Two of this years ‘best’ movies are films I don’t really want to watch. Argo and Zero Dark Thirty. Both feature a fictionalized focus on the American military and I just don’t feel like the protagonists are really the good guys. The ‘War On Terror’ is a fundamentally abusive war and canonizing little victories therein just doesn’t ring true, especially from here. Having the Argo award presented by Michelle Obama (otherwise an excellent dancer) is just weird. As film (and film profits) get more and more global, this type of jingoism is more and more out of place.

This sweet video shows Mr. Sugathapala, security guard at the New Monis, on the Galle Road just before Beruwela. I think I’ve seen him, energetically directing traffic. In this touching video, it shows him just smiling and enjoying his day. Most security guards aren’t so nice, but some of them really are. It’s sweet to see this gentlemen featured online, and his words of advice are really quite sincere and relevant to us all.

This is pretty amazing. It’s Psy’s Gangnam Style video with Mahinda’s head. And Wimal Weerawansa. And Ranil and Mangala. And Anarkalli. It looks the best on a tiny Facebook video window but still pretty good. It looks like they’re using this app to add faces to the video, but still quite creative. Casting Wimal as the dancing boy was a good touch. Mahinda’s Gangnam style.

Dolphins are our mammal cousins that got tired of the land and evolved back into the sea. They’re generally pretty cool and/or cheeky and quite intelligent. Hence it is appalling to hear that around 50 dolphins were massacred in the Kalpitiya area, apparently with dynamite. In the video above you can see dolphins in Brazil actually helping fishermen by herding fish and communicating. Around Kalpitiya dolphins are quite happy to swim with passing boats because they’re not scared of us. And they shouldn’t be. What a terrible and senseless thing.

Sri Lanka’s own JehanR has become a bit of an Internet sensation, riding his short films to a cameo spot in YouTube’s 2012 Rewind. His videos like ‘Shit Sri Lankan Mothers Say‘ and ‘Arranged Marriage Song‘ have gotten heaps of views, landing him a job at YouTube in the process.

I saw this on Conan of all things, with comic Charlyne Yi explaining how Sri Lankans kept mistaking her for a boy. And telling her so. There’s a lot of stuff things Sri Lankans say to, well, anyone that can seem rude or odd to outsiders. Questioning gender is one of them, here are a few others.

Il Gelato is selling dog ice cream for Rs. 280 a cup (80g). For reference, a liter (1,000g) of Elephant House is Rs. 220. Which is to say, this is expensive ice cream. I’m not one to say that people shouldn’t buy expensive things while others struggle, but this is a bit out there. I mean, the ice cream isn’t even good.

This film has just stopped playing at the Savoy, which is a shame, because it’s really good. I caught it a few days ago and it’s really surprisingly good, and better for being in 3D. Too many action movies have the conceit of being about major issues or trying to be funny. This is just a simple, comprehensible slaughter of bad guys. They pay attention to the details, like slow motion blood spray, and ignore the broader nonsense that makes most action movies so dull.

I’ve seen Prometheus twice and it’s a beautiful but intellectually empty film. The Ridley Scott Alien prequel is a weird and unsatisfying mix of SciFi and teen slasher movie. There are scientists exploring an alien planet, but they’re as stupid as co-eds in a haunted summer cabin. The story is also a hodgepodge of ideas and entities, leading nowhere rewarding. Which is a shame, because it’s a beautiful film with fascinating ideas buried underneath.

This video above is a perfume commercial shot in Sri Lanka. It makes for an interesting movie trailer but I still find it funny when the narrator lapses into a lisp to say the name of the perfume. Viaje a Ceylan is a nice name for a perfume, perhaps you’re supposed to say it that way. I presume it means voyage to Ceylon. I looked around and there’s another scent by the perfumer Creed (who I think are one of the best in the world) called Royal Ceylan.