Movie Review - Raavanan

After more than a year, an event has finally happened which made me revive this blog. A new Maniratnam movie. Oh Yea, there are some things in life that HAVE to be talked about.

"Opinions are like you-know-whats; Everybody has one", the saying goes. And everybody has an opinion about Raavanan. Anecdotal evidence suggests that reviews by Indian viewers are more critical than the forgiving NRI gumbal that is desperate for any form of entertainment.

So yea, the movie is not all that bad. It is most definitely not boring. But, if all of Mani's creations were ranked from 1 to n, this would land at the very bottom of the heap. Why? Well, i'll dwell on the pluses before the minuses

Pluses -

- Vikram's dynamite performance: From the "saavu melam" that he beats in the opening sequence, to his shy proposal to Ash, Vikram is world class. If i were Raagini, I would have texted Dev asking him to get on with his life and lived happily ever after with hottie Ravan!

- Camera -OK, read all the other reviews to learn more about this

Minuses -

- Ash - She had her hey days, and sadly, those days are long past. And no, I am not referring to her age here. She looks jaded, far beyond her years. OK, so she does look watchable on the big screen, but if you were to take away her skin and make her eyes look black rather than green, would she still be the lead in such a big budget movie?

- A.R Rahman - Dude, yea, you did win the Oscar, but did you leave your sruthi potti behind in LA? The "chandthiranum sooriyanum" line in Usure pogudhe is the most egregious example of abaswaram. And the Keda curry song? No wonder Mani didn't give a shit about song picturizations in this movie

- Dialogues - Mani's movies have always been lauded/laughed at for the dialogues. They have always been uniquely weird - all the characters speak in crazy clipped sentences like "Vittudu.. ...Ellathayom....Ellathayom vittudu...". Nobody talks like that in real life, but somehow, they kinda made sense in the universe Mani created in his earlier movies. Here, Suhasini's dialogues are more verbose, and yea, everything goes to hell. I cannot write anymore on this topic, i am still tired from the onslaught of gramathu thamizh that is probably not spoken in any gramam on this planet. See, there is NOBODY more boat-club-road-chic and urbane than Suhasini and Mani, so WHY O WHY do they insist on doing something they really don't have a clue about?

And then, here is the biggest biggest flaw in the movie....Dev's character. The problem does not lie with the fact that Mani tried to create a positive Raavanan and imbibe shades of negativity into his Ram. He has done this before and succeeded - remember Mammooty in Thalapathi? He played Duryodhana's character and he was portrayed as this modern day Robinhood who Rajni (Karna) would give his life for. Nobody had a problem with that movie, and it remains one of Rajni's best. That movie succeeded because Arjun's character (played by Arvind Sami), served as a perfect counter point to Karna and Duryodhana. And the audience took sides with both the good guys and the "bad" guys (at least in the eyes of the law). Dev is no Arjun, and the movie suffers for it. Mani should have had the guts to make him either perfectly good, or super bad. He does neither. Dev ends up looking like a boring A***le. You neither like him, nor can you bother taking the effort to dislike him. What a cop-out.

And speaking of cop outs, is Mani being paid to make movies for Ash and Abhi?

So really, the movie is not bad, but that isnt saying much; anybody can rehash a famous epic, and draw plenty of inspiration from earlier epics they already adapted into cinema (even Thalapati was about a Robinhood that an honest government official wanted to arrest)

Mani, we really expected so much more from you......

PS: There is a very bright silver lining here; Remember Dil Se? Yea, everybody likes it today, but 10 years ago, it was universally panned by critics and flopped. And then, Mani quit messing around with bollywood (atleast for a brief while), totally went back to his roots, and gave us..sigh...Alaipayuthy. Hope history repeats itself.

Movie Review - Guna

Did I hear you say this review is 17 years too late? Well, blogs did not exist during my 8th std days (thats when the movie was released and yes, I am OLD). Anyway, isnt it always better late than never?

I had time to kill during the weekend, and I had to feed my Thamizh cinema cravings. I absolutely could not watch another movie starring self proclaimed "little" superstars, "megastars", "thalapathis" etc. So I decided to go back to the real deal, to a time when there were two real superstars. I watched Guna again.

Kamal is always guilty of making movies far ahead of their time (recent examples - Hey Ram, Anbe Sivam) and the box office punishes him for his efforts. Guna is one such movie - very few people appreciated it when it was released, plus, the timing was really bad. Guna was released the same day as Maniratnam's classic Thalapathi with Rajnikanth. However, commercial success or not, Guna is a brilliant movie, and its small flaws can be forgiven.

The story:
Its about Guna - an "obsessive psycho neurotic". He is totally delusional. He somehows believes that under his scarred exterior lies pure divine goodness, and he is no different from Siva himself. And he believes that he will meet his Abirami (Parvathi) someday and she will elevate him from the squalor of his surroundings and it will be a divine union of souls. He does end up meeting a girl, convinces himself that she is his Abirami and abducts her. Many plot twists later, does she end up reciprocating his love? Do they live happily every after?

The performances:
Kamal is the God of acting. He makes you fall in love with his character...Guna is annoying, endearing, childlike, and mostly nuts, and he still makes you root for him. You want the heroine to fall in love with him and your heart breaks for him in the final scenes. The heroine Roshini is very pretty. There is a certain innocence to her face, and you can see why Kamal so readily falls for her. She didnt really act in any movies after that did she?

The music:
1992 was Illayaraja's last golden year (Rahman's Roja was released the next year). I remember traveling to Ooty and Coimbatore before Diwali that year, and literally, every patti thotti was playing Thalapathi and Guna endlessly. Guna's songs were mostly situational - you would not really want to play them in your car stereo, but watched along with the movie, his songs are brilliant.

Though Kanmani anbodu is everybody's favorite, I loved Partha vizhi paartha padi. The whole movie is about this concept of divine, other-worldly love, and this song totally nails it. The percussion sequence towards the end of the song for the Shiva Parvathi thaandavam is brilliant. Even more divine is the background score in Raagam Hamsanadham, just before the song starts. This is when Kamal falls in love with his "Abirami" and this tune is repeated throughout the rest of the movie whenever Kamal is overwhelmed by his emotions. The chorus during the movie's ending is especially haunting. If not for anything else, Ilayaraja's back ground score is a good enough reason to watch the movie.

The classic scenes:
Despite being a commercial failure, Guna has found a place in the history of Thamizh cinema for some fantastic scenes.

- Kamal in his doctor's office during a therapy session - He whips himself into a frenzy, rapidly pacing round and round a tiny room, describing his fantasy of living on a cold moutain with the smell of his medicine and his Abirami. The camera picks up dizzying speed, your heart beats in tandem, and the scene comes to an abrupt end with Kamal crashing into the room's door. Brilliant!

- Another beautiful scene is when Kamal thinks his mother is dead, and then finds her hale and hearty. He cries with relief, love and anger (at being lied to), and you cry because he didnt get an Oscar for that scene!

- "Manidhar unarndhu kolla idhu manidha kaadhal alla...." Kamal's voice, the Guna caves in Kodaikanal, the wonderful camera work...sigh...

- "Abirami sonna pournami dhaan" - The heroine wants Kamal to marry her, he insists they wait till the full moon. She does not want to wait and she tells him that it is Pournami. He immediately agrees and says "Abirami sonna pournami dhaan" (if Abirami says so, it is the full moon then). The dialogue ends there, but I really like the reference to the Abirami Andhadhi here. The scene alludes to the events surrounding Abirami Battar - a saint who was a true devotee of the Goddess. In response to his pleas, when he was singing the verses of Abirami andhadhi, the goddess flung her earring into the sky and the new moon night turned into a full moon night. The movie has other references to Abirami Andhadhi - the songs Partha vizhi has a few lines (Idam kondu vimmi..) and Kamal repeats these same lines in the climax. Thamizh vaazhga, adhai valartha Kamal vaazhga!

Ofcourse, the movie does have flaws. It is too long, there is a lot of crying, SPB's coughing and wheezing is plain annoying and the Unnai naan ariven song is way too long and depressing. These flaws aside, the movie is a brave attempt and stays true to its story - about love that is beyond the understanding of mere mortals. The movie also ended up beyond the understanding of most Thamizh audiences. Sigh....

Movie Review - Kuselan

Whats up with malayalam movies? Well, atleast the ones they remake into Thamizh superhits? Their first two and a half hours plod along, at a pace that would give snails major superiority complex. Then bam! The final thirty minutes of the movie end up being absolutely incredible. Cases in point? Kathalukku mariyathai, Chandramukhi, and now, Kuselan.

It would be a blessing for the audience if the moviemakers would spare us the ordeal of the first 2.5 hours and just cut to the chase. But then, nobody on this planet can get away with a forty five minute movie. So, we are forced to endure an interminable number of puerile Vadivelu jokes, haphazardly thrown together montages of Thamizh cinema, and all the mandatory shots about a poor but peaceful family holding hands and prancing along the shores of a lake where dolphins leap out every now and then (yes, really, dolphins!!!! In Thamizhnadu!). And then we get to see Nayanthara, a lot of her in fact. The pleasantly plump fresh faced actress of Chandramukhi has now morphed into this entirely different person thanks to seriously thinned eyebrows, rebonded hair, and God knows what combination of diet and liposuction. The innocence is all gone, and she frankly seems rather angry that her nutritionist took her lunch away.

The still chubby and natural Meena is a welcome contrast, with her trademark wide-eyed charm and a subdued, gentle performance. Pasupathi shines with his sincere portrayal. G.V Prakash's musical score does not rise above the ordinary. Cinematographer Aravind Krishnan does a superb job, especially with his extreme closeups of Rajni's face; every single emotion is captured, while the Superstar's age is miraculously masked.

After patiently waiting out all the barber jokes and other "comedy", us loyal fans are finally rewarded with a truly brilliant performance by Rajnikanth. Sorry, calling it a performance is inaccurate. The Superstar does not act. He simply plays himself. It is as though he listened to all our complaints post Sivaji - the boss. Sure, even in this movie, he romances a young heroine, and appears in a number of super hero get-ups, but these are just for the movie shoot around which the entire film's plot revolves. He good naturedly spoofs himself, and appears to genuinely enjoy doing it.

In every scene, he makes the audience hang on to each word he utters. There is a lot to be said about the movie's climax, but then, that would be unfair to the reader who has not watched the movie yet. Rajni moves the audience with a never seen before display of real emotion. I can only say this - if you are the Superstar's fan already, you will worship him after watching Kuselan. Even if you are not a believer yet, you will be converted. In Kuselan, Rajni's soul shines through. And how!!!

Movie Review - The Dark Knight

Rare is the movie that lives up to its pre-release hype. Rarer still is the movie which blows away all expectations, exceeding even the highest hopes held by its franchise's loyalists. The Dark Knight belongs to the latter category. Calling it a movie, especially a super hero movie does it great injustice. It is a cinematic event. A benchmark that all future movie makers can only aspire to attain.

The Dark Knight's central theme is not really too different from other super hero movies. The secretive protagonist cannot reveal his true identity; his biggest fear is the fact that his loved ones are exposed to great danger. He struggles with a love/hate relationship with the public. Ultimately, he is forced into a massive showdown by the villain, and defends his city putting himself at great peril. Sure, this story reads a bit like Spiderman 3. Heck, even the rather pathetic Hancock had similar story elements. However, the storyline forms only a tiny portion of what The Dark Knight has to offer. The movie's zing comes from the unrelentingly dark screenplay.

The comicky feel of super hero movies can often be attributed to caricatured villains (remember Spidey's wussy dialogue "oh green goblin, what have you done....") These traditional villains have something logical (at least to their twisted minds) to fight for. And that is where The Dark Knight makes a radical shift from its genre. Batman's nemesis is the Joker. And the Joker wreaks havoc for one simple reason - because he can. As the movie progresses, the Joker's antics become increasingly terrifying - even Gotham's conventional villains (the mobsters) cannot survive. The Joker does not really want to destroy Batman - he needs Batman's good to contrast with his evil.

Much has been said and written by Heath Ledger's performance. He deserves every accolade and then some more. With his greasy hair, chilling voice, mirthless laughter, macabre makeup and scars across his cheeks (a tiny hint into the horrors he suffered as a child), Heath takes method acting to heights never before scaled by any other actor on this planet. I would love to watch this movie again, just to experience Heath's spine chilling performance.

While The Dark Knight belongs to Heath all the way, it would be a shame to ignore the supporting cast - Christian Bale as Batman, and Aaron Eckhart as the city's district attorney shine. Maggie Gyllenhal replaces Katie Holmes. I found her performance a tad disappointing - there was at least some chemistry between Katie and Christian. She also did bring some urgency and earnestness to her character.

The musical score by Hans Zimmer is simply brilliant. Also notable is the gritty action - there is very little use of CGI. Every stunt has been painstakingly executed. Even the heart stopping 18 wheeler chase was shot using actual vehicles, right in the narrow streets of Chicago. And speaking of Chicago, the director makes splendid use of the grand old city, transforming it into Gotham just by using strategic art direction and muted camera work.

Watch The Dark Knight. It is brilliant. Thank you Heath. We sure will miss you.

Movie Review - Dasavatharam

Warning*** Some spoilers below...

Seldom have I felt such conflicting emotions after watching a movie - do I love it or hate it? Well, after much thought - here is my verdict; the movie offered tantalizing glimpses into the immense potential that Thamizh and Indian cinema has; however, its impact is marred by innumerable gimmicks, dreadful makeup, and needless/endless hero-worshipping that much of Kollywood feels compelled to indulge in.

To state that Kamal is a great actor is like saying that the sun rises in the east. It is that obvious, and that indisputable. He does not act - he simply becomes the character. In the eighties, perhaps bored by simple "hero" roles, Kamal began experimenting with various avatars. And thus began the string of movies where the handsome actor intentionally disfigured and/or disguised himself, playing old men, midgets, etc etc. It just took a few eyebrow pencil lines on his forehead, a little talcum powder on his hair, a wig and some false teeth (and yea, the occasionally bound up legs or water bags tied around his stomach too)

Then sadly, Kamal discovered the "art"(?) of prosthetic makeup. Painfully enduring hours of application, and then many hours more for removal, Kamal transformed himself into an elderly vigilante for Shankar's Indian. Sure, he won a national award for the movie, but frankly, the makeup stuff (bearing scary resemblance to chapathi dough) ended up masking all his facial expressions (and Kamal is the most expressive actor I have ever seen). If one Indian-thatha was hard to watch, imagine the plight of the audience when asked to endure another eight such atta-masked characters in Dasavatharam.

Ironically, the only characters that leave a lasting impression on the viewer are the ones where Kamal allows his real face to show without the distractions of makeup (the scientist, and the 12th century Vaishnavite) or minimal makeup (the hilarious RAW agent). Watching the movie, you come to the quick conclusion that Kamal plays ten roles, just so that the movie could be called "Dasavatharam" and he could enter all the record books. Some of the characters do nothing to help move the story forward (Avatar Singh, the Japanese person), while the makeup on some other characters (the tall guy, the 95 year old paati) is so grotesque, you scratch your head wondering "what were Kamal and K.S Ravikumar thinking?"

Also, despite the seeming novelty of Kamal's multiple avatars, each role has a stale been-there-done-that feel. The Old lady? Yea, Avvai Shanmugi. Humanitarian guy pushing aside conventional religion? Kamal already did that in Anbe Sivam. Pious Vaishnavite? Remember Hey Ram? Suave foreign returned dude? the Madan character in MMKR....Hey, Kamal has even portrayed a japanese character already in the Kalyanaraman series.

Without the avatars, the movie would have been truly brilliant. A scientist participates in the creation of a bio weapon that could kill millions of people if released in the air. The bad guys want to get a hold of it. How he tries to save the weapon, dodging a ruthless ex-CIA agent forms the rest of the plot. Beautiful Asin reaches the pinnacle of her career with a fabulous performance as an orthodox Agraharam girl.

Kamal's Balaram Naidu character can easily be ranked the best, with laugh-out-loud funny dialogues. If you can forgive the bad makeup, Kamal has also excelled as the 95 year old lady and George Bush. The CIA officer would have been cool, but I could not look past the disproportionately sized head.

The biggest letdown however happens right in the beginning of the movie; There is a perfect sub plot set in 12th century Thamizhnadu - the tussle between a Chola king and a pious temple priest. Everything about this sequence was mind boggling - the special effects, majestic performances by Kamal and Napoleon, unparalleled art direction, lush cinematography and special effects hitherto never seen before in Indian cinema. I really thought the movie was going to evolve into a wonderful historical/supernatural/philosophical/religious/paranormal adventure. However, this sub-plot ends, without tying into the main script, and the rest of the movie is fairly mundane. What was the significance of this opening sequence? Was it to show that Kamal and Asin's souls are reincarnated and they unite in a later avatar? So?

Like it or hate it, the movie cannot be ignored. The special effects, while imperfect, are still truly commendable. The tremendous effort put in by the actors, and crew shows literally in every frame. Arggh....if only they had not bothered with the avatars and the makeup......

Here is the bottom line- Kamal is arguably the greatest actor in the world. A wonderful performer like him, does NOT need stuff plastered on his face. He has already set all the records he needs to in his illustrious career - he does not need any more gimmicks. As a movie buff, with a lifelong crush on Kamal, I can only hope that he goes back to his roots and leverages his talent and immense brainpower to make some seriously good cinema.

Mr. Kamal Haasan, you ARE the greatest. We already know that. So please, can we see the real you and nothing but your true face in your next movie? Please?

Image source: http://www.indiaglitz.com/

Movie Review - Sex and the City, the movie

I feel like I just survived a really bad date...wait...I feel even worse....

There is no gentle way to say it, so I'll go right ahead - the movie was vastly disappointing, just a poor shadow of the series. Sure, there were a few bright spots, but just a few. While the series was all about the girls, and the clothes were a surprising bonus, the movie becomes a pathetic exercise in over the top fashion and product placement. And not good products at that. The Louis Vuitton bag is hideous. And Carrie's beautiful wedding dress is ruined by the bird perched on top of her head (yes really, a bird)

Harsh? Yes. As I learnt from Carrie, life is all about the heartache and the heartbreak. And Carrie broke our hearts with this one.

(PS: I just cannot type anymore. Check out more reviews here)

Hey critics - you owe me $30

Yes - For the movie tickets, popcorn, and the emergency coffee that we desperately needed after watching "There will be blood".

On sunday, K announced for the millionth time that we HAD to watch "There will be blood". Daniel Day Lewis is K's favorite actor. Selfless wife(??) that I am, I kept my premonitions to myself (my general rule of thumb - the higher the tomatometer rating for a movie, the more boring the movie gets, with only a few worthy exceptions). 30 wasted bucks and a lot of stifled yawns later, I realized to my dismay that my gut feel was right. The movie was B-O-R-I-N-G. Even K (who has really good movie taste) agreed.

The only intriguing and interesting thing about There will be blood is its title. I thought it would be a Godfather like saga, especially after the trailers offered tantalizing glimpses into Daniel's character - an oilman who is also a homicidal megalomaniac. However, there was very little happening after the brilliantly shot first twenty minutes of the movie. Daniel Day Lewis plays a cranky middle aged/old man who wants to drill for oil and has a complicated relationship with a little boy (I couldnt tell if he was really Daniel's son). There is also a supposed power tussle with an evangelist. Thats about it.

Daniel's Oscar winning performance is the biggest headscratcher of all. It was not bad - but just mind-numbingly monochromatic. There was one emotion that he portrayed; And sure, he portrayed that emotion well, but I cannot understand why a performance which was so low on nuance, made worse by monotonous dialoge delivery should be blessed with an Oscar. Ironically, the truly brilliant thing about the movie - the sound recording and background musical score - did not receive a single nod from the Academy.

The critics applauded the violent ending of the movie, calling it blood-chilling psycho-drama. All I saw was an old drunk clubbing an incredibly annoying character with a bowling pin. Its almost like all the critics who reviewed the movie had heard some buzz about it's supposed greatness, and then were too embarassed to admit that they simply didnt get it; and then they overcompensated by heaping way more praise than the movie really deserved.

Well, I'll say it for them - The emperor has no clothes. The movie sucked. And yes, we have seen far better performances from Daniel Day Lewis than this. And yes; George Clooney's Michael Clayton was way more brilliant and award worthy.

Some more quick notes on the Oscar -

* Jon Stewart was not too bad, but you would appreciate him only if you are a rabid fan of his daily show

* Americans now join Indians in complaining that the Oscars never go to them (all four acting awards went to Europeans)

* Loved Marion Cotillard's speech ("Thank you life, thank you love")

* Helen Mirren is fabulous - if i looked even a little like her at that age, i would consider it a life well lived

* Move over Cartier diamonds and Prada accessories - Baby bumps have become the must-have fashion accessory of the season. Yea great, so now actresses in addition to being incredibly beautiful and making millions, ALSO HAVE PERFECT PERSONAL LIVES. And yea, George Clooney showed up with his new girlfriend. I guess I should just throw myself off a cliff.

Movie Review - Pirivom Sandhipom

Pirivom Sandhipom is different and watchable, with lush cinematography, sincere performances, a different storyline, and simple dialogues. The movie is especially bolstered by Sneha, Cheran, and Jayaram's impressive performances. The attention to Sneha's look in the movie is commendable. She starts out looking fresh faced and pretty, and as the movie progresses, her face reflects her inner state of mind more and more.

(SPOILER ALERT*** plot details and movie ending revealed below)

Story in short -

In the movie, Sneha being a people person thrives in her newly married status as the daughter in law of a massive joint family. Then, she accompanies her husband when his job takes him to a remote hill station. Incredibly lonely, she mopes around, spiraling further into depression. Her husband finally awakens to her plight, and following the doctor’s advice, takes her back home to his family and they live happily ever after.

And I did not agree with the movie....

Sneha’s troubles are not imagined. Depression caused by such isolation is a condition that millions of us are sadly all too familiar with. It is prevalent, not just with young women, but also with elderly empty-nesters. I can especially identify with this, living in America. Despite having a highly demanding full time career and an incredible supportive husband, even I am familiar with the void that isolation and protracted periods of silence creates in you – this is something which no number of phone calls, emails or nice paychecks can fill.

After the entire movie sincerely attempted to mirror reality, the climax, to me, was annoyingly simplistic. I totally agree with Jayaram’s take on the importance of relationships. But, how easy is it for people to just pack up and go back home? Upon first glance, it appears as though this movie does a great job at empathizing with women, and giving a voice to their broken hearts. But in reality – I see the movie as doing a greater disservice to such women. "Oh you are lonely? Oh well, just go back then!" seems to be the message.

In addition to oversimplifying an often intractable issue, the movie only reinforces two immensely troubling stereotypes -

1) A woman's life begins and ends with her family and relationships at home, there is no outside world, there are no social causes that she could dedicate some of her time to - Despite Sneha being portrayed as intelligent, well educated, enthusiastic, and friendly, she shows zero interest in developing herself as person after her marriage. Sure, when she lives with her in-laws, it makes sense that all her time is taken up caring for them. But, she does absolutely nothing when she is alone – except cooking, and recording sound clips. Agreed that it is a small town with few job opportunities. But how about teaching? Volunteering in the doc’s clinic? Nope. The script writers do not even make this effort.

2) A good wife is the one who keeps all her troubles to herself and puts everyone's happiness ahead of her own desires: This pathetic stereotype has been propagated from the early days of quasi-misogynistic Visu movies. In defense of this movie, there is a scene when all the elders sensibly tell Sneha that it is important for her to communicate her feelings. Sneha’s character blissfully ignores this, and the screenplay glorifies and justifies this attitude of hers. She continues to indulge in her self destructive behavior, with little regard to what her husband would do if something bad happened to her.
I am tired of such needless martyrdom. Taking care of your physical and emotional health is not a selfish thing to do – by me taking care of myself, my loved ones have one less thing to worry about.

This is just a movie - why are you getting so worked up you may ask? To me, it is not just a movie. It deals with a situation that is immensely personal. Almost every family has moms and daughters living continents away, and increasing career pressures keeps husbands and wives away from home for 13 -14 hours at a time, or even all week.

The movie would have been infinitely better if they had shown the couple eventually striking a happy medium – with Sneha spending more time with her family, and also dedicating her time, knowledge and intellectual capabilities to volunteering and/or educating herself. Sure, family is important, but can we all simply focus on cooking for our families and taking care of our kids, when there is an outside world that desperately needs us?

The movie could have been a great progressive source of inspiration - galvanizing such young, intelligent, loving, compassionate, and well educated women like Sneha to actually leverage their immense potential to change the world. When a movie is pure fantasy, sure, the writers can take a lot of artistic liberty. But when a movie attempts to deal with realism, it also then has some social obligations.

The movie sure does offer a lot of sympathy, which is not a bad thing. But it really should have also offered some socially conscious tough love. And that would have been so much better.

Bheema movie review

I guess someone came up with some really nice songs. And then choreographed a bunch of fight scenes well. Uh...little problem, they forgot a couple of small details - something called a script and screenplay. Well, why fear when the formula is here?

- Remorseless hero who is a mass murderer by profession? Check

- Aging don with a heart of gold? Check

- Heartwarming scenes with aging don's mother-figure-wife? Check

- Corpulent dancers hurting your eyes in so called item numbers? Check

- Crazy annoying heroine who has no qualms about "loving" mass-murderer-hero and performing endearing child-woman acts like popping bubbles in the side of a busy street? Check

- Ashish Vidhyarthi as a cop? Check

- A stuttering Raghuvaran doing his routine for the billionth time? Check

- An audience that will spend hundreds of hard earned bucks to watch the same old mindless crap stuffed back down their throats without even a little attempt at logic or coherence? Check

- "Unique twist" to con audiences into thinking this is a "different" movie? - hmmm....oh yes! Make remorseless-hero have a weird man-crush on aging-don (so what if there are snickers from the not-so-innocent audience?)

Thats Bheema for you. If you are a student of cinematography or a fashion hound and want to see some really pretty clothes, watch this movie. Otherwise, just rent Thalapathi's dvd.

If you are Vikram's die-hard fan, please buy the ticket, but try and close your eyes through the entire movie. Or better still, spare yourself from the heartbreak of watching him waste the best years of his life on utterly pointless drivel like this.

The Matrix explained

This is a pretty lengthy article. I simply HAD to write it, because last weekend, after watching the Matrix Revolutions, I finally saw the light (pun intended). I've understood about 95% of the Trilogy, with a little help from some amazing fan sites. The remaining 5%? Yea, I'm still not clear about the significance of Sati, the role she will play in the future, the sunrise she created etc etc etc.


SPOILER ALERT*****
The entire Matrix storyline is detailed here. So, if you have not watched the Trilogy, please do not read this. The Matrix trilogy is brilliant because it is the very definition of intelligent cinema. The Wachovsky brothers make you think a lot - only some aspects of the storyline are even revealed fully in the movie. You have to try and fill the remaining holes in with your own interpretation.


The Matrix can be interpreted in many ways - you can look at it as a simple action flick. Or, you can discover many principles of Advaitha embedded along the entire storyline (subtly in the beginning, and then a complete out-in-the-open bow when the character Ramachandra speaks about Karma). There are many references to Greek mythology and finally, Neo becomes a Jesus-like savior. Whichever way you look at it - The Matrix Trilogy is arguably the greatest trio of movies ever made.

And so....here is the entire story (or atleast, the way I see it)

1) There is a war between humans and intelligent machines (for supremacy, what else?)

2) The humans blacken the skies to cut off energy sources for the machines (which presumably used sunlight as a renewable energy source)

3) The machines need energy, so they set up huge "farms" where humans are cultivated in pods
so that the machines can harvest the bio-energy generated by the human bodies

4) The only way they could successfully keep humans alive but imprisoned in the pods was by creating a virtual reality to keep their minds occupied. This virtual reality is called the matrix. So, the imprisoned humans are not aware of their actual physical state, because, in their minds, they live in (what they think is) "the real world" which is in reality, just computer code (the matrix)

5) There exists the city of Zion where truly free humans still live. They think that they are rebels, fighting the machines. They hack into the matrix to free humans - more specifically, the humans who are ready to free their minds (that are imprisoned in the matrix). The free and freed humans live in Zion.

6) The free humans living in Zion also deploy fighter ships which roam around in the real world (mostly a wasteland due to the sunlight being cut off), fending off attacks from sentinels (squiggly mechanical things that aim to destroy the ships), to try and free more humans from the farms.

7) A notable captain of such a ship is Morpheus, with a notable crew member - Trinity. They free Neo (Keanu Reeves) from the matrix and enlighten him with the truth about the real world (see points 1 to 4 above). They believe that Neo is the One who can win the war with the machines, because of a prophecy from the Oracle. The Oracle is a mysterious lady who appears to foretell the future and lives in the matrix.

8) The free humans often delve into the matrix for various reasons. Their physical bodies are still in their ships. Their minds are in the matrix. As long as they understand that what they see in the matrix is unreal, they can easily defeat all the villainous agents that the machines deploy to destroy the free humans, and can even fly and do superhuman things. But, they can also be defeated and killed when inside the matrix, if their minds succumbs to feelings of fear and believes the matrix world as really real.

9) Prompted by the Oracle, Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity go in search of the Architect (the computer program that built the matrix program). After a great deal of drama, Neo meets the Architect (who appears as an elderly man. Note that in the matrix, many computer programs have human forms)

10) Neo learns a shocking truth about Zion from the Architect - While being the home for free humans, Zion was not entirely a human creation. It was created/or allowed to exist by the machines themselves for a specific reason (see below)

a) The Architect's first version of the Matrix was a complete failure. It/He had created a perfect virtual world with no conflict/hunger etc. The humans (in the pod farms) immediately rejected it and died, as humans inherently need conflict and struggle as they identify the real world with it

b) The next version (where the Architect built tragedy, war, etc. into the Matrix was also a failure)

c) The Architect finally figured that to solve the above glitch in the matrix, the key is to give the human mind a choice, and make the humans think that they are living their lives according to their own choice (however flawed and meaningless the choice may be)

d) The choice given to the humans, on a subconscious level was this - stay in the matrix and enjoy its comforts, or jump into the real non matrix world. 99% choose the matrix and remain imprisoned in the pod farms, 1% choose freedom and Zion.

e) Hence, Zion is essential for the survival of the machines. They need Zion, but, at the same time, Zion cannot grow too powerful, so they also need to periodically destroy most of Zion and then start over by reloading a new version of the matrix.

f) The machines also wish to maintain the illusion of purpose that the residents of Zion have. If things were too easy (with the machines leaving Zion alone), then the residents of Zion will figure out the fact that the machines need Zion for their own survival and will find a way to defeat the machines. So, the machines engage the residents of Zion in a long war, with the Oracle manipulating them towards the quest of the One - the savior who they think will win the "war". The machines, with the help of the Oracle then engineer events so that "the One" will finally meet the Architect, and aid in the destruction and recreation of Zion

g) The Oracle is also a computer program - very critical in the creation of the Matrix, with a great understanding of human emotion. She manipulates the free humans by predicting the future, and encouraging them in their quest for "The One". She also gently manipulates Neo's emotions who has already been chosen by the machines as the One (reason for this in the next bullet point). When he is not ready to become the One, she lets him think that he is not the One. But by "predicting" the actions of Morpheus and by making self-fulfilling prophecies to Trinity, she makes sure Neo grows into the role of the One. She pushes Neo to go and find the Architect

h) When the Architect meets Neo, he communicates all the above info to Neo and gives him a choice - he can either survive and allow 23 members of Zion to survive, thereby ensuring the survival of "free" humanity. Or, he can choose to fight the machines, with the machines surely destroying Zion fully, thereby destroying humanity completely. There have already been a few Neos before this, and when all of them were presented with the same choice, they chose the former (saving 23 people and rebuilding Zion). Hence, this is actually the sixth version of the matrix, simply a part of the endless cycle where it is reloaded repeatedly, and Zion is destroyed and created repeatedly.

i) In this version of the Matrix, the Oracle has changed her(it's) mind. She/It does not want the endless cycle of the matrix reloading and Zion created/destroyed/recreated. So, she plays a game - she manipulates Neo into choosing the second option (where there is a full blown war and there are is no option of 23 survivors in the event of a defeat). She does this by making Neo and Trinity fall in love with each other. She gambles that Neo will not choose the 23 person option as he cannot accept the inherent caveat with this option - Trinity's death. His love for Trinity is far greater than anything else. He chooses to save Trinity and Zion prepares for an all out war with the machines.

j) There is a third factor in the middle of all this - agent Smith. Smith was originally simply an agent of the matrix. An agent is a computer program designed to eliminate the free humans trying to hack into the matrix to save the trapped humans. He ends up mutating into a wild version of himself, where his only purpose is the destruction of Neo. Like a virus, he begins infecting and corrupting the entire matrix itself

k) The Oracle is aware of the presence of Smith and that is an incentive for her gamble as she believes that the outcome of the war between the machines and Zion may be different when they face a common enemy

11) Neo gets to meet the Oracle for one last time. She cryptically tells him that "everything that has a beginning must have an end"

12) The war between the machines and Zion begins with thousands of sentinels breaking into the city.

13) In the meantime, it dawns on Neo that he must go to the machine city to meet the Source (the master computer) based on cryptic messages (certainly intentional) from the Oracle. Neo and Trinity travel to the machine city. Trinity dies in the process. Also, in the matrix world, Smith ends up corrupting more and more portions of the matrix. He meets the Oracle and ends up "taking over" her.

14) Neo talks to the Source. He convinces the Source by promising to destroy Smith in exchange for peace (for Zion). The machine agrees to a truce, stops the attack on Zion and plugs Neo into the matrix

15) Neo and Smith have a big fight in the matrix. Neo keeps fighting back. Then Smith echoes statements that the Oracle said ("everything that has a beginning has an end). Smith talks like the Oracle, as he has taken over the Oracle itself. Neo finally understands what to do. He figures out that the only purpose for Smith's existence is to destroy him. So, he lets Smith destroy him (by letting Smith take over Neo's mind/body). As Neo was plugged into the matrix, Smith is also now plugged into the matrix because of this and the Machine immediately deletes Smith as he is now simply a program without a purpose (as his purpose - the destruction of Neo has been achieved)

16) Neo becomes one with the Source. He is physically dead, but it can be said that his brain/thoughts/soul etc has been assimilated into the source where he will live forever

17) The Matrix reloads itself. All the programs that Smith corrupted - The Oracle, Sati, etc become themselves again. Zion is truly free now and does not need to fear the machines. The Architect agrees to free the humans in the pod if they choose to be freed

18) The movie ends with a chant from the Upanishads(?) - Asatoma sathgamaya... (from darkness lead us to light, from ignorance lead us to knowledge and from death lead us to immortality) - the significance of this verse being that the humans in the farms have the opportunity to free themselves from their darkness and ignorance, and their delusional world of the Matrix - which is essentially all Maya, and live free in Zion if they seek it and choose it.

Stuff that i do not get - The whole Sati storyline. Can anybody help me?

Movie Review - Saawariya

1) Which of the two leading characters in Saawariya is more mentally disturbed?
a) Ranbir Kapoor's Raj
b) Sonam Kapoor's Sakeena

2) Which of the following two is the stupidest thing Sonam's character does?
a) Falling in "love" with Salman (without having a clue about him) and waiting on a bridge with an umbrella every night for him
b) Spending every moment every night with Ranbir, cultivating a weird "dosti" (knowing fully well he is nuttier than a pecan pie), and needlessly falling into his arms every two seconds

3) Which of the following best describes Sanjay Leela Bhansali's (SLB's) state of mind as he was making the movie?
a) Crazy
b) Delusional

4) Clearly, SLB has major issues. Which of the following do you think needs more urgent attention?
a) Repressed dislike for star families,especially Kapoors, which made him reduce two promising star kids to mere caricatures
b) His secret swadeshi ambitions (which foreign studios would ever invest in India again after this?)
c) Some unknown issues with Rani Mukherjee....why else would any director do this to her?

5) Who is the most irritating character ever seen in Hindi cinema?
a) Amitabh Bachan in Jhoom barabar jhoom
b) Rani Mukherjee in Saawariya

6) Who has emerged as the biggest losers in the Saawariya debacle?
a) The producers
b) The audience
c) The world of cinema

7) Who/What do you feel more sorry for?
a) A dignified lady like Zohra Sehgal reduced to acting in movies like this
b) The color blue which will forever be associated with this disaster

8) Which city do you think the movie's sets are inspired by?
a) Venice
b) Pakeezah-land
c) Who cares...its a trip to hell for the audience!

9) How did Sonam Kapoor give such a fine performance?

a) Thanks to her dad's genes
b) As giving halwa to unsuspecting guys is something we all have a lot of experience in

10) What do you hope to never EVER see again?
a) Long haired heroines with backless blouses flirting with every lame guy they come across
b) Ranbir in a skimpy towel or a hat
c) Rani Mukherjee in another not-so-special appearance
d) Another Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie

11) If you are one of the few people (other than SLB and his mom) who watched the entire movie, which of the following two statements describes your condition better?
a) A part of you has died forever
b) You now need therapy for the rest of your life
c) Both of the above

Movie Review - Om Shanti Om

I took a long break from Sharukh Khan's movies. It happened shortly after Kabhie kushi kabhie gham. I was tired of his hamming, tired of over dressed heroines wearing chiffon saries and bra-style blouses, and sick of the Yash chopra chorus going "aaahhhhaaaaa" in the background. And then, I watched Chak de India, and I felt a renewed connection with Sharukh, almost as intense as one during his kkkkkkkiran days. Now, with Om Shanti Om, I am in love again. All hard feelings are forgotten. He really is too cool.

Om Shanti Om has a fairly conventional (atleast for Indian cinema) re-incarnation story. But after a long time, you get to watch a movie that is brave enough to laugh at Hindi cinema itself. Almost every scene is priceless - Kiron Kher's Mother India style dialogues (which are genuinely touching in the second half), and the Filmfare awards scenes (Akshay Kumar deserves a real Filmfare for his cameo) being the most notable. All the reviews complained about the second half being too slow, but to me, the dramatic, and unexpectedly spine-chilling climax more than made up for it.

King Khan is in his element - more importantly, the new Queen Khan is in her element. It takes a lot of guts to laugh at ourselves (because, even with plenty of material, we Indians rarely do that), and she still makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy at the end. However, the 31 star song comes across more like a gimmick, a welcome cigarette/popcorn break really. Shreyas is sincere and Arjun is good. Deepika makes a commendable debut, both in her past and present roles. Except for her slightly over-arched right eyebrow, she is genuinely endearing, pretty, surprisingly innocent, and captures our sympathies in her superstar-with-a-golden-heart role.

"When you truly desire something, the whole universe conspires to make your wishes come true, and if your wishes are not fulfilled, then the story is not yet over my friend!!!"

Rarely has hindi cinema conveyed such an exhilarating message. Making us laugh, making us cry, and making us believe that our wildest dreams can come true....Om Shanti Om is incredibly wonderful cinema. Spoof or no spoof, it really is Bollywood at its very best!

Movie Review - Lions for Lambs

Oscar fishing movie makers have come up with what-they-think-is a magic formula -

1) Have a few parallel story lines. Definitely a minimum of three. Interconnection between the story lines is strictly optional. Extra points if at least one of the stories is based in another continent.

2) Somehow, work a burning current social/political issue into the storyline. Good topics include –
a. Racial tensions
b. Wars (old or new, preferably currently waged wars)
c. Terrorism

3) Choose between one of three conclusions for the movie –
a. End each of the parallel story lines in complete despair and tragedy
b. Show the incredible triumph of the human spirit across religious/racial/cultural divides
c. Leave a bunch of questions completely unanswered.

So the writers of Lions for Lambs choose the tried and tested multiple story technique, base the movie on current wars, and just for a few kicks and shocks, also cast some scary aspersions on another country.

The writers’ efforts come across as insincere. The entire movie, despite its provocative red hot story and stellar star cast, ends up being strictly lukewarm. That is why the unsatisfactory, unfinished anti-climax comes as no big surprise. The actors try to infuse their lines with feeling, but, sitting in the audience, I just did not feel the passion and urgency, despite the movie delving into topics that I am immensely passionate about.

Conceptually, Lions for Lambs looks excellent on paper. It's plot is truly intelligent and thought provoking – The society pushes youngsters to care for their world and try to make a difference. The few that do, end up losing when they are used as pawns in complex geopolitical machinations. In the meantime, the powers that be – namely, politicians and so-called journalists continue along the twisted paths they make for themselves, forged by ego and plain personal ambition, all cloaked under a veil of patriotism.

Its not a bad movie. The performers- Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford – all succeed in getting your attention. But you walk away feeling disappointed. Like starving yourself all day in anticipation of a big thanksgiving feast, and ending up with only a serving of lukewarm watered down soup.

No, Lions for Lambs is not a bad movie. It is mediocre. Given the importance of it's plot, the wasted opportunity makes for lousy cinema. A total blue collar B.

Two bad movies and two lousy messages

I know...every time I write about a movie, I end up bitching about it. I really cannot help it. Trashy masala adi-dhadi movies are one thing. But the really bad ones are the movies that try to convey a "strong social message" but instead end up preaching the entirely wrong things.

I watched two such movies this weekend.

Katradhu Thamizh...

So this is what Thamizh heroes try to do if they want to become the next Kamalhasan or Vikram. They act in a psycho role. Jeeva resorts to this, and his performance has been praised a lot. I thought he was a lot more sincere and touching in his clean shaven scenes though.

Jeeva loves Thamizh, but not for Thamizh's sake. Its only because his mentor/father figure was a Thamizh teacher. He gets pissed off in life later and becomes a psycho/serial killer, not because of his dismay at the state of Thamizh (which by the way seems to be alive and well), but only because he has "vayatherichal" at the other more-fortunate people of this age. He kills a happy couple, because he does not have a girlfriend (or rather, his soulmate hides in various remote corners in India). His character and ideals are portrayed in a very sympathetic way.

Isn't this the last thing that we need? To have totally impressionable audiences brainwashed into believing that its ok to hate people who do better in life than you and even kill them? Sure, there are vast social inequalities in India, fueled by outsourcing. But, are the techie and call center kids to be blamed for that? They have just had the good fortune of being at the right place at the right time. We all have to work together to make a better nation. Why blame the kids with all the disposable income? And Jeeva's character could have done so much with his Thamizh education ...he could have done research, he could have become a college professor, he could have written novels etc etc etc. Katradhu Thamizh is a pointless, cynical movie and the fact that it is well directed is pretty dangerous, because, the movie is actually convincing and watchable.

Laaga Chunari mein Daag

Soul sis has written a pretty good review of this movie. I watched it and was really shocked. I'm not a prude, but I thought the message in the movie was really scary
- that its perfectly fine to take up a demeaning and dangerous profession
- that the only career choice available for high school drop outs in this day and age is to sell oneself
- that its super easy to become an "escort". You just need a cool haircut, a few hours with a stylist and soon you have a swanky apartment in Mumbai, holidaying in Switzerland and hanging out with cool dudes in their stretch limos
- that a really understanding knight in shining armor will show up one day and everyone in your family will magically forget everything

I'm all for disadvantaged women getting a better life, but the message this movie conveys is dangerous and seriously effed up. Chameli and Chandini bar were so much more honest.

I'm going to watch Chak de India to give my brain the equivalent of a good rinse with water and disinfecting soap!

Tajmahal - Another late movie/music review

I got yelled at for reviewing Unnaale Unnaale. Its so 3-months-ago complained my friends and family. But I really cannot change. Time stands still in my world. I refuse to believe in expiration dates for analyzing long forgotten movies. I dont go trolling for oldies, they just end up in my field of vision, then I start watching, and before long, I cannot get the movie out of my head.

I ended up watching Bharathiraja's Tajmahal on sun tv yesterday. I could not have had a more enjoyable experience. The movie was so incredibly bad, it was really good. Riya does not even bother lip-syching. She just moves her mouth like a goldfish, and there is some entirely different voice over! This was supposed to be Manoj's great launch vehicle. He must have done something really bad to piss off his big daddy, cos he is forced to mouth the most inane dialogues like "nee yen usiru" and "valikkudhu...". HAAAA!!!

But all the bitching aside, this movie does have some really good music by A.R Rahman. I am not a big Rahman fan, but this is one of his few music scores that you can listen to years later without cringing.

Sotta sotta nanayudhu - The male and female versions are pleasant enough to listen to, but this is standard Rahman cop out stuff, also known as "i cannot come up with a tune, so i'll recycle something from my netru illaadha maatram genre"

Eechi elumichi - One of my favorites. Its slow and very sexy. The lyrics are pure rustic thamizh and really poetic

"paasi mani rendu korkayila paavi manasayum kothavaley..."

Question to blog readers - The song credits read Manoj. Is he the same guy as the hero? He is really good in this song.

Kulirithu kulirithu - This is an absolute gem. Unnikrishan and Swarnalatha waltz through the impossibly high and low notes. There are certain songs where the harmony between the lyrics and tune is absolute perfection, and this song is definitely one of those. This song actually comes near close to Andhi mazhai...

So what came first? Sada or her frown?

It is one of those classic conundrums - does Sada perpetually look pissed off because of the kind of the roles that she is offered, or is she offered these roles because she looks perpetually pissed off?

Anyway, she takes to the role of an angry Jaanu like fish to water. Little can be said for the rest of the cast of Unnaale Unnaale (oh, this post is a movie review by the way). I'm still confused by the lead guy Vinay - i cant decide if he's oh-so-cute or oh-so-not. Tanisha is awful! So she has a cute smile, but the second she starts talking, its all downhill and the horrendous dubbing doesnt help.

The movie is kinda weird - it took me a while to understand where the director was heading. I actually kinda liked the theme - a couple splitting because of incompatability, and the fact that its really important that people in love share similar views in life to be happy together. Yeah yeah, they say opposites attract and all that blah, but I do agree with Sada's viewpoint in the movie. Unfortunately, her character is made to look like the bitch.

Tamizh cinema has sure come a long way. From poove unakkaaga (where Vijay decides to stay single all his life because the gal he jollufied has married someone else) to Unnaale Unnaale where the hero casually gets married to the next cute girl that shows up and lives happily everafter...

Sivaji Review - The verdict? Chummaa Adhirudhu!!!

I feel a great sense of responsibility as i write this review. I have just witnessed a historic event - the coronation of the emperor, the greatest star in the history of Thamizh, Indian, Asian, and most definitely world cinema. Is my praise excessive? Na.... watch Sivaji and you would probably agree.

Sivaji marks a historic departure from the political and emotional ghosts that have haunted Rajni's career in the past decade. In Padayappa, he embarked on a pseudo onscreen battle with JJ, and the movie was bogged down by one-upmanship and consequently, male chauvinism. Baba was a daring exercise, but failed. It painfully showcased two of the things Rajni seemed to be most uncomfortable with - his age (should he act young , or middle aged?), his beliefs (should he showcase his spiritual side or continue to play cat and mouse games about his political future??).

Finally, there was Chandramukhi. A little unsure of the viability of his superstardom, Rajni played safe. He chose to remake an old favorite, let Jo and the screenplay rip and then made a grand comeback in the last 15 minutes of the movie, with almost no dialogues, a super cool bad ass getup and the famous "lakalaka".

The movie became a superhit, with fans loving his negative role. Rajni got his mojo back, and the rest is history. Sivaji continues in the same vein - a totally unihibited, unshackled bad ass Rajni; Ofcourse, he still helps the poor and needy, but he also unapologetically chases his girl, changes wigs more often than Shriya changes her costumes, fearlessly spoofs the patron saints of Thamizh cinema (Sivaji and MGR), allows Vivek to speak his punch lines for him (in Rajni style ofcourse) and endearingly calls himself the mottai boss!

Almost on par with Baasha and Thillu mullu, this is one of Rajni's finest performances. His comedy with Vivek is simply unbelievable - they bring the roof down with their totally irreverent satire, including spoofs on subjects as varied as raraa sarasuku rara, tehelka's investigative reporting, and even Vadivelu's famous "aoowww"!
Sivaji was much anticipated, partly for being a Rajni movie, and partly for being a Shankar movie. It ends up being a FANTASTIC Rajni movie. As for Shankar's contribution, I am torn between two equally plausible verdicts -

Verdict A - It is a terrible Shankar movie, simply a rehash of Gentleman with bits of Indian and Anniyan thrown in. Shankar's specialty has always been taking the common man's problems, throwing in spectacular song and fight sequences, and creating a vigilante single man army who changes Thamizhnadu in an unreal, but still very believable fashion. You have to willingly suspend your disbelief when watching a Rajni movie, but sequences in the second half of Sivaji where he sets the world right are just too much - even for a diehard Rajni or Shankar fan. Also, the "office room" (where government officials are beat up) concept has been exploited to a lesser extent in Vijaykanth movies, and it was disappointing to see such sequences in Sivaji. This movie could have just as easily been directed by K.S Ravikumar. If this criticism seems harsh, think of Indian - despite Kamal's double action and much-hyped performance, it was Shankar's taut direction that stood out. There is none of that brilliance in Sivaji.

Verdict B - Shankar has done a brilliant job here. The same guy who totally overshadowed Kamal, has gallantly stepped into the shadows here to create a memorable tribute to the superstar's talent. He makes Rajni shine, and lets everything else pale in comparison.

Vivek is simply brilliant. Suman is on par with Rajni. His restraint and understated performance is simply superb - he is menacing, but without becoming a caricature. Surprisingly, the movie does not have the big crowds of actors who typically surround Rajni. Some good actors show up very briefly, and make an impact - Livingstone, Raghuvaran, and Chinni Jayanth being the most notable.

Now the songs - a big portion of the movie's budget was spent on building sets and on song picturizations. Shankar hits and misses in equal parts. Ballelakka's picturization does not befit such a wonderful song (but Nayanthara makes the guys in the audience real happy). Also, Sahana saaral is redundant and boring - Shankar actually has women in angel dresses and fluttering white and silver wings...is that not so.....last century? duh! But Rajni simply dazzles in Vaaji Vaaji, Style, and Adhiradi kaalam. Style is especially cool - with loads of wild wigs, a white Rajni (yea really, white, and he looks pretty good!) is a treat to watch! Shreya is fabulous - she has a perfect figure, dances well, and carries off some pretty daring costumes.

Chandramukhi left me with a sense of dissatisfaction - of having watched a Rajni movie that could have almost been really good, but was not. Sivaji leaves me with no such feelings of disappointment. Cinematically, it may not be an Indian or a Baasha, but, for Rajni fans (and for many new converts), this movie is incredibly special, worth watching at least twice in the theater, and proves that Thalaivar is truly the Baasha...he is really THE Boss.

My prediction for the best picture Oscar winner

Disclaimer - My predictions are usually wrong, but what the heck!

All our desi actors and directors always wistfully claim that their life's ambition is to win an Oscar. Having watched the award winning movies year after year, the Oscars seem rather predictable. Certain genres and themes get rewarded repeatedly. Here are some -

1a) The dysfunctional but lovable protagonists - They are usually nutty, but with hearts of gold, and their spirit always triumphs. Examples? American Beauty, Forrest Gump

1b) The dysfunctional protagonists in tragic circumstances - same as the above, but these movies are a lot more serious. Ofcourse, for the movie to win an Oscar, hope HAS to triumph. Example? Crash

2) The achiever - They are kinda nutty, almost loserish, but overcome all odds and win. Its the message of hope all the way. Examples? Million dollar baby, A beautiful mind.

3) The magnum opus -These movies are big business to Hollywood. If everyone made low key small budget movies, Hollywood would go bankrupt. So, every now and then, the magnum opuses get rewarded big time. Examples ? Titanic, Lord of the rings, and Gladiator. Though i suspect the award for LOTR was more a case of enough already. And hey, dont forget the friggin hope

4) The offbeat stuff - Movies like Chicago, and Shakespeare in Love somehow struck gold.

5) Patriotic/War hero/Holocaust/Historical movies - Totally obvious reasons. Braveheart, Schindler's list, Life is beautiful, Gandhi etc...I actually dont have anything cutting to say about this genre. Some of these movies were really deserving.

Tomorrow's best picture nominees are - Babel, The departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little miss sunshine, and The queen. Applying the above yardsticks, here are my 2 cents

Babel

The movie desperately tries to fit into 1b in the hopes of making an Oscar, but the scriptwriters forgot the all important Hope factor, so, sorry no.




The departed
I didnt get this movie - especially the whambam ending with everyone shooting each other faster than you could say "huh? WTF?". Anyway, everybody else did get this movie, plus it fits into category 3. So, a pretty serious contender i would say.


Letters from Iwo Jima

Hollywood loves topical films, and what could be more topical than soliders valiantly fighting a losing battle? Plus Clint Eastwood is an old hollywood favorite. This movie fits like a glove into category 5, so its a very serious contender.

The Queen

Probably a type 1b, I have not watched this movie. I cannot imagine any compelling reason for it to win the best picture

Little miss sunshine

This movie is surprisingly cute, 1a all the way. It is a sunshine filled version of American Beauty, with the hope factor laid on super thick. However, it's finale with the little girl performing a kinky number may just be too much for the majority of the academy that likes good clean fun. So, while this may be a big favorite, it will probably not win.


So the verdict? In the tussle between The departed and Letters from Iwo Jima, the former may just win, because the academy has not given Martin Scorcese an oscar yet, and they may believe that it is about time.

(pictures source: www.rottentomatoes.com)

Movie Review - Babel

I do hope this movie is an aberration. I pray that this does not start an annoying trend in Hollywood (if it doesnt already exist) - that of Oscar fishing. Movie makers are supposed to just try and create good cinema, and then hope to win awards. They cannot decide that they want Oscar nods, and then start throwing in a mish-mash of suitable elements into a movie.

The storyline is about the terrible situations that ordinary people could get into unknowingly, how such situations could spiral further out of control, and finally, how such situations end up in nothing but tears, despair, and agony. This is the common thread that weaves together the seemingly disparate concurrent events happening in Morocco, Mexico, and Tokyo.

The most annoying parts of the movie are the Tokyo sequences - the shocking MA rated scenes are not even necessary for the storyline and simply seen gratuitous.

Babel is not entirely bad - the cinematography is fabulous and the movie is bolstered by stellar performances by Brad Pitt and Adriana Barraza (who plays the mexican nanny). The director does succeed in keeping us engrossed in the narrative in the beginning - however, somewhere in the middle of the movie, we realize that there is nothing redeeming about to happen. Nothing is going to save the characters from the cesspools that they have fallen into, and that is when we lose hope, both for the characters of the movie, and for ourselves getting our ticket's worth of entertainment.

Movie Review - Something Something unakkum yenakkum

I have only myself to blame. The silly title offered me enough warning - and i went ahead and watched the movie anyway, hoping for a good family movie with Jeyam Ravi and Trisha.

The movie sucks. Is Thamizh cinema that starved for original ideas? The movie's story is a straight lift from Maine Pyar Kiya. To make matters worse, there are entire sequences lifted from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The gaiety looks terribly artificial (i have been to a million Thamizh weddings, when do people do impromptu bhangras?)

Trisha does her usual thing, but her standard four expressions that she alternates through this movie and all her other movies (mischeivous, sad, supportive-to-the-hero - repeat)are tiring . Jeyam Ravi is made to overact all through first half, though he is watchable in the second half.

By the way, the hero and his family are supposed to be from London. There are shots of his dad (Bhagyaraj) talking on the phone with a "London" backdrop. There are huge skyscrapers and 5 lane (on one side) expressways. I have travelled to London many times, so correct me if i am wrong, is that really London?