Thillu Mullu

My review: Thillu Mullu

Spontaneity, timing and crispness of the script is what mandatory for any comedy to click with the audience. K.Balachander's "Thillu Mullu" which was a remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Gol Maal" had all these and wowed the audience back then and every time it is telecast on television. Sadly this Badri directed remake "Thillu Mullu 2" lacks all these ends up being a pale shadow of the original. It is one of those comedies where the makers try all their might in making the audience laugh stopping short of literally tickling them.

Except for few moments here and there, (especially the brief but brilliant cameo of Shanthanam) movie lacks the punch that is needed for a movie like this. Screenplay is very loose bordering on amateurish with lots of continuity gaps which makes it a tiring watch. Shiva tries his best to lift the tempo with his own indomitable style of dialogue delivery but how long he alone can bear the weight of overall mediocrity.

Shiva is in his usual self, mouthing dialogues with effortless ease. Now famous dialogue delivery of his mouthing even the most ludicrous of lines with poker faced seriousness is a treat to watch. But how long he plans to get away with the same style is a point to ponder. Isha Talwar's looks lack nativity but her lip-sync in delivering Tamil dialogues is surprisingly spot on most of the times. One has to appreciate for the effort she has put in for the same. Prakash Raj is like a fish out of water, clearly looking uncomfortable in the role made immortal by "Thengai" Sreenivasan. Sad such a talented actor is not getting enough challenging roles to perform these days.

Soori fails to create any impact this time in a role that is confusing. Newcomer Monisha as Shiva's sister is both good looking and  acted her part well. Kovai Sarala hams as usual. It is in those scenes in which she keeps her mouth shut that  she manages to evoke laughter. Shanthanam's cameo in the end is a delightful surprise.

Remix (wonder whether it can be called a remix for they have used the same tune, almost) of "Thillu Mullu" and "Raagangal pathinaru" are good to hear. Rest of the songs are banal. M.S.Vishwanthan and Yuvan Shankar Raja have composed the music for the movie.

There is nothing to rave about the technical aspects of the movie. Laskhmanan is the cinematographer.

After a promising debut with "Veerapu" ( which incidentally was also a remake), Badri slipped with his second flick "Ainthaam Padai". With "Thillu Mullu 2" he has slipped down further.

On the whole, makers of  "Thillu Mullu 2" try hard to elicit some laughter but fail in that endeavor most of the time. Wonder what made them remake this movie for the original is shown on television every other week. Whether it is paucity of good story writers or plain laziness, this trend of remaking classics is fast proving to be a disservice done by the current crop of filmmakers to the past legends and their creations.

Bottomline: For few laughs here and there.

2/5

Man of Steel

My review: Man of Steel

One should be clear before entering the theater that not all superhero movies will be "perfect" to the extent of the Batman series or all movies that bear the name of Christopher Nolon would be a "Dark Knight" or a "Inception". If one makes this clear then there would be very little scope to complain after watching "Man of Steel", directed by Zack Snyder, Produced by Nolon, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder.

A revamp of the Superman movie series, "Man of Steel" is a good take at the origin and the rise of Kal-El/ Clark Kent aka Superman. Screenplay by David S.Goyer focuses mostly on the humane aspect of it all for most part which makes the movie tick with the audience. Even though the Kryptonian world and its landscape is an embossment of imagination the writing which focuses more on their emotions and end of life crisis makes the viewer identity with them instantly. Goyer has also subtly incorporated the messages on environmental exploitation and its aftermath intelligently in this part of the story.

Though the story takes its own pace to get going, the initial parts are crucial in making the viewers get involved in the story. Movie keeps the viewers engaged until the the last 20 minutes or so, after which the over-the-top overdone action take its toll on the viewers. They could have toned down the action sequences, especially the final showdown between Kal-El and Zod. This fight goes on and on and on with both of them flying all over the place. But then who would watch a superhero movie without action sequences of such intensity.

Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Superman looks dashing, has a body like a dream and acts more than decently, fits the bill as the Superman made memorable by many in the past like Christopher Reeves and Brandon Ruth. Amy Adams is an eye candy, though not much scope for performing, she does her best in the limited compass that was on offer. Michael Shannon is menacing as General Zod. Other veterans like Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane make their presence felt bringing into use the wealth of experience they have.

Once again a superhero movie which is not all slam bang action but tries to explore the heart and soul of those involved including the antagonists. Expectation most of the time kills the experience, hence going without expectation one would sure enjoy this "Man of steel".

Bottomline: Man of steel and ...... heart.

3.5/5

Honey Bee

My review: Honey Bee

 Famous writer, director and actor Lal's son Jean Paul Lal is making his debut with "Honey Bee", a breezy buddy comedy. Lal Jr comes across as a talented youngster adept in direction and visualization, but needs to tone up his writing skills with respect to screenplay. He is able to keep the tempo going in the first half with lots of enjoyable moments, dialogues written with gay abandon (though substantial part of it is beeped by the censors ) and the pace is good. But somehow in the second half, screenplay looses its steam, gets a bit boring towards the end with a predictable ending.

Story seems to been inspired from one of the trendsetting movies of the nineties, Fazil's "Aniathipravu". But the making style is totally stylish, contemporary and uber cool.  What make the heads turn is the boldness in the dialogues and the content. Movie is replete with profanities, toilet jokes, lots and lots of alcohol and drugs. Finally these youngsters seem to have shed all the inhibitions and trying to venture into these less explored territories and conceiving unconventional characters.

Movie's strength other than its making and dialogues is the cast and their acting. Asif Ali just about manages to comes out unscathed though at certain scenes he seems have lost focus. Bhavana is stylish and has done her part well. It is the trio of Baburaj, Sreenath Bhashi and Balu as the friends of the couple who steal the whole show. Baburaj is once again excellent in his portrayal of Fernando who is the conscience keeper of the group. Sreenath Bhashi is brilliant complimented well by Balu. Lal and his gang of villains also have done a good job.

Movie has excellent music Deepak Dev. Both the songs as well as the background score is good. Movie is technically classy. Shot in Redone camera by Alby, he has used interesting colour tones. Most of the frames are colourful with the director and the cinematographer having chosen lots of bright colours in the background. But on the downside, like in "Neram", here too there are lots of unnecessary slow-mos which ends up irritating more than anything else.

On the whole, "Honey Bee" is a one time watch. If only Lal Jr concentrated on his screenplay bit more, especially in the second half the result would have been even more better.

Bottomline: Finally out of the closet.

3/5

Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru

My review: Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru

After his sabbatical from direction Sunder.C's comeback movie "Kalakalappu" turned out to be a surprise hit last year which led to slew of comedy movies in Tamil. Sunder.C this time comes out with an urbane romantic-comedy with his "Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru" (TVSK) trying to venture out of his comfort zone which is rural based action-comedies. He has done justice to what he intended to do, that is to entertain the audience for two hours and twenty minutes.Shanthanam has a major role in that regard with more than ample support from bevy of comedians.

Like most of his previous movies, storyline is not that novel or complicated. Sunder.C has taken a very simple thread adorning it with string of comical bits and pieces that form a tangible assortment.

 TVSK starts of in an interesting manner but fails to sustain the intensity throughout. Movie's screenplay is a mixed bag with stretches of interesting sequences followed by very ordinary and mundane scenes again followed by another string of interesting scenes. Movie gains steam in the second half and just about manage to sustain it till the end. 

In spite of patchy screenplay, trying hard to impress hero and below par performing heroine, what keeps the movie going is the comedy that will work well with the youngsters.Not only Shanthanam, RJ Balaji keeps the audience in leash with his well timed hilarious one-liners. Delhi Ganesh shows his class in the very brief period he is on screen. Shanthanam is the real hero of the movie with whole movie riding on his shoulders. He manages to keep the audience in splits whenever he is on screen.

Siddarth's portrayal of Kumar is not that convincing. He looks clearly uncomfortable portraying a loser.He tries to be cutesy at many places which irritates more than anything else. It is surprising that Hansika even after having spend enough time in acting profession is yet to get it right when it comes to emoting. She looks evidently uncomfortable in dance sequences too. Ganesh Venkatraman doesn't have much scope to perform and he disappears completely in the second half.

Except "Azhago azhagu" none of the other songs strike a chord. Background score is below par. Sathya is the music director. Gopi Amarnath is the cinematographer who done a decent job in capturing the lifestyle of software professionals.

On the whole, when one comes out of the theater watching TVSK one can't but help the feeling that " ya, I enjoyed the movie but something seem to be missing". What could have been a non-stop entertainer ends up just about managing to entertain the audience.

Bottomline: Sunder.C could have worked a bit more harder. (Sunder.C innum konjam theeya vela seji irukalam)

3/5

The Hangover Part III

My review: The Hangover Part III

Unlike the previous two installments this time there is lesser drugs, lesser madness, lesser profanities, and even lesser female screen space, but the movie is more purposeful, more heartwarming and more fun. The "wolfpack" is back, only this time they get hungover not due to intoxication but due to their earlier escapades with Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong is at his explosive best) that catches up with them three years later. "The Hangover Part III" directed by Todd Philips who has also written it with Craig Mazin is more focused unlike the earlier ones which were mindless comedies. 

Yes there are not that many laugh out loud or ROTFL scenes this time, but the laughter that it evokes is heartfelt. There are numerous genuine heartwarming moments most of which are centered around Alan (Once again a rocking show by Zack Galifianakis). 

As usual movie starts of with Doug being separated from the gang, this time abducted by a group of gangsters who are on a lookout for Leslie. Since only Alan seems to be in regular contact with Leslie exchanging with him gibberish all these years they keep Doug as captive for the rest of the gang to go, catch and exchange Leslie for him. The rest is 100 minutes of non-stop adventure and fun. Except for few minutes of dull moment around one hour mark, major part of the movie is riveting, keeps you glued to the seat. 

As usual Zack is brilliant, Bradley Cooper is dashing though doesn't have much scope to perform. Ed Helms is into his elements few minutes into the movie. But it is Ken Jeong who steals the show as Leslie Chow. 

Movie is shot stylishly by Lawrence Sher with background score of Christophe Beck giving life to the narrative. 

People who are used to "The Hangover" series and expect this one also to be in those lines might get disappointed but for those who seek novelty, "The Hangover Part III" would be a pleasant surprise. 

Bottomline: For purposeful laughter. 

3.5/5 

Kutti Puli

My review: Kutti Puli

Except for the last 2-3 minutes of the movie nothing is new or interesting in this banal affair "Kutti Puli". In these days when even the so-called ruling superstars of  Tamil cinema themselves have realized that larger than life buffoonery would only lead to box-office nadir and trying to mend themselves, comes M.Sasikumar with just one box-office hit as a solo hero to his credit so far with all that has been despised with by the audience in the recent past.

"Kutti Puli" is yet another Madurai based movie extolling the virtue of sickle and blood. M.Sasikumar is yet again the angry young man from Madurai mouthing punch dialogues. Lakshmi Menon is yet again the demure young girl who falls for a stranger after witnessing his over the top heroism. Saranya Ponvannan is yet again the quintessential single mom of Tamil cinema who sacrifices her whole life to look after her son. And it also has loads of sickle wielding ruffians who are all after the Hero's head, YAWN..!

M.Sasikumar is getting typecast in the same kind of roles and it is high time he thought about something different, else he might follow the likes of the "actors" Sunder.C and S.J.Suryah. Lakshmi Menon looks jaded and disinterested. She also need to concentrate on her make-up. Saranya is dependable as ever, though one does feel for this talented actress for she is not given enough challenging roles these days.

Gibran fails to live up to his own standards. Songs are average while most of the background score is filled-up with yesteryear hits of Ilayaraja.

Technically movie is good, Mahesh Muthusamy has done a decent job as the movie's cinematographer.

On the whole, "Kutti Puli" is a yawn inducing lackadaisical fare.

Bottomline: Mundane affair.

2/5

Nagaraja Chozhan MA, MLA

My review: Nagaraja Chozhan MA, MLA

Sequels are always difficult to make on many counts. Most of the time the makers find it impossible to recreate the magic of the first part. Even if they try their level best to do it, viewer’s acceptance is not that encouraging always because of the difficulty in recreating the emotional connectivity one had with the characters of the first part. Especially so if the time gap is too big that the making style, subject matter and the actors themselves are too old for the current generation to identify with.

“Nagaraja Chozhan MA MLA” suffers from all that. Manivannan’s sequel to his famous politically charged runaway hit “Amaithipadai” fails to create any impact this time. Shoddy writing in the screenplay department is to blame along with lackadaisical direction. Only saving grace is the dialogues writ with sarcasm that Manivannan is known for and Sathyaraj’s effortless rendition of the same.

Characters come and go with no purpose what so ever, none of them etched properly. Even Sathyaraj’s characterisation is poor and ill defined as compared to “Amaithipadai”. Characters of Seeman, Raghuvannan and all the female leads are shoddily treated. Manivanna seems to have invested all his energy in carving the characters of Sathyaraj and Manivannan, himself. Even in that the second role that Sathyaraj portrays is half-baked. Any extra could have done that role.

It is one and only Sathyaraj all the way. His flair for sarcasm, impeccable body language and dialogue delivery keeps the movie going. Manivannan looks too tired and sickly. Seeman is wasted. Raghuvannan is a bad actor. Among female leads Varsha is the only one who is adept when it comes to  acting. Komal Sharma overacts and Mrudula is average.

None of the songs are worthy of any mention while the background score is plain routine stuff. James Vasanthan is the composer.

Technically movie is tacky, D.Sankar is the cinematographer.

On the whole, “Nagaraja Chozhan MA MLA” is yet another reason why sequels don’t work more often than not.

Bottomline: One man show.

2/5