Mini-reviews

Haven't been blogging as much as I used to but have been watching movies when I get a chance. Just a bunch of mini-reviews. Hopefully I'll get screen cap happy again.

Some are films I've watched since I injured myself, hahaha, that I haven't blogged about but did tweet.

All listed in alpha order separated by language

Bollywood/Hindi


Kaminey
Shahid. Shahid. Shahid. You deserve an award for your performance! No kidding. From beginning to end, I was hooked. Shahid's acting was excellent, the way he used his facial expressions and body language to let the audience distinguish between the twins was great. Priyanka was really good too. I was glad to see her in a non-glamorous role again. Love how the film flowed with backstories of how the inseparable twins ended up not being close anymore and have to be re-united again after many years.


Love Aaj Kal
A cute, modern love story. That's it. Saif is waaay too old to be playing opposite Deepika. I have a problem with 40-plus actors doing that, especially in a romantic comedy. Maybe I'll give them a pass in action or drama films but in a romantic comedy? I don't think so. Saif looks great and probably didn't think much because his real-life girlfriend, Kareena Kapoor, is 10+ years younger than him anyways. But it's not all Saif's fault that I didn't like the film as much as I should have. Even though it was only 2-hours long, I felt it dragged a lot. Usually I'm not a fan of Deepika, she's gorgeous, has a great smile, but is lacking in the acting department. I actually liked her in the film. It could be because she had a fiesty vibe to her character. It was soooo great to see Rahul Khanna, I like him a lot and wanted to see more of him. Storyline of a modern couple who separate but realize that they are meant to be had potential but I just felt something was missing to say I loved it. I like it, but it wasn't "great."


Luck By Chance
Wow! Farhan does it again. Not only is he is good-looking, he is so talented - produce, direct, act! He brings the best out from everyone. I was very happy to see him paired with Konkona, who is one of my favorite working actresses. Another plus is Amit Paul's song, "Pyaar Ka Dastan." Definitely one of my fave films of 2009 so far. It didn't need all the special guest appearances even though it was good to see them :) The film touches on taking chances or is it just purely luck? Or could it be you have to play your cards right to get what you want? I really like how it makes you think about life, what you make of it.


New York
John Abraham! I missed him so much. He's still as hot as before. I was happy to see Neil in the film since I like him a lot. Not a fan of Katrina but do think she is not a bad actress as everyone says she is. She is tolerable and cute. I miss John in roles like this. He has a shady character and think he's best when he plays one. Everything in the film was good up until the ending. It really ruined it for me. It was stretched too long and made it too sappy. The beginning focused on three college friends and terrorists around the 9/11 Twin Towers attack. It was a fast-paced film beginning but slowed down in the middle. Still a watchable film but really disappointed.


Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Again, no more 40-plus actors romancing 20s actresses, please! The storyline was nothing new. Young girl marries a guy twice her age due to her dying father's wish. Suri (SRK #1) was boring. Raj (SRK #2) was annoying. Tani (Anushka Sharma) was young and energetic and didn't need a log as a husband. Film references are cute but I felt it was overdone. Didn't like the Dhoom reference because Tani was a total idiot. I did watch the film with very, very low expectations. Some parts are cute, but overall, a bore, just like Suri.

Kollywood/Tamil


Anniyan
So I had to see who this Vikram dude was. I mean I've been reading about what a great actor he is and how good looking he is. Okay, don't kill me people but I don't find him attractive :( Maybe it's just this film. I will have to watch more cause the man can act. Sada is really pretty and I like her. The film turned out to be a psycological thriller, which I love! People getting killed by a guy name Anniyan. But Anniyan just don't go on a killing rampage, the people he does kill aren't saints either. The fight scenes were too over-the-top though. Other than that, I like it.


Enakku 20 Unakku 18
Cute!!! Trisha is best at comedic roles. She is soooo cute and does an amazing job. Tarun is likeable. Simple movie about two people who meet once but have this strong bond, depart, and later want to find each other. I adore Shirya Saran but she did nothing for the film. She wasn't there as a love triangle or anything. All she did was hang with the guys, her character could have been a guy!


Perazhagan
Both Surya & Jyothika in a double role. No kidding. It was enough for me to have both of them together in a film together. Besides playing a hot stud, Surya also plays a hunch-backed, not-so-good-looking guy with a heart of gold. While Jyothika does play a rich, beautiful girl, she also plays a blind girl. The movie is quite complicated with *out* me giving a huge explanation of spoilers and doing a full review. Let's just say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is a funny film with some serious moments.


Unnale Unnale
The first Tamil film (actually Southie) that I've seen taken place mostly outside of India and being really modern. Filming mostly in Austrailia. I loved it though. The whole cast was great - Vinay Rai, Sada, & Tanisha Mukherjee. Yes, it's a bit of a love triangle but with a twist.


Virumbugiren
Sneha is the main reason why I watched this film. She is just soooo adorable and never disappoints. The beginning starts off good and had me hooked but fell apart towards the end. I hate it when the women, especially daughters, sacrafice so much for the family but is damn just cause she is a female. What hurts me more is that her father who is suppose to protect her goes by what the society has to say instead of sticking up for his daughter. Yes, it's because she is in love with Prashanth's character. They live in a small village and Prashanth is a fire fighter. Only for Sneha fans, she never disappoints.

Tollywood/Telugu


Aata
Siddharth!!!! I've been wanting to see this film for so long. Needed my Sid fix. I needed to have my expectations lowered a bit cause I was slightly disappointed. It was a bit too long to me. But it was a fun movie though. I think Ileana was so adorable and found a new like for her. Sid & Ileana look really cute together. Aata means game. Therefore, the film is about a game, a game that is played on the villian (Munna) by the one and only, Sid. Munna is villian but also son of a politician who is in love with Ileana and wants to marry her. Her family is scared of Munna's family. Sid and Ileana love each other. Sid manipulates Munna and plays games with him, only to have the game turn around and be in his favor.

Arundhati
Woman power! That still is enough for me to want to watch the film. No kidding. I had no idea who Anuksha Shetty was but now I know. I love watching women who stands up for themselves and fights! Especially with a weapon. The film is good. The ending is a bit long though but definitely worth a watch. It's a thriller with a lot of supernatural elements. Sonu Sood plays the villian. With *out* giving away any spoilers or doing a long review (have to do a long review soon!!!), it's a film about grudges over generations.


Chatrapati
I've been wanting to see a Prabhas film to see who this guy is. He's tall, good-looking, but just don't do it for me. Maybe this wasn't a good film for me to start off for hotness, huh? Yes, I'm shallow. Heard a lot of good things about it. Shriya Saran was in the film and added humor. She and Prabhas were so adorable together. Storyline is nothing new. Prabhas is adopted and the mother who adopted him loves him more than her own son, Shafi, which makes him very jealous. Shafi's character is just plain annoying. Of course, Prabhas is just a saint. Maybe I wasn't in the mood to watch? I will have to re-watch and make caps. The songs are great.


Chirutha
Ram Charan Teja's debut film. Who cares? Well, he's my Tollywood hubby's (Allu Arjun) cousin and very famous Chiranjeevi's son. Film started off strong but quickly lost interest. It's a case of boy meets girl and what happened to the film? Newcomer Neha Sharma is gorgeous and hot! Both Cherry & Neha are fabulous dancers bringing on the sexiness. The love story does nothing for the film, which got me hooked from the beginning. If the love story was taken out, then the film would've been much better. It starts off with the young Cherry seeing his father murdered in front of his eyes and his mother being injured. In order to save her life, he agrees to go to jail for a crime. Songs are great to watch. Film had so much potential but lost it when love story surfaced with the guy falling for a snooty, rich girl.


Devdas
Don't get it confused with the famous film, Devdas, in Hindi. This film has nothing to do with that. It's just the name of the hero. No, he doesn't sap all day long not able to be with the one he loves. This Devdas is just the opposite. He's ruthless, cool, modern, and hip. But he is unselfish. Film is both Ram & Ileana's debut film. Ileana is the NRI who comes to India to learn music but ends up falling for a guy who her father disapproves. Story is nothing new. It was refreshing to see another college setting. Admittedly, film was a bit long though. Some parts were entertaining while others could have been avoided.


Jalsa
Any film that has Kamalinee Mukherjee is entertaining. It is no different for this film. She only has a guest appearance but it doesn't matter, her other guest appearances in films are good. Definitely my fave film of Ileana, she is just so endearing. I'm so used to seeing guys chased after her in films but it's different in this one. She chases Pawan. Once she learns more about his past, she is unsure she wants to be with him. Her father (Prakash Raj) knows about her lover's past and tells her. Another plus in the film, hearing Mahesh Babu's voice! He is the narrator!


Mogudu Pellam O Dongodu
One of the shortest Indian films ever - only 1.5 hours! But it was one of the boringest too! Having the hotties Raja & Shriya Saran did no justice to a boring film. Film just focus on three people. Yes, three! The groom, the bride, and a thief (Brahmanandam). Raja & Shriya marry but she wants to wait until an auspicious time to "be together." While waiting, staring, waiting, and more waiting, Raja gets irritated and annoyed. They just have flashbacks of when they met, blah, blah, blah. Songs in the flashbacks are good. So where does this leave the thief? Just hiding. Just a boring film. Just get a song dvd because that's the best part of the film.


Mr Medhavi
Mr Medhavi means Mr Genius. It's about a guy (Raja) who plans his life in order to gain what he wants in life. Whether it's his fame, job, or the girl who he wants, he calculates every step, even if it's seems deceiving. He has always loved Sweta (Genelia). They grew up together but were separated and re-united again when they were older. She is in love with another guy (Sonu Sood). Mr Medhavi didn't plan for another guy to be in the picture and must remove him. Film is cute and I like how it narrates it with Raja letting the viewers see us through his eyes. Genelia looks really pretty and love her hairstyle! I may have to get it soon!


Parugu
Been waiting for this film to hit dvd for the longest. Yes, the long-awaited film finally hit dvd. I am one of the first ones who pre-orders. I didn't have high expectations because I did't want to be disappointed. Yes, I do plan to do full review later. I have to. It has my Tollywood hubby! Honestly, the storyline does nothing for me. It's the director's vision and Allu Arjun who brings the sexiness, making the film worthwhile. Film is about a powerful man (Prakash Raj) who doesn't believe in love marriages and forces his older daughter (Poonam Bajwa) to marry another guy. Instead she elopes with her lover. Father becomes furious and finds all of the lover's friends. One of them being the hottie Krishna (Allu Arjun). He keeps them as prisoners until they confess where his daughter is. In the meantime, hottie must find who this mystery girl (Sheela) is who he has fallen head-over-heels with. Doesn't sound that interesting, right? It really isn't. But trust me, Allu Arjun makes it worth while. Must make screen caps very soon! I *did* like it but mainly because of my hottie.

Radha Gopalam
Film started off toooo slow for me. I didn't want to finish it. Almost didn't. However, it started to get interesting later. Beginning was a bit boring but it picks up a bit. It's about a happy married couple (Srikanth & Sneha) and how it turns sour because of the husband's ego. Being a "man," he takes a blow to the face when his wife becomes more successful than him in the same career. Just didn't hold that much interest but had great potential.


Sainikudu
Mahesh Babu!!! He's always like a super hero fighting for justice. That's what I love about him. With the crooked government, the Sainikudu (solider) Siddharth (Mahesh Babu) just wants justice brought to people. In order to get his message across to one of the potential candidate Pappu Yadav (Irrfan Khan) running for elections, he makes a bold statement by capturing Pappu's wife-to-be (Trisha). She is blinded by her fiance and thinks he is one of the best men she ever met. Trisha, again, is the best at comedy. There isn't much romantic chemistry with her and Mahesh but they are cute together on screen. Overall, the film is okay and is no Athadu.


Sye
What I liked most about this film is it has a youthful feel. I love how the film started off with two rivalry deparments in school - art & engineer, always battling out to see who is better. They usually battle it out with a rugby match. Then later both come together to better their school and team against villians who want to break and tear down their school. Nithin is a pleasure to watch and want to see more of him. Genelia is great as always, definitely one of my favorites. Worth a watch.

Okay, hope I didn't bore anyone!