Trap : Don’t Listen to the Critics.

That Hollywood and it’s entourage have no love lost for Manoj Night Shyamalan is something that’s more than obvious and I have digressed on the subject briefly when I shared my thoughts on Split. Considering the budgets that most Shyamalan movies are made upon, none of them have made losses at the box office, even his forays into blockbuster territory, rather the vicinity. Shyamalan himself has gone on record when he spoke about mortgaging his house for The Visit and how his approach was so much against the system. Personally, even his worst movies as the critics would have us believe are more creative if nothing else, compared to the formulaic horror and thriller films that Hollywood rely on every year to try and set the registers ringing.

Coincidentally, rather eerily, it was at the screening of Longlegs that I came across the trailer for Trap and was hooked immediately.
Longlegs for me was just a lot of PR for a rather mediocre movie and in contrast, the early responses for Trap were biased if you ask me. Interestingly Silence of The Lambs came up in chatter about both movies, and I would go so far as to say that to speak of film in the same breath as Longlegs would be something akin to cinematic blasphemy. It was Shyamalan himself who said that Trap was pitched as Silence of the Lambs at a concert. Neither of the films are in the same league but I have to admit that I had more fun with Trap than Longlegs as a viewer though they are two different films entirely. And this is indeed Shyamalan’s most fun film to date too.

Josh Hartnett has been edging his way back into mainstream Hollywood of late and he is at the centerstage in Trap in more ways than one along with Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka who is making her debut here. Another problem that the critics had with the film was the fact that Shyamalan was using this film as a launchpad for his daughter’s music career, something that he made no secret of either. In fact the music and the concert are crucial to the narrative and it is indeed a fun ride, if you won’t take it too seriously. And trust Shyamalan to deliver a PG13 serial killer movie !

Deadpool & Wolverine : Superheroes are back !

For those who came in late, now that Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox are subsidiaries of Walt Disney Studios, it was just a matter of time and money and egos managed, before a reunion of all Marvel originals would be staged. There is no real “endgame” when it comes to superhero films and franchises, Deadpool reminds us here, and he tags along none other than Wolverine in a merger within a merger of sorts. That’s to say Ryan Reynolds is tasked along with Hugh Jackman to revive the superhero genre by Disney and Reynolds who wrote the film with director Shawn Levy does it in true Deadpool style, to the hilt, almost. All irreverence intact, less innuendo, probably because of the presence of probably the greatest actor to ever embody a superhero inseperably, Jackman. And he holds the record for that too, incidentally, despite Rober Downey Jr and the MCU.

Here Deadpool doesn’t break the fourth wall, there is no fourth wall, in fact. This film can approached for an analysis at so many angles that it would be analogy to the multiverse theme running in these MCU films. Not that it’s the kind of a film that needs an analysis. But yet, this is probably the most self aware, self deprecatory superhero film or rather any film to hit the screens ever. No one is spared, the Fox acquisition by Disney, the MCU lows in terms of box office and content, to the actors. Reynolds mouths the word exposition on at least two occasions that I noticed. It’s just about as meta as any form of popular art could get. The writing in the opening sequences are almost a subreddit comment section on anything ranging from studio businesses to memes, if you know what I’m talking about.

Watching Jackman perform, I couldn’t but help think if the actor was given his due by writers and directors out there, considering the powerhouse of a talent that he is. While you cannot as a viewer envision any other actor as Wolverine, he is capable of so much more too. Jackman himself has stated that he took inspirations from Clint Eastwood to portray Wolverine along with Mel Gibson. But he emotes too in his inimitable style, grounding the film, picking up from where he left off in Logan. It’s the perfect antidote of a screen appearance to everything Reynolds and Deadpool stands for. And they complete each other in more ways than one.

What made me sit up though were the cameos, easter eggs are not really a thing anymore in Marvel movies. One of those cameos has the ability to bring down any movie hall packed with 90’s kids. With Deadpool fighting to the tune of NSync’s Bye Bye Bye the movie makes it evident early on that it had every intention to bank on every element of nostalgia around. When staying back for the post credits scene feel nostalgic, you realize that you are not getting any younger and that time flies indeed. But again this film is all about irreverent unapologetic big screen entertainment and Deadpool delivers it with much help from Wolverine.

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Twisters : No Surprises Here.

This is a rant. Despite Jan De Bont fresh off the bus with Speed understandably wanting to follow up with a film that had some chasing to do and something faster, Michael Crichton and Helen Hunt, was never a huge fan of the original Twister. Bill Paxton has always been a used car salesman to the average 90s moviegoer. That didn’t help either. Hollywood was still exploring the possibilities of CGI and disaster movies pushed early boundaries. And in Twister, cows did fly ! Yeah it did make a good pop corn cruncher, just wasn’t my tea cup of storm, so to speak.

But that is not what my rant about. It’s rather inconsequential and I have no actual reason to be triggered by whatever it was that triggered me. Amblin Entertainment in the titles probably and the sight of the Indian university student maybe. I have on previous occasions come clean about my issue with Spielberg’s portrayal of Indians right from Temple of Doom days. Yeah he probably has nothing to do with this and I am not making any sense too but that’s how rants are, for the sake of argument. I should get to the rant now, here goes. Why does every Indian university guy in every Hollywood movie have to look like a dork or a nerd ? I mean we are Hrithik Roshans who walk out of choppers making Tiger Shroffs drop their jaws or Nivin Paulys fighting in the mud and walking in black shirts and white mundus, wooing lecturers too, not all of us are Harold and Kumar prospects. Indian dudes can save the damsels in any tornado distress too, just ranting.

Now that I am done, have to say Twisters make for some good pop corn crunching too. It’s just about as formulaic as disaster movies get. Someone makes a mistake, harbor regrets, shuns family and friends, happens to be an expert in the field, reluctantly agrees to show up, gets dragged into the thick of things and saves the day ultimately. In Twisters, true to the theme, things happen at breakneck speed and everything from screenplay to direction to performances are functional enough to make a decent run at the box office. I mean if a family had to choose between Twisters and Longlegs, I don’t exactly need to spell it out, do I?

Kalki 2898 AD : Anti-heroes Assemble !

Probably is the most ambitious Indian film since Mughal-e-Aazam [inflation, et al considered] in terms of scale and production design and dwarfs any other film from the country when it comes to creative vision and world building. Does succumb to the trappings and tropes of a regular South Indian hero vehicle in scenes with Prabhas early on but the film more than makes up for this in every other scene. Amitabh Bachchan again awes you with his presence and is the mainstay. Kamal Hassan in the scenes where he makes an appearance leaves an impact thanks to some insightful writing.

A star studded once in a lifetime cinematic event of sorts, Kalki 2898 has familair faces ranging from Shobhana to Deepika Padukone to Bhramandam to Pasupathy to Anna Ben in never before seen avatars, okay Bhramanandam not so much, maybe. But that just gives you a feel of the scale, and that’s without me spilling the beans on some surprise cameos.

The movie awes you with some quality VFX almost all the time though it lets down in the same department in some scenes, very few ones though, but the worst moments here are better than the worst moments of last year’s The Flash, to put things in perspective. Personally I couldnt but help notice shades of some landmark films like The Matrix, Fury Road, LOTR, Black Panther and even Avatar as the movie unravelled but what is truly significant is that a filmmaker has finally delved into the rich tapestry of Indian mythology to deliver a highly original epic action extravaganza. Nag Ashwin is the new Rajamouli. What do they feed filmmakers over there in Tollywood !

They have a Hulk, we have an Ashwathama !

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Guruvayur Ambala Nadayil : Another Winner at the Doors of the Malayalam Box Office.

Malayalam cinema’s dream run at the B.O that kicked off with Premalu might as well turn into a marathon with this homage of sorts to vintage Priyadarshan movies. So, I guess to say that it’s a film that exists in a space between Chandralekha and Kakkakuyil is most apt, considering the premise and the experience as a viewer. If it’s predecessor and the incumbent at the B.O catered to a younger audience in terms of content and visual language, Guruvayur Ambala Nadayil places itself as a product that appeals to a wider audience whose staple diet was Priyadarshan – Sathyan Anthikad – Siddique/Lal- Rajasenan movies, in their prime.

It’s the pace of the film that saves it in it’s weakest moments, that are rather rare. Prithviraj almost outshines Basil who again is on a dream run himself. The spoofs and references to other movies work well though you might wonder if it was a bit overdone towards the end, but you don’t really mind when it’s good fun. Though it’s not the kind of a film that needs any dissection or analysis, one can’t help but notice that the narrative is in stark contrast to that of the director’s previous, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. Nikhila Vimal has three lines and maybe two expressions to deliver – not sure if this a spoiler- that’s all the film demands of her too. Anaswara Rajan has little to do here.

There’s a bunch of actors, old and new, playing ensemble characters namely Jagadish, Baiju,Rekha, Irshad, Kottayam Ramesh, PP Kunjikrishnan, Kudassanad Kanakam, Siju Sunny, Saafboi, Aswin Ramesh, Joemon Jyothir and yeah, Yogi Babu, who does their bit to add to the mad fun in their own ways playing roles in situations thought up by Deepu Pradeep who along with Vipin Das is earnestly determined to give you two hours worth of laughs. Would be a crime to not mention Ankit Menon’s score that adds to the madness on screen. Guruvayur Ambala Nadayil deserves a darshan!

Bhramayugam : You Can Checkout Anytime You Like, But You Can Never Leave.

Bhramayugam is groundbreaking Cinema in more ways than one, for Malayalam Cinema. But so were Boothakalam and Red Rain, if you had cared to notice. Rahul Sadavisan ups his game with none other than Mammootty this time around to ensure that his skills as a filmmaker gets the attention it deserves, with Bhramayugam. All credit definitely goes to Rahul Sadavisan for envisioning this piece of uncompromising Cinema and managing to impress his audience and deliver the promise too. I might be assumptive when I say that Rahul Sadasivan is probably the only academically trained filmmaker amongst the new crop out there and it shows, especially in his aesthetic sensibilities as a director, probably his schooling overseas adds to this too. This was again evident in Bhoothakalam. Bringing the director’s vision to life is Shehad Jalal whose cinematography is key to the narrative and the aesthetics again. Jothish Shankar seems to be the go to person for films that demand active contribution from the art department, in Malayalam cinema these days. His filmography speaks for itself and again he aids Rahul Sadasivan in bringing his ideas to life on screen. Just the shots of the kitchen and the cooking scenes should bring him an award. The single metaphor where Sidharth Bharatan’s character compares time to a river tells us why Rahul Sadasivan entrusted T.D Ramakrishan with the dialogues. The special effects were right on the money and the efforts to deliver a fresh visual experience to the viewer was evident. Had me wondering if the director consulted Jijo Punnoose for the centrifuge scene. Rumor has it that we will be watching something similar in Barroz too.

Okay, now this is as meta as it gets. To take a leaf out the book of metaphors that Bhramayugam is, when Rahul Sadasivan sets the board of imagination and rolls the dice along with his finest crew behind the camera, the onus is on the actors before the camera to play the director’s game. Now who plays it best? Is it an unleashed Mammooty? Or is it an unrestrained Arjun Asokan who is discovering himself? Or is it a restrained yet effective Siddarrh Bharathan? Manikandan Achari and Amalda Liz do their bit too. I had look to up Wiki for the “bhavas” defined in the Indian treatise of dance, Natyashasthra because I felt that Rahul Sadasivan managed to extract all eight emotions at some point from two of the three main protagonists, in the film – or is one an antagonist(?) . Bharata in his Natya Shastra mentions eight Sthayibhavas: (i) Rati (Love), (ii) Hasa (Mirth), (iii) Krodha (Anger), (iv) Utsaha (Courage), (v) Bhaya (Fear), (vi) Jugupsa (Aversion), (vii) Vismaya (Wonder), and (viii), and Soka (Sorrow) each corresponding to eight Rasas, says Wiki. While Mammootty turns Goliath with each of these emotions, reinventing himself like we have never seen him before on the screen, Arjun Ashokan is David when holds his own before the legendary thespian. Siddharth Bharathan plays pivotal role in engaging the viewer, it’s how the character was conceived too, probably, in terms of purpose. On a closing note, have to say that just because this film is released in black and white, it’s not experimental. It plays out like a tale out of Aithihyamala, with an edge of darkness. This is not parallel cinema, it’s unparalleled cinema, at least for Malayalam Cinema.

Premalu : As Breezy As It Gets.

Gireesh AD creates a world that you want to be part of and doesn’t want to leave, again after taking the audience of a multitude of Malayali generations back to their school days with his stellar debut, Thanneer Mathan Dinangal in 2019. It’s one of those movies that you do not want to end. In an industry where half of the films try to live up to the brand of “serious” cinema that Malayalam is supposedly famous for and the other half is about what filmmakers perceive as fan service, Gireesh is probably the only filmmaker who talks to the target audience in the age group of most of the cast of Premalu.
When you look at it now, it makes sense why a movie like Love Action Drama fills the halls or why people throng to watch Hridayam – a film that I felt Gireesh takes a dig at early on, in Premalu. I can’t but help thinking that Hridayam to Gireesh is probably the CBSE version of campus life as opposed to the State syllabus version that he is evidently a proponet of, in all glee too, if you know what I’m talking about.

Had Gireesh decided to make this film right after Thanneer Mathan, it would have been an interesting upgrade in terms of sequence as he has retained two of the most popular faces from that film here, one playing lead again, a literal reversal of roles too, if you consider. Naslen is the mainstay of the film but some well rounded characters around him in the film are brought to life by a bunch of talented actors, namely Sangeeth Prathap whom I took note of in Pathrosinte Padappukal as the tattoo guy (been searching for that scene forever on YouTube), Shyam Mohan who plays rival to Naslen’s Sachin and giving them tough competition in winning the affections of the audience during their time on screen are Mamitha Baiju, Akhila Bhargavan and an unhinged Meenakshi Raveendran. Mathew Thomas plays an extended cameo. Mamitha elevates scenes on more occasions than one and holds fort for Gireesh during the climax, especially.

Giving company to the director in the writing department is Kiran Josey, in a premise that reminds one of Dhanush’s and Nitya Menen’s Tirichithrambalam on more occasions than one. A fair share of the humor in Premalu rides on the antics and expressions of the actors on screen. The exchanges between Naslen and Sangeeth in the film played out like an extended version of that scene from Godfather where Kanaka visits Mukesh and Jagadeesh in their hostel room, and Jagadeesh has a hard time hiding his amusement without offending his mate. Premalu strikes the perfect balance in the narrative where it lives up to the romcom tag. It is loud without being crass and subtle and sensitive without being cringey. Premalu is not just the film Malayali cinemagoers deserve but the one it needs right now too. Gireesh AD is indeed a watchful entertainer !

Leo : When A Universe Expands Into Emptiness.

Leo. ലേശം വൈകി.

If I were to rank Lokesh Kanagaraj movies, Leo would be below Kaithi and above Vikram with Maanagaram leading the list. The first thing that I did after I was done watching the film, defying the age old sacred social media dictum – “thou shalt not seek logic in mass movies” – was to dare to Google if Hyenas were native to the Indian Subcontinent and the average life span of an eagle too, while I was at it. Posted a joke on Instagram about calling up my Biology teacher from school about Hyenas and Eagles and got schooled by a friend who shared some Wiki bytes of knowledge about the habitats of Hyenas and life span of eagles. Before you school me again, it was all in good fun. Now, I can totally enjoy a good “mass” movie with my brain on freeze, tbh almost orgasmed watching the likes of RDX and RRR though having said that, there’s indeed a thin line that separates a run of the mill Telugu or Tamil movie from a Padayappa or a Pokiri too. To put things in perspective, you were probably pretty pleased with the proceedings in Bahubali until Rajamouli decided that bending palm trees would be a good way to breach a fort, and yes it would look plain stupid if they showed that in a Marvel or DC movie too but you would be totally fine if it was the Looney Tunes show or the Kung Fu Hustle movie. I mean, some things just doesn’t fit. You’re not looking for logic here, either. And when it comes to Leo, it’s not the Hyena or the Eagle that I had an issue with, in fact the movie worked largely for me too.

Lokesh Kangaraj movies since Kaithi have demanded more than a fair share of suspension of disbelief on the part of the viewer, I think. In Kaithi it was the premise that in this connected day and age, a gang of criminals could lay siege to the Commissioner’s office for a whole night, no less, but you didn’t mind because Dilli pushed all the right buttons on you the viewer [ though you probably felt that the gang wasn’t as motivated as they should be when it came to breaking down a few doors and windows – an “അയ്യോ ഭിത്തിക്ക് നോവും” kind of effort I mean. ] When it came to Vikram, the opening sequence where Karnan’s brutally “murdered”with a knife thrust deep into his chest was a letdown and everything else that happened after that didn’t really work for me. Lokesh with all his armory of skills as a director par excellence somehow manages to infuse some downright silly moments into his films, in Vikram it was those “blind spots” and the elaboration involved. Then the masked vigilantes crashing everything from weddings to gang meet ups. And streaming is a thing ever since Money Heist made it look cool, I guess. Personally I felt that the climactic showdown of Vikram had an eerie similarity to that of Nobody, the Bob Odenkirk action vehicle but the timelines are a bit hazy. Come to think of it, Leo is almost Nobody. In Master Lokesh went against type boldly when the hero couldn’t save those kids but then he had to go make Andrea do the archery thing in the middle of a car chase. Siddique got trolled for the night vision in prison bit but VSP punching walls and turning Mike Tyson of sorts not so much, just saying, again. Had to get that out of my system.

Circling back to Leo, I would say Lokesh has pulled off a Cinematic miracle in the second half where he compensates for non-existent writing with pace and craft. Lokesh comes across as a guy who thinks on his feet and if you have watched his interviews, he never pauses or falters or searches for an answer. He’s almost immediately ready with a detailed descriptive response even before the interviewer has finished the question. It’s probably this frantic thinking that goes into his process as a filmmaker who pulls off a film like Leo shot on location in a place like Kashmir against a deadline and still manages to deliver. For me Lokesh showed the tendency to slip into in his almost childlike indulgences of the silly kind for the first time in this movie when Leo asks his son to run home and grab his spear, in a moment of crisis. Then later on he switches from History of Violence to Home Alone in terms of inspiration or tribute, again at a crucial juncture in the plot(?). He might be building a Universe but doesn’t necessarily mean that every character has to have a weapon of choice like a GI Joe action figure. Gautham Menon appears with a tranquilizer gun here again, much like Andrea with the archery kit in Master. All of this is executed and presented in style but again it’s the palm-bend moment to the average viewer. Then you have the rescued animal turning rescuer. I can totally see where Lokesh is coming from, being a fan of 80s and 90s commercial films myself where dogs, horses and elephants did everything except speak lines in Tamil and Hindi movies back then. These absurd moments switch between some real grounded ones between the protagonist and his family too, almost
like it was conceived in different films entirely and then edited together. It’s ironic that as an audience we find the cause of the conflict between Leo and his kin hard to digest even though we have seen such extreme unfathomable acts by seemingly sensible and educated individuals in real life, driven by blind faith and superstition.
But then it’s again about fitting all of that into a storyline that belongs to a different genre altogether. Lokesh Kangaraj, if indeed intends to quit the industry after ten films, would probably want to slow down a bit and draw from his core strengths before he gets sucked into the eye of the tornado that LCU seems to be shaping into.

Jeethu Joseph Shones The Light As Mohanlal Returns To A Shadow Of His Actor Self.

Very mild #spoiler ?

The reaction and responses in the theatre to lines and scenes that would pass off as run of the mill, compared to what the Malayali audience have witnessed over the years in the body of his work as an actor and a star, is proof that with a decent performance and film, Mohanlal can set the registers ringing and leave hearts filled like no one else can. Call him old school but much of the credit goes to Jeethu Joseph who puts his unique insight into the workings of an average moviegoer’s mind, to good use here. Post Drishyam, if you consider Mohanlal’s career a cricket innings, Jeethu Joseph would probably be the one who plays one down and Antony Perumbavoor knows this more than anyone, apparently. Here he delivers again after a string of mediocre films from Mohanlal.

A movie very close to Drishyam 2 in tone and tempo, Neru is not without minor flaws, mostly in characterization, that of the antagonist in particular. Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph are in good company when veterans like Siddique and Jagadeesh turn in their best and budding actors like Anashwara Rajan almost steals the thunder from the big names around her. Neru is probably the beginning of Mohanlal’s return to box office glory when he ends the year with a bang and gears up for the big bang in Jan’24 that’s Malaikottai Vaaliban and then the afterglow in the making, Barroz. If the positivity on display in the recent flurry of promotions with active participation from Mohanlal and crew are anything to go by, the man is in all likelihood, on a roll.

PS: Couldn’t help wondering if Jeethu Joseph has a thing against young adult males though.

#NeruMovie

In Retrospect : Steve Lopez and Kannan.

It’s not the mere presence of the name Faasil in the titles of the movies Njan Steve Lopez and Ennennum Kannettante that makes it impossible for me to think of either of them without a thought about the other tagging along. Maybe it’s that theme of unrequited love that runs in both of them, though I’m not quite sure if unrequited is actually the term that fits here. In Ennennum Kannetante, feelings are reciprocated ultimately but remain unfulfilled while when Steve finally opens up and confesses his love, it’s almost too late too. Both films deal with end of innocence and the angst and the struggles of coming to terms with the world of adults in dissimilar ways but the emotional journey of the young lead protagonists and that of the audience are not too distinct in either.

Kannan returns to his ancestral home to spend the vacation from Trivandrum of yore while Steve’s abode is Thiruvanthapuram. They might be from different eras and generations but they’re almost the same person. It’s his extended family and the dynamics of it’s rustic ecosystem that controls the fate of Kannan. Steve on the other hand thrives in the urban community where it’s mostly friends,
neighbors and the society at large that writes his destiny. At the fag end of adolescence and the cusp of adulthood, it’s naivety and pure passion that drives Kannan while it’s his idealistic yet naive world view that motivates Steve.

It was never my intention to turn this into a character study but it seems I’ve digressed and done exactly that. Ennennum Kannetante is a coming of age story and Njan Steve Lopez is a social commentary, two distinct genres while not without it’s parallels. All this said and reminisced it’s that sense of loss and longing and perhaps angst to an extent, that connects both films for me as a viewer. Perhaps maybe it’s the fact that all of us have been a Kannan or a Steve at some point in our lives.

EnnennumKannetante #NjanSteveLopez