The end is nigh

I'm not sure what it says about the human race that we like to revel in our own potential demise and destruction, but there's no denying that the masses love a good apocalyptic film. Whether on a grand scale or a smaller one, studios release multiple films each year detailing the death and destruction of the human race.

Whatever it is that makes us so masochistic, I can't say I begrudge it. It's given us some fantastic and, dare I say, fun films. Films about the apocalypse offer us a way to witness the end of the world as one filmmaker knows it and still feel fine.

28 Days Later - There's nothing quite like the images of a desolate and deserted London to make your stomach sink. Yet, it's brilliant and Danny Boyle's scenes featuring Cillian Murphy aimlessly wandering around an empty London are some of the best apocalyptic scenes ever committed to film. Pair that with a group of remaining survivors evading those stricken with a zombie symptom inducing virus and you've got a truly engaging horror/apocalypse film.

Independence Day - Okay, so it's campy. It's cheesy, but it also has Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith facing down alien psychopaths together. Tell me when that will happen again? Not to mention, the scenes of alien destruction throughout New York City and one memorable shot of the White House being blown to smithereens make the film all the more, well, wicked-fun.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Terminator 2: Judgment Day's brief scenes of a nuclear holocaust are both disturbing and unforgettable. They give an urgency to the present day action of the film and provide a glimpse of a potential world's end that, for some, is all too close to home.

On the Beach - Now here's one that gets overlooked quite often. While many of today's apocalyptic films focus on visions of destruction and desolation, On the Beach is one that deals more with the human drama of knowing the end is all too close. As a group of nuclear fallout survivors attempt to live out their final days before radiation poisoning claims them, they must struggle with the attempt to make their last days on earth ones that are truly worth living.

Red Dawn - Let's face it. This movie is downright ridiculous. Not to mention it's not so much of an apocalyptic film as it is one detailing what appears to be the breakdown of American government and society. That being said, you can't help but enjoy the cheesy acting and the ludicrous plotline - a band of amateur militants (who were high school kids, no less!) protecting their country from invading Soviet forces. To call it silly is an understatement. To call it a guilty pleasure is absolutely correct.

Shaun of the Dead - It's rare that a film can bridge camp and comedy with a poignant storyline, but Shaun manages to do just that. At times funny and at others, moving, Shaun proves that camp and story can go hand-in-hand. Shaun of the Dead treats the zombie and end-of-the-world as we know it genres with a tongue-in-cheek humor that will have you laughing at the break down of civilization. Oh and did I mention that it also stars the incomparable Bill Nighy? That right there is reason enough for you to run to the store right now and pick up a copy.

The Quiet Earth - A man, Zac Hobson, kills himself over the guilt of his involvement in helping destroy the planet, but wakes up to discover that he hasn't died, and may actually be the last person left in the world. He eventually finds two others who were in the process of dying when the apocalyptic accident occurred. With impressive graphics and an ending that ranks among the best in all of film history, The Quiet Earth is not to be missed for disaster film enthusiasts.

Knowing - A little boy finds a paper with a number sequence written by another kid from 50 years earlier, which his father (Nicolas Cage) deciphers to reveal the date and body count of every major global disaster in the past 50 years, as well as several that have yet to happen - including the end of the world. Add some incredible scenes of devastation - including an incredibly realistic plane crash - and an alien sub-plot, and you've got yourself a strangely awesome end-of-the-world film. Bonus points for Nicolas Cage not destroying the film just by being in it.

Akira - This groundbreaking 1988 anime film takes place in a new city rebuilt over the remains of Tokyo, and involves a mysterious group of individuals with psionic powers. Caught in the middle of a war between the government and the rebellion, a young gang soon discovers that one of their friends is far more than he appears. This film is intensely psychedelic and complex, and demands several viewings to fully grasp the full concepts behind it. All the same, it's a milestone for animated films, and one of the more original in terms of armageddon scenarios.

The Stand - A government-spawned superflu wipes out all of mankind, and the few survivors left face a terrifying new reality. While the film doesn't do half of the justice to the Stephen King that it should (most of his films don't), the overall concept and visual execution of The Stand - including the mass death in the Lincoln Tunnel - is one of the most terrifying apocalyptic depictions you'll see on film. Bonus points for the appearance of the horrifying Randall Flagg, a frequent character among King's novels.

Deep Impact - A comet is screaming through space on a collision course with Earth, and a desperate attempt to use missile-borne nuclear weapons to deflect it fails. Fragments of the massive comet strike the planet in advance of the Big Bang, causing megatsunamis and catastrophic conditions that set this film far ahead of its knockoff film Armageddon, which was released two months later. Aerosmith may have lent one of heir daughters and written songs for that one, but critics and experts agree that Deep Impact was far better in real-life depiction and execution of events. It's worth a viewing, if you haven't seen it in a while.

12 Monkeys - Based on a short film called La Jetee, the film follows Bruce Willis as a criminal from a horrible future in which a global plague has pushed mankind underground, with devastating result. Cole is sent back in time to obtain a sample of the original plague before it mutated, for obvious intents of finding a cure. On his first time-trip to the past, Cole is committed to a mental hospital where he meets Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) who we eventually learn is part of a terrorist group called The Army of the Twelve Monkeys - the group believed to be behind the spreading of the plague. What Cole doesn't grasp in his delirium (he loses the ability to determine what time he's in or whether he's dreaming) is that, at least in this reality, changing history is impossible, so his efforts are essentially useless and mankind is inevitably doomed.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - The second and best of the Mad Max series takes place at a time when nuclear war has annihilated the world, and Mel Gibson travels through a devastated Australia looking for fuel to keep moving through the desolation and despair. Fuel is more valuable than gold, and when Max finds a settlement of good people defending a refinery from a murderous biker gang, he's forced into confrontation against his will that finds him as the anti-hero in a brutal fight for survival. Easily one of the best post apocalyptic movies ever made.

The Omega Man - Remade from a 1964 film called The Last Man on Earth, The Omega Man finds Charlton Heston as Robert Neville, a man who appears to be the only uninfected survivor of a super-plague that's killed off all of mankind. All other survivors have been reduced to night-dwelling race of vampiric mutants, and Neville discovers that he's the only surviving recipient of a serum against the plague. The effects aren't fantastic, but the acting is great, and without it, we wouldn't have I Am Legend. Imagine that horrible, horrible world.

The Postman - A lot of people are going to disagree with this one, but this was a movie that really received a bad wrap, and as far as a post apocalyptic film, there is an interesting world drawn out in detail after an unspecified war laid civilization to waste. There is no standing government, a roaming militia turned army led by General Bethlehem invoking special rules terrorizes survivors, while the hero is a drifter who can quote and perform Shakespeare.
He stumbles into a mail truck, claims to be from the restored United States, and what begins as a con in order to get some food and shelter spawns into a grass roots attempt to reestablish something important, starting with communication. This is a movie that had a bad rap, but is a solid post apocalyptic movie. Now "Waterworld" . . . that was a stinker.

Missed out from list: Logan's Run, Armageddon, 2012, The Day after Tomorrow, Children of Men, etc.

Awaiting: The Road, The Book of Eli.

~ When it comes to the movies, there's more than enough film-goers that can't wait for the end of the world

Thank God, It's Doomsday

Avatar: The World's most expensive screen-saver

What was in James Cameroon's mind when he had hit upon the idea ?

- 'Dances with the wolves' meets 'Call me Joe'

The timing of the movie release can also be drawn to many parallels in our current world,

- The Copenhagen summit ( Environmental destruction )

- Petrodollar War ( Big Brother attacks Oil rich Gulf )

- Religion ( The concept of God and Religion)

If Cameron hadn't hit the idea of making a spectacularmovie with his US$237 million budget ( currently, the fourth most expensive movie ever ) he could have at least given us an educative documentary.

Avatar, which ploughs through 'Pandora' for an impossible 162 minutes, requires more patience than watching his previous commercial success Titanic.

The motion-capture 3D visuals deserves applause for a technical achievement, but frankly the film did not surprise me. The Religious rituals of the Na’vi made my mind to draw parallel of our own world and then there was a kiss scene - "hey wait, so the aliens kiss too !", although Charlton Heston kissed an Alien-ape in the 1968 movie, the relatively-intimate scenes can be matched to some Animal behavior that you get to watch on any science-channel, it wasn't even close to be called romantic.

The climaticbattle scenes looked like mix of Terminator/Matrix series and the LOTR if they were fighting each-other. Maybe that’s a little too harsh, but certainly Cameron apparently does nothing new with digital warfare that Peter Jackson created in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (To be noted that the complete 10+ hour trilogy-epic-drama was done for a budget of US$285 million), still on a lesser budget spent on Avatar.

Perceptions may vary, but to my eyes, Avatar looks like mixing old wines and serving it in new bottle.

Making a note of years-in-the-making opus in reality has shaped up to divide the fan-camp, with one group calling it the most awe-inspiring sensory experience ever to grace a movie theater, and the other finding it somewhat lacking in areas like story, character, pacing, dialogue, and acting… you know, the ingredients that used to be considered the basic building blocks of a master-piece.

So how is Avatar any different than a hundred other special-effects spectaculars over the past several decades? The technology may be ever-changing, but the central idea remains the same, except that Cameroon had to invent a new language for the movie, introduce Religious material into a commercial entertainer ( Though, already tried in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' )

The story doesn’t quite surprise you either, especially if you’ve seen Dances with Wolves.To put the Plot in simple words : It’s the twenty-second century and we’ve long since run out of oil, but luckily our boys in space have discovered a powerful energy source called unobtanium (not again !) on the distant moon of Pandora. The Lame 'Call me Joe' Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is the one of the agents to obtain this material; with his consciousness  synchronously installed in a genetically engineered body resembling the native Navi.

Jake appears to earn the trust of the locals and help negotiate a peace-deal for both the Earthlings and Locals benefit, but in secret Jake is infiltrating the enemy quarters for information on these Aliens' strengths and weakness, as overseen by the comic-bookish stereo-type Villain, is to, if necessary, motion a Holocaust of the Navi, who are blocking the way of progress.

 Jake, rather than spying falls for the Navi tribal-princess Neytiri (wait, wait again ! that's  Pocahontas).

The lame guy must choose between his Evil-Earthlings and his new blue people.

Predictable isn't it ?


And to end my blog-post; In the movie-theatre there was a little fella' who had come with his dad and I understood Avatar isn't a children's movie and if you were to take your children, the pattern of questions may be as, some of them below:

"Dad, how are they gonna poop with their tails on"

"What is jelly-fish doing in his hair".

"Dad, i don't understand a thing".

"Is there gollum in this movie too ?"

Frankly, Avatar can be put into a category for Guinness-records for the world's longest and most expensive Screen-Saver

Enjoy the movie for its Visual-Fx and Music, otherwise, there is nothing new to say. 

:)

- Peace

A Holiday to Remember

An overprotected English princess seeks to escape the boredom and monotony of her Royal duties, by slipping away from her entourage, into the city of Rome.

Lost in the eternal city and under the influence of a powerful sleeping pill, Princess Ann is taken in by an American journalist Joe Bradley. Temporarily free of her Royal duties the young princess takes the opportunity to spend a day pleasing herself.

Princess Ann: I could do some of the things I've always wanted to.

Joe Bradley: Like what?

Princess Ann: Oh, you can't imagine. I-I'd do just whatever I liked all day long.

On realizing he has had the good fortune of stumbling on a princess Joe, with the help of photographer Eddie Albert, seek to make the day into a very profitable news story.

On the surface the plot of 2 people spending a day in Rome, is remarkably thin, but at every turn the film delights with a lightness of touch and effortless comedy. A backdrop of great photography and atmospheric music also enhance the lyrical screenplay. The plaudits have rightly gone to Audrey Hepburn who is beguiling and captivating as a young woman; successfully combining the dignity of a princess with the innocent charm of a care free spirit.

You could watch the film with barely noticing but the film does have a powerful underlying moral perspective. On the one hand the film expresses a hedonistic vision of pleasing oneself, but at the same time it becomes a testimony to the importance of duty. It is only after spending a carefree day pleasing herself that Princess Ann really grows into appreciating the life of a princess.

[the Duchess mentions Princess Ann's duty]

Princess Ann: Please do not use that word. Were I not entirely aware of my duty to my family and to my country, I would not have come back tonight... or indeed ever again!

Similarly Joe is initially motivated purely by the aim of making money, but in the delightful presence of the Princess he allows his heart to override his head. In the end he ends up giving up the woman he loves and the paycheck he so desperately needs.

There is an enjoyable cameo role played by the photographer Eddie Albert. He continually suffers at the hands of Joe, but is also caught up in the nobility underlying the film.

You can enjoy this film on many levels, its beautiful photography, its zany humor. The film has a capacity to uplift and make you smile. You could watch the film for the performance of Audrey Hepburn alone. Maybe the idea of monarchy is not so important these days, but this is a film has a timeless appeal.

And the insane loved it!

" Kalluri " - a Gentle Breeze ~ ends with a Storm

As i came out of the movie screen - humming the tune "Unn'arugill Varugayi'll.." - i could see moist-red eyes eveywhere, and i could see in far distance - a girl of about my age or less - tears rolling down her cheeks and hugging her friends arm and resting her head on her friend's shoulder - and her friend too was in a similar mood - Rats ..!! - i said to myself - this is just a movie "what's there to cry about" - silly girls...

Three movies in recent times "Kaadhal" ~ "Paruthiveeran" ~ "Veyil" ~ and now with the similar tone "Kalluri". I wonder what has happened to these directors nowadays- heartless murderers - they are giving such a depressing conclusion to their breezy first-halves - But i m not complaining here - actually, i liked all the above mentioned films - seemed Realistic - and they were true to their script.
And one more coincidence is that all these three movies are based on the rustic atmosphere of Madurai and it's surrounding areas..

But - i personally feel that these director's here are trying to prove a point - "I make movies with My Style - Watch them or Leave them..!!" ~ I guess their Insane-Attitude is well backed by people like `Shankar` and `Gnanavel`.


Why can't these people give audience a "Happy ending", nowadays the quotes like "And they lived happily everafter" are outdated - i m betting on this - you will now, not be able to find this quote even in children's bed-time story books.


I'm telling you - The World is going Insane.


I can't imagine how Betraying are these movies to the audience - who come to spend their time to relax and enjoy a movie - laugh - forget their fast-paced life for a 2.5 hrs - but for them, i would like to say a statement less than 10 words.. "Sorry, Dudes an Dudettes - this film is not for you, and if you sure want to watch this movie and still enjoy - please leave the cinema hall before the climax - you will be happy"


Err.. - that my little statement got a little too long 33 words to be exact [:p]


And i walked out of the cinema hall, trying to avoid any eye-contact with anyone around... and in distance i could see two girls upset over the conclusion - i hurried to the bike stand, pumped my kicker - Vrooom... i sped out of the parking lot - and when i reached home, my mother questioned, "What happened to your eyes - why are they disturbed ?"


I replied - "Driving bike @ 70 kmph is sure to disturb your eyes "


I went into my room and switched off the lights - Guys, i m honest here - It is difficult to swallow your tears, and when you try to do that it hurts more - and i succeeded in swallowing my tears but i think i would be more depressed than this -- if i had cried out hugging that girl, well... i mean if i had cried out like that girl.. ;)


Directors of these movies..???? -They are Total SUCKERS..!! ~ You need a heavy heart made of Iron to watch these films and still not be moved.... :X


Boys don't cry - and so do insanes.


[It's is difficult to imagine such a painful ending - Three girl students of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were burnt alive when their University bus was allegedly set afire by miscreants at Dharmapuri during February 2000 in violence that broke out following the conviction Ms. Jayalalithaa in the Kodaikanal hotel case - is the justice being done fairly enough ? -- Death sentence to three people who were directly involved
...And did someone forget something..?? -The recent death of three persons in the Dinakaran newspaper office in Madurai ~ It's a funny World]


~ Keep this in mind - the World and so the Governments in future is gonn'a be ruled by Insanes.

And about the movie - I am confident that "Kalluri" would be a Blockbuster.




Song on my PC:

"Unnarugi'll Varugayi'll - ulley oru Paravasam - Unnale Thozane - Naan illai en vasam.." from KALLURI

CHAK DE INDIA..!

Chak De India (English: "Come On India" )


Saluting girl power!

This is the tale of a group of 16 hockey players divided by region... ,divided by seniority and economic status - ranging from the tomboy Haryanvi Komal, the feisty Balbir from Punjab, the tough-egoistic senior Bindiya Naik, the just-married Vidya Sharma to the lovely, rich miss Preeti Sabharwal involved with a cricket star. And their coach Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) who had been dismissed from his post as the captain of the Indian team for conceding the vital goals in a crucial final against Pakistan.

Kabir’s aim is to redeem his lost glory through this women’s team! He trains them in the sport as well as spirit and teaches them the lesson of team-effort and unity. He binds them together in the tricolours of national pride. When the Hockey Association refuses to send the team to Australia for the finals, Kabir throws in a challenge match - pitching his girls against the men’s team. Although the girls lose the match, they win the confidence of the officials and off they go for the finals to Australia.

The phenomenal rise of the Indian women’s team as the World Champs is what the story is about. But it is writer Jaideep Sahni’s subtle screenplay extolling woman power in scenes like the girls uniting to take on eve-teasers in a local cafe,the final party scene where the team parades in in ceremonial sarees...the film strings in touching moments - incidents that will probably change some biases within all of us against girls, against a married sportswoman, a pretty girl, a rustic, unrefined girl and so on. Each time the coach rises above all the divides and cements every crack.

The entire hockey team delivers a scintillating performance on and off the field. Shah Rukh Khan is at his restrained best - who can accuse of him hamming after this very subtly- nuanced performance? Touching and thoughtful, this is what modern cinema should be. A special mention for editor Amitabh Shukla’s crisp cut. Bravo Shimit Amin and cheers to Aditya Chopra for backing such a courageously offbeat venture.

Waiting for Farah Khan's next Thriller - "Om Shanthi Om"

Sivaji - The Idol

....He was standing at the theatre gate - the time was 05:00 hrs in the morning - The day was 15th June 2007 - He had shaved his head displaying his craze - His screaming voice was rocking the theatre walls..!!-The Crowd was going beresk -Milk being poured over the Giant Cut-outs - The ticket counter opened at 7:00 hrs - "Thalaivaa..!!" was the universal sound.The Crowd went crazy.. It was the biggest Movie event of the time, It was Sivaji.

As the Hollywood has it's own magnum opus but still nothing can match the craze for the one name that echoes in every mind - "Rajni".Just as they have their own kind of superheroes like Superman,Spiderman and Batman - We have our Styleman.

I actually had a chance to watch Sivaji on 16th evening,but otherwise had someother plans.I watched 'The Boss' on 24th June - the 10th day after it's release - then watched it again on 28th June and then again on 30th June and i hope to watch it again.



It wasn't the best of the movies either of Shankar or Rajni.But it's simply the pure crazy atmosphere that makes you think, Why is this man so special..?

Well,coming to the movie - give a vacation to your brain before entering the movie hall because you can't expect any logic,but that's what Thalaivar's movie is made of, It doesn't need any logic.The sheer presence on screen will make the movie-halls flood for a minimum of 150 odd days..

The previous movies had Rajni lighting up a Cigar in a captivating style- the style that catapulted him to the Stardom (First seen in the Tamil Movie "Moondru Mudichu") Sivaji uses a explosive here instead with the same style..(Owing to the pressure by few political icons - who are in desperate need of publicity on their comments)

The Boss just rocks.Thee film is Grandoise with more than 90% of expenses spent on Songs and Unbelieveable Art work.
Shreya is just a glamour doll.......The Screenplay has it's loop holes too - in a situation where we struggle to send or receive SMS,the movie makes us believe that MMS can be sent with such perfection - if Rajni has the Mobile...and the Car thrashing idea at the Drive-in thetre is the High-point Action Blunder(It could have been done better) and comparing it with The Mudhalvan,in which the love story had a depth and weightage in the storyline but Sivaji Lacks it - Vivek had succeeded in mocking Vadivel in few situations.
Just like Shankar's Indian had Kamal,donning the immortal Old-man,who still lives in Melbourne watching over India that there is no corruption,Sivaji has a hapless man against the political autocracy and the black-money,who wins against all odds with a great deal of luck and God's favour(the one rupee bounces back after is call to Suman and his resurrection from ultimate death by raghuvaran)....it is definitely not the old-wine in a new-bottle as the media tried to project the film....I still doubt - How the director got the idea of projecting the Bad-Guy sharing a photograph with Manmohan singh,to be noted in the scenes at the Suman's Office table.

Rajni is at times shown more in a lighter mood than his previous releases.
'Adhiradee' song is a Brilliant effort and has Rajni's most stylish Entry.
The ussual philosophy and strength is kind ofmissing. 'Vaaji Vaaji' song which portrays the three ancient civilizations narrated as an Album is fantastic - The art work has shades of 'Greek-Egyptian'style,'Babylonian' and 'Indian'style interwoven spectacularly and 'Oru Koodai Sunlight' are excellently done (Except for Rajni's dance - still it's Okay if it's Rajni..!!)

I still believe "Rajnikanth would have been at his best if had done Mudhalvan."


Here is my personal bias on Rajni's Top Charts:
------------------------------------------------
* These are my personal ratings - i haven't still seen all of Rajni's movies - i might have watched some 70 to 90 of his 150 movies ,So the perception may vary with others

Top Ten Rajnikanth movies:
--------------------------

1. Dalapathi(1991)

2. Thillu Mullu(1981)

3. Sivaji(2007)

4. Padayappa(1999) ~ tie with ~ Mannan(1992)

5. Chandramuki(2005)

6. Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai(1979)

7. Yejamaan(1993)

8. Annamalai(1992) ~ tie with ~ Baasha(1995)

9. Veera(1994)

10.Baba(2002) ~ tie with ~ Muthu(1995)



Top Ten Rajnikanth Songs:
-------------------------

1. ThenMadurai Vaigai..(Dharmathin Thalaivan)~ A 3 Way Tie With ~ Kaadhalin Deepam..(Thanbikku Endha Ooru)~Rakkamma Kaiyya..(Dalapathi)

2. Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalali..(Muthu) ~ Tie with ~ Aasai Nooru Varai..(Adutha Vaarisu)

3. Sundari.. (Dalapathi) ~ Tie With ~Podhuvaga En Manasu Thangam..(Murattu Kaalai)

4. Adhikidhu Kuliru..(Mannan)~ Sung by Rajni himself.

5. Adhiradee..(Sivaji) ~ Tie With ~ Adey Nanba Unnai..(Annamalai)

6. Va Va Va Kanna Va..(Velaikaran)~ Tie With ~ Raa Raa..(Chandramukhi)

7. Shakti kodu..(Baba) ~ Tie With ~ Oorai Therinjukitten..(Padikadhavan)

8. Poo Maalai oru Paavai Aanadhu..(Thanga Magan)

9. Naan Polladhavan..(Polladhavan)

10.Sambo Siva Sambo..(Ninaithale Inikkum) ~Tie With ~ Thottathil..(Velaikaran)


Top Five Anti-Hero Performances:
------------------------------------------

1.16 Vayathinile ~ Tie With ~ Chandramukhi (Vettayan)
2.Moondru Mudichu
3.Avargal
4.Nettrikkan
5.Mullum Malarum (A Complex character.. though,Rajni was the protogonist - it had a negative shade)


Top Ten Heroines Paired with Rajnikanth:
----------------------------------------

1. Shobana (Dalapathi)
2. SriDevi (Jonny)
3. Soundarya (Padayappa)~ Tie with ~ Nadhiya (Rajathi Raja)
4. Nayantara (Chandramukhi)
5. Shreya (Sivaji)
6. Khushboo (Mannan)
7. Meena (Veera)
8. Amala (Velaikaran)
9. Gowthami (Pankkaran)
10.Suhasini (Dharmathin Thalaivan)


Top Five Bad People Against Rajnikanth:
----------------------------------------
1.Amrish Puri (Dalapathi)~ Tie With ~ Ramya krishnan (Padayappa)
2.Suman(Sivaji)
3.vijay shanti(Mannan)
4.Raghuvaran(Baasha)
5.Napolean(Yejaman)

Top Five Fun Band:
------------------

1.Koundamani(Mannan)~ Tie with ~ Nagesh(Thillu Mullu)
2.Vadivel(Chandramukhi)
3.Janakaraj(Rajathi Raja)
4.V.K.Ramasamy(Velaikaran)
5.Vivek(Sivaji)



Top Five Pals on Screen:
------------------------
1.Mammuty (Dalapathi)
2.Meena (Anbulla Rajnikanth)
3.Prabhu (Guru Sishyan)
4.KamalHassan (Ninaithale Inikkum)
5.Amitabh Bachan (Hum)/Hindi



Rajni has a unique range of styles,from swapping cigars into his mouth,spinning his eye-glass,curling up his hair by running his hand through it,spinning a knife in air,and now the rocking
cowboy styled bike entry in Adhiradee song... and also his special catchy one liners are like.."Howww eeees it..??", "Ippadi Choodu","Yen Vazhi Thani Vazhi","Naan oru thadava sonna","Chumma Adhirudhulla".. and dozen more...


with JagguBhai being dropped... I am looking forward for Sultan in 2008.
Yhe team sounds great, A.R.Rahman,Soundarya,and SuperStar giving a punchline"Kanna Idhu Pudhusu".... Won't miss this time... I hope to grab a ticket "First Day - First Show"


Rajini and Kamal are two of a kind,very few directors have able to come up with a brilliant effort of making them work side-by-side,though initially Rajni was not as popular as Kamal,the tables turned with immortal roles like Kali from Mullum Malarum, Parattai in 16 Vayathinile,Alex Pandiyan in Moondru Mugam which made Rajni on Parallel with Kamal....and now he has become a Demi-God, as once Shvaji and M.G.Ramachandran existed....Thalaivar just Rocks..!!




this sees my profile visits to be 500.. going pretty strong .. i guess..




~ The Insane Strikes Back..!!

Aye Aye and a Bottle of RUM..!

At the World's End.. This was the movie that i watched today afternoon with two of my friends.

Though it had a rather,.... kind of anti-climatic conclusion - was the most enjoyable movie in recent times.

And i would rate it as the best among the Three Trilogies of recent times...

The Matrix

The Lord of the Rings

The Pirates of the Carribean.

Like the previous installments ,it is Johnny Depp, who steals the show again with his lucid performance on screen.
But i still wonder... How these girls around here go crazy on this ordinary looking actor when compared to chocolate models like Tom Cruise or Orlando Bloom (This guy too stars in the Carribean episodes).

The movie was a fantastic roller-coaster ride of Comedy, Action, Adventure, Romance, Plot and everything that would make one sit through the movie till the credits roll out.


Well, the day started for me lazily - i woke up by 10:00 and first thing that i searched for with my arms moving like a silent serpant was for my mobile,still lying on my bed - i reached for my mobile under my bed-spread - i took it and with my half-open drowsy eyes i could see that i had received 4 missed calls - and some 13 messages....

Crawling out - i had to move - since Nature was calling me,...

May be i guess that Helmet manufacturers at Tamil Nadu were not finding enough customers and they came up with an idea to sell their product in a good way, i had no helmet till then so asked my Dad to drop me at my Friend's home...

We had planned for the movie At the World's End - i reached sarvan's home by 11:30, we called up Mad by 12:00 and he said that he'll join us rightaway at the theatre.

Me and Sarvan started for the movie - but we were not sure at where the movie was being played - i remembered seeing the poster as Multiplex(The biggest Showplace at 'Salem' My hometown)- we got the Bus to Geethalaya - Movie hall - But we got down at mid-way just in case the movie was being played at Multiplex- but i guessed it might be at Sangeeth - another movie Hall at Salem famous for it's Best-DTS Efect and English Movies.

As we got down and started towards Multiplex we found a few poster's displaying "Rob-B-Hood" at Sangeeth, and None on the Five Screens at Multiplex displayed a poster of The Pirates - We then finally came up with a poster displaying "Pirates of the Carribean" being played at 'Multiplex-Geethalya' Movie Hall... We ran amock in the crowded area and almost tumbled over a street vendor as we moved to catch the bus and were delighted to see the same bus in which we got in earlier was in the Signal... we ran down the road and were finally able to catch the bus, thus saving the ticket money.


we reached theatre - Mad joined us there.. we had a difficulty in finding out that guy as he was wearing helmet..

Then we parked the bike at the theatre parking - roamed around the local streets - We reached there by 13:30 and the tickets were supposed to be given by 14:00 - While roaming our discussion finally hit Chennai VS Bangalore - this always happen when we guys meet.. I am from Bangalore and the other two from Chennai...

We again moved to movie hall,got the ticket and moved in.
Me and Mad - started on a rather ordinary discussion that went with Bermuda triangle - and finally a question came up that lighted up the conversaion, the arguement was like... "There is nothing so called Mystery or Supernatural - and There exists Mystery and the Supernatural Phenomenon "..... The second statement being supported by me.


The arguement rolled into various topics like Evolution - Light - Red Shift - Blue Shift - BigBang -and so on -with the Base Arguement remaining same in all cases - and i opposed his every clain by a simple question... "Mystery Still exists - coz you can't build the answer on facts for all questions- all these Evolution - BigBang - are all Hypotheses - since none had seen it happen before their eyes.. - and if you mean to say that we have evolved from something - then where did that somehing came from..?? - What existed before BigBang - And WHO or WHAT created the material or anything that existed in first place.... Well, buddy that's what you call a Mystery..!!!" - I could see that he was not able to accept my answer but he was not ready to see himself loosing the arguement and he kept the conversation drag away to some other topic,... and the Most Awaited Movie of The Summer - Began....





Well Keira Knightley arrived on screen and i felt a litle joy erupting in my heart - seeing her beautiful and powerful grey eyes that reminded me of Someone similar.. and i went crazy of Elizabeth -.. "I somehow admire a girl more for her strenghth to be herself, a rocking image she had"




Well, just as the movie was in it's final scenes... something strange stirred my mind, I felt like i have experienced the same situation before, i watched the screen to just see what i had seen in sometime happen before - i was watching the movie for the first time though - i knew that it was kind'a queer - i turned to my right to see a person with french-beard in green shirt - The image that i was expectiong before turing towards him... 'Strange' i Thought...!!!

A deep thought ran through my mind,...
" SOMETIMES I FEEL THAT I AM LIVING IN MY PAST AND THE FUTURE HAS ALREADY PASSED AWAY... COZ I FEEL THAT WHEN THINGS HAPPEN TO ME RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER... I FEEL , I HAVE FELT THE SAME BEFORE...SEEN IT HAPPEN BEFORE... HEARD IT BEFORE.. THOUGH ITS THE FIRST TIME HAPPENING TO ME IN MY ENTIRE LIFETIME... IT GIVES ME A FEELING THAT - LIFE IS JUST A MIRAGE,.. NOT REAL .. JUST LIKE - WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND ME IS NOT UNDER MY CONTROL... IT HAS ALREADY BEN DONE, AND YOU'RE JUST WATCHING IT HAPPEN AGAIN..."

I then turned back to the screen to watch an unexpected climax - which i sensed i have seen it sometime long before -What do you call this a Mystery or ESP..??

But i smiled and shook my head - as i saw Captain Jack Sparrow - enjoying his Bottle of Rum, and start his lonely voyage towards the thing he desired most...




Science speaks only facts... but Mystery is something that cannot be expressed using Facts..!!








Life is a Real MYSTERY..!!!!

MOZHI - A Perfect Farewell for Jyothika ..!!

There are certain times in life where.. explanation, words, and sometimes.. language means nothing..- at that moment Silence speaks the loudest..!!

Last week, i happened to watch "Mozhi" - Supposed to be Jyothika's last movie- after she announced to settle down and believe me it was a complete accident that we went to this movie, and we still consider this 'accidentalplan' to be a blessing.

Normally, at college, we used go for movies on the very first day of release , there was some prestige problem in college.."Watching movie on first day-first show.."


Well... forget it... i can speak here, about everything.. from Mumtaj and T.R's dance in "Veerasaamy" to Angelina Jolie's legs in "Mr.and Mrs.Smith"..and let me say you.. ..i m not here for that..!!

Instead, it's about one of the most beautiful of recent tamil movies--Mozhi(Music of love) ..!!


Two people.. Karthik(Prithiviraj) and Vijay(Prakashraj).. Musicians from Vidhyasagar's Band.... they like to talk about love.. and wish that the moment they fall in love must be a monumental happening in their life.. like bells ringing or a flash-of-light from heaven..!!

According to these lines our hero's love-story begins... Karthik ,while walking down the street witnesses a dispute between husband and wife.. and decides to sort the problem... at a point the man starts to physically abuse the woman. Suddenly, a pretty young woman enters the fray(hey wait--- here's where jyothika gives entry- it's comparable to any Telugu hero's entry......!!) and, enraged, starts beating up the husband and rescues the wife!(you must notice the poster of english movie in back-ground saying "Mirattal-Adi"--Humour forms the Essence of this movie in every-frame)

And this forms the complete atmosphere of 'love at first-sight' for Karthik with a monumental occasion.. An ice-cream vendor rings BELLS and A Flash of glowing-Bulb gives the required spark..!!
Karthik is most awe-struck with the young woman’s courage and presence of mind and tries to walk up to talk to her, but by the time he gets across the traffic-filled street, she’s gone.

Later,Karthik and Vijay come to a new apartment, and the apartment-secretary Ananthakrishnan object's Bachelors staying there and he wants them to leave, the situation gets worse after a 'dramatic towel-dance' and 'drunk-night' by Vijay..

Karthic finds Archana(Jyothika) in the same apartment and tries to get friendly with her,but she ignores him and moves away.
He is puzzled, until one day,when he has to take Archana’s grandmother to the hospital for treatment. Here he finds out that Archana is deaf and mute! Karthik is shocked and deeply moved.But his feelings for Archana becomes stronger after this.

Archana,is a self-reliant woman,who doesn't want anyone to have sympathy towards her and she wishes to live her life in her own way.

The major part of the movie is pure-fun and comedy,-at one point of time- Karthik wishes to know how it feels like being 'unable to speak' and 'not able to hear'... and his efforts to try this will make you jump out of seat laughing..!!

Karthik's attempt to impress Archana by going for jogging..(ends up with archana's dog chasing him all over chennai) and his attempt to show his football skills at beach..Vijay's futile attempt to teach Ananthakrishnan's son Music..forms a continuous part of healthy-laugh for the movie-watcher's..

But this is not all the movie about... It's more about "The delicacy of love".. and there are many scenes that will make you fall in love with the the Movie itself..
..and one such is -the way Karthik places Archana’s hand over a speaker so she can feel the vibration of the music he plays,and after that the way he proposes her in the most determined and endearing fashion, is really expressive....


.Finally Karthik finds Sheela(Swarnamalaya)-Archana's collegue at Sign-language school ( yes, Archana is a teacher in sign school.. and may be that's why she like's hitting people--first the quarrelling husband--then the guy who proposed her--third is our hero Karthik-after his proposal....).and sheela understands karthik's love for Archana and decides to help him, and gives the depiction of how Archana as a child had undergone a difficult-life, due to her disability,she was abandoned by her father(and this forms archana's deepest fears.. and this is the reason , why she hesitates to accept Karthik's love for her.. and she doesn't want the same thing to happen to her child, if she were born with same disability..)..sheela also reveals to him that Archana is an extremely self-reliant and hot-headed person. Her physical limitations sometimes leads her to frustration and she fiercely tries to overcome her emotions(one such depiction is towards the climax ..where she screams , after Karthik's persuation to come her to Vijay and Sheela's Wedding..Karthik leaves her home with broken-heart....Archana unable to bear her pain screams out.. Her Scream echoes all over.....beautifully narrated), her psyche has been scarred since the day her father had left her mother and her at a very young age.Sheela means to say that- Archana despises and distrusts men.

But nothing seems to stop Karthik from these statements, Karthik is a determined man and he goes all-out to win Archana’s friendship and eventually, her heart and he even manages to learn sign language for her cause.

Meanwhile .. our second hero ,Vijay experiences the same kinda Love-bells and Love-spark with sheela..
and the way he proposes her for marriage will surely make your tummy-ache with laugh..

The rest of the movie is still beautiful,simply how Karthik wins Archana back in a most poignant and endearing manner, yet, without any unnecessary melodrama or exaggeration.

Best part of the movie is that you will find humor in every frame of the film.. and even in songs...
Well.. i almost forgot about the songs.. This movie will mark Vidhyasagar and Vairamuthu's best performance together.. from "Sev'vaanam selai'katti.." to "Pesaa Madandhai'ye.." every song is beautifully scripted... my favourite being.."Kaatrin Mozhi.."-(The eternal song of silence....!!)

The minor characters like, Professor- A Mentally affected father of lost son(played by Bhaskar),the Apartment watchman(Balaji)and Mr.Ananthakrishnan's wife,(well.. i dono her real name)..and her son..everyone comes alive on screen with seamless performance..

Applause for Director Radha Mohan(in the sign language way..!!) has done a commendable job with a story and screenplay that is simple and sweet as a 'Sugar-Candy' and the movie depends more on the performance of the actors rather than any English movie kinda "special effects" or Mass-Hero based “masala”.
The story-writer,of course Radha Mohan, has taken a very simple but a admirable effort,The leads being exactly 'two extreme opposite-ends' , one being a musician-'sound' in short-is his passion,career and almost his very part of life.. and the other being a 'deaf & dumb' -to whom sound, music,voice,arguement,everthing means the same--Silence..!!



To be Honest, Mozhi- is one of the Best Film i ve ever watched,it's simple, loveable, real-romance..!!
Mozhi is a light hearted-musical,romantic-comedy and a refreshing story of a self-reliant woman,for whom physical challenges are no obstacles...all in one..!!
I am waiting for the DVD(well, the original one's) to get released to grab a copy..!!


The Final Good Bye...


Speaking of Jyothika, She has led a much different life, Her first film was "Doli Sajake Rakhna" in 1998 by Priyadarshan-the movie was a remake of tamil blockbuster "Kadhalukku Mariyadhai"(though her movie didn't do well in hindi ) However, she found success in Tamil movies. She had maintained a clean image on and off-screen, free of controversies.She found her love in Tamilnadu and married Tamil heart-throb 'Surya' in 2006.Besides that, Jyothika is a well known name in every 'Tamil-household' around the world these days, due to large Tamil dispora, having fans as far as Japan and Amsterdam.

Soooo..Coming back to Mozhi , the Crown goes to Jyothika.

In Mozhi, her role of a fiercely independent deaf mute woman is moving and seamlessly done. It is more like poetry....and as she reminds us yet again of what a loss the movie-watchers are going to face with her moving away from films...MOZHI- A Perfect Farewell for Her..!!

Thanks

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