TV Times
 

Box Office in Retrospect
By Harinda Vidanage
With the winding up of the year 2002 it should be great to gain an idea of what movies have made it to the top. There will be an analysis of the most successful movies of this year and also a brief overview of four movies that one should not miss before 2003.

The success story of the 2002 movies begins with the return of a superhero to the screen. This character had been in the hearts and minds of kids for many decades created by the marvel comic incorporation Spiderman has found his mark.

The movie Spiderman based on the comic legend has emerged the winner of the contest of the battle for supremacy of movies specially industry wise. The only movie that could challenge it The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers had notched up a record 26 million dollars in its opening week

The success of the Lord of the Rings sequel has still to be assessed meanwhile up to date Spiderman the movie has been top of the box office worldwide. The movies success is sky high as it has entered the all time chart taking the 5th place of best grossing film ever to be made. The James Cameron production Titanic in 1997 heads the chart.

The top ten movies of the year can be viewed as given below, The best movies that one can enjoy during the holiday season are Harry Potter : The Chamber of Secrets, Half Past Dead, Femme Fatal and Star Trek: The Nemesis. These movies have notched up good box office success and are ideal for entertainment during this season.

The Harry Potter movie will again be a treat to the kids as Harry and his friends embark on a new adventure. The Potter movie has also advanced its special effects quota from its earlier version and is trying to present a spectacle.

Half Past Dead is the new movie of Steven Segal the man who is known as the action hero uniting two continents. The movie is similar to the line of many of his previous movies such as the Under Siege series. This time it's the Alcatraz the maximum prison in USA which has been taken over and Segal is just in time to save the US Attorney General. A great action movie that should not be missed.

Femme Fatal is another movie that has caught the eye of many movie goers and critics alike interpreted as a thriller noire it is a very different type of movie but with sinister twists and turns better suited for the adult audience. Femme Fatal features the man who has taken the movie world by storm in a very short period of time, Antonio Banderas.

Finally if one leaves the Lord of the Rings movie to be watched for January he or she cannot miss the science fiction fantasy of the Star Trek series. The Nemesis is identified as the final journey of the new generation of Star Trek characters such as Capt. Piccard , officer Data and Dana Troy.

'Kokila Sandwaniya' deals with an abstract theme
"Symphony of Cuckoos" (Kokila Sandwaniya) a miniplay on a novel theme is telecast every Thursday at 7.30 pm on ITN channel. Based on French writer Andre Shidge's novel 'La Symphonie Pastorale', 'Kokila Sandwaniya' is scripted and directed by Indika Nishantha Udugampola.

A scene from 'Kokila Sandwaniya'

The story unravels the happenings around a family of a clergyman and how the trouble begins when the head of the family accepts a newcomer to it.

Fr. Peter is a Christian priest working in a small parish in the hill a country. His wife is 'Ameli' and they have five children. Eighteen years old Mark is the eldest and fifteen years old Mari is the eldest daughter. The other three children are Gerom, Sheron and Cloud. Bearing innumerable responsibilities of his congregation, Fr. Peter finds hardly anytime to be with his family.

While on a missionary journey one day he finds a blind girl who is abandoned by the parents. Fr. Peter takes up the task of fostering this girl but his wife 'Ameli' objects. However, Fr. Peter carries on with his idea and with the help of family doctor he plans the girl's education. The helpless girl now named as 'Glory' becomes a member of the family.

As Glory gets attached to the family, its peaceful environment is threatened dangerously.

Speaking on the drama the director Indika Nishantha says that culture, morality, great tradition or any other concept should be subordinate to man's immediate needs. He thinks that a man should not be worried about arbitrary laws or norms when they are a hazard to his well-being. His opinion is that these should be condemned or changed for nothing remains stationary and the only profound reality of life is changability.

"Thus when we talk of the concept of love and affection we should remember that the attitude and the responses differ from person to person according to his environment, needs and compulsion.

When we view situations that are unconventional we cannot judge them without considering the overall compulsive forces," Indika Nishantha who agrees with the post modernistic concept said. With this in mind the director uses 'Kokila Sandwaniya', to reconstruct and present in artistic imagery some reflection on this theme.

The cast in the 'Kokila Sandwaniya' are Hemasiri Liynage, Kaushalya Fernando, Gayani Gishanthika Liyanarachchi, Gihan Fernando, Sumith Ratnayake and Nadee Kammalweera.

In the technical crew make-up artist is Priyantha Sirikumara, art director is Athula Liyanage and editor Tharanga Kumarasinghe.

Camera is directed by Prabath Roshan and music director is Jagath Jayawardena while the film is produced W. Osman Fernando.


Back to Top
 Back to TV Times  

| Front Page | | News | | Editorial | | Columns | | Sports | | Plus | | Financial Times |
| Mirror Magazine | | TV Times |

Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Webmaster