Neelavelicham Review | A Visually Captivating Adaptation That Struggles to Handle Melodrama

Bhargavi Nilayam is that classic horror film that practically sets the tone for almost all horror films in Malayalam. The cliches we now talk about in horror films were introduced to the Malayalam industry by this film. In fact, virtually all the female ghost horror films in Malayalam were various iterations of Bhargavi Nilayam at… Continue reading Neelavelicham Review | A Visually Captivating Adaptation That Struggles to Handle Melodrama

Pookkaalam Review | A Passable Feel-Good Family Drama That Could Use Some Fine-Tuning

Ganesh Raj’s first film Anandam was a college drama that the director himself had said was something entirely in his comfort zone. His second film Pookkaalam, which comes nearly 7 years after Anandam, has a departure from the first film regarding the theme. Still, the making sensibilities pretty much remain the same. Certain heartfelt moments… Continue reading Pookkaalam Review | A Passable Feel-Good Family Drama That Could Use Some Fine-Tuning

Gold Review | An Uneven Yet Engaging Comedy With Alphonse Puthren Signature Elements

The filmmaking process of Alphonse Puthren has always been described as peculiar by all his collaborators as he improvises a lot on the sets and delivers something beyond the script. Krishna Shankar and Sharaf U Dheen have said in interviews that Alphonse is terrible at narration, and his movie shapes up in the editing table.… Continue reading Gold Review | An Uneven Yet Engaging Comedy With Alphonse Puthren Signature Elements

Chathuram Review | An Interesting Character-Driven Drama That Fizzles in the Final Act

A woman who has lost everything deciding to use everyone who wants to exploit her to build an empire of her own is an idea that looks fascinating but is not necessarily novel. In the movie, the heroine herself admits that her story is shown in many old Malayalam films. But Chathuram uses the framework… Continue reading Chathuram Review | An Interesting Character-Driven Drama That Fizzles in the Final Act

Kotthu

Sibi Malayil is a filmmaker who has made masterpieces whenever he has opted for character-oriented dramas. His combination with Lohithadas was always cinematically compelling as they portrayed their heroes as vulnerable human beings. This character-oriented approach has been missing in Sibi Malayil’s films in the last decade or so. I am not saying his new… Continue reading Kotthu

Cobra

The character of Madhi, played by Vikram in his new release, Cobra, has this hallucination problem. And if my guess is correct, that could have been the germ of the idea that made Ajay Gnanamuthu make this film. But the film is a tedious one that just goes on and on with either flat thrill… Continue reading Cobra

Darlings

Domestic abuse and abusive relationships have been the themes of many movies in the recent past, and Darlings from Jasmeet K Reen gives it an entirely different look by treating it as a black comedy. While the structure in totality is somewhat guessable, the movie smartly maneuvers into those murky areas of a problematic relationship… Continue reading Darlings