Varun's Word

Visual Ratings : 5 / 5

Overall Rating : 4 / 5

We know that the oceans look blue in color since they reflect the blue skies. In this movie, the same oceans look different in different shades of nature and different shades of life. To the extent that one might even get a feeling as if the ocean is a silent character in this movie. The ocean is calm and serene at times, vigorous and wild at other times. Dark and gloomy at times, bright and fluorescent at other times. Such is the cinematography by Claudio Miranda and the visual effects team.

The Titles introduce us to various zoo animals, being a life sciences student, i dint know 40% of the animals. Watch out for the mini surprises and creatives in the titles.

The movie proceeds as a narrative much to the delight of the book lovers. I haven’t read the book yet, so I will stay away from comparing the two. I don’t know how the book felt, but there is not a moment in the movie where the audiences feel unattached to the narrative. The movie is about Pi (Suraj Sharma) who survives a shipwreck and lives for months on a life boat with Richard Parkinson (Bengal Tiger).

Watch out for the territory marking scene between Pi and the Tiger on the life-boat, a major topic in animal behavior studies. The scene where Pi decides to teach the tiger who’s the alpha animal is pretty amusing.

The director Ang Lee has been shooting the movie for four years. It is justified in every single frame as to why he took so long to finish the movie. Suraj Sharma, the teenage Pi is the life and soul of this movie. He does look thinner and thinner as his days on the sea continue. Add to this there are amazing lines (I am guessing these must be from the book) that Pi delivers when his survival becomes hopeless. The line that says “I am unable to distinguish between day dreams and night dreams” is one such gem! The remaining cast portray their part very well.

Although the movie is a visual treat, it may not be suitable for kids. There are quite a few scenes which maybe disturbing or extremely depressing to watch. It makes one wonder that when 75% of the earth is covered with water, why hasn’t mankind evolved to survive on sea ?

The website is a treat to watch too ! http://www.lifeofpimovie.com/

–Varun Mannava Gowtham

Consciously or unconsciously A.R.Murugadoss has highlighted the all-round capabilities of the Indian Army in tackling a situation. Remember the confidence the nation witnessed when the commandos were air-dropped from a chopper on 26/11 in Mumbai? The army men can run, they can jump 6 feet walls, they can dive and swim away, they can shoot from a distance of 200 m accurately. Most importantly, they can plan and execute with exact precision. When it comes to saving the nation, nothing else forms the priority.

Jagadish is an army man, who is also part of DIA, goes home for a 40 day vacation. He witnesses a bomb blast. To him this is anti-national. He reacts to anti-nationals in a manner humans react to pests. No lock-up, no-trials, no explanations. Termination! He resorts to 3rd degree torture on anti-nationals, the kind of torture that is usually seen in RGV movies.

The major distraction to the movie is the track where the director wants vijay to get married to Kajal Agarwal. He is dealing with a grave situation in Mumbai, and how can anyone think of falling in love and running around trees. Tamil cinema needs to come out of this commercial scare and start making movies that are pure and focus on the plot. In recent times Billa 2 was one such mainstream movie which stuck to the plot without deviating too much. Thuppakki is a major let down in this segment. However considering Vijay’s larger than life image in action movies, this movie is the closest to logic.

Vidyut Jamal is a major strength to the movie. He hardly speaks, but his presence is imminent. His role as an antagonist will remain in audiences memory for a long time to come.

Santhosh Sivan’s cinematography is very effective. The background score by Harris Jayaraj provides the much needed energy to this movie.

And by taking a national topic such as terrorism, Murugadoss is now thinking big. There are all possibilities that this movie would be remade in Bollywood.

Repeat watching is highly recommended, not for the house-hold Jagdish, but for the army-man Jagdish (with the back-ground score running).

–Varun Mannava Gowtham

Quantum of Solace released first in India last year. None of the Indians understood it. It bombed in India. So this time they released Skyfall in the UK first. Got the UK critics to give it some 4 stars rating and then released it worldwide with larger than life expectations.

The movie does open up to the expectations and exceed it for the first 30 minutes. Then its all melody and old fashioned. Bond movies have a tradition of opening with action packed chase sequences in the first 20 mins. Casino Royale set the trend for this. Now every bond movie has to start the same way. This movie takes it to another level where they decide to shoot the bond. Adele’s skyfall track starts off and titles match up to the depth in her voice.

Watch out for the realistic action sequences on the train top. Jaguars and Range Rovers are the vehicles used by bond in the first half. Bond manages to deliver his punches with style but they were not as effective in the movie as they were in the trailer. Bond says “Everyone should have a hobby” ; Silva (the villain) says “So whats yours” ; Bond says “Resurrection!”. One of the best lines written in this movie.

There aren’t many of the fancy gadgets that bond uses in this movie other than a custom made pistol that can fire only by reading Bond’s palm. Signature statement pistol which bond never uses in the movie. He has an old fashioned radio detector.

Performance wise, it is Silva (Javier Bardem) who surpasses any of the Bond Villains till date. As a matter of fact, he creates a market for Bond Villains who can act apart from just playing the baddies. The story around him is nicely told and even nicely portrayed by Mr. Silva. His characteristics are as edgy as the Joker.

Sam Mendes, seems to be highly inspired by the Dark Knight series. There are a couple of instances that reminds us of Dark Knight, like the scene where Silva gets caught on purpose for a higher mission. Also the scene where M addresses the British Parliament on why the world still needs secret agents. Christopher Nolan written all over it.

Skyfall is apparently the house where Bond grew up and doesn’t like it too much. He was orphaned there. “Orphans make the best agents” says M. Unfortunately for Bond and for the audiences too, the events that happen in Skyfall (house) are the dullest and most old fashioned. You have to keep reminding yourself that you are watching a Bond movie and something will happen now. But that something never happens and everyone is more than happen to see the credits that says “Bond will return again!”. Ya and this time he better return with some nice gadgets, else the american secret service Agent Ethan Hunt would take a greater lead in this section.

Bond girls keep up to their reputation, especially Berenice Marlohe. So does Daniel Craig as the rustic bond.

–Varun Mannava Gowtham

Do you ever get a funny feeling when you see a person holding a camera in a photo or when you see a TV inside a TV or wallet inside a wallet ? Well this is a movie inside a movie. But it ain’t funny.

ARGO (Greek word for Swift) draws a very thin line between being a documentary vs being a mainstream movie. And it is mainstream enough to engage you for a good 120 minutes.

The movie is set in period backdrop of 1980’s where IRAN declares war on the united states embassy. Don’t miss the first five minutes which walks you through Iran history through a mini animation feature. All hell is set loose when Iranians capture the US embassy and the entire embassy staff are taken hostage except for 6 who manage to escape through the back door and get shelter in a Canadian embassy.

Ben Affleck plays the lead in the movie and also directs the movie. Quite a handful and he executes both roles with great ease. You get that intense feel when Ben Affleck lands in Iran and is awaiting Iranians buy his fake movie. The roles of 6 US citizens who escape are well portrayed especially Scoot McNairy. Watch him explain the plot of ARGO when theres a gun pointed in front of his face.

Why should anyone watch this movie? #1. It is very well thought out and very well executed. There is quite a good amount of humor thrown in (Argo F*** yourself is one such funny line). #2. It has got a unique script that not many would try to experiment in mainstream movies. The script has various challenges like espionage theme, 1980’s backdrop so an entire mob needs to be dressed in bell-bottoms but all these have been overcome convincingly. #3. This is how a movie should be made. Wannabe directors and film school students please take notes. #4. This is one movie in recent times, where the movie is as engaging and promising as the trailer. Need i say more ?

So next time you see a Swift pass by on the street, greet them saying Argo F*** yourself! They’ll understand if they have watched the movie + have read my enlightening review. Show them my review ok.

–Varun Mannava Gowtham

First things first! What makes Shekhar Kammula’s movies so like-able? The simple language used in dialogues and simple diction. The background scores and extremely enjoyable songs. In todays language we could call it “in-loop” songs. Lively locations, bright surroundings used in his movies. Freshers form part of his main cast. This may be because its easy for him to steer the movie in the right direction. In this season where a megastar can make or break a movie, a super-star director like Shekhar Kammula is the sole bet in Andhra Pradesh on which the film is betting. He kind of gets that Novelistic touch to his movies. Its like people waiting for minimum 2 years patiently for his next novel to come out. Although we have seen films based on cancer patients, its his treatment of the characters that makes this film more memorable than others.

All said and done, humans do get stale and redundant. Great geniuses come to a halt at some point in their life. Shekhar Kammula, the genius behind films like Anand, Godavari, Happy Days has reached the saturation point. Unless he takes up a genre and attacks it from his point of view, its seems more like a de-ja-vu scenario. There are numerous scenes in the movie that reminds us of scenarios from “Happy Days” movie. Was it intentional or overlooked? Thats when we realize that the director may have become redundant and may have ran out of ideas.

Although it looks more of a “Happy Days Chronicles” viewers are not complaining. Given the adulation and violence we see in movies these days, one director comes out with a movie where I can sit alongside my family and watch. And the movie touches the hearts of kids and adults alike. You walk out of the theater feeling fresh and promising about the life you have in hand.

Performances wise, the newcomers did a decent job. Apart from being attracted to hot women wearing traditional sarees and occasional brawls with the super rich bad guys, the three leading men don’t have major challenge to portray. The leading ladies are more than happy to flaunt around. Credit should go to the director in portraying the leading women in sarees and reminding the viewers that its cool too. Strong views towards usage of Telugu language too. The director is singing out a mild cultural message without being too preachy and boring. And it is for this intention that we should support his movie.

Mickey.J.Meyer, the music director, is almost like a tag team partner for Shekhar Kammula. This is their 3rd film in which music is a major box office hit.

“Life is beautiful” when you have money or when you have heart? Its for you to decide. Looking at the directors take on the super rich characters in the movie, his answer is clear.

–Varun Mannava Gowtham.

Jason Bourne dives from the top of a building and gets shot before splashing into the river below. We get to know from a news report that the body was not recovered. Just then Bourne’s girlfriend smiles and then Moby’s orignial sound track is set into motion with movie credits rolling up. This extremely thrilling trilogy came to an end way back in 2007. Cut to chase to 2012 and the franchise comes up with a fourth movie to cash in on the legacy that Jason Bourne had created.

“Brisk action sequences shot using hand held cameras, hyper bike chases, romancing with syringes and incision scissors, outsmarting US Drones and CCTVs, multiple passports, never-ending chases, creating fake passports, disguises, smart lies, presence of mind…” This movie promises all the trademark “bourne-ness”.  But has it lived upto its trilogy standards ? To some extent yes, however we are left craving for more.

The credit should go to Tony Gilroy who co-wrote the screenplay and also directed this movie. Although its not totally based on the Bourne Legacy novel, it does transform into a compelling watch but gets over too soon.

Jeremy Renner gets the stamp of a full fledged action hero. He fights not only against the bitter cold in Alaska, but also wolves and US Army drones. He does break a few fists and necks of human beings. Like a lizard he slips into the cracks in buildings and basements. He is fast and he is fit. Suits the role perfectly. If Universal studios ever considered cashing in on Bourne’s popularity on television series, Jeremy could fit in perfectly. They could name it “The Bourne Chronicles”.

Rachel Weisz on the other hand plays the role of a mature but nervous PhD doctor. When she escapes in the car with Jeremy Renner, one gets reminded of Marie in Bourne Identity.

In this movie, Jeremy Renner does not take on the secret service. Maybe that part comes in a sequel later. Producer Frank Marshall leaked out that there might be a movie after this where Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner might come together. May be they are saving energy for this sequel. Which makes this movie not so epic as the earlier three movies in the Bourne trilogy. Although technically this movie looks solid and might go on to win some technical Academy awards too.

Assasin Aaron Cross, you thought of medicines, but like your predecessor you need to play a larger part of going after your betrayers who are shutting down the operation as if they are doing pest control. Why dint you think of this ?

–Varun Mannava Gowtham.

Probably by now, hundreds of reviews are being posted on the internet, newspapers and Magazines. Facebook status updates and tweets across the globe praising the quality and class of the Dark Knight trilogy. This poses a tough question for someone like me who is strongly bent on how to write a review and try to be critical of the movie at least to some extent.

I will stick to Logic and trust me the sub-titles made my life so easy. Sub-titles are a critics’ best friend since we tend to be clear on the finer details as well as the larger picture.

The movie starts off spectacularly exhibiting the strength and motivations of Ra’s Al Gul’s faithful follower. Since Bane is wearing a mask, Nolan thought that the fear factor needs to be his voice. However Bane’s voice is being criticized for lack of clarity on low pitch dialogue delivery. It spooks you out, no second thoughts on that though.

Bane’s actions continue to provide some meat for critics like me to thrive on. Bane’s crew reaches NYSE to upload highly speculative futures trades on behalf of Bruce Wayne. Agreed. This can be done. They take hostage of the building. This can be done too. What can’t be done is escape from the building in bikes. How did those bikes come into the building in the first place? Unless I am missing something, bikes can’t be taken into the buildings. New Yorkers could correct me if I am wrong here.

The additional grey area is – Why is Bane wearing the mask, the movie does not explain it to us. One could browse wikipedia to know the reason. But still in vain. The Bane in comic characters does not have a breathing problem. That’s it stop right there dummies, these two are the only shortcomings of the film. Batman hardcore fans can pitch in here to help resolve my curious mind.

Now coming to the awesomeness side of the movie. One could watch the movie again and again in IMAX screen just to see the Bat mobile (bike) changing directions. The Bat flight makes quite an impression too and the climax is impossible without an ultra-speed jet! Everyone clicks in the performance department! From wannabe Robin to Sassy Catwoman. Desperate times require desperate measures even for the Batman. He looks upon to his friends for help when the city is turned into a war zone.

Bruce, why do we fall? This is the famous question that keeps haunting us in the first part of Batman trilogy. Nolan is famous for inspiring his viewers to the extreme. This movie also has its fair share of inspiring punch dialogues. “Fear of Death makes you perform better”. “Not Everything, not yet.”  “Peace has made you weaker.”

There couldn’t have been a better ending to the Dark Knight legend. Batman’s prison episode makes not only Bruce Wayne’s soul stronger, but also the viewers’ soul. The sweet twists in the end only make the Batman experience more better. The twists are as smooth as the bat mobile (bike) switches lanes. Despite some shortcomings in the logic, I would still go with a 4.5 on 5 rating.

–Varun Mannava Gowtham