raghavan40789 Reviews

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

True to the Legacy of its predecessors.

[8/10 · 21 May 2011]

For 8 years now the on screen Pirates have kept us captive to their adventurous spirit. The Pirates are back again once more after four years to re-live the magical, sprightly and infectious spirit, And BOY! They do deliver and How! "On Stranger Tides" the fourth installment of the series has received a lot of pre-release hype and anticipation. The production house (Disney), The director, the ensemble cast and Johnny Depp have carried the entire burden on their shoulders admirably and delivered a wholesome fun filled roller coaster ride. This time the movie is a "Stand alone" so to speak. In essence it just conveys to all audience that to enjoy and lap up all the fun in store you need not have to be in touch with the previous movies and rightly so, as Depp, Geoffrey Rush(Captain barbossa) and Kevin Mcnally(Gibbs) are the only characters that return from the previous adventures to reprise their roles here.

The Adventure:

The plot is almost a perfect set piece and winds itself up for most of the first half to unleash wholesome fun and action filled adventure thereon. The premise here is the legendary Fountain of youth. The journey in quest of the fountain, which would give you more life. As is the wont of the series, more than one party takes up the journey and our beloved Jack Sparrow (Oops, I missed it.. It is CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow) gets through all the traps, double crossers, cross fires and charms his way out to be the Last man standing with his complete skill sets. With complete Nonchalance, Wit, unbelievably cheeky one liners and eccentric manners Johnny Depp simply SIZZLES. Penelope Cruz is a woman from Jack's past and she forces and persuades Jack along on the journey. The Spanish and the British army set out on the quest as well and the climax is reminiscent of the First movie with all the characters culminating at the Fountain of youth.

The movie has many varied characters this time around, a religious Christian, a ghoulish villain, charming and vicious mermaids and the feisty and practical Spaniards. The Pirates series have always been about the "Whole being better than the sum of its parts" and this movie keeps the legacy alive. Having said that one must accept the fact that if not for Johnny Depp the whole series would be like Harry Potter without his wand. Jack Sparrow and Johnny Depp are inseparable and they deliver Every Single time.

Crests and Troughs:

If anyone need one good solid reason to watch this movie the easiest answer would be Johnny Depp. But add to that, Penelope Cruz, Hans Zimmer (Music), Rob Marshall (Director) and Geoffrey Rush then you get Five golden reasons to unwind and enjoy the Roller coaster ride. Jack's entrance sequences have been a whale of a ride and here too the openings make you sit up. The action Choreography is simply brilliant, comical as well as cheeky and entertaining.

But all said you do feel a little bored during the intermediate parts of the movie. The half an hour period punctuated in the middle by the interval does get you restless as there is more of talk and less of action but you always know there is Jack poised to explode which he thankfully does. And yes, the movie is in 3D. And yes we all know it, it is completely Unnecessary. Wearing the 3D glasses significantly lower the brightness and contrast of the picture which is a big price to pay for a few effects here and there. Certain portions of the movie are a little vague and subtitles through the movie could have helped understand the plot better.

The Ultimatum:

Overall if you are a fan of the Series, it'd be a sin to miss this movie. You will be clamped in Irons and sentenced if you miss this adventure. If you are new to the series, well you will still be clamped in irons and sentenced for missing this roller coaster. So bring it on and say it aloud,"YO hooo! It's a pirate's Life for all of us!!!"

Engeyum Kadhal (2011)

Filled with nothing...

[6/10 · 7 May 2011]

Engeyum Kaadal begins on a refreshing note. It is so nice to see Prabhu deva back on the silver screen doing what he does best, dance! The title song makes you feel fresh and does bring a smile. AGS entertainment and Sun pictures join together and dish out a movie that promises much and does deliver, though not in entirety. Jeyam ravi has been a star with extreme results. His movies have either been runaway hits or they have failed to kick off at all, E.K will surely change that trend. Engeyum Kadal is a movie that is pleasant to watch for most part and it is to the credit of the entire team to have delivered a clean package which might not explode into a blockbuster, but will not fail to impress either.

The movie begins in Paris, the city of Love and we are introduced to the lead characters in the movie. Kamal (Ravi) as his screen name suggests is shown as a Casanova who enjoys his life to the fullest. He is a business man who takes a month off his schedule every year and travels to Paris to spend a free and happy time. In comes Kayalvizhi( Hanshika) an Indian and a music student who lives in France with her detective dad (Suman). What happens when the Lady meets the Man forms the rest of the wafer thin story. For its credit the movie, which has very few characters, keeps your attention on the lead pair. The ploy could have gone terribly wrong but the casting has been spot on! Ravi looks suave, rich and every bit the lover boy and the heroine passes muster both in looks and acting.

Classy Cinematography: The original hero of the movie though is Nirav Shah. His camera and the way he has captured the beauty of France and Paris is breathtaking and is responsible for taking the movie up by a few notches. A prime example is the climax which follows the same old cliché but instead of irritating you, the visuals spell class and you forget everything else. Every frame spells sincerity and the lead pair have added real sheen to the movie. Prabhu deva has done a neat job with the screenplay but it would have been even better had he taken care of the pace a little. Editing (Anthony) is top notch as usual and the dialogues are also quite good.

Harris jeyaraj's music for the movie has been popular for quite sometime now but sadly the best songs in the Album "Nenjil Nenjil" and "Thee illai" appear at the wrong times and the viewer is a little perturbed by them. But the visualization of the songs are so fresh and lovely that you can tolerate the placement. The other songs carry with them a heard before feel.

Performances: On an individual level Ravi has improved by leaps and bounds. His acting, body language and dialogue delivery have become diametrically opposite to what they were in his earlier days. His footwork in particular deserve special mention. Hanishka is decent for a débutant and passes muster. Raju Sundaram as Ravi's friend does tickle your funny bone and Suman as the heroine's father does his role quite well.

Bottom-line : The biggest strength of Engeyum Kadal is the fact that the movie has no irritating elements. There are a few scenes in the movie which might appear a cliché and a few more that may bore you, but overall E.K is a neat, contemporary, family movie that can be enjoyed, if watched with an open heart.

Ko (2011)

A Thorough Entertainer.

[7/10 · 22 April 2011]

There were talks of Simbu being the first preference for the lead role of KO and just 5 minutes into the film you understand why. Simbu would have been a value addition to the lead role, but having said that one must really commend Jeeva for his crisp, honest and charming performance. As a maverick photographer for a news daily, Jeeva is sprightly and ebullient and fits the role to a T. K.V.Ananth has made sure he has left no stones unturned to make this film a wonderful entertainer and his hard work behind the script shows in every frame and how! The very opening of the film makes you sit up. The rolling titles are perhaps the best seen in recent times. Montage pictures, art, scintillating photography all form the background while the text plays around. Just for the opening, the team of KO deserves special mention.

Storyline:

Jeeva is a photo-journalist who has a knack of being at the right places at the right time. He is shown as a sensation in the industry with no fear at all, as he starts off by capturing a bank robbery in progress through his lenses and from there on his exploits only reach skyward. In comes Karthika, a journalist transferred to Chennai wing, looking misty eyed and seemingly in a trance. Her expressions worsen once she sees Jeeva and it is love all the way for the lead pair. Piaa Bajpai looks fresh and has played a neat cameo.

The storyline brings together the three afore mentioned journalists and also the most powerful package of the film Ajmal, who leads a pack of youth and forms a political party of young, educated and well bred friends. From then on, the movie grows in entertainment factor. Youth politics, political vendetta, friendship, betrayal and suspense all form the crux of the story which is entertaining fast paced and at a few stages thought provoking as well. The story is a little predictable sometimes, but kudos to the director and editor (Anthony) for having excelled in keeping the screenplay taut. The political angle in the film has been handled admirably and the dialogues are sure to tug at the thought strings of many.

Ups:

The lead pair, Ajmal and the supporting artistes take the movie on their shoulders till the end. KV Ananth has fast become the man who can do no wrong as his movies are a safe bet. Anthony as always is perfect with the scissors. Cinematography, Screenplay, Direction, Dialogues and casting are perfect and overall they make this movie a real entertainer.

Downs:

The movie, though fast paced has some flip sides. The songs for one are a huge let down. There is a popular jest in musical circles that Harris makes original tunes only once per election and it seems to be justified. Other than Ennamo edo, all songs have a heard before feel and a couple of them prop up at really unnecessary times which mar the narration. The saving grace is the picturisation. The locations are spell binding and the grace of the lead pair help too.

You wonder sometimes as to why the hero remains just another photographer without any special promotions or rewards, despite his daring and revolutionary exploits!!The second half does seem to drag on a little but the screenplay re aligns itself to end in a crescendo with a climax.But the most disappointing facet comes in Ajmal's character. Every dialogue of his in the former half of the movie, loses credibility in the end when his character reverses and this is upsetting, the director should have taken better care of this aspect.

Bottom line:

On the whole, KO is a perfect summer movie. Spicy, Suave and Fast paced. But for a few glitches, KO does well to make the audience sit glued to their seats. A definite entertainer!

Nadunisi Naaygal (2011)

Barking Dogs, Seldom bite

[5/10 · 18 February 2011]

Off late, the color of Tamil cinema has changed. It has been a gradual process but the themes that are being handled have become more bold. The creators are no more worried about making films on social taboos and rightly so. The film goers' perspective has changed yes, but dear Gautam, it really doesn't mean people will accept bad treatment, gross screenplay and an over confident film maker.

Story line: There is nothing novel or new about NN. Child abuse changes the hero Veera for life. He becomes a mentally disordered youth and violence and sex becomes a way of life for him. What follows through the rest of the movie is better left untold. Movies like NN can achieve two extremes. A stupendous thriller or a drab disappointment, NN achieves only the latter. The treatment is what separates Gautam from other film makers; sadly this movie is a product of his over confidence and not his intelligence. How else can you explain the lack of even one moment's brilliance throughout the movie??

Technicalities: The only saving grace of the movie is the cinematography which keeps the movie dark throughout. Once again it is a blunder not to have included music.Chilly BGMs would have at least had a few hearts skipping some beats.Veera on his part has given his heart out in the movie. He is a revelation. Be it screaming off his head or chasing women and acting innocent he has done them all with ease. Sameera's role is limited to appearing scared, crying, shouting and repeating these over and over again.

Child abuse, Incest relationship, Murder, Crime of passion, the movie has it all. But the treatment has left a lot to be desired.

Bottom-line: For what your money is worth, please stay away from these midnight dogs.

Raavanan (2010)

An Epic Retold

[6/10 · 19 June 2010]

Usually a Mani Ratnam film gets two reviews. Either Brilliant or Boring. But Raavanan is unique in the sense that a viewer cannot tag this movie under any of the two Bs. This film has got it all - Big time pre-release Hype, Technically astounding visuals, sensational music, exceptional acting from the Lead characters, powerful visual metaphors and the fascinating intellect of the director, yet one feels at the end of it all something critical is missing. Raavanan stands up tall, but one expected it to fly high, which it never does.

Mani Ratnam's movies prosper in the Hype surrounding it before its release, but Raavanan needed less of these hypes. For once, it seems, the publicity has marred the grip that the screenplay could have otherwise had on the viewer. For, the story is just a modern adaptation of the Ramayana and almost all of us know what the epic holds in its stable.

STORYLINE : The face-off between Dev (Prithviraj) an upright police officer and Veeraiya aka Veera (Vikram) is the central post around which the movie revolves. Dev is the usual clichéd police officer, bright, upright, honest et al. Veera, called Raavanan by all, is many things rolled into one. Fearless, imaginative, angry, intelligent, good hearted, he is all these and more, but what he is not, is being new to tamil cinema. Veera is the tribal version of Nayagan, a la God father to his people. The Dev -Veera battle gains an explosive premise with the kidnapping of Ragini (Aishwarya Rai Bachan) by veera and his people to avenge the death of Vennila Veera's sister(Priyamani). What happens hence is the story we all know.

PERFORMANCES : For the record, Vikram has the role of his life and one must say he has performed with panache. That the role would have demanded extreme levels of skill and mettle is out of question. Aishwarya Rai is another actor that Mani Ratnam has used brilliantly. She shines in her part. Vulnerability, ferocity, grit, pain, she carries all these emotions admirably. The pair of veterans Prabhu and Karthik do their roles perfectly. The technical front of the movie keeps the viewer hooked. Cinematography deserves a special mention. The camera angles and the visuals are spell binding and the entire feel is poetic. Editing is top notch, yet the speed could have been bettered especially in the first half. A.R.Rahman has added real muscle to the movie. His belligerent tracks are already a rage. The re-recording is top notch. Where words fail, the Re-recording sizzles. Kudos ARR!

DOWNFALLS : Movies like Raavanan need Dialogues of the highest standard. Powerful, precise and razor sharp. But sadly, Suhasini Maniratnam's dialogues range from, Weak to downright silly. The power of dialogues cannot be questioned and one wonders how come Mani Ratnam over looked this aspect of the movie.

But the principle disappointing factor is the weak characterizations. Every character in the movie has a very frail flavor. The characterization is confusing. One feels Mani Ratnam is unsure of how he wants to project his characters. It doesn't help either when the director introduces sequences to act as metaphors of the Ramayana. Introducing Karthik as a tree jumping comic caper is Downright SILLY! In retrospect Karthik's entire role has been botched by the director's persistence to show him as Hanuman. Such irritating aspects of the film bring the appeal down drastically. Another huge problem with the flow of the movie is the reason for Veera targeting Dev. Revenge is totally baseless. Veera's sister's fate has nothing to do with dev, only the director has to explain why Dev's wife is kidnapped by Veera and once again the number 14 keeps cropping up senselessly.

One wonders if Mani Ratnam bit off more than he could chew. In concentrating on making the movie in three languages, it seems the director's concentration has slipped and the screenplay and the story as a whole have suffered

BOTTOMLINE : Ravanan scores high on the technical front. Direction, music and cinematography are un-matched. Yet, something somewhere pulls the movie down from reaching greater heights. The characters needed more definition, the scenes needed more pace and the dialogues needed to be more powerful, menacing and explosive.

The movie scorches the screen in parts. Certain sequences are Vintage Maniratnam. No one can do what he does, better. The whole movie carries his intellect and his brand identity yet, summing up Raavanan is tough, for, no verdict can justify the product. But one can safely say, the Whole is lesser than the sum of its parts.

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010)

Surreal Romance

[10/10 · 10 March 2010]

"We mustn't go in search of Love, love must find us, Crash into us and throw our lives upside down…" says Simbu during the first scenes of the movie. From the moment the stylishly imaginative starting credits roll out, a deep sense of anticipation builds up with the viewer, and you have to give it to Gautam Menon for dishing out such a wonderful movie. Romance drips in every frame and every dialogue. One wonders how he hands out such incredibly cheeky, youthful and romantic moments without a break. Many such conversations between the lead pair are sure to leave the youngsters in a trance. From his side, Silambarasan has acquitted himself perfectly to this role. Elegant looks, sweet words, suave costumes, amazing dexterity in footwork, the actor has it all. This movie is sure to take him up in his career and so is the case for trisha who has been given a solid role for a change and she sure isn't found wanting.

Storyline: Usually, the story itself can be said in a few lines. but even an A3 sheet may be insufficient to describe the experience of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. Simbu is a 22 year old Mechanical Engineering Graduate and an aspiring film maker. Trisha is a software employee. What transpires between the two when they meet up and how their lives move onwards forms the rest of the story. Any more revealing will only play spoilsport. Go watch the movie for the rest. For their parts, director K.S.ravikumar, Uma padmanaban and many others have played out their roles wonderfully well. Special credit to Ganesh who plays cameraman and friend to simbu in the movie, he tickles many a funny bone. Trisha is incredibly beautiful throughout the movie and the on screen chemistry between the lead pair is by far, one of the best in recent times.

Technical brilliance: The film stands on four legs, Gautam Vasudev Menon, A.R.Rahman, Simbu and Trisha. All four have contributed immensely. You just cannot say enough of the Oscar man. What an amazing score!!! Again he shows why an artist like him needs to work with no bounds and formulas. Thanks must go to Gautam for using ARR's genius perfectly. ARR waits, holds back his instruments, bides his time, patiently. You almost sense the temptation from him to burst out and when Simbu and Trisha meet, ARR lets all hell break loose. The sounds he comes up with, OMG!! The songs all gel into the movie so well. If Hosannah rocks the screen, 'Omana Penne', 'mannippaya' and 'Kannukkul kannai' Scorch it. Anbil Avan is picturised so well that it makes the song twice better than in personal stereo. Arguably the most peppy song of the album, "Aaromale" seems to have been forced into the movie. All other technical aspects are brilliant but one feels the editor(Anthony) could've used his scissors more, especially in the second half.

Bottom line :Overall this movie is youthful, fresh, peppy, light and unbelievably romantic. The pace is slow, any more pace though, would've spoilt the romance. Enjoy it with patience and a pop corn.