Vaanam (2011)

Whats it about
This movie comprises 5 short stories with all of them getting connected at a particular point and then meeting their respective endings.
Story 1: Cable Raja is a happy go lucky low class guy who falls in love with a very rich girl, posing as a rich guy. How he is after 40000/- to take his girl to the richest new year party is this story's plot. He has his friend, mama and granny to help him.
Story 2: A Muslim brother is looking for his long lost younger brother in Chennai. He later comes to know that his younger brother is involved in terrorism.
Story 3: A prostitute escapes from her brothel along with her trans-gender makeup assistant and they are off to Chennai to start their own business. But they get caught up with the police for an earlier notoriety.
Story 4: A rock-star is off to Chennai along with his troupe and girl friend for their first rock show. How this selfish guy realizes the value of life and helps others in need is this story's focus point.
Story 5: A mother and her father in law are off to Chennai to trade the mother's kidney and get the money that they owe to a money lender and redeem their son's education and future.
       All the characters meet in the climax at the hospital and they are all trapped by a set of Muslim terrorists. What the 2 lead men do to save the big crowd at the hospital is the culmination of this movie.

                                                                   
Hits

• Yuvan is as usual brilliant. The Vaanam title track appears at so very apt points of the movie and it brings tears in the eyes in the climax. 'Evan di Unna Pethan', 'No Money No Honey', 'Who Am I' have all been picturized well. Sadly 'Cable Raja' just comes in the background during STR''s intro scenes. Yuvan's BGM varies between good and brilliant. 
• Silambarasan makes a huge impact. Initially he is his breezy self but later he realizes life's value and repents for his act of stealing money. Top class emoting from STR
• All the others actors are very much adequate. Bharath is uber cool in his looks. Anushka is absolutely sexy and has a lot of oomph factor, particularly her height and shape. New face Jasmine glows and resembles Katrina Kaif in certain angles and is absolutely chubby, cherubic and cute. She too has got the oomph factor, particularly her bust. Prakash Raj sparkles at places. Saranya and the old man really look and play the part. The trans-gender also impresses. 
• Santhanam and Ganesh take care of the laughs along with STR and there are many nice moments during STR's attempts to get the 40000/- 
• The dialogs are really meaningful at places and make an impression. 
• Great attempt by the director Krish to take a rarely tried out concept 

Misses

• The Muslim terrorist angle is getting too clichéd. Krish should have avoided this in an otherwise fresh movie
• The climax melodrama is needless and sticks out sorely
• The bomb farce in the climax could have been avoided too

VERDICT

A very good movie that could have become a rainbow in the Tamil cine sky, with a more toned down climax. Anyway KUDOS to the entire team for giving us Vaanam. 

Classic: Rain Man (1988)

Whats it about

After the death of his father, Charlie Babbitt comes to know that he will be inheriting only an old car and some rose bushes. The remaining 3 million $ is going to a beneficiary at a trust in Wallbrook, Cincinnati. Charlie goes there and finds out that this beneficiary is none other than his autistic brother Raymond. Charlie is a totally money minded person and is least bothered about human emotions. He is very irritated by the sight of Ray

            Charlie takes Ray away with the motive of getting at least his half of the share. When Charlie is about to take Ray on a flight back to L.A, Ray gets perturbed by the sight of flights and throws a scene. So, the 2 brothers have to now reach L.A by road. What follows is how beautifully the bond develops between the 2 brothers.

           Ray has a terrific memory power, is astounding with numbers, has to always see his favorite TV programs on TV and is even obsessed with the 'KMart' under-wears that he uses. He funnily intrudes his brother and his girl friend’s love making at an inopportune time. 

          Charlie loses heavily in his car business due to this road trip and he uses his brother’s astounding memory power to win a lot of riches at a Vegas Casino.Charlie teaches Ray how to dance and Ray also has his first date and kiss with Charlie's girl friend Susanna. 

          Charlie comes to know of his brother’s sad past when he actually realizes that his brother Raymond is his imaginary ‘Rainman’ (both the words pronounced in a similar way). The photo of the 2 brothers really leaves a big impact.

        Charlie now no longer is after the money and has really made a connect with his brother over the course of 1 week and is Ray's 'Mainman' now. He fights for Ray's custody with his equally concerned doctor and finally gives up Ray to the very same hospital, considering his well being and health. The 2 brothers part in the end with the promise of meeting up regularly. 

A BIG LUMP IN OUR THROAT AND TEARS IN OUR EYES

                                                                       

Hits

• A masterclass from Dustin Hoffman as the autistic Ray. All the superlative words in the dictionary are dedicated to him. Dumbfounded by his performance 
• Tom Cruise more than holds his own against the genius of Dustin. Initially irritable and later caring, he stands as a true hero in the end. He looks damn trim and handsome. 
• Hans Zimmer is as usual classy with his soul stirring BGM tracks. Was very surprised to see his name on the credits. 
• Great photography. All the barren roads and the clear blue sky leave a beautiful impact. 
• Wonderful brotherly bonding. A very engaging screenplay

VERDICT

A classic. No doubts over this fact. A film about brotherly bonding is a sure shot winner, any day. This one also has superlative performances that can melt even a stone. 

Goodfellas (1990)

Whats it about:

This is the true life story of Henry Hill a high profile gangster who was born to be one. Henry joins Paul Cicero’s gang from a very young age and gets involved in small jobs. Then he gets introduced to Jimmy Conway, a legendary figure in the gangster circles and Tommy DeVito

      This trio is a solid gang and they smuggle at the airport. They lead high profile lives and live life king size. Jimmy is a cool dude. He is fond of stealing and flaunts his money and keeps everyone happy. Henry gets married to Karen and at the same time has many whores as his keeps. He is also a partner at a nice upmarket restaurant. Tommy never settles with one girl and in spite of his mom’s requests, refuses to marry one. Tommy is sort of a hot blooded person and he can never tolerate insults. This leads to murders too on some occasions. Jimmy, Paul and Henry are jailed once too. 

      The big boss Paul, asks Henry to slow down a bit after going to jail but, Henry gets involved in drugs and the narcotic business in a big way. Henry and co. pull off a big heist and in the aftermath start finishing off the extras that helped them pull off the heist. In the meanwhile Tommy is killed by the Italians on the day when he is to be 'made', for one of his earlier fits of rage on Billy Batts, a 'made' gangster. 

        Finally the police nab Henry and he has no option other than ratting on his partners after coming out on bail. So Henry is put on the state protection program and he is a ‘nobody’ now. His partners Paul and Jimmy are sent to jail on life sentences

                                                                    

Hits

• Scorsese's depiction of the life of gangsters is so stylish. The Wise Guys or the Goodfellas, is how he chooses to call them. The screenplay is so uber cool. Lots of research done indeed. Very true to life depiction of a real story
• The subjective viewpoints shown throughout the film in the form of narrations by Henry or Karen is again very engaging. 
• The dialogs are another major plus for the first person narration that runs along.
• Joe Pesci is a riot as the loud mouthed hot blooded gangster Tommy. Deserving Oscar. 
• Ray Liotta is fit for the lead gangster Henry's role with his mad laughs and wicked eyes. A role of a life time for him 
• Lorraine Bracco, the tall and stylish chic is ultra glamorous and elegant as Karen. 

Misses

• Robert De Niro definitely deserves a bigger role than just playing second fiddle. Such a legend can't be wasted like this.

VERDICT

One of those cult gangster films. Fucking stylish and trendy in its presentation. Take a bow, Sir Martin Scorsese ... 

Good Will Hunting (1997)

What's it about:
Will Hunting is a 20 yr old genius who works as a janitor at MIT. He wastes his time with his bunch of friends Chuck, Morgan and Billy. He is a very gifted mathematician and he solves the problems that are meant for the students. Even tough problems are child's play for Will. He is a voracious reader too. But he has some problems in that he is very defensive and that he shies away from newer opportunities and relationships.
             He once roughs up a policeman in a local tussle and is sent to jail for good. Professor Gerry Lambeau bails him out on the condition that he works on Maths with him and also that he sees a shrink twice a week. Many psychiatrists try and fail miserably. Finally Gerry's former room mate Sean Maguire takes Will's case and starts working his magic slowly and steadily.
       Sean identifies with Will's case because he is also from a similar background. He slowly helps Will realize his true potential. Gerry is very ambitious for Will and sets up some high profile job interviews for him but Sean believes that Will needs to do what he feels like doing. Gerry and Sean have their differences of opinion on Will
       Will also goes through a troubled relationship with Skylar, that starts off on a lovely note. Finally, Will finds his true calling and sets out in search of Skyalr to California. He puts all the high profile job offers on hold. His friends also are happy that he is away from them because they very well know that Will is destined for greatness and not the shitty neighborhood life.

                                                                      
Hits

• A great, honest performance from Matt Damon. Those extreme and tight close ups say a lot about the man's acting caliber
• Terrific underplay from Robin Williams as Sean. Masterclass indeed. 
• Good earnest portrayal from Stellan Skarsgard too as Gerry, the ambitious mathematician par excellence. 
• Beautiful portrayal of relationships all through. Be it the informal bonding between the 4 buddies or the natural love chemistry between Will and Skylar or the lovely 'father-son' like bonding between Will and Sean. "A" CLASS STUFF
• The Affleck brothers score with their friendly scuffles and bonding. 

VERDICT

A great film on a troubled young man's journey towards attaining his life's true purpose. Great portrayal of relationships too. 

Orphan (2009)

Whats it about

After the death of their 3^rd child during labor itself, John and Kate decide to adopt an elder child in addition to their kids Daniel and the deaf and dumb Max. They find a 9 yr old girl Esther at a girl’s home and take her in. She is initially very impressive in the way she carries herself.

       But things start going haywire. Esther starts creating trouble for Kate, by causing doubts in the mind of John about Kate’s conduct. Esther literally holds Max captive due to fear. She kills Sister Abigail who is about to reveal some important details about her to the worried parents. She also causes severe burns to Daniel who is about to uncover the shady activities of Esther. The only person with whom she shares a bond is the father, John.

        After tracing Esther’s past to a mental facility at Estonia, Kate uncovers some shocking details about Esther. Esther is actually Leena a violent 33 yr old woman who, due to some hormal deficiency called hypopituitarism, has stunted physical growth. This allows her to pose as a small girl.

       Leena’s main aim is to seduce the men of the house wherever she had been. If she fails, she kills the entire family. She is after John now. OH. WHAT A TWIST.

        What follows is a totally thrilling climax in the house with plenty of thrills and spills and all finally culminates with an action sequence between Kate and Leena beneath a freezing lake. WOW.

                                                                        

Hits

• Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther is A class. She scares with her spooky activities
• Vera Farmiga is equally superb as the worried and pro-active mother. Her action in the climax reminds us of the legendary Clarice Starling.
• Aryana Engineer as the deaf and dumb Max is so expressive and cute. Her eyes talk. 
• The snow clad locations add to the eerie effect of the movie
• The climax twist is terrific. Truly shocking. Another example of a medical thriller. 
• Thrilling screenplay that never sags at any point. Nicely maintained tempo.

VERDICT

Very much under-rated. One of the best in its genre. The suspense element is shocking. Sort of a medical thriller. 

Pi (1998)

What's it about:

Again it is about obsession. Aronofsky’s favorite subject. Here the protagonist, Max Cohen is madly driven to find patterns in the stock market. He lives with numbers all through his day. He is always busy with his computer 'Euclid' to find some number patterns or the other. He is also majorly into drugs due to his insomnia and panic attacks.

        His only interactions are with his mentor, Sol who is a former mathematician laid low by strokes. Both of them try to find some patterns in pi.

       Max also gets involved with some religious Jews and the Wall Street people. The former are after a 216 digit number which they believe Max knows. This 216 digit number is the name of God, they believe. The latter want Max to predict the stock market exactly. They are ready to offer him anything.

       Max doesn’t interact with his neighbors, be it the beautiful and forthcoming Devi or the young kid. Finally, he realizes that the damage done to him due to his obsession is too much and he decides to lead a normal life in the end.  

                                                                         

Hits

• Sean Gullette is perfect for this psychotic mathematician’s role. His bald getup further accentuates his obsession. His style and looks are very much like Edward Norton's 
• Some scenes showing obsession are really scary like the scene where Max cuts his hair and makes some mark on his head.
• Clint Massell’s BGM and the sound effects add to the chaotic mood

Misses

• It’s not very clear if the religious Jews and the Wall Street people are actually Max’s hallucinations or real. We see Max hallucinating at some points. So this doubt seems valid.
• The dialogues between the religious Jews and Max towards the climax are so strange to us. They sound like Greek and Latin
• On a little lighter note, the mathematics shown in this film are way too complex for a normal human mind. 

VERDICT

The first of Aronofsky’s movies in the obsession genre. Baffled to read that this movie was at a budget of just 60000$. But the content is definitely unique and as some poster said "truly original"

Iron Man (2008)

Whats it about:
   Tony Stark is the head honcho of Stark Industries, the leading weapons manufacturing company in the world. He is sort of a playboy and lives the high life. He is accused of making profits out of war and destruction. He is initially not bothered about such criticism and continues his pursuits of creative genius. He is one real visionary indeed.
     All this changes after a trip to Gulmira in Afghanistan where he goes to demonstrate the Jericho missile to the US army. He is kidnapped by the 'Ten Rings' group and is ordered to make another Jericho missile for them. Tony and a  doctor ally start working as captives. But Tony uses the arc reactor technology and develops an amazing, high powered sort of an Iron man to overpower the 'Ten Rings' men. He escapes from Gulmira and returns back home, a changed man.
      Tony realizes his responsibility towards the human race and vows to go out of business. But his greedy guardian and his dad's ally Obadiah Stane refuses to budge and asks Tony to keep a low profile. During this time Tony really gets into developing a new really advanced Iron Man that can fly, using the very same arc reactor technology. Tony also gets to know that Obadiah actually wants him dead and has been making double dealings with the Ten Rings.
       Obadiah steals the arc reactor technology from Tony and builds his own huge version of the Iron Man and incapacitates Tony. But Tony uses the spare arc reactor and does one final heroic act and demolishes Obadiah.
       Colonel Rhodes and Miss Pepper Potts stand by Tony at all times and in the end Tony reveals himself to the press as the Iron Man.
                                                                          

                                                                          
Hits

• Supreme technological innovations shown in the scenes where Tony makes the Iron Man suit. It literally gives you the goose bumps when Tony interacts with machines with A.I like Jarvis and Butterfingers. 
• Robert Downey Jr. alternates between being super cool and intense. A star to the core. 
• Gwyneth Paltrow as the naive Pepper Potts is so very cute and like-able. 
• The scenes when Iron Man first reveals himself in the cave fights are thrilling and tense.
• All the Iron Man suit preparation scenes involving Tony and his A.I. machines are superb
• When Iron Man flies almost till the moon like an airplane, it makes you feel in awe.
• Excellent visual effects. Great cinematography. 

Misses

• Jeff Bridges is wasted in a mundane villain role
• The climax fight between the 2 Iron Men gets too bombastic.

VERDICT

Original, different and an entertaining superhero movie.  Technically among the best ever films

Ko (2011)

Whats it about
The film details a lively and smart photo journalist Ashwin's exploits in the political world of TN. Ashwin assists his reporter Renu on all the political stories doing the rounds in Chennai. Ashwin exposes the wrongdoings of the opposition party leader as well as the ruling party's CM on 2 separate occasions. He also forwards the case of Vasanthan (his former college mate), the leader of 'Siragu', a fledgling party formed by educated youngsters.
         During one big election meeting of 'Siragu', a bomb blast takes place and many 'Siragugal' are badly injured. Public are killed too. Saro, Ashwin's colleague is also killed unfortunately. Majority are saved by Saro's timely sms to Ashwin. Due to a major public sympathy wave, Vasanthan's party wins the elections and he becomes the youngest state CM at age 28.
         Later Ashwin comes to know that Saro had actually been murdered by a Naxalite in the crowd and that he was the one who had earlier been involved in a bank robbery. After further investigations with the Naxalite, Ashwin finally comes to know of Vasanthan's true colors. It was Vasanthan who actually planned all the happenings with precision, including the bomb blast. Vasanthan is actually a Naxalite loyalist.
        Finally Ashwin bashes up Vasanthan, eliminates him and makes up a story that Vasanthan had sacrificed his life for the public to save the other 'Siragugal' who have noble intentions and true service mentalities.
        Ashwin and Renu carry on to their next assignments as usual and all is well in their life too. Their love track and Saro's lively pranks and sad demise are other notable scenes.

                                                                    

Hits

• Very entertaining screenplay though the basic story plot has some cliches. 
• Harris' songs are already major hits. The song 'Amuli Thamuli' has been very well picturized too.  
• Jiiva, the ever boyish star has given a very earnest performance and wins us over in the end. 
• Pia really makes a major mark in her role that ends very sadly. 
• The climax fight between the male leads is unique for the camera angles

Misses

• The placement of the songs leaves a lot to be desired. 'Gala Gala' is totally unnecessary and 'Venpaniye' comes at a very awkward point in the film. 
• Picturization of the songs don't match the quality of the audio
• In the climax shootout, the commandos are made to be mere dummies after a certain point. 
• It's very hard to accept Ajmal as the CM. His dubbing voice is also very stiff and clichéd. 
• Some scenes showing Ashwin's ease at approaching the CM are unbelievable. 

VERDICT

Definitely entertaining. The second half in particular is very engrossing. But, Ko is not up to Ayan's levels. But surely worth watching nevertheless. 

Classic Revisited: The Social Network (2010)

The film is a true life depiction of Mark Zuckerberg and all the trials and tribulations he faces in inventing FACEBOOK, the most happening social network the world has ever known. It all starts off as a way of getting back at his 'just broken up' girl friend. Mark, being the genius coder that he is, develops an application called facemash that can be used to compare the hotness of all the girls in the nearby colleges. Mark earns a lot of wrath and notoriety.

The Winklevoss twins and Divya Narendra are impressed by his genius and approach him with an idea for a social networking site called Harvard Connection. Mark accepts the offer, takes up the idea, innovates and invents Facebook. All along, he keeps a mysterious silence and the trio is suspicious of Mark's intentions. When they come to know of Facebook, they throw a case against Mark for intellectual property theft.

Mark's close friend Eduardo Saverin who stood by Mark whenever he needed money for his servers is slowly neglected after the arrival of Sean Parker into the picture. Sean interferes in the business end of the company which pisses off Eduardo. Finally, Eduardo is totally thrown out of Facebook after some legal complications regarding new shares and Eduardo also throws a case against Mark.

The film details both the case hearings in a non-linear fashion and how it finally concludes with Mark paying off all the parties to keep his dream afloat.

                                                                        
Hits

• Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg fits the part perfectly. He looks nerdy and his dialogue fluency is baffling. 
• Good supporting roles by all the actors be it Justin Timberlake as Sean or Andrew Garfield as Eduardo
• Apt BGM score. Silence and some knock out sound tracks add value to all the scenes. Goose bumps stuff
• Brilliant dialogs full of intellect and wit 
• Fully engaging screenplay. Jet fast and never a dull moment

VERDICT

Classic conversational cinema. MUST WATCH for all the Internet/Cinema maniacs out there. 

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Whats it about
A stylish depiction of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant John Watson in eliminating the dreaded black magic exponent Lord Blackwood. Holmes nabs Blackwood in his 6th act after 5 murders, and succeeds in getting a death sentence for him. But Blackwood returns from the dead and plans to take over the entire world through some shady plans that involves many murders based on some maps, directions and signs (man,ox,eagle, lion)
          Holmes' former sweetheart Irene also gets involved through another professor Moriarty who employs her to get some details through Holmes. Holmes and John have their share of differences over many matters including John's fiancée Mary but, they stick on for friendship's sake and for their sheer brilliance and succeed in putting an end to Blackwood before his final act at the Parliament.
       Finally Holmes proves that Blackwood's schemes and plans were all based on pure science, logic, the fear that he instilled among people and that there was no magic involved

                                                                        
Hits

• Robert Downey Jr. Perfectly cast. As the always rational, logical detective with absolute attention to detail, Downey rocks with his elegant and nonchalant style
• Guy Ritchie's touches. The sequences when Holmes visualizes in his mind what he intends to do before he actually attacks his opponents are mind blowing examples of innovation. 
• Jude Law as Watson is majestic and classic with his manly style and western looks. 
• Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is quite repetitive but ear-pleasing nevertheless. 
• The art direction is terrific. Many scenes look just like paintings. The color schemes make the London of old look absolutely gorgeous. 
• Mark Strong's solid voice is his biggest plus in his portrayal of Lord Blackwood.  

VERDICT

New age style and some surreal visuals/visual effects make the action set in London of 1890 look absolutely stunning. The lead male cast's contribution is no less either.  

The Expendables (2010)

What’s it about:

A team of 5 mercenaries who call themselves “Expendable” are hired by people to free hostages, eliminate targets etc etc. Each of these 5 men have their own specialties. The common link being they are all extremely macho and proud men.

          The CIA hires them to go to an island called Vilena and eliminate General Garza and James Munroe, 2 men who control a big drug empire in the island. 2 of the expendables, Barney and Christmas go there and survey the place, return and decide that it is too dangerous to take up this mission. But a young woman Sandra, the daughter of Garza stays in Barney’s mind. So, the Expendables go back to the island, finish off all their innumerable enemy targets, ensure Sandra’s safety, come back unscathed and sign off in style with their bikes.

                                                                         

Hits

• Absolutely terrific action from a male audience’s point of view. Fast paced entertainment.
• Among all the expendables, it is Jason Statham who makes the best mark. His stunts from atop the plane are mind-blowing. His knife wielding style is awesome too. Jet Li has his funny moments too.
• Mickey Rourke has the best among the many cameos

Misses

• Sadly an over weight Arnold makes a “blink you miss” kinda cameo appearance. Bruce Willis also makes up the cameo numbers.

• All this slam bang gunning might not appeal to all of them.

VERDICT

Sylvester Stallone says in the end that “I promise I’ll always be around”. I would love to see my hero hang around forever even if he is obviously old and jaded. Nice to see such pure adrenaline pumping stuff.  

Salt (2010)

Whats it about
CIA agent Evelyn Salt is actually a Russian implant whose job is to spy on the US. She is Agent Chenkov who has been trained from a young age by Agent Orlov to become a spy. There are many more sleeper agents like her in the US CIA and their only goal is to cause destruction to the US.
       As part of her job, Salt is required to kill the Russian President and thereby putting the blame naturally on the US. She is also instructed to kill the US President and later take control of the US' nuclear operations by initiating attacks on Muslim countries thereby instigating further wrath against the US.
      But Salt eliminates the Russian spies one by one including her CIA colleague Winter and big boss Agent Orlov. She also stops the large scale nuclear attacks that were about to be launched by Winter. In the end, she proves her loyalty to the US and is let go by officer Peabody as she convinces him that there are many more Russian spies and that she needs to go get them.

                                                                          
Hits

• Angelina Jolie in 3 different getups is absolutely apt for this action packed role. She is super agile in stunts and is as beautiful as ever. Her lips are a thing of real seducing beauty. 
• The chases and the action blocks are all frenetic with apt support from some pulsating BGM. 
• Fast moving screenplay

Misses

• It is all too easy for Salt. A one woman army so to speak
• The actor who appears as the US President is literally a joker. Blank to the core. 

VERDICT

An attempt to make a Bourne like film. But it is half baked. Angelina Jolie is the only reason to watch this film. Strictly for one time viewing. 

Mappillai (2011)

Whats it about
This is the remake of a Rajinikanth film of the same name that released 21 yrs back. But, the execution is very much old fashioned. Just a new cast but, the same old cliches galore.
      A dumb bombshell falls for a loafer like youngster who acts like a very pious and good hearted man. But he actually was a terror and sort of a rowdy figure in his home town. His parents had sent him to Chennai to lead a reformed life. The dumb heroine's mother is a very proud multi millionaire who looks down upon everyone else and thinks that she is the best in the world. She wants a meek son in law. Our hero marries the heroine due to his initial meek nature and settles in the girl's house itself as a jobless husband.
      He then plans to teach his boasting mother-in-law a lesson through his brain and brawn. He starts revealing his true colors. He marries off his sister to his brother-in-law through some funny schemings and finally saves his mother-in-law and wife from the bad guys too. 'MAPPILLAI' proves his worth to his 'athai' in the end after some silly comedy.
      Amidst all this we have the comedian and his side kicks, the heroine's side kicks, the hero's good natured parents, some villains etc etc. YAAAAWN!!!

                                                                    

Hits

• Vivek's act as JP is really laughable. But, He entertains and annoys in equal measure as Chinna, the Namitha fan. Funny accent indeed for both the characters. 
• Dhanush with his usual style satisfies his fans. 
• The "Ennoda Raasi Nalla Raasi" remix offers some solace amidst the bore

Misses

• Pathetic acting from both Manisha Koirala and Hansika Motwani. Just some chubby cherubic looks. Nothing else
• Terrible boredom during some of the comedy scenes. 
• Dhanush as a terrifying rowdy like figure, is definitely unbelievable. 

VERDICT

When Tamil cinema is looking to cross boundaries with some new subjects and innovative screenplays, comes this film that is a throwback to at-least a few decades back. Nothing new in this film. Why do big shots of the industry continue to associate themselves with such plain mediocre subjects?. After 'Endhiran' and 'Aadukalam', Sun Pictures have gone back to their 'Sura', 'Thee' days ... AVOIDABLE FARE. DESERVES TO FLOP BIG TIME ... 

Sin City (2005)

Whats it about:
This film is a graphical depiction of Frank Miller's comic series of the same name. There are 4 tracks that are shown. But the primary focus is on three episodes
      The film opens and ends with The Salesman stalking and killing 2 separate women.
      In the second track which continues at a later time in the movie too, ageing police officer John Hartigan who is also having a medical condition, is in pursuit of a psycho killer Roark Junior who rapes and murders young girls. Hartigan is on a mission to save Nancy a 11 yr old girl. In the ensuing shoot out, Hartigan shoots Junior's ears, hand and genitals. Hartigan is also shot
      8 yrs later, after serving a jail sentence and recovering in the hospital, Hartigan is again out to nab Junior who has become an ugly looking Yellow Bastard due to many medications to grow his organs back. Nancy writes to Hartigan every week during his jail sentence and Nancy is really grateful to Hartigan for saving her life and is also in love with him. Nancy is now an erotic dancer. Haritgan eliminates Roark junior and also sacrifices his life knowing very well that Junior's father Senator Roark wouldn't spare him.
     In the third track of the film the macho, animal-like Marv is out to nab the killer who eliminated Goldie, his one night sweetheart. He comes to know that a young silent stalker Kevin and the cardinal Patrick Roark are behind all these killings. Marv avenges them brutally for Goldie and her twin sister Wendy's sake. But Marv is captured and is made to confess that he is behind the murders of the girls too and is electrocuted.
    In the fourth track, Dwight is after Jackie Boy, his girl friend Shellie's abusive ex boyfriend, for harassing her. After a terrific chase, he kills Jackie not knowing that Jackie is a cop.  The prostitutes of old town are also involved in this murder of the 'hero cop'. To prevent the mob and the cops from waging a war in Old Town due to this murder, Dwight and the prostitutes lead by Gail and the superhero like Miho, kill all the Irish mercenaries and salvage themselves.
      All the 4 tracks are interconnected.

                                                                            
Hits

• The making style is terrific. Such surreal visuals thanks to the film's unique color processing, which rendered most of the film in black and white but retained or added coloring for select objects. 
• Unique depiction of the violence and all the blood and gore thanks to the unique color processing.
• Some terrific macho stuff from the old warhorses Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Clive Owen, as Marv, Hartigan and Dwight respectively.
• Seriously sexy babes. Such dangerous exposure of skin. Just WOW. Particularly Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson and many many more. 
• A real celebration of revenge. We do get the kick seeing all the glorious retribution being panned out on screen by some really macho characters.

Misses

• The track involving The Salesman (Josh Hartnett) though having a small connection with the rest of the tracks, isn't exciting and thrilling as the other 3 tracks. 

VERDICT

The most stylish way to show normal revenge stories. Surreal visuals make it a real dream like experience even while witnessing so much blood and gore.

Dev.D (2009)

What's it about
This film is a modern take on the age old Devdas story and an uber cool take at that. Dev and Paro are lovers from childhood. The ultra naughty Dev is sent to London for his studies by his rich businessman father, Satpal Singh. Paro and Dev develop their love through chats and pictures (nudity included)
      Dev returns to India smitten by Paro's photos. They are mad about each other. But, he hears certain rumors about Paro's sex life and blindly believes them. Thus, their love is broken. Paro gets married. Dev is unable to bear this loss and starts getting neck deep in drugs, alcohol and dope.
      Dev is spotted by a pimp called Chunni and he is lead to Chanda aka Leni a young girl who is forced to become a sex worker after a terrible MMS scandal and negligence by her family. Dev and Chanda seek solace in each other and after some hiccups they are madly in love with each other.
      But Dev's dope trips result in a terrible accident where he mauls 7 people on the spot. He wanders further, looses his father, roams all over the country like a beggar and finally reunites with his soul mate Chanda after he realizes that he can after-all set his life straight.
     The final shot shows Dev going to surrender at the police station along with his lover, Chanda.

                                                            
Hits

• Terrific style in the presentation
• Absolutely bold characterization of all the 3 lead characters.
• Great casting and equally great acting by Abhal Deol (the stylish drug addict who is always in a hangover), Mahie Gill (the bold and beautiful Indian village girl) and Kalki Koechlin (the naive cute school girl who later becomes a mature young woman)
• Classy music by Amit Trivedi. Some great picturization too in the form of montages. 
• A super concept, totally English in execution. Kudos to Abhay Deol for some new age thinking. 
• Very fast screenplay. Never a dull moment. 

VERDICT

One of the front runners in bringing style to Indian cinema. Smashing and utterly innovative. AN ABSOLUTELY NEW-AGE, COOL INDIAN FILM. 

Gangs of New York (2002)

What’s it about

It focuses on the gang wars between the Natives and the Irish ‘Dead Rabbits’ in erstwhile New York’s “Five Points” joint of the 19^th century. Bill the Butcher, the leader of the native gang kills Priest Vallon, the leader of the Irish Dead Rabbits in full public view. Bill is dead against the Irish immigrants and is a hard core patriot.

           Vallon’s son, Amsterdam returns to the Five Points joint with revenge on his mind. He slowly gains the confidence of Bill and becomes a part of his gang. Amsterdam's friend Johnny who knows the truth behind Amsterdam's New York visit, grows jealous of his proximity to Jenny, another Irish immigrant and rats on Amsterdam to Bill.

          Bill then nabs Amsterdam and surprisingly, doesn't kill him the first time around. Amsterdam is terribly injured. He recuperates and then unites all the Irish in New York and revives the ‘Dead Rabbits’ gang.

           In the meanwhile the poor American mob is against the government’s call for draft into the army for the war. There is a big riot that takes place in the end where many of the mobs are killed by the Union Army soldiers (New York Draft Riots). Many niggers are also killed by the local Americans who are against Lincoln’s anti slavery policy. Amsterdam also challenges Bill one final time at Paradise Square and eliminates him.

          The final shot shows how New York as a city grows, leaving behind its bloody past filled with gang wars and protest marches.

                                                                          

Hits

• Leonardo’s dashing looks with long locks. His screen presence is as usual arresting
• The period feel is very authentic
• The BGM score by Howard Shore is good. The end credits track “We are the hands that built America” is soul stirring.
• Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher is terrific. In fact his is the performance of the film.

Misses

• Very slow moving. Tests the patience many a time. Was checking the timeline very often
• Lack of exposure to New York’s history may be one of the reasons for the non-involvement in the film during the many political scenes.

VERDICT

A dampener from the Martin Scorsese - Leo combo. Not exactly a must watch. Can watch it once at the most.