Review: Naan Mahaan Alla (2010)

From the director of ‘Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu’, comes yet another master flick. ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’, the title might raise some eyebrows once the end credits start rolling. But the title is justified and apt. Never before would you have seen such a justification. I couldn’t infer it at first but a little thought into it and some inputs from my friend made me succumb to the fact that director Suseendran is a ‘genius’.

Naan Mahaan Alla was one of the most awaited movies of the year for me. Why? Not for Karthi, Not for Suseendran and definitely not for Yuvan or Studio Green K.E. Gnanavel Raja. It was for Kajal, the hot and happening chick in south Indian tinsel town. Ever since Magadheera, I’ve been mesmerized by her. Kajal looks ravishing and her every move is certain to move you. The Scenes between Karthi and Kajal in the first half is quite popular these days and sometimes it does give you goosebumps. (What if i had such a life and such a girl? :P )

Start watching this movie without any expectations, because its not a romantic movie that couples would enjoy watching together, it is a fast paced logical thriller with few social issues to ponder about.

Suseendran has aptly chosen his cast, giving perfect roles to the perfect artistes. None in the movie are well known stars, they are just soap opera famous faces and a bunch of young blood from Suseendran’s previous flick. But no one gives you the amateurish feeling.

Karthi has been doing the same, there is not much scope for acting here but his voice doesn’t seem to modulate from movie to movie. It sounds to be the same. He plays a chocolate boy kinda role in the first half and a ruffian in the second. Good character transition. His first punch comes in the last quarter of the movie which is good and a welcome change in today’s Tamil masala movies.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background music tingles the senses and at the same time grips us on to the seats. Songs are minimal and are placed beautifully in the movie. Thanks to the editor.

Cinematography by Mathi is sheer brilliance. The Slow motion and certain gravity defying sequences are shot wonderfully. Stunts by Anal Arasu are par the usual masala standards, you tend to almost feel each thud or punch, just like in the case of Lingusamy movies.

An average movie goer would come out of the movie in ebullience and director Suseendran deserves all the credit. Mr.Suseendran, Where were you all this while? Kollywood needs you badly.

Yuvan used the pitchblende artfully in ‘Iragai Pole’ traversing from crest to trough and back, Director Suseendran uses the same but only that it never reaches the trough, it takes a U-turn from the zero axis only. You end up getting goosebumps and the movie makes your brain think in a specific direction. Such is the after effect.

For all the revenge lovers out there, ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ is specially dedicated to you. Do not Miss it!

Rating: 3.5/5

Entertainment Guaranteed!

(Tit-Bit) Review: Raavanan (2010)

I see no big difference between the two versions except for Vikram who did it a tad better, but that ain't a masterpiece either nor is it a highly commendable for an actor of his stature. His accent sure is laudable.

Prithviraj gets away with an average easily forgettable performance just like Vikram did in the hindi version.

Ash keeps screaming in this too and her voice seems ordinary without any 'feel'.

Karthik again is forgettable, Govinda was much better and funny too.

Prabhu's presence adds on weight on our head and Ravi Kishen was much better.

Camera work and music remain the same. They are the only things to watch out for.

Overall its nothing special, Raavanan is 'lackadaisical' and so is Raavan. Forget both of them and have a peaceful summer.


Rating: 1/5

Review: Raavan (2010)

The much awaited movie of the year, Raavan finally hit the screens on 18th June. When bollywood slowly veered into releasing senseful movies, Does Raavan continue the legacy? Has Mani Ratnam proved himself once again? Read on to find out...

Raavan, starring celebrity couple Ash-Abhi and Tamil hero Vikram, is a typical adaptation of the Ramayana but it doesn't quite live up to the epic's magic. Mani Ratnam is a fine director, he totally loses it right from the start.

Anyways, here is the story, Dev (Vikram) is supposed to be a police officer who, along with his wife Ragini (Ash) moves into a village (Don't quite remember the name) where Beera (Abhishek) is a big shot. Then its Blah! Blah! Blah! - Beera kidnaps Ragini - Blah! Blah! Blah! - Dev hunts for them - Blah! Blah! Blah! - emotional flashbacks - Blah! Blah! Blah! - Killings, Violence, Explosions - Blah! Blah! Blah! - Ram captures Raavan! And that is it..

So complex a story right? Even super computers wouldn't be able to decipher it.
The movie was a fultoo waste of time, energy and money (if you are watching it in the theatres).

Mani Ratnam , known for his brilliant flicks like Roja, Thalapathi and Guru, miserable fails to create an impression. Even if one let goes the story, detailing and logic part, the trademark style of Mani Ratnam is missing. He has let it loose totally and it goes all wrong. Totally wrong. In fact its a blunder!

While its Ash who keeps screaming in the first half, its her real life spouse who keeps screaming in the second half. Overall its cacophonous to hear. Its ironic when the movie ends with Ash whispering.....Beera!

The Acting of any particular character isn't special and doesn't deserve a mention. Abhishek has done a pretty decent job portraying Beera but nothing so commendable. Neither does the potential Vikram. His is similar to the 'Saami' character. Ash screams, weeps, screams and she screams all the way.

Music and Cinematography were the only aspects laudable in this flick. Even they faltered at places. The camera kept moving unwantedly but it did picture the exotic places ecstatically.


Few unanswered questions:

1) If Ragini was ready to sacrifice her life, why had she to follow Abhishek all the way. (They are a married couple. But Still! )
2) Dev, inspite of spending 14 days in the jungle, ends up wearing clean dresses. How? (He has a portable washing machine or what? )
3) How does Dev end up climbing up from the wrong side of the cliff after his mysterious fall in the other side.
4) the locations are confusing. Nowhere is the police station shown and nowhere does the village has any relation with the forests and hills.
5) How does Ragini know how to reach Beera even when she's blindfolded all the way when she is kidnapped?


Positives: Music and Cinematography.

Negatives: Everything else!



Rating: 1/5

Raavan - A total misfire!

Review: The Karate Kid (2010)

Jackie Chan turns master in this flick, 'The Karate Kid'. Is it worth the watch? Is it the usual Jackie Chan flick? Find out the answer below.

Harald Zwart, the director who made average flick 'The Pink Panther 2' and 'Agent Cody Banks' is back with 'The Karate Kid', which seems to be an above average flick carved out with a huge budget and a protagonist duo of Legend Jackie Chan and a budding legend Jaden Smith but the latter takes much of the screen space and literally steals the thunder but he does it with stupendous awe. This movie takes him to high altitudes in terms of his acting skills and the little chap needs serious 'pats on the back' for his brilliant performance in 'The Karate Kid'.

The movie on the whole is a huge drag, runs for over 2 hrs. It could have been loved even more if the drags were dropped but the director thinks this serene version of the classic would work. Seriously, it works wonders.


PLOT:
12- year old Dre parker moves to Beijing owing to his mom's sudden transfer of work.And then there is the usual, He totally hates the place, he meets a cute girl, he gets bullied by her admirants (:P) and then it turns out to be a one-on-one encounter between the kids. They choose a kung-fu tournament to display their wits.

Such is the story of The Karate Kid. Doesn't it seem to be 'Kollywoodish'. Yes, it does and the stunts and drama make it similar to one South-Indian flick.


But what makes it click in the viewers' mind is the style, the charisma, the stunts of young lad Jaden Smith and of course the mesmerizing music of James Horner coupled with some really awe-inspiring cinematographic shots by Roger Pratt (of Troy and Harry Potter 2 & 4 fame).

Jaden finds love, Jaden finds kung-fu, Jaden finds acting, Jaden conquers it all. Will Smith's magnetism is felt all over Jaden's expression. He certainly has made his dad real proud. You've done it, Jaden. Keep up the good work going. His mere screen presence and eloquent dialogue delivery shows his panache and his apprehension of cinema in such a young age.Hats off to you!

Jackie Chan, probably for the first time in his life doesn't beat up anybody and neither does his funny bone (Screen presence in itself) tickle ours. He surprisingly plays a serious teacher without any fuss. At the end of the movie, you just take him as a ordinary character in the movie and the only reason for this is Jaden Smith's ecstatic and powerful performance.


Music by James Horner (of Avatar fame) is simply spellbinding, hypnotic and soulful. It simply boosts up your energy and deviates it to your heart and mind only to LOVE the movie even more.

Cinematographer Roger Pratt adds life to the existing beauty of the exotic locales of China. It looks like as if you are watching discovery or national geographic channel (It wasn't an offense of any sort. I meant only the scenery to resemble those coming in the mentioned channels and nothing else. :) )

The stunts were stunning with the average viewer wanting more of it.

All in all, The Karate Kid gets a two thumbs up from me. Watch it in the theatres to get engraved in Harold Zwart's The Karate Kid.

Negatives: A little stretched, less of stunts, little over dramatic.

Positives: Music. Camera. Screenplay. Dialogues. Depth in storyline. Sticking to the classic story. and Jaden Smith's screen presence all the way.



Watch it for the soulful music, Watch it for the magical imagery.Watch it for Jackie Chan's sombre yet inspiring avatar. Watch it for Jaden Smith's amazing and charismatic performace.
If not for all these, Watch it for the entertaining summer movie experience.


Rating: 3.5/5


The Karate Kid : Magical, Soulful, Inspiring and of course Entertaining!

Review: Raajneeti (2010)

From the maker of dark flicks like 'Apaharan' and 'Gangaajal', here comes his straight take on politics - Raajneeti!

Raajneeti shows the darker side of politics blended with an over dramatic and a lengthy family feud. But the fact is that these things do not fail to entertain nor do they deviate from the premise. There is an equal amount of everything. So is Raajneeti a must watch? Does Prakash Jha keep up his name? Read on to find out....



The movie centers on a political family and things which happen inside it when the head of the family dies. The family on the whole gave me a striking resemblance to the current scenario in Tamil Nadu but all that kept aside, Raajneeti is a neat, dark, filmy yet real (at places) take on politics.

Starting with the cast, its huge. With people like Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, what would one expect? An ardent movie goer would definitely feel that - " Oh! there are so many people in the movie? Then it wouldn't be worth watching. It would definitely be a boring movie." But Raajneeti isn't. All of them have the necessary screen space but the only one sad thing about it is that an actor like Naseeruddin Shah is completely wasted. Anyone could have fit in his role.
Anyways, the story is simple or one can say there is nothing so different about it.

The movie is lengthy and could have been shortened but there wasn't a time when you actually looked at the time! It was gripping on the whole with few lackadaisical hence unwanted drags here and there.

The music by Wayne Sharpe is laudable and the central theme is one of the factors which made the movie likeable and watchable.

There wasn't much scope in editing and neither were there any songs which would have possibly made the viewer exit the theatre.

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were surprise packages. I never knew that they had the acting potential. Nana Patekar and Ajay Devgan do their parts well with their trademark stamp embossed on every scene of theirs.

Too many kissing scenes for a movie of this genre. (Spoiler: Naseeruddin Shah also has a smooching scene, :) )



Prakash Jha, the man from 'my state' : Jharkhand-Bihar, definitely needs a pat on the back for bringing this huge cast together and making a sensible movie and a movie which will attempt to veer the existing Bollywood trend of continuous non-sense into something which will bring back the magic which existed once upon a time.

So all in all, Raajneeti is a mix masala of Godfather, Sarkar and Mahabharata. Watch it for Prakash Jha's take on politics and also for your knowledge refreshment on the crude truth in today's political world.



Rating: 3/5


Politics is esoteric, Raajneeti throws light on it!

Review : Prince of Persia - Sands of Time (2010)

From the producer of 'Pirates of Caribbean' and the director of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' comes a true roller coaster ride, 'POP: Sands of time' scores high on the entertainment quota but fails big time on the logic and the much expected CGI areas.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays 'Dastan', character etched out of the video game series by just giving it a name. Well, Dastan is an orphan who is adopted by the king of persia seeing his brave acts. The story goes like this, Dastan and his two foster brothers decide to invade the holy city of Alimut on the say of Nizam (Ben Kingsley) which is against the king's wishes. But Dastan goes on to find Nizam's secret interests during his pursuit of the city and there starts the twists and turns and some high action adrenaline here and there.


Dastan goes on to meet Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) who rules the holy city and they join hands to save the kingdom.

Everyone seems to accept the fact that has been going around in the ears of persia that Princess Tamina is the most beautiful ruler ever. (But i seriously don't accept it at all! )

The main weapon that everyone is after in this movie is the dagger. Whoever releases the sand turns back time and that person can do whatever he/she wants. The logic for all this can be exempted but there are a few places where no one would attempt to digest.

For example, the usage of the word 'entrepreneur' by Alfred Molina (The famous Doc-Oc from Spiderman 2), I seriously doubt such words were used in those times.
Even after digesting the fact that people in persia could speak fluent english, one definitely cannot digest the dialogues they spoke which consisted of advanced english verbose.


The CGI fails to raise the 'oohs! and aaws!' as one would have expected fresh after seeing the trailers. Given the money, i think they could definitely have worked more on that.

The music by Harry Gregson-Williams reminds us of the inevitable 'Pirates of Caribbean' in a lot of places but he does deserve credit for other pieces which seemed original.

Cinematography by John Seale was brilliant although there were a few scenes which were shown particularly for showing his presence as a crew member.




The Stunts were breathtaking and the recent trend of movies banking on parkour stunts might prove to be entertaining for a while but that will need some innovation in the near future too.

The Screenplay was slick at places and pretty awkward and illogical at many other places.

The Plot cannot be criticized because its video game adaptation and leaves much less scope for innovation but the producer and director should be lauded for bringing out a decent summer entertainer.

A viewer can completely enjoy the movie if he/she totally forgets the logic part.
The main negative of the movie comes in bad CGI in a lot of places (brought the memories of S.S.Rajamouli's Magadheera) and extremely wonderful CGI in a lot other places.

On the whole the movie is a mixture of both positives and negatives and though the percentage of the latter is more, the movie leaves a 'feel-good' impression at the end.



Rating: 3/5


POP: Sands of time - Entertaining!

Review: Kites (2010)

'Kites' - the much hyped movie finally hits the screens after a lot of string stretching. Does it fly high in the air making astonishing moves in the sky? Is it worth watching?
Read on to find out!


The movie starts off with 2 kites flying in the air with Jai (Hrithik) narrating with his comical hindi accent as to how he reached his present 'beggar-like' situation. And then the usual, the camera shifts back and forth from past to present and vice versa.




SPOILER:
The Story is basically about Jai who takes salsa classes in Vegas and marries different different girls on the say of his friend for green card purposes and earns a lot from it. One day, Gina (Kangana Ranaut), his student, expresses her love towards him and Jai refuses at first. But after seeing that Gina is the daughter of a rich casino owner Bob (Kabir Bedi), he quickly falls in love with Gina (though just for the sake of money). And, after the usual interactions of Jai with Gina's family brings out Natasha (Barbara Mori) who is Tony's fiance. Then, its love at first sight for Jai-Natasha and they elope...





Such is the story of this film. Would you dare watching it? I mean when you have such a huge budget, better make a decent film and give the rest of the money to charity rather than spending it on useless stunts and candy floss.

Kangana Ranaut is at her devilish and slutty best whereas Barbara Mori who promised a lot for the 'youth' from the trailers looks stunning and hot but is no way near to the perfect 'diva' yet.

Hrithik Roshan is absolutely scintillating, he is the person to watch this movie for and nothing else. The man definitely has got both style and substance.

Rajesh Roshan's background score is awesome and songs are pretty decent enough except for few background score reminiscences here and there of 'Kaho na Pyaar Hai' and 'Koi Mil Gaya'.


Editing is slick but doesn't seem to raise any 'Ooh!s and Aaw!s'. Screenplay is the usual 'copied from Hollywood' style.




Story - I don't think i have to comment on this anymore. The chase scenes are pretty bad for this big budget and there are timely references to flicks such as 'Bunty aur Babli', 'Catch me if you can' and the usual Hide and seek films.

Anurag Basu's 'Life in a Metro' was a brilliant flick after which he made it to the list of promising directors of Bollywood. But his Kites is definitely a 'Kati Patang' in his career.

Rakesh Roshan - Man, if you do have so much money, please give it to me, there are many other people who are in dire need of it.

On the whole, Kites doesn't even make an attempt to fly 2ft high in the air and is a big miss well away from the target.


'KITES' - A big mistake!


Rating: 1.5/5


Continuing the bollywood trend of 'sick' movies in recent times is Anurag Basu's 'Kites', lets see if Mani Ratnam's 'Raavan' clears the air.

Review : Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)

Although exploring diseases has been the Bollywood trend in recent times, Writer-Director Vijay Lalwani's Karthik Calling Karthik is definitely a commendable effort. I wouldn't give the viewer any more a hint because it would surely disturb the movie watching experience.

A distant inspiration from the hollywood flick 'Mr.Brooks', Karthik Calling Karthik is genred as a comedy/thriller, i have no idea of the former but it is definitely a middle of the seat thriller.Farhan Akthar has always been 'perfect' either be his direction or his new found love - acting. I wouldn't say that he has carried the movie all by himself but his contribution can be equalled to the plot in the success of this movie.

Karthik (Farhan Akthar) plays a usual intovert, who gets scolded by others, solitarily confined in life until one day when he gets a call from a stranger....which changes his life as he'd dreamed.

Deepika Padukone is ravishing and is in her best looks ever in the foot-tapping number 'Uff..teri adaa' with some brilliant choregraphy (not in foot movements but in gestures and expressions - a definite must watch video)

The technical aspects of the movie were par excellence and i couldn't find any significant flaws in them except for the fact that Deepika's ex and her work in the same office and don't see each other even though they are just few foot steps away.

Background score by midival punditz was catchy and music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was melodious as well as enjoyable. Two thumbs up to both the bands.

All-in-all, Karthik Calling Karthik is a gripping movie bringing to light, a common phenomena which is kept out of vision by many.

Rating: 3/5


Watch it for Farhan and of course how the plot unfolds!

Review : Sherlock Holmes (2010)(India)

Seems like Hollywood is getting inspired by Tamil commercial cinema these days. From the biggest blockbuster Avatar to this most awaited movie by Guy Ritchie, a lot of masala is visible. By masala, I mean introduction, action, romance, comedy and climax fight. Guy Ritchie incorporates all of this with finesse and of course giving it his trademark story-telling style.

Sherlock Holmes is just a wonderful start to the New Year, with brilliant adaption of the renowned fictional detective. The story is simple, just like normal Sherlock Holmes stuff but the wonderful portrayal by Robert Downey Jr. with an even marvellous portrayal of his sidekick Dr. Watson by Jude Law makes the movie worth watching in the big screen. The duo did a lot of flirting and their combined action sequences coupled up with Guy Ritchie’s zip-zap-zoom screenplay makes the viewer literally gaze at the screen with awe.

The movie starts with the simultaneous introduction of the antagonist and the protagonist with the latter getting a part similar to a mass-hero introduction in Tamil cinema. The antagonist, Lord Blackwood practises Black Magic and is hanged after conviction in court. Things seem to go normally when suddenly this guy pops up from the grave and takes on the government. It is the duty of our dear detective Holmes to solve the case. Obviously like all movies, the hero does solve the problem but how does he do it and whether Holmes uses his conventional orthodox style in solving forms the rest of the plot.

Sherlock Holmes is short, sweet and definitely hilarious. Probably, people expecting a serious detective story would be in for a surprise, a surprise both creative and entertaining. And also people expecting a Guy Ritchie style film are no doubt in for a treat. He has stuck to his usual as well as founded new ideas to carve his niche in the movie watcher’s minds.

Background score by Hans Zimmer, the god of BGMs, was intriguing and pleasant to hear. The visual effects are par excellence with a masterful creation of London Bridge under construction. But the only technical aspect that slightly overshadows the others is the stunts. The stunts coupled up with the visual effects easily steal the show, if they weren’t present, the movie would have failed miserably.

Guy Ritchie’s previous flicks include Snatch, Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and of course the best of the lot, Rock n Rolla. One more feather in his cap is definitely Sherlock Holmes because he has portrayed Holmes in an entirely eccentric way with the same amount of intellect.

So, I suggest that you people watch this movie on the big screen for that Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is an out-an-out entertainer and a perfect start for 2010. Hollywood does reach an altogether new level with every releasing movie.

Rating: 3.5/5

Brilliant!

Incredulous yet incredible!

Travelling four hours on a winter day just to watch a movie seems unbelievable. I actually thought which idiot will do that. Spending 500+ bucks in a day only for entertainment might seem normal to some, but for a college goer staying in hostel far away from home, it isn’t.

We planned to travel all the way to Kolkata just to watch a movie. Initially there were 6 of us, out of which one of them had cancelled his participation the previous night and we had to leave the other because he couldn’t get up.

I kept my alarm at 4.15am and finally after 2-3 snoozes woke up at 4.30. Quickly finishing off my daily chores, I got ready and went up to the hostel where the auto was called. We boarded the auto and went to pick up another guy who delayed our departure. Finally, after he made his way out of his room, we raced to the station. A college friend was already in queue for getting his ticket done; we paid him our share (Rs.73 each) and got our tickets without any hassle.

We got comfortable seats and as we journeyed along, we had interesting discussions, we slept and we ate.

The train finally reached Howrah and we quickly caught a pre-paid taxi (Rs.110) to the Forum at Elgin Road. After traversing through 4-5 escalators, INOX booking centre became visible and we ran to get the tickets(Rs.160 each). Now that our tension was over, we decided to eat. Two of my friends who visited Kolkata few days ago knew the place properly and suggested a south Indian eatery at chandni chowk. We had to catch a local bus from Elgin Road to Park Street from where we had to travel through India’s first metro to reach Chandni Chowk to finally arrive at a Madras Restaurant which was established in 1939 and provided authentic Chennai food (Rs.80 for sumptuous lunch). After hogging nicely, we checked our watches. Having very little time for metro+bus travel, we caught a taxi and reached the Forum.

The Movie was scheduled to start at 2.05. We reached before time. We bought some snacks (Rs.50 each) to eat inside. The movie ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (whose review is my next post) was a visual treat. Our return train was scheduled at 5.15 and our show got over by 4.15. We still had to get the general tickets, so we caught yet another yellow cab (Rs.120) to Howrah. We got the tickets, and the train arrived at the platform a few minutes after we reached there. People were putting whatever they had in their hands through the windows to secure their seats. We too ran from one bogie to another to find four continuous seats. We found them quite easily. As we journeyed back to Tatanagar, we had a storyboard discussion for our short film which we are planning to make this year, coming out with amusing and innovative ideas. Hope we shoot the film as planned.

This wonderful day got over by 11 as we reached out respective hostels.

Now, as I look back the last 17 hours, it was a roller coaster ride with few sights soothing to the eye and mind (; )) I mean people would laugh at you when you say to them that you are going to watch a movie in a city which is 4 hours away from college. Even I didn’t have the mood to go and i never believed that I would get into this, but once I was into it, this day turned out to be one exciting day worth the money spent and truly incredible.

Special Appreciation : Siddarth and Harish for bringing out such a wonderful idea and taking me along! Thanks a lot!