Category Archives: Comedy

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Other Languages, Rating, Reviews

A Man Called Ove

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A Man Called Ove – A Man Called Ove is a Swedish comedy-drama released in 2015. This is based on the book by Fredrik Backman. 59-year-old Ove decides to end his life and join his late wife in the other world. But ending his life doesn’t seem so easy.

This is yet another gem of a movie which I was able to see at Bangalore International Film Festival 2017. The movie is nominated for the Academy awards 2016 under the foreign language films and best hair makeup and styling category. I haven’t read the book yet. The movie was as enjoyable like reading a book. The simplicity of the tale and the reaction of the characters to the day to day problem is a great strength to the movie. There are no larger than life incidents or characters.

Rolf Lassgård’s performance as Ove is the best part of the movie. The other characters in the movies are also sketched beautifully. Director Hannes Holm has maintained the naivety of the tale in the movie as well.  This makes it a very pleasant watch. The movie has good humor that arises out of the characters, situation and the interaction between them. The portions where Ove’s obsession for Volvo cars is involved were hilarious.

High Points: Simple story line, the innocence of the tale is a strong point, Performance of Rolf Lassgård is a big strength for the movie, The romance sequence between husband and wife is picturized well. The humor in the screenplay works very well to keep the audience engaged throughout.

Low Points: For the love of Ove you would tend to ignore any low points.

Overall the movie appears to be a sincere attempt in getting the book to real life. Combined with great visuals and stunning performances the movie is a pleasant watch.

Must Watch

Action, Comedy, Genre, Must Watch, Other Languages, Rating, Reviews

Kills on Wheels Review

Kills on Wheels Review – Kills on Wheels (Tiszta szívvel) is a Hungarian comedy film released in 2016. Two disabled teenagers find a reason to live when they get associated with a wheel-chaired hitman.

This is yet another movie I had an opportunity to watch in Bangalore International Film Festival. This is the first Hungarian movie I am watching. Right from the main title card, the movie kept me engaged. The plot line looks very simple and naive but a number of layers added to the screenplay and the characters have been phenomenal.  There was always something waiting to surprise you. The hitman assignments have been shot very well and many of them have been gripping. In particular their final assignment. When you are already blown away by the story you had witnessed so far, the director surprises you with yet another beautiful twist in the movie to leave you elated as you leave the hall.

If you are film student then this is a movie you should watch for many aspects, the layers you add to a screenplay in terms of characters and situations, the background score, mise en scene to name a few. I can’t write too much about the plot and their twists as it would spoil the movie for you. This one happens to be the official nomination from Hungary for the Academy awards but unfortunately did not get nominated.

High Points: The characterization of the lead characters. In particular the boy with autism and the hitman. The final assignment of the hitman set out to kill Toni. The twist in the climax sequence. The title soundtrack.

Low Points: I did not find any low points for this one. If any had been well covered by a great execution.

Overall, the movie works well in entertaining the audience and leave the elated. Don’t miss this one.

Must Watch

Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Parandhu Sella Vaa Review

Parandhu Sella Vaa Review – Parandhu Sella Vaa is a Tamil romantic comedy released in 2016. Sampath is a loser in life when it comes to romance. He instantly falls in love with every girl he meets but nothing clicks. Things change when he travels to Singapore for work.

After a long time, we have a Tamil movie entirely shot in Singapore. And the team has done a great justice to the location for they have captured the beauty of Singapore very vividly. Be it the skyscrapers, the botanical garden, zoo, public transport, Chinese garden and more. The pan shot that flies high to capture the beauty unfolds beautifully on the big screen. This would be a very good selling point for the movie.

Slapstick comedy script works with people who love slapstick comedy. There are a lot of references to the present day scenarios, TV serials and movies which would be enjoyable if you have watched them. The team for comedy track is very strong with RJ Balaji, Sathish and Karunakaran. Out of the trio, Sathish has a more screen space and his witty one liners make the audience laugh out loud. RJ Balaji is in his usual wits and his imitation of Enthiran Robo for running an illegal business is hilarious. His screen time is less and leaves you wanting for more. Joe Malloori as Sathish’s roommate aids in the comedy track.

The next big surprise and glue to the whole story is actress Narelle Kheng. Narelle is a Chinese actress based out of Singapore. The main story picks up once she enters the plot. She is attractive and appears very comfortable on screen.

Hero of the movie is Luthfudeen. This is his first movie as the main hero after a short role in Saivam. His body language fits in well for playing the character of a loser. But with respect to comedy timings he would need to evolve more.  Aishwarya Rajesh has a different role with modern and urban outfits.

The other major characters in the movie were played by new artists and you could see a start difference in performance with experienced artists.

High Points: Visuals of Singapore, Narelle Kheng’s character, Comedy of Sathish and RJ Balaji, Songs, A grand looking product with a shoe string budget.

Low Points: Screenplays gets sluggish in the portions where it does not have the comedians or Narelle Kheng, Lack of reaction shots doesn’t let you travel with a character.

Overall Parandhu Sella Vaa is a very sincere attempt to produce the output of a visual grandeur in a shoe string budget. The comedy and Narelle Kheng are a strength of the movie. If you are not into surreal comedy you may miss the fun. This would be a treat to all surreal comedy lovers.

Worth a watch for all surreal comedy lovers

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Aandavan Kattalai Review

Aandavan Kattalai Review – Aandavan Kattalai is a Tamil satirical film released in 2016. A young man named Gandhi runs away from his village and meets a broker to help him go to London to work.  However, his visa gets rejected. Was Gandhi able to go to London? This forms the rest of the plot.

Director Manikandan once again has portrayed desperation of a common man so beautifully in Aandavan Kattalai. The script is full of satire. It not only makes you laugh but has a very strong statement against middle-men. The characters of Gandhi, his friend Muthu Pandi and news reporter Karmegha Kuzhali has been sketched very well. In particular, the first 40 minutes of the movie belongs to Yogi Babu playing Muthu Pandi role. His witty dialogues are a rib tickler. Post that there is a little bit of dullness in the script which again picks up once Gandhi meets Karmegha Kuzhali. The absence of Yogi Babu is filled by Vinodhini Vaidyanathan playing the role of a Junior lawyer.  The court scenes are hilarious.

The biggest strength of the movie is the script. Manikandan has touched upon many social issues surrounding middle-men. Not just the travel agent he also portrays a house broker who has left the job of a policeman in order to earn more money. Apart from this, he has also touched upon the issues of bachelor’s not getting a house, Srilankan Tamil’s,  loopholes in the court proceedings and so on.

High Points: The script, Yogi Babu’s comedy, Vijay Sethupathi, Rithika and Yogi Babu’s characterization, the social message to avoid middle-men.

Low Points: There are portions in between where the story gets a little bit dull but it picks up quickly.

Overall this comes as a complete package that will make you laugh and also think. A movie that you would enjoy watching with your family.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Adi Kapyare Kootamani Review

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Adi Kapyare Kootamani Review – Adi Kapyare Kootamani is a Malayalam comedy movie released in 2015.  A young woman Adhista Lakshmi enters Men’s hostel for sake adventure with the help of a hostel inmate Bhanu. But getting out of the hostel without being caught doesn’t seem easier.

A very simple plot tied in with some of the nostalgic memories of a hostel is the strength of Adi Kapyare Kootamani. Guys who have lived in a hostel would be able to relate to many of the incidents in the movie. In particular, the scenes in which there are watch guards making animal sounds to announce the arrival of the hostel in charge, hiding liquor in the room, doing dance rehearsals, playing volleyball all would remind some evergreen nostalgic memories of a men’s hostel.

Dhyan Srinivasan, Aju Varghese, Namitha Pramod, Vineeth Mohan and Neeraj Madhav essay their roles well. Mukesh is a good pick to play the role of Father Alfred.

High Points: The plot is based on some nostalgic hostel memories everyone could relate to. The sequence of Father Alfred comes in for inspection amidst of many voice signals indicating his arrival is hilarious. The comedy has worked very well.

Low Points: There is a dramatic twist added to the movie in the end which does not seem to fit the script. They could have made an ending without getting a paranormal angle to it. There is no much scenes to establish the character of the lead characters in the movie but for Mukesh. Hence you might take time to connect to the characters.

Overall I found the movie to be very entertaining one. The comedy works well. The screenplay stays to the core plot. If you have spent some part of your life living in a hostel you would relate to this much better.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Genre, Horror, Rating, Reviews, Short Films, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Bhoo Short Film Review

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Bhoo Short Film – Boo is a Tamil Short film released in 2015. The central plot of the movie deals with the fear of a young man Kathir regarding the presence of Ghost.

The short film Bhoo deals with the Horror comedy genre. The movie starts with an unfortunate death of four people.  Meet the hero Kathir who suffers from Phasmophobia. There has been a lot of time taken to establish the character of Kathir through a series of incidents. The team has also put together a song sequence which introduces the protagonist. The song combined with the list of establishing shots makes the introduction a bit lengthier. However once, the story reaches the main plot about few friends ending up in the house haunted by the ghost it gets back on track. This portion of the movie is done well with the limited resources the team has had.

High Points: For me the entire sequence in the house involving the ghost has been the most interesting part of the movie. This combined with a twist, in the end, makes it an interesting watch. Having a music video for a short film is yet another high.

Low Points: The Team has tried their best to bring a good movie with limited resources. The only low point is the length of the movie which could have been shorter.

Overall Bhoo is a good attempt at the horror comedy genre. The end with a twist definitely makes it a good watch. But for the length of the movie Bhoo has a lot to offer for its audience. Kudos to director Ajith and team. Best wishes for their next venture.

Worth a Watch

You can watch the full short film here

The team also went the professional way of promoting the movie with a promo song combined with an audio launch at Spathagiri hall in Coimbatore.  The team organized a ticketed show at RR Grand auditorium on September 27, 2015 which was a well-participated event. These are good signs for the upcoming short film market.

Post the short film release the team has also released the making video which is funny and at the same time highlights some of the challenges the team has gone through in making the movie.

 

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Wait for DVD/TV

Muthina Kathirikai Review

Muthina Kathirikai Review – Muthina Kathirikai is a Tamil comedy film released in 2016. Muthupandi is a 40-year-old bachelor who is aspiring to make it big in politics. He falls in love with a 25-year-old girl. His political rivals plan to spoil both his politics and love interest.

This is an official remake of Malayalam movie Vellimoonga. I loved the Malayalam movie for the humor element it had. Having Sundar C reprising the role of Biju Menon the movie looked interesting as we know Sundar C for comedy timings. However, the expectations fell short as I heard the title of the movie as Muthina Kathirikai. I felt that the makers have missed the core strength of the movie which is more about politics rather than the problem of a 40-year-old man finding a bride. Even the teasers emphasized on the romance portion than the politics. The Malayalam movie had a very apt title Vellimoonga (white owl) which represented the white kathar dress the protagonist wears and nails the theme as political drama in the heart of the audience.

If the audience goes into the movie expecting a romantic comedy they wouldn’t find one. This becomes the biggest weak point of Muthina Kathirikai. The part I liked in the Tamil movie is a sincere attempt to remake the original. However when the movie deviates from it and focusses on the romance portion it completely looks out of place. Also, I felt the cast of VTV Ganesh and his brother could have been done with different actors. They have definitely played their part well but having their names established as good comedians they don’t appear a big threat for Sundar C who could beat him.

High Points: The political drama part has come out well. Sundar C definitely feels comfortable in his zone of comedy. The comedy is definitely enjoyable in many places.

Low Points: Cliched Romance portions, Casting of the opposition leaders, The title and teaser of the movie could have emphasized on the political aspect of the movie.

Overall Muthina Kathirikai is unable to make a delicious dish, however, the dish is also not bad to discard if made at home. You could wait to watch this when played on TV.

Wait for DVD/TV

Action, Comedy, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Action Hero Biju Review

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Action Hero Biju Review – Action Hero Biju is a Malayalam drama film released in 2016. The story revolves around the daily life of a local town sub-inspector in Kerala.

The movies title and trailer are a bit misleading for it to be a typical commercial cop drama. However the tagline “A ride with a police officer” is a more apt title. Nivin Pauly had switched gears after the blockbuster Premam to do a realistic cop drama. The word realistic is key because the movie is very simple and revolves around the day to day life of a cop. After watching the movie for 140 minutes you get a feeling of having been a spectator in a police station. You see the police officer trying to resolve the cases, adamant to not to submit before power, deal with emotional situations with a straight face as it is a routine, enjoy the music played by a convict. The conflicts are not dramatic like any other movie. Barring the last fight sequence, the movie is a sincere attempt to pay tribute to the cops.

The best part of the movie is the screenplay. It is almost like a theater where the next set of characters arrive to perform on the stage once the previous ones are done. Here the police station is like a stage. You see a plethora of characters including a local drug dealer, a stalker, a nuisance creator in public, a separated couple, a human right activist, a spoilt rich man to mention a few. Each of the characters adds an interesting facet to the narration. In many parts, you see parallel tracks going on a different case and each of them gets a logical resolution. The start of the movie creates the necessary suspense needed to glue the audience to the seat.

High Points: A sincere screenplay without any frills, Nivin Pauly’s performance as sub-inspector Biju, character sketches in various cases.

Low Points: I want to leave this blank to laud the effort of an honest film.

Overall Action Hero Biju is a movie for all movie buffs. The makers have proved how you can make an interesting movie without falling into the fray of items forced in for commercial reasons. I would recommend this to be a Must watch for the sincere script.

Must Watch

Can Skip it, Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies

Idhu Namma Aalu Review

Idhu Namma Aalu Review – Idhu Namma Aalu is a Tamil romantic comedy released in 2016. Shiva falls in love with Myla at first sight when their parents arrange their meeting for prospective bride and groom. But Shiva has a past break up with Myla’s friend Priya. Will they be able to get together is the plot of Idhu Namma Aalu.

Finally, Idhu Namma Aalu sees the light after so many controversies and obstacles.  Any movie that is been in talks for so long diminishes in product value. Despite that Idhu Namma Aalu did fairly keep the interest with the movie lovers for the star cast it had. Bright and colorful visuals. STR and Nayantara coming together after Vallavan. Andrea playing the role of a third heroine. All these made it into an attractive package. The movie does score well in comedy thanks to Soori. Despite that, the screenplay lacks the punch for it to make a full-length movie. The lack of a proper core conflict makes one yawn through the proceedings.

The sequence wherein the to be wed people speak over the phone for hours ignoring their friends is hilarious and does happen a lot in reality. But giving that more than 15 min screen time is a bit too dragging.

High Points: The star cast, comedy

Low Points: Lack of core conflict in the movie, Until the last twenty minutes there is nothing that would glue the audience to the seat.

Overall Idhu Namma Aalu does have its moments but very few to make it into a full-length feature film. But for the star cast, there is nothing much to look forward to.

Can Skip it

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Jacobinte Swargarajyam Review

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Jacobinte Swargarajyam Review – Jacobinte Swargarajyam is Malayalam family drama released in 2016. Jacob lives a very happy life with his family in Dubai. But as one of his business partner cheats him he has to flee to Liberia to avoid getting arrested and his son Jerry has to step in to pull the family out of crisis.

The movie is based on a true story. Director Vineeth Sreenivasan has attempted honestly to portray this as a family entertainer on screen. His effort needs to be lauded. The movie begins with sequences that are loaded with too many positives that it starts to become a cloying in some time. However once the characters are faced with the core problem it becomes very engaging.

Off late there are very less number of movies based on core family values are getting released. It was once very popular in the South film industry when likes of director Visu and V.Shekhar were making movies. It is definitely refreshing to see a movie built on family values after a long time. And to everyone’s surprise, it still works well with the audience.

The first half of the movie belongs to Renji Panicker and his character is built very well in front of the audience. Nivin Pauly has a lot of scope in the second half. This movie is in quiet contrast to Premam for Nivin Pauly, where he has to underplay for his character and does not bring out his heroism. Even in the scene where he and his brother pick a fight with the neighbor Nivin stays at the side to watch it. This is so true to the definition of the Jerry’s character being played. Nivin, stay like this forever and don’t fall into the fray of becoming a mass hero who is only destined to bash bad guys. Lakshmi Ramakrishnan has a very powerful role to play in the movie as well. She is the portrayal of woman power in the movie.

High Points: The movie based on a true incident, a plot revolving around core family values, Performance from Renji Panicker.

Low Points: Cloying screenplay at the first 20 minutes or so.

There are lot of positives in Jacob’s kingdom of heaven. Go with your family and you would enjoy this one more.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Aviyal Review

Aviyal Review – Aviyal is a Tamil anthology film released in 2016. This movie is a bouquet of four Tamil short films directed by different directors.

Anthology films are a boon to the film industry for multiple reasons. It gives opportunities for new talents to work with well-established artists. It also gives opportunities for well-established artists to experiment something new with a lesser risk compared to a full-length feature film. Aviyal is one such movie. Although the plot lines are something we might have seen or heard before, the treatment is fresh. Each of the four stories engages well with the audience. And as a special treat, the last one is directed by Alphonse Putharen starring Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha.  I couldn’t pinpoint one movie to be better than the other as all the stories were equally good.

Indian government should support such anthology films to help identify and nurture new talents. This also serves as a platform to test some new treatment and genres with the audience, which can go a long way in making the quality of films better and profitable.

High Points: Short and enjoyable tale with a good sense of humor, Good performances from some of the new-comers. The short film by Alphonse Putharen starring Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha stands out due to the star cast and narrative style.

Low Points: The movie was promoted with Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha so people coming in for them would be disappointed as they feature only in the last film. The length of the movies could have been maintained at 20 mins to make it more engaging.

Overall Aviyal is tasty with all vegetables cooked well to give some true flavours. It also stays true to its recipe by not including too much masala. Support good cinema and budding talents by watching this one.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Jil Jung Juk Review

Jil Jung Juk Review – Jil Jung Juk is a Tamil slapstick comedy-drama released in 2016. Deivanayagam looses a lot of money as his drug trafficking business is raided by customs. He has to sell the last stock for good money to minimise the losses. He employs three people Jil (the talkative), Jung (the punctual) and Juk (the driver) to transport the drug.

If you are familiar with dystopian society and western cowboy movies then you would be able to understand this one better. Kudos to the team for breaking away from the norm and creating something new. The premise and the build up phase is very good and increases you interest to watch what is happening. The premise itself has a lot of scope for slapstick comedy. The scene in which the trio are getting to know each other from the achievements of their father has been crafted well and is a very novel way of introducing the characters.  The production value of the movie is also very good.

Somewhere from the midpoint, the movie tilts towards the side of good and drifts away from the dystopian culture. The saving grace is some of the comical sequences in the movie. The makers claim to have broken all the commercial formula but still couldn’t resist staying away from a bar song.

High Points: A new experimental venture, bringing a dystopian society for Indian cinema, comic sequences like the one in the petrol storage, first meeting Deivanayagam

Low Points: The movie may not be understood by many, the story gets lost into a slapstick genre rather than western comedy based in a dystopian society.

Overall if you are in a mood for a different kind of film that stays away from the norm then go and watch Jil Jung Juk. This movie deserves a watch for the daring effort by the team to break the stereotype.

Worth a Watch