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A group of strangers is traveling in the same vehicle through a dense forest at night. Everything is going fine in the journey when suddenly something appears in the middle of the road and unable to swerve away, the driver crashes the vehicle. The group is thus stranded in the middle of nowhere, unable to get help. On the top of that, the place they’re in seems to be haunted or has that creepy, eerie aura to it. Then they start getting killed one after another.

A rather clichéd plot for a horror movie, repeated multiple times over the years, right? Well, that’s what the freshly released “A Classic Horror Story” on Netflix wants to tell you. The Italian horror film, for which altogether four different writers take credit, at first feels like it’s a serious spoof of some iconic horror movies. But when you learn these allusions to classic horror movies are deliberate, you know “A Classic Horror Story” is not your run-of-the-mill horror flick.

Roberto De Feo and Paolo Strippoli direct this modern production that is intentionally styled after many classic horror movies. Five strangers—Elisa (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz), Fabrizio (Francesco Russo), Riccardo (Peppino Mazzotta), Mark (Will Merrick), and Sofia (Yuliia Sobol)—find themselves in a lurch when the RV they are taking crashes in the middle of the road somewhere in southern Italy. Everyone survives, but they find themselves on a clearing in a dense forest which seems to be inhabited by a cult that worships something sinister and performs human sacrifices.

Narrating the movie’s story without giving out spoilers is almost impossible. The film starts as a typical horror show but by the time you reach the second half, it tells you it is definitely not so. It then twists and turns so much that you get bewildered by the quick changes. It is a strange amalgamation of some iconic horror movies, and infused with some modern motifs to create a stylistically driven horror film that is a visual treat.

The film’s technical aspects, although the movie is seemingly under-budget compared to most Hollywood productions, are well-covered and become its highlights. More than the storytelling itself. The overall schematics, including the terrific cinematography, lighting, color grading, and background music, make this an enjoyable watch because of the visual and aural vibes it gives.

But the efforts put in by the actors as well as the production crew are somewhat discredited by the four writers of the film. Maybe a classic case of ‘too many cooks.’ Trying to cut too many corners in the film gives it a ‘wrong turn’, from where it never comes back. The direction also cannot save the film from going haywire.

To make matters worse, there are very few scary moments in the whole film. The makers have taken inspiration from classic horror movies but seem to have forgotten to emulate their shock factors. Even the ‘slasher film’ type of sequences lack the brutality and without much ingenuity, the film starts to bore by the time it reaches the second half. The makers keep the film short at 1hr 35mins and this is probably one of the wisest decisions they’ve made in making this film.

Who should watch it?

For those less acquainted with the niche world of hard-core horror films and those who prefer far less blood and gore than typical slasher flicks, A Classic Horror Story will not disappoint. It has all the elements to make for an interesting horror film, just not enough for someone whose toddler watches scary scenes from “Annabelle” and “The Nun” more than nursery rhymes.

Rating: 2.5 stars
Genre: Horror, thriller
Director: Roberto De Feo, Paolo Strippoli
Actors: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Francesco Russo, Peppino Mazzotta, Yuliia Sobol
Run time: 1hr 35mins

Simply put, Yaa Gyasi is a genius. Her books, and there are two, brim with an unparalleled understanding of the human mind and condition. You don’t just read her stories—you feel and live them. Gyasi, whose debut novel ‘Homegoing’ was published in 2016, has a subdued writing style that makes every word seem important. In 2017, Gyasi was selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young American Novelists and in 2019 BBC selected her debut as one of the 100 Novels That Shaped Our World.

‘Transcendent Kingdom’, Gyasi’s second work of fiction, was probably the most awaited book of 2020. The internet was abuzz with anticipation for another masterpiece from a brilliant writer who was only getting started. And she didn’t disappoint. The book is an excellent meditation on life and how we are sometimes consumed by our losses. But it also celebrates the resilience of human spirit and the way we don’t stop trying to rebuild our lives.

The novel’s protagonist is Gifty, a PhD candidate at Stanford University, who is running an experiment on mice to study the neural circuits of reward-seeking behavior. The mice are addicted to a sugary energy drink and caged in a behavioral testing chamber fitted with a lever that administers either the drink or an electric shock. With the help of optogenetics, Gifty is trying to identify which neurons are firing whenever the mice press the lever. She is interested in those mice that can’t stop pushing the lever, even after being shocked dozens of times.

The experiments are Gifty’s way of trying to figure out why humans do what they do. The driving force behind the study is her need to understand why her brother Nana couldn’t get over his drug addiction and make sense of his death due to overdose. Gifty hopes her work will someday lead to an effective diagnosis and treatment of addiction. Then, her mother comes to live with her after suffering from a relapse of the severe depression she had after Nana died and Gifty’s carefully crafted world crumbles. She is forced to confront some traumatic memories as she takes care of her mother.

I have always loved narratives that explore parent-children relationships. They help me make sense of the complex ways in which we are often forced to navigate it. Stories like that make me realize that you don’t always have to understand your parents and that love is still possible without it. In that way, Transcendent Kingdom really hits home and leaves you with a bittersweet feeling. It’s sad, it’s contemplative, and, above all, Gyasi’s power-packed prose haunts you for days after you finish the book. 

Four stars
Fiction
Transcendent Kingdom
Yaa Gyasi
Published: 2020
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 264, Paperback

For meme lovers and connoisseurs of contemporary online humor in our part of the world, the name Sachin Tichkule is likely to ring a bell. Especially when they are out and about in the monsoon and see roads flooded for lack of drainage, and potholes so big, they could almost be a swimming pool for toddlers. The ones acquainted with the life and times of the iconic contractor Sachin Tichkule can’t help but look for him on the streets of Kathmandu, running behind a road-roller or watching over road maintenance. 

In the 2010 Hindi-language movie “Khatta Meetha”, Sachin Tichkule (Akshay Kumar) is the man next door. He is a contractor from a respectable middle-class family who has big dreams and small coffers. With no means to pay bribes to get his hands on lucrative government contracts, Tichkule struggles to stay in business, even as his family loses faith in him.

To cope with the corrupt system, Sachin in his own wayward ways tries to be a part of the corrupt system, fighting with his self-respect while trying to succeed in his career. And luck is not on his side. Not only does he have to deal with a skeptical family and corrupt bureaucrats, the arrival of his ex-girlfriend, Gehna Ganpule (Trisha), as the area’s municipal commissioner makes matters worse. Gehna holds a grudge against Sachin because of their bitter past; she is also a strict government official and would have nothing to do with his frivolous shenanigans. 

The story of Khatta Meetha is simple yet relatable, especially in a corrupt country like ours. Written and directed by master filmmaker Priyadarshan himself, the film takes political satire to the ground level. It shows how even the smallest players in a country’s economic ecosystem could be spoiled by the greed of corrupt bureaucrats and businesspersons. The fragile morality of humans is questioned and provoked in this cleverly written film. 

Unfortunately, Priyadarshan tries to do more than narrate the struggles of Sachin Tichkule, which would have made the film more organic and realistic. Instead, the writer/director takes the focus away from Sachin in the second half to weave conspiracy theories that do not gel with the film’s opening half. Maybe this was one reason the film did not do so well at the box office when it was released. 

Still, the televised reruns of Khatta Meetha and its availability on YouTube have helped gained this film a cult following, with numerous online memes being dedicated to its characters, just like the earlier Priyadarshan-Akshay Kumar combo “Hera Pheri” (2000), which was initially a box-office dud. Khatta Meetha has a similar track record but it does not come close to the hilarious magnanimity of Hera Pheri by any chance. 

All-in-all the movie does not have an elaborate production design. As mentioned, the film portrays a part of our society almost like it exactly is. There are comparatively fewer exaggerations than most Bollywood films but it does not completely shun fictional liberties to become an arthouse cinema. It’s kind of a delectable mix of both. 

Despite Priyadarshan’s witty writing and direction, the film has its share of shortcomings. But here steps in the energetic Akshay Kumar who gives it a lift. To play Sachin Tichkule, the actor—one of the highest-grossing in the industry and also known for his versatility—has to shirk his stardom and manifest life as a common man. This, the actor does with such commitment that the character and the actor become inseparable. Also aiding Kumar with the comedy sequences is actor Rajpal Yadav as Rangeela, Sachin’s aide and confidante. Together the duo spins one magical moment after another. 

Who should watch it?

Many of you have probably watched Khatta Meetha already. But even if you have, this is one movie a lot of people won’t mind revisiting. Though not a box office hit, the movie, which portrays pervasive corruption and government apathy, was pretty relevant in the past and is equally so now. 

Rating: 3 stars
Drama
Cast: Akshya Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny Lever
Direction: Priyadarshan
Length: 2hr 38min

I have read many thrillers. So many that I’ve lost count. Over the years, I have become really good at figuring out who the bad guy is. I would say I’m right 95 percent of the time. Let’s up that to 97 percent. You can tell I’m quite smug about it, can’t you? So, when I’m more than halfway through a thriller novel and still can’t guess who the murderer/stalker/rapist is, I have to give it to the author for weaving a unique and captivating narrative. I have to concede defeat.

‘The End of Her’ by Shari Lapena never gave anything away despite having so much going on. I could not make up my mind about any of the characters. They all seemed flawed and perfect at the same time—very human. One moment I would think I had it all figured out, and the next I would be unsure again. The plotline isn’t unique but what Lapena has done with it is phenomenal.

Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin girls in New York. Stephanie is a stay-at-home mom and Patrick works a nine-to-five job to foot the bills. Despite being largely sleep-deprived, they are happy. Then Erica arrives. She was Patrick’s first wife’s best friend. She also had an affair with him. Now, she claims Patrick murdered his first wife. She then starts blackmailing the couple, threatening to go to the police otherwise.

Patrick insists he is innocent, that his first wife died of carbon monoxide poisoning. She was in the car while he was shoveling snow right before they were to leave to visit her parents. But Erica says he wanted her out of the picture so that he could start all over. She says she was too scared to come forward earlier. But she wanted to warn Stephanie when she found out he had remarried. Then, why is she blackmailing them? Did Patrick really kill his wife?

 The entire novel reads like the last 50 pages of a thriller; there is so much happening and so many gasp-inducing moments in each page right from the start. There are also other engaging sub-plots that weave into the story and make it compelling. Author Linwood Barclay called Shari Lapena ‘The queen of the one-sit read’ while Steve Cavanagh said she was one of the best thriller writers in the business. The End of Her was my first Lapena book and I’m a fan. Immediately after finishing The End of Her, I started searching for her other books and I’m elated I found ‘A Stranger in the House’. If it’s even half as good as The End of Her, it should be another fantastic read.   

Four stars
Fiction
The End of Her
Shari Lapena
Published: 2020
Publisher: Penguin Random House  
Pages: 414, Paperbac