Tag Archives: Tamil Movie Reviews

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

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

Kochadaiiyaan – The Legend (3D)

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Kochadaiiyaan – is a historic film made in many Indian languages employing performance capture technology. Rana runs away from his city at a very small age. He is adopted by the citizens of Kalingapuri , grows into a very talented soldier and eventually becomes the Commander in Chief for the kingdom. However Rana’s past forces him to act against the interests of Kalingapuri. What was it about his past and how Rana handles it is the story of Kochadaiiyaan.

It has been a much awaited movie from Superstar Rajnikanth. It is also the first ever full length Indian movie made using performance capture technology. The real hero of the movie is KS Ravikumar. He has created a very compelling story line tailor made for Rajnikanth. The story keeps you engaged throughout the movie.  Rajnikanth proves he is much beyond technology. His voice is a big plus for the movie. AR Rahman has created very soulful music that suits the story line. The major let down is the visuals. Of course all of us understand that it is hard to make a movie of this sort given the quick timeline with a shoe string budget. If you take that out the product finish is not something you would remember. They could have still done better in many places. First and foremost is the lack of data for pupil and eye lash movement of the characters is an issue. The color palette they have used to render the scenes is very inconsistent. You would see some bright visuals for songs but rest of the scenes are dull. The third important factor they haven’t given much thought is for the materials (like the terrain, walls, objects) used for the environment. These make it look like a 3D cartoon animation movie you had watched 15 years ago. However you would see moments of brilliance in certain scenes, in particular the stunt scenes have been done very well. They have really done a good job with the character that resurrects Nagesh on to the screen. Despite the short comings the screenplay of the movie, Rajni’s voice and AR Rahman’s music would entertain you and keep you glued to the seat. Kochadaiiyaan is a good attempt to start a trend towards performance capture technology. If it is used in a proper manner it could create wonders for Indian Cinema and enable us to make movies which are very difficult to make otherwise. Spending a good amount of time in the pre-production stage is very vital to make a good movie. If our Indian film makers concentrate on this department they would be able to make movies that could compete with many western movies in production quality.

Overall Kochadaiiyaan is worth a watch if you are not going with a mindset of experiencing a visual treat. If you are able to look beyond the shortcoming of the visuals – the story, actors and music would be a treat for you.

Watchable – for the first time effort, brilliant story line, music and of course for Superstar.

 

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

Vallinam

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Vallinam – is a Tamil sports movie based on basketball released in 2014. Krishna decides to quit basketball after losing his close friend in an inter college tournament. When he moves to Chennai to pursue his studies, he is pushed into a situation to lead the college basketball team to win one of the biggest inter-college championships.

Director Arivazhagan has been bold enough to take up a sports movie after his success with Eeram. The movie opens with a very promising note and gets you prepared for an exciting game. However the romance sequence which has been forcefully fitted into the movie drags down the pace of the script. He could have totally avoided this. The movie is brilliant when the sports events are covered. He could have concentrated more on the sport rather than getting distracted. Given that basketball may not be the most popular game in India, going through the various rules and situations in the game would have been very interesting and would have given a lot of scope to make the final game very interesting.  Sabu Joseph’s editing has been brilliant for all the basketball scenes and the national award is well deserved. There is a very strong message for people aspiring to get into sports. Overall Vallinam is a predictable game with lot of unwanted commercial breaks. You could watch it on TV.

Wait for TV/DVD

 

 

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

Tenaliraman

Tenaliraman – is a Tamil comedy movie released in 2014. The ministers of Vigada Nagaram plan to bring in foreign traders into the kingdom and setup shops. This leads to poverty of locals. Tenaliraman, the witty and wise minister plans to bring this to the attention of the King and save the people.

Vadivelu’s come back movie after years. Taking up the role of the Tenaliraman is a very wise decision. Tales of Tenaliraman has always been fascinating and still they bring a smile on your face. The movie is a collage of many of the tales you might have read or watched on TV. Director Yuvaraj Dhayalan has neatly arranged it together to create an engaging screenplay. The film also has a very decent production quality. He has also tuned Vadivelu’s acting to suit to the story line. You may not enjoy the movie if you are expecting a laugh riot from Vadivelu like Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi. You would enjoy the movie if you go with an open mind and for Tenaliraman for the wise man he was. Overall the movie deserves a one-time watch.

Watchable

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

Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Biriyani

Biriyani – is a Tamil thriller released in 2013. Sugan and Parasu stop at a road side restaurant to have biriyani. But they seldom realize this would put them into an unimaginable situation for being chased by police for a link to a murder and their family being targeted by goons. How they get involved in this situation and where they able to get out of it is the plot for the movie.

Director Venkat Prabhu known for coming up with some creative situations for Tamil movies has done it once again for biriyani. But it falls short of being as tasty as it claims to be. The screenplay is carved out the same template the director has done in his previous movies. There are – a group of friends, goons involved in heist, good cop and corrupt cops, business man wanting to more power, an item girl trying to woo the guys. A majority of the movie sails on the same lines. There is very little that can differentiate this from others. Karthi and Premji had tried hard to keep the audience engaged and have a hearty laugh… but their success is few and far between. Instead of falling into the trap of his previous plots if the director had spent efforts to perfect the script this biriyani would have been very yummy but it just ends up with more masala and less of taste.

What you would like: The visuals, the main plot, occasional thrills and laughter

What you may not like: Same old treatment of the screenplay, unrealistic and forced in sequences

Overall this dish might be enjoyed if you don’t crave for a biriyani and have it at home.

Watch on TV/DVD

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

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.

 

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

Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (Idhaaba)

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Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (Idhaaba) – is a Tamil Comedy movie released in 2013.  One day in a wine shop three incidents happen. A Roadside Romeo who has been stalking a girl in the neighborhood is being interrogated and warned by a local goon. A young sales representative stressed out balancing the demands of his boss and his girlfriend’s expectations, is drinking with his friends. Two contract killers stab a man to death. The paths of all these stories cross and what happens is the rest.

The movie starts in a lighter note and travels with the three story lines in parallel and convincingly ends with a much needed social message. Director Gokul has done a good job in engaging the audience to a greater extent compared to his earlier outing with Rowthiram. The screenplay is brilliant and keeps the interest going on. The cast, music and the locations all fit in apt with the story line.

What you would like: Comedy, Social message, Engaging Screenplay

What you would dislike: Too much of wine shop

Overall the movie is definitely a good watch.

Watchable

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

Arrambam

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Arrambam – is a Tamil Action Thriller released in 2013. The movie is an adaptation of the English movie Swordfish.  Ashok (Ajith) employs a skillful hacker Arjun (Arya) against his will to hack into highly secured networks. Arjun learns Ashok is behind the bomb blast in the city and also witnesses him killing multiple people. He tips off the police to get Ashok arrested… Was Arjun able to escape from Ashok? Why is Ashok killing people, planting bombs and hacking systems? – is the rest of the plot.

The entire script sails on the mass value of Ajith. The movie starts promisingly and definitely engages audience to a larger extent. However the flash back has been made into an emotional drama to justify the actions of the protagonist.  In an effort to make the movie a commercial pot boiler Director Vishnuvardhan misses to tie the loop holes in the screenplay. He seemed to have been desperate in connecting strongly with the audience and has employed the ploy which had been used successfully in many movies. The elaborate climax fight scene defies the logic of an average movie goer.

What you would like: Ajith’s screen presence, star cast, action sequences and the social message.

What you would hate: Drag in the screenplay, unwanted melodrama to justify the actions and overuse logic defying sequences.

Overall the movie has been made for the Diwali audience who are generally more forgiving than usual. This is a movie where you should not think too much and might make a decent watch when aired on TV.

Wait for TV/DVD – for the star cast

Crime, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum

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Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum – is a Tamil Crime Thriller released in 2013. One night a medical student finds a man lying on the road with a bullet wound. He risks the law and saves him by doing a surgical procedure all by himself. The unknown man later known as wolf escapes after the surgery and we come to know that he is a fugitive and a contract killer wanted by the police. Who is this wolf and why is he wanted by the police? Did the medical student and his family come out of the case? – is the rest of the plot.

Mysskin is known for his unique plot and different style of narration. Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum is no different. It has its thrilling and gripping moments that would keep the audience engaged for its most part. Ilayaraja’s background score is a great plus for the movie. Different camera angles and elaborate single shot narration which are typical Mysskin’s trademark can be seen in this movie as well. However as the story unfolds you feel that the suspense is dragged a tad bit longer and which is distraction for the viewer. The actual suspense turns out to be bleak for the amount of bloodshed that happens. Mysskin should concentrate more on the production quality of the movies he makes. Overall it is not a bad movie and would make a decent watch on television.

Wait for TV/DVD

 

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

Moodar Koodam

Moodar Koodam – A Tamil Dark Comedy movie released in 2013. Four strangers come together under a strange circumstance. They decide to loot the house of a business man running a financial investment company. The business man is about to elope with his family cheating people of their money. The four strangers enter the house and hold everyone captive to get money. Did they succeed in their attempt is the rest of the plot.

Dark comedy as a genre is now picking up for Tamil Cinema. The new comer director and actor Naveen should be praised for choosing such a subject for his first movie. The story stays true to its title Moodar Koodam (Fools Gathering) and brings the fool out of every character. If you have a taste for dark comedy you will enjoy and laugh at the incidents. The techniques used in the five flashback stories have been brilliant each depicting a type of film making. The movie starts with a bang, slows down in the middle and picks up during the climax portion. The drag in the middle portion is because of the fact that there are no thrilling moments which could have kept the audience excited. All the cast have played their part well and the screenplay for the climax sequence have been done well. Overall the movie is a good attempt for a beginner and deserves a watch.

Watchable – for dark comedy fans!