Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 59
December 23, 2024
Exhuma Review: Shamans, Spirits & a Grave Mistake
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
When a wealthy Korean American’s baby is on the brink of death, the family flies a renowned shamanic duo all the way from Seoul to help them. What follows is a series of terrifying events after the shamans dig up a suspiciously eerie grave in an attempt to end a family curse and save the baby.
Written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun, the Korean horror film Exhuma (Original title: Pamyo) stars Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun as shamans Lee Hwa-rim and Yoon Bong-gil, who team up with experienced geomancers Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik) and Go Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin) to perform an exhumation ritual that goes horribly wrong.
Exhuma begins with a casual scene of Lee Hwa-rim and Yoon Bong-gil flying business class to the U.S. for their latest supernatural case. When the flight attendant speaks to Hwa-rim in Japanese while asking if she would like a refill, the shaman responds in the same language but asserts that she is Korean, not Japanese. This scene subtly establishes Hwa-rim’s pride in her national roots, which becomes a significant theme in the latter half of the movie.
The core suspense of the story, at least in the first half of Exhuma, revolves around the strange location of the grave and the exact identity of the corpse. To make matters worse, the family who hires the shamans is either unwilling to reveal more details about their past or weirdly unaware as to why their ancestor is buried in a strangely remote property with bad feng shui.
The shamanic rituals performed by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun, along with a host of other people hired for the exhumation ceremony, are among the most visually engaging sequences in the film. These scenes include live music, traditional drumming, ritualistic dancing, and some animal mutilation. For those averse to gore, it’s worth noting that these moments aren’t excessively violent or bloody.
What proves most irksome about Exhuma is that the story keeps building expectations that viewers will receive flashbacks explaining why the spirit is so malevolent it won’t even spare an infant descendant. However, apart from a brief glimpse of old images, the film never provides a solid backstory. While it’s possible to fill in the blanks, it just doesn’t feel very satisfactory. Instead, a new supernatural twist, albeit an intriguing one, pivots the focus of Exhuma towards the climax. Unfortunately, its execution feels a little off, and the special effects are foggily weak. The supernatural antagonist who hounds the protagonists looks like it was inspired from old 1990s horror flicks, so its presence might be unwittingly comical for older horror fans.
Overall, Exhuma delivers few spine-chilling scares, but it remains a well-acted thriller about old ghosts with a few new tricks.
Rating: 3 stars on 5. You can watch Exhuma on Prime Video.
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December 21, 2024
Dan Da Dan Season One Review – Wildly Fun, Ends With A Criminal Cliffhanger
It should be a crime to end season one of any show on such a cliffhanger! It almost makes me want to drop my rating for Dan Da Dan. That said, the abrupt climax didn’t erase the memory of its wickedly wild, unhinged, and thoroughly entertaining early episodes. But ugh, those last two episodes—what a drag. Slow and patience-testing (yes, that should definitely be a phrase), with episode 11 standing out as especially random, uneventful, and downright annoying. We really didn’t need a creepy dude running through the streets to meet his lover to trigger Okarun into realizing his true feelings for Momo.
Phew. Sorry, that first para was a bit of a rant and totally assumed that you already know all about the plot and main characters of the 2024 anime series “Dan Da Dan”. So, if you don’t know anything about it, I’ll repeat what I wrote in my “Dan Da Dan: First Encounter Review” – If you’re looking to fill the Jujutsu Kaisen-sized hole in your heart, this show is a great answer – it is a lot sillier, lighter, with a dash of romance and fewer characters, so you don’t scratch your head over who is who. Spanning 12 episodes, season one of Dan Da Dan follows high school student Momo Ayase who rescues a nerdy classmate from bullies, only to start a crazy new friendship which entails fighting monstrous aliens and grotesque ghosts. The genre-bending anime mixes humor, horror, fantasy, and the horrifying embarrassment of teen love.
Momo Ayase is the popular girl at school who might look like a teen delinquent on the outside but is a dreamy romantic at heart. She nicknames her new nerdy friend Okarun because his real name is the same as her longtime celebrity crush (Ken Takakura), a fact she finds way too embarrassing, so she gives him a different name altogether. L-O-L. Ken AKA Okarun, on the other hand, is a shy, introverted boy obsessed with aliens and looks like a Japanese version of Harry Potter.
The first half of the season hilariously contrasts their clashing personalities as they get tangled up with monstrous aliens and a dangerously powerful spirit called Turbo Granny. Okarun ends up cursed by Turbo Granny, gaining the ability to transform into a powerful being who can channel the spirit’s unique abilities. Meanwhile, Momo discovers she has psychokinesis powers of her own that activate when she fights aliens. Momo’s grandmother Seiko helps the teens understand their newfound abilities and trains them into becoming the newest ghost-hunters in town. Sort of. From aliens who want to operate on private parts to deadly spirits with aspirations of motherhood, Dan Da Dan is packed with bizarre antics that will leave you in splits.
The animation style in ‘Dan Da Dan: First Encounter’ is colorful, dynamic, and two-dimensional in nature, and the creators often play with color, depending on the mood of a given scene. For instance, when Momo first encounters creepy aliens, the color palette shifts to become bright, neon, and is trippy in tone, as if you’re watching a cyber-punk show. Or there’s a significant chunk where Momo and Okarun face-off a demonic, sumo-like alien entity, and those scenes are animated in black-and-white shades, adding a lot of theatrical effect to the violence, to convey the hopelessness and bleakness of their situation. Basically, the anime style is fun, and fittingly complemented by a spunky soundtrack, some sections of which are like remixed versions of retro arcade games music.
Two of the major supporting characters introduced in Dan Da Dan season one include the beautiful but vain Aira Shiratori, who initially mistakes Momo for a demon and hilariously tries to exorcise her. Aira makes her debut in episode 5, but her importance becomes clearer in the following episodes. She serves as both a romantic rival and a professional ally to Momo, if you count all the alien and ghost-fighting as a serious side hustle! At the end of episode 10, viewers get to meet Jin Enjoji, Momo’s childhood friend and also her ‘first love’, so Okarun immediately gets jealous of this new character. Jin is a little like Aira on acid, he is extremely energetic, flirtatious, and annoying! I didn’t find his bits funny at all.
In the second half of Dan Da Dan, the romantic love triangles and the characters’ complicated feelings take center stage, making all the teen crushes and confusion pretty fun to watch. However, some of the alien battles and a bizarre new love story between two ghostly mannequins was very lackluster. The show begins to lose its groove in the last mile, even though, on second thoughts, it’s really a case of the plot not being able to match its own initial craziness.
Oh well, even though episode 11 was a drag, episode 12, the season finale, opens on a very promising note. It shows Momo, Okarun, and Jin Enjoji traveling to Jin’s hometown to help him deal with the evil spirits haunting his house. But just when Momo finds herself in a dangerously deadly situation, the show abruptly ends! Instead of wrapping up the chapter and teasing a new problem, the creators leave Dan Da Dan hanging in the middle of a new town mystery.
Anyway, from its quirky characters, creepy aliens, colorful animation, and a fantastic intro song, ‘Dan Da Dan’ is a very entertaining anime if you’re looking for an offbeat teen horror comedy.
You can stream Dan Da Dan on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.
Dokukoi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru – Love Is A Poison Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Some might find uptight, asocial, nerdy lawyers who chat with their succulents a bit eccentric, maybe even a little offbeat, but for others, that’s the perfect romantic bait. Enter Shiba Ryoma (Hama Shogo), a top-notch lawyer with zero social life, who crosses paths with Haruto (Hyodo Katsumi), a mysteriously charming con artist. What starts as an unconventional partnership on legal cases soon teeters into uncharted territory. Haruto’s motives are shady at best, but Shiba lets him stick around just to see what happens. Spoiler: romance wasn’t on his agenda.
Based on Makino Keisuk’s novel Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Love Is A Poison), the 2024 series follows the well-worn trope of ‘opposites attract’, with wealthy, awkward genius Shiba Ryoma falling for rogue hustler Haruto. Over 12 episodes long, the show is a genre cocktail of legal drama and rom-com antics with mixed results.
Hama Shogo’s portrayal of Shiba Ryoma takes some warming up to, his asocial ‘genius’ shtick feels more caricatured than convincing initially. In contrast, Hyodo Katsumi brings immediate charisma to Haruto, blending charm, mischief, and emotional depth. Haruto smoothly transforms from a shady conman to a golden retriever-like partner. He often reminded me of Kusakawa Takuya, who played the titular lead in Minato Shouji Coin Laundry. While the leads’ chemistry is inconsistent, there’s enough romantic tension to keep things engaging.
Shiba Ryoma, for all his lawyerly seriousness, is unintentionally hilarious as he navigates the poison that is love – an emotion that threatens to upend his career and principles. However, the cases they tackle together aren’t very thrilling, often coming off as “constructed” for the screen. The show’s last few episodes are centered on corruption and major revelations, which weren’t consistent with the rest of the tone of Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Love Is A Poison).
One can easily spot the budget constraints of the show, with most scenes unfolding in a pub or Shiba’s apartment. Although, some of the court scenes aren’t all that bad. Yet, the real issue lies in the show’s genre juggling. The first half leans into goofy romantic comedy, only to veer into tragic melodrama and heavy backstory territory by the end. Haruto gets a richer character arc, while Shiba’s past remains a mystery, leaving his character feeling half-baked in comparison. His most serious relationship is with the succulents that talk back to him in screechy, cartoonish voices.
Despite the execution hiccups, the show gets some things right. Shiba and Haruto make a compelling team, whether they’re tackling fraud cases or fending off corporate villains, hired goons, and homophobic saboteurs. Their ability to communicate openly and avoiding the typical rom-com misunderstandings, is a breath of fresh air, despite significant suspense over Haruto’s past in the first-half of the show. If only the script had steered clear of some unnecessary tragic twists, this could have been a lot more entertaining.
Final verdict? This Japanese series is a flawed but fun one-time watch.
Rating: 6/10. “Love is a Poison” is on Netflix.
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December 20, 2024
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Review- High-Speed Thrills, Some Glitches
Watching Cyberpunk: Edgerunners feels like speeding down a highway that’s only 70% finished. The first part of the ride is fast, smooth, and thrilling, but then it gets bumpy, and by the end, you might find yourself off-road completely.
Set in the neon-drenched metropolis of Night City, this animated mini-series follows David Martinez, a teenager forced to drop out of Arasaka Academy, a prestigious high school his single mom worked tirelessly to get him into. After her untimely death in a senseless accident, David leaves school and becomes an edgerunner – a rogue outlaw – teaming up with a mystery woman called Lucy, a data thief who targets the rich.
What makes David stand out from the average cyberpunk in Night City is a stolen piece of high-tech gear he illegally integrates into his body, turning him into a super-fast killing machine. In a twist, Arasaka Academy tries to lure him back to the high school for its own agenda, but David chooses to work with a new criminal crew instead. With his mom gone, the edgerunners become his surrogate family, and sparks fly between him and Lucy, who is essentially an expert hacker, or “netrunner” in the Cyberpunk universe. But the real scene-stealer is Rebecca, a short, fiery, and unhinged mercenary who seems inspired by Harley Quinn, adding a wild edge to the crew. She is loud, cute, and endearingly loyal to the people close to her.
The first few episodes of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners are exhilarating, packed with violent action, sharp comedy, and plenty of unexpected twists. Whether or not you’ve played the Cyberpunk games, the show quickly establishes the hierarchy and brutal realities of Night City – a city run by corrupt corporations and teeming with criminals who obsessively enhance their bodies with cybernetic upgrades. My favourite concept in the show is called “cyberpsychosis”: a condition where excessive cybernetic modifications strip away a person’s humanity, pushing them closer to a psychological breakdown and eventual self-destruction. The metaphorical implications are clear, the less human you become, the lesser connected you are with the real world.
David’s transformation from a lanky, average teen to a buff cyberpunk is vividly animated, it’s like watching a scrawny Peter Parker turn into the hulk! But as far as the story is concerned, once the stakes surrounding David are fully revealed, the story starts to lose its grip. By episode seven, the plot falters, and I found myself tempted to stop watching. After taking a two-week break, I finally finished the series, driven more by curiosity than excitement. Unlike most shows, where slow pacing is the problem, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners starts at a breakneck speed but stumbles toward the end. Too many characters die too soon, leaving little time to form emotional connections. Aside from one death (which becomes quite predictable), the losses feel more like checkboxes than gut punches.
If you’re in the mood for a violent, futuristic action anime made for adults, this one’s worth a watch.
You can watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix.
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The Blue Drum Review: An Underwhelming Thud
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A woman mourning her father’s passing is spooked by eerie noises in her family home, leading to the unraveling of some terrible secrets.
Directed and written by Angelita Mendoza, The Blue Drum follows a young woman called Leticia (Crystal Hernandez) who is hosting her father’s funeral and is upset by the indifference of her immediate relatives. For Leticia, her father was “good” enough, but others seem to disagree…
Only about 15 minutes long, The Blue Drum is a glum horror movie that needed more time to build its characters and themes. Crystal Hernandez, as the grieving Leticia, doesn’t pull the viewer in, and her frustrations over relatives behaving like “vultures” as soon as her father is gone don’t have the emotional weight needed to make a small film like this hit you in the gut.
While director Angelita Mendoza does convincingly build some suspense around Leticia’s family house and its dark history, the eventual climactic twist feels anticlimactic, despite packing in a solid twist. The Blue Drum basically ends with a soft, underwhelming thud instead of an exciting bang.
You can watch The Blue Drum on Netflix.
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Dan Da Dan Episode 12 Review: Creepy Town Trip
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Momo and Okarun head to Jin Enjoji’s house to exorcise the spirits he claims are haunting the location. As they pack their bags, catch a train, and arrive in Jin’s town, they discover the area is also famous for its hot springs. So, Momo cheers up, hoping for a relaxing mini-vacation on the sides, but it’s more likely to turn into a “vacation of horrors,” given the anime’s penchant for blending humor with supernatural terror.
Titled “Let’s Go to the Cursed House,” episode 12 of Dan Da Dan opens with a mildly amusing scene of Momo, Okarun, and Jin begging Seiko to let the odd lady mannequin from episode 11 stay at her place. The story then shifts its focus to Okarun’s confused feelings and jealousy over Momo’s growing friendship and closeness with Jin. As the trio travels to Jin’s town, Okarun’s feelings about the handsome newcomer become increasingly complicated, but in a humorous way.
Contrary to the title, this episode doesn’t feature much ghostly activity, though there’s definitely something unsettling about Jin’s entire town, not just his house. While the episode isn’t as high-energy or laugh-out-loud funny as earlier installments of the season, it benefits from a better pace and a less grating portrayal of Jin compared to his introduction. Jin also serves as a much-needed catalyst to fast-track the ambiguous romantic tension between Momo and Okarun. Viewing Jin as a potential rival, Okarun becomes more certain of his feelings for Momo, ready to fight, if necessary, for her affection.
The last few minutes of “Let’s Go to the Cursed House” take a stark tonal shift. What starts as lighthearted suddenly becomes unexpectedly dark. Can Momo and her friends truly handle the cursed spirits or malevolent forces lurking in Jin’s town? We’ll have to wait for answers.
You can stream Dan Da Dan on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
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December 19, 2024
Don’t Move Review: Thrills Paralyzed by Missteps
Directors: Brian Netto, Adam Schindler
Writers: T.J. Cimfel, David White
Reviewer: Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
If a strange woman shows up on your remote property, unable to move, unable to talk, and clearly distressed, wouldn’t you immediately call emergency services and request assistance? Apparently not. Even if you’re a smart, experienced man with no ill intentions toward the woman.
That’s one of the biggest problems with the 2024 thriller movie Don’t Move – illogical character decisions make the film more frustrating to watch than thrilling. The premise is intense: Kelsey Asbille plays a grieving mother named Iris, targeted by a serial killer (Finn Wittrock) who injects her with a paralytic agent. She must find a way to escape his clutches before her entire body shuts down. Her survival instincts kick in almost immediately, but it’s a race against her own body for Iris.
Don’t Move begins with a poignant scene of Iris visiting her son’s memorial at a national park. There, a stranger strikes up a conversation with her. While their brief interaction is initially life-changing in a positive way for Iris, it takes a scarily dark turn when he kidnaps her. Unfolding largely in the wild, the movie offers an engaging juxtaposition of serene, scenic forested landscapes and the dangerously deadly predicament Iris finds herself in.
Finn Wittrock is a good fit for the role of the serial killer. With his good looks, he embodies the kind of man women might unknowingly trust, while deftly channelling the cold, calculating confidence of a predatory psychopath. That said, he isn’t as scarily intimidating as many other memorable onscreen villains—take Stephen Lang, for example, who played the blind murderer in Don’t Breathe, another thriller produced by Sam Raimi (also the producer of Don’t Move).
The cinematography, the acting, and the background music are all adequately engaging. But the most important ingredient—the writing—is sorely lacking. Nowhere near as tense or nail-biting as Don’t Breathe, this thriller is just about passable in the genre.
Rating: 5/10. You can watch the film on Netflix.
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December 18, 2024
Groupies Comic Book Series #Issue 3 Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“The elements celebrate our vitality and abundance. With my feet on the ground and my eyes to the sky, I pulse with the power that feeds and connects us.”
Issue #3 of Groupies by Helen Mullane and Tula Lotay (art) is narrated by Gaia, another member of the group of girls touring with the rising rock band The Moon Show. While Issue #2 focused on Vera, whose fiery temper took center stage, Gaia comes across as far more laidback, relaxed, and spiritual. Unlike some of the other young women, Gaia also has a few ground rules to ensure she doesn’t get too emotionally entangled with the men she’s sleeping with.
For readers who aren’t into spiritual, hippie-type personalities, this issue may feel like a bit of a slog. Gaia takes acid with her friends and the band, launching into a long philosophical ramble about her lifestyle and beliefs. Despite this, the story maintains its suspense over the mysterious demonic or violent events unfolding. In an intriguing twist, Gaia dreams about a disturbing incident she is convinced was too vivid to be just a dream.
The artwork in this issue isn’t as dreamy as in previous installments and some of the character illustrations look noticeably different. For instance, Si, a member of The Moon Show, appears older and less visually appealing than in earlier issues. This could be a deliberate artistic choice, as his true nature – a short-tempered prick – is revealed. Perhaps Tula Lotay wanted his inner ugliness to bleed through the pages.
Issue #3 of Groupies reads like a slow-paced filler chapter, even at under 30 pages. The issue ends with a bloody cliffhanger, leaving readers to wonder whether the events are real or just the hallucinations of a drug-addled groupie.
You can read Groupies on Kindle Unlimited.
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December 17, 2024
Camp Crasher Review: Desperate Mom Vs. Bratty Kid
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Director: Martino Zaidelis
Writers: Andrés Gelós, Natacha Caravia, Andrés Pascaner
Patri is a workaholic running her father’s business and also an overbearing mother whose son wants to live with his father. Desperate to win over her son, she first decides to make a dream ‘game room’ for him but instead crashes his school camping trip and does all she can to become ‘the coolest mom.’
Natalia Oreiro plays the primary protagonist, Patricia, aka Patri, in the family comedy Camp Crasher (original title: Campamento con mamá), which begins with a funnily relatable (for parents) scene of Patri checking her son Rami’s (Milo Lis) social media account, only to see that her request to follow his private account is still pending. It instantly reminded me of a recent conversation I had with a friend who hasn’t accepted her mother’s request to follow her—and unlike Rami, she is a grown woman in her 30s. Avoiding parents like the plague isn’t just a pre-teen or teen thing. Anyway…
After the funny little opening scene, Camp Crasher immediately begins to struggle in its first half. While Patri is shown to be someone who never takes a break from work, her son Rami is a total brat, constantly gaming and making a horrid mess at home. Clearly, Patri is struggling with her parenting skills, and Camp Crasher wants us to believe that one little camping trip can fix all her problems – which, it kind of does.
“Hi Dad, Mom is making the camping trip all about her. Save me.” —This is a voice note Rami leaves his dad on day one of his camping trip. And that’s one of the biggest problems with Camp Crasher—it’s too much about Patri and not enough about Rami and the kids at the camp. Although the second half does have a few fun moments of the kids playing pranks and having a good time camping, another helicopter mom is on the trip, practically stopping her introverted daughter from making friends. However, Patri intervenes and helps the girl bond with others.
For a family comedy, Camp Crasher isn’t comedic enough but might serve as a mild entertainer for those looking for a light film exploring a desperate parent’s attempt to win over her kid.
Rating: 2 stars out of 5. You can watch Camp Crasher on Netflix.
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Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 24 Review
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“It’s okay. I will catch the killer!”
For the first time in Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions, Totomaru Isshiki might have to solve a murder mystery – a serial murder mystery, no less – on his own!
Episode 23 ended with exciting revelations about Ron’s life when a guest at the Auberge remarked that Ron looked exactly like a man he met seventeen years ago. When the man mentioned a crescent-shaped scar, Ron recalled a childhood memory of a man with the same mark and realized that this man might have been his father. Episode 24 of Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions delves deeper into Ron’s childhood memories and the mystery of the man with the scar.
Titled “The Case of the Highland Auberge Serial Murders (Part 2),” this episode begins with Ron and Toto examining the body of the second murder victim. Ron deduces some intriguing connections and reveals an interesting link between all the guests invited to the mysterious dinner. However, when another guest points out Ron’s resemblance to the man from seventeen years ago, Ron is deeply shaken by the possibility that his father was a wicked criminal – and might still be alive.
This episode strongly emphasizes Toto’s fierce protectiveness toward Ron, as he unwaveringly defends his brilliant detective friend in the face of a crisis. But with Ron’s personal connection complicating the case, Toto may now have to push his intellectual limits to uncover the orchestrator of the killings.
From the invitation postmarked seventeen years ago to the elaborate full-course menu and the gem Ron received with it, everything is pieced together in this episode. It’s a fast-paced, tense installment that plunges Ron into an existential crisis. Despite the suspense, viewers are also given subtle hints about the mastermind behind it all. Can Toto truly crack the case without Ron? We’ll have to wait and see.
Stream the series (Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri) on Netflix or CrunchyRoll.
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