Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 252

Voltaire’s Candide Review- Ridiculous, Entertaining, Boring in Bits

It’s funny how we didn’t have any of Voltaire’s work as mandatory reading as literature students, makes me question my degree a little. Anyway….

‘Candide’ is a novella sized satire, first published in 1759, and Voltaire had it printed in four different countries anonymously, without having his name or the publisher’s name on any page. Because he mocks the church, criticizes monarchies and didn’t want to end up in Bastille for pissing off people. The story follows young Candide, who gets thrown out of his castle, ends up in the Bulgarian military, is almost beaten to death, shuffled around the world, escaping death dozens of times through the course of this ridiculous and hilarious work.

Through his protagonist, the simple-minded Candide, Voltaire exposes and exaggerates all possible vices to be found in the world of men. It almost feels like there is no civilization, and perhaps it is reflective of the times in which he lived, where monarchies still ruled most of humanity, and men were feuding barbarians, ready to murder and rape at the drop of a hat. After a point, it’s hard to keep track of the number of lands Candide travels to, either fleeing from death or on the lookout for the woman he loves. And almost everywhere he goes, he is swindled in some way or the other. But it seems that every mortal in this story has had tragedy upon tragedy befall upon them, so much so that they can have a contest to see who has led a more miserable life, and it will hard to decide upon a winner.

Reading Voltaire makes one wonder if he is the source of the ‘comeback’/’back from the dead’ trope, popular in most television shows across the world – where a beloved character dies, only to be found alive after a few episodes. Although, one needs to credit Voltaire’s extraordinary wit, because at least his characters have more logical reasons for re-surfacing, than the ones in modern soaps. Remember, Joey from the American sitcom making a comeback as Dr Drake Ramoray in a tv soap, long after his character dies and is then resurrected after a brain surgery? Or if you are an Indian, you’d perhaps know of the many Ekta Kapoor serials, where characters die only to to be brought back from the dead in the most ingenious of ways. Voltaire’s influence is clearly everlasting.

For a lot of readers, ‘Candide’ doesn’t become interesting till at least chapter eight, until then, the story feels very disjointed and pointless, the protagonist simply floating through life, with some incredible luck on his side. In-fact, Candide is ridiculously fortunate, almost like the 18th century version of Rajinikanth (an Indian super-star who can stop bullets with his teeth), somebody who constantly survives death by a whisker. Tempests, earthquakes, lashes, daggers, diseases, nothing proves fatal to our hero. While some would say he is extremely unfortunate, but with his simple wit and easy trusting nature, he is rather extraordinarily lucky.

As far as Voltaire’s own influences are concerned, it’s very obvious that he drew heavy inspiration from the ‘1001 Nights’, stories from the Arab world. There’s an ‘oriental’ touch to the way he describes scenes that involve traveling to new places. And just like ‘1001 Nights’ embeds several tales within tales, most characters in Candide too keep narrating interesting stories. In-fact, along with mocking the Catholic church, Voltaire doesn’t shy away from mocking Islam either. There’s a part where a character recalls Muslim men of plundering and raping women, but never failing to do their prayer five times a day, amid all the chaos and barbarity. With the church he takes even more liberties, going as far as having a fictional Pope with a bastard child.

A lot of witty parallels to real figures will be lost on contemporary readers, because like most writers, Voltaire was in the habit of basing his characters on people he encountered. So It’s easy to see why the author would have wanted to remain anonymous with this wild sarcastic tale. He takes jibes at the the French, the German, the Arabs, the Bulgarians, Jews, well, pretty much everybody. If there’s one idealistic place in the text, it’s the mythical “El Dorado”, a rich inaccessible kingdom, where gold has the value of clay, diamonds and precious gems are considered mere pebbles, and travelers who accidentally find their way into that elusive kingdom, are treated no less than visiting kings. It’s the only place where the hero finally has some respite, and is able to take a real break, and yet, he leaves, for love. Of course.

In subtle ways, Voltaire contradicts all sorts of philosophies he presents through the story. While many a times he extols the virtues of being wealthy, simultaneously, he also displays how riches can only doom one to suffer more misery. Then there’s the optimistic philosophy he professes through Candide’s tutor Pangloss, who firmly believes that “every effect has a cause, and that things happen for the best”. But Pangloss expounds his theory in such an imbecilic manner, that one loathes Candide’s faithful admiration for the man. For example, according to Pangloss, people eat pork, hence, pigs are on earth to be eaten. His explanation amounts to making the effect responsible for the cause and not vice-versa.

I have to confess that half-way through, I really lost interest in the text, it gets really boring and tedious in between, and the 18th century English is just doesn’t make for smooth reading. Yet, as readers, you get invested enough to want to know what happens in the end, and the small size of the story helps. Most popular modern works seem a lot less exciting against this work, which has so much happening, that it’s ludicrous and fantastical.

It’s a 4/5 from me.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 45 – 15 Freaky Facts About The Case ‘Conjuring 3’ Is Based On

Honor Girl – Graphic Memoir Review

It’s so easy to forget what it was like to be a teen, when infatuations could seem like the end of the world if they weren’t reciprocated. Maggie Thrash in her graphic memoir ‘Honor Girl’, poignantly draws her life as 15-year-old camper, navigating with feelings for a 19-year-old counselor.

The story unfolds at the 100-year-old Camp Bellowflower for christian girls, where their days are spent blissfully in the woods, playing outdoor games or sports, reading Harry Potter, mooning over boys, teasing each other and doing little mandatory chores. Maggie is much shorter than her peers, and is slightly on the asocial side, so she prefers spending her time at the rifle range doing target practice, since it’s the highest point in the camp and very few like to hike it up. Kevin Richardson from the ‘Backstreet Boys’ is Maggie’s ideal type, so she is taken aback when she finds herself obsessed with Erin, an older girl.

The art-style in the book is very simple, like color-pencil illustrations made by a teenager, giving the mood an adolescent innocent touch. And yet, the themes are not all that simple, neither are the several girls that appear in the book, camping out and taking jabs at each other, in both fun and devious ways. Maggie’s recollections will make most nostalgic of their own teen years, regardless of whether they’ve ever attended a summer camp, isolated from the adult world for weeks.

Maggie pulls you into the past, among the giggles of her friends, and you get lost in that awkward age between adolescence and adulthood, acutely feeling the protagonist’s confusion and despair. Muggle love is such, that even the enchanting spells of the wizarding world pale in front of it. Readers would love the carmarderie between Maggie and some of her friends, who try to encourage her to pursue her feeling for the senior girl and don’t put her down for a second.

‘Honor Girl’ is a title that is bestowed upon one chosen girl in the camp, someone who is considered an ideal camper, who everyone else can look up to. The girls have a candle ceremony where everyone would light a candle, then take turns to touch the flame of the honor girl’s candle, a symbolic attempt at sharing her virtues. The title is symbolic, because for Maggice Thrash, the ‘weirdo’ for who like girls, being a ‘honor girl’ is the last thing on her mind. But who is to say what an ‘ideal’ camper is?

I loved reading every page of this graphic novel, from the simple illustrations, to the range of different girl characters, each asserting their individuality in their own unique ways. It’s funny how you will find so many relatable elements in the book, doesn’t matter if you aren’t a teen anymore, or a lesbian.

It’s a 5/5 for me.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 45 – 15 Freaky Facts About The Case ‘Conjuring 3’ Is Based On

The Sense of An Ending – Book Review

While reading ‘The Sense of An Ending’, there comes a point, where some readers will experience a wave of anxiety wash over them, making them want to begin chronicling their lives in a diary, so that they won’t be a blank page when they are old and fading. Well, at least that’s how I felt.

The 2011 novel by British author Julian Barnes, is a compelling story of how we twist our memories, to suit how we see our past selves. Like several historians have said, if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. Barnes’ book is one of those rare novels, where the theme hits you stronger than anything else. You might forget the plot, the characters, perhaps even the climax, but Barnes’ little lesson on human memory might stick around in your head for a long while.

The protagonist Tony Webster, is an ordinary middling man, now in his 60s, recalling his life and friends from school. His school friend Adrian Finn stands out the most, an earnest intelligent boy, seriously philosophizing about life, while his chums joke around. Finn eventually gets a scholarship to Cambridge and the boys barely stay in touch. Tony completely stops talking to Finn, when the latter starts dating Tony’s ex-girlfriend Veronica. However, months later, Finn commits suicide, leaving a note citing existential reasons – he didn’t choose the gift of life, so he chooses to end it. It’s hard to share Tony’s admiration for Finn, like he is some sort of tragic-philosophical-hero, who achieved eternal youth by dying young. Whatever.

Anyway, Tony continues to live an ordinary life, gets married, has a kid, gets an amicable divorce, has grand-kids, and lives a simple enough retired life. But things shake up when Veronica’s mother leaves him money and a diary – Adrian Finn’s diary. But Veronica, who he hasn’t even seen in four decades, refuses to hand it over. So what does the diary hold? And why leave it for Tony? Veronica makes it clear she is not going to simply hand him the diary and Tony is adamant of subtly badgering her about it. As the mystery unfolds, the reader is revealed that Tony’s story isn’t as straightforward as he made it out to be.

Barnes brilliantly depicts how dating and relationships worked in the 1960s, a time when the young folks were caught between the old Victorian morality of staying chaste, and the magic of modern contraception that allowed sexual freedom. However, the perils of accidental pregnancy and the ignominy that follows, still held a lot of horses back. There’s a lot of nostalgic value to the story, especially for anybody who has seen a time when hand-held mobile phones hadn’t penetrated the lives of all classes. In-fact, it’s owing to our digital devices, that our memories have become even more fragile than before, retaining less and less.

Barnes’ writing style is simple, conversational and easy to read. Some of the British slang might be lost on non-UK readers, but there are few such instances, so it doesn’t get annoying. The book is almost novella sized, so there isn’t exactly a lot of space for characters to bloom. And since Tony Webster the protagonist, is also the narrator, the reader has to heavily rely on his account of things and people. And as the story progresses, the reader realizes that Webster may not be a very good judge of character, making his evaluation of all supporting characters questionable.

Towards the climax, Barnes cleverly builds up a lot of intrigue in the plot, almost as if some big terrible secret is going to be unraveled. I had guessed a possible twist early on, and my prediction came true, but not all readers can foresee it. Or maybe I am just being pompous. Fine, maybe it’s slightly predictable for a few readers, so for them the ending will feel a little underwhelming. Barnes leaves us with some barmy philosophical rumination in the last page, and that’s supposed to console the readers who were perhaps hoping for more. Maybe some sort of closure between Veronica and Tony.

At the heart of it, ‘The Sense of An Ending’ is an ordinary tale, about a man forced to confront his past and finding new meanings to old actions. Of having to re-look the way he saw those close to him. Of accepting his mistakes, apologizing, and making peace with himself. And like I said at the beginning, it left me with this need to begin chronicling my life, so I won’t desperately look for lost memories when I am older.

It’s a 4/5 from me.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 45 – 15 Freaky Facts About The Case ‘Conjuring 3’ Is Based On

He’s All That Review – *Cringe Cringe*

How do you pick a mediocre 90s teen rom-com, rehash it & make it even worse? Watch the 2021 film ‘He’s All That’ and you will know just how. Directed by Mark Waters and written by R. Lee Fleming, who are both in their 50s, this teen-romance ends up looking like a denouncement of a generation that chronicles every little ridiculous thing they do on their instagrams and tik-toks. Maybe a younger person perspective would’ve given this re-boot more personality, instead of a social media cringe-fest.

For the uninitiated, ‘He’s All That’ is a re-make of the 1999 movie ‘She’s All That’, about a popular guy making a bet with his friends that he can pick any random girl on campus and make her prom queen within weeks. In the 2021 version, the gender roles are reversed, it’s popular teen social media star Padgett Sawyer (Addison Rae) who breaks up with her boyfriend, then makes a bet that she can pick any ‘loser’ and make him the next prom king.

If you’ve seen ‘She’ All That’, except for the gender reversal, everything is pretty much the same, except that the leads are nowhere as charming as the 90s cast & there’s a LOT of social-media/selfies. Rachael Leah Cook who was the protagonist in the older flick plays Padgett’s mom in the new one. Tanner Buchanan of ‘Cobra Kai’ fame plays Cameron Kweller, the ‘loser’ who becomes Padgett’s pet project. Buchanan looks like a lost pup throughout most of the movie, like he has very little idea what he is doing. Although, he does have a lot of fun, sarcastic lines that will crack up the viewers in the first half. But things gets completely boring, cringe-worthy and snooze-inducing in the second-half. Kweller was ‘cooler’ as the loser, than the well-groomed love-struck pup Padgett turns him into.

Addison Rae is thoroughly awkward as Padgett, even though she pretty much gets to play herself – a young ‘influencer’. And her side-kick friends are regrettably forgettable. Actually, everyone is. No points for guessing what happens in the end, so not going to write anything about the climax. It’s as cliche as cliche gets. The background music is ‘blah’. The cinematography is also about average. Not one scene stands out in my mind. The message of ‘accept yourself for who you are’ has been done better in countless other films.

It’s a 4/10 from me. If you have nothing better to do, and want to watch a silly flick with your friend(s), but don’t want to invest too much attention, ‘He’s All That’ might not be a bad pick. My friends might not agree.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 45 – For 15 Freaky Facts About The Case ‘Conjuring 3’ Is Based On.

‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ Case – 15 Freaky Facts + Film Review

Doesn’t matter if you haven’t seen the 2021 Conjuring film ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’, we give you a quick lowdown on everything, along with 15 interesting facts about the real case it’s based on, in our latest podcast episode.

But before that, a quick review of the film – Directed by Micheal Chaves, the third ‘Conjuring’ movie is about 19-year-old Arne Johnson, who killed his landlord, but claimed he was possessed at the time of the incident. How paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren untangle this mystery, forms the rest of the plot.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the Warrens continue to go strong and have given the horror community a couple to root for. Even though the real life Warrens don’t seem as nice or likable as their screen versions. The plot is far more convincing than the actual events, especially since the writers throw in another fictional paranormal story to make Johnson’s case appear stronger.

Some of the earlier scares in the film, especially the one with the exorcism of a little boy was exaggerated and heavily borrowed from old classics, but as the story progresses we get some pretty chilling scenes. Ruairi O’Connor as Arne Johnson is prefect as the tormented young man possessed by a demon. “He’ll make a good zombie” is all I could think during a scene where he walks disoriented, with blood all over him. Overall, it’s a pretty decent horror film from the famous franchise. Even though the motive of the devil isn’t clear at all. It’s a 7/10 from me.

Now listen to Abstract AF’s episode 45 for 15 interesting facts about the real life case –

‘Boomika’ Movie Review – Too Many Themes Spoil The Plot

There is an annoying character in the 2021 Horror/Thriller Indian movie ‘Boomika’ that I really hoped died of dog bites. Only because she is bitten by mad mutts in the film. That’s perhaps the strongest emotions most viewers would feel while watching the movie.

This Tamil film starts with a random fatal road accident, the victim then doesn’t make an appearance till the end of the movie, gnawing at the back of the viewers mind is the question – why in hell did they start with that sequence? So after the accident, things shift to a hill town and for a few seconds you assume it’s going to be a road trip kind of film. A guy called Vidhu (Gowtham) is driving his wife, kid, sister and a friend to a British era Bungalow, on a large property where he is working on a new real-estate project.

Okay, you assume maybe it’s a haunted house film – British era building in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forests. Netx, Vidhu’s friend who is an architect, starts texting an old friends, who they learn is already dead. So who was texting her? Maybe it’s not a haunted house, but just an elaborate trick by somebody. Or well – ghosts text. But they are ghosts, they’ve probably started using dating apps too. Beware the next time you swipe right, dear reader.

Let’s talk about the cast, I do not even want to look up the name of the actors, because it’s effort, and any more effort on this film might is not worth it, especially since nobody stands out in the cast. Only the actor who plays the titular role of ‘Boomika’ was decent. So who on earth is Boomika anyway? (Did you catch the pun? Boomika is an Indian word for earth). Well, Boomika’s identity and fate is the real mystery of the story, but by the time the makers come to that bit, at least one hour of the movie is already over, and the first half was just too random, barely fitting in with the tone of the rest of the story.

And there is that annoying character we mentioned earlier, Vidhu’s younger sister, who is a scared out of her wits in the house and keeps screaming with only half-her energy. Her half-hearted screams are not in tandem with her fear, nor are her subsequent actions. Her role adds no value to the script, except for irritating the viewer to death. The rest of the cast is only a tad bit bearable, but most of the time, their behavior is quite questionable. For example, there’s Vidhu, who claims he doesn’t believe in supernatural non-sense, but is always whisper-talking with those around him.

Let’s talk about the sudden change in tone of the film, from ‘who knows what’s happening’, in a flash the story becomes a tale of saving mother nature and how the entire planet is being plundered by humans. WTF? Curiously, there is an interesting little story in there, but it’s disjointed, forced and out of place. The writers do write to piece everything together at the end, but the explanations aren’t worth all the confusing mess that precedes it.

It’s a 4/10 from me. I don’t know if that’s harsh. Well… IDGAF.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 39 For – 15 Other Horror Films You Might Want To Skip

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf – Review

Never seen or read ‘The Witcher’ series nor played the game? That shouldn’t stop you from watching the 2021 Netflix original film ‘The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf’. If you’ve read some fantasy books in your life, you’ll get the hang of everything within the first five minutes. (I haven’t seen/read the series or the games either)

Directed by Kwang II Han and written by Beau DeMayo, Andrzej Sapkowski, this animated film packs in some bloody action right from the first minute. Funnily, it starts with a lyrical song, that’s almost comical to the ears, despite the melodious singing by a little boy character; the mood is disrupted by the brutal killing of his father by a monster. Enter a ‘Witcher’, the term for monster-slayers, who faces off with the funnily named demon.

Our hero, the Witcher, is called Vesemir (voiced by Theo James), who is a greedy violent monster-slayer, so well, not that much of a hero. The descendant of the first human mage called Tetra wants Vesemir & his kind annihilated from the land, claiming Witchers are nothing but corrupted mutants, who’ll do anything for ‘coin’, even if it means creating their own monsters to keep their business going. The King asks Tetra to prove her allegation, meanwhile, she is tasked to chaperone Vesemir to hunt down a new kind of monster ravaging their lands.

The animation is pretty good for most parts, except for the few scenes where the focus is on one object or person, then the lack of details in the bagkground really stands out. There are a lot of action sequences and the fight scenes are pretty good and engaging. However, there is no epic ‘battle royale’ in the movie, like the adrenaline packed ‘Isaac Versus Carmilla’ in the animated series Castlevania.

The overall mood of the film could’ve been lighter, with ‘greed’ and ‘morality’ being big themes throughout the course of the story. Vesemir has always been greedy for more in life, and the makers seamlessly weave in his origin story of how he goes from being a penniless orphan boy to a heartless man slicing monsters for money. So we have flashbacks to the past to understand the lead better. Just a little bit of romance is thrown in the mix, to perhaps appeal to a wider audience.

With a lot of story and just 90 minutes run-time, “The Witcher” rarely falters in pace and makes for an entertaining watch. For some viewers, it could be a lot of information overload in a short span of time.

It’s a 7/10 from me.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 43 for some free comics and graphic novel recommendations

Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ Reviewed

After being impressed with the Netflix horror/thriller series ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, which is loosely based on a novel of the same name by American writer Shirley Jackson, it was only a matter of time until I read the original source material. Let’s start by stating this – they are very, very different.

In the book, the story is set in a place called Hillsdale and follows the quest of Dr John Montague, who rents ‘Hill House’ for a month, an 80-year-old mansion notorious for being haunted, in the hopes of recording supernatural activity and writing a sensational book on it. Only two people agree to assist him on his bizarre adventure, two women who are polar opposites – Eleanor Vance, a shy introvert, and Theodora, a confident hipster. They are joined by Luke Sanderson, a young man who belongs to the family that owns the property and who’d also eventually inherit it. So unlike the Netflix series where the story centers around one family, the primary characters in Jackson’s novel aren’t related at all.

Also Read: The Haunting of Hill House Netflix Series Review – Riveting

The greatest achievement of this novel is how the author weaves a dark, ominous and oppressive atmosphere around the house, managing to create a sense of dread in the reader’s heart. Hill House doesn’t have ghosts, demons or vile apparitions that would give its inhabitants a stroke, instead, it seems to have more of a psychological effect. It’s like the house is a character in itself, a sinister presence, tormenting the minds of those who visit it. Jackson describes the rooms and corners of the property with so much detail, that readers will immediately find themselves transported to its premises. A tragic history of it’s origins and the original owner Hugh Crane, who also happened to design it, gives it a more sinister touch.

It’s important to note that the novel came out in 1959, and yet, Jackson avoids the most common trope that horror movies and books continue to use even today, much to the chagrin of readers/viewers – scenes where the group disperses to explore a haunted house, making themselves vulnerable to attacks. Dr John’s group very early on decides that they are going to watch each other’s back and stick together at all costs, except when they retire for the night. The reader is rarely given the opportunity to question the intelligence of the group, their sanity however, is a completely different matter.

What sticks out most in the book is how the four characters, who are complete strangers, establish an easy camaraderie, almost like they are a tight-knit family. It’s Dr John’s group versus the evil house, a game of sorts, where the odds are stacked against the newcomers. The author puts more focus on the women protagonists – Eleanor and Theodora, who become friends from the moment they lay eyes on each other, like long lost sisters. It’s through these two women that Jackson displays her power of writing characters. Just as quickly as the two become friends, they quickly develop a rather acrimonious bond too, spiting each other in subtle ways.

The limited number of characters gives Jackson enough scope to sketch each of their personalities in vivid brush-strokes. Apart from the primary group of four who come to live at Hill House, there is Mr & Mrs Dudley who take care of the house, but never stay on after sunset. Mrs Dudley is like a boarding school warden/cook/housekeeper rolled into one, who is least amused by the group’s endeavor to track and record any ghostly happenings in the house. Towards the end of the novel, two new characters make their entrance, Mrs Montague and her friend Arthur. They offer an interesting contrast to the already existing roster of guests in the mansion. While Mr Montague believes in taking a more scientific approach to the supernatural, his wife believes in spirit-boards and seances.

The pace of the book never slackens, it doesn’t feel tedious at any point; if anything, if feels like the climax rolls in too soon and finishes off in a flash. Making the ending a little underwhelming, especially because much is left to the reader’s imagination. We have to draw our own conclusions about the end. Also, some things are left completely unexplained – like why the Dudleys take care of the house, despite their evident fear of the property and adamant refusal to stay on the grounds once the sun sets.

Jackson cleverly leaves the reader wondering – is Hill House actually haunted at all or are its inhabitants simply ill-fated? It’s a 4/5 from me.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to Episode 39 For – 15 Other Horror Films You Might Want To Skip

‘Budugu’ Review – Good Intent Lost in Sloppy Execution

Some members of my family have a fatal flaw – we are suckers for horror movies. So if a streaming site shows up a tag of ‘horror’ for film, we’ll be quick to watch it. And so we were lured into streaming the 2015 Indian ‘horror’ film ‘Budugu’, directed & written by Manmohan.

The story follows 8-year-old Bunny, he is a problem child, with working parents who are too busy to handle the constant complaints they receive from school and teachers over his behavior. Bunny’s father Rakesh (Sreedhar Rao Chennamaneni) finally packs Bunny off to a boarding school, against the wishes of his mother Pooja (Lakshmi Manchu) and extended family. However, Bunny soon gets expelled from the new school too, over his strange behavior. The rest of the film is about how his mother tries to figure out the root of the problem, especially since it appears that Bunny can see ghosts and acts weird.

What viewers would appreciate about this Indian film is the fact that Pooja tries to be a rational mom, and instead of falling claims that her boy might be affected by supernatural elements. She takes Bunny to see a therapist, who tries to unravel the mystery of the ‘ghosts’ he has been seeing. However, some things are over-explained, and there are scenes and emotional moments that are too exaggerated to be taken seriously.

The actor who plays Bunny isn’t able to shoulder the film, he comes across as an annoying brat that would put off a lot of viewers. Lakshmi Manchu as the mother is balanced in her performance and is perhaps the only saving grace of the film. The father’s role is an awkward mix of evil and comical and Sreedhar Rao doesn’t look convincing as busy man with two kids.

Director Manmohan has his heart in the right place with this psychological thriller, where he tries to tackle the issue of behavioral problems among children and the importance of therapy. However, the script is shoddy and the scenes that are supposed to be scary are straight of our horror movies from 1980s, too cliched to make anybody flinch.

Despite a promising start, ‘Budugu’ descends into a confused, juvenile mess, leaving the viewer disappointed by the end. It’s a 4/10 from me.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

isten to Episode 39 For – 15 Other Horror Films You Might Want To Skip

‘Rang De’ Review: Regrettable Watch

“This guy looks like he is 37, and he is supposed to be in college?” I asked mom, as the two of us watched the 2021 Telugu movie “Rang De”. Directed and written by Venky Atluri, the plot is about how two neighboring kids of the same age group fall in love with each other, after feuding most of their lives. A quick search revealed that the male lead Nithiin is 38-years-old, while his co-star Keerthi Suresh is 28-years-old in real life and the age difference shows. I don’t understand why we are still making movies with 40-year-old men playing college boys? And every time I watch such tosh, I am going to complain about it. (Mom picked this one)

This movie keeps getting sillier and ridiculous by the minute. So Arjun (Nithiin) pretty much hates the neighboring girl Anupama (Keerthy Suresh), but the latter has a gigantic crush on him. The two of them hope to study in the same college in Dubai, however, when only Anupama gets admission, Arjun tries to ruin her chances. Due to some ridiculous twist that is supposed to be funny, the two end up getting married and study in Dubai together. That’s where the romance brews. Even their eventual ‘enemies to lovers’ transformation happens due to contrived circumstances.

For example, Anupama flirts with a college professor, hoping to get Arjun jealous. She however immediately regrets the decision, but the professor doesn’t back of and even threatens her, claiming he’ll get her in trouble. If Anupama is as intelligent as the movie supposes her to be, and if the college they are attending is minutely reputable, it would be the professor who would be the one in hot soup for pursuing a student. This is not some random school in an unknown village, where one can victim shame a girl for merely mildly flirting with a teacher. Ugh.

Anyway, Arjun fights the bad prof and you can only guess what happens next. Neither the comedy is funny enough, nor is the romance sweet. It’s just a silly movie that perhaps only fans of the stars would enjoy. Such a regrettable watch. I didn’t even watch the climax, completely lost interest. So I am not going to rate it.

Subscribe to our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 29 for some fun movie recommendations.