HANCOCK – SUPER HERO IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT

Thank God. Will Smith is back and he is back with a bang, literally, as a super hero in his latest action flick ‘Hancock’. “Oh! No! Not another super hero”, if that’s what you have been thinking, just trash that idea. This is not the ordinary super hero movie wherein the hero bashes villains and saves the day. This is one different movie where the hero is not the toast of the people.

Hancock is not your next door super hero in any Marvel Comic. He is one with super powers, but he is not one with much responsibility. Wherever he goes, damage follows, even though he ends up saving numerous lives. But he doesn’t give a damn to what others feel about him. It’s a role right up the lane for Will Smith indeed. How Hancock deals with his alter ego is the rest of the intriguing tale. The movie, like every other super hero movie has its own dialog. ‘There are heroes… there are superheroes… and then there’s Hancock’. Good enough.

Will Smith is one of the best entertainers in the current crop in Hollywood. Hit after hit has followed him be it ‘Independence Day’, ‘Men in Black’, ‘Enemy of the State’, the unforgettable ‘Pursuit of Happyness’, ‘I’m Legend’ and he is well set to continue his miraculous stint at the Box office with ‘Hancock’ under the reins of Peter Berg.

THE HULK IS BACK

The green giant is finally back with a bang. The Incredible Hulk brings Bruce Banner and his bane, the Hulk, much like Dr.Jekyll and Hyde, back to the big screen. But this time it is not as good as the prequel, one fears. It may be because around 25 minutes of the movie has been edited by the distributors in the sub continent. Anyway it is still a thrilling ride and is worth a watch.

The Incredible Hulk begins with Bruce Banner trying his best to keep his alter ego, the Hulk, under wraps. Always on the hit list of the army, Bruce tries to restrain the Hulk within himself with some anger management techniques. He is also searching for a cure all the while. But he is forced to transform back to the green monster by ruthless war mongers and a new threat, the beastly Abomination. Left with no other option, Bruce has to call on the fury of the Hulk to deal with the Abomination. How he deals with his personal woes and the Abomination forms the rest of the gripping tale.

The Incredible Hulk features incredible stunt scenes and graphics and is definitely worth watching.

TIGERS ENJOY THE HONGKONG FEAST

Seldom have matches been as mismatched as yesterday’s dead rubber in the Asia Cup. Hong Kong learnt that they still don’t belong to the big league while Dhoni’s men had a walk in the park. On hindsight, what has this match achieved? nothing except to give the shivers for the Hong Kong team. Hope they are able to recover from this drubbing for the sake of the game.


Hong Kong lost the toss and with it the match. Dhoni sent his men in for an extended practice session and Viru and Gauti made merry. This is an emerging opening combo. Have we found the replacements for the legendary Sachin Sourav opening pair? Once the dashing duo left, it was time for Dhoni and Raina to rejoice and rejoice they did, with breathtaking centuries(at least It took the breath away from the HongKong team), Raina’s first and Dhoni’s long time due.

Chasing a mammoth target, Hk made their intentions clear, with most of their batsmen commiting suicide. Life was easy for the Indian bowlers. Chawla was in the comfort zone as batsman after batsmen stepped down the track, only to oblige Dhoni a stumping. Chawla picked up four wickets in the process and debutant Gony impressed. The chase never started and India has an extended rest for the tie against Pakistan.

Kuselan photo gallery

SUPERSTAR'S 20 AVATARS

Well, the Ulaga Nayagan fans have got their due, with Dasavataram and it is only human nature that the Rajni fans would be longing for the same from their idol. And as he always does, the Super star has once again ventured to quench his fans’ thirst. The Super star would be featuring in 20 different get ups in ‘Kuselan’.

Super star Rajni Kant, himself mentioned that he was very excited with the movie. Super star has been experimenting with his get ups lately. In Sivaji, he was seen with various different styles in the song sequences. The image of the Boss, and the fair Rajni Kant, especially went a long way into the hearts of fans.

‘Kuselan’ is already making waves, with the famous Daler Mehndi singing in tamil and the audio rights have gone to Big music. with the super star, pasupathy, meena, nayantara and vadivelu donning important roles, ‘Kuselan’ is making all the right moves for a box office hit.

SARKAR RAJ – POWER UNLIMITED

RGV is back quite literally. The legendary ‘Sarkar’ is back in RGV’s, ‘Sarkar Raj’ and it is more a Bachchan family get together, than anything else. One of the most talented families around, the Bachchans accepted the opportunity with both hands and delivered some of their best performances. The Bachchans waltz around the movie with aplomb, though Aishwarya doesn’t have much to do in the movie. Ram Gopal Varma finally makes a come back, with a decent movie this time around.

Sarkar Raj translates to ultimate power, as far as the movie is concerned. The Sarkar (Amitabh) is now in the background and Abhishek as Shankar Nagre is in control of the empire. Aishwarya Rai as Anita Rajan, the CEO of Sheppard power plant, approaches the Nagres with a project proposal. Shankar is impressed with the project and its benefits for rural Maharashtra. But the Sarkar is against it. Shankar gets the Sarkar to agree and along with Anita, he plans to garner support from the locals. But it is not as easy as it sounds as evil sources are gunning for Shankar, trying to make him history, as power cannot be given. It can only be taken.

The movie is a form of revenge for RGV. ‘Sarkar Raj’ has recorded a decent collection, though not a run away hit. But it manages to bring the RGV flop juggernaut to an end. After ‘RGV ka AAG’, everyone felt that he could only improve from there and that is what has happened in a minor scale. We may expect RGV to provide better movies in the future

KAMAL BESTS HIMSELF

Wow – that was my first reaction after watching probably, one of the best Tamil movies ever made. For once I was speechless, a feeling, that millions would experiences in the next few weeks as Dasavataram continues to be the cynosure for youths, adults and children alike. Seldom has an actor’s tagline fit him like it does for Dr. Kamal. He is definitely, Ulaga Nayagan.

The movie begins with a short but gripping flash back, and Kamal impresses you at once. Rangaraja Nambi leaves a lasting impression in the few minutes of screen space. The song ‘Kallai mattum’ is one of the best melodies ever and the visual effects leave you stunned. Soon the movie torpedoes you to the present, where Kamal as the scientist, Govind, makes his entry and the chase begins right there.

Kamal Hasan as Christian Fletcher leaves you comparing him with Arnold, a feat that deserves unlimited appreciation. The hit man continues on the pursuit, ruthless and determined to get the synthetic bio virus which Govind manages to sneak away from the lab and obviously comes to India. Sharing screen space with the Kollywood Arnold, is the Bollywood bombshell Mallika Sherawat, who blends into a tailor made role for her.

From the time that Govind reaches India, Kamal Hasan as Govind is overshadowed by himself as Balram Naidu, who leaves you in fits of laughter. Mixing Telugu, Tamil, and a bit of what is supposed to be English, Balram takes your breath away. Ulcer patients beware. He could leave you in pain with some unstoppable laughter. Kamal Hasan is in total ease as he portrays the typical Indian police. A laugh riot indeed. You would not forget this guy soon.

The remaining characters are there only for the story to make a move on. Kamal Hasan as the old lady, plays a maniacal woman, who evokes some laughter. The martial art stunts at the climax by the Japanese Avatar of Kamal Hasan is mind blowing. Avatar Singh does not have much importance, but mesmerizes you with superb Foot tapping music. Kamal as Khalifulla Khan evokes sympathy with his innocence and also evokes some laughter. Kamal also comes as a dark colored man to send a message and has succeded. The movie also features Kamal as George Bush and makes you smile, by taking some pot shots at him.

Will Smith, on the release of ‘Iam Legend’, admitted his fears on whether the audience would accept the movie, as it featured only a single actor, himself. But here is a man who takes on almost all the roles in the movie and comes out with flying colors.

Kamal Hasan deserves all the credits and the encores that he gets. He has an uncanny habit of doing something different, be it his path breaking, ‘pesum padam’, which ironically was a silent movie, or his ‘Aburva sagotharagal’, or the laugh riot ‘Avvai Shanmugi’, the ‘Indian’ and so on, he has never hesitated to experiment. And ‘Dasavataram’ is the cherry on top of the cake. Kudos to ‘Ulaga Nayagan’ for being one step ahead of time, all the time.