Harish Film views

In the film world or in any writing industry, anything that needs to be conveyed starts off with an idea. This idea creates a spark which makes it to grow into a full-fledged story. When this story captures the imagination of the people involved, the plot and the characters that are driving them are subsequently developed and enhanced to magnify the impact that the one liner had on the creator.  Coming out after watching Vazaku En:18/9, I realized how miserably the movie has failed to rise above the synopsis  that it started out with. With a plot line similar to that of the movie ‘Ram’, VE18/9 opens up as a crime thriller with a boy being the prime accused. As he gets prodded by the interrogating officer about his life, the boy begins to recount his trials and tribulations up till the day he is brought for interrogation. Like any scared boy would tremble before a police officer and plead for innocence, the protagonist keeps reminding the audience through the vo...

As the powerful role of Zoya (Ishaqzaade) is becoming the talk of the town, a brief analogy between Zoya & Muthazhagu (Paruthiveeran). Ishaqzaade is probably the most women centric film to have come out from the commercial stable.  Similar to how people associate good cinematography with flashy - oscillating shots that stands outside of the film rather than be integrated to it, women centric roles are recognized only when the protagonist bring about violence is screen. Muthazhagu (in Paruthiveeran) was recognized as a great women centric role not because that the character stood up to Paruthi in the aftermath of the interval block, but for the climactic battle & the vehement tenaciousness it portrayed to signify the love for Paruthi in the confrontation scene between Muthazhagu & her parents. Yet here is a film (and a role) which doesn’t go over the top to emphasize the stubbornness of Zoya. Baring the opening block that acts merely as a gimmick, Zoya lik...

The other day I was watching Raging bull because I was told it is one of America’s finest films.  Aside from the ideology which has been inculcated in our system that anything American is of superior quality, I was interested to see some serious drama for a change. Yes, after finishing entire 5 seasons of BBT in a week I did want a change in mood.  The beauty of a serious movie is that it invokes numerous emotions inside you. For example, when I watch The Dark Knight, I ponder over the thin line that separates morality & justice and while at it, I mull over the threshold for resistance in each man. So, to be honest I did have expectations when I sat to watch Raging bull. As most of you would know, the movie is about the downfall of a boxer. The protagonist being a fickle minded person, most of the scenes that involve him with others, come off as a fire cracker. While I thoroughly enjoying the erratic behavior of the lead, I realized how I was drawn into the characte...

There is a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. Do you want to know a little secret about it? It doesn’t come out of the blue like you think. It grows around you whilst your dismal senses choose to turn blind eye over it. And before you know, the silent grumbling would have become an insurrection, encircling you. Intrigued Mr. Wayne? Because there is an inscrutable beauty to the storm. It’s an agent of chaos. You won't have time to think. You could run, but you won’t have any place to hide. You will think what wrong I did other than using everything that was under my disposal, to suffer the wrath. You would feel it’s better to give up everything and die under its hands. But do you really know the beauty of a storm? It strikes at the backbone of your society, tearing you apart, making you battered, yet leaving you alive fighting to find a ray of hope. You think you could be that ray of hope? Do you think you could fight the storm? With all your valor do you r...

In a scene in OK OK, the latest blockbuster from Rajesh & Santhanam combo, the heroine driven by the insults that her ex showers her with throughout the film, calls upon him to a restaurant where she is going to meet a guy fixed by her parents. But the guy turns out to be an even worse douche bag who pounces at every chance to insult her for her overweight. As expected, she tears him apart only to be mocked again by her ex for her pathetic state. It isn’t a one off scene. In another scene later in the film, the hero along with his guy-soul mate trashes her beyond any permissible limit inside an airplane where she is an airhostess. Am not going to lie here that I didn’t laugh for few of the gags they pulled off. But while I was squirming in my seats seeing how the girl was treated by her ex, all in the name of humour, I was feeling that the other douche bag was way better. At least he had the guts to call a stick a stick (read log), instead of sneaking in insults after insult...

Director: Steven Spielberg I always felt Spielberg is a unique filmmaker who bends his style for the genre he wants to create. While he could make an emotional, yet witty drama in the form of ‘Catch me if you can’ & ‘terminal’, he wouldn’t bring that genre defining theme into his sci-fi thrillers like ‘AI’ or ‘War of the worlds’; or for that matter, he never mixes the grandeur of ‘Jurassic park’ & ‘Indiana Jones’ with his emotional ventures like ‘Munich’ or ‘Schindler’s list’. So when he decided to make a film out of ‘Tintin’ I felt he would go into the ‘Indiana Jones’ theme with a little more serious tone tossed in. In other words, one should be prepared for kickass nonsensical fun. Indeed, the movie felt like another misadventure of Mr.Jones, placing it well as a prequel to the 'Last Crusade', concentrating on how the boy Jones turned into an adventure seeking man. But with it comes the unnecessary grandeur that Harrison Ford seemingly pulled off with his infecti...

Director: Imtiaz Ali With a title like Rockstar, it is elementary to expect a movie on rock music. But, similar to the remark that a character gives to Jordon, ‘tum gaane baja rahe ho, ya gaane pe baja rahe ho?’ (Are you playing music or playing on music?), Imitiaz has used Rockstar only as one of the many layers (a wonderful layer at that) to wrap his painful, soul stirring love story. His concentrations are more towards the relationship that his lead pair share, which will still be strong, even if this movie were to have a software professional as lead, instead of a musician. Like the character of Jordon (Ranbir), Rockstar is a film which never submits itself to be understood; instead it treads a path that brings out joy mainly by what it shows as an aftermath of the events that cause the characters to behave that way. It doesn’t care about the character’s whereabouts or how a character ends up bedridden. In other words, it has immense disregard for any and every ba...