Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 31

Stolen Review: Tense and Violent, Yes, But Not Quite There

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

If nothing else, the Bollywood film “Stolen” ironically ends up as a strong cautionary tale against butting into other people’s business. See someone poor, distraught, and dying on the road late at night from maybe a hit-and-run case? What would happen if you help? Best case scenario: you rush them to the hospital in your car, someone manages to record all of it on their phone, it goes viral, you make it to the news, and maybe even win a ‘good Samaritan’ award. Worst case scenario: as you approach to help them, they attack you, beat you black and blue, steal your wallet and drive away with your car. And there are 100 other possibilities in between.

Directed by Karan Tejpal, who co-wrote Stolen with Gaurav Dhingra and Swapnil Salkar, the film operates on a “worst-case scenario” premise, following two brothers who get caught up in the case of a stolen baby due to unfortunate circumstances, leading to violent consequences for the siblings. Abhishek Banerjee plays Gautam Bansal, a wealthy man who goes to the railway station to pick up his younger brother Raman (Shubham Vardhan) for a family wedding, only to find Raman surrounded by an angry mob, with a poor woman named Jhumpa (Mia Maelzer) accusing him of stealing her baby.

The pragmatic Gautam instantly offers to pay off the cops and steer clear from the mess, but his more sensitive brother Raman is moved by Jhumpa’s piercing cries for her child, so he offers to assist the cops to help find her baby. And thus begins the brothers’ quest to locate the stolen child, complicated by a misinformation and viral video accusing the affluent brothers of being child traffickers. The trio is soon chased by an enraged mob who’re convinced they are criminals. It might remind some viewers of the film Afwaah, which also explores the tragic consequences of rumor-mongering, fake news, and viral videos.

The first half makes it hard to be invested in Gautam and Raman’s world, who, despite their evidently clashing personalities, smack of upper-class privilege in their general attitude. Raman’s ‘sensitive Samaritan’ act stems more from a misplaced sense of savior syndrome, exposed in the exceedingly arrogant way he converses with the cops investigating the stolen baby case. He is the ‘main character’ of his world, unbothered by Gautam’s initial warnings that they shouldn’t get too involved in Jhumpa’s business, a suspicious stranger they know nothing about. The sibling chemistry is completely missing between the brothers; they seem to be estranged, but perhaps some sort of familiar banter would’ve lent their relationship more credibility.

It’s Mia Maelzer who stands out as Jhumpa in Stolen. First introduced as a distraught mother who lost her child, her cries in the first few minutes are heart-rending. But when reports start to circulate that maybe the baby wasn’t even hers to begin with, there’s significant suspense in the film over what her real deal is. Is she really a child trafficker, or the victim of some conspiracy like she claims? Mia is raw and unfiltered in her performance as Jhumpa, keeping the viewer suspicious of her motives until the truth is revealed in the end. Until then, the plot keeps the lines blurred between the victims and villains.

Abhishek Banerjee as Gautam wasn’t convincingly cosmopolitan. His character is supposed to serve as a contrast against the impoverished construction worker Jhumpa, but the ‘rich person’ veneer is missing. Yes, he wears the right kind of expressions, be it casual nonchalance, disgust, rage, frustration, or an eventual benevolence. The bothers, especially Gautam, are brutally beaten into eating the humble pie in the film, starting out as brash, bold, then cowering in fear for their lives towards the climax. A series of convenient co-incidences play a crucial role in resolving many unanswered questions in the climax.

The pace of “Stolen” is slightly sluggish in the beginning, but soon moves at a satisfactory speed, the the lead trio going on a nightmarish road-trip of a lifetime. The cinematography too was hit and miss, especially since the first half was so dimly lit, it scuttled the viewing experience, even horror movies aren’t so poorly lit. If the intention was to make the scenes seem darker, gloomier, they could’ve achieved with better lighting.

Part thriller, part horror movie, this film largely depends on the viewer’s perception of the lead characters, if unlike me, you take a shining to Ratan’s ‘knight in not so shiny armor’ act, you’ll enjoy this film a lot more than I did.

Rating: 2.5 on 5 stars. Watch “Stolen” on Prime Video.

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Uninvited Review: Packs Tension but Lacks Payoff

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Vilma Santos is Lilia Capistrano, a mom with a deadly revenge mission in Filipino movie ‘Uninvited’, who infiltrates an exclusive high-society party in the hopes of eliminating those who brutally murdered her daughter.

Directed by Dan Villegas and written by Dodo Dayao, the film opens with a gloomy flashback of Lilia looking for her daughter Lily (Gabby Padilla) late at night, unable to reach her on phone. In the present, she is headed to a party, where she plans to extract vengeance for losing her only child. Aga Muhlach plays primary antagonist Guilly Vega, a megalomaniac billionaire, crime boss, and serial-rapist, whose countless victims include Lilia’s deceased daughter. Lilia disguises herself as a socialite and attends Guilly’s lavish birthday party at his mansion, determined to murder everybody involved in her daughter’s death.

The first half of ‘Uninvited’ is dark, gritty, and tense, with the entire story unfolding in the course of one night, while flashbacks reveal what transpired with Lily in her last moments, after she and her boyfriend Tofy (Elijah Canlas) are kidnapped by Guilly’s men. The young couple’s mangled bodies are discovered by the cops in a field and Lilia finds out who’s behind their murders through Tofy’s mother, who passes her a list of perpetrators. The creators build no mystery by showing her exert some investigative skills in cracking the identities of those behind the crime.

‘Uninvited’ does have some uncomfortable suspense around how the lone, aging Lilia will take down a gang of violent men, even though a party with freely flowing booze makes for an easy setup. And it’s not just the gangsters, Lilia is also intent on eliminating Guilly’s wife, Katrina (Mylene Dizon), and his beautiful daughter, Nicole (Nadine Lustre), both of whom despise the man but stick around for the money.

Despite being the primary antagonist, it’s Aga Muhlach who delivers the most powerful performance in ‘Uninvited’. He is slimy, creepy, and detestable as the narcissistic, libidinous Guilly, whose overconfidence in himself is bolstered by his unlimited wealth and clout. Vilma Santos, on the other hand, isn’t entirely convincing in her body language as the vengeful mother, even though her facial expressions reflect the hatred and pain of grief. Her character simply feels lucky throughout the film, managing to eliminate the men with ease, using the loud party as cover.

After a tense first half, ‘Uninvited’ ends on an underwhelming note. The climax lacks impact and would have benefited from stronger character and story development to justify Lilia’s revenge arc.

Rating: 6 on 10. You can watch ‘Uninvited’ on Netflix.

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‘Good Boy’ Episode 4 Review: More Action & a Car Heist

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Ah, the comic timing of Min Joo-yeong (Heo Sung-tae), the leader of the special police unit made up of former Olympic athletes in the Korean series Good Boy, just keeps getting sharper! He remains the primary (and much needed) comic-relief in the series. Meanwhile, main leads Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum) and Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi) crank up the intensity with some standout action scenes in Episode 4.

Quick recap of ‘Good Boy’ Episode 3: After Dong-ju’s friend Lee Gyeong-il (Lee Jung Ha) is framed for the hit-and-run that killed a customs officer, Dong-ju scrambles to gather evidence against the real culprit: senior customs officer Min Joo-Yeong (Oh Jung-se). To tie up loose ends, Joo-Yeong has Gyeong-il murdered in prison, staging it as a suicide to close the case for good, especially since the cops already have Gyeong-il’s fake confession. But what Joo-Yeong doesn’t expect is Dong-ju’s relentless determination to avenge his friend and pursue justice.

Titled “Float Like a Butterfly,” Episode 4 of Good Boy picks up right where the last one left off: Yoon Dong-ju punches the glass window at the customs office after threatening Joo-Yeong with the consequences of his crimes. The title nods to the famous Muhammad Ali quote – “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” – and Ali happens to be one of Dong-ju’s idols.

The key to cracking the case lies in tracking down the imported car used in the hit-and-run, and this time, Dong-ju has the full support of the athlete-cop squad, including his crush Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun), who takes back her resignation. Their boss Joo-yeong divides them into two sub-teams to investigate both the true nature of Gyeong-il’s death in prison and the custom officer’s role in it. Joo-yeong pairs Dong-ju with Jae-Hong (Tae Won-Seok), and Han-na with ex-boyfriend Jong-hyeon, leading to instant jealousy and comedic moments.

One of the funniest twists in this episode of ‘Good Boy’? The team hatches a plan to steal the Police Commissioner’s luxury car to lure out car smugglers and locate where they stash stolen vehicles, including the one used in the crime. Cops stealing from cops? Pretty hilarious. And both the execution and fallout of this risky plan are entertaining as hell.

A crucial subplot of ‘Good Boy’ also follows Han-na as she tries to uncover why her late father, also a cop, had possession of a rare limited-edition watch that’s been spotted on criminals like the Golden Bunny, a mysterious figure first introduced in Good Boy’s first episode. Viewers also get a few flashbacks of a young Han-na with her father.

For now, ‘Good Boy’ just keeps getting better as an action-drama with a dash of comedy. Episode 4 is fast-paced and action-packed, striking a solid balance between comedy and serious drama. Park Bo-gum’s charm as the boxer-turned-cop is at its peak, Lee Sang-yi holds his own, and Heo Sung-tae as their chaotic team leader almost steals the show when it comes to the laughs.

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Should They Have Ended Ginny & Georgia at Season 3? Some of Us Think So

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Let’s just say it: Ginny & Georgia should’ve ended with Season 3.

Sure, Netflix loves a hit, and fans love a binge-worthy mess, but sometimes it’s better to let a story go out with a bang rather than drag it out into emotionally confusing, morally grey sludge. And that’s exactly where Ginny & Georgia Season 3 leaves us.

Georgia’s whole “cool mom with a dark past” thing? It was compelling once. But now? Exhausting. Watching her dodge consequence after consequence has lost all charm. In fact, by the end of Season 3, Georgia isn’t even a lovable anti-hero anymore, she’s just… unbearable. Controlling, manipulative, and constantly justifying her worst choices as if she’s some misunderstood martyr. At this point, even the murder she committed doesn’t feel shocking, it’s just one more thing she gaslights her way through. A term she’s learnt from her brainy daughter Ginny.

And about that redemption arc? She didn’t earn it. She doesn’t deserve it.

Georgia finally getting arrested at the end of Ginny & Georgia Season 2 felt like the perfect narrative peak. It was justice, for her many crimes, yes, but also a way to finally shift focus to other characters. Instead, Season 3 hits the brakes and rewinds everything. She’s released, forgiven, re-loved, and back to playing housewife like nothing happened. Meanwhile, Ginny is stuck cleaning up emotional messes and trying to grow… but it’s hard to root for her evolution when her mother keeps sucking all the air out of the room.

And don’t get us started on the pacing. What could’ve been wrapped up in 6 tight episodes gets stretched into 10, with far too many side plots that go nowhere. Paul’s still there but barely matters and OMG what a mess he is reduced too. He definitely didn’t deserve the shoddy treatment from Georgia and yet somehow powers through most of it. Tsk, tsk. Joe, who once seemed like a possible love interest and moral counterpoint, is now reduced to confused stares.

And what was that cliffhanger at the end of ‘Ginny & Georgia’ season 3? That Georgia might be pregnant again? But we can already see the drama, since the first confusion and suspense in a season 4 will be all about ‘who is the father?!’. Because we all know it could either be Mayor Paul, or of-course Joe. But it’s really not enough to justify a whole new season!

The truth is, Ginny & Georgia was at its best when it wasn’t trying so hard to redeem Georgia. When the show leaned into the chaos, the dark comedy, the generational tension, it worked. But by Season 3, it’s just trying too hard to make us believe Georgia’s a misunderstood woman doing her best. She’s not. She’s a manipulator who dodged prison (again), lied to her kids, and emotionally wrecked everyone around her.

So maybe it’s time to close the chapter. Let Ginny grow up. Let Austin get therapy. And let Georgia stay in jail – where, honestly, the story should’ve ended.

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‘Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist’ Review: Starts Sugary, Ends Snoozy

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

College student Sant runs a food channel, where he devours desserts, and his sweet tooth leads him to the path of romance with dental student Jay in Thai romantic-comedy ‘Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist’.

Directed by Pepzi Banchorn Vorasataree (‘My Stand-In’, ‘KinnPorsche’), the 11-episode series stars Ohm Thipakorn Thitathan and Mark Pakin Kuna-anuwit as lead pair foodie Sant and dental student Jay, respectively. Abandoned by his parents, Sant grows up with his grandparents and is constantly doing multiple part-time jobs to fund his education. But he has the most fun running a food channel with best friend Gugg (Poon Mitpakdee), and it’s on his recommendation that he goes to see dental student Jay for a cheap procedure, as he cannot afford professional dental care. Jay begins to romantically pursue Sant, although a rival makes their romance slightly complicated.

While the first few episodes of the series were very cute, ‘Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist’ soon ends up being a typical run-of-the-mill romantic comedy by GMMTV, with good-looking actors, a generic plot, and some forcible conflicts thrown into the mix to make it seem like the story has layers. The primary comedic conflict in the series is Sant’s fear of dental procedures, so every time he musters up the courage to see Jay at the dental college, he ends up running away mid-appointment. Meanwhile, Jay is portrayed as a rather composed, happy-go-lucky, straightforward, romantic chap, but the second half of the series introduces some past trauma that really wasn’t necessary in a fluffy comedy show like this.

Ohm Thipakorn Thitathan (last seen in ‘Kidnap’) and Mark Pakin Kuna-anuwit (‘Only Friends’/‘Moonlight Chicken’) have cutesy onscreen chemistry as Sant and Jay, although Sant’s platonic friendship and antics with Poon Mitpakdee’s Gugg were more entertaining. That’s not to say Ohm and Poon should’ve been the primary romantic leads, it’s just that if they were to star in a regular comedy about two bumbling friends running a comedic food channel, it might make for a fun watch. That said, Ohm Thipakorn Thitathan as Sant is like a human dessert (a “total snack,” if we’re using slang), and Mark Pakin adorably wins his character over in the show.

Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok, who played Ohm’s romantic rival in ‘Last Twilight’, interestingly vies for Sant’s affection in ‘Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist’. Jimmy plays Captain in this series, a close friend of Jay’s who runs a café where Sant joins as a part-timer, and sparks fly between the two over their shared love for food and desserts. Benyapa Jeenprasom plays Jay’s dentist friend Yada, who Gugg develops a crush on. Their subplot wasn’t very interesting, but it does get a fresher take than the main couple.

While ‘Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist’ serves up plenty of sugary moments, it starts to lose flavor from episode 7 onward. The pacing dips, the jokes feel repetitive, and the charm wears thin. GMMTV’s ‘Ossan’s Love’ also felt a bit stretched, but at least it delivered more genuine laugh-out-loud moments. This one? Not so much. There also seems to be a new trend in BL series these days: the bathtub scene with candles, also seen in the recently concluded ‘My Golden Blood’ from the same production house.

Anyway, if you don’t mind recycled plots and just want to watch cute leads navigate predictable conflicts, this might just be your comfort snack of a series.

You can watch the series on YouTube.

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‘Good Boy’ Episode 3 Review: The Case Gets Darker, Dong-ju Stays Gold

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“Anyone who faces me in the ring, always goes down,” warns ‘Good Boy’ Yoon Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum) when he faces suspicious customs officer Min Joo-Yeong (Oh Jung-se).

Episode 2 of Korean series ‘Good Boy’ ended with athlete-turned-cop Dong-ju pinning down the man who who hit him with a car and dragged his along the road in the pilot episode of the show. It turns out to be a high-level customs officer called Min Joo-Yeong, although the corrupt officer pretends to not recognize Dong-ju. There’s no proof against Joo-Yeong, clearly the antagonist of the series, while Dong-ju’s close friend Lee Gyeong-il (Lee Jung Ha) is framed in the hit-and-run case that results in the death of a customs officer. So episode 3 follows Dong-ju’s efforts to prove Gyeong-il innocent, but a tragically dark turn of events make it harder to investigate the truth.

Titled ‘Million Dollar Baby’, episode 3 of ‘Good Boy’ opens with a flashback of Dong-ju’s crush Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun) from 2018 Olympics, showing how she missed her chance at winning Gold, despite being a top contender. The focus then shifts back to Dong-ju efforts to investigate the hit-and-run case, and save Gyeong-il from falsely being convicted. Meanwhile, his boss Min Joo-yeong (Heo Sung-tae), also the leader of the newly formed special team, comprising of former Olympic athletes, is still working on convincing Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi) to join their squad and also dissuade Han-na from quitting the force.

This episode is fast-paced, serious, and noticeably darker in tone than the first two episodes of ‘Good Boy‘, although comedic scenes are still sprinkled here and there. The bulk of the humor comes from the Tom-and-Jerry-like relationship between Dong-ju and his senior, Min Joo-yeong. Dong-ju’s impulsive, emotional actions in the case keep giving Min Joo-yeong a headache; however, the boss has clearly grown fonder of his junior.

Dong-ju is the kind of character one would root for, and Park Bo-gum portrays him with endearing charm, flitting between super cute in the light scenes and fiercely intense in the action sequences. Lee Sang-yi, too, continues to be suave as Jong-hyeon, serving as a worthy love rival to Dong-ju, as both of them are in love with Han-na. This episode even features a mildly funny face-off between the two men.

By the end of episode three, everybody in Dong-ju’s team is convinced that the hit-and-run case isn’t as simply as it seems, with a mysterious expensive watch serving as a crucial clue to unraveling what’s happening.

You can stream the series on Prime Video.

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Ginny & Georgia Season 3: The Kids Grow, Georgia… Not So Much

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Well, Ginny & Georgia season 2 ended with a great cliffhanger: Georgia gets arrested right after her wedding to the mayor on charges of murder. So, season 3 of the Netflix series is all about Georgia screaming at her lawyer to prove her innocence, while her kids, Ginny and Austin deal with the horrid aftermath of becoming the children of the ‘Mayoress Murderess’, while grappling with the fear of losing their mom to prison. No more running for Gerogia in this season!

Honestly, at this juncture of ‘Ginny & Georgia’, there have to be many viewers that think Georgia (Brianne Howey) ought to finally face the consequences of murdering people. But the series is intent on trying to prove how ‘hard’ her life was through flashbacks, as a way to defend her. And these flashbacks were plain boring in season three. So this season, I only stuck around to watch what happens to Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and Austin (Diesel La Torraca). And given that a full-blown murder trial is going on against Georgia, the sub-plots involving Ginny’s teen friends pale out and become annoying distractions in this edition.

Georgia’s husband Mayor Paul (Scott Porter) is unsure if he should continue to the marriage, or get a divorce to save his public image. Meanwhile, Ginny has it worse, she is still in therapy, in danger of reverting to self-harm, and her love life is on the rocks. If you remember, Marcus Baker (Felix Mallard) breaks up with Ginny in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ season 2, so this season sees their continued struggle to cope up with the heartbreak. Marcus is too depressed to focus on romance, while his twin sister Maxine pursues new crush Silver (Katelyn Wells). And even though some of Ginny’s friends at high-school start behaving weirdly, Maxine and Abby (Katie Douglas) continue to have her back.

The two most crucial new characters introduced in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ season 3 are Georgia’s lawyer, and a potential new romantic interest for Ginny called Wolfe (Ty Doran), who she meets in her poetry club. Unlike the broody, depressed, pseudo ‘bad boy’ Marcus, Wolfe is a lot more easygoing, funny, and has the right kind of energy to counter all the harrowing experiences Ginny is going through. Ty Doran and Antonia Gentry surprisingly make a very cute onscreen pair. Unfortunately, the writers stick to being predictable, and keep Marcus as ‘end game’ for Ginny.

Apart from the legal conflict and suspense over Georgia’s murder case, a lot of the drama in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ involves the fathers trying to take influence their kids. Austin’s biological father Gil (Aaron Ashmore) tries hard to convince Ginny’s dad Zion (Nathan Mitchell) that it would be best if they fight for custody for their kids and not leave them with Georgia. So, there’s a lot of tension involving the parents in this season. Then there’s some sappy suspense over who has Georgia’s heart, is it her ex Zion, the Mayor husband, or Joe (Raymond Ablack) from the coffee shop. Who cares if there’s a serious murder trial going on, right?

Between Ginny & Georgia, I used to be ‘Team Georgia’, but in season 3, Georgia is quite unbearably entitled and bratty, her constant scheming is no longer entertaining. Brianne Howey continues to be loud, bold, and convincing as Georgia, but the character arc is awful this time around. Nikki Roumel reprises her role as the younger Georgia in flashbacks, but like I wrote earlier, the throwbacks to her past felt absolutely unnecessary this time around, doing little to rouse viewer interest, although it does look like some of it will serve as background for new characters in season 4. But at ten episodes long, ‘Ginny & Georgia‘ season 3 is already overstretched and should’ve simply ended.

For me, this season was underwhelming in terms of Georgia’s subplot, although Antonia Gentry has grown by leaps and bounds as a performer and was riveting as a more mature Ginny. Her character also touchingly steps up as Austin’s guardian, taking him to school and helping him navigate the new challenges of being without their mom. While the show earlier clearly stood out with its mother-daughter theme, the siblings’ relationship takes center stage in the second half of season 3. Earlier, it was Ginny and Georgia against the world; this time around, it’s Austin and Ginny versus the world for their mom.

The climax wraps up Georgia’s trial in an all-too-convenient manner, and the end message seems to be “like mom, like daughter.” Despite their differing personalities, Ginny and Georgia prove to be two sides of the same coin. While this season has its merits, I still think Netflix really should’ve ended this series by episode ten, but the climax leaves ample scope for a fourth installment.

Watch Ginny & Georgia on Netflix.

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Perfect 10 Liners Review: Campus RomCom Upgrade from ‘We Are’

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Thai series ‘Perfect 10 Liners’ is all about an exclusive group of university students across different years from different Engineering streams and their romantic entanglements. It could’ve alternatively been titled ‘hot boys chasing dumb clueless crushes’.

Directed by New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul, whose last two series were also campus romances featuring multiple couples (‘Fourever You’, ‘We Are’), the 24 episode long ‘Perfect 10 Liners’ takes place over three years, following three primary pairs and can be distinctly divided into three parts. The first part follows cute fresher Arm (Book Kasidet Plookphol), pursued by hot senior Arc (Force Jiratchapong Srisang), whose flirtatious actions confuse the naive Arm endlessly. While Arc wants to date Arm, the junior often wonders if he wants to murder him.

The second primary pair is Yotha (Perth Tanapon Sukumpantanasan), an Engineering student, known for constantly changing girlfriends and getting into violent brawls. But he tries to mend his ways when he starts to fall for campus roommate Gun (Santa Pongsapak Udompoch), a super-sweet, cheery peer, with a deep fear for the dark. The third love-story follows Yotha’s younger brother Faifa (Junior Panachai Sriariyarungruang), an extroverted popular campus star, who starts to develop feelings for Wine (Mark Jiruntanin Trairattanayon), who is part of the ‘Perfect 10 Liners’ and is Yotha’s mentee.

Since this is a GMMTV series, one can see that the budget wasn’t an issue, and the show has cameos by nearly every young actor on the payroll of the company. It’s sort of like a silly, fluffier, saccharine version of the GMMTV campus drama ‘Only Friends’, which was all about angsty, painful situationships, but ‘Perfect 10 Liners’ is about cutesy, comedic situationships, and both shows have plenty of romantic moments between the lead pairs.

And as if three primary couples weren’t enough for this overlong show, it also stuffs in multiple side couples who randomly appear throughout the episodes. Their storylines seem to exist only to add some variety to the overstretched romance of the lead pairs. For instance, Force and Book (previously also seen in Boss and a Babe and Enchante) as Arc and Arm look great and have decent chemistry, but their ‘courting phase’ is prolonged for far too long in ‘Perfect 10 Liners’. Both of them like each other, kiss a bunch of times, but even then, dummy Arm is confused about what Arc wants from him.

It was more entertaining to watch Arm goofing around with his best-friends Sand (Poon Mitpakdee) and Pipo (JJ Chayakorn Jutamas), the latter being hilarious jokers. Poon Mitpakdee is adorable as Sand, and he ends up dating Arc’s friend (Marc Natarit Worakornlertsith), who is a lot faster in securing himself a boyfriend. Gun’s antics with his childhood best-friend Kong (Aun Napat Patcharachavalit) are also quite funny, especially when the two of them are introduced as loud freshers, quick to scream and scram when they make mistakes, like when they confuse their senior’s dorm room for their own on their first day.

The other two lead pairs have better progression, with brothers Faifa and Yotha also having some serious family baggage to deal with from their parents’ divorce. Yotha is also significantly scalded from his last serious relationship with his older brother’s friend Warit (Boom Tharatorn Jantharaworakarn). Interestingly, Boom’s Warit is the rare ex in a Thai show, who isn’t villainous or over-the-top, although his new boyfriend Klao (Aou Thanaboon Kiatniran) always gets into fights with Yotha.

Junior Panachai Sriariyarungruang looks significantly older than the rest of the cast of ‘Perfect 10 Liners‘ as Faifa, but he emerges as one of the best characters in the show, largely due to Junior’s smooth portrayal. Faifa is introduced as a friendly, overtly kind, and considerate student, always putting others’ needs before his own. This is shown to be a coping mechanism after being dumped by his mother at his father’s place when she finds a new partner. The second half reveals the more sensitive side of Faifa – the one that’s not constantly putting up a brave, cheery front for others, and Junior Panachai Sriariyarungruang convincingly portrays both these sides of the character.

Overall, ‘Perfect 10 Liners’ is more entertaining in its comedic moments, than in the romantic tales of its protagonists. Although, the humor in the series isn’t consistent, with plenty of childish jokes that fall flat, but then there are also some really funny ‘laugh out loud’ scenes. It’s definitely a slight improvement from Thai series ‘We Are’ from the same production house and director, especially since the long runtime is able to do justice to the stories of its main characters.

Rating: 6 on 10. Watch ‘Perfect 10 Liners’ on YouTube.

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One of Them Days Review: SZA & Keke Hustle Hard for Rent

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What’s worse than being nearly broke? Finding out you might also be homeless if you don’t pay your rent in nine hours, especially when you thought you already paid it, only to discover your friend’s squatter boyfriend stole the money instead of handing it over to the landlord! Singer SZA makes her acting debut in the 2025 comedy ‘One of Them Days’, where she plays waitress Dreux, while Keke Palmer is her best friend and flatmate Alyssa (the one who gets conned by the boyfriend).

Dreux and Alyssa have only nine hours to find rent money, or they’ll be kicked to the curb, so the girls desperately run around town trying to make quick cash, which includes selling their blood, seeking out suspicious loan sharks, and unwittingly getting involved with dangerous gangsters. It’s definitely ‘One of Them Days’ where things just keep getting worse and worse. And while some of their shenanigans are comedic, a lot of it isn’t all that funny.

About 1 hour and 37 minutes long, ‘One of Them Days‘ is largely driven by the charm of lead girlies SZA and Keke Palmer, both of whom look stunning and are quite hilarious as the bumbling girlfriends trying to scrounge up rent money. Keke’s Alyssa is the dumber, boy-crazy one, an aspiring artist with no paying job, while SZA’s Dreux is smarter, hard-working, and earnest, though she gets tongue-tied in front of her crush. Towards the end, the two friends team up to rip off bougie white folks by selling them overpriced artwork, which is probably one of the funniest subplots in the film.

Well, ‘One of Them Days’ is obviously a no-brainer comedy, relying on familiar stereotypes and caricatures to push the plot forward. Much of the humor feels outdated, like it was made in the ’90s, and even though the script features a few chuckle-worthy moments, there are too few laugh-out-loud scenes for a comedy flick. Watch it only if you’re a fan of the lead actors. They certainly have the right screen presence and I’d definitely watch them if they’re featured in another comedy as friends.

Rating: 2 stars on 5. ‘One of them Days’ is on Netflix.

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Fight For You Review: Less Spying, More Swooning

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘Fight For You‘ follows Bai Zhou Qi, a rookie investigative officer tasked with spying on Hei Yu Bo, believed to be working for a criminal cartel. So, Bai rents the same flat as Hei, and the two become flatmates. But when they begin to develop romantic feelings for each other, Bai finds his professional mission jeopardized by his personal life.

Directed by Joe Tsai, the 12-episode Taiwanese series ‘Fight For You‘ (對立而已) is supposed to be an action-romantic-comedy, but it ends up largely being a silly, cutesy romance, with some elements of action and comedy sprinkled here and there. Nelson Ji plays newbie undercover investigator Bai Zhou Qi, while Andy Ko portrays his target Hei Yu Bo, a young man working for a service run by gangster Dou Ke Yi (Wills Sia), which entails doing anything for the customer, from finding lost cats to attacking people. Dou Ke Yi is the primary criminal suspect for the intelligence bureau, and Zhou Qi’s strict boss Bu Xing (Matthew Han) hopes to find out more about Dou’s shady dealings by tracking Yu Bo.

One of the funniest things about ‘Fight For You‘ is how little homework Zhou Qi does on Yu Bo, despite being from the intelligence bureau: he doesn’t even know that Yu Bo’s younger sister Jia Li (Mimi Shao) is hospitalized with a serious health condition. In fact, Yu Bo’s only family is his feisty grandmother Hei Shi Lin (Lam Sau Kwan), who runs a small restaurant and has no idea about Jia Li’s hospitalization. Zhou Qi’s parents are absent as well, and he is raised by his strict, proud, and fierce grandfather, along with his older brother, Bai Zhou Guo (Mike Lin), who shares Zhou Qi’s laid-back nature and is also in the intelligence bureau.

Yu Bo is the more serious, reserved, asocial type, while Zhou Qi is cheery, chatty, energetic, and easily manages to win his flatmate over. Their subsequent attraction gets him in a lot of trouble at work. And we all know the eventual conflict is going to be about Yu Bo finding out the truth. However, as the title indicates, Zhou Qi is convinced that Yu Bo is innocent, and he fights for his love despite mounting pressure from both his superiors and his grandfather not to get too deeply involved with someone who has a dubious background.

The first few episodes of ‘Fight For You‘ are slow, although the onscreen chemistry between Nelson Ji and Andy Ko as lead pair Zhou Qi and Yu Bo is quite adorable. The whole intelligence and spying plot is borderline ridiculous and comedic, and the creators throw in an unnecessary secondary romantic pair in the story towards the second half, involving Zhou Qi’s brother. Some of the more interesting themes of the show include the generational gap between the lead pair’s grandparents, and how each grandparent reacts very differently to their love.

Since each episode is less than 30 minutes long, Fight For You doesn’t get too overbearing, even though its primary plot about investigating criminals feels like a joke. It could’ve been a simpler flatmates-to-lovers romantic comedy – and in fact, that’s what it really is; the rest of the show is just extra padding. The official posters of the series might lead viewers to think this is a dark, serious action show, but it really isn’t. So if you’re up for a familiar romantic drama with a fresh pair, it’s a decent one-time watch.

You can watch ‘Fight For You’ on Viki and iQIYI.

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