The Expression Hub

  • An abnormal tale?

    Published by

    Roshani Patil

    on

    Author: Jason Pargin

    Genre: Comic-horror

    “I knew nothing but shadows and I thought them to be real.”

    Oscar Wilde

    Sincerest apologies for being away from you people since a long time. I guess I must have been away from the writing space since two weeks. Believe me I missed my calm as well thanks to my hectic schedule . Life can be hectic especially when you try to juggle multiple things at once. But I guess sometimes its okay to take a break when life gets a bit hectic so as to realign your things as well as your thinking. Though it does disturb your routine a bit but you do come back fresh and clear.

    Okay so lets set the ball rolling since its been a pretty long time I hit the keys. Halloween is just 2 days away and since we had dedicated October to things which are supposed to be eerie and paranormal, bringing to you a book which belongs to the genre. This book again seemed interesting when I first heard the title but was a bummer. Yet I as a responsible blogger will review about the same😝 and leave the choice to you whether you want to indulge in the same or not. This is because there can be a difference in the opinion as well. What might seem as a total disappointment from my side might be a treasure from your side isn’t it? So, keeping this in mind lets dig in my latest pick.

    About the book: This one’s called John Dies At the End. This title seemed interesting and what added to my interest when I initially searched for this one was that it was supposed to be a horror with a dose of comedy. So, this had piked my interest.The book supposedly narrates the tale of two paranormal investigators named David and John who live in an unnamed Midwestern town. Dave meets a reporter named Arnie in a local restaurant and starts recounting the origin of his and John’s unusual abilities. The main story begins where John is performing with his band. David leaves the party early after confronting an amateur magician who is supposed to have some supernatural powers which leaves him shaken. David is awakened by John in the middle of the night by John in order to save him from something. After going to someone’s house John reveals that he has taken a drug known as Soy Sauce😂(what a weird name for a drug) which causes those who consume it to drift to a place from where they cannot return. But it seems as John and Dave miraculously escape the ill effects of the drug . However, they begin encountering a lot of monstrous beings and a lot of strange phenomena caused by these monstrous beings. The rest of the story narrates of how John and Dave fight these monstrous beings and the story of their adventures being recounted by Dave to Arnie who seems not to be buying the tale despite being shown the evidence.

    Analysis: This book tries to explore some paranormal elements called the Shadow Men and their devotion to a big boss called Korrok who is supposed to cause all the trouble . But lets be honest the story could have been more interesting. I personally found the whole story to be super confusing. Also, the confusing plot makes the story to be super boring. What was supposed to have piked my interest initially turned out to be a super frustrating journey. I just wanted to stop reading the book thanks to the plot but the stubborn part of mine I just persevered throughout the book though it was a complete pain for me. The reason being I just feel it is sort of an injustice to leave a book incomplete however boring the plot maybe. Though it feels like a pain in the ass to finish boring plots, but the obsessive part of me just wants to finish whatever undertaken to the finish line. This can be viewed as a good or a bad quality. Good because you finish the work and bad because you can be viewed as an obsessive human being and also a person who will procrastinate the work until it is perfect. But with time I have learnt not to feel bad about my obsessive side because it allows me to get my work done. And as long as my work is done I don’t give a hoot.

    Verdict: A book which could have had a better plot given the genre.The thought I was having while reading the book was what the heck am I reading ? But somehow the obsessive side let me finish the book. Personally speaking, I did not enjoy the book. In other words it was a pain to finish the book due to a lack luster yet super boring plot. The only interesting part was the character of Molly which provided some comic relief .

    Que: What is the name of the band of which John is a member of?
    a. Beastie Boys

    b. Red hot chilli peppers

    c. Three arm Sally

    d. Dire Straits

    Cite Bite:” Which would prove I’m a monster, Arnie? Sacrificing the people I love for the fight? Or walking away from the fight to save the people i love?”(David to Arnie)

    Continue reading →: An abnormal tale?

  • The ghosts I encountered….

    Published by

    Roshani Patil

    on

    “Ghost stories always creep me out and weird me out. Those are always interesting to watch.”

    Jessica Szohr

    Wishing all my readers a very Happy Navratri. Well, for those who are not aware, it is a 10 day festival that celebrates the victory of the good over the evil. It is said that Goddess Durga fought for 9 days against the bovine asura Mahishasura in these days and on the 10th day which is also known as Vijayadashmi or Dussehra , she finally managed to slay him thus earning the title Mahishasurvardini meaning the one who slayed the demon Mahishasur. Hope this festive season brings a lot of positivity and happiness and help you overcome all the evils residing in you and in all of us including me . 😅 After all someone has said it aptly that it is very difficult to kick out bad habits and difficult to form new and better habits. So, let us use this festive season as an excuse to form better habits and transform into a better versions of ourselves.

    Well, since its the month of Halloween and I have promised you to give you an exciting lineup of things related to the same, presenting to you my thoughts related to the same. I was supposed to cover a book today but since I haven’t finished it yet so can’t comment on the same right. After all one need not judge a book by its cover but judge when the entire book is finished.🤣😝Sorry for the bad joke but I guess I simply couldn’t resist one.

    Okay so addressing the elephant in the room , have I had my tryst with any paranormal element as some people might have had in their real life? Well maybe once in my real life and several in the world of fiction. The incident which took place in my real life must have been when I was around 4-6 years old. Me with my family were on a stroll after dinner and just when we finished walking, we sat down to have a talk . My brother loved playing pranks on me and never left an opportunity to scare the daylights off me suddenly asked me to look at the sky. Back then I was a very timid girl, who used to be scared off small things . And I with the innocence a child has looked up in the sky. What I saw scared me that I couldn’t open my mouth in fear. There was something in the night sky which looked like a pair of ghost eyes. Was it a ghost or just my imagination running wild or a prank by my brother or something else that is the mystery which has still intrigued me ? But that was my tryst with a paranormal element in the real life. And the reason why it is intriguing is that when I looked in the night sky the second time on the same night after some time and some courage I did not find those mysterious somethings in the sky but just a clear night sky with a few stars. Interesting twist isn’t it?

    While this was what I experienced in the real life, in the reel life I have had my fair share of paranormal elements. From watching the cartoons of The Addam’s Family or Courage the Cowardly Dog (I am a kid of the 90s so you can say Cartoon Network was a big life saver as it had the most interesting cartoons at that time). Though I don’t remember watching them frantically but whenever I got the opportunity I did end up watching these cartoons a lot. I did love the title soundtrack of the Addam’s Family. I have also had my share of demons in reading various mythological stories. I actually enjoyed the stories where the demons were killed by the Gods or someone very powerful. As I grew up I remember reading a story about Medusa and a play written by Charles Dickens called the Christmas Carols which does deal with the ghosts out there as well. While in the movie space I do remember watching Raaz which had Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea with Ashutosh Rana. I don’t know about the other Raaz movies but this one in the climax had left me terrified.Also, the movie of Bhool Bhulaiya which has Vidya Balan possessed and a movie series named The Librarian(remind me to cover it in my blog posts as I am a big fan of this series) . I am trying to remember if there were any more encounters I had with regard to this space but I think this is all it . I generally try to avoid this genre a lot so maybe that explains my limited encounters in this space.

    What were your experiences with regards to the paranormal in the real or the reel life? Would love to hear about the same. Do share with me in the comments section. Maybe with time I will muster more courage and try to explore the space more. Waiting for your lovely replies. Also, a gentle reminder about what should be the theme for the month of November? Though I have the month planned but I would love to hear your suggestions as well. Wishing you all a happy week ahead with lots of love and care.

    “He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.”

    Aristotle
    The Addam’s family
    Continue reading →: The ghosts I encountered….

  • The secrets of Tokyo…?

    Published by

    Roshani Patil

    on

    Genre: Supernatural/ horror

    Number of episodes:6

    Presented by: WOWOW

    “You can’t escape your past. Wherever you go, the memories will follow , haunting you like a ghost.”

    Veronica Roth

    After concluding the Awesome teacher series, I asked myself how do I move on with the month of October ? After all, I can move every month with the same usual routine of delivering a review of a web series , a book and a movie . But that can make things boring down the line. So, after giving some thought, I thought lets experiment with something. If you have been following my blog diligently, you would have observed this since a few months . And if you haven’t, I have been taking up a theme and trying to revolve my posts around them as an experiment as well as in order to shake and spice things a bit. After all, life can tend to be monotonous isn’t it ? Do let me know your thoughts in the comments section about this so called experiment. If you do enjoy it, then we can continue with the same for some time until and unless I feel shaking things again😅.

    Well, what do you think I would have chosen the theme for October? After all, you should be getting some ideas by looking at the genre. So, did you guess it ? If your guess was something related to horror or supernatural you were pretty close. The theme for October is Let’s Celebrate Halloween. Now, mind you the festival of Halloween is not that a big affair in a country like mine. Though in our country, we have always loved the stories of paranormal as they make up for interesting bedtime stories as well as topic for gossip. Though I have not been a great fan of this genre to be honest. Call it my fear or just me not being a fan of the genre or maybe the dislike for such gossip due to being a classic introvert(actually I hate any type of gossip😆). But this time I did decide too challenge myself and push myself a bit out of the comfort zone. After all if you need to grow as a person, then the best way to do is to challenge yourself. So, if you are a paranormal enthusiast, may you enjoy this month with a variety curated especially for you. Also, do let me know what should be the theme for November? What is that you feel I should cover on ? Maybe we can revolve the month of November around the same. Suggestions for the same are valid till the last Sunday of this month and can be put in the comments section.

    Okay so now that I have rambled enough, lets focus on the first paranormal pick of the month . This one revolves around 6 different women from the city of Tokyo. Read on to find out more.

    Synopsis: Tokyo Nijusan-ku Onna is a 6 episode story in Japanese which revolves around 6 different women who have supernatural experiences with the members who are either known to them in the form of relatives or acquaintances. Each one is a story with a different flavor capturing the different facets of human emotions as well. In the first story, a daughter feels guilty for abandoning her mother. Thus, she sets to meet her after receiving an unknown message. Does she meet her mother ? In the second story, a woman and her boyfriend come to dump something in a park which was supposed to be a dumping ground. What is that they dump and does it have a chilling effect?In the story after, a man is searching for his lost daughter but ends up being dead. In the next story,a fashion designer gets into a taxi and is asked a weird question by a taxi driver. Why is the fashion designer questioned and why does she feel guilty? In the second last story, a married woman suspects her husband of having an extra marital affair . This drives her crazy and has her blood thirsty. Is her blood thirst fulfilled?And the final story revolves around the freelance writer who has a professor guiding her with the stories. But it seems that the freelance writer has a secret . What is that secret in the finale?

    Assessment : This is a story which depicts the different facets of human emotions. Some are just in search of something or some are just hell bent on getting revenge or some just want to reunite with their loved ones. A web series that does touch upon human emotions but does not make you feel scary at all. Maybe one of the reasons is that I started watching it in the afternoon so the stories did not scare me. I was looking forward to at least having my heartbeats rise up a bit but the stories failed to do so. Only one story managed to scare me somewhat and that was the final one. The final one did scare me somewhat as it is a story which is full of suspense and terror. So, only the final story did manage to hit the spot. Rest all the stories were okay . However, there was a fine lesson in another of the stories which was that of the fashion designer. It does teach us what true love can be. Another positive of the show is that the episodes are short which is really a blessing for individuals like me who is always short of time.😅😂Apart from that it is a nice cinematic journey through the streets of Tokyo though one does wish you could witness more. Also, did I tell you each woman in the story is pretty good looking :p

    The view: A good attempt to capture different human emotions but this one definitely did not scare me. When I first came across this , I was pretty eager to watch this as it did sound interesting and looked interesting. But after viewing it, the only thought that emerged in my mind was could I have watched something better which would have had the potential to scare me?

    Que: What is the name of the professor who accompanies the freelance writer Harada Ririko?

    a.Okayama Amane

    b. Shimano Hitoshi

    c. Sano Shiro

    d. Hasegawa Tomoharu

    Continue reading →: The secrets of Tokyo…?

Hello,

I’m Roshani

Welcome to The Expression Hub! I’m Roshani, who loves to express herself through the medium of writing. This blog is my little corner of the internet where I dive deep into the world of movies, books, and web series—reviewing, analyzing, and sometimes just ranting about the stories that make us laugh, cry, and question everything.

Beyond reviews, you’ll also find my personal musings—random thoughts, life reflections, and the occasional deep dive into the things that inspire me. Think of this as a space where art meets emotion, and where honest opinions matter more than star ratings.

Join me as we explore incredible stories together, one post at a time. Have a recommendation? Let’s talk—I’m always up for discovering something new!

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