Amen - Imprrressive Stuff!

Theatre: Gopalan Grand Mall, Bangalore
Show: 23-Mar-2013, 6:45 PM
Status: Around 90%

Does your head explode when someone mentions flatulence? Are you the elusive fairy who does not poop? If your answer to either or both the questions is yes, then its probably good for you to stay away from Amen. Sick of seeing an awesome movie get stick for a few harmless jokes. May be one joke too far, but if that sticks out in your head after 2:30 hours of sheer art, then I guess you should not be watching it in the first place.

Lijo has sculpted a beauty and he has raised his game several notches up from City of God, one of the best films in 2011. Though the film is thoroughly rooted in fantasy, you just feel that a such a village exist somewhere in the backwaters of Kerala. Characters never feel wooden with their own little quirks and agendas. Lijo has simply transformed the written script into a living and breathing entity. Pure magic. He has had ample support from the cameraman and art director. All three on top of their game and perfectly complimenting each other. I have never felt such a sync between the three since Thenmavin Kombathu.

Abinandhan Ramanujam has stormed his way into the top echelons of camera men with just one film. In a crowded space filled with superlative talent, he has made his indelible mark. Jaw dropping would be the word to use. To be honest, Amen would be the best work to showcase the beauty of Kuttanadu to the outside world. He has been adept not just in capturing the landscape, but the people as well.

Art director Bava deserves an applause for a terrific job. Props look perfect for the mood of the film and the setting feels authentic. I believe that the church is a set and hats off to him for giving a mystic feel to the church. The downside might be the relatively new drums, but since I am a stranger to drum technology, cannot comment more on that.

Screenplay and dialogues by P.S.Rafique is upto the mark most of the time. However, a tighter screenplay would have bolstered the film a little bit more. The story is something we have heard over the years in several avatars, but the treatment is fresh and unique. Amen reiterates the fact that a film is not dependent on the story, but the screenplay, treatment, and direction.

Fahad is impressive as Solomon. Yet another Solomon who would be remembered by Malayalam movie lovers. Indrajith did well as Vincent Vattoli, but I felt the character had a little more space for development. Swathy as Shoshanna was good barring minor lipsync issues. Aside from the main characters, the life of Amen resides with the supporting cast. Awesome work from Joy Mathew, Sunil Sukhada, Nandu, Makarand Deshpande, Rachana, Lijo regulars et all. The list is practically endless.

Music and BGM felt apt for the subject. Another good work Prashant Pillai. The romance track and the finale competition song stands out.

Amen is a one of a kind occurrence. Relish the film for such magic is seldom seen and never created.

TL;DR: Amen is an awesome experience. Go and watch unless you yearn for the regular, recycled schtick in Malayalam cinema.

Rating: Excellent

Bachelor Party - All about boys and their toys

Theatre - Anjali, Trivandrum
Show - 6:00 PM, 16-Jun-2012
Status - Houseful


Booze. Babes. Buddies. And a lot of Guns. Probably the only toy missing is a bike.

Lot of negative reviews for the film. After reading a few of those, I got a hint regarding the climax. As I had expected, I didn't feel too bad about it at all. Bachelor Party is my favourite Amal movie since Big B, possibly eclipsing Big B as well.

Movie starts of in a typical 5 boys growing up into 5 good friends routine with a childhood visual thrown in for good measure. An enjoyable title card later (the song visuals I had hated before became really good after adding the cards), we are thrust into the midst of a crisis. The rest of the film follows up on how they tackle the crisis.

Amal Neerad has improved as a director. No more gimmicky shots which halt the follow of the film like Anwar. Really good use of slomo and fast motion in drinking scenes. Film is technically far ahead of other films. The typical Amal Neerad look and feel is intact in Bachelor Party. Bachelor Party gives a comic book vibe(not your Balarama, more like Sin City) which is rather unseen in our industry. Camera is excellent and superb editing adds to the film. Gunplay is as usual top notch. Moments I loved the most: The five of them drinking with Vinayakan's paambu dance, Prithviraj's stunt scene in pre-climax, Gunplay in climax. No matter what the criticism is, Amal has done a good job.

For those who saying the film lacks a story and a script should look closely at other films as well. When Ranjith does a film, people come up and say that story is very simple. I found more story in BP than in Spirit to be honest. Spirit had a lot more scope in development and could make the viewer think due to the genre. Bachelor Party for its genre has enough story and a decent screenplay. The writing really shines in dialogues. Some excellent one-liners. Good job by Unni.R and Santhosh Echikaanam. They could have produced a better screenplay which would have been universally liked with a likeable climax. Currently, the climax is over the top and does not appeal to the majority.

Indran and Rahman stole the show in my opinion. Fantastic chemistry between the two. Rahman looked absolutely stunning in the climax with a cigarette in his mouth and gun in hand. Asif Ali was good. He had an ease in his acting which I never felt before. Still cannot carry a film though. Mani and Vinayakan were good, but Vinayakan had very little space. Both villains were good. Ramya Nambeesan and Padmapriya were reduced to item dances, both of which I found to be feasts to the eyes. Prithviraj had a decent cameo with a brilliant fight scene. Nithya had little to do and was decent in her role.

Music was good. I liked all the songs when I heard in the theatre. Very good visualisation by Amal. Editing is top notch and BGM is excellent. Art is usual Amal Neerad stuff which still looks fresh.

TL;DR: Bachelor Party is a fun ride till it reaches a controversial climax.

Rating: Good.

Ee Adutha Kaalathu - Excellent stuff!

Theatre: Innovative, Bangalore
Show: 19-03-2012, 4:45 PM
Status: Houseful


A great script enhanced by good direction spiked with good performances. This is EAK in simple terms. The only issue I saw was in the first half. The pacing is off and once in a while you reach for your watch. A better beginning could have cranked up the viewers interest by a few notches and made for a more complete experience.

Murali Gopi deserves the meat of all appreciation. A good script which gets more and more interesting with the passage of time and ends on a note that the viewer hopes and prays for. Rubik's cube features in the film from start to end. According to his interview, the screenplay is paced in a way someone solves the Rubik's cube. Slow at start and frenetic towards the end. Looks good on paper, but the execution on screen was a teeny bit short.

Glad to see that the lesser known parts of Trivandrum are on view in the film. The small agrahaarams, housing colonies filled with lonely elders. More so happy to see a new gen film away from Kochi.

Arun Kumar Aravind drew a lot of flak for his straight lift Cocktail. He can proudly display EAK to whoever calls him out for Cocktail. EAK is original as far as I know. Though EAK gives a little feel of Lock, Stock and Burn After Reading, there is nothing lifted in here. As a director, I would say he has done a neat job. The pacing should have been better in the first half, but the second half was excellent. His editing skills complemented very well towards the climax and provided the much needed frenzy on the screen. A job well done indeed.

BGM was exceptional, but sadly lifted as we all now. Cinematography was good, but a better visual sense or colour tone could have taken the movie to a whole different level altogether.

Indrajith steals the show as Vettu Vishnu. Excellent performance. Trivandrum slang portrayed at its best. Tanusree Ghosh was very good. Even with the dubbing issues, her performance stands out. Murali Gopi was convincing in a role that could have been a goner had it been someone else. Even with all the antics, the character manages to feel real. Mythili was alright, but could have been better. Nishaan was good and apt for the role. Probably the first time I guess! Anoop Menon was good but very short. I would have preferred to see more of his gaffes in the first half instead of trudging through a lot of meaningless stuff. Lena had a somewhat lengthy role and she played the part very well. Jagathy had a short but effective role as well. The casting has been perfect with all the leads and supporting characters who suit the characters to the sock.

This is a film which carries forward the torch that Traffic (and Passenger to an extent) lighted last year. Anybody should be able to enjoy the film, provided you are averse to a few swear words (muted and beeped for posterity!) or a masala/goodie-goodie free experience.

TL;DR: EAK is an entertaining new-gen film with a fresh screenplay, taut direction and very good performances.

Rating: Very good

City of God - Gritty and Daring

Cross-posting FK review. For further analysis and comments go to the FK.

Theatre: Rex, Bangalore
Show: 9:55 PM, April 30, 2011
Status: 20(+unknown in 1st class)

I liked Lijo's previous movie Nayakan as a fresh attempt. Even though the movie had several "inspirations" and deeply flawed, it showed the glimpses of a promising young director. I had expectations from City of God, and Lijo delivered. City of God is a true Director's movie. Refreshing to see the actors rather than the stars.

The story revolves around 2 separate sets of people at different spectra of the society. The narrative is non-linear, but the non-linearity can throw off the audience at the start of the movie. Have patience, watch on without judgement and you will get into the mood.

The movie could have benefited from a better screenplay. Screenplay is decent to good, but better writing could have elevated a lot of issues like pacing, the need of incisive dialogues, and black humour would have been effective. Lijo as a Director deserves kudos for doing a brilliant job. Continuity is of prime importance in a multi-narrative and I couldn't pick out any issues. Camera movements may look jolted, but it provides the gritty feel this movie requires. Lighting is brilliant and the effort is evident from the numerous night shots. By far, one of the best cinematography in recent times.

All the actors have done a great job. Indrajith was perfect as the Tamil migrant and Prithviraj was apt as the thug. I guess Om Prakash (Muthoot case) was the inspiration for Prithvi's character and he fits really well. Contrary to popular opinion, I though Rima was a good fit. She played a character, who simply goes through the motions and is defeated by fate. Too much emoting would have hampered the character. The guy who played the rich business man was also good.

The biggest letdown for me was the Tamil song. Crass cacophony to the ears! The other two songs were decent and fits the mood.

Its really hard to see such a movie fail. You can feel the amount of effort put into the movie by the writer and the director. The passion that elevates the film altogether. At the end of the day, you have to applaud the sheer audacity to do such a movie when only the nonsense prevails.

If you do not watch City of God, you should be ashamed when you start to bitch about the lack of innovation in Malayalam cinema.

TL;DR: City of God is a gritty take on the often hidden face of a city complemented by brilliant direction and an excellent cast.

Rating: Excellent!