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THIS IS IT ( ENGLISH , 2009 )

Director : Kenny Ortega

Cast : Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson , the King of Pop , was supposed to perform a series of concerts in London , but 3 weeks prior to the kick-off , passed away unfortunately.

This is It , chronicles MJ's preparations and rehearsals for what would have been one of the most spectacular concerts ever in history . Footage shot during the preparations from all stages , from conception , to auditions , to design etc has been used to make this special feature.

I was never a serious MJ fan , and at best can be termed a casual MJ fan. But after his death , I was more intrigued by his nature and performances and the man behind the music. And that's what led me to watch THIS IS IT , on it's opening night at the Theatre.

This is easily one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Extremely pleasing to the eye , this movie is not just for die-hard fans , but for all music lovers. A wide array of MJ's most famous hits will keep the viewer entertained throughout the film's duration.

It shows the preparations for the path-breaking concert , right from the dancers audition stages , goes on to show the set design , the music setting , the sound-checks , and the actual rehearsals. MJ is omnipresent in all stages , and is very much an integral part of all the work that has gone into setting up the concert. Every care has been taken to ensure no stone is left unturned in making this a once in a lifetime experience.

MJ's music has countless fans , who would just do literally anything to just be close to him. And this love and passion for the man and his music , is reflected in the faces of the dancers who rehearse with him. The opening sequences consist of a series of small interviews with the dancers , and everyone seems truly blessed to be up close and personal with the King of Pop. Ecstatic , is an understatement , especially when quite a few dancers grew up dancing to his tunes.

The film is visually stunning in every sense of the word , right from the opening minutes till the very end. Actual videos which were made , to be shown in the backdrop during the concerts , left me spell bound. Especially the Thriller track , which re-created the Ghosts and Zombies magic of yesteryear 's iconic music video , and this was apparently conceived as a 3D version . Smooth Criminal's prelude has MJ in the middle of an old Black and White Hollywood film , and sets the tone perfectly for the song which remains one of his most electrifying pieces.

The actual music , is truly breath-taking . A team of highly talented musicians all come together and join hands with MJ to give us a stunning display of musical intensity . And MJ being the energetic chap that he is , makes it a point to improvise in all ways possible. Just watching him make suggestions to the Keyboard Artist , proves his dedication and commitment to give his fans the best. And MJ does what he does best .. sing and dance.

The dance movements are beautiful and every song's brilliance is increased manifold , by the steps which the dancers perform . Everyone just seems to be so overwhelmed dancing alongside MJ , and just perform with so much intensity and energy , its almost infectious.

And MJ as always goes that extra bit to ensure his fans are satisfied . He seems to be perfectly at ease , climbing onto a manually operated crane , which would zoom onto the crowd and MJ would be amidst hordes of screaming fans .. I only wish this happened. But nevertheless , we get to see MJ starting off " Beat It " atop this crane.

Michael Jackson's image just seems to keep you hooked onto the screen. Whether it be sitting with his team and selecting dancers from the auditions , or giving suggestions to his artists , or grooving to music in aplomb , there is that characteristic MJ style all through the movie.

His singing is more or less the same as the MJ we know , belting out hit after hit . And his dance moves which have kept fans enthralled for years , appear to be as graceful and unbelievable as ever.

Michael Jackson has always been a top-notch stage performer , and he seems to have enjoyed himself to the core , during the preparations and rehearsals for " This is It " . He looks to be possessed with some supernatural energy , and it was just amazing to see him groove to the sounds of the electric guitar , alongside a stunning Orianthi Panagris who just rips the guitar to shreds in a dazzling musical storm , especially during " Beat It ". MJ prolongs the ending of " I just cant stop loving you " , and if any other artist were to prolong a song for so long , I would have felt irritated . But MJ , oh gosh , just prolongs it with so much passion and the final " you " is directed at his audience , which in this case , would be his staff , technicians and the dancers.

The setting for the concert is what people call a feast for the eyes . It varies from a robot whose exterior is made of Video Screens , from which MJ would have made his grand entrance , the 3D version of Thriller's dead creatures , the Jackson 5 backdrop and many more stunning pieces.

The touching video for "Earth Song " , specially made for the concert , will strike a chord for sure. MJ's love for the planet and it's people and all creatures , is reflected in this moving piece.

Towards the end of the film ,we see all the dancers and staff standing in a circle with MJ , thanking everyone for their efforts . This would be a tear jerker for any die-hard MJ fan , especially the shot of him hugging everyone involved with him.

I see absolutely no negatives in this movie at all. Maybe it could have been a wee bit shorter , but am sure no one would notice as you would be too engrossed with the music and the man and his dance.

Please do not exit the Theatre when the credits start rolling out. It is probably the first time in my life , I have seen people still unmoved from their seats when the credits start rolling. I am just crazy about " Heal the World " , and this is one reason I was waiting even after credits came and was blessed to hear it play loud and clear .. Finally , the girl from the " Earth Song " video , comes hugging the Earth , and the screen displays " Heal the World " , and an autograph from MJ , saying " I love you " sent the audience crazy into rapturous applause .

Like I said , I was never a true MJ fan and it was only after his death I started realizing more and more about him . His charity work is beyond words . He had done so much to help the poor and the needy and Africa especially had always been his concern. No wonder people all over the world mourned his death , as if they had lost a family member. And Michael says " We are all family " when he stands in a circle with his staff and crew towards the end . Indeed a very moving moment.

It is highly unfortunate this concert never materialized . If the preparations were so grand , I cannot even imagine how the actual concert would have been. London must have gone crazy when MJ would rise above wild screaming fans crooning " Beat It " from atop that crane.

MJ had always advocated the need to Heal the World , through love , peace and harmony . Peace is what his music stood for. Harmony echoes in his every intention , and love.... Here is a man who loved the entire world , even though the media always hounded him as if he was a criminal. For someone who was tortured a lot by the media , he never vented his anger much . He always hit back , doing what he did best .. sing and dance. And his songs and dance shall continue to live on forever.

MJ performed in India only once , and this was an initiative by the Thackeray led politicians in Mumbai/Bombay , India. Michael Jackson always stood for peace and love. And ironically , a certain Thackeray does the exact opposite now . Such is life :( C'est la vie.

I will go with 4.5 out of 5 for this phenomenal film .

This is It. The final show from the greatest performer we have ever had. I just wish i was a bigger MJ fan , after watching this film. Michael Jackson has passed away , and we have to move on. Michael , wherever you are , I know you must be smiling down at us , the people of the world , and I know that even though you are mortal no more , you shall still love this world always. The world is in turmoil now , as you know very well MJ .. but Michael , your music is immortal , your dance is never-ending... and I just pray and hope that one day , even if ONE person is moved and touched by your music ,and gives up violence and turns over a new leaf after being inspired by you and your work for humanity , that will be your biggest success. We might not have 50 sold out concerts .. London will never witness you live .. The world shall never go mad again when you sing or dance live .. But... I know you had a far more important goal in life than money , fame and sold out concerts . One fine day , your spirit shall be content , when we people unite and Heal the World. Thank you MJ for everything.. the music , the dance and above all for making an effort to make this a better place , for you and for me and the entire human race.

R.I.P Brother ... God Bless you...

VERDICT : 4.5 / 5 ( UBER )

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY -- ( ENGLISH , 2007 )

Director : Oren Peli

Cast : Micah Sloat , Katie Featherson

Well , they say you should never harbor any expectations at all , before watching a movie , to truly enjoy it.. but when the whole WWW has been going nuts about a movie , how can you not stop yourself from falling prey to the expectations trap ? And , Paranormal Activity ( PA ) is a stellar example to validate this ..

Katie and Micah are a happy couple , who have just moved into their new home , begin to experience a series of weird incidents , which they believe are supernatural. Micah , decides to record all the happenings using a camera and an audio recorder, so as to use the recordings to do some private research to ascertain the reason behind the occurrences. Katie on the other hand is not entirely convinced about his plans , and seeks expert opinion in this regard. That is what the movie is all about.

Widely praised as a truly scary flick , I admit I expected a lot from this , but sadly , I guess my hopes were too high. Paranormal Activity definitely is not a bad film , nor is it a great movie , nor is it a mediocre attempt. What I loved about the movie , was its characterization , more than the actual chills and thrills , which form the crux of any Horror flick.

For an independent film , without much backing and negative star power , it might be tough for the Director to make the audience relate to the characters. But here lies the beauty of this movie. The characterization is simply brilliant , and the way human relationships tend to falter in the face of diversity has been brought about really well.

Horror films these days tend to be nothing more than a bloodbath , amply complemented by Computer Effects etc , with zero logic . Paranormal Activity is a bold attempt at changing this perception . There is not a single drop of blood visible throughout the movie , except for the climax , and hardly noticeable too. computer graphics , make-up etc don't appear anywhere at all.

Shot on a paltry budget of 5000$ , Paranormal Activity proves wrong the wide misconception that good movies can only be made with a strong financial backing. I do not mean to say this is a great movie , but considering it's budgeting constraints , it is well shot .

The camera tends to be the main player in the movie , as what is supposed to scare us , is caught on the camera which Micah places in his bedroom. The bizarre angles , the little jerks and shakes in the visuals , all contribute to the natural appeal of this movie. Nothing seems to be artificial , ranging from the house , to the dialogues , to the plot itself.

Everything about the movie seems to be so realistic , largely due to the fine performances from the pair. Micah and Katie perfectly complement each other. Katie has a past connection to the happenings , as we learn later on and can genuinely feel the horror of the incidents , while Micah , appears to be an easy going guy , with clever sarcasm in his dialogues. Micah seems more focused on his camera and its use in the research , rather than in solving the actual problem.


The screenplay is quite brisk , and even though there are a few dull moments , the overall eerie mood of the movie is maintained. However there are certain "YAAAwn " moments , especially when after a point you realize that you never are going to get really scared . But I would never classify it to be boring , and it makes for a rather decent watch , pace wise.

The first half an hour or so , goes in establishing the characters and any scares , that's depending on your scare - levels , appear after that only. But the whole Day-Night cycle tends to get a wee bit repetitive , but no complaints as the concept probably demanded such a method of storytelling.

I am not trying to sound all brave and bold here , but few movies have scared me , in the true sense of the word. Like I said , Computer graphics and make-up etc have never really scared me . What scares me , is the fact that unexpected things might happen , anytime. I remember reading somewhere , a M.Night Shyamalan interview , where he says something like " I do not believe blood and gore is scary. What scares me , is , I sit at my office desk and suddenly the picture frame of my family photo on my desk falls down , for no reason .. I pick it up and place it properly back , but it still falls down . I repeat the act and it still falls down , for unknown reasons.. That to me , is fear ".

Forgive my memory , but I think that's what he said..Anyway , I just meant to say , that I too share the same perception about fear and horror. And Paranormal activity is more of a mind-games genre of horror , rather than something which visually scares you.

Yes , there are a few scenes which scare you visually , but these are more of " Silent for sometime and sudden loud noise " kinda scenes , rather than true fear. You know , the kind which makes you jump suddenly , but only to fall a second later , laughing at how stupid you were for being scared by a sudden loud noise , amidst silence. However , I would not be insensitive enough to label PA as this type of movie . Yes , it did not scare me , but it definitely played with me psychologically.

I mean , it manages to hold your suspense , as you wait to see what unfolds , because you can relate to the characters to a fairly large extent , thanks to the realistic making . When the couple go to bed , as we see in the camera's recording , you tend to be as nervous as them , to see what really happens , and what the Activity is all about. Even during the initial scenes , you wait to REALLY know what the psychic has to say , when Katie calls him for help. That , people , personally speaking , contributes to the charm of a horror movie.

On the flip side , very few genuine scares in this movie . I watched this at past-midnight , with the lights out , and in a small room with a fairly loud 5.1 Speaker system . It still did not give me the chills. I admit it held my interest , but it was more psychological than horror.

Many people have hailed this as one of the greatest horror films ever , and saying they had nightmares after watching it etc etc . I saw it past-midnight .. It's 3 AM now , and I will sleep in sometime , however , I can assure you that I certainly won't have any nightmares , nor is Paranormal Activity going to make me lose my sleep , in anyway . In case I do , you shall be the first to know.

Finally , I would term it as a very good attempt , but not quite haunting :(

VERDICT : Good ( 3 / 5 )

AADHAVAN - ( TAMIL , 2009 )

Director : K.S. Ravikumar

Cast : Suriya , Nayanthara , Vadivelu , Saroja Devi

Director K.S.Ravikumar has a reputation for churning up masala movies , with all elements synonymous with Tamil Cinema : Stunts , fights , songs , comedy and sentiment. This one tries it's best to live up to the reputation , but ends up coming across as torture inflicted upon the viewers.

Aadhavan ( Suriya )is a hit-man , who is assigned the task of killing a Judge , but when the first attempt fails , is determined to finish the job in 10 days. We then see that Aadhavan ends up as a servant in the Judge's house , and tries to finish him off. Whether he kills the Judge or not is what the rest of the movie is all about.

The Judge lives with a huge , joint family , replete with cousins , aunts , uncles and numerous annoying children , along with Vadivelu a servant. Again something which can easily be related to mainstream Tamil Cinema. Nayanthara plays the role of Thara , the Judge's niece , who eventually is shown to be Aadhavan's love interest.

I frankly fail to understand how a movie can be made with many implausible incidents , all sewn together and thrown at the audience , through a very tough to endure course of time. Absolutely nothing goes in favor of the movie , making it the dampest squib in recent history.

The first half deals with Aadhavan trying his best to kill the Judge , working for Sayaji Shinde who is the king-pin of the gang , under orders from the actual beneficiary of the murder , Rahul Dev .Post interval the movie makes us believe Aadhavan is Madhavan , who happens to be the Judge's long-lost son , as revealed in a terrible flash-back sequence.

Twists and turns are so predictable in the movie , and you can easily guess what happens next . Whatever you expect might not turn up on-screen , as the story holds enough bizarre sequences , thanks to out of the box thinking.. A 10 year old kid shooting at his Dad , as a result of an even more pathetic sequence, in which the kid
decides to protect his friend's dad , who is alleged to be involved in making bombs ... The Kid running away and then grows on to become a goon , under Sayaji Shinde , whom the kid says resembles him of his father :( God , save us.. plz..

The joint family is least interesting and every character is annoying to say the least . Anu Haasan too is roped in to play a cameo role , in an unintentionally hilarious flashback . Saroja Devi's character is irritating , and only adds to the frustration . Vadivelu's comedy track is the least bit hilarious and hardly any laughs are expected.

Dozens of unwanted hogwash scenes are strewn all through the movie , in an effort to make an impact on the audience. There is an absolutely ridiculous song sequence , under the pretext of a stage show conducted impromptu in the Joint family. Another unwanted song under a tribal wedding guise .. I can go on and on about such roadblocks..

Screenplay is extremely erratic and only adds to the sorry state of affairs , and it hardly keeps the viewer interested in the story , in which I lost hope hardly midway into the first half itself.

Fights and stunts look straight out of a Vijay movie.. Aadhavan is treated more as a cross between Superman and Spiderman , rather than a human being.. He jumps from building to building , with extreme ease , and even more surprising is the fact that the Police too manage to keep pace with him . Even the world's best Parkour exponents must learn a lesson or two from Aadhavan .

The comedy sequences evoke zero laughs , and Vadivelu's jokes have absolutely no impact on the audience. The music is mediocre , except for the Hasili Fisili number , which I love , and frankly speaking I would have left the Theater if the song was played much earlier , but sadly , it turns up towards the end only.

Technically this movie seems to definitely have a very high production value , but what use , as it has to be supported by a strong storyline , which Aadhavan clearly lacks. The 10 year old kid is portrayed by Suriya , thanks to kiddish Computer effects .

Suriya's acting is reliable as always , but I seriously wonder why he choses to act in such movies. Nayanthara does nothing except smile sweetly throughout , and she is not the Nayanthara which many people like , and if you think a glamorous Nayan might make up for the terrible movie , sorry to say , I know this a public forum , but..there is nothing to excite the male viewer too.

The climax scene is definitely the piece de resistance , with all pun intended. Just picture this . Aadhavan tries to save Nayanthara and her uncle from Rahul Dev , who suspends them in a car high above the ground , with a crane. After a typical Kollywood fight , the villain shoots Aadhavan , in the heart , and any sane viewer would expect Aadhavan to die. Now , for the best part . There happens to be a petrol tank ( ?? ) in the fight location , which I am sure was a construction site initially . Alright , I can forgive certain creative liberties , but this takes the cake. A bullet hits the Petrol tank , and petrol leaks . Aadhavan miraculously recovers , from the Petrol vapors , even after being shot clearly in the heart . And what is even more shocking is that Nayanthara and her uncle talk to Aadhavan from very high above the ground , from the car . In the middle of all this there is a time bomb which is ticking , and I find it very hard to believe how this bomb was eventually placed on a flying helicopter by Aadhavan , when it was actually fitted onto the suspended car . Add to all this , the car falls down from high above the ground , and Nayanthara and her uncle survive . This climax is definitely an all time low for mainstream Tamil Cinema :( Honestly , the Director must have thought that the people paying money and watching this movie , are fools.

I cannot waste any more time in reviewing this movie , as I regret that the time taken to reach the theater and getting back home after watching the movie itself , is such a criminal waste of time.

1 out of 5 for this sorry excuse of a movie . The Producer and Director turn up in the very last scene and say " Thank You " . I say " Thank you both of you , for giving me an opportunity to blow up a hundred rupees on the movie ticket and for making me feel nauseated after watching your brainchild ."

Peraanmai started my Deepavali , and as my earlier post said , I felt my Deepavali was wasted . Now , thanks to Aadhavan , my Deepavali weekend is badly screwed up.

Even those flowers in the image accompanying this post were a waste of precious money .

Verdict : 1 / 5 ( Pathetic )

PERAANMAI ( TAMIL , 2009 )

Director : S.P. Jhananathan

Cast : Jayam Ravi , Vadivelu , Roland Kickinger , Urvasi

My Deepavali was kick-started with this movie , and let me make this very clear that if this movie is going to be any indication about my Deepavali weekend , I think this is probably one of the worst ever.

Peraanmai revolves around a group of College Girls who attend a NCC Training Camp , in some far-off hill station place . Dhruva ( Ravi ) is an Forest Instructor / Officer , who has come from the Tribal Area and passed through the system to make a name for himself , and this caste issue is subject to frequent humiliation by his superior and the girls.

The girls are under the constant watch of a Nun played by Urvasi . It is very well established early in the movie that certain girls , 5 to be precise , are least interested in working with Dhruva , thanks to the caste issue. And they resort to all sorts of silly pranks to humiliate him.

Ironically , at the end of the Camp these very 5 girls are selected by Dhruva to venture into the Forest for a whole day under his guidance. What happens when a freak accident leads to a series of events , is what Peraanmai deals with.

The opening sequences show a Rocket all set to be launched by a Space Agency , and as a group of scientists point out , this rocket would aid India in its agricultural research . Further as the movie progresses , we realize that a group of foreigners land in the jungle to destroy the Rocket with a missile. And Ravi , as always gets his share of bashing up , this time under the pretext of saving the country.

The story and script definitely oozes with so much potential and it would have been much better if this was given better treatment. The first half is easily one of the most horrendous bit of comedy I have ever come across. The Director clearly establishes the 5 girls' dislike for Dhruva , very early in the movie. But why for God's sake does the audience have to be subjected to torturous sequences which repeatedly show the girls playing out their never ending schemes to defame Dhruva.

Scenes like these clearly choke the viewer and you just begin to think about exiting the Cinema hall. No wonder there was a mini-exodus from the Theater not even halfway into the movie. the first half is so shoddy you wonder if this movie was made by the same Director who made that beautiful movie "Iyarkai". Nothing short of torture , this is the worst part of the movie , and drags on for long , thanks to a few misplaced songs.

Post-interval , things somewhat fall into place , when the 5 girls and Ravi are stranded in the forest , and realize that a group of 16 foreigners are in the jungle , to destroy the rocket . The portion between the pre-interval sequence and a the initial portion of the second half manage to keep you interested , but later on you can't stop feeling choked again , especially when Ravi and the 5 girls decide to confront the mini-army themselves , heavily inspired by some seriously ridiculous dialogues from Dhruva.

Screenplay is extremely poor , and the pace could have been sustained easily if a majority of the silly pranks were edited. The second half is somewhat better as far as the pace is concerned.

There is nothing in the movie , which makes the audience connect to the characters. In my opinion , a movie should have at least one character whom the audience can relate with , and that enriches the whole experience. In this case , you just cannot stop laughing at the sheer obscurity of the characterization , especially those of the girls and the superior Officer.

There is some hint of a brief romance between Dhruva and a girl called Ajitha . This too is shot in the shoddiest manner , and the love scenes evoke unintended laughter from the audience. Especially the sequence where Ajitha steals Dhruva's pistol , is dragged beyond reasonable limits and truly tests your patience.

Acting by Jayam Ravi can be described as mediocre at best . He does perform well in some scenes but in many portions , thanks to some horrendous characterization , irritates you with pathetically written dialogues . The girls all overact happily , adding to the audience's woes. Only the character of Ajitha seems to have even tried to act . Wonder what the Director was thinking about the characterization.

The comedy track by Vadivelu seems grossly out of place , and have not we seen enough of him playing the bumbling Hostel warden ? Urvasi comes up with a decent performance in a brief role. The Superior Officer is another classic case of overacting.

Music by Vidyasagar is least pleasing , and the placement of the songs does not help either. I mean , how can anyone just break into a dance , almost semi-nude , in a waterfall , when hardly half an hour has elapsed since their jeep plummeted into destruction , and you are stranded in the middle of a Forest area ? This as they say , happens only in India :(

The foreigners.. Ah , such a terrible bunch when it comes to acting and dialogues , with a mixture of British and French and American accents , all led by the giant sized Anderson , played by Roland Kickinger , another import from Hollywood.

The second half I thought , would have some credibility , but towards the end of the movie it is nothing but all boom boom stuff , with guns and bazookas blazing all around. The action scenes are so pitifully shot , you just begin to wonder who actually is firing at whom. And Dhruva , a Forest Guard seems to be an authority on weapons , ranging from Land-mines to The latest machine guns . Beats me. And the girls , whom we are made to think of as bumbling pranksters , are finally shown to be people capable of handling technology such as Radar , Rockets , Passwords etc. Probably Kollywood's answer to Charlies' Angels ? Wonderful , the audience are not fools ,Sir.

The movie has so much potential , with a strong storyline and script and even though I do appreciate the makers for trying out something new , it does fall flat on it's face. A classic case of potential being wasted.

I will go with 2 out of 5 for Peraanmai , and that too merely judging its potential and not just the actual outcome. Frankly speaking , with all that women power trying its best to come to the fore , coupled with shabbily filmed action sequences , and an overdose of patriotism , it was like watching a Kollywood action version of Chak De India . Much better was expected from the Director of "Iyarkai". This one is a big disappointment.

My Deepavali is off to a poor start thanks to Peraanmai.

Verdict : 2 / 5 ( Poor )