XXX:
A real thriller
By
Harinda Vidanage
The Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen
hits back in style this year with the hottest action movie to
be released yet with 'XXX', the title may be funny and his star
line up is even funnier because of the Vin Diesel, Samuel L.
Jackson relationship. But the movie can be classified as a treat
with daredevil rides and heart stopping action.
Vin Diesel
who played the role of outlaw drag racer and highway man in
the movie Fast and the Furious returns to play Xander Cage
the newest weapon in the arsenal of United States National
Security Agency.
Before
becoming a secret agent, Xander risks his life by selling
web videos of his crazy stunts while just barely escaping
with his life and the police. In fact, in the opening sequences
of the film, we see Xander steal a corvette from a politician
and drive it off a bridge while parachuting to the ground.
But life
catches up with him in the form of National Security Agency
(NSA) Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel Jackson) with an ultimatum.
Either work for the NSA as a secret agent or go to jail. Xander
takes up the new challenge and from there on wards the man
is on fire.
Gibbons
and the NSA are facing a desperate situation in distant Prague,
where their undercover operative has been killed by a gang
of cutting-edge thugs calling themselves Anarchy 99, headed
by the brutal ex-Russian Army commander Yorgi (Marton Csokas)
and his beautiful but hardened girlfriend, Yelena (Asia Argento).
Gibbons
needs a new breed of agent to get to Prague, go undercover,
and play by Anarchy 99's own rules ... or lack of them ...
to stop them from destroying the world and discover just how
dangerous their game really is. And Xander Cage, with his
astonishing physical and athletic prowess and indifferent
attitude, is a perfect, if unlikely candidate. Gibbons uses
all means possible to find out if Xander is his man for the
job, even if it means putting him through the most gruelling
series of "tests" imaginable in the movie. Cage
passes them with flying colours. (Really Flying)
Cage
is called agent XXX because of the letter that begins his
first name (and is emblazoned into the back of his neck in
triplicate by ink-and-needle), extreme in every way.
The movie
never a bore and is of different scenarios at every corner
and one is some time baffled by trying to figure out who are
the good guys but XXX is a movie which action movie fans should
not miss and it might make even James Bond envious as there
is a new type of agent tattooed and sporting a shaved head
with a attitude to spare assigned to save the world.
'Reign
of Fire': Beasts dominate Earth
From the producer of the highly successful TV drama series
and its cinematic version X Files, Rob Bowman comes this new
thrilling movie of action and adventure.
If Godzilla
was a mammoth beast that was intelligent and could destroy
a city, a hoard of female dragons led by one huge male will
be quite a treat.
In present-day
London, 12-year-old Quinn inadvertently wakes an enormous
fire-breathing dragon from its centuries-long slumber. Twenty
years later, much of the world has been scarred by the beast
and its offspring.
The dragons
are extremely intelligent, highly evolved. and they don't
like sharing the planet. As a fire chief, Quinn (CHRISTIAN
BALE) is responsible for warding off the beasts and keeping
a small community alive as they eke out a meager existence.
Into their midst comes a hotshot American,Van Zan (MATTHEW
McCONAUGHEY), who says he has a way to kill the beasts and
save mankind - a way Quinn's never seen done.
The American
brings in a small army with him seeking the assistance of
Quinn to hunt the male dragon. Thirdly eyes in the skies Alex
Jenson (IZABELLA SCORUPCO) the former Bond girl who plays
the role of a high - flying chopper pilot carrying out scout
missions and airborne dragon hunting jobs for Van Zan adds
icing to the cake. The combination of Quinn, Van and Jenson
play the decisive role in the final mission to slay the male
dragon, which they realize is the key to turn the tables on
dragon dominance wiping out the dragons and restoring the
future of humanity.
The movie
carries scenes of intense battles with dragons and also thrilling
graphic scenes of people and structures being scorched by
dragons and the superhuman efforts of the people who are determined
to stop them. The movie keeps the audience at the edge of
their seats and is a treat to Fans of movies in the calibre
of Godzilla, Arachnid, Brother Hood of the Brother Hood of
the Wolves and even the Alien series.
'Blackout'
is never dull
By Sanath Weerasuriya
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The
DJ Team of the 'Blackout'
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"Blackout',
the most modern and hi-tech discotheque opened its doors to
the music lovers in Kandy recently.
'Blackout'
is the night club attached to the 'Swiss Residence Hotel.'
According
to the management, 'Blackout' comes alive every Saturday and
the revellers used to patronize till the early hours of Sunday
even on non promotional days.
 "There
was a time music lovers and dance enthusiasts used to go down
to Colombo for clubbing during the weekends. But now it is
different. Colombo revellers too are coming to Kandy for the
Saturday clubbing. Kandy is getting more and more popular
for night gigs with top names in the music scene and popular
DJs," said Asela Pethiyagoda, the General Manager of
the Hotel.
'Blackout'
is the best and with all equipped with the latest lights and
sound system in par with the popular discotheque 'Blackout'
in Zurich, Switzerland.
Jayantha
teaches music
Popular keyboardist Jayantha Ratnayaka started a training
class on keyboards for the '3 to 5' Rupavahini programme on
Fridays.
Jayantha
also started his own music school 'Laksitha Music School'
for beginners at the second floor of the Nugegoda Super Market.
'Wild
Fire' at Indoor Nets
'Wild Fire' will be in action on Friday, September 6 from
9.00 p.m. onwards at the Austasia Sports and Leisure Complex
in Thalawathugoda.
This
musical extravaganza is organized by the Ceylon Indoor Cricket
Association in order to raise funds for the forthcoming "04th
Indoor Cricket World Cup 2002" tour of Wellington, New
Zealand. The Sri Lankan Indoors, both Men and Women have faired
very positively during the recent past against some top Indoor
Cricket playing nations. Wild Fire on the other hand is the
most successful and famous rock band in town nowadays.
Tickets
are priced at Rs. 500/- and this will be the first time that
Wild Fire will be seen in action at Austasia Sports and Leisure
Club and both the band and the AS and LC officials are planning
to have gigs every month.
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