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Pookkaalam (2023), a Comedy Drama for the whole family
In Pookkaalam, a Malayalam comedy, Director Ganesh Raj takes on the challenge of telling a humorous story about a centenarian and his nonagenarian wife who get into a marital dispute. The film succeeds in balancing humour with pathos, and the result is a heartwarming and thought-provoking film that will appeal to audiences of all ages. He has crafted a whimsical film that tackles sensitive topics with grace, never letting them dominate the narrative. Overall a good cinema and gets a Ripe from Mangoidiots. The film’s lead couple, Vijayaraghavan and K P A C Leela, are both excellent in their roles. Vijayaraghavan brings a sense of warmth and humour to the…
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Good Night (2023), a down to earth tamil film
It is rare to see such a realistic and relatable movie made in Kollywood. Good Night (2023) is a story about marital problems caused by snoring. A simple screenplay, a perfect cast, and very little heroism with comedy that works have made this film enjoyable. I wish Director Vinayak Chandrasekaran had avoided a few medical science gaps and trimmed the running time a bit. Rewarding a fine attempt, the film gets a Ripe rating on our Mangoiditos scale. K Manikandan as the protagonist shines in every frame. Meetha Raghunath has his love interest and his wife has played the subdued role very well. Joining them were Ramesh Thilak, who has…
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Soppana Sundari (2023), a simple comedy
Hold on to your seats, folks, because Soppana Sundari (2023) is a wild ride that will leave you in splits! Aishwarya Rajesh, the queen of Tamil cinema, shines bright in this comedy caper that’s all about a mother and her two feisty daughters taking on the world against all odds. But wait, does that sound familiar? Yep, you guessed it! It’s reminiscent of Kolamavu Kokila (2018) but with a different plot. The film kicks off with a brilliant idea of a gifted car for a hardworking family, and from there, the chaos ensues. Director SG Charles weaves a tale of family dynamics, struggles, and of course, the good ol’ Tamil…
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Murder Mystery 2 (2023), predictable yet enjoyable
The sequel delivers exactly what you expect and that’s the reason Murder Mystery 2 was enjoyable. It had its dull moments and conveniently convoluted sequences, but its focus on being humorous and not worrying about logic or offering explanations makes it a fun watch. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston have delivered what they do best, more than the first film the action sequence in this one was more elaborate and I liked them too. The film gets a Raw from Mangoidiots. Nick and Audrey Spitz are invited to the wedding reception of Maharajah Vikram on his private island, where he gets kidnapped. Soon Nick & Audrey are on the case.…
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Ghosty (2023), I am confused about this film
Tamil cinema loves the comedy horror genre but Ghosty (2023) starring Kajal Aggarwal is a confused mess. It hops from being a ghost film to a rowdy-police film and back many times that I lost count. The film gets a Rotten rating from Mangoidiots. The film by director Kalyaan features a dozen comedians including Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley, Jagan, Manobala, Motta Rajendran, Mayilsamy (felt sad to see him onscreen), Devadarshini and more, but none of them get enough scope to impress you.
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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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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…
