Avengers:Endgame (2019)

[**** stars / *****] 

First things first. Avengers: Endgame is a Marvel Studios classic! Say hello again to light feathery humour, endearing superhero bonding, relatable true-to-life dialogues and tight, breathless action sequences. 

Avengers: Endgame is a smashing, bonafide blockbuster, an epic popcorn crunching seat grabber that lives up to its hype. 

Following the shocking events of Avengers: Infinity War, we meet a group of defeated, melancholy superheroes who haven't given up yet.  

Without giving anything away, watch out for the subdued, dying Ironman, a mellow Captain America, a murderous Hawkeye, a pot-bellied Thor, wisecracking Rocket and other eye-catching superheroes. 

Relive comic book magic
Not everything seamlessly blends together in every scene, but the jokes all work, except for some pop-references (The Big Lebowski tribute, among others) that less aware audiences will miss.

The fun of superheroes mocking each other even in such desperate times, leading to the superb final hour battle brought out many appreciative hoots from the evening show audience. That funky kind of carefreeness gives a complicated Avengers: Endgame plot its summer groove.  

Three-hour spectacle 

The three hours glide away, thanks to the well-explained (if hazy at parts) troubleshooting story, unwavering direction, lively ensemble cast, and steady pacing. 

Screenplay writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus achieve quite a feat to keep the speculative audience guessing. With zillions of pre-movie theories that have been going around, the final outcome is beautiful - sad, unexpected, happy and satisfying, all at the same time. Minor grumble - the 3D doesn't add to the viewing experience.

Catch it on the big screen 
For Marvel fans who have lived the story and many story threads over the last decade, this will be an emotional goodbye, and what a fitting conclusion Avengers: Endgame has turned out to be. 

Avengers: Endgame is a celebration of everything we love about superhero comic book movies. It's not the best MCU movie ever, but up there with the best. I can't wait to catch the movie again next week.  

Don't miss Avengers: Endgame on the big screen! Marvel fans assemble! 
  

Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela (2017)

[**** stars / *****] 

What would one do if they belonged to a dysfunctional family and discovered that the mother had cancer? How about absolute panic, confusion and chaos? 

I booked tickets for Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela (An Intermission in the Land of Crabs) on a sibling recommendation. Director, co-writer Althaf Salim and co-writer George Kora adapt Chandramathi's novel of the same name to the big screen. 

My sibling insisted that it is best not to know anything about the movie before the viewing. It was a great suggestion for when the movie unfolded on the 70mm screen, I was happily taken aback. 

Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela is a little gem of a Malayalam movie, an unlikely, surprising comedy on how a family copes when the mother undergoes cancer treatment. Cancer is fast becoming a common disease in India now. In such a dire state of affairs, the feathery, tickling treatment is both inspiring and courageous.

Nivin Pauly, Shanti Krishna, Lal and the ensemble cast put in excellent performances. The only sore thumb is the contrived romantic track, otherwise, Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela is easily among the best movies to make light of fighting a grim disease.

Pariyerum Perumal BA.BL (2018)

[**** stars / *****] 

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

- Bob Dylan, Blowin' in the Wind

In largely dusty rural Tamil Nadu, steaming with caste tensions, atrocities, and killings, a young man, Pariyerum Perumal (Kathir) is out hunting with his beloved dog Karuppi. Perumal belongs to a community considered inferior by the "higher castes." 

Perumal is to join the local law college in a few days. He engages in small talk with other hunters of the community and they all begin walking back to their homes after a bath in a small pool. Some "higher caste" men stroll over. They watch the retreating group with hostility and there is some talk of teaching the group a lesson. Then Perumal notices that Karuppi is not around...

Pariyerum Perumal BA.BL has political undertones, and may even seem emotionally deviant, but this is a movie of heft, grit, reason and sincerity. 

The film works for its dark, effortless insight into the deplorable state that human beings can go down to. Perumal is a torch-bearer, a quiet revolution of change.    

There are many disturbing moments in the movie, there is also wisdom. 

When the last shot of the two tea glasses placed side by side fades away, I was in awe and admiration for this relentless, cinematic drama, written and directed with a straight-lined conviction by Mari Selvaraj. 

Don't miss Pariyerum Perumal BA.BL for its superb screenplay, purpose, top-rate performances, music and admirable honesty. Not pure, unadulterated cinema, but undoubtedly cinema nevertheless. 

Pariyerum Perumal BA.BL stands outs among the best regional (South Indian) movies I have viewed so far this year.