Synopis - Sam (Prithviraj), who leads the life of a drunkard, is given charge of a murder investigation.Script & Direction - Jeethu simply shocked me!!! I always rated him as an average director who loves to play safe with box office. But 'Memories' was a big slap to that thought. Rather a thrashing. Right from the very first frame, we can feel that Jeethu has chosen a different lane where we can see him being innovative as well as brilliant. One of the very few scripts which develops as the narration progresses from scene to scene. The highlight of the movie was how he depicted Sam onscreen. He perfectly balanced his personal life with his professional life. His family life,past and issues with his current family after earning the tag of a drunkard were emotionally shot with some brilliant moments like the "emotional outbreak" scene with his mother. There wasn't a single moment for unnecessary melodrama.
Once the investigation commences, Jeethu clearly knows how to lead and place his characters. The investigation scenes thus were conducted meticulously. Another sign of his brilliance was the night chase scene. This shows how well Jeethu has wrote his lead character. Finally he ended the film on a high note which happens rarely in current films. The idea was novel eventhough we can see slight traces of 1980s Malayalam Thriller. But the similarity ends there. The frames were simply outstanding.
On a negative note, there are very few flaws here n there but it will never dampen the experience. I am unable to detail it since it may become spoilers.
Cast & Performance - Prithviraj is currently driving a Ferrari at a high pace on the road to brilliance. His selection has been simply outstanding with the last 3 films and Sam is going to join that list as one of the best. This was a performance which reinvented or polished the actor yet again which was close to flawless. I find it a bit difficult to reveal the rest of the cast due to the genre. But to name a few, Vijayaraghavan,Suresh Krishna,Rahul,Vanitha etc etc delivered fine performances while the cast of newcomers were bad.
Song & Background Score - "Thirayum Theeravum.." is a fine melody sung by Vijay Yesudas which shot the flashback scenes of Sam & his family. "Memories..." is an English song played during the opening credits. The background score was outstanding.
Technical Expertise - Sujith Vaassudev's brilliant frames gave the movie the right mood according to each scene. Whether the slick frames or the natural frames, the shots were apt. John Kutty's editing was fine n even. Saburam's art direction can be seen with the wood work. The make up department gave the apt look for each characters especially Prithviraj.
Bottomline - OUTSTANDING SUSPENSE THRILLER/DRAMA....HATS OFF TO JEETHU JOSEPH & PRITHVIRAJ
Ratings --> 9/10
Synopsis - The incidents that take place in the life of an item dancer turned heroine, Meera (Shwetha Menon) after the accident of her husband, Shyam (Biju Menon)Script & Direction - After all the hype and hoola due to controversy created through media, I was expecting nothing but something extraordinarily special from Blessy. For me he is the best out of the current crop of directors who can convey his subject using the emotional quotient. But Kalimannu faced loads of issues as a viewer while sitting through the experience. The common feature in his top notch work like Kaazhcha,Thanmathra,Bhramaram & Pranayam were the manner he handled the emotional quotient of the characters he presents on the screen. The first half we see Blessy establishing his characters, their relationships and their backdrop. Blessy did a great job in doing so and we can easily relate to the strength of the chemistry between the lead characters.
But once the second half commence, the movie moves in a multi layer mode. We see many issues like medical ethics,legal issues etc etc and somehow Blessy seems to be rushing things like Suhasini's Sofia (who seems to be hurry to get things done as soon as possible). This didn't suit the style of Blessy which is more like a breezy experience. What I didn't like was the way Shwetha's character oscillates from emotional point to other issues without emotionally connecting each other. It feels like both issues are taking place at two different times of her life. Once the core portion commence, Blessy somehow gets back to track and explains the deep relationship between mum n her unborn child through various ways like doctors,Meera's Friends. But again we feel like he is trying to preach instead of attaching us emotionally.In another way, its more like that section of the movie was an awareness program regarding pregnancy. Finally Blessy ends with a rather weak climax where he criticizes various social norms and media (in a Deja Vu manner). Infact I wasn't happy with the way a director like Blessy treated the second half of the movie after a quite promising first half. This movie has a very special/novel premise and maybe a woman can connect to the emotional side of the movie much better than a man. That can be seen as either a flaw of the audience or the director. Also I felt he opted for a more unconventional approach this time and finally we get confused what he is trying to convey to the audience as a message or simply messages. The dialogues (especially Suhasini's) were a bit too philosophical and towards the end its more like conveying Blessy's social viewpoint.
Personally, my favourite scenes are the ones between Biju Menon & Shwetha Menon. Seems like Blessy was in his comfort zone and he handled it exceptionally well as expected. But sadly it was totally concentrated in the first half only. Regarding the highlight scene, the only reason I can find in support of Blessy is that he wanted to to place the audience in the theater as one of the characters in the movie. Even the publicity of that news prior to relase is part of it.
Cast & Performance - Shwetha's character demanded an actress like Shobhana,Revathy etc etc who can handle different emotional moments within the character. Eventhough she has done her best, I didn't find it impressive. The climax was slightly tricky and Shwetha displayed her average skills as an actress to make it look simply lousy. While Biju Menon was too lovable as Shwetha's husband. Their chemistry was simply awesome. Suhasini was fine but I felt her character could have been written a bit better considering the actress' caliber. Valthsala Menon performed a familiar "Paati" character. Then we have a host of newcomers with poor performances and cameos from B Unnikrishnan,Suniel Shetty,Anupum Kher,Anil Panachooran,Didi Damodaran etc etc. Priyadarshan got a scene which earned loads of applause.
Songs & Background Score - The other highlight of the movie were the melodious songs by M Jayachandran-O N V Kurup team. The pick of the lot are "Lalee,,Lalee" sung by Mridula Warrier & "Shalabhamaay.." by Shreya Ghosal. Two item songs in Hindi featuring Suniel Shetty and one at the dance bar were the other songs. The background score was supported the movie quite well.
Technical Expertise - Satheesh Kurup seems to be sharing great rapport with Blessy. After Pranayam, this is his best work especially the indoor shots. Raja Mohammed's editing wasn't exceptional in the second half. The Art Direction team led by Prashant Madhavan can be seen with the aquariums and shooting sets. The make up department has done a good job especially Bhagyalakshmi with Shwetha Menon.
Bottomline - This wasn't an impressive experience for me after loads of expectations from a Blessy movie. Maybe he tried to convey too many messages within 120 minutes and affected the overall tone of the movie. Despite of possessing a special premise, Blessy failed to treat it in an apt manner.
Ratings - 6/10
Recently, I presented a small article regarding the impact of Satellite Rights in the Film Industry & how it plays a big role in churning out absolute craps. Because for Channels, its the face of the lead actor that decides the minimum satellite rights. If I am not wrong, Fahad Fazil is able to garner minimum 2.5-3 crores using his current stardom. So even if he does a piece of $hit within the budget, the producer is safe. This is the best way of defining the cine experience called "Olipporu".
The protagonist, Ajayan alias Olipporukaran (blog name) has been admitted in a hospital due to a bike accident. the film then revolves the images of Ajayan's childhood and his journey towards Bangalore. I believe A V Sasidharan is a playwright specialized in street dramas. This is mainly because this guy doesn't have an idea about what cinema is. Despite of running just 109 minutes, the film will make you look onto your watch more than you concentrate on the happenings (not literally). I just can't understand what this guy along with the writer P N Gopalakrishnan trying to convey through this mess. Whether its a social message (which I thought after seeing loads of file clips in the climax)...Is it convey the philosophy between Life n Death??....Let me think!!!...I believe they just wanted to act smart in front of the audience and looting the current boon called Satellite Rights. Heard that Fahad Fazil has initially rejected this crap. And due to some weird reason, this character started to haunt him and he himself took the initiative to meet the director to work with him.
Check out the length of the first scene of the movie. You will get an idea regarding how the film is going to be!! Then we see Ajayan's character is having an issue to pronounce "സ ശ ഷ" ( Fahad was totally artificial while enacting this weird case). Now why did the director focused much time on that issue is something I didn't understand (Didn't get communicated). Because Ajayan conveys to his lady love (I believe) that it went one fine day. What a lame way to end that issue. The movie is narrated shows its weird dimensions which links with Ajayan like his plan to set up a drama, his philosophy etc etc. Out of the blue, we see Kalabhavan starting to narrate his story and thus adding more to the confusion when you search for the link. The dialogues were nothing but to display the writer's linguistic skills.
If you can call wailing and blabbing with weird tunes as songs...then there are 5 songs in this movie which includes one from the lead actor. The climax song was classic (pun intended). The cinematography by Manoj Mundayat was below average and Mahesh Narayan clearly has no idea what was his role as an editor in this movie. Jyothish Sankar's art work can be felt with the sets of drama.
Fahad Fazil's listless performance was one of the weakest link. Subhishka was wooden. Kalabhavan Mani seems to be comfortable with poorly written role. Then we have those failed actors of Malarwadi Arts Club along with Aju Varghese to display why they didn't succeed like Nivin Pauly. Sunil Sukhada was a big bore and Joy Thomas was once again in such kinda movie. Zareena Wahab & Thalaivasal Vijay really didn't have any idea regarding their presence in this movie.
Now how should I recommend this movie to you!! Take your worst enemy to this show without allowing him to carry his mobile and purse....leave him in the theater and escape!! Believe me, he will be setting up an Olipporu against you.
Ratings --> 0/10 (The worst cine experience I can recall)
After the critically acclaimed and commercially successful, "Vicky Donor", John Abraham teams up with Shoojit Sircar in "Madras Cafe", where the producer dons the lead role. Vikram (John Abraham) narrates the revelations behind the murder of the Ex Prime Minister of his country.After experiencing movies like Spy Games, Body Of Lies or even our own Mission 90 Days, I prefer to call this movie as a docu-fiction. The style of frames chosen and the way its narrated gives you such kinda feeling. The strength of the movie is the story idea where the makers come up with a fictitious angle behind the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. It looks really believable to certain extend. But I felt Shoojit failed to keep me really interested with whats happening on screen except the last 30-40 minutes where the things started to fall in place. The biggest issue is the confused narration and screenplay which wasn't innovative by any means. What we see is Vikram flying from Jaffna to Kochi to Madras to Delhi to Madras to Jaffna to Kochi etc etc etc and loads of decoding stuff. I heard reviews terming this movie as a thriller but sadly there wasn't a moment which thrilled me. There is a dialogue in the movie where a character says that "This is the oldest ploy in the book". Similarly, we see Shoojit & his writers (Somath Dey & Shubendu Bhattacharya) just bringing all the possible scenes in such realistic thrillers starting from a "traitor in the group" to "last minute decoding". Also it will take really some time to understand what they are trying to convey and once you understand, you will feel a bit disappointed. Other than some good scenes during last 30-40 minutes, I didn't find anything exceptional in the making
This movie depends on John Abraham's Vikram and that character required an actor more than a model. John Abraham's wooden performance really affected the emotional quotient of the movie. One example is the scene where he see a badly injured woman in a pool of blood. But his reaction makes you feel like the woman just had a small knife cut. His make up along with his performance in the opening scene/climax scene looked absolutely funny more than emotionaly. Nargis Fakhri looked comfortable because she didn't have to deliver any Hindi Lines. But still her performance wasn't exceptional. Siddharth Basu & Ajay Rathnam were the best performers. The actor who played the role of Bala delivered a poor performance. Then we have a host of unfamiliar faces performing various character roles.
The frames looked like the shots from a handy cam. Now whether its meant for realism or not, it wasn't surely impressive. Kamaljeet Negi's will be either shaking the camera left n right n when its still, it will loads of zoom in n zoom out. While the editing by Chandrashekhar Prajapati was a royal mess. From this combined editing/cinematography experience, I felt this was Shaji Kailas's style of Docu Fiction. "Sun Le Re..." was the song which played during the end credits and the background score was quite fine especially during the pivotal point of the movie.
I didn't find this movie neither impressive nor thrilling. Maybe its because of over expectations but still I can't find a strong reason to call it a well executed thriller.
Ratings --> 4/10
Synopsis - The movie revolves around Kunjanandhan (Mammotty) and his obsession towards his shop.Script & Direction - After the critically acclaimed Adaaminte Makhan Abu, this movie did carry loads of expectations mainly due to his collaboration with Mammotty. In order to understand or connect with the theme of this movie, you need to see the shop as a very important character. Those who can't will fail to understand the soul of this effort because the film is about their deep-rooted relationship. How this relationship plays a role in Kunjanandhan's personal & social life forms the crux of the cinema. During the first half, we can see Salim using a pinch of black comedy to portray the relationship between the couple which was a fresh experience. Also he takes a dig at the society through Kunjanandhan's eyes. One of the features of his narration was Salim doesn't spend extra footage to establish a particular relation alone and yet he comes out with a cut n clear image. The brilliance of the script lies on its unpredictability by not showing any leniency towards a point. Here Kunjanandhan is portrayed extremely realistic with positives and negatives. Its upto the viewer to determine the positives and negatives. Normally we see such characters displayed as heart of gold. Just like he portrayed his characters,he doesn't opt for the stereotyped approach by blaming Govt for the land acquisition. Such instances are extremely rare in current cinemas. One of the highlight of this movie is Salim's eye for detailing. The village and the happenings do play a vital role which you will understand as the story gets developed. One such shot is the puddle in front of the shop when Kunjanandan mentions about the rainfall on last day. Also I loved the way a small message was conveyed in a symbolic manner through a rat. The dialogues with Kannur dialect were quite fine.
On downside, the pace of the movie especially during the second half where the script seems not to be developing well during the initial phase.
Cast & Performance - Mammotty delivered his best performance in recent times which stands above Hajiyar of Palerimanikyam & Pranchiyettan of Pranchiyettan & The Saint. The dialogue delivery (using Kannur dialect) and expression during the vital scene was an epic moment. Also during points where we feel the movie is losing its steam,we see Mammotty supporting the movie on his shoulders with his topnotch performance. Nyla's supported Mammotty extremely tremendously as his wife,Chitra. The chemistry within the lack of chemistry of the lead characters was enacted by the duo brilliantly. Balachandran Menon's extended cameo performance was good. Yavanika Gopalakrishnan finally got a meaty character in Big Screen as Kuriakose. Salimkumar delivered a cakewalk performance eventhough his wig looked a bit out of place. Siddhique as Nambiar did a great job. Then we have a host of unfamiliar faces delivering fine performances in supporting roles like Kader,Suku etc etc.
Songs & Background Score - Another negative of this movie is the placing of "Shararaanthal..." which wasn't required in this movie. Eventhough the melody was placed in bits n pieces, it really didn't find a place since the director has established the marital relationship. Another song was played during the end credits. Issac Thomas's background score carried his identity and delivers a different experience especially the theme music.
Technical Expertise - I don't think I need to explain the brilliance of a veteran like Madhu Ambat eventhough it reminded the frames of Adaaminte Makan Abu, especially the night shots. Vijay Shankar's editing was crisp and helped the narration. Resul Pookutty's sync sound work was brilliant and never created a laborious experience for the viewers to hear the dialogues along with the background noise. Jyothish Sankar's work is evident from the shop and its detailing.
Bottomline - If U have a taste for an outstanding serious cinema conveying a beautiful message in an unconventional manner with zero commercial ingredients and moving at a leisurely pace, the movie is highly recommended....especially to witness one of the best performance from Mammotty & brilliance from a promising filmmaker, Salim Ahmed.
Ratings - 9/10
There are some unwritten rules which normal people consider while making a thriller. The three rules I believe are
1) The audience should be able to be part of the journey as an unseen character. Make the audience thrill with the narration.
2) Logic. loads of questions will arise and the smartness at which the questions are answered inturn reflects the quality of the movie. At least people shouldn't leave the screen immediately with questions.
3) The way "build up" has been set and how it is finished. We often see makers dealing well with the "build up" but failing to finish it well..rather we see them fall along with the movie,
While watching "Arikiloraal", I felt all these issues popping up at regular basis. When you go to Big Screens, its mostly due to some expectations. Else you prefer to catch the movie in DVD or TV Channels. This is one of the major reason why some do not enjoy an experience in Big Screen while they do in a Small Screen. This movie is strictly a DVD watch.First of all the premise was uninteresting.The current audience (especially those who follow Hollywood mainstream movies) will find it really hard to sit through this slow paced boring experience...at least I felt so. The narration was extremely tacky and the screenplay was poor. I did use the word "innovative" many times and this movie do lack one. If you get a good story idea, you should give your best to come up with a script that can support the innovative idea. Do not run the show by just the theme with mere scenes. Sunil Ibrahim was doing just that with this movie. At many places, we see a stereotyped approach that made the experience more worse and the weak suspense to end the show was seriously juvenile n predictable!!!
The performances from Indrajith,Nivin Pauly,Remya Nambeeshan,Prathap Pothen,Lena,Sunil Sukhada etc etc were normal and really didn't have nothing to do. 3 songs were part of the experience where a "Raama.." song displaying Remya's dancing skills in her bulky physique looked good only for its choreography & stage work. The technical department had nothing special to be mentioned except the editing which was a lackluster job.
Overall...Arikil Oraal was really a boring experience for me....as well as the few people in the hall!! Those who rarely watch thrillers (Especially Hollywood mainstream ones) might like it!!!
Ratings - 3/10
Synopsis - The movie totally focuses on the live in relationship of a self centered artist, Michael (Fahad Fazi) & his dedicated and loyal partner, Gayathri (Ann Augustine).
Script & Direction - I maybe one of the very few who wasn't impressed with his "Arike". The main reasons I felt were the predictability and the performance from the cast.Based on the story by Paritosh Uttam, conveys the emotional turmoil experienced by two people and how they maintain a live-in relationship through that weather. Here Michael is sketched as a self centered character who just do not spare a second to understand others feelings whereas Gayathri is woman who is practical and yet extremely loyal to Michael due to her unconditional love. The film actually focuses on the testing moments encountered by Gayathri which could have affected her relationship with Michael.
Shyamaprasad is known for portraying such relationships and chemistry with utmost realism. Since I am not a huge fan of most of his works barring "Rithu" & "Electra", I wasn't actually confident whether I will be able to connect with what he is trying to convey. But I have to accept that I absolutely fell in love with each and every moment of this movie except the stereotyped phase (which was inevitable for a vital point but replaceable). What I loved about Shyam's presentation is that he never tried to justify Michael despite of being the protagonist. The film carries various moments to display the awesome chemistry between the lead pair and this indeed is the life of the movie. The chemistry was strengthened along with the establishment of their romance through various scenes. While the first half is narrated through the memories of Gayathri regarding Michael and how they commenced a live-in relationship and the second half takes on various challenges encountered by the pair post an incident. Shyam's narration never trespassed from the focus point and thus always maintained the tempo, without including melodrama at any point to sympathize the pair (especially Gayathri). If the same subject was given to V M Vinu, he would have increased the length from 108 minutes to 150 minutes because of the scope for melodrama and thus depict it as a tearjerker. But the highlight point is the manner with which Shyam opted for a brave climax to give it one of the best realistic cine experience I experienced in recent times. The dialogues were brilliant and supported the realistic mood with a pinch of light humour n sarcastic lines for Michael.
Cast & Direction - Once I believed this actor is nothing beyond the metro-sexual Arjun (Chaapa Kurishu). This year he surprised me with Rasool (Annayum Rasoolum) followed by an outstanding performance as Anoop (Red Wine). But now I am confused which is the best out of the four when I include Michael. This is perhaps one of the toughest character he played because of the various emotions and expressions he had to go through which might be quite unfamiliar for him. There is eccentricity, outbreak etc etc but he delivered it so naturally that I don't mind accepting that Fahad is the best out of the young lot. While Ann Augustine surprised me with her performance as Gayathri. Till then I thought this gal can't act and have no reason to be part of this industry. She simply lived as Gayathri, despite of the minute flaws in the accent, and the chemistry between the lead pair was stupendous. Sreeram Ramachandran as Abhi was good while Vanitha was mesmerizing as Gayathri's mother. At the same time, Vanitha's real life husband and singer, Krishnachandran looked slightly jaded in the cameo. Siddharth Siva was fine as the art curator while Srindha as Ruchi was decent.
Songs & Background Score - "Ilaveyil..." (Bijibal-Rafeeque Ahmed) by K S Chitra is a beautiful melody played to show Gayathri's college days. "Prakashame.." is used as a bit song in the backdrop which captures the challenges faced by Gayathri. As usual a mixture of light instrumentals and silence is used as background score.
Technical Expertise - Sham Dutt opted for natural frames and yet he lavishly captured various color of the artworks around. Some of the night shots using minimum lights conveyed the mood of the scene. Vinod Sukumaran's editing was close to perfect. The art direction team displayed their prowess by the art works which plays a major role in this movie.
Bottomline - I don't know how many will like/love this movie....But I LOVED this movie a lot.
Ratings --> 9.25/10
