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Pallu Padama Paathuka (2023), disgusting & shabby
Some of the finest movies have been made in the zombie genre and others feature Adolf Hitler, it is a shame that Pallu Padama Paathuka (2023) uses both this shabbily. I can’t believe that a fine actor like Attakathi Dinesh after giving films like Cuckoo (2014) and Visaranai (2016) decided to act on this trash (forgive me, there is no nice way of saying this). Gets a mangoidiots rotten rating.
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Bagheera (2023), was misogynistic, insulting & tedious
Featuring a talented actor like Prabhu Deva and half a dozen actresses can’t save a poorly thought and shabbily made film like Bagheera (2023). For a thriller film, why should so much hatred, insults and abusive words against women everywhere be passed? The misogynistic comments featured throughout the film can’t be justified by a flimsy motive and a disgusting climax. I have no hesitancy to give a Rotten mangoidiots rating for the film. The dialogues were outright vulgar, even by adult comedy measures. A young lady’s mother is casually talking about her daughter booking an overnight room, and a group of fathers of girls are boosting how many boys were…
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Romancham (2023), a malayalam film featuring roommates
A group of seven roommates from Kerala are staying together in an independent house in Karnataka. The dynamics between them and their everyday life are narrated in an unusually relaxed way, seen only in Malayalam films. Director Jithu Madhavan and the actors Soubin Shahir, Sajin Gopu & others have made an ordinary film, a special one. Gets ripe on the mangoidiots scale. When you have seven characters, with no backstory for any of them, it is not easy to leave an impression about each of them on the audience, yet Romancham succeeds in that effortlessly. By just watching a few minutes of their walk or the few words they utter…
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Single Shankarum Smartphone Simranum (2023), watch it for Shiva
I appreciate the honesty of the director, Vignesh Sha. He announces in the opening credit roll, that the audience shouldn’t expect any logic or realism in the film. Single Shankarum Smartphone Simranum (2023), starring Shiva is a comedy version of the Oscar-winning Her (2013). The screenplay was mindless and if not for Shiva, the film would’ve been tougher to watch. There were many dull moments, yet I had fun watching the film. It gets a Raw rating on the mangoidiots scale. Megha Akash has done her role as the Artificial-Intelligence avatar well. Anju Kurian appears too young as the love interest for Shiva. Sha Ra & Bagavathi Perumal played important…
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Pathaan (2023), where thrill trumps sense!
What a movie this was! A thriller with non-stop action, Shah Rukh Khan with a muscular and sculpted physique, breathtaking Deepika Padukone, a ruthless villain in the form of a toned John Abraham and the entire screenplay happening in locations outside India. I appreciate the director Siddharth Anand and his crew for being unapologetic for the film not having a story or being original, yet producing a dazzling entertainer. The film has elevated Bollywood to Hollywood heights in terms of its filmmaking technology, it is not easy to shoot in so many locations and such complex stunt sequences. For these reasons, mangoidiots is giving a Ripe rating to Pathaan (2023).…
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Bakasuran (2023), a convoluted revenge story
Bakasuran (2023) will be remembered for director Selvaraghavan‘s breathtaking performance as an actor, he effortlessly switches between being a nomadic devotee and being a killing machine. The performance of Natty who works on resolving why the killings happen matched with the former, and the film would’ve impressed the audience. It didn’t and the prosy screenplay didn’t help either. The film gets a raw in mangoidiots scale. The film starts with a tragedy hitting the family of the character played by Natty, this gets forgotten soon after. From there, the story travels too far and wide for no obvious reason, as a result, we are unable to root for any of…
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Vaathi (2023), a teacher story that was trite
I am not sure why Dhanush, an actor I admire for his talents, signed up for this routine teacher helping poor students succeed story. He is known for being an original actor, but in this one, his copying of Rajini’s body language felt artificial. There was little chemistry between him and Samyuktha onscreen. Samuthirakani appearing as the owner of a large private education empire comes as an unimpressive antagonist. Even with these negatives, the evergreen story of education being the greatest social equaliser was handled well, and the emotions working in most places saved the film. The dialogues about the former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam were used effectively. Vaathi…
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Nothing to Declare (2010),
It was unimaginable that in the centre of Europe where two world wars took place, half a century later integration of economies and laws between the involved countries will happen. Nothing to Declare (Rien à déclarer) is a humorous take on the events leading up to the implementation of the eurozone. The Franco-Belgian comedy doesn’t take place in Brussels or Paris but in a small village that is part of both countries. The officers featured are not leaders, but two customs officers on the border checkposts. The film narrates how the commoners are affected by the noble ideals of the European Union. It gets a Ripe rating in Mangoidiots for…
