Category Archives: Rating

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

Jurassic World Review

Jurassic World Review – Jurassic World is an American science fiction adventure movie released in 2015. The movie is a sequel to the franchise of Jurassic Park. After 22 years of the incidents in the island of Jurassic Park there is a new theme park created with genetically altered dinosaurs. Things go awry when the newly created predator Indominous Rex breaks free into the wild.

The movie of dinosaurs releasing after 22 years made it very special for this movie. Many of us who have seen the first installment had nostalgic moment of going to this movie. When Jurassic Park was released it was almost considered, as a sin for not have watched the movie. Although Jurassic World did not create the peer pressure but still drew people by recreating the nostalgic memories of seeing dinosaurs on big screen.

Jurassic World has the chills and thrills that you expect from the movie. Although it can never match up with the first one due to the fact that we have already seen dinosaurs on screen, still it is successful in recreating the magic world much bigger and fancier this time. The movie’s money shot is the sequence in which the biker drives alongside running Velociraptors.

Jurassic World Bike sequence with Velociraptors
Jurassic World Bike sequence with Velociraptors

It is said that Steven Spielberg wanted to create this scene in the new installment of the movie, which was originally in the Lost World book but he could not add it to the movie. The end output had worked very well.

Director Colin Trevorrow should applauded for recreating the magic of Jurassic Park all of us have enjoyed in the past. The imagination of a theme park has gone wild and the sequences are visually very appealing. It is also great to see Irrfan Khan having a substantial role in this compared to his role in The Amazing Spiderman.

It is really unfair to compare this with the first one then you may not enjoy it very much. Go with an open mind and get enticed with the visuals you see on screen. If you have kids take them along with you they would enjoy this a lot.

Must Watch

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

Uttama Villain Review

Uttama Villain Review – Uttama Villain is a Tamil comedy drama released in 2015. Manoranjan is a leading actor in the film industry and takes everything in his life for granted. When he learns he is suffering from brain tumor and will die soon he tries to set everything in his dysfunctional life.

Well many of you might have already seen the movie. And it did not get great reviews across from the box office. I liked whatever Uttama Villain had to offer. It is a very bold move by Kamal Hassan to act and produce such a movie. If you are expecting a commercial movie on the lines of Panchathanthiram, Sathi leelavathi and go in then you are in for a great disappointment. The movie is much different than many of the main stream cinemas you see today. If you are able to identify this difference then you would enjoy Uttama Villain. The most impressive part is the film within the film and the story narrated in it. It is very intelligent humor savored in the recipe of a fairy tale. If you set aside everything else in the movie this part alone is very much enjoyable. The performance of the artists in particular Kamal Hassan and Nasser is commendable. The movie draws a stark contrast of the actor’s real life and the reel life. The title is apt in this way, An idealistic hero and a role model for many on the silver screen (Uttaman) is in reality leading a dysfunctional life (hence Villain).  Although Kamal for the sake of the screenplay tries to explain the Villain term as “Toxophilite” (one his good at Archery, villalan), the deep meaning is very different. Kamal’s performance is very good and he does the characters with ease and a natural flair. The presence of K. Balachandar playing the role of a director is a master stroke and a fitting tribute to the Legend himself. As the movie shifts between the reel life and real life there is a strong contrast drawn at every shift. The fact that an immortal hero on screen is dragged into mortality in the real life is shown very well at every cut in the movie shoot. The movie does not carry any moral or social message but a pure drama exploring two ends of a spectrum. The art work for the sets and the make-up is a great plus for the movie. The dance sequence in the climax is made brilliantly.

Where the movie has failed to connect with the audience is the way it had been promoted and positioned. If Kamal Hassan had prepared the audience for a drama then it would have worked better. Kamal deserves applause for not falling into the trap of any stereotypical storyline. He has tried to explore the next level in cinema. Director Ramesh Aravind deserves a special mention for directing the movie so well.  Another item that would definitely catch your attention is the sound recording. It is so good and very immersive in nature. The hard work had paid off.

High Points: Kamal’s acting performance, Fairy tale storyline for the film within film, Experimental value, Sound recording and direction

Low Points:  Length of the movie is tad bit long, May not appeal to everyone, People expecting a slap stick comedy would be disappointed

Overall if you are in mood for a new wave cinema which explores different dimensions then you would love Uttama Villain. If you are looking for a commercial entertainer then this one is not for you.

Worth a Watch – only for lovers of new wave cinema

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

Romeo Juliet Review

Romeo Juliet Review – Romeo Juliet is a Tamil romantic comedy released in 2015. Aishwarya misunderstands Karthick to be a wealthy man and falls in love with him. When they decide to take their relationship to next level she realizes that he is not rich and breaks up with him. Will Karthick be able to win Aishwarya back is the plot of Romeo Juliet.

Producer turned director Lakshman has tried his hands with some tried and tested formula of romance. However the plot uniquely differentiates itself from the lead pairs being the ideal lovers to more self-centered people. When this was a welcome change in the plot, it quickly falls back into the trap of making them those ideal pair. The screenplay is very superfluous and does have a lot of flaws. What keeps the movie ticking is the music and those moments where few of the comedy sequences had worked and brings a laugh. Jayam Ravi has done a decent job in his role while Hansika’s acting chart varies like an ECG graph. The scenes are bit lengthy compared to how precise the modern day scene constructions have become.

When making romantic dramas one of the key things that the writers should pay attention to is the point of view from both male and the female characters. Many screenplay falls into the trap of skewing towards the point of view of just one character. Romeo Juliet is one such screenplay.

High Points: Uniqueness in the plot with self-centered people falling in love, music is a big positive for the movie.

Low Points: Very predictable screenplay, cheesy romantic sequences that had been done and dusted in many movies. It is high time for Tamil script writers to move away from naming their lead character in the romantic drama as “Karthik”.

Overall Romeo Juliet is an average affair that delivers only half of what it had promised to. It would entice people looking for a cheesy romantic drama. You might enjoy it watching this one when played on TV.

Wait for DVD/TV

Genre, Rating, Romance, Short Films, Worth a Watch

Haiku Nee Short Film Review

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Haiku Nee Short film Review – Haiku Nee is a Tamil short film released in 2015. Arjun and Ramya once connected with deep love have broken up few years ago. But still Arjun carries the love for Ramya in his heart and visits India from US with a hope of reuniting with Ramya again.

Thanks to Surrya for letting me watch this movie as I missed it when it was premiered.

The movie is from the team that made Unakkae Uyiranen. It is love based theme yet again and director Surrya Narayanan has a nice grip on portraying love on the screen. The visuals are very fresh, crisp and colorful. Like the previous outing they have managed with very minimal characters. As an audience you wish and hope they get together but things start going more awry and whatever you hoped for not to happen starts happening. This kind of keeps you engaged with the plot. As you see the film the brilliant visuals are sure to make a very good impact on you. In particular the love portion of the lead pairs has been taken very well and is aesthetically very appealing. The only point I was disconnected is the feedback scene between the coffee shop waiter and Arjun. Seemed bit out of place, a different context in the conversation could have helped much better.

High Points: Fresh visuals, Background score suited well for the narration, Screenplay is very crisp and bringing the entire story plot into a coffee shop is very good.

Low Points: I couldn’t stop comparing their last outing with seasoned actors versus new faces this time. They have given their best and I am sure with experience it would get better.

Overall Haiku Nee is yet another promising product from Surrya Narayanan and his team. Kudos and all the best to the team for a nice short film. I am expecting more genres to be explored by them in the future.

Watch the film here.

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

Masss or Massu engira Masilamani Review

Masss or Massu engira Masilamani Review – Masss is a Tamil supernatural thriller released in 2015. Masss alias Masilamani is a con man. While performing a con operation he and his friend meet with an accident and he starts seeing dead people from then on. He uses this to his benefit to perform more con operations.

It is an out and out Director Venkat Prabhu movie. I say this because post Saroja, Venkat Prabhu has been caught up with very stereotypical predictable, out and out masala movies that bank on the lead protagonist’s star value than any creativity in the story line. I still miss the engaging script, fresh creativity, comical timing he had created in Chennai 600028. Somewhere he has got into the mold of riding on the success of the jokes that had worked then. Excessive usage of same lines and comedy makes it just ordinary sequences. Also he would need to concentrate more on the dialogues. But for a few, most of the dialogues in the movie are very cliched. The only point in time I was very engaged with the script was during the interval block which had been executed well. Post that a lot of loop holes in the plot and continuity becomes a major distraction. A ghost is able to touch and move rods, wood but not able to touch money seems very odd. Many sequences in the movie would remind you of movies like Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Apoorva Sagodharargal. The main theme of the movie where the protagonist is able to see ghosts is very different and interesting but soon it becomes a 80’s revenge saga script spoiling all the uniqueness it tend to exhibit.

High Points – Difference in the theme for Tamil Cinema, Suriya’s presence, Interval block

Low Points – Repetitive sequences, illogical continuity, below average special effects

If you do not worry about logic and just want to pass time then Masss would not bore you. It is a movie that you could watch on TV when you don’t have anything else to do. On a lighter note, believing in ghosts might be far more realistic than believing in Venkat Prabhu’s movies 🙂

Wait for TV/DVD

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

Premam Review

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Premam Review – Premam is a Malayalam romantic comedy movie released in 2015. The plot revolves around the life of George living in Aluva, his love interests, his happiness, failure and transformation through various phases of life.

The movie is from the Neram team. Director Alphonse Putharen has delivered yet another interesting tale that would keep you engaged throughout. Premam does not follow the usual three act structure rather the entire screenplay is organized like a bouquet of pages from the diary of a person. You get to peek into the life of this person in 3 periods of time. The core theme of the movie is love and the factor that would connect the audience throughout the movie are those nostalgic moments that one could associate with. The director has used some extreme close up shots of the surroundings to give the feel for it. The director has also banked heavily on the star value of Nivin Pauly which he has gained since Neram. This has worked very well. Nivin Pauly has grown into a versatile actor. He could transform himself from a soft spoken, shy chocolate boy to a fearsome angry young man in jiffy. This is a major strength for the movie. Rajesh Murugesan has delivered yet again in the music department for the director. The editing is also done well in particular for the songs.

High Points: Nostalgic moments, Nivin Pauly’s performance, Editing and Cinematography, Comedy in the script and Of course love.

Low Points: The screenplay is tad bit longer for the content of the script. The second half gets a bit dragging before it gets back on track.

Overall you will fall in love with love (Premam) once again and watch it when it is in the theaters. Kudos to Alphonse Putharen and team for giving a light-hearted and breezy movie

Worth a Watch

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

Piku Review

Piku Review – Piku is a Hindi comedy drama film released in 2015. Piku is a 30 year old woman living in Delhi taking care of her father whose major complaint in life is about his constipation. Just like his constipation he doesn’t want to leave any of his legacies including not letting Piku getting married, while on the other hand Piku wants to let go of them. The only thing that glues them together is the love and affection they have towards each other despite their differences. The plot revolves around the road trip they decide to take to visit their old house in Kolkata.

Director Shoojit Sircar after his successful outings with Vicky Donor and Madras Café has taken a very light hearted comedy drama. The movie is simple and sweet. The movie solely banks on the performance of the lead actors. Amitabh has performed with a natural flair that you see Bhaskor and not Amitabh in every frame he appears. This would be one of the top notch performances of Deepika Padukone as well and would be a highlight in her acting career. Irrfan Khan is a nice addition to the cast that he adds more strength to the performances of the cast. The screenplay itself is very light hearted and subtle. What could be an elaborate melodrama in any other movie has been handled with ease and keeps the lighthearted tone throughout.

High Points: Performance of Amitabh and Deepika, Light hearted screenplay, comedy sequences

Low Points: As a screenplay there is no strong establishment of conflict in the plot

Overall the movie is scripted like a view through window into the slice of time in Piku’s life. It is scripted well to keep you engaged and happy throughout the movie. Go and watch Piku for the performances of the lead cast.

Watchable

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

Enakkul Oruvan Review

Enakkul Oruvan Review – Enakkul Oruvan is a Tamil psychological thriller released in 2015. Vicky is an insomniac, working as an Usher in a movie hall. Vicky comes across a drug dealer who sells him a new drug Lucia that would enable him to sleep with a caution that he would start living a double life in his dream. Vicky takes the drug and starts living the life of a celebrity in his dreams but soon things take unexpected turns.

This is the remake of the Kannada movie Lucia directed by Pawan Kumar. The Tamil version is directed by debutante Prasad Ramar. I haven’t seen the original which had a more of a new age film treatment while the Tamil version is bit more charismatic with actor Siddharth’s presence.  The movie kept me engaged right from the first scene. The screenplay is the king of the movie. Having most of the sequences of the movie in black and white is a huge risk but still it has worked beautifully here. As an audience you would be confused as the promos for those portions have been in color. The intertwining of the dream life and the real life is treated very well in the narration. Having character overlaps in the two worlds have also been brilliantly placed.  Siddharth has performed his role very well. His performance as an Usher is commendable. He has exhibited a great deal of difference in his body language to differentiate between the two characters.

High Points: Novelty of the plot, the screenplay, Siddarth’s performance, black and white treatment

Low Points: Challenge to stay upto the expectation of the original, audience had watched the original may not like this so much as it always happens with remakes.

Overall despite being a remake Enakkul Oruvan is still a brilliant movie that would stand out from the crowd. If you love movies then watch this one for sure.

Must Watch

 

Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Thriller

Nightcrawler Review

Nightcrawler Review – Nightcrawler is an American neo-noir thriller film released in 2014.  A small time thief in Los Angeles finds a business opportunity in filming incidents to be sold to news channel.

The movie stays true to its neo-noir genre. It is dark and brings the dark side of human life which can go to any extent for caring for oneself. Most of the movie sequences too happen in the night and it throws a light on the unethical and unprofessional elements in the news industry where bad news sells. It always operates in a fine margin of selling bad news and almost creating it. Jake Gyllenhaal has given a very compelling performance in the lead role. His character arc through the movie is handled very well. From the point where he is negotiating the price of a stolen watch to the point where in he owns a top notch news business his transition is very well handled in the script.

Director Dan Gilory has made the script stay close to the main theme of the movie and has not tried to do anything dramatic. The scenes build up from one part to the other flows naturally. I would recommend this movie a notch higher than Gone Girl.

High Points: Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance, the scene in which he trades a bicycle for the video camera and police scanner, the way he goes about negotiating his terms with people is just brilliant, the climax chase sequence is shot very well.

Low Points: Not really a low point but you may not like this if you don’t like neo-noir movies.

Overall if you are fan of neo-noir films you should not miss this one. Even if you are not a fan of neo-noir films this one has much more to offer to keep you engaged.

Must Watch

Comedy, Genre, Heist, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Rajathanthiram Review

Rajathanthiram Review – Rajathanthiram is a Tamil heist movie released in 2015. 3 friends who do petty theft for a living plan on doing a larger heist from a rich jeweler.

Debutant Director A.G Amid has chosen heist as the plot for his movie. Heist plots has the potential of creating a very interesting and engaging screenplay. However the element of surprise and twist should be placed very smartly enough for the audience to be enthralled as the movie ends. If this is not done well then any heist movie would fail badly. Rajathanthiram manages to keep the interest going on. Although the audience know there would be a twist in the end but still the script keeps you engaged with it as how it is done is kept as a well maintained secret in the film. The movie also works well in most of the parts in moving the pieces together. The acting levels of the lead actors are not of top notch as many of them are new. Still they put up a show that is decent enough to make it an entertaining watch. The comedy blends in well with the story and helps in moving the story ahead. Regina is underutilized and serves only as an eye candy in the film rather than how the promos of the movie had tried to portray her. The director should be appreciated for his sincere first attempt with a limited budget yet giving a decent output.

High Points: Heist plot, Comedy in the screenplay, the final heist sequence is entertaining to watch.

Low Points: Predictable plot line and novice acting skills

Overall Rajathanthiram may not be that brilliant heist movie that would blow your mind off but it is a movie that would definitely serve as a light hearted entertaining watch any time.

Watchable

Biopic, English Movies, Genre, Historic, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

The Imitation Game Review

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The Imitation Game Review – The Imitation Game is an English historical thriller movie released in 2014. The movie is based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. The movie covers the life of Alan Turing during the world war II and how he cracked the code of Enigma.

The movie has turned the biography into a very compelling visual format on the screen. The choice of Benedict Cumberbatch to play the role of Alan Turing fits very well with the movie and the character. The story follows a non-linear narration which keeps the interest going on. The characterization of Alan Turing as an out of the normal person whom his colleagues find to be very difficult work with has been done very well. Through the movie you would find yourself connecting to the growing obsession of Alan Turing to develop the machine to crack the code. The movie also touches upon the controversial side of Turing’s personal life. Other characters in the movie has played their part well to make the story flow.  The character of Keira Knightley has been used well in the screenplay to get the best out of Alan’s character. If not for this the movie could have been on a very monotonous tone.

High Points: The characterization of Alan Turing, the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch, very gripping screenplay, some of the dramatic scenes where in Alan writes to Churchill to get approval to override his Boss’s orders are very neatly done, The depiction of tension during world war II has been captured well

Low Points: The length of the movie could have been a bit shorter as in the middle portions there is a slight drag

Overall if you are interested in historical biopics you would love this one. You should watch this one for the brilliant performance by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Must Watch

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

Birdman Review

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Birdman Review – Birdman  or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a American Black comedy released in 2014. Riggan Thomson is a washed up Hollywood actor who is very famous for his role as a superhero by name Birdman. But he has given up the job of doing the role of a superhero and is giving everything into put up a show at the Broadway. The voice of Birdman constantly criticizes him for the decision he has taken.

The movie is constructed like a single shot for most part of the movie similar to the attempt Hitchcock had made in Rope. This treatment itself makes the movie special as it is not easy to put a continuous tone to such a complex screenplay. The performance of Michael Keaton is perfect and there is equally powerful performance by Edward Norton as a broadway actor who practices Method Acting.

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu have taken the risk of keeping the climax open ended as according to them that would be the most powerful ending for the script rather than ending this in a logical way. Anything else I write here would be a spoiler.  You could watch this and draw your own interpretation.  There is a very interesting sequence in the movie where the lead actor is interacting with a famous critic and the dialogues have a very strong take against the stereotypical way a critic looks at creative work and they have nothing to lose.

High Points: Single shot construction for the movie, The Birdman sequence in Times Square, the screenplay and the performance of Michael Keaton and Edward Norton, the dialogues are pretty interesting.

Low Points: Not many low points apart from the fact that there is a risk of the audience not entirely connecting to the plot

Overall Birdman is a brilliant piece of work that would be remembered for a long time and would act as an inspiration for many new wave film makers.

Must Watch