Dolittle (2020)

Playing iconic English characters will be gleefully mentioned in Robert Downey Jr’s oeuvre in the future if at all Dolittle delivered its promise. He had already played Charlie Chaplin (who was an Englishman, by the way) and Sherlock Holmes.  As one had expected, especially if you have started reading the reviews, his attempt to give Dolittle that superpowered version failed, but not miserably.

What, I felt, contributed to the downfall was the very reason why many would flock the theatres for – the man himself, Robert Downey Jr (or RDJ as we love to call him…or, as I love to call him). His performance was…and I am very sorry to say this, having been his fan now since the first Iron Man, having noted with both eyebrows lifted, his tremendous involvement in Chaplin, way earlier…simply sucked.

Yes, it pained me to tell you guys that. He changed his voice slightly, added a mishmash of accents and at most times, seemed uninterested. One could attribute to the fact that he has to play with a barrage of CGI characters, but having played Iron Man many times, blue screen, and talking to a tennis ball on a stick should have been run in the park for him.

For, he is the most interesting leading man ever to grace the scene, where he can never go wrong even if the film sucked, like, say, Paul Newman. Likeable, affable, charming, Newman, when even playing an anti-hero, had the temerity to still pull you to his side (Cat On Hot Tin Roof, Hud). RDJ, as he is fondly known, emphasis on “fond”, has the same superpower, mind you and, yes, he is the main attraction here, but somehow his performance lacked that firepower even when it was required.

Instead, much energy seemed to have been channelled by the director on the motley crew of talking animals. All of them, yes, all of them, lacked character. They just talk and that’s about it, even when the attributes (like the Gorilla that lacked courage) were spelt out clearly in the dialogues and other expositions.

None of the scenes is memorable. Nothing clicked. There’s nothing in there that will be talked about even the next few months. I am not even sure why they rebooted this (as third franchise for RDJ? After Iron Man/Avengers and Sherlock Holmes) after the not-so-awesome Eddie Murphy flicks which were re-adaptation of the book by Hugh Lofting after it was a first a silent flick in 1928, radio series in the 1930s, animated TV series in early 70s after the successful screen adaptation in 1967 with Rex Harrison in the title role, and followed by the unforgettable Eddie Murphy version and its forgettable sequels and other “offshoots” that followed.

In fact, the latter productions were definitely not top-notch materials and probably diluted much of the surprise factors that there were actually nothing much to expect from this version starring the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. Currently.

The plot is hardly original, as are the characters7 including the bad guys…. An opportunity to go deliciously over-the-top considering the genre was wasted by Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen. The animals are all without personality, you may find them cute…but that’s all they are. They are not going to make you hold your breath, let alone get emotional.

Frankly, I wish I would recommend this film as a fan of RDJs (who executive produced this with his wife), but frankly, give it a miss. Why do I even bother to write this review? It is just to remind that not all that glitters are gold; I have written elsewhere that if you take RDJ out of the Avengers, the series would flop. But he seemed to be not that powerful here. Sorry, my man, better luck next time.

To think that he executive produced this drivel with his wife. Oh, man...as they say in Tamizh, Aanaikkum Adi Sarakkum (Elephants can fall too)...

Psycho (2020}

The word Psycho became popular after the Hitchcock masterpiece that terrified audiences all over the world in 1960. 

It became a slang word to describe anyone mentally disturbed, to the point that it is now labled politically incorrect to do so.

This film took the title to pay tribute to the master as the opening credit sequence noted that it was dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock. That saved the director, Mysskin, from being labelled as a thief to a dutiful filmmaking fan in the vein of Tarantino and Ritchie who picks from a buffet of celluloid creations and label them as “tributes” or “homages”.

Anyway, this film is not intended to glaze over or sugarcoat some serious issue. The last time there was an intentional rawness to the sexual animality mixed with psychological derangement was four decades ago in a film called Sigappu Rojakkal (Red Rose), director K. Barathiraja’s third directorial feature (a huge jump from the folksy Pathinaru VayathinilE and KizhakE POgum Rayil that did have bloodshed, anyway). love stories

This, in fact, could be a brilliant, padded remake of Sigappu Rojakkal, coupled with Kamal’s own Rajaparvai for that eclectic mix.

I am not too familiar with Mysskin’s oeuvre, having seen only Onaiyum Attukuttiyum, for the audacity of its tracking long shots, and Mugamudi that was interesting as the first superhero flick (especially now after Sivakarthikeyan’s sub-standard Hero) and have given the other flicks a miss for reasons that only I know, before wanting to become a cinephile again.

Here, the plot surrounds a serial killer, a psychologically very effected dude, Angulimala (Rajkumar), a blind protagonist Gauthaman (Udhayanidhi Stalin), his kidnapped crush (Aditi Rao Hidari) and a quadriplegic ex-cop (a  very wonderful Nithiya Menon, more on her later). There are many beheadings, bleeding and brooding to be seen and not one second was wasted and not one millisecond was the film boring. Mind you, I watched this after an early lunch in the afternoon...and I am not even aware of the Buddhism history to appreciate the killer's namesake in the lore.

The film persistently grabs you by the throat and gets you involved emotionally with the characters that you will sympathise, even the usually uninteresting Udhayanidhi who does not play a blind who is too sympathetic nor as completely a capable differently-abled hero like the Daredevil’s alter ego.

The aftermath of the killings is gory, for the uninitiated, considering the victims are shown headless, often in their undergarments. The killer is a psychopath, as the title suggests, who Mysskin did not stereotype as per the usual baddies and heavies in films (except for the Kubrick-ian stare ie, head down, eyes through the eyebrow trope… come on Mysskin, you could do better than that).

The killer is given a human angle, with a backstory as to support his behaviour, not too dissimilar to Kamal’s character in Sigappu Rojakkal, hence my self-delusion that this is an awesome remake of that classic; and his killing spree comes to a halt briefly when he decides to make his latest victim a prisoner and witness to more of his horrific actions.

It was only now that I was made aware of the actual Angulimala character and I leave it to the overtly enthusiastic film students to break down the symbolism, the parallelism, and anything else that will take the discussion all the way to the Lumiere films, so I will spare the intellectual talk considering my own inadequacies.

But what I can talk about though is the impact this film had on me. Though it does not glorify violence as many films of this genre would, it does paint it in the goriest possible manner that it might make the creepy ones happy. The room where the incisions are done does not look inviting, the pool of blood are only half mopped, the atmosphere seemed to stank that...no, no Smell-O-Vision, thank you.

The cops in this film are adequately portrayed as men with jobs to do, no snivelling cunning cop on the take, or chiefs with outsized vocal cords. Mysskin would not be interested in that. He pays great attention to the visuals; every frame is a product of a skilled photographic output of its own. They do not scream for attention as would many Manirathnam films that threatened to overshadow storytelling and genuine performances.  The cinematography in this film is what a navigator is to a spaceship, it truly takes the storytelling to the places it should go. No distraction, no disruptions, and no disturbances.

The plot is simple enough for those who are familiar with this genre: The serial killer does the killing. The good guy does the sniffing (literally, considering he’s blind) and there’s the damsel in distress, except they are not your usual pigeon-holed screaming blonde…the reason why he puts hold on her killing is interesting and seem convincing enough.

Two things do stand out (heck every aspect does making this the most important to come out of the Tamil film industry at least the last few years):

One, the music. I have complained consistently how music seems to drown many scenes of the films lately. They are everywhere like goddam cockroaches, and it doesn’t help that you are aurally assaulted by piss poor mishmash of mostly electronic sounds as I have noticed in some of the recent Tamil films. Here, the maestro himself, Ilayaraja, goes from full-blown orchestration to quiet droplets (watch Kalaignan with Kamal Haasan, which could have been a classic if they protagonist himself was indeed the killer…what a miss) and the silence in between the scores are themselves eerie music…the timing, the pacing and the placement are top-notch.

Next, is the second heroine of the flick, a quadriplegic ex-cop played by Nithiya Menon. I recall in a writing by scriptwriter William Goldman who wrote of his admiration in the performance of James Caan in a film he wrote Misery (adapted from a Stephen King’s novel), where the most physical actor of his time was confined to bed… the struggle, the repression, being tied up provided the trigger to a brilliant performance.

Likewise, Nithiya who is on a wheelchair most of the time, easily displayed her frustration, while at the same time dishing out hilarious retorts making her one of the most three-dimensional female characters I have seen of late. She shares the protagonist’s anxiety having her own dreaded past to relate to (that caused her to be wheelchair-bound) and we care enough for her to worry about her involvement in the whole fiasco.

All in all, this is a wonderful fare that will give the jolt to the Tamil film industry that seemed to have gone back to its dreary routine of late, with masculine heroism, patriotic flag-waving, etc. Mysskin himself is a force to reckon with, and he really needs recognition outside of India. He is way better than some of those who are still basking in the glory that was given to them decades back.

Darbar (2020)

Only thing he shaved, is his age...

My favourite Hollywood film director is Martin Scorcese and when it was announced that he was going to work with his old regulars, de Niro, Pesci and Keitel, plus, for the first time, joint force with Al (Frickin’) Pacino, I was ecstatic. I was even “ecstaticker” when it was reported that these actors would be de-aged for the roles that spans from the 50s to the present setting.

Having seen part of it, I must say I was a trifle disappointed with the whole de-ageing thing. It was not that good as I expected. In fact, it did mar the performances of those leads.

Which brings us to this new flick by A. R. Murugadoss starring some 70 years old guy they call “Superstar” in the Tamil film industry. You know who I am talking about….

…. oh…who am I kidding. Rajini is a name that has become a brand of its own that no matter how this once Sivaji Rao Gaekwod tries his best to shed it off his off-screen persona of being this old, worn-out looking (not) geezer that he portrays in life, because the real self comes through his police commissioner Aditya Arunachalam persona where he packs a wallop, setting another milestone in the cop saga, considering the last time I was impressed by a Tamil film cop was one played his goddam rival cum BFF.

The still sprightly star does not look any more older than that stage if one were to shave off almost quarter of a century of his actual age. Unlike the de-aging process Scorcese laboured with which costs millions, all it took for our Superstar was a bit of foundation, a smattering of wig and…shitload of charm that can only come from the one and only most successful actor ever in the land that is only known for Bollywood to the short-sighted western hemisphere film fans (I discount Kamal Haasan who is on equal footing only because Kamal spread himself thin with being a producer, scriptwriter, director, singer, makeup artist…among others that is… and now, wallowing in goddam political mud).

The director of this new flick, Darbar, A.R. Murugadoss is in no way an auteur. He comes close to being compared with Shankar for his “concept” flicks and is nowhere near Manirathnam in being showy audio-visual whip and chair handler. But in Rajini, Murugadoss found something that he did not at all have in his previous film -  an actual explosive device in form of a star...real star...a Superstar... not some goddam pretenders of throne. The director lets his star's out of the world persona to enhance and add glitter and grit to what would have rather been a mundane cop and bad guys routine that has been so prevalent since the days of M.G.R’s En Kadamai or Sivaji Ganesan’s Tanggapathakkam.

What makes this film so refreshing is that, one, Rajini is shown as an older cop, nearing his retirement (or past it), who has a grown-up daughter. The best part of this film is just that, his relationship with his little girl. I enjoyed every moment of his banter with her, the affection he showers on her and how his world radiates, when not revolving around disgusting trashes of humanity, with the angel played heart-touchingly by Nivetha Thomas that gives him a reason to not to be too gung-ho and suicidal in his chosen profession.

Then, the annoying part. One thing that I truly detest is the flashbacks that have been a bit too prevalent in Tamil films lately. At one point it was useful, say in flicks like Kamal’s Virumandi, or, if you step really back, in S. Balachander’s Antha Nal starring Sivaji Ganesan as the antagonist. Here, it goes on too long that if you miss that one part you won’t know that you have slipped back in someone’s memory lane. And the bad guys don’t quite register…frankly, Rajini ran out of formidable bad guys. One wishes that Raghuvaran can be resurrected…we truly miss him.

….and if you are familiar with Rajini’s films (who am I kidding), one thing you frequently do is throw the realism out of the window…because there are some wince-inducing scenes, though they are miles ahead of goofy shit you can find in any Rajini films directed by P. Vasu. If you do so, you can definitely enjoy this film much more.

As to our hero’s performance, they are apt and to the point. I still miss the heavyweight Rajini of Mullum Malarum or Tappu Thalanggal. It’s in there somewhere, and I am still hoping there is still one great film of that calibre in him waiting to come out.

Otherwise, I truly enjoyed this film especially the abovementioned quite moments he has with his daughter, and, of course, with Nayanthara who doesn’t do much anyway (also, I am thanking Murugadoss for not resorting the usual shit of having the bad guys kidnap our hero’s love interest).

Fortunately, or unfortunately, his film belongs to “watch it for Rajini” category because if you take him out, it will be just another generic cop movie that can easily fit in the 90s Vijayakanth or Sathyaraj starrer, nothing more or less. But with Rajini still bouncing and running up the stairs like a 20 year old, and kicking ass, shooting bullets and literally puncturing bad guys with knives, boy, oh boy, arms gripping and teeth gritting will be the order of the day.

And…also with Rajini, this ordinary piece of celluloid fare throbs with energy, pulsates with “style” and is ready to give you time of your life if you surrender to his charm.  If currently Kamal is the patron saint of the Tamil film industry, constantly giving it distinguished outputs, Rajini is the rebellious emperor who, after he had done conquering another corner of your heart, makes you wonder, “what the f_ did just happened?”.

He kidnaps you, holds you ransom, and makes you fall in love with him. He is the personification of goddam “Stockholm syndrome” of film fans….understand this…there are many late converts who fell to his charm after he had forcefully grabbed you and kidnapped your taste and made it fall for all the gimmicks, glitter and silliness that he brings to his performance.

Kudos to A.R. Murugadoss who functioned both as a fan and a genre hack, because the two blends well in this entertainer. I have not spoken about the music...but I found it endearing that Anirudh decided to honour Deva's unforgettable theme. I never liked Deva's output, but I must admit, the OO7 inspired theme surely sticks with you because we are dealing with the only superhero of Tamil film that no Marvel or DC leotard wearing shmucks can touch...even with a tent pole.

The Ten Unwritten Rules of Tamil Films.

(The following is a rewrite/translation of the original article was written by filmmaker/writer Sehnthan Arumugam for the monthly Tamil language magazine Mayil…I wrote them in my personal style but the entire credit goes to Sehnthan whose own biting satiric style inspired this…the original scans are featured, spread over the article...written with the author's permission, by the way...)

Prologue

Clichés are heaven-sent for headline writers, and that’s all there is to it, but when the formulaic scenes, stereotypical characters and somewhat staid plots start reappearing to the point of scaring even five years old, then its time you take up arms and start a revolution. Or in Sehnthan’s case, list them down for you to tear apart. My rewriting begins….

Intro .

The History of Tamil film truly started in 1918, when one R. Nataraja Mudaliar released Keechaka Vadham, a silent feature that kicked started the torrential pour of Tamil films that have peaked to immeasurable numbers of releases per year at some point (if you take into account some dubbed flicks among others). Out of these, only, perhaps, 10 percent would turn out to be original, authentic presentations, while the rest are bargain bin business-as-usual films that may or may have not been blockbuster hits…depending on what the hardcore fans are impressing upon you. And one never knows whether the fans are tired of these “formulaic” outputs…

But it is worth noting that these clichés, or tropes have been in presence for persistently so long in the film industry that they have been holding on to power beyond their expiry dates like many country leaders. Now, let’s look at these clichés, or tropes if you want to call them…or formula…whatever...

1. One hero vs multiple henchmen.

Multiple is an understatement here. Usually, the extras do not come in and kick the heroes butt at one normally do, if henchmen kicking one guys butt is a regular occurrence, like littering. Noooo….they usually come at our Man of masses one by one, like a superhero (that will make actual superhero like Batman to retire in his cave and hang up his cowl), he would “deal” with them successfully by any mean, using any weapon, and any number of invisible forces…until the main villain gives him a hard time…and…duh…you know who wins at the end. These poor extras deliver their punches and kickes feebly in direct relation to their daily coolie wages so that not a piece of the heroes wig are moved by the time the fight is over. Phew!

2. Superhuman strength

Speaking of which…because heroes won’t die…and even if they do, their lookalike or twin brothers all played by the same star will save the day. But they die hard…literally. Imagine if you will (or watch those damned films), with two bullets in him, deep machette cuts on his person, and a dagger stabbed in his back….yet, our hero rises like climaxing Terminator to kick the bad guys ass. Phoenix be damned.

3. Heroes with secret past

Or secret life, rather. The heroes always have a dark past, or is doing something else under the covers to facilitate our film fans devastating addiction for flashbacks. A twist in the plot forces open his closet in the middle of the film, and, or, in case of filmmakers with bushier beard, this might only occur at the end of the film. With sequels clamouring a position amidst lazy producers these days, some secrets are held until the next flick…

4. Man of many talents.

Despite having born and grown in a remotest village, our hero would magically be endowed with all kinda martial arts imaginable, or unimaginable (Re: Vijayakanth). If that is not enough, he would be blessed with brilliant singing vocal (Re: Ramarajan) and ability to outdo Michael Jackson on the dance floor (Re:…oh, never mind).

5. Pregnant gals

If the young heroines, or the ones shown to have married exhibits sudden desire to throw up her entire lunch or dinner… suddenly….you know what’s coming. Which means, time is ripe for bad guys to kidnap them, or, even kill them. These mothers-to-be will never be able to enter the medical facility safely…oh no….not without massive disruptions and even if they do, it won’t be a safe labour, the scriptwriters detest that don’t they? These will be told in detail when the kid grows up so that he can quench his thirst for vengeance.

6. Torrential rain…
 

Yes, rain helps to enhance the emotion. The hero wants to express his deepest feeling to his lover? Let it rain. A complex, gritty situation where the hero confronts (finally?) the baddie? Let the droplets gush down heavily. A climax which nothing much happening but some heavy speech….oh boy, get the cloud squeeze the last drop. The only time the wet weather is forced to stop is when the heroes plead the nature so with heavy S.P. Balasubrahmanyam singing….

7. Time…stand still please
 

We have seen these…the important character is dying…or should have been dead by now. But wait…or rather, the death should wait until the character has said what he or she wanted to say, comma, full stop and all. Then, they close their eyes…or the one holding them symbolically close their chapters by caressing their palms over the deceased eyes (how’s that for corpse fondling?).

8. Village beauties.
 

Oh, how have we seen heroines who somewhat, despicably, does not fit the platform of the story at all. That’s pretty regular. It is fine if a very fair (or north Indian looking) heroines can be found in a typical city setting…but how in heck did these creatures ended up in a typical village is anyone’s guess.

9. Follow…literally, and romance follows.
 

The hero would follow the heroin and pines for her with cupids arrow of any sort. The girl knows and pretends that she’s ignorant. She speaks fondly of this repulsive stalking to her gal pals…but of course, if the established villain does that…. Reports are made and all hell shall break loose.

 

10.  BFF
 

Yes, the best friend forever factor (NanbendA), where these comprises mostly sidekicks of comedic varieties. As the story drags its heavy feet amidst tiring plotlines, these “funny” guys come to the rescue and lift the dying film up. Their gags usually last until things gets heated up between the hero and his lover, after which they become the hero’s counsellors, helpers, postman and of course, in some cases, sacrificial lambs.

Epilogue

Of course, not all Tamil films use these stereotypes, and tropes. But you, dear readers, must be nodding in agreement with what you read just now, because they are everywhere. Occasionally, some good films with original, brilliant scenes do appear and there must be more of them. Only then, these unwritten rules will go away. Till then….

(Thank you Sehnthan Arumugam and Mayil magazine for this well..unauthorised reworking)