Red Wine

Red Wine by debutant director Salaam Baapu begins with a lot of promise. But the director loses grip and the story simply meanders along lazily, testing the audience's patience. The cast included the two best names in the Malayalam film industry but sadly, Salam Bappu couldnt capitalise on his biggest advantage. The story is about a political murder that takes place in Kozhikode, with the involvement of the land mafia.

Fahad essays the role of CV Anoop, who is a theatre enthusiast. He is associated with a local theatre group in Kozhikode. The movie opens with a performance by this group. After the performance, Anoop and his friend Navaz leave the premises to catch up over a few drinks. Anoop is then dropped off at his lodge by his friend. He engages in cheerful banter with the receptionist and retires for the night, never to wake up again. .

Enter Mohanlal as Ratheesh Vasudevan, the ACP who is investigating the crime. Here on, the movie progresses in past and present mode. This has been done to death of late in Malayalam and frankly, gets on to the viewers' nerve after a while :D

Anoop's past is unfolded through the investigation. He is an engineering graduate from NIT. Anoop is a man with leftist principles and  the local committee member of his party in Wayanad. Theatre is his passion, for which he finds time in between his social commitments. Widely loved in his little town, he makes sure he is at the forefront of everything progressive. He is also shown as a man who cares deeply for the environment and his interactions with the Adivasis in the area further establish this. He is supportive of the establishment of a medical college, hoping that deserving candidates from even the lower strata of society have a window of opportunity. However, he opposes the launch of an Ayurvedic Resort for it means displacing Adivasis from their natural habitat.

I will not go into the nitty gritties of the movie, becuase it doesnt deserve it :) I love crime thrillers and watch movies trying to second guess the motive and the 'killer'. This one robs the viewer of that experience. The murderer, the reason are all revealed much before the interval. This killed the suspense and my interest :)

Performance-wise, Fahad is excellent and a complete natural. Two releases in a week and you see two completely different faces of the man. Though the movie was nothing to rave about, Fahad had me floored. Maybe I'm partial here :)

Mohanlal had no business in this movie, except 'upping' the star quotient. The role could've done by anyone and an actor of his calibre wasnt needed. He sleepwalks through his role. ACP Ratheesh Vasudevan pales in comparison to his cop-act in last year's Grandmaster.

Asif Ali, in a small role looks confused. He had the "what am I doing here" look on his face all the time. And, about time he went for some acting classes. Thankfully, we dont have to endure him for a large part of the movie

Suraj Venjaramood as the party member is passable. The plus was that he had a serious role, and hence no jokes that tortured the audience. Saiju Kurup as Navaz is good. TG Ravi as Narayanettan, Anoop's mentor, is lovable. You feel the man's love for Anoop and his pain at learning about his death.

The less said about the ladies in the movie, the better. They are all mostly blink and miss. No real relevance here. The villains are real jokers too! They hardly create an impact and that isnt how it should be in a movie with a political murder as the backdrop.

Wayanad has been beautifully captured in a number of scenes.

Rating : 2.5/5, watch on DVD.

Friday

Debutant director Lijin Jose's Friday has nothing new to offer. The multilinear story telling method is adopted here as well. There are a lot of characters, some we can identify with and others not so, but they are all bound together in one way or the other.

There is no one protagonist here. Multiple stories unfold at the same time on a single day. Fahad Fazil is a hassled auto driver, who struggles to make ends meet. He tries hard to portray the ordinary auto-driver, but I felt he is far too sophisticated to carry it through. Not a role that requires a lot histrionics, he's done his bit sincerely, but we have seen better things from him in the recent past.

One of the first few characters we are introduced to is a family out shopping for the upcoming wedding in the family. The bride and the groom are shopping separately, but keep in touch via phones. Shopping all done (incl. gold), they dine at a restaurant before calling it a day. They hire an auto to their next destination. A few scenes later they discover that bag with the money and gold is
missing. We do know where this story goes from here. Sure, enough, they get everything back and the auto driver is lauded for his sincerity. (But was he actually so to begin with...? )

Then we have a childless couple who are caught in a legal tangle over adoption. The wily adoption officer makes the process difficult for the couple who have come all the way from Bangalore to complete the formalities. Now this story didnt fit well with me. Yes, adoption is a very noble deed indeed, and I salute people who welcome a stranger into their lives as their own. But, here, the couple married for a few years is childless. Treatments are ongoing. However, the compelling need to adopt is because the lady's sister is pregnant. Now, that cannot be a good reason to adopt. And, no matter how busy one is, you dont just come down for a day to complete the procedures. Normal people set aside a couple of days' atleast. But, perhaps, they weren't normal people :D

We are also introduced to a college going couple. They seem to be in love. A chance holiday at college and the love birds choose to spend it on the beach. A little bit of moral policing is thrown in here and the couple are picked up the police and taken to the nearest police station.

We are also taken to a govt. maternity ward, where a woman has just delivered her first baby. The husband has come to visit, but he doesnt get to see his baby since the new born is in the incubator. Meanwhile, another patient develops a complication and the young father has no option but to help. The apathy in government hospitals is shown here where the mother and new born are discharged from the hospital late evening due to unavailability of beds.

The climax is a boat journey where most of the people we see throughout the movie come together. They are all going to their respective destination, when calamity strikes. How they overcome form last few scenes, which did not appeal to me :)

I do not see the necessity to write about the performances of the actors, simply because this isnt a movie that requires any kind of histrionics from anyone.

Rating : 2.5 out of 5. Watch it on TV/DVD.

Amen!

Now this was a movie that I had no plans of watching :D But, a lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing else to do changed our minds and we quickly booked tickets at the nearest cinema :) And, I should say the experience was far from disappointing.

The basic  premise of the movie is set during the initial sequence itself. The story takes place in a small village somewhere near Alleppy. The opening scene shows Tipu and his soldiers trying to attack a church in this sleepy village. But a divine intervention occurs & Tipu and his men bear a hasty retreat. Cut to present times, where we are introduced to some of the characters in the movie through toilet jokes. And, yes, we do come across such characters very often in our lives.

The story then moves forward with a prayer in the church for the new year and a subsequent meeting of the church band members. Now, this was a band that won may laurels for the church, but not anymore after the death of a few talented members. Our protagonist is the son of one of the deceased members. He renders the clarinet much more beautifully than his father. The only hitch is that he cannot do so in front of an audience. The only person who's ever heard him render the clarinet is his lady love Sosanna. Now, this is where the film falters I think. The audience knows where the story is heading from this point on - a competition and the under-dog outplays everyone to win the cup. Predictable in that sense, but the director has managed to create visual treat for the viewers so much so that we can forgive the predictability :)

Fahad Fazil is brilliant as the underdog who manages to overcome his inhibitions to prove his worth to the whole hamlet. His blends in splendidly so much so that you forget that he's the hero in the movie. It's a pleasure to watch the man perform. And, a refreshing change from his recent metrosexual characters where he's almost always sleeping with someone or the other :)

Indrajit as Father Vincent Vattoly is in his elements. A truly talented actor who hasnt been given his worth yet.

The female lead, Swathi, is a riot. She has a mind of her own and is unafraid to stand up against her father and brother who oppose her relationship with Solomon. Some of the scenes showing her interactions with the other characters are truly hilarious.

Kalabhavan Mani is restrained as the Band Master who has pinned all his hope on his band members for that elusive victory.

The supporting actors have all done their parts with sincerity and it is reflected in the final outcome :)

The climax was least expected and beautifully executed.

Overall, a very watchable movie

Rating: 3.75/5

Bavootyude Namathil

Bavootyude Namathil is also along the lines of Nandanam and Pranchiyettan, where audience is made to feel presence of the Almighty in the protagonist...it's a feel good film...story-wise, A loyal and sincere driver in a wealthy family, helps them out of some tricky situations. In the end, he becomes the knight in shining armour for the leading lady as well as the villian! Predictable, yet enjoyable :D

Bavooty is very safe in Mammooty's able hands...but, we have already seen him in this avatar many times...the all sacrificing valyettan in Valsalyam, the loving servant in Raapakal and so on...this one is also just one of those characters...unfortunately, not as memorable or lovable as Pranchi :)

I've always liked Kavya Madhavan, and this time was no different. I loved the way she speaks in the movie...it came quite naturally to her, though she doesnt look like the mother of two...Vanaja would still have been likeable with one daughter!

Sankar Ramakrishnan repeats his Spirit act. But, again, I have trouble with the characterization. The wife has been sincere in all their years of marriage, never ever straying. But he decides to have an extra-marital affair...why - the reasons are unknown!!! And, when the wife's ex from her student days surfaces, he gets disturbed as he should be. But when Bavooty mentions an extra marital affair that the husband thought no one knew about, he decides to forgive the wife!!!So, was the director trying to say that the wife wouldn't have been forgiven if the husband didnt have an extra-martial affair ?? ,

Vineeth essays the typical villian - someone who wants to earn a quick buck by milking the ex. The climax shows Bavooty succeeding in reforming the man or so we are made to believe.

Kaniha and Rima Kallingal-passable. Infact, I really didnt understand the need for their presence in the movie. They could've been essayed by just about anybody!

Overall, a nice movie by Renjith and GS Vijayan! Watch it on the DVD....

Rating : 3 out of 5

Molly Aunty Rocks

Molly Aunty Rocks: First impression - "Blah! What was all the hype about ?"

Second Impression: Yet another movie with a message ! While the message is all good, an overkill definitely tires out the audience! The movie fell woefully short of my expectations, for all the hype generated. There were individual performance that stood out, but story-wise no great shakes!

Revathy, in the title role is good, but lacks the spunk that the story demands from her. The "nalla eri" dialogue in the movie seemed like an attempt to take the viewer back to her Kilukkam days, but like always, nothing matches the original masterpiece. She's portrayed as a gritty lady who's ready to put a fight for what's right. Her sense of righteousness, perhaps influenced by her many years in the USA, is endearing. But to imply that such qualities come only with years of living abroad, is quite a shame! Molly aunty isnt the kind who cows down under pressure and is fearless in giving a piece of her mind when required. You see it in many places in the movie, but only to less important characters in the movie. There were a couple of instances where her reactions ought to have been sharper & stronger. Two such instances are her interactions with the Asst. Commissioner (played by Prithviraj). He, with no justifications whatsoever, provokes Molly Aunty with outrageous & unforgivable statements. Both the situations, she challenges him by saying -

1. She will not heed to his threats and fight it out (1st istance). She does fight, but somewhere down the line, lacked the conviction that I'd have expected from a character with Molly's strength & perseverance!

2. Make him apologise (2nd instance) and this situation wasnt given the closure it deserved. This particular situation was more intense than the first, and I for one would've slapped him and then faced the repercussions later. Perhaps it's her "American sense of righteousness" as Prithviraj's character says. However, an apology was due from the character played by him, never came anywhere in the movie. Reminded me of the famous situation in Udayananu Tharam where Superstar Sarojkumar refuses to apologise even in front of the camera saying "Njan maappu chodikkano, athum ithiri ponna oru penninodu!!! Njan innu vare oru cinemayilum aarodum maapu chodichittilla, venenkil aval ennodu maappu chodikkatte".

Performance-wise, I loved Lalu Alex's and Mamukoya's character. Mamukoya was truly adorable and such a refreshing change from the kind of roles he's been performing over years. And, Lalu Alex - boy, would I love to have a husband as understanding and lovable as him ;) @Arun Parameswaran, hope you are listening :D

Prithviraj: Here's a character who's arrogant from the word go, and he quite fits the real life image he has in this rather short role ;) And, what on earth happened to his overall build? Wonder if the look was during the preparation for his Bollywood debut. But, to quote from Nivin Polly in Thattathin Marayathu 'malayaliku enthina 6 pack abs' :D He looks lean and malnourished !!!!

The other characters perform as expected. Nothing outstanding, but not too bad either.

A word to the director: Loved Passenger and thought you made a fantastic debut! But the graph dipped with Arjunan Sakshi and MAR. Buck up, you showed promise and we'd love to see more good work from you!

Final word: DVD material!

Rating : 2.5 out of 5

Run Baby Run

RBR is an entertaining watch. Nothing we havent seen, but nice! I would just call it a movie with media as the back-drop, not a hard-hitting journalistic movie like New Delhi or Vaartha! More a thriller with the protagonists trying to save their skin and the predictable "good wins over the bad" climax! And, no punch dialogues that make you squirm in your seat from the leading man! Mohanlal and Amala Paul were good, and I absolutely loved Biju Menon! He was a riot! Rest of the cast as usual...! And, funnily I liked mohanlal's rendition of Aatumanal paayayil ! Camera work was shoddy in places, or so I thought :D

 Rating : 3.5 out of 5

Tattathin Marayathu

Well, a friend summed up Tattathin Marayathu quite effectively : "1997íl aniyathipravu kandappo ishtapettu ennu vechu 2012íl Thattathin Marayathu ishtapedanam ennillalo"...

Most love stories are cute and this one is too, to a large extent...but nothing we havent seen already! This one's a nice Hindu-Muslim love story set in Talassery, but if you've seen and loved the romance in Bombay this will seem silly :D (I bet that the current school and college generation will disagree with me, but hey I'm no longer the teenager who weeped buckets watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai :D ), There are some smart one-liners and the jokes are worth a laugh! But, you will not go home (atleast I didnt) with a smile on your face after the climax like you probably did after Aniyathipravu! Srividya and KPAC Lalitha tugged hearts so beautifully in that one scene that you can forget about how imbecile the rest of the movie was ;) Srinivasan just didnt match up! The new girl, Isha Talwar is beautiful, lip-sync bad...Nivin Polly - cute and likeable....Manoj K Jayan...could've been better, I generally like him, but felt he was overacting a tad bit as the SI with Tvm slang...however, what I absolutely loved about the movie was the camaraderie between Nivin Polly's character and his friends...and the boy who played Abdu (Aju Varghese) was a riot!

Vineeth Srinivasan shows promise as a director and the songs were lovely too!

Final Verdict: A lot of people have loved the movie, and the movie is likely to be a hit...but somehow, it didnt appeal to me the way I thought it would :D !

Rating: 3 out of 5

Ustad Hotel

A very likeable first-half and an equally dragging second half! Anjali Menon tries to drive home a very relevant point, considering that Malayalam movies are now going the 'story with a message' way! Though her intent is worth an applause, I do wish the second half was as pepped up as the first! I'd given Dulquer's first movie a miss, but this one absolutely made me fall in love with the young man! His smile completely floored me and I'd go for every single movie of his to simply watch him smile! Provided, he doesnt go the Prithviraj way! He does seem to have his father's charm and a fair amount of talent. Way too early to judge him, though! The camaraderie between him and the veteran Thilakan was endearing. Nitya Menen in a miniscule role was a riot! Liked the streak of independence that her character was endowed with! However, the idea that a girl can follow her dreams secretly or only until her wedding disturbed me! Siddique's portrayal of the dad who thinks his daughters are better confined kitchen however young they are and the son ought to reach the pinnacles of success with education had the feminist in me seething!!! Perhaps, I still havent understood how the orthodox Kozhikodan Muslim family set-up is! Also, avoidable was the cliche that anyone educated abroad ends up with a girl/boy friend who's a foreigner! Thilakan - what talent! Strong, frail, humourous, helpless, romantic - myriad emotions in a span of over 2 hours!!! Overall, a fairly good movie from Anwar Rasheed & team! Go watch it in the theatre if you believe in encouraging young talent Rating : 4 out of 5

Manjadikkuru

Anjali Menon: Salute !!!!
Absolutely adored ' Manjadikkuru'.... must watch for all movie lovers...and there's not one thing I could fault...the kids were fabulous...totally totally loved it!!!!!"

 Rating : 5 out of 5

Spirit

What a 'spirit'ed performance by Mohanlal in the latest Ranjith movie!!! The first half would have come very naturally to him ;) That aside, it indeed is a watchable movie!!! And, nothing could be a more relevant topic than alcoholism in current times, where the beverage corporation in Kerala (& country-wide)makes the most profit even under tough economic conditions!!!! The movie is preachy, yes...but then for a subject as this, its only a natural progression! And, Ranjith has been fairly successful in sending out the message without the movie turning out to be a documentary!

I absolutely loved Sankar Ramakrishnan in his role as Alexy! And, I say it again, Mohanlal was a complete natural....! Totally totally loved the expression on his face when he longs to hug his ex-wife & she pushes him away!!!

Rating : 3.5 out of 5

Grandmaster

Grandmaster isnt the edge of the thriller than the makers project it to be, but certainly an entertaining one! The first dragged a bit, took time establishing the characters...the second half was more fast paced...what I liked about the movie was Mohanlal's understated performance...he was good, playing his age, no heroism and he's trimmed down a lot! The suppporting cast also very likeable! Overall, best pick of the season so far!

Rating : 3.5 out of 5

Diamond Necklace

So much hype and so little substance! Dubai has been captured quite well...Story-wise, no great shakes...
Performances - The new girls were impressive, Samvritha - as usual...Fahad Fasil, is turning out to be the Emran Hashmi of Malayalam Cinema...he has good potential & has moulded himself quite well after his first dud...But, I really would like to see him do something besides wooing women at every given chance!!!

 Rating : 3 out of 5

22 Female Kottayam

An engaging thriller...ardent followers of English and Hindi movies can argue that there is nothing original about it...but I liked it, for the theme, the presentation and the actors!!!! T.G. Ravi...short role, but terrific! Rima did justice to her character, Fahad is wickedly charming...Pratap Pothen and Sathar leave a mark too!!!! Devoid of superstars, it's surely a step forward in Malayalam cinema...! Go watch if you dont mind a movie inspired from the west and up north!

Rating :4 out of 5

Mayamohini

Less said about it, the better! But, Dileep does make a fantastic woman, minus the face!

 Rating:  No rating

Ee AduthaKalathu

Fairly entertaining...Indrajith - a delight to watch!!! Murali Gopi - could have done away with the shouting bit...sincere advice - take a leaf out of your father's book and learn what subtelty is all about...Anoop Menon - Passable, Nishaan - So-so, Jagathy Sreeekumar - Small role, but well done as usual...Mythili - Learning to be Asif Ali, Tanushree - Lip-sync was terrible but a decent performance otherwise, Lena - Passable!
Overall, watchable but you wouldnt miss anything if you catch it on a DVD too...

Rating : 2.5 out of 5

The King and The Commissioner

Ok, dont come to me with brick bats and rotten eggs!! But, I actually quite enjoyed The King and The Commissioner...nothing we havent seen already, but overall watchable if you are a sucker for police movies !!! Let me also mention that Anil MC, Arun Parameswar, Shyam Kumar and Praveen Sivadasan didnt quite enjoy it as much as Ananya and I did!!!

Rating: 2 out of 5

Casanova

Big budget + aging superstar (who's gone bananas) + one time lucky director + a host of women who had nothing better to do = Casanova!
I am seriously at a loss of words here...!!!!
Sanjay-Bobby...I believe you guys wrote the script for Traffic??? How could you come up with something as atrocious as this????
Mohanlal... Have you totally lost it??? You are one of the finest actors in Malayalam... Why, oh why, cant you act your age??? And, why cant you watch reruns of your old movies to understand how wonderful an actor you are????
Roshan Andrews... Next time, respect the intelligence of the ordinary malayali!

Rating : I refuse to rate such inane creations!!!!

Beautiful

Beautiful indeed!!! & I loooooooooove Anoop Menon!!! But, maashe...can we see more of yourself and less of 'lalettan' of yore!

Rating : 4 out of 5

Vellaripravinte Changathi

Ok...so Arun Parameswar, Geo Rajan and Anil MC didnt like Vellaripravinte Changathi...but I actually found it engaging...it isnt rocket science nor is it oscar material...but it's an ok one time watch...esp, if one likes Dileep and Kavya Madhavan! However, the climax of the movie within the movie left me gasping for breath!!!!!

Oru marubhoomikatha

Kilukkam+Chandralekha+Kakkakuyil+Vettam+some more of the same genre = Oru marubhoomikatha...old wine in an even older bottle :D but Lalettan and Mukesh were fun to watch!

Rating : Not required, nothing original...

Ra.One

Ra.Bore!!!! Wat a nightmare of a movie....!!!! King Khan....I grew up adoring you in movies like DDLJ, DTPH,KKHH, Swadesh, Chak De!...but this one really picked my brain!!!!! What on earth were you thinking when you set out to make Ra.1....????? And, to top it all, I hear you are planning a sequel as well!!! Puuhhhllleeeeeaaaasssssssseeeeeee!!!! Spend the money you intend for the sequel on the needy across the world and you'll have their blessings!!! And, ours....for sparing us the torture!!

Pranayam

I love love stories...and if its as magical as portrayed in movies like Salt 'n Pepper & Pranayam, its even more enchanting...Blessy, thank you for the wonderful experience...
Lal elevated the movie to new heights...Jaya Prada was captivating...only hitch - Anupam Kher could've been better---terrible lip sync! And, his was a very interesting character...sincerely thought that Nedumudi Venu would've made a better Achutha Menon!

Rating : 4 out of 5

Indian Rupee

Indian Rupee-a matter-of-fact take on contemporary Kerala! Ranjith is a truly a master story teller & Thilakan proves why he's considered one of the finest actors in Indian cinema...Jagathi Sreekumar, perfect as always! But, Prithviraj was quite a let down!

A word of caution to Pritviraj: Imitation is the best form of flattery...but we prefer the originals to the duplicates! Arrogance looks best on Mammukka and try as hard as you can, but you can never be as natural Lalettan...Develop your own style Mr. if you want to finish at the top of the race!

Rating : 4 out of 5 and -1 for Prithviraj

Salt 'n Pepper

Indeed a pleasant combination of the salt and pepper & the result was a super sweet love story! The eternal romantic in me was totally pleased!!!!

Three Kings

A total no-brainer and you'll pull ur hair out watching it!!! But, at the end, when your 3.5 year old says "Amme...I liked 3 kings", the time spent seems worthwhile ;)

Rating : Couldnt think of an appropriate number :)

China Town

Again lifting from my FB update: 

OK, so Rafi & Mecartin had gone bananas directing it, Lal-Dileep-Jayaram were drugged into acting and I was insane to go watch it ! What on earth was China Town all about?????

Christian Brothers & August 15

From my FB update  : 

Christian Brothers....mindless, but entertaining all the same....!

August 15...as mindless as X'tian brothers...only, the potbellies are missing...!

Traffic

Traffic was one of the biggest hits of 2011. It was an immensely likeable movie and with a very good message.
The performances were all so apt, Lena stood out as the distraught mother, Srinivasan excelled as the cop who wants to regain the respect from his daughter, Saikumar as the father who had to take the most difficult decision of his life, Anoop Menon as the commissioner and Rahman as the egoistic superstar. 
What I particularly liked about the movie was the message that it tried to put across - about donating your organs after death.

Rating : 4 out of 5

Arjunan Sakshi

It may not have been as 'impactful' as Passenger, but the film has its moments too! Both the movies have the same basic thread - a common man,drawn unwillingly into a 'mess',has to fight his way out of it!Liked the way Ranjith Sankar has handled the film...there are a few loose ends,which if tightened would've made the film brilliant!


Rating : 2.5 out of 5

Marykkundoru Kunjaadu

 This was the one we watched after Kandahar and Karyasthan. So, at the time it was indeed a good watch. Biju Menon was fabulous and Dileep was his usual self.

A strictly ok movie with a bit of chanthupottu and meesamadhavan...entertaining...!

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Kandahar

A single line review would suffice :)

As I updated on FB after watching the movie -

"It's been a few days after watching Kandahar...the after 'shocks' still remain...my three year old tells me....'Ammi...ini lalettan'te cinema kanan povanda...ammu'nu ishtalla' !!!!"


Yes, it was truly atrocious!!!!
And what utter waste of talent here by Major Ravi. I've never understood what the man has been trying to do after Keerthichakra.

Rating: 0 out of 5

My movies...

I love love Malayalam movies and no, I am not art-house material...for me, it's all about entertainment...and so if you are here expecting to find reviews about movies from geniuses like Adoor, the late Aravindan, Satyajit Ray etc you will be sorely disappointed...:D

The love for movies was passed on to me by parents....My movie viewing experience started even before I turned one!!!! And, I must say I have managed to continue the tradition with both my daughters ;) Ananya's first was 'Katha Parayumbol' at 3.5 months and Advika's first was 'Bavootyude Namathil' when she was all of 2.5 months :)...Mammooty's my all time favourite actor...and coincidentally, both my daughters started their movie going experience with his movies ;)

I've been writing little reviews about movies that I watch on facebook for a while now. But figured it would be a better idea to move them all here :) Reading them later on will be good entertainment :D Most of my reviews of FB have been for Malayalam movies.

The first few posts will be direct "lifts" from FB...going forward, will post the reviews here :)