Udhav Naig
The Hindu
Bridge of Spies
2015 · The Hindu · Oct 2015
This film hits all the right notes; in the last 20 minutes, I was already thinking about how many Oscars it would win. Bridge of Spies showcases, I dare say, an America that stood for superior moral values as opposed to the Iron Curtain that clothed much of Eastern Europe and Asia. It is set during the Cold War when a nuclear apocalypse was an impending threat and one mistake — political, diplomatic or even a technical snag in a submarine — could potentially trigger it.
Hitman: Agent 47
2015 · The Hindu · Sep 2015
The video game was such a hit because the lead character was many things — resourceful, impassive, stealthy and, to make matters interesting, a man with a fragile ego. In this film, he is turned into a Rambo of sorts, who shoots people on a busy street in broad daylight. The film, at best, can pass as an advertisement for automobile manufacturer, Audi.
The Transporter: Refueled
2015 · The Hindu · Sep 2015
While on the outside, it seems like a feminist story, the fact is that it is an extremely sexist film. The scenery of the film is filled with women who practically wear nothing but high heels. All this is, of course, done under the garb of showing 'the brutality of the sex trade'. They are constantly presented as eye candy and are in constant need of help from the protagonist and his father.
Fantastic Four
2015 · The Hindu · Aug 2015
The VFX is so ordinary for a 2015 film. The studio bosses should have gone with their gut and snuffed the film out early when it was reported that they were having problems with Josh Trank, the film's director. It is really a film that shouldn't have been made. And then, the film went ahead and replaced Jessica Alba with Kate Mara. As I said, there are just no positives.
Inside Out
2015 · The Hindu · Jun 2015
Perhaps, we must leave the science to psychologists and cognitive scientists, but Inside Out nevertheless succeeds in flagging the issue of mental health in a remarkable manner. As we walk out of the theatre, it is hard not to think of our minds as being controlled by tiny human beings. It may not make sense, but it is beautiful.
Jurassic World
2015 · The Hindu · Jun 2015
Jurassic Park, if you can overlook the simplistic philosophical blather, was at the least an effective cautionary tale against messing with nature for profit. Its sequel, The Lost World, could also be seen in that light. In this film, the basic idea of producing dinosaurs in the lab to create a theme park gets an approval. The problem, the narrative seems to suggest, lies in billionaires wanting to milk the nature 'too much'. It is about creating a Jurassic Park with a human face. This is definitely a change of philosophy.
O Kadhal Kanmani
2015 · The Hindu · Apr 2015
It is one of those films in which everything seems to have come together: music, acting, editing and the cinematography. The biggest take away from the film is that Mani Ratnam, a filmmaker who was compared to an ageing boxer, has regained his sting. That's good news.
Rajathandhiram
2015 · The Hindu · Mar 2015
Just when we thought Ajith Kumar's Mankatha had done away with the need to reform, the filmmakers are still obsessed (this was the case with Sadhurangavettai as well) with rehabilitating the film's 'bad' characters. Don't we have examples in this country where criminals walk away free? Other than that, Rajathandhiram is a film worth its time and the ticket price.
Anegan
2015 · The Hindu · Feb 2015
While the narrative makes love out to be a routine, it is also its strength. With most commercial films recycling the usual plot and its many tropes, full credit to K.V. Anand for striving to narrate a banal plot – full of déjà vu and clichés – in an enterprising manner.
Yaan
2014 · The Hindu · Oct 2014
It is high time that filmmakers recognise the fact that packing a two-hour film merely with chase and action sequences is not going to hold the audience's attention. What is needed is a meaty story narrated in a coherent manner. Much was expected of Ravi K. Chandran's debut film. But, it looks like his time hasn't come yet.
Madras
2014 · The Hindu · Oct 2014
Rarely does one gets to see a Tamil film that reflects the social reality so closely and sketching a detailed account of life that the middle and the upper middle class know little about. Full marks to Pa. Ranjith for that.