#CelluloidCritic

WW => Will Win DH => Dark Horse  23/23 - including dark horse 21/23 - counting only WW Best Picture -         The Power of the Dog (WW) -         CODA (DH) - Winner Best International Feature -         Drive My Car (WW)    - Winner -         The Worst Person in the World (DH) Best Animated Feature -         Encanto (WW)    - Winner -         The Mitchells vs The Machines (DH) Best Documentary Feature -         Summer of Soul (WW)    - Winner -         Flee (DH) Best Director -         Jane Champion , The Power of Dog (WW)    - Winner -         Steven...

Critic No. 273 Director: Manu Anand Written by: Manu Anand, Divyanka Anand Shankar, Gowtham Sankar Kavanat Produced by: VV Studioz Casts :  Vishnu Vishal, Manjima Mohan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Raiza Wilson, Parvathi T, Reba Monica John, Gaurav Narayanan, Ram C Music: Ashwath Language: Tamil Genre: Action / Thriller SYNOPSIS:  The narrative captures the story of an innocent man, Irfan, who is caught in inexplicable circumstances that shatter his life and the media trials that’s quick to portray him as the evil incarnate. REVIEW: FIR follows the same thread of Kamal Hassan’s spy thriller, Vishwaroopam (2013), set against the terrorism backdrop that wants to push the blames on a particular community for the horrific acts committed by a few from that same. The film kicks off with the protagonist, Irfan Ahmed (Vishnu Vishal) is a chemical engineer from IIT-Madras, who is frustrated that his religion is a concern during interviews. He seems to be leading a peaceful life with h...

Critic No. 272 Director: Pandiraj Written by: Pandiraj Produced by: Sun Pictures Casts :  Suriya, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Sathyaraj, Saranya Ponvannan, Vinay Rai, Soori, Pugazh, Ilavarasu, Devadarshini Music: D. Imman Language: Tamil Genre: Action / Drama / Thriller SYNOPSIS:  Kannabiran (Suriya), a lawyer hailing from a village that respects and protects women. The tranquility of the place collapses when an affluent, influential gang tries to tarnish the reputation of their women and crumple their harmonious life. How Kannabiran deals with the gang and safeguards his women and their dignity forms the crux of the film. REVIEW: Pandiraj is one director who always finds his groove in churning out mass entertainers that have their knees deep in familial emotions and societal values. In Etharkkum Thunindhavan the director follows his blockbuster formula that worked wonders in his recent flicks, Kadaikutty Singam (2018) and Namma Veetu Pillai (2019). For Suriya, after churning ou...

Critic No. 271 Director: Karthick Naren Written by: Karthick Naren, Suhas, Sharfu, Vivek Produced by: Sathya Jyothi Films Casts :  Dhanush, Ramki, Malavika Mohanan, Smruthi Venkat, Samuthirakani, Ameer Music: G.V. Prakash Kumar Language: Tamil Genre: Action / Thriller SYNOPSIS:  Madhimaaran Sathyamoorthy (Dhanush) is an honest investigative journalist. When he uncovers a scam, the professional risks start threatening his personal happiness REVIEW: Karthick Naren had a flying start with Dhurvangal Pathinaru (2016) which can be easily classified as one of the best thrillers made in Tamil cinema. While the young filmmaker's second flick Naragasooran is still waiting to see the light of the day, the follow-up Mafia: Chapter 1 (2020) was sleek but ultimately underwhelming. He showed signs of rediscovering his form with Project Agni , the mind-bending sci-fi short that was part of the anthology Navarasa (2021). From the day of the shoot, there were also controversies swarmin...

Critic No. 270 Director: Kim Farrant Written by: Kim Farrant, Sarah Alderson (novel - The Weekend Away ) Produced by: 42 Casts :  Leighton Meester, Christina Wolfe, Ziad Bakri, Luke Norris, Amar Bukvić, Iva Mihalić Music: Daniel Wohl Language: English Genre: Crime / Drama / Mystery SYNOPSIS:  When her best friend, Kate (Christina Wolfe) vanishes during a girls trip to Croatia, Beth (Leighton Meester) races to figure out what happened. However, each clue yields another unsettling deception. REVIEW: From what I have observed, most recent B-grade thrillers do have a good premise but often provide too little plot to even consider a watch. Therefore, to be honest, it’s almost refreshing to see something like The Weekend Away, which has much more narrative complications to keep us engrossed. Beth ( Leighton Meester ) travels to a coastal town in Croatia to spend the weekend with her best friend from university, Kate (Christina Wolfe). Beth has a baby at home and a loveless marr...