Boxoffice-January.2000

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Onegin
Ralph Fiennes ("The End of the Affair")
stars in his sister Martha's directorial debut
based on the epic poem by Aleksander
Pushkin as Evgeny Onegin, a ladies' man
who gently rebuffs the advances of a beautiful
young woman onlv to fall in love with her
six years later, after she's already happily married.
Peter Ettedgui and Michael Ignatieff
script; Simon Bosanquet and lleen Maisei
produce. (Samuel Coldwyn, 12/31 NY/LA)
Exploitips: Reviewing it at Toronto, BOX-
OFFICE gave "Onegin" two stars in last
month's issue, observing, "Adapting one of
the most famous works by Russia's national
poet Aleksander Pushkin is risky if you're
not Russian.. ..In that, and despite the fact
that the movie is in English, director Martha
Fiennes, in her debut, doesn 't do too badly.
However, miscasting and a tepid love story
undo all her best efforts."
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A Map of the World
In this drama, Sigourney Weaver ("Galaxy
Quest") plays a newcomer to a rural Wisconsin
community who must find inner strength when
her best friend's child drowns while she's
babysitting, lulianne Moore ("Magnolia") costars.
Scott Elliott directs; Peter Hedges ("Whafs
Eating Gilbert Grape") and Polly Piatt script
based on Jane Hamilton's novel; "Snow Falling
on Cedars'" Kathleen Kennedy and Frank
Marshall produce. (First Look, 1/21 ltd)
Exploitips: BOXOFFICE reviewed this pic
at Toronto, giving it 7.5 stars in last month's
issue: '"A Map of the World' is a self-consciously
life-affirming movie that uses
tragedy as a dramatic tool with which people
can improve themselves. It's a noxious
conceit at the best of times, but in 'A Map
of the World,' the screenplay has such
unspeakable dialogue that you don't even
believe in the characters you're watching."
Diamonds
Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas and Dan
Aykroyd ("Blues Brothers 2000") star in this
family drama as a one-time prizefighter and
his son who embark on a road trip
to find
13 mysterious diamonds. Lauren Bacall
("The Mirror Has Two Faces") and jenny
McCarthy ("BASEketbal") co-star. John
Asher directs a script by Allan Katz; Patricia
Green produces. (Miramax, 1/21)
Exploitips: Featuring Douglas' first big
screen role since his
debilitating stroke in
1995, "Diamonds" is rumored to be testing
through the roof for Miramax, with
Douglas' performance scoring II more
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points than Roberto Benigni's "Life in
Beautiful, " reportedly a record at the time.
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Wirey Spindell
Eric Schaeffer writers, directs and stars in this
semi-autobiographical comedy about a commitment-wary
groom-to-be who flashes back
to his wild youth in
the days leading up to his
wedding. Eric Mabius ("Cruel Intentions") costars
as Schaeffer's high school counterpart.
Schaeffer cohort Terence Michael, Dolly Hall
("High Art") and Lloyd Segan ("The Bachelor")
produce. (WinStar, 1/21)
Exploitips: Schaeffer and Michael's third
collaboration (after "If Lucy Fell" and
"Fall"), "Wirey Spindell" is based on an
unpublished novel Schaeffer pounded out
ten years ago.
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is for the Bhutanese
ings.' And ili.
ve a higher goal." — Wade Majo
28 BOXOFFICE