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TV Times

3 D Magic boosts Spy Kids

By Harinda Vidanage
Robert Rodriguez, who is famous for his creativity and revolutionizing the gimmicks gadgets in the movie world, has gone beyond conventional and more modern in movies in recent times.

The third chapter of the Spy Kids adventure takes cinema goers to a new dimension with fully integrated 3 D technology.

The review is an appeal on one side the Sri Lankan cinema owners who are now equipped with all the modern technological machinery which can facilitate higher quality movie viewing they only have to just bring down the special viewing glasses needed for 3D movie entertainment.

Spy Kids 3D Game Over can be the movie of choice as Hollywood's most creative children's movie ever made with the integration of real world into the virtual gaming world creating a unique adventure with real life characters and virtual organisms.

This 3-D technology comes to the fore as agents Juni and Carmen Cortez set out on their most mind-blowing mission yet: journeying inside the virtual reality world of a 3-D video game designed to outsmart them, as the awe-inspiring graphics and creatures of gaming come to real life. Relying on humor, gadgetry, bravery, family bonds and lightning-quick reflexes, the Spy Kids must battle through tougher and tougher levels of the game- facing challenges that include racing against road warriors and surfing on boiling lava - in order to save the world from a power hungry villain

Juni Cortez (portrayed by Daryl Sabara) regards himself as retired from the spy game when the President of the United States (George Clooney) reminds him that secret agents can never retire. Besides, he's needed for the most urgent mission imaginable to save the youth of the world - along with his sister, Carmen (Alexa Vega), who is trapped inside the virtual reality world of a multileveled, three-dimensional video game created by the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), a mad genius who wants to take over the world by controlling young minds while they are trapped inside the virtual-reality maze of his games.

The universe of the Toymaker, which resembles that of a stylized Japanese anime in its high-tech starkness, is as amazing as it is daunting. Juni will have to progress through several levels of increasingly confounding games if he is to rescue Carmen and confront the Toymaker.

The Cortez kids are not alone in this adventure they have the company of a new breed of cyber wiz kids who are young game beta-testers: leader Rez (Robert Vito), strong Arnold (Ryan Pinkston), brainy Francis (Bobby Edner) and tough-minded Demetra (Courtney Jines).

The presence of Stallone as the Toymaker is amusing casting, and while he certainly is menacing and tries to get into the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the occasion, his touch is pretty heavy. This is a very different type of role given to one type action hero of the USA the cold war icon of US supremacy but his many faces and facets ads color to the new Spy Kids adventure.

Rounding out Juni and Carmen's relatives are Holland Taylor as their grandmother, Cheech Marin as Uncle Felix and Danny Trejo as Uncle Machete. Also returning in the cast are Tony Shalhoub as the genetically muted Minion; Bill Paxton as lasso-master cowboy Dinky Winks; Steve Buscemi as mad inventor Romero; and Alan Cumming as Floop.

Hope cinema goers in Sri Lanka and especially in an environment where family entertainment is hardly even thought about by industrialists a change of heart may do a lot in providing high quality family entertainment. For cinema goers suffering from acute shortage of good family entertainment let this act as a demand of rights of the Sri Lankan cinema fans from industrialists for quality entertainment.

Amaranath touches terror period
By Sanath Weerasuriya
In the years between 1987 to1990 when Northern Sri Lanka raged with terror of separatism, southern Sri Lanka was under the siege of a leftist insurrection marked by a reign of terror, torture and murder, against this horrifying backdrop thrown up by the state and the insurgency and anarchy, disappearance of men, women and youth were a common occurrence. This is the story of two families symbolic of the epoch that engulfed the Island nation in flames of terror....

'Beeshanaye Athuru Kathawak', a film based on the terror period of late eighties in Sri Lanka will be released on August 25 on the NFC- MPI combined circuit.

Produced and directed by Amaranath Jayathilake, 'Beashanaye Athuru Kathawak' had its world primiere at the Rotterdam Internatioanl Film Festival in Netherlands in January this year.

The cast of this film includes Cletus Mendis (Akman), Nita Fernando (mother) Vishaka Siriwardena (Alan Nona) Madhuranga Chandheemal (Panduka), Anushka Nilanjanie Ekanayake (Manjula), Nirosha Lakmali (Krishanthi), Dinendra Ratanayke (Devinda), Miyuri Samarasinghe (Sopina), Sandun Wijesiri (Gunaratna), Thilakaratna Liyanage (politician), Chandrika Munasingha (Magilin), Chandrika Perera (Jane), Amarakoon Arachchi (Chief Editor), Dayasiri Hettiarachchi (Police Inspector), Lesly Tennakoon (Police Inspector), Tissa Udangamuwa (thug), Sarath Kotalawala (Revolutinary Leader) with Nimal Munasingha as Chuuti.

In Sri Lanka, the years 1987-90 were a time when the night was timorous with fear and the day was horrifying with terror and the whole country was paralyzed leading it to anarchy. During this period, Somadasa - a school Principal suddenly disappeared. His family rendered helpless, was thoroughly depressed. He had three children Panduka, Devinda and Krishanthi. As the family dropped into destitution, Panduka an under-graduate, gives up studies to seek employment so that he could support the mother who was left alone and feeling melancholy subsequent to the disappearance of her husband.

Mrs Somadasa in fervent hope of her husband's return home someday, was living in anticipation all the time. However it was in vain that she was in search all over for a clue leading to her husband's disappearance.

Akman, a fellow resident in the same locality where Somadasa's family lived had become rich by felling illicit timber and selling illicit liquor, while engaging himself in various other anti-social activities. However, once he came in contact with a revolutionary oganization whose advice he heeded, disciplined himself to be a good man.

The relations between Akman and his wife Alan Nona were some what strained. Their daughter Manjula an Advanced Level student caught up in the mire of impaired relations between her mother and father, finds life extremely uneasy. Alan Nona maintains an illicit affair with the powerful politician of the area, which enables her to gain some improper advantages from the politician. Akman is a cousin of Somadasa. As Somadasa objected to Akman's illegal and anti-social activities, the relationship between the two families was not all that pleasant. Consequently, Alan Nona turned envious of Somadasa and his family. Therefore, Mrs. Somadasa's suspicion about the cause of disappearance of her husband, naturally fell on Akman.

Panduka made a determined effort to find out who the abductors of his father were. In the meantime, he obtained a job as a journalist in a newspaper office.

Meanwhile, Panduka making use of the opportunity provided to him by his new profession, began to let information relating to the disappearance of his father out through the press and was making an effort to identify those who were responsible for his disappearance.

The revolutionary organization which disowned responsibility for the disappearance of Somadasa, vowed to identify his abductors. The government forces too, refused to accept responsibility for his disappearance.

After a few days, the revolutionary oganization handed over a secret audio cassette to Panduka. It revealed who were those responsible for Alan Nona's death and the disappearance of Somadasa.

In the meantime, an unidentified gunman assassinates the politician who was responsible for all the crimes. Finally, converting their affection to love, Panduka and Manjula were to get married.

Film Fest by the Tele Makers Guild
Four films directed and produced by the executive committee members of the 'Tele Makers Guild of Sri Lanka' will be screened at the Elphinstone Theatre from August 18 to 21.

Bennet Ratnayake's 'Aswesuma' will be screened on August 18 at 2.00 pm, while Somaratne Dissanayake's 'Punchi Suranganavi' will be screened on the same day at 6.30 pm.

'Maruthaya', directed by Wasantha Obeysekara and produced by Ananda Abeynayake, will be shown at 2.30 pm on August 19.

Udayakantha's 'Rajya Sevaya Pinisai' will be screened at 6.30 pm on August 19 and at 2.30 pm on the following day.

'Maruthay' will repeat at 2.30 pm on August 21 and 'Punchi Suranganavi' will repeat at 6.30 on Thursday.

Tickets will be available from Sunday, August 17 on a first come first serve basis.

Somaweera Senanayake is the President of Tele Makers Guild and Douglas Siriwardena held the office as General Secretary of the Guild. Sudath Rohana is the Promotional Officer who handles the publicity for the Guild.

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