Author Archives: Tennyson

The Accountant 2

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Vampire Owl: It is time Uncle Dracula gets his own vampire accountant.

Vampire Bat: Why would he need an accountant when there is no cash here?

Vampire Owl: But he travels through human world for quite a long.

Vampire Bat: Can’t he get a vampire forex card instead?

Vampire Owl: We are now having forex cards here?

Vampire Bat: Well, there should be a way to convert blood money to cash.

Vampire Owl: So, the vampire blood bank accounts can be converted to currency?

Vampire Bat: Yes, even though the value after conversion is really low.

Vampire Owl: At least Uncle Dracula is the richest man in the realm. So, no problems.

Vampire Bat: Still, not that rich as the family of elders.

[Gets two orange cream biscuits and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: Former FinCEN director Raymond King (J. K. Simmons) arranges a meeting with a mysterious assassin known only by the identity Anais (Daniella Pineda). While tracked by different gunmen who seems to be ready to shoot at them at any time, he asks her for some help in locating a Salvadorean family with an old photo of the parents and the son. Anais tells him that she usually just assassinates people, but do not harm children, so not sure if she would take this mission involving children either. As different gunmen open fire, King is killed, but Anais is able to escape from trouble without much problems as if she never really visited the place and nobody knows even her real name or further identity. King’s protege and Deputy Director of FinCEN, Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), identifies his body, and sees a message which goes as “find the accountant” written on his arm, and decides to do something about his death, as there seems to be something sinister about it.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Marybeth is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), even though she doubts him for his illegal activities. Christian organizes a collage of information and tells her that the family in the photo fled from El Salvador to Los Angeles illegally, facing different hazards along the way. At the same time, Burke (Robert Morgan) further asks his enforcer Cobb (Grant Harvey) to somehow kill Anais, as she holds a grudge against him, and might end up killing him instead. Christian invites his estranged brother, Braxton (Jon Bernthal), working as an assassin, to help him with the case, as there is so much to be done. Justine (Allison Robertson), Christian’s old friend, works with a group of children to hack into different networks to help Christian. They manage to find a photo of Anais from a selfie which was taken by a woman who was present at that time – they are able to find her face, but are unable to identify her with any matches. Uncomfortable with their illegal methods towards truth, Marybeth breaks from the group and visits a hospital mentioned in one of King’s reports to find haunting secrets about Anais which would change their whole idea about the situation.

The defence of The Accountant 2 :: The film does have a nice twist as the movie nears the end, and the revelation here works nicely unlike what people have been expecting from what have been put in front of them. The movie has some intense gun fights, tactical combat and well-choreographed action scenes instead of the mass action scenes which are usually used, and this means that the movie remains more believable and never comes up with an overdose of the usual flying action stuff. The expansion of the world of the first movie works really well, as the returning characters and the relationships that come in between are explored further, and often with more detail. The combination of financial crime investigation with action and adventures, remains something that strikes different for a thriller with some classic divergence from the usual. There is physical action and there is intellectual action, both working so well around here. Everything that is required to create a big world of action filled with assassins and twists can be seen here, and this is one protagonist that we would continue to love.

Positives and negatives :: This also makes me remember Jason Statham’s Mechanic, both signifying professions, but meaning much more from the background. Well, some heroes do their work perfectly in more than one field, and we surely like to see them around. The movie does lose a little bit of power in the pacing in between, as this one is a reasonably long movie which has a lot of dialogues, some of them just providing deviation to the movie itself. There is also some complexity related to this movie, and those who wish to have things go direct, might have some other opinions about this particular movie. The originality might be a little bit lost around here with the base so much on the earlier flick. The final fight scenes are really catchy, and the talk about having pets, with the final adoption of a cat works very nicely for the movie, which also develops some emotions along with humour on the way. The sibling bonding idea had already set the premise for such proceedings. The combination could continue to score if there is a sequel, as the stage remains there to get more movies in the franchise.

The performers of the soul :: Ben Affleck once again plays the quiet, highly intelligent accountant who is also an assassin convincingly. His work as a socially awkward, but highly capable man with multiple missions remains the big highlight of the movie. I have always loved him as Batman, and found him to be the perfect superhero of the dark in the DC Universe, and also his different avatar in Gone Girl and that classic divergence in Deep Water. Well, here he is the accountant closing a financial account when all the transactions are finished, but also closing the accounts of life with a few people – that surely works with much effectiveness. Yet, the one whom we miss the most in this movie is last one’s Anna Kendrick who remained its soul then. But Jon Bernthal as Braxton surely with the action here, along with some brotherly bonding that brings the humour. Daniella Pineda is a lovely assassin by the way, and we hope to see her going through such missions in sequels too. Cynthia Addai-Robinson comes in, and just adds the minimal here. Allison Robertson adds on further while J. K. Simmons is missed rather too early in this one.

How it finishes :: When watching the second movie after watching the first one ten years ago, there would be something which would have been missed, but this one surely feels like good enough for a stand-alone film. The release of this particular movie has surely been missed by us, and most probably it never really came to the local theatres here, despite being a franchise with so much class over the usual mass – for now, it is on Amazon Prime Video, and it is good to see it around there. The movie will not come up with those big action sequences though, as it keeps closer to reality, and still around there, we have the action going on with the assassins wandering around and gunmen sent by crime bosses and gangsters also having a say. The basic idea of the movie itself had our attention, as it is something that provides a Hitman-like feeling, and even a little bit of John Wick seems to wander around here, as there are so many incidents happening in the background of a seemingly normal world here, with the man at the centre and his brother bringing something else too. This should be a long franchise like John Wick – I would love to see it going through the same as there is always scope for the others beyond such well-known assassins.

Release date: 25th April 2025
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda, J. K. Simmons, Allison Robertson, Grant Harvey, Andrew Howard, Lombardo Boyar, Michael Tourek

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Cleaner

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Vampire Owl: This reminds me that it has been a long time since the castle was cleaned.

Vampire Bat: There is no waste in the castle. Why do you want it cleaned?

Vampire Owl: We seem to be having cleaner fighters here with a movie.

Vampire Bat: Well, humans are a lot more into multi-processing now.

Vampire Owl: Their processing is a total mess; it has always been so. We cannot have them within the borders.

Vampire Bat: You remember those Hitman games where cleaning up was part of stealth.

Vampire Owl: I actually remember that Thief game even more.

Vampire Bat: The dark project vs the silent assassin, I remember.

Vampire Owl: The furious gaming days will be missed. The ex-gamer mode does not feel that good.

Vampire Bat: Well, we can go for this one before dawn, as it is something which surely has a game mode rescue with Lionsgate Play.

[Gets an onion uthappam and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: Joanna Locke and her brother Michael Locke (Matthew Tuck) had grown up in a troubled household in the city of London with an abusive father, and she had earned wall-climbing to escape from the troubles, while her brother was not that lucky. About twenty years later, as an adult and a former soldier, Joey looks after Michael, who is autistic and is fighting online against corruption at his care homes from where he keeps getting thrown out due to his online activities. On one day, Joey is late and is almost dismissed from her job – on the same day, she is forced to take her brother to her workplace at a skyscraper belonging to a highly influential multinational company where she works as a window cleaner. During this time, as a grand event is held by the Agnian Energy Company in the building, a radical environmental activist group which calls itself Earth Revolution comes up with a violent takeover using sleeping gas canisters and takes everyone who is present in the hall at that time hostage.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The leader of the group is Marcus Blake (Clive Owen) who is determined to bring the activities of Agnian Energy Company to light. What he does not understand is that there is Noah Santos (Taz Skylar), another member of the group, who is actually an anti-humanist. He decides to kill Marcus and his followers and take things into his hands, as he found the former leader too liberal with his actions. Some of the followers of Marcus like the hacking specialist who is known only by the name Zee (Flavia Watson) reluctantly joins Noah’s new more radical team on gunpoint, as the angry new leader even kills a few hostages in what seems to be uncontrolled rage. At the same time, Joanna is caught in work, while cleaning the windows at one of the top floors. She is found out by Noah who identifies her as the former soldier, and decides to target her as the one who is responsible for all of these as she is forced to shoot randomly under his threat of starting murdering people in the building. She also manages to show an SOS sign from there.

And what more follows here as the situation seems to get out of hand? :: She gets in contact with Superintendent Claire Hume (Ruth Gemmell) who tries her best to deal with the hostage situation which has now reached the news. The attempt of the SWAT team leader Captain Royce (Howard Charles) fails to make a move inside as the team is wiped out in a blast. Noah forces the hostages to record confessions about their crimes against environment and people for Agnian, as his attempt to frame Joanna as the terrorist who has wreaked havoc in the building fails. With no option ahead, Claire reluctantly gives Joanna the permission to infiltrate the building and do something to change the equation. Noah tries to finish off Joanna by lowering an explosive charge down to her position, but she manages to move away in time. She has the SWAT snipers shoot several holes into the building’s bulletproof glass windows, helping her to get inside the building by breaking the window with a hammer with the help of her brother from inside. But Noah has other plans, and it is to be seen if the siblings will survive the same.

The defence of Cleaner :: Daisy Ridley’s physicality and a classic screen presence as the action heroine works well, and she remains strong in the core, but there is not that much of an action in display here, and neither are the muscles – for a movie of this category, there could have been more on screen, but she still continues to score with her work within these limits. Taz Skylar’s antagonist remains a strong one, but the less screen presence of Clive Owen after that classic entry might bother us – but they remain good, with next notable one being Flavia Watson. Matthew Tuck and Ruth Gemmell manage to their job just as expected. The visuals are indeed spectacular, both inside and outside the building, along with the surroundings. The action is good when it happens, and there are some moments which feel more realistic than exaggerated, and there is that brother-sister bonding that will keep us moving forward. The environmental concerns feel relevant and the talk about human species also provides another viewpoint. The movie is also short, and all points of the flick remain engaging, without dull moments pushed on from within.

The claws of flaw :: The movie feels very much repetitive with its content, as the “Die Hard” model which has been brought to light too many times, seem to make an entry here too, but without that much of an action. There were so many paths which the movie could have covered, but from the moment when the main character wakes up from bed, it chooses that too easy path without taking any risks or bringing the power of the unexpected that could have powered this movie further. There was the chance to make the situation more threatening, and even with an anti-humanist around, there is no chance of mass murder or extreme devastation taken into account here – there are too many justifications on his side, and the terror does not feel like it is going to make a terrifying impact that would last for long. Even the main character is not given that visible strength to work through the impossible, and a number of interesting characters are just killed with ease. One cannot blame a movie taking the safest path, but for an action-adventure-thriller, there should be some risks taken with danger in every corner and making it easy for protagonist is never the right thing to do – the main character should be making way from hopelessness rather than ease.

How it finishes :: If you are looking for another one of those classic action thrillers with a lovable lead, but not without repetitions, this will remain an entertaining watch. But there will be no fresh content, deep characterization or action that makes a big impact – yet, the weekend fun moments are easily achieved with Daisy Ridley at the helm fighting through the present as much as a troubled past and sibling love which goes misunderstood. The mixed reactions from the audience and critics alike is understandable as they might have felt the need for more action and the feeling of having watched this one too many times, even in Bollywood with that Aamir Khan and Mamta Kulkarni starrer’s later part in the building. The ending would remain satisfactory with the protagonist overcoming all odds to save the day, and bring the hope for a sequel, which might not happen to the reception – but I would support the same with the belief that this can be made better with the content expanded by a long way with the support of protagonist’s past.

Release date: 21st February 2025
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Taz Skylar, Clive Owen, Taz Skylar, Flavia Watson, Ruth Gemmell, Ray Gearon, Rufus Jones, Howard Charles, Lee Boardman, Richard Hope, Gavin Fleming

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Black Phone 2

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Vampire Owl: Are they talking about the only phone in the castle?

Vampire Bat: It is one phone that has never worked.

Vampire Owl: But the vampire elders used to call Uncle Dracula with it.

Vampire Bat: Vampire elders always had their telepathic powers.

Vampire Owl: You think that nobody including Uncle Dracula ever used that phone?

Vampire Bat: The phone is meant to be more of a presence.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that it has served as an afterlife presence.

Vampire Bat: It cannot be considered undead though.

Vampire Owl: Yes, there cannot be electronic undead, I guess.

Vampire Bat: Why don’t you ask your super-best friends?

[Gets a chilli porotta and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: A few years had passed after Finney (Mason Thames) had killed the psychopath known by the name Grabber (Ethan Hawke), but his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) begins having dreams and nightmares where she sees certain incidents and also the murders that happened at Alpine Lake Camp in 1957, leaving her mostly sleepless. Their mother Hope (Anna Lore) is also known to have had similar dreams at the time of the murders, and this has Gwen worries, while Finney has not come out of the trauma which unfolded in front of his eyes due to that psycho killer unleashing himself after abducting him four years ago. Gwen convinces both Finney and Ernesto (Miguel Mora), her best friend who has a crush on her, to travel to Alpine Lake Camp and find solutions to her problems with mysteries to be solved. Her father Terrence (Jeremy Davies) also gives permission despite early reluctance. They hope that this would solve her problems, even though she is not that sure.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite a planned journey, a heavy blizzard traps them, but the supervisor of Alpine Lake camp, Armando (Demián Bichir) and his niece, the young and energetic Mustang (Arianna Rivas) shows them the way. Two camp employees are also there, in the form of Barbara (Maev Beaty) and Kenneth (Graham Abbey). As Finney receives a call on the camp’s dead land phone from the Grabber, he goes into panic. Speaking from hell as it seems, the Grabber vows revenge on him and his family by brutally murdering Gwen. Soon, Gwen is violently attacked in her dream by the Grabber, but the group manages to save her in the last moment from being thrown into fire. Barbara feels that Gwen is possessed by a demon, especially with the young girl having no control over her tongue, using curse and sexual words. The group feels that they have to find the dead bodies of the Grabber’s victims to loosen his hold over the dream realm, and hope that Gwen sleeps less. But can they do it without Grabber knowing or attacking them with a better plan?

The defence of Black Phone 2 :: The way in which the movie expands the original lore and adds new supernatural elements beyond the simple horror is something that should be appreciated, as we feel the creativity behind all of these in a world when horror has always struggled, especially after the Conjuring–Annabelle–Nun trio had started losing power from that memorable beginning. The world has been nicely built for the same and the evil being stronger than ever and almost invincible, keeps the strength of horror at a higher level. The exploration of trauma and the related character growth with an emotional side works well. The visual style with the support of snow and ice all around, is something to be noted too. For most of us who are not that familiar with blizzards and such snow brings further horror with the dialogues from the antagonist about ice of hell and the burns that it delivers – the dialogues further elevates the terror, and there are some unexpected horror moments which keep the world strong.

The claws of flaw :: The movie takes too much time to get interesting, and by the time it provides that feeling, it would have gone through half of its runtime. One feels the need to see why it takes so much time in showing dreams and hallucinations, when all of these could be over in a few minutes, as many moments like those are just random and not that much scary. The dream sequences, especially the initial ones often struggle and do not go on making the impact as Freddy of Elm Street would make. The quality of the same is also something to be questioned here, as it also remains tiring for the eyes. The horror in there do not feel real or dangerous until some time passes in the movie. This asserts the fact that the movie was about twenty-five minutes more than what it should have been. The emotional side and random fears do not raise the movie during the beginning stages. For those who have not watched the movie will also find themselves in a receiving side of some confusion which leaves rather late.

The performers of the soul :: The movie’s biggest strength is Ethan Hawke, the antagonist who takes it to the next level, despite not showing that much of his face – the mask itself would be remembered by the horror fans for long and could become iconic, thanks to his performance. Well, it is not limited to Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chromeskull or Ghostface. This has not been the kind of role in which we have been seeing him, but the movie reminds us that we should be. Madeleine McGraw whom we have seen more in the younger child roles in American Sniper, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Pacific Rim Uprising, gets to be the scream queen here, and despite some struggles in the repetitions of the first half, manages to finish so well. Mason Thames is the other main lead, and he also manages the same nicely. Miguel Mora also follows well. Arianna Rivas as Mustang remains nicely noted here, and is a lovely presence. Demián Bichir also has a strong and responsible role which is managed well, while Jeremy Davies adds well. Anna Lore’s small presence is memorable.

How it finishes :: I was not aware of the existence of a first movie, as this is not the kind of movie which has become known among the horror fans of this part of the world. This one surely deserves better attention in this part of the world, but its lack of attention towards the usual slasher elements got it pulled back a little. As one watches this one it can be said that this is a visually stylish and ambitious sequel that benefits from Ethan Hawke’s strong performance and its darker, and a dream-like atmosphere. Still, the drag in the beginning, uneven pacing, repetitive elements, and missing scream queen elements got this one in some struggle at times. The added supernatural elements might not feel positive to everyone, especially the fans of the first movie. Well, we can always have some divergent horror here and there. The scope never goes low for this one, as there is something that comes up strong at every moment – the idea seems to have been worked with nicely with different elements, and this would indeed remain an engaging watch.

Release date: 17th October 2025
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, Demián Bichir, Ethan Hawke, Arianna Rivas, Miguel Mora, Maev Beaty, James Ransone, Anna Lore, Simon Webster, Shepherd Munroe, Chase B. Robertson

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vala

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Vampire Owl: I had heard about this movie and felt strange about it.

Vampire Bat: There is nothing strange about the story about a bangle.

Vampire Owl: So, a bangle is going to inspire a story?

Vampire Bat: One would think that inspiration can come from anywhere, like darkness.

Vampire Owl: What about the need for muses to create the same?

Vampire Bat: The muses as such avatars are no longer valid in this world of chaotic creativity.

Vampire Owl: Our realm is not of chaos, for vampires have order; otherwise, we would be nowhere.

Vampire Bat: Absence of chaos is not always order as we know it.

Vampire Owl: Death can always differentiate between order and chaos in the stream of absurd.

Vampire Bat: We have found order post death, but chaos is in our blood for infinity.

[Gets a paneer momos and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Banu (Lukman Avaran), a young policeman, is given the duty of giving protection to Abu (Abu Salim) who is the only witness to the murder of his boss. But while going through his duty, he comes across a few other problems that come in his way. It begins with his marriage with Vishalakshi (Sheethal Joseph) who comes from a big family and high caste, as she elopes with him against the wishes of her family, only to find out that the box which she took from home was not the one with jewelry. As she goes to the Akshaya Centre to change her address in the Aadhar Card, finds herself insulted by Sarala (Raveena Ravi) who was dealing with the data, as Vishalakshi had asked her about the beautiful bangle on her hand. Sarala tells her that she will never be able to buy such a bangle and should at least get something for her hands as she looks just too poor. Vishalakshi who is originally from a rich and influential family, starts asking Banu for a solution, and goes with him to almost every jewelry shop in search of a similar bangle.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Vishalakshi is too focused on having a bangle like Sarala, she is not able to find any other ornament of her choice and asks Banu to bring something that looks exactly like that particular piece. She begins to irritate Banu in the name of that bangle, and he is forced to contact Sarala’s husband Purushothaman (Dhyan Sreenivasan) for a picture of the same, so that they can make something which looks exactly the same. But they realize that the bangle cannot be removed from Sarala’s hand as she says it was given to her by her grandmother and that there is a certain sentimental value attached with it – but the truth is revealed later, that the bangle just cannot be removed by pulling it out. They understand that it is stuck, but while looking closer, realizes that there are Arabic writings in there, making them wonder how a traditional Hindu family like them can have a family heirloom passed on by grandmother with Arabic script engraved there.

And what more can happen with a bangle which turns out to be special? :: Purushothaman who finds out that this is a very old bangle with antique value, and has gems which are priceless, decides to find a way to sell the piece. For the same, he starts searching, and ends up with a notorious group of gangsters from across the state who deals with international smuggling and other crimes. They give him an advance of fifty lakhs for a price that he asks, five crores in ready cash. As he becomes confident in him being rich by crores, he decides not to give the photo to Banu and even throws their mobile away as they had taken a photo of the bangle. Sarala is tensed that her husband is trying to take that bangle in any way possible, and has nightmares of him cutting her hand off. They go to different parts of South India as they try to find a way to remove the bangle, and comes across a woman named Pathoocha (Shanthi Krishna) who claims that the ornament belongs to her and her husband Soopika (Vijayaraghavan). This leads to further complications while the gangsters also come after Sarala, and so does Banu who wishes to have revenge for the insult.

The defence of Vala: Story of a Bangle :: The movie is very well managed by Lukman Avaran who leads the movie in a realistic mode, and Vijayaraghavan nicely adds a certain emotional depth here with Shanthi Krishna in support. The two female leads Raveena Ravi and Sheethal Joseph handles the situation incredibly well, and it is always great to see the former on the screen rather than just behind it as a dubbing artist with excellence. The idea of the movie is nice and innovative, and the bangle at the centre serves well, making one feel that this movie is not the usual, but one of its kind, experimenting on things not usual in the Malayalam movie industry. The way in which the movie began with its tale in the middle of everything was also nice, and the way in which tale is told has its own effectiveness too. The emotional moments work very well, and the way in which different characters get interconnected feels interesting. The mystery feeling is also maintained well, and the twists in the tale are of relevance, while reminding us that pride will always have a fall.

The claws of flaw :: There is the feeling that there are too many characters who do not get the due in the movie. Dhyan Sreenivasan’s character does not get the strength that it should have had, for it remains one dimensional and just seemingly going through a path which becomes just mandatory for this kind of a movie and nothing else. Some scenes feel like stretched seemingly increasing the total length of the movie beyond the required. The pace also slows down in between, and the extra focus on bangle often leaves the people behind. If some elements are removed, it would just go on to become short film and nothing more. The villainy could have been better, and here the focus is just on owning the bangle. The history of the bangle could have also been further grand in nature, and the movie could have deepened its own mystery without letting the viewer feel that it just went on the safe route. The seriousness of the movie is sometimes lost as humour collaborates and goes through that safe path. The ending is also just too quick and seemingly just to finish the whole thing.

How it finishes :: Vala: Story of a Bangle surely had a lot of scope with this different and innovative kind of content, which is not common in Malayalam cinema, as only a few like Pendulum and Phoenix have deviated from the usual tropes of horror, adventure and science in a way that we remember, even without that much of a box-office collection. The innovative core related to a bangle is something that we might not see for quite some time. The movie surely had the potential to become an intriguing thriller with a lot of emotional depth. But the slow pacing and underdeveloped characters often pulls it down. The climax fails to provide a satisfying resolution and the movie just ends as if it is there to bring a finishing touch. This would mean that the movie ends up as a film with good ideas but partially struggling execution, leaving many viewers feeling that it could have been much better with better efforts put in there. Maybe, there could be a sequel that can successfully accomplish the same.

Release date: 19th September 2025
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Muhashin
Starring: Lukman Avaran, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Vijayaraghavan, Shanthi Krishna, Raveena Ravi Sheethal Joseph, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Shafi Kollam, Navas Vallikkunnu, Abu Salim, Yusuf Madappen, Govind Vasantha, Ibrahim Al Balushi, Gokulan

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Devil’s Bride

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Vampire Owl: I thought that this one was only going to be a demon’s bride.

Vampire Bat: They have particularly spoken about the Devil. So, it would be like that only.

Vampire Owl: Well, the Devil has no authority here in our castle.

Vampire Bat: None in our realm either, but he enjoys his stay in the human world.

Vampire Owl: There are always homes made for him in their world.

Vampire Bat: It would still strange that humans choose to be evil when there is the perfect chance for being good.

Vampire Owl: Humans have always been the big fools from Eden.

Vampire Bat: I would say that the garden of Eden is more accessible to vampires than humans these days, considering the collective actions of a species.

Vampire Owl: Well, the Devil is smarter than we would think.

Vampire Bat: The shadow demons who have crossed over to our realm says the same.

[Gets a paneer biryani and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Echa (Erika Carlina), a young woman has been happily married to Ariel (Emir Mahira) after falling in love with him. In the beginning, their married life is full of love, as they work hard to make a living, but soon, the busy world catches upon them, as Ariel working as a security guard and Echa as a logistics worker just do not find enough time to be together with each other while trying earn enough. They begin to fight regularly, and without anything to talk to each other, Echa begins experiencing strange supernatural disturbances. Echa starts feeling a new life coming to her in the dreams with a handsome young man taking her to a beautiful home in the countryside. Soon, it is revealed that a djinn had fallen in love with her and wanted her to become his bride. The obsession leads to him having sexual intercourse with her in dreams, as she falls into his spell and agrees to the sexual intimacy, even though she feels that it was only done in recurring dreams like a sexual fantasy which is not close to reality.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It seems that djinn wishes to have her forever, and Echa also seems to be pregnant by three months, much to the dismay of Ariel who remembers that they never really had even an intimate moment in the last few months. She begins to vomit blood and despite a local woman telling them that Echa is pregnant, the doctors do not find such a possibility with her. Ariel has visions of babies looking like the djinn which keeps him further tensed about their future. Echa keeps feeling that there is something inside her, and wonders if it is the result of having the sexual intercourse with the djinn in the dream. But others do not know about this situation, but it is at the same time that one of her friends who let her know about an exorcist also gets killed. She understands that the djinn will not stop until it gets her, and decides to take the matter into her hands. But is it already too late for her to act, with he djinn already part of her daily dreams?

The defence of The Devil’s Bride :: The movie thrives on the tense, dark atmosphere with the evil always present. The demonic presence which is often called the djinn is established very nicely in the beginning of the movie itself. It never loses its way as far as the abiding terror is concerned. There is some good divergence in how the usual idea is used, and a certain amount Indonesian cultural side can also be seen as active here. The supernatural scenes and makeup effects are nice, providing the Nosferatu or Dracula effect also with the demonic love, but maintains a certain style due to the locations. For the Indian audience, the movie will not feel too far away from them considering the way the whole situations have been dealt with. The secondary world of nightmares is constructed well too, despite us having seen before with a different kind of treatment, from Insidious onwards. From the visit to Bali itself, I have found myself interested in Indonesian movies, and this one actually serves more nostalgia as it never really gets out of the usual out there.

The claws of flaw :: Sometimes, one feels that the movie just goes on through a path which has been established in its usual manner for a long time, and it has been taken from the Western ideas about the demonic birth to be used here. We are familiar with the movies dealing with son of the devil being born and the idea of the anti-Christ, and this would often feel like taken right out there, especially with the same being a classic supernatural idea. There is also a certain number of repetitions without bringing anything new, and the protagonist often feels a little too dumb with her actions despite things being so clear for even people who are not that aware of the cultural beliefs. The supporting characters are not that much explored, and they just seem to come and go at will. The romance is also not that much felt, and there for using the love to fight the devil feels out of the equation. The ending also seems to be done in comfortable way without that much of thinking, and innovation when it was needed, never really gets here. Then, there is the loss of pace in between despite the movie being of short-length.

The performers of the soul :: Erika Carlina leads the way in this movie which revolves around her character as the bride of the djinn, seemingly willing for the same within her nightmares, but attempts to come out of the same when back to her senses. With this strong and convincing performance, she effectively portrays the fear, vulnerability and emotional struggle that she has to go through in more than one world. Her expressions and reactions in the emotional, terrifying and intimate scenes help build the movie’s mood with is not limited to the eerie atmosphere, making the whole situation more believable. Even with the traditional horror tropes rising above the rest, Erika’s solid performance makes sure that the different elements and multiple sides work so well here, as she also covers some of the faults of the movie. Emir Mahira is also not far behind in his work, as he plays the loving husband without any trouble. Ruth Marini and Wavi Zihan provides some good support too, while Alfie Alfandi adds on.

How it finishes :: The Indonesian horror movies have often stayed a step ahead like with the near-perfect Impetigore, interesting Ivanna, revenge-seeking Ronggeng Kematian and that almost-horror Grave Torture which also tried well. After the travel to Bali of Indonesia, these have served my love for horror well, along with Gundala being a favourite superhero movie from the same country. While Korean movies have remained the most watched foreign language movies here with Spanish, French and Russian having quite some space in the website, Indonesian ones have been the South East Asian favourites. This one serves the purpose well, but one has to wonder if it could have been better with such an idea at the core – you do not get to work with such creatures of the night all the time, and the premise was so well set with the first scene itself. Well, still it remains a good scary one with the mood and the setting doing the job well too. You can think watch this one on a fine night and have the demonic one have its say.

Release date: 16th January 2025
Running time: 91 minutes
Directed by: Azhar Kinoi Lubis
Starring: Erika Carlina, Emir Mahira, Ruth Marini, Wavi Zihan, Alfie Alfandy, Ence Bagus

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ash

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Vampire Owl: They say that vampires become ash after death.

Vampire Bat: Everyone becomes ash after death, that is the point.

Vampire Owl: You are referring to returning to dust.

Vampire Bat: Yes, we are all dust and shall return to the same.

Vampire Owl: I am talking about ash in particular, like being burned in the sun.

Vampire Bat: Vampires burning in the sun will have no remains, not even ash.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has come up with a method to prevent vampire sunburns.

Vampire Bat: Last time Mr. Frankenstein tried that, the Vampire Penguin had moonburns.

Vampire Owl: As far as I remember it, that was Jupiterburn.

Vampire Bat: You should remember that pseudo-science based on science fiction has been banned for a long time now.

[Gets a thattu dosa and three cups of Yercaud tea].

What is the movie about? :: Riya Ortiz (Eiza Gonzalez) wakes up aboard a scientific research station located on a strange planet with no real recollection of what happened to her or the area – she does not even remember her name. As she explored the station, she has some nightmarish flashbacks with violence and deaths all around and finds some dead bodies. She also finds out that she is injured on the head, which might have led to the memory loss. She comes across a man named Brion Cargyle (Aaron Paul) who claims to have come to the research station from the space docking centre after receiving a distress signal. They come to the conclusion that one of the crew members whose dead body is not found in the research station, Catherine Clarke (Kate Elliott) might have lost her mind, or was affected by some parasite, leading her to go berserk and kill people, leaving the research station in a bloody mess. They also feel that she might not have traveled that far, and could be around somewhere in the barren planet with a strange climate.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is revealed that her crew were part of several expeditions all around the galaxy to discover new habitable planets after Earth’s environment became almost uninhabitable. They were the only crew got this far successfully, and the planet they are currently on, designated as K.O.I-442 with the nickname ASH, happens to be Earth’s last hope for survival of human race against all odds. As the crew were working at the research station, Brion had stayed on a second station in planet’s orbit to maintain contact with Earth along with passing the instructions and monitor the crew’s progress with their objectives. Riya and Brion make preparations to leave the planet, while Riya hopes that she could find Catherine during the same time, and even ventures outside the research station to look for her, with no result. At the same time, Riya begins to experience more flashbacks of murdering the crew, and wonders what part she had to play in the process, with her seemingly attacking people in the new nightmares full of blood and gore.

And what more can happen here in a distant planet of chaos and destruction? :: Riya has herself healed by a medical bot, and gets ready for the unexpected as a a meteor storm comes through, with the strange weather of the planet hurting the research station. The systems register a hull breach as the storm comes in unpredictable waves. While working hard to seal the breach, Riya finds signs of someone recently having gone through the maintenance shafts. As the station’s oxygen supply keeps on rapidly depleting, Riya and Brion find the emergency need to leave too. At the same time, in one of the drones’ recordings, Riya finds recordings of an external vehicle investigation made by the crew after some strange emissions came from different parts of the planet. The investigation had discovered some atmospheric converters of alien origin which had been terraforming the planet to its present status. Brion tells her that something strange happened after that, and a series of events followed, with the crew being exposed to the planet after the atmospheric converters started making noises.

The defence of Ash :: The movie scores nicely with its atmosphere, as the new world found on a new world with scary as much as beautiful visuals to deal with, comes in addition to that world inside research station that looks more or less like a spaceship itself. The world has so much of mystery in there, which makes us wonder if these could be revealed with a sequel – like in those video games, there is so much to explore on this planet; there is parasitic as much as modern technology for a species that seems to be something beyond the usual understanding. The blood and gore keep on being there and adds to the overall horror of the movie, in a world that has the creature which would be more lethal than Alien and Predator, because in its own dominion, not much is yet to be known, and there is no easy action-adventure way out of it. The twists work on its way, and there is certainly more than what meets eye for the same. The tension has always been nicely built throughout the movie. The suspense has us on the edge of the seat and keeps us thinking with the main character will searching for answers.

Positives and negatives :: The movie does have a few moments when nothing much seems to happen, with struggles there to get on track after the early exposition of the terrifying things which had happened around there as part of what seemed to be other-worldly terror. There were also the chances to have its heroine at a different level. Then, Eiza Gonzalez comes up with a fantastic work, looking stunningly beautiful on one side, but always suitable as the astronaut on another planet with memory loss and in a seemingly complex state of mind and her world itself. We had known her in another form Alita: Battle Angel, further noted in Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw and as a stunning beauty in Bloodshot, not to forget Godzilla vs Kong in between. In this particular movie, she establishes her with a performance which might be the best by an astronaut on another planet facing her own hallucinations as much as alien life-form – surely not an easy thing to do, but done with such charm and grace. It is all about her, as others just have to play through. We would love to see her in a full action movie as the main character. Until then, we enjoy one of the best depictions of an alien planet and with all its mystery and terror beyond human understanding.

How it finishes :: Ash is surely that surprise quality alien movie which has kept us so much engaged even when there is less happenings around, and reminds us that Alien and Predator movies are not the final sayings, as there is always scope to further develop this kind of an idea – Life was a movie that tried, but did not that much reach there despite giving similar feelings. Then there was the Russian movie named Sputnik which came even closer to doing the same, but back on Earth. There were always the signs to bring the parasitic creature from outer space coming into the picture with humans trying to be the over-reachers. Here, we have the world built in a classic manner, and not really going trying to apply to the audience looking for mindless action. There is smartness in this movie, and the class here will make sure that we have something to remember for long, with twists and a world which we will remember for the technology and the beautiful details. It is surprising that we did not know about the existence of such a movie if not for an Amazon Prime Video recommendation, but the best movies are often the less hyped – this one gets it right, and we would love to have its sequel.

Release date: 21st March 2025
Running time: 95 minutes
Directed by: Flying Lotus
Starring: Eiza Gonzalez, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale, Flying Lotus

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Oru Jaathi Jaathakam

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Vampire Owl: We had missed this movie despite the comic side.

Vampire Bat: We were afraid that this would be overdone, and we were also too busy for this kind of a movie.

Vampire Owl: I am still seeing signs of things being overdone.

Vampire Bat: Well, we do watch dumb comedies too.

Vampire Owl: I hope for the best with this one due to a nice cast.

Vampire Bat: The cast can twist our ideas rather too much.

Vampire Owl: The multi-starrers would still get a minimum.

Vampire Bat: Well, not the case of multi-performers.

Vampire Owl: I have never liked the idea of people calling themselves stars.

Vampire Bat: They wish to be called stars instead of actors or actresses, but being a star is not really a reflection of acting skills.

[Gets a chicken dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Jayesh (Vineeth Sreenivasan) is a man who has closed in on his forties, and has been looking for a suitable bride for quite a long time. When a girl named Sinitha (Nikhila Vimal), who is an expert in palmistry looks at his hand and tells him that this will be the worst time of his life, it makes him wonder, but the attempts at getting married, and the resulting failure makes him wonder if she was right all along. Sinitha had also precited that he will be ridiculed by many in his life and that that the real problem for him is within. He cannot help being careful about it, and at the same time, the family is really worried about him not getting married. His father Raghavan (P. P. Kunhikrishnan) is further worried as his son is supposed to get married before he gets to his seventy, or according to predictions, something bad would happen to him, most probably even death. Jayesh hopes that a leading matrimonial website can help him, and keeps calling the assigned agent Baby (Sayanora Philip) all the time, with unusual expectations while keeping himself a very traditional man who accept no deviation from his beliefs and ideas.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is seen that he has been looking for an alliance for such a long time with so many faces going through, that he ends up visiting the same girl twice. His colleague Suchithra (Haritha Parokod) advices him not to be very vocal about his views which sounds outdated, and this brings him in a fight with Thathrikutty (Isha Talwar), a writer who is also not ready to move an inch from her highly biased views. It is then that his wedding is almost fixed to Gopika (Aishwarya Midhun), a girl who seems to match all of his expectations. But the twist occurs when she tells him that after traveling with her best friend Krishna (Shaun Romy) and after sharing room with her during the trip, she had explored her romantic and sexual desires through experiences together and is now a lesbian – that both of them are in love. But confused people feel that he is the one who is homosexual, after videos of him kissing a man after getting drunk goes viral. This further dampens his situation among people looking for an alliance. A depressed Jayesh goes back to his workplace in Chennai and finds that a few more people have taken rooms in his big flat which is already shared.

And what more can happen here as confusions continue to come in? :: One of the new inmates is Merin (Chippy Devassy), who advices him against taking all these things seriously, and it makes him wonder about the whole situation when he has tried to remain prude, but nothing really worked out in his favour. He also becomes friends with Payal (Kayadu Lohar), a North Indian girl in the next flat, as he has two women friends outside his extended family for the first time in his life. Meanwhile, his boss Babu (Babu Antony) provides him with the card of Pallavi (Indu Thampi) who has been a successful match-maker despite being divorced at an early age. He continues to see many girls, but finds out that none of them comes to a suitable acceptance. Finally, his marriage is fixed with traditional girl whom the family finds for him, Meghna (Varsha Ramesh), but the question remains if at least this one will really happen, as there have been so many similar situations which never really materialized. He even had random people like Gopalakrishnan (Vidhu Prathap) in his dreams who stop his wedding; can this time be a welcome change to his life?

The defence of Oru Jaathi Jaathakam :: The movie is pretty much funny and entertaining, especially in the form of a light-hearted time-pass movie which intentionally creates laughable situations and comic dialogues. Going for the same without high expectations just to relax for about two hours would make this the right choice, and Amazon Prime Video has very less such movies added in there in the last one or two years, this being one of them. Vineeth Sreenivasan is indeed good in his exaggerated, and at the same time uninhibited comic acting. His work with regional dialect is also favourable. The complicated modern arranged-marriage struggles and the anxieties of a late-30s protagonist remain quite reflective. Among the long female cast, it is Chippy Devassy who scores the most and it is one lovely character nicely brought to life – we would hope to see more of her in the Malayalam movie industry. The next one we note is Indu Thampi, and Kayadu Lohar is right behind. Varsha Ramesh, Haritha Parokod, Aishwarya Midhun and Shaun Romy also leave quick mark here. Babu Antony has a smooth stay in this one too.

The claws of flaw :: The movie often makes us feel that it was made in a hurry, and even dialogues feel like they were quickly created to match the situations which were indeed brought to the front to create the laughter, and sometimes, it feels like forced out of nowhere. They have also restricted the role of Nikhila Vimal and Isha Talwar despite having scope, which is disappointing, as most hope was surely around there; and Sayanora Philip is left without impact coming in through phone calls which even feel unnecessary with the regular progress happening without the same. One has to wonder if some of the cast were just included to increase the list of much known actresses in the industry. Some of the humour can be considered old-fashioned, regressive or insensitive, and not working for the age. In between, we wonder where the story is progressing, as it does pause in the middle of nowhere, and struggles are also visible. There are many repetitions which keep us wondering if the movie will finally reach a conclusion, or whether things will just keep happening.

How it finishes :: Oru Jaathi Jaathakam makes its point in simple and often silly fun on Amazon Prime Video. Surprisingly, this release was not given that much of a space in the news about OTT releases, and that might have kept the flick less watched. We have enjoyed movies like Maranamass, Enkilum Chandrike, Falimy, Sahasam, Adi Kapyare Koottamani and Kunjiramayanam a lot without thinking too much – this one is surely not that much fun in comparison, but you can see that this one also serves the purpose enough. Even with too many lady characters played by notable actresses and also lesser-known ones, and despite having a few moments which feel ridiculous or regressive, the movie goes on to its end in an entertaining manner, leaving the repetitions behind. If you are having a fine weekend with nothing much to do, watching this movie is something that you would prefer, especially when not looking that much for anything innovative, special or with the demand for using that much of a brain. Well, you cannot keep asking for the intellectual side all the time.

Release date: 31st January 2025
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: M. Mohanan
Starring: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Nikhila Vimal, Babu Antony, Kayadu Lohar, Indu Thampi, Chippy Devassy, P. P. Kunhikrishnan, Amal Thaha, Isha Talwar, Pooja Mohanraj, Sayanora Philip, Mridul Nair, Aishwarya Midhun Koroth, Shaun Romy, Ranji Kankol, Rejitha Madhu, Varsha Ramesh, Arvind Reghu, Sharoon Lakshman, Sivadas Kannur, Sarath Sabha, Haritha Parokod, Nirmal Palazhi

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Chhorii 2

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Vampire Owl: So, we are now going for this particular sequel.

Vampire Bat: We do not like missing out on the horror movie sequels.

Vampire Owl: Yet, this is no Scream, Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe or anything.

Vampire Bat: This is not Conjuring, Nun, Annabelle or anything similar.

Vampire Owl: Is this the kind of sequel that we have been looking for?

Vampire Bat: The first movie had provided a good dose of basic elements.

Vampire Owl: There is no better master of combining elements than Dr. Frankenstein.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein combines different types of pseudo-science only.

Vampire Owl: He is a doctor and scientist who keeps winning awards.

Vampire Bat: He do not win them, for he only keeps taking them, mostly from unsuspecting humans.

[Gets a kothu porotta and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Seven years have passed after the incidents of the first movie, and Sakshi (Nushrratt Bharuccha) lives with her daughter Ishani (Hardika Sharma) and her newfound support in the form of Rani (Pallavi Ajay). Inspector Samar (Gashmeer Mahajani) who understood the case thoroughly had arranged a place to stay for them, and he had also arranged a job for Sakshi as a teacher in a nearby school, where Ishani was also given admission through his influence. Sakshi still lives in fear, thinking that Rajbir (Saurabh Goyal) and his people of the village will come back for her and the child, and she also feels that they will always continue to have sinister plans for those who escaped from their captivity. The darkness bothers Sakshi, but her daughter is having a certain skin condition which does not allow the kid to go out in direct sunlight as it burns her badly. The school does not give her exemption though, as she goes to school with enough covering as protection, and enjoys her time in the institution.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They try their best to make the situation best for the child. But it does not take much time to have everything take another twist, as both Ishika and Rani are kidnapped by people who seem to be from the village. The police chase them and Sakshi accompanies them. As they walk through the area surrounded by corn, things feel unusually peaceful, with no signs of the missing child and woman. Surprisingly, they soon find themselves being stoned by children in the sugarcane fields and they hold back to avoid hitting the kids. Sakshi finds herself hit on the head, blindfolded and dragged by her legs by children to an unknown area, as police is unable to find her within the long and broad field of corn. Sameer knows that time is running out for him, as the villagers might waste no time in getting what they want, which might be something even weirder and scarier this time. Can he and his policemen get through the corn and save the women and child in trouble?

The defence of Chhorii 2 :: As a continuation of the first movie, this one covers a good ground while keeping the world going. The atmosphere is really good here, as the setting works perfectly with sugarcane fields, mysteries and fear coming together. The cinematography nicely supports the same as we are glad about what is displayed on the screen. The attempt to tackle the issues like blind superstitions, child marriage, child infanticide and mistreatment of women along with the horror elements — giving it more depth related to the society and its troubles rather than just jump scares. The movie further establishes Nushrratt Bharuccha as the one Bollywood actress to look out for, above the usual performers who are mostly products of nepotism and never came close to acting, with Param Sundari being the biggest example of terrible acting by an actress. The spooky visuals, especially in underground sequences which includes those realistic maze-like tunnels, are just too good – it feels like a world has been created, and there is a certain innovation with an Indian touch. The aerial shot of the sugarcane fields with the well and other structures is just classic. Then there is that well that works.

The claws of flaw :: The movie still has moments which keep us wishing for more, and wondering if things could have really been different. There are scares which could have been better, and sometimes, the movie just seems to hold back. There was chance of infinity of horror at times, but taking the wrong turn might feel not safe for the people of the movie. There are still so many moments where not much happens, that too in the maze where there was scope for some creatures, supernatural or not. The strength of horror is not maintained throughout the overall run of the movie too, as the monsters themselves are not among the scariest or designed well enough to match up with the strength of atmospheric horror and nicely worked surroundings. The story does not remain strong throughout its run either, as it refuses to keep the interest of the audience at all times. Some characters are not dealt with well enough. The attempt to go to the message often makes it lose the flow of the story and the horror power.

The performers of the soul :: Nushrratt Bharuccha continues to make us feel like she is a perfect addition in this as much as the original Chhorii. We have known her the most for movies like Pyaar Ka Punchnama, but these two movies might be the works for which we will know her the most and we also see how she establishes herself as a Bollywood scream queen. There is also that feeling that she is looking younger and younger, with this one having her with one of the most beautiful looks ever. She shines as the mother as much as the survivor of horror against all odds, with determination overcoming the fear on her face like Hollywood movies could have in their slasher flicks. Gashmeer Mahajani is a strong addition to the main cast as he makes the police officer role work like a dream, never really overdoing according to the usual tendencies. Then there is my favourite performer from that particular family, Soha Ali Khan doing so well. Saurabh Goyal is once again strong with the brutal villainy here.

How it finishes :: Chhorii 2 is that sequel which would have always been on the list of future horror that is to come. Bollywood really needed some strong horror franchises with some nicely built world, and this is one group of movies which can assure the same. Adding some folklore-like elements here and there would make sure that the effect is something more. I would say that I liked this one better than the previous one, with both the evil and the dark world getting a boost here, while not being as preachy as the previous one. There is also more clarity about this one, and the leading actress also gets more to perform due to her being at better health; the added police officer only serves the purpose further. A certain lack of pace and repetitions does bring some struggle, but the overall situation gets itself at a better level than the previous movie. Not all movies get to create a sequel that match the original, and this one does, which serves a reflection of no ideas being lost, and of still having a possible sequel on the list.

Release date: 11th April 2025
Running time: 134 minutes
Directed by: Vishal Furia
Starring: Nushrratt Bharuccha, Soha Ali Khan, Gashmeer Mahajani, Rajesh Jais, Kuldeep Sareen, Saurabh Goyal, Pallavi Ajay, Hardika Sharma, Mukul Shrivastava, Aarifa Siddiqui

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Kalamkaval

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Vampire Owl: I remember that we had a thought about watching this one in the theatre.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but it is now on Sony LIV, and so we get to it.

Vampire Owl: I feel that Sony LIV has some of the most unexpected releases.

Vampire Bat: Some classic movies are surely around there.

Vampire Owl: Recharging with that Airtel unlimited offer did have that advantage.

Vampire Bat: We had lost the urge to watch movies in theatres anyway.

Vampire Owl: Yes, one of the things which corona virus lockdown had changed.

Vampire Bat: Yet the world remains too much the same.

Vampire Owl: Well, world changes, but how many times can a vampire change?

Vampire Bat: A vampire is not immune to uncertainties of life.

[Gets a poori masala and three cups of Kandy tea].

What is the movie about? :: SI Jayakrishnan (Vinayakan) is assigned with what seemed to be a usual case of local unrest following the elopement of a young woman that was slowly moving towards a communal problem due to the woman being a Hindu and the man being a Muslim. To add to this, the man had denied any involvement in the woman going missing, making the woman’s family even more angry and frustrated. But there is no proof that the two even talked to each other except for someone who looked like him being seen around. Soon, they find out that the woman had not eloped with anyone they knew. As he digs deeper and deeper, Jayakrishnan begins noticing inconsistencies and understands that there is something that lies deep beneath. He understands a long-running pattern of missing women across the rural areas of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, divorced, widowed or unmarried for a very long time, each last seen with only one unidentified man. There seems to be some pattern about this.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: There is also an alternating pattern that after a murder occurs in Kerala, the next one takes place in Tamil Nadu, as missing women from Kerala seems to travel to Tamil Nadu, and vice versa. The investigation reveals that each victim’s phone is used to call and communicate the next target, forming an unbroken chain. To help the investigation further, they seek the help of a police officer in the border and with good knowledge of both state investigations, Stanley Das (Mammootty). The number of victims and possible victims only keep increasing, to Deepa (Shruti Ramachandran), Divya (Rajisha Vijayan), Babitha (Malavika Menon), Nandhini (Malavika Nair), Abhijitha (Dhanya Ananya), Shiny (Gayatri Arun), Anagha (Vaishnavi Sasikumar) Despite trying different methods to get the killer, the team keeps failing and reaching a dead end. They begin to suspect that a policeman might be involved and the person could be a psychopath with a perfect planning and identity. Can they find the person before times runs out?

The defence of Kalamkaval :: This is one movie that dares to go through divergent patterns. It does not take the usual path, but the narrative is kept really interesting, even without the situations not really following the parallel path. The tension and the mood are what keeps the movie going, that too with minimum gore and the violence is implied, never taking over the screen despite all the dark mood that has spread through the flick. The tension goes further with the cat and mouse game that prevails throughout its run. The visuals are really good and the dark tone does not keep the visual beauty down. There are not many dramatic sequences in the movie, as we look further, and there is no attempt to take this to the masses except for those few shots of the main character. There is nothing heroic about the investigation here, which makes it closer to reality, and we see that this one progresses through understanding and observation. The silence is nicely used, and even the final action stays very realistic.

The claws of flaw :: The movie should have kept the suspense of the psychopath at least for some time instead of revealing during such an early moment. There was the requirement for some shock element, and even that surprise in the beginning is delivered cold. This where the slow pace comes in, and we see the same pattern being repeated without anything new being added. The viewer keeps wondering if the overall length of the movie could have been less, thus making the movie more interesting with lesser victims shown – there is not much variety in the method, so seeing the same thing again and again was to be rather dull. The need for innovation was surely there to avoid repetitions here and there. There were moments where the movie really needed to pick up the pace too. The struggle to bring anything other than what has been repeated from the beginning can be seen, with the progress being so slow. One would keep wondering if something extra was there to be taken from behind.

The performers of the soul :: Mammootty leads the way in this film as an antagonist that we do not see from his side. The negative shade is more intense than ever, and remains bold and strong with that restrained evil which is not easy to portray. The psychological depth of the character is very well reflected in him, and could bring more appreciation with its presence in the OTT platform, and surely can have a sequel, or even a prequel. Vinayakan does his police role so well and in a realistic manner. This is one police character that gains no exaggeration, and we are with him throughout the investigation. This is one interesting character that goes so smooth that we love his way of doing things. The female characters only a get a few moments each, as there are so many of them, but it is Rajisha Vijayan who gets to do more and makes the short impact. In the end, it is Gayatri Arun who has more moments. Seema Sindhu Krishnan also has a throughout presence. Gibin Gopinath scores in the supporting moment, while the roles of Azees Nedumangad, Shyamaprasad and Kunchan are not extended despite having some scope around.

How it finishes :: Kalamkaval makes a quality journey with a fine narrative in its core. There is the feeling that more suspense could have been added, but this mode of journey in itself proves to be effective. The box-office collections of the movie is a reflection of the quality of the movie rather than anything else. Being a quietly disturbing, performance-driven investigative crime thriller depending on atmosphere and psychology will deprive the mass audience of what they have always wanted, but in that way, this one raises itself in overall quality. It had worked well through some of those carefully constructed scenes, and uses silence, restraint and visually beautiful storytelling to explore the darker corners of human mind, and makes us remember a few killers of John Luther, Forensic and Anjaam Paathira. You can forgive its slow pace and repetitions and go through the cinematic experience instead. It reminds us that even in the calm, there can be fear and terror, and we are reminded about how easy it is to exist side-by-side with terror.

Release date: 5th December 2025
Running time: 144 minutes
Directed by: Jithin K Jose
Starring: Mammootty, Vinayakan, Rajisha Vijayan, Shruti Ramachandran, Gayatri Arun, Gibin Gopinath, Shyamaprasad, Malavika Menon, Malavika Mohan, Megha Thomas, Vaishnavi Saikumar, Dhanya Ananya, N P Nisa, Azees Nedumangad, Kunchan, Biju Pappan, Ilavarasu, Kollam Thulasi, Catherine Mariya, Sudhi Kozhikode, Ranjini George, Aravind K S, Harisankar S G, Bibin Perumbillikunnel, R J Sooraj, Sindhu Varma, Seema Sindhu Krishnan, Devadevan Vijayaraghavan, Abee Suhana

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Others

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Vampire Owl: The humans have often thought that vampires are the others.

Vampire Bat: They have always kept some people as others.

Vampire Owl: By religion, race, caste, creed, nationality?

Vampire Bat: The first division would still be about money.

Vampire Owl: Human money has no say in our realm.

Vampire Bat: They are still addicted to what matters the most only in their world.

Vampire Owl: Well, Dr. Frankenstein has said that an alien invasion will change them.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has not really seen an alien before.

Vampire Owl: That does not change his theory about the same.

Vampire Bat: His theories do not change as they are all fraud.

[Gets a masala bonda and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Assistant Commissioner of Police, Madhav (Aditya Madhavan), gets a strange case in his hands, something which feels too unnatural, especially with the inability to find the identity of a number of people who died on the road in an accident which seemed to have resulted in an explosion. To add to the twisted situation, he understands that the three dead women were blind, while one of them had died much earlier, not due to the burns. Also, to further surprise, the man who died with them was not the driver, who seems to be missing. The accident feels like created by the dead man who was a thief, but his death, explosion, woman who died earlier and the missing man seems to make no sense. He is supported by the inspectors Beena (Anju Kurian) and Gajendran (Munishkanth), who also try to make sense out of the complicated situation. Madhav is engaged to Dr. Madhumitha (Gouri G. Kishan), who is working at a local hospital, but due to busy schedules, rarely find time to spend with each other. As nobody has come to claim the bodies, Madhav figures out that the dead people might be orphans and extends the investigation in that direction.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Madhav traces three of the dead girls back to an orphanage where twelve women are supposed to be missing. But he ends up finding the warden of the orphanage dead. There seems to be an NGO connecting this orphanage to hospitals and other social service. At the same time, Madhumitha figures out strange happenings in her hospital focusing on fertility treatments with the newborn babies resulting from IVF, which seem to point to that accident in an unexpected connection. There are links between women who were married off from the orphanage and those who participated in the IVF treatments. But it seems that the goons are after Madhumitha now, and they have not stopped or held back in their crimes either. They find the links to two men named Mukesh (Vinod Sagar) and Charles (Shyam Krishnan), but this seems like one end of a chain which longer, and might include the most unexpected people. How far are the villains from executing a plan which seems to be more sinister than one could expect?

The defence of Others :: The dark mood of the movie remains its biggest strength. The medical corruption in the name of revenge is a theme that would become more and more relevant as time flies in our busy and complex world. There is always a lot scope for an all-powerful villain coming out with knowledge of medicine or engineering, as other fields will always remain limited in scope – and Artificial Intelligence can have evil roles in both of them. Quality of cinematography and the strength of the background score contribute to the moody, investigative tone which works so well with this kind of a dark thriller with unsettling mysteries to be unveiled. There are some classic moments which can claim to be so memorable in comparison to similar minutes in same kind of thriller movies. The performances work well in favour of the movie too, with some good villains around, and Anju Kurian finally given such a full-movie strong role with no silly romance or humour, which Malayalam movie industry has not really provided her with. This movie also limits its romance’s presence which is great, and supporting cast also do the job well.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have been much more. The struggle that it makes to connect the dots feel real in the beginning stages, even though it manages well by the end – some of the moments when the movie begins show some lack of effort in making it work better, even with the mystery running smoothly in the background. The uneven execution can be termed as a part of the movie, something which it does not suffer from during the middle part of the movie. It also does not go that well as the movie marches near the end, and the struggle in the beginning are reflected in the end too, despite maintaining so much of classic tension in between. Then the villain being revealed a little early only to the viewers and a little sympathy given to him does not serve a good purpose, as his character had even murdered his best friend who supported him for anything from saving and supporting to murdering and brutalizing people – evil is always evil, and murders are murders, and even more evil when committed on random innocent people and not on the original perpetuators. The final death of a police officer just seemed to be coming, but killing a side character in the end just for the sake of it with only a few minutes to go justifies nothing with almost everything done.

The performers of the soul :: The movie has Aditya Madhavan doing a fine job as the leading police officer. He maintains the focus and determination of the righteous leading police officer as one would expect. Gouri G. Kishan gets a strong character, and manages the doctor role while also getting a nice romantic track. It was also nice to see Anju Kurian get a powerful role in the form of a police officer. From the small role in Om Santhi Oshana to the leading role in Kavi Udheshicathu? and Njaan Prakashan to Meppadiyan, one has been wondering why she has not been getting more of such characters. The antagonists of the movie do remain strong – Shyam Krishnan is the usual villain, Sumesh Moor is the unexpected evil without boundaries, Vinod Sagar the quick villain and Jagan the easily revealed one. The evil in the movie is real, and the anger is felt, and despite playing the revenge-seeking victim, there is no real justification to the acts of the main villain, thus making the antagonist pure evil, with motives aligning with the big villains punishing the whole world for the acts of a few.

How it finishes :: This is one movie which had provided the feeling of being a classic investigation before its release itself. There were some controversies on the movie but not related to the content, and with some better promotion, it could have reached more people and surely deserved more screens in this part of the world which has always appreciated such mystery thrillers with dark mood and shocking revelations. We have always appreciated movies like Memories, Forensic, Kooman, Anjaam Pathiraa, Paappan, John Luther and others which have made some classic impact in the theatres as much as online. It is to be noted that the leading actor is different in each of these movies, at Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Kunchacko Boban, Suresh Gopi and Jayasurya. Later, we also had Abraham Ozler and Anveshippin Kandethum to be added to that list. This one here follows a similar pattern, but is not about deaths, but about something more, as we had seen with the Indrajith-starrer Angels and Joju-starrer Joseph some years ago. With some nice divergence, this movie surely remains an engaging watch.

Release date: 7th November 2025
Running time: 130 minutes
Directed by: Abin Hariharan
Starring: Aditya Madhavan, Gouri G. Kishan, Anju Kurian, Hareesh Peradi, Munishkanth, Vinod Sagar, Sumesh Moor, Vaiyapuri, Jagan, Saravana Subbiah, Shyam Krishnan, TSR Srinivasan, Maala Parvathi, Bayilvan Tanganathan

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Great Flood

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Vampire Owl: I have heard that the vampire elders have witnessed the earlier great floods.

Vampire Bat: Maybe from a distance, as they have always lived on the mountains.

Vampire Owl: The sacred hills have always provided the vampire kind with protection.

Vampire Bat: The hills have always acted as a natural barrier against the others.

Vampire Owl: You mean against the ancient evils which have no regular forms.

Vampire Bat: The ancient evil has kept us searching for changes in a volatile world.

Vampire Owl: And yet, we have not defeated that evil. It lives.

Vampire Bat: It would live as long as humans exist, with an easy pass to their world.

Vampire Owl: Well, they keep saying that evil always finds a way.

Vampire Bat: From our experiences, we can conclude that too.

[Gets a paneer masala dosa and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: Gu An-na (Kim Da-mi) is an AI researcher who had only been recently widowed after losing her husband Shin Ga-won (Lee Hak-joo) to a car accident and following drowning from which he could not be saved. She stays in contact with her parents who keep checking on her, and is living with her son Shin Ja-in (Kwon Eun-seong) in a thirty-floor apartment which features a large number of residents. Living in the third floor, she soon finds water reaching her apartment, slowly filling the room, which leads her to panic and try to run with her son to the top only to find the elevators not working anymore, and the stairs are blocked, with no way to go. The child is terrified, but she cannot find a way through the panicked residents of the building. It is then that Son Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo), a security operative from the Darwin Center, an advanced scientific research facility, arrives there in time to help An-na escape from the apartment. After saving them from waves of water, he reveals that the United Nations had known that an asteroid impact at the South Pole that would trigger a global flood and push mankind towards extinction.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is then known that instead of announcing the terrifying situation, world governments funded secret efforts to ensure survival of the species including a space station and research into creating biologically engineered human bodies and transfer of consciousness. It is revealed that An-na’s employer is also involved in these projects. As another tsunami separates An-na from Ja-in, she is forced to swim back into the flooding building. She finds a trapped young girl in an elevator but is unable to free her as the water keeps forcing her to continue upward. As they reach the roof of the building SWAT team captures Ja-in and extracts his consciousness into a digital storage device, revealing that Ja-in was never biologically born, but an artificial child. An-na’s AI software had helped in the same. The SWAT commander tells her that there is no safehouse that only An-na and the storage disk will be taken to safety, while everyone else will be left behind to die. As An-na is transported to a rocket bound for the station in orbit, she is forced to accept her fate, but can she go on with it?

The defence of The Great Flood :: The movie takes a fine divergence with the idea as disaster finds another possibility or even more. This is surely not the disaster movie that we would expect to be reflected on the screen, even though the devastation is very much there with the loss of human lives and property, with a lot more devastation being talked about rather than shown on the screen. It chooses not to go with the usual disaster mode and focus on all the usual, and instead, innovates enough. It is not an easy job to combine the genres like this, but the challenge seems to have been accepted with some grace. The emotional side is also at work here, and gets stronger at times. The sentimental crisis feels much relevant here, and about humanity itself, there would be questions that remain thought-provoking. The doubts about morality when facing a crisis would remain throughout the movie. The visuals are much supportive of the situation, and the flood is indeed nicely shown. The flood visuals and water effects, from the surface as much as going underneath, goes on well. The strong performances just go with it.

The claws of flaw :: The movie has a struggle in between with the repeated visuals, and sometimes it gets too repetitive instead of bringing something special – the innovation is not that much there when the world repeats itself. That sudden shift from disaster drama to science fiction with complex simulation loops feels too complex and not that interesting to follow, unlike some other movies which have kept the same interesting with variety. The emotions also go down the drain at times as other questions keep popping up. The emotional weight often feels forced too, as we keep seeing the mother-child situations rather too much. The cliché is surely there and going down to the stereotypes also seems to be another priority at times. Some ideas just seem underdeveloped and, in the end, there seems to be a rush rather than a smooth final finish. The movie could have surely been better polished and executed as we look closer. This one would not be for everyone, as the grandeur of the destruction and danger is left behind too early.

The performers of the soul :: Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na leads the way, and she plays the concerned mother caring for her child who have just gone through another trauma. She has her moments, and it is surely up to her to hold the movie high, and the same rests on her shoulders. The concerns and attempts of her character continue to have a feeling of reflecting harsh realities. Yet, she is weighed down by the repetitions that come without that much of a divergence in between. Park Hae-soo follows really well, and there is a certain amount of strength to his character which is dealt with well. There could have been more action to it, as there was much scope for the same. The repetitions just keep holding things back. Kwon Eun-seong plays the child in trouble nicely, but not that much when seen again and again. Jeon Yu-na is the other notable child actor. Most of the other characters do feel irrelevant. They just come and go, or just make a quick appearance without letting us know much about them.

How it finishes :: The Great Flood is a disaster movie featuring flood with a difference, and an extinction event with even more of a divergence in a world of chaos. There is no denying the fact that much more could have been done with the resources in hand, and that movement in the direction of the less explored. There are some classic looks to support the movie, and the danger is always present, even though complications sometimes drag the same to the back. With a visually impressive world and some strong acting, the movie feels like a safe watch, but its ambitious mix of genres and strange as well as complex narrative choices create some confusion here and there. If you are in support of some thought-provoking science fiction action mixed with the usual disaster themes, there is much to be seen here. The journey is mixed, but never goes out of the equation. This is some divergence to be watched with its quality. After all, we have been looking at the possibilities of human extinction as much as the usual disasters.

Release date: 19th December 2025
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: Kim Byung-woo
Starring: Kim Da-mi, Park Hae-soo, Kwon Eun-seong, Jeon Yu-na as Lee Ji-su, Park Mi-hyun, Jeon Hye-jin, Park Byung-eun, Lee Hak-joo

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Red Sonja

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Vampire Owl: I did not know that this one also had Marvel origins.

Vampire Bat: You know that there are so many of them even in Avengers world.

Vampire Owl: Well, this one is surely better than Captain Marvel.

Vampire Bat: We all love the underdogs as they defeat the powerful.

Vampire Owl: Yes, Captain Marvel is too strong a character to be loved.

Vampire Bat: At least they should give her a Kryptonite to balance things.

Vampire Owl: Yes, they could even charge for the same.

Vampire Bat: You think that Kryptonite is available in markets?

Vampire Owl: I have seen a few in the goblin markets.

Vampire Bat: It is a showpiece meant for display, and is not an original one.

[Gets a chicken biryani and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sonja (Matilda Lutz) had some terrible times in her homeland of Hyrkania as a child as she was forced to escape her lands after being attacked by barbarians who massacred most people. This leads to her wandering in the woods while searching for her people while keeping close ties to nature. As she chases a group of poachers who were seen killing wild animals, she comes across their camp which she successfully infiltrates without making any noise. But the emperor who controls the whole area outside forest, Dragan (Robert Sheeshan) arrives at the camp as he looks for a way into the forest and its hidden mysteries. Sonja is found by Dragan’s partner Annisia (Wallis Day), a fierce warrior, and both engage in a sword fight, which ends in Sonja getting knocked out and put in chains. As Dragan finds a map with her, he feels that he can find the other half of a book hidden in the forest among refugees that would grant him ancient scientific knowledge, enabling him to hold unlimited power.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Dragan brings a tied-up Sonja to the open space and tries torturing her to gain information about the forest and what is hidden in there. Sonja, though restrained and helpless, would not give him any useful information, which leads to her being taken to the capital city in a cage. There, she tries to escape, only to have her fully restrained in chains. She is held in a pit meant for warriors who have to fight and win in an arena to gain their freedom. Sonja is set against another warrior Petra (Rhona Mitra) whom she refuses to fight. Annisia asks for her to be killed for disobedience. But Dragan kills Petra as only person is supposed to survive the arena and Sonja has information for him, while the crowd cheered loudly much to Sonja’s dismay. She is locked up in the pit again, but Dragan has planned something bigger. Can she escape the captivity and become free again, while finding her people as she always wanted? Will Annisia get Sonja’s head as she has wished for since their first fight? Will there be peace in the land after a long time?

The defence of Red Sonja :: This movie happens to be a surprise strong entry into a genre which felt like having not future. They have also managed to bring an actress who can act this part so well and perform by blending in – she definitely carried the movie on her soldiers really well with a certain amount of confidence and the ability to handle both action and humour effectively. The movie would remain a fun ride throughout its run as the adventure never cease and so does the entertainment factor. There is nothing like a fantasy adventure with sword fights, saving the world from an evil emperor, magic in the forest, gladiator battles in an arena etc. The visuals that they have managed with the lower budget is very much grand, and seeing the castles, palaces, forests, ruins etc with a touch of magic keeps us interested. Even with the presence of mythical monsters like cyclops and other unnamed creatures, the magical elements are mostly present in a silent manner, keeping it a classic battle with swords while also having a touch of emotions.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have used a better budget considering the scope and epic level of the whole thing set in a world which is different, huge and created for quite a long-running franchise considering the comics base. The first gladiator battle also ends too soon, even though the grandeur was visible and there to be taken. The emotional ending is beautiful, and there are some fine twists about origin stories, and thankfully, it does not go the Mad Max route without that much of hope. The final moments provide scope for the titular character fighting bigger and more classic battles, and adventures with the possibility of more magic – what better than those stories of saving the world with swords and magic rather than guns and machines? Well, this is also about an underdog coming to the top rather than having an all-powerful hero, even though the final moments of battle were a little bit too predictable. But you know that you are immersed in this world and there is no stopping the same.

The performers of the soul :: Matilda Lutz who plays the titular character leads the way very well, and after we had seen her in horror movies like Rings and A Classic Horror Story, the Italian actress blends into action and adventure very well too. She runs through the action sequences really well and there is a touch of humour around as light-hearted action seems to make an impact too. She seems to have owned the role and is ready for that possible sequel in the form of such action queen that we have all deserved since movies like Underworld and Resident Evil had gone the extra mile with the lady protagonists. Wallis Day whom we know for Infinite has a very strong presence, and scores even with that stone cold look as much as the brutal battles where she excels. Robert Sheehan’s work is something that we will remember for the different portrayal of an emperor. Rhona Mitra’s lady warrior stays strong enough when she is there, but becomes expendable very soon. Michael Bisping and Martyn Ford have strong presences physically around there too.

How it finishes :: As the movie is on Lionsgate Play app, the best option to watch it might be to take a good unlimited Airtel offer and watch it among the collection of OTTs which come with the offer. The Sword and Sorcery genre does have a better stronghold here at a time when fantasy itself was losing steam. This is also pure nostalgia for most of us, also reminding one of Conan the Barbarian in its original mode. There is that imagery of fighting against evil empires as there have always been, and also the proven idea that power corrupts more than anything else. With Matilda Lutz as the next action star, and having a whole world to build a story, let us see how well they can try to make a sequel, for it is a necessity to keep the character alive. Both Marvel and DC seem to have a weak second level of characters for Avengers and Justice with a new age and the only exception is Thunderbolts that remain interesting; it calls for characters like this one.

Release date: 13th August 2025
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: M J Bassett
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Veronica Ferres, Luke Pasqualino, Katrina Durden, Rhona Mitra, Trevor Eve, Philip Winchester, Ben Radcliffe, Manal El-Feitury, Danica Davis, Kate Nichols, Tony Way

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Anomie

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“Anomie” with Bhavana and Rahman in the lead, is the latest serial killer crime thriller movie with science fiction additions, not common in this part of the world. It marks a fine beginning to the new year, with such innovations leading the way.

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What is the movie about? :: Zaara Philip (Bhavana) is forensic expert who helps the police in their investigations, but has a personal trauma that has kept haunting her, and even made her brother Ziaan Philip (Shebin Benson) psychologically disturbed and feeling suicidal. The death of their parents, which was caused during a celebration while traveling in a car, has been one incident for which Ziaan never really forgave himself. Zaara tries her best to cheer Zian, and provides him psychiatric support through a doctor that she knows. Zian looks better, with his life with a pet cat and the small group of friends who help him. His apartment is also set for his comfort. But things change when he goes missing all of a sudden, that too after a comfortable sitting with his psychologist. He was going to meet up with his sister, and then he was not to be found. Zaara quickly calls his best friend and romantic interest Alby Thomas (Arjun Lal), who finds out that Ziaan was last seen in his friend’s pet shop.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Soon, Ziaan’s corpse is found at the same area where his parents died, and people attach this death to grief and resulting suicide. This sends Zaara into further grief, much to the dismay of Alby. The case is handled by Muhammed Jibran (Rahman), Assistant Commissioner of Police, who goes on a hurry to close to case a suicide, just like a recent case, as attempts at suicide have already been made by these victims. But Zaara decides to seek answers independently, as she is sure that her brother would not commit suicide at this point, as he is a lot past that – the same was revealed by his psychiatrist too. Her independent investigation with the support of Alby leads to the understanding that this is no normal case, and much more is behind all of these. There are too many similarities in the previous suicide and this one, despite having no connection between them. Soon, another suicide occurs, and the same procedure seems to be followed. This time, it is a lady teacher who is found dead in a car inside a garage, and she also had a history of mental illness and used to show suicidal tendencies.

And what more is to follow in this world of chaos and deaths that follow? :: Zaara files a complaint and soon, the police are asked to act as soon as possible by the court. Jibran understands the seriousness of the situation, and decides to rise above his past troubles to solve this case. He had kept himself away from such situations before, but not anymore. This particular situation seems more of an emergency than ever, as more victims might have been there, and many more could follow if the serial killer is not stopped in time. Soon, another boy who had posted about death in social media is kidnapped, and Jibran has a lead in the form of Prasad Eashwar (Vishnu Agasthya), who had collected details of psychiatric patients, and is a drug dealer himself. But Zaara takes another path which leads her to a former medical student, Jinsy Paul (Drishya Raghunath) who had died in mysterious circumstances. Now, they question remains how all of these are going to converge as each lead seems relevant.

The defence of Anomie: The Equation of Death :: Here is one crime thriller that has the suspense and twists – with interval punch that changes the mood, as we have the possible suicide to a serial killer leading to unexpected ending. The addition of science fiction elements all of a sudden also changes the mood further. This is surely one of those movies which I would categorize as Ranam-esque – quality written all over it with the feeling of that Prithviraj starrer which was above the usual level, no matter how people accepted it – there is the feeling of emptiness, damaged characters, slow and inevitable violence even though not always shown on screen, with the realization that something bad always going to happen – isolation, numbness, suppressed anger, moral greyness, all getting a role to play. The final shootout has the looks which seems to elevate the budget of the movie itself. Then when more revelations come, there is also the support of some grand visuals which makes a spectacle out of a movie which seemed to start with such low ambitions. It is also a reminder that science can be infinitely evil in its core.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does leave some of its emotions back in the first half, as the mystery takes more of a hold. The emotional depth losses the hold and by the end, we are more wondering about morally grey science fiction elements. The main characters talk too less to each other as the deviations seem to take them apart. As the serial killers are a different kind of psychopaths, the dark side never really gets to be that scary in end. The movie seems to lack the hype that it had deserved, and for the same, do not have that many screens to help its run. The slow beginnings of the movie might not please everyone and the movie seems a little too long for this content. Without that much focus on the same thing again and again, the overall length could have been reduced. The philosophical elements could have also been further explored. In between, there are moments which seemed to be created to make things more convenient and some consistency is lost in the process. The ending could have also meant more.

The performers of the soul :: Bhavana leads the way and excels in the emotional sequences. A lot of this movie had to depend on her and the feelings of the sister character more than the forensic expert and investigator in her. The same has been achieved with ease. This return from her feels like something which that suits her, and to the same, she has done justice. Rahman manages to do the same from another angle, and he also goes through the emotional side well, even though getting some mass in there felt irrelevant, as a flawed cop like that of Memories was better for the situation and the overall mood of the movie. Then we see how he pulls this one off effortlessly, and that requires further mention. Arjun Lal has changed quite a lot from how we had seen him before, and blends in really well. Shebin Benson is really good with the brother elements. Vishnu Agasthya, after that fiery villain of RDX, makes a different appearance with negative shades. Drishya Raghunath’s avatar comes as a big surprise, and in a role in which we would not recognize her, manages to make a long impact in short time. Binu Pappu does his job with ease.

How it finishes :: Anomie does not feel like being present in that many theatres, but the innovation and the science fiction twist make it something beyond the usual investigative thrillers with serial killers all around. There is also the strong aesthetics, and even though slow at times with possibility of a shorter movie with this content, there is that effective narrative, which moves well to the multiple-twisted ending. We had seen superheroes doing well coming out of nowhere with Minnal Murali and that cinematic universe of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, but science fiction is a tricky thing to add in Malayalam cinema, but this one has made the scope big and added the same well. It surely has more than what meets the eye, and so is an interesting watch, and I would suggest that you give it a try, as divergence and attempt to create something out of the box requires all the attention. It might still not be a movie for everyone, but we know that there is more than one kind of audience to which this particular flick can cater. A deviation from the usual and a different treatment in the beginning of the year itself – 2026 is surely going to bring a lot more for us, as this is unlike Anjaam Pathiraa and Paappan which lost its way into random revenge and stays focused.

Release date: 6th February 2026
Running time: 135 minutes
Directed by: Riyas Marath
Starring: Rahman, Bhavana, Binu Pappu, Arjun Lal, Shebin Benson, Vishnu Agasthya, Drishya Raghunath

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Sarvam Maya

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Vampire Owl: This was supposed to be the movie we were to watch for the Christmas.

Vampire Bat: Well, we missed that for both Christmas and New Year.

Vampire Owl: The first few days of this year will still count as New Year, right?

Vampire Bat: The vampire world does not go by human new year.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I remember that we never really had a calendar here.

Vampire Bat: There is no need for calendars when guided by darkness.

Vampire Owl: The full moon often shows the path towards eternity.

Vampire Bat: We are beyond being guided by forces of nature.

Vampire Owl: We are not really the forces of nature, are we?

Vampire Bat: Eternity is not really part of nature, for it is beyond the same.

[Gets a chilly chicken pizza and three cups of Yorkshire tea].

What is the movie about? :: Prabhendhu N Namboothiri (Nivin Pauly) is an aspiring guitarist who has been training himself to perform in Europe only to find his visa rejected due to the sponsors backing out, while the rest of the members of the troupe make it to the event. He returns to his home in Palakkad to find his cousin Roopesh Namboothiri (Aju Varghese) as a priest who conducts prayers and exorcism, while he had left his faith to become an atheist when his mother died. His brother Deepankuran N Namboothiri (Madhu Wariar) is rarely at home as he has different spiritual ceremonies to perform in different parts of the world among the Indian diasporas. His relationship with his father Neelakandan Namboothiri (Raghunath Paleri) has also been strained after the death of his mother. He decides to remain at home as he has nowhere else to go with his troupe abroad and no better job available for him. Temporarily, he decides to help Roopesh in his work as a Brahmin priest as both of them had learned the essential prayers and chants early enough.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: One day, Roopesh gets injured while performing rituals during a housewarming. This leads to Prabhendhu having to go through the prayers and rituals himself. Soon, he also finds the need to be part of an exorcism – while performing this at an advocate’s house, the ritual seems to have gone too perfect and they receive one lakh rupees with the possessed seemingly alright. But soon, Prabhendu starts experiencing the presence of a young woman who is visible only to him, and it seems that the ghost had left the earlier host and had followed him to his house. The woman has no memory of her identity or past as she lives with the only understanding that she is a spirit, and Prabhendu casually nicknames her Delulu (Riya Shibu), a shortform of delusion, after he had gone to the psychiatrist and was sure that this was just one of his delusions. As he continues to pursue his music career, Delulu accompanies him, and the two stops being doubtful of each other. But what does that mean for the two?

The defence of Sarvam Maya:: The movie has its feel-good factor and humour going in the right direction, and it never stays back on the same. There are so many realizations here which are very well presented with a touch of humour, and the messages come strong. The protagonist’s tale is that of everyman who is going through a struggle during his youth and middle age due to the feeling of a need to follow passion, and thus is a totally understandable side. There are not many other who can do this better than Nivin Pauly, and the addition of the new girl who can manage the early-twenties ghost so well within a new generation cage is much acceptable. The clash between tradition and modernity as well as the belief in God and the so-called style of declaring oneself an atheist with passion remains in the thought process here. There is surely no dark side in the movie, as one keeps moving within the lighter side, never going out of control. This keeps reminding us that there is only one real family movie for Christmas and New Year, and the hundred crore gross is just the beginning and there is more to it.

The claws of flaw :: The eternity of opportunities provided here and not taken, seemingly due to innovative choices beyond the safe zone not being implemented by the makers. Some moments surely feel like not needed as the movie is a little bit too long for this type of a content – some characters are just around there for the sake of being present. The background tale of the ghostly girl feels half-baked as there is not much of a clarity around there, despite the ambiguous ending being okay. The overall strength is often lost at times. Still, the makers should remember that this is working as a feel-good movie and not horror comedy, and therefore the mysteries are better left understood rather than keeping something for another ghost in the sequel which would haunt with more strength. Even though the ghostly girl claims to be Mar Thoma, there are moments which make one feel that the person is more Catholic with her beliefs, which seems to be a serious misconception related to faith, something which was seen in a more miserable fashion in Georgettante Pooram.

The performers of the soul :: The movie which is celebrated as the grand return of Nivin Pauly to the family audience, surely depends on him to keep things going, and raise the level with a touch of humour and drama. Even then, we would continue to miss that face of Thattathin Marayathu and Premam which might not ever come back, despite the grand return. Riya Shibu who makes her debut scores big too, and one has the feeling that she might be being herself as a new generation representative, but that is done in a really convincing and interesting manner. One would feel that Preity Mukundan should have been given a bigger role, but she is indeed so good, a lot better than even her full-time presence in Maine Pyar Kiya. We do not see anyone doing such a role with a charm which is matched my not many actresses of the industry and she would remain lovely throughout her stay. Aju Varghese nicely adds humour here, and we would further love the fact that he is in full flow. Janardhanan and Raghunath Paleri play the seniors considerably well. Madhu Wariar also has his moments while Vineeth and Methil Devika shines.

How it finishes :: The return of Nivin Pauly and his grand entry to the hundred crore gross is something that we will cherish, as he was always the one expected to make an impact as the next generation star, even though so many others got into the 100 crore club alone or as a group, with 2018 and Lucifer along with the sequel providing the same to most of them. For the return of the one actor whom we had considered to be the man of families, we rejoice, and with no Malayalam movie of Mohanlal during this season, this was always the movie which was expected to be the biggest among them all. Getting into a hundred crores for the first time in career after a long break in superhits is indeed an achievement, and with a fine performance on the screen, he supports the box-office records. As we watched this in Phoenix Market City of Chennai at the INOX, this one surely had enough audience even after this many days and in a city where Malayalam is not spoken, the movie is something we would continue to look with appreciation.

Release date: 25th December 2025
Running time: 146 minutes
Directed by: Akhil Sathyan
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Riya Shibu, Aju Varghese, Preity Mukundhan, Janardhanan, Madhu Wariar, Raghunath Paleri, Arun Ajikumar, Methil Devika, Dhruvan Sankar, Vineeth, Jaya Kurup, Althaf Salim, Vijeesh, Reshmi Boban, Saumya Bhagyan Pillai, Srikant Murali, Vijilesh Karayad, Manikandan Pattambi, Niyas Backer, Nandan Unni, R J Twinkle, Salim Marimayam, Basil P Reji, Viji Viswanathan

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<<< Click here to go to the previous Malayalam film review.

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Thamma

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Vampire Owl: Now, they are sneaking into vampire territory.

Vampire Bat: We do not usually let humans make mockery of us.

Vampire Owl: Unless they can really make a good movie this time.

Vampire Bat: It feels like a near impossible situation for humans.

Vampire Owl: Well, they do make strange dumb movies out of nowhere.

Vampire Bat: We cannot deny their special ridiculous skills, can we?

Vampire Owl: At least death ends them all, the useless mortals.

Vampire Bat: You know that they can do the hate-everyone part well.

Vampire Owl: Well. Hate is only the beginning, the dawn.

Vampire Bat: You know that even death is not the beginning or the end.

[Gets a podi masala dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: A group of vampiric creatures known as Betaals have been wandering in the forests and nearby villages of Indian subcontinent for thousands of years, making the first known appearance to outsiders during the invasion of Alexander the Great. Yakshasan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) has remained the leader of the group since the creatures were created, and has given birth to many other vampiric creatures during his long existence as an immortal. Among the vampires, Tadaka (Rashmika Mandanna) has remained the only female presence among the warriors for the last few years. After witnessing the violence among humans during the partition of Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan, the group had decided not to drink blood from humans whose violence make them poisonous and make vampire as violent as them. But this leaves vampires weaker, and with lesser quality blood from random animals that they capture from the forest where they have set their base. This does not go well with all vampires, as drinking blood from at least the most evil humans had kept them going without any remorse for their actions.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After years of controlling the urges, Yakshasan decides to go against the decision and also turns a number of humans into vampires after drinking their blood. This violation of promise makes the situation leads to vampires imprisoning their leader in the caverns until someone else makes a similar violation which would be drinking human blood and bringing new vampires to existence. In the case of vampires, these promises are to be kept immortally. At the same time, a journalist named Alok Goyal (Ayushmann Khurrana) is caught in the same forest and is attacked by a bear, only to be saved by Tadaka. As the vampires come to hunt him, she takes him out of there and reaches his home with him. Even though his mother Sudha Goyal (Geeta Agarwal Sharma) agrees to provide her refuge as Tadaka had saved her son’s life, his father Bajaj Goyal (Paresh Rawal) remains highly suspicious. But in the vegetarian household she struggles to find enough food, almost drinking blood from the neighbour’s dog. Still, there are more troubles that await them, and it would require them to face bigger horror.

The defence of Thamma :: There is always something about Stree and its related universe that keeps us going. That kind of a strength is right behind here. The romance does have its moments even though not really going too far ahead into the depths. The music is pretty much working in favour of the mood and the songs have different touches here. The visuals nicely create the folklore mood and the looks of the city also works well. The darkness is nicely used and some horror also walks in here and there. The action stays alive as much as the feeling of danger. The dance numbers will grace our world for a long time too. There are some parts of the story which makes the connection really well, and some of the humour comes out of nowhere to create a big impact. The ending nicely sets up the situation for a fine sequel, even though one would still doubt the collaboration of so many movies. There are references to many vampire beliefs though, and the historical connections are nicely done, even though the relevance could be questioned. The movie also manages to take some strength out of the universe which has been created here, as Leo did from its world which was already established with ease.

The claws of flaw :: The movie keeps on missing the opportunities which are provided in front of it right from the beginning itself. Some of the humour would feel too silly to have the funny side going here. There are many easy routes taken here as the in-depth journey into folklore is surely not present here. We are faced with a lot of predictabilities here too. The final sequences are not that interesting and the fight just seems to be there to bring the movie too an end – not many surprises or innovations there too. The movie’s use of elements from multiple sources seems to have hurt it too, and calling this movie an action-adventure-romance-horror-thriller-comedy makes it more of something which is not really here or there. The audience can also have the doubt if this would a vampire romance trend as brought on by Stephenie Meyer a long time ago. As this particular film of the popular franchise did not bring the fame and glory that much, one can still feel that this might not even have its own single sequel. The way vampires greet each other and the unrealistic jumping fight scenes do not serve the cause either.

The performers of the soul :: Ayushmann Khurrana leads the way pretty well, even when the situation keeps on moving to the silly side. Rashmika Mandanna makes an interesting vampire, and despite the flaws of the character, manages the humour well – the look here is suited for the vampire too. After all, seeing a few scenes from Pushpa and its sequels had us feeling that her acting skills had gone missing, but here, she takes on the vampire essence really well. There might not be many actresses who would suit this kind of a vampire role. The best of humour comes from Paresh Rawal who checks out for monsters and keeps the funny side alive – Geeta Agarwal Sharma is also around with her funny moments. Varun Dhawan’s cameo was totally unnecessary as just talking about him at the end of the movie was enough – that one never really suited the movie and just pauses the fine flow around there. Sathyaraj’s cameo was fun though and it is nice to see Nora Fatehi as a vampire as much as the dancer. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s villainy is more related to the looks and movements and there is not much to perform to create the terrifying antagonist except for in the words of others. Faisal Malik also has his shorter nice moments.

How it finishes :: Right after Rashmika Mandanna shows her vampire teeth, we see the Sensodyne Pro-enamel ad on Amazon Prime Video, which becomes the best advertisement that can be shown for a toothpaste – who better than a vampire for a toothpaste and toothbrush ad? Well, this movie serves well in many aspects, but surely not in all of them, especially as Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra did it so well a few months ago. Matching with that particular movie would feel rather difficult here. It might be the same reason why that Malayalam movie grossed so much more than this one, that too on a lower budget. As it is displayed on various websites, the success of that movie is ten times the making cost, while this one has only managed to take home the expense. But a comparison would do only half the justice, as the genre itself has some divergence, with superhero action on one side and action horror comedy on the other side. Still, this one could have managed to do better with the folklore background, as it fuels both of them. Yet, what this movie has done is pretty much interesting and engaging, as it gives us hope for connection with other movies and sequels.

Release date: 21st October 2025
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Aditya Sarpotdar
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal, Geeta Agarwal Sharma, Faisal Malik, Rachit Singh, Alex O’Nell, Ankit Mohan, Vinod Suyavanshi, Hritika Kanwar, Deepak Kalra, Raj Premi, Shailesh Korde, Krishna Kant Rai, Janardhan Kadam, Hashim Haider, Deepak Daryani

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.