Author Archives: Dr. Tennyson

Dheeran

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Vampire Owl: Here is a movie title which translates to being brave.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires are born brave.

Vampire Owl: You mean that we are reborn as the brave ones.

Vampire Bat: I have not yet seen a vampire who is not brave.

Vampire Owl: I have doubt about the Vampire Mouse.

Vampire Bat: All mouses that bite would not be a Vampire Mouse.

Vampire Owl: Still, he had given an application.

Vampire Bat: And it was rejected in just half an hour.

Vampire Owl: We would need more brave vampires in case there is a war.

Vampire Bat: The pact with werewolves stand strong, and the rest, whether witches or demons do not fight direct wars.

[Gets a paneer puffs and three cups of Bandarawela tea].

What is the movie about? :: Eldhose (Rajesh Madhavan) is someone who had received a bravery medal from the President of India when he was a child, for saving the village’s only welder, Aruvi (Manoj K Jayan) who was drowning in the middle of a river. But after developing a pre-marital relationship with Suramya (Aswathy Manoharan) whose wedding he is blamed to have ruined, both of them are caught during their private moments in the bus which he was driving, right in the middle of the night, while most of the village were busy with the local temple festival. As he tries to escape, it had also led to the Panchayat President Abbas (Jagadish) getting injured. Finding himself in trouble, and with people about to forcibly getting him and Suramya married against her will, he runs away from the village and reaching Erode in Tamil Nadu. There, he becomes the assistant of Abubacker (Vineeth), a Malayali gangster who only trusts him and his long-time henchman Suhail (Arun Cherukavil), as he had made too many enemies, and used a perfume store as front to hide.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Abubacker who keeps being worried about his former friends turning rivals, cannot sleep at night, and sleeps with a gun on his chest. He decides to find some relief by killing Saravanan (Srikrishna Dayal), one of his former henchmen, and assigns Eldhose to do the work, while pretending to be someone looking for work in the fruit factory which served as a front in a land where even the police were frightened to enter. But things do not seem to go well, as there is the news about Eldhose being killed in a fire-related accident in the fruit factory. This leads to a group of people deciding to go to Tamil Nadu to receive his body. Abbas who feels that he would go for the purpose any way, is joined by Aruvi, along with his two uncles Kunjan (Ashokan) and Joppan (Sudheesh) and brother-in-law Dixon (Abhiram Radhakrishnan). Spinesh (Shabareesh Varma), his old friend turned nemesis, also decides to drive the ambulance, leaving their past problems behind. But the question remains about what awaits them after crossing the border.

The defence of Dheeran :: The movie maintains its dark humour and silliness really well, and the situations for humour have been nicely created and maintained. Then there is some classic humour that comes of out of nowhere to create the fun all of a sudden. Then there are the simple and realistic moments that work, as the characters feel close to life as in those feel-good movies. The fine visuals of the villages of Kerala and Tamil Nadu also serve the purpose, as the movie has arranged a suitable cast for the purpose. The background score and music do serve the purpose well. Their use of the devotional song “akkarekk yathra cheyyum” which comes from the speaker nicely fits the situation. The execution of the final moments with a lot of action serves very well in a mixture of action and humour, with the special new year firework effects. The satire is as much present as everything else, and when there is such a veteran cast that can do the job so well, one can be assured of at least a minimum quality.

The claws of flaw :: There is a certain amount of struggle that the movie shows in between, as the narrative keep going back and come right back to the front – the non-linear journey was not really the option for a movie of this genre. The progress of the movie is rather slow, and the silliness often keeps us not interested rather than bring the humour to the front. We also have some dragging of the situation in the middle, and the flashback also feels too long. The overall length is a bit more considering the fact that the content does not have that much to keep the parts strong. The movie also goes on a predictable path with nothing new getting on the screen. The side characters are often lost, without the kind of significance which made other films like Kunjiramayanam and Adi Kapyare Koottamani successful. This one was so close to being a wild adventure ride, but not that much there to be taken. The fact that the movie gets back to Kerala from Tamil Nadu too soon, then everyone travels vice versa, does not help the purpose at all. The female characters also fall short except for some dialogues.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led by Rajesh Madhavan, whose work has been memorable through Minnal Murali, Nna Thaan Case Kodu and Maranamass which had him making such a fine impact in different ways, but surely adding some fine humour. Jagadish’s work reminds us of what he did in Falimy, a movie which had similar humour running through, and had become a family travel humour sample to look forward to. Ashokan and Sudheesh adds to the humour well, according to the situations. Manoj K Jayan as Aruvi also brings both the funny as well as the emotional side to work. Vineeth as Abubacker also contributes to the fun, and Arun Cherukavil nicely supports him in the world of gangsters with a little too much of fear – the early gangster fun had surely got everyone interested. Shabareesh Varma keeps doing what he has been doing since Premam, really well. Abhiram Radhakrishnan can also be seen as further adding to the humour. Srikrishna Dayal as Saravanan gives the character the right elements of a real gangster, and Sidharth Bharathan remains notable.

How it finishes :: Not to be confused with other movies with the same or similar titles but deals with different topics and genre, Dheeran is that kind of a movie which goes on the lines of simple and silly fun with some dark humour to support it, and the same comes up with memorable moments. With Malayattoor as the setting, there is the feeling of watching something familiar with this one. The world of villagers and later that of gangsters work effectively here, and the funny side does not disappear from this one even when there is a serious scene or flow of emotions. The action comes strong by the end, with the adventure almost reaching that fine ending which also leaves like a feel-good movie, but with even a scope for sequel that could develop these characters in an even better way. Despite the bumps here and there, the movie is surely worth a try, especially as we keep looking for some lighter moments in a world of chaos. A weekend with this movie running on television would surely be the one with the laughs.

Release date: 4th July 2025
Running time: 137 minutes
Directed by: Devadath Shaji
Starring: Rajesh Madhavan, Jagadish, Ashokan, Manoj K Jayan, Sidharth Bharathan, Vineeth, Sudheesh, Shabareesh Varma, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Aswathy Manoharan, Srikrishna Dayal, Arun Cherukavil, Indumathy Manikandan, Vijaya Sadhan

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dheeram

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What is the movie about? :: Assistant Commissioner of Police Stalin Joseph IPS (Indrajith Sukumaran) has built a fine reputation as a police officer who could solve even the most difficult cases. This makes the Police Commissioner, Rama Das IPS (Renji Panicker) assign a clueless case to him, especially as it involves the murder of the son of Inspector General of Police at the parking lot of a night club. This victim named John Kurian (Maahin Krishna) was brutally stabbed to death in front of his newly found girlfriend Fidha Fathima (Ashika Ashokan), who reluctantly agree to be the eye witness to the crime while being held back due to the fact that she is engaged to someone else, with a wedding set to happen soon. Circle Inspector Jose Thomas (Nishanth Sagar) and Sub Inspector Diya Prabhakar (Divya Pillai) also join the team of Stalin, but the situation feels too complex with Fidha not able to provide any extra relevant information. But a woman named Radhika S Nair (Avanthika Mohan) who runs a nearby café is known to have problems with John, but she reminds them that the case was withdrawn after he made payment for the destruction he caused in the café.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Radhika reminds the police officers that there was a friend of John who had a fight with him in her café on the same day. The police track him and find his name as Kiran Sivadasan (Mahesh Nair), who is part of a family which has NRI connections. But they soon find him hung on a tree, dead by midnight. They try to find any clue, and can find only a vehicle which had passed through the area – they feel like it is a significant finding. But the vehicle they tracked is found as owned by Kiran’s sister Keerthy Sivadasan (Sandhya Nair), but she had just returned from the United Kingdom after her brother’s death. It feels like a dead end, and they feel that the two friends were murdered by someone who had a problem with their ways of life. The notes about murders which were identified around there also means nothing to the investigation. A local reporter Sradha Das (Reba Monica John) is also after the murders with her own investigation trying to make a name.

And what more is to follow here as deaths keep happening with a murderer on the loose? :: Stalin has further problems with his stepbrother George Joseph (Sagar Surya), as he has not been doing anything substantial after the death of their father. The police soon find another dead body in the nearby river, and it is Deepak Dinakaran (Sajal Sudarshan), son of the local MLA who has significant hold on the ruling party and is close to the Home Minister of the State. He was earlier chased by the police for possession of drugs, and the MLA is angry that no breakthrough was made in the case. There is a note found related to this murder too, and this is proven as a clear case of serial killings. They are able to link all of these incidents to a school where all these victims had studied together, where a particular incident had happened and came on news. This make them feel that the next victim could be Althaaf Hussain (Deepak Manohar) who was part of their gang, but they do not realize that there are more twists to follow, and he might not be the next target. Can this puzzle be solved before more murders occur?

The defence of Dheeram :: This is a solid investigative thriller premise with nicely interconnected plot points that keep it interesting from the initial stages to the end. The mood of the movie could be nicely established, and we see that there is the dark thriller mood initiated early enough. From the beginning to the end, there is suspense maintained, and there are twists to make the audience ponder over the same, and with some nicely placed red herrings in between, there are not many easy twists for the audience to get it right. The movie feels technically sound right from the beginning; there seems like a certain amount of quality on what we see – the visual tone supports the overall theme of the movie which do not have much for redemption in a world of chaos which reflects the reality of humanity. The background score supports the movie really well, and the music remains effective, as we are transported to that world not just visually, but with what we hear, and the world remains what it really is, affected by human evil, and when it comes from the past and still exists, hope is surely not a thing with feathers or wings. For the same, there is zero humour in this dark, chaotic self.

Positives and negatives :: With performances to remember, the movie gets its own addons to the positives. Reba has always deserved more from the Malayalam movie industry, and Nishanth Sagar after his returning roles makes us feel that he would need more screen space every time. There is a message about parenting and the emotional connection is active. The way in which connections are made and how it all comes to an end with some classic dialogues in the end needs mention too. The movie focus is also completely on the case, and there are no deviations, certainly no subplots which had the tendency to drop in; no silly romance here too, as we see a film which never tries to move out of a set path. The excessive violence in the end felt unnecessary, as the flashback was already talked about and the movie was already coming to an end, and violence over violence was never going to add anything to the already established mood. Maybe the idea was to justify the murders committed by the killers, making the viewers feel that the victims deserved their fate more than hundred percent, but that was already established for most of the audience – for bringing pure evil right out of burning hell, this is not a fantasy horror slasher movie from any angle. For now, we can fast forward something on Amazon Prime Video.

The performers of the soul :: Indrajith Sukumaran manages a different level as a police officer, and this divergence was clearly visible in Angels, another movie with its own serial killer, whose identity is revealed in a different way, and with some fine twist that comes out of nowhere in the end. He plays that kind of a police officer who never really deviates from his path, and that determination along with the need to do what is right, is reflected well, and with his moments by the ending, we are left intellectually satisfied. Divya Pillai makes a fine police officer, like we had seen with Anju Kurian in Others – Divya’s support role works really well, and so does Nishanth Sagar’s police avatar. The three police characters feel different in essence, and thus seems to complete the team well – then there is Renji Panicker in a usual role without any trouble. Meanwhile, Reba Monica John is brilliant in her avatar that goes beyond a timeline, and this would be her performance to remember in Malayalam cinema. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar comes is all of a sudden, and scores well, while Sagar Surya and Avanthika Mohan’s work remains notable, and Aju Varghese has a good serious role.

How it finishes :: We have had so many investigation thrillers with serial killers on the loose, and this one has a fine place among them – from Memories to Anjaam Pathiraa, Forensic, Kooman, John Luther, Abraham Ozler and others, we have had some of the most memorable movies with less hype. But with our movie here, we should have had more hype, and more screens for sure. With some reduction of violence, especially in the final moments, it could have easily achieved the same, and the shows could have had more audience. Even now, it can boast of a fine place among its kind. If it had released some years earlier, I would not have waited for its release on Amazon Prime Video; the serial killer investigation movies are the kind of works which we never really miss at the theatres. But as the reviews at Movies of the Soul never really get shared by the celebrities or official pages of movies, the idea of early theatre reviews was lost for us. As we understand that movies have paid reviews going for them, we can only keep watching movies on the OTT platforms, most of which are available with a simple mobile recharge and Amazon delivery.

Release date: 5th December 2025
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Jithin Suresh T
Starring: Indrajith Sukumaran, Divya Pillai, Reba Monica John, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Nishanth Sagar, Aju Varghese, Renji Panicker, Sagar Surya, Avanthika Mohan, Dinesh Panickar, Sreejith Ravi, Sabitta George, Sundarapandiayan, Devi Ajith, Sojan Angel Varghese

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Mercy

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Vampire Owl: Hope that the vampire elders will have mercy on us.

Vampire Bat: I wonder why you have started caring for the vampire elders.

Vampire Owl: I have a deal which I have to make for them.

Vampire Bat: We have an official Vampire Deal-Maker. You need to do nothing.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein had assured of a special scientific deal.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein can only make pseudo-scientific deals.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein is a scientist beyond all infinite understanding.

Vampire Bat: He tried to create life out of chicken fried rice yesterday.

Vampire Owl: Well, it was chicken noodles, and I remember that.

Vampire Bat: It could be even chicken biryani, but that is not my point.

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

What is the movie about? :: In the year 2029, the world has changed by a long way. This time at Los Angeles, the Mercy Capital Court while trying to deal with a surge in crime, brings Artificial Intelligence judges for trials of violent crimes, which have been too common in an attempt to keep the general public safe. These AI judges give the defendants enough resources to find and provide all the evidence needed, and they are to prove their innocence in ninety minutes, or in the case of failure, will be executed. Los Angeles Police Department Detective Christopher Raven (Chris Pratt) is the one who finds himself in trouble due to the same new system despite himself having fought for its implementation after his best friend and partner in Los Angeles Police Department, Ray Vale (Kenneth Choi) was murdered, and the killer had walked free after he had hesitated to take a shot when there was the chance to finish off the criminal. He is put on trial for his wife Nicole Raven’s (Annabelle Wallis) murder, and is given not a second more than ninety minutes of investigation with the AI help to persuade the judge AI Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) of his innocence.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: All the evidence seems to point to Chris having killed his wife, as her blood was found on his clothing and doorbell camera footage places him returning to home from the office just before her murder, and nobody else had come to their house on that day, and their daughter Britt Raven (Kylie Rogers) who came just after he left, was the first person on scene. Chris’s guilt probability is 97.5%, which he needs to lower to 92% to avoid a quick execution. There is also proof for Nicole planning a divorce due to his increasing drinking problem and all the shouting at her that came under the alcohol influence. For the same, Nicole was spending time with another man, Patrick Burke (Jeff Pierre), with whom she had started a romantic relationship, seemingly intimate in nature as they saw each other in hotel rooms. But the man could not be linked to the murder. This means that there is something more sinister in this murder as Christopher knows that he did not commit the crime. But time is less and can he survive?

The defence of Mercy :: The idea of an Artificial Intelligence judge coming up with a judgment in such a short period of time, and thus racing against time, remains something that will keep us glued to the screen from the beginning itself. As we go with the protagonist is bringing together the pieces to solve the puzzle, that works well. The expected themes like surveillance, privacy and effects of technology are surely there to be seen. The use of digital footprints to find someone also reminds us of a familiar world. The constant reminder of an end and such a countdown create a constant tension which keeps the movie engaging. The short run-time delivers everything well, and with much of a complication. There is that feeling of what is next, which is maintained, and with suspense, the twists come into the picture post the thrills. This is why the movie remains constantly entertaining as a movie that sticks to its genre. There is no need to think too much even though the premise with science fiction based on artificial intelligence and just feels heavy; it does serve purpose too. Aristotle would love the maintenance of the three unities with everything happening in the courtroom with the protagonist within ninety minutes too.

The claws of flaw :: The feeling of having seen this idea before will surely be around, as we come across the idea for not the first time, as there has only recently been the movie known as Artificial Justice in Spanish, and we also keep remembering about a Tom Cruise starrer from some more years ago. There is some unrealistic side that comes in even if we avoid the genre, with the willing suspension of disbelief not always getting its due. The ideas of artificial intelligence and justice do not also go that deep, as we are more with the surface level journey here. With such big ideas on paper, maybe the movie could have dived in deeper. The cliches could have been pushed to the side in this new world which deserved better strength. There is also a certain amount of artificiality related to the same, and the pacing remains uneven. The characterization is not that much present to be seen either. The side characters are just present seemingly because there was a need for the main character to gather evidence, and most of the action takes place in the AI courtroom and with live and recorded footages from outside which might leave a few not happy.

The performers of the soul :: Chris Pratt is the man who has to do most of the work here, and he does not disappoint, as most of us had expected. From moving through Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequels as well as the final Avengers movies with more adventures like The Tomorrow War and Passengers in between, he now goes on with more of the thrills, but without the action, and even on the chair, keeps us interested. Rebecca Ferguson of Mission Impossible, Doctor Sleep, Reminiscence and Life fame gets to be the artificial intelligence judge, and the same is managed with near-perfection as the machine who takes the human form and the determination to keep to the rules make the character even more memorable. Annabelle Wallis whose character is killed off earlier has much less to do. Kylie Rogers and Chris Sullivan also have their moments while Kali Reis drops in with some interesting minutes too. Kenneth Choi has something from the flashbacks, and has a character relevant to the chain of events, and so does Jeff Pierre. But we are still very much focused on the two main characters who gets all the screen time.

How it finishes :: The movie keeps reminding us of some the titles which have come in the past dealing with similar ideas, and there has been only a limited expansion of the original ideas. Despite many negative reviews, this is surely one fast-paced artificial intelligence tale which suits the time period, and could be watched with some popcorn on a weekend for some pure fun. After all, we are always looking for such fun in a world which has been missing the same in the name of many other factors including political correctness. Still, we see that certain gap between a powerful idea and its execution. At its core, the concept was so much full of potential in this world, and we can say that the film chooses a subject that could have been even more impactful. This is one of those movies which seems to have had almost no hype in this part of the world, and we feel that with a little more attention, it could have come late to the theatres here, stronger. But this one remains a recommended watch as an entertainer with a fine idea and classic theme.

Release date: 23rd January 2026
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

I Know What You Did

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Vampire Owl: Nobody knows what we did last summer.

Vampire Bat: But nobody knows what we did during winter or monsoon either.

Vampire Owl: So, we are not popular enough, right?

Vampire Bat: Why should people know about what we do?

Vampire Owl: Maybe celebrity vampires getting attacked by serial killers is cool?

Vampire Bat: So that you can drink serial killer blood now?

Vampire Owl: Well, we have to keep trying something new.

Vampire Bat: They are just random psychotic humans with same kind of blood.

Vampire Owl: Well, different brands of ice creams taste different.

Vampire Bat: You should remember that we have been vegetarian vampires for long.

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

What is the movie about? :: Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders) returns to her hometown of Southport, North Carolina for the engagement of her wealthy best friend Danica Richards (Madelyn Cline) and her rich and influential groom Teddy Spencer (Tyriq Withers). They are joined by their friends from the past, Milo Griffin (Jonah Hauer-King) and Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon), along with their estranged friend Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon) whom they are meeting after a long time as she faced the death of her father and drug addiction. They decide to see the fireworks of the day, and stops their vehicle on a cliff. There, Teddy stands on the middle of the road while on booze, only to cause a pickup truck to apply sudden brakes and lose control, plunging into the rocks below. Teddy’s father Grant Spencer (Billy Campbell) who is a powerful politician, manages to twist the incident in such a way that the driver had stolen the vehicle and speeding, which caused the accident at the curve which was prone to accidents. The youngsters are not even called for questioning with their presence at the area itself erased.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: An year later, it is seen that Danica and Teddy have broken up, and the former is now in another relationship, soon to be married. The group of friends return to the town to attend the bridal shower of Danica, with the exception of Teddy. Ava reaches last, after having some sexual advances with a slasher podcaster Tyler Trevino (Gabbriette Bechtel). When Danica receives a note “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”, and after her fiancée is murdered with a note about the past, Ava is forced to turn to Tyler who is an expert in serial killers and psychotic murders. They investigate into the past of the town which had that terrifying history of the killer with the hook which has been mostly erased to support tourism. But they find the new killer in the old costume, and Tyler is brutally murdered. Now, they find themselves in trouble with cops not ready to help them. Can they escape this terror before losing more lives?

The defence of I Know What You Did Last Summer :: This is another movie that we have been waiting for, as most of the horror fans would agree to the same. It makes a fine use of the underlying terror and a perfect scream queen in the form of its leading actress whom we hope to see in more of horror movies with the same charm and beauty. This look surely suits her more in comparison to how she has looked throughout the internet and seemingly in her earlier works. The hook image remains classic like the Ghostface and Chromehead masks have remained, and darkness is nicely combined with music and silence to create the desired effect here. The final revealing is surely something that has all the strength, and the double twist adds to the same. The connection to the original movie is nicely made, and the scope for sequel is well set, and we really hope that Chase Sui Wonders gets to lead in that movie too, after all, she plays the one character with whom we relate and feels as the movie goes deep. Her friend characters who remain alive would also need to make a comeback, as they worked fine as a team too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie always had the scope for more, going by the traditional slasher standards. Surprisingly, violence and the other traditional elements of slasher flicks do not get to rise that much, even when suspense, thrills and twists get quite something to do. The cast is really good, especially the leading actress who maintains the horror mood and runs through as the scream queen. The rest just follows her lead and there are a few characters who do not get their due. The final moments could have been more intense, even though the twists and turns nicely come together for the finale. These are the kind of movies that we need, the slashers that keeps coming alive even without any dose of supernatural being added to bring back the dead antagonists. After all, humans are born killers, not needing any supernatural to support their cause – the non-believers in God have always been murdering without prejudice, before civilization came into place and rules of man and God set them. So, evil can always find a way and bring death upon all.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led forward by Chase Sui Wonders who transforms into a perfect scream queen with ease. She is the classic central character who faces danger, screams memorably, survives terrifying situations and even takes the movie to the end, despite a multi-starrer feeling being present at all times. She shines and even surprises the audience at times in what seems to be her first movie which had a release in this part of the world, as part of one of the rare franchises that spread horror with quality an fanbase. Her character is as much nicely presented as it is well-written. In comparison, Madelyn Cline’s character in one-dimensional, and she maintains the same well. At the same time, Sarah Pidgeon makes a fine impact, without doubt. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr bring further strength to the movie as much as they bring the nostalgia out of the original movies. Gabbriette Bechtel makes an impact in her short stay, while Tyriq Withers and Jonah Hauer-King provide the expected support.

How it finishes :: This return to that world of knowing what we did last summer works really well and brings the nostalgia back to us. This is one franchise which had brought us so many fine scream queens and one serial killer image which inspired many others, and therefore this return was much deserved. After so many years, it is nice to see Jennifer Love Hewitt to extend that nostalgia, even though watching her back in that old movie would mean more – originals would always have that flare despite multiple returns, sequels and reboots. This one reminds the new generation that we had such classic slashers at an earlier point of time, and that Evil Dead, Scream and Halloween are not the only ones that came back, with some of those sequels not making that much of an impact. We the horror fans can safely celebrate this one though, even when we feel that there are moments which could have had more impact and kept that slasher elements projected without seemingly traveling through the safe side. Well, you know that horror can always keep making comebacks, and this is surely one of them.

Release date: 18th July 2025
Running time: 111 minutes
Directed by: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Starring: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, Freddie Prinze Jr, Jennifer Love Hewitt

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Narivetta

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Vampire Owl: This is one movie we missed at the theatre despite being interested.

Vampire Bat: Well, it was said to be a political action thrillers and politics is not our thing.

Vampire Owl: Some of those rare Tovino thrillers that we missed.

Vampire Bat: We have never been the people who watched movies for its actors.

Vampire Owl: Yet, we have watched more Tovino movies in the theatre considering the ratio.

Vampire Bat: It is the case of acting in the kind of movies that we like to watch.

Vampire Owl: Yet, we have created no borders in cinema.

Vampire Bat: Well, we have watched almost every kind of movie.

Vampire Owl: Yes, our identity is of people of the true cinema.

Vampire Bat: We will one day be left with nothing more to watch in Malayalam cinema.

[Gets a paneer samosa and three cups of Yercaud tea].

What is the movie about? :: Varghese (Tovino Thomas) has been living a usual small-town life having a lot of time spent with his love from school days, Nancy (Priyamvada Krishnan), despite the disapproval of her father. Varghese has been employed since forever, as he keeps looking for a good job, ending up getting none, while Nancy has been employed in a bank for some time. Along with the same, Nancy’s father is a rich man running a number of business ventures with his influential family members, while Varghese’s family has the history of his father committing suicide due to financial problems, from where they never recovered. This makes the marriage alliance almost impossible between them, and both families are aware of the same. Finally, after being forced by Nancy, he decides to take up the job of a police constable, even though he continues to wish for much more. He thinks that he will study for the Public Service Commission tests while working as a constable in the police force.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Varghese is not at all confident or comfortable at the police camp, but he is supported by Head Constable Basheer (Suraj Venjaramoodu), a senior with whom he forms a bond, as both are forced into this job due to different circumstances. While Varghese is not that popular with his colleagues, things only get much worse as tribal protests erupt in Wayanad demanding land rights under the leadership of C K Shanthi (Arya Salim), Madhu (Prasanth Madhavan) and Thaami (Pranav Teophine), as they seek the fulfilment of promise by the government. DIG Raghuram Keshavadas (Cheran) is assigned the task for suppressing the agitation. Raghuram becomes the hand of the politicians of the state, and with his plans nicely at work, the support of army is also requested. This would mean that Varghese and Basheer would have to face something different from what they were expecting – can they survive the same and come out strong?

The defence of Narivetta :: This one is a bold movie with strong performances that go deep down the list. As the movie focuses on issues like tribal rights, police violence and the abuse of power, with inspiration from the Muthanga Incident, there is a certain amount of realistic touch to some parts of it, with some scars never really fading and some resolutions never really being reached in a world of chaos and absurdity due to human behaviour. The realistic side often takes the front seat, keeping the commercial side to the minimum, and this mode is followed not only by the moments inspired by original events, but also those which come around it to complete the movie. The romantic side is also good, and the “Minnalvala” song is going to remain a favourite for a long period time, even after time passes by a long way. The hero and heroine surely have a fine chemistry between them, and the choice of supporting cast works like a dream. The movie surely has a lasting effect to make the audience think about situation in a chaotic world.

The claws of flaw :: The movie is surely too long, and we are forced to fast forward it as we watch it on the OTT platform, Sony LIV. Even with the less shown romantic side, there is a stretch, and with the serious moments that come later, there is more lag, and we often feel that there is the journey through similar situations and dialogues again and again, with moments also present where nothing much of interest happens. Then, the heroine is mostly lost after the romance seemed to have a role in the beginning. There is a struggle that goes on with the movie, which is not just between the characters, but also to keep the main idea at the core and engaging enough for everyone. The predictable story is surely there, even if we keep the closeness to real incidents away. Some moments just feel like made to keep the whole thing rather comfortable. The antagonist, as a character, could have also had more strength, and just using the government and the system for villainy serves less as a whole.

The performers of the soul :: As expected, the highlight of the movie is the performance of Tovino Thomas who comes up with a strong performance as the main character like he always did from Minnal Murali to 2018, Thallumala, ARM and Anveshippin Kandethum, nicely portraying the character’s change from a careless young man to someone who stands for justice against all odds, bringing a dynamic character to life. He scores with the emotional side, whether it is the romantic side or the hopelessness that comes later when facing injustice. He further scores through the “Minnalvala” song with Priyamvada Krishnan who comes up with a responsible performance in a character that sticks more to the loyal romantic side, but with determination. The song surely has her best appearance ever. Suraj Venjaramoodu once again comes with a performance that strikes, a matured one that will stay with us for long too – as a mentor, big brother figure to the main character, he remains a character who brings maturity to the scene, while keeping close to doing the right thing. Arya Salim is extraordinary in her work as she brings a character to perfection while Cheran brings villainy nicely to the scene.

How it finishes :: This is a movie which is worth a watch for how it progresses with a content that needed some fine attention, and keeps it working without deviating from the main thing which it seems to be seeking towards the climax – the final justice. The progress is not that smooth though, and even when scratchy, it is surely going in the right direction. There was a little bit too much of expectations with this movie, and it does not seem to progress in the way the posters and the superhit song were seemingly pointing to. A bigger scope was surely expected of this one. But the movie gets many things right, with its focus on the need to do the right thing even when against some of the most powerful forces, and on having faith even when there seems to be not much of a chance for hope. The ending is achieved well in a realistic manner, rather than going through those mass-appeal moments when hero just takes what he wants – it is the kind of idea which would increase the gross in other states and those languages, but not with this one, as it seems to have faith in the realistic, and that has served well.

Release date: 23rd May 2025
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: Anuraj Manohar
Starring: Tovino Thomas, Cheran, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Jithin Eden Mathew, Priyamvada Krishnan, Pranav Teophine, Prasanth Madhavan, Rini Udayakumar, Nandu, Sudhi Kozhikode, Srikant Murali, Badusha N M, Appunni Sasi, Kumar Sethu, Vijesh Lee, Shahi Kabir

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Housemaid

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Vampire Owl: We have waited for this movie to come in the OTT for some time.

Vampire Bat: And it is on Amazon Prime Video, which is for the best.

Vampire Owl: Well, we all needed our Amazon Prime deliveries.

Vampire Bat: There is no Amazon delivery in Dracula castle.

Vampire Owl: Well, we can always pick them up from the borders of the realm.

Vampire Bat: What we need are very much here, and at best quality.

Vampire Owl: The vampire apprentices are really working hard, aren’t they?

Vampire Bat: We have shifted to magic for doing the work for us.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein had invented enough to help with that.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein’s pseudo-science actually helps and saves nobody. Frank no longer has enough access to our work.

[Gets a vegetable samosa and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Wilhelmina Calloway a.k.a. Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is on parole after committing a murder in self-defence. It is then that she is hired by Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) as a live-in maid, much to her surprise as her criminal records did not stop her from being hired for such a big job after so many rejections. The home also has her daughter Cecelia Winchester (Indiana Elle) and husband Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) who are surprised to see her around there, but Nina is determined that she should have a housemaid as she cannot manage household work even though Enzo Accardi (Michele Morrone) takes care of the work outside. Mille is given an attic bedroom that can be locked from the outside, much to her surprise, and she tries to get a key for the same. But she is so desperate to keep her job as it is a term of her parole; due the same, she just goes on with the process despite the problems that come in her way, and feels that there is something wrong with Nina and the family seems to be slowly falling apart.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Mille further learns that in the past, Nina was locked in a mental hospital for a period of nine months for trying to drown Cece in a bath tub under the effect of drugs and for has tried attempting suicide by overdose. Nina is considered mentally unstable by different people, and some of them seems to keep a distance from her too. Millie also finds her to be very angry towards her, and breaks things while keeping on shouting. It could also be seen that Nina says one thing to her and forgets the same later, keeping on saying that Millie decided to do that thing against her instructions. The neighbours consider her to be a dangerous woman, without a family, and has attached herself to her husband who is rich, handsome, and sweet to everyone around. Andrew’s mother Evelyn Winchester (Elizabeth Perkins) is also that high society lady whom everyone revered, and keeps telling the family about a few things which they should always follow without fail.

And what more is to happen around here as a crisis seems to be on the way? :: A similar case occurs as Millie books Broadway musical tickets and a hotel for the Winchesters in one of the richest areas, but later, Nina just denies having given her those instructions, and tells her that she will take the money out of her salary as the tickets are not refundable. But when Nina was talking her daughter to the ballet camp, Andrew tries to cheer Millie up by secretly taking her to the show, and after enjoying dinner together, they check into the hotel. Millie receives a large number of angry texts from Nina, but Andrew, and the two start and intimate relationship in the hotel bedroom. Then, when they return home, and Millie realizes that Nina has found out that she spent ten years in prison for murder. Nina uses this knowledge to make sure that police arrest her on stealing their car, after reporting a stolen car. But this would not be the end of it, as her plans might be more sinister, and the family secrets would mean more trouble. Can Millie survive this?

The defence of The Housemaid :: The movie maintains a certain level, with nice red herrings and the suspense always ready to come out, with thrills going on strong – the performances of the leading actresses are also to be noted, as Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried blends into the situation really well. Sydney seems to be very close to becoming the next scream queen in a horror movie, and we have seen her capability with thrillers earlier itself, through The Voyeurs. Amanda had a more complicated role, and she maintains a certain amount of skill to go through the transformation of the character. Brandon Sklenar also joins well here. The tension is nicely built, as the viewer gets curious with secrets to be revealed, mind games and twists which might not be the kind that one can predict with ease. There is the feeling that we are watching the kind of thrillers which we had during much earlier times. The dramatic side also works and entertainment is guaranteed, with most of the action set in a big and isolated house which is set far away from the city.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s ending seemed to be too quick and forced. After that, there is another scene which feels like not relevant at all, as Sydney Sweeney’s character was surely not fit to that situation, and it is not a kind of job that one could take when on the list of police; strange that some fine endings feel the need to be made further complicated by an additional scene – even if it was created to bring hope for a sequel which also would not fit in. The predictability also comes in after the grand twist, and after that, the situation feels just going on and on, and nothing more. There was also the slowing down in between, and seemingly an attempt to divert the movie a little too much. The length of the movie is surely a little too much, as sometimes, time is just lost in the dialogues. With the movie becoming too much filmy, we can also see that the realistic side, despite being present, sometimes losses its charm. The flashback and the explanations are also too long, and the main character, without any prior knowledge of the predicament, seems to guess and thus understand everything with relative ease.

How it finishes :: This particular movie had successfully become more than what is seen on the outside, and we know that movies like this one and Deep Water, as well as Gone Girl, strikes because they have something more than what is seen on the surface. Compared to those titles, this one also ultimately stands as a highly watchable but not the best psychological thriller that leans more towards providing the old-style entertainment rather than focusing on the much-needed depth. Powered by the performances led by Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, the movie could create an engaging atmosphere having tension, secrets and dramatic twists. It chooses the commercial side instead of the intellectual, and manages to work well in the same. It still relies on familiar tropes, some predictability and moments of too much talking about the past to reduce the overall impact. But you are sure to enjoy this one because the movie is made in a way that the appeal to the audience would be more, and catering towards the regular thriller fun side is here to be taken home, even if it is from Amazon Prime Video.

Release date: 19th December 2025
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Paul Feig
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas Galitzine, Julie Walters, Alex Wolff

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pennu Case

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Vampire Owl: I had seen so many vloggers talking about this movie.

Vampire Bat: The movie surely had some extra hype.

Vampire Owl: But it surely did not do that well in the end.

Vampire Bat: I think that it was not really sure about its own genre.

Vampire Owl: More people are talking about it now after the release in OTT.

Vampire Bat: It is Amazon Prime Video, and so there will be more talks.

Vampire Owl: Well, there is always that talking in the moonlight.

Vampire Bat: You know that vampires cannot walk or talk in the sunlight that well.

Vampire Owl: Still, we always talk better than humans.

Vampire Bat: Humans are the kind of people who talk with wars through weapons of mass destruction and unlimited chaos. Ask your best friend, Mr. Frankenstein or just phone Uncle Dracula himself. Even the Vampire Monkey has written an essay about it.

[Gets a paneer tikka and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: Rohini (Nikhila Vimal) is finally caught after years of committing a certain serial runaway bride scam, in which she had cheated many men whom she had married and left right after the wedding day with all the money and ornaments. She was not caught by the police, but by a group of men who were cheated into marriage and left behind, led by Thomas (Irshad) who had started a WhatsApp group for those who had suffered insult and loss of money. They made the way into the wedding function of Subhash (Aju Varghese) who had felt that after so many years of waiting for a suitable alliance, he had found the right bride for him, whom he considered to be too beautiful for his standard, and thus a lucky find. Rohini in this avatar and a new name seemed to be the sweet and understanding village girl that he was looking for. But this arrival of the former husbands and the following fight, which was further followed by police intervention had ruined his hopes by a long way.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But this was never really the end as others like Vijayakumar (Ramesh Pisharody) and others also follow with their tragic story of being married to Rohini, known by Sindhu at that time, at another point by the name Susan and many more on a long list. The case goes to the Circle Inspector of Police, Manoj (Hakim Shahjahan) who is also on the verge of a wedding about to be cancelled, and he becomes determined to solve this case, in which he feels that there are so many others also involved – planning such big weddings all around Kerala would be difficult for just one person. As he had brought disgrace to the police department due to a video which became viral during a protest, this is seen more as a chance rather than anything else. His police station had not seen any big cases being solved, and his fellow workers also join him. But his superior officers do not trust him, and Rohini’s husbands already keep asking about getting their money back. Can he do the job in time or will someone else get all the glory?

The defence of Pennu Case :: The idea is interesting as much as realistic as we have heard about news of similar things happening in this part of the world multiple times, and with the laws favouring the female, the women who cheated men in this way might have found it easy to get away without that much of problems. By showing the same here, humour also comes into the picture with some fake tears helping the woman to keep everyone on her side. The comic side of this movie does not try to do too much, as it goes through a rather smooth pattern instead of being loud and dumb – the simplicity of humour with usual kind of people all around, makes an impact – the choice of cast also working in its favour here. The movie remains light-hearted, never really going to the dark side, which would be even closer to the truth, and lurking around the corner to avoid an emotional drama of terrifying shades coming in. The length works in favour of the movie as this content goes through exactly that much time it required, at less than two hours.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains quite a slow one, and the flashbacks could not do it any favour as we try to follow it. In the middle, it seems to have been going in a predictable manner, losing some strength in between. The predictable backstory just escapes with that twist in the end, as otherwise it was traveling towards a certain doom. The idea of not giving seriousness to the situation by the end might also feel somewhat strange, as one would still feel that this certain act of crime and evil is considered funny more because the suffering person is male and the criminal is female – the psychological depth and impact as well as emotional consequences are not really there to be taken due to the world staying surface level, even though it would not be the case in real life as far as victims who go through these are concerned. One would also feel that some characters were given the evil image a little too much, and that the red herring had gone too much beyond control. The investigation could have also been engaging rather than just seemingly following the procedure because there is not other job.

The performers of the soul :: Nikhila Vimal keeps the movie together as the main character who is right there in the middle, working through different roles that the character plays within the movie, with all the varieties. Her character should have seen with the shades better rather than showing so much less outside her own narrative. Hakim Shahjahan’s police officer remains a strong presence throughout the movie, as he is the one determined character that we also support, and even after that twist, his character would have something to offer if there is a sequel made in a better way. Meanwhile, Aju Varghese is there creating a silent impact throughout the film while Irshad was the one who made the final initial impact. Ramesh Pisharody also scores when he is there, even though for a shorter time period. The popular content creators whom we see around social media platform, Jayakrishnan Sreekumar and Sreekanth Vettiyar can also be noted from here, and we see that they are so good in their work in the movies, despite the small roles. P P Kunhikrishnan, Shivajith and Praveen Raja also scores. Anarkali Nazar should have had a bigger role though.

How it finishes :: The movie had created quite an impact online even before its release as the vloggers had it covered well. The serial marriage scammer bride has been part of news for quite some time and had taken rounds in the social media, which makes the whole thing feel more real than ever. It takes some skill to weave a divergent story out of it instead of going through a drama – the twist makes sure that everything comes together and some of the problems in between are solved well. The humour exists smoothly right behind without affecting the story which thrives on flashback narratives getting connecting to the original timeline. The social satire is also present with those small, enjoyable moments and situational humor coming out of nowhere. The movie has taken the necessary steps to keep its world working and get to that twist, without which the tale would have been relatively weak, and the predictability is thus removed. It could have surely been better, but it works well as a humour-twist divergence as of now.

Release date: 10 January 2026
Running time: 112 minutes
Directed by: Febin Sidharth
Starring: Nikhila Vimal, Hakim Shahjahan, Aju Varghese, Ramesh Pisharody, Irshad, P P Kunhikrishnan, Hari Pathanapuram, Praveen Raja, Shivajith, Sreerekha Rajagopal, Aami Thasnim, Sandhya Manoj, Ranji Kankol, Shukkoor, Abin Bino, Anarkali Nazar, Danesh Koliyatt, Jayakrishnan Sreekumar, Sreekanth Vettiyar

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Fall for Me

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Vampire Owl: I have heard about vampire penguins falling from the top of Dracula Castle.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that it is not exactly what they mean with the falling here.

Vampire Owl: All other types of falling do not happen around here.

Vampire Bat: Well, this is the kind of falling that happens more to humans.

Vampire Owl: We are not people who watch over the fall of humans.

Vampire Bat: Well, the human falls are just normal and natural in that realm.

Vampire Owl: Such a terrible realm to be born to, if you ask me.

Vampire Bat: Especially if you do not turn into vampires early enough.

Vampire Owl: We should not be taking more human turned into vampires.

Vampire Bat: Well, we also need more workers at the castle.

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

What is the movie about? :: Lilli (Svenja Jung), and auditor from Germany travels to the island of Mallorca in Spain to visit her younger sister Valeria (Tijan Marei). There, she is surprised to see that she is engaged to a French man named Manu (Victor Meutelet), and are planning to open a bread and breakfast establishment. The two had also planned to buy his uncle’s property for the same purpose, but for the same, there is the need to sell the property of the sisters’ mother, which was meant to be kept for Valeria’s university education. But Valeria who is too much attached with the idea of starting a life together with a supporting hospitality business that she no longer wishes to study any more. The university dreams just seem to be that of their mother, not hers. Lilli wonders if she was invited there so that her signature is required to sell mother’s property, and is worried that her sister has had too many lovers in the past, and wonders if this one is also temporary in nature, which would bring a new crisis to their world.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Valeria feels that Lilli is not happy about her, as her own relationships have been going terribly in the last few years. But things get different when Lilli meets up with the local club manager Tom (Theo Trebs) who is also from Germany, both share a romantic attraction from the flight sight itself. Soon, Lilli meets real estate investor Nick (Thomas Kretschmann) who offers an amount of €900,000 for the property, which he considers to be more than what would be given by anyone else, and Valeria along with Manu supports the cause. Nick’s wife Girasol (Lucia Barrado) also tries to make the transactions quicker, and tries to get close to Lilli to make her more interested in them. But Lilli is of the opinion that she requires more time with this, and at the same time, has her relationship with Tom going to an intimate level after he comes to her home to repair a broken pipe, with the rest of her making way for them having sex multiple times.

And what more can happen here as something never seems right? :: She places her trust on him and gets someone else to look at the plot to know exactly how much it costs, and gets an analysis of €700,000 for the property as most of it cannot be destroyed due to its historical past and location. He advises Lilli to accept the earlier offer, and she agrees. But it is then that Bea (Antje Traue), the former lover of Manu comes to their life, and she seems to be obsessed with him, even though Valeria is not that bothered, as she also had many lovers in her life, and she had gone very intimate with most of them, leaving some of the relationships just within a short time. Lilli feels that her little sister is in trouble, and tries to come to the bottom of it. But chasing Bea does not lead her anywhere, but she does comes to know that Manu has not worked in the hotel where he told her that he had prior experience. At the same time, Nick is forcing her to sign the deal, but with her doubt about Manu, will she do that soon enough?

The defence of Fall for Me :: The movie is shot in some of the most beautiful locations that we can get anywhere. Mallorca of Spain has that stylish, vacation-like vibe with scenic locations which keeps us so much interested throughout its run, and also makes us wish to travel, not just to one place, but any similar areas. The romance, deception, scam and relationship revolve around without that much of an overdose, as everything goes on through a simple path with smooth transitions. The twists are not that shocking, but they remain effective due to the performances and the emotional side that has something in store. The lead actors like Svenja Jung and Theo Trebs goes on well, and Svenja feels like too good in this role, as everything including the emotions are so well portrayed – she remains the loveliest part of the movie, and goes through the character’s troubles well as the central character. Then there is Tijan Marei whose performances feel even more realistic as much as cute in the form of a little sister. The romance here is never really overdone, and this is a movie which feels having just enough around.

The claws of flaw :: The movie just moves through what seems to be just the usual process, and the surprises and shocks do not count as among the most effective or memorable ones. It never gets to be that serious or with serious danger. The focus on the story is not really that much as we look closer – it just feels like taken from different earlier movies which deals with similar themes. The thrills go too smooth with the suspense and got enough predictability around. The focus on romance is sometimes not there, and at times, just comes out of nowhere. Some of the decisions of the characters also feel strange, and there is not that much of development among them – even the talks about the past just feels repetitive rather than bringing something special out of them. There is not that much of depth, and the strength of a classic thriller has gone missing. The ending also seems to have been done in a comfortable manner, not thinking about making it suited to bring a memorable finish. The absence of that much thoughts about the movie’s progress can surely be seen here and there.

How it finishes :: The movie seems to be that smooth journey like a journey through some beautiful areas with charming people all around. At a time when traveling has not been that easy in a world of chaos, we can keep wandering through different lands with movies like these which never really misses out on the chance to capture the location. There is romance and we also have those deceptions, and despite seemingly going nowhere at some points, brings the whole thing to an end, even though there is nothing special about it. For going through a tale that does not claim anything huge, but gives enough of a normal tale, this one is a harmless watch. One would feel that the lack of intensity is something that favours the movie in maintaining a cool effect throughout its run that does not feel too long even when it slows down. Getting some German movies on OTT is quite a rare thing, one has to acknowledge the same. We do get one more here, to add to the foreign movies list which has been dominated by Korean, Spanish, French and Russian movies.

Release date: 21st August 2025
Running time: 105 minutes
Directed by: Sherry Hormann
Starring: Svenja Jung, Theo Trebs, Thomas Kretschmann, Tijan Marei, Victor Meutelet, Antje Traue, Lucia Barrado

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Frankenstein

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Vampire Owl: I have been informed about this particular movie.

Vampire Bat: I know who told you about this.

Vampire Owl: There is no reason why Dr. Frankenstein would not approve of this movie.

Vampire Bat: Anyone named Frankenstein do not count as the real one.

Vampire Owl: He is the vampire certified version of a true scientist.

Vampire Bat: Too many versions for most of us to comprehend.

Vampire Owl: The demons have also approved of the same.

Vampire Bat: When did you start asking the shadow demons about anything?

Vampire Owl: They have provided a telepathic connection to the vampire blood bank.

Vampire Bat: Your friendships these days have become too questionable.

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

What is the movie about? :: In 1857, a significant crisis arises when Horisont, a Royal Danish Navy ship sailing for the North Pole becomes caught in ice, and something unexpected also gets added as they find blood all around with signs of some brutality. Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) saves an injured Baron Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) who is caught in the snow and is attacked brutally by the Creature (Jacob Elordi) which shows no signs of backing down despite everyone of the crew trying their best, as it seems almost impossible to stop from unleashing unlimited chaos. The humanoid creature demands Victor’s surrender while destroying everything on the way, but ends up going under the thin layer of ice, bringing relief to the crew, as Victor begins to tell his story. Victor explains to the captain that he is not attacked by some random abomination from another world, as he admits that he was the one who created the Creature and recounts the events leading to this particular creation.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Victor remembers having a strict and abusive childhood due to his father beating him for even the smallest mistakes in his studies, as Baron Leopold Frankenstein (Charles Dance) wanted his son to be a surgeon like him, an expert in medical science like himself. He had married Victor’s mother for convenience and money, and nothing else – she dies with the birth of the second child, William Frakenstein (Felix Kammerer), who quickly becomes a father’s favourite, but Victor keeps mourning his mother and hates his father for what he feels like hesitation to save her life. Fueled by the hatred towards his father and indifference towards his young brother, Victor becomes a brilliant, but arrogant surgeon obsessed with curing death through science, based on the words of Leopold which meant nobody could defeat death. After years of trying to achieve the impossible, he is expelled from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for reanimating corpses, which every major member of the society considered a brutal sacrilege.

And what more could happen here as the arrogance and pride would have more to do in a world of chaos and meaninglessness? :: With all hopes seemingly lost, Victor is approached by an arms leader and billionaire Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz) who is impressed by his presentation and the movement on the face and arms of an animated dead body, offers Victor unlimited funding and an isolated Gothic tower in the middle of nowhere to continue his experiments, seemingly with his own sinister plans about life, death and afterlife. After successfully gaining the maximum of his, as well as William’s assistance in developing his laboratory out of nowhere, Victor also becomes interested in a young lady named Elizabeth (Mia Goth), Henrich’s niece and William’s fiancée. She appreciates his efforts towards greatness, but does not like his nature at all, with him seemingly lacking in morality and becoming more and more greedy without concern for anyone around him. Victor keeps running out of time as Crimean War breaks out and Henrich is on a hurry, but what is the best he can finally achieve here?

The defence of Frankenstein :: The movie is a visual stunner, and it is the first thing that we notice about the movie. The Gothic world of the film keeps us completely immersed in the same, as we are never out of the architectural beauty and the use of colours, along with the images of the archangels, and the spires that point to heaven as much the scientific equipment which also create an impact. The dark tower is symbolic of the overreacher, with our hero continuing to be the hero that seeks more, like many others that we know, most significant name among them being Doctor Faustus. Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak kind of effect continues here, as the Gothic world would always remain safe with him, not just with the darkness and the sinister alleys, but also with the colours, red being one of the most beautiful one as always, this time with that guardian angel imagery staying further in memory than the rest. This one is surely a more sensitive and emotional take on the original story, which have felt rather basic and rushed compared to some of its fine adaptations of later times. The film takes the creature out of its tough shell and shows it as a sensitive and intelligent being trying to help people, and also seeking love and belonging, without which, it changes; the same is depicted smartly.

Positives and negatives :: Oscar Isaac manages a good job with the character which is a little bit overdone for our liking. Mia Goth makes a good presence, but is not used that much as she should have been – A Cure for Wellness was the movie that used her the best, and then there was X; in this movie, she seems to be in the background like a conscience in mind. The last one and half movies are the ones which keep us so much interested, after those beginning stage, for there is so much strength there, leading to that finish, which makes one satisfied with that finish. The one hour after the first ten minutes or so have a struggle, and the pace also struggles. The movie is too long and stretched feeling is there, often also adding unnecessary elements; not all deviations are good either with theme elements going the wrong way in the process. Christoph Waltz’s character will surely catch our attention again, and Charles Dance continues to impress in a short period of stay. Felix Kammerer and David Bradley will also keep us interested in the world, which had a grand beginning with that fight in the snow.

How it finishes :: We have always had a fine dose of Frankenstein stories along with the original one which has kept going strong and inspiring so many derivates including Victor Frankenstein, I, Frankenstein and that guest role in a tale Castle Transylvania and its sequels. This one is another fine deviation which works, and is incredibly beautiful with the world – still, it could have been much better when we think about Guillermo del Toro as the director who brought us some of the most classic versions of myths and legends from the fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth to the full action Pacific Rim. This is that kind of a world where he makes his characters thrive, which would be a reason for the audience to expect more. The critical opinions have surely been positive, and as Mary Shelley’s ideas get expanded through a different path, we would still miss the horror, and despite an attack in the early stages of the movie, there is not much to bring the fear to us. As the monster and the creator are forever, this one would also be for long, as we ponder over the dangers of uncontrolled use of science, loneliness and rejection and above all – responsibility of creators for their creations, which some of the new age parents really need to understand instead throwing children to society, teachers, friends and relatives.

Release date: 7th November 2025
Running time: 150 minutes
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Krammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Charles Dance, Christoph Waltz, Kyle Gatehouse, Lauren Collins, Sofia Galasso, Ralph Ineson, Burn Gorman, Nikolaj Lie Kaas

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Monkey

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Vampire Owl: Is this a movie about the vampire monkey in Amazon Prime Video?

Vampire Bat: You know that there is no real vampire monkey.

Vampire Owl: Why would monkeys be out of the equation?

Vampire Bat: Because there have been no vampires among them.

Vampire Owl: I believe that I had seen one during the last war.

Vampire Bat: That was a zombie monkey with some real bad teeth.

Vampire Owl: But he looked like a classic vampire.

Vampire Bat: That was before him losing those teeth.

Vampire Owl: So, they are all restricted to the zombie area?

Vampire Bat: Yes, zombies have almost everything, even the most impossible ones.

[Gets a paneer fried rice and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: In 1999, Captain Petey Shelburn (Adam Scott) tries to take a wind-up drum-playing toy monkey to an antiques shop, but the toy plays a drum, triggering a chain reaction that ends with a harpoon gun brutally the shop owner, and after attempts to destroy the toy, it is seen that the captain disappears without trace. It is seen that after making an impact in the life of Hal Shelburn and Bill Shelburn (Theo James in a double role) during the childhood, and causing the death of their mother Lois Shelburn (Tatiana Maslany) and babysitter Annie Wilkes (Danica Dreyer) in the childhood leading to their disposal of the doll, it seems to come back after a very long time. It was something which they had from their father, and now Hal gets the call of Bill regarding the same at a time when he is separated from his wife, and is almost losing the custody of their only son Petey Shelburn (Colin O’Brien) much to the dismay of both the father and the child. They decide to go a final trip together for a week, as they are going to be cut down from each other.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After the death of his aunt Ida Zimmer (Sarah Levy), with whom the twin brothers were staying post the demise of their mother, he is forced to go to her home and see if there is the monkey doll in that house. He realizes that his aunt had also gone through a brutal death, like all the deaths which the money doll had caused. He also realizes that there have been many other brutal deaths in the area, and some of them seemed to have caused with no real reason at all. He understands the seriousness of the situation and tries to keep his son away, but Petey only gets further mad that he was not told that his father had a twin brother. Hal was always considered to be a single child by him and his mother, and despite having asked about the family tree, nothing was told at all. Barbara (Tess Degenstein), a real estate agent who guides them with further process is also brutally killed as a shotgun falls down, and this leaves them caught in the village pending enquiry from the police department. What would this mean to the twins, and what is happening with that missing doll?

The defence of The Monkey :: The story about a supernaturally affected or cursed toy monkey causing deaths is rather unusual compared to the usual, and also memorable for the image of that particular toy. The mixture of violent horror scenes with dark humour makes an impact, even when they come out of nowhere and disappears without trace. It can be said that the inventive and twisted death sequences combine different elements very well. As much as it is an adaptation of the short story by Stephen King, it also reminds us of the story, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs, which became part of the Mahatma Gandhi University of Kottayam syllabus as part of the common English paper. The movie has included its own elements, developing the short story, and the emotional side becomes good as it gets towards the end, and the final scenes are quite memorable with a pale horseman and the school bus. The monkey imagery remains effective as we keep seeing it in a dual mode, with the side of horror taking the front seat. This also gives the feeling that we have the kind of supernatural from where there is no escape.

The claws of flaw :: The movie keeps losing strength in between, as it seems to focus on the main characters while seemingly avoiding most of the other things including the supporting characters who have also affected this particular world. There seems to be the feeling that the movie might not be that appealing to the audience of this part of the world, as its focus on the supernatural and its origins, as well as journey is rather less developed compared to the effect that it creates. Taken right out of Stephen King’s short story with the same name, this could have surely done better with ease, and that was one base material which could have gone many ways, and supported a lot of further extension on the way. The seriousness of the original movie is lost in some of the humour which is used here, and when absurdity comes in front of horror with that comic side, the supernatural power is often lost in the silliness – being dumb is surely not always welcome. When there is too much focus on brutality and comedy by losing the original horror power, the overall strength is surely lost, and the slow pacing in between and the lack of power with emotions also struggle.

The performers of the soul :: The movie has some strength with its leading cast, even though it never really feels like a performance-oriented movie. The focus is more on the image of the monkey and the deaths, with focus more on the terror that it creates on the characters as much as it does on the regular audience who finds the shock. In between, the characters have to work with some dark humour and the emotional effect, both of which never really have a permanent effect here – it does not stay with us for that long, and it is evident from the fact that not many recommendations of this particular horror movie came into the groups of horror genre admirers that we know from around this side of movie love. Theo James is here in the lead, and as he remains the one who makes the impact in two characters, the others are of not much of a relevance here. The different modes of humour and fear are pretty much safe with him, while Christian Convery who plays the younger versions follows well. Colin O’Brien is the next one to be relevant and the character is also blended in well enough.

How it finishes :: The movie had immense potential, which is never really used, but remains a nice mysterious horror movie with a seemingly invincible killer toy at the centre, and some humour that works well. But coming out of a very serious and terrifying short story, this one loss some charm in the form of dark humour and gory scenes which turn not that scary in the process. One has to wonder why humour has to come in along with absurd deaths instead of following the Final Destination mode, which would have given this better strength. But there is fun for sure, and one cannot easily doubt that here. But we keep wondering how this movie could have been better, while enjoying the same, especially because you see how interesting scenes of childhood and later pass on without expanding the same, from those bullying moments to the later rural scenes. Maybe, we can hope for a better sequel, with a classic developed story from this one with less humour, making the world more serious as much as emotional.

Release date: 21st February 2025
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Osgood Perkins
Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dracula

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Vampire Owl: They are making another movie about Uncle Dracula?

Vampire Bat: Well, with some variations to come with it.

Vampire Owl: Nosferatu had him at work earlier with style.

Vampire Bat: Well, they also had Dracula Untold, and so there should be even more to come.

Vampire Owl: I wonder if Uncle Dracula had approved of this one.

Vampire Bat: Humans never really take approval of any other species.

Vampire Owl: Oh yes, they think they own everything in the world.

Vampire Bat: Only until they meet the people from other realms.

Vampire Owl: They are surely expecting some alien contact very soon.

Vampire Bat: I feel that they will need to meet the shadow demons before that.

[Gets some white chocolates and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Prince Vlad the Second of Wallachia (Caleb Landry Jones) is on a battle with the Ottoman Turks who are quickly gaining grounds and marching into Europe, relentlessly conquering and brutally murdering anyone who stands in their way, leaving a trail of dead bodies and blood. He becomes the chosen hero standing at the borders of Europe, who chooses to meet brutality with the same strength as he wins battles and impales his enemies taking the fear back to the invaders from the other side. The Ottoman army seems to have retreated for the time being, but they ambush the princess and the guards escorting her in the nearby forest, and almost kills her when Vlad arrives, only to have her die in his arms, as the Ottoman troops had found the lone queen without the guards as an opportunity. The prince had asked the leader of the church in Wallachia only one thing in return for his allegiance to the church, which was to pray to the God and keep his queen safe with the prayers and blessings.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: With his only wish not granted, he commits murder of the priest in the church and renounces God, turning himself into an abomination, with a curse on him to live forever in an undead state. Throughout the centuries, Dracula attempts to track down the reincarnation of his wife by using the usual methods, which does not seem to work, as the plagues lead the women to churches where he cannot enter. Therefore, he comes up with a secondary plan, creating different vampiric agents to assist in his search after drinking blood from them and making them just like him, but directly under his own control. These agents spread all around the world, and travel, with him confining himself to the castle with gargoyles that became his servants in a world of darkness and hopelessness in chaos created by himself. He also develops a specially crafted perfume designed to lure women to him, taking elements of the same from Italy, India and the Arab lands so that he does not have to wait for too many rebirths of his love.

And what more is to follow as darkness seems to take over everything good? :: Four hundred years later, during the Victorian Age, while looking for a property in England, Dracula changes the focus to France with hope in the post-revolutionary world to seek with ease. While negotiating a real estate transaction with the law expert in Paris, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid) who had travelled to Romania, Dracula discovers from his locket that Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray (Zoe Bleu) who looks so much similar, is the reincarnation he seeks. He is incredibly happy about the same, much to the dismay of Jonathan whose worries only get to be more. Despite the initial plan to kill Jonathan for finding out his secrets in the castle, he decides to imprison him instead and go for Mina and get her back to the castle to live with him. Jonathan’s attempts to escape do not bear fruits with the gargoyles all around the castle. Dracula decides to go on a blood hunt so that he could go young again, and gets out of the castle. Can the world stand it, and what will be Mina’s reaction to this with her friend Maria (Matilda De Angelis) also under Dracula’s influence?

The defence of Dracula: A Love Tale :: The best fact about the movie is that it is just too beautiful, with the visual splendour like one would not imagine for a movie with such a dark theme at the core of everything. The humanizing of Dracula brings another viewpoint, and it is something that brings the intellect to full power. The vampires here have a certain amount of charm about them, and even gargoyles are nicely designed. The castle design is also really good, and the architectural beauty of every building that we see here are too good, and the insides keep catching our attention. Caleb Landry Jones deserves all the praise for playing a haunted, tragic vampire with honesty and intensity, despite the initial struggle with past scenes. Zoe Bleu is incredibly lovely in her portrayals of her characters as the main leading lady – there is a certain amount of torment and the sad attempts to balance multiple worlds. It feels incredibly beautiful as he goes through emotions and memories of another life. Matilda De Angelis, at the same time, makes a perfect vampire, and strikes gold with the fangs and expressions, especially when in chains.

Positives and negatives :: The movie just seems to have less Orthodox and Byzantine elements in the old churches and castles compared as much as with the historical priest, and the Catholic and Gothic elements seem to have more of a presence here in comparison. The deviation might feel to be a little too much here, even though this could have been made to suit the French audience or the West in particular. The initial moments of the movie are not that good either, as there seems to be a retreat from a better situation. With focus on romantic love, or what seems at times like lust, the horror elements are mostly lost – at least the gargoyles could have been scarier; the fang power is also somewhat lost in the process. At the same time, Christoph Waltz makes some fine impact as the priest while Ewens Abid’s significance in the character is rather less, but good. The world continues to have something about it, even though even the romance is often felt less used unlike movies like Nosferatu which did it better even in not this much of a colourful world. The women characters have no role in saving the world this time.

How it finishes :: We have had different versions of the world’s most popular and the earliest classic vampire in the form of Dracula Untold and Nosferatu, and this one brings a fine deviated movie that has enough power to keep it strong as something to remember, with horror making its way for romance with some scares and a beautiful world. The comparison would be more to movies like Crimson Peak rather than anything else. This can be considered as a similar kind of gothic romantic drama that reimagines the legend of Count Dracula as a tragic lover rather than just that monster who made the way as pure evil above others, and England becomes France in this one. The tale of the medieval prince who loses his wife to turn against God and become the immortal vampire Dracula would keep striking well. As the vampire pursues love again, there is more romance and tragedy, focusing on Dracula’s loneliness, curse of immortality, and the conflict between love and the eternal darkness within him, as he remains half-monster, half-lover and not much more, but in any way, someone who is to be feared by all except his allies.

Release date: 30th July 2025
Running time: 129 minutes
Directed by: Luc Besson
Starring: Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoe Bleu, Matilda De Angelis, Ewens Abid, David Shields, Raphel Luce, Bertrand-Xavier Corbi, Guillaume de Tonquédec

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Accountant 2

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

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

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

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

Vampire Owl: We are now having forex cards here?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Cleaner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Black Phone 2

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

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

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

Vampire Bat: Vampire elders always had their telepathic powers.

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

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

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

Vampire Bat: It cannot be considered undead though.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vala

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.