3

My review : 3



“3” is nothing but a couple’s attempt at feeding the narcissism of the husband, here by couple I meant Dhanush & Aishwarya Dhanush. That they have taken recourse to their half-backed knowledge of Psychiatry is despicable. It is stupid & irresponsible on the part of the makers indulging in such appalling disservice to Mental health system by time & again portraying Psychiatric illness in poor light & thus perpetuating stigma. Trying to demonize a disorder like Bipolar Affective Disorder which is one of those disorders which has a very good prognosis is disgraceful.

It is a wannabe Selvaraghavan movie. Right from the first frame till the last there is semblance of all Selvarghavan movies minus the emotional connectivity which used to be so effortlessly generated in his movies. Actor Dhanush is a talented actor accepted but for him to turn so narcissistic so early in his career is bit off-putting. Whole second half is contrived & forced in to let Dhanush play out his self-indulgence & vanity. However good an actor may be , scope for acting should flow into the narrative for the viewers to get connected with his acting. If scenes are written with a preconceived idea of flaunting the acting prowess of the actor than it would only get repulsive to the viewers which exactly the case here.

It is a wannabe “different ” movie. The makers seem to have ventured into the movie with idea of making a “different” movie & hence tried to manipulate with the script to include many trivial “novelties” which they thought would make the movie look “different”. What justification does the screenplay has for the lead pair getting married in a discotheque?

Movie is replete with logical ambiguities. That the wife doesn’t have any clue about the mental illness that her husband is suffering from inspite of living together is not only laughable but downright specious.

What hinders makers in doing basic homework of the subject taken before starting a project. With their inadequate knowledge when they handle such sensitive subjects they do more harm than good. With all those factual inaccuracies & fallacies they have made Bipolar Affective Disorder (here they have tried to portray the most rarest of rare type “Ultra ultra rapid cycling BPAD” ) to look one of the most dangerous mental illness one would have & it is better to end one’s life rather than getting treated with numerous options available & lead a normal life as any other. Stigma is a very difficult challenge to circumvent but irresponsible people like these by making such hedonistic movies are only going to propagate it.

Dhanush has tried to showcase what all he can for no reason at all. Shruthihassan is wasted in unidimentional role in which glycerine has more work to do than herself. Sunder continues from where he left in “Mayakkam Enna” while Siva tries to ape Shanthanam. Parts between Prabhu & Dhanush are interesting. Bhanupriya has nothing much to do while Rohini lacks subtlety.

Velraj’s Cinematography is good. All songs in the movie are excellent. Music is by Anirudh. He has done well in background score as well. Pity that such wonderful compositions are wasted by poor picturization. It is true that even most experienced of directors get jittery when they have to picturize such lovely songs , so nothing much can be expected from a novice like Aishwarya. That “Why this kolaveri di” which gets greeted with thunderous applause but the theatre plunges into pin-drop silence just after a few seconds into the song gives a clue about banal picturization of the song.

There are a few bright spots here & there. The visualization of auditory hallucination is brilliant .

On the whole, “3” is artificial , factually inaccurate , irresponsible , loud & futile attempt.

Bottomline : Why this Kolaveri D(hanush)

2/5

VENGAYAM

My review : Vengayam



“Vengayam” , as the name hints , deals with superstitions especially how people’s lives get altered irreparably due to unscrupulous astrologist’s irresponsible predictions. Though the movie is shot amateurishly & acting of the cast leaves a lot to be desired , still it makes an engaging viewing. Sankagiri Rajkumar who has written & directed the movie deserves all the accolades for the hard-hitting writing which elevates the movie inspite of all its mediocrities. There are very few movie nowadays which make the viewers to think & introspect , that Rajkumar has managed to make the viewers do it is a great achievement in itself.

Screenplay is engaging & keeps the viewers glued to their seats. No point in time that one feels bored which the function of the crisp & appealing storyline & neatly woven script. We have not come across such a bold , hard-hitting movie so far in Tamil. Usually those who venture into such a theme include certain elements which they justify as for commercial considerations & the rest mellow down their script so much that the movie would not have made any impact whatsoever. “Vengayam ” is oblivious of both & remains honest to what it venture out to convey without watering down of any sorts.

Dialogues are the yet another pillar of strength to the movie. They are hard-hitting, meaningful , rationalistic & makes a lot of sense. Having used to Madurai , Thirunelveli , Chennai & Coimbatore Tamil all these days in movies , it is refreshing to hear Salem Tamil for the first time (as far I have known) in a Tamil movie. As someone from Salem , I can identify with the diction & the idiosyncrasies of the language which somehow makes the viewing special for me bringing in the nostalgic memories of my childhood when our summers were spent in our villages.

As far as acting is concerned it is amateurish to put it mildly .At the same time one has to appreciate the guts of the director for he has used only people from his native soil none of whom seem to have any sort of background or knowledge of cinema or acting. Considering their limitations I think they have put in their maximum efforts. Both Alexander & Pavina, the lead pair have adequate screen presence & have done their parts professionally.

The making of the movie is good if one take into consideration the constraints of budget the makers seem to have come across. Bharani’s background score is good at many places with amateurishness raising its head here & there. “Ara Kirukan” is a very good melody number while “Achamenna achamenna” is a foot-tapping number with meaningful & insightful lyrics from Suba Veerapandiayan.

On the whole , “Vengayam” may be a meal served in an earthen plate in a thatched house made by a amatuer cook , but the meal is tasty & healthy all the same.

Bottomline : Food for thought

3/5

The Vow

My review: The Vow



What if the love of one’s life wakes up one fine day having forgotten everything about the one she has loved day in day out & behaves totally like a stranger? How hurtful it would be to the other person who has loved her more than anything else in this world & has no one except her as his family? This is the crux of what “The Vow ” is all about. With a material like this one would have liked the makers to have made a movie which should have been an emotional roller-coaster. But sadly something seem to be missing as a result the movie doesn’t stir the emotions of the viewers.

“The Vow ” does have its moments but they are drowned under the larger mendaciousness which is an offshoot of derivative writing & not so great direction. Movie comes out a collage of events that we have seen in many movie of this genre & theme , especially clichéd things like a adulterous & conniving father of the amnesiac , protagonist who is a romantic old world guy married to a rich girl who has moved out of family to pursue her interest & independence , typical family dinner in which the poor struggling protagonist is ridiculed by the rich family members of his wife, the girl’s ex-fiancé who tries to take advantage of the amnesia that she is currently affected from.....and it goes on and on.

What makes this movie work inspite of all those clichés is the wonderful acting by the lead , Channing Tatum & Rachel McAdams . Channing Tatum, who for the first time being presented with scope to showcase his acting skills , has untilled the opportunity well. As a lover happily married to the love of his life suddenly finding out she has forgotten everything about those romantic as well the married days after an accident & trying to get back his love one more time, Channing scores. Be it romance, frustration, expectation , disappointment , anger, despair ,Channing carries the movie on his shoulder supported amply by Rachel McAdams. Rachel does her job very well as a person torn between her past & the missing link in the present.

Michael Brook & Rachel Portman have scored the background music which carry forward the narration & tries to instil in the emotions which the writing and the direction fails to do.

Roger Stoffer’s cinematography is good & special mention has to be made of the accident scene, wonderfully shot.

Michael Sucsy has directed the movie written by him along with Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein which is inspired by the book “The Vow” written by Kim Carpenter based on his own life & how he managed to win back his wife who totally forgotten everything about him.

On the whole, “The Vow” could have been one of the best romantic movies of the year considering the scope it had with the basic premise of the movie, but in the end due to formulaic writing & direction it ends up as a very average movie, one time watch.

Bottomline : Missed opportunity

2.5/5

A Dangerous Method

My review : A Dangerous Method



“A Dangerous Method” based on the play “The Talking Cure” which in turn is adapted from the book “A Most Dangerous Method: The story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein” by John Kerr deals with episodes that led to the intertwining of the lives of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung & Sabina Speilrein during the days when Psychoanalysis was still in its infancy. Directed by David Cronenberg , the adapted screenplay is by Christopher Hampton.

Movie traces how Jung got into contact with Freud by means his patient Sabina Spielrein who ironically is also the reason for the frictions to develop between them later on. It also shows how Psychoanalysis got into prominence & how the most dreaded consequence of Psychotherapy , Transference and Counter-transference developed between Jung & Sabina , how it affected their professional lives. Finally it also give us glimpses of how Freud & Jung developed professional divergence after initial conformity which affected Freud deeply for he has thought of Jung has his successor in carrying forward his theories of Classical Psychoanalysis & his theories of Sexuality as the basis for all neurosis.

Though the movie is educative , it doesn’t come across with a documentary feel to it. It has all the elements of an engaging emotional drama with some sparkling chemistry between Keira Knightly & Michael Fassbender (Sabina & Jung respectively) and Viggo Mortensen & Michael Fassbender (Freud & Jung). Especially the manner in which the director is able to create the viewer feel the sexual tension that is developing between Sabina & Jung is amazing. Also the palpable friction that develops between Freud & Jung is enacted well.

Part of the appreciation should go to the cast. Michael Fassbender is the star of the movie , not to be overshadowed by Keira , he is able to stand his ground & comes out with flying colours. As the introverted Jung , who tries initially to repress the sexual drive he has towards his patient but finally giving into it and also a devoted disciple of Freud who gets into conflict with himself unable to stand up to him when he starts to have difference of opinion , Michael has excelled in his portrayal.

Keira Knightly is reliable as ever. Initially as a psychotic patient troubled by all those delusions & hallucinations, later as a seductress having developed transference towards her therapist, then turning sinister and cold when she feels cheated by her lover & finally as one of the earliest female Psychoanalyst , Kiera is able to bring about various shades of Sabina in her portrayal with conviction.

The last but not the least Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud is excellent. Vincent Cassel as Otto Gross is also convincing.

Peter Suschitzky’s cinematography & Howard Shore’s background score supports the narration to a great deal.

On the whole , “A Dangerous Method” is an interesting watch not only for those who are into Psychology but also general audience as well. It is fascinating to have a peek at the personal lives of these doyens of Psychiatry, their strengths & vulnerabilities , loyalty & betrayal , devotion & differences .

Bottomline : Informative yet entertaining

3.5/5

One for the Money

My review : One for the Money



“One for the Money” is a classical example how when a novel is translated into a movie it looses its charm & levity. Janet Evanovich’s best seller of the same name written in 1994 is made into a feature film by Julie Ann Robinson starring Katherine Heigl in the lead role supported by Jason O’ Mara , Daniel Sunjata & Sherri Shepherd. Liz Brixius, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith written the screenplay adapted from the novel & somehow manages to spoil the allure the novel had.

Supposed to be comical thriller the movie doesn’t have even a single sequence which makes one smile forget laughing. Nor does it have enough spunk to create the thrills it intends to create. Movie runs at its own pace bluntly without evoking any emotions in the viewers. By the time the movie ends one is bored to death.

Part of the blame goes to the casting as well. Everyone seem disinterested in the happening does their roles perfunctorily without instilling enough emotions into it. As a result scenes which suppose to kindle you ends up irritating & those which are supposed to startle you ends up annoying.

Katherine Heigl tries to be charming & naive but falls short. Jason O’Mara is dashing in his looks but acting seems to be alien to him & the same goes to Daniel Sunjata. Sherri Shepherd does a neat job in her role & manages to bring in some laughs here & there. Debbie Reynolds as the dementing grandmother of the protagonist is top class.

Technically also movie is not that great with routine cinematography & Music.

Bottomline : “One for the Money ” is a waste of money

2/5

Kazhugu

My review : Kazhugu



It is a promising debut by Sathya Siva, writer & director of “Kazhugu”. He has taken up a simple story, woven a lucid screenplay & executed the same with panache of a veteran. Nothing over-dramatic, not a complicated screenplay, it is the simplicity of the attempt which captures the viewer’s heart. It is yet another example of how many youngsters these days are moving towards the realistic cinema with penchant for raw emotions of real people in remotest areas of Tamil Nadu.

Sathya Siva seems to have a good eye on visualization of what is in the paper and the manner his vision has translated on screen is praiseworthy. He once again proves that simplicity in thought, conception & execution is all needed to make a good cinema. Movies moves at a comfortable pace , keeping the viewer engaged throughout the length with no scope for boredom.

Dialogues are earthy. There are umpteen of one-liners which would bring a heartfelt smile. Sathya Siva has written the dialogues as well.

Krishna seems to have a nice eye for good scripts. His debut “Alibaba” was a very well written & made movie , it was a shame that it didn’t do well at the Box-office. His second “Katrathu Kalavu” also had a novel script but the execution palyed the spoilsport. This time in his third attempt , once again he has chosen a good script & this time execution is also good. He is earnest in his acting & seems to have undergone lots of hardships to enact this role. He comes out with flying colours in this role of the retriever of the dead bodies of those who commit suicide.

Bidhu Madhavi has very expressive eyes & also has the talent. She has done her part sincerely . Thambi Ramaiah once again scores in his supporting role. He has done excellently well both in the comic as well as serious sequences. Karunas lends a neat support while Jayaprakash with his calm & cold demeanour is apt for his role .

Sathya is the cinematographer & has captured the complicated landscapes of Kodaikanal in all its natural glory. He & his crew deserve heaps of appreciation for all the hardships they might have undergone in shooting in those unforgiving terrains.

“Aathadi Manasudhan” is yet another excellent melody from Yuvan Shankar Raja while “Ambalaikum Pombalaikum” is a foot-tapping number with meaningful lyrics by Snehan. Background score is mixed bag hovering between excellence & mediocrity.

On the whole, “Kazhugu” is a neat , simple , creditable cinema by a promising debutant just falling short of excellence.

Bottomline : Highflying Eagle

3.5/5

Kahaani

My review : Kahaani



After her National award winning “Dirty Picture” , Vidya Balan is back with yet another power-packed performance in Sujoy Ghosh’s “Kahaani”. As an emotionally vulnerable , physically weak & pregnant Vidya Bagchi in search of her husband in an alien city , Vidya Balan excels in her role. Vidya Balan of “Kahaani” is far superior in performance than in “Dirty Picture” & one wonders whether one more National award beckons her.

It is Sujoy Ghosh’s first major work after the critically acclaimed “Jhankar Beats” & he has written a neat , taut & engrossing thriller , perfectly executed to create the intended effects on the viewers. The suspense & the twists all through the movie keep the viewer engrossed to the screen. Many scenes are excellently executed sending shivers down the spine , especially the one in the old NDC office & the intermission block.

Casting is perfect to say the least . Lot been said of Vidya Balan. Parambrata Chatterjee does a charming job as the sympathetic policeman who helps the protagonist all through the search. But it is Nawazuddin Siddique who steals the show with his superlative performance as the foul mouthed deputy IB chief. He is first rate. Saswatha Chatterjee as the assassin camouflaging as an insurance agent is sinister & creepy.

Sethu’s cinematography is remarkable, especially the ease with which the camera travels the busy lanes of Kolkatta & the crowded Durga pooja processions.

Vishal-Sekhar’s background score adds up to the impact & spruce up the thrills.
Though there are numerous logical holes in the script , neat & flawless execution of the same conceals the same. I didn’t know that people in Kolkatta are so fluent in Hindi & each and every one speaks only in Hindi.

On the whole, “Kahaani” is worth the every cent spent . Go for it , enjoy the excellent acting & flawless execution of edge of the seat thriller after a long time.

Bottomline : Bindaas

4/5

ARAVAAN

My review : Aravaan



Painstaking research , hardworking actors, high-quality production designing , first-rate cinematography & loads and loads of hard work by everyone concerned with the making of this movie “Aravaan” seems to have gone waste due to negligence in the most important aspect of any movie , the screenplay. This is the most loosely scripted & emotionally stale of Vasanthabalan’s so far. The emotional impact that he was able to create effortlessly in his previous movies is extinct in “Aravaan”.

That the screenplay is hasty without allowing the emotions to sink in or for the viewers to get to experience the impact of the scenes has led to the undoing of the movie. First half is very floppy with the writer unable to create a secure base for the second half to follow. As a result though the second half gets interesting with lots of twists & turns , it appears totally disjointed from the first. And just when anticipation is built up in the second half , it fizzles out in the end without any impact.

As a result of such a poor script , the movie turns out to be very artificial with tacky & out-dated CG further adding onto the misery. It pains for the viewer that so much of hard work seems to have invested in the production as well as in the casting and acting department that in the end it fails to generate any admiration due to the reason already stated.

Vasanthabalan’s adaptation of Su.Venkateshan’s novel “Kaval Kottam” is not upto the mark makes one wonder what has happened to such a promising creator.He has extracted so much work from others but has failed to put in atleast fraction of what others done in his writing.

Aadhi has got in to the skin of the lead protagonist literally. His hardwork in portraying the body language of the 18th century security / robber is praiseworthy. He has time and again shown that he is one of those few actors who would do anything to portray the character he plays. Lot of expectation was there about Pasupathy’s character from the promos but he has a average character to play which he does with his usual flair & gumption. Dhansika is good in her character while Archana kavi has very little to do. Bharath & Anjali’s special appearances are more of a publicity stunt than anything else.

Siddarth’s cinematography is very good. The chase sequences , landscapes of the 18th century , “Unna Kolla poren” & “Nila nila” songs are some of the examples of his superlative work. The GC department however spoils the visuals in many sequences.

Praveen/Shrikanth should have been more vigilant in their editing with lots of scenes having abrupt termination in the first half & lot of lax cutting in the second half.

Karthik’s music is a plus point for the movie with “Unna kola poraen” & “Nila nila” ringing in one’s years even after the movie.

On the whole, considering the works he has done previously , “Aravaan ” is not the kind of movie one would expect from “Vasanthabalan”.

Bottomline : Death sentence

2.5/5