180

My Review : 180





“180” has splendid visuals , youthful cast , technically brilliant yet lacks soul . Part of the reason is bad writing & part of the blame should go to bad direction. The story is beaten to bushes one that of a lead afflicted with cancer (the most favourite disease for the film makers) & repercussions of it.

First half is average with lighter moments & feel good effects scattered all over in both the contemporary as well as the flashback stories. Though one gets a feel that the movie is stuck & goes nowhere , somehow one manages to sit in the theatre. Second half is pathetic with writers & director losing way finding recourse in melodrama which annoys the viewers to the core.

Director Jayandra is an ad movie maker & his visual sense is appreciable but he would have found out that sustaining the tempo of a 30second add in a full feature is way difficult . Movie has its moments but director fails to sustain the effect of these moments which are few & far in between.

Sidharth is good in his part , cheerful & charming. In the melodramatic scenes he overdoes a bit but on the whole not much complaints. Priya Anand is adequate in her role but her characterization is not well graphed. Nithya Menon does reminds one of Revathi of the late 80’s & early 90’s. Both the heroines fall for the hero just like that without much justifiable reasons whatsoever , okay hero is charming but one doubt whether girls of today are so pea headed so as to fall in love on anyone so quickly.

Sharath is the music director & movie has loads of songs but none makes you hum. Background score is okay.

Balasubramaniyam is the real hero & the saviour of the movie. His visuals speaks for itself & are poetic & aesthetic .One & only reason anyone can venture anywhere near the theatre showing this movie is the cinematography.

On the whole , movie is technically brilliant but stale & soulless .

Bottomline : Pointless

2.5/5

Aaranya Kandam

My review : Aaranya Kandam





S.P.B.Charan’s Capital Film Works is known for its variety as well as novelty in movies they have produced thus far . They have once again come out with yet another movie in “Aranya Kandam” which more than lives up to the production house’s reputation. Touted to be the first neo-noir genre of movie in Tamil , “Aranya Kandam ” is a blast for movie lovers.

Thiagarajan Kumararaja has done an excellent job in his debut feature . Both the writing & execution are flawless to say the least. It’s been a way long time since one had come out of the theatre with a feeling of “Wow..!” in Tamil. Kumararaja might well be the next big thing for Tamil cinema in particular ,Indian cinema in general.

The manner in which the story unfold in a leisurely pace with each & every character introducing themselves without any contrivable situations put forth specifically for introduction. Slowly the movie gets into you ensuring that concentration is focused on nothing but the happenings on screen for the next 2 hours. Just 15 minutes into the movie it picks up pace & is able to maintain the momentum until the grand finale.

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.


Casting as well as the acting is top class. Jackie Shroff & Sampath are apt in their casting & they have a field day in their respective roles. Special mention should be made of Somasundaram , who revels in his role of a gullible village pumpkin . His voice modulation , dialogue delivery as well as his histrionic ability leaves one marvelling at the talent. Ravi Krishna does justice to his role while Yasmin Ponnappa is a revelation in her first movie. Master Vasanth is casual & adorable.

Technically the movie is world class. P.S.Vinod , the cinematographer is one another reason why the movie is brilliant. His camera work enhances the final outcome. It has replicated the words on paper into a sparkling motion picture where each & every frame celebrates the art , that is cinema.

Praveen- Srikanth’s editing makes the movie viewing experience like reading a novel . The pauses , punctuations , full stops , similes ... are spread across the movie where ever it is needed. This further enriches the style & grace of the movie.

Yuvan Shankar Raja is yet another cornerstone of the movie. His Background score is dazzling elevating the mood of the movie. The impact is doubled by his fabulous score. Use of new sounds in many places further adds up to the novelty & freshness of the movie.

On the whole , “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.

Bottomline : A classic...!

4/5

Avan - Ivan

My Review:




Bala’s “Avan-Ivan” touted to be the maverick director’s first full-length comedy drama is a huge let down. Movie is boring , comical scenes make you frown while the last 15 minutes of the movie is anything but pathetic to say the least. Bala should understand that mouthing of filthy language or below the belt dialogues won’t ensure a good laugh. And howsoever he tries , it is impossible for him to come out of “Pithamagan” hangover, so it seems.

Screenplay of the movie is very loose, careless one might add. Many scenes are disjointed lots of loose ends left untied with a wealth of unnecessary & pointless scenes spewed all over. It is a shocker from the director of the calibre of Bala.

The actors in the movie have done a stupendous job but all their hard work turn futile due to poor direction. None of the characters have a trait of themselves. The characterization is very much confused , in some scenes they act mature & in some others outright silly & even moronic .

Vishal’s squint eyed act is praiseworthy. He also comes out with appropriate histrionic & appropriate places better than what we have seen of him so far.

Aarya once again proves his versatility , this time scoring with his comical act.

G.M.Kumar has a significant part to play & he has also done justice to his role though as said earlier his characterization leaves a lot to be desired.

Among others Janani & Madhu Shalini add up the numbers.

Cinematography of Arthur A.Wilson is as reliable as ever .

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is average , his BGM below-average.

There is nothing wrong with experimenting with a new genre . For Bala Comedy is not an unknown territory for his comical talents came to the for in “Pithamagan” . The execution here leaves a lot to be desired.

After a point of time , one gets the feeling of the movie being a tamer version of “Pithamagan” , following its template almost religiously.

On the whole , “Avan-Ivan” is not the type of movie one expects from Bala who i fear has become the victim of the baggage he carries.

Bottomline : Poor execution..!

2.5 / 5

Vaanam

My Review : Vaanam





“Vaanam ” is yet another example how in one language the movie can be interesting but in another not. It’s been credited that Krish , who did the original is the director for this remake too but he has failed to recreate the same levels of emotion & passion this time around.

For those who are seeing the movie for the first time , the movie may be passable. But for those who have already seen the original it might be striking that the soul & spirit of the original is missing in Tamil version. The screenplay plays truant here with many scenes ending abruptly which gives a feeling as to whether the movie was done in haste. The climax which packed a punch & left one moved in the original , leaves the viewers apathetic in this remade version.

The extra bout of heroism for Silambarasan is unwarranted but on the whole he has done justice to the role which has shades of grey throughout. Bharath is okay in his role while Prakash Raj is convincing as ever. Shanthanam is the one of the few positives of the movie & his is the only one which can be said better than the original. (other than the music )

Vega , Sonia Agarwal & Jasmine make up the numbers while Anuskha’s portions are just reused from the original.

Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is good with the songs already very popular. “ Evandi unna pethan ” is afoot tapping number but letdown by the picturisation.

Neerav Shah’s cinematography is pleasant .

On the whole , “Vaanam ” is a huge letdown if you have seen the original while an okay movie if you are watching it for the first time.

Bottomline : Soulless.....

2.5 / 5

Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai

My Review :Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai



Simplicity either be interesting or boring depending upon the type of person you are. “Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai ” is a movie which has a simple story with a straightforward narration & depending upon the type of person you are it can either interest you or bore you.

Kudos to Suseendran for choosing this script straight after his critically acclaimed & successful (at box-office too) “Naan Mahan Alla ” which was itself a different attempt from his debut “Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu”. Though it may look easy for anyone to think that the story is so simple that he might not have had much work to do, it’s never easy to present a movie in such a simple manner. The vein of comedy that lies underneath throughout the movie (though contrived at times) makes up for the script in which basically nothing much happens.

The lead actors in the movie are interestingly chosen & they have done justice to their roles . Be it Appukutty , Prabhakaran, Saranya Mohan or Advaitha , spontaneity is their forte & director has utilised that to maximum effects. But the same can’t be said of the rest of the cast , except for Soori , who are more are less amateurish & at times overtly theatrical.

Theni Eshwar seems to have in-depth knowledge of the terrains of Theni & its lush green mountains which has come in handy . The visual treat is soothing for the eyes .

Ilayaraja’s music is solid as ever. The background score elevates the movie while "Poovakkelu" & "Kuthikkira Kuthikkira" are soothing melodies.

Baskar Sakthi’s story is simple & his dialogues are witty . Suseendran has tried to present the story in an interesting manner to the extent possible but at times one can’t help the feeling that nothing is happening in the movie. Though he attempts to satire at the superstitious beliefs & customs of rural Tamil Nadu , in the end the movie ends up glorifying the same.

On the whole , “Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai” is a honest attempt , can be seen once.

Bottomline : Simple...

3/5

KO

My Review : KO



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.

Wonder what all those who rejected this movie where thinking. Now they will be ruing their decision. Not Jiiva for this would turn a new leaf in his career. After this movie he would go one rung up , only that he should choose his movies intelligently.

First half moves at a brisk pace though at certain instances screenplay lags a bit while second half is okay . The political satire in the second half is enjoyable while the climax looks a bit contrived. The song placements in the second half are ridiculous to put it mildly.

Kudos to K.V.Anand & his team of scriptwriters for risking a commercial script without much heroism & managing to stick onto reality as much as possible.

Jiiva does a neat job while Ajmal shines towards the end. Karthika doesn’t have much to do while Piya Bajpai steals one & all’s heart with a lovable enactment of a cute role.

For Prakashraj his role is a cakewalk while Kota Srinivasa Rao would do such roles even in his sleep. The supporting cast is a mixed bag with certain people like Bose Venkat , Jagan & Sona doing a good job while certain others amateurish in their work.

Technically the movie is excellent . The CG works are noteworthy especially in the bomb blast sequence. Richard Nathan’s cinematography elevates the mood & pumps in energy into the script. The super slow-motion shots are brilliant & used astutely wherever required. The climax fight sequence is beautifully shot.

Harris Jayaraj’s background score is good in patches while on the whole average. "Enamo Aedho" is a chartbuster though it has the routine Harris Jayaraj feel to it. Other songs are mediocre.

On the whole , “Ko” is a decent attempt at a commercial cinema where more than heroism the script rules.

Bottomline : “Ko”- will rule the BO

3.5 / 5

Nadunissi Naaygal

My review :Nadunissi Naaygal





The pack may be glossy, state of the art, wonderfully coloured, attracting to the eyes, produced with aid of latest of technologies. But in the end of the day if the pack contains only poison, then what is the use of making the pack so sleek & lustrous , never mind the statuary warning written in an illegible font in one corner of the pack. That sums up Gautham Vasudev Menon’s latest offering “Nadunissi Naaygal ” .

Technically the movie is on par with the best of bests. Right from the first shots of the movie it is clear that technical team of the movie has done a fabulous job of it. Manoj Paramahamsa’s cinematography is top notch , especially the colouring & the gloss as well some of the novel camera angles he has tried , awesome is the word. Art direction & DI of the movie makes the movie watching experience grand.

If only Gautham Vasudev Menon , the writer has thought of something novel & new , the end product would have been one of the best done in the country. On the contrary 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 has done no good for those who are working tirelessly for to alleviate the stigma associated with mentally ill & mental illness. The disclaimer in the end does no good as enough harm has been done already.

As far as acting goes except Sameera Reddy who has done a decent job as the damsel in distress , amateurishness is writ large as far as the rest of the cast are concerned. It is as if the other actors were given old “psycho” movies for them to rehearse before they started filming the movie.

Veera tries to imitate all those cult psychologically challenged roles like that of Kamal Hassan of “Sivapu Rojakkal ” , Pratap Pothan of “Moodupani” , Dhanush of “Kadhal Kondaen” , Simbu of “Manmadhan”...so on. Swapna who plays the caretaker & godmother of the protagonist , is graceful in her normal avatar but suddenly turns hopelessly out of place in her other role of the instigator.

That Gautham has managed to keep up with the thrills sans background music is a laudable achievement in itself & his courage and gumption in this regard warrant a standing ovation. Also as far as the screenplay goes , movie is lucid & travels at an optimum pace with no place for yawn in between.

The problem with the movie is the content & hence it doesn’t stand a chance in the box-office because it right away shoos away family audience as well as female audience. And finally anyone who compares this movie with “Sivappu Rojakkal” must be despised with cause it was done aesthetically which is what missing here in “ Nadunissi Naaygal”.

On the whole , “Nadunissi Naaygal” is technically brilliant but thematically appalling.

Bottomline : For your sadistic pleasure...!

2.5/5