REVIEW OF "LUCIA"

I can use all the best adjectives in English and still someone will describe my review as “under-appreciative”. In the time of troubled Indian cinema especially regional cinemas, with Hero-centric, songs-filled (though unnecessary), heroine-exploited (though they can act) films, this is a ray of hope. In the middle of such a Saharan cinema, “LUCIA”, is an oasis.

Psychological thriller, if taken proper care, can turn into an artistic marvel and Pawan Kumar (Director) has done precisely the same. Lucia is the story of an insomniac who seeks the need of a sleep inducing pill that confuses him between dream and reality causing life-threatening danger.

Touch of sheer brilliance glimmers throughout the movie, with the director leaving clues to the audience which a sharp-eared fan can capture to understand “the twist” before it is revealed. The alternate usage of color and black-n-white adds depth and clarity to the movie. Songs, though present, move along with the screenplay aiding the pace. The satirical comedies are also sprinkled throughout (result of illiterate meeting foreigners).

The director deserves credit for multiple reasons: usage of an epic production idea, bringing the movie as close to reality as possible, usage of minimal characters in the maximum possible extent, drawing wonderful comparisons between dream and reality. The cast, though I am not familiar with Sandalwood, has done exactly what was needed: neither did they under-act nor did they over-act.

Lucia is definitely the kind of movie that we can recommend to International audience.

Let this attempt be an example for everyone else will follow.

REVIEW OF JAI-HO

A court-marshalled soldier tries to change society by his “don’t-thank-but-help-three-people-formula” which rubs several people on the wrong side and hence faces heat from a highly placed political power.

Jai-Ho cannot be classified in either the “leave your brains out” or ‘take you brains in” category because the crux is very thoughtful while execution is flickered. What should have a serious movie with lasting impact has turned out into nothing more than a pot-boiler thereby losing the purpose of the plot.

As usual Salman Khan punches, smashes, bashes, bites (yes he indeed does) and above all screams as if he had a lion-casserole for breakfast. With a button popping shirt, funny coloured eye gears he has his fans on nimble feet but not everyone feels that way.

The action sequences are typical Salman. Every raging goonda falls like a domino in front of him and not even one has audacity to carry a gun much less use it. The bad guys are not the only weakling but also the doors and walls. Salman in most scenes breaks the door instead of opening it. After 130 minutes of fasting the shirt finally comes off.

But the film has its moments. The chain of events that Jai (Salman) starts comes around a full circle and ultimately saves his own life. Just when we were able to appreciate the beauty of it, an army tank comes in the middle of traffic cutting off the hero from the bad guys to save his life. This is what I mentioned earlier about take or leave your brains.

Daisy shah is a brilliant dancer not so much a scope for acting (What else to expect in an action movie). Tabu charms the screen with her silent-yet-deep presence. Songs are a letdown and in the flow of the movie they are misplaced and mistimed. The movie would have been better off without it.

There are umpteen logical flaws but by this time you would have pasted a critic label on my forehead and hence I will leave it your better judgement if whether, they are or not logical flaws.

Good theme but not so good of an execution.

REVIEW OF "YOU ARE NEXT"

  I came across a few bad reviews for this movie, but frankly anyone upset with this movie is bound to hate "I spit on you grave" (First one, Not the Sequel) and SAW. If you are that kind of person then I can't argue with you. Blood-shed-Horror is not a genre of everyone least of all gentle souls. If you want calm movies watch Romedy and if you are artistic watch Oscar winning box office bombs. 

  You're Next is a decent Horror flick set inside a single house and yet as gripping as possible. No star cast makes the sequences more realistic. Excessive blood gushing in the latter half could have been limited but even that stands testimony to the survival instinct of "the character". In the middle of usual horror flicks filled with characters that do mistakes which a 3 year old would call "silly", this is a fresh breath of air wherein the character performs what we except and sometimes better than we expect.

  A decent plot, good twists throughout, lots of blood and hence a definite feast for all Horror cum thriller fans.

REVIEW OF "VEERAM"

 A violent straight forward man resorts to peace for his new-found love only to find that there is more, to the girl’s family, than meets the eye. Veeram is a rare combination that magnetizes both family and fan boys simultaneously.

 Ajith with the grey hair that matches his dhoti has made the most of his on-screen presence. What he lacks in dance, he makes up with his expressions which the director has explored well with several close-up shots.

Tamanna has equal footing with Ajith. This time around she has bound her curves inside and has made an honest attempt to bring forth expressions on to that flawless face.

Punch dialogues have been limited to the most possible extent. The only punch comes from the antagonist to which Ajith remarks, “With that big a moustache, I would have been very much disappointed if you had not made a punch dialogue”.

Santhanam stands apart amidst the crowded first-half with his wits only to disappear in the second half where Thambi Ramaiah takes the front seat.

Despite their many years in the industry, Pradeep Rawat and Athul Kulkarni are still struggling to lip synch let alone act.

Logic has been shown the door in a few sequences (Athul escaping an explosion in a “petrol bunk” while others char to death. No authorities investigating the so many dead bodies thanks to Ajith) but in the flow of matters they are passable.

DSP, besides the BGM, has disappointed with almost everyone in my screening waiting for the song sequences to exit for the loo.

Siva, after a remake in the form of “Siruthai”, has come up with an original script which if remade in another languages is not a surprise. Like mentioned ahead, he has balanced the family quotients well with fan-boy’s demands.

Veeram- Worth your time and money.

REVIEW OF JILLA

The off-the-chart expectations stirred by the release of projects of two mega stars lured me in for the first day premiere of “Jilla”. Despite encircled by a surreal crowd that screamed “Vijay” at the top of their lungs, I managed to find a tunnel vision with a neutral point of view and am penning this review in the same perspective.

Jilla is the story of the Godson of a Don, who turns into a police officer to aid his godfather, who then does a 180 degree shift opposing him and offers an ultimatum: Change or I will Change you.

The typical essence of a Masala entertainer is sprinkled in vast proportions and hence finds an appeal amongst the fans. Neutral viewer, like me, will find it hard to sit through several scenes which were deliberately inserted to find whistles rather than aiding the pace of the screenplay.

Over 60 years of combined experience between “Mohanlal” and “Vijay” overshadows almost everyone else on screen. Kajal is just a 3 song dancer with 3 extra scenes none of which feeds her acting appetite. Suri, with his double-meaninged wit, has tried a few gags which in most cases deserve sympathy rather than laughter.

As usual, stunts and songs play spoilsport, since they are logic-less and speed breakers respectively. Suri himself quotes, “Why, unnecessarily, did you stretch a one liner into a song?”

Despite these flaws, the audience will find the movie appealing only because they are able to see the entertainment behind all the aforementioned veils. To give a clear comparison this flick is somewhere between “Thalaiva” and “Thuppaki”. Unlike Thalaiva, this is original but unlike Thuppaki this isn’t universal.

A little more editing could have sharpened the movie.

An average attempt (5/10).

REVIEW OF "RUSH"

One can learn more from his enemy than a fool does from his friends.

                                                                                        -Nikki Lauda

 Ron Howard’s epic F1 saga between Niki Lauda and James Hunt is perhaps the best period-rivalry-sporting movie of all time. Needless to say the director’s work precedes him (A Beautiful Mind, Davinci Code, Apollo 13). This work will definitely be counted in his scale on the positive side.

Chris Hemsworth’s mean swing from Thor continues as the playboy-loose cannon James Hunt who finds himself the perfect foe in the always perfect-self centered-high on himself Nikki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl).

The lead pair brings out all sorts of emotions, from the adrenaline pumping race to the heart melting hospital episode to the power of recovery. Everything has been scripted and played to the point of perfection. Bruhl’s accent deserves special appreciation.

With a script that rolls both on and off the track exploring the love life which is affected by the rivalry on the race, this is definitely a frontrunner for the Oscars next year.

A must watch for all petrol Heads.