The Iceman ( 2012 ) - " Warm as blood but as cold as the murders get...."
This movie is based on the true story of Richard Kuklinski, One of notorious and cold blooded contract killer who happen to kill more then 200 victims in a horrific way , all cold blooded murder. Being playing a good husband and a caring father of his two daughters but on the darker side he is a professional contract killer which none new. He always managed to keep his bloody business separate from his family and he made sure none reach his family in place of revenging him. Story is straight forward as he served big bosses during his time but later he been arrested after a Police Spy got close to him & gained evidence of his works which resulted in arrest 2ith two life sentences. He died at 2006 in jail under custody due to natural causes which was believed so.
As far as the movie , this is one hell of a kick-ass film none had to miss...this is in lines of other gangsta flicks like Lawless , Kill the irish man but the way Michael Shannon acted as Richard Kuklinski was damn cool and at same time spine chilling. They way he mingles and cares to this family but at same time how dangerous he can be is beautifully shown , stunning performance i must say. Very gripping story line , may be except the last 15 min was kind of slow and a very normal ending. But i would strongly recommend to go through below documentaries to understand more about him and how naturally he is born as a killer..he still doesnt repent for his killing and he doesn't even feel sorry for the people he murdered. if you look at the documentary..you will understand it why i say that..This is definitely not a movie to be missed..!!
Documentaries
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1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vn7Hz2PK7s ( Serial Killer / Hitman - Richard Kuklinski (The Iceman) - Documentary )
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psoq8qYvx18 ( The Iceman Tapes - Inside The Mind Of A Mafia Hitman )
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DAHM75MKfk ( The Iceman Tapes - Conversations with a Killer (part 1) )
Kafka ( 1991 ) :-
One of finest Crime Mystery Thriller i seen and a perfect Noir film captured in a black & White format. Story is about Kafka ( Jeremy Irons ) who is a insurance worker and a pastime novelist finds about a secret society after his close friend also coworker mysterious death.He starts to notice events in his city one after the other and how well they are organized and controlled from a Dark society running from a nearby castle. This includes humans been turned to Frankenstein type monsters who can just kill anyone in command and more darker medical experiments happening in the castle. Police also somehow join hands with the biggest bosses and somehow kafka gets in their line and it becomes a life and death choice for him. So he gets himself out of that situation and how he intrudes inside the society n castle and what he would do to stop this inhumanly torture in name of medical experiments falls rest of the story.
Movie is really stunning and very astonishing screenplay but yaa though felt a bit slow at middle. But nevertheless this is one engaging and gripping thriller movie set in those days and it gives you that superb feel of Watching a black and white film with a very beautiful backdrop supported by a mesmerizing BGM. Highly recommended for Noir film fans and thriller movie freaks. This would even remind us of Kollywood flick Nalaya Manidhan at some places. It sure is one of best movies out there to be watched . Dont miss it.
Under the Tuscan Sun ( 2003 ) :-
A Perfect adventure cum travel movie with so much things feel good elements everywhere. Such a soothing and blissful movie it is and sure you can just sit through this movie sipping a lemonade with a feel under Tuscan Sun. Story is about a Writer Frances ( Diane Lane ) who afer her divorce decides to travel Tuscan Italy in a attempt to recover from her remorse. So as per her friend Patti suggestion , she travels in a group to Tuscan from US but what she never would have expected that she end up buying a villa in Tuscan in a impulse and how she would cope up in a place which is so different then her life back in home. Later the way she manages to repair the house with a group of contractors and how she bonds with all of them along with a caring facilitator where there is a Huge language barrier to mingle with. Her longing for love , her search for romantic virtues and to seek for a partner to live up in that lush green beautiful house and how she ends up managing to get that all while going through so much emotions and hurts is what this beautiful story gets you.
Diane Lane steals the show with her presence and she brings so much energy to the movie and for sure i lover her onscreen performance with so much natural acting throughout. The time when she cries for being lonely or when she jumps in joy after making love with one of a guy there near Tuscan or when she cook lunch for every contractor working at her home is so beautiful and realistic. This is not te best of romance movie but i would rather say its a very pleasant movie , a normal journey through virtually stunning place , a relaxed meditative state while watching the scenic beauty of Tuscan with a soothing melancholic rich BGM is what this movie gets to you. Its a mixture of all emotions and this doesn't just fit into one genre. Its just the same kind of movie in bollywood "Zindagi naa milege dhoobara " but this has its moments to take. The house she lives is soo green and fresh , the breeze through her windows will reach you and make you feel as if you are there out with her. The garden , the lush green backyard , her old bed and her new Pet cat everything just adds up to it. For me this is sure a wonderful movie not to be missed..but this is not a movie which you can just decide to watch.Make sure you are free and that you are not in a hurry ,ask yourself you have it in you to go through the movie patiently and then proceed , sure you would love this movie to the core.Enjoy watching and feel it in you the breeze of love n nature...!!!
The Good Son ( 1993 ) :-
One of top best psychological thriller i seen so far, with such a fascinating and gripping screenplay. Movies prominent characters are two well known celebrities Home alone fame Macaulay Culkin as Henry and Lord of rings fame Elijah Wood as mark. The way director Joseph Ruben Slowly induces the thrill to the movie is just amazing and sure brilliantly done. First 15 minutes of the movie makes you feel that this is going to be one hell of best poetic movie for being the best BGM and visuals together , but how it slowly transforms itself to a much deeper side is damn shivering and spine chilling. No wonder the plot is Dark, thrilling and mysterious
Story in simple words , Following mark's mother demise his father takes him to his uncles place for the reason being he has to go to a unavoidable business trip . Mark befriends his cousins there Henry & his sister Connie and at same time mark becomes close to Henry's mother Susan. Things go fine with mark & henry but his violent behavior slowly start to fall up and mark starts to notice the evil side of him. Being too possessive Things gets heated up when henry cant take anymore of it seeing his mother caring a motherless child Mark so much and this provokes more evil in him. This even escalates to a level where hency try to kill her own sister too just because she is close to Mark and added to that Mark believes that henry was the one who killed his own younger brother a year back. As things fall apart now , Mark slowly notices the change and takes step to notify his dad , his aunt Susan and everyone. Would everyone believe his words , would things be normal again and will henry recover himself falls the rest of the story and i would say a surprising part of the story.Suspense element of the movie was sure maintained till the end without any clues anywhere.
There is so much this movie delivers and its just awesome all the way through. Macaulay Culkin acting was brillant and at same time Elijah Wood performance was too good , charismatic and enjoyable. Every scene is so thrilling and how brilliantly henry would lie to his parents having henry tangled in those lies was really scary. Everyone believe that the god resides on children's heart but seeing this movie , you may tend to think twice , for it would sure have such a after affect on us. The last scene when Susan had to decide which child she had to save was just touching. This is sure a fast moving highly charged thriller you wouldn't wanna miss ever...!! I would definitely suggest everyone to watch it without a miss .
Thalaivaa - " A Complete rip off but a failed experiment "
Sure every possible way it has its clear shades from many movies and a incomplete product from a inexperienced director. Sad that i couldn't help myself from comparing the scenes with so many movies as it just flashes infront even without any control. If RGV watching this movie would be one disappointed soul just like us. Stealing a movie can be forgivable , but stealing so many clips from many different movies and making it one huge length shabby film is just crap. Okay lets get into detail.... Lets look at the pros\cons of this film...!!
Cons:-
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1) Watched this movie in Dolby Atmos DTS theater as it was one certified and enlisted film in Atmos official home page , but yet no where in the movie we could feel the effect of surround sound and it proves there is no importance given to it at all....!!
Reference : http://www.dolby.com/in/en/consumer/content/movie/release/dolby-atmos-movies.html
2) Biggest disappointment which i felt is GV Prakash Background score...!! There was a wonderful BGM in thalaiva ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSTo_Fd38ao ) but this was only used at second half...but there was a crapy version used at first 2 hours and it was sickening....!! One of thuppakki movie mantra for its success was its BGM , but here total let down.
3) Opening Tamil pasanga Choreo was good...but not tooo good for a competition win. It was slow and it was not pacey as we used to see vijay in all other films. But may be a reason that the song itself is a slower version but it could have been more peppy more for being it a intro song...!! Still its not too bad nor too good...but what i say is , it could have been better..!!
4) Hardly there were any crowd in the theater , may be reason it was friday or may be pirated CD's came out and destroyed it but still its just a week and i expected some more crowd not just 10 members in a 300 Seater theater. It was disappointing.
5) Amala Paul was good at first intro but she just fades off and she becomes too unbearable to watch . May be she opted no makeup , but it was a biggest nightmare for the viewers...But
6) I feel first half is totally unnecessary and it was just to show other side of vijay as a rude boy and a owner of mineral water company. But the question is isit really worth showing the australian life such extended length and making the flow of movie so disgusting...Sam Anderson inclusion was really not necessary...may be we can laugh a little but common..where is the movie going? . Santhanam one liners were okay but felt too much to take. I felt the first half could have been easily consolidated to just 15 minutes to show life of vijay in australia and how he gets introduced to amala and his dad.
7) Just because of the first half unworthy extension , the total length of the movie been dragged to 3 hrs and it was too much to take and impacting the film directly. Thanks to censor board for cutting down some more ( if they where ) ...helped it not to be a 4 hour drama. It spoiled the screenplay of the film and it directly impacted the phase at which the movie was running on.
8) Opening Scene when the actor was murdered or when vijay hides himself near boats in slum at second half or when his uncle Ponvannan requests Abhimanyu Singh to kill vijay quickly reminds me of silver mani in sarkar or it just some of it i listed but there are lot more to note and not just sarkar. almost many hollywood flicks came into my mind seeing those scenes copied so bluntly. May be we can say that yes we might have that nostalgic effect as if seen the same scene somewhere...but common..at-least we know it clearly the difference between copying or having a nostalgic effect. Its totally a spoiled rip off.
9) Not more importance or Depth to characterization was given and i felt more importance should have been given to satyaraj but it was missed. People call him as Anna reminds me of Real life varadha bhai whose life was made as film already in name Nayagan. So this was just a another version of it..fighting for tamilians in Mumbai.
10) Repeated dialogues throughout the movie sure irritates the viewers so much...!! " Oru thadava nammo kaiku kathi vandhudichu naa..onnu adhu kakkum , illa alikum.. " Nice one but anything beyond limit becomes poison so does this dialogues. For a such a star value movie , we really expect a expert quality in movies and the making made me really felt as work of a fresher.
11) So many logic misses , So many unwanted scenes makes us feel so illogical. But yes such kind of masala movies can expect these logic skips but not beyond a accepted limit. Editing at many places were just cut down and the continuity of the scenes were disturbed example when amala paul proposes to vijay while he drops her at home. There are many more scenes as well...!! not sure if it was because of censor board cuts or it was really a poor output from editing department..
12) Dialogues in movies , songs or the scenes many indirectly shows Vijays motive or a propaganda to get into politics..yes movie could have been related to politics but the kind of movie sarkar..do we feel abhisek getting into politics which watching it ? No ..definitely not..because it was a pure gangsta flick but here , movie media was utilized for his own needs..!! may be i am wrong the way i feel but it just not happening..as most of movie dialogues proves that off now and then..cant help myself out of it.
13) Script doesn't really give that complete satisfaction to us as we feel the rush in screenplay still being a lengthy film . I really felt the second half could have been extended better cutting down first. Abhimanyu as a villan doesn't make sense for his nonsense onscreen performance. Feels shit when he meditates chanting the mantra of his enemy name. He really didn't justify his role on this movie
14) Stunts were not too good and it was not go memorable to watch. Just some normal fight sequence and it doesn't give that extra punch at all.. It def could have been more better
15) Climax was too bad , the same old orthodox formula of fight inside a old fort and the climax police cleanup...common we been seeing this from 80's..what is something new..If it was copied..better do the work properly..why not get these rip offs from better movies . i would really suggest AL vijay to watch QT movies at-least can help in his future films.
Pros :-
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1) Stunning camera work and mind blowing picturization. It was really scenic and a pleasant feel to watch. Hats off to cinematographer and art director.
2) Excellent acting by Vijay throughout the movie and his body language , onscreen performance was stunning. His transformation was damn good. No punch dialogues , unwanted showoff and he was really cool with his acting. I loved it most his performance
3) The other supporting actors as Vijays bodyguards were all stunning and they really fit their roles well giving that perfect feel of watching a gansta political flick.
4) I should admit that there were so many scenes which gave goosebumps and sure this movie had it all.
5) Ragini Nandwani addition was one good relief for the fans..she was so beautiful and mesmerizing , wish she replaced amala paul but gets to a sad ending..!! But still she trenches our thirst.
6) Second half was the best part of the movie , though there are some places wades you off..but still it is not too bad too...
Final Verdict : -
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A Controversial Flick with so much rip offs here and there ending up in a shabby end product. But if you are a thalapathi fan, this sure would be a threat to watch him ( ** not the story ) . I liked this movie for thalapathi's mind blowing acting and i am so happy that he really improved from thuppakki..No wonder i will be waiting for his upcoming flicks for he is totally changed and he is in new looks with a different body language. But as for as this movie for a normal audience , yes can be watched once as its not too bad tO skip. Just like any other masala entertainer and nothing more....!! One thing i expect from big star like this is to choose the directors wisely. " Throw stone at mud , it would only end up spoiling you ". 3 hours to spend in a AC theater for your money..i believe its okay. A Powerful script or a plot but didnot come in a expected way...!! This could have been easily a best movie in recent times if in hands of a good experienced director.
My rating : 2.5/5
Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu 555 ( 2013 )
Never expected such a movie from Bharath after so many consecutive flops recently. Really the time just flew while watching and screenplay was perfect. Movie kick-starts with a car accident and from then on it just movies on in express lane so engaging and very entertaining.The script of this movie is more or less like Hollywood move "Game" or kollywoods Samar but just little concept not the whole story though this movie is way better then the previous ones. Bharaths search of lost love , how he gets into a mouse trap playing a hide n seek game unknowingly and how he finally finds love of his life is the story. What matters is the performance of bharath in this movie , really bharath has improvised a lot in acting and it was really stunning n surprising , no wonder Director Sasi brought the best out of him. As said there is no such thing called bad actors but its in the hands of director to bring out the best from the actors or the cast in the movie and in this way i am sure Sasi has done his best. Not forget to mention bharaths extensive hard work to tone up his body and to gain six packs for this films , he sure looks charming and apt in this movie. The best is the suspense & thrill factor always there maintained throughout and there was no way we could have guessed the next scene as it was always surprising as we would never know which character would turn to a antagonist. Really it a win-win for the director for its not easy to maintain the suspense element till the end that too keeping the audience guessing without losing the grip. Hats off for the amazing script. Body language of bharath was good and his dance moves came up really well.There is a song kadhal indha kaadhal with a fine dance moves from bharath but the choreo was copied from Taeyang Where you at album ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnUEC_z-ops ) . Except the first opening song Rowdy girls , rest all tracks were good listenable and the placement of songs in movie was not awkward rather was more suited for the film. BGM was fine too but not thee best. This movie has a surprising new negative role though he comes late at end of the movie , his style quotient was appreciated and gives himself a cool don look. As like others this movie also not immune for mistakes , There are few flaws in the movie like when the villan is so much in love with the heroin , he doesn't need to really arrest her like that tied up in a dark shabby room when she is already in a agreement with him for Bharaths treatment & surgery or we never know what that 555 Gold chain means, i guess it was just a random number picked by the director. But this never takes a toll on the movie as its more engaging to make us forget this small flaws at many places. In my opinion this is sure a above average film...very nice ...except last 5-10 min fight sequence felt there was a kind of rush in the screenplay and it was like a six pack showcase..except that on whole as a package this is sure a engaging thriller movie not to be missed. Can be sure watched once in theater and my rating would be 3.5 /5.
Movie tracks
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http://youtu.be/IZuhcg4WpX4 ( Vizhiyile Vizhiyile )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-cT0-sPJho&feature=player_embedded ( Kaadhal Indha Kaadhal )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODDTAYU8lMI&feature=player_embedded ( Saregama )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ngLkSaI9k ( Mudhal Mazhai Kaalam )
The Stoning of Soraya M ( 2008 ) :-
One of most impacting & disturbing movie i have seen in recent times. Such a powerful script based on true incidents occurred in Iran which got a innocent women to face tragic ending. Just because her husband doesn't want to continue live with her and at same time doesn't want to settle amount for her to apply divorce , with his influence he plots a fox game and with his few friends in the village at power. They all prove her by passing gossips in village and arranging a fake witness to prove that she have betrayed her husband committing adultery with one of recently widowed men in the same village hence as a capital punishment in that region , they decide to kill her by stoning. A french-Arabic journalist travels via that village , gets to halt when his car breaks down and somehow ends up to meet Zahara who is a relative of Soraya and slowly gets to know all the incidents happened a day before which led to a killing of a innocent women. Freidoune Sahebjam ( journalist ) later gets out of that place under a narrow escape from the villagers along with the recorded tapes of Zara's statements and publishes book on this incident "La Femme Lapidée" which shook the whole world upside down . bringing the dark side of these region to light. This was the incident which brought the brutality of capital punishment to the outside world.
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| Soraya |
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| First Stone Thrown by her Husband |
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| The only Real Pic available of Soraya |
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| Soraya Prepared for Stoning |
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| Journalist and Zara Meet |
The Conjuring ( 2013 ) - " Three stages of demonic activity Infestation , Oppression and Possession .. "
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| Ed and Lorraine Warren |
