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prasad2505
Reviews
Agneepath (2012)
Agneepath - Half Cooked, Half Baked and nothing great about it
I wish I can rate this trash as 0 in a ten point scale. IMDb doesn't permit me to do so. When you do a remake, you should have better actors in first place. Except Rishi Kapoor no one else acts! Oh man Sanjay ! Whats wrong with Bollywood? When a guy has a new look and performs less than ordinary you guys call it performance of the year and what not. Media folks write since that means business to them. Why do I see user written reviews as all applauding this trash. Its a very very ordinary movie. I am sure why they wanted to remake this. You get publicity man. People will want to watch how they have done that old movie. You are done! 10 million in days.
Bollywood needs a lesson. Films like this, Raone, don2 etc etc shouldn't be seen in first place. supporting them is next. Grow up kids!
Nanban (2012)
Nanban - A feel good movie. Nothing more. Nothing else.
Shankar's 3 idiots is a good watch. Having said that, its no different from the original. Its just the same flick. We all know the story so no point in writing all these. Vijay has done well i must say. But the guys who score are Jeeva, Sathyan, Sathyaraj and Illeana in the same order. Sreekanth is as usual a big let down. I hate that guy's so called acting and his feeble voice. Songs are good but nothing extraordinary. Harris seems loosing his touch. First half is quite boring whereas second half is better with some quirky dialogues and pjs thrown here and there. Logic takes beating in many scenes. Illeana is as pretty as any Shankar's older heroines. Its just a feel good movie you can watch once. Nothing like new wave of tamil cinema, vijay's fabulous performance as most people say IMO.
Shor in the City (2010)
Shor in the City - Guy Ritchie in Mumbai!
Shor in the city is one of the finest movies released in 2011 from the usual trash producing bollywood. The treatment is more like babel but mumbai as the location adds color to the story. It indeed lives as a character in the movie! Wonderful performances from everyone and the script is well executed. Its damn right funny at times and pretty intense when it has to be. The crooks, the mafia, tushar & radhika apte brings life to the story. The dialogs are hilarious and there is a small sweet melody which bleeds nothing but romance.
If you like Guy Ritche films or you just want to see something other than the usual run of the mill films, this would be a good choice.
Children of Men (2006)
Novel attempt - Perfect example of how sci-fi movies should be made
Well, the year is 2027 and humans are no longer able to procreate. And the last young human who was 18 odd years was murdered. In midst of all these, a lady gets pregnant and a group wants to transport the lady to a research group. Now that's a setting which i would like to see in a science fiction story. Not like some weird blue tall creatures walking around speaking in robotic voices. Last year's District 9 was interesting but this beats it by a mile! An real offbeat flick to savor. Great background score, sophisticated yet bizarre art work to show its 2027 and last but not the least, splendid cinematography. There is a war sequence towards the end which looks like an Herculan task those camera man performed with knack. I think its a long , free flowing single shot. I guess its nearly 15 minutes or more. Having said all these, on its bare bones it has a beautiful story which the director nailed it with style.
El laberinto del fauno (2006)
Beautiful fantasy world before you - Not for Narnia fans
This is a beautiful story of a young girl who gets obsessed with her own fantasy world told in a poignant manner. The scene is set in Spain during the second world war and Ofelia comes with her mother from far away to stay with her stepfather who is the ruthless fascist captain there. Her mom is pregnant and Ofelia gets lost in her fairy world. She meets a fawn one day and she is supposed to complete three tasks so that she can go back to her own world. On the other hand, Ofelia's mother gets sick, the captain's cruelty kills more and more people, the rebels want to get hold of the place. The resultant is the beautiful flick.
Great piece of editing there. Its a treat to watch how the director slowly but perfectly handles both the worlds with ease. Ofelia as the little girl is picture perfect and acts naturally with ease. Not like the stupid fantasy flicks which Hollywood churns out every now and then. Performance wise everybody shines specially the captain and the maid, Mercedes. The story is novel and kept me glued all the time. Its a cult classic in fantasy flicks to say the least.
Following (1998)
Following - Which Made me follow Nolan aka intelligent director of our times
You have a $6000, 16mm camera in your hand. What will you do to turn the world towards you?Nolan did "Following" and the rest as they say is history.I searched the web umpteen times to get this flick but many a times all in vain. However eventually i got this and when i complete watching this I made my mind that Christopher Nolan is the best contemporary director we have alive in the planet. Such a genius he is! Following is a piece of art shot by Nolan himself for months since they had to shoot only during the weekends because whoever acted( or lived? ) in this flick had other jobs to do. However Following delivers with its sheer brilliance and pure cinematic awesomeness the director created! Following looks like a precursor to Memento with different story but with same execution and its narration style. A wannabe writer who runs out of ideas starts following random people for creating interesting characters for his writing. He has certain rules not to get into trouble while shadowing somebody. When he breaks his own rules things get nasty and movie ends with a fine twist which i can bet you, you cant think of.The story is in non chronological order as per Nolan's classic style.
The dialogs are simply brilliant. I can see Nolan's literature degree helping him highly here. "Everyone has a box ," "You steal them and show them what they got" will be remembered for years to come by his fans. But not without any reason. Every word each character utter has a reason and a deep underlying meaning to it. The scenes just flow in random without any linear structure which makes us engrosses all the time. The background score is minimal and its best when used. The editing is slick with the flick running over just over an hour. Photography is again brilliant. How many brilliance in one movie? :( Shot using a 16mm camera the whole flick is in black and white hinting its budget, but never compromises in its quality.
Nolan shows the world a phenomenal and a path breaking flick can be made with his knack for making movies even when given a constraint of budget. After seeing this somehow Kubrick's quote came to my mind which says " If its written, it can be definitely made into a movie". Similarly as the movies famous dialog says "You steal them and show them what they got", Nolan here steals our heart and shows us what he has got. Needless to say its sheer brilliance.
Inception (2010)
Inception - Sublime, Stylish and Mind Bending
I guess everybody would have written about this flick by now. What can i say new about this? As like everybody, I am no exception. I was drawn by the charm which Nolan created once again.
Christopher Nolan with his own story after his debut "Following", shows the world why he is smarter than others.When James Cameroon spent 10 years in creating a technical marvel, Nolan believed his brain. He too created a marvel, may be not in the technical side, but with his true script.
Inception is a spiritual journey where Nolan is the god and we are the disciples. One thing where Nolan scores more than any other director of our time is the way he narrates the story. We don't have enough time to think.You need a second viewing for sure, to truly appreciate the nuances he has put in the flick.
As somebody rightly said, Inception is not immune to spoilers. You can't tell the story without revealing the story. In a nut shell, its a story about planting an idea in one's mind through his dreams. Having said, its not so easy. The design they create , the perfect execution, the haunting background score, the slick editing, amazing camera work and last but not the least the fiendishly clever script makes it a master piece.
If Matrix is the best sci fi film made in the last decade, then Inception is the one for next few decades. On a whole, Nolan's movies may seem like a movie with lot of technical finesse and some great twists which qualify for a decent thriller. However all his movies, on its bare bones have an emotional underlying story why his protagonist wants to do that. And that justification, makes him a genius. Take a bow Sir.
As an ending note, please stop reading the spoilers. Its no bad if you missed something. I watched twice still i have a book of unanswered questions. I will watch it again. If you are reading the spoilers, you are not thinking smart enough. In the era of just teen comedy, meaningless sequels and millions of dollars spent on blowing up buildings, Inception wins hands down as a summer blockbuster and a perfect movie to test your acumen. To sum up, Inception - Mind-bending Visual Spectacle.
Paiyaa (2010)
Paiyaa - Starts with a refreshment, wades in the middle slowly and ends with a sigh.
I never considered Lingusami as a good director in coming up with a good story line or something fresh. Its just screenplay does the trick for him. Here its a yes and no. Initially seems fresh, though wades towards the end.
Story: Without any interest in anything Karthick leads a life where his friends try to fit him into a job. On the day of interview, he sees Tamanna and fall in love with her. (Love at first sight season, I believe). Needless to say, he misses the interview and his friends start scolding him. One fine morning he goes to railway station to pick one of his friend in the car. He sees Tamanna and a person asking him to drop them on Chennai. And the story begins. He goes ahead and Lingusaami looses the knot one by one which makes interesting. A group to get Tamanna follows them and another group to finish Karthi follows them at the same time. At one point of the movie, both the group joins together and why they follow, watch it in the screen if you really want to see the flick after reading the next few passages.
Karthi and Tamanna gives a youthful feel to the movie and alas it didn't continue for a long. Karthi impresses with his performance while Tamanna is still in her kinder garden when it comes to acting! Karthi, has to grow up a lot in dance, though he tried a lot, his brawny looks make it sound awkward at times. Miland Soman though looks stylish has nothing to offer as an actor. Wasted completely.
Songs are very well penned and soothing to here. When you need a peppy number the movie offers it. However not with some intelligence, but for offering sake you are provided with a song. All the songs stand out of place with the movie. And it feels childish, whenever Karthi starts singing with lot of expressions. I don't know how long this saga of singing songs will continue. Yuvan's BGM sounds good when there is a love sequence but damages your ears when somebody is fighting.
Mathi's cinematography feels good and gels with the movie. But too many closeup shots of almost everyone is painful to see at times except Tamanna's! Even am a guy :)Anthony fits the bill in editing.Action- Kannal Kannan sir, If you think if someone is hit with a metal rod for umpteen times and still he can fight, teach me that magic ! I wanna really beat some baddies..
Lingusami as usual tries to portray almost the same story he told in Run, Sandaokozhi with a car and a different cast. But he fails big time, in fitting a story into it, though the screenplay is somewhat paced. Paiyaa has its moments and that's it. Many times, you cant stop getting stumbled upon many of his own movies in the way it told starting from costume, name, art and what else story. That makes Paiyaa the same run of the mill. Lingusami thinks he can give a movie with a decent cinematography, good songs and few intense scenes and that's what people need, sorry sir its is not. What it basically lacks is a script and a strong screenplay to back it up. Paiyaa fails in both the cases.
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010)
VTV has a soul!
With many expectations like Gautam Menon and AR Rehman's new combination and the knack for romance which Gautam has and delivers in each of his flicks, I went to see this. Result: Certainly i am way too satisfied with the movie. It exceeded all my expectations and apparently it lived up to its hype.
Story: Karthick(simbhu) falls on love with Jessy (Trisha) when he sees her for the first time. ( A typical GM's love start)Jessy is from an orthodox Christian family while Karthick hails from a hindu family who aspires to be a director. As a golden rule in Tamil cinema's love, religion, father and every possible thing which comes to your mind put their love in disguise. And the story unfolds showing whether they have joined hands or left apart with an interesting climax.
Performances: Simbhu has done a very nice underplay here and he shines. I always believe there is no such thing called a "good actor". Its all the director who pulls the talent out of an actor. And Gautam shows he is an expert in this in the form of Karthick's role.Trisha though looks pretty aged, blows us with her performance. She portrays a girl's emotions and the challenges which she undergoes with all finesse. Ganesh who comes as a friend of Karthick gets more applause than anyone when he utters those quirky remarks.
Music: The world knows why Rahman is a genius. But at certain times, the music which has the upper hand sometimes suppresses the beautiful, poetic lyrics by Thamarai. Other than that Rahman tries fusing traditional Indian vocals with an awesome guitar play in Aaromale which is nothing short of a classic. Omana Penne, Manippaya gets better while watching on screen. Hosana is this year's Adiye Kolludhe! Its refreshingly new.
Cinematography and Art: This guy simply blows away. Gautam shows his life he wanted to put on the screen through the lens' of this guy. A cinematographer or art director shouldn't be praised for his individual elements and tricks he employs in the movie. What matters is, even if its simple, how it gels with the flick really matters to me. in that sense Manoj and Raajevan win hands down. The choice of colors they used makes it simple but elegant in the screen.
Editing: Antony should have been generously cut some 15 minutes of scenes in the second half as it spoils the flow of the flick.
On the down side, songs were not in sync with the movie. Only when Aaromale and Mannipaya you feel a certain connectivity with the movie. Other songs though they feel good to hear, however doesn't go with the story. Being a little dragged during second half and songs every 10-15 minutes certainly spoils the movie's flow to an extent.
But of late I didn't witness any honest story straight from the director like this. How frequent we come across a dialogue or a BGM playing in the movie make us getting goosebumps? The climax scene while trisha shaking hands with Simbhu and the Mannipaya playing in the background did bring me goosebumps. And this is why i like movies. When you feel for the character or you think yourself as a certain character, the director wins. And so Gautam Menon. Period.
Forget the minor flaws(which could have been corrected by crisp editing) and whining about it.Watch a great, simple and honest love story with hurdles which they overcome being the ones you watched umpteen times in other movies but with a soul to it in VTV and with a different treatment.
Shutter Island (2010)
A very clever movie indeed , gets even better in multiple viewings
Scorsese takes us to the Shutter Island, with a help of ferry in the first scene itself coupled with the haunting background score which sets the mood for next few hours. And needless to say the mood he creates is haunting, creepy and gloomy.
Ted is a US Marshall, served in second World war with his partner arrives at Shutter Island to investigate the whereabouts of a missing patient. When he starts investigating, he finds the case to be rather strange to know the missing patient Rachel just vanished without a clue. Scorsese explains this through one of his characters as " its like she just evaporated in the cell". Ted starts investigating the inmates of the mental asylum, however he finds no clue. Meanwhile he starts suffering from migraines and different type of hallucinations which he is scared of. Scorsese unfolds the story in a complicated manner, which indeed adds more and more mystery as he expected. Why he suffers hallucinations? Did he find the missing patient? Scorsese explains all these with surreal, dramatic and valiant sequences to make us accept what has really happened and to a certain extent, he did convince us.
If you think about the movies Scorsese made of-late and watch this, you would be disappointed. Having said that, if you want to see a gripping mystery unfolds in the screen with great direction. this is the one you should be looking at. Di caprio as usual excels as expected. Ben Kingsley as the chief doctor, lived his role.The movie has quite a handful of other characters, however writing about them will be spilling the beans. The cinematography is splendid, and the editing being marvelous specially in the dream sequences and the hallucinations. As i mentioned earlier, the BGM is bang on target and creates the eerie effect with ease.
On the downside, towards the end I felt though the twists and turns acceptable, it seemed too much to me. Other than that, Scorsese wins hands down in holding the suspense till the end and reveals with panache. Three Cheers for Scorsese for his innate ability to deliver with substance and style in a totally different genre this time.
Up in the Air (2009)
Brilliantly directed movie with a story to tell and thoughts to retrospect. 5/5
The director of Juno comes with another exhilarating and touching message with "Up in the air". I wish more and more flicks of this kind to be made in the coming days to make watching movies a pleasant and pleasing experience.
Okey, enough of my wishes and the story goes like this. Clooney's (Ryan)job is to fly to his office's different locations and start firing the people. And he has to tackle the situation and keep it cool. He is not so young, giving motivational speeches and believes in not getting committed and live a smooth life. Natalie joins him in the firing job with him, however couldn't cope up with it. She finds her struggling with the job every now and then where once to her it seemed cool to fire someone. Meanwhile Ryan gets along with a 30+ Alex(Farmiga) and as time goes by he finds her irresistible. Moving away from his own principles, Ryan goes to meet Alex and the director opens a cool twist. And the movie ends with introspection of the protagonist which is nothing but perfect.
Clooney in a very different role here shines. He carries the role of a lone man with all ease, whose only wish to fly miles and enjoying in the suites offered. Farmiga deserves the Oscar which she got. She is looking mysterious, beautiful, sexy and what else, she acts well. She as the 30+ woman is the best in the flick when it comes to performances. I cant believe myself to see the same woman who got so bettered from "The Departed". The cinematography is brilliant and has lot of scope to shoot picturesque locations from the plane and it looks great in screen. This is one of the finest movie I have seen in the recent past. This would have got the academy awards for best picture. Dialogues are witty and meaningful when required and when backed up with great on screen performance, it culminates to be a great flick to cherish.
You may not feel how strong the flick is ,however if you think after sometime, it shall sound to be a satirical note on relationships, jobs and everything else. And that's the strength of it. It just shows how small things are valued more where real relationships are not. And it's true in everyone's life. Ain't it?
Up in the Air - Time to question ourselves on how honest we are to our own principles
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
3d,witty,stunning visuals - What else you need? grab your popcorn and hit the theater.
Well, to be honest i became crazy about these animated flicks these days. I fell in love for the first time when I watched "The Lion King" some ten years ago. Then watched the toy story series, Shrek series, Ratatouille, Wall E , Up and now this " How to train your dragon". And the fun gets doubled now with the 3d effects incorporation.
Hiccup a small Viking Kid always wants to go for a raid on the dragons in their locality. But his father didn't allow to do so. One day, he wins over a mysterious night fury dragon with his invention. He calls it toothless and as expected a great friendship has begun. Hiccup understands dragons are not dangerous as they thought and he wants to show his people the truth. But fate plays the other way leading the dragons to attack them. How he befriends the other dragons and how they win the battle with the help of toothless is the story which is so beautiful to see.
These animation cinema works only when it has a great plot to back it up. Here it has and works like a charm. Technology and style don't win over the script, which is hard to perceive these days. Though it comes with a tag of 3d, deliberately nothing was shot to utilize only the technology. The effects are minimal however when required, its done with a knack to surprise us. The background score is another important aspect of an animation flick. Remember the Lion king's one? And here its amazing.
This is a simple story told with interesting characters and stunning visuals. The CG is growing leaps and bounds and the result we see in the screen. Animated flicks are no more children movies, it has more to offer with substance as well as with its visuals.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Mind blowing rare piece of art
Its indeed very hard to describe this movie. This is a rare master piece whose genre are horror and comedy. When i say this, this is not the "Scary Movie" type junkies where horror is made fun. But this flick is of ultimate entertainment.
A man who lives with his carefree friend, who was dumped by his girl friend wakes up after all night booze to find a girl in their home's backyard. When they approach to help her, they find she is a zombie. And the fun begins after that. They come to know the whole city is full of zombies and they need a safe place to quarantine themselves. So on the way he picks up his mom, his girl friend and some of the other friends and they get into a pub. In midst of all these events, they are constantly attacked by the zombies powered by emotional drama at times but with a laugh riot in each scene. This is a rare piece of gem which will make you scare, feel bad with a smile on your face through the flick. If you want to see a different type of flick from the stereo types, go for it. Three Cheers to the crew and their finest acting and not to forget some mind-blowing dialogs.
Avatar (2009)
Cameroon Is Back !
Cameroon thinks big. This is pure entertainment he offers in the form of avatar. With the amateur actors Cameroon wins hands down with his script and the breathtaking graphics. 3D is a gift to the flick. Do a favor by watching it in 3d. The character development is very good and how Cameroon fits his protagonist into the Pandora is a great example. The following training he undergoes in Pandora is a treat to watch.
Cameroon takes the universal subject of love in different planet and moves the pieces accordingly. At one point of time we are feeling pity for the Pandora's people and that's the victory Cameroon achieved. The final fight between the Navis and US army is one of the longest fights employing missiles and on the other hand dragon's and alien creatures using bow and arrows. As in King Kong, different species of animals join the league to fight. Its a treat to watch and indeed its a magic created in screen.
"Avatar" will be remembered for its technical finesse, the grandiose it offers, the CG and 3d effects which captures the beauty of Pandora, the breathtaking visuals and last but not the least, its honest people created by the man Cameroon. An instant cult classic.
Chennai 600028 (2007)
The best laugh you can get from a movie
This is a movie at its best. Laughs, Laughs and Laughs. The beauty and the backbone of this movie is the direction. The way it was told. You never feel like you are watching a flick when you watch this. Don't know about others. But every Indian would be raised playing cricket all the time and getting nasty with the fights. The best part of the flick is a gang of some 10 guys going for a cricket match with school going kids. You don't need a subtitle to enjoy this. Its indeed a cult movie which came with a fresh sense of air gushing in! Watch it with your friends to enjoy to the max. Its a surprise this is the debut for the director. The next one from him is Saroja(2008) which is also a worth watch. And awaiting for the new one Goa (probably end of 2009). This director is one to follow in Tamil:)
Kattradhu Thamizh (2007)
The Best , yes i mean it
When everyone going GA GA about Bolly wood, as usual a simple Tamil movie wins hands down. This is perfection. Right from the direction, followed by cinematography, acting, music everything blends so well to make it a master piece. Its pity that this flick didn't do well commercially. However who cares? its a must watch for any movie buff. Jeeva with a meaty role and the heroine is a revelation to Tamil cinema. Prabahar, the director has joined the league of Bala and Ameer easily.
Some say Nayagan is the best movie made in contemporary Tamil cinema.Here comes the winner to surpass it with its simple beauty with lots of elegance, satire, the feel and everything.
It will hit you hard. Period.
Into the Wild (2007)
One of the finest cinema I have ever seen
First, I haven't read the book, this movie is based on. So i can't say which is best. But this is one of the finest cinema I have ever seen in my life time.
Kudos to Sean Penn to bring out the brilliance in front of us. I was astonished by the way the movie rolled up. Alex's mood swings at the end is finely captured. Indeed, this flick is slow at times, however we are glued to watch it. There is a certain charm in this movie. I couldn't explain those in my words. If i do, then that's an understatement to this flick.
This is great movie with a great story, excellent cinematography, and appropriate music. This is one hell of a flick which satires on our own life and leads us contemplating. This is one of the finest attribute very special movies will have and this is one among them.
Three cheers to Sean Penn and his crew to give a flick with finesse beauty.