Boxoffice-November.1999

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Light It Up
Usher Raymond ("She's All That")
and Forest Whitaker ("Ghost Dog:
The Way of the Samarai") star in this
urban drama about a group of inner
city kids who take a security guard
hostage in an effort to improve conditions
at their school. Judd Nelson
(TV's "Suddenly Susan") and
Vanessa L. Williams ("Soul Food")
co-star. Craig Bolotin (TV's "Miami
Vice") scripts and directs; Tracey
Edmonds ("Soul Food") produces.
(Fox, 11/5)
Exploitips: Collaborate with a local or national charity that collects contributions for
inner-city schools and set up an information/donation booth in your lobby to educate
your patrons about the themes in the film.
The Bachelor
Chris O'Donnell ("Cookie's Fortune")
stars in this romantic comedy based on
the Buster Keaton film "Seven Chances"
about a bachelor who discovers he can
only claim his $100 million inheritance
if he gets married within the next 24
hours. Pop superstar Mariah Carey,
Brooke Shields (TV's "Suddenly Susan")
and Renee Zellweger ("One True Thing")
co-star as potential brides. Gary Sinyor
("Stiff Upper Lips") directs a script by
first-timer Steven Cohen; Bing
Howenstein and Lloyd Segan produce.
(New Line, 11/5)
Exploitips: This is the first project from
O'Donnell's George Street Productions,
housed on the Warner Bros, lot, to see the
light of day. See BOXOFFICE's interview
with O'Donnell in last month's issue.
Last Night
Screenwriter and actor Don McKellar
("The Red Violin") makes his directorial
debut with this "apocalyptic romance" set
just six hours before the end of the world.
His eclectic characters deal with their fate
in unexpected and diverse ways. McKellar,
Sandra Oh, Callum Keith Rennie
("eXistenZ"), Sarah Policy ("Guinevere"),
"eXistenZ" director David Cronenberg and
Genevieve Bujold ("The House of Yes") star.
McKellar scripts; "The Red Violin's" Niv
Fichman and Daniel Iron produce. (Lions
Gate, n/5)
Exploitips: Although Lions Gate didn't
pick up "Last Night" until last fall's
Toronto International Film Festival, BOX-
OFFICE reviewed the pic in its Cannes '98
coverage in the July 1 998 issue. The fourstar
review reads, "Though the film has
some clever humor, the script takes the
Pokemon the Movie:
Mewtwo Strikes Back
Based on the popular animated children's
program (which, in turn, is based on
a program for Nintendo Game Boy),
"Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes
Back" finds Pokemon Master Ash facing his
biggest challenge yet: the bio-engineered
Mewtwo, a Pokemon yet to be seen on TV
or in a video game. Norman Grossfeld,
who produces the WB television show,
produces. (Warner Bros., 11/12)
Exploitips: Even if you have no idea what
a Pokimon is, let alone who Pikichu is,
don't worry: Plenty of kids do. "Pokemon"
is currently the top-rated Saturday morning
cartoon, and the film, which will be
redubbed and rescored for its U.S. release,
was the fourth-highest grossing film in
Japan last year. The pic will be preceded by
a short called "Pikichu's Summer
Vacation." A follow-up is already scheduled
for release in japan next summer.
characters seriously, leading to some very
moving scenes. It is a tribute to McKellar
as actor, director and writer that [his
character's] final decision becomes
extremely suspenseful." Held from
September.
The Bone Collector
Hollywood heavyweight Denzel Washington ("The Siege") pairs with up-and-comer
Angelina Jolie ("Pushing Tin") in this suspense thriller about a quadriplegic forensics
expert who mentors a young Gotham cop, who In turn becomes his eyes and legs in a
serial killer case. Phillip Noyce ("Clear and Present Danger") directs; Jeremy lacone
("One Tough Cop") and Christopher Crowe ("Fear") script from the novel by Jeffrey
Deaver; "Nothing to Lose's'" Martin Bregman, Michael S. Bregman and Louis A.
^MMM Stroller produce. (Universal, 11/5)
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domestically, while Sony will
roll it out internationally. Held from
October.
My Best Fiend
German director Werner Herzog puts togeth
er this impressionistic documentary about hi;
love-hate relationship with actor Klaus Kinski
who appeared in Herzog's classics "Aguirre
Wrath of God," "Woyzeck" and "Fitzcarraldo.'
Lucki Stipetic (Herzog's "Little Dieter Needs tc
Fly") produces. (New Yorker, 11/3 NY)
Exploitips: Screened out of competitior
at last year's Cannes International Film
Festival, this pic would do well pro
grammed with one of the films on whict
the auteurs worked together
Train of Life
Radu Mihaileanu writes and directs this
comedy set against the backdrop of the
Holocaust in which a Jewish community
builds a faux deportation train to transport
them to safety. Lionel Abelanski stars.
Frederique Dumas and Ludi Boeken produce.
(Paramount Classics, 11/5 ltd)
Exploitips: Paramount Classics picked up
this pic, whose lead was originally intended
for "Life Is Beautiful's" Roberto Benigni, after it
shared the audience award for World Cinen
at Sundance this year Held from Septemt
Portraits Chinois
Helena Bonham Carter ("The Theory SI
Flight") stars in this French-language drama
about a couple of costume designers looking
for their big break and find themselves
romantically entangled with everyone
around them. Romane Bohringer ("The
Chambermaid on the Titanic") co-stars.
Martine Dugowson directs as well as scripts
with Peter Chase; Georges Benayoun produces.
(Phaedra, 11/15 NY)
Exploitips: BOXOFFICE reviewed "Portraits"
in September '97, saying, "[Director/co-writer
Martine Dugowson's] whole cast is excellent,
but standouts are Bonham Carter (who,
impressively, speaks fluent French for her
role) as the somewhat cold Ada and
Castellitto as the hilariously hapless Guido...
The movie allows for a smart happy ending
that nicely twists the fiction/reality conundrum
of the cinema. Happiest of all should be
those movie buffs who venture out to see this
unheralded gem.
20 BoxomcE