[naveen.raju]

Kadaisi Vivasayi - Tamil



Not to everyone's taste, but I loved it. A bit of a drag (slow drama type) but somehow I just enjoyed it. Nothing over the top - just a simple village story.
Available on Sony Liv

Rating - 4/5


Narai Ezhuthum Suyasaritham - Tamil



Glad that BHPian ABHI_1512 suggested this movie. It was a good watch. Have always loved Delhi Ganesh's roles and Manikandan has started to get noticed. He's been amazing in some of the recent movies that I saw.
This one is a simple story on these two guys. Played the role pretty well and it was a good watch.

Yes, he's been part of many big budget movies off screen and played a vital part in Vikram Vedha.

Available on Sony Liv.

Rating - 4/5

[Rajeevraj]

Bheeshma Parvam-Malayalam-Mammootty- Theater Release

Did not see any reviews on Bheeshma Parvam here yet. I guess because it is a theater release. Finally stepped out to a theater for the first time in 2+ years and it was totally worth it.

Starring Mammootty and a large ensemble case including Nadia Moidu, Shine Tom, Sreenath Bhasi, Soubin, Dileesh Pothen to name a few. The story is nothing new and is heavily inspired by 'Godfather' (The english cult classic and not the Malayalam comedy classic ) and as the name implies, some inspiration from Mahabharata also.

In spite of that, the execution is superb. Starting from the recreation of the 80's (when the story takes place), the cinematography of Amal Neerad(which even in his worst film is mind blowing), some good stunt sequences and above all some excellent performances.

Mammooty pulls off the godfather like swag like only he can, backed by a great performance. Unlike in the superstar mass movies, here the rest of the cast get equal importance and everyone does very well. Soubin, Sreenath and Shine Tom stand out and have major roles to play. The scale and ensemble cast reminded a little of Mohanlal's 'Lucifer' , but here the supporting characters were fleshed out and presented better.

Not surprisingly, it is a massive blockbuster and Mammooty's biggest hit which is no mean feat.

Note: The bitter sweet memory in this movie was seeing the 2 stalwarts Nedumudi Venu and KPAC Lalitha in a short but significant role one last time. Both of them left us recently and this was one of their last films. Will miss them significantly.

Rating: 4/5

[benbsb29]

Janeman - Malayalam



Lonely NRI in Canada makes a trip to India to spend his birthday with friends. What ensues from there is a series of events, some hilarious and some that just do nothing more than drag out the movie.

This is definitely not one of those must-watch movies, but good enough for some timepass. Some cliched moments aside, some performances are noteworthy. Basil is well supported by the rest of the cast.

Rating: 2.5/5

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

The story is nothing new and is heavily inspired by 'Godfather' (The english cult classic and not the Malayalam comedy classic ) and as the name implies, some inspiration from Mahabharata also.

It still amazes me how much the Godfather is inspiring gangster movies even today. Though, unlike other recent movies which reviewers call as Godfather inspired (for publicity), this one really is inspired by Godfather. And you enjoy the tribute as such! And IMO, the characters are drawn from both Godfather and Mahabaratha in a 50:50 manner. And to Amar Neerad's credit he thanks Veda Vyasa and Mario Puzo in the introduction.

The only thing I find a little annoying was multiple scenes in the beginning which was put just to show/emphasise that the setting is the 80s. Can undertsand it was a style in movies a decade ago. But today? C'mon. We don't need to be spoon fed for that. Also Soubin's character arc could have been a bit more deep.

And ofcourse. As an enthusiast, lemme go into my extremely annoying tendency to nitpick.
1. Pet peeve. Contessas with quad lights. In the 80s.
2. During the car workshop fight scene, can see a 1000/ Esteem in the background.
3. The Tata lorry used in the typical Indian scene of lorry hit and run has the new logo, not the old one.
4. A few Omnis had the present ORVM fixed.

But the rest is just A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Especially that parking garage (filled with old Omnis, jeeps and Ambys) fight scene.

[swiftnfurious]

Watched 'Myavu' (Malayalam) on Netflix. A one time watch. Not a strong story line, but an enjoyable movie. Good pace and some nice comedy.

Rating : 3/5

[Ithaca]

Salute on SonyLIV
Rating 4 / 5

Movie is in Malayalam but has options for additional audio in Tamil, Telugu & Hindi. Subtitles are in English.

Dulquer plays a cop who was on a leave of absence & now returns to rectify a wrong he committed during his years in service.
This movie is an excellent police procedural without the plot twists, sudden & convenient drop of clues or superhero abilities of a Indian movie cop.
I will wholeheartedly recommend this movie to fans of Malayalam cop dramas.

Only complaint - SonyLIV for some strange reason chips off the last few minutes of the movie, like it does for every movie it hosts.

————————

Khiladi on Hotstar
Telugu movie.
One line review - please avoid this disasterpiece.

[IndieGooner]

Salute (Malayalam) - Sony Liv

A bit on the fence about this one. Neither the hero is a brilliant cop nor the criminal is a mastermind. The crimes committed are not anything unusual. The only motive of the protagonist is personal catharsis. I quite liked this treatment. However, there is a certain lack of tautness that one feels - too many faces and much time spent on them without anything of consequence. I have a soft spot for slow burners but I wanted this movie to pick some pace at quite a few places. Also, the conclusion may or may not work for you (it did for me).

Overall it's a good attempt where the makers have dared to take a less traveled path - whether you like the ride is up to you.

[Rajeevraj]

Salute: 3.5/5. A different kind of cop drama. Not a typical stylish superstar type cop movie. But the realistic treatment makes it a good watch. Some convenient coincidences, but I suppose in reality cops need that little bit of luck also. Dulquer is very good. Considering the man's presence and ability to carry a mass avatar, did wish some of the scenes were elevated more.

Lalitham Sundaram: : Manju Warrier, Biju Menon ,Saiju Kurup. Streaming on Hotstar.

This was a curious one. A hotch potch of scenes tied together by a very thin storyline. Supposed to be a relationship drama between 3 siblings, thier partners and their father. Such dramas normally need some solid performances, chemistry and direction to work- As the story line itself will not carry the film. ( Something like kannakanne)

Here you have 3 top class performers in Manju Warrier, Biju Menon, Saiju Kurup and a few others,but even they seemed artificial, disinterested and ordinary. Made it a very average watch.

Rating: 1.5/5

[jkrishnakj]

Kadaisi Vivasayi, Tamil, streaming in SonyLiv.

What a movie. What a beautiful one. Hard to put a number to it. May not be to everyone’s taste, but I was grossed to it. Watched it in full in one sitting.

[KPR]

Watched Mahaan. I didn't know that it was directed by Karthik Subburaj before I started watching this in Amazon Prime. I would rate it 3.5/5. Vikram and his son are able to pull the movie through. It has touches of Karthik Subburaj. He has dealt with liquor ban and politics around it with good balance.

[mobike008]

Ayyapanum Koshiyum
OTT : Amazon
Ratng : 4.5/5

Based on a friend's recommendation watched this Malayalam movie and was blown by how well made this movie is.

Story is a duel of ego between a cop and an ex-army guy who is rich and politically connected. How each of them refuse to bow down and ride on their ego-trip is the summary of this story.

Biju Menon as the righteous cop and Prithivraj as the ex-army fella were perfectly suited for this movie and acted very well. It's a perfect example of how anger, ego can screw up one's life and a great lesson to be calm, not react violently and take a chill pill in life.

This move was remade in Telugu starring Pavan Kalyan and was released earlier this month and is already grossed 4 times Malayalam movie purely from a mass entertainment perspective as Telugu movies ride on that aspect more than real content.

I won't be surprised a Hindi remake starring Ajay Devgan will come out soon.

Don't miss this original version as it's gripping and entertaining even for someone like me who doesn't understand this language.

[benbsb29]

Salute (Malayalam) - SonyLiv

A cop flick with a difference. As mentioned by the others earlier on this thread, the realistic portrayal makes this an interesting watch. I did feel the timeline changes weren't effectively executed, and then again, if i had to crib - DQ's long hair and beard making a come and go as it pleases weren't done right from a continuity perspective.

Some of the characters brought into the story were quite pleasing with their performances.
Overall a movie worth a watch, with an interesting ending.

Rating 3.5/5

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Salute (Malayalam) - SonyLiv

Overall a movie worth a watch, with an interesting ending.

Rating 3.5/5

This was my first DS film and I was pretty excited about it but the film proved to be a damp squib. I was expecting DS acting histronics after hearing some really good appreciation but was sorely disappointed. The plot felt like Maggi noddles all entangled and no straight story telling. But that's Malayalam cinema is all about, quirky endings. Pls note this is a personal opinion.

What was Diana Penty doing in the film is still a mystery.

My rating: 1/5.

[fundagenie]

Neyantikara Gopante AARATTU

OTT. : Amazon prime

Rating : 0.1/10

OMG.. What a movie. When I saw the initial negative reviews of the movie especially from the the theatre viewers, never expected it to be so so so so pathetic. Cant understand why an actor of Mohanlals calibre should even act is such crap stuff at this stage of his career or life (unless there is some other reasons). Even felt irritated the way a talented actor like Siddique was being made to do cheap gimmicks in the name of comedy. The director went so sub-standard like having a bevy of B-grade heroines for practically no reason (unless they played some other roles in the overall schema of the movie).

A big hats off to the director, script writer, editor, camera crew, music director and the entire team for showing how to make a really bad movie in all respects. After watching this, I felt earlier Mohanlal flops like Marikar, Odiyan, Ittimany etc were still better in some way or the other. If there was a list of 10 worst superstar movies in malayalam, am sure Neyantikara Gopante AARATTU would surely find a place in it.

BTW the 0.1 was just for our dear ARRahmans cameo.

My humble request to all who has still not watched it, even if you have nothing else to watch, pls dont waste your time on this one.

FundaG

[ghodlur]

Love Mocktail 2

Streaming: amazon prime

Had some high expectations about the movie after reading the prequel reviews, maybe I should not have. The movie plot is nothing great to write about taking ahead from the prequel but in a weird manner. Even the ending was a bit strange not to my liking. There were some good laughs in between but found most of the actors a bit wooden in their performances. The film was infact a good brush up for my Kannada, learnt a few different words.

If you something better to do, pls skip this movie.

Rating: 1.5/5