VERE VAZHI ILLE MOVIE REVIEW

Not sure for you guys, but when it comes to Malaysian films, the only time it will ever play on my television is when someone gets a DVD from shop outlets during Thaipusam or when it airs on cable TV or in our local channels. We often hear people urging us to support our local industry but will our local films ever live up to the demand of the audience or the standard of film-making the industry has today?

I'm not against Malaysia's Tamil films but sometimes we need to accept the harsh truth and reality behind it. In these past few years we've seen so much improvement from our industry. Films such as 'Appalam', 'Vennira Iravuggal' and 'Maindhan' has seen huge success and garnered positive response all over the country and not to mention CK's 'Maindhan' taking the box office by a storm last year. Do these movies really live up to our expectations and standards when we look back to it today? Partly yes and partly no. The major factor that brought 'Maindhan' success in the box office was due to the negative response of Surya's Anjaan, which somewhat released around the same time. A perfect timing of release, heavy promotion and positive word of mouth worked off for the film that right now sits as the highest grossing Malaysian Tamil film of all time and rightly deserved as well.

It was only after 'Maindhan' that I started to give a thought of watching a local film in a cinema and today we have the team who brought us 'Vetti Pasanga' and 'Vilaiyattu Pasanga' with their new venture, 'Vere Vazhi Ille'.


[ SPOILER ALERT ]

Running for only 1 hour 20 minutes, I thought I was in for a horror-comedy ride with a racy screenplay but I came out of the hall disappointed, wanting the film to end as soon as possible.

Let's get to the good parts first. Performances by Denes Kumar, Magen and Alvin Martin were highlights of the film as they brought the film up with their comedic timings and dialogue deliveries. Most of the comedy scenes had the whole theater giggle ( which only consisted of 10 of us or so ) and made me wanting more of it! Jasmin Michael although looked like she's starting to age was a wonderful sight to the eye and her chemistry with Denes on screen was a joy to watch. Not forgetting the man behind our ears, Daddy Shaq for producing background music that somewhat gave the film the pace and tension it needed. Kudos to the animation team who created the intro flashback scenes as they were neatly done. The first 30 minutes or so had me hooked on to my seat but things fell apart the moment the whole gang got together in the complex building to solve the horror-crisis they're about to face.

The scariest moment I had with the film was by looking at the poster and that's all. The so-called horror element in the film was a major letdown. Instead of making us jump, the film made us close our ears as the film gets too noisy to handle. Screenplay starts to loosen with time and the plot gets too predictable nearing the film's end setting up for a climax that barely engages. The other technical aspects of the film was above average at times. Had the director took time to handle the script a little better in the second half and cover up some loopholes in the film, it would have fared to become a decent film altogether.

With Papanasam released and Bahubali and Maari coming up ahead, the competition for Veedu Production's release will only get tough with the weeks to come. Could the good word-of-mouth give this film the success it needs? We just need to wait and see. Anyways, wishing the team a great success and hope you guys keep it coming. Give us what we want and we will do the rest!!!


Conclusion : All is not lost for 'Vere Vazhi Ille' as you will leave the hall with a smile recalling those funny moments from the film. Go for it with your friends for a jolly-good time.

Ratings: 5 out of 10

PAPANASAM MOVIE REVIEW

[ SPOILER FREE ]

It's barely two months since the release of Kamal's Uttama Villain and yet we have another chance of catching him on screen again. Away with make-ups and costumes, Kamal sir has returned by being truly himself in Papanasam.

Knowing it's a remake of a Malayalam film and the status that the original film got for itself, I went in for Papanasam with pretty high hopes and expectations. The million dollar question is, was it worth it?

Papanasam, a family-centered drama and thriller indeed has more positives to balance it's minor flaws. Scenes around the village, the slang used, small comedic scene that tickles the inner you, powerful yet consistent dialogue deliveries and the emotions played by every single character in the film deserves a praise. There's no need to review Kamal's award-winning performance. He needs to get a new shelve to keep the awards that he's about to collect for both Uttama Villain and Papanasam. Ghibran's music needs to be brought out in the light too as he knows how to grip audiences with his background music.

The only thing that pulls down this masterpiece is the length of the film. A few scenes came up as repeats and sometimes certain scenes were shown at length to showcase the situation. Yes it does build up suspense but there's always a limit as the audience would want to see the very next scene already. Just a little issue to deal with nonetheless the direction by Jeethu Joseph backed up by good camerawork and neat editing keeps audience engaged throughout the film.

Go for the film at least once to experience a quality drama thriller the Tamil cinema has not seen for some time. Without gimmicks, unwanted songs, group dances or physic defying scenes, Papanasam will definitely delight and hook you on your seats.

Conclusion: Get ready to feel a fresh breath of air on screen and grip on for the ride!

JIGARTHANDA MOVIE REVIEW

It's been almost a year since I did my reviews and Mr Karthik Subbaraj, you've made me to write this up because your Jigarthanda was freakin delicious!

Whistle and clap points :

• Cast that fitted their roles perfectly
• Flawless performance from Simha, Karuna and Siddharth
• Background music from S.Narayanan was magical
• First-class editing, cinematography and camera work and probably one of the best in Tamil industry till date
• Vijay Sethupathi's cameo appearance was well done
• Storyline that grips you for an almost three hour film. The heart-stopping intermission block and a couple of twist and turns henceforth made the film special and worthwhile.

The so-so points :

• Lakshmi Menon did justice to her role and despite the three hour runtime, she had just a limited screen time but my god she did made an impact during emotional scenes.

 Mokke points:

• None

While the first half of the film gives enough thrills, the second will just simply turn you around from what you expected it to be. The hardwork thrown into it is clearly seen and my sincere wishes that the film will be a super-hit!

Conclusion : Fresh, gripping and refreshing. Jigarthanda sets up the benchmark in Tamil cinema. Mass and class served well!