Puzhu – Impressive psychological drama with a political commentary

Official Trailer: Puzhu is a psychological thriller beautifully imagined in a home invasion genre. Better way to say, it is the invasion of the mind. Kuttan, portrayed by Mamootty, the brahmin protagonist feels his territory is being violated when his sister, Bharathy, portrayed by Parvathy Thiruvothu, moves in with her husband, Kuttappan, portrayed by Appunni Sasi, in the same apartment complex. Kuttan feels the environment is polluted by their moving

 

Freedom Fight – Ringside view on what Freedom means from different perspectives

Official Trailer: So far there are very few anthologies where all the stories worked. After Sillu Karupatti, all the five stories fare better, cross the above average bar, giving something fresh in Freedom Fight. The impact of each story comes out different. Ration and Old Age Home are subtle and leaves the interpretation to the audience. Geethu Unchained conveys the freedom aspect in a straightforward manner, nothing overdone but no

 

Veyilmarangal – Trees under the Sun – A Biting Reality narrated with an excellent craft

Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KqZoyBQo7c We would have come across security guards in malls, corporates, gated communities. We would have come across delivery boys. We would have seen cleaners in hotels. We know most of them have moved from other places. Migrants from far away states. Unlike us who migrate to dreamlands for a better living, this segment of population moves out of their native villages to get a job, any job,

 

Bhoothakaalam – A textbook approach on how to generate scares effortlessly

Official Trailer: It is hard to slot Bhoothakaalam into a genre, a horror, or a psychological thriller. Or is it a psychological-drama-horror-thriller? You can infer the title as the past or the ghosts from the past. Like the series The Haunting of Hill House, do the ghosts lurk in their minds or are they really lurking in the shadows of the house. From the first frame, director, Rahul Sadasivan, skillfully

 

Fast Cuts – Kadaseela Biriyani, Kala

Kadaseela Biriyani: No one can live without fear but what you fear is a choice Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7zJwUFwoxg Kadaseela Biriyani takes an age-old revenge story and narrates it in a unique way, it comes across as fresh, weird, and interesting. Since it breaks the cliches, it does throw us off guard frequently. Three brothers go on a journey to avenge the death of their father. Younger one is forced to

 

Churuli – A Psychedelic Ride

Official Trailer: Lijo Jose Pellissery (LJP) has an exceptional talent of visualizing the abstract. He never spoon-feeds the audience. LJP doesn’t take the effort to explain. He leaves it to the audience. It is the cinematic equivalent of a painting – whoever looks at it can interpret however they choose to.  His movies may come across as absurd and abstract, but they provoke you like a painting. Churuli is like

 

Fast Cuts – Lift, #Home, and Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum

Lift Official Trailer: If one can ignore the first 15-20mts and the unconvincing climax, the 1:45mts mid-portion is an engaging and well-made horror movie – skilfully staged and doesn’t resort to cheap jump thrills. Setup, camera work, BGM, and performances (convincing performance from Kavin) come together to give us the thrills. Considering the creativity and effort that has gone in the horror portion, it is surprising how the team missed

 

KaanekKaane – A gripping movie that leaves us with a moral question

Official Trailer: இன்னாசெய் தாரை ஒறுத்தல் அவர்நாணநன்னயஞ் செய்து விடல். Tamil Transliteration: Innaasey Thaarai Oruththal AvarnaanaNannayanj Cheydhu Vital. Meaning in English: The fitting punishment to those who have done evil to you, is to put them to shame by showing them kindness, in return and to forget both the evil and the good done on both sides. Above Thirukkural went through my mind as I watched the movie KaanekKaane. How hard it

 

Kuruthi – A gripping home invasion thriller with a message

Official Trailer: A quiet village. Many have left the place. Only two families left. Both families have lost their dear ones in a landslide. They live in harmony and peace. Even though they belong to different religion, there is a possibility of marriage between the Muslim widower and the Hindu women in the air. Much like a garden of Eden. Then one night, snake, the religious hatred, enters this, Eden.

 

Joji

Official Trailer: [SPOILERS AHEAD] Dileesh Pothan’s movie starts with a note that Joji is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. While knowing the original story may make it interesting trying to map the characters, you don’t necessarily have to know the original play to appreciate Joji. P.K.Kuttappan, a rubber estate owner, is a strong person (physically too). As the head of the family, he controls and manages the family including