Jithindurden

When talking about authentic hacking in films, something like Mr. Robot or Blackhat might come up but even those are of a big scale with so much at stake where just the methodologies or tools are authentic and then it goes into the realm of cinematic liberties for the time and impact of it. But here, from the scale to the impact everything stays grounded along with stuff that has to do physically for the hacking to happen. Even though I haven't done things like that, I have used Kali Linux and done some mock workshops to identify almost everything that Vishnu does in this film, so that was really refreshing to watch.

Even though not as good as Girish AD's previous films, this also works greatly due to the small moments that add a lot to the film's soul. The main problem with this film is that it never really becomes a full-on thriller even when the story demands it to be. It's mostly a coming-of-age drama with some revenge angle that centers around hacking. Since this was shot before Premalu, some things that were more refined or effectively used in that film are not as good here. The subtle development and impact of minor characters with respect to the main characters without affecting the main story was done almost perfectly in Premalu but here, it needed a bit more work. The ending was a bit too early for the story since there were definitely possibilities left which usually would have had space for a climatic act. There were a few things that could've been done that would've made this more impactful overall.

But despite all that, this still has the relatability factor I found in Premalu, even if it is in smaller doses. There were a lot of places where I found myself relating hard with Vishnu, which also made me think about how different Girish's characters are from me, and yet they are still some of the most relatable characters I've seen in movies. He really showed me how much of the relatable heroes of the past were more like the perceived and normalized version of such characters in Malayalam cinema rather than actually feeling it.

The colors and frames that people would call Wes Anderson-like work for me in the Paul King movies I've seen more than the Wes Anderson movies I've seen. The British charm, wit, and politeness are also something that worked the most in Paddington films more than in anything else for me. Despite all that, the movie also makes me feel weird just like the first time I saw it. The mixture of the CGI animal shenanigans with the metaphors for immigrant lives, xenophobia, tolerance, etc is something that works very well but feels clearly targeted for white people and not someone like me. And none of these aspects can be separated from each other, so it can't really sacrifice the aspect of metaphors for the fun shenanigans or vice versa. It may not be a bad thing on its own but as much as I appreciate the message, certain implications that need not be made from the depictions make me uneasy. It feels more like something that is expected to be seen before the 90s and not in the 2010s. Nonetheless, it is a very entertaining fun family movie.

The ultimate fantasy of an Indian middle-class man. There's really no other way to describe this movie. The story or even the presentation may not be anything new but it is designed to entertain the audience as a total commercial movie even without any action or item songs that are expected out of one, especially from the Telugu industry. Usually, I never choose to watch a dubbed movie, but Dulquer being a Malayali and the almost 60% or something dialogues in the movie coming from him helped make it not feel too much of a dubbed movie and didn't make me regret not traveling a 100 km to watch in the original Telugu language. When it is well made, movies like this that touch a chord with the middle-class struggle and show where they can reach from there will always work with the audience. But it's also good to remember this is all a fantasy because most are not Lucky Baskhars and even when some get lucky like that, they end up more like Harshad Mehta.

This movie simultaneously knows how dumb it is while also believing it to be way smarter than it is. The chaos it creates somehow works just because of that. It tries a bit too much in every aspect but it does feel like the intent was right, it just ended up a bit messy. I can see people hating this but it was just so much fun. The ensemble cast was fantastic and really brought their best with the material they got. The only character I cared about was Alicia Keys' but that didn't matter much when the philosophy of the movie felt a bit nihilistic but not in a completely hopeless way even though it can also be read like that.

It's dumb fun just like the previous movies. The CGI fight-fest and some of the character choices at the end felt weird and kind of lackluster. Eddie Brock is tired all the time in the movie and the movie itself is a bit tired. The montage at the end with the Memories song was so badly edited, but still, the overall editing wasn't as atrocious as the second movie, which is the worst movie of the trilogy solely because of its editing and could've been the best otherwise. It still feels like such a waste that Tom Hardy's performance and the chemistry between Eddie Brock and Venom are so much fun to watch and yet they are part of such a mid trilogy. However, I'll always enjoy this trilogy because of that buddy comedy aspect that's close enough to be a love story.

The core concept of Coherence with unnecessary songs and too much spoonfeeding after intentionally messing up the narrative because the makers aren't smart enough to actually make it as tight as Coherence. But the middle portion of the movie did feel compelling and keeping it more of a time loop would have worked better with respect to that portion because it clearly also got some inspiration from Timecrimes. It made the atmosphere of a proper horror movie in those portions. However, the unnecessary first act and the confused third act drag the movie down. The very end would've worked more if they had taken a different route in the middle. Nonetheless, it is a nice attempt at making a mind-bending movie within the realm of commercial Tamil films and the compelling middle portion of the movie makes it a worthwhile big screen watch.

A pulpy mystery thriller with the typical Amal Neerad visual flair, nothing more, nothing less. Excluding the finer details, most of it was predictable but still engaging enough. The cast did well but didn't feel anyone did anything extraordinary. Can't believe Fahadh is doing such an insignificant cop role. The climax could've been choreographed better for more impact. The three-against-one scene could've been utilized better. With Amal Neerad's style, the film's problem is that it's neither grounded nor really stylish enough. A lot of the twists and turns ended up very flat. The flashback portions didn't feel really convincing. I expected a bit more than that, so I ended up feeling underwhelming. Still, the whole thing is stylish and atmospheric enough to be an okay watch.

Vasan Bala is not gonna live down the comments he made about how his unfinished script of Jigra was sent to Alia by Karan Johar because this feels like an in-between draft that needs rewrites. I was excited about Vasan Bala and Alia Bhatt combo but was surprised that this looked nothing like his previous movies. After watching this I feel like Vasan Bala should stick to the quirky style of his previous two films.

Jigra is not a bad film but just very underwhelming considering the people involved. It doesn't really have anything new to offer. Vasan Bala's penchant for including so many references from 70s Bollywood to modern Hollywood is present here too. Direct references from Zanjeer to Only God Forgives, and people wearing all kinds of pop culture merchandise were fun. But do they really match the tone of this movie? Although, got to give it to them that they did match the color tones of such merchandise with the cinematography that really does a lot for the movie. Overall, the filmmaking is way better than the script and the performances were all solid. At this point we expect Alia to carry the movie and she does it. But the script is very underwhelming for such a story told in two and a half hours.

There are just too many questions that are not given importance in the movie because it's supposed to be all about the brother-sister bond. But the movie lingers around the prison break plot a lot, and most of it doesn't end up anywhere. On the whole, the movie doesn't have a clear focus. It even tries to paint the main characters as grey but doesn't commit to it because they are at the end of the day, the "heroes" of the movie. Despite all my issues with it, it's an okay movie that is very well made.

I wasn't really keen on watching another movie about petty ego clash that escalates but this turned out to be a very sweet one despite that premise. The love for cricket, the importance and dynamics of different familial relationships, how caste works in Tamil Nadu, etc are presented with enough intensity but all along being an almost feel-good comedy drama. Attakkathi Dinesh really looked young and middle-aged just by the difference of grey in his beard, I don't think there was too much extra makeup or any digital touchups for that but maybe I'm wrong, nonetheless, I was pretty impressed by that. Watching Swasika as the mother of a grown woman was also surprisingly effective, she was really impressive in this. She should get praise for something like this except for something like Chathuram which I couldn't even watch past the first 30 minutes.

I really wish I had seen this movie in a packed theater in Tamil Nadu. I was lucky to find this back in the theater because last week it was already washed out from the theaters where it got released around me and today there were exactly 4 people including me in the theater. There's so much in this movie that would've been way more effective with a crowd and also a few bits that felt a bit underwhelming would've been not so noticeable if the other parts gave that impact that a crowd can give.

From what I'm reading online, everyone except me seems to find this film a comedy, but for me, this felt like horror. This gave me a similar feeling to what I felt after watching Synecdoche New York even though they're very different. Both had the making of a play as a central plot point and both made me feel like I'm watching a psychological horror film.

The protagonist Edward may be very different from me but his insecurities about life, the way he hides from the past and acts through the present, only to be shown to him he can't really make it because of who he is, just hits close to home.

The way this movie nonchalantly shows how people are perceived due to how each person believes what they are is striking. Be it the person who you expect not to be popular being popular or the person you expect to be kind being not that, maybe even unbeknownst to themselves. It breaks the bubble of how such movies usually show these kinds of situations by making it very unsettling which can be perceived as darkly comical as well I guess.

Sebastian Stan is brilliant with his body language conveying all the insecurities. Adam Pearson being the charming positive force of the movie was such a surprise but it's great to see especially when it's Sebastian Stan on the other side.

One of the best movies of the year and something I won't revisit anytime soon.

Folly of a movie. The only reason they made this a musical is that otherwise, it would've been over under an hour and still, they couldn't fully commit to it. Phoenix and Gaga are spectacular with the material they've given. The direction is great combining the cinematography and music to give the film a pretty good pace considering nothing at all happens in the movie. It can't be called a full-on musical but the musical parts of the movie were the only thing that actually entertained me even though it was mostly pointless. And the writing is horrible in this movie.

I loved the first part and thought a lot of the criticisms it got were actually things that the movie treated pretty well and it was the political climate the reasoning for so much criticism. But here, all those criticisms are made a lot more valid. The way it tries to empathise and criticize its protagonist is so dumb, and it doesn't exactly seem like the same character from the first one the way a lot of decisions are made. Lady Gaga's character is written as a template serial killer lover and nothing more even though she tries her best. So, naming that character Harley Quinn is such a disservice considering the history of that character.

A lot of the movie takes place in a courtroom and jail. In both of these areas, there are just a lot of things that don't make sense. The cops and lawyers in this movie say and do things that don't make any sense considering what they actually want from doing it. The Joker says a lot of things that amount to nothing while in the first movie, all of his rants and comedy had a cinematic purpose.

Considering they went for a musical, the movie had a lot of chances to be a lot more than it is even with its nonsensical paper-thin plot but they don't commit to it. And ending the movie abruptly like that, when the previous scene would've been enough just to reduce the drama of that event is so dumb. I mean, this is supposed to be a musical and such a big thing is presented in such a bland way?

The choice to be a musical and the ending are supposed to be the polarizing aspects of the movie. But I enjoyed the musical aspect and the ending being so bland is more of the issue than the choice to do that considering how the rest of the movie went. Overall, it's technically well-made but has a weak script. It should've been utterly boring if not for the atmosphere that it sets for the movie. Nonetheless, such a bad sequel.

Even though the movie is the adaptation of The origin story of Batman, it's really more about Gordon and Gotham and why Batman becomes necessary. The corruption at the heart of Gotham is the centre here and it is explored so well that even the hardcore fans of Batman's codes may forgive if he gets down to killing some. Gordon has never been as in-centre or as badass in anything else I've seen. I read the graphic novel a few years ago but forgot most of it which helped me enjoy this a bit more I think. This has some of the same issues I have with a lot of DC animated movies which always limit themselves with the way the animation and voice acting is directed but this did feel better than most of such DC films in that aspect. Bryan Cranston is such a great voice for Gordon. But it did have the potential to be even better if the animation and voice acting were treated more like a bigger film. But still, it's an incredible exploration of the corruption of society. This really reminds me of Serpico too. How many Serpico's come out successful with their ideals and how many get crushed by the system or just disappear entirely?

Despite being not too big on story, mostly just focusing on a day, the three-hour runtime of Meiyazhagan went like a breeze. Even though it was a very easy watch, I wasn't really on board with the movie in the first hour. The overt attachment towards a house in the way it is written where a group of people is vilified without the full picture doesn't sit well with me. A lot of the time the people on screen getting emotional in the first half of the movie were just some distant thing happening that didn't affect me. Despite my disconnect with it, the way the film flows makes it believable in a weird way and doesn't feel like hammering it down despite the importance given to it.

But the film really became good for me when Karthi's character started to become more than just an overly friendly relative. The nighttime chat and the different stories recited which slowly bring out the depth of the characters all made it very engaging for me. Both of these characters who I wasn't too keen on in the beginning became close to my heart by the end of the movie.

Aravind Swamy's character's awkwardness, guilt etc was very relatable but it took some time to feel it as relatable since the introductory events and emotions of the character didn't resonate with me at all.

The drunk heart-to-heart chats and feeling guilty of not being as open-hearted as someone like Karthi's characters were what made me really relate to and appreciate this movie. Karthi really stole the show for me in this movie, He was such a delight to watch. Aravind Swamy's character is written to be a bit dull in comparison, but he did justice to the character. Sri Divya was also notable for bringing the same warmth as Karthi's character but in a relatively demure way.

After the first hour, I was doubtful of the movie but by the end I left the theater with a smile, not as big as Karthi's smile in the movie but I wish I could smile like that all the time. There are certain elements that would be more relatable to Tamilians that I've missed and would've made it much more enjoyable for them. Still, I wish it was a bit more subtle about the things in the first scenes taking place in '96 which would've made it much more enjoyable for me.

Literally a crazy ride from start to finish. The animation was incredible and everything else was crazy in varying degrees. A lot of it works great, a lot of it is plain weird and some of it could've been better. I didn't really care too much about any of the main characters or their conflicts but there the race is the only real thing that matters. The music and some of the weirdness here and there was a little bit too much for me to care for but the movie was still able to be very interesting. But to me what would've worked the most is some kind of idea about who are the people that are conducting the Redline races. The so called government of the Roboworld are portrayed as villains but they actually don't seem to be too bad considering what's outside their planet and especially the Redline itself. Throughout the movie, I wanted some kind of clue into why Redline racing is set in that planet despite all the troubles. It could just be a political propaganda and not something to be celebrated. But at the end, all that really doesn't matter, since it's all about this Deathrace that everyone puts their everything to win.

From what I've read Stallone wanted more comedy in it and the director didn't and the director was right. The cheesy one-liners were just atrocious. I've never thought of Stallone as a great actor but I've never thought he's as bad as in this in anything else either. The visuals were really great though. Lots of great visual effects and production design. The action was also pretty good when it isn't being butchered to tone it down to PG-13. The way the movie began, I was sure that they were not gonna be true to the themes they were seemingly exploring because it was more interested in showing Stallone's heroism. But as the movie progressed it seemed to be better than how it started but at the very end, it was right back at the start, nothing's changed. What was the whole point then? Diane Lane deserved better.

This was not exactly what I was expecting going in. This kind of complex manipulation works for me either when it's much more dramatic or as a complete comedy, but here it kinda works even though it's in between. There's a lot in this movie that worked really well until it didn't. Everyone was great in it but there was not a single character I cared about in it, so it was a bit hard to watch it when the plot surrounding them also turns out to be a bit convoluted. But there's enough glamour and twists and turns to make it worthwhile at the same time. Overall, I'm still very confused about how exactly I feel about this movie. The film may have shown the worst person not winning at the end, but did it really?

Watching the first trailer, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this, then the final trailer looked much more interesting but I was still not sold on it but it turned out to be so much fun in the theater. It's probably the best Transformers movie I've seen.

It perfectly balanced the comedy and drama in it, so that both kids and adults could really enjoy it. The animation style is also designed to be perfect for this in a way that the Transformers can emote and look good, which worked, so I got over my initial dislike of this particular look of the movie. The action and the whole third act were way better than I expected. Even though there were only around 30-40 people in the theatre, there was one group who were clearly fans and their excitement at some of the fan service moments made it a lot more fun.

The 3D in the theatre though was flipped, the two layers of projection were reversed and the foreground and background were in reverse 3D which made my head ache. I realized it after a few minutes and put the 3D glass upside down so the horizontal and vertical sides of the lenses were changed and it turned out to be correct. Inox should really make sure their projection and glasses work perfectly.

A gothic slasher that has a lot to say even with its campy tone and simple enough plot. The way almost everyone behaves in this movie is so annoying and unlikeable but you can't deny a lot of people are really like this which makes the themes strong even when the movie tries some ridiculous stuff that's kind of hilarious at times. However, the way it approaches sexuality, like a lot of older films that do that with young characters just feels like plain creepy writing and direction. I was glad that it wasn't the bigger focus and moved on to the other stuff. I wish I had seen this film in better quality because it felt like there was some visual stuff that would've been a lot more striking if I had.

A precursor to Dirty Harry that is famous for its chase scene. The chase scene really shows everything good about this movie. It's extremely realistic even in the most unrealistic trope of Hollywood with the chase scene. The way the cars move, the damages, the thrills, everything feels real and the excitement is more like the adrenaline that contains some of the anxiety within it. The whole movie follows the realism in all the procedures, be it of the ongoing investigation and other police procedurals, or the medical procedures that are a part of it. The film is also successful at making the greyness of both Bullitt and Chalmers have another side to them, all the while making sure which side it is on. But a lot of these '60s films give me a feeling that they departed from the style of the 50s but don't exactly know what its style is for which it had to reach the 70s. Overall, a pretty good Copaganda of its time.

I feel like the name itself kind of set up this movie to fail. The name makes me think that it's about serial killings investigated by Sherlock Holmes, but it is far from it. The main plot is only about one single murder. It feels very much like a good British police procedural than a proper movie. Even some of the editing, music, the way twists and subsequent actions are unfolded to the way it explores politics, everything has that TV show kind of feel. If it was longer to explore a lot of that stuff, maybe it could have worked more. But despite it feeling like that there are a few small things that did make it work a bit better than such shows. The biggest reason the film worked for me is Kareena's performance as the grief-stricken detective who holds so much repressed anger but keeps calm all the time. This was almost exactly what I expected from the trailer and overall I did like it but I did expect more from Hansal Mehta.

The way this movie starts right off by placing the gun and Appupillai at the centre and then moves on by slowly revealing things to the audience bit by bit was refreshing. The film never loses its momentum and the way it makes you empathize with the characters and the way it makes you shift your thinking on things are just beautiful. People should see it without knowing too much about it and enjoy the way everything unfolds. For some reason, even with some heavy themes, this was kind of a relaxing watch for me and the ending did make me very emotional. It's possible that it could grow on me even more in the future and it may be worth some rewatches.

The best part of ARM is definitely the portions of the thief Maniyan. Among the three timelines and the three characters, it was the sole reason I felt the movie was worth watching. But even there it felt like there was so much potential that was not explored enough. Even in that portion, everything from the writing, production design and music feels like it's done in a way that is just enough and safe for the movie to work among Malayalees. The main storyline of Ajayan was like a tweaked version of Meeshamadhavan where a lot of things felt wrong and it went on way longer than I had the patience for.

Still, the touch of fantasy in everything was something that made me appreciate the whole thing even with all the things that irked me. The very first action scene with the Kunjikelu character was very underwhelming for me, but the rest of the action scenes worked pretty well with all the Kalari moves. But the fights are not placed in the narrative like modern action movies, it felt a lot like how they were placed in some of the Malayalam movies from the 90s as a moderately exciting scene before something more interesting happens. Even the ending felt like one of those lazy 90s movies where everything doesn't exactly tie up by the end but the main stuff is told directly to you and the rest are just assumed to have gone well.

The 3D effects that are designed to be flashy at moments kept me amused after the moments I felt bored. There were also editing mistakes that popped up here and there, so I'd have to think that some frames with issues in 3D could have been more of an issue with the editing. Overall, this felt like an okayish movie but there were some aspects of it, especially in the Maniyan portion that I'm very happy to see and wish there were more attempts like that.

I find it very hard to express my thoughts on this movie. It's realism and performances are so good in a style that is extremely different from the way the theme and the situations evoke emotions. The whole movie is simultaneously the most relaxing thing and the most tension-filled time. The families' reaction to Vera's "crime" was a bit frustrating for me but I could understand to a level because it's the 50s. But the truth is people act as ignorant as that today makes me furious. Imelda Staunton is such a gentle soul in this movie but I kept thinking I was really familiar with her from something and realized she was Umbridge in Harry Potter. These two characters can't be more different and yet she does retain her identity in both roles in brilliant ways.

I am angry at myself that I watched the version that was not the 2021 remaster that was presented by Scorsese and instead saw the one that is good quality but doesn't have the same colour correction and details as the newer one. I should have checked that first and for anyone trying to see this, make sure you're watching the correct version to not miss the full effect of the incredible cinematography of this movie.

This is such a sweet folktale that also works as a time capsule of central Kerala during that time. The surreal magical realism of the film works perfectly with minimal dialogue. But I did feel like it shouldn't even have any dialogue with the way most of the dialogue is written and delivered. However, it's the songs that complemented the visuals to make the movie really work. Karukare Karmukil is such an iconic folk song now. The dog was also an incredible actor. How they managed to make it work back then is a wonder.

This and Kanchana Sita, the two G Aravindan films I've seen have their similarities in a way, that both feel like low-budget films that focus more on visual storytelling with a bit of a fantasy narrative. Even though I like both, Kummatty is the superior one for me. Both films have themes that I understand and like, some themes that feel a bit forced, more so over in Kanchana Sita, and a lot of layers I feel I haven't understood fully. Maybe the more I see Aravindan films, the more I'd learn to love the style.

In the first Beetlejuice movie, I wasn't actually a fan of the character Beetlejuice himself. It was the rest of the cast mainly Winona Ryder, Gina Davis and Alec Baldwin that made it worth it. It was a very tight script that was fun from the very beginning but the entry of Beetlejuice kind of made it less fun for me. The crude humour and characterization of Beetlejuice were not funny but felt a bit more like creepy writing instead of creepiness being portrayed as funny. But the rest of the elements of the movie more than made up for it and it was very entertaining.

Coming here, the script is not as fast-paced as the first one. There are too many subplots and everything doesn't flow well. Winona Ryder, who was fantastic in the first part feels weird here to see as a grown-up who acts way more childish and insecure in a way that doesn't feel right. Willem Dafoe and Monica Belucci are wasted in what is essentially cameos that feel unnecessary by the end. The movie really doesn't get anywhere until almost the halfway point.

Despite all these issues, this movie worked for me mainly because of the humour. It is updated, more heartfelt, mostly in character and it is irreverent but didn't feel creepy from the writers. Jenna Ortega fits nicely in this world, being the most normal one of the family even with her dark outlook on things. The zany visual effects that utilize many practical effects worked really well. Keaton's Beetlejuice character was utilized in a manner that he doesn't take centre stage and the creepiness on his part doesn't feel like a celebration. All of this made it entertaining but what really sold me this as a really good film was the last 20 minutes, specifically the musical segment. It was great to see that in the theatre.

Overall, this was almost as good as the first one for me in completely different ways. However, I think trimming a few things in the first hour and developing some things more in the second hour could have really helped this to become much better.