Tag Archives: Movie Reviews

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

Pisasu Review

Pisasu Review – is a Tamil Horror movie released in 2014. A young musician tries saving a girl who had met with a road accident; she dies in the hospital when trying to tell him something. When he comes home strange things start happening at his home.

Director Mysskin has ventured into a new genre for himself. Pisasu has turned out as a very nice product at the end. The movie has a very convincing plot and very engaging screenplay. It is complete Mysskin show and you would see his trademark shot making as in his other movies. The long and continuous shots, characters spread out on the screen; dark shots with high tension are present in Pisasu as well.

Naga’s performance is very apt for the story. As his face is half covered with his hair there is an air of suspense in his emotions. This has worked well for the story. The climax of the movie has been done well. Certain aspects in the movies are left to the interpretation of the audience and you might feel it as incomplete at times like the visibility of the ghost when it appears and when it does not. There is also subtle humor in the first half of the movie when the three friends go on the search of finding ways to get rid of the ghost. The background score fits well for the screenplay.

High Points: With horror movies picking up in Tamil this cashes in as well, Screenplay is very engaging, performances by the lead actors, the twist in the tale, and horror story with a strong message

Low Points:  The visibility of the ghost has been used liberally and not consistent, thrills and chills are far apart

Overall Pisasu is a horror movie with a message. Its intent is not to scare you but to emotionally move you.

Watchable

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

 

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

Lingaa Review

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Lingaa Review – Lingaa is a Tamil action drama released in 2014. The engineer inspecting Solaiyur dam is mysteriously murdered. Just before he dies he mentions that the village temple should be opened to save the village. The villagers have taken a vow that the temple should only be opened by the family member of Lingeswaran who had constructed the dam 75 years ago. Hence they go in search of the grandson of Lingeswaran. Who is this Lingeswaran and what has he done for the village is the plot of Lingaa.

Lingaa is a much awaited Rajinikanth movie after 4 long years. The expectations skyrocketed before the movie release and people thronged the theaters to catch the glimpse of their favorite hero performing in style. Well the movie is made with the objective to treat Rajinikanth’s fans thoroughly. The movie is fairly successful in its objective. Given that the movie was completed in six months period of time the output is definitely stunning and it should have taken a lot of coordination to get things right.

I watched the movie after the initial three days of comments and reviews. I went to the movie not expecting much from it. The initial forty five minutes of the movie was very dragging and slow, just when my hopes where dying the movie shifts to the past which is all about Lingeswaran. From that point on the movie grew on me and the magic of a Rajini movie came alive. The movie is very racy from this point till the customary climax involving some gravity defying stunts. Rajini movie would be incomplete without such a stunt :).

High points of the movie: Rajini’s presence, gripping story of Lingeswaran, Rajini’s acting as Lingeswaran, Stunt sequences which includes the train fight and the climax fight sequence, music in the second half, Cinematography involving the visuals of the dam

Low points of the movie: The jewelry exhibition sequence, lack of good comedy, substandard dialogues for the sequences in the present era

The climax fight sequence has got some mixed feedback. But given it is a Rajini movie the way they have imagined the climax sequence is pretty good. No other hero could pull it off. And worth noting is that they executed this in a very short period of time. Special kudos to Lee Whitaker for choreographing some fantastic stunt sequences in particular the train fight sequence.

The main story seems to be just of Lingeswaran set in the British ruled India. The modern period is bolt on to enthrall the first weekend crowd.

Overall Lingaa is an out and out Rajini movie and will enthrall all Rajini fans. If you are patient enough during the “Rajini fan only” sequences you would appreciate the main story which definitely has enough content to engage you well.

Watchable – for Lingeswaran

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

 

 

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

Appuchi Gramam Review

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Appuchi Gramam Review – Appuchi Gramam is a Tamil science fiction comedy film released in 2014. Oblivious to the fact of a large meteorite that could potentially destroy a village, people in Appuchi Graamam go about their routine life where village heads fight against each other, young men stalk girls, drunkards flocking the wine shop and misers saving more money and wealth. What happens when they become aware of the fact that their life might end in a day is the plot of Appuchi Gramam.

Director Vi Anand has taken a genre that is not prevalent in Indian cinema for his debut film. This fact needs to be appreciated. All of us would have heard about incidents where people believed that the world is going to end and react to it. Appuchi Gramam is a snapshot of it. The movie is a symbolism of the self-centered and materialistic nature of humanity where there is no care for people. The way in which the movie traverses with its plot is definitely engaging for most parts. The high points of the movie are the following scenes

1. When Subramani is bought back to the village from Police station.
2. When the first meteor strikes the villagers think it is the goddess and start worshipping it.
3. The spat between the two step brothers in the village
4. Meteors striking the village

The major drawback of the movie is the cast. As most of them are new comers their acting is not as convincing in many places. Thanks to some of the veteran actors to make up for the short comings. Some more work on acting and the dialogue department could have worked well. Comedy works for most parts but in few places it drags a bit.

The production quality of the movie is decent enough for a low budget venture. The music and the background score are pleasant. The movie has just enough ingredients to keep you engaged. Also the short length of the movie is another plus point as there is not much in the story.

Overall Appuch Gramam would deserve a watch from you and you would enjoy it sitting on your couch.

Wait for DVD/TV

Action, Can Skip it, Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Oru Oorla Rendu Raja Review

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Oru Oorla Rendu Raja Review – Oru Oorla Rendu Raja is a Tamil action comedy released in 2014. Azhagu and Michael are jobless youths who meet doctor Priya on a train journey. Azhagu instantly falls in love with Priya.  When they become aware of the social cause Priya is fighting for and the danger lurking over her life they decide to go to any lengths to save her and help her succeed in her cause. Will they succeed is the plot of the movie.

Oru Oorla Rendu Raja has a social message in its core. It seems to be the trend of voicing against the corporate depleting the environment and causing hazard to lives of people. The social message is the only factor of appeal in the movie. Director R Kannan has relied on some average comedy sequences to move the screenplay in which the entire social message gets weak. The comedy is also very forgettable but for very few punches. Vimal and Soori has repeated their template style of movies. Soori has played a dominant role while Vimal has underplayed his role. He should start trying to come out of his template to explore other areas in acting. Priya Anand has a good role to play in the movie. Sundari Penne song has been shot very well. If the director had given more weightage to the social message he wanted to convey rather than fitting the story to the stars it had the potential to become an interesting watch. Also certain shots and the detailing of the shots are just below average.

Overall the movie has very few pluses in terms of its social message and songs. Apart from that the movie falls into the trap of average comedy sequences which you might get to see in 24 hour comedy channels.

Can Skip it

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

Thirudan Police Review

Thirudan Police Review – Thirudan Police is a Tamil action comedy film released in 2014. Vishwa gets his father’s job as a constable after his father’s death during an encounter. He doesn’t have any hard feelings as his father always has been strict with him. But as he learns the kind of difficulties a constable has to go through in his job he develops respect towards his father.

Thirudan Police is the first directorial venture for Caarthick Raju. He has taken up direction after working for creating visual effects for several movies. Given this is a first movie the end product has definitely turned out to be very decent. The first half of the movie is very engaging and revolves around the life in police quarters and the kind of life the lower grade officers go through which includes losing their self-respect on many occasions. All these are conveyed in a humorous tone which proves effective. The scene in which he has to buy fruits from a roadside vendor for free for the assistant commissioner’s family and in the end he fights with his conscience and pays out of his own pocket is a good one. There are many such scenes which make the movie stand apart from the rest. Till the complex knot is built and he realizes the sacrifice of his father the movie is very engaging but post that it slows down a bit. Although the director had a good plot built up he did not want to take the usual route of ending the climax in a dramatic fight rather he had chosen to stay different which may not appeal to many sect of the audience.

Attakathi Dinesh has performed his role well and this is a role that suits him well. Iyshwarya Rajesh does not have much role in the movie.

Overall Thirudan Police is more about police rather than the thief. Apart from minor glitches and the songs for the sake of songs Thirudan Police is definitely deserves a watch when you are at leisure.

Wait for DVD/TV

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

Big Hero 6 Review

Big Hero 6 Review – Big Hero 6 is an American animated superhero movie released in 2014. This movie is based on the Marvel Comics of the same name. A 14 year old genius and robotic expert Hiro Hamada has to form a super hero team to fight a villain who is suspected to have played a role in his brother’s death.

If you have read the comics you might already know what you would need to expect from the movie. However if you haven’t then one of the things you might need to know is this is not yet another animation movie that targets kids with a good moral message like Wall E, UP, Frozen, Brave and so on. There is no such thing this Big Hero 6 conveys. The movie is more of a super hero movie than that of a kid’s animation movie. During the break one of the kid exclaimed to her mom that she couldn’t understand the movie. If we are looking this more from a superhero movie angle then it has all the ingredients that would entice you. The animation is of great quality and the characters are all sketched very well. The health care robot Baymax is very cute and the scenes involving the interactions between Hiro and Baymax are funny and would make you laugh. The initial portions of the movie are more enjoyable than the climax itself. The climax is large and involves destruction on a large scale and reminded me of the Avengers and Man of Steel climax. This large scale destruction has now become a trademark for superhero movies. The movie revolves more around Hiro and Baymax. There is little space for the other four characters which I believe would be more prominent in the upcoming editions. The movie does have a post credit sequence which promises a premise for the next edition. So don’t leave the theater before the end of credits.

Overall Big Hero 6 has all the elements to entertain you and keep you engaged for 100 minutes. If you are a fan of Superhero and animation movies then don’t miss this one.

Watchable

Can Skip it, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Rating, Reviews, Romance

London Bridge Review

London Bridge Review – London Bridge is a Malayalam romance drama released in 2014. Vijay is a successful businessman settled down in London. He gets the chance of his life to become the son in law of another famous businessman CS Nambiar. But with a strange turn of events a girl who is the bread winner of a poor family gets hit by his car and her right hand is paralyzed which prevents her from taking up a job. What will Vijay do now is the story of London Bridge.

London bridge did not work for me. Other than the pleasant visuals of London and UK countryside there was nothing enjoyable in this tale of romance. Majority of the movie happens in UK barring a few scenes in India. Through the entire movie the lead pair looks jet lagged. Nandita Raj’s expression is between A and B. Most of the intense emotional sequences fall flat with her single expression face. Prithivraj has tried hard to act but the chemistry between the pair goes missing. The plot of the story is very unique where the conflict is between the romance and morality of self. However it takes a U turn trying when the transition in the hero almost happens very quickly and you would be able to guess the call he would take naturally in the end. The second half of the movie happens to be just a formality to witness the predictable eventuality. If the stress has been made more on the inner conflict of the hero and kept him strong till the end of the movie it would have made a very interesting tale.

Prathap Pothan and Andrea Jeremiah are a big plus for the movie. Although they don’t have much scenes but the sequences they are present are watchable. Another drawback in the movie is its length and pace. The pace is too slow.

Overall this is a forgettable movie for Prithivraj. It had the promises but has failed to deliver on it.

Can Skip it

Related Posts: Om Shanthi Oshaana Review | Thattathin Marayathu Review

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

Kaththi Review

Kaththi Review – Kaththi is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. Kathiresan escapes from Kolkata Jail and reaches Chennai. Circumstances lead him to rescue his look alike Jeevanandam who is fighting for his village farmers from corporate not taking possession of their lands. He double crosses and let Kolkata police arrest Jeevanandam and he takes his place to make some quick money.

Director A R Murugadoss has delivered a movie with a strong social message like he had done in his blockbuster Ramana. The film’s core part is the social issue of farmers losing land to corporate jungle. However the plot has been tailored for Vijay’s star value to make it look big. In the process the movie builds up Vijay’s star value more than the essence of the message itself. Vijay is in his comfort zone and has played his part well and this one is sure to entice not only Vijay fans but also other movie lovers as well. Vijay’s role as Jeevanandam is done well. He is composed and the scene where he breaks down for his villagers brings out the actor in him. Samantha is just there is in the movie as tick in the box for the leading lady. The first twenty minutes of the movie is made exclusively for Vijay fans and would make you feel bored with songs and not so witty screenplay. Once the story starts dealing with conflict it makes it a very engaging watch. Neil Nitin Mukesh has played the role of the baddie very well. Songs are just about average and are a distraction to the screenplay. Thanks for not including many of them in the second half which doesn’t spoil the pace of the movie. The movie suffers from cliches we had seen in 7am Arivu like repeating the problems and social message too many times. This also makes the movie lengthy and after a while you would feel ok got it… what’s next. If such minor glitches could have been avoided and the first 20 minutes of the movie had been reduced it would have made the script even racier.

Overall Kaththi has all the ingredients of a larger than life masala movie that also tries to highlight on a social issue but gets lost in the star worship. If you are able to ignore the shortcomings there is lot more to look forward in the movie, which definitely makes it watchable.

Watchable

Friday Fundas

Kuleshov Effect or How Hitchcock turned a kind gentleman to a dirty old man

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Kuleshov Effect 

In the last Friday Fundas section I had covered one of the basic units of film grammar Reaction Shot. In this week’s Friday Fundas I am going to cover a related topic called as Kuleshov Effect.

Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov demonstrated a very powerful editing technique in cinema during the 1920s. His experiment involved shooting 4 different shots.

1. Face of an actor with a neutral expression

2. A bowl of soup

3. A dead girl in a coffin

4. A hot woman on a divan

Now he created three films out of these shots. In the first film he alternated between the face of the actor and the bowl of soup. In the second film he alternated between the face of the actor and the dead girl in the coffin. In the third film he alternated between the face of the actor and the hot woman on the divan. He now showed this to three different set of audience. The audience who watched the first film said he had an expression of hunger. The audience who watched the second film said he had an expression of grief. The audience who watched the third film said he had an expression of lust.  Many of them also complimented the acting performance of the actor. But in reality the expression of the character was the same shot. Kuleshov proved that audience when watching a film bring in their emotional reactions to the shot. This would mean that two unrelated shots in reality can be assembled together to create a new meaning. This is the power of editing in films.

An editor should be able to define the meaning the film wants to convey by arranging the shots in a specific order.

In one of his famous interviews Alfred Hitchcock explains the importance of Kuleshov’s effect. He calls it the pure technique of assembling the shots in cinema.

He shows the shot of him squinting, followed by a shot of a woman with a baby playing in the park. Then there is a shot of him smiling. He represents a kind gentleman who loves babies. Now he replaces the shot of the woman and the baby with a shot of a woman in a bikini. You see him squinting at something, then the woman in a bikini is shown and then the shot of him smiling is shown. The whole meaning of the scene changes now. He suddenly becomes a dirty old man.

Watch the video here.

Thus is the power of Kuleshov effect. The power of editing involves assembling of shots to evoke the desired emotions from the audience.

Isn’t it amazing that most of us emote the same way to a particular scene? The magic of cinema continues…

Related Articles: Reaction Shot  | Over the shoulder Shot | Types of Shots | Breaking the 4th Wall

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

The Chaser Review

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The Chaser Review – The Chaser is a South Korean psycho thriller released in 2008. Eom Joong-Ho is a corrupt ex detective turned pimp. He is worried as two of his women have gone missing. He thinks someone is selling them and tries to track him down as he send one of his women Mi-jin to the customer who was the last to see the other two missing women.

The Chaser is yet another brilliant psycho thriller that is engaging throughout. Director Na Hong-jin has narrated a story that has a strong take on the corrupt politics in South Korea. The scene in which the Mayor comes out of the hospital and complaints why there is no press and then run away seeing an injured men walking towards the hospital is very cleverly done. The characterization is done very well, as per the theme of the story every character in the movie has their negative shade. Kim Yoon-seok has performed very well in the role of a corrupt ex-detective and a money minded pimp. The sound engineering for the movie is very well done. Not using background score but the use natural sounds from the surrounding is very effective in keeping the thriller on. Overall if you have enjoyed movies like Old Boy and I Saw the Devil you would like this one too.

Watchable