'3' starts off with an intriguing set-up, making you go "Really? In the first scene?".
What follows is about an hour and half of fun-filled, well-taken scenes with great performances and directorial flourishes. and then comes the somewhat inconsistent, plot hole-ridden second half, boosted by Dhanush's brilliance, but bogged down by the director and Shruthi's annoying histrionics.
The first half is very well written - carrying ample scenes of the boys having fun, along with sensitive scenes that only a woman could deliver. Dhanush pulls off the schoolboy phase with ease (something that Shivakarthikeyan struggles to do - surprisingly, notwithstanding his funny one liners and demeanor). Shruthi is pretty good in these scenes as well.
The second half almost feels like it is another movie, reminding you of 180, Mayakkam enna and a few other movies. Dhanush's performance is the saving grace here. Towards the end, you start to feel like the movie should have ended already - and then climax is over in a heartbeat - leaving you with a lot of questions - one of which is "Why name this move '3'"?
Aishwarya Dhanush has done a commendable job - Rohini's eyes roving over specific parts of Shruthi's face after her wedding and the camera zooming out from Prabhu/Bhanupriya deserve special mention here. She should have special attention to the narrative perspective in the second half, especially the climax.
Overall, the movie is worth a watch - for its fresh and poignant screenplay and Dhanush's performance.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Aayirathil Oruvan - Review
After reading scores of bad reviews, it was with a trepid heart and resigned mind that I walked in to view this movie.
The plot is known to most now - A team of archaeologists and paramilitary troops head off in search of lost Chozha tribe & treasures, somewhere in Vietnam. They reach their goal by the end of the 1st half, but what lies in store for them forms the crux of the film.
Right from the initial scenes showing the fleeing of the Chozhas, the movie had me hooked up. While it is true that many scenes reminded me of a lot of Hollywood movies, the first half, inspite of its generic 'Romancing the stone/Indiana Jones' tone, had the director's brilliance stamped all over it, the key point being that we were looking at something so alien to our daily lives through Sukumaran's eyes. His rib-tickling comments are exactly something we would hear in the theatres while viewing Hollywood movies in those days where Hollywood releases were not dubbed and only a select few were screened every year.
Just when you settle back in your seat, expecting a "Cross these hurdles, Reach the Goal, Live Happily Ever After" pattern that is steadily laying out before your eyes, we get a rude jolt when the main characters become possessed and start behaving crazily. That IS a true sign of things to come.
I dont want to reveal too much of the 2nd half, but it is truly impressive - in its visualization, in its grandeur, in its raw energy. While flaws abound, the overall brilliance of it all takes over, making you gape in awe, while also making you think about core values and ideals of our current times as well as those of the ancient times spoken of so glowingly in our history books.
I have read opinions that the end suggests the coming of a sequel. I hope not. To me, the ending suggests a poetical, cyclical conclusion that will only be marred by the creation of a sequel.
Finally, after seeing the movie and pondering over its reviews in the web, I truly wonder about the abundance of sub-standard movie reviews in the blogosphere. The dismissal of anything that's not racy or that's not overtly spoon-fed is worrisome.
Go see this movie with an open mind. Think about the second half. Are our virtues and ideals luxuries that civilizations can only afford amidst peace, wealth and prosperity?
A grand expansive vision executed with no sugar-coating for the meek.
The plot is known to most now - A team of archaeologists and paramilitary troops head off in search of lost Chozha tribe & treasures, somewhere in Vietnam. They reach their goal by the end of the 1st half, but what lies in store for them forms the crux of the film.
Right from the initial scenes showing the fleeing of the Chozhas, the movie had me hooked up. While it is true that many scenes reminded me of a lot of Hollywood movies, the first half, inspite of its generic 'Romancing the stone/Indiana Jones' tone, had the director's brilliance stamped all over it, the key point being that we were looking at something so alien to our daily lives through Sukumaran's eyes. His rib-tickling comments are exactly something we would hear in the theatres while viewing Hollywood movies in those days where Hollywood releases were not dubbed and only a select few were screened every year.
Just when you settle back in your seat, expecting a "Cross these hurdles, Reach the Goal, Live Happily Ever After" pattern that is steadily laying out before your eyes, we get a rude jolt when the main characters become possessed and start behaving crazily. That IS a true sign of things to come.
I dont want to reveal too much of the 2nd half, but it is truly impressive - in its visualization, in its grandeur, in its raw energy. While flaws abound, the overall brilliance of it all takes over, making you gape in awe, while also making you think about core values and ideals of our current times as well as those of the ancient times spoken of so glowingly in our history books.
I have read opinions that the end suggests the coming of a sequel. I hope not. To me, the ending suggests a poetical, cyclical conclusion that will only be marred by the creation of a sequel.
Finally, after seeing the movie and pondering over its reviews in the web, I truly wonder about the abundance of sub-standard movie reviews in the blogosphere. The dismissal of anything that's not racy or that's not overtly spoon-fed is worrisome.
Go see this movie with an open mind. Think about the second half. Are our virtues and ideals luxuries that civilizations can only afford amidst peace, wealth and prosperity?
A grand expansive vision executed with no sugar-coating for the meek.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Kuselan Review
AT A GLANCE:
Pluses:
Acting by Rajini & Pasupathy
Some comedy scenes
Cinematography
Original story
Minuses
Direction
some comedy scenes
What can I say? Superstar Rajini's magic still works & looks fresh after all these years, after all these movies!
The movie first introduces us to Pasupathy's character, Balu, his family, his competitor (played by Vadivelu) and other folks in the village. A few scenes reveal his poverty; a few scenes tickle our funny bone; there is a spectacularly photographed song; but mostly we wonder "When is THE intro and what form is it going to take". And then it comes.
I should say this was one of the most creative intros for Thalaivar ever. I would rank it up there with Thalapathi & Baasha. From this point, the movie is mostly about the villagers getting to know Pasupathy's friendship with the Superstar and trying to take advantage of it while Pasupathy feels mostly insecure about facing his now-famous friend. A few shooting scenes reveal the screen presence and charisma of the Superstar.
Do the friends ever meet? What happens then - this is resolved in a highly emotional climax with Rajini stealing the thunder.
The movie boasts of very good acting by Rajini & Pasupathy with good support by others. P. Vasu, on the other hand, is conspicuous by his utter lack of creativity and sloppy screenplay. Arvind's camera work and shot positioning work very well. GVP's music is OK.
Hardcore fans, while missing the superstar's fights and bravado-filled encounters, are likely to appreciate his heart-felt natural acting. Rajini's scenes with Vadivelu & Sunderrajan stand out here. Families & ladies will find the softer side of Rajini highly appealing.
Some low-brow 'comedy' scenes of Vadivelu were in poor taste and could have been avoided. So could have the rain song.
On the whole, a pleasant viewing experience for the whole family, if you can sit through some of the amateurish TV serial-like scenes.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Kuselan Songs
Excerpts of the Kuselan songs are out on the movie website here:
http://www.kuselanthemovie.com/song.html
The Sollaama song looks like a family song a la kokku para para from CM. Couldn't resist a chuckle from seeing the dolphins fr0licking around in 'namma ooru kulam'! The cinematography looks amazing, though.
Cinema Cinema & Om Zaraare songs look tailor-made for Rajni fans.
Hope Perinba looks better in the movie than it looks in the trailer.
It remains to be seen whether the Nayan song will be a 'smoke break' for the audience. When was the last time that a Rajni movie had a song exclusively for the heroine? I cannot fathom screen time being devoted to neither the Superstar thread nor the barber thread in a such a story-heavy movie.
http://www.kuselanthemovie.com/song.html
The Sollaama song looks like a family song a la kokku para para from CM. Couldn't resist a chuckle from seeing the dolphins fr0licking around in 'namma ooru kulam'! The cinematography looks amazing, though.
Cinema Cinema & Om Zaraare songs look tailor-made for Rajni fans.
Hope Perinba looks better in the movie than it looks in the trailer.
It remains to be seen whether the Nayan song will be a 'smoke break' for the audience. When was the last time that a Rajni movie had a song exclusively for the heroine? I cannot fathom screen time being devoted to neither the Superstar thread nor the barber thread in a such a story-heavy movie.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Official Kuselan Trailer
Wow! Vasu is fast!
With less than 10 days to go before its release, the official trailer of Kuselan is out!
While it offers no clues regarding the story (like we needed any!!!), the trailer is very slickly made.
The cinematography appears top-notch. Thalaivar looks very young and dashing! The 'Om Zaarare' set looks great as does the portion of the 'Cinema Cinema' song.
Here's the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SboUFBnLxJs
With less than 10 days to go before its release, the official trailer of Kuselan is out!
While it offers no clues regarding the story (like we needed any!!!), the trailer is very slickly made.
The cinematography appears top-notch. Thalaivar looks very young and dashing! The 'Om Zaarare' set looks great as does the portion of the 'Cinema Cinema' song.
Here's the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SboUFBnLxJs
Monday, June 30, 2008
My take on Dasavatharam
Saw Dasavatharam yesterday. So how was the movie?
Pluses:
Kamal's acting
Grandeur in some scenes
Minuses:
Makeup
Direction
First of all, we should recognize the gift that Kamal is to the world of cinema. It is rare to find an artist who has so much talent and has the drive and the willingness to work hard in pursuit of perfection. That said, it is indeed sad that certain aspects (makeup, choice of shots/lighting) have taken away from the hard work that he put in.
Kamal's body language, dialog delivery and emoting (of whatever was visible in his face) was impeccable. Except for the George Bush character, I was impressed by his handling of all other roles. It was sad that the makeup did not let Kamal's facial expressions get through - this was most visible in Poovaraghan's case. Fletcher's face had a permanent sneer, which did not feel too much out o the ordinary, considering his character.
As far as the screenplay goes, his inspirations (Enemy of the State, Tempus Fugit, Babel etc) are visible in their impact; but alas, in his zeal to tie a lot of unrelated subjects like the sand mafia, he does let the screenplay sag a little. In my opinion, the 3 songs (Mukundha, Oh Sanam and the Las Vegas one) could have been handled better or chopped off entirely. Some of the 'Crazy Mohan' dialogues feel out of place too.
For some one used to just Indian/Tamil movies, the CG effects must have been impressive, but to some one exposed to the latest in the state of the art, some of the effects seemed rushed.
Why have I singled out direction for a 'minus'? Because KSR should have caught on to the perfect body language of the various characters and used the camera to better showcase THAT instead of so many close-up shots which only served to distract from the movie due to the grotesqueness of some masks.
I should admit that I still miss the connection between the 12th century episode and the rest of the story - only because Govind mentions it in his speech. What connection does a bio-scientist see between that episode and his efforts to neutralize the virus. The 'screen-play writer' Kamal could very well portray a connection implying rebirth and he does too; but why does the rationalist scientist Govind narrate this incident?
On the whole, this movie deserved kudos for its efforts and is certainly worth a watch.
Pluses:
Kamal's acting
Grandeur in some scenes
Minuses:
Makeup
Direction
First of all, we should recognize the gift that Kamal is to the world of cinema. It is rare to find an artist who has so much talent and has the drive and the willingness to work hard in pursuit of perfection. That said, it is indeed sad that certain aspects (makeup, choice of shots/lighting) have taken away from the hard work that he put in.
Kamal's body language, dialog delivery and emoting (of whatever was visible in his face) was impeccable. Except for the George Bush character, I was impressed by his handling of all other roles. It was sad that the makeup did not let Kamal's facial expressions get through - this was most visible in Poovaraghan's case. Fletcher's face had a permanent sneer, which did not feel too much out o the ordinary, considering his character.
As far as the screenplay goes, his inspirations (Enemy of the State, Tempus Fugit, Babel etc) are visible in their impact; but alas, in his zeal to tie a lot of unrelated subjects like the sand mafia, he does let the screenplay sag a little. In my opinion, the 3 songs (Mukundha, Oh Sanam and the Las Vegas one) could have been handled better or chopped off entirely. Some of the 'Crazy Mohan' dialogues feel out of place too.
For some one used to just Indian/Tamil movies, the CG effects must have been impressive, but to some one exposed to the latest in the state of the art, some of the effects seemed rushed.
Why have I singled out direction for a 'minus'? Because KSR should have caught on to the perfect body language of the various characters and used the camera to better showcase THAT instead of so many close-up shots which only served to distract from the movie due to the grotesqueness of some masks.
I should admit that I still miss the connection between the 12th century episode and the rest of the story - only because Govind mentions it in his speech. What connection does a bio-scientist see between that episode and his efforts to neutralize the virus. The 'screen-play writer' Kamal could very well portray a connection implying rebirth and he does too; but why does the rationalist scientist Govind narrate this incident?
On the whole, this movie deserved kudos for its efforts and is certainly worth a watch.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Welcome
Welcome to my Blogworld!
This will be a collection of my ramblings about mostly inconsequential things - in other words, just an extension of my real world...
This will be a collection of my ramblings about mostly inconsequential things - in other words, just an extension of my real world...
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