Geethaanjali - Exclusive Malayalam Movie Review

 Geethaanjali - Exclusive Malayalam Movie Review

Directed by     Priyadarshan
Produced by     G. P. Vijayakumar
Screenplay by     Abhilash Nair
Dialogue: Dennis Joseph
Music by     Vidyasagar
Cinematography     S. Tirru
Editing by     T. S. Suresh
Studio     Seven Arts International
Distributed by     Seven Arts International
                                P J Entertainments (Europe)
Release date(s)  14 November 2013
Country     India

Language     Malayalam

Cast

    Mohanlal as Dr. Sunny Joseph
    Suresh Gopi as Nakulan (Cameo)
    Keerthy Suresh as Geetha & Anjali
    Nishan as Anoop
    Swapna Menon as Mary
    Nassar
    Siddique
    Madhu
    Innocent
    Harisree Ashokan
    Ganesh Kumar
  

'Geethaanjali' is the sort of sequel to All time Malayalam classic 'Manichitrathazhu', which is a huge baggage itself. Expecting anything remotely close especially with Priyadarshan at the helms of of affairs was out of the question. But still the trailer and video song were able to create some sort of hype before the release.

Story

'Geethanjali' deals with another interesting 'case' that Para-Psychologist Dr. Sunny Joseph gets to encounter in his career. On his friend Nakulan's request Sunny comes to Kerala to investigate about the paranormal activities taking place in an old mansion, once soon to be married Anjali & Anoop sets foot inside. 


Geethanjali is a nice watch for those who don't frequent Hollywood/Foreign horror films, for others this might be an under whelming outing. Its definitely one of the better horror 'attempts' from Mollywood
after a long time. 

First half was good where the story gets established. In the second half especially toward the end the writer looses complete control and felt like everything was rushed and didn't knew how to end properly. Innocent's role which was meant as a comic releif gets repeatative after a point. The basic idea of the film is inspired from a Thai film, which interestingly has been used in 2  Malayalam films in the past.

Mohanlal gets a extended cameo length role, but his 'Sunny' failed to create the charm which he had last time around. Keerthy has made a very good debut, her performance in the climax was very good. Rest of the cast did an okay job.

The main issue with the film is the half baked script. It's Priyadarshan's skill that made a decent entertaining movie out of it. His direction is good, he has tried every trick in the 'horror' book to make the film interesting, thrilling and scary (to an extent). Equally worth appreciating are Tirru's camera work and TS Suresh's editing which prevents the movie from going to a mess. Dialogues were just Okay, had a drama feel in few scenes. Music was disappointing considering the iconic songs

 'Manichitrathazhu' had, but Vidyasagar scored big time in Background score. also kudos to the art department who have done an excellent job



As a horror film it quite succeeds in scaring the audience - its thrilling and told in a convincing manner too.  If you avoid any sort of comparison with the iconic predecessor Geethaanjali can be a decent watch.

 Being the biggest/widest release ever for Malayalam film, it should at least recover investments, in the worst case scenario.

Rating: 2.75/5

Verdict: above Average

Final Word : Don't Go with huge expectations, avoid comparison  with MCT, you will enjoy this ride

 

Thor: The Dark World - Exclusive Movie Reviews Compilation

 An Exclusive compilation of the First on net Reviews of 'Thor: The Dark World', the highly anticipated sequel to 2011 blockbuster, 'Thor'.

 Disney/Marvel's latest slab of briskly amusing, elaborately inconsequential 3D entertainment is a buoyant if derivative ride.this robust, impersonal visual-effects showpiece proves buoyant and unpretentious enough to offset its stew of otherwise derivative fantasy/action elements.

‘Thor: The Dark World’ Review: A Stirring, If Not Mighty, Return for the Thunder God

 

Superhero sequel Thor: The Dark World is a gloriously entertaining film that delivers spectacle, action, a daft elf villain, some smart 3D moments and – most importantly – a whole lot of fun

 

if you still love Thor, and especially if you still love Loki, Thor: The Dark World more-or-less satisfies -7.5/10

 if you're any kind of fan of comic books and comic book movies, you'll leave the theater with a big ol' dopey smile on your face. At least I did.

By Odin’s beard, this is an insane gumbo of a movie - 4/5

Thor: The Dark World is a hugely entertaining and sharply written continuation of Marvel's Phase 2, combining heart, spectacle and a shrewd lightness of touch.

 

This follow-up to the popular Norse-superhero blockbuster has a flabby plot and a rote, mechanical feel - 2/5

 

Thor: The Dark World is an ambitious, thrilling and often hilarious superhero sequel. Iron Man got things off to a great start, but now Marvel’s ‘Phase Two’ is in full swing. ANOTHER! 

 

The result is a film that is enjoyable in spots, but haphazard and ultimately unsatisfying.

To a very large extent, Thor: The Dark World works rather well indeed.

Even if it's not challenging to be Marvel's best movie, it's certainly its funniest.

Too much hammer time, not enough fun, except when Loki's onscreen.

As confident and assured as its lead character, Marvel’s great run continues. We give this Thor out of Thive. (Sorry.)  - 4/5

http://outnow.ch/Movies/2013/Thor2/Reviews/kino/ - 3.5/5

Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus - Malayalam Movie Review

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Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus - Malayalam Movie Review

Directed by     Marthandan
Produced by     Faisal Alleppy
Screenplay by     Benny P Nayarambalam
Studio     Achappu Movie Magic
Release date(s)   September 16, 2013
Country     India
Language     Malayalam

Cast

    Mammootty as Cleetus
    Honey Rose
    Aju Varghese
    Rejith Menon
    Sanam Shetty
    Siddique
    Suraj Venjaramoodu
    Thesni Khan
    Smitha Samuel
    Mini Arun

Story

Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus tells the story of  a 'Cleetus' goonda, who accidently gets selected to play the role of 'Jesus Christ' in a light and sound show to be played during festivities. What happens to 'Cleetus' and those surrounding him when the events in the life os 'Jesus' starts repeating in life of 'Cleetus' too.

DSC is directed by Debutant G.Marthandan who has 17 years of experience working as AD for various directors. The movie is produced by Faizal Lathif, a member of  All Kerala Mammootty Fans Association.

The film which was promoted as Comedy-Mass entertainer fails to justify both genres. The first half is intersting thanks to the unique characterization of Mammootty, something similar to the role in 'Kanalkattu'. But once the initial excitement is offer the film offers nothing much, even for the fans.absolutely nothing much happens in the second half. Whatever little suspense the writer created in the first half fizzles in the later half. The climax also is a big let down.

 The film is named after the hero, but the character gets lost among the supporting cast often. Mammooty has scored in what ever opportunity that was presented to him by Benny. The job of the supporting cast is to provide comic relief, which they succeed to a small extent. All of them have done a good job. New comer Sanam Shetty has made a confident debut with almost perfect lip sync.

Direction was average at its best. Most of the 'attempted' comedy scenes fell flat thanks to the director (like first scene, Siddique's intro etc). Script fails considering the genre or rather publicized genre of the movie. Many of the Dialogues were mediocre too. The locales were very beautiful making the job of the Cinematographer simple, nothing exceptional unless to talk about. Songs are just average at its best. Editing is crisp and thanks to the editor for keeping the length under (or about) 2hr15mins. Background score was loud and bad.

The film is by no means boring. Considering the lack of any expectations, is not disappointing either. You can watch if there's nothing else to do. Fans can watch it for the different 'attempt' by Mammootty.

Overall its average at its best.

Verdict: Average

Rating : A generous 2.5/5

Box Office: Average

Madras Cafe - Movie Review

Madras Cafe - Exclusive Movie Review

Thursday, August 22, 2013

MADRAS CAFE : Exclusive Movie Review

                                          

Directed by Shoojit Sircar

Produced by John Abraham/Viacom 18 Motion Pictures/Ronnie Lahiri

Music by Shantanu Moitra

Stars: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Siddhartha Basu, Prakash Belawadi, Ajay Ratnam, Raashi Khanna & Dinesh Nair

Movie Review by Sree Prasad Nair

Theater – National Cinemas, Abu Dhabi, UAE

22/08/2013 – 8.45pm

Occupancy – 80% (Surprised because movie was not even promoted in overseas)

Director Shoojit Sircar debuted in 2005 with the critically acclaimed film Yahaan. But the film was a flop mainly because it was slotted among much bigger summer releases. But with his second film , Vicky Donor he bagged the National Award for Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment. The film was a superhit at the box office. Vicky Donor was produced by actor John Abraham! Juhi Chaturvedi was the screen/dialogue writer.

Madras Cafe is the second film of Superhit Shoojit-John-Juhi team after Vicky Donor. Madras Cafe stars John Abraham & Nargis Fakhri in the main leads. Indian television producer and quiz show host Siddhartha Basu playing a vital role in the film. Raashi Khanna makes her debut with Madras Cafe. Madras Cafe also stars Prakash Belawadi, Tamil actor Ajay Ratnam, Malayalam actor Dinesh Nair.

Story

Madras Cafe is a political spy thriller, set against the backdrop of Sri Lankan Civil War of 1990's. Madras Cafe is the story of an Indian Intelligence agent (John Abraham) is deputed into a war torn coastal island, to conduct covert operations and break a resolute rebel group. Madras Cafe is a story about the assassination of our former Prime Minister.

Madras Cafe is a must visit place for cinegoers!!! Let me start with the positives of the film.

Positives

Madras Cafe starts off very well. Infact the first half of Madras Cafe is simply brilliant, superb thrilling almost at par with the recently released thriller D Day. Madras Cafe is Shoojit Sircar's third outing and you can't help but notice the giant strides he has taken as a technician. The film is stylishly shot, has a grand look despite it being a political thriller film. Direction is top class and easily the main positive about the film. Kudos to him for making a brilliant film without a single song in those 2 hour 18mins!

Madras Cafe will be a landmark film of John Abraham's acting career (yes way better than Dhoom, acting-wise). Good to see that finally John is selecting some sensible scripts. John Abraham as Vikram Singh is remarkable. There is a marked growth in John's performances and his performance in Madras Cafe only endorses this statement.

Special mention must be given to the Background Music Composer Shantanu Moitra. BG Music is just terrific  and almost at par with my personal favorite BG music of the year, Lootera! The end credit song, Sun Le Re is really good. Cinematography by Kamaljeet Negi is topnotch, captured the beautiful locations of Kerala, Tamil Nadu & Hyderabad beautifully.

Script writers Somnath Dey, Shubendu Bhattacharya deserve a pat for attempting a novel theme and packaging it very well. Same goes to dialogue writer Juhi Chaturvedi. Her dialogues are simple, but intelligent!

Nargis Fakhri finally gets a role and this time she is really good. Her acting/expressions is improved and super confident as charismatic and passionate journalist. Raashi Khanna makes an imposing debut as John's wife. Truly admirable in the emotional scenes. Good find!

Indian television producer and quiz show host Siddhartha Basu is surprisingly good as government officer RD. Prakash Belawadi as Bala is quite a scene-stealer! Tamil actor Ajay Ratnam as Anna & Malayalam actor Dinesh Nair as Rajashekaran are proficient. Sanjay Gurbaxani as the former Prime Minister is good in a limted role. Famous Journalist Dibang's cameo is perfect. Controversial South Indian Model-Actress is OK in a 20sec role!

Negatives

Madras Cafe is slow paced at some portions in the second half. Editing could have been much better. Some of the important portions in the second half is fast paced. Climax is predictable although filming is well executed.

I would like to add an extra paragraph in this negative portion for Madras Cafe makers poor promotion. Under-promoting a film is not new in bollywood. But if you are planning to release your movie between Shah Rukh Khan/Akshay Kumar films and multi-starrer Satyagraha (releasing next week) No other option, You makers should promote the film very well!!! Disappointing to realize that makers not even promoted the movie at the overseas. Promotion strategies were undoubtedly very poor from the makers. Not to forget it is strictly a multiplex film!

Overall Madras Cafe is a honest effort from director Shoojit Sircar. A brilliant first half, good direction by Shoojit, John's performance & Shantanu Moitra's BG Music as plus points . The film is mainly targetted for limited audience, i'.e Multiplex audience. Don’t think much takers in Single Screens and also the chance of a long run is ruled out with multi-starrer Satyagraha releasing next week and Zanjeer/Shudh Desi Romance releasing on September 6th! At the box office film is all set to open 4-6crores with a weekend of 15-18crs.

Word Of Mouth will be very good!

P:S:REALLY WISH THIS GOOD FILM HAD A GOOD PROMOTIONS!!!

Verdict - MADRAS CAFE... A MUST VISIT FOR CINEGOERS!!!

Rating - 3.50/5!  Very Good !!!

This Reviewer can be contacted on Twitter : @i_spn : https://twitter.com/i_spn

Thalaivaa - Exclusive Movie Review

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Thalaivaa : Exclusive Movie Review
                                        

Direction by A. L. Vijay

Produced by Chandra Prakash Jain/C.P. Sunil/C.P. Dinesh

Music by G. V. Prakash Kumar

Stars: Vijay, Sathyaraj, Amala Paul, Santhanam, Ragini Nandwani, Abhimanyu Singh & Rajiv Pillai

Movie Review by Sree Prasad Nair
Theater – Grand Cinemas, Sharjah, UAE
08/08/2013 – 4.45pm
Occupancy – 100%  Sold Out

A Vijay film is always special. Be it Velayudham or Thuppakki, Vijay films always worked big at the box office. Thalaivaa is the first Vijay film in 2013! Just like Velayudham & Thuppakki (released during Diwali 2011 & 2012) Thalaivaa is also releasing on a festive season, Eid 2013! Thalaivaa is directed by A.L Vijay who had remarkable hits under his belt in the form of Deiva Thirumagal & Madrasapattinam. However his last film Thandavam was a washout at the box office. Thalaivaa stars Vijay and Amala Paul in the lead roles. Sathyaraj, Santhanam, Ragini Nandwani, Abhimanyu Singh & Rajiv Pillai are also acting in Thalaivaa.

Story

Thalaivaa, is the story of comman man who rises to a leader. Vijay is a professional dancer in Australia. He is in love with Amala Paul. Both plan to get married. Vijay comes to India to meet his father (Sathyaraj) with Amala Paul & her father. Sathyaraj is Thalaivaa, leader of social workers in Mumbai. The local enemies murder Sathyaraj. To take the revenge Vijay turns into a leader. What happens next?

Positives

A. L. Vijay's story may sound predictable, but film is filled with many twists and turns. Two great suspense, one just before the interval and one just at the right time, climax! Direction is first rate. The run time of the film is almost 3hours. But you will never get bored in those long duration. First half is fast paced with romance, dance, funny scenes and second half is just brilliant, infact better than first half.

Vijay’s character in the film goes through two phases, one as typical lover & other as leader. He is good as lover with his usual charm, dance & romance. But he is brilliant as leader. Unlike his previous films Thalaivaa don't have much action scenes. Less action & more acting... That's Vijay's Thalaivaa. A performance like this comes once in a while and can compete with the best actors this year. The ease with which Vijay slips into the character is amazing and the outcome is spellbinding. If he is lovable as the lover boy dancer, he is outstanding as the leader.

It's Amala Paul who gives Thalaivaa that extra sheen. She gets a role to prove her talent and she more than lives up to the expectations. She is super confident and registered a strong impact. Her dancing skills and expressions are her added benefits. However her role is limited in the second half.

 Santhanam once again proved that he is unbeatable when it comes to comedy. He contributes enormously to some of the best moments of the film. Satyaraj is truly outstanding in a pivotal character. Ragini Nandwani is goregeous and makes her presence felt in a small but significant role. Abhimanyu Singh is ok. Rajiv Pillai may not have many lines to deliver, but his presence and expressions register a strong impact.

Negatives

Music of Thalaivaa is a letdown. And the placement of two songs are wrong. Veteran actor Nassar is wasted. Not much action scenes in this Vijay film except the climax. That’s about it. These factors won’t harm to a film like Thalaivaa.

Overall Thalaivaa is a perfect Eid gift from VIJAY'S! Director Vijay & Actor Vijay. A Good First Half, Great Second Half With A Brilliant Climax! The film is all set to take a bumper opening at the box office.

P:S: Third Festival Superhit From Vijay In A Row

Verdict - Thalaivaa Is A Great Leader!!!

Rating - 4/5!  Super Hit!!!

This Reviewer can be contacted on Twitter : @i_spn : https://twitter.com/i_spn

'Kadal Kadannoru Mathukkutty' - Movie Review

 

'Kadal Kadannoru Mathukkutty' - Movie Review

Directed by     Ranjith
Produced by     Shaji Nadeshan, Santhosh Sivan, Prithviraj Sukumaran
Music by     Shahabas Aman
Background Score: Thej Mervin
Cinematography     Madhu Neelakandan
Editing by     Sandeep Nandakumar
Studio     August Cinema
Distributed by     August Cinema
Release date(s)   8 August 2013
Running time     135 minutes
Country     India
Language     Malayalam

Starring

Cast

    Mammootty as Mathukkutty

  Mohanlal (Cameo)
    Dileep (Cameo)
    Jayaram (Cameo)
    Sekhar Menon
    Meera Nandan as Kunjumol
    Alisha Mohammed as Rosy
    Muthumani
    Nedumudi Venu
    Nandhu
    Tini Tom
    Balachandra Menon
    Siddique
    Suresh Krishna
    Harisree Asokan
    P. Balachandran
    Balachandran Chullikad
    Kaviyoor Ponnamma
    Prem Prakash
    Krishna Prabha

 
Story

'Kadal Kadannoru Mathukkutty' is the story of a German Malayali Mathukutty, who comes to Kerala on a purpose and gets himself entangled with various Socio-Political issues and how those changes his life for ever.

Mammootty also appears as himself in the movie along with cameos by Mohanlal, Dileep, Jayaram etc.

Expectations were huge as Director Ranjith was having an impressive run for the past few years. Eventhough 'Bavooty' written by him was average stuff the buzz surrounding this film was quite strong. But unfortunately KKOM proooves to be Ranjith's worst script since 'Rock N Roll'.

The film began well with giving hopes that this might turn out to be another 'Pranchiyettan', but once the initial fun was over there was nothing left in the movie. It almost felt like a serial in the 2nd half. The title character, which Mammooty tried to portray honestly and efficiently unfortunately suffered from bad writing and character development. In the 2nd half the character almost gets lost in the crowd.

Just like Bavvoty a few 'comedy' scenes followed an incident just to make it to the climax is the pattern followed here too. All those scenes looks forced. The best part is definitely th first 45 mins, the only part where the director managed to grab audiences attention.
The other cast have also given a good perfomance. Balachandra Menon has made a good come back via KKOM. Muthumani was good as Mathukutti's nagging wife. 

There is just one song in the movie, which is a devotional one. Back ground score was fun in parts, but didn't had much scope thanks to the uninteresting proceedings, infact it made matters worse in 2nd half.

Camera work, editing were good. Ranjith as a writer failer completely, as a director he was okay. 

The most interesting scene in the movie are those with the real life stars, especially the ones with 'Mohanlal' & 'Mammootty'. The film is not horrible or completely bad. But just disappointing considering the amount of talents associated with it. 

The film can be a decent watch for the families, who prefer film with no vulgar comedies or dialogues, no item numbers, action etc. 

Don't go with too much expectations, you might ot get bored

Verdict: Average