All posts by rajasaravanan

Action, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Wait for DVD/TV

Singam II

Singam II – A top cop resigns to everyone’s surprise only to take up an undercover operation to arrest the criminals involved in smuggling drugs in the coastal area of Tamil Nadu. He has to manage the displeasure from his father for having resigned the job and overcome many obstacles caused by the criminals to bring justice.

A sequel to the successful movie Singam. It is nice to see the character Duraisingam on the silver screen again, Suriya has a very good screen presence and has done the role to perfection. Guess the director Hari had lot of doubts on the script’s ability to become as popular as the first part, he has tried to make it really big. There are four villains, 3 ladies who are acting as heroines (including Anjali who appears for an item song), 2 comedians and 1 hero. The end result he has struggled hard to have all of them have their fair share in the script and many a times the script deviates from the main plot. Also you would wonder why Suriya is so angry and shouting from the start of the movie.  In the end the movie ends up being bit “too” (II) much. Hari’s signature style of fast cuts, moving camera shots and rapid pace has been successful in hiding many of the short comings as you don’t have time to think. This could become a nice watch on TV after a Sunday afternoon sumptuous meal as you don’t have to think too much.

Wait for TV/DVD

Animation, Comedy, English Movies, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2 – A sequel to the Animation Movie Despicable Me released in 2010. Gru former villain turned father of 3 girls is occupied in family life. The Anti Villain League (AVL) organization is in search of a deadliest villain who has stolen a secret laboratory near the Arctic Circle. They convince Gru to help them find the villain. Was Gru able to leave his “happily ever after” family life to take on this adventure? Did he succeed? is the plot of the movie.

At a point of time in the movie I had my doubts if I was already watching Minions the Movie. The first part was about – what would happen if a super bad villain has to turn into a super dad?. The concept was new and the film was very interesting one. Minions, the mini creatures who work for Gru became very popular after the movie. The makers have rightly cashed in the popularity of the minions and rightly they have a significant role to play in this movie. Not only they are part of the main plot but also have helped the story move along acting as fillers. Their acts keep the audience entertained through the movie. This one may not be as good as the first one, but definitely not a bad sequel. It has its hilarious moments throughout the movie. The movie also ends with the teaser for Minions the movie during the credits. If you are a fan of Minions or have a kid who likes minions go for the movie… you will find yourself laughing throughout.

Watchable – for the Minions

 

Animation, English Movies, Fantasy, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Brave

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Brave – An animation fantasy film from Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney. A princess takes a brave step to follow her heart against the will of her mother. In an effort to change her mother’s heart the steps she takes results in unforeseen circumstances that threatens to lose her mother forever. She races against time to mend what she had done… Did she succeed? Was she able to change her Mothers heart?… is the story of Brave.

This is the first fairy tale from Pixar. The screenplay is slick and builds up to the message that you would see in many of the Pixar movies “Follow your Heart”. Although the usual message, the movie stands out of the crowd for the way it is presented. This movie won the Academy Award for the best animated feature film in the year 2012. The visuals are stunning and they have recreated the landscape of Scotland in computer generated images. The amount of complexity of the visuals had posed a challenge to the Pixar Studios and they rewrote their entire animation system. The result is a visual treat. They did not stop with the visuals but they also employed Dolby Atmos sound technology for the first time. This sound technology  is picking up very fast in the Indian film industry as well. Shivaji 3D, Vishwaroopam, Anybody Can Dance adopted this sound technology and there are many more to join this bandwagon soon. For the stunning visuals and a wonderful fairy tale this is a Must Watch

Must Watch – for Animation Fans

Friday Fundas

Friday Fundas: Establishing Shot

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Establishing Shot

This is a term used in Film Editing. An establishing shot is a shot that sets the context in the movie. This is used very effectively during the editing process. For example if the story or plot involves the characters in Malaysia then a view of the Petronas tower would be a establishing shot. Post this the scene of two people discussing in a coffee shop would set the context for the audience that the scene is happening in Malaysia. In reality the shot might have been actually taken elsewhere but through the establishing shot the appropriate illusion is created.

In the movie Chandramukhi some of the shots in were caned in Mysore Palace but through establishing shot of the house the audience believed the set up was actually inside the house. In many movies you might have seen the shot of a flight landing or flight take off as an establishing shot to show the scene has transferred between locations. This technique was particularly used in old movies extensively. However in the new movies this is used to a lesser extent. A simple technique if not used correctly audience loose the context of the screenplay.

Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies

Raanjhanaa

Raanjhanaa (Amibkapathy – Tamil) –  A local boy in Varanasi falls in love with a Muslim girl since his childhood… Soon he finds rest of his life, aspirations, dreams, love, pain everything limited to her (Bas Tum Tak…!)

Anand L Rai has given a very good story that is just not limited to a puppy love story. The first half of the movie is colorful and enjoyable, the cinematographer Natarajan Subramaniam brings the lively colors of Varanasi in front of your eyes… the second half of the movie has a serious tone and through the journey of Kundan and Zoya the director takes you through the current political affairs in the country. Love prevails in the end and stays immortal. Dhanush is a very appropriate selection for the movie and has essayed his character very well, Tamil audiences might have watched this in many of his movies. Abhay Deol is charismatic in the portion he plays. Anand hasn’t let any star cast over shadow the plot and the screen play but has the story lead the way all through. The life and soul for the movie is A.R Rahman’s musical score. Raajhanna would make you laugh, cry and think. It is a wholesome entertainer that will keep you engaged throughout… Go for it!

Must Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Ghanchakkar

Ghanchakkar – An expert in opening lockers and stealing money goes into retirement. He is affected by partial memory loss and one of the things he forgets is where he has hidden the money from his last heist.  He has to remember this and find the money as it also has the share of his accomplices.

Ghanchakkar is a slang word commonly used to refer to a dumb person although its literal meaning is to spin fast. The movie is crazy and dumb in parts as its title. If you go in with the expectation of a ROFL comedy you would be disappointed. Ghanchakkar is one such movie which comes once in a while completely whacky in the way it is executed and catches you off guard. . The movie is brilliant in parts particularly the heist sequence and the characters of Emraan Hasmi and Vidya Balan. The pace of the movie is slow, it gives you enough time to savor the humor as you move along. Many of which you might miss as they are subtle. Despite its slow pace the McGuffin  (I had written about this in my Friday Facts) keeps you engaged with the script. The ending is completely unexpected and be ready to be caught off guard… Overall the movie is all about the journey not the ending… Soon you would find two groups of people who would just love the movie or those who simply hate it… If you are open for “not the usual script with song and dance” then Ghanchakkar is watchable…

Watchable – for its difference from the usual!

Friday Fundas

Friday Fundas: Cult Movie

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Cult Movie

Often you hear people referring to certain movies as cult movies or cult classic. What does it signify, what are cult movies? Well there is no definite answer to this as this is largely debated for its classification. However there is a widely accepted definition for a cult movie which we can look at…

A cult movie is normally identified by the audience take on the movie. You would see there is a sub community of people who follow appreciate the movie, recite dialogues from it and watch the movie several times. Such a movie would be classified as a cult movie. Usually the cult movie may not do well at the box office but later through TV viewings it might become popular with a sect of people. However this is not a generalization. There are very popular cult movies in the mainstream cinema as well.

Another stark characteristic of a cult movie is its transgression. The movie does not follow the normal path between the good and the bad, but presents a entirely radical scenario in front of the audience that is beyond their imagination. Sometime the different scenario creates a very disturbing effect that it is difficult to accept for many people and appeals only to sect of people thus eventually becoming a cult classic. Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Shawsank Redemption,  Gods Must be Crazy are few examples of cult classics which made well in the mainstream cinema as well and appealed to a wider audience.

The 1990 Amitabh Bachchan’s  Agneepath is a cult classic. The Tamil movie Aranya Kaandam released in 2011 can also be classified as a cult classic. The movie was a flop at the box office but gained popularity among a set of people through TV and DVD viewing.

Crime, English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises – is a crime thriller  released in 2007 A 14 year old girl dies in a Britain hospital after giving birth to a child. She has a diary written in Russian Language which is recovered by the hospital nurse Anna. She doesn’t understand Russian and sets out on a path to find the father of the child. The path she takes is dreadful and leads her to a Russian mafia gang. Does she succeed in her mission is the rest of the plot.

The movie is engaging right from the first shot at the barber shop. We get introduced to the mafia world through the eyes of Anna who is fearless and is very much focused on her mission irrespective of the perils associated with it. The screen play is very engaging and the dark tone of the shots suits the theme very well. Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortenson have given brilliant performances. If you are fan of mafia movies and crime thrillers this is a must watch.

Must Watch – for Crime thriller fans

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Theeya Vela Seyyanum Kumaru

Theeya Vela Seyyanum Kumaru – A boy who is not good at impressing girls takes the help of a consultant who is an expert in helping men woo women. Does he succeed in this remains the rest of the plot.

The plot has certain similarities to the Hollywood movie Hitch however director Sundar C has given a very well local adaptation that is enjoyable. In 1996 Sundar C directed a movie Ullathai Alli Thaa, a blockbuster that made people laugh out loud without worrying about any logic. Screen play based on comedy has been the home turf for Sundar C and he is very good at it. In between he shifted to movies centered around action which did not give him the same amount of success and accolades his comedy scripts had given. Glad to have him back on his home turf doing comedy scripts. After Kalakalappu he gives yet another movie that will make you laugh throughout if you are willing to not think too much about any logic around the incidents. The biggest risk had been Siddarth essaying the character of a boy next door as he already has an image of a romantic hero. However pleasantly he had played the role very convincingly. Santhanam is the life line for the script and he lights up the scenes very well. If you are a fan of movies like Ullathai Alli Thaa and Kalakalappu, you would enjoy this one as well. Watch it and have a hearty laugh!

Watchable

Friday Fundas

Friday Fundas: McGuffin

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McGuffin – Also referred as MacGuffin is a plot device which is used in many of the suspense, thrillers or adventure movies. McGuffin is a plot device which might be any object, place,  person or a goal for which the protagonist is ready to give up anything including life. However in the end it turns out to be unimportant to the over all plot. This has been a very old technique described in literature. The director who made this very popular was Sir Alfred Hitchcock and he used it very successful in many of his movies. If you have seen Hitchcock movies you would understand this very well as he was master of this technique and many new directors are still following this.

Some of the recent movies where this technique has been used very well. In Avatar the unobtanium is the McGuffin. The briefcase in Pulp Fiction, the Crystal Skull in Indiana Jones – The Kingdom of Crystal Skull are other examples of McGuffin. Some of the Indian movies recently used this technique very well. In the blockbuster Kahaani, Arnab Bagchi is the McGuffin, in the recent Tamil movie Pizza the mystery house where the hero delivers Pizza is a McGuffin. Its is a very hard technique and needs to be handled well. The success of the script is all about how the audience like the McGuffin in the plot. If they like it the movie becomes a successful one. You might be able to find many movies where you did not like the McGuffin and hence disliked the movie.

Drama, English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, War

Inglourious Basterds

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Inglourious Basterds –  A film by Tarantino released in 2009 revolves around two plots that ultimately converge with each other. The story is set in 1944 when there is a group of Jewish soldiers known as Basterds are feared by the Nazis. A jewish girl in her late teens is running a cinema in Paris and has grudge against the Nazis. There is a German film planned to be premiered in the theater and Hitler is planning to attend it. Both the girl and the Basterds in parallel come up with plan to assassinate Hitler.  Will they succeed in their plan is the rest of the movie.

This is one of my all time favorite Tarantino movie. It has been executed brilliantly and there is never a dull moment in the movie. The bar scene where the ensemble are playing games although seem to be an uninteresting narration but the tension in the plot and the anticipation of what is going to happen next makes it a brilliant scene. Typical Tarantino style of having very insignificant foreground to a tension packed background plot (remember the conversation of Samuel Jackson and Travolta about McDonalds in the movie Pulp fiction). None other than Tarantino can make such interesting sequences. Brad Pitt has acted very well. The performance that stands out is that of Christopher Waltz… the performance was simply superb and no surprise that he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2010. For brilliant performances and narration style Inglourious Basterds is a Must Watch!

Must Watch