Kuruvi Adichitayan Ya!!!!!!

Kuruvi Movie Verdict - Protect ur sanity when u can...stay away from it ....really far away...



p.s - movie does not warrant more words or time...

Kallori Movie Review - Realistically Slow!!

Watched Kallori(college) movie today....Overall ....movie is OK !!!
Movie is based on the massacre of the 3 college students in Dharmapuri District(shown in the movie as somewhere in Andhra for political reasons).....The movie has a tragic ending of course.....
The director has added a romantic track to make it a commercial film ....... the hero(main protagonist) although he looks like not...plays the part really well....the movie is very realistic ...as in the characterization is very very good!!!Tamanna (as a Bishop Cotton Blore student) plays the contrasting 'fair' character to the T.
While the the charatcers are mostly underplaying for the realistic touch there are some scenes where the characters overplay...the scene when Tamanna says she does not want to go to Birla Academy is like super duper dappa !!!!
The movie is certainly a snail !!!! it struggles to catch a flow!!!! .....
Comedy in the first half is fresh....while it is exposed a little tad too much esp the twins character!
Music is good....June July and the theme stick on!!!! ....background score is really good!!! but there is a KAdhal hangover !!!
Cinematography is sufficient!!!
While the movie is good for its no Star cast ...the movie could have been better.Its a sensitive issue and it has not been exploited......
Well the director has to be commended to take a movie on such a topic ....to make sure that ppl still remember that stupid idiotic insane incident which happ....and the supposed convicts are still being tried!!!
But i still want to come out of a theater happy and not sad......Kadhal ...Kallori....i hope he makes the next movie atleast based on the triumph of human spirit and the not about the lack of it.

ATM Muzik Review!!

Well this is the review of the music of the latest Tamil movie ATM - Azhagiya Tamil Maghan..the review might be late coz of work commitments...but it kinda let me get drenched in the music before I formed an opinion about it .

Cut to the chase...

1.)Ellaappugazhum - A R Rahman
Initially when the samples released...ppl were talking about the start being the best intro ever for Vijay..they werent kidding...its really got the punch.....maybe not a 'oruvan '..but nonetheless the 'munnnal munnal' is top notch and when ARR goes 'nee nadhipola ' bit is really inspiring.....i have no technical expertise in music etc etc ....so being laymanish....the first interlude..with orchestral music seemed like a bit from a Hollywood flick....(JA effect eh???).....the stanza is modestly good enough...nothing giving me goosebumps....until 'Hey thozha' comes back with a bang.....the second stanza is a turntable....ARR rendition goes completely different esp when he says 'thooki podada';the sound effect as in something getting thrown is cheeky....then the pitch changes with the chorus with ARR also joining them in a completely novel way of singing the song.....it seemed exaggerated at first....but with repeated hearing...it sticks on...!!!!


2.)Ponmagal Vandaal - Aslam & Ember Rap
By starting the song from the middle of the original song was surprising(ARR touch!!)....i loved the beat of this song..not too fast..not too slow..just a nice,feel good pace....Aslam does a nice job...the song turns to the better when the rap starts....the lyrics are not rapid-fire ...(thank god.)... the old bit was nicely interspersed with the new rendition..and the asymmetry when TMS goes Vaa first time with an echo and w/o echo the second time was all ARR!!....the last rap bit was also neatly done....Diamond of the album.
niceties - the tanglish rendition of the old bit,the 'oh yeah' bit by the female,'she is so fine in diamonds' rap bit....
p.s - i have just heard the original song vaguely before...thanks to ARR ,bharathan and chetan m going to listen to the original again ....and about who composed this song....if ARR takes credit for this song in the main inlay...he would have approved of the remix...(which is enough 4 me!!!)....coz no one other than ARR fans is gonna see the credits section!!!!


3.)Nee Marilyn Monroe - Benny Dayal & Ujjayinee
The best start for a song in the movie..was so much in smile when i listened for the first time..esp the 'kurrr' part... :) ...had to be my ringtone.....but then after that the song goes down a beaten path .......the mashup of english and tamil lyrics...have heard this kinda of songs so many times from ARR so many times......the computerized bit...all seem reminescent.....i like ARR experimenting even if it sucks big time(who am I??)...i think ARR has proved that he is the best in 'western meets indian' kind of music...so some more experimenting in this genre would be OK....interludes match up....nice song !!!
niceties - 'oooh oho',chess board bit,
did not like - the wicket- mixie bit by the female


4.)Valayapatti - Naresh Iyer, Ujjayinee & Madhumitha
Super start with an italian kinda music....and then get the female sing about nadhaswaram ....get some wierd voice and then get some old song kinda music....and make naresh iyer sings in a different tune to the female gets me all worked up and super confused.....this song is the pick of the album for its motley of musical facets.....the interludes are the the pillars for this song..with a lot of alaaps making me go crazy......the stanzas are super duper......
with the the inclination of the word super coming in my while writing this...The song is SUPER!!!
niceties - the kalyani et al bit,the kalpakkam - hormones bit....


5.)Kelaamal Kaiyile - Sriram Parthasarathy & Saindhavi
The nostalgic start with Saindhavi was nice..but that music bit which followed did not excite me...but again the next bit with that nostalgic(i love nostalgia!!!) lyrics with a nice made-up voice is what which makes this song tick...Sriram does what is expected...the interlude bit with the female voice humming reminds of some english song(just reminds me)....stanza just manages(maybe not...still dicey!!!) to keep up with that first bit(the oldish keetu rasitha padal part)...the 'kokilam' was a worthy addendum(paradox???)to the song....


6.)Maduraikku Pogathedee - Benny Dayal, Archith & Dharshana
I thought this is gonna be the weak spot of the album when i heard the samples first...thought it was the same shankar mahadevan kinda song..but was this song a surprise???...ARR goes back to his folk composing days...(i still miss an album like uzhavan or KC)...song little reminscent of SOK kummi adi esp the start....the nadhaswasrm bit is good...the interlude was agin top notch....the stanzas of this song alone make it a must listen....MUST LISTEN!!!
niceties - 'maapilai than singam','thera-thera','dumm dumm','indiran-chandiran'
did not like - the female laughter when it goes maarghazi..it sounded mechanical...

Finally the album is a must for all ARR fans and all non-ARR fans (did i miss anyone??)....the album is completely enjoyable...after a long time maybe(RDB??)....My quench for a classic in Jodha-Akbar just spiced up!!!!!! :)

Shrek 3 - Finally a worthy Sequel

I Love animation movies..they are clever ,cool,cute and always have a happy ending...Shrek 3 is no different..its a wonderful movie with the parody thread(as usual)running all across it...The dear ogre has played(animated) the part to a T..so has everyone else..of all the sequels this year this is the only sequel which quenched my expectations...maybe the only ordinary thing(relative) was that the novelty factor was missing...(3rd part ...so obviously)....The movie touches a lot of issues...from the cliched bad turn good act...women empowerment...underdog...and yeah paternity as well....!!
Verdict - Yeah!!You gotta not miss this one!!
p.s - waiting for Shrek 4...

Ebrahim Saheb Street- A Foodies delight

A couple of weeks ago, my friend and I were roaming around aimlessly (like we always do…. No sense of direction, whatsoever!) And found ourselves in the back alleys of Commercial Street. The name sounded familiar… Ebrahim Saheb Street… I think my mother would go there to shop for intricate embroided dress materials… (Why I am even talking about embroidery.?!?) Anyways, the surprising thing about the street in reference is that it has a large number of roadside eateries with a large variety… from jalebis, to churmur chat and the quintessential South Indian delicacy, Idlis and Dosas. The street reminded me of the “Parathe Waali Galli” in good ol’ Dilli, only much M-U-C-H smaller… (Sorry dilli wallas, if I have offended you…. Just a mild comparison…. I might be wrong…. Very wrong)

The only thing that amazed me was that I hadn’t heard about these Idli and Dosa joints before, being a Bangalorean all my life (Shame!!). We decided to start the proceedings with the soft Idlis and some chutney (very hot!). In no time we had gobbled up about half a dozen of ‘em….. We then went for a Dosa with generous amounts of clarified butter and dollops of white butter thrown in at the end…. I must say, the Dosas were indeed good. We also tried a Dosa with onions thrown in and oh…. Not to forget the vadas that acted as fillers while waiting for the dosas! Quite a meal for a hungry twosome…. The important thing is, we didn’t spend too much money and the food was a zillion times better than the thrash which is dished out in those stinky “Darshinis” (I despise those places…. Why is the sambar sweet, for cryin out loud?). People, who are paranoid about eating on the street, don’t worry, because, I am pretty sensitive too and it didn’t throw my bowel movements outta gear….. ;) For dessert we wound up at Bhagatrams, made famous by their DELICIOUS Gulab Jamuns and Gajar Halwas…. I think I have been going to Bhagatrams for as long as I can remember…. The gulab jamuns taste just the same… I hope it stays that way….

To wrap things up, I will go with three out of Five for the Dosa joints at Ebrahim Saheb Street (We didn’t explore too much though). I think the next time, I will make it a point to try some jalebis at a shop close to the Dosa place….

(PS: My next review: Veena Stores, Malleswaram)

p.s - review by AJ

Pirates Of the Carribean : At Worlds End - A Biased Review!!!

Watched Pirates yesterday..the final installment....and i should say was quite a disappointment....That too for a POTC afficianado i felt the movie was boring....I Still like the movie ...will watch it in the DVD (all 3 continuously....also i need subtitles for the 3rd!!!)....Johnny Depp and Gregory Rush was the only saving grace ......


The marriage of Orlando and Keira (whatta babe!!!).....was hilarious....i missed this kind of fun in the movie..which was so much in abundant in the earlier versions....Even the climax ..which was touted very good...failed to excite me!!! the whirlpool scene created by Calypso(btw what is she in the movie....i did not understand anything about her other than that she was betrayed by Davy!!)...Nothing much worth mentioning!!!
This year has seen two sequels fail ...i just hope the dear ogre does not meet the same fate...
Shrek 3 here i come!!!!

SandCrap+AlienCrap+SpiderMan2 = SpiderCrap 3

Watched Spiderman 3.........the first installment was really good...the second one was ok...so by the thoery of extrapolating the third one is bad!!!! the fallacy was to introduce too many characters...it had a tad too many!!!!The villans had no substantial roles ... just animated sequences!!!!
Sentimental scenes and romantic scenes in great movies are often felt and never noticed...thats the problem..... you know a movie is srewed when it starts getting all mushy and boring....thats exactly what happens in the movie...
Pluses (yes there are).....Action sequences(fx is top notch).....Comedy Scenes....some were really good...
From hearsay i think this the the last of the Series..hopefully...toby mcguire was good ....but Kirsten Dunst looks like his Aunt and his aunt looks like his Grandmom.....

If you are planning to watch this movie...dont wear your thinking cap and go...actually dont go with any sense of expectation...just go dumb....you may like it!!!!

Water reVu !!!

Well...posting a review of Water ..this review was done by one of my friend called AJ (no..not the Backstreet Boys Guy!!!...but close!!!)...its a really neat review ...here goes...

Water- a review:

Water, the third part of Deepa Mehta’s elements series and Canada’s foreign film entry to the Oscars, is a story set amidst the widows of Benares. The film, which was supposed to be shot in Benares itself about seven years ago faced much criticism, and the sets destroyed by Hindu extremists was later shot in picturesque Sri Lanka with a different set of actors.

The film is set in the 1930s colonial India, amidst the rising power and popularity of Gandhi and opens with the young Chuiya being widowed after her much older husband dies, a husband she does not recognize or a marriage she does not recall. She is, almost immediately, sent to a widows’ home by her parents, an act which makes your heart go out to the young Chuiya. The widows’ home almost immediately, changes after her arrival in a way which makes the widows question their faith and their way of life. The Sri Lankan girl Sarala, in the role of young Chuiya is adorable and she breathes life into her character. The film also captures the lives of other widows namely Lisa Ray as Kalyani and Seema Biswas as Shakuntala. The Lisa Ray track is your quintessential love story, wherein the rebellious widow finds solace in her love interest, played by John Abraham. I think, this track has helped portray to the foreign audiences the much romanticized image of India. John Abraham has done justice to his Gandhian character, Narayan and Lisa Ray is promising. Seema Biswas is in her usual best, and she plays her middle-aged widow role with ease. All credit to Deepa Mehta, with her amazing ability to make even the smallest characters stand out. For example, the character of the ladoo loving Bua, is beautiful and makes you laugh and cry at the same time. The downside is that the movie is a little sluggish in certain places and the scenes play out slowly which makes you lose interest. But this shouldn’t hold people back from watching this wonderful film. Personally, I thought 1947-Earth was a better film. Screenplay and Cinematography are excellent and the editing is crisp. All in all, this is the story of a group of strong willed women, essentially like the Indian woman and this is where the film scores on originality.

I don’t know why I am making this point so late in the review but here goes… The background score and songs composed by maestro A R Rahman are speechless haunting. Lyrics by Sukhwinder Singh are ideal and he should write for more films.

All said and done, this film is a huge loss for India and the Hindu extremists made a huge mistake by hampering the shoot. So, it eight out of ten for Deepa Mehta’s Water and two thumbs up for her courage to tell the story of the plight of widows. Lastly, hats off to the little girl Sarala for being this little powerhouse of talent playing a role which is truly difficult to play.

muZik RevU : Pachai Kili MuthuCharam....

I dont know the meaning of the title...but i know one thing that if in the year-end count down if a song from this movie does not come first...the song that eventually comes first must be one helluva song...(read Sivaji..)....

1.)Unn Siripinil - Soumya Rao
The song starts with the tune which is being played in the trailor....the humming is sure to be the next ring tone for the season...Soumya rao...donno who she is but sure has got a soft mellifluous voice....esp the part when she goes oru murai ella....is really nostalgic...Nice feel good song....
percentile rating - 70%

2.)Kadhal Konjam - Naresh Iyer
Accordin to me the weakest track in the album...Naresh Iyer rendition being a lil different...good to know he is getting offers other than from Arr camp......it feels like Hariharan was suppsoed to sing this song...anyway not my favourite song...
percentile rating - 30%

3.)Karu Karu - Karthik,Chris ,Naresh Iyer...
The song starts with a cliched beat....never giving u an idea that its going to be rock song....
...another apprehension i have is that i donno how Mr Sarath Kumar is going to lip-sync these songs...i am sure its going to come in the background..it would be disastrous to see him do that ..Song is good...but still waiting
percentile rating - 50%

4.)Unnakkul Naan - Bombay Jayshree & Madhusree...
Song of the year...might be early...but the song is really really awesome....i am actually short of superlatives to describe the song....expect another partha mudhal (this song is better than suttum vizhi accordin to me....)reaction from this song from the audience ...i dont whose lucky mascot is who.... Harris or Bombay Jayshree....
look out for...the violin interlude....the hola re chorus in the second stanza(i luuuvvvvv subtleities(no idea of the spelling!!!)!!!!!!!)....and btw the madhusree version sounded better to me...
percentile rating - highest

p.s - forgive the gramatical errors...

muvee REVU : Pokkiri Experience...

Saw pokkiri today......
Movie is all about action...violence and all the gore which is consequential....
shd say...the movie is very stylishly shot....u really really feel sick when ppl die (and thats a lot of ppl in the movie...)...they could have avoided the silly graphics ....
Asin would mean a song in the movie....and btw she is insanely beautiful....
i saw more of Prabhudeva in Vijay ..from the dance to the acting it was all prabhudeva ....
hmmm...even though the choreography was good....it kinda got repititive.......
the song Vasantha Mullai was cool........and dola dola was much better in telegu....
Vadivel almost gives u the sore thumb of the movie with his comedy.....but i think he made it up with the ghajini parody....man that was too too good......
Verdict...nuthin...just watch it if u have nothing else to do....simple....

muVee Revu : Guru

I really think Mani should not have taken Nayagan for every movie i watch of his ..i try to measure with that all time gr8....its not fair on him....but isnt everything in this world relative.....Coming to Guru....its a well made film...but certainly not his best.....evrything about the movie seemed to be right except the feel of the movie....i.e i did not get the usual goosebumps after coming after his movie..

Story-wise the movie was brilliant ...it cleverly avoided all controversies it COULD have attached itself to....

On a negative thought...the Mallika Sherawat number was totally inappropriate....it looked like it was cramped into the movie..which already had a "stuffed with songs" first half...Vidya Balan was terrible....no not her acting..she was extremely good for a nothing role....Another disheartening thing was the usually reliance ..er reliable Arr background score...other than Jaage Hain it just did not strike a chord... I actually expected the movie to be visually great but Rajeev Menon did nothing more than what his younger contemporary's are doing now...(that is the problem with a lot of expectations.)Choreography sucked....seriously....picturisation of songs also did not measure up..(mani's worst enemy :Mani)

Enough of bashing...Songs were really gr8...m actually one of the exclusive Ek lo Ek Muft Song Fan Club member....The introduction of Maddy ..the whole sequence of scenes just b4 the intermission were cult stuff(Ab Jr saying No one can stop him...was fantablous)....Aishwarya was gorgeous so was her looks(lucky........)....The Kids singing Jaage Hain was one of the most touching moments of the movie....Also another aspect of this movie was the juxtaposing of the characters in such way that they were against each other but still like each other was a master stroke from mani...the only ubqitious good thing about the movie was the persona of Ab jr.. he carries the movie on his shoulder(maybe the only mani movie..)..ITS HIS MOVIE...WATCH IT FOR DHIRUBHAI er...GURUBHAI