Review: Thaandavam (2012)

I do not know what to say. But would like to put it this way.. Imagine watching an intense cricket match and just when you think the next ball would be the decider you are interrupted by a tiring and cliched advertisement. That is what is Vijay's Thaandavam. The director deserves all the credit for whatever "Thaandavam" is.

 

We all are so confident of Vikram to don any new role with style and with this he doesn't pull a heroic not-forgettable performance. Not that the role is easy, it is not that challenging.

 

Out of his previous performances, I particularly love Madarasapattinam and Deiva Thirumagal even though the latter was inspired from some other movie. He gives a lot of attention to detail. Every pixel which comes into the frame is carefully monitored. So is with Thaandavam. The movie has an interesting plot which could have churned out to be a 1 hour suspense video but the editing-screenplay duo fails and lets you down. It puts the avid movie watcher down and difficult to lift the senses up.

 

Amy Jackson has an introductory song and that happens right at the start obviously so the whole mood changes. Anushka delivers a fairly decent yet forgettable performance but she does play a bold female. Someone whom I would be interested in. (Yes, you read it! - 100 points to the people who find the reason why!)

 

Nasser's usual tamil accent is digestable. In fact that is very much "tamil" and NOT what he speaks in Thaandavam.

 

Tollywood's Jagapathi Babu plays an important role in the movie. He comes up with quite an "okay" performance.

 

Santhanam's witty one-liners are actually witty at places but doesn't sustain throughout.

 

GV's 25th is a let down and so is his background score which was at a very different level in Gangs of Wasseypur. (Yes, for people who didn't know, he scored the background for GOW - I & II) Songs come in at the wrong places just for the sake of it.

 

Bomb blast graphics are poor! You could actually see vehicles entering into the blast area and exiting unscathed. Serious let down in the start. For flaws, you see cheerlands with USC on their tees dancing while Amy takes Vikram out to show London. (Do they have a branch there? Apologies if they did..)

 

Overall, Vijay has a good story on paper but fails while spinning the frame. He could have made a TV episode or a more detailed romantic flick. The village scenes were funny and worth remembering.

About the 'stolen script' accusation, I really want to congratulate the person who is accusing UTV and also Director Ameer for resigning his position following this. I mean how stupid can one be! (Ask Ameer)

 

Watch Thaandavam if you wanna screw your own mood or if you are in a commenting spree - Don't miss it!

 

Rating: 1.5/5

 

Thaandavam: Doesn't entice!

Review: Barfi! (2012)

Barfi! is a joy to watch!

 

The start of the movie brings back memoirs of Legends Charlie Chaplin, Rowan Atkinson and Jackie Chan. But then, it takes a plunge and the genius of Anurag Basu who miserable failed last time with "Kites" comes into play. There is no doubt that Kites was the "only" failure in his filmography. Others were classics.

 

Cinema is an art and Barfi! proves it. Every character, every scene in this movie is charming. They make you fall in love at first sight.

 

The story starts with a narration (flashback) and then there is flashback within a flashback. Nowhere confusing. Very simple to understand. Kudos to Anurag (Basu).

 

Starting with acting, No points for guessing! Ranbir is the best of the lot although others are not far behind. He is one person who stands out. Brilliant Stuff.

 

Priyanka pulls a miracle from nowhere. Absolutely stunning stuff. Never wondered she was such an amazing actress.

 

Ileana kick starts her bollywood career with a bang. She is as gorgeous as ever (in recent times). She looks amazingly hot in the "bong" attire. Perfect Fit!

 

Every junior artist, character artist and anyone in the frame does a good job.

 

When you thought that the first half of the movie was amazing, post-interval is even better. There is no dull moment. The story is so well written and told that you get tears in your eyes. I got them.

 

Cinematographer Ravi Varman (popular in south) captures various shades of Kolkata and Darjeeling so accurately and the output is crisp.

 

Music by Pritam is surprisingly awesome and the background score is a protagonist in itself.

 

The genre of the movie is difficult to be certain of. It has romance, it has comedy, it has serious drama, it also has a lot of suspense. And of course its sort of a musical.

 

Watch Barfi. Celebrate life. Enjoy the experience. Leave the cinema hall refreshed. Don't miss it!

 

"Don't Worry, be Barfi!"

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Barfi!: Crunchy and Sweet!

Review: The Expendables 2 (2012)

Just imagine how heavy the star cast of this movie is! What happens if all of them come together?

 

This second installment of Stallone's dreamchild is just about Boom! Boom! Kaboom! No logic, no great oscar winning story. Its simple..Extreme hardcore action. There is no respect for life, no mercy for anyone. Shoot! Kill! Stab! Explosion! And the movie ends.

 

The star cast is just heavy weight. When was the last time Chuck Norris was seen on screen? He comes in his typical style and cracks one of his own widespread jokes.

 

Everyone has enough space on screen and they shed off their star power and do it all just for Stallone..

 

There is nothing much to talk about the music. It was simple for the music composer to just let guns do all the sounds. Bang..Bang!

 

The cinematography was good. The explosions were properly captured.

 

Stallone rocks even at this age. What muscle power and what charisma. I think it was just for this one soul that this huge star cast came together. The man earns respect.

 

I don't have a rating to give this movie. Just watch it if you wanna brighten up your sultry/sad day. You're in for some kickass entertainment.

 

The Expendables 2: Go for it!

Review: Jism 2 (2012)

I'm going to keep it very short.

Please do not watch this movie. Wait for the Original DVD to come or some channel to telecast it.

The Producers call it a "Romantic Thriller". There wasn't a moment in the whole of the movie when i felt a thrill except for post-interval where they showed "Raaz 3" trailer. It shook my nerve. Interesting movie when compared to Jism 2.

There is no erotica, there is no XX or even a single X. All you get to see is 2 hours of sheer stupidity.

I could forgive the absence of a story, I could also forgive the pathetic screenplay and even the inane dialogues. But the only reason that I can never forgive is the absence of 'Erotica'. That is the only reason I paid 250 bucks for and I'm not convinced. (Yes, I am shameless!)

The only credible aspects of the movie are the songs and cinematography departments. I call it the song department because the background music was a loser. Good visuals in songs coupled with pleasant songs is a treat to watch.

Acting is pathetic and I am not getting into the details. Making a porno out of this cast would have been a better business idea. It would definitely have brought repeat audiences. Sunny Leone probably performs better in porn. (Again, I am shameless!)

I'm sorry but this is it. DON'T WATCH IT!

"To Love Her is to Die" - To watch this movie is to die.

Rating:  i²/5

(Yes, you are reading "-1")

Jism 2: Absolutely Worthless!

Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

It isn't definitely the best movie of 2012 till date but it is not far from it either. I know it sounds confusing but that is how you are left with when you want to decide how the movie is.

Christopher Nolan, probably an upcoming legend, has masterfully created the end of the series in The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) so that the fans do not get upset. However, if it wasn't for the way certain scenes were shot or if it wasn't for Tom Hardy or even Hans Zimmer, TDKR would have been a serious letdown.

Most of the premiere/first day watchers went gaga about TDKR in the social networks which naturally and intentionally yet unintentionally created a hype. A hype which took the expectations to another level because after The Dark Knight, Nolan gave a different and dark dimension to a comic book series. I knew if I went in with the same high, I wouldn't get satisfied. So I chose to see an average flick.

Hans Zimmer's music was THE thing that made a difference. Even though, at most places it was just the looped score running, it pumped up the adrenaline and took you to the edge of the seat. The "Deshi Deshi..Basarah Basarah" (meaning of which is explained in the movie) was made heard in all frames. It sure brought Goosebumps.

Tom Hardy, one of the many Inception artistes who make a comeback in TDKR, also adds weight to the difference. His voice, which was supposedly made unhearable only to bring audiences back to the theatres, was very clear whenever he addressed the public. A wanted initiative maybe. He plays Bane, the toughest opponent of Batman till date. He's muscular and scary, scary enough for Batman to fear.

The one thing which I never understand why is that characters who know to converse well in English start by speaking in some random language and then towards the end of the movie switch to english all of a sudden just to energize the  hero. Please make me understand why.

The movie's got most of the navarasas of cinema. There is plenty of drama and emotions.

Few minutes into the movie and you ask yourself, "Did I pay so much to watch this?" and that is precisely when Nolan starts answering your question. At the end of the movie, you get bowled over by his narration of the end of the Batman saga. There could not be a better and fitting end to this version of Bruce Wayne.

There are many impossible situations and sequences but since it is a superhero (like) movie, you can overlook them but no one makes a perfect movie, come on!

Marion Cotillard is deadly and hot. Coming from her eccentric role in Inception, a welcome change in TDKR is enough to entice you. Anne Hathaway is stylish as catwoman. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine support Bale throughout just like in the previous installements. Gary Oldman does a decent job too.

Christopher Nolan's Inception could be called one of the best movies he's made but definitely not TDKR, even TDK but not TDKR. No.

Somewhere, and also as my friend quoted, the ending seemed like Angels and Demons. I know it is difficult to agree. But even in a different perpective, the ending was quite predictable. No innovation here. It does lead to an anti-climax. But it does makes you say "Wow" when the credits start rolling out.

A long movie this, but for Nolan fans it is nothing new. It grips you to your seat, yes but not always. Nothing that could be made different. It is after all Nolan's cinema and I'm sure there is a reason for everything. Watch TDKR and get baffled. Watch the legend come to an end.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Dark Knight Rises: And falls!

Review: Cocktail (2012)

With a tantalizing title "Cocktail" is an amazing mix of fun, party, emotions and love and connecting each of them is a web spun by Director Homi Adajania.

Cocktail is a spicy concoction of three lead actors. Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone are funny and so natural (not expected generally). New face Diany Penty amazed me. She is cute and her subtle expressions are cuter. I'm not quite sure about her future but the "Meera" in Cocktail impressed and emotionally touched me.

From the trailers and promos, we see 3 friends who have fun in a foreign location and Saif (Gautam) making out with both the lead ladies.

The plot of Cocktail is not that simple. It somehow connects every viewer with some instance in their life.

The Cinematography was just brilliant. Superb colour and lighting. The background score from Salm-Sulaiman was decent and gelled with the visuals so nicely. Pritam's music was surprisingly foot tapping and hummable.

Melodramatic scenes were touching and Sreekar Prasad's editing carried the movie at a fair pace. Not too many unwanted scenes. Cocktail right from the start to finish is a drink which is naughty and then turns spicy and finally ends sour. By the time you finish the drink, you are in love with it and would want to revisit it sometime later.

Boman Irani and Dimple Kapadia are seriously legends. Performance wise Deepika is awesome and hotness wise..umm..I admit..She is Hotttt..but only in this movie. Diana delivers a mellow performance as her character asks for. Randeep Hooda chips in a small portion and does it well. Saif is unexpectedly fun and he plays his character with ease. Looked like this was written specially for him.

While the first half was super cool, the second half was serious but it was spellbinding. It gripped me as I continued to watch the movie..sometimes controlling my tears.

Watch Cocktail for its spicy story and watch it for the lead actors. I'm sure you'll love it.

Rating: 3/5

Cocktail: Gets you 'high'!

(P.S. I'm emotionally sensitive, so i love such movies)

Review: Billa II (2012)

If you ask someone to watch Micheal Corleone's history, it definitely is an offer you can't refuse but would you be interested to watch David Billa's history? Read on to find your answer...

For an unconventional tamil movie of 2 hour runtime, Billa II's first half is slow and its second part even slower. There is not one cheerful moment in this installment.

By the time the explosions and fight sequences come and enlighten you, you are half dead or probably dozing off.

Supposedly the plot takes place in the 1980s and of course Chakri Toleti, the director has made sure that the sets match the timeline but again no one is perfect. There seem to exist modern houseboats and modern parties with ladies wearing clothes of the future. For me, it was a serious let down. And to support it, stupid mixes of languages, both Russian and Hindi. When someone can converse in English, then why the need of Russian and to top it, a Russian-tamilian transalator.

For a movie which had a lot of potential, Chakri Toleti's Billa II fails to entertain. In fact, there is not much style too. I was ready enough to let go of the substance but Ajith's trademark style was missing. Too many unwanted slow-mos spoilt the already slow paced screenplay.

If you thought the trailers were amazing, well they were but they were only leading to something passable. Yes, Billa II is something you can miss.

Parvathy Omanakuttan's inclusion is a total turn-off. Not only can she do a proper lip sync she also can't move her lips when her dubbing artist is saying something. The "hot" ladies in the song "Edho..Mayakkam" were better in all terms than the 2 so-called lead ladies. Bruna Abdullah did

nothing except gaze at Ajith and hug him a thousand times.

Vidyut Jamwal, already famous in Tollywood and Bollywood, plays a Russian goonda for whom "business" is dealing arms. He has a hot assisstant though.

Sudhanshu Pandey's pathetic tamil accent is a serious turn-off. Though, he seems to be turned on by Ajith's belly "bouncing" in Edho oru Mayakkam's "Bounce..Bounce..Bounce with me" chorus. (This song was one of the best moments in the movie)

Yuvan's music is below average. Every time there is a romantic tune, it starts off with a piece which reminds me of "Cadbury" Ad. Background music was okayish. Not striking the right chord.

Billa 2 could have been more shorter (and better) if the songs were removed and the video frames per second (fps) increased.

The only positive about the movie is R.D. Rajashekar's cinematography. Amazing visuals in Edho oru mayakkam and the climax stunt sequence. *Take a Bow* RD.

The awesome punchline that we see in the trailer "En vazhkai la ovvoru naalum...." fails to gather any cheers as the viewer is confused as to why this dialogue is actually rendered by Ajith.

You can actually see a knife kept comfortably in a fake blood sack in the first scene of the movie. Easy for Ajith to take it out (like Sinbad) and just go on a killing spree. Such letdowns....hmph..

All in all, Chakri Toleti's Billa 2 fails to deliver. It does step up in the way blood sprays out in fight sequences. But there is no style and no substance. What else can a movie entertain us with?

Rating: 2/5

P.S. I'm being lenient here.

Billa II: Yawn!

Review: The Amazing Spiderman (2012)

Definitely not an untold story, but Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spiderman" sure shows us the unseen side of Spiderman.

When "Hulk" released in 2003, Universal Studios took 5 years to make "The Incredible Hulk" which was a decent watch. Similarly after 10 years, but this time the same production house which made the previous series comes up with "The Amazing Spiderman" which is definitely better than the original (atleast to me). Wondering when will another adjective be added to another Marvel superhero and be remade and retold.

There is no sizzling hot MJ here, instead we have Gwen Stacy, the Captain's (captain of what? A police officer) daughter. Peter Parker meets Gwen and then there is Love.

Andrew Garfield is amazing. He gets into the skin of the character (Easy for him since he's already skinny) and plays the crazy side of Peter Parker awesomely. He's funny and witty and that makes him special. "The Social Network" too offered him a different role which he played almost silently.

Music by James Horner (the orchestrator for Titanic, Avatar, Braveheart, etc.) is just okay. There were some abriupt Grand Piano tones here and there.

Cinematography was excellent. That too for a superhero who partly travels in the air and partly on land, the camera too needs to be creative and it is. Thanks to the man who also gave us Armageddon and Pearl Harbor.

Martin Sheen and Saly Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May come up with decent performances but not better than Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris (in the previous series).

Irrfan Khan does a cameo and gets away with it without being noticed.

Rhys Ilfans delivers a good performance both as a one handed scientist and as a lizard.

There are a lot of commercial elements to it. Lot of scenes probably inspired from Bollywood. (Even the action and emotional scenes, mind it)

"The Amazing Spiderman" is funny. (Funnier than most Ben Stiller movies..)

I would aptly call the movie as "Spiderman: The Amazing Kiss" rather than its current title for that scene still holding a lot of space in my mind hours after exiting the theatre. (What an Idea, Sirjee)

All in all, an awesome entertainer and Marc Webb has spun his magic and the result can be seen in 3-D on screen. Watch it soon!


Rating: 3.5/5

The Amazing Spiderman:"Desi Spiderman"

(P.S. If you know what i mean)

Review: Prometheus (2012)

 



"What happens after death? Who created mankind and how and why and...", such are the questions for which certain humans in the late 21st century try to find the answer to by travelling to alien land (or say planet) far far away. I went in to watch this movie only because of the fact that the movie was about these questions but everyone knows that these questions can never be answered or atleast no one has found the answers yet.

So is Prometheus really worth it? Will it in anyway aide you to think rationally? Well these questions are answerable and that is why this blog is for...Should you or should you not? I think you can take a pass at Prometheus.

It is a decent attempt but there is nothing so significantly insightful about mankind that you gather from this flick. Not that it is supposed to be intuitive but Prometheus is definitely a miss.

Quite true that no one believes in aliens and their existence and that is not my reason for not liking the movie. Fantasy is something which is even more difficult to create, agreed and Ridley Scott scores well in doing that. The fact remains that he has nothing new to offer. It is just a story told in a different perspective.

Set in few decades from now, people (humans) still use the same kind of torch lights, space ships are designed in a way that they conserve energy. Technology seems to have widened itself through galaxies. Something noteworthy and appreciable.

Technically, the movie is amazing. Brilliant effects on 3-D and a crawling background music to support the EQ-challenged movie. Prometheus is a visually stunning movie technically.

The actors play their parts well and Michael Fassbender and Guy Pearce stand out as the saviours of the sinking ship. (Expected more from Charlize Theron but no value for money.. :( )

Take a call on spending money for your ticket stub. I would suggest - Save it for your future!

Rating: 2.5/5

Prometheus: Not promising enough!

Review: Shanghai (2012)

You do feel that its yet another "Jaago India Jaago" kinda film but it is just not that. Dibakar Bannerjee's Shanghai is a well crafted and well thought flick. The very colour scheme of the print right from the start invites you to an poking and thought provoking experience. In a year of amazing small budget and less marketed films, Shanghai adds itself to the list, and please do not miss it!

Sources say that the movie is based on the novel Z by Vassilis Vassilikos and I don't have any idea of that. The movie does not boast of a heavy star cast (based on star value) but the versatality of the actors sprouts from the center. Bengal megastar Prosenjit Chatterjee chips in with a very good performance creating an impact in bollywood which is here to stay. Kalki Koechlin is an amazing actress and one can definitely say that she's one of the best in bollywood at the moment. Although "Kisser Boy" Emran Hashmi plays a role of his title in Shanghai, he never gets to kiss anyone. Rather, he only films others doing it. Yes! He is a videographer. I never expected him to get involved in a role so much that he'd grow a tummy and learn the slang and give an absolutely brilliant performance. These two apart, for me the main hero of the movie is Abhay Deol. What an actor! He plays Krishnan, an IAS officer and he does not stop with just acting. At the end of it, you end it up too believing that he is a tamilian although his tamil wasn't that good. His perfect pronounciation of Hindi words (as would have been pronounced by a tamilian), his every move, his every expression is just class. He listens to Vishnu Sahasranaman, he offers the incense sticks to a jpg image on his laptop screen and prays, he acts like a coward in life threatening situations. No words to describe this performance. Dibakar sure knows how to get material out of talented people.

Speculations were rife that Shanghai is based on Dharavi slum, it may be but Dibakar has painted it so well that no one can protest about it. No one can say that it causes harm to their community or their party. The story is so well weaved that inspite of complex interlinking between the scenes you can never find an interlink hanging loose or an interlink with the outside world. Its titled Shanghai for a reason that it does not portray an Indian city and that the director wants a city in India to become like Shanghai. You can never find the name of the city where the plot revolves. Such is the magic of Dibakar Bannerjee.

Thrilling and gripping from frame 1, Shanghai also pokes and portrays the intelligence and yuckiness of politics. The secret interior games and tactics. All these are to spark the normal civilian. Hope it does atleast by many more movies atleast (inspite of earlier tries).

Special mention has to be made of Farooq Sheikh (once a comedy actor on TV) and Supriya Pathak (of Wake up Sid fame). They have really matured and learnt a lot of acting by hard work. They sure are legends in the making. Their path from small screen to now is inspiring. Kudos to them for choosing to work in this film and giving us the opportunity to gaze at their performance.

Music by Vishal-Shekhar didn't have an impact when the audio released except for the "Bharat Mata ki jai" song but within the movie, the songs have been engraved in a magical way. It had a huge share in making the movie last in the viewer's mind. Cinematography was par excellence. The story telling gripped on to the viewer's mind making him/her think deeper and deeper.

Dialogues were very native. Pronounciations like "hard diks" (instead of the obvious right pronounciation) were highlights. There is humor and wit and suspense and drama and of course brilliant performances by all the actors making Shanghai a feather in bollywood's cap lasting forever.

Watch Shanghai. Don't miss it.

Rating: 4/5

Shanghai: Jaago re!