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Tuesday, June 6, 2017

How many are required for a Cinema show ! the grossers and bombers !! Cinema, Cinema

In good olden days of 1970s, people would stand in the line in long queues, before the film was released for buying a Rs.2.90 ticket at Devi Paradise !  Of the many Cinema halls in Cinema Road in Kakinada in East Godavari district, Satyagowri  was perhaps unique.  In 1990s it used to screen only English movies – the specialty was they would issue only one ticket to the person standing in the queue, all had to stand in the queue and those who stood within the marked line, were sure of getting a ticket ! – it had good music system inside – understand that this theatre stands renovated in 2008, has increased  capacity and now screens Telegu movies as well. 

We grew up watching the exploits of the WI team led by Clive Lloyd, batting giants Isaac Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes…. Roberts, Holding, Garner, Marshall … Croft, Ambrose, Patterson, Walsh, Bishop and more…………  the team unitedly called West Indies – but representative of more Nations that dominated the Cricket world for decades.  Indians were the first inhabitants, and then, in 1492, the explorer Christopher Columbus became the first European to arrive at the islands. Columbus called these islands the Indies because he thought he had finally reached Asia …… sadly, across the Caribbean, slaves from Africa were imported in great numbers to work the sugar and tobacco plantations.  Great military powers continually fought for control of the islands, and finally, a blended mix of African and European cultures and languages transformed this large group of islands and its peoples into one of the premier tourist destinations on the planet. 

What if you're a physically challenged person? What if you adore a celebrity so dearly? What if you accidentally meet him one day? What if that very same person walks you through the amazing journey called life? Brindavanam revolves around a deaf-mute man Kannan (Arulnithi), a big fan of comedian Vivek (played by himself). When Kannan meets Vivek for the first time, little does he know that the famous comedian would bring happiness to his mundane life one day. ** **

Back to the Windies ~  :  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a 2017 American fantasy swashbuckler film, the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and the sequel to On Stranger Tides (2011). The film is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg.  Johnny Depp, Kevin McNally and Geoffrey Rush reprise their roles as Jack Sparrow, Joshamee Gibbs and Hector Barbossa, respectively.  The filmmakers cited the first installment, The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), as inspiration for the script and tone of the film.  Principal photography started in Australia in February 2015, after the Australian government offered Disney $20 million of tax incentives, and ended in July 2015. It was released in conventional, Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D formats on May 26, 2017, and has grossed $270 million worldwide.

The movie  topped the box office in its domestic debut, its estimated three-day weekend earnings of $62.2 million make it the second-lowest debut in the history of the franchise.  While the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise's performance has been waning domestically, the series has grown in popularity overseas. It certainly expanses its production budget and make good money for its producers.   Meanwhile, last  weekend's other big release, Baywatch, debuted in third place. The Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron-led lifeguard comedy earned an estimated $18.1 million over the three-day weekend, and is projected to finish the four-day holiday weekend with $22 million.

Mae Holland (Emma Watson) seizes the opportunity of a lifetime when she lands a job with the world's most powerful technology and social media company. Encouraged by the company's founder (Tom Hanks), Mae joins a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes soon starts to affect the lives and futures of her friends, family and that of humanity. ~ that summarises ‘The Circle’ an  American techno-thriller film directed by James Ponsoldt and written by Ponsoldt and Dave Eggers, based on Eggers' 2013 novel of the same name.  The film has  Bill Paxton, in his final film role, following his death in February 2017.  The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $26 million worldwide.

** Much of this was prompted by what a friend of mine wrote this evening – he posted on Facebook that  theatre Raj A/c dts is close to his office and the movie review of 'Brindavanam' were tempting enough to buy a ticket for 6.45 pm show.  It was eerie as he happened to be the loner having bought a ticket.  The Theatre management  reportedly told that  the show would be cancelled if there  were to be less than 12 tickets sold.  He waited for sometime, none turned up and eventually the show was cancelled.  The film was released a couple of days earlier only ! – ever heard of such a thing !!!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
29th May 2017.


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