WANTED

A frustrated office worker tired of his dead-end life suddenly is faced with the news that he is really the son of a legendary assassin, and is drawn into the secret society that bred his father. The film stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman.

Now that Hollywood has accepted the comic medium as a viable source for great stories and interesting characters the queue begins. The source material for WANTED is an adult graphic novel(later turned series) about a society of assassins and the emotionally challenging lives they lead. The movie unfortunately has very little in common with Mark Millar’s grungy tale.

At times like this I wish the script was straight out of a comic book. The dialogue was very preachy. Some movies that rely on voice-over end up giving a running commentary as things occur. This takes away from the journey of discovery the audience is on. The characters needed to stop ‘saying’ what they were doing, and take Nike’s advice; ‘just do it!’ I did expect more from writer Michael Brandt who words filled the screen in the recent stylish western 3:10 TO YUMA.

The cinematography is somewhat active, but it gave nothing new. This is the very reason Russian director Timur Bekmambetov of NIGHTWATCH, DAYWATCH fame was chosen to helm this film. The action is very vivid, with long actions continual sequences. But the overuse of slow-motion does get old as it’s clear he depends on this gimmick to progress the film. The look of the film is nothing new, and has been done better by prior successors. In fact the look of WANTED seems to a resultant sordid lovechild of a gang rape of MATRIX, SHOOT’EM UP and TRANSPORTER.

Considering the acting talents in this movie, I did expect more than the unemotional and stiff followings of the cast. Angelina Jolie, while weighing less than the guns she carries in the film, simply can’t stop winking and smiling at the camera. Someone forgot to tell her she was on a film set, not a runway catwalk. She has more poses than a issue of playboy. No one is in love with his own voice right now than Morgan Freeman, that being said the man could make a dvd instruction manual come to life. But he’s just playing the typical role of mentor (or helper) that he usually does. Even making him swear was simply to make sure the audience is actually listening to his long drawn speeches (as that is the man’s substitute for talking). Despite the thin material James McAvoy was able carry himself and the film. Since he has shown us what he can do with serious material(ATONEMENT, LAST KING OF SCOTLAND), he is showing us that he can be taken seriously as a surprise action star. I for one can’t wait to see his next fight sequence.

The story revolves around Wesley a boring, complaining office chump who has no hopes, dreams or ambitions. This is all too familiar as we have met this same character in FIGHT CLUB, MATRIX or even OFFICE SPACE, but all those movies took the character on a more original and entertaining twist than WANTED. As Wesley is rescued by the skeletal remains of Angelina Jolie, who inturn introduces him to Morgan Freeman, who is in typical instructional tuition-master form. The superpowers, whose source is never explained, is when some people have the inborn ability to make bullets turn in mid air, and have lighting quick reflexes. The other noble cause the society enforces is the magical selection of whom to kill, for the betterment of humanity. The fact the weaving threads are used to select names in such a modern time is an immature attempt at ‘spirituality’ in a movie shouldn’t even say the word. Even the slight surprise turns in the story simply make your shrug your shoulders apathetically. And the ending is truly a twist of micro proportions, just like the movie, leaves one feeling quite unaffected.

The directing can’t be blamed too much because this is exactly what Timur Bekmambetov became popular for; slow-motioned, long edited action sequenced. He did what he was asked to do, and this being the Russian directors first English feature, I’m surprised the cast understood when he shouted “cuuut!” I did feel he didn’t know how to get the best out of his actors, cause clearly everyone was giving quite a mediocre performances(with the exception of McAvoy). He hasn’t shown he has anything special to offer Hollywood, but apparently the Russian audience disagrees.

There is no doubt with the limited success of this movie there is an audience for this type of action exhibits. But I do feel that some justice must be done to graphic novels if they are going to use them as the backbone of a film. There is very little creativity in any of the main elements(story, action, dialogue etc). End of the day the producers at Universal knew exactly what they were doing in making a simple film with sufficient action and enough style to keep sales alive. It is a forgettable film, and in the hands of a better director with some effective writing could have been a fun summer hit.

TEASER

RATING: 2 COCONUTS

D.M Pieries

ABA

A prophecy is foretold that the son of Unmada Chithra will slay her ten royal brothers and claim the throne. Subsequently the brothers seek to kill the child upon his birth. In order to save his life, the newborn Prince Aba is whisked away to safety by a man named Habara. He is spirited away to the quaint village of Doramadala. There Aba grows into a young man under the watchful eye of his adopted parents and Habara. Meanwhile the blood thirsty uncles receive word that Aba lives. A death squad is dispatched to Doramadala, simply ordered to kill every child and burn the village. From the ashes of this dark incident rises Aba, the future Prince Pandukabhaya.

ABA is written and directed by Jackson Anthony and stars an ensemble cast which includes Malini Fonseka (Bhadra-Kachchayana), Ravindra Randeniya (Pandula Brahmana), Sabeetha Perera (Unmada Chithra), Saumya Liyanage (Habara), Sriyantha Mendis (Parumukhaya), Bimal Jayakody (Chiththaraja), Kingsley Loos (Thissa), Madhumadhava Aravinda (Girikhandashiva) and Sajitha Anuththara as Aba.

I am not a Historian, only a humble film critic so I will not endeavor to criticize the historical inaccuracies in the film, if there are any. I merely attempt to analyze what I observed on the silver screen. The plot revolves around the tried and true facets of political conspiracy, betrayal, treachery and murder, the hallmarks of an epic movie. Unfortunately what worked for films such as BRAVEHEART and GLADIATOR does the opposite for ABA. The plot simply dies by the end of Act One. The plot in a nutshell is as follows; a grim prophecy is foretold, the uncles try to kill their newborn nephew, Aba is smuggled away and hidden for many years, Aba yearns for the company of his biological mother, the uncles get to know he is alive and consequently order their soldiers to wreak havoc on the innocent village. Although the themes of the plot are similar to the above mentioned films, the tone set at the beginning makes it difficult to take the story seriously. A dire and gripping tone is replaced by a silly and comical atmosphere. This can be attributed to the accidental expressionistic style of acting by many of the actors. The same plot in the hands of a skilled storyteller could have produced a completely different film. The lack of twists and turns in the story is apparent. The story felt dragging and extremely boring.
The script is complacent in its dialogue because the writer has chosen flamboyance over subtly.

The cinematography is probably this film's only redeeming quality. Frame composition has taken precedence because all the visual elements have been arranged according to specifications. Set design and wardrobe have also contributed to the visual spectacle that is ABA. The typical Sri Lankan cinemagoer has been programmed to applaud films according to how many beautiful images are shown. With that in mind ABA does not disappoint for it is a visual feast for the eyes. But I must reiterate the fact; beautiful scenery does not make up for an inadequately told story.

ABA is notable in the fact that the performers have set the tone and not the story. That was not a compliment to the actors. As far as acting is concerned, it looked as if a stage play was filmed. This motley crew of veteran and amateur actors are simply too many to write about so I shall paraphrase the stand out performances. Malini Fonseka's and Bimal Jayakody's portrayal of their respective characters is outstanding in a sea of mediorcre acting. Ravindra Randeniya in my opinion is a "Hot & Cold" actor. Sometimes he's hot and sometimes he's an igloo. His Lankan version of "Gandalf the White" is ridiculous to say the least. Saumya Liyanage's brand of 'performance art meets monkey imitations' is inappropriate and does not belong in this film. Sabeetha Perera's hiatus from acting really proves that it wasn't long enough. Ladies and gentlemen the queen of melodrama has returned. Local singer, Madhumadhava Aravinda's attempt at serious acting is only second in hilarity to the attempt still being made by Anarkali Akarsha. And alas Sajitha Anuththara proves that nepotism is alive and kicking in Sri Lankan cinema. The son of Jackson Anthony gives an ineffectual and unmemorable performance in the title role. The lack of screen presence is evident and absolutely no depth of the Aba character was presented.

"The Epic Tradition of Sri Lankan Cinema," "Jackson Anthony's Grand Cinematic Composition," and "Jackson Anthony's Cinematic Saga" are the marketing gems being used by the ABA publicity campaign. Jackson Anthony has the dubious honour of continuing the epic tradition in Sri Lankan cinema known as self-glorification. ABA's marketing department has bamboozled, flimflammed and hoodwinked hordes of unassuming cinemagoers into thinking this is an epic movie. To be honest it isn't even an "Okay" movie. Deluding the viewer with a false sense of patriotism and dazzling them with the amount of money spent does not compensate for the defectively told story. As an avid supporter of Sri Lankan cinema, I too was impressed at the lavish sets built from scratch and the sheer magnitude of this filmmaking enterprise. In fact I was thrilled at the film's box office profits because this will eventually promote production of more Sri Lankan films. But alas, thirty minutes into the first half of the film my stomach began to churn. Call it my "Spidey-Sense" warning me that the film I'm watching is going to turn out horrid. I felt no tension or anxiety during the opening scene where the uncles stand outside Chithra's room awaiting to murder the newborn. I was not at the edge of my seat when Habara and the infant Aba narrowly escape the royal guards. And I truly felt like leaving the cinema during the lethargic middle period of the film. But the true slap in my face was the ending. (SPOILER AHEAD: Do not read further unless you actually intend to waste money and time watching ABA). Normally every epic movie has a few of this key ingredient thrown in for good measure. This ingredient is called "A Battle Scene." I guess Jackson Anthony didn't read that chapter in his copy of "Making Epic Movies for Dummies." The epic battle scene is replaced by a depressing massacre scene where every little village boy and girl gets killed, villager's houses are burnt to the ground and all the while Aba hides inside a hollow tree.

When the President of Sri Lanka feels compelled to go on national television and speak about his ABA experience, I too am compelled to watch. The president referred to the film as a "monumental movie with a strong theme." He further stated that it is monumental for two reasons. The first is its "strong theme' and second "the patriotic spirit contained in the movie." I am unaware of how the history books depict Aba, but the cinematic depiction certainly did not induce patriotic spirit in me. Trying to kill your baby nephew and hiding inside a tree while your friends are massacred are not examples of patriotic spirit. The writer/ director has made a glut of mistakes; casting your own son as the lead, speeding up the movement during the "Pig Attack Scene" (Yes, you read correctly, Pig Attack Scene!!!), and the use of ridiculously unnatural wigs are a few of Jackson Anthony's epic blunders. But the biggest mistake was making every single character indifferent and distant to the audience. There is no personal connection with the characters on screen. No remorse was shown on Aba's face after the slaughter of his friends. No anger was displayed by the villagers after their houses burned down. Cinema is an intimate medium, where use of the "close-up" can reveal the deeper feelings within the characters. This tool is rarely utilized in ABA. If Disney can make an animated robot named WALL-E endearing why couldn't Jackson Anthony make his live actors accessible? I'm sure ABA is merely the beginning of a LORD OF THE RINGS type saga. Judging from its box office success, I believe a sequel or two is inevitable. ABA is a good example of big budget compensating for small directing. The immortal words of another great President come to mind.

"Fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me, you can't get fooled again."

George W. Bush

Rating: 2 COCONUTS

S. V. Fernando

To view the President's entire speech visit: www.aba.lk