srinivastarun Reviews

C/o Kancharapalem (2018)

Watch it ASAP

[9/10 · 8 September 2018]

After so much "fantastic", "classic" reviews from premier shows, I went in expecting that I would be a victim of this "big small film" hype. But what I actually saw isn't something I expected to see in Telugu cinema, not in atleast 10 years. What a realistic take on cinema !!! What a realistic take on Love !!! No candy floss, no words dripping with melting cheese...Just pure LOVE ! The way we actually love people around us, the way we respond to the situations our loved ones face. There isn't any hard hitting sequence with makes the love blossom in each other instantly. It's shown like it happens in real life, gradually.

The camera moves through the cluttered streets of Kancharapalem showing us lives not acting. The actors, even though most of them are locals of the original Kancharapalem have done an outstanding job. Made on a shoe string budget, the movie is excellently backed by technical support. The sync sound used in this movie is one of the best I've even experienced. Sweekar Agasthi's original score stayed with me till the end. Take a bow Venkatesh Maha and Praveena Paruchuri.

Do yourselves a favor...Go watch it ASAP.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Entertaining and....That's all about it

[7/10 · 13 July 2018]

Go there expecting a revelation and you will be disappointed. If I remember the trailer when it was released, it promised a fun filled summer entertainer. And that's what it has managed to do. The plot is utterly predictable and most of the plot points just go over the head. Still we however get a gist of what they are up to after all that "quantum" stuff. The humor is very neat though. Quirky and juicy moments of laughter fuel the movie till end. Speaking of the ending....



I'm not feeling good Mr Reader.....

MCA Middle Class Abbayi (2017)

Middle class execution !

[5/10 · 21 December 2017]

Nani has had a good nose for selecting scripts which enhance his abilities to perform and entertain the audiences. But with "MCA", he has tried to enter a tried and tested commercial format which partly entertains and mostly disappoints especially in the second half.

The movie is about a youngster who is forced to live with his brother's wife and in turn turns her protector from the evil forces. As routine the plot sounds, so is the execution. But Nani manages to entertain the audiences in the first half of the film with his trademark comedy timing.

The first half has it's moments with a cute love story between both the leads and scenes between Nani and Bhoomika which provide required comic relief. But when the movie takes an action turn after the interval bang which has been shot reasonably well, the movie loses steam and begins to falter big time in the second half. Plenty of entertainment could've been fleshed from the cat and mouse game between the hero and villain but the director didn't take much time to establish hero's "heroism" which completely weakens his opponent and thus makes us turn a blind eye towards him. Last 20 mins of the movie had some good twists and sequences which were not capitalized well. The characterization of the villain might have sounded good on paper but turned lackluster on screen. Debutante Vijay was mediocre as the villain. Bhoomika did a fairly good job as a strict government officer. Sai Pallavi did not get much to contribute to the main storyline but still managed to entertain in the screen space she got.

Sameer Reddy has beautifully showcased the city of Warangal and it's surroundings with his camera. DSP's music was barely average. Director Venu Sri Ram has stuck to his title so much that he gave a "middle class" half-baked product. Production values of Sri Venkateswara Creations are OK.

Overall, watch it once for the comedy, Nani's screen presence and a few action sequences.

Sanam Teri Kasam (2016)

Old School Romance - Hmmm.....Interesting

[7/10 · 16 April 2016]

First of all....kudos to Himesh Reshammiya for his outstanding music which is the backbone of this emotional drama Coming to the review.....We see a heroine Saraswati aka Saru(Mawra shines in her role .....come on B'wood give her another movie for God's sake) from a typical south Indian family - strict and disciplinary father, a helpless mother and a younger sister awaiting her elder one's marriage so that she can have hers' at the earliest.

In comes Inder(Harshawardan Rane) as the neighbour of Saru and then things turn ugly for Saru bringing both the leads closer.

Harsha gives a controlled performance as a tattooed youngster. Mawra was an unexpected surprise. She lighted the screen when the movie was on the verge of becoming duller.The makers took an old beaten to death plot and presented it well but the proceedings could have been much faster. As said earlier, Himesh's magic kept me hooked to the screen and the songs were blended well with the plot.

Overall, this is an emotional movie which will go well with intense movie lovers WATCH AND ENJOY

Maya (V) (2015)

Rare horror movie.....MUST WATCH

[8/10 · 3 October 2015]

first of all.......two people deserve a very special mention..... the DIRECTOR and the MUSIC COMPOSER. Even though they are newbies, they have done a very professional job.

Saying any detail about the story may rip the movie off its suspense quotient but putting it simply in words, it's about a woman who dares to take an challenge upon her only to know that she alone wasn't a part in it but also a supernatural force which is on a quest for something.

The movie starts off with a decent pace, initially stumbles down and recovers well only to find the audience super thrilled with the proceedings going on. The audience won't even notice that the interval card's come up leaving them wanting for more and eventually the later half doesn't disappoint about which I don't wish to reveal.

The movie has no star cast apart from Nayanathara who looks gorgeous as ever. She shouldered the character of Apsara(Mayuri in Telugu) and made it past the finish line gracefully. Aari, Amzath Khan, Robo Shankar and the rest have complimented the content of the movie very well.

The director was superbly successful in co- ordinating all the units together to produce a near-perfect output. He didn't waste time in providing cheap thrills in the name of horror. The editor must be appreciated for providing some really good cuts essential to keep the horror factor up especially in an unconventional thriller like maya. Minor glitches which i force myself not to point out were well covered by the technical team to make sure the audience come out with a terrific experience with a tint of emotion. Sound editing and visual effects deserve applause too. The BGM reverberates in the minds of audience keeping the horror element alive.

Overall Maya is a movie I would recommend to true movie lovers and especially it's a feast for horror movie lovers who've been waiting for something really thrilling and spooky on the Tamil screens rather than the usual horror-comedies which are more targetted at the BO for raking in the moolah.

Kaththi (2014)

Kaththi is edutainment.....entertainment+education

[8/10 · 25 January 2015]

After recent failures, Vijay finds success again through Kaththi.Directed by A.R.Muragadoss who earlier directed Vijay in Thuppakki, he again emerges victorious in making a movie which is both critically and commercially alright. The movie showcases the plight of farmers and the problems they face during farming.Coming to the story, Kathiresan(Vijay) is a criminal who escapes from Kolkata jail and goes to chennai. He spots Jeevanandham(Vijay again!!!!) being shot by a group of goons. He decides to trap Jeeva and get him caught by the Kolkata police to escape imprisonment and lands in the place of Jeeva. Meanwhile he learns that Jeeva is the in-charge of a old age home where he is fighting a case against a multi national company headed by Chirag(Neil Nitin Mukesh shines....).He soon realises the gravity of the situation and also finds that Chiraag is also trying to kill the old age home inmates and Jeeva. He then decides to fight the case in the place of Jeevanandham.

Vijay has shown remarkable development in acting. His characterizations were handled well by Murugadoss.Samantha plays the usual heroine role and she does her part well.Satish and the other character artists provide ample support.

From the word go, Murugadoss rocks the screen with well written scenes and dialouges and especially the climax where Vijay explains the plight of farming and the occupation of farmlands by MNC's illegally were well executed. Anirudh nails the BGM right from the start and even entertains Vijay fans with a mass number. George.C.Williams's cinematography is exceptional.

The coin fight scene is a really good idea but gets repetitive at the end.Also the transformation scene of Kathiresan is not so believable and could have been handled better.I don't know why leading ladies are selected if they aren't offered any important role in the movie.Truly speaking ,romance doesn't find a place in this gripping saga.

Finally Kaththi is a action thriller which highlights the difficulties of farming and illegal activities of MNC.It is a touching tribute to the farmers of this country.It truly deserves a watch.