Srini's musings...

*Spoiler Alert*  An extra long goodbye for Daniel Craig as 007.  Craig's time as Bond comes to an end in a manner that's most befitting of his era as Bond. Perhaps more now than ever before, No Time To Die firmly shifts Bond movies away from the "saviour of the world" action thriller genre to "an episode in the life of a spy" dramatic entertainer territory...  Don't get me wrong. All of the global spy thriller staples are here - an impending universal peril brought about by an eccentric antagonist, visually stunning chases through picturesque locales, multiple mini action set-peices leading to a crescendo in some god-forsaken building / island / industrial plant... all of that is present but none of it matters. Really, this movie is made, and seen through the eyes of James Bond, and James Bond only.  And I honestly could not think of a bigger waste of Talent in recent times than Rami Malek's role in NTTD.  With the culmination of this tectonic shift ...

Baama Vijayam – Omni-relevant classic and crowning glory in KB ’ s illustrious body of work K. Balachander is a beacon of Tamil Cinema. His movies were set pieces of drama that transcended time and place. He had such a profound impact in the way Tamil movies were made. He did not merely change the film industry, his films created ripples of change in broader society as well. KB was a social revolutionary on his own.  It is fair to say that Tamil Cinema can be grouped into two distinct time periods, B.KB and A.KB, before K. Balachander and after K. Balachander. Such was his impact. Film connoisseurs often say that one of cinema ’ s biggest allure is that cinema is a world onto itself, far detached from the reality that exists outside the movie sets. Make-believe, entertainment for entertainment ’ s sake, larger-than-life, so on and so forth.  In quintessential KB style, his movies broke this imaginary barrier between the reel world and the real world, and provide...

Ponmagal Vandhal could prove to be a watershed moment for Tamil Cinema. Widely spoken about ahead of it's release for being the first big name mainstream Tamil movie to release directly on OTT, a lot is riding on this movie but only time will tell how the tide will flow on this. Made with an ensemble cast, including the screenplay specialists trio of Bhagyaraj, Parthiban and Pandiyarajan, brilliant character artists like Thiyagarajan and Subbu Panchu (special mention for his voice, so evocative. Anyone who has watched Sivaji will know how powerful Subbu Panchu's voice is), the movie gets off to an interesting start. It is 2004, Ooty. A sensational double murder, followed by public outcry, swift police action and arrest, ending with an encounter of the criminal on the grounds of self defence wraps the opening act. Cut to 2020, and a PIL petition populist (Bhagyaraj) and his daughter (Jyothika) successfully appeal to Madras High Court for a retrial of this case. Is Bhagyaraj seek...

Every now and then, a movie comes along that offers a paradigm shift on the core premise of a genre. Think what Pizza did to the horror genre  (it is a cleverly crafted horror movie without any actual horror sequences in it); what Madras did to the north madras narrative (Ranjith transformed Madras to an awe-inspiring mileue that was far removed from the cliche of slum-dwellers-galore and social-outcasts-everywhere north madras that Tamil movies portrayed for years at end). Well, Baby Driver is that kind of a movie. It is actually a one of it's kind movie. Baby Driver is perhaps the best Hollywood movie of the year. I have not watched a whole lot of Hollywood movies this year, so I cant be objective. But it is surely the best Hollywood movie that I have watched this year. So, what's special about Baby Driver? Two words - The soundtrack. Or should I say soundtracks, coz the movie uses so many, painstakingly hand-picked tunes to fit into the narrative. The gist of Baby Driv...

Kodi  - flying high in a brisk breeze!!  Kudos to Durai Senthilkumar for taking a controversial subject like politics and delivering a non-controversial and engaging mass entertainer. Dhanush has done reasonably well and thankfully this movie is less of a hyperbolic hero worship saga than his earlier flicks like Maari. Emergence of leading ladies driven plots in mainstream movies continues with Trisha essaying what is surely the meatiest role in her career. She has given it a good go, tho her struggle to emote strongly is apparent in some key scenes, including the most pivotal sequence in the second half. Saranya has a slightly engaging role than her typical walk-in-sleep mother roles, but not so much that you would distinctly remember this role from her other roles. Cinematography and music are par for the course and nothing outstanding comes to mind from either discipline. CGI of Dhanush twins interacting is pretty clean. On the whole, Kodi may not be a ...

Jeetu Joseph's super-hit 2013 malayalam flick Dhrishyam completed its south indian sojourn with its Tamil remake "Papanasam" starring Kamal Hassan releasing on 3rd Jul 2015 (the movie has already enjoyed successful remakes in Telugu and Kannada). Helmed by Jeetu Joseph, Papanasam has an ensemble cast with Gautami, MS Bhaskar, Nivedha Thomas (you may remember her from Jilla & Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham), Kalabhavan Mani, Ilavarasan, Ananth Mahadevan & many others playing pivotal roles in this "family thriller". Kamal plays Swayambulingam, an avid cinema lover, who runs a cable TV network amongst other businesses. Swayambu is a self-made success, with a strong nellai accent & a even stronger penchant to irk Perumal (Kalabhavan Mani), a constable from the local police station who sees no wrong in fleecing the poor. Swayambu is also a caring father to his two daughters & a loving husband. Small, happy family, all four riding a two-wheeler aro...