Hollywood Movie Upside Down Review & Rating (3/5)

RATING: 3/5

On paper, Argentinian director Juan Diego Solanas' sci-fi romance melodrama, UPSIDE DOWN, sounds likes a cinematic masterpiece-in-the-making -- it has that timeless love story kind of feel in the vein of Romeo and Juliet with a dash of TITANIC (minus the disaster genre), and a fascinating concept about two parallel worlds which exist next to one another in an upside down form.

 

The story tells about two star-crossed lovers living in two parallel worlds next to each other.  These two worlds are separated. One is called "Up" where people is rich and prosperous, and another one called "Down", where people is poor. When Adam was a 12-year-old kid lives in Down, he lives in an orphanage after he lost his parents in an attack. However, he still has his aunt named Becky (Kate Trotter), whom he visits every week. He particularly loves his aunt's flying pancakes and she has the secret recipe that has been passed through generations. Now Adam is fortunate enough that his aunt has finally inherited the secret recipe to him. One day, when Adam climbs a mountain that able to get very close to the Up world, he meets the 10-year-old Eden (Maurane Arcand) and become friends.

Years later, Adam (Jim Sturgess) and Eden (Kirsten Dunst) are now grown-up adults. They already fall in love for each other, and spend their time dating at the rock where they got acquainted the first time around. But everything turns sour when a police unit discovers about their forbidden romance and ends up hunting both of them. In the process, Adam gets wounded and Eden, who he thinks to be dead, suffers from amnesia.

Ten years has passed, and Adam has never forget about Eden until the day he discovers she is actually alive after seeing her on TV. Apparently she is now working at TransWorld, and he determines to land a job over there by promoting his secret formula taken from his aunt's recipe to make a revolutionary cosmetic product for facelifts. He manages to secure a job in TransWorld and there, he meets Bob (Timothy Spall), from Up. Both of them become best friends. After Adam helps him getting a collection of stamps from Down, Bob returns a favor by helping him to find Eden. With the help of some Up-materials (which are shaped like concrete bars) that enable Adam to stay in Up gravity field, he finally meets Eden. Unfortunately Eden has already lost her memories suffered from the impact of the fall last time, and she hardly recognizes him whatsoever. Despite that, Adam refuses to give up and keeps trying to help her remember the past. Will they finally end up being together?

The idea behind the two parallel worlds of upside down alone is interesting enough to warrant your attention. Visually, UPSIDE DOWN is a spellbinding experience. Blessed with a decent budget of $60 million, the special effects are impressive while the production design is so eye-catching it's difficult not to get hooked by its two parallel worlds of upside down. All the technical credits are top-notch and some of the worthy mentions goes to Benoit Charest's mesmerizing score (along with the equally hypnotic soundtrack featuring the Icelandic ambient band, Sigur Ros) and Pierre Gill's ravishing cinematography. Acting-wise, Jim Sturgess is certainly charming and likeable while Kirsten Dunst is as lovely as always. But it was Timothy Spall, who often steals the limelight with his uplifting performance as the jolly-looking Bob.

While UPSIDE DOWN has a lot of ambitions, it's quite a shame that Santiago Amigorena and Juan Diego Solanas' screenplay feels underwhelming, yet strangely incomplete. Don't get me wrong, the story is wonderfully told but there's hardly any depth beneath its glossy surface. For instance, we never really feel the pain both Adam and Eden have to go through in order to get together. Problem is, everything here are depicted in the face value and it's rather wasted that Juan Diego Solanas doesn't take his opportunity to explore the subject further. Then there's the half-baked subplot involves the TransWorld's slick managing director, William Lagavulin (James Kidnie, in a brief but perfectly slimy performance), who wants to get his hand on Adam's secret formula for the facelift cream. During that moment, there is a brief scene of tension. But it doesn't take long before Juan Diego Solanas ignores the part altogether.

Despite its glaring flaws, UPSIDE DOWN remains a wonderful experience worth watching. And Juan Diego Solanas is certainly an interesting visionary director to look out for in the future.

"Last Big Action Movie" for Jackie Chan, CZ12 Rating 2.5/5

RATING: 2.5/5

You know what people used to say when you are about to retire on something, at least you go out with a bang? That question reflects similarly to Jackie Chan and his much-publicized "last big action movie", CZ12 (or better known as CHINESE ZODIAC). Expectations (especially for die-hard fans of Jackie Chan's movie) are naturally high. I mean, this is CZ12 we are talking about -- the long-awaited sequel to 1986's ARMOUR OF GOD and 1991's ARMOUR OF GOD II: OPERATION CONDOR (two of among Jackie Chan's most beloved and financially successful action comedies in his career). But after more than six years of wait since Jackie Chan last announced his return to one of his beloved franchises, CZ12 proves to be nothing more than a ho-hum experience. So if you are expecting the '80s and '90s style of Jackie Chan's movie-era, you'll be left disappointed by his half-hearted attempt to recapture his old glory. So what really went wrong? More on that later.

The movie opens with a brief prologue (narrated by Jiang Wen) about how British forces invaded China in 1860 and end up stealing a number of prized Chinese antiques, which includes the heads of 12 Chinese zodiac animal statues from Beijing's Old Summer Palace. Ever since then, the 12 bronze heads have long obscured until they resurface in auction houses around the world.

When wealthy businessman and antiques collector Lawrence Morgan (Oliver Platt) desperately wants to get his hands on the last of the remaining bronze heads, he ends up hiring renowned treasure hunter JC (Jackie Chan) for the job, at an astonishing price of $1 million for each heads. JC agrees and quickly assembles his team which includes his right-hand man Simon (Kwon Sang Woo), tech wiz David (Liao Fan) and female assistant Bonnie (Zhang Lanxin). They head on to Paris, where JC poses as a National Geographic photographer and meets Coco (Yao Xingtong), a Mainland Chinese activist who is working hard with her like-minded young people to bring the lost antiques back to China.

After JC successfully stealing two bronze heads from a French mansion, he crosses path again with Coco and eventually end up meeting Katherine (Laura Weissbecker), a French aristocrat where her great-great grandfather was involved in the raid of the Old Summer Palace. Soon all of them tag along and travel to a remote island in search of the remaining bronze heads and some hidden golds. What follows next is a series of (mis)adventures as they encounter a band of pirates and other dangerous threats ahead.

The biggest problem in CZ12 is the bloated screenplay written by Jackie Chan, Frankie Chan, Edward Tang and Stanley Tong (all highly-recognized veterans in the Hong Kong movie industry). But despite all the screenwriting talents involved, the story is obviously tailor-made as Jackie Chan's vanity project than anything else matters. Of late, Jackie Chan's movies (excluding the one he made in the Hollywood) are mostly preachy and CZ12 is no exception. The middle part of the movie is especially long-winded with too many expository scenes detailing on how each national treasures should belong to each countries and all the heavy-handed message about nationalistic pride (no, I kid you not).

And there's the whole segment at the remote island scene, which is enormously tedious and downright annoying to the point you wish when is it going to end. Here, Jackie Chan has gone for the sheer excess with wildly over-the-top scenarios that involved too many shouting and broad comedy that tries too hard to be funny (it's hard to believe that comedy is usually one of his fortes). If that's not insulting enough, Jackie Chan also introduces a band of multi-lingual pirates that each of them speaks different kind of languages. And no, they are not the kind of pirates you'll be expecting in PROJECT A (where I wishes to be) but rather the kind of kid-friendly pirates exist in a Walt Disney comedy.

The cast, in the meantime, is a mixed bag. Jackie Chan at his usual old self. At 58 years of age, he still has a knack to perform death-defying stunts and some of his winning charms we always expect from his movie. Except this time, his character here tries so hard to be funny and serious -- two mixed elements that you hardly see in his previous ARMOUR OF GOD movies. It's actually good that he tries to evolve his usual character to a different level, but a mellow Jackie Chan just won't cut it -- especially for this kind of movie. Watching him preaches about all the long-winded message is so boring it's a butt-numbing experience to sit through. The rest of the supporting actors are sadly undermined. South Korean heartthrob Kwon Sang Woo (best known in VOLCANO HIGH) is relegated to a thankless role that doesn't do much other than Jackie tries to groom him as his next protege (especially the way Kwon Sang Woo fights). French actress Laura Weissbecker is terribly annoying as Katherine, and same goes to Yao Xingtong as well. The way she have to speak a combination of Mandarin, French and English are simply mind-boggling. Liao Fan is almost non-existent here. But relatively newcomer Zhang Lanxin, China's former Taekwondo champion-cum-model, is an engaging presence. At an imposing 177cm tall, not only she is eye-catching to look at but also proves to be an impressive fighter that would make other veteran Chinese female action stars like Michelle Yeoh proud of her physically-demanding performance.

Despite blessing with a big-budget tag, CZ12 still suffers from poor special effects (especially the one involving the silly trunk ride down the slope of the remote island and the climactic finale at the volcano). Music score is totally forgettable, while the cinematography is adequate at best. Jackie's direction is terribly haphazard and tonally inconsistent. It's certainly a big mistake he tries too hard to be everything mashes up altogether. In the past where Jackie used to direct his own production, he is mostly in total control and the movie often turns up to be an unforgettable cinematic experience. That much-needed vibe is half-baked in CZ12. You can blame the fact that Jackie shouldn't have wearing too many hats at one time (in which he happens to win two Guinness World Records for Most Credits in One Movie and Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor), which causes him to lose focus in his direction.

Still, CZ12 is not entirely a disappointment. Somewhere in between, there are a few lively sparks left to satisfy those who always come to expect from a Jackie Chan movie. The inventive opening scene, featuring Jackie in a roller-suit (invented by Jean-Yves Blondeau) as he flees from a Russian army base, is impressive. Same goes to skydiving finale where Jackie is struggling to fight a group of skydivers mid-air. But the best action sequence is surprisingly comes from the one that isn't death-defying. The particular scene at the underground facility is clearly the most exciting moments of all -- his showdown against his rival, Vulture (Alaa Safi, a former world Taekwondo champion) where they have to fight each other while remaining at the couch; and the acrobatic fight against a bunch of bodyguards (especially the one involving stand, studio umbrella and photo frame). Not to forget also is Zhang Lanxin's spectacular one-on-one fight sequence against Caitlin Dechelle, who is formerly a world martial-artist champion).

As a supposedly "last big action movie" for Jackie Chan, CZ12 is far from what he claimed the most, even though it's still a fairly entertaining effort. So much for the high expectation.

Gajaraju (2012) Telugu Movie Review (2.75/5)

Sivaji Ganeshan's grandson Vikram Prabhu is making his Telugu debut with the film 'Gajaraju'. Lakshmi Menon as the heroine and Prabhu Solomon is directing this movie, This movie is released by Bellam konda suresh in AP, Tamil version of this movie is titled as Kumki, Lets see how the movie was.

Story :

The complete story of Gajaraju is all about the Gumki Delephant, There is a small village in talakona forest in Chittore, The villiagers are freuently attached by the wild elephants in the forest, Veeranna (Anantha Vaidyanathan) decides to stop these attacks by bringing a Gumki Elephant to thevilliage , (Gumki elephants will controll the wild elephants) So in the place of Gumki elephant Boppanna (Vikram Prabhu)  brings his elephant named Manikyam which doesnot have that much of Strength like Gumki Elephant.  Boppanna falls in love with Singi (Lakshmi Menon) who is a villiageg of Devagiri. But as per their villiage rules their marriage is not possible. How they both succeded in love and how Makikyam fought with those wild elephants is the remaing story.

Plus Points : 

Vikram Prabhu and Lakshmi Menon rocked with their performance, Their ation looks like a very experieced artists

Thambi Ramaiah's comedy is The Main Advantage of the movie.

 'Ayyayyo Anandame' and 'Kanne Sogasulu' Songs are awesome.

Movie is picturized in a beautifull locations

Minus Points :

Movie Scenes and Costumes are reflecting Tamil nativity whcih will not inpress our Teleugu people

Story of the movie predictable. We can understand the complete story in the first 45 Minutes.

Vikram Prabhu and Lakshmi romantic scenes are noteffective. 

The Fight between to Elephants at the climax is a big disaster. Due to Animal welface the scenes is created with the Computer graphics whichi is not effective

Final Analysys:

Gaja Raju is a slow paced movie will less entertainemnt , the people who are habituated for the Tamil dubbed films will like this. Cinematography is good, and the movie eneds with the Sad climax which is liked by tamil people than telugu people. Just an Average flick

Rating - 2.75 /5

Bollywood Movie Dabangg 2 Review (1.5/5)

Production: Arbaaz Khan, Malaika Arora Khan 
Cast: Prakash Raj, Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha 
Direction: Arbaaz Khan 
Music: Sajid-Wajid 
Background score: Arbaaz Khan 
Cinematography: Aseem Mishra 
Distribution: Arbaaz Khan Productions 

Salman Khan is back as Chulbul Pandey in the sequel to his blockbuster Dabangg. His own brother Arbaaz Khan is directing as well as producing this film which released today amid huge hype and expectations, like all other Salman Khan films in the recent past.

 Sonakshi Sinha, Vinod Khanna and Arbaaz Khan continue their presence in the sequel along with Salman. The movie is set in Kanpur and Prakash Raj as Bachcha Singh is the prime antagonist. He has two doting brothers who stand by his side. The plot is as thin as it can get as Chulbul has to stop Bachcha’s terrorizing hold on the city. He does so, in his own style which we have come to know by now.

 The film also throws some light on his family life – his pregnant wife Rajjo, his concerned father Prajapati Pandey and his good for nothing brother Makhi who wishes to turn a new leaf for the sake of his love, Nirmala.

 Despite being a film which runs for just more than two hours, the movie isn’t a racy ride and owes whatever it is, to the comical yet macho presence of Salman Khan. His antics, his larger-than-life stunts, the sly one-liners and the typical shirtless avatar towards the end do please his hardcore fans. His mustache looks really funny though and we wish the star had grown a proper ‘mush’ rather than resort to a fake one.

 Sonakshi Sinha is just a decked-up doll with nothing to do. Vinod Khanna shares some heartwarming bonding with Salman in their father-son scenes. Arbaaz brings a light chuckle thanks to his foolishness while his pair Mahi Gill is restricted to just a small cameo. Prakash Raj repeats an act that he has done in countless Southern films, that of the loud villain who barks but doesn’t bite much. We feel sad at the typecasting that he has to experience.

 Kareena Kapoor’s raunchy ‘low-hip’ act in the ‘Fevicol’ number is among the most uplifting moments in the movie. The star continues to glow in film after film. She lifts the bland movie in the limited time she appears. Talking about the songs, each of them has a heavy Dabangg hangover and it is a major letdown from the composer duo Sajid-Wajid. Even if the songs are played countless times on TV, they are not up to the mark.

The stunts by ‘Annal’ Arasu play to the gallery and to the larger-than-life image of Salman Khan. Each sequence is unimaginative and just looks to boost the hero’s macho appeal.

 All said, Dabangg 2 will probably set some collection records thanks to the mass following that Salman commands. But, the movie hardly has any originality or creativity. It is a sad effort from debut director Arbaaz Khan. The earlier Dabangg was in itself an ordinary movie which was lifted purely by the songs and star power. But, when the same template is repeated with below-par songs, a dull screenplay, and bland scenes even Salman’s worn out antics and screen presence can’t help matters much.

 Dabangg 2 would hopefully be the last of the brand of nonsense that Bollywood has been dishing out as seen in a string of movies like Son of Sardaar, Khiladi 786 and now this much hyped dud.

Verdict: Dabangg 2 might make money thanks to Salman but it is an insipid commercial affair with nothing to savor.

Raviteja's Sarocharu Telugu Movie Review 3/5

Cast:Raviteja, Kajal,Risha Gangopadhyay

Direction: Parasuram

Music:Devi Sri Prasad

Releasing Date: 21St December ,2012

With a High Expectations Mass Maharaja Raviteja's Sarocharu is released today, Kajal and Richa are the heroins in this movie and Lets see how the movie was Executed on screen.

Story :

Sandhya (Kajal Aggarwal) is a college student mets  Karthik (Ravi Teja) in paris and fallsin love with him, In a journey of Paris to India Karthik gives a twist to Sandhya that he is already married with a girl named  Vasu (Richa Gangopadhyay) and explains his love story to Sandhya. She impress with his love story. And now Karthik comes to India to give Divorce to Vasu this gives a big shock to Kajal and  he will explains the remaining story for what silly reason they both are breaking up. After that Kajal will engages with Gautham (Nara Rohit),who is Sandhya's bava and madly in love with her. and then Ravi Teja gives an another Shock to Kajal, What is that Shock ? and how kajal and Raviteja's love succeded and what happend to Kajal Enganement and How Nara Rohit Helped Kajal is the Remaing Story.

Plus Points :

Ravi Teja's Character is Very Different,  Now a days he is doing some hyper active roles with Lot of noise but in this movie he acted in a decent way.

Nara Rohit Performance is very Appreciated, He dominated Raviteja in the movie. Also done a very good job in making comedy

Kajal Character is very funny and she done her level best in  the movie. 

Richa became a support for the flashback episode. Jayasudha is classy. 

30 Minutes before the Interval and 45 Minutes after the Interval is good in the movie

Nara Rohit's Poetry scene is hilarious


Minus Points :

The main drawback of the movie is its Climax.

'Katuka Kallu' Song came in a Wrong timing

Comedy Quotient is became less in the crazy combination of Ravi teja nd Parasuram

Editing should be taken some more care in second half, Very Boring scenes 

Final Verdict : 

Finally is Movie contains 50 -50 of Good and bad quotients, Its a strictly one time watch, you can enjoy along with your family this week end. First half is good and second half movie will be dragging. An Average movie from Raviteja. 

Rating: 3/5

Seetamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu Music Review (3.25/5)

Prince Mahesh Babu, Victory Venkatesh's Tollywood multistarrer after two decades 'Seetamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu' directed by Srikanth Addla celebrated its audio launch couple of hours back recently in sensational manner in the presence of top Tollywood celebrities at Nanakramguda, Hyderabad. The film featured beautiful heroines Samantha and Anjala opposite Mahesh and Venkatesh under Dil Raju's banner Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra banner.Music is tuned by Mickey J Meyer and let us see what magic he created on music lovers. 

Tracks 

1.Sitamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu Singers : Chitra,Chorus 
This song has been a super hit ever since it was released on super star Krishna's birthday. Chitra's melodious voice along with chorus beautified the tune scored by Mickey J Meyer. Traditional tone set the film's audio tracks on right note. A soothing number with lyrics penned by Sirivennela. 
 
2.Yem Cheddam Singers :  Ranjith,Sri Ram Chandra,Karthik 
This showcases the nature and characters of both heroes. Sirivennela in his lyrics highlights heroes attributes saying how different and Rajnith,Sriram Chandra along with Kartik bought in pep in this fast beat. Mickey music is in sync with the nature of the song. 
 
3.Aaraduguluntada Singers :  Kalyani 
Kalyani rendered this song which tries heroine to analyse the characters and physical looks of hero. The beauty of the tune and the picturisation catches the attention of music lovers especially gals who are in love. Kalyani's demanding, questioning voice brings in uniqueness to the song. The tone at 'sarigga sarigga' spellbounds all.  
 
4.Inka Cheppale Singers : Rahul Nambiar,Shwetha Pandit 
A beautiful romantic number made even more beautiful by Rahul Nambiar and Shwetha's lovely voice. Mickey's music mesmeries everyone. 
 
5.Meghallo Singers : Sriram Chandra,Karthik 
Marriage song and one can expect it to be filmed on Mahesh and Samantha with others dancing on the occasion. Sriram and Kartik did justice to the number. 
 
6.Mari Antaga Singers :  Sriram Chandra 
Sriram Chandra is a little bit pacy number with motivational and inspirational lyrics for depressed lot. Sirivennela penned lyrics and the tune reminds one of being the slowed version of 'Hum Hain Hindustani' breathless song of Shankar Mahadevan. Sriram Chandra's voice suits aptly for the music.  
 
7.Vaana Chinukula Singers :  Anjana Sowmya,Karthik 
Anjana Sowmya's husky voice and Kartik's song give special effects is in sync with Mickey's fast tune. 

Music Marks   :  3.25/5 
Mickey Meyer's music in this album lives up to the expectations of movie lovers and is in tune with his reputation as melodious music director. His tunes howeever lacks mass touch. However as the film makers from the beginning branded SVSC as family entertainer close to Telugu traditional values, full credit goes to Mickey.

Kadal Tamil Movie Music Review (3.5/5)

Production: Mani Ratnam, Manohar Prasad
Cast: Arjun, Arvind Swamy, Gautham Karthik, Lakshmi Manchu, Thulasi Nair 
Direction: Mani Ratnam 
Music: A. R. Rahman 
Cinematography: Rajiv Menon 
Editing: A. Sreekar Prasad 
Singers: A.R. Rahman, Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam, Abhay Jodhpurkar, Chinmayee, Haricharan Seshadri, Harini, Shakthisree Gopalan, Sid Sriram, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Yesudas 
Lyrics : Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam, Karky, Vairamuthu 
Distribution: Gemini Film Circuit 

Kadal, the latest offering from Mani Ratnam will feature two newcomers in Gautham Karthik and Thulasi Nair. The film also features music by Mani Ratnam’s trusty composer A.R. Rahman. The album has 7 tracks in all and has lyrical contributions by Vairamuthu, Karky & Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam.

Chithirai Nela

Singers: Vijay Yesudas

Lyrics: Vairamuthu

The song begins with comforting and caring vocals by Vijay Yesudas that ensues the new born baby’s cry. The song’s build up is highly stimulating and it’s simply masterful with the way the soft bassline leads into the percussions, and then with the entry of the grand vocal arrangement which changes the mood from pleasant to truly uplifting. It’s the words of Vairamuthu that lead this emotional uprising from the front.

Adiye

Singers: Sid Sriram

Lyrics: Madhan Karky

A Ray Charles type of tune that culminates blues, soul and gospel styles. As per the requirements of this genre the emphasis is given to the earnest singing, and Sid Sriram performs with utmost sincerity. He’s supported by a strong choir that lends their voice as a shoulder to the young man who’s got the blues! Rahman keeps the musical style undiluted from Indian influences, thereby keeping the mood genuine.

Moongil Thottam

Singers: Abhay Jodhpurkar, Harini

Lyrics: Vairamuthu

A soft haunting ballad that sounds like it’s from a different time, in the past, with the way the words make the melody and melody the music, backed only by the guitar. Each time there is a beautiful build-up of strings and accordion in the bridges and interludes, the drama is diffused by quietness and making room for the words to be on top again. There is an undeniable chemistry in the performances of Abhay Jodhpurkar and Harini and their exchanges in the end sums up the romance in the song.

Elay Keechaan

Singers: A.R. Rahman

Lyrics: Madan Karky

A sort of hillbilly bluegrass guitar lick drives this absolutely whimsical tune. It’s not the sound we associate with the fishing community; still it works because it has its heart in the right place. Be it Madan Karky’s lyrics or Rahman’s singing, that is backed up by a solid backing chorus unit, the track possesses the spirit and camaraderie of seamen. The song is mighty chirpy both in mood and presentation, especially the surprise entry of hand-claps that instantly lifts the tune to another level. Rahman’s singing sounds affable and he soars through his performance in his own inimitable voice.

Nenjukkule

Singers: A.R. Rahman, Shakthisree Gopalan

Lyrics: Vairamuthu

By now this track would need no describing, let alone an introduction. Still, the studio version offers a crisper recording with supporting percussions and the guitar intro in place of the accordion we had heard in the Live performance. Comparisons to the Live version being better are bound to take place in some quarters. The Live version had the performers bare their emotions on stage delivering an honest rendering and it gave it a certain charm, and the studio track is no less. Shakthisree renders a soul stirring performance over the joyous melody composed by A.R. Rahman.

Anbin Vaasale

Singers: Haricharan Seshadri

Lyrics: Madan Karky

The song has a gospel feel to it especially with the church organ and bells in the beginning. The use of the booming church choir chorus reaffirms this thought. The lyric reflects the same and Haricharan leads the pack of voices in a performance where he literally surrenders himself to the song delivering a powerful showcase of great range and control over his voice. The symphonic orchestration reminds us of Rahman from his early days.

Magudi Magudi

Singers: Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam, Chinmayee,Tanvi Shah

Lyrics: Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam

This is probably the only ‘digital’ track on the album that’s racy and unpredictable but equally enjoyable. The sound of this electronica tune is upbeat but dark at the same time. The song uses some of the film’s dialogues which add to the seriousness of the tune quite nicely.

Verdict: Kadal is salt of the earth stuff from A.R. Rahman that is rewarding of your time spent on it.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Movie Review (4/5)

Movie: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis
Director: Peter Jackson
Release Date: Dec. 14th, 2012 (worldwide)
Rating: 4/5

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey trilogy is an adaptation from J.R.R Tolkien’s novel ‘The Hobbit’ published in 1937. Peter Jackson has made the story into three series as An Unexpected Journey, released by the Warner Bros. banner New Line Cinema and MGM, rated PG-13.

STORY:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) joins a group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen).  The crew of 13 dwarves starts a magical tour through Middle-earth on a quest to reclaim Thorin’s kingdom of Erebor and the riches therein from the dragon Smaug. Bilbo, who is perfectly happy to live in his comfortable hole in the ground, is to be the party’s burglar since hobbits can move quietly, and Smaug will be unfamiliar with Bilbo’s scent. Bilbo joins the adventure, but dark forces begin to circle the setting as the party makes their way to Thorin’s fallen kingdom. They face many challenges along the way from Goblins, Orcs, Wargs and giant spiders to Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

PERFORMANCE:

Martin Freeman plays title character Bilbo Baggins, who help 13 dwarves to gey back their underground kingdom. Martin Freeman is apt in his role Bilbo Baggins. Ian McKellen got a chance to perform more in this series . Its pleasant to watch Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Saruman (Christopher Lee) again. Nice performance from Ken Stott as Balin. Richard Armitage debuts as dwarf leader Thorin, plays a commanding performance. Thorin’s appearance makes the film. The Gollum presence mesmorizes again potrated by Andy Serkis. 

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:

Academy Award winning filmmaker, Peter Jackson has shot ‘The Hobbit‘ series in High Frame Rate, 48 frames per second, double the standard projection rate 24 frames, which looks clear and sharper. The New Zealand landscapes and outer locations captured were impressive. The film features latest technology such as 3D, high speed projection and Dolby’s Atmos sound system. It sometimes feels like the plot is stretched the action scenes. Howard Shore‘s wonderful score is effective. The production designer Dan Hennah have done amazing work with cinematographer Andrew Lesnie. Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth is wonderful with CGI effects.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Humor
• Action sequences
• Innovative direction
• Strong performances

NEGATIVES:

• Lengthening the thin plot
• Ultrahigh definition format makes film uncomfortable

FINAL TALK:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is nearly three hours, so long may irritates sometimes. The entire cast is perfect with their performances. The film is stuffed with full of energy, sense of humour, action sequences. Overall its moderate film.