Category Archives: Must Watch

Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies, Thriller

I Review

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I Review – I is a Tamil romantic thriller released in 2015. A deformed, ugly looking man kidnaps a top advertising model on her wedding day and keeps her as a hostage in an unknown location. To her surprise he gets her favorite food and favorite clothes. Who is he why has he kidnapped her is the plot of I.

I is a show that is dominated heavily by Vikram’s brilliant performance and Shankar’s imagination. It is not a usual Shankar’s movie you would see. It has a different treatment than rest of his films. The first half in particular is more on the romance side and the second half is a thriller. Vikram has completely transformed himself for the three different phases of the movie. He has given his heart and soul for the movie. Be it the happy go lucky body builder, the remo-ish looking model or the hunch pack character he has fit in the bill of all these with ease and you would enjoy his performance throughout. Amy Jackson looks so beautiful in every frame and of course she has tried acting. The length of the movie is 189 minutes long which is definitely a negative point for the movie. The sequences in China in particular are very dragging and monotonous. Apart from PC Sreeram’s camera capturing the beauty of China there is nothing much to look forward to in this part. Probably this where Shankar might have missed Sujata to a great extent, the duo had created so many entertaining first halves. Around the interval phase the movie picks up momentum and from here on it transforms itself into what we call a Shankar’s movie. You would understand this once you see the movie.

High Points: Vikram’s performance and the struggle he had gone through in shaping himself for the roles is commendable and as he transforms there is a huge applause from the audience, Shankar’s imagination is outstanding the way he has structured the scenes, visuals and emotions are brilliant. He has literally taken a character that everyone would hate for its look and transformed into something the audience would cheer for, Songs are pleasant to watch with Ennodu Nee Irundhaal being the epitome of all of them, Stunt choreography is done very well as with any other Shankar’s movies. A R Rahman’s score fits well for the story.

Low Points: The length of the movie, the drag in the portions shot in China

Overall I may not be a path breaker in Indian Cinema but an effort that would be laudable for the performance, direction and visual effects. If you go with an very open mind you would enjoy it. I is beauty in acting, beauty in direction, beauty in visuals, beauty in music and a beauty in films.

Must Watch –Go for it

 

Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Romance, Short Films

Unakae Uyiraanaen Short Film Review

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Unakae Uyiraanaen Short Film Review – Unakae Uyiraanen is a Tamil Short film directed by Surrya M. Narayanan released in 2014. Krishnan and Diana at their 60 recollect the sweet memories of their deep love.

The film is an emotional essay of true love through the lives of Krishnan and Diana. Love is immortal is a message that had been dealt in movies for many years. The situation, characters and the treatment makes it special. Director Surrya and his team have conveyed this through the memoirs of Krishnan and Diana at their advanced years. Usually old age is considered to be the one where self-actualization occurs. There are many things that might have changed but love remains unchanged.

Delhi Ganesh is a good choice to play the character of Krishnan. It is completely his show as he effortlessly slips into any emotional state and adapt his body language accordingly. Patricia Tanner too fits in the role well.

The high point of the short film is that it is just made with two characters and no others. Symbolizes the fact that for two people emotionally connected by love the world is almost non-existent. It is very effective. There are good punches in certain portions of the dialogues that would connect well with the audience. The cinematography and the background score is a big plus for the film.

If at all I have to pick an area where there is room for improvement is on lengthier dialogues which drags a bit on occasions. Compared to the whole output this is very minor.

Overall Unnakae Uyiraanaen is a refreshing short film that will emotionally connect with you and make you fall in love all over again. My hearty congratulations to Surrya and his team for making a short and sweet episode of love and wish them luck for their future projects.

You could watch the full movie in the video link below.

 

Must Watch – Watch this now

 

 

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

Ip Man Review

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Ip Man Review – Ip Man is a semi biographical Hong Kong film released in 2008. The film is loosely based on the life of Yip Man a grand master of the martial art Wing Chun.  Yip Man also had been the mentor of the Kung Fu Legend Bruce Lee.

The film covers the events of Yip Man’s life between 1930 and 1940. This was the period of the Sino Japanese war and China was undergoing a major struggle. Donnie Yen has performed brilliantly as Ip Man. His stunt moves are great watch. Overall the stunt choreography of the film is done very well. If you are a fan of martial arts movies you would love this. The story has given more importance to martial arts and how it was perceived by many after the era of Shaolin temples. The art was fading away and people knowing only the art were still not seen as responsible compared to a business man. This is seen in many occasions in the film where one of his friend says he had been thinking for what use is the martial arts and also at one point Ip Man himself says he just know martial arts and no work. The film also glorifies Chinese martial arts which teach compassion and not punishing people unduly. The first half of the film deals with the culture of the city of Foshan which is a martial arts hub in Southern China. The second half has a strong contrast where in life becomes difficult after the invasion of the Japanese. The characterization and buildup of Ip Man is done very well and your respect and awe for him grows as the movie progresses. The scene in which he enters the martial arts training ring of Japanese soldiers and tells he would fight ten people is a high point in the movie. Credit goes to Director Wilson Yip for creating a story that is compelling. Lot of creative liberties has been taken to make the movie dramatic and it has worked well.

Overall if you love martial arts movies this one is a must watch for you.

Must Watch – for all martial arts fans

English Movies, Genre, Guest Post, Guest Reviews, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, SciFi

Guest Review: Interstellar

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Guest Review: Interstellar

This review of Interstellar is a guest review by one of my friends Amar Singh. 

About the Guest Author:  Amar Singh is a 
Research Scholar from Department of English, BHU
Working with Prof. Anita Singh on the topic titled, “Hyperrealism and Christopher Nolan’s Cinematic Texts.”

“A real magician tries to invent something new, that other magicians are gonna scratch their heads over.”

This line said by Alfred Borden (played by Christian Bale) in The Prestige (2006) pretty much sums up what the brand Christopher Nolan is all about. His new instalment, Interstellar, is now in the theatres and man o man, what a ride it is! If one has to capsule the story of Interstellar, it would read something like this; this is basically the story of Cooper and his bond with his daughter Murph that surpasses the limits of the universe. The plot of the movie has been based in the future where the climate of earth is deteriorating at a rapid pace. The only chance for human beings to survive is to find a new abode in some other galaxy where they can start life afresh. This daunting task is laid upon Cooper, to pilot the spaceship Endurance, which will go through a warmhole discovered near Saturn and hunt for a new earth. But the story is not as simple as it reads. There are so many elements, so many concepts that Nolan has introduced (and that is what we expect from a director who has made Memento and Inception): theory of relativity, warmhole, blackhole, time and gravity as other dimensions, and so on; that it becomes an uneasy and adventurous ride for us as it is for Cooper and his crew. But behind all these heavy concepts, there is the strong emotion of love that becomes the main thrust of this movie.

If one goes through Nolan’s movies from the beginning, there is a gradual development of an enlightening process of his protagonists that one can trace in his films, which is directly proportional to his advancement as a director. He is one of the brightest students of cinema who is trying to learn new lessons with every movie he is making. And one thing that has become his signature style is the way he is obsessed with the concept of time and how it affects us on different levels and how we fit ourselves in its not-so-linear movement. In Interstellar, he has gone way ahead of his previous movies in dealing with such high concepts which one has to brainstorm with repeated viewings to understand them. And I have not even talked about the visuals yet. Oh, what an experience it was! If there are flaws in the movie (there are a few), all of them will be subsided with the grandiose of the visuals. Just invest yourself in his world; you will come out with a never felt before riveting experience.

In the movie, when Cooper is dropped into a fifth dimension from where he gains access to time and gravity as physical entity, which he uses further to convey messages to his daughter, the very scene becomes so intense and emotional that one can go through the psyche of Nolan himself. The concept of filmmakers as someone who have an access to parallel times (which they gain through their camera) have been repeated quite a few times in different movies (Hugo and Inception are among such examples), but this movie becomes so personal for Nolan that in that very scene, we can see the struggle of a maker to look for and give directions to his greatest creation, his daughter, so that she may be safe and secure.

If you love cinema, go watch Interstellar. Whether you’ll like it or hate it, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you will remember the experience for days and will indulge in the dialogues related with this movie. This is where cinema comes at its best, and this is what we call a true cinematic experience.

Classic, Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Ek Ruka Hua Faisla Review

Ek Ruka Hua Faisla Review – is a Hindi drama released in 1986. This is the remake of the American Drama 12 Angry Men released in 1957. 12 men in the Jury have to come to a unanimous decision for the verdict of a criminal trial. All of them find the accused to be guilty but for one person in the room who wants to talk it through before taking a decision. The rest of the movie is on if they are able to build consensus on the verdict they are going to arrive at.

What can you do better in a remake movie whose original is perfectly made? You would need to make it exactly the same way. Director Basu Chatterjee has done the same thing in Ek Ruka Hua Faisla. It is a remake of 12 Angry men. Although Jury duty is not in our judicial system the movie dives into the conversation of 12 different men who talk about a murder case without actually dwelling into the reason of why they were chosen to discuss it. Also the dialogues for most part the exact replica of the original. It’s not easy to be so convinced with the script of someone else when making your own. Kudos should go to the team for doing this.
The original is in black and white which even made the discussion and acting more compelling. With colors you have more distractions on the screen. The director has used some well-trained actors to make the movie very engaging. It starts on a very slow note but few minutes into the plot it demands for your undivided attention. The performance of Pankaj Kapoor is of top notch. He is a great actor I always admire who could literally fit into any shoes with so much ease. He dominates the entire proceeding. A few deviations from the original movie do exist for instance the hot weather and lack of fan was not talked about as a major issue and also the movie showed some clippings of the crime scene and court hearings. I believe the director had to do this to suit to Indian audience. Culturally we are used to adjusting with what we have and hence the fan not working is not seen as a great issue. Also he was not very confident about the viewer’s intelligence which made him to include those exterior clippings as required.

Overall Ek Ruka Hua Faisla is a gem of a movie in Indian Cinema and is a must watch.

Must Watch

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

12 Angry Men Review

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12 Angry Men Review – 12 Angry Men is an American drama released in 1957. 12 men in the Jury have to come to a unanimous decision for the verdict of a criminal trial. All of them find the accused to be guilty but for one person in the room who wants to talk it through before taking a decision. The rest of the movie is on if they are able to build consensus on the verdict they are going to arrive at.

The movie is an adaptation from a teleplay done by Reginald Rose who had co-produced this movie. Director Sidney Lumet had made this movie predominantly in a single set which is the Jury room. There are very few scenes which covers any other location than the Jury room. Although the entire movie is in a Jury room and is very dialog oriented still the movie has a gripping 96 minutes. It is as equal as any racy thriller.

The discussion is happening on a very hot afternoon in the New York City caused due to depression. The fan in the room is not working and the group is having a heated argument and actually sweating it out. As the movie travels it reaches a point when the whole atmosphere is gloomy and then there is light and then there is wind. The use of atmosphere as a metaphor for the high points in the discussion is brilliant. Even the position and stance of the 12 men is neatly coordinated and at any frame you would realize the level of involvement, consensus and agreement they have with the ongoing topic. The names of the men in the Jury is not revealed to us and only in the end there is a scene where you get to know the names of two of the men which then becomes irrelevant. The characterization of the 12 men is done very well. There are men who are not so sure of what they want, there are men with strong opinions and there are men who want to just get this out of the way so that they can attend to what they had planned for the day. The verdict is also quite serious involving death sentence or the release of the person who is accused.

This is a movie that every movie buff should watch for the sheer brilliance of the plot, characterization, props, acting and the dialogues.

Must Watch

Action, Classic, Drama, Epic, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Thalapathi Review

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Thalapathi Review – Thalapathi is a Tamil action drama released in 1991. The movie is an adapted version of the mighty king and warrior Karna from the great Indian epic Mahabharata. Surya born as an illegitimate child is abandoned by his Mom and left on a basket in a goods train. He is then raised by lower caste people living by a river side. He grows up to become a loyal friend and henchman for gangster Devaraj. Both of them run parallel government in the city while the lawmen await an opportunity to take them down.

Diwali of 1991 is unforgettable for me. I was down with flu and was sad for not able to go out to watch the much awaited release of Thalapthi which went on to become a cult classic and a blockbuster. The movie’s release expectations soared sky high with Director Maniratnam and Rajinikanth coming together for the first time. Popular actors like Mamooty and Amrish Puri sharing screen space.  The soundtrack of the movie was already a super duper hit with the Ilayaraja’s violin orchestra starting off the ever famous “Raakamma Kaya Thattu” song which later went onto become the 4th most popular songs of all time in a BBC worldwide service poll across the world. The ticket reservations began a week ahead of the release and the tickets for the first time I had seen did not look like a movie ticket but looked like a mini poster with Rajinikanth and Sonu walia’s dancing still. Finally once I got well I couldn’t wait but rushed to the theater to watch movie which was already declared to be a hit with repeat audience thronging the theaters.

Director Maniratnam is a brilliant story teller. He has taken the story of Karna and made it into a cult classic. Although the movie has been told so many times as part of the epic but still Thalapathi was a very compelling watch for the screenplay, the treatment, acting performances, star cast, music, cinematography and direction. Everything was set so perfectly for this movie that made it an evergreen hit. For the first time the Tamil audience saw a very different performance from Rajinikanth. Although the story had much of the commercial elements that you would want in a Rajini movie, this one had everything in a very convincing fashion and the scenes brought out various emotions from Rajini. Be it fighting with rage, shouting out emotionally to his girlfriend, caring for his best friend, melting for his mother’s love Maniratnam got the best out of Rajinikanth after K.Balachander. He rediscovered the actor who was lost in the color of commercial cinema. The dialogues of the movie are of top notch. The sequence where there is meeting between the collector, SP, Devaraj and Surya is impact full with circular tracking shot. The movie released in 70mm which made everything on the screen look magnificent. There is never a dull moment in the movie.

Overall the movie is a feast for all movie lovers and still stands the test of time.

Must Watch – Epic

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

The Thieves Review

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The Thieves Review – The Thieves is a South Korean heist movie released in 2012. A group of thieves come together in Macau to rob one of the most precious jewelry from a Casino.

Before I review this let me get a perception out of the way. The poster and the plot involving casino would remind you of the Hollywood blockbuster Ocean’s Eleven.  But this one according to me is manifold of the Hollywood movie.  This one is lot different. Imagine if Ocean’s team did not work for Ocean and every one of them had an individual plan. Sounds complicated right… then that is The Thieves for you. Anything more I say here would become a spoiler.

Now that the perception is out of the way let me cover the review of the movie. The movie has a star studded cast. Even though I haven’t watched a lot of Korean movies the entire screen looks sparkling with all the cast. The movie is very stylish as it goes with any heist movie. As I had mentioned the plot is very complicated. As the movie progresses the knots get even more complicated and until the end you keep guessing as to what would happen. Almost every scene of the movie would spring upon a surprise to you. There is a sequence in which two of the thieves try to steal the access key from the manager. They plan that the lady would seduce the manager and the guy would steal the card. But it turns out the manager is gay and shows interest in the guy. It is hilarious and brilliant screenplay. So is the entire flavor of the movie. Director Choi hong-don should be credited for the brilliant screenplay and how he has managed to make this with a large ensemble of cast. The climax fight scene on the ropes around the hotel is a treat to watch. Although the entire fight sequence is close to 15 minutes long it is still very enjoyable. Kim Yeon-seok has delivered a very nice performance. So are the other actors.

The way every character is built up is enjoyable to watch. It is not an easy job to create a screenplay with so many characters and have unique voice for each of them.

Overall this one would top the list of my favorite heist movies. If you are a fan of heist movies then this one would be a treat for you.

Must Watch

You might also like:    Now You See Me  | American Hustle

 

Action, Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Madras

Madras – is a Tamil political action drama released in 2014. Maari and Kannan are rival political party leaders. Kannan’s party has a big painting of Kannan’s father and his political party on a wall in the middle of Maari’s locality. In the pretext of bad omen no one is daring to change the wall painting. Anbu the dedicated party worker of Maari’s party along with his friend Kaali is waiting for an occasion to change the wall painting.

Right from the first shot I enjoyed everything about this movie. After some really bad outings for Karthi, Madras is a very welcome change. After Attakathi, Director Pa. Ranjith has created a very engaging commercial drama. The movie doesn’t go much outside of the North Madras housing board for its entire length but for a few shots. The first half of the movie is just brilliant. If you have lived in a housing board this would bring back some nostalgic memories. The director has dealt with most of the walks of a lower middle class life like the small houses, getting water from common pipe, lack of space for intimacy between couples, young men proposing to girls, football ground, dance groups and many more. One of the most striking things is how the characters are built. At the end they all have a part to play in the story. There are so many of them yet they all have their unique tone and voice. The use of wall as a metaphor to drive the social message of current state of power and politics is brilliant. The screenplay is engaging throughout. It just slacks down a bit in the middle of the second half but soon gets back on track. Santhosh Narayanan’s background score is apt for the drama. Madras is a welcome change in the times where all leading heroes’ movies are not doing so well. If you like political drama and gang fights go and watch Madras for sure.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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