Memories – Thodarum Ninaivugal

Yesterday, being in mangalore i was one of the previleged few who could see the preview show of CASINO ROYALE before the rest of the world could see. really mangalore is advantageous in these ways. more than 60% of the people were from infy itself. It would be appropriate to have a swipe in system from the next paid preview shows. It was not as bad as one would have expected and for those who raised doubts abt the new 007 daniel craig. As i do not have the time to type my own review. I copy paste this review from one of the sites.

Here it goes….

Putting behind the outrageous stunts and action scenes that have made the Bond films worldwide favourites for over two decades, Casino Royale nevertheless offers a tense, gripping and entertaining film in which, perhaps for the first time ever, the fabled super spy is seen as bit of a human being. Arguably, it is the best Bond film ever.

Thirty-eight year old Daniel Craig, playing James Bond for the first time, shows that the reputation he had built in a handful of films including Steven Spielberg’s Munich will continue to grow.

Casino Royale, which is very likely to continue Bond’s enormous spell on the international box office, also offers a raft of fine performances. Judi Dench, the grand dame of the British theatre and a household television name, once again creates a commanding performance as Bond’s boss.

The film also benefits considerably by the presence of the magnetic Eva Green who fights hard against Bond’s proverbial sex appeal. There are hardly any swimsuit shots in the movie and she is not the classic Bond girl who oozes sex and fires exotic guns.

But Green’s allure more than makes up for young women in skimpy clothes. Far from a sex kitten, Green brings electricity and passion to her character. Her interaction with Bond offers plenty of fun and diversion, giving the adventure some humanity.

Seen in small European films, she could become a major international star with this film.

The Sphinx like character Green plays is also vulnerable at times and the script provides for many moments for her and Bond to ooze chemistry. She is also the first woman Ian Fleming, the creator of Bond novels, wrote about, and the film reveals how she came to have great impact on Bond’s life and suggests why he behaves the way he does with those women.

Martin Campbell, who also directed Pierce Brosnan in his first outing as Bond in Golden Eye, extracts solid work from Craig whose rugged and brooding personality makes him perhaps the best Bond. Though he is not handsome like Brosnan, Craig still towers over half a dozen actors including the now legendary Sean Connery who have played the reckless and womanising spy in the movies based on Fleming’s bestsellers.

One key reason why the new Bond adventure is not over-produced and its fight sequences rely more on Hong Kong style realistic action is because veteran Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are joined by Paul Haggis. He is after all the man who created two atmospheric thrillers and saw them triumph at the box-office. Haggis co-wrote and directed the 2005 best-picture Oscar winner Crash and wrote the screenplay for 2004 Oscar hit Million Dollar Baby for actor-director Clint Eastwood.

The first of the over a dozen Bond books written by Fleming, Casino Royale now has a new and fitting avatar as a film. The first Casino Royale was more of a comic adventure. The disappointing 1967 film starring Peter Sellers, David Niven, Orson Wells, Ursula Andress and Woody Allen was a small success compared to the other gigantic Bond hits.

The last Bond film Die Another Day grossed about $1 billion worldwide four years ago, half of it accruing from video and DVD sales, and cable TV showings and product placements. It would be a big surprise if the new thriller cannot match those figures.

The new movie is the 21st film in the series but since it also happens to be based on the first Bond novel, it offers an introduction to the career of Bond. This is achieved in a few minutes of intense black and white episode right at the start that telegraphs the amorality and arrogance that are the hallmarks of the super agent.

But we also get to see some emotions in the character, and that is no small achievement. It is like some fine novelists like Eric Ambler played an invisible part in rewriting the new movie. (“In this film, James Bond is a darker character, which is how Ian Fleming originally wrote him,” says Craig in the production notes of the film. “We start right at the beginning of Bond’s career, when he has a lot of rough edges. He’s a loner, and he doesn’t like to get involved with people. As the movie goes on, though, he becomes more refined.”)

The 1950s story is suitably updated from the Cold War era to modern times made more dangerous by sophisticated terrorism.

Soon after the black and white episode leads the proceedings into colour, Bond is seen pursuing a would-be suicide bomber. When he kills an unarmed man in the process, the scene reaches his department M16 in a second thanks to the super Internet age, and Bond gets scolded by his boss M for his out-of-control behaviour. Things become complicated when a desperate Bond breaks into her computer by breaking into her home, and then proceeds in trail of terrorists.

Soon Bond is at a high-stakes poker match in a fictional Montenegro casino and faces Le Chiffre (the fine Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen), a financier of global terrorism who desperately has to win the $100-million stake to pay back his clients’ money.

Enter a beautiful and smart treasury official Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) assigned to keep tabs on Bond and make sure he’s playing according to the rules. Her sarcasm and wit are not lost on Bond who still thinks he can charm her into his bed. But he is also conflicted, wondering if his craving for her is something above lust.

The Parisian-born Green, who made her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci’s steamy drama The Dreamers, three years ago, is the first woman Bond falls for and by whom he ultimately feels betrayed. The script creates quite a complex Vesper who is full of secrets, and that is one of the many reasons Bond is attracted to her.

Another character that makes the proceedings lively in the American actor Jeffrey Wright who plays, despite being underused, an interesting and a bit mysterious character as a CIA operative.

Before the climactic showdown with Le Chiffre, Bond has to endure torture by his nemesis. Even then the super agent remains defiant, offering Craig a wonderful opportunity to emote well and give the film many more compelling moments. The scenes come with certain amount of cheeky humour and stubbornness, and they are certainly among the film’s highlights.

Given its tightly-woven script, terrific performances and various shades of humanity, Casino Royale emerges as one of the genuine triumphs of the year. It is a thriller with a mind and a bit of heart.

In the United States, the film has been given PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, torture, sexual content and nudity. But compared to its predecessors, the 144 minutes-long film has a cleaner and less violent look.

Read it as Newyork nagaram from Sillunu Oru Kadhal…

Chennai nagaram urangum neram…

veyilum uyarndadhu dhoosi parandadhe…

share auto iRangiye kaatrum tharayil nadandadhe…

naangu kannadi cubicle ulle naanum computerum…

thanimai thanimayoa…

thanimai thanimayoa kodumai kodumayo…

(Chennai)

sirithu sirithu pesi.. ennudan lunch thinna nee illai….

programil ezhum kuzhappam thannai theerka nee inge illai

naan offshoril neeyum onsiteil indha thanimayil nimishangaL varusham

aanadheno……..

user id ingae password ange indha uvamaikkum iruvarum viLakkam aanadhu

yaeno*

(Chennai)

outlook il nooRu muRai undhan peyarai type seyyum endhan keyboard..

ezhudhiyadhum monitoril eRumbu moikka un peyarum aanadhenna thaena….

jill endru AC irundhum indha tharuNathil power cut pola thondruvadhu

yaeno….

vaa anbe neeyum vandhaal vending machine coffee kooda thaen pola maaRume…

Chennai nagaram urangum neram…

veyilum uyarndadhu dhoosi parandadhe…

share auto iRangiye kaatrum tharayil nadandadhe…

naangu kannadi cubicle ulle naanum computerum…

thanimai thanimayoa…

thanimai thanimayoa kodumai kodumayo…

DISCLAIMER – This is purely a personal opinion and may contain spoilers, which you may find objectionable or may thank me later.

Diwali weekend saw the release of 2 big movies in Bollywood..Farhan Akhtar’s DON and Shirish Kunder’s JAANEMAN. Both movies had the star cast and the hype to make it big at the box-office. But are they really worth a watch? Lets find outÖ

Since it was a remake of a classic and the directorial reins were in the hand of Farhan Akhtar (whose Dil Chahta Hai is still one of my favorite movies) I preferred to see DON first and hence I will begin with its review..

DON –

Well the name of the movie says it all..you hear DON and instantly the image of Amitabh Bachchan comes to your mind. Such was (oops..is) the presence of the Big B. So what is this DON all about? It is Farhan Akhtar’s tribute to this 1978 cult film and in a way it is a remake of the original.

As soon as Big B fans hear this they will protest saying that it is blasphemy to remake such a classic or even watch it. But it is the time for remakes and sequels in Bollywood and Farhan Akhtar sets about making the first remake with many more in the pipeline like Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony and as of yesterday I heard even the 1972 film Victoria No. 203 is going to be remade.

Farhan Akhtar chooses none other than Shahrukh King Khan to essay the role of DON. So do Farhan Akhtar and Shahrukh Khan do justice to the original? I would say yes they do. Of course you cannot compare both movies (just as you cannot compare say Sarkar and The Godfather) but Farhan Akhtar’s DON doesn’t make you regret watching his version/his take on it as well.

The premise of the story is well known to everyone, but for those who don’t…..<B<>r>
Shahrukh Khan is the high profile DON, currently roaming the streets of Malaysia in his posh car and wearing dark shades. Police from 11 countries (including India) are in search of this elusive DON. The DON has one policyÖ”DON ke dushman ki sabse badi galti hai..ki woh DON ka dushman hai”. In the process he ends up killing Roma’s (Priyanka Chopra) brother and Roma decides to join the gang to avenge her brother’s death. Circumstances lead our DON to India where in an enduring chase sequence with ACP D’Silva (Boman Irani), DON is fatally wounded. ACP Silva then decides to send the DON look-alike (Vijay) to get more information about the entire gang. The twist in the tale takes place when ACP D’Silva is killed and Vijay is left with no one to prove that he is actually Vijay and not the DON. The rest of the story revolves around how Vijay tries to get the truth out.

From this short summary, it appears as if nothing has changed from the original storyline and yes nothing major has changed. But this DON has some extra twists and turns that make this movie worth watching at least once. At the same time let me add that this definitely ranks last among all 3 of Farhan Akhtar’s movies till date.

Coming to the performances, Shahrukh Khan delivers yet another believable performance this time as the elusive DON. No comparisons can be drawn between him and the Big B and SRK cannot get anywhere near to Rajinikanth(DON’s orginal tamil version of “BILLA”) but obviously, but Shahrukh does manage to leave an impression, which is different from his chocolate hero image. His portrayal of Vijay isn’t as convincing and looks forced on.
Priyanka Chopra tries to step into the shoes of Zeenat Aman as Roma and comes out with an ok performance.
Boman Irani plays the role of ACP D’Silva with much ease. He has quite a decent amount of screen time in the movie and makes good use of it.
Isha Koppikar plays DON’s interest in the movie as Anita and as like in her previous movies she doesn’t have much to do in this one as well.
Arjun Rampal tries to do a Pran but it doesn’t come naturally to him and is definitely miscast in this movie.
Om Puri as Inspector Malik is totally wasted.
Kareena Kapoor is in the role of Kamini and she may be no Helen, but she definitely got the crowd whistling for her through the song.

Plus points for the movie:
1) Modifications done to the original storyline do make the second half of the movie interesting.
2) The choreography of the song “Khaike Paan Banaraswala” deserves special mention here. When I seen the promos on TV I was like yucckkk, but the full song on full screen was a delight to watch. I have never seen the crowd give such a reaction to any song. You had people whistling, singing along and applauding throughout the song. Big B fans will say that is because the original song itself was a huge hit and I wont deny that, but even this version is very likeable.
3) The climax of the movie will have you talking about the movie after it is over. We have seen similar endings in many Hollywood movies and we appreciate them there. I would like to do the same here.

Negative points for the movie:
1) Its inevitable comparison to the original version.
2) A very slow first half. Kareena Kapoor’s dance was the only major attraction of the first half.
3) Some really unwanted scenes such as the rescue of Don by Priyanka Chopra, etc only prolonged the ending.<B<>r>
While seeing this DON, I had no fresh recollection of the original movie and that is why probably I enjoyed this movie much better than others. Farhan Akhtar has already shown us that he is a very capable director and although this movie of his might not generate great critic reviews, there is no doubt that his movies are definitely worth a watch.

So give this movie a watch…

Rating: ***