Category Archives: Action

Action, English Movies, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Baby Driver Review

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Baby Driver Review – Baby Driver is an English Action film released in 2017. Baby is a young getaway driver who helps in escapes of robbery planned by the mastermind Doc. Baby is usually kept out of the Robbery scene, but during one of the heist when the Doc has Baby visit the Robbery scene hell breaks loose.

The movie has some excellent action sequences and would entice all action movie lovers. Director Edgar Wright keeps the audience right at the edge of the seat from the word go. The scenes are cleverly edited to suit the rhythm of the song. As the focus is only on the driver the heist scenes are not shown but the focus is rightly kept on the escapades. The opening scene where the Baby driver is introduced, he is listening to loud music and singing along with it as he waits for the heist to complete.  Once he starts the car and escapes you come to know about his skill in driving. Within those few minutes, the character of Baby Driver is well established. A very good example of character introduction. Adding a layer of tinnitus problem to Baby driver makes it very convincing to have music in the story. The music tracks add an additional layer to the whole story. Every driver has a lucky track is a catchy punch line.

The ending looks a bit ordinary when compared to the whole movie. However, the characterization, action sequences and the music itself provide a lot to enjoy the ride.

High Points: Car chase sequence, editing the scenes along with music, the tracking shot of Baby getting coffee for the team, the music he creates based on the everyday dialogues he hears.

Low Points: A very predictable ending to the story

Overall if you are an action movie lover and enjoy good music then Baby Driver is the movie just for you. Watch it in the theatres.

Worth a Watch

Action, Fantasy, Hindi Movies, Historic, Malayalam Movies, Other Languages, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Review

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Review – Baahubali 2 is a Telugu historical fantasy fiction released in 2017. This movie is a sequel to the Baahubali: The Beginning released in 2015. Shivdu, after rescuing his mother from the prison has to take over Mahishmati kingdom by defeating Bhallaladeva to regain his father’s glory. The movie is also released in Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi as well.

More than Shivdu’s plight, the expectation has turned towards the reason as to why Kattappa had killed Baahubali. There are no much surprises here. I am not going to reveal it and spoil the fun for you.  The movie is an out and out visual grandeur with a lot of war sequences. The visual effects are quite stunning with some great production quality. Rajamouli is a true magician for he makes everything believable and when you sort of think logic he has slipped in emotions for you to overlook it.  Prabhas, Ramyakrishnan and Sathyaraj have a more elaborate role to play in this edition. Anushka plays a younger avatar and the love interest of Amarendra Baahubali. Rana’s performance comes only in the second half of the movie.

Certain key sequences in the movies have been done really well. The initial war sequence in Anushka’s palace, the pivotal scene of Kattappa killing Baahubali, the interval block. All these sorts of gives you goosebumps.  There are many minimum guarantee cliched sequences as well in an attempt to please a wider variety of audiences like the introduction of Prabhas, catapulting using a Palm tree, the final war sequence. Despite these the movie still keeps you engaged for the 2 hours 47 minutes of run time. The creative touch in the titles using brass statue figures to cover the highlights of the first part of the movie is brilliant.

One of the key element I look forward to in Rajamouli’s movies is the characterisation. The stand out is the characterisation of Rajamaata and Amarendra Baahubali. Rana and Anushka’s characters have been constructed well. I felt Kattappa’s characterization has mellowed down from the first part. He fills in for the role of hero’s sidekick in the first half of the movie. While the performance is enjoyable, but having seen Kattappa fierce fully jumping on his enemies to save Sivagami this did not go well for me. While focussing on visual grandeur the script loses the emphasis on drama. For instance, Anushka trying to practice with two arrows just passes through subtle when compared to Shivdu’s irresistible desire to climb the mountain in the first part. You could see many instances where the script hasn’t given any time for you to soak in the drama of the scene. Whenever the drama is created even fewer instances it is quite a treat to watch for instance Bhallaladeva stopping his father from speaking in the meeting and letting him loose at an opportune moment, the crown ceremony during the interval block.

The climax fight looked to be a cloying overdose of special effects and emotions.

High Points: Visual Effects, the interval block as in the first part, Prabhas, Rana, Ramyakrishnan and Sathyaraj’s performance, the initial war sequences, Kattappa killing Baahubali.

Low Points: Cliched sequences of the hero worship. The BGM scores well in key sequences otherwise it was a forgettable affair for me. Kattapa’s character transformation to be hero’s sidekick performing comical acts. The Catapulting sequence using palm trees.

Overall Baahubali 2 is a much greater visual grandeur compared to its prequel. In a haste to cater to formalities, it fails to bring in the punch like its prequel. Nevertheless, it is a treat to watch this on the big screen.

Worth a Watch

 

 

Action, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

Assassination Review

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Assassination Review – Assassination is a South Korean action thriller released in 2015. During the Japan’s rule over Korea, an assassination is planned against the governor general and a pro-Japanese business man.

After director Bong Joon-ho, Choi Dong-hoon becomes my favorite director in the South Korean film industry. Choi Dong-hoon makes very stylish movies with an engaging screenplay with plots and subplots backed by high production value. I had liked his movie The Thieves. Assassination is, even more, a visual grandeur than Choi Dong-hoon’s previous movies.  The movie is a set in a period of the early 20th century. The sets and costumes are created with much detailing to make it convincing. The plot is equally engaging and keeps you hooked on till the end. The movie begins with a bang with the first assassination attempt and then jumps 20 years later where yet another attempt is made. The characters flow through the 20 years and there are some surprise twists with their transformation during this period. Although there are multiple characters in the movie every character connects with you and have some significant screen time. The stunt sequences are well choreographed with the highlight being gun fights. In particular, the final climax gun fight has been done well with so many characters. Choi Dong-hoon thinks ahead of the audience so you are always in for surprises.

Jun Ji-hyun delivers a very contrast performance compared to her role in My Sassy girl. Her performance is one of the highlights of the movie. Lee Jung-jae and Ha Jung-woo’s performances stand out.

High Points: Very stylish visuals, Period based sets, and costumes, Jun Ji-hyun’s performance the assassination attempt at the gas station, characterization of Hawaii Pistol, the Climax fight.

Low Points: There was never a dull moment for me in the movie so the shortcomings are too hard to catch.

Overall, Choi Dong-hoon has created a visual grandeur combined with some clever screenplay. If you love espionage movies or stylish action movies then you would love this one.

Must Watch

Action, Comedy, Crime, Genre, Must Watch, Other Languages, Rating, Reviews

Very Big Shot Review

Very Big Shot Review – Very Big Shot is a Lebanese comedy film released in 2015. Three brothers who are into drug dealing business take up one last job before they set out to go clean and straight to open a restaurant business.

I had watched this movie in the Bangalore International Film Festival 2016. How I wished Tamil movie Jigarthanda’s second half was something like this. Anyways that is my personal views which many may differ to agree. Without getting into that argument let me talk about Very Big Shot. The movie is a gangster drug lord flick at the outset. However, there is a very sensible humor throughout the script right from the first shot. Once the gangsters figure out that film roles are spared from being screened at the airport, they decide to become a producer of a film. The movie gets very interesting from there on and it is a ride filled with loads of laughter.

The screenplay has been done very nicely to ensure there is a logical flow to the whole story. The characters have been created and established the way they fit into the situations well. There is no point it looks force fitted. Usually, comedy movies suffer from the phenomenon of force fitting humor into the script.

High Points: The scene where Ziad (eldest of the brothers) decide to make a movie to smuggle the drugs, the filmmaking scene where the Bhurka clad lady is stopped and the onlookers jump in to create a commotion without realising it is a shooting.

Low Points: As the humor is built around the movie making process, this humor may not work for all.

Overall, Very Big Shot is a wholesome entertainer that would make you laugh and keep you engaged throughout the movie. If you get a chance to watch this one do give it a try.

Must Watch

Action, Comedy, Genre, Must Watch, Other Languages, Rating, Reviews

Kills on Wheels Review

Kills on Wheels Review – Kills on Wheels (Tiszta szívvel) is a Hungarian comedy film released in 2016. Two disabled teenagers find a reason to live when they get associated with a wheel-chaired hitman.

This is yet another movie I had an opportunity to watch in Bangalore International Film Festival. This is the first Hungarian movie I am watching. Right from the main title card, the movie kept me engaged. The plot line looks very simple and naive but a number of layers added to the screenplay and the characters have been phenomenal.  There was always something waiting to surprise you. The hitman assignments have been shot very well and many of them have been gripping. In particular their final assignment. When you are already blown away by the story you had witnessed so far, the director surprises you with yet another beautiful twist in the movie to leave you elated as you leave the hall.

If you are film student then this is a movie you should watch for many aspects, the layers you add to a screenplay in terms of characters and situations, the background score, mise en scene to name a few. I can’t write too much about the plot and their twists as it would spoil the movie for you. This one happens to be the official nomination from Hungary for the Academy awards but unfortunately did not get nominated.

High Points: The characterization of the lead characters. In particular the boy with autism and the hitman. The final assignment of the hitman set out to kill Toni. The twist in the climax sequence. The title soundtrack.

Low Points: I did not find any low points for this one. If any had been well covered by a great execution.

Overall, the movie works well in entertaining the audience and leave the elated. Don’t miss this one.

Must Watch

Action, Can Skip it, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Bairavaa Review

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Bairavaa Review – Bairavaa is a Tamil action movie released in 2017. Bairavaa , a collection agent for a bank falls in love with Malarvizhi. However, he has to fight against some deadly villains before he could marry her.

A hero who is invincible from the start solves people’s issues like his own is the basic requirement of a masala film. Bairavaa is one such movie. The makers have banked upon the star value of Vijay and created a feast that only his fans can enjoy. He fights against some deadly villains, dances to the catchy beats, delivers power-packed punches to the villains. Keerthy Suresh’s character is pivotal to the script to give a strong purpose for the hero. Satish, Motta Rajendran and Thambi Ramaiah handle the comedy department. Out of these the witty one-liners of Satish make you laugh. Jagapathi Babu and Daniel Balaji play the cruel villains. Daniel Balaji is definitely threatening as a villain and a good choice for the movie.

The minimum guarantee elements still don’t make the script cohesive. At no point in time, you get connected to the hero’s purpose as to start with it is not his purpose and also some very easy loopholes defy logic to insult your intelligence. If they have concentrated on getting the script tighter Bairavaa could have become a very promising entertainer.

Contrary to the popular belief it is difficult to create successful commercial entertainer.  Vijay might need to wait for his next movie to strike it right.

High Points: Vijay’s performance, The witty dialogues from Sathish, Performance of Daniel Balaji, Chase sequences.

Low Points: The flashback that doesn’t have a connect with Vijay,  Weak screenplay not able to connect to the audience.

Overall, you can skip Bairavaa unless you are a hardcore Vijay fan or plan to watch this one with a hall filled with Vijay fans where every punch from the hero is applauded.

Can Skip it

 

 

 

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

Rekka Review

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Rekka Review – Rekka is a Tamil action drama released in 2016.  Shiva helps in kidnapping a girl from her wedding against her wish. The groom happens to be a fearsome don and he awaits an opportunity to avenge Shiva.

Rekka is an out and out masala movie with some mindless action scene. If you are in a mood for watching a mindless action movie then Rekka will not disappoint you. But if you are going to the theater to watch a Vijay Sethupathi movie you might get a bit disappointed.

The movie has resemblances of action blockbuster Ghilli in many parts. They even show Ghilli scene playing on TV. This one just assumes unlimited power for the hero. There might be hundreds of men flocking together but not able to lay their hands on the hero when he elopes with the girl.  He just seems to be invincible. When he has such a power one has to wonder why he got into the trouble (as shown in the movie) in the first place. If you are able to forgive such mindless sequences there is a lot to enjoy in the movie.

High Points: Vijay Sethupathi’s presence, Masala elements for entertainment have set in well.

Low Points: But for the hero all other characters are too shallow, mindless action sequences.

Overall this is a perfect script for Vishal but starring Vijay Sethupathi. If you are in a mood for a mindless action movie then Rekka would not disappoint you, if not you can watch this when aired on TV.

Wait for DVD/TV

Action, English Movies, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

The Magnificent Seven (2016) Review

The Magnificent Seven (2016) Review – The Magnificent Seven is an American movie released in 2016. This is a remake of the 1960 movie of the same name which in turn was based on Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese film Seven Samurai released in 1954. A corrupt industrialist Bogue besieges a village and slaughters people standing against him. People in the village recruit gunmen to help them fight against Bogue and his men.

I had seen Seven Samurai and couldn’t keep comparing this to the original. The new edition has a lot more changes than the original movie. If reveal the details I would be spoiling the fun for the viewers so I would rather stick to reviewing the movie. Times have changed but still

Times have changed but still there is the charm for the cowboy tales and see their standoffs on the big screen. The Magnificent Seven covers this well in the first half. It treats the audience with intense, suspenseful and also funny standoffs in the first half. The introduction of each of the seven characters have been taken very well and for me was one of the high points of the movie. Denzel Washington has performed the lead role of Sam Chisolm very well. He is very convincing as a skillful warrant officer and the leader of the pack. Including a Comanche warrior as part of the seven was an interesting take.  Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Byung-hun Lee, Vincent D’Onofrio and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo have been convincing as well.

The movie then plunges into a high voltage gunfight sequence in the last twenty minutes. The starting of the fight sequence as the row of horses galloping towards the Village  is a visual treat on an IMAX screen. There is never a dull moment in the movie.

Although it has been engaging throughout I felt there is some soul missing in the movie compared to Seven Samurai. The details of which I would let you interpret for yourself. If you see this movie in isolation you would enjoy it.

High Points: Cowboy standoffs, Introduction scenes of the team of Seven, the visuals of the gunfight sequence, the casting of the characters.

Low Points: Lack of emotional elements as compared to Seven Samurai

Overall the magnificent seven is an evergreen tale retold. It brings back the lovely memories of watching cowboy adventures on screen. If you are able to not compare it with Seven Samurai you would enjoy it better.

Worth a Watch

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

Iru Mugan Review

Iru Mugan Review – Iru Mugan is a Tamil action thriller released in 2016. Akhilan is a former RAW agent who has lost his wife Meera during one of the undercover operation to nail down a terrorist known by name Love. Years later when an old man attacks the Indian Embassy in Malaysia, Akhilan had to be called back to investigate as the tattoo on the old man’s neck indicates that Love might be alive.

Director Anand Shankar comes up with another thriller after his first outing with Vikram Prabhu in Arima Nambi. This time, he has Vikram playing the protagonist. Vikram has scope to exhibit his acting skills playing both the angel and the devil of the script. In particular, he has played the role of Love very well. If you are a fan of Vikram then you have a lot to cheer about this movie.  The only other notable performance is from Thambi Ramiah as some of his dialogues are rib tickler.  Apart from Vikram’s acting performance, there is much less to look forward in the movie.

The movie claims to be of the Sci-Fi genre and still uses sequences like people laughing uncontrollably when inhaling Nitrous Oxide is a mockery. Malaysian police take the brunt which usually is borne by the Tamil Nadu police of making the dumbest moves. It is high time Tamil films move out of such tactics and build something that is much more comprehensible.

Nayantara and Nithya Menen are not just eye candy and have a much larger role to play. But again their characters lack depth. The way Nithya Menen discover clues appear amateurish.

High Points: Vikram’s performance as Love,  Thambi Ramiah’s comedy

Low Points: Very superfluous screenplay, use of  some illogical stuff like the laughing gas sequence in a film that claims to be in Sci-Fi genre, the sequence of Peter’s factory

Overall Iru Mugan doesn’t make you bored nor does it sweep you off your feet.  If you are able to forget and forgive the lack of depth in the screenplay you would like this. You can watch this when played on TV.

Wait for DVD/TV

Action, Crime, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Kabali Review

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Kabali Review – Kabali is a Tamil gangster drama released in 2016. Kabali a gangster leading the Tamil group in Malaysia is released from prison after 25 years due to a crime scene where he lost his pregnant wife. As he sets to seek revenge on his enemies he learns his wife might be still alive.

Probably this Rajnikanth movie had a much greater hype than any of his previous movies. I decided not to watch it on the first day for multiple reasons, one with so much of overhype I wasn’t sure if I could write a balanced review. The other reason was Ranjith and Rajini had mentioned this would not be a usual Rajini movie and the most recent posters depicting Rajini in an emotional avatar I did not want to miss out the intensity lost when I watch it as an ardent fan of Thalaivar.

As expected the movie is definitely apart from standard Rajini movies. Still they couldn’t do away with some of the scenes that happen to be typical template of a Rajini starrer. The first 20 minutes of the movie gives what the audience need at the same time helps in moving the plot forward. Rajini’s costume, the style of his walk, the swag has come out very well and there is plenty to cheer about. As the movie progresses the plot gets grim and eventually turns into an emotional drama till getting back to the Gangster life. I enjoyed the gangster part of the flick for many reasons. I felt there was a deep influence of Scarface and it could become a cult classic. I did not like the emotional journey of Kabali and felt it was added just as a filler and did not move the story forward infact the emotional journey made his purpose of revenge more weaker. If you have watched the movie you would understand.

Kudos to Ranjith and team for pulling out a movie which had more chance for Rajini as an actor.  Radhika Apte, Dhansika, Dinesh, Kishore have supported well.

High Points: Rajini’s acting, his Swag, intense drama in the screenplay, Background Score, Flashback portions, Malaysian culture has been depicted well.

Low Points: The emotional Journey of Kabali did not help the plot much, Songs could have been better.

Overall Kabali is charismatic to hold you to your seats and keep you intense till the end. The minor plot holes could be easily forgotten when seeing the entire package. Ghost of Baasha would always haunt Rajini and his directors and we can’t do much about it. Only way to break this is to create movies like Kabali and Endhiran to bring out the actor in Rajinikanth. Go and watch in the theaters.

Worth a Watch

Action, Comedy, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Action Hero Biju Review

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Action Hero Biju Review – Action Hero Biju is a Malayalam drama film released in 2016. The story revolves around the daily life of a local town sub-inspector in Kerala.

The movies title and trailer are a bit misleading for it to be a typical commercial cop drama. However the tagline “A ride with a police officer” is a more apt title. Nivin Pauly had switched gears after the blockbuster Premam to do a realistic cop drama. The word realistic is key because the movie is very simple and revolves around the day to day life of a cop. After watching the movie for 140 minutes you get a feeling of having been a spectator in a police station. You see the police officer trying to resolve the cases, adamant to not to submit before power, deal with emotional situations with a straight face as it is a routine, enjoy the music played by a convict. The conflicts are not dramatic like any other movie. Barring the last fight sequence, the movie is a sincere attempt to pay tribute to the cops.

The best part of the movie is the screenplay. It is almost like a theater where the next set of characters arrive to perform on the stage once the previous ones are done. Here the police station is like a stage. You see a plethora of characters including a local drug dealer, a stalker, a nuisance creator in public, a separated couple, a human right activist, a spoilt rich man to mention a few. Each of the characters adds an interesting facet to the narration. In many parts, you see parallel tracks going on a different case and each of them gets a logical resolution. The start of the movie creates the necessary suspense needed to glue the audience to the seat.

High Points: A sincere screenplay without any frills, Nivin Pauly’s performance as sub-inspector Biju, character sketches in various cases.

Low Points: I want to leave this blank to laud the effort of an honest film.

Overall Action Hero Biju is a movie for all movie buffs. The makers have proved how you can make an interesting movie without falling into the fray of items forced in for commercial reasons. I would recommend this to be a Must watch for the sincere script.

Must Watch

Action, Can Skip it, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller

Ko 2 Review

Ko 2 Review – Ko 2 is a Tamil political thriller released in 2016. Kumaran kidnaps the chief minister f the state. His demands are very peculiar in nature to begin with.

Making it a sequel to Ko seems to  be an after thought. They seem to have introduced some subtle references in the background. Apart from this there is absolutely no connect between the two. Bobby Simha has struggled to carry forward an already sluggish screenplay. Prakash raj and Nasser have very limited scope in the movie.

The serious scenes in the movie look comical while the comedy portions make you serious. The movie starts with an interesting premise but falls into the trap of creating a justification so strong to connect with the audience. The justification given is not connected to the initial premise of the movie and there is absolutely no foreshadowing on what the audience are supposed to expect. In the end, the movie that should have created a social impact ends up being a tale of personal vengeance.

The old Tamil movies Paalam starring Murali and Director Cheran’s Desiyageetham has been built on the same premise and were engaging throughout. The reason is their screenplay stayed core to the plot and the connect between the protagonists’ cause and the audience had been established well. Ko 2 fails to do that.

High points: The only high point of the movie has been the initial premise.

Low points: The screenplay is too loose and sways too much. Lack of utilization of Prakashraj and Nasser. Lack of proper research on the subject and no connect with the audience.

Overall I felt this might have been the movie Karthik (played by Siddarth) in Jigarthanda was making where Assault Kumar becomes Azhuguni Kumar.  Bobby Simha’s character’s demand to the abducted chief minister seems like “Teacher avan en pencila thirudeetaan” tone.

Can Skip it