Reviews

'Drishyam', directed by Jeethu Joseph is a highly engaging thriller about a family of 4 and the incidents that garble their otherwise normal lives.

Georgekutty(Mohanlal) is the owner-operator of a local TV Cable Service. He is stinginess personified (like his name would hint). The movie buff that he is, he knows the scenes and their dialogues from most movies like the back of his hand. He even goes to the extent of reviewing a car chase in a particular scene. This god-fearing innocent man is liked by all in his town (and the viewers are no different).

Rani(Meena) plays Mohanlal's wife and like any other wife, she is full of complaints and demands about her husband's stinginess, late night work and what not.

Things seem pretty much normal until one of their two daughters goes on a camp where she gets into a squabble with a rich brat. The boy pursues her to her hometown and with his video cam wrecks havoc only to get punished in the way he deserved. The rest of the plot is a cat and mouse game and the emotional settlement between two families who have been mutually pained.

The plot that follows, acquires serpentine proportions and begins to crawl beneath your skin, dragging you more and more into the setting much like a shepherd would haul his sheep. This near perfect script has been dealt with utmost care to seal off all loopholes the human mind could ever conjure up, contrary to the nonchalant treatments that grace thrillers these days.

With Mohanlal at his casual best and Meena at her wife-y best, this script earns an added impetus and is orbited into an altogether different height. Words of praise go to the perfectly cast Child actors, Asha Sharath and Siddique who all leave an everlasting impact on you. But no article on 'Drishyam' is complete without a mention to Kalabhavan Shajon who without doubt has broken all his stereotypical shackles and has come forward with a cracker of a performance. The nerve wrecking intensity that wraps the chemistry between Lal and Shajon in their combination scenes is an absolute delight to witness.

Sujith Vasudev's soap-washed visuals of the greenery render the perfect native mood that is demanded by the script. Ayoob Khan trims this thriller to perfection delivering one of the finest closing sequences in recent times. With delightful background scores, everything about this movie is going in the right direction.

The characters and visuals will remain etched in your mind even long after you leave the hall. 'Drishyam' is an insight into one of the unthinkable possibilities of a thriller that restores hope in this genre and dusts the scope for many a plot. A nail biting watch!

It is not everyday that you see a children's film enthrall both kids and adults alike. But here is one such gem from first timers Rojin Thomas and Shanil Muhammed who have beyond doubt written something special in the history of Malayalam cinema with their monkey pen. A very innocent take on school and life there, PATMP is a film with a heart.

The movie opens with a few school boys planting posters on a school wall and quickly spirals into the history of a magical pen which one of the boys possesses, the Monkey Pen. We are taken back to British ruled Kochi (who in turn are ruled by a very monkey-faced and lanky Mr.Moorthi).

Ryan Philip played by Master Sanoop, like any other 5th grade boy is as naughty as naughty gets. Jayasurya, a once-naughty-boy, plays Ryan's dad and Remya Nambeesan, a once-eloped-lover, plays his mom. A non-homework doer and late-comer Ryan is not new to being beaten black and blue by his Maths Teacher (Vijay Babu). His naughty tantrums form the first half of the movie.

It spirals you back into your school days where war meant butt-stabbing with sharpened pencils and and launching Duster missiles.

Ryan with his naughty antics teaches his school principal (Mukesh), Maths teacher and grandpa (Joy Mathew) how to love and forgive. It is often quoted that smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight and Ryan proves how true that is.

The movie does remind of you the classic Taare Zameen Par here and there, but the directors quickly rule out such comparisons with their own creativeness.

Master Sanoop's cute smile is infectious and diffuses out of the screen to spread one across your face. Vijay Babu as the Caning Maths Teacher, Mukesh as the apple loving principal and Joy Mathew as Captain Grand-dad are simply perfect and they all etch a place in your heart. Special mentions must go to Ryan's gang members, especially Mr.Toothless- ruthless.

The speck-less cinematography that captures the innocent smile and the Sea's wide mile alike, is an absolute delight. The music is soothing and refreshing. The BGM is so moving that it can bring tiny droplets of tears even on the driest of eyes.

This is a movie that revokes that child inside you and redeems the adult that you are. It teaches you how simple deeds can have gargantuan impacts in making our world a happy place. The creators have infused wit and wisdom in balanced proportions laying out an interesting, thought provoking and introspective piece of cinema that can have a cathartic effects on the shady part of your brain.

Like the Chalk Board red 'One positive thought can make your day Happy'.

(I am writing this review after a space mission!) Gravity, a film about how a space mission goes awry post an unprecedented accident is undoubtedly one of the finest films to have released in recent times.

Most, if all, movies tell a story to which you are treated from a distant place. But this movie will take you along with it into outer space and that IS really, where the director and his crew succeed. Alfonso Cuaron (who apparently once dreamed of becoming an astronaut) has shattered all generic constraints and has delivered a cult, exciting and suave gem of a movie!

Earth shattering special effects provide solid foundation to the script. The stunning reality of the work will leave you and your thoughts floating long after you have left the cinema hall. The stupendous finesse rendered to the detailing of each and every of the few objects in space is something to be experienced in 3D in a cinema hall. From the Earth to the cords of the parachute to the logo on the space suit, everything is impeccable.

Ms. Bullock's performance is one to be applauded. For she taken this to a whole new level. With every tear drop that floats towards you, the actress adds new dimension to this movie, and sans her Gravity would be unthinkable. Clooney too impresses in his role as the ever so charming mission head. With virtually no other actor, this movie rides on the brilliance of these two.

With some spellbinding cinematography and soul-stirring music, gravity comes as a wholesome experience and will definitely satisfy any movie lover.

And finally we must thank Sir Issac Newton, for without his discovery the world wouldn't have been graced by this movie!

This space mission will, without doubt leave you pondering over the gargantuan and imminent nature of space and mankind's humble attempts to visit it. Take a bow Mr. Cuaron!

When Dulquer quotes that the road has answers to all questions, we expect a killer line to follow. Instead, he adds that he doesn't have questions to ask. Now if he had no questions, why did he quote?. This is just an example of how the movie treads through unnecessary territories and ends up offering nothing but a love for bullets.

The movie begins with Kasi embarking on a supposedly introspective Kerala-Nagalnd journey and he is soon joined by his best buddy Suni. They face unprecedented challenges which takes them off-route to places like Puri and Bamanghata(West Bengal). As to why they embark on this journey is explained through a series of interruptive flashbacks to their college lives.

A road movie is expected to bring out the traditions and cultures of places, people and foods of the locales. NPCB doesn't touch any of these and instead simple focuses on Kasi and his narrative thoughts. The viewer is really disappointed as there is so much to be offered but none delivered. Its as if Puri is a disco + jungle and Bamanghata is a manual rice mill.

A lot of loose ends simply add to the misery. Like what business does a tender coconut vendor have in the middle of a highway and what drives him to act erratically? A keen observer will be bubbling with doubts after watching this cross-country NatGeo-style Docudrama.

Even the cinematography disappoints. We are simply treated to an overdose of Kasi and Suni flaunting their Bullets on the road (like there are no other vehicles?!)The DoP fails in photographing out the places in their ethnic fervor and we are treated to some dim lit, underexposed and brown-soaked fashion show of bullets (we have one stingy producer in Sameer Thahir, for he does not even provide a crane to the poor lad!)

On the performance side, Dulquer looks charming and tries hard to add an emotional dimension to the movie. Sunny Wayne's guffaw and desire to differentiate between love and lust are impressive. The women are average at best (just like the movie).

The sole savior is Rex Vijayan, who has been strumming out some fresh tunes movie film after film. The editor probably could do nothing but fill all holes with reels of bullet-ing and close-ups.

The Skies, Water and Earth are not as colourful as promised and considering the soaring petrol prices, i wouldn't kick-start my bullet to visit them.

The lives of six get intertwined. As simple as it may sound, there is an underlying complexity in this, which makes this for a compelling watch.

The real success of this movie lies in the fact that no one really is the hero, or, if viewed from a different perspective, everyone is the hero in his or her own niche. Everyone is given a fair amount of importance which leaves no character in the blue.

As far as the acting goes, Indrajith and Murali Gopi shine and tower above the rest. But Baiju and Tanushree Ghosh work wonders and have been able to strike a chord with the discerning viewer! The director has also managed to extract superlative performances from the others.

The credit must go to the mastermind Murali Gopi and to a certain extent Arun Kumar Aravind, who have, without exaggeration, have crafted a masterpiece. The ease with which each the plot is untangled leaves one dazed.

Shehnad Jalal's cinematography may not be the best but it is good and the visuals are very soothing to the eye. Multi narrative screenplays demand top notch editing and that is exactly what the director, who has edited the movie himself, provides. With his interesting narration and editing Arun Kumar Aravind has given the best solution to the Rubik's cube-like screenplay (there are several references to the Rubik's cube in the movie).

An intriguing movie that will make you laugh, cry AND think.