Sunday 30 June 2013

Magadheera, Eega Director SS Rajamouli goes Digital for his next 'Baahubali'




Format wars, Film vs Digital, even though not even a topic of discussion here in India, its a hot topic back in Hollywood. Many claims the death of 'film' is Imminent. Even documentaries has been made on the topic with views of world's top directors. Christopher Nolan is one the prominent supporter of film format [He hates 3D too, prefers Imax instead]. According to him
“For the last 10 years, I’ve felt increasing pressure to stop shooting film and start shooting video, but I’ve never understood why. It’s cheaper to work on film, it’s far better looking, it’s the technology that’s been known and understood for a hundred years, and it’s extremely reliable. I think, truthfully, it boils down to the economic interest of manufacturers and [a production] industry that makes more money through change rather than through maintaining the status quo. We save a lot of money shooting on film and projecting film and not doing digital intermediates. In fact, I’ve never done a digital intermediate. Photochemically, you can time film with a good timer in three or four passes, which takes about 12 to 14 hours as opposed to seven or eight weeks in a DI suite. That’s the way everyone was doing it 10 years ago, and I’ve just carried on making films in the way that works best and waiting until there’s a good reason to change. But I haven’t seen that reason yet.”

 The director with 100%, not just hit but blokbuster, record SS Rajamouli, regarded as Indian Nolan was also a supporter of Film format till recently. All his films were shot entirely [except bits & pieces] in the 'pure' format even though most others migrated to digital. Now for his latest project 'Baahubali' he has opted Digital for filming, making his entry into the format of the future. SSR clarified few things via twitter

Lots of rumours regarding being shot on IMAX cameras. No. We are not!!! We are using arri alexa XT. using digital cameras for the first time. Though shot in Tamil and telugu will release in Hindi and Malayalam too. Also in other foreign languages. The first schedule will be shot for a week, in different outdoor locations in and around Hyderabad.. Imax is very expensive.There are only 6 IMAX cameras that are manufactured and heavy competition for their booking..I shot very few shots with digital cameras in eega. But yes, will be my first fully digitally shot film. Nothing to do with Vfx. The latest digital cameras are better than conventional film cameras in many aspects. Am not a fan of 3D technology. It is cumbersome & restrictive to shoot with the rig. Very few theatres. All these factors deter me from 3D



Shooting of 'Baahubali'' has already commenced, the reported budget of the film is 100crores. The film will star Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, Rana Dagubbati etc.Eventhough the plot has been kept under tight wraps Reportedly Baahubali is a war movie in the likes of '300' in which Prabhas will be playing the role of Rajput King Prithviraj Chauhan, Anushka playing his love interes Sanyogita . The film is set in the time period 1000 AD. The film will be releasing sometime late next year.

Saturday 29 June 2013

Despicable Me 2 - Exclusive 'Minions' poster set !!




















'Lucifer' - Mohanlal, Rajesh Pillai, Murali Gopy Project - Exclusive Details !!




The much awaited Malayalam project 'Lucifer' has been officially flagged off, according to Script writer Murali Gopi. The film will star Superstar Mohanlal and will be directed by 'Traffic' fame Rajesh Pillai. The film is beleived to be a thriller. Shooting might be beginning early next year aiming a Vishu 2014 release. More details are awaited.




Murali Gopy
The first look poster of 'LUCIFER' (2014) will be launched in a couple of weeks' time; please watch this space for the same. Content-wise and milieu-wise, we are expecting this movie to be totally different from 'EAK', 'LRL' and 'TRAFFIC'. Mohanlalism, for sure..!

Friday 28 June 2013

GHANCHAKKAR : Exclusive Movie Review




 GHANCHAKKAR : Exclusive Movie Review 


Direction by Rajkumar Gupta  
Screenplay by Rajkumar Gupta & Parvez Sheikh
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala & Siddharth Roy Kapur 
Music by Amit Trivedi 





Stars : Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Rajesh Sharma & Namit Das 

Movie Review by Sree Prasad Nair 

Theater – Grand Al Mariah, Abu Dhabi, UAE 27/06/2013 – 11pm Occupancy – 60 % 


Director Rajkumar Gupta is known for his critically acclaimed movies Aamir & No One Killed Jessica, Both films were decent success at box office. Ghanchakkar is his third film as director. Ghanchakkar stars The Hit 'Dirty Picture' Pair Emraan Hashmi & Vidya Balan with Rajesh Sharma & Namit Das. The release of Ghanchakkar is crucial for both Emraan & Vidya. Emraan's previous two films, Rush & Ek Thi Daayan were non performers at the box office. And for Vidya, Ghanchakkar is her first film (as lead actress) after her marriage. Her last film, Kahaani was released 15 months back.

Ghanchakkar is the story of Sanju (Emraan Hashmi), a suave, master safe cracker wants to retire from a career in crime. So he decides to team up with two dangerous criminals Pandit (Rajesh Sharma) & Idris (Namit Das) to commit one last heist, A bank robbery! A bank robbery will ensure that Sanju never has to worry about money again in his life. The robbery is successful and everything goes according to their plan. Sanju is given the task of hiding the money till things cool down. Three months later, Pandit & Idris return to collect their share of the money, but Sanju refuses to even recognize them! They realize Sanju got into an accident and is suffering from strong amnesia and decide to stay with Sanju and his wife Neetu (Vidya Balan) until Sanju remembers where he hid the money? What dangerous game is Sanju playing? Where is their money? 

Positives
Ghanchakkar is a brilliantly made film! Be it direction, story or performance, Ghanchakkar is a
terrific film that will entertain you for sure. Screenplay by Rajkumar Gupta & Parvez Parvez Sheikh are top class. You can't even find a single dull moment in those 2hour 10 minutes! Rajkumar Gupta's earlier films Aamir & No One Killed Jessica were serious films. But Ghanchakkar is a well made comedy thriller with humour as film's USP! Full credit to Rajkumar Gupta! 

Emraan Hashmi as Sanju is outstanding. It's not a tailor made role for Emraan Hashmi. But Emraan responded brilliantly with his powerful performance. Easily can be described as Emraan's best performance after Shanghai. It's a new Emraan that you witness here, especially on those angry & frustration scenes. Surely a nominaton for 2013's best actor at bollywood awards. 

Vidya Balan is in terrific form, eventhough her role is not as great compared to her roles in her previous films like Kahaani, Dirty Picture & Ishqiya. However she succeeds in providing enough entertainment with her repeated slang 'Haaaa-eeeeeee' after every dialogues. Her Punjaabi dialogue is superb, "Aina di aj main Bund maar deni hai " 

Of the supporting cast by Raajesh Sharma & Namit Das, it's indeed difficult to say who'd walk away with ceetees and taalis. Both are first rate and versatile actors. The film relies heavily on this duo, and they performed really well. Namit Das's repeated dialogue ' Yeh hamko ***** bana raha hai aur hum log ***** ban rahe hai' scenes are well executed. 

Music & Background score by Amit Trivedi is good. Allah Meherbaan & Ghanchakkar Babu are already popular. Cinematography by Setu is fine and editing by Aarti Bajaj is smartly done. 

Negatives
The second half dragged little bit. Many foul words are used in this film, including one by Vidya Bala. Vidya was always slammed for her poor sense of dressing in the past and her unfashionable past is back again to haunt her thanks to a horrible dressing in Ghanchakkar. Kitni Moti Hogayi Hai Yaar???
Overall Ghanchakkar is another winner for bollywood, A Complete Paisa Wasool Film! Great Script, Fantastic Humour, Excellent Acting by lead stars! The film is all set to have a good opening at the box office thanks to UTV's brilliant promotion. Business at multiplexes will be very good and will be average at single screens. An opening day of 7cr-9cr with a weekend of 26cr-28cr is a safe bet for the film. Another profitable venture for UTV! 

P.S- It's been raining hits in bollywood these days . Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Fukrey, Raanjhanaa and now Ghanchakkar!!! 

Verdict - FUNCHAKKAR HAI GHANCHAKKAR 


Movie Review by Sree Prasad Nair Twitter.com/i_SPN

Thursday 27 June 2013

Krrish 3 - Exclusive Movie Preview / Synopsis

SYNOPSIS

    After defeating the villainous Dr. Siddhant Arya, and bringing his father Rohit back from the dead, Krrish continued fighting against evil and saving innocent lives.Now Krishna is living a happily married life with Priya, while Rohit is using his scientific brilliance to benefit society. And Krrish is everyone’s favorite superhero saviour.Unknown to them, a dark force is growing in another part of the world. Kaal, an evil genius, is selfishly misusing his powers to spread fear, death and destruction. And he is being assisted by an army of very dangerous beings, which he has created himself.Not long after Kaal’s plans are put into action, both Rohit and Krrish find themselves faced with a crisis of epic proportions, which only they can resolve, together. But when they finally cross paths with Kaal and his army, neither of them is prepared for what lies ahead.Kaal not only brings the world to the brink of disaster, he also puts the strength and love of Krishna and his family to the test.And Krrish has to somehow find the power within to face an unbeatable foe.The greatest battle between good and evil begins….This Diwali, in cinemas only.
Movie Releasing on November 4th, 2013








Motion Poster


 



Chennai Express - Audio Tracks List

Chennai Express - Audio Tracks List




Directed by     Rohit Shetty
Produced by     Gauri Khan
Screenplay by     Yunus Sajawal
Story by     K. Subaash
Music by     Vishal–Shekhar
Cinematography     Dudley
Editing by     Steven H. Bernard
Studio     Red Chillies Entertainment
Distributed by     UTV Motion Pictures
Release date(s)     8 August 2013
Country     IndiaLanguage     Hindi



 Cast

    Shah Rukh Khan as Rahul
    Deepika Padukone as Meenalochani
    Sathyaraj as Meena's father
    Nikitin Dheer as Tangaballi
    Manorama as Meena's aunt
    Kapil Sharma
    Priyamani (cameo) in "1 2 3 4 Get on the Dance Floor" song
    Mohan Raman as the Priest
    Delhi Ganesh
    Puvisha M. as Meena's cousin



Tracks List

  1. One Two Three Four (Get On The Dance Floor) - Vishal Dadlani , Hamsika Iyer
  2. Titli - Chinmayi Sripaada , Gopi Sunder
  3. Tera Rastaa Chhodoon Na - Amitabh Bhattacharya , Anusha Mani
  4. Kashmir Main, Tu Kanyakumari - Sunidhi Chauhan , Arijit Singh , Neeti Mohan
  5. Ready Steady Po - Brodha V , Smokey , Enkore , Natalie Di Luccio
  6. Chennai Express (Title Track) - Honey Singh , S. P. Balasubramanyam , Jonita Gandhi
  7. Titli Dubstep Version - Phoenix, Chris Mcguinness Zoheb Kha
  8. Chennai Express Mashup

Audio Releasing on July 3rd - Buy CD's from shops or online @ Itunes, Nokia Music etc - Say No to Piracy

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Thalaivaa Story Synopsis - Naduvazhikal remake ???

 

Thalaivaa Story Synopsis - Naduvazhikal remake ???









The trailer of much awaited 'Thalaivaa' was released online few days back and as expected it broke many records in YouTube. According to the makers it tells the story of a common guy becoming a leader of/for masses. [The following might be movie plot spoilers, so be careful before you proceed].


The detailed story/synopsis of the movie is kept under wraps. There has been news spreading in social medias that the film is a remake of 1989 Mohanlal Super Hit 'Naaduvazhikal'. All of A.L Vijay's previous films were either remakes or drew inspirations from other language movies. So there is a chance for this being an inspired work or official remake.

Naduvazhikal tells the story of a common man who is forced to leave his leisurely life & comeback to native place to fight for his father and the people that believed in him. From information available from various sources Thalaivaa also follows similar path.

Vijay's character who is [supposedly] a dance teacher in Australia forced to comeback to India when something happens to his father, played by Sathyaraj, who is like a leader to many. Vijay meets his enemy's here, they have many confrontations. In one of the leaked stills we can see Sathyaraj's garland ridden photo on the wall, which might indicate his character getting killed by enemies and Vijay taking his revenge on those who are responsible - just like Naaduvazhikal climax.

Even if these predictions/guess work proves to be true  lets hope  AL Vijay  can bring something new to the table

Naaduvazhikal itself is inspired from the cult classic Hollywood Mafia movie 'The Godfather' which has inspired many movies like Sarkar (2005), Rajneeti (2010) & Simhaasanam (2012)











Saturday 22 June 2013

World War Z - My Movie Review


World War Z - Movie Review





World War Z is a 2013 apocalyptic action horror film directed by Marc Forster
World War Z was all over the news before release for all the wrong reasons - reports of over shot budget, re shoots, bad CGI, issues with Brad Pitt etc ruined what ever hype the movie had before. USually PR agencies try such things to be in the news but after watching the movie I understood that those were not PR activities, but real issues regarding the film.


World War Z means the final war or the war with 'Zombies'. Even though based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks, many changes has been made in the final script. 

The film looks like a sequel to '2012'. There are many similarities that you can draw between the two film. 
Like all 'Zombie' films WWZ also begins with a Zombie outbreak in the US, and its our Hero's job to find (or Help find) a cure to the phenomenon which might cause World's end if not dealt with immediately. 

Unlike other Zombie films, the walkers here are super fast and extremely intelligent, more intelligent  than when they were in the human form. But everything else raises a sense of dejavu - '28 days/weeks later' 'I am Legend' '..of the dead' series, 'The Walking Dead' etc mixed with 2012. 


The movie rarely excites or thrills you. Most of the jaw dropping scenes in the film has already been featured in various trailers & TV Spots of the movie. There are also far too may 'coincidences' in the movie, which is difficult for a serious movie goer to digest.

Acting, CG/VFX, Direction, Editing, Make up, Sets etc were good. Cinematography was good too, but some visuals appeared too dark. Background score was passable. Don't think 3D was necessary at all. 

Over all its an affair, but looking at other reviews, could end up making tons of cash worldwide.

Being a huge 'Zombie' & 'Brad Pitt' fan I was disappointed

Rating: 2.5/5

Verdict: Average

5 Sundarikal - Exclusive Movie Review





5 Sundarikal - Exclusive Movie Review




Conceived & Produced by Amal Neerad

Music by     Gopi Sundar, Bijibal, Prashant Pillai, Yakzan Gary Pereira

Cinematography     Amal Neerad, Shyju Khalid, Rajeev Ravi, Ranadive, Alby

Editing by     Vivek Harshan

Studio     Amal Neerad Productions

Release date(s)    20 June 2013
Country     India
Language     Malayalam




 Anchu Sundarikal is an anthology of 5 short films each of 30mins (approx) in length. The film is dedicated to celebrate '100 years of Indian Cinema' & '2 Decades of Camaraderie' (between the 5 directors). The 5 stories deals with the lives of 5 women.





Aami    

Director  Anwar Rasheed     
Cinematographer Amal Neerad     
 *ing Asmitha Sood, Fahadh Faasil, Honey Rose, Chemban, Vinod Jose, Vinayakan, 

A story of wife & husband, happening in one night. Shows the strength & purity of husband & wife relationship. Good perfomance by Fahadh Faasil. Gives a nice message, a feel good episode.

3/5


Esha    

Director  Sameer Thahir     
Cinematographer Shyju Khalid     
*ing Isha Sharvani, Nivin Pauly


A story of a thief and a girl who is alone in her house on a new year's eye. A Romantic episode with a double twist in the end. Is a feel god rom-com. Nothing out of the box.


Gowry     

Director Aashiq Abu     
Cinematographer Rajeev Ravi     
*ing Kavya Madhavan as Gowry Lakshmi
*ing Biju Menon, Jayasurya, Tini Tom, Rimi Tomy, Shine Tom Chacko


Story of relationship between husband and wife who are living alone with out the support of family or relatives. 
IS The weakest of the lot. A forced twist in the end. Didn't convey the message properly, if the director intended something.


Kullante Bharya    

Director Amal Neerad   
 Cinematographer Ranadive     
*ing Reenu Mathews, Dulquer Salman, Muthumani, Jinu Ben


Another good one. Story told from the PoV of a wheel chair ridden guy, about the gossip mongers living in a colony and a lovely couple. Conveys a message (may be more than one), that too beautifully. A true reflection of Malayali society

4/5


Sethulakshmi  
   
Director Shyju Khalid     
Cinematographer Alby    
*ing  Anika, Chethan, Guru Somasundaram



The best of the lot. Is the very first episode in 5  Sundarikal. It takes a while to recover from the impact that the movie creates, feels like been hit with a ton of bricks. Superb perfomances by the two child artist and heart pricking screenplay and visuals, can be compared to 'Bridge' in 'Kerala Cafe'

4.5/5



The common thing in all these 5 short films which are story wise independant are the brillaint cinematography and Background+Music. The locations are also breath taking especially in S.L, Gauri & Aami. editing is also very good.



5 sundarikal is not everyones cup of tea. Its for those who live & love cinema. Its the celebration of Indian cinema, especially Malayalam cinema. Most of the episodes mentioned succeds in making some sort of an impact.

a Movie that is made just because of the passion for cinemam, by 5 friends, not considering the box office aspects - A Brave attempt indeed

Please try to watch it !!!
























Thalaivaa - My Movie Trailer Review






Directed by     A. L. Vijay
Produced by     Chandra Prakash Jain, C.P. Sunil, C.P. Dinesh
Written by     A. L. Vijay

Starring

    Vijay
    Sathyaraj
    Amala Paul
    Rajiv Pillai
    Abhimanyu Singh
    N. Santhanam

Music by     G. V. Prakash Kumar
Cinematography     Nirav Shah
Editing by     Anthony
Studio     Sri Mishri Productions
Distributed by     Vendhar Movies
Country     India
Language     Tamil
Thalaivaa Movie Trailer Review 
 Finally the much awaited Thalaivaa teaser has arrived, and like all Vijay films have been received with great applause and appreciations by netizens. 
 The trailer looks slick, rich and stylish. Who ever cut the trailer has done a great job. Eventhough 2.45mins long it feels short, may be due to the excitement. 

The trailer very much gives A-Z about the movie which I found a bit strange and unnecessary, especially since its not a typical mass masala, instead a story oriented film.

Vijay is looking young & Handsome in the new look. The trailer gives a tease into dance steps by Vijay,  a thing which is associated with every movie of his. 

One thing that strikes the most in the trailer is the camera work of  Nirav Shah, who has worked in films like Dhoom 1,2, Billa 1 etc. He shows us a different side of Mumbai [than waht Santosh Sivan showed us in Thuppakki]. Each frame is looking rich. Shot in Red Epic hope it provides epic Visuals

A.L. Vijay has tried to make a stylish film i think. The trailer gives a feel like that. 

The Back ground score is another plus for the trailer, eventhough felt like inspired from Hans Zimmer's Man of Steel theme in the beginning portions. The music has been good, so expecting a good job in the background score as well. [Read Music Review Here: http://breakingmovies.blogspot.in/2013/06/ThalaivaaMusicReview.html]. Coming in Dolby Atmos hope it will be treat for Movie Goers


Even though the posters and logo suggested a political drama from the trailer its clear that its not.
A Common man becoming a leader of masses has been dealt with umpteen times in Indian movies like Nayakan, Sivaji etc. So the fate of the movie Its entirely upto A L Vijay and his script. How can he make an engaging and interesting film is the important question. 

Verdict: Looking Good

Rating 3.5/5

 Trailer Screenshots










Watch Trailer Here: