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Kalaga Thalaivan (2022), ordinary but fast paced
This is a thriller movie that has a familiar motive and sequences, yet it was engaging. Thanks to brisk editing which keeps the story moving in high gear throughout. Arav is the antagonist and the background score is by Srikanth Deva and Arrol Corelli, who were the real heroes of the film. The film gets a Raw rating from Mangoidiots. Udhayanidhi Stalin is expressionless throughout, even in the romantic kissing scene, yet due to the screenplay his character is convincing and we root for him against the villain. He is given limited action sequences, which is a smart thing by the director Magizh Thirumeni. Kalaiyarasan and Anupama Kumar have done their…
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Varisu (2023), an all-out Vijay film
Varisu (2023), is an all-out Tamil Nadu father-and-son sentiment film that has been made on a Bollywood film set background. Single-handedly Vijay entertains the audience for the three hours of running time. Director Vamshi Paidipally utilises the best of Vijay, which in my view is not his dance or action, but his comedy body language. In many cliche moments, which were countless, Vijay‘s happy-go-lucky style saves the audience. Mangoidiots’ rating for the film is Raw. I enjoyed Yogi Babu‘s comedy tracks, which were relevant and brief. As the family patriarchy, R Sarathkumar has played the role well. Joining him was veteran Jayasudha, in his wife’s character, as the mother to…
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Thunivu (2023), a bank heist starring Ajith
Director H Vinoth and Ajith Kumar have given a non-stop action movie from a simple plot of a bank heist. Bullets fly all the time, and my friend seated next to me even collected a few empty shells from the ground below. The first half of the film was fast-paced and engaging, which can’t be said for the second half. The film gets our mangoidiots rating of Raw. Seeing the trailer I was not sure how good the character of the white-flowing beard-sporting Ajith will be. Thankfully, the appearance was apt for the role and was convincing. In the gun firing sequences, Manju Warrier comes fast and daring. Prem Kumar impresses…
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Sembi (2022), a mixed bag
Sembi (2022) by Director Prabu Solomon feels familiar, yet different. It was about the now-common story of the sons of people with power and influence committing the gravest of crimes and walking away scot-free. Kovai Sarala, one of the underappreciated actors of Kollywood has given her best, her performance in the action sequences was brilliant. The first half of the film was engaging and realistic, but the long second half was a cinematic take on the public and the justice suddenly turning over a new leaf. Hence, it gets only a Raw rating from Mangoidiots. The visuals following the tragedy that happened to the young tribal girl, though gruesome, add…
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Laththi (2022), a routine but action-packed police & criminal film
In Indian cinema, the hero if he is police gets shown as a super cop. It is mostly in comedy films, the hero comes as lower ranked police. Vishal in Laththi (2022) breaks this pattern, his character Muruga is a family man & a police constable. The first half was engaging in this police constable vs mafia, and the second half though having non-stop action was mixed-bag and long. The film gets a Mangoidiots Raw rating. Vishal has given one of his best performances in the action sequences. Sunaina has done her role as the wife and mother of an 8-year-old well. Ramana who produced the film has done a…
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Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?, a miniseries that was gripping
Can a half-a-line plot make a gripping mini-series? To see one, watch the Netflix show Pepsi Where’s My Jet? It is about a twenty-year-old John Leonard in the 1990s, fighting the mighty PepsiCo to make good on their promise of rewarding a Harrier fighter jet for those who collected seven-million Pepsi points in 1995. The four-episode series was not a courtroom battle, not a thriller of corporate espionage, not of unexpected twists, yet it was interesting and made me complete over an evening. If you ask what John Leonard did was audacious, yes it was! I liked the way the director Andrew Renzi focused on the two main individuals, John Leonard…
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Naai Sekar Returns (2022), a string of laughlets
A comedian and his works are a product of his time. For Vadivelu, Naai Sekar Returns (2022) offers too little too late to impress the audience. Vadivelu has tried his best, in places they work too, but with a razor-thin plot there is only so much, jokes and slapstick comedy can carry. Because of the fond memories we all have for “Vaigai Puyal” I am giving a rating of Raw, yet I will suggest you wait for the OTT release. As a villain who plays comedy, Anandaraj‘s character was consistent in Naanum Rowdy Dhaan and so it worked well, here before the interval, Anandaraj’s character was a terror but after…
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Bachelor (2021), was quirky and slow yet enjoyable
The film had an interesting narrative style. In most scenes, we get dropped in the middle of the happenings, there were no gaps between scenes or context provided. This was profound in the first thirty minutes when we see countless characters in a bachelor pad and haphazardly several events happening. We are confused, only to understand what the director Satish Selvakumar had conveyed when the courtroom drama unfolds in the second half. Bachelor (2021) starring Divya Bharathi and G V Prakash Kumar becomes memorable only near the climax, which means you need to endure more than two hours of the slow and quirky screenplay. Due to its length, the film…
