Tag Archives: twists

Baby Girl

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has better scientific plans.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ 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

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

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

@ 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

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

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

@ 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

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

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

<<< Click here to go to the last German movie on an island.

<<< Click here to go to the first German movie here.

<<< Click here to go to the first full-length German movie.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bloody Ishq

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Vampire Owl: It has been a long time since love was seen as bloody.

Vampire Bat: Well, all relationships beyond marriage are bloody.

Vampire Owl: Yes, people do fall in love and die.

Vampire Bat: It is quite natural, as we know the same news.

Vampire Owl: So many people die due to this romance.

Vampire Bat: Yes, such Ishq not in marriage is bloody and terrifying for sure.

Vampire Owl: Are they bloodier than Romeo and Juliet?

Vampire Bat: Well, at least they were really true to each other.

Vampire Owl: We cannot really have the dead people to talk, can we?

Vampire Bat: Not if they do not become vampires or at least zombies with a little bit of brain activity left in their heads.

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

What is the movie about? :: Neha (Avika Gor) is a young woman who has only recently had a near-death experience by drowning, and had lost her memory. She had fallen in love with Romesh (Vardhan Puri) and married her only a few months ago, and they had fallen in love when she was in Scotland, undergoing her studies. Now, they live in their large mansion on a deserted Scottish island, and as it is a grand old building, which he hopes to transform into a grand hotel by lakeside. Romesh assures her that she will regain her memory slowly and steadily as she goes backs to the same mansion and do things as she used to do. She also feels that she is going to heal in the mansion by herself while he goes to the mainland and work goes on in the building. But soon she feels that there is something hiding behind the grandeur of the mansion in its dark corners which seems to have something for her, as scary situations keep happening against all odds. She feels that there is something paranormal and that the house is haunted.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Now, it seems that she cannot go out of the island as she has developed a fear for water. But inside the house, there seems to be some spirits trying to communicate with her and there are doors which seem to be locked forever with the strongest of locks. There are arms coming after her with some of them bloodied, a naked woman is on her bed with moaning sound heard, and glasses of the house seem to break for no reason and there are weird noises which seem to suggest something out of this world and intending to cause her harm. It is then that she is visited by Devdutt Sinha (Shyam Kishore), an officer from the Scottish police department, who tells her that her husband is the prime suspect in the murder of her father-in-law. She feels that death is also wandering rather too close to her and her falling in water might also have some other explanation to it. Fear and confusion seem to be regular part of her life, with hope seemingly far off.

And what more would happen here as the supernatural is ready to have its final say, making humans feel irrelevant? :: A woman who claims to be her best friend Ayesha (Jeniffer Piccinato) tells her that her husband is a liar and has rather to many secrets hidden within him. She tells Neha to find out the truth before it’s too late. Abhay (Gautam Sharma), a paranormal investigator lets her know that he had come to their mansion with Tanisha (Arshin Mehta), a medium who was possessed temporarily by an unknown spirit at the same building, and he adds that it was a terrible experience. Tanisha was seriously injured during the incident and due to her lasting trauma, do not go for any paranormal investigations anymore. Soon, Neha comes to know about deaths that had happened in their mansion and also understands that the death of her father-in-law was not an accident. There is some mystery surrounding her husband and there is more to the place than what meets the eye. Can Neha find out the truth before time runs out or will the mixture of truth and lies consume her slowly and steadily?

The defence of Bloody Ishq :: There horror stays alive in this movie, and there is fear generation that stays strong. The setting of an old mansion on a remote island with nothing else around, is a location which supports the horror environment so well, and the building itself does the rest with the support of darkness, lighting and antiquity which stands apart. The choice of Scotland is even more interesting with that landscape and the Hollywood feeling provided on the visuals. It also remains a stylish world, and the spirit is also something that generates interest. There are some nice twists around here, and the paranormal suspense is nicely maintained around here. The use of twists over twists work, as they are not that huge and just following the flow of things. The psychological tension is always present and it becomes as significant as the supernatural which gets the support further. Avika Gor leads the way here, as the leading actress who try to find meanings out of lost memories. She seems to nicely suit the horror genre as much as romance. The background score keeps us interested, and the songs are soothing.

The claws of flaw :: The movie is not something we have not seen before, and the feeling of repetition is definitely there. There are moments which provides the feeling that it has happened before, and we have seen enough of this. A lot of things around are there to be guessed correctly, and the twists are not enough to keep us away from knowing some of these truths early enough, even though the protagonist is not smart enough to know the same. The predictability seems to have come from some inspiration that might be from the earlier movies. There are times when things get rather exaggerated, and there is too much of time in getting to that area which could have been reached with so much ease. There is a little bit too much of melodrama here, and that is also stretched towards ending, where the twists towards end lose the steam. There is no real grand terror on the screen by the end as one would expect after this big buildup. The loss of steam in between is mainly due to the romantic side being weak, and never really getting up after falling down multiple times.

How it finishes :: Bloody Ishq takes on the horror genre in that manner which makes one think that this one could have been another sequel to that good old horror genre – Murder with the supernatural or even Raaz. Love and deaths are common elements, and this one was also going to be a step closer to Hate Story it had come from another angle. In a perfect setting, this one tries, and even though never really managing to go in full power, gets an interesting thriller here – entertaining horror target has been achieved without that much of a difficulty. Even though there is certain lacking, this is not as bad as these reviews would say – this one is indeed a very much watchable romantic-horror thriller with good performances and a fine mood despite running predictability. If you enjoy Bhatt-style thrillers, this is for you, but not if you expect to anything new or even has the scope of innovation around here. After all, romance and blood come together in romantic thriller with added horror. Let us hope that Bollywood gains further power to improve on the usual and come up with something bigger.

Release date: 25th July 2024
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: Vikram Bhatt
Starring: Avika Gor, Vardhan Puri, Jeniffer Piccinato, Rahul Dev, Shyam Kishore, Coral Bhamra, Arshin Mehta, Gautam Sharma

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

ED

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Vampire Owl: Are we going to see Enforcement Directorate here too?

Vampire Bat: No, not for us who deals with blood.

Vampire Owl: So, this move is not about them?

Vampire Bat: No, this seems to mean extra decent.

Vampire Owl: It could also be extremely dangerous.

Vampire Bat: Nobody is more dangerous than a vampire at the darkest of nights.

Vampire Owl: I have heard werewolves saying the same on full moon nights.

Vampire Bat: The moon is no long visible in our realm.

Vampire Owl: There is the device invented by Dr. Frankenstein which can bring it forward.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein knows nothing about moon or even Earth.

[Gets a marble cake and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Binu Das (Suraj Venjaramoodu) is a young man who takes care of his father’s shop and is liked by everyone due to his pleasant appearance, willingness to help and joyful nature. He is someone who is considered extra decent by everyone in the apartment, and his opinion is highly valued. But after being attacked by a security guard, he ends up in coma at the nearby hospital. On waking up, he cannot remember anything and is soon diagnosed as having retrograded amnesia, not able to remember anything in his immediate past. He tries to pick up the pieces, but people feel like strangers to him – he keeps a diary so that he can study the reality that surrounds his blank slate of a mind. Police Inspector Shibu (Alexander Prasanth) feels that there is something about this particular case as the old security guard claims that he attacked Binu just because he wished to go to prison as nobody was there to look after him, but after questioning the family, nothing strange could be discovered.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The family consisting of his father Manoj Das (Sudheer Karamana), mother Lakshmi Das (Vinaya Prasad), sister Nishima Das (Grace Antony) and brother-in-law Sanju (Shyam Mohan) are in the hospital, but are seen with a strange feeling, and leaves the place. Neelima (Dilna Ramakrishnan) from the neighbourhood who is determined to marry him takes care of him while the family meets Dr. Ajmal Khan (Rafi) who lives in the next flat instead of going to Dr. Rupesh (Sajin Cherukayil) who has been trying hard to bring the memories of Binu back to normal and make him the same as he used to be. The family tells Ajmal that Binu should not get his memory back as he used to be a psychotic person. He used to trouble the family so much that they wished that he was dead. This surprises Ajmal who always considered him to be a sweet person. Now it is to be seen if his memories come back and if would become a big terror or a good man – it is also to be seen what they family will do.

The defence of ED: Extra Decent :: This is one movie that intends to go divergent with its idea. The use of black humour is to be appreciated, and the ability of the movie to remain serious and funny at the same time is to be appreciated – yet, we have that entertaining mood here. With Suraj Venjaramood at the helm, there is no surprise about how well the movie gets elevated. There has always been promise for a lot, and some of it has been delivered. This is that kind of a movie which takes the psycho-mode to a different stage, and adds humour to keep it more interesting. The traumatic past which keeps creeping in and the sudden change of situation with the twist keeps the whole thing interesting – there is more than one twist to go. The contrast of seriousness and humour works quite well for most of the time. This is at a time when having psychos point to serial killers like in Forensic, Anjaam Pathiraa and others, but this time it gets funny like in the case of Maranamass which took the serial killer mode with happiness.

The claws of flaw :: The movie had a lot of scope, but does not hold on to all of them. It repels the scope to go to chaos comedy like Sahasam, Adi Kapyare Kootamani or Kunjiramayanam, but some of it could have added to the overall humour. The movie’s ups and downs do not help the totality, and sometimes it does stretch a little too much, and the scenes feels like repetition at times. The story could have had funny elements added here and there to make it more interesting rather than stretching itself. Some of the characters seem to be there for the sake of being there, and the ending surely does struggle. The ending needed to be more satisfactory, even though the focus seems to be in bringing a sequel into play if there is some scope for it. There is that potential which we feel as the movie gets close to the end, but not sure that it was utilized. So many opportunities were there for the movie to diverge, but it chooses the easiest one, which might be safe, but not having that much of an impact.

The performers of the soul :: Suraj Venjaramoodu’s brilliance has a firm hold of this movie, and due to the same, we feel this movie to be more than just a random movie with comedy – the dark humour just gets to another level with his performance. He has those multiple levels of transformations which keeps us interested. His entry into madness and beyond becomes surprise classic dark humour. Sudheer Karamana and Vinayaprasad shines as the tensed parents, while Grace Antony has a memorable stay as the sister, and Premalu star Shyam Mohan’s brother-in-law also has his moments. Vineeth Thattil David and Rafi add to fun nicely as support. Dilna Ramakrishnan makes a notable appearance here, and we hope to see her around in bigger roles in the industry. Sajin Cherukayil also makes an impact in appearance that happens at times, while Alexander Prasanth though with a smaller appearance has some of the funniest moments in the film that happens very early and sets up the mood.

How it finishes :: The movie does remind us of movies like Tholvi F C and Falimy with one dysfunctional family and a main character who has more problems than ever. With family relationships and status in the society being twists, the central idea remains the same, even though the divergence is more with this one. The ending was still going to need more, and the same is not served here. That extra dose is not here to be taken, but this movie remains such an enjoyable flick, especially with the lead and support going so strong. This is the kind of movie that will always have something in it for a future watch too, as some moments will return on television with those comedy sequences. As this one is on Amazon Prime Video, many people might have already watched this one, even though some might have still missed the flick due to people not knowing that much about the release. The hype was just not there even when it released and had faced tough competition. We can only hope that it will gain more from the OTT.

Release date: 20th December 2024
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Aamir Pallikkal
Starring: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Grace Antony, Shyam Mohan, Sudheer Karamana, Vinaya Prasad, Rafi, Vineeth Thattil David, Alexander Prasanth, Sajin Cherukayil, Shaju Sreedhar, Saji Venjaramoodu, Rakesh Ushar, Dilna Ramakrishnan, Suryakiran, Priya Sreejith, Sincy Anil

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Artificial Justice

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Vampire Owl: This seems to be the next thing after artificial intelligence.

Vampire Bat: Humans seem to be addicted with their machines.

Vampire Owl: Well, they are the only ones they trust.

Vampire Bat: Human distrust among themselves is valid.

Vampire Owl: Our 12th Man Dr Frankenstein has warned us about the same.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein has not been a doctor since birth.

Vampire Owl: This is not about him being a scientist or doctor.

Vampire Bat: He is just not a source to be trusted.

Vampire Owl: His judgements have been seventy five percent accurate.

Vampire Bat: Humans might still come up with ninety nine percent with their machines.

[Gets a paneer uthappam and three cups of Mattupetty tea].

What is the movie about? :: In most courts of Spain, an artificial intelligence system called THENTE 1 has been serving as an aid to judges, as an analysis of the files and the expressions as well as way of talking of the accused are considered. Even though the system seems to be near-perfect, veteran judges like Carmen Costa (Verónica Echegui) trusts her own intuition and experience to make the final decision. She even goes against the system which predicts eighty two percent chance of a hacker committing the crime again, and sets the man free despite the suggested denial of freedom. Her belief in Artificial Intelligence is rather limited, as she even distrusts the medical analysis about her showing her as not fit enough to undergo pregnancy, and every time ends up aborting the fetus due to her declining health. Concerning the future of artificial intelligence, the CEO of THENTE, Alicia Kóvack (Alba Galocha) had been regularly trying to meet Carmen who was trying to avoid everyone, while government pushed for artificial intelligence to replace the judges.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is on the same night that Alicia meets with an accident, as the artificial intelligence which was installed in her car deviates the vehicle to avoid another car which was stuck on the middle of the road, leading to her death. A grieving Carmen is told that the artificial intelligence took the decision to deviate her car into the side to save the lives of two people who were in the other car, as a direct collision would have killed all three of them, and that this action saved two lives, and almost saved Alicia who died in the hospital. The government starts strongly pushing for the use of artificial intelligence as a substitute for judges in the form what was called artificial justice. Carmen is invited to work on the further development of the project, making sure that it is flawless. Alicia had noted down in her will that Carmen had to approve the whole thing before being implemented. This leads to Carmen doubting a bigger conspiracy behind all of these. Is Alicia’s death and the upcoming election related to this artificial intelligence implementation and more?

The defence of Artificial Justice :: The movie focuses on exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence in one’s everyday life, focusing deeper on how well the artificial ones can deliver justice. It asks how much the control can be provided to the machine, at a time when there would be the control of multi-national companies if there is such a programme. There is the idea that there would always be something which the machines cannot predict, including the nature of people and the changes that come across them, as the need to judge people by past would be more complicated than ever. The idea of having an artificial judgment instead of a human judge would leave so many things unattended as shown here, and so would anything driven by a machine which would consider some lives to be less important than others under some circumstances. The idea is nicely thought about, and the arguments are put in here nicely, as the feeling of unknown danger and mystery runs through here with slow thrills making impact.

The claws of flaw :: The pace of the movie keeps going down at times, and its inability to raise itself by the end of the flick makes it questionable as a thriller with a motive. The struggle of the movie is always present, and even when the main character is swimming or driving, the problem seems to be of the movie rather than of the character. The deep exploration of situations is not there, as the movie keeps on looking only at the ideas on the surface and keeps jumping from one to the other like a really irritated Tarzan or Mowgli. The ending feels too rushed, and in world where an escape would be impossible, a Joseph-type ending would have done perfectly alright, but we do not see the same with this one. There needed to be some emotional strength to support the efforts of the dead characters, but the movie just shows too much indifference to its characters that the viewer would feel that the real machines are the people in there among which some of them just dies like computers being shut down by others.

The performers of the soul :: Verónica Echegui handles the weight of the situation here really well. Her performance reflects the mood of the movie, and she remains solid even when movie shows some struggle. The calmness that she shows when facing all adversities, reflects the character very well, and there is a certain amount of freshness about her. Alba Galocha is the one person whom we miss during the journey here, as the character is gone too early, but we know that there was a lot more she could have done here if the role carried on to the end. She has the looks that would the present Spiderman as his girlfriend, seemingly a perfect choice in a battle against Mysterio or any other classic villain. The looks seem to keep making her feel younger. Tamar Novas makes it work and Alberto Amman adds on with his performance here. The villainy here is smooth and working from the background in an effective manner, as shadows seem to haunt. The supporting cast is also pretty good as we look around.

How it finishes :: Artificial Justice raises some interesting points while going through a journey that we would remember due to the questions which have been asked, and the so many answers which could be received. The lost point here is that it fails to develop on the same, and end well, with the finish going through such a struggle to even prove that it is the end, and there would be no more similar finishing points to follow. The ending is not just open-ended, it also provides nothing to the audience who have been waiting for a grand finish like in those usual science fiction tales with a grand underlying message. The conspiracy was huge, and that big ending was required. But with a fine beginning and with suspense and danger around, the experience of the movie remains good, even when the pace is reduced at times. There is the struggle, but we get most of the thriller that we wanted from this one. The Spanish thrillers have had the guaranteed thrills at least at the minimum for some time as far as internationally known movies are concerned.

Release date: 13th September 2024
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Simón Casal
Starring: Verónica Echegui, Tamar Novas, Alba Galocha, Alberto Ammann, Lúcia Moniz, Paula Morado, Santi Prego, Ledicia Sola

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<<< Click here to go to the most read review here.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Identity

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Vampire Owl: I have been thinking about changing my identity.

Vampire Bat: The vampire one or the owl one?

Vampire Owl: The undead one to be exact.

Vampire Bat: You are already dead and returned. That cannot change.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has changed his identity multiple times.

Vampire Bat: He never had any real identity.

Vampire Owl: Yes, Frankenstein, the genius scientist.

Vampire Bat: The pseudo-scientist, to be exact.

Vampire Owl: He is more, for he has invented vampire mechanics.

Vampire Bat: The only thing he has invented is pure nonsense.

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

What is the movie about? :: A recently engaged young woman Emy John (Nilja K Baby) finds herself blackmailed by a man named Amar Felix (Arjun Radhakrishnan) with the help of a techie and occasional hacker Nakul Sachdev (Vishak Nair), as he had recorded her half-naked through a mobile phone kept in a changing room. He threatens to spread her nude videos all over internet unless she gives him three lakhs to which she agrees, but after many blackmails of random people, this time he finds himself facing a mysterious individual who kills him in his own warehouse which looks abandoned from outside. Alisha Abdul Salam (Trisha Krishnan) is the only witness to the murder as she had seen the person coming out of the warehouse after burning it, as she was passing through. CI Allen Jacob (Vinay Rai) is assigned the case, and decides to keep the witness in his home for protection, as advised by DYSP Dinesh Chandran (Aju Varghese). They feel the immediate need to get a sketch of the killer done as Alisha says that she has seen the face clearly, but protecting her is the top priority.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Allen is helped by his highly influential friend Supriya Gopal (Mandira Bedi) who provide him with much needed information. Meanwhile, Haran Shankar (Tovino Thomas) is a part-time karate instructor and a genius in multiple subjects who suffers from OCD, and lives with his sister Devika Shankar (Archana Jose Kavi) and half-sister Neerja Sudip (Gopika Ramesh). Allen, after seeing a sketch made by Haran, decides that he should be the one to bring the identity of the killer to light. As Allen asks Haran to make a sketch, and as he does so with the help of the description given by Alisha, a few more things come to light, including the fact that Alisha can no longer identify human faces after an accident which followed the murder. This makes things further complicated, as finding the killer seems almost impossible, and Amar’s past also seems to catch up to the situation. It seems that things are just getting more and more complicated, but for how long?

The defence of Identity :: There is a certain amount of style related to how this movie looks, and the visuals remain stunning throughout its run. The technical strength is visible right there. We have not seen such over-reachers among the movies of this industry, unless it is Lucifer and its Empuraan, but this one has managed that extra load quite well. The movie nicely builds the tension, which keeps us interested. The twists are always present, and some of them are rather too nice. The action sequences are maintained well and kept under control without being overdone. The beginning of the movie was so good that we are attached to the proceedings so early. We wonder where the connections would be made, and that happens nicely too. The final fights are also well-executed, maybe qualifying as among the best-done moments. The performances remain of top quality, not really holding back even because of character complications. There is a certain amount of polishing that is visible there, moving further ahead of the usual movies. The background music also remains something of interest.

The claws of flaw :: The movie just seems to have taken so much for granted. After starting so well, and ending with a deviation, but in an interesting way, the middle part seems to have lost in the process. There are so many moments which seems over-stretched, and we feel that there was no need for that much of a detail in between, and the explanations which go long, just gets longer as we see and experience less twists in real-time than what we hear and find in flashbacks. The big reveal about the main character feels like a rather forced addition. The characters are not given the importance that they need, and the hero is just given that push. Many characters just come of nowhere and become part of that world of twists, making us not that interested in them. Even the leading lady is not given that strength and feels misplaced as a character. The other female characters are also not given that much of a background. The emotional depth is not that much there, and the pace is also uneven, often also struggling with the pace. Then the antagonist is also pushed out of nowhere right after a twist.

The performers of the soul :: Tovino Thomas leads the way here in style. When thinking about that one action hero of the industry, he comes first to the mind. We have seen that even with superheroes of Minnal Murali and Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. Tovino handles this role in a way that we will remember, and gets into the genre really well as expected. Vinay Rai becomes a fine addition around here as he shines in the form of a strong antagonist, someone who aligns with the overall mood of the movie and the twists. Aju Varghese’s serious police role is a joy to watch, and it is to be noted that this time, the character do not follow the stereotypes. Trisha Krishnan comes back to Malayalam after Hey Jude with Nivin Pauly, and here she plays a main character and has just enough to do as the leading actress. Shammi Thilakan and Vishak Nair have some interesting things to do here. Archana Jose Kavi and Gopika Ramesh shine in their comparatively smaller roles, and Nilja K Baby contributes well in a small role too. It was good to see Mandira Bedi around too while Giju John and Sujith Shankar gets the due in the final minutes.

How it finishes :: This one was that opportunity with scope for big heights to become one memorable thriller above many more. Known as The Sketch Artist in Hindi on Jio Hotstar, this one would work better with that particular audience. If you like such stylish thrillers having action, twists, and a lot of ambition behind, this will feel a lot grand, as you remember from movies like Christopher. But that big a plot and well-developed characters would not be there that much for your attention here. Creating characters our of nowhere and using them here and there with twists that sometimes work like boomerang might not be for everyone’s love. But seeing the cast of this movie, you know that the movie will always be capable enough. It is available in Hindi on Amazon Prime Video going by the name, The Sketch Artist, even though one would be wondering why that name even came into picture. Unlike some other movies, this Hindi version is very well-created, and you might wish to have a look at that one.

Release date: 31st December 2024
Running time: 158 minutes
Directed by: Akhil Paul, Anas Khan
Starring: Tovino Thomas, Trisha Krishnan, Vinay Rai, Aju Varghese, Archana Jose Kavi, Sujith Shankar, Nilja K Baby, Giju John, Gopika Ramesh, Shammi Thilakan, Vishak Nair, Major Ravi, Asha Madathil, Mandira Bedi, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Mahima Radhakrishnan, Shinu Shyamalan, Litty Thomas, Vriddhi Vishal, Mohan Thankam, Sethu Lekshmi, Adam Sadiq, Akhil Paul, Anas Khan

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<<< Click here to go to the previous South Indian film review.

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eleven

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Vampire Owl: Do you know that there are not even eleven vampires in our team?

Vampire Bat: Well, we do not need that many vampires around here.

Vampire Owl: So, we are not building an army?

Vampire Bat: Why do we need an army right now?

Vampire Owl: To defeat an army of serial killer humans?

Vampire Bat: This movie only has one serial killer.

Vampire Owl: But humans are basically trained to be serial killers.

Vampire Bat: We do not see an army of serial killers in one movie.

Vampire Owl: There are many, but they show only a few of them.

Vampire Bat: Well, humans are meant to be born killers with inherent evil, and only one small push will do for even children.

[Gets a chicken cutlet and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: ACP Aravindan IPS (Naveen Chandra) is a police officer who has a near-perfect record of solving even the most impossible cases, and had recently caught a finance bank robbery group which had never failed in their crimes before with perfect calculations. This success is celebrated well on media, but a darker case was evolving in the background. ACP Ranjith IPS (Shashank) who is in charge of this new case involving serial killings almost dies in an accident after the body count reaches six, Aravindan is asked to investigate. Ranjith who barely survived, and is in the hospital promises to support him in any way possible, even though left out of service due to injury. For his support, SI Manohar (Dileepan) is given the duty, and both find themselves in a confused state as there was never any real clue found by previous investigatory and Ranjith. Aravindan discovers an interesting piece of evidence, an ankle-surgery plate in one of the victims, which helps them shortlist seven individuals based on age.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: At the same time, Sanjana (Reyaa Hari) who comes to a restaurant to meet her possible groom who was selected by her parents sees Aravindan who is wearing the same identification in the form of a grey shirt, and falling in love with him as he beats up multiple goons. She tells him about her desire, but he immediately rejects her and asks her to marry the person whom her parents had found for her. Aravindan reaches Sudhakar (Kireeti Damaraju) while tracing the ankle-surgery plate and Meera (Riythvika) while hearing about a beggar talking about a girl being abducted. The police also find a common group photo in both houses, finally finding a connection. Aravindan understands that the only connection between the twins is their school, Twin Birds Matriculation School, which no longer exists as it was burned down in a fire, followed by the death of its owner Ravi (Ravi Varma). This feels like a very strange connection with a past that they wish to forget from their childhood, which had a secret which was buried. Now, the question remains about who all will be targeted from that past.

The defence of Eleven :: This might be one of the most interesting versions of serial killer related murder investigations as it focuses on twins. At the same time, the visuals are nothing less than stunning, and the colours here especially at night seems to bring the best of Chennai. This is the kind of movie which quickly has us interested, and gets us through the journey with guesses, but brings those kinds of twists which come out of nowhere. But there is no overdose of the same like we had seen in Mirage, as things just went out of control. There are the twists over twists which works so well, and the suspense only gets stronger, while red herrings add on well. The shots of cemetery and the styling lacks in nothing. As the cinematography, background score and production values deserve praise, they keep us deeper in the movie here. The flashback tale is also very much interesting which reminds us that one has to pay for the heartless mistakes one makes, whether it is as a child or as an adult because humanity is not learned in old age, but part of human character rather early.

Positives and negatives :: The movie’s romantic side is a mess, and it is saved by the fact that the same is not given that much of a focus. There is something that makes us feel that it was not needed at all. There might also be the feeling that we have rather too many serial killers around, but in our world, one has to say that it is not a surprise to have such people hiding behind different faces. For some people, there might be points where there are missing connections, but it is seen that everything comes together at the end. It is always nice to see the inherent evil of man at work, like in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies – taking children as innocent is not the way to go; the actions of the kids could feel even more evil in nature than that of the adults as they are not forced into situations, but use them right out of their hearts. There are always the little demons in this world of chaos, and here we see that element coming back to haunt them as adults. This makes sure that there is always something different and divergent even in the nature of the movie, and revenge remains justified.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is guided by a solid performance from Naveen Chandra, who becomes a perfect police officer with that determination on his face that never seems to leave the character. The intensity that he shows in a quiet and determined manner, never going overboard, sets a fine example here, without also overdoing any action sequence. The different shades of his character work so well that we do not think about having any other perfect police officer during this time period. Reyaa Hari, the producer who is the leading lady is under-utilized, and in the role, does quite less – cannot blame her though, as the romantic side lags behind in almost everything and this approach does not suit her; yet she does fine in the final moments of the movie. Dileepan also remains solid as the supporting police officer, as his character also contributes to the twists well. Shashank plays the third important police man, and that also works nicely. Abhirami’s role is also an interesting one here. Riythvika also adds on to the proceedings here with memorable moments. The same can also be said about Kireeti Damaraju’s work.

How it finishes :: Eleven is one of the best investigation thrillers featuring a serial killer and twists remain very much effective with suspense all around. For the fans of investigative thrillers who wish to see murders coming out of a buried past, this one is surely worth a watch, as there is a good score to be taken for its strong lead, technical polishing and the satisfying second half which comes to an ending which it deserved. The ability to remain engaging from the beginning to the end is a skill that not many movies possess. There is nothing much that it misses, and we are familiar with some classic thrillers with serial killers from Memories to Abraham Ozler, Forensic, Anjaam Pathiraa, John Luther, Antakshari, Paappan and others which have kept Malayalam movie industry going strong. This movie could have surely used more hype and much more screens here, as we are the kind of people who like the twists and thrills with a serial killer around and a mystery which is soaked in revenge and best served cold. For now, this one serves the same well in Amazon Prime Video in multiple languages.

Release date: 16th May 2025
Running time: 135 minutes
Directed by: Lokkesh Ajls
Starring: Naveen Chandra, Reyaa Hari, Abhirami, Ravi Varma, Riythvika, Shashank, Dileepan, Arjai, Aadukalam Naren, Kireeti Damaraju

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

M3GAN 2.0

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Vampire Owl: So, we are now looking at advanced AI dolls.

Vampire Bat: Vampires do not need artificial intelligence at all.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has been trying to bring AI to vampire world.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are going without science, for we have magic here.

Vampire Owl: The advertisements for AI seem to suggest otherwise.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will keep adding absurd things to the same.

Vampire Owl: He is the realm’s most popular doctor and scientist.

Vampire Bat: He is the biggest pseudo-doctor and pseudo-scientist.

Vampire Owl: Nobody else has ever created a human being through science.

Vampire Bat: It was the raising of the dead. We have risen, and so have the zombies along with all those skeletons brought to life by necromancers and dark witches.

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

What is the movie about? :: At a time when people are protesting about the unregulated use of Artificial Intelligence in a world having machines exercising too much control, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) aka Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics & Infiltration Android) is the latest robot created from M3GAN’s original design, and is declared safe for operations as a military unit. It is set to be used for high profile missions of the government including well-targeted assassination of enemies of the state. Confident about this achievement, the United States Army colonel Sattler (Timm Sharp), head of a top-secret branch of the Pentagon, arranges a demonstration. But during her mission, AMELIA reveals to Sattler that she is self-aware and manages to escape from his control. At the same time, Gemma (Allison Williams) who had created M3GAN (Amie Donald) has now become an author. She had changed her views after an artificially intelligent doll who had developed an advanced level of self-awareness and became overprotective to her human companion, leading to the need to deactivate her as part of an unexpected turn of events.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Gemma has been warning people against the dependence on technology, starting from children using smartphones, comparing it to drug addiction or sometimes saying that both are the same. She inspires an AI regulation bill and even makes some parents take away mobile phones from their children. Sharing the same ideas leads her to have a partnership with cybersecurity expert Christian (Aristotle Athari), and along with him, she goes on working with an experimental robotic exoskeleton with former workmates Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps). She still lives with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), who is very interested in computer science despite Gemma wishing that she would do something not involving much technology, like playing soccer. Gemma turns down an offer from corrupted billionaire Alton Appleton (Jemaine Clement) to work for him, but soon has FBI after her, and maybe even AMELIA who has been killing those who were responsible for creating her. This might be bigger than she thinks.

The defence of M3GAN 2.0 :: As the second movie of the series, this one gets more into action and tries to be more entertaining than the previous as far as the common audience is concerned. The action sequences are really good, and they are also never overdone even when there is a chance to go down to the ridiculous. There is also the possible end-of-the-world situation which makes the whole thing even more interesting. The emotional connection works really well, and the final sequences are really good, with a classic ending. There are so many emotional moments, and focus is also there on self-sacrifice and understanding of the other. The CGI has been nicely worked out, and some fine locations have been created, both within and also outside. Then there is the humour that comes out of nowhere and scores so well. The contemporary concerns about Artificial Intelligence, negative effects of science, technology misuse and corporate power all get a chance to be present here. The talk about the mobile misuse among children is relevant to the core, and the idea of bad parenting is relevant for all times.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have developed further on the premise. The deviation from the original film with the style might not impress the fans of that particular film. The feeling that movie has chosen action instead of the creepy horror elements might not be satisfying to everyone. But the fact that it has deviated without missing its core or messing up things is to be remembered here. There is the feeling that Ivanna Sakhno was not given that focus which she deserved, as she is that android that needed a terminator-ish introduction. This is one android that has raised the stakes even above the original. The movie does have some doubt if it is to support or be against Artificial Intelligence, and seems to end up with a safe mode. One might feel that there could have been some nice scares with the available elements, and there could have also been so much more to talk about related to the themes. The beginning stages of the movie had also taken a little bit too much time to get going. When it starts to get going, it goes strong.

The performers of the soul :: Allison Williams leads the list of performers and manages to be the one who makes the difference. She shines as the aunty who wishes to be the mother to her niece as much as the scientist that we have already seen. Amie Donald’s android continues to impress us, and there seems to be always more to the technology than what meets the eye. Ivanna Sakhno’s android is also lovely, but does not get enough like the lady terminator of the third instalment of that “machine from future” managed. She could have had more to do, and more classic action, but gets limited – there is no Ex Machina-kind of crisis and classic moments added here either. Violet McGraw as Cady also adds more in this journey which has shifted to science fiction action. She would do even better with an extension of this world with another sequel in collaboration with the AI characters. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps support well and even adds some humour around here. Aristotle Athari and Jemaine Clement have something extra to add, while Timm Sharp does well when he is around.

How it finishes :: The movie gets much more into action science fiction compared to the earlier film, as the idea itself had suggested, and therefore would appeal more to the usual audience. Those who enjoyed the first movie would continue to love the franchise with this one too. Moving from horror-thriller to action-thriller, this one also works, particularly in its own way. It becomes a classic holiday blockbuster with a twist, as the thrills often come out of nowhere and some suspense also comes all of a sudden. In the end, you will ask yourself about the role of technology in your life and how Artificial Intelligence would affect your life. Next time, when you are going through some Artificial Intelligence, you will wonder about this particular flick. This movie could inspire more of similar works, as Artificial Intelligence always require our attention, and a future with a robotic influence is not that far away. Let us have more of similar robots that will catch our attention related to the idea and expanding them.

Release date: 27th June 2025
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno, Jemaine Clement, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Detective Ujjwalan

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Vampire Owl: So, this was the detective who came to investigate on the missing vampires.

Vampire Bat: There are no missing vampires in our world.

Vampire Owl: What about those vampires who did not come to the feast of Uncle Dracula?

Vampire Bat: They just decided not to come.

Vampire Owl: Nobody decides not to come when Uncle Dracula is around.

Vampire Bat: There has been the rise of free will in the realm.

Vampire Owl: Free will just a myth in the realm.

Vampire Bat: There has always been some free will in the vampire world.

Vampire Owl: Free will is not a thing of our world.

Vampire Bat: Well, you know that free will is only the beginning.

[Gets a chicken samosa and three cups of Ceylon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ujjwalan (Dhyan Sreenivasan) is a young man without any job and has made himself the only librarian of the only library in the remote village of Plachikkavu. He lives with his father Narayanankutty (Kottayam Nazeer) and mother Leela (Seema G Nair) who only have a shop and mostly lives with their family assets. As Ujjwalan does not go for work and spends most of the time reading detective novels and crime thrillers from his own library, his parents try to get him married to a local girl Snehalatha (Claire C John), but that does not work in their favour. Ujjwalan is a man who tries to solve the crimes of the village, which mostly involves small thefts, fights etc. Local SI Sachin (Rony David Raj) depends on him to solve the simple crimes and mysteries and do not do much of a work. The only criminal of the village is Anthikkurudan (Nihal Nizam) who steals small things and keeps getting caught with some coconuts and bananas. Kurian (Ameen) who has returned from Korea, remains Ujjwalan’s only friend, and does not like going to work anymore either.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite being a fan of detective fiction and even with a skill to find missing clues, Ujjwalan suffers from nyctophobia, the fear of darkness which keeps him locked in his room at night, never even trying to switch on or off the lights of the house. A local television channel even shoots a documentary on how peaceful the village, and reveals that nothing much happens there. But then, the local school principal, Ashokan (Kalabhavan Navas), is killed by a masked man who looked like a scarecrow, brutally with a hammer. But from a slipper and a beedi that Ujjwalan finds from the spot, he feels that it was Anthikkurudan, the usual suspect. The thief claims innocence despite being arrested, but the police are also convinced that he might have been the murderer, maybe a result of trying to steal and not really succeeding. One day, he just escapes from the prison, and is not found afterwards. But the murders do not stop there, and the next one happens at the local festival.

And what more is to follow with the murders that do not seem to stop? :: The second murder really gets the attention of a wider media, and a new police officer is sent to investigate and find the killer as soon as possible. CI Shambhu (Siju Wilson), the new investigating officer, is known to have solved more cases than most of the police officers of his area combined, and he would not stop until he has solved this one. Sachin is not happy that the case has gone out of his control, and Ujjwalan is certainly not happy that someone else is investigating a case in his area. They do not cooperate that much with him and his supporting officers Kunchacko (Nibraz Noushad) and Boban (Shahubas). Ujjwalan soon begins to doubt Shambhu, who says that he has been to the town before and is glad to be there. Kurian who has returned to his hometown to marry his favourite woman finds himself rejected by her. Shambhu earns the trust of villagers and shows steady progress, even though the killer is still on the loose. People remain afraid of going out at night, but can anyone find that killer who leaves no clues behind?

The defence of Detective Ujjwalan :: Dhyan Sreenivasan does a pretty good job, but Siju Wilson and Rony David Raj carry this movie with better written characters who blends in more than the others. The movie with the village setting, remains very good-looking, and the music nicely adds on here to the overall mood. The visuals score with a touch of nostalgia within the overall beauty of a common village of Kerala. Despite the presence of the light-hearted mood, the darkness does come in right between, making this a fine combination of multiple sides. The comedy often works, especially due to the supporting cast that never really hesitates as far as humour is concerned. The movie could connect well to other movies as part of a cinematic universe. The final parts of the area become engaging, especially at those moments when the mystery is somewhat revealed. The ending makes sure that there is scope for more. This would still remain a relaxed watch in comparison to any other movie with a serial killer.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have had the main character as better written. Some of the other characters also seem to have some problems. The twists are not that strong as one would have wanted, after all that buildup. The movie just seems to take the villain out of the irrelevant and add something extra to it. The mystery should have been solved in a smarter and a more classical way with the antagonist surprising further. The emotional side could have been stronger with better characterization, and could have got the viewers more immersed in the situation with more of that feeling of danger. The humour could have also been stronger instead of just going through. The change of tone also keeps happening, without the movie constantly staying anywhere. The ups and downs might feel a little too much, and there is also too much silliness in smartness and vice versa. The final moments do seem to be just usual, with one forced fight and the added extra complication. If this is to stay close to other movies in a strong cinematic universe, there should surely be more power to be shown. The female characters are not relevant at all here.

How it finishes :: The movie is hailed as a part of the Weekend Cinematic Universe which also has the much-acclaimed superhero movie Minnal Murali in there, and you cannot stop yourself from noting down the similarities, from the scarecrow and the way in which the village setup has been created, not that different from Kunjiramayanam either. It might need some extra-fittings at some other point to make it feel big enough to be fixed in a grand universe, as it does not seem to be ready for the same unlike movies like Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra which came prepared from the beginning itself. The movie did seem to have received a good opening, and therefore, a sequel would be there to be taken at some point – the ending also would mean the same. As of now, it is available on Amazon Prime Video, and this might be a good time to watch the same, as one would not be able to know when a sequel might immediately drop, and there could even be a spin-off. Let us hope to see this one as better.

Release date: 23rd May 2025
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Indraneel Gopalakrishnan, Rahul G
Starring: Dhyan Sreenivasan, Siju Wilson, Rony David Raj, Claire C. John, Kottayam Nazeer, Seema G Nair, Nihal Nizam, Ameen, Shahubas, Nibraz Noushad, Mathew Puthukadan, Jagadish, Kalabhavan Navas, Nirmal Palazhi

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Mirage

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Vampire Owl: I have heard about this movie’s twists over twists.

Vampire Bat: So, it became known in the vampire world too.

Vampire Owl: It has spread to the vampire social media too.

Vampire Bat: That feels absurd as both media are not connected at all.

Vampire Owl: Well, you know these humans who try to control all the media.

Vampire Bat: Nobody can control everything at all times.

Vampire Owl: Uncle Dracula could easily do that.

Vampire Bat: Sir Dracula is that much of a legend.

Vampire Owl: Even the Vampire Elders seem to respect him.

Vampire Bat: I do not that they ever had an options since his reign began.

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

What is the movie about? :: Abhirami (Aparna Balamurali), who is working as an accountant in a financial consultancy finds herself in depression when Kiran (Hakim Shahjahan) who was engaged to her mysteriously disappears, and is presumed to be killed in a train crash. She is approached by Aswin Kumar (Asif Ali), an online investigative reporter who wishes to reveal some truths about Kiran, whom he does not feel to that straightforward a person. Even though they were engaged, he had left a good number of secrets to himself. At the same time, Abhirami is also approached by SP Aarumugam IPS (Sampath Raj) who wishes to unveil the mystery related to a hard drive which has secrets related to the money laundering in their company, while the owner of the company, Rajkumar (Saravanan) is also looking for her, with Rajkumar’s henchman Riyas (Aruvi Madhan) always on the hunt, even ready to beat up or murder anyone who gets in his way as he also tries to get that hard drive which has too many secrets.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: This drive becomes a big problem as Abhirami even gets attacked at home, and the only person who seems to stand with her is her colleague working in the same department, Rithika (Hannah Reji Koshy). Anandu (Arjun Syam Gopan) is the only person who can decrypt the data in the hard drive, who is also missing, despite going on a field visit to Madurai for the same company. Rithika does not trust Ashwin who seems to be always looking for sensational news. Ashwin feels that Abhirami is still hiding something, and he only considers Kiran missing and not dead, even though his dead body was identified right after the train accident. Abhirami decides to travel to Kiran’s hometown with Ashwin, much to the dismay of Rithika who distrusts the whole situation. Riyas continues to haunt them, coming right out of nowhere, as if he knows their every move. It is revealed that Kiran is a man of many secrets, and it would be rather too difficult to list them out. Can Abhirami get out of these problems with the help of Ashwin and Rithika?

The defence of Mirage :: The way in which the movie starts in simplicity and becomes more and more complex with bigger conspiracies unveiled – this is something that keeps everyone at the edge of the seat, as we keep guessing what would come next. There are so many twists around here that keeps us interested, and we can only keep predicting, but the twists are even more. We would have the feeling that we are in a strange terrain, terrifying not because of the presence of an evil entity or due to corporate evil, but because there are so many twists to come and many people are going to get killed, with most of the twisted world going beyond the usual. The performances nicely complement the same, as villains might not be the main antagonists, as there is negative in the people who seem to be good and supportive. The movie is a twis-producing factory and this process of changing the world we know, continues till the end without fail. The visuals and the music are all nicely contributing with quality here. How the tale goes on to power itself by the interval would also be something we like to see around.

The claws of flaw :: As it could be seen in many memes on the social media, there is the curse of having unbelievable plot twists and too many of them around here – the last time when there were this many absurd and unnecessary twists were shown, was in a movie called Bicycle Thieves, also led by Asif Ali, where the twists and even the story could not be contained in the framework which was already built – this one could contain the story, but not the twists which were like zombies in a bakery selling brains with a small flavour of chocolate. A movie can have twists, but a movie should not be for twists, as we realize the same here. The final double twist was rather dumb, and it felt like the whole purpose of the movie was destroyed. The movie is also too long, and it does not have that material in a script written for twists, going to two and half hours. The intensity is also not felt around here, as in between, the main characters seem to be resigned to their fate and feels like they are doing all of these for namesake. The danger in the movie also feels hesitant, as if everyone is waiting for the twists.

The performers of the soul :: Asif Ali and Aparana Balamurali are known to work together really well, as it was seen in a much-appreciated movie also featuring Vijayaraghavan from last year, and they repeat the same here too. Aparna is very convincing as the girl who is in trouble, but also harbours so many secrets – her reality would be much different, and the same is nicely reflected in her approach here. Asif Ali’s evolution as an actor continues going on from Thalavan, Rekhachitram, Aabhyanthara Kuttavali and others, but here he gets too less in comparison to Aparna on whom the movie is centred – there are times when we feel that her character could have just required minimum help from any unnamed side characters and it was enough for her. Maheshinte Prathikaaram would still remain the greatest movie of Aparna. Still, the one who would catch our attention the most would be Hannah Reji Koshy who brought us that so much unexpected and classic twist of Kooman with ease, after that debut in Darvinte Parinamam and following it up with two entirely different roles in Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu and Theerppu – she classically blends in here. The villains are all strong here, but struggles by the end, while Sampath Raj remains very strong.

How it finishes :: Mirage just depends on too much of the twists and so many twists, and that strange final unwanted divergence that keeps it down, despite moving so well towards the interval, as the first half really had us interested. There is surely that feeling that there is so much that is to come, but the story struggles in between and comes down by the end with that ordinary flashback and twisting around. This was surely going to be something huge, but does not become the same with that problematic coming down in quality in between. The pace also goes down, as we would hope for this movie to be much shorter and not having that quick end. The skills which are shown in the beginning stages are what carries us towards the end, along with those special twists in between – we are interested in this one for sure. Even though this is not his story, a little bit of Jeethu Joseph touch we had seen in Memories, Drishyam and Drishyam 2 can be seen here, even though that strength is not carried throughout the run even though there was such a great chance in here.

Release date: 19th September 2025
Running time: 150 minutes
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, Hannah Reji Koshy, Saravanan, Sampath Raj, Hakim Shahjahan, Deepak Parambol, Arjun Syam Gopan, Aruvi Madhan

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Hello Mummy

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Vampire Owl: I am sure that this movie has a vampire mummy.

Vampire Bat: We are dealing with real ghosts around here.

Vampire Owl: Mummies are animated corpses, right? Not ghosts.

Vampire Bat: I do not think that this is that kind of a mummy.

Vampire Owl: Because the character is not Egyptian?

Vampire Bat: They are referring to the mother-in-law of main character.

Vampire Owl: But this is still horror, so other mummies could also be around.

Vampire Bat: What can a mummy do to reach South India from Egypt?

Vampire Owl: I do not know. Maybe, take a flight?

Vampire Bat: Even Count Dracula is known to have taken only a ship.

[Gets a chilly chicken puffs and three cups of mixed tea].

What is the movie about? :: Boney (Sharafudheen) who has been running a pet shop – one of the biggest in the city, and trying to evade marriage for quite a long time, much to the dismay of his father Philip (Johny Antony), mother Soyamma (Ganga Meera) and sister Tincy (Sruthy Suresh). But when he goes through the usual process of seeing and rejecting girls, he comes across Stephy (Aishwarya Lekshmi), whom he really likes and decides not reject her. But Stephy comes with a condition that he should move to her house after wedding, and even though Boney’s parents show some hesitation, everyone is just happy that he is finally going to be married. But one day, she stops responding to him, and when he asks, she tells him that her dead mother still talks to her and that she does not approve of her marriage with him. She says that it is the best for the future of both of them that they do not proceed to the wedding ceremony. But Boney feels that she is just making things up to avoid him, and tells her that he believes her – and that he is ready to adjust in whatever ways possible.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: This impresses Stephy and they go on with the process. But on the first day itself, Boney realizes that she was not joking or making an excuse, and his father-in-law Samuel (Jagadish) asserts the same. The ghost mummy begins attacking him whenever he does something that she does not like. Stephy reveals that the mummy has prevented any physical union between them for now, and there some strange rules which he has to obey – this includes not wearing chappals inside the house, keeping the refrigerator open for more than ten seconds, dropping any food particle on the floor and a few more. Boss (Aju Varghese) who is running an investigative channel from the neighbouring house feels that there is something wrong, and tries to find a solution, while Boney’s best friend Bichu (Joemon Jyothir) tries to help only to find him at the receiving end of the mummy’s fury. Boney and Stephy tries to twist the situation by telling the mummy that they are going to be parents. But how can they sneak away from the powerful spirit which keeps the watch all the time?

The defence of Hello Mummy :: Here is one merging of horror and comedy that works well on the lines of Bollywood movies like Stree and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, but this is not a genre that has been working too well in this particular industry. In comparison, black comedy has had more success, like in the case of the recent work, Maranamass. There are moments that would be remembered, along with some dialogues which can stay for quite a long time. There seems to be a lot of energy in various parts of the movie, and that keeps the level of the movie high. This is also one horror movie that one can watch with family without too much of terror and no unsuitable comedy to go with it. The performances from the leading cast remains the highlight of the movie along with the fine support with the veteran actors around. The way in which the movie makes the fantasy tale blend into a world which was normal, makes it a world of magic realism in one way or the other. Cinematography and background score adds well to the whole thing.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s focus on horror is rather less on comparison to the side of comedy which rises much above the other. The blending is rather one-sided when we look closely, and there is not much of an explanation of the supernatural elements. There is also a lot of predictability associated with the movie, even though most people might have expected the same. The lack of hype might have left many people without having watched the movie – if focused on the strengths, this would have become more popular from the day of release itself. There is a certain amount of silliness that can be seen around, and the lack of seriousness means some loss of the overall quality of the movie. The cliches are surely there, and the tale could have kept a stronger centre. Some of the emotional moments could have been avoided to make the movie shorter, as there is not that much of focus on the story, as situations are above everything else. The lack of consistency can be seen here in relation to the content, and horror also falls flat at times.

The performers of the soul :: Sharafudheen shines in the humorous role which seems to suit him so well, even though there is a subtle emotional side that runs through here. There are some fine one-liners which are there to stay, and some of these moments can be seen in the television in parts regularly. The movie also has Aishwarya Lekshmi who continues to prove that there are not many actresses who can match her grace and variety of performances in this generation. From a grand beginning with movies like Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela, Mayaanadhi, Varathan, Vijay Superum Pournamiyum and Brother’s Day with range from romance and feel-good to drama and thriller mode, she has come a long way, and deserves even more. She is in full strength here in a role which does not challenge her, but she assures that things are now better. We just need to remember how good Kaanekkaane was, to be reminded of her capabilities. The group of Jagadish, Johny Antony, Aju Varghese and Joemon Jyothir adds to the fun, while Bindu Panicker’s role is something that we will remember for a long time. Sunny Hinduja makes a fine villain at the same time.

How it finishes :: We know that good horror comedy is really hard to create, especially to make both sides work. This movie aligns more on the side of comedy, but there is always that hidden horror which comes out at rarely, but by the end of the movie, we see the blending of the two genres becoming one effectively. There is no lack of enjoyment at any part of the movie, as we see the situations, and feel the entertainment. There are not many movies that make us think too much about the situations, and we can focus on enjoying the whole thing without second thoughts. There is the scope left for a sequel, and we can expect this to get better. After all, there are so many questions to be answered from the first movie, and there might be a little too much to be done for what could be a series of movies. We can always accept the movies with a certain amount of silliness that worked so well, like Adi Kapyare Koottamani and Kunjiramayanam that keeps us laughing for a very long time.

Release date: 21st November 2024
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: Vaishakh Elans
Starring: Sharafudheen, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sunny Hinduja, Jagadish, Johny Antony, Aju Varghese, Joemon Jyothir, Bindu Panicker, Arun Cherukavil, Ganga Meera, Sruthy Suresh, Adhri Joe

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Golam

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Vampire Owl: I see that this is one investigation movie that we had missed.

Vampire Bat: This was also one of the most appreciated movies which we had missed.

Vampire Owl: We do not usually miss films of this genre, especially when appreciated.

Vampire Bat: But we have returned, thanks to Amazon Prime Video.

Vampire Owl: There are some fine thrilling additions to Prime, I see.

Vampire Bat: I would consider this to be the best option as delivery is included.

Vampire Owl: There have been so many classic additions in the last few months itself.

Vampire Bat: You know that we are not done with the reviews yet.

Vampire Owl: Yes, miles to go before we sleep, right?

Vampire Bat: In our case, kilometres to go before we sleep.

[Gets a milk peda and three cups of Ceylon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Issac John (Dileesh Pothan) is the Managing Director of V-Tech Company, a renowned IT-company in the city. He is a strict employer who does things done efficiently. One day, during working hours, he is found dead inside the washroom of his office with the door locked from the inside. The police are informed immediately by Rajeev (Ansal Palluruthy) who is the very next in charge, and Issac’s partner Gibson (Sunny Wayne) is also asked to come. Though first presumed to be a case of accidental death from a head injury caused due to slipping and falling in the washroom while trying to clean the coffee stains from his coat, there is also the possibility of a murder being talked about by the investigating officers. ASP Sandeep Krishnan IPS (Ranjith Sajeev) is certainly not satisfied here, as he points to murder and decides to keep all the staff there itself. He begins to question each of them, and feels that there is some clue left behind somewhere in the office.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: City Police Commissioner Babu Thomas IPS (Srikant Murali) has taken special interest in this case, even though he does not suspect any foul play. CI Abdul Raheem (Alencier Ley Lopez) is there to support him in the cause, but he feels that this is just a case of accident, and that the employees could all be sent him, and he could attend the booze party that he was supposed to attend. Sandeep is still adamant that something is missing, as he questions all employees starting from Meera (Chinnu Chandni) who organizes the whole team, followed by others, Neelima (Gayathri Satheesh) who has a mysterious look, Neena (Sheethal Joseph) who has sleeping pills with her, Bibeesh (Sanjay) who had a fight with the Managing Director, Arun (Anu Anand) who looks like too decent a person, Albert (Kaarthik Shankar) who has everything perfectly done, Dona (Rilnaah) who is only interested in packed drinks, Sara (Gouri Parvathy) who seems to be concerned, Sebastian (Praveen Viswanath) who seems to be too stable, and others, but things still seem to be okay – can he find any real foul play in this death?

The defence of Golam :: The film does maintain a certain amount of mystery throughout, and the twists that defines the murders is incredibly clever. The nonlinear storytelling which runs through the movie and classic revelation of secrets keep us more and more interested in this world which has more to hide than to reveal. The thrilling side never gets behind, as the movie keeps on being engaged throughout its run, and with a length slightly shorter than two hours, this one manages to keep things perfect. The performances here are really solid, and even with those many new faces around, we do not see anyone lagging behind. The movie is also very nicely edited, as we see how well things move forward, and the flashbacks also enter in the right manner. The revelation reminds us of the evil that has been going on in our world, and the evil that has always existed in different forms in the medical field and in the form of viruses and antidotes, as nobody really seems to realize where the corona virus had gone.

Positives and negatives :: The start might feel usual, but that nicely blends in here with the rest of world which switches to the new mood with ease. The light-hearted feeling in the beginning takes not much time to change the gears by a long way. Maybe, some characters could have been explored more, but with this length, the lack of the same is justified. The revelation also happens rather too early without making the viewers guess to the maximum. Still, in the layers, so much of skills seem to have been put in use. The thrills only become more and more effective as the movie moves on and on. The visuals remain good throughout the run of the movie, and the same starts from the office itself. The final elevation of the movie is something that we would remember, as we await a possible sequel, but still we feel that there are other moments were the film could have stopped and made us wait for the next. This is the kind of movie that we have all asked for as long as the genre performance is concerned.

The performers of the soul :: The movie led well by Ranjith Sajeev who comes up with a solid performance as the police officer who investigates this particular case, and one can only hope for things to get better from there, once he arrives on the screen. Dileesh Pothan’s good work is limited to only a few minutes while Sunny Wayne has made a fine buildup for the next movie if there is one to follow. Siddique and Alencier Ley Lopez brings some fine moments to make the whole thing feel more solid. Among the long supporting cast at the office, everyone contributes so well, with Chinnu Chandni seemingly on the lead with Kaarthik Shankar and Praveen Viswanath keeping it going in a very serious manner, and leading to hope for more. Among the rest of the cast, the first people we notice are Sheethal Joseph and Gayathri Satheesh, who are seen like the faces we are going to see again, and we feel the need to see them around for long. Gouri Parvathy, Rilnaah and Arifa Hind also comes in with work to do, and manages the same very well. The rest also follows nicely in this progress which depends on them all.

How it finishes :: Malayalam movies have not been short of some fine thrillers, and this one adds to that long classic list which is led by Memories and taken over by flicks like Forensic, Anjaam Paathira, Abraham Ozler, John Luther and Kooman among others. With the kind of ending that it managed to get, it has a better chance of getting a sequel more than most of the other thrillers – there is the feeling that the tale is already supposed to be a two-chapter story. One cannot stop wondering if this would have been a bigger hit if there was more marketing. I do not remember the existence of this particular movie before the news that it had released on OTT and could gain many positive reviews. Well, the sequel would surely bring a lot of audience, and a classic ending is what this upcoming franchise deserves. It would mean that thrillers would stay alive and can also leave us with a hidden message like Joseph did years ago. The quality of this movie is surely an early reminder of the same, and would make us hope for more of similar films.

Release date: 7th June 2024
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: Samjad
Starring: Ranjith Sajeev, Dileesh Pothan, Sunny Wayne, Alencier Ley Lopez, Siddique. Srikant Murali, Rini K Rajan, Asha Madathil, Priya Sreejith, Ansal Palluruthy, Sudhi Kozhikode, Praveen Viswanath, Gayathri Satheesh, Sheethal Joseph, Gouri Parvathy, Rilnaah, Kaarthik Shankar, Anu Anand, Ala S Narayana, Pranav Ekaa, Vijaya Sadan, Unni Deshaposhini, Unni Vaikom, Sanjay, Remadevi

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ronggeng Kematian

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember the first Indonesian movie which we watched?

Vampire Bat: Yes, before that, most of the reviews were Korean and Chinese.

Vampire Owl: Yes, and now, most reviews remain Korean, Spanish, Russian and French.

Vampire Bat: The Spanish also had risen in numbers very soon.

Vampire Owl: Well, there are thirty-one languages, so a few will surely have more numbers.

Vampire Bat: Well, all of a sudden, Filippino movies came to the list when it seemed to end with thirty languages of movies.

Vampire Owl: Among Indonesian movies are a few classic ones, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, one classic horror and one classic superhero, for sure.

Vampire Owl: It is also the one country we have visited.

Vampire Bat: We did not think about watching when we were there in Bali.

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

What is the movie about? :: In the remote Magunsari village of Central Java in Indonesia, a young man named Imam (Elang El Gibran) is in love with Sulastri (Cindy Nirmala), a charming and beautiful ronggeng dancer, the village’s only true expert in the dance form, and the one who represents the local culture and traditions through her moves, with the woods making sure that the place maintains its cultural heritage separate from the rest of the island. That night, Sulastri is entertaining a number of men in the guest house with her tradition dance. A local man with a mental disease, Akhsan (Allan Dastan), also comes there to propose her while Imam gets there with the ring to provide his proposal to her. When the lights go out all of a sudden, Imam investigates place while Akhsan runs off, only to be attacked from behind and murdered. Later, Sulastri is also not found with her missing, and both her and Imam are never heard of. The village keep searching for her, but with no results, and there is nobody to keep the traditional dancing going on either, with the assigned girls never being as good as her.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Seven years have passed since the incident, and still nothing is found. During this time, a young woman named Larasati (Claresta Taufan Kusumarina) and her boyfriend Hadi (Chicco Kurniawan) makes their usual journey through the woods, and parts ways. Larasati who keeps on walking through the forest on the way home finds a red scarf and an old radio near an old and ruined well which is not in use. When she finds the scarf to be lovely and puts it on, she suddenly is able to dance in the traditional form of ronggeng with so much perfection as if it was done by Sulastri. Larasati seems to be acting under the guidance of Sulastri’s spirit, sometimes seeming to be fully possessed. It is then that four men led by Adit (Revaldo) arrives in the village for a ceremony. They stay in the same guesthouse where the tragedy occurred seven years ago, and there are more sinister events to follow. What could be triggering these events, and what might have happened to the dancer and her lover?

The defence of Ronggeng Kematian :: This movie’s arrival in Amazon Prime Video once again takes us back to the folklore as well as culture and traditions of the lesser-known areas of Indonesia, in the island of Java itself, setting the world to the villages. The movie seems to have realized that the past will remain significant and therefore any folklore can further strengthen a movie. Therefore, the layering seems to be nicely implemented, as we often get a look into the past as much as the present. This does make the mystery more interesting, and it nicely keeps the narrative going. There is also the reality and the magical coming and going. The tension is nicely built not just by the atmosphere, but also through the actions of the characters and the influence of the supernatural. There is that journey to that twist, of which part we will know after some time, but the rest is revealed nicely, and then there is that ending which solves them all. The characters nicely fit into the cultural flavours and situations. Scares do work with the fine visuals that gives a nice touch at all times, for the settings are such boost.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have always been capable of more, as the premise seems to have already set foot strongly. There are moments which keep pulling it back as we sometimes wonder if there was the attempt to keep the whole thing on the safe zone without going that much into the details. The jump between the timelines might not satisfy everyone, and those who are looking for the usual horror might not get the usual here. The antagonists are also not given much to do in the later part of the film, as they can only act helpless. A few things just seem to happen with the flow and as if they happen because they need to. There is no grand scare, except for the fear added due to mystery and atmosphere; maybe budget constraints were there. There could have been a fine legend being talked about based on the happenings. The early pacing also did have some struggle and confusion, with fear elements holding back for some time. The elements of guilt do not work that strongly around here either.

The performers of the soul :: Claresta Taufan Kusumarina leads the way here with a fantastic performance as the possessed dancer as much as the girl next door who is in love with the boy whom he has always known. The different layers of the character are displayed well by her, even at a time when demonic possession could go so wrong, given the circumstances of the return of the spirit from the other world and its motives. Her body movement during the dance also feels every elegant, even though we are not qualified enough to talk about the dance form. Cindy Nirmala’s dancing skills are also on display very well, and the return from the grave works really well for her. She has her own moments outside the dancing too. Revaldo comes in really well and is well supported by those playing his friends. Chicco Kurniawan makes the viewer feel the terror that is hidden beneath the happy village and its culture and traditions. The roles played by these characters despite not seeming that relevant, are all significant to the overall movie.

How it finishes :: There is something about the Indonesian folklore and ancient beliefs that keeps us interested at all times. Indonesian movies have surely kept us interested, especially the one superhero movie which made us wish that we had our own – Gundala; post which we had Minnal Murali and Lokah Chapter One: Chandra. Then there was the classic horror in the form of Impetigore and a twisted thriller in the form of Photocopier. Ivanna and Grave Torture also had moments which made them work. The movie does not lag behind, even though there are moments when it could have raised the level. We do see that the movie mostly does its job very well. With cultural flavour and scares, along with being a tale of vengeance, this one run strong without deviating from its purpose, a quality that many horror movies have ceased to have. We are brought close to the Indonesian horror yet again with this one, and we hope that there will be many more horror based on folklore, as we remember Stree from around here too.

Release date: 28th March 2024
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Verdi Solaiman
Starring: Cindy Nirmala, Claresta Taufan Kusumarina, Chicco Kurniawan, Krisjiana Baharuddin, Dito Darmawan, Allan Dastan, Elang El Gibran, Nungki Kusumastuti

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.