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Hell in Paradise

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Vampire Owl: You think that hell can be loaded into paradise?

Vampire Bat: Maybe a little bit of space can be reserved for the same.

Vampire Owl: Yes, even Dracula Castle has space for a portal to hell.

Vampire Bat: You are talking about that strange experiment by Mr. Frankenstein.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein comes up with the perfect experiments every time.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the frank man always makes a mess of things.

Vampire Owl: You know that he is a man of science with divergence.

Vampire Bat: The only divergence he has is from the path of science.

Vampire Owl: It is possible as he is also a man of history.

Vampire Bat: The only history he knows is about himself.

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

What is the movie about? :: Nina (Nora Arnezeder) is a young single woman living in Marseille of France, struggling to make the ends meet as she also has to support her separated mother, Sam (Maria Bello). She becomes aware that she cannot go on like this forever, and while looking for financial stability and a new beginning at a new place, Nina accepts the position of a receptionist at a grand five-star luxury island resort in the Maldives which seemingly own one side of the sea. The place is considered to be one of the prestigious luxury destinations of the local owners who are part of a royal family and they control a lot of assets of the nation through different business ventures. When she arrives, the resort appears to be a beautiful sanctuary of turquoise lagoons and extravagant villas, with just tranquility all around. Nina quickly integrates into the daily routine, interacting with the wealthy international clients with ease due to her mother being American and she having a good accent and expertise in English.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: She becomes good friends with her roommate Valeria (Joséphine de La Baume) who is from another Asian country as well as the resort’s general manager – a local man, Azaan (Alyy Khan) who appreciates her work. Tariq (Shubham Saraf) who takes care of the boats of the resort and also manages some cooking in the background also becomes good friends with her as he understands her confusions being in a kind of nation to which she has no familiarity with. As the nation blend the common law with Sharia law with all citizens required to be Muslim, she had to be careful as a foreigner who does not believe much in religion. As only the resort islands serve alcohol and pork as well as allow her to wear bikini or even the usual clothing she used to wear in France, she stays there for almost all his life in Maldives, and is surprised to see people using drugs inside the resort even though it is not legal and if possessed in huge quantities, can even lead to death penalty.

And how well can she earn well and remain happy while away from home? :: The divide between the ultra-rich guests and the invisible migrant workforce that keeps the resort working is noted by her, but they are all happy as they are paid well, and the tourism of the nation remains its strong and most valued side. Her happy moments take a twist when Nina is asked by resort management to step outside her receptionist duties and keep a watchful eye on three young children whose mother does not want to care for them and creation a situation there in front of her helpless husband who calls for the family to stay together and enjoy their time. Nina tells everyone that she has no experience with children and is not trained for any similar kind of job, but is forced to take the job as four staff members had taken the day off. The children are unruly and justifies why their mother wanted to get rid of them, and a girl child manages to move away when Nina was taking care of the smaller kid and she drowns in a pool. This leads to her being targeted as the only person responsible for the death, and as the country’s laws are not favourable to single women who do not wish to marry and have children, she finds herself taken advantage of, and facing prison – can she survive?

The defence of Hell in Pradise :: Nora Arnezeder holds this character right on her shoulders, and she delivers a grounded performance which has us supporting her and hoping for her to escape this torture which feels continuous. Her journey from a hopeful expatriate to a desperate fugitive as she suffers the psychological toll of isolation and anxiety makes her the one person whom we keep supporting from till the end. After some of the sweeter moments which come in the beginning, the tension just rises above them all. As the movie progresses, we feel her anxiety and we know that there is something going on to trap the protagonist with all the blame on her, as her doubts never feel like outside reason. With the moments of further danger, we keep more immersed in the tension. The beauty of the world keeps us interested, and there is a certain need to travel to the island that arises early. The display of parents who cannot look after their own children is a reminder to all of us not to trust such fathers and mothers are to be looked at with contempt with the need for random people to look after their kids.

The claws of flaw :: The movie is slow to get going, and in the end, it seems to bring a very quick end out of nowhere, as the protagonist seems to find a way all of a sudden, and the ending moments also lack some clarity – the character change is a little too quick as she manages to be someone so smart and capable when she is at her lowest point. This makes one feel it is a strange mixture which never really mixes everything in the right quantity and one can also wonder about the balance. The film also forgets its strengths and deviates at times, making one wonder if it is every going to reach anywhere as repetitions are there and we keep seeing similar things again and again. A wrongfully accused protagonist trying to save herself is a common cinematic formula and there is not much of an innovation at work here. A number of characters also feel one-dimensional and there is a certain amount of predictability about them. The useless moronic parents are also not given the hatred that they deserve, and such people always deserve to be shown as the true evil representations, much above those who try to save their names.

How it finishes :: Hell in Paradise is an interesting movie not just with its tale of being caught in a nation one is not familiar with, but also with some incredibly beautiful visuals which will make us fall in love with Maldives, and also has us feeling exactly like the protagonist in trouble, with the film’s situations making us wonder what we would do in such a situation. We feel what the protagonist feels facing the unknown laws of unfamiliar lands, as being in a nation with severe restrictions except for as a tourist will have us tensed. The movie’s service as a high-tension thriller that takes a nightmare scenario works for most of the time. It successfully taps into the primal fear of being trapped in a foreign justice system with no friends or influence, completely at the mercy of wealthy and corrupt institutions which discriminate you and make you a criminal for gender and foreign nationality. On another day, this could be even worse, but this protagonist does have some hope in the end against all odds, even though that seems more manufactured than anything else – to add to it, you have Nora Arnezeder who delivers this as one of us.

Release date: 26 November 2025
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Leïla Sy
Starring: Nora Arnezeder, Maria Bello, Alyy Khan, Joséphine de La Baume, Shubham Saraf, Ranjit Krishnama

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Ghost War

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Falimy

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Vampire Owl: I think that humans no longer have the concept of ideal family.

Vampire Bat: Are you referring to the change of spelling here?

Vampire Owl: I am referring to the idea of a perfect family.

Vampire Bat: Humans have never been family-oriented by nature.

Vampire Owl: So, the human nature has been missing for long?

Vampire Bat: They are moving away from families as it is not in their nature.

Vampire Owl: So, there are no families anymore?

Vampire Bat: Almost all families of humans are broken now.

Vampire Owl: So, there is no more hope for them?

Vampire Bat: Hope is now a thing of the undead, not of the living.

[Gets a vancho cake and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Janardhanan (Meenaraj Palluruthy) is an 82 year old man, the eldest person in the family who keeps trying to travel to Varanasi, but every time someone from his family finds him on the way and brings him back. But that does not stop him from trying again and again. On one occasion, he had almost boarded the train itself. His son Chandran (Jagadish) does not go for any job, and had ended up shutting down the printing press owned by the family. He spends most of his time doing nothing except watching television. He has a lack of interest in family matters, and becomes more and more alcoholic as time progresses. Chandran’s wife Rema (Manju Pillai) is working at a press, and tries to keep her family running without problems. She keeps the family together after giving her best efforts. The elder son of Chandran and Rema, Anoop (Basil Joseph) works as a dubbing artist in a nearby studio. Abhijith (Sandeep Pradeep), the younger child spends his time doing nothing, and dreaming about getting out of India, preferably the United Kingdom.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Things seem to get better when Anoop gets an alliance from Anagha (Raina Radhakrishnan), a school teacher who had earlier rejected the idea of marriage itself. The engagement gets into trouble as a man named Robin (Joemon Jyothir) disrupts the ceremony, claiming to be her lover. Abhijith beats him up, only to be chased by the goons regularly. Anoop who feels cheated decides to go to Varanasi for a change, accompanying his grandfather, and a frightened Abhijith also decides to go with them. Chandran and Rema also decide to go and according to the plan, they get into the train. On the way, at a railway station at night, Chandran finds himself tricked by a tea-selling boy at a railway station, and he is stranded at the station with his wife and two sons. The grandfather is also forced to get out of the train, and the whole family is forced to continue the journey by road. But with tension building between them, can they finally finish the journey? How far will they travel?

The defence of Falimy :: There is a pretty good attempt to display a middle class family with all the small problems that become inflated as members do not understand each other too well. The realizations that come across them are nicely shown here. Having Basil Joseph at the centre surely has worked in favour of the movie, and Antony Varghese withdrawing from the project did not do that much of a damage. The message about importance of being one family and providing values to the desires of the elders could get the attention here. The frustrations in the movie do feel real, as the meaningless existence of a few and the inability to find meaning for others do get some presence here. Living through some habits which lead nowhere would not feel strange to our people, as doing nothing itself has become a habit due to the rise of Youtube – people these days know nothing other than to make videos which are watched by more jobless people, and it is one reason why we need the Terminator-type apocalypse to come and internet to go down. The visuals outside Kerala makes an impact, especially as we get closer to Varanasi with the characters.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does go through its struggles just like the characters within it. There seems to be the feeling that there is comedy when there is none. The comic side often losses its charm as it is lost between reality and the need to add something extra. In the name of showing middle class families, the movie also shows too many brainless people – in a society, we would expect at least one person to have some brain, but this locality and extended family seems to be different, and it is to be noted that this is not a Kuniramayanam or Adi Kapyare Koottamani type of film to move that way. The poverty here seems to be that of intellect rather than anything else. The movie could have used its spirituality at the end to its advantage, or bring back the wedding element to create the feel-good, but this one is caught between the feel-good and the dumb comedy which often prevents film from making the best out of the available potential. There was so much to be done, but this family takes the easy path, and that might have felt like the safer one for them. This is where the struggle feels more real for the movie than the characters.

The performers of the soul :: Basil Joseph remains the major protagonist here, and he adds more to the existing factors like in Enkilum Chandrike. He makes this character so good with the frustration, helplessness and meaningless existence which becomes him – you know that it is very difficult for a young man to get married in this part of the world if you do not have a government job. At the same time, Jagadish and Manju Pillai makes a fine combination and adds to some situational and realistic humour, but the latter do not have a Home-like platform here to get to serious mode. Sandeep Pradeep also comes up with some fine performance in a new generation realistic mode here. Meenaraj Palluruthy has a fine performance which would be remembered for long, and the emotional touch remains strong. Boloram Das who plays the main character outside Kerala also leaves us with some fine moments to cherish, filled with funny elements. Raina Radhakrishnan who is like the main female lead for a few minutes also leaves a mark – the moments have a cute side as well as a tragic one, which sets the world moving forward. It could have been good to have her back at the end of the movie, but it was not to be.

How it finishes :: Falimy is a movie which could have surely been much better, and there could have been better quality associated with different elements present here. The attempts to create comedy out of nowhere do not work at all times, but the simplicity and the plan to remain close to reality would keep it going and gain the positive appreciation that it required. The journey still does not become a Kumbalangi Nights kind of adventure which we could cherish for a longer period of time. It has been strange throughout the movie to see so many opportunities to be wasted. You cannot keep asking the ordinary space to create something special out of situations, and that is where the problem lies. Consistency has not been a quality of this film from the beginning itself. Yet, we watch this one for those moments, the comic ones that work here and there and the emotional ones that struggle even further to create impact. The movie surely manages to be at a higher level than the rubbish that is provided to us in the form of realism, like Angamaly Diaries and Annayum Rasoolum, two of the most miserable nothingness movies in the history of Malayalam cinema.

Release date: 15th December 2023 (Hotstar); 17th November 2023 (Theatre)
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Nithish Sahadev
Starring: Basil Joseph, Jagadish, Manju Pillai, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Raina Radhakrishna, Joemon Jyothir, Boloram Das, Amith Mohan, Meenaraj Palluruthy, Sandeep Pradeep

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Red Dot

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Vampire Owl: It is nice to have a Swedish movie on the list too, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, we only have Norwegian from Scandinavia until now.

Vampire Owl: Well, Netflix knows how to choose the right movies.

Vampire Bat: We have known that the best with Minnal Murali premiering there.

Vampire Owl: So many interesting movies in foreign languages too.

Vampire Bat: Those are the kind of collections which Amazon Prime Video should have too.

Vampire Owl: They could always have more of those lesser known foreign movies.

Vampire Bat: Scandinavia is a fine area to build a castle right now.

Vampire Owl: There should be our kind already in existence there.

Vampire Bat: Why don’t you take a trip there and find out?

[Gets a sweet puffs and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: David (Anastasios Soulis) proposes to his girlfriend, Nadja (Nanna Blondell) in public on the day of their graduation at the university. She accepts it gladly, even though the proposal turns out to be very much awkward, despite having a certain amount of cuteness related to it. They make a promise that they will always be together, no matter what happens. But one year and half later, due to the need to study and work at the same time, they are no longer happy at their apartment in Stockholm, the busy capital of Sweden. Soon, she finds out that she is also pregnant, and she is not sure if they should be parents, as she is studying to become a doctor – this would not be helpful for her future either. She feels that if she has a child any time soon, she will end up being a housewife taking care of the kid, as David is working all the time. Despite being assured by their neighbour that they will be great parents, she doesn’t inform David about the pregnancy, and decides to keep it a secret as long as possible.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: David arranges a trip to the northern lights so that they can have some happy time together. This is also the one tour which they are having after a very long time. On the way, they meet two locals, Jarmo (Kalled Mustonen) and Rolle (Tomas Bergstrom) at the gas station, but are comfortable with their presence and their strange dialogues about the dog and the lady. While leaving too soon, David’s car also leaves a scratch on the pick-up truck of the locals, but they go on moving without saying anything about it. Einar (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) seems to be the only person who is friendly to them, as he runs the inn where they are supposed to stay. He says that the people there are not used to seeing interracial couples. Nadja soon finds their car scratched, also leaving few racists words, which makes her angry enough to leave a scratch on the truck of the locals which they earlier encounter, as she is sure that they are the ones who did it. But the two locals seem to be much surprised by the same.

And what awaits them with the northern lights in the wilderness? :: David feels strange about the actions of Nadja, but she feels that this is how one should deal with racists. After a long drive, they finally reach an area beneath the northern lights, and it gets really cold. There, she reveals to him that she is pregnant, and that makes him very much nervous, as he is not sure what is to be done next. But their conversation about it is soon interrupted by a red dot on the wall of their tent, which keeps moving. They first feel that it is a prank done by some local kids with a laser pointer. But with a jolt, they soon understand that it is a laser view from a gun, as they are shot at. Nadja is sure that it is the brothers who are attacking them in revenge for her action, and David remembers that he had seen a weapon in their truck. Their dog which tries to find the attackers, is killed and as they return to the camp after searching for it, finds its head, a trap, and their belongings including the mobile phone missing. With the snow coming down slowly, they have to somehow make it out of there, but can they? Is there hope within so much of cold?

The defence of Red Dot :: The movie uses its landscape to its advantage, and the locations here are all beautiful enough. Whether it is the beauty of nature or the terror of it, we have things going well. Scandinavia is the area which almost everyone wishes to wish to visit, and maybe spend most of the life – I would have done that if there was the opportunity, and there is no shortage of such motivation with the world for eyes within this film too. It also has some interesting twists in the last few moments of the film, and also leaves a message that many things are lost as people just randomly points a few actions as a result of racism, often because it seems to be the easiest thing to do, along with adding things as misogyny or part of religious beliefs – sometimes, things are just personal to the core, and nothing more than that. As the movie is less than one and half hours long, things don’t get dragged or slow down at any point of time. There is no loss of pace at any moment, and it takes the deviation from the usual well enough, but never turning to melodrama even when it could have used the chance.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have achieved more with a couple being hunted in the snow, with no hope seemingly around. It also seems that none of the characters are likable, with a mostly irresponsible couple, and the lady seemingly attributing most things to racism, and randomly blame the mentality. The snow as well as the red dots could have been used more, and there could have more twists over the incidents. There are times when the movie seems to be unwilling to take the risk with most of the things. The romantic side is often forced rather than having any intimate or lovable side to the same. When thinking about Vikings from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, we are always expecting an intense ride with the movies from there, even with the realization that it is not that age any more. There were so many moments for some horror to be added here and there, and this could have transcended the genres with ease. Some more red blood on white ice along with some shocks added here and there would be been worthy enough – more action too.

How it finishes :: The movie has the strength throughout its run, thanks to the performances which are appreciable – there are only a few characters of significance in this movie, and they had to do well, which does happen around here. With people being hunted, this would feel like Wrong Turn in the snow at some point of time, but that idea is lifted during the last few moments of the film. Maybe, we could also have a similar movie shot during the corona virus times, hunted in the lockdown, with nobody around to help. At least, the viral pandemic did provide us with opportunity to watch movies like this one on the OTT platforms. It is always better to have them on the laptop screen, as you can also type on another laptop at the same time. I would also like not to know how much the popcorns, puffs and tea would cost in a multiplex after the lockdowns. Yet, we all know that the rise in petrol price won’t serve the purpose at all, and hope is only with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar, Sony LIV, Manorama MAX and others.

Release date: 11th February 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 85 minutes
Directed by: Alain Darborg
Starring: Johannes Kuhnke, Nanna Blondell, Anastasios Soulis, Kalled Mustonen, Tomas Bergstrom

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.