Paulina Review – Paulina is a Spanish drama released in 2015. A young woman leaves a promising career as a lawyer in Buenos Aires to go back to her suburban hometown and teach in a high school. In a sudden turn of events, she becomes a gang rape victim. Amidst of disapproval from the people she still returns back to teach in the same school.
The movie is inspired by the 1960 movie La patota. I had got to watch this in Bangalore International Film Festival 2017. The movie deals with the subject of a rape victim from a point of view of the victim. The movie explores the point of view which usually is ignored by many movies dealing with the same subject. The movie is characterized by some lengthy shots. It also repeats the same scene in from a different point of view one of the lead character and the other of the different characters in the movie. This has effectively played into the treatment of the plot.
Dolores Fonzi has performed the role of Paulina very well. The way she copes with the situation and stubborn to do what she wants to do is brilliant. The lengthy shot of her walk along with the camera is so impactful.
Many of you may not be able to understand Paulina much like her father or her boyfriend. You dwell more into what is moral and what is the right thing to be done for greater good. She doesn’t speak of morals. She does not harm herself, does not go after to avenge the criminal, does not forgive him. Instead, she wants to find out who he is, wants to talk to him, continue doing what she had been doing in her village. She is a character that is always wanting to live a normal life. When she is faced with some tough questions by her father, boyfriend, and her colleague, she has a blank stare as the answer she wants to give them is beyond words.
High Points: Long shots to increase the intensity of the drama, the two perspective shots from her front and back. The front conveying her perspective and back conveying others is a brilliant stroke.
Low Points: This is not a feel-good tale, it is going to hurt your emotions and in a way make you feel guilty. There is no logic to the solution.
Overall Paulina is a high intense drama that would hit you hard. Still, you can’t forget those look in her eyes questioning the behavior of the society. The society thinks that her life has changed forever after the incident, but she thinks she still has the right to lead a normal life. The contrast is brilliantly portrayed.
Kaatru Veliyidai Review – Kaatru Veliyidai is a Tamil romantic drama released in 2017. VC an Indian Air Force fighter pilot is captured by Pakistani army as a war prisoner during the Kargil war, his hope to meet Leela once more keeps him alive.
Director Maniratnam creates a yet another gem out of his “Akshaya Patra” (inexhaustible vessel) of love. He still has some much more stories to tell. In Kaatru Veliyidai, he deals with yet another tale of romance the core conflict being male chauvinism. The canvas for the tale he has chosen is quite interesting. It is a love between an Air Force fighter pilot and a doctor. The swag of a pilot naturally makes the male chauvinist behavior very believable. I will not dwell more on the story and spoil any fun for you.
Ravi Varman’s cinematography is a great plus. The entire movie is a visual treat. The breathtaking view of the Himalayan mountain range makes it even richer. I couldn’t take the eyes from the screen. Extreme close up shots, communicating with eyes, a lesser number of dialogues, a slow movement of the scene to build up the drama all makes it very appealing. I love drama in the movies, off late watching the treatment of directors like Hari, KV Anand and many other directors I have led to believe that slow moving shots, communication through silence all have become old fashioned. But this vintage magic of Mani sir is still magical. Those short and sweet dialogues still evoke the emotions in you. Those silent visuals still teleport you.
The most striking performance is from Aditi Rao Hydari. She is not only eye candy but her eyes speak a lot. The scene in which she looks into the mirror and questions herself, she has performed so well. Karthi’s performance is also good. At times you feel he goes overboard with his performance but all this works well to establish his male chauvinist attitude. RJ Balaji for a change has acted in a mellowed down manner. He could make you laugh even with serious dialogues without trying too hard with mixing Tamil and English.
The music and background score of AR Rahman is very apt for the visuals. Mani sir has re-used some of the iconic romance scenes from his earlier movies shamelessly. And we too would enjoy these shamelessly as they still stay fresh after so many years.
High Points: The treatment of the core conflict of love, Breathtaking visuals, slow drama and communication through silence, Aditi’s performance are all high points.
Low Points: If you don’t like silence in movies or slow drama you might feel a bit restless.
Overall I would say Vintage Mani Sir is back. He still has a lot of love (stories) left in him. If you love movies like Mouna Raagam, Alaipayuthey, Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya, you would love this one too.
Kavan Review – Kavan is a Tamil thriller released in 2017. Thilak an aspiring Television anchor takes on the task of exposing an unethical practice of the media to sell news.
(Since IPL 10 has started I have used cricketing metaphors :))
Director K V Anand has batted in his home turf. He has also eliminated some of the mistakes in his recent movies. Instead of playing defense there are sixes flying all over the park in the first half. What happens to a match that starts so exciting and a wicket falls? Even some good stroke play gets boring. Kavan’s wicket falls in the interval block. The second half becomes a customary end to the proceedings with some cliched twists.
The first half of the story not only introduces the main characters of the plot but also introduces what happens in the media world to the audience. The tiff between the two lead characters, the social issue all of them adds extra flavour to the whole scene. The only flaw you could point out is some of the elaborate scenes of the reality show and lengthy TR dialogues could have been made crisp. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining first half and sets up your excitement for the second half. K V Anand also has teased the audience with a dramatic interval block but reverses it to what fits in with the story.
The second half is a let down for me. Although the social issue takes the center stage, the script runs out of ideas for moving the story adding additional knots and removing them very convincingly. Everything looks a bit artificial. In the climax scene, there is no tension at all as you know the hero is going to win as he has the upper hand. If you had empathized on the villain you might have some thrilling moments here.
Coming to the checklist of KV Anand, many of it is fulfilled in this one like a party song, romance on the top of a high mountain peak, KV Anand trolling himself, a social issue. But for one thing having a song after the death of a character.
High Points: Very engaging first half, the core plot of exposing unethical media practices, Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna Sebastian’s screen presence.
Low Points: Lengthy dialogue scenes, Cliched second half.
Overall Kavan would be a treat for masala movie lovers where you want to watch a movie without thinking anything. Hence this gets a Worth a Watch verdict.
The Girl on the Train Review – The Girl on the Train is an English mystery thriller released in 2016. The movie is based on the novel of the same name written by Paula Hawkins. A woman becomes an alcoholic post the separation from her husband. In her daily commute to New York by train, she sees an attractive couple residing in the neighborhood of her ex-husband. The everyday glimpses of their life catch her attention that it soon it turns into an obsession.
I haven’t read the novel. However seeing how the movie goes I believe the movie has done proper justice to the novel. Director Tate Taylor has given life to the characters in the novel. The movie starts with a bang. While the lead lady gets curious about a couple, the audience gets curious about the lady herself. Post the initial establishment of the character the pace takes a nose dive and moves at a snail pace till a major turning point around 30 minutes into the movie that shakes things up and we are glued to the screen once again. From then on it is a very thrilling ride. Although I could predict the ending, I still loved the way the movie has been shot and enjoyed watching it.
Emily Blunt has played the role of an alcohol addict very well. We travel and see things in her perspective throughout the movie.
High Points: The plot of the movie is engaging, the performance of Emily Blunt, the suspense is held throughout.
Low Points: The initial 30 minutes of the movie is slow, however, the remaining 90 minutes make up for it. The role of the detective didn’t gel well in the movie. I believe in the novel the character might have been explained better.
Overall if you love mystery thrillers you can’t miss The Girl on the Train.
Red Jacket is a bilingual short film made simultaneously in Kannada and Tamil. Before I begin writing here is the teaser of both Tamil and Kannada versions.
Tamil Teaser:
Kannada Teaser:
After 2 years of running a blog on movie reviews, my passion towards movies and the movie making process has only grown more. So I decided to experience a movie making process first hand. I created a short film script for a 20-minute short film and decided to direct it. I am happy to announce that the short film is at a completion stage and we released the teaser for the short film yesterday.
The film is a revenge drama, a typical pulp fiction. I chose this genre as I felt this would allow me to experiment the aspects of movie making I wanted to. I request you to view the teaser and do share your comments.
The entire movie making process was very humbling and an eye opener in many aspects. The biggest experience has been witnessing how much the entire process relies on collaboration wherein every individual involved is accountable to make the movie an impeccable product.
Once I release the movie I plan to share some of the highlights of the journey I had traveled, the learnings, about my crew and many more aspects that would be useful for aspiring movie makers. In case any of you have any suggestion on a specific area of movie-making I should start with, share it in the comments I can start with it.
I have included the youtube videos of the teaser on top of this post. Hope you enjoy it. I am eager to hear your comments.
Very Big Shot Review – Very Big Shot is a Lebanese comedy film released in 2015. Three brothers who are into drug dealing business take up one last job before they set out to go clean and straight to open a restaurant business.
I had watched this movie in the Bangalore International Film Festival 2016. How I wished Tamil movie Jigarthanda’s second half was something like this. Anyways that is my personal views which many may differ to agree. Without getting into that argument let me talk about Very Big Shot. The movie is a gangster drug lord flick at the outset. However, there is a very sensible humor throughout the script right from the first shot. Once the gangsters figure out that film roles are spared from being screened at the airport, they decide to become a producer of a film. The movie gets very interesting from there on and it is a ride filled with loads of laughter.
The screenplay has been done very nicely to ensure there is a logical flow to the whole story. The characters have been created and established the way they fit into the situations well. There is no point it looks force fitted. Usually, comedy movies suffer from the phenomenon of force fitting humor into the script.
High Points: The scene where Ziad (eldest of the brothers) decide to make a movie to smuggle the drugs, the filmmaking scene where the Bhurka clad lady is stopped and the onlookers jump in to create a commotion without realising it is a shooting.
Low Points: As the humor is built around the movie making process, this humor may not work for all.
Overall, Very Big Shot is a wholesome entertainer that would make you laugh and keep you engaged throughout the movie. If you get a chance to watch this one do give it a try.
There will be very few persons who will not love to travel. We travel
to get out of the Boredom or to get some motivation by going to some unusual places. I have seen many people who just live to travel; you can learn a lot of things from traveling because traveling is for self-discovery.
If you are planning to go somewhere, then I have made a list of movies which will inspire you to visit. There are numerous movies which can motivate you to pack your bag and start your journey but very few of them are worth watching, and I have made the list of traveling movies hope you will like them.
The Darjeeling Limited
Movie that inspire you to travel
The Darjeeling Limited is the story of three brothers who come together to create a bond with each other by traveling to India. Not everyone likes to travel with their family members especially when they don’t have a good relationship with them. But this film tells us that how important it is to travel with the person whom we love the most.
The Bucket List
What will you do if someone tells you that you have only three months left to live? Do you ever question which are those things which you want to see before you die? The bucket list is the story of two cancer patient who travels around the whole world to see the beauty of nature before they close their eyes forever. Any list of traveling movies is incomplete without this film. After watching this beautiful film, I am pretty much sure that you will make a list of the things which you want to see before you die.
Eat Love Pray
Eat Pray Love is the story of unhappily married woman Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) who goes on a world tour to discover the solutions to her problems. Eat Love Pray is the spiritual journey of broken woman and if like to enjoy the Self-discovery movies then this one will never disappoint you.
Wild
Wild is the story of Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) who is suffering from a tragedy. Cheryl thinks there is the only way she can get out of this tragedy by doing the solo traveling. Therefore, she chooses to walk alone for more than thousands of miles. Sometimes we get into some situations from which it is always very hard to get out, and at that time all we should do is to spend quality time with ourselves by going on a solo journey. If you haven’t seen this movie, then you have probably missed one of the best traveling movies of all time.
Before Sunrise
Do you ever imagine of spending a little bit of time with a stranger? If you do, then you will love this movie. Before Sunrise is the story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke), who meets a girl name Celine on his day of Europe trip. Before leaving the Europe, he spends the remaining hours with her, and both discover things they didn’t care about themselves. With a simple story and flawless acting by the both actors, you will fall in love with this fantastic Rom-Com traveling movie.
Secret Life of Walter Mitty
When Walter Witty’s job gets into danger, then he starts the journey full of surprises and adventure. If you are bored with your daily Nine to Five job, then this movie might get you out of the Boredom.
The Beach
This film is about the twenty-year-old young man who goes on a trip to Thailand. There he meets Looney (Robert Carlyle) who gives him a map to hidden paradise. The Beach has some striking visuals and an exciting and intense message about finding your paradise. If you haven’t watched this movie, then I strongly recommend you to watch this film because it will make you fall in love with “The Beach.”
The Motorcycle Diaries
This film is based on the real story of two friends Ernesto Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Alberto Granado who went on road journey across the South America during 1950’s. The cinematography and background music of this film is first class, and both actors have done a fabulous job. This is the movie which will make you cry, laugh or maybe both at the same time. The Motorcycle Diaries was filmed in Argentina, Chile, and Peru and every aspect of this movie is perfect and it is one of the top traveling movies of all time.
Lost In Translation
Lost in translation tells us the story of Bob Harris (Bill Murray) an American actor, who has come to Tokyo to film a commercial. Staying in the same hotel is Charlotte, a newlywed woman who gets neglected by her photographer husband. In the meantime, both Bob and Charlotte spend their productive time to getting to know each other’s problem. Lost in translation shows us that even if we are living in the major cities, we find ourselves lonely and if you are going through that condition then you should try to watch this film.
Into The Wild
Into The Wild is the story of Christopher McCandless, who after completing his graduation went Alaska by giving his all savings to the Charity and just to discover the wildness. It is the movie which will inspire you in a lot of ways. Sometimes we don’t know who we are and what we want to be for the rest of our life and this is the reason why Christopher McCandless went to Alaska alone. Emile Hirsch played the role of Christopher McCandless brilliantly and without any flaw. His character believes that we don’t need any human contacts to discover the beauty of wildness.
Final Words
There are lots of movies which will inspire you to travel. However, we tried to add best movies on our list, and we hope you will like it. If you have any suggestions, then we urge you to comment so that we will try to update our list of traveling movies.
This is a guest post by Mr.Venkatesh Joshi from www.iflashymovies.com. Venkatesh Joshi likes to share information regarding movies and related stuff. Read his latest post on Hollywood War Movies on his blog.
One Man and His Cow Review – One Man and His Cow is a French comedy movie released in 2016. Fatah a peasant from Algeria travels on foot with his Cow Jacqueline to compete in Paris International Agriculture Show.
Yet another gem I had seen during the Bangalore International Film Festival. The movie is a joint collaboration between France and Algeria. This easily is one of the sweetest feel good movie I had watched recently. The best part of the movie is its simplicity. They have used the resources available to them very economically to convey a heart warming story. Fatah and his cow steal the viewer’s heart right from the first scene where he gives a motivational speech to his Cow on how she would win in the competition. The characters in the village are also naive and very realistic.
There is also some excellent screenplay construction of tracking his journey through lessons in a classroom where its everyday task of the students is to point the place in the map where Fatah and his cow are currently. Usually, filmmakers cover it with a cliched map and a red line going through it. But hearing it through the class makes it very interesting. The class stops tracking him after crosses the border which I believe is a sarcastic indication of how the developed nations are so clueless about the life outside. The introduction of Lambert Wilson’s role as Philippe adds a very interesting dimension to the tale. The interactions between Phillippe and Fatah draw the contrast between the two worlds they belong to.
High Points: The overall feel good factor, The peach drink scene, the scene in which Fatah tries to write a letter to his wife, the climax scene.
Low Points: There is not really a low point in the movie as it is sincere to its screenplay.
Overall One Man and His Cow will make you laugh, touch the soft corners of your heart and bring a big smile on your face.
The Wailing Review – The Wailing is a South Korean horror movie released in 2016. A policeman with the help of a shaman sets out to find the mystery behind the killings and illness spreading in the village.
I had the opportunity of watching The Wailing in Bangalore International Film Festival 2017. I had read about the accolades garnered by the movie both at the box office and in many film festivals. Although I am not a major fan of the horror genre, I found this to be surprisingly engaging with many, edge of the seat moments. This is not one of the movies which are going to make you wait and pounce upon you with a surprise, rather the scenes here are very explicit and the director has used the mystery behind the situation to keep the audience engaged and create the thrills. When the movie finished I walked out with a lot of questions in my mind as there were many layers that had to be understood. This is a movie that makes you think much after the movie is over. With the help of some very good discussions online I was able to verify my assumptions on the plot points.
On the whole, this movie is more of the battle between the good and the evil which is manifested using the horror stories in the village. The scenes involving the shaman performing the rituals and the sound created for it is the high point in the movie. It is so realistic and keeps your heart pounding. The parallel cuts done during this ceremony has some brilliant editing.
High Points: The metaphorical points in the movie about good vs evil. There is also some biblical references cleverly used for the plot line, The shaman ceremony and the climax thrills. The performances of the lead characters. In particular, the performance of the little girl Kim Hwan-hee.
Low Points: If you are a fan of horror movie you may be disappointed as there are only a few sequences which deal with horror. I felt the ending was left too open-ended for interpretation.
Overall The Wailing deserves a watch for the brilliant plot line and the thrilling sequences. This may not be suitable for kids due to the violence involved.
A Man Called Ove – A Man Called Ove is a Swedish comedy-drama released in 2015. This is based on the book by Fredrik Backman. 59-year-old Ove decides to end his life and join his late wife in the other world. But ending his life doesn’t seem so easy.
This is yet another gem of a movie which I was able to see at Bangalore International Film Festival 2017. The movie is nominated for the Academy awards 2016 under the foreign language films and best hair makeup and styling category. I haven’t read the book yet. The movie was as enjoyable like reading a book. The simplicity of the tale and the reaction of the characters to the day to day problem is a great strength to the movie. There are no larger than life incidents or characters.
Rolf Lassgård’s performance as Ove is the best part of the movie. The other characters in the movies are also sketched beautifully. Director Hannes Holm has maintained the naivety of the tale in the movie as well. This makes it a very pleasant watch. The movie has good humor that arises out of the characters, situation and the interaction between them. The portions where Ove’s obsession for Volvo cars is involved were hilarious.
High Points: Simple story line, the innocence of the tale is a strong point, Performance of Rolf Lassgård is a big strength for the movie, The romance sequence between husband and wife is picturized well. The humor in the screenplay works very well to keep the audience engaged throughout.
Low Points: For the love of Ove you would tend to ignore any low points.
Overall the movie appears to be a sincere attempt in getting the book to real life. Combined with great visuals and stunning performances the movie is a pleasant watch.
Kills on Wheels Review – Kills on Wheels (Tiszta szívvel) is a Hungarian comedy film released in 2016. Two disabled teenagers find a reason to live when they get associated with a wheel-chaired hitman.
This is yet another movie I had an opportunity to watch in Bangalore International Film Festival. This is the first Hungarian movie I am watching. Right from the main title card, the movie kept me engaged. The plot line looks very simple and naive but a number of layers added to the screenplay and the characters have been phenomenal. There was always something waiting to surprise you. The hitman assignments have been shot very well and many of them have been gripping. In particular their final assignment. When you are already blown away by the story you had witnessed so far, the director surprises you with yet another beautiful twist in the movie to leave you elated as you leave the hall.
If you are film student then this is a movie you should watch for many aspects, the layers you add to a screenplay in terms of characters and situations, the background score, mise en scene to name a few. I can’t write too much about the plot and their twists as it would spoil the movie for you. This one happens to be the official nomination from Hungary for the Academy awards but unfortunately did not get nominated.
High Points: The characterization of the lead characters. In particular the boy with autism and the hitman. The final assignment of the hitman set out to kill Toni. The twist in the climax sequence. The title soundtrack.
Low Points: I did not find any low points for this one. If any had been well covered by a great execution.
Overall, the movie works well in entertaining the audience and leave the elated. Don’t miss this one.
After the Storm Review – After the Storm is a Japanese drama film released in 2016. Ryota, a prize-winning author, and a private detective wastes money and cannot make ends meet to pay for his child support. He gets to spend a night together with his family on a stormy night, the night brings in a change in him.
I got to watch this one in Bangalore International Film Festival. The movie very beautifully narrates the events that happen in the between the members of the family. The screenplay spends some time to establish the characters, their habits and the problems in life. It gets very intense once it has all of them inside the house during a storm. The movie touches upon many things including the addiction to gambling, self-centered parenting, kids craving for love from the parents. The memories of Ryota’s childhood brings back a new perspective into their life.
Kirin Kiki has performed very well as Ryota’s mom and she steals the show. I had liked her performance in An and I could see the same level of intensity in this role too. Hiroshe Abe has also performed well. His transformation from a gambling addict has been portrayed well. Amidst of all the chaos, there is still a lot of humor that will make you laugh.
High Points: Very strong plot is a strength backed by the performance of Kirin Kiki and Hiroshe Abe. The night the family spends at home is a high point.
Low Points: The first half seems a little drag as the movie establishes the lead characters.
Overall After the storm is a movie that will touch your heart and bring in new reflections over life. You can watch it for the strong performances of the lead characters and the sweet message it carries.
