1. The Last Samurai :

It was great to see Tom Cruise in this remarkable role of Captain Algren who is a plan less American soldier. His self-esteem and his sense of being a soldier gets him in-between two worlds which have their own philosophies. There lies perhaps his greatest challenge and this challenge is all about the battle of two completely different psychologies.

Tom Cruise gets two thumbs up for producing this saga of a samurai. Also he has disciplined himself for a role like this. He has managed to bring to life, the American soldier who is caught amidst two eras in Japan. This will be one of the milestones in his filmography after Mission Impossible. Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto brings to life, a true samurai hero. He manages to bring in facial expressions well to balance his character with fewer dialogues. The movie also talks about the Samurai culture and their strong way of life.

As the director Edward Zwick remarked in his interview, it was a time of transition. In every culture, that moment of change from the antique to the modern is especially poignant and dramatic. It is also wondrously visual. Each image, each landscape, each room tells the story, the juxtaposition of the old and new. A man in a bowler hat strolls beside a woman wearing a kimono. A man firing a repeating rifle faces a man wielding a sword.

However, the process of Tom Cruise getting mentally bent towards the Samurai is very detailed. Very dragging at times. A must watch for tom cruise fans and also others who love to watch inspirational stuff.

2. Udhaya :

This movie is from director coming from the camps of Mani Ratnam. Azhagam Perumal, the director of Dum Dum Dum and the latest Joot started this film as his first attempt. But before the film was out, it had various hiccups and that delayed the film’s release. The film was in production for more than 2-3 years which is evident from the looks of the stars getting changed from scene to scene. It’s a classic example of how a film fails in the box-office because of the timing of its release.

A R Rahman being the music director has done justice for the songs. Thiruvallikkenni Kaari gets a pat for AR Rahman.

Any day this movie will be on Ungal Sun TV. So watch it then.

3. Kill Bill :

I want to place my review of Kill Bill Vol 1 after watching Kill Bill Vol 2. Being a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino since his Pulp Fiction, I felt a little let down by looking at those blood fountains pumping out of those Japanese heads since they lacked the finesse and the creativity of Q.T. However it was more gore and violent than The Passion of the Christ. Actually both movies shouldn’t be compared for the violence. Passion of the Christ was more historical violence and Kill Bill was very fictional.

However, I’m inquisitive to watch The Bride take over Bill in Vol 2. Incidentally, I also developed a liking for Uma Thurman since her role as Poison Ivy in Batman and Robin. She is one hell of a female and she hasn’t got roles that matched her capabilities. I wish and hope Kill Bill Vol2 fills the gap. The reviews of Kill Bill Vol2 are out and they are promising and making me more curious. Let’s wait and watch on the big screen.

Co-incidentally I watched The Last Samurai and Kill Bill on consecutive days and it was a Japanese overdose for me 😉

4. Vaanam Vasappadum :

Will write a brief review on this. Read my pre-release note on Vaanam Vasappadum.