Intermission: Low-budget films rank among the year's best

Jim Wunderle is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

As a year comes to a close, it always seems like a good time to look back and think about the good, bad and ugly things that happened in the movie business.

It wasn't the most exciting year for film but box office grosses were high. At last count, the total was approaching the $9 billion mark, up nearly 12 percent from 2001. And there were several pleasant surprises.

The project I'm happiest about is a little film that cost about $5 million to make. It opened in Branson before coming to Springfield in July. I was worried it would turn out to be one of those movies that would come and go so quickly that few people would get a chance to see it. Thankfully, I was absolutely wrong, and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is still playing.

Nia Vardalos adapted her one-woman play/standup comedy act for the screen, cast herself in the lead role and the film has generated $215 million, making it the fifth-most lucrative film of 2002. Its cost-to-profit ratio has to be one of the highest in Hollywood history, and it is a great movie. It should serve as a reminder that great movies don't have to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Good writing and acting can go farther than glitzy special effects.

But special effects still rule, and the No. 1 grossing film of 2002 was Sam Raimi's take on the Marvel Comics hero "Spiderman." It has totaled just more than $400 million since its May release, and that's not counting the recent DVD release.

The double-disc set is loaded with extras and is a must-have for movie fans. The film companies continue to push the envelope with DVD product, and the prices remain fairly reasonable.

Big sequels were everywhere this year, with the second "Harry Potter" film, yet another episode in the "Star Wars" saga and the second installment of "The Lord of the Rings." The biggest "why are they doing this again?" has to go to the latest "Star Trek" movie.

Outside of the seemingly endless "Friday the 13th" sequels, "Star Trek" has to be the deadest horse still attempting to run. The fans are rabid, though, and some still show up in costume to board the Enterprise.

When the Oscar nominations are announced in early 2003, don't be surprised if many of the films nominated are unfamiliar to you. Springfield is still sadly lacking in access to projects deemed less than mainstream, no matter how critically acclaimed they happen to be.

Todd Haynes' "Far From Heaven," by all accounts, is one of the most powerful films of the year and is sure to get numerous Oscar nods. The same goes for "The Hours," starring a barely recognizable Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf. There are three separate, intertwining storylines from different eras that purportedly connect when all is said and done.

Two of the best movies of the year were documentaries. Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" is a caustic comedic look at modern life, this time dealing with America's obsession with gun ownership.

"Dog Town and Z Boys" is a fascinating history of the skateboarding movement that took place in the 1970s. Even if you have no interest in the sport (I don't) it's a wonderfully compelling piece of work. Editor Paul Crowder has a connection to Springfield (he's married to local girl Kelly H'Doubler) and he's gotten many accolades for his work on this film. It's available now on VHS and DVD and well worth your time.

The best movie that nobody saw this year also has an interesting story behind it. "Manna From Heaven" was produced by five sisters from a screenplay written by their mom. The Burton girls, including the mother, were entirely "hands on" with this project. They even went so far as to hand deliver the limited number of prints and would spend time at the theaters that were playing the film to visit with the audience.

"Manna From Heaven" never made it to Springfield but did play at The Branson Meadows Theater, and the entire family was there to meet and greet. It's a charming story and hopefully will be available soon for home viewing. Who knows, the Burton girls may just make a bunch of dubs and bring one over to your house.

The best movie of the year actually did make it to Springfield, and if there is any justice in Hollywood, Martin Scorsese will finally win an Oscar. "Gangs of New York" is a sweeping epic that has been in the works for 25 years. Daniel Day-Lewis has never been better, and Scorsese's love for this project is evident on the screen. It's still playing in town; don't miss it.

Other great movies like "Chicago," the hit musical adapted for the screen; "Adaptation" from the team that gave us "Being John Malkovich"; and the new Jack Nicholson vehicle, "About Schmidt," should all be opening in January.