krishnan357-33-782579 Reviews

Kahaani 2 (2016)

Decent thriller but too predictable with a major plot hole

[6/10 · 28 August 2022]

I didn't have very high expectations from this movie because of the performance when it came out.

The story was a bit too predictable and by the numbers once the premise was established.

One thing I didn't understand was why Durga's photo was being circulated 8 years after her crime. If anything, all talk of her should have died down long ago.

The pacing is decent and I did like the way Arjun Rampal's character helped her, though I felt him being her ex-husband was a bit underdeveloped and tacked on.

Lastly, you would expect that the police would have searched for the bodies of Vidya Balan and her daughter which they would not have found.

So I felt it was a decent thriller with some big plot holes.

The Boy (2016)

Decent thriller with not as much horror as expected

[6/10 · 23 August 2022]

I had seen the trailer for this film when it first came out. I finally got around to seeing it now.

The premise is quite effective. The suspense wasn't the best. I expected a bigger twist. I felt like the twist of a person living in the walls has been done before and that is pretty much what I was expecting. That brought the rating down a bit.

Ajagajantharam (2021)

Slightly above average thriller set during a festival

[6/10 · 21 August 2022]

This was very much in the vein of Jallikattu om terms of the style of storytelling.

Not much of a plot and it wasn't as interesting as some of the other movies in this genre.

The characters were okay but I found my interest waning in between.

Overall, a slightly above average movie.

Maanaadu (2021)

Excellent time loop thriller

[9/10 · 21 August 2022]

Loved the way the time loop was executed. There was hardly any masala and the focus was completely on the plot. The interactions between the hero and villain were a lot of fun to watch.

I was excited to watch it but it still surpassed my expectations.

My Name (2021)

Predictable but fun show

[8/10 · 30 June 2022]

The only negative I had with this show was that it was kind of predictable. I expected the big twist to come pretty much from the start though there were a couple of others that I didn't see coming.

I liked the performances of all the main actors. The fights were pretty violent.

Overall an entertaining series.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022)

Has some laughs, but overall a below par experience

[6/10 · 30 June 2022]

I had relatively high expectations from this movie. I didn't like the trailer, but the reviews were quite positive.

Pretty much everything in this was average. The jokes landed sometimes and sometimes they didn't. The plot was decent. I think I should have seen the final twist coming as it is something that's been used a lot recently.

Tabu's acting was great. Kiara Advani looked very beautiful. I am glad that Kartik Aryan has a hit. I like his acting and comedic timing.

Overall, I found this just about average.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

A masterpiece in every department

[9/10 · 23 June 2022]

Godfather II is a more contemplative film than the first one. It goes deeper into the minds of both Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone than I would have expected.

We see how Michael Corleone just can't let go of his need to eliminate his enemies and alienates everyone close to him. It feels like Tom Hagen would be afraid of him even if he was given permission to go to Las Vegas.

Even the assassinations at the end did not feel like a return to power for Michael as in the first movie, but like a king paranoid of his own brother who was already beaten.

I would have liked the scene of Sonny Corleone telling Vito that he saw him kill Fanucci to be included. I think it would have shown how Vito also made mistakes with his family.

Overall, this film is a masterpiece. The lighting, the way the scens were shot, all of it makes it a masterpiece in addition to the story. It does feel like we will never get another movie like this.

CBI 5: The Brain (2022)

Very disappointing murder mystery

[5/10 · 16 June 2022]

I have to say that the quality of the CBI movies has been deteriorating since the second one. Each one seems worse than the last.

I had many issues with this movie. I didn't understand how the software developed by Soubin's character was supposed to work if he didn't even know who he was targeting. Also, his character came off as very one-note and almost cartoonish.

The evidence available at the end seemed too flimsy to convict Annop Menon's character. It also seemed like something he could destroy while Mammootty was explaining his analysis.

I am not sure why the story was told in flashback mode as the scenes in the present didn't add anything to the story and just served as breaks in the narrative.

Finally, Vikram's condition could have been attributed to something other than the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. It seemed odd to say he was attacked so many years after the assassination happened.

Overall, the movie was very disappointing with a poor understanding of technology.

Puzhu (2022)

Unique film with an excellent performance by Mammootty

[7/10 · 16 June 2022]

I wasn't sure what to expect from Puzhu based on the reviews I watched. I was interested in seeing Mammootty in a role with negative shades.

After watching it, I can say that it was an unpleasant film to sit through. The heart of the film is the excellent performance by Mammootty. You have to admire his willingness to take up a negative role. You can see how he is a man struggling with himself. It is rare to see such a self-centered man and have it feel very natural.

I liked the fact that his character was never redeemed and stayed true to the person we saw throughout the movie.

I do wish the suspense and reveal of who was trying to poison him was handled better. As it is, the boy breaking into Mammootty's room seems almost expected because we already know everything about him and his history with Mammootty.

It definitely fits on OTT instead of a theater. I doubt it would have been a commercial success if it had been released theatrically.

Overall, this is a movie I didn't enjoy watching, but I do respect.

NH 10 (2015)

Very fast-paced thriller that touches on a social issue

[8/10 · 16 June 2022]

I enjoyed this movie a lot. I had wanted to watch this movie ever since it came out and finally watched it on the Jio Cinema app.

The movie was quite fast-paced. The pace never really flagged after the inciting incident. The actions of the characters felt organic and understandable.

With respect to the social issue that was addressed, I didn't feel like it was preaching to the audience which I appreciated.

The one issue I had was with an action that Anushka Sharma's character took. I was surprised that she felt the sarpanch would be sympathetic to her when the police weren't. It did not seem like a smart movie on her part, but she was desperate, so I'll give her that.

Overall, I felt this was a very well-made thriller.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Goes how you expect if you've read history with excellent performances

[7/10 · 8 June 2022]

I thought the trailer for this movie was amazing. Watching Daniel Kaluuya deliver his lines was amazing.

Thankfully, the movie is streaming on Prime. The movie goes pretty much how you would expect if you've read what happened.

The performances from the 2 leads were great. Bill's doubts and hesitation were portrayed very well. But he never came across as being nineteen which was his age at the time of the assassination.

I only found out that he committed suicide at the end of the movie. It was shocking to read about police officers in America being able to break into a person's home and execute him.

Overall, it was a well made movie with amazing performances.

Rocket Boys (2022– )

Imperfect but very well made series on 2 of India's premier scientists

[8/10 · 27 May 2022]

I was very interested in watching Rocket Boys, especially after how good Scam 1992 was.

I can't say it loved up to the high benchmark set by Scam 1992 but it was a very interesting topic that was covered. Like others, I had heard about Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha but I didn't know much more.

There were a couple of things I didn't enjoy. I wasn't a big fan of the flag hoisting and the subsequent court case against the 2 scientists. The intial part of the series appeared to focus entirely on the personal lives of the main characters and I would have liked a bit more focus on their achievements.

I really enjoyed the latter parts where the organizations and institutes set up by these individuals were covered. I had never heard about INCOSPAR and ATIRA. It was when I read about the first launch from Thumba that I realized how closely the series followed real events.

I appreciated that the flaws of the main characters were also shown and they weren't depicted as being perfect.

I did read about how Mehdi Raza was based on Meghnad Saha and I'm not sure if that was required as there appears to have been a lot of mutual respect between the 3 individuals.

Overall, this series was quite well made and I can see a lot of young students being inspired to work on India's space program after watching this series. I hope more such series can be made that are commercial but also talk about important chapters in India's history.

Bheeshma Parvam (2022)

Fun and stylish movie with a predictable plot

[7/10 · 10 May 2022]

This movie was a huge hit and I wanted to see it as soon as it came on OTT. But I finally managed to watch it this past weekend.

The plot is fairly straightforward. It borrows greatly from the Godfather including the opening of the movie.

The style of the film and the dialogues were top class. I liked Sudev Nair as the villain.

I felt the issues that Michael faced were resolved at the end a bit too easily but it felt good to watch a good gangster film.

Jana Gana Mana (2022)

Engaging legal and socio-political thriller with a few flaws

[8/10 · 6 May 2022]

I went into Jana Gana Mana with high expectations because of the reviews. I knew most of the scenes from the trailers were from the second part.

I liked the movie a lot. I did feel there were a few flaws and I think I'll get those out of the way.

I didn't like the way languages were spoken in the film. Everyone seems to speak Malayalam inspite of the movie being set in Bangalore. Some of the court scenes were a bit silly like Prithviraj randomly calling witnesses without the prosecution completing its witness list.

Also, the judge's behaviour was weird. Instead of sustaining objections, he seemed to be questioning Prithviraj's character's motivations.

The actions of the VC of the college were also weird considering how they would be perceived by the general public. He publicly slanders a recently murdered faculty in an auditorium. It just seemed to be done to make him a clear villain.

Coming to the good parts, the twists were very well done. The acting by pretty much all the characters were top notch.

I liked how the movie seemed to support encounter killings initially and then flipped it on its head. Some people were cheering in my theater when the encounter killings happened. Hopefully, they think about how it circumvents due process after watching the movie.

I also liked how the media were portrayed in terms of wanting a primetime story above all else and how the truth can get twisted.

The ending was great. It definitely made me want to watch the second part.

Munnariyippu (2014)

A slightly slow but interesting psychological drama with a great ending

[8/10 · 2 May 2022]

I have to confess that I knew the ending before watching the movie. That made me look for clues that Raghavan was going to kill Anjali. There are a few scenes where it is hinted that Raghavan was a murderer, but I would have liked more information on the murders of his wife and employer's daughter. As of now, we know practically next to nothing about them.

The second half was a bit slower than I would have liked. But some of the conversations like the one in the bar kept me engaged.

Mammootty's acting was quite amazing, playing a mild-mannered character. I liked that the makers used Mammoootty to ensure that the audience empathized with the character.

Overall, I had a very good experience with Munnariyippu.

Woh Kaun Thi? (1964)

Well done suspense thriller

[8/10 · 1 May 2022]

I didn't have very high expectations from this movie. While watching it, I wondered how the mystery would be solved. I was skeptical that the explanation would make sense. But the makers were able to have the solution be relatively logical.

There were a few things I had guessed which ended up being true like the fortune the main character inherited being the reason for what was happening. But the behaviour of his wife was a bit confusing which was eventually explained.

I did take issue with the way the marriage was conducted. Did Manoj Kumar's character never see his wife's face before the wedding. That seemed a bit unrealistic.

Overall though, I did like the film quite a bit considering when it was made. Finally, the music was excellent. I have been listening to 'Naina Barse' pretty much on repeat.

Free Guy (2021)

Could not maintain the momentum at the start, but still very entertaining

[8/10 · 29 April 2022]

This movie started off great with the world building within the game and the interaction between the real world characters. It couldn't maintain that momentum, but the movie was consistently entertaining.

I liked all the characters. Quite a few people did not like Taika Waititi's performance but I quite liked him in the film.

The special effects were great. I liked that people in the game looked like actual people unlike what was done in Ready Player One where everything looked cartoonish.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film, though maybe not as much as the start of the film. I do wonder what the plot of the sequel will be as this film seems to have a good ending.

Indrudu Chandrudu (1989)

Interesting concept, but not great execution

[6/10 · 28 April 2022]

I wanted to watch this movie because of the logline. It's generally fun to watch lookalikes impersonating each other.

Unfortunately, this was a very average experience. There wasn't as much comedy as I expected. I also thought there would be more things that the hero would do as the mayor to help people, which didn't happen until the end of the movie.

I also expected the jewels to come into the picture later on in the movie which didn't happen.

Overall, an average experience.

Antakshari (2022)

Decent mystery with a few open threads

[6/10 · 25 April 2022]

I've been quite interested in this movie from the time the trailer and first reviews came out.

I thought the murder mystery was pretty good. But the suspense was not really present. The makers could have dropped some hints or shown the killer in passing, maybe at the hospital that Saiju Kurup's wife was working. When the killer is revealed, it just feels like some random person.

I also felt there were too many threads that went nowhere like the boy and mother oppressed by the husband/step-father, the dead cats, the doctor at the clinic, etc.

Overall, it was a watchable film, but not at the level of many other movies in this genre.

Flower of Evil (2020)

Excellent serial killer mystery with a slightly boring final episode

[9/10 · 25 April 2022]

I was very interested in seeing this after reading the reviews and seeing the rating on IMDB. And I must say, this mostly surpassed my expectations.

The murder mystery was very interesting and there were far more twists than I thought there would be.

The characters were compelling. I liked the interpersonal relationships and the growth that the main characters go through from start to finish. The child actress playing the daughter was so cute.

The only thing I had an issue with was the final episode. I found it incredibly boring and it felt was unnecessary. They could have wrapped up the show in the penultimate episode itself. But it didn't take away my enjoyment of the overall show.

Spencer (2021)

Slow moving drama that could have used some livening up with a great performance at its core

[6/10 · 23 April 2022]

This was a movie I wanted to watch because Kristen Stewart got an Oscar nomination for it. From what I had heard of this film, I knew there was a good chance I wouldn't like it. And the film did leave me feeling cold and detached about it.

The story moved quite slowly. I found myself checking out occasionally. I did like the conversations that Diana had with the head chef (I guess that's what he was) and the soldier.

Kristen Stewart looked amazing. I didn't realize that Diana spoke in a husky voice until now when I watched her interviews after I finished the film. I liked her performance a lot, but it didn't make me like the movie more.

Overall, this was a movie which was predictable in terms of how much I thought I would like it.

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Started off as interesting, but didn't really have a good payoff

[6/10 · 18 April 2022]

I was very interested in watching this film mainly because of the Oscar nominations. I must say I was a bit disappointed with the movie.

There were things I liked such as the performances, especially Jessie Buckley's as the younger Leda. But I felt there was going to be more to the movie. I found the interactions between the characters interesting, but some of the interactions seemed pointless at the end. I needed a bit more clarity on Leda's character which I felt we didn't get. The title was also confusing at the end.

I did like the portrayal of a mother who wasn't really sure about having kids and the swings between being very loving after returning from a trip and not being able to show affection on a day to day basis.

Overall, I had high expectations for this, but the movie didn't really meet them.

Mr. India (1987)

Landmark Indian superhero movie

[8/10 · 18 April 2022]

While I was excited to watch Mr India, it being a very rare superhero film in India, I was apprehensive about how it would hold up. I have watched many famous 1980's movies which I haven't liked at all.

I loved this movie. It stays mostly true to its own logic and the characters act in believable ways. It's not perfect and there are plotholes you can point out, but nothing so big that it ruins your enjoyment.

Amrish Puri was perfect as the villain. He brought the right amount of camp to the role. I did think the movie could have been shorter. At least a few scenes in the first half could have been cut in my opinion.

I wish this had spurred other film-makers to make superhero movies based on Indian books and comics, but that didn't happen.

Overall, I liked this movie a lot.

Oruthee (2022)

Good female centric film focusing on a social issue

[8/10 · 11 April 2022]

I wanted to watch this movie from the time I saw the trailer. I thought I wouldn't be able to watch it in theaters but was able to get tickets for a show at Lulu Mall at Kochi.

This was a very good experience. The characters all felt believable and real. Navya Nair's performance came across as very genuine.

I also liked the way the police officers were portrayed. Not all powerful or always looking to bring criminals to justice no matter what, but good at heart.

I didn't like it as much as How Old Are You, but I did enjoy it very much. I do wonder what a sequel will focus on though.

Badhaai Do (2022)

Lighthearted movie about same sex relationships

[9/10 · 4 April 2022]

I was recommended this movie by my sister. She loved it which made me very interested to watch it.

And I must say, this film was a lot of fun. The comedy was very funny and the emotional scenes were very well acted by the 2 leads. I loved the ending as well.

Overall, I would highly recommend this film.