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Abraham Ozler (2024)
Massive let down.
A crime thriller starring a very talented Jayaram as a cop..!? Sign me up, I thought! Unfortunately, the film was a bit of a let down.
The surprisingly good background music wasn't enough to save the kinda sorta predictable, age-old plot. This film would have been epic.....15-20 years ago.
Mammootty couldn't save the film either. But what a past two years has he had with the very diverse films and roles he's played. You've probably guessed what he's going to do in the film and unfortunately, that very casting makes the plot predictable.
Bad? Not at all. But you've seen similar plots unfold several times. Watch it if you don't have anything else, perhaps watch it for Jayaram.
Alex in Wonderland (2019)
Anything but stand-up comedy. Yeah, I said it. 😂🤣 Come at me, brah!
Alex was smart with this one. He's clearly hella talented, I don't know if he's trained to play all those instruments or he taught himself, respect to him regardless (and he can sing) but that was more of a 'cover band' concert and far from being a standup comedy. Take out everything musical, 10% of the show had stuff that NOT about music.
I liked the Sivaji wanting to act and Rajini walking around fast thing, but there was nothing else in the show FOR ME. Standup comedy nu paatha paatu padran! SMART on his part. He knew what would people may enjoy, what would sell tickets, and he did exactly that. Props to him for that. This was all a big audition for Alex to show the world he's musically talented and can hella sing. Won't be surprised if he ends up singing in Kollywood in a couple years. But this was anything but a standup comedy show.
Making people clap by saying "Oooh, I have massive respect for *insert the name of someone who already has massive respect from a massive following* == people clapping for THAT person and not the person on stage. Him name dropping was EXACTLY the same as Shahrukh khan/Kareena going "Thalaiva thalaiva" in Ra. One and name dropping Rajini in Lungi dance so that South Indian people like the song. What they did was stupid af and Alex did the same. Losing it on SRK (which i did too) and praising Alex for the very same thing is double standards.
Standup, to me, and clearly 90% of the viewers of this special disagree with me, is to have the ability to say something controversial but make it sound funny so that it doesn't SEEM controversial because you know there's no malice intended; to be able to say stuff that can offend people otherwise, but because said people are in that setting, won't take offense to the material. They know it was funny so they let it slide.
You can play off of people's nostalgia, i get that, but this was not standup comedy. Entertaining perhaps, but not funny.
Homicide: New York (2024)
Enough to keep you engaged.
Fans of the true crime genre, Netflix has a new set of cases out of New York for you. This is a 5 part show about various cases handled by a set of detectives in New York in the past 20 yrs or so. Each ep is about a new case, each of them a reminder of how senseless people have been and can be.
This documentary is not like your regular true crime docs, it's a lot of police procedural story telling - think you and your friend discussing your favorite crime movie, just that this happens to have some (well shot visuals) and pictures to go off of.
While there is nothing mind-blowing about the show, there's enough to keep you engaged. You can also let it run in the background and perhaps listen to it like an audiobook.
Fighter (2024)
Let down.
I've given up on most of commercial cinema. 10 years ago, I'd have ran to the theater to watch a Hrithik film, but even his presence hasn't been enough to carry the film through. I watched the trailer for this film and the dialogues were...cringeworthy for some, over-the-top patriotic for the others. I thought "Yeah, surely not gonna spend $ on this." So glad I stuck to that thought.
That said, Fighter had me more invested than I thought I'd be, at least in the first half. The romantic angle was pointless throughout the film, but other than that, the first half was...waaay better than I thought it would be, but I had really low expectations to begin with. The graphics were... surprisingly decent; off in parts, but that's OK.
The visuals could have been horrible, but no, far from it. Credit where its due. I just wish Top Gun: Maverick hadn't come out before this, I couldn't help but see scenes/frames not only of the jets, but of the pilots that were very similar to the trailers of Top Gun, let alone the movie. It's very tough to turn off the fact that you've seen it, but I did my best to not compare it to Top Gun and like I said, despite copies, credit where its due. Visuals - good! Music - good! Elevated the visuals; be it the intro scenes or the patriotic ones.
There's a funeral scene in the film and the way it was picturized, oof, I was like "Damn, if that isn't the unity in diversity that I was taught in school, I don't know what is." Couldn't help but feel patriotic.
But throughout the first half, there were indications. Indications of the plot being weak, the non-battlefield scenes looked....fake. You know how it feels when an actor does a ' finger on the chin' to show that they're thinking? That's how I felt about almost every loud laughter at a 'joke' and every high-five. I thought the 2nd half has to be better...but...it went downhill. The whole love angle - so FORCED. *Spoiler* bruh isn't even over his fiance and he's caught feelings for Deepika, and Deepika knows about and still 'falls' him.... I mean....? And nobody knew Enjay was Anil's sister...?
That climax, what were they thinking? The enemy is kicking the daylights out of your teammate, and bruh catches the enemy's leg, utters a supposedly badass dialogue waits for the patriotic cheer and then sloooowly starts fighting? I checked out from over there. Horribly written climax.
Given how this film was technically waaay better than I thought it would be, the plot was sub-par, relying on patriotism and Hrithik to sell tickets. Neither could save the day. Watch it for him if you're a fanboi, but you'll still feel letdown.
Cuando acecha la maldad (2023)
Would recommend.
With horror films, you're usually used to an old haunted mansion, a group of people make a visit....at night, because why not... and they do a bunch of stuff they're not supposed to. This, widely acclaimed, 2023 Argentine supernatural film is your standard *dumb decisions* but in a different setting and with some reasoning behind these dumb decisions. At least that's what it seems to be after the first watch.
Plot - Residents of a remote village/town learn that something evil among them and if it's not handled right, the whole town will get destroyed.
I don't think this film is scary (subjective) but this will make you feel very uneasy. Don't watch this while eating, you'll thank yourself. In this genre, you can tell how certain scenes are going to play out? You feel the same in this one but also go "No, they won't be doing it. That's too jarring. No way." and boom! They do it anyway and make you go "I can't believe they went there!" and this 'shock' adds to the experiences of watching this film. There's more gore than I'd expect in a horror movie. No jump scares - so that's a plus in my books.
Despite the idiotic decision making, the film is surely different from your regular horror movies. It did leave me with several questions but I'd have recommended it anyway. The research led me to an interview by the director and his thought process behind the film it made me look at the film in a totally different light; helped answer some questions; some still left unanswered.
If you're a horror movie fan, I'd still recommend it for you. Keeping aside some dumb decisions, this offers something different that most other mainstream horror films don't.
Lover (2024)
Heavy film, but worth watching.
Heard good things about the film, despite its serious take, and had been looking forward to it and I had to check it out.
Arun (Manikandan) and Divya's (Sri Gouri Priya) have been in a six-year (on-and-off) relationship but have been slowly drifting apart. The entire film is about this divergence.
Usually, you'd expect a soup-boy (if you know, you know) story or an Irugapatru-type film that addresses something different but has a predictable ending. This was....different. Predictable, but I found the topics that this film chose to address to be...not for everyone. And therefore, the film itself, not being for everyone.
Movies about break-ups aren't new but the way they're told have been generic. This one addresses 'drifting away', not being to let go, almost redefines toxicity (stuff that the Boomer generation would scoff at and say "You're leaving your partner over this!? Suck it up!") for this day and age.
Both Manikandan and SGP were really good in this film and so was the supporting cast. Camerawork + Music (Y) but, in my books, not wowing. Writing - best part of the film.
You would have either seen this film unfold in real life around you or perhaps been through the events that transpire. If not, depending on your age demographic and experiences, you're going to either dismiss it or say 'I see where these issues are coming from...doesn't mean they're right...but there seems to be a larger problem. I can sympathize with them both.' Some may even find this therapeutic and gain new understanding, but regardless, this is a heavy film, could be hard to watch in parts, and isn't for everybody. Worth watching still.
Road House (2024)
Pointless remake of a supposed classic.
Knowing what Jake Gyllenhaal (JG) has been capable of from movies like Southpaw, I was STOKED for this film. Didn't know the first thing about it. And then I found out Connor McGregor was gonna be in it. Hyped x2 for fight scenes. Two days before watching it, I learned that it was a remake of a 'classic'.
JG really committed to the role, but sadly his commitment seems to be the only good thing about the film. I learned that the original was right between being a 'bad film' and 'it's so bad that it's so good' film. Well, the new one stays true to the original in that aspect for sure.
What could have been a really fun film ended up being a cheesy, partly over the top action comedy that neither has enough action, nor enough comedy; the humor is far cry from comedy. Connor McGregor plays a "CRAZY" bad guy, almost makes you wonder if they just made a camera follow him and asked him to be himself; over-the-top walks and loud dialogues.
For JG playing a UFC fighter and an actual UFC fighter, this film had too few fights. Too less action first of all; ONE decent fight that also has a bunch of high-speed action, with bad attempts at 'funny dialogues' while they're fighting. I mean, they're UFC fighters, man! We just want proper fist-fights, but no!
Watch it for JG if you're a fan, but even he couldn't save the film. Pointless remake of a supposed classic, but just like the old one, maybe this will also see a change in popularity......
Taget (2023)
Underrated
Soo-hyun buys a washing machine online and gets scammed. She posts a review stating what happened, and everything hits the fan when she's targeted by the seller for posting the bad reviews. Too real life? Well, (not) surprisingly, this is kinda-sorta based on a true story. With the Korean films I've seen, the crazier the plot, the more likely it's going to be based on a true story... 😮
Acting - really good. The film's been well shot. Plot - well written, I wish the climax had been written in differently, slightly dramatic for my liking, but no major complaints. The film isn't rated well, but I see that as a pattern with Korean movies that aren't mainstream. 6.5-7.5 films are actually pretty decent but not rated well for whatever reason.
You might have watched several 'survival' films such as this, but this 'intense thriller' is still worth a watch, especially since it's based (mostly?) on a real life situation.
Murder Mubarak (2024)
Not good but there are some + Not bad but there are some -
The trailer was...intriguing; a fun murder mystery to watch, the likes of which have been dime-a-dozen; but, very reminiscent of the Sandler-Aniston Murder Mystery films/Knives Out franchise/Poirot-Trilogy. KO1 was OK, all the others varied from so-so to disappointing.
So, I don't know if it's because I went in with low expectations, but...I actually didn't mind the film. Good? Not really. Bad? Also not really.
There were a couple things that the film did, that was different from all of the films above, which made me take a step back and thought "Oh, okay, I didn't expect that." The film also some social commentary that you won't necessarily expect from a comedy-thriller, but take that for whatever it's worth.
I personally thought that the film is bring really criticized, it's not as bad as the internet is making it out to be. Negatives though - too many things happening at the same time, you don't necessarily care for the characters as much; the film was also on the longer side for a murder-comedy of this tone.
If you have nothing else to watch, check it. Not good but there are some positives/Not bad but there are some negatives.
Maamla Legal Hai (2024)
Loved it.
Would totally recommend this lighthearted comedy drama, 8 eps long - 30 mins each. While having a central plot with proper character building and subtle commentary on the justice system, each episode is (apparently) loosely based on true cases, some of which make you go "Really? That happened?"
More than anything else - this was a well written show. I heard this is one of the very few times (maybe the ONLY?) Netlix has collaborated with writers who've made stuff for TVF. No wonder. You can recognize the faces in this image and can tell that the acting is going to be good!
I ran the show in the background and it was enjoyable even then, you're bound to like it more if you pay proper attention. If you're looking for something to binge, something lighthearted but also thought-provoking, look no further.
Anweshippin Kandethum (2024)
Could have been an amazing movie, ended up being a decent 1-timer.
Tovino. Cop drama. Crime Thriller. Been waiting to watch this one for a while.
There a few ways to look at this film - people who don't usually watch crime drama might watch it and have their minds blown. People who who do watch a lot of crime drama are likely going to enjoy it, or be let down.
Before that, Tovino was great in the film. Music - surprisingly, Santosh Narayanan - nothing great to write home about, it was good. We've gotten better stuff from him. Cinematography - the film had me go "Wow, that's a good shot!" at several instances.
The writing - depending on what category you belong to from ^ you're likely going to (really) enjoy it or feel a little let down. Enjoy because you're likely going get a 'double treat' or feel let down, because you signed up for only one film but ended up getting two kinda disjointed films, with a long runtime.
I unfortunately fall into the latter category and think this could have much so much shorter and so much better, but it's a decent one-time watch nevertheless.
Bramayugam (2024)
Technically brilliant but vague in parts. On my best of 2024 list nevertheless.
Hit/miss, I'm in awe of the chances that Mollywood takes; and very rarely to they miss. Safe to say, they didn't miss the mark with Bramayugam either.
The first thing stood out when the trailer dropped was the monochrome. In the age of 'We're going to offer you a visual treat' why would anybody film completely in black&white....? Unless, it has a role to play, just by itself. The creative choice of doing so, that could have gone totally wrong, adds to the eerie-ness of plot. And then, what stood out was, the number of characters in the film. Again, in the age of "We're going to make so much happen that you won't know what hit you!" Rahul Sadasivan chooses to make a movie with just 3 people (mainly) in it. And boy does he pull it off really well.
Mammootty - Bruh doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam. (Choosing to ignore the weak Kannur Squad) Kathal - The Core. And now, this. HOW!? Looks like he can do no wrong.
It's not easy to make horror films, let alone a technically brilliant horror film. Brilliant sound design elevates the B&W cinematography to a whole new level. The story was unique, unlike the generic stuff that most filmmakers rely on.
All that said, the film, in parts, was vague; which I'm completely fine with. I enjoy doing research and learning how others interpreted this vagueness. I was fine with it until I watched an interview by the director. While he answered some questions, other questions - he continued to beat on the "this is a horror movie. You can't expect logic" drum several times. No logic, I get. It's OK for a film to have no real-world logic, but it still needs to have logic in the world it's set in, so that the vague parts don't seem like plot holes. Bruh chose to say "I offered answers, but I cut them out" Fam...why?
While this film is being hailed a perfect masterpiece by several. It, however, ends up with 'great film but not perfect' tag in my books, but that's just me.
Vague or not, if this is a must-watch film for the Mollywood audience, that is used to banger films, it's certainly a must-watch film for everybody else. Don't miss this one. Watch it. Be confused. Seek answers. And help me out in the process, because...I still have questions.
Blue Star (2024)
Not GREAT, but certainly GOOD!!
Finally got around to watching this film after all the hype. This socio-political movie, disguised (not in a bad way) as a sports drama was well done. I'd much rather watch films like these than the ones that get too preachy and hung up on the messaging.
Sports dramas can get too dramatic, it wasn't the case with this one. The cricket portions of the film didn't feel forced. Everybody body who acted well, except the coach. Felt like he over acted. It's OK to make the bad guy really loud to make the good guy look extra good, but that's just the easy way out. The comedy parts were...OK. I'm not a fan of 'this has to have something for everyone' type films because it changes the intensity of the film a little too much, and I felt that happen with this film as well. But that's just me. Was it bad? Not at all.
The music was....interesting. All sorts of genres, mostly Rock for background music and the buildup scenes. Some of the shots, the wide angle ones of the trains in the background, were GOOD! Overall, the film could have ended up being real preachy, but wasn't. I'll gladly watch this over Kaala/Kabali/Maamannan. That said, it should have been a GREAT movie, but wasn't. Despite the predicable plot, it was GOOD movie nevertheless and I'd totally recommend that you check it out, at least for Ashok Selvan and choices he's been making lately. What a great 1-2 years has he had!!
Oram Po (2007)
One of the most underrated Tamil movies that you must watch!!
Think Fast and Furious (the first two) but in Autorickshaws.
You have to have a wild sense of imagination to adapt FnF to Kollywood and its sensibilities; and do it well, with an ending you wouldn't expect from an FnF movie. Oram Po has to be one of the most underrated Tamil films.
Screenplay by Pushkar-Gayatri and Thiagarajan Kumararaja, now that you look back, can't help but go "Yeah, I am not surprised this was so well done!" All the actors involved did a great job, Annachi's first scene comes in second to a marvelous job done by John Vijay portraying "Son-of-Gun", an iconic character that would have generously provided content for memes for the next five years, had the movie come out now.
If you want to watch a fun movie that's (reasonably) logical that you can hit play on, and enjoy the ride, this is that film. This film deserves to be in the same league as Chennai 28, Kaadhala Kaadhala, (dare I say...Panchathandhiram....?) you get the idea.
Watch it. Re-watch it. Celebrate Son-Of-Gun. "Good times will be had"
Ong-Bak (2003)
One of the most entertaining films in the past 2 decades of world cinema
Had a chance to re-watch this banger of a movie once again, this time, with folks who'd not watched it before. The action sequences in this film made jealous of the first time watchers because the first-time experience is like nothing else. And unfortunately, regardless of however many times I re-watch this film, it'll never top the first time it blew my mind.
I remember, years ago, waiting at the bus stop, with all the walls plastered with posters of this film. Elder cousins losing their minds at the stunt sequences. All sorts of promotions for the Tamil-dub, "7 years of practice, without dupes" and so on... Ah! The simple and good ol' times.
Action film buffs, if you haven't watched Ong Bak, please go watch it. If you'd watched it, the universe is asking you to re-watch it by the virtue of you coming across this post. Better yet, catch hold of people who've not seen the film and live the 'first-time experience' vicariously through them. They'll thank you, you'll thank them, and we can all thank Tony Ja and co for making this awesomeness, the likes of which have never been seen since.
Captain Miller (2024)
Meh. Let down.
The first 10-15 mins of this film were phenomenal, with the haunting background score, everything went downhill _for me_ after that. But, special mention to Dhanush, the sound design, and to the camera work (in parts).
Could have been a great film with some really good commentary on stuff that's relevant even today, but .... action for the sake have been done even in Fast & Furious, what's even the point of bullets flying all over anymore? Directors need to calm down and a Michael Bay.
I didn't enjoy Arun's first two films as much as everybody else did, so I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different when I knew his plan was always a "revenge trilogy" but.... ah well. Waste of time but I'll surely go back and listen to the OST.
Saba Nayagan (2023)
UNDERRATED! This was so much more fun than I thought it'd be.
Why more people aren't talking about this film, I don't know. Underrated, IMO. Don't watch the trailer if you haven't. I went into this film with no prior idea of what this was about, and about half way through, I thought "there's nothing new in this film, but it's really enjoyable". Boy was I wrong...about the first part, which we'll get to.
I'm not a fan of the RomCom genre but I thought Thiruchitrambalam was a fun movie. Most romance movies are sappy or too commercial, hardly relatable. This, however, you have (or somebody you know has) lived through about 90% of plot of this film. It will take you on a nostalgia trip (not the easy-way-out kind) like most movies haven't in a long time.
The cinematography deserves a special mention, not for showing scenic locations well, but for showing certain characters a certain way that you can hear your childhood friend go "Kavithai da. Kavithai!" I didn't care for the songs in Thiru'balam, and I didn't care for the ones in this film either. Regardless of how old the plot is it was FUN! Relatable, humorous. And then, the part that I DID NOT except.
One of Ashok Selvan's best works. What a 2023/24 he's had! Everybody else was great at what they were given.
What I saw in this film, I have NOT seen in any other film before. Mindblowing? No. But maaaybe, yes? That last part changed how I viewed the entire movie. Credit to the writing team. How wrong was I about the "There's nothing new in this film" part!? XD But hey, glad to be wrong this time.
Don't miss out on this one. Hardly anybody is talking about it, I don't know why. 90's bois, you'll LOVE it.
Hwang-ya (2024)
Let down.
Ma Dong-Seok is one of my favorite action stars, almost on par with Jason Statham in my books in terms of entertainment value. His work is usually very enjoyable (the badass punches in Round-up 2, some of the best I've ever seen) action + humor, like almost nobody else.
I was really looking fwd to Badland Hunters, but this turned out to be a let down. The plot is these action movies isn't usually anything new but this had a bunch of stuff going on that didn't add any value...? Action for the sake of it....tsk.
That said, others seem to like it, for a mix of all sorts of action. If you have nothing else to watch, maaaybe check it out? I'd much rather rewatch some of his older content.
Seumateuponeul tteoreotteuryeosseul ppuninde (2023)
Enjoyed it!
The first 10 mins of this film - HOLY EDITING! The fast cuts, colors, icons to show the use of various apps on the phone - marvelous work. At the end of this sequence, the lead loses her phone and the movie takes a turn and never looks back. The leads both did a phenomenal job, so did the rest of the cast. Extra points for sound-design and cinematography. Loved the writing too (w/ flaws but... tsk) the film continues to be gripping throughout. There comes a point where you think it's done, but then comes a twist you don't seem coming at all.
All this with some commentary on how reliant we are on our phones and what could go wrong if somebody gets a hold of it. Totally worth a watch if you're in the mood for a pretty decent thriller, despite it being a directorial debut.
American Nightmare (2024)
Had me like "Bruh, had they done their job...."
Wow dude. This shocking doc. Is NOT what I thought it initially appeared to be. This true crime doc has 3 eps; not too long, is a mystery about the abduction of Denis Huskins that told in a way that almost sounds Outlandish.
The story is told from different perspectives in each episode and after each, you're likely to jump into conclusions as some of the folks on this show do (anything more and I might end up spoiling it for you. All I can say is, I wish people did their job. I'm shocked but at the same time, I'm like 'Why am I not surprised!?'
This horrific story is totally worth your watch but also serves as a cautionary tale.
Sapne Vs Everyone (2023)
Might end up being your fav. show of the year!
TVF Content. Free on Youtube. Those of you who know TVF probably don't need to know anymore, so go watch it.
The ones that may not be familiar with TVF content, here's another gem, possibly the best tv show of the year on your list, Sapne (dreams) vs Everyone is a slice of life show, 5 eps long. I cringe every time I look at a show having episodes ~ 1 hr each, but not at this one. With an ave runtime of > 1 hr (65-70 mins, if I remember right) this show, didn't feel like that long at all.
TVF stuff is relatable in general, there's something or the other in the show that would hook you, and this isn't any different. Brilliantly written underdog story, more grounded in reality that I initially thought, more...ruthless?...the sponsor plugs were less annoying this time. Great acting. The show leaves you with one-liners that are likely to resonate with you for a long time. Special mention to the sound design, I did NOT expect the music/BGM to be this good throughout the show. The show's totally worth your time and doesn't feel long at all.
Talk to Me (2022)
Brilliant.
Horror film fans, if you've been sleeping on this film, like I had been, watch it ASAP! Don't watch the trailer. Go in fresh, without any major knowledge of the plot.
The genre hardly gets it right lately - most films rely on jump scares, there's a old bungalow where people HAVE TO go in the night, and the ghost has a sad backstory of how it was wronged and so on.
Not this one. Talk To Me (TTM) is an Aussie film, made by Youtuber brothers, that was unlike any other horror film I've watched in recent times, except the fact that there's a medium used to talk to the ghosts - you may have watched several of these in which the group uses an Ouija board. Other than that, all new IMO.
Don't watch the trailer, I am not including anything about the plot here. Go watch it for the ride that this takes you on and makes you question what all of this was really about. Admittedly, I thought it was a good movie until I started reading up on everything I missed and it had me :O at the amount of thought put into it from a writing standpoint. So - brilliant writing. There's a decent amount of commentary on several things I'd never thought a horror film would touch upon in this manner.
Acting - phenomenal. I loved the cinematography in this film, there's a particular scene in which a character is sleeping in the bed. The camera tilts and starts panning and the bed becomes a wall and the character is walking and there's sunlight.... HOW!? Did they film that!? Great sound design, adds value. And it has an ending that'll have you talking.
Those of you who are on the fence about watching a horror film in the night, I don't think there's enough 'horror' that would dictate you watching this with daylight, so have at it! Of course, it's subjective and I prefer watching them in the night so it's probably easy for me to say that. But regardless, watch it! You're missing out.
Ayalaan (2024)
Could have been great, but...
First and foremost, props to the entire team for getting to the end despite 6-7 years of production hell.
Ayalaan was... different from the usual stuff I've seen before, but also very similar in various ways. Ravikumar's Indru Netri Naalai (INN) was done really well for a Kollywood audience, and I was curious to see how this one took shape.
I think the movie deserves props for the writing, a sci-fi alien movie in Kollywood could go so wrong if not packaged in a certain way, and I think the film does get this part right. "Tattoo" (interesting choice of names) pretty much carried the film IMO and I suppose that was the intent....? You've not seen a funnier alien before. Always been glad that SK is okay 'sharing screen space' with the script, he does so in this film as well and delivers what's expected of him. The VFX team did a terrific job.
That's about the good parts. Plot wise, you've seen this several times before, just that this has an alien twist to it. The music was...mid. Yogibabu was given some chuckle-worthy dialogues but I don't know why we're still subjecting him to body-shaming comedy. Didn't need both him and Karunakaran in the film, one would have sufficed. We're overusing Yogibabu, I wish he were more selective too. Rakulpreet was given the usual heroine role, take it out, it doesn't alter the plot. I was glad to see that Isha Kopikar got the opportunity to return to the big screen, but I don't know why we needed two villains. We could have simply had her be the main antagonist things would have still been fine. This movie has also made me think twice before spending $ on a film with a 'corporate villain'. Tired of this BS.
All that said, the film is being unfairly dinged for being a 'kids film' and not having anything for the adults who go with them, the alien could be for the kids but the message, albeit not a strong one, about nature is for the adults. If the kids get the message and act upon it, time will tell.
Ayalaan was a good attempt at telling the same old story in a new way, don't know if that was because of the delay. That said, to completely disregard this film as a kids' movie is unfair criticism. By that logic, so was Koi Mil Gaya/Krrish - now iconic to some. I wouldn't mind a better written sci-fi sequel to see where Thamizh can go from here, but this movie, could have been great, was passable.
Seoul-ui bom (2023)
Brilliant.
Based on true events, 12.12: The Day, released in the end of Nov 2023 and has very quickly become the highest grossing film of the year over there; will likely end up being the best Korean film of 2023 as well. It has broken into the top 9 of all-time Korean box office.
12.12: The Day is a historical action drama set in 1979. Following the assassination of President Park in, military factions wrestle for control during a violent coup in this tense South Korea. The film focusses on the 12 December 1979 military coup and the related conflict between the military leaders. If you've watched the film 'A Taxi Driver', the Gwangju uprising depicted in it was a response to the military coup in 'The Day'
If you like military/war dramas or political thrillers, you have GOT to watch this film. The cast did a stellar job of conveying the sense of urgency and turmoil in a nation's trying times. I don't know enough Korean history, but based on the plot of the film, there are clear protagonists and antagonists; the plot is written so well, the scheming is SO convincing, the idiots are such idiots played so well, that you want the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose even if you don't know the language and not relate to the national story being told.
The film is brilliantly shot, and the sound design deserves special mention for keeping the intensity and the sense of urgency high throughout the film. It takes off in the first five minutes and there are no lows in the film after that. Sit down, buckle up and you're in for a thrilling ride. As someone who didn't know the history behind the events, the destination of this ride was.... anticlimactic but because these are real events, it added a certain value to my viewing experience. Don't miss this one.
Kaibutsu (2023)
Masterclass in Screenplay
Monster, has been making waves in the awards circle and has won several of them; most notably so far- Best Screenplay @ Cannes Film Festival. The poster says "A Masterclass in Mystery", I could totally make a case for this film to be called "A Masterclass in Screenplay" and can see why it won the award.
This film starts off with a single mother demanding answers from a school when her son reports being mistreated there. Heated discussions slowly unravel several incidents which come to define What/Who is the Monster. You get different perspectives of the story and each time, you aren't sure whom to believe and what to trust, only for the plot to eventually reveal what's exactly going on and even then, you may be left thinking about this film for a little while, second-guessing your own understanding of what you watched.
While I can't reveal anymore without spoiler stuff, I can say that what I perceived to be true, wasn't. And the film has some commentary on our perception and how/why we choose to believe and are quick to pass judgment. Some commentary, because there's so much in the film. It packs in a LOT of well-written layers that make you wonder "WHAT is going on? WHO is in the right? WHO is the victim here?"
If you like good cinema and get a chance to watch this one, please do. You're very likely to be blown away and like me, you'll be mad why this wasn't Japan's submission for the Best International Film of the year.