Love Letters by Evam (2007)

Love Letters is a play by A.R.Gurney, and has been adapted very well by Evam.

Love Letters is a simple story: Andy (Karthik) and Melissa (Suchithra) have been friends since childhood, and throughout their lives they have kept in touch by letter. Even though they see each other rarely, this correspondence links them to each other no matter how much distance may separate them or how much time passes. It's an unlikely friendship: Andy is dutiful, responsible, endearingly stuffy, but caring and contemplative. Melissa is the free spirit, the rebel, the outspoken wild girl whose extroverted behavior doesn't quite hide her vulnerability. In part because of their differences, in part because of bad timing and circumstance, they never manage to make things work as a couple, but even as they marry others and start their own families, they rely on each other's letters as a source of comfort, support, and love.

There are only two people on stage, sitting at a table and reading to each other from a bunch of letters, and the play works precisely beacuse of this.

If you have any reservations about the chain-letter aspect of the evening, just dont bother...The two characters connect so well. As one actor reads, the other reacts, communicating fathoms beneath the words, especially so in the case of Suchi, who gives her character surprising richness. When Karthik reads a particularly self-serving account of his academic accomplishments, her face moves from bemusement to boredom to chagrin. She can scarcely wait for the letter to end so that she can offer her criticism of his literary style and of his lack of self-knowledge.

Similarly, as Suchi describes her casual romantic alliances, one can see in Karthik's expressions his disapproval along with his curiosity. As opposites, each provides the other with what is needed. The irony is that they do not understand this until late in life. These are, in fact, star-crossed love letters. The play concludes on a poignant note, as we realize that the letters - the root of their lifelong relationship - are actually the instrument that keeps them apart.

Karthik & Suchi walking across the stage a couple of times, depicting the crossover in their lives & thinking is well thought out.

Suchi and Karthik have a huge responsibility for the success or failure of this play, and they carry the burden with apparent ease. Both deliver nuanced, compelling performances and make us care deeply about these people, as different as they are. We get to see how they change, develop, grow closer together, and yet somehow never manage to be on the same page romantically. The story of their lives is riddled with near misses, bad timing, and complications, but ultimately we get the sense that their long-distance relationship is stronger and more enduring than any physical relationship could be.

The theme music is excellent, and lighting adds the special touch to the play...especially the silhoutte lighting!

Love Letters is a treat that romantics and fans of literate, well-written dramas should eat up with a spoon. It has both wit and heart, and at its core are two excellent performances. Love Letters is simply lovely.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Blood Diamond (2006)

The problem with "Blood Diamond" is that it tries to tell an important and powerful story and even tries to make a statement but it does this too much in an Hollywood kind of way, with over-the-top and far from believable dramatic plot lines, of course a misplaced love-story, lots of action and a happy Hollywood ending. Had the movie been done more in a "Syriana", so to speak, kind of style, the movie without doubt would had been better, more powerful and definitely more realistic. No doubt that the movie would then have been one of the year's best.

"Blood Diamond" is a movie about a true and also still relevant subject about the lust for diamonds and the power struggles and fighting it takes with them over the diamonds in African countries, in this case Sierra Leone. The common African person is being the victim of it all and they're actually being enslaved to work in diamond fields and mines or to join the rebel, fighting the government over control of the diamond business. This is already a good, powerful and effective premise on its own, so it really is to bad that the movie feels the need to put in sentimental, personal plot lines and lots of action sequences, while it should had focused more on the bigger picture.

Leonardo DiCaprio is a good main lead for this movie and he adds another good role to his impressive list. Much talk will be made of DiCaprio's accent, but it is pretty solid most of the time and only fades out in a few scenes. He is amply rewarding the faith that early directors like James Cameron and Woody Allen expressed in him at a time when the public viewed him as just a pretty face. Djimon Hounsou is also good in his role, but I still think that he should stop playing roles like this. Ever since his "Amistad" he's been typecast over and over again, with this movie forming no exception to that. He's a great actor that truly should concentrate more on more different serious, carrying roles. Only the beautiful Jennifer Connelly is woefully miscast. She is at her best in expressing the subtly ambiguous, restrained feelings she develops for DiCaprio's character, but her portrayal of a hardbitten reporter that does it alone in Afghanistan and darkest Africa comes less easily.

The movie is definitely well made in terms of its style and the way the sequences are built up and constructed. The movie still shows that Edward Zwick is a great director, who should have just chosen a different approach with this story.

But you just can't rate the movie negative. It's too professionally made. Especially the action sequences know to impress. It's all good looking, with some good camera-work and good looking landscapes and environment. It definitely helps that the movie was shot mostly on location in Africa.

"Blood Diamond" is ultimately one of those movies that is greater to talk about than actually think through. It has some fine performances and a compelling story that gives much food for thought, but isn't as well executed as it should be. Like all Zwick films, it has a brain and a keen eye, but its heart seems strangely insincere. A missed opportunity.

Rating: 7.0 / 10

Pachai Kili Muthucharam (2007)

Alas, Gautham Menon has taken the shortcut like AG Murugadoss!! Pachai Kili Muthucharam is an exact remake of Clive Owen & Jennifer Anniston starrer Derailed (2005). And you know what...that's just SAD!! And you know why?? (A) What a lousy movie to remake (B) Looks like one of my favorite directors is running on an empty tank. 'Vettayadu Vilayaadu' was a classy example of "style over substance" - fast cuts, wide lens, peppy background score...all glitter, but if you look closely its all fluff!

I heard that Gautham started adapting the book even before the Hollywood version was made, and that he wanted to make this movie even before VV. However, after watching the movie, I definitely feel that he has been heavily inspired by the original movie.

One look at the villain will tell you that Milind Soman is made to look like Vincent Cassell from the original, Jyothika is made to look flashy like Jennifer Anniston, a lot of the scenes look alike - even the villain's sidekick looks similar!!

*** Possible Spoilers ***

The actions of the main character are so stupid that I actually began to cheer on the bad guys. First the leads have an affair and get caught by a thief. And instead of reporting it to the police and notifying their spouses, they don't do anything. Then the thief comes back and blackmails them. They pay and don't tell anyone. So the thief blackmails them for more. He keeps digging himself deeper and deeper with no plan for escape. How much more of a wuss and idiot can a person be? To enjoy a movie, you need to relate to or care for at least one of the characters. The main characters are completely unsympathetic!

This movie succeeds only on the level of the performances. Well dont misunderstand me...what I mean is that the characterization is bad, but the acting is quite good. Sarath has given a subdued performance without any over-the-top tendencies. He brings a maturity required for the role. Jo, cast against type is also very believable in her role. She handles her toughest scene well. Milind Soman is the surprise package - he is awesome and fits his character with ease. He has a lot of fun with the role of smug villain. Andrea looks fresh, and is good in her role as woman who has to contend with her husband’s indiscretion.

My issues are with the believability of the story and with many of the things going on with the leads. There is also a tacked on ending that simply does not belong. They added it because it seems that every movie these days needs to have a twist.

Music by Harris Jeyaraj is OK. A couple of songs are hummable, and BGM is not too bad.

Finally, for a thriller to thrill, it'd better rely on solid writing. It should be able to flow easily, secrets surrounded by a veil of mystery and with the awareness that the whole package is important. Thrillers tend to start off very slow. Heck, most of my favorite thrillers are very methodical. However, this movie was anything but deliberately methodical. It was just sloppy. The plot has no twist, is easy to guess after 30 minutes, and I had to laugh that the movie was marketed as a "taut thriller". Please. Give the audience some credit for intelligence.

Rating: 5.0 / 10

Prison Break (2005) - Season 1

Shaq and Hari have been raving about Prison Break, and I was quite keen keen to check it out. Addictive, compelling & pulse-pounding - a few words to describe Prison Break. OH MY GOD, its awesome!! I was so hooked after watching the first episode, that I finished watching entire season 1 (24 episodes) in just 2 days!!

The show is about a guy named Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) who gets arrested and framed for a crime that he didn't commit and now his brother, Michael (Wennworth Miller) gets himself in prison for one reason, to get his brother out of jail!

The story may seem a little incredible and some facts may be wrong, but nevertheless it's made quite believable. You believe the locations and the characters and how they behave and react. The story is well written and detailed and it all seems possible. They've managed to give this series kind of it's own style and personality. It gives a realistic image of what could very well be. At the same time you got the hero who's out to save the innocent. Yet, Michael is not treated like a hero. He leans more towards being a anti-hero. The show is definitely well-written, directed and produced.

The prisoners of Prison Break may seem different, but in a way they're all very alike: They all want to break out of Prison. We love and hate these characters. Although some seem ruthless on the surface, each prisoner has his own story to tell, and his own reason for breaking of jail, reasons that viewers sympathize with and make them root for them

I love this series, and I'm sure a million other viewers will agree with me. I can hardly wait for Season 2 (well I want to watch all episodes together!!). If you should start to watch one new series this year, it should be Prison Break. Breaking out of prison has never been this exciting!

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Azhwar (2007)

Yes, I did watch this movie last nite. And, in order to keep up my credentials as an expert on bad films, I had to deal with this monstrosity sooner or later. So, without further ado.. 

Ajit is coming after his big success in Godfather (I still dont understand how that movie was a hit!!!).  He sould take more care in choosing scripts for his movies. I simply cannot understand how he agreed to do this movie!!! Probaby they just wanted to cash in on the success of Godfather.

Bad script, bad direction, pathetic screenplay...Oh my gawd, the screenplay 
is not underwritten, but unwritten!! The background score by Srikanth Deva is loud and pathetic. Calling the music "forgettable" would be a kindness.

Vivek's comedy is a welcome relief in this movie. He is back in his element, and the comedy tracks are the saving grace. Asin is cute and is her usual chirpy self. But she does not have any role. Whenever she is there on the screen, you can expect a song.

There are bad movies. There are really bad movies. And then there's this one. Morbid curiosity compelled me to seek it out, just so I could see for myself exactly how dreadful it was. Well the verdict is that this movie is easily the absolute worst movie I have seen in a long, long time.  It is inconcievable to me that anyone could make a film this hopelessly, endlessly, mind-meltingly bad. This is not just a bad movie - it's a crime! A shameful, pathetic excuse for a movie!

So here is some advice to you Ajit...invest in a good writer,  choose a better director, and improve production values and maybe you'll begin to have a movie that borders on "not-awful."

Rating: 2.0 / 10

Pokiri (2007)

Pokiri is a remake of the successful Telugu film of the same name starring Mahesh Babu and Ileana.

One might get the feeling that the movie is once in a lifetime event after seeing the hype and hoopla surrounding the release and the record-breaking run it had at the Telugu box office. But the movie sadly fails to deliver on many counts - tight story line, memorable music and a good comedy track.

Though it's all too well known that we are not sticklers for realism in our movies, we don't complain a spoonful of it! I mean, an undercover cop going berserk, in his imitation of a barbarian, with the poor rowdy folks was a bit over the top, to put it mildly. Probably Vijay was stretching the macho-ism thread little too thin. But I should definitely say that he steals the show, and his charm is spread all through the movie. Asin looks a bit jaded and tired at times, but is OK on the whole. Prakash Raj is effective as the villain Ali Bhai. 

One thing Pokiri could have avoided is the Vadivelu comic angle. Most of the time, the comedy scenes involving Vadivelu are crude beyond belief!!

The choreography was good, but I expected more out of the Prabhu Deva - Vijay combination.
And nothing to mention about the music!!

The movie has its positives too - slick photography and exaggerating fight sequences that appeal to the large masses. And it also tries to shock the prudes by showing glimpses of BDSM and snorting!

The movie is a clear liftoff from the Johnny Depp starrer Donnie Brasco, but well adapted to suit Vijay's image. And in summary, Pokiri is a reasonably engrossing movie and probably the clear winner in the Pongal race between Pokiri and Aalwar.

Rating: 6.0 / 10

 

Flightplan (2005)

After the mysterious death of her husband, Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Julia (Marlene Lawston) are flying the body for burial to New York City. After boarding an airplane she helped design, Kyle settles down for a nap, only to awaken and find that Julia is missing. Frenzied, Kyle demands the plane be searched, which irritates the flight attendants, and raises the suspicions of one of the passengers (Peter Sarsgaard). When each search comes up empty, fellow passengers start becoming agitated, and the captain of the plane (Sean Bean) wary of her motives, Kyle is forced to confront her own sanity and accept that Julia might not have existed at all. How she finds her daughter forms the crux of the story.

Rarely have I been so annoyed by a film. Perhaps this is because "Flightplan" starts off with such promise before descending (ha ha) into a laughably ridiculous, clichéd, and downright boring final third.

"Flightplan" seemed promising as it slowly established the impossibility of the actual explanation it provides. There is the possibility of a good movie in there, but as it stands, "Flightplan" is an enormous cheat!

Rating: 5.5 /10