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Reviews
Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie (2022)
Good mystery let down by religious overdose
The series has a great mystery revolving around the plot until the very end that is commendable. The acting is all top notch complemented very well by the technicians including the music. SJ Suryah did not overact for a change and the side actors were all excellent. The only let down is the acting of Laila that seemed one dimensional through the story.
But the biggest minus of the series is overdose of Christianity in every angle possible as though people of other religion don't live in the region where the story takes place.
Hope they fix that in the sequel. Overall, a good binge watch for mystery/crime/thriller lovers.
RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022)
Nothing short of a spectacle
Captivating right from the first frame until the very end. Jaw drop and goosebump moments galore. World class acting, music, stunts and story telling. Roller coaster ride that will make you go for it again and again.
Just remember one thing: don't look for perfect logic throughout the movie.
The Tashkent Files (2019)
A citizen's right to truth
One of the best political thrillers that is backed by extensive research and hard work by the team to help people realize that truth has been a luxury in Bharat for last 70 years whereas truth is the basic right of a citizen. The only minus point in this movie is calling Gangaram somebody worse than a terrorist, which could be a secular pinch by the director although everything Gangaram says about the peaceful community is a fact. Nevertheless, brilliant performances and an ultimate showdown in the climax.
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran (2018)
Must watch for all Indian
Parmanu is one of the most underrated movies of Bollywood, which is not only entertaining and gripping but also patriotic and nationalist. These kind of gems are very very rare in Bollywood, which is used to churning out mindless, commercial nonsensical movies all the time. Based on a true story of the historic nuclear test done by Bharat under the boldest and visionary PM we ever had Mr. Vajpayee, this movie takes us through the treacherous path by a select team of engineers, scientists and army men to show the world that Bharat can not only conduct nuclear test but also deceive the most technically advanced outfit like CIA through indigenous yet simple tactics of our great Indian brains. It's mind blowing not just because it's a true story but also the fact that no director/actor combo had dared to take it to the public for the last 20 years. A must watch for every true Indian!
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010)
A different VTV review yet again
A true tribute to Love, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya couldn't have come at a better time and thus it not only resurrects Tamil Cinema that has been rolling out annoyingly cockeyed experiments and demeaning formula flicks of late, but also thrusts it to a new level that can only be matched by pure Magic. VTV has had all kinds of positive reviews from all quarters including the critics that mostly analyzes the crucial movie-making aspects like direction, acting, music, cinematography etc and it wouldn't be wrong to declare that all these departments couldn't have blended better in this movie. Gautam's exclusive touch, ARR's hypnotic tunes, Simbu's innate acting skills, Trisha's ravishing beauty and Manoj's eye-popping visuals, though undeniably true, have been discussed and reviewed to death and therefore this review will not cover any of it fortunately.
If one takes a deeper look as to why this movie had a stupendous response, it would be quite evident that it deals with a subject that keeps human species from going extinct, which is apparently "Love" or call it "Romance" in a more youthful way. Love is one of the very few things that people go crazy for, not to mention Money and Power. It is always refreshing to see the lead actors in such a movie behave naturally while romancing and deal with realistic situations as we would see in the life of a boy/girl next door. It not only gives a pragmatic facet to the film-making but also provides a hardly-witnessed dimension of seeing ourselves on the big screen. Although most successful movies have piggybacked on this aspect, VTV has easily managed to take it many steps further and achieved an insurmountable level of connectivity with the audience. When such a phenomenon occurs, movie-goers would not mind watching the movie over and over again, which inturn leads to its commercial success. There are quite a few circumstances in the story that deserves special applause for its simplicity and true-to-life treatment.
Various people in the industry keep talking about taking Tamil Cinema to the new level though the visibility of that level is never fathomed except for a handful like Kamal Hassan and Mani Ratnam. The attainment of that kind of level does not necessarily mean acceptance and praise from overseas film industries because of the indigenous nature of our subjects. VTV has certainly taken good strides towards this and Gautam is not far from reaching it in the near future provided he stays impervious to producer's and hero's demands. So, it's not surprising that VTV will be remade in Hindi and Gautam will wield the megaphone again in an attempt to make Bollywood audience go gaga about it as he has already done that with Tamil audience.
Observe and Report (2009)
One of the best dark comedies
Seth Rogen is the real hero of the movie but not the typical hero in the movie itself. He carries the entire burden of this movie's success as a dark comedy, on his broad shoulders. This guy is only one of his kind and the king of dark comedies.
The direction is great and other actors (I say this as they are overshadowed by Seth) have contributed rightfully and they have been chosen perfectly. The only character I could not digest is his mother, who is kind of insanely psycho. Overall a very good movie and it deserves at least 8 stars. I suggest everyone who has not seen this one and likes the genre, should buy the DVD as soon as it is out.
The Ugly Truth (2009)
Ugliest truth unveiled
The facts about the battle of the sexes have always been just touched in most of the rom coms. But I always felt that a movie with this as its core subject was round the corner and finally here it is.
Very much apt to the title, the movie doesn't take a lot of time to hit the bulls eye. Katherine Heigl is lovable as the morning show producer and she carries the grace as well the funny element from "Knocked up". Gerard Butler's diverse acting skills are as good and as broad as his abs. Robert Luketic has come back to this genre with a bang after "21".
There are a bunch of hilarious moments that makes you laugh out. The highlight of this movie is that it makes you feel guilty, appreciative, thankful, enlightened and that is exactly what was expected out of it. The simple but uncomfortable truth revealed is that women are always in search of a perfect man who don't exist but men are never in search of perfect women but for a perfect figure!
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Salvation for The Terminator series
I transformed into a fanatic from being just a fan of Terminator movies when I was awe-struck at the marvel of James Cameron's Terminator 2 Judgment Day as a teenager, like millions of my contemporaries to such an extent that, if I could I would name my son "John Connor". Thanks to this, I could bear a bloomer called Terminator 3 and it also made me hope for a much better sequel to it rather than expect a product that could meet the insurmountable high standards set by Terminator 2. Terminator Salvation has just managed to do that.
In the absence of Arnold, this iconic movie series needed a big star in the form of Christian Bale as John Connor. He might be slightly shadowed by Marcus's character but his performance here is far from his best, seen in "The Dark Knight" and "The Machinist". Sam Worthington as Marcus is worth watching as he mixes up his expressions seemingly well. All movies in the Terminator series draw all kinds of adjectives for its special effects and stunts and this one sure deserves some. McG (director) and the screenplay writers have unwittingly dedicated a lot of time and money for delivering ultimate action sequences and that could also be a reason for the indifference shown towards the screenplay. Moto-terminators, Harvests, Aerostats and T-800 (with Arnold's face) are certainly the highlights giving the stupendous feeling to the audience that every Terminator movie rightly deserves. There are few scenes with some of the most powerful and volatile explosions that Hollywood has ever seen, especially when the humanoid harvest fires. The background score in the movie, although good, goes unnoticed though "Nine inch nails" stands out in the album, which for whatever unknown reason is not utilized in the movie. In summary, this movie is colossal in production but average in writing, ultimate in action but satisfactory in momentum, relentless in explosions but short of great acting. As long as die-hard Terminator fanatics like me exist, this series is "far from over".
Vaaranam Aayiram (2008)
A true masterpiece for Tamil Cinema
"Vaaranam Aayiram" is a true and an honest attempt at making a realistic and meaningful Tamil film. The screenplay revolves around the most famous middle class in the world conversing in fluent English and it has all the elements that are most common within this group; studying MS in USA for instance. The direction is outstanding in some places and mostly good at other times. Gautam's conception of the Train scenes between Surya and Sameera Reddy is extremely refreshing. Harris Jeyaraj's music is of utmost quality, especially in the "Adiye Kolluthey" and "Nenjukkul Peidhidum" songs and that is evident from the fact that "Adiye Kolluthey" song was the first Tamil song to be played on V Channel.
Simran is perfect as a charming girl from the 70's and very gracious and respectable mother of the 90's. Sameera Reddy shows a lot of signs of good acting skills in addition to the oomph factor. Divya comes across as a very sensible lady expressing her thoughts with subtle emotions. The art director shows his brilliance when he brings to life the streets of 70's and 90's and the beauty of San Francisco bridge.
The actor, who eclipses everybody else with ease including the director, is Surya. Nobody would believe if he is the same actor after watching him in "Nerukku Ner" in 1998. He is growing by leaps and bounds in every movie and stands now as one of the real acting talents of the current generation in line with Vikram. He is extremely honorable as a father (except for some makeup goof-ups) and a truly pitiable young man having lost the love of his life. Not many actors can transform themselves completely to look like a teenager in such an incredibly realistic manner. Not stopping there, Surya has also taken extreme measures to build six packs and look like an Army Major that would even make some of the real military personnel feel ashamed. His dedication and acting abilities seem to be a serious contender for Kamal's ingenious work seen recently in Dasavathaaram.
If Only (2004)
too romantic but not for all
The actors have to be given full credit for making it look like a real romantic movie. JLH is just stunning and if somebody doesn't cry when she does in the end, this movie is not for them. There is another scene which will make every guy cry if he truly loves somebody, is where Paul Nicholls admits to JLH that she taught him about love before getting into the fateful cab. Even one of such extremely romantic scenes will make any movie better even if it has some holes in it like this one has in the form of JLH entry into Paul's meeting room and both spending time outside London in one day and returning on time. But for those, it is an excellent movie which can keep you sitting in the same position for 92 minutes if you love somebody or being loved!!!