Short Takes – Thadam – a satisfying thriller

Official Trailer: Exiting the movie hall, you get the feel of having watched an engaging, satisfying thriller. You have nothing but appreciation for the director, Magizh Thirumeni. This is a director’s movie, and things fall in place with all others contributing to director’s vision. He does takes time to setup the premise, but post that director makes sure we play catch up with the him. Thrill of watching who-done-it thrillers

 

Sarvam Taala Mayam – can beats break the barrier?

Official Trailer: Director follows the sports template, how an underdog breaks into the chosen field working against the odds with the help of a coach. Here we have an aspiring youth, Peter Johnson, from a family of mridangam makers, who wants to become a mridangam artist. Peter is not aware of the caste barriers; how Carnatic music has been dominated by Brahmins and other castes are not easily allowed in,

 

Peranbu – a poignant story beautifully narrated

[SPOILERS AHEAD…] Official trailer: In Peranbu, we follow the coming of age of Amudhavan, father of spastic daughter, how he relearns the environment and world around him as he connects with his daughter. We get a peek into few incidents of Amudhavan’s life as chapters. I have nothing but great appreciation for Director Ram, for his vision, diving deep on the issue, boldness, and sensitive handling. When is the last

 

Petta – A full length Rajni entertainer

[SPOILERS AHEAD…] Official trailer: It is a great fun to see vintage Rajni walk the screen with his signature swag, and hear his magnetic and mesmerizing voice and dialogue delivery. After a long gap, we get a Rajni who is fully relaxed and he rocks us with his mischievous streak. Add to this peppy BGM that elevates the mood of the film, the first half just zips through. Director Karthik

 

25 Years of Amaidhipadai and Mahanadhi

If someone makes a list of top Tamil movies, I can tell you that high probability you will find both Amaidhipadai and Mahanadhi in that list. Both were released in 1994. Both have gone on to become movies we still remember and talk about irrespective how they did at BO when they got released. Both are in my favorite movies list. Amaidhipadai tracks the life of Amavasai who from being

 

Merku Thodarchi Malai – Excellent Visual Show and Tell Cinema where the Tell is left to the audience

Official movie trailer: Since the movie never got a release in Bangalore, had to wait for it to show up in a streaming site. So, the delayed writeup – it showed up on Netflix, I guess beginning of this year. Considering the payoff, it is worth the wait. This is one of the best movies of 2018, along with Pariyerum Perumal these two movies stand way ahead of all other

 

2.0 – an impressive 3D VFX spectacle that would have worked great with better writing

Official Trailer: It is a goosebumps moment as each letter of Super Star rolled in 3D in the title sequence. From the title sequence till the end, 3D worked with effective use of depth and I found 2.0 to be much better than many Hollywood 3D fares. After initial 3D euphoria, I switched to 2D version since with 3D I felt either lighting to be dull or subjects appear smaller

 

Vadachennai – An exciting, gritty, terrifying depiction of gangster world powered by love, betrayal, and violence

[SPOILERS AHEAD…] Official Teaser: We get a Tarantino style opening with 4 guys tossing their weapons on the table with fresh blood stains and flesh pieces, wondering what is in store for them in the future, now that they have eliminated the big man. Whatever happens, they decide to stay together. We are not shown the victim. This opening sets the premise for a gripping gangster drama for next 2

 

96 – take a heart tugging trip down memory lane stripped of melodrama

[SPOILERS AHEAD…] Official Trailer: Ten minutes in to the movie, there is a sequence where we follow Ram entering the school premise, climbing the staircase, walking through the corridors, entering the classroom, longingly looking at the benches, he shouts that is me looking at his name in the notice board. Director Prem Kumar doesn’t give us intercuts to show the thoughts he is going through. Prem Kumar is not in

 

My introduction to cowboys, horses, and western

Read the full article here: https://baradwajrangan.wordpress.com/2018/10/03/readers-write-in-51-my-introduction-to-cowboys-horses-and-westerns/ Born in 60s and growing up in Kanyakumari district from 4th to 12th grade, most of the movies I watched were Tamil movies, few English movies (once we moved to Nagercoil from Cheruppalur) and occasional Malayalam movies. I use the term English movies since I didn’t know the term Hollywood that time!! Exposure to terms like Hollywood, Western, genres, happened late 80s and early