Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 26

The Monkey Review: Seriously Un-Serious

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

After twins Hal and Bill find a creepy wind-up monkey toy while looking through their father’s stuff, people close to them start dying in crazy-gruesome ways. Whenever somebody winds the monkey, it raises its hands to play the drums, and someone dies. The brothers eventually realize the monkey is evil and get rid of the hairy abomination to end its carnage. Twenty-five years later, when the brothers are older and completely estranged, they learn the monkey is somehow back and killing people once again.

Based on a short story by Stephen King, the 2025 movie version of ‘The Monkey’ is a wicked, slowburn, dark horror comedy, which follows the dysfunctional relationship between its twin protagonists, bloodily complicated by the satanic monkey. Christian Convery (‘Sweet Tooth’, ‘Cocaine Bear’) plays the young versions of Hal and Bil, while Theo James (‘The Gentlemen’, ‘The White Lotus’) takes on the older versions.

Director Osgood Perkins and team deliver some ridiculously gory deaths in the film, some of which are hilariously gross and evidently fake, but it adds to the dark, exaggerated, comedic tone of the story. The first 30 minutes of ‘The Monkey’ is pretty solid, narrated from Hal’s POV (point of view), who tells the viewer how twin Bill bullies him incessantly. And the tragic happenings around the brothers only drive them further apart.

After having no contact with each other for almost a decade, Bill calls Hal, informing him about their aunt’s “freak death” and how the monkey is likely back in action (murdering people), so he must find it before it kills anyone else in the family. Hal is a divorced dad who gets to see his son Petey (Colin O’Brien) only once a year, so he reluctantly drives back to his childhood home to find the devious toy and ensure his son’s safety. “Don’t call it a toy!” I can almost hear the characters scream at me. Once the father and son visit the town where the twins grew up, multiple freaky deaths suggest the demon monkey is indeed at work.

The pace gets challenging and tediously slow at times; however, just before you might nod off, someone explodes into bloody bits. Those with a weak heart may be freaked out by the over-the-top violence, others who enjoy it might be thrilled. Also, despite the macabre nature of the killings, quite a few of them are low-key hilarious. There’s no rhyme and reason to the monkey’s actions, it’s pure murderous mischief wrapped in a box.

Overall, The Monkey is a horror flick that, despite being set between the 1990s and 2010s, exists in its own retro-nostalgic timeline. If you liked the trailer, you’re likely to enjoy the film too.

Rating: 6.5 on 10. Watch ‘The Monkey’ on Prime Video.

Read Next: ‘Romcon: Who the F**k is Jason Porter?’ Review

Read Next: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)

Revenged Love Episodes 7-8 Review: Suo Wei’s a Goner For Snake-Dad Chi Cheng

Follow us on Twitter | Instagram

‘Will you stop your scheming and tricks? Even if you do nothing all day, I’d still like you’

Bad boy snake fanatic Chi Cheng (Tian Xu Ning) is turning into a total softie for Suo Wei (Zi Yu) in ‘Revenged Love‘, while the latter is busy running bizarre snake-farm businesses, fake-reading literature, sleeping through classical concerts, and unknowingly falling for his love rival.

Quick Recap of ‘Revenged Love‘ So Far: Dumped for being poor, Suo Wei is set on breaking up his ex-girlfriend Yu-Yue (Sun Qian Yu) and her hot new boyfriend Chi Cheng, who is known to prefer men. Suo Wei embeds himself in Chi Cheng’s life, seducing him but withholding intimacy, which only drives Chi Cheng crazier for the tease. But much to Suo Wei’s frustration, even though Chi Cheng seems seriously into him, he refuses to break up with Yue Yue.

In Episode 6, Suo Wei learns Chi Cheng is only with Yue Yue to win back his pet snakes, which his family took to control him. Realizing Chi Cheng has no idea about his past with Yue Yue, Suo Wei drops the revenge plan. But when he tries to end things, a surprisingly emotionally vulnerable Chi Cheng opens up about his ex-boyfriend Wang Shuo’s betrayal with his childhood friend Guo Cheng Yu (Zhan Xuan). The episode ends with a furious call from Yue Yue, making Suo Wei even more determined to break them up. Doctor Xiao Shuai (Liu Xuan Cheng), however, points out that Suo Wei’s real rival may no longer be Chi Cheng, but Yue Yue herself.

Titled “Anyone Can Be Mad at Me, but You”, episode 7 of Revenged Love begins with Suo Wei and Chi Cheng ending their park date with a night stroll. Episodes 7 and 8 of the series offer an engaging mix of romantic comedy, with the lead pair’s romance yet to enter the angsty, serious stage. The comedic moments come both from the hilarious flirting between Chi Cheng and Suo Wei, and from Yue Yue’s attempts to seduce Chi Cheng into taking the next step in their relationship: marriage.

Actor Sun Qian Yu as Yue Yue has so far largely played a caricature-like vamp: the greedy, gold-digging girlfriend. However, these two episodes of Revenged Love allow the actor to showcase some comedic sides of the character as well. Meanwhile, Suo Wei’s character sees interesting growth, from being purely revenge-driven and indulging in random humorous antics, he is becoming strategically manipulative, yet also more emotionally involved with Chi Cheng. So much so that Suo Wei is now genuinely interested in rescuing Chi Cheng’s pet snakes, so his parents can no longer control him. And of course, it will also speed up the break-up with Yue Yue.

‘Revenged Love‘ lead actors Tian Xu Ning and Zi Yu make their over-the-top characters hilariously entertaining, even in some of the more cringe-comedy moments, thanks to their strong chemistry and expressive performances. And is it just me, or is actor Zi Yu getting progressively prettier as Suo Wei with each episode? Either way, the pair looks great together, and Chi Cheng’s initial lust for Wei has clearly evolved into deeper love. Tian Xu Ning as Chi Cheng seems cold, calculated, thug-like in the first few episodes, but he convincingly switches to a more vulnerable ‘punch drunk love’ mode around Suo Wei.

Comically, Suo Wei keeps swinging between denial and admitting his growing romantic feelings for snake-dad Cheng, who’s been deluging him with lavish gifts. One of the funnier moments in ‘Revenged Love’ is when Cheng gifts a giant carton of branded cigarettes to Wei, because he casually remarks he likes them.

Meanwhile, the secondary romance between Doctor Xiao Shuai and Chi Cheng’s friend Cheng Yu moves at a leisurely but enjoyable pace. A master manipulator himself, Cheng Yu continues to use his knowledge of Xiao Shuai and Suo Wei plotting against Yue Yue as leverage. On the other hand, Chi Cheng’s mother is also playing her cards, eager to see her son marry the new girl as soon as possible to secure grandchildren.

Episode eight of ‘Revenged Love‘ ends with a partly funny, partly serious face-off between Suo Wei and thugs hired by Yue Yue to get rid of “Little Vinegar,” the only pet snake still in Cheng Yu’s possession, an endless source of horror for Yue Yue. The climactic moments offer some tender romance between Suo Wei and Chi Cheng, with the former clearly more than happy to find comfort in Cheng’s arms.

Episodes 7 & 8 are usually when BL series tend to end, or begin to falter if they are longer, but ‘Revenged Love’ is in ‘top form so far. It’s funny, cute, and totally worth streaming.

You can watch ‘Revenged Love’ on YouTube or Viki.

Read Next: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)

Head Over Heels Episode 4 Review: From Ghost Hunts to Heart Flutters

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Okay, who knew the handsome, broody Bae Gyeon-woo (Choo Young-woo) would melt so fast for teen shaman Seong-ah (Cho Yi-hyun) in the fantasy-romance “Head Over Heels”! Isn’t that too soon for a K-drama? Not that I am complaining. Although it looks like he is going to ice her out soon enough!

Recap of ‘Head Over Heels’ Episode 3: First off, how cute was the ending of the episode where Seong-ah asks for a high-five from Gyeon-woo, ends up holding his hand and he reciprocates with a smile? The rooftop interaction was romantic and beautifully shot. Anyway, the episode is all about Seong-ah trying to chase a sinister dark spirit hovering around Gyeon-woo, who loses his will to live after his grandmother’s death, attracting a dangerous ghost that targets people with suicidal thoughts.

Spirit mother Dongcheon (Kim Mi-kyung) advises Seong-ah to make herself a human talisman by drawing texts on her body, claiming that it is the most powerful way to ward off ghosts. All Seong-ah then has to do is ensure some sort of physical contact with Gyeon-woo to drive away the deadly shadows encircling him. Gyeon-woo is flummoxed by her stalker-like, touchy behavior, and even her friend Ji-ho (Cha Kang-yoon) nearly dies of second-hand embarrassment. However, in the end, she is able to chase the suicide ghost away, but some credit also goes to the archery teacher, as he convinces Gyeon-woo to return to the sport, giving him renewed purpose.

Episode 4 of ‘Head Over Heels‘ hilariously starts off with Seong-ah mooning over the fact that she finally held hands with her first love. She even tells all her customers about how holding hands make her heart ‘flutter’ during her shamanic sessions. Even poor Ji-ho, who is well aware of Seong-ah’s massive crush on Gyeon-woo, notices that he is warming up to her and might be reciprocating her feelings. So viewers get some cute, soft moments between the lead couple, with Choo Young-woo and Cho Yi-hyun’s onscreen chemistry working like a charm for the show. Courtesy Seong-ah’s constant efforts to win him over, the sulky, depressed Gyeon-woo sees a major transformation in personality, becoming cheery and more likable.

Cha Kang-yoon is hilariously adorable as Ji-ho, who clearly isn’t happy with the blossoming romance between the two and candidly expresses not wanting to be a third wheel. So we know a stronger love triangle is in the cards for ‘Head Over Heels‘, although at this point, he really has no chance of winning over Seong-ah against her crazy crush on Gyeon-woo. For now, she is super busy fighting minor spirits while continuing to hide her identity as a shaman and serving as a “human talisman” to protect her love.

A major subplot in this edition continues to be the haunted house that Spirit mother Dongcheon (Kim Mi-kyung) visits in the last episode of ‘Head Over Heels’. She declares the evil spirits in the house are far too strong to tackle; however, she ropes in more shamans, including Seong-ah, to help her confront the cursed place. So this episode not only sees them perform some intriguing rituals, but we also get a major twist that ties the spooky house subplot to the overall story.

Actor Chu Ja-hyeon, who is introduced as Yeom Hwa, an evil shaman, is also revealed to have a connection with Gyeon-woo’s family. So there’s some mystery, drama, and minor flashbacks to explain why the teen archer ardently despises shamans. And I say ‘teen archer’, because he has finally made up his mind to get back to the sport.

Overall, Episode 4 of ‘Head Over Heels’ is yet another entertaining edition of the teen-fantasy-romance, which ends with a ritualistic dance and the possibility of Seong-ah losing her newfound place in her sweetheart’s heart.

Watch ‘Head Over Heels’ on Prime Video.

Read Next: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)

Maalik Trailer: Rajkummar Rao Smokes, Shoots, Screams His Way to Satta

Follow us on Twitter | Instagram

‘Maalik paida hua nahi toh kya, ban toh saktey hai’ (Translation: What if one isn’t born a master, one could become one.)

Rajkummar Rao isn’t ready to be typecast as the sweet small-town dude charming women out of his league (‘Stree’, ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, or the more recent ‘Bhool Chuk Maaf’). With Maalik, he flips the script, stepping into full-blown gangster mode. The trailer introduces us to Maalik, a man from humble beginnings who doesn’t just rise through the ranks of crime, he crashes into them with bullets blazing, eyes now firmly set on politics.

From the looks of it, “Maalik” borrows its swagger from South Indian masala blockbusters, there’s blood, guns, slo-mo walks, cigarettes, and a lot of chest-thumping machismo. Rao, smeared in blood and big guns with casual flair, commands the screen with punchy lines like, “Itna goli maaro ki jitna pradesh ke itihas mein na chala ho” (Fire so many bullets that it becomes state history). A moral counterweight comes in the form of a righteous cop, setting up the age-old gangster vs lawman clash.

Directed by Pulkit (Bhakshak), the trailer hints at more than just a rise-to-power arc, this one seems to be drenched in revenge. Maalik isn’t just ambitious, he’s vengeful, and declares proudly that he’ll burn down the city if he’s wronged. There’s political ambition, personal vendetta, and plenty of blood-soaked action. The last-time Rajkummar Rao played something akin to an action hero was in Raj & DK’s Netflix series ‘Guns & Gulaabs’, where he riotously played a ruthless killer who gains notoriety for murdering people with a spanner.

The ensemble cast includes Manushi Chhillar, Saurabh Shukla, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Huma Qureshi, and Swanand Kirkire.  The film is set to release in theaters on July 11. Watch the trailer for ‘Maalik’ on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

Head Over Heels Episode 3 Review: Seong-ah Comedically Fights For Her Crush

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“I’d rather deal with ghosts. People are much worse”

Teen Shaman Seong-ah (Cho Yi-hyun) is still ‘Head Over Heels’ for her handsome new classmate Bae Gyeon-woo (Choo Young-woo), but can she save him from the clutches of evil spirits and ghosts constantly tying to harm him? Well, at least she has her friend Pyo Ji-ho (Cha Kang-yoon) on her side and together, maybe they can save the brooding hot new guy from what seems like certain death due to his unfortunate fate.

Recap of ‘Head Over Heels’ Episode 2: Seong-ah and Ji-ho invite themselves to Gyeon-woo’s house for food so she can slip protective talismans around the home to shield him from evil spirits. At school, rumors swirl that Gyeon-woo, a top archer, was expelled from his previous school for arson despite his excellent athletic record. In an unfortunate coincidence, a fire-based malevolent spirit is attracted to Gyeon-woo on the new campus, and the student finds himself trapped in a storeroom fire.

Seong-ah rushes to help Gyeon-woo, trying to ward the ghost away, although ultimately it’s Ji-ho who saves them from the blaze. Once again, the blame for the fire falls on Gyeon-woo, but he is fiercely defended by the duo who came to his rescue.

In an unexpected tragic twist, Episode 2 of ‘Head Over Heels’ ends with Gyeon-woo’s beloved grandmother dying. Seong-ah learns about the incident while at work, so she rushes to the funeral in her shaman attire. Gyeon-woo is furious to see the shaman (who he still doesn’t know is his chirpy, overly friendly classmate due to the veiled costume), and that’s how the edition ends.

Episode 3 of ‘Head Over Heels’ introduces a mysterious new shamanic character, an evil one who serves bad spirits, unlike Seong-ah and her spirit mother, Dongcheon (Kim Mi-kyung). For horror fans expecting more supernatural content, this chapter offers an intriguingly eerie sequence of General Dongcheon traveling to a nearby village to cleanse a creepy haunted house of a strong evil spirit.

However, the central focus of the episode remains Seong-ah’s attempts to befriend Gyeon-woo and fend off the ghosts trying to kill him. Grieving his beloved grandmother’s death, the athlete sinks deeper into depression, drawing the attention of a dangerous spirit and fast-tracking his death timeline. Luckily, Seong-ah’s spirit mom Dongcheon gives her new advice to save her “first love.”

Cho Yi-hyun is absolutely adorable as the chirpy teen protagonist, completely “Head Over Heels” in love with the good-looking Gyeon-woo. She makes her super-creepy stalking look cutesy, and poor Gyeon-woo doesn’t know how to complain when a pretty girl like her is constantly following him like a love-lorn pup. Poor Ji-ho is more embarrassed by the way Seong-ah sticks to the newbie than anybody else, although he continues to have her back through thick-and-thin. Ji-ho is serving major ‘friendship goals’ in ‘Head Over Heels’ and he also screams ‘boyfriend material’.

I am here rooting for both the romance between Gyeon-woo and Seong-ah, and the potential bromance between Gyeon-woo and Ji-ho. Although, given how graciously and selflessly Ji-ho always has his eccentric shaman friend’s back, if he is actually in love with her, I am team “Ji-ho and Seong-ah” already. Gyeon-woo can be their third-wheeling best friend, although obviously, we all know that’s not going to happen.

Overall, this episode of Head Over Heels was well-paced, entertaining, and packed with cutesy, funny moments. Sure, we’re only three episodes in, but the show is showing great potential as a teen-fantasy-romance set against the backdrop of high school, ghosts, and demons.

Watch ‘Head Over Heels’ on Prime Video.

Read Next: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)

You Never Heard of Me Issue #5 Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

New powers, new friends, and ever-evolving visions make William, the young soothsayer protagonist of the comic-book series “You Never Heard of Me,” wish he were ordinary. But since that’s not possible, he fully embraces his supernatural abilities.

Issue #5 of “You Never Heard of Me,” by Iolanda Zanfardino and Eliza Romboli (art), begins with moody, dark panels, with William resolving that he is not going to give up on trying to change the futures of those he loves for the better. So this final chapter of the comic is all about friends, family, and making the best of the present.

The artwork and palette slowly keep shifting from grim tones to brighter panels, reflecting the evolution of William’s story through the pages. After brief dark moments of self-introspection, he has a serious heart-to-heart with his dad and once again plays Cupid for his busy-bee sister, after which he has his first fun sleepover with new friends Allie and Rory. And what about “Mission Save Rory from Dying”? You will have to read the series to find out.

This issue of “You Never Heard of Me” is less than 25 pages long; however, creators Iolanda Zanfardino and Eliza Romboli manage to tie all the loose ends in the story in this swift closing chapter. It feels all too surreal, but the plot emphasizes how focusing on little gestures of love, support, and kindness goes a long way in changing someone’s life. The focus isn’t on William’s seer-like powers, but on how simple human experiences can influence the course of someone’s journey.

Rory starts out as a lonely kid, bullied for being “different”; however, just by hanging out with him, Allie and William brighten up his days. The comic-book panels showing the friends having fun together are joyously drawn, and a whole page is just colorful Polaroid-like photos of the trio doing makeup and goofing around.

For a teen-fantasy comic, “You Never Heard of Me” is a fast-paced, beautifully drawn series that brings William’s story full circle. While the first chapter started with him sitting alone by the beach, worrying about high school, the story ends with him once again by the beach, but this time with his dad, happy and looking forward to the future. A stunning sunset in the background and glimpses of a happy horizon end the tale.

Rating: 4 stars on 5.

Read Next: ‘The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King’ Book Review

Also Read: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)

‘Ambush’ Short Animated Film Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Space warfare is the stuff of science-fiction fantasy for now, but this far-off dystopian reality is artfully imagined in ‘Ambush‘, a short animated film by Xi Chengzhuo.

The four-minute film follows a scout in space, waiting for enemies that never come, but death draws closer with his depleting supply of oxygen. In its short runtime, the story succinctly captures the tragically theatrical absurdity of war, no matter where it’s fought: on land, air, water, or in space. The protagonist waits for enemies we never see and faces a much higher chance of dying from lack of supplies than from an ambush by the other side.

‘Ambush‘ made me think of Robert Graves’ World War I memoir Goodbye to All That (because I recently read it), where he vividly recalls how several soldiers don’t die by enemy bullets or bombs, but due to other unfortunate, and sometimes bizarre, circumstances. For instance, a senior soldier dies while demonstrating how not to use a grenade to his juniors, only to shockingly die when the bomb explodes accidentally in his hand.

The animation design in ‘Ambush‘ is simple, fluid, almost dreamy; belying the terrifying circumstances the protagonist finds himself in. For a moment, you can’t tell if he’s having a nightmare and hallucinating, although the situational ambiguity only makes his ordeal even more grim.

“Are we going to die for nothing?” he desperately asks his sergeant, a question soldiers have been asking for eons. A somber twist at the end gives ‘Ambush‘ a wistful close, leaving viewers with several questions. But depending on how you read the film, you might either feel satisfied or wish it had been longer. Regardless, this is an excellent little student film!

You can watch ‘Ambush’ on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

‘Good Boy’ Episode 10 Review: Demoted, Dazed, Dong-ju’s Got Plan B

Follow us on Twitter | Instagram

“I am down but not out.”

The special investigation team consisting of former Olympic athletes is finally disbanded in the action-drama “Good Boy” (this was due for a while, it’s a surprise they managed to last this long). However, boxer-cop protagonist Dong-ju (Park Bo-Gum) doesn’t know how to give up, and his demoted duties doing community service errands don’t stop him from pursuing his quest for justice and vengeance against Min Joo-Yeong (Oh Jung-se), the primary antagonist of the series.

Recap of ‘Good Boy’ Episode 9: Min Joo-Yeong and his ruthless goons manage to steal back the drugs right under the police’s nose after a violent face-off with the Special Investigation Team. Officer Han-na (Kim So-hyun), however, sneaks into an enemy truck and ends up trapped near a dock, where the criminals plan to ship the drugs. Dong-ju and Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi), with help from their team, track her down. More violence follows as the trio is cornered by a horde of thugs. The episode ends with Jong-hyeon being shot in the shoulder and falling into the sea, leaving viewers anxious about his fate. There’s also considerable suspense of Dong-ju’s health, as he keeps getting dizzy.

Titled “Time-Out”, Episode 10 of ‘Good Boy’ thankfully skips the flashbacks and jumps straight into what happened to Jong-hyeon. We already saw he was shot in the shoulder, so despite the scare, death seemed unlikely. Dong-ju and Han-na rush him to the hospital, and the episode, true to its title, largely serves as a filler, focusing on the immediate aftermath of the special team getting disbanded. Everyone returns to their former roles in the police department, except for Dong-ju, who is assigned to special community duties, mostly consisting of menial errands.

In what’s a very small victory for the team, villain Min Joo-Yeong is finally forced out of his customs job, although he continues to be unfazed and has his criminal businesses to run. This episode also features several flashback scenes that add depth to the main characters. Viewers get a glimpse of Dong-ju’s turbulent past as a struggling student and how Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae) played a pivotal role in shaping his boxing career. While Man-sik has mostly served as comic relief in “Good Boy”, despite being the team leader, this episode reveals his more empathetic side as a guiding figure in Dong-ju’s life.

There’s also a brief flashback to an incident from Han-na and Jong-hyeon’s life shortly after their breakup. It feels somewhat contrived, but with these small crumbs from the past, the show seems to be building up expectations for a deeper explanation of why they split. However, since Han-na is positioned as Dong-ju’s primary romantic interest, a full account of her past with her ex seems unlikely, even though Sang-yi’s character is nearly as genuinely nice as Park Bo-Gum’s Dong-ju.

Oh well, “Good Boy” is a Park Bo-Gum show, and deservedly so. The actor is pure charisma as the cute-but-aggressive boxer with a golden heart. He is brave, fearless, cheerful, optimistic, and basically every other adjective you can find for a “nice guy.” But now that it’s been revealed he has a serious neurological condition, watching him fight the bad guys brings fresh anxiety for viewers. Toward the end of the episode, we get more action scenes, all of them unreal confrontations between Dong-ju and hordes of thugs. Like I wrote previously, dude’s like Wolverine, but with a shorter expiry date (seriously, if he dies at the end of “Good Boy”, I’m going to be so pissed).

Overall, this was an entertaining edition, where the primary team of cop characters gets to take a small breather from violence, even if not voluntarily. But towards the end, Dong-ju comes up with a crazy new plan to hurt Min Joo-Yeong and starts causing some serious damage to the nefarious criminal mastermind. The episode ends with an exciting scene of Dong-ju trying to take on an entire ring of baddies, leaving viewers with the promise of more blood, sweat, and hopefully no tears.

Watch Good Boy on Prime Video.

Read Next: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)

Semi-Soeter Review: Diaper-Laden Corporate Chaos

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Anel Alexander and Nico Panagio reprise their roles from the 2012 rom-com ‘Semi-Soet’, playing Jaci and JP once again. But this time, they’re already married and confused about having a baby.

‘Semi-Soeter’ opens with a chaotic scene of Jaci Basson and JP Basson babysitting the five children of their best friends, Hertjie (Louw Venter) and Karla (Sandra Vaughn). It sets the tone for the rest of the comedy, where the lead couple borrows their friends’ baby to win over a deal with a big baby-products brand. However, what if their competitors find out they aren’t the real parents of the child?

The best thing about ‘Semi-Soeter’ is the fun, laid-back cast, all of whom have an easy, relatable chemistry. Anel Alexander and Nico Panagio look great as the high-functioning, workaholic, ambitious corporate couple, too busy sealing million-dollar deals to think about expanding their family. The Bassons are wealthy and well-settled (at least their two swanky luxury cars indicate so), and don’t have much holding them back except their shared fear of children. As the plot progresses, both seem to waver in their opinions about the issue, even though they do not express this to each other.

Sandra Vaughn is hilariously endearing as Karla, the mom of five kids, more than happy to lend her baby to Jaci and JP so she can have a child-free weekend, with the rest of her older kids staying with their grandparents. For a comedy trying to convince its protagonists that becoming parents isn’t as hard as they think it to be, ‘Semi-Soeter’ sure doesn’t make it look easy either. Instead, parenting seems comically chaotic, messy, and something you’d want to steer clear of. Although the babies in the film are incredibly cute!

Hélène Truter plays Marietjie, the flamboyant owner of Ybab, the baby brand everybody is keen to win over. When the Bassons arrive at a corporate event where they’re supposed to compete with a few other companies for the Ybab contract, they find out their top rival is Joubert (Neels van Jaarsveld), JP’s college nemesis. Joubert is the comical villain of ‘Semi-Soeter’, married to Chadrie (Diaan Lawrenson), and they have three seemingly perfect kids. Ironically, they really do seem to have their children under better control than most. When Marietjie is impressed by the Bassons’ adorable (but fake) baby, Joubert takes it upon himself to expose the fraudster parents.

‘Semi-Soeter’ is a semi-funny film, formulaic and familiar, with potty jokes like chocolate sauce being served in nappies at the Ybab corporate event. It’s both gross and yet oddly plausible in the real world. I mean, there are plenty of toilet-themed restaurants serving poo-shaped food in miniature toilet bowls, so why not desserts-in-diapers, eh?

If watching an overachieving couple struggle through their dilemma over kids while they disastrously babysit and pretend to be parents for corporate goals sounds fun, give this a go.

Rating: 5.5 on 10. ‘Semi-Soeter’ is on Netflix.

Read Next: No Choice Review: Where Choosing ‘Life’ is a Terrifying Trap

Also Read: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)

‘Good Boy’ Episode 9 Review: Team Dong-ju Bleeds But Fights On

Follow us on Twitter | Instagram

Drug demons, Russian baddies, Japanese Yakuza, and corrupt top officers within their own ranks: ‘Good Boy’ Dong-ju (Park Bo-Gum) and his little team of athlete-turned-cops are practically against the world in the Korean action series at this point.

Recap of ‘Good Boy’ Episode 8: Dong-ju and the Special Criminal Investigation Team disguise themselves as a quarantine unit to inspect shipping containers and track down drugs belonging to villain Min Joo-Yeong (Oh Jung-se). Their mission is a success; however, unknown to them, Joo-Yeong sets a fresh trap, deliberately letting them learn of his plan to steal the drugs back. Han-na (Kim So-hyun) and Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi) are leading the transport operation of the seized drugs when they’re ambushed by armed goons.

Dong-ju and Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae) are also violently attacked while on their way to help Han-na and Jong-hyeon. The same goes for Jae-hong (Tae Won-seok), whose police car is overturned by criminals. The episode ends with lots of action, blood, and violence, with the police officers dangerously overwhelmed by Joo-Yeong’s men. The cops get battered to a pulp, but rise with Wolverine-like grit, because no regular human survives that many punches and stab wounds.

Titled “Allez”, Episode 9 of “Good Boy” begins with a flashback to the Olympic event where Jong-hyeon was injured in his eye, a glimpse of which was shown to viewers in the last episode as well, to explain his fear of needles and knives. This time, the flashback is slightly longer before the scene shifts back to the present, where all the primary characters are fighting for their lives against the bad guys. All the officers of the Insung Metropolitan Police Agency are directed to control a staged protest against the Mayor, an event used as an excuse to deny backup to Man-sik’s team.

Unfortunately, bad guy Joo-Yeong once again emerges victorious, stealing back his drugs right under the police’s nose. However, Han-na manages to sneak into a truck, so the primary focus of this “Good Boy” episode is on Dong-ju and Jong-hyeon teaming up to track her down and bust the drugs. It’s a tense, violent edition, paced well, with plenty of suspense over Han-na’s fate, since she sneaks in all alone into practically the devil’s lair.

While the tone of this edition of “Good Boy” is largely serious, the investigative efforts of the team to find Han-na is also peppered with some humorous moments. It’s low-key funny to watch the love-rivals uniting to fight the villains together, and the onscreen buddy-chemistry between Park Bo-Gum and Lee Sang-yi is entertaining to watch. Both men try to upstage the other, but without any malice, showing a protective team spirit towards each other while dealing with thugs. The quick-witted Han-na on the other hand thinks on her feet and leaves clues for her colleagues to find her, very Hansel-and-Gretel style, which is humorous.

The final minutes of this edition is once again packed with intense action and suspense, ending on a worrying cliffhanger that puts the life of a crucial character in jeopardy. With seven episodes still to go, it’ll be intriguing to see how the team brings down the antagonist Joo-Yeong, who, at this point, seems almost exaggeratedly invincible. Actor Oh Jung-se is pitch-perfect as the ‘Bad Boy’ foil to Park Bo-Gum’s ‘Good Boy’ Dong-ju. With both the Mayor and the Police Commissioner in Joo-Yeong’s pocket, ragtag group of cops have an uphill task of turning the tables in their favor.

Watch Good Boy on Prime Video.

Read Next: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)