Garden diaries - Aquilegia

Note:  This is not meant to be garden advice, just my observations of our small garden.

Aquilegia

This plant comes in multiple colors and ours is in yellow.  This too was bought last year, this plant grows to about a feet in a 10" pot.  It produced about ten flowers in the last season.  After producing flowers for the season the leaves still remained green and survived through winter.  Seems to be a perennial.  This year it had buds in early May, and the first flower bloomed in about a week.  At one time only one flower blooms.  Blooms stay fresh for about 5 days.

Garden Diaries - Azalea

Disclaimer:  The idea of putting up picture and my observations about some flowers in my garden is just for pleasure; not intended as 'garden advice'.  I am  no expert; just an interested amateur gardener.

We bought this azalea last spring.  It came with a bunch of flowers.  After they fell off the leaves remained green even through winter.  We saw some buds again in early April.  Flowers bloomed around mid April and early May.  Flowers bloom within a short interval of each other.  Blooms stay fresh for a long time (this picture was taken mid May) and in many azalea bushes around the area almost no leaves are visible and the entire bush is covered with blooms! 

Looks like this is a perennial and is winter hardy. 

Biriyani Tamil movie review

This is a comedy thriller.  Average entertainer.  Karthi's ability to correct any and all 'figures' seems just a little unbelievable.  His sidekick is Santhanam, whose plight is comical becuase he guilelessly trusts his friend to 'correct' some girl for him but is let down everytime.

Things take an  unexpected turn when the two friends are blamed for murder.  How they tactfully clear their names is what forms the 'thriller' part of the story.  Narration is gripping and interesting.  

Speacial mention must be made for Uma Riyaz's impressive prowess as a hit woman.

Veeram Tamil movie review

Thalai (Ajith) offers this super entertainer movie - Veeram.  Almost for the entire movie he dons dhoti and shirt which I find very 'Tamilan' like!  His looks and make up is good too. 

Ajith is the oldest of five brothers, he is the one who looked after them in their youth after they lost their parents at a very young age.  So predictably all the brothers look up to him and his is the last word always.  By sheer hardwork, Ajith holds a respectable position and a floursihing business in his home town.  However he has resolved never to get married because a new comer to the family may, just may, drive a wedge among the close knit brothers.  All that changes when the brothers and Santhanam (as their family lawyer) plot to get Ajith to fall in love with Tamanna, who is a new comer to the village.

The second half of the story is set in Tamanna's village and her family.  Not only is the hero's costume very 'tamilian' but almost the entire movie is set in rural Tamil Nadu which is a refreshing sight.  Also in the second half Tamanna's home is very well depicted and it blends into the scheme of things quite well.

Santhanam's comedy is a scream in the first half; things get all the more hilarious after Thambi Ramaiyya joins on in the second half.

Tamanna performs her role with maturity and it is a welcome change!

This movie has the perfect mix of fights, good music, humor, a plausible story line, and overall a good entertainer, but the charismatic Ajith is who acutally steals the show.

Ivan vera mathiri - Tamil movie review

Another Vikram Prabhu movie (after Kumki) which makes an impact on the veiwer and true to its title - he is indeed different; the story line is refreshingly different.

Introduction about hero is insufficient, even if  you watch the movie from the very beginning the story takes off quite abruptly.  This movie falls under 'thriller' genre but it has some refreshing humor.  Seems silly that the heroine goes everywhere with the fish bowl given to her in jest by Vikram Prabhu but it becomes humorous when he gives her a baby!

How the hero traps victim and keeps him captive seemed a little unbelievable to me.  And how the insinuating 'receipt' remains under a parked car seemed even more so!

But to make up for all this the heroine depicts the pathos very well; and it turns out that the hero did what he did for a noble cause after all! (of course!)

Enna marenthen song is very pleasant and music is overall good.

Endrendrum Punnagai - Tamil movie review

 

This movie has shining 'stars' in it but disappoints the audience sorely.

 

Gautham (Jiva), Baby (Santhanam) and Sri (Vinai) are three friends inseparable.  They run an ad agency.  The three are such close friends that they literally live in Gautham's place; they have decided never to get married.  Jiva's dad is Nasser, and Jiva and Nasser are not in talking terms. ( The reason for Jiva's animosity towards his dad and the friends deciding to never get married is connected - it is revealed later in the movie)

 

Trisha is Priya and she works with them in the ad agency and her boss is Karthik.  (what happened to Karthik, by the way; his style is unmentionable - but thankfully he has a few sensible dialogues).  Sonia (Andrea) is a model who is attracted to Jiva for his masculinity and more importantly because he ignores her.

 

Sonia's antics in Switzerland bring the pair together but Jiva firmly sticks to his resolve of never falling in love ever (though his friends have not kept up their promise and that has driven wedges between them).  This pains Priya and she confronts him in the beach.  Predictably there is a 'USA' based groom in the sidelines to grab Trisha for his wife.

 

The course of events in this movie is quite predictable to say the least.  Santhanam's comedy is spontaneous at times and at others quite lame like the stationary room being slanting!  Alcohol makes a million appearances in this movie, it is annoying.  Music for the most part is loud.

 

Mathayaanai Koottam - tamil movie review

This movie makes an impact on the audience - you end up feeling for the characters and their human flaws.  People, in reality are a complex of innocence, jealousy, revenge, affection, loyalty and so much more.  After seeing this movie you, as a spectator would certainly start pondering on the complexity of human nature. 

Though the narrative is a little confusing in the beginning ( starts with a death and an oppari - quite an unusual introduction ) but the movie is powerfully and realistically executed.  The hero Kathir is an ordinary docile boy but the turn of events brings out the animal in him.  The events turn out to be unexpected.  The hero's romance with Oviya is just a figment.

Kathir has done an excellent job and so have the entire cast.  Viji Chandrasekar's role is a powerful one too.   

 

 

 

Yajaman Tamil movie review

A block buster of its times - with Rajinikanth, Meena and Aishwarya in lead roles.  This movie actually has a storyline and it is to do with Rajini as the great master or yajamaan.

The hero predictably is very caring and an affectionate master to his villagers and they look up to him but he too has some enemies.  He marries Meena after much wooing and how happy they are together is picture perfect.  The movie has some classic songs.

Aishwarya with some provocation from Napolean upsets the tranquility of the marriage by accusing Rajini falsely of some very lowly things; it does not change him in the eyes of his wife but the villagers are a little skeptical.

Then she herself clears the air by coming clean but by then some irreparable damage has been done to Meena by the same villain crowd.

The movie ends in a little bit of a twist and not the usual 'they lived happily ever after' note as Rajini wants to honor his wife's last wishes.

Seenu tamil movie review

Karthik (as Seenu) and Malavika play lead roles in this tamil movie.  Karthik's older brother Kesavan is a famous singer very popular among his rasikas, while Karthik passes time picking fights with people who speak ill of Kesavan.  His family is quite disgusted with his anger and rowdyism.  In one concert Karthik fills in for his brother and becomes so popular with all that slowly his brothers popularity starts to fade away.  Predictably Kesavan is extremely irked with Karthik and becomes jealous and drunk; while Karthik always looks up to his brother inspite of his changing ways.

Kesavan going away from home while his sister's (?) wedding is fixed forms the climactic end of the movie.

Malavika's role is minimal and music is passable.

 

Magalirkkaga tamil movie review

Average entertainer.  It has a host of 'star' actresses - Khushboo, Vindhya, Ambika, Kovai Sarala.  The story is set in a women-only police station.  Vindhya is a conscientious constable who also takes tuitions in her spare time.  Ambika and Kovai Sarala know the ropes of the station better and keep the atmosphere lively and going.  Khushboo is the head constable whose principles interfere with her neatly mapped personal life and predictably she chooses her principles over any other temptation.

The comedy of Kovai Sarala and Vadivelu enlivens the movie.  Apart from the comedy track everything else seems clichéd - plotting villains, righteous cops, songs etc.