Is Bond Back?

James Bond, perhaps the most famous, and longest film series, in the history of world cinema, steps into it's 50th year. And thus, it's very natural that it's commemorative release, Skyfall comes under great hype.

Intro scene: Bond chases a guy, whose got a list of all 00 agents undercover, amidst terrorist agencies worldwide, and at the peak of the chase, his associate, aiming at Bond and his opponent locked in a brawl, is ordered to take a shot, even if not clear at the enemy, by a tense M. The shot is taken, and Agent falls, to an assumed demise.

As this dissolves into the psychedelic opening credits with Adele's mystifying voice ringing all over, hearts race, and the audience are stooped into the movie. Attention is further captured in the next scene, where M comes under the ax, being forced to take up voluntary retirement, and minutes later, the MI6 headquarters goes up in flames - masterfully destroyed by an exceptional hacker. The plot now seems to be all too interesting.

But as every interesting opening, every awesome trailer, has come to show us, Skyfall ends up a disappointment. It is the story of how Silva, an ex-MI6 agent, hell-bent on killing M, (who also decides to put MI6 out of order and into shame in the process), after being 'betrayed' by her during an high-risk operation, an act that leaves him physically and mentally damaged, and how Bond, and M go on to stop him.

It is my personal belief that ever since Daniel Craig came up to the franchise, that Bond films have kinda lost their sheen. No more glamour, not much glitz (except for an Aston Martin here and there, a couple of Sony cellphones, that's all. And the women haven't exactly been impressive, I suppose). Craig's 'appointment', as the 007 was, and is looked upon with an amount of criticism, and sure, Craig isn't all ruggedly handsome as Pierce Brosnan, nor is he all suave as Roger Moore, but ever since he stepped in, every Bond film has been out of the usual. Both Casino Royale, and Quantum of Solace brought to us, not the stylish, charismatic secret agent, but a rather sentimental, traumatized person, a more human Bond. And Skyfall, brings to us, a broken Bond, damaged by age, emotion, and a gunshot to the shoulder. And thus, it requires an actor of mettle, not a rugged gentleman, and Daniel Craig, has successfully fit the bill.

Judi Dench, finally gets a little macho action in this movie, and it, perhaps, holds her longest screen time in the series. The handsome Javier Bardem, totally not handsome in this movie, playing the grotesque Silva, is just wonderful in his performance - as a villain almost powerful enough to beat the system, to take over the world, but refuses to employ his genius elsewhere and only for his revenge towards M. Ralph Fiennes, is back on screens with a nose, after a long time, and it looks like he's taken a position in this franchise.

Skyfall, is painfully long, or atleast makes you feel like it. While there are enough fist-fights, gunpowder and quick comic punches to keep the film going, it lacks the all-important uber-cool Bond touch, a feeling that will disappoint die-hard Bond fans. James' isn't here to save the world, he's almost running a personal errand for M. That's sad.

But nevertheless, we have a new Q. We have a new Ms.Moneypenny. And we have a new M. We have the actors, at their best, we have an interesting plot. And at the end of day, as the last scene comes in, the adrenaline kicks in, and you simply know, Bond is Bond, and the finish, sets the expectations for better action-packed sequels to come. And even after having sat for a 2-hour drag, at the end, your walk out of the theater turns into a suave stride, and as you step into your vehicle, and kick in that ignition, you almost feel like you're driving a Martin.

Aditya Baskaran

Snug Madness

Some of us know Seth MacFarlane. For those who don't, he's the guy who made Family Guy. We remember the controversially nasty sitcom Family Guy (one of my favourites, and one of the funniest sitcoms ever made) - about a dysfunctional family, with a rambling father, a near-sensible mother, two out-of-place kids, a crazy infant with sinister plans to take over the earth and a talking dog.

So, what should we expect from Seth when he decides to make a full-length motion film? A complete comic caper, complete with swearing and high-frequency sexual innuendo. And that is what he delivers. Well, almost.

8-year John makes a wish - that his teddy bear should come to life, and the next morning, it so does, and becomes a sensation. 27 years later, John and Ted are still inseparable, leading an "irresponsible" lifestyle, with too much partying and pot in it. John's girlfriend Lori, stating the fact that John's getting nowhere in life cause of Ted, makes John move Ted out of their place. The issues that follow this split, and what happens to the bromance between Ted and John, is the rest of the story.

Mark Wahlberg, as the 35-year old boy still stuck to his teddybear delivers a performance of class. Hell, he was a Golden Globe nominee for The Fighter, he's acted under Scorcese, he should be able to pull this off. The vivacious Mila Kunis, bingo. But the real star here is Seth MacFarlane, as the voice and action of the pot-smoking, girl-banging, heart-of-gold, wastrel celebrity Ted.

So, again, ted is everything you'd expect from Seth - funny, in manner of vulgarity, obscenity, and controversy. Come on, it's rated R, it's bound to have all that in it. Line after line, he goes around taking digs, celebrity after celebrity. Sure, the movie's sort of usual, too predictable. It's no Inception, but nevertheless, this movie can make you gasp, snigger, and laugh out loud.  Additional spikes, come in the form of cameos, by 'Flash Gordon' Sam Jones, Ryan Reynolds and Norah Jones(minor spoiler, sorry). This is classic Seth MacFarlane, and thus, this is a worthy watch.

Aditya Baskaran

Hot Delivery!

Firstly, I would like to appreciate Karthik Subburaj, as a fellow Thalaivar fan, for his Rajinikanth innuendo.

Pizza, starring Vijay Sethupathy, Remya Nambeesan, 'Aadukalam' Naren, J.Jayakumar, Karuna, Pooja, Simha and several others, is the story of how things go haywire during one specific delivery for a pizza-delivery boy, at a supernatural scale.

While there is a slight foreign-cinema touch to the movie, 'Pizza' is a refreshing attempt, which keeps us glued to our screens through the runtime. While there are certain spaces of drag in the movie, it is well compensated by the successive pace of the movie, and the twist-filled screenplay. It has been long since such a daft horror/thriller made its way to Tamil audiences, and  'Pizza' comes in at a grand time.

Yet again, and I seem to be repeating this statement several times in my reviews, this movie, while housing an exceptionally interesting storyline, rides on the performances of its cast. Vijay Sethupathy, from the acclaimed 'Thenmerkku Paruvakatru' and the recent 'Sundarapandiyan', has developed into an actor of mettle, and his performance is commendable indeed. Remya Nambeesan, 'Aadukalam' Naren, Jayakumar, Karuna, Pooja, Simha, the weird old modern-saint, everyone fit into their role, and casting has been huge support to this movie, as the 'stars' look as natural as possible.

Gopi Amarnath's cinematography, and Leo John Paul's editing, work hand-in-hand to produce a wonderful finish, and a crisp runtime. Interesting camera-handling has helped in producing the scary-eerie effect to an optimal level, and kudos to that.

Now, the music. Santhosh Narayanan is the find of the future. Looking past the fact that Beethoven made an appearance somewhere in the background, his album, and BGM have been impressive, and his rich sense of music is bound to take him places. My personal favorite from the album would be 'Mogathirai' (Magic, by vocalist Pradeep Vijay), and the use of songs in the film are also perfectly in co-ordination with the movie's pace.

Karthik Subburaj has struck gold with his debut, as he brings out an entertaining, appealing thriller that is definitely worth your money. Thirukumaran Entertainments has carved a niche for itself by bringing to screen rather unique movies. While Atta Kathi might have been lukewarm, Pizza's out hot and filling.

Aditya Baskaran

The Queen Is Back.

What happens to a legendary heroine, who once ruled over Indian cinema, when she takes a 14-year break from the silver screen?

Absolutely nothing. And that is what English Vinglish is here to prove. English Vinglish, is the story of Sashi, an Indian housewife, mistreated by her family due to her lack of knowledge in English, whose journey to New York gives her a lesson both in life and in English. The story is an exact honest portrayal of The Indian Wife, and the hardships she faces on a daily basis, within her own small world, and kudos to Gauri Shinde for scripting such an original character. The story, in itself, is a complete fuzzbucket, a warm family entertainer, with completely no dampeners, and with the rise of variety in cinema, it has turned rare today, to find such complete family films.

Sridevi, is simply wonderful. It is on her back that this film rides, and she puts most of today's actors to complete shame with such an amazing comeback performance. Yet again, it is another movie that captivates you, simply because of being a powerhouse of performances. The cast - Mehdi Nabou, as the French admirer of Sashi, Adil Hussain, as the husband, Sulabha Deshpande as the mother-in-law, Sujatha Kumar as the sister, Priya Anand as Sashi's lovely niece, Navika Kotia, as the ignorant daughter, Shivansh Kotia as the sweet son, Rajeev Raveendhran as the funny Tamilian Rama, each and every member of the cast deserve mention as they have performed their roles to the optimum. While Laxman Utekar's cinematography and Amit Trivedi's music aren't exactly extraordinary, Hemanti Sarkar's taut editing keeps the movie to a crisp, enjoyable runtime.

While the Tamil version is nevertheless a dub of the Hindi one, it is Ajith's cameo that brings you the Tamil cinema feel. Ajith, is simply marvelous in his guest performance, in his short screen time, he still manages to make deep impact.

Gauri Shinde, has brought to screen a wonderful film, and she's struck gold with her debut. R.Balki, must be one happy producer, and one happy husband. Sridevi makes you laugh, she makes you cry and she carries you along with her, in this warm story, which is definitely worth a watch.

Aditya Baskaran

Ala Barfi!

We all remember Anurag Basu's last outing. Named "Kites", the movie created colossal hype, only to be torn to bits at the BO. But this time, Basu has struck gold with 'Barfi!', starring Ranbir Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Priyanka Chopra and several others.

Set in a timeline shifting from 1972 to today, Barfi! is the story of deaf-and-mute Murphy aka Barfi, a jolly resident of Darjeeling, who lives a trouble-free life, until Shruthi and Jhilmill come into his life, and create a sea of change. The movie is Barfi's journey through various stages of romance, and how he manages to spread love and joy to everyone around him, till his end.

The movie, has been well scripted, and the screenplay is classic - a perfect family entertainer, which is supported greatly by neat cinematography (Ravi Verman), and exceptional music(Pritam). The only major drawback of the movie, is it's length, which tends to give you the drag feeling now and then, but what makes us look over this minus, and perhaps what makes this whole movie so worth a watch are it's performances. The life of this movie, is it's performances, and each and every member of the cast - right from the lead ensemble, to the character roles, have excelled in their roles.

Ranbir Kapoor, is perhaps the most bankable star amidst the next-gen actors of Bollywood. Movie after movie, he simply keeps getting better. If he stunned us with 'Rockstar', he manages to tug our hearts with 'Barfi!'. Priyanka Chopra, is simply wonderful in her portrayal of the autistic Jhilmill. Tollywood bombshell Ileana D'Cruz, has also pulled off an amazing performance, and special mention to the costume designers(Aki Narula, Shefalina), the art direction team for taking us back to the 70s, and the make-up unit. I swear, I haven't seen such a beautiful heroine on screen, for days, and it's proof enough that going glam isn't the only way to knock men audience off their feet. Veteran Saurabh Shukla as the comical inspector Dutta pulls off a beautiful performance, and so do Aashish Vidyarthi, Haradhan Bandhopadhyay, and the rest of the crew.

Anurag Basu has made a  neat, heart-warming story, which seems to be a sure success, but we know of his tryst with Hollywood which pops up all around the movie. Since the hero of this movie, is literally silent, you tend to see a lot of slapstick Charlie Chaplin here and there, (but I guess that cliche can be overlooked), and a scene has been lifted directly off Nick Cassavetes' 'The Notebook'. But ignoring all that, Basu has delivered a cute, feel-good movie, that will leave you walking out of theaters probably with no regret. Watch it, especially for performances.

Aditya Baskaran

Why Mysskin, Why?

What happens when Bruce Lee replaces Christain Bale in The Dark Knight, which ends up turning into a half-Chinese half-American bake-up, that falls into the hands of a Tamil director with a budget not even 10% of the original TDK movie?

You would probably expect it to be pretty awesome just cause Lee's in it, but no. The legendary Bruce Lee died almost 30 years back, and nothing can replace what the Master brought to the screen. And of course, Chris Nolan is perhaps the most bankable and cerebral director in showbiz today. Ergo, Mugamoodi, starring Jiiva, Narain, Nasser, Girish Karnad and debutante Pooja Hegde fails to impress us, as a superhero movie, and unfortunately, as a Mysskin film.

Mysskin, one of Tamil cinema's rare film-makers, who bring out films that go beyond the normal scope of mind, had built a huge hype over this movie, considering the fact that his previous films 'Yuddham Sei' and 'Anjathey' were runaway hits. But, alas, he delivers us a product that is shockingly, not 'Mysskin' enough. Having carved a niche for himself with his specific way of story-telling, it is sad to see that the screenplay drags, and runs amok suddenly through the movie, lacking clarity and the usual fast pace his films have.

Mugamoodi, is the story of how Anand aka Bruce Lee, an innocent martial-arts student, intersects into the web of crime created by Anguchamy and his kung-fu trained henchmen, who go around cities, looting and murdering rich, old men, and how his costume-clad joke turns into his city-saving secret identity.

Jiiva, as Anand, and Nasser as Gaurav have done complete justice to their roles, and Pooja, though not having much to do in the film, shows promise. Selvaah, as the kung-fu master Chandru, doesn't leave around much of an impression, and it is criminal to see a veteran like Girish Karnad be wasted over a menial, ridiculous role.

And yes, Narain, deserves a special paragraph. It was Mysskin who put Narain on the map with 'Anjathey', and now the very same intellect brings Narain to dismay. While his effort is highly appreciable, we can only wonder what on earth he was trying to pull off as the sadistic Anguchamy - to be a psychotic killer, with sinister plans, or to be a parody of Heath Ledger's immortal Joker?

Sathya's cinematography shines as usual, and K's (yes, his name is screened as K) music and background scores are commendable. While the 'Bar Anthem', a Mysskin usual, is getting a bit old, 'Vaayamoodi Summa' is a definite fresh ring to the ears. Madan Karky impresses with his lyrics, and so does art director Balasubramaniam. Tony Leung, the stunt coordinator deserves special mention for his work with the kung-fu sequences throughout the movie.

You could watch this once, perhaps, for Jiiva and for Mysskin, and for the mighty effort put by the team into the making of this film. But, don't let the Marvel-inspired title frame fool you. Mugamoodi, sadly does not live up to the hype of a superhero movie. While the director has tried his best to make a superhero fit to Tamil screens, he fails in several sections, which acts as a sharp blow to the idea that Chennai could be portrayed in the likes of Gotham City.


Aditya Baskaran

Movie Review: Atta Kathi

The light-hearted story of a simpleton who's prime objective in life is to fall in love, is what Atta Kathi is all about. Made by a team of freshers, debutante director Pa.Ranjith brings to us the story of Dinakaran aka 'Atta', and how his "love'' affairs affect his life.

Dinakaran(Dinesh), residing in a village close to Chennai, lives a carefree life in his small world - made up of his parents, friends, 'gaana' songs and daily bus trips which involve flirting with every woman who catches his fancy. This attitude of his puts him in several situations, where he finally gives up on love and decides to look past women. Soon, his life takes on a better path, till he meets a woman from his past, who manages to rekindle his feelings yet again. Will Dinakaran taste success in his love life or not, is what the rest of the story is about.

Perhaps the greatest drawback of the movie, is it's pace. While the storyline is a fresh idea, the screenplay is such a drag, that even neat cinematography(PK Verma) and editing(Leo John Paul) do not help. While the movie goes on with pointless chatter in the first half, it takes a slow walk towards the crux of the story in the second half, but picks up speed as it moves towards the climax. Dinesh, as the protagonist, and Nanditha, as the main heroine Poorni, have done a decent job. Locations, and casting are huge pluses, as they bring an exceptional sense of reality to the movie. Certain characters, like the artistes who play Dinakaran's parents, are worth mention, for their natural performances.

The music direction of this film has been wonderful, and newcomer Santhosh Narayanan has brought out some refreshing tracks, 'Aasai Oru Pulveli' being the favourite. The BGMs and the gaana sequences are to be appreciated as well. The stunt sequences have been well developed, thanks to Dilip Subburayan, but certain points seem a bit too overwhelming, a bit too commercial.

And thus, unfortunately, Atta Kathi does not live to the hype it's created. A different story, a good attempt, could have been treated much better.