realistic and even the themes are extremely dark, dystopian and existentialist. There was very little humor or fun elements in the stories. We could just watch a regular movie instead. Sigh.

If you are in mood for some dark, depressing and slow animated films, go ahead, stream volume two of ‘Love, Death + Robots’.

Also read – ‘Love, Death + Robots’ Volume One Review

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen in to Episode 31 for a spoiler-free review of the animated show Castlevania

10 Ways ‘Castlevania’ Season 4 Outshines 3

Netflix has released the 4th installment of the popular animated show ‘Castlevania’ and it’s bigger, better and bloodier than the last one. Sure, it has a few flaws, but considering how disappointing the last season turned out to be for some fans, the writers have bucked up and given us a satisfactory series finale.

Season three had ended with Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades stopping an attempt to bring Dracula back to life by some madmen and monsters. But turns out, there were not the only ones trying to bring back the man who wanted to end all of humankind.

In the latest podcast episode of ‘Abstract AF’, we discuss 10 ways in which Season 4 outshines the last season. And it’s all spoiler-free. Listen in and do subscribe to the channel.