Category Archives: Worth a Watch

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

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

Adi Kapyare Kootamani Review

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Adi Kapyare Kootamani Review – Adi Kapyare Kootamani is a Malayalam comedy movie released in 2015.  A young woman Adhista Lakshmi enters Men’s hostel for sake adventure with the help of a hostel inmate Bhanu. But getting out of the hostel without being caught doesn’t seem easier.

A very simple plot tied in with some of the nostalgic memories of a hostel is the strength of Adi Kapyare Kootamani. Guys who have lived in a hostel would be able to relate to many of the incidents in the movie. In particular, the scenes in which there are watch guards making animal sounds to announce the arrival of the hostel in charge, hiding liquor in the room, doing dance rehearsals, playing volleyball all would remind some evergreen nostalgic memories of a men’s hostel.

Dhyan Srinivasan, Aju Varghese, Namitha Pramod, Vineeth Mohan and Neeraj Madhav essay their roles well. Mukesh is a good pick to play the role of Father Alfred.

High Points: The plot is based on some nostalgic hostel memories everyone could relate to. The sequence of Father Alfred comes in for inspection amidst of many voice signals indicating his arrival is hilarious. The comedy has worked very well.

Low Points: There is a dramatic twist added to the movie in the end which does not seem to fit the script. They could have made an ending without getting a paranormal angle to it. There is no much scenes to establish the character of the lead characters in the movie but for Mukesh. Hence you might take time to connect to the characters.

Overall I found the movie to be very entertaining one. The comedy works well. The screenplay stays to the core plot. If you have spent some part of your life living in a hostel you would relate to this much better.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Genre, Horror, Rating, Reviews, Short Films, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Bhoo Short Film Review

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Bhoo Short Film – Boo is a Tamil Short film released in 2015. The central plot of the movie deals with the fear of a young man Kathir regarding the presence of Ghost.

The short film Bhoo deals with the Horror comedy genre. The movie starts with an unfortunate death of four people.  Meet the hero Kathir who suffers from Phasmophobia. There has been a lot of time taken to establish the character of Kathir through a series of incidents. The team has also put together a song sequence which introduces the protagonist. The song combined with the list of establishing shots makes the introduction a bit lengthier. However once, the story reaches the main plot about few friends ending up in the house haunted by the ghost it gets back on track. This portion of the movie is done well with the limited resources the team has had.

High Points: For me the entire sequence in the house involving the ghost has been the most interesting part of the movie. This combined with a twist, in the end, makes it an interesting watch. Having a music video for a short film is yet another high.

Low Points: The Team has tried their best to bring a good movie with limited resources. The only low point is the length of the movie which could have been shorter.

Overall Bhoo is a good attempt at the horror comedy genre. The end with a twist definitely makes it a good watch. But for the length of the movie Bhoo has a lot to offer for its audience. Kudos to director Ajith and team. Best wishes for their next venture.

Worth a Watch

You can watch the full short film here

The team also went the professional way of promoting the movie with a promo song combined with an audio launch at Spathagiri hall in Coimbatore.  The team organized a ticketed show at RR Grand auditorium on September 27, 2015 which was a well-participated event. These are good signs for the upcoming short film market.

Post the short film release the team has also released the making video which is funny and at the same time highlights some of the challenges the team has gone through in making the movie.

 

Drama, Genre, Guest Post, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Guest Post: Sarabjit Review

Guest Post: Sarabjit Review

Guest Post – This review is written by Ritu Verma working as part of SnapperBazaar

When the trailer of Sarbjit was released, people were really excited to know about the life of an unfortunate Punjabi who drunkenly ambled across his field to cross the Indo-Pak border which lead into his dreadful journey of torture and death. While the audience expected to see his ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ song transform into blood cuddling cries and whines, the movie showcased his sister’s character more often. Even the poster had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead and the expected main lead, Randeep Hooda, was shown in her shadows.

Sarbjit was ruthlessly beaten and tortured after being caught by the Pakistani police force who suspected him of being an Indian terrorist named Ranjit. He was drowned in water, left in a room full of rats who scrawled all over him, locked in a box and many more unspeakable acts of torture were done to him. While he was suffering in the prison, his sister Dalbir (Aishwarya) and wife Sukh (Richa Chaddha) struggled to get him back to India. Both of their efforts went in vain when officials of both countries did not pay much heed to their demands. The result being, an innocent Indian subjected to numerous mental and physical tortures and finally a merciless death.

Randeep’s performance is the sole thing that might make the movie ‘paisa vasool’. But less spotlight on him and more on Aish has lead into poor collections of the movie. The acting of the all the three leads is appreciable. The sorrow and pain in Sarbjit’s character was beautifully portrayed by Randeep and Aish and Sukh successfully managed to illustrate the pain of hopeful loved ones wishing to see their beloved brother and husband beautifully. The makeup and costumes were also up to the mark. The songs of the movie were soothing and appropriate for the storyline. Overall it is a good watch.

Worth a Watch

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

Jacobinte Swargarajyam Review

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Jacobinte Swargarajyam Review – Jacobinte Swargarajyam is Malayalam family drama released in 2016. Jacob lives a very happy life with his family in Dubai. But as one of his business partner cheats him he has to flee to Liberia to avoid getting arrested and his son Jerry has to step in to pull the family out of crisis.

The movie is based on a true story. Director Vineeth Sreenivasan has attempted honestly to portray this as a family entertainer on screen. His effort needs to be lauded. The movie begins with sequences that are loaded with too many positives that it starts to become a cloying in some time. However once the characters are faced with the core problem it becomes very engaging.

Off late there are very less number of movies based on core family values are getting released. It was once very popular in the South film industry when likes of director Visu and V.Shekhar were making movies. It is definitely refreshing to see a movie built on family values after a long time. And to everyone’s surprise, it still works well with the audience.

The first half of the movie belongs to Renji Panicker and his character is built very well in front of the audience. Nivin Pauly has a lot of scope in the second half. This movie is in quiet contrast to Premam for Nivin Pauly, where he has to underplay for his character and does not bring out his heroism. Even in the scene where he and his brother pick a fight with the neighbor Nivin stays at the side to watch it. This is so true to the definition of the Jerry’s character being played. Nivin, stay like this forever and don’t fall into the fray of becoming a mass hero who is only destined to bash bad guys. Lakshmi Ramakrishnan has a very powerful role to play in the movie as well. She is the portrayal of woman power in the movie.

High Points: The movie based on a true incident, a plot revolving around core family values, Performance from Renji Panicker.

Low Points: Cloying screenplay at the first 20 minutes or so.

There are lot of positives in Jacob’s kingdom of heaven. Go with your family and you would enjoy this one more.

Worth a Watch

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

Aviyal Review

Aviyal Review – Aviyal is a Tamil anthology film released in 2016. This movie is a bouquet of four Tamil short films directed by different directors.

Anthology films are a boon to the film industry for multiple reasons. It gives opportunities for new talents to work with well-established artists. It also gives opportunities for well-established artists to experiment something new with a lesser risk compared to a full-length feature film. Aviyal is one such movie. Although the plot lines are something we might have seen or heard before, the treatment is fresh. Each of the four stories engages well with the audience. And as a special treat, the last one is directed by Alphonse Putharen starring Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha.  I couldn’t pinpoint one movie to be better than the other as all the stories were equally good.

Indian government should support such anthology films to help identify and nurture new talents. This also serves as a platform to test some new treatment and genres with the audience, which can go a long way in making the quality of films better and profitable.

High Points: Short and enjoyable tale with a good sense of humor, Good performances from some of the new-comers. The short film by Alphonse Putharen starring Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha stands out due to the star cast and narrative style.

Low Points: The movie was promoted with Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha so people coming in for them would be disappointed as they feature only in the last film. The length of the movies could have been maintained at 20 mins to make it more engaging.

Overall Aviyal is tasty with all vegetables cooked well to give some true flavours. It also stays true to its recipe by not including too much masala. Support good cinema and budding talents by watching this one.

Worth a Watch

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

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review – Batman v Superman is an American superhero movie released in 2016. The movie is based on superheroes from the DC Comics. Superman’s fight with Zod results in large scale massacre that destroys Bruce Wayne’s (Batman) office and casualties in his company. Batman decides to fight Superman to keep him in check while Lex Luthor adds fuel to their fire.

First of all, I would like mention that I am neither DC nor a Marvel fan. Rather I like all superheroes from both the universe. It helps to read this review in an unbiased fashion.

It has been a long due for the DC universe to bring their superheroes together. Thanks to Nolan’s Batman trilogy that had set up the foundation for the movies. Although Zack Snyder did not impress much with the Man of Steel he has definitely justified his efforts with the edition of Dawn of Justice. This may not be the epic start for the Justice League DC fans would have expected but nevertheless, it serves as a good appetizer for the upcoming main course.

The movie has a sluggish start and you tend to wait for those brilliant moments restlessly. Just when you feel that this might turn out to be a half-baked effort the movie picks up and keeps you engaged till the end. Ben Affleck is very convincing as Batman and definitely carries on the legacy putting the sarcastic comments on him to rest. His performance is a standout. The icing on the cake for the movie is Wonder woman. Her entry is the best part of the movie. Lex Luthor’s characterization is good and his dialog delivery reminds of Sharukh Khan. Some portions of the movie even look like the old school Bollywood movies and look like a decorated extravagant Karan Arjun 🙂

High Points: The fight night between superman and batman, Wonder woman’s entry, Lex Luthor’s characterization, Hans Zimmerman’s background score.

Low Points: Sluggish screenplay in the first half, some of the dialogues are cheesy and cliched takes away the impact of the good ones

Overall Zack Snyder doesn’t disappoint this time and in fact, has created a good start to the Justice League. Hope DC is able to be successful with the upcoming movies. If you love superhero movies don’t miss this one when it is in the theaters.

Worth a Watch

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

Jil Jung Juk Review

Jil Jung Juk Review – Jil Jung Juk is a Tamil slapstick comedy-drama released in 2016. Deivanayagam looses a lot of money as his drug trafficking business is raided by customs. He has to sell the last stock for good money to minimise the losses. He employs three people Jil (the talkative), Jung (the punctual) and Juk (the driver) to transport the drug.

If you are familiar with dystopian society and western cowboy movies then you would be able to understand this one better. Kudos to the team for breaking away from the norm and creating something new. The premise and the build up phase is very good and increases you interest to watch what is happening. The premise itself has a lot of scope for slapstick comedy. The scene in which the trio are getting to know each other from the achievements of their father has been crafted well and is a very novel way of introducing the characters.  The production value of the movie is also very good.

Somewhere from the midpoint, the movie tilts towards the side of good and drifts away from the dystopian culture. The saving grace is some of the comical sequences in the movie. The makers claim to have broken all the commercial formula but still couldn’t resist staying away from a bar song.

High Points: A new experimental venture, bringing a dystopian society for Indian cinema, comic sequences like the one in the petrol storage, first meeting Deivanayagam

Low Points: The movie may not be understood by many, the story gets lost into a slapstick genre rather than western comedy based in a dystopian society.

Overall if you are in a mood for a different kind of film that stays away from the norm then go and watch Jil Jung Juk. This movie deserves a watch for the daring effort by the team to break the stereotype.

Worth a Watch

 

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

Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum Review

Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum Review – Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum is a Tamil comedy-drama released in 2016. The movie is an official remake of the Korean movie My Dear Desperado. Yazhini a woman struggling to find an IT job has a  weird neighbour who is a gangster. The plot of the movie revolves around the two characters and an unexpected relationship that grows in between them.

Reputation from the previous movie and its associated expectation can spoil the fun. Many directors suffer from this and they tend to recreate a similar tale that had worked in the past. However, director Nalan Kumarasamy has moved away from a dark comedy to a breezy comedy-drama.  This is definitely in contrast to his previous outing. If you were to take away the expectation and don’t compare it to Soodhu Kavvum you would appreciate the movie.

There is a good 50 minute spent in building up the lead characters and one would experience a slight sluggishness in the proceedings. However, it eventually picks up and engages with the audience. The big plus for the movie is the contrasting behaviors of the lead pair. This hero doesn’t bend down and pick up the fallen items to help the heroine, he pays the bill in the restaurant but later gets the money for the items she had eaten. Such sequences make the movie stand out from the typical run of the mill romantic drama.

Vijay Sethupathi has performed well as usual. His character does bring in the shades from Naanum Rowdydhan in few instances. Madonna Sebastian is eye candy in the movie and she sure has created an impact in her entry into Kollywood.

High Points: The characterization of the lead pairs, No unnecessary frills attached in the screenplay, The sequence where the gangster ends up for an IT job interview. Vijay Sethupathi’s performance and Madonna Sebastian’s cuteness.

Low Points: Vijay Sethupathi’s character has shades from Naanum Rowdydhaan, Slow screenplay during the build up phase.

Overall Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum is a feel good drama that might be slow to begin with but eventually would reach your heart.

Worth a Watch

Drama, Genre, Guest Post, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Guest Post: Aligarh Review

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Guest Post: Aligarh Review

Guest Post – This review is written by Ritu Verma working as part of PngFever

The movie Aligarh is all about the lonely life of a homosexual person in this society. Siras is the main character which is being played by Manoj Bajpayee. This movie would definitely question us our morals and our reactions to other’s sexual needs which wouldn’t match with your own or you would think is not right. If any film that makes you think twice before giving final responses after having watched would be a great film for sure.

The story was taken from a heart breaking and true story of Professor Ramchandra Siras who in the year 2010 was forced to leave from the Aligarh Muslim University after getting caught involving in the sexual activity with a male rickshaw puller. He was trying to have physical relationship with that male rickshaw puller.

The movie gives the strong message to the Society to changes their mind sets about the homosexual persons. This type of person should be treated with respect and they are not different from all of us. They are the part of our society as well and not different from anyone.

The movie Aligarh is like a jugalbandi between a man of nervous energy and man of stillness. Rajkummar Rao essays the journalist Deepu Sebastian role and Manoj Bajpayee plays Dr. Siras role. The movie is a completely unique step in reality cinema which uses actual places and people involved in the real incident. The film shows the psyche and personality of Siras. It also considers his inner life: his advancing age, loneliness and the humiliation and betrayal in his life.

Aligarh movie is worth watching and surely change your thinking regarding Homo Sexual person. After watching it, you would be able to think about them in a different way for sure.

 

Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, Uncategorized, Worth a Watch

Wazir Review

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Wazir Review – Wazir is a Hindi mystery thriller released in 2016. Anti-Terrorism Squad officer Daanish and Ruhana lead a fairy tale life with their little daughter Noori. Things take an unprecedented turn when Noori is killed in an unplanned ambush attack in Daanish presence. He is stuck with guilt but finds some peace with learning chess from Noori’s chess teacher Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar who has lost his wife and daughter. Soon Daanish learns that Omkar Nath’s daughter is killed by a politician and decides to help him settle scores.

Director Bejoy Nambiar has taken up a mystery thriller with some stellar star cast after his multi-star film  David. This is based on a script initially written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra in early 90s. The movie is slick and engages with the audience throughout. However, the more predictable nature of the mystery involved spoils the watch. At least, I felt the story gave too much away before it should have. One more reason is the interval break. This movie shouldn’t have had one. That gave me time to think and predict the next half easily.

The performances of Amitabh and Farhan are the pillars of the movie. They seem to have slipped into their roles with ease and are very convincing.

The first 5 minutes (titles) of the movie has been sketched like a happy ending of a fairy tale with some ultra motion visuals and jump cuts. This is visually very appealing. Even the rest of the movie is visually appealing product and helps you glued to the screen. The encounter operation in the night is shot well. Also, the length of the movie is just right for the script. I hope all the Indian movie makers follow this to keep their movies precise.

High Points: Performances of Amitabh and Farhan, Visuals, Stunts, short length of the movie

Low Points: Predictability in the suspense

Overall Wazir is a commendable attempt in the Bollywood. This would be a memorable movie for Farhan Akthar and Bejoy Nambiar. I hope to see more such movies from our talented filmmakers.

Worth a Watch

Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Worth a Watch

Oru Naal Iravil Review

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Oru Naal Iravil Review – Oru Naal Iravil is a Tamil thriller film released in 2015. Shekhar, an NRI lives with his family of wife and two daughters. He gives into the temptation of sleeping with a call girl. His friend Suri an auto driver arranges for it in an unused shop near his house. Circumstances lead them to be locked in the shop through the night and Shekhar fears of getting shamed if someone opens the shop during the day.

This is the debut directorial venture for editor Anthony. The film is a slick 100-minute thriller without too much of frills. Given this is the first movie for Anthony the output is definitely good and keeps the audience engaged throughout. The casting of the movie is also good. Sathyaraj’s performance stands out in the movie. He makes us feel the pressure of the situation very well. He shines in the scene where he hesitantly looks out of the auto as his friend talks to the call girl and immediately gets as she sees him. He is ably supported by Anumol, Yugi Sethu and Varun.

The movie is based on the Malayalam movie Shutter released in 2012 directed by Joy Mathew.  However, he has carefully tread over the boundary of maintaining the idealism of the protagonist. He could have been bold in crossing the boundary and shown the weaker side of the protagonist without having it look like a induced situation due to compulsion.

High Points: A slick thriller, No unwanted sequences, Sathyaraj’s performance.

Low Points: The plot has certain holes that help in creating the conflict.

Overall Oru Naal Iravil is a decent thriller movie that would keep you engaged throughout. If you are a fan of thriller movies go and watch this one. Looking forward to more such ventures from Anthony.

Worth a Watch