📽 Premalu, Disney Hotstar ★★★★★

Yesterday, we finished watching Premalu. I absolutely loved it. It is such a refreshing and light hearted movie, without being frivolous or over the top. It was very grounded and finds comedy even on the mundane things of life. We laughed all the way through — what a fun writing it has.

The story is a very generic story, of a boy and girl across different strata falling in love. But the entire treatment of setting up their ways of life, how they cross each others path and then become intertwined is all done so well and in a new way that you are sitting there and watching a slice of those lives. The movie begins and ends in a matter of fact manner, so there is no introduction or climax scene as such.

And all this wouldn’t have worked out without the cast. Just spot on. The leads Naslen and Babitha have lived their roles, that you just don’t see them as actors. And everyone of those supporting cast, support the leads so well, that you left wanting for more.

📽Neru, 2023 ★★★½

On recommendation from a friend we watched the Malayalam movie Neru (Truth) a few weeks ago.

In typical Jeetu Joseph fashion, everything about the crime is laid out to you the audience. The drama is then about the ability of the prosecutor to prove beyond reasonable doubt in court. The Jeetu does it by stacking his scenes in a cat and mouse style of sequences.

The courtroom scenes were well written. Anaswara Rajan, the actor who performed the role of the victim was brilliantly casted!

It was a decent watch. And we were watching a court room drama after ages, so it was a welcome change.

📽12th Fail, 2023 ★★★★½

Watched this movie a couple of weeks ago. Loved it. Everything was almost perfect. The story arc, the characters, the actors — everything worked out for me. Also having seen the preparation for UPSC up close, and the toll it takes on students, the struggles they go through, the heart wrenching stories of those who put in their all, this movie really brought it all out very well and it brought back a lot of memories of those times.

The casting was just spot on. Vikrant Massey just lives the part and convinces you. I had only seen him earlier in A Death in the Gunj. Looking forward to his other projects.

📽 Lion King, 1994 ★★★★★

#OhBoy has been curious about movies off late and has been asking us questions about cinema halls, do those things happen in real to those on screen etc. We explained movies to him by drawing parallel to photos and videos on mobile phone.

We want him to experience the big screen, but have not been able to choose a movie appropriate for his age. So we decided to show one of my all time favourites — The Lion King. It also helped that he had a book version of the movie, handed down by his cousins. He knew the plot, so we were spared the usual flurry of questions 🙈

At the end of it, he really enjoyed the movie and I am glad that his first film was one of my favourites!

Watched this movie at a premiere event here in Kuala Lumpur. While I absolutely hated to sit through Pathaan, I really liked this one from the same director.

A decent storyline, well acted and really high quality aerial fight sequences worked for me. What did not work for me were the villain, the caricatured Pakistani armed forces and the last hand to hand combat sequence. But as a overall package, there is a lot going for the film and I came out satisfied with the time spent on it :)

Over the last two years in Malaysia we have been hearing about the 1MDB scandal, but never got to know the details of it. This gives a good primer into what it was all about.

While it gives a good overview on the scandal, my gripe with it is more about the storytelling. It could have been better.

This was our first movie of 2024!

It is a wonderful family drama. Reminded me to the 70's and 80's cinema, where family drama with a simple plot line was shown with a lot of heart.

The film too tugs your heart all through. Everyone did or does things as a product of their situation and it is beautifully brought out. No one is blamed, everyone is compassionate and everyone is accepting.

While the quick acceptance all around is almost unbelievable, that the topic of homosexuality is the core of this mainstream cinema and that the macho-man of Malayalam cinema, Mammooty does this role, makes you look past all that and welcome this movie with a smile. Everyone in the cast is spot on, particularly those in role of the father and Thankan.

Hope the success of this movie, helps more such topics to be discussed in mainstream cinema!