THE SOCIAL NETWORK is worth a watch!!!

The Social Network is another wonderful film from director David Fincher, who has given us gems like The Game, Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. He holds the film together and extracts excellent performances from his cast. His sensitive and realistic portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg’s personality should be applauded. This movie is about a dramatic,enthralling and interesting story of success. It is not mainly about Facebook as many would think, it is about the mastermind who invented it to attract this much people all around the world with a simple idea.

The Social Network is the story of Mark Zuckerberg enacted by Jesse Eisenberg, a Harvard University student and the founder of Facebook.com. It takes us through the creation of the website, how it made Mark a billionaire and made enemies out of his friends. The seamless and exciting screenplay is the backbone of the movie and it is also excellent in the way it brings out the story of Mark Zuckerberg. The dialogues are natural and memorable. The director narrates Mark's personal life and the chronology of founding of Facebook very well. Although the screenplay moves between the past and the future, the transitions are beautiful, revealing different aspects of Mark’s personality one by one. There is a lot of talk in the film but the intense dialogues, coupled with the excellent performances, make the drama believable and interesting to watch. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg is outstanding and he enacts with ease the vulnerability of Mark’s character with consummate ease. Justin Timberlake fits well into the shoes of the eccentric Sean Parker. David Fincher is one of those directors whose style is in everything that he makes and while at first that may not seem appropriate for a film about Harvard students creating a social website, it somehow makes the film better. Were this in the hands of another director, I don't think the film would have been as well received. The choice in music, camera angles, editing, lighting and the cast is all brilliant.

All in all, The Social Network makes for a good watch. It is one of those films that is rare in its ability to spark conversation. When the film ends, you can't help but turn to your friend or family member and instantly start talking about what you saw. I can safely recommend this movie to anyone who believe in good contentful cinema and if you are missing it, your education in films has not begun.

FOUR FRIENDS is emotionally irritating!!

Coming from the maker of Ivar Vivahitarayaal and Happy Husbands, ‘Four Friends’, is an emotional tearjerker which move in through well sketched out regular routes. Completely copied from the classic Hollywood movie 'Bucket List', this movie is a torture and can be advised to the family audience, who are regulars of formulaic television stuff.

Though you may not expect a great film from the director Saji Surendran, you will expect at least a cliched and mediocre movie. But here, director Saji Surendran is back with this silly made movie, Four friends, all about melodrama. If you are not ready to get an infectious bit from what is shown on screen, then you're best advised to leave this highly melodramatic movie alone and pretend it never existed. I'm not going to give an outline about the story of this movie. You people better go to a DVD store and grab a copy of the Hollywood classic 'Bucket List'. The Bucket List is a great and delightful movie to watch. The movie sways the viewers into an emotional level that continues to resonate even long after the film had ended. But this movie is a highly cliched mega serial like drama which can be avoided.

There are only two things which I liked about this movie. One is the electrifying cameo performance by universal hero Kamal Haasan. Other is actor Jayasurya. Must say that he delivered a commendable performance. He proved that he's got a far far better acting caliber and talent than the so called 'Young Superstar' of Malayalam cinema. All others in the lead including Jayaram, Kunchako and Meera Jasmine are just okay for their roles and nothing mention worthy. The technical side keeps in sync with the movie with mentionable cinematography from Anil Nair and co. The shots in the climax from the suicidal bridge was a treat to watch. This movie has some very ordinary songs. BG tracks and mechanical performances are at times making negative impact.

The director, Saji Surendran and the scriptwriter Krishna Poojapura has miserably failed to make the film an engrossing affair with none of the sequences inviting attention from the audience. All together ‘Four Friends’ is not an imaginative, impressive affair to a regular film goer. If you are on to this, just expect a pedestrian stuff.

My Verdict : 2/5

ENTHIRAN is spectacular

Any movie of Rajnikanth is always a festival; but this time with the never before pomp and show of Director Shankar, ARR, and Aishwarya Rai the biggest budgeted movie Endhiran hit screens worldwide with tickets sold out house full. I was dumbstruck when I heard that the tickets for this movie were finished in the first ten minutes after opening the bookings in a theatre in U.S and I even thought it was just getting a hype like all other Rajni movies. But this one is completely different from the others. This 3 hour flick deserves the budget, the wait, the applause and all the appreciations from the fans.

In this movie, Rajnikanth is a scientist, Vaseegaran who develops a robot. He names it ‘Chitty’ and teaches every single thing in this universe. ‘Chitty’ is programmed to learn and know everything except for human emotions and when that is taught, how would you expect a machine to react? What happens next forms the rest of the story. All the credit for this extravagant movie goes to Shankar Sir. This man is an absolute genius. His creativity reaches great heights with this movie and elevates the Indian movie standard to an all time high. With every movie of his, the scale of movie-making grows tremendously. He got the best technology money can buy. Looks like the majority of the budget is spent on 'Animatronics' and this movie has got plenty of that.

Thalaivar's fan following ranges from small villages to international cities. He is magnificent in this movie. In fact, HE is the movie. He adds life to every single frame created by Shankar with his charismatic screen presence which no other superstar in India could deliver. But this movie has a different Rajni rather than the Rajni who always does stylish marks punch dialogues and awesome modulations to impress us. Aishwarya Rai's role is quite limited in scope, but she looks ravishing in most scenes and does her job well. Santhanam and another comedian (forgot his name) also did justice to their roles.

Technically this movie is a wonder. Shankar proved that it is not only Hollywood that uses Indian staff to create wonders, we could do it too. And as I said the movie is worth the Whooping budget of 150 crores. Though the movie is an animation feast rather than a animation treat there are few sequences that are not to be missed though you don't watch the movie like the train fight, saving the people from fire, KIDNAPPING , And of course the last 45 minutes which makes you think that you are watching a Hollywood movie. Am sure this would lighten up the hopes of many talented Indian animators. Cinematographer Rathnavel impresses us again after a brilliant visual treat in Vinnaithaandi varuvaaya. I felt ARR's music in this film was just mediocre except for the 'Kilimanjaroo' song. The locales in which these two songs have been shot are just breathtaking including locales like Macchu Pichu in Peru which added more charm to these songs. Is ARR getting a little overrated now a days????

Of course this movie is a "must watch" if you are a lover of good commercial entertainers. But do not go to the movie expecting a typical Rajini movie. This is a spectacular visual experience and a real treat. Now, the clock has been reset and the wait continues. For the next Rajni starrer...Long live Thalaivaar!!!

My Verdict : 4/5

'PRANCHIYETTAN AND THE SAINT' is a masterpiece

For all you people who has been shedding tears about no good movie gets made nowadays, it is time for you to stop worrying, well for the time being at least, because 'Pranchiyettan and the Saint' is a brilliant movie. Rarely will you ever come across movies with such depth. Director Ranjith's latest venture starring Mammootty, is one such movie which offers sheer joy and a captivating cinematic experience to the viewers.

In this movie, Mammootty plays a rice merchant named Chirammal Eaanasu Francis, popularly known by the name ‘Pranchiyettan' or 'AriPraanchi' hailing from Trichur. He is an immensely rich business man who had been traditionally into rice selling. He is a man who is out there with a helping hand to the people around him. Though he had every other fortune, Pranchiyettan feels that he commands no needed respect from the society, as he is uneducated. The movies tracks his hilarious ways into making more respectability and honour for himself. Throughout the film, Ranjith remains undecided between two equally lucrative, and challenging choices. The first, of making his film a satire – a celebration of the flawed corrupted system we live in (Making us realize even the Padmasree is for sale) and the second – of making his film a genuinely profound,intense and extremely witty. Both black humor and emotional quotients are amalgamated in the right proportion. Full credits to Ranjith sir for that as the film offers lots of quality rib-tickling moments throughout. The intermission point offers a small and surprising element that is totally out of the blue and keeps you hooked to the movie. The way Ranjith sir narrated with the story with a tinge of black humour with a rich flavor of Thrissur slang is indeed mention worthy.

Mammootty is an actor who delivers good performance every time and he delivered the mannerisms and the rich thrissur slang with consummate ease. He is supported by a huge cast of actors including Innocent, Siddique, Tini Tom, Jagathy Sreekumar, and Master Ganapathy who was highly impressive. Priyamani and Khushboo did justice to their roles. The technical side of this movie is pretty strong with veteran cinematographer Venu delivering a very good camera work. The only song in the movie is nicely picturised but they seem to lack a real tune. A nice melody wouldn´t have gone amiss. The crew have attempted to make the song and BGM appropriate to the story but the song is not really anything memorable, then what is the point of having it? Ranjith controls the goings-on in the story very well and extracts assured performances from all of his actors.

On the whole, 'Pranchiyettan and the saint' easily ranks amongst Ranjith, Mammootty and Innocent's finest films. One of the finest films to have come out in the last five years. Do yourself and your family a favour: Watch 'Pranchiyettan and the saint'. It's entertaining, it's real and it's captivating and if you are missing it, you are missing it big time!!

My Verdict : 4.5/5

SHIKAAR -- An engrossing thriller !!!!

A very good story, superb performances, well fleshed out characters, play of emotions and technical brilliance. Padmakumar bounces back with flare in his new film ‘Shikaar’ which is indeed a worthy watch for all the lovers of contentful cinema. Although he had been able to create some mentionable and good movies in the past like 'Ammakilikoodu', 'Vargam' and 'Vasthavam'. All these movies were critically acclaimed but sadly ended up as flops at the Box Office. After several unsuccessful attempts to hit the bulls eye, director Padmakumar had to team up with none other than Mohanlal to create a commercial hit and I must say they have succeeded.

The story unfolds in a forest called Chittazha, a place that comes alive only when it is the time for the bamboo to be harvested. During the season, a dozen of shops are set up in the forest to serve the hundreds of workers and drivers who come up to harvest bamboo and transport them into far off places. Mohanlal is Balaraman in the movie, a lorry driver who frequents this place during the season. Although he appears cool in demeanor, certain incidents from his past continue to haunt him. The story carries you along and keeps you hanging on every moment. What starts as a passable entertainer turns into a gripping suspense-thriller during second half. Hats off to entire team as they deserve praises for their earnest efforts and brilliance. Padmakumar has successfully managed to build in the necessary tension and suspense around the lead character, which pushes the movie till the climax.

Mohanlal is used to such a good effect that one can really feel his fear and fire, experiences his struggle. This role was just a cake walk for him but he delivered it with magnificent ease. The director also seems to have decided to keep the central character more manly, without a huge deal of heroic built ups until the last reels. The only hiccups in the entire proceeding seems to be the comedy scenes which featured Suraj Venjaramudu which fails to deliver. Ananya delivered a candid natural performance without pushing for histrionics, and works the understated character perfectly. Samudrakani as Telungana leader Abdulla was nothing but brilliant. Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Thalaivasal Vijay, Lalu Alex and Kalabhavan Mani also does their roles with elaan.

Surprisingly, the script writer Suresh Babu does a very good job as his script is both engaging and entertaining. A very good round of applause to the director because the movie follows a crystal-clear narration. The other highlights of the movie are the awesome and neatly framed cinematography by Manoj Pillai capturing the greenery and the ethereal beauty of Pooyamkutti forest. Musician Jayachandran has came up with a couple of good tracks including the track, “Enthedi Enthedi” which is also at the top of hit chart.

A little more crispness in script and care in execution could have made it to the list of the bests, seen in recent times in Mollywood. But now with its strong theme, nice premise and good performances from the lead pairs, the movie ends up as a laudable effort and can be definitely prescribed for a complete entertainment. Highly recommended.

My Verdict: 3.8/5

NAAN MAHAAN ALLA is classy and engrossing

‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ directed by Suseendran who made an impressive directorial debut with 'Vennilla Kabadi Kuzhu'. Expectations were sky high as Susindran and Karthi joined hands together. These personalities share a common history of success in film industry and together they have outmatched their previous films now. ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ top notches on every arenas as it holds a powerful theme and technicians glistering at their best. The film creates a lump in your throats with its serious subject and you’ll walk out of theatres with an intense emotion. And remember Karthi is one of the hottest stars of this year with three consecutive hit films. This year he had the first super hit ‘Paiyaa’ and ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ is his fourth film.

The heart of the film is about the bonding of a serious father and a romantic son, laced with the criminal backdrops of Chennai. Karthi plays the role of Jeeva, a typical middle-class Chennai youngster with an easy going attitude, who is drawn into the world of crime and criminals after a particular incident changes his life. The first half is racy, peppy and also enthusiastic. What starts as a passable entertainer turns into a gripping crime-thriller during second half. Hats off to entire team as they deserve praises for their earnest efforts and brilliancies and executed with consummate ease. Full credit goes to the director and the most highlighting attribute of this film is the crisp and crystal-clear narration. Susindran makes sure the audiences are not dragged back and forth with fluctuating tempos. This two hour of drama keeps you engaged and adhered to screens.

Coming to the technical aspects of the movie, Director Suseendran assures that ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ contains 100% entertainment factors with the right mix of comedy, romance, action and sentiments. It's Karthi, Karthi and Karthi all through the film. Is this the making of another SUPERSTAR in tamil film industry? Every actor has come up with a realistic performance in typical Suseendran style. Yuvan Shanker Raja's music is sooting and beautiful. The songs are beautifully picturised.

Very rarely we do come across such engrossing and engaging entertainers on Tamil screen. Naan Mahaan Alla, director Suseendran's second venture can be considered among the outstanding entertainers that have come out in recent times. On the whole, 'NAAN MAHAAN ALLA' is a movie that is different from commercial cliches ushering hope and confidence in Tamil cinema. Go for it.

My Verdict : 3.5/5

INCEPTION -- A Connoisseur's delight !!!

Christopher Nolan's new movie is superb, engaging, mind blowing and indeed a MASTERPIECE. On your first viewing, you will quite possibly only grasp just a fraction of its complexity, but the brilliance of this movie lies in how engaging it is- even though you cannot quite fully comprehend what Nolan is trying to say. Indeed, it may take multiple viewings for one to absorb completely his audacious new creation that dares to tackle as dense and intricate a subject as that of dreams. Inception is a film that you can watch any number of times and each time you enjoy more. Its too brilliant a film. The screenplay is awesome. The non linear narration catch you off guard when you watch it first and may appear confusing but once you get the film you realize that it wouldn't have been better than this had it been told in a normal way.

The setup of the movie is fresh, with enough time spent on it that its logic makes sense and the plot structure holds. Despite the apparent complexity of the plot, once the rules are explained to us, we get it, and we can extrapolate from those initial rules and generate derivative rules from that, sometimes arriving at a new bunch of ideas or rules just as the characters do – almost never before. And as for the plot being complex, it isn't really, you just gotta be diligent, be engaged and awake, enter the cinema with a mind that is ready to work – and then it becomes moderately easy to follow; as there is a very simple layering pattern to the plot, you just need to orient yourself every time we transition from one scene to the next, and the filmmakers have done all that is within their responsibility to do to help you, the audience, along in figuring out where you are. SO DON'T F*****G COMPLAIN THAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. If you do, you might as well give up on yourself – why bother living?

One of the things I liked most about the movie was that it throws you right into the middle of the plot, with little scenes here and there that sorta explain what’s going on, and they help you understand the movie and draw your own conclusions. There was no nonsense scenes with random talking and crap like that and that's why I said earlier that the dialogues are so powerful.

But believe me, it is so well written that you will understand it all the way until the end of the movie. Or at least so you think. The last few seconds of the movie will, excuse my language, mindfuck you in all the right ways. It will leave you wondering what the hell just happened? Was everything you believed you just saw wrong from the very start? Was it all a dream? I guess you’ll have to watch it to find out. I've seen this movie 6 times in the last two and a half weeks and I will definitely watch it again. :)

My Rating : 5/5