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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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Mukundan Unni Associates (2023), a different type of hero
In Indian cinema, there is only one type of hero and heroine. They are good people & honest beyond fault, even when they are involved in illegal acts they do it for the common good which is revealed to all in the end. If the hero is a money-minded capitalist or a power-hungry leader, he turns a fresh leaf and becomes a saint in the climax. The heroine will be a fine example of an ideal citizen, and in general, they pick their partner based on his virtue. The Malayalam comedy film Mukundan Unni Associates (2023) directed by Abhinav Sunder Nayak, has broken away from this mould and that alone…
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See How They Run (2022), unpretentious yet entertaining
There are films which have a simple plot, familiar characters, and unpretentious handling by the director, yet are entertaining. The comedy, murder-mystery film, See How They Run (2022) was one of those films and gets our Ripe rating. The lead actors Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan were instrumental in ensuring the period film set in 1953 London was humorous and enjoyable. Available on Disney+ Hotstar. A murder happens backstage during Agatha Christie’s play in a famous London theatre. A voice-over says this is yet another Whodunit (Who has done it) genre story. Though it was of that genre, the screenplay was uncomplicated and easy to follow. I liked the recreation of…
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Taanakkaran (2022)
In recent times, Kollywood has produced two “Delicious” movies, Visaranai (2016) and Jai Bhim (2021) that highlighted the systematic flaws in the Indian Police system, which is unable to shrug off its colonial origins. Both the films galvanized the public imagination as well. Taanakkaran (டாணாக்காரன்) starring Vikram Prabhu wishes to join the lineup but falls short due to a narrow plot surface and a documentary feel. Available on Disney+ Hotstar, the film scores a Raw on the MangoIdiots scale. In 1999, Arivu (Vikram Prabhu) is a new recruit to the Tamil Nadu State Police department and joins hundreds of others in the Police Recruit school (PRS). The PRS is run…
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Turning Red (2022)
With Turning Red (2022) Disney has done it again, bringing out an animation for the kids that is fun yet with a social message. The story happens in Toronto, Canada where a Chinese girl lives with her parents running a family temple and giving tours. Once the girl gets into her teenage, due to a family curse, she transforms into a giant red panda, did she get cured of her curse has been told in a humorous manner?. It gets a mangoidiots rating of Raw. The film uses the red panda as an allegory for puberty and menstruation, taboo topics for many parents to discuss with their kids. I enjoyed…
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Encanto (2021)
Encanto (2021) is a charming, heartwarming animated film that is a fantasy comedy. Three generations of the Madrigal family live in a magical house named “Casita”. Each of the family members, except the lovely Mirabel, have been gifted with special powers which they use for the welfare of their small community protected by mountains. The film available on Disney+ Hotstar is not to be missed and get a Ripe. In recent years, the quality of the animations are improving by leaps and bounds. In this, a few characters like the superhuman sister of Mirabel, Luisa Madrigal, appear cartoonish. But others like Mirabel with her big brown eyes, large round spectacles…
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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) is a science fiction comedy film, an adaption of the classic book of the same title by Douglas Adams, which was originally a radio comedy on BBC. The film tries hard to stay true to the book and borrows some of its original comedy lines too. The story is about Arthur Dent, whose house in Britain is going to be destroyed by the authorities for a bypass project. There comes his friend Ford Prefect, who is writing a book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The two escape earth just before it gets blown up by the contractors of an Alien species called…
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Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)
Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021) is an animated comedy movie about a young boy getting a faulty bot as his friend. It presents a mirror to our current society on the obsession kids are having with their online presence on Instagram or Snapchat and its harmful influence on their overall development. As a movie, the screenplay could’ve been a lot more engaging and fresh. The film by 20th-century studios is available on Disney+Hotstar in India and gets my ‘Raw’ rating. Barney Pudowsk is a young boy (about 10-years-old) living with his single father and grandmother. He is an introvert and has no friends. The other kids in his middle school have…
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