ALL IN ALL AZHAGURAJA ("INTOLERABLE CRUELTY")

November 2, 2013.

Cast: Karthi, Santhanam, Prabhu, Kajal Agarwal.

Director: Rajesh.

First it was Santhanam’s dialogue mocking the “Smoking kills” ad that landed the film in trouble; next Rajesh gave a shock telling from now on his films would be having only situational comedy (something which he has not proved himself to be good at); now finally when the film has come out it looks like the biggest trouble is the film itself!

Azhaguraja (Karthi) runs a local channel AAA TV with the help of Kalyanam (Santhanam). His father (Prabhu) owns a stationery shop and his mother (Saranya) is a homemaker. As is customary in a lotta Tamil films he falls for Chitra Devi Priya (Kajal) at first sight.

Apart from the point above, till OKOK, Rajesh’s films had some kind of a story in them but Azhaguraja is different from them in this aspect also, the film keeps drifting aimlessly for an unbearable 2 hrs and 54 minutes; more or less like the answer to a 20 mark question in a Madras University Exam!!

Karthi and Santhanam try their very best to make something out of the intolerable screenplay but sadly all their efforts go in vain owing to the dull writing and execution. The flashback that comes in the second half where Karthi plays Prabhu’s younger days is more like a caricature gone horribly wrong. It will make one wonder what the director was thinking while making those portions because of the preposterousness of it all! Karthi makes a mockery of himself trying to imitate Prabhu with a single exception of the song with Radhika Apte.

There is only one scene that provides entertainment in whole film where Kajal’s father laments about the sufferings he has gone through because of her singing. The portion where M.S Bhaskar teaches Bharatanatyam to Kajal is also acceptable when compared to the rest of the film.

With one of the worst screenplays, dry dialogues that make the most cheerful of persons indifferent and tasteless songs All in All Azhaguraja is a real pain. Please stay away!

I am giving 0.75 for All in All Azhaguraja. This is Intolerable Cruelty!!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

KRRISH 3 ("TRASH IT")

November 1, 2013.

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Vivek Oberoi, Kangna Ranaut.

Director: Rakesh Roshan.

Koi Mil Gaya was something really novel when it came out and barring a few scenes it was really a good entertainer with a good script, wonderful songs and amazing acting by Hrithik. Krish could not really match upto Koi Mil Gaya. Yet Rakesh Roshan has come out with Krrish 3 this diwali boasting of a Rs. 250 crore budget, merchandise and a Krrish 3 video game.

Krishna (Hrithik) is happily married to Priya (Priyanka Chopra) and Rohit (Senior Hrithik) is trying to develop a machine that could harness solar energy and convert it into life creating technology. Kaal the super powered Tele Kinesis expert (Vivek Oberoi) on the other hand is doing just the opposite to earn billions in order to cure himself of the Paralysis that he was born with. He develops a deadly virus and spreads it using his genetically created “Maanvars”, Kaya (Kangna) being the main one. Once the virus hits Mumbai, it is upto Krishna and Rohit to come up with a cure.

If the story of Krrish 3 is pretty ordinary, the screenplay is even worse. There is a bunch of unnecessary “Maanvars” with different abilities (each one of them being a substandard version of the mutants in the legendary X Men series) created for the sole purpose of acting as punching bags for Krrish. And then there is the ridiculously silly twist where Kaya falls for Krrishna turning against Kaal!! Things keep happening pretty much mechanically and there are lot of unconvincing scenes which would have worked out well for the film had it been released a decade or two back!

In one such scene a Krrish statue (more or less like the great Rocky Balboa statue) is unveiled with a huge crowd worshipping him singing songs in his praise and you are left wondering if you are in 2013!! Trying to turn Krrish into a philosophy, something larger than a person is all good but choosing an overused method for it is really lamentable; especially when you have dialogues borrowed for that from Sarkar (which in itself was a copy); “Krrish ek soch hai”.

The copying does not end with the X men, Sarkar or Rocky; it continues even in the fight sequences some of which are blatant copies of X men first class and Man of steel (the climax fight in the sky between Krrish and Kaal).

Rakesh Roshan-Hrithik Roshan-Rajesh Roshan combo have always entertained us with beautiful songs; both stylish and soothing. That department also takes a hit in Krrish 3 with songs that are so bad and unnecessary at the same time.

One point to be conceded to Rakesh Roshan is in the department of the VFX; though it is not as evolved or appealing as Shankar’s “Enthiran” the half baked product has clear signs of a lot of hard work put in by the team and the director! But all said and done it is sad that even with such a huge budget Rakesh Roshan could not come up with a product that is appealing enough.

The only saving grace of the film is the amazing Hrithik who is super committed and dedicated. He excels in the emotional scenes though the scope is limited, playing both Rohit and Krishna with such charm.

I am giving a generous 2 for Krrish 3 especially for Hrithik. This one does not have the soul that made Koi Mil Gaya such a phenomenon!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

ARRAMBAM ("ANYAAYAM")

October 31, 2013.

Cast: Ajithkumar, Arya, Nayantara, Taapsee, Rana Daggubatti.

Director: Vishnuvardhan.

Mankatha provided a really good comeback for Ajith. What followed was a disaster in the form of Billa 2 and even before we have recovered from that impact here comes Arrambam.

Ashok (Ajith) is introduced as a terrorist who is bent on destroying certain people. He is aided in this endeavour by Maya (Nayanthara), who happens to be the computer whiz Arjun’s (Arya) classmate. Arjun is in love with Anitha (Taapsee).

Arjun is tricked into coming to Mumbai along with Anitha by Ashok who wants Arjun’s help in his endeavours. He starts coercing Arjun into doing things against his wishes with the threat of killing Anitha in case of non cooperation. Any viewer with an interest for English films would clearly see “Swordfish” by now but to make it worse what follows is a few so called twists (all of which fall flat), a horrible flashback and some scenes that really test your patience!!!

The script is very very mediocre letting anyone who has watched a few films guess what is coming and a few minutes after the interval you can very easily predict the climax. The first twenty minutes or so in the film is literally unbearable with two irritating songs, a stupid flashback involving Arya, Nayanthara and Taapsee, stupid makeup (Arya’s) and bad acting!!

Once you have passed that test of patience you would be subjected to a lotta unnecessary slow mo shots, completely trite background score, substandard direction and a lotta bad acting yet again. After all this it’s time for the flashback explaining how an honest Ashok was turned into a terrorist of sorts; Nayanthara starts the flashback with heavy words like torture, terror and the likes of it; but sadly it’s all just words and no action whatsoever.

The screenplay is so bad that the characters have to verbalise the scenes so that the audience might understand what they (characters) are going through which exhibits a blatant absence of feel that is required for any scene to reach the audience!! With umpteen characters (all played by major artistes) which are so very ill conceived it’s a cruelty to the film and unfair to the artistes of this calibre!!

Next comes the dialogues that make you laugh and cry at regular intervals; but the sad part is that both the laughter and crying are the unintentional by-products of some of the worst dialogues that you have seen in the recent times. After a point your laughter and crying would cease to make way for indifference owing to the realisation that it has reached the incorrigible plane!

In short Arrambam is a waste of time, money and efforts.

I am giving a 1.5 for Arrambam. Stay away!!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.
       
3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS ("PIRATES OF THE SOMALIAN")

October 18, 2013. 

Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener.

Director: Paul Greengrass.

When a film comes from a director who has the history of walking out of a prestigious project in the past for the sole reason of his creativity being compromised you can rest assured of the content on offer.

Paul Greengrass has chosen to make Captain Phillips based on a real life incident of 2009 when the Captain of a Maersk Alabama ship was captured by Somalian pirates. Tom Hanks plays the Captain.

It’s a no nonsense script that takes you right into the crux of the story a few minutes on. It gives you the background from which the pirates come and the reason why they are forced to do what they do regardless of what is right or wrong.

The taking of the ship by the pirates has been shown in as realistic a way as possible without compromising the flavour of mainstream cinema (as always is the case with a Greengrass product). The first half deals with what goes on on-board Maersk Alabama with the pirates and the crew playing a cat and mouse game of sorts.

As the situation progresses the crew takes the Captain hostage on a life boat and sets course for Somalia after which they plan to get millions as ransom money in return for the Captain’s life. From the moment they get onto the life boat the level of thrill keeps increasing bit by bit reaching it’s peak at the climax. Once the navy comes into the picture you will be at the edge of your seat.

The film shows us both the vulnerability of the ships sailing through the Somalian coast as well as the extent to which the US armed forces will go to rescue one of it’s civilians.

The regular hand held shots taking you to the centre of the action (like you have seen in the likes of Bourne Ultimatum amongst other Greengrass films) are there to up the ante along with brisk editing.

The virtually unknown actors who play the pirates dazzle with their performance showing the vulnerability, helplessness, terror and desperation with the confidence that equals a really trained actor. But it is Tom Hanks who steals the show as Captain Phillips. He keeps it simple and subtle throughout the film and shows us why he is one of the legends in the final moments of the film where he makes the audience really feel the pain and all the other emotions that Captain Phillips had kept at bay till then.

I am giving a 3.75 for Captain Phillips. Get hooked!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

ESCAPE PLAN REVIEW

October 18, 2013.

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Director: Mikael Hafstrom.

Please visit the following link for the review
http://www.rajeevmasand.com/reviews/their-films/prisonbreak/

GRAVITY ("DON'T LET GO")

October 10, 2013.

Cast: George Clooney, Sandra Bullock.

Director: Alfonso Cuaron.

A veteran astronaut (Matt Kowalski played by Clooney) on his last mission enjoying his final space walk; another one who is literally jumping at the view of the earth from space; and a medical engineer (Ryan Stone) who is trying to fix a problem with the Hubble Telescope. This is the opening scene of gravity; this is the beginning of the opening scene rather, ..... a continuous shot for around 13 minutes giving the audience a full round view of the crew, the 

machines, the space and the earth.

Starting with such an amazing sequence to capture the audience’ attention, Gravity never lets you sit back comfortably on the seat. Though it is kind of a slow start with a little less reliance on drama the film keeps you tense and anxious about how it is going to pan out for the protagonist (Sandra Bullock and NOT George Clooney fyi).

You are presented with nothing less than an exquisite view, a visual pleasure by the director and his brilliant technical team. The cinematography is another important element that needs special mention; apart from the breathtaking shots what really stands out is the sense of control that Lubezki has over all the scenes with an articulate presentation of the surroundings as well as the confusion that is going on inside Ryan’s head.

The gruelling research that has gone into the making of the film is evident in each scene with such importance being given to the scientific side of things; the atmosphere on the earth’s surface, tear drops and little flames of fire floating inside the spacecraft, the movement of particles in space; just to name a few.

This is one of the best roles played by Sandra in her career. She is terrific as the scared engineer who is struggling to stay alive with nobody to help. There is such strength in her performance that in spite of being the only character in the film most of the time she manages to grab the audience attention throughout!

Halfway through you the audience would have already become quite acquainted with space but it is in the final moments of the film in the terrific climax that you totally lose track of the fact that you are in a theatre. 

Combined with a superb background score, amazing cinematography and stunning graphics this could easily be one of the best thrilling sequences you have seen in the recent past.

Finally a word about Alfonso Cuaron. With his amazing vision and execution he has created magic out of a simple plot.

I am giving a 4 for Gravity. Do not miss this one!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

ITHARKKU THAANE AASAI PATTAI BALAKUMARA ("WELCOME SUMAR MOONJI KUMAR")

October 2, 2013.

Cast: Vijay Sethupathy, Aswin Kakumanu, Nandita, Swathi, Soori, Pasupathy.

Director: Gokul.

Film after film the trust that we have on Vijay Sethupathy keeps increasing and that continues with this film as well.

Sumar moonji Kumar (Vijay) a happy go lucky jobless fellow has only one mission in his life; to marry Kumudha (Nandita), almost everyone in his street is irritated by him. Bala (Aswin) is almost the opposite to Kumar, an frustrated guy who is dissatisfied with his career and love life. Renu (Swathi) is Bala’s love interest.

IABK plays out in three tracks till the interval; Sumar moonji Kumar’s life, Bala’s life and the murder of a local goon; after which the everything gets connected. Of these three the track involving Sumar moonji Kumar is undoubtedly the best one mainly because of the excellent performance by Vijay Sethupathy that is well complemented by the very good writing and direction.

It is a clearly a comeback for Gokul after the Rowthiram fiasco and he has made full use of the star value of Vijay Sethupathy with a script that seldom loses momentum. The track involving Aswin and the murder seems a bit stretched with a few unnecessary scenes as well as characters but something that works in favour of the film is that when the screenplay switches to Sumar moonji Kumar the audience completely forgets the other two because of the laugh riot at offer.

The script clearly shows Gokul’s intention to make this a laugh riot as is clear from the really funny dialogues mouthed by the characters even in serious situations. But perhaps the choice of Aswin is a bit debatable as he seems to struggle a bit at being natural in a lotta scenes which dulls certain parts though Swathi tries her best to lighten up the same.

The songs are passable with one or two being nice and the background score does not harm the film’s proceedings as such. There are a lot of scenes in the night especially in the 2^nd half and the cinematographer shows his class with excellent lighting and angles.

Pasupathy who comes as the mediator to bring a solution to Sumar moonji Kumar’s menace really entertains and the scenes involving him and Vijay Sethupathy are cracking with humor. Equally good is the character that takes Vijay Sethupathy and his friend to a godown offering liquor.

Ultimately IABK belongs to Vijay Sethupathy who simply excels as the irritating yet adorable Sumar moonji Kumar. This is definitely his best role after Pizza or may be even a better one considering the ease with which he plays the character that is someone so different from his real self.

I am giving a generous 3.25 for IABK. Except for a few scenes this one sets the screen on fire. Brand Vijay Sethupathy is growing!!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

BESHARAM ("BAKWAAS!!")

October 2, 2013.

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Pallavi Sharda.

Director: Abinav Singh Kashyap.

It is one thing to try out an average subject with a hero specialised in creating magic out of nothing from his screen presence and antics alone and entirely another thing to try out a below average subject with a hero who has not risen upto that level as yet!

Well, if you are wondering which films I am talking about it the first one is the super duper hit Dabbang and the next is the second film by the same director, Besharam!!

Babli (Ranbir) is an orphan who is a small time car thief. He falls for the middle class girl Tara who sees red everytime she sees Babli. By mistake he steals Tara’s car for a Hawala Don (Javed Jaffrey) and later upon realising it’s Tara’s car he sets out along with Tara to steal it back. He is chased by a police couple played by Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.

While Dabbang had some kind of story be it very predictable Besharam goes a few steps down with no story whatsoever and a much worse screenplay to make things unbearable. The son playing the hero and the parents playing a police couple who are trying to track him down; how interesting a screenplay can one make out of the situation; well the writer here has the answer- a screenplay that is so boring to the core that one can sit through the entire film without a single laugh!!

When the first 30 minutes of a film is packed with a horribly executed chase sequence 3 bad songs and dialogues which are meant to be funny but far from it in reality, you would need no more description about how the movie is gonna fare.

Tara is so furious at seeing Babli that he insults him in front of her colleagues in spite of knowing he is an orphan. Her fury reaches the breaking point later on when she realises it’s Babli who stole her car!! But right after a few “touching” dialogues from Babli Tara’s heart suddenly melts like an ice cream and if it’s just sympathy that you are expecting from her she is gonna surprise you. Yes folks it’s the ultimate silliness that ensues- she falls in love with Babli!! Guess the writer forgot the fact that we are not in the 1970s anymore. And in the ensuing song you see a sulking Babli being consoled and wooed by a smitten Tara!!!

It is better not to get into the area of fights and background music which are one of the worst you have seen in the recent hindi films.

I am giving a generous 1 for Besharam. This is so very disappointing from someone who entertained us to the core with Dabbang!!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

RAJA RANI REVIEW

September 27, 2013.

Cast: Arya, Nayantara, Jai, Nazriya.

Director: Atlee.

Please visit the following link for the review
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/tamil/movie-reviews/Raja-Rani/movie-review/23286719.cms

PRISONERS ("NOT EVERYONE'S CUP OF TEA")

September 27, 2013.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo.

Director: Denis Villeneuve.

Prisoners is Dennis Villeneuve’ big ticket entry into mainstream cinema after his much appreciated Incendies.

Keller (Jackman) is a middle class family man with a wife and two kids who is leading a peaceful life. On thanksgiving day while he is enjoying time at his friend’s place his daughter goes missing along with his friend’s. Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is called on to investigate. They catch hold of Alex based on the circumstantial evidence but there seems to be more than what meets the eye and Keller is hell bent in getting his daughter back with or without the help of the police.

What sets Prisoners apart from other movies is the way in which it is treated with nothing but realism be it emotions, fights or desperation. The cinematic touch as we have come to experience is not something that you would find much in Prisoners, which would not be “entertainment” for a section of the audience.

The stark resemblance to Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River”, only in the treatment, is something which cannot be discounted. But while Mystic River contained a hint of thrill and mystery Prisoners is a bit on the lower side when it comes to those.

This may be the best role that Hugh has played and it would not be surprising if he ends up bagging a few awards for this. He has immersed himself into Keller so much so that a person who does not watch too many movies would end up disagreeing that it is the same guy who played the dashing Wolverine. It is a transformation of sorts for Gyllenhaal as well who plays the honest cop who is frustrated about not being able to find the missing girls.

Wonderful use of the camera giving a purposeful grim feel to the movie and soulful music complement the screenplay really well.

While Prisoners may not fit the usual thriller genre it takes a life of it’s own as a film dealing with a man’s search for his missing daughter, a man who is prepared to go to any lengths to find his daughter, something which gets corroborated towards the end of the film.

If you love cinema that is way too real then Prisoners is your weekend pic.

I am giving a 3.5 for Prisoners. Be prepared for a shocking climax!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.