Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 275

Paint Day

We have a little transparent window in the kitchen of our new house and if people walk past from outside, they can see everything happening inside. Here’s the problem – it’s too small to cover it up with a curtain. A lot of people in the building have just plastered old newspapers over it. That just won’t do for us.

So we came up with the next best/economical solution – to paint something that fits in the space and looks like kitchen art. Kitchen art is a thing okay. Do not laugh. Since I am a huge manga/comics/cartoon fan, my first urge was to do a collage of cartoon network characters from the 90s. But I finally settled for doing something that would be more calming and decided to have a huge tree with some birds on it.

While I was looking for ideas online, I spotted a very cute mug with a fox on a mug and decided it would look good on a quick art-work. So I drew the fox on a smaller sheet, just in case it didn’t come out well and decided to plaster it on the bigger painting whenever it would be done.

Anyway, this is what it looks like – (before & after)

The Archer – Book Review

The first few pages of “The Archer” by Paulo Coelho constantly reminded me of Dronacharya, the master of advanced military arts from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. But the shadow of an epic didn’t plague my mind for too long. From what starts of as an intriguing story of a mysterious ace archer, the book soon descends into a collection of motivational quotes.

The Archer is more of a self-help book than the “literary fiction” genre it’s categorised in. Tetsuya the protagonist, who is supposedly the best archer in the world, shares his wisdom on how to be great with the bow. His advice can be applicable to day-to-day life. The very little action that takes place in this book unfolds only in the 7-8 pages of the prologue, the meat of the book is just filled with inspirational advice that you’ve probably already heard or read from here and there.

The hardback edition I own had some really simple and nice paintings interspersed with Coelho’s words of wisdom. I just wish there was more story to it. As a reader, you are misled into believing this is ficion. It’s a 3 on 5 from me.

‘Gone Girl’ Pike Preys On Older Folks in ‘I Care A Lot’

Netflix just dropped the trailer for the film “I Care A Lot” starring Rosamand Pike (the bad-ass wife from Gone Girl), Peter Dinklage and Dianne Wiest, and it looks pretty damn interesting.

Pike plays Marla Grayson, a suited up con who scams old people into moving to her ‘care home’ and sells off their property to swim in all the money that comes off it. Life is sweet for Grayson until she decides to scam the wrong old woman.

The trailer is cut really well, with pacy music and sharp editing. Rosamand Pike looks cunning and reminded me of Cruella de Vil, the disney villain from 101 dalmatians, though Pike is way more good-looking. Peter Dinklage gets very few seconds in the trailer, but seems to have an interesting gangster sort of role. All in all, “I Care A Lot” looks like an entertaining film in the offing.

It’s been a while since a trailer has gotten me this excited, so I am looking forward to the Netflix release date – February 19, 2021. Meanwhile, you can watch the trailer right here –

Bliss First Look – Bizarre Comeback for Owen Wilson

Do you remember watching the fun combination of Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan in action movies as kids? I really loved those films. Wilson however has become a pale shadow of what he used to be and it cannot be clearer in his upcoming film trailer “Bliss”, co-starring Salma Hayek.

Owen Wilson who did not have any film come out in the year 2020, looks completely haggard in what looks like a Matrix meets Adjustment Bureau mash-up. Salma Hayek flits between a hippie looking witch to a sophisticated scientist in this sci-fi flick where the protagonists keep switching between two parallel worlds – one is a bleak looking world straight out of a depressing Dickens’ novel and the other looks like a fancy/futuristic Mills & Boons universe.

Hayek claims they are living in a ‘stimulated reality’ and things begin to get ugly when things from the two alternate universes begin to collide. It was slightly confusing to watch the trailer, although you are able to make out what it really is about by the end of it. It just feels like the makers have squeezed in too many themes – stimulated reality/time bending/magic (yes, Hayek and Owen are able to move and crash things by magic)/love/relationship problems/family problems/social disparities among other things. Too much of a muddle.

“I feel a little disoriented” Wilson says towards the end of this trailer. The viewer might feel the same.

To All The Boys Always & Forever Trailer

The much anticipated trailer of the third installment of the Netflix film ‘To All The Boys…” is out. Titled “To All The Boys Always & Forever”, it starts with a montage of protagonist Lara Jean (Lana Condor) holidaying with her family in Seoul. She is still dating her first boyfriend Peter (Noah Centineo) and the film seems to be about how their life and relationship status might change if they do not land in the same college together.

The whole “going long distance versus breaking up” has been done in so many movies that the plot does not seem interesting at all. Throughout the trailer, I had a straight un-amused face, which isn’t necessarily bad, because some trailers make me cringe/sigh/regret hitting the play button. It’s just that this trailer didn’t really have anything new from what we’ve already seen from the franchise. There weren’t any cute or witty little scenes either. I did not break into a laugh or even a small smile throughout the course of the 3 minute trailer.

Everything seems to be a little stale in this upcoming new film. There is the usual prom trope, where there are elaborate “will you go to prom with me” proposals. Lara and Peter happily dance at prom, while an uncertain future stares at them. And then Lara doesn’t get into the college she wants to attend. Even that little twist is given away in the trailer. I felt like they pretty much gave away everything in the trailer, although, I hope that’s not the case. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t read the books. But after the fun first two parts, the third one doesn’t seem very promising.

You can watch the trailer here –

Gokarna

Gokarna is the quieter version of Goa in India. That’s all I have to say.

Birthday Girl Book Review

Birthday Girl by Murakami is a small quick read. I ordered it two days back with two other books because it was the most affordable Murakami work available – Rs 99, less than two dollars. So while I was expecting a thin book, it turned out to be even smaller than my expectation (42 pages).

The story is about a girl waitressing on her 20th birthday and having an odd encounter with the owner. Odd is really the word for this story, especially for those like me who haven’t read any of Murakami’s longer works. While the writing is engaging and crisp, the plot – not so much.

‘Birthday Girl’ is meant for Murakami fans & was published to celebrate his 70th birthday. So those who are not familiar with his literature might not enjoy it as much. A lot of reviewers have called it “beguiling, exquisitely satisfying”. But I was just like “eh?” at the end of the story & wanted more.

Cherry Magic Review – Cute & Fuzzy

The casting directors for the Japanese BL series struck gold by picking Eiji Akaso and Keita Machida for the lead roles of Adachi & Kurosowa respectively. It’s probably the first time that the live-action remake of a comic has better looking actors than their artistic/unreal counterparts. The lead cast is so charming that I’ve seen every episode twice each week a new episode came out – the first time without any subtitles and the second time with English subtitles.

Based on the manga called “Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!”, the plot follows the story of a shy, hard-working Adachi (Eiji Akaso), who gains the magical power of reading minds by touching people after he turns 30. Due to this strange new power, he finds out that the handsome heartthrob of their office Kurosawa (Keita Machida) has a massive crush on him. How will deal with this new revelation and his bizarre powers forms the rest of the story.

Eiji Akaso is adorable as the bumbling Adachi, who despite being a hard-working employee has low self-esteem issues. Keita Machida is equally good as the dashing Kurosawa, with a blinding smile that has all the office girls weak in their knees. Most of the story unfolds in an office set-up, which was a refreshing change from all the college fluff such series are filled with. There are lot of plot devices that give foreign viewers a look into the Japanese way of life and their work culture.

The lead Adachi is very relatable as the overworked 30-year-old who has never had any time for love or sex, he follows the same mundane routine every day, orders from the same place and eats the same things. The magical twist in the tale turns his life upside down and the makers bring it out hilariously. Viewers are informed of a Japanese urban legend according to which those who remain virgins till they are 30 gain magical powers.

As Adachi tries to keep the mind-reading to a minimum, we get to know more about the people in his life. While I haven’t seen a lot of Japanese dramas, all the characters in this series are positive and there is zero toxicity displayed throughout the course of the 12 episodes. Adachi’s best-friend Tsuge (Akasa Kodai) offers comic relief as a lone-writer, who lives with a cat and crushes on a delivery boy.

While the story seems a fluffy romantic tale on the surface, with a very neat and near-perfect climax, ‘Cherry Magic’ does delve into deeper themes, like the insecurities and anxieties that plagues the generation that has become too reliant on technology. In a world where everything seems to be a click away, where nothing is too far out of our reach, it’s our inner demons that hold us back from accomplishing our dreams. Adachi could’ve found love without his ‘magic’, but his low self-esteem acts as shackles against a world of possibilities. The series also casts light on office politics and how even young men can be exploited for their good looks, a theme that is rarely seen in media.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the episodes of this heart-warming series. Eiji Akaso and Keita Machida are absolutely endearing as an onscreen couple. Despite the leads being 30-year-olds, their romance has the innocence of a blooming college love story. Nothing is rushed in their world, thing build up slowly & steadily, but not once does the viewer feel the urge to hit the fast-forward button. On the contrary, ‘Cherry Magic’ has a very high re-watch value and on the day the last episode aired, I had already seen the series twice.

This is a 9/10 for me – entertaining, endearing and just one of the nicest things to come out in 2020!

The Midnight Sky Review – Blue AF

This 2020 sci-fi flick directed by George Clooney and also starring George Clooney is all about Clooney trying to get to a satellite station in the arctic to alert an incoming pack of astronauts against landing on earth. Because the earth is effed.

“A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe” reads the online description of the film. And that’s the annoying bit about this production – the viewer is never told what exactly happened, although we are made to understand that the atmosphere is no longer sustainable for life. Remind anyone of Interstellar? Both films share the same dominant themes – a dying earth, hunt for a new planet & father-daughter relationships.

Anyway… the movie is beautifully shot, it has an eerie perfection to it. The blue tones throughout the course of the story are very striking, especially for people who love the shade, and while it has a calming effect, the mood turns eventually turns very blue too. What I am trying to say is that ‘The Midnight Sky’ gets slow and depressing pretty quickly.

There are unnecessary emotional flashbacks to establish how Clooney’s character Augustine Lofthouse is a passionate scientist who has found a habitable planet that could be an alternative to earth. In-fact, the team of scientists he is trying to warn are coming back from the very same planet that is very close to Jupiter.

Since I am no science-whiz, there are no scientific loopholes that I could spot, so nothing to complain about there. Everything seemed pretty convincing to me, it just wasn’t gripping. The stunning view of the arctic sky is not enough to captivate us, neither is the surreal nature of a new planet. There are some small twists in the end that do not come as a surprise and the climax was quite unsatisfactory. You do not get closure.

All we know is that a white lady astronaut and her black astronaut boyfriend are going to possibly be the equivalent of Adam and Eve in a new planet, while the earth perishes.

Bridgerton Review – Steamy but Samey

Give me a wedding and I am sold. Small screen, big screen, real life, fantasy, desi, videshi- I am a sucker for shadis. But even my love for the pomp and show of all things marriage could not help me develop a small dislike for the first few episodes of this Netflix original.⁣
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Set in the nineteenth century, this show is yet another pre-Victorian romance set in the backdrop of balls, soirees and presentation ceremonies. I couldn’t help but cringe at the regressive customs of Britain two centuries ago- the indoctrination of young women into believing that marriage is the be all and the end all of their lives, the over-inflated emphasis on concepts of honour and pride, and belch-inducing rituals like women being paraded before the royalty as a mark of their initiation into society. ⁣

But I persisted because of Shonda Rhimes. I convinced myself that it’s a satire, tried to emphasise on the fact that the Queen was played by a person of colour and literally diverted my attention to the costumes to keep myself hooked. (It wasn’t very difficult, tbh). Thankfully the last few episodes more than made up for it all. ⁣
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It moved the focus from the sad, old and over-exhausted trope of courting young lovers and brought in tales of friendship, entrepreneurship and censorship in its folds. The women mature into ladies with agency, the men get off their high-horses and realise how nobody gives two hoots about their opinions, and idle gossip metamorphosises into a beacon of free speech. ⁣
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I would do discredit to the show if I don’t make a mention of the steamy sex scenes. My glasses fogged up just watching them. ⁣
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Shout-out to Nicola Couglan who is absolutely adorable!⁣

Munish Rathore

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

instagram.com/munishrathore/