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Point Break is one of those that can market itself just by using the marvelous stunt sequences on show. However, a bunch of daredevilry cobbled together don’t make for an engaging film and as a result the overall movie falls flat.
The film conveys thoughts on 'relationship' that has seen enough years for the individual space of the ones involved blur and obsession to creep in. A third person's contribution in providing a fresh perspective to sort the unsettled dust forms the major chunk of the short. The idea chosen to provide this perspective is radical, yet pleasant and the casting of Balaji for it seems to have done the trick as he comfortably carries it to coast.
The sequel to Pandiraj’s National Award Winning Pasanga certainly does not match up to the predecessor as it turns preachy & paints an ideal picture as the solution resulting in a lot of artificiality. However, the film cannot be totally dismissed as it brings to the table a contemporary & pertinent issue that needs more attention.
Jilebi starts off like every other Gen-Y short film where two young folks talk on phone in a somber tone with expletives thrown around casually. Of course, there are some good lines amidst the conversation like the where 'Game of Thrones' is described as 'Bit ku naduvule thaan kathai'! The narrative jumps into serious mode with Akshay-Prithu’s fabulous background score accompanying it.
The short (read very short) film ventures out to prove its opening statement that Love is Blind, Shameless and Brainless, with a quirky little story - rather two of them! The way the first one was played out had some decent humor built on a funny conversation. The haphazard cuts, inconsistent frames and unconvincing acting made it look a lot less professional. The music was quite well done with the second story and the dialogues were casual and just suited to the theme and characters despite having a couple of cuss words chosen in pretty bad taste as they were not of real significance. The three characters in the second story did a fine job with their acting.
The aptly named ‘Tanglish’ captures your attention right from the credits where it thanks The Rock, Guy Ritchie & MSV-Ramamurthy. Similarly the in-film animation sequences also attract us towards the film. There are some wonderful phrases that are spoken in ultra-casual yet effective fashion like how a crying kid in Chennai is asked to lament saying ‘Mummy’ instead of ‘அம்மா’, how “Dude in Tamizh is DA” and so many such instances. The female lead & the English speaking car-owner are very interesting characterizations that you do not come across very often on celluloid.
Without the deliberate messaging towards the end & heroics, the film may have passed as a realistic take on family, values and money. With it, sadly, it doesn’t pass as a formulaic commercial entertainer either for want of a better villain to elevate its hero & ends up in no man’s land.
Ravi Arasu sculpts Eeti into a decent commercial film making sure of having something for every class of audience. However the well-conceived knot could have been made into a razor sharp film had the so-called ‘Commercial Considerations’ been done away with.
While the ambitious plot and its message (on the various stages in acceptance of something that’s extremely out of the norm in our parts) seem to be the highlight of this tale, the way it is told doesn’t play to the plot’s strength. The tone is too light & the dialogues that are stereotypical to fault make too much mockery of the ways of a particular sect the film’s characters represent to sell the core idea, as these fringe elements are let to dominate.
144 is an extremely funny movie to sink yourselves in for a couple of hours and laugh your heart out. Though the 'Soothu Kavvum meets Mundasupatti' seems an exaggeration, it has the right content to garner good support from all quarters as a laugh riot that no 144 curfew can control – a clean family entertainer!
