Despicable M3 -- Movie Review

After a long long time, we saw a movie with Kuku. My Arien cousin picked the movie because he knew that Kuku loves minions. We wanted to see how Kuku would react to the whole movie experience. His first movie experience did not really work out for us (you can read about that here) and we were hoping the second one would be better. It was but only slightly so.

The movie was just ok. The story seemed a bit too familiar - the separated at birth story of Gru and Dru had me wondering if Hollywood was now borrowing from Bollywood. I think the producers are in love with sequels because the earlier film worked. However, unlike Toy Story sequels, I felt more than a bit let down by this movie. Some of the Bratt scenes were genuinely funny - especially with music from the 90s which probably no one else except the Generation X (ones after the baby boomers) would recall.

Image Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/despicable-me-3-movie-review-hoped-for-a-unicorn-got-a-one-horned-goat/story-u2fJxfQ5zVjx7krndBOPoI.html

Kuku refused to stay put in his seat or wear his 3D glasses. He walked all around, sat on the steps, tried some pop corn, and some nachos. He kept putting his hand between seats and scaring the couple in front of us. Whenever I pulled him away, he would go for a walk in the darkened theatre looking for a kindred someone who would be good company as they both run up and down the steps. Luckily for me, he did not find anyone.

The Arien commented "I think we should not try this for another 3 more years". I groaned :(

Visaranai -- Movie Review

This movie was released in February 2016. We had heard a lot about this movie but it was last week that the movie was brought to our notice again. I recalled that this movie was India's entry for the Oscars in the category best foreign language film.

Pandi

Visaranai means interrogation. 4 daily wage earners from Tamil Nadu work in Andra Pradesh. They stay in a nearby park and somehow try to make ends meet. The movie starts with Pandi, who works in a shop. At day break, a few men stop at Pandi's shop and ask him for an address. Pandi recognizes that they are from Tamil Nadu and chats with them. The men are reluctant to part with information and then Pandi notices that one of them has a gun and stops chatting with them and asks them to leave. This group consists of policeman who are on a undercover mission. The day turns worse for Pandi as a policeman (not the undercover group) arrests him and he sees his friends: Murugan and Kumar also arrested.
Image Courtesy: www.thehindu.com

Unable to understand what is going on, the 3 of them are beaten up and tortured so that they can

Kumar, Pandi, Afzal, and Murugan

reveal where they hid the money. None of them know what is going on and are not involved in the robbery but no one seems interested as they continue to share that they know nothing of the robbery. They meet their other friend, Afzal, the next day who was tortured for their address and that is how the other 3 friends were picked up. Apparently, a high-profile robbery has been committed and the police has identified these 4 as the con men who committed the crime. The policeman want them to accept the crime in front of a judge. Because of the beatings and the torture, all the others, except Pandi, are willing to plead guilty for a crime they did not commit.

Image Courtesy: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/visaranai-is-indias-official-oscar-entry-10-facts-you-must-know-3044732/

When they are brought in front of the judge, Pandi proclaims their innocence. The judge, surprised at being addressed, and not able to understand Pandi, calls for a translator. The inspector on the undercover mission, who is at another judge's chambers volunteers. All four are released. The inspector asks them for help. They gladly volunteer. What happens to them after that forms the rest of the story.  

The movie is based on a real life incident and is based on a book by M Chandra Kumar (Kumar). There are quite a few scenes of violence as befitting a police interrogation. These scenes can be quite horrifying to watch so do not watch with children.

Bhajirao Mastani - Movie Review

Saw this movie over 2 sittings, at home. Wanted to watch this movie because I enjoyed Sanjay Leela Bhansali's (SLB) Goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. The visuals are as stunning as in any SLB's movie. Somehow, the passion that I expected between the lead pair, was strangely lacking in the Bhajirao-Mastani movie.

Mastani (Deepika) looked very pretty and it was easy to see why Bhajirao could fall head over heels over her but somehow that is not brought out very well in the movie. In fact, from the display of passion, I almost felt that Kashi (Priyanka) was his beloved and Mastani his wife. The dialogues, supporting characters were good. Tanvi Azmi as the mom who opposed the relationship was pretty good.

Image Courtesy: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bajirao-mastani-its-a-wrap-on-my-most-incredible-film-experience-says-deepika-padukone-ranveer-singh/1/509973.html

It was a movie about a brave warrior who won all of his 41 battles but lost the war in his home. He

obsessed over Mastani and her rights and hurt Kashi with his behavior. Priyanka did a fantastic job as the good wife. Deepika's role was not well-etched and seemed to me: one-dimensional. She was a warrior but too tame as a lover and mistress. Apart from a few dialogues that hinted at her tough interior, her behavior at other times was frankly a bit better than a door mat.

Image Courtesy: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/ranveer-singh-to-be-feted-as-maharashtrian-of-the-year/

Kashi, showed a lot more fire even though it was not expected of her. Ranveer, caught between the 3 women in his life, and his role as a brave warrior who wins battles, showcased his vulnerability and bravery very well. A good performance. Priyanka walks away with all the honors though. Her performance was understated but pretty good.

Image Courtesy: http://www.catchnews.com/bollywood-news/priyanka-chopra-finally-revealed-that-why-did-work-in-sanjay-leela-bhansali-bajirao-mastani-despite-the-fact-that-it-is-all-about-ranveer-singh-and-deepika-padukone-6-interesting-answers-priyanka-chopra-gave-1450349217.html

Pink -- Movie Review

Two movies at the theater in the same month.. am I dreaming? Well, it happened. A friend at office came up with the plan and off we went. I thought it was a 1 hour movie but it was longer as most Hindi movies are.

The movie begins very well-You see 3 gals (Meenal, Falak, and Andrea) in a taxi, returning home from a party or some event, late at night. The mood is very tense, the girls are worried, and a bit terrified. The scene shifts to another vehicle, a car, 2 guys are worrying about one of the guys who seems badly hurt and bleeding. The hurt guy is more angry than hurt. Slowly, the events unfold and there is no misstep anywhere. The first half goes as expected - rather, as if a real incident was taking place n that was a relief.

Amitabh with his mask

Amitabh's introduction was actually funny thanks to his anti-pollution mask and various eccentricities. When you observe him watching Meenal at the park, you wonder if he is the villain for an insane moment. The movie introduces a number of stereotypes: independent working women, north eastern women, the neighbor who can easily think the worst about you, the policeman who asks Meenal to think before filing a case at the station, etc etc. None of them struck a false note.

Image Courtesy: http://www.hitmoviedialogues.in/2016/08/watch-pink-movie-official-trailer.html

The second half was a bit slow though it had a number of punches to throw. It was a courtroom saga

Andrea, Meenal, and Falak

that made several note-worthy points but felt a bit slow. Somehow I felt that the verdict could swing either way. While the points were note-worthy, I did not think legally they could have won the battle. But, again maybe that is how it works sometimes. A point that raised a lot of claps was about a woman's choice to say No. A very valid point but legally how could it be proved?

Image Courtesy:  http://hamaraphotos.com/bollywood/scoops/have-been-a-victim-of-eve-teasing-taapsee-pannu.html

Meenal

Most of the scenes were totally believable: When Meenal is threatened over phone, she retaliates in anger but then runs home after looking all around, terrified; When Falak's boyfriend asks her why she went with others and adds that Meenal would do this but why did you?; When the lawyer asks Meenal why does she live with 3 other girls instead of staying at her parent's place (When her parents live in the same city) and tries to insinuate that she was probably a sex-worker;When the men say that girls from good families do not drink or go with somebody whom they just met, and so many other gems.  

Image Courtesy: http://www.trendinfo.in/pink-movie-box-office-collection-7056.html

A serious movie but a good one. The movie ends with showing us what really happened that night which was one of the best parts of the movie. Liked it for some of the points made. Good to watch once.

Happy Bhaag Jayegi -- Movie Review

After a long time, managed to catch a movie at the theater. After Kuku came into my life, it has been

Daman Singh Bagga dancing

impossible for me to catch a movie in the theater and so I try not to miss any opportunity when it does come my way. The managers go on a trip to the US for two weeks, every year, and most folks enjoy the short break that that brings but this year we went for a movie. Felt like a school or college kid bunking school or college (Not that I did it - I had a miss goody-two-shoes reputation).

Happy Arriving in Amritsar at Bilal's house

I had read some of the reviews and was not expecting much from the movie but it was nice.

Beautiful Diana Penty, dependable Jimmy Shergil, Handsome Abhay Deol (you always want to see more of him), a charming Ali Fazal, Piyush Sharma as the comic element, a lovely Momal Sheikh looking very snooty but vulnerable, and a simple love story with India-Pakistan as the backdrop. It could have been amazing but not so. Dropping the section
Wah Wah because the movie did not have any Wah Wah moments. It was a light and fluffy experience.

Image Courtesy: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/happy-bhag-jayegi-movie-review-abhay-deol-diana-penty-star-rating-2984719/

Wah

• Momal Sheikh initial hysterical reaction made me cringe but her snooty, aristocratic expressions and her vulnerability was nicely captured using subtle looks and simple scenes. A small role, but she was impressive.
• Jimmy as the guy who is left at the altar was genuinely funny as Daman Singh Bagga, the main villain.  
• Abhay, who is a joy irrespective of his role, was adequate. 
• Ali Fazal, as the boy friend, Guddu, had a charming simplicity that lent a nice touch.  

Bah

• Happy's character is not well fleshed out. Why do all the men fall for her? Diana seems too sophisticated to be a typical punjabi kudi. Its a stretch to imagine her making aloo parathas for her boyfriend. I can imagine Kangana adding the necessary zing to the same character.
• Kanwaljeet's performance was a bit over-the-top. He is a very good actor and deserves a decent role.

Zoya walking up to Bilal's car

The performances were not fantastic, the movie was just ok but you wanted very much to like them and were hoping something will come up that will make you laugh - but no. The producer of the film is Anand L Rai, who directed Tanu weds Manu - you can see the numerous similarities in the movie and while Kangana was superb, Diana is just about ok.

Catch it at home on a lazy weekend and you won't mind it. For a change, after seeing intense movies or movies that make me sad, this felt ok.

Ex Machina -- Movie Review

I think I am making up for missing most of the movies released in 2015 by watching them this year :) This is the second movie I am catching and WOW! Ex Machina has been listed as #1 in most of the top 15 Hollywood movies for 2015 and I agree 100%. While it is essentially a sci-fi film, it is also emotional, thrilling, and unexpected.

Caleb and Nathan

The movie begins when a developer, Caleb, working for BlueBook (an Internet Search Engine company) wins a week long stay at the CEO's estate. The CEO, Nathan, is a child prodigy who started writing code at 13. When Caleb is dropped off at the estate, he is not sure what to expect. Nathan is not quite what he expects. He is given a key card which allows him access to certain areas in the house. The house also is a research facility and Caleb is taken totally by surprise when Nathan asks him to sign an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement) that seems very detailed and not standard. 

Image Courtesy: http://thecreativefoxden.com/2015/05/19/movie-review-ex-machina/

Caleb signs it but is not too happy. That changes when Caleb realizes that Nathan has built a female

Ava

robot with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Caleb has to test if she exhibits true AI or is simulating human emotion - a test known as a Turing Test. The female robot is Ava. The interactions between Ava and Caleb are recorded and watched by Nathan except when there is a power cut. The conversations between Nathan and Caleb are not that of an employer with an employee or one between friends but weirdly personal. Nathan ribs Caleb about his quotable quotes and Caleb tries to fit in and comes across confused, curious, and very natural.

Image Courtesy: http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2015/06/movie-analysis-ex-machina-themes.html

Nathan and Kyoko

Nathan's maid or girl friend, Kyoko, has very little to say or is mute but after appearing suddenly, she is there for the rest of the movie. She performs a choreographed and well-synchronized disco routine with Nathan and it is obvious from the way they dance that they have done this often. 

Image Courtesy: http://www.cinemast.net/ex-machina-movie-review/

I was trying to get ahead of the story and guess where it might go and I was surprised every time. The movie does not employ too many twists but each twist was crisp and later you realized that that was the only way to go. The ending was so unexpected that it stayed with me for a long time. It was not an ending I could accept but it was actually perfect. There is a fair amount of nudity and while it can distract, I doubt it was used for that purpose in the movie. However, because of that, I would not advise you to watch the movie at home with children, family etc. Watch it when you can and let me know what you think. If you have already seen it, let me know what you think.  

     

Wazir -- Movie review

First movie in a cinema theatre, after a really long time (Uttama Villain does not count, considering we watched the movie from the Exit steps while Kuku watched his Rhymes on the Arien's phone). It was a team activity and we were catching the morning show - the 10.10 one. I wanted to laugh but I also wanted to make it. It was decided that we would catch the movie at a mall which is quite close to my place. What happened that morning: Kuku on tantrum mode, sent him very late to his playschool and was at the receiving end from his teacher, no service road entry from my house to the theatre, no right turn at the theatre entrance, and no change for the Auto. With so many obstacles working against me, it was indeed a total surprise for me that I made it before time. I was at the Theatre at 10 am :D Now, for the story of Wazir.

A movie that had Farhan Akthar and Amitabh Bachchan had to be good. I had not read the reviews yet and so I had no idea what the story was all about. Well, it starts with the story of Danish (Farhan) and Ruhana (Aditi) - their marriage, their love, their child. A snap decision made by Danish results in the separation between him and Ruhana. And around that time, he meets Omkarnath Dhar (Amitabh), a chess enthusiast and an unlikely friendship builds between them. The friendship helps heal the rift between Danish and Ruhana. It also leads to Wazir.

Image Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/wazir-review-a-revenge-saga-that-is-not-angry-but-devious/story-ZsKd1IQBRluKxwxFan8INK.html

The love story of Danish and Ruhana was edited well and in a few well-shot scenes, the love that they shared was there for the audience to see. The scenes between Amitabh and Farhan are entertaining with Shatranj or chess-specific metaphors thrown in. Not too many to bore the audience and so it was ok. The entrance of Wazir (Neil Nithin Mukesh) added a chill to the story. John Abraham was in yet another cameo. I almost suspected him to be the villain but he was not :)

Image Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/wazir-review-a-revenge-saga-that-is-not-angry-but-devious/story-ZsKd1IQBRluKxwxFan8INK.html

I think we were waiting for some obscure twist but the movie was not trying to be clever - it was pretty straight forward. But, there was something missing in the movie. Maybe the editing was too slick for some scenes and too lax for the others. The pace was jumpy.

The last explanation video was not needed I feel. It assumes that the audience would not be clever enough (a way of saying they were stupid, in fact) unless smne actually spoke during the scene to say: "I did this and then I did that and then..." followed by the actual shot of the action. One of the two would have been sufficient.

Image Courtesy: http://www.bollywoodmania.co.in/2016/01/review-wazir-is-gripping-thriller-with.html

The movie was jes ok though it had all the trappings of a good thriller and whodunit but somehow the story meandered and did not do a good job. Ok to watch once. Aditi looked lovely and Neil looked venomous. 

Spy -- Movie Review

After a long time, got to watch a comedy movie of my choice. We usually watch whodunits and thrillers so this change was good. Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a CIA analyst who spends most of her time in a rat-and-bat infested basement, being the ear-piece of the field agent, Bradley Fine (Jude Law) and saves him from danger. She is also secretly in love with him. When Bradley dies in a mission gone wrong, Susan wants to avenge him and opts to get out on the field. How this plan goes all funny and finally right forms the rest of the movie. The movie starts with 007 like opening credits that is impressive as hell.

Melissa McCarthy from Mike and Molly and BridesMaids, is really really funny. I loved her in Mike Molly and she held her own in Bridesmaids but here she is near perfect as Susan Coooper. Jude Law looks dapper and you totally understand that Melissa is in love with him.

Jason Statham was absolutely and amazingly funny. A great find! The Arien has watched so many of his action movies that he found him absolutely amusing in this role. His dialogues drove us crazy :)

The funny moments are not corny and so I really enjoyed it all. The supporting cast was really good. Some of the funniest moments were the verbal slaps between Melissa and Rose Bryne (in a scary hairdo - very reminiscent of 60s and 70s heroines in Indian movies) and of course, Jason Statham's amazing achievements. A really funny moment was when Melissa ate a hand towel assuming it was an appetizer. Very funny and very real :) Also, when she killed an assassin and then tried not to puke over him (eyyooow but we were laughing).

For the folks who follow the bollywood scene, we have Nargis Fakhri in a blink and miss appearance first and a fight to death scene with Melissa. She had on a green jump suit as seen in this pic and the fight was surprisingly funny. You could not see much of her during the fight - it was quite fast and over after a couple of whacks with a pan and a knife to the heart!

We also have a cameo from 50 cents - it did not looked added on for effect and was funny :) 

It was a good break and though we caught it in two sittings - it was worth waiting for. Really enjoyed it. Watch it when you can. 

Uttama Villain -- Movie Review

I am a Kamal Hassan fan. His movies and roles are usually well-chosen (not always though), his acting is always top-knotch, and you either enjoy the movie and want everyone to watch it or you totally hate it and want to tell everyone to not watch it. He has had his flops, his commercial hits some of which were total masala potboilers as well, but you wanted to know what he had to offer and so you would always go to watch his latest movie.

As per the latest news, Uttama Villain is a hit and has had a good opening. The reviews have been uniformly very sweet - positive response and critical appreciation n all that. So, this is one scary review to write. ** Spoilers Ahead**

Story:
Kamal is Manoranjan, an aging super star who is still loved by the masses. He is married to Varalakshmi (Urvashi) and has a son. His father-in-law is Poorna Chandra Rao (a famous producer). He is in the middle of an affair with his doctor, Arpana (Andrea Jeremiah) and his latest film is a sooper hit. He occasionally takes a  swig from his bottle and sometimes faints in the restroom.

Image Courtesy: http://stargallery.in/uthama-villain-movie-new-stills/kamal-haasan-pooja-kumar-uttama-villain-movie-stills-10/

His manager, Chokku (M S Bhasker) is in-charge of keeping a lot of this hidden from the press and from his family. His co-star is Pooja Kumar. To celebrate the success of his movie, a party is organized at his home.

At this party, he learns two life-altering truths. How does he handle both the situations forms the rest of the story.

K Balachander, the director, plays director Margadarshi in the movie and makes a movie for Manoranjan.  

Image Courtesy:  http://silverscreen.in/media/photos/uttama-villain-movie-stills/

Some scenes that stayed in my mind:

• Dr. Arpana is going to share the first of the life-altering news with Manoranjan and she is unable to handle the same. That was what it was supposed to be - but what it looked like - a) Dr. Arpana was doing a wild, wriggly, snake dance to catch Manoranjan's attention b) Dr. Arpana had just been groped by the other actor in the scene, was trying to squirm away from another grope, and calling attention to the same c) Dr. Arpana wanted to use the loo and the director insisted on completing the scene before he allowed a loo break d) Dr. Arapana's beautician or make-up lady has gone on long leave and she has no idea how she can continue to look as fabulous without her e) The Director said that no free lunch was going to be served that day
• When Manoranjan refers to his driver as his sotthu (Riches or Treasure) and the driver sheds tears of joy. You want to yell 'Yenna Mirugam Aaakathe' just as S Ve Shekar does in most of his dramas.
• When Manoranjan hears the second life-altering news from Zachaeriah (Jayaraman). There is no histronics or melodrama or over the top acting but there is also not much anything - like emoshun or acting. It fell flat - I did not feel that Kamal was much upset - his dialogues were sharing his grief and shock but no emoshun except a very exaggerated sigh and some rolling of eyes. He has done that way better in gazillion scenes in so many movies - I could not comprehend it.
• When Chokku is asked to read the parting letter from Kamal's old flame out loud. Dr. Arpana tries to leave, Mano roars SIT DOWN. Chokku squints or blinks and then comes forward to read it near the reflected light from the screen. There must have been some major meaning to this scene but I did not get it. The letter was so blaah.. it was so not worth the SIT DOWN or the theatrical touch.

Blast From the Past - A still from MMKR

Its not that the movie does not have some genuinely funny scenes or sequences - the ayyo appa and ayyappa scene in the movie within the movie, the scene where Urvashi is admitted in the hospital and says that she was quite beautiful years ago and she has spoilt her looks by eating - you cannot help smiling as you remember Urvashi and Kamal from the movie 'Michael Madana Kama Rajan'.

Image Courtesy: http://www.indiaglitz.com/another-interesting-addition-to-uthama-villain-star-cast-tamil-news-104616.html

Also, the scene where Kamal meets with Margadarshi and he shouts at Manoranjan for doing masala potboilers and various meaningless movies. Some of those dialogues were quite close to the truth.

But, the funny scenes were too few in number and do not save the movie from falling flat. The movie within the movie was funny for a bit and then it got too bizarre and the thaiyyam n koothu while artistically well executed - did not help the movie at all.

Image Courtesy:  http://www.cinedesh.com/tag/uthama-villain-heroine/

Sorry, Kamal, this movie was way too indulgent even for you Or maybe it was too intellectual for me.

Badlapur -- Movie Review

The Arien wanted to watch Interstellar and I wanted to watch Badlapur. Nowadays, realizing that we may not be able to watch either, we quickly agree to the other's choice. The subtitles for Interstellar were in Russian and so Badlapur was the chosen one. We knew we would not be able to watch the entire movie in one sitting- thanks to Kuku- but we were determined to watch as much as possible in 1 sitting :)

We had heard a lot of positive reviews 'bout this movie. I thought Varun's promotional activity would involve his carrying the co-star and he did not disappoint. Yami looked a trifle uncomfortable inspite of her winning smile :) Read on for the movie review *Spoilers Ahead* 

Image Courtesy: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/is-varun-dhawan-trying-to-break-a-world-record/16057190

The movie is a revenge saga. The story begins with a bank robbery and the escape vehicle chosen by the thieves belongs to a young woman (Yami Gupta) and her son. Police men are chasing after the thieves almost immediately and in the ensuing chase, the kid who was seated in the front seat falls off the vehicle and onto the road. This shocks the bank robbers (Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vinay Yadav). Yami Gupta is concerned for her child and screams for the vehicle to be stopped. The tension in the car as a result of the child falling off, the police chasing after them and their possible capture, results in increased tension and the death of Yami Gupta by a gunshot wound. It is clear that they cannot get away and so Nawaz tells Vinay to get off with the money at a corner and allows himself to get caught. He is immediately placed in Jail and beaten by the police officers but he does not reveal the name of his partner and pretends to be the driver with no idea that the gun was loaded.

Varun is the husband of Yami Gupta and he cannot believe the double tragedy that has hit him in an

otherwise normal day. He meets with Nawaz in the hope of getting the name of the partner but Nawaz spins the same tale to him. Varun does not believe him but he needs the name of the partner. Nawaz is sentenced to 20 years of Jail which was clearly unexpected. He does not contact his partner or reveal his name but he tries to escape every year and is caught everytime. Nawaz is diagnosed with cancer after 15 years and Varun signs his release order after getting the name of the partner from Nawaz's mom. Nawaz is not aware that Varun knows his partner's name. What follows is nail-biting and then a bit underwhelming, but good.

Image Courtesy: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/varun-dhawan-badlapur-huma-qureshi-nawazuddin-siddiqui-yami-gautam-divya-dutta/1/13582.html

I somehow did not expect Varun Dhawan to be able to carry this role - but he did a good job of it. Nawaz is an exceptional actor: he had the best dialogues and most of the funny ones. He ably supported the script. Seeing Vinay in a serious role after a long time, a good actor who played his part well. The women had only a small part to play and they did justice to it - they did not outshine the male actors - it was simply not possible with their part but they showed that they were willing to do anything for their loved one and there was no trace of the regular filmy heroine. Yami Gupta, Huma Querishi, Radhika Apte, and Divya Dutta were good.

Image Courtesy: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/varun-dhawan-badlapur-gets-a-certificate-for-too-much-sex-and-violence/1/417148.html

Wah Wah

• Almost  every scene in which Nawaz appeared.
• Dialogues were crisp and get full marks 
• Jee Karda song was lovely
• Varun's serious avatar - impressive for a person who is known for his romantic roles

Blah Blah

• Treatment of the women in the movie was a bit on the crude, thoughtless, and objectification side
• The 'second chance' dialogue towards the end was a bit underwhelming 

Go watch and share your comments!

I - Movie Review

Got around to seeing my first Tamizh movie this year - I. The last time Shankar and Vikram got together, they gave us the hugely successful "Anniyan". So, naturally, there was a lot of hype surrounding this venture. However, according to me, it was all for naught! The movie released more than two months ago but if you have not seen the movie yet, watch the movie and see if you agree with me or not. *Spoilers*

Vikram as the bodybuilder

Vikram as the model

Vikram is into body building and is trying to win the Mr. Madras contest. At one of the contests, the other contestants were real body builders, I think, and it was difficult for me to accept that Vikram won the contest. Another contestant wants him to lose and Vikram wins in spite of not having the superior body.  But, then that is the typical bollywood way.

Image courtesy: www. pmwwt.com

Vikram is a great fan of Amy Jackson, a model who has been shooting a number of ads with Upen Patel. Vikram takes on a temporary bodyguard role for Amy while she is in town and he shares his card with her. While you wonder if Amy and Upen are having an affair, she is actually trying to fend off his unwelcome advances. As a result, she gets pulled out of various ad projects. In a fix, she contacts Vikram and transforms him into a model.

Image Courtesy: www.onsecrethunt.com
 

Vikram after I

They are to travel to China for an ad campaign and Ojas Rajani is in charge of converting him into a model. Upen is surprised that he has lost out a number of campaigns as a result of Vikram's entry. Ojas, falls for Vikram. Vikram is unable to act and struggles to emote in the China ad campaign. The director of the shoot asks Amy to profess love so he can emote better. Amy is not comfortable but agrees. And soon, he is acting pretty well and the shoots are a walk in the park for him.Ojas lusts after Vikram and breaks the news to him.

Image Courtesy: www.studioflicks.com

He refuses to believe until Amy accepts it. This shocks him but he completes the shoot. Ojas is upset. Amy feels very guilty and returns his love which surprises Vikram after an absolutely unnecessary and totally contrived dishum-dishum fight with a number of chinese extras and a local tamizh dialok delivery by the two actors!

They decide to get engaged when they return. Meanwhile, the ad agency which gave Vikram his

Vikram as the beast - Dream

break is planning to shoot an ad for a product that is good and Vikram refuses to shoot for the ad and also gives a statement to the media about his decision. This affects the ad agency adversely. Vikram and Amy get engaged and then things change. What happens next is not too difficult to imagine. The story is told in a non-linear manner, with the present story interspersed with flashbacks.

Image Courtesy:  www.indianupdates.com

I liked Vikram in his body building avatar. His physique is exceptional, specifically the torso. But, his legs are quite lean and do not appear muscular. At the contest, all the other body builders seemed to have very muscular legs. I thought he looked old in the model look, with a clean shaven face, which everyone in the movie raves about. His beast look in the dream sequence was pretty good and the other look was frankly scary. Kudos for carrying the different looks.

Suresh Gopi, a famous malayalam actor, plays a prominent role and Santhanam is Vikram's friend and supporter during all the changes from good to great to horrible. Upen Patel, Ram Kumar Ganeshan, and Ojas are caricatures. Ram Kumar Ganeshan is blessed with his dad's dialogue delivery and sometimes it is a major distraction. Not what I expected from a Shankar movie. Anniyan was far far better. Robot was very good. This movie does not meet those high expectations. A pity!

Wah Wah

• Vikram's acting prowess.
• Vikram's ability to don multiple looks for his role in this movie
• Special Effects
• Picturization of the Ennoddu Nee Iranthal (More like a musical) and Marasalaittean (Special effects)
• Songs were ok.

Blah Blah

• Old wine in new bottle - Typical revenge story with beauty and the beast thrown in
• No twists at all - the one twist is also so clear early on that you are just waiting for it to happen - No surprise
• Neither the role of the main cast or the supporting cast was well fledged out - some of the villains instead of being scary or terrifying were reduced to almost caricatures and were comical.

Gone Girl -- Movie Review

This was the first movie we watched in only two sittings. I am not sure if I should thank Kuku or the movie director for that. Kuku, because he did not cry and throw tantrums while we watched the movie and the director for making a movie that was quite gripping. Ok, before I start, I am a big fan of Ben Affleck. I have usually found something to like irrespective of his role or the movie. Glad to get that out - Ok, now to the review: **Spoilers Ahead **

Amy

The movie starts on the day of the fifth wedding anniversary of a couple (Ben and Rosamund) and you feel that Ben (Nick) is not too happy or interested in celebrating the accomplishment from the way he is chatting with his twin sister (Margo). He is called home by his wife (Amy). He reaches home to find the house empty. He wonders if this is something new that Amy has planned and starts searching for her. He is surprised she is not at home but does not seem too upset until he reaches the front room where the glass top of the table has been shattered and the table is upside down. He fears that she has been kidnapped and calls the police. 

Amy Image Courtesy:  www.hitfix.com

The Police

The detective (Rhonda) and her partner (James) ask questions, check the scene of crime, walk around the house, and find an envelope marked Clue 1, in Amy's handwriting. Nick mentions that that is part of the anniversary and they usually have a treasure hunt. Each clue results in an unfolding of the scene and you wonder what is going on as a red undergarment that does not belong to Amy is found in Nick's office. Nick is quite surprised and tries to solve the clues ahead of the police as he is worried. And then, Amy's parents arrive and you are hit with some information that Nick obviously is not aware of, some he is aware of but did not think important enough to share with the police which makes them wonder what else he is hiding.

The Detectives Image Courtesy: www.collider.com

Nick Proposes to Amy

The movie keeps slipping from the past to the present as you see a charming Nick propose to Amy amidst a bunch of journalists. You wonder how a couple that were so much in love could become so indifferent in 5 years - you wonder if it was all an act or  if it was marriage that killed their love.

The Proposal Image Courtesy: www.soundonsight.org

As the media frenzy builds, Nick tries to keep it normal and attempts to do all the normal things with disastrous results. Nick's oddest behaviors were actually the most natural and not so curiously, they were the ones that stayed in my mind: Nick, Margo, and Amy's parents are attending a press conference called by Amy's parents. At the conference, Nick comes across as wooden and does not say "I love my wife, I miss her.." etc but asks folks to speak out if they have any information about Amy. Amy's parents nail it by doing all the right things on camera. Nick is ready to leave but Margo asks him to stay. Then, Nick is asked to pose with one of the banners that has Amy's picture. He stands close to the banner while a cameraman asks him to smile and he does.

Nick Poster Smile Image Courtesy: http://blogs.indiewire.com/

He allows another lady to take a selfie with him which also lands up in the hands of the media.  You are wondering at Nick's odd behavior as the media frenzy builds.

As the mystery unravels, you go from thinking "Whoa- Nick is in deep shit" to "Douchebag Nick" to "Wow Nick" and to finally "Oh man, Nick". Ben is perfect. He hits all the right notes. Maybe the  experience with the media during his romance with Jennifer Lopez (daubed Bennifer, at that time) helped. Ben is simply fantastic as Nick Dunne, a gentleman first, charming, lazy, and totally lovable.  

Margo chatting with Nick on their Anniversary

The supporting cast was actually pretty good. I liked Margo (Carrie Coon), a lot. She came across as a natural. She is a typical sister, protective and at times, hitting him on his face with the truth, and always supportive. There are times, when their closeness is also twisted out of context, as part of the media circus, another form of manipulation and it was handled well.

The detective and her partner also do a good job. The male partner is unsympathetic towards Nick while the detective is not as quick to judge which creates some tension between them. The lawyer, whom Nick Dunn, hires is also perfect for his part.

This is a movie about manipulation: of another person, of each other, of the media, of the police, the list goes on. Amy is fantastic as a master manipulator and Nick is not far behind. I liked the movie. The Arien felt that it dragged a bit. I only felt that you can manipulate some people most of the time, most people some of the time but not all the people all the time. Of course, people become master manipulators with practice. There are some scenes which cannot be watched with the family or with children and so I advise viewing with discretion.

Maze Runner - Movie Review

Finally, a movie review. After Maleficent, I got to watch Maze Runner this week. Kuku was ok for a bit. When he started to throw a tantrum,  I was able to put him to sleep. And so, we were able to watch the movie without too many breaks :)

Image Courtesy: http://screenrant.com/maze-runner-trailer/

The movie started off very well - a guy is in a lift kinda thing which is traveling at a very fast pace in the upward direction - he is awake and is trying to get out but is not able to and finally loses consciousness. The lift stops and the top part opens and he sees that he is being watched by a whole bunch of people (guys mostly). He is unable to remember anything and is being led to the leader. He seems curious and has a million questions and finds the people (boys and young men) strangely accepting of the situation they are in. The movie manages to sustain a level of suspense and we are as eager as the new guy (greenie or newbie) to know the answers.

There were some good moments and at some level you are wondering if this movie is like the hunger games trilogy and are excited. But, somehow the movie manages to fall flat. The ending with the twist is so passe` and a person who could not be there - is. Either editing was missed or the shot should have been handled or taken differently. Also, it is quite clear that there will be a sequel to this movie - maybe more than one.

I wanted to check if this movie was based on a book as I missed the initial part, and I found that Yes it was part of a series, written by James Dashner. He has two sequels and 2 prequels to this book. Well, I plan to catch up with the books. I usually like the books better than the movie - most of the time. Well, lets see.

Maleficent -- A Movie Review -- VII

After a loong loong time, a movie review. Well, it has been all but impossible to watch a full movie for almost a year. Kuku used to bawl the moment I decided to watch anything on TV. The Arien was exempt. Now, I can watch a bit of the movie while he is eating his dinner and listening and watching to his Rhymes. That is such a life-changer for me. Yesterday, after the disastrous G K Vale episode, the Arien settled down to watch Maleficent and I decided to watch it with him. Kuku was very co-operative which was a blessing but we still saw it in two sittings.. Yaaa... thats normal for us.

Anyway, the movie is about a lovely fairy known as Maleficent who befriends a human, Stefan. As they grow up together, and spend a lot of time together, both fall in love with each other, or so Maleficent thinks. They even share what Stefan calls the true love's kiss. Stefan is very ambitious and wants to become king and in this pursuit ignores Maleficent. Maleficent, meanwhile, takes care of her moor and wonders at his behavior.

Image Courtesy: http://www.thedailypedia.com/2014/06/10-enchanted-lessons-from-maleficent-warning-may-contain-spoilers/

When the King is hurt while trying to attack the moor by Maleficent, he wants someone to avenge him. Stefan takes this up and decides to meet Maleficent, supposedly to warn her of the King's motives. He drugs her and tries to kill her but is unable to do so. He finally chops off her lovely black wings and takes it to the King as proof of her death. The king names Stefan as his successor and marries off his daughter to Stefan. Maleficent, meanwhile, is shocked that Stefan would chop her wings off to become King and names herself Queen of the moors. Then, she hears that a baby girl, Aurora, has been born to Stefan and the Queen and she goes to the party uninvited and curses the baby girl.

Image Courtesy: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/133510

How Aurora survives the curse, what happens to Stefan forms the rest of the story. The story was quite predictable and as a result a bit boring. Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is just ok.There is a moment when you think - "Aahh -- The END" but the movie goes on. You expect a twist but nothing vaguely resembling a twist occurs. I understand it is a children's movie but a lot of other movies are really good. This does not make the cut. 

The Lunch Box -- Movie Review

Irrfan and Nawaz

Nimrat or Ila in the Kitchen

We have never watched a movie on a week day and so I was pleasantly surprised when the Arien suggested that we catch "The Lunch Box" on Friday. The senior Arien and the Taurean were also interested. However, due to really bad traffic, the Taurean did not make it home in time for leaving and the senior Arien did not want to catch the movie without the Taurean and so it was just the two of us. We were late by a few minutes thanks to the same traffic but that did not deter us.

The movie was well-shot, well-edited, and had actors who ably supported the story. Irfan, Nimrat, and Nawaz are so real that you expect them to pop out of the screen after the movie and join you as you make your way home discussing the movie.

Image Courtesy: http://www.santabanta.com/photos/the-lunchbox/16516000.htm

More than dialogues, the movie is made of a number of expressions: Irfan's grouchy expression as Nawaz disturbs him, his lighting-up-the-face smile as he tastes the food, Nawaz's failed attempts at endearing small talk to break the ice with Irfan, Nimrat's quizzical expressions and her "Aunty.." stay on long after the movie. The dialogues are equally good, and bring a smile to your face. There is also Irfan's characteristic dead-pan humour.

Image Courtesy:  www.songsuno.com/movie/lunch-box-photos.html

Irrfan -All Smiles

This is a movie which one should experience and not read about in reviews. There are so many terms to describe this love story but they have all been over-used and sound tacky to my ears now. So, I prefer to call it a love story.


If I had to sum up the movie in two sentences, as my english teacher used to say, I would say: This is a love story where food and monotony of life play the main characters while relationships and life in general, play non-supporting roles. 

Catch the movie. Enough said :)

Special 26 -- Movie Review

This movie released this year but since I spent most of the first part of the year travelling to and fro to Hyderabad, I had not caught it. So, when a colleague offered his copy (Thiruutu VCD / torrent file), I knew the weekend would slip past. However, it was many weekends later that I finally saw it. 

The movie stars Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpai, Jimmy Shergil, Divya Dutta, and a few other character artistes. The ensemble cast does not detract from the story. If I had to classify it, I will have to call it a thriller. However, it is first and foremost a good story and it has been told well. Most of the characters are well-fleshed out and support the story from the get-go. I thought Akshay would be the wrong choice considering his recent outings (Khiladi 786, Rowdy Rathore) but he was subtle and ably supported the script. Kajal Agarwal as the Khiladi Kumar's girl friend was a nice touch.

The story starts off with Akshay Kumar calling the local police station and asking for backup on a CBI raid. Jimmy and Divya Dutta are the backup police officers and they walk into a local politician's place and are part of the raid conducted by Akshay and team. As money is literally found in every beam, wall, ceiling, hidden cupboard, puja almirah etc. you are as awestruck as Jimmy and Divya. All the money bundles are moved to multiple government issue steel trunks. An official letter (essentially an inventory of the items) is typed up and shared with the politician and the CBI team leaves after informing the backup team to wait for further orders. 

Image Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Anupama-Chopra-s-review-Special-26/Article1-1008866.aspx

The politician is sitting with a towel on his head, his secretary and others are trying to make light of the matter while the backup team is re-living the amazing raid. After a long wait, the backup team calls the CBI office for information and realize that they have been conned. Both the backup officers are suspended but the politician refuses to file a complaint because of the embarrassment involved. Lucky strike for the fake CBI team is what you think when you realize that they have made a business out of this and this was nowhere their first or last strike.

Real CBI Officer played by Manoj Bajpai

The rest of the movie moves in an exciting manner and keeps you entertained. The suspended officers join forces with the CBI (real ones) to capture this gang. Manoj Bajpai as the main person in charge of catching the fake CBI gang is fantastic. His energy, love for his kid are small nuances which add life to the character. He does not seem like a person who will ever give up and because you were maha impressed with Akshay's plan, you are in a quandry as to whom to support. There is enough excitement and thrill towards the end as you wonder how the fake CBI team will attempt their final task and/or escape from the clutches of the CBI sleuths.  

Image Courtesy:http://www.glamsham.com/download/wallpaper/22212/special-26-wallpapers/46145.htm

Akshay is very well-dressed for the most part and travels only by air and comes across as a sauve gentleman. Anupam Kher has a surprisingly huge number of children and he explains it away that there was no television then. As he bids goodbye to his wife, you notice that she is expecting and you automatically gulp :) Akshay's love story, while believable, resulted in some song-dance stuff which diluted the proceedings somewhat. A nice movie- well-shot, well-edited, and was true to its storyline. If you have seen a number of English thrillers, you may not be too impressed but for a hindi movie, this was definitely a good watch. I was so glad this was not one of those blaaah movies - hindi films are known to be all hype, fluff, and no stuff. This was a nice change.  Thumbs Up!!

Iron Man 3 (3D) -- Movie Review

The Arien has been wanting to watch this movie since it released but sadly something or the other ensured that he missed it. So, I was determined that he got a chance to watch it while he was in Bangalore, this week. We caught the movie on Saturday, at 10:15 am at PVR IMAX. The Taurean also joined us. After a hurried breakfast, we left to PVR in a hurry (as always). The tickets were available and we were one of the few folks watching the movie on a lazy Saturday morning.

Armed with a tub of popcorn, two cokes, and a small packet of Lays, the three of us settled down to watch the much-anticipated movie. This movie was not like the other Iron Man movies and both the Taurean and the Arien did not like it all that much. I liked it.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper) wears the Iron Man suit for the first time and also has a good stunt scene towards the end of the movie. Robert Downey Jr., is funny as always. Jes like in SkyFall, this movie showcases the inherent humanness or vulnerability of the superhero via his anxiety attacks. Ben Kingsley (Mandarin) as evil personified makes you wonder how Iron Man will deal with him. That is until the scene when Robert Downey Jr. confronts him. That twist was quite shocking and unexpected. There is a flashback sequence which sets the context for what happens later in the movie. The action sequences in 3D were good but not great. Some scenes remind you of Terminator (Judgement Day) but then re-generation forms the core theme and you cannot really surpass Terminator which was way ahead of its time. The destruction of the home of Tony Stark was a well-executed scene. The way Iron Man saves all the members thrown out of Air Force 1, was also a good action sequence.

Image Courtesy: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.in/2013/05/its-hard-knock-life-iron-man-3.html

Watching the movie at IMAX was worth the money. The 3D effect is hardly impressive at the other theatres.

Soodhu Kavvum -- Tamizh Movie Review

After the wedding hungama, it was time to relax and wait for the bride and groom to visit our grandma and all of us before they left to the US. The capri cousin insisted that while we waited, we could catch a Tamizh movie which he mentioned was the talk of the town and made Maniratnam shiver in his boots. For the first time in the history of our family, twelve family members agreed to watch the movie and the evening saw us all at the cinema hall. Our family is not a big fan of watching movies in huge groups - in fact, the last movie we saw as a big group was "Willow" in Chennai and we were around 15 members. (Yaa.. that looong ago).

Kidnapping Basics as taught by Das and Shalu

The movie is a lot of things but it is primarily a laugh riot. None of the actors are heroes with an image etc, some are not even well-known but the simple story has so much to offer. Its not a spoof movie, it does not derive its laugh from slap stick type funny scenes, but is so focused on sharing the tale of the four guys that the laughs seem purely incidental. Except for one item number type song which I disliked - the rest of the movie was pure genius. I can understand why Maniratnam is shivering in his boots - with a non-existent budget, this movie strives for greatness and achieves it too.

Image Courtesy: http://www.indiaeveryday.in/gallery/

Every prop that directors employs to make their movie a hit are ignored: A star as the hero, heroine

Kesavan, Pagalavan, and Sekar

wearing water-proof Loreal makeup, picturesque locales, romantic songs about 5 in number to showcase the love between the hero and heroine, item numbers, mother-son sentimentu, action sequences where the hero looks at the villains and they go flying, etc etc. In fact, in this movie, script is king and the taut editing goes a long way in achieving that.

Image Courtesy: http://www.cinespot.net/

Arumai Pragasam in his item number avatar

If you have been bored with the kind of Tamizh movies that we are subjected to, on a regular basis, then watch this and you will change your mind. As mentioned earlier, there is an item song that I did not like as much but it does not distract from the story. There are a number of other songs - mostly played in the background , most notable one being "mama douser..". The movie is raw, and can be a bit unpalatable at times because of the rawness. But, thanks to the amazing editing work, you do not feel it all that much. There is some bad language, some have been blipped out while some remain. The story moves swiftly and it does not seem as if the director inserted the word for effect but more to portray the emotion felt by the actor.

Image Courtesy: http://www.galatta.com/index.html

The lead role is played by Vijay Sethupathy (Das).  He is one of the known actors, having acted in Pizza earlier. That is another movie I am yet to catch. Other actors are fairly unknown but have done a decent job.

Go watch while it is still playing on the big screen!