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Reviews
Mindhunter (2017)
A Slow Burner
Mindhunter is a must watch.
Groff and Holt, playing the primary roles, have delivered a spectacular performance. Arresting performance from the entire cast and never deviating storyline makes Mindhunter a treat to watch. Top-notch cinematography and wonderful camera work act as two pillars. No cliche in the tone of the film. Dialogues are intense and powerful. Screenplay is tight and never deviates from its genre.
Mindhunter is a cakewalk for those people who love Investigative Crime Thrillers. Lots and lots of dialogue may irritate few, but each and every word spoken is unavoidable. Mindhunter is slow but always steady. Yeah, Mindhunter is not everybody's cup of tea. But it's a treasure which has to be shared and seen by everyone.
Locke & Key (2020)
If you are a lover of magic , then go for it !
Well, to be honest, I neither like nor hate magic. My friends recommended me to watch Locke and Key. So, I did it. I wanted to know impressions. So I checked out for audience reviews and ratings. I found maximum of positive reviews and many negative reviews too. Wait. Why am I saying all these ? Content on next paragraph.
I watched Locke and Key with little hesitation and it turned out quite good. It had a fresh content. If you are a viewer looking for a different storyline then don't miss it. Even kids can watch Locke and Key. I am quite sure children will love it. Yes, few cliches were there. Detailing of the characters were lacking and no strong anti hero throughout the series. But the screenplay doesn't lag. That's a great positive for a series like this. I cannot say screenplay was pacy, but definitely convincing.
Acting wise, not applaudable. Acting was okayish.
This series is let down by writing and acting. The characters should have had depth. Maybe they will rectify the errors in the upcoming season. This plot is different, the crew could have created a legendary series here.
They succeeded by not keeping the season boring. I always could find out the villain or hero's next move in this series. Maybe you could too. It could have a Harry Potter series or Narnia Series. It fell down at a distance of being supercool thriller series.
Final Verdict : This series may not be the best or good series you are looking for, but Locke and Key will not bore you. Writing & Acting both decline at times. Otherwise, a fine watch.
Bigil (2019)
Cup mukkiyam Bigilu !
Atlee-Vijay join hands for another commercial entertainer. Bigil wins hearts, but the victory fades away gradually. Thalapathy Vijay, once again scores with his immaculate performance as Michael (Bigil) and Rayappan. Bigil is definitely a One man show from Vijay. As a fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Bigil. Atlee clearly knows Vijay fans' pulse since he himself is a Fan of Vijay.
The first 15 minutes vanish magically leading to Verithanam song. Vijay as cool Michael and terrific Rayappan is Awesome. Rayappan has a short screen time. Intense performance from Vijay as Rayappan makes us ask him to do a Full Gangster film on that character. Vijay as rowdy Michael is more energetic than coach Michael as we see Rowdy more than Coach.
First half of the film has 15 minutes of unnecessary scenes with not so good Hero-Heroine scenes. Nayanthara is impressive within her screen time and has done justice but do we need her is the question. Kathir too has a limited role but performed well. Vivek and Yogi Babu entertains in bits, which is a disappointment.
Singapengal ( Women's team ) have done a wonderful job. Indhuja, Varsha, Amrita and Reba deserve a big round of applause. The film really kicks off in the second half exactly before Singapenney song which is a Visual Treat. Hatsoff to the cinematographer GK Vishnu.
Bigil has its own flaws with weak villains played by Daniel Balaji and Jackie Shroff even though they did their part well. That's were Bigil fails to score. Villain character could've had depth, especially Jackie Shroff. Bigil also fails in giving importance to football. I accept football was shown for more than 30 minutes, but it fails to stay in our heart.
Similarly they could have trimmed 20 minutes in the first half which would've made it crisp. Interval was good but Vijay was quite late in saving his father though ( Sarcasm...but no offense ).
Bigil is a Sports Drama genre film which is also a successful commercial entertainer for Vijay fans like me but a watchable entertainer for others.
Pokkiri (2007)
Pokkiri Honest Review
Okay, let me be clear about this. I am an ardent fan of Thalapathy Vijay. But I'm pretty sure that my review will not be biased.
Thalapathy Vijay's swag is the one which I personally loved in Pokkiri. His mannerisms and dialogues were different compared to his previous commercial entertainers. Director Prabhudeva understood the pulse of the Tamil audience and us a clinical commercial entertainer of 2007. It ran for more than 100 days in many theaters.
Pokkiri is a full length Action Thriller with a fine twist in the end. I believe that in those days, the films with a twist or too much action were branded as "Thrillers". If Pokkiri releases today, even now I guarantee it can fill the theaters full of audience for 50 days or above except the fact that it will not be called a "Thriller".Again, if the songs ( which are actually Chartbusters ) are cut, maybe we can that thrilling experience.
Never ending laughs are given by Vadivelu. Famous "Vada Poche" started here. Sriman, Vaiyapuri and Karate Raja are also given importance and justice. Sriman becomes one of the core actors in the second half of the film. Asin's performance was lethal and measured throughout the film. Nasser takes a deep dive into the story in the last 30 minutes of the film. His part is less in the film even though it is satisfying enough. Napoleon comes in as a Police officer and does the job wonderfully.
It's time to enter into Villain's party now. Mukesh Tiwari was too good as a bad cop, even though his character wasn't needed. Vijay-Tiwari scenes were quite unbelievable yet enjoyable. Anandraj as Narasimman is introduced as a devil but killed too easily. Vincent Asokan as Guru looks like a true don but given limited screen presence. Subbaraju is the one I loved a lot. The conflict between him and Vijay starts from the first scene and continues till the end in a funny way. Brindha Parekh as Mona is not necessary. Her scenes can be cut too. Finally, Prakash Raj is the main villain of the film. He has given his best in his short screen presence. He could have been introduced in the first half which could've given a depth to his character.
All the characters in the film become important at last because each one is connected with the other. I appreciate Director Prabhudeva for this "Connection" as it not easy. Action and comedy are well balanced in Pokkiri. As I said earlier, even Villains make fun at parts. Even though songs are a barrier, they are enjoyable. Manisharma has done a great job with BGM and Music. My personal favorite is 'Dole Dole dhan'. Again, Kudos to Prabhudeva for giving Bollywood one of the best remakes in the decade 2000-2009. Cinematography by Nirav Shah deserves an applause too.
So finally, Pokkiri is a film which ticks almost all the boxes of being a commercial entertainer. Running time is almost 2 hours 40 minutes. It could have been trimmed to 2 hours 15 minutes mercilessly. But, Vijay in top form and co-actors doing well, it doesn't give you a boring experience at all. I am writing this Spoiler Free review after watching Pokkiri for more than 10 times maybe.