Harikrishnan KC

Oppenheimer is one of the most intense character study I have experienced. The statement might sound like an overrated one but I stick to it since it's the first time I am watching a character drama on the big screen. Nolan has followed a narrative structure that is quite similar to that of The Social Network by David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin. The narrative interwoven across three major timelines, 2 of which are named as Fussion and Fission and the third one in the first person narrative of the titular character himself. The idea is simple but the way Nolan goes back and forth in time with several intercuts within a timeline is what makes the screenplay so much gripping. Not even for a moment I could take eyes off the screen. Our minds are catered with dialogues continuously leaving us with no time to think or even catch a breath. The portrayal of the titular character by Cillian Murphy is phenomenal. No surprises if he bags the Oscar this year. He expresses very less with his facial features but a lot with his eyes. We, as the audience, won't support all of his actions but we do empathize with him at an extreme interpersonal level. The way Nolan teleported us into his mind using the Quantum physical imagery felt like a visual homage to Terrence Mallick's style of surreal filmmaking. The supporting characters are too good. Robert Downey Jr just surprised me with his acting as the character Lewis Strauss. He just nailed it. The way RDJ convinces us his motivation is proof of the fact that he is capable more than Tony Stark. Emily Blunt is a one of the strongest women characters out of the few. The way she looks through people makes you go awe for her. Matt Damon is solid. Florence Pugh is more of an emotionally unstable person portrayed decently. Rami Malek surprised me. Even Gary Oldman as President Truman was great. There are a few people whose names I am unaware of who were brilliant. Albert Einstein was an apt cast is what I felt. Talking of the technical aspects, what makes this film this much intense is the ear popping music by Ludwig Goranson. The dialogue heavy scenes passes so smoothly in rythm with the background score. The use of the IMAX format is a choice that I do appreciate to an extent but it did make the experience more immersive. The bombing sequences, the Quantum physical visuals and certain closeups demand an IMAX experience. The sound design and mixing were spine chilling. I could indeed feel my chair vibrating. Oppenheimer being a man who walks into sins and cries over the consequences, as described by Kitty(Emily), is deeply flawed both in his personal and professional lives. We do not completely understand his motivations but do get a glance of what leads him to what he is doing. The climatic scene, which is what forms the crux for an entire subplot, summarises the director's stand on the subject and leaves us with a haunting experience. This film is not like the previous works of Nolan. The charcter root is so deep. Nolan has achieved something that is remarkable for a biopic and pushed the limits of the mainstream cinema for the audience.

𝐀 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫. First of all, let us forget the fact that this film's director's first film was Searching. If you start comparing Run with Searching it wouldn't do justice to this film. Run sets up a mysterious tone with Chloe, the protagonist who is paralyzed leg-down, growing suspicious about her mother. We are hooked to the screen from the beginning, confronting the conflicts through the perspective of Chloe. This is a very wonderful debut for Kiera Allen who plays Chloe. Sarah Paulson makes us apprehensive with her expressions throughout the film making us distrust her. Aneesh Chaganty proves to be innovative even though at the end of the film you get to take a simple story with you. The simple story may make you underestimate the film getting to know it through the course of the film makes the viewing experience so exciting. This is for sure a one time watch but that one time you watch is gonna be a great ride which you won't regret. Don't compare the film with Searching but we can't call this a bad film at all. Give it a watch.

𝐀 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Andhaghaaram is a new attempt in Tamil cinema that brings hope to the genre's scope in the industry after a series of awful films. It doesn't provide much jump-scare moments but sets up a scary mood. I am not revealing much about the plot since it might become a spoiler. To be honest it is difficult talking about the basic plot without giving out a bit spoiler. Vinoth Kishan has given a fantastic performance but Arjun Das just steals all our attention. Other actors have done the role given to them perfectly. Technically the film is just spectacular. Edwin's clean cinematography, Pradeep Kumar's terrific music, and Sathyaraj Natarajan's sharp editing take the mood to another level. Some ordinary scenes are given an epic treatment which gives us an edge of the seat viewing experience. The plot structure is interesting and the immense attention given to details deserves applause. I wished the film was a bit shorter or some portion could have been trimmed off since the film is about 3 hours long and at the end of it the payoff became so simple and predictable. The ambiguity which steered the film this long could be guessed in the climax. A shorter treatment would have helped. But that doesn't mean the film gets boring. If you are fine with lengthy films which engulf you into its world then the length will never be a problem. But I felt the climax was short of creativity. Overall I wouldn't say Andhaghaaram is a must-watch but you can give it a try if you fan of a supernatural mystery genre. Don't expect any jumpscares. If you like experimenting with new kinds of films I'm sure Andhaghaaram won't disappoint you.I am going with 3.5 stars.

"𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐢 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐮" 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 The above statement may seem exaggerated, but the film is structured like a flight. We hear the engine sound in the title card and the swift departure takes away our breath. We are introduced to Sundari played by Aparna Balamurali on a train to meet Nedumaaran Rajangam. The character seemed to be a rebel in the beginning, but later we find him to be a calm person who bursts off when suppressed downright. The characters are given to actors who know their job very well. Urvasi, Aparna, Maaran's friends deliver a great performance on screen. Paresh Rawal, Achyut Kumar delivers an antagonist role very well. Special mention is needed for 'Poo' Ram who plays Maaran's father. Karunas gives some pleasant jokes in the film. Meanwhile, Nedumaaran Rajangam played by Suriya will stay in the hearts for a long haul. This will stay as one of Suriya's career-best performance among Nandha and Pitamagan. Sudha Kongara's screenplay and direction, steer the film. One can argue that she alone holds the complete film on her shoulders. GV Prakash Kumar's music is highly enjoyable and sticks to the mood. The cinematography and the overall color tone are just splendid. I personally wished the climactic sequences were a bit more lengthy since it would have helped get Sudha Kongara her a standing ovation like how she got in Iruthisuttru. Well, that need not be considered as a flaw but I felt the film ended soon. Overall Soorarai Pottru is the one such film that never makes you take your eye off the screen. It makes your eyes wet at times but the journey or I might say flight is smooth and enjoyable.Even though it has predictable scenes the screenplay makes us yearn to know what happens next. That's where the magic happens.

Geethu Mohandas' Moothon -The Elder One is an existential drama that unveils itself to be a journey of love and self-discovery. It unfolds with Mulla voyages on to find a person who left the island of Kavaratti a long time ago. Rajeev Ravi's camera captures Mulla's journey exquisitely that the tone of the film gets comprehensible just by the lighting. Lakshadweep becomes the starting point of the story and has an eminent role to play in addressing a comfort zone or a barrier -like-wall. The Kavaratti dialect felt a bit uneasy to catch up but later on, we get used to it. The dialogue delivery and overall performance of the Kavaratti cast is marvelous. Every character in Moothon is lively. We will start wondering how the director carved such characters in these actors. Overall, there exists a duality for everything in Moothon. Be it locations, language, tone, timelines, or even persona, everything possesses a duality and seems similar at the same time. The film delivers some ambiguity in the plot and the director asks us to seek the answers ourselves. Nivin Pauly has given a career-best performance. Sanjana, Dileesh, Shashank have lived in their characters. Roshan's performance made me go awe. Geethu Mohandas again proves that she is a director who deserves to be highly recognized. The smile in the climax stayed in my heart for days. It reminded me of the climax shot of Capernaum(2018). The smile will enlighten you for sure. Moothon is overall a film of universal appeal which stays in your heart for a bit too long.