[Asish_VK]

Curry and Cyanide - Netflix - Malayalam Documentary - 3.5/5



One of the very few Malayalam Documentary available in OTT's, a good watch for people who like crime stories based on true events.

This particular Documentary is based on the infamous Jolly Joseph case happened few years back in Kerala. It is shot to very good standards and the narration also is good at most of the time.

Only issue I felt was, this documentry is stating that Jolly is the criminal, while the case is still open.
Though Jolly has confesses verbally for the crimes, there are no conclusive evidences on 4 of the 6 murders she's accused of AFAIK.

Anyway, worth a watch. Recommended

[naveen.raju]

Falimy - Malayalam



Even though it's doing well in theatres and got pretty good reviews, I somehow found it boring. Acting was good especially the grandpa and Basil's brother with good support from others. First half was decent and it was the second half that really spoiled the fun. I wouldnt say it's bad, but I expected a lot from this.

Rating - 2/5 (Hotstar). Watchable.

Phoenix - Malayalam



A typical horror movie with all the ingredients in place. I wouldnt call this a horror movie since it doesnt have any chilling moments or jump scares. More of a love-horror movie. Aju acted pretty well but the second half was a bit bland with poor acting by the remaining cast. The backstory could have been more spiced up to fit the horror genre.

Rating - 2.5/5 (Amazon Prime). Watchable.

[dragonfire]

Watched Neru with a a lot of expectations, and although there wasn't a dull moment in the entire film, I came out a tad disappointed.

Am not a fan of Jeethu Joseph, and contrary to popular opinion I find him a pretty mediocre filmmaker. Drishyam 1 was good and that's about it. He has a string on crappy movies under his belt.

The good thing about this movie is that it is a courtroom drama and they have tried to keep it real (almost). On the other hand, the story have a lot of holes in it (kind of excusable) and the attempts to add thrills to the otherwise boring courtroom scenes really shows.

As in any Jeethu Joseph movie the tier 2 and 3 cast in the movie acts terribly. For instance Priyamani as the defense lawyer is terrible. She tries to "act" and it shows. Siddique acts well (no surprises here) while Mohanlal disappoints. He tries, but his dialogue delivery (anything that is longer than 2 seconds) sounds very amateurish. Even Anaswara Rajan, the star of the show fumbled a bit during the initial scenes of the movie.

I wouldn't call this a comeback of Mohanlal. He is a sorry shadow of his yesteryears.

[myavu]

I don't understand why people still compare actors' skill to their yesteryear characters that too when they were young and doing respective roles. For me it always boil down to the character in the present movie along with the script, direction and story telling. Neru movie has succeeded in those areas and family audience are back in the Theater after a long time. Neru is going to be the industrial hit of 2023.

Originally Posted by dragonfire

while Mohanlal disappoints. He tries, but his dialogue delivery (anything that is longer than 2 seconds) sounds very amateurish.

Seriously? What kind of review is this? "Dialogue more than 2 seconds" And this sounds really amateurish

Now over to Malaikottai Vaaliban.

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by myavu

I don't understand why people still compare actors' skill to their yesteryear characters that too when they were young and doing respective roles. For me it always boil down to the character in the present movie along with the script, direction and story telling.

I haven’t seen “Neru” so cannot comment on Mohanlal’s performance in said film - but I definitely understand where such comparisons come from.

Mohanlal, as every Malayali worth his salt knows, was so natural in his prime that there was no ‘acting’ involved. That is no longer the case, his “efforts” at comedy or conveying meaning through eyes are so ‘visible’ now. Only hardcore fanboys/girls could claim otherwise.

[myavu]

Originally Posted by Pequod

Mohanlal, as every Malayali worth his salt knows, was so natural in his prime that there was no ‘acting’ involved.

Can you mention a single movie script, direction or story which can be related to those prime days now. Mohanlal is acting according to the the roles, story, script which is available to him now. This is same with Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, or any veteran that matters.

That is no longer the case, his “efforts” at comedy or conveying meaning through eyes are so ‘visible’ now. Only hardcore fanboys/girls could claim otherwise.

What matter is If he can still pull the crowd with those mediocre acting (as per those critics stuck in yesteryear prime) and deliver industrial hits again and again.

I don't believe common people watching Neru in Theater and commenting Mohanlal's acting are fanboys/girls.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by myavu

Can you mention a single movie script, direction or story which can be related to those prime days now. Mohanlal is acting according to the the roles, story, script which is available to him now. This is same with Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, or any veteran that matters.

What matter is If he can still pull the crowd with those mediocre acting (as per those critics stuck in yesteryear prime) and deliver industrial hits again and again.

I don't believe common people watching Neru in Theater and commenting Mohanlal's acting are fanboys/girls.

+1. There have been terrible choices by the actor. In one of the interviews, he had clearly mentioned that while in the initial stages, the script looks pretty tight & exciting, the final product entirely depends upon how the director envisages it.

It has become a fashion to criticize these established actors. How many times their obituaries have been written, but they come back with a bang.

Heck, any critique worth his salt will definitely try to criticize these actors.


Disclaimer :I will not claim "I'm not his fan"

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by myavu

Can you mention a single movie script, direction or story which can be related to those prime days now. Mohanlal is acting according to the the roles, story, script which is available to him now.

My point is not about the script. Take a movie like Bro Daddy for example, the role essayed by Mohanlal was not demanding in the least, yet his comic timing was all over the place, and it seemed like an effort for him.

Originally Posted by Vasuki

+1. There have been terrible choices by the actor.

Agree with this. The other Big M also went down this path, but since then he’s been on a resurgence over the last couple of years.

PS - Just leaving this here!

https://youtu.be/p9f9tVXCiQg?si=7bE6AF_WRX5m_vq4

[mazda4life]

Film: Salaar - telugu with English subtitles
My rating : 1/5
It’s a real mess from the start to end , too slow in the first half and rushed in the second half. I think the director and his script writers got confused on how to treat the film , make it Uber dark or make it a dark comedy type of film.
All the pre release marketing might make it recover the money invested but not a good film by any means.

[dragonfire]

Neru fans, please watch Sketch Artist II: Hands that See.

It is not an exact copy, but the story line is the same. I did not quite believe the reports but when I saw the clips on social media about the much famed scene was a copy from the climax of Sketch Artist, I decided to give it a watch.

Jeethu Joseph took a 90 min taut thriller and made a 150 min contraption out of it.

Drishyam was inspired from Suspect X, but the result was a tad different. Then there was that trash called My Boss which was a copy of The Proposal.

Anyway I have lost whatever respect I had for Jeethu Joseph.

[Asish_VK]

Parking - Tamil - Disney+Hotstar - 4/5



To be honest, I didn't expect this movie to be good.
Story revolves around the ego clash between 2 men regarding a parking spot. Movie starts as a feel good family drama and turns into a ego/revenge plot. Felt a little lag at the middle, but overall enjoyable movie. Both lead actors did very well.

[searacer932]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Parking - Tamil - Disney+Hotstar - 4/5


To be honest, I didn't expect this movie to be good.
Story revolves around the ego clash between 2 men regarding a parking spot. Movie starts as a feel good family drama and turns into a ego/revenge plot. Felt a little lag at the middle, but overall enjoyable movie. Both lead actors did very well.

Agreed. Parking was a good movie and good for OTT type of platform. I would certainly rate it 3.5 out of 5

[naveen.raju]

A Ranjith Cinema - Malayalam



Synopsis -The movie is based on realistic fiction and takes you on a roller coaster ride of events that happen in protagonist's life

As highlighted ("rollercoaster"), this one is total disaster and mash up of too many plots. Started off with one plot and ended up another. No idea what they were trying to convey.

Rating - Not worth rating this one (Netflix). Avoid at all cost.

Sesham Mikeil Fathima - Malayalam



Synopsis -A Malabari Muslim woman pursues her dream of becoming a football commentator.

This one was pretty good. Kalyani was filled with energy and acted really well. This was a light hearted fun movie.

Rating - 3/5 (Netflix). Decent watch

Parking - Tamil



Synopsis -A parking spot frays the relationship between two neighbors of different generations and worldviews.

I would have liked if it had been a comedy movie, but things get a bit too serious after midway. Bhaskar stood out with his brilliant acting and it was him who saved the movie.

Rating - 3/5 (Hotstar). Decent watch.

[naveen.raju]

Tholvi F.C. - Malayalam



Synopsis -The Kurivila family is a bunch of failures in life. Career, money, love, life. They can't seem to win at anything. 'Tholvi FC' is a warm and funny story of a dysfunctional family try to not fail at life. And maybe even win.

Had zero expectation on this one but turned one feel good movie. Johny Antony as always did a very good job in this even though he's done better roles in the past. All others supported him very well especially the kids and the younger son.

Rating - 3.5/5 (Amazon Prime). Decent watch.

Udal - Malayalam



Synopsis - Shiny is looking after her bedridden mother-in-law, living along with her father-in-law Kuttichan. Tensions arise pushing Shiny to the point where she cannot take anymore.

Not to everyone's taste and is a slow thriller with lot of violence. Can fast forwarded but watch it for Indran's performance. He nailed it yet again. The 2nd half of the movie is quite similar to a recent English horror/crime movie (not disclosing as it might spoil the viewing experience). The tag line of the movie is very well portrayed in both characters (Indrans and the female lead).

Rating - 3/5 (Saina Play). Recommended for select audience (Violence warning).

Kaathal – The Core (Malayalam)



Synopsis - Mathew, a retired bank secretary, reluctantly enters politics for a by-election. The movie delves into their marriage dynamics, justice, and personal fulfillment amidst a tight-knit village community.

A bold attempt from the director with a not so widely discussed topic in regional movie. Mammotty and Jyothika plays the first half with very few dialogues and expressions but all that change after the interval. Mammootty just single handedly took the movie during the later part of the movie with good support from Jyothika and the character who played his dad. Should appreciate Mammootty for taking up this role which feels very underrated for his caliber but that's what makes it perfect. He simply lived the character and not acted.

Rating - 4.5/5 (Amazon Prime). Highly recommended to watch some of best actors portray some amazing performance.

[Geo_Ipe]

Neru - Theatres


A malayalam courtroom drama which did not live up to the created hype. Mohanlal is just a sad shadow of his past. Poor guy can't bring an emotion onto his face to save his life.

The case around which the plot is unfolding is am extremely sensitive issue. I personally felt that there was an unnecessary level of graphic portraying of the incident, multiple times. Definitely not for children and the faint hearted.

Siddique did extremely well, however I felt his character was unnecessarily mean & vulgar - which I'm sure no judge will allow in a courtroom. Yet the judge in this case showed no character of his own and let the lawyers loose & free to say what they wished!

Overall a very average movie which I'm not sure whether die hear Lalettan fans would even enjoy. "Nna thaan case kodu" (available on Hotstar) was so much better a courtroom drama than this one.

Rating - 2.5/5