Johann James

#PATHERPANCHALI is the first installment to his Apu Trilogy. Based on the novel by #BibhutibhushanBandhyopadhay of the same name, this beautifully shot movie is about innocent Apu, his elder sister, Durga and his parents who live in a rural village. They suffer from poverty and his single earner father tries hard to make both ends meet with his meagre income. He was a writer but moves out of the village in seek of a job leaving his family. As usual in his films the village scenery is scintillating and cinematography is brilliant. Ravi Shankar provides a soothing background score which supports the scenes. This Satyajit Ray classic went on to win the award for the best film at National awards. The movie gathered several other awards too. Watch this masterpiece and fall in love with Satyajit Ray films.. As another veteran director #Kurosawa said, "Not having watched a Ray film is like existing in the world without seeing sun and moon..".

#TIMETOHUNT (2020 - Korean)🎬 Jun Seok gets released after serving three years in jail for a heist. He and his two friends plan for a new mission and this time they aim a gambling house. The story takes place in a dystopian Korea where Korean currency gets replaced by US dollars after the former loses its value. Though they succeeds in their mission, the trio gets hunted by a professional killer and whether they would survive or not is the later part of this engaging thriller. Their friendship is well portrayed and we could feel the emotional connect between the three characters. The villain was a fiery one and does his part well in giving a horror. Lee Je hoon really showed the tremendous fear and rage of the protagonist. The movie takes ample time for its setting and once it finishes that, we will get into this film. Wholly, Time To Hunt is a thrilling flick and you can give a try. Netflix #🎞️

#Dia (Kannada) 🎬 This pleasing love tale of Dia Swaroop from whose eyes we get to see the film will make our eyes go misty. Written and directed by K S Asoka, the movie is quite different from other films in Sandalwood industry. I liked the way he handled the subject and deserves applause for his characterisations.In addition to the love part, there is an endearing mother-son sentiment which I loved. The film would have been incomplete without the soulful score by B Ajaneesh Loknath which overshadowed the dialogues. It keeps us haunting throughout. In a nutshell, Dia is a sweet feel good romance that keeps you invested and is worth watching. #LateReviews #Dia #Adi

Watched Darbar! Out and out a complete Thalaivar show! Rajinikanth looks very younger and is full of energy. I got wonderstruck on seeing him performing with this zeal in his age. The story is the usual cat and mouse game and lacked anything new in the screenplay. I feel the director has only concentrated in creating a Thalaivar show and haven't paid much attention to the storyline. Anirudh's bgm and music were intensifying the scenes and cinematography is pretty good. If you are truly a hardcore Thalaivar fan, this will be the bestest treat for you in this Thiruvizha. Overall I enjoyed the film and got some wow moments. The main drawback we can point out is the unbelievable stunts against laws of physics. But some movies are meant to get you out of reality and enjoy the fantasy. I felt Petta better as it maintained the pace in its screenplay in the second half. I recommend to enjoy and have a blast in theatres near you! Happy Darbar🎉🔥 #JReviews #DarbarThiruvizha #Rajinikanth #ARMuragadoss #Darbar #Pongal

5. (Late posting!) #1917 Directed by Sam Mendes🎥 Truly the best movie I watched in recent times! In the backdrop of World War 1, 1917 takes you into the journey of William Schofield and Tom Blake who have got the responsibility to carry a message to call off a planned attack. The movie is said to be filmed in an extraordinary single shot (combined digital shots) by its cinematographer which makes it a masterpiece. There are many 360 degree shots which make 1917 a visual spectacle. I was flabbergasted on watching "the long run scene" in the end. I am sure you will get amazed. In addition, the music was successful in generating the mood of the film. Towards the end, the film portrays the brutality and insanity of war and becomes a cinematic brilliance. The writing is flawless and impeccable performances by George MacKay and Dean Charles Chapman make this Sam Mendes film a must watch. Some movies remain with you for some period of time even after you finish watching. 1917 is such kind of art. Have a good theatre experience! Definitely a Masterpiece!❤️ #JReviews #JReview5

3. #BigBrother Review! An average movie which may entertain you if you love Mohanlal. Sachidhanandan is a character which Mohanlal can pull out with ease as it only does appear complex and not in the real case. A half baked script from the director and the content of 2010 movies seem to be the major drawback..though it has come up well in few portions. The screenwriter director has been successful in creating a suspense and thrill in few areas though it hadn't anything too surprising. The score by Deepak Dev is of low profile but it engages in some scenes though. Two songs are soothing and pretty nice and cinematography is apt. Mohanlal has come up with good looks. Arbaaz Khan is the typical cliche guy you can come across in such films. Though he has an essential role, there was nothing special. Some of the cast felt to be unessential. But many were able to give a good performance too. Overall I recommend you to watch if you are ready for a slow paced decent thriller and an ardent Mohanlal fan. If the director had concentrated in updating the script, the movie would have been a treat to watch. The film is not at all an unpleasant one. It's an average entertainer😊. #JReviews 3

4. Watched Shylock! A complete Boss show! 🔥 I was mesmerized on seeing a man of 68 delivering a very energetic performance.. Mammootty has stolen the whole show and has outshadowed each and every other character in the film. Coming to the storyline, Shylock has nothing novel to offer you. Though it is an age old revenge story, the film seemed to be appealing due to the character Boss aka Shylock, the money lender played by Mammootty. He appears in two timelines and his fighting, dialogue delivery and most importantly his smile will let fans howl in the theatre. Apart from creating a Megastar show, Ajai Vasudev nor the writers have concentrated in giving forth a quality film. The cinematic dialogues of various actors when heard from Mammootty feels like a treat.😊 Music including the bgm was like a typical Gopi Sundar one and has intensified the so called mass scenes..but in some areas it became noisy. Overall the film is watchable due to the highly infectious energetic performance of Mammootty as Shylock, the cruel financier. #JReview4 #JReviews #Shylock #Mammootty #AjaiVasudev

2. Watched അഞ്ചാം പാതിരാ #AnjaamPaathira ! A well made film which is highly worth watching for its maintenance of pace. The direction is outstanding and Midhun Manuel Thomas proved himself that he is capable of carrying out films in this genre like a pro being his first thriller. Though the film is more or less a typical psycho thriller having a series of killings with a psychopath behind these, what adds to the beauty of cinema is a nice plot and excellent cinematography by Shyju Khalid with a handful of captivating dark frames. The movie would have been incomplete without the hard hitting score of Sushin Syam which brilliantly elevated the scenes. Kunchacko Boban as the psychologist, Sreenath Bhasi as the hacker and rest of the cast have given a quality performance from their side. Apart from this, the film intends to give a social message which has its relevance in recent times. Overall, I recommend you to watch this film and have a good theatre experience! #JReviews 2 14/01/2020

#JReviews 9. #FORENSIC 🎬 The makers, Akhil Paul and Anas Khan have tried to present a cliffhanger with Tovino Thomas in the lead as a forensic expert and Mamta Mohandas as the investigating officer. Tovino has shined in his character who uses smartness to solve the enigma. Forensic narrates the template based story of the investigation to find out the psychopath behind the serial killings wherein this case, the victims are children. Though the storyline looks too old fashioned, the directors have made it look novel and the performances of the actors are praiseworthy. The script even having many loopholes is an engaging one. At certain times, the making tests our predictability but one has to say that the film keeps the audience guessing about what to happen for the whole time. The direction seemed to be getting better as the movie proceeds. DOP is pretty good at parts. Jakes Bejoy has been providing quality background score for a while and he impresses once again. The score was capable of creating the perfect mood for a seat edged thriller. As its tagline suggests, the motive of psychopaths are the crimes themselves. Forensic has a backstory which doesn't allow the viewers to sympathize with the killer, contrary to what we have seen in another flick released recently, #AnjaamPaathira. Saiju Kurup, Reba Monica John, Ranji Panicker and others who were part of the cast performed well. Forensic provides us many scientific information about crimes, forensic analysis and processes involved in DNA extraction. Surprises kept layer by layer and Tovino's charm qualify Forensic as a decent thriller which is little away from perfect. The movie will definitely engage you and is worth watching. #Forensic #TovinoThomas #JReview9

#JReview 8. #Trance As the name suggests, Trance will set you in a state of trance. Written on a very sensitive theme, this Fahad Fazil starrer is a well made craft. It was glad to see the other dimension of Fahad Fazil's acting which really impressed me. Definitely, Trance is a Fahad Fazil show..Apologies! A Joshua Carlton show! The story revolves around a despondent motivational speaker Viju Prasad who himself is depressed. While the first half deals with his transition into a strong and powerful spiritual leader, the latter half shows the after effects of his transcendence. Dileesh Pothan has got a larger screentime compared to Goutham Vasudev Menon and Chemban Vinod. All three have given decent performances but there was no much space for the latter ones to do. Apart from them, supporting acts from Vinayakan and Sreenath Bhasi are to be praised. Nazriya Nazim as Esther Lopez makes her entry in the second half and has carried out the role of a weed smoking girl with perfection though little to perform. The film makes a collaboration of the hit maker Anwar Rasheed, cult stylish cinematographer Amal Neerad who himself is a director and oscar winning sound designer Rasool Pookkutty. Uber stylish shots and exhilarating frames in the movie are mindblowing. Background score by Sushin Syam and Jackson Vijayan is highly infectious🎼. It was really intensifying the whole mood of the film due to the quality sound designing. Anwar Rasheed has done his job well and is successful in creating a 170 minute mystic ride. Kudos to the writer Vincent Vadakkan for selecting an unusual theme and giving an engaging first half. The writing gets a retarded growth post the fight scene in the second half. The complexity of the plot and chaos it created made the writer unsuccessful in establishing the ideas he wanted to convey. Feels like the writer got himself in a state of trance while writing the film😄. Few repitive scenes are also a negative but Amal Neerad's DOP covers all flaws. The story of a spiritual tycoon with a legion of followers who makes money using the most potent drug religion is the crux of Trance. With a set of brilliant technicians, Anwar Rasheed has made #Trance an eclectic watch. Not everyone's cup of tea! #JReview #JReviews #Trance #FahadFazil #Nazriya #AnwarRasheed #AmalNeerad