Oru Small Family - How pathetic a film can be!

Director:Rajasenan

Cast: Rajasenan, Kailash, Ananya

Viswanathan (Rajasenan) is an idealistic sub registrar, irked by the presence of a beverages outlet, right in front of his house. His daughter, Ammu (Ananya), falls in love with Kishore (Kailash). He belongs to a family who are into liquor trade and everyone, including Kishore and his mom, played by KPAC Lalitha are hardcore drunkards!

The romance which happens after some silly situations, the frustration of the dad who learns about Kishore’s drinking habits, the antics of the ‘liquor family’ and some drunkards who queue up before the beverages outlet are the highlights of this story.

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Oru Small Family - How pathetic a film can be!

If you expect at least a decent entertainer from the director of such films as Melepparambil Aanveedu, Aadyathe Kanmani and Aniyan Bava Chettan Bava, just stay away from this nonsense. There may be good films and bad films, but this one simply makes a mockery out of the viewers’ intelligence.

Pathinonnil Vyazham - a bit outdated

Cast: Mukesh, Manya, C I Paul, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy, Kalabhavan Mani, Sadiq, Shaju, Sreerekha

Producer: Pooram Films

Director: Suresh Krishna

Music Director: Jayan Pisharody

Appukkuttan (Mukesh) has a secret to tell about Chandran Pillai (C I Paul), a millionaire based in Ooty. He manages to persuade Pillai to offer him the job of his driver, while Pillai's daughter Meenakshi (Manya) is bewildered at the developments. Meenakshi waits for an opportunity to dismiss Appikkuttan from his job, but her horoscope would hear nothing of it.

The horoscope as the title itself suggests is the focal point in the film, and it is what rewrites the story along with, hold your breath, a goat. Well, Nakulan (Jagathy) the caretaker who is entrusted the job of entrusting Meenakshi's horoscope with renowned astrologer Kizhakkedam (Nedmudi) happens to stop at his lover's (Beena Antony) place midway. The horoscope left outside is eaten by a goat, and Nakulan's lady love, born on the same day as Meenakshi substitutes it with hers.

There are no mobile phones in the film, and the reasons are quite clear. Mobiles weren't that common when the film was being shot. And to make things worse, the secret that Appukkuttan threatens Pillai with takes the form of a giant VHS tape. It does seem a bit awkward then, when Appukkuutan tucks into his pullover and flashes the tape to make Pillai dance to his tunes.

Talking of tunes, Pillai has a domestic help (Sreerekha) at home who hails from Tamil Nadu. She is the kind who breaks into a voluptuous song at the middle of the night, and the driver and the gardener match steps with her on the middle of the lawn. She is mostly seen fawning over anything that smells male, and is very rarely seen in the kitchen.

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Pathinonnil Vyazham - a bit outdated

At the moment, it doesn't look that good for 'Pathinonnil Vyazham'. The stars would have to do some real spot swapping for the film to have a dream run at the box office.

Kootukar - tragically dull

Cast: Vinu Mohan, Bhama, Shankar, Anirudh

Producer: Annamma Poulose

Director: Prasad Vaalacheril

Music Director: S P Venkatesh

In 'Kootukar', Unnikrishnan (Vinu Mohan) is just out jail, having served a sentence of twelve years, and is looking for revenge. The men who had conspired to put him behind bars are still roaming free, and he starts knocking them off, one after the other.

Antony Alex IPS (Anirudh), the City Police Commissioner is terribly upset with what's happening around as well. He meets up with the local priest (Anoop Chandran) and discusses what Unni has been up to. In a flashback that goes a decade back, we get to know how the trio had been inseparable once.

So the story is all about friendship and how time takes its toll on it. Unni has seen better days as well, and had even thought of marrying and having a family of his own. Well, anybody would, with Aswathy (Bhama) wandering around the temple in eternal prayer, and attending Law College when she isn't. she has plans of becoming a lawyer, while Unni aspires to be an IPS officer.

Antony meanwhile gets appointed to the BSF and the Brother leaves on an evangelical mission across the world. Unni gets through the prelims, and his dad (Devan) who is a taxi driver breaks into a song along with his friends to celebrate it. The song over, he gets into a fight with the Commissioner's son that lands both him and Unni at the police station. Dad gets murdered and son goes to jail where he meets Mastan (Shankar).

Mastan, in case you are wondering, is an underworld don with a golden heart. Out in the big bad world, he helps Unni seek revenge. He is the kind of gangster who shakes a leg at wedding parties and sings a song or two. And when he promises you something, he even says 'Promise' and emphasizes it further by saying 'God Promise'!

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Kootukar - tragically dull

Kootukar is tragically dull. It suffers from too many overblown elements that are poorly written and it very rarely hits its marks.

Kanyakumari Express - headed straight for disaster

Cast: Suresh Gopi, Innocent, Babu Antony and Jagathy Sreekumar

Director: T S Suresh Babu

Music Director: Sharath

Mohan Sankar Achary (Suresh Gopi) is a daredevil DIG of Police, who is brilliant and efficient, but dumb enough to go for a meeting with the Chief Minister wearing a ‘lungi’. He tries to nab the culprits behind the kidnap of Hema (Sarayu), the daughter of a rich diamond dealer.

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Kanyakumari Express - headed straight for disaster

This is an express bus that doesn't really have a driver on it and that is headed straight for disaster.

Best Of Luck - Needs some more luck

Banner: A & M Productions

Cast: Prabhu, Urvasi, Kailsah, Asif Ali, Archana Kavi, Rima Kallingal, Aneesh, Sruthi Menon, Jagathy Sreemkumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Saleem Kumar, Bijukkuttan

Direction: M A Nishad

The movie tells the story of four youngsters, Surya (Kailash), Manu (Asif Ali), Neethu (Archana Kavi) and Dia (Rima Kallingal), who are bosom friends. Neethu is Surya’s girlfriend and Diya is in love with Manu. The turn in their life arrives as a rich Naykkar from some village in Tamil Nadu, reveals in his deathbed, to his son Vinayaka Naykkar (Prabhu) that he is having another son named Suya in Kerala and that the later must take care of him. Vinayaka Naykkar plays to his father’s interest and turn a protector to Surya who is now sheltered in a big house with servants and allowed 3000 rupees for monthly expenses.

Surya who is also a musician likes to start a troupe. Manu who also gets lodged with Surya on his big house is an aspiring filmmaker and a big fan of Megastar Mammootty. One day they happened to be on a set of Mammootty film, where they meet him and gets an approval that the superstar will give them a date if Manu comes up with a suitable story. Manu now persuades Surya to lift some money for his project by pledging Naykkar’s big mansion on which they are on. As they go on with their filmi dreams landing in financial mess, Junior Nayikkar drops in for a visit. The young guys are forced to go for a multitudes of drama of mistaken identities including switching of pairs and evading the financier. Into this turmoil arrives other problems like the new domestic servant Thamara (Urvashy) who literally starts to rule the inmates of the house.

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Best Of Luck - Needs some more luck

‘Best of luck’’ is a movie that is a poor show all the way. It don’t have much chances to turn lucky at the Box Office.

College Days - Is suspenseful

Banner: Pavithram creations

Cast: Indrajith, Sandhya, Biju Menon, Jagathy, Saikumar, Siddique, Suraj, Geetha Vijayan, P Sreekumar, Kochupreman

Direction: B N Krishnakumar

The movie opens with the sequences of first year medico Athira (Bhama) pushed to death by a notorious gang of five, lead by the son of State minister. But with the influential system and wrong testification of the college principal played by Jagathy, the wicked gang (consisting of Sandhya, Sajith Kumar, Dhanya Mary, Rain and Govind Padmasuriya) is let free and is allowed to continue with their studies.

After the titles, the movie moves on to another fresher year with the same gang continuing with their menacing activities. In arrives Rohit Menon (indrajith) from Banglore, to do house surgeoncy in the same college, who enters into tussle with the group from the day one. The baddies now plots many plans to corner him and get him evacuated from the college but each of them misfires and now they are into one big plot that is sure to kick him out. But this time, something goes haywire and Rohit is killed. The gang somehow buries him in the hostel premises, but the Commissioner Sudeep Hariharan (Biju Menon) who is after the case is more than intimidating for them to handle.

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College Days - Is suspenseful

Debutante director G N Krishnakumar’s ‘College Days’ is a movie that impresses you with a fresh recipe of presentations. An investigative thriller in its real sense, the makers had succeeded in maintaining the suspense element, all through without letting it go of even for a moment.

The Thriller - meant for the fans of Prithviraj

Cast: Prithviraj, Siddique, Lalu Alex, Viajyaraghavan, Riyaz Khan, Sambath, P. Sreekumar, Kollam Thulasi, Biju Pappan, Subair, Vincent, Asok, Anand, Katherine, Mallika Kapoor, Uma Padmanabhan

Producer: Sabu K Cherian

Director: B Unnikrishnan

Music Director: Dharan

Prithviraj plays DCP Niranjan in B Unnikrishnan's 'The Thriller' that tells the story of a murder investigation.

Simon is the son of Joseph Palathinkal, a business magnet who is a multi millionaire. One night during the night patrol, Niranjan finds Simon Palathinkal stabbed and murdered on a highway.

Since Niranjan is the prime witness in the case, I G Thomas George assigns the DCP with the investigation charge.

B Unnikrishnan says that apart from being based on a roadside murder, there is no other connection between his film and the much discussed Muthoot Paul murder case.

The film deals with several other issues. The major theme is the clash between Niranjan and Sambath, an underworld don based in Dubai.

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The Thriller - meant for the fans of Prithviraj

The Thriller is meant for the hardcore fans of Prithviraj. For the rest of the world, the film may be interesting in parts, at best.

Holidays - an amateurish attempt

Cast: Vinu Mohan, Ranjith Menon, Sudheesh, Muktha, Priyalal, Roopasree Asokan, Anil Murali, Karatte Raja, Nimisha, Urmila Unni, Ambika Mohan, Mini Arun, Jolly

Producer: T. Satheesh Babu

Director: Atlas Ramachandran

Music Director: Alex Paul

A group of youngsters are on a journey from Bangalore, when some unexpected things happen that change their lives forever. Alby (Vinu Mohan) is the leader of the gang and is in love with Janet (Muktha). The others in the group are Soumithran (Rajith Menon), Syam (Beyon), Sudhi (Sudheesh), Veeramani (Anoop Chandran) and Riya (Priya Lal).

They get into a scuffle with some goons who attack a fellow passenger Lekha Paul (Sruthi Lakshmi) and the baddies follow them from then on. Kalabhavan Mani plays the Police Commissioner, who is all set to marry Sudhi’s girl friend, played by Roopasri.

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Holidays - an amateurish attempt

Holidays is a film that seriously lacks a few things, the most prominent among which would be a script that is worthy of being made into a film and more importantly some sensible direction.

Chitrakuzhal - Children's film deserves a mention

Cast: Amal Ashok, Siddharth, Meera Nair, Monu, Madhu, Vijayarashavan, Indrans, Geetha Vijayan, Vijayakumari

Producer: Dhirubhai Chauhan

Director: Majeed Gulistan

Music Director: Ashwin Johnson

Chitra Kuzhal directed by Majeed Gulistan tells the story of Virundhan, a tribal boy who is known by the name 'The Bird Catcher'.

People believe that the boy catches the birds and takes them away to cook and eat them.

Virundhan happens to chance upon the Forest Officer's son Charu who has been kidnapped by poachers. Virundhan comes to the boy's rescue and Charu's voyage with the tribal boy turns out to be a life changing experience for him.

The boys come across Amina, one of their school mates who is also on a fleeing spree since she fears the cops are coming after her.

Together the trio make a journey into the forest and on their way learn more and more about the environment and the dangers and threats that lie buried all around.

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Chitrakuzhal - Children's film deserves a mention

Gulistan's film offers a binocular view of the world that is being ruined by man beyond repair. All its deficits not withstanding, as a children's film that comes up with a very pertinent social message, Chithrakuzhal deserves a mention.

Kariyasthan- A masala entertainer

Director:Thomson

Music:Berny-Ignatius

Cast: Dileep, Akhila, Madhu, GK Pillai

The story begins a few years back when two wealthy families - Kizhakkedathu and Puthezhathu- were living in great unity in a sleepy village called Krishnapuram. Certain issues that happened during the marriage of Rajan (Siddique) create a rift between the families and he has to flee from the place to a village in Tamil Nadu, with his wife.

After several years, Rajan’s son Krishnanunni (Dileep) comes back to Krishnapuram as a Kariyasthan, to bring the two families together once again. But he soon learns that it was never going to be an easy task. During his stay there, Krishnanunni falls in love with Sreebala (Akhila), who belongs to the Puthezhathu tharavadu where he is employed. Some confusions, comedy, fights and song n dance routines later, things come to a happy end.

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Kariyasthan- A masala entertainer

Kariyasthan certainly follows the same old formula, but even then it is a fairly enjoyable ride. It could have been more attractive, if it was at least thirty minutes less in its length. If you don’t think too much and just want to have some funny time at the theatres, this one could be a possible option.