Well after Innathe Chintha Vishayam (INC) and now Madambi, Mohanlal can slowly relax as he's broken the long spell of flops. But its now time to introspect & come up with novel themes. Madambi directed by B.Unnikrishnan does not really have anything new to say. Mohanlal plays a strict money lender who is only passionate about money.
His mother( K.P.A.C.Lalitha) and younger brother ( Ajmal) feel that he does not care for them. Earlier in his childhood his father ( Saikumar) disappears one day under the strain of huge debts and after being insulted. Lalettan's companions are Jagathy ( lawyer), Innocent ( Karyogam President) and Suraj Venjaranmoodu ( sells foreign cosmetics to women).
Mohanlal's rival is Sriraman another money lender who had cheated his father & taken over the property when young. Now Sriraman's sons especially Siddique are against Mohanlal. Things take a turn when Ajmal falls in love with Sriraman's daughter ( Mallika Kapoor). Now they instigate Ajmal against Lal & it then becomes a family saga.Of course in between you also have Kavya Madhavan playing a bank manager setting up operations in the village.
How Lal ettan goes about managing the show is what the rest of the movie is all about.The movie is similar to earlier efforts like Balettan,Vesham etc but what keeps it going is Lal ettan.He is cool and composed and makes his fans happy. Ajmal does a decent job, Kavya and Mallika have nothing much to do.Music by M.Jayachandran suits the film.Overall an average fare.
Rating- 2.5/5
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Subramaniapuram- A Quick Review ( Tamil)
Director Sasikumar's maiden outing ( he has assisted Ameer and Bala earlier) shows that good movies need not have to hit you in the eye with lavish sets, foreign locales and big stars. Ultimately people would appreciate quality cinema and Subramaniapuram is certainly quality cinema. This is a brilliant tale of a group of 5 friends of whom 3 of them get embroiled in a tale of blood & gore from which there is not looking back.
Right from faithfully depicting a suburb of Madurai in the 1980's, to the performances of the actors everything is in sync with the script. There are a group of 5 friends including Jai ( of Chennai 28 fame - a vijay lookalike), director Sasikumar himself & Ganja Karuppu.They are basically vagabonds who do petty jobs for the brother of the ex-councillor of the area ( Samudrakani).
Jai is in love with Swathi, the sister of their "boss". Their love is mainly conveyed by coy expressions and cute smiles that they have for each other. The ex-councillor has a political rival and when he again loses an assembly seat for their party, he is completely dejected.Then his brother Samudrakani instigates the 3 ( Jai,Sasikumar,Ganja Karuppu) to kill the rival candidate.
After this their lives completely take a U-turn especially after they realise they were just being used as pawns in the political game of their patrons. Now begins a tale of revenge amidst a a journey of blood and gore. Be careful -some of the scenes would just shock you. So gripping is the tale that at times you would ignore the lethargic pace. Performances of the lead cast is truly amazing.Sasikumar and Ganja Karuppu both do full justice while Jai is already getting a lot of notice.
But does he also have to speak like Vijay? Music by James Vasanth ( yes the T.V anchor) is simply alluring and suits the need of the film. Even Swathi impresses a lot with her eyes. Sasikumar if this is just a sample of whats in store from you, then you've truly arrived in Kollywood.
Rating-3.5/5
Right from faithfully depicting a suburb of Madurai in the 1980's, to the performances of the actors everything is in sync with the script. There are a group of 5 friends including Jai ( of Chennai 28 fame - a vijay lookalike), director Sasikumar himself & Ganja Karuppu.They are basically vagabonds who do petty jobs for the brother of the ex-councillor of the area ( Samudrakani).
Jai is in love with Swathi, the sister of their "boss". Their love is mainly conveyed by coy expressions and cute smiles that they have for each other. The ex-councillor has a political rival and when he again loses an assembly seat for their party, he is completely dejected.Then his brother Samudrakani instigates the 3 ( Jai,Sasikumar,Ganja Karuppu) to kill the rival candidate.
After this their lives completely take a U-turn especially after they realise they were just being used as pawns in the political game of their patrons. Now begins a tale of revenge amidst a a journey of blood and gore. Be careful -some of the scenes would just shock you. So gripping is the tale that at times you would ignore the lethargic pace. Performances of the lead cast is truly amazing.Sasikumar and Ganja Karuppu both do full justice while Jai is already getting a lot of notice.
But does he also have to speak like Vijay? Music by James Vasanth ( yes the T.V anchor) is simply alluring and suits the need of the film. Even Swathi impresses a lot with her eyes. Sasikumar if this is just a sample of whats in store from you, then you've truly arrived in Kollywood.
Rating-3.5/5
The Dark Knight- A Quick Review
Well well well the Batman series finally comes of age. If Batman Begins made you feel that finally you got to see Batman the right way, you will get more than your money's worth with The Dark Knight.There has been a lot of hype for this movie- Heath Ledger as Joker ( in probably one of his last ever movies as he's no more) , return of Christian Bale as Batman and people like Michael Caine & Morgan Freeman to boot- so now that the movie has released , whats the verdict?
Well its loud & clear - this one is a delight for both the masses and the critics.The movie picks up a year or so after Batman Begins ends.Bruce Wayne has now shifted to a penthouse as the Wayne Mansion was razed down earlier. Batman continues to aid the police especially in liasion with Lt.Gordon ( Gary Oldman) , but hey there's a new hero for Gotham City- the D.A- Harvey Dent ( Aaron Eckhart) who is trying to clean up the city.
While Dent is going strongly in his mission to rid Gotham City of crime, enters the Joker who tries to take over the city. Dent is also now romancing Rachel ( Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes) , Bruce Wayne's love interest. Now Batman begins to feel that he needs to step over and make way for a new hero- Dent. But as luck would have it the Joker's entry changes the complete scenario.
I would not want to divulge the plot further for those who haven't seen it.Yes but I must admit that in a movie where Heath ledger is simply mindblowing and where the other villain two- face gets a meaty role, Christian Bale shines as Batman. I think the entire BG score of the movie suits the mood.As for the gadgets- watch out for the Batmobile and especially the Batpod- vroom!!!
All in all , a lovely piece of work. Mr.Christopher Nolan, take a bow. I'm gonna watch the movie again for sure.
Rating- 4/5
Well its loud & clear - this one is a delight for both the masses and the critics.The movie picks up a year or so after Batman Begins ends.Bruce Wayne has now shifted to a penthouse as the Wayne Mansion was razed down earlier. Batman continues to aid the police especially in liasion with Lt.Gordon ( Gary Oldman) , but hey there's a new hero for Gotham City- the D.A- Harvey Dent ( Aaron Eckhart) who is trying to clean up the city.
While Dent is going strongly in his mission to rid Gotham City of crime, enters the Joker who tries to take over the city. Dent is also now romancing Rachel ( Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes) , Bruce Wayne's love interest. Now Batman begins to feel that he needs to step over and make way for a new hero- Dent. But as luck would have it the Joker's entry changes the complete scenario.
I would not want to divulge the plot further for those who haven't seen it.Yes but I must admit that in a movie where Heath ledger is simply mindblowing and where the other villain two- face gets a meaty role, Christian Bale shines as Batman. I think the entire BG score of the movie suits the mood.As for the gadgets- watch out for the Batmobile and especially the Batpod- vroom!!!
All in all , a lovely piece of work. Mr.Christopher Nolan, take a bow. I'm gonna watch the movie again for sure.
Rating- 4/5
Friday, July 18, 2008
Wanted- A Quick Review
Welcome to the world of realistic fantasy- did I confuse you?Well but how else do I describe a roller coaster tale of action thrown amidst contemprary fantasy?This one can best be described as Transporter meets Matrix kind of movie. Based on a graphic novel, this one has James Mcavoy playing a bored accountant by day who hates his job and is considered as a loser.
One fine day his life turns topsy turvy as he gets attacked by an assasin and a diva ( Angelina Jolie) saves him ( ???). Now our hero is told that his father belonged to a age old ( 1000 yrs old) cult of assasins called The Fraternity & that the man who attacked was a rebel member of the fraternity who had killed his father.
Though initially he refuses to buy the story, he soon changes his mind & then decides to join the fraternity and avenge his father's death. Morgan Freeman playing the head of the cult and Angelina Jolie set him on an intensive training regimen before he is finally "ready". How the story unfolds from then on is told in a lightning fast fashion.
The pace always seems right & you keep asking for more even as the movie comes to a close.You never know this might just trigger of a new series of movies. I surely would love to see it.The action scenes are all powerful & imaginatively shot.The actors do their parts well & overall its a paisa vasool entertainer.Go for it.
Rating- 3.5/5
One fine day his life turns topsy turvy as he gets attacked by an assasin and a diva ( Angelina Jolie) saves him ( ???). Now our hero is told that his father belonged to a age old ( 1000 yrs old) cult of assasins called The Fraternity & that the man who attacked was a rebel member of the fraternity who had killed his father.
Though initially he refuses to buy the story, he soon changes his mind & then decides to join the fraternity and avenge his father's death. Morgan Freeman playing the head of the cult and Angelina Jolie set him on an intensive training regimen before he is finally "ready". How the story unfolds from then on is told in a lightning fast fashion.
The pace always seems right & you keep asking for more even as the movie comes to a close.You never know this might just trigger of a new series of movies. I surely would love to see it.The action scenes are all powerful & imaginatively shot.The actors do their parts well & overall its a paisa vasool entertainer.Go for it.
Rating- 3.5/5
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na- A Quick Review
Ok the wait for the next young mushy flick is finally over. A big salute to Abbas Tyrewala the director & to Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan the producers for coming up with this sweet little tale which breezes its way into your heart.
While there's nothing too new about the plot ( especially if you have seen movies like Tujhe Meri Kasam which was a remake of the malayalam movie Niram) but what is commendable is the simple but straight approach taken by the director in presenting it to us. Imran Khan ( debutant & nephew of Aamir & Mansoor) and Genelia are bum-chums.Everybody including parents & friends think they are the ideal couple.
So whats the problem?Well its just that they both dont know they are in love & just think they are the best of friends.So much so that they decide that they must get hitched to someone else and so in walks Manjari who impresses Aamir & Genelia gets engaged to Ayan Khan. Its post these events that they actually realise that they are in love.
The climax maybe a typical bollywood style- airport one but the events preceding it are definitely new. Of the cast Imran makes a confident debut & Genelia finally gets her due in Bollywood- way to go!All the debutants playing friends of the lead cast do a neat job. Rathna Pathak Shah as Imran's mom is first rate and Naseerudin Shah excels in a swashbucling cameo.The Khan brothers ( Arbaaz-Sohail) are irritating in the beginning but when you realise their importance in the story, you cant help smiling at the ingenuity of Abbas Tyrewala.
Music by A.R.Rehman is true to the film's requirement & I must end by saying- Aamir, Mansoor & Abbas- please take a bow.Its nice to feel younger again while watching JTYJN.
Rating- 3.5/5
While there's nothing too new about the plot ( especially if you have seen movies like Tujhe Meri Kasam which was a remake of the malayalam movie Niram) but what is commendable is the simple but straight approach taken by the director in presenting it to us. Imran Khan ( debutant & nephew of Aamir & Mansoor) and Genelia are bum-chums.Everybody including parents & friends think they are the ideal couple.
So whats the problem?Well its just that they both dont know they are in love & just think they are the best of friends.So much so that they decide that they must get hitched to someone else and so in walks Manjari who impresses Aamir & Genelia gets engaged to Ayan Khan. Its post these events that they actually realise that they are in love.
The climax maybe a typical bollywood style- airport one but the events preceding it are definitely new. Of the cast Imran makes a confident debut & Genelia finally gets her due in Bollywood- way to go!All the debutants playing friends of the lead cast do a neat job. Rathna Pathak Shah as Imran's mom is first rate and Naseerudin Shah excels in a swashbucling cameo.The Khan brothers ( Arbaaz-Sohail) are irritating in the beginning but when you realise their importance in the story, you cant help smiling at the ingenuity of Abbas Tyrewala.
Music by A.R.Rehman is true to the film's requirement & I must end by saying- Aamir, Mansoor & Abbas- please take a bow.Its nice to feel younger again while watching JTYJN.
Rating- 3.5/5
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Forthcoming Bollywood Releases
This friday ( 18th July) shoudl see 2 interesting films releasing- RGV's Contract which is another look at the underworld from the master & Kismat Konnection- the Shahid Kapur, Vidya Balan movie under Aziz Mirza's direction.While Contract might be a good film, the publicity is not that great.After Sarkar Raj, RGV could do well with another good result at the box office. Kismat Konnection has been having good publicity, the promos look interesting & its a short wait to know if this could be another Jab We Met in the making - thus giving us a new couple to talk about.
The last friday of July ( 25th) sees 3 varied movies lined up- Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istanbul ( Zayed Khan,Vivek Oberoi, Sunil Shetty, Shriya Saran), Govinda's multi starrer -Money Hai to Honey Hai ( Hansika, Celina, Esha, Upen Patel, Aftab) & the Ranvir Sheorey-Mallika Sherawat starrer-Ugli aur Pagli.
Well I'll be back with some more info on all these movies.One thing's for sure I hope I'm gonna love watching all of them ( or atleast most of them ) :)
The last friday of July ( 25th) sees 3 varied movies lined up- Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istanbul ( Zayed Khan,Vivek Oberoi, Sunil Shetty, Shriya Saran), Govinda's multi starrer -Money Hai to Honey Hai ( Hansika, Celina, Esha, Upen Patel, Aftab) & the Ranvir Sheorey-Mallika Sherawat starrer-Ugli aur Pagli.
Well I'll be back with some more info on all these movies.One thing's for sure I hope I'm gonna love watching all of them ( or atleast most of them ) :)
Forthcoming/Pending Reviews & baaki sab!!!
Well coming up are reviews of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Subramaniapuram ( Tamil), Ready ( Telugu), Hancock & Kungfu Panda.Well these are the movies I've seen of late & which I am yet to review over here. Promise to post them in the next couple of days.
Also will be putting up my thoughts on the current's year's biggie so far- Dasavatharam.So friends do watch out for all these & even more.
Also will be putting up my thoughts on the current's year's biggie so far- Dasavatharam.So friends do watch out for all these & even more.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Song of the Day
Well in the early hours of this morning ( well I actually went off to sleep only then :) ) I suddenly started humming a lovely romantic song- hum unse mohabbat karke, din raat sanam rote hain.meri neend gayi, mera chain gaya, aur chain se woh sote hain.Yes ladies and gentlemen this song is from the Govinda-Shilpa Shetty starrer-Gambler ( 1995).
The movie though not a box office hit, had excellent music by Anu Malik.Trivia- the movie was lying in the cans for more than a year perhaps due to some financial issues. Who knows if released on time it might even have clicked at the box office.The other memorable songs in the movie include the title song, Meri Marzi, Stop That etc.
The movie though not a box office hit, had excellent music by Anu Malik.Trivia- the movie was lying in the cans for more than a year perhaps due to some financial issues. Who knows if released on time it might even have clicked at the box office.The other memorable songs in the movie include the title song, Meri Marzi, Stop That etc.
Get Smart- A Quick Review
Well well well some surprises are always sweet. Though viewers in the U.S might be famililar with the T.V series- Get Smart and thus know what the movie's gonna be alike, for us in India thats not really the case.So you generally dont expect too much from a movie like this except hoping that there are enough light moments to keep you going.
Well the result will surprise anybody who watches it. This one is a clear spoof on James Bond but told in a tongue & cheek manner. Maxwell Smart ( Steve Carell is in fine form) is a top notch analyst with CONTROL , a U.S top secret service agency. He is yearning to become a field agent to get into action & even top scores in the written test but The Chief does not want to let him go as he feels he cannot get a better replacement.
In one deadly move KAOS ( the nemesis of CONTROL) gets control over the database of CONTROL and thus the life's of all agents are in trouble. Thats when reluctantly the chief sends Agent 99 ( a spunky Anne Hathaway) along with Max on the mission. How they go about doing their task criss crossing through Russia, back in action in the U.S and all the while sharing a wonderful chemistry is what the rest of the movie is all about.
In a inspired moment of casting, there are good appearances by stars like Dwayne "The Rock"Johnson and Dalip Singh a.ka. The Great Khali. Overall its clean entertainment and worth the money spent in the multiplex.Go for it.
Rating-3.5/5
Well the result will surprise anybody who watches it. This one is a clear spoof on James Bond but told in a tongue & cheek manner. Maxwell Smart ( Steve Carell is in fine form) is a top notch analyst with CONTROL , a U.S top secret service agency. He is yearning to become a field agent to get into action & even top scores in the written test but The Chief does not want to let him go as he feels he cannot get a better replacement.
In one deadly move KAOS ( the nemesis of CONTROL) gets control over the database of CONTROL and thus the life's of all agents are in trouble. Thats when reluctantly the chief sends Agent 99 ( a spunky Anne Hathaway) along with Max on the mission. How they go about doing their task criss crossing through Russia, back in action in the U.S and all the while sharing a wonderful chemistry is what the rest of the movie is all about.
In a inspired moment of casting, there are good appearances by stars like Dwayne "The Rock"Johnson and Dalip Singh a.ka. The Great Khali. Overall its clean entertainment and worth the money spent in the multiplex.Go for it.
Rating-3.5/5
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Whats Kuselan/Kathanayakudu/Kadha Parayumbol all about?
Ok this is in response to a query from my friend- Jayanto.Heard of the tale in Lord Krishna's life about his friendship with his poor friend Sudhama ( in South India Sudhama is also called Kuselan)?Well Srinivasan has brilliantly adapted this episode into an excellent film plot.Here in Kadha Parayumbol- Srinivasan plays a poor barber ( Balan) who is married and has two kids.He is nearly in a state of poverty and doesnt have money to upgrade his place of work unlike his competitor.Srinivasan also tells his wife and kids about stories of himself and his friend who is now a superstar in Malayalam films ( Mammooty).
One fine day Mammooty comes to Srinivasan's village for a film shooting.Word somehow spreads that Srinivasan is Mammooty's friend and suddenly everybody has a new found respect for him as they want to use his help to get close to Mammooty. But Srinivasan refuses to meet Mammooty as he feels that his friend may not recognise him after so long & must not feel that he has come to him for any favour.
The best part of the movie is the climax shot in the school- where Mammooty pours his heart out while Srinivasan is completely shocked to hear his friend speak about him.The movie works on all counts-
1. Acting- Srinivasan is brilliant & Mammooty though in a cameo steals the thunder at the end
2. Cast & characters- Superb is what I have to say. Be it the Parallel colleg lecturer- Mukesh
( who co-produces the movie with Srinivasan) , Meena as Balan's wife, Jagadish as the rival barber etc all are good.
3. Music- by M.Jayachandran suits the film completely
I have already spoken about the story.Now its Rajnikanth doing the superstar role in Tamil & Telugu,SRK in Hindi and Ganesh doing it in Kannada. As for the barber's role its played by Pasupathy in tamil, Jgapathi Babu in telugu,Irfan Khan & Ramesh Arvind in kannada.
Lets wait and watch whether these versions also carry the same magic.
One fine day Mammooty comes to Srinivasan's village for a film shooting.Word somehow spreads that Srinivasan is Mammooty's friend and suddenly everybody has a new found respect for him as they want to use his help to get close to Mammooty. But Srinivasan refuses to meet Mammooty as he feels that his friend may not recognise him after so long & must not feel that he has come to him for any favour.
The best part of the movie is the climax shot in the school- where Mammooty pours his heart out while Srinivasan is completely shocked to hear his friend speak about him.The movie works on all counts-
1. Acting- Srinivasan is brilliant & Mammooty though in a cameo steals the thunder at the end
2. Cast & characters- Superb is what I have to say. Be it the Parallel colleg lecturer- Mukesh
( who co-produces the movie with Srinivasan) , Meena as Balan's wife, Jagadish as the rival barber etc all are good.
3. Music- by M.Jayachandran suits the film completely
I have already spoken about the story.Now its Rajnikanth doing the superstar role in Tamil & Telugu,SRK in Hindi and Ganesh doing it in Kannada. As for the barber's role its played by Pasupathy in tamil, Jgapathi Babu in telugu,Irfan Khan & Ramesh Arvind in kannada.
Lets wait and watch whether these versions also carry the same magic.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Incredible Hulk- A Quick Review
After a rather disastrous attempt by Ang Lee in 2003, the latest version of Hulk sees Edward Norton in place of Eric Bana and is directed by Louis Letterier ( Transporter). Heck Edward Norton even gets credited as the script writer.
For the sake of those who have no clue about the Hulk, the opening credits show you what was essential the tale behind the origin of Hulk.This is shown in a characteristic style & then the movie starts off by showing Bruce Banner ( Hulk's alter ego) bottling cola in far away Brazil who during free time is trying to master techniques to control anger.
But very soon his place of existence is known to the General who wants to bring him in. His aim is to dissect Hulk & use the knowledge and material to build an army of super heroe's. Therein there's an interesting chase sequence & the story shifts base to the U.S.A. Bruce takes the help of his old flame (Liv Tyler) who's the daughter of the General.
From there its a constant manhunt with Hulk appearing at strategic times. Oh! and in classic comic book style you have a super villian- the abomination pitted against Hulk. The climax fight between the two is well captured. Overall a nice superhero movie- can be watched once.
Rating-2.5/5
For the sake of those who have no clue about the Hulk, the opening credits show you what was essential the tale behind the origin of Hulk.This is shown in a characteristic style & then the movie starts off by showing Bruce Banner ( Hulk's alter ego) bottling cola in far away Brazil who during free time is trying to master techniques to control anger.
But very soon his place of existence is known to the General who wants to bring him in. His aim is to dissect Hulk & use the knowledge and material to build an army of super heroe's. Therein there's an interesting chase sequence & the story shifts base to the U.S.A. Bruce takes the help of his old flame (Liv Tyler) who's the daughter of the General.
From there its a constant manhunt with Hulk appearing at strategic times. Oh! and in classic comic book style you have a super villian- the abomination pitted against Hulk. The climax fight between the two is well captured. Overall a nice superhero movie- can be watched once.
Rating-2.5/5
Song of the Day
Well today as I was wondering what to write about, out of the blue I started humming" ek chanchal shok haseena, mere sapnon me aayi, mujhe ek jhalak dikhalake woh, mere dil ka chain churaye." Well this was a mellifluous romantic number from the 1990 Salman Khan-Nagma starrer-Baaghi. Tuned by Anand Milind to the lyrics of Sameer, Abhijeet was completely in control of the song. The movie marked the debut of Nagma & was Salman's next release after his mega hit- Maine Pyar Kiya.Incidentally Baaghi too went on to be a hit though not in the ranks of Maine Pyar Kiya.
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