Also out of this list are the excellent films I watched at or through festivals: Arun Karthick’s Rotterdam-prize winner Nasir, J Geetha’s Run Kalyani, and Rahul Riji Nair’s Kalla Nottam, which sees only what a GoPro camera sees.
Director Jeethu Joseph shines as a writer in this film.I haven’t included films released in December 2019 that I saw this year - else, I would have certainly looked at Girmit (Ravi Basrur’s “mass” movie with an all-child cast), the Rakshit Shetty-starrer Avane Srimannarayana (directed by Sachin Ravi), and especially Rosshan Andrrews’ superb Prathi Poovankozhi (with Manju Warrier). Also, Georgekutty’s family is also struggling to make peace with the crime that changed their lives forever. It was the most exciting thing that ever happened in Georgekutty’s town, so it is still the top topic of gossip. Well, one might think a long time has passed and people would have moved on with their lives, but no. The story is set six years after the events of the first film. It was a satisfying sequel to the blockbuster 2013 crime drama. And importantly, it sequences romance out of culinary science. Instead of relying on dialogues to convey the institutionalized enslavement of women, he uses visual cues to bring out the unspoken horrors that unfold inside the kitchens of highly conservative households. (Photo: Neestream/ Facebook)ĭirector Jeo Baby broke new ground as he told the story of cruel patriarchy. The best ones The Great Indian Kitchen is written and directed by Jeo Baby. But, the premise is ruined by plot errors. And between them, there is a rickety fridge, which holds the key to all answers. Both of them are chasing a story of an unidentified skull and they are destined to cross paths at one point. It is a clash between a logical cop (Prithviraj) and a journalist (Aditi Balan) who follows paranormal activities. And the filmmakers have cast Nayanthara in the flimsiest character that she has done since Darbar.ĭirector Tanu Balak’s film has an interesting premise. But, what they all managed to do is put together a good looking film, which is unnecessarily brooding and painfully slow. Sanjeev wanted to deliver an intelligent horror drama. Rahul Riji Nair’s performance as a smooth-talking, backbiting teacher was a pleasant surprise.ĭirector Appu N. You don’t learn much about the characters or the game. The stakes in the film are not that high, and the choreography of Kho Kho matches is underwhelming. Mamitha Baiju as Anju overact, while Rajisha Vijayan as Maria Francis struggles to lift up a wafer-thin script. The writing is so superficial that at the end of the film, you don’t really feel for any of the characters. The filmmakers get all the ingredients right, but fumbles in executing it effectively.ĭirector Rahul Riji Nair rehashes familiar tropes and moments of popular sports drama in the mould of women empowerment. As usual, Fahadh Faasil is good in the movie and Darshana Rajendran performs her role as well as she could.
Soubin Shahir’s Alex is the weakest link in this series of lies, deceit and half-truths. This film could have been so much better if only newcomer director Naseef Yusuf Izuddin and his writer Sunil Yadav had not circumvented challenges thrown by the script and taken shortcuts. Irul is helmed by Naseef Yusuf Izuddin (Photo: Netflix) But, it does end on a feel-good and inspirational note. The film revolves around the “right to recall bill.” And its lofty premise is let down by its superficial screenplay. The film revolves around an idealist Chief Minister, played by Mammootty, who wants to revamp the entire political system by giving extraordinary “revisionary powers” to the public. Santhosh Vishwanath had helmed this film from the script penned by screenwriter duo Bobby and Sanjay. Chacko’s underplay of the exorcism scenes was a bummer. The compelling premise and the intriguing ghost-hunter character of Mammootty are not effectively used to deliver a maximum thrill. That doesn’t take away from the the fact that The Priest was a huge disappointment. And surprisingly, when the film opened in Kerala after the first lockdown, it was well-received at the box office by the audience. The ominous first look poster of the film featuring Mammootty in a brown robe had created a massive hype for the film. After watching this film, you may not be very willing to fill up lucky draw coupons at malls. The pacing was uneven and a few scenes in the film felt rushed. Tharun Moorthy’s directorial is messy in many ways. Their loyalty and determination, however, are only met with discouragement and insults. The two later start helping the ill-equipped cyber crime department of Kerala police.
Despite their knowledge of computers, they can’t crack the job interview owing to their inability to speak fluent English. It is a procedural drama that follows the aspirations of two good-natured computer experts.