Aditya Kamath's Weblog

Note: Not that I smoke or have even tried, but I found this particular series of Facebook posts highly amusing. 

It all started a few weeks ago when this attention seeking freak (henceforth called ‘the freak’) happened to post a typed petition online, asking people to sign. It was regarding this rule by the Indian government stating that there can be no cigarette shops less than 100 yards away from any educational institute campus boundary.  What the freak wanted to do was ban that small shop right outside the main hub of activity in college - Kamath Circle (KC).

Even after people repeatedly told this person that this petition would do no good, that the shop owner might just start the shop safely, 101 yards from college and that if the shop goes, the owners only means of earning his daily bread might just vanish. In addition, a person with a bit more sense also posted a WikiMapia link which showed clearly that the shop was more than a hundred METERS away. But still no change in the freak’s ideology about this petition thing.

Just about two weeks ago, another person shared a picture on the same page where the petition was showing the freak’s name on a notice stating that he was caught smoking inside the hostels. Tsk tsk. 

Soon, the butt of all jokes, the aforementioned freak not only ceased posting on the page but also deleted the original post (it seems) which had brought about more than two hundred comments and a measly amount of ‘likes’. As a matter of fact, intelligently stated comments pwning the guy got more ‘likes’ in about fifteen minutes than the post ever did.

So where does Hitler come into picture? Based on a famous scene from German movie ‘Downfall’, Vinayak Prabhu, a batchmate and member of the group posted a hilarious subtitle-parody on the same ongoing topic. 

Shall be posting updates as an when something happens. :P

Signing off…

Well, it has been a long time since I wrote a film reveiw. To be more precise, it has been a really long time since I posted on my blog. As a matter of fact, the last movie review I wrote was for HP7-1. /That/ was a good movie. The new one, well, did not stand up to its expectations. No kidding. 

While IMDB and other reveiwing sites have given HP7-2 a great rating, almost reaching the maximum points available, I’d beg to differ. To begin with, the screen-play writer has taken the liberty to change the details as he wants. Seriously, didn’t they make two movies just to maintain all details of the book /as they were/? What’s the point of JK Rowling being the joint producer? Bah. 

• To elaborate further on the detail…wasn’t Snape killed in the Shreiking Shack? What was the need of getting some random old river-side h hut which was not seen once in the previous seven movies? The guys had all the bucks they wanted…couldn’t they have just recreated the Shack from the third HP movie? 

• And where was it ever mentioned in the book that when Voldemort was killed, shreds of his skin chipped off like old paint off a wall? He died in the book. Just like a normal person. And that was it. 

• How come in the ‘19 years later’ part, all the men look different but the women don’t? HP looks older. Ron is fat and bearded. Malfoy has puffed up. On the other hand, Ginny looks the same (with a new hairdo of course). Hermione looks the same. Draco’s wife also looks like a seventeen year old school-girl. Why the discrimination?

• Talking about discrimination, how come the girls shut their ears but the guys don’t when Voldemort speaks, asking for Harry?

• And where was the part when HP repairs his old wand with with the elder wand? Or when he realizes that his cloak is the one from the deathly hallows? 

• And when he dies and reaches Kings Cross Station with Dumbeldore, he is naked according to the book. Not that I want to see HP in his birthday suit but seriously, stick to the details, people. Alright, if they still wanted him dressed fully in that scene, how is he not in the same clothes as the ones in which he died? 

• The book also states Molly Weasley’s line as ‘NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!!’ and not in the lower case. Undeniably, she is screaming. I’ve got to say, it would have been so much more better if she had screamed. 

• Another breach of detail was Voldemort leaving his snake to dance around with Ron and Hermione. The book states that he had the snake in some enchanted protective casing. 

• And what’s up with HP and Voldemort falling off together? ‘Let’s end it as we started it. Together.’ Seriously? That’s so gay. And how come HP does not die when they fall of together from the top of the cliff? He is grasping Voldemort’s head. And he feels nothing in that damned scar of his? And, Voldemort has his Wand. So does HP. So, why the physical fight which precedes this dumb fall? No, people, this is NOT a Bollywood movie. Well, these are not all the screw-ups in the movie, but all the ones most noticeable. 

Going on to the basic plot…that was awesome. And well, awesomely portrayed. Except that they devoted half the movie for the battle with half the details left out. Where were the centaurs? Where was Hagrid’s younger giant-brother? 

Not to forget, there were some details added which enhanced the story. But not as much as the details changed with screwed up. News paper reports said that HP fans laughed and cried on the day of the premiere. Yes, there were tinges of comedy here and there (at only one point, as far as I remember) and that justifies the laughing. But after looking at the molestation of the intricate details, I am not surprised at why fans started crying. 

Moving on to the 3D visuals: They were awesome. Agreed, it would have been better if there were parts where spells flew towards the audience but, I was satisfied to a great extent with what was showed. 

The Music was DULL. Seriously. 

On the other hand, the acting was great! Even Daniel Radcliffe acted, for once! 

Final ratings (out of five):

Story: ****

Details: **

3D: ***1/2

Music: *

Acting: ****

Overall rating: ***/*****

The bottomline: A fine movie to watch once. Definitely not worth downloading or worse, buying. 

P.S. For people in Mumbai: Now, that the movie has come out in multiplexes, I’d still recommend you to go to cinemas like Thakur where they give the awesome, plastic 3D glasses. Unlike those darned paper ones in Fame/Cinemax/PVR. Take balcony seats. The angle, the speaker placement and the AC is perfect. Beware of people making gross chewing noises while eating. (Eww.)

Signing off…

UPDATE: 7 Things to make HP 7.2 a better conclusion!

7 Things that would have made Harry Potter 7 - Part 2 an Epic conclusion to the HP series: 

1. Harry Cannot JUST BREAK the Elder Wand. And Throw it. 

2. More of the Wizard battle had to be shown, not just knights and Giants. 

3. Where was the crowd to watch the FINAL DUEL? There should have been a big one! 

4. Harry and Neville should have had the Kill-Nagini-if-I-die talk. 

5. The Gringotts Goblins weren’t supposed to die. 

6. The final Talk with Dumbledore’s portrait was a must. 

7.1. Harry and Voldemort should have had the The-Elder-Wand-belongs-to-me talk! C’mon, that was the MOST EXCITING part of the story. That should have been the CLIMAX. 

7.2. Harry and Voldemort shouldn’t be able to have Priority Incantatem AT ALL, forget having it thrice!

[source: Shaishav Mayur Shah]