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Reviews
Love (2020)
Love-ly.
We well know the cult of directors in International Cinema, movie enthusiasts place high expectations on the output of the directors rather than the celebrities. In India, this 'cult of directors' is very rare because of the 'larger than life' heroes that the industry has produced. There are certain industries where there have been shifts in this trend, and the Malayalam industry would certainly be the top contender in that list. Among the names of the consistent and creative directors, Khalid Rahman finds his spot with his latest outing 'Love'. With each passing movie, Khalid Rahman is becoming a master of the art. In this movie, his writing is astonishing with the character's that he brings in, and the pinch of confusion that he sprinkles hither and tither. Jimshi Khalid, who previously handled camera's for Khalid's movies, has done a pretty good job. The subtle yet haunting music by Neha-Yakzin is yet another factor to be appreciated. Shine Tom Chacko is the guy who can do any character given to him. With each passing movie, he is proving his versatility, and Rajisha Vijayan too gets her work done well towards the end.
In 'Love', if it weren't for the brilliant writing and performance from the cast, it wouldn't have worked. I would recommend this one because of the quality of content in it. Also, I would love to have director's ditching the 'Interval' for movies within the runtime of 90 minutes.
Krack (2021)
KRACKer of an Entertainer.
Movies with the basic plot of 'One-man vs Army' have been tried and tested for a long time in our country, especially the ones that feature either an average person or a police officer as the principal character. We've seen movies like; Singam, Saamy, and Dabbang, that were able to entertain and turn their characters into a franchise. 'Krack' is the Telugu version of the above movies, but tailor-made for their audience. I felt quite a few similarities between Vijay Sethupathi's movie 'Sethupathi' and 'Krack' in a lot of places, but it does not stick to that plot all the time. Combined with a lot of action episodes, hero elevations, and the usual unnecessary song placements, 'Krack' fails to create something new in terms of content in the cop-based movies. With S. Thaman's loud background music, you do feel the 'Mass' that you expect to get, but the question here is how long can you bear with it?. GK Vishnu who previously worked on the cinematography of 'Bigil', replicates the same style of work in 'Krack', the whole colour palette of the movie is just RGB and key lights. Ravi Teja sticks to his nickname 'Mass Maharaja' yet another time with this movie. Watch this only if you've seen a lot of mass-masala movies from the Telugu industry, otherwise watch it at your own risk.
Eeswaran (2021)
STR's new avatar in an old story.
Periyasamy is a happily married man and a father to four children, one fine day when an astrologer predicts that a person from his family is going to lose their life, his wife dies. Years later, a brawl between the children snaps ties with their father. In the present, Eeswaran, the most loved man of the town, is looking after Periyasamy. Periyasamy is longing to meet his family, especially his grandchildren. Eeswaran now has a task to complete; making Periyasamy's long desire come true.
The above synopsis has been the template of a lot of rural-based movies from Tamil Cinema, and even the twist in the story or the revelation of a character has been very predictable. Director Suseenthiran has stuck to this routine template by adding an abstract of the current pandemic. In terms of story or screenplay, there is nothing fresh in this movie, but for the Simbu fans, they have a well-presented platter of whatever they require for satisfying their appetite. For a commercial entertainer movie, the writers keep in mind several mannerisms to display the 'Mass' of the central character. In Eeswaran, Simbu just has to snap his fingers or even his toes to exhibit his 'Mass'. In Simbu's recent movies, he has never fallen in love with anyone, instead, the female characters fall for him because of his kind-hearted nature, and the same happens in Eeswaran. With cringe-worthy comic scenes stuffed at unwanted places, a protagonist who's just there for the sake of it, and a Simbu who survives after being bitten by a cobra, but still manages to run after and beat the bad guys. Eeswaran is a film filled with clichés and pathetic writing. At the end of the film, there's a dialogue from Simbu to the Protagonist that goes like "If you are the 'Asuran' that have come to destroy, then I'm the 'Eeswaran' that have come to save them", and I can very much relate to this dialogue because I'm the 'Eeswaran' that has come to save you from watching this movie.
Drishyam 2 (2021)
Bigger and Better!
In 2013, when Drishyam opened in cinemas, nobody predicted that the film would emerge as an enormous success. Drishyam worked only because of the striking writing of Jeethu Joseph and the marvelous performances put up by the cast. None of the audience expected the ending to turn out like that, and honestly, it worked only because of the directorial finesse of Jeethu Joseph. In Drishyam 2, you somewhat have the same situation where you expect something to turn out bad by judging its teaser, but then the trailer gives some hope, and finally, the film works. Just like its prequel, this film also relies on the writing of Jeethu Joseph. He has started off from exactly where the prequel stopped. With great attention to every minute detail, Jeethu Joseph has been able to somewhat pull-off a 'perfect sequel' with a story that actually makes sense. In the sequel, we had a plot point, where Rani hits Varun with the Iron rod, this is where the actual story starts from and all the tension and curiosity as a viewer builds up, and in Drishyam 2, we have a similar plot point from where the story launches off. With that being said, the plot point in the sequel comes way late, almost when the clock strikes an hour into the movie, but this first 60 minutes makes sense when all the dots are connected at the end. Coming to the performances, Mohanlal is the only name that comes to my mind. Undoubtedly, it's his best since Oppam. Meena, Ansiba, and Esther keep the same momentum going in terms of performance that we saw in the prequel.
If you ask me if it is a 'perfect sequel', I would say a 'yes', because this sequel does work for its writing. Would've been a box-office blockbuster, but it's a hard pill to digest right now.
Pitta Kathalu (2021)
Ramulu strikes gold!
Netflix's first Telugu original film 'Pitta Kathalu' is an immense disappointment. It brings back stories we've seen, heard, or read and later forgotten. Focusing on the lives of women and their journey through love, betrayal, and patriarchy, Pitta Kathalu fails miserably to impress. 'Ramulu' by Tharun Bhascker is a breath of fresh air among the other stories, it brings to screen a humorous village love story of Ramulu and Ram Chander with an out-of-the-blue ending. Cinematography and Music complement this short story well, which makes it the best out of the lot and my personal favorite. Nandini Reddy's 'Viswa' is treated as an episode of an Indian Soap Opera, where the husband has a supreme inferiority complex towards his wife and doubts everything she does, predictable much right? Nag Ashwin's 'XLife' concept was very similar to the segment 'Glitch' written by Raj & DK for the anthology 'Unpaused' in prime video, both segments focus on Love in a Virtual Reality world in the future, but XLife is yet another disappointment. The last segment of Pitta Kathalu is 'Pinky' by Sankalp Reddy, and it feels like they made the short story for a 'filler' among the other stories so that the producers can round it to 4 episodes. Watch Pitta Kathalu only for 'Ramulu' and then get back to watching something that you left off.
Tom and Jerry (2021)
Could've been better.
In Tom and Jerry's live-action adapted film, it places the two central characters in a human world with animated animals, Instead of making the human-like version of the two central characters, which we have commonly seen in movies like Smurfs and Sonic, the makers stuck to the 2D layout with better modeling of it. In the old cartoon, each episode had a simple plot where Tom would get pissed off at Jerry, and then they both would quarrel like it's the end of the world leading to burns, bruises, and whatnot. In its latest adaptation, the movie begins with the same situation, but after the 30-minute mark, the screenplay drags by bringing just quarrel and quarrel over again. Instead of focusing on the classic characters of the old cartoon like Droopy, Spike, Toodles, Mammy two shoes, and many more, the storyline focuses more on the two couples Ben and Preeta whose wedding is where Tom and Jerry land into. In the end, it feels like they wrote the story for a movie of Ben and Preeta and later changed for Tom and Jerry. Apart from these flaws in the story, the Virtual Effects are out of the world and the VFX supervisors have paid attention to every single detail, and it's such a joy to watch it on the screen, especially when situations are slapstick. An interesting story or a unique situation where Tom and Jerry could have been placed would have made this adapted movie a much better one.
The Girl on the Train (2021)
Disastrous train wreck!
Based on the novel 'The girl on the train' by Paula Hawkins, its Hindi adapted version is a classic example of how bad direction can ruin a film. I have not seen the English adapted version of the novel, but when Netflix dropped the trailer of this movie, everything seemed impressive. Before I started writing this review, I read a news article where the director of the movie tells 'We have given the Hindi adaptation our colour' and I think by 'colour' what he meant was the songs they have placed whenever the central character feels heartbroken. Predictability in the screenplay is another unsatisfactory element, even after dropping the twist miles before it is supposed to drop, it takes the audience on a slow boat to the climax. The tail-end of the climax was a surprise, but the impact was not created, I don't know if it's the director's mistake or is it the actor's pathetic performances. Another disappointment was how the writers placed 'Stock Characters' who have very less work to do but contribute to the storyline in some way or the other. Parineeti Chopra tries so hard to become the alcoholic-broken hearted-lawyer with teary eyes and smudged eyeliners, but the thing is she is just 'trying hard', you don't feel the connection to the character as an audience which you are supposed to feel especially in movies where the lead is innocent and is on a quest to prove it. A scene-by-scene remake of the English version, a better cast or better writing would have saved this disastrous train wreck.
Ninnila Ninnila (2021)
A well plated sweet dish!
I love Rom-com's and I don't think there would be anyone who would hate this genre, Rom-coms are light, funny, a slice of life subject's which many of the audience can relate to. Though making one, you've got to have the ingredients right, and in Ninnila Ninnila, the list is perfect. It is after a long time that in Indian Cinema, there's a movie with so much aesthetic appeal. The colour palette and the soft key lighting cinematography are absolutely outstanding. From the beautiful frames of London city to the dishes being prepared in the kitchen, the cinematography impresses the most. Ashok Selvan is an impeccable actor, he proves it again, he pulls off the role of 'Dev' with so much ease. Ritu Varma and Nithya Menen are refreshingly honest and wholesomely charming. Nassar as the Head Chef of the restaurant impresses with his subtle yet candid performance. To establish all the characters of the story, the movie takes time, but it does not bore you out because the Director has packed this dish with a lot of beautiful elements, and at some places, there are resemblances with the famous animated movie 'Ratatouille'. You are definitely in for a treat if rom-com's are your appetite.
Kutty Story (2021)
Begins and ends with a bang!
Four different takes on Love by four renowned Directors of the Tamil Cinema Industry, where two of the stories hit the right note, and the rest two spoil the party. Kutty Story begins with 'Ethirpara Mutham' directed by Gautham Menon, which tells the story of Adhi and Mrinalni, two best friends from college, and the platonic relationship between both. The story begins with a young Adhi, a 'typical' GVM hero, well dressed with the Silver Kada on his hand, and then we are introduced to Mrinalini, Adhi's best friend ever since they met in college. While the story progresses, a middle-aged Aadhi (GVM himself), picks us off from the middle who explains an intimate moment between both friends, which is clearly evident from the title of the story. Aadhi's friends decline the fact that they both were 'just friends', conveying that a man and a woman can never be 'best friends'. The story expands this subject in an exquisite and subtle staging, the type of staging that we expect from a GVM movie. Soothful music cues from Karthik pull the audience more and more towards Aadhi and Mrinalini. It is after a long time that the master of urban romance has delivered what we expect from his movies. 'Aadalum Paadalum' by Nalan Kumaraswamy, the last short story of the Anthology, tells the story of Manick and Kuchu, two married couples, and how an extra-marital affair of Manick lands him in trouble. It is an orthodox story with unorthodox writing, which makes it an interesting watch. Vijay Sethupathi and Aditi Balan as the married couple are a treat to watch, especially certain expressions of Vijay Sethupathi that crack you up. With weird lyrics and tunes, the music definitely elevates certain scenes, particularly the one scene where Kuchu confesses to Manick. Apart from these two short segments, Kutty Story has nothing impressive to offer. 'Avanum Naanum' by Vijay, which tells the story of an unmarried couple and how an unplanned pregnancy comes in between them, falls flat on lack of emotional connection and performances. 'Logam' by Venkat Prabhu, a take on Love in the video-game universe, was an interesting concept but would've worked with better homework on the script. Watch Kutty Story for the first story and then skip to the last story.
Thirike (2021)
A sweet journey back to the roots.
To Thomas, the world meant his Appa, Amma, and his elder brother whom he calls with love 'Achacha'. When his Appa and Amma left the world, all he had was his Achacha, and Achacha being a special kid, Thomas knew he had to look after Achacha, just the way his Appa and Amma looked after him. But when he gets separated from his Achacha, Thomas had nobody else in life. The words of his relatives whom he thought wouldn't separate them betrayed him. All these years later, Thomas still has unconditional love for his elder brother. Even if the adoptive parents allow them both to see, Thomas isn't happy with the type of relationship he has with his own blood. Thomas is yearning to bring his elder brother back into his life, but Achacha's condition doesn't allow him to do so. This is the story of a Brother desperation, to bring back what could have been a perfect childhood. Thomas and Sebu, played by George Kora and Gopikrishna Verma, are two characters with a heartwarming bond that touches your heart. Throughout the movie, I laughed, I cried, and I loved all the people that come and go, thanks to the Music and Background music that elevates certain scenes that warm the audience with love and pain. Filled with small moments of happiness, sadness, and hope, Thirike tells a bitter-sweet story of two brothers on their way back to their roots and speaks out loud that children with genetic disorders are also humans and they deserve the same love, affection, and respect as everyone else.
Operation Java (2021)
Operation Java: Successful
Inspired from cases that were reported under the Cyber Cell department throughout the country, Operation Java opens several investigation files, fictionizes it, and takes us through these cases from the point of view of Antony and Dasan. Striving to make a living through casual jobs, Antony and Dasan dream of making it big someday, but they just don't make it to the shore. To the duo, clinging on to the 'lead' they had found in an interesting case is their only "escape from reality". The Director focuses on two issues here; cyber-crime and unemployment and brings about an equal balance in both core elements. While the subjects of cyber-crimes reveal how frightening and cunning certain Humans can be, the light that falls on Antony and Dasan and their lives make you empathetic and feel pity for them. I felt the first act of the screenplay to be the most interesting and entertaining, whereas better casting and a proper ending would've uplifted 'Operation Angel'. Also, with most of the shots being single takes, as an audience, you feel as if you are one among the group of officers, which is a huge plus point in keeping the audience engaged, and to add to this engagement, there is beaty music from Jakes Bejoy kicking it up a notch. There have been plenty of movies and TV shows that dealt with financial frauds, scams, and cyber-crimes. Operation Java is a mix of these movies and TV shows with a 'home ground' script, and by home ground, what I meant is how much the language audience can relate to. Malayalam cinema yet again proves that it does not need big names on the poster to attract the audience, content is always king in this industry.
The Priest (2021)
English wine in Mallu bottle.
The priest begins with a girl conveying about a case to Father Benedict that seems odd to her, he dots it down in his journal as 'Case No: 26', this establishes his character as a person who has helped and solved multiple cases. The first half of the movie takes us through an interesting case of a series of suicides in the Alatt family, which lays the foundation for the later part of the story, which moves in a completely different direction. To the ones paying attention since the beginning, predicting the interval block is like putting a hot knife through butter. The 'hint' that makes the character of Father Benedict unique is clearly evident, and this trick has been tried and tested in a lot of films. I trusted the next half of the movie to impress me with something unconventional in the script, but to my expectations, there was nothing new in the store for me. The writers keep on circling around Amaya and her story before expanding her arc. There is also a lot of artificiality in certain dialogues that are important in terms of the story, but because of this artificiality the predictability increases. The priest compiles a lot of conventional horror stories from Hollywood, and alters them to make them look modern and attractive, not in terms of the story, but in terms of gadgets. The jump scares in the second half have been featured in dozens of movies, but is something new in Malayalam Cinema. The technical side is rock solid with great cinematography, proper lighting, color grading, and a sync-sound mix that deserves an Atmos experience. All the cast are in their zone of comfortable and honest performances, with Baby Monica stealing the show. If only the story was given better treatment instead of the old horror gimmicks, the priest would've worked for everyone.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
MONSTER-bulous
The fourth installment in the 'MonsterVerse' featuring two Titans Godzilla and Kong leads to an intense battle and an interesting ego clash between the both. The two giants, who have been featured in blockbuster standalone films, come together for the first time, fighting for the 'alpha' position among themselves. First things first, you don't go for Kaiju movies for the writing they have, you go it for the purest form of entertainment it provides. The same is the case with Godzilla vs Kong, if you take into consideration the writing part of the movie, it is childish, illogical, and improbable. Also, there is plenty of technical advancement in machines, guns, and the atmosphere because of the timeline it runs in, almost making it a sci-fi movie. However, it hits the bullseye with its jaw-dropping CGI work and adrenaline-pumping background music, making it impossible to take your eyes off the screen. Both the Titans get their chances to shine and showcase their strength, which would not disappoint the people rooting for their favorite character. Before you jump into watching Godzilla vs Kong, do your research and viewing on movies of the MonsterVerse, as things are connected and you don't want to end up understanding anything. Book the middle seats in a healthy theatre offering a good visual and sound output, grab a tub of popcorn, and enjoy a movie that deserves a theatrical viewing.
One (2021)
Mammootty's number ONE performance!!
We've seen movies like Mudhalvan, Bharat ane Nenu, and Sarkar (Tamil) that are based on the concept of an ideal leader that the people want in a Democracy, a leader who is educated, honest, powerful, and compassionate. However, the above movies have had lead characters turning into leaders by provocation, compulsion, and outrage respectively. But, in One, you have an established character of a Chief Minister with all the good values and it is through his life, both professional and personal, that the movies travels through. The writers bring up several controversies and crises that Chandran comes across, but the core idea of the story, also the principal motive of Chandran, is dropped off in the beginning and picked up from somewhere in the end. It was quite intriguing how the first hour of the movie was assembled, but the excitement dips after that. For an actor like Mammootty, the character of Chandran is a cakewalk, in fact, it is his screen presence that keeps the movie floated. A lot of actors come and go, but only a few get to perform, and talented actors like Nimisha Sajayan, Binu Pappu, and Joju George are under-used to a large extent. Even though 'One' speaks volumes for the common man's problems, its fictionalized method of storytelling makes it unconvincing. The writers had in their minds what an ideal Chief Minister should be, and they penned it down accordingly, but the Indian Audience know how stinky and dirty the country's political system is, making the character of Chandran and his actions a hard pill to swallow. But 'One' ends on an optimistic note, promising that there'll be better changes in the country, almost motivating the voters ahead of the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections in April.
Kala (2021)
One of a kind.
Consider the story of Kala as Milk in a Milk Boiler, you first put the Milk inside the boiler, wait for it to boil, and finally, when it has reached its temperature it blows its whistle. Similarly, in Kala, you have an initial period for the story to warm up before it blows its whistle endlessly. To some, this initial period is a test of patience, but for others, it is an interesting build-up for what lies ahead. As the scene opens, there is a quote by Oscar Wilde written on the screen that says "Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live", the quote clearly represents Shaji, and the selfishness of his triggers the Antagonist. Kala is no weak-hearted person's watch, nor is it kid or family-friendly. There is a depiction of violence in the most extreme manner, there is a pile of cuss words, and sometimes it is very creepy too. Tovino's acting career can be split into two; before and after Kala, because this character played by him is on a completely different tangent, and then there is Sumesh Moor who stands head-to-head with Tovino with his impeccable performance. Particularly emphasizing the brilliant technical side of this movie which includes cinematography, virtual effects, editing, foley, color grading, background music, sound designing, and fight choreography. Kala sticks to what it promised; The feel-bad movie of the year, but views on it are highly subjective. Applauding the entire team for bringing up a raw and brutal subject to Malayalam Cinema.