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Chanced to see this movie in my brother's collection during the first lockdown. Such a pleasure to watch this movie.

Proper rural south Tamil Nadu setting without any of the filmy gangsta elements. And the spine of the movie, the bond between KD and Kutty.:loveit

Its a kind of passive violence. You dont see the gore & open wounds. RGV had famously said that in Satya the thought of piercing the eye with a sharp weapon (In that torture scene) has much more impact than showing the actuality. Yes, mythology is used in a gang-story setting, and local Mangalorean demeanour captured well. The music was a bonus :)

I didn't miss it. Thanks for recommending it here. Now available in Prime as well. Just now finished watching this great movie. Perfect. :thumbs up

Madhuram (Malayalam) - One time watch. Clean movie, but nothing great to talk about. I liked a bunch of dialogues which felt very natural and the art is lost now a days. A little sentimental, but no strong story line.

I loved this one! The pattern is similar to the director's previous one (June) - movie runs in an unrushed pace, and all the actors performed so well :)

[Sadrishavakyam 24:29 - Malayalam, Amazon Prime]

I don't know why I started watching this - but suffice to say, I finished this 127-minute movie in less than 1 hour. "Horrible" is a kind word for this movie.

There is an altruistic businessman. There is an outwardly soft-spoken, but in reality a scheming, amoral crook of a manager. The latter cheats and blackmails the former to take control of his immense wealth. The former and his wife commits suicide and their daughter grows up in an orphanage. Cliched flashback complete. The rest of the movie is a confused mess as to whether it is a revenge story, a hide-the-crime movie, an investigative thriller, or what?

Performances are loud and atrocious. Sheelu Abraham is simply not talented enough to carry such a role. Story has more holes than a kilo of Swiss cheese.

The title refers to a bible verse that to me seemed like advising against taking revenge.

Bhoothakalam (Malayalam - Sony LIV)

I had not heard anything about this movie until the day before it's release. Personally horror is not a favoured genre but a handful of horror movies that don't employee routine tropes have worked for me in the past. The early reviews that came out for this movie was pointing to something similar and hence I set out to watch it last night.

I have to say that this movie really did the trick on me. The horror elements are neatly worked without relying on special effects/CGI. One could draw some parallels with movies like Babadook or Hereditary. Movie takes it time fleshing out the two lead characters and their past through dialogues but runs into a frenetic final 20 minutes. It is up to the viewer to make what of the ending - was it all supernatural or just in the minds of charcters who are shown to have mental illness?

I would recommend watching this movie without breaks. As with most movies in this genre, sound is a key factor and hence watch with headphones or good sound systems.

Meppadiyan

A lot of negative publicity prior to the movie what with ED raiding Unni Mukundan's (who produced the movie as well as being the lead actor) house apparently seeking details of source of finances for the movie etc. etc. if media reports are to be believed.

With all the hullabaloo, you would have thought this is a multi billion rupee production!

Far form it , this one turns to be as surprisingly enjoyable beautifully made mid budget movie with a theme lot of us can relate to. The plot can be summed up as follows "the importance of being able to say NO when required".


Unni Mukundan plays the lead role and major roles for Saiju Kurup and Aju Varghese as well. All three do a great job. Movie is shot in the Eeratupetta , Poonjar locales.

The great thing I liked is this movie shows that it is possible to make good movies without the mandatory stunt and dance sequencew. And a movie which has squeaky clean dialogues which every one in the family will enjoy.

Don't be put off by negative reviews in some main stream media. From personal interactions, I have realized some of these reviewers have as much interest in movies as an Icelander has in playing Kabbadi and has the attitude of just writing a few lines to do the job what the duty editor asked them to.

Do watch Meppadiyan, the sheer sincerity and hard work of the people behind it is so evident that I hope this one gets the success it deserves.

Shyam Singha Roy: Nani and Sai Pallavi-Telugu (Also available in Tamil and Malayalam Audio)

A reincarnation based commercial entertainer. Nani playing a present day film maker and also an activist in the 70s in Kolkota. How these 2 connect is the main premise. If you are looking for logic, you will be disappointed, but as an entertainer, neatly done and I liked it. The 70s portion in Kolkota is well acted by Nani and Sai Pallavi(as always she is fantastic, especially the dance portions) and very nicely picturized. This portion really stands out.

Overall a good timepass watch: Rating 3/5

Hridayam (Malayalam) - 2.5/5. I watched a movie in theatres after a long time . Enjoyed the space around me with the current social distancing norms and picked a row which was free as well.

A one time watch, good songs (mostly) and a good first half. Could have trimmed down very well and few deviations weren't quite required or convincing or too prolonged. The lady crowd in the hall enjoyed the movie much more and claps for few dialogues. Gets unwantedly sentimental at places.

Pranav is natural and hope he continues to pick roles which are NOT larger than life - he did a 100% justice to the college student character. Kalyani is best avoided or kept as a side kick to heroines, Darshana can improve as well.

Thanks for th reco ! I skipped it so far thinking it'll just be another lame one ! But WHATTAY MOVIE !!! One of the best horror ones I watched. One can't take a break once it steams up. Great acting by Revathi & Shane Nigam.

One of the rare movies where you think why did it end and we need more of it ! Easily a 4/5

Bhoothakalam - Malayalam



Wonder why all movies that comes on Sony Liv will be missed out? This is another movie that might go unnoticed.

Nothing over the top - simple storyline with subtle horror elements. But those horror elements does the job really well. Brilliant acting by Shane and Revathy. The sounds used in the horror scenes is very similar to the one in "The Nun" which adds to that horror quotient.

Rating - 4/5

Bro-Daddy(Malayalam): The eagerly awaited 2nd directorial from Prithviraj after Lucifer-Starring: Mohanlal, Prithviraj, Meena, Kalyani, Lalu Alex. Streaming on Hotstar.

I enjoyed this one. I do prefer comedy and entertainers over darker themes and this was a well made entertainer. Plenty of laugh aloud situational comedies and one liners. Drags a bit towards the end and some unwanted diversions, but overall a good watch. Not talking about the storyline as the trailer did not hint about it at all.

What really makes it watchable are the performances. All of the cast does really well and a special call out to Prithviraj the director- The direction is what makes the film good. He also is able to bring out the best of Mohanlal. In Lucifer he reinvented the mass avatar in a new way and in this one he brings back the effortlessness and comic timing Lalettan was known for- without making it forced and artificial.

Rating: 3.5/5

Watched Pushpa over the weekend after seeing so much hype all around and my SO is a big fan of the lead actor. Watched it with hindi dubbing and while initially it felt similar to those masala movies later on became such a drag. Maybe the dubbing screwed it up but still found the movie a total waste of time. :Frustrati

Rating: 1/5

Jhimma

Streaming: Amazon Prime.

I guess this will be the first time a Marathi movie is being reviewed. In fact a first time that a Marathi movie was released on Amazon prime. The story is about a bunch of ladies who take an international trip to break a lot of social shackles and have their individual problems to resolve. The setting is in London and lot many attractions looked familiar since I had stayed there for an year or so. Many familiar and reputed actresses in the movie like Suhas Joshi, Nirmitee Sawant, Kshitee Jog, Sonali Kulkarni which Mararthi folks will relate to. The film is a light comedy but has its share of emotions. A good watch.

Rating:3/5

In a milieu where Sairat was a nationwide hit? Unlikely!

I myself had mentioned Aapla Manus here.