Category Archives: Genre

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

Sigaram Thodu

Sigaram Thodu – is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. Murali fakes his interest in becoming a police officer just to keep his father happy. When his father is attacked brutally by robbers he has to step up to take the police duty to bring the dark forces to light.

Vikram Prabhu is becoming synonymous with action thriller. After his debut movie Kumki he has done back to back action thriller movies Ivan Veramathiri and Arima Nambi. Sigaram Thodu joins the list. Vikram Prabhu’s physique is well suited for action thrillers. However this one does not create the impact like his previous outings. Director Gaurav has just managed to push the bar a little higher than many of the crime dramas you would see on television. The story itself is very small and does not deserve the length it has. One of the weakest points in the story is the villain. The significance of a hero’s purpose is directly proportional to the gruesomeness of the villains. The villains look very weak in front of Vikram Prabhu’s character and it looks like a easy cake walk for him to get them defeated. The element of suspense is broken much earlier in the movie and fails to hold you onto the seat.

Overall this one is an average action drama which can be watched at home for its few engaging parts.

Wait for DVD/TV

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

How Old Are You

How Old Are You – is a Malayalam coming of age drama released in 2014. Nirupama Rajeev an ordinary stereotypical wife, a mother from a middle class family is losing her identity within her family and then the society. She has to turn her low point around to establish her identity back.

This one is a nicely crafted coming of age movie for a wife, a mother of thirteen year old in a middle class family. Director Roshann Andrews also has used the importance organic food produce and how every household can achieve this right on their terrace as a backdrop for the movie. Particularly after his success of Mumbai police this one is a very different subject and equally very appealing. The use of foreshadowing  sequence where in the lead actress is in a traffic block waiting for the president’s convoy to pass by is very effective. Manju Warrier has done an excellent job with her role and is a very fitting choice. Overall this one does not have a single dull moment and engages throughout.

Watchable

Action, Drama, Genre

Irumbu Kuthirai

Irumbu Kuthirai – is a Tamil action film released in 2014. Prithvi becomes very quiet and disinterested after his father’s death. He meets a beautiful girl Samyukta and falls in love with her but to win her heart he would need to come out of the shell and take up motor biking he dreads to do.

The first trailer of the movie was very impressive and captures one of the best shot sequences. Apart from that there is nothing much left. Right from the start you see the hero riding the bike slow until the climax sequence. The screenplay is also follows this and overall makes this a very tiring watch. The bike chase sequence has been filmed well and lot of efforts has gone in. However the situations surrounding this are not very interesting. If the movie had focused on its core theme of bikes and bike races rather than romance and all song and dance this would have been an interesting product. Overall it is a slow race.

Lousy Watch 

Can Skip it, Comedy, Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Romance

Khoobsurat

Khoobsurat – is a Hindi romance drama released in 2014. A fun loving and spontaneous physiotherapist is invited into a highly disciplined and a highly formal royal family to treat King’s paralyzed legs.

Disney princess stories no matter how many times it has been told is an evergreen success formula. But Khoobsurat has taken the fairy tale and made a below average Bollywood romance drama.  They had tried to adapt the 1980’s Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film for this romance drama.  Kirron Kher plays the role of Sonam’s mother, Manju; if you remember Rekha played the character of Manju a young fun loving girl in the 1980 movie. Were they trying bring in  connect back? The platform for a nice princess story had been set very well, choosing Jaipur as a backdrop is an excellent choice but the screenplay gets derailed in the first 20 minutes of the movie and the writers seem to have run out of ideas and they started to adapt sequences from many Hollywood romance dramas to fill the rest of the movie. The characterizations are weak; they seem to run out of breath very quickly. Sonam Kapoor looks cute and pretty but when it comes to acting her expressions are between A and B.

Quickgun Murugan seems to be a much better outing for Shashanka Gosh compared to this one. You can give this one a skip.

Can Skip it

Crime, Genre, Korean Movies, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, Worth a Watch

I Saw The Devil

I Saw The Devil – is a South Korean psychological thriller released in 2010. A psycho serial killer Kyung-chul kills the fiancé of a secret service agent Soo-hyun. Soo-hyun takes a painful revenge on Kyung-chul by injuring him and then let him get treated to get well and then again injuring him.

The film is strictly for those who can with stand gory movies and is not suitable for kids. The movie is shot boldly with very explicit violent scenes. Director Kim Jee-Woon has given a different genre of movie after his star studded The Good The Bad The Weird. Choi Min-sik has performed the role of a psycho killer very well and is very scary. Lee Byung-hun is very convincing as a secret agent out to take revenge. The scene where he sees the body of his fiancé and tries to control his emotion is a notable performance. He has maintained the mood throughout as he is on the run to chase the killer. He is good at playing negative shade character and as this character has the negative shade it had aptly fitted him very well.

The recent Bollywood movie Ek Villain is very similar to this plot. Although the makers have denied that it was adapted from this.  There are lot similarities between the two although the Bollywood version is a mellowed down version of this movie. The Bollywood version goes into giving a reason for the serial killing which is not there in this movie.

Watchable – for psychological thriller fans

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

The Good The Bad The Weird

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The Good The Bad The Weird – is a South Korean western style cowboy adventure drama released in 2008. A bounty hunter, a bandit and a thief are after a treasure map in the 1930s Manchuria.

The foremost thing that strikes you in the movie is the ensemble of popular star cast. Director Kim Jee-woon has given a star-studded movie which in every way keeps the audience glued onto their seats throughout. Song Kang-ho in the role of the Weird is outstanding in his performance. Lee Byung-hun and Jung Woo-sung have also done their roles very well. Although the movie is adapted from many western cow boy movies it still has many elements of a Korean movie which makes it unique in its own way. There are two high points in the movie the initial train robbery sequence, what an ecstatic experience it would have been to see the stars in action on a big screen. The other one is the 15 minute long chase and fight sequence on the desert of Manchuria. The stunt choreography is absolutely stunning. The movie does have a very interesting climax. If you are fan of adventure drama this one is a must watch.

Must Watch

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

Finding Fanny

Finding Fanny – is a bilingual (Hindi and English) movie released in 2014. In a small Goan village Pocolim, the old post master Ferdie receives an undelivered letter which he had written 46 years ago to Fanny proposing to her. Ferdie embarks on a roadtrip along with a young widow, her obnoxious mother in law, an old painter who is looking for inspiration for his last painting and an egoistic mechanic go to find Fanny and convey his love for her.

After the commercial outing with Cocktail, director Homi Adajania is back to his home turf creating a off-beat cinema with an ensemble of popular star cast. The movie does not have any strings attached. You should watch it for what it is. None of the situations are dramatized nor dragged to evoke emotions. There is subtle and intelligent humor one would enjoy (if you like such humor). Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapoor dominate the screen. Deepika looks so lovely, simple and beautiful like the script itself. Dimple Kapadia has done a very interesting character like the one she did in Being Cyrus. The characters based on Goan Catholics gives a very fresh look to the movie.
The movie is a road movie with some dysfunctional people who through their journey rediscover love. Although there is a slight slowness in the script post the interval it makes up for it in the end. You would walk out of the movie hall with a smile on your face. This movie may not appeal to everyone. If you love movies like Little Miss Sunshine then you would like this movie as well.

Watchable 

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

Amara Kaaviyam

Amara Kaaviyam – is a Tamil romance drama released in 2014. A high school student Sathya meets his classmate Karthiga and conveys that his friend Balaji is in love with her, but Karthiga tells him that she is in love with Sathya and not Balaji. They fall in love with each other but when their families come to know about this they try to keep them away from each other.

There was an era in the early 80’s in Tamil Cinema when there were movies based on teenage love story. Movies like Alaigal Oivathillai, Paneer Pushpangal, Kilinjalgal became block buster hit. Director Jeeva Shankar has tried to reproduce the magic of that era in Amara Kaaviyam. He had used the 80’s period to convey the movie as well. The first half of the movie seemed like modern version of Paneer Pushpangal for me. However the second half turns into an emotional melodrama ultimately leading to the climax which is much different from those movies. The first half of the movie is very engaging but the second half falters a bit with a sudden shift in the behavior of the lead character. I felt like his role having shades of the lead protagonist from the director’s previous outing Naan.

The new comer Sathya has acted well in parts of the movie. The credit goes to the director. Jeeva Shankar’s cinematography and Ghibran’s music are great plus for the movie. Each shot is like a painting on a canvas. The pace of the movie is a big drawback for the movie. As the movie is headed to its climax you would be able to predict what is going to happen next. A little bit of increased pace in the screenplay and maintaining the suspense a bit tighter would have made this one a very compelling watch.

If you had liked the teen love stories like the ones I had mentioned before then you might enjoy watching this or else you would be waiting for the movie to get over.

Watchable – for all those who love 80’s movies based on love at adolescence

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

Scarface

Scarface – is an American crime drama released in 1983. Tony Montana, a criminal in Cuba arrives to the United States along with the Cuban refugees. He becomes part of a criminal gang and rises to power due to his arrogant, aggressive and brutal attitude.

Although the movie has been shot in 1983 it is still one of the best gangster movies. Right from the start till the finish you see street fights, gang wars and shootouts. Al Pacino has set a great role model for any gangster role in movies that would be made. Many of Indian gangster movies have been influenced by this one. The recent one is Billa 2 starring Ajith. As the movie progresses you could see a remarkable transition in Al Pacino’s character, mannerisms and style. All these have become iconic now. If you love gangster movies this one is a must watch. Strictly not for kids for the violence it has.

Must Watch

Biopic, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Mary Kom

Mary Kom – is a Hindi sports biopic  on world boxing champion Mary Kom released in 2014. The movie revolves around Mary Kom’s journey from a small Village in Manipur to become five times world boxing champion even after being a mother of two kids.

When I came out of the theater watching Bhaag Milkha Bhaag I wished the trend of biopics to continue in India. Mary Kom is a wish come true for me and it’s encouraging for Indian Cinema. Hope this continues. Omung Kumar who had been Art Director for movies like Saawariya has turned into a director for Mary Kom. He has given a very inspiring and visually pleasing movie. The movie stays true and honest to the plot. As you see Mary Kom punch in the ring you get goosebumps. Priyanka Chopra has given everything for the character and has done true justice to the struggle Mary Kom has gone through. The good part about the screen play is the way in which other characters are built like her husband, her parents, her coach, the officer in the federation and the street fighter she takes on. It is an irony that the amount of sponsors for the Mary Kom movie are far more than the sponsors who would have endorsed her as she was winning world championships. Hope there is a healthy change in the system soon which can nurture more champions.

Overall the movie Mary Kom would inspire you, move you emotionally, create adrenaline rush and give you goose bumps. It is a Must Watch in the theaters and if you have kids take them to see Mary Kom.

Must Watch

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

Irukku Aana Illai

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.

Wait for DVD/TV

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

The Man from Nowhere

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.

Must Watch