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sid231991
Reviews
Toy Story 3 (2010)
An all round winner !!
Toy Story 3 opens in a similar vein to the previous film, but this time Woody (Tom Hanks) is the hero of the imaginary adventure. Watch the three films back to back and you'll see the progression in the quality of the animation. In this film the people are still stylized, but the level of detail and expression is far beyond what was in the previous film; it's really beautiful and helps you connect to the human characters more than ever. Having said that, I did see it in 3D and frankly the film would have been just as good without it.
As with everything Pixar does, the attention to detail here is incredible. How the slide in the playground becomes a watchtower at night. How marker smudges become prison stats. The level of detail, in things like Woody's rounded-down hairline, is astounding. And yes, that's the voice of John Morris, now 23, playing Andy once again. Why get the same actor when only a few might notice? Because everything is everything here.
And talking about the emotional part of the film; it starts tugging at you a little bit early on, then gives way for a lot of the fun stuff. If you don't shed a tear at some point you might just be made of stone. There's just one scene after another, going from touching, to heartbreaking, back to touching and melancholy. There are few live action films that can reach your heart the way this one did in the last 15 minutes or so. And the jail-break sequence was so exciting, you forget that you are watching an animated movie and get totally involved with the characters.
The relationship that the toys have with their owners in the Toy Story-movies has always been a curious thing. In order for toys to truly feel wanted, their owners need to really use their imaginations while playing with them. There almost needs to be a heightened sense of wonder involved in order for the toys to feel complete. This is what drives them to find a place where the kids would connect to them and enjoy playing with them. Thats when all hell breaks loose and everything seems to go wrong. You can't help but notice the small values of life that these toys teach us in almost every juncture. No matter what we have around us, be it living or not, its special. Its special 'cause it serves a purpose that no one else can !
Go see Toy Story 3 and take the whole family. It might just end up being your all time favorite Pixar film. The three movies have now shown us that the story of a toy is, overall, a sad one. But not one without pride. And not one without joy.
Green Zone (2010)
A fast-paced action thriller throughout !
'Green Zone' is a war-thriller that tries to explain the reasons and mostly the right intel for justifying the attack on Iraq. Paul Greengrass - the director, casted Matt Damon on the lead after having worked with him on 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'The Bourne Ultimatum'. The whole movie is really fast paced and quite gripping. And i would say it was all thanks to the cinematography of the movie which made it look so real.
Matt Damon skilfully portrays Roy Miller, an Army Warrant Officer whose unit is tasked with searching suspected WMD facilities for proof of the existence of Iraqi chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons. A chance encounter with a sympathetic Iraqi civilian puts Miller on the trail of an Iraqi general who could provide him with the evidence that he needs. However, the Pentagon, the recently deposed Baathists, and the CIA all have different agendas for Iraq's future and Miller finds himself being used by players from all sides.
This definitely isn't one of the Bourne movies as many have mistaken, but i would say its equally entertaining. Huge action/gunfight fan ?! Then i would recommend you keep your speakers at full volume to enjoy this one thoroughly !
Raavanan (2010)
A stepping-stone of film-making in Indian cinema !!
The much hyped Raavanan having released, I was one of the lucky few who got to watch it on the first day. The story in its most basic senses, is a modern adaptation of the Indian epic 'Ramayana'. But Mani Ratnam has brought to this movie a magical touch that would indeed change the trend of movies to come in Indian cinema.
The movie is a tale of revenge and vengeance that Veeraiya (Vikram) unleashes on the people responsible for the death of his sister. To teach them a lesson he ends up kidnapping Ragini (Aishwarya Rai) and lures the cops right into his trap. Even though Ragini was his captive her attitude and approach towards things only makes his feelings grow stronger for her everyday ! The movie focuses on Veeraiya and all the multiple voices and thoughts in his head that refer to "Raavanan" from Ramayana. But only as the movie progresses do we find out his real character and the reason for such a transformation.
The beauty of this film and the most appealing factor is the cinematography adapted. The camera work was so brilliant that it would make anyone stare in amazement at how beautiful they have shown each and every thing on screen. Not once was there a dull moment as the positioning and timing of every scene was in sync with every other aspect. A R Rahman has given life to the movie with the background music and songs he has to offer. The songs were timed so perfectly that not once would you feel that there was no necessity of a song being shown there. Watch out for the cinematography in "Usure pogudhey". And the bgm for each sequence being unique made you literally connect with the things happening on-screen !
On a further note another technical point of excellence seen in this movie is the make-up and costumes used. Be it the black soot or sandhanam smothered all over Vikram's face or the many scratches and bleeding cuts on Aishwarya, the make-up department has done its best to make the movie look as realistic as possible !
When it came to acting, needless to say the director Mr. Mani Ratnam brought out the best in each and every person cast in the movie. 'Veeraiya' would have been a disaster if it was portrayed by anyone else. Vikram outdid himself by giving his best performance till date. His aggressiveness and crazy mannered body language showed us that he was living in the character the whole time ! Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on her comeback to Tamil cinema after more than a decade has also pushed her acting skills to the limit. It is impossible to stop staring at her immense beauty and now, after her portrayal of the modern 'Sita' you just can't help but be in awe at how much she has to offer.
Raavanan, according to me is one of the finest movies made in Indian cinema. And i urge all you people out there to go watch it as soon as you can !