SIVI

a welcome change from the so called psycho-thrillers n horror movies which end up being pathetic.
sivi shows tamil film's so called talented directors how to handle a thriller. this debutant has taken a tested path of ghost movies n handled wid care.

the movie revolves around 3 characters krishna, sona and nandhini... krishna-a photograher n sona are lovers. while returnin home from a party in car they hit a girl. fearing the consequences they leave the spot. later krishna while takin pictures in a programme finds out all d pics have some strange white shades... after few incidents the lead pair realizes some paranormal presence. whn they go after the clues given by the ghost ;secrets of the past of krishna is revealed n the rest of the story revolves around how krishna's past troubles the 3 peoples life n how he faces it.

freshness is seen in most of the frames and the main credit goes to the cinematographer. if one says he/she was scared seein this film its because of the angles and lightings.they are so perfect for each scenes tht u feel everything is opening in front of u. one of the finest editing work seen in recent times has helped d movie to sustain the pace.the major highlight of the movie is dharan the music director. he has completely understood what his work is and has delivered big time. each scene is handled so wonderfully and special mention is to be given for the surprising climax.it justifies the title of the movie n one cant stop lauding 4 tht title.though this is a remake of a thai film named shutter not even in a single scene do u feel alienated.one of the positive aspect of the movie is there is no hero r heroine here just 3 lead characters n they are portrayed as how youngsters lead their life widout any censoring of facts. another highlight is the innovative use of camera as a tool in the film. its almost a character.the director has resorted to comedy using the ghost is a welcome digression ,sad tht he didnt use it more.

on the flip side few scenes go overboard in logic n also brings along a cliche tag to it. in which college do u see students going to library wid beer? n in which part of tamil nadu do v see girls wearing such exposing clothes? how could a still photographer be able 2 lead such a costly life?y does the couple always travel at night? y do they show the ghosts mainly at night?

flaws apart the director has aimed at scaring people to[yes! its 'to' not 'outa' ] movie hall n he has succeeded fair n square. Ram Gopal Varma do watchout for this guy!

rating: 3/5

Satham Podathey

what can i say to vasanth? should i applaud him for daring to go differently or criticize him for not doing his home work?.

here goes the story. padmapriya is married to nitin sathya. later its revealed to her through naseer he is addicted to alcohol n is undergoin treatment for it, n due to alcohol he becomes impotent.so they adopt a child.but nitin becomes insecure and develops inferiority complex. this leads to harassment.after divorce padma's bro's friend prthiviraj sees and after few deliberation she gives in they end up in wedlock. the possessive nitin knows of this and takes revenge by kidnaping her. she keeps her in a sound proof room[?] as house arrest whilst prithviraj is doin the last rituals for her. rest of the movie revolves around how he gets his love back.

to be open with i donno what was in vasanth's mind when he started directing the movie? he has done a great job with the screenplay n all the scenes : each frame looks so beautiful and engrossing in paper but he couldn't translate it into celluloid is a fact he has to accept. known for his catchy dialogues, vasanth has let the audience down. he is not able to fix his mind on what style of dialogue writing he is gonna adapt for this movie. end result most of the time the dialogues bring out laughter for all the serious scenes and irritates us wid the poor jokes prithiviraj cooks up. what was the need for including that comedy track[?] in a serious thriller?
the most important aspect in making a thriller is depictin the inner emotions of the characters, what are they going through, how they are view the surroundings.. sadly the most thrilling scenes loses its effect coz of poor angles. cinematography is not only abt oscillating the camera; going for extra zooms and jumpy shots.coming to editing part what was the editor doing during the scene where prithiviraj and padmapriya are walkin along the seashore? does jumping of frames and constant switching of angle enhance a scene like tht?? the whole essence is completely lost. the choreography is so normal that i personally feel such wonderful tunes have gone waste. and what is vasanth's obsession over the sea?? in his every other film does he need to introduce his hero with water as backdrop? and why is nithin speaking just like the director? he not just speaks he emotes, pronounces, intonates just like vasanth. if he wants 2 raise high he should introduce his own style into it. in the film every1 keeps emphasizing the room where padmapriya is kept is sound proof. now y did the antagonist forget to seal the waste water outlet? if the directors argument this is a real life story and this is wat happened then he shouldnt have highlighted abt the nature of the room so much as to display a major flaw like this.
the script demands more concentration on the character of nitin and his emotion passage. glamorizing him as a cunning psycho at large doesnt work here. trying to show prithiviraj as some smart n calculative guy rather than as an intelligent guy is not so helping either.sadly the director also tries to emulate his godfather's style of makin which also adds to the deja vu experience.

on the positive side u dont feel the movie saggin at any part. the way the scenes tht lead to a very different climax have to be praised. the hero striking back using his quick thinking rather than using his brawn is somethin not often seen in tamil cinema. the lightings for the sound proof room needs special mention. the tones adds flavour to the thriller. all the characters are portrayed wid perfection tht u feel they are living the character. vasanth shows his touch in most of the scenes like when nithin jumps 4rm lamp post to threaten his wife, whn he persuades her to not leave him, to name a few. the director has tried to show woman freedom and has largely succeeded in it. apart from that he has tried to put some more messages as sub plot is encouraging. and the biggest plus point and also the sole selling point for the movie is yuvan's enchanting score and his haunting background score. he wid the company of h.sridhar proves again tht he is best at scorin background music for thriller based movies.

on the whole though not upto his mark vasanth has attempted to make an honest movie is praise worthy.Satham Podathey is an engrossing movie if u leave ur mind which has already seen similar movies outside the movie hall.

rating: 2.5/5

Ratatouille : Rat-a-too-ee

after u see a movie u feel elated,anguished r angry. but 4 the 1st time after seein a movie i felt hungry :P

ratatouille is all about food. its about an outcast named remy in a rat colony who aspires to become a cook.his role model is gusteau the greatest cook in paris. by some turn of events he is separated 4rm his family n finds himself in paris under the kitchen of gesteau's restaurant.
there a gargbage collector accidently turns chef whn ppl mistake him to be the cook who made a fabulous soup which was actually prepared by remy. the little chef helps linguini become a great chef by directing him like a puppet to make all those mouth watery dishes. its later revealed tht he is the son of the great gusteau. thus he becomes the owner of the restaurant.the rest of the story revolves around how the pair wins over the toughest critic in paris and gettin the prestigious 5stars.

everything about the movie is so pleasant n nice tht u dont mind the minor cliche if u find any.
the screenplay has been shaped up wid no loopholes visible n hardwork is noticeable in every frame!especially watch the scene whn remy n his brother are bein hunted by the land lady. its a master piece. the frames in those chase scenes are so eye catchy tht u forget tht u r watchin an animation movie. the scenes where the character feel n sense the various taste of food are captured so vividly tht u can taste them in ur taste buds. the scenes between tatou n linguini are so lively n romantic u feel happy for the pair. comedy is blended intelligently wid each scene of the movie that ur face is ever smiling. note the scene whn linguini is practing how 2 coordinate wid remy in cooking: it brings the house down big time. and wat to say of the climax!! .... such brilliance.
who would have thought such a serious person like anton ego be so touched by the food he tastes he goes back 2 his childhood n remembers his mothers handmade food. its shear master touch.

everything was perfect but bird must forget tht he is the director of incredibles coz many scenes especially the chases scenes remind u of the brilliant action scenes in incrediles. to top it the background score 4 these scenes also sound similar.

on the whole its a complete family entertainment in typical pixar style which nowadays followin indian style of film makin wid increasing concentration on sentiments rather than emotions.

rating :4/5