Reviews by Reno

'Ace attorney' is a courtroom drama about crime solving theme based on a popular video game called 'Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'. The trademark of this story either movie or video game is that main character Phoenix Wright shows his index finger like a style Ambedkar statue saying 'objection'.

Its hard someone to understand who are not familiar with Japanese movies or culture. If you are then this movie will be so fun which is directed by one of popular Jap director Takashi Miike, the '13 assassins' fame. Not so long ago I watched an another courtroom comedy called 'A ghost of a chance' which these both are kinda totally enjoyable. If you like any one of these you will like another too.

This is a story of a not-so-popular attorney Phoenix Wright who starts to claim best period of his professional when he bags back to back cases to his hand with successful results. The structure of movie plot was brilliant especially solving crime puzzle which opens new sub-plots instantly towards the last quarter of the movie. The story happens in the courtroom is like a wrestling match between two without physical contacts, if someone wins they qualify for the next round. Like I said it is a comedy genre so there's no seriousness in movie characters. I did not get a couple of jokes which I believe are pure Japanese which we won't get in translation. The movie was good to have once especially if you like Takashi Miike movies.

Irandam Ulagam' is one of the most expected Tamil movie of the year. The same visual fx team who worked for 'Avatar' is rendered some magical touch for this movie. India has never seen such a colourful grand visual movie till now. From the man of creativity, Selvaraghavan's yet another variety of splendid movie followed by the success of 'Aayirathil Oruvan'. The actors, especially both the lead Arya and Anushka gave theirs best shots to deliver director's imagination come reality. Even supports from the foreign characters were very impressive especially theirs lip synchronizations. They had no accent, according to the story they are from the different world so it's a clean cover up.

It was quite like 'The Lovely Bones' where people from two different worlds were connected to each others in some way. In the land of human where love is thousands years old, a girl meets her perfect man. What about the boy, does he thinks same as she thought about him. Not like the 'love in the first sight', for the time being it will become even. With all the hurdles the love grows stronger and inseparable. The careful the couples move their relationship from one to another level, no matter what it costs there will always be a negative force in nature to pull them apart. A man in such position 'How far he would travel for his love?' is what the director asked in the movie tagline. People with same face each in a different world and theirs romance tales were narrated in this movie. With an alternate world, the alternate culture, lifestyle and yet to blossom the first ever love in the innocent young hearts in the history of their kind is what we are going witness.

I liked the movie because it was a refreshing concept, in a way it is totally new to the Indian audience. Like I said the performances were excellent. The locations were too beautiful, in fact most of them were computer generated images. The stories from two worlds were narrated frequently one after another till the intermission. Then there is no coming back to the actual world, from there everything is told in the world similar to the fairies. It will leave many people in confuse to see new in all the corners of the alternate world. Some will may lose concentration in transition. So it is clear that the movie is not for everyone especially the old generation will struggle to catch up with the movie.

Okay, now lets talk about the negative side of the movie. As an experimental movie product of this part of the earth, it got acclaim from fans and critics but the movie had few minus points too. The tale should have been a little shorter for a theme like this. The biggest drawback was the songs which won't fit into the story. Giving a new dimensional thematic movie is a great idea but the director should not bore the audience by stretching its length. Yes the songs are good to watch in the television set in music channels but not in the movie. Selva should have disobeyed the protocol of making an Indian cinema by scrapping those songs. Then it would have been around 20 minutes shorter and will be perfect. I know he got great visuals in his mind to put those into making cinemas like the Hollywood giants Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. For that he has to think to make international standards by discarding usual Indian masalas. Because of those song tracks I felt the movie was little drag in the last quarter of the story. But the background score was very nice. The movie will test your patience in the near end portion keeping it going for a little longer than you expect the end.\

The movie had very fine special effects but 3d graphics were not quite convincible in parts. Especially those birds flying around far away in the sky and the lion hunting scenes were looked like some video game characters. Except those inaccuracies rest were indubitable. The way they showed the alternate world was really cool, very intelligent and a creative presentation. If you think you can handle the multiple layer movies like 'The Time Traveler's Wife' and 'Mr Nobody' then why can't this which had dual layer. In the end everything left to the audience, how far they understand about what they see and hear. Like the movies 'Endhiran' and 'Aayirathil Oruvan' you would not need to be highly smart to get the movie, a human with common sense will do.

7.5/10

This story was written by the 'Hangover' trilogy writers and a bit synchronization with it, where the movie characters take an adventure in a night before a big day of their life.

The directors might thought they were experienced to steer a directors ship after assisting the 'Hangover' trilogy and they did their best but did not impress the majority of the audience especially the youngsters. I got entertained, I was not going to complain much except the theme was kinda usual in all teen party movies. I don't know Jeff Chang guy was the best pick to play that role but I felt Miles Teller was little annoying, maybe because the character was developed like that I guess.

This Adnveturous night takes place on 21st birthday of one of the main character, while celebration they get lost and how they end everything they have started is the rest. For me the movie was okay, not too bad, I knew it wouldn't be a cinematic masterpiece or something like that, all I wanted was a good jolly moment and I had it.

6.5/10

The story is based on the play 'The boy in the last row' and a well crafted French drama centers between teacher and student relationship.

The story begins like a serious drama, when character developments reach at a certain stage the peculiar way of story telling starts to dig deeper into the existing characters which puts us to curiosity about the next scenes. This was kinda unusual theme like 'Stranger than fiction' and 'Ruby sparks'. The story has the power to control over the audience, which sometime drags between reality and fiction as its layers and sub-plots. You can't just judge the story especially the end but you have to experience yourself by watching it till end. The twist was really a nice one, it made the movie completely. I liked the scene at the end when they both sit on a chair and looks at a small flats from outside and say their own version stories.

The movie was suspenseful but comedy, especially when the character Germain pop-out as a narrator or guidance during the story flow of a student and his affair. The actual story of the movie was a teacher finds out one of his student's caliber in writing. So he offers him guidance to improve his talent which later the student submits a series of essay papers. When the story written by his student brings complication to around them there is no other way to solve it. Before to giving up on it is reached at its highest point to blow on everything out.

As the story was loosely based on the house, the title was perfect. The unique way of story telling and the interesting characters made the movie rich and spicy. One of a best French drama of the year, in fact very clever, must appreciate the writer Juan Mayorga and the director Ozon. Definitely not to be missed suppose you are a movie fanatic.

Takashi returns to the samurai world after the success of '13 assassins' in 2011. This movie was a remake of 1962 'Harakiri' which was also a massive hit movie. I have not seen the original but this movie blown me away. As usual the story opens slow and hard to identify the situation of the story but at the right middle of the movie the flashback strikes with awesome drama about poverty and family sentiment. Once the flashback was told you will easily say where the movie is heading. The story was classic and the movie was presented with rich cinematography. The first digital 3D movie for Takashi Miike as well the first 3D movie to premier at 2011 Cannes film festival.



You have to learn a word to understand the movie completely. 'Seppuku' - which means ritual suicide committed by a samurai. So that is why it's called 'Hara-kiri: death of a samurai'. You must have patience during opening sequences, without character and story development you will be in a tough position to understand about what's going on. While the story and character progress with the development you will start to get and you may fall for the emotion parts if you are a tenderhearted. And also you will be uncomfortable during 'seppuku' scene.

Takashi Miike's career best, this is what already everyone saying about it. But Its to hard to say which was his best, I like many of his works. I might be overwhelmed by the watch but will be happy to recommend it to others. I was very little unhappy for the ending scene otherwise I could have said it is the best of Takashi's work.

I am so curious about Takashi Miike's upcoming and Hollywood debutante project 'The outside' with Tom Hardy. Expecting it would be another 'The last samurai', I wish a good luck to the team.

An another Korean director's Hollywood debut, the 'Oldboy' fame. Compared to his other movies it was not that impressive. The character India was a bit like the Jodelle Ferland in 'Tideland'. This movie was more stylish, the camera work was excellent, the cast and the locations were so good.

This story was written by the 'Prison break' star Wentworth Miller. I was little disappointed in the characters which never came close to me an emotionally, but as a cinematically it was as awesome achievement. The portrait of character India was little let down after all her special abilities were so powerful than any others in the movie which were not used properly. All it was done was transforming one personality to another, that was the mainstream story of this movie.

The whole movie presented in anime style, in fact frame to frame it was. It would have been at least near to a masterpiece if it was the traditional way of story telling than adding too much style. The character Charlie makes all the difference in the movie but seems borrowed from another movie especially Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a doubt'. Overall it was a nice watch, pretty enjoyable and don't expect much from the story and the twist.

The movie was based on the true story of something we are unfamiliar with. Mike Weiss was real, it was his story, a lawyer who was a lazy, stupid, drug and sex addict. He fought for the revolution in a medical instrument to protect from most dangerous diseases from back in 90s.

Yes the movie was good but little depressing due to the Weiss' attitude towards his case because of his playboy quality. The movie had no entertainment elements, it was fully plain as some pure drama. As I said not a bad movie, deserves a watch and you will come to know something you never knew (I just guess). That's called learning the truth and knowing the revolution like the movies 'The aviator', 'Flash of genius', 'Social network' etc.

I have seen a few movies like this theme but I don't remember the names except 'The children's hour' and 'Atonement' but this movie will scare out for an adult man. 'A royal affair' fame Mads Mikkelsen was the lead character whose performance was so good, one of his career best.

The story happens between the two hunting seasons, what follows in between period of time is the movie. A much loved middle aged kindergarten teacher who is accused of the crime he's not committed. He has to deal it along with his messy divorced life who is fighting for parenting rights to his son. Because of a small lie suddenly that everything he loves will be against to him and how he overcome or whether he come or not is the rest.

It is a toughest theme to blend the two opposite characters in a movie, as one is an innocent, other seems innocent and by both the perspective everything looks innocent. It was a writer's smartness to make the audience not to fall for either of sides emotion. But many movie watchers will pick a side, in those times it will make something uncomfortable to watch. Several intense scenes were so close to stop my breathing for a moment.

A must see movie of a man's courage to fight back when his friends, family and sweetheart ditched him in a dark place. A fine Danish movie not to be missed and one of a best of 2012. A must see movie and deserves to be appreciated by world film fanatics.

42, the jersey number of a famous American sports person, Jackie Robinson. I never heard of his name before because the baseball is an alien sport in my country. Yes it was a wonderful biopic of an Afro-American baseball player who made a stepping stone to the future of his race with the baseball game.

This movie tells the story of Jackie Robinson as young and how he made into a famous team 'Brooklyn dodgers' to play for the American baseball league. The story sets during 40s just a few years after the II world war end where Branch Rickey, a baseball team administrator played by Harrison Ford, by his bold idea he recruit a first Negro player to his team to play.

I am smell the best supporting actor award for Harrison Ford, still a long way to go for that. This movie was kinda similar to Clint Eastwood's 'Invictus' where racism was the mainstream story. An inspiring story of a man who overcame to become an American hero. This is something that everyone must see, maybe because of moral of the story. An highly recommended.

One of a best television series (short) ever for all ages. OMG I don't know what to say, it was so awesome, enjoyed every millisecond of it. The sound design was excellently done, pleasant to hear the sounds of insect world and also the beautiful country nature. The mocking sound made by house fly was the hit among the kids including my niece & nephew. I don't know who to love and who to not, all the insects are heroes and villain in each episode. Each episode was 5 minutes short which tells about fun and adventurous life of the insects such as ants, ladybugs, houseflies, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, snails, bees, beetle, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, caterpillars, centipede, wasps, cicadas etc.

The characters and animations were very natural except the theirs behaviours. Those who love television cartoon shows should not miss it. Eagerly waiting for 'Valley of the Lost Ants' and will never miss it on the opening show. Highly recommended!