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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

English ,2010

Director : David Yates

Cast : Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Alan Rickman , Ralph Fiennes , Brendan Gleeson , Helena Bonham Carter

HP7 Part 1 , is the first installment of the ending , of one of the most watched movie series in history , based on the best selling books written by J.K Rowling .

A brief summary of the plot for folks not familiar with the series . Harry ( Radcliffe ) and his friends Ron ( Rupert Grint ) and Hermione ( Emma Watson ) , are yet again drawn into doing things which you generally don't associate with youngsters of their age . This time around , they are required to find and destroy Horcruxes . A Horcrux , for those not familiar with the wizarding world , is an object , or rather , 7 objects in which the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort has hidden his soul . The only way to destroy him is to destroy these Horcruxes. Voldemort and his followers , have taken over the Ministry of Magic , and how the Trio and their supporting group , try to defeat Voldemort , is what the movie is all about.

Brilliantly shot and with loads of special effects , the story moves on , with a reasonably good pace , barring the 10 minutes pre-intermission and post-intermission .

The plot , is largely faithful to the book upon which the movie is based , and there are very few surprises in store for readers here . Although it is impossible to fit the essence of a huge book into an almost 2 1/2 hours movie , the Director shows us most of the important sequences , at the same time , a few unwanted ones as well. Crispness is something which I have always associated with most HP movies , barring a few . However , I personally felt this movie lacked the same intensity and pace as it's predecessors , or at least most of them . Nevertheless , Rowling's base story in itself , has enough potential to keep the viewer's interest sustained.

The few visions of Dumbledore's character , who perishes in the previous movie , would bring a sense of nostalgia , to any "pure blood" Potter fan :) . The characters have matured and developed over time , both in the books and on-screen too. The trio of Potter,Weasley and Watson , suit the characters and the sense of bonding and togetherness remains the same .

There is not much of humor in the movie , and for the bulk part , all the characters seem to have a look of impending doom , written all over their faces . The cold interactions between Ron and Hermione , however , do cater to your funny bones occasionally. And Harry steadily smooching Ginny Weasley , with her brother George Weasley acting as an appreciative audience , was brilliant . A couple of other scenes , with typical British style humor , brightens up the proceedings.

Visually enchanting , with tons of effects and a distinctly dark tint throughout it's duration , HP7 Part 1 , will definitely appeal to those who just want to go to the Theatre to be cast under a spell , literally. I still don't fathom why this was not made for a 3-D audience , or at least part of it. I still remember the opening moments of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , watching it in a theatre with 3D , and opening my mouth wide in amazement . The image of Dementors , flying across a London skyline which falls apart , was brilliant , to say the least . There are many such portions in this installment too , but they would have been better with 3D on .

The background music is a definite boost to the plot and is in-sync with the visual proceedings , adding an element of mystery to it . Cinematography is top notch , and all the colors of the magical world are so vivid , you would think you were in a different world yourself.

On the flip side , as mentioned the screenplay could have been more crisp and tight. There were quite a few "yaaaawn" moments from my side , but it never got boring . The sense of bonding between the Trio still exists , and appears natural for the most part. But however , the on-screen chemistry or camaraderie between other vital characters , such as the members of the Order of the Phoenix , left a lot to be desired. The scene where Mad-eye Moody , finely portrayed by Brendon Gleeson , assembles the Order and asks them to take a potion , looks as if we were watching a high-school PT/Sports teacher barking orders. The chemistry BETWEEN the supporting cast , is definitely missing and is hardly convincing .

We never get to see good old Hogwarts , keeping in sync with the plot . Sometime , it does get a bit odd , as I have been a huge Potter fan from the very beginning , of both the movies and books , and the majority of the action always took place in Hogwarts , except the fag end of the series , as is the case with the Deathly Hallows Part 1 .

There was much talk about an on-screen kiss between Harry and Hermione , and for many Potter buffs , this was considered as a sin . Personally , it was a topic of much discussion for a few days before the movie release , between me and my Potter-fan colleague in Office. Thank God , it was a relief to see in which context these 2 characters are shown kissing and fondling each other on screen . Potter fans , there is no need to panic about this piece . Watch it , and you will know exactly what i mean .

The supporting cast do not get much importance role wise and the Trio pretty much account for everything that's happening on-screen . Hagrid , Mad-eye Moody , the Weasley family and Snape and many more , have nothing much to do. But these are all polished performers and every supporting cast member has come up with extremely convincing and naturally pleasing performances , even in their short-lived screen time.

Radcliffe and Emma Watson , still fail to thoroughly convince me with their acting skills , which can be termed average . However , looks wise , I don't think many other people could have filled the shoes of characters of Harry and Hermione . Among the trio , it is Rupert Grint ( Ron Weasley ) who appears natural and convincing .

Ralph Fiennes , as Lord Voldemort is giving us his best as always , with each Potter flick . He displays a perfect mix of varied emotions : Anger , frustration , impatience .

A special mention for Helena Bonham Carter , who is at her menacing best , as Bellatrix Lestrange . She brings in so much energy into her performance as the cold-blooded Death Eater , it's infectious . A small role , but superb !!

This movie is strictly for the Potter buffs , as there are many Wizarding terms and references , throughout the movie, and anyone not so familiar with the story and the series would feel completely lost . And the references to old Potter lore , thrown in for good measure , certainly does not help the cause of non-Potter fans . Sample this : Tales of Beedle the Bard , Invisibility Cloak , Snitch , Godric's Hollow , Horcrux , Dragon heart-string wand etc . If you are not a Potter fan , your head must already be reeling after reading the review , as if you were hit by a "stupefy" spell :)

I think this movie ought to be rated from 3 perspectives :

1 . For people not familiar AT ALL with the series -- 1.5 / 5 , as you would appreciate the technical aspects alone and NOT the story .

2. For people who are REASONABLY familiar with the series -- 3 /5 , maybe tag along with a more knowledgeable Potter-buff friend for the movie.

3 . For Potter-buffs -- 3.5 / 5 . It is not immensely satisfying , but it's in no way a let-down either .

The movie serves as a perfect prelude to it's ending , which would knock on Theatre doors in July 2011 , and dig this , in 3D !! The last image of Lord Voldemort , holding the Elder Wand in his ghost-like hands and raising it , sending upward a beam of strong light , amidst the darkness of the night sky , is an indication , of better , darker things to come .

Movie : Endhiran


Language : Tamil , 2010

Genre : Sci-Fi

Director : Shankar

Cast : Rajinikanth , Aishwarya Rai

Well , what can I say . It has been a long time since I blogged , and am happy to be back with a movie very close to my heart . It does not get any bigger than this.. India’s biggest director , biggest superstar and the world’s most beautiful woman , with the country’s best musician …

Endhiran , starts off with a scientist Vaseegaran ( Rajinikanth ) , creating a humanoid robot called Chitti ( Rajinikanth ) , aiming to deploy such robots in the Army to help the forces . Things seem to be smooth , until Chitti is injected with an emotions module , which makes him similar to any other human being . Chitti then falls in love with Vaseegaran’s fiancée Sana ( Aishwarya ) , and falls into wrong hands , what happens henceforth is what Endhiran is all about.


Movies of this genre definitely warrant creative liberties . But the director has taken the term to new levels altogether . With Chitti talking with mosquitoes , helping Sana with her medical exams , shooting bullets from his fingers , this packs a punch in every sense of the word.


What will make this flick appeal to all , is the sheer magnitude of the project itself. Technically superior to any other Indian movie ever , this is one hell of a ride. Family audiences will devour the no holds barred entertainment on screen , lap it up twice , thrice and over and over again.


Comedy seems to be a bit of a letdown here , with Santhanam not doing much to set your ribs tickling with laughter . It is Chitti’s artificial intelligence , with some witty dialogues which make the viewer smile and laugh at times . Sample the scene where he teases a police constable who questions him for driving a car without a license .


The plot is not quite complex and sticks to Shankar’s fairly simple and straightforward style of storytelling . Nothing much to confuse the viewer , who is busy dropping his jaws in awe at the brilliance which unfolds on screen . Nothing to tear your brains out , a simple plot is what makes this one tick , and tick like a clock running at the speed of light , in typical Robot terms .


Negative characters are quite a few , with Danny Denzongpa playing the scheming Scientist with an eye on Chitti , hoping to turn him into a weapon of mass destruction . Sabu Cyril makes a guest appearance as a link between Danny and a global terrorist conglomerate .


However , the Robot Chitti is the darkest character . Scenes where he lusts for Sana highlight the extreme negative aspect of the character .


Acting by Rajinikanth , is something which is a big deviation from his usual movies . The gross looking hair , thanks to long hours spent in the process of creating Chitti , the solemn looking scientist Vaseegaran , does not offer the Superstar much scope to showcase his acting skills. He comes up with a subdued , yet dignified portrayal . Full marks here .


Sana , played by the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai , is a major driver to the plot , even though she does not have anything much to do on screen . She looks like a zillion dollars , and radiates beauty like never before , amply helped by some stunning costumes and truly exquisite locales for the dances. Looking at her in the “ Kaadal Anukkal “ song , almost made me fall in love with Mrs. Junior B . And am sure I was not the only guy in the audience , whose heart skipped a beat watching her blaze the screen with her Goddess like looks.


Santhanam and Karunas play Vaseegaran’s bumbling assistants , with an unexpected change of character . Danny Denzongpa does decent justice to his role as the villain , but I felt this fine actor of yesteryear could have been used better .


However , it is Chitti who steals the show , especially in the second half . How his character and mindset changes in no time , calls for applause . He carries the plot on his silicon shoulders , and it is no small burden , my friend . There are so many things that could have gone wrong in the movie , but Chitti’s antics overshadow these flaws . An absolute treat to watch .


The best thing about this would be the special effects and technology used . Scenes of such epic proportions , like the one where hordes of Rajni come together to form a Robot Army blasting everything in their path , has taken Tamil , rather Indian cinema to places never seen before . A definite pat on the back to Shankar’s vision and confidence to pull it off.


On the flip side . Few scenes could have been done away with , as they add NIL value to the plot and story . And for a diehard Rajni fan , it would come as a small disappointment , as this lacks the legendary Rajni stamp , to a large extent . Not many punch dialogues , not many unique mannerisms , as expected by the fans .

I never imagnied in my wildest dreams , that Rajinikanth would run away from a baddie who tries to rape his girlfriend . That's something Rajini "can't" do..

Something which would dampen the expectations to a small extent , but these are covered up with spectacular scenes on screen . I had to stop myself from jumping like a maniac , when a giant Robot consisting of many Chitti’s rises from the ground and stands in inimitable Rajni style and kicks a truck in its way , like David Beckham blasting a free kick into the goal post .


Music by Rahman is definitely not his best , but is pretty good no doubt , supported by stunning sets and huge production values in the song sequences . The background score could have been better and can be termed as average at best .


Shankar deserves maximum credit for his impeccable vision and guts to embark on a project of such proportions . And he has pulled it off , friends , using the Silicon Singam to maximum effect .


Some scenes will strain the vocal chords of fans , especially after the debacle of his earlier "Kuselan". The one where Chitti saves Sana from being raped , after charging himself with electricity in the middle of a train track , or the one where Rajni the Robot appears as God incarnate , in a sequence where Sana objects to loud music. These are signature Thalaivar moments . But as a Rajni devotee , I wish there were more of these . But I felt Shankar has taken this for a larger audience across geographic locations , and maybe that’s what made him cut down on the “Macho-Rajni” factor to some extent.

Shades of the classic vintage Rajni in the second half , reminiscent of Alex Pandi , will go down well with Tamil cinema fans

I will go with 3.5 / 5 as a normal movie watcher and 2.5 / 5 as a Rajni devotee . Decide which category you belong to . It does not matter , because even if you are not a Rajni fan , you have every reason to watch it. Because , you can either hate Rajni or love Rajni , but you simply cannot ignore him . Endhiran is a must watch , at least once , for its technical brilliance , if not Rajinikanth’s magic on screen . Mind it !!


Verdict : 3.5 / 5 ( Must watch )