Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 55

Rose Wolves: Graphic Novel Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

So, this started on a raw, magical note – it felt like a cutesy, raw little comic-book journal about a girl and a few days in her life. But her day takes an increasingly bizarre turn, after falling from a terrifying height, she picks up a strange flower from a creepy black bush, and that flower transforms into a mysterious cat-like creature. Interestingly, the most intriguing thing about this little creature isn’t its magical birth or even its rose-shaped tail, but the fact that it’s missing a limb, just like the little girl. So, the two quickly become friends.

Illustrated by Natalie Warner, Rose Wolves is a picture book with no dialogue, created by the artist for children who struggle with reading. However, I’m not entirely sure younger readers will fully grasp the themes of friendship and kinship woven into the story. Funnily enough, I didn’t even notice that the protagonist was missing an arm until page 32, which was 37% of the way through the book. Honestly, that’s a good thing… a missing limb shouldn’t define anyone, and it certainly doesn’t define the little girl in this story. That said, we don’t learn much about her beyond the fact that she seems to live with an adult who is barely around.

At less than 100 pages, Rose Wolves left me wishing for dialogues or thought bubbles to add depth to the narrative as the story progressed. The artwork, though simple and doodle-like, didn’t feel engaging enough to hook readers who prefer more detailed visuals. Overall, this is an intriguing seed of an idea, but it needs more watering and greater finesse in storytelling. If I had to gift a book to a kid, this really wouldn’t be on my mind.

Rating: 2.5 on 5. “Rose Wolves” is on Kindle Unlimited.

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Back in Action Review – Your Regular ‘Time-Pass’ Kinda Family Flick

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Actor Cameron Diaz took a ten year break from her acting career to focus on her family life, so… odds are, the last time most viewers saw her kick butt on screen was in the action flick “Charlie’s Angels”. At least, it’s the case with me. So, it was kinda fun to watch her play a top spy with Jamie Foxx in the 2025 action-comedy “Back in Action”, which of-course also seems to be a clever nod to the actor’s Hollywood work.

Directed by Seth Gordon, who co-wrote the film with Brendan O’Brien, Back in Action follows former CIA agents Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx), who have retired from their lives as spies to play full-time parents to their kids, Alice (McKenna Roberts) and Leo (Rylan Jackson). However, after 15 years of quiet living, Emily and Matt find old enemies knocking at their door when their identities and location are exposed by a social media video. Unaware of their parents’ true identities, the kids are suddenly dragged into a crazy chase across the countries as armed terrorists and mercenaries pursue the family, all in search of a “key” the couple lost during their final mission.

So “Back in Action” is essentially a tweaked version of Mark Wahlberg’s action-comedy flick “The Family Plan”, which also follows a family on the run, after their ‘boring’ car-salesman father reveals he used to be a deadly assassin. Just that in this film, teen Alice and her younger brother Leo have to come to terms with the fact that their both their ‘boring’ parents, were killer spies. On the other hand, Emily and Matt are more than happy to be back in their thrilling spy life, although it’s harder when you also have to protect your kids.

Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx are entertaining in both avatars, as CIA spies and regular parents; however, the action sequences in the film aren’t all that thrilling, and many scenes are rehashed bits from older films. You have the usual bike chases, cars flying, phone-throwing moments, and a few red herrings to keep you confused about who the ‘real bad guy’ is.

With its nearly 2-hour runtime, Back in Action would have been more worthwhile for viewers if the climactic moments hadn’t been dragged out and the creators had adhered to the typical 90-minute runtime common for action-comedies. Actor Andrew Scott feels wasted in his cameo and could’ve used more screen-time than some of the other supporting cast.

And yes, since this is action-comedy territory, things are ridiculously exaggerated. For instance, there are scenes where Max and Emily are walking around inside a plane that’s already half-crashed (yeah, that doesn’t even make sense in writing, does it?), or Emily casually stepping away from a speeding bike she’s riding as if she’s simply getting up from a stationary gaming chair after winning a round of Counter-Strike. So if you do not mind some mindless action fun, this is a decent one-time watch, especially for a family night.

Rating: 2.5 on 5. Watch ‘Back in Action’ on Netflix.

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Sliced Review: Pizza Chefs vs. Mafia – Who Gets the Last Slice?

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Sliced” showed up so many times in my ‘graphic novel’ search query on the Kindle library that I finally decided to read it. I’m glad I gave this book a shot because it turned out to be an engaging read, despite the first few pages throwing me off with their weird palette, which included some soft violet/mauve shades mixed with peachy and yellow tones. The colors seemed bizarre, considering the opening scene was about two men from the mafia striking some sort of shady deal. And even otherwise, I didn’t like the color scheme, but thankfully, except for the first few pages, the rest of “Sliced” looked a lot more visually engaging, even though the coloring is too loud in some sections.

Set in a fictional world, “Sliced” largely unfolds on a street once famed for its rows of pizzerias. But in the story only two rival restaurants remain, the La Napoletana, run by a cheery Silvio Zampini, known to be the ‘best pizzaiolo’ (Pizza chef) in town, and the Pizzeria di Napoli, headed by the bitter Pietro Pizzutti. When a dreaded mafia gang tries to buy out both businesses, the owners refuse. However, their resolve falters when a shiny new pizzeria suddenly opens overnight right across from them, driving away all their customers and squeezing them down to their last penny. Silvio and Pietro must find common ground – and maybe a miracle – to take on the flashy new outlet, whose pizzas taste fishy and awful at first bite, yet strangely addictive!

Created by Rafael Scavone, Guilherme Grandizolli, and Cris Peter, “Sliced” is an interesting mix of the culinary world and the underworld. Both Silvio and Pietro deeply care about their pizza businesses, which have been in their family for generations, and while Silvio is helped by his smart, teen daughter Sofi, Pietro has his mom Marta to keep him company. The antagonist in the tale is the Canolli family, the mafia who want to buy out the pizzerias to make way for a big architectural project. Rocco Canolli, the son of the mafia mob boss, comes up with a wicked ‘start-up’ plan to bleed Silvio and Pietro dry, forcing them to sell. Luckily, Sofi comes up with a plan to expose the new competition, but it’s not easy.

At its heart, “Sliced” is all about small businesses, food, and the very real struggles that authentic traditional restaurants face against cheap, quick, and unhealthy fast-food chains. There’s a running gag in the novel about how the mob boss loves his pet dog more than his own “good-for-nothing” son, and this humorous element proves to be a lasting and entertaining ingredient in the story.

“Sliced” has the usual ‘David versus Goliath’ theme, the pizza chefs of course have a hard time fighting the mafia, but they also learn a lesson or two about the importance of family, friendship, and unity along the way. Overall, I thought this was a pretty fun graphic novel.

Rating: 4 on 5. ‘Sliced’ is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan Series Review

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Nagumo Shoma looked aptly cast as the hot, rich biker/mechanic in the trailer for Japanese series “Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan”, which is an adaptation of the 2022 Thai series of the same name. And I am willing to bet that a lot of viewers saw the show for the good-looking Nagumo Shoma. Guilty as charged. Although the biggest salient feature about this Japanese adaptation is the fact that it’s only eight episodes long, with about 26-30 minute long episodes, while the original packed 13 episodes that were almost hour long in duration.

Directed by Tomori Atsuki, “Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan” follows the chaotic, steamy romantic lives of architecture students Rei (Hamaya Takuto) and Kai (Nagatsuma Reo), who fall for flambyouyant biker-boys Arashi (Nagumo Shoma) and Fuma (Suzuki Asahi). Rei is a childlike, energetic, impish college student, whose romance with Arashi, a popular alumni from the same faculty, starts off on the wrong foot. Meanwhile, Rei’s friend Kai is shy, quiet, with a dark traumatic past, and even though he isn’t interested in a relationship, he is strongly pursued by Arashi’s biker friend Fuma.

The first 2-3 episodes of “Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan” were kind of entertaining, the makers of-course make a few tweaks to adjust the story to the Japanese settings, however, as the plot progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to be invested in the show. Nagatsuma Reo who plays Kai, is not convincing as a college student at all, and looks the oldest of the four lead actors. In-fact, in real life, he is the same age as actor Suzuki Asahi, who plays his romantic interest Fuma. I usually try to ignore such superficial details (of whether an actor looks the age of their character), however, it was hard to do so while watching this show.

Hamaya Takuto’s performance as Rei fluctuated between being endearingly cutesy and downright annoying, but that’s more a reflection of how the character is written. In fact, the actor Takuto, who is in his mid-twenties, looked more like a high school boy than a university student. Nagumo Shoma as Arashi does what his brief asks him to do – be the sexy, broody, intimidating, dominant boyfriend to the puppy-like Rei. Their chemistry is debatable: it’s hot and cold, they are cute sometimes, and cringe-y other times.

The collision of Rei and Kai’s straightforward college lives with the adrenaline-fueled world of bike racing, illegal gambling, and intense rivalries surrounding Rei and Fuma initially proves to be fun, but quickly runs out of steam. The antagonists of “Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan” are very exaggerated and caricature like, almost like they are starring in a parody of some sorts. Fuma’s evil, abusive ex-boyfriend looks alarmingly older, and looks like a bad adult comic-book villain. The abuse sub-plot seemed unrealistic, and felt forced into the plot so that a primary character could have some serious trauma and trust issues.

I kind of lost interest in the series midway and resumed watching the remaining after weeks only to see what happens in the end. There’s not a lot of fresh material in terms of plot: two hot men fall for “damsel-in-distress” sort of younger college kids. Things work out in the end, and there are some steamy scenes in between. I wouldn’t recommend the show, but go ahead and give it a chance if it sounds like the kind of romantic series you wouldn’t mind watching when you have some free time on your hands.

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GhostBox Issue #3 Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“It’s called the law of unintended consequences. Translation: you put one foot wrong and everything turns to shit”

If nothing else, at least the opening pages of the comic book series “GhostBox” in each issue has been fun. Created by Mike Carey, Pablo Raimondi, and Jose Villarruba, issue #3 begins with primary protagonist Chloe breaking out of jail and running for her life with the magical ‘ghost box’. Funnily enough, issue #2 too had started with Chloe running from the scene of her sister’s murder, only to run into cops who hold her responsible for the killing.

Quick recap: Chloe and her sister Jan inherit a remote, dilapidated property from a distant uncle and come into possession of a mysterious box that houses several dead souls. Jan is murdered by a dangerous shape-shifting monster hunting for the box and finds herself transported into it after death. Meanwhile, Chloe is accused of her sister’s murder, leaving her pursued by both the police and the monsters seeking the ghostbox. Issue #2 ends with the ghost of a knight saving Chloe from a ghastly monster and advising her to perform a “cleansing ceremony” to prevent the villains from tracking her.

The artwork continues to be engaging, although I still haven’t warmed up to either Chloe’s character design or her personality. So… I have mixed feelings about this issue. Most of it follows Chloe’s attempts to find a religious site where she can perform the ritual, all while the cops are searching for her everywhere. Meanwhile, a few strange events unfold inside the mystery box, where Jan’s soul tries to understand how an entire world of ghosts exists within the tiny container. However, the issue ends with an unexpected and creepy twist, so it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5. GhostBox is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Missing You Review: Where One Cop Has Too Many Mysteries to Solve

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Detective Kat Donovan has two mysteries she’s been struggling to solve for over ten years –

Why the criminal who confessed to murdering her father won’t reveal who ordered the killing or what the motive is.Why her fiance Josh, who was the love of her life, ghosted her completely without an explanation, soon after her father’s death.

Directed by Nimer Rashed and Isher Sahota, the Netflix limited series Missing You is based on a book by Harlan Coben and spans five episodes. Rosalind Eleazar plays protagonist Kat Donovan, a determined officer racing against time to get answers from her father’s killer, who is gravely ill and near death. Meanwhile, her world is upended when her ex-boyfriend – who had vanished without a trace (physical or digital) – appears on a dating app. Kat Donovan suddenly has several missing people to find: her father’s real killer, her ghost of an ex, and two other people who’ve gone missing.

As a viewer, the first thing you wonder is “what if the ex had something to do with the dad’s death?”. But the first few episodes establish Josh as a loving ex, a total hit with Kat’s parents, so there seems to be very little motive for him to murder the dad. Although some of the co-incidences in the series feel contrived, and the dialogues are very mundane. But thankfully, unlike most thriller that are annoying dark in color palette, “Missing You” sticks to what looks like natural lighting and an engaging amount of shades. Yeah, nothing noir, or ‘artsy’ about this one, and I am fine with that.

Rosalind Eleazar is the best bit about “Missing You”, from a tough detective in the present, to an vulnerable softie completely smitten with her man in romantic flashbacks, she displays the various layers of Kat’s character with ease. The worst thing about “Missing You” is how almost every character in the series seems to be either hiding things from Kat or outright lying to her face. For a grown, serious, hardworking, smart woman, Kat is often treated like a lost girl by people in her life and it’s outrageously frustrating to watch. “We wanted to protect you,” is everybody’s favorite excuse. The lady is a cop, she can do the protecting!

Nobody else in the cast stands out, although Richard Armitage, who has a small role as Kat’s senior at work, immediately seemed like a red-flag, since he was the bad guy in “Fool Me Once” too. For the uninitiated, “Fool Me Once” is also a eight-episode Netflix series (made by the same creators), and is a Harlan Coben thriller. The only reason I am rating “Missing You” a little higher than “Fool Me Once” was because it’s shorter, crisper, and doesn’t waste too much time on secondary characters. Those looking for a quick thriller, and don’t it being cookie-cutter, might find “Missing You” to be adequately entertaining.

Rating: 6 on 10. Watch the series on Netflix.

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Closing Dynasty – Short Film Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Can you spare a few dollars for my basketball team?”

Dressed in oversized shoes, ripped jeans, a bright yellow shirt, with a blue backpack almost as big as her, seven-year-old Queenie is a little hustler trying all kinds of tricks to make money. A stranger asks her why she isn’t at school on a Wednesday morning, and she spiritedly responds with, “I am trying to save it.”

Written and directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, the short film Closing Dynasty rests on the shoulders of child actor Milinka Winata, who plays protagonist Queenie, and immediately draws viewers into what a weekday in her life is like.

“You are adorbs,” a stranger tells Queenie, and that about sums up the little Chinese-American girl’s character. She is adorable but also a clever little hustler, who steals bouquets from a shop and then sells the flowers individually to strangers. Queenie bargains like an adult but also sees the world through childlike eyes, getting easily excited and optimistic about things. Sometimes, though, her antics get her into trouble.

Throughout its short 16-minute runtime, the creators maintain suspense over why Queenie is out on the streets of New York trying to earn a few dollars any way she can. The ending minute of Closing Dynasty subtly reveals the kind of influence her parents unwittingly have on Queenie’s behavior. For instance, she hums like her mother and stresses over things like her dad. Milinka Winata is confident, cheeky, and charming in all her scenes.

The short film subtly and entertainingly demonstrates how children imitate adults and how skipping important conversations with their kids can have a drastic impact on their psyche. Closing Dynasty ends with a simple scene of a tired Queenie laying her head down, drowning in her own worries. Is the next day going to be any better? Who knows.

Watch ‘Closing Dynasty’ on Netflix.

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The Hike Review – Beginner’s Trek to Dull Thrills

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Four very unlikable people go up for a hike in the mountains, but only two make it back. What’s the story? Are the other two lost, dead, or murdered?

“The Hike” by Susi Holliday is a thriller set in the Swiss Alps, flitting between the past and the present. It begins with a bruised and battered American pair heading to a police station to report their two ‘friends’ missing. Except they’re not their friends – the group of four included two sisters and their respective husbands. We don’t find out until the climactic chapters which sister and husband survive the treacherous hike. The cops also have a hard time ascertaining the identities of the survivors, who act skittish and refuse to be taken to the hospital, instead insisting on assistance from embassy officials. “Red flag,” the cop in charge immediately thinks.

The hiking holiday is planned by Cat, a businesswoman, who pitches the international trip to her husband Paul and sister Ginny as a way to spend some quality time with each other and repair both their strained marriage and strained sibling relationship. The sisters are awful to each other, and their husbands are barely better. Cat’s husband is a shady character, who had to quit his job under suspicious circumstances, while Ginny’s husband Tristan is a wealthy cheating prick. Basically, they are all such unlikable characters that you wouldn’t care about who actually survives the hazardous hike.

One of the bigger disappointments in the thriller is the fact that both Cat and Ginny sound almost the same. Even though Cat is the older, more ‘hard-working’ sister, while Ginny is the spoiled sibling who lives off her rich husband, their characters feel like slight variations of each other. Both sisters sound entitled, bitter, selfish, self-centered, whiny and unbearable. The most interesting thing about the hike is the introduction of a fifth mysterious character, somebody who stalks the sisters silently through the mountains, like a predator intending on playing with its prey before killing it. This silent stalker’s true identity reveal was a bummer.

This is an easy-to-read book, with plenty of twists, most of which are either predictable or far too contrived. The pace is slow, the characters are irredeemable, and the climactic twist is just frustratingly disappointing. But if you’re looking for a quick thriller that’s not too complex, and allows you to switch off your brain a bit, you could give “The Hike” a chance.

Rating: 2 on 5. “The Hike” is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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Abigail Review: Kidnappers vs. Killer Ballerina

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

A bunch of seasoned criminals are hired to kidnap a little girl for a fifty million dollar ransom, only to realize they have a devious little monster on their hands! Will they survive 24 hours to collect their bounty?

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the horror movie Abigail, starring Alisha Weir as the titular protagonist, boasts a solid cast and a fantastic premise for a horror film – little vampire girl versus kidnappers. However, the film has a slow start, testing viewer’s patience on when all the real action will start. Although, once the vampire wickedness begins, it rains blood, bodies, screams, and horror goodness, along with some pretty fun comedic moments.

Alisha Weir is the breakout star of the film; she is fantastic as Abigail, a ballerina who loves dancing. She is introduced as a scared, screaming little girl and transforms into a creepy, unhinged, cold-blooded killer. However, too much time is spent on introducing the kidnappers: former Army medic Joey with a drug problem (Melissa Barrera); former NYPD detective Frank (Dan Stevens), who has anger issues; hacker Sammy (Kathryn Newton), who’s in it for the thrills; mean-looking sniper Rickles (William Catlett); dumb muscleman Peter (Kevin Durand, who weirdly looks like Elon Musk on steroids); and getaway driver Dean (Angus Cloud), who is no smarty-pants either and awkwardly tries to flirt with Sammy. Their names are fake aliases, nobody is supposed to know each other’s real names or identities to keep the operation clean, but they obviously have no idea how bloody messy things are going to get.

One of the main reasons the first half of the film feels so tedious is the prolonged suspense over Abigail’s identity, which drags on for over an hour. This wouldn’t be an issue if the creators hadn’t already revealed the truth in the trailer. As a viewer, you’re left waiting for the horror madness to kick off, wondering why the film insists on pretending the ‘cat isn’t already out of the bag.’ Despite the very slow start, the second half shifts gears into an entertaining ‘cat and mouse’ chase, as the criminals scramble to outwit and defeat Abigail. At one point, someone asks, “What do we know about vampires?” only to be met with the hilarious response, “That they’re not real?”

Abigail nods to established vampire lore while introducing its own unique rules about the legendary creatures’ powers. The special effects in the violent scenes may not be top-notch, but their over-the-top ridiculousness makes them entertaining in a delightfully absurd way. Perhaps the film would have worked better as an all-out horror comedy rather than attempting a slow-burn thriller approach at the start. Alisha Weir is fantastic as Abigail, making a strong case for an origin story or prequel for her character. I’d totally love to see more of her!

Rating: 6 on 10. Watch Abigail on JioCinema or rent it on Prime Video.

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Baban Baban Ban Vampire Episode One Review

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Ahahahaha, this is an offbeat vampire-show that’s not meant for kids. It’s a wacky comedy about a vampire who loves drinking the blood of pure, virginal, 18-year-old boys.

Based on a manga series written and illustrated by Hiromasa Okujima, the anime adaptation of Baban Baban Ban Vampire (ババンババンバンバンパイア) is directed by Itsuro Kawasaki. The story follows Ranmaru Mori (voiced by Daisuke Namikawa), a 450-year-old vampire who works in a Japanese bathhouse, with his eyes on the owner’s teen son, Rihito Tatsuno (Yûsuke Kobayashi). Ranmaru cannot wait to sink his fangs into Rihito’s neck, but he must wait until the latter turns 18 – that’s his rule. Until then, he will have to fight off others who want to date Rihito.

Titled The Vampire of the Public Bathhouse, the first episode of Baban Baban Ban Vampire opens with a funny sequence of Ranmaru dancing to a track called Bad Vampy after tidying up the bathhouse. His moves, reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s iconic dance steps, are paired with music that feels like a playful variation of Smooth Criminal. It’s undoubtedly a subtle tribute to the pop icon, who, as many anime fans point out – looks like the inspiration for Muzan Kibutsuji, the popular vampire antagonist from Demon Slayer. Ranmaru’s dance is interrupted by the wide-eyed Rihito, who is excited about starting high-school.

Ranmaru the protagonist also serves as the primary narrator for the tale, revealing to the viewers how unlike other vampires who prefer to drink the blood of young virgin girls, he prefers ‘pure’ boys. Rihito is his ideal victim, who according to Ranmaru is an ‘unsullied soul’, with a ‘beautiful, un-corrupted body’. On the surface, the two are friends, Ranmaru is like an elder brother or guardian to Rihito, having worked for almost ten years at the same bathhouse, but nobody has a clue about Ranmaru’s real identity or evil intentions.

The animation looks a little dated, like it’s from the early 2000s, but it is engaging, and the character designs stay loyal to the manga. Episode one does a fun job of setting up the primary premise and principal characters of Baban Baban Ban Vampire. While Ranmaru is a laid-back, conniving vampire who hunts for other human prey at night, Rihito is a simple, sweet boy who falls in love on his very first day of high school. It’s not going to be an easy job for Ranmaru to ensure Rihito remains ‘innocent’ until he turns 18. There are only a few ways this story can possibly end, but it’s going to be entertaining to see how the journey to the end unfolds.

You can watch Baban Baban Ban Vampire on Netflix.

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