PURAHANDHA KALUWARA

A young army soldier is killed as a result of a bomb explosion in the ongoing war between the Sri Lankan government and the L.T.T.E. The remains are placed in a sealed coffin and delivered to the soldier's distraught father and sisters in their rural village. Upon completion of the funeral proceedings the father (who happens to be blind) is notified by the local village official (Gramma Niladari) that he is entitled a monetary compensation by the government. But the grieving father refuses to complete the required paperwork. He believes that his son is still alive and will return shortly, which makes accepting the money unethical. His indifferent attitude is cause for concern by the two daughters, each in need for money. But the shocking reason to his behavior is revealed at the end.

PURAHANDHA KALUWARA (Death on a Full Moon Day) is written and directed by Presanna Vithanage and features the acting prowess of Joe Abeywickrama (as the blind old man), Linton Semage (as the old man's intended son-in-law), and Mahendra Perera (as the local village official).

Although the main plot is gripping and makes us wonder why the old father is behaving his way, regrettably it is the only question posed in the film. The lack of sufficient plot points made the story progression drawn out and tedious. The film stretches the blind (no pun intended) hope of the old man as he clutches to the delusion of his son's existence and impending arrival.
The screenplay compliments the story with succinct and authentic village dialogue. But additional scenes would only have improved the end product. Flashback scenes showing how essential and irreplaceable the son/brother was would have helped to visualize the great loss felt by the family. This missing link to the son/brother was clearly apparent. Displaying the father's thoughts and fears would have also enhanced the development of the story.

The cinematography is exceptional. The quality and talent of the director of photography M. D. Mahindapala is unmistakable by his use of long shots and deep focus.
The background and foreground are seamlessly captured, to present the scenic beauty of the quant village isolated from civilization.

It is truly a pleasure to watch master thespians at work. Joe Abeywickrama,
Linton Semage and Mahendra Perera are flawless in their performances. Good actors make you feel like you're watching a documentary as opposed to a narrative film.

Presanna Vithanage's technical direction is outstanding, but his method of storytelling is debatable. The film's running time is a mere sixty eight (68) minutes, which proves that the addition of sub plots or parallel storylines would have augmented the pace and duration of the film. The simple lack of conflicts made it slow going. The director could have explored the troubles faced by the two sister and their significant others.
More emphasis could have been placed on how crucial the money is for the lives of the family members. And surprisingly the controversial ending was not utilized to its optimal dramatic affect. But regardless of these shortcomings, I definitely recommend this film because it's a work of a capable filmmaker.

Rating: 3 COCONUTS

S. V. Fernando

PRINCE CASPIAN

Following the path of fantasy PRINCE CASPIAN is the second chapter in the series of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA written by C.S Lewis. The series is known for it’s magical stories interjected with Christian ideals. Director Andrew Adamson (who also directed THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE) explores the four children who are called back to NARNIA a year after their first adventure. They find that time in NARNIA has unraveled a more savage and treacherous adventure for them to deal with.

Considering I was skeptical about how much I would enjoy a children’s fantasy film, the first NARNIA movie left me quite entertained. I was actually looking forward to second as there was promise of a darker and more engaging storyline. I was disappointed.

The dialogue sounded out of place. Screenwriters need to be aware that some dialogue only fits the written word, not the spoken word. The screenplay felt like I was reading a book, as it was clear not much ‘adapting’ had been done. The actors were not natural in their skin.

I’m sure the plot was drawn close to the book, but there certainly seemed way too many scenes that did not allow character development. The villains’ evil presence seemed mismatched when they are head to head with the immaturity of the leading four heroes. Having battle scenes where the leads keep shouting “NARNIA” does not convey a BRAVEHEART moment. Despite the variety of sub-characters none were explored or developed. There needed more interactions that allowed depth. Even the darker moments of failure were simply brushed along. The romantic implications were not dealt with to play up emotion. It says alot when i was looking forward to the appearance of valiant mouse to keep me entertained.

The cinematography was one of the more successful elements of the movie. The locations were well suited to the story and the filming in it’s wide angles. It did have a grand view throughout.

I did not expect bad acting in a Hollywood blockbuster such as this, but that was one of the major downfalls. The young actors were in over their head, they could not keep any charisma on their on-screen counter parts. Their actions and emotions lacked any heart what so ever. Even during the moments of peril I was not conveyed the fear or frustration they felt. The only stand out performances were from a few indie actors (Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis) and a still cute and adorable Lucy played by Gerogie Henley.

The director who is clearly satisfied with this success with of the first NARNIA film, felt he could do the same with this one. Rather than learn lessons from the more successful HARRY POTTER series, he did not leave room for the characters to mature with age. Despite being physical bigger there was no character growth. I was surprised at how many times i glanced at my watch hoping the end was near. The movie was quite boring and far too long.

Walt Disney has jumped on the ‘fantasy’ bandwagon as it is in fashion right now. Disney is trying to gain the same popularity of Warner Brothers HARRY POTTER series, and New Line Cinema’s LORD OF THE RINGS. But unlike the latter THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA will need some ‘real’ magic to keep the interest of an on going fantasy series.

RATING: 2 COCONUTS

Pieries

TEASER

SPEED RACER

After much hype the highly anticipated Watchowski brothers live action anime blockbuster is here. A popular children’s cartoon from the late 60s, the story follows the trails of a young racing enthusiast destined for greatness. He is called to aid a secret agency to help bring down the evil conglomerates that corrupt the racing world.

When dealing with any adaptations to film, no matter what the medium (books, comics, tv shows, cartoons, video games) I do not believe one has to be a fan of the source to enjoy the film. This is something that the Watchowskis needed to remember, as the movie seemed to be made for either the kids of today or the kids of original series.

The story was truly kept simple. There seems to be no interesting plot much like original series. The story only allowed a world of racing, but never gave us a glimpse into the lives of the characters outside the speed realm, very 1 dimensional. The characters were kept even more simpler…only to deal with the racing aspect with no opportunity for growth. The villains of the evil companies seemed to have their own rivalries that takes importance along the way.

The script was poor as they screenwriters seemed unsure what style to keep. At times it was retro at times it was modern day, quite in consistent. There was never any mixed emotions that were conveyed through any of the conversations. Although topics of death and parental problems were mentioned, they weren’t ‘acted’ out. The straightforward conversations left me quite detached.

Considering how simple the material was, the acting was actually good amongst a few. Emile Hirsch has a bright future as he was a pleasure to watch. Fresh from the success of the more adult INTO THE WILD, it’s clear this young man will be careful in selecting his role. Another actor who held his screen presence was TV’s LOST star Mathew Fox. He was without a doubt the most interesting character in the movie, that was left under developed. Spritle’s interactions were the most annoying of all. I honestly found Chim-Chim more entertaining than the boy! The Asian superstar Rain needed more elocution classes before his first English appearance. He was clearly cast in the movie to gain Asian favor in the worldwide box office.

The cinematography was quite spectacular. One thing the Watchowski’s did achieve is creating an alternative world of color and brightness. The race sequences although overwhelming at times, was visually entertaining. The interaction of the cars, gadgets and the tracks were quite stunt filled and exciting.

I could not believe the people created some of my favourite movies (THE MATRIX TRILOGY, V FOR VENDETTA) had anything to do with this. Although their past work also had a lot of special effects, it was not substitute for good writing and story. This was not the case in SPEED RACER as the effects not the characters, seemed to be the heart of the film. There were so many redundant flashbacks I forgot what time frame I was in! This is due to a lack of confidence on the part of the directors. It is an attempt to ‘spoon-feed’ the thoughts of the characters rather than allow growth.

If the Watchowski's wanted to make a live action video game/cartoon, with a simple script with matching characters then they have achieved their goal. I for one need more than just visual entertainment in a film.

RATING: 2 COCONUTS

Pieries

Teaser

MARUTHAYA

The untimely death of a defeated politician leads his wife and two teenage daughters spiraling into a world of poverty, shame and humiliation. The trio is shunned by friends and family and without a proper income the mother's only course of action is to become a prostitute. Lacking the formal education and training required for an administrative job, the mother sells her body for the betterment of her two daughters. But ironically the ill-fated daughters will follow in their mother's footsteps. This is the story of their tainted lives.

MARUTHAYA (The Storm) is written and directed by Vasantha Obeysekera and stars Sangeetha Weeraratne (the elder daughter), Yasoda Wimaladharma (the younger daughter) and Veena Jayakody (the mother) in the three main roles. The supporting cast consists of Asoka Pieris, Lucky Dias and Kamal Addaraarachchi.

Obeysekera seems to be a feminist at heart due to the reoccurring theme of
'The Plight of the Woman' in many of his films. It is commendable that he is one of the few Sri Lankan film directors who champion the fairer sex because it is apparent that sexual equality although preached in Sri Lanka is seldom practiced. Obeysekera uses this film as a tool to voice his opinions on prevalent sexual double standards, the hypocrisy of the religious institutes and the double-edged sword that is Sri Lankan politics. But unfortunately when directors focus on preaching, they tend to forget to pay attention to the all important plot. The story at times is truly ridiculous, are we to believe that the mother has absolutely no alternative but to become a prostitute? And didn't the daughters have more options besides following in their mother's path? It seems that logic in the plot has been replaced by far-fetched ideas. I felt as if the filmmaker was purposely leading me through increasing stages of depression. Although I did sympathize with the three female characters at the beginning of the film, towards the end I just felt annoyed with this boring self-pitying bunch of hookers. Surprisingly, Obeysekera has a knack for realistic dialogue, which is what made the plot tolerable.

Cinematography is second-rate with dimly lit shots and pedestrian frame compositions. The only thing out of the ordinary is the shots where the actors are in the foreground with a completely black background as if they are being interviewed.

Yasoda Wimaladharma and Veena Jayakody offer agreeable performances in their respective roles. But Sangeetha Weeraratne's performance is debatable. Although Weeraratne seems natural as her character's teenage version, it is during the scenes when she plays her older self that sheer absurdity comes into play. She can pull off a naïve but head strong teenage girl but lacks the depth to portray the disenchanted madam (her future self).

The only originality in direction is the use of overlapping dialogue while the actors look directly at the camera. It gives a documentary style to this narrative film. But that's the extent of this film's uniqueness. Obeysekera excessively uses the voice-overs of the two daughters, to a point where he simply begins to tell the story instead of actually showing it to the viewer. Cinema is fundamentally a visual art, this is forgotten. Deeper questions like, which is the lesser of two evils, political corruption or prostitution fall on deaf ears due to the two sisters constantly complaining about how bad and horrible their lives are. The mother's funeral scene was just absurd, why bring the deceased home if you are not going to let anyone into the house to pay their final respects? The entire modeling sequence was nonsensically inappropriate and unnecessary. I'm sure the director has his reasons for including these scenes but looking at the whole picture (no pun intended) this is yet another film that needs to be locked in the vault of Depressionism.

Rating: 2 COCONUTS

S. V. Fernando

INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

After you’ve taken a fresh breath from the lengthy title, suck in the awe of the longest awaited sequel since STARWARS THE PHANTOM MENACE. After a near 20 year hiatus the master movie maker Steven Spielberg and his pal the Sci-Fi icon George Lucas have reunited. They were also able to get an A team of actors (Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchet, John Hurt, Ray Winstone), and a talented writer (SPIDERMAN, JURASSIC PARK). Then why DIDN’T it feel like a million bucks?

The story follows good’ol Indy who is still the lovable, geeky university professor who is aging in peace. When along comes the Russians who kidnap him in search of the mysterious Crystal Skull. Why you may ask? Set in ‘57 midst the cold war, of course… ‘power’! Thus the adventure begins.

The screenplay was done adequately but failed to create much interest. Indiana Jones films are full of corny but funny lines and moments. Those moments were replaced by a few jokes and slapstick that didn’t quite tickle. The characters were average and didn’t have any real charisma. They were not allowed to develop at all, but simply kept them at a 2 dimensional level to give time for all the ‘fun’.

The plot was simple and usually needs to be in adventure movies. But this was pretty weak. I don’t know if a lot of people will enjoy the twist of the plot(as there is a turn in the second act), but I for one thought it was alright. The Crystal Skull itself was a true Macguffin, not serving a real purpose. There was not enough exploration to each of the elements introduced, it simply announced the idea and just kept going.

The acting of Harrison Ford was as usual up to par. He truly was an aged Indy, but was not hiding the fact at all which worked well. The Shia Labeouf character (looking like Marlon Brando in THE WILD ONE) playing the side kick was good but never really matched the rest of the cast. He seemed to have walked off the GREASE reunion set by accident. John Hurt, one of the best British method actors was clearly underused. Ray Winstone who is known for his tough characters was also miscast. The only proven talent that matched was Cate Blanchet, giving a great over the top, icy, fun villain(with a delicious accent).

The Cinematography was good at times. The Amazonian locations were quite breath taking, and so were the first few chase/fight scenes. But the rest of the time it was substituted for standard quality CGI, which did not reflect well.

The directing was surprisingly average. There was nothing special about anything in this film. I felt Spielberg & Lucas were having so much fun making this film, they didn’t put their heart and soul. Harrison Ford is literally winking at the camera! There were many scenes where you are ‘supposed’ to feel amazed or excited…but just aren’t! They cut too many financial corners with CGI instead of stunts. That is what transforms an ‘adventure’ movie to an ‘action’ movie. There was so much CGI it ended up looking like THE MUMMY RETURNS!

If I had walked into an unknown adventure movie called THE CRYSTAL SKULL, without any prior knowledge of INDIANA JONES, I would have found this movie very satisfying and extremely enjoyable. But it's a series that's grossed more than 600 million, spawned a cult following, created cartoons, video games and memorabilia. As an avid fan I was disappointed.

The movie was fun and there is no one technical element that was lacking. But it is more of a spiritual aspect that only veterans like Spielberg & Lucas can bring. It’s that little thing called ‘magic’, which this movie had none of!

RATING: 3 COCONUTS

Pieries

TEASER

IRON MAN

The blockbusters of the summer season have begun with IRONMAN. Directed by Jon Favreau of SWINGERS and ELF fame, this is his first big budgeted action project. Considering this is a Superhero movie the cast is filled with academy award alumni.

The story follows the path of Tony Stark a wealthy industrialist weapons producer who after surviving a near death accident is forced to build a missile against his will for a terrorist group. This needless to say is a life changing event for him.

The dialogue makes one forget that we are watching a typical superhero film. It is well written by the same people who gave us the drama CHILDREN OF MEN. The script has just enough depth to make Tony Stark (and the others) real but just enough humor to keep the subject matter entertaining. There’s plenty of funny and well timed one-liners!

The plot was well thought out and nicely adapted to current day. Smart use of Taliban-like villains and the issues touching on arms trade. Even the technical information of the suit is quite scientific. No direct explanation of the suit is given, only quick instructions within the action scenes instead of lengthy speeches of ‘how things work’.

Great use of quick introductions to future events, such as S.H.E.I.L.D, Rhodes' admiration of the suit, and plenty of hints to his ‘liquid diet’(future alcoholism), exploring these angles in the sequels will keep the story quite adult.
(For the Comic geeks there is a great little surprise…but you must be patient after the end credits roll to see that!).

The cinematography was well done for a flight/fight style film such as this. Favreau surprised me with his ability to keep all the action sequences clear, and not just simply action with fast swishes. Considering this movie only had 3 main action sequences, the excitement NEVER lets up. His first flight in the suit was somewhat of a ‘TOPGUN’ style thrill.

The acting was just a pleasure to watch with all concerned. Downey Jr. was perfectly cast as the billionaire playboy genius who has a change of life purpose, but not a change of personality. He keeps us cheering for him no matter how promiscuous or cocky he gets. His banter with Gwyneth Paltrow was smoother and more enjoyable than most of the romantic comedies this year. The ever talented and very funny Jeff Bridges surprised me with his villainous and larger than life presence as Obadiah Stane/War Monger. Even the chemistry with future sidekick Jim Rhodes played by Terrence Howard was very charming. Whether they are joking about transsexual hookers or admiring the stripper pole on his private jet, these two clearly translate as great friends.

Favreau still needs work as an action director, but has done a great job. He has brought to the big screen something of style and unofficially given Marvel a much needed reboot in their comic book based movies.

In the world of superhero movies I would like to think SPIDERMAN was Pop music; it’s catchy, wholesome, simple but fun. BATMAN was Opera; deep, dark, tragic, and masterly crafted. IRON MAN is without a doubt the 'Rock n Roll'; toe tapping, head’bangin, air guitaring, shouting along in the mosh pit FUN!

Rating: 5 COCONUTS

Pieries

TEASER

UPPALAVANNA

This is the latest film by director Sunil Ariyaratne, who is better known as a lyricist and playwright. The film stars Sangeetha Weeraratne, Malini Fonseka and new comer Roshan Ravindra.
The story follows the protagonist; a young Buddhist nun (Sangeetha) who is attempting to live the monastic life. Her peace is disrupted when she encounters a young insurgent (Roshan) who is a member of a Marxist party as he flees from a murder scene. This begins a taboo relationship that will change the lives of all concerned.

While watching this film it was apparent that the style and format of storytelling has not changed since the 1960s. The pace and mood of the film was miserably slow.
American cinema is renowned for its fast paced storytelling, due to the fact that instant gratification is needed by the audience. European cinema is comparatively slower as its audiences require more character depth in its stories. Asian cinema is even slower as their audiences tend to be passive in the absorption of the film.
But even by Asian film standards, Sri Lankan cinema is at snail speed. The filmmakers have held strong to the delusion that slow pace evokes emotional depth. It’s high time the filmmakers realized that speeding up the pace does not sacrifice story or character growth.

Veteran actress Malini Fonseka is out of her element as the chief nun. Her character’s existence is simply to remind the audience of the do’s and don’t of monastic life. She simply reiterates the rules of the nunnery throughout the film without any character development. Another meaningless character in this film was the little nun. Her sole purpose was to be the model of correction.
The male lead (Roshan) was incapable of acquiring any empathy from us. He was the epitome of an uncharismatic actor. Roshan Ravindra who is a noted TV actor needs to stick to his day job!
The experienced actress Sangeetha fell far below the standard of even amateur dramatics. She was clearly miscast as she had a consistently dazed look throughout the film. Sangeetha’s indifference to the role left the inner turmoil of her character unexplored. A note to Ms Weeraratne; merely shaving your head does not automatically make you the character, you have to commit to the role physically as well as mentally!

Dr. Tissa Abeysekara's screenplay was so bland it left little for the actors to work with. The dialogue was monotonous and at times redundant. Besides having many uninteresting story arcs, this screenplay included the clichéd, overused "rich girl falls in love with poor boy but rich girl's parents try to break them up" storyline.
“No sleeping on back, no bodily touching, no water frolicking, no scrubbing feet,” etc were some of the many absurd attempts to express Buddhist piety. This is a good example of Buddhist theory without practice. There were far too many monologues and not enough dialogue.
One of the many meaningless plot points was the murder of the son-in-law at the funeral of the mother-in-law. Although this is a key plot twist it was very artificially constructed and was out of place. The mother character's (Chandani Seneviratne) attempt to kill her son’s murderer in a blind rage, only to be stopped by a monk with a simple word of restraint was ridiculous and altogether laughable.
Sri Lankan screenplays tend to become preachy and this hinders the story development. The screenwriters need to stop the melodramatic, drawn-out, pathetic story arcs and create something fresh.

The only redeeming quality was the use of landscape in the cinematography. The filmmakers were able to capture the natural beauty of the village environment.

A film actor is only as good as the guidance received by their director. With this rule in mind Professor Sunil Ariyaratne truly displays his lack of formal, institutional training in the cinema arts. The dubbing was amateur at best, and totally mismatched the synchronization of video and audio. Sound design/editing was so poor the jungle sounds effects over the dialogue was repetitive and annoying! The director is at fault for the constant indication by the actors. Indication is the flaw when an actor overacts to a situation rather than ‘react’!

The French Cinema birthed ‘New Wave’, the Germans created ‘Expressionism’, the Italians fashioned ‘Neo Realism’, the Americans spawned the ‘Hollywood Blockbuster’ and even the Indians produced their brand of ‘Bollywood Music Video/Fashion Show Musicals’. But what has our beloved Sri Lanka contributed to the sphere of World Cinema? We have ceremoniously named it, ‘Depressionism Cinema’, where the most happy-go-lucky guy will seriously consider suicide after watching a Sri Lankan art-house film. Unfortunately UPPALAVANNA continues the long tradition of our ‘Depressionist’ film movement.

Rating: 1 COCONUT

Pieries & Fernando