"I have already turned these moments into the Super-8 footage of memory."- FAVOURITE SHOTS OF 2011

           My favourite shots of 2011. Most of these are not exactly spectacular, but they are my favourite because they mean something or leave an impression in some way. Hope you like them.

And a bonus-

Just for the "Why are you drooling?" expression.

"What kind of a name is 'Stove' anyway? What are you, like a kitchen appliance or something?" - MY FAVOURITE SCENES OF 2011

       My end-of-year lists continue with my favourite scenes of the year. I hope you like them :-)

Honourable Mentions: The "That's Not My Name" scene in Horrible Bosses, the dance in The Artist, Elle Fanning's rehearsal before the train crash in Super 8, Charles and Erik recruiting mutants in X-Men: First Class, the transformation in Captain America.

10) The opening sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Okay I know that "technically" this isn't really a scene in the film, but screw you, this is AWESOME! It's disturbing and dark and cool, and has that incredible Immigrant Song cover by Karen O which makes me want to rewatch this film everytime I hear it.

9) The Burj Khalifa sequence in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol- I guess the Burj is an action film maker’s wet dream, but ex-Pixar director Brad Bird become the first to cash in on its amazing height and look. With the 3D cameras, it is a scene you have to watch with bated breaths because it really is that spectacular. And Tom Cruise does make it all so very believable.

8) The airplane scene in Bridesmaids- So I am not the biggest fan of this film, but even I cannot deny the brilliance of this scene. Kristen Wiig at her funniest, drunk and battling for the rights of all us poor people who have to fly coach, with a guy named Stove/Steve.

7) The creation of the universe in The Tree of Life- I actually prefer the family part of the film, and think that this scene is a little out of place in the grand scheme of the film. However in the grand scheme of everything that ever was, this scene is just so breathtaking and beautiful. There is a Doctor Who quote that comes to mind whenever I see this whole sequence, which is “Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes.” Perfect.

6) The chase in Bagghar in The Adventures of Tintin- Oh so much fun! This whole film was a delightful ride, but this scene was probably the best part. I think Steven Spielberg must have been dying to make a scene like this for ages. Because though it has all the regular elements of the action sequences from films like Indiana Jones, it also has the immense power of animation that makes the whole scene possible.

5) Harry’s walk to death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2- The Snape’s memories scene just before this is really lovely too, but it is when the realization hits Harry on what he is supposed to do and his final good bye to his friends and family is the really poignant and beautiful part.

4) The photoshopped scene in Crazy, Stupid, Love- As I have said before, I really love romcoms, and I genuinely respect the modern ones that make an effort to keep the genre fresh. This scene is a prime example on how to do things a bit differently. Hanna and Jacob little foreplay-y tryst is beyond cute and sexy at the same time. Also Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are a most enigmatic and endearing pair.

3) The Super 8 memories in Submarine- Oliver Tate’s and Jordana Bevan’s fortnight of atavistic lovemaking saved in his memory as a Super 8 movie. Just the whole concept gives me so much joy. This one little scene captures the essence of young love arguably better than entire films that make it all so sappy. With Alex Turner’s Hiding Tonight as the soundtrack to this little memory film, and the super adorable Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige, this scene is unforgettable.

2) The birth of cinema in Hugo- Hugo is a gift to all us cinephiles. Can you imagine being there when it all started? The magic of cinema and that wonder it fills people with, but for the very first time. Through Hugo and Isabelle, we get a glimpse of this enchanted, dream land that we love so much, but it is so inherent in us that we can never imagine a world before it. And Hugo shows us this world and how cinema changed everything. This is the scene I  probably cried most in all year, and it is because while it fills me with a bit of longing for such a time and place, ultimately I am just bubbling with happiness to know that I am blessed to be able to enjoy this magnificent art form in all its glory.

1) The elevator scene in Drive- You know what I just said about cinema being a magnificent art form? Well, this scene is experiencing it in all its glory. Years will go by, but this scene will continue to amaze us. It is why we will thank the invention of cinema, without which such a thing would have never been possible. Starting with the mind-blowing kiss (yes I am foreshadowing), in which the light dims in the way probably only dirty romance novels can describe, to that completely unexpected violent turn within seconds, and a regretful good bye to finish, this scene really is quite something else.

HELLO OSCAR NOMS!

       Oscar nominations will be announced in less than 2 days. Yaay! I still haven't seen 3 films that I think can score big here- Shame, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and My Week with Marilyn. Still, the following are my wish-lists/predictions for the Big 5 and the Supporting categories.


Best Film- Trickiest category because no one knows how many there will be.


Mine:  1) The Artist
2) Midnight in Paris
3) Hugo
4) Drive
5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
6) The Tree of Life
7) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
8) A Separation


Theirs: Them heartless voters will kick poor Harry out, and have The Descendants in its place. Then probably Moneyball in place of Drive, The Help in place of The Tree of Life and maybe Bridesmaids in place of Dragon Tattoo. A Separation won't be nominated here.


Winner: It has become a The Artist vs The Descendants race, but the best part of this award season is still how relatively flexible it is. Between those two, The Artist has my vote. Otherwise I think A Separation is the most flawless film I've seen all year, and Drive is insanely cool.




Best Director- Oh happy happy year. Something old and something new, and everything is just amazing.


Mine: 1)Martin Scorsese, Hugo
2) Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
3) Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
4) Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
5) Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life


Theirs: Either Refn or Malick will be replaced by Alexander Payne for The Descendants. David Fincher is being showered with love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so who knows what that will bring. Steven Spielberg is being considered for War Horse, though personally I would prefer if he were nominated for Tintin.


Winner: Scorsese or Refn, in my eyes. But my gut says Hazanavicius.




Best Actress- This was difficult, and also I haven't seen 3 of the performances that will probably make the cut.


Mine: 1) Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
2) Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia
3) Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
4) Viola Davis, The Help
5) Charlize Theron, Young Adult


Theirs: Olsen isn't getting any love, most unfortunately. We can all count Meryl Streep in, for her role in The Iron Lady. Theron will also be substituted by Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn. Glenn Close will replace poor Kiki for that awful Albert Nobbs and Tilda, the Goddess, may find herself kicked out in favour of Rooney Mara, for Dragon Tattoo.


Winner- Among the ones I have seen, I think Tilda Swinton was just incredible. But it may become a Meryl vs Viola thing this year, and I can't help but be pro-Meryl, because she IS Meryl "Fuckin" Streep!




Best Actor- Ooh. What a year. Beauties, all of them.


Mine: 1) Ryan Gosling, Drive
2) Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
3) Jean Dujardin, The Artist
4) Ewan McGregor, Beginners
5) George Clooney, The Descendants


Special wish: Daniel Radcliffe- because they had a FYC for him and this was his best performance as Harry Potter ever, and because he IS Harry Potter.


Theirs: They will never nominate McGregor because they are all bastards and do not appreciate that man. Gosling won't get nominated either and if that does happen, it will be for his performance in The Ides of March, who we all know was someone the Driver could kill in a lift at any point of time. Brad Pitt will be nominated for Moneyball. Michael Fassbender might be nominated for Shame though it still might be too racy a role for them. Michael Shannon for Take Shelter (haven't seen that one either). Also maybe Leo for J.Edgar because they love him so.


Winner- Oldman is just so very very good. It's about time Academy recognises this. But it maybe a Ocean's/two-time Sexiest Men Alive face-off with Brad and George fighting for the top prize. Or everyone could have been completely charmed by Dujardin and give him the award.




Best Supporting Actress- This was the category I was least passionate about for some reason.


Mine: 1) Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
2) Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
3) Octavia Spencer, The Help
4) Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
5) Jessica Chastain, The Help/The Tree of Life


Theirs: I have a feeling this might be it. Chastain was apparently the best in Take Shelter so I don't know, but this WAS her year. Carey Mulligan may be nominated for Shame or Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs.


Winner: I was really impressed with Woodley and McCarthy (yaay Gilmore Girls!). But Spencer is in the lead, and she was good enough.




Best Supporting Actor- I am proud of this one.


Mine: 1) Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2 as Professor Severus Snape (I HAD to do that)
2) Albert Brooks, Drive
3) Christopher Plummer, Beginners
4) Hunter McCracken/Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
5) Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin


Theirs- Those bitches will never reward Rickman either. But I shall love him, always. Pitt will get nominated in the Actor category, but he was just better in this role. Jonah Hill was very good in Moneyball. Kenneth Branagh will be nominated for My Week with Marilyn. There is also chances for Viggo Mortensen for A Dangerous Method and all the people from The Ides of March. Whatever- my list rules all.


Winner- Plummer is the front-runner, though I still think Brooks was better. They're it really.




Best Original Screenplay- This is a good year for this category.


Mine: 1) Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
2) Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
3) Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
4) Mike Mills, Beginners
5) Diablo Cody, Young Adult


Theirs: I don't think Farhadi will get nominated. There are films like Bridesmaids, 50-50, Take Shelter, Shame and maybe even The Iron Lady (it's the power of the Streep) who can take the place.


Winner- Woody. I shall hear no more of this.




Best Adapted Screenplay- Honest question: how does someone decide this without having read the source material?


Mine: 1) Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2) John Logan, Hugo
3) Moira Buffini, Jane Eyre
4) Yasmina Reza and Roman Polanski, Carnage
5) Steven Zaillian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


Theirs: The Help and The Descendants is a lock. Maybe even Moneyball. From my list, I think only Hugo and maybe Dragon Tattoo will make it through.


Winner: TTSS really impressed me, but they love The Descendants.




My winners are sort of preliminary, but I don't think my final decisions will be all that different.
And now we wait...

Dear BAFTA,

The list of nominees and winners. 

I can't even...

So many emotions.

Thoughts

Yaay January is upon us! This is the first Thoughts post of the new year, and my thoughts are thus:


1) First of all, I made a Facebook page for this blog. It was something made out of curiosity. The app for it is on the side of this page. Please like it if you want to :)


2) So Golden Globes is round the corner. Honestly the biggest reason I'm waiting for this is to see Ryan Gosling in a suit. But they are fun, as one expects them to be. They are doing their job, unlike the BAFTAs. That treacherous awards show- WHY IS HARRY POTTER SHORTLISTED FOR ONLY 3 CATEGORIES?! AND NOT EVEN FOR BEST PICTURE! It only just employed the majority of the British film industry for the last 10 years or so!!!!!!! So what if they gave a special contribution award last year. They should also consider it in the best picture race. If they don't consider it the best, how will they ever hope for it to get any recognition elsewhere?! I mean GO PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS!! I am proud of the people, yes I am! Also Daniel Radcliffe said that he would be bummed if Alan Rickman doesn't even get nominated. He's Harry Potter- Listen To Him! And I swear if they do not get the Harry Potter people to present in the Oscars this year, the AMPAS will get hate mail every week for the rest of my life. Everyone from Twilight has presented, including Taylor Lautner (I'm sorry but I just do not understand how he gets to act in movies). And Miley Cyrus. And Katherine Heigl. 


3) But on the bright side, an Indian film- Dhobi Ghat (which I haven't seen yet but really do want to see as it's an Aamir Khan production) is short-listed in the non-English film category. Obviously A Separation should win this without a glitch, but it is nice to see that an Indian film at least stood a chance at some point.


4) I was randomly watching the 79th Academy Awards today on Youtube. I really liked Ellen Degeneres as the host- I hope she comes back some day. Also, this was the year Gosling got nominated, so I was happy to see him. Plus The Devil Wears Prada brilliance.


5) Trailers: Silent House starring Elizabeth Olsen. It's a horror film set in real time. I don't think I have ever seen a real time film so this does look interesting, though I would like to see her do something a little different from the paranoia thing in the future. Friends with Kids, in which four of the cast members are from Bridesmaids, and the two that aren't are the protagonists. I'm only watching this for Chris O' Dowd and Jon Hamm (did I mention I started Mad Men this week?- He's too good-looking to be true). This trailer probably came out a while back but I have somehow ignored all news about this film- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I saw the Top Gear India special, and it is really hilarious to see the modern outlook of Brits towards India. I quite love the cast, especially Judy Dench, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy, and it will be interesting. I like how other countries always look more colourful, though India really is very very orange. The last trailer is the most amazing thing ever that just released and I had almost published this post without it- Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom. Oh the happiness and quirkiness and epicness of Wes Anderson films! Cannot wait for this!! Finally, the studios have released the opening sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's magnificent; I nearly cried out of joy, love, awesomeness and anticipation. It is very Bond-esque, but in a much more darker, visceral, black way. It's probably banned in UAE, so I do not know when I will get to see it. Curses.


6) Awards talk: Continuing from above, Dragon Tattoo has been nominated for the PGA, DGA and WGA. I did not expect this. The reviews have not been that amazing, and though I'm pretty sure I will love it, I didn't think it will become such a critical darling out of nowhere. This is what I think happened- everyone just woke up from the nightmare that they have given The King's Speech all the awards over The Social Network, only to realise that they really had done so in some drunken stupour, and are now trying to make amends with Dragon Tattoo. Such madness! Also, the "award worthy" films that I have seen in the last two weeks are- first, Midnight in Paris, which was how I started 2012. As I said I was watching the Oscars, and this was when Scorsese finally won for The Departed- wouldn't it be great if Woody Allen gets recognised like this also? People forget because of his film making-speed that it has been a while for him since he has won any awards. I am harbouring hope for the Best Original Screenplay category. I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2. I will speak about this on a separate post, though you have gotten a preview above. Then there was Young Adult- I really loved Charlize Theron in it, and even though I haven't seen My Week with Marilyn yet, I am wishing that she bags the Best Actress Comedy in the Globes. Mavis Gary is my new role model. Patton Oswalt was adorable, but Rickman > Oswalt. Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, for which Gary Oldman must get nominated at least. It's masterful acting that he does here- so reserved, so internalised, but so very excellent too. Added to this, I think Art Direction is fantastic, and so is Sound Mixing/Editing (I forget the difference). Carnage, which everyone forgot about but the Globes (point for Globes!). I had a lot of fun watching it. I don't think I was really that drawn to any of the performances individually except that of Christoph Waltz's, but that's mostly because his character was so delicious, but collectively it was a very enjoyable film. Lastly I saw War Horse. I did not like it- wayyy too much cheese on my plate if you know what I mean. I do not want it to get nominated for anything- more on this later on as well. Also, Jeremy Irvine is adorable and I hate the lack of info on him on the usually omniscient (or atleast that's what I think) internet . Plus, I could not stop giggling in, and after, the Tom Hiddleston scenes- he was the exact image of my gorgeous-and-earnest-soldier-man fantasy. I hope he wins the presently misogynistic Orange Rising Star award in BAFTAs.


7) Finally- since I spoke of BAFTAs so much, and the next (and last *sniff*) episode of this season of Sherlock comes out this week, and I'm still Mrs. Dent Watson Baggins Freeman, I present to you my Fake Husband Prime-

'Nuff said.

Toodles!

My Top 10 Films of 2011, Somewhat

      The end of 2011 is nigh, and all I can do is make a list. That too an incomplete one as nothing releases where I am. Anyways, let me present to you the list-

Note: There is no honourable mentions in this one as some of them may make it to the final top 20, which will be posted along with my favourite performances and scenes of the year.

Special Mention

Delhi Belly (Dir: Abhinay Deo)

The best Bollywood film I saw this year. I even considered to put it in the final list, but I felt it was not as good as the rest. Still it was bloody ballsy and very entertaining, and I hope it brings about a revolution in Indian cinema for the better.

10.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Dir: Steven Spielberg)

I really enjoyed this film, and I didn't even like the Tintin comics. Spielberg brings all the Indiana Jones-esque energy and splendour into the film. Also, Snowy!

9.

Submarine (Dir: Richard Ayoade)

It's so cute and quirky and adorable- I wish I had made it. One of the simplest and funniest coming-of-age films I have seen, and ugh that Alex Turner soundtrack is just beautiful.

8.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Dir: Lynne Ramsay)

Bloody creepy film that just gets under your skin. What was really brilliant was how unnerving all the Kevins were. And Tilda Swinton gives a fantastic performance too.

7.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (Dir: Sean Durkin)

A most unsettling, yet beautiful looking film. It is the debut of both Durkin and Elizabeth Olsen, who just blew me away with her extremely natural and superb acting.

6.

The Tree of Life (Dir: Terrence Malick)

Easily one of the most visually stunning films I, or anyone else has ever seen. I am among the people who was mostly blown away by the core story of the American family growing up in the 50s, and not so much by the cosmic stuff. Still, the beauty in this is just staggering.

5.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Dir: David Yates)

Oh my childhood :'( I still have issues with it, but I cannot deny that it is a brilliant end to the beloved series. With the music and Professor McBadass and Neville and the emotional impact and Daniel Radcliffe's best performance in the series, it had to be in my list.

4.

A Separation (Dir: Asghar Farhadi)

I saw this only a couple of days back. Didn't want to like it, but ended up loving it- true story. What an impactful drama, and so well made and acted.

3.

Hugo (Dir: Martin Scorsese)

This film just killed me- there's no other way to put it. Yes there is the childlike wonder and the mystery of the automaton, but what it really is is a love-letter to cinema by one of the greatest living film makers. How can a young film-lover like me not be touched?

2.

Drive (Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn)

Yes, it really is that good. Refn has made one helluva stylish film and also made Ryan Gosling a bona fide star. One cannot watch this enough times. Just put it on repeat and be mindblown.

1.

Midnight in Paris (Dir: Woody Allen)

My favourite film maker returned with a bang and a nostalgic tale that will enchant everyone. I always believed that Paris is magical, but Woody's take on that makes it so much more. Funny, heartwarming, gobsmacking, unforgettable, brilliant- Midnight in Paris people!

And there you have it :D

Thoughts

1) I just read this at The Film Experience and honestly I have been thinking about this for a couple of weeks now- remember how I said this year was the Year of the Goz. Well, it might just not be that and be Year of the Fass instead. How does one choose between Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender? Both of these men are obviously brilliant actors (even though I haven't seen the "Oscar-buzz" films of this year yet, but you know what I mean). And they are mind-numbingly sexy. And they are effortless in everything they do. I think only after seeing Drive and Shame can I truly decide whose Year it is for me (The Ides of March is still getting lukewarm response and A Dangerous Method is more of a Keira Knightley thing it seems), but it will break my heart.


2) So I haven't seen any films since I don't know when. I have been watching all the True Blood episodes. How amazing is that show? I think, in my adequate vampire-entertainment-related knowledge, it might just be the best vampire thing ever. Followed by Let The Right One In. And then today The Vampire Diaries starts again. And and, tomorrow on the telly, they will show the Movie of the Month- *cue drum roll* Eclipse! And New Moon before that! YESSS!! Surely you must realise that sitting in front of the telly and laughing my ass off at sparkly vampires, poverty-stricken werewolves who cannot afford shirts, and mopey annoying girls right before my exams, is what I do best. Don't you love how I am breaking my movie-watching hiatus with these two films?! Coming back to True Blood, I am so in love with Alexander Skarsgård. I need to see a film in which Skarsgård, Gosling and Fassy play brothers. Or kinsmen. Or soldiers in an army. Or bar-hopping friends. I don't care- I NEED IT!! (Deluded hormone-driven teenage girl fantasies). 


3) I think the big trailer of this week is Cameron Crowe's We Bought A Zoo. It's so lame. I was actually looking forward to it, and then when the trailer came out I realised an important thing in it which I don't like- animals. I am not the biggest animal-movie fan, in the live-action sense. And the film looks terribly sappy. I love Say Anything and Almost Famous, and respect Jerry Maguire, and so I kind of had hope for it, but I dunno. I highly doubt I will watch it. But I am a huge Elle Fanning fan now, and maybe a sudden surge of love for Crowe might make me.


4) Okay one more thing which I was reminded of from the The Film Experience post- I need Alexandre Desplat to get nominated for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. That score is amazing!! I can live and die listening to 'Lily's Theme', I do not kid you. I did download the Tree of Life score by him too, but I dunno. I'll give it another go sometime later. Desplat is also doing the scores of The Ides of March and Carnage. That being said, I am super duper excited for the Trent Reznor-Atticus Ross score in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It seems the 8-minute footage that have been shown in selected cinemas in the US has been well-received. YAAAYY FOR THAT!! I recently finished reading the book, and I can tell you that the Swedish film did no justice to it.


5) I did a really random post on Indiana Jones this week, spurred by Raiders of the Lost Ark coming on the telly, which I could not watch because it was my grandmother's Hindi soap opera-time. These two pictures are just a continuation of that...hipster style!

Ofcourse.
Thoughts over.

I hate to say this but...

I was a bit disappointed. Because of the ending.

I'm going to watch it again in the next few weeks, and let this film sink in.

However, yes; Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hogwarts-, you will be missed. So much. I can't believe it's over. Films do excite me, but nothing ever reaches the level of an HP film. And I just love its world and the people in it!  I will be writing things on this soon. I'm just a bit numb right now.

Thoughts

My thoughts-


1) Another week for trailers. This time it's Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows, Contagion and Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn. The trailer of Sherlock Holmes 2 has way too many parts in slow motion...reminds me of 300 a bit too much. I liked the first one after a second viewing only, and I am just not excited enough for the second one. Noomi Rapace and Jared Harris are the big additions to this one (they didn't show Stephen Fry in  the trailer!). Harris is playing Professor Moriarty, a role which was offered to Brad Pitt first and I was really looking forward to that. Mickey from Snatch is one of my most favourite characters ever, and I think my sexiest Pitt role, even though I don't understand what he says half the time. And Contagion- I don't know. It has an amazing cast no doubt- Damon, Winslet, Paltrow, Fishburne, Cotillard, Hawkes and is directed by the brilliant Steven Soderbergh, but the whole premise is so overused. The trailer did nothing for me as such...hopefully the film is better. Only Tintin has me remotely interested, based on the trailer alone, but I'm not a big fan of the character. Still, I think Jamie Bell suits his voice perfectly.


2) Now as much as I love trailers, I love posters too. And this week the teaser poster for The Dark Knight Rises also came out. This has made me go gaga. Yes it's a little reminiscent of Inception, but who the hell cares? Just last night The Dark Knight was coming on the telly. I had seen the film in a terrible theatre where nothing could be heard and whenever I think about it, I get so angry because if I had seen it in a proper cinema hall, I would have stood up and clapped after it had ended. It is my favourite Christopher Nolan film, followed by Memento. It is just such a smart and impactful film...one of the few films which makes me use the phrase- "This is why films were made in the first place."


3) I have been thinking for a while to watch many of the animated films, especially the foreign ones like Akira and Howl's Moving Castle, which I have been neglecting. Just this week my brother and I were watching How to Train Your Dragon and I had a big argument with my grandfather about why animated films are sometimes so much better than live-action ones because they can show many things that can be thought of as impossible by people. Like there's a song by Chris De Burgh called Spanish Train- ever since my friend made me listen to it more than a year back, I have fantasized about an animated film based on it. Also recently I read Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, and if the film people ever try to adapt it, it has to be animated.


4) Finally, the Indian multiplexes have back-stabbed me and stamped all over my soul and I have no tickets for Deathly Hallow, part 2.

(You knew it was coming)

Thoughts over.

A Look Back...in a Comic form

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

"Not good, brilliant!"- Ron, HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)

The pictures I found cannot enlarge much. Hence the writing is a bit blurry, but I think the graphics do get the message across. There's a Deathly Hallows, part 2 comic also- I'll post that after I've seen the film. Or maybe at the end of this month. Hope this was helpful and enjoyable.

Thoughts

Sorry for the delay...I totally forgot that yesterday was Thursday. It's Friday, Friday...gotta get down on Friday!!
Anyways...my thoughts:


1) HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER!!!!
Yeah...anyways I finally have ideas about what to do. A friend of mine has suggested to do a character-wise post per day. I am going to go with that. I will be starting my Harry Potter Movies Day-a-thon tonight, so that in 8 days I will watch the last film (hopefully- if I get tickets). I will do the character-wise thing after that probably. In the meantime, maybe inspiration will strike for something else.


2) Like everyone it seems, I subjected myself to Transformers: Dark of the Moon this week. Save a couple of Bollywood films, it might have been my worst movie-going experience ever. Such deafening idiocy! I mean action movies without any deeper meaning are bad, but still tolerable. But action movies without any deeper meaning, but pretending to have one are the most terrible things ever. This was something I had realised when I watched I Am Number Four, which surprise surprise, was produced by Michael Bay. Dark of the Moon is a film devoid of anything except noisy destructive robots and Rosie Whatsherface's massive...um...everything- no humour or memorable characters (i.e. positively memorable- I don't think it will be easy to forget John Malkovich's orange-ness) or sense really, and the fact that it makes so much money, it just astounds me! People should stop hounding on poor Twilight...there are much worse things out there (Whatsherface using reverse-psychology on a robot...*shudders*).


3) I also saw Network this week. I can see why it made such an impact on Aaron Sorkin...the dialogue, the acting, the content and the far-reaching message of the film- mindblowing! Though 12 Angry Men is still a bigger favourite of mine, I can see Network growing on me. It's definitely better than Rocky according to me; I am biased against sports films, but still, it was just fantastic. Andy Buckle's Film Emporium called it one of the great ensemble pieces, and I totally agree. This year there will be many ensemble pieces- A Dangerous Method, Contagion, Ides of March, Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, Carnage, On The Road etc. X-Men: First Class and Midnight in Paris have already gone by, and I guess Deathly Hallows is a gigantic ensemble cast film. I personally love it when there are lots of actors, but just as long as they don't overcrowd or compete, and as a result mess up the film. One of the best examples of a non-ensemble, non-big named film is Once. That film is perfect. You just need a guy and a girl, a few beautiful songs and a broken hoover.


4) For anyone who missed it, yesterday was the grand big premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 in Trafalgar Square and I had a total emotional breakdown while watching it. The speeches were beautiful.

*Never-ending tears*

"Whether you come back by page, or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home”

The Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Part 2 premiere at Trafalgar Square, London.

These four people- Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and above all, Jo Rowling... I owe them my life and my childhood and everything.

This premiere officially turned me into an emotional wreck.

I am so happy and thankful and proud that Harry Potter came into my life.

"No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love most do live in us forever."

-JK Rowling

The Harry Potter Post

As of today, there is exactly one month left for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2- the last film of the hugely popular and beloved Harry Potter film series, to come out. I can't think of what this means to me. This is what the cast thinks:

GLUE.

Update

        I'm back!!! From an unnecessary, prolonged blogging vacation. Whatever little I did read of the LAMMY's was through a friend's tiny Blackberry screen and it all sounds very exciting but I'm very out of loop. I probably will take part in it next year when I have a clue of what's going on.


      In the last 25 days of internet-less existence I managed to see 51 films, some for the very first time...for example the absolutely wonderful musical Once, whose soundtrack I had downloaded three years ago, but kept on postponing the film itself...blunder much? I must also say that what I had imagined the songs to be like in the film was pretty much the furthest thing from the real deal. And the Falling Slowly sequence was really to die for. When it was ending, I knew this film will ruin my life forever like Before Sunset did, but I loved it loads nonetheless.

       I saw Chaplin's City Lights after about 12-15 years...it really is magical. One of the best things that I have heard about it is from Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers (I went through a The Dreamers-phase too...again), when Theo says "You remember the last shot of City Lights? He looks at the flower girl, she looks at him and don't forget, she'd been blind...so she was seeing him for the very first time. It's as if, through her eyes, we also see him for the very first time. Charlie Chaplin, Charlot, the most famous man in the world... and it's as if we've never really seen him before."

      A certain TV channel was showing the Die Hard films, The Day After Tomorrow and Moulin Rouge practically on a loop, so I saw a lot of that. Similarly another channel showed Rob Marshall's Memoirs of  a Geisha some five times, and I watched it everytime as I cannot help myself around that film, it's just so enchanting.

      I finally finished watching A Streetcar Named Desire...what a film eh?! I'm so convinced I'm gonna become Blanche DuBois, it's scary. Also the scene between Marlon Brando's Stanley and Kim Hunter's Stella, when he calls out to her and she walks down the spiral staircase to fall into his embrace has to be one of the most erotic scenes I have ever seen in a film.

      One of the most startling films I saw for the first time was P.T. Anderson's Magnolia. I haven't ever watched any film of his completely, and like Once, I keep postponing downloading There Will Be Blood. But Magnolia was something else... it really scared me for some reason. And the plot twist, was the weirdest one I have ever seen. I am still trying to get my head around it in all honesty...I've never been perplexed by a singular scene like this.

       The two films I saw in the theatre, yet, were Rio and Scream 4. I loved Rio... it was very colourful, very cute and I just love Jesse Eisenberg. Scream 4 was fun... really loved Courtney Cox and Emma Roberts. I thought there were some great one-liners there, best being "First rule of remakes, don't fuck with the originals!" I saw Scream again after that...god I love Matthew Lillard!!

       The time of summer blockbusters is upon us now...I will be watching Thor soon. Hopefully I like it enough to review it (I doubt it). Also going to my Youtube subscriptions I saw various films have released their trailers like Transformers: Dark of the Moon (oh so bad), The Help (Gotta love Emma Stone!), 30 Minutes or Less (As much as I love Jesse E., it looks little bad) and of course this...

       I am an unapologetic, rather proud Potterphile/maniac and my world has officially begun to revolve around this. I do think this the trailer could have been a little better...like why would you show Fred dying? I was hoping the films would change that and kill Ginny instead...but to say that I am SUPER-DUPER EXCITED and at the same time facing a nervous breakdown to think this could ever end...would be a gross understatement. 

       S0 I think now I am up-to-date. Let the blogging begin.