Late to the party as there were too many releases in last few weeks. Tough to catch up on, as the releases are happening every alternative day and now backlog is cleared.
Aarkkariyam Movie Review - Yeh raaten, Yeh mausam Aur Ek Secret
Deliberately paced and at times testing your patience, this debut feature from Sanu V is clever in its overall treatment. The narrative had a great potential to go into a thriller mood but the director chose to take a detour. He went with a very symbolic way of depicting ownership transfer of burden from a trapped mind to a freed one. The final scene is a mixed bag and not many people will appreciate that kind of deadlock ending.
Whats sparkling throughout was the acting and fine tuned handling of every day situations. The characters felt immersive and they just managed to multi task at ease with rhythms of lifes and their adjustment were spot on according to circumstances. With the checks and balance placed perfectly and a with non judgmental take, this one gave us a different viewing experience. Your right is my wrong and vice versa is told in a simplistic and realistic way. The relationship angle is sensibly dealt with. Its an art kind of approach and not every one is going to enjoy this slow burner. In a way the deceptive Chachan is a different form of famous MohanLal character.
Verdict - 3.5/5(Pass the Burden and Who Cares)
Mohan Kumar Fans Movie Review - Suffering
A complete let down from start to finish. I explored this just because Sanjay and Bobby were dealing with the script. But this is one is a heck of a messy age old 80's sentimental treatment with a good Samaritan characters all around to show affection and sympathy. Comedy was intolerable. Avoid any any cost. This is bad example of how to make comforting and feel good movies.
Verdict - 2/5(Wasted effort)
Operation Java Movie Review - A cyber cell ride
Its one of those over hyped movies (to be honest i didn't mind in the end) which rules primarily on its style factor. I am not denying the fact that this one was a great attempt unseen in Malayalam movies, but inconsistency and uneven narrative was seen through out, making the viewing experience less rewarding. The template is nothing new, we have seen a similar setup in the film Action Hero Biju. Here the film focuses on daily life and cases they handle in Cyber Cell department. The concept was good one for a TV series setup, but the creators went with a film format and they split the story into 4 segments. Three of those segment dealt with various crimes and how cyber cell pitches in to solve those and fourth one is about the struggle of two guys who want to be part of cyber crime unit.
The first story about piracy had a kick ass start and with great intrigue build up. But when you realize who the culprits are, i wonder whether the hype was justified. The idea of the second case was damn good but it went into a poor execution just to showcase the power of the unit. My personal favourite is the third story, pizza delivery one, which was crisp and fast paced. There are many characters introduced in between to either to bring anger, empathy or for the fun aspect and the latter was an irritating one. The politics within the division and some drama felt relevant and timely.
Now with the set of new faces, the director, Tharun Moorthy has pulled off beautifully when it comes to style, BGM and overall presentation. An enjoyable watch.
Verdict - 3/5(Crime Rules)
Kala Movie Review - The Personification of Evil
Its a tough watch and the audience is going to be selective for this one. On the outset it may look like a toxic masculinity show but its much more than. Set in the real estate background, the real story unfolds in the gap of 24 hrs when a set of plantation workers arrive and one of them had a ulterior motive. At first it seemed quiet obvious on who is good and who is bad, but things turn upside down post interval and we see the real faces emerge. In the first half nothing really happens it just building the tension through BGM ,camera angles and close up shot and showcases the hatred and love within the family.
Second half is brutal in its treatment and amorphous violence explodes which is unseen in Malayalam films. Its uncompromising and unsettling and off limits for most of the viewers. It was bloody dual on how those two menaces push each other to their physical limits, and to be honest i really wanted it to end. Its a blatantly moral-defying story and shows the extend someone can go for vengeance.
Shaji played brilliantly by Tovino, had shades of both positive and negative character. At one side, he is an obedient and subservient son, a lovable husband who seems to care and then there is this third unseen side of him. The whole notion of protagonist vs antagonist equation is changed where the hunter becomes hunted. Here everything has two sides, from love for animals to human treatment. Its a kind of oppression and retaliation story symbolically.
The opening credit quote was finally apt for this film. Selfishness is not living your life as you wish to live it, but wanting others to live their lives as you wish them to. In Jallikattu film we see how men trying to defeat a beast and ending up being the beast themselves and here this film again proves that man is actually an animal. I loved the way it ended, as freedom is what we want. Live and let live.
Verdict -3/5(A bloody dual)
Nayattu Movie Review - Justice Served Cold
How much do we know, how our well oiled System operates and its totalitarian arrangement. No matter how hard you try to break, it reverts back to the original motion its intended to run. There are few films in the past which was rooted to showcase that reality. The Tamil film Visarani was one such classic example of a common man's plight against corruption and political power with a brutal ending. In this films, Martin P take a similar route to show us a chilling takeaway. There’s no escaping the System. It’s all around us.
Shot in a 48 hr duration, the film starts with a simple case registration at a police station and that escalates further in no time. Once it goes beyond control then police persons involved are on their own. The big question is how long can you fight and whom are you fighting against forms the crux of the story. There is no protection guarantees. Based on a real life incident, and taking up vital issues that we see, hear or experience in day to day life the director has treated them as authentically as possible.
Remember all systems are flawed because we humans who made those are flawed. For the State there is only one winner, the image cannot be ruined at any cost and at times of election, the hunter becomes the hunted. There is no humanitarian consideration in this survival dram and there is always going to be one winner. By the end of the film you will realize how apt the title was. The film exposes modus operandi of society, government and highlights caste-based approaches in a non preachy way. There are relevant social messages and statements made in a subtle way.
I was little disappointed with some of the character selection and the engagement with the characters were also not seamless. The ending though apt, also felt abrupt. Somehow i did not get the thrill feel as shown in the trailer.
In the end what Luther King said is so true - We must learn that passively to accept an unjust system is to cooperate with that system, and thereby to become a participant in its evil.
Verdict - 3.5/5(An essential viewing)
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