This weekend I was eagerly awaiting the release of Gautham Menon produced 'Veppam'. To my disappointment, it did not release in Bangalore in any of the theaters. As an aegis for my disappointment, I was urged to check out Kanchana, after reading some decent reviews of the movie. Ofcourse, I decided to take the less riskier route, online streaming through the net.

To put it straight, the film was not all that bad, but it was in fact enjoyable in bits and pieces.

I think this is the first tamil horror movie with a mass appeal, which is an interesting hybrid of genres. This criss-crossing of the genres has turned the movie into a scary and an exciting ride all together (well, almost exciting!).

It has got the right mix of action and entertainment that masses would lap up and at the same time manages to scare the audiences with some tacky makeup for the ghosts. The scene where the spirits from Lawrence's body confront to his family about what it is capable of, was enjoyable and at the same time, a bit scary.

Coming to the performances:

'Raghava' Lawrence - has tried to bring out his acting skills and manages to convince the audiences with great difficulty. But I should say that acting is really not his cup of tea.

Lakshmi Rai - her glam doll image comes on screen and fills the screen space when the songs roll on, though her acting woes continue.

Sriman, Kovai Sarala, Devadharshini - they bring the house down with their share of fright and panic.

Sarathkumar - he is a surprise package and one of the highlights in the movie.

There is nothing much to say about the music, as I was streaming, I managed to skip the songs and I certainly do not regret that.

A hackneyed horror story, where the good triumphs over the evil at the end, but the screenplay saves the day.

Verdict: Can be watched @ home for time pass.

Rating: 2.5/5

Indian directors in general have the tendency to get “inspired” from various foreign movies, predominantly from Hollywood. This time around Director A.L.Vijay and Vikram have felt the need to get inspired from another Oscar Winning flick. I would say that this phenomenon is analogous with seeing the glass half empty or half full. Conceding the fact that these kind of rip-offs hamper the creativity of our directors, it also puts forth a couple of critical questions – who would have the guts to take the road less travelled in this placid world of Tamil cinema and who would like to tell such beautiful tales to the Tamil audiences who hardly manage to get any value for their money these days from their “king-size” priced movie tickets? Well, “I am Sam” is such a tale, and Vikram and A.L. Vijay deserve a pat on their back for ripping it off as “Deivathirumagal”!

I made it a point to watch “I am Sam” before watching this one – this would allow me to write a genuine review than to just get carried away by the way this movie was taken. For those who have seen “I am Sam”, I would say there is still a ton left to relish in this one.

Vikram, he would have had litres of saliva in his mouth when he was offered this role; such a meaty role which was done so convincingly as always (but I should say Sean Penn in the original was far superior and wins hands down!).

Baby Sarah, the axil on which the movie rotates. It is amazing to see so many expressions on her tender face. She definitely outperforms her counterpart, Dakota Fanning, who acted in the original.

Anushka, well, I was able to see some disappointed faces in the theatre, as she appeared well dressed and completely covered – of course bad news for Anushka fansJ. As far as acting is concerned, she has managed to pull it off this time.

Sandhaanam – he is a revelation to watch out for. Definitely he is coming of age and is adding some serious and emotional expressions to his quaint gallery of expressions.

Amala Paul – a decent role which demanded a subdued performance; she manages to underplay her character with limited expressions.

Nasser – plays the role of a nerdy and cunning lawyer who manages to take the brunt of the audience. The legend just blows this one away with his cool act.

Other characters in the movie are casted aptly and help in the proceedings. Surprisingly, the flash back scenes without Sandhaanam, was equally comical and was completely orchestrated by Vikram and M.S. Bhaskar.

Music is just about ok. 2 numbers were appealing. One of the songs in the second half could have been avoided, but I am sure such commercial compromises would surface with such star value.

Overall this movie is targeted at all centres, keeping the family audience in mind. After watching the movie, I was so convinced that it is as good as its original Hollywood counterpart with a more practical climax with “Hit” written all over it!!

Verdict: Rip offs are welcome, if done like “Deivathirumagal”!

Rating: 4.5/5

Saturday morning I planned to unwind myself by fastening my seat belts to take a roller coster ride... uhh, in otherwords I was planning to watch the latest flick directed by Hari - Vengai. 

To put it simple and straight, it was no less exciting than his previous flicks. Hari is one director who does not want to take the path less travelled but prefers a familiar path to walk and would walk tall.

Normally when I visit Trichy I go out for a movie, this time around I watched Trichy from Bangalore, through Vengai.

What's HOT:

1. Dhanush - carries the entire movie on his shoulders ceremoniously

2. Tamannah - surprisingly she has something more to do other than just shaking legs with Dhanush

3. Prakashraj and Rajkiran - seasoned actors, always a delight to watch them perform on screen

4. A whole bunch of supporting cast to add some spice to the finger licking masala

5. Above all, the racy screen play

What's NOT:

1. Hari's Cliches continue - the sumos and the scorpios racing past the muddy village roads, hero and villain mouthing punch dialogs, a family with rich traditions.... etc.

2. The sickle culture is becoming sick

3. Songs... absolute speed breakers. I cant remember even a single number.

4. Ganja Karuppu - well, the crude and crass act (he calims to have done some comedy) in the move is just not acceptable and he is better off doing some minor roles (as a comedian)

5. Logic - oops, if you are in a roller coster, would you question the path traversed by it? But interestingly, when one of the characters in the movie wants to see the chase between Dhanush and others standing on top of Rockfort, I was just not able to control my laughter... for people outside Trichy, this might not be an issue, but for me ... :))

Verdict: Weekend Entertainment Guaranteed* (3.5/5)

* Do not expect anything new

When I review a movie, I'll be a bit careful not to reveal the story, but here even if I want to spill the beans, I cannot, since there is hardly anything to reveal. The film suffers big time from a week script and weeker dialogues.

Bala films are usually character driven, this film is no different. Vishal as a squint eyed lad steals the show, while Arya as a small time thief and a big mouthed goon (under)plays as the perfect second fiddle.

But how long can we take the brunt of these two characters taking on each other along with thier respective mothers with their so called slapstick acts. Unfortunately Bala has forgotten of what will make people laugh and he should also realize that making one laugh takes some fine crafting on the script and screenplay.

Heroines Janani Iyer and Madhushalini seem to grace the screen. Atleast Janani Iyer has got some scope to perform, but Madhushalini should be ashamed that she is the weakest of heroines among all Bala films till now.

Yuvan's music just passes through the emotions and there is nothing worthy enough to mention.

Weak story line, weaker dialogues and a cliched (typical Bala) climax makes the film a huge let down.

Bala has attempted to peek into the run-of-the-mill kind of story and guess what, he has been greeted with some brick bats. Better luck next time.

Verdict: Avoidable (1/5)

When I read the review of this movie this morning, 3 things lured me to watch it on the same day:

1. Lot of blood and gore

2. A ton of offensive dialogues and explicit language

3. The neo-noir nature of the movie

Don’t get me wrong.... I view these as measures of how bold and blunt our directors can be when it comes to narrating a so called "realistic script" and I was also sceptical that a movie of such nature might be pulled off after a show or two.

Well, after watching the movie in a multiplex with just 2 guys (I am one among the 2 in the entire hall), I take a bow before the debut director Thiagarajan Kumararaja and producer SPB Charan for having some solid guts to shape this up into a classy and stylish masterpiece.

Gangster movies always have some reality with bad henchmen from North Chennai doing the honours... this movie is no different; the bad men in the movie are "super bad" and it’s like being caught in a fight between the devil and the demon.

What makes the story work to a large extent is the narration which is intertwined with some impulsive elements of surprise wherever needed.

I should say that the director has a passion for dark humour. He has handled it with panache to cover up the vulnerable parts of the story which might have been a little ordinary without it.

Again, here is a classic example of yet another story emerging as a winner where casting and characterization are the protagonists:

Jackie Shroff, though rusty, blends well with the story as the ageing gang leader.

Sampath has got yet another conducive pitch to reiterate the fact that he is an actor of substance

Yasmin Ponnappa, a surprise package, perfectly camouflaged in a role which might have spilt the beans earlier

Debutants Somasundaram and Master Vasanth, have lived their roles as father and son

Ravi Krishna, a brilliant comeback after a hiatus - well done

Another hero of the movie is the BGM - a novel aspect that caught my attention was the way in which the day-to-day phenomenon like the FM Radio songs were used for conveying the subtleness of various context in the movie. Also Yuvan has used a really classy music which I'm sure he would have lifted off from some world movie.

This movie is for connoisseurs who have a liking towards realistic genre of movies and who would love to trace the path less travelled.

Beware of the bad language, explicit blood and gore scenes used in the movie, even after getting 53 cuts and held up by the regional censor board for more than 2 years.

Verdict:  F***ing Good.

Well, the first thing which strikes me when I saw this movie was its authenticity. The story comes right from the gut of the director. Suseendran manages to create something out of nothing with mere screen play taking the center stage. The story is wafer thin and simple, but the narration nails the audience to their seats though it is just 2hours in length - I managed to enjoy the movie in a Trichy theater with hardly 30 people, no air-condition and a few ceiling fans....

Casting is the next big asset for the movie... Suseendiran's previous movies also had some really authentic casting and the characters typically resemble the roles in which they are casted in.

Appukutty's role as the horseman with a heart of gold has certainly come for praise... initially I was skeptical whether it was a farfetched idea to cast him in the title role, but Susi has disproved my apprehension.

The newcomers who were casted as the anxious romantic couple have put up a decent show and have managed to strike a chord with the audiences.

The Tamil and Mallu priests bring the house down with their rib tickling spells and swelling rivalry.

Saranya Mohan as the heroine has got very little to prove. Better luck next time...

My Verdict: This movie will definitely top the list of Saturday matinee family entertainers which assures laughter and lighten your soul

Rating: 4/5

Well... 5 stories converging to a point is indeed an old affair, but the screenplay and the theme of the movie works to a large extent due to an excellent job at "criss-cross" editing - good job Antony..

Simbhu - One of his best performances after VTV

Bharath is watchable

Anushka does a neat job without much sleaze, though the role demands it.

Prakash Raj, Sonia and Saranya are type cast.

Glimpse of brilliance from the inspector who portrays the role of a Hindu fundamentalist.

Something to cheer from Sandhaanam as always.

Verdict: Worth a watch, but not a must watch.

Overall Rating - 7.5/10

KV directed KO hit the screens with mounted expectations. The music of the movie which topped the charts underlined the expectation as well. After watching the movie, I should say that it has managed to live up to its expectations if not exceeding those.... Well let’s see how!!

Protagonist - 9/10

Jiiva fits the role of a young photo journalist to a tee. Indeed a larger than life hero... but goodness me, there are no punch dialogs or unnecessary stunt scenes. He hoists the movies on top of the pole by playing his role with equal brilliance and subtleness wherever needed. 

The Cat fight - 8/10

Usually the chemistry will be between 2... But here the chemistry between Karthika, Piaa and Jiiva has been brought out pretty well.

KV has made a statement that heroines are no more Barbie dolls. Both the girls have equally meaty roles.

Piaa makes hay while the sun shines; Karthika only manages to tone her body under the sun...

Karthika, though has got a slim edge for her role, fails to capitalize on that... has got a set of 5 expressions which she manages to juggle throughout the movie. I feel that the pressure has got the better off her (as she is the daughter of yester year heroine Radha).

Piaa on the other hand sports a bubbly role and carries herself brilliantly, oozing great attitude. Expecting to see her in even more better roles from now on.

Even though Karthika wins the heart of the hero, Piaa has won the heart of the audiences.... she even manages to tickle a few nerves at times :)

The Antagonist - 8/10:

Well, I am not gonna break the ice now. Again thanks to KV for camouflaging the role almost till the climax. Prakash Raj and Kota are equally bad, but have become stereotypes.

Ajmal - 7/10:

Well, he adds the much needed x-factor to the movie. Wish to have a young and suave Chief Minister like him.... well may be not!!. As far as his acting is concerned, I cannot but help recollect Anjathey. A decent performance with limited skillsets.

Casting - 8/10:

Brilliant. Commercially viable stars along with power performers like Prakash Raj and Bose Venkat certainly add value.

Story - 8/10:

Focus is on youth politics with the epicentre being journalism - a freshly brewed wine in an old bottle :)

Screenplay - 9/10:

The first half was racy and the second half lagged a bit with a couple of songs squeezed in. Though certain commercial liberties have been taken to make it racy, it is done in a believable manner - At least KV acknowledges that the audiences have brains.

Music - 7/10:

Well, Ennamo etho and Amali thumali are hummable and others are just passing clouds. Harris needs to fine tune.

Cinematography - 10/10:

Full marks to Richard, for showcasing the fresh locales in songs and capturing the authenticity of the streets of Chennai.

Editing - 9/10:

Antony, as always has placed the scissors at the right places. The film at 2hrs45min, though a bit lengthy has managed to tie the audience to their seats (I did not see much movement in the theatre even during the songs)

Art Direction & Authenticity - 9/10:

Even lifeless things like Piaa's office cubicle and Jiiva's cam lens which opens at the side come to life during the course of the movie. The sets in general were believable and authentic.

Overall Rating - 8/10

PS: KV directed KO has hit the first SIX for this summer which is also the IPL season for Kollywood.

The reason I mentioned "postmortem" is because of the fact that the film is dead - commercially and critically

Being a Gautham (GVM) fan, should I be rating this movie? Movies of this genre cannot be rated and should not be.

I believe in experiments, but this experiment of GVM has been a sour experience. However we should also concede the fact that these sort of films are bitter medicine for the limping Kollywood industry which suffers from cliched contents and screenplay.

One would realize the importance of something only when it is denied - in this case it is the background music (BGM). Though movies without songs is an old affair, movie without BGM is a novelty, indeed a sour novelty.

Half the time there was complete silence or people yelling at each other. I hated the silent portions as there was this guy in the theater, sitting behind me whose mobile was ringing non-stop and he was talking over it as if the entire theater should respond to it. I felt like calling the antagonist Veera to slit through his throat [lol :)]

Anyway:

Watch out for:

Antagonist Veera's sensational debut, a minor twist in the form of split personality, camera work, narration and a disparate attempt

PS: Strictly NOT for the family audience