Movie#42 Shudharil Shudhan (Malayalam- India)

A gem of a movie. I won't use exclamation like 'perfect' but a well done work. It does not star any of the prominent frontline actors but an actor who is evergreen in the comedy scene, mr Indrans.
I have seen this movie on display at the store many a times when I had gone there to rent others. Since it was not a major release (I guess) and did not star any major actors, I didn't bother. I don't think that the director or producer even bothered to market it properly. This time the choices were limited at the store and I had no option but to rent it out.
The story setting is the hill station and tea plantation in Idukki district of Kerala. Here the daily wage plantation workers are exploited by the land lords and estate owners. Low wages and long working hours had helped the growth of a major political movement (which is on the decline except in China and few pockets in India such as Bengal, Kerala and Tripura0 The workers are used to the advantage of the political leaders for their personal gains. Overtly they support the workers but covertly the agenda is different, in favour of the rich.
Indrans plays the role of one such worker who would die for the party and ideology he believes in. Little does he know that the ideology was dead and few like him were the slaughter lambs. His family consists of 3 children and a loving wife. Her prettiness is her curse as the local policeman, landlord's son and party members, all lust for her. His life turns upside down and he falls prey to the elaborate scheme of the policeman and how their life unfolds is the story.
The story has strong touch with the reality and gives insight into the hardship of plantation workers. How they are taken for a ride by both the aggressors and protectors. It is a must watch for all movie lovers
My personal rating is 3.5 out of 5…

Movie#41 How to Make Love to a Woman

A movie which ran its course without much fuss and substance, and redeemed itself in the final 10 minutes (excluding the credits…duh!). It stars not so well known actors (at-least to me), Andy Conners and Krysten Ritter. I remember seeing the actress in another movie since starting this blog, Movie#13 She's Out of my League. In that she plays supporting role to the lead actress.
The storyline is very simple. Guy and girl dating–  guy thinks he is making the girl happy in bed–  actually the reverse is happening–  guy and girl have got their respective friends who would give them 'valuable' insight into what was happening between them–  guy and girl almost split–  guy and girl realizes that they need to communicate better to each other than listening to 'stupid' friends–  Happy Ending (the last 10 minutes I mentioned earlier). The actress has an interesting feature of note in her–  it is her mouth. Compared to her small face and flawed make-up, it appears very very (XXL) wide, Gosh!.
I suggest this one for a relaxed evening. No emotional turmoils or heart breaks. Enjoy…My personal rating will be 2 out of 5…

Movie#40 Uncertainty

It took me 3 days to watch this one. I was having a busy time at work, hence couldn't get the chance to finish this off at one stretch. I had my apprehensions because the video store guy told me there would be a late charge and this one is a limited release. I didn't want to pay extra for a movie which had all chance of being a below par one. But surprise! surprise!
This movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins. The title is apt as it shows the path and progress of the choices we make. A common couple, these two meet on a bridge and decide where to go based on the toss of a coin. The story then divides into two pathways based on opted choice. The stories run side by side allowing us to feel the emotions involving on each. The director made it easier for the viewers to identify which storyline was based on what choice by marking each as yellow side and green side, which I found as very funny.
Limited release or not, this one is a good watch. I don't regret the extra money I had to pay. My personal rating is 3 out of 5…

Movie#39 Naan Mahan Alla (Tamil- India)

My 1^st  tamil movie review post here and my 1^st  tamil movie after a very long time. Thought I shall include tamil review too because my option for posting more would increase.
Frankly, I don't know who all acts in this because of the tamil aversion to english. The credit at the end is in tamil and I have no clue. I see that all the actors were new because these were not the regulars when I used to watch tamil years back.
A small fact about tamil movie to readers who have never watched it before. The basic fact one should know is that everything would be in excess, for example the hero would be the most romantic and best fighter in the world, the heroine would be the epitome of pureness, simplicity and innocence, the villain would be the most cruelest person alive on earth, the friendship would be 'unto death' type etc etc. Do you get the picture? I hope so…But if you want to watch pure fantasy with out of the world experience in all types of emotions, tamil is way better than hindi. The camera work, the special effects, the stunt scene, the song beats etc are all at par with world standard. And this movie is no different.
The 1^st  half is a drag for people who look for core story. It is all 'mushy mushy' love and time is wasted painting up the picture of the hero. Watching it I began to think whether Indian girls were so superficial. Here the hero is painted as a carefree guy who lives life as there was no tomorrow and the girl falls for him! Maybe I didn't get the picture about what women want…lol
The story telling turns in the 2^nd  half. From 'mushy mushy' love and warm family life, it turns to vengeance. Hero loses family member and he tracks down the killers, and extract revenge. Watch out for the last fight sequence. Really fantastic camera work and stunt co-ordination. Personally, the last sequence churned me up for a fight too. As usual, the female lead has no role at all in the movie. She don't play anything constructive at all except being an eye candy in posters. Felt so sorry for her.
My personal rating is 2.5 out of 5…

Movie#38 The Book of Eli

The world is in the aftermath of a major war and asteroid strike. Cities have been wiped out, with whoever left are fighting for scraps and bartering for survival. A valuable book has been lost to the world and it is needed to bring back civility. A lone man is in possession of the last copy and he is following his inner calling to head westward. With no clue of what is lying in wait for him at his final destination, he is guided by his faith. He befriends a girl from a town, he visits on his way. The town's self proclaimed lord knows about the power this book holds and want to take it from the traveler.
Shot in sepia frames, the movie stars Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis. It is something which would not appeal to the taste of everyone. My friend who watched this suggested to me to skip it but I went for it anyway. The setting is a dry landscape in which water is the most precious commodity. There are certain indigestible facts about the story. One of which is the distance covered DW and MK on foot in a day. The chasers need to travel a lot in their vehicles to catch up with them. I don't think one can travel such quickly in such a harsh environment. Else it is a satisfactorily taken film
My personal rating is 2.5 out of 5

Movie#37 Pramukhan (Malayalam- India)

What will I write about this one? As a cricket fan (not a fanatic fan), I am used to the captain of the team commenting about the team performance after every loss. He always goes 'We have to improve in all areas, such as batting, bowling and fielding'. People who don't know cricket should know that there was nothing else left other than these 3 areas. What the captain indirectly means is that the team had failed in all areas..period! Likewise this movie needs to improve in 'batting, bowling and fielding'…have you got the picture? Anyone who is interested in supporting amateurish work in the hope that this director, actors and others involved would one day make it big but needs a bit of support, could spend their hard earned money and valued time on this crap. Poor me…
The director is under the impression that if you have a fight sequence every 15 minutes which would last for 20 minutes and songs featuring a curvy woman showing almost all but just below the censor board threshold limit of getting an 'Adults Only' certificate, could save his movie and catapult him to fame. Either he is a schizophrenic or using up the producer's black money. Still I do think that they left out the fact that a movie production needs the help of a casting director. The hero would fit properly in the advertisement of a toothpaste. His smile is pathetic and he wasn't paid to get a haircut. The actress is nothing but a joke. She's totally wasted. In the song sequences which were shot in market place, at-least they could have selected a cleaner area. We can see rubbish strewn all around and the dancers prancing around and on them.
I don't want to continue more about this movie lest I shall turn abusive. Totally disappointed that I had indirectly supported such movies. Everyone please AVOID AVOID AVOID
My personal rating is less that 0.5. Since I give my rating in .5 steps and this is lower than my minimum rating, I shall give it 0 out of 5 ( Sorry for all the artists involved–  you need to improve your batting, bowling and fielding)

Movie#36 Prince of Persia- The Sands of Time

Got lucky. When I went to the video store, I was prepared to watch anything but this. Haven't had a clue that this DVD was among the returned ones. Didn't think twice about renting this.
The genre falls in the 'Clash of the Titans' category. An adventure movie based on the video game I used to play when I was young. Special effects are spectacular in its own right. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal (JG), Gemma Arterton (GA) and Ben Kingsley (BK), this movie is a visual treat. I have no postings as a gist of this movie because this has been made from a very famous video game.
I find that JK had been an odd choice for such an action adventure. Used to seeing him in low action thrillers such as 'The Zodiac' but not in this genre. Anyway he pulled it off very well. GA as usual, attracts more for her physicality than her acting. Compared to 'The Disappearance of Alice Creed', her acting skill wasn't fully exploited here. But satisfactory nevertheless. BK cannot be compared to anyone. He is in a class of his own.
The movie is pretty long but it manages to keep up the interest till the very end. As I wrote earlier, the special effects action sequences are at par with the current releases but there is nothing much to keep anything in memory for a few days. It is almost like tissue paper, Use and Throw.
My personal rating is 3.5 out of 5