I have decided to list the films I watch throughout the year as a blog post and also write a few lines about my views on them.
1) L.A. Confidential (1997)
I had seen this film more than 10-12 years back. I think I enjoyed it more this time. This is a cop story with three cops, not buddies to begin with and going thru many complicated situations. They each are vastly different from the others and with completely different goals/styles. While watching it, I thought about who I would cast, if I were to make this movie in Tamil. My choices were: Prakash Raj for Kevin Spacey, Vikram for Russell Crowe, Surya for Guy Pearce, Nasser for James Cromwell and Anushka Shetty for Kim Basinger.
This is part of the IMDB Top 250 Films (#70 at this point)
2) Nanban (2012)
Having not seen 3 Idiots and not read the novel, I did not had any clues about what the film is about or how it is going to be. So having gone to the theatre without much expectations, I enjoyed the movie. It was really refreshing to see Vijay in a role like this, far away from his usual ones.
There were a few irritants: Sathyaraj's acting, the length of the film, the caesarian section, speech by Sathyan in the stage. Aska Laska was a very nicely made song.
3) 3 Idiots (2009)
Many people as expected said that, Nanban is nowhere as good as this one. So I wanted to check that out myself. The day after watching Nanban, I watched this and found this to be no better. Shankar has kept his film true to the original and there is nothing wrong in that.So if you like 3 Idiots, you should like Nanban and on the other hand, you cant just hate any one. Aamir may be a great actor, but there was not much acting scope in this film and Vijay's version is as good.
One thing I couldnt understand is, how just above average; certainly not brilliant film like this would end up as India's highest grosser during its time.
4) Alien: Resurrection (1997)
I think this is the fourth and final one in the Alien movies. Having not seen the third one yet, this was an interesting watch. Though nowhere near the first two legendary Aliens, this was quite interesting to watch. I liked it simply because they still had something fresh to offer in the movie.
5) Tango & Cash (1989)
This is yet another Cop story. Here too the two guys are not buddies to begin with, and eventually become buddies and even looks like they would become "maaman machan". The only reason for me watching this movie was the presence of Stallone.
Looking at this movie, I could see how close this was to the masala action thriller of the late eighties and early nineties in Tamil. This has everything like the car chases, godown fights, ticking time bombs, sister sentiment, contrasting heroes, big villains, bossy cabins for the villains and more....
6) Ra.One (2011)
Caught this movie at last, almost three months after its theatrical release. My expectations on the movie was obviously very low after the kind of reviews it got from the critics as well as fans. My opinion was not much different from them, it was fairly ordinary is most of the areas. The acting of the human SRK and his Tamil were horrible. His acting as GOne was better. The much publicized appearance of Chitti was horrible.
7) Next (2007)
Next was very interesting until the very end and the end disappointed me very much. Possibly because of the end this has not been rated among the best.
8) Tremors (1990)
I have seen glimpses of this movie in the past and wanted to watch it in full. This is an alien / disaster movie with lot of humor thrown in. Since the characters in the movie are naive or illiterate it makes a movie of this kind entertaining and watchable.
9) The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009)
Having watched Girl with Dragon Tattoo earlier and having liked it very much, I had to watch the sequels. Even though these movies are slow paced, the entire package is so nice that it is definitely enjoyable. It is hard to believe that it is not in English (it is Swedish) and you have to read the sub-titles as you watch the movie and still get involved and enjoy.
10) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009)
Third and final installment of this series and this was intense and gripping as the other two. Since the films were made in the same year, you dont feel you are watching different films and since the story is also continuous, you are engaged right thru the three movies.
11) Up in the Air (2009)
An unusual story of a ruthless guy's life, who is in the business of firing people. I chose to watch this only for George Clooney and only later found that is had 6 Oscar nominations and didnt go on to win any. He has a life of living out of suit case and frequent flier miles seem to be his only ambition, until he meets this lady. The end was very predictable.
12) The Sea Inside (2004)
After the series of three Swedish movies, this time it was the turn to watch this Spanish movie that won the
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. It was a very interesting and engaging movie, of the real life story of a guy who fought for his right for a dignified death. Had great performance by the lead actor: Javier Bardem. It is hard to believe that this is the same guy who played the dark role in No Country for Old Men (2007). One of the best movies seen in the recent times.
13) The Pianist (2002)
Back to back great movies. The Pianist is in the same subject and same league as of Schindler's List (1993) & Life Is Beautiful (1997). The film went on to win three oscars including the Best Actor and Best Director. The story of the survival of a guy during the peak of the World War.
One of the top rated movies in IMDB (#51 at this point)
14) The Smurfs (2011)
The animation / family genre is churning out some predictable yet hard to hate films now. This is definitely one of them. It reminds one of Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) & another Disney movie.
15) The Green Hornet (2011)
A funny Super Hero movie and here again we see a lot of such movies where ordinary guys get to play super heroes by chance. Whether is was The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), TRON: Legacy (2010), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) or many such films that had similar story lines. Yet this one was interesting with a comedian in the lead.
16) Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
Here is Anniyan with Jim Carrey in the lead. Very unusual Jim Carrey film except where he makes those horrifying gestures with his face. The main drawback of this movie is that it doesnt do justice to any one genre and wavers around trying to fit into all genres. So ends up neither funny or nor action/drama.
17) Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal (2012)
Overall the movie is appreciable, just for taking a new route. It could have been a lot better. I felt the screen play had lots of holes and that left the audience wanting the movie to end.
18) Vaettai (2012)
Yet another typical Lingusamy flick and since I am a big fan of his brand of movies, I liked this one too. The basic story is similar to Avasara Police.
19) The Fighter (2010)
A very good boxing movie that you can keep right up with Raging Bull, Cinderella Man etc. With some very good acting and a nice story line it was a very likable film.
20) Mouna Guru (2011)
A very very interesting movie by a first time director. The film was engaging right from the beginning to the end. The only minus point was the acting by the hero, while most of the times his lack of expressions goes well with the story, it is only in certain scenes where he needed to emote he draws blank.
21) Poraali (2011)
Sasi & Kani have come out with yet another engaging and original story. This one has to be rated as the weakest of their four films. The friendship of Sasi &Naresh was not convincing or clear.
22) Bridesmaids (2011)
One of those chick flicks on the lines of Sex and the City. It was quite ok to watch and where it actually lacks is when it keeps crossing back and forth from a comedy flick to a serious flick. The acting of most of the ladies except the antagonist (Rose Byrne playing Helen) were good.
23) Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Being a fan of the first Panda, I was not disappointed with the second edition. I was curious about what kind of story they would bring for this sequel and as expected, they addresses how come the Panda's dad is not a Panda.
24) Crazy Heart (2009)
I cant believe that some one could take story of "The Wrestler" released just an year back, replace the wrestler with a country singer and make another movie. Not only that, the second guy goes on to win the Oscar for the lead actor missed by the earlier guys, despite a great show. Amazing. The film was neat and enjoyable.
25) Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi (2012)
A refreshing movie completely enjoyable with a new narrative style. The film works well for the most part and except for a couple of songs, I didnt enjoy the film. Very good acting by the lead pair and this goes on to show how good it is watch a film when the heroine understands the language.
26) Gulliver's Travels (2010)
A very ordinary film that would not satisfy any genre and any type of audience.
27) 500 Days of Summer (2009)
Oops. As I was watching this film I was reminded of the making style of KSY. The story here moves randomly between Days 1 and 500 pretty much the same way KSY does. The hero there imitates the hero here and even has a matching shoulder bag! The story of this movie though has greatly inspired VTV.
500 Days is a very nice movie aptly called an off beat romantic comedy.
28) Johnny English Reborn (2011)
Same as Gulliver. A very ordinary film that would not satisfy any genre and any type of audience.
29) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
I like Narnia movies, as it satisfies the child in me that has read so much of Ambuli Mama and "maaya jaala kathaikal". Every time I watch a Narnia film, I am reminded of those stories. Unlike the Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings movies, you dont have to read the books or do lots of research to even follow the films.
30) Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Though the title and the cast evoked lots of curiosity, the film was fairly ordinary. There were lots of cliched sequences and very ordinary acting. It looked like they took films like True Grit & District 9 in a mixie and came out with this!
31) Due Date (2010)
It always fascinates me when I come across a comedy where a comedian and a serious actor are pitted against each other. That way I have enjoyed films like Anger Management, Meet the Parents, Analyze This etc. This movie also had a similar plot, but did not go anywhere near the other films. But it was far better than the usual comedies and had a lot of LOL moments.
32) Don 2 (2011)
Having not seen the earlier SRK Don in full, I was curious to know what story they would have created for this sequel. Just like Billa 2, I thought this would show how this guy became a Don, like a prequel. But they chose to keep the story as a sequel and it was good enough. The making style, locales, background score etc. were very stylish and classy. But a heist flick as a Don sequel?
I cant accept SRK as a super star the way I can, say a Rajini or a Bachchan. For me he is not able to carry the entire weight of the movie on his shoulders alone. If compare this to the old Don or the old Billa, those heroes were able to make a simple and stupid movie into a cult on their own strength. Don 2 is definitely watchable.
33) Mayakkam Enna (2011)
A very very nice film, that definitely lifts the Tamil Cinema to a new level, in terms of the content, execution style etc. I really enjoyed the acting of Dhanush. It is also amazing to see the difference in acting of Richa in this film and in Osthe.
34) 3 (2012)
This looked more like a Mayakkam Enna Part 2. But lacked the intensity and emotions ME had. It could have turned out to be a great film, but missed the tricks. Dhanush was commendable as usual, but I would not like to see him play another psycho character for some more time.
35) Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012)
A no non-sense comedy film that I enjoyed to the core. I dont remember having watched any tamil comedies in theatres in the recent past. May be the Balram Naidu portion in Dasavathaaram. I wouldnt rate this higher than Boss as a film, as that had a better story, hero & heroine. The laughing factor was certainly higher here thanks to Santhanam.
36) The Avengers (2012)
The one-line of the movie was really exciting, you have such a powerful villain that you need to assemble a team of super heroes to tackle him. But the actual movie was not all that exciting for the most part. The assembling of the heroes itself took such a long time and I am not even sure whether couple of heroes were really super heroes. Except for Iron Man, three fourths of the film was a drag for me. But the final action sequence compensates for this and it is paisa vasool. 3D with dark glasses was pathetic and the audio was bad in the theatre.
37) Poi Solla Porom (2008)
A neat comedy on a serious subject, well made and well enacted by the entire cast.
38) Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006)
Just like Nanban, watched the Hindi original after watching the Tamil remake. Not a bad attempt in Tamil and both films are equally good. Anupam Kher was better as the father than Nedumudi Venu.
39) Kahaani (2012)
This is one of the best Hindi film I have seen recently. I have to admit that I have not been watching that many hindi films anyway. But this one was a gem. Starting with the heroine, a pregnant woman at that, getting out of a plane and going straight to the police station the film had lot of new stuff for an Indian movie. It kept reminding of the Anglina Jolie starrer, A Mighty Heart, it soon tread its own path. I had a number of different options for this movie's end and the actual one couldnt be guessed by me and that was the best part. Vidya Balan should be given the National Award for this film.
40) Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Here was another Hollywood movie that questions the popular choices made by a government. It made me feel yet again as to when can we make such a film in India. This film directed by Oliver Stone had Tom Cruise play a very different kind of role for this period.
41) The Kid (2000)
Though the film had a great premise to be a good film, it fizzled out as it starts.
42) The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
When the film started with the hero being shown as an ordinary school kid, i was shocked. I couldnt believe that the Hollywood folks would run out of ideas for making a new spider man movie and remake the one that released just ten years back. It is okay to run out of ideas, then dont make a spider man movie. Period.
43) Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
We chose to go to this film as we were not left any other choice. It turned out to be a decent one. It is one of those Ambulimama stories that the Hollywood is so fond of.
44) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
I like the first Pirates movie and then my interest dropped considerably with the second and it sank the ship in the third one. Even though this is not anywhere near the first movie, I liked this better than the previous two. Strangely enough the movie had lots of sequences without pirates or the sea!
45) 8MM (1999)
46) Doo (2011)
47) Three to Tango (1999)
48) Scarface (1983)
49) Crank (2006)
50) Vamsam (2010)
51) Real Steel (2011)
52) Riders aka Steal (2002)
53) The Dirty Picture (2011)
54) Vazhakku Enn 18/09 (2012)
55) Edge of Darkness (2010)
56) Source Code (2011)
57) Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
58) Safe (2012)
59) 8 Mile (2002)
60) The Dilemma (2011)
61) Transporter 2 (2005)
62) The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
63) Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012)
64) Mugamoodi (2012)
65) In Time (2011)
66) Marina (2012)
67) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
68) Just Go with It (2011)
69) Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)
70) The Help (2011)
My Top 5 Tamil Films of 2012:
- Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom
- Naan Ee
- Kumki
- Pizza
- Neethaane En Ponvasantham
Those who missed narrowly were: Nanban, Thadayara Thakka, Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi, Oru Kal Oru Kannadi, Vazhakku Enn 18/09
