Irukku Aana Illai – is a Tamil comedy thriller released in 2014. Venkat is a loser in life and nothing works for him until he meets with an accident and the girl who dies in the accident stays with him as a ghost.
Certain movies do not get the relevant recognition and audience as they may not have very popular cast and not marketed appropriately. Irukku Aana Illai is one such movie. The plot is very different from the normal comedy genre you would see. Debutante director Saravanan also has handled the script well for a new comer. This movie would not blow you off but definitely has the ingredients to engage well. There are obvious flaws in the movie like the predictable script and lack of continuity in couple of places. However the movie is engaging and keeps up your interest, when it travels with the lead characters. The song although pleasant to hear slows down the pace. Overall you would not regret watching this one and might pleasantly surprise you if you have no expectations. You can definitely watch this at home.
The Man from Nowhere – is a South Korean action thriller released in 2010. A pawnshop owner whose past whereabouts are unknown befriends and develops a bond with a little girl in the neighborhood. When she is kidnapped he would have to use his skills from the past and go the lengths to save her.
The movie is very thrilling and engaging right from the first scene. Although the plot is similar to Taken, the story has much more darker shade and some brutal action scenes. The narration is crisp and stays to the point and does not wander much. Won Bin’s performance is very commendable and is the strength of the movie. His hair style for the major part of the movie is mysterious covering half of his face. Director Lee Jeong-beom has cleverly used the police investigation angle to reveal his past rather than using clichéd sequence of him justifying his past. As his past is revealed you see his hair cut off and see his full face. It’s a simple but clever use of metaphor for the mystery surrounding him.
A Bollywood movie in the making based on this story is slated to be released in 2015. If you are fan of movies like Man on Fire, Taken, Old Boy then this is a must watch for you.
4th Wall is an imaginary wall between the stage and the audience in a theatrical play. If a room is being shown then only the set has 3 walls and the 4th wall is the one through which the audience would see the play. The idea of 4th wall was made explicit by philosopher and critic Denis Diderot and spread in 19th-century theatre. This concept has now extended to movies as well.
Breaking the 4th Wall is a term referred to when the characters on the screen interact with the audience. This should not be confused with narration. One of the recent movies which had used this technique is Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi. The entire movie is handled in a way where the lead character is talking to the audience about the the love and breakup with his girlfriend.
Another example for breaking the 4th wall is from the Woody Allen’s Annie Hall
Watch the following opening sequence from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day off. This is another movie which broke the 4th wall and had the main character interact with the audience throughout the movie.
Breaking the 4th wall when used appropriately based on the demands of the script would engage the audience at a different level. However this may not be appropriate for all the movies. This technique is also often used in movies or TV shows targeted for kids.
There is a also an extension of the 4th wall concept which is termed as 5th wall. This is an imaginary wall that exists between the film critics and the film makers. This deals with the barriers in engagement with the film critics and the makers.
Velaiyilla Pattathari (VIP) – is a Tamil drama released in 2014. A civil engineering graduate is jobless for 4 years since graduation waiting for a civil engineering job rather than taking up any other job that is available.
VIP is touted to be the 25th movie for Dhanush and they have taken the safest route of making a run of the mill entertainer. Mostly we brush off run of the mill entertainer but it still takes a lot of effort to get it right. Cinematographer turned director Velraj has created a decent entertainer for Dhanush fans. The first half of the movie would appeal to a larger audience but the second half is only for the fans of Dhanush. Overall VIP wouldn’t bore you and you can watch it on TV or DVD
Memories of Murder– is a South Korean crime thriller released in 2003. The movie is based on true incidents of serial killing that occurred between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. In a small city, a woman is raped and murdered. Soon the detectives realize it is just one of the many serial killings that occur. A local detective and a detective from Seoul with conflicting personalities have to team up to track down the killer and stop future murders.
This movie is directed by Bong Joon-ho prior to The Host. If you are fan of crime thrillers and serial killings this would be a must watch for you. The story is so intriguing and plots open up with even more complicated knot as the movie progresses. You might have seen similar plots in many movies in the recent times (I will leave that for your guessing :)) . But still this one is class apart from all those I have seen. As you see in The Host even in this movie there are some strong social takes. Weaving the current state of affairs into a script is brilliance of Bong Joon-ho. The lead actors Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung have given very engaging performances and the transfer in their personalities as the movie progresses is brilliant.
Overall this movie is one of the best movies made on serial killing. This one is a must watch for all movie buffs.
The Host– is a South Korean science fiction and thriller released in 2006. As a side effect to the release of toxic waste into the Hans River an unknown mutated giant creature originates and starts attacking people. An affected family stands against all odds to fight the creature.
I was not very fascinated by the plot of a creature coming out of a river but still wanted to watch this because of the rave reviews it has got. I ended up liking this movie! For the firsts, it is not another Godzilla type movie. This has a very strong political statement against the US military dumping toxic wastes into the river. The movie has it scary, satirically funny and emotional moments. Apart from the socio-political statement what stand out in the movie are the way the screenplay has been written and the characterization of the people in the family. Everyone character is carefully thought and is a representation of various people in Korean society. There is a scene where in the father describes why his first son is so dumb and blames himself for the upbringing of his son. You would see many such instances which have been crafted in a satirical fashion. The lead characters Song Kang-ho and the girl Go Ah-sung playing his daughter has performed very well. Director Bong Joon-ho should be credited for taking up such a subject and telling a compelling story!
If you do not watch this movie superfluously but pay attention to the details of the scene and the plot you would enjoy it. This one is yet another master piece of South Korean Cinema.
The recent Tamil movie Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam covered many aspects of Indian Cinema and there was an interesting piece on Interval blocks in Indian Cinema. The movie mentioned in this context was a Tamil movie Namma Veetu Deivam released in 1970. The husband (Muthuraman) kills his wife (K R Vijaya) in the outskirts of his village and returns home. As he approaches the door he finds his wife open the door and is shell shocked. This is where the interval break is. This raised some thoughts around interval breaks in cinema and how they have influenced the grammar of script writing.
In the Initial years all movies across the world had Interval breaks. The reason was the operator needed time to change the reels in the projector. In the modern days with the advancement in film and projection technology this time is non-existent. However the concept of Intermission or Interval break for 10 – 15 minutes is still prevalent in Indian movies and possibly Italian movies. Also in early days as the film roles were expensive two theaters could screen the same movie with a time difference and exchange the reels during the breaks. The reason it is continued still is for commercial reason. The break is an opportunity to attract the audience to the snacks counter and increase revenue.
Though the reason is commercial it has a heavy influence in the script writing for Indian cinema. The structure of the screen play is not the traditional 3 act structure but has an interval block in it making it a 5 act structure where the interval block is one of the peak points of the build-up phase and post the interval there is a revised context leading to the climax. The script writers make the interval block with high impact to raise the interest levels of the audience.
Let us look at some of the high impact interval blocks in Indian Cinema.
3 idiots
In the movie 3 Idiots the two guys go in search of their closest friend after years of graduation. As they reach the town where he lives in which is exactly at the midpoint of the movie they find an entirely different person in the name of their friend and they are also shocked to see their own photographs with this new person.
Baasha
In the Tamil blockbuster Baasha, Rajnikanth is introduced as an auto driver who stays away from violence and undergoes torturous punishments to save his loved ones. But around the interval block when his brother and sisters are in danger we see him beating up the bad guys and it is revealed that he is a terrific don who is in hiding, his soft voice turns into a commanding voice that echoes through the hall “Naan oru thadava sonna… nooru thadava sonna mathiri…” (If I say it once its equivalent of saying it 100 times) It is one of the most powerful interval block for a Rajnikanth starrer.
Eeram
In the Tamil movie Earem the first half has a series of murders happening and at the interval block it is revealed the murders are being committed by the ghost of the ex-girlfriend of the investigating cop. When I was in the theater watching this movie during the break a kid sitting in the cinema hall exclaimed with excitement “Wow! This is a ghost movie…” Interval blocks should contain such an excitement. The recent blockbuster Jigarthanda also had a very dramatic interval block.
While interval block is significant part of a script sometimes over hyping it has a danger of spoiling the movie. When the audience is left with a high expectation and they are down in the second half, the movie would fail. That’s where the audiences say only the first half of the movie was good. In general in a good script the tempo of second half of the script is higher than the tempo set at the interval block.
Anjaan – is a Tamil action drama released in 2014. A Mumbai gangster seeks out revenge against a rival for the murder of his close friend.
By now many of you have read reviews about Anjaan. I had a very low expectation when I went to watch it. The core plot of the movie has some substance for it to become a blockbuster. A gangster’s revenge saga would heavily depend upon screenplay and build-up of characters but the movie totally failed in this department. There is a 20 minute block in the middle of the script which you might find engaging but the rest is so disconnected and far from the plot that it spoils the entire product. Director Lingusamy should start working with new screenwriters for fresh thoughts. He is still sticking to sequences like introducing an innocent guy and later reveals he is a violent guy when he starts bashing up all villains closing the gate. The whole unit seemed to have banked on the charismatic presence of Suriya and never bothered to shape up any other character including the supposedly treacherous villain Manoj Bajpayee who barely gets 3 sequences in the entire movie, he doesn’t look treacherous at all. Samantha who is not significant for the movie plot gets more screen time than Vidyut Jamwal and Manoj Bajpayee. The dialogues writing department has run out of creative ideas and the dialogues in the first half reminded me of those dubbed Hindi soap serials running on TV. Suriya has performed well as Raju Bhai, he looks stylish but as Krishna he is not even half convincing.
Overall this would be a movie Suriya and Lingusamy would have to forget and move on.
Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam – is a Tamil film released in 2014. Director R.Parthiepan said it is a film without a story. How will a film without a story be what the story would deal with? He also said it is a tribute to 100 years of Indian Cinema. Well the movie is about a team of aspiring film makers trying to search for that convincing story to make their first film. Through their journey the director has conveyed how difficult it is to make a movie that is entertaining for the audience. Making a film is not always as it is perceived by people; it is really a tough job. Years and months of hard work can be trashed by audience in minutes. A magic is only as good till the audience can guess the trick… a film is only as good till the audience can predict the flow. Finally they do realize they can create script from their everyday experiences but the final question is will a producer agree for it? How long they can run behind their aspirations with family commitments each of them have.
The first half of the movie is about the nuances of script writing and also through their discussion covers some of the amazing gems in old Tamil Cinema which has concepts and outlook that none of the modern day movies have. Due to some of the amateur actors and lack of dramatic elements of the story you would feel disconnected in the first half but the second half is very engaging. Through this R.Parthiepan has tried to experiment multiple things; he has tried to narrate a story to the audience that can be made into a film, he also broken all the grammatical rules of script writing but still the end product has come out decently.
This is not for those who search for a standard story and plot in the movie but for those who appreciate the magic of cinema in whatever form it might be. This one deserves a watch for the sincere attempt and for the love of cinema.
Thanks to all those who has the perseverance of creating good cinema and midst of so many difficulties devote their life to entertain the audience – a true tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema.
Jakob The Liar – is an American war comedy film released in 1999. During the Holocaust in a ghetto in German occupied Poland a rumor spreads that shopkeeper Jakob has a radio. Playing along with the rumor Jakob starts telling lies to people in the ghetto to keep up their hopes. This is not the only lie he is telling but he is also hiding a young Jewish girl who had escaped from an extermination camp deportation train. Jakob soon becomes the symbol of hope for the community and he goes a long way to give everything for his people.
The movie is made from a Novel by Jurek Becker. It is a remake of the East German DEFA film Jakob der Lügner from 1975. But I felt it was tailor made for Robin Williams.The movie has a tone of the movie Life is beautiful. However here the protagonist is spreading belief and hope for an entire community and gives everything in the end for his people. A very nice tale told in the background of one of the cruel times. Robin Williams brings Jakob’s character from book to life. This is a must watch for all Robin Williams fans.
The tag line – When all hope was lost, he invented it. – how fitting it is for Robin Williams… we will miss him.
Athithi – is a Tamil suspense thriller released in 2014. Madhiazhagan, Vasuki and their kid lead a very happy life. One day they give lift to an unknown person in their car and things take an unusual turn. They learn their daughter is being held hostage and they are held hostage in their car and are forced to do things the stranger demands.
The movie is mostly engaging in parts and the plot promises to be an edge of the seat thriller. The premise for the whole story is a very promising one and when the story reaches its main premise you would find this to be a very engaging movie and would demand your attention. However the situations leading to the main plot is not buildup well. Due to this what could have been a very engaging movie falls short. The buildup of characters is disconnected to the main plot. There have been deliberate attempts to distract the audience from finding out the motive. In the end as it is not related they seem to be out of place for the story. During the abduction episode in many places the real panic, fear and hurry is not seen with the characters which is not a natural reaction. The scene in which Nanda has to leave a suitcase in the bus stand within 20 minutes, the whole sequence is very relaxed and does not thrill.The comedy portion and songsin the movie is a wholesome distraction to the genre of the movie. Director Bharhathan has tried to stuff in messages against the economic differences in the society which is not needed. The movie needed a bold ending to create an impact but ends up with an average ending.
Overall this one is definitely engaging in parts and can be watched at home if you have nothing else to watch.
Old Boy – is a South Korean suspense thriller movie released in 2003. A man named Oh Dae-su is abducted and imprisoned in a dark room for 15 years. In the meantime he learns his wife is murdered, he is the prime suspect for the murder and his daughter is adopted by a Swedish family. After 15 years he is released on the roof top of a tall building. He is out to find the reason why he has been tortured to this extent and vows to take revenge on his abductor.
The movie is known for its unique plot. It is strictly for mature audience for its content and it is gross in parts. The tone has been set like that to give the impact of the torturous life the lead character has gone through. As the movie progresses Oh Dae-su discovers the identity of the kidnapper and the story unfolds. The screenplay is done brilliantly and the climax would leave you dumb stuck. It is a movie that has the potential of keeping you disturbed and at the same time give a feeling of having watched a brilliant movie. The plot of keeping a man abducted in an unknown room for unknown reason has been used in various movies which had released later including the recent Tamil movie Ivan Vera Mathiri. Overall this is a must watch if you have open mindedness and have a strong heart.
