I watched a lot of movies in March and April 2021 and obviously I didn’t get a chance to write full reviews for all of them. But I do want to highlight the movies I liked and the ones I think you should avoid.

In March, I aimed to watch as many South Indian films as possible and you’ll see that reflected a lot here. In April, I didn’t get to watch many films because I was getting through a lot of shows that had been on my radar for a while. Without further ado, here are the rankings –

36. Tom & Jerry

This film exists purely for corporate greed. How you can make a movie called Tom & Jerry where they are not the main focus of the film is beyond me.

35. Richie

Language – Tamil

This is a remake of my favourite movie of all time and let’s just say that this DID NOT do it justice. Something about cutting out half the runtime and changing the focus of the story just messed it up for me. It’s trying so hard to be something while also not respecting it. Nivin Pauly’s Mallu Tamil was one of the funniest things I’ve heard.

34. Justice League

Rewatched the original in preparation of the Snyder Cut and was reminded in all sorts of ways why I did not like it originally. Ended up disliking it more upon rewatch.

33. Godzilla vs. Kong

Bruh monke vs dinosaur movie was exactly how good/bad I expected it to be. Don’t even know what constructive thing I can say about this lmao.

32. Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Yeah, it’s better than the original, but I still don’t think it justifies it’s existence and certainly not for 4 obnoxious hours of run-time. Overhyped and overrated, I think this was just for the DC fanboys who begged for its existence and it sends a dangerous message that social media harassment works?

31. Bad Trip

I really don’t know if I loved it or I hated it, so I’m putting it here.

30. Amadeus

I’ve written a full review of this. Not going to bother justifying this again. Yeah, I didn’t like it much. Yeah, I understand why you love it.

29. The Change-Up

Such a fun time this was. There’s this great Coldplay needle-drop somewhere in the movie which made it so much better for me. Overall pretty good time and definitely recommend it for a casual evening with the bois or for a fun date.

28. Eagle vs Shark

Watched it for the Taika binge that I was doing. It was such a good time and really nice to see Taika’s origin story considering he’s a big man Oscar winner now.

27. What We Do In the Shadows

Watched it with some buddies and it also fulfilled my Taika binge. I definitely wanted to like this more and I felt it dragged or over-did some bits, otherwise still a hilarious and fun time.

26. My Octopus Teacher

This movie was so weird and creepy but also kind of cute and wholesome. BUT HOW TF DID IT WIN BEST DOCUMENTARY AT THE OSCARS WHATTTTTTTTT

25. Dhruvangal Paathinaru

Language – Tamil

Such a good idea, but I felt it lacked a bit in execution. Still was interesting to watch, especially from such a young director.

24. Asuran

Language – Tamil

A film of two halves. The first half being yet another visceral masterpiece by Vetrimaaran. The second half was a mass mess but still had great filmmaking elements and was still highly entertaining.

23. Agent Sai Srinavasa Athreya

Language – Telugu

The style was so cool and I’ve never seen anything like it in Indian cinema. Filled with great film references, it was such a fun movie but the plot and actual mystery lacked a bit and sometimes the otherwise great humor fell flat.

22. KGF: Chapter 1

Language – Kannada

Easily understandable why this is the highest grossing Kannada movie of all time. The commercial aspects are quite visible but I have to appreciate it for its effect on the Kannada industry and I can’t say I’m not extremely hyped for its sequel.

21. Yuvarathnaa

Language – Kannada

The first half and second half are like two separate movies for me. One is a by-the-numbers, mass action flick which becomes a rather sincere critique of our education system and society with dialogues and elements that I’m sure will please the crowd as well.

20. A Silent Voice

Language – Japanese

Such a unique film and I definitely appreciated the stylistic aspects. But sadly, I don’t think it was very memorable or impactful in the grand scheme of things.

19. Shiva Baby

Coming in at 80 minutes, this was definitely a quick watch. That being said, it was not breezy by any means. It was anxiety, the movie and I was short of breath the whole time.

18. This is Spinal Tap

Loved this so so much. Could have enjoyed another hour of this easily. So funny and I’m kind of ashamed that I thought it was real but that just goes to show how effective it was.

17. Goal! The Dream Begins

So so entertaining and well made. It’s not a technical masterpiece by any means but it’s so effective in telling its story and I found it to be such a wholesome depiction of this rags-to-riches story but also football culture in general. Absolute essential for all football fans!

16. Bangalore Days

Language – Malayalam

This was such a nice ode to my city and was definitely interesting to see an outsider’s perspective of Bangalore. The story was also so nice and wholesome. But I definitely think it dragged at times.

15. Ocean’s Eleven

I can definitely see why this is a classic and definitely was up my alley. So many iconic lines and moments and what a star-studded cast! Great time for sure!

14. Spirited Away

Language – Japanese

Holy hell, Miyazaki is so talented. What a great film! The animation was absolutely gorgeous as well!

13. Judas and the Black Messiah

Such a powerful and well-made film. Feel like Stanfield deserved either a Lead Actor nomination or at least a win for Supporting but still can’t complain with Kaluuya winning it. Great film and had a really good time watching it!

12. Drishyam

Language – Malayalam

One of the smartest and best-written films I’ve watched. The first half dragged at times but otherwise this was a wonderful film and easy to see why it’s considered a classic already.

11. The Father

Either this or Minari definitely deserved Best Picture over Boringland but it is what it is. What an incredible film! So so glad that Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for this cause his performance was absolutely spectacular!

10. Your Name

Language – Japanese

My friend recommended this and I’m so glad she did, this was one of the best movies I’ve watched. The art style, the storyline, the concept, everything was immaculate. Incredible film! Highly recommend.

9. Boy

Watched this for Taika binge and ended up falling in love with it! Such an incredibly wholesome and interesting movie and the way it tackles its themes while also remaining authentic to its New Zealand roots was amazing!

8. Drishyam 2

Language – Malayalam

I liked this even more than the first one! The way it deals with the events and trauma of the first film was so interesting and I also loved the plans and schemes in this one. Genius writing yet again and I feel like Jeethu Joseph outdid himself!

7. Vikram Vedha

Language – Tamil

Such an interesting retelling of the Vikram Baitaala story. The way it deals with its themes were amazing and Madhavan and Sethupathi both give such unique and nuanced performances. Had an amazing time with this one!

6. Minari

This deserved Best Picture in my opinion and had some of the most wholesome and iconic moments of the year in film. Just the premise of a Korean family adapting to life in America lended so much intrigue and the characters were so rich and fun!

5. Vada Chennai

Language – Tamil

This is as close as India will get to The Godfather and it is simply magnificent. Rewatched it with my dad later in the month and loved it both times. Excellent film, ended up becoming one of my all-time favourites!

4. Avane Srimannarayana

Language – Kannada

The first time I’ve ever seen a Western in India but it has such an authentic and iconic feel to it. Rakshit’s script is so rich and the way he crafted the film was a sight to behold. Loved every second of this. Soundtrack, visuals, scripts, everything is so well done!

3. Ondu Motteya Kathe

Language – Kannada

Rewatched this classic and I liked it even more upon rewatch. All the references to Kannada classic cinema and just the humor makes it so iconic and the themes along with that which deal with shallowness, love and arranged marriage all make this an incredible watch for native Kannada speakers!

2. Kirik Party

Language – Kannada

Kirik Party is so well-made from start to finish. It has all the aspects of a masterpiece. Rakshit Shetty is such a talented actor and writer and really shows in this film. The soundtrack is iconic and the way story was framed is so interesting. Karna is one of the most nuanced protagonists I’ve seen in film and this is such a great movie. It made me want to go to college even more!

1. Ulidavaru Kandanthe

Language – Kannada

This is my new favourite movie of all time. Nothing else comes close. What an incredible film! Each shot is a tapestry. Each line is an iconic dialogue. Each second of the score will get stuck in your head. Every minute of this film proves that it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The way that it depicts Malpe is unlike the portrayal of any place in a film. I’ve never seen a film where the setting has so much life. I rewatched this thrice since watching it for the first time and each time I got so many new experiences and observations and that’s the mark of a masterpiece. I can go on and on about this film for days but all I’ll say is that this film has to be experienced at least once in your lifetime. Rakshit Shetty is a genius.

I’m honoured if you managed to reach the end of this list! I hope you take some films from it that you end up liking. Please don’t allow different languages to be a barrier between you and a universe of cinema.