REVIEW OF JIGARTHANDA

What does it take to create a genre out of nothing? What does it take to bring a fresh experience to a genre that is already chewed worse than a betel nut? The first question can be answered via a 300 page paperback. Hence I have no choice but to take a rain check on that. Let’s focus on the second for now.

Gangster-a character that attained cult status thanks to the Brandos, Pacinos, Tarantinos and many other o’s that I miss here. A man with blood on his hand who always thirsts for another’s is every villain’s dream. In fact, every actor who enters the silver-screen with an anti-hero aspiration is sure to portray one such role within the first three films of his career. Such is the frequency of gangsters in world cinema. But looking back in time how much such gangsters stand the test of time. Countable. Definitely in the single digits. It’s either poor scripting or poor portrayal or a bit of both. But time and again there comes a gangster who will make us see the true emotions that is covered by a façade of anger at all times.

Jigarthanda (Cold-Heart) (which is also a popular drink in Madurai) is a gangster saga painted in red white and dreams. The story spins around a gangster named “Sethu” in the first half who makes the story to spin around itself in the latter half only to give us a run through the ups and downs of being a gangster with some unforgettable cinematic moments coupled with some eye catching cinematography.

Maybe it was my exposure to world cinema or something else; the film reminded me of some lesser known Hollywood films (notably America’s Sweetheart). But let’s not take the credit from the team. Their hard work and a different take on the over-chewed genre (go back to first para) is definitely a (Usain) Bolt from Blue.

First thanks to the producer for the obvious reason. The second thanks to the director for the more obvious reason. The biggest congrats (no thanks to him) goes to Simhaa who has literally been a gangster in both the halves only to give us a lesson that it is indeed possible to come out of the bloodshed life if you will for it.

Few touchy moments, few racy moments, few hair-raising, edge of the seat along with an intelligent screenplay is what makes this a must-watch if possible twice or thrice experience.

JigarThanda- A cool movie about a cold-hearted gangster.

REVIEW OF TRANSFORMERS:AGE OF EXTINCTION

When a nomadic transformer with a mobile prison and a rogue CIA black-ops division descend upon a common target, Optimus Prime , who has taken refuge with a struggling inventor ( that’s what he calls himself but I don’t agree) things become chaos and Michael Bay has tried to bring order out of the aforementioned Chaos with helping hands from CG department.

Transformers:Age of Extinction is the continuation to the Transfomers Saga which happens to keep going on and on and on. Movie starts five years after Chicago where everyone is anti-alien thanks to the goliathic ego of one CIA top brass who has convinced the world that both Autobots and Decepticons are injurious to health. When Optimus wakes from his brief siesta he is forced to go gun-blazing and then, well that part is obvious. People die. Accidents happen. Humans make mistake and ultimately repent. Autobots save the day after destroying countless skyscrapers in the process. End of story. Oh sorry about that. The story ends only so that another sequel can be made. Yes, with few untied loose ends there is bound to be a sequel and it’s only a matter of time before the official announcement is made.

The franchise has reached a saturation point where it does what any other franchise would do. Explore the emotional side of the characters. Till now, Autobots were nothing but mean fighting machines that always end up on top. But this time around the story has been scripted with their conscience as centre-stage. Every time an innocent metal is broken, Optimus pains as if it was his own and reaches a point where he no longer cares about the humans but is ultimately talked out of it.

It is however ironic to see Optimus Prime as a wretched truck with the bumper sticker that says “Got Ammo?” while Bumblee bee occupies less screen time than he did last time. However there are new additions at the end, one of them being the Dinobot (strange name, given the fact that spits fire. Might as well call him Dragobot).

At 164 minutes, this is easily the longest movie in the franchise. This could be a downfall for those who are not used to watching lengthy movies. The usual cast is replaced by the new ones who are more of a supporting cast when things go south. Mark Wahlberg is the protective dad who, even in the middle of intense crossfire, is more worried if her daughter’s boyfriend gets close to her. He calls himself an inventor, yes he is very much similar to Tony Stark except that none of his tech works or works in the opposite direction.

As usual, CG is the hero with all kinds of aerial craziness alongside some kick-ass robots who literally live up to the said adjective.

On the whole, a better writing than the previous three which has opened new doors to the next set of money-making sequels.

"EDGE OF TOMORROW" - MOVIE REVIEW

A scared-of-the-war soldier (No, that wasn’t a typo error) is forcibly thrown (literally) on a battle field where he has to play tag with aliens and bullets and you can guess the rest. Along the way he meets a girl whom everyone fondly calls “Full-metal-B**ch” (That wasn’t a typo either). Together they are put in a time loop where they play the same day again and again and again until the director decides to call it a day (No extra points if the movie “Groundhog day” comes to your mind).

Based on novel “All you need is kill”, there is nothing much for the story department and to some extent the screenplay department can relax a bit for the same reason. But flavouring it in the Hollywood crucible with some star-powered cast, this movie has essentially become one of the best sci-fi in the recent times.

Before you decide to vote against me, let me make my stand clear. I go into a sci-fi movie not expecting an Oscar performance or a classy screenplay. On the contrary I expect entertainment with some good-to-recall moments that will make my money worthwhile. Did the movie tick all the boxes, YES.

Tom Cruise, as we all know, is Hollywood’s go-to-guy when it comes to saving the world. Be it the Russians (in MI-4) or killer drones (in Oblivion) or the “mimics” (in this movie”) he has seen them all and killed them all. When the Academy decides to offer an award on the “most kill category”, we know who the front-runner is.

Ok, enough deviations. Edge Of Tomorrow (EOT) is nothing short of an adrenaline drive which doesn’t take itself very seriously (which is a good thing) with its own light-hearted moments (For ex. The hero must die each time to reset the day and guess who does it most of the time). Though this dries up a bit towards the end, the story fills in the vacuum with touch-ups from the CG department.

Some of you might be confused towards the end as to how the story shaped itself. But then it’s the writer freedom to decide how his story must end. So, that’s forgiven.

Edge of Tomorrow: Will leave you on the edge of your seats.

POST CREDIT SCENE OF "X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST"

At the end of (I mean, the very end of) X-Men: Days of Future Past, is a post credit scene which is explained below.

The screen is filled with what seems to be sand. The camera pans out and moves across a wide stretch of sand showing us that we are in the middle of a desert. We look at loads of humans on their knees praying a man who is waving his hands and with each swish giant rocks pile on each other and finally take the shape of an enormous three-dimensional triangle. Apparently after thousands of years, it will be known no longer as the 3-D triangle but as "The Pyramid”. The camera stop with the side shot of the man in question and the screen fades out.

The question of whether or not humans built the pyramid has finally been answered. At least according to the Marvels Universe it has been answered.

Now I am not an avid follower of Marvel Comics and my knowledge of Marvel Universe is what I derive from the movies. So, if you happen to identify the man in this scene, please share it with us in the comments section so that other fans might as well know what’s going on in the next stage of Marvels Universe.

REVIEW OF X MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

In the trail of “X-Men: First Class”, this is also a period movie of superheroes taking on their differences with humanity and finding the right path in due process except that this is mashed up with the cliché of science fiction, Time Travel.

Logan is sent back in time to change a particular event in history that will forever alter the course of history for worse (I mean big time worse). In order to do that he must confront Professor-X at the worst stage of his life and convince him of the time travel theory and bring the best out of him.

The lump some of the story is revealed through the trailers and teasers which makes the story monotonous. So, there are no surprises in that area. The lack of any sort of twist adds woe to the story department. The complexity of weaving the future and past together is managed well by the screenplay team.

An eerie bit of seriousness prevails throughout the movie. This was a trademark of X-men movies but “First Stand” tried to add fun into the potion. It looks like we are back to default. But occasionally we do have a few one-liners but nothing on par with the other Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The cast have filled in the suits and done what was asked for. Nothing superlative but nothing worse either. Blink, Quicksilver are valuable additions to the line-up with their powers brilliantly lit up on the screen, thanks to CG team. The prison break sequence is a standout example.

A meaty role is bestowed upon Mystique. Whether J-Law’s fame added to the character’s weight or vice versa is something that only the director can answer. Word on the street was Bryan Singer had long discussions with James Cameron to make the concept of time travel more relatable to the audience. It seems that the discussions have paid off.

Magneto’s stunt with the submarine and the missiles was what I considered as ultimate. The teasers made me rethink (baseball stadium). But the execution of it could have been more majestic  i.e. there is very little frame of the stadium being held on air.

Another significant addition to be noted is Peter Dinklage as the mutant-hating scientist. He is good as always with the 70’s look adding more gravity to his role.

My final word:  Entertaining but slightly (very slightly) disappointed.

For more reviews, visit my blog: triviafactsandmovies.blogspot.in

REVIEW OF GODZILLA

This movie is the best case study (after Dark knight trilogy) of how amazing a director's perspective can change within a decade and half. No offense to Roland Emmerich, his version was a pure entertainer firing on all cylinders (some may have a different opinion on this), but the reboot has made the Roland version seem like an amateur's first documentary. Comparisons will only garner more positives for the newer version.

C-G stands out. Oh let me correct, "walks tall". Despite repeated Dejavu's of Pacific Rim, this movie has an unique impact of its own. And these action sequences are brilliantly balanced by the father-son angle along with the husband-wife angle which only makes the movie more realistic rather than just a tell-tale of how a monster ran havoc on earth.

The entire cast (notably Cranston, Wantanbe, Aaron taylor) have played their parts. No Oscar winning performances, just swimming with the tide and helping the screenplay. 

The other notable fact is that Godzilla is painted as a savior rather than a destructor. Though he roars like a T-Rex and is even referred as a dinosaur (by Aaron taylor's son) his sheer volume would make any other T-Rex run away in search of shelter.

The camera crew have well complimented the C-G. Be it the HALO jump visualized through the helmet or revealing Godzilla through flares or the sequence on the railway track, the lords of the lens have proved their mettle again.

Watching it in Inox (3D) was an added bonus.

Godzilla: Stands Tall.

REVIEW OF YAAMIRUKKA BAYAMEY

 A newly inherited property-turned-hotel brings in all sort of trouble wherein every guest who rents dies before sunrise.

 "Yaamiruka Bayamey" is loosely based on a Korean movie with the same premise. Nonetheless it performs exceedingly well and is worth the time and money.

  Kiran is a happy-go-lucky cum good-for-nothing teenager who barely survives each day with a girlfriend of equal qualities. When fortune bangs on their door they quickly grasp it only to realise later that there is more to their good fortune than meets the eye.

  Their newly acquired property is renovated into a resort with a manager and his sister to help them run the business. But when the first guests arrive, the problem starts and gets worse with each passing moon.

  The success of this project lies in the way it had intelligently blended horror and humour, the two most contrasting qualities that can be brought on screen. Still, the screenplay has done a fine job to give you a stomach ache via laughter. The laughter quotient is so huge that even when the horror elements arrive, you are still laughing because of the preceding joke.

  Given the fact, the film is shot almost in its entirety inside a guest house, it is appreciable that there are no loose or uncanny moments. We are kept deep within our seats laughing at every possible joke the movie can offer.

  With no heroism, no unnecessary songs, it's movies like these that gives me the confidence that the future of Tamil cinema is in safe hands.