Lingaa | Movie Review

Lingaa

After disastrous Kochadaiiyaan, one would have expected Rajni to act in a sensible film which would make his fans happy. But unfortunately, Lingaa fails miserably at all levels.

Directed by K S Ravi Kumar,  the film starts off in the present age with our Super Star as a petty thief. Then we’re told that he is the descendent of King Lingeswara who build a dam and temple in a small town in the pre-independence era. The temple has been closed down for ages and Lingaa is required to reopen the temple. The first part of the first half is about Anushka trying to vie Lingaa to visit the town and reopen the temple, and once he does, we have to sit through 2 hour flashback/lecture about how great his grandfather is. This flashback is so bloody long that I actually forgot the reason for it. The problem with Lingaa is not just its running time but its predictable script; no wait, it’s lazy screenplay; no, its pathetic direction. If either of the latter were good, the movie would have been better. But thanks to below par screenplay and direction, most Rajni fans in the theatre couldn’t stop yawning (and cursing). The only positive point are some good dialogues.

Rajni tries his best to keep the boat sailing, but how much can he do (especially when his body double is in most of the shots)? I enjoy his style and everything, but I think it’s time for him to stop romancing young co-stars and instead work on some sensible scripts. Both Anushka and Sonakshi have limited roles and neither makes an impression. Jagapathi Babu is alright. Santhanam is loud and his dubbing is even more irritating. The rest of the cast is fine.

Music by A R Rahman was pathetic. Did he really work on this film? Cos neither the background score nor the songs are up to his standards. Editing by Samjith is mediocre. While cinematography by Rathnavelu is good in parts, the below average graphics ruin the impact on most occasions.

Is it worth your time and money??: The trailer wasn’t impressive so I walked in with minimal expectations, but Lingaa turned out to be a bigger disappointment than I had expected. It ain’t a terrible film, but still, the fact that hardcore fans didn’t seem to enjoy the movie says a lot. So it’s totally alright if you give this one a skip.

Worth mention: Rajni

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 6.5/10

Verdict: 6/10

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | Movie Review

The Hobbit -The Battle of the Five Armies

While the first instalment, An Unexpected Journey, of the series wasn’t great, the second part, The Desolation of Smaug, was a better movie. While I was hoping for an excellent end to the series (like the third movie in the LOR series), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ended up being more like the first movie – ordinary.

The movie continues from where it left off, with Smaug attacking Lake Town. The Dragon Slayer saves the day and the town, but the battle has just began with every army converging and fighting for the Lonely Mountain. This battle seemed a little too long and at times artificial. Nevetheless, things pic up towards the latter half with Thorin’s battle against Azog and Legolas fighting Blog piquing your interest. Direction by Peter Jackson is neat but the screenplay wasn’t as interesting as the second film.

On acting front, this movie provides every character to showcase their talent and almost everyone performs to their best. Ian McKellen does a good job as expected, while Luke Evans is impressive. Evangeline Lilly still looked odd as Tauriel but comes up with a decent act. The Hobbit (Martin Freeman) puts up a fine performance.

Music and background score by Howard Shore is alright, and so is editing by Jabez Olssen. While the graphics still seemed artificial at times, they were better than the previous two films. Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie is pretty good.

Is it worth your time and money??: While not as engrossing as The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies is a decent watch. Let’s hope it all ends here.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 8/10

Roll On | Restaurant Review

Place: Roll On
Location: Adj. Mom and Me, KPHB Colony
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner

I’ve been wanting to try this place since I’ve read about it on Zomato. I dropped down one night after a movie at Cinepolis, but it was already too late and they were done with all the veggie stuff. So here I was on another occasion, on my way to catch another movie. Roll On is a no fancy joint, a small kiosk on the corner of the road with a couple of stools laid in front of the kiosk.

I asked for a Mushroom Olive Cheese Roll, and it took about 5-10 minutes before I was handed the roll.

Roll On Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Mushroom Olive Cheese Roll

Unlike most other places which serve a maida based roll, this place served a wheat chapathi (which was good). The roll was oily, but on taste front it was very good. They used green Olives instead of black and the stuffing was perfect. For 80 bucks, this seemed more like an appetizer though.

Here I was again a few days later after watching another movie at PVR to try something more fulfilling; I ordered for an Egg-less Mushroom Cheese Shahi Paratha.

Roll On Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Mushroom Cheese Shahi Paratha

This time it took a bit longer, about 15 minutes for the paratha to be served. On first sight, the quantity seemed better. Taste wise, though pretty spicy, the paratha was excellent; there was tons of cheese with yummy mushroom masala. I was expecting for it to have some mayonnaise as well, but because I asked for a egg-less paratha, they skipped it. Nevertheless, it turned out to be yum and filled my tummy.

Overall, a decent joint which serves some good rolls and parathas. The rolls are a little overpriced, especially since they don’t really fill your tummy, but the Shahi Paratha was total value for money. Definitely worth a try if you’re in this part of the town, but only if you are willing to ignore the calories.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: N/A
Meal for 1: Rs. 80/- for the Roll; Rs. 90 for the Paratha

Verdict: 8/10

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Movie Review

hunger-games-3-mockingjay

The first movie of the franchise The Hunger Games set the context, and the second movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire doubled the expectations thanks to some amazing action sequences and great performances from it’s leads. Come the third movie, the expectations were high, but unfortunately, while the acting still stands out, the movie doesn’t!

Scripted by Danny Strong and Peter Craig, and directed by Francis Lawrence, the problem with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is it’s snail paced narration. Right from the word go, almost all the scenes seemed a drag and some of them were in fact repetitive. There’s enough emotion, with Jennifer Lawrence putting up a great act, but there nothing on the action front to substantiate the expectations of a Hunger Games movie. The slow screenplay plays a big time spoil sport.

Music by James Newton Howard is decent, with pretty good sound mixing and design. Cinematography by Jo Willems is alright while editing by Mark Yoshikawa could have been better. It probably would have been best if the producers didn’t break the third book of the instalment into two parts.

Is it worth your time and money??: Compared to the first two films of the series, this one is more or less a bore. But that doesn’t mean you can skip it, especially if you’re following the series. So unless you happen to be a fan, wait for the DVD.

Worth mention: Jennifer Lawrence is close to brilliant on acting front.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 7/10

Happy Ending | Movie Review

Happy_Ending

The trailer looked similar to Saif’s own movies from his production house, especially Love Aaj Kal. And unsurprisingly, the movie is more or less similar. But…

Raj and DK are directors who’ve made different films till date. Be it 99, Shor in the City or Go Goa Gone, their movies have been really ‘hatke’. But come Happy Ending, they’ve played safe. While the movie is quite different from the regular RomCom’s, it’s still cliched and very predictable. Yodi, our protagonist is a once upon a time successful author who can’t commit into relationships. And as expected, he bumps into Aanchal, who doesn’t believe in commitment either. And guess what, he falls head over heals for her and is in love. How new is that? The directors try their best to make it appear fresh, but unfortunately you’ve seen it all in the past. Nevertheless, they’ve done a great job in creating simple humour, thanks to some amazing and realistic dialogues (Hussain Dalal). This adds the charm to the movie, and you might end up connecting yourself with the characters. The screenplay is neat while the direction is alright.

It’s Saif’s film all the way. He does a good job on acting front (for he’s already played similar character). However he looks aged for most of the film while Govinda, who charms in his brief appearance as a Bollywood actor, actually looked better and younger than him. Ileana looked really pretty and did a good job. She’s come a long way since her debut film Devdas (Telugu). Kalki is perfect as the naggy girlfriend while it was nice to watch Preity play a mature role.

Music by Sachin-Jigar is really good. I loved three songs, and can’t stop humming “Hilke naacho naacho“. The background score was decent. Editing by Arindam Ghatak is alright. I don’t think I’ve come across a Bollywood film using three cinematographers thus far; Chase Bowman, Yaron Levy and Mahesh Limaye all did a good job.

Is it worth your time and money??: While it’s all very predictable, I’d still say yes for the movie never bores you and I love the message put across. Apart from dialogues, acting is neat, cinematography is perfect and I enjoyed the music. With a runtime of less than 150 minutes, I feel it’s a nice way to spend your weekend. However, if you’re expecting something new, give this one a skip.

Worth mention: The title. While it remind us of a special kind of massage, I loved the way it was conveyed in the movie; you create your own Happy Ending 🙂

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 8/10

John Wick | Movie Review

John Wick

Keanu Reeves is an actor with great talent. Be it Speed or The Matrix, he’s had this ability to emote with the straightest face possible. And his performance in John Wick is no different.

Directed by debutant Chad Stahelski, John Wick is a simple revenge action thriller. In all honesty, the storyline is plain vanilla. But Chad does a great job thanks to some amazing screenplay. The sleek shots are fun to watch on-screen, and though the movie is very predictable, it keeps you engrossed till the end.

Keanu is great in the title role, and totally lives up to the expectations created in the first few minutes of the movie. Michael Nyqvist is perfect as the antagonist who knows he’s gonna lose everything fighting John Wick. Willem Dafoe and others are alright.

Music and background score by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard is pretty neat. The sound effects were really good. Editing by Elísabet Ronalds and cinematography by Jonathan Sela are both effective.

Is it worth your time and money??: John Wick is a sleek and stylish thriller with some good acting and crisp screenplay. If you like action films, then this one is a must watch.

Worth mention: The build up to John Wick’s character, simply superb!

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 8/10

Big Hero 6 | Movie Review

big-hero-6

You’ve watched superheroes save the day in The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. While Big Hero 6 comes from the same studio which gave us these blockbusters (Marvel), it’s very different from them. While the former two build on action, Big Hero 6 is a cute little movie with its heart at the right place.

Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely! It’s probably the cutest movie you’ll watch this year. It’s perfect not just for the kids, but families can enjoy it too. Don’t miss it 🙂

Worth mention: The animation and the bonding between Baymax and Hiro. Baymax is the cutest robot ever!

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 9/10

Interstellar | Movie Review

interstellar-poster

Christopher Nolan you beauty! Where do you get your ideas from, seriously? While everyone else is stuck making movies on Earth, Moon or about Aliens, this guy actually has the audacity to picture interstellar travel. Man, take a bow!

If Inception was beyond your reach, wait till you watch this one. In the distant future, where Earth is almost dead, our protagonist leads a mission to find a habitable planet beyond the Solar System while leaving his young kids behind. Whether he is able to save his family and the human race from extinction is the million dollar question. Scripted and directed by Nolan, the movie is pretty complicated for there’s science and fiction amalgamated together. It starts of terribly slow and it’s not until the first landing that it gets interesting. Nevertheless, Nolan succeeds in setting up a larger than life epic with some intense drama. Direction is absolutely spot on and screenplay is perfect, if only he had a stronger script. The run time could have been trimmed, but again, you’re talking about 100 years in less than 3 hours. From Memento to Interstellar, Christopher Nolan has come a long way, challenging himself with every film and setting the bar higher. What next?

If you thought this movie is all about Nolan, you’re mistaken. Matthew McConaughey is exceptional in the lead role and carries the entire movie on his shoulders. His performance in the scene where he watches his kids messages is outstanding. Anne Hathaway is decent. Jessica Chastain is pretty good, and so is Matt Damon in his brief appearance.

Music by Hans Zimmer is excellent. His score in the scene where the spaceship docks with Endurance is remarkable. Editing by Lee Smith is neat. However, few of the initial scenes could have been trimmed. Cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema is again, beyond praise. The IMAX visuals were magnificent (and I wouldn’t mind watching movie again just for the visuals). Technically, the movie is a treat!

Is it worth your time and money??: Interstellar is not your regular weekend stress-buster movie. It’s one which makes you rattle your brain to make sense (and it still might not). While not a perfect movie on script front, its sheer magnificence makes it a must watch for any movie lover. Add to that some great acting and music, and you have a winner.

Do stay away if you don’t like intense movies which require a lot of thinking and understanding!

Worth mention: Sheer grandeur of the movie. The IMAX scenes were out-of-the-world good!

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 9/10

Fury | Movie Review

Fury-2014-Movie-Poster

Is it worth your time and money??: While it’s not a brilliant war film, Fury is a decent entertainer. Plus points are exceptional acting, especially by Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman, and spectacular cinematography. On the downside, the movie is too long and the screenplay could have been better. Give it a shot if you have nothing else to do!

Worth mention: Great visuals.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

Gone Girl | Movie Review

gone girl

David Fincher has been known to make different kinda movies. Ben Affleck is an actor you can’t get enough of. Them working on an adaptation of a best-selling novel results in one the weirdest movies I’ve ever watched.

The movie starts off as a mystery; a man is in search of his wife who disappeared from their house. It soon turns into a drama about marital issues. Then it turns into a thriller where you’re expecting something unexpected to happen the very next moment. And then, it end so weirdly that you’re left in awe, with mouth wide open, literally. I haven’t read Gillian Flynn’s novel, but boy, that was one hell of a story. David Fincher does a great job of putting it on-screen with just about perfect direction. Add to that some excellent screenplay by Flynn, and the movie is perfect to watch.

Ben Affleck is great as the carefree husband. He has put on a lot of weight for the role and it felt as if the character was written for him; he was that good. Rosamund Pike is absolutely brilliant as his wife, and is actually better than Affleck. Neil Patrick Harris appears briefly as an obsessed boyfriend and is good. Carrie Coon is decent while Kim Dickens comes up with a good act.

Music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is haunting yet very subtle. Editing by Kirk Baxter is perfect, and cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth is good. Again, no qualms on technical front.

Is it worth your time and money??: Gone Girl is a weird good film. The problem here isn’t with the acting, direction or screenplay, it’s with the ending for you either like it or you don’t. Of the 150 odd minutes, you’re at the edge of your seat for almost 125. What happens in the next 15-20 minutes is a gamble you ought to take. It all depends on how you handle it. 😀

Worth mention: The weird ending!

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 8.5/10