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IE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF THE GLOBAL MOTION PICTURE INDUS, XH2000, $3.95<br />
Acclaimed<br />
Kevin SpaceyH<br />
Takes a Lighter Bow<br />
ERIES 2001-2010:<br />
THINGS TO COME<br />
IN CINEMA DESIGN<br />
^Sfc/yRCHITECTURE<br />
BUYERS DIRECTORY ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN LISTINGS ARE ONLINE AT WWW.BOl
(P^ •r --^ -.<br />
<<br />
^^4<br />
$<br />
"K<br />
*7*^^i*$£dM*<br />
The world's largest product line of cinema sound componenl<br />
and systems just got bigger! Several new products are now<br />
being introduced for the new year.<br />
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speakers, surround speakers, and subwoofers are just the start. We also manufacture a broad line of<br />
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Look for some really nice surprises at the ShoWest convention. SMART is known for efficient design<br />
mm<br />
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be
It's Showtime<br />
in Lombard, Illinois<br />
Opportunity<br />
The Village of Lombard is donating a 2.5 acre parcel of land to<br />
qualified developers for the restoration or redevelopment of the<br />
DuPage Theater and Shops. The land, located in downtown<br />
Lombard across from the Metra Commuter Rail Line, is valued<br />
at $2.2 million.<br />
Incentives<br />
The Village of Lombard may also offer incentives to prospective<br />
developers who would keep the Dupage Theater and Shops as<br />
part of its proposal. Those incentives may include $200,000<br />
matching grant funds through the facade improvement program;<br />
off-site storm water detention and a reimbursement of the tax increment<br />
created during the life of the tax increment financing district.<br />
Growth<br />
This generous gift will provide a great opportunity for a third party<br />
investor/developer to redevelop this property located in the<br />
nation's 10th wealthiest county.<br />
To Request an RFP Contact:<br />
David Hulseberg AICP<br />
Director of Community Development.<br />
Village of Lombard<br />
255 E. Wilson Avenue<br />
Lombard, Illinois 60148-5931<br />
630/620-5756 Fax 630/629-2374<br />
For more information<br />
www.villageoflombard.org/rfp<br />
e-mail hulsebergd@villageoflombara.org<br />
Response No. 34
took<br />
FADE IN...<br />
At the recent CineAsia gathering, a top-three<br />
circuit exec told us that, while some publications<br />
seem to be for advertisers, our magazine is for<br />
readers. At initial hearing, I that as a compliment<br />
to our efforts to always put our subscribers'<br />
knowledge needs first. Which it surely is.<br />
But then I thought, wait a second—a publication<br />
that is editorially driven (i.e. for the readers)<br />
is exactly the best vehicle for advertisers,<br />
because it's just that type of magazine that is<br />
actually, even avidly read by the readers—and<br />
thus the best vehicle for advertisers who want to<br />
know their marketing messages are being seen.<br />
Make no mistake; we appreciate our advertiser<br />
support. In their support, and as an aid to<br />
readers desiring rapid product information, in<br />
this issue we launch yet another new offering: a<br />
much-expanded Advertisers Index, giving not<br />
only company name and ad-page number but<br />
also mailing address, phone and fax, email and<br />
web url, and the person to contact. This information<br />
will also be posted each month on our<br />
website, where a simple click will launch an<br />
email preaddressed to reach the appropriate<br />
party at each firm advertising in that issue.<br />
It's just one part of our new-and-improved<br />
www.boxoffice.com, relaunching March 1, in<br />
time for ShoWest and our daily convention coverage.<br />
And look for us to continue our expansion<br />
of BOXOFFICE ONLINE, the digital desktop of<br />
the exhibition industry. Kim Williamson<br />
BOXOFFICE ONLINE<br />
WEBSITE ADDRESS: www.boxoffice.com<br />
EMAIL ADDRESS: boxoffice@earthlink.net<br />
MARCH, 2000 VOL. 136, NO. 3 BAROMETER 2000/CINEMA DESIGN<br />
Cover Quote: I've played men who have reached a moral internal crisis...<br />
and these are the kind of roles I will continue to choose.—KEVIN SPACEY<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
6 MAILROOM<br />
In our Letters bag: hyperbole and heroism. Compiled by Christine James<br />
8 REEL DEALS (formerly Hollywood Updates)<br />
Par Classics Totaled; USA adds London; Zeta zeal. By Annlee Ellingson<br />
1 HOT SET (formerly Hollywood Report)<br />
Roberts' "Street" savvy; Gere's "One for the Ages." By Christine James<br />
1 2 RELEASE CHARTS: Studio Films<br />
Major releases slated through June 2000. Compiled by Wade Major<br />
14 RELEASE CHARTS: Independent Films<br />
Specialized fare month by month into 2000. Compiled by Wade Major<br />
16 TRAILERS: April Movies<br />
"Head Over Heels" over the "Is" projects: Newman's "Where the<br />
Money Is" and Portman/Judd's "Home Is Where the Heart Is." NEW:<br />
Interviews with the month's moviemaking names. By Annlee Ellingson<br />
MOVIEGOER ACTIVITY REPORT<br />
AMC aces KC, SD; LCE takes CHI, DC, HOU. Compiled by MovieFone<br />
EXHIBITION BRIEFINGS<br />
Mann alive; Cinemastar rising; Goodrich dons Oxford; 77 Marcus Strip;<br />
Loews and behold. NEW: NATO Regional News: Geneva goes annual.<br />
PLUS: ShoWest Watch; Showmandiser. By Francesca Dinglasan<br />
NEW: HILL NEWS<br />
X-plicit movies; disability guideline proposal. By Francesca Dinglasan<br />
NEW: TECH TALK<br />
Supply Side: Targetti takes Tivoli. Digital Cinema: ITEA #8 foresees a<br />
new age. Large Format: "Fantasia 2000" a boxoffice fantasy. Wired<br />
World: AOLs Time out; BigE goes Hollywood; plus "9 on the Net"<br />
clicks on Willis Johnson and classiccinemas.com. By Annlee Ellingson<br />
NEW: STUDIO NEWS<br />
'99 BX=$7.5b; Artisan goes Merrilly; Roth, Law exit. By Annlee Ellingson<br />
NORTHERN EXPOSURE<br />
Booth sides now; WWFamous; digital Can. By Shlomo Schwartzberg<br />
EUROVIEWS<br />
Odeon's ABCs; waging Warsaw; Ufamaxx. By Francesca Dinglasan<br />
PACIFIC OVERTURES<br />
1999 numbers draw Oz; hark the Herald. By Francesca Dinglasan<br />
FILM REVIEWS<br />
Late March's 3 1/2-star "Waking the Dead" (photo, left) leads our critical<br />
analyses of 1 6 films (list also left). Compiled by Christine James<br />
AD INDEX AND CLASSIFIEDS<br />
NEW: Getting business done: Our expanded index to advertisers<br />
debuting in this issue provides company names and ad-page numbers<br />
as always, but adds mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers,<br />
website and email addresses, plus the appropriate contact names.<br />
CIRCULATION INQUIRIES<br />
BOXOFFICE DATA CENTER<br />
725 S. Wells St., Fourth Floor<br />
Chicago, IL 606007<br />
(312) 922-9326; fax: (312) 922-7209<br />
ft<br />
OFFICES<br />
EEHTOnUL ANO ADVERTISING CORP- HOyQLASSIFIEDS BILLINGS SUBSCRIPTION CIRCULATION<br />
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725 S Wells St., Fourth Floor<br />
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Chicago. IL 60607<br />
(626) 396-0250 Chicago, IL 60625<br />
(312)922-9326<br />
Fax: (626) 396-0248 (773) 338-7007<br />
Fax:(312)922-7209<br />
4 BOXOIIKI
SPECIAL SERIES—2001-2010: CINEMA DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE<br />
The Industry Standard: In this issue, we continue and expand a new series of new-millennium reports begun in our<br />
February number, even as we debut a new special-report topic that will now always be a standing part of our March<br />
coverage. In this issue, we focus on the future of cinema design and architecture by interviewing a number of the<br />
top professionals in the field, to see what the likes of Berkes, Birtcher, Dimensional Innovations, Dworkin, Glatz-<br />
Jacobsen, Gould Evans Goodman, Mesbur & Smith, Montague and TK think the next big things are.<br />
24 NEW CINEMA DESIGN<br />
A return to the old. Balconies aplenty. The digital disappearance of the mezzanine and projection rooms. Food grills. The<br />
end of the megaplex. The decline of stadium seating. The rise of high-rise theatres. Giant yes, giant no. Woods and metals.<br />
Movable movie theatres. Motorized seats. Crying rooms. Theming and 3-D. And even clean restrooms—these and more are<br />
the forecasts of cinema architects and designers for the industry in the coming 2001-2010 era. By Melissa Morrison<br />
Available now: The online version of BOXOFFICE's 2000 BUYERS DIRECTORY provides searchable<br />
access to cinema designers and architects. Just click on the Buyers button at www.boxoffice.com<br />
MARCH FEATURES<br />
COVER STORY:<br />
Kevin Spacey Is...—<br />
"The Big Kahuna"<br />
Saying "theatre is my baby," Oscar<br />
winner Kevin Spacey brings to the<br />
big screen a dramedic adaptation<br />
of the play "Hospitality Suite,"<br />
opening wide this April via Lions<br />
Gate. By Francesca Dinglasan<br />
58 NEW! CLOSE FOCUS:<br />
Tim Warner<br />
Is it true that the<br />
Cinemark man is<br />
AOL's next acquisition<br />
target? Serious and<br />
seriocomic questions<br />
are answered by<br />
ShoWest 2000's<br />
upcoming International<br />
Exhibitor of the Year. By<br />
Kim Williamson<br />
SPECIAL REPORT: BAROMETER 2000<br />
The Industry Tradition: Continuing a practice dating back nearly to our 1920 origins, we present the 2000 version of<br />
our annual Barometer report, which highlights and analyzes the most important names and developments of 1999.<br />
30 DATELINE: The Year's Hottest News and Quotes<br />
Why did Warburg unman Mann? Which Vulcan melded with GCC? What landmark did Landmark reach? How did executivesuite<br />
makeovers affect MGM, Universal and Warner? What Swedish exhibitor schussed into Aspen? Is Kinepolis for sale? All<br />
that, and more, is in our annual big roundup. Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan, Annlee Ellingson and Kim Williamson<br />
34 BAROMETER STAR POLL<br />
Hey, Carrie-Anne: Moss joins Bruce, Julia and Haley Joel atop the poll<br />
of exhibition's favorite players. Compiled by Christine James<br />
36 REVIEW DIGEST: 1 999 by the Numbers<br />
Total grosses and other pertinent data on the year in film. PLUS: Top 50<br />
grossers of 1999, and the top 50 of all time. Compiled by Christine James<br />
40 FADE00T1999<br />
Taking wing: Faded from earth, but not from memory—remembering the<br />
silver-screen stars that passed on last year. By Kim Williamson<br />
EDITORIAL STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BUSINESS STAFF<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF<br />
Kim Williamson kimw@boxofficex<br />
MANAGING EDITOR<br />
Christine James christinej@boxoffice.com<br />
SENIOR EDITOR<br />
Francesca Dinglasan francescad@boxoffice.com<br />
ASSOCIATE EDITOR<br />
Annlee Ellingson annleee@boxoffice.com<br />
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS<br />
Linda Andrade, Sandra Koscho<br />
FEATURE CHARTS EDITOR<br />
Wade Major (310) 456-2767; fax (310) 456-9750<br />
CANADIAN CORRESPONDENT<br />
Shlomo Schwartzberg (416) 926-2179<br />
ARTICLE/REVIEW WRITERS<br />
John F. Allen. Bridget Byrne, Mike Kerrigan,<br />
Dwayne E. Leslie, Wade Major. Melissa Monison<br />
INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Steve Gould, Lance Hool. Willis Johnson.<br />
Paul J.<br />
Rogers. Tim Warner, John P. Wilmers<br />
WEBMASTER<br />
Ken Partridge<br />
marlinco@flash.net<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Robert L. Dietmeier (773) 338-7007<br />
NATIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR<br />
Robert M. Vale (626) 396-0250: bobv@boxoffice.com<br />
ADVERTISING CONSULTANT<br />
Morris Schlozman (816) 942-5877<br />
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE<br />
Gwen Campbell (310) 372-9832: tco@ix.netcom.com<br />
BUSINESS MANAGER<br />
Dan Johnson (773) 338-7007<br />
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR<br />
Chuck Taylor (312) 922-9326<br />
BOXOFFICE (ISSN 0006-8527). Published monthly by RLD Communications, Inc., 203 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 800. Chicago. IL 60601.<br />
Subscriptions: U.S. $30 per year; Canada and Mexico $50, airmail $80; overseas subscriptions (all airmail) $80. Periodical postage paid at<br />
Chicago, IL, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to <strong>Boxoffice</strong>, 725 South Wells St., 4th Floor. Chicago, IL 60607.<br />
© 2000 RLD Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.<br />
March, 2000
MA1LR00M<br />
HEADLINE HYPERBOLE<br />
In an industry where hyperbole reigns<br />
supreme, BOXOFFICE has outdone itself<br />
with respect to covering Ballantyne of<br />
Omaha's third-quarter financial results<br />
(Tech Talk/Supply Side, "•Ballantyne Hits<br />
Hard Times," January 1999).<br />
The company's four percent and 1 6 percent<br />
top-line growth for the third quarter<br />
and year-to-date, respectively, and its $21<br />
million order backlog at the end of October<br />
hardly suggest it has hit "hard times." In<br />
fact. Ballantyne anticipates finishing 1999<br />
with close to 14 percent revenue growth and<br />
earnings per share on par with 1998's<br />
record levels—a benchmark many companies<br />
would be thrilled to achieve.<br />
It seems BOXOFFICE may have been<br />
distracted by Ballantyne's decision to hire<br />
an investment banker to investigate strategic<br />
alternatives for the company.<br />
Exploring "strategic alternatives" could<br />
result in any number of outcomes. Given<br />
Ballantyne's industry-leading position,<br />
sterling long-term financial performance,<br />
close ties to the exhibition community<br />
and its manufacturing and distribution<br />
capabilities, many options do, in fact,<br />
exist. Ballantyne's intention in hiring an<br />
advisor was largely to assist the board of<br />
directors in evaluating the abundance of<br />
opportunities available to the company at<br />
the present time. This is the action of a<br />
responsible board and management executing<br />
their charge to maximize share-<br />
Regards,<br />
year full of frustration, your review gave<br />
me the will to keep going. As you probably<br />
know, after years of working to make a<br />
film honoring the Saint Pats a reality, we<br />
were finally able to pull it together and.<br />
best of all, the magic worked! Everyone<br />
involved in the project, from Tom Berenger<br />
to the young fellow who picked up the<br />
trash in the mornings, gave it a 100 percent<br />
[effort] and the result was a film that we are<br />
holder value.<br />
all very proud of. All of us were incredibly<br />
In the future. I would suggest BOXOF- depressed [by the film's lack of promotion]<br />
FICE stick to the facts and not [confuse] and reading your review gave us the lift we<br />
our customers with misleading headlines. needed. Thank you from the bottom of my<br />
heart. Erin go braugh!<br />
John P. Wihncrs. Chief Executive Officer Sincerely yours.<br />
Ballantyne of Omaha Inc.<br />
Lance Hool<br />
Writer!Director, "One Man's Hero"<br />
ONE DIRECTOR'S HERO<br />
Santa Monica. Calif.<br />
I wanted to thank you very much for<br />
your review of "One Man's Hero." In a P.S. On a positive note, the film has<br />
S$& 6&<br />
thus far been very well received in the foreign<br />
markets, and in Northern Ireland<br />
had a small hand in bringing the<br />
Unionists and Sein Fein together.<br />
W<br />
Send Letters To:<br />
BOXOFFICE, Mailroom<br />
155 S. El Molino Ave., Suite 100<br />
Pasadena, CA 91101<br />
Fax: 626-396-0248<br />
E-Mail: editorial@boxoffice.com<br />
Winner for Best Direction 1<br />
Beltrac * Public Guidance Systems...<br />
V
1 1 -if . i vr
REEL<br />
DEALS<br />
EHHMKia<br />
Initials with IEG<br />
'I'lilliWil'H'H<br />
Radios Bigel/Mailer<br />
Paramount Classics has<br />
entered into distribution deal<br />
a<br />
with Total Film Group, a public<br />
entertainment company that<br />
finances and produces feature<br />
most recently "Diamonds"<br />
films,<br />
starring Kirk Douglas and Dan<br />
Aykroyd. Two pictures have<br />
already been named in the<br />
agreement: Bruce Beresford's<br />
"Bride of the Wind" and tyro<br />
Christine Lahti's "My First<br />
Mister." Paramount Classics has<br />
acquired all North American<br />
rights to both films.<br />
"We are thrilled to be working<br />
on these two projects with such<br />
incredible talent and look forward<br />
to a long and prolific relationship<br />
with everyone at Total<br />
Film Croup," say Paramount<br />
Classics co-presidents Ruth<br />
Vitale and David Dinerstein.<br />
"Our new relationship with<br />
Paramount Classics will make for<br />
an exciting and exceptional slate<br />
of films," says Total Film Croup<br />
chairman and CEO Gerald<br />
Green. "Paramount Classics perfectly<br />
complements the quality has signed a multi-picture writing<br />
and style of films our company<br />
deal with Miramax Films.<br />
plans to produce."<br />
The scribe's "She's All That" starring<br />
Freddie Prinze and<br />
MGM has inked a two-year,<br />
Jr.<br />
Rachael Leigh Cook grossed $63<br />
million when it was released last<br />
first-look production deal with<br />
)aret Entertainment, 27-year-old year, and Dimension Films<br />
Seth Jaret's production and man-<br />
recently optioned Fleming's<br />
I Hate<br />
agement company that executive<br />
produced "10 Things<br />
About You" for Disney last year.<br />
The move emulates production<br />
pacts the studio already has with<br />
Danjaq Ltd., headed by Michael<br />
Wilson and Barbara Broccoli;<br />
Tribeca Prods., led by David<br />
Ladd, Robert De Niro and Jane<br />
Rosenthal; and Irish Dream<br />
Time, helmed by Daivd Wilson<br />
and Pierce Brsonan.<br />
"Seth stands at the forefront of<br />
a new group of talented young<br />
producers emerging from management,"<br />
says MGM president<br />
Michael Nathanson. "He has<br />
great creative contacts, and his<br />
instincts and taste fit perfectly<br />
into our strategy of putting<br />
together a diverse slate of films."<br />
"MGM is an unmined gem,"<br />
says Jaret. "My aim is to create<br />
content that leverages its huge<br />
asset base. ...I look forward to<br />
producing cutting-edge films with<br />
emerging talent that defy the rules<br />
and are out of the box creatively."<br />
DreamWorks has extended its<br />
relationship with Bandeira<br />
Entertainment,<br />
adding two years<br />
to its first-look, non-exclusive deal<br />
with the production company<br />
headed by Beau Flynn. Bandeira<br />
produced last year's "The Love<br />
Letter," directed by Peter Chan<br />
and has eight more projects in the<br />
pipeline at the studio, including<br />
"Date School," starring Ben Stiller<br />
and Cameron Diaz.<br />
Bandeira is working with several<br />
other studios around town as<br />
well The company recently<br />
wrapped Darren Arnofsky's<br />
"Requiem for a Dream" at Artisan<br />
and is prepping "Tigerland" for<br />
Joel Schumacher to direct at Foxbased<br />
New Regency.<br />
USA Films has pacted with former<br />
Fox executive Michael<br />
London in a two-year, first-look<br />
producing deal that will commence<br />
with "Passengers," a sci-fi<br />
drama that will likely be David<br />
Fincher's next project.<br />
"Passengers," about aliens who<br />
inhabit human bodies for short<br />
periods of time to fulfill their<br />
wildest fantasies, follows two<br />
indie films that London had<br />
already set up at USA. "Side<br />
Ways," a comedy to be written<br />
and directed by "Election's"<br />
Alexander Payne, and "40 Days<br />
and 40 Nights," which Michael<br />
Lehmann will helm for Working<br />
Title, should both go into production<br />
sometime this year.<br />
Screenwriter R. Lee Fleming Jr.<br />
"Getting Over Allison."<br />
"We're thrilled that Lee has<br />
joined the Miramax family," says<br />
Miramax co-head Harvey<br />
Weinstein. "He's a truly gifted<br />
screenwriter."<br />
"I'm psyched to be working<br />
again with the incredibly creative<br />
and talented team at<br />
Miramax," says Fleming. "'She's<br />
All That' was such a positive<br />
experience, and Miramax feels<br />
like home."<br />
Zorro," makes her first foray into<br />
producing, bowing her production<br />
shingle Zeta Films and inking a<br />
two-year, exclusive deal with<br />
Initial Entertainment Group (IEG),<br />
the independent finance, production<br />
and distribution company<br />
behind Martin Scorsese's "Gangs<br />
of New York." IEG will finance<br />
and co-produce two to six feature<br />
films annually with budgets from<br />
$5 million to $50 million and will<br />
distribute worldwide.<br />
Zeta-Jones, who has appointed<br />
her brothers Lyndon and<br />
David to positions in her company,<br />
will develop and produce<br />
vehicle projects for herself, but<br />
CEO Graham King. "In coming<br />
to know Catherine, I've learned<br />
that she is<br />
not only a very talented<br />
actress, but she also possesses<br />
the acumen and capabilities to<br />
be a successful producer."<br />
"I look forward to embarking<br />
on this creative business venture<br />
with Graham King and all at<br />
Initial Entertainment Group,"<br />
Zeta-Jones says. "IEG has assembled<br />
a great work force, and I<br />
respect them, both on a business<br />
level and a creative level."<br />
Screenwriter )ohn Hoffman<br />
has inked a two-picture deal with<br />
Warner Bros., the first of which<br />
will be a remake of the 1973<br />
comedy caper "The Last of<br />
Sheila," about woman who<br />
a<br />
attempts to discover who killed<br />
her Hollywood heavyweight<br />
husband in a hit-and-run accident<br />
years ago. Hoffman will<br />
receive a mid-six figure salary<br />
plus a second blind script commitment<br />
worth about the same.<br />
RKO's independent film arm<br />
Radio Pictures has pacted with<br />
Bigel/Mailer Films ("Black and<br />
White") to produce three feature<br />
films from RKO's library, including<br />
"Isle of the Dead," based on<br />
the 1945 Boris Karloff film, which<br />
will be helmed by Burt Reynolds.<br />
"Coming from the independent<br />
film scene in New York City,<br />
we are very excited to be working<br />
with RKO and incredibly talented<br />
directors to bring a modern<br />
approach to these classcis,"<br />
Bigel/Mailer principals Daniel<br />
Bigel and Michael Mailer say.<br />
"Daniel and Michael are the<br />
kind of producing team that RKO<br />
wants to work with, experienced<br />
and committed to making quality<br />
independent motion pictures,"<br />
says RKO Pictures CEO and<br />
chairman Ted Hartley. Radio<br />
Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones,<br />
whose credits include Pictures head Ron Gell adds,<br />
"This is an example of our divi-<br />
"Entrapment" and "The Mask of<br />
sion's continuing commitment to<br />
filmmaker-driven projects and<br />
partnering with talented directors<br />
and capable producers."<br />
)erry Bruckheimer, who<br />
recently inked with Scott Free<br />
Prods, (see Reel Deals, January<br />
2000), has signed an exclusive<br />
first-look deal with Washington<br />
Post journalist David Ignatius,<br />
who will pen four treatments a<br />
year for the producer. Their first<br />
project together will be "Tandem<br />
Couple," about a husband and<br />
wife who continue to work<br />
together even as their marriage<br />
falls apart.<br />
she will not necessarily appear in<br />
all Zeta Films productions. She's<br />
Ignatius writes a weekly op-ed<br />
column for the Washington Post.<br />
He sold his novel "A Firing<br />
particularly interested in developing<br />
relationships with interna-<br />
Offense" to CruiseAVagner<br />
tional talent.<br />
Prods, at Paramount. He's also<br />
"I'm extremely excited to be written "Agents of Innocence, "J<br />
working with someone of "The Bank of Fear" and, most<br />
Catherine's caliber," says IEG recently, "Sinking."<br />
8 BOXOFFICE
m^m Horror Show<br />
lathe Heater £<br />
(Not in Your Management System)
HOLLYWOOD<br />
HOT SET<br />
'MM-ma<br />
Man<br />
Taking<br />
Note"<br />
msnaimaai<br />
"Knight" In Shining Armor<br />
"33 LIBERTY STREET" A mobster<br />
who dreams of pulling a big heist<br />
seduces a bank employee (Julia<br />
Roberts) as part of a plan that<br />
the original, Dudley Moore played<br />
a short-order cook offered seven<br />
wishes by the devil (Peter Cook) in<br />
exchange for his soul. Brendan<br />
Fraser "The Mummy" will play<br />
Moore's role, whose profession<br />
has been updated to that of a lowlevel<br />
employee at a computer software<br />
company. Also starring are<br />
Elizabeth Hurley ("EDtv") as a<br />
seductress and Frances O'Connor<br />
("Mansfield Park") as Fraser's<br />
character's love interest. (Fox)<br />
"ANGEL EYES" A female cop<br />
who had an abusive childhood<br />
("Out of Sight's" Jennifer Lopez)<br />
befriends a man who endured<br />
the trauma of witnessing his wife<br />
and son die in a car crash. Luis<br />
Mandoki ("Message in a Bottle")<br />
helms this romance/thriller.<br />
(Warner Bros.)<br />
UNTITLED LENI RIEFENSTAHL<br />
PROJECT Jodie Foster ("Anna<br />
and the King") will star in this<br />
biopic about the controversial<br />
1930s German filmmaker Leni "FADE TO BLACK" Kenneth<br />
Riefenstahl, to be scripted by Branagh ("Wild Wild West") is in<br />
"Philadelphia's" Ron Nyswaner.<br />
(Distribution is<br />
to be set)<br />
"ONE FOR THE AGES" This<br />
drama will star Richard Gere<br />
("Runaway Bride") as a football<br />
coach who loses his team in a<br />
plane crash and must assemble a<br />
new team in order to restore<br />
hope to the community and win<br />
the championship. (New Line)<br />
"LAST WORD ON PARADISE"<br />
Ethan<br />
Hawke ("Snow Falling on<br />
Cedars") makes his directorial<br />
debut with this ensemble film,<br />
inspired by Dylan Thomas'<br />
"Under Milk Wood," which will<br />
star his wife Uma Thurman<br />
("Sweet and Lowdown"), Kevin<br />
Corrigan ("Slums of Beverly Hills"),<br />
Kris Kristofferson ("Payback"),<br />
Robert Sean Leonard ("Last Days<br />
of Disco"), Natasha Richardson<br />
("The Parent Trap"), Tuesday<br />
Weld ("Feeling Minnesota"),<br />
Frank Whaley ("Broken Arrow")<br />
and Steve Zahn ("Happy, Texas").<br />
(Distribution is<br />
to be set)<br />
"ENIGMA" This World War ll-set<br />
film will star Dougray Scott<br />
("Ever After") as a man who<br />
works to crack German military<br />
codes when he discovers his girl-<br />
"THE NOTEBOOK" Jim Sheridan<br />
"BEDAZZLED" Harold Ramis<br />
"CRIMINAL CONVERSATION"<br />
("The Boxer") will direct Ashley<br />
Judd ("Double Jeopardy") in this<br />
("Analyze This") will direct, cowrite<br />
lain Softley ("Wings of the<br />
and co-produce this remake romance in which an elderly man<br />
reads a diary to his Alzheimer's-<br />
Dove") will direct Nicole<br />
of the 1967 Faustian comedy. In<br />
Kidman ("Eyes Wide Shut") in<br />
afflicted wife, who enjoys the stories<br />
without realizing that they're<br />
about her life in 1940s North<br />
Carolina, when she was the<br />
object of affection of two young<br />
men. The film is based on the<br />
best-seller by Nicholas Sparks<br />
("Message in a Bottle"). (New<br />
Line)<br />
"SAY IT<br />
ISN'T SO" A bachelor<br />
("Election's" Chris Klein) falls in<br />
love with a woman ("Bowfinger's"<br />
Heather Graham) but mistakenly<br />
believes she's his sister in this<br />
comedy. (Fox)<br />
"SHALLOW HAL" A man who,<br />
as a boy, was told by his dying<br />
father to only pursue young, pretty<br />
girls eventually falls for an<br />
unattractive woman's inner<br />
beauty. Peter and Bobby Farrelly<br />
("Me, Myself and Irene") script;<br />
Gwyneth Paltrow ("The Talented<br />
Mr. Ripley") stars. (Distribution is<br />
to be set)<br />
talks to play Orson Welles in this<br />
drama, in which Welles becomes<br />
involved in a murder investigation<br />
when a series of deaths<br />
occur on the set of the movie<br />
he's shooting. Oliver Parker ("An<br />
Ideal Husband"), who directed<br />
Branagh in 1 995's "Othello,"<br />
will helm from a script by John<br />
Sayles ("Limbo"). (Distribution<br />
to be set)<br />
"A KNIGHT'S TALE" This<br />
medieval drama, scripted and<br />
directed by Brian Helgeland<br />
("Payback"), will star "The<br />
Patriot's" Heath Ledger as a peasant<br />
who assumes the identity of a<br />
knight who has been killed. His<br />
newfound status enables him to<br />
win fame and respect on the<br />
jousting circuit. (Columbia)<br />
"WILDEST DREAMS" A firefighter<br />
and a young widow ("Practical<br />
Magic's" Sandra Bullock) find<br />
each other after sharing each<br />
other's dreams in this parapsychological<br />
romance. (MGM)<br />
is<br />
"SILK" "Shakespeare in Love's"<br />
John Madden will direct this<br />
adaptation of Alessandro<br />
Baricco's 19th century-set novel<br />
goes awry when he falls<br />
about the love triangle between a<br />
for her.<br />
(Warner Bros.)<br />
traveling silkworm merchant, his<br />
friend might be a Nazi spy.<br />
(Distribution to be set)<br />
wife and a Japanese baron's concubine.<br />
(Miramax)<br />
is<br />
"BILLY TWO SUGARS" A drug<br />
"FINDING FORRESTER" A<br />
lord's driver ("Play It to the<br />
Bone's" Antonio Banderas) who's<br />
author ("Entrapment's" "TRUST ME" An FBI trainee<br />
reclusive<br />
Sean Connery) forms a bond with ("The Suburbans'" Jennifer Love<br />
tired of the abuse he receives<br />
from his boss decides to get back<br />
at him and gain some self-respect<br />
an underprivileged young black<br />
writer in this drama, to be<br />
Hewitt) botches an undercover<br />
assignment and is kidnapped by<br />
with the help of a rag-tag gang of helmed by Gus Van Sant a mobster who ends up falling for<br />
("Psycho"). (Columbia)<br />
her in this romantic comedy.<br />
losers. "Rush Hour's" Brett<br />
Ratner directs. (New Line)<br />
(Warner Bros.)<br />
this drama about an English<br />
teacher who has an affair with a<br />
man who, unbeknownst to her, is<br />
the mob boss her D.A. husband<br />
is trying to put in jail. The husband<br />
plants surveillance cameras<br />
in the mobster's apartment and<br />
becomes intrigued by the fleetingly<br />
photographed mistress,<br />
unaware that she's his wife.<br />
(Paramount)<br />
"KINGDOM COME" A wealthy<br />
landowner is confronted by the<br />
wife and daughter he gave up for<br />
a land claim 20 years earlier in<br />
this Michael Winterbottom<br />
("Wonderland")-helmed, Old<br />
West-set romance, to star Wes<br />
Bentley ("American Beauty"),<br />
Nastassja Kinski ("Town and<br />
Country"), Sarah Polley<br />
("Guinevere"), Milla Jovovich<br />
("The Messenger") and Peter<br />
Mullan ("Miss Julie"). (MGM)<br />
"UNBREAKABLE" It's deja vu all<br />
over again. "The Sixth Sense's"<br />
Bruce Willis and scripter M.<br />
Night Shyamalan reteam for a<br />
Mouse House-distributed supernatural<br />
thriller. Willis will star as<br />
a man who discovers something<br />
uncanny about himself after an<br />
accident. Samuel L. Jackson<br />
("Shaft") and Julianne Moore<br />
("The End of the Affair")<br />
(Buena Vista)<br />
co-star.<br />
ET CETERA: Two boxers get<br />
involved in money laundering in<br />
Artisan's fish-out-of-water comedy<br />
"Made," which re-teams<br />
"Swingers" stars Jon Favreau (who<br />
also scripts and directs) and Vince<br />
Vaughn. ..Matthew McConaughey<br />
is in talks to replace Brendan<br />
Fraser in Destination's Jennifer<br />
Lopez starrer "The Wedding<br />
Jeff Planner," while Goldblum<br />
takes the lead in "Auggie Rose,"<br />
following William H. Macy's exit<br />
from the project. ..Two children<br />
must save their secret agent parents<br />
from the enemy in<br />
Dimension's comedy "Spy Kids,"<br />
in which Alan Cumming ("Titus")<br />
will star for writer/director Robert<br />
Rodriguez ("The Faculty").<br />
10 BOXOFFICE
When I<br />
was your age we<br />
didn't hgvePANASTEREO<br />
cinemg sound.<br />
Burorner!<br />
Atlanta, Georgia and<br />
B<br />
Sydney; Australia .
Com,<br />
i Stietel.<br />
I<br />
. Jon<br />
il,<br />
ICE Studio Chart:<br />
Dreamworks S.<br />
818-733-7000<br />
-588-6000<br />
212-708-0300<br />
2-941-3800<br />
323-951-4200<br />
mary 2000:<br />
itasla 2000. 1/1. Ani. G, 90 min,<br />
D. IMAX Dir Hendel Butoy<br />
limation), Don Hahn (Live Action),<br />
y it to the Bone, 1 /21 . R, 1<br />
i, DTS. SDDS. SB. SRD. Scope<br />
onio Banders, Woody Harrelson.<br />
rta Davidovitch Dir Ron Shelton.<br />
aruary 2000:<br />
n Shy, 2/4, Com, R, SRD, Flat,<br />
idra Bullock. Liam Neeson. Oliv<br />
ft. Dir Eric Blakeney.<br />
; Tigger Movie (formerly untitled<br />
JRRENT)<br />
islon to Mars, 3/10, Dra, DTS,<br />
DS. SR. SRD. Scope Gary Sini<br />
tnie Nielsen, Tim Robbins, Don<br />
3adle. Dir. Brian DePalma.<br />
|h Fidelity, 3/31, DTS. John Cu<br />
:k Black. Dir: Stephen Frears<br />
eplng the Faith 4/14 Edward<br />
1on, Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman. Eli<br />
llach. Dir. Edward Norton.<br />
y 2000:<br />
ets, 5/5 Maria Bello. Andre<br />
lugher, Paul Giamatti. Huey Lewis,<br />
yneth Paltrow Dir Bruce Paltrow<br />
losaurs, 5/19, Am/Live Action, DTS,<br />
DS, SRD, Flat Dir Ralph Zondag<br />
January 2000:<br />
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED<br />
February 2000:<br />
Jng Up, 2/11, Com/Dra, 101 min,<br />
DTSySDDS, SRD, Flat Meg Ryan, Lis;<br />
Kudrow, Diane Keaton, Walter Marthau<br />
Dir Diane Keaton<br />
Planet Are Vou From?, 3/3.<br />
Com, SDDS Garry Shandling, Annette<br />
Bening, John Goodman, Greg Kinnear,<br />
Ben Kingsley, Linda Fiorentino, Camryn<br />
Manheim. Nora Dunn. Dir: Mike Nichols<br />
Whatever It Takes, 3/31, Com, SDDS<br />
Shane West, Maria Sokoloff, Jodi Lyn<br />
O'Keete. James Franco, Aaron Paul.<br />
Colin Hanks. Dir. David Raynr.<br />
April 2000:<br />
Black and White, 4/5, SDDS, SRD Ben NO RELEASES SCHEDULED<br />
Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. Elijah Wood,<br />
Gaby Hoffman. Dir: James Toback.<br />
28 Days, 4/14, Dra/Com, SDDS. Sandra<br />
Bullock. Dir: Betty Thomas.<br />
Center Stage (formerly The Dance<br />
Movie), 4/21, Dra. Amanda Schull, Zoe<br />
Faldana, Susan May Pratt, Peter<br />
Gallagher, Donna Murphy, Debra Monk,<br />
Nicholas Hytn<br />
Dir<br />
Dreamed of Africa, 5/5, Epic Dra. PG<br />
13, SDDS Kim Basinger. Vincent<br />
3 erez, Eva Mane Saint, Robert Loggia,<br />
jam Aiken Dir Hugh Hudson.<br />
iry 2000:<br />
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED<br />
February 2000:<br />
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED<br />
The Road to El Dorado (formerly El<br />
to: City of Gold), 3/31, Ani, DTS,<br />
SDDS, SRD. Kevin Kline. Kenneth<br />
Branagh, Rosie Perez, Armand<br />
Assante, Edward James Olmos. Dir<br />
Eric "Bibo" Bergeron, Don Paul.<br />
Gladiator. 5/5, R. DTS. SDDS, SRD.<br />
Scope Russell Crowe. Joaquin<br />
Phoenix. Connie Nielsen. Oliver Reed,<br />
Derek Jacobi Dir Ridley Scott.<br />
i 2000:<br />
Supernova, 1/14. SF/Thr, PG-13, DTS.<br />
SR, Scope James Spader, Robin<br />
Tunney, Wilson Cruz, Angela Bassett.<br />
Lou Diamond Phillips, Peter Facinelli<br />
Dir: Thomas Lee<br />
3 Strikes, 2/25, Com Brian Hooks,<br />
Bushe Wright, Saizon Love, David<br />
an Grier, George Wallace. Phil Mori<br />
E40. Dir D J. Pooh.<br />
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED<br />
April 2000:<br />
Return to Me. 4/7. Rom/Dra. PG-13.<br />
DTS, Rat David Duchovny, Minnie Driver,<br />
Bonnie Hunt, David Alan Grier. Robert<br />
Loggia, Joely Richardson, Jim Belushi,<br />
Carroll O'Connor. Dir: Bonnie Hunt.<br />
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking<br />
at Her, 4/28, Dra, PG-13, 109 min, SR,<br />
SRD, Flat. Cameron Diaz, Calista<br />
Flockhart, Glenn Close. Kathy Baker,<br />
Amy Brenneman, Gregory Hines, Holly<br />
Hunter. Dir: Rodrigo Garcia.<br />
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED<br />
Holy Smoke, 1/14, 2/18 exp, R, 115<br />
SRD. Flat Pam Gner, Harvey I<br />
Kate Winslet.<br />
n to You. 1/21. 90 mm. SRD, Fla<br />
Freddie Prinze Jr, Julia Stiles, Shawn<br />
Hatosy, Selma Blair. Dir Kris Isaacsor<br />
February 2000:<br />
Scream 3, 2/4, SDDS. SRD, Sec<br />
David Arquette, Neve Campbell,<br />
Courtney Cox Dir: Wes Craven,<br />
Diamonds, 2/18. 91 min, SDDS. SR0<br />
Flat Kirk Douglas, Dan Aykroyd, Laun<br />
Bacall, Corbin Allred, Manah O'Brien,<br />
Jenny McCarthy Dir John Asher<br />
Reindeer Games (formerly Deception<br />
2/25, 133 mm. DTS, SRD Ben Affleck<br />
Gary Smise Dir John Frankenheimet<br />
O (Othello), 3/10, 91 min, SRD, Flail<br />
Mekhi Phifer. Elden Henson, Josh J<br />
Hartnett, Julia Stiles, Rain Phoenix. B<br />
Tim Blake Nelson.<br />
East Is East. 3/31 NY/LA.<br />
Scary Movie, 3/31 Keenan Ivory Ml<br />
Wayans. Marlon Wayans, Shawn<br />
Wayans Dir: Keenan Ivory Wayans.<br />
April 2000:<br />
Texas Rangers. April. SRD, Scope,<br />
The Wisdom of Crocodiles, April<br />
NY/LA, R. Timothy Spall.<br />
The Yards, April, SRD, Scope Marl<br />
Wahlberg, James Caan, Joaquin<br />
Phoenix, Faye Dunaway. Charlize<br />
Theron. Dir: James Gray.<br />
May 2000:<br />
ne in 60 Seconds. 6/9. Act. DTS,<br />
DS, SRD. Scope Nicolas Cage,<br />
gelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi. Delroy<br />
do Dir: Dominic Sena.<br />
The Patriot. 6/30, Dra/Adv. SDDS. Mel<br />
Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely<br />
Richardson, Tcheky Karyo. Jason<br />
Isaacs. Dir Roland Emmerich.<br />
Chicken Run. 6/23, Ani, DTS, SDDS,<br />
SRD. SRD-EX. Voices: Mel Gibson. Julia<br />
Sawahla. Miranda Richardson, Ben<br />
Whrtrow, Lynne Ferguson, Imelda<br />
Staunton, Jane Horrocks, Tony Haygarth,<br />
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED<br />
Timothy Spall Dir Nick Park & Peter Lord.<br />
COMING:<br />
COMING:<br />
cess, 8/4, Am, DTS, SDDS. SRD.<br />
yote Ugly Summer, DTS. Piper<br />
'abo. Adam Garcia, Maria Bello.<br />
lame Lynskey Dir David McNally<br />
! Dalmatians. Fall/Holiday. DTS.<br />
inn Close, loan Gruffudd, Alice<br />
ans. Dir: Kevin Lima,<br />
member the Titans, Fall/Holiday,<br />
S Denzel Washington, Will Parton<br />
Boaz Yakin.<br />
Hoofbeats. 2nd Qtr, Dra/Adv, SDDS<br />
Chase Moore, Arie Verveen, Lukas<br />
Haas. Dir: Sergei Bodrov.<br />
The Hollow Man. 7/28, Sus/Thr, SDDS.<br />
Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue, Josh<br />
Brolm, Kim Dickens, Joey Slotnick Dir<br />
Paul Verhoeven<br />
Untitled "Urban Legend" sequel,<br />
August/September, Thr Jennifer Morrison,<br />
Joseph Lawrence, Anson Mount, Eve<br />
Mendes, Jessica Cauffiel, Marco<br />
Hotschneider, Matthew Davis, Loretta<br />
Devine, Hart Bochner, Michael Bacall,<br />
Anthony Anderson Dir: John Ottman<br />
Loser, Summer, Com, SSDDS Jason<br />
Biggs, Mena Suvari, Greg Kinnear, Tom<br />
Sadiski, Zak Orth, Jimmi Simpson Dir:<br />
The Vertical Limit, Summer, Act/Adv,<br />
SDDS Chris O'Donnell, Scott Glenn,<br />
Robin Tunney, Bill Paxton, Temuera<br />
Morrison. Dir Mark Campbell.<br />
All the Pretty Horses, 3rd Qtr, Dra,<br />
SDDS. SR Matt Damon, Henry<br />
Thomas. Lucas Black, Penelope Cruz.<br />
Ruben Blades, Bruce Dern. Robert<br />
Patrick Dir Billy Bob Thornton.<br />
The Sixth Day (tentative title), Fall,<br />
SF/Act Arnold Schwarzenegger,<br />
Michael Rapaport. Tony Goldwyn,<br />
Robert Duvall. Michael Rooker Dir:<br />
Roger Spottiswoode.<br />
Charlie's Angels. November, Act/Adv/<br />
Com. SDDS Drew Barrymore. Cameron<br />
Diaz, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray. Dir: McG<br />
Finding Forrester. December, Dra.<br />
Sean Conner/ Dir: Gus Van Sant.<br />
Time Crooks. Spring, Com.<br />
Woody Allen. Tracey Ullman, Hugh<br />
Lovitz, Michael Rapaport,<br />
Elaine May Dir: Woody Allen.<br />
Untitled Cameron Crowe project.<br />
Spring. DTS. SDDS, SRD Billy Crudup.<br />
Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson. Dir.<br />
Cameron Crowe<br />
What Lies Beneath. 7/21. DTS, SDDS,<br />
SRD, Scope. Harrison Ford, Michelle<br />
Pteiffer Dir Robert Zemeckis.<br />
The Legend of Bagger Vance,<br />
Summer Will Smith. Matt Damon,<br />
Charlize Theron Dir Robert Redford<br />
Trip, Summer Breckin Meyer,<br />
Amy Smart. Seann William Scott, Rachel<br />
Blanchard. Andy Dick Dir: Todd Phillips.<br />
An Everlasting Piece, Fall, Com, Barry<br />
McEvoy, Brian F O'Byrne, Anna Friel,<br />
Billy Connolly Dir Barry Levinson,<br />
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimaron<br />
After Man, TBD, DTS. SDDS, SRD.<br />
Arkansas. TBD, DTS, SDDS. SRD.<br />
Keeper, TBD, DTS. SDDS. SRD<br />
The Man Who Came to Dinner. TBD.<br />
DTS. SDDS, SRD Dir: Danny De Vito<br />
Mozart and the Whale. TBD. DTS.<br />
SDDS. SRD<br />
Neanderthal. TBD. DTS. SDDS. SRD<br />
The Newports. TBD. DTS. SDDS.<br />
SRD. Dir: Steven Spielberg.<br />
Untitled Charles Lindbergh Project.<br />
DTS. SDDS, SRD Dir: Steven Spielberg.<br />
Shrek, 6/22/2001, Am, DTS, SDDS. SRD<br />
Voices Mike Myers. Cameron Diaz. Eddie<br />
Murphy. John Lithgow, Linda Hunt. Dir<br />
Kelly Asbury. Andrew Adamson.<br />
Crime & Punishment in Suburbia (foi<br />
merly Crime & Punishment in High<br />
School), Spring. Dra, SRD. Ellen Barkir<br />
ronside. Dir: Rob Schmic<br />
Autumn in New York, Fall, Drama.<br />
Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, Anthony<br />
LaPaglia, Elaine Stntch. Sherry<br />
Stringfield. Jill Hennessy Dir: Joan<br />
Chen.<br />
Antitrust. 4th Qtr Tim Robbins. Ryan<br />
Philiippe Dir Peter He<br />
Dancing in the Dark<br />
.DTS<br />
Angelina Jolie, Antonio Banderas.<br />
Thomas Jane Dir Michael Cristofer<br />
Mr. Accident, TBA, Com, DTS. SRD<br />
Yahoo Serious, Helen Dallimore<br />
Yahoo Serious.<br />
Dir:<br />
Birthday Girl, 2nd Qtr<br />
Committed, 2nd Qtr He:<br />
Casey Affleck, Luke Wilson._Goran |<br />
Visnjic, Patricia Velasque<br />
Daddy and Them. 2nd Qtr NY/LA, I<br />
SRD Laura Dem. Billy Bob ThorntcB i<br />
Kelly Preston. Ben Affleck, Diane La<br />
Dir Billy Bob Thornton.<br />
Love's Labour's Lost, 2nd Qtr<br />
J<br />
Kenneth Branagh, Alicia Silverston«<br />
Human Traffic, 7/14.<br />
Bounce. 7/28 Ben Affleck.<br />
Imposter. 8/4<br />
Boys and Girls, 8/11.<br />
Highlander - Endgame, 8/25<br />
About Adam, September.<br />
Blow Dry, 3rd Qtr .<br />
Spy Kids, 3rd Qtr.<br />
Dracula 2000. 10/27. Dir: Patri<br />
Hard Day's Night (restored rei<br />
2nd Qtr 2001 NY/LA, 91 min, S<br />
Flat The Beatles Dir: Richard
, 116<br />
ir:<br />
BOXOFFICE Independent Charts<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
Artisan<br />
310-255-3716<br />
host Dog: Way of the Samurai, Dra,<br />
min. Forest Whitaker, John<br />
irney. Cliff Gorman. Dir: Jim<br />
irmusch. 2/18 NY. 2/25 exp<br />
Artistic License<br />
272-265-9779<br />
otton Mary, Dra, 125 min. Madhur<br />
iffrey, James Wilby, Greta Scacchi.<br />
Ismail Merchant. 2/18 NY/LA<br />
mporte-moi (Set Me Free), Dra, 94<br />
in. Karine Venasse, Pascale<br />
jssieres. Miki Manjlovic. Dir: Lea<br />
Ml.<br />
Fine Line<br />
212-649-4800<br />
impatico, R, 106 min. Nick Nolte,<br />
haron Stone, Jeff Bridges. Dir:<br />
atthew Warchus. 2/4<br />
First Run<br />
212-243-0600<br />
endernauts, Doc, 86 min. Annie<br />
prinkle. Dir: Monika Treut. 2/4 NY<br />
Fox Searchlight<br />
310-369-4402<br />
Closer You Get (formerly<br />
he<br />
ntitled Irish Comedy), PG-13, 92<br />
Niamh Cusack. Sean McGinley,<br />
iin.<br />
wan Stewart, Ian Hart. Dir: Aileen<br />
itchie.<br />
Independent Artists/Legacy<br />
323-461-3936<br />
nockout. Dra, PG-13, 100 min. Tony<br />
lana, Maria Conchita Alonso, Paul<br />
/infield, Sophia Lerrendez. Dir:<br />
Drenzo Doumani. 2/4 NY/LA/Miami<br />
Kino<br />
212-629-6880<br />
adosh (Israel), Dra, 116 min. Yael<br />
becassis, Yoram Hattab. Dir: Amos<br />
iitai. 2/16<br />
Lions Gate<br />
212-966-4670<br />
eyond the Mat, Doc. Dir: Barry<br />
laustein. Feb/Mar<br />
Paramount Classics<br />
323-956-5000 212-373-7000<br />
leterrence, R, 101 min. Kevin<br />
ollack, Dir: Timothy Hutton. Rod<br />
urie. 2/25<br />
Phaedra<br />
323-938-9610<br />
loft Toilet Seats. Mys/Com. R, 105<br />
iin. Sammi Davis, David Alex Rosen,<br />
,lexa Jago, Jonathan Aube. Dir: Tina<br />
'alinsky. 2/1<br />
Providence<br />
818-728-9700<br />
he Omega Code (reissue). Michael<br />
'ork, Casper Van Dien, Michael<br />
onside.<br />
4 BOXOFFICT<br />
Seventh Art<br />
323-845-1455<br />
Shooting Gallery<br />
212-243-3042<br />
Judy Berlin, Dra, 96 min. Barbara<br />
Barrie, Bob Dishy, Edie Falco, Aaron<br />
Harnick, Madeline Kahn, Julie Kavner,<br />
Anne Meara. Dir: Eric Mendelsohn. 2/25<br />
Sony Classics<br />
212-833-8851<br />
Mifune, R, 99 mm. Iben Hjejle, Anders<br />
Berthelsen, Jesper Asholt, Emil<br />
Tarding, Anders Hove, Sofie Grabol.<br />
Dir: Soren Kfagh-Jacobsen. 2/25<br />
NY/LA, 3/3 exp LA<br />
Trimark<br />
310-314-3040<br />
People. Dra, Beautiful 107 min.<br />
Charlotte Coleman, Charles Kay,<br />
Rosalind Ayres, Roger Sloman. Dir:<br />
Jasmin Dizdar. 2/18 NY, 3/3 exp LA<br />
USA<br />
310-385-4400<br />
Pitch Black, SF, R, 107 min. Radha<br />
Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Vin Diesel. Dir:<br />
David Twohy. 2/25<br />
MARCH<br />
Artisan<br />
The Ninth Gate, Thr, R, 132 min.<br />
Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Frank<br />
Langella. Dir: Roman Polanski. 3/31<br />
Destination<br />
310-434-2700<br />
Drowning Mona, Com. Danny DeVito<br />
Bette Midler, Neve Campbell, Jamie<br />
Lee Curtis, Casey Affleck. Dir: Nick<br />
Gomez. 3/3<br />
Whipped. Com. Amanda Peet, Brian Van<br />
Holt, Jonathan Abrahams, Zorie Barber,<br />
Judah Domke. Dir: Peter M. Cohen. 3/31<br />
Fine Line<br />
Baby Mother 3/17 ltd<br />
The Filth and the Fury. Doc. The Sex<br />
Pistols. Dir: Julian Temple. 3/29 NY,<br />
4/21 LA<br />
Fox Searchlight<br />
Soft Fruit, R. Jeanie Dynan, Linal<br />
Haft, Genevieve Lemar, Sacha Harler,<br />
Alicia Talbot, Russell Dykstra. Dir:<br />
Christina Andreef.<br />
Jour de Fete<br />
323-933-2733<br />
Trash (reissue). Com/Dra, 110 min.<br />
Joe Dallesandro. Holly Woodlawn. Dir:<br />
Paul Mornssey. 3/17<br />
New Yorker<br />
272-247-6770<br />
The Little Thief. Nicolas Duvauchelle.<br />
Dir: Eric Zonca. 3/1<br />
Palm<br />
312-751-0020<br />
X, Am, 98 mm. Dir: Taro Rin. 3/24<br />
Samuel Goldwyn<br />
212-367-9435<br />
The Carriers Are Waiting (Les<br />
Convoyeurs Attendent) (France). 94<br />
min. Dir: Benoit Manage. 3/15<br />
The Big Blue (Reissue, Director's cut),<br />
168 mm. Rosanna Arquerte. Jean-Marc<br />
Barr. Dir: Luc Besson. 3/24 NY/LA<br />
Screen Gems<br />
310-244-4000<br />
Time Code, Dra. Xander Berkeley.<br />
Saffron Burrows, Salma Hayek, Holly<br />
Hunter, Kyle MacLachlan, Laurie<br />
Metcalf, Julian Sands, Stellan<br />
Skarsgard, Jeanne Tripplehorn,<br />
Steven WEber. Dir: Mike Figgis. 3/31<br />
Seventh Art<br />
Lifestyle, Doc, 75 min. Dir: David<br />
Schizgall. 3/16<br />
Better Living, Doc, 90 min. Dir: Jon<br />
Reiss. March<br />
Shadow<br />
207-872-57 7 7<br />
Pants on Fire, Com/Dra, 107 min.<br />
Christy Baron, Neil Maffin, Harry<br />
O'Reilly, Eileen Brennan, Karen Young.<br />
Dir: Rocky Collins. March<br />
Shooting Gallery<br />
Orphans, Dra, 95 min. Gary Lewis,<br />
Douglas Henshall, Rosemarie<br />
Stevenson, Stephen McCole, Frank<br />
Gallagher. Dir: Peter Mullan. 3/10<br />
Such a Long Journey. Dra. Roshan<br />
Seth, Soni Razdan, Om Puri,<br />
Naseeruddin Shah, Ranjit Chowdhry.<br />
Dir: Sturla Gunnarsson. 3/24<br />
Sony Classics<br />
East/West (France), Dra. Sandrine<br />
Bonnaire, Oleg Menchikov, Serguei<br />
Bodrov Jr., Catherine Deneuve. Dir:<br />
Regis Wargnier. 3/10 NY/LA<br />
Color of Paradise 3/24 NY/LA<br />
Stratosphere<br />
272-605-7070<br />
Jails Hospitals and Hip-Hop, 90 min.<br />
Danny Hoch. Dir: Danny Hoch. 3/3 ltd<br />
Goat on Fire and Smiling Fish, 94<br />
min. Christa Miller, Derek Martini,<br />
Steven Martini, Amy Hathaway. Dir:<br />
Kevin Jordan. 3/15 ltd<br />
Held Up, Com, PG-13, 91 min. Jamie<br />
Foxx, Nia Long. Dir: Steve Rasm.<br />
USA<br />
Agnes Browne, Dra. Marion O'Dwyer,<br />
Arno Chevrier. Dir: Anjelica Huston. 3/3<br />
Condo Painting, Doc. George Condo.<br />
William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg.<br />
Dir: John McNaughton. 3/17 NY/LA<br />
APRIL<br />
Artisan<br />
El Norte (reissue), Dra, R, 1 39 min. Zaide<br />
Silvia Gutierrez. Dir: Gregory Nava.<br />
Fine Line<br />
Buddy Boy 4/7 NY/LA<br />
Pornographic Affair 4/21 NY/LA<br />
Independent Artists/Legacy<br />
Family Tree, Dra, 102 min. Robert<br />
Forster, Naomi Judd. Cliff Robertson,<br />
Andy Lawrence, Matt Lawrence. Dir:<br />
Duane Clark. 4/21<br />
NY/LA/Dallas/Minneapolis<br />
Kino<br />
The Specialist. Doc. 128 mm. Adolf<br />
Eichmann. Dir: Eyal Sivan. 4/12<br />
Eva (1962 reissue). Dra, 120<br />
Jeanne Moreau. Stanley Baker. Is<br />
Joseph Losey. 4/14<br />
Lions Gate<br />
American Psycho Christian Ba<br />
Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevig<br />
Jared Leto. Dir: Mary Harron. 4/7<br />
Big Kahuna. Kevin Spacey, Danny<br />
Vito, Peter Facinelli. Dir: Jo<br />
Swanbeck.<br />
New Latin<br />
800-538-5838<br />
Luminarias, Dra, R, 100 min. S(l<br />
Bakula, Evelina Fernandez, Ma<br />
DuBois, Angela Moya, Dyana Ortf<br />
Seidy Lopez, Robert Beltran, Ches<br />
Marin. Dir: Jose Luis Valenzuela. 4/7<br />
|<br />
Palm<br />
Third World Cop. Dra, 98 min. Pi<br />
Campbell, Carl Bradshaw, Mi<br />
Danvers, Audrey Reid. Dir: Ch<br />
Browne. 4/21<br />
Paramount Classics<br />
The Virgin Suicides, 97 min. Jan<br />
Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirl<br />
Dunst, Danny DeVito, Giovanni Rib<br />
Josh Hartnett. Dir: Sofia Coppola.*<br />
Rialto<br />
323-933-2733<br />
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeon<br />
(reissue). Com. 100 min. FernaJ<br />
Rey, Delphine Seyrig. Dir: Luis Bur*<br />
4/28<br />
Seventh Art<br />
American Pimp, Doc. Dir:<br />
Hughes Brothers.<br />
Shooting Gallery<br />
Southpaw. Dra. Francis Barrett,<br />
Gillen. Dir: Liam McGrath. 4/7<br />
Croupier, Thr. Clive Owen,<br />
McKee, Alex Kingston. Dir:<br />
Hodges. 4/21<br />
Sony Classics<br />
Me Myself & I, 104 min. Radl<br />
Griffiths, David Roberts, Sandy Wirl<br />
Yael Stone. Shaun Loseby, Tn<br />
Sullivan. Dir: Pip Karmel. 4/7 NY/LA|<br />
Not One Less. 106 mm. Wei Mill<br />
Zhang Huike, Tian Zhaneda, G<br />
Enman. Dir: Zhang Yimou. 4/28 NY?<br />
Trimark<br />
The Last September. Dra, R, 104m<br />
Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon. Da<br />
Tennant, Fiona Shaw, Keeley Haf<br />
Dir: Deborah Warner.<br />
USA<br />
Joe Gould's Secret. R. Ian Hoi<br />
Stanley Tucci. Dir: Stanley Tucci. 4<br />
Where the Money Is, PG-13, 90<br />
Paul Newman. Linda Fiorentino.l<br />
Marek Kanievska. 4/14<br />
Artistic License<br />
Luminous Motion. Dra. 100 min.i<br />
Lloyd. Deborah Kara Linger, Jam<br />
Sheridan. Dir: Bette Gordon.<br />
Fine Line<br />
Five Senses. Mary Louise Pal^'<br />
Daniel Maclvor. 5/19 NY/LA
i<br />
: Mulroney.<br />
,<br />
Holly<br />
,<br />
Theo<br />
.<br />
j<br />
March, 2000<br />
Kino<br />
Dr. Freud (1976 reissue), Dra,<br />
i. Karlheinz Hackl. Dir: Axel<br />
i/17<br />
Lions Gate<br />
Women, Dra/Sus, R, 116 min.<br />
Standing, Matthew Delamere,<br />
Wu, Polly Walker, Toni Collette.<br />
la Plummer. Dir: Peter<br />
iway.<br />
Samuel Goldwyn<br />
(Solas) (Spain), 98 min. Maria<br />
a, Ana Fernandez. Dir: Benito<br />
ano. 5/5<br />
Shooting Gallery<br />
jline Drive. Com. Hikari Ishida,<br />
Dbu Ando, Jovi Jova, Yutaka<br />
;hige. Kazue Tsunogae. Dir:<br />
u Yaguchi. 5/5<br />
Sony Classics<br />
Nova (English/Portuguese),<br />
R, 95 min. Amy Irving,<br />
dre Borges, Antonio<br />
Jes. Pedro Cardoso, Stephen<br />
wsky, Deborah Bloch, Drica<br />
3. Dir: Bruno Barreto. 5/5<br />
o (Japan), Dra'Com, 116 min.<br />
ii Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi,<br />
Kishimoto. Dir: Takeshi Kitano.<br />
rVLA<br />
du Soleil - Journey of Man.<br />
du Soleil. Dir: Keith Melton.<br />
USA<br />
he Villa, Dra, PG-13. 115 min.<br />
Scott-Thomas, Sean Penn,<br />
iancrott, Derek Jacobi, Jeremy<br />
Dir: Philip Haas. 5/5<br />
JUNE<br />
Artisan<br />
w for a Dream. Dra. Jared<br />
larlon Wayans. Ellen Burstyn,<br />
ir Connelly. Dir: Darren<br />
sky.<br />
Fine Line<br />
le Circus. R. Cameron Diaz.<br />
3anner.<br />
Lions Gate<br />
Son. Dra, R, 110 min. Billy<br />
Hunter, Denis Leary,<br />
lha Morton, Dennis Hopper. Dir:<br />
ulaclean.<br />
Sony<br />
Emily Watson. Nick Nolte,<br />
Brittany Murphy,<br />
Lane, Lesley Ann Warren,<br />
itton. Dir: Alan Rudolph. 6/9<br />
USA<br />
atch, 95 mm. Max Beesley,<br />
Fraser, James Cosmo, Ian<br />
Richard E. Grant, Bill<br />
Tom Sizemore. Mick<br />
>n, Dir:<br />
6/16<br />
et Martin. Juliette Binoche,<br />
Loret, Carmen Maura. Dir:<br />
rechine. 6/30<br />
jout Mambo (formerly Perfect<br />
, 100 min. William Ash. Keri<br />
Fraser Steele, Joe Rea,<br />
ox. Dir: John Forte.<br />
Hand<br />
Destination Film<br />
Thomas and the Magic Railroad.<br />
Fam. Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara<br />
Wilson. Russell Means, Didi Conn. Dir:<br />
Britt Allcroft. 7/14<br />
Sony Classics<br />
Shower. Dra. Zhu Xu. Pu Cun Xin,<br />
Jiang Wu. Dir: Zhang Yang. 7/7 NY/LA<br />
USA<br />
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?<br />
AUGUST<br />
Artisan<br />
3un, Dra. F<br />
Beriicio Del Toro, Taye Diggs, Juliet<br />
Lewis. Dir: Christopher McQuarrie.<br />
Fine Line<br />
State and Main. Alec Baldwin.<br />
Charles Durning, Sarah Jessica<br />
Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Dir:<br />
David Mamet.<br />
USA<br />
SEPTEMBER<br />
Artisan<br />
Soul Survivors, Thr.<br />
Destination<br />
Cowboy Up. Kiefer Sutherland. Daryl<br />
Hannah, Pete Postelthwaite, Molly<br />
Ringwald. Dir: Xavier Koller. 9/29<br />
Lions Gate<br />
Shadow of the Vampire, Dra. John<br />
Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier.<br />
Carey Elwes. Eddie Izzard, Catherine<br />
McCormack. Dir: Elias Merhige.<br />
OCTOBER<br />
Artisan<br />
Blair Witch Project 2, Thr<br />
Cecil B. Demented, Com.<br />
Fine Line<br />
Prime Gig. Vince Vaughn.<br />
The Ring<br />
Samuel Goldwyn<br />
The Faithless (Sweden). Dir: Li\<br />
Ullmann. 10/6<br />
UEMM<br />
First Run<br />
Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment.<br />
Doc. 77 min. John Wallowitch, Bertram<br />
Ross. Dir: Richard Morris. 12/10 NY<br />
Sony Classics<br />
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,<br />
Act/Dra. Zhang Zi-Yi. Michelle Yeoh, Chow<br />
Yun Fat, Chang Zheng, Zheng Pei-Pei.<br />
Gao Xi-An. Dir: Ang Lee. 12/22 NY/LA<br />
COMING<br />
Artisan<br />
The Lost Son, Dra, R, 102 min. Daniel<br />
Auteuil, Nastassja Kinski. Dir: Chris<br />
Menges.<br />
Destination<br />
Beautiful, Com. Minnie Driver, Hallie<br />
Eisenberg, Joey Lauren Adams. Dir:<br />
Sally Field. Spring<br />
The Wedding Planner, Rom/Com.<br />
Dir: Adam Shankman. 4th Qtr<br />
Fine Line<br />
But I'm a Cheerleader. Spring<br />
Dancer in the Dark Bjork, Catherine<br />
Deneuve. Dir: Lars Von Trier.<br />
Fox Searchlight<br />
Hard Men (U.K.), Dra, R. Vincent<br />
Regan, Ross Boatman, Lee Ross. Dir:<br />
J.K. Amalou.<br />
Quills, Dra. Geoffrey Rush, Kate<br />
Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael<br />
Caine. Dir: Philip Kaufman.<br />
Woman on Top, R. Penelope Cruz,<br />
Murilo Benicio. Dir: Fina Torres.<br />
IMAX<br />
905-403-6500<br />
American Road. Doc<br />
Mission to Mir, Doc.<br />
Palm<br />
The Criminal, Dra/Thr, 98 min. Steven<br />
Macintosh, Natasha Little, Eddie<br />
Izzard. Dir: Julian Simpson. Spring<br />
Lock Down, Dra. Master P, Richard T<br />
Jones, Bill Nunn, Gabriel Casseus. Dir:<br />
John Luessenhop. Spring<br />
Paramount Classics<br />
Passion of Mind. Demi Moore, Stellan<br />
Skarsgaard. Dir: Alain Berliner. 2nd Qtr<br />
Company Man, 86 min. Ryan Phillipe,<br />
Douglas McGrath, Sigourney Weaver.<br />
Dir:<br />
Douglas McGrath. Peter Askin.<br />
Girl on the Bridge. 92 min Daniel<br />
Auteuil. Vanessa Paradis. Dir: Patrice<br />
Leconte.<br />
Phaedra<br />
Beneath the Surface. 99 min.<br />
Johanna Sallstrom, Mikael Persbrandt.<br />
Dir: Daniel Fridell. 1st Qtr<br />
Heart of Light. Rasmus Lyberth, Vivi<br />
Nielson, Anda Kristiansen. Dir: Jacob<br />
Gronlykke. 1st Qtr<br />
Sweet Jane, Dra, 87 min. Samantha<br />
Mathis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Dir: Joe<br />
Gayton. 1st Qtr<br />
Zone 39, SF, 93 min. Peter Phelps,<br />
Carlolyn Bock. Dir: John Tatoulis. 1st<br />
Qtr<br />
On Guard! (France: aka Le Bossu).<br />
Period Adventure. 124 mm. Daniel Auteuil,<br />
Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, Marie<br />
Gillain. Dir: Philippe de Broca. 2nd Qtr<br />
On the Run. Michael Imperioli. Dir:<br />
Bruno de Almeida. 2nd Qtr<br />
Metal Skin. 109 min. Aden Young, Tara<br />
Motice, Ben Mendelsohn. Dir: Geoffrey<br />
Wright.<br />
Seventh Art<br />
Creature. Doc. Dir: Parris Patton.<br />
Selected cities<br />
Karussell, Doc. Dir: Nona Ziok.<br />
Selected cities<br />
Shadow<br />
Souvenir, Dra, 78 min. Stanton<br />
Miranda. Hughes Quester, Kristin Scott<br />
Thomas, the voice of Christina Ricci.<br />
Dir: Michael Shamble. Summer<br />
Shooting Gallery<br />
Once in the Life, Dra. Laurence<br />
Fishburne, Gregory Hines. Dir:<br />
Laurence Fishburne. Winter/Spring<br />
You Can Count on Me, Dra Matthew<br />
Broderick. Rory Culkin, Laura Linney.<br />
Mark Ruffalo, Jon Tenney. Dir: Kenneth<br />
Lonnergan. Spring<br />
Hill<br />
Loving Jezebel, Rom/Com.<br />
Harper, Laurel Holloman, Nicole An<br />
Parker, Sandnne David Moscow.<br />
Holt.<br />
Elisa Donovan, Phylicia Rashad. Dir:<br />
Kwyn Bader. 2nd Qtr<br />
Sony Classics<br />
The Road Home. Dra. Dir: Zhang Yimou.<br />
Strand<br />
310-395-5002<br />
Stella Does Tricks, Dra. 99 min. Kelly<br />
MacDonald. Dir: Coky Giedroyc. Spring<br />
Stratosphere<br />
Beautiful Joe. Sharon Stone, Billy<br />
Connelly, Ian Holm, Gil Bellows. Dir:<br />
Stephan Metcalfe. Summer<br />
Skipped Parts. Com. Jennifer Jason<br />
Leigh. Mischa Burton. Brad Renfro, Drew<br />
Barrymore. Dir: Tamra Davis. Summer<br />
Stalk. Dra. Matthew Settle, Tom Everett<br />
Scott, Gretchen Mol, Samantha Mathis<br />
Dir: Russell DeGrazier. Fall<br />
USA<br />
Blood Simple (re-release), Thr.<br />
Frances McDormand. Dir: Joel Coen.<br />
Summer<br />
Nurse Betty, R. Renee Zellweger.<br />
Morgan Freeman. Dir: Neil LaBute<br />
Summer<br />
One Night at McCool's. Liv Tyler. Matt<br />
Dillon. John Goodman. 3rd Qtr<br />
Bloody Angels<br />
The Idiots, 117 min. Louise Hassing.<br />
Anne-Grethe. Bjarup Riis. Dir: Lars<br />
Von Trier.<br />
The Naked Man, Com. Michael<br />
Rapaport. Arija Bareikis, Rachael<br />
J.<br />
Leigh Cook, Martin Ferrero. Dir:<br />
Todd Anderson.<br />
Resurrection Man. Stuart Townsend,<br />
James Nesbitt, Sean McGinley,<br />
Brenda Fricker. Dir: Marc Evans.<br />
Snarl Up. Dir: Michael Winterbottom.<br />
Thomas Jane, Aaron<br />
Thursday.<br />
Eckhart, Mickey Rourke, Glenn<br />
Plummer. Dir: Skip Woods.<br />
What Rats Won't Do (U.K.).<br />
Rom/Com. Natascha McElhone<br />
James Frain. Charles Dance, Parkei<br />
Posey. Dir: Alaistair Reid.<br />
Winstar<br />
212-686-6777<br />
Madadayo. Dra, 134 min. Hyakker<br />
Uchida, Tatsuo Matsumura. Dir: Akirs<br />
Kurosawa. Spring<br />
Book of Life Dir: Hal Hartley<br />
Elles. Rom/Dra, 97 min. Miou-Miou<br />
Marisa Berenson. Dir: LuisGalvao Teles<br />
March, 2000
'/)<br />
APRIL<br />
TRAILERS<br />
Spring fever<br />
industry gets over the winter blues and is traditionally<br />
fertile in the month of April, giving birth to a whopping<br />
40 flicks this year, almost matching the 47 titles covered<br />
in BOXOFFICE a year ago. The boxoffice last year at this<br />
time was likewise lucrative, with the modest hits "Never<br />
Been Kissed" and "Life" eventually grossing $55.5 million<br />
and $63.8 million respectively and the breakout hit<br />
"Entrapment'' raking in $87.7 million. The timeframe also<br />
delivered critical hits that didn't fare so well at the boxoffice:<br />
Both "Go" and "Election" earned right around $15 million.<br />
And then there were the bombs that neither the critics<br />
nor the public liked: "The Out-of-Towners" fared the best at<br />
$28.5 million, but "Goodbye Lover," "Lost & Found,"<br />
"Pushing Tin" and "Idle Hands" all garnered less than $10<br />
million.<br />
April 2000 opens with<br />
James Toback's gritty "Black<br />
and White," "Return to Me"<br />
and "Head Over Heels," the<br />
latter two romantic comedies<br />
from MGM and Universal,<br />
respectively. Heavy-hitting<br />
independents Lions Gate,<br />
Paramount Classics and USA<br />
also bow "American<br />
Psycho," "The Virgin<br />
Suicides" and "Joe Gould's<br />
Secret" respectively, this<br />
weekend.<br />
A week later on April 14,<br />
Edward Norton makes his<br />
directorial debut in "Keeping<br />
the Faith," Sandra Bullock<br />
stars "28 Days,"<br />
in<br />
Paramount does double duty<br />
with "Bless the Child" and "Rules of Engagement" and professional<br />
wrestling busts onto the bigscreen in "Ready to<br />
Rumble." Lions Gate throws its hat into the ring with "The Big<br />
Kahuna," as does USA with "Where the Money Is."<br />
The third week of the month is a bit lighter than the previous<br />
two. Columbia bows its dance movie "Center Stage,"<br />
New Line scores with "Love and Basketball" and Universal<br />
sneaks in "U-571."<br />
Finally this month, April 28 is<br />
ladies' night. Fox's "Home Is<br />
Where the Heart Is" (pictured), MCM's "Things You Can Tell<br />
Just by Looking at Her" and Miramax's "Committed" all premiere<br />
this weekend. Other pics include New Line's<br />
"Frequency," Universale "The Skulls" (held from February)<br />
and Warner Bros.' long-delayed "Gossip." Also watch for<br />
"Texas Rangers," "The Yards" and "In Crowd" this month.<br />
^ Continuing our monthly filmmaker profiles, this month<br />
"""(OFFICE talked to Mary Harron, who directed "American<br />
ycho," Sophia Coppola, who directed "The Virgin Suicides'<br />
andd Angela Bettis, who stars in "Bless the Child."<br />
—Annlee Ellingsi<br />
Black and White<br />
In his follow-up to the controversial<br />
"Two Girls and a Guy," writerdirector<br />
James Toback has gathered<br />
an impressive ensemble—including<br />
Robert Downey Jr.<br />
("Bowfinger"), Gaby Hoffman<br />
("200 Cigarettes"), New York Nicks<br />
star Allan Houston, Jared Leto<br />
("Fight Club"), supermodel Claudia<br />
Schiffer, Brooke Shields ("The<br />
Bachelor"), Ben Stiller ("Mystery<br />
Men"), boxer Mike Tyson and Elijah<br />
Wood ("Deep Impact")—for his<br />
story about privileged white teens<br />
who have a reckless fascination<br />
with hip-hop culture. "Two Girls<br />
and a Guy" executive producers<br />
Mike Mailer and Daniel Bigel produce<br />
with Ron Rotholz ("American<br />
Psycho"). (Columbia, 4/5)<br />
Exploitips: Forced to edit "Two<br />
Girls and a Guy" to receive an R<br />
rating, Toback suffered the same<br />
fate here, trimming his opening<br />
scene to cut down on sexual<br />
explicitness. "Black and White"<br />
was nascent Palm Pictures first film<br />
production, though the company<br />
has already released films such as<br />
"Six-String Samurai" and the reissue<br />
of the Talking Heads documentary<br />
"Stop Making Sense."<br />
Envisioning a wider release for this<br />
pic, the indie teamed up with<br />
Columbia's Screen Gems in an<br />
unusual deal that calls for both<br />
companies to distribute and market<br />
"Black and White, " splitting the<br />
profits according to an undisclosed<br />
formula. BOXOFFICE reviewed the<br />
pic in Toronto, giving it 3.5 stars in<br />
the November 1999 issue: "'Black<br />
and White' is surely James<br />
Toback's 'Nashville' wannabe. The<br />
curious film doesn't quite work on<br />
that level, but it does offer its own<br />
compelling bleak vision of<br />
America in the late 1 990s.<br />
distances himself from the supernatural<br />
in this romance as a veterinarian<br />
who falls in love with the woman<br />
who, unbeknownst to him,<br />
received<br />
his deceased wife's heart.<br />
Minnie Driver ("An Ideal Husband")<br />
co-stars. Actress Bonnie Hunt directs<br />
a script she wrote with Samantha<br />
Goodman, Don Lake ('The Extreme<br />
Adventures of Super Dave") and<br />
Andrew Stern; lennie Lew Tugend<br />
("Free Willy") produces. (MGM, 4/7)<br />
Exploitips: Enormously popular as<br />
Fox Mulder on TV's "The X-Files,"<br />
Duchovny filmography varies widely,<br />
from the skin tiick "Rapture, " serial<br />
killing spree "Kalifornia " and mobster<br />
movie "Playing God," which<br />
also starred Timothy Hutton and<br />
Angelina lolie and grossed only a Utile<br />
over $4 million at the lx>xoffice.<br />
Driver's had better luck, voicing Jane<br />
last summer's "Tarzan" and starring<br />
in the indie hit "Good Will<br />
Hunting." Still, though she has<br />
romantic experience onscreen,<br />
Driver's never carried a movie,<br />
either. Tap into the film's plot<br />
device by coordinating with a local<br />
hospital to recruit organ donors and<br />
sponsor a blood drive.<br />
Head Over Heels<br />
Monica Porter ("Patch Adams")<br />
and Freddie Prinze Jr. ("She's All<br />
That") star in this romantic comedy<br />
about a New York art restorer<br />
who falls in love with her neighbor,<br />
despite the fact that she<br />
thinks she saw him murder someone,<br />
a la "Rear Window." China<br />
Chow ("The Big Hit") and models<br />
Shalom Harlow, Ivana Milicevic,<br />
Sarah O'Hare and Tomiko Fraser<br />
co-star. Mark Waters ("The House<br />
of Yes") directs a script by "There's<br />
Something About Mary's" Ed<br />
Decter and John J. Strauss and<br />
Ron Burch and David Kidd;<br />
Robert Simonds ("The Waterboy")<br />
produces. (Universal, 4/7)<br />
Exploitips:<br />
Potter dropped out<br />
of Disney's "Mission to Mars" to<br />
pick up this role after Claire<br />
Danes amicably parted from the<br />
project when both she and the<br />
filmmakers determined that the<br />
part was not suitable for her. Both<br />
Potter and Prinze have seen success<br />
in the romantic realm before,<br />
and their experience will give<br />
David Duchovny and Minnie<br />
Driver's "Return to Me" a run for<br />
its money this weekend, especially<br />
among younger viewers who<br />
will appreciate the film's associations<br />
with "The House of Yes,"<br />
"There's Something About Mary"<br />
and "The Waterboy. " For a clever<br />
double billing, consider Alfred<br />
Hitchcock's<br />
Buddy Boy<br />
Return to Me<br />
"X-Files" star David Duchovny<br />
"Rear Window," rereleased<br />
by Universal associate<br />
USA Films in January.<br />
In this thriller, Brit Aidan Gillen<br />
("Some Mother's Son") stars as an<br />
introvert who escapes the tedium<br />
of caring for his slovenly invalid<br />
mother by spying on his beautiful<br />
neighbor, played by<br />
Frenchwoman Emmanuelle<br />
Seigner ("The Ninth Gate").<br />
Writer-director Mark Hanlon<br />
makes his debut; Cary Woods<br />
("Copland") and Gina Mingacci<br />
produce. (Fine Line, 4/7 NY/LA)<br />
Exploitips: "Buddy Boy,"<br />
which played at both the Venice<br />
and Toronto Film Festivals, could<br />
be another candidate for double<br />
billing with "Rear Window"<br />
because of its voyeuristic themes.<br />
American Psycho<br />
Christian Bale ("Velvet<br />
Goldmine") stars in this controversial<br />
satire about the '80s<br />
yuppie lifestyle as a Wall<br />
Streeter who leads a double life<br />
16 boxoffice
March. 2000 17<br />
as a serial killer at night. Willem Dafoe<br />
("eXistenZ"), Samantha Mathis ("Broken<br />
Arrow"), Reese Witherspoon ("Election"),<br />
Jared Leto ("Fight Club") and Chloe Sevigny<br />
("Boys Don't Cry") co-star. Mary Harron ("I<br />
Shot Andy Warhol") directs a script she cowrote<br />
with Guinevere Turner ("Co Fish")<br />
from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis; Edward<br />
Pressman (Two Girls and a Guy"), Chris<br />
Hanley ("The Virgin Suicides") and<br />
Christian Halsey Solomon ("Legionnaire")<br />
produce. (Lions Gate, 4/7)<br />
Exploitips: Not since "The Beach" has a<br />
film sparked so much protest, and, ironically,<br />
Leo's been associated with both. Harron<br />
had been developing her script for years,<br />
always with Bale in mind for the lead, and<br />
had already secured a green light from<br />
Lions Gate when the independent distributor<br />
abruptly announced that Leonardo<br />
DiCaprio was attached to the picture, skyrocketing<br />
its budget and potentially pushing<br />
Harron out of the project. Peace was<br />
restored eventually, with Harron and Bale<br />
reinstated, but it was not to last long.<br />
Toronto residents objected to the filming of<br />
the picture in their neighborhoods, citing its<br />
grisly source material and the fact that a<br />
copy was found on the bedside of infamous<br />
Ontario serial killer Paul Bernardo. While<br />
Lions Gate objected to the protests,<br />
claiming<br />
that the script is much less violent than<br />
the novel, the company acknowledges that<br />
there's no such thing as bad publicity. See<br />
Director's Chair, page 17.<br />
Luminarias<br />
See our February-issue Trailers. (New<br />
Latin, 4/7 LA)<br />
James Woods ("Any Given Sunday"),<br />
Kathleen Turner ("Baby Geniuses") and Kirsten<br />
Dunst ("Dick") headline this ensemble drama<br />
set in the '70s about the conservative Lisbon<br />
family's five blonde daughters and their string<br />
of inexplicable suicides. Josh Hartnett ("The<br />
Faculty") co-stars. Sofia Coppola makes her<br />
feature film directorial debut from a script she<br />
adapted from Jeffrey Eugenides novel;<br />
Coppola's dad Francis Ford produces with<br />
Julie Costanzo, Dan Halsted ("Any Given<br />
Sunday") and Chris Hanley ("American<br />
Psycho"). (Paramount Classics, 4/7)<br />
Exploitips: Paramount's specialty division<br />
picked up "The Virgin Suicides" after its premiere<br />
at Cannes, where BOXOFFICE gave it<br />
two stars in the September 1 999 issue, saying,<br />
"There are nice moments throughout,<br />
and Coppola has done a deft job evoking the<br />
spirit of the film's period and suburban setting.<br />
But while performances and technical<br />
elements are unimpeachable, the film, finally,<br />
disappoints. Like the Lisbon girls themselves,<br />
it is lovely to look at but doesn 't stand<br />
up well to close inspection; it feels empty<br />
and soulless. " See Director's Chair, page 1 9.<br />
Southpaw<br />
Boxer Francis Barrett is the subject of this<br />
documentary, which profiles the athlete,<br />
his trainers and the nomadic Irish community<br />
from which he comes. Liam McGrath<br />
directs; "1 Went Down's" director and producer,<br />
Paddy Breathnach and Robert<br />
Walpole, produce. (Shooting Gallery, 4/7)<br />
Exploitips: Barrett boxed for Ireland in<br />
the 1996 Olympics. Find footage of his<br />
fights to play prior to the screening.<br />
Rachel Griffiths ("Hilary and Jackie") stars in<br />
this comedy as a successful single journalist<br />
who gets a chance to see what her life would<br />
have been like had she married her true love<br />
when she runs across an exact double of herself.<br />
David Roberts co-stars. Philippa Karmel, who<br />
edited "Shine," writes and directs her debut;<br />
Fabien Liron produces. (Sony Classics, 4/7)<br />
Exploitips: Sony Classics made one of the<br />
first major purchases at Cannes when it<br />
picked this up from French seller Gaumont<br />
for between $ 7 million and $2 million. BOX-<br />
OFFICE reviewed it at Toronto, giving it 2.5<br />
stars in the November 1999 issue: "Neither<br />
as smart as 'Blind Chance' nor as gritty as<br />
'Sliding Doors, ' 'Me Myself T does push all<br />
the right sentimental buttons, which should<br />
make it a hit despite its shortcomings.<br />
Joe Gould's Secret<br />
Stanley Tucci ("The Imposters") directs, produces<br />
and stars in this 1940s New York-set<br />
drama as New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell<br />
who met, befriended and wrote about<br />
Greenwich Village bohemian |oe Gould,<br />
played by Ian Holm ("The Sweet Hereafter").<br />
Gould claimed to be cataloguing an oral history<br />
of the Big Apple and becomes a minor<br />
celebrity thanks to Mitchell, who eventually<br />
discovers that his subject has a secret. Howard<br />
A. Rodman scripts based on Mitchell's writings;<br />
Charles Weinstock ("Where the Money<br />
Is") and Elizabeth W. Alexander ("The<br />
Imposters") produce. (USA, 4/7)<br />
Exploitips: When October Film-, (latei<br />
absorbed by USA Films) greenlighted "Joe<br />
Gould's Secret" in October 1 998, it was the first<br />
project that fell under Tucci and his partner
It ( man<br />
Alexander's first-look deal with the specialty<br />
distributor. Find a copy of Mitchell's article to<br />
distribute among your patrons and decorate<br />
your lobby with images of 1940s New York,<br />
the city being an integral character in the film.<br />
Keepiling the Faith<br />
This romantic comedy marks the directorial<br />
debut of "Fight Club's" Edward Norton. He and<br />
Ben Stiller ("Mystery Men") star as a Catholic<br />
priest and an Orthodox rabbi, respectively,<br />
who both tall in love with the same woman,<br />
whom they knew as children and who recently<br />
re-entered their lives. )enna Elfman ("EDtv")<br />
co-stars. Stuart Blumberg scripts; Howard Koch<br />
Jr. ("Frequency"), Norton and Blumberg produce.<br />
(Buena Vista, 4/1 4)<br />
Exploitips: This $30 million project was<br />
the first project greenlighted by Spyglass<br />
Entertainment, the production and tinam inn<br />
entity that co-produced Disney's "The Sixth<br />
Sense" and "Instinct." College buddies<br />
Norton and Blumberg originally set up the<br />
picture with Koch at Columbia but bought it<br />
back when it went into turnaround.<br />
28 Days<br />
Sandra Bullock ("Gun Shy") stars in this<br />
dramedy as an urban journalist who's sentenced<br />
to a 28-day rehabilitation program after<br />
stealing and crashing<br />
a limousine at her sister's<br />
wedding.<br />
Marianne Jean-<br />
Baptiste ("Secrets &<br />
Lies"), Viggo<br />
Mortensen ("A Perfect<br />
Murder"), Diane<br />
Ladd ("Daddy and<br />
Them") and Elizabeth<br />
Perkins<br />
("Moonlight<br />
and Valentino") co-star. Betty Thomas ("Dr.<br />
Dolittle") directs a script by Susannah Grant<br />
("Erin Brockovich"); Jenno Topping ("Can't<br />
Hardly Wait") produces. (Columbia, 4/14)<br />
Exploitips: Thomas and Topping picked up<br />
this pic for their Tall Trees Prods, banner under<br />
their production deal with Columbia after studio<br />
president Amy Pascal personally developed<br />
the project with Grant.<br />
Like the similarly set<br />
"Girl, Interrupted, " released by Columbia late<br />
last year, "28 Days" will appeal to a distaffpopulation<br />
with its girl-powered cast and crew.<br />
Bless the Child<br />
In her first role since her Oscar-winning<br />
turn in "LA. Confidential," Kim Basinger<br />
stars in this thriller as a psychiatric nurse who<br />
must save her niece from Satanists in a millennial<br />
battle between good and evil. Jimmy<br />
Smits ("My Family"), Rufus Sewell ("The Very<br />
Thought of You") and Angela Bettis ("Girl,<br />
Interrupted") co-star. Christina Ricci ("Sleepy<br />
Hollow") also has a small role. Chuck<br />
Russell ("The Mask") directs; "Three Wishes"<br />
storywriters Clifford and Ellen Green, Don<br />
Roos ("The Opposite of Sex") and Russell<br />
script based on the book by Cathy Cash<br />
Spellmann; Mace Neufeld ("The General's<br />
Daughter") produces. (Paramount, 4/14)<br />
Exploitips: In the vein of "The Sixth Sense,<br />
"Stir of Echoes," "Stigmata" and "End of<br />
Bless the Child" is pan of a recent<br />
string of supernatural thrillers— some successful,<br />
some not so much—fueled by millennial<br />
hype. The film sets itself apart by<br />
appealing to women, an aspect that also puts<br />
it into direct competition with Columbia's<br />
"28 Days" this weekend. Significant changes<br />
were made to the book's original premise to<br />
accommodate the casting of Basinger<br />
(reportedly the character originallv was a inceived<br />
as the child's grandmother), but consider<br />
co-marketing with a local bookstore<br />
nonetheless. See Actor's Studio, page 21.<br />
Rules of Engagement<br />
Tommy Lee Jones ("Double Jeopardy") and<br />
Samuel L. Jackson ("Deep Blue Sea") star in<br />
this military courtroom drama as Vietnam vets<br />
reunited when the latter is accused of violating<br />
the accepted rules of engagement by inciting<br />
an incident that leaves many demonstrators<br />
dead while trying to retake a United States<br />
embassy. Lee plays a lawyer whose career as<br />
a military officer was cut short in Vietnam and<br />
who owes his life to Jackson's character. Kim<br />
Delaney ("Mission to Mars"), Ben Kingsley<br />
("What Planet Are You From?"), Blair<br />
Underwood ("Deep Impact") and Anne<br />
Archer ("Clear and Present Danger") co-star.<br />
William Friedkin ("Jade") directs; Stephen<br />
Gaghan scripts based on a story by former<br />
Navy secretary James Webb; Richard Zanuck<br />
("True Crime") and Scott Rudin ("Wonder<br />
Boys") produce. (Paramount, 4/14)<br />
Exploitips: While the filmmakers didn't<br />
even bother to ask for advice from the U.S.<br />
Marines on this pic due to its uncomplimentary<br />
nature, they did secure cooperation from<br />
the king of Morocco, where they were shooting,<br />
and guaranteed accuracy by optioning<br />
Webb's script and employing "Saving Private<br />
Ryan's" Dale Dye to coordinate battle<br />
scenes. Paramount also released the similarly<br />
themed "The General's Daughter "<br />
went on to gross over $100 million.<br />
w hii h<br />
Ready to Rumble<br />
In this comedy set in the world of World<br />
Championship Wrestling (WCW), David<br />
Arquette ("Scream 3") stars as a wrestlingloving<br />
loser who, devastated when the<br />
champ loses his belt in a humiliating bout<br />
and is ousted from the organization, journeys<br />
to WCW headquarters in Atlanta to resurrect<br />
his hero. Scott Caan ("Boiler Room"),<br />
Oliver Piatt ("Gun Shy"), Rose McGowan<br />
("Jawbreaker"), Martin Landau ("EDtv") and<br />
several WCW wrestlers co-star. Brian<br />
Robbins ("Varsity Blues") directs a script by<br />
Steven Brill ("The Mighty Ducks" franchise);<br />
"Three to Tango's" Robert Newmyer and<br />
Jeffrey Silver produce. (Warner Bros., 4/14)<br />
Exploitips: The potential audience tor this pic,<br />
believe it or not, is<br />
tremendous. The WCW, rest<br />
assured, will be advertising heavily on itswt <<br />
-kly<br />
shows Monday Night Nitro and Thunder.<br />
Coordinate with local merchants to give away<br />
WCW action figures for the winners of a<br />
wrestling trivia contest. (They might be glad to get<br />
rid of them— the tovs tend to gather dust on the<br />
shelves.) If the WCW is visiting your community<br />
soon, try to secure tickets as giveaways as well. If<br />
you're really resourceful, invite a WCW wrestler<br />
to make an appearance opening weekend, autographing<br />
movie posters for fans. Create a link on<br />
your web site to www.wcw.com. Set up a sumo<br />
wrestling ring in your lobby to let your patrons<br />
get in on the action.<br />
Eva<br />
Jeanne Moreau stars in this re-release of<br />
the 1 962 classic as a greedy seductress who<br />
ensnares and then humiliates a writer, causing<br />
his wife's death. Stanley Baker and Virna<br />
Lisi co-star. Joseph Losey directs; Hugo Butler<br />
and Evan Jones script based on the novel by<br />
James Hadley Chase; Raymond Hakim and<br />
Robert Hakim produce. (Kino, 4/14)<br />
Exploitips: Locate original posters from<br />
1962 to hang in your lobby for this release.<br />
Losey and Moreau also collaborated on 1 976's<br />
"Mr.<br />
Klein" and 1982's "The Trout." Doublebill<br />
with one of these or indicate at which local<br />
video stores your patrons can find them.<br />
The Specialist<br />
Consisting of footage from the 1 961 trial of<br />
Adolf Eichmann in Israel, this documentary<br />
paints a portrait of the man known as "the<br />
specialist"<br />
during the Holocaust, responsible<br />
for the deportation and eventual massacre of<br />
Jews in European death camps. Eyal Sivan<br />
writes, directs and produces; Rony Brauman<br />
scripts; Armelle Laboire produces. (Kino, 4/1 2)<br />
Exploitips: "The Specialist" owes its<br />
structure somewhat to Hannah Arendt's<br />
study of Eichmann called, "Eichmann in<br />
Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of E\ il,<br />
which argued that the fact that Eichmann<br />
seemed so normal during the trial made his<br />
crimes all the more horrifying. Invite a local<br />
college history department to set up a panel<br />
discussion about the paper and the film.<br />
The Big Kahuna<br />
"American Beauty's" Kevin Spacey produces<br />
and stars in this dramedy about three<br />
industrial lubricant salesmen stuck in a<br />
Midwestern hotel room together on the eve of<br />
making the biggest sale of their lives. Danny<br />
DeVito ("Man on the Moon") and Peter<br />
Facinelli ("Supernova") co-star. John Swanbeck<br />
makes his directorial debut; Roger Rueff adapts<br />
his own screenplay; "The Whole Nine Yards"<br />
executive producers Elie Samaha and Andrew<br />
Stevens produce. (Lions Gate, 4/14 NY/LA)<br />
Exploitips: A labor of love for Spacey, "The Big<br />
kahuna, " which was shot for under $2 million<br />
ova 16 evenings while he rehearsed tor 'The<br />
< i «* ih during the day, is the first picture<br />
to come out of his Trigger Street Prods. BOX-<br />
OFFICE gave it 2.5 stars at Toronto, where Lions<br />
( iate rsecutives first saw and fell in love with it.<br />
In i •!// / ifi ember 1999 issue, the review reads,<br />
"The Big Kahuna' can't help but feel like a filmed<br />
pla\... It's also traversing the same territory mined<br />
by Death of a Salesman' and 'Glengarry Glen<br />
Ross u ith a nod towards Waiting for Godot ' for<br />
goodmeasure. In that regard. The Big Kahuna' is<br />
too familiar by half, with the arguments among<br />
the men rather pedestrian and uninspiring.<br />
But<br />
there's something fresh here, too. 'The Big<br />
Kahuna' is about respect land! assumptions and<br />
lis! unexpectedly touching." See this month's<br />
cover story for more on Spacey.<br />
18 BOXOMKI
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Where the Money Is<br />
Paul Newman ("Message in a Bottle")<br />
stars in this caper as a convicted bank robber<br />
who scams his way out of prison by faking<br />
a stroke and getting transferred to a<br />
nursing home. His plans for escape are<br />
foiled when his nurse discovers his ruse,<br />
but she promises to keep her mouth shut if<br />
he includes her in his last big heist. Linda<br />
("What Planet Are You Fi<br />
Fiorentino<br />
and Dermot Mulroney ("Goodbye Lover")<br />
co-star. Marek Kanievska ("Less Than<br />
Zero") directs script by E. Max Frye<br />
a<br />
("Palmetto"), Topper Lilien and Carroll<br />
Cartwright; "Clay Pigeons'" Ridley Scott<br />
and Chris Zarpas, Charles Weinstock ("Joe<br />
Gould's Secret") and Christopher Dorr produce.<br />
(USA, 4/21)<br />
Exploitips: This pic should appeal to<br />
Newman's fans, an older demo otherwise<br />
not tapped this weekend. Play your own<br />
game of "Where the Money Is," attaching<br />
faux dollar hills that can be redeemed at the<br />
concession stand to the bottoms of auditorium<br />
seats.<br />
Center Stage<br />
Peter Gallagher ("House on Haunted Hill")<br />
stars in this drama set in the competitive<br />
world of professional ballet about a tight-knit<br />
group of teens who sacrifice having normal<br />
lives to train as dancers. Nicholas Hynter<br />
("The Object of My Affection") directs a script<br />
by Carol Heikkinen ("Empire Records");<br />
Laurence Mark ("Hanging Up") produces.<br />
(Columbia, 4/21)<br />
Exploitips: Collaborate with a local<br />
dance troupe to sponsor (and thus advertise<br />
at) their recitals and see if they'll perform<br />
at your theatre in conjunction with<br />
opening weekend. Also, hold a raffle to<br />
give away free ballet lessons to patrons.<br />
Love and Basketball<br />
Omar Epps ("The Wood") and Alfre<br />
Woodard ("Mumford") star in this hoopster<br />
romance about college-aged basketball<br />
players who try not to let their new-found<br />
romances interfere with their professional<br />
futures. Gina Prince-Blythewood writes<br />
and directs; "The Best Man's" Spike Lee<br />
and Sam Kitt produce. (New Line, 4/21)<br />
Exploitips: Urban audiences will best<br />
respond to this pic's cast and crew.<br />
Sponsor local basketball games at the high<br />
school, college or Y— the exposure will<br />
U-571<br />
Matthew McConaughey ("EDtv") stars in<br />
this World War II movie as a lieutenant on a<br />
United States Navy submarine involved in a<br />
plot to swipe a coding device from a Nazi U-<br />
Boat in the Atlantic at the height of the war.<br />
Bill Paxton ("Mighty Joe Young"), Harvey<br />
Keitel ("Holy Smoke") and Jon Bon Jovi ("No<br />
Looking Back") co-star. Jonathan Mostow<br />
("Breakdown") directs a script he wrote with<br />
Sam Montgomery ("Breakdown") and former<br />
U.S. Navy sonarman David Ayer;<br />
"Breakdown's" Dino and Martha<br />
DeLaurentiis produce. (Universal, 4/21)<br />
Exploitips: Easily perceived as riding the<br />
coattails of the boxoffice and critical hit "Saving<br />
Private Ryan," "U-571 " was actually already in<br />
production before "Ryan" was released in July<br />
1 998, when Michael Douglas, who had been<br />
attached to project, dropped out to pursue<br />
"Wonder Boys." Mostow then rewrote the<br />
script for a late-20-something actor, namely<br />
McConaughey. Look for other World War ll-set<br />
pics to capitalize on "Ryan's" success,<br />
reach your core audience. Give away tickets<br />
for local hoops franchises on opening<br />
weekend. Set up Nerf hoops in your lobby<br />
for low-key games of one-on-one.<br />
including<br />
"Proteus," a project in the pipeline at<br />
Miramax to be directed by "Pi's" Darren<br />
Aronofsky that has stalled production in "U-<br />
57 1 's" wake.<br />
A Pornographic Affair<br />
Nathalie Baye and Sergei Lopez co-headline<br />
this French-language mock documentary<br />
about a couple that seeks each other<br />
out for purely sexual liaisons, only to find<br />
their relationship developing into much<br />
more. Frederic Fonteyne directs a script by<br />
Philippe Blasband; Patrick Quinet produces.<br />
(Fine Line, 4/21 NY/LA)<br />
Exploitips: Fine Line picked up "A<br />
Pornographic Affair," along with next<br />
month's "Five Senses" and "But I'm a<br />
Cheerleader," at last year's Toronto Film<br />
March, 2000 19
1<br />
Festival, marking the New Line specialty<br />
arm's first French-language acquisition<br />
since president Mark Ordesky took it over<br />
two years ago. Emulating the film's plot<br />
device, have patrons compose a personal<br />
ad seeking a no-strings-attached, purely<br />
sexual relationship, giving out concessions<br />
coupons for the funniest, sexiest, most original,<br />
etc.— probably not an activity for the<br />
kiddies.<br />
Family Tree<br />
Robert Forster ("Supernova") and Naomi<br />
Judd star in this family drama about a defiant<br />
son's fight against all odds and the lesson<br />
that anything worth having is worth<br />
fighting for. Matt ("Mrs. Doubtfire") and<br />
Andy ("Jack Frost") Lawrence co-star.<br />
Duane Clark directs a script by Paul<br />
Canterna; Mike Curb ("Wedding Bell<br />
Blues") produces. (Independent Artists,<br />
4/21 NY/LA/Dallas/Miami)<br />
Exploitips: Invite a local genealogical<br />
society to set up a booth in your lobby as a<br />
play on this film's name and encourage<br />
families to attend by inviting kids to<br />
illustrate<br />
their own rudimentary family trees<br />
with construction paper and crayons.<br />
Third World Cop<br />
See our January-issue Trailers. (Palm, 4/21<br />
Croupier<br />
Clive Owen ("The Rich Man's Wife")<br />
stars in this thriller as a novelist working at<br />
a roulette wheel who's seduced by a<br />
woman who convinces him to join her in a<br />
robbery scheme, an experience he writes<br />
about in his next book. Alex Kingston (TV's<br />
"ER") co-stars. Mike Hodges directs a script<br />
by Paul Mayersberg; Jonathan Cavendish<br />
and Christine Ruppert produce. (Shooting<br />
Gallery, 4/21)<br />
Exploitips: Set up a roulette wheel in the<br />
lobby, giving away popcorn and soda<br />
instead of cash to winners.<br />
Home Is Where the Heart Is<br />
In this dramedy, Natalie Portman<br />
("Anywhere But Here") stars as a pregnant<br />
teenager abandoned by her boyfriend at an<br />
Oklahoma Wal-Mart with just over $7 in<br />
her pocket on their way to California. She<br />
decides to make the department store her<br />
home. Ashley Judd ("Double Jeopardy"),<br />
Stockard Channing ("Practical Magic") and<br />
Joan Cusack ("Cradle Will Rock") co-star.<br />
"Roseanne" creator Matt Williams makes<br />
his directorial debut; "EDtv's" Lowell Ganz<br />
and Babaloo Mandel script from the novel<br />
by Billie Letts; Williams, Susan Cartsonis<br />
and David McFadzean produce. (Fox, 4/28)<br />
Exploitips: Although Portman was an<br />
integral player in "The Phantom Menace, " a<br />
boxoffice blowout we won't soon forget,<br />
her last outing, "Anywhere But Here," was<br />
a boxoffice disappointment, earning just<br />
over $18 million on a budget of $23 million,<br />
despite her pairing with Susan<br />
Sarandon. Avoid a similar fate with this film<br />
by coordinating with a local Wal-Mart for a<br />
community sleepover at the store under the<br />
premise that it's an experiment to see if a<br />
person could actually live there.<br />
Things You Can Tell<br />
Just by Looking at Her<br />
This romantic dramedy stars Cameron Diaz<br />
("Any Given Sunday"), Calista Flockhart ("A<br />
Midsummer Night's Dream"), Glenn Close<br />
(<br />
"Cookie's Fortune"),<br />
Holly Hunter ("Living<br />
Out Loud") and Kathy<br />
Baker ("The Cider<br />
House Rules") in<br />
2interwoven<br />
stories<br />
about love and loss.<br />
Cinematographer<br />
Rodrigo Garcfa<br />
("Body Shots") makes<br />
his screenwriting and<br />
directorial debut; Jon<br />
Avnet, who ex produced "Inspector<br />
Gadget," produces. (MGM, 4/28)<br />
Exploitips: "Things You Can Tell Just by<br />
Looking at Her" premiered at Sundance in<br />
January, an appropriate forum considering<br />
it originated at the Sundance Institute's<br />
Screenwriting Lab in 1998. It also spearheaded<br />
MCM's repositioning of United<br />
Artists as its specialty label, which will now<br />
produce or acquire eight films a year with<br />
budgets of less than $20 million.<br />
Committed<br />
Heather Graham ("Austin Powers: The<br />
Spy Who Shagged Me") tops this romantic<br />
comedy as a woman who journeys 2,000<br />
miles to retrieve her midlife crisis-suffering<br />
husband. Casey Affleck ("Drowning Mona")<br />
and Luke Wilson ("Blue Streak") co-star. Lisa<br />
Krueger ("Manny & Lo") writes and directs;<br />
"Manny & Lo's" Dean Silvers and Marlen<br />
Hecht produce. (Miramax, 4/28)<br />
Exploitips: Graham's character is touted<br />
here as "the most committed woman in<br />
America." Coordinate with a local radio<br />
station, challenging callers to knock her off<br />
her throne with their true-life stories of<br />
commitment, offering them movie tickets<br />
for their trouble.<br />
James Caviezel ("The Thin Red Line")<br />
stars in this sci-fi thriller as a police officer<br />
who receives a ham radio message from a<br />
fireman, only to realize it's his own father,<br />
played by Dennis Quaid ("Any Given<br />
Sunday"), calling on the day he died in<br />
1969. Gregory Hoblit ("Fallen") directs a<br />
script by Toby Emmerich; Howard Koch<br />
(who executive produced Hoblit's "Primal<br />
Fear"), Hoblit and Emmerich produce.<br />
(New Line, 4/28)<br />
Exploitips: Emmerich is the president of<br />
music at New Line. This is his first screenplay.<br />
Cooperate with a local music store to<br />
give out copies of the soundtrack, which<br />
Emmerich will likely have a hand in.<br />
Gossip<br />
See our September 1999-issue<br />
(Warner Bros., 4/28)<br />
Trailers.<br />
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie<br />
Luis Buriuel ("Belle de Jour") writes and<br />
directs this reissue about a group of upper-middle<br />
class friends whose dinner plans are continually<br />
interrupted by increasingly surreal events.<br />
Jean-Claude Carriere scripts. (Rialto, 4/28)<br />
Exploitips: Book this one as a double bill<br />
with one of Buhuel's other films.<br />
Not One Less<br />
Zhang Yimou ("Shanghai Triad") directs<br />
this comic fable about a 13-year-old girl<br />
hired to teach the village schoolchildren in<br />
the teacher's absence and is determined not<br />
to allow one more student to drop out of<br />
class. Wei Minzhi, Zhang Huike, Tian<br />
Zhenda and Gao Enman, all non-professionals<br />
playing the roles they have in life, star.<br />
Shi Xiangshen scripts based on his novel;<br />
Zhao Yu produces. (Sony Classics, 4/28)<br />
Exploitips: "Not One Less" won the top<br />
prize, the Golden Lion, at the 1999 Venice<br />
Film Festival and made its North American<br />
debut at Sundance in January.<br />
Texas Rangers<br />
James Van Der Beek ("Varsity Blues ") and<br />
Dylan McDermott ("Three to Tango") lassoed<br />
the leads in this historical Western about a<br />
ragtag posse of cowboys who banded together<br />
after the Civil War to clean up the West.<br />
Ashton Kutcher (TV's "That '70s Show"),<br />
Robert Patrick ("The Faculty"), Randy Travis<br />
("Black Dog") and Usher Raymond ("Light It<br />
Up") round up the cast.<br />
Steve Miner ("Lake<br />
Placid") directs a script by John Milius ("Clear<br />
and Present Danger"); Alan Greisman<br />
("Fletch Lives") and Frank Price ("Circle of<br />
Friends") produce. (Miramax, April undated)<br />
Exploitips: In a role for which he was paid<br />
$200,000, Van Oer Beek led "Varsity Blues"<br />
to an unexpected $50-plus million, and his<br />
hot-ticket status resurrected "Texas Rangers"<br />
from production hell. The pic had originally<br />
been set up years ago at Columbia, where it<br />
was expected to be the last film by director<br />
Sam Peckinpah. It then moved to Sawy<br />
Pictures, where it was intended to be the startup's<br />
first big picture in 1993. Once Van Der<br />
Beek was attached (this time for a low sevenfigure<br />
sum), though, interest in the script<br />
resurfaced, and Dimension Films picked it<br />
up. A surefire hit among teens, promote this<br />
Western to other demos by dressing your staff<br />
up in boots, chaps and spurs and offering discounts<br />
to patrons who do likewise.<br />
The Wisdom of Crocodiles<br />
See our September 1999-issue<br />
(Miramax, April undated NY/LA)<br />
Trailers.<br />
The Yards<br />
Mark Wahlberg ('Three Kings") leads a<br />
multi-generational cast in this mystery as an<br />
ex-con fresh out of prison whose attempts to<br />
lead a straight life are thwarted by the corrupt<br />
family business, loaquin Phoenix ("8MM"),<br />
Charlize Theron ("The Cider House Rules"),<br />
Faye Dunaway ("The Messenger"), Ellen<br />
Burstyn ("Playing by Heart") and lames Caan<br />
("Mickey Blue Eyes") co-star. James Gray<br />
("Little Odessa") directs as well as scripts<br />
with Matt Reeves ("The Pallbearer"). Nick<br />
Wechsler ("The Player"), Paul Webster<br />
("Gridlock'd") and Kerry Orent ("Cop Land")<br />
produce. (Miramax, April undated)<br />
Exploitips: This pic boasts a cast that virtually<br />
guarantees crossover among demos:<br />
Dunaway, Burstyn and Caan for the mature<br />
and distaff sets and Wahlberg, Phoenix and<br />
Theron for the young, hip crowd. This<br />
month's "Rules of Engagement," "U-571"<br />
and "Where the Money Is" will be formidable<br />
opponents.<br />
20 BOXOFHCE
i . hei<br />
(,<br />
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Cover<br />
A LITTLE ZLICE<br />
OF KEVIN<br />
With "The Big Kahuna" and "Ordinary Decent Criminal"<br />
Slated For Release and Odds in His Favor For Another Oscar Nod,<br />
Kevin Spacey's Millennium is Off to a Divine Start<br />
by.Francesca Dinglasan<br />
hen<br />
201
shot on location<br />
rtunt attribute ol a TheG<<br />
ivs Spacer, is his or ous film<br />
when to do nothing hire. It's<br />
ualitr of 'The Big think it's<br />
explains, "is really While<br />
riter and the director Spacey<br />
ed his role. 1 gave it t<br />
him run with the ball
SPECIAL SERIES: 2001-2010<br />
NEW CINEMA DESIGN<br />
The Future of Theatre Architecture.<br />
Is Now.<br />
e crystal ball<br />
lext 10 years of<br />
uc»ign," and you're<br />
likely to rediscover the new-andimproveW-'pasti.<br />
BOXOHKK surveyed some of<br />
?<br />
the industry's top architects and<br />
designers and found many predicting<br />
trends that hark back to an earlier<br />
era. Some see the return of the<br />
balcony, a hallmark of the days of<br />
double features and back-row<br />
courting. Others see the resurrection<br />
of services such asmfl^<br />
the downscaling i<br />
replacing the 24- and 3JH<br />
megaplex, not with the single<br />
screens of old bi<br />
less grandiose numbers.<br />
All these visions are influenced<br />
by the most contemporary of<br />
advances. There's room for those<br />
romantic balconies, they say,<br />
because the projection room will<br />
He obsolete with the advent of<br />
PPPrnativc modes of projection.<br />
Patrons will reserve their seats and<br />
order their movie dinners over the<br />
by Melissa Morrison<br />
1<br />
count is si<br />
tested the 1<br />
architects suggest that these theatres<br />
building anc<br />
will adapt the newly available<br />
might indeed<br />
Whatev<br />
..ill natur*<br />
ough,<br />
to build<br />
area in order to expand their services.<br />
For example, it could be converted<br />
into a food-service area for<br />
upon the s<br />
ous decade.<br />
"Right r"><br />
the previpresident<br />
more elaborate preparation, or into<br />
e room for use by parties or<br />
ses. Some cinema operators<br />
expecting tl<br />
_ .mply use it for storage. But<br />
Olson, vice of Gould the most mentioned use is the<br />
Evans Goo'ima" n aiL which designs return of thTbalcony.<br />
about 75 percent i5f AMC Theatres' "I remember, way back when I was<br />
new sites. "Nowc.t iw that someone has a kid^e had big plush theaters with<br />
sat in a big cumnfortable chair, ex pe-<br />
rienced stadium<br />
gotten he ..<br />
balconies," savs Thomas Berkes,<br />
fully J<br />
they're going toij<br />
next<br />
that the future hold ere we c<br />
lf you had to boil down most cinebe<br />
this one: digil<br />
revolutionize the movie theatre<br />
industry in the same way stadium<br />
seating did a few years ago," says<br />
David Mesbur, partner in Toronto's<br />
Mesbur & Smith Architects.<br />
Digital projection will do away<br />
with celluloid prints and thus the<br />
machines required to show them.<br />
Perhaps studios w'» »w«m tr<br />
tal films via sat<br />
which will download theu _<br />
puters; perhaps they will deliver them<br />
via DVD. Though no one is certain<br />
exactly what form digital projectioi<br />
will take ultimately, most speak as<br />
confidently as Andy Youngquist,<br />
president of Costa Mesa, Calif. -<br />
based Birtcher C onsti uc4fch«as to<br />
the physical result: \lfHf 1<br />
"The mezzanine and pre<br />
area that we _.<br />
*** ;<br />
llv can be elimi-<br />
a box for six people, a<br />
in, which is more private, «<br />
.4<br />
different pricing system and ...<br />
food and beverage service."<br />
'-nilds, not having a proleans<br />
cheaper construction<br />
costs and more desig'<br />
freedom for architects. Says Olso.<br />
of Gould Evans Goodman: "W<br />
have a whole new opportunity t<br />
create a more efficient buildi<br />
lot less expensive<br />
only would blueprints no longe<br />
have to acco<br />
ilUBBHiNM I
(here ol older people who ure much<br />
more sophisticated in their taste<br />
seating<br />
u<br />
and hells and whistles and video<br />
games and noise," Mesbur says.<br />
That means lobbies offering quieter<br />
amenities such as sushi bars a«H<br />
bookstores. He points to the st<br />
of the Beach, a Toronto ci<br />
built by Alliance Atlantis, that<br />
hires both, along with evening<br />
to nuances by a jazz combo.<br />
»a Montague, whose I><br />
tague Design Group has decor<br />
many United Artists thea,<br />
rs, says melding ad<br />
. with convenience will<br />
resurgence of the movie<br />
rybody's lifestyle is<br />
..ho has time to eat dii<br />
with their spouse and go<br />
.isit<br />
movie?" asks the Irving, Te<br />
based designer. "But, if you ca<br />
that in one place, you can ha,<br />
nice night out. Movie grills are<br />
i<br />
initely the wave of the future."<br />
says grills are particularly att<br />
the as a niche for older thea<br />
with limited screens who can't c<br />
pete with multi- and megaplexe<br />
terms of number of movie choic<br />
m Lefler, senior vice presH<br />
irtcner. would mid add beer and •<br />
o. perhaps served<br />
a private mezzai<br />
And make sure? the seats are plu<br />
and bigger, he adds, for o<br />
patrons who expect more con<br />
thsin do their younger counterpa<br />
DOWNSIZll<br />
THE MEGA PL<br />
t<br />
If the hj> decade of the 1<br />
defined bv the megaplex,<br />
s<br />
2000s promi!<br />
aling back. Thes<br />
ideal l>eingMHfind one-half to t<br />
third of those numbers.<br />
"The perfect size right now is<br />
probably 16 to 18 screens," Olson<br />
iv« "It becomes sort of the perfect<br />
..w.jry, getting the big screens in<br />
there but not paying too much for<br />
them.... When it got up to the 24-<br />
and 30s, it just was too hard to tp<br />
<<br />
intain that type of crowd."<br />
__Sei«ral architects and desigrci|,cU<br />
clients who weren't able<br />
^Bheir mcgaplcxcs at capa<br />
^ off-peak times, which makes<br />
ng them an expensive propo-<br />
March. 2000 25
s^>^#<br />
sition. "I don't know anyone building<br />
30-plexes anymore," says<br />
Tucker Trotter, vice president of<br />
Dimensional Innovations in<br />
Overland Park, Kan. "Many<br />
exhibitors have found that a $20<br />
million or $30 million 30-plex does<br />
not actually create a higher profit<br />
margin than a 14-plex."<br />
Screen numbers are also constrained<br />
by location. Aging existing<br />
theatres that, however, are nestled<br />
in desirable spots might not have the<br />
room to expand, but they're in too<br />
good a location to abandon. So they<br />
turn to designers such as Birtcher's<br />
Lefler to retrofit them with highquality<br />
sound and seats.<br />
yp-^m *A1
and he notes that three- and fourlevel<br />
cinemas are already in existence<br />
up north in San Francisco and<br />
across the border in Canada.<br />
And, while the nation's metropolises<br />
become saturated with screens,<br />
exhibitors will turn to smaller cities,<br />
which, likewise, can accommodate<br />
similarly scaled theatres, not 30s.<br />
Mesbur says, "There's a big push<br />
away from large urban centers,<br />
which are almost overscreened right<br />
now, and into smaller centers. The<br />
impetus will be digital technology,<br />
which will allow that to happen in<br />
an economical manner, opening up a<br />
whole new market."<br />
Digital technology will facilitate<br />
such builds by axing the need for<br />
physical prints; therefore, fdms can<br />
be beamed as easily to Albuquerque<br />
on opening day as to Chicago.<br />
SCREENS:<br />
BIG AND BIGGER?<br />
Just as cinema sound made giant<br />
strides in the past 10 years, many<br />
predict visuals will do likewise in the<br />
next 10. For most, that means<br />
screens will get bigger and presentation<br />
more enveloping. Olson says<br />
that the IMAX format will go mainstream,<br />
as studios recognize its popularity<br />
so far. "I see more theatres<br />
with a combination of IMAX and<br />
regular screens," he says.<br />
Berkes is more dubious of giant<br />
screen becoming the norm— "I know<br />
IMAX is in, but I don't think that<br />
would be for mass audiences"—but<br />
he echoes the idea that theatre visuals<br />
will evolve. "Maybe the next step<br />
is 3-D without the glasses."<br />
Changing projection methods and<br />
changing screen size will ripple out<br />
into seating configurations, which,<br />
in turn, will change auditorium<br />
shape, he says. It's too early to tell<br />
how, Berkes adds.<br />
Chris Jacobsen, president of<br />
Glatz-Jacobsen Theatre Design<br />
Consultants in Arvada, Colo., is<br />
skeptical. Larger screens make for<br />
uncomfortable viewing, in his experience.<br />
"It's like reading a newspaper<br />
with your nose touching the page,"<br />
he says. "You can't focus enough."<br />
Besides, he adds, he's seen such<br />
claims come to nothing before.<br />
"It seems history always repeats<br />
itself, and certainly it does in the<br />
motion picture industry," says<br />
Jacobsen, whose partner, Mel<br />
Glatz, began building cinemas<br />
between the world wars. "Forty<br />
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years ago, they were experimenting<br />
with making screens that were<br />
giants, that would fill a room wallto-wall,<br />
floor-to-ceiling. At the<br />
time, the technology didn't exist to<br />
get the image there with clarity."<br />
A similar attempt was made in<br />
the '80s by AMC, Jacobsen recalls.<br />
"They had all these whiz-bang<br />
ideas—'Let's make screens real<br />
big!'... The technology existed, but<br />
they didn't know how to do it.<br />
"All of a sudden, AMC had the<br />
same problem as 40 years ago: a<br />
huge screen, but they can't get an<br />
image on it," he says. "So those<br />
regressions over past history are<br />
going to happen again."<br />
STADIUM SEATING:<br />
DOWNHILL INCLINE?<br />
Stadium seating is the sport utility<br />
vehicle of '90s cinema design;<br />
everyone who's anyone has it. But,<br />
just as with the SUV, complaints<br />
about safety and expense have<br />
begun rumbling on the horizon, and<br />
some predict this fixture of contemporary<br />
cinema design will go the<br />
way of the earlier gas guzzlers.<br />
Stadium seating is too expensive,<br />
they say. The steps it requires present<br />
the possibility of accidents and,<br />
thus, lawsuits. It limits seating configurations<br />
for optimal sightlines.<br />
"It's such a hassle—so much money<br />
and time and space wasted in those<br />
buildings," Jacobsen says.<br />
Lawrence Dworkin, whose New<br />
York, N.Y. construction firm has<br />
built General Cinemas' sites, says<br />
the end of the rake is near. "It's<br />
going to be phased out, because it's<br />
twice as expensive to build."<br />
The Canadian-based Mesbur and<br />
Smith aren't quite as adamant on<br />
the subject, but the partners do see a<br />
relaxation of American building<br />
codes that will give seating designers<br />
more leeway. Mesbur says that,<br />
outside of the United States, where<br />
codes are more liberal, one can<br />
achieve a stadium theatre with better<br />
visibility, more consistent sightlines,<br />
and a less precipitous rake of<br />
the floor. The result is viewing that<br />
is more comfortable for the audience,<br />
particularly for elderly or disabled<br />
patrons who have difficulty<br />
negotiating stairs.<br />
"It becomes much more audiencefriendly,"<br />
he says.<br />
Specifically, current building<br />
code, Smith says, is too restrictive in<br />
terms of tread and riser heights. "In<br />
DESIGNER<br />
PREDICTIONS<br />
& PROPHECIES<br />
In our conversations, we came<br />
across a few especially notable<br />
forecasts of the cinema's future.<br />
We present four of them below.<br />
• Portable theatres. Some<br />
movie theatres could eventually<br />
break from their moorings and<br />
hit the road, according to architect<br />
Thomas Berkes, just like<br />
the oldtimers of the 1910s and<br />
1920s. But this time out it would<br />
not be a jalopy and a sheet; it<br />
would resemble a motor home,<br />
traveling to remote locations,<br />
where collapsible bleachers<br />
would be assembled on-site. "It<br />
can go on a freeway or a highway,"<br />
he says. "You set it up<br />
anywhere and run a film for a<br />
few days...and then move on."<br />
• Internet transactions. "You<br />
will be able to sit in your house<br />
and decide the time you want to<br />
go to a particular film, pick the<br />
seat you want to sit in, and<br />
order your menu off the web,"<br />
says Andrew Youngquist, president<br />
of Birtcher Construction,<br />
who expects internet transactions<br />
to free up cinema space in<br />
several ways.<br />
You won't, for example, need<br />
as large a lobby area or as many<br />
concession stands. "You walk in,<br />
merely say your name, and they<br />
know what time you're going to<br />
be there—so your food service is<br />
already prepared, and you just<br />
walk into theatre," he says.<br />
• Motorized seats. Youngquist<br />
also pictures the theatres of the<br />
near future being equipped with<br />
chairs from which vibrations and<br />
sounds will emanate. "You will<br />
actually become a part of the cinema<br />
itself," he says.<br />
• Crying rooms. Youngquist<br />
sees a resurrection of soundproof<br />
rooms, where mothers can<br />
watch the film with their babies<br />
without disturbing other patrons.<br />
"I think people want that<br />
privacy of not having a baby<br />
crying in their ear when they're<br />
viewing a love story."<br />
28 BOXOFFK I
the perfect stadium seating for optimal<br />
sightlines, you have to have little<br />
variation in treads and riser<br />
heights," he says. "Actually it's<br />
safer. You get a gentler curve."<br />
Smith says he plans to approach<br />
building officials to lobby for such<br />
changes. "I think it'll happen<br />
gradually. It's like Buckminster<br />
Fuller, who compared himself to<br />
the rudder on an ocean liner: He<br />
puts his foot out a bit and the liner<br />
turns very slowly."<br />
THE EVOLUTION<br />
OF LOBBIES<br />
Although a cinema's heart is the<br />
darkened auditorium in which a<br />
movie flickers, its face is its lobby<br />
the feature that patrons notice first<br />
and the one that defines a particular<br />
cinema's public image. Montague,<br />
the Lone Star-based interior designer,<br />
sees a shift from the bright colors<br />
and flashing lights that she's been<br />
doing for the past 14 years.<br />
"There are more baby boomers<br />
out there," she says. "I know a lot<br />
of my friends who are baby<br />
boomers don't feel comfortable in<br />
those brightly colored, flashy theatres....<br />
Life is getting more hectic...<br />
Everyone's trying to get more<br />
comfortable and relax more. I<br />
think they can do it in more understated<br />
interiors."<br />
Montague predicts a return to<br />
natural finishes and metals, and<br />
more curving lines and subdued colors.<br />
"A good example would be<br />
what Cinemark is doing with their<br />
interiors," she says. "They're taking<br />
elements of the old movie theatres<br />
of the '30s and '40s, and making<br />
them grander, more Art Deco,<br />
more Art Nouveau."<br />
Jim Baker, president of Dimensional<br />
Innovations, and Trotter, his<br />
design vice president, say theatres<br />
will need impressive lobbies even<br />
more in the upcoming decade in<br />
order to distinguish themselves from<br />
the competition. Offers Trotter,<br />
"There's a need for theatre companies<br />
to come up with other ways to<br />
get people in there, other than just<br />
showing movies."<br />
Trotter points to themed interiors<br />
and three-dimensional attractions<br />
that make the entertainment experience<br />
begin the minute the patron<br />
steps through the door. "People go<br />
to movies so they can escape," he<br />
says. "Disneyworld and Disneyland<br />
and Las Vegas are really good<br />
examples of places that have created<br />
environments that take you away<br />
to another world."<br />
Trotter and Baker suggest that<br />
Disney is more than an entertainment<br />
inspiration; it's an economic<br />
one as well. Says Baker, "If you<br />
look at Disneyworld, casinos and<br />
other themed entertainment businesses..<br />
.they seem completely recession-proof<br />
and bulletproof as a<br />
company. That says to me that the<br />
public will still pay to go into a highly<br />
themed, sensory-overloaded environment<br />
to be entertained."<br />
A BIT OFHEMINGWAY:<br />
A CLEAN<br />
WELL-LIGHTED PLACE<br />
"Smaller and better" seems to<br />
be the mantra for the first decade<br />
of this big new millennium.<br />
Cinema designers are preparing<br />
for the new age by taking the best<br />
of the past and blending it with the<br />
latest technology.<br />
Then again, according to a veteran<br />
of the industry, cinema success in<br />
2010 may come down to a simple<br />
roll of toilet paper. "The function of<br />
the motion picture industry is the<br />
need to entertain the public and<br />
need to do it in a first-class way,"<br />
says Jacobsen of Glatz-Jacobsen.<br />
"They don't have to spend outrageous<br />
amounts of money to build a<br />
fancy building, because people<br />
aren't coming to see the building;<br />
they're coming to see what's on<br />
inside. They need to keep clean,<br />
well-lighted restrooms that don't<br />
smell," he says. "That's the kind of<br />
stuff that hampers the success of<br />
the theatre business.<br />
"They need to do what they do<br />
better, and they need to get over<br />
this latest techno-whiz stuff," says<br />
Jacobsen. "They never want to<br />
spend enough money to have a<br />
good toilet paper roll, but those<br />
are the kind of things that fail and<br />
the kind of things that make people<br />
unhappy."<br />
SBM<br />
Images in this story (in order of<br />
appearance) are from: Loeks-Star<br />
(exterior, Southfield, Mich.);<br />
Showcase (neon sign. Orange,<br />
Conn.); Cinemark (hallway);<br />
Loews (Hollywood sign, Sony<br />
IMAX, New York); Muvico (grill,<br />
Pompano Beach, Fla.); Century<br />
(exterior. Orange, Calif).<br />
Good booth service techs I<br />
can generate a wide<br />
range of emotions<br />
among managers. Most<br />
often, ours is<br />
CONFIDENCE.<br />
*<br />
Theater service from a new<br />
perspective YOURS !<br />
1-800-310-7940<br />
service@ddts.com<br />
1-877-FAX-DDTS<br />
Ifs your money.<br />
Response No. 530<br />
Response No 1<br />
March. 2000 29
j<br />
SPECIAL REPORT: Barometer 2000<br />
DATELINE 1999<br />
Charting Our Year's Hottest News & Quotes<br />
Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan, Annlee Ellingson and Kim Williamson<br />
JANUARY ISSUE<br />
-< -j<br />
EXHIBITION: The:<br />
last year of the 20th I<br />
century began with:<br />
Michigan-based;<br />
Loeks-Star Theatres;<br />
president Barrie Law- i<br />
son Loeks replacing:<br />
Georgia Theatre<br />
j<br />
Co.'s William Stem-;<br />
bier as chairman of:<br />
NATO. Additionally.;<br />
Regal Cinemas, the'""""<br />
world's largest theatre circuit, continued<br />
its expansion by announcing new multiplex<br />
openings in California, Ohio and<br />
Florida.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: When Seagram Co.<br />
purchased Polygram NV for $10.4 billion,<br />
*"<br />
the conglomerate became the world's<br />
largest music company, but it found that<br />
Polygram's film divisions were redundant<br />
within a company that already owned<br />
Universal and October. The company<br />
eventually divvied up its superfluous<br />
assets over the course of the year, selling<br />
PFE's film library to MGM for $250 million;<br />
its television catalogue to Carlton Communications<br />
for $1 50 million; and Polygram.<br />
Gramercy and October to USA Networks<br />
chairman Barry Diller, who lumped the<br />
assets under his newly dubbed USA Films<br />
banner, for another $150 million.<br />
SUPPLIERS: In cooperation with THX.<br />
Dolby Laboratories introduced its 6.1-<br />
channel Dolby Digital Surround EX.<br />
which adds a speaker directly behind the<br />
audience. Meanwhile, Kodak announced its<br />
new ScreenCheck Experience program,<br />
intended to certify screens they way THX<br />
certifies sound systems.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Sweden-based<br />
media titan Bonnier's exhibition arm<br />
reached across the Atlantic to the ski<br />
resort town of Aspen by breaking ground<br />
on a five-screen, 900-seat complex. The<br />
Colorado-sited theatre was the first of a<br />
new circuit dubbed Resort Theatres of<br />
America, a co-venture between Bonnier's<br />
SF Bio and Hollywood producer Brad<br />
Krevoy. Also reaching across an ocean<br />
this time, the Pacific—was Kansas Citybased<br />
AMC, which revealed plans to open<br />
more multiplexes throughout Japan.<br />
HEARD HERE: Taking a moment to<br />
speak of his old films during an interview<br />
otherwise focusing on Sony Classics'<br />
then-upcoming release of "Tango."<br />
Spanish director Carlos Saura told<br />
BOXOFFICE, "I don't see them and I<br />
don't reflect on them. It's interesting<br />
because I'm very interested in memory—but<br />
other people's memories, not<br />
mine. I admire some directors who are<br />
always reflecting on their work. Charles<br />
Chaplin, for example. When I lived with<br />
Geraldine [Chaplin's daughter] in his<br />
house, almost every afternoon we<br />
watched his old films. So. when they first<br />
stuck them on, he might not have exactly<br />
been there but he. always at some<br />
point, came in and watched himself. He<br />
always felt good watching his old movies<br />
with his family all around him.<br />
FEBRUARY ISSUE<br />
-<<br />
EXHIBITION:;<br />
The month of<br />
j<br />
February saw ex- i<br />
hibition growth via :<br />
Dallas-based!<br />
Cinemark's foray<br />
j<br />
into Mexico City;<br />
j<br />
expansion reducj<br />
tion<br />
as theatre circuit<br />
Hoyts announced<br />
that it<br />
would abate<br />
growth rate in the<br />
U.S. in an effort to cut debt; and an arthouse<br />
circuit launch with partners Robert<br />
Redford and GC Companies Inc. unveiling<br />
plans for the first Sundance Cinema<br />
center to bow in Pennsylvania.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: Citing poor boxoffice<br />
performance, particularly of the<br />
pricey "Meet Joe Black" and "Babe: Pig<br />
in the City," Universal let go of Frank<br />
Biondi and Casey Silver, tapping Ron<br />
Meyer to take over both men's duties.<br />
The company had closed the Decemberending<br />
quarter $65 million in the red,<br />
compared with a $98 million profit the<br />
year before. Across town. Sony Pictures<br />
launched Screen Gems, a label expected<br />
to produce six small- to mid-budget pictures<br />
a year.<br />
SUPPLIERS: Boasting a 30 percent<br />
boost in user sessions to 1 10 million in<br />
1998. MovieFone amplified its relationships<br />
with Loews, United Artists and<br />
AMC. increasing the number of the circuits'<br />
screens for which customers can purchase<br />
advanced tickets via the phone oi<br />
Internet by 1,000 to 3,600 total.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Circuits clamored to<br />
help fill the void in the underscreened<br />
countries of Russia and Italy with Golden<br />
Ring Entertainment announcing its intent<br />
to build two new multiplexes in Moscow<br />
and Warner Village Cinemas unveiling an<br />
ambition plan to construct 25 multiplexes<br />
throughout the Boot. Hong Kong,<br />
although suffering from regional economic<br />
difficulties, was also targeted as a site for<br />
new cinema builds with AMC bowing an<br />
1 1-plex and United Artists adding 30 new<br />
screens to the city.<br />
HEARD HERE: Even while providing a<br />
window back onto the early 1960s. BOX-<br />
OFFICE gave our readers what turned out<br />
to be even more advance notice than we<br />
usually accomplish in a story timed for the<br />
March 1999 re-release of "A Hard Day's<br />
Night"—the Fab Four comedy that<br />
Miramax now plans to reissue in 2001 —<br />
via text from the book "The Beatles: An<br />
Oral History." Recalled director Richard<br />
Lester of the movie"s genesis, "The deal<br />
was that, if we got it into the cinemas<br />
before the beginning of July [1964], then<br />
they would make it because they, the music<br />
department of United Artists, felt the<br />
Beatles probably wouldn't last the summer.<br />
We are talking about Britain, ol<br />
course [pre-Sullivan appearance]. So we<br />
started shooting in February. We had tc<br />
make the film, cut it. dub it. and all of it ir<br />
a very short period. We had to do it quickly<br />
so that the company wasn't left with z<br />
film about some has-beens."<br />
MARCH ISSUE<br />
EXHIBITION:<br />
Landmark Theatres,<br />
the nation's largest<br />
art-house chain, announced<br />
that it would<br />
finally penetrate the i<br />
specialty<br />
film-friendly<br />
city of New York<br />
;<br />
with a state-of-thej<br />
art theatre on the :<br />
Lower East Side. Al- <<br />
so on the move was San Rafael, Calif-basecj<br />
Century Theatres, which reported new pie:<br />
openings in Nevada. Texas. California. Utah.<br />
Colorado and Alaska throughout 1998.<br />
30 BOXOFFICE
DISTRIBUTION: Following a seven-year<br />
industry trend. 1998's boxoffice receipts<br />
reached a new high of S6.88 billion, surpassing<br />
1997's record gross of $6.37 billion<br />
by 9.9 percent. Admissions, too. were up 5.5<br />
percent to nearly 1.39 billion, marking the<br />
highest number of tickets sold since 1959.<br />
SUPPLIERS: Handing over S3 1 million in<br />
stock and a seat on its board of directors.<br />
Boca Raton. Fla. -based Big Entertainment<br />
acquired Times Mirror's Hollywood<br />
Online, folding all of the online vendor's<br />
resources into hollywood.com. Also, in the<br />
single largest purchase commitment in its<br />
68-year history. Ballantyne of Omaha<br />
inked a deal to supply a minimum of 2.000<br />
complete projection systems to Regal<br />
Cinemas over the next two years.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Rumors speculating<br />
that German cinema group Kinowelt<br />
Medien was interested in taking over<br />
Belgium-based exhibitor Kinepolis abounded,<br />
resulting in a six percent increase in the<br />
Belgian circuit's stocks. Also, electronics<br />
giant Sony Corp. announced plans to establish<br />
a cinema operations arm in its native<br />
Japan. The company said it would model its<br />
new chain after Loews Cineplex<br />
Entertainment, which handles Sony's multiplexes<br />
tin North America.<br />
HEARD HERE: "For Line, the look is<br />
kind of like Lenny Kravitz: tight pants.<br />
funky boots, browns and oranges." That's<br />
how Omar Epps described the fashion of<br />
his Lincoln Hayes in the 75-year-old<br />
MGM's "The Mod Squad." Of the original<br />
TV show, Epps said, "In '68. there was<br />
so much going on politically, as far as<br />
youth being active. That was the premise<br />
of the show: a black guy, a white guy and<br />
a while girl kicking ass together, fighting<br />
the power. I think it's coming back now.<br />
that youth are politically aware today."<br />
APRIL ISSUE<br />
EXHIBITION:<br />
Investment firm Warburg<br />
Pincus announced<br />
that it would<br />
put Mann up for sale<br />
after just a year of<br />
the studio. Meanwhile, producer Joel<br />
Silver and director Robert Zemeckis<br />
formed Dark Castle Entertainment, a<br />
Warner Bros.-based production company<br />
dedicated to mid-budget horror pics,<br />
including a remake of Williams Castle's<br />
"House on Haunted Hill."<br />
SUPPLIERS: MovieFone surprised the<br />
industry and Wall Street by announcing its<br />
sudden decision to sell to Internet giant<br />
American Online, which acquired the web<br />
ticketer for S388 million in stock.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Russian film production<br />
and exhibition industries received a<br />
series of tax breaks designed to foster their<br />
growth. Implemented to restore Russia's<br />
formerly prosperous film production<br />
industry, the tax changes, were scheduled<br />
after three years. Meanwhile,<br />
to end<br />
Australia-based Hoyts announced plans to<br />
sell its U.S. extension numbering approximately'<br />
900 screens<br />
HEARD HERE: Saying she "never<br />
thought a period piece could be so sexy,"<br />
actress Salma Hayek described how she<br />
was "tricked" into wearing a "lingerie sort<br />
of thing from the 1800s" in Warner's summer<br />
popcorner "Wild Wild West." "What<br />
happens at one point [is] I'm in some sort<br />
of sexy outfit because the bad guy<br />
Kenneth [Branagh] plays has all these girl's<br />
handling him, and they're really sexy. And<br />
at one point they capture me and put me in<br />
a really sexy outfit, and put me in a cage<br />
for him. But then 1 get rescued, and they<br />
take me with them—but I don't have anything<br />
to wear, so I'm stuck in this outfit."<br />
MAY ISSUE<br />
EXHIBITION: Chestnut<br />
Hill. Mass.-based i<br />
General Cinemas was<br />
i<br />
chosen to operate,<br />
j<br />
manage and market<br />
j<br />
the Seattle landmark i<br />
Cinerama theater,<br />
i<br />
Paul Allen's Vulcan<br />
j<br />
Northwest decided to<br />
'<<br />
purchase the historic<br />
>-<br />
theatre in February 1998 and embarked on<br />
a multimillion dollar renovation meant to<br />
establish it as one of the premiere technologically-equipped<br />
movie venues in the<br />
world.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: After having its claims<br />
to a live-action Spider-Man movie dismissed<br />
by a Los Angeles Superior Court<br />
judge. MGM opted not to appeal and risk<br />
i<br />
ownership. Some observers<br />
a countersuit by comic book publisher<br />
pointed to<br />
the recent financial<br />
Marvel, giving up any claims to a webslinger<br />
movie<br />
for a reported 52 million.<br />
losses suffered by Also, Sony bowed a family division, and<br />
the exhibition indus- *~<br />
whole one<br />
BOXOFFICE reported on the death of<br />
try as a as possibility for Stanley Kubrick ("Eves Wide Shut").<br />
Warburg's decision while others speculated SUPPLIERS: A U.S. Court dismissed<br />
that policies implemented by Mann CEO Dolby Laboratories' lawsuit against Smart<br />
Jeffrey Lewine, including a change regarding<br />
Devices alleging that Smart's CM333 mod-<br />
the company's relationships with which decodes Dolby SR motion pic-'<br />
ule,<br />
Paramount and Warner Bros., impacted ture encoded soundtracks, uses noise<br />
Warburg's sentiment toward the chain. reduction technologies covered by Dolby<br />
DISTRIBUTION: Columbia Pictures patents. Later. Dolby accused the cinema<br />
inked a landmark deal with Hollywood sound company of alleged false advertising<br />
screenwriters, guaranteeing them a cut of<br />
and trademark infringement for use of<br />
the gross receipts on films they write for the pharse "Surround EX." a suit that was<br />
eventually settled out of court.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Springtime saw<br />
Universal Studios announce its plans to<br />
retain international distribution with<br />
Polygram Filmed Entertainment, while<br />
Warner Village's flagship 18-screener in<br />
Italy posted record admission numbers<br />
with approximately 375.000 tickets sold in<br />
just two months of operation. Warner also<br />
made a splash in Japan, with its local cinema<br />
arm. Warner Mycal Corp.. opening six<br />
new multiple-sereeners.<br />
HEARD HERE: BOXOFFICE was at the<br />
Oscar ceremonies, and among our favorite<br />
quotes were those from a barely tuxedo'd<br />
Roberto Benigni (we think ecstasj might<br />
have popped the other jacket button), who<br />
said o\' his best actor award. "How can I<br />
explain the emotion and the exuberance?<br />
The ocean of gratitude that 1 have for this?<br />
The wonderfulness of this happiness this<br />
is irrepeatable." Of the tense weeks of<br />
post-nom wailing that preceded her best<br />
actress victory, a pretty-in-pink Gwyneth<br />
Paltrow said. "You get a nomination, and<br />
it's the most extraordinary thing. And then<br />
it sort of occurs to you. "Why are they<br />
making us go through this? They should<br />
just stop after the nominations.'"<br />
JUNE ISSUE<br />
EXHIBITION:<br />
Hollywood producer.<br />
Brad Krevoy, former<br />
AMC Entertainment<br />
president Ron Leslie,<br />
longtime theatre executive<br />
Peter Fornstam<br />
and law firm head<br />
and real estate attorj<br />
ney Richard Law- ; >-<br />
rence finalized the establishment of Resort<br />
Theatres of America, a circuit with plans to<br />
open multiplexes in vacation resorts throughout<br />
the country. Krevoy was appointed as<br />
chairman of the new circuit, Leslie was<br />
named company's president and CEO,<br />
Fornstam heads international operations and<br />
Lawrence acts Resort's eeneral counsel.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: After nearly two years<br />
of lawsuits. Sony and MGM settled their<br />
battle over James Bond out of court.<br />
Under the complicated agreement. Sony<br />
paid MGM $5 million to stop the litigation,<br />
but MGM paid Sony twice that to<br />
acquire all outstanding rights to the lucrative<br />
franchise. The dispute began in 1997<br />
when Sony announced that it was launching<br />
a competing 007 franchise based on<br />
right it had purchased from Kevin<br />
McClory. who collaborated with Ian<br />
Fleming on the "Thunderball" script and<br />
claims to be a co-creator of the cinematic<br />
Bond. Across town. Barry Reardon retired<br />
from his presidency at Warner Bros.<br />
Domestic Theatrical Distribution.<br />
SUPPLIERS: Shortly after its acquisition<br />
by BigE. Hollywood Online sold 35 percent<br />
of its company to CBS in exchange<br />
for $100 million in promotional and content<br />
support over the next seven years.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: International growth<br />
was the name of the game as Londonbased<br />
Virgin Cinemas revealed a five-year<br />
plan to expand into the United States.<br />
Ireland and Japan and German-based<br />
exhibitor Cinemaw announced that it<br />
would construct two new multiplexes in<br />
Denmark. Other exhibitors, however,<br />
chose to stay close to home, especially in<br />
the Bool, with Naples-based Stella Film<br />
March. 2000 31
and Carlo Bernaschi forming a new multiplex<br />
partnership as well as France-based Pathe and<br />
domestic exhibitor VIS forming a joint venture<br />
to develop new plexes throughout Italy.<br />
HEARD HERE: Speaking to us two months<br />
before the release of what became the most<br />
successful animated film for Disney since<br />
"The Lion King," "Tarzan" producer Bonnie<br />
Arnold said, "At times, it's a bit daunting.<br />
Disney is going to do the story of Tarzan,<br />
and all of a sudden that becomes the new<br />
interpretation of Tarzan. People knew the<br />
Cinderella story before Disney's 'Cinderella.'<br />
but that becomes the defining one. These<br />
days, if you think of Aladdin, most likely you<br />
think of Disney's Aladdin." There's sort of<br />
the weight of having to live up to what's come<br />
before you." The spirits were with them,<br />
though, given that the character's creator had<br />
long been on their side: Imagining a cartoon<br />
version of his Jungle King, writer Edgar Rice<br />
Burroughs in a 1936 letter opined of the project,<br />
"The cartoon must be good. It must<br />
approximate Disney excellence."<br />
JULY ISSUE<br />
EXHIBITION:<br />
William Kartozian,<br />
who served as the president<br />
of NATO for<br />
years, made the surj<br />
i<br />
prising announcement<br />
that he would step i<br />
down from his position :<br />
at the end of 2000. He<br />
i<br />
described his decision<br />
•<br />
to leave the organiza-<br />
'"<br />
*"<br />
tion as "a gut feeling" and a move he<br />
"believe[d] is right." Another significant summer<br />
announcement was that Dallas-based<br />
Cinemark would be put up on the auction<br />
block. Circuit owners Cypress Group, which<br />
holds a 44 percent stake; company founder<br />
and CEO Lee Roy Mitchell, who holds 51<br />
percent; and circuit management, which<br />
holds the remaining five percent asked for a<br />
purported SI. 6 billion for the 2.300-screen<br />
chain.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: Although MGM chairman<br />
Frank Mancuso had made no secret<br />
about wanting to retire early and had ardently<br />
been seeking a successor for some time, it<br />
sill came as somewhat of a surprise when<br />
majority owner Kirk Kerkorian suddenly<br />
replaced him with MGM Grand president<br />
and COO Alex Yemenidjian. Vice chairman<br />
Robert Pisano also resigned, and Universal<br />
Studios president and COO Chris McGurk<br />
stepped into the post.<br />
SUPPLIERS: Sony Electronics and Panavision<br />
Inc. announced a joint research and<br />
development project that will develop a filmless,<br />
digital camera in time for Lucasfilm Ltd.<br />
to use on the second "Star Wars" prequel.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: After months of investigation<br />
by the European Commission, it<br />
appeared that antitrust allegations leveled<br />
against distribution partnership United Intl.<br />
Pictures were about to be dropped due to<br />
lack of sufficient evidence. However, stronger<br />
in his case was Down Under media mogul<br />
Kerry Packer, who was able to successfully<br />
acquire a controlling stake of Oz circuit<br />
Hoyts, despite then-CEO Peter Ivany's initial<br />
resistance.<br />
HEARD HERE: BOXOFFICE received<br />
unconventional—and unconventionally<br />
short—celebrities wishing to go on record in<br />
our pages about their Columbia films:<br />
Gonzo the Great and Elmo. Of his "Muppets<br />
From Space" shoot, Gonzo revealed that the<br />
project had experienced a goodly (or would<br />
that be piggly) amount of creative conflict.<br />
"There was a little tension between [Miss<br />
Piggy and Andie MacDowell]. There's always<br />
tension off-set, but it happened that there<br />
was tension on-set. too.... Piggy has a little<br />
problem with beautiful women." Meanwhile.<br />
our favorite little red hot monster was discussing<br />
one of the locales for "The<br />
Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland"<br />
Grouchland itself. "[On] Sesame Street, we<br />
always try to clean up, keep our streets clean.<br />
In Grouchland, they do just the opposite!<br />
They throw trash around and. when they go<br />
in the car wash, they dirty their cars instead<br />
of clean them. It's just their nature!"<br />
AUGUST ISSUE<br />
EXHIBITION:<br />
In<br />
reaction to recent reproach<br />
against the<br />
entertainment industry<br />
and its potential<br />
role in the outbreak<br />
of teen violence,<br />
NATO implemented<br />
an initiative that<br />
would require younger<br />
cinemagoers to provide<br />
photo IDs<br />
before gaining admissions to R-rated pics.<br />
Also noteworthy was multiplex pioneer<br />
AMC's announcement that it would scale<br />
down the size of future projects. The company<br />
cited difficulty in obtaining enough product<br />
and providing adequate parking for 30-<br />
screen theatres as reasons for the strategy<br />
change.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: Jeffrey Katzenberg won a<br />
major legal battle in his lawsuit against the<br />
Walt Disney Co. when the presiding judge<br />
ruled that the studio breached contract with<br />
him, requiring the Mouse House to pay him<br />
a two percent bonus plus interest.<br />
Katzenberg had left the company in 1994,<br />
two years before his contract was up, and<br />
Disney claimed he therefore gave up a bonus<br />
that would have given him a share of all revenue<br />
gleaned from projects instigated under<br />
his reign. The two parties eventually settled<br />
out of court for an undisclosed sum, which<br />
insiders peg at between $250 million and<br />
$275 million, including the $117 million<br />
Disney had already paid.<br />
SUPPLIERS: New Line Cinema reached an<br />
unprecedented agreement with AOL. signing<br />
a multi-million-dollar, long-term interactive<br />
marketing deal with the Internet provider,<br />
which will heavily advertise 15 to 20 of the<br />
studio's films online.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: American exhibition<br />
giant Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp.<br />
announced the formation of two new partnerships<br />
in Europe: One with Italian producer<br />
and distributor Aurelio De Laurentiis,<br />
which aims to build a new multiplex chain<br />
throughout Italy; the other with Transturk<br />
Holding A.S., which plans to construct and<br />
operate cinemas in Turkey. Romania and the<br />
Turkic Republics of the CIS. Also on<br />
move was South Africa-based cinema ope<br />
tor Ster Kinekor's European trading bra<br />
Ster Century, which revealed plans to bt<br />
nearly 100 new screens throughout Spain.<br />
HEARD HERE: Aside from elsewhere ne<br />
ly running us out of hyphens in our effort<br />
elide his numerous anglo-saxonis:<br />
Australian actor Russell Crowe described<br />
Buena Vista film, "Mystery, Alaska," ii<br />
markedly fits-and-starts fashion: "It's<br />
hockey movie. Well, it's not really a hoc<br />
movie. It's actually a woman's film coucl<br />
in a hockey movie. It's a very hard movie<br />
pin down for people because, really, it's ab<br />
a town and it's about a group of people<br />
really has very little to do with sports, exc<br />
that part of the nature of this town is ba<br />
on who plays this particular sport." Crc<br />
went on to receive considerable critical prc<br />
and Oscar-nomination forecasts for his f<br />
for Buena Vista—in "The Insider." W<br />
much greater directness, he landed<br />
"Insider" role when he told Michael Ma<br />
this about the director's considering him<br />
the role: "You know, I think you're bein<br />
little silly."<br />
SEPTEMBER ISSUE<br />
-< -,<br />
EXHIBITION: In this:<br />
issue, BOXOFFICE rej<br />
i<br />
ported the news that<br />
AMC founder and<br />
exhibition industry<br />
i<br />
trailblazer Stanley Dur-<br />
\<br />
wood passed away at<br />
j<br />
the age of 78. Among<br />
;<br />
his numerous career I<br />
accomplishments i<br />
were overseeing the<br />
i<br />
opening of the country's<br />
first multiplex and the installation<br />
concession stands within theatres. Also m<br />
ing news was United Artists president<br />
CEO Kurt Hall, who was named Pionee<br />
the Year by the Foundation of Mot<br />
Picture Pioneers.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: Warner Bros co-h<br />
honchos Bob Daly and Terry Semel stun<br />
Hollywood when they announced that t<br />
would not be renewing their contracts v<br />
the studio and would be departing at the<br />
of the year. Exec. VP and COO Barry Ms<br />
was later named the new chairman and C<br />
of the company, and former Castle R1<br />
CEO Alan Horn was tapped as his seco<br />
in-command as president and COO.<br />
SUPPLIERS: New Line further capitali<br />
on the boxoffice success of "Austin Pow<br />
The Spy Who Shagged Me" by launching<br />
online auction site that offered goodies s<br />
as the film's Corvette convertible, which i<br />
mately sold for $100,000. Other New I<br />
film memorabilia is also up for sale, an<br />
portion of the proceeds go to charity.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Some new del<br />
opened, with three of Japan's largest don<br />
tic film companies—Toho, Toei<br />
Shochiku -reaching an agreement to c<br />
struct and operate a cinema in the city<br />
Sapporo, while others closed, namely<br />
powerhouse Golden Harvest, which<br />
nounced that it would shut down its 1<<br />
subsidiary in Hong Kong after nearly<br />
years of doing business in the city.<br />
32 BOXOFFICE
; in full swing as<br />
i<br />
. Pacific<br />
j<br />
close about 37 under-<br />
performing theatres<br />
j<br />
I<br />
suppose a 1<br />
I<br />
vely actress Kelly Preston showed ofT not<br />
ly her understanding of romance and the<br />
ference between genders, but also her editskills<br />
during her conversation with BO\-<br />
FICE about Universale baseball film "For<br />
ve of the Game." She described the relanship<br />
of the two main characters—the<br />
/friend, played by Kevin Costner, and the<br />
(friend she played—this way: "Ultimately<br />
believes that they're just different kinds of<br />
>ple. They're two different types of people,<br />
i he's always asking, "What do you want<br />
to say?" And she says, 'You know. I can't<br />
you what to say. I don't want you to say<br />
nething just because I want to hear it. I<br />
nt you from the bottom of your soul to tell<br />
that we're meant for each other, that I<br />
nt you more than anything." All the things<br />
t a woman wants to hear. And a man<br />
nts to hear. At least some men. You would<br />
)e.<br />
That's a dot-dot-dot sentence."<br />
CTOBER ISSUE<br />
HIBITION:<br />
The<br />
j<br />
tie to dominate one i<br />
L.A.'s most high<br />
i<br />
file neighborhoods<br />
j<br />
il circuits Mann i<br />
both di-<br />
I<br />
»ed plans to be part<br />
j<br />
separate entertain-<br />
;<br />
it outlets located in i<br />
.twood Village, i<br />
ch has played host<br />
ountless Hollywood premiers. Meanwhile,<br />
ral major theatre circuits, including Regal.<br />
TC. Carmike, AMC and Cinemark, reportess-than-stellar<br />
second quarter results.<br />
TRIBUTION: Walt Disney Pictures prered<br />
"Tarzan" as the first-ever all-digital<br />
or feature release a month after its initial<br />
The film was produced, mastered and<br />
ibited digitally in three locations with<br />
as Instruments' DLP Cinema prototype<br />
jection technology.<br />
PPLIERS: The National Association of<br />
iionaires swore in Skip Stefansen as<br />
iident of the organization at its annual<br />
vention. Stefansen replaced Norman<br />
sler. who is now chairman of the board.<br />
'ERNATIONAL: Indie circuit Australian<br />
Itiplex Cinemas unveiled an aggressive<br />
insion plan targeting the highly saturated<br />
ket of Sydney. The Brisbane-based chain<br />
ed to finance the construction of 32 to 48<br />
screens in the country's largest city<br />
mgh its initial public offering of AUSS50<br />
ion (US$33 million). Also hot-to-trot was<br />
Priya Village Roadshow, Village<br />
dshow's joint venture with New Delhiid<br />
Priya Exhibitors, which announced it<br />
id construct and operate several multies<br />
throughout India.<br />
\RD HERE: Prompted by discussion of<br />
New Line rom/com "The Bachelor,"<br />
ance and the gender question were very<br />
h on the mind of recent husband and<br />
dad Chris O'Donnell. "A lot of the<br />
'ie is about what a guy goes through when<br />
ind of crosses over from his bachelor life<br />
'lis married life, and the decision that's<br />
Ie when you decide you want to get marand<br />
propose. It's a major decision in any<br />
guy's life 1 know it's a big decision for the<br />
girls, but in general guys are a little more<br />
reluctant to go in that direction than women.<br />
Il seems like the women are always read)<br />
before the guys. [That's] probably a pretty<br />
stereotypical thing to say, but at least that's<br />
the way it's been with my friends. Just<br />
because the guys think they're wild men.<br />
They love to build up their imaginations of<br />
the wild life they live. It was something that<br />
was very fresh in my mind through the whole<br />
process, proposing to m\ wife."<br />
NOVEMBER ISSUE<br />
-< -.<br />
EXHIBITION: Gen-<br />
;<br />
eral Cinema's parent i<br />
company GC Cos.<br />
j<br />
announced plans for<br />
i<br />
i<br />
heavy consolidation<br />
in order to save an i<br />
estimate $10 million<br />
i<br />
by the 2001 fiscal<br />
year. The company<br />
\<br />
said it would sell or :<br />
throughout<br />
California, the South and the Northwest.<br />
Also in trouble was Encino. Calif.-based<br />
Mann Theatres parent WestStar Cinemas,<br />
which filed for Chapter 1 1<br />
DISTRIBUTION: After breaking records in<br />
the months of June, July and August, last<br />
summer's boxoffice reached a scorching $3<br />
billion, beating the previous year's record by<br />
nearly 20 percent. "The Phantom Menace"<br />
was the top grosser during the May 7-to-<br />
September 6 timeframe, raking in around<br />
$420 million. Other top grossers include<br />
"Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shaaaed Me"<br />
(S205 million), "The Sixth Sense" ($175 million).<br />
"Tarzan" ($165 million). "Big Daddy"<br />
($160 million), "The Mummy" ($155 million),<br />
"Runaway Bride" ($135 million), "The<br />
Blair Witch Project" ($130 million). "Notting<br />
Hill" ($115 million) and "Wild Wild West"<br />
($110 million).<br />
SUPPLIERS: The Imax Corporation purchased<br />
all outstanding shares in Digital<br />
Projection International, and Christie Inc.<br />
acquired Electrohome Projection Systems.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Down Under circuits<br />
Village Force and Hoyts. which each own<br />
approximately 40 percent of the Kiwi market<br />
share, announced that they would continue<br />
with merger plans, despite adamant protests<br />
from the country's governmental watchdog<br />
Commerce Commission. Upon completion<br />
of the deal, the new company would control<br />
nearly 67 percent of New Zealand's boxoflice<br />
revenues.<br />
HEARD HERE: Filmmaker Anthony<br />
Minghella. looking back on the past that led<br />
up to him succeeding in Hollywood and making<br />
"The Talented Mr. Ripley" for<br />
Paramount, offered this reflection: "I have to<br />
pinch myself sometimes, realizing what I'm<br />
doing. My father was an ice-cream man. I<br />
made myself up to do the things I wanted to<br />
do—to write, to work with other people, to<br />
practice an art. I've found them all in one job.<br />
It happened by a series of luckv accidents. It's<br />
been a long journey from the island, but then<br />
'there are fools that stay where they are and<br />
there are fools that keep moving,<br />
Beckett said. Though I<br />
film director shouldn't admit Samuel Beck',<br />
is<br />
his hero."<br />
DECEMBER ISSUE<br />
EXHIBITION:<br />
Closing off the year.<br />
AMC announced<br />
plans to lay off 100 of<br />
its employees and<br />
shut down three of its<br />
divisional offices. The<br />
Kansas City-based<br />
circuit estimated that<br />
it would save $20 million<br />
annually by consolidating<br />
its offices<br />
in Los Angeles. New Jersey and Florida into<br />
its mam corporate headquarters as well as<br />
reduce its general and administrative expenses<br />
by 40 percent through the mass dismissal<br />
of several of its regional workers. The company<br />
took a $12 million charge for the fiscal<br />
quarter as a result of its massive modifications.<br />
DISTRIBUTION: Universal Pictures outlined<br />
its international strategy for film and<br />
video distribution, renewing its commitment<br />
to distribute its films in Europe through<br />
United International Pictures (U IP), its longterm<br />
partnership with Paramount, for an<br />
additional five years. Universal Pictures<br />
International (UPI). the former international<br />
arm of Polygram acquired by Universal, will<br />
continue to pursue the production and acquisition<br />
of European-based films, functioning<br />
as Universal's London-based production,<br />
acquisition and video distribution operation.<br />
The move, however, was considered a blow to<br />
the European film industry, effectively shutting<br />
down UPI as a distributor.<br />
SUPPLIERS: Iwerks announced that it<br />
would be the exclusive distributor of 8/70<br />
film format versions of four Sony Pictures<br />
Classics large-format films. Also. Dolby<br />
Laboratories reported record sales for the<br />
1999 fiscal year, selling 7.000 film processors<br />
and 4,600 Dolby Digital Surround EX<br />
adapters and installing digital equipment on<br />
23,400 cinema screens.<br />
INTERNATIONAL: Richard Branson's<br />
Virgin Group confirmed that it would sell a 50<br />
percent stake in its cinema holdings in order to<br />
raise funds for expansion. Another U.K.-based<br />
chain. Odeon Cinemas, also went up on the auction<br />
block. Although circuit sales were estimated<br />
at £145 million (US$240 million), industry<br />
observers were skeptical that Odeon's parent<br />
company Rank would be able to secure its asking<br />
price of £290 million (US$480 million).<br />
HEARD HERE: During a beachfront conversation<br />
with BOXOFFICE at Cannes, international<br />
superstar Gong Li—there along the<br />
Croisette in part to promote her Sony<br />
Classics release, "The Emperor and the<br />
Assassin'' had this to say about her description<br />
as "the Greta Garbo of China": "People<br />
keep pushing me to be the center of attention<br />
would prefer to be on the sidelines because<br />
that's where you see more. When youre in the<br />
middle of everything, you lose perspective.<br />
would actually be content just to hide behind<br />
someone's back and observe." HI<br />
March. 20(C)
SPECIAL REPORT:<br />
Barometer Star Poll Results<br />
34 Boxoiiki
JJj'iJjruce Willis obviously doesn't have<br />
ddjjjjpsychic powers or he probably<br />
Si? 1 would have foregone "Breakfast of<br />
Champions" and "The Story of Us." But he<br />
can thank his "Sixth Sense" for his position<br />
as Male Star of the Year, as voted by you,<br />
the BOXOFFICE reader. Willis is currently<br />
starring in Warner Bros.' "The Whole Nine<br />
Yards" as a hitman who moves to suburbia.<br />
Next up is Buena Vista's "The Kid," in<br />
which Willis' younger self visits his current<br />
incarnation to impart advice; MCM's<br />
"Outlaws," about two bank robbers who<br />
fall for their kidnapping victim; and Buena<br />
Vista's "Unbreakable," a reteaming with<br />
"Sixth Sense" scripter M. Night Shyamalan<br />
for a supernatural thriller in which a man<br />
discovers something uncanny about himself<br />
after a devastating accident. Sounds<br />
like a "Sense"-ible move.<br />
"The Green Mile's" Tom Hanks narrowly<br />
missed the top spot in our poll, but it's not<br />
as though his mantel is wanting for trophies.<br />
Oscar's sure to take note of Hanks'<br />
reverse DeNiro, losing 50 pounds for Fox's<br />
Robert Zemeckis-helmed desert island<br />
drama "Cast Away," after which he'll steal<br />
the stage as Dean Martin in Warner Bros.'<br />
Martin Scorsese-directed biopic "Dino."<br />
In third is Kevin Spacey for his knockout<br />
portrayal of a man with the midlife crisis<br />
of the millennium in "American Beauty."<br />
In April, Spacey will be seen in Lions<br />
Gate's "The Big Kahuna," and set for a<br />
holiday release this year is "Pay it<br />
Forward," in which Spacey plays a<br />
teacher who incites his students to good<br />
deeds, ultimately transforming the town.<br />
:::<br />
111..<br />
ffemale Star of the Year Julia Roberts<br />
has "Runaway" with BOXOFFICE<br />
readers' hearts who no doubt woud<br />
love to tie the "Nott" with the beautiful<br />
star of two of 1 999's biggest blockbusters.<br />
After her success in the romantic comedies<br />
"Runaway Bride" and "Notting Hill,"<br />
Roberts takes a dramatic turn as a secretary<br />
who exposes her law firm's cover-up<br />
of a toxic waste spill in Universal's "Erin<br />
Brokovich." And exhibitors will soon be<br />
able to tear stubs for "The Moviegoer,"<br />
co-starring Tim Robbins and written and<br />
directed by Terrence Malick.<br />
There's still something about secondplace<br />
winner Cameron Diaz, who<br />
astounded fans with her frowzy appearance<br />
in "Being John Malkovich"; the subsequent<br />
acclaim for her role in the bizarre<br />
Dlack comedy proved that she's an actress<br />
who doesn't need to go glam to turn<br />
leads. And in "Any Given Sunday," she<br />
howed a tough side that's bound to<br />
resurface in Columbia's feature version of<br />
"Charlie's Angels," where she'll be kickbutt<br />
and taking names along with<br />
Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. Also comng<br />
up for Diaz is New Line's "Things You<br />
Can Tell Just By Looking At Her" and<br />
'Invisible Circus" as well as a voice role<br />
n DreamWorks' animated "Shrek."<br />
Julianne Moore tackled two equally emotional<br />
but entirely divergent roles in the<br />
downbeat wartime romance "The End of<br />
the Affair" and Paul Thomas Anderson's<br />
surreal epic drama "Magnolia," not to<br />
mention acclaimed turns in "An Ideal<br />
Husband," "A Map of the World" and<br />
"Cookie's Fortune." Her part in the<br />
Paramount comedy "Ladies' Man," based<br />
on the Saturday Night Live sketch of the<br />
same name, should be a 1 80-degree turn<br />
from her characters Linda Partridge, Sarah<br />
Miles or Amber Waves. Moore will also<br />
appear with Male Star of the Year Bruce<br />
Willis in Buena Vista's "Unbreakable."<br />
::!<br />
::]<br />
jjj ittle Haley Joel Osment beat humonjjj<br />
gous Michael Clarke Duncan? Only<br />
Sjjon a list. The 12-year-old "Sixth<br />
Sense" star creamed the competition in<br />
the Male Breakout Star of the Year, receiving<br />
more votes than the runners-up combined.<br />
Osment moves forward with "Pay<br />
It Forward" as a student who helps to<br />
change his community by doing good<br />
deeds.<br />
While Osment stars with Male Star #3<br />
(Kevin Spacey) in "Forward," "The Green<br />
Mile's" Duncan headlines with Male Star<br />
#1 (Bruce Willis) in "The Whole Nine<br />
Yards."<br />
And third-place winner Wes Bentley of<br />
"American Beauty" has two projects lined<br />
up: Artisan's "Soul Survivors," in which a<br />
girl who's been in an accident can't discern<br />
hallucinations from reality, and United<br />
Artists' "Kingdom Come," about a wealthy<br />
landowner who's confronted by the wife<br />
and child he abandoned years earlier.<br />
::: :::<br />
Jjj jjj<br />
arrie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves'<br />
jjj jjipartner-in-vinyl in "The Matrix," is<br />
Ati^ the winner of the Female Breakout<br />
Star of the Year title. The 29-year-old<br />
actress from Vancouver will head up<br />
another sci-fi/action mission as<br />
Commander Kate Bowman in Warner<br />
Bros.' Val Kilmer starrer "Red Planet." She<br />
also stars with Burt Reynolds and Richard<br />
Dreyfuss in Buena Vista's "The Crew,"<br />
and with Guy Pearce in the Christopher<br />
Nolan-helmed "Memento."<br />
Mena Suvari was a close second;<br />
"American Beauty's" gorgeous but troubled<br />
cheerleader joins the squad again in<br />
New Line's "Sugar and Spice," in which a<br />
pompon girl turns to crime to support the<br />
lifestyle to which she's grown accustomed;<br />
she'll also play the object of the<br />
titular nerd's affections in Columbia's<br />
"Loser."<br />
Third-place winner Hilary Swank wowed<br />
audiences with her performance as the<br />
transgendered Brandon Teena in "Boys<br />
Don't Cry"; no projects are set up for the<br />
actress previously best known as "The<br />
Next Karate Kid," but that's likely to<br />
change following the buzz from this surprise<br />
art-house hit.<br />
MUi<br />
I.Bruce Willis<br />
2. Tom Hanks<br />
3. Kevin Spacey<br />
4. Pierce Brosnan<br />
5. Mike Myers<br />
6. Brendan Fraser<br />
7. Jim Carrey<br />
8. (tie) Matt Bamon<br />
8. (tie) Kevin Costner<br />
10. Richard Farnsworth<br />
I.Julia Roberts<br />
m Tin vm<br />
2. Cameron Oiaz<br />
3. Julianne Moore<br />
4. Meryl Streep<br />
5. Annette Bening<br />
6. Ashley Judd<br />
7. (tie) Brew Barrymore<br />
7. (tie) Angelina Jolie<br />
9. Rene Russo<br />
10. Sigourney Weaver<br />
mm stub<br />
|f fill fffl| Miff<br />
1. Haley Joel Osment<br />
2. Michael Clarke Buncan<br />
3. Wes Bentley<br />
4. Freddie Prinze Jr.<br />
5. Rhys Ifans<br />
BURNOUT STPR<br />
Qf T|f ym — Tffli f<br />
1. Carrie-Anne Moss<br />
2. Mena Suvari<br />
3. Hilary Swank<br />
4. (tie) Thora Birch<br />
4. (tie) Heather Bonahue<br />
March. 2000 35
SPECIAL REPORT: Barometer 2000<br />
1999 BY THE NUMBERS<br />
Grosses, Critical Performances and<br />
Other Pertinent Data of the Year in Film<br />
KJ3 - |<br />
t-t£ a > U S £<br />
I! I | | I 1 I I J<br />
Affliction** R(LGl<br />
American Beauty* R1DW1
I'm<br />
^ - - -<br />
E.v Do-Right PG<br />
i<br />
1<br />
gi
In Dreams RcDWi<br />
n 1<br />
I J Z 3
'<br />
.1<br />
2 2<br />
1 S*l -g<br />
J<br />
w 7<br />
O<br />
-5<br />
CO<br />
merofSumRlBVl
k i<br />
m-wv<br />
1999<br />
was the year that exhibition<br />
lost the father of the multiplex.<br />
Stan Durwood; distribution lost<br />
Al Shapiro; and filmaking lost Robert<br />
Bresson and Stanley Kubrick, all<br />
among many others.<br />
Sadly, there were too many others,<br />
as diverse as Sony co-founder Akio<br />
Morita and film critic Gene Siskel, as<br />
similar as HUAC names Abe Polonsky.<br />
Frank Tarloff and Edward Dmytryk.<br />
As is our Barometer tradition, we<br />
honor all those that Hollywood lost by<br />
remembering those now departed<br />
from the silver screen. Among that<br />
fit<br />
^<br />
long list are Charles "Buddy" Rogers<br />
(see "Wings" image, p. 5). "beautiful<br />
hunk of man" Victor Mature (also p.<br />
5). Ian Bannen, Dirk Bogarde, Hillary<br />
Brooke, Rory Calhoun. Marguerite<br />
Chapman. Ellen Corby. Brion James.<br />
Henry Jones, Madeline Kahn.<br />
DeForest Kelley. Mabel King,<br />
Desmond Llewelyn, Clayton Moore.<br />
Ruth Roman and Shirley Stoler.<br />
On this page: George C. Scott,<br />
Oscar winner for "Pattern"; one-time<br />
Brit boxer Oliver Reed; Huntz Hall<br />
(the farthest right of the Bowery<br />
Boys): chorus line dancer-turned-first<br />
bigscreen Superman, Kirk Alyn; and<br />
Golden Age beauty Sylvia Sidney.<br />
40 Boxoi i
i- I'-!''.<br />
ovieion<br />
Moviegoer Activity Report<br />
for the month of December 1999<br />
Jew York<br />
.649,566<br />
Dallas<br />
649,230<br />
Miami<br />
340.491<br />
Philladelphia<br />
340,296<br />
San Fransisco<br />
337,762<br />
Phoenix<br />
318,628<br />
Toronto<br />
253,336<br />
Kansas City<br />
198.274<br />
San Dieg<br />
189,334<br />
MovieFone' (777-FIUvT) and its sister service, movietone, com', are now the single largest source of movie showtime information in the country,<br />
providing information to over 100 million moviegoers each year The following information represents the most requested theatres and exhipitors on MovieFone<br />
Most Requested Exhibitors<br />
_<br />
Lgst Month s<br />
Exhibitor<br />
Total Requests Rank<br />
LCE<br />
1,440,475 1<br />
AMC<br />
UNITED ARTISTS<br />
914,273<br />
REGAL/ACT III<br />
554,969<br />
GENERAL CINEMA<br />
442.472<br />
CINEMARK<br />
270,220<br />
CLEARVIEW<br />
233,833<br />
HARKINS<br />
CENTURY<br />
NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS<br />
Rank<br />
Theatre (# screens)<br />
1 UA East 85th And 1 st Avenue (1<br />
2 Paris (1<br />
3 LCE Lincoln Square (13)<br />
2 GCC Avco (3)<br />
3 LCE Century Plaza (4)<br />
1 The Granada Movie Grill (1)<br />
2 UACine(2)<br />
3 UA Galaxy (9)<br />
1 LCE Navy Pier lmax(1)<br />
2 LCE Webster Place (8)<br />
3 LCE 900 North Michigan (2)<br />
1 UA Movies At The Falls (1 2)<br />
2 Regal Kendall (9)<br />
3 Le Jeune (6)<br />
1 UA Cinemagic At Penn (3)<br />
2 UA Riverview Plaza (1 1<br />
3 UA Samenc (4)<br />
Top 10 Exhibitors & Theatres<br />
Most Requested Theatres<br />
202.640<br />
199,689<br />
181.866<br />
1 AMC Kabuki (8) 2<br />
2 UA Coronet (1) i<br />
3 UA Metro (1) i<br />
1 Hark Metro (12) 2<br />
2 Hark Paradise Valley Mall Luxury (7)1<br />
3 Hark Arcadia Luxury (8) 1<br />
1 Famous Eglinton (1)<br />
2 CO Promenade (6)<br />
3 Famous Markville (4)<br />
1 LCE Chen (4)<br />
2 BMofSOmni(l)<br />
3 LCE Assembly Square (1 2)<br />
1 AMC Crown Center (6)<br />
Rank Market<br />
Theatre<br />
1 NY LCE Lincoln Square<br />
2 NY UA Union Square 14<br />
3 LA AMC Century 14<br />
4 NY LCE Village 7<br />
5 NY LCE Kips Bay<br />
6 PH UA Riverview Plaza<br />
7 NY LCE 42nd St E-Walk<br />
8 SF LCE Theatres Metreon<br />
9 SD AMC Fashion Valley 18<br />
10 DA AMC Mesquite 30<br />
Most Requested Theatres Per Screen<br />
Total<br />
Requests<br />
10.489<br />
100,264<br />
8.004<br />
15.641<br />
17,658<br />
2,781<br />
3,500<br />
15,488<br />
3,313<br />
16.548<br />
9,947<br />
37.896<br />
11.637<br />
2,693<br />
10,346<br />
6,706<br />
20.475<br />
3,652<br />
26,478<br />
10,445<br />
2 AMC Independence Commons (20) 30,221<br />
3 AMC Oak Park Plaza (6) 7,436<br />
1 AMC Fashion Valley (18) 33.847<br />
2 AMCLaJolla(12) 17.411<br />
3 AMC Mission Valley (20) 21,226<br />
TOD 3 ACtlVfilV*<br />
* RBOUBStBd H Th63tPBS"<br />
'<br />
*<br />
"Caller specifically I<br />
Last Month's<br />
Rank<br />
Cleveland<br />
75,323<br />
Nashville<br />
61,247<br />
Rank Theatre (# screens)<br />
GCC Har-Mar 1-3 (3)<br />
GCC Centennial Lakes (8)<br />
LCE Westwind Plaza (3)<br />
LCE West Oaks (7)<br />
LCE Bay Area Sixplex (6)<br />
LCE River Oaks Plaza (12)<br />
GCC Merchants Walk (8)<br />
LEF Plaza (2)<br />
UA Midtown (8)<br />
UA Colorado Center (9)<br />
STC Westminster (5)<br />
Mann Tamarac Square (6)<br />
Landmk Neptune (1)<br />
LCENorthgate(l)<br />
GCC Cinerama (1)<br />
1 LCE Uptown (1)<br />
LCE Cinema (1)<br />
LCE Outer (2)<br />
Regal/Act III Bandera (6)<br />
Regal/Act III Galaxy (14)<br />
Regal/Act III Westlakes (9)<br />
UA Showcase (8)<br />
UAThe Rainbow Promenade (10)<br />
Century Orleans (1 2)<br />
GCC Ridge Park Square (8)<br />
Regal Mayfield Heights (10)<br />
GCC Westgate Mall (6)<br />
Century Century Stadium (12)<br />
UA Greenback (6)<br />
Century Cinedome Sacramento (9)<br />
Carmike Bell Forge (10)<br />
Carmike Hickory (8)<br />
Regal Nippers Corner (10)<br />
Carmike Villa (1)<br />
LCE Trolley Corners (3)<br />
LCE Holladay Centre (6)<br />
Last Month's<br />
Total Requests Rank<br />
100,264 1<br />
71.614 3<br />
52,351 6<br />
47.256 5<br />
46.077 4<br />
37.896 8<br />
36,507 27<br />
36.471 2<br />
33.847 7<br />
32,236 31<br />
Total<br />
Requests<br />
5,041<br />
9,201<br />
3,059<br />
5.285<br />
4.467<br />
7,772<br />
5.629<br />
4,302<br />
1,831<br />
1,182<br />
2,310<br />
9.870<br />
5.776<br />
7,629<br />
3.704<br />
15,999<br />
2,582<br />
2.830<br />
Last Month's<br />
Rank<br />
1AMC Independence Commons 2. LCE Lincoln Square 3. Hark Superstition Sp.<br />
Kansas City, MO New York City, NY Phoenix, AZ<br />
CinemaStar Luxury Cinemas<br />
: CityCm City Cinemas Opi<br />
Sony Cinemas
EXHIBITION<br />
BRIEFINGS<br />
LEAD STORY: MANN ALIVE<br />
WF Cinema Holdings (formerly known as<br />
Cinamerica Theatres), an affiliated partnership<br />
between entertainment giants Viacom<br />
Inc. and Warner Bros., has announced its<br />
official acquisition of assets to Mann<br />
Theatres parent company WestStar Cinemas.<br />
Encino, Calif.-based WestStar, which recently<br />
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (see<br />
Exhibition Briefings, November 1999), originally<br />
purchased the 357-screen Mann<br />
Theatres circuit in late 1997 from<br />
itself Cinamerica, a joint venture between<br />
Warner Bros, and Paramount Pictures. A<br />
Delaware bankruptcy court gave rival bidders<br />
until<br />
last January 4 to submit an offer of<br />
at least $95 million for Mann. However, as<br />
expected, no bids higher than WF Cinema<br />
Holdings $91 million were submitted.<br />
A RISING CINEMASTAR<br />
San Diego,<br />
Calif.-based<br />
CinemaStar<br />
Luxury Theaters<br />
has added<br />
another multiplex<br />
to its<br />
eight-strong<br />
arsenal of cinemas<br />
located<br />
throughout<br />
Southern<br />
California and<br />
Mexico. The<br />
CinemaStar<br />
20-plex in San<br />
Bernadino,<br />
Cal iforn ia,<br />
CinemaStar co-CEO Paul Hobby, wh ich features<br />
stadium<br />
seating and LucasFilm THX stereo surround<br />
in all auditoriums, bowed last December.<br />
In addition to the opening of its latest<br />
build, the circuit has also announced the<br />
appointment of Paul W. Hobby to the company's<br />
board of directors. Hobby, who<br />
presently serves as CEO and chairman of<br />
venture fund company Hobby Media<br />
Services, has also been designated co-chief<br />
executive officer of CinemaStar. He, along<br />
with company CEO Jack Crosby, will head<br />
the circuit.<br />
GOODRICH GOES TO OXFORD<br />
Grand Rapids, Mich. -based Goodrich<br />
Quality Theaters has announced the opening<br />
of its latest venue in Oxford, Michigan.<br />
Renovated from a three-plex to a sevenscreener,<br />
the cinema will provide stadiumstyle<br />
seating to more than 900 patrons with<br />
DTS 6-Track digital and Dolby digital stereo<br />
surround sound available in all auditoriums.<br />
The new theatre plans to run special promotions,<br />
including the circuit-wide standard of<br />
free drink refills and 25 cents popcorn refills<br />
as well as complimentary matinees during<br />
NATO REGIONAL NEWS<br />
GENEVA CONVENTION CONFIRMED AS AN ANNUAL EVENT<br />
NATO of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan has announced that the organization's Geneva<br />
Convention is going to become an annual event. "We were extremely pleased with the<br />
attendance and comments about the first convention, so it was decided to make the<br />
Geneva Convention an annual event," Bruce J. Olson and Larry Hanson, co-chairs of<br />
the event said.<br />
An overwhelming success, the first annual NATO Geneva Convention held at the Grand<br />
Geneva Resort and Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on September 28, 29 and 30, 1999<br />
attracted over 500 attendees from across the country. In 2000, the Geneva Convention<br />
will again be held at the Grand Geneva on September 26, 27 and 28. For 2001, the<br />
dates will be September 11 , 12 and 13. "Events at the 2000 convention will include a<br />
golf tournament to raise funds for Variety Club Children's Charities, screenings of major<br />
new Hollywood releases, a trade show with more than 100 vendors, many interesting<br />
and informative seminars as well as some exciting surprises," Hanson and Olson said.<br />
For further information, contact NATO of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan at (262) 532-<br />
0017 or write to: NATO Geneva Convention, P.O. Box 146, Sussex, Wl 53089.<br />
—Contributed by Paul I. Rogers, president, NATO of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan<br />
CATO'S PHILANTHROPY<br />
The Connecticut Association of Theatre Owners will provide $250,000 over the next 10<br />
years for the care of children being treated in regional pediatric specialty clinics jointly<br />
operated by the Department of Pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine and<br />
Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital.<br />
Movie theatre owners will raise the funds through special showings and premieres of films,<br />
a "wishing well" program and other activities at participating theatres throughout<br />
Connecticut.<br />
"CATO has made a long-term commitment to help the children of Connecticut through its<br />
support of these pediatric specialty clinics," said Milt Daly, president of CATO and senior<br />
executive VP and CEO of South Norwalk, Conn.-based Crown Theatres. "This is an<br />
enhancement of one of our committed goals of increasing CATO's philanthropy."<br />
The pilot activity for the efforts was the recent limited showing of "Star Wars—Episode I:<br />
The Phantom Menace," which raised $20,000. The blockbuster "Star Wars" film was<br />
returned to theatres early in December by LucasFilm and 20th Century Fox specifically for<br />
the purpose of helping to raise funds for children's programs throughout the country.<br />
— Contributed by Steve Could, Connecticut Association of Theatre Owners<br />
Regional NATO offices, send your news clips to:<br />
BOXOFFICE, 155 S. El Molino Ave., Suite 100<br />
Pasadena, CA 91101<br />
Attn: Regional News<br />
the spring and fall for a total of 1 8 weekends<br />
over the year. Goodrich's Matthew Johnson<br />
notes that the free screenings are the circuit's<br />
way of saying "'thank you' to the communities<br />
in which we operate."<br />
SECOND QUARTER AT MARCUS<br />
Milwaukee, Wise-based Marcus Corporation,<br />
parent company of Marcus<br />
Theatres, reports that total revenue for the<br />
second quarter of fiscal 2000 was up two<br />
percent to $80.2 million in comparison with<br />
last year's figure. In addition, operating<br />
income before depreciation and amortization<br />
was recorded at $19.7 million, down<br />
from second quarter 1998's $21.1 million,<br />
while net earnings tumbled slightly from last<br />
year's $5.9 million, or 20 cents per diluted<br />
share, to this year's $5.6 million, or 1<br />
9 cents<br />
per diluted share.<br />
During the 13-week period, Marcus<br />
Theatres announced plans to add 77 additional<br />
screens to bring its<br />
end of 2000.<br />
total to 500 by the<br />
LOEWS AND BEHOLD<br />
Also unveiling its fiscal results is New<br />
York City-based Loews Cineplex<br />
Entertainment, which has reported its<br />
results<br />
for the quarter ending last November 30.<br />
Revenue for the company fell slightly fron<br />
last year's $211.4 million to $209.3 million<br />
Earnings before taxes, depreciation anc<br />
amortization was $26.2 million, comparer,<br />
to $30.7 million a year ago, while net los!<br />
totaled $23.8 million, or 41<br />
cents per share<br />
in comparison to $12.1 million, or 21 cent;<br />
per share, in 1 998. According to Loews pres<br />
ident and CEO Lawrence Ruisi, the compa<br />
ny's less-than-stellar quarter is<br />
attributable tc<br />
"a decrease in attendance at our older the<br />
atres and an unfavorable allocation in ou<br />
theatres in Canada, which may occur fron<br />
time-to-time based on historical exhib<br />
itor/distributor relationships."<br />
OBITUARY<br />
Jack Grossman, president of Holida<br />
Theaters Inc., died January 4 at his home<br />
Encino, California. His career in motion pic<br />
ture exhibition began in the 1940s at tb<br />
Sherman Theatre in Sherman Oaks<br />
California. Throughout his career, Grossma:<br />
established himself as one of Souther<br />
California's premiere independent exhifc<br />
itors, with theatre locations in Burbank, Va<br />
Nuys, Canoga Park, Thousand Oaks an*<br />
Lancaster. He is survived by his wife Ester<br />
well as his daughter, grandchildren an<br />
grandchildren.<br />
42 BOXOFFICE
SH0WMANDISER PROMOTION OF THE MONTH<br />
I<br />
I<br />
to<br />
who<br />
portrays late<br />
comedian Andy<br />
Kaufman in the<br />
biopic. The<br />
award, which is<br />
Carrey's second<br />
ShoWest honor<br />
(he was named<br />
Comedy Star of<br />
the Year in<br />
1995), will be<br />
bestowed at the<br />
convention's<br />
March 9 awards<br />
ceremony,<br />
s Male Star of the Year Also receiv-<br />
Carrey. ing an award is<br />
Oscar-winning<br />
iirector Anthony Minghella, who has been<br />
lamed ShoWest 2000 Director of the Year.<br />
vlinghella, who has received a Golden Globe<br />
lomination for his work on<br />
aramount/Miramax's "The Talented Mr.<br />
Ripley," will be honored by ShoWest at its<br />
vtarch 9 awards ceremony.<br />
3H0WMINDER CALENDAR<br />
Remember to save these dates:<br />
ShoWest, March 6—9, Bally's Hotel/Paris,<br />
.as Vegas. Call (310) 657-7724...7th<br />
nternational Urban Entertainment<br />
Development Conference, March 13— 14,<br />
view York City. Call (202) 624-<br />
140...Variety/Schroders 10th Annual<br />
vledia Conference, April 4, Grand Hyatt<br />
Hotel, New York City. Call (212) 492-6082<br />
..NAC/Snack Bar University, May 2—5,<br />
fcshington DC. Call (312) 236-<br />
!858... Large Format Cinema Association<br />
J000 Conference and Large Format Film<br />
:<br />
estival, May 17—20, Los Angeles. Call<br />
209) 951-8113...ShowCanada, May 5—10,<br />
>000, Chateau Whistler, Whistler, British<br />
olumbia. Call Dina Lebo at (416) 969-<br />
14, Mariott Worldwide, Orlando, Fla. Call<br />
212) 246-6460...CineAsia, November 14—<br />
16, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition<br />
"entre, Hong Kong. Call (212) 246-6460.<br />
ennifer Ellmyer, general<br />
manager of the<br />
Favorite Cinemas Lake<br />
Jowell Theatre in<br />
Casselberry, Florida and<br />
three-time Showmandiser,<br />
had her cinema<br />
indulge in a little Pokemania<br />
to promote the<br />
opening of the much<br />
anticipated kid flick,<br />
"Pokemon the First<br />
Movie: Mewtwo Strikes<br />
Back." Ellmyer not only<br />
decorated the theatre<br />
lobby with Pokemon- POKE-PARTY: A group ol kids eagerh awaiting the opening oi<br />
related merchandise provided<br />
"Pokemon the First Movie: Men two Strikes Back "<br />
by the local Kay Bee toy at Favorite Cinemas Lake Howell Theatre in Casselberry,<br />
Florida.<br />
store, but she also painted<br />
many ot the pocket monsters onto the lobby windows, where incoming patrons could<br />
see what awaited them. In addition, the cinema also sponsored various activities for the<br />
youngsters while they waited for the pic to star, including games that required working<br />
with other team members (to emphasize the teamwork theme in the movie), a contest<br />
to see which group could build the most creative Pokemon and card trading time,<br />
which, as any parent knows, is serious business among Pokemon devotees. Yet, despite<br />
the few moments of serious exchanging and collecting, Ellmyer affirms, "It<br />
didn't matter<br />
if you were one or 100. Everyone had a blast participating in the activities."<br />
HILL<br />
NEWS<br />
Send photos and descriptions of your promotions to:<br />
BOXOFFICE, Showmandiser, 155 S. El Molino Ave.,<br />
Suite 100, Pasadena, CA 91101.<br />
DEFENDING HOLLYWOOD<br />
Speaking to the Wednesday Morning<br />
Club (a nonpartisan group that encourages<br />
political debate within the entertainment<br />
industry) in Beverly Hills last December,<br />
Representative Jim Rogan (R—Glendale)<br />
prognosticated on proposed legislation that<br />
would punish filmmakers if their products<br />
were found to contain explicit violence or<br />
sexual scenes. Although the legislation,<br />
dubbed the Children's Defense Act of<br />
1999, was defeated in Congress last year,<br />
Rogan touched on the dangerous repercussions<br />
that could result from such proposals,<br />
adding that the likelihood of similar type of<br />
bills being introduced in the future was<br />
much greater than he would hope.<br />
Among the most drastic measures<br />
included in the Children's Defense Act was<br />
a five-year prison sentence on individuals<br />
who either created or exhibited entertainment<br />
programming deemed too pornographic<br />
or violent. Rogan, who describes<br />
himself as a conservative, remarked that if<br />
any legislature resembling the Children's<br />
Defense Act should become law, it would<br />
have "a chilling effect on the movie industry,"<br />
and he vowed to do whatever he<br />
could to kill future comparable bills.<br />
ACCESS BOARD CONSIDERING<br />
CHANGES TO ADAAG<br />
New legislation has been proposed by<br />
the Access Board calling for certain<br />
changes to the Americans With Disabilities<br />
Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).<br />
Among the recommendations directly<br />
impacting exhibitors are changes in accessible<br />
restrooms; mandatory captioning for<br />
feature films; an increase in the number of<br />
wheelchairs places within theatre auditoriums<br />
holding 300 seats or less; and the<br />
placement of braille within cinema auditoriums.<br />
If the Access Board approves these<br />
changes, theatre owners and operators will<br />
have a minimum of six months to make the<br />
needed adjustments, with pre-existing<br />
structures exempt from making the<br />
changes.<br />
DO YOU HAVE A NEWS ITEM<br />
ABOUT LEGISLATION<br />
AFFECTING THE<br />
EXHIBITION INDUSTRY?<br />
PLEASE SEND CLIPS TO:<br />
BOXOFFICE<br />
155 S. EL MOLINO AVE.,<br />
SUITE 100<br />
PASADENA, CA 91101,<br />
OR FAX (626) 396-0250<br />
OR E-MAIL:<br />
March, 2000 43
TECH<br />
TALK<br />
SUPPLY SIDE<br />
by Ann lee Ellingson<br />
TARGETTI DELIVERS<br />
As predicted, Targetti Sankey has completed<br />
the acquisition of Tivoli Industries,<br />
which will become a wholly owned subsidiary<br />
of Targetti called Targetti-Tivoli Inc.<br />
(see Tech Talk, January 2000).<br />
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...<br />
Among the 1 2 Academy Awards presented<br />
for scientific and technical achievement this<br />
year are two innovations specifically<br />
beneficial<br />
to exhibition. L. Ron Schmidt will receive<br />
an Oscar for the concept, design and engineering<br />
of Iwerks' patented Linear Loop Film<br />
Projectors, which provide "superior print handling,<br />
image steadiness, screen illumination<br />
and enhanced viewer experience by means of<br />
an extremely simple air-driven mechanical<br />
transport system," according to the Academy<br />
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
The Academy is also acknowledging<br />
Marlowe A. Pichel for developing a process<br />
for manufacturing Electro-Formed Metal<br />
Reflectors, the worldwide standard for film<br />
projection systems when combined with the<br />
DC Short Arc Xenon Lamp. The Academy<br />
says, "The impact of the Electro-Formed Metal<br />
Reflector over the decades has completely<br />
changed the presentation side of the motion<br />
picture industry, allowing the replacement of<br />
the carbon arc lightsource and the implementation<br />
of automated projection systems."<br />
NEW PRODUCTS<br />
Globe Ticket and Label Co. has introduced<br />
a new boxoffice system solution, the<br />
Boss, offering security, convenience and<br />
tracking capabilities for both reserved and<br />
general admission ticket sales. The self-contained,<br />
portable unit features an Intel<br />
Pentium Processor with 34MB RAM and<br />
comes network-ready to link with other Boss<br />
units. Password-protected and activated by a<br />
key, the Boss can track sales both numerically<br />
and with bar graphs and archive the<br />
results as well as sell and track coupons.<br />
CA<br />
Write 3435 Empire Blvd. S.W., Atlanta,<br />
30354; call (404) 762-9711 or (800) 523-<br />
5968; fax (404) 762-9260; or logon at<br />
www.globeticket.com.<br />
Big Sky has introduced two new cost- and<br />
time-saving products. The Quick Connect<br />
prepackages power and control interface<br />
wiring in one plug-in unit. Console and<br />
sound rack power connections are simplified<br />
to a plug and receptacle, and the control<br />
connections are commonly used DB25<br />
cables with interface boards already included<br />
in the system. The Remote Reporter is<br />
instant reporting system for pertinent data on<br />
equipment performance from any remote<br />
location. Preprogrammed microprocessors<br />
mount in virtually any automation and can<br />
generate complete reports on functions such<br />
as film breaks and equipment malfunctions.<br />
Write 259 Center St., Phillipsburg, N) 08865;<br />
call (908) 454-6344; or fax (909) 454-6373.<br />
an<br />
The Premium by Mobiliario is comfortable,<br />
elegant and durable. At 42 inches high<br />
and from 22.25 to 24 inches width, the chair<br />
has a unique rocker mechanism that doesn't<br />
utilize springs and thus is very quiet, avoiding<br />
expensive maintenance. It's a real love seat<br />
with flip-up armrests and cupholders. Write<br />
Calle del Sol. No. 3; Naucalpan, Edo Mex,<br />
53660 MEXICO; call 52 5 300 06 20; fax 52<br />
5 300 2136; or e-mail mobissa@netra.net.<br />
ON THE MOVE<br />
Jack M. Kline, formerly<br />
COO and executive VP of<br />
Christie Inc., has been named<br />
president of the Cypress,<br />
Calif.-based company. Kline<br />
ill continue to manage the<br />
company's overall business<br />
and new product development,<br />
focusing on developing strategic relationships<br />
with key industry partners and software<br />
providers worldwide. He will also work<br />
with film studios and distributors to provide,<br />
guidance in<br />
projection technologies, particularly<br />
as Christie participates in the industry's<br />
digital<br />
revolution.<br />
Technicolor has appointed Walter M.<br />
Schonfeld as president of the company's<br />
worldwide film group, where he will oversee<br />
all of the group's state-of-the-art global<br />
film processing operations. Schonfeld succeeds<br />
Ron Jarvis, who had l<br />
been with the company for<br />
25 years.<br />
Proctor Companies has<br />
promoted veteran sales and<br />
project manager Kurt<br />
Connolly to the newly created<br />
post of sales and marketing VP.<br />
PROJECTING THE FUTURE<br />
The ITEA Presents Its Eighth Annual Seminar Series<br />
Held on January 10, 11 and 12 at the Universal Hilton in<br />
ITEA president Dan<br />
Taylor<br />
Universal City, Calif., the eighth annual International Theatre<br />
Equipment Association seminar concentrated on two trains of<br />
thought: looking ahead to the digital cinema age and improving<br />
35mm presentation in the meantime.<br />
Following opening remarks from ITEA<br />
president Dan Taylor on Tuesday morning,<br />
Schneider Optics' Harry Mathias<br />
evaluated the image quality of current<br />
digital cinema technology in his talk<br />
"Film Into Pixels," summarizing that the<br />
medium has potential but still falls short<br />
of traditional film. The day's program<br />
then turned to cinema sound with an<br />
introduction to audio measurement and<br />
control software by QSC Audio's Barry<br />
Ferrell, followed by a live demonstration<br />
of the programs at work. Next, Dolby's<br />
dapper loan Allen briefly reviewed the<br />
history of surround sound and theorized<br />
about new ways to think about it in<br />
today's auditoriums. Sony Pictures hosted the afternoon's events,<br />
giving attendees tours of its soundstages and digital studios.<br />
On Wednesday morning, several theatre equipment manufacturers<br />
introduced their exciting new products, many of which will<br />
premiere at ShoWest. Sony Cinema Products Al Barton then hosted<br />
a panel discussion on digital cinema, a debate that opened<br />
with Qualcomm's Steven Morley going out on a limb and predicting<br />
that digital cinema will co-exist with film as early as next<br />
year and that film projectors will disappear within four to five<br />
years.<br />
Other panel members weren't as optimistic, but Real Image<br />
Digital's Tim Rust did hypothesize that the technology for com-<br />
pressing, encrypting and delivering data is<br />
already up to par for the<br />
digital revolution. Glenn Kennel, representing Eastman Kodak's<br />
Cinesite Digital Mastering, encouraged the industry to prioritize the<br />
quality of the digital cinema image, outlining Kodak's role in this<br />
endeavor. Finally, Soundelux's Curt Behlmer outlined the SMPTE<br />
digital cinema technology mission statement, guaranteeing that the<br />
standards they employ will ensure interoperability, compatibility<br />
and performance and allow for future innovation.<br />
Afternoon sessions on the last day of the seminar temporarily<br />
delayed future speculation, concentrating instead on how to<br />
improve today's 35mm projected film quality instead. Cinema<br />
Film Systems' David Stall<br />
gave a talk on how to improve image<br />
steadiness with electronic pulldown, followed by a spirited introduction<br />
of the MaxiVision projector by film editor Dean<br />
Goodhill, who has invented a format that projects twice as many<br />
frames per second than the typical system. Goodhill's proposal<br />
was met with speculation, but he is convinced that audiences<br />
will appreciate his projector's superior quality and thus create<br />
demand for the format.<br />
Other presentations included lamp focus and alignment advice<br />
from Strong International's Pat Moore and Christie's Joe Delgado,<br />
who temporarily and good-naturedly put aside their competitive<br />
spirit to educate their peers; a lens overview by Schneider Optics'<br />
Dwight Lindsey; cinema consultant Glenn Berggren's 12 major factors<br />
in film projections; and an overview on how to improve 35mm<br />
projector quality by Kodak's Christopher DuMont.<br />
Obviously, the most talked-about topic at the ITEA seminar was<br />
digital cinema, a conversation that continued in the days following<br />
the seminar as the SMPTE convened to discuss standards for the<br />
new technology. The group senses the inevitability of the evolution<br />
and is approaching it with cautious optimism, determined that convenience<br />
will not substitute for a superb cinema experience, before<br />
or after digital cinema replaces film.<br />
44 BOXOFFICE
LARGE FORMAT<br />
'FANTASIA 2000' FULFILLS<br />
BOXOFFICE FANTASY<br />
Disney's New Year's Day IMAX release<br />
"Fantasia 2000" earned over $2.2 million in<br />
two days at 75 venues, averaging $41 ,481 per<br />
screen. The total marks the best gross ever for<br />
an IMAX engagement and surpasses the highest<br />
weekly total tor any previous IMAX film.<br />
"We are enormously proud of 'Fantasia<br />
2000' and gratified by the overwhelming<br />
response it is getting at IMAX theatres all<br />
over the world," says Richard Cook, chairman<br />
of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures<br />
Croup. "Roy Disney has led a brilliant group<br />
of filmmakers in creating 'Fantasia 2000,'<br />
and it represents an important new milestone<br />
in our studio's continuing legacy as an<br />
animation pioneer."<br />
WIRED WORLD<br />
TIME WARNER: YOU'VE GOT MAIL<br />
Signaling that the new millennium will<br />
jsher in new big-business models, America<br />
Online Inc., the world's largest Internet<br />
arovider, has merged with Time Warner Inc.,<br />
one of the biggest media and entertainment<br />
:onglomerates, creating a company worth a<br />
whopping $350 billion. The $164 billion<br />
deal sees AOL purchasing Time Warner with<br />
:he issue of 1 .5 shares in the new company<br />
:<br />
or each Time Warner share, resulting in a<br />
55/45 split between the companies, with<br />
^OL having the upper hand. AOL topper<br />
steve Case will chair the new company,<br />
jubbed AOL Time Warner, while Time<br />
Warner's Gerald Levin will serve as CEO,<br />
unning day-to-day operations.<br />
HOL M0VIEF0NE LINKS WITH<br />
IMAX AND CHECK0UT.COM<br />
In a deal similar to the one inked with<br />
Jnited Artists recently (see Tech Talk,<br />
:<br />
ebruary 2000), AOL MovieFone has signed<br />
in exclusive ticketing agreement with Imax<br />
-td. Under the pact, AOL MovieFone will<br />
Drovide information and ticketing services<br />
or the IMAX-owned and -operated theatres<br />
n North America through its telephones ser-<br />
/ices and website, a service particularly<br />
lelpful considering the recent success of<br />
'Fantasia 2000." AOL MovieFone already<br />
;ells tickets for Imax theatres operated by<br />
Loews Cineplex, Edwards and UA.<br />
In a separate agreement, AOL MovieFone<br />
las also pacted with CheckOut.com.<br />
Hollywood powerbroker Michael Ovitz's<br />
inline e-tailer will become the film listing<br />
ind ticketing service's exclusive content<br />
Drovider, supplying reviews and celebrity<br />
interviews. CheckOut.com will receive<br />
Btominent placement on MovieFone.com<br />
ind other web sites throughout AOL.<br />
3IG E MOVES TO HOLLYWOOD<br />
As expected, Big Entertainment has<br />
hanged its name to Hollywood.com folowing<br />
a vote by shareholders at the compa-<br />
)y's annual meeting (see National News,<br />
November 1999).<br />
9 ON THE 'NET: Classic Cinemas' President and CEO Willis Johnson<br />
Answers BOXOFFICE's Nine Questions About the Circuit's Website<br />
BOXOFFICE: Your website design is<br />
simple<br />
and without a lot of geejaws—and thus<br />
superbly fast. Why did you decide to favor<br />
function over form?<br />
Johnson: We wanted our site to be as<br />
user-friendly as possible. This means that it<br />
should be readable on any browser and at<br />
any modem speed. Although we know that<br />
most people are using a 4.0 or better version<br />
of Netscape or Internet Explorer, there<br />
are people with earlier versions. We also<br />
wanted the pages to load fast, so we have<br />
limited our graphics and optimized those<br />
we do use for the Internet to maintain<br />
acceptable download speeds.<br />
BOXOFFICE: You employ Chicago-based<br />
web outfit Unety Systems to do your site.<br />
Was the decision to go out-of-house for<br />
your web solution more a question of economics<br />
or knowledge-based?<br />
Johnson: It was a question of both economics<br />
and knowledge. We do have one<br />
staff member that knows html, but we<br />
wanted a site that was more cutting-edge<br />
than we could provide in-house. We did an<br />
extensive review of proposals from a number<br />
of site providers and believed that<br />
Unety would best meet our needs.<br />
BOXOFFICE: What so far have been the<br />
pluses and minuses working with an outside<br />
crew?<br />
Johnson: The pluses have far outweighed<br />
the minuses. Unety was able to<br />
develop dynamic database pages so that we<br />
can upload our information into the database<br />
that then feeds it into the website. This<br />
prevents us from doing the same job two or<br />
three times and also ensures that<br />
information<br />
on the site is accurate. They have also<br />
been very responsive on our weekly<br />
updates.<br />
BOXOFFICE: Classic monitors the Review<br />
Forum it provides for moviegoer comments<br />
about the movies. How do you<br />
check for profanity, slander and such—and<br />
how much of a problem have such postings<br />
been?<br />
BOXOFFICE: Given that some legal opinion<br />
is that an unmonitored public forum<br />
carries no legal liability, but a monitored<br />
the eight months since<br />
the site revision, we<br />
have removed only<br />
one, which speaks<br />
highly of our customers.<br />
We are currently<br />
evaluating the Review Forum and<br />
may be re-programming it to make it more<br />
user-friendly. Another alternative would be<br />
to replace it with other information.<br />
BOXOFFICE: Your Theatres & Times has<br />
the usual search-by-theatre function, but it<br />
also has search-by-title and search-by-rating<br />
functions. Especially regarding the latter,<br />
why were these included. Have community<br />
members responded to the efforts?<br />
Johnson: We included the other two<br />
functions to improve the user-friendliness of<br />
the site. The search-by-title function came<br />
from the fact that the Classic Cinemas circuit<br />
has both first-run and sub-run theatres.<br />
This enables our customers to find movies<br />
more easily since they are playing on our<br />
circuit<br />
longer than many others. The other<br />
search-by-rating function stems from the<br />
family-oriented nature of our company.<br />
Some families only take their children to G-<br />
or PG-rated films; this function helps them<br />
find such films in our circuit.<br />
BOXOFFICE: Your Theatres & Times and<br />
your Special Events offerings require frequent<br />
updating. How is this task handled?<br />
Johnson: These two features are handled<br />
differently. Theatres & Times is updated<br />
after we update our in-house database, to<br />
which we added features such as URLs to<br />
better synchronize it with the website. The<br />
in-house database is uploaded directly into<br />
the website database from which the pages<br />
are drawn. The Special Events listings are<br />
done from our office through a password-<br />
one does, why did Classic take on this<br />
protected<br />
extra burden?<br />
maintenance screen.<br />
BOXOFFICE: How<br />
BOXOFFICE: How<br />
long has the Review<br />
was the MovieTime<br />
Forum<br />
E-mail<br />
been<br />
developed?<br />
running,<br />
and<br />
What sort of results<br />
has it yet developed<br />
a "community"<br />
has this moviegoer<br />
e-mail service produced<br />
far?<br />
of users?<br />
Johnson: We started<br />
the Review Forum<br />
Johnson:<br />
with<br />
MovieTime<br />
the revision of<br />
the site in May 1999<br />
EmaiISM was<br />
developed at the<br />
to give our customers<br />
an opportunity to do<br />
same time as the<br />
their own movie<br />
website. Since it<br />
reviews. We do look<br />
began the number<br />
of<br />
at it daily but have<br />
people who have<br />
not<br />
signed<br />
had problems with<br />
up for the<br />
free<br />
people making<br />
weekly e-mails<br />
inappropriate<br />
postings. In<br />
has tripled. We are<br />
very excited about<br />
this new way to<br />
communicate with<br />
our customers and<br />
hope to explore<br />
additional features<br />
in<br />
the future.<br />
March, 2000 45
I executive<br />
I<br />
and<br />
STUDIO<br />
NEWS<br />
by Annlee Ellingson<br />
REPORT REVEALS<br />
WORLDWIDE REVENUES<br />
As the domestic boxoffice broke records<br />
on the home front, worldwide movie distribution<br />
income also grew eight percent to<br />
reach a total of $33.4 billion. According to<br />
a report on international media and entertainment<br />
industries compiled by Schroder<br />
and Wilofsky Cruen Associates, films produced<br />
by the United States garnered nearly<br />
90 percent of worldwide revenue, earning<br />
$29.8 billion compared. European films,<br />
meanwhile, earned $2.25 billion, and<br />
Japanese movies made $1.33 billion. Both<br />
U.S. and European film income grew eight<br />
percent, and Japanese income rose two<br />
percent.<br />
While the single biggest income source<br />
for U.S. distributors was the domestic<br />
home video market, which generated $9.7<br />
billion in revenue, foreign theatrical<br />
rentals ($4.2 billion) topped domestic<br />
exhibition returns ($4 billion) for the fourth<br />
consecutive year. Domestic theatrical<br />
income, meanwhile, culminated at $7.5<br />
billion (see lead story).<br />
ARTISAN IS BULLISH<br />
Artisan Entertainment has named investment<br />
bank Merrill Lynch its lead underwriter<br />
for its initial public offering. The deal allows<br />
as much as 20 percent of the company to be<br />
sold to the public. The fast-growing indie<br />
distributor has been expanding its business<br />
since the smash success of summer sleeper<br />
"The Blair Witch Project," inking overseas<br />
output deals (see Studio News, February)<br />
and building its film and television library.<br />
The company is also looking at moving into<br />
television.<br />
SAMUEL GOLDWYN<br />
REACHES FOR STRATOSPHERE<br />
Stratosphere Entertainment and Samuel<br />
Goldwyn Films are reportedly near an<br />
agreement that would combine the companies'<br />
distribution arms into a single entity.<br />
The independent distributor, which would<br />
be backed by Seven Arts Entertainment parent<br />
CanWest, could launch as soon as the<br />
middle of the month with the expansion of<br />
"Onegin," starring Ralph Fiennes and Liv<br />
Tyler.<br />
Samuel Goldwyn president Meyer<br />
Gottlieb would serve<br />
as CEO of the as-yetunnamed<br />
company,<br />
while Stratosphere<br />
VP production<br />
and acquisitions<br />
Ronna Wallace<br />
Samuel<br />
Goldwyn chief of<br />
marketing and distribution<br />
Jeff Lipsky<br />
would share the pres-<br />
Lipsky idency. The move is<br />
designed to cut down<br />
on prohibitive P&A costs and increase the<br />
clout of both companies.<br />
LEAD STORY: '99 BOXOFFICE<br />
REELS IN RECORD NUMBERS<br />
As predicted, the industry broke boxoffice<br />
records for the eighth year in a row,<br />
grossing nearly $7.5 billion, an eight percent<br />
increase over 1998's unprecedented<br />
$6.95 billion. Admissions also rose to 1 .48<br />
billion admissions, a four-percent increase<br />
over last year's figures. The remaining difference,<br />
of course, was due to higher ticket<br />
prices, which increased an average of eight<br />
percent.<br />
The boxoffice champ, obviously, was<br />
Fox's "Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom<br />
Menace," which had earned $430 million<br />
by the end of the year. Buena Vista's "The<br />
Sixth Sense" and "Toy Story 2" and New<br />
Line's "Austin Powers: The Spy Who<br />
Shagged Me" also grossed over $200 million<br />
each. A record 17 films released in<br />
1999 crossed the $100 million mark—five<br />
more than in 1998.<br />
With its two $200 million-plus releases,<br />
Disney once again dominated the<br />
market share, garnering 1 7 percent of the<br />
domestic pie in 1999. Warner Bros, came<br />
in second with 14 percent of the market,<br />
and Universal rebounded from ninth<br />
place last year to third in 1999 and a 1 3-<br />
percent market share. Without "Titanic"<br />
in its arsenal, Paramount slid from second<br />
to fourth place, and Fox finished in<br />
fifth.<br />
FILMS4SALE<br />
In an effort to support independent filmmakers,<br />
Films4Auction is sponsoring "The<br />
World's First Film Auction," to be conducted<br />
by the William Doyle Galleries in Los<br />
Angeles on March 3. Sponsored by DeLuxe<br />
Film Labs, lighting equipment rental firm<br />
Cinemills and insurance broker Mesirow<br />
Financial, the auction eliminates much of<br />
the time and money it takes to bring independent<br />
filmmakers and distributors together.<br />
"Films4Auction was designed to be a filmmaker-friendly<br />
enterprise," says managing<br />
partner Ricardo Del Rio. "Our concept is<br />
revolutionary, but we will succeed because<br />
we have the best interests of filmmakers at<br />
heart and because we are responsive to their<br />
needs."<br />
Submissions had to be feature-length and<br />
not attached to a distributor to be considered<br />
for auction. The 20 films that were ultimately<br />
chosen will be screened from February 29<br />
to March 2 for potential buyers before they<br />
go on the block on March 3. For more information,<br />
call (323) 467-4444 or (312) 726-<br />
0110 or logon at Films4Auction.com.<br />
ROTHS CREDITS ROLL<br />
Walt Disney Studios chairman Joe Roth<br />
has left the company, citing plans to return<br />
to independent producing. Peter Schneider,<br />
a 1 5-year Mouse House executive who most<br />
recently headed the animation and theatrical<br />
divisions, will fill Roth's position. Roth's<br />
unnamed production shingle probably won't<br />
hang in Disneyland, and he hasn't yet lined<br />
up financing, but industry insiders predict<br />
he'll attract A-list talent like Julia Roberts<br />
and Bruce Willis and may even be linked<br />
with producer Jerry Bruckheimer.<br />
Roth's departure has led to speculatio<br />
that other management shifts will occu<br />
Schneider has no live-action experience<br />
and Walt Disney Motion Picture Grou<br />
chairman Richard Cook may, for example<br />
take on more responsibility.<br />
Previously a chairman at Fox, Roth als<<br />
stepped down from that position in 1992 t<br />
form Caravan Pictures, an independent filr<br />
division based at Disney.<br />
LAW DOES THE FULL MONTY<br />
Fox Searchlight prexy Lindsay Law ha<br />
exited the company and inked an exclusiv<br />
production deal with Fox. The departur<br />
comes two months after Fox's Tom Rothmar<br />
who founded the specialty division and wa<br />
instrumental in Law's appointment there<br />
was promoted to president of the Fox Filr<br />
Group.<br />
Law's first order of business will be to tur<br />
legit, producing a stage version of his bigge;<br />
cinematic hit, "The Full Monty," the $3.<br />
million indie that grossed $256.4 millio'<br />
worldwide, making it the most profitabl<br />
film of 1997. The production will open<br />
April in San Diego, expanding to two oth«<br />
cities and eventually ending up<br />
Broadway in October. Then Law will pursu<br />
film projects at Fox.<br />
46 boxoffice
! Famous<br />
INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS<br />
NORTHERN EXPOSURE<br />
Canadian News Notes by Shlomo Schwartzberg<br />
THE UNION PROJECTIONIST ISSUE: BOOTH SIDES OF THE STORY<br />
With a recent contract settlement. Ontario's projectionists face new restrictions on<br />
the amount of hours they can work in the province's cinemas. Instead of unlimited<br />
hours of employment, they can now only work a maximum of 40 hours in any one<br />
house, which means they may not be there for the first show of the day. Their shift ends<br />
when the last show of the day has started; previously they would stay till the final<br />
screening was over. In addition, houses with six screens and under are now to be management-run<br />
(up from three screens and under), and on Mondays and Wednesdays, the<br />
least busy days of the week, non-union managers run the projection booths.<br />
These developments are the fallout from the months-long lockout of projectionists<br />
by Cineplex Odeon in late 1996 when the corporation demanded that they agree<br />
to major cuts in their hourly salaries, citing its increased costs of operations and what<br />
Cineplex felt were excessively high wages for automated work. The result was a<br />
In the latest round of negotiations, entered into after the two-year contracts<br />
expired, both Cineplex and Famous asked for further salary cuts to CSS an hour. The<br />
projectionist's union managed to prevent that, only losing CS0.50-CS1 (US$0.35-<br />
$0.69) an hour, but found their hours curtailed instead.<br />
Asked about the rationale for Famous Players' and Cineplex Odeon's tactics. Rob<br />
McPherson, acting business agent and region "A" representative of IATSE Local 173,<br />
told <strong>Boxoffice</strong>. "they're trying to get rid of the union entirely." Replying to<br />
McPherson's charges. Marci Davies, Cineplex Odeon's senior vice president of marketing,<br />
told <strong>Boxoffice</strong>. 'As a publicly traded company, we're financially responsible to<br />
our shareholders and employees to do what's in the best interests of the company." The<br />
contract arrived at with the projectionists was "fair and responsible." she said.<br />
Asked about reported problems with projecting films, especially "Magnolia," which<br />
is being shown by both Famous Players and Cineplex, Davies cited the film's three-hour<br />
VULCAN FORGES<br />
LIONS GATE FINANCING<br />
Lions Gate Films seems to be out of the<br />
financial rough with the recent announcement<br />
that it is receiving an infusion of C$33<br />
million (US$20.4 million) though the sale of<br />
new preferred stock and warrants. Vulcan<br />
Ventures, run by Microsoft co-founder Paul<br />
Allen. European broadcast group SBS<br />
Broadcasting and German broadcaster/producer<br />
Tele Munchen, are the investors in this<br />
financing deal which, according to Peter<br />
Wall, spokesperson for Lions Gate, bodes<br />
decrease of the total number of projectionists (from 250 to about 180) and salaries well for the company. "It is a boost of confidence<br />
slashed to an average of CS15 (US$10.37) an hour from the base rate of CS22-S33<br />
and a validation for people [who<br />
(USS15-S23). (Projectionists for Famous Players, facing a lockout situation as well,<br />
agreed to the same conditions the following summer.<br />
believe in the company]." Wall told <strong>Boxoffice</strong>.<br />
He added that the deal also means that<br />
Lions Gate may take its studio facility, currently<br />
up for sale, off the market. "With an<br />
increase in television production, it may<br />
make sense to hold onto the studio facility."<br />
he said. Admitting that Lions Gate went<br />
through a "rough patch." and pointing to the<br />
nearly simultaneous purchase of Time<br />
Warner by AOL, he predicted a "future that<br />
is going to contain some sort of merger<br />
between content and delivery. That's the same<br />
type of vision that has always been at Lions<br />
Gate from day one." As a sign of its renewed<br />
confidence. Lions Gate will be asking stock<br />
length. "It puts tremendous pressure on the bulbs; it has nothing to do with the capability<br />
of people operating the film." Managers who operate projection booths at help finance its expansion plans. The compa-<br />
investors in Canada to pony up $30 million to<br />
Cineplex. she pointed out. have been trained for the job and are "fully licensed". (A ny will be selling "units"—convertible preferred<br />
shares of stock and common share pur-<br />
spokesperson for Famous Players said that the problems with the print of "Magnolia."<br />
which premiered at Famous Players' Paramount multiplex and broke down several chase warrants—in effect allowing those<br />
times in the first month of its run, probably had to do with a stock problem.)<br />
"unit" holders to buy shares in Lions Gate.<br />
Currently, Famous Players and Cineplex Odeon are negotiating similar terms with<br />
Quebec projectionists and have recently settled with projectionists in Alberta.<br />
IWERKS However. GOES TO EXTREMES<br />
British Columbia's projectionists are in the tenth month of a lockout over<br />
Iwerks Entertainment and<br />
equivalent issues in that province. AMC's<br />
Showmax Inc.<br />
projectionists are non-union.<br />
have announced that they will install an<br />
Iwerks Extreme Screen 3-D Large-Format<br />
WWF(AMOUS)<br />
Players will be showing World Wrestling Federation<br />
pay-per-view matches in 17 theatres across Canada. It's part of<br />
:he company's plans to maximize use of its burgeoning multiplexss<br />
across the land.<br />
pNE SMALL STEP FOR "MAN"...<br />
Famous Players also recently installed two digital cinema sysone<br />
in its Paramount theatre in Toronto, the other in a<br />
ilverCity in Vancouver. Each of the cinemas is showing<br />
Bicentennial Man" in the new format. They're the first Canadian<br />
inemas dedicated to showing digital cinema presentations.<br />
LIFE IS GOOD, ONTARIO<br />
Film and TV production in Ontario hit record highs in 1999.<br />
A total of C$914 million (US$566.7 million) was spent in the<br />
province last year, a major jump from last year's record-breaking<br />
C$750.1 million (USS465.1 million). Indigenous Canadian production<br />
was significantly down, however, as Ontario lost out to<br />
3ther provinces offering homegrown filmmakers belter financial<br />
and tax incentives.<br />
theatre system in the new Montreal Forum Entertainment Center,<br />
formerly the old Montreal hockey palace. The Forum. The 450-<br />
seat theatre with its 60-foot screen is the key component of the<br />
unique entertainment venue, slated to open in August.<br />
KISS OFF FROM A ROSE<br />
Lewis Rose has left Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.<br />
after three years as the company's president. Alliance<br />
announced his departure as part of a streamlined, more focused<br />
approach by the company, which has seen its stocks lose almost<br />
half their value in the past year. David Ginsburg, Los Angelesbased<br />
president of the Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Group,<br />
has also left the company, and seven other positions in L.A.<br />
were axed as well.<br />
KNIGHTTIME<br />
Canadian company Knightscove Entertainment has received<br />
insurance for up to SI 00 million, allowing it<br />
to make from 10 to<br />
20 feature films, mostly for the family market, over the next four<br />
years. Average budgets will range from CS4 to C$8 million<br />
(US$2.8 to $5.5 million).<br />
March, 2000 47
INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS<br />
EUROVIEWS<br />
European News Notes by Francesca Dinglasan<br />
LEAD STORY: ODEON LEARNS ITS ABCs<br />
LONDON—Two major theatre circuits in the U.K. are readying<br />
to merge. Industry observers expect Odeon Cinemas, which was<br />
put up for sale by the Rank Group (see EUROVIEWS, December<br />
1999). to be purchased by private equity fund Cinven, owners of<br />
the British chain ABC Cinemas. Cinven originally purchased the<br />
300-screen ABC circuit in 1996 from Virgin, and with its acquisition<br />
of Odeon, presently the largest exhibitor in the country, the<br />
company's combined holdings will total nearly 770 screens.<br />
CiNEMAXX-IMUM DEAL<br />
COLOGNE, GERMANY—Also poised for a possible merger<br />
are German circuits Cinemaxx and Ufa, which are currently discussing<br />
the option of forming a partnership. The announcement<br />
comes after a disappointing year at the Teutonic boxoffice, where<br />
the exhibition industry has witnessed a drop in ticket sales compared<br />
with 1998 figures. However, despite the revelation of their<br />
plans, Joachim Flebbe, owner of Cinemaxx parent Flebbe, had<br />
previously indicated that his circuit was interested in taking over<br />
Ufa, rather than engaging in a joint venture.<br />
UIP GOES NORDIC<br />
LONDON—UIP has entered into a pact with Nordic company<br />
Scanbox, giving the former distribution rights to the latter's<br />
slate of Scandinavian, European and U.S. films within the countries<br />
of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Among the pics<br />
covered under the agreement are Miramax's "The Cider House<br />
Rules" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley" as well as<br />
"Mirakel" and "Cirkeline 2."<br />
Danish flicks<br />
In addition, UIP has announced that Marion Pilowsky, former<br />
head of acquisitions and development at Australia's Premier<br />
Movie Partnership, has been tapped as head of its new Londonbased<br />
acquisitions and development department.<br />
UCI EXPANDS INTO ITALY<br />
ROME—Paramount and Universal joint venture UCI has<br />
announced the opening of its first plex in the Boot. Consisting of<br />
nine screens and 2,400 seats, the new theatre located in the northern<br />
city of Begamo is one of a minimum 20 venues expected to be<br />
built by 2005. Other sites targeted by the exhibitor include the<br />
cities of Verona, Genoa, Milan, Turin. Bologna, Mestre. Naples<br />
and an area outside of Venice. UCI's next Italian site—a sevenscreener<br />
in Rome— will bow this September.<br />
MEDUSA MAKES A MULTIPLEX<br />
ROME—Another exhibitor launching a virgin site in Italy is<br />
local company Medusa Film, which bowed a nine-screener in the<br />
city of Bologna, the third largest domestic moviegoer market after<br />
Rome and Milan. The new plex is one of 20 sites to be constructed<br />
throughout the country over the next five years. Medusa is<br />
investing approximately 500 billion lire (US$277 million) in the<br />
construction of its 200 new screens.<br />
POLAND TAKES THE SILVER<br />
WARSAW—Silver Screen Cinemas, which presently manages<br />
multiplexes throughout Poland, has entered into an agreement with<br />
developing company Echo Investment to operate a 10-screen, 2,000-<br />
seat theatre in trie city of Lodz. The new cinema, which is scheduled<br />
for a late summer bow, will anchor a multi-use complex featuring<br />
shops, cafes, restaurants and an underground parking area. Silvei<br />
Screen and Echo Investment are also planning a similar arrangement<br />
with a new venue in the Polish city of Szczecin to open sometime<br />
this year. Silver Screen, which also owns Los Angeles-based<br />
Pacific Theatres Corporation, opened its first theatre in central<br />
Warsaw last November and is planning sites domestically in the<br />
cities of Gdynia. Gdansk. Krakow and Wroclaw.<br />
KIN0WELT HEADS EAST<br />
MUNICH—Also interested in eastern markets is German<br />
exhibitor Kinowelt Intl., which has unveiled plans to launch<br />
Kinowelt Hungary in conjunction with Hungarian distributoi<br />
Budapest Film. The new arm, which is expected to be the largesl<br />
independent outfit of its kind in Hungary, will specialize in film<br />
distribution, home entertainment and TV licensing. Additionally.<br />
Kinowelt Intl. is interested in establishing a film distribution company<br />
in Poland as well as acquiring a majority stake in Lithuanian<br />
distributor GPI.<br />
POLISH FILM PRODUCERS WAGE WARSAW<br />
WARSAW—While interest in the Polish market grows, a controversial<br />
law that affects local distributors and exhibitors is being<br />
debated within the industry. Penned by Polish film producers, the<br />
new legislation calls for a 10 percent tax to be imposed on every<br />
movie theatre ticket sold in order to subsidize local production. In<br />
addition, the producers are seeking a quota that requires<br />
exhibitors to screen a minimum number of Polish pics. The country's<br />
Film Distributor's Association is presenting an alternative<br />
version of the bill, which would attract investment in the film<br />
industry through various tax incentives.<br />
FRENCH FARE FARES WELL<br />
PARIS—The French Centre National de Cinematographic<br />
reports that while Gallic pics experienced an increase in its share ol<br />
boxoffice take during first quarter 1999, overall attendance figures<br />
at cinemas were down throughout the country. French films<br />
accounted for 42 percent of the boxoffice, or 32 million tickets sold,<br />
up 36 percent from the previous year. However, French exhibitors<br />
counted only 75 million patrons in attendance during the period,<br />
down by 18 percent in comparison to 1998 totals.<br />
Outside of the country, French films fared similarly well, with<br />
local product taking nearly double the boxoffice share in eighl<br />
major territories including U.S., Canada and six continental countrie.<br />
during January September 1999. According to French film<br />
promotion company Unifrance, Gallic products have recorded 9.3<br />
million admissions during the nine-month period in comparison tc<br />
1998's 4.7 million. French pics saw its greatest number of audience<br />
members in neighboring Germany, where their market share rose<br />
by 250 percent. Leading the charge were feature films "Obelix vs<br />
Caesar," "The Dinner Game" and "Autumn Tale."<br />
GAUMONT'S THIRD QUARTER<br />
PARIS—Feeling the Gallic pinch is French film producer anc<br />
distributor Gaumont, which reports that its third quarter 1999<br />
sales dropped by 30 percent to 245.6 million francs (US$38.9 million)<br />
during the three-month period. Also not so promising were<br />
the company's nine-month figures, which indicate that sales fell bj<br />
25.6 percent to one billion francs (US$160 million) comparer<br />
with the previous year.<br />
48 BOXOFFICE
INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS<br />
PACIFIC OVERTURES<br />
Notes From the Pacific Rim by Franceses Dinglasan<br />
LEAD STORY: VILLAGE SPRINGS UP IN THAILAND AND SOUTH KOREA<br />
SYDNEY—Australian exhibition giant Village Roadshow has revealed that it<br />
will pay approximately AUSS21 million (US$13.5 million) to Hong Kong-based<br />
Golden Harvest Entertainment for an unspecified number of cinemas located<br />
throughout South Korea and Thailand. The deal is part of Village's long term goal<br />
to buy back numerous interests from partners (most notably in Asia) and consolidate<br />
the holdings into one company. In addition to this transaction, the financially<br />
beset Golden Harvest will sell four of its other cinemas in Hong Kong to City<br />
Entertainment Corp., a join venture between itself and Village Roadshow.<br />
partnership to develop into the region's largest film distribution<br />
business, with plans to roll out over 50 films by the end of the year.<br />
Dubbed Warner Golden Village, the new outfit will be located in the<br />
Offices of Golden Village Pictures, another joint venture between<br />
Australia-based Village Roadshow and Hong Kong's Golden<br />
Harvest (see Lead Story). Golden Village Pictures general manager<br />
Gerald Dibbayawan has been tapped to head Warner Golden<br />
Village, while four Warner Bros, staff members, including office<br />
manager Ken Low. will lose their positions as part of the deal.<br />
CODE OF CONDUCT SET IN 0Z<br />
SYDNEY—After a year of investigating charges of anti-competitive<br />
and unfair business practices by certain members of the<br />
film industry Down Under, the Australian Competition and<br />
Consumer Commission has approved a voluntary Film<br />
Distribution and Exhibition Code of Conduct. Among those<br />
expected to benefit from the implementation of the Code are rural<br />
theatre owners and operators, who had previously been subject to<br />
a long wait period before they were given access to in-demand<br />
releases. Under terms of the Code, distributors would rotate films<br />
throughout designated regions. However, the ACCC will continue<br />
to investigate a number of complaints, particularly the allegation<br />
that some distributors are charging rural exhibitors inflated firstweek<br />
rates for releases that have been on the market for several<br />
jweeks.<br />
AUSSIES PREFER MOVIES<br />
SYDNEY—According to a report released by the Australian<br />
Bureau of Statistics, moviegoing has increased in popularity as<br />
the pastime of choice in the Land of Oz. Over the past five years,<br />
the number of Australians attending the cinema has risen by 14<br />
percent, with 67 percent of the country's population above the age<br />
of 14 (equal to 10 million people) making a trip to the local movie<br />
theatre at least once during the 1 2-month period ending last April.<br />
Among the other activities named in the survey were visiting the<br />
library, art galleries, museums and the opera.<br />
TICKET SALES ON THE RISE DOWN UNDER<br />
SYDNEY— In line with this Australian proclivity is the local<br />
boxoffice. which recorded its 12th consecutive year of growth in<br />
.1999. According to figures released by the Motion Picture<br />
Distributors' Association of Australia, earnings increased by<br />
nearly 12 percent during the period to a total of AUSS704 million<br />
(US$455 million), largely due to the steadilj<br />
ascending Dumber o( screens and state-of-theart<br />
multiplexes throughout the country.<br />
However, while cinema admissions in Oz have<br />
continued to rise, local films have failed to<br />
attract a larger proportion of the growing<br />
Australian audience. Early estimates figure<br />
Down Under product to have grossed AUSS21<br />
million (USS13.5 million) during the period,<br />
accounting for a mere three percent of total<br />
boxoffice earnings. The Heath Ledger starrer "Two Hands"<br />
proved the most popular local pic last year, garnishing AUSS5<br />
WARNER FINDS GOLD IN SINGAPORE<br />
SINGAPORE—Warner Bros, has announced that it will shut million (USS3.2 million).<br />
low n its Singapore distribution office in order to enter into a joint<br />
venture with Golden Village Pictures. Both companies expect the<br />
BOLLYWOOD BOXOFFICE BREAKERS<br />
NEW DELHI—Also suffering at the local boxoffice in 1999<br />
were Bollywood flicks, which recorded their worst year ever at<br />
Indian cinemas.<br />
Industry observers attribute the poor results to<br />
sky-high production costs as well as increasing entertainment dollar<br />
competition from such sources as video, cable TV and foreign<br />
channels. Of the 130 movies made specifically for Hindu-speaking<br />
theatre patrons during the year, an unspecified number were<br />
reportedly pulled by exhibitors after just one week because of<br />
their inability to draw an audience.<br />
HERALDING MORE MULTIPLEXES<br />
TOKYO—Nippon Herald Group's Herald Enterprises has<br />
announced plans to develop two multiplex projects in Japan by<br />
the end of this year. The first complex, which consists of eight<br />
screens and 1.500 seats, is located in the city of Tsukuba and is<br />
scheduled for a July bow. The second theatre, which will open its<br />
doors this November, is located in Fukuoka. the largest city on<br />
the southern island of Kyushu, and will hold 10 screens. 2.000<br />
seats and a parking capacity of 900 spaces. Despite the staggering<br />
construction costs, which average one billion Japanese yen<br />
(USS9.8 million) per site. Herald intends to build new multiplexes<br />
at the rate of two per year.<br />
IMAX MAKES MOVES IN JAPAN<br />
TOKYO—Large format specialty company Imax has inked a<br />
deal with recreation company Seibu Group that calls for three of<br />
its trademark 3-D theatre systems to be installed throughout<br />
Japan. The first installation in the city of Nagano is slated to open<br />
in January 2001 . while the other two are expected to bow in Tokyo<br />
by spring 2002.<br />
SEVERED THAIS WITH FOX<br />
BANGKOK—Thailand's censorship committee has officially<br />
banned 20th Century Fox's "Anna and the King." calling it an<br />
inaccurate portrayal of the country's history as well as insufficiently<br />
respectful toward its monarchy. Fox. which distributed and<br />
produced the Jodie Foster starrer, had also been denied permission<br />
by the Thai government to film in the country and instead<br />
conducted its shoot in Malaysia. Within days of the ban by the<br />
Thai committee, which consists o\' academics, local press members,<br />
the national film board and a branch of the police, pirated<br />
versions of the film were available lor purchase inside the country.<br />
March. 2000 4«>
l( I<br />
'<br />
BOXOFHCE<br />
REVIEWS<br />
March 2000<br />
DAY AND DATE: MARCH 24<br />
WAKING THE DEAD<br />
***i/2<br />
Starring Billy Crudup and Jennifer<br />
Connelly. Directed and written by Keith<br />
Gordon. Produced by Keith Cordon,<br />
Stuart Kleinman and Linda Reisman. A<br />
USA release. Drama. Rated R for sexuality<br />
and language. Running time: 103<br />
Fielding, on the other hand, is serving in<br />
min.<br />
A romance film relies on the charisma<br />
the Coast Guard when they first meet,<br />
later going to law school in an effort to<br />
and chemistry of its leads to con-<br />
change the system from within. He's<br />
vince the audience that they do, indeed, willing to make sacrifices for the good of<br />
belong together—and<br />
will be<br />
cause. Neither<br />
the greater<br />
together even after<br />
retreats from his<br />
death parts them.<br />
or her position,<br />
In this, "Waking<br />
at times embarrassing<br />
the Dead" writerdirector-producer<br />
the other<br />
when circumstances<br />
Keith Gordon<br />
for an<br />
succeeds resoundingly.<br />
ideological<br />
eruption are less<br />
Beginning<br />
with a car bombing<br />
than<br />
But<br />
optimal.<br />
it's their<br />
convictions that<br />
that kills<br />
Sarah<br />
inspire<br />
activist<br />
their<br />
Williams ("Dark<br />
love and respect<br />
City's" Jennifer<br />
for each other.<br />
Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly<br />
Connelly),<br />
in USA's "Waking the Dead."<br />
Told from<br />
"Waking the<br />
Fielding's point<br />
Dead" moves back and forth in time (on<br />
occasion less fluidly than others)<br />
of view, the film is carried<br />
who not just portrays but<br />
by Crudup,<br />
inhabits a<br />
between the early 1970s, when she character who runs the gamut of<br />
meets and falls in love with politically extreme emotion from the cool collection<br />
candidate to the des-<br />
inclined Fielding Pierce ("Jesus' Son's"<br />
of a political<br />
Billy Crudup), and the '80s, after Sarah's<br />
death, when Fielding is offered a chance<br />
to run for the Senate. With his chiseled<br />
good looks and polished background,<br />
he's a shoo-in—until his beloved begins<br />
to haunt him and he suspects that either<br />
she really is alive or he's losing his mind.<br />
The film's best moments are set in the<br />
past as the two discover young love<br />
despite their differences. Sarah is an<br />
uncompromising revolutionary, going so<br />
far as to travel to South America to help<br />
oppressed Chilean radicals escape.<br />
peration of trying to protect his determined<br />
lover to the uncontrollable insanity<br />
broiling just beneath the surface.<br />
Gordon mirrors these emotions in his<br />
filmmaking, using slow-motion, handheld<br />
camerawork and elaborate pauses<br />
to reflect the emotional resonance of a<br />
particular scene. Annlee Ellingson<br />
•••*• OUTSTANDING<br />
**•• VERY GOOD<br />
••• GOOD<br />
•• FAIR<br />
* POOR<br />
(no stars) BOMB<br />
REVIEWS<br />
The Closer You Get<br />
The Color of Paradise<br />
Cotton Mary<br />
Gendernauts<br />
Grizzly Falls<br />
Kestrel's Eye<br />
Next Friday<br />
Pitch Black<br />
Play It to the Bone R<br />
The Quarry<br />
Supernova<br />
Whipped<br />
Wirey Spmdell R-20<br />
DAY AND DATE: 3/24<br />
Waking the Dead R-16<br />
SPECIAL FORMATS<br />
Dolphins R-19<br />
Mysteries of Egypt R-19<br />
FLASHBACK: 1989<br />
Earth Girls Are Easy R-18<br />
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED<br />
Coming films already reviewed R-20<br />
REVIEW DIGEST<br />
Our monthly release overview R-21<br />
Hit www.boxoffice.com<br />
every Friday for the<br />
latest movie reviews!<br />
Advance Sundance Film<br />
Festival coverage<br />
is currently online!<br />
Ft<br />
R<br />
R<br />
R<br />
R<br />
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R<br />
50 (R-16) BO\OI I
•••<br />
written by Majid Majidi. Produeed by<br />
Mehdi Karimi. A Sony Pictures Classics<br />
release. Drama. Not yet rated. Running<br />
time: 95 min.<br />
There's a startling scene in "The Color<br />
of Paradise" in which a bitter man screams<br />
at his mother about how God has abandoned<br />
him and questions why he should<br />
follow a pious path. One would be hardpressed<br />
to think of another Iranian film<br />
that has ever directly assailed religion—the<br />
Mullahs must be furious—but it's not surprising<br />
coming from the director of<br />
"Children of Heaven." That powerfully<br />
tough criticism of Iran's capitalist system<br />
showed that writer-director Majid Majidi<br />
may be the most hard-hitting of Iranian<br />
filmmakers. Unfortunately, he's also cinematically<br />
cruder than his talented colleagues<br />
and "The Color of Paradise." more<br />
than "Children of Heaven," suffers from<br />
his technical ineptitude. His tale of a<br />
bright blind boy (Mohsen Ramezani) and<br />
the father who no longer wants to care for<br />
him shares some of Francois Truffaut's<br />
attention to childhood detail. But it lacks<br />
lyricism and just jumps from one sloppy<br />
scene to another. Only its fine performances<br />
and fierce honesty save it from<br />
med i ocri t<br />
y.— Shlomo Sch wartzberg<br />
WHIPPED *•<br />
Starring Amanda Peet,<br />
Brian Ian Holt,<br />
Jonathan Abrahams, Zorie Barber and<br />
Judah Domke. Directed and written by<br />
Peter M. Cohen. Produced by Anthony<br />
Armetta and Taylor MacCrae. A<br />
Destination release. Comedy. Not yet rated.<br />
Running time: 85 min.<br />
Hostility between men and women is<br />
Struggling to find new variations on the<br />
overworked theme of guys and girls dissing<br />
each other verbally, physically, in reality,<br />
imagination and dreams, it spares few<br />
vulgarities and makes the whole searchfor-a-mate<br />
process seem so unappealing,<br />
unromantic. unsatisfying and ugly as to be<br />
pointless.<br />
Amanda Peet, with her minor-league<br />
Julia Roberts look, is an attractive target<br />
for if not the affections then the distorted<br />
desires of a trio of pretty stupid single<br />
men a writer (Zone Barber), a money<br />
broker (Brian Van Holt) and an actor<br />
REVIEWS<br />
THE COLOR OF PARADISE<br />
(Jonathan Abrahams). Judah Domke is<br />
stuck with the role of their even more<br />
Starring Mohsen Ramezani, Hossein<br />
Mahjuh and Salime Feizi. Directed and unfortunate pal who happens to be married.<br />
Peter Cohen's script has a very harsh<br />
viewpoint which his-in-your face direction<br />
only heightens, and there is little<br />
room left for any of the actors to find the<br />
nuances which might have made the movie<br />
more insightful despite its crass attitude.<br />
—Bridget Byrne<br />
THE CLOSER YOU GET ***<br />
Starring Ian Hart, Sean McGinley,<br />
Niamh Cusack and Ruth McCabe. Directed<br />
by Aileen Ritchie. Written by William Ivory.<br />
Produeed by Uberto Pasolini. A Fox<br />
Searchlight release. Comedy. Rated PG-U<br />
for brief language and some sexual material.<br />
Running time: 1 15 min.<br />
In a homely hamlet on the craggy coast<br />
of Donegal, the menfolk are like the martians<br />
of the old B-movie: They need<br />
women. But they have a simple (or simpleminded)<br />
plan: They will place an ad in a<br />
Miami newspaper publicizing their interest<br />
in making matrimony with American lasses.<br />
(Although, of course, matrimony is not the<br />
first, and barely the last, act on their agendas.)<br />
Having thus posted their availability<br />
with full references to their supposed<br />
virtues and potencies,<br />
they make preparation<br />
for a village party a few weeks hence to<br />
welcome the waves of womanhood they are<br />
sure will pour onto their shores.<br />
The local women, knowing the true<br />
intent of the testosterone natives, and feeling<br />
more than a bit ignored, plot their<br />
revenge: They will invite particularly hirsute<br />
foreign fishermen to the affair, to<br />
which they expect will come zero femmes<br />
from afar, leaving the Irish lads to stand<br />
about like wallflowers at the dance while<br />
exotic seamen carouse the night away with<br />
full-throttle in "Whipped," yet another dark the local ladies. Which indeed, and predictably,<br />
comedy about modern-day dating habits.<br />
The plot's minor surprises and one major<br />
twist and the in-the-moment acting of the<br />
is what transpires, with the equal-<br />
ly expected character transformations following<br />
thereafter.<br />
With "Waking Ned Devine" and especially<br />
cast raise the film a tad above its overall<br />
level, which is slung pretty low. Some of the "The Full Monty," Fox Searchlight<br />
unpleasant moments are funny, some not, previously found success with light-hearted<br />
visits to the lands of isle and glen, and<br />
but it isn't realistic enough to have an<br />
impact and not stylish enough to be seducfive<br />
"The Closer You Get" looks to continue<br />
even at its most amusing.<br />
that streak— if, due to the film's<br />
predictability,<br />
closer to the "Devine" level of'<br />
boxoffice. As always, Ian Hart is effective,<br />
making his lead, the lustlorn and headstrong<br />
butcher Kieran O'Donnagh, a focus<br />
of audience affection, in part due to his<br />
increasingly obvious desperation, which<br />
includes the dying of his dark hair to<br />
blonde. Among those playing the rest of<br />
the burg's cutely idiosyncratic (of course)<br />
souls are Sean McGinley (who previouslj<br />
teamed with Hart in "The Butcher Boy"<br />
and "Michael Collins"). Niamh Cusack<br />
("The Playboys") and Ruth McCabe<br />
("Talk of Angels"). Working from a story<br />
by Herbie Wave. actor-turned-BBC comedy<br />
writer William Ivory peoples his village<br />
with an interesting menagerie of characters,<br />
and director Aileen Ritchie keeps her<br />
camera for "The Closer You Get" just distant<br />
enough to keep audience involvement<br />
with this war-of-the-scxes affair of the<br />
gentle, easy-going-down variety. Kim<br />
W iIliamson<br />
COTTON MARY<br />
••*<br />
Starring Madhur Jaffrey, Greta Scacchi<br />
and James Wilby. Directed by Ismail<br />
Merchant. Written by Alexandra Viets.<br />
Produced by Ismail Merchant, Gil<br />
Donaldson and Nayeem Hafizka. An<br />
Artistic License release. Drama. Rated R for<br />
a scene of sexuality. Running time: 123 min.<br />
The title character of Ismail<br />
Merchant's movie is the symbol of a deeprooted<br />
love-hate relationship between ruler<br />
and ruled, pre- and post-Imperialism, culture<br />
and heritage, truth and desire and<br />
myriad other emotional and factual consequences<br />
— particularly race relations—of<br />
Britain's colonialism in India. It is also a<br />
disturbing study of a woman whose best<br />
qualities manifest themselves in evil ways<br />
which cannot be so easily excused as madness<br />
or self-delusion.<br />
Alexandra Viets' script, set post-<br />
Independence, centers around Mary, a<br />
middle-aged hospital worker who insinuates<br />
herself into a household where a<br />
British family struggles to deal with<br />
changed times. Mary's key to entry is her<br />
ability to use her sister to breast-feed a<br />
sickly new baby with whom the depressed<br />
mother is unable to cope. But Mary's own<br />
mixture of foolish pride and painful illease<br />
at her mixed race heritage adds poison<br />
to family lives (both her own and her<br />
employers') which are already seeped in<br />
sorrows and misunderstandings, the legacy<br />
o\' the failure of East and West to find a<br />
happy common meeting ground.<br />
Madhur Jaffrey. probably best known<br />
in recent years for her excellent cookbooks<br />
rather than her acting, is profoundly<br />
disturbing as Mary, stripping away all<br />
personal vanities to reveal the character's<br />
own in a shocking portrait which can be<br />
viewed for both its individuality and its<br />
larger meaning. Greta Scacchi as the<br />
British postpartum mother is stuck with<br />
the problem of making gloomy introspection<br />
interesting and doesn't quite manage<br />
it. but she fares better than James Wilby,<br />
handed an unfaithful absentee husband<br />
role which is more plot point than fullydeveloped<br />
character.<br />
Merchant's direction is not as smooth<br />
as one might imagine after all his years as<br />
James Ivory's producer, but the understanding<br />
of the subject matter brings resonance<br />
and authentic surprise to main<br />
scenes. Bridget Byrne<br />
March. 2000<br />
(R-17)
PITCH BLACK<br />
***l/2<br />
Starring Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell,<br />
Cole Hauser, Lewis Fitzgerald, Claudia<br />
Blaek and Keith David. Directed by<br />
David N. Twohy. Written by Jim Wheat,<br />
Ken Wheat and David N. Twohy.<br />
Produeed by Tom Engelman and Tony<br />
Winley. A USA release. Sei-FilHorror.<br />
Rated R for sci-fi violenee and gore, and<br />
for language. Running time<br />
A freak meteor<br />
storm causes a commercial<br />
space llight to<br />
make an emergency<br />
landing on an unknown<br />
planet.<br />
After surviving<br />
the harrowing crash,<br />
the passengers think<br />
that the main threat to<br />
their safety is an<br />
escaped convict. Riddick<br />
("Saving Private Ryan's"<br />
Vin Diesel), who was<br />
being transported to<br />
prison on the ill-fated<br />
flight. But Riddick<br />
proves to be their one hope for salvation<br />
from the indigenous human-devouring<br />
aliens that soon make their presence<br />
known (with the help of impressive CGI<br />
effects used to bring the winged, bladenosed,<br />
lizard-bodied creatures to life).<br />
The photosensitive monsters are kept at<br />
bay as long as the three suns shine<br />
bright. But, as fate would have it, a total<br />
eclipse engulfs the interstellar castaways.<br />
As the group is stalked, their only<br />
chance of being led to safety is by relying<br />
on Riddick's night vision and survival<br />
instincts.<br />
Vin Diesel's demeanor is refreshing<br />
and the combination of his voice and<br />
physical build make his character memorable.<br />
He's a one-man Eastwood,<br />
Schwarzenegger and Snipes. The<br />
macabre past or further adventures of<br />
his character would be an excellent follow-up.<br />
Not since the second coming of<br />
the Terminator has there been an antihero<br />
so worth cheering. Dwayne E.<br />
Leslie<br />
GENDERNAUTS<br />
**l/2<br />
Starring Sandy Stone, Texas Tomboy,<br />
Susan Stryker, Max I alerio, Jordy Jones,<br />
Stafford, Tornado, liida J iloria and Annie<br />
Sprinkle. Directed and produeed by Monika<br />
Treut. A First Run release. Documentary.<br />
Unrated. Running time: 86 nun.<br />
Subtitled "A Journey Through<br />
Shifting Identities," "Gcndernauts"<br />
focuses on the variant degrees of several<br />
transsexuals' self-imposed gender reassignment.<br />
Some strive for a complete<br />
transformation while others are content<br />
with the changes hormone therapy<br />
REVIEWS<br />
FLASHBACK: July, 1989<br />
What BOXOFFICE Said About...<br />
EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY<br />
[March 3 sees the release of the Columbia comedy "What Planet Are You From?",<br />
in which Carry Shandling stars as an alien whose mission is to seduce and impregnate<br />
Earth women. Back in 1989, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans<br />
played randy extra-terrestrials who were shown<br />
the ways of amour by Geena Davis and Julie<br />
Brown.]<br />
"Earth Girls Are Easy" is<br />
a bubbly and intensely colorful<br />
comedy which makes up for a familiar story by<br />
being simply too funny to resist. Valerie (Geena<br />
Davis), a good-natured but hopelessly naive beautician<br />
in the soaringly tacky San Fernando Valley, is<br />
suffering over the loss of her deadbeat fiance<br />
(Charles Rocket) when a spaceship lands in her<br />
swimming pool. Inside are Mac (Jeff Goldblum),<br />
Wiploc (Jim Carrey) and Zeebo (Damon Wayans),<br />
three friendly, furry and slightly horny aliens who<br />
take an immediate liking to Valerie and her ditzy<br />
friend Candy (Julie Brown, who also co-wrote the script).<br />
Anxious to show their three new friends the planet Earth—or at least as it exists in<br />
the Valley, which has precious little to do with real life—Valerie and Candy shave<br />
the aliens, making them appear human. What follows is predictable fish-out-ofwater<br />
business as the aliens tear up a dance club, steal a car and create traffic chaos<br />
and, like Daryl Hannah in "Splash," absorb language from television broadcasts<br />
(Wiploc picks up James Dean's "You're tearing me apart!" lament from "Rebel<br />
Without a Cause" and regurgitates it at a hilarious moment). It's all time-tested comedy<br />
fodder, handled ably here. All in all, "Earth Girls Are Easy" is a clever, mindless<br />
hootbrings.<br />
Most seem to have arrived at the<br />
conclusion and come to terms with the fact<br />
that they don't really belong to either sex,<br />
but postulate that they are merely more<br />
extreme examples of the gender identity<br />
crisis within us all, as few people come<br />
close to fitting the idealized or stereotypical<br />
criteria of what is female or male.<br />
Director Monika Treut. herself a drag<br />
king, interviews a number of transgender<br />
pioneers representing a vast spectrum of<br />
personalities, intellects and temperaments<br />
—some are terrifically together, others a<br />
tad too "Boogie Nights"-caliber neurotic<br />
for their own good. Each gives a brief personal<br />
history and some pontifications on<br />
how their sexual identities have affected<br />
their lives. But as most all of the participants<br />
are San Francisco denizens.<br />
"Gendernauts" fails to transcend the<br />
microcosm of one of the world's few communities<br />
that embraces alternative sexuality.<br />
It would have added greatly to have<br />
such subjects as cultural theorist Sandy<br />
Stone, a male-to-female transsexual who<br />
teaches at the University of Texas, describe<br />
what daily life is like, how people treat her,<br />
in a town not quite as open-minded. (Few<br />
of the film's subjects could pass unquestioned<br />
in their new gender.)<br />
The documentary could also have<br />
dug deeper as far as the technical aspects<br />
of the process involved in changing<br />
sexes. The first question—though likely<br />
a rarely articulated one—that the layperson<br />
has on the subject is how can working<br />
genitalia be constructed? This goes<br />
unaddressed for the most part until a<br />
rather unexpectedly graphic video clip<br />
from porn star Annie Sprinkle's oeuvre<br />
is shown in which she's trying out her<br />
girl-to-boyfriend's brand-new appendage.<br />
This somewhat shocking snippet briefly<br />
shows how it works (or in this case, doesn't)—but<br />
this is one area where perhaps<br />
a dash of clinical professionalism would<br />
have been more appropriate.<br />
"Gendernauts" is populated with<br />
interesting and colorful characters who<br />
provide human faces to and thoughtful<br />
ruminations on the subject at hand, but<br />
the documentary's haphazard, conversational,<br />
undemanding, preaching-to-theconverted<br />
approach renders its value<br />
more therapeutic than sociological.<br />
— Christine James<br />
52 (R-18) BOXOFFICE
j<br />
;<br />
the<br />
|<br />
After<br />
••*<br />
GRIZZLY FALLS<br />
Starring Daniel Clark, Bryan Brown.<br />
Richard Harris, Tom Jackson and Oliver<br />
Tobias. Directed by Stewart Raffill.<br />
Written by Richard Beattie. Produced by<br />
Peter S. Hampton and Allan Scott. A<br />
Providence Entertainment release.<br />
Adventure. Rated PG for wilderness<br />
adventure violence and some mild language.<br />
Running time: 9.1 min.<br />
This is a trip down memory lane to<br />
those Disney and similar films where all<br />
the kids were the heroes<br />
and all the animals cute<br />
when they weren't being<br />
ferocious. It<br />
takes a serious<br />
suspension of reality to<br />
enjoy them. But, hey, isn't<br />
that what movies are all<br />
about?<br />
Young Harry Bankston<br />
(newcomer Daniel Clark)<br />
goes on an expedition to<br />
the Canadian wilderness<br />
with his Indiana Jones-style<br />
dad (Bryan Brown). It's a<br />
bonding experience to<br />
make up for father being<br />
absent for much of his<br />
young life, including when<br />
his mother died.<br />
The purpose of the trek is to bring<br />
back a live grizzly and, naturally, it doesn't<br />
all go according to plan. In fact it<br />
goes so awry that Harry gets kidnapped<br />
by a mother grizzly whose two cubs have<br />
been captured by the expedition. Only<br />
fair, you might say.<br />
Ma Grizzly is actually good at her<br />
chosen profession and Harry's only<br />
problem seems to be that his diet is a little<br />
undercooked. Apart from berries it<br />
consists of raw fish, freshly-killed animals<br />
and purloined eggs. Quit complaining,<br />
kid—sushi and steak tartar would<br />
cost you a packet in Beverly Hills.<br />
The scenes with the bears are very<br />
convincing and whatever special effects<br />
there may be are seamless, though the<br />
film could have done with a few less of<br />
human-style gestures. Do grizzlies<br />
really do that crooked arm wave thing<br />
when they want you to hurry up? And<br />
some of the continuity is very sloppy.<br />
several days of being schlepped by<br />
a bear, Harry's shirt looks like it just<br />
came out of the dryer.<br />
Still, it's a pretty entertaining trip for<br />
the whole family, except for very little<br />
kids who might find some of the scenes<br />
too intense. Performances are adequate,<br />
with young Mr. Clark a standout.<br />
Richard Harris, as the much older<br />
Harry, bookends the story and shamelessly<br />
sets up a potential sequel. Mike<br />
Kerrigan<br />
REVIEWS<br />
SPECIAL FORMATS<br />
MYSTERIES OF EGYPT • ••<br />
Starring Omar Sharif and Kate Maberly. Directed by Bruce Neibaur. Written in consultation<br />
with Dr. Mark Lehner, Dr. Zahi Hawass and Dr. Nicholas Reeves. Produced<br />
by Scott Swofford and Lisa Truit. A National Geographic release. Documentary.<br />
Unrated. Running time: 40 min.<br />
Set against the wondrous backdrop of the sweeping Nile and the majestic Ciza pyramids,<br />
"Mysteries of Egypt" takes the viewer on an engaging journey through the Land<br />
of the Pharaohs. Meant to be educational as<br />
well as inspirational, the large-format film<br />
conveys pertinent information in the form of<br />
a running conversation between a wise old<br />
grandfather (Omar Sharif), who stresses the<br />
importance of historic perspective as well<br />
as respect toward the ancients, and his<br />
inquisitive granddaughter (Kate Maberly),<br />
who is eager to hear about the legendary<br />
Mummy's Curse and the more titillating<br />
tales associated with the region.<br />
Seeking to satisfy both this thirst for knowl-<br />
"'<br />
^m* JS edge and the morbid curiosity about<br />
f.\<br />
ancient Egyptians, the film is interspersed<br />
with reenactments of events such as the<br />
mummification of royal family members<br />
and the plundering of rich tombs by intrepid<br />
grave robbers, with Sharif's voice-overs serving to explain the onscreen depictions of<br />
the archaic traditions and their historical significance.<br />
Despite the potentiality for contrived dialogue or distraction caused by the grandfather-granddaughter<br />
relationship, "Mysteries of Egypt" is quite successful at communicating<br />
basic information about the country's history as well as avoiding the pitfalls<br />
associated with a documentary featuring real events and places, but fictional characters.<br />
The only flaw of any note is the film's inability to delve deeper into topics it introduces,<br />
including the short life of King Tut and the mysterious construction methods<br />
behind the pyramids, igniting viewer curiosity only to let it down much too quickly.<br />
However, having to cover an entire civilization in just 40 minutes is no small task,<br />
and director Bruce Neibaur makes the most of the time he is allotted by using the<br />
giant screen to depict Egypt's breathtaking landscape and timeless monuments on a<br />
scale in which they deserve to be seen.<br />
DOLPHINS<br />
Starring Dr.<br />
•••<br />
Francesca Dinglasan<br />
Kathleen Dudzinski, Alejandro Acevedo-Guitierrez and Dean Bernal.<br />
Directed and produced by Greg MacGillivray. A MacGillivray Freeman release.<br />
Documentary. Unrated. Running time: 40 min.<br />
This is the first Imax release for MacGillivray Freeman since its "Everest" broke all<br />
boxoffice records for the giant screen. This is<br />
unlikely to scale any new financial<br />
peaks but it is a visually pleasing and thought-provoking peek at life beneath the<br />
waves. In short, it's just the ticket for the Imax treatment.<br />
"Galapagos" had Dr. Carole Baldwin swimming with the sharks and this one has Dr.<br />
Kathleen Dudzinski in Dances with Dolphins. Dr. Dudzinski sports a fetching red<br />
bikini as she frolics without diving gear in a group of dolphins. Actually Dr. D is<br />
doing serious and important work—trying to decipher dolphinspeak. If she ever<br />
cracks the code, we are in for some very interesting discussions with out aquatic<br />
cousins.<br />
Enhancing the visual delights is a great score by Sting, whose music perfectly complements<br />
the film's atmospherics. Mike Kerrigan<br />
March, 2000 (R-19) 53
••<br />
KESTREL'S EYE<br />
Directed and produced by Mikael<br />
Kristersson. A First Run release.<br />
Documentary. Unrated. Running time: 85 min.<br />
This wordless documentary which follows<br />
the limited adventures of a pair of<br />
in the life of a kestrel couple. The footage<br />
predominantly depicts the birds clucking<br />
at each other, grooming themselves and<br />
hunting down dinner. Occasionally, they<br />
will survey their surroundings, taking little<br />
notice of the snow shovelers, skulking cats,<br />
joggers, graveyard groundskeepers, wedding<br />
attendees and other village<br />
denizens<br />
that pass within their ken. Precious little<br />
seems to impress or even register with the<br />
kestrels. They remain focused on chewing<br />
mice, hatching eggs and erratically flying<br />
to and fro. Which is as it should be; that's<br />
what birds do, and to falsely anthropomorphize<br />
them by editing the footage to<br />
convey reactions, emotions or intentions<br />
that don't exist would be irresponsible. But<br />
the stark mundanity of reality is not very<br />
endearing—and let's face it: Even Julia<br />
Roberts had better do something interesting<br />
over the course of 85 minutes, much<br />
less some rather plain-looking carnivorous<br />
birds. Christine James<br />
WIREY SPINDELL *1/2<br />
Starring Eric Shaeffer, Callie Thome,<br />
Eric Mahius and Samnantha Buck.<br />
Directed and written by Eric Shaeffer.<br />
Produced by Eric Shaeffer, Dolly Hall,<br />
Terence Michael and Lloyd Segan. A<br />
Winstar Cinema release. Comedy. Unrated.<br />
Running time 101 min.<br />
Eric Shaeffer ("My Life's in<br />
Turnaround," "If Lucy Fell," "Fall") has<br />
now made the same movie four times and it<br />
hasn't improved. His films revolve around<br />
idiosyncratic New Yorkers, most of whom<br />
do not speak or behave like anyone you<br />
have ever met—or would particularly like<br />
to. Thirtysomething Wirey (his hippie parents<br />
gave him the middle name of Spokes)<br />
is having a crisis because he's about to get<br />
married. Shaeffer uses this as the vehicle to<br />
go back all the way to babyhood and examine<br />
his life so far. It's a viable idea and could<br />
have made an entertaining and thoughtprovoking<br />
film. But Shaeffer insists on<br />
pushing the boundaries of his characters<br />
beyond all reason. His seven-year-old incarnation<br />
is not only having intercourse with<br />
both sexes but well on his way to becoming<br />
an alcoholic. By the time he gets into college—and<br />
later rehab—Wirey is so far<br />
removed from reality that it is impossible to<br />
identify with him or have any sympathy for<br />
his plight. Mike Kerrigan<br />
REVIEWS<br />
•*<br />
NEXT FRIDAY<br />
Starring lee Cube and Mike Epps.<br />
Directed by Steve Can: Written and produced<br />
by Ice Cube. A New Line release.<br />
Comedy. Rated R for strong language,<br />
drug use and sexual content. Running time:<br />
falcons is so slow-paced and uneventful it 98 min.<br />
would make even an ornithologist ornery. After spending two years behind bars,<br />
Using only natural light and sound, director<br />
Mikael Kristersson documents a year Lister Jr.) is on a vengeful quest back<br />
neighborhood bully Debo (Tommy "Tiny"<br />
to<br />
the hood. The focus of his fury is Craig<br />
(Ice Cube)—the one responsible for<br />
Debo's two-year vacation. To escape<br />
Debo's wrath, Craig quickly leaves town<br />
and moves in with his uncle (Don "DC"<br />
Curry) and his spineless wannabe player<br />
cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps). However,<br />
the foreign surroundings have a familiar<br />
stench, and before the day is over Craig<br />
and Day-Day will have to deal with the<br />
neighbor's dog. ex-girlfriends, extreme<br />
working conditions and a family crisis.<br />
This watered-down sequel to 1995's<br />
sleeper hit that set standards and broke<br />
video rental records has been reduced to<br />
multiple skits woven together with a hyped<br />
soundtrack. The film seems to pause for<br />
anticipated laughs where the original was<br />
laced with unexpected visual and verbal<br />
humor and running gags that got funnier<br />
as the film progressed. Sorely missed is the<br />
original's main star, Chris Tucker; the<br />
many lulls in the film conjure unanswered<br />
questions as to the whereabouts of Tucker's<br />
character, Smokey. Another major hindrance<br />
is a script that fails to examine its<br />
characters' world, rendering them superficial<br />
and stereotypical. Craig's antics soon<br />
grow tiresome enough that even the most<br />
ardent fans of the rogueish slacker will want<br />
him to just go back to his old neighborhood<br />
and finally get a job. Dwayne E. Leslie<br />
THE QUARRY •••<br />
Starring John Lynch, Jonny Phillips,<br />
Serge-Henri lalcke, Oscar Petersen and Jody<br />
Abrahams. Directed, written and produced by<br />
Marion Hansel. A First Run release. Drama.<br />
German- and English-language; subtitled.<br />
Unrated. Running time: 111) min.<br />
Its title referring to both a hunted man<br />
("Sliding Doors'" John Lynch) and the<br />
rocky desert locale where he's driven to<br />
commit a horrible crime, "The Quarry" is<br />
a well-made and excellently acted but disappointingly<br />
detached drama. The film<br />
opens with a 30ish, sweaty, disheveled man<br />
running through a field, sobbing desperately<br />
to himself, seeking shelter from a<br />
sudden storm in a large drainpipe—all of<br />
which instantly elicits concern and compassion<br />
from the audience, regardless of<br />
whatever he's done to get himself into this<br />
predicament.<br />
Lynch imbues his character with depth<br />
and import in the way he intensely performs<br />
such mundane acts as taking a<br />
steadying swig from a flask and delicately<br />
stroking his bedsheet in longing for physical<br />
and psychological rest. Supporting<br />
characters are similarly textured; everyone<br />
from the not-wholly-altruistic<br />
Reverend (Serge-Henri Valcke) to the<br />
racist,<br />
egotistical yet sometimes sensitive<br />
police captain (Jonny Phillips) to a pair of<br />
felonious but deeply bonded brothers<br />
(Oscar Petersen and Jody Abrahams) is<br />
depicted in compellingly complex shades<br />
of gray, painting a richly layered portrait<br />
of the murkier elements of humanity. But<br />
while the enigmatic nature of the protagonist<br />
is intriguing, it becomes too distancing,<br />
disallowing insight into or connection<br />
with what he's going through and<br />
why. Christine James<br />
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: FEBRUARY/MARCH/APRIL FILMS<br />
The alphabetical list below notes the issue of BOXOFFICE in which our review of an<br />
upcoming film appeared, the star rating and the distributor/release date information.<br />
"American Pimp" *•: 7th Art, April undated; see April 1999.<br />
"Beautiful People" ••••: Trimark, 2118; see February 2000.<br />
"But I'm a Cheerleader" **: Fine Line, Spring undated; see November 1999.<br />
"The Bii> Kahuna" **l/2: Lions Gate, 4114; see December 1999.<br />
"Black and White" ***l/2: Columbia. 415; see November 1999.<br />
"Deterrence" ***l/2: Paramount Classics, 1st Quarter undated; see Nov. 1999.<br />
"East is East" ••••: Miramax, 3131; see July 1999.<br />
"East West" ••: SPC, 3110; see November 1999.<br />
"8 112 Women" **: Lions Gate, 1st Quarter undated; see September 1999.<br />
"Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai" ••: Artisan, 2118; see September 1999.<br />
"The Last September" *l/2: Trimark, March undated; see November 1999.<br />
"Me Myself I" ••1/2: SPC, 417; see November 1999.<br />
"Mifune" ••••: SPC, 2125; see December 1999.<br />
"Sex: The Annabel Chong Story" ••: Strand, 2111; see September 1999.<br />
"Soft Toilet Seats" •••: Phaedra, 1st Quarter undated; see November 1999.<br />
"Sweet Jane" •••: Phaedra. 1st Quarter undated; sec April 1998.<br />
"Third World Cop" ••: Palm, 2125; see November 1999.<br />
"The Virgin Suicides" ••: Paramount Classics, 417; see September 1999.<br />
"The Wisdom of Crocodiles" •••: Miramax, April undated; see Nov. 1999.<br />
54 (R-20) BOXOFFICE
REVIEWS<br />
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SUPERNOVA *<br />
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Written by David Campbell contender who moved from<br />
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5 X<br />
for fighters in the world J z 3<br />
are from."<br />
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sci-fi action violence and sensual-<br />
Apart from working out at the<br />
Mj Mother RiSFTl 101 CD 7-99 4<br />
same L.A. gym, the other thing American Beauty R (DWl<br />
itylnudity. Running time: 91 min.<br />
As the audience joins what<br />
seems like a film in progress, the<br />
crew of a deep space emergency<br />
rescue vessel, the Nightingale, is<br />
found responding to a distant<br />
S.O.S. call. The ship makes a<br />
visually exceptional dimension<br />
jump—but that is the film's only<br />
meritorious moment. While<br />
black holes of incredible density<br />
are always a risk while navigating<br />
the cosmos, the main danger<br />
here are plot holes that are just<br />
plain dense.<br />
drifter turns out not to be what<br />
he seems, and crew members<br />
begin to mysteriously disappear<br />
as they learn more about him<br />
and his cargo. There are several<br />
moments that feel like everyone<br />
left alive is in a hurry to get to<br />
the end of the film as quickly as<br />
possible—an ending that terminates<br />
just as abruptly as the film<br />
began, yet couldn't come too<br />
soon. Dwayne E. Leslie<br />
PLAY IT TO THE BONE<br />
• ••1/2<br />
Starring Woody Harrelson,<br />
Antonio Banderas and Lolita<br />
Davidovich. Directed and written<br />
by Ron Shelton. Produced by<br />
Stephen Chin. A Buena Vista<br />
release. Drama/comedy. Rated R<br />
for brutal ring violence, strong<br />
sexuality including dialogue,<br />
nudity, pervasive language and<br />
some drug content. Running<br />
time: 123 min.<br />
Ron Shelton wrote and<br />
directed one of the greatest<br />
movies about baseball ("Bull<br />
Durham") and one of the best<br />
about basketball ("White Guys<br />
Can't Jump"). Now he's got the<br />
triple crown with this hilarious<br />
but brutal look at two over-thehill<br />
welterweights who get an<br />
unexpected shot at the big time.<br />
Woody Harrelson is Vince, a<br />
boxer who sees visions of Jesus<br />
Review Digest<br />
these two have in common is<br />
Grace (Lolita Davidovich),<br />
Vince's ex-girlfriend and Cesar's<br />
soon-to-be ex.<br />
When the fighters on the<br />
Mike Tyson undercard are suddenly<br />
unavailable—drugs in one<br />
case, death in the other—the<br />
promoter hires these two for<br />
that night's bill. With Grace at<br />
the wheel of her muscle car they<br />
are all off to Vegas.<br />
Shelton's dialogue sparkles<br />
as they bicker and bond and<br />
Like so many films before, bicker some more. They rescue<br />
Lucy the premise is simple (and, by a stranded Liu<br />
now, simple-minded): A lone ("Payback") from a man with a<br />
seriously overheated $120,000<br />
sports car. "But what about our<br />
sexy trip to Sin City?" he wails<br />
at spinning wheels and a cloud<br />
of dust.<br />
Then there is the fight. It is<br />
very bloody and savage, with<br />
color and multichannel sound<br />
exceeding even the benchmark<br />
"Raging Bull." and it seems to<br />
go on forever. But it is the<br />
heart of the story as the two<br />
punch their way to redemption,<br />
only to be suckered out of<br />
much of their purse by the<br />
organizers.<br />
The casting is brilliant.<br />
Robert Wagner as the supercilious<br />
Vegas hotel owner and<br />
Tom Sizemore ("Bringing Out<br />
the Dead") as the demented,<br />
foul-mouthed promoter are<br />
standouts. Real boxing people<br />
are used as atmosphere, and<br />
celebrities (Kevin Costner,<br />
James Woods, Tony Curtis and<br />
many more) are added for window<br />
dressing. Rod Stewart<br />
winds up as Lucy Liu's date,<br />
only to be relieved of his wallet.<br />
The title, by the way, refers<br />
to doing things flat-out, all the<br />
way. Which is exactly what<br />
Shelton does with his latest look<br />
at the wide, and sometime<br />
wacky, world of sports. Mike<br />
Kerrigan
ADVERTISERS INDEX<br />
ADVERTISER PHONE/FAX E-MAIL/WEBSITE<br />
Automaticket/Hurley Screen<br />
Corp.
82<br />
eather<br />
.<br />
with five star soundheads incl. stereo optirs — $3,000<br />
each. Also other XL heads and Simplex soundheads.<br />
Phone (717) 533-6600, fax (717) 533-6244.<br />
cession<br />
ing suppl<br />
Services Ir<br />
14 1-2992,<br />
pope urn poppers, c on<br />
Xenon lamps, booth supplies, cleanse<br />
call Cinema Consultants and<br />
.rial. Inc. (412) 343-3900, fax (412)<br />
mlo'"( inomae
Close Focus<br />
jMPANY: Cinemark Intl., Piano, Texas<br />
Is it true that AOL tried to hire you for $130 billion, but you said no and they had to settle for Time Warner?<br />
An "e" at the end of my first name, and it'd be merger city. Ironically, it's the "e" in the AOL-TW<br />
merger that is making all the difference in that deal, and in our industry as well. "E-business" is<br />
revolutionizing exhibition, and will continue to do so in the coming years. From purchasing to<br />
presentation, the efficiencies and quality that new technologies and the internet bring to our<br />
companies are dynamic. As an industry, we must embrace this revolution to enhance vitality and<br />
continue to provide the best quality for our customers. We have a fast-moving, challenging and<br />
exciting "e-road" ahead of us. It is very important that we make the right decisions.<br />
I've spent many a March in Las Vegas, seven as chairman of ShoWest.<br />
iat one exact place in Las Vegas is your favorite place to be?<br />
.e've all found that the main elevators in Bally's or the Coke display<br />
the trade show are key crossroads of the exhibition world. In past<br />
years, one need only wait a few moments at either site for a chance<br />
meeting with longtime friends and to meet people from all over the<br />
world who drive our industry's success. Certainly, we are all exr"<br />
that "Paris" has become a new crossroad of our industry.<br />
What is your favorite least essential item in your office?<br />
The clock. When you operate on several continents, an accurati<br />
is meaningless. It is always time for a movie somewhere.<br />
Fox's Tom Sherak calls you "determined, accommodating, tenat<br />
good-willed, even-tempered." What might be one adjective he left<br />
Out of generosity, I suspect that Tom omitted "stubborn." I've learned<br />
great deal from Tom Sherak, especially the importance of working together<br />
and seeing our business as one industry.<br />
Which one do you use most frequently: PC, pen, email, or phone?<br />
E-Mail. It is the most ubiquitous example of how e-business is enhancing<br />
our ability to conduct international business.<br />
If elves were at work in exhibition, what might their best midnight mat<br />
They would bring sanity back to exhibition and stop the overdevelopment of<br />
the marketplace. Exhibition and distribution would work together to solve our<br />
common problems, focusing on our customers and expanding the marketplace.<br />
In your experience, has Lee Roy ever said anything other than exactly what he means?<br />
If you spend time with Lee Roy [Mitchell, chairman and CEO of Cinemark USA],<br />
you notice right away that he doesn't talk a lot. He listens. And listens. And<br />
listens. And, when he does speak, his words are carefully chosen, often woven<br />
into an anecdote or an insight that is right on point. Lee Roy is one of the great<br />
innovators and visionaries of our business. It has been a honor to work with him<br />
and to carry out his vision of building one of the premier global exhibition companies.<br />
Of your exhibition beginnings— a lobby page boy at the age of 9 at a Fox-lntermountain theatre in<br />
Butte, Montana—you recently recalled, "I used to sweep up the lobby after the people came in."<br />
How would you describe, these 47 years later, what you do now?<br />
Now, I am a builder. First, of dreams. Then, of management teams and staffs who make those dreams<br />
a reality.<br />
Tim Warner will be honored as International Exhibitor of the Year at this month's ShoWest 2000.<br />
See our April 1996 issue profile for a look back on Warner's life and times—and keep an eye out lor<br />
our upcoming ShoWest Intro 2000 publication, where our cover story on Warner provides a look forward.
WMW& TO DR?0 WS<br />
*y&