So you wanna watch something…

Halloween Ends: Halloween is around the corner—and time for another instalment of its eponymous franchise. Four years have passed since the events of ‘Halloween Kills’. The “final girl” Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) moved in with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak)—and is determined to walk away from her obsession with the  serial killer, Michael Myers, who has haunted her life since the first flick in 1978. Of course, that’s never gonna happen. A string of killings and she’s back in the hunt again—but for the very last time. This movie marks the finale of the reboot—and the last Curtis outing as Strode. There are no reviews as yet, but you can read Hollywood Reporter for more on Curtis’ swansong. ‘Halloween Ends’ released in cinemas today. 

The Wonder: Contrary to what the trailer may suggest, this is not a horror movie—but a psychological-mystery set in 1862 Ireland, right before the Potato Famine. Florence Pugh plays an English nurse and woman of science who is tasked with investigating the case of an 11-year-old girl who has miraculously survived without eating for four months. She claims that she is nourished instead by “manna from heaven”—and has all the men in the village convinced. Directed by Sebastián Lelio, this is a movie about the perils and miracles of blind faith.

The Guardian loves it, calling it “a magnetic and mysterious little marvel rich in atmosphere and allure.” IndieWire is less blown away with this “sumptuous but slightly undercooked tale”—but says it delivers in the end: “By the time it reaches its final shot—inevitably closing the clever parenthetical opened by its first—you just might believe every word of it, too.” ‘The Wonder’ drops on Sunday on Netflix.

The Curse of Bridge Hollow: Here’s a ‘horror’ flick for family night. This light-hearted comedy follows Marlon Wayans as a science teacher who moves to a new town—which is obsessed with Halloween. But his aversion to fake scare fests become moot when his daughter accidentally releases an evil spirit living in their new home—and brings all those spooky halloween ornaments to life. There aren’t any reviews but we did chuckle a couple of times during the trailer. So we’re going to recommend this one as a promising weekend watch with the kids. ‘The Curse of Bridge Hollow’ released on Netflix today. 

A list of good reads

• Did you know that A, O, B and AB aren’t the only kinds of blood groups. There are now 44 ways to classify blood types—and Wired has more on the latest called ‘Er’.
• BBC News has an important read on the pandemic of antibiotics-resistant superbugs in India.

• The Atlantic has two excellent pieces. One: Why ‘medium Covid’—that period just after primary infection—is the most dangerous of all. Two: This powerful essay titled ‘There Are No 'Five Stages' of Grief’.
• Washington Post (splainer gift link) helps you sort the difference between depression and ‘normal’ sadness.
• The Print has a very good (and alarming) report on what it’s like to be a woman judge in a small town in India.
• Also in The Print: Vir Sanghvi on liberals who are becoming numb to everyday incidents of hate.
• FiftyTwo offers a fascinating deep dive into the movement to create an independent homeland called Kolhan in Bihar.
• Samanth Subramanian in the New Yorker documents how the Hindu Right reshaped Bollywood.
• Do you really, really wanna know how Elon Musk parties? This gossipy New York Times (splainer gift link) investigation has everything you need.
• Also in the New York Times: the new cult of brown noise—which is like white noise but has a “lower, deeper quality.” Example: the sound of rain.
• Newsweek debunks the urban myth that cockroaches can survive nuclear war.