Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II - A Grand Finale

After seven legendary books and the fascinating magical world spun by J.K. Rowling, we got not seven but eight movies by four different directors to stoke our Potter mania. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II ends the madness... with a BANG! If you thought the last HP movie was brilliant, Part II not only lives up to expectations but surpasses them by several notches. I am not just saying this because I’m a fan who has religiously followed the books and movies, I am saying this also because the movie is epic. The final battle between Good and Evil Most people I know think the 3D experience is highly overrated. I too am not a big 3D fan, but the action, which is more than all the seven previous installments put together, made me wish for the first time, that the press screening wasn't in 2D but in 3D instead. Now you may have read the seventh book but if you haven't there are a few spoilers ahead -  The movie begins with a flashback of where the last film left off, with Voldemort acquiring the Elder wand from Dumbledore’s grave. Not much is left of The Order of The Phoenix after Dumbledore’s death and Dobby is buried. The trio set out to gather and destroy the rest of the Horcruxes, in order to eventually take down Voldemort. The action starts off in the goblin-run bank Gringotts with a fire spitting dragon and the casting of spells.  The trio The one scene that made my hair stand on end was Voldemort and Harry grappling with each other mid-air almost pulling each other's face off. Never intended to be a light hearted film about three friends on an adventure it’s more like an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. The final battle at Hogwarts is splendid with trolls, monsters and blood-sucking creatures amongst the Death Eaters, followers of ‘You-Know-Who’, with the background score providing the perfect buildup. The last memory of Severus Snape that redeems him and frees him of many accusations deserves a special mention. It has been beautifully portrayed with the use of alliteration of words and memories. From all the characters, Severus Snape, played by Alan Rickman (Sweeny Todd, Galaxy Quest), definitely stands out the most. Ralph Fiennes (famous for The Constant Gardener and Avengers) too has an overpowering role as Lord Voldemort. Dragon action Although it does have a lot of action and is quite dark with people dying in the quest, I would recommend the whole family to go ahead and watch it. Fantasy movie fans won’t be disappointed either. The movie is packed with visual effects that thanks to advances in technology, are so much more vivid and well choreographed as compared to Deathly Hallows Part I. The cinematography was definitely worth the wait for this last edition to the series. Action does speak louder than words in this installment as there is barely any dialogue, except when absolutely necessary, which makes the grand finale, the final battle ground between good and evil. Great special effects The series on the whole was not exactly up to scale but Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part I and II do make up for lost glory. Thank you Director David Yates who also gave us “Order of the Phoenix,” and “Half-Blood Prince”. You have given Potter fans what they have been hoping for, a spectacular firecracker of an ending.  But this is not the end of Harry Potter as J.K. Rowling has announced pottermore.com to continue the legacy of the boy who lived. Check out the trailer -

PICTURE - Postcards from Spain

Harry Potter - It all ends here

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series.  The much-anticipated motion picture event is the second of two full-length parts.

In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war.  The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe.   

But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort.

 Harry Potter is joined by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who reprise their roles as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

The film’s ensemble cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Matthew Lewis, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright.

The film is directed by David Yates, who also helmed the blockbusters “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.”  

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” is the first Harry Potter film to be released in both 3D and 2D.  

This is the last film of the series. Todd McCarthy for the Hollywood Reporter raves that the franchise goes out with a bang: "An outstanding capper to the most lucrative film franchise of all time."

Variety's Justin Chang gripes at the short film time -- at 131 minutes, it's the shortest in the series -- and unsatisfying ending. The movie, says Chang "surges ahead with tremendous urgency, superb spectacle and powerful, even overwhelming emotion, only to falter with a hasty sendoff that seems to buckle under the weight of audience expectations. Tears will be shed as fans bid farewell to Hogwarts, but catharsis remains just out of reach."

Philip Womack, writing for the Daily Telegraph, said the film made up for the weaknesses of the book. "Perhaps the greatest triumph of this final film is its ability to overcome the deficiencies of JK Rowling's writing. In the last Harry Potter volume, she failed singularly to muster the epic feel needed; as a result, on the page, the concluding battle at Hogwarts was a damp squib."But (director David) Yates here transmutes it into a genuinely terrifying spectacle, as bloodied students fight desperately against a horde of screaming black-robed Death Eaters." 

And like Philip Womack, we too feel - This is not an end. How could it be?

Movie Murder 2 review

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Jacqueline Fernandez, Prashant Narayanan, Sudhanshu Pandey

Directed by Mohit Suri

Rating: *

Mahesh Bhatt presents (a squirt of paan). A Vikram Bhatt production (a spew of ketchup). A Mohit Suri film (a splash of red curry). When the credits roll like this, it's not surprising that 60 percent of the film has some substitute for blood being spat on the screen. 'Murder 2' is, as you would imagine, a bloody thriller.

The film's lead hero, Arjun (Emraan Hashmi) is Goa's very own Robin Hood. An ex-cop who is now engaged in almost all illegal operations that can be managed wearing a leather jacket. He doesn't believe in God but regularly visits church to donate fat bundles of money to orphans. And yes, somewhere towards the end of the film, he does reinstate his allegiance to Christianity, inappropriately accompanied by the song 'Aye Khuda Mil Gaya'. And what transforms him into a believer is a series of painfully graphic and ridiculously illogical incidents.
Arjun's lady love, Priya (Jacqueline Fernandez) models for sleazy magazines. Naturally, in every two out of her three scenes, Priya is required to shed some part of her clothing. So, for anatomy students, it couldn't be a better way to learn about the human body. Most of Priya's dialogues are lost inside Arjun's mouth as he indulges her in one smooch-athon after another. And when she does get a chance to speak, it's a bit out of sync like the late-night dubbed teleshopping ads.
But what really adds thrill and lots of screams into this thriller is a cross-dressing psycho-killer, Dheeraj Pandey (Prashant Narayanan), who loves mutilating sex workers while singing 'Bheegey Hont Tere', unmelodiously and with sadistic lyrics. Why? Because his characterization is deep fried. Oddly enough, he gets caught early in the film and even confesses to his sinister deeds. But there are so many reels left? So, just to pass time, Arjun is assigned the task to find clues and evidence to corroborate Pandey's confession by a bewildered cop (Sudhanshu Pandey). And just to double the excitement, he has to do all this over a night.
Will Arjun manage to flick his Little Richard bangs and save Pandey's last victim? Despite confessing to finely chopping several whores, will Pandey be let off for his odd political connections? Will Priya's lips continue moving for seconds after her dialogue completes? These questions are only rhetorical and best unanswered.
The dialogues in this film are downright tacky. An interaction between the lead pair just after a ferocious make-out session goes like this. Priya: "Khaaye, Piye, Khiskay? Arjun: "Hotel mein khaane ke baad koi baitha rehta hain kya?" But the dialogues don't even compare to the magnitude of clichés in the plot. Arjun's 'Ma-Behen-Baap' have all deceased due to poverty. Eunuchs have been portrayed as a cult that worships the devil and let's not even get into the cop with the fake Goan accent.
The film's sound effects could have you shrinking into your seat. But largely, it's less scary and more disturbing. Emraan manages a great job of letting his mouth do all the acting but his constipated expressions are only marginally different from his remaining expressions. Jacqueline is an ideal pin-up girl and those considering this film just to get a glimpse of her would be happy to overlook her lack of acting skills or inability to enunciate.
One could safely call this film as the 'Silence of the Bhatts', with Emraan almost managing the Jodie Foster hairdo. And since the penalty for several murders is the same as that for one, let's just hope the third one is a bit more premeditated.

Murder 2 review

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Jacqueline Fernandez, Prashant Narayanan, Sudhanshu Pandey

Directed by Mohit Suri

Rating: *

Mahesh Bhatt presents (a squirt of paan). A Vikram Bhatt production (a spew of ketchup). A Mohit Suri film (a splash of red curry). When the credits roll like this, it's not surprising that 60 percent of the film has some substitute for blood being spat on the screen. 'Murder 2' is, as you would imagine, a bloody thriller.

The film's lead hero, Arjun (Emraan Hashmi) is Goa's very own Robin Hood. An ex-cop who is now engaged in almost all illegal operations that can be managed wearing a leather jacket. He doesn't believe in God but regularly visits church to donate fat bundles of money to orphans. And yes, somewhere towards the end of the film, he does reinstate his allegiance to Christianity, inappropriately accompanied by the song 'Aye Khuda Mil Gaya'. And what transforms him into a believer is a series of painfully graphic and ridiculously illogical incidents.
Arjun's lady love, Priya (Jacqueline Fernandez) models for sleazy magazines. Naturally, in every two out of her three scenes, Priya is required to shed some part of her clothing. So, for anatomy students, it couldn't be a better way to learn the human body. Most of Priya's dialogues are lost inside Arjun's mouth as he indulges her in one smooch-athon after another. And when she does get a chance to speak, it's a bit out of sync like the late-night dubbed teleshopping ads.
But what really adds thrill and lots of screams into this thriller is a cross-dressing psycho-killer, Dheeraj Pandey (Prashant Narayanan), who loves mutilating sex workers while singing 'Bheegey Hont Tere', unmelodiously and with sadistic lyrics. Why? Because his characterization is deep fried. Oddly enough, he gets caught early in the film and even confesses to his sinister deeds. But there are so many reels left? So, Arjun is assigned the task to find clues and evidence to corroborate Pandey's confession by a bewildered cop (Sudhanshu Pandey). And just to double the excitement, he has to do all this over a night.
Will Arjun manage to flick his Little Richard bangs and save Pandey's last victim? Despite confessing to finely chopping several whores, will Pandey be let off for his odd political connections? Will Priya's lips continue moving for seconds after her dialogue completes? These questions are only rhetorical and best unanswered.
The dialogues in this film are downright tacky. An interaction between the lead pair just after a ferocious make-out session goes like this. Priya: "Khaaye, Piye, Khiskay? Arjun: "Hotel mein khaane ke baad koi baitha rehta hain kya?" But the dialogues don't even compare to the magnitude of clichés in the plot. Arjun's 'Ma-Behen-Baap' have all deceased due to poverty. Eunuchs have been portrayed as a cult that worships the devil and let's not even get into the cop with the fake Goan accent.
The film's sound effects could have you shrinking into your seat. But largely, it's less scary and more disturbing. Emraan manages a great job of letting his mouth do all the acting but his constipated expressions are only marginally different from his remaining expressions. Jacqueline is an ideal pin-up girl and those considering this film just to get a glimpse of her would be happy to overlook her lack of acting skills or inability to enunciate.
One could safely call this film as the 'Silence of the Bhatts', with Emraan almost managing the Jodie Foster hairdo. And since the penalty for several murders is the same as that for one, let's just hope the third one is a bit more premeditated.

Samsung HT-D555 Home Theatre System - 34,900

The trend is setting in where many people are opting in for a home theatre system rather than assembling their own surround sound system. Manufacturers are unveiling stylish home theatre systems with a wide array of features as compared to earlier budget friendly models.

Home entertainment in a budget

Samsung has launched the HT D555 HTS which is a 5.1 channel DVD home theatre system that features four tall boy speakers. Let's take a closer look to see if it is a hit or miss.

Design and Build Quality
The Samsung HT-D555 is a stylish looking home theatre system and has a glossy black finish. The player itself has a built-in amplifier and a single tray for loading DVDs. The glossy black front panel features the touch sensitive controls and the single disk DVD tray. When ejected, the DVD tray slides out easily however the response time is a bit slow for it to activate. There are touch-sensitive keys along the right side of the tray on the front panel for eject, function, stop, play/pause, on/off and volume.

Pretty, plain and simple

These keys are very responsive and have a blue LED lighting. On the bottom right of the player are the ports for mics, AUX and a bay that houses a USB port. This bay is concealed by a plastic flap, giving the player an all round clean, stylish, simplistic and sturdy look and feel. The player has all the connectivity options at the back with colour coded plugs for speakers, digital audio in, HDMI out, composite AUX in, component out and an FM antenna.

These tall boy speakers on the D555 have a height of 4.27 feet and feature three drivers that are exposed. They are two mid-range drivers and one tweeter. The tall boy speakers are finished with the same glossy black as seen on the player. The smaller centre channel speaker also features the same three drivers giving all the speakers a sort of uniformity. The sub woofer stands 1.28 feet tall and like the rest of this system, it too is stylish and sturdy in design. The bundled up remote control that came along with the player is very similar in design and layout to the Samsung Series 8 UA55D8000 television we saw recently. The remote control has a solid build and the buttons are nicely spaced out. However one issue we noticed was that when a button was pressed, the whole panel of buttons seemed to get depressed as well. This was not a major issue and was noticed only upon close inspection.

Features
The home theatre comes with a DVD player. The player supports upscaling of standard definition videos to high definition and the ability to play various formats. The player can’t handle high-definition videos though. Karaoke is also supported. The 5.1 channel speakers are another interesting and stylish feature of this player.

The interface of the player is simple in design with options for video, music, photos and settings. The interface looks pretty awful on a large TV due to quality of the artwork used - the text and icons have jagged edges. While navigating through each menu, all content can be seen in a grid manner.

Feature packed remote, similar to other Samsung devices

This makes it easier to scroll through different content to access what you want. The Settings menu is pretty straight forward with options to tweak the display, audio, system and language. The aspect ratio is locked to 16:9 in the display menu so no tweaking can be done to change the ratio. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the player could read portable hard drives; usually these players can support USB flash drives up to a maximum of 8GB.

Samsung claims that this player is able to read a wide variety of media formats such as DivX, XVid, MP3, WMA, WMV and JPG. We noticed that formats such as MKV could not be played.

Performance
We tested this home theatre system by playing back a variety of music genres and movies with different formats. The video playback of the Samsung HT D555 was overall pleasing. Video playback rendered well however, only the aforementioned formats were readible. Formats not specified on the spec sheet like MKV or MP4 were not visible on the screen to be played.

Proprietary but easy to figure connects for speakers

We played a variety of genres on this player and we were impressed with the audio quality of it. The speakers have a total power of RMS 1000 Watts and were way more impressive than the ones we saw with the Sony BDV-E870. The front speakers performed very well and a lot of definition was noticeable where the tones were soft from instruments like cymbals. However, we did notice that after cranking the volume to 70 per cent, a jarring of sound was heard. The woofer on the other hand was quite soft. Audio tracks with a lot of bass lacked the amount of thump expected.

The remote control is very responsive and there was no need to point it directly at the player for a function to be activated. We also did not like the screensaver too much and noticed that it was pixelated, giving it a somewhat cheap feel. Overall the performance of this home theatre system was good where audio and video playback was concerned.

Verdict
The Samsung HT D555 HTS sells for a maximum retail price of Rs. 34,900. We feel that though this could be a nice buy, the company could have added a Blu-ray player to the mix instead of the standard DVD player.

Neat design and decent performance to go with it

For a price of Rs. 5,000 more, the Sony BDV-E870 offers all these features as well as the ability to play back 3D content. We feel that since Blu-rays are becoming the norm these days, that would have been an interesting feature to add to the vastly populated home theatre system market.

Picture Glam show by 'Housefull 2' girls

Jacqueline Fernandez and Emraan Hashmi in Murder 2

First look: Vidya Balan in ‘The Dirty Picture’

Murder2 THE MOVIES 2011

The 'Haale Dil' song had to be re-shot because the content was considered too explicit.

Murder 2 will feature serial killings apart from some hot scenes between lead pair Emraan Hashmi and Jacqueline Fernandes.

For the role, Emraan Hashmi is all set to flaunt his six-pack body. He was put on a very special strict diet plan and the hardest work out regime.

The film stars former beauty queen Jacqueline Fernandez made her debut in Bollywood with ‘Aladin’ in 2009. Though her debut film didn’t set the box-office on fire, the uninhabited boldness and skin show in this film is surely creating ripples

Earlier, it was rumoured that Mallika Sherawat would star in the sequel but apparantly Emraan Hashmi wasn't happy with the decision. The two had problems while shooting for 'Murder'.