BANGALORE NAATKAL - Misses the aura and magic of the (BANGALORE) DAYS, yet entertains as a film

What is the best respect you can give to a movie from the neighbouring state? A movie which has been a trendsetter for the industry, making people across the world turn and look? A movie which crossed the rare 100 day milestone in our state, when our movies struggle to cross the 50 day mark..???

The answer is : 'TO LEAVE IT ALONE!' and let it maintain its own legacy because the expectations involved in the remake are a few bars higher than the usual films. And the threat with the remake of 'Bangalore days' is that most of Tamil audience have watched the film already.

So let's see whether 'Bangalore Naatkal' has done justice to 'Bangalore Days' or not..!!

What is it about ?:

This movie is a story about three cousins Dhivya (Sri Divya), Kutti (Bobby Simha) and Ajju a.k.a Arjun (Arya). While the former two are always under parental pressure, do not have a say of their own and consider themselves living in a cage, the latter is the product of a broken marriage and doesn't constrain himself to the expectations of the society. He wishes to lead life on his own terms. The trio always have dreamt of settling in Bangalore since their child hood and that becomes possible when Dhivya gets married to Prasad (Rana) and Kutty is placed as a software engineer, who both end up in Bangalore. Ajju has no other choice but to accompany them. What surprises the city has for them and how they discover themselves in the process of unveiling those surprises is what 'Banglore Naatkal' is all about.

(And a Big Hi5 to Anjali Menon for giving us such a story <3 )

What works out? :

The ultimate life saver of the film is undoubtedly the role of RJ Sarah (Parvathy Menon), who reprises her role from the original and has lived up to the sunshine factor of the film. She's just brilliant and adorable. She is followed by Arya, who has reprised Dulquer Salman's role and has done a decent job. Be it his carefree attitude or the chemistry he shares with Parvathy, he has delivered what had been expected of him. Definitely, the ever gorgeous Samantha's role as Grace creates the necessary impact on screen that it's supposed to do in the limited screen-time..

Gopi Sundar is the unsung hero of the film. Be it the songs or the BGM, he carries the film in his shoulders where he reprises his magic from the original version. This movie is Bhaskar's much awaited Tamil-debut and  he has brilliantly handled the film, without creating much damage to the original.

The acceptable ones :

This being one of the meaty roles Sri Dhivya has ever played in her entire career, the only reason why she's here is because of Nazriya. Sri Divya has given her 100%. Yet, her dubbing in some sequences have not been up to the mark. Rana Daggubati's role as Shiva had created huge expectations prior to the release. But yes, he has done a pretty decent job with this.The variations he shows in his character are nice and the chemistry he shares with Sri Divya is also pretty good.

Similarly the role of Saranya Ponvanan is surely gonna tickle your rib and evoke some laughter, but still the performance by the Late Kalpana was epic. Still Saranya has managed to portray the role with grace.

And the disasters :

Unlike the original, this movie fails to impress from the start. It takes time to settle down. The first 20 minutes of the film looks plastic and artificial, especially the Maangalyam song (which was one of the talking points of the original version) was not executed well. The movie takes off after the trio settle down in Bangalore.

 Bobby Simha's potrayal of Kutty was acceptable but his appearence and his stupid wig worked against him. It could've been much better if he was let loose and played his character like how he played it in Soodhu kavvum, as the innocent chap. He really needs to work on shaping his career path though.

Next on the list, Raai Laxmi or Lakshmi Raai (however the name is supposed to be pronounced) doesn't fit the bill at all. She looks like Kutty's sister in a few sequences and looks like his aunt in the remaining. She's just a miscast or maybe a disaster-cast. I would shoot down the casting-director for casting her in the place of Isha Talvar, which is not fair at all.

Prakash raj, (surprisingly) who reprises the role of Prathap Pothen from the original, (God knows why) has overacted in this film ( like miserably). It was shocking to see him spoil the role and the audience did burst out laughing in many of his sequences (to the casting director's credit.. please note the sarcasm :P ).

Finally the crowning disaster can be credited to KV Guhan who has handled the cinematography of the film. It's just a ruthless blunder that he has done. Bangalore days was so classy.. But the remake misses that class, like totally. The best example is when the dog runs up to Faahad as he turns up at Prathap's house in the original, the cinematography would've taken it to a different level, but that 'CLASS' was a big miss in the original. Somehow in Bangalore Naatkal, the breed of the dog changes (a Labrador puppy somehow becomes a Golden Retriever). Yes, we did notice that :P . 

The Verdict :

The reason why Bangalore Days was such a out of the box hit, was because it wasn't just a film. It had some magic to it. And when the movie ended, everyone left the theater with a smile on their face. It brought a good vibe to everyone and THAT was a big miss in this film. Apart from that it is an applaudable attempt from the PVP Banner and Bommarillu Bhaskar who have passed the test, but sadly, not with flying colours.

Let us know which one you preferred- BANGALORE DAYS? or BANGALORE NAATKAL in the comments section below.. (Though we kinda know the answer to it already *wink wink)

DADDY'S HOME - 'Fairly-Funny' for the 1st hour & 'Extremely - Funny' for the remaining time

A guy gets married to a woman with 2 kids and lives happily with them. He is slowly trying to convince his step-kids and make them love him like their own dad, who by himself is a very sweet person, whom no one can hate. As he progresses slowly and is almost at the verge of being victorious, the biological father of the children, who by chance is more muscular and better than their stepdad in every aspect and wants his family back.....!!!

Can there be a more interesting premise for a family comedy-drama, than this one?  Well if you feel so, this is what the latest Will Ferrell-Mark Wahlberg starrer "DADDY's HOME" is all about.

Will Ferrell takes up the role of Brad - the step dad, Linda Cardellini as Sarah - the mother and none other than Mark Wahlberg as Dusty - the real dad, and we have Scarlet and Owen as Megan & Dylan - the kids respectively. Apart from that, the other notable performances include, Hanniball Buress as Griff, the Handyman, who works in completion of the comic relief of the film. Having mentioned all these actors, their performances have been very notable. They have portrayed a family in a realistic and beautiful manner and the friction that Ferrell and Wahlberg carry against each other work well in favour of the film.

The comedy (well that's what the film is all about) has worked very well in favor of the film. Be it the 'Racist' sequence, the 'Bike' sequence, the 'Woodhouse' sequence, the 'Fertility' doctor sequences or the 'NBA Game' sequence- they have all worked out really well. But what nails the "Rib Tickling part" is the last 30 mins of the film and the climax. Especially the part where Mark Wahlberg himself becomes a stepdad as an irony and his competitor (SURPRISE :P), just bursts your lungs due to laughter.

Having said good things, there are a few spoilers as well.. The first 60 mins of the film is kinda dry. Even though the comedy sequences are lined up they just entertain you here and there but fail to entertain you throughout. The chemistry between Ferrell & Wahlberg, considered to be the biggest USP of the film, works against it at times throwing a psychopathic light on Wahlberg. Even though that's what its meant to do, that's not the Wahlberg we've grown up seeing on screen. But having said all this, the last 30 mins takes you on a roller coaster ride and makes the movie an enjoying experience.

Daddy's Home is just an extremely funny movie with a damn interesting premise which could have been narrated better in the 1st half but is matched for in the 2nd half making it a feel good and a memorable movie.

Agree with us...?? Let us know about it in the Comments section 

IRUDHI SUTTRU - Just 'BLOWS' your mind away

IRUDHI SUTTRU is the kind of magic that happens on screen when people who adore cinema like Sashikanth (Y not studios), C.V Kumar (Thirukumaran Entertainment), Rajkumar Hirani, Madhavan, Sudha and Santhosh Narayanan come together for a film..

Sudha Kongara is from Mani Rathnam's school and did earn appreciation for 'DROHI' - a very sleek and under-rated action thriller made 6 years ago, which earned below average collections. With Irudhi Sutru, she is back with a bang. The crux of the story is the journey of a retired boxer - Prabhu (Madhavan), who has fallen prey to the politics of the corrupted boxing association and gets transferred to Chennai (showcased as a good for nothing place, as far as boxing is concerned). Here he comes across  Madhi (Ritika Singh) a local fishmonger who possesses raw boxing talent. Prabhu wishes to achieve his dream of capturing the world championship, through her and he begins to train Madhi. The rest of the story is about how they overcome adversity and win the championship.

Performance wise, Madhavan stands out. He is just flawless. Right from his beefed up appearance to  his attitude, he convinces us that he's a boxer right from the first frame. There's not just a dull moment when he's on screen. He's just nailed it big time..

                            

Ritika Singh, where on earth did they find this girl? She's pretty, emotes well, dances well, syncs her Tamil dialogues perfectly on top of which, she's a real boxer. Is there anything that she cannot do..?? Sudha and Madhavan have struck gold with her and she is destined for bigger laurels. Zakir Hussain and Mumtaz Sorcar end up as the baddies of the film and they do make your blood boil at places, with Radha Ravi too delivering a brilliant performance. Another top act by Nassar and Kaali venkat whose comic performance has worked big time in the movie.

Sivakumar Vijayan who nailed his first film as cinematographer in VIDIYUM MUNN has returned with yet another brilliant job. The camera angles and colour scheme he uses, complement the film well. If it was Bill Conti for the ROCKY , it's SANTHOSH NARAYANAN for IRUDHI SUTTRU. He has just taken the movie to a whole new level. His variety ranging from 'Maaya Visai' to a kuthu song 'Vaa machaney' and to the romantic number 'Ye Sandakaara' proves that he's the future of Tamil cinema.

To sum up, Irudhi Suttru is a passionate attempt from the filmmakers who love giving quality films. Hats off to the producers for financing such a project.

It's one of the best sport-based movies made in Indian cinema.

Let us know how Irudhi Suttru was from your point of view in the comments section below..

ARANMANAI 2 - Less scare show & More skin show

HORROR is the genre that's taking the Kollywood industry by storm in recent times. Almost all horror-genre films that had hit the screens in the last 2 years have raked in profits for their producers. One technically-sound and content-wise film that released during this time, ARANMANAI, was backed by a decent script and had all the potential to turn into a successful horror franchise. Now Sundar.C is back with Aranmanai 2 and lets see if the movie keeps the audience engaged like its predecessor.

First and foremost the biggest point of expectation that worked in favor of the film was none other than TRISHA herself. This is her first experience of starring in a horror movie and that too in a fully loaded glam doll role (well it was indeed a pleasure to watch the Hot n Sizzling Trisha on screen <3 ). Though in the initial scenes she finds it difficult to adapt to the possessed lady role, as the movie proceeds she does get a hold of it. 

Hansika and Siddharth have essayed their respective parts in a neat manner within the limited screen time given to them. The comedy factor in the movie has worked out pretty well. Kovai Sarala and Soori have performed well in their respective roles and add comic relief to the script as expected by them. The bus scene in the 2nd half is sure to tickle your ribs.

Moving to the negatives of the film, the script by itself is not as strong as the 1st part (don't ask me if Aranmanai's script was strong either.. :P) There are many loopholes and citing one is that, there wasn't a solid or concrete reason as to why Trisha was possessed, it just happened abruptly rather without having a connect. Another one would be the flashback portions. Even though it has a novel concept of honor killing,it's just not convincing..!!

The basic design of the ghost ( A funny character designed in black :P) itself doesn't create any fear. Rather, people tend to laugh when the ghost is shown on screen. Equally contributing to the chaos was the unwanted mass scenes for Sundar.C . The last 15 mins of the movie was more intolerant than Aamir Khan's Intolerancy speech. Furthermore the guest appearence of Kushbu in the Amman song was nothing less than a disaster.

Having all this in mind the one good thing about the film is that it doesn't fail to entertain along its 2hr 15 minute journey. It just hits the sweet spot.. Watch it for just entertainment and definitely without any expectations of a horror film .. :P :P 

How well did you enjoy Aranmanai 2 this weekend? Let us also know in the comments section below..

AIRLIFT – Bollywood’s answer to Argo

Movies based on real-life incidents have been trending over the past decade. It is common understanding that the Oscars are reserved mostly for movies following the “Real-Life” theme year after year. Hollywood understood the potential of this theme a long time back and have reaped its benefits hugely over the years. Bollywood is lagging behind, but movies such as Airlift will put faith among Indian Audiences, who yearn for Desi “Real-Life” Movies. 

Airlift is the story of how Ranjith Katyal, a Kuwait-based Indian Businessman, helped more than one lakh fellow Indians to escape the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and back to their home nation. It is to be noted that this rescue operation is the largest till date and the director, Mr.Raja Krishna Menon, has done full justice to the story by coming up with a screenplay that keeps things tight but with a few commercial elements to keep the audience entertained.

Akshay Kumar has delivered an excellent performance as Ranjit Katyal. The Khiladi is known for his action stunts but with the script requiring zero action, he has focussed more on delivering better emotions and has succeeded in giving one of the best performances of his career. Nimrat Kaur had already received critical acclaim with her performance in “The Lunch Box” and as Amrita Katyal, she portrays multiple roles and delivers multiple emotions as a mother who worries for the safety of her child and as a wife who defends her husband’s honour at question. Both Akshay and Nimrat are well supported by the rest of the cast. Purab Kohli as Ibrahim Durrani gives his best as a person who tries to aid any and all in distress. Inamullhaq as Major Khalaf Bin Zayd of the Iraqi Army is good but his dialogues are a bit difficult to understand, owing to his Iraqi style of speech.

Cinematography should be given special mention, with multiple shots being canned well by Priya Seth. Scenes of the Iraqi army raiding Kuwait City, the aftermath of the raids and the escape of Indians to Jordan aren’t exactly originally thought but have been shot well. Most of the shots are tightly held to show the emotions of the people and the thoughts that are going on in their minds. Comedy elements in the movie have fell flat mostly.

Airlift is a movie that overflows with emotions. The way that Ranjit Katyal moves from being a self and family-serving person to someone who saves his fellow compatriots from danger brings in the Messiah element in the movie. The portrayal of the Ministry of External Affairs being incompetent and showing a lack of interest in helping its own people stuck in foreign nations, shows us how well things have changed in recent times. Watch this movie for Akshay’s performance, solid cinematography by Priya Seth and the good story-telling style of Raja Krishna Menon.

So how did u enjoy Airlift.. Let us know at the comments section below.. 

The 'REAL' Winner of the Pongal Race - 2016

BOX OFFICE COLLECTION is a new fancy term and has been the media's favourite child for quite sometime. Be it fan-fights or be it a teeny-tiny argument about a movie, it ends up adding to the box office collection. But is it the box office collection that really determines whether a movie is good??? Do we remember movies like IRUVAR, ANBESIVAM, PUDHUPETTAI etc. based on their box office collections ? or do we remember them due to their remarkable content?? 

For all those people who consider CONTENT - As the king, This review is for you people... 

2016 has been a very special year for Tamil cinema as it has already seen the release of around 10 films, and Pongal ( being a major release time for the industry ) was even more special as the festival saw a clash of the industry's giants: Bala Vs Pandiraj Vs Ponram Vs Thirukumaran ( with their second film)..it was a good clash though.. 

And eventually the media has cited RAJINI MURUGAN to be the clear winner of the box office race. But, is that it?? Is that what movies are all about..?? Concentrated yet bland masala ? 

So, we at Reel Magnet Reviews, have set up a countdown on who exactly the REAL winner of the Pongal race is... Based on the content, story telling, technicality and innovation, we have come up with a list... a list for all the content junkies...

AT #4 spot we have RAJINI MURUGAN : 

What was expected to be a comic roller coaster turned out to be an average flick and the only reason it rose up to 'Average' from 'Poor/Flop' was the 2nd half which brought some meaning to the movie unlike its pointless 1st half.. Keerthy Suresh's performance was praised and lauded by the masses which actually turned out to be a notable film this far in her career. Even though this has all the elements it needs to become a blockbuster, it has nothing new or innovative to offer to the audience.

PROS : Sivakarthikeyan, Samuthirakani, 2nd Half

CONS : Pointless 1st half, VVS Climax twist ( Lame one too :P )

Box office : 20 Crores (Approx.) - as on 20/01/16

AT #3 spot we have KATHAKALI :

From the promos, we understood that this movie was in the lines of PANDIYANAADU. But if you ask whether the movie has lived up to that expectation, we just have to say that it falls quite short. The movie which has a run time of just 120 mins seems a little draggy and takes its own time to settle down. The movie relies heavily on the last 15 mins and the twist in the climax which has been handled intelligently by the director.. It's certainly not the best from Pandiraj and Vishal, yet passes with flying colours. 

PROS : Climax Twist, Cinematography, Colour Tone, Catherine Tresa :P :P 

CONS : BGM, Draggy Screenplay

Box Office : 5-8 Crores (Approx.) - as on 20/01/16

AT #2 spot we have GETHU : 

Forgetting the fact that Udhayanidhi and Vikranth form the protagonist - antagonist pair of the film, you come to realize that the movie is executed pretty well. The critics and the media have been slamming the film about the screenplay but there is a very small knot of the screenplay which plays a brilliant significance in the movie. Hats off to Udhayanidhi for breaking his stereotypical image and we are glad to see that he has excelled in action sequences, especially the pre-interval block. The on-screen chemistry between Udhayanidhi and Sathyaraj is too good. DOP Sukumar has carried this movie on his shoulders and visualized sequences like Hollywood movies.. VERA LEVEL.. :D

PROS : Sukumar's cinematography, BGM, Screenplay, Runtime, Sathyaraj

CONS : Songs, Budget constraints

BOX OFFICE : 2 Crores (Approx.) - as on 20/01/16

Undoubtedly The #1 spot goes to THAARAI THAPPATTAI : 

This priceless gem of a movie was terribly criticized for various reasons such as gore, dark content etc. But if you take a moment of silence and analyse, you realize that Bala has just showcased the life of people whom we forget to turn and take a look at. Brilliant movie.. Just Brilliant.. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar has given her career's best performance in her very second film. Be it the intensely fierce scenes or the scenes in which she emotes, she's done a fabulous job and the wedding sequence is a perfect example to justify the above made statement. As the movie proceeds, we get a feeling that Sasikumar has been under-utilized, but this is soon wiped away by a massy portion in the climax where he rules the screen, thanks to Raja sir's music. Overall the movie has been packed with dark elements prevalent in our very own society.

PROS : Content, Varalaxmi, Vision, Execution

CONS : Chezhiyan's cinematography and Raja sir's music (Doesn't really live up to the name of the 1000th film but the 1st song and the song featuring GM Kumar did do justice)

Note :

To all those who are shocked hearing 'Thaarai Thappatai' as the winner of the Pongal race : 

"Do remember the name REEL MAGNET REVIEWS when u keep continuously hearing the name "Thaarai Thappatai" in the next year's award ceremonies... I bet you will...!!"

Do leave us your feedback in the comments below and do share if you liked this post.. :) 

The Most Underrated Tamil Movies - 2015

The success of  a movie is not only dependent on the story or the way it is directed, but also on various other factors like the time of its release, the money spent on its marketing, competitors etc.

In an industry where more than 200 Tamil films release every year, there are approximately only 50 of them, which reap the profits they deserve. 

Many times, there are genuine movies which fall prey to the INDUSTRIAL CHAOS.

Underrated movies are very common as far as Hollywood is concerned. There are people who search for such underrated movies and there is a huge  fan base following them.

But as far as Tamil movies are concerned not much attention is given to these movies with the exception of a few like HEY RAM, ANBE SIVAM, and many other KAMAL SIR movies.

We, the team of REEL-MAGNET Reviews has decided to start our blog by putting together this list of underdog movies which you might have missed watching in the theaters but are definitely not to be missed.

So here are the Top 10 UNDERRATED Tamil Movies of the year 2015.. 

10) MOONE MOONU VAARTHAI (IMDB 6/10)

This family comic caper has a decent story line- A guy who runs an agency to convey bad news and the adventures he faces due to it. The story revolves around his love life and the relationship he has with his grandparents (beautifully portrayed by SPB and LAKSHMI). All these elements and a guest role by K. BHAGYARAJ sir has made it a fun film to watch, but unfortunately didn't make an impact in the cash registers. 

9) INDIA PAKISTAN : (IMDB 5.7/10)

After Vijay Antony's back to back success with NAAN and SALIM (its sequel), India Pakistan was released amidst huge expectations and it proved to be a comic-roller coaster ride which heavily relied upon PASUPATHY and MS BHASKAR with their comic timing. Everything other than Vijay Antony's dancing and acting was good in this film.. :P :P :D :D

Including Mano Bala's folkish mission impossible entry.. :P :P  :D :D 

8) IVANUKKU THANNILA GANDAM  (IMDB 5.4/10) 

This movie marked the debut of TV anchor DEEPAK's on-screen debut as a hero. The movie was touted to be fun ride, which relied heavily on the growing comic-image of MOTTAI RAJENDRAN and this movie did break-even business at box-office too.

7) THAAKA THAAKA :  (IMDB 5.5/10)

 

This movie did have the potential of becoming the next big thing in Kollywood on the lines of POLLADHAVAN, NAAN MAHAAN ALLA, & PANDIYANAADU, with its dark, intense and realistic action genre. The only mistake on the part of the movie was releasing it along with the biggest blockbuster of the year THANI ORUVAN.

6) ISAI : (IMDB 6.4/10)

This film marked the comeback of SJ Suryah to direction after almost a decade. This psychological thriller plot can be simplified to a simple statement- the clash between two music directors. The 3 hour journey was mostly depressing, leaving the audience astonished with a brilliant 5 minute climax. Simply wow. Isnt that what a Psych-thriller supposed to do..??? 

5) PAAYUM PULI : (IMDB 5.5/10)

When you end up making commercial compromises for a film with an awesome plot, the result is that which happened to Paayum Puli. The portions involving SAMUTHIRAKANI (the antagonist) and his cop brother VISHAL (the protagonist) , grabbed all the spotlight in the story. The climax fight and its picturization took the film to a different level.

4) 49-0 : (IMDB 6.9/10) 

This movie marked the return of COMEDY KING GOUNDAMANI to mainstream cinema after a long time. The movie was rich in content and had Goundamani conveyed all the important messages in his own style. Despite having a good premise, the movie just did average business. 

3) TAMIZHUKKU EN ONDRAI AZHUTHAVUM : (IMDB 6.9/10)

This is one of the very few science based movies that made an impact in Kollywood. The movie had all the elements required to become a blockbuster, but ended doing above average business, still was critics' favourite child. 

2) VELLAIYA IRUKURAVAN POI SOLLAMATTAAN : (IMDB 7.4/10) 

This movie was a surprise at the end of the year. An out and out laughter-riot with decent performances by everyone, the movie dealt with the protagonist needing money for the expenses for his father's medical treatment. He ends up blackmailing his ex and the blackmail chain leads him to PERIYAVAR, the most powerful don of South India. The solution to this chaos forms the crux of the story. Except for ADUKALAM NAREN's make up, the rest of the movie's elements can be lauded.

1) RAJATHANDHIRAM : (IMDB 7.6/10)

Rajanthandhiram has all the qualities of being crowned "THE OCEAN of KOLLYWOOD". This movie went on to receive high critical acclaim and was a sleeper hit with flawless performances from VEERA and REGINA, rib-tickling comedy from DARUBUGA SIVA and the best from almost everyone in the cast. Rather than ending up as a break-even for the producers, this movie could have been the biggest blockbuster of the year, if a reasonable amount of money had been spent on marketing the film. 

SPECIAL MENTIONS :

Even acclaimed actors of the industry tried experimenting different genres rather than focussing on commercial masala movies. Two such movies were MASS and PULI. 

                                       

Both these movies had an equal share of pros and cons and contributed to the new experiments in Kollywood. Both MASS (supernatural elements) and PULI (fantasy adventure) relied highly on computer graphics. 

And not to forget the other two critically claimed movies which took the industry by storm, proving that CONTENT is always THE KING-  Kirumi and Kuttram Kadithal, both enjoyed critical acclaim and did decent business having their budgets in mind. 

                                     

Hope you enjoy these movies like we did.