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 After boring the audience with such a generic and outdated script for more than 2 hours, Nadirshah and Raffi sort of admit how lazy they were in the writing phase… Continue reading Once Upon a Time in Kochi Review |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

Oru Sarkar Ulpannam Review | A Preachy, Predictable Drama That Struggles to Find an Emotional Connect

The last 15-20 minutes of the movie Oru Sarkar Ulpannam, previously titled Oru Bharatha Sarkar Ulpannam, is happening inside a court where a citizen is fighting against the government. Some of the moments in that patch of the movie had an emotional connection that I felt they should have made this movie as a legal… Continue reading Oru Sarkar Ulpannam Review | A Preachy, Predictable Drama That Struggles to Find an Emotional Connect

Kadakan Review | A Forgettable Action Flick With Familiar Ingredients

Kadakan, the new Hakkim Shahjahan starrer directed by Sajil Mampad, is a very generic action film that just stretches a predictable premise with several episodes that we have seen many a time in Malayalam cinema. The movie’s casting choices have definitely helped the film, as it never enters an unwatchable space. But with pretty much… Continue reading Kadakan Review | A Forgettable Action Flick With Familiar Ingredients

Anweshippin Kandethum Review | A Dull Thriller That Relies Too Much on Twists to Salvage

The latest Tovino Thomas film, Anweshippin Kandethum, directed by Darwin Kuriakose, is a flat thriller that tries really hard to elevate its graph through twists but hardly succeeds. Set in the early ’90s, the movie wants to utilize the lack of technology in investigative methods to make the hero’s journey look tough. But the script… Continue reading Anweshippin Kandethum Review | A Dull Thriller That Relies Too Much on Twists to Salvage

Qalb Review | Gen Z Talks the Boomer Language in This Cringe-Fest Romeo and Juliet

Qalb, the third movie directed by Sajid Yahiya, is basically yet another adaptation of the classic Romeo and Juliet template. I can agree with the fact that romance can be extremely cheesy for those involved in it. But even cheesiness has that guilty pleasure relatability that makes those movies hits. But in the case of… Continue reading Qalb Review | Gen Z Talks the Boomer Language in This Cringe-Fest Romeo and Juliet

Maharani Review | An Unremarkable Comedy With a Bloated and Dragged Script

There is a scene in the second half of the movie, Maharani, where the hero Viji tries to find out where the leading lady Rani is, and the hilarious loop in that conversation actually cracked me up. Even the audience inside the theater, who weren’t responding till that point also laughed out loud for that… Continue reading Maharani Review | An Unremarkable Comedy With a Bloated and Dragged Script