Malayalam Movie Review - Philips and the Monkey Pen (Rating 3.25/5 Star)

Great movie to take your kids to!!!

Summary:

 It was really good to see a Malayalam movie that revolved around Kids.  While watching the movie, there were many kids in the theater that were truly enjoying the movie (Including mine).  Philips and the Monkey Pen is not going to go down as the best movie ever made, but it is well constructed and entertaining throughout.

As you can imagine from the name, Philips and the Monkey Pen, as well as the trailers, Comedy is a large part of the movie.  It's not all just fun and games, the movie does convey some messages regarding morals and values to the audience, especially the young once.

Some of the "Simple" incidents taking place in the classroom shown in the movie is sure to bring forth some memories for many who has gone through similar incidents in their own lives.  Another subtle aspects of the movie I enjoyed very much was the meaningful quotes that were delivered at various points.  The best of which is regarding how Honesty is the Best policy:

“The truth isn’t bitter; it is the lies that are excessively sweet”. (Sounds much better in Malayalam).

Noteworthy performances:

The Kids

"Ryan Philip", played by Master Sanoop and Jugru, played by Jahangir, absolutely stole the show.

Ryan Philip is the lead in the movie, and he did an excellent job in all aspects of the film.  Jugru and his smile with the missing front teeth, while not the central character, stole the show at many points.




Notes:
- Innocent & Jayasurya, while small roles, delivers big (as expected)
- Good role for Vijay Babu

Philips and the Monkey Pen, a Charming Film!!!

Credits:

Philips and the Monkey Pen
Directed by	Rojin Thomas Shanil Muhammed
Produced by	Sandra Thomas Vijay Babu
Written by	Rojin Thomas
Starring	Master Sanoop Jayasurya Remya Nambeesan Mukesh Vijay Babu[1]
Music by	Rahul Subrahmaniam [2]

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

• En Kanimalare

• Balyathil

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Malayalam Movie Review - Thira (Rating 3.75/5 Star)

Thira, A fitting comeback for Shobana!!!

Summary:

Before going into watch the movie, I read some reviews online and really didn't know what to expect.  Some of the reviews, raved about Thira and some called it a disappointment.  Let me be clear, this review on MFB is going to be one that Raves about Thira!!!!

Thira, although fictional, has some striking resemblances to some current events.  It attempts to bring to light a subject that likely have been an issue in India for some time but recently has been on the news headlines quite often (Unfortunately).  While I don't want to go into the details as part of the review, I am glad this issue is getting more and more coverage and hopefully Thira help bring more awareness on the subject.

Thira is a very well put together suspense thriller that keeps you on the edge of you seats throughout.  This is about as far as you can get away from the normal Malayalam Film made out of the "Typical" template.  No boy meets girl, looses girl, dance songs, Fantasies etc.  There is not even one main villain (Deepak Parambol is one of the faces of the "problem"), rather the villain is the larger problem at hand.

Noteworthy performances:

Shobana

What a come back for Shobana.  I was very happy to see that she comeback with a strong character.  I was even more happy to see that she did not come back to Malayalam as the love interest of Mohanlal or someone else.

Dhyan Sreenivasan

Watching the movie, I never felt that he was doing his first movie.  Great job.

Vineeth Sreenivasan:

   It is my understanding that this is the third film that Vineeth Sreenivasan is directing in Malayalam (Malarvadi Arts Club, Thattathin Marayathu, Thira).  While Thira is a different Genre than the other two, he does a marvelous job in unfolding the story and keeping the audience fully occupied/interested.

The movie is left open at the end.  I am sure if the movie continues to be a success there will be a sequel at some point.  Unlike most Malayalam sequels, I think this would be a good idea.

Go check it out.

Credits:

Thira
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Vineeth Sreenivasan
Produced by	Manoj Menon
Screenplay by	Rakesh Mantodi
Story by	Rakesh Mantodi
Starring	Shobana Dhyan Sreenivasan Deepak Parambol
Music by	Shaan Rahman

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

• (None)

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Malayalam Movies: Quantity Vs. Quality

It has been some time since a review was put up on MFB.  Not because I have not been watching movies, but the once that I did see (I have not seen ALL new movies), are not quite up to par on what the Malayali people deserve in my opinion.

I have seen a movies from Mohnlal, Anoop Menon and Aamir Khan over the past few weeks.  By no means am I trying to compare these three, two of which are legends.  Looking at the body of work in all three movies, I would say the following:

Anoop Menon - Buddy:

    I consider Anoop Menon to be one of the "Quality" film makers in Malayalam.  Him along with people like Fahadh Faasil, Indrajith, Prithviraj etc. have shown the ability to be somewhat selective in the projects that they associate with.  This is a great trend, one which I hope even some of the senior artists take note off.
Buddy, unfortunately, is not a good flick.  Not as bad as one of the worst Malayalam movies of all time, Casanova, but still I expected better.  Especially since it had Balachandra Menon, who has a history of doing quality films over quantity.

Mohanlal - Ladies and Gentle Man:

     The great Mohanlal, whom we all know to be extremely talented and one of the best that Malayalam Film has ever had (At least in my lifetime).  It is just sad to see such a veteran and talented actor keep doing bad flicks.  Not sure if it's because of contractual obligations or not, but why not be more selective?  I think only one man knows the answer.  To be fair, Ladies and Gentle Man is not a horrible film and Mohanlal, as always, did a good job with his role: but I hold Mohanlal to a higher standard than what this film delivered.

There have been really good work from him in the past couple of years (Run Baby Run, Grandmaster, Spirit), I just want to see more of them.  I would love to see him doing more humble roles like the good old days.

Obviously he is not alone in doing inferior quality films in Malayalam.  Majority of the movies seem to be cranked out of a machine.  No one desirves the blame more than us, the the viewers.  We, the Malayali, people, not only keep on accepting these kind of cookie cutter films, but also make them a success.  Until the people ask for more, I don't think we'll receive it.

Aamir Khan - Gajani (I know, I know...it's been out for a long time):

      I had seen the Tamil version with Surya when it first came out, and had skipped on the Hindi.  Wow, even though I knew the story, the movie kept me fully entertained.  Amir Khan is the reason why I was entertained (Asin did not hurt).  The guy basically transformed himself for the role.  The dedication to spend a year preparing for a role so that me, the viewer, can be that much more entertained was just awesome.  From what I have heard and read, this is pretty common for Amir Khan and a select few others.  To give it there all for there films, rather than being part of the Machine that cranks out a movie from a mold.

In Conclusion:

Like I mentioned earlier, part of the problem may be the Malayali people not demanding a better product.  Part of the problem maybe that there is not enough of a Market in Malayalam to recoup the cost required to do a "Special" film.  Whatever it maybe, I just hope the Malayalam Film Makers figure out a formula that allows them to put out a better product.

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Malayalam Movie Review - Memories (Rating 3.75/5 Star)

Memories, one of the better movies of 2013!!!

Summary:

Prithviraj may have found his nitch in 2013.  Memories is the third movie in a row in 2013 where the audience get's to see Prithviraj portray the role of a cop (Sam Alex) on the big screen (Mumbai Police, Aurangzeb & Memories).  Right off the back, let me warn you that this is not a movie that you should be taking young kids to watch as there is a good amount of "gruesome" scenes in the movie.  Also for about a third of the movie, there is a flask at the tip of Prithviraj's lips.

Prithviraj's character, Sam Alex, is an ex-cop that has become a drunkard due to some life events.  The

story revolves around Sam Alex coming back to the force to investigate a set of murders.

Memories is a solid movie with a well thought out story and strong performances.  Occasionally through the movie, it felt like it could have been taken to the next level (and a higher rating on MFB) with slight tweaks, but certainly above average for a Malayalam Thriller.

Prithviraj is a great fit for the role and delivers a strong performances.  It's a good trend that we are seeing lately of young actors picking good roles and not doing movies just for the sake of it. I hope it continues.

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

Even better than Prithviraj's casting, the casting of the Villain was spot on. SP Sreekumar, Lolithan from Marimayam, delivers a memorable performance.  His funny laugh from Marimayam turns into the most evil one in Memories.

Memories is one of the better movies of 2013, Must Watch!!!.

Credits:

Memories
An Episode in the Life of a Police Officer...!
Directed by	Jeethu Joseph
Produced by	P K Muralidharan Santha Murali
Written by	Jeethu Joseph
Starring	Prithviraj Rahul Madhav Vijayaraghavan Mia George Meghana Raj
Music by	Sejo John Background Score: Anil Johnson

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

• Thirayum Theeravum

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Malayalam Movie Review - Mumbai Police (Rating 3.5/5 Star)

Pushing the boundaries!!!

Summary:

Overall it's a solid movie, with some great performances and an incredible twist which 99% of Malayalam Movie fans will not see coming. 

 Absolutely give credit to Roshan Andrews and the creators of Mumbai Police for pushing the envelope, although I am not completely convinced it was needed.  It's certainly ONE of the routes they could have taken to close out the film, but there may have been a 100 other ways it could have been done that would have done justice.  That being said, this was the vision of the creators and I certainly respect that.

The story unfolds in a very clever manor.  Essentially the entire movie is about figuring out what happened in a 45 minute span while leaving the answers right in front of our eyes (W/out connecting the dots, of course).  Often times Malayalam movies will leave a lot of gaps in a story.  The makers of Mumbai Police go through great measures to have a solid story that closes out all gaps (Except for one slight stretch involving a gun).

The combination of Prithviraj, Jayasurya & Rahman is spot on for there roles (though the movie overplays the whole friendship angle a little too much w/out fully developing it).  Jaysurya, while not the main character, makes a solid impact to the film.

Prithviraj absolutely knocks his role out of the park with a great performance.  I am not sure if any other Major Actor in Malayalam would have taken on this role and delivered.  Props to you.

Overall, you should definitely check out Mumbai Police.

Credits:

Mumbai Police
Directed by	Rosshan Andrrews
Produced by	Nisad Haneefa
Written by	Bobby-Sanjay
Starring	Prithviraj Jayasurya Rahman
Music by	Gopi Sunder

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

• Songs not a big factor in the movie.

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Malayalam Movie Review - Shutter (Rating 3.5/5 Star)

Malayalam Movie Shutter, will have you on the edge of your seat!!!

Summary:

A Malayalam Suspense Thriller.  A very different movie that has twists and turns that I did not expect going in.  Shutter is the directorial debut of Joy Mathew (Who also wrote the story), and he certainly knows what he's doing.  A very well made movie.  Although this is his first time as a director, many of you may remember him as Fr. Ottaplakan from Amen (The main priest).

It's a very simple story, but Joy Mathew is able to really capture and keep the attention of the viewer with the twists and turns in the story.  All with a subtle comedic touch.

Not many frills to the film (Most of the story unfolds in a single room), but Lal, Vinay Forrt and Sreenivasan

deliver quality performances.  A great performance is always expected from Lal and Sreenivasan.  I had no clue who Viany Fort was before this film, but what a great job by him as the Auto Driver.  I hope we see more of him in the future.

Certainly a  Must Watch!!!

Credits:

Shutter
Promotional poster
Directed by	Joy Mathew
Produced by	Saritha Ann Thomas
Written by	Joy Mathew
Starring	Lal Sreenivasan Vinay Forrt Sajitha Madathil Riya Saira

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

• NA

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Mallu Videos: Free Streaming of Malayalam Television Channels/Movie etc.

Recently, via a friends recommendation, we came across a Mobile app on Android and Apple called "Mallu Videos".  It's not the most pretty app but it brings together a lot of Malayalam Content onto the mobile for free.

The apps are made by a company called "SmartProTech" and they give the following description for Mallu Videos:

Mallu Videos is collection of video links taken from different sites which are available publicly to everyone. You can watch latest dvd released movies, shows, kids cartoon, comedy and much more. 

For the most part the app does a good job of streaming video as well as various Malayalam Movies (don't know how legal it is).  On Apple and Android the app has some technical glitches at times but does work for the most part.

Among the sections on the app ( Movies, TV ets. ), there are Malayalam Kids Cartoons and Malayalam Kids Nursery Rhymes sections that are sure to be big hit with young children.  I hope even if the Live Malayalam Television Channels and/or Movies go away at some point, that they continue to keep supporting the kids content.  This could be useful for many people as currently there is no one stop location to get this content on the phone/internet.

Mallu Videos on the TV:

For those of you who want to take this to the next level, you can stream the content of Mallu Videos to the TV using either an Apple TV's Airplay or a Google TV Box (Theoretically).

App Store Links:

• Mallu Videos on Android Paid
• Mallu Videos Lite on Android Free (Ad Supported)
• Mallu Videos on iTunes

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Malayalam Movie Review - ABCD (Rating 3.5/5 Star)

"Johns & Korah" = Modern day "Dasan & Vijayan"

Summary:

I can't remember another Malayalam movie that was as anticipated and hyped as ABCD.  The marketing partners as well as the cast did a masterful job of publicizing and keeping the fans updated throughout the making of the film.  Even us at Malayalam Film Blog actually wrote a Preview about the film in October of 2012.  The hype for the film is especially evident when looking at the analytic of this site and seeing that the ABCD Preview received one of the highest "Hits" on a daily basis showing the interst of the Malayalam film lovers.

While the movie does have some of the veteran "role players" of the Malayalam Film Industry, the heavy lifting of the film is done by new comers.  Dulquer (If he can be called a newcomer) , Gregory, Aparna Gopinath (Mathumitha), SP Sreekumar etc. do a masterful job of keeping the viewers entertained throughout.  Hats off to the creators and Martin Prakkat for putting it all together.  

One of the best quotes about ABCD I have seen (via twitter) was: "Johns & Korah, the new generation Dasan &

Vijayan".  The pairing of Dulquer Salmaan (Johns) & Jacob Gregory (Korah) is spot on.  They complement each other very well and likely will go down as the reason for the success of the film.

Going into the movie expect nothing but comical and playful three hours and you will not be disappointed.  The general gist of the movie is about a couple of privileged kids from the US trying to get acclimated to Kerala on there own.   The opposite of what Dasan and Vijayan went through!!!

Only one question remains: When is the Sequel coming out?

defiantly a must watch, don't miss it.

Notes/ABCD Dialog:

• Dulquer Salmaan sure knows how to pick winners.  Keep it up.
• Jacob Gregory (Giri Giri from Akkarakazhchakal) was AWESOME!!!
• Tovino Thomas, the pseudo villain Akhilesh Varma, did good.
• SP Sreekumar (Lloyd Fernandez) from Marimayam was entertaining for the small part that he had.

• "Njangal thammil oru bendam ondu, mala bendham"

• Korah's ill timed one liners were great and kept the playful tone always

• "I think our balls are not safe here "

•   "Which asshole invented this kakkoos..."

• "To all country people..." 

Credits:

ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi
Official Poster
Directed by	Martin Prakkat
Produced by	Shibu Thameens
Screenplay by	Martin Prakkat Naveen Bhaskar Sooraj-Neeraj
Story by	Sooraj-Neeraj
Starring	Dulquer Salmaan Jacob Gregory Aparna Gopinath Tovino Thomas
Music by	Gopi Sunder

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

• Johnny Mone Johnny

• Making off Johnny Mone Johnny

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Malayalam Movie Review - Amen (3.5/5 Star)

A visual and cinematic treat!!! 
(wish the story was on the same level)

Credits:

Amen
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lijo Jose Pellissery
Produced by	Fareed Khan
Written by	P. S. Rafeeque
Starring	Fahadh Faasil Indrajith Swati Reddy Natasha Sahgal Rachana Narayanankutty
Music by	Prashant Pillai

Summary:

Amen is one of the movies that have been much hyped on twitter/Facebook during the production of the film as Fahadh Faasil (@twitfahadh), Indrajith (@indrajith_S) and Lijo Jose Pellissery (@mrinvicible) are active Social Media users.  Tales of Fr. Vattolli was very prevalent and kept the anticipation high for many months leading up-to the release.

The movie is set in a village named Kumaramkari many decades ago and the story revolves around the Geevarghese Palli and the Geevarghese Band.  Overall it's a very well constructed movie in which a great deal of effort is taken to be innovative in most areas.  It's made to a higher standard than the typical Malayalam Movie.  The delivery of each scene is very different from what we are used to seeing.  Beautiful backdrop, peppy yet apt background music, crisp dialog that does justice to the period as well as entertain the audience, a large number of characters that are each memorable in there own unique way and above all a touch of simplicity in all aspects.  Beautiful!!!

All that being said, one area where the movie falls short on is the story.  It's not on par with the rest, simply typical!!!

Overall it's a Must Watch!!!!    

Additional Notes:

• Rachana Narayanankutty's delivers on par w/ her performances in Marimayam.  Loved it.
• As always Chinjumol is awesome
• In most Malayalam movies, whenever there is a "foreign" person involved, it seems as if the director/producer found them laying on a beach somewhere and asked "Would you like to be in a movie?".  The french girl in Amen, seems like she's actually an actress that was caste for the role.  Nice!!!
• All the songs in Amen are excellent and fits in with the motif of the film

Noteworthy Performances:

Fahadh Faasil

One of the bright young actors in Malayalam film today.  While Fahadh's character in Amen is different from the modern roles he has dawned in the past, but the performance is strong as always.

    

Indrajith

Fr. Vincent Vattolli, what a name!!!  While he is not the "main" character in the movie, he delivers a character that is very very memorable and essential to the movie.

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

Solomanum Shoshannayum

Pampara Pa Pa

Aathmavil

Vattolli

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Listen to Malayalam Songs Online: Introducing MFB's Malayalam Playlist!!!

Have you ever wanted to just click a button and listen to hours (or many minutes) of "GOOD" Malayalam Songs w/ ease?

We got the answer: "MFB Malayalam Playlist"

The primary goal in setting up this blog has been to increase the reach of "Malayalam", through Malayalam Film, to individuals that may not otherwise be exposed to it.  We, at MFB, hope that we have been able to provide you valuable suggestions on what movies to watch in order to get back in touch with Malayalam films (without wasting valuable time or running into disappointments after disappointment).   It is our belief that the lack of easy access to good content is the problem, not a lack of interest.  

While we list good songs from the movies that are reviewed on each post, we are taking it a step further and creating a Malayalam Playlist on YouTube.  This will allow you to listen to good new Malayalam music without the fuss of searching.

Next time you have an itch to listen to Malayalam Music, just head over the MalayalamFilmBlog.com, Click Play on the Malayalam YouTube Playlist, and forget about the rest.  We promise to keep updating the list to add all the latest and greatest songs that Malayalam has to offer.

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Malayalam Movie Review - Sound Thoma (Rating 2.5/5 Star)

Sound Thoma, Financially sound, but....

Credits:

Sound Thoma
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Vyshakh
Produced by	Anoop
Written by	Benny P Nairambalam
Starring	Dileep Mukesh Namitha Pramod Nedumudi Venu
Music by	Gopi Sundar

Summary:

The secret to enjoying a Malayalam Movie is to keep and open mind and low expectations when going into a well hyped, star studded Malayalam Movie.   That being said, Sound Thoma is certainly a entertaining movie (So long as your expectations are set properly).

It's not going to blow you away but it does have all the ingredients of a Dileep movie: unique character, lots of comedy, memorable one liners, fun songs, over exaggerated fight sequences etc. etc. etc.

It's worth a watch due to the performance of Dileep.  His character has a cleft lip with a unique sound imperfections in each Malayalam word.  Just that trait of the movie keeps it entertaining till the last sequence of scenes.  As far as the story line goes, nothing unique and borderline predictable.

The most creative thing in the movie was the song "Thoma Style"!!!!

Side Note:

• Saikumar's acting was awesome

• I wish they expanded some more on the role of the "Coconut Tree Climber".  He's a funny dude, especially in Ordinary.

Trailer:

Music (Stuff that's on my playlist):

• Thoma Style

• Kanni Penne

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