Nidhun Thankachan

Perhaps no film has electrified audiences and charged up movie groups all over social media in recent times than “Everything Everywhere All At Once”, a phenomenally deranged sci-fi epic that catapults a heartwarming family story to cult status thanks to its cutting edge visual imagery and unexpected narrative quirks. The moment you think you know where the movie is headed is exactly when the makers will pull the rug out from under you, creating so much hysteria and mayhem that you are rendered as confused as the protagonists on screen. We follow superstar Michelle Yeoh, who seems to be a bored laundromat owner called up by the IRS for a tax audit, only to have her world turned upside down when she encounters a mysterious, multiversal version of her husband who asks her to join him on a journey down a rabbit hole of epic proportions. Tasked with taking down a seemingly megalomaniacal villain named “Jobu Tapaki”, Yeoh’s character traverses the many universes using a technique called verse-jumping, rendered immensely believable and enjoyable by the cutting-edge CGI and visual effects employed by the makers. The immensely relatable Ke Huy Quan is terrific as Yeoh’s ever suffering husband while Stephanie Hsu is a revelation as her troubled daughter, who constantly disappoints her mother despite her best efforts. Yeoh’s world renowned martial arts skills and prowess as a decorated character actress are harnessed with equal aplomb by directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert to tell a core story of the lengths a mother will go for her daughter, albeit with multiversal consequences at stake. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is an absolutely mental sci-fi adventure that blends comedy, fantasy and heart to serve up an immensely entertaining mashup that achieves the multiversal aspirations which “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” set out to accomplish and failed. Michelle Yeoh makes a triumphant return to a mainstream role, with a performance for the ages. Highly, highly recommended!

Director Vighnesh Raja defies generic investigative thriller tropes to deliver meticulously etched-out characters, harnessing the capabilities of his two leads to the fullest extent. Sarathkumar & Ashok Selvan excel as a yin vs yang buddy cop pairing, delivering a compelling thriller that will have you hooked!

No single filmmaker can stake a claim to have made the kind of disruptive impact that James Gunn has in both the Marvel and DC Universes. The wickedly original creator conjured up not just the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy franchise for the MCU but followed up that up by re-invigorating the Suicide Squad mythos for DC and then went on to showcase his prowess in the TV series space, with the smash-hit "Peacemaker (2022)". It is no surprise that the head honchos at DC snapped him up to head the DC Studios projects going forward, but alas, he has to leave behind his Marvel projects for the same. The creator is not done with the MCU just yet, with this eagerly awaited Holiday Special and the forthcoming third and reportedly final Guardians of the Galaxy-3 film being his swansong in a universe that he has had such a big role in building. In this wacky 40-minute journey, we follow Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) as they embark on a harebrained journey to Earth to kidnap Kevin Bacon (who hilariously plays himself) as a "Christmas present" to Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who is still reeling from Gamora's loss, from the events of "Avengers: Endgame (2019)". Dave Bautista and Pom Klomentieff carry forward the sparkling chemistry that made them such a wholesome, quirkily funny duo in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, winning your heart both with their innocence and their spot-on physical comedy. James Gunn as usual weaves a madcap universe where everything goes and yet you cannot help but get sucked into the mayhem and find yourself enjoying the ride. Marvel seems to have unlocked a new short-format goldmine with their feature presentations, following up the highly-rated "Werewolf By Night" with this engaging Holiday Special, which fittingly serves as the final property of MCU's fabled Phase 4. One cannot wait for Jame Gunn's final Marvel project, "Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3", slated for a May 2023 release as the celebrated creator is sure to give the project his all. The Guardians Holiday special is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and is highly recommended!

No franchise within the vaunted Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had ever managed to create the hype and goodwill of “Black Panther (2018)” when it released for the first time, showcasing yet again that cinema has power like no other medium to make traditionally marginalized communities feel empowered and represented in popular culture. Director Ryan Coogler and company carry on the good work they initiated in 2018, expanding the Black Panther subverse to include Meso-American culture and ethos in the best possible way, paying rich tribute to the memory of Chadwick Boseman in the process. The Premise We rejoin Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) in the techno-futuristic African country of Wakanda as they mourn the loss of Prince T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) after he dies of a mysterious ailment. As the country comes to grips with the loss of their charismatic leader, new threats start to emerge from the woodworks, chief among them a winged merman “Namor” (Tenoch Huerta) who seems to represent a hidden Meso-American tribe with access to ungodly amounts of Vibranium, who doesn’t seem to have peaceful co-existence on his agenda. How Wakanda handles this disruptive change to the global power structure forms the rest of the story. Tenoch Huerta is an absolute revelation as “Namor”, a winged mutant superhero based in the depths of the ocean, a Marvel Comics creation that came much before DC Comics’ “Aquaman”, in 1939, created by writer-artist Bill Everett. Kevin Feige and the think tanks at Marvel brilliantly reconned his origin story from Greek origins based in Atlantis to Meso-American heraldry that achieved the proverbial “hitting two birds with one stone” bullseye. Not only does it expand the universe to represent Latin American culture and sensibilities, but it also neatly avoids comparisons with DC’s Jason Momoa-led “Aquaman” franchise. With stunning imagery, dance and musical numbers, and moving farewell and tribute sequences, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be enshrined as a fitting farewell to Chadwick Boseman, who reflected everything expected of a true superhero even in his real life, by bravely fighting cancer. With the introduction of Dominque Thorne aka “Iron Heart” and the revelation of “Namor” as MCU’s second mutant after “Ms. Marvel”, the film also serves up the promise of a mouth-watering upcoming Phase 5 as vaunted Phase 4 draws to a close. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is now playing in a theatre near you and is highly recommended!

Jeethu Joseph has reveled in taking existing thriller archetypes and dismantling them with his scripts that often turn the narrative on its head with completely unexpected twists and thrills. Despite some missteps in his filmography like “Oozham (2016)” and “The Body (2019)”, the veteran master of murder mysteries returns to full form in “Kooman”, effectively using an excellent Asif Ali to narrate an immersive tale of a deeply damaged investigator hot on the heels of an elusive, psychotic serial killer. Asif Ali disappears into the character of “Giri”, a scheming, near-megalomaniacal police constable, who while excelling in his deductive and investigative skills, often displays psychotic tendencies and a desire to get back at people who he perceives as having wronged him. His mentor, retired CI Somasekharan (an on-point Renji Panicker) tries his darndest to keep him in check and diverts his energies to the search for a ritualistic serial killer who has eluded authorities for decades. While the first half of the film painstakingly builds up the multifaceted character of “Giri”, Jeethu Joseph pulls off a masterful set of twists in the second half that turns the narrative flow on its head, making the audience root for the grey-shaded protagonist. Jaffer Idukki excels in yet another well-written supporting role, while Hannah Reji Koshy, Baburaj and the ever-dependable Pauly Valsan turn in noteworthy performances. But it is the writing from K.R Krishna Kumar and the mold-breaking directorial prowess of Jeethu Joseph that is the true hero here, utilizing the diminutive Asif Ali to glorious effect, riding on their depiction of the unassuming but observant and intelligent investigator rather than the alpha male, all-conquering superhero detective that mainstream cinema has driven down out throats for far too long. Trust Jeethu Joseph to innovate yet again in a genre that has craved ingenuity for ages now. “Kooman” is a refreshing thriller and a must-watch theatre experience. Highly recommended!

Tragi-comedies are a very tricky genre to execute well on screen. While there have been numerous cases of success in Hollywood like “Amélie (2011)”, “The Darjeeling Limited (2007)” and “Death At A Funeral (2010)”, the genre is still in its nascent stage in Bollywood and India in general with only a few hits to its name, that too primarily after their OTT releases-like “Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi (2019)” and “Pagglait (2021)”. So it was surprising that director Vikas Bahl, the visionary behind “Queen (2014)” and “Super 30 (2019)” chose the mainstream theatre release format for this genre-blender and it seems like this bravery was ill-conceived. Amitabh Bachchan stars as “Harish Bhalla”, the patriarch of the Bhalla household, who is just coming to terms with the sudden death of his loving wife “Gayatri”, played by the effervescent Neena Gupta. Tasked with informing their busy and distant children of the tragic news, how he navigates the ensuing funeral and the idiosyncrasies of the family as they come together after a long time form the rest of the narrative. Rashmika Mandanna plays “Tara”, Harish’s only daughter and designated black sheep, after her consistent scorn towards his religious conservatism, made worse by her choice to go against his wishes and date a Muslim. Despite its intriguing premise and a group of fine actors, a disjointed screenplay that moves along like a sequence of unrelated scenes without any real cohesion makes “Goodbye” a tedious watch. The director that gave us such natural comedy in “Queen” struggles to mount situations that deliver genuine humour, with most of the gags coming across as forced and contrived. Rashmika struggles with her Hindi accent as expected, this being her first Hindi original movie, but makes the best of an underwritten role, especially in the emotional sequences. We are noboby to judge an Amitabh Bachchan performance and the veteran tries his best to salvage a meandering script. A scene where he gives a final goodbye to his beloved wife is a sure tearjerker but such sequences are few and far between in an otherwise, largely lackluster project which oscillates between drama and comedy inorganically, failing to deliver in both genres with equal aplomb. “Goodbye” is one film where I couldn’t wait for the film to end and say “Goodbye” to an abysmal theatre experience. Not recommended!

While most superstars in South India struggle to surprise their audiences and have fallen into the status-quo trap, 3-time National Award Winner for Best Actor Mammootty has continuously managed to deliver roles that are far off the beaten track. In his very first production under his newly launched banner “Mammootty Kampany”, the veteran thespian delivers a completely out-of-the-box revenge thriller that breaks every convention in Mollywood, giving us an immersive, brooding dark thriller that staggers with its mood-setting, buildup and its chilling conclusion. Mammootty stars as Luke Antony, a mysterious NRI who turns up one day in a sleepy village hamlet, having seemingly lost track of his wife after they both were involved in a car accident. Hell-bent on finding her or the perpetrators behind his disappearance, the stranger takes up residence in the town and eventually finds out that the outwardly simple-minded villagers all have something to hide and their own secrets to protect. Director Nissam Basheer, who made a name for himself with his debut film “Kettiyollaanu Ente Maalakha (2019)”, gets his casting spot on in his sophomore venture, with Jagadeesh, Bindu Panicker and Grace Antony shining in their respective roles The background music provided by Midhun Mukundan, the virtuoso behind the smash hit renditions of “Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana”, ensnares you fully into this hypnotic world of vengeance, deceit and retribution where you are never fully aware of the motivations and moral compasses of the characters before you. The script and dialogues from Sameer Abdul will continuously keep you guessing while the eclectic camera work from Nimish Ravi doubles the impact of the gruesome proceedings on screen. “Rorschach” might not be everybody’s cup of tea given its insistence not to spoon-feed the moralities and convictions of its characters to its audience and its open-endedness in terms of several character arcs. But for fans of moody, atmospheric thriller with dollops of dark humour, this is a definite must-watch and a much-needed break from the template thriller Mollywood has fallen prey to off late. After “Munnariyippu (2014)” and “Puzhu (2022)”, Mammootty continues to dazzle in a grey-shaded character and one wishes that the writers in Mollywood rise up to the challenge and give him more such unconventional roles where we can see his full range on display.

When Prithviraj, the original director behind the hit Malayalam film “Lucifer” (2019), on which Godfather is based, was asked who he would pick from Tollywood to play the main character essayed by Mohanlal in the original, he was quick to point to Chiranjeevi. Perhaps no other actor has brought to screen larger-than-life massy heroes on screen than the legendary superstar, with mega-blockbusters like “Mutha Mestri (1993)” and “Indra (2002)” still revered by audiences. In that respect, Ram Charan pulled off a major coup in acquiring the remake rights of Lucifer, understanding that the role is tailor-made to play to his father’s strengths. The megastar plays “Brahma” an astute political operator and heir-apparent to the Chief Minister who passes away abrupts, leaving behind a power vacuum and a slew of political opportunists who want to make hay while the sun shines. The CM’s son-in-law Jai (Satyadev) as well as the Home Minister, Verma (Murali Sharma) lead a faction that will stop at nothing to ensure Brahma doesn’t grab power and the ensuing political machinations, treachery and violence form the rest of the story. Director Mohan Raja builds on the original source material rather than copying it frame by frame, delivering more mass elevation sequences suitable for the superstar he had at his disposal The Performances Given better writing and a more well-rounded character to essay, Chiranjeevi makes a rollicking comeback to the mass hero role, oozing all the gravitas and panache that was missing in misadventures like “Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019)” and “Acharya (2022)”. Satyadev and Murali Sharma excel in their supporting roles while Nayantara shines in a nuanced, restrained performance as the beleaguered, troubled daughter of the CM. Salman Khan’s cameo, however, sticks out like a sore thumb, delivering some of the most inept, laughably over-the-top action sequences in the film that spoil the intricate mind games that had made the film highly enjoyable up until that point. Despite a final act laden with mind-bogglingly stupid and inane action sequences, Chiranjeevi’s swag and style pull through the mayhem and ensure you leave the theatre hall satisfied. It is especially rewarding to see the megastar in his true element and with Ram Charan and the Konidela Production Company having secured the rights for other Malayalam hits like “Driving License (2019)” and reportedly even the magnum-opus “Bheeshma Parvam (2022)”, there will be more opportunities down the line for the superstar to shine, backed up by strong writing. “Godfather” is a fairly enjoyable watch in theatres, and will be a true treat for Chiranjeevi fans.

Comedian-singer turned filmmaker Nadirsha had a promising start as a director in Malayalam, delivering back to back superhits in the slapstick comedies “Amar Akbar Antony (2015)” and “Kattappanayile Rithwik Roshan (2016)”. The talented auteur has however, hit a bit of a rough patch off late, with “Mera Naam Shaaji (2019)” and more recently, Dileep-starrer “Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan (2022)” coming across as dull affairs, panned by critics and fans alike. It is perhaps because of this that he pivoted genres, moving away from his trademark comedies to a broodish, atmospheric thriller in “Eesho” that is alas, watchable only in parts. National Award-winner “Jayasurya” stars as the eponymous “Eesho” a mysterious truck driver who chances upon a seemingly chance encounter with the night watchman of an ATM, Ramachandran (Jaffer Idukki) after his vehicle breaks down. Ramachandran is coincidentally, the star witness in a scandalous rape case with the main accused being an influential businessman. With his life under constant threat and his key secret testimony set for the next morning, how the duo navigate the trials and tribulations that come their way on this fateful night form the rest of the story. Sub-par filmmakers mistake subject-oriented films for just being preachy vehicles where they can shamelessly push their ideas and propoganda. While the film’s heart is in the right place, talking about child abuse, the way it is presented comes across as inorganic and contrived and the dialogue resorts to mere sermons for long stretches. Jayasurya and Jaffer Idukki are both seasoned performers and excel in their roles, but the writing is unable to match up to their levels in many places. Eesho’s predictable plotline is another major eyesore, with the so-called twist in the final act obvious to the audience from the get-go, not providing any real surprise element or thrills requisite of a well-made thriller. Nadirsha has made a brave attempt in going for a genre he is not well-versed in but is unable to backup his novel idea with immersive writing in an era where Malayalam is churning out superb thriller like “Attention Please (2022)” and “Bhoothakaalam”. You can watch “Eesho” for superb performances from Jayasurya and Jaffer Idukki, for there is not much else to savour. The film is now streaming on SonyLIV, in its original Malayalam as well as in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada dubs, all with English subtitles.

Florence Pugh is one of the most promising up-and-coming actresses in Hollywood, having already been nominated for an Oscar for her excellent portrayal of Amy March in “Little Women (2019)”. At just 26 years of age, she has also delivered memorable performances in “The Little Drummer Girl (2018)”, “Fighting with My Family (2019)” as well as in her role as “Yelena Belova” in MCU’s “Black Widow (2021)”. So it was with a lot of hope and anticipation that I anticipated the release of “Don’t Worry Darling” her collaboration with actress & director Olivia Wilde who had caught everyone by surprise with her debut directorial, the immensely enjoyable “Booksmart (2019)”. Pugh stars as “Alice”, a seemingly happy housewife living in a picturesque company town called “Victory” in an unspecified time, with her handsome husband “Jack”, played by Harry Styles. Her dreamy life is thrown into disarray however as she starts experiencing strange visions and even stranger mishaps, making her suspicious of the town’s de-facto head and the CEO of the company that employs everyone, “Frank” (Chris Pine). The townsfolk start questioning her sanity and how she unravels the mystery around their seemingly idyllic settlement for the rest of the story. While the performances from most of the cast, especially Pugh are on point, the direction is found to be lacking in many portions, struggling to fully immerse the viewer in the tension and mental trauma inflicted on our lead protagonist. The use of strange motifs and black-and-white sequences, seemingly to up the drama quotient, have the opposite effect, jarring the narrative on more than one occasion. Chris Pine is massively underutilized in a role that has much more scope and room to shine for the seasoned actor. Florence Pugh holds her head high even as the production falls apart around her, delivering yet another commendable performance as the distraught but stubborn rebel struggling against a system and society that always cast aspersions and ridicule on her. With a slew of promising projects in store for her like “The Wonder”, “Oppenheimer” and “Dune: Part 2”, I cannot wait to see what this precociously talented actress conjures up next. Watch “Don’t Worry Darling” for an immense Florence Pugh performance, for there is not much else to savor in this middling psychological thriller.