This is how my day began (don't worry, I'll get to the movie
asap): I woke up to the sound ringing bells, the doorbell kind. I was supposed to be up by 10:30AM, but I naturally silenced it.
Uncle Po Chuan was around our neighbourhood and decided to pop by. If he hadn't I'd probably be late; for today at 2:00PM, I'd be watching the seventh Harry Potter film with some old ex-Cempakan buddies.
A couple of hours later, I'd be at Melbourne Central (the shopping centre that's exactly where you'd think it is) looking for Sharon Chen. Remember her from Year 8 2007? Well, I instantly recognised her sitting on a bench. Just for the fun of it, I called her, told her to look the right as I moved, like the ninja I am, to her left. "
Now look to the left. How've you been?"
Minutes later, Ellya walked through one of the many entrances with Chin Khong Fwu (KFC/KUNG FU PANDA) and he looked like he was doing great!
After meeting up, we went straight to the cinema while at the same time, catching up with the last few months of our lives.
We entered a very large cinema room, labeled Hall 3. I was honestly quite surprised it was opened early. I haven't watched a film in the cinemas in Australia for a good 2 years now and they're quite different from Malaysia. The most important difference is that they don't serve caramel coated popcorn; how they survive zombie apocalypses and romantic endeavors without it is anyone's guess. The seats were decent and large for a boy of my size. Soon the trailers popped on but there was nothing new to pique my interest. I'm fairly updated with the comings and goings of the movie realm so I simply satisfied myself with guessing correctly what each trailer entailed.
And now,
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Be warned: minor spoilers lie ahead.
Right off the bat, I'm a Harry Potter film fan. I've never read the books, not sure if I'll begin, but I'll always continue to watch the films -- including the last one next year. David Yates (director of the films since Order of the Phoenix) has very clearly crafted a masterpiece. From the more mature tones to the engaging cinematography (my favourite being the chase sequence through the woods), you have a film that has been growing up since the beginning.
Gone are the days where we expect new actors to play new teachers in each film, and gone are the days our heroes are, for the most part, trapped within the confines of Hogwarts. This is a film that very brilliantly strides in a new direction.
Also I have to say: the three lead roles have never carried their roles this well in any of the previous films.
Though the film somewhat skips ahead on particular explanations or events that transpired in the books, if you've seen the past films you should have no problem in working it out.
I found a hefty portion of the adventure akin to
Lord of the Rings; just with taller, shoed hobbits and without the muttering of "my precious". You'll understand when you're in front of the screen.
The best part about this film is that it is not unlike the finales of the TV Series Lost. This is a film that brings everything back from the past, from actors to props to those "hey, that was in the first film!" articles, for the final stretch to answer questions, build new ones and set the film on it's inevitable course to the end.
Now, after the film, we walked to Albert Park on the south end of Melbourne. There was more catching up to be had, definitely. There were loads of events in the city, with popular places being packed with people wearing all sorts of bright colours.
Me: "Say, did anyone here find your name wicked when they first heard it?"
Khong Fwu: "Yeah. They told me, 'Your name's Kung Fu? Bullsh*t."At around 5:00PM, we started to walk back towards the city to go our separate ways. I used a bathroom on Collins Street which was exactly like a dungeon. It was beneath the ground carved into the side of aging building, with grills and a smell that certainly smells like a dungeon (overexaggeration).
Ended up having a Subway dinner with the family, and that was my entire Saturday.
*image taken from IGN.com
