Halloween Special Top 20 Horror Movies Of All times

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE HAVE A SPOOKTASTIC DAY

this for all horror movie maniacs
A Few Must Watch Horror flicks For all those movie enthusiasts

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. (118 mins.)

Director: Jonathan Demme

Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine

Matias Mendez rated this .

2.

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Tesis (1996)

While doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty... (125 mins.)

Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Stars: Ana Torrent, Fele Martínez, Eduardo Noriega, Xabier Elorriaga

Scream (1996)

A killer known as "ghost face" begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one. (103 mins.)

Director: Wes Craven

Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich

Nightwatch (1997)

Ewan McGregor plays a law student who takes a job as a night watchman at a morgue. He begins to discover..

Director: Ole Bornedal

Stars: Ewan McGregor, Nick Nolte, Patricia Arquette, Josh Brolin

The Faculty (1998)

Students suspect that their teachers are aliens after bizarre occurances. (104 mins.)

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Stars: Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett

The Sixth Sense (1999)

A boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist. (107 mins.)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Three film students travel to Maryland to make a student film about a local urban legend... The Blair Witch... (81 mins.)

Director: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez

Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard, Bob Griffith

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Stigmata (1999)

A priest from the Vatican is sent to Sao Paulo, Brazil to investigate the appearance of the face of the Virgin Mary on the side of a building... (103 mins.)

Director: Rupert Wainwright

Stars: Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce, Nia Long

Final Destination (2000)

After a teenager has a terrifying vision of him and his friends dying in a plane crash, he prevents the accident only to have Death hunt them down, one by one. (98 mins.)

Director: James Wong

Stars: Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke

The Others (2001)

A woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted. (101 mins.)

Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann

28 Days Later... (2002)

Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary. (113 mins.)

Director: Danny Boyle

Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer

The Ring (2002)

A young journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it. (115 mins.)

Director: Gore Verbinski

Stars: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, David Dorfman

Signs (2002)

A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come. (106 mins.)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Stars: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

A group of friends passing through are stalked and hunted down by a deformed killer with a chainsaw in order to sustain his poor family who can only afford to eat what they kill. (98 mins.)

Director: Marcus Nispel

Stars: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Andrew Bryniarski, Erica Leerhsen

Identity (2003)

Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rainstorm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one. (90 mins.)

Director: James Mangold

Stars: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes

The Descent (2005)

A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators. (99 mins.)

Director: Neil Marshall

Stars: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder

The Mist (2007)

A freak storm unleashes a species of blood-thirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole-up in a supermarket and fight for their lives. (126 mins.)

Director: Frank Darabont

Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher

The Orphanage (2007)

A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, where she opens an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend. (105 mins.)

Director: J.A. Bayona

Stars: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera

Let the Right One In (2008)

Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire. (115 mins.)

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

A loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point. (99 mins.)

Director: Sam Raimi

Stars: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Ruth Livier, Lorna Raver

Halloween Movie : Trick 'r Treat

‘ Halloween is the night dead rise to walk among us. The rituals of All Hallow’s Eve were devised to protect us. One small town is about to be taught a terrifying lesson that traditions are best not forgotten. ‘

Trick r’ Treat is a 2009 movie by Michael Dougherty based on his short film Season’s Greetings. Trick r’ Treat is an anthology of four Halloween Stories. The movie starts with a woman who is the Grinch equivalent of Halloween-she hates everything about the night. She blows out a Jack-o-Lantern which is a big Halloween no-no & is about to be taught a lesson. Everything about this movie drags you in from the start-the comic book style credits , the atmosphere it sets and mainly Sam – an orange pajama ,burlap sack over his head wearing cute villain who punishes everybody who break the Halloween traditions. He is tiny, looks vulnerable yet creepy at the same time & you cannot help loving him.

Trick r’ Treat is the best movie made in a really long time. It is classic horror and wants you to have fun without disgusting you or ghosts jumping out at you every second. The movie has excellent acting ,excellent story line, excellent villain. This beautiful season is coming to an end & Trick r' Treat is THE perfect movie to end it with - on 31^st Oct at midnight & I highly recommend it.

I hope everybody gives this movie a chance & love it as much as I do.

Happy Halloween <3 :)

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Doomsday Activity?

Okay, so the last week was all about Halloween on the blog. Neeshita's top Halloween picks, Rafi's Halloween love story and Aishan's... well... Aishanism!

So how about we set up a theme this week?

The only thought that sprung to my mind for sensational and multi dimensional writing was the phenomenon of 2012.

Yes, write about the 2012.

Make it a review on the movie, a satire on the concept, a factual narration and yes even a love story set against that backdrop!

Explore any genre!

Just remember... 2012!

What say?

p.s: If you are going to be writing... make sure to leave a comment beneath so that we await your write up! And keep pestering if you forget! :P

The Night of Halloween’s Eternal Romance.

The Night of Halloween’s Eternal Romance.

S.M.Y.Rafi a.k.a Mr.Green.

It was the time of the day when the stars and the moon are ushered into the sky. The crimson light that the evening sun roped back seemed to struggle against its owner, wanting to lighten the surroundings that fast darkened with the coming of the night of Halloween. She wanted to revive the spirits of someone and also to lift the spirits of another one with a final touch of her before the owner ended the brief cusp. She had found a special corner for them in the glimmering dust.

One of the sunlight-loved ones lay; lay inside the womb of a withered flower of the sun which stood alone amongst weeds dark and aged tomb-stones. To all he was unseen but still he was sought after by a soul in despair. This soul in despair was the other one whose spirits were to be lifted, a girl who was barely breathing in this cruel world for a tenth year. She joined her two petit palms and formed a cup in which she collected her tears- refreshing tokens of love she called them. Closing her eyes, she reminisced all the moments she cherished when with the departed one. Then she moved the palm cup forth and tilted it to set the pigeons from her tears on their travel towards the withered flower. The sunlight added its wishes by making these drops shimmer. The journey was short and swift and the tears flocked around the departed one- unseen but still there. Smiling at the girl who couldn’t see him, the departed one drank the nectar of memories and passed into his past- sweet but short.

When he had first received vision, a jelly like sphere covered him and he called it his little world. He spent days in it lying. Then his curiosity grew and he tried to explore things he could hazily see from within his sphere. And then he emerged out of it and his eyes were treated to an endless space of green. He was so awe-struck by it all that his senses couldn’t tell him what to do with the world he now owned. So he started consuming the green to grow big and find something of worth past the monotonous sea. It also was the frustration which made him eat so much. The free time at hand taught him a skill of weaving a strong string of silk to climb up the tall trees and swing back down. It brought him some joy and made him feel like he could fly. But soon this too became a boring repentance of his only habit and he started to hate the false dream he lived in when swung. His longing to travel lengthened without measure. But there was no hope of a miracle that would satisfy him by giving him what he called ‘the far off satisfaction’. So he kept swinging and eating and grumbling, hopeless and lonely. This loneliness ate his sanity and the hopelessness gave him hope of salvation that was death. He climbed a tree and slowly spun around himself a hanging coffin of silk. As he saw the last of the unending green, his huge shiny eyes showed him a glimpse of something he had never seen before and he lost himself in the very moment of ecstasy. And then in a flash he again saw the unending green as he found himself pushing out of his coffin involuntarily. He thought he was being taken into a place where the dead live. But then he felt a gush of wind, as small as the definition of smallest could be. He turned his head back to find wings. Lady rainbow had protruded into his coffin and painted them and he did not know how his wings came into existence. His moment of wonder was halted by a sudden rush of emotions called ‘happy realization’ that his so thought death was a portal into a place where he could live his dreams. Duly excited, he tore away his coffin and emerged out of it, spread his wings wide and beamed with pride, pride that he could fly. The sunlight made his rainbow painted wings glimmer and he thanked her for it. He had found the means to transport him further, beyond the unending greens. And happily he swirled and waltzed and fluttered in the air and made for the horizon. It was a long journey and he travelled alone but then whenever he came close to the horizon, it would run away from him. The sunlight called him but he couldn’t reach her. It confused him and he went in circles until he felt giddy. Stuttering on the fabric of air, he glided down and lay in the grass again and soon he was asleep. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a white cushion and he faced a creature with huge eyes, eyes bigger than his and had features he had never seen before. Intimidated, eh cowered and closed his eyes and he did not know how but he felt sudden love within him and when he looked at her, he knew all about her. He flew towards her and sat on her cute nose. She smiled, gently removed him off her nose and gave him a kiss. That was the moment he felt that he had achieved ‘satisfaction’ and his soul seeped through her eyes and told her that he called her ‘friend’. Since that day he stayed with her and lay in her palm or hair. The girl had no proper food to eat, nor did she have someone to take care of her. All that surrounded her was gloom and death and corpses. Her only shelter was a tent hidden in bushes. But now she had him as he had her and they enjoyed their company, forgetting all things of the past and of the present. But they also forgot death would come to separate them and also that it would strike them first as they lived in her courtyard. And death did come to them and held him captive. The girl begged death to let go of him but the latter said ‘it was time’ and their battle went for few days. Then came the night of Halloween and he lay in her palm- struggling. She wept and watered a sunflower that turned away from the sun and faced darkness. He asked her to place him on its bosom and that he would always be there, till she was there, looking at her even after he departs his body. He asked her to bathe him in her tears and drink them back when they passed through him and hang off the petals, the memories would combine, he surmised. Making his smile visible to her for the last time, he left his body and she covered it in the petals.

It was Halloween again and he lay there, as she sat there, they wept and they exchanged memories through the medium of tears- connecting two worlds apart. She would do it every day but it was this very night that magic would come alive. Every year, for endless years, on this night their souls would dance, dance in remembrance. They called this night Halloween’s eternal romance.

If God is Good Why Do I Suffer?

If God is Good Why Do I Suffer?


Most of us hate to suffer. And it is understandable since we are not masochist.

But sometimes the very suffering we hate is God’s blessing to us.

The father does not enjoy seeing his son in pain, but it is a process that his son needs to take. At that moment the child feels betrayed by his father because he does not understand what is going on.

So are we.

When suffering hits us we feel abandoned or betrayed by God. But like little children we do not see the whole picture, the whole movie of our lives. We see that painful moment at the whole of life itself. God looks out not only for our present but for our future as well.

Painful as it is for God to see us suffer, but if it is the only way to save us, He will endure it.

At the end of our life, when we are facing almighty God, we will see that all our sufferings made sense. And we will be even thankful for those sufferings because it brought us to where we are then.

Heaven.

Halloween Movie : Coraline

" Hush & shush, for the bedlam might be listening. "

Coraline is a 2009 animated movie based on Neil Gaiman's Novelette of the same name. Coraline Jones-a blue haired,yellow coat & boots wearing girl, moves to Pink Palace Apartments. She is bored & isn't happy about the move. To top that off her parents are always busy with no time for her. She wanders off one day & meets a boy named Wybie who gives her a doll that strangely looks a lot like her. She pays no heed & discovers a small door in her living room. The door opens every night into a colorful passage to Other World, where she meets her Other parents. They are perfect-they give her attention, they cook her delicious food, they garden, but they have buttons for eyes. Despite being warned by Wybie's cat,she visits the Other World every night. Soon her Other Parents invite her to stay with them forever & she considers it-until she is told she must have buttons sewn on her eyes.

Coraline is a great movie with an excellent story-line. Exquisite attention to detail in the animation makes it all the more enjoyable. It is full of dark humor & has a Tim Burton feel to it. The movie is spooky, horrifying,dark, yet colorful & wonderful at the same time.

http://chinkybecrazy.blogspot.com/

Halloween Movie : Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus is a 1993 Disney movie about the Sanderson Sisters. It's 1693-Salem& the Sanderson witches lure children to their cottage to suck the life force out of them so they become young & beautiful. They soon are hunted down by a mob & hung. While being hanged one of the witches casts a curse that on the night of a full moon on All Hallow's Eve, a virgin will summon them back from dead & they will claim the lives of all the children in Salem. 300 years later a teen (a non-believer) who thinks Halloween was created by the candy companies moves to Salem with his family. While out with his Halloween obsessed sister & crush Trick or Treating he resurrects the witches by lighting a Black Flame Candle & chaos ensues.

The movie has fine actors & an excellent story-line. It is one of the best acted roles by Bette Midler & Sarah Jessica Parker as two of the Salem Sisters. The movie is funny,cute & worth a watch, especially for Halloween.

http://chinkybecrazy.blogspot.com/

Stuff It Miss Muffet !

Stuff It Miss Muffet!

What really happened

Lil Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet with her stash in a bucket.

She dealt in an alley and was very pally with the cops in the valley.

They never said a word, so she sold the curd, to the addicts undisturbed.

Spider was an addict, couldn't kick the habit. He just had to have it.

He slept on the pavement, wore torn raiment, and raped for entertainment.

He drank a lot of whey, ate curd all day, and he earned no pay.

When he ran out of stock, he bought himself a Glock, and kept it full cocked,

He went to the lair, found Miss Muffet there, pointed the gun to her rear.

When she saw the gun, Lil Miss Muffet had to run! And that, everyone, was how it was really done!

A bit closer to reality, yeah?

People

Oh people they are a weird species,

Their problems are self inflicted rabies,

And yet they howl like babies!

Some live in the past,

For as long as their lives may last,

Some fret over the future,

Uncertainties they breed and nurture,

The thought of a present is lost,

In envy, hatred and a mask of frost,

Of the rare happiness that comes,

is quashed by doubts, self pity and the occasional grudge.

The winner stands on top alone,

The loser gives up up everything to be a clone,

The audience is left bewildered,

Which side to choose is the question?

Some neither win nor lose,

They sit aloof and tighten the noose,

On those who sought to take a risk,

They are hungry for entertainment and a few kicks

Some are always desperate to "help",

Its their life's mission they tell,

Can they even help themselves I'd like to know,

Why be all mighty in order to take a bow?

Life is a flighty temptress,

What they have is never enough,

They plough to find the gold mine,

Or succumb to wine,

Or both.

They come in different shapes and size,

Each wants to lead an extra ordinary life,

They strive on being "individualistic"

And show they are above being materialistic

Yet they desperately seek attention,

And it becomes a bone of contention,

A pathetic tale of trials and tribulation.

The Wolf Who Cried Sheep

The Wolf Who Cried Sheep

A bedtime Story

This is Monsieur K.

Monsieur K is a wolf in wolf's clothing.

See Monsieur K try on wool. See him fail.

This is Mademoiselle N.

Mademoiselle N is extremely hot.

See Monsieur K have a boner. Do you have a boner?

This is Monsieur K's room.

Monsieur K has a bag of money.

See Monsieur K touch himself, gazing at the bag of money. This is his happy time.

This is the floor of Monsieur K's room.

Be careful, it is slippery.

Monsieur K touched himself and made the floor slippery. What's that smell?

This is a street.

Mademoiselle N is walking down the street.

See Monsieur K with the bag of money, following her into an alley. Do you follow people?

This is an alley.

People like Monsieur K like to corner you here.

See Monsieur K corner Mademoiselle N. He is creepy.

This is an indecent proposal.

Monsieur K is offering Mademoiselle N money for "love".

See Monsieur K try to buy Mademoiselle N's "love". She is offended.

This is a kick to the nuts.

Mademoiselle N has embedded her heels in Monsieur K's privates.

See Monsieur K clutch his privates in pain. He is now a eunuch.

The End

Moral of the story - You can't buy love. Or the sum just wasn't high enough. Or somethin'.

Halloween Movie : Beetlejuice

"Lets turn on the juice & see what shakes loose."

Beetlejuice is a 1988 movie directed by Tim Burton. The movie starts with a childless couple planning to spend their summer re-decorating their home. The couple soon meet with an unfortunate accident & drown. They find a book waiting for them at home - Handbook for the recently Deceased- & realize they're dead. The house is soon occupied by another family,who have a daughter named Lydia-a dark circles,funeral clothes wearing,depressed Lydia who can see them while other people "won't" see them. They find a pamphlet in their Handbook to call upon Betelgeuse-a crazy bio exorcist,whom you will love yet despise-to drive the new residents out of their house. They call upon him despite being warned by their after-life Case Worker not to.

The movie is a classic Tim Burton-huge worms,crazy people,colorful yet grim settings-quirky & fun. The makeup & special effects-though outdated now-are excellent for the 80s. The movie doesn't bore you at any point & flows on seamlessly. A MUST see for Halloween.

http://chinkybecrazy.blogspot.com/

For Mohit Chauhan fans...

http://surabhireflects.blogspot.com/2011/10/there-is-something-about-mohit-chauhan.html

I stand on top of Mount Epidrae and look for you....

Today I puked a fountain of blood

and it filled my mouth, nose and lungs

caused a pain in my chest, horrific like Mirkwood- suffocating and dense.

but you should see the condition of my soul,

just peep through my heart's tiny hole

and envision the one, the 'memory you' who has a hold- a hold on my world.

about this to everyone I've told

but none knows the hurt, ten folds of a witch's dirty roll.

there was someone, someone called 'you' who entered my seamless fantasy world

you were the only one

who could say what I was going to say,

every-time, you had a copy of my mind.

But now I simply, relentlessly, whine

I simply cry when alone I dine, when alone I lie

you were one of a kind

for you I put everything on line

and i sketched you, made you the subject of a hundred poems

only for you to leave me after years of the most beautiful friendship

and then I had to pass through more hardship than I've ever been through

but again the extrovert you made me has turned again into a better yet a bit bitter introvert

I've risen above the dirt and here I stand on top of Mount Epidrae, one of the homes of my fantasy world

and I search for you everywhere- in the plains, plateaux, mountains, oceans, seas and on the scales of fishes that swim upstream.

And I fill it all with my art

so that I find you somewhere and live in it with you- content of my heart

And so my message bearing eagles spread like mountain mist

as my subconscious still chooses you for the one to miss.

Yet I wish I never met you

wish I had never felt that bliss

it seems like mumbling but its a dirge for a dead love

killed like an innocent dove.

just leave your hold over me and go away

just melt away like clay!

and come back never again!

my pleading falls on deaf ears much to my dismay.

I know that part of your soul which made me complete will never leave me,

it will forever torture me,

it will make me cry, will make me smile,

will make me angry,

wish I could use our code of '143'

sadly, now it doesn't exist,

wish I could hear you call me in your unique way- i miss that word 'barbie boy', O once my baby...

and I've been missing you much lately,

I must say even more greatly

where was this evil dungeon dug, so dark and empty,

which took you away from me,

our love, it was termed the epitome of purity,

both by the peoples of this world and of my fantasy

all because of knowing each other's words like an open portal into future,

yet I never touched you, you never touched me.

then what was missing? was it the tiniest of mistakes I committed when I sketched you countless times from my memory?

tell me baby, look into my bloodied eyes,

tell me will I ever see you face to face again?

will I feel complete again,.. with our love, our friendship?

everyone's in relation these days but as many have claimed

it was the purest they've ever seen

why have you left my world of fantasy, O my princess?

why do you not give that look like a caress?

why has it turned into hatred?

a hatred to maybe hide your pain,

I don't like images of you washing away with tears that rain,...

and fall and vaporize on fate's hard bamboo cane,..

there was ever boon and no bane

but you still left me, baby

you're making me cry, please don't make me cry

I've tried to live with the pain

I've gone far from the ones I call lifetime besties,

I've secluded myself in my world again,

Poetry is the language of my soul, Amor Mio,

and yet I feel awkward writing all this,

though I feel it, love has become a joke to me,

something of a mockery to my maturity

what is this condition? is it the side effect of a separated 'one' ?

I wish I could again sing 'unmistakable' and see you walk out of 'our' dreams

and embrace me, finally,..

but its only my art that now I live in, sadly,..

I can write forever baby,

I can go on forever

but the fear remains

that there's nothing of the foolish me that you remember......

My blog :) (its still a baby)

http://mrgreensimaginarium.blogspot.com/

Fantasy Poem of a re-united Lover

Slaying dragons

hanging under wagons

dodging firing cannons

accompanied by a Czar in travel

here I am, right in front of you, at last

The many ditches I fell in

were not deeper than the void my heart was thrust in

I was au courant about what I was going to face

keeping aside my amour propre

earned my bread as a street performer

i was pret-a-porter donkey skin

even in utter disgust, gave a grin

inspite of a plenty risks, I came and honored our tryst

because

your radiance is a little sunshine

your lips as rouge as red wine

your eyes, two shining stars in the sky

your voice I can't resist

staring at you I can't desist

thats why here I am, right in front of you, at last

witnessing the spectacle you are

flying on griffins

outwitting the sphinx

having a fete with the nymphs

battling pharaohs and kings

here I am, right in front of you, at last

travelling through time and space

giving the Brothers Grimm a tale

crossing oceans inside a whale

here I am, right in front of you, at last

fighting the savage trolls

skipping past gaping holes

chased by a swarm of bees

sleeping under bewitched tress

winning a sword-fight against a corsaire

escaping a vampire's lair

getting trapped in a witch's care

going where no one dare

nearly becoming an ogre's prey

meeting werewolves on the way

here I am, right in front of you, at last

all this time I knew my love for you will last

yes, I was right, my heart beats only for you

thats why here I am, right in front of you, at last.

~ Rafi Mr. Green

Book Review: Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat

Revolution 2020 is the latest offering by the celebrated Indian Author Chetan Bhagat. Bhagat has always been known for his connect with the Indian youth and his books are out and out best sellers despite protests from critics.

Revolution 2020 is no different. The book cover talks about "Love. Corruption. Ambition." and you are enthralled by what you see. The back cover reveals that the story is set in Varanasi, a city that is written more for its Ganges rather than the people. Yes, this approach pays off. For the first time you are going to be exposed to people from this city and youths at that.

Yet, Bhagat disappoints here. There is no insight in youths from Varanasi. Instead we are treated to his usual cocky protagonist (Gopal) who is greyer than before and a girl (Aarti) who is bold and free spirited for the protagonist as well as Varanasi. Be it Ahemdabad, Delhi, Chennai or Varanasi, Bhagats characters remain same. Yet, there is a third character (Raghav) a passion driven revolutionary. He is a character Bhagat has never written before and that could be the reason we see very less of him in the book.

And then there is IIT and AIEEE.

The story is simple about three friends from the small town of Varanasi. One of them is an intelligent student making it into IIT in his first attempt but wishes to bring about a revolution instead with his writing skills. The second is our protagonist coming from a poor family where his father is the sole bread winner who also harbours engineering dreams but fails in two attempts. The third is the probably the most half baked character written by Bhagat, the girl Aarti, harbouring a desire to become an air-hostess from a tender age of 10 she is the protagonist's bestfriend and love interest. She is confused and vague. You cannot connect with her at any point. Here, the author exhibits his lack of understanding of female emotions and keeps them stereotypically similar.

The story progresses to adult lives with both the men clashing over the corruption in the system and of course the girl. One chooses to blend with the system to succeed as the other vows to bring it down by hook or crook.

From here on the story is as predictable as Gujarat's weather.

In terms of writing, the book is engaging at some points yet randomly slags more than a few times.

It comes at a time when young Indians are looking forward to weed out corruption from the crux yet it chooses to be a love story rather than highlight the woes faced by nation. It could have been a lot more.

There is no doubt that every boy in the country reading Bhagat will enjoy it in bits and pieces. Ardent readers, not so much.

Quick Take: A story worthy of tired and tested Bollywood triangles. Cannot out do the humour of Two States.

The Hunger Games vs The Maze Runner : Book Review

The Hunger Games are a trilogy of novels written by Suzanne Collins. It is set in a future dystopian society where North America is split into 12 districts. Every year the Capitol forces the districts to offer two children each,a boy and a girl,as Tributes as punishment for the districts rebelling against them a century back. The 24 kids are then put into an Arena and forced to fight to death until one winner emerges. Winning not only means they get to stay alive, they also secure food for everyone in their district for an year while the remaining districts try to stay alive on their limited food supply. The Hunger Games are told from the perspective of Katniss Everdeen.

The Maze Runner is a novel written by James Dashner. Also set in a future dystopian society, the protagonist Thomas wakes up in a box-like structure with no memory of how he got there or what his last name is. He surfaces into a place called the Glade-filled with 50 boys. It's a closed structure with no way out & a Maze outside its walls. Everyday 8 Runners run through the Maze, trying to find a way out it's ever changing walls & trying their best to survive the Grievers-monsters which are half flesh,half metal. The Maze & Glade seem familiar to Thomas though he's positive he's never been there before.

The books are not for the faint-hearted. They are not only violent, but also depressing at times. The books are well written and i personally connect well with the protagonist of Hunger Games and understand what she goes through or the decisions she makes. The concept of Hunger Games is very similar to the famous Batoru Rowaiaru (Battle Royale) written by Koushun Takami. Though both books are worth a read with well-written&good story-lines,The Hunger Games are definitely more interesting.

The Hunger Games- *****/5

The Maze Runner   - ****/5