Latest in: Film Reviews
-
It isn’t entirely unusual for actors to want to play with the filmmaker’s wand and direct themselves according to their own whims—such is what Guinness Pakru, the shortest actor in the world, does in Kutteem Kolum. The least they ought to do, though, especially if they lack both the... -
The director’s baton is not a toy; before wielding it for the first time, one is required to learn, at least, the basic theories, and spend quality time gathering some amount of practical knowledge. Maharaja Talkies, with a premise of immense potential, fails miserably, chiefly because the plot and... -
Mainstream Indian filmmakers are generally “inspired” by the premises and plots of foreign-language films. Lijo Pellissery doesn’t flick any story; he just tries, very hard and unsuccessfully, to replicate the stylization and treatment of the original City of God. Handheld cameras are used throughout. The film opens with a... -
Originality is an art that isn’t practiced everywhere. Unfortunately, Malayalam cinema too, as ‘Celluloid’ explicitly suggests, appears to have its roots in what is now a Hollywood classic. Circa 1926, JC Daniel sells a portion of his ancestral land in order to make what would be the first Malayalam... -
The neorealist school of filmmaking when it came into existence advocated for a particular reason the use of a deep focus lens: it allowed reality to pervade every micro-inch of the screen. Annayum Rasoolum follows none of the laid-down rules, but strives nevertheless to be real, and only partially... -
A Wednesday! is a concept film. It has nothing to do with reality, logic, and path-breaking cinema as some would like us to believe. It is vigilante film genre at its mediocre best, with a dash of jingoist sloganeering, and a loud background score to manufacture the elusive elements... -
Maqbool shows how a comprehensive film script, smart photography, and good casting can turn a low budget film into reasonably good cinema. Vishal Bhardwaj has grown leaps and bounds as a filmmaker. Maqbool is a clear proof of that. It is a good film. It should be a lesson...
