The number of movies I watched this year is very very less
as I devoted most of my time to watch English series F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Two and a Half Men, Sherlock, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory.
Following are the movies I watched in 2012. There are a
few more old movies I watched but not in this list as they are nothing worth mentioning :D Except these I haven't watched any new movies
and I don't regret, because these are the ones I wanted to catch up and I
made sure that I saw them :D
So I consider all of these my best picks of 2012 :D
Movies are listed in alphabetical order.
Best of Tamil:
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi
Kalakalappu
Naan
Naan Ee
Nanban
Pizza
Thuppakki
Vazhakku Enn 18/9
Tamil-Dubbed Films:
Chaarulatha
English Vinglish
Other Language Films:
Kahaani
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Lorax
Ala Modalaindi
Lifeu Ishtene
I want to watch Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanum also soon :D
Showing posts with label Olarals on Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olarals on Movies. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Endhiran - My Point of View
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> I am not a fan of Rajini. The last film of his I liked was Muthu.
> I am not a die hard fan of A R Rahman. Especially I liked none of his recent albums very much.
> I am not a too big fan of Shankar. The last film of his which I felt was a complete work was Mudhalvan.
I am a normal film viewer and I have some expectations when I go for a Shankar’s film with Rahman’s music featuring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai and a crew of topmost technicians from India and world over. This write-up is based only on these aspects and I want to make it clear that, I am not interested in sales or box office collection statistics because they make no sense or are of no value to me.
Endhiran is definitely the biggest film of India till date both in terms of production cost and the reach. But biggest does not always mean the best and this film is an example of that. Claimed as a science fiction movie by many, I found it is nothing more than a typical mass commercial film borrowing lot of science fiction ideas for the flow of events.
The story as such does not have strong foundation like in the case of Shankar's other films (barring Boys and Sivaji). Reasons later. It’s a triangular love story where in the third angle is unusually a humanoid robot. This fact itself was supposed to be very interesting but I didn't find it so. Again reasons later. The robot which turns from good to evil in the second half of the film routes for a gripping climax, thanks to special effects.
The film's main characters except for the robot lack a proper characterization and appeared as alien as their character names. Dr.Vasigaran (Rajini), the robotic scientist makes the humanoid robot named Chitti (named by his mother, I wonder where in Tamil Nadu mothers dream of naming their children with a golti name like Chitti Babu). Vasi is in love with Sana(Aishwarya) with whom Chitti also falls in love at one point when he is given emotional programming and gets lost in it, failing to serve the purpose for which it is created. Vasi destroys it and throws it away in frustration. Dr.Bohra, who is Vasi's Guru but jealous of him, gets Chiti back to form and implants destruction programming in it. This leads to evil consequences that form the rest of the story.
The scientists Vasigaran and Bohra have their own labs which look more like space ships (reminding aliens again). Whereas Vasi's lab has two dumb asses as assistants, Bohra is not even shown to have anyone working with him. It looks as if Bohra managed to create dozens of robots (as shown in one scene) single handedly. What a genius! Wonder if any scientists of today have such sophisticated and well equipped labs, which can function without even proper assistants. It would have been more convincing if it was shown that both scientists work for AIRD and do their research there.
The first half of the film shows the making of Chitti and how well it performs superhuman tasks to benefit mankind. But I don't know what sense it makes to do system/beta testing on a robot meant for defense purposes with household and edupidi tasks in domestic environment. Memorizing telephone directories, scanning exam books and reproducing it for Sana, cooking and so on, the robot's multifaceted capabilities are explained through so many scenes. At one point, it becomes too much to take and the 'Boom Boom Robo Da' song is heights of it. It is ridiculous to see a scientist use a robot created with so much ambition for wearing on his tie and tying his shoe lace.
Of course, the robot also fights goondas and does superhuman stunts by his fire proof, electromagnetic and various other capabilities. The train fight though well executed seems very lengthy. And as I do a rewind of all heroic deeds done by the robot, it all turns out to be what is done by a normal commercial hero in a masala film, but here the viewer is expected to believe that all of them is possible and feasible, because its a robot doing them and it has superhuman powers. The way robot clears up a critical pregnancy case just because it has memorized Sana's medical books is something that happens only in films. Anyways, an element of thaaikulam attraction.
The second half had lot of unwanted scenes, the most boring ones like the ridiculous mosquito sequence, chitti dance and lead sequence before Kilimanjaro song. Many scenes look placed just for the sake of it, like the one when power goes down and robots walk over to the road using car batteries to recharge themselves. I wondered what purpose the whole sequence served. Scenes like dumping the dismantled robot in a corporation dustbin and showing that it is taken to a dump yard of normal garbage look totally bizarre in today's era of e-waste disposal campaigns and considering the fact that a robotic scientist cannot dispose his years of work just like that. Add to it that fact that the robot can reconstruct itself even at such a crippled stage.
There are scenes of confused logic, like the one when evil Chitti kidnaps Sana from wedding hall and fights with police, 100s of bullets rain all over. It is accepted that Chitti survives it by some power it has, but there is no explanation how a human Sana and a normal car can survive all that, especially Sana escapes without even a scratch, turning out to be better constructed than Chitti. The end scene is supposed to be a tear jerker meant for Thaaikulams wherein Chitti dismantles itself and some ‘messages’ are forcefully thrown in for the audience.
The only solace for second half is the climax sequence visual effects with ideas heavily borrowed from popular Hollywood films like Matrix, Anaconda etc. The effects are very well done as in Hollywood but the worming, deworming, electromagnetic blah blahs, though technically needed for the sequence are too heavy for a layman to understand. And again in this scene, when everything around the robot is crushed by it, a mere caravan with hi-fi equipments remains as it is and dodges over all the robotic destruction skills. Heroism!
Rajinikanth has done lot of work for the film especially with the makeup, robotic acts and so on, a remarkable feat for his age. But just makeup can't hide his ageing face which looks very odd with layered makeup in many scenes. He puts up a good show as a villain towards the end, but the robotic body language is totally missing and he acts like a normal human, may be director's fault. An evil chip can change the programming logic but cannot make a robot act like human villain. So the villainous laugh and all other acts are unconvincing when you think it is done by a robot.
Considering that his fights in recent films usually contained unbelievable sequences and over the top action, the fights does not seem to evoke any wonder, unless you remind yourself that it is being done by a robot here. And even the robotic dance in Irumbile oru Idhayam is nothing so different from what robotic steps Rajini did in his previous hits like Thillana Thillana. The romantic scenes between Rajini and Aishwarya might be enjoyable for may be die hard Rajini fans, but to me it was such a pain to watch such scenes.
Aishwarya surprisingly looked beautiful though lines of ageing showed up even in her face in some scenes. Given a heavy footage for a major portion of the film unlike Shriyas and Soundharyas, she could have done a better job than just looking beautiful. Scenes in which she emoted or tried to emote show that she is still of same standard as what she was in Jeans. The oddest thing is the way she sits in the scenes after evil Chitti kidnaps her, like someone waiting in a passport office. Looked like serious lack of acting skills or interest to act.
Danny Denzongpa as Dr.Bohra had nothing much to do rather than mouth some lines in a base voice, look intelligent in some scenes and frustrated or furious in others before he dies in the hands of evil Chitti. The other characters hardly had anything significant to do in the film and their absence would have been no big loss to the film. Infact, it would have atleast made the film more gripping.
Of Rahman's songs, Kaadhal Anukal (I hate this song's audio for no known reason) and Irumbile oru Idhayam are visually brilliant. Arima Arima has the grandeur of a Shankar's film song but is not very interesting like Mudhalvane or Adhiradi kaaran. The background score was just fine but definitely not what one expects from Rahman. Kilimanjaro song except for the locales, is a totally wasted song with the slow paced, uninteresting picturisation and its unwanted placement, which mars the sagging pace of the screenplay further.
The film is anyway supposed to look brilliant from technical point of view considering that a huge portion of the budget is spent for these and thankfully all of it has come out well. The technical crew of the film is the one that deserves credit for anything good about the film, be it the sets (Sabu Cyril who appears in a cameo) which show the massive thought process put in, costumes and makeup especially for the robot, brilliant camera work by Rathnavelu throughout, climax visual effects which give a feel of watching a Hollywood film and editing which was good but could have been much better particularly for second half.
Shankar deserves a big appreciation for all the conceptualization and execution, but this is one of his bad outings as a screenplay writer. What could have been made excellently as a slick 2 hour animation film has been overcooked with heroism, unwanted sequences and songs. There is a social linkage with Shankar's films like Gentleman, Indian, Mudhalvan or Anniyan, which makes you relate to the characters in the film. This is definitely lacking in Endhiran. The societal impact a robot is not explained in concrete terms even though the film touches upon it here and there. The film is more about the havoc created by a robot in Vasi and Sana's personal life.
There are lot of action sequences scorched with over heroism which would have been a topic of fun if present in any other hero's films. There were logical loopholes which would have been blown out of proportion in any other hero's films. There existed zero chemistry between the lead pair which would have not mattered even if it existed in any other hero's films. Songs appeared out of the blue when not asked for but that should not be the case when it is any other hero's film. Okay, I am not supposed to find such faults or question them, because it is a Rajini's film. Ok, Done!
On the whole, the film offered a good time pass, more of a children's kind and was worth watching once. The experience was better than Shivaji, which for me was nothing but a elite standard Perarasu film in high budget. It lives upto all its Hollywood-like expectations, only for the technical aspects. It is like a half cooked meal offered in a five star hotel. You enjoy the entire ambience but not the food.
The Rajini factor seems to have been added for just for the sales promotion, revenue generation and getting the film a very big reach which could not have been possible with a normal animation film or a film with a hero of lesser market. The end product is unfortunately something that lies between a Rajini style film and a sci-fi film with Shankar's extravaganza for support. Rajini fans may love it for his presence, but for me it makes no difference.
To end with: "Enaku Endhiran pudikala nu sollala. Pudichirundha nalla irundhirukum nu thaan sollren" ;-)
Friday, December 25, 2009
A filmi flashback.....
Am back after a long time here. :D A flashback told me that I had seen more than 60 films this year thanks to torrents, broadband and my laptop :P A brief of all those films with my ratings for them here..... ;-)
BAD: Movies which I would rate at less than 2
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kadhalil Vizhundhen - 1.25/5
This film had a sweet first half which was totally spoiled by a senseless and crappy second half which turned into a psychopath torture. Otherwise this could have entered the GOOD list.
Sakkarakatti - 1.25/5
Except ARR's music and Vedhika, this film had nothing worth watching. For most of the film my heart was yelling at Shanthanu "Why are you leaving Vedhika and going behind that alien creature in the name of heroine?" :D And obviously the film had a very bad ending :P
Vaaranam Aayiram - 1.5/5
I couldn't remember even one positive point about this film. All I could remember is "Daddy" and a moderately-good old age role by Surya. Named as a film about a father, it rather tells about his son's amateur love affairs and how he "makes love" to two girls before marriage, with father character reduced to a cameo in later parts. It was 3 hrs of mere torture sitting in a hotel room and watching this film in a DVD :P
GOOD: Movies which I would rate from 2 to 3
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
50 first dates - 3/5
A soft romantic movie with lot of sweet moments, which looks at short term memory loss from a different perspective.
Bommalaatam - 2.25/5
At last a good movie from Bharathiraja in this decade. Though the film has lot of negatives, Nana Patekar's performance and the suspense maintained were good. New face Rukmini had done a very good job.
Bujjigadu : Made in Chennai - 3/5
A commercial mass film starring Prabhas and Trisha, and its the story of two childhood friends separated and trying to meet each other again for a life long relationship. Telugu guy Prabhas playing the role of a Chennai brought up and Tamilian Trisha as Telugu girl makes scenes interesting, especially the scene where she calls him "Sambar" and he calls her "golti" :D Songs were visual treats. Love and action was blended well throughout the film.
Dark Water - 2.75/5
A supernatural thriller about how a mother saves her daughter from the spirit. Worth watching many times for the cute little girl who played the daughter. Her expressions in final scenes were too good.
Dus Kahaniyaan - 2.5/5
Broken into 10 small episodes, each directed by a different director and with different cast, it was a welcome attempt and though not all were interesting, some were really good.
Guide - 3/5
Screen version of RK Narayan's novel, much different from the book. A movie much ahead of its times, done in a bold attempt. Nicely shot and very good songs.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na - 2.5/5
A feel good film on the lines of "Piriyadha Varam Vendum". Very nice screenplay and fresh actors. Rahman's music was a big plus. Ending was very cinematic though.
Kala Pani - 2.5/5
A Black and white movie starring Dev Anand and Madhubala, about how a son saves his father put behind bars by false accusation. Nice acting by the lead pair compared to overacting Tamil actors who existed in the same era.
Kotha Bangaru Lokam - 2.75/5
A school days love story except that it is handled in a very very intelligent way unlike some dirty films which came with same theme. Though many scenes were very cinematic, it was a good film with a nice message.
Milana - 2.5/5
A radio jockey's story, about his life after marriage. Slightly inspired by Mouna Ragam but with a different storyline. Watched it with Tamil subtitles on Zee Tamil. :D Good time pass.
Mussanje Maatu - 2.75/5
Set with a theme of a radio jockey's love life, it speaks about how he inspite of being a healer for other wounded hearts through his show, couldn't handle his own love failure. Good performances from Sudeep and Divya Spandana.
October Sky - 3/5
Story of how a teacher inspires her student to become a rocket scientist inspite of all hurdles and lack of support from people around him. A real life story.
Notting Hill - 2.5/5
A movie about how an ordinary bookseller falls in love with a top hollywood actress and unites with her. Nice romantic entertainer.
Orphan - 2.75/5
A thriller about how an Orphan brings chaos to the family who adopts her and how she tries to destroy them. Scary towards the end.
Paranormal Activity - 3/5
A real life video footage of how a paranormal activity destroys a lady and her husband. The thrill build up gradually and towards the end you will feel shivers down your spine.
Phoonk - 2.5/5
A supernatural thriller about how black magic destroys a family's happiness. The performance of the little girl who plays central role was awesome but the film moves very slow in many places.
Raaz 2: The Mystery Continues - 2.75/5
From the makers of Raaz, another supernatural thriller. Kangana gives a great performance and the first half was brilliant though the second half was just okay, except for the good climax.
Road to Perdition - 2.75/5
A beautiful action musical that portrays the affection developing between a father and his not so close elder son, after the younger one and his mother are killed by the gang for which the father works for. Emotional film.
Shutter - 2.5/5
The original of Tamil supernatural thriller Sivi. Most of the film happens in Japan and the plot is about how the spirit of a girl takes vengeance on her lover who deserted her.
Taxi Driver - 2.25/5
A classic film from the year 1976. Net says the film was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best films of all time and as of July 2009, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave positive reviews. But being an old film I felt it was too slow and bit confusing too.
The Bank Job - 2.75/5
Movie about a bank robbery, adopted from a real life incident. Was pretty good and interesting.
Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru - 2.5/5
Though people who watched it said it was boring, I felt it was a good movie and a nice attempt at slapstick comedy. The baby around which the story revolves around was extremely cute.
Twilight: New Moon - 2.5/5
The second part of the Twilight series. Not so good as the first part but enjoyable for the lovely vampires are a delight to watch. ;-)
Untraceable - 2.75/5
A cyber crime based thriller with some gory scenes portraying the activities of a psychopath killer. Very gripping narration.
Vettaikaaran - 3/5
Vijay's latest movie that is a good entertainer and far better than his past 2 films which had so many negatives attached to it. It was a delight to watch.
Woh Lamhe - 2.5/5
Said to be based on actress Parveen Babi's life story. Good performances by Shiney-Rape-Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut. Drags a bit in second half though.
Yaaradi Nee Mohini - 2.75/5
A remake of Selvaraghavan's Telugu film starring Dhanush and Nayanthara. Though the movie had a few good moments and a very beautiful Nayanthara, it had equal amount of bad scenes and topping it all with a worst climax. But still, a decent entertainer.
Zombieland - 2.5/5
The story of how the leftover members of human species escape to safety after whole of America turns into a zombieland. Good entertainer.
VERY GOOD: Movies which I would rate from 3 to 4
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani - 4/5
Undoubtedly one of the best films I have watched in 2009, this film brought a sweet fairy tale to life on screen. Ranbir was awesome in his role while I would rate Katrina's performance as her career best till date. Both shared a very good chemistry and except for a few cinematic sequences it was a delight to watch this film.
Anjaadhey - 3.25/5
Movie packed with a lot of realism and how a police job splits two friends apart to extreme ends. Good performances and a nice screenplay makes the movie worth its watch.
Arundathi - 3.5/5
After a long time, a heroine-based subject in Telugu cinema. Glam girl Anushka stunned with her performance which reminded me of Madhuri Dixit in her early films. Even though based on reincarnation and supernatural powers, the movie kept me engaged throughout.
Ashta Chamma - 3.5/5
Based on a novel by Oscar Wilde, the film is about a Mahesh Babu fanatic waiting to marry a guy like him, atleast with his name. Filled with fun throughout and with good performances by everyone, the film was a joyful ride.
A Walk in the clouds - 3.25/5
A film suggested by Sundara Balaji. Set in a 60's backdrop, the film has a storyline close to what we saw in Jab We Met (Now we know where it came from :D) A very sweet romantic movie
A Walk to remember - 3.75/5
Another very sweet romantic movie featuring singer Mandy Moore in lead role. A normal love story with a very moving screenplay and sequences that will make you feel good. The first English film I saw that has no abuse or swear words at all. :D
A Wednesday - 3.75/5
A very strong social film with a gripping narration with the added advantage of having brilliant performances by Nasseerudin Shah and Anupam Kher.
Cellular - 3.25/5
The movie which was remade and murdered in the name of "Vegam" in Tamil. A fast paced film with lots of thrills with cell phone playing a main role in the film.
Dostana - 3.5/5
A light hearted film which takes on gay relationship in a funny manner and also stresses on value of friendship. A fun ride. :)
Eeram - 3.75/5
One of the best thrillers in Tamil Cinema in this decade. The high points of the film are the beautiful romance that comes along with the story throughout, creating a sense of fear without any gory makeups or graphics, depicting the existence of the ghost just by the fact that she is a left-hander and a heart warming music.
Fashion - 3.75/5
Another serious film from Madhur Bhandarkar this time throwing light on the life of models and fashion world. Very close to reality and an emotional film, and one would really feel sorry for the life models adopt themselves to. Award winning performance by Priyanka Chopra and another very close one in a supporting role by Kangana make the film worth its watch.
Gangster - 3.5/5
A serious film with an unexpected twist towards the end. Extremely good performances by Shiney-Rape-Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut.
Godavari - 4/5
A perfect love story that happens in the backdrop of a boat journey on the river Godavari. The beautifully shot scenes in exotic locales along the river with an engaging screenplay and good performances makes the film a treat to watch. From the director of Happy Days, yet another feel-good film.
Happy Days - 3.75/5
One of the films close to my heart for the nice portrayal of college days which mostly fits with reality. Tamanna and newcomer Varun Sandesh were best in their roles and film had a lot of fresh feel to it. Music was awesome.
Inglourious Basterds - 3.5/5
A period film about German-Jews episode during second world war portraying the revenge of an escaped Jewish girl on the Germans and how the team of Inglourious Basterds incidentally help her achieve it. A slow film with lot of violence and gore, but at the same time the thrill builds up slowly and reaches its peak at the end. Some scenes are very lengthy but still you can't even take your eyes off the screen.
Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam - 3.5/5
Movie made in the lines of Bommarillu focusing on family values and relationships. Siddarth and Tamanna complemented each other well and gave best performances in the film. A feel-good film.
Life is Beautiful - 3.75/5
A classical film that is set in second world war time period when Hitler killed jews in huge numbers. After getting caught in the camp for jews, how a father saves his son's life from cruel Germans inspite of the hardships he faces forms the theme of the film. Very emotional film.
Matrix Trilogy - 4/5
I would probably be the last person to have watched this Trilogy. :P The whole matrix concept was very fascinating and I loved all the 3 movies very much, thanks to the subtitles that came along :D
Memento - 3.25/5
The film from which Ghajini's theme was lifted. Though it didn't have the delightful Asin's part of Ghajini, this film was way above it, in terms of narration, the characterization of the Short Term memory loss patient and the screenplay.
Mirrors - 3.75/5
A horror film themed with ghosts existing in mirrors. I experienced the chill from beginning to end and it was a very exciting watch.
Mungaaru Male - 3.5/5
The biggest grosser of Kannada Cinema starring the latest sensation Ganesh and Sanjana Gandhi. Shot in the heaven like locales of Karnataka, rain occupies most part of the film. A breezy romantic entertainer with a pathos ending.
Phone Booth - 3.5/5
The whole film was about a few hours event that happens at a phone booth. You can't take your eyes off the screen for the film has an importance for each and every frame of it.
Serendipity - 4/5
Watching this movie made me understand how a little lead taken from this film was spoiled in the name of a crap film called "Jay Jay" in Tamil. A very nice romantic entertainer with very good performances by lead cast.
Sleepless in Seattle - 3.5/5
Story of how a kid tries to find a partner for his single father through a radio show. A heart warming film with good performances and a sweet ending.
The DaVinci Code - 3.75/5
I haven't read the book but the film was really nice and the way suspense builds upon was very good.
The Hangover - 4/5
Undoubtedly one of the best films of this year, its the story of 4 friends who in a hangover try to trace out what happened during the previous night of their stay in Las Vegas. Completely hilarious throughout and full of fun.
Tube - 3.5/5
A Korean film that almost looks like a commercial Tamil film in its presentation and action scenes. Most part of the movie happens in a subway train and how a detective saves passengers in the train from the villain.
Twilight - 3.75/5
I have seen vampire films full of blood and gore. The cute romance of a girl with a vampire was very exciting and new. Part 1 of the series, the whole film was shot well and was really entertaining.
Whats your Rashee - 3.75/5
Playing multiple characters with different getups, ages and backgrounds is a difficult job, but not as difficult as showing difference in 12 characters,in same age group, same Gujarati background and with minimal changes in appearance. If not for Priyanka Chopra, this movie would have failed big time. The actress plays 12 roles with ease proving why she is one of the best in Hindi cinema. The fact that no one can play her 12 roles with same comfort in all characters and with same level of performance in Tamil cinema made me love her more in this movie ;-)
Yaavarum Nalam - 3.75/5
One of the best supernatural thrillers in Tamil in recent times. The concept of ghost in TV was very new and there were many edge-of-the-seat moments in the film. Madhavan did his role very well.
Excellent : Movies which I would rate more than 4
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kaminey - 4.5/5
Nothing can beat this film for me, as it is the most brilliant made movie of Hindi cinema last year. Shahid kapoor in a dual role playing twin brothers Charlie and Guddu, one with a lisp and other with stammering, proves yet again why he is one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema. Charlie's dialogues with "F" in place of "S" are really interesting. Priyanka Chopra supports him well and gives yet another best performance as a brave sister of a Maratha fanatic. Though a dark film, it has its own lighter moments and a thread of romance woven into it. The supporting cast was also brilliant in the film.
ALSO WATCHED
+++++++++++++
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring: 3 hours long and with lot of special effects, this movie was good to watch but I couldn't enjoy it very much as I had never read the book and couldn't relate much with the happenings on screen. It took me 5 days to complete watching it in parts every night :D
Villu - Except for Vijay and a glamorous Nayanthara and a few nicely shot songs with them, this remake of soldier was nothing worth in it. Prabhudeva failed big time to make a movie suitable for commercial audience.
Final Contract - Watched it partly as a dubbed film on TV, so watched its original version in full. Not really good except for lot of action throughout. Story of a man who unknowingly gets caught in a death race trapped by a lady killer.
The Blair Witch Project - Watched it after hearing it would be a thriller and edited from a real footage like Paranormal Activity. Couldn't find much of a thrill and felt it was quite normal like watching a horror documentary.
Achamundu Achamundu - Read about it was a thriller, but it was more like a documentary with couple of songs. Tended very boring towards the end and the climax was very bad, as everything was over in a moment, unworthy of all the hype built till then.
BAD: Movies which I would rate at less than 2
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kadhalil Vizhundhen - 1.25/5
This film had a sweet first half which was totally spoiled by a senseless and crappy second half which turned into a psychopath torture. Otherwise this could have entered the GOOD list.
Sakkarakatti - 1.25/5
Except ARR's music and Vedhika, this film had nothing worth watching. For most of the film my heart was yelling at Shanthanu "Why are you leaving Vedhika and going behind that alien creature in the name of heroine?" :D And obviously the film had a very bad ending :P
Vaaranam Aayiram - 1.5/5
I couldn't remember even one positive point about this film. All I could remember is "Daddy" and a moderately-good old age role by Surya. Named as a film about a father, it rather tells about his son's amateur love affairs and how he "makes love" to two girls before marriage, with father character reduced to a cameo in later parts. It was 3 hrs of mere torture sitting in a hotel room and watching this film in a DVD :P
GOOD: Movies which I would rate from 2 to 3
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
50 first dates - 3/5
A soft romantic movie with lot of sweet moments, which looks at short term memory loss from a different perspective.
Bommalaatam - 2.25/5
At last a good movie from Bharathiraja in this decade. Though the film has lot of negatives, Nana Patekar's performance and the suspense maintained were good. New face Rukmini had done a very good job.
Bujjigadu : Made in Chennai - 3/5
A commercial mass film starring Prabhas and Trisha, and its the story of two childhood friends separated and trying to meet each other again for a life long relationship. Telugu guy Prabhas playing the role of a Chennai brought up and Tamilian Trisha as Telugu girl makes scenes interesting, especially the scene where she calls him "Sambar" and he calls her "golti" :D Songs were visual treats. Love and action was blended well throughout the film.
Dark Water - 2.75/5
A supernatural thriller about how a mother saves her daughter from the spirit. Worth watching many times for the cute little girl who played the daughter. Her expressions in final scenes were too good.
Dus Kahaniyaan - 2.5/5
Broken into 10 small episodes, each directed by a different director and with different cast, it was a welcome attempt and though not all were interesting, some were really good.
Guide - 3/5
Screen version of RK Narayan's novel, much different from the book. A movie much ahead of its times, done in a bold attempt. Nicely shot and very good songs.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na - 2.5/5
A feel good film on the lines of "Piriyadha Varam Vendum". Very nice screenplay and fresh actors. Rahman's music was a big plus. Ending was very cinematic though.
Kala Pani - 2.5/5
A Black and white movie starring Dev Anand and Madhubala, about how a son saves his father put behind bars by false accusation. Nice acting by the lead pair compared to overacting Tamil actors who existed in the same era.
Kotha Bangaru Lokam - 2.75/5
A school days love story except that it is handled in a very very intelligent way unlike some dirty films which came with same theme. Though many scenes were very cinematic, it was a good film with a nice message.
Milana - 2.5/5
A radio jockey's story, about his life after marriage. Slightly inspired by Mouna Ragam but with a different storyline. Watched it with Tamil subtitles on Zee Tamil. :D Good time pass.
Mussanje Maatu - 2.75/5
Set with a theme of a radio jockey's love life, it speaks about how he inspite of being a healer for other wounded hearts through his show, couldn't handle his own love failure. Good performances from Sudeep and Divya Spandana.
October Sky - 3/5
Story of how a teacher inspires her student to become a rocket scientist inspite of all hurdles and lack of support from people around him. A real life story.
Notting Hill - 2.5/5
A movie about how an ordinary bookseller falls in love with a top hollywood actress and unites with her. Nice romantic entertainer.
Orphan - 2.75/5
A thriller about how an Orphan brings chaos to the family who adopts her and how she tries to destroy them. Scary towards the end.
Paranormal Activity - 3/5
A real life video footage of how a paranormal activity destroys a lady and her husband. The thrill build up gradually and towards the end you will feel shivers down your spine.
Phoonk - 2.5/5
A supernatural thriller about how black magic destroys a family's happiness. The performance of the little girl who plays central role was awesome but the film moves very slow in many places.
Raaz 2: The Mystery Continues - 2.75/5
From the makers of Raaz, another supernatural thriller. Kangana gives a great performance and the first half was brilliant though the second half was just okay, except for the good climax.
Road to Perdition - 2.75/5
A beautiful action musical that portrays the affection developing between a father and his not so close elder son, after the younger one and his mother are killed by the gang for which the father works for. Emotional film.
Shutter - 2.5/5
The original of Tamil supernatural thriller Sivi. Most of the film happens in Japan and the plot is about how the spirit of a girl takes vengeance on her lover who deserted her.
Taxi Driver - 2.25/5
A classic film from the year 1976. Net says the film was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best films of all time and as of July 2009, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave positive reviews.
The Bank Job - 2.75/5
Movie about a bank robbery, adopted from a real life incident. Was pretty good and interesting.
Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru - 2.5/5
Though people who watched it said it was boring, I felt it was a good movie and a nice attempt at slapstick comedy. The baby around which the story revolves around was extremely cute.
Twilight: New Moon - 2.5/5
The second part of the Twilight series. Not so good as the first part but enjoyable for the lovely vampires are a delight to watch. ;-)
Untraceable - 2.75/5
A cyber crime based thriller with some gory scenes portraying the activities of a psychopath killer. Very gripping narration.
Vettaikaaran - 3/5
Vijay's latest movie that is a good entertainer and far better than his past 2 films which had so many negatives attached to it. It was a delight to watch.
Woh Lamhe - 2.5/5
Said to be based on actress Parveen Babi's life story. Good performances by Shiney-Rape-Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut. Drags a bit in second half though.
Yaaradi Nee Mohini - 2.75/5
A remake of Selvaraghavan's Telugu film starring Dhanush and Nayanthara. Though the movie had a few good moments and a very beautiful Nayanthara, it had equal amount of bad scenes and topping it all with a worst climax. But still, a decent entertainer.
Zombieland - 2.5/5
The story of how the leftover members of human species escape to safety after whole of America turns into a zombieland. Good entertainer.
VERY GOOD: Movies which I would rate from 3 to 4
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani - 4/5
Undoubtedly one of the best films I have watched in 2009, this film brought a sweet fairy tale to life on screen. Ranbir was awesome in his role while I would rate Katrina's performance as her career best till date. Both shared a very good chemistry and except for a few cinematic sequences it was a delight to watch this film.
Anjaadhey - 3.25/5
Movie packed with a lot of realism and how a police job splits two friends apart to extreme ends. Good performances and a nice screenplay makes the movie worth its watch.
Arundathi - 3.5/5
After a long time, a heroine-based subject in Telugu cinema. Glam girl Anushka stunned with her performance which reminded me of Madhuri Dixit in her early films. Even though based on reincarnation and supernatural powers, the movie kept me engaged throughout.
Ashta Chamma - 3.5/5
Based on a novel by Oscar Wilde, the film is about a Mahesh Babu fanatic waiting to marry a guy like him, atleast with his name. Filled with fun throughout and with good performances by everyone, the film was a joyful ride.
A Walk in the clouds - 3.25/5
A film suggested by Sundara Balaji. Set in a 60's backdrop, the film has a storyline close to what we saw in Jab We Met (Now we know where it came from :D) A very sweet romantic movie
A Walk to remember - 3.75/5
Another very sweet romantic movie featuring singer Mandy Moore in lead role. A normal love story with a very moving screenplay and sequences that will make you feel good. The first English film I saw that has no abuse or swear words at all. :D
A Wednesday - 3.75/5
A very strong social film with a gripping narration with the added advantage of having brilliant performances by Nasseerudin Shah and Anupam Kher.
Cellular - 3.25/5
The movie which was remade and murdered in the name of "Vegam" in Tamil. A fast paced film with lots of thrills with cell phone playing a main role in the film.
Dostana - 3.5/5
A light hearted film which takes on gay relationship in a funny manner and also stresses on value of friendship. A fun ride. :)
Eeram - 3.75/5
One of the best thrillers in Tamil Cinema in this decade. The high points of the film are the beautiful romance that comes along with the story throughout, creating a sense of fear without any gory makeups or graphics, depicting the existence of the ghost just by the fact that she is a left-hander and a heart warming music.
Fashion - 3.75/5
Another serious film from Madhur Bhandarkar this time throwing light on the life of models and fashion world. Very close to reality and an emotional film, and one would really feel sorry for the life models adopt themselves to. Award winning performance by Priyanka Chopra and another very close one in a supporting role by Kangana make the film worth its watch.
Gangster - 3.5/5
A serious film with an unexpected twist towards the end. Extremely good performances by Shiney-Rape-Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut.
Godavari - 4/5
A perfect love story that happens in the backdrop of a boat journey on the river Godavari. The beautifully shot scenes in exotic locales along the river with an engaging screenplay and good performances makes the film a treat to watch. From the director of Happy Days, yet another feel-good film.
Happy Days - 3.75/5
One of the films close to my heart for the nice portrayal of college days which mostly fits with reality. Tamanna and newcomer Varun Sandesh were best in their roles and film had a lot of fresh feel to it. Music was awesome.
Inglourious Basterds - 3.5/5
A period film about German-Jews episode during second world war portraying the revenge of an escaped Jewish girl on the Germans and how the team of Inglourious Basterds incidentally help her achieve it. A slow film with lot of violence and gore, but at the same time the thrill builds up slowly and reaches its peak at the end. Some scenes are very lengthy but still you can't even take your eyes off the screen.
Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam - 3.5/5
Movie made in the lines of Bommarillu focusing on family values and relationships. Siddarth and Tamanna complemented each other well and gave best performances in the film. A feel-good film.
Life is Beautiful - 3.75/5
A classical film that is set in second world war time period when Hitler killed jews in huge numbers. After getting caught in the camp for jews, how a father saves his son's life from cruel Germans inspite of the hardships he faces forms the theme of the film. Very emotional film.
Matrix Trilogy - 4/5
I would probably be the last person to have watched this Trilogy. :P The whole matrix concept was very fascinating and I loved all the 3 movies very much, thanks to the subtitles that came along :D
Memento - 3.25/5
The film from which Ghajini's theme was lifted. Though it didn't have the delightful Asin's part of Ghajini, this film was way above it, in terms of narration, the characterization of the Short Term memory loss patient and the screenplay.
Mirrors - 3.75/5
A horror film themed with ghosts existing in mirrors. I experienced the chill from beginning to end and it was a very exciting watch.
Mungaaru Male - 3.5/5
The biggest grosser of Kannada Cinema starring the latest sensation Ganesh and Sanjana Gandhi. Shot in the heaven like locales of Karnataka, rain occupies most part of the film. A breezy romantic entertainer with a pathos ending.
Phone Booth - 3.5/5
The whole film was about a few hours event that happens at a phone booth. You can't take your eyes off the screen for the film has an importance for each and every frame of it.
Serendipity - 4/5
Watching this movie made me understand how a little lead taken from this film was spoiled in the name of a crap film called "Jay Jay" in Tamil. A very nice romantic entertainer with very good performances by lead cast.
Sleepless in Seattle - 3.5/5
Story of how a kid tries to find a partner for his single father through a radio show. A heart warming film with good performances and a sweet ending.
The DaVinci Code - 3.75/5
I haven't read the book but the film was really nice and the way suspense builds upon was very good.
The Hangover - 4/5
Undoubtedly one of the best films of this year, its the story of 4 friends who in a hangover try to trace out what happened during the previous night of their stay in Las Vegas. Completely hilarious throughout and full of fun.
Tube - 3.5/5
A Korean film that almost looks like a commercial Tamil film in its presentation and action scenes. Most part of the movie happens in a subway train and how a detective saves passengers in the train from the villain.
Twilight - 3.75/5
I have seen vampire films full of blood and gore. The cute romance of a girl with a vampire was very exciting and new. Part 1 of the series, the whole film was shot well and was really entertaining.
Whats your Rashee - 3.75/5
Playing multiple characters with different getups, ages and backgrounds is a difficult job, but not as difficult as showing difference in 12 characters,in same age group, same Gujarati background and with minimal changes in appearance. If not for Priyanka Chopra, this movie would have failed big time. The actress plays 12 roles with ease proving why she is one of the best in Hindi cinema. The fact that no one can play her 12 roles with same comfort in all characters and with same level of performance in Tamil cinema made me love her more in this movie ;-)
Yaavarum Nalam - 3.75/5
One of the best supernatural thrillers in Tamil in recent times. The concept of ghost in TV was very new and there were many edge-of-the-seat moments in the film. Madhavan did his role very well.
Excellent
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kaminey - 4.5/5
Nothing can beat this film for me, as it is the most brilliant made movie of Hindi cinema last year. Shahid kapoor in a dual role playing twin brothers Charlie and Guddu, one with a lisp and other with stammering, proves yet again why he is one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema. Charlie's dialogues with "F" in place of "S" are really interesting. Priyanka Chopra supports him well and gives yet another best performance as a brave sister of a Maratha fanatic. Though a dark film, it has its own lighter moments and a thread of romance woven into it. The supporting cast was also brilliant in the film.
ALSO WATCHED
+++++++++++++
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring: 3 hours long and with lot of special effects, this movie was good to watch but I couldn't enjoy it very much as I had never read the book and couldn't relate much with the happenings on screen. It took me 5 days to complete watching it in parts every night :D
Villu - Except for Vijay and a glamorous Nayanthara and a few nicely shot songs with them, this remake of soldier was nothing worth in it. Prabhudeva failed big time to make a movie suitable for commercial audience.
Final Contract - Watched it partly as a dubbed film on TV, so watched its original version in full. Not really good except for lot of action throughout. Story of a man who unknowingly gets caught in a death race trapped by a lady killer.
The Blair Witch Project - Watched it after hearing it would be a thriller and edited from a real footage like Paranormal Activity. Couldn't find much of a thrill and felt it was quite normal like watching a horror documentary.
Achamundu Achamundu - Read about it was a thriller, but it was more like a documentary with couple of songs. Tended very boring towards the end and the climax was very bad, as everything was over in a moment, unworthy of all the hype built till then.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Saroja - A Tale of Brilliance
Very few films have given me the satisfaction of watching a complete movie. That way, Saroja is a movie that has made me happy and contented after a long time. Never in my life I have seen the crowd staying in the theater till the screen goes blank after end titles for a Tamil film. That says volumes about how brilliant a film Saroja is.
Instead of depending on a hero or a director, Saroja is full of team work and team work never fails. Each and every character in the movie has a good role to play and they play it to satisfaction. In these days, when serious movies become full time comedy, it deserves a huge applause to give a thriller with a light string of comedy throughout and keep the audience engaged throughout.
The performance of the 4 friends, especially Premji and his timely punch lines and RJ Shiva's comedy timing deserves appreciation. Prakashraj as the bereaved father in search of his daughter is very natural while Jayaram is a pleasant surprise. Music by Yuvan fits the bill perfectly and all the songs have been well shot and edited.
Even the minor aspects of the film have been taken care well, and lots of little excitements like the cameos. The camera work and stylish editing are the main highlights of the film. Well created, well shot and well packaged, Saroja is definitely one of the best films of the year and a learning for those film makers who are still ignorant of the fact that best films can be made without big stars.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Happy Birthday Haasini...
This blog post is dedicated to all fans, well-wishers, fanatics, one sided lovers and husbands by self-imagination of the cutest actress of Indian Cinema - Genelia D' Souza.
Genelia began her acting career as this tom boyish high society girl Harini, in the film Boys. She was too good for a new comer and it was the first transition of the girl in a parker pen ad to an amateur actress. And after that there was no looking back. Hit or flop, single or double heroine subjects, tamil, hindi or telugu, she left her unforgettable impressions in each and every film she had acted over these very few years. An impression that cannot be erased by time, impression in the hearts of people.
An MBA graduate, she has managed her career very well in this male dominated film industry, by acting in films where she had a very good footage on par with the hero. What matters more than that is the way she had played her roles, most of them will become void without her presence. It becomes unimaginable to place an X or Y actress in her roles.
It is difficult to imagine anyone in place of the egoistic and short tempered Shalini (Sachein), innocent and obedient Madhumathi (Happy), the bubbly and adorable, the immortal Haasini (Bommarillu).. From Harini to Haasini, her roles speak for herself, including the latest Hindi flick Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa. And Haasini was her second transition to a matured actress where she proved her talents and walked away with all accolades.
The industry has seen actresses who became popular through serious roles, dialogue delivery, dance, deglamorized roles, controversial acts etc etc. But Genelia has walked her way through people's hearts as herself. An angel in the disguise of girl next door.
Her cuteness, innocence, the child like smile, those expressive eyes have stolen a number of hearts just like that. She has got the best dressing sense among the actresses of today and whatever she wears never crosses the the boundary of glamour and vulgarity. She is also an excellent dancer, who dances as gracefully as a female can do.
She has loads of talents to be explored, tonnes of best performances to be given to her fans. May God bless her with all successes and good luck, and let she remain the ever smiling Haasini of our hearts!!
♥♥♥♥♥HAPPY ♥♥♥♥♥BIRTHDAY ♥♥♥♥♥GENELIA!♥♥♥♥♥
Genelia began her acting career as this tom boyish high society girl Harini, in the film Boys. She was too good for a new comer and it was the first transition of the girl in a parker pen ad to an amateur actress. And after that there was no looking back. Hit or flop, single or double heroine subjects, tamil, hindi or telugu, she left her unforgettable impressions in each and every film she had acted over these very few years. An impression that cannot be erased by time, impression in the hearts of people.
An MBA graduate, she has managed her career very well in this male dominated film industry, by acting in films where she had a very good footage on par with the hero. What matters more than that is the way she had played her roles, most of them will become void without her presence. It becomes unimaginable to place an X or Y actress in her roles.
It is difficult to imagine anyone in place of the egoistic and short tempered Shalini (Sachein), innocent and obedient Madhumathi (Happy), the bubbly and adorable, the immortal Haasini (Bommarillu).. From Harini to Haasini, her roles speak for herself, including the latest Hindi flick Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa. And Haasini was her second transition to a matured actress where she proved her talents and walked away with all accolades.
The industry has seen actresses who became popular through serious roles, dialogue delivery, dance, deglamorized roles, controversial acts etc etc. But Genelia has walked her way through people's hearts as herself. An angel in the disguise of girl next door.
Her cuteness, innocence, the child like smile, those expressive eyes have stolen a number of hearts just like that. She has got the best dressing sense among the actresses of today and whatever she wears never crosses the the boundary of glamour and vulgarity. She is also an excellent dancer, who dances as gracefully as a female can do.
She has loads of talents to be explored, tonnes of best performances to be given to her fans. May God bless her with all successes and good luck, and let she remain the ever smiling Haasini of our hearts!!♥♥♥♥♥HAPPY ♥♥♥♥♥BIRTHDAY ♥♥♥♥♥GENELIA!♥♥♥♥♥
Monday, August 04, 2008
Of music and movies....
My choice of favorite songs is based on the singers who sing the songs and not by the music director or the actors who act in it. I dont like many of the hit songs just because of the fact I don't like the voices in it or by the way it was sung. I feel that a voice that can hold your senses is what is important in a song and then comes the music and lyrics.
On the other hand, favorite movies have a different criteria. Unless I like the actor and actress in the movie, I never even bother to look at the promos of the movie on TV, however good it is and how many ever people recommend me to watch it. A face that makes you feel happy is more important according to me, and the director, story and plot takes a next preferences.
The above tendency makes me meditate on a few songs and movies again and again till I get bored, or till I get a new favorite. This post is just to mention about few of such songs and movies that I enjoyed recently.
I watched just 4 movies ever since I left India, call it lack of time or interest. First one was Horton hears a who, that I watched on my way in flight. Horton was made familiar to me by Vinodh once during a chat and so i decided to watch it. It was a cool animation film with a cute and affectionate elephant as the central character.
Next was Office Space, recommended by Balaji. Its a movie made almost a decade ago but is very much inline with today's corporate scenario, especially in IT world. Should really appreciate the director's forethought.
Then I watched Billa just for the curiosity of what was there in it, that it was hyped so much by everyone. I totally disliked Rajinikanth's Billa and felt there is nothing worth to remake in it. But I was wrong, because this version of Billa was something more inline with today's genre of movies. It was different to watch Ajith with less dialogues and swear lines(which I feel he is very bad at) and Nayanthara was definitely lots better than a plumpy and bad looking Sripriya. There are lot of negatives about the film but it was a good time pass and the cameraman Nirav Shah and the stylists should be appreciated for packaging the movie very well.
Then finally, I watched Taare Zameen Par, a long time pending movie in my list. It was a very emotional and touching movie especially in the second half after Aamir Khan enters. As everyone who watched the movie said, I could not control my tears towards the end. That kid Darsheel has acted extremely well and realistic and deserves lots of awards for his performance. A unique movie in this age of Hindi movies full of sex, violence and horrible comedy.
Coming to new music that I heard in recent past, one album thats lingering in my mind always is Sakkarakatti. I never had any liking towards Rahman's Hindi albums hat had come in past 4-5 years so its exciting everytime a new album of Rahman is released in Tamil. Sakkarakatti is one album that is worth the excitement.
Taxi Taxi is a very peppy and youthful number that opens up with a bang. Lyrics by Muthukumar about friendship are very catchy. Benny Dayal shines in his western avtar and Blaaze's rap is simply cool. The excellent harmony(Viviane Chaix and Javed Ali) with the Latin(or Spanish?) style beats foils well with the song's flow. Inspite of a westernised number with rap, its very pleasing to the ears unlike the efforts on same lines by other music directors. A song that has already gotten into my list of infinite loop numbers :P
Marudhaani is what Rahman is best at. Melody with western beats. Yet another "Ma" series song Rahman-Vaali combo. The interludes by Rahman himself and the harmony are excellent. I wish Madhushree sings atleast a single song without errors, but everytime she gives Tamil words a hindi face. A Sadhana Sargam or Shreya Ghosal would have definitely a better job, but Madhushree is Rahman's constant choice. Inspite of all, this is an outstanding melody number from this album, that reminds us Rahman of the last decade.
I miss you has a different pattern of music like Thazhuvudhu Nazhuvudhu and Maaja Maaja, but this sounded to me a tonnes better than those two. Chinmayi's voice has a sweet innocence attached to it, which gives the song a special feel. The constant paced and simple beats throughout the song is too good and does not eat up the words.
Chinnamma Chilakamma is the tune of the song with same title from Meenaxi. I thoroughly enjoyed this song because I hated the original version by Sukhwinder singh. Benny Dayal is one of those few singers who pronounces words with prefection and does not eat them up in the name of singing. The clarity in his voice is amazing and his voice is as powerful as Sonu Nigam's in Hindi songs. He is a gifted singer for Tamil Cinema. Chinmayi does her part well, but don't know why she was made to sing like Sayanora Philip or Malgudi Shubha in parts? :) Lyrics by Pa.Vijay are pretty ordinary and shows clearly that they are written for the tune.
Elay is of the same genre Roobaroo from Rang De Basanti and has a similar pattern. It has a very pleasing effect when you hear it. The violin and guitar that plays all through is brilliant. Lyrics by Muthukumar is more of youthful imagination(and surprisingly not childish) and enjoyable. Krish and Naresh iyer do a brilliant job.
Naan Eppodhu is the same tune as Yeh Rishta from Meenaxi, sung by same Reena Bharadwaj. Reena has a beautiful voice but an awful Tamil diction. Same thing as said about choice of voices earlier. I wish she sings atleats a single line in the song without mistakes but not a single line till the end :( The dhol beat thats there throughout the song and lots of string instruments used give the song a divine feel. Pa Vijay's lyrics are simple and meaningful.
Overall, its a great experience for any Rahman fan to listen to this album. Full of youthful vibe... Now all that has to be seen is how well these great songs are shot on screen :)
On the other hand, listening to Sathyam was an ultimate boring experience and it is the worst album from Harris Jayaraj I have ever heard. There is not even a single song that I liked to hear once again. A very forgetful album! Same with the case of Jayam Kondan, Thenavettu and Kuselan. Saroja sounded good only for a couple of songs(Cheeky Cheeky and Dhosth Bada Dhosth).
On the other hand, favorite movies have a different criteria. Unless I like the actor and actress in the movie, I never even bother to look at the promos of the movie on TV, however good it is and how many ever people recommend me to watch it. A face that makes you feel happy is more important according to me, and the director, story and plot takes a next preferences.
The above tendency makes me meditate on a few songs and movies again and again till I get bored, or till I get a new favorite. This post is just to mention about few of such songs and movies that I enjoyed recently.
I watched just 4 movies ever since I left India, call it lack of time or interest. First one was Horton hears a who, that I watched on my way in flight. Horton was made familiar to me by Vinodh once during a chat and so i decided to watch it. It was a cool animation film with a cute and affectionate elephant as the central character.
Next was Office Space, recommended by Balaji. Its a movie made almost a decade ago but is very much inline with today's corporate scenario, especially in IT world. Should really appreciate the director's forethought.
Then I watched Billa just for the curiosity of what was there in it, that it was hyped so much by everyone. I totally disliked Rajinikanth's Billa and felt there is nothing worth to remake in it. But I was wrong, because this version of Billa was something more inline with today's genre of movies. It was different to watch Ajith with less dialogues and swear lines(which I feel he is very bad at) and Nayanthara was definitely lots better than a plumpy and bad looking Sripriya. There are lot of negatives about the film but it was a good time pass and the cameraman Nirav Shah and the stylists should be appreciated for packaging the movie very well.
Then finally, I watched Taare Zameen Par, a long time pending movie in my list. It was a very emotional and touching movie especially in the second half after Aamir Khan enters. As everyone who watched the movie said, I could not control my tears towards the end. That kid Darsheel has acted extremely well and realistic and deserves lots of awards for his performance. A unique movie in this age of Hindi movies full of sex, violence and horrible comedy.
Coming to new music that I heard in recent past, one album thats lingering in my mind always is Sakkarakatti. I never had any liking towards Rahman's Hindi albums hat had come in past 4-5 years so its exciting everytime a new album of Rahman is released in Tamil. Sakkarakatti is one album that is worth the excitement.
Taxi Taxi is a very peppy and youthful number that opens up with a bang. Lyrics by Muthukumar about friendship are very catchy. Benny Dayal shines in his western avtar and Blaaze's rap is simply cool. The excellent harmony(Viviane Chaix and Javed Ali) with the Latin(or Spanish?) style beats foils well with the song's flow. Inspite of a westernised number with rap, its very pleasing to the ears unlike the efforts on same lines by other music directors. A song that has already gotten into my list of infinite loop numbers :P
Marudhaani is what Rahman is best at. Melody with western beats. Yet another "Ma" series song Rahman-Vaali combo. The interludes by Rahman himself and the harmony are excellent. I wish Madhushree sings atleast a single song without errors, but everytime she gives Tamil words a hindi face. A Sadhana Sargam or Shreya Ghosal would have definitely a better job, but Madhushree is Rahman's constant choice. Inspite of all, this is an outstanding melody number from this album, that reminds us Rahman of the last decade.
I miss you has a different pattern of music like Thazhuvudhu Nazhuvudhu and Maaja Maaja, but this sounded to me a tonnes better than those two. Chinmayi's voice has a sweet innocence attached to it, which gives the song a special feel. The constant paced and simple beats throughout the song is too good and does not eat up the words.
Chinnamma Chilakamma is the tune of the song with same title from Meenaxi. I thoroughly enjoyed this song because I hated the original version by Sukhwinder singh. Benny Dayal is one of those few singers who pronounces words with prefection and does not eat them up in the name of singing. The clarity in his voice is amazing and his voice is as powerful as Sonu Nigam's in Hindi songs. He is a gifted singer for Tamil Cinema. Chinmayi does her part well, but don't know why she was made to sing like Sayanora Philip or Malgudi Shubha in parts? :) Lyrics by Pa.Vijay are pretty ordinary and shows clearly that they are written for the tune.
Elay is of the same genre Roobaroo from Rang De Basanti and has a similar pattern. It has a very pleasing effect when you hear it. The violin and guitar that plays all through is brilliant. Lyrics by Muthukumar is more of youthful imagination(and surprisingly not childish) and enjoyable. Krish and Naresh iyer do a brilliant job.
Naan Eppodhu is the same tune as Yeh Rishta from Meenaxi, sung by same Reena Bharadwaj. Reena has a beautiful voice but an awful Tamil diction. Same thing as said about choice of voices earlier. I wish she sings atleats a single line in the song without mistakes but not a single line till the end :( The dhol beat thats there throughout the song and lots of string instruments used give the song a divine feel. Pa Vijay's lyrics are simple and meaningful.
Overall, its a great experience for any Rahman fan to listen to this album. Full of youthful vibe... Now all that has to be seen is how well these great songs are shot on screen :)
On the other hand, listening to Sathyam was an ultimate boring experience and it is the worst album from Harris Jayaraj I have ever heard. There is not even a single song that I liked to hear once again. A very forgetful album! Same with the case of Jayam Kondan, Thenavettu and Kuselan. Saroja sounded good only for a couple of songs(Cheeky Cheeky and Dhosth Bada Dhosth).
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Veerachaamy - A Warning!!!
I thought of naming this post Veerachamy - A review, but thought more than a review this could be best described as the horrible experiences of a film viewer watching a king kong, which could prevent phyical and mental damages for weak hearted people yet to watch this classic, and also could prevent some casualities among pets at your home accidentally turning towards TV.Reading reviews from websites and blogs long back when this movie released, I imagined this to be a life story of a social servant (!) called Veerachaamy, interspersed with sister sentiments some love scenes. But after watching the film last Sunday on Sun TV, I came to know that it is the story of two lovers, Veerachamy and Sarasu, and the hurdles they face in life. The story of two love birds except that there is no bird existing to be compared with either of them :P
The film had an intersting "opening" fight when T.R's dothi opened up showing his pattapatti underwear after which we get to see it in many scenes, giving the effect of watching a horror movie.
After lot of mokkaiest scenes with lengthy dialogues (Yawn!) love episode of T.R and Mumtaj starts. Mumtaj considers T.R. her saamy and is devoted so much to him to the extent of resting her cheeks on his shoes (of course after he removes it)
She wipes her face with the towel used by TR to wipe his face, rubs her face with the comb used by TR to comb his dhaadi, uses TR's poster to relieve her body pains whenever her mother (one bitch of a lady) beats her etc etc
T.R is the tharuthala MLA who suthifies with 4 allakais(unfortunately Santhanam is one of them) all the time, and most times seen in vella vetti with pattapatti trouser inside and karupu sattai. He uses all innovative techniques against corruption like shooting with video cam hidden in book, giving paarangal when a guy asks for "weight a kudunga"(lanjam) etc.
He too expresses his love towards Mumtaz but time and situations spoil their love life that was going on with milk tub and ooty garden duets.
TR has practiced a special reaction for love scenes. Mumtaz will be resting on some support and TR will come near her, stretch his hands sidewards, tilt his body 45 degrees parallel to her, open his mouth in 6 cm diameter, giving a killer look towards Mumtaz. He also excels in his standard senti"mental" scenes and aduku mozhi aruvais.
Lots of chichuvesanal songs come in the movie most of which are sung by TR in background. "Ye Ye Ye Veerachaamy" is one lingering number that will spoil ur tastes of music for sumtime. TR's shouting and aerobics in the songs is the best capital punishment that can be given to terrorists.
TR does editing and so all scenes are unrelated to each other. In all scenes unwanted characters will be seen around, just because he has paid them salary and they have come to the shooting spot. For example, in all scenes happening in his house, you can see all people in his house, plus his friends, plus mumtaz.
Mumtaz goes to the extremes of worshipping TR even after marriage, and in her devotion she steals his natham pudicha shirt and dothi. Wearing the shirt and lying on the dothi, she keeps crying, when her husband spots the vasthus which are reason for eli setha naatham in his house. He ultimately burns the vasthus giving them motcham from earth and from TR.
The ultimate part of the film is the climax, when after asking "Naanum manushanthaane", TR realises he is no more a human form, and starts vetting all villan gang with aruvaal. There is a special dance from TR with dothi in one hand and aruvaal in other which no one can afford to miss. At the end of the fight, the dothi sweeps over Mumtaz'a face, indicating that she is gonna die soon.
There is a side track involving one ambala vesham pota pombala(AVPP) and pomabla vesham pota aambala(PVPA). AVPP is in love with TR's sister(the only female who looks like a female in the film) and PVPA tries to kalachify it. But finally she realizes that AVPP is not in love with her and marries him off to TR's sister in the climax.
Hearing this, the bride groom who was engaged for TR's sister comes with his parents and accuses TR of "vaaku thavaritenga". Thanmana singam TR unable to bear this insult, dies in his chair and Mumtaz also in the shock, dies in his feet.
Watching this world crap stressbuster movie will really boost up your confidence (ivanuke love nadakaudhu namaku nadakaadha), build up your courage (ivane hero va nadichitan, naama ennalaam pannalam life la) and give you a feel good effect (nammala vida mosama sila peru work pannranga ulagathula)
So don't miss your next chance in case you haven't watched this Thirai Kaaviyam yet!!!
P.S: This post is intentionally made with non sequential paragraphs to imitate the editing style of T.R :P
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Kuruvi - The Movie Review
Banner: Red Giant Movies
Produced by: Udhayanidhi Stalin
Directed by: Dharani
Music: Vidhyasagar
Cast: Vijay, Trisha, Vivek, Suman, Manivannan, Ashish Vidhyarthi
Kuruvi, one of the biggest releases of this summer, had lot of expectations with the comeback of Ghilli team and with Dharani promising something more than Ghilli. Truth is, the film just lives upto the name of an average commercial entertainer. Dharani who made the best ever remake in Ghilli and made us enjoy Dhil and Dhool has stopped with a half baked effort this time and has let Vijay carry the film for him.
Vetrivel(Vijay), living with his huge family in Chennai goes to Malaysia as “Kuruvi” along with his friend Ops(Vivek) to get a pending payment from Gocha(Suman) and clear off his family debts. There he finds himself betrayed and in the chase for Gocha, he ends up getting his sister Devi (Trisha) fall in love with him. Vetrivel and Ops return to
The director moves the film in right direction till the end of first half. Thereafter, in his quest to project Vijay as a super (natural??!!) hero and satisfy the die hard fans of Vijay, Dharani has taken painful efforts to the let the screenplay move carelessly, drenched in blood and gore with lots of spicy masala thrown in.
Considering this is an action film, action sequences are surprisingly the main drawbacks of the film, barring a well composed club fight in the first half. Many stunts are unbelievably overdone with poor visual effects aimed at only projecting the super hero power, ultimately evoking from the viewer a totally different reaction than what it is supposed to do.
Songs have been shot well, choreography in Dandaana Darna and Mozha Mozhanu song is a treat for eyes. Vidhyasagar's background score too is impressive. Gopinath's camera work, VT Vijayan's editing and Maniraj's art direction does an awesome threesome magic for the film. Scenes shot in
Vijay is at his usual best in dance, action, comedy and expressions. He has handled the whole second half by himself where director has taken a back seat adding less value to the film. The extremely over the top punches and one sided fight sequences may go down well with the die hard Vijay fans but for the normal audience, a feel of boredom creeps up after a point.
Trisha has performed her role well, acts vibrant, looks cute and shares an excellent chemistry with Vijay in scenes and songs. Vivek in first half is a major advantage for the film and does a great job as Vijay's friend. You miss him in the second half where expect a couple of songs and few lighter moments, all you get to see is violence. Suman and Aasish Vidhyarthi as villans are just fine while other villains deafen you most of the time. The supporting cast of the film has done a very good job, Saranya, Manivannan and the small kid in the quarry being noteworthy mentions.
The content and the edge-of-the-seat excitement of Ghilli is surely missing in Kuruvi, but even if you forget Ghilli and look at Kuruvi as a normal entertainer, there is a serious lack of director's work and only Vijay remains in the film. Lifted scenes/ideas from other films, unwise packaging of fun filled first half and fan desired second half and a loose story line are Dharani's major mistakes in Kuruvi. Better luck next time Dharani!
Overall Rating: 5/10
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine Special!!!
On this romantic day, just thought of listing down 10 of my all time favorite romantic movies.
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge: A movie that stressed on winning your love with parent's approval. Shahrukh and Kajol are a cutest pair to watch. And how can I forget the excellent songs!!!
Dil To Pagal Hai: Love love love and love all along. Anyone watching this movie will go mad with love. "Someone somewhere is made for you" is the catch line. Sharukh and Madhuri rock the screen with great chemistry, and the film has too good songs.
Kaadhaluku Mariyaadhai: A movie with the same concept as DDLJ, but told in a different way. Vijay and Shalini are a great pair to watch and songs by Ilayaraja are unforgettable.
Poovellam Kaettupaar: I love this movie which was the first ever movie starring the romantic couple Surya-Jyothika. This is again a movie with same concept of parent's approval for love. The screenplay is interesting especially Jyothika's bubbly acting is too good. Songs by Yuvan Shankar Raja were a treat to listen and watch.
Tholi Prema: A movie that speaks of first love. Starring Pavan Kalyan and Keerthi Reddy, its a story of untold love that keeps you engaged till the end when the lovers express their feeling towards each other in the final scene. The song in the Taj Mahal set and couple of other songs are too good.
Bommarillu: A very cute movie starring Siddarth and Genelia that speaks of a young man's dilemma between being a good son to his father and winning over his love. A feel good movie with very good songs.
Minnale: When love strikes you in a lighting flash, you would go to any extremes and do anything to win it. And that is what this eternal love story starring Madhavan and Reema Sen is all about. Who can forget the wonderful songs, especially the evergreen Vaseegara?
Dumm Dumm Dumm: You are engaged in an unwanted marriage and you try your level best to break it and it breaks one day. Later you realize that you have fallen in love with her and try to win her back facing all odds. This interesting plot with nice songs make the movie a delight to watch.
Mozhi: Love needs no words, no language. This movie proved this statement. Jyothika as the deaf and dumb Archana and Prithviraj as the obsessed lover give the movie the right feel throughout.
Alaipayudhe: Love exists even after marriage and no movie can explain this as beautifully as Alaipayudhe. The spark between Madhavan and Shalini is the life of this movie and of course, the romantic songs tuned by A.R. Rahman.
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge: A movie that stressed on winning your love with parent's approval. Shahrukh and Kajol are a cutest pair to watch. And how can I forget the excellent songs!!!
Dil To Pagal Hai: Love love love and love all along. Anyone watching this movie will go mad with love. "Someone somewhere is made for you" is the catch line. Sharukh and Madhuri rock the screen with great chemistry, and the film has too good songs.
Kaadhaluku Mariyaadhai: A movie with the same concept as DDLJ, but told in a different way. Vijay and Shalini are a great pair to watch and songs by Ilayaraja are unforgettable.
Poovellam Kaettupaar: I love this movie which was the first ever movie starring the romantic couple Surya-Jyothika. This is again a movie with same concept of parent's approval for love. The screenplay is interesting especially Jyothika's bubbly acting is too good. Songs by Yuvan Shankar Raja were a treat to listen and watch.
Tholi Prema: A movie that speaks of first love. Starring Pavan Kalyan and Keerthi Reddy, its a story of untold love that keeps you engaged till the end when the lovers express their feeling towards each other in the final scene. The song in the Taj Mahal set and couple of other songs are too good.
Bommarillu: A very cute movie starring Siddarth and Genelia that speaks of a young man's dilemma between being a good son to his father and winning over his love. A feel good movie with very good songs.
Minnale: When love strikes you in a lighting flash, you would go to any extremes and do anything to win it. And that is what this eternal love story starring Madhavan and Reema Sen is all about. Who can forget the wonderful songs, especially the evergreen Vaseegara?
Dumm Dumm Dumm: You are engaged in an unwanted marriage and you try your level best to break it and it breaks one day. Later you realize that you have fallen in love with her and try to win her back facing all odds. This interesting plot with nice songs make the movie a delight to watch.
Mozhi: Love needs no words, no language. This movie proved this statement. Jyothika as the deaf and dumb Archana and Prithviraj as the obsessed lover give the movie the right feel throughout.
Alaipayudhe: Love exists even after marriage and no movie can explain this as beautifully as Alaipayudhe. The spark between Madhavan and Shalini is the life of this movie and of course, the romantic songs tuned by A.R. Rahman.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Save Thamizh.. Save Thamizh Lives!!!
A belated post dedicated for Tamilar oops Thamizhar Thirunaal that was celebrated on January 16th.
உன்னுக்குல் நானே உறுகுà®®் இறவில் உல்லத்தை நான் சொல்லவா(Pachai Kili Muthu Charam)
வெக்கதை மறைதாய் கைகுலே அடைத்தாய் தன்னீà®°ை உட்à®°ு குலின்திட(Unnale Unnale)
à®’à®°ு செல்லா நாயை உந்தன் பீனால் வால் ஆட்டூà®±ென்...
அட என்னை தவிà®± எல்ல பென்னுà®®் ஆனை ஆனலுà®®்(Kaalai)
தீபிà®°்à®°்à®°ை போள் வருà®®் நக்க கன்னுக்கல்(Pori)
à®°ெகசியெ கெனவுகல் ஜல் ஜல் என் இமைஹலை தலுவுது சொல் சொல்(Bheema)
à®’à®°் ஆய்யிறம் ஆண்டுகல் சேà®®்à®®ித்த காத்தல் இத்து(Sivaji)
சேவிதழில் நுà®°ை அல்லி செà®®்பாத்தம் வறை கில்லி(Winner)
வாளுக்க்கை புத்தையலப்பா(Anbe Sivam)
கால கால நீ அடங்காத கால(Kaalai)
உன்னை என்னி என்னியே உல்லம் தான் வாடுதே(Vallavan)
ஜூலை மலர்ஹலே ஜூலை மலர்ஹலே ஊங்கல் எதிà®°ியாய் ஓரு அலஹன் இருக்கிà®±ான்(Bagavathy)
These are just samples of what Thamizh in today's film music is like. May Thiruvalluvar, Kambar, Bharathiyar and all those great Tamil geniuses give dreadful night mares to all those music directors, who, inspite of having an ocean of talents within our own state bring other language singers and make them sing without proper training on diction.
Long Live Thamizh!! :D
Cha... தமிà®´் நீடூà®´ி வாà®´்க!!! :)
P.S: If you can't read and make out the above lines in Thamizh, consider yourself lucky. Because, I know how unfortunate it is to hear your own being language raped and murdered for the sake of hearing a good voice. :P
உன்னுக்குல் நானே உறுகுà®®் இறவில் உல்லத்தை நான் சொல்லவா(Pachai Kili Muthu Charam)
வெக்கதை மறைதாய் கைகுலே அடைத்தாய் தன்னீà®°ை உட்à®°ு குலின்திட(Unnale Unnale)
à®’à®°ு செல்லா நாயை உந்தன் பீனால் வால் ஆட்டூà®±ென்...
அட என்னை தவிà®± எல்ல பென்னுà®®் ஆனை ஆனலுà®®்(Kaalai)
தீபிà®°்à®°்à®°ை போள் வருà®®் நக்க கன்னுக்கல்(Pori)
à®°ெகசியெ கெனவுகல் ஜல் ஜல் என் இமைஹலை தலுவுது சொல் சொல்(Bheema)
à®’à®°் ஆய்யிறம் ஆண்டுகல் சேà®®்à®®ித்த காத்தல் இத்து(Sivaji)
சேவிதழில் நுà®°ை அல்லி செà®®்பாத்தம் வறை கில்லி(Winner)
வாளுக்க்கை புத்தையலப்பா(Anbe Sivam)
கால கால நீ அடங்காத கால(Kaalai)
உன்னை என்னி என்னியே உல்லம் தான் வாடுதே(Vallavan)
ஜூலை மலர்ஹலே ஜூலை மலர்ஹலே ஊங்கல் எதிà®°ியாய் ஓரு அலஹன் இருக்கிà®±ான்(Bagavathy)
These are just samples of what Thamizh in today's film music is like. May Thiruvalluvar, Kambar, Bharathiyar and all those great Tamil geniuses give dreadful night mares to all those music directors, who, inspite of having an ocean of talents within our own state bring other language singers and make them sing without proper training on diction.
Long Live Thamizh!! :D
Cha... தமிà®´் நீடூà®´ி வாà®´்க!!! :)
P.S: If you can't read and make out the above lines in Thamizh, consider yourself lucky. Because, I know how unfortunate it is to hear your own being language raped and murdered for the sake of hearing a good voice. :P
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Amélie - A movie full of life
I watched a movie of my lifetime yesterday. Its a French movie called Amélie. Having heard about this movie from Vikram long back and having read about it in his blog, I wanted to watch this movie for over an year, and I finally did it yesterday.
It is a very very cute movie, a simple story interestingly told with a beautiful romance plot. To give some flashback, 2002 Oscar awards had a great Indian film in the final list of "Best Foreign Film" category - Lagaan, for which we felt very proud. Of course, it didn't win an Oscar, but another contender among the finalists and which lost to "No Man's Land" was Amélie from France.
The movie is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and stars Audrey Tautou and Mathieu Kassovitz in lead roles. And there a a lot of supporting characters, each of whom has a short but a prominent role in the movie. The film begins with a flashback on Amélie's childhood which sets the base for rest of the film to move on.
It is the story of a waitress in Montmartre, an extremely shy and lonely girl Amélie, who after an incident decides to make people around her happy by solving their problems. She does it all secretly like an angel and feels happy for them. But at the same time she is fighting her own shyness to express her love for Nino. How she overcomes that and how she unites with Nino is what the story is all about.
The way the screenplay is built upon, the characterization of each and everyone, the suspenses knitted and the way they are revealed, the mild comedy that runs throughout, the clues Amélie gives to Nino for finding her are all interesting. The pleasant background score and the beautiful locations make the film a delight to watch.
If you want to watch a movie with loads of feel good factor, a movie that is heart warming and memorable, then Amélie is the best choice. And thanks Vikram for suggesting this movie :)
It is a very very cute movie, a simple story interestingly told with a beautiful romance plot. To give some flashback, 2002 Oscar awards had a great Indian film in the final list of "Best Foreign Film" category - Lagaan, for which we felt very proud. Of course, it didn't win an Oscar, but another contender among the finalists and which lost to "No Man's Land" was Amélie from France.
The movie is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and stars Audrey Tautou and Mathieu Kassovitz in lead roles. And there a a lot of supporting characters, each of whom has a short but a prominent role in the movie. The film begins with a flashback on Amélie's childhood which sets the base for rest of the film to move on.
It is the story of a waitress in Montmartre, an extremely shy and lonely girl Amélie, who after an incident decides to make people around her happy by solving their problems. She does it all secretly like an angel and feels happy for them. But at the same time she is fighting her own shyness to express her love for Nino. How she overcomes that and how she unites with Nino is what the story is all about.
The way the screenplay is built upon, the characterization of each and everyone, the suspenses knitted and the way they are revealed, the mild comedy that runs throughout, the clues Amélie gives to Nino for finding her are all interesting. The pleasant background score and the beautiful locations make the film a delight to watch.If you want to watch a movie with loads of feel good factor, a movie that is heart warming and memorable, then Amélie is the best choice. And thanks Vikram for suggesting this movie :)
Friday, December 28, 2007
Best of Dec'06 - Dec'07 : Actors and Actresses
Names are sorted based on alphabetical order only!
| Best Actors | |
| Ajith | Kireedom, Billa |
| Arya | Oram Po |
| Dhanush | Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Polladhavan |
| Jeeva | Katradhu Thamizh, Rameswaram |
| Madhavan | Evano Oruvan |
| Prithviraj | Mozhi, Satham Podaadhe, Kannamoochi Yenada |
| Rajini | Sivaji |
| Sarath Kumar | PKMC |
| Surya | Vel |
| Vijay | Pokkiri, ATM |
| Best actresses | |
| Asin | Pokkiri, Vel |
| Bhavana | Veyil, Deepavali, Rameswaram, Koodal Nagar |
| Jyothika | Mozhi, PKMC |
| Nayanthara | Billa |
| Padmapriya | Satham Podaadhe, Mirugam |
| Priya Mani | Paruthiveeran |
| Sadha | Unnale Unnale |
| Sangeetha | Evano Oruvan |
| Shriya | Sivaji, ATM |
| Trisha | Kireedom |
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Great talents of year 2007
G.V. Prakash Kumar: This nephew of Rahman is no lesser than his uncle. From the kid who sang "Chikku bukku chikku bukku rayile" he has come a long way and is a talented music composer and singer today. His first venture Veyil was just a sample of his talents where he 
brought out the flavor of the soil in his songs. Followed a string of hits with Kireedom, Polladhavan and Oram Po, not to forget his good work in the recently released audio of Velli Thirai.
The sound of his music has a Rahman kind of feel though he is slowly coming up with a style of his own. One thing I found impressive about his songs is the way he uses the singers. Be it Sonu Nigam in Vizhiyil(Kireedom) or Suchitra in Naan Alibaba Thangam(Polladhavan) or Sunitha Sarathy and Krish in Neeye Sol(again from Polladhavan) or Jayachandran in Kanavellam(Kireedom) or Alka Yagnik in Idhu enna Maayam(Oram Po), he has brought out a different dimension of their voices in these songs. And of course, Sadhana Sargam's different westernised melody Akkam Pakkam was unforgettable.
He himself is a good singer too as proved by Kaadhal Yaanai(Anniyan) and Hello Miss(Unnale Unnale). With a handful of offers in coming days, he is sure to go places with his immense talents.
Krish: Vijay Balakrishnan aka is a singer with loads of talents and a sweet, wonderful vo
ice. His June Ponaa July Kaatre was the anthem of youth this year. I learnt from TV shows in which he participated that he was brought up in US and came to India in his quest to become an actor and a singer. In spite of this, he has such a vast knowledge of Tamil songs right from very old days, which I doubt not many of the singers have. He has sung many remarkable songs this year under many music directors and hoping that this is the start of a long journey of his voice in the music industry.
Dhanush:
Good appearances alone does not make a good actor. A very ordinary looking Dhanush winning hearts with his performance film after film is a good example of this. Call it the luck that his marriage to Aishwarya brought him or the magic that his little son did for him, he is fast moving up the stardom ladder with every film. A good dancer, casual actor with boy next door looks is what makes Dhanush special. Films like Sullan are a thing of the past and now Dhanush is back with a bang with movies like "Yaaradi nee Mohini" to prove himself.
Shriya: Beauty and grace personified and her name is Shriya. One advantage that Shriya had
over her contemporaries is that, she had the chance to play the pivotal role in all her films like Mazhai, Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Sivaji and ATM. In the sense, there is a part of the story in all these films that revolves around her. Unfortunately, I would say that she has not made the best use of these chances and has given just adequate performances in all these films. Hope she would make the best use of her roles in forthcoming films next year. She is a brilliant dancer, her expressive beautiful eyes playing an important role. Surprisingly, she is an actress who has always kept low profile unlike some empty vessels who appear in all TV channels giving big hype for their minuscule roles.
Santhanam: Starting off in small screen with his extremely popular Lollu Sabha, Santhanam has moved to big screen starring in a lot a big films as a comedian. In these days when actors do a variety of things sometimes interesting sometime disgusting in the name of comedy, Santhanam's style of providing comic relief by casual way of talking is well appreciated by lot of people. He has also managed to a give a good performance in serious scenes too. He surely has a great future ahead and of course a long career in cinema to prove himself(inspite of the rumors that he has died in an accident :D)
brought out the flavor of the soil in his songs. Followed a string of hits with Kireedom, Polladhavan and Oram Po, not to forget his good work in the recently released audio of Velli Thirai.The sound of his music has a Rahman kind of feel though he is slowly coming up with a style of his own. One thing I found impressive about his songs is the way he uses the singers. Be it Sonu Nigam in Vizhiyil(Kireedom) or Suchitra in Naan Alibaba Thangam(Polladhavan) or Sunitha Sarathy and Krish in Neeye Sol(again from Polladhavan) or Jayachandran in Kanavellam(Kireedom) or Alka Yagnik in Idhu enna Maayam(Oram Po), he has brought out a different dimension of their voices in these songs. And of course, Sadhana Sargam's different westernised melody Akkam Pakkam was unforgettable.
He himself is a good singer too as proved by Kaadhal Yaanai(Anniyan) and Hello Miss(Unnale Unnale). With a handful of offers in coming days, he is sure to go places with his immense talents.
Krish: Vijay Balakrishnan aka is a singer with loads of talents and a sweet, wonderful vo
ice. His June Ponaa July Kaatre was the anthem of youth this year. I learnt from TV shows in which he participated that he was brought up in US and came to India in his quest to become an actor and a singer. In spite of this, he has such a vast knowledge of Tamil songs right from very old days, which I doubt not many of the singers have. He has sung many remarkable songs this year under many music directors and hoping that this is the start of a long journey of his voice in the music industry.Dhanush:
Good appearances alone does not make a good actor. A very ordinary looking Dhanush winning hearts with his performance film after film is a good example of this. Call it the luck that his marriage to Aishwarya brought him or the magic that his little son did for him, he is fast moving up the stardom ladder with every film. A good dancer, casual actor with boy next door looks is what makes Dhanush special. Films like Sullan are a thing of the past and now Dhanush is back with a bang with movies like "Yaaradi nee Mohini" to prove himself.Shriya: Beauty and grace personified and her name is Shriya. One advantage that Shriya had
over her contemporaries is that, she had the chance to play the pivotal role in all her films like Mazhai, Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Sivaji and ATM. In the sense, there is a part of the story in all these films that revolves around her. Unfortunately, I would say that she has not made the best use of these chances and has given just adequate performances in all these films. Hope she would make the best use of her roles in forthcoming films next year. She is a brilliant dancer, her expressive beautiful eyes playing an important role. Surprisingly, she is an actress who has always kept low profile unlike some empty vessels who appear in all TV channels giving big hype for their minuscule roles.
Santhanam: Starting off in small screen with his extremely popular Lollu Sabha, Santhanam has moved to big screen starring in a lot a big films as a comedian. In these days when actors do a variety of things sometimes interesting sometime disgusting in the name of comedy, Santhanam's style of providing comic relief by casual way of talking is well appreciated by lot of people. He has also managed to a give a good performance in serious scenes too. He surely has a great future ahead and of course a long career in cinema to prove himself(inspite of the rumors that he has died in an accident :D)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Best of Dec'06 - Dec'07 : The Movies
Best Movies of the year
Films are sorted based on alphabetical order only!Best Entertainers: Films that were great entertainers, loved by the people as well as the box office.
$ Billa: Movie that was one of the most expected this year. Remake of yester year Rajinikanth’s super hit was a well made movie, with high technical aspects and a great looking Ajith, though a part of audience were not satisfied with it.
$ Chennai 600028: Made in simple style based on the game of cricket, this movie milked the gully cricket craze of Chennai to the fullest and went on to become a hit with lots of appreciaition.
$ Mozhi: This is undoubtedly the movie of 2007. A movie that shows the other side of differently abled people who are always shown as objects of pity in movies. Jyothika’s performance took the movie to its greatest heights.
$ Paruthi Veeran: Inspite of a violent climax, this movie was widely accepted by audience mainly for the performances by lead stars and realistic screenplay. Karthi and Priya Mani lived their characters.
$ Pokkiri: Remade from Telugu super hit of same name and directed by Prabhudeva, it was a very faithful remake with great music by Manisharma. Vijay’s restrained performance and Asin’s charm were unforgettable.
$ Polladhavan: Yet another realistic movie that released silently among Diwali releases and slowly gained momentum through rave reviews and good word of mouth. Dhanush recorded yet another hit to his career.
$ Sivaji: The overly hyped and most expensive Rajini-Shankar combination film was expected to do more magic than what it actually did. The exaggerated screenplay and rehashed theme were saved by Rajini’s command over box office and the superstar charisma.
$ Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam: A simple story with a engaging screenplay has never failed in Tamil cinema. The performances of Dhanush and Prakashraj added to the strength of the film.
$ Unnale Unnale: The cute and beautifully shot love triangle with decent performances was loved by youth and the greatest advantage came through brilliant songs of Harris Jayaraj. Jeeva made everyone miss him with this last work from him.
$ Vel: A historic concept and storyline can do wonders with a powerful screenplay having lots of masala and sentiments even today with a greater chunk of audience. For non believers, this Surya-Asin starrer from Hari is an example.
Best Efforts: Some of the best efforts from Tamil industry that might not have been big box office hits but were appreciated well.
!! Ammuvaagiya Naan: This story of a sex worker saved and brought into normal life and the consequences was a moving effort elevated by Bharathi’s performance in the title role.
!! ATM: Honest efforts from Vijay to break away from his usual formula and the first time brilliant performance in a double role were all let down by a dull screenplay and a unimpressive climax.
!! Evano Oruvan: This film is Madhavan’s way of showing his love for good cinema and he excelled all the way through it. Only if the common audience were more mature to relate to such genuine movies, the standards of film making shall improve.
!! Guru: Manirathnam brought to life the biography of a business tycoon with the help of Abhishek Bachan. Being a dubbed film, it did not go down very well with all classes.
!! Kalloori: Most heart rendering story of the year by Balaji Sakthivel, in the lines of Kaadhal. The typical arts college of south Tamilnadu was brought to life by the actors and the director.
!! Kannamoochi Yenada: Though not impressive as her maiden venture Kanda Naal Mudhal, this film from Priya connected well with family audience for its clean entertainment and some good performances.
!! Kireedom: Remade from the Malayalam film of the same name, this film is a story of a police man aspiring to bring his son into the profession and the related events. Rajkiran as the father stood high with a great performance with a good support from Ajith.
!! Muni: A great effort from Lawrence as a director and actor. With Rajkiran for support as the ‘ghost’, this super natural thriller was a good entertainer.
!! Periyar: The art of making art films is not mastered by anyone as good as Gnana Rajasekaran. Sathyaraj and Kushboo lived as Periyar and Maniyammai in this biographical film.
!! Veyil: A story of love, affection and sentiments in the rustic soils of a Tamil village. Another gem from Shankar’s production house directed by Vasantha Balan. Pasupathi gave a brilliant performance.
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