My Cousin Vinny

After quite some time I saw this hilarious comedy thanks to my friends recommendation. It was much more convincing since he had watched it before.

Really neat movie with a nice entertaining flow all through. I can probably watch it again for the dialogues. If you ever get a chance to watch this movie please pay attention to the dialogues. Thats when you'd get the most fun out of it. A good movie for light hearted evening (perhaps not with the kids though).

And then this movie Surrogates! A sci-fi flick with the regular story and action. Something unexplained in the end, but otherwise watchable once. Not really thought provoking or anything. Not the first of its kind but interesting. Twists, turns and a happy ending.

Cameron is back with Avatar

My most anticipated movie of this year. The Teaser Trailer was brilliant. ~ T-4 months and counting :).

Siva Manasula Sakthi ... Bleady Fantastic

This is by far one of the most fantastic movies that I have seen. Off-late I am seeing a trend of some good movies in Tamil. This one definitely tops my list. It had all the elements of a movie in good proportion. I am seriously out of words. The movie was full of surprises. Sorta comparable to kungfu-panda :D. It was great drama in all. I'd love to own my own copy of it ;). You heard me!

The best part was that it reminded me of instances from my life. Dialogues that are considered taboo but those I've listened to in real. Word to word! There were so many things I could associate with my life. Petty things scattered across the movie that so reflected things from my life. Perhaps that explains my liking for it.

Apart from the main story line, the simple backdrop captivated me. Amongst movies which all portray the unreal since most people don't want to see what they experience for in real this movie really stands testament to how much can be said with the simplicity of our day to day lives. Brilliant piece of work!

Ratatouille Rocks!

I know I haven't been upto date on movies. I've given up trying to. As each day passes by I only seem to get lesser and lesser time to do things I'd love to. Jeez! that sounds like a sign of aging :D.

Wall-E did not appeal to me that much. I liked it but it was probably the lack of dialogues that didn't make it that great to me. It was cute u know, robots making love and all that. But hey!, movies are supposed to be imaginative of a better world. An imaaginary one we call atlantis.

This rat story was AMAZING! It was not the story or anything but the imagination these guyz had to pull something like this off. My hats off to those folks. And yeah, they did make it a point to mention some things really important to them ;). Guts!

Who'd have imagined such loveable rats? I know its hard to come by in the real world. But hey! Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you get next. Only we stop imagining constraining ourselves to the whimps of the "society".

After quite a while a movie left me all smiles in the end and in a totally positive mood. Seriously I've been lacking that for god knows how long :p. Somehow action, sci-fi & romance seem to have vanished from my favourites list.

And maaaan Colette :D, soooo fine! Hmmmm, the reality is sooo far away from imagination. There is only so much in your hand. Or so we think!

KungFu Panda

I LOVED THE MOVIE & PO, START TO FINISH.

Its just been minutes since I came back from the movie and I wanted to blog about it :).

The movie was a total entertained with gyaan, inspiration, feelings and humor at every turn even when you thought things were turning too serious.

One thing Oogway said left me thinking.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a Mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the Present ;).

Get It? Of course its an old say, but only today did I get to hear it :). Nice!

The movie was so full of messages put behind a veil of humor and presented with the grandios of CGI. AWESOME!

Po's dream was so captivating. Somethings kids do dream of :). I've once dreamed of fighting the skaarj warrior although I had no intent on becoming one unlike Po :p. I guess the other thing that led me to love this movie was that I always enjoyed movies like - "Drunken Master" and "36th chamber of shaolin" kinds. Again that element was there again.

Thankfully the climax was good as well. I was afraid it would spoil the movie like in "Happy Feet". But it was fun :).

If you ever felt you had similar taste in movies as I do, then DON'T MISS THIS MOVIE! Trust me in that you'll walk out with a wide smile and plenty of food for thought as well :).

Watch the trailers here.

Looking into the future

Its been a while since I saw this movie - "Next" , starring Nicholas Cage.

The movie goes by the fact that Chris can see into the future and he can do things accordingly. To change it as he sees fit. It was pretty interesting just looking into the possibilities with the ability to look into the future.

But one thing that didn't quite seem right is the ability to change upon looking into the future. Here is a quote from the movie itself.

Chris Johnson: Here is the thing about the future. Every time you look at, it changes, because you looked at it, and that changes everything else.

Now to the interesting part. Since you look into the future with the knowledge / gift of being able to look ahead in time, the very future that you see is what is a consequence of you having looked at it and your choices whence. The future you see is that which happens because of the choice you make upon seeing the future.

So even though you can look into the future the choice you make wouldn't change the future. For the choice you made was what led to the future you saw. So you are really not making a choice as you've already made it.

True that we don't have the ability to look into the future or that even if you did look into it I wouldn't be able to change anything ;). This makes me wonder. Do we really make any choices at all or is it all just a feel good factor that we are in control. May be the decisions we take in our lives are all preset.

If you are like me who doesn't quite believe in fate you probably rebuke at this very idea. At the same time I keep my mind open and not a fanatic followed of my beliefs. So lets go about it this way.

We have two possibilities -
a) The ability to look into the future exists or is feasible. So going by my observations above the future if all set and there is nothing you can do to change it :D.

b) It just ain't possible to look into the future. Now this will lead to us being able to make decisions which changes the future. Now the changed future as we see it could very well be the only future there ever will be. Although we see various possibilities depending on the choice we make.

Both these possibilities lead me to feel that choice really doesn't exist although we perceive ourselves to have it. Sounds more like the philosophy of 'The Matrix' doesn't it ;)? The oracle explaining about choice saying - "You've already made the choice. You are here to understand why you made it". Interestingly us trying to understand why we made the choice also leads to the future we are trying to comprehend and therefore not a conscious one.

So, are we all just puppets in this huge show orchestrated by the universe? Now I'd really love to hear from anyone who can catch flaws in my inferences here. Sounds horrible when you realize that you've already made all the choices in you life , doesn't it? Just like when you hear someone prove 2=1 ;). Maybe you've encountered something such in your life that substantiates our very ability to make a choice.

My second arguments sounds weak to me. But if we could just prove that it is feasible to look into the future then would it mean that you can never make a conscious choice? Thats it is all just a false perception?

Good artists copy, great artists steal !

Not sure how many know that this was quoted by a great artist himself - Pablo Picasso. (I didn't mean great in the sense he quoted :D.) I happened to bounce into this while watching the movie - Pirates of the silicon valley. Its not a movie if you are looking for entertainment but its a good one if you are IT savvy, a bit of a gyaan movie I'd say. I believe the movie is more about the characters than the facts as such. Quite interesting to know that these guyz were mega crack pots :D. And do check out these too. Really good stuff watching the history of the industry that feeds me.

Also got to see Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End, 1st day :). Excepting for that pet talk which that dame gives the rest seemed acceptable. A good entertainer. Still havent seen the 1st too parts :D.

Unnale Unnale

A good story which took shape into a bad movie. Honestly I went to that movie to see Tanisha. And of course I knew the story and liked it since it was quite different considering todays tamil movies but for a few. Considering the subject of the movie, I feel a good director could have done a great job with it.


Vinay's dance was like that of toby maguire in Spidy 3, maybe worse. At first look, I felt like seeing a monkey or a gorilla :P. My cousin sister felt that little boy who ends up in an accident at the start of the movie actually looked better than the hero :D.


I was really disappointed with the picturization of some songs I liked - June Poonal, Mudhal Naal and Unnale Unnale. Of course the little song - Ilamai Ullaasam, short, sweet and nicely picturized. Worth watching once, but please switch off your brains and decided to enjoy the movie before entering the theatre as required for most kollywood movies. Just don't expect too much.


Eitherway, for the last dialogue of the movie by sada - "poodhuma?" you would find that the audience unanimously say "dhaaraalam" / "idhu rOmba too much, please stop". Most definitely on the inside if not aloud ;).

300 - Worth every penny

A worthy movie after such a long time. I believe after "V for Vendetta" this is the next movie I'v come to like so much. I felt the movie was brilliantly made. More than anything, two things about the movie stood out.

1. The background score - it was PERFECT, and should I say rocking :). This is were movies like Troy and Eragon were seriously lacking and a total let down. IMO LOTR and Gladiator were amongst the best in this genre. 300's not any less than the other two.
2. The sepia mode like setting - the look of the picture had a lovely rustic aura to it. The skies, the landscape everything made it distinct that it is of an era long gone. HDR Rendering perhaps. I'll proly have to watch it over again to quantify it exactly as I was completely engrossed through the movie.

Don't watch this movie sitting far behind in the theatre. This movie is meant to be watched with nothing else but 'it' in view. The movie was perfectly paced start to finish. Not at a single point did we feel it went too quick or dragging. Just enough of every element. Increasing the frame-rate to vividly depict action sequences and normal for the grandeur, it was a work very well done.

I don't want to get judgemental about these characters who stood for valour and became immortals. Some may find it a bit too gory / graphic. But heyyy! Its history. I like such mythical stories and enjoyed every wee bit of it. Strangely I don't seem to get good reviews on this movie from anyone here. I'm sure to get my own DVD of this movie once it hits the shelves here.

So instead of watching junk stuff like "Parattai engira azhagu sundaram" (which I was tricked into watching) go for this one. You'll thank me for it. This "Parattai" movie was outrageously horrendous. After a point I kind of got numb to the nonsense and sat in the theatre with my fingers plugging my ears. It was so intolerable that the whole theatre gave a ROTFL ovation during the climax which was supposed to be quite sentimental. This nonsense if not for the strong hearted either :D. Its okie to spend two-three hours in the coffee shop instead :).

:-t ... cheerios

Sillenru Oru Kaadhal Movie

2nd movie in a row #-o. My 1st regional movie on the 1st day :D. Anywayz this was a planned one so kept on with it. Very disappointing movies. Its probably been made just for Surya & Jyothika. The movie IMHO didn't sport much towards a good entertainer.

There is plenty of love, romanctic flings, the fondling around and all. So if if you are a love buff maybe it might interest you a bit. For a change now-a-days jo actually does look quite good; NO, cute and wee bit plump. In fact she even did a good job crying in this movie, which she is usually horrible at. Surya seems to have got a very good physique for this movie. I personally favour Bhoomika :x of the lot. She was absolutely faaaaaabulous in the baby pink dress for the song - "munbe vaa anbe vaa", picturization comparable with "sutrum vizhi sudare" from ghajini. She didn't look all that great in the reunion part tho :(.

The best part of the movie was definitely the song "New York Nagaram", simply bindaas!!! The Lyrics, ARR voice so befitting and the mellow feeling that it casts were so perfect. But for Jo's coiffure and that purple buggy like shades which surya wore were a turn off. For once a song that you can enjoy by itself and perfectly making sense in the movies context. Picturization was also fun, but not original.

Personally I couldn't stand this movie much. For fans of the cast its worth a watch. Definitely the pair going "yo yo" kept the crowd silent after the initial raucous. Couple of good songs, crappy stunts n muscular fight sequence, romance and love all along #-o. But I got to agree that the story was a bit practical, esp for the tragic side of it ;)).

Our protagonist not setting a good e.g. for the youth - getting into a college by paying donation, being the college pista #-o flaunting in his bike, falling in love, run away marriage, recuperation, marries a lovely girl n then lives in a fantastic appartment in mumbai sporting all the niceties being a mechanic @ maruthi udhyog factory. Why wouldn't the youth think life is that easy n meant to be enjoyed that way.

Its a home production for the duo. So unless ur a fan of the pair which is a huge crowd, your unlikely to enjoy it a bit.

---

On another note; Satyam cinemas has now become like ranganathan street >:P. I used to like the place since it would be quite comfy hosting a not too much of a crowd. Now hardly enough space for people to stand before you get in. Probably enough good movies to catch up with :-?.

Am gonna need a short break ... esp. from anything requiring much thinking ... adios

Lage Raho Munna Bhai

An unplanned flick for the night show, after so much uncertainity. A movie you can walk out with a smile, or atleast with composure.

Unlike Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. this movie was a lot more mushy; pretty much all along. Almost the entire 1st half will leave you laughing off. The latter was way too mushy but did have a message and occasional humor. A movie without a message is one that I wudn't appreciate.

The movie goes bit along the lines of "A Beautiful Mind" and few sequences based on it. The romance was really really weak one. Guess you can't cover more in a 3 hour movie. Vidhya Balan's smiles and expression did their job. Not much of acting there, but she does have a magnetic charm. Remember seeing her in some ad too :-/, dun quite remember :-??. As much the oldies in the movies didn't have much role either. The movie has plenty of impractical stuff going on which has become a part and parcel of india cinema. Somehow I felt it got too mushy :(. Fortunately it was based on social message than family sentiments and such.

Circuit (Arshad Warsi) was explosive :)). The way he delivers the colloquial dialogues and their timely essence were hilarious. Sanjay was just fine, whilst 'Lucky Singh' character was brilliant esp when he gets hysterical.

Plenty of message in the movie. Enough to laugh, cry (if ur the emotional kind), enjoy and even some food for thought. Overall its a good entertainer, so grab your tickets.

Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici

"By the power of truth, I, a living man, have conquered the universe"



"V for Vendetta" stands well apart from others I'v seen in recent past. Ucompromisingly gripping moview it is. It has every element that would make you predict and go wrong (well now that I'v said it u'd probably make a good guess). The only clue I had was the movie trailer which set my mood to not miss the movie.

The movie keeps the plot simple - vengence, set in a political back drop for the story line. The chancellor's regime comming into power potrayed similar to Hitler's Nazi regime.

Our protagonist who goes by the title 'V' is set to take vendetta on those who were responsible for what he was, masked by his outfit and smiling face mask.

The 1st impressive part of the movies was V's fast reflex stunts with his knives. Esp with the trail of the knife movements it just looked jawdroppingly awesome.

The 2nd impresive part of the movie is that such flicks usually have banal dialogues. But here you find the deliverance by 'V' quite scintillating and enchanting. Not what you expect of an action hero. The suave demeanor and husky voice, and his composure back at the Shadow Gallery was quite unique for a hollywood flick.

The movie does have some ficticious setting so better be prepared to take on some BS if you want to enjoy this one.

The other reason why I enjoyed the movie was Natalie Portman, god she is such a doll. Is it her eyes ;;)? She has done a good role in this movie.

Maybe this is given to having had involvement from The Wachowski Brothers /:) (same guys who made The Matrix Trology). There has been so much importance to the symbol 'V' here.

At the onset of the 1st fight, Mr.V delivers a speach mostly with words starting with the letter 'V' but for scattered prepositions and such. Leaves you stupefied.

Even the way he holds the knives before throwing it at his combatants. The orchestration of fireworks, and the list goes on as to how much this letter is being linked with (just as in The Matrix movie, with numbers like 101).

The movie does have some scenes which turned me off, but if you can filter those off you should be able to enjoy the rest laid back.

Bottomline, this movie is simply awesome among the recent flicks. I'd definitely grab my copy of the DVD once it hits the shelves.

Kill the Phoenix

A comic strip made into a movie is what this is for most. But every story has some subtle message which many people fail to notice :(. When it comes to the X-Men series taken all together, its about two men who have the same goal but take on different means - Charles vs. Magneto in their quest to make a future for their kind.

A good entertainer even for those who haven't laid eyes on the 1st and 2nd. The special effects in the movie are extravagant (esp. the one in which the scene almost freezes as the camera swerves), with plenty of support from sentimental values #-o *sob sob*.

There is nothing grossly lacking in the movie, and neither anything commendable about it. A watchable movie per se. Somehow I felt it did lacked the rush of ruthlessness that was there in the 1st two. I watch this movies esp. for the grace with which 'Ian McKellen' does his role as Magneto. His role was a bit of a let down this time. Though the usual finnale with the 'I am not done with as yet' message was sooo clichéd.

Phoenix has always been the 'Everyboy loves Jean Grey' kinda character. I admit she is really attractive :) to eye on. But this time they made her into a, as much as I hate to say - 'bitchy' :(. Its much more acceptable to see a man out of control than a woman. Just doesn't fit in well.
Maybe I should just see this by the quote - 'The female is the more viscious in every species'.

A nice timepass if you need a break.

ÆON Flux *** - Worth it?

After a ton of hesitation, we happened to pick this among a bunch of 10 movies to pass the night. Not a moment was disappointing. And Charlie Theron was such a doll :x in this movie, that faint smile (in a flashback) as she walks away just left me in awwwww (a reminiscence perhaps?), for such a breath stealing smile is a *rarity*!!!


I am a big-time lover of (good) sci-fi movies and yes I have got mighty bored of em lately. Too clichéd and frought with unnecessary complexity and twists in an attempt to entice the audience *sigh*, not impressive huh.

Aaaaand I love female warriors, NO not for the big boob or booty kind >:P but the no-nonsense ones (the ones who gets things done, not even the 'Trinity' kind but maybe Dark Angel :-?). Which reminds me of the phrase - "The female is the more vicious in every species", esp. when they decide to get what they want ;) (no hard feelings gals :p). ÆON is slick and bears this vicious look with the mascara on (which reminded me of my vice-principal from school - alphi @ alfonsa jacob >:)), like an effective killing machine never to fail.

This movie was simple as it can be, surfeiting for sci-fi crazy people as I :D, fast paced with nothing grossly illogical with only a few places where it seemed rather weak. By the time you realize it ain't materialization of your fears /reservations, the movie is wrapped-up in a neat way. The last futuristic movie that I loved was "I, Robot". For being able to believe in it (as to what the future beholds) is an integral part to such a movies success, without too much nonsense. This movie stood up to that, considering its 400 years from now. Gosh I wish I could live to see it all 8-> happen.

As for the plot, it was quite simple and easy even for no-brainers. For some reason I felt it analogous to 'The Matrix' :D as we crossed the half-hour mark. The stunts were brilliant, esp. when the ladies penetrate the defenses :-o, *L.O.V.E.L.Y* (not the ladies) is the operative word. And yes, it would be injustice if I forget to mention about the fundu imagination of how the rebels (the monicans) meet up ;).

The moment I saw the dame in this poster it reminded me of Aida (as in the concept art) from Unreal II. Hmm, guess I wouldn't be then visiting satyam to watch this one when it hits the screens. Which means I'm gonna miss one round of steamed corn *slurp*.

And don't worry about me having just given three stars. This movie wouldn't stand a chance in indian theatres, all thanks to the lovely taste of the vulgar crowd. My call - worth it, if you are my kind ;). Adios amigo's!!!

Mouthwatering Meltdown (****)

This is a must watch movie for fun loving folks. ICE AGE - The original movie was one of the shortest entertainers when I'm badly in need of one. I luv CGI and the characters here were just fantastic. The 1st movie is about Sid the sloth forming a herd with Manford the mammoth and Diego the sabertooth tiger. All of them in an adventure to return a kid to the humans. Absolutely hilarious it was!!!

The sequel was nothin short of pure fun and yet a wee bit disappointing to die hard fans of the original. Yet again scrat hosts the opening and closing scenes of the movie. I even heard that a new animated series is likely along the lines of Tom & Jerry with Scrat ;). The movie begins with the characters in a natural water park made of ICE with plenty of rides.

Sid the NTPK (nenapu dhaan pozhappu kedukkum in tamil) character is again downright comical as ever as - this time again as Lord of Fire :D. His signature non-stop prattling and kindling of manny into a mushy mood still goes on. This time the family/herd just got bigger with Ellie, Eddie & Crash joining em.

Ellie is the star of this movie ;) and she was outright hep. The movies success goes to this character and the possoms which r such a cutey :-*. The way she sleeps with her tail wrapped to a branch upside-down :)), brilliantly conceived. Sid and Diego especially didn't have much role in this movie but for their presence. Manford is still Mr.Saviour just like any bollywood movie, which turned out to be quite clichéd.

My favourite scene in the movie was when manford tries to impress ellie saying shez got a FAT BUTT. At first ellie goes on suspicion but she quickly likes manny for having said that. For once a gal who likes to be called FAT BUTT =)). And then of course the sloths worshiping lord of fire, which reminded me of a koundamani comedy in tamil. Their mimicking of sid and the short dance that followed before the sacrifice, was typical of the kind of laugh the original movie gives.

The jokes were quite clichéd and I somehow didn't find quite a bit of originality to it. It just lacked the charm of the original movie. Fun, guranteed nonetheless!!!

CGI was fantastic though the gushing water didn't impress me as much as 'Finding Nemo' did. The fur on the animals were stupendous until they go into water, when it started luk'n artificial. The scene of the balancing rocks seemed quite unnecessary to me :-|. It was there for some conversations to be made, and it was too impossible (unless it was a bollywood production). If this scene was to parallel the rescue of Diego in the original, sorry it didn't live up. And the drama brought out by the villainy, and the mushyness that binds the herd was grossly missing this time.

Ellie's eyes were JUST PERFECT. The expressions were absolutely fantastic, esp when manny tries to say it :) ... and the disappointment so evident.

Some might find that its just the same old saving the female in trouble kind movie, but hey thats what animal kingdom is all about - survival, unlike we humans with supposedly higher intellect (yet many just end up do the same :p).

Overall I'd give this movie **** compared to ***** for the original. Very enjoyable, esp if you can listen to the subtle dialogues. Just don't miss it. Besides it got a dash of romance too, for you love birds out there :x. As before a lovely treat for the kids n adults alike. You'll definitely have some hearty laughs, so get on n have a chill trip to the Meltdown this summer.

sarala in kovai brothers

NO. I didn't see the movie, not do I have any intend to even at the cost of my life. But I don't mind good humour no matter where it comes from.

Satyaraj has no more role moves to play in, so all his does is caricature of other movies. "English kaaran" tops the list and theres more in the hood. Poor sibi is being insulted day after day with no scope of shining.

But in this movie they take on Ghajini and its down right hilarious =)). In the "oru maalai" song all that asin does is walk up and down all the places shown with a haughty smile and flaunting walk. But you should watch kOvai sarala do it with flair :)) ... now she rocks. Simply brilliant!!! The whole living room broke in laughter, n satya raaj taking up as sanjay ;)). He's even managed to get that wig hair style and also that mad maan luk b-(.

I'm sure it would be put up in one of the regular comedy time shows, so don't miss it :).

αβ-βα→♥

I don't think many people would be able to recognize the title, but thats what Sol (nash's partner) paint on the rear windshield of the car during Nash's wedding :). Thoughtful itsn't it?

This is one of the most cherished non entertainment movie I own. Based in part from the biography by Sylvia Nasser, which I am yet to lay my hands on. It is very unlike me to say I hate to see movies, but am bored of my collection. This movies had waited too long in the shelves. I usually watch this movie when I am a bit moody and so I did ;), and it does wonders. Actually I couldn't study so I decided to waste time as I always do.

If you'd like to know more about him (I don't see it befitting of me to extol him being what I am. ... so am sparing the formalities), follow the link in the title ("Raw Data", its flash so you'v got to do it thyself). And here is what he's got to say about himself.

The background score definitely adds flavour to the movie. To me, this is an emotional movie. And as the opening credits roll (of dreamworks and skg) *goosebumps* ha ha. The classical music is just perfect n draws emotions very well. Its merry, yet not too groovy. Perfect to listen to with one's eyes closed.

This time though I observed a lot more of the dialogues I normally consider trivial :D. With time how you look at things does change :( :). One dialogue worth mentioning is what the doctor of the psychiatric hospital says - "Imagine if you had someday known ... the people, the places, the moments most imporant to you ... they'r not gone, they'r not dead ... but worse ... ... they'v never been ... what kind of hell would that be".

And yes, the moment in the movie that I cherish the most is when the pens go down for john nash :) - "Professor Nash ... its good to have you here john ... its an honour sir ... a previledge professor ... ". That would be my pick for the best scene in the movie. Very penetrating, very subtle and as Nash does say - "that was certainly most unexpected" ha ha.

Realized that I never prattled about this movie in my blogs *EVER* so here it is. Good nite ... ooh Good Morning ;).

The Legend of Eleanor

How often do you come across a movie that most of the people don't like. Then you realise that it is just you, and maaaybe the bunch of lunatic friends (birds of a feather) who love it as much as you do. Even though the movie ain't truly great, some aspects in it just appeal to you.

Its been well over a year since I saw this movie. Its was between oct 2004 until mid nov same year that I used to watch this movie over and over, rather had to. This movie was on the list of media contents for an airline entertainment system.

And this song was my solace then to pep up my spirits - "Bring Sally up and Bring Sally down". I just luv :x that song. I remember the time when I sat in theatre with my college buddies. The moment it started as we scuffled for out seats, we stared @ one another with a unanimous smirk. And then it was a bunch of souls rocking inside to the tune :).

The movie stars a modified '67 Shelby G.T.500 @ Eleanor with "Memphis" our protagonist, who sets out with his old buddies to flip 50 cars overnight. My personal inking for the movies starts from my love of the cast, and a fast simple entertaining nature of the movie. And of course some lovely dialogues. I like the one where "kip" says "I am in control of everything" and "Memphis" cool'y retorts - "The kitchen is on fire" ;). Of course the little conversation b/w "Memphis" and "Sway" before they boost :->. The movies got a rusty tint to its appearence all through, which adds to the appeal.

Needless to mention, it ain't a great movie. This movie among many others (as gladiator, braveheart) is a good example to how much the sound and audio can add to the intensity of the feel. The entertainment industry be it movies, games, music, theatre relies on being able to touch the human emotion for it success.

The potrayal of "Memphis" slithering his palm over the GT500, well not so instilling had it not been for the background score, at times gives me goosebumps. And so with the chase and the finall showdown in the bridge to longbeach. Add to that the escapade through the canal with the nitro on, which was too conspicious that it had been shot with a higher frame rate @ lower speeds and shown @ normal frame rate to give an illusion. (Reminds me of Hyper-Thrust in the T.V. series StreetHawk, jessie mack taking a 180 degree turn @ 300mph). There was no depiction of lack of control and the vehicles tendency to slide at such speeds. The only thing that gripped me to the movie amidst such high paced action was the suave music.

But not too often when we see a movie do we take some time to appreciate the music that brings out the final touch. Think of 'Gladiator', where the enormity and Crow's flabberghasting act gave it a boost. Ever imagined how rivetting was the sounds n music? Be it that of the sword or when he finally falls? Watch 'Troy', great picturization only tantamount to its lousy sound/music which didn't live up.

Guess I'v been digressing from beginning to end #-o. Don't think what it is that I am trying to say, just read along and move :p. Been experiencing some unusual neural activity with cross synaptic firing and rybotic scarring throughout the cortex :D. So live with it ...

a movie forgotten?

anjali anjali anjali ... chinna kammani kammani kammani
anjali anjali anjali ... minum mimmmi mimmmi mimmmi ...

Anjali - the movie that came out in 1990 when I was pretty much the same size as those vandus in the movie ... movie that gave the baby gals accolate beyond par ... the project was an amazin success ... it impressed a whole lot of the mass ... music score by illaiyaraaja ... the songs took by storm ... the lyrics were just so nice ... simple yet impressive

I still remember the dance steps by the kids which became so famous ... yeah where the stand with their legs wide apart ... arms crossed and palms clasped to the knees ... they bring the knees together and magically the hands seem to cross over to the other ... it was pretty much adpoted in most school culturals @ the period ... even I tried my hand @ it once ;p ... no more comments :D

it is still a fun movie to watch ... the perky kids just frolicking every day of their lives ... the fun is just amazing to watch ... the crushes ... n the blushes when some kids kiss ... ha ha ... n the rest waiting for every opportunity to pull ppl legs ... weekend galata's ... well a bit unrealistic Mani Rathnam was there ... but movies are about expressing our imaginations too ... you always like people to say that you are a social butterfly, success comes to you very easily ... it just like that ... a dream that the movie gives ... makes you feel ... life would be so nice that way 8->

and another reason for my penchant ... my appa's colleague's (a family friend) son acted in that movie the 1st time ... Anand ;) (and uncle n aunty also gt make guest appearence) ... oh yeah the same kid who acted in "May Maadham" as well ... if u remember Mangatha n stuff ... I just saw him on T.V. n was like O.M.G. how thin n stick like was he n now he grown ... no definitely not grown like Jayam Ravi who happened to study in my batch in JV ... but u know kids change so much ... I used to borrow my neighbours personal copy of the movie n watch it afte school ... not as much as M.M.K.R but next to it :)

some scenes in the movie r just so very nice ... I luv the scene wher Tarun introduces anjali to the kids ... n anand peeps his face into the kids ... n then ... gimme five ... yaaaayyyyyy ... thats a nice scene ...

oh yeah of course the touchy scenes b/w the siblings n anjali when they refuse to glue initial and then just fall so much in love ... esp when anand get hurt n anjali starts crying ... hmm so natural ... only when someone expresses such feelin / concern dyu realize how much they luv u ... ha ha okey no senti ... but I think the movie brought out some very very basic emotion in all of us ... Mani Rathnam's magic

another beautiful scene is after the society meeting ... when ppl request for the retarded kid to be kept away ... Shekar's (Raghuvaran) daughter Shruthi asks very cooly ... "yen pa avu yengaluku thangacheeya porandha, pakkathu aathula porandhurukelam ... illai aathula porandhurukelam ... yen avu inga vandhu porandha" ... ha ha ... the gals tone impresses me every time I listen to it ... know what they say - ignorance is bliss :) ...

the climax scene - "Yezundhuru Anjali Yezundhuru" ... is probably the most talked about in the movie ... n of course copied in so many instance ... dun't remember every mocking this movie in ... sunrise top 10 :))

songs again were gr8 ... I'll go from my favourites ... (listen to em here)

1. Something Something - super hit ... my favourite in the movie ... kids dancing with all swanky moves was just so awe ... a dance track I'd say ... just lovely
2. Motta Madi - ha ha ... this is a thirutu romance themed song ... ha ha ... the picturization was nice ... song lived up ... nuthin flashy as todays track ... simple n nice
3. Anjali Anjali - oh yeah starts with the baby singing then blends into the chorous ... starts in a sad mood n then turns gay ... brings out some change in emotion @ heart :)
4. Iravu Nillavu - in Janaki's ever sweet voice ... a new year bash song ... just gr8 ... again the kids n picturisation adds magic to it :)
   
5. Vaanam Nammuku - I somehow like the choice of words in the song ... its the meaning that attracts me to this song ... like you are expanding you mind ... gud one
   
6. Vegam Vegam - an chimerical setting to the song ... reminds me of an adoptation from the movie E.T. as the kids drive their cycles into the skies ... neat but not as impressive
7. Rathiri Nerathil - starts from a bed time story by das to his kids ... I think it blended with the movies but did't stand out as a track as such

if I remember correctly this movie starred chorus but Illu's kids ... n few other I believe ... I don't remember those details vividly ... maybe readers can add to it ...

just happened to watch some scenes of the movie b/w the commercials thru serials ... so didn't watch it fully ... but yes if I sit down I think I'll njoi it ... a lot compared to many tawdry n trite masala movies of the day ... no big message or anythin

a perfect mixture the movie was ... frolicking ... romance ... emotion ... anguish ... gud times ... tragedy, a movies where you laugh, you cry n u feel it all ... that give a feelin of a satisfactory movie ... may not be a blockbusted ... but it has made history :) ... most importantly in a positive way ;)

Ghajini Goes Bijili

it took me darn 1hr:10 min to get to prarthna drive in theatre from mambalam ... happy to have had a long drive on my dear balrAm ... but what was it worth

it was the ghajini craze ... I gave a cursory look into some reviews n got the gist so was not too surprised ... saw it with qute a bit of optimism ... so here is my synopsis (NOT A SPOILER) and my view of the movie ...

1st the gud things about the movie

1. Surya - he has taken a completely different luks ... of course his hair which I believe is a wig :) ... the gals were like ... omg!!! if only guys were like this ... ha ha ... who wudn't say that ... the best part that I like about him is the way he promulgates his love (be it in Khaake Khaake, Ayudha Yezuthu or this one) ... and of course oru appAvee luks ... how does he make that puppy face :-? ... hez got the machismo n all ... I liked him since "Nandha" to be precise ... hez done a fairly decent job in the movie ... proly only commendable acting ... n yooo ... dude done descent dancing this time around ... but guess what in the song "Rangola" he makes movies like our super star as he can't dance much ... reminded me of "Thillana Thillana" song ;)) ... but hez taken up this perfect youngster luks here ... esp in those tuxedo ... tho he doesn't beat vikram as Remo in anniyan ;) ... he was the main reason I went for the movie :)
   
2. Asin - I just never felt her to be anything but gud luk'n ... it stayed that way for most part ... admitted shez proly got the most beautiful sharp eyes ... but her conceited talks in 1st half of the movie was grossly affected ... pathetic if I can say ... maybe she thinks shez 2 cute ... or it was the director ... why is that actress's dun have much role now-a-days? she can turn out very gud ... only if ppl wud not have her flaunt ... shez cute n can make a gr8 role if they do give her one ... but in this movie I was disappointed ... I hate to say this but jothika wud have done gr8 for the 1st half ... the latter half was better though when ppl get into trouble ... shez done well in the tragedy scene =D> ... I gt give that to her ... her grerarity was not natural ... but after the proposal I think she did very very well ... the composure was befitting n flowing ez ... she can do better than this ... but "Rahatulla" song >:P ... I'm sorry if ppl find that kewl ... actually I felt sorry for her ... oooh yeah her dancing ... most part she doesn't smile when she dances ... therz surya with a happy face n she as if struggling to keep up :( ... shez yet another reason for watching the movie ;) I admit :D
   
3. Nayanthara - *WHAT THE HELL* ... shez probably the biggest mistake in the movie ... nuthing commendable ... she ominously fat n what the hell has she attempted ... I loathed her very presence in any scene ... more of that as I rail

so much for the characters ... now to what I liked in the movie :)

the build-up story was a bit of fun ;) ... surya lived up ... the way the romance grew was made nicely ... it was just natural ... no profanity ... but the gal pullin him in for an undergarment ad n all ... n the luk on surya's face ... ha ha ... simply superb ... her talk with him oblivious that he was "Sanjay Ramasamy" ... was nice ... surya gave a magical touch to that :)

"Oru Maalai" ... na na nanana na na nananaaaaaaaaaaaaa .... my favourite track in the movie :x ... well the lines "aval alli vidda poikal nadu naduve konjam meikal" ... ha ha ... for once the lyrics in tune with the story :) ... I felt surya really gud in this one ... my friend n I just cud resist from singing ... well no donkeys around so :D ... not much from asin her but her catwalk's n a bit of flauntin around

"Suttum Vizhi" one of my other favourite song, n it was just fictitious ... soporophic mood say many ... but a very deep sounding song ... but, not in flow with the movie ... therz a small veena piece in there which turns me on everytime ... was elated to hear it as the duo step on the wet-cement ... picturisation was gud for most part but for some funny steps by surya ;)) ... it was like a clown @ times ... dance was okey ... didn't feel asin had much to this either but some nice expression when not dancin

there 2 songs r my recommendations for music enthusiasts ... rangola is an ez listener too ... bu the video was bit funny ... but I do suggest this review by Arvind if ur a staunch listener :)

the Action ... many say is a bit gory n very violent ... weeeeeeell maybe ... but I didn't find it 2 artificial unlike anniyan which was conspicuous ... luks like The Matrix is influencing every kollywood movie now ... tho a bit of exageration, most part of it was physical ... as in not effects ... the ppl were there ... maybe with harness n stuff ... but they were there ... the fight with the chimps ( =)) okie thats the twin vilians, omg they luk'd so funny ... btw were they supposed to make one feel fear ... hilarious it was ) in the showdown was a bit too much ... some of the stunts were indeed nice ... physics defying ... but not tooo unbelievable ... worth mentioning is the chimps holding surya horizontally n kickn him was a new stunt ... many of john woo's signature stunts were also there ... the chimps I believe was supposed to give the feel of two Agent Smiths vs Neo ... I can empathize their attempt ... but it failed miserably (n) ... the police who comes @ the initial scene was yuk ... waaaaaaaaaay 2 affected ... well build okey ... but just inane ... surya punching the floor tiles through water n all was unnecessary ... it spoiled the show ... all folks were like - "excuse me sir, what did he attempt", me - "no tension ... he was just washing his hands in the water" =)) ... the stunt to match rajni flying on a perfect horizontal trajectory made it trite ... but overall it was less funny than most regional movies ... and some some innovation and originality

What went wrong?

the main plot was a bit weak ... proly not enuf time to dwell amidst all the romance ... @ times the character gave a feelin of a split personality ... one a bit more composed ... other lil crazy ... such a patient out @ large was not very convincing but no weakness to it either ... the sound track many times tries to scare the audience maybe ... sounds like from movie omen n some kaalam kaalamage thondru thottu varum horrow movie sounds ... was misleading ...

nayanthara above all ... what did she thing ... she can vie with Yanna Gupta ... I dun wanna say how she luk'd with that ring in her mooku L-) ... she was bitchy ... I'll hold myself there ... the "X-Machi" song was horrendous ... plz plz plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz dun see that crap ... guys were like "yendha college le maa indhaa maadhiri laam pannuvaaange ... na veelaiya laam vitutu ange poi join pannaren ... therinjuirundha naanum nalla padichuruppen " ... ha ha jocular of course ... shame no em to have come up some something like that ... all start'd with "Cheena Thana" ... shez so plump n got MRF tires (which even guys wud envy for their's wudn't stand a chance) n she goes exposed #-o ... in a tight leather swim short sized piece ... plz I give up ... I HATE that song as well now

then again her character was whimsical ... many a times in Cue (FF) ... shez proly tried to be glamorous in this movie ... all her reputation is proly down the drain by now ... its not even the dress ... asin's in much more flagrant arraignments ... but shez adorable in em ... but this dame's lost it ... the scene where she gives Mission Briefing to surya is proly the most funny ... it was just as stupid as it cud get ... and then @ the hostel for the final show down ... she was giving a pet talk to our protogonist (who can't remember past 15min n fails to recognize her often) saying whats suyanalam and podhunalam :-h ... it wud have been a twist to see him say - "nee ippo yenna romba confuse pannite, na modella unna kolla pooren ... apparum avangalai" ... n then of course "avano addi" n all that in sada style as in Jayam ... ho ho ... what a sense of humor ... her expressions of gawk n dismay was appalling to me :D ... phew ... glad to be alive

and above all else a big disappointment ... the song "Rahatulla" ... liked it a bit after a few hearings ... but the video :( ... c'mon asin is better flaunting naturally than with such luks ... tough gait is not for her ... none of the guys liked it ... it was rap'pish style ... the moves ... just didn't fit

and then the vilian ... he n his twin brother luk like chimps, hideous ones ... I doubt if they were added to make ppl laugh ... esp when they stare ... =)) ... candidates for a dilbert comedy strip equivalent ... they didn't have the imposing nature of underworld ppl ... bit of a comedy track for the movie

and then again ... is there no other topic but abuse of women by underworld n all for films ... okey its the fact ... accepted ... now this has been running for aaaaaaaaaaages now ... n I'm sick n tired ... its like sun t.v.'s exageration during kk's arrest ... by repeated telecast for a week or more X-( ... see movies like "Company" ... thatz a gem of a movie ... n therz more to that line ... plz grow up ppl ... everytime I see such things a fit of revulsion hits me

Conclusion

its not a gr8 movie ... u can watch the movie once for surya and asin's sake and their prankish flirting ... the romance side was nice ... not the best but watchable ... the plots a bit weak as such ... action is better than in most movies ... a bit of masala for the indian crowd as its always been ;)

surya has done good and asin was okey n can do better

well I had nuthing to loose ... I got to eat masala dosa for free (courtesy my pals) for having gone all that distance ... no remorse for not having seen it in satyam ... phew ... now I got this off my back ... to my chores n errands now ...

---

okie got some more hints ... knew that the story ain't original ... but now we know where it came from ... so for the benifit of some lazy readers ... memento ... well @ least the plagiarism was was expedient this time ... smart guys :) ... thnx to the many folks who refered to this link :) ... danx Mr. killerklown ...