Tag Archives: Drama

Action, Crime, Drama, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

A Dirty Carnival

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A Dirty Carnival – is a South Korean neo-noir film released in 2006. An upcoming film director Min Ho has to read a gangster’s life to create the script for his gangster movie. He follows and interviews his high school friend turned gangster Kim Byung-doo to understand the life of a gangster and make his movie. When the movie is released it is so close to the reality of the crime Byung-doo was involved in that he now has to kill Min Ho to save his secrets.

Sounds similar? Well this is the movie that many of the movie buffs have compared with Jigarthanda. Only the central plot is similar but the genre, treatment, the actual conflict and where the movie heads to is vastly different. They are two different movies with different story. So stop comparing the two movies.

A Dirty Carnival is a very serious gangster movie in itself. The movie is so realistic to the life of gangsters. You would see some realistic looking fights rather than the cinematic fights with visual effects. The movie right from the start follows Kim Byung-doo who is leading the life of a gangster and struggling to make his ends meet with an ailing mother, dependent brother and sister. The story is about his rise to power, his love for his childhood friend, his interactions with Min Ho for the movie script and the final conflict he gets into where he would have to kill his friend to live free. The story is very engaging right from the start. You would have the experience of looking into the life of a gangster. The performances, character buildup have been done very well. The editing of the movie is outstanding. If you are fan of gangster movies watch this one definitely.

Must Watch – for gangster fans

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

Vaayai Moodi Pesavum

Vaayai Moodi Pesavum – is a Tamil comedy drama released in 2014. The movie plot revolves around the fact that humans have taken their ability to speak and communicate for granted. Either they do not use it properly or they use it to speak unnecessary stuff. The message is conveyed in the backdrop of a fictitious town names Pani Malai where there is a serious disease spreading which takes away the ability for people to communicate. The protagonist has an aspiration to become a radio jockey which is put in jeopardy when there is a law passed which prevents people from speaking.

The movie is very notable for its different story line. The plot is very simple and cute to outline the importance of speech for humans and how they keep wasting the valuable gift by over using it or not using it. As it is a very simple concept the movie it does not warrant the length it currently has. The director has taken a huge risk by not having dialogues for a large portion of the second half. Despite the length, the movie works for the plot and the humor it carries. This one deserves a watch for the different attempt and creative plot. I personally liked this better than Balaji Mohan’s previous Kadhalil Sodhappuvathu Eppadi.

Watchable – for the creative plot

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

Thattathin Marayathu

Thattathin Marayathu – is a Malayalam romance drama released in 2012. A Hindu boy living in Kerala falls in love with a Muslim girl. Were they able to get together in life is the plot of Thattathin Marayathu.

Thattathin Marayathu means “behind the veil”. A very apt title for the movie as it is related to the beauty of the lady behind the veil. A very well-known plot of an Indian romance movie, yet the movie is enjoyable for the way it has been presented, the characters are sketched and the sequences are tied together. The nativity of Malabar area is captured well and people from that area would be able to relate to the movie and its location better. Nivin Pauly and Aju Varghese have delivered a very convincing performance for director Vineeth Srinivasan. One of the big positives for the movie is that the scenes are very realistic and sketched with a feel good factor in it. If you are a fan of feel good romantic entertainers this one is a must watch for you.

Must Watch

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

Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies

Raanjhanaa

Raanjhanaa (Amibkapathy – Tamil) –  A local boy in Varanasi falls in love with a Muslim girl since his childhood… Soon he finds rest of his life, aspirations, dreams, love, pain everything limited to her (Bas Tum Tak…!)

Anand L Rai has given a very good story that is just not limited to a puppy love story. The first half of the movie is colorful and enjoyable, the cinematographer Natarajan Subramaniam brings the lively colors of Varanasi in front of your eyes… the second half of the movie has a serious tone and through the journey of Kundan and Zoya the director takes you through the current political affairs in the country. Love prevails in the end and stays immortal. Dhanush is a very appropriate selection for the movie and has essayed his character very well, Tamil audiences might have watched this in many of his movies. Abhay Deol is charismatic in the portion he plays. Anand hasn’t let any star cast over shadow the plot and the screen play but has the story lead the way all through. The life and soul for the movie is A.R Rahman’s musical score. Raajhanna would make you laugh, cry and think. It is a wholesome entertainer that will keep you engaged throughout… Go for it!

Must Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Ghanchakkar

Ghanchakkar – An expert in opening lockers and stealing money goes into retirement. He is affected by partial memory loss and one of the things he forgets is where he has hidden the money from his last heist.  He has to remember this and find the money as it also has the share of his accomplices.

Ghanchakkar is a slang word commonly used to refer to a dumb person although its literal meaning is to spin fast. The movie is crazy and dumb in parts as its title. If you go in with the expectation of a ROFL comedy you would be disappointed. Ghanchakkar is one such movie which comes once in a while completely whacky in the way it is executed and catches you off guard. . The movie is brilliant in parts particularly the heist sequence and the characters of Emraan Hasmi and Vidya Balan. The pace of the movie is slow, it gives you enough time to savor the humor as you move along. Many of which you might miss as they are subtle. Despite its slow pace the McGuffin  (I had written about this in my Friday Facts) keeps you engaged with the script. The ending is completely unexpected and be ready to be caught off guard… Overall the movie is all about the journey not the ending… Soon you would find two groups of people who would just love the movie or those who simply hate it… If you are open for “not the usual script with song and dance” then Ghanchakkar is watchable…

Watchable – for its difference from the usual!

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

Kumki

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Kumki –  In villages adjacent to forest areas the threat of wild elephants are a growing concern. During the harvest season they rampage the fields for food causing the whole year of hard work by the farmers go in vain. In order to circumvent such issues they hire trained elephants which are called  “Kumki elephants” to guard the crops and chase the wild elephant away. The movie revolves around the story of one such village wanting to protect their people and crops from a dreadful wild elephant. They are in search of a mahout and a trained Kumki elephant. In a scheme of things the protagonist Bomman who owns a pet elephant ends up taking his elephant to do the job. However his elephant is domesticated and has no skill what so ever to guard the village against the wild elephant. Bomman falls in love with the daughter of the village head and decides to extend his stay there. Life is happy till the wild elephant comes into the village and starts attacking… What happens is the rest of the plot.

The plot is unique and new. Prabhu Solomon should be appreciated for taking up such a plot and to make a movie. The way the incidents build up to the climax is very well done. The biggest positive of the movie is the cinematography. They have captured the beautiful forests of Shimoga and Kerala very well. However the movie falls just short of what could have been a fairy tale in the climax. Not many audience would have been happy with how the director had ended it… But still you could watch it for the excellent plot, beautiful locations and its visuals.

Watchable

Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Reviews, Worth a Watch

David (Hindi)

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David (Hindi) – The movie begins with 3 persons with the same name “David” on the verge of doing something destructive that would end a life, friendship and relationship. The only difference is the first David’s story is set in 1975, the next ones in 1999 and the last ones in 2010. Coincidentally the date of the incident remains the same. The story then rewinds back in life of each of them and take us through the incidents that had bought them to this juncture. The movie is quiet engaging in particular the story of the first two played by Neil Nitin Mukesh and Vinay Virmani. The shots have been taken picture perfect and the editing is done very well. The third story in which Vikram plays David seems to be too weak for a movie plot and is in sharp contrast to the other two. However the other two make up for it. All the lead characters have done very well. Kudos to the director for screening the 1975 story in black and white. It is so pleasant to watch the black and white sequences which concentrates on the depth of the story with some brilliant lighting and cuts off the unwanted details which might have conveyed in color. If you like movies like Amores Perros, Yuva where the plot is built around incidents and does not have an ultimate goal which it leads to, then you would like this movie. Or else this may not interest you.

Watchable

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

David (Tamil)

David (Tamil) – The movie begins with two people by the same name David at different time periods trying to take a step that would lead to destruction of life, friendship and relationship. The only difference is the time period, each of the incident is 11 years apart but the same date. The movie rewinds back in each of their life to take us through the incidents that had lead them to do this and what is the ultimate decision they take. Jiva and Vikram have done their roles as David very well. The story of Vikram seem to be very weak as a plot and the director has struggled to build up the incidents that would make the audience connect while the story of Jiva is quiet engaging. At the end of the movie it leaves you with a incomplete feeling. The completeness is in the Hindi version where there is 3rd David whose story is much earlier to these two. If you are keen in this movie then I would recommend you to watch the Hindi Version. You can read the review here

Can Skip it

Action, Biopic, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Pazhassi Raja

Pazhassi Raja – Watched it on DVD finally. Talented scripting brings the characters of the 18th Century alive again. Ilayaraja’s background score had added life to the Script making it more interesting to watch it. Watch it for fantastic screen play and brilliant acting…

Must Watch

 

Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Wait for DVD/TV

Rajneeti

Rajneeti – Caught in directors dilemma of basing it on Mahabharat or God Father. Prakash Jha fails to create the same punch as he had done in Gangajal or Apaharan in his native style. Though a good political plot the screenplay might appear to be dragging for people who have seen God Father and many other Mahabharat adaptations.  If you haven’t seen movies like Godfather then you might like this one…

Wait for DVD/TV

Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Rann

Rann – typical RGV  movie… it gets on track right from first shot and somewhere in the middle falters a bit… However he had made up for everything in the climax… He has made a bold statement on media which is not bringing news but selling news… Worth the watch for its serious subject, good cast and direction…

Watchable