It has certainly been a long time I penned a review and unless something dramatic as this film is I don’t think I would have written a review. Over the previous two days I have watched it twice and what an adorable film this has turned out to be. Mamitha Baiju just stole the show with her acting and presence. I did watch her in several other films including Tamil movies after “Premalu” but this one certainly one of her finesh performances. The script is simple and the dialogues were adorable and meaningful. Even “Premalu” had flaws but this one doesn’t. Couldn’t believe when I checked Wikipedia that it has become the highest grossing Malalayalam film of all time. Why shouldn’t it be?

For the ageing Nivin Pauly this is another feather in his cap but I will still give more credit to Mamitha’s character and role than his.

Another beauty of this story is in its simplicity. No complicated twists, turns or emotionally draining scenes yet impactful and kudos to director Girish A D and writer Kiran Josey for this.

Sangeeth Prathap, Shyam Mohan who both had prominent roles in “Premalu” are here to add to the brilliance of this film. Other people in the cast, particularly the talented Vinay Forrt, Suresh Krishna, Srinda, and Roshan Shanavas who plays the role of Glikson, all add to the fantastic comedy of the film that runs throughout the film.

Music by Vishnu Vijay is worth commenting about. He certainly did a good job and adds to the movie’s brilliance. Among the songs the peppy “Illey Illa” was good and so was the duet “Varnajalam” and the concluding “Indrajaalam”. The song “Cha cha chee chee cho” was painful though.

Currently streaming on Jiohotstar, just go for it. Don’t you ever miss it.

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit — Girish A D has another winner was originally published in The King is nude on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I have been watching the slick editing of Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval particularly in movies such as “Kanakam Kamimi Kalaham” and it carries over into this brilliantly done film. The characters are amazing. The comedy and associated dialogues are another fresh and entertaining offering.

Dileesh Pothan’s character was beautifully handled and so was Kunchacko Boban’s character. Even the romance was beautiful. The ending could have been better but till that it is a fantastic ride.

Currently streaming on Netflix, go for it.

Oru Dhurooha Saaharyajathil was originally published in The King is nude on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Alex Honnold’s climb of the Taipei 101 tower was one incredible human feat we watched live earlier this year and here comes another though this feat took place in 2025. Ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel becomes the first person to climb Mount Everest and ski back to Everest Base Camp without supplementary oxygen (including the climb) and who has been descending on skis on all the 8000+ mtrs mountain slopes of the world and that includes K2 one of the most difficult mountains to both climb and descend. And all this with no oxygen? Kudos to his team who guide him on the descents and take those incredible drone videos. Andrzej himself carries a camera affixed to the helmet on his head. In some places the slopes are very precarious, some literally dropping vertically of rock and snow. These ski descents are death-defying. Watch it on a big screen (I just upgraged my gear with a projector) and you have a breath-taking feast for your eyes and soul. Watch the incredible feat here below on YouTube.

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Till I started watching Iranian movies I couldn’t believe the greenery, vegetation and rivers that are found in Iran. I was of the impression that most of it was just desert and oil except for one or more of those monuments I have seen in pictures.

Alexander the great plunderer destroyed Persepolis and most of that ancient city lies in ruins and I wonder how much more of the ancient stunning monuments and architectural wonders are going to be destroyed by the ongoing war. One can get a glimpse of these great buildings of yore in this documentary. This delighful documentary was made way back in 2009 by Rick Steves, an American. It’s a must watch for a glimpse and a slightly deeper insight into this country.

Rick Steve’s Iran (2009) was originally published in The King is nude on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This movie just dethroned my favourite for the Best International Film Oscar this year, Belén from Argentina. Belén wasn’t nominated but “The voice of Hind Rajab” was and it is a crying shame that India has banned this film from being telecast or streamed in the country a few days ago. It only clearly shows how India is supporting the country of Israel who have waged a cowardly war by indulging in the killing of thousands of innocent civilians and particularly children and in the process targeting ambulances and food delivery trucks also.

Carrying the actual voice of Hind Rajab this poignant narrative of the failed attempt to rescue a girl in dire distress is so creatively captured by director and writer Kaouther Ben Hania, it literally begs to be seen. The movie got so intense I had to pause it half-way to take a breather. It is that moving. Cast and crew do an amazing job of bringing you the terror, grief and the ugly side of war and of a nation that has no conscience whatsover when it comes to the way children are treated.

The film received a 23-minute, 50-second standing ovation at its Venice premiere, a rare and unique record at the festival.

It isn’t available on any of the streaming platforms but I am sure you know how to view a copy.

Don’t you miss one of the most important movies of your life.

The voice of Hind Rajab was originally published in The King is nude on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The slow pace of the dialouges and scenes are certainly a turn off though the humane angle was good. The best part of the film was Elizabeth played by Mia Goth and her dialogues. The classical music was impressive too and so were the costumes. Considering the fact that it has been nominated for several oscars including Best Picture, I am afraid if will take home more than one Oscar. The special fx were so poor, particularly in the scene that involved the wolves, it looked amateurish. Certainly an over-hyped film from Del Toro.

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This is a story almost everyone wishes they go through, well atleast I do and “Ithiri Neram” shines in the way this story is told. The road trip part of the film does need some patience to watcch but it is not painful to endure.

Director Prasanth Vijay does a fabulous job of narrating a story as this. Music by Basil C J is certainly a plus. When Roshan Mathew talks about knowing a little Physics it brought a smile to my face as he is the alumnus of Madras Christian College where my own classmate from yesteryears (now a Professor there) taught him. Zarin Shihab who is an alumnus of IIT Madras, and who was stellar in her role in Aattam does amazingly well in this film too. The two supporting actors who accompany the couple on their road trip also did well. Nice to know that this story was developed after the writer Vishak Shakti was inspired from a real-life account of a Facebook user.

Sadly this film didn’t get its due but I highly recommend it. Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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I recall watching the Oscar winning documentary “Free Solo” when it was released in 2017 and I recall sweating from my palms and feet, just watching it on my laptop. One can only imagine how it would have felt watching it on IMAX. And now comes the scaling of one of the tallest buildings in the world, the Tapei 101 in a live event, streamed on Netflix. It has now been recorded for those who missed the live event this Sunday.

Alex is 40 and I don’t think he has any body fat and only someone with such a physique can pull off a once in a life-time feat as this. The most incredible part of the live event was that it was broadcast with a 10 second delay so that if in the eventuality of Alex falling the broadcast could be stopped without viewers watching him fall. I was also wondering how much Alex was paid for this climb. There’s one move (of course all his moves are great) right at the very top where he dangles just using his legs and uses both his hands to take chalk from the bag he is carrying. The crowd and the audience went berserk here. One report says 6.2 million people were watching it live on Netflix.

The climb is captured in breath taking fashion with superb angles and views. Go for it.

Skyscraper Live (2026) was originally published in The King is nude on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Belén” from Argentina just dethroned “Left Handed Girl” from Taiwan in my list for the coveted award which may be won by Jafar Panahi’s “Une Simple Accident’ as it has already won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2025. Unlike last year India’s “Homebound” is in the top 15 shortlist which is good but I couldn’t sit through the cliched offering for more than 10 minutes. Meanwhile I managed to watch “Palestine 36” and though it may get nominated it certainly isn’t my pick for the coveted award. I did watch Sirat from Spain, a unique nomination because it was nominated last year too from another country. Wonder how a movie can be nominated twice as this. Sirat is interesting though it doesn’t top my list either. Another good film was “Late Shift” (in German) from Switzerland.

Belén is based on a true story and a very compelling one. Will the Best International film go to South America like last time?

The music in the film was also used beautifully. Go for it.

Update after watching “The voice of Hind Rajab” — Belén moves to second spot in my list for Best International Film Oscar this year.

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With lovely minimal music blending with beautiful visuals many scenes are done to cinematic pefection in this film from Norway. How music and scenes together can make such profound impact is what this film shows us. Music by Hania Rani came as a pleasant surprise as I have been listening to this Polish pianist for a while now.

The sibling love was beautiful to watch though for the n’th time I just can’t stand or understand the child blaming father (or mother) for not being there for them. It’s just plain boring and it looks like some serious psychological problem in the western culture. Gifting his grandchild movies with graphic depiction of sex and violence was the other other aberration.

Good taste in music brings some nice songs particularly Roxy Music’s “Same old scene” and Terri Callier’s “Dancing Girl”. I must thank this film for introducing me to this classic and the wonderful musician.

Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning, Stellan Skarsgård and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas were wonderful in their roles. The final scenes were masterstrokes by Joachim Trier.

For me till date, Belén from Argentina tops my list for Best International Film Oscar for 2026. I have a feeling the jury may favour Jafar Panahi’s “Une Simple Accident” over the others but “Sentimental Value’ is a superb film, a hot contender for this year’s Best International Film and worth your time for a watch.

Update (3'rd, Feb, 2026) — Just realised that the film has nine Oscar Nominations including those for Best Picture and Best Actress.

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