An investigating officer becoming hearing impaired is a roadblock that can actually make a thriller take exciting twists and turns. The kind of twist that happens in John Luther, the new movie starring Jayasurya as the title protagonist, looks excellent on paper. But the convoluted nature of its presentation somewhere diminishes the charm of the… Continue reading John Luther
Kuttavum Shikshayum
In Kuttavum Shikshayum, the aim of Rajeev Ravi is not to present a thriller in front of the viewer. His movies have always been political and character-driven. In Kuttavum Shikshayum also, he focuses on the characters rather than the thriller element in the tale. If you are expecting a nail-biting climax, this isn’t that movie.… Continue reading Kuttavum Shikshayum
Top Gun: Maverick
I wasn’t a huge fan of the 1986 film Top Gun. I watched it really late, and it was a movie that had a lot of familiar traits, which I guess was a relatively new thing back when it was released. The sequel to Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, comes after 36 years after the… Continue reading Top Gun: Maverick
Panchayat: Season 2
When you are creating something without a proper central conflict, there isn’t much there to drive the story forward, and often it happens that the script just lingers on to a particular idea and abandons it midway. Panchayat from TVF is a series that explores such a difficult terrain of screenplay writing. The show has… Continue reading Panchayat: Season 2
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Thanks to the only retained character from the original, Chhote Pandit, played by Rajpal Yadav, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has some occasional moments of laughter. Other than that, this Anees Bazmee sequel is just an assembled comedy that doesn’t seem to have any idea about the genre of the first part. Frankly, nobody expects anything spectacular… Continue reading Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Varayan
Varayan, the latest Siju Wilson film, is a cliched mashup that would have been an okay film if released 10 or 15 years ago. Written by Fr. Danny Capuchin, Varayan is full of all the used-out ideas one can expect in a village drama. And, it relies on the characterization of its main lead heavily… Continue reading Varayan
Keedam
Compared to Rahul Riji Nair’s last two theatrical releases Dakini and Kho Kho, Keedam, his new film starring Rajisha Vijayan, is a much more refined presentation. But the story and its drama are pretty much on the superficial level that the movie fails to create any impact on the viewer. The fluency in performances and… Continue reading Keedam
Udal
If the writing manages to give a solid reason for characters to become monsters, situational thrillers can be really intense to watch. Ratheesh Reghunandan’s Udal is a wannabe Don’t Breathe that was able to hold the viewer’s interest till the end, and it also ended up in that grey space where you are wondering about… Continue reading Udal