Random thoughts on two Harlan Coben novels

Cover -amazon.in

                                            I am slowly, but surely becoming a huge fan of Coben. Last week, I finished reading two of his domestic thrillers.Caught (2010) and Hold Tight (2008). I must say that that both the books were gripping, fast paced and truly entertaining. While the former is about a 17 year old girl (who has suddenly gone missing) and a TV sting that has gone horribly wrong , the latter is about the sinister secrets harboured by a teenage boy and also deals with themes like abuse of prescription drugs, teenage suicide topically. While the plotting of Caught is quite similar to Coben's previous works, Hold Tight is a marked departure from his usual style.What make both these works quite different from the usual thrillers is the fact that they both deal with quite relevant issues and that too in a fast paced and quite entertaining manner.

                             'Caught' starts off with an innocent man getting falsely implicated in a crime which he never did ,but the book is a lot more than that.Infact a lot of things happen in this 300+ page tale. A girl mysteriously disappears , a T.V reporter is on the run trying hard to prove a point, and there is also a group of men caught in a very tricky situation.The narrative is fast paced and there is never a dull moment but towards the end ,we get a feeling that the writer tried to pack in a whole lot of things in quick succession.There are twists galore in the end and before the reader can fully assimilate the first one, there comes the second one, the next and so on. On the whole, the work is a pretty good, entertaining read!

                         'Hold tight' follows the pattern of the typical Coben domestic thrillers.There is this family who are happily living the American dream and then suddenly they discover that their son (Adam) is harbouring a sinister secret. He starts behaving in a weird way and the panicked parents (Mike and Tiya) install a spyware in his computer.Soon the boy disappears and 'Hold Tight' is all about their race against time to get their son back.The book also deals with the many unethical practices existing in the field of health care and drug trade. On the whole,a truly gripping thriller!

-nikhimenon

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Weekend Recco- Pizza(Tamil,2012)

A poster of the film

(This week,we are recommending KarthikSubburaj directed‘Pizza’,produced byC.V.Kumar )

Title-Pizza

Language-Tamil

Year-2012

Director-KarthikSubburaj

Banner-ThiruKumaran Entertainment/C.V.Kumar

                     Debutant director Karthik’s Pizza was a pleasant surprise for me.The movie which had no big star cast nor any big names attached to it was also one of the biggest hits of 2012 in the TN boxoffice.Pizza is a delicious thriller which tells the unusual happenings in the life of a tamil pizza delivery boy.The near perfect scripting and the brilliant performance by Vijay Sethupathy(as the Pizza delivery boy)makes this movie a must watch one.

Michael(Vijay Sethupathy)is a pizza delivery boy who is in a live-in relationship with Anu(RemyaNambeeshan).Anu is a budding writer who is working on her debut novel which is a horror thriller.Michealdoesn’t believe in ghosts or spirits.One fine day,he is assigned to go for a home delivery in a haunted mansion somewhere in the suburbs of Chennai.The supernatural incidents which occur in the mansion and the brilliant climactic twist in the tale is what makes this Pizza a delicious dish.

What I liked the most about this film-

11.    Brilliant script and direction-Pizza was always going to be a very risky film.First and foremost it had no big star cast and the ‘horror’ genre was something which hadn’t found much success in tamil in the recent past. Pulled off this difficult job easily with his sheer genius.

22.   The Re-recording,Cinematography and Editing-Pizza would’nt have been what it was today if it was not for the superlative background score by SanthoshNarayanan.It is sure to  send a chill down your spine!GopiAmarnath’s cinematography and Leo John Paul’s editing were also top notch.

 3.   The brilliant acting by Vijay Sethupathyand RemyaNambeeshan- For a major portion of the movie,the only person whom we see on screen is Vijay,theprotagonist.He was just brilliant through out the film.His performance in the ‘haunted mansion scenes’ deserves special mention.Remya also emoted well.

What I didn’t like-

1.The length of the super natural scenes in the haunted mansion-The ‘horror’ scenes in the first half seemed a bit stretched.However the director had ensured that those scenes never becomes dull or predictable.

2.The first fifteen minutes of the film was a bit boring.

Verdict-4.5/5.On the whole,Pizza is a delicious treat.Watch it at the earliest!

-nikhimenon

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Weekend Recco: Eega/Naan EE(Telugu-Tamil,2012)

A poster of the film

                      (This week,we are recommending S.S. Rajamouli’s Eega,produced by P.V.P.Cinemas)

Title-Eega/Naan EE

Language-Telugu/Tamil

Year-2012

Director-S.S.Rajamouli

Banner-P.V.P Cinemas

                                    It’s not easy to pull off a feature film with a fly as it’s protagonist.In Eega,S.S. Rajamouli not only attempted this bizarre concept but also came out with flying colours.Made as a tamil-telugu bi-lingual’Eega’(Naan EE in tamil) was also one of the biggest hits in South India,last year(the movie also had it’s dubbed version in Hindi(Makkhi) and Malayalam(Eecha)).It was the kind of stuff which would have easily walked away with atleast half a dozen Academy Awards had it been made in Hollywood!

                                  The story line is pretty simple-Nani is the typical happy go lucky guy who is madly in love with Bindhu(Samantha).However before Bindhu could reciprocate her feelings to him,he is brutally killed by Multi-millionaire Sudeep who also has an eye on her.Nani gets reborn as a fly and takes revenge on Sudheep.How the fly manages to kill the villain is what Eega is all about.With a wafer thin story like this which relies heavily on VFX and CGI,Eega had every possibility to become an epic disaster.But thanks to the genius of S.S. Rajamouli,Eega  is an enjoyable entertainer which is totally worth your time and money.The animation by Makuta Visual effects is of international standards and has contributed heavily to the success of this film.  

What I liked the most about this film-

1.Just about everything!- Well,for the sake of it,will mention a few high points of the movie here- Kicha Sudeep’s brilliant perfo as the baddie,Team Makuta’s topnotch animation and VFX work,the pretty heroine Samantha Ruth Prabhu(who has also acted decently)and above all, the one man who made it all possible-S.S.Rajamouli.With Eega, Rajamouli once again proves that he is the best when it comes to fantasy!

2.If it wasn’t for it’s brilliant writing,Eega could have easily relegated itself to a ‘VFX extravaganza’ alone(remember Walt Disney’s ambitious telugu film,the Siddharth-Shruthi Haasan starrer’Anaganaga O Dheerudu’, which became a dud eventually?).The underlying romantic track between Nani and Bindhu has been etched out really well which also is the soul of the film.

What I didn’t like about the film-

Absolutely nothing! 

Verdict-4.75/5.Every once in a while, comes an Indian film which really makes us proud and even changes our changes our perception of Indian Cinema.Eega is one of those movies.Don’t miss this masterpiece!

-nikhimenon.2013.

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Weekend Recco: Harischandrachi Factory(Marathi, 2009)

(‘Weekend Recco’,as the name suggests,will be a weekly column@RT.These posts will basically be short reviews of movies from the Indian subcontinent which we believe are worth your time and money!)

Harischandrachi Factory

Language-Marathi

Year-2009

Director:Paresh Mokashi

Banner:UTV,Paprika Media,Mayasabha

Genre:Bio-pic/Satire

                          Based on the life of Dada Saheb Phalke,the father of Indian Cinema,’Harischandrachi Factory’ is a sweet little film which will charm you with it’s inherent honesty.The movie which traces the life of DhundirajPhalke and his struggles to make the first indigenous feature film was India’s official entry to the Academy Awards for the year 2010. Unlike the usual dark,pretentious and depressing art house fares that we get to see way too often,HF is a cute,entertaining tale replete with successful attempts at dark humour.The ‘mental hospital scene’,Dhundiraj’s search for ‘Rajaharischandra’sheroine’ in the ‘red streets’,the scenes following the sale of Phalke’s wordly possessions are all genuinely hilarious and often satirical which makes this movie a fun watch for even the non-Maratha viewer.The movie also offers an interesting time travel to the India –of the 1900 s.

What I liked the most about the movie:

1.The brilliant performances by NandhuMadhav(Dada SahebPhalke) and Vibhavari Deshpande(SaraswathiPhalke).Even the child who played Phalke’s son was very good.

2.The static frames,modest set design and the re recording could successfully create the ‘period feel’ which was required for the film.

3.The overall mood of the film.Though it had scope to become preachy and over sentimental,Paresh Mokashi resorted to maintain a feel-good feel through out the film.The length of the film(the movie is just about 119mins in duration) was also optimum.

4.The underlying Phalke-Saraswathi romantic track was charming.

What I didn't like:

1.In the movie everything comes too easily for Phalke.The ‘London scenes’ for instance, are far from convincing.

2.HF doesn’t through light on the ‘failed attempts’ and the bouts of depression and desperation which Phalke and Saraswathi might have gone through while making ‘Raja Harischandra’.The director’s attempt to portray Phalke as a ‘man of all virtues’(at some point in the film Dhundiraj’s brother even calls him ‘Harischandra’!) was a bit unwarranted.

A poster of the film

Verdict-On the whole ‘Harischandrachi Factory’ is a fitting tribute to the pioneer of Indian Cinema,DadaSahebPhalke and it’s undoubtedly one movie which should be watched by every Indian.Rating-4/5
This post is cross posted here

-nikhimenon 2013.

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