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Reviews
Vikram (2022)
Edge of the seat action thriller from Loki
Lokesh has proved why he is unique among the other upcoming directors but his style is getting quite repetitive reminding of Tarantino's style. He doesn't give us a proper intro to the story and pushes us straight into the world of Vikram making us struggle for some time to make sense of what's going on. Music and songs are great perfectly reflecting the tones of Vikram but it felt unnecessarily bloody and noisy at times. Though the camera work is outstanding, It does not give the chills we got from watching director's Kaithi for the first time keeping in mind that the stories of both are predictable.
Cast is amazing. Another gem in Kamal's crown. For an actor this age his work in action scenes are almost perfect and his emotional acting is PERFECT as ever. Fahad gets most screen time and he uses it best to get the perfect landing in Tamil Cinema and as his fan I hope he gets more such roles. Vijay Sethupathi is somewhat disappointing. While his acting and body language is only getting better with each movie, his dialougues are nearly incomprehensible like 90 percent of the time. It might be intentional for this particular character but is off-putting sometimes.
We get another Amazing Malayalam Actor Chemban Vinode Jose with a meaty role. The way it is tied with Kaidhi and gets us Bejoy, Adaikalam Gang and a Glimpse of Dilli gets us excited for a Big Franchise. Surya's cameo as a gangster comes off as a disturbing character. Getting Kamal, Surya and Karthi so close in a movie is already an accomplishment that only a Kollywood fan can celebrate.
RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022)
Another Rajamouli epic
Rajamouli is the protagonist of RRR because we don't see a good story often in commercial movies. Good production sets and decent visual effects. Bgm works well. Emotional punches in between the Gravity defying action scenes keeps us hooked.
Lead pair was terrific. The portions involving JrNTR and Ramcharan was good, thanks to their acting. There were cliche moments and unbelievable stunts but Ram and Bheem stays in our memory for some time.
K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022)
Oddly satisfying
Unlike a majority of mass entertainers KGF 2 doesn't try to sneak behind a social message. Prashant Neel is clear on what he wants. A pure entertainment. If he polishes his skills he will be the next Rajamouli.
Yash despite the very limited facial expressions he gives here, has the body language that fits him right into shoes of Rocky. He has given what every Star actors wish they could give to their fans but couldn't. All characters have their own memorable moments. For me Raveena Tandon and Rao Ramesh had the best scenes.
Songs and Bgm are good but the sound effects were just noisy and Added with the frequent cuts the whole movie felt like an overlong trailer. Despite everything KGF 2 is entertaining and its better than KGF 1 in every aspect.
Bhoothakaalam (2022)
A genuinely scary horror drama
Despite the short duration the movie moves at a slow pace. But the story cleverly shifts between different characters to save us the fatigue. After taking a lot of time for setting the drama Bhoothakaalam enters the horror part. Escalating quickly the final minutes are spine-chilling.
Shane Nigam and Revathi have given a chilling performance as a son-mother duo especially Revathi gives one of the best in her career.
While most horror movies just showcase the fear when one encounters paranormal stuff, none of them manage to capture the mental aftermath of such events. This is where Bhoothakaalam differs.
Valimai (2022)
A Better version of VIVEGAM
As a huge fan of H. Vinod I am not satisfied with the movie. It maybe due to the hype around the movie. Even his previous movies suffered some minor flaws but his detailed dialogues and direction was great. But Valimai neither has smart dialogues nor Interesting story atleast to the quality of his previous flicks.
Ajith's acting was good as a cop but can do a lot better. Karthikeya did surprisingly well as the antagonist. The main problem I found here is that other than these 2 main characters and "the mother" character, every others come down as forgettable caricatures including Huma Qureshi.
One thing that catches everyone's eyes is the Bike stunts. Stunt choreography is a BIG plus. I just wish Vinod had gotten deep into those Biker Gangs instead of making them dumb psychopathic youngsters.
Overall this is a watchable movie especially for Ajith fans and Action lovers.
Mahaan (2022)
Vikram saves this overlong epic
Karthik Subburaj finally seems to come back to his form. Plot is unique and the main theme of the movie "Gandhism" though not explained well, sets up an interesting premise. There are visible logical flaws scattered all over the movie. But lets go to the negatives later.
Vikram's "Gandhi Mahaan" is the soul of the movie. This is a relief to those tired of watching an amazing actor getting wasted in a string of underwhelming movies. This is a another landmark in Vikram's career. Mahaan won't have been turned out this good without him and Bobby Simha, another powerhouse performer.
One of the two things that keep bothering me was the Dialogues. For a movie with such a great plot dialogues don't turn out so great. The second is Dhruv Vikram's "Dada". In a movie with neatly sketched characters this one stand out in a bad way. Added to this artificial character is Dhruv's bland acting and body language. In the scenes where he shares screen with his father it seems like Young Chiyaan has a long way to catch up with his Dad.
This ambitious movie could have easily made in two parts. It's definitely a long movie with a rushed ending. But I could have watched it for another hour if there's more of Vikram's "Gandhi" on screen.
Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (2021)
Unique gangster movie
Hari and Shiva are friends since childhood but their loyalties to each other are tested and how they handle it forms the central theme of the movie. First half of the movie is all about their rise to fame. Narrative style and splendid acting makes it one of the best gangster stories.
We are introduced to our narrator in the interval. Rest of the movie is a twisted game of betrayals and manipulation leading to unpredictable events.
Removing the symbolisms and metaphors would make this an ordinary watch because the movie is full of them. Using a simple bike sound to instill fear and the footwear phenomena are top notch.
Lead actors are perfectly cast as Hari and Shiva. The pivotal SI character is touching. His narration and Raj Shetty's offbeat direction makes this otherwise typical gangster movie a unique one.
Sharp Objects (2018)
Dark and disturbing.
Camille, a depressed journalist visits her small hometown after a long time to cover the gruesome murder of a kid. As soon as she drives into her town, we get the eerie feeling that everything is wrong with this place yet its people choose to pretend normal. Though it's not a supernatural story, the psychological horror is scary enough to give anyone chills.
Its just 8 episodes but it takes up a of time to get us under Camille's skin and understand her messed-up hometown especially her creepy mother and weird sister. We get satisfying reveals only in the two last episodes but it's rewarding only to those who watched the whole series closely. Some might be shocked while others my be off-put however the show has the disturbing ending it deserves.
Nonlinear screenplay and random visuals gives some sense of how trauma feels. Despite being slow-burn it's intriguing the whole time. Amy Adams is fantastic as Camille. Roles of Amma and Adora are done with utmost perfection. The chemistry between these three characters is the central pillar of this series. Just a handful of supporting cast gave a great performance.
Hawkeye (2021)
Perfect Christmas present
This one's actually better than Loki amd Wanda vision. Characters arcs are great. Jeremy and Hailee chemistry was awesome. But there are lot of other new interesting characters like Kazi, Jack and Maya.
Return of Florence as Yelena was surprising but her arc gets a lot predictable and unnecessary. Vincent came for a short duration but still had the same electrifying presence as Kingpin from Daredevil.
Maanaadu (2021)
Mind blowing
Didn't expect Venkat Prabhu to make such a thrilling and intense movie. Screenplay is so tight. It's a commendable feat to make a time travel movie simple and logical at same time.
It's refreshing to see Simbu back at his best. SJ Suryah is a showstealer. It's surprising how he manages to do this in every movie he is in. Other actors doesn't get enough screen time since the story is all around Simbu and Suryah.
Kadaseela Biriyani (2021)
Unpredictable revenge drama
Right from the first frame we'll know this is will be an unusual movie. When seeing the genre shift in the middle of the movie it vaguely reminds of Parasite (korean). First half is a black comedy. And second half turns into a thriller. Vijay sethupathy's voice over is a big plus without which it would have been hard to grapple a lot of fact about 3 brothers.
There are few slow moments in the first half and a climax that seem offtrack from the movie's tone.
Nevertheless this is a brave attempt with apt dialogues in 2 different languages and relevant acting.
Black Widow (2021)
Satisfying conclusion
Overall plot is average. Expected a better screenplay from a MCU movie. Acting was good from lead four. Scarlett Johansson left her mark strong in the MCU with this movie.
The family angle could have been handled better. Cinematography and vfx are only getting better and better with Marvel movies.
Jai Bhim (2021)
Thrilling courtroom drama
Tamil cinema is on a wave of social justice movies for the past few years. This is another brave attempt among those movies giving a more open and darker reality than the previous ones of this genre. Police station scenes are complete rampage. One might easily be reminded of Visaranai.
The main themes are emotionally punching. There are one or two punches missed though. Some scenes are clearly bit exaggerated and higher than needed on the emotional tone. So there are one or two punches missed. If not so, this would have been the masterpiece.
Acting is terrific from everyone. Sad not being able to mention everyone here. Lijomol was the best. Hope she does more Tamil movies. It's surprising to see such a huge cast handled perfectly. Usually movie focuses on the lead characters. Here even the star Surya doesn't rise above the other cast. He proves his uniqueness among other Kollywood stars. It's sad n
Songs are well suited to the tone of the movie. It's rare getting such songs with meaningful lyrics these days.
Best part of the movie imo is the way the courtroom drama and crime investigation aspects of the movie are handled. Movie is more than 160 hours but never slows down anywhere. So racy is the screenplay.
Arcane: League of Legends (2021)
Perfection
Perfect animation and artwork
Perfect writing and screenplay
Perfect voice acting
Perfect music and soundtrack
Never played LOL. But as a big fan of Legends of Runeterra this miles ahead of the expectations. Having high hopes for the upcoming seasons.
Arcane: League of Legends: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down (2021)
Masterpiece
This is the first time I'm reviewing a single episode of a series. Incredible writing and animation. Easily one of the best episode of any series ever. Can't even blink for the last 10 minutes.
Panchayat (2020)
Heartwarming
This isn't something you can watch and forget. The characters stays with you forever. Didn't expect them to recreate the magic Kota Factory created.
The four main characters were crafted to perfection. Only rarely can we see such smartly written charcters those stuck you straight into their world. The writers has won my respect for their genius.
Acting was perfect from the start to ending seconds. Gives you a glimpse of the lives of village people and their characters with their flaws and imperfections. And the main character done by jeetu was lifelike. This is a life lesson and a very good and motivational one at it.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Good action movie with all the MCU flavours
Movie has a lot of stuff to keep you hooked.
1. VFX. Whole movie is visually stunning
2. Stunt choreography is awesome. Probably the best in MCU so far imo.
3. Background score. I felt goosebumps everytime the main theme kicks in. Soundtrack is good too.
4. Decent acting except the one who played Shang chi's father who had a menacing screen presence
Despite of the perfectly blended Chinese culture and the MCU's successful (so far) action formula, this movie isn't free from cliche moments. I just wished the second half was less predictable and had something more to offer.
Doctor (2021)
Absurd comedy
This is the first time this type pf comedy worked in Tamil cinema. Dialogues and acting are quirky. Especially Yogi babu, Mervin and Deepa. They were on fire. But overall acting of others was nothing great. Story was unbelievable at times and doesn't keep you hooked. But the humor is this movie does what the sloppy screenplay can't.
Sivakarthikeyan had a unique role totally contrast to his usual fun avatars. He has expanded his resume on this one. Anirudh's songs in this movie were already chartbusters. They were perfectly placed in the movie.
Except for the unnecessarily messed up 30 last minutes the whole movie is a fun laugh riot.
Peranbu (2018)
Punches straight in the face with reality
Ram gives yet another uncomfortable movie. This one's subtle in the concept it has chosen yet it's still straightforward for mainstream audience. A movie on sexuality of a physically challenged teenage girl living with her single father !!! One can't say if the general audience will ever be ready to watch this masterpiece in the next ten years.
Mammootty has done his best in a role which any other star would have viewed as huge risk. He is really one gem of our time. Sadhana makes a tear-jerking performance. This didn't came as a surprise to anyone who have seen her National award winning acting in Thangameengal. Several other characters appear in brief roles among whom Anjali Ameer deserves special mention.
Groundhog Day (1993)
Sweet and surprising
Time Loop is an interesting premise for this touching tale. Romance in this movie is amazing thanks to Bill and Andie's performance. It goes on simple without dwelling much into what's actually happening. There is no logical backing to anything happening on screen. We just get to live as Phil.
The movie is light hearted mostly but really depicts some deep emotions about life, death and love. One of the most interesting romcom I've ever seen.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
The most ambitious live action of dc ever
This movie is dark and serious most of the time. Having not watched Whedon's directorial, this movie give a better tone to Snyder's previous DCEU movies but they are still not good enough.
As an MCU found this one extremely opposite to Avengers. JL didn't have perfect heroes and villains. We clearly get introduced their vulnerability from Batman's guilt to Darkseid's frightening wrath. This makes the movie more realistic than most of the superhero movies of the recent times
Visuals are nothing above expected. Zack's direction deserves an applause. Actors were all perfectly cast. This clearly isn't a fun ride like MCU movies but clearly a movie with a heart and a memorable one.
Geetha Govindam (2018)
Sweet Rom-com
Writing is simple and on point. The writer deserves credit for making an interesting movie without any unwanted scenes.
Vijay and Rashmika share an excellent onscreen chemistry which is the second biggest plus. Songs are memorable. Climax is predictable but it's tye sweetest possible ending. Overall a feel-good movie.
The Elephant Man (1980)
Heartbreaking tale about a freak of nature
Lead performances from Hopkins and Hurt were outstanding. The movie seemed overtly dramatic at times. That maybe because I knew the story and how it ended beforehand. I'm sure there are lot of changes from the actual story. But the screenplay was neat.
The movie stayed faithful to it's central theme of human nature. How nature can be unpredictably cruel and good. This is a story that reminds us the things that makes us humans.
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Gut wrenching
Not having watched a lot of war movies. Expected this to be in the likes of Saving Private Ryan but this one was surprisingly weird in Kubrick's style. Like his other movies this too was disturbing and ambiguous.
It's like two different movies. The first half of the training with the performances of The sergeant and Leonardo was some gripping drama. Second half was a bit down in tone for sometime but gradually rises up to the masterful ending.
Set design was so amazing. It's some outstanding production for that time. Imo the movie is about the moral ambiguity of the Vietnam war or any war in general. Ends with more questions than answers.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
Dark and unsettling the way it's meant to be.
Movie starts off with a everyone of the squad dying. Best possible opening for a movie titled "the suicide squad". Characters are developed right from the start. But the movie wanders off for some 30 minutes without Quinn in action. During this time the main characters engage in pointless drama (reminding of Suicide squad-2016) and unsettling gore. But it picks pace once Quinn is back and there is no turning back. The whole second half is high octane. The starfish scenes are surreal.
It's more like Quinn is the central character. Everyone else seems secondary when she's on screen although everyone did equally good. Action movies with such memorable endings are so rare.