Lifeu Ishtene

My review : Lifeu Ishtene



“Lifeu Isthene” is a swanky, urbane , stylish , pragmatic & uber cool version of “Autograph” by debutant director Pawan Kumar. Happy to finally catch up with the most liked Kannada movie of the year 2011.

This movie is a proof of how a taut script , flawless execution , wonderful casting & excellent acting can elevate a wafer thin story into a brilliant movie. No point in 2 hours 15 minutes viewer feels bored. No wonder movie worked wonders among the urban youth of Karnataka this year.



Story is how a “Ted Mosby”ish Vishal finally happens to meet & get hitched with the love of his life after a series of romantic misadventures. The narration is linear with lighter vein maintained throughout the length of the movie with a brief melodrama towards the end which perfectly blends in with the overall narration.

Diganth has become an ideal choice for roles of this kind after “Manasaree” & “Pancharangi”. He has done an excellent job as the protagonist Vishal with a restrained performance. Samyuktha Horanadu as the fun loving journalism student is first class. Sindhu Lokanath as the practical Nadhini , Vishal’s classmate who breakup with him when he fails to consider a serious career option is adequate. Neenasam Satish as Vishal’s pragmatic friend Shivu has also done his role to perfection , especially in the pre-climax scene where he swells up your eyes with tears.

“Yarige helona” is a huge hit among the youth while most of the other songs are melodious & hum worthy. Music is by Mano Murthy.

Sugnana’s cinematography is suave & trendy keeping with the overall mood of the movie.

Pawan Kumar has made a sterling debut with this movie & he seems to understand the pulse of today’s youngsters. He also has a very good visual sense & aesthetic taste.

On the whole , “Lifeu Ishtene” is a funny nostalgic ride down the memory lane for some & empathetic commentary on their own life for some.

Bottomline: Brilliant

4/5

My musings: Claps & Boos of 2011, Part 2

Disclaimer: The content of the article is strictly my opinion & objectivity of this article can be tainted by my likes & dislikes. It is an analysis of Tamil cinema in 2011 neither by a journalistic point of view nor by trade view. It is purely how a movie buff in me observed Tamil cinema in 2011, so it won’t be bereft of any subjective proclivities. So if you are inclined to read an objectively written look back at the year kindly skip.

Let us see the movies which deserved the “Claps” & those which received the “Boos”. Also I’ve tried to analyse why they got “Claps ” & ”Boos” respectively.

“ Claps “ :

“Vaagai Sooda vaa” is in my opinion the best movie of the year . “Vaagai Sooda Vaa” deals with a heavy subject but presented in a very subtle manner yet makes a powerful impact on the viewers , therein lies the brilliance of the writer-director Sargunam. Marxist ideals & views are the basic thread of the story but it is more covertly depicted rather than being on your face jingoism of the same. We have seen a lot of movies which deals with societal issues being loud , opinionated & preachy . This is the first time as far as i can remember a maker has presented such an issue based movie in such a pleasant manner. Sargunam with this movie proved that his success was not flash in the pan rather here is a creator who is sure will make Tamil Cinema proud in the times to come. “Vaagai Sooda Vaa ” is a movie that satiates the movie buff in you.


“Aranya Kandam” gave Tamil cinema one of the most talented creator in Thiagarajan Kumararaja. Touted to be the first neo-noir genre of movie in Tamil , “Aranya Kandam ” is a blast for movie lovers. Thiagarajan Kumararaja did an excellent job in his debut feature . Both the writing & execution were flawless. It’s been a way long time since one had come out of the theatre with a feeling of “Wow..!” in Tamil. The seamless lucidity of the screenplay make one wonder at the hard work & acumen of the writer. Seamless confluence of thrill , action , comedy , treachery as it happens in real life is well captured in the screenplay. Though movie is full of action ,gore ,blood & violence one doesn’t get repulsed by it instead left marvelling at the poetic portrayal of the same. “Aranya Kandam” is a must watch irrespective of whether one knows the language or not for this movie is racy yet arty, gory yet classy.


“Mouna Guru” will easily qualify as the most well scripted movie of the year . It has been a very long time since one has seen such a engrossing thriller which keeps one in the edge of the seat for almost more than 2 hours of the running time. There is no lag in the screenplay anywhere which is lucid & gripping all the same. “Mouna Guru” is a well written & executed thriller and Shanthakumar is a precious talent who will surely make Tamil cinema proud in the future.


“Engeyum Eppodhum” is a simple, neat & engaging movie with a hard-hitting message. M. Saravanan shows a lot of promise in his first movie. He has amazingly illustrated that for a movie to be a thriller it doesn’t always need to be on crime , underworld , heist , so on. He has also remarkably managed to swell the viewer’s eyes almost throughout the movie at the most pleasant of sequences too. Movie is not bereft of clichés but they fade into the background in comparison with the freshness of the concept & the characterization of the cast especially that of both the lead ladies.


“ Yudham Sei “ is yet another thriller from Myshkin presented in a lyrical manner. Myshkin seems to have mastered the act of presenting an action-thriller in a poetic style. “Yutham Sei” keeps one at the edge of the seat right from the scene one to the last. Though the screenplay is slow paced , Myshkin succeeds in weaving a storyline which engages the viewer glued to the screen all through. The clarity of purpose that the director has shown coupled with courage shown by the producers in supporting that purpose has culminated into such a thoroughly enjoyable movie for the movie buffs.



K.V.Anand’s “Ko” is an interesting political thriller which like his previous flick “Ayan” has loads of logical pothole submerged under a racy screenplay. The pace is so fast & riveting that its hard for anyone to even think about those flaws. Thus K.V.Anand has once again reiterated the fact that he is one of the best when it comes to handling a commercial plot.




“Deiva Thirumagal” is an adaptation of “I am Sam” presented in a palatable manner for the Tamil audience. With judicious mixture of melodrama , feel-goodedness , mindless comedy , comic-book song sequence & excellent acting , “Deiva Thrirumagal” was an enjoyable movie. Though the movie is “filmy” to the core Vijay has managed to present a tale which intrinsically has the danger of getting boring in an interesting manner. Vikram was excellent in his portrayal of the protagonist with subnormal intelligence. The body language , dialogue delivery & demeanour clinically depicts the joy , agony , anger & sorrow of the character of Krishna , a grown up child with the mental age of 5.


“Aadukalam” was one of the best movie of the year especially considering that it was showered with honours at the National Awards. Dhansuh as Karupu did an excellent job & neat execution of an interesting story by Vetrimaran made this movie special. Dhanush started the year with the first hit of the year with “Athe athe” & ended the year with humungous hit “Why this kolaveri di”.


“Kavalan ” was a reminiscence of those golden days of Vijay in the mid & late 90’s with many such romantic movies of his which made him the most popular up & coming hero of those days. Seeing Vijay trying to change his track of sorts is in itself quite refreshing for Tamil Cinema needs heroes of his stature & charisma to be around to bring in the variety .“Kavalan ” as a movie is not a path-breaking , artistic movie which can be classified as a classic. It has its share of downers like the patchy screenplay , poor editing with poor song placement , very average making , gimmickry in the form of stunts. Yet it is a refreshing simple romantic tale with the last 30 minutes of the movie having one of the best twists we have seen in the last few years. “Kavalan” was a perfect decent family entertainer sans any violence or gore or vulgarity. As a fan of vintage romantic Vijay of the yore , I “Kavalan” a lot.


“Mankatha” was entertaining in parts , which ends up with a bang with adrenaline rush & had power packed performance from Ajithkumar in his 50th movie. There are only few men like Rajnikanth , Vijay or Ajithkumar who can carry a movie with an ordinary script on their shoulder . “Mankatha” is one such where the versatile actor in Ajithkumar tried his level best to keep the boat from sinking for the “captain of the ship” Venkat Prabhu floundered. USP of the movie is Ajithkumar & he lived up to the hype & expectations. In a role with loads of greyness in it , Ajithkumar rocked the screen.



Raghava Lawrence hit the bulls eye with his second directorial venture “Kanchana”. The movie kept the viewers engaged with the occurrence on screen . Though it had certain shortcomings & crassness here & there with a valuable message driven home it was one of the enjoyable Horror-comedy movie (genre that Raghava Lawrence has mastered) of the year.


“Velayutham ” was one of the thoroughly enjoyable commercial entertainer of the year . As a fan of Vijay I am happy that both the movies he did this year met up with success especially considering the hard time he was going through over the past couple of years. M.Raja has once again proved that he is a producer’s delight when it comes to churning out hits & getting money back. Who cares if he is doing so with help of a original hit or an inspired one as long as everyone is happy. “Velayutham” was a perfect family entertainer for the festive season & satisfied one’s craving for entertainment.


When one enters theatre to watch Selvaragavan’s movie one does so with lots of expectations. May be that expectation might lead to the undoing of “Mayakkam Enna” as is it was nowhere near to any of his previous ones. Though Selvaragavan manages to salvage some pride in the second half seeing the movie as a whole one was not satisfied with it . But when one consider the below average fare that we are getting treated to in the last couple of years , “Mayakkam Enna ” is way above all those ones.

There are two under-rated movies which came & went without much noise but I thoroughly enjoyed them , “Potta Potti” & “Doo” . Potta Potti 50/50” was a simple yet enjoyable movie . The movie was humorous with no logic what so ever. Story though inspired by “Lagaan” it had south Indian flavour sprinkled generously throughout. Screenplay was lucid, linear & easy on your cognition while dialogues are darn funny & witty at the same time.



Debutant director Sriram’s “Doo” was a simple movie with a uncomplicated story presented in a straightforward narration with adequate support from the technical team. Barring the lead actors who tend to overact a bit, the cast fit in nicely to provide a neat movie that can be enjoyed. Sriram showed his potential as a neat story-teller without losing his focus on what he intended to convey.

“Boos “:



The manner in which “7am Arivu” was hyped & advertised that the movie will make Tamils around the world proud led to its own undoing. Movie was entertaining in parts but what made it not work was the sluggish screenplay especially the first half which was a drag. With such a powerful story the impact on the viewers ought to have been humongous. But sadly due to the listless direction by Murugadoss movie failed to create any emotional impact on the viewers. “7 am Arivu” was undone by the makers’ myopic vision & poor execution.


“Nadunissi Naaygal” was technically brilliant but thematically appalling. By taking recourse in to the old sadistic thrillers of the yore & joining the bandwagon of portraying the mentally ill persons as dangerous & psychopathic, Gautham did no good for those who are working tirelessly for to alleviate the stigma associated with mentally ill & mental illness. The problem with the movie was the content & it failed miserably in box-office because it right away shoed away family audience as well as female audience.


“Vaanam ” was yet another example how in one language the movie can be interesting but in another not. Since I had already seen the original it struck me that the soul & spirit of the original was missing in Tamil version. The screenplay played truant here with many scenes ending abruptly which gave the feeling as to whether the movie was done in haste. The climax which packed a punch & left one moved in the original , left the viewers apathetic in this remade version.


Samuthrakani after his successful “Nadodigal” slipped this time with his “Porali”. His noble intentions were undone by poor execution . And there was an overdose of sermonizing which got unbearable after a point when each & every character gave their share of moralistic one-liners. There were few instances of brilliance but they were few & far in-between getting submerged in the gargantuan mediocrity.


Bala’s “Avan-Ivan” touted to be the maverick director’s first full-length comedy drama was a huge let down. Movie was boring , comical scenes made you frown while the last 15 minutes of the movie was anything but pathetic to say the least. Screenplay of the movie was very loose. Many scenes were disjointed with lots of loose ends left untied with a wealth of unnecessary & pointless scenes spewed all over. It was a shocker from the director of the calibre of Bala.




Jiiva’s “Rowthiram” had a poor storyline & bad casting while “Vandaen Vendran” was a case of good story undone by a poor screenplay.


“Payanam” had artificiality writ large all over it & in some places the happenings borders on a stage drama like. Also the recourse to melodrama , contrived nationalistic jingoism & comedy in the most unwarranted of sequences made “Payanam” a very average travel.


“180” had splendid visuals , youthful cast , technically brilliant yet lacked soul . Part of the reason was bad writing & part of the blame should go to bad direction.



”Vengai” was a routine village action fare with bloodshed-sentiment-romance on the lines of “Thamirabarani” which tested one’s patience to an large extent.


“Osthi” was a bad remake with bad casting while “Rajapattai” was a movie done in haste ending the year in a sombre note.




As we close the year 2011 , we can look forward to 2012 with great expectation with movies like “Viswaroopam ” , “Kochadaiyan” , “Nanban” , “Thuppaki” , “Billa 2” , “Maatran”, “3” , “Irandam Ulagam” , “Karikalan” , “Vettai Mannan” , “Mugamoodi” & “Neethane En Ponvasantham” expected to hit the screens.

Sri

My musings: Claps & Boos of 2011 , Part 1

Disclaimer: The content of the article is strictly my opinion & objectivity of this article can be tainted by my likes & dislikes. It is an analysis of Tamil cinema in 2011 neither by a journalistic point of view nor by trade view. It is purely how a movie buff in me observed Tamil cinema in 2011, so it won’t be bereft of any subjective proclivities. So if you are inclined to read an objectively written look back at the year kindly skip.

Year 2011 is one of those rare ones in which both the legends Kamalhassan & Rajnikanth didn’t have a release which means it was a huge disappointment for fans of both. Among the second rung of actors Vijay had 2 , Ajithkumar 1 , Surya 1 & Vikram 2 releases of which except for Vikram’s Rajapattai , (though it is too early to say as the movie got released just one week back) all other movies did good business. In the next line of actors Dhanush had 5 releases (!), STR 2 , Jiiva 4 , Karthi 1. Dhanush & Jiiva has 3 flops each and STR 1 (may be due to the law of averages) which means all these 4 had one hits to their name this year. So in the end each of these top stars have atleast one hit which might leave their fans happy.

Coming to my tryst with Tamil cinema in 2011, out the 120 odd movies that got released this year I have seen 42 , reviewed 31 movies. Based on my reviews & the ratings I gave for these movies, the best movie of this year in my opinion is “ Vaagai Chooda Vaa “ which got the highest rating 4.5/5.

Four films got a rating of 4/5 - Yutham Sei ,Aranya Kanadam, Engeyum Eppodhum & Mouna Guru. Point to be noted is that out of these five highly rated movies by me only two went to make profits in the box-office which were Yutham Sei & Engeyum Eppodhum.





Next in line are the movies for which I gave 3.5 which were Kavalan , Ko , Deiva Thirumagal ,Velayutham & Mayakkam Enna , every one of these movies were hits and made profits in Box-office.

I gave 3/5 for Azhakarsamiyin Kuthirai, Kanchana , Potta Potti, Doo, Muran & Mankatha of which Kanchana & Mankatha were the top two profitable ventures of the year while other 4 were box-office turkeys.

Nadunissi Nayigal , Payanam , Vanam ,180,Avan Ivan, Rowthiram, 7 am Arivu, Vellore Mavattam & Porali got 2.5/5 which were all below average movies but surprisingly three of these movies made good business , Vanam , 7am Arivu & Porali.

Vengai, Vandan Vendran, Vedi & Osthi were rated 2/5 & as expected were flops in BO while Thambikottai , Yuvan Yuvathi & Vithagan were the three of the most terrible movies that I saw this year & were rated 1.5/5.

Of the movies that I saw but didn’t write review either because I was busy with academic work like Aadukalam , Thoonga Nagaram , Kullanari kootam and Maithanam , or because they didn’t inspire me to write a review like Kandaen , Ethan ,Udhayan and Mudhal Idam . Though I liked “Sathurangam ” very much I didn’t write a review because it won’t be fair to write a review for a movie that was made some 6 – 7 years back.

The “big” movies that I have missed out this year are “Siruthai” , “Seedan” , “Singam Puli” , “Maapilai” , “Ponnar Sankar” , “Engeyum Kadhal” , and “Mambatiyan”.


In the subsequent article I would like to discuss about the movies that impressed me & those which didn’t.......

[My ratings : 5 – Outstanding , 4.5 – Excellent , 4- Good , 3.5 – Above Average , 3- Average , 2.5- Below Average , 2- poor , 1.5- Pathetic , 1- Moronic ]

Sri

Only Vishnuvardhana

My review : Only Vishnuvardhana



After a very long time here is a pucca commercial movie packed with a very well written script that engrosses the viewers right through the 2 hours & 30 minutes. “Only Vishnuvardhana” by debutant director P.Kumar is a very entertaining movie & worth the every penny spent in making it & viewing it.

The script is the hero of the movie with very few flaws. The screenplay is seamless & racy and at the same time engaging that in no point in time do you feel bored or disengaged. Entertainment is the mantra & the director-writer P.Kumar has done his best to provide it without any pretence & he has done an excellent job in doing so.

Story revolves around the dreamy-eyed Vishnuvardhana played enthusiastically by Sudeep who happens to lay hands on the mobile of a powerful don (Sonu Sood) & the cat and mouse game that ensues.

Director has maintained the lighter vein through the movie which keeps the viewer enthused all along. The intelligence of the writer in P.Kumar is evident in the cat and mouse game between the hero & the villain. Except for the climax all through the movie intelligent handling of the script by P.Kumar is apparent.

Sudeep as the protagonist is apt for the role & he has done his part well. His dialogue delivary & modulation are fun. Bhavana has nothing much to do but she is an eye candy. Priyamani has extended guest appearance with a purpose. Sonu Sood once again reprises pea headed villain this time too. Achyuth Kumar as the astrologist friend of the hero is first class in his comical role.

Cinematographer Rajarathnam has captured the movie with keeping in mind what is needed for a commercial movie.

V.Harikrishna’s music is already a huge hit. “Yedeyolage guitaru” is rage with youth & his background score is adequate.

On the whole, “Only Vishnuvardhana ” is a power packed commercial entertainer , worth the money. (There will be huge demand for the remake rights of this movie in other languages in the coming days)

Bottomline : Sakkath picture maga

3.5/5

Mouna Guru

My review : Mouna Guru



“Mouna Guru” will easily qualify as the most well scripted movie of the year on par with “Aranya Kandam”. Shanthakumar who has written & directed the movie has a very bright future. After couple of duds this movie will launch Arulnidhi’s career in the right direction.

As said earlier script is very well written by Shanthakumar. It has been a very long time since one has seen such a engrossing thriller which keeps one in the edge of the seat for almost more than 2 hours of the running time. There is no lag in the screenplay anywhere which is lucid & gripping all the same.

The research & homework that the director has done before execution is evident in most places , the psychiatric aspects of it in particular. The manner in which the psychiatric jargon is used aptly . The manner in which it takes the sides of the anti-psychiatric movement’s stance which is frighteningly factual in certain aspects is awe-inspiring for anyone who tries to take a movie on this subject. The issue of how a sane person can be falsely diagnosed as insane by vested interested personnel & the stigma he has to deal with due the same is told in the hard-hitting manner. Though a similar attempt was made by “Porali” , it lacked in the ingenuity & accuracy of the portrayal here.

Not only in this but in each & every frame the hard work shown in the writing is obvious. Be it the family structure of the protagonist with a rural mother almost forgotten after the marriage of his elder brother pampered to come & stay in the city after a child birth to take care of the baby of the working couple. The uncomfortable relationship between the protagonist & his sister-in-law. The characterisation of the protagonist in itself is very interesting , showing him to be an idealist & a fantasist , which also helps one understand his decision in the end.

Not only the protagonist , the characterisation of pregnant Inspector Palaniammal , portrayed excellently by Uma Riyaz Khan is very fresh. Director not only portraying a strong woman onscreen with this character , but showing what is usually thought of as the most difficult & vulnerable period of a woman’s life ie , pregnancy is not much of an impediment for the strong willed career driven woman of today. Kudos for Shanthakumar for this piece of excellent characterization.

The antagonists also have a well rounded depiction. On the contrary of what is usually shown in Tamil cinema , the antagonists are not that pervasively evil or strong. They are portrayed to have same levels of vulnerabilities & temptations that most of us have. And once pushed towards the wall the fear , confusion & mistakes take over. Another example of terrific writing.

Next is the portrayal of an arts college. It is not as silly as that of “Eeramana Rojave” or “Kuthu” but the same time not as idealistic as that of “Kaloori”. The respect shown by even the most troublesome of students towards the professors & the dignified exposition of the college life is another aspect which gives one another reason to get captivated by the writer - director.

The romantic aspect of the movie is refreshing , credible & natural . The exchanges between the lovers are so casual , realistic and matter of fact. Except for the routine montage romance song , everything else about this aspect of the movie is also well done once again to writer-director.

The action sequences are done without any over the top action choreography & are well within the mood of the movie.

Arulnidhi with his casual & subtle acting has done a good job as the protagonist Karunagaran. Actually it is an intelligent casting by the director for Arulnidhi is not a great actor but whatever acting is needed for the character of Karunagaran is aptly present in him. Sarcasm with a wooden face suits him well.

Iniya looks cute & her expressions are apt. Though she doesn’t have much to do she makes her presence felt . Uma Riaz Khan has done an excellent job in a well written & well executed role. Wonder where talent like her’s been & how under-utilised such talents in tamil cinema industry are.

John Vijay is another bundle of talent which has been exploited well by the director in this movie. The expression , the voice modulations , the demeanours are all how a police officer will be. John Vijay will be talked about a lot after this movie.

Krishnamurty who has come in lots of minuscule comedy roles so far gets a substantial part here & he has done a worthy job of it. Balakrishnan who also gets a break & he has utilised it well.

Casting & the performance of everyone in the supporting roles is apt & worthy of mention. Usually in movies like these made by a debutant , there will be a lot of overacting & amateurishness from the support cast but not here.

Thaman’s Background score is of high-quality & elevates many scenes with his excellent score. “Yennayidhu” is a hum-worthy melody.

Technically also the movie is first class . Mahesh Muthusamy’s cinematography explores the dark brightly. Raja Mohammad’s editing keeps the movie moving at a brisk pace without any impediment to the flow.

All said & done , only negative aspect of the movie is the manner in which they have depicted the mental health professional as people who are inhumane & brutal. Also how long will these writers describe “shock treatment” (electroconvulsive therapy) as a dreadful treatment aimed at killing or torturing people. Wonder where all the home work & research went when the director dealt with these aspects.

On the whole , “Mouna Guru” is a well written & executed thriller and Shanthakumar is a precious talent who will surely make Tamil cinema proud in the future.

Bottomline: Taut Thriller

4/5

Midnight in Paris

My review : Midnight In Paris



“ Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present... the name for this denial is golden age thinking - the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in - it’s a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present ” , dialogue mouthed by the pseudo-intellectual Paul almost typifies the movie “Midnight in Paris ” & what it is about.

It is a romantic comedy set in Paris by the most romantics of all Woody Allen. It tells the story of Gil Pender, an dissatisfied writer working in Hollywood trying to get inspiration for his first novel in Paris and how he travels back in time to meet the great artists , writers & legends who have set their foot in Paris in the 1920’s . However romantic & alluring the past may be it is always good to accept present for what it is is what Gil finally end up realizing.

It is one of the best movies of the year & boy , it is an interesting piece of work from the grand old man after a long time . The movie moves at a lively pace with no scope for boredom anywhere in between. The manner in which the script seamlessly blend the present with the past & the resonance it has in the present life is amazing piece of work.

And they have tried to capture the real people – who they were & how they were , whom we know only by their piece of art rather than who they are in actuality. Ernest Hemmingway , Cole Porter , Zelda & Scott Fitzgerald , Gertrude Stein , Picasso ,Salvador Dali, Man Ray , Luis Buñuel & the rest who made Paris their home in the 1920’s are seamlessly blend into the script & interestingly at that. And Gil gets attracted to one of the mistress of Picasso , Adriana who has mysteriously mentioned about him in her biography.

In the present Gil is caught between his love for Paris & his desire to stay back in Paris and his wealthy & intolerant fiancée , Inez who want him to get settled in Malibu and continue with writing scripts for the Hollywood. Finally he realizes what he wants & takes action as the movie ends with a romantic twist in the end.

It is the best of Owen Wilson , the quintessential “pin-headed” hero of mindless comedies. He has acted in a subtle manner for the first time onscreen as Gil who travels back & forth in time. Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein is reliable as ever , Marion Cotillard as Adriana is stunning , Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemmingway is brilliant , Adrian Brody as Salvador Dali is darn funny .

Rachel Macadams is neat as Gil’s arrogant fiancé Inez while Kurt Fuller as he dad is good. Michael Sheen as the pseudo-intellect Paul Bates gets to mouth couple of sparkling lines.

Apart from an neat script , marvellous cinematography ( Darius Khondji & Johanne Debas) & pleasant background score (Stephane Wrembel ) , splendid dialogues are another gratifying aspect of this movie.

“ Sex and alcohol. Fuels the desire kills the performance “ , “The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence ” , “ I'm jealous and I'm trusting. It's cognitive dissonance” , “That's what the present is. It's a little unsatisfying because life is unsatisfying.” , “ No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure “, “You always take the side of the help. That's why Daddy says you're a communist” are few of the many wonderfully written dialogues by Woody Allen admixed with quotes of those famous artist of the yore.

On the whole , “Midnight in Paris ” is a wonderful piece of art that strikes you in your head with a message , don’t always try to find refuge in the past when the present gets rough , get on with your present life.

Bottomline : Come , fall in love with Paris

4/5

Rajapattai

My review : Rajapattai



“Rajapattai”- a lots of expectation were on the movie especially on its director Suseendran who has given 3 successful & critically acclaimed movies so far. Also this movie showcases Vikram in pucca-masala movie action hero role after a long time. But the end result is poor & boring.

Though the movie is short (just about 2 hours) one can’t but feel the discomfort watching this movie as it is tiring to spend even that 2 hours. One wonders what has happened to that promising & talented youngster who came on to the scene as a whiff of fresh air with his “Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu”. And to think of Vikram , the most unluckiest of stars in Tamil Cinema , one just has to feel for the man.

Vikram has tried his best to give his 100 % & he looks dashing and brawny . But his acting in this movie is bad for he tries to imitate KamalHassan of “Vasool Raja”. In certain sequences he acts plain ridiculous & makes one wonder what was he thinking while doing so. Deeksha Seth is yet another beauty queen who has nothing to do but to stand like a set property & cat-walk in the song sequences.

K.Vishwanath has a meaty role after a long time & shows his vast experience in enacting it well. Sana as the main antagonist has done her part well. Pradeep Rawat has a minor role as does Avinash. Reema Sen , Shriya & Saloni have item numbers to perform.

Songs & background score of Yuvan Shankar Raja are below average.

Mathi’s cinematography is good & adds gloss to the movie.

On the whole , “Rajapattai” is movie which none seem to have shown any interest in making it in the first place which shows on screen.

Bottomline : Bore

2/5

New Year's eve

My review :New Year's Eve



Ensemble cast , most romantic & festive day of the year , good support from technical team & a wonderful music , you would expect Gary Marshall’s “New Year’s Eve” to be that special movie that you can go and watch it with your loved one for this holiday season. But unlike his previous attempt at a similar movie with even bigger ensemble “Valentine’s day ” , here Gary Marshall falters.

The movie is soulless , artificial , contrived & not engaging enough. In the process of bringing in many characters & trying to give them equal opportunities director has lost focus on the script. It is an assortment of opt repeated mushy romances, break-ups & reunions , casual dates , serendipities , father-daughter & mother-daughter relationship issues , all occurring in the backdrop of the new year’s eve.

Among the many the ten or so sub-plots , the interesting ones are very few. Lady in her midlife crisis trying to fulfil her series of new year’s resolutions with the help of courier delivery person is an interesting plot enacted by Michelle Pfeiffer & Zac Efron . Though the plot seems interesting & Zac energetic , Michelle looks jaded & goes through her motions.

Ashton Kutcher & Lea Michelle as the unfamiliar neighbours caught up in the elevator provide some sparks , but Ashton is uninterested while Lea overacts. Halle Berry as a nurse who chats with her husband who is in army posted in Afghanistan does a good job .

Katherine Hegel as chef Laura who happens to meet up with his ex-boyfriend , famous musician Jenson (Jon Bon Jovi ) who dumped her just after proposing to her an year back is radiant in her role. Russel Peters also has a brief blink-you-miss kinda role as an assistant chef to Laura but he doesn’t have any scope to perform or kindle the funny bones.

It is sad to see Robert Di Nero in the role of dying cancer patient who rues the mistakes he has committed in his life & finally finds redemption by enjoying his last day of his life with his daughter (Hillary Swank). Meanwhile Hillary Swank as the vice-president of the Times Square Alliance making arrangement for the “ball drop” is adequate but somehow one feels the magic is missing in her this time around.

And yes , there is Sarah Jessica Parkar in there too , not one but in two of the subplots. In one she is a divorced middle-aged mother of a teenage girl with trouble in their relationships because of her over-protective nature & in the other as the mystery woman Josh Duhamel is waiting for the past one year. “Little Miss Sunshine ” star Abigail Breslin comes as the teenage girl of Sarah who is pissed off with the over-protective mom of her’s.

The most ridiculous of plots is the one in which there are two couples who are expecting their baby competing with each other to deliver first in the new year in order to get 25,000 dollars prize money for the first baby born in the new year. Seth Meyers , Jessica Biel , Til Schweiger & Sarah Paulson star in this plot which must have been kept with hilarity in mind but sadly failing to achieve the aim.

In the end , none of the plots stays in your mind . And to make the matters worse , there is an inspiration speech thrown in between by Hillary Swank on how one would look back at the year passed by before entering the next one , yawn.

With a running time of 2 hours , the movie is lengthy & tiresome .

On the whole , “New Year’s eve” is the last thing you would want to do on the new year’s eve.

Bottomline : Too many cooks spoil the broth

2.5/5

OSTHI

My review : Osthi



While watching “Osthi” I was reminded my younger years when after watching good action movies especially movies with cop stories me & my friends used to imitate the hero & the action scenes during our play times. Just imagine if kids like we were provided with money & all the properties that they have used in those movies and asked to do our level best in re-enacting those movies. That is the exact feeling I got about how STR aka Simbu might have felt seeing him do a “Dabaang ” Salman Khan.

Seeing STR playing the hero in “Osthi” is like fulfilling one’s own childhood fantasies. He is like a kid trying to emulate men onscreen. Trying to do a cop , mouthing innumerable punch dialogues (which even the seniors in the industry are trying to get away from) , doing over the top super-heroic action sequences & mixing needless gymnastics in the name of dance (though he dances wonderfully well otherwise ) STR has gone two steps back from all the gains of “VTV” & “Vanam”.

Filmmakers should realize that not all movies which are successful in one language necessarily mean it will be a hit if remade in other languages too. There are numerable examples for the same. And if you try to remake a movie which is in itself made by mixing & matching countless redundant aspects from your native language & became hit only because it was fresh & new to that language audience your are digging your own grave. No aspect of this movie is novel or unseen before except may be a “kid” playing cop for the first time in Tamil cinema..!

These are the days were even if your are Rajnikanth , you have to have the backing of solid story , interesting screenplay , novel ideas , extra bit of variation in acting from the routine , change of get-ups etc to give a successful movie. Hence it is sad to see young & upcoming actors like STR resorting to the convenient simple route which is certainly not enough to make the audience take notice.

It is understood one should not look into logic & reasons while watching a movie which is made only with entertainment as its objective . But there are loopholes in the basic premises itself & many are laughable ones at that. The protagonist not an ingenuous person himself why he specifically chooses Daniel , the Villain of the movie to lock horns with is not clear. It is understandable that an young child having aversion towards his step father but why would a mature man hate his young step son without any justifiable reason. And the most comical & ridiculous sequences are the ones where heroine giving reasons for not willing to marry the hero , heroine’s father response to it (come on..! it is a case of plain concrete thinking on the part of the writer . Daughter saying i can’t marry leaving my old alcoholic father alone doesn’t mean he should die , only then she can get married....sigh!) & the manner in which heroine agrees to marry the hero readily as soon as her father dies. These are only few absurdities of many which readily come to one’s mind.

STR has tried his best to look convincing as a cop but to no avail. Except mouthing punch dialogues & trying to flex his muscles both in action as well as dance sequences nothing much can be expected from him in a movie of this kind. Richa sleeps walks through her brief role . Ramesh tries to discover his acting talents one more time but success eludes him as usual. Sonu Sood looks disinterested. Loads of veterans line Nasser, Revathi , VijayKumar , “Nizhalgal” Ravi , “Thambi” Ramaiah are wasted in routine caricatures. Shanthanam do evoke few laughs here & there with his impeccable timing but he is getting too predictable.

Thaman’s songs are already huge hits. All songs are foot tapping numbers especially “Neduvallli” & “Vaadi Vaadi cute pondatti” . “Unnale unnale” is a delectable melody. Background score however is loud & noisy.

Barathan’s dialogues are tailor made for movie like these with everyone extolling the noble virtues , courage & intelligence of the hero. Almost everyone , even the heroine has a chance to mouth a punch dialogue.

Gopinath’s cinematography is good & glossy . CG works are done subtly.

Dharani has missed his shot at redemption after his previous failures like “Bangaram” & “Kuruvi” where his successful career hit a speed brake. It is time to introspect not only for Dharani but also for STR.

On the whole , “Osthi” is nothing the name suggests.

Bottomline : FAKE

2/5

The Dirty Picture

My review : The dirty picture



Disclaimer claims that the movie does not resemble any one’s life live or dead .With what intention they have put that disclaimer is up to the makers but the truth is that the movie “The Dirty Picture ” actually does not resemble any one’s life especialy Silk Smitha. Just by christening the lead actor as Silk , making the backdrop as Madras & releasing the movie on the day of birth of Silk Smitha , the makers can’t fool people that it is a biopic of the deceased actress.It can best be described as an attempt to trace the rise & fall of an "item girl".

Milan Luthria who has only 2 significant movies so far in his career spanning 6 films (Taxi No 9211 & Once upon a time in Mumbai) has teamed up with his trusted writer Rajat Arora (who has written almost all of his movie so far) once again for this “The Dirty Picture.” What might have been a serious tale of small town girl making it big in the tinsel town before succumbing to the fame & adulation has been made in very B-gradish & rudimentary manner.

The makers have made it sure that no one should take it seriously but just have silly gratification & guilty pleasure in fulfilling the voyeuristic instincts in them. Instead of banking on a solid script the makers have found recourse in flaunting the anatomical assets of the lead artist & loads of raunchy bordering on gross dialogues. As a result even if one tries hard to relate to the happenings of the movie & try to have some sympathy on the travails of the protagonist one can’t due to the ludicrosity of the writing & making.

The first half is actually works out as a spoof, ridiculous one at that . One wonders which cinema industry they are portraying where movies are made with such ludicrous scenes & tasteless titillations. Naseeruddin Shah & Tushar Kapoor characters are mere caricatures where the makers have failed miserably in trying to portray the superstar culture of the south cinema industry. Almost all those concerned in movie making down south from actors , directors, writers , producers as well as the audience are all shown in such ill-informed stereotypical manner.

Yes agreed Vidhya Balan has acted well , has put in her soul & whole in to the role , but there are too many distractions to take notice of her histrionics for it is difficult to focus on anything else but what the normal human instinct perceives. So even in the most tragic of sequence in the movie when one actually should have noticed the pain the failing actress going through , mind & the eyes focus on something else which is instinctual. This goes to show that to show boldness on screen one need not actually flaunt their nature’s bounty on your face rather facial expressions , voice modulation & knowing how much to expose & how much to conceal is more important. That is what made people like Silk Smitha ,the phenomenon she was ,down south.

Vishal-Sekhaar’s songs are already a hit but the songs in the movie especially when “Ishq sufiyana” comes everyone burst into laughter for it is nonsensically placed & picturised totally out of sync. And the background score is downright dismal for nowadays even the daily soaps have better background score unlike this street drama like background score.

Bobby Singh’s cinematography is voyeuristic to put it simply. (It is difficult not to make pun with his name while describing his work but due to self restrain I am abstaining from it :P)

On the whole , “The Dirty Picture” is a super hyped movie but in reality a B-grade movie made by mainstream production house , promising writer-director & top class actress as the protagonist.

Bottomline : It is a “Dirty Cinema”

2.5/5

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

My review : The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn



“The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” is one of the finest motion capture animation movie yet . It is made with Steven Spielberg at its helm is no surprise for he is master in using the latest technology to the hilt for the benefit of his movies.

As a person not exposed to the “Tintin” series of comic novels in his younger age I went into the theatres with an open mind , excitation of watching a movie in 3D boosted by very nice things written & told about the movie in the media as well as word of mouth.

The most striking & prominent thing that comes to once mind is that watching the first sequence only made one go speechless about the technical wizardry of the creators. One has not come across such an awesomely made animation in 3D so far. Except for the comic book like humans everything else look better than the natural ambiences.

The house , books , birds , deserts, ocean , river , ship , palaces , ....all are done with such minute precision & flavour that one can’t but appreciate the hard work of all those involved in its creation.

When it comes to the movie per se since I was naive to the “Tintin” series of comics , I found the story & the happenings on screen a bit childish. The story of a young journalist trying to solve the secret of the Unicorn , a ship which carried loads of treasure onboard which got sunk when pirates attacked it in one of its voyages with the help of the descendent of the captain of the original ship. That there is another person , Ivan Sakharine , who is supposedly descendant of the chief pirate who attacked the ship in the past , is also on the pursuit of the treasure that got lost along with the ship. The ensuing cat & mouse game is the story.

Story wise there is nothing much to expect considering it is based on a comic book catering to the age group of 3 to 15. May be the story might have enthralled those who are familiar with the comics when they were younger & might have given them the chance to relive those days of innocence & liveliness . But those who are not familiar with the comic series it won’t affect much , myself being one such.

Technically as said earlier the movie is top class. It will be the bench mark for all other live animation movies to follow to emulate. The technical team at Weta Digital should get all the credits that are due for them.

John Williams background score is good aids in transforming the viewers to the comic book world.

On the whole , “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” is an enthralling piece of work best enjoyed in a 3D digital theatre & is worth every penny spent.

Bottomline : For the child in you...

3.5/5

That girl in yellow boots

My review : That Girl in Yellow Boots



Maverick is back with his latest “That girl in yellow boots” a shocking tale of a daughter searching the whereabouts of her father who disappeared from her life all of a sudden. The discovery in the end why he left her & her mother and what made him contact her at the present may be too much for the weak hearted to take. Anuragh Kashyap has like always jolts the audience with surprises abound.

The narration is sluggish , intentionally at that , so that the viewers also get to travel along with the protagonist. Like he explored the underbellies of Delhi in “DevD” here he does of Mumbai. The shady streets & massage parlour , the visa office , police stations , the local trains of Mumbai , local dadhas of different lingual origins ....all that is stereotypical of Mumbai is shown in this movie too. Perhaps that is the negative side of the movie. There are numerous stereotypes & routine beaten to bush sequences in between new bolder scenes that mars the impact.

More than the writing it is the acting which steals the show. Kalki Koechlin is brilliant Ruth who comes to India in search of her father after receiving a letter from him stating how he misses her. She comes here on a tourist visa but later she is forced to stay longer because she is not able to trace her father in that time. Forced to join a massage parlour for her living she takes the extra mile to save enough to trace her father. The anguish , the pathos , the happiness (though few & far in between) are effortless emoted on screen. That she is a seasoned theatre artist shows evidently on screen.

Naseeruddin Shah has a brief role , more like an extended cameo . His role doesn’t have wnything to do with the main story but he is as convincing as ever in his role.

Prashanth Prakash as the drug addict boy friend of Ruth is convincing in his role.

Gulshan Devaiya as the kannada speaking goon in a role which is very cinematic & contrived. Though he manages to bring in few laughs , the character as such lacks enough depth & is a case of poor writing & thinking on the part of the director.

Rajeev ravi’s cinematography explores the dark streets of Mumbai astutely .

Anuragh has this time has thought of only “elite” audiences & tried on an abstract movie but not totally convincing with the end product. The most difficult thing in cinema is presenting something in a simple manner that everyone can understand & appreciate your work. But sadly that is not the case with “That girl in the yellow boot” . Somehow one gets a feel that whole movie is enacted rather than one is peeking into the lives of those involved which is a new for a Anuragh Kashyap movie.

Bottomline : For the “Elite”

3/5

Porali

My review : Porali




" People with mental problems are our neighbors. They are members of our congregations, members of our families; they are everywhere in this country. If we ignore their cries for help, we will be continuing to participate in the anguish from which those cries for help come. A problem of this magnitude will not go away" . It is a famous quote of former US first lady Rosalynn Carter on Stigma surrounding the mentally ill. “Porali” is an attempt to address this issue of stigma associated with the mentally ill & tried to show that people with mental illness also have ambitions and desires as rest of us do & they are no different from rest of us. Kudos for the team to think of such an important & under-represented issue as far as movies are concerned.

Director Samuthrakani has tried to sensitize that it is our duty to support people with mental health problems, not to ridicule them. We also need to educate against the myths surrounding the mentally ill, and not perpetuate stigma. Eradicating stigma will make the world a better place for people with mental health problems.

All said & done , howsoever noble the intentions of the director be , the message he tries to put across gets lost in sluggish screenplay & contrived situations abound in the script. Story is a novel one accepted but the execution of the material onto the screen leaves a lot to be desired. Screenplay is so bad that while grudgingly sitting through the first half one is reminded of the amateurish teleplays we have come across in the 80’s in Doordharshan. The pace is so lethargic that few laughs here & there (though some are very juvenile) props up the sleepy viewers on & off. To make matters worse the acting by the supporting cast like “Badava” Gopi , Sandra , Naresh irritates the already battered viewers.

Interval point has a twist & succeeds in waking up the viewers from the deep slumber. Second half is better than the first & is purposeful with better pace , narration & performances. M.Sasikumar , Suri & Vasundra have done well in the second half & it is their performances that makes the viewing worthwhile. Though second half is full of contrived situations like the age old evil step-mother , step-brother property feud , Hero suddenly becoming macho from being an innocent village bumpkin & bashing up tons of villains etc. The climax is a big joke.

As said it is mixed bag when it comes to acting. Sasikumar , Vasundra , Swathi , Nivedha, Suri have done their parts well. Naresh , “Badava ” Gopi , Sandra , “Kanja” Karupu irritate with their amateurish acting. Especially the scenes involving “Badava ” Gopi & Sandra will make you squirm in your seats.

Background score is pathetic to say the least. It is right out of the yesteryear Doordarshan serial. This one makes even Vikraman- S.A.Rajkumar movies’ background score a classic. No songs are worth mentioning in Sunder.C.Babu ‘s music.

S.R.Kathir’s cinematography is adequate & supports the narration. Editor should have been more proactive while editing the first half & saved us from the misery.

Samuthrakani after his successful “Nadodigal” has slipped this time with his “Porali”. His noble intentions have got undone by poor execution & therein lies the problem. And there is an overdose of sermonizing which gets unbearable after a point when each & every character give their share of moralistic one-liners. There are few instances of brilliance but they are few & far in-between getting submerged in the gargantuan mediocrity.

On the whole , for good intention to have an impact on the viewer execution needs to be spot on which is not in “Porali” .

Bottomline : Spineless warrior

2.5/5