Aadhi (2018)

compared to my previous two movie selection, i was saved as this is not a disaster but still not a masterpiece. If you are like me and going into this movie without any prior knowledge then you are gonna get surprised with a sudden shift in tone the movie takes twice honestly.

the movie follows the story of Aadhithya Mohan an aspiring music director played by Pranav Mohanlal (for those who knew he is the son of the famous Mohanlal bravo, i was genuinely surprised to know that even IMDb didn’t mention that, i had to update it) who goes to Bangalore for a gig, and due to an unexpected event leads to him being on a run for his life and survive. i m keeping it short so that i don’t spoil to much.

now the fact about this movie that is good is the chase sequence though bit long and repetitive, the parkour aspect of the chase was fun to watch and the fact the stunts were all done by the actor himself makes it much special. the issues i have with movie is the tone shift it felt a bit jarring to me but i guess that is just preference and me being surprised by it might have been a after factor. for all the realistic action sequences the movie has the climax sequence is just to over the top that it breaks the immersion makes you question couldn’t they have done it better, but that not all the last scene is just so misplaced in my opinion that i face-palmed (literally).

do i recommend it, “no” there are better films but if it falls in your hand and there is nothing better to do sure give it a go, rating it 5/10.

14 movies down……486 to go.

see you soon

Pinne kaanam (malayali goodbye)

Judwaa 2 (2017)

i think i have been cursed with selection of bad films, even though its random it still sucks that my luck repeatedly makes me watch such stupid films…yesterday it was ezra and today judwaa 2. so lets begin.

Judwaa 2 is remake of the old bollywood comedy action movie as in 20yrs old named Judwaa released in 1997, and follows the basically the same story line as the original. twins brothers played by Varun Dhawan get separated at birth and grow up in vastly different environment, now they are uniquely connected to each other via their reflexes, that is if they are close to each other ones actions can be simultaneously performed by other. they both fall in love with different girls (Jacqueline Fernandez and Tapsee Pannu) and follows the confusion that ensues.

honestly the premise is fun and could be really made intriguing but the movie isnt ever ready to do so everything in this movie is for jokes. it would have been alright if thats the direction a movie wants to go, but the jokes are not even funny they just cringe and nothing else. the film is filled with a lot of big names and what we get is all these big names just over acting the monotone characters, the star of this overacting the main man Varun, i know he has talent in acting but it seems the skill he most excels is slap stick comic over acting, but even that seems so overly done in this film.

there is one scene that sums this movie up perfectly, a standstill in the plot is achieved during this time the characters are taking in a park a ball come and hits them in anger they kick the ball which get kicked far where random people walking down various places just kick it around and it ends up hitting the head of the of the villain’s son who before this lost his memory because of the main character hitting him.

the infamous scene

i am tired of the Bollywood industries attempts at making remakes of older movies to cash in on the nostalgia, even if the writers and director say they making it in as a new not remake like movie we all know what it truly is a movie to make us buy the ticket as we can affiliate to the original. and seeing such a movie make over 100 crores in box office makes me think the trend isnt dying anytime soon.

i would recommend it for YouTube cringe videos….viewers discretion advised. rated 3-4/10

13 movies down……..487 to go

see ya soon

alvida

Ezra (2017)

Lets talk about the utter disappointment that was Ezra. A Malayalam Horror, mystery,Thriller which just fails to entertain, especially there is hardly anything to be called horror in it and that coming from a man who jumps and screams at every generic jump scare says something.

the story revolves around a newly wed couple Ranjan and Priya played by Prithviraj Sukumaran and Priya Anand ,who transfer to kochi and move in to a old house (oh the house is not haunted to clear it out). when Priya buys a old Jewish box that contains the ghost of Abraham Ezra.

now i am keeping this sweet and simple because i really have nothing much good to say about this film, the only thing that i can say was it was different to see a Jewish exorcism, compared to the usual Christian ones that i see in Hollywood movies. that is it.

rant beings… there was hardly anything that engaged me in this film (literally made me yawn twice), the characters seems to bland with hardly anything going for them. there being many unwanted side characters didn’t help either they just take the screen space and stand seriously that all. the movie. now there is a twist towards the climax which is supposed to be like a big reveal and all but it hardly comes as anything manly i hardly care about the characters but mostly its executed so poorly. most of the things that happen in this film is purely for plot convenience.

Error time,
initially the ghost is shown as a girl or lady, but later it is revealed to be a man. come on how did that get missed while filming. the only thing left in my mind after this movie was what was the point of the few jump scene when the ghost is the wrong one and never again seen.

i never recommend this movie to anyone there are better thing to do, giving this movie a 2-3/10

12 movies down……498 to go

Pinne kaanam (malayali goodbye)

Andhadhun (2018)

let me start with this hands down my favourite film from last year. if you don’t wanna get spoiled which i recommend you don’t and watch this movie it is raw unadulterated form right now……..what are you waiting for.

the story begins with us getting introduced with a blind pianist Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana) going by his daily routine, until a chance encounter with a restaurant owners daughter Sofie (Radhika Apte) who is in need of a pianist for their restaurant. this is where {spoilers} we are shown that Akash is not blind but just acting to be able to live in the handicapped society to save up on money in rent, and to hone his concentration to perfect his art. During his routine performance in the restaurant, he is approached by a old film actor who wants him to play songs for the anniversary surprise for his wife Simi played by Tabu. now the things take a turn for the best (if u get what i means) as we are show along with Akash the incident that has taken place and madness that ensues.

the points i really want to talk about 1st the acting its was superb, Ayushmann and Tabu where just fabulous and really drive the movie with there acting, as the situation escalates you can understand their choices but even then it feels genuinely something they would have done. 2nd the music and built up the songs are not overly used in this film as to not break the tension but where used its feels so justified and the song
Naina Da Kya Kasoor is one of my favourite from last year. and at last i have to speak about where this film was shot PUNE a place i called my home for 6 years of my life seeing it again and being shown around in a film was a fun nostalgia.

the way the story comes full circle by the climax was really enjoyable though i did guess some aspects of the film i was always kept at the edges of my seat with the manner it took to approach the content. also you gotta love the open ending just an icing on the cake.

just gonna say this a black comedy thriller you should definitely watch, a 100% recommend and a score of 9/10.

11 movies down……….389 to go

see you soon

alvida

Madras Cafe (2013)

The story tells about the journey of a Indian intelligence agent (John Abraham) uncovering the plans and conspiracies leading up to the assassination of the ex prime minister rajiv gandhi, during the Sri lankan civil war period. A movie which doesn’t waste time in unnecessary plot lines and is trying to paint us a picture of what went behind the scene unto the tragedy that ensued.

John Abraham does a good job in this movie showcasing the stress and gravity of the situation that was going on at a turbulent time thus allowing us those unaware of the total picture understand. the supporting cast was also well casted as all of them did a great job in selling their character a hard thing to do when the screen time you get is so small. as of fact this one movie of Nargis Fakhri where i think she portrays a character in a natural manner.

the story follows a direct storyline with the assassination acting line the endpoint and showcases the events that lead to it, the director does a good job in boldly showing the story in a manner he views the facts and cuts off certain themes in a objective manner for the viewer to decide.

this is movie worth watching for reliving the past in an different light.

10 movies down………490 to go.

alvida.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)

i came tired and worn out from my classes and fell on my bed, and randomly choice a movie to watch for today (honestly was too tired to watch but the mammoth task wont allow me the rest) and curses for this movie got selected, I have been avoiding this movie since its release for I know what the general story-line of this movie is a heartstrings pulling type. The type I really bad at watching.

The story follows the chance encounter of a boy (Ayan Sanger) played by
Ranbir Kapoor and girl (Alizeh) played by Anushka Sharma, who instantly hit it off for their unique but compatible personalities. As their friendship grows Ayan starts falling in love with Alizeh ,unfortunately she doesn’t feel so to her the friendship they have is worth more than any relationship. Not able to understand her thoughts Ayan’s actions causes a rift between them. 

The story and the concept was really interesting as it breaks the general archetypes that Indian movie industry is known for and reverses them. Which felt as a refreshing change of pace. but that is only true for the first half of the story, as in towards the climax a {spoilers} bomb is dropped on us to makes us more sympathetic for the alizeh the cancer card, now i am not saying cancer is nothing to be sad about here it really felt it was played too on the nose {/spoilers}

the best part of this movie is the acting which is really good weather it was by Ranbir portraying a emotional guy or anushka as a free spirited dramatic girl. yet the portrayal that stole the show for me was by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan of a divorcee who starts falling in love with Ranbir, here actions and demeanour in character felt so captivating to watch.

now i would recommend a one time watch for this movie as thats all i would ever be watching it.

9 movies down………..491 to go.

see you soon.

Alvida.

Bumblebee (2018)

Every-time i hear the word transformers i get transported to the innocent childhood of mine when all i used to do after come home after a long school was the cartoons and animations airing on T.V.. among which transformers always stood in a special place as it is one of my oldest and strongest childhood memories i associate with.

As such i was one of the first in line to the transformer live action movie when it first came out and seeing the characters in animations and in our world and interacting was such a amazing experience. now as the years went by and i grew up i felt the charm the series initially had was being lost with each new instalment, and at this point it just became evident squeals are being made only for the money it would generate back.

thus when the trailer and news about the new spin off movie titled Bumblebee when on my ears, i wasn’t as ecstatic as i once would have been few years ago, and so the existence of this movie just faded away. until today when i got my hands on the film and one of my friends said it isn’t as bad as i think that i decided to give it a shot, and i pleasantly surprised that i end up enjoying it.

the story follows the early part of the journey of bumblebee on earth, when he was sent to earth by Optimus prime to form a base and how he befriends a girl (Hailee Steinfeld) who helps fix his voice that was destroyed in an early encounter with decepticons. this story has emotional beats, comedy, a hint of romance and action definitely action.

now i really need to mention this, it ant anything major but i loved the bumblebee’s design in this movie. it just has the right feel and tone for this movie. his mannerism and actions were really fun to watch. the fact that he was out sized by nearly every other bot we meet gave him a underdog feel and increased the fight tension.


one advantage this movie has over others in its franchise is that the run time of this movie is about 40 min less than the other movies and that plays a critical role in not making this movie drag on for too long, thus keeping everything much simpler and to point.

a movie i would really recommend if you like me loved this franchise but had started to lose interest with the way the series has been going, and want a lighthearted much simpler take on the concept this movie is for you.

8 movies down………..492 to go

see you soon

Goodbye

Baaghi (2016)

got to love the masala films, those days when you so bored and burned out when you just need some film to consume while keeping your mind blank give masala film a try.

Baaghi revolves around the journey of a rebel boy (Tiger Shroff) learning the art of martial arts to hone his skills and learn discipline. while he is in training he falls in love with up an coming actress (Shraddha Kapoor) and so does the martial arts masters son (Sudheer Babu Posani). the son kills his father as he was against his son forcing the girl to marry him. this all leads to the protagonist into trying to take revenge for his master and rescue his girl……….. honestly a plot line seen multiple time in one form or other.

I would recommend this movie only to those lost souls who have the brains numbed due to better movies and are in need some simple easy to consume movie where u don’t need your brain.

now I do accept the action martial arts scene in this movie is much better choreographed that most Indian films. and Tiger Shroff really did a good job in these scenes, but the story by itself just wasn’t fun enough. but this movie has spawned a franchise with the 3rd part in the makes so hope that be some improvement there.

well, 7 movies down…………493 to go.

see you soon

अलविदा (alavida)

Aquaman (2018)

I really don’t know where to start……

I have been a DC fanboy since I was well a boy, I grew up on the tv shows comics and stories of these heroes and getting a chance to watch them come to life was like a dream come true but nope of the live action movies seem to let me have that dream turn to reality.

the story of Aquaman is a very generic hero story where the main character Author curry (Jason Momoa) is the son of an Atlantian queen and a human. who has to come face to face with his destiny to be the king of Atlantis, for which he has to find the scared trident. but believe me, even this simple storyline gets messed up in this movie at no point did the story allow me to get attached to the characters or their decisions it’s just felt as if that it and I have to take it so. I know it’s just a superhero movie no need to take it so seriously but no matter the number of chances given to the DC it just never seems to get it right.

now I do need to give the movie credit where it is due, the director
James Wan did a great job in this movie, the actions sequences, camera movement and transitions were one of the most fun things about the movie. my favourite scene from this movie is the time black manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) fights against Aquaman and Mera (Amber Heard) fights against the henchmen.

honestly, this movie could have done so much better if the script was better or at least focused on one main antagonist rather than having multiple villains of Aquaman in the movie to hype the movie up.

6 movies down……..494 to go

see you soon

goodbye.

The Sound of Music (1965)

now I need to get this out of my chest I have never been a fan of musicals, I don’t have anything per se against them but I just don’t particularly like this genre. that being said the song My Favorite Things is one of the songs I really enjoy.

the story revolves around a woman a free-spirited song loving lass (Julie Andrews), who is trying to become a nun in an Austrian convent, but due to her hard to control behaviour she is asked to act as a governess to the seven children of a Naval officer widower. her pleasant demeanour and jolly attitude charmed the children who had a habit of scaring away the previous governesses. seeing the happy children their father (Christopher Plummer) has a change of heart about the governess who he wasn’t so fond of and finally, him falling in love with her.

in very blurred hindsight, I would call this film so similar to the masala movies of Indian cinema as this movies also has songs, dance, comedy, romance, drama, suspense, and villains in form of Nazi. now don’t get me wrong comparing them like that isn’t any regards trying to say little about this film as its one of the great films of the medium. they were just my humble observations.

now the film is based on real life as the last part of the film show the escape of the family from the Nazi occupation f Austria. which was the only time this movie took me off guard as I wasn’t expecting a development in a movie which I guessed as only being a simple musical.

I did enjoy the movie and would recommend it, mainly as its a classic of the film industry but I am not sure if it would be to everyone’s liking.

5th movie………495 to go

see you soon

Auf Wiedersehen