Humour in a dated horror template When Kovai Sarala joins Lawrence in Kanchana-2 for her opening scene, I realised with mild consternation that I’d actually developed some fondness for the franchise. Their scenes — just like in Muni 2: Kanchana — border on the ridiculous, the impractical, but are funny nevertheless, or perhaps because of…

Outdated and obscene Everything about Thunai Mudhalvar — its plot, setting, pace and depiction of women — is dated. So long as you’re in the theatre watching the film, you can actually engage in an interesting thought experiment by pretending you’re in the 80s. This datedness is never more obvious than during a scene when…

A comedy that isn’t funny Nanbenda reeks of a certain uninspired quality — evident right at the beginning in the lacklustre background score that accompanies the title credits designed in an equally lacklustre fashion. You know it’s too early to come to conclusions, but the warning bells are already ringing. You hope that the film…

A rousing chase hits a roadblock These days, when it’s a Liam Neeson movie, you can safely bet that there will be cars toppled, rounds fired, and bodies strewn. The only question is: how soon? Thankfully, Run All Night takes its time before, well, Neeson runs all night. In addition to fighting trigger-happy men who,…

Familiarity breeds contempt Like most sequels, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is best enjoyed by those who have seen the first. But then again, that isn’t saying much at all. Again, like most sequels. So, in that sense, the title is a give away — it is second best. The first film came with…