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Vettaikaaran (2009)
Disappointing.
I did have the fine experience of watching this film in Devi Theater, Chennai. Felt good then. On later viewings, felt this is a generic and template commercial masala film. Overall the Telugu actor who did encounter specialist role was good. I wonder why Salim Ghouse dropped out of Saguni(which was a much better film) and agreed to a do a role like this. A guy who did Vetri Vizha.. a horrible way to sign out.
Baaghi 3 (2020)
Interesting mashup of sorts
The director decides to take Vettai and merge it with an international vibe. The result is appealing to an extent but an average screenplay spoils the show. Overall a good film with kickass action sequnces.
Marmadesam: Vidaathu Karuppu (1997)
Very good web series but encourages superstitions!!
It is a pretty good serial having good characters and scenes. But the lighting and production were not good for some series like Sorna Rekhai. Overall quite good and having pretty decent technical aspects like lighting and camerawork. But the series encourages some superstition based habits. Vidhathu Karuppu is based on a book called "Vittu Vidu Karuppa" so I can't complain much about the promotion of some superstitions in the serial/series.
I liked Yenthira Paravai and Vidhatha Karuppu for its presentation style.
Modhi Vilayadu (2009)
Probably one of worst films you could see!!
Your relative enjoyment of the film depends on which side of the audience you connect with. If you like amateurish music(Leslie Lewis, Hariharan), some suspense and predictable thrills then this could be your film. But the screenplay is downright bad which spoils whatever excitement the story had.
Kanden Kadhalai (2009)
An OK film, does not match up to Jab We Met
Bharath is disappointing and does not quite replicate Shahid Kapoor's magic.He does well as a sombre or sad looking person.But does not quite match up. Example I could give is the so-called "inspirational" board room speech in the film. While Bharath is flat,just reads out the dialogues,Shahid is quite energetic and nails it perfectly.In fact,Shahid just does justice to both the acts, but Bharath delivers his goods in one act which is of a sad looking guy. Tamanna matches up to Kareena and the songs are fantastic. I appreciate the music director Vidyasagar for creating a original style rather than replicating the original.
What I don't understand that why Santhanam's role is present? It is not in the original.Some sequences in the middle and towards the end are good,but on the whole it could have been better.There are too many things inserted in the film which makes it fresh but the screenplay suffers and in the process does not make it close to the original.Anyways I liked the message of Jab We Met which is about positivity and romance and Kannan was able to replicate quite well. I only wish it could have been completely present in the film rather being in some sequences.
Edhir Neechal (1968)
Satisfying time-pass film.
I watched this film only recently. Nagesh acted well,but the heroine outscored him in all departments. I have been lucky to watch one of the best performances of Nagesh(as a hero).Only his acting in Server Sundaram came close to this one.The last emotional sequences before the climax was touching.And the dialogues and the situations shine in the film.The cast did admirably well with Muthuraman and Manorama shining in cameo roles.Major Sundarrajan did decent job although it is shade inferior to his performance in "Major Chandrakanth".Anyways,it was a joy to just see him act!!There were some pitfalls in the film ,one being the house-owners believing Nagesh is rich.My major grouse in the film however was the drama-like feel at times.Examples being the death scene of Irumal Thata and some of the dialogues.Also songs seemed a bit forced like Seidi Ketto.Some sequences were too short,for example how Nagesh end up being hurt by his friends.But overall,the film was funny,with some social message thrown in occasionally. Verdict: Decent time-pass experience. Rating : 2.8/5(Satisfactory).
3 (2012)
3 is unconventional but a crap film
Story:
It is the tale of love, sorrow and commitment of a young married couple.
First Half:
The first half of the film is breezy and decent.Sivakarthikeyan impresses with his witty and comical one-liners. The conversation between Dhanush (Ram) and Prabhu (his father) is unconventional and refreshingly different. The first half generally moves at a rapid pace making it a watchable one.The blossoming of love between Dhanush (Ram) and Shruti (Janani) is showcased in a natural realistic manner.Shruti looks great in a deglamourized role. The bike ride scene is a treat to watch.The marriage scene is refreshing but is devoid of logic.
An overdose of romance and "soft porn" is a highly negative factor. It reflects a mediocre approach towards direction. It is surprising that the director has targeted only the youth crowd by this approach. The first half ends with a bit of suspense.
Second Half:
The second half is where the suspense is unraveled. The introduction of a disease is the suspense factor. It spoils the show. The conversations between Dhanush and his friend Sunder Ramu regarding the same is natural.The scenes are shot in a slow mode making it a dragging experience for the viewers. The director's attention to detail regarding the disease is to be commended particularly the "hallucinations" aspect. There are so many over the top melodramatic moments which could have avoided or picturised with some maturity. The director's calculations to emotionally attract the audiences fall flat due to amateurish execution. There is a commercial fight sequence added which is shot in a stupid and forgettable manner.The disease aspect slows down the pace of the film. The chemistry and romance are thrown out of the picture making the film unentertaining or gripping.
Performances:
Dhanush impresses in parts but his performance in second half has an hangover of his previous film.Dhanush will get appreciation for his expression in school-boy scenes and his performance in the climax.Shruthi has made just a minor improvement from her debut film. Her facial expressions are decent but her body language and dialogue delivery needs a lot of improvement. Out of the two, Dhanush is the outright winner and has given an "Above Average" performance.
Sivakarthikeyan is excellent in his performance even though it is just a supporting role.
Seasoned actors Prabhu and Banupriya are wasted in meaningless roles. Actress Rohini is impressive in a well-crafted role.
Sunder Ramu gets a meaty role and does a pretty decent job.
Screenplay:
The screenplay and direction is decent in the first half but fizzles out completely in the second half.
Songs and Picturisation:
"Po Nee Po" is picturised in a meaningless manner.The Kolaveri number is picturised in an ordinary manner with pathetic choreography. On the positive side, "Idhalil Oram" and "Kannalaga" are picturised in a fantastic manner.The singers have done a pretty good job in all the songs.Kolaveri song is a meaningless exercise considering that in previous scene they are shown as married. The background music is excellent. The music composer Anirudh shows promise but there is still room for improvement.
Cinematography:
The cinematography by Velraj is excellent. An example of that is the "terrace scene" where he allows the natural light to take over.
Stars: 1.5 out of 5.
Bottom-line: Unconventional but Below Average.
Kahaani (2012)
Slow but superb
Kahaani is a drama-thriller film directed by Sujoy Ghosh.The film stars Vidya Balan,Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in important roles.The film explores the emotional journey of Vidya Balan as she sets to find her lost husband in Kolkata.
Performances:
Vidya Balan is impressive as the pregnant Vidya Bagchi.Her expressions are perfect.She gives a composed and restrained performance in tune with the requirements of the director.Parambrata Chatterjee gives a decent performance as the police officer Rana.Nawaz as the IB officer Khan is expressive but is wasted on a poorly sketched role.Out of the huge chunk of supporting characters,Saraswata Chatterjee(the gun assassin)impresses in a role which unfortunately has poor screen space.The hotel boy gives a natural acting performance.
Dialogues: The dialogues are good and manage to be realistic as well.In a largely fictional tale,the dialogues manage to bring a sense of realism.The only small problem I had was with the Bengali dialogues spoken at the beginning stages of the film.
Production Values: The productions are decent and cinematography by Setu is very good.Kolkata is showcased in a very beautiful manner.Setu deserves appreciation for his wonderful effort.
Screenplay and Direction: The screenplay is decent overall and the suspense element is well maintained.As an audience,you guess various things including the policeman having shades of Grey which turn out to be false.Along the course of the film you become involved and make many predictions/wild guesses.All of those will be proved wrong.Sujoy Ghosh benefits by solid script at his disposal.
On the flip side,the first half seemed a bit slow.The film picks up pace after the death of computer technician working at NDC.Each and every scene is well placed.The background score is good.
The logical aspects are OK but here too,there are some minor glitches.The case is investigated by the Investigation Bureau(IB).The reason is not explained clearly until we find out it is because of terrorist/rogue agent Milan Damji.Clarity is also missing with regard to the involvement of IB officers with the terrorist.Just finding the mobile number of an IB officer in a computer of the accused does not make for a compelling evidence.
On a positive note,the climax of the film is an absolute shocker!!But is it a bit over the top and slightly cinematic?Yes,as it makes for a compelling watch.
Vidya's characterization towards the end of the film does have shades of Evelyn Salt(Angelina Jolie).
Overall,a strong story and decent screenplay coupled with good performances from all manages to cover up all the minor or major flaws in this film.
Ambuli (2012)
Average film using 3D as just a gimmick
Ambuli is about the mysterious deaths of people who pass through the forest on the outskirts of a village.The villagers have mortal fear of a thing lurking around called AMBULI.The villagers have varying beliefs and myths surrounding "Ambuli".
The directors need to be appreciated for two reasons,their attention to detail to 60s period and the effort taken to not provide the viewers a usual masala fare.
The costumes,art direction,visual tones/cinematography are all good and are based upon the subject.There are scenes that show that the directors might be inspired by various Hollywood flicks like The Blair Witch project,Jeepers Creepers and The Village(directed by Manoj Shyamalan).
The film does not have right cinematic elements to thrill the audience.That is disappointing considering the fact the promos promised a great Hollywood style thriller.
The acting of the lead actors is uniformly average.Actors Parthiban and Jegan manage to stand out with their acting skills.Other seasoned artists like Uma Riyaz,Thambi Ramaih and Bala Singh are wasted in their roles.The villain of this film does not provide any scope for horror.
The makers try too hard to entertain by amateurish comedy.It does offer little respite.
The background music is good and the BGM in the climax sequences appear to be inspired by the music in Predator.The college farewell song is OK.Other songs appear forced into the narration.The picturisation of songs are either awful or average.
Some scientific aspects are thrown in but they do not seem to be completely convincing.The 3D effect is a gimmick!!They could have easily shot in 2D itself.
On a positive note,one would say that the first 20 minutes and last half an hour do manage to grab your attention.
Man on a Ledge (2012)
Slightly disappointing film!!
Went to this film with slightly high expectations based on the interesting skyscraper poster and the story.But was a bit disappointed with the film overall.
The story of this film had a very great potential.But director Asgar Leth could have done much better.There are very few impact making scenes in the film.The major positives are the dialogs and the background music.The BGM is also a bit loud at times.There are a few logic loopholes here and there.The main character Nick Cassidy (played by Sam Worthigton) crashes his car in a train but escapes.Also he jumps from one point to another in a building quite easily indeed.The diamond robbery job is interesting but is devoid of logic.A peppy romance is introduced between the robbers just at the time you expect nail-biting suspense.The acting performances aren't too great either.Only Sam Worthington is convincing as Nick Cassidy.The other actors are either unconvincing or seem grossly underutilized.Actor Elizabeth Banks's character is very important but she delivers just an average performance.Her conversations with Cassidy(Sam Worthington)to give up the suicide attempt are pretty decent.The thrill factor is clearly missing overall.The film lacks the magic of a good Hollywood thriller film.