Author Archives: Dr. Tennyson

Sky Force

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Vampire Owl: Actually, this is the first time I am hearing about this particular movie.

Vampire Bat: It is the same for me, and I am rather surprised.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we do not miss such movies too easily.

Vampire Bat: So many similar movies used to come to our lands, but not anymore.

Vampire Owl: I guess that the travel problem was the one thing which made it difficult.

Vampire Bat: Well, we no longer go to the theatres that much these days.

Vampire Owl: We are just not feeling the need anymore.

Vampire Bat: But once upon a time, we had stormed the theatres in a flash.

Vampire Owl: We had watched more than hundred movies in theatre in a year, racing towards infinity.

Vampire Bat: Well, those days are gone and we are now people of the OTT with the mobile recharge offers assuring of the same.

[Gets some banana chips and three cups of Nilgiri tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the year 1965, India had given a decisive blow to Pakistan which altered the course of war despite the early Pakistani advancement and the related complications in between. The world had thought that the wars between the two nations have been stopped for at least a few decades. But later in 1971, the Pakistan Air Force launches a sudden attack on an Indian airbase as India was supporting Bangladesh in their Liberation War against the Pakistani forces along with the seemingly everlasting Kashmir issue. Despite the surprise attacks having some early advantage, Indian forces are able to neutralize the threat and capture Pakistani Squadron leader Ahmed Hussain (Sharad Kelkar). The war continues in Bangladesh with the liberation army of East Pakistan struggling hard for their independence. While a talk between him and Wing Commander Kumar Om Ahuja (Akshay Kumar) brings back the memories of 1965 India-Pakistan War involving war hero Squadron Leader T Krishna Vijaya (Veer Pahariya).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Going back to that time period in history, Ahuja and his teammates, including Vijaya a.k.a Tabby, are training to fly for the Tiger Squadron at the Adampur Airbase of Indian Airforce. Vijaya is someone who keeps breaking the protocols while trying to achieve the impossible, and remains a highly skilled and valued pilot in the team. He does the best in most of the training sessions, making an impact like nobody else has done before. He shares a close bond with Ahuja, as he considers him like his father who passed away as he has been his mentor for a long time, leading to others feeling that there is a favoritism involved. Ahuja sees his late brother who had passed away, someone who was also a skilled pilot, in Vijaya and his actions. Vijaya’s Geeta Vijaya (Sara Ali Khan) is pregnant with their first child and is scared that there could be a war soon, and her husband would have to leave very soon. Ahuja’s wife Preeti Ahuja (Nimrat Kaur) gives her confidence from her own experiences.

And what more is to follow here in a world which awaits a war of long reaching hostility? :: Soon, they get the news that Pakistan had shot down four Indian military aircrafts, and war might be coming soon, and despite seeing movements on the border with arms and ammunitions set at the area, India decides not to strike before Pakistan chooses to do anything more. But then the attack comes to the Indian airbases and a number of flights of Adampur are destroyed and some of the pilots also killed in the process. Now, the question remains if Indian fighter planes stand a chance against the advanced American fighters gifted to Pakistan as the commander Air Commodore David Lawrence (Manish Choudhary) awaits orders from the top, which he does not seem to get. When they finally get the same, they realize that their targets might not be the ones which have the best foreign fighter planes of Pakistan, and it might be located further into the territory. If the team can get to these planes and destroy them, it might be as part of a suicide mission. Now, the question remains if they can really manage to do that without disobeying some of the direct orders from the top and while facing advanced fighter jets.

The defence of Sky Force :: The movie works as a fitting tribute to the nation’s heroes, and at the same time, works with its action and drama really well. The patriotism never really gets over the line and we do not the situation overdone to create a feeling of hate. Akshay Kumar manages to make another patriotic movie work, and this time, the realistic feeling to his character has us with further appreciation. He had provided a certain variety in the same through Airlift as well as Baby and Bell Bottom focusing not on the big battles but what lied beneath the same, and this one goes directly to war, and he manages to make this keep a certain level with the skill of a veteran whom we have loved since the Khiladi series taking it to the next stage. Veer Pahariya, whom most of us have not seen before and is introduced to Bollywood this movie, comes up with a fine work too. His strong first introduction is something that we will remember for long. Among the ladies, Nimrat Kaur has a strong presence while Sara Ali Khan remains okay. The supporting cast does manage to do the job well.

Positives and negatives :: The movie might still feel to be similar to some other movies in the past which have dealt with similar topics, and the Western influence cannot be denied either. Bollywood has always found it difficult to innovate too much, and that struggle can be seen here too. But it has that punch when dealing with a forgotten hero and the patriotism is at the right place, having no excessive melodrama which often threatens to complicate things. The dogfights and aircraft-related scenes are really good with the movie as they maintain the classic strength of the sequences while never overdoing the same – the visuals remain in quality and the sound effects and background music are nicely blended well. The predictability is still there and not all aspects of war and that part of history are shown. If you are looking for too much of a spectacle with style, you might not have it, as such true Bollywood movies would have some overrated actress; compared to another similar movie, I am glad that this one did not have Deepika Padukone or those usual names, for the focus would be shifted if someone like her is added, for the direct approach of this movie needs no glamour and calls for no bikini or swimsuit show.

How it finishes :: Sky Force is that kind of a movie which works on more than one level, even though not all levels get the same impact as intended. There is a lot of quality here, and to that, everyone would agree, and when patriotism and bravery get the right dose, we are going to appreciate the same every time. It easily becomes a tribute to the past which had some of the greatest heroes of the nation who shall not be forgotten. After all, military dramas with strong emotional core and real-life characters providing inspiration with patriotism are the kind that we cannot ignore. If you are looking for that kind of military movies which turn into stylish action films with Deepika Padukone in a swim suit, this is surely not the movie for you. For this one as a tribute with inspiration from real-life characters shall have none of it. There is no wonder about the fact that this did not do that well at the box-office; people look for style over class, and it is what they opt for all the time. It is also the reason for success of too many romantic movies, for they are easy to create in Bollywood with two or more dumb people falling in love. On the other side, we have movies like this which deserves our appreciation for getting so many things right.

Release date: 24th January 2025
Running time:125 minutes
Directed by: Sandeep Kewlani, Abhishek Anil Kapur
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Sara Ali Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Sharad Kelkar, Mohit Chauhan, Manish Chaudhari, Varun Badola, Soham Majumdar, Rajat Kaul, Ritik Ghanshani, Abhinav Bhattacharjee, Virendra Singh Patyal

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Prathichaya

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Vampire Owl: We have had some high expectation about this movie.

Vampire Bat: We never really had high expectations from political thrillers.

Vampire Owl: I am not sure about calling this one under that label though.

Vampire Bat: Well, labels are part of life and some divisions are necessary.

Vampire Owl: Yes, even vampires use different types of labels towards infinity.

Vampire Bat: Labels are forever, even after death and burial.

Vampire Owl: Everyone knows that death is only the beginning.

Vampire Bat: Only the humans do not realize the same caught in the waves of chaos.

Vampire Owl: Maybe they need to make a call from the dead to the living.

Vampire Bat: There are no connections to the living’s identity in the realms past death.

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

What is the movie about? :: K N Varghese (Balachandra Menon) serves as the Chief Minister of Kerala, and has been proving his governing skills which has taken him to new heights, even rising above all those tough allegations raised against him by the opposition. His elder son Tobin Varghese (Nishanth Sagar) is a Member of Parliament, a position asserted by Varghese’s influence, and is married to Rani Tobin (Vijitha Vijayakumar) who is hoping that her husband would one day become a minister. His younger son John Varghese (Nivin Pauly) is a tech entrepreneur who keeps away from politics and is married to Rosa John (Neethu Krishna) with whom he was involved in left-wing politics during college days. Varghese wished to have John involved in his politics, but he had remained elusive, as he had fallen in love with communist leader N P Jayadevan’s (Saikumar) daughter, who became his wife and had decided to not let any more politics in their lives. Varghese, despite his busy life as Chief Minister, has remained a loving husband to Annamma Varghese (Sabitha Anand) and spent time with his children.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Varghese has his new struggles as the minister, as people within his party and coalition also have problems with his method of working, especially with his closeness to common people and the quick decision-making without involving other elected members or even veterans or ministers. A case of approving bars and closing them according to situation also angers the coalition members, especially who are in charge of particular departments. But things change when a woman named Nisha Chandrakumar (Ann Augustine) comes up with an interview to a reporter Elizabeth Jacob (Aneena Mariya), which is telecasted on the television channel owned by the business tycoon Ravi Madhavan (Sharaf U Dheen). This brings a new scandal to the scene, as Nisha claims that she was called to the minister’s home, and was sexually exploited in his room when she visited him for a favour when nobody else was present at her home.

And what more follows here as a crisis unfolds in a world of chaos and distrust? :: Nisha had also recorded herself entering the house and the video was provided as a evidence, which quickly means trouble as he had already told the media that she did not come to his house at all. This brings an organized attack against Varghese, and the leftist groups arrange huge rallies to attack him, even injuring him despite being stopped by the police. Tobin finds himself in trouble as he is also considered to be a silent partner in all deeds of Varghese. No longer at peace with himself, Varghese has a heart attack and is pronounced death on the very next morning. John who was supposed to reach St. Pietersburg for a new project cancels his trip and returns. Tobin is considered to be the forerunner for the next Chief Minister of Kerala, but the senior members of the party and coalition seem to disagree. At the same time, John gets in the act to save his father’s name, but can he really do that as political games continue in a world without righteousness? There will be more political secrets and conspiracies involving political rivals – is he good enough to go beyond?

The defence of Prathichaya :: Nivin Pauly as John Varghese leads the way, and holds the movie strong, while Balachandra Menon in a solid role, could nicely manage a character that needed quite some effort. Sharaf U Dheen’s antagonist, Harisree Ashokan’s serious manipulator also works. Nishant Sagar comes up with another underrated performance and Vishnu Agasthya has something more than that direct villainy in RDX. Neethu Krishna’s debut is well-received while other female characters by Megha Thomas, Aneena Mariya, Vijitha Vijayakumar and Sabitha Anand remains effective. With some good performances, the movie shows media manipulation, corporate influence and fake image-building which have been part of politics these days instead of the genuine desire to serve people. The father-son emotional mode remains effective throughout the run. This also remains a visually good movie with nice background score. There are some twists in between related to the proceedings. We feel that there are some reflections of the politics of Kerala in the past.

The claws of flaw :: People might still have their expectations too high after Sarvam Maya, even though Baby Girl had attracted less attention in comparison. There is also a lot of predictability associated with this movie, and people might think that the ending is just usual, quick and too easy to expect from this kind of a film. One can also feel that there are too many cliched dialogues which comes in here and there. The movie is a bit too long, and some of these extended dialogues add to slowing down the overall pace. Even with the new technological ideas added here, the movie can feel like belonging to a past at times, that too with new political situations already seen and explored in real life. There were many opportunities to take it out of that expected corporate level extension to the usual, but the movie never takes them, as it seems to be trying to make the protagonist as too smart a person who can go through all of these with ease and come up with flying colours. Yet, being a little too dramatic remains a weak point – after all, the hero is to focus on the family audience more these days, I guess.

How it finishes :: This is the movie which had some hype associated with it, but never really rising that much when we look at the expectation. Now, available in Jio Hotstar in multiple languages, the movie might get better attention as there is a certain amount of tidiness associated with it, never really going out into that clueless chaos. As a clean movie, a political thriller for the families asserted by its cast, there is not more than what meets the eye, but what is suitable for all eyes. As an emotionally strong one, it tries to bank on the family audience and therefore forgets the rest of the audience, which might have led to its downfall as this genre is not that of everyone from home. Maybe, next Nivin Pauly would go back directly to the family audience with their own kind of genre rather than any other. This is still the best movie from B Unnikrishnan in some time, and it does not overdo what seems to go out of control and twisting out of the usual. One can only say that the political thriller forces could come again with more divergence, for Kerala surely has scope for a lot of the same.

Release date: 26th March 2026
Running time: 162 minutes
Directed by: B Unnikrishnan
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Balachandra Menon, Sharaf U Dheen, Harisree Ashokan, Sabitha Anand, Neethu Krishna, Ann Augustine, Saikumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, Chirag Jani, Nishanth Sagar, Vishnu Agasthya, Vijitha Vijayakumar, Megha Thomas, Nandini Gopalakrishnan, Baby Dhwani, Vyshakh, Aneena, Baby Fyza

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

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sambhavam

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Vampire Owl: I have heard a lot of positive about this movie on the way back from silent hill.

Vampire Bat: This feels like a very divergent movie in comparison to others.

Vampire Owl: Yes, one of its kind, as what we understand from the opinions.

Vampire Bat: There seems to be something mysterious about this movie too.

Vampire Owl: I can feel the supernatural and science fiction at the same time.

Vampire Bat: I wonder if they will need science if the supernatural already works.

Vampire Owl: This would be one of its kind in Malayalam, I guess.

Vampire Bat: Every kind of a movie needs to begin somewhere.

Vampire Owl: So, the experimentation has started now.

Vampire Bat: And it seems like it is going the right way this time.

[Gets a red velvet cake and three cups of Ceylon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Anand (Askar Ali) is a civil police officer who had go through his early life as an orphan due to his father’s disappearance during his childhood. Many years later, he is taking charge in an area which is located close to the forest, and it is a punishment transfer to the middle of nowhere as he fell asleep on duty and did not salute a senior police officer. As he takes charge, his wife Neethu (Neethu Krishna) is pregnant, but she assures him that he can go without second thoughts as the full family is around there for her help and support. There he meets the other policemen in the station, the senior officer Ashokan (Assim Jamal) and the other officers Reji (Vineeth Kumar) and Rajamani (Senthil Krishna). Reji is an angry middle-aged man who gets upset about even small things during his duty, while Ashokan who only has a few years to retirement shows the best of maturity, with Rajamani living through some happy moments in his police life. The situation seems to be peaceful, and there seems to be no feeling of danger or crisis anywhere near the forest and village area.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The joining day seems to be an uneventful one, and as Anand comes to know that Neethu had given birth to a girl child, Ashokan asks him to go home and come back later as there is nothing much to do. Everything seems to go in a usual manner until they realize that Reji has caused a problem with a group of Tamil youth from the other side of border. This is followed by them finding an injured police officer on the way, whom they take to the hospital. From the walkie-talkie used by the officer, they find out that there is another police officer who is injured and lost in the forest. With these calls from the same person keeping on asking for help, they decide to search for the missing man. They make a call to the police station on the other side of the state, but the people on the other side denies having anyone in the forests at the same time. Despite Reji not being in favour of it, they decide to go into the forest and quickly have a look. As they step in and go deep into wilderness, there seems to be too many things that they do not understand. Who all can escape from these complications?

The defence of Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu :: Despite dealing with a difficult topic, the makers of the movie seem to have a fine idea about what it needs to achieve, and therefore the whole thing is provided to the audience without much of a complication. From the beginning itself, we are given the idea that there is something coming, and danger is always around the corner with something strange awaiting to drop in. The time-bending elements are always ready to add more too. The twists are nicely worked with, and the suspense is well-maintained and unleashed at the right moment. They mystery makes us think early enough and there is more to it than what meets the eye, revealed with enough being held for the big revelation later. The setting of forest has been used to the advantage, and the choice of statue and backstory works well to add to the overall mood. Cinematography, background score and editing, all contribute well to the overall quality of the movie. With a bigger budget, one can only wonder what can be made if there is a second movie in this particular series.

Positives and negatives :: Despite how well this has been presented, there will always be some people who do not understand the whole thing, and will remain confused forever. The emotional depth, despite being strong with the father-son bond, losses its power with the repeated idea of seeing the newborn child. There might be similarities with other movies felt at times, but with the setting and background, this serves right in its own way. There is a little bit of stretching as the same thing is repeated in the name of showing different timelines, and incidents happening multiple times, often in the same way or with differences keep us wondering. For those who do not like the basic idea, this will hurt them more. The absence of the big names seems to have hurt the movie, and some more hype during its release would have helped to make this a big name in the theatres too – the experience is something which would work really nice for the big screen with a special feeling that never ceases to leave us. Still, you see how well this is presented, and can always have some time to enjoy the same.

The performers of the soul :: Known the best for Kamuki, Askar Ali comes up with an interesting performance here in a movie which requires some work from the cast due to its shift between timelines and the weird nature of the proceedings would make it even more difficult. The emotional side of the movie is mostly associated with him more than anyone else. Assim Jamal plays a fine police officer, someone who seems to be more responsible than others, and is committed to his duty with a humane touch. From the first introduction itself, we feel that he is indeed a likable character, and maybe he deserved a full run in the movie. Vineeth Kumar plays a serious police character, but we do not see much of him and the character is easily lost in the proceedings as we do not get a character development around there. Senthil Krishna’s small role remains notable, and keeps us feeling that there would be more to him, but he does not get that much of a screen-time to work with. Sidharth Bharathan’s small role should get developed further in the next possible sequel, as it becomes very relevant and well-played with a touch of mystery. As the only relevant female character, Neethu Krishna manages a fine job with the small screen-time.

How it finishes :: Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu comes up with an idea which is not thought about in Malayalam cinema, and this lack of thought might be more about how people would take it rather than that botheration about the budget. The combination of loops with local myths and legends works really well around here, as the cinematic experience becomes something splendid as much as new, with everything working so well, and even leaves scope for something more to come in a possible sequel – there has been some good appreciation from the audience for this movie, even though early reaction was not much; another movie should be coming around. If you enjoy time-loop mysteries, this one is worth watching for its ambition, atmosphere and that unusual premise which is added to our world in a believable manner. The combination of multiple ideas to a believable mode works really well. This is certainly a step forward for Malayalam cinema and we need to appreciate the same, for Thamma–Munjya–Stree-like folklore developement should happen more.

Release date: 6th March 2026
Running time: 129 minutes
Directed by: Jithu Satheesan Mangalathu
Starring: Askar Ali, Vineeth Kumar, Assim Jamal, Sidharth Bharatan, Senthil Krishna

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

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Jolly LLB 3

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Vampire Owl: I had once tried to get a law degree from the Vampire Elder University.

Vampire Bat: I never heard about such an episode about you.

Vampire Owl: It was kept highly confidential for everyone’s interest.

Vampire Bat: What can happen if people know about your skills?

Vampire Owl: I will be given more work at the castle.

Vampire Bat: I thought you liked working at the Dracula Castle.

Vampire Owl: I always want some spare time, and this secret will be helpful for me.

Vampire Bat: Even now, you do not really spend that much time at work.

Vampire Owl: Nonsense. I am always working for the upliftment of vampire community, not for its fall.

Vampire Bat: You should know that there are special working committees for the same purpose. We are together in this one with Uncle Dracula.

[Gets a tea cake and three cups of orange tea].

What is the movie about? :: Rajaram Solanki (Robin Das), an elderly farmer from Bikaner in Rajasthan losses his land to a local builder and influential man Raghunath Bhardwaj (Sushil Pandey), as latter created fake documents to support his cause, and the same is accepted in the local court. His daughter-in-law Varsha Solanki (Sarah Hashmi) tries her best, but as the traditional local court of their village do not consider a widow woman’s words to be of any significance, she has no chance to make a difference and bring some hope to the situation either. This leads to Rajaram, who is also a poet, to write a final poem, and commit suicide by jumping into a river with stones tied to his legs, much to the dismay of Varsha who witnesses their family land being taken away by fraud by builders supported by politicians and powerful men from cities. But she realizes that this is not the case of only one farmer committing suicide, as protesting farmers from Parsaul, Uttar Pradesh also seems to be face the same trouble, with more builders and governments themselves trying to acquire more land for construction.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: A few years later, Delhi is seeing two Jollys in the same court – Jagdish Tyagi (Arshad Warsi) from Meerut and Jagdishwar Mishra (Akshay Kumar) from Kanpur are both practicing as advocates in the same city. Their identical nicknames are the reason for constant friction and professional rivalry due to clients approaching the wrong Jolly, and each of them trying to get more cases at the expense of the other. One day, when an NGO representing forty protesting farmers from Parsaul approaches Jagdish, he smartly redirects them to Jagdishwar, believing the case to be a burden without enough payment. But former’s wife Sandhya (Amrita Rao), an activist, later convinces him to take up the case for Janki, Rajaram’s widow, Janki Rajaram Solanki (Seema Biswas) without taking any money. Jagdishwar keeps feeling that he has the advantage compared to his rival with same nickname, but Pushpa Mishra (Huma Qureshi), Jagdishwar’s wife, has no value for him though, as he makes no money in comparison to what she would make if she sells anything from her boutique.

And what more would happen here as something more is to happen in the court? :: When a high-paying case which comes to Jagdish goes to Jagdishwar just because of the nickname, the fight becomes more serious, and they are even forced to come to a settlement in the presence of other lawyers in the nearby offices. The new problem of the farmers is centered on industrialist Haribhai Khaitan’s (Gajraj Rao) “Bikaner to Boston” project, which is a massive infrastructure plan supported by MLA Iqbal Singh Shekhawat (Raman Atre) and the district magistrate Avik Sengupta (Kharaj Mukherjee). After a number of twists, Jagdishwar is selected to represent the corporation against Jagdish. The case is presided over by Justice Sunder Lal Tripathi (Saurabh Shukla), who does not really want the Jollys in his courtroom again. Jagdishwar nicely wins a dismissal of Janki’s complaint much to the dismay of his rival and the farmers. But this would not be beginning or the end of the farmer struggles, as more conspiracies and acts of evil are to be unveiled. Where would the two Jollys stand related to the same?

The defence of Jolly LLB 3 :: The movie deals with a relevant topic of concern which would remain as something of significance as long as the world exists, and as it takes the side of farmers against the corporate evil with sincerity and seriousness without losing humour, there is that feeling of making it appealing to everyone. Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi and Saurabh Shukla lead the proceedings really well, while among the women, Amrita Rao makes the best impact, as she has always done while being underrated. The emotional side is mostly effective, and the revelations are indeed nice. There are some small little twists that happen around here, and the character development surely works well. It is that clean family entertainer that most people would love to have around among those general Bollywood troubles. This ends in such a way that applause is gained, and the two actors nicely getting into their acts shall remain a joy to watch as the experience shows in bringing the humour out of nowhere and with the shift of moods. Some dialogues will remain in our minds for the relevance in the present world rather than anything else.

The claws of flaw :: As the third movie of a series of fine flicks, this one does not raise its level, and it is a disappointment, considering what kind of content they actually have. There is a certain amount of lack of interest which also seems to make its way here and there as the movie progresses, sometimes leading to a certain lag. There are moments when it gets too preachy instead of letting things unfold. Some of the humour will also be applicable only to the usual Bollywood or North Indian audience, and it has not been a problem of just one movie, as keep staring at the movies that surround this one. The comic side of Bollywood has rarely been at its best in the last few years, unless it is copying from Malayalam movies. As the third movie, and with the characters of two successful earlier movies, this could have surely achieved more. There are so many moments when we feel that the whole thing could be made more interesting, but there seems to be the need to align with the safe side with this one. Well, you know that there is always the need to satisfy too many kinds of people as far as Bollywood is concerned, as nobody knows what offends whom.

How it finishes :: The way in which the movie takes on social issues with some humour, but still maintains the seriousness of the situation deserves our attention. The humour does not appeal to most of the audience, but stays strong overall. There were many paths which the movie could have taken to make this even better, but we would find this one effective enough in this way. It is still not as thought-provoking and humorous as the earlier movies, seemingly due to the need to balance two people of the same name coming from their own previous movies. The mostly engaging ride also ends well enough, even though it can be seen that sometimes the punches seem to be loaded for the sake of being there. The attempt to appeal to everyone is not that much there, but we adjust with that. The core issue of the movie still remains something to think about, and if that much of thought is achieved in a world of chaos and hopelessness for the common man, it is an achievement for the movie indeed.

Release date: 19th September 2025
Running time: 157 minutes
Directed by: Subhash Kapoor
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi, Saurabh Shukla, Amrita Rao, Huma Qureshi, Gajraj Rao, Seema Biswas

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

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here for some extra courtroom drama.

<<< Click here for more of courtroom action.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Companion

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Vampire Owl: Vampires have always looked for eternal companions for togetherness.

Vampire Bat: These people are talking about companion robots.

Vampire Owl: Haven’t we developed a vampire robot yet?

Vampire Bat: We do not need any more scientific development now.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that Dr. Frankenstein would have other ideas.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein and his ideas are surely not real science.

Vampire Owl: They are science, especially after inventing that time machine by the doctor.

Vampire Bat: He just declared that he travelled through time.

Vampire Owl: Yes, and it is truth, as he has proven with records.

Vampire Bat: He has always created all the fake records by himself.

[Gets a choco-marble cake and three cups of Chinese tea].

What is the movie about? :: Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) travels to a mansion on the edge of civilization, a huge property around a lake owned by a billionaire named Sergey (Rupert Friend), who is the boyfriend of his Josh’s best friend Kat (Megan Suri) – Kat still calls herself Sergey’s property, keep or mistress due to the nature of Sergey, yet they remain open to welcoming friends as Kat maintains that influence on the Russian billionaire. They also invite two other friends Eli (Harvey Guillen) and his partner Patrick (Lukas Gage). The group seems to spend some happy moments in the mansion at night, and everyone seems to get along with each other well. But on the very next day, Sergey attempts to sexually assault Iris at the lakeside, and Iris ends up killing him in self-defense. She returns to the house in panic, attempting to explain what happened, but Josh tells the blood-covered Iris to go to sleep, and she losses her consciousness, waking up only to find herself strongly tied up to a chair.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Josh tells her that she is a companion robot that he is renting from a robotics company known as Empathix. He adds that her emotions and intelligence are controlled by an app on his phone, and the love and sexual desire are also under his control. He adds that the memory of them meeting for the first time is a lie, coming out of a pre-loaded idea chosen from many options, and it is her programming that makes her fall in love with him, and the past has all been part of that programme. He adds that now he has to take her back to the company, and maybe dismantle her there, but she does not believe her. He makes her believe by making her speak in the language he wishes to, and also shows that there are many other customizable options. As he goes for one final talk with Kat, Iris manages to escape though, and she also takes her phone to have full control over herself, increasing her intelligence and changing other options as the friends start to look for her.

The defence of Companion :: The movie can boast of a fine cast led by Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, along with Megan Suri’s perfect contribution as she makes that one the most interesting human character around. The film nicely explores the themes of control, need for freedom and toxic relationships through an entertaining sci-fi situation which is thrilling no because of the scientific situation, but the human predicament. The surprises of the movie are good, and even without those big twists, manage to keep us interested. The multiple elements of horror, thriller dark comedy and sci-fi nicely come together effectively while also leaving a few social messages about people, relationships, rights and freedom. The one and half hour length is supportive of the movie’s cause as it goes through the whole thing perfectly during that time period, never too much or less. There is no loss of strength here as we understand that we are quickly getting to a twisted situation, and the mood would remain somewhat similar throughout its run.

The claws of flaw :: The idea of artificial intelligence with a conscience, emotions and physical relationships may feel familiar to viewers with movies like Wifelike and Ex Machina which did the same better – the exploration of the ideas were so much better with an emotional side there, and the latter was indeed that sci-fi classic which deserved all the appreciation in the world. Those two movies were rather courageous with the depictions, but the movie here seems to keep to the safe zone, and at times, even comes up with just the blame game for all characters except the robotic main character. The science fiction mode is also on a struggle at times, as there is no clear focus on the robot either, and its making and structure, as well as the parent company are restricted to a few dialogues. One cannot say that the idea is original, and there is no real further development on the same available data. Some of the character decisions would seem illogical or seem to exist only to create more situations of interest, and the final hesitation of the robotic character to shoot is just one of them. This often feels like an opportunity for glory missed out.

The performers of the soul :: Sophie Thatcher delivers a fine performance, and the way in which she makes even the usual situations remarkable needs a mention. The final moments have her making an even bigger impression. Jack Quaid can also be considered highly effective in the darker role, and sometimes raise the level so much above what we expect according to the proceedings. This is one antagonist who brings the unexpected. Then, who strikes the most playing the side characters is Megan Suri, who is fantastic as the only woman character with a villainous side – among the characters, she seems like the most determined, and someone with a clear vision, and the same is depicted perfectly by her. For a slasher horror movie with supernatural or psycho killers, she would make a perfect choice – there is something about her that suits the genre. Lukas Gage’s work also remains notable, while Harvey Guillén does fine. Rupert Friend as Sergey has his moments despite being there for only a short amount of time. Jaboukie Young-White, Matthew J McCarthy and Marc Menchaca are there in smaller, but relevant roles.

How it finishes :: Companion becomes interesting because it successfully combines different genres with social commentary without being preachy or slow, and the cast nicely supports the same by adapting to the situations. The strongest points here are the performances, dark humour and interesting surprises, while it never really gets out of the familiar themes and the predictable side that comes even in the end. This will never be one of those movies which comes up with innovation in the topic, as it chooses the safe side, but the entertaining side is safe around here. It seems to know what kind of movie it needs to be, and with this knowledge, touches the necessary elements which need to keep the world interesting. The movie is currently available in Jio Hotstar, but you should remember that this idea can be seen in a few other movies which did the same better earlier. So, choose wisely, and go through the idea. Yet, remember that this is the newest version of the same, and therefore has made some nice changes too.

Release date: 31st January 2025
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: Drew Hancock
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pretty Lethal

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Vampire Owl: There is nothing more lethal than vampires, not even werewolves who crawl in.

Vampire Bat: These people are referring to ballerinas in a fight.

Vampire Owl: I have always felt that vampires need ballerinas around for positive influence.

Vampire Bat: Don’t we fight enough in other forms?

Vampire Owl: We should never be that short of options in a world of chaos.

Vampire Bat: At least this is on Amazon Prime Video for reference.

Vampire Owl: I think that I am going to learn dancing outside too.

Vampire Bat: You remember the dancing fight of Jumanji too?

Vampire Owl: Yes, that has inspired me to develop my fighting steps. I am issuing a red notice.

Vampire Bat: You do not need to learn any more fighting as there no wars or encounters in our realm right now.

[Gets a parippu vada and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: An American ballet troupe is honoured to be part of a prestigious international ballet competition in Budapest. This invited team consists of their leading dancer Bones (Maddie Ziegler), a rich and selfish Princess (Lana Condor), very religious and prude Grace (Avantika Vandanapu), kind-hearted and helpful Zoe (Iris Apatow) and her dumb and mute sister Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), and their proud and highly supportive teacher, Thorna (Lydia Leonard). The group is not that fond of each other, but gets together with their dancing routine really well. A series of confusion in their travel arrangements and also at the airport ends them in a bus which also gets broken down near a small town, from where transportation seems to be difficult to get in a short notice. They move into the town, hoping for a place to stay the night until the bus is repaired or some alternate mode of transportation is arranged by the authorities. A man from the town invites them to the Teremok Inn which served as a fine hotel and restaurant.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The place is under the control of Devora (Uma Thurman), a former ballerina who also runs a small crime family. While taking Chloe to the toilet, Thorna sees Devora brutally torturing a man in her office, and feels that the situation is not safe for the girls. She tries to call all the girls so that they can leave, but Pasha (Tamás Szabó Sipos), who is the son of another crime lord who collects money from the area, shoots her on the head as she pushes him away when he tries to make sexual advances to her. When Princess threatens to call the police, Devora takes the corpse away and has the girls locked in her basement. She also burns their passports and cellphones, as she feels that nobody knows that the girls are in the inn or even this particular town. Bones tries to run away, but is knocked out and dragged downstairs by her legs. At the same time, Chloe who was in the toilet, unaware of the situation, continues to be friendly with the people around her, and even gets the offer of a tattoo.

And what more can happen as there seems to be something more terrifying coming up? :: While Chloe becomes friends with Devora’s son Artyom (Krisztián Csákvári) over the tattoo for which she waits in the room, an unconscious Bones is tied up. Devora’s right-hand man Osip (Miklós Béres) drugs and tries to rape Grace, only to find himself killed by the girls, as Bones escapes from her bondage. Princess (Lana Condor) tries to escape all by herself, but as she finds their teacher being chopped into pieces by a man known by the name Doktor (Gábor Nagypál), returns to them, as they go searching for Chloe. As the girls find themselves surrounded by Devora’s henchmen, they come up with dance moves with razors blades stuck in their shoes and taped to their fingertips, doing well enough to mortally wound the henchmen, surprising everyone in the building. Devora asks for Pasha’s father, the dreaded crime lord Lothar (Michael Culkin) to come there by himself before any deal could be made, and reminds Doktor to be prepared to deal with corpses of ballerina girls. Can the girls do well enough to survive as further evil is unleashed on them?

The defence of Pretty Lethal :: This is one movie which quickly gets into action, and the whole 10o minutes of run-time is used well to create maximum impact. The use of dance training as a lethal weapon works really well here, and each actress is so graceful in their movements. When this dance choreography meets some violent action, we have the feeling of class all around. There is also a lot of energy and style related to the proceedings. Even though everyone has similar significance here, Maddie Ziegler as Bones remains the one who remains closes to a protagonist as a leader-kind figure, and comes up with a splendid performance with a lot of energy that seems to come from within, making her a perfect action star. Avantika Vandanapu plays the next notable role, and the Tarot-star blends in incredibly well. Millicent Simmonds of A Quiet Place fame makes this one count, while Iris Apatow and Lana Condor also join well. Uma Thurman has a strong presence as the revenge-seeking antagonist who moves on between different shades while Lydia Leonard’s character is missed too soon.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have used better promotions, as most of us came to know about this one by accident while looking at Amazon Prime Video for new movies. There are also those usual cliches that run through the movie, even though sometimes, it just adds to the overall charm of the flick within the genre. The characters are all interesting even though there is not that much development related to it due to the focus on action – we surely would not mind the same. The movie still maintains some good humour, and that comes out of nowhere to keep us more interested in the proceedings. The viewers can think that this is too much away from being realistic, but when we think about very old superstars beating up fifty people at a time, this is not that much, and the dance steps keep us believing in the world. The choice of setting, and the one particular building and its inside makes another world working like a dream. As the progress is even, there is nothing much lost around here.

How it finishes :: Pretty Lethal is a fun ride which never really stops being entertaining throughout its run; there are no ups and downs as this feels like one complete entertainer of its genre with some fine action and beautiful visuals supported by the actors who shows their skills in this environment really well. Being an entertaining action-thriller with some inventive ballet-based combat would never be easy, but with some energetic performances, this one score very well. If you are looking for some stylish action and don’t mind the movie taking a few things for granted, there is a big entertainer with some moments to remember. After all, we are always looking for someone who thinks differently and creates a movie out of it. This is surely one of them, and it has ballerina getting the central focus, and making an impression like never before – maybe that title could have been used here in plural, but when we look closely, we have that fine weekend entertainer which can be watched with a lot of fun expectation.

Release date: 25th March 2026 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Vicky Jewson
Starring: Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika Vandanapu, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ballerina

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Vampire Owl: So, we are going to have a dancing assassin now?

Vampire Bat: John Wick universe surely needed an extra addition.

Vampire Owl: Even Dr. Frankenstein’s universe demands many upgrades.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has had enough extra additions.

Vampire Owl: So, are we going to have a female John Wick here?

Vampire Bat: It would not be exactly the same, as no two assassins are the same.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I know that Hitman is surely not the same.

Vampire Bat: Different assassins will be around, even in the same universe.

Vampire Owl: At least nobody killed Ballerina’s dog, I hope.

Vampire Bat: Well, I am sure that she has lost much more than a dog.

[Gets an uzhunnu vada and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) was taken away from a dangerous crime syndicate by her father, who as well as her mother were killed by the same group. Orphaned at a young age, New York Continental hotel manager Winston Scott (Ian McShane) had taken Eve to the Ruska Roma, an assassin’s society under the cover of performance dancers, where she had met their Director (Anjelica Huston) and decided to be part of the same – she had taken the new girl under her wing as she finds anger and fire in her, which could be put to the best use. She goes through a tough training as an assassin as much as in the form of a ballerina, and meets John Wick (Keanu Reeves) with whom she has a talk about escaping from the cycle and seek her revenge. Eve fights hard and completes her training by killing a former Ruska Roma member and earns the title of “Kikimora”. On her first mission, she successfully protects the girl whom she is assigned with, even after being beaten up and thrown to each corner of a pub.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As she moves higher in the ranks, turning her weaknesses in fights to her advantage, and completing missions, she ends up killing a man who had the same mark on his hand as the killer of her father. Despite asking too many questions, she is forbidden from pursuing them due to a longstanding peace treaty which has remained in place to avoid bloodshed. But Eve is not happy at all, and disobeys the Director to visit the New York Continental to meet Winston, and she understands that this particular group she is searching is more uncivilized and kill not just for business, but for sport. Winston also adds that a man from this group Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) is staying at the Prague branch of Continental with a huge bounty on his life. Eve travels all the way to Prague only to find out that there are too many people waiting for Daniel to come out, and there is more about what is happening with him than what meets the eye. Can Even go through all these secrets, and find a way to have her revenge in one way or the other?

The defence of Ballerina :: The movie delivers some more of stylish gun-fu, hand-to-hand combat, and inventive kills that fans have seen in this particular universe. The flamethrower sequence and the quick movements with smart kills in the snow-covered town adds on nicely in the end. All of these rests on Ana de Armas’ shoulders and she goes through the same like a dream which only she is capable of living. It was a tough job to match the Keanu Reeves’ mode, and she has managed the same in her own way. This expansion of the John Wick world was much needed, and we had felt the same after watching the last movie – the mythology itself gets extended so well. The visuals are nothing less than stunning, as we see the same never being less interesting. There is also a certain kind of style which is followed here, and we can never stop appreciating the same. The connection to the other movies of the universe is also really well managed, and even though we watch this as a stand-alone movie, those who watch this together with other movies also have the right elements to make a relation.

Positives and negatives :: One might feel that the villain could have been shown for more time on screen and that the sister bonding needed more than the very few minutes that it had managed. The movie should have also been marketed better, as the box-office could have managed more; maybe it is due to the time of release. But for now, you witness the intensity of the battles and creativity of the fights on Amazon Prime Video where it has found the OTT release. The balance of gunfights and hand-to-hand combat is also something that you will not see this well-executed anywhere else. When we look closer, this has done its duty even better than the original movies of the franchise, as the whole thing is not about the death of a dog anymore, as we get back to being human-centered and on parents being more important. I would be more interested in what Eve can achieve in this world of chaos with a bounty on her head more than John himself, and we can hope that we will know more in a sequel or a combination of sequels connecting this to the original story.

The performers of the soul :: Ana de Armas is an excellent action heroine, and it is something that she has already proven as a Bond girl. Her physical commitment, screen presence and ability to carry the film’s most brutal action sequences while staying on par with Keanu Reeves’ John Wick is worth all the applause. She nicely establishes Eve Macarro as a capable protagonist in her own special way rather than coming up with simply a female version of John Wick. Ever since her debut in Knock Knock, that too with the same actor, Ana surely has come a long way with works like Deep Water making an impact out of nowhere, as she has also been the first Cuban to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her action here is too good, from that first big action sequence in the pub while defending a target, then that rather funny fight in the kitchen, and that final battle, all getting to the best, while there is no doubt left about the fact that she is a ballerina. The emotions are also reflected really well on her, as she becomes the perfect package here. Keanu Reeves presence also adds to the over quality, while Gabriel Byrne makes a good enough antagonist.

How it finishes :: Ballerina remains a solid action movie and one of Ana de Armas’s strongest performances of any kind till date. The fight scenes with that particular visual style are excellent, and the tale nicely fits into the universe and promises to bring more, especially as the leading lady here feels like having so much to offer. If you have not seen her fighting in a pub, snow-covered buildings, hotel lobbies and more, there is much that you have missed, especially if you have loved watching a lot action on the screen in the past. The one thing I would regret more than others is not watching this one on the big screen, as I saw how good it looked on an android mobile phone with Amazon Prime Video. You might not find a better-looking action movie not on superhero mode, as this kind of mythology is set for group of assassins, and that serves really well. If you have enjoyed the John Wick universe, this one is worth watching for the action alone, and your entry to this extension will be something memorable. The movie could have had a wider release in this part of the world too, as this universe had never ceased being interesting here. For now, you go back to Amazon Prime Video and give it a try.

Release date: 6th June 2025
Running time: 125 minutes
Directed by: Len Wiseman
Starring: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ghost War

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Vampire Owl: Finally, we have ghosts entering the wars of our realm.

Vampire Bat: I do not think that they really meant that here.

Vampire Owl: There is the need for ghosts in our battlefields to make the war more interesting.

Vampire Bat: Do you understand that ghosts need not always be supernatural in life?

Vampire Owl: I would say that they would always have the spirit at all times.

Vampire Bat: If we were in India then, this could have been resolved by watching earlier.

Vampire Owl: Amazon Prime Video in one realm never had faith in another.

Vampire Bat: Well, they call it regions, don’t they?

Vampire Owl: All the same, just like the ghosts all around the world.

Vampire Bat: Ghosts are real, not in one form, but many. Still, the Jack I miss is that of Jack Reacher.

[Gets a tortilla and three cups of bubble tea].

What is the movie about? :: MI6 faces a crisis in UAE, as an MI6 mission to extract intel run by Nigel Cooke (Douglas Hodge) fails when his men are killed by Liam Crown (Max Beesley), a former operative of the same intelligence agency after a series of incidents in Dubai. This lands Nigel in trouble as a senior MI6 officer, with Liam seemingly having some sinister motives which could create an international crisis, but there is no clue about what it could be. Meanwhile, Jack Ryan (John Krasinski), a former United States Marine officer and decorated Afghanistan veteran who has retired as a famed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) field operative, and is now working in hedge fund risk management at the Wall Street, is approached by his old friend. So, this old friend James Greer (Wendell Pierce), is now working as a CIA Deputy Director under Elizabeth Wright (Betty Gabriel) who has taken charge as the new Director, and is facing a twisted situation, with changes happening at the base levels as much as at the top positions.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Jack finds Nigel in Dubai with his friend Mike November (Michael Kelly), the newfound man is shot dead without much time left to talk, and he gets only a cigarette pack from him. Before they could be shot or taken into custody by the local police officers, MI6 officer Emma Marlow (Sienna Miller) takes Jack and Mike to her safehouse. She tells Ryan that Liam was part of Project Starling, a brutal black-ops programme created by James and Nigel after 9/11. It was a group which was allowed to exist in the shadows like ghosts, and take whatever measures required to end terrorist groups. They were not used to asking questions, and had successfully ended many terrorist activities and the groups associated with weaponized indoctrination. But now, they had ceased to exist due to the government growing a conscience and such strong measures no longer accepted. Now, what does the seemingly non-existent organization’s leader want, as chaos keep spreading in the shadows, and deaths continue to happen in cities?

The defence of Jack Ryan: Ghost War :: The movie begins with a premise that we are going to remember for some time, and there is no question about the possibility of fine development with such an idea. The danger which is shown here is real, and there is always the feeling that something sinister could always happen in between. There is no shortage of big car chases and action scenes, making it entertaining as a straightforward spy thriller with some fine visuals of different cities around the world. The beginning and end of the movie in Dubai can be appreciated as the moments catch our attention really well, and we also see more of the same city in the movie. The team here works together, and there is also a fine antagonist to remember, who has a sinister side which is less revealed but contributes to a terrifying future which is less revealed and more in the imagination. The chemistry between the main characters is to be remembered too. The ending will remain interesting for most of the fans, and it leaves an opening for a classic future for this particular franchise as ideas have opportunities here.

The claws of flaw :: Jack Ryan: Ghost War has too much of ups and downs, and it is more visible as the movie gets further near the finish. It never really raises its level and makes it different from the usual kind of movies from similar universes. The predictability factor remains a part of the movie, despite the surprises thrown here and there. It also follows familiar spy-movie formulas and doesn’t offer many surprises – one can safely say that it never really tries, and there is going beyond the usual here. That smartness and innovation which should have been there, is not to be seen, as we see just another tale in the regular format here. This was more or less suited to be part of a television or web series with this kind of progress which has been made. The villain, even though strong, needed more of a presence and appearances, as well as dialogues; the talk never really has much from most of the characters to be that memorable. This often makes us feel the drag in between, even in not that long a movie that we have here.

The performers of the soul :: John Krasinski brings an interesting version of a former intelligence operative to the screen. He remains likable and believable in this particular role, and there is no exaggeration in this particular depiction. From the moment we meet the character, we feel that there is something interesting coming up. Sienna Miller whom we have known in this part of the world for G.I. Joe and American Sniper more than the other movies of her, has a fine action role here too, and it reminds us of Rebecca Ferguson of the Mission Impossible movie series during its later part. Wendell Pierce as James Greer comes up with a solid performance here, and the dilemma of the character is portrayed well by him. Michael Kelly as Mike November has a comparatively smoother and less complicated character that provides a sigh of relief. Douglas Hodge is missed too early, and despite making an impression, Betty Gabriel had a fine entry, and is a likable character too, but is missed too soon. Max Beesley as Liam Crown makes a strong antagonist, even when he is not present on the screen.

How it finishes :: Jack Ryan: Ghost War does lose its power at times, with never really maintaining the same strength at all times. But there is a certain guarantee about this as we keep enjoying the world here. Those who have been following the tale for long in different times will have further opinions about the same, and a rather clearer one. It still never really comes up with those new ideas to make it stand apart among spy movies of same kind. We are often reminded that all spy movies would follow a usual pattern, and there is nothing which can be done to go beyond the same. As far as this movie is concerned, all depends on the viewers and the taste, as this one surely entertains, and how much one keeps up to it shall depend on the audience. As it has released directly to Amazon Prime Video, I would say that there is nothing to be lost in watching this one in parts when time permits. After this movie, the trend might only keep going to bring similar kind of movies, even out of Hollywood.

Release date: 20th May 2026 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Andrew Bernstein
Starring: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly, Max Beesley, JJ Field, Douglas Hodge, Betty Gabriel, Sienna Miller

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Return to Silent Hill

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Vampire Owl: I thought that we had returned to Silent Hill just enough.

Vampire Bat: There is no enough going back to the Silent Hill.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I remember you playing computer games about the same.

Vampire Bat: Yes, both Silent Hill and Resident Evil belonged to the same world.

Vampire Owl: And Mortal Kombat in the same world of Street Fighter.

Vampire Bat: The computer games have kept us alive for a long time.

Vampire Owl: Your Unreal Tournament, Age of Empires, Age of Wonders, Warcraft, Age of Mythology and Disciples journey is known to be legendary.

Vampire Bat: Then there was the later Mass Effect journey which took over like no other.

Vampire Owl: Your gaming journey has been as eternal as your immortality and our borderland wars.

Vampire Bat: Still, Silent Hill is much more than that, for it is the journey to eternal horror like no other, even deeper than Resident Evil.

[Gets a sea salt fries and three cups of Japanese tea].

What is the movie about? :: James Sunderland (Jeremy Irvine) is an artist who is spending a vacation further away from the city, and he comes across Mary Crane (Hannah Emily Anderson) who was leaving her hometown, the small area known as Silent Hill. As he almost causes and accident which leads to Mary missing her bus, she decides to go back to her place and he gives her a ride, after which they fall in love, and the two start living together in Silent Hill. He also meets the strange friends and relatives of Mary, and despite her warning, declares that their love is forever. The scene then shifts to many years later, as James has moved away to the city after breaking the relationship, and has turned into a severe alcoholic, despite continuing to be an artist. One day, despite the warnings of his psychologist, he decides to go after Mary who had written a letter to him to get back to her. He feels that Mary needs to be back in his life one way or the other, and makes his way to the town which seems to be abandoned, and that surprises him more than anything else.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The town seems to be covered in fog and there is also some falling ash. He also meets a strange woman on the way who seems to be not completely in her senses, and is also attacked by a strange monster. It seems that the day has passed, and soon, after a siren, the town transforms into a twisted version of itself, as it hell itself has unleashed on it, and he is forced to escape to an apartment building where he had lived with Mary. He meets a mentally unstable man named Eddie (Pearse Egan) as he reaches there, and a young girl named Laura (Evie Templeton) who is chased by a terrifying monster known as Pyramid Head (Robert Strange). As they all run away from the monster, James comes up against a strange-shaped naked woman who transforms into another monster, the Spider Lady (Giulia Pelagatti) and chases him, only two be found by the Pyramid Head who beats her up until the creature can no longer stands on its feet.

And what more is to happen here as terror keeps visiting? :: He is only saved by a siren and the night ending, and as he wakes up in the original Silent Hill, he leaves for Brookhaven Hospital where Mary seems to have been taken. He understands that there was some health issue with Mary, and she used to have a bleeding nose. He remembers that Mary was part of a ritual as part of the cult which her father had begun, and the rituals involved a lot of blood. She had also told him that there was something strange about her and her people. He remembers ritual as the one thing which led to them ending their relationship. He understands that Mary has been suffering and there is no escape from her, but he will not leave without her despite the warnings of different people he meets in the strange town. He feels that the town has turned into a portal to hell, but decides to stay. Now, the question remains if any of the two shall remain alive to see outside the terror of the town, as the demonic forces seem determined. This is not one relationship that one would doubt for sincerity, but sinister forces might have other say.

The defence of Return to Silent Hill :: The atmosphere remains the biggest strength of this movie, and it has always remained the same for the franchise. The foggy town which mist providing a world out of ours, ash-filled streets which seem to symbolize something which is to come, continuing classic creature designs and seemingly never-ending nightmare-like imagery makes the movie’s moments a journey to hell and its demons from where escape seems near impossible – it has served the series of adaptations really well till now. From what we know, the movie is also a faithful adaptation of the second game of the series which is sure to satisfy the gamers. The focus on guilt, romance and obsession has the moments which work, even though the deviation from horror can be clearly seen at times. The creature detail remains outstanding, as along with the first monster, the Spider Lady and Pyramid Head got some amazing detail associated with them, and so does the demonic nurses which move on to attack anything and everything. The leading cast also shines.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s deviation from the supernatural to the psychological could have elevated the whole thing, but here, the loss of the demonic world has only hurt the cinematic strength. The transition between two worlds have lost the strength, and due to this type of approach, the feeling of danger is also lost at times, and with the monsters like Pyramid Head and Spider Lady even fighting each other, there is no spectacle like that flaying of skin of the woman in the graveyard by the former in first movie – that was one classic scene which would define the movie series, but such a situation never really came around here. The emotional and psychological depth is lost at times, and the random scenes from past making way to the nightmarish world as flashbacks bring further struggle here. The past could have come together, and the ending seems to be too ambiguous, and one is left wondering about the purpose of the whole thing as nothing much among the actions of the protagonist seems to have made the difference. The narrative is not managed in a manner which is easy or interesting to follow either.

How it finishes :: Silent Hill has been that game which kept us interested and scared at the same time, as it became the other side of Resident Evil which had the horror action running with a scientific side – mutants there, and demons on the hill. That game had also inspired so many movies as part of a franchise which focused on stylish action with a lady protagonist. It is to be noted that this kind of movies never really get that much of a positive opinion from the critics, but we remember that such movies have always been better than what the reviews say. As the adaptation of the second game of the series, the supernatural elements here were always going to make way for the psychological side, and the reality of terror which was present in the earlier movie adaptations go down the drain. The focus on the romantic side would also keep the horror fans wondering, which makes this film not that kind of a world of chaos for everyone. It has its horror, but the movie will not rise that much within its genre, which makes watching this one a choice according to your interest, but is an entertaining journey for sure.

Release date: 4th February 2026
Running time: 105 minutes
Directed by: Christophe Gans
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Evie Templeton, Pearse Egan, Nicola Alexis, Robert Strange, Giulia Pelagatti

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Killer Whale

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Vampire Owl: I remember talking to the Vampire Whale last night.

Vampire Bat: There is no Vampire Whale among us. It could only be a fake vampire.

Vampire Owl: Why not? I have already checked the teeth. The fangs are fine.

Vampire Bat: Everyone with fangs is not a vampire, or even a werewolf.

Vampire Owl: So, it was a Demon Whale or a resurrected shadow demon?

Vampire Bat: Couldn’t it have just been a usual creature of the ocean?

Vampire Owl: This could have been better known if Aquaman became a vampire.

Vampire Bat: He could no longer breath underwater if he became a vampire.

Vampire Owl: Oh right! Vampires were never really water resistant.

Vampire Bat: You have never really listened to the study classes, which becomes a problem now.

[Gets a plate of nachos and three cups of Korean tea].

What is the movie about? :: Maddie (Virginia Gardner), an aspiring musician, is very close to making an impact, and also in taking the next step with her long-time crush Chad (Isaac Crawley), as he feels that the happiest moments of her life are just a few days away. But as Chad tries to protect Maddie from a robbery, he is run over by one of the robbers, and she also losses most her hearing ability to the continuous gunshots. This begins a life of melancholy for her, as she stops playing music and keeps to herself at home for most of her time, with no entry for friends into her life. Her best friend Trish Stevens (Mel Jarnson) who is a PhD student studying gene editing and a social media influencer who attracts a huge fan following visits her after a year to make her feel better. She surprises her with a luxury vacation to Thailand in the Andaman Sea, as she uses her influence with her fans of exclusive social media content to find a perfect place where they could have fun and forget the gruesome past, with her own exotic journeys already making an impact.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Trish also finds a new interest in another tourist named Josh (Mitchell Hope), and they together visit a local attraction featuring a captive orca. Disapproving of keeping the creatures in captivity, but finds out that orca had already killed someone who had fallen into its pool. The park management decides to get rid of the orca on the same night by just flushing it into the sea, where it is not known to attack humans. The next morning, the three decide to explore a secluded lagoon which locals consider to be haunted and therefore not explored by curious tourists. But soon, Josh and Trish riding a jet ski are ambushed by the same orca who kills Josh while Trish manages to swim and reach Maddie’s inflatable boat. The two are forced to swim on to a rock and with injuries on their leg, are forced to stay there with nothing other than bikinis on their bodies and a torch. They try to signal to a distance with the torch, but with no result, as time passes. They try to survive against all odds and at the same time share a few secrets with each other, but it remains to be seen about how long they can do the same.

The defence of Killer Whale :: The movie’s premise is more interesting than the usual movies featuring danger from underneath the sea, as the main character is already set, and the possibilities of the orca is also being talked about. There is also a message in support of these mammals to be taken out of captivity to their original habitats. The idea that years of captivity and mistreatment can make animals more of a monster is asserted here, and supported by the protagonist. There is that scene when the two girls are moving in the inflatable boat, and the orca is moving underneath them, as they look in terror. Then there is orca moving around them as they take shelter on a rock surrounded by water. We also have both protagonists swimming in full strength as if their lives depend on their quick movement through water, and those are all tense moments, as much as their search for anything useful. The survival skills are nicely put into test here, and we see them fighting nature’s predator as much as their own emotions, with this becoming another movie of fighting against all odds.

Positives and negatives :: One cannot stop noticing that the whale could have looked better as the creature features and the effects of the sea often looked cheap, seemingly due to a low budget, but that does not make us feel the danger to be that far away or of lesser strength. People can feel that this is another shark movie, and just ended quickly without adding some extra strength, but considering the fact that this is film of different dimensions, the same can indeed be forgotten. The movie also has us sympathetic to the whale, and makes us wonder about what humans to do to each other as much as to the creatures of nature. There are multiple shots of the main characters surrounded by the orca from above and underneath, all of them making one feel the danger of the situation. The camera shots also keep us close to the characters, and we also go through that journey with them with what they see as much as what the creature see of them from underneath the sea. Then there are some beautiful shots of their world in the end at sea and out of it, which facilitates an ending that looks well.

The performers of the soul :: The movie focus on two characters, played by Virginia Gardner as Maddie and Mel Jarnson as Trish Stevens, with others and their performances being less relevant, even though we would remember Isaac Crawley and Mitchell Hope more than others. The movie perfectly moves towards a female-sisterhood-survival movie in that manner. Virginia comes up with a charming and emotional work, as we see her character move through emotions, from that romantic happy beginning to chaos, while she tries to survive. Mel Jarnson also handles the emotions incredibly well, with guilt and attempt for hope gaining on her. She remains stunning out there as she was perfect in Witchboard, but this time having an influencer and social media powerhouse running right through her character. This is where beauty comes also with performances, and the two on the rock is a sight to behold not just with those looks, but also with the emotional performances. There is no artificiality here, as they strive through their characters’ toughest times for survival as much feelings.

How it finishes :: If you have watched The Shallows and 47 Meters Down, this can be felt as a repetition, but this one also has that emotional side, and the weight of the past, which makes the world of two best friends different around here. In between, there are some beautiful moments, as the emotions surely have more than one side. If you like creature thrillers with a touch of deviation, but never losing the survival mode, this would be entertaining. If you are expecting a big budget classic with realistic orca behaviour with terrifying high budget world on the level of grand shark attacks, this might lag behind at times. The movie is available of Lionsgate Play which would come as an addition with the usual Airtel unlimited recharges, and therefore is an easy watch, in the form of a never-boring survival adventure with hidden human emotions that power through, while compassion, remorse, guilt and forgiveness remains themes to look out for, even though not always coming to the front in a direct manner. You know if you like the survival mode, like in Survive, Oxygen, Meander, Nowhere, Crawl etc.

Release date: 6th March 2026 (Asia)
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Jo-Anne Brechin
Starring: Virginia Gardner, Mel Jarnson, Mitchell Hope, Isaac Crawley, Ron Smuck, Aliandra Calabrese, Mia Grunwalkd, Shinji Ikefuji, Scott James

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vash 2

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Vampire Owl: This would feel like a strange way to watch a sequel.

Vampire Bat: We are watching the second part of a Gujarati film which we watched in Hindi.

Vampire Owl: It would not have been too strange if the story was not somewhat changed.

Vampire Bat: Well, it seems that Bollywood takes liberties with everything except Drishyam.

Vampire Owl: Bollywood should have wanted the same in that case too, but not allowed.

Vampire Bat: Bollywood just takes out of the best out of its essence multiple times.

Vampire Owl: Thanks to the OTTs, we still have other choices.

Vampire Bat: The choices that we make never really matter.

Vampire Owl: It matters for us.

Vampire Bat: Just what matters for immortal matters.

[Gets a pina colada and three cups of sweet tea].

What is the movie about? :: Atharva (Hitu Kanodia) has gone past the terrifying incidents which he had to face under the influence of a man practicing black magic, but the feeling never really leaves him as his daughter Aarya (Janki Bodiwala) still remains under a dark influence – even after twelve years, goes on with her life with a smile on her face, as she grows up and her body changes, but nothing else does. As she does nothing else than that particular smile, this would be more or less like a paralysis. It keeps reminding him of that supernatural grip which remains even after he had imprisoned and tortured the man responsible for her state. He hopes for a better situation and continues to care for her, but knows that future is bleak. It is during the same time that ten schoolgirls jump from the top of a school together, despite the pleas of the headmistress, teachers and security, telling them that an uncle told them to do so, and they have no option but to obey his orders without questioning.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: This leaves the headmistress Rashmika (Monal Gajjar) scarred, while parents of all students including the remaining ones as well as the police storm into the school compound while it becomes nation-wide news. But very soon, more chaos unleashes as the girls ask for one man to be found, and warns that there would be some bigger terror to be unleashed. Soon, several other girls who had food in the same canteen behave violently and manages to break out of the school campus, attacking strangers including children, destroying property, and setting vehicles and buildings on fire. Stopping the girls seem to bring more trouble as they keep attacking everyone and also themselves if restricted. Some of the parents manage to come in and try to take their children home, but the girls are not ready to leave with them, and ask for the particular man to be found before next wave of evil is unleashed. The police have no clue about what is happening, as things seem to be outside their payroll, and some of them also gets injured in the process.

And what more is to follow here as evil keeps finding its way of nowhere? :: Atharva who finds out about the situation from news, gets to the school, and declares him to be the one who has the man whom they search and can solve this particular problem. These strange incidents are revealed to be the result of certain mind control charm orchestrated by Rajnath (Hiten Kumar), the younger brother of the black magician whom Atharva had captured. Unlike his imprisoned brother, Rajnath is more after control and seeks to establish his own power through chaos that nobody can ever imagine. He considers his brother to be better than him, as he lacks one special spell which could lead to his way towards world domination. He seeks to find his brother and learn it from him, making him complete. Atharva finds the man in the canteen, as he had hidden himself before pretending to be a worried parent of one of the girls and coming straight to view. Now, the question remains if Atharva can end this evil once and all, and whether his own daughter can finally get better.

The defence of Vash Level 2 :: This is one movie that gains momentum early itself, and that scene of jumping from the top of school is further complemented by similar scenes, as this one feels more zombie-like, and with the realization that evil never ends even if goodness has a limit. The performances of Hitu Kanodia and Hiten Kumar are very much convincing, and we can see that they never really try to overdo this either, as the work is stable and even in a fantasy situation, there are enough realistic moments to keep a balance. The clash between morality and selfishness can also be seen in between. If you have enjoyed Stree, Munjya, Thamma and other folk-tale horror, you would want to keep the eyes for the full-horror experience here, as the local mode of fear also has its say in a world of The Conjuring and its unlimited membership camapign in horror. After all, black magic and witchcraft go a long way back here too, and there has been more terrifying tales ready to inspire horror-makers as long as one would feel the need for the same.

Positives and negatives :: The movie can be considered to be moving smoothly towards that classic ending, and it also leaves the viewers with the relief that evil has been nicely vanquished, and even without that grand a spectacle, there is a fine resolution that we are going to remember. There is no loss of strength for this movie in between either, and the pace is maintained well. Janki Bodiwala is restricted to a nothing role, and that is depressing because she was the strongest point of the franchise, and most people would have the same opinion about her work. Her place on the posters would make one feel like she would have a big role to play, but that never really happens here. If a comparison to the earlier movie is made, I would have to say that this one does not manage to come up with that much of a strength. The movie could have had that knock-out experience which could make it the sequel that thrives on the first; maybe the Bollywood version would have too much of it, but we would have to wait for the same. After all, mind control has no limits.

How it finishes :: Most of us have only watched the Bollywood version, Shaitaan, which was not this much dark in comparison, and we are quickly made to realize that the proceedings and ending of that particular movie was different from the Gujarati original. The movie beginning without that Bollywood overdose of things itself is a reminder of the same – we all remember how Drishyam’s Hindi versions whether original or sequel could not survive without some extra unnecessary additions or changes here and there, even though they were small and not relevant. Well, this movie had gained its power right at the beginning itself, and its remake would also have the same, as there would be a number of changes that need to be there with the Hindi edition, whenever it comes. With that movie’s ending, one can be sure that Janki Bodiwala will get a better role to play around there as the main characters had a rather positive finish with the Bollywood trying to keep its world as usual and appealing to its common audience. This movie is a fine sequel, and leaves us with hope about it too.

Release date: 27th August 2025
Running time: 103 minutes
Directed by: Krishnadev Tagnik
Starring: Janki Bodiwala, Hitu Kanodia, Hiten Kumar, Monal Gajjar

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Together

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Vampire Owl: We, the vampires have been together for an eternity.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that there is more about togetherness in this movie.

Vampire Owl: So, you think that there is not enough of the same among us.

Vampire Bat: Togetherness is not something that can be evaluated.

Vampire Owl: At least the movie is on Amazon Prime Video to be evaluated.

Vampire Bat: I wonder about the kind of supernatural present in that movie.

Vampire Owl: Should I consult the parapsychologist Dr. Frankenstein on the matter?

Vampire Bat: When did Mr. Frankenstein graduate in psychology?

Vampire Owl: He has so many graduations that we will never know all of them.

Vampire Bat: This Frank needs to be reported to Uncle Dracula for his fake degrees.

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

What is the movie about? :: A man has been searching for a missing couple with his two dogs. But after the unsuccessful search, he finds the dogs fused together as one. A few days later, Tim Brassington (Dave Franco) and Millie Wilson (Alison Brie), a couple going through an emotional path, and at the same time, latter finds a job of teaching elementary school English. Tim has been trying to make his mark as a musician, but has not been himself since the memories of his dead parents have been haunting him. Millie proposes to Tim at a going away party held by their friends but, he shows some hesitation which makes them further ponder over their relationship. As Millie meets her new co-worker Jamie McCabe (Damon Herriman), he tells them about the interesting walking trails near their home that goes deep into the woods and remains a beautiful view. While hiking through such path, they fall into an underground cave and decide to camp inside for the night due to the rain getting heavier. Tim drinks from a pool of water but Millie does not.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As they wake up on the next morning, Tim and Millie find their legs stuck with each other with some material which looks like glue, but they are able to separate them without much difficulty, and feels that it was some random sticky thing of fungal nature. Tim feels like he is physically and brutally drawn towards Millie, which leads to complicated situations which makes them feel that this is a psychological problem. The doctor that Tim sees also dismisses the incidents as panic attacks and asks him to use some muscle relaxant pills, and reminds him that the place has its charm, but also dangers, as a local couple had also gone missing. Tim looks at the news and also at the social media pages of the couple, and finds out that these particular couple had also visited the same cave, identified by some of the marked bells outside and some signs on walls of the cave. Jamie arrives at their place and welcomes them to the neighborhood, and they have a dinner together.

And what more can happen as the couple seems to be confused in between? :: The couple recounts their experience at the cave, which Jamie explains was a hippie-type church which had some activities which were considered strange for the commonly accepted churches. He adds on that people who got better options moved away to cities with their families, the church was abandoned, and became part of the cave system, as time passed. He adds that this is not a terrifying Satan worshipping cult of anything, and no followers of the same remains there. Even though Millie drops Tim off at the train station for his journey to the city for a musical programme, he experiences another episode of being attracted to her and immediately goes to Millie’s school, much to her surprise, as he gets on to her. This time, she is also attracted to him, but she denies the same, but it the strange attraction would come to her at night too, and the mystery deepens. Can they get out of this as they seem to be getting attached to each other, and this seems to be a problem to which there is no solution?

The defence of Together :: The romantic drama mixed with disturbing body horror is something unusual, and thus provides a fresh feeling that will keep the audience interested. It is nice to see that this becomes a metaphor for interdependent relationships and also signifies the need for togetherness in a relationship rather than keeping on separating each other – as it says in the Holy Bible: “A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24. This seems to be a strange coming together of the same, as at least the same thought process should guide a relationship, as the fusion of ideology will guide them better; something which could often include religious ideology. In this case, everything is shown with that body horror that stays effective, and the fear factor is surely active, and it includes being scared of losing identity. Alison Brie with Dave Franco of Now You See Me and Nerve do manage to bring some real chemistry, as they are also real-life couple, despite the former at times looking much older. Their moments together are very good with a certain amount of love which feels apart, but so much longing to be together, like the body horror itself calls for. Disturbing transformations and dark humour remain effective too.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains repetitive in parts, and there seems to be moments when nothing much past. There is also a little too much useless time spent in pondering over the past of the main male character when it could have easily gone on with just a small mention of the same, thus making the length of the movie exact as intended. The narrative just goes on the usual path with the couple story while moving towards the fresh twists. The mixture of romance and body horror does not always work the best, and signs can be seen here – some people can even find part of this to be gross, thus justifying its rating in India. Some cringe moments are also present and dialogues get a little too weak at times. The emotional connection could have been also more, as the romantic background is already set. There is also the need for a lot more explanations with this one, as the weird mode keeps on being active. We can see the chance for some people clearly missing out on the idea.

How it finishes :: If you are looking for experimental horror with focus on the body-based terror, this might be the movie for you, as performances and hidden ideas and messages also seem to come in here and there, despite there is nothing too grand about it with moments where the movie just seems like a usual random journey that stays repetitive. Even if togetherness story is your key, this will be your relationship-focused tale with a dark twist, as the darkness would take the whole world to something beyond comprehension. But you are not to look for fast-paced and plot-drive works with this one. But seeing the fusion of the couple, you might not stop feeling that there is the need for togetherness coming from religious scriptures fulfilled right here, whether some subterranean or alien entity is involved in the process. After all, we know that there shall always be too many things that we do not understand, and can stay on the mysterious side; and so we go through this movie, and enjoy the same in moments, with one final shot of togetherness with innovation. Still, the body horror of The Substance remains one of its kind.

Release date: 30th July 2025
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Michael Shanks
Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Mia Morrissey, Karl Richmond, Damon Herriman, Jack Kenny, Francesca Waters, Sarah Lang, Aljin Abella, Rob Brown, Charlie Lees, M J Dorning, Ellora Iris, Melanie Beddie, Rom Considine, Nancy Finn, Flynn Wandin, Mark Robinsom, Michael Shanks. Sunny S Walia

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Osiris

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Vampire Owl: A movie about the Egyptian god who brings the dead back to life?

Vampire Bat: I feel that there will be only a small connection.

Vampire Owl: The name should actually be associated with us as we come back from the dead.

Vampire Bat: The vampire elders do not approve of the dead given more importance than the undead.

Vampire Owl: Is there any undead who do not come from the dead?

Vampire Bat: The undead are also summoned through magic.

Vampire Owl: Aren’t they the animated skeletons of necromancers and northern witches?

Vampire Bat: And they call us the animated ones.

Vampire Owl: The necromancers have been banished for too long.

Vampire Bat: There are still the necromancer vampires.

[Gets an avocado shake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: US Special Forces on a mission in the desert, Kelly (Max Martini), Rhodie (LaMonica Garrett), Jax (Jaren Mitchell), Reyes (Michael Irby), Gibbs (David Meadows), Nash (Linds Edwards), Bull (Dawson Towery) and Scars (Stanley White Jr) find themselves in a tough battle on the ground, only to find something else also coming up. They are abducted by some strange floating structure of gigantic proportions that appears on the sky after unleashing some kind of weapon on the ground. The floating structure seemed to cause enough havoc on the ground, much more than what was happening around. After a series of nightmares, those who survived awaken, disoriented and confined within some stasis pods, on what seems to be an alien spaceship or an extra-terrestrial building, maybe even located outside the planet. The structure seems to be scientifically advanced, with very less lighting, even though not without stains and dirt, as if straight out of a realistic first-person shooter game.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As the soldiers further explore the areas, they come across skinned human corpses hanging from above and unfamiliar but seemingly advanced weapons and technology. They also find a struggling young Russian woman Ravishka (Brianna Hildebrand) who is tightly chained to a pole, and as they rescue her, they meet her captors too. The captors are strange creatures, tall, eyeless humanoids with armored skin, sharp claws and energy-based weapons and shields. They keep fighting their way with the help of alien devices which they manage to take from the fallen ones. Ravishka tells them that she feels that she is from around there as she has been around for a long time, and explains that the ship collects humans to be processed as food. She guides them in a journey away from danger through lesser-traveled maintenance tunnels. After a series of encounters with aliens and near-death situations, they fall into a pool of blood filled with remains of dead humans.

What more happens here as aliens seem to be near-invincible and ready for food? :: They are rescued by another survivor named Anya (Linda Hamilton), Ravishka’s mother, who tells them that she has been there for a very long time, and was part of a Russian team which tried to fight the aliens who tried to take over the world. None of them are left now with the last group being captured with Ravishka and brutally murdered. Now, they have to depend on the newly found friends. There, they realize some of the strangest truths about what happened on Earth and how aliens have been going about. They have now lost almost half their soldiers, and are only fortified better with the alien weapons and ammunitions – but the aliens are tracking them through heat signatures and sound. After knowing more, they realize that they have a bigger mission than they thought about and it would be tougher than ever. Can they accomplish that without losing any more of their people?

The defence of Osiris :: The movie has some fast-paced combat that keeps us interested at all times. The signs are shown early enough with the first battle in the desert before the aliens’ arrival, and points to some military warfare more than a random alien invasion. The shootouts feel great from the desert to the alien ship and we have an action game mode feeling going on here. The details are very good, with the spaceship having a classic look, and aliens looking like part of a fine design. There are those moments when we first see the aliens, and the second just before that, which kept us at the edge of the seat like not many other alien movies could do. These are the kind of aliens that we can accept more than any other, and brings some nostalgia back to us. The action feels classic, and we are reminded of Doom in its multiple forms as aliens are no less than demons either, even supported further by some dialogues spoken. The intensity of the battles keeps a certain level at all times. The need for survival is always there, hoping against hopelessness.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not go deep into the material, and is happy with the surface level journey. There seems to be a little bit too much dependance on the early science fiction movies, including Alien and Predator as well as those sequels. The innovation was there to be taken, but it does not come to the front. The script could have used a push, with more classic elements, and as we see how the movie ended, there could have been more clues in between, with better connection to the title. By the end of the movie, saving the girl gets too much of an attention despite her being introduced as a fighter in captivity in the beginning. Some of the characters are just there for the sake of being there, and even the main characters seem to get less attention to their detail. The moments of survival and twists could have also been better written to create better impact, and alien invasions could have been explained with visuals. There were so many opportunities to make the situations more and more interesting.

How it finishes :: There was always scope for so much more, but that much is not taken here, with the safe zone seemingly the place to be, without that extra innovation. There are not many deviations which seem to be in the mind of the makers which could come out of the box. Still, this remains a very much entertaining journey – there is no boring moment as you are transported to this dangerous world. It is that strong sci-fi action entertainer rather than a thoughtful science-fiction movie. The fast-paced action, alien attacks and nostalgic appeal the best for some time-pass watch rather than provoking thoughts. But some struggle in writing, predictability in plotting, and thin character development keep it from standing out within its genre or leaving a lasting impact. It feels more like a derivative sci-fi action film that never ceases to be entertaining, and also has a scary side taking it close to another genre, as we wonder if this could also become a successful computer game in future.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: William Kaufman
Starring: Max Martini, Brianna Hildebrand, LaMonica Garrett, Linds Edwards, Jaren Mitchell, David Meadows, Michael Irby, Linda Hamilton

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

It Feeds

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Vampire Owl: It should not be it, for it should be a he or she.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that they are not talking about vampires.

Vampire Owl: Who feeds better than vampires these days?

Vampire Bat: Who follows better? Then it should be “It Follows”.

Vampire Owl: What is there to follow for us?

Vampire Bat: We follow art, and we further follow beauty beyond exceptions.

Vampire Owl: You still think that there is beauty in this world of chaos and destruction.

Vampire Bat: The beauty of chaos cannot be taken out of the equation.

Vampire Owl: The vampire elders have always absorbed power out of chaos nodes.

Vampire Bat: Chaos nodes have powered the vampire animation for centuries.

[Gets a parippu vada and three cups of Coonoor tea].

What is the movie about? :: Cynthia (Ashley Greene) is an experienced psychiatrist who is also able to see into the minds of her patients, identifying the exact problem, as she basically walks inside that world of their minds. Through these special skills, she has solved a number of problems faced by her patients, some of them actually clueless until meeting Cynthia. Her daughter Jordan (Ellie O’Brien) is very much supportive of the same, and she comes across a girl named Riley (Shayelin Martin) who comes to visit Cynthia as advised by Agatha (Juno Rinaldi), a friendly woman who was cured by a visit. But the girl’s father Randall (Shawn Ashmore) also arrives all of a sudden and takes her away, asking Jordan not to be bothered about her, but not before Cynthia has a quick glimpse of a creature that looks from under Riley’s shoulder. Jordan talks about Riley, and how she was talking about someone who always accompanies her, but is only visible to her, and when Cynthia says that she saw something, she asks her to help her.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The Creature (Brooklyn Marshall) reminds Cynthia of a troubled past, and the attempts which had made her husband commit suicide after they had gone after such supernatural troubles. Even now, Cynthia has been very careful, even with her psychiatric journeys so that nothing goes out of control and comes back to her, causing trouble to her family again. Therefore, she rejects the possibility of helping the girl who seems to be too much affected by some terrible force of darkness, an entity belonging pure evil and chaos. Still, Riley’s claim that a supernatural entity has been feeding off of her, makes Jordan determined to help the girl at all costs. She goes to meet Agatha despite Cynthia’s warnings, and finds the address of the girl and her father. But soon, she finds her tied up firmly to a chair, not able to move any part of her body at all. Her jacket is removed, and as the girl places her hands on Jordan’s shoulder and upper arm, she sees the creature for the first time, touching her, and burning her body. Now, can she escape from this family and the creature that seems to be also feeding off her?

The defence of It Feeds :: The wraith-like entity with an extremely creepy burnt skull and long fingers is visually terrifying enough to keep haunting people in their nightmares. The creature on its throne is a majestic visual of a demonic rule that could cross over from its world to the human lands. The looks are as much disturbing as a terribly burnt corpse which has come back alive without much of the body left. At the same time, the movie explores trauma, fear and healing of wounds of the past while emotions run right through, as the creatures becomes unable to feed on any of them from the past and present. The continuous present of the dark lighting makes sure that something is going to happen all the time, while tense scenes during the supernatural and sudden scares from out of the world keep the horror going for the fans. The situations outside this world are nicely created and there is a certain amount of quality related to the same. With the available elements, the movie has managed to be worth the time.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not feel like original, as elements of other movies seem to have come across here to become this film, the combination of many things, not many of them coming up as an innovation, even when there was the chance to take this further. The content here seems to rather less, and some of the moments seem to be there just to point to the jump scares. The nice poster surely gave the feeling that there would be more around here with horror level to be increased much more. Then, there are times when movie losses its connection despite having ideas active here and there. The characters also show the tendency to overdo things. The movie also seems to end up with the negative idea that helping people without second thoughts is not always the best thing to do; but that being truth is not to be avoided. The world remains uneven, and it would not go on to become a movie that we could remember for a long time; Amazon Prime Video is just the platform that will make this one something for which people will be interested.

The performers of the soul :: Ashley Greene leads the way really well here as the determined mother who is looking forward to save her daughter, even though she is not of that power throughout the movie. Still, the one who catches our attention more is Ellie O’Brien, who plays that character who tries to save lives, but is helplessly caught in trouble, tied up, attacked by the creature, and even buried alive – tough moments indeed, but she manages the same really well. In the end, the mother-daughter duo scores even further with the creature facing them, and a moment with creepers which does not strike like the Evil Dead trees, but does just enough there too. Shawn Ashmore also brings more strength to the cast, and there is also a certain amount of emotional weight which also gets added here as he scores as the father figure who listens to nobody while trying to be the big protector against all odds. Juno Rinaldi and Mark Taylor in smaller roles makes impact, despite not staying on for more. Shayelin Martin as the child with a haunting on her, does very well too.

How it finishes :: The movie is your usual horror movie which works with elements of many other movies, but the one which uses what is available effectively enough. It holds the ground as a good atmospheric horror with solid acting and creepy visuals which increases its effectiveness, but the story feels generic without more to be said about it and without doubt, predictable enough to make sure that it does not raise the level enough to be remembered for that long. When you have movies like Evil Dead, Sinister, Insidious, The Conjuring, The Nun, Annabelle and others becoming big things with the quality associated it with, one would find it strange that a movie like this which establishes the premise so well in the beginning and catches our attention could do only this much. Well, we cannot always have enough with a big start, but for this one, that was expected. After all, it is recommended with some of those better movies when on Amazon Prime Video, and more people would surely watch it there.

Release date: 28th March 2025
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Chad Archibald
Starring: Ashley Greene, Shawn Ashmore, Ellie O’Brien, Juno Rinaldi, Brooklyn Marshall, Mark Taylor, Shayelin Martin, Julian Richings

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Baby Girl

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Vampire Owl: I wonder who these babies in the movie are.

Vampire Bat: I have heard about a baby going missing in this story.

Vampire Owl: How can babies go missing? Who takes them? A succubus?

Vampire Bat: I am relieved that you did not say gargoyle.

Vampire Owl: The gargoyles are completely under the control of Uncle Dracula now.

Vampire Bat: I am glad that you did not assign them to Mr. Frankenstein.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has better scientific plans.

Vampire Bat: What will he invent now? A fake time machine?

Vampire Owl: I have heard that Dr. Frankenstein is going to create an elixir of invisibility.

Vampire Bat: You mean like the elixir of immortality which increased mortality by a thousand times in multiple realms.

[Gets a Paneer Fried Rice and three cups of Nuwara Eliya tea].

What is the movie about? :: Meenakshi (Mythili Nair), a young student doing engineering graduation at Bangalore had just given birth to a baby girl, only to find out that her baby had gone missing when she checked. She had married her senior at college, Akash (Akshay Prashanth) who had just turned twenty one, the minimum legal age for marriage as she had already turned eighteen and was pregnant with his child. Sanal (Nivin Pauly), the attender and Sukumaran (Jaffar Idukki), the security, becomes the worst affected due to this situation as their lack of care for their duty time becomes known to the police force led by Sub Inspector Rakesh (Abhimanyu Shammi Thilakan) and Assistant Sub Inspector Akbar (Azees Nedumangad) who try to get to the bottom of this, despite not getting enough support from Circle Inspector Sujith (Sreejith Ravi) and City Police Commissioner Shameer (Major Ravi) who are focusing more on a political protest which is going on in the city. The protests get through the blockades and with the Chief Minister at the location, there is least police support provided to the missing case.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As the team send CPO Jeffin (Aswath Lal) to gather further information, Sanal tells them that he had seen someone in a purdah going out from the hospital with a bag, and he suspected that the baby was inside it. They keep searching for the same person in that clothing, and Sanal ends up getting a baby from a woman in the streets, but that turns out to be her own baby, making it an embarrassment for both the police and the hospital. As the hospital dismisses him with immediate effect for carelessness as much as recklessness, his wife Sini (Aditi Ravi), a nurse who had just returned from Saudi Arabia, asks him to return home and not to think more about what happened. But he is determined to find out what happened to the baby, but the situation is not like what he had been thinking, as Rishi (Sangeeth Prathap) and Rithu (Lijomol Jose) are the two people involved in this, but things had gone out of their control. Can there be some balance brought back to the situation, and will they be able to find the baby and return it to the mother before there are more complications?

The defence of Baby Girl :: The movie has the main incident coming into the picture right at the beginning itself, as not much time is wasted in a movie which had all the opportunity to waste a lot. It seems to be in a hurry in the beginning, as nothing else gets the care other than the baby girl gone missing, and the investigation is very quick to start and move on with hope. The movie needed an initial strength as it focuses more on the Passenger-model of common people going after a serious situation covered by the media, and that early boost helps the movie to keep moving forward even when pulled down. When the movie powers to an effective interval, that nicely gets to a point where emotions peak. The emotional side can also be seen as mostly working, and the deviations in the tale with more characters always seem to bring the emotions further. With realistic moments as much as performances, the movie never really moves away from our world. Cinematography and background score also adds to the overall quality of the movie. Then, the hype was always meant to keep the movie felt grand at the start itself.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s attempt to bring the emotional side of losing a baby girl is lost in the process of getting emotionally attached to the other characters, who are not that much well-established. The movie seems to be keeping us close to different griefs and the abiding sadness here is more or less related to these people being sad for many other reasons which becomes more important than a lost child at times, and there are moments when we feel that the baby is just a missing package which has to be reminded as important by the police and the main characters through carefully crafted dialogues meant for some occasions only. The story keeps losing strength at times, as if there is some laziness which comes in here and there. The subplots often do not come up with that much of a strength, and a number of characters, fail to come up with the desired impact here. The ending is not that satisfactory, even though it is emotionally effective, for we did not wish to go the Game of Thrones finale way after a long wait. Well, this is a movie in which characters remain strange and act so, on too many occasions, as police characters also remains not effective in thinking.

The performers of the soul :: Nivin Pauly leads the way here not as the hero who would come out strong and prove that he is among the best, but as a flawed protagonist. He surely has a lot of screen time here, and is there from the beginning, and yet, I would consider the main character to be that one which is played by Lijimol Jose. One can safely say that it is her character that determines the real outcome of the movie, and scores like no other in the emotional scenes. It is also good to see Sangeeth Prathap getting roles like these, which have something far away from that usual humour. Even then, he does add a little bit of situational humour here too. Mythili Nair and Akshay Prashanth, the new faces also get some strong work to do, and they handle the same with some maturity which is to be appreciated. Abhimanyu Shammi Thilakan’s police role is solid, and Azees Nedumangad’s support is also to be appreciated, even though it comes as no surprise after watching movies like Kannur Squad. Aditi Ravi’s role is surprisingly limited to a few scenes at one house and so is that of Alphy Panjikaran at the hospital. Major Ravi, Aswath Lal and Sreejith Ravi plays their smaller police roles well as expected.

How it finishes :: As this one comes from the writers Bobby-Sanjay, the expectations were to be the much higher, and only some of the same is delivered here. There will not be the emotional power of Kaanekkaane or the investigative strength of Salute. After the success of Sarvam Maya, this next movie of the year with Nivin Pauly in the lead and with the addition of Lijomol Jose of Jai Bhim fame around was supposed to be a movie which helped expectations to skyrocket, but that journey to the clouds was surely short-lived, even though the movie does serve with entertainment and emotions as well as thrills and some twists also added here and there. The potential was so much, but movie confuses itself towards the ending which will satisfy only a small number of people. It had begun with such a compelling idea of a missing newborn case with a clear atmosphere of urgency and tension, which deviates, and feels like ready to lose its way, but then comes back, and feels like raising itself on occasions, only to end without that much of a real solution. But the journey remains memorable, and effective enough to have us go for it with the engaging moments.

Release date: 23rd January 2026
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Arun Varma
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Sangeeth Prathap, Lijomol Jose, Abhimanyu Shammi Thilakan, Alphy Panjikaran, Aditi Ravi, Rudraksh, Azees Nedumangad, Major Ravi, Sreejith Ravi, Mythili Nair, Akshay Prashanth, Jaffar Idukki, Aswath Lal, Nandhu, Nisha Sarangh, Ranjini George, Prem Prakash, James Eliya, Kichu Tellus, Anoop Krishnan, Archana Prakash

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.