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The Invitation is a horror, thriller movie that was recently released on Netflix and caught the attention of many due to its star, Nathalie Emmanuel who created quite a stir in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones. It’s inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic ‘Dracula.’ The movie tells the story of Evelyn ‘Evie’ Jackson, a struggling artist in New York City who discovers dark secrets about her family after meeting long-lost relatives for the first time following her mother’s death. The movie begins with Evie taking a DNA test that leads her to a distant cousin, Oliver Alexander, in England. He reveals to her the scandalous past of her great-grandmother, Emmaline, and invites her to a family wedding in England. Once there, at the New Carfax Abbey, Evie starts to notice unsettling occurrences and begins to uncover the truth behind her family’s dark secrets. One of the strongest aspects of the movie is the acting by Emmanuel, who portrays a common New Yorker suddenly thrown into a wealthy British family. Her performance adds depth to the character, and she manages to shine. You could very well say her portrayal of Evie as a strong, bold, and beautiful woman while being the only colored member in a white family is a highlight of the movie. She effectively conveys the character’s emotions and reactions to the events unfolding around her. Other notable aspects of the movie are the cinematography and lighting. The movie switches between the colorful New York City and the somber English countryside and the darkness of the characters and the setting are well captured through the camera and lighting. The movie’s use of lighting is particularly effective in creating a sense of unease and suspense, as the audience is left wondering what horrors will be revealed next. The use of lighting has also helped in creating a sense of isolation, as the audience is left to wonder about the fate of the characters in the eerie and remote setting of the New Carfax Abbey. However, the storytelling in the movie isn’t particularly noteworthy. The plot is similar to many other horror thrillers and it’s only at the end that the horrors of the house are revealed, leaving the audience anxiously waiting for a ghost or demon to appear. This can make the movie feel slow and predictable at times. Furthermore, the audience is not given much background on the characters, and the motivations of the characters aren’t always clear. Despite these shortcomings, The Invitation is still an enjoyable horror thriller for fans of the genre. The acting, especially Emmanuel’s performance, and the cinematography and lighting make up for all that’s lacking in the movie. The movie’s use of lighting is particularly effective in creating a sense of unease and suspense. The movie is not likely to become a cult classic, but it’s still fun while it lasts. I’d say it’s a good way to kill some time and get your horror fix. Who should watch it? The Invitation is an average horror thriller movie that only fans of the genre will enjoy. The acting, especially Emmanuel’s performance, and the cinematography and lighting are the highlights of the movie. The themes explored in the movie add a deeper layer of meaning to the story, making it more than just another horror movie. Rating: 2.5 stars Genre: Horror/Thriller Run time: 1hr 45mins Actors: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Sean Pertwee Director: Jessica M. Thompson

Less than a month into 2023 and I think I’ve already found my favorite of the year. If you think that’s a little premature, I recommend you read ‘Such a Fun Age’ by Kiley Reid. This book has great characters, a solid plot, and smooth language. It also tackles an important issue that needs to be talked about more. Reid’s debut novel is fun and satisfying. The story starts with Emira Tucker, a college graduate in her mid-20s, being summoned to take three-year-old Briar, the child she babysits, to the nearby grocery store at 11 pm while the Chamberlains deal with a domestic emergency. Another shopper gets “concerned” about the child’s safety at the store. Emira is black and Briar is white. She informs the security guard who pretty much accuses Emira of kidnapping a child and refuses to let her leave. In the end, Emira has to call Briar’s father to come and sort things out. All this while, another shopper at the store captures all that has happened on his phone. Alix Chamberlain is Emira’s employer. She is married to a local news anchor and is a social media star of sorts herself. She has managed to snag a book deal and hires Emira to take care of her two children—Briar and Catherine. But it’s mostly the curious chatterbox Briar that Emira has to look after as Alix doesn’t mind spending time with Catherine but can’t seem to deal with Briar. After the incident at the supermarket, Alix vows to make things right. She wants to get to know Emira better and befriend her. But Emira isn’t looking to befriend her employer. She just wants a job that provides health insurance and other benefits. Such a Fun Age is a warmly narrated story that discusses race, the choices we make, and the lies we often tell ourselves to assuage our guilt. It has a riveting plot and characters we can identify with. Kelly Copeland, the man who films the horrible incident, is an ambiguous character. One moment you like him—he seems really nice, and the other moment you are sure all his actions are guided by a problematic ulterior motive. I find myself thinking about why he acted the way he did even days after finishing the book. Reid’s writing infuses a lot of life into the story. The woman who papier-mâchés the toilet seat with toilet paper at the airport, lugging Vera Bradley luggage and clad in Lilly Pulitzer; the house guest who brings a gift of not one but two pairs of what she hopes will become her host’s “good scissors”—the use of details like these help you clearly picture the scenes. In some ways, the novel feels like it was written for the screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if a movie adaptation comes out soon. Till then, I’d recommend this book to just about everyone I meet. About the author American novelist Kiley Reid’s debut novel Such a Fun Age was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Reid started working on the novel while applying to graduate school and the book (including screen rights) was sold before she graduated. The book was also Reese Witherspoons’s first book club pick for 2020. Apart from the novel, Reid’s short stories have been featured in various publications. Four and a half stars Such a Fun Age Kiley Reid Published: 2020 Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus Pages: 310, Paperback

I was excited about Lucy Foley’s latest novel ‘The Paris Apartment’ as I had loved ‘The Guest List’. The book had an Agatha Christie vibe to it and was outlandish and ominous at the same time. Narrated from six different POVs, the story was fast-paced and gripping. Foley gave me a much-needed break from reality. I desperately wanted her to tell me another story. I wanted to be under the same spell. The Paris Apartment is about a journalist who mysteriously disappears from an apartment in Paris. His sister then arrives on the scene and starts poking around. It sounds like an engaging plot, and it’s not bad at all. It’s just that my expectations were sky-high after reading The Guest List. Most of the reviews on the GoodReads app say the same thing. Readers have liked The Paris Apartment a lot less than Foley’s other two books—The Guest List and ‘The Hunting Party’. In the book, we are introduced to Jess, who is lonely, and she’s broke. So, she asks her half-brother Ben if she can crash with him in order to get her life together. Surely, things will be better in Paris, she thinks. When she lands there from London, she finds a nice apartment that she’s not sure how Ben could have afforded in a journalist’s salary. But Ben’s not there. He wouldn’t have just deserted her like that. She knows something is wrong. She starts wondering if the other people in the apartment building know more than they are letting on about Ben’s disappearance. Everyone appears mysterious and each of them seems to have a motive. The more Jess starts digging around, the more suspicious she becomes that the neighbors are involved in something they want to hide. She repeatedly puts herself in harm’s way as someone isn’t happy with all the questions she’s asking. The Paris Apartment is dark and unsettling but there’s nothing new here for thriller and murder mystery lovers. It’s a classic locked-room mystery. It’s just that there’s no sense of urgency or claustrophobia which is what makes stories like these menacing. The pacing is also a bit slow. Foley, while trying to flesh out her characters, has sort of dragged on the plot. But a respite comes in the form of short chapters and the book does take off in the second half. All in all, it’s not a great book but you can pick it up when you want something light to read. Three stars Fiction The Paris Apartment Lucy Foley Published: 2022 Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Pages: 410, Paperback    

Bollywood doesn’t make many movies about fat people. In the Indian film industry, roles for overweight people are limited to playing punching bags for insensitive jokes and tools for comic relief. The scene might be changing a bit with films like ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ (2015), but there’s still a long way to go for Bollywood to accept people as they are. With Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles on Netflix’s recent release ‘Double XL,’ I expected a more mature, albeit comic, content that has nuances of body positivity. The movie does disguise itself as a thought-provoking story that challenges the societal norms that restrict women’s career and clothing options based on their weight and body size. But there is very little thought put into its making. Double XL is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language comedy movie that tackles the important themes of body positivity and female friendship. The film follows the story of two plus-size women, Saira Khanna (Sonakshi Sinha) and Rajshri Trivedi (Huma Qureshi), as they navigate life and embrace their bodies despite societal pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. The movie is directed by Satram Ramani and also stars Zaheer Iqbal and Mahat Raghavendra in lead roles, with guest appearances by cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Kapil Dev. At the start of the movie, we are introduced to Rajshri, an aspiring sports presenter from Meerut who faces rejection from a big sports channel due to her body type. As she tries to make a name for herself in the industry, she is constantly subjected to cruelty and criticism, whether it be from strangers or even her own mother, who blames her for not being slim enough to find a husband. Despite these challenges, Rajshri remains determined to succeed and sets off for Delhi in search of opportunities. There, she meets Saira, a fashion designer who is also struggling with body image issues following a recent breakup. The two women quickly bond over their shared experiences and decide to team up, with Saira offering Rajshri the chance to direct a travelogue for her fashion label. The two embark on a journey to London, where they not only work on the project but also discover themselves and celebrate their friendship and bodies along the way. Double XL is a well-intentioned movie that addresses important themes of body positivity and female friendship. The performances by Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi are strong, and it’s refreshing to see these popular female actors tackle these issues on screen. However, the film falls short in its execution, lacking the necessary comic zing and style to fully engage the audience. The male leads, played by Zaheer Iqbal and Mahat Raghavendra, also take away the essence of the main story with their annoying and unnecessary antics. Iqbal’s character, in particular, seems to be there purely for comic relief, constantly pulling outdated impressions and taking up screen time that could have been better utilized to further develop the female leads and their stories. Additionally, the movie suffers from a lack of originality and personality, relying on didactic conversations and cliched plot points to convey its message. While Double XL follows in the footsteps of other successful Bollywood movies that address unrealistic beauty standards, such as Dum Laga Ke Haisha and ‘Bala’, it fails to stand out and make its mark in the same way. Double XL is a disappointing film that fails to live up to its weighty theme of plus-size ambition and body shaming. The actors struggle to make their points, with over-the-top performances and a one-size-fits-all approach that results in double trouble. The writing is banal and fails to create authentic, empathetic portraits of the main characters, played by Sinha and Qureshi, who are reduced to perpetuating stereotypes. Overall, Double XL is a flimsy, padded movie that fails to make a meaningful statement. Rating: 2 stars Actors: Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi Genre: Comedy Director: Satram Ramani Run time: 2h 8m