Amar Akbar Anthony (2015)

“Ditto What One Would Expect When Nadhirshah Weilds The Megaphone”

Mimicry artist turned actor,anchor and singer Nadhirshah's directorial debut Amar Akbar Anthony managed to generate huge pre-release buzz because it marked the comeback of Classmates trio of Prithviraj,Indrajith & Jayasurya after a long gap of 9 years.Keeping the expectations intact and playing it safe,Amar Akbar Anthony is a delightful entertainer packed with lots of laughs,hilarious one-liners,good performances,peppy songs & a notable message towards the society.

The narration of AAA reminded me of good old days of 90's that produced numerous successful comedy entertainers without much importance to the storyline,but managed to satisfy the viewer inside with impressively intertwined elements of unadulterated humor and masala.Most of the comedies worked out well on screen even though a small share of lengthy sequences gave the feeling of some stage skit been presented on the televison screens.Side-splitting conversations involving the lead trio was the best part of the movie and succeeded in tickling the fun bones at numerous situations in the movie.

The screenplay by newcomers Bipin George and Vishnu Unnikrishnan had its share of flaws which are negligible considering this as a festival entertainer.Well-utilized humor element takes care of glitches in the screenplay and manages to engage the audience till the climax that puts forward a really worthy message to the society.The issue that the movie handles has huge social relevance in the wake of numerous such instances been and is being reported even the second I'm penning this line.

The success of the movie lies in the fact that Nadhirshah could blend the elements of humor and social awareness convincingly, resulting in a neat entertainer that could satisfy all the sections of the audience.The climax even though looked fast-paced and forced holds an impactful twist which was presented really well.

Prithviraj continues his purple patch at the boxoffice and gives an impressive performance alongside Jayasurya and Indrajith who excelled with their funny mannerisms and instant counters.The suprise cameo by Asif Ali was really interesting.Siddhiq made his presence felt with a remarkable performance towards the end portions.Ramesh Pisharadi,Saju Navodaya,Kalabhavan Shajon,Srinda Ashab etc too gave notable support.

Music by Nadhirshah himself was perfect for the atmosphere and the two pulstating numbers 'Manjaadum' & 'Premamennal' were colorfully presented at proper situations in the movie.The poetic solo rendered by Baby Sreya was lovable.Backgroundscore by BijiBal was energetic.The technical department did their part well and good.

Overall,Amar Akbar Anthony is a neat comedy entertainer that's sure to taste success at the box-office.

Verdict::With super-hit written all over it,Nadhirshah's debut flick Amar Akbar anthony is a pretty decent entertainer packed with gratifying element of humor and masala that's sure to win the hearts of the viewers.Go for it!

Rating  : 7 / 10

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Pathemari (2015)

“Sheer Brilliance That Combination Of Talents Can Offer”

When half a dozen of national award winners meet,one will not expect anything short of a memorable experience and Pathemari is nevertheless a truly remarkable piece of film-making that brims with grandeur from acting,directorial and technical brilliance.

Undoubtedly among the best films to come out this year,Pathemari is a heartfelt tribute to all those expatriates who struggled & is struggling hard for their loved ones without expecting anything in return.Director Salim Ahammed solidifies his position in Malayalam Cinema with yet another striking movie after critically acclaimed Adaminte Makan Abu & Kunjananthante Kada.

There's something masked behind the Yardley perfumes and colorfully covered chocolates that we correlate with a gulf returnee and Pathemari throws light on those numerous souls who had strong belief that the most important achievement in one’s life is the betterment of his loved ones rather than his personal well-being-A hearty tribute in all means!

For someone like me who has dealt with and known people like Pallikkal Narayanan in person,Pathemari gave a feeling as if I'm a part of the narration with a major share of hard-hitting dilaogues and situations experienced before or heard of.

The climax portions were simply outstanding and Mammookka nailed it with his brilliant act that made it diffcult to control tears rolling down the cheeks.If someone ask me the most touching movie of 2015 I watched from theaters ,my immediate answer will be Pathemari.Period.

Hats off to our pride Mammookka for the touching portrayal of Pallikkal Narayanan who reminded me of few I know in person. Megastar enacted various transformations in the life of protagonist excellently ith necessary variations and perfection. A class apart you are,Mammookka, Siddique and Sreenivasan were impressive in their respective roles as Launch Velayudhan and Moideen respectively.Jewel Mary made her debut performance memorable.Saleem Kumar,Joy Mathew,Santhosh Keezhattoor etc come in supporting roles and did their part well.

Music & score by BijiBal was soulful and calls for repeated hearing.The title song in Shahabaz Aman's vocals was the best part of the album and blessed with thoughtfullyrics by Rafeeque Ahammed.Oscar winner Rasool Pookkutty did his best part with sound design.

This review will be incomplete if I left out veteran Madhu Ambaat who captured the visuals brilliantly.Another name to be noted is of Pattanam Rasheed who did a commentable job in the makeup department producing convincing make-ups for various transformations of Narayanan.

Overall,Pathemari is a must watch film for all those who love good films that reflects life as it is.

Verdict::Salim Ahammed's Pathemari is a fitting tribute to all those selfless expatriates who work hard for their close ones without demanding anything in return.Watchout for the climax which is sure to bring tears to your eyes ! Go for it!

 Rating  : 8 / 10

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Godzilla (2014)

Director  :  Gareth Edwards
Cast       :  Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen

I’ll make this short: Godzilla is a damp squib. Sixteen years after Roland Emmerich generated shock and awe among my generation of Hollywood film viewers with his take on this Japanese movie monster, Gareth Edwards’ re-telling of the tale comes with just a whiff of a story and adds nothing so dramatically improved by way of special effects to justify a remake.

Like most great monster stories, this one too is meant as an allegory for the potential impact of human interference in nature. Godzilla – or Gojira as the Japanese say – has spawned numerous films, television shows and other art works in multiple languages. This Hollywood remake falls short on too many fronts.

First, it takes incredibly long to give us our first sighting of the gigantic lizard. Second, instead of rushing us through the scientific mumbo-jumbo that is inescapable in such a film, it has a bunch of people just going on and on and on with their jargon before the actual excitement begins. Third, those scientists in Japan – which is where the early part of the film is set – look laughably clueless in comparison with the American scientist who breaks into their work complex… But of course Americans would know better than the Japanese in a Hollywood film. What was I thinking?

Fourth, there are three creatures here, which makes it all slightly confusing, and more to the point: (a) the first two, who are called MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms), look somewhat plastic-metallic and reminded me a bit of those transformers in the Transformers series (b) Godzilla himself is definitely impressive but considering that almost two decades have elapsed since Emmerich made his film, considering the dramatic leaps technology has taken since then, he’s not a particularly earth-shatteringly evolved version of the reptile from that earlier film.

This is not to say that the new Godzilla has no redeeming factors. I did say the central monster himself is an impressive fellow. And the 3D delivers some special moments, particularly when it rains in San Francisco on screen and it feels like it’s raining in the movie hall. There’s also an excellently edited, heartbreaking scene of separation early on in the film involving Bryan Cranston (from TV’s Breaking Bad) and Oscar- and Cesar-winning actress Juliette Binoche.

That, however, is about it. The film’s talented cast is wasted for the most part, though no one gets as raw a deal as Ken Watanabe who plays one of those clueless scientists I was referring to. For the most part of the film, Watanabe’s Dr Serizawa is required to do nothing much but hang about open-mouthed, surrounded by decisive, smart American military fellows in the US as they go about saving the world ... which is America, of course. Unforgivable.

The story – to the extent that I could understand it – involves two MUTOs who feed off radiation. The male MUTO in Japan flies off to the US to mate with a female MUTO, and nature’s way of restoring its balance apparently is to send Godzilla to destroy them ... in America of course! Godzilla apparently resides beneath the ocean and has survived numerous human efforts to destroy it. In the midst of the mayhem caused by the trio – in America of course – the hero’s family is split up. Yes there’s a human hero, but he’s got such a sliver of a written character that I couldn’t have cared less if he’d not been reunited with his son and wife in the end, and had disappeared into the sea with Godzilla instead.

When Dr Serizawa says in one scene, “The arrogance of man is in thinking nature is in our control and not the other way round”, I wanted to punch the screen in irritation because that same point has been made with so much more depth and beauty in far superior films. Remember that crackling early conversation in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Jurassic Park between Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), the park’s owner Jon Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and Hammond’s flunkies, when Malcolm chides them for the collective arrogance in the room and their absolute lack of respect for nature? Remember in that same film, on discovering that the dinosaur eggs in the park have voluntarily mutated to produce different sexes so that they can reproduce (the park’s creators had generated eggs of only one sex to control multiplication), a scientist says in absolute awe: life will find a way? These are among the most memorable scenes in sci-fi/monster film history. Serizawa’s scene is wannabe in comparison.

Sorry, Mr Edwards, it’s not enough that you create a Godzilla of spectacular proportions. I’m afraid you need to build a semblance of a film around him.

Rating  :  2.5 / 5

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Mr. Fraud (2014) Malayalam Movie Review

Director  :  Unnikrishnan B
Cast        :  Mohanlal, Siddique, Miya

Bhai'ji (Mohanlal) is a conman who is about to perform his "one last job"

Script & Direction - For those who remember B Unnikrishnan's tweets/facebook updates, he clearly mentioned that the film is a mass masala commercial entertainer. Eventhough the promos and other reports claim that its a heist movie, I took B Unnikrishnan's words more than giving value to the term heist. Now what I liked about this movie in that angle is the racy first half which entertained the fan in me...especially the scenes featuring Mohanlal. Now I agree that its something his detractors will not enjoy. But just like most directors, B Unnikrishnan's commercial entertainer was heavily dependant on Mohanlal's mass image. Present Mohanlal well and you have done a great job is something thats mostly heard during 90s. Now after Drishyam, I believe the "script" and "narration" is given more prominence over Mohanlal's image. During the second half, the film carried too many sub plots which started to put the audience in a confusion regarding where its heading..Is it a Heist Movie?? Or Is it emotional film?? And towards climax, as expected, some characters show their true colours and our hero will finish them off in style (filmy way). The approach of this movie did carry the flavour of a mass masala because it was extremely filmy in its narration. As far as the heist is concerned, since Malayalam Cinema hasn’t done many, and current gen have seen many from Hollywood, I don't think it will impress many unless they simply watch Malayalam Movies. There wasn't any "Ente Role Enikku Maathram.." kinda mass scene as far as I can recall. The dialogues were pretty good (As expected) but the dampness in the second half was bit too much for the dialogues to save. B Unnikrishnan displayed a good frame sense in this movie which is one of the few positives.

Cast & Performance - It was Mohanlal show. If you are a fan of Mohanlal, you can enjoy Mohanlal walking in slow motion, delivering some smart lines during the initial half etc etc. I am sure you will not forgive the weird get up towards the end which was almost Drishyam Salute moment. Then there is a huge list of cast in form of Vijay Babu,Siddhique, Saikumar, Dev Gill, Ashwin, Vijaykumar, Miya etc etc which got overshadowed by Mohanlal show while others like Suresh Krishna, Devan, Kalashala Babu, Manjari Phadnis etc etc had really nothing do. I am not sure whether some got any good dialogues

Songs & Background Score - "Khudha.." was a speed breaker which added to the dragging second half despite of being shot well. "Sadha..." was a classical number to give more footage to Miya while "Poothinkale.." is the introduction song of Mohanlal. I liked the opening credits music composed by Gopi Sundar in otherwise a loud background score.

Technical Expertise - Satheesh Kurup has done a good job as far the frames and color tones are concerned. Joseph Nellickal is another person who should be appreciated for the art direction. Editing of Manoj lacked the raciness in second half comparing to the first half. Mohanlal's make up & costumes were far better than the disastrous Lokpal expect that one weird getup.

 

Rating  : 2.25 / 5

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How Old Are You (2014) Malayalam Movie Review

Director  :  Rosshan Andrews
Cast       :  Kunchacko Boban, Manju Warrier

Nirupama Rajeevan (Manju Warrier) leads a normal life of a UDC in Collectorate when an incident through her daughter changes her life.

Script - Bobby-Sanjay...The most guaranteed name among the current list of scriptwriters....The biggest challenge they have encountered will be the number of woman centric movies which created impact in recent times like Queen, English Vinglish etc etc. Plus they have the hype of Manju Warrier's comeback project. According to me, How Old Are You is the best woman centric movie in recent times mainly because the genuine way of conveying the independence and ability of a woman which is shackled in this male dominated society. If I convey the storyline in words, you may find it odd because of it unusual theme which it conveys later. But here is where the scenarists takes over and present it in a manner which hits at the right chords whether the human is male or female. As usual there are some outstanding moments which you can take back homes especially the last scene where Nirupama answers to a question. The dialogues as usual are too good and maintained the high standards as expected.

Direction - Rosshan Rosshan Rosshan....I am always a huge fan of yours and the reason is because of the high standards you maintained despite of being versatile. Even your mediocre Casanovva looks better than many successful ventures of other directors. A huge applause for bringing a socially relevant theme and conveying it in this woman centric movie which captures the emotions of any normal cine goer. As expected, the frames were rich and exquisite and the pacing (this time) was perfect. I don't have words to express because the name conveys everything.

Cast & Performance - Manju Warrier may look a bit out of place in one or two scenes (the walking scene with K Boban) but otherwise, it was her brilliance and onscreen charisma that made Rosshan & Bobby-Sanjay confident to go ahead with this movie. I believe they would hav struggled a bit if not Manju or an actress anywhere close to her caliber. Kunchako Boban has delivered superb performance as the husban, Rajeev. Despite of being a Manju Warrier film, the performance from the supporting cast was outstanding especially Kalaranjini, Muthumani, Vinay Fort, Devan, Tasneem Khan, Idavela Babu, Lalu Aalex, Sudheer Karamana etc etc. Sethulakshmi in one scene matches Manju Warrier as far as performance is concerned. One place I wasn't at all impressed was Kaniha's performance and the dialogue delivery of the child actress who played Lakshmi (Nirupama's daughter). Suraaj played a delightful cameo as the vegetable wholesale dealer. Siddharth Basu was aptly casted in the role given to him.

Songs & Background Score - "Vijanathayil Pathi Vazhi Thedunnu..." is the only song played during the movie which depicts the new developments in the life of Nirupama. "Vayassu..." song was placed during the end credits which shown the shooting sequences. The background score by Gopi Sundar was topnotch and will sure earn a place in one of his best works.

Technical Expertise - R Diwakar has once again given whats expected in a Rosshan Andrrews film in the role of a cinematographer. But the makeup on the eye lids of Nirupama was clearly seen which I believe as an error of the makeup department more than the cameraman. Mahesh Narayanan's editing was almost perfect while the art direction team led by Cyril Kuruvila has done a terrific work along with the costume department.

Bottomline - It’s a Rosshan Andrrews - Bobby-Sanjay movie which maintained the huge expectations over the much publicized comeback of Manju Warrier. A movie which makes any woman proud and some men realize the power of the opposite gender. Go For It!!

Rating  :  4.5 / 5

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Neighbors (2014) Movie Review

Director  :  Nicholas Stoller
Cast       :  Zac Efron, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne

Neighbors or bad neighbors as it's called pretty much everywhere else other than the US stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as couples who just had a baby recently. They moves into a new house and getting used to life as parents. All of a sudden a fraternity moves in next door which is not good as they goona be partying loud all the time and they are not goona be able to sleep, not only them but their baby too. It causes a lot of problems. The President of the fraternity is played by Zac Efron and the whole is just kinda them feuding back and forth.

In overall it was a pretty enjoyable movie. It's not completely laugh out loud hilarious so I didn't have any gut-wrenching or I can't breath laughs. But I had a few descent laughs here and there and it was just a fun time. It was enjoyable. Honestly there was nothing bat about it, there was nothing that I can't think of that I didn't like. It's not the funniest movie ever but it's a good time.

Seth Rogen pretty much just plays himself as he does in every movie basically. Rose Byrne was good. I thought she was really hot in this movie too. Zac Effron was pretty good as the fraternity president and I actually likes his character very much. Towards the end of the movie they really put in little more hard than you think they are going to, not just straight of comedy towards the end. They actually go little more deeper, little more real, like I said hard than you thought they were going to  and it doesn't feel forced. I actually liked that they did that. There are somethings about that are unrealistic and you know that wouldn't really happen that way but it doesn't really matter because it's not that big of a deal.

Other than that there is not really too much to say here. As I said earlier, it's not the funniest movie ever made but it's a perfectly enjoyable film. You can pretty much enjoy the film with your friends and families. Recommended....

Rating : 3.5 / 5

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God's Own Country (2014) Malayalam Movie Review

Director  :  Vasudev Sanal
Cast        :  Fahad Fazil, Lal, Sreenivasan

After the "Traffic", we saw many movies following the multiple narrative format (Hope the term is correct  ). Now "God's Own Country" follows the same route which started to become more or less like a new gen stereotyped formula used in the mainstream cinema. Other than Traffic & Shutter, I really didn't find any movies impressive that followed this format. Now here also the film gives us the image of 3 characters in form of Mathan (Sreenivasan), Manu (Fahad), Muhammed (Lal) and the incidents/obstacles/challenges they face during 24 hours.

I am not sure whether it was intentional from director Vasudev Sanal that the 3 main protagonists start with letter "M" and belongs to 3 different religions. But his intention can be understood when the film touches some of the relevant issues encountered by the state currently. I consider that to be smart and innovative as far as the thought process is concerned. Secondly the film engaged the audience almost throughout the 135 minutes of running time. So the director along with his writers, Arun Gopinath, Anish Francis & Praveen Kumar has succeeded in meeting the primary requirements of a mainstream cinema. Despite of following the multi narrative structure, I felt Fahad Fazil alias Manu's story off road while Mathan & Muhammed had a connection. Thats why the director opted a separate track for Manu's story to end which ended much after Mathan/Muhammed's story ended. Also none of the stories really carried any sort of freshness. There was a serious "Passenger" hangover in Mathan's story n Muhammed's story was yet another familiar experience. Other than some glimpses of smart moments and good shots (especially the accident scenes and action sequences), there wasn't anything that can be termed outstanding. Also the last 10-15 minutes of Man's story looked slightly "thattikootu" and also the climax looked a bit weird (may be the director tried to be different over here). I wish the writers could have avoided those filmy lines for Sreenivasan's Mathan which looked really aritificial. At least what was the requirement of narrating everything via dialogues when we could see whats happening?

Regarding performances, I wasn't exactly impressed with Fahad's performance. Maybe it’s too much Fahad movies where he hasn't come up with anything different. Sreenivasan looked kinda arificial when he had to deliver those lines without any charisma. Lal didn't get anything challenging as far as to perform. Then we have list of known actors like Sreeraman, Niyaz, Manikuttan, Sivaji Guruvayoor, Sudheer Karamna, Lakshmi, Chaali Pala lending their presence while some unknown actors like the quotation leader delivering poor performance. Isha Talwar really didn't have any dialogues which was a blessing for both the audience as well as for her. Mythili was decent in her role.

The songs really didn't create any impact as far as audio is concerned but be part of the narration. While "Mannil Pathiyum..." depicted the past of each characters, "Chalanam Chalanam..." was shot during an intense moment in the movie. Arvind Krishna & Arun James' cinematography reminds you of those typical realistic shots seen in such movies which are mostly shot on busy roads. Also Ratheesh's editing was apt for the pace of the movie.

Overall, it’s a watchable mainstream multi-narrative film despite of the shortcomings. Avoid entering halls expecting something outstanding in order to have a better viewing experience.

Rating  :  3 / 5

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