Tag Archives: 2013

Action, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Pandiya Naadu

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Pandiya Naadu – is a Tamil Action film released in 2013. Sivakumar leads a simple middle class life, believes in not getting into any hassles and like any common man puts up with any wrong doers in the society. However things turn when the city’s dangerous mafia group is up against his brother and his friend. How does Siva come out of this situation is the plot of Pandiya Naadu.

How a common man transforms himself to stand up against the evil forces in the society has been seen in many movies. However the way director Suseenthiran has narrated the story makes it an interesting watch. We have seen Vishal in many hard core action movies so his transformation doesn’t come as a surprise. He had essayed the part of the common man staying out of trouble very well. The movie doesn’t bore you at any point in time which makes it watchable.

Watchable

Animation, English Movies, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Wait for DVD/TV

Planes

Planes – is an American animated movie released in 2013. Dusty is a crop-duster plane who aspires to become a racer. But there is one problem he has to overcome before he becomes a successful racer… he has to let go of his fear of heights. Whether he was able to do it to become the successful racer is the plot of the movie.

This is in line with the Cars movie where it is the world of automobiles with personalities. This uses a tried and tested formula where a protagonist coming from ordinary background aspires to achieve something extraordinary. His journey and the obstacles he would have to overcome to become successful. The animation quality is inline of what you have seen in Cars. However the story line might remind you of other animation movies you have seen using the same plot. So you end up feeling that it is repeat of some movie you had seen some time back. However Planes definitely has some interesting sequences like the one where they have created the iconic landmarks in the world including Taj Mahal as the planes fly across the world. You can watch it with your kids at home.

Wait for TV/DVD

 

Action, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Wait for DVD/TV

Nimirndhu Nil

Nimirndhu Nil – is a Tamil action drama released in 2014. Aravind grows up in an Ashram and wishes to lead life based on all moral values he has learnt. But he is in for a shock when he comes out of the ashram and starts working. He stands against all immoral values only to find himself get blamed for. Instead of giving into it he decides to connect people across the city who believes in moral values to fight against corruption. Was he successful in his attempt is the plot for Nimirndhu Nil.

Director Samuthirakani has created a brand for himself for making movies with strong social message. Nimirndhu Nil is yet another movie in this genre. The first half of the movie travels around the protagonist identifying various immoral deeds in the society which all of us have taken for granted and are part of it. The approach he takes to bring the wrong doers to light connects with audience well and sets the expectation for a treat as they had seen in movies like Anniyan, Shivaji and so on. However the movie falters in the second half where the screenplay has struggled to untangle the knots it has set in the first half and in the end turns out to be an average flair and the intensity of the message does not have an impact. Overall this is not a bad watch and you might enjoy watching it on TV or DVD.

Wait for TV/DVD

Action, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Worth a Watch

Ivan Veramathiri

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Ivan Veramathiri – is a Tamil action thriller released in 2013. A city suffers from the atrocities created by the local politician and his brother. While everyone remains silent Gunasekaran takes it on him to give the politician and his brother the taste of their own medicine by captivating the politician’s brother in a dark chamber in a building under construction for many days. Now the goons are out to get Gunasekaran. Whether Gunasekaran was successful in averting the danger is the plot of Ivan Veramathiri.

True to its title the protagonist takes a different approach in bringing the wrong – doers to light. If you have been watching world movies then the imprisonment in a dark room might resemble to the Korean movie Old Boy. Nevertheless it is a good attempt and the screenplay is successful in keeping the audience engaged with the movie plot. The only drag factor is the romance between the lead pairs and the chemistry doesn’t work out so well. You might find the movie to be slow during the second half. However the climax sequence is done well to bring back the lost interest. Director Saravanan has taken a different genre after his first movie Engeyum Eppodhum and has delivered on the script. The romance sequences in the movie might remind you of many of the sequences from his previous movie. Vikram Prabhu does well in the action sequences, his height and physique is very apt for the movie. Overall Ivan Veramathiri is different and is watchable.

Watchable

 

Genre, Malayalam Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller

Memories

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Memories – is a Malayalam suspense thriller released in 2013.  A police officer is on long leave due to depression caused by killing of his wife and kid due to vengeance. He is summoned to pick up a difficult and challenging case involving serial murders. Was he able to pick it up, was he able to track the killer is the plot of memories.

Director Jeethu Joseph proves to be a great story teller. He has weaved the events very well and has unfolded the mystery very aptly. At the end you would walk out with a satisfaction of watching a nice movie. Prithviraj shines in the role of a depressed cop. Sujith Vassudev’s work on cinematography is a great plus for the movie. He has captured the essence of the narration brilliantly. Overall the movie keeps you guessing till the end and leaves you with good memories. If you are fan of suspense thrillers you will love this one.

Must Watch

English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

Now You See Me

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Now You See Me – is a English thriller released in 2013. Four magicians are brought together by a unknown man. They perform magic shows in which they rob bank live and distribute the money to the audience. FBI and Interpol are after the magicians to catch them live. Where they able to prove the deception in their magical acts and arrest them is the plot of the movie.

The movie is made in a very stylish way as many of the famous heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven. It keeps the audience engaged and guessing the trick throughout the movie. Although there are few of the tricks you might be able to guess before hand as you had already seen movies on similar lines but still the screenplay is written very brilliantly to keep you glued to your chair. This is one of the movies which got released without many frills but would sweep you off the feet if you are a fan of heist movies. It is a must watch.

Must Watch

Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

Drishyam

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Drishyam – is a Malayalam drama and thriller released in 2013. The movie revolves around the middle class family of Georgekutty, his wife Rani and their two daughters. They lead a typical life that has both happy as well as challenging moments around petty things. Overnight they go through a situation that threatens to change their lives forever. What was the situation and did they manage to overcome it is the plot of Drishyam.

Director Jeethu Joseph has created a very engaging thriller in Drishyam. The movie starts on a slow note revolving around the family going about their routine life. One might start having a feeling of watching a TV serial during this portion. However once the problem is manifested everything falls in place and keeps you engaged throughout. You would leave the hall with a very satisfied feeling. Mohanlal’s acting is laudable and is very convincing. The other characters Meena, Kalabhavan Shajon has done a very good job in their roles as well. The screenplay and the shots layout has been the soul for the movie which slowly unfolds and keeps the audience guessing till the end. But for the length of the movie you would not find many shortcomings. Overall the movie is a must watch in the theaters.

Must Watch

Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Kalyana Samayal Saadham

Kalyana Samayal Saadham – is a Tamil romantic comedy film released in 2013. The film revolves around the various situations that occur in planning and organizing an Indian wedding. The story is narrated through the various events that occur during the arranged wedding of Raghu and Meera. When the wedding is finalized everything seems to be breezy until they face a problem that could potentially call off the wedding just couple of months ahead of the actual wedding. Added to this everyone in the family thinks they own the wedding and orchestrate the events much to the dislike of the to-be wedded couples. Were they able to resolve the issue, did they find a soul mate in each other remains the rest of the plot.

Director RS Prasanna has not only captured the essence of an arranged Indian wedding but also has subtly covered many problems that occur in organizing one. The problem that the couples face would be new for the audience to see it on screen. This kind of keeps the story engaging and not let it fall apart as a usual wedding drama which we have seen in many movies.  Actor Prasanna has essayed his part very well and Lekha Washington just fills in sufficiently. She has a limitation on the number of expressions she could bring out on screen.

What you would like: Very fresh screen play, comic portion of the movie, typical wedding time drama elements that most of us would have experienced

What you would not like: Certain shots look disconnected without an establishing shot. Lack of  strong drama element due to too many positive characters might bore you in parts

Overall the movie as a complete package is definitely watchable despite its few short comings.

Watchable

Action, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Bullett Raja

Bullett Raja – is an action thriller movie in Hindi released in 2013. Somewhere in Uttar Pradesh (UP) a gangster is shot in an encounter, he recounts his past. He was an unemployed youth and becomes a close friend of a courier delivery man at a wedding party.  Thugs attack the house that night, the two friends fight against them and save the family. This fight leads them to a gangster life as they are being targeted by other gangsters and the only way out is for them to stand against them which eventually make them into a Gangster.  They become terrifying duo in the locality with some political backup. What circumstances lead to the encounter is the rest of the plot.

Tigmanshu Dhulia has come up with a very intriguing gangster plot where the gangs are formed for friendship, love and honor and not for money. The casting of the movie has been done well and is very convincing. The sequences leading the duo to a gangster life, some harsh take on rogue politicians and the action sequences are made very well. The movie falters in its length. It could have been a very enjoyable one if it had been short in length without the romance portions as it slows down the pace to a great extent in the mid parts. It seems the makers were not convinced themselves in many occasions as certain scenes look disconnected. The movie however does leave a promising plot to create a sequel and there is a chance for the director to revive this brand eliminating the short comings of the current version.

What you would like: The gangster plot, action sequences, cast and dialogues

What you would dislike: Unfitting romance for the story line, disconnected sequences, length of the movie

Overall the movie is definitely enjoyable in parts, if you are a fan of action flicks and gangster stories then go for it. If not you can wait for the movie to be played on TV.

Wait for DVD /TV – unless you are a fan of gangster movies

Can Skip it, Fantasy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies

Irandaam Ulagam

Irandaam Ulagam – is a Romance and Fantasy Tamil movie released in 2013.  The story happens in parallel across two planets Earth and an unknown planet. The unknown planet is inhabited by people who are like humans and still ruled by Kings. There is greed, fear, slavery and war spread over the race and there is absence of Love. The divine mother in the race believes a true love would bring in peace and build culture to the race. Meanwhile in Earth a medical student and a mathematician fall in love. At one point of time the two worlds connect and there is an opportunity to establish true love to the extra-terrestrial race. Was true love established, did it bring in order to their world is the rest of the plot.

Have you ever woken from a dream and thought how strange it was? That is the feeling you would get after watching Irandaam Ulagam. It is a never seen story line and canvas for Tamil Cinema. Selvaraghavan should be lauded for thinking of such a story line and putting in efforts to bring it on screen. Where the movie falters is in the screenplay and dialogues. You talk about true, divine love and hear dialogues of what you would hear in movies like 7G Rainbow Colony, Kadhal Kondaen it kind of creates a clichéd product output. He could have completely avoided that for this movie as it did not fit the bill. The movie doesn’t let you engage with it for long as too many things are happening on screen that is ethereal in nature. It is hard to make films of such demanding visual effects and still make it commercially viable for Tamil Cinema. Unfortunately that is harsh reality and our film makers are caught in this dilemma currently. To make this work, pre-production as a discipline should get well established in the industry to pre-plan and prototype good enough output that is convincing to the audience. This movie has done that to a good extent but they have missed out big time on casting, make up and detailing. Till this is got right there will be a disconnect. Overall the movie has taken the same route as what Baba took, its struggle to tell a compelling message to the audience vs trying to force in commercial elements into it. If you are willing to keep the distractions away and able to see the actual message that has been told and appreciate the efforts of a film maker to bring his dream on to the screen then you should definitely watch this once if not you can skip it.

Note: Please read the review completely before taking a call

Can Skip it – unless you are willing look beyond the on screen performances for the deep message in the movie.

 

Can Skip it, Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Sutta Kadhai

Sutta Kadhai – is a Tamil Slap stick comedy released in 2013.  In a fictitious tribal region Kora Malai the tribal head Ottagam is shot and killed when he is out hunting for birds. The daughter of Ottagam, two new recruits in the police are out to solve the mystery. Were they able to find the killer? is the plot of the movie.

Although the makers have tried to call it a dark comedy it is far from being dark and I would consider this as a slap stick comedy for the review. Director Subbu has struck upon a good concept, backdrop, characters and shots for the movie and where he has failed doing a good job is stitching the sequences together. It does however make you laugh occasionally. The casting for the movie is done well; you see experienced actors and newbies from Chennai Theatre group. The movie starts very well and demands a high degree of attention but after 30 mins into the movie it starts dragging as there are repeated and elaborate sequences. Before the knots are tied for the audience to keep guessing how it would be untied the story starts untying it. What they claimed to be a complex knot proves to be a very weak one.

What you would like: Concept and Characters, Absurdness in the script, Sambasivam comics

What you would dislike: Dragging and repeated sequences, Not so complicated problem, disconnected flow in the screenplay

Overall the movie is a forgettable affair.

Can skip it

Comedy, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Short Films

Rejected – Short film

Rejected – is a short film made for 48hfp (48 hour film project www.48hourfilm.com) Delhi in 2013. The film is about a girl who is rejected a UK visa and the life threatening measure she takes after that. The movie is of comedy genre and is a very light watch. It also has a very satirist take on the addiction many of us have in the present day.

The movie is made by Petromax Films and directed by Arko Provo Bose. It has won 6 awards including best picture in the Delhi 48hfp. The story is very simple and would make you laugh. What I liked most about the film was its editing by Raja Gurpal Singh and Sound Design from  Shuaieb Alam Babar. It really gave the film a very professional finish. Good work by the entire team. It is a must watch!