Movie Reviews – FallenPhoenixFlight

Murder Mubarak

A murder occurs in an all-exclusive club, and the victim is the gym trainer, Leo Mathews (played by Ashim Gulati), who works there. The entire movie revolves around the search for the killer. It opens by introducing the status and relationships of various characters, along with the dynamics between them. The narrative then delves into flashbacks, with each character recounting the events of the fateful night to the investigating ASP. The plot primarily revolves around how the inspector unravels the chaotic lives of the club members to uncover the truth.

In terms of acting, Pankaj Tripathi shines as ACP Bhawani Singh, portraying a calm and likable character from the moment he appears on screen. However, the performance of veteran actors like Dimple Kapadia is questionable. It’s unclear if her characters were intended to be cringeworthy to convey a point or if it was a result of poor direction. The disappointing role choice from a veteran actor detracted from the overall experience.

Tisca Chopra delivers a standout performance as Roshni Batra, portraying a mother who dotes on her son while grappling with her sense of belonging in the club. Vijay Verma as Akash Dogra handles the other aspect of the story—the love story between Bambi (played by Sara Ali Khan) and Akash, an upper-class girl and a middle-class guy with strong ethical values. Bambi, a widow, is depicted as a bubbly party girl concealing her pain behind her carefree demeanor and kleptomaniac tendencies.

Bambi reveals to Akash that Leo was blackmailing her due to her habit, leading Akash to involve the inspector in further investigation. It is revealed that Leo was blackmailing several club members, coercing them to send checks to the orphanage where he grew up, portraying Leo as a modern-day Robin Hood.

Despite some commendable performances, SK’s portrayal of Bambi detracted from the movie, leaving viewers confused about her character’s emotions. Additionally, there is mention of a cringeworthy dialogue delivered by Karishma, which disrupts the viewing experience with its shrill delivery.

The film suffers from an abundance of characters, each vying for attention with their own stories, making it challenging for the audience to connect with any one character. However, the background music score is tolerable, and while the twist is predictable, the performances make it somewhat engaging.

Overall, the movie may be worth a watch if you have nothing better to do and are up for a challenge.

Curry & Cyanide – The Jolly Joseph Case

Maturity Rating: U/A 13+
Genres: Documentaries

Directed by Christo Tomy

The new series was released on Netflix on December 22. The true crime documentary is based on the case of Jolly Joseph, who killed six people in cold blood for power and greed, and she was arrested in 2019. The murders were suspected of being done using cyanide.

The series features interviews with people related to Jollyamma Joseph, and their accounts of the crime span over eighteen years. Jollyamma Joseph belongs to a family of farmers from Kattappana in the Idukki district of Kerala and has the dream of living a luxurious life.

Jollyamma, aka Jolly, got married to Roy Thomas in 1997 and moved to Koodathayi in Kozhikode. Jolly’s mother-in-law Annamma, from the start, had been very vocal about her desire for Jolly to pursue a career. Annamma died in 2002, and at the time, it was ruled as cardiac arrest, but a decade after her death in 2019, Jolly was suspected of killing her when she got arrested for the death of her first husband Roy.

The second victim of Jolly was her father-in-law, and his death, even though it raised some heckles, the family hadn’t suspected any foul play. It was after the death of Roy that his uncle Manjadiyali raised some suspicions and demanded an autopsy. It was found he died of cyanide, but Jolly convinced everyone that the case shouldn’t move forward as it was a suicide and it would impact the mental health of her children.

Jolly knew Manjadiyali was one hurdle that kept creating obstacles for her, thus she killed him as well.

All these deaths occurring in this family have made Rojo and Renji, Roy’s brother and sister, extremely wary of Jolly. But the final nail in the coffin is done when Jolly kills Sily and Alphine, the wife and two-year-old daughter of Shaju, a man with whom Jolly was attracted. At the funeral of Sily, Renji saw the facade that Jolly had created, and she began the investigation on her own to find a discrepancy in the postmortem report of Roy and the story Jolly had weaved during his death. Renji and Rojo filed the case, which led to Jolly’s arrest.

The documentaries touched on what was the aspiration of Jolly in committing these crimes, how she did it, and the other suspects in this case. The series has the interview of the son of Jolly as well, who recounts the horror his life became due to his mother.

A story of betrayal, greed, lust, and power that shook Kerala and made us ask the question, has humanity truly left Mother Earth?

Although the series recounts the incidents that led Rojo and Renji to come to terms with the evil lurking in their ancestor’s house, somehow the series lacks in terms of technicality. It’s like we are watching the version of the story from one perspective, and if not for Jolly confessing to the crimes she has been indicted for, the case might have gone in another direction.

The series raises some serious questions about how good Jolly was in her role as an obedient and respectful citizen of society, and no one ever suspected anything. The police negligence when it comes to not taking action after the post-mortem report of Roy indicated the death wasn’t natural.

The family and community support did play a major role in how Jolly was able to stay out of trouble for eighteen years; the red flags around her that have been ignored are a cry for help. As a society, if we find something odd, it is not that unusual that we just keep it to ourselves.

The series could have shown some real clippings or anything related to real-life incidents for more impact. But overall, it was a good series for true crime lovers in general.

Animal Movie Review

Release on 30 November 2023, this movie has earned a lot of attention for both positive and negative aspects. Here is my take on the movie that depicts the story of a father and son bond carved in blood.

“Animal” is a multi-starer movie with many stars in one frame. Ranbir Kapoor, as the only son of Balveer Singh, a business tycoon, is portrayed as a Sigma male and the impact it has on the people around him. He is unapologetic, intelligent, and loves his family a lot.

The movie moves forward in showing the obsession a son has to gain the approval of his father, and from a young age, how his one wish has shaped his entire life. Ranbir slayed this character to the core.

Anil Kapoor, as Balveer Singh, was phenomenal. From being a stoic father focused on his business to regretting the time he hadn’t spent with his children, his emotions were conveyed through his eyes alone. The transition he goes through in one scene from anger to confusion to fear to concern is applaudable.

Every character has their own story and agenda, and each of them delivers it to the best of their abilities. Rashmika, as a dutiful wife who hates how their life has shifted overnight and her loving husband has turned into a murderer, in a few scenes may be seen as overdone, but crucial scenes were top-notch and shouldn’t be missed.

The music is captivating and enthralling; one can easily get lost in the lyrics. What the movie lacks is depth.

We see the characters, and we are told their desires and aspirations, but there is no backbone to the story. Why is Balveer Singh loved by all his workers? How does Balveer Singh hold so much power in the country that his son goes on a murder rampage, and there is no law and order? What is this company all about and its power?

Why were all his cousins ready to die for Ranbir over his one speech? Their bond or anything isn’t shown except for the jokes and rage-filled dialogues.

We were introduced to a second family miles away who have their own set of rules and love, but it was so short that the angst that was shown felt hollow.

Also, the movie ended on a cliffhanger to show there is a sequel coming up for this, which felt unnecessary, but maybe the points that are missed in this movie are shown in that one, and it could be a fun watch.

So, if you like movies with a hero whose ego is bigger than his height and has his own set of principles that he keeps shoving into your throat, but you love the action and blood and a good set of music, this movie is for you.