Boxoffice-November.1999

American Movie
Wisconsin native Chris Smith ("American
job") directs this documentary about
Menomonee Falls' Mark Borchardt, whose
passion to make a horror movie overcomes
all obstacles and common sense.
Borchardt's elderly uncle Bill co-stars. Sarah
Price produces. (Sony Classics, 1 1/5 NY/LA)
Exploitips: After a disastrous screening at
Sundance in which a four-foot-by-six-foot,
25-pound ventilation panel fell and injured
three filmgoers and the print burned in the
projector, Sony Classics beat out four other
interested indie distribs, paying $1 million
for U.S. rights to the pic. BOXOFFICE gave the
pic five stars in the April 7 999 issue, saying,
"American Movie' is that rarest of rarities: a
riveting narrative of humor and heart."
NOVEMBER 12
Tliree to Tango
TV's hottest young stars are. once again
tapped for this romantic comedy about a
case of mistaken sexual orientation. "The
Practice's" Dylan McDermott plays a
wealthy businessman who mistakes a colleague,
who really needs to land a restoration
contract with him, as gay and asks him
to keep tabs on his mistress. This is the
movies, so of course the desperate client
falls in love with her. "Friends'" Matthew
Perry and "Party of Five's" Neve Campbell
co-star.
Damon Santostefano directs from a
script by Rodney Patrick Vaccaro; Jeffrey
Silver ("Addicted to Love") and Bettina Sofia
Viviano produce. (Warner Bros., 11/12)
Exploitips: Warner Bros, has been bouncing
this pic around quite a bit, originally
scheduling it for release this past April.
Here it will see its greatest competition
from "The Bachelor."
Felicia's Journey
Atom Egoyan ("The Sweet Hereafter")
scripts and directs this drama about a pregnant
teen who, on a journey to find her
AWOL boyfriend, crosses the path of a suspicious
older bachelor instead. Bob
Hoskins ("Cousin Bette") and Elaine
Cassidy ("The Sun, the Moon and the Stars")
star. Bruce Davey ("An ideal Husband")
produces. (Artisan, 11/12)
Tlie World
is Not Enough
Pierce Brosnan ("The
Thomas Crown Affair") has
returned in his third turn as
agent 007 in the series' 19th
installment. This time the
debonair British spy must
race to defuse an international
power struggle with
the world's oil supply hanging
in the balance. Denise
Richards ("Drop Dead
Gorgeous"), Sophie Marceau
("Lost & Found") and Robert
Carlyle ("Ravenous") co-star.
Michael Apted ("Extreme
Measures") directs a script
by "Plunkett & Macleane's" Neal Purvis and Robert Wade; frequent Bond collaborators
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli produce. (MGM, 1 1/19)
Exploitips: The new MGM has even more expectations of the latest Bond installment
than its last Brosnan vehicle, "The Thomas Crown Affair," which proved to have staying
power and grossed over $100 million worldwide. (Traditional Bond distributor United
Artists, reorganized as a specialty arm for MGM, will no longer have its banner attached to
the 007 films.) Brosnan enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the Irish actor has effectively
squashed rumors that he's tired of the role and afraid of being typecast. He reportedly
isn't through investigating the character, which is a good thing since Sean Connery was
the only Bond to go on to a lucrative film career after retiring from superspydom. Look for
BMW's preview of its new roadster, the BMWZ8, and Garbage's tack on the title track.
Exploitips: Artisan's purchase of this pic
was part of its strategy to reposition the company,
which has seen phenomenal success
with Sundance pickup "The Blair Witch
Project." The film screened in competition at
Cannes, where Egoyan won the the Grand
Jury Prize in 1997, this year. BOXOFFICE
gave "Felicia's journey" four stars in its July
1999 review, saying, "Aided by a uniformly
superb cast, Egoyan triumphs in a pareddown
film that makes chillingly impressive
use of his signature themes."
Dogma
Matt Damon ("Saving Private Ryan") and
Ben Affleck, ("Forces of Nature") among
many, many others, star in this religious
fantasy as a couple of fallen angels who try
to regain entry into heaven because of a
loophole in the rules. Linda Fiorentino
("Men in Black"), Salma Hayek ("Wild
Wild West"), Chris Rock ("Lethal Weapon
4") and Alanis Morisette co-star. Kevin
Rosetta
Brothers Luc and jean-Pierre Dardenne ("La Promesse") write, direct and produce
this French-language drama about a teenage girl who claws her way out of poverty to
secure her place in the world. Non-pro Emilie Dequenne stars. (USA, 11/10)
Exploitips: October Films (later acauired by USA Films) purchased this Belgian
film for less than $1 million just days before it won the Palme d'Or and best actress
prizes at the Cannes International Film Festival this spring. The pic's controversial
prizes beat out other critical and
commercial favorites, including
Pedro Atmoddvar's "All About My
Mother," also out this month.
BOXOFFICE gave the film three
and a half stars in its Cannes coverage
last month, saying, "Dequenne
gives a strong performance
of wild energy and angry
forcefulness that carries the film.
Though Rosetta is sometimes
unsympathetic, the intensity of
her struggle becomes a poignant
film experience."
Smith ("Chasing Amy") writes and directs;
Smith collaborator Scott Mosier produces.
(Lions Gate, 11/12)
Exploitips: Smith has had a hell of time
getting his latest released. Under pressure
from the Catholic League, Miramax parent
Disney opted not to sponsor the film, and
the minimajor's co-heads Bob and Harvey
Weinstein paid over $10 million out of
their own pockets to look for an outside
distributor The League then targeted the
indie itself, encouraging Disney to dump
its specialized arm. Lions Gate braved the
controversy, however, making a $10 million
commitment to promote the film. Is it
worth all controversy!' BOXOFFICE gave the
film 3.5 stars in its Cannes coverage in the
September 1999 issue, saying, "Opening
with a brief disclaimer reminding us that
this is, in fact, a satire, Smith launches into
fj
an overlong but intermittently hilarious
comedy (he calls it a 'comic fantasia') that
features the writer-director's signature
blend of base humor and bright,
social commentary."
articulate
Moment of Innocence
Iranian Mohsen Makhmalbaf ("Gabbeh")
writes and directs "Moment of Innocence,"
a personal account of the moment in 1974
when he, then a 1 7-year-old rebel against
the Shah's regime, stabbed a young policeman
while trying to steal his gun. Twenty
years later, the cop and the now filmmaker
reunite to relive the moment. AbolfazI
Alagheband produces. (New Yorker, 11/10)
The Silence
Makhmalbaf also writes and directs "The
Silence," a lyrical drama about a lO-year-old
blind boy who experiences the world, real
and imaginary, through sound. Tahmineh
Normatova stars. (New Yorker, 11/10)
Exploitips: Double-bill these two
Makhmalbaf features and target Middle
Eastern pockets of population.
22 BOXOFFICE