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.

REVIEW OF "NAAN SIGAPPU MANITHAN"

In the footprints of Ghajini, Chandramukhi, Anniyan we have in our hands another well made disorder-based-thriller. Though the grandiose, as in the case of the former movies, is missing the plot has been kept simple and to the point and hence strikes a chord among the viewers.

Vishal’s “Nan Sigappu Manithan” is the third venture from Vishal Film Factory and also the third film in Vishal-Thiru combination. Indiran (Vishal) suffers from Narcolepsy, a disorder that puts people to sleep at the slightest excitement of emotions. When his love life with Meera (Lakshmi Menon) is affected by this disorder he finds a temporary solution after which a tragedy strikes which forever alters his life.

Vishal with the tinted, and often cracked, glass is well suited for the role of a narcoleptic patient. Be it his innocence during the job-hunt or the shyness during his love-life or the anger during the revenge episode, he has very well distinguished his expressions and has lit up the screen. Though his disorder initially tickles the viewers, “the scene” totally shakes everyone to the core.

Lakshmi Menon as Vishal’s Juliet has done her part with no blemishes. If Vishal sleeps in the first half, she takes over the job during the second.

Besides the lead, the art director deserves appreciation for his well made backdrops during the desert number and also for looking into the tiniest details (the mirror in the Vishal’s home with a lot of stains is an example).

Neverthless, Thiru’s script is the first and foremost hero for spinning a web around a disorder and making it into a full length entertainer.

The only flaw that I found out: Indiran’s mother initially thinks that her son falls unconscious. Later Indiran uses water as a recovery strategy. In any normal situations the first thing we do is to use water to wake up an unconscious person. But it took Indiran over two decades to discover that water-idea. Does it add up??

Still, “Naan Sigappu Manithan”: Green Flag.

BOOK REVIEW OF "THE LOST SYMBOL" BY DAN BROWN

Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” is the third instalment of the Robert Langdon series and is bound to continue until the author decides to rest.

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon arrives at Washington for a last time lecture on the request of Peter Solomon-his mentor alias father-figure. What awaits in D.C is not only a gruelling surprise but also a mission which he reluctantly accepts because the life of someone dear to him is hanging in balance. Langdon figures quickly that it was not Peter who invited him but a vocal-doppelganger. Before he could understand the gravity of the situation, NSA enters the scene and Langdon’s journey turns worse at every turn with the preceding minute faring better than the next.

Meanwhile Katherine Solomon, sister of Peter Solomon, the chief of Noetic Sciences in D.C is at the end of a redefine-everything-as-we-know experiment. But someone will go to any lengths to see that this experiment doesn’t come to light. Who is he? Is he the same person who puppeteers Langdon. Also Peter Solomon’s dark history comes into play and makes Langdon jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Will he survive?

Robert Langdon is no 007 nor is he as brilliant a sleuth as Sherlock because outside his comfort zone of symbols he will be as lost in sea as MH370. But his presence of mind and a deep knowledge of Masonic history have helped him overcome every obstacle with the help of a feminine sidekick (also in Davinci code, Angels and Demons).

The 670-page novel is typical Dan brown, clings at the start, takes parallel storytelling and at the end brings them all together but maintains the suspense as much as possible. Where the book falls flat is in the last 40 pages which is nothing but philosophical explanation of the supreme power, if any, which controls us. Without that conversation between Robert and Katherine, this novel would have been a brilliant read. But that can be excused considering the wonderful 600 pages we had before.

The twist, which should have been a surprise, was something that I saw coming a mile away. The nuance of Dan Brown is spelt in every chapter and in the sketch of the characters i.e Sato being a sturdy but short Asian, Anderson being a subjugating to authority American and off course Langdon as always is helpless but key to the ploy.

It’s highly unlikely that we will have a movie version of the book because on the screen the movie will be too brilliant to understand like “Inception’. However as a book the enjoyment will be much more extensive.

The Lost Symbol: Will have you lost in the pages.

REVIEW OF "CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER"

When an adversary, long thought to be dead, crops back and takes complete control of SHIELD, Captain becomes the mole and finds himself at the receiving end of a manhunt. Captain digs deeper to find out that there is more to SHIELD than meets the eye.

“Captain America: Winter Soldier” is a fully packed explosive, much similar to those that go blazing on screen, that ignites at the start and keeps blasting its way until the end. The movie has all the proper ingredients for a full on entertainer (nefarious villain, evil plot, hero who rises, couple of sidekicks and finally the CG to help things up).

Chris Evans, as the misplaced-in-time superhero, is slowly getting accustomed to the new world (he watches SAW, Rocky) and finds new friends who later lend a helping hand. But the righteousness still prevails inside him that makes him pop out of the crowd like a 3D screen. One of the downfalls is to have not kissed since 1940s.

Scarlett Johansson is the red-haired sidekick who kicks and fires in the meanest way possible in some not very nice places and keeps the action sequences alive.

Samuel Jackson goes easy on the swearing but no so on the bad guys and maintains his macho status that the character deserves. Anthony Mackie does his part and so does Robert Redford (he was almost unrecognizable without the glasses).

Like every other Marvel movie this one is no short for witty one-liners. A sample below:

In the middle of an ambush scene,

Computer voice: Window Integrity failing

Fury                    : Restart the car.

Computer voice: Propulsion system offline.

Fury                    : Switch to flight mode.

Computer voice: Flight sensors damaged.

Fury                    : Then what’s not damaged?

Computer voice: Air Conditioning is fully operational.

A word of Caution: If you are the kind that finds the artistic movies entertaining then please avoid this one. This is for the people who enjoy action movies and seek entertainment by neglecting a few logical flaws.

Captain America: Winter Soldier, will withstand the “summer”.