Captain America: The Winter Soldier

A marvel indeed! 

Despite being their first avenger, Captain America has probably been Marvel’s least successful superhero. However directors Anthony and Joe Russo seem to have struck gold with its sequel ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier.’

Asking for more

The sequel is a character driven story. Nick Fury is losing control of S.H.I.E.L.D. to sinister outside forces. His clearances seem to be flickering out just as Operation: Insight, an obscenely expensive plan to construct a fleet of massive hovering battleships, is reaching its completion. Meanwhile, fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. administrator Alexander Pierce tries to counteract resistance from a skeptical World Security Council. This makes Steven Rogers unexpectedly and undeservedly a wanted man. When S.H.I.E.L.D turns against him he and his partner in crime, Natasha Romanoff, learn that HYDRA has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and, like the neo-Nazis they’re meant to represent, plan to orchestrate a mass extermination of “undesirables” using the airships.

Writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have made the script delightfully ironic in certain instances. One such moment is when Rogers argues with Fury saying, “You’re holding a gun to everyone on Earth and calling it protection.” Such witty dialogs not only stir interest but also bring on the smiles.

The tension between Fury and Rogers immediately comes to light during the opening set piece in which Rogers, Ramanoff and a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D agents take on a pack who has hijacked a ship. This keeps the audience at the edge of their seats asking for more.

Alive and kicking

The climax of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ occurs when Rogers is locked in an energy fuelled battle with the Winter Soldier. Amid the skull shattering blows he manages to unmask his opponent to make the shocking revelation that he is actually locked in combat with his former WWII best friend ‘Bucky’ Barnes. Though the Winter Soldier gazes blankly back at him we later learn that the encounter has an impact on him. A few episodes down the line we see that memories are triggered in Bucky’s memory. However his handlers quickly strap him down and wipe out his memory.

Though some of the scenes seem to be repeats from Marvel’s previous successors, the filmmakers manage to keep the action alive and kicking so that the audience does not have time even to bat an eye lid. Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow is especially effective in such episodes. She often overshadows even the protagonist with her action sequences.

Another noteworthy aspect in the film is that humour is inserted in the least expected situations. One such memorable incident is when Romanoff and Rogers are fleeing from S.H.I.E.L.D agents. They are forced to perform the roles of a newly engaged couple to throw the goons off their scent.

Despite being Marvel’s second longest movie, running for 136 minutes, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ never drags.

The real appeal

Unlike its predecessor ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ sees a more human side of Rogers. Though he throws a giant metal Frisbee around, Rogers is moulded more on the scale of Jason Bourne, Jack Ryan and James Bond. In episodes in which he is disarmed from his shield, he uses other objects like a knife to defend himself.

Evens seem at ease with his character. He sets off charm in the least expected moments and never lets you forget that though he is almost invincible, he does have his wimpy side. Such facts are revealed not only through flashbacks but also in moments when he hesitates to take action.

Johansson is amazing as Romanoff. She even manages to steal Even’s thunder at times. An equal to Rogers himself in terms of her importance to the mission, she delivers another killer turn. She has aptly been given ample screen time to perform her stunts as well as reveal a bit about her personality to the audience.

Samuel L. Jackson makes a fitting Nick Fury. He manages to keep up the suspense on whether he is using Rogers or whether he has truly laid his trust on him. Anthony Mackie is likable as Sam Wilson who it is later unveiled is also The Falcon. Instead of looking like it is straight out of a silly comic book, the filmmakers have used the character to entice the project. Robert Redford performs Alexander Pierce’s character with expertise.

‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ embodies the real appeal towards the studio’s flag-wearing hero. This may wards off the criticism that he is merely USA’s poster boy. This is a marvel by Marvel indeed!

www.dailynews.lk -Ruwini Jayawardana

Book Launch On 4th May 2014 at National School - Kotapola

ඉතින් සතුටින් යන්න.................

මේ මහා සෙනග මැද

හුදෙකලා වූ

විඩාබර දෙනෙත්

නොපෙනුණිද නුඹහට ?

ඇමිණූ හසුන්වලද

සෙනෙහස පිරි වදනක් 

සොයනු නොහැකිව

බෝ දුර ආ බව

මතකයි නම් නුඹට....?

වෙඬරු මෙන් දියවෙන

හිතක තරම නොදැන

ඔච්චම් කළ තරම

දන්නේ කඳුළු මිස.....

නෑසූ කන්ව හිඳ

අඩිය ඉක්මන් කළා මිස

නිකමටවත් 

හැරී බැලුවාද 

මගේ කඳුළු පිරි දෑස් දෙස ?

නුඹ යනෙන දෙස

පසුපසට වී 

බොහෝ කල් සිටියෙමි

සිහි එළවාගත නොහැකිව

රාත්‍රිය පුරාද

බියකරු සිහිනයක්ව

මහදෙහි මැවෙයි 

මදෙස නොබලාම

නුඹ ගිය හැටි

සෙනේ දිය උල්පතක්

හිඳුණු පසු

යළි 

තෙතමනයක් නොදෙන බව

දන්නවද නුඹ?

ඉතින් සතුටින් යන්න.........

FB - Sindu

Blue Jasmine - A rare feat!

Woody Allen's late life period drama is a sharply observed comedy which addresses real world concerns. 'Blue Jasmine' explores the pretense behind the high class society and unveils them for who they are.

The flashbacks

Cate Blachett plays Jasmine French, an icy New York socialite whose life came to a sudden downfall when her crooked and unfaithful businessman husband, Hal, is arrested by the FBI. With her marriage in tatters and having lost her fortune to government liquidation Jasmine is forced to move to San Francisco to start life afresh with her adopted sister, Ginger.

Jasmine is use to the best luxuries that life could provide. Thus she finds it hard to find her feet in Ginger's homey abode. She finds Ginger's finance vulgar and her friends annoying. She is unable to shake off the highfalutin attitude she cultivated during her former lifestyle. Instead of taking on the job of doing clerical work for a dentist immediately, she ponders over whether to go back to studying anthropology, a pursuit she abandoned 20 years ago, or learn interior designing online. She stubbornly refuses to deal with life in her new setting and manages to drag her sister into a situation by criticizing the tastes in men and whisking her off to a high socialite party held in town.

The flashbacks are effective in constructing the psyche of someone who cannot recover from the loss of her past life. It tells us about how exactly Jasmine feels when she is exiled from the heights of New York society and has to start scraping to make ends meet in San Francisco.

The 'better genes'

Jasmine has been introduced to the story purely as a psychological character study. Allen effectively constructs a portrait of how dishonest someone has to be to themselves and their loved ones to maintain sanity. Her fatal flaw is how oblivious she is to her husband's infidelities and crimes. Any suspicions she might have harboured has been erased by an expensive jewellery piece which her husband presents to her. As Ginger states, "Jasmine has always had a way of looking in the other direction," a habit she continues even when her life is in tatters.

It is clear that she has penchant for revisionism from the moment we learn that she has changed her name and married to a higher caste. She is often dubbed as the sister who has the 'better genes'.

'Blue Jasmine' vividly portrays some of the post-meltdown realities of the working class America, ones which Jasmine is ill equipped to deal with. Such scenes generate satire and humour and are one of the movie's greatest strengths. Jasmine's painful attempts to build her life back again, stooping to the level of a mere gold digger, are well observed by the filmmaker and crafted into the tale in a genius manner.

A drawback in 'Blue Jasmine' is while the director's main focus is on the protagonist, the supporting characters in the story such as Ginger, Augie, Chili and Dwight are underdeveloped.

Kudos to Allen

Blachett masterfully plays a complex picture of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She digs at the core of the character and balances Jasmine's varied moods. Though she is self-centered and picky at almost everything she attempts, Blachett also makes Jasmine's character likable and therefore wins over her viewers. This is definitely an Academy Award winning act and a rare feat!

The rest of the cast is sensations as well. Sally Hawkins too plays her role skillfully as possible as Ginger. Though there is sisterly bonding when Jasmine convinces her of certain things, their relationship is that of resentment and rivalry. Bobby Cannavale too does well as the big hearted Chili. He is the perfect foil for Jasmine's cool exterior and posh poise. Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, and Louis C.K play the rest of the key roles. Kudos to Allen for making a work of such incisive brilliance coming at the age of 77, 'Blue Jasmine' is probably his best film in years, probably since the Oscar winning 'Annie Hall'. It is Brilliant, delightful and funny. 

www.dailynews.lk - Ruwini Jayawardana

Sanga – Man on a mission

It was confirmed on Wednesday that Kumar Sangakkara will be involved with county champions Durham earlier in the season. He is available for the county’s first few Championship games. Here the star batsman is seen after carrying Sri Lanka to win in his last T20 match.

Star batsman Kumar Sangakkara has conquered tough conditions all over the world. His magnificent 192 in Hobart in 2007 against an attack that comprised Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart MacGill is the highest individual score by a Sri Lankan against Australia and perhaps the best too ahead of Aravinda de Silva’s 167 at the Gabba in 1989 against an attack that featured Merv Hughes, Terry Alderman, Carl Rackermann and Geoff Lawson.

Sanga’s masterclass century in the Boxing Day Test Match of 2011 set up a historic win against the Proteas. The deadly South African attack comprised Dale Steyn, Marchant de Langa, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis.

When Sanga scored his first ever double century in 2002 against Pakistan, that attack had Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akthar and Mohammad Sami. The champion batsman has scored centuries and loads of runs all over the world.

Playing fast bowling has been child’s play for Sanga, but England has been a place he has failed to conquer. The moving ball has been his Achilles’ Heel. To put it bluntly, in England Sanga’s record has been below par.

Only in the last Test he played in England, Sanga managed a century. Yet, the figures are hardly convincing. Sanga averages a mere 30.58 in England in nine Tests whereas his career average at 58.02 is almost twice as bigger.

So what does Sanga do? He decides to forgo the IPL and instead play some county cricket to acclimatise to the conditions in England and better prepared to take on the English attack and the Duke ball.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that Kumar Sangakkara will be involved with county champions Durham earlier in the season. He is available for the county’s first few Championship games.

Sanga had a massive impact when he played a season of county cricket in 2007 for Warwickshire. He produced big knocks and returned home as a better player. Later he revealed that the demands of county cricket had helped him improve as a batsman. Like Kent helped Aravinda reach new heights, Edgbaston made Sanga a complete batsman.

The upcoming exposure will stand him in good stead and the fact that this time around Sri Lanka play the limited-over games early and the Tests come last is a massive bonus for the tourists as the team will benefit spending a few weeks in England prior to the Tests.

Although Sri Lanka’s Tests have been cut to two from the customary three this summer, when players like Sanga put lot of effort for preparation for the tough challenge, a Test win in England is a possibility. Sri Lanka hasn’t won a Test since beating England in Trent Bridge in 2006. And Sanga has never won a Test series away from home other than against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Previously, Sanga has been blamed for playing the IPL and missing warm-up games in England ahead of the Test series. Last year he was leading one of the IPL teams and this year his gesture to pull out of the IPL auction and instead make himself available to play county cricket needs to be applauded.

With their cricket in disarray following the whitewash in Ashes and their best player – Kevin Pietersen no longer in the set-up and their premier spinner Graeme Swann retired, England are unsettled. They also failed to make it to the semi-finals of the World T-20 in Bangladesh and this presents Sri Lanka with an opportunity to cash in.

Sanga is 36 now. It’s unlikely that he will be around for another tour of England. His effort to improve his record in England and thereby help the team win will only win him more admirers.

by Rex Clementine - http://www.island.lk/