DNA Review | Return of All the Clichés, Along With a Batman From Meesho

DNA, the latest Malayalam movie directed by TS Suresh Babu and written by AK Santhosh, is like watching the return of all the cliched scripting tropes from the dustbin. Starring actor Mammootty’s nephew Ashkar Saudan in the lead role, the movie is a colossal disappointment by all means, and the writing that is extremely old… Continue reading DNA Review | Return of All the Clichés, Along With a Batman From Meesho

Grrr Review | An Utterly Forgettable Roaring Bore of a Film

A news heading can inspire filmmakers to create movies. It can be that germ of the idea which could eventually become an eventful film. Grrr, the new film directed by Jay K, who previously directed Ezra, is one such movie. Based on a true event that actually happened in the Trivandrum Zoo, this survival comedy… Continue reading Grrr Review | An Utterly Forgettable Roaring Bore of a Film

Golam Review | An Ambitiously Mounted, Basically Written, Passable Thriller

Even though it comes with the impression of a whodunit, the thing that makes the latest Malayalam movie Golam passable is the “how” part of the mystery. Mounted ambitiously on a conceptual level, the production quality of Golam is high, while the writing is pretty basic for a larger portion. With the convoluted execution of… Continue reading Golam Review | An Ambitiously Mounted, Basically Written, Passable Thriller

Little Hearts Review | A Typical Entertainer That Goes All Over the Place in the Second Half

When you look at the interval block of the new Malayalam film Little Hearts, you might get a feeling that it might deliver that Ayushmann Khurrana-type middle-class socially relevant comedy against the backdrop of the rural Kerala village. But when it reaches the second half, the movie acts like Bindu Panicker in CID Moosa, who… Continue reading Little Hearts Review | A Typical Entertainer That Goes All Over the Place in the Second Half

Once Upon a Time in Kochi Review | The Kind of Bland Creation That Would Give Writer’s Block to Reviewers

Towards the end of the film Once Upon a Time in Kochi, you have this self-referential humor featuring actors like Riyas Khan and Arjun Ashokan. After boring the audience with such a generic and outdated script for more than 2 hours, Nadirshah and Raffi sort of admit how lazy they were in the writing phase… Continue reading Once Upon a Time in Kochi Review | The Kind of Bland Creation That Would Give Writer’s Block to Reviewers

Mandakini Review | This Marriage Comedy Will Work if You Are Drunk as a Skunk

During the promotional interviews for his new film, Mandakini, actor-director Althaf Salim talked about how he is comfortable as an actor when there is space to improvise. Most of the acting gigs Althaf has done so far have not been annoying, as his soft-spoken counter dialogues only created laughter in the theaters. But in the case of Mandakini, the… Continue reading Mandakini Review | This Marriage Comedy Will Work if You Are Drunk as a Skunk

Thalavan Review | A Watchable Crime Thriller That Misses Out on the Wow Factor

The feel-good space has been the safe zone of director Jis Joy, and when he tried something different in Innale Vare, the response wasn’t that warm. Thalavan, his new film, a police investigation drama, is yet another attempt to crack a zone that Jis hasn’t explored. With two strong actors carrying their respective roles with the required heft,… Continue reading Thalavan Review | A Watchable Crime Thriller That Misses Out on the Wow Factor

Turbo Review | The Climax Action CPR From Mammootty Is Not Enough to Elevate This Ultra-Generic Action Film

In the second half of the movie Turbo, there are multiple instances in which the various antagonists are sort of praising the tactics of the hero and his allies saying stuff like, “What a bloody cliche”, “classic” etc. The thing is, on the writing table, Midhun Manuel Thomas may have envisioned this as a theater erupting moment. But when it comes to execution,… Continue reading Turbo Review | The Climax Action CPR From Mammootty Is Not Enough to Elevate This Ultra-Generic Action Film