Boxoffice-August.2000

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AUSTRALIAN
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THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF THE GLOBAL MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY AUGUST 2000, $3.95
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/ NEW ZEALAND GIANTS OF FILM EXHIBM i THE LAN
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BOXOFFICE ONLINE
WEBSITE ADDRESS: www.boxoffice.com
EMAIL ADDRESS: boxoffice@earthlink.net
AUGUST, 2000 VOL. 136, NO. 8 DOWN UNDER EXHIBITION
COVER QUOTE: My mother will be happy [during my film break]....
go.
She'll
"Well, come back to Australia. Do the lawn again. "—ADAM GARCIA
DEPARTMENTS
6 MAILROOM
Digital dino-roars. Compiled by Christine James
8 REEL DEALS
Roth wants a Revolution; Fox's Conundrum. By Annlee Ellingson
10 HOT SET
"Rollerball," "Dirty Dancing," "Dracula" re-ups. By Christine James
1 2 RELEASE CHARTS: Studio Films
Major releases slated through Nov. 2000. Compiled by Wade Major
14 RELEASE CHARTS: Independent Films
Specialized fare month by month into 2001 . Compiled by Wade Major
16 TRAILERS: August Movies
Keanu is a "Watcher"; Kidman is a "Birthday Girl"; Denzel and Bruckheimer
"Remember the Titans." Also: Interviews for "Girlfight," "Cherry
Falls," "The Yards" and "Requiem for a Dream." By Annlee Ellingson
42 PACIFIC OVERTURES
Asian flower; GU moves; Cinema Plus redo. By Francesca Dinglasan
43 EUROVIEWS
Maxx-ims; Italian tiff; new Sofia, Malmo sites. By Francesca Dinglasan
44 NORTHERN EXPOSURE
New data system; Cineplex bow; Famous' Scoop. By Shlomo Schwartzberg
45 TECH TALK
Supply Side: Ballantyne moves. Digital Cinema: Cisco's EC "A.E";
Technicolor loves Qualcomm. Large Format: "Shrek" to go 3-D; LFCA
2000 snapshot. Wired World: Ticketing strategies. Also: New products.
By Annlee Ellingson PLUS: www.greaterunion.com. By Kim Williamson
47 HILL NEWS
Artisan adds Regal to "Blair" lawsuit roster. By Francesca Dinglasan
48 EXHIBITION BRIEFINGS
Re-Manning; Cinemex buys GC Mexico; Harkins, Goodrich, Krikorian
expand; Theatreplex acquires Macon. PLUS: Showmandiser; Ticker
Time; Showminder calendar; On the Move. By Francesca Dinglasan
50 STUDIO NEWS
Seagram, Trimark sell; in-hand Palm financing. By Annlee Ellingson
51 MOVIEGOER POLL AND ACTIVITY REPORT
Including: exhibition website usage. Compiled by AOL MovieFone
52 FILM REVIEWS
August's three-star "Cecil B. Demented" plus our Cannes II coverage
lead our analyses of 29 films (list, p. 52). Compiled by Christine James
62 HOME RELEASE CHART: August 2000
"Romeo" and "Reindeer" arrive in August. Compiled by Wade Major
63 AD INDEX AND CLASSIFIEDS
NEW! With our send-once/reach-many Ad Info Faxback Form, you
can request product information from multiple advertisers in this issue.
CIRCULATION INQUIRIES
BOXOFFICE DATA CENTER
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Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 922-9326; fax: (312) 922-7209
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EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING
OFFICES

SPECIAL SECTION: AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION
The Industry Standard: In this issue, we take our annual look at exhibition Down Under with coverage timed for the
Australian International Movie Convention, this year being held August 8-11 on Queensland's Gold Coast.
28 SPECIAL REPORT: Australian and New Zealand Giants of Exhibition
Executive rosters, contact information, website and email addresses, plus the latest counts on corporate and theatre
staffing, screens and site locations for 15 key Down Under exhibition companies. Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan
32 SERIES 2001 -201 0: "Screening the Land of Oz"
How cinema is done in 2000 Down Under is quite different from how it was done just 10 short years ago. Taking a look at what
the next decade could bring by 2010 are Greater Union's Richard Parton; Hoyts' Paul Johnson; Ronin's Andrew Pike; Village
Roadshow's Andrew Bowden; Dendy's Mark Sarfaty; and Australian Multiplex Cinemas' Michael Hawkins. By Lauren Martin
35 A.I.M.C. EXECUTIVE ESSAY: Hoyts CEO Paul Johnson on Australian Exhibition
The head of Hoyts Cinemas looks back on such successes as multi/megaplexing, Half Price Tuesdays and Candy
Houses, but looking ahead worries of overbuilding and new leisure-time activities competition. By Paul Johnson
36 A.I.M.C. EXECUTIVE ESSAY: Village Force Hoyts CEO Joe Moodable on New Zealand Exhibition
The VFH topper comments on matters both recent—the bow of Auckland's Force Entertainment Centre and its
aftereffects, the audience challenge from sporting events, the films that worked and those that didn't—and
upcoming, including Labour tax policy, employment act changes, lowering of the drinking age, and the
Commerce Commission's take on the proposed Village Force/Hoyts merger. By Joe Moodabe
37 A.I.M.C. EXECUTIVE ESSAY: Australian Film Finance's Catriona Hughes on Production
"The Wog Boy," "Looking for Alibrandi," "The Craic" and "Two Hands": Backed by FFC funding and FLICS tax
deals, local production is succeeding both in creative terms and at the box office—and the success could be
expected to continue with the upcoming "The Dish," "Moulin Rouge" and "Bootmen." By Catriona Hughes
38 A.I.M.C. WELCOMING ESSAY: MPEAQ's Richard Parton
The president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors Association of Queensland on adding the "I." By Richard Parton
38 A.I.M.C: Schedule of Events
Your guide to all the screenings, seminars, trade fair, and awards events. Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan
39 A.I.M.C: Trade Fair Booth List
A who's what guide to the two dozen companies exhibiting on the trade show floor. Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan
For daily show coverage Aug. 8-11 from the A.I.M.C, log onto www.boxoffice.com
m
m
AUGUST FEATURES
26 COVER STORY:
"Bootmen"
Rising Australian actor
Adam Garcia takes his
first lead in the tapdance
film "Bootmen" after a
turn in the ail-American
movie "Coyote Ugly."
By Annlee Ellingson
66 CLOSE FOCUS:
Hamid Hashemi
The Muvico topper, to be
honored at next month's
ShowSouth as this year's
ShowSouth Statesman, in
our monthly Q&A comments
on good suppliers, good
industry analysis, good
theatre practices—and a
tabletop basketball hoop.
By Kim Williamson
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Kim Williamson kimw@boxoffice.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Christine James christinej@boxoffice.com
SENIOR EDITOR
Francesca Dinglasan francescad@boxoffice.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Annlee Ellingson annleee@boxoffice.com
SR. EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING ASST.
Linda Andrade lindaa@boxoffice.com
EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING ASST.
Sandra Koscho sandrak@boxoffice.com
CONTRIBUTORS
FEATURE CHARTS EDITOR
Wade Major (310) 456-2767; fax (310) 456-9750
CANADIAN CORRESPONDENT
Shlomo Schwartzberg (416) 928-2179
ARTICLE/REVIEW WRITERS
John F. Allen, Bridget Byrne, Tim Cogshell,
Susan Green. Mike Kerrigan. Dwayne E. Leslie,
Lael Loewenstein, Wade Major. Charles Martin.
Lauren Martin. Melissa Morrison. Michael Tunison
INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTORS
Catriona Hughes, Paul Johnson, Joe Moodabe,
Richard Parton
BUSINESS STAFF
PUBLISHER
Robert L. Dietmeier (773) 338-7007
NATIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Robert M. Vale (626) 396-0250; bobv@boxofHce.com
ADVERTISING CONSULTANT
Morns Schlozman (816) 942-5877
BUSINESS MANAGER
Dan Johnson (773) 338-7007
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Chuck Taylor (312) 922-9326
WEBMASTER
Ken Partridge marlinco@flash.net
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© 2000 RLD Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
August, 2000 5

MAILROOM
QUALITY SOUND MAKES
"DINOSAUR" ROAR TO LIFE
Dear BOXOFFICE:
I had the opportunity to compare the
film "Dinosaur" in two similar theatres.
The first presentation used the Texas
Instruments DLP digital projection system.
The sound system in this theatre was
much better than average. Having said
that, it should be noted that the sound portion
of this DLP installation was rather
"incomplete" in some respects. The surrounds
either worked or didn't, depending
on the operator's luck when the system was
turned on. There was also an annoying
hum and an excessive 350 millisecond surround
delay causing a pronounced echo in
the theatre. Fortunately, the hum was
mostly masked by the soundtrack and
could be "filtered out" for the purposes of
watching the presentation. The DLP
soundtrack itself is uncompressed digital
audio of the highest quality.
Without exception, I and the people I
was with were impressed with the image
quality of the digital projection. The
light source was a 6,000-watt console.
The image was rock steady, of course,
and the vivid reds in the color were reminiscent
of the old Technicolor IB prints
of the past. Contrast and resolution were
Insurance
services
for the
theatre
industry.
very good. It was an excellent image.
The cost of the digital projection system
varies depending on who you talk to.
Typically, figures of $160,000 to $440,000
are offered. So one must ask the tough
question concerning such an investment:
Is it worth the money? I think it depends.
If it sells a substantially greater number of
tickets, it could well be worth it. But if one
looks at the cost-benefit ratio of this system
in terms of image quality, and further
compares a digital projection system with
a 35mm film projection system using the
same 6,000-watt light source, a slower studio
lens with a substantially greater depth
of field, an electronic intermittent movement
and perhaps a triple-bladed shutter
as well, I suspect that the film image
resulting from such a setup would be significantly
better, at a fraction of the cost.
In addition, digital projection is not
without artifacts. Several times during
the digital presentation, I was startled by
the sudden blurring of objects and backgrounds
in motion. I am never startled by
this when watching film. Blurring of elements
in film is smoother in its onset and
completion. Obviously, I have become
more accustomed to it. But it was more
noticeable with the digital system.
With respect to the sound presentation
in the two theatres, I was not prepared for
the emotional impact I was about to experience
during the second viewing. Again,
without exception, I and the people I was
with (all professionals) were unimpressed
with the "Dinosaur" mix as heard over
[the first theatre's] better than average [but
not exceptional] sound system. We talked
specifically about the lack of punch and
the lifeless sound. When the credits rolled,
we ignored them, as most often happens,
and began to talk and walk around. I liked
the music, but was not overly impressed,
with the exception of the occasional
moment when I thought that the music
sounded interesting, but too much in the
background. I liked the movie but did not
feel that I needed to see it again, even
though the animation was so outstanding.
After seeing the digital presentation, I
decided to watch "Dinosaur" again in my
reference theatre. I was curious to know
what it would sound like. The sound was
played in the SDDS format. In a few
words, I was stunned by the difference.
From the beginning, I was drawn into the
sound and especially the music. It was
similar to listening to a great symphony in
a concert hall. I didn't want it to end. I
cared more about the characters. The
sound was very dynamic and had plenty of
the kind of punch that had been so absent
in the other theatre. The music sparkled. I
wanted to know who wrote it (James
Newton Howard). I wanted to buy the
soundtrack CD. When the credits rolled, I
stayed and listened to the very end. If I had
had the time, I would have watched the
film again, maybe even twice, I loved it so.
The projected 35mm film picture was
less bright than the digital image. Yet the
film presentation had a far greater impact
on me because the sound was so much
better. I sometimes felt startled and
scared during the film presentation versus
feeling almost bored during the digital
projection presentation. It was a totally
different movie. When I got home, I
couldn't sleep, still thinking about the
wonderful experience that this film had
been the second time.
In short, I was reminded once again
about the greater importance of sound
quality over anything else when presenting
motion pictures. As exhibitors face the
task of returning the industry to profitability,
I think it's [advisable] to ask what
the presentation priorities should be. If
without the opportunity to compare it to
an optimized 35mm projected image, the
public becomes convinced that digital projection
is superior, and it becomes necessary
to invest huge sums to equip theatres,
it seems to me that seriously upgrading the
sound systems becomes even more critical.
An improved image quality notwithstanding,
without the kind of beauty one can
experience with a superior sound presentation,
going to movie theatres will not be
attractive enough to the numbers of customers
needed to make a profit.
John F. Allen
President, High Performance Stereo
Newton, Mass.
1-800-951-0600
License #0589960 www.mocins.com
Send letters to: BOXOFFICE, Mailroom
155 S. El Molino Ave., Suite 100
Pasadena, CA 91101
Fax: 626-396-0248
E-mail: editorial@boxoffice. com

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HOT SET
BE1E
Seeks "Therapy"
iHiUVIHiHiHiJ'l
"Blonde" Ambition
"ROLLERBALL" This remake of
the 1975 cult classic about a
"SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS"
remake 1957 Tony
This of the
bleak futuristic society whose
Lancaster drama will
Curtis/Burt
denizens thrive on watching the
violent titular sport will star Jean
Reno ("Ronin") as a greedy team
owner who endangers his players
in the name of ratings. Chris
Klein ("Here on Earth") and LL
Cool ) ("Any Given Sunday")
take on the villain in this John
McTiernan ("The Thomas Crown
Affair")-helmed sci-fi thriller.
(MGM)
"POSSESSION" Cwyneth Paltrow
("Bounce"), Ralph Fiennes ("The
End of the Affair") and Aaron
Eckhart ("Erin Brockovich") will
star in this film about a pair of
scholars who discover that the
two Victorian poets whose lives
they've been studying were
secretly involved. Neil LaBute
("Nurse Betty") scripts and
helms. (Warner Bros.)
"DIRTY DANCING 2" This
remake of the 1987 Patrick
Swayze/Jennifer Grey coming-ofage
romance may star singer
Ricky Martin and Natalie
Portman ("Where the Heart Is").
(Artisan)
set in an Orwellian future in
which feelings are forbidden.
Kurt Wimmer ("The Thomas
Crown Affair") helms. (Dimension)
"BIG TROUBLE" Teens, parents,
FBI agents, hitmen and gangs
become entangled in events surrounding
a bomb in a suitcase in
this comedy, based on humor
columnist Dave Barry's
novel, to
star Tim Allen ("Galaxy Quest"),
Rene Russo ("Rocky and
Bullwinkle"), Tom Sizemore
("Saving Private Ryan"), Katie
Holmes ("Teaching Mrs. Tingle"),
DJ Quails ("Road Trip") and Jason
Lee ("Dogma"). (Buena Vista)
trying to stop their feline enemies
"D'ARTAGNAN" This new from destroying a vaccine against
P.O.V on the "Three Musketeers"
Chambers
dog
action/animated
allergies in
comedy,
this live
be
tale will star Justin to
directed by Larry Guterman
("Liberty Heights"), Gary
Oldman ("Lost in Space") and ("Antz"). (Warner Bros.)
Mena Suvari ("Loser"); Peter
Hyams ("End of Days") helms.
(Distribution is to be set)
"HEAVEN" In the last screenplay
by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski,
("The Gift's" Cate
a woman
"IUWANNA MANN" An NBA
star ("Life's" Miguel Nunez) who
is
kicked out of the league for his
outrageous antics poses as a
woman and joins the WNBA in
this comedy. (Warner Bros.)
star John Cusack ("High
Fidelity") as an unethical press
agent who's the lapdog of New
York's most powerful gossip
columnist. (MGM)
("Final Destination") and Jason
Schwartzman ("Rushmore").
Dickens) who had dated in their
youth reconnect but are haunted
by a past incident of rape in this
semi-autobiographical film by
Allison Anders ("Sugar Town").
(Distribution is
to be set)
not who he seems to be in this
"LIBRIUM" Taye Diggs ("The thriller. (Paramount)
Best Man") and Emily Watson
"WES CRAVEN PRESENTS
("Trixie") star in this sci-fi thriller
DRACULA 2000" Christopher
Plummer ("The Insider") will portray
Abraham Van Helsing in this
Wes Craven-helmed version of
the oft-adapted Bram Stoker
novel, which will also star Jonny
Lee Miller ("Mansfield Park"),
Jennifer Esposito ("Summer of
Sam") and singer Vitamin C,
a.k.a. Colleen Fitzpatrick
("Hairspray"). (Dimension)
"LIKE CATS AND DOGS" Susan
Sarandon ("Anywhere But Here"),
Tobey Maguire ("The Cider House
Rules") and Michael Clarke
Duncan ("The Green Mile") will
voice a trio of canines who are
Blanchett) takes the law into her
own hands when authorities
refuse to pursue the man who
murdered her husband. Tom
Tykwer ("Run Lola Run") directs.
(Miramax)
"MONTY" Wes Bentley
("American Beauty") will play
the iconic but tortured actor
Montgomery Gift in this biopic,
which spans his life from the
beginning of his career in 1947
to his death of a heart attack in
1966. (Distribution is to be set)
"SLACKERS" A geek uncovers a "RUSSIAN DOLL" A philanderer
scam perpetrated by three masterful
("Moulin Rouge's" David
slackers and blackmails Wenham) tries to foist his mis-
them in an attempt to win over tress (Natalia Novikova) on his
the school's most popular girl neurotic best friend ("The
in
this comedy, to star Devon Sawa Matrix's" Hugo Weaving) in this
romantic comedy. (Lot 47)
"THERAPY" Set in London, this
(Destination)
romantic comedy stars ex-Spice
"THINGS BEHIND THE SUN" A Girl Geri Halliwell ("Spice
music journalist ("Cherry Falls'"
Mann) and
World") as a woman who seeks
remedy Gabriel a musician psychiatric help to her
("The Hollow Man's" Kim crazy love life, only to fall for her
shrink. Halliwell will also write
and perform songs for the film.
(Distribution is
to be set)
"I KNOW THIS MUCH IS
TRUE" Matt Damon ("The
Talented Mr. Ripley") may star for
"DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE" A director Jim Sheridan ("The
divorced dad ("Battlefield Boxer") in this adaptation of
Earth's" John Travolta) discovers Wally Lamb's novel about a
house painter who takes care of
his young son's new stepdad is
his schizophrenic twin brother.
(Fox)
"VALENTINE" A nerd-turnedhunk
(David Boreanaz of TV's
"Angel") exacts revenge on four
women who played a cruel joke
on him years earlier in this
thriller. (Warner Bros.)
"LEGALLY BLONDE" A fairhaired
ditz ("Election's" Reese
Witherspoon) goes to law school
to meet eligible bachelors but
winds up taking to the legal pro-
fession in this comedy, scripted
by "10 Things About
You's" Karen Lutz and Kirsten
Smith. (MGM)
"ADRENALIN" A half-human,
half-cyborg Russian orphan
("Sleepy Hollow's" Christina
Ricci) is programmed to attack
the United States in this action
thriller based on the cult comic
of the same name. (Warner
Bros.)
ET CETERA: Russell Crowe will
star in "A Beautiful Mind,"
Universal's biopic about a brilliant
mathematician who suffered
from schizophrenia but
recovered and went on to win
the Nobel prize. ..Daniel Day-
Lewis will play Bill the Butcher,
nemesis of Leonardo DiCaprio's
character, gangster Amsterdam
"DONNIE DARKO" This "BULLETPROOF MONK" Vallon, in Miramax's Martin
sci-fi
Chow-Yun Fat ("Crouching Tiger, Scorsese-helmed drama "Gangs
fantasy/teen romance will star
Jason Schwartzman ("Rushmore"), Hidden Dragon") will play the of New York"...A suicidal man
with Drew Barrymore ("Charlie's titular immortal martial arts master
finds a reason to live when he
Angels") executive producing
falls for a waitress (Salma Hayek)
who mentors a street kid in
and appearing in a cameo role. this adaptation of the cult comic Columbia's Spanish-language
in
to be set)
book. (MGM)
"La Gran Vida."
(Distribution is
10 BOXOFFICE

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Response No. 267
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email: info@smartdev.com

BOXOFHCE Studio Charts
212-593-8900 212-833-8500 212-588-6000
310-449-3000
212-708-0300 323-951-4200
Gone in Sixty Seconds, 6/9, Act. PG- Running Free (formerly Hoofbeats). 6/2, Chicken Run, 6/21 NY/LA, 6/23 wide, NO RELEASES SCHEDULED
13, 118 min, DTS. SDDS, SRD. Scope. Dra/Adv, G, -82 min, SDDS, SR, SRD, Hi, G, DTS, SDDS. SRD, SRD-EX.
Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Scope Chase Moore, Arie Verveen.
Dices: Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha,
Ribisi, Delroy Lindo. Dir: Dominic Sena. Lukas Haas. Dir: Sergei Bodrov.
iranda Richardson, Ben Whitrow,
Fantasia 2000 (non-IMAX version), The Patriot, 6/28, Dra/Adv, R, -161 Lynne Ferguson, Imelda Staunton, Jane
min, DTS, SDDS, SDDS-8, SR, SRD, Horrocks. Tony Haygarth, Timothy Spall.
3. Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Dir: Nick Park & Peter Lord.
Richardson. Dir: Roland Emmerich.
July 2000:
s Labour's Lost, 6/9 NY/LA,
exp, Mus/Com. Kenneth Branagh, /
Silverstone. Dir: Kenneth Branagh.
ys and Girls, 6/16. Freddie Pnn:
Claire Forlani. Dir: Robert Iscove
Butterfly (formerly Butterfly's Tongi
6/16. 6/23 and 6/30 exp. Dra. Fern;
Fernan-Gomez.
July 2000:
Disney's The Kid. 7/7. Com. PG. 102
min, DTS, SDDS, SRD, Flat. Bruce
Willis. Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer.
Dir: John Turtellaub.
Coyote Ugly, 8/4. Com. PG-13, 98 min,
DTS, SDDS. SRD, Scope. Piper Perabo,
Adam Garcia. Dir: David McNally.
The Crew, 8/25, Com, PG-13, 88 min,
DTS, SDDS. SRD, Flat. Richard
Dreyfuss. Burt Reynolds, Dan Hedaya,
Seymour Cassel. Dir: Michael Dinner.
r, 7/21, Com, -100 min, DTS,
SDDS, SR, SRD, Flat Jason Biggs,
Mena Suvari, Greg Kinnear. Dir: Amy
Hollow Man, 8/4. Sus/Thr, DTS. SDDS.
SDDS-8. SRD. Flat. Kevin Bacon,
Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin. Dir: Paul
Verhoeven.
Godzilla 2000. 8/11, Act, SDDS.
Takehiro Murata, Hiroshi Abe, Naomi
Nishida. Dir: Takao Okwara.
DTS. SDDS. SRD, Scope. Harrison
Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Diana Scarwid,
Morton, Amber Valletta, James
Remar. Miranda Otto. Katharine Towne.
Robert Zemeckis.
August 2000:
(CURRENT)
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED
Autumn in New York, 8/4, Dra/Rom.
Richard Gere, Winona Ryder,
Anthony LaPaglia, Elaine Strilch. Sherry
Stringfield, Jill Hennessy. Dir: Joan
Scary Movie. 7/7, Keenan Ivory
Wayans. Dir: Keenan Ivory Wayans
The Wisdom of Crocodiles, 7/14
NY/LA, R. Jude Law.
Texas Rangers, 8/11 . Western, SR
Scope. James Van Der Beek. Dylar
McDermott. Dir: Steve Miner.
About Adam, 8/1 8 NY/LA, 8/25 ex|
Dra/Rom. Kate Hudson, Stuart
Townsend. Dir: Gerard Stembridge.
Highlander-Endgame, 8/25. Donnie
September 2000:
2000:
•2000:
September 2000:
I Patton. Dir: Boaz ^
Urban Legend 2, 9/15, Thr, R, SDDS,
Scope. Jennifer Morrison. Joseph
Lawrence. Anson Mount. Eve Mendez,
Jessica Cauffiel. Marco Hofschneider,
Matthew Davis, Loretta Devine, Hart
Bochner, Michael Bacall, Anthony
Anderson. Dir: John Ottman.
9/22, DTS, SDDS.
Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges
Dir: Rod Lurie.
Suburbia (for
merly Crime & Punishment in High
School), 9/15 ltd, Dra, R, 98 min, SRD,
Flat. Ellen Barkin, Monica Keena,
Vincent Kartheiser, James De Bello,
Jeffrey Wright, Michael Ironside. Dir:
Rob Schmidt.
Daddy and Them, 9/1 NY/LA, Con
SRD. Dir: Billy Bob Thornton.
Untitled Hip Hop, 9/8.
The Yards. 9/8 NY/LA, Dra. SRD.
Scope. Mark Wahlberg. Dir: James
I
Birthday Girl, 9/15. Nicole Kidman
Blow Dry, 9/22, Com. Alan Rickma
October 2000:
October 2000:
October 2000:
October 2000:
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED
Untitled Cameron Crowe project,
3, Dra/Com, DTS. SDDS. SRD
Billy Crudup. Frances McDormand,
Kale Hudson, Jason Lee. Fairuza Balk,
Taylor, Bijou Phillips.
Cameron Crowe.
Dir:
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED
Bounce, 10.13. Rom/Dra Ben Affle
Gwynelh Pallrow. Dir: Don Roos
Hard Day's Night. 10/20 NY/LA, 9
min. SR. SRD, Flat. The Beatles.
Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, 10 2
November 2000:
102 Dalmatians, 11/22, Fam/Com,
DTS, SDDS, SRD, Flat. Glenn Close,
Gerard Depardieu, loan Gruffudd. Alice
Evans. Dir: Kevin Lima.
Unbreakable, November/Thanksgiving,
Sus/Thr, DTS. SDDS. Bruce Willis.
Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright-Penn,
Spencer Treat-Clark. Dir: M. Night
Shyamalan.
COMING:
O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
Fall/Holiday. Com, PG-13. DTS. SDDS,
Flat. John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson.
George Clooney. Charles Durning. Dir:
Joel Coen.
Emperor's New Groove (formerly
Kingdom in the Sun). Holiday. Ani,
SDDS. Flat. Voices: David Spade, John
Goodman. Eartha Kin, Patrick
Warburton. Dir: Mark Dindal.
Newport South, DTS. SDDS. Dir: Kyle
Cooper.
Recess, February 2001 . Am/Com. DTS,
SDDS, SRD, Flat. Dir: Chuck Sheetz.
Atlantis. 2001 , Ani. Voices of Michael J
Fox, James Garner.
Pearl Harbor. 2001. Dra. Cuba
Gooding Jr . Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett,
James King, Ewan Bremmer, Kate
Beckinsale, Guy Torry, Tom Sizemore.
Dir: Michael Bay.
2000:
Charlie's Angels, 11/3, Act/Adv/Com,
SDDS. SDDS-8. Drew Barrymore,
Cameron Diaz. Lucy Liu. Bill Murray.
Sam Rockwell. Dir: McG.
The 6th Day (tentative title), 11/10.
SF/Act, DTS, SDDS, SDDS-8. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Michael Rapaport.
Tony Goldwyn. Robert Duvall. Michael
Rooker. Dir: Roger Spottiswoode.
COMING:
All the Pretty Horses. 3rd Qtr,
Dra-Weslern, SDDS. SDDS-8. SR. Mat
Damon, Henry Thomas, Lucas Black,
Penelope Cruz, Ruben Blades, Bruce
Dern. Dir: Billy Bob Thornton.
Vertical Limit. 12/8. Act/Adv. DTS,
SDDS, SDDS-8, Flat. Chris O'Donnell,
Scott Glenn. Robin Tunney, Bill Paxton,
Izabella Scorupco, Temuera Morrison.
Dir: Martin Campbell
Finding Forrester, December, Dra,
SDDS Sean Connery, F. Murray
Abraham, Anna Paquin, Rob Brown,
Busta Rhymes. Dir: Gus Van Sant.
The Tailor of Panama, December.
Sus/Thr. SDDS Pierce Brosnan.
Geoffrey Rush. Dir: John Boorman.
Brothers. January 2001. SDDS.
Joe Dirt, January 2001 , Com, SDDS,
David Spade, Kid Rock, Roseanne.
Saving Silverman. February 2001.
Wedding Planner, February 2001
Glass House, March 2001, SDDS.
All That Glitters, April 2001 , SDDS.
Riding in Cars With Boys. May 2001.
A Knight's Tale. June 2001, SDDS.
Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames.
Ghosts From Mars. August 2001,
SDDS. Ice Cube. Courtney Love.
Script. August 2001 . SDDS.
ugh. September 2001. SDDS.
Three Stooges, October 2001.
German. November f" SDDS.
2000:
The Legend of Bagger Vance. 11/3,
Dra. DTS SDDS. SRD Will Smith, M;
Damon, Charlize Theron, L. Michael
Moncrief. Joel Gretsch. Bruce McGill.
Dir: Robert Redford.
An Everlasting Piece. 12725 ltd. Com,
DTS, SDDS. Barry McEvoy. Brian F.
O'Byrne, Anna Friel, Billy Connolly. Dir:
Man. DTS, SDDS. SRD.
Arkansas. DTS, SDDS. SRD.
Keeper, DTS, SDDS, SRD,
The Man Who Came to Dinner. DTS,
SDDS, SRD. Dir: Danny De Vilo.
Mozart and the Whale. DTS. SDDS,
SRD.
Neanderthal, DTS, SDDS, SRD.
The Newports, DTS, SDDS. SRD. Dir
Steven Spielberg.
Untitled Charles Lindbergh Project.
DTS. SDDS, SRD. Dir: Steven
Spielberg.
Shrek. 5 18/2001, Ani, DTS, SDDS,
SRD. Voices: Mike Myers. Cameron
Diaz. Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow,
Linda Hunt. Dir: Kelly Asbury, Andrew
Adamson.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimaron,
Thanksgiving 2001 , DTS, SDDS. Dir:
Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook.
NO RELEASES SCHEDULED
COMING:
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking
at Her. Summer, Dra, PG-13, 109 mm.
SR. SRD. Flat. Cameron Diaz, Calista
Flockhart, Glenn Close. Kathy Baker,
Amy Brenneman, Gregory Hines, Holly
Hunter. Dir: Rodrigo Garcia.
Original Sin (formerly Dancing in the
Dark), 4th Qtr, Thr, DTS. Angelina Jolie,
Antonio Banderas Dir: Michael Cnstofer.
Untitle Michael Winierbottom Project
(formerly Kingdom Come), 4th Qtr, Dra.
Wes Bentley. Sarah Polley. Milla
Jovavich, Peter Mullan, Nastassja
Kinski. Dir: Michael Winterbottom.
Antitrust. January 2001, Thr. Tim
Robbins, Ryan Phillippe, Rachael Leigh
Cook. Claire Forlani Dir: Peter Howitt
Hannib al, February 2001 . Thr. Anthony
Hopkins. Julianne Moore. Dir: Ridley Scott.
Deuce's Wild, March 2001. Dra.
Stephen Dorff. Fairuza Balk, Frankie
Muniz, James Franco, Brad Renfro,
Breakers (working title), Spring 2001
Com. Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love
Hewitt, Gene Hackman, Ray Liotta,
Jason Lee. Dir: David Mirkin.
Ghost World, Spring 2001, Com. Thora
Birch, Brad Renfro, Scarlett Johansson.
Dir Terry Zwigoff
What's the Worst That Could
Happen?. Spring 2001, Com. Martin
Lawrence. Danny DeVito Dir: Sam
Weisman.
Outlaws. Summer 2001. Rom/Com.
Bruce Willis. Billy Bob Thornton, Cate
Blanchett. Dir: Barry Levinson.
Rollerball. Summer 2001, Act/Thr.
Chris Klein. LL Cool J, Jean Reno. Dir:
John McTiernan.
Windtalkers. Summer 2001. Act.
Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach. Dir: John
Woo.
November 2000:
The Golden Bowl, 11/3 NY/LA, Dra
Nolte, Uma Thurman. Dir: James Ivc
Malena, 11/10 NY/LA.
COMING:
O (Othello). 3rd Qtr, 91 min, SRD,
Mekhi Phifer, Elden Henson, Josh
Hartnett, Julia Stiles. Rain Phoenix
Tim Blake Nelson.
Chocolat, 12/15 NY/LA, 12/22 exp
exp.
Valet, 12/25 NY/U.
Bridget Jones' Diary 2
Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth
Sharon Maguire.
Spy Kids. 3/31/2001. Alan Cummi.
Dir: Robert Rodriguez.
The Third Wheel, 1st Qtr 2001

ir,
, Flat,
, 2001,
,
James
. Ed
I
DTS.
I
'
"
Rouge,
"
i
i
August, 2000
212-649-4900
323-956-5000
20th Century F
310-369-1000
619-777-10
31-2400
212-484-8000
RELEASES SCHEDULED
2000:
RELEASES SCHEDULED
Cell, 8/18. SF.'Thr. DTS. SDDS.
Scope Jennifer Lopez, Vince
jhn, Vincen! D'Onofrio. Marianne
-Baptiste. Din Tarsem
Shaft (formerly Shaft Returns). 6/16,
Act, R, DTS, SRD. Samuel L. Jackson.
Vanessa Williams, Richard Roundtree,
Christian Bale. Geoffrey Wright Dir:
John Singleton.
July 2000:
Numbers, 7/14, Com. SRD. John
Travolta. Lisa Kudrow. Tim Roth,
Michael Rapaport, Ed O'Neill, Bill
Pullman. Dir: Nora Ephron.
Bless the Child. 7/21 , SF. SRD, Scope
Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Angela
Bettis. Dir: Chuck Russell.
Was Made to Love Her, 7/28, SRD
Chris Rock Dir: Chris & Paul Weitz.
Save the Last Dance. 8/11, Rom. £
Julia Stiles. Sean Patrick Thomas.
Fredro Starr, Kerry Washington. Dir:
Thomas Carter.
June 2000:
Big Momma's House, 6/2. PG-13, 99
min, SR. SRD, Flat.
Martin Lawrence, Nis
Long, Paul Giamatti. Dir: Rata Gosnell.
Titan A.E. (formerly Planet Ice). 6/16.
Am, PG, 95 min. DTS, SR. SRD. Scope.
Voices: Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore.
Dir: Don Bluth & Gary Goldman.
Me, Myself & Irene. 6/23. Com. R, 116
min, DTS. SR. SRD. Flat Jim Carrey,
Renee Zellweger. Dir: The Farrelly Bros
July 2000:
n, 7/14, Act, DTS, SR, SRD, SRD
EX. Scope. Sir Ian McKellan. Patrick
Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Hatle Berry.
Anna Paqum Dir: Bryan Singer.
(CURRENT)
8/11. Com. SR, SRD, Scope
Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley.
Frances O'Connor. Dir: Harold Ramis.
Strip, 8/18. R. SR. SRD. Dir:
Adam Collis.
June 2000:
The Adventures of Rocky and
Bullwinkle. 6/30, Com/Adv. DTS,
SDDS, SR. SRD, Flat. Rene Russo.
Jason Alexander, Robert De Niro.
Janeane Garotalo. Dir: Des McAnuff.
July 2000:
Nutty Professor II - The Klumps
7/28. Com, DTS. SDDS. SR. SRD
Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson. Larry
Miller, John Ales. Jamal Mixon, Melinda
McGraw. Dir: Pete Segal.
Bring It On (tormerly Made You Look.
Cheer Fever), 8/25. Com, PG-13. DTS.
SDDS Kirsten Dunst. Jesse Bradford.
Eliza Dushku. Tsianina Joelson. Dir:
Peyton Reed.
The Perfect Storm, 6/30, Act/Dra, PC
13, DTS. SDDS, SRD, Scope. Georgi
Clooney. Mark Wahlberg. Mary
Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Diane Lane.
Dir: Wolfgang Petersen.
July 2000:
The In Crowd. 7/19, Thr, PG-13. DTE
SRD. Flat. Susan Ward. Mary Huerinc
Dir: Mary Lambert
Pokemon 2, 7/21. Am, SRD, Flat. Dir
Kumhiko Yuyama and Michael Haigne
Space Cowboys. 8/4. Act, DTS. SDC
SRD, Scope. Clint Eastwood, Tommy
Lee Jones. Donald Sutherland, Jame:
Garner Dir: Clint Eastwood.
The Replacements. 8/11, Dra. 114 m
DTS. SRD, Flat. Keanu Reeves. Gem
Hackman. Dir: Howard Deutch.
Art of War. 8/25. Act, DTS, SRD.
Scope. Wesley Snipes. Donald
Sutherland. Dir: Christian Duguay.
tto Superstar. 9/13. Dra. R.
ifer Lopez. Vince Vaughn. V
lOfrio. Ja Rule. Pras Michel
September 2000:
Navy Diver, 9/22, Dra'Act, SRD. Robert The Watcher (formerly Driven), 9/8.
De Niro. Cuba Gooding Jr., Charlize DTS, SDDS. James Spader, Marisa
Theron. Dir- George Tillman Jr.
Tomei. Dir: Joe Charbanic.
September 2000:
Bait. 9/15. Dra, SRD. Scope. Jamie
Foxx. Dir: Antoine Fuqua.
Chain of Fools. 9'15. Act, R, DTS.
SDDS. SRD, Scope. Salma Hayek, J(
Goldblum. Steve Zahn. Dir: Traktor.
Into the Arms of Strangers, 9/1 5 ltd,
s (aka Celebrity), 10/6,
"hr/Sus. R, DTS, SDDS. SRD,
Burns, Robert De Niro,
Grammer, Melina Kanakaredes.
Souls, 10/13. Sup/Thr, R, -102
DTS. SDDS. SRD. Scope. Winona
Ben Chaplin. John Hurt. Elias
s. John Diehl. Philip Baker Hall.
Wynter Dir: Janusz Kaminski.
mber 2000:
iNicky. 11/17. Com. DTS, SDDS,
Adam Sandler, Patricia
ette, Harvey Keitel. Dir: Steve Brill.
IING:
onard Cohen Afterworld.
Holiday, Com,
l and Country, Fall/Holiday.
'Com, R, DTS. SDDS, SRD. Flat.
Beatty, Diane Keaton. Goldie
Dir: Peter Chelsom.
een Days. 12/20. Dra. DTS. Kevir
ler. Dir: Roger Donaldson.
boozled. Damon Wayans. Jada
itt-Smith. Dir: Spike Lee.
10/2001, DTS. Snoop [
and Spice. 1/26/2001, Com. Mena
Marsden. Maria Sokoloff.
inditional Love. 2/16/2001. Com,
Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett,
Eaton, Dan Aykroyd. Dir: P.J.
3/23/2001, Com.
Rentro. Dominique Swain.
"", 4/6/2001, DTS. Kane Hodder,
Doig, Yam Gellman, Kristi Angus.
:han Potts, Melyssa Ade. Dir:
is Isaac.
m Song. 4/20/2001. Mus/Dra, R,
O-Tip, Mary J, Blige, Elvis
lllo. Fat Joe Dir: Darnell Martin,
lohnson Five, 6 30/2001 . DTS.
» Sandler.
Hour 2, Summer 2001 . Jackie
Chns Tucker. Dir: Bret Ratner.
.ord of the Rings. December 2001
sy, DTS. Elijah Wood. Cate
hett, Sean Astin. Dominic
ghan. Billy Boyd Dir Peter Jackson
DTS. Johnny Depp,
lope Cruz. Ray Liotta, Ethan
Monet Mazur. Dir: Ted Demme.
wound Guys. 2001 . Dra. DTS
is Hopper, John Malkovich, Seth
Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper.
October 2000:
Zoolander, 10/27
Enemy at the Gates, 11/10. Jude Law.
arris. Dir: Jean-Jacques Annaud.
Rugrals in Paris - The Movie. 11/17,
DTS, SRD. Christine Cavanaugh,
Cheryl Chase, Susan Sarandon. Dir:
Paul Demeyer & Stig Bergqvist.
COMING:
Women Want, 12/15. Mel
Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei,
n Holly, Mark Feuerstein, Aviva
Gale, Delta Burke, Dir: Nancy Meyers
Radio Loco, 2001.
The Score. 2001 . Robert De Niro.
Edward Norton, Marlon Brando. Angela
Bassett. Dir' Frank Oz.
Shooter. 2001.
The Stand. 2001.
Tomb Raider. 2001. Angelina Jolie. Dir
Simon West.
one. 11/3. Com, SR, SRD.
Brendan Fraser. Whoopi Goldberg,
Bridget Fonda, Chris Kattan. Dir: Henry
Squelch, Fall/Holiday, Act. Leelee
Sobieski. Steve Zahn, Paul Walker. Dir:
John Dahl.
Cast Away. Christmas. Dra. SR. SRD.
Flat. Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt. Nick
Searcy. Dir: Robert Zemeckis.
Christmas. SRD. Nicole
Kidman, Ewan McGregor. John
Leguizamo. Dir: Baz Luhrmann.
The Black Knight Chris Tucker. Dir: F
Gary Gray.
Untitled Mike
; Film, SR. SRD.
Dir: Mike Judge.
Untitled Sean Connery Project. SR,
SRD. Sean Connery.
Animal Husbandry. 2001. Ashley Judd,
Hugh Jackman. Dir: Tony Goldwyn.
The Dancer, 2001, Rom. SR, SRD. Mia
Frye. Dir: Luc Besson.
Doctor Dolittle 2, 2001. Eddie Murphy
Dir: Steve Carr.
Fantastic Four. 2001.
From Hell, 2001, Act. Johnny Depp.
Nigel Hawthorne, Heather Graham. Dir:
The Hughes Brothers.
High Crimes. 2001
Beauty King. 2001
Minority Report. 2001. SR. SRD, SRD-
EX. Tom Cruise Dir: Steven Spielberg.
So (working title). 2001.
Com. SR. SRD. Chris Klein, Heather
Graham. Dir: J.B. Rogers.
Tigerland. 2001. Matt Davis. Colin
Clifton Collins Jr. Dir: Joel
Schumacher.
The Visitor (aka Planel of the Apes)
2001.
Meet the Parents. 10'6. Com, DTS.
SDDS. Robert De Niro. Ben Stiller,
Blythe Danner. Owen Wilson Dir: Jay
November 2000:
suss' How the Grinch Stole
Christmas. 11/17. Com/Fam, SR. SRD.
m Carrey. Molly Shannon. Jeffrey
Tambor, Taylor Munson, Christine
Baranski, Bill
Ron Howard.
COMING:
Irwin, Clint Howard, Dir:
Family Man. 12'15. Com. DTS, SDDS,
SR. SRD. Nicolas Cage. Tea Leoni, Don
Cheadle. Jeremy Piven. Amber Valleta,
Harve Presnell Dir: Brett Ratner.
Head Over Heels. February 2001.
Rom/Com, DTS, SRD. Freddie Prinze
Monica Potter. China Chow, Shalom
rlow, Ivana Milicevic. Sarah O'Hare.
Tomiko Fraser. Dir: Mark Waters.
The Mummy Returns. 5/11 '2001.
'Adv. SDDS. Brendan Fraser, Rachel
isz, John Hannah, Oded Fehr,
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Arnold
Vosloo. Dir Stephen Sommers.
The Caveman's Valentine, 2001.
Samuel L. Jackson. Colm Feore, Ann
Magnuson, Aunjanue Lawan Ellis. Dir:
D-TOX (formerly The Outpost, Detox),
""' Sus/Thr. R, DTS, SDDS, SR,
SRD. Scope. Sylvester Stallone. Tom
Berenger, Polly Walker, Kris
" istofferson, Jeffrey Wright. Dir: Jim
Gillespie
Josie and the Pussycats. 2001
>. Rachel Leigh Cook. Rosario
Dawson. Tara Reid, Parker Posey. Alan
ling. Gabriel Mann. Dir: Deborah
Kaplan.
Jurassic Park 3. 2001 . SDDS
Rob Zombie's House of a Thousand
Corpses. 2001. SDDS
Doc, SR, SRD. Flat.
The Exorcist (reissue). 3/22, Hor/Thr,
SDDS Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow. C
October 2000:
Pay It Forward. 10/6. Dra, DTS. SRD

109
BOXOFFICE Independent Charts
212-398-9511
Restless, Rom/Dra, 100 min. Catherine
Kellner. David Wu. Dir: Jute Gilfillan. 7/21
Artisan
310-255-3716
Chuck & Buck. R, 97 min. Mike White,
Chris Weitz. Dir: Miguel Arteta. 7/14
Cowboy
212-929-4200
Benjamin Smoke. Doc. Dir: Jim
Coehn, Peter Sillen. 7/21 NY
Destination
310-434-2700
Thomas and the Magic Railroad,
Fam, G. Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda,
Mara Wilson. Dir: Brirt Allcroft. 7/26
Fine Line
212-649-4800
Five Senses, Dra. Mary Louise Parker,
Daniel Maclvor. 7/14 NY/LA
Lions Gate
212-966-4670
But I'm a Cheerleader, Com. R, 81
min. Natasha Lyonne, Clea Du Vail
Dir: Jamie Babbit. 7/7 NY/SF, 7/14
Bos/Phi/DC/Chi/Sea, 7/21 LA, 7/28
exp
The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Doc. PG-
13. 79 min. Tammy Faye Bakker. Dir:
Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato. 7/28
NY/LA/SF, 8/4 Bos/DC, 8/11 exp
The Tic Code, R, 89 min. Polly Draper,
Gregory Hines, Carol Kane, Camryn
Manheim. Dir: Gary Winick. Ltd
New Yorker
212-247-61 10
The Wind Will Carry Us, 118 min. Dir:
Abbas Kiarostami. 7/28 NY
Paramount Classics
323-956-5000 212-373-7000
Girl on the Bridge, Dra, R. 92 min.
Daniel Auteuil, Vanessa Paradis. Dir:
Patrice Leconte. 7/28
Regent
310-260-3333
Spent. Dra, 91 min. Jason London,
Charlie Spradling. Phill Lewis, Erin
Beaux, James Parks. Dir: Gil Cates, Jr.
7/21 LA/NY
Samuel Goldwyn
212-367-9435
The Big Blue (Reissue, Director's cut),
Dra. R, 168 min. Rosanna Arquette,
Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno. Dir: Luc
Besson. 7/14 NY/LA
I
Sony Classics
212-833-8851
Shower, Dra, PG-13, 92 min. Zhu Xu,
Pu Cun Xin, Jiang Wu. Dir: Zhang
Yang. 7/7 NY/LA
Strand
310-395-5002
Criminal Lovers, Dra, 90 min.
Naiacha Reginier. Jeremie Renier. Dir:
Francois Ozon. 7/21 NY, 8/18 LA
14 BOXOFFICE
Unapix
Urbania. Dan Futterman. Dir: Jon
Shear.
USA
310-385-4400
Blood Simple (reissue), Thr, R.
Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya,
John Getz, Dir: Joel Coen. 7/7 NY/LA
Mad About Mambo, Mus/Dra/Rom,
PG-13, 100 min. William Ash, Keri
Russell. Dir: John Forte. 7/21 ltd
Wonderland, Dra. Ian Hart, Molly
Parker, Gina McKee. Dir: Michael
Winterbottom. 7/28
Zeitgeist
212-274-1989
Water Drops on Burning Rocks. Dra,
82 mm. Bernard Giraudeau. Malik Zidi.
Dir: Frangois Ozon. 7/12 NY. 8/11 LA
AUGUST
Arrow
Autumn Heart, Dra, 110 min. Tyne
Daly, Ally Sheedy, Davidlee Wilson.
Dir: Steven Maler. 8/11
Artisan
Cecil B. Demented. Com, R, 88 min.
Stephen Dorff, Melanie Griffith. Dir:
John Waters. 8/11 ltd
Buying the Cow, Rom/Com. Jerry
O'Connell, Bridgette Wilson. Aug/Sep
Fine Line
Saving Grace. Brenda Blethyn, Craig
Ferguson. 8/4 NY/LA, 8/18 exp. 9/1 exp
An Affair of Love, Dra, R. Nathalie
Baye, Sergi Lopez. Dir: Frederic
Fonteyne. 8/11 NY/LA
First Look
310-855-1199
The Opportunists, R, 89 min. Cyndi
Lauper, Christopher Walken. Dir:
Myles Connell. 8/11 NY/LA
Indican
323-650-0832
Cleopatra's 2nd Husband, Dra, R. 91
min. Radha Mitchell, Paul Hipp. Dir:
Jon Reiss.
Kit Parker
800-538-5838
Gimme Shelter (reissue), Doc, R, 91
min. The Rolling Stones. Dir: David
Maysles, Albert Maysles, Charlotte
Zwerin. 8/11
,
Lions Gate
Love and Sex. 82 min. Famke
Janssen, Jon Favreau. Dir: Valerie
Breiman. 8/18 NY/LA. 9/8 exp
Prince of Central Park, min.
Danny Aiello. Harvey Keitel. Kathleen
Turner. Dir: John Leekley. 8/4
Steal this Movie (Abbie), Dra, R, 108
min. Vincent D'Onofrio, Troy Garity,
Janeane Garofalo. JeanneTripplehorn.
Dir: Robert Greenwald. 8/25 ltd
Lot 47
212-367-9435
The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack, Doc,
111 mm. Jack Elliott. Dir: Aiyana Elliott.
Milestone
201-767-3117
Chac, Dra. 96 min. Pablo Canche
Balam. Dir:
Rolando Klein.
213-380-9323
Went to Coney Island on a Mission
From God.. .Back by Five. Mys/Com. 94
min. John Cryer, Rick Stear, Rafael Baez.
Dir: Richard Schenkman. 8/25 LA/NY
On the Run, Dra, 90 min. Michael
Imperioli, John Ventimiglia. Dir: Bruno
de Almeida.
The Story of O (reissue). Dir: Camilo Vila.
White Badge, 125 min. Ahn Sung-Gi.
Dir: Chung Ji-Young.
Shooting Gallery
212-243-3042
Loving Jezebel. Rom/Com. Hill
Harpe. Dir: Kwyn Bader. 8/18
I
Sony Classics
The Tao of Steve, R. 90 min. Donal
Logue, Greer Goodman. Dir: Jenniphr
Goodman. 8/4 NY/LA
Solomon and Gaenor. R. loan
Gruffudd. Nia Roberts. Dir: Paul
Morrisson. 8/25 NY/LA
Strand
Nicholas Brendon. Dir: Robert Lee
King. August NY/LA
Stratosphere
212-605-1010
Goat on Fire and Smiling Fish, Dra,
R, 94 min. Derick Martini, Steven
Martini. Dir: Kevin Jordan. 8/25 NY/LA
310-314-3040
Skipped Parts. Com, R. Jennifer Jason
Leigh, Bug Hall. Dir: Tamra Davis.
212-686-6777
Madadayo (reissue), Dra, 134 min.
Tatsuo Matsumura. Dir: Akira
Kurosawa. 8/18 ltd
Ran (reissue), Drama, 160 min.
Tatsuya Nakadai. Dir: Akira Kurosawa.
8/18 ltd
Bad Blood. Neo-noir, 125 min. Denis
Lavant, Juliette Binoche, Michel
Piccoli. Dir: Leos Carax. Aug/Sep
Boy Meets Girl, Dra/Rom, 100 min.
Denis Lavant, Mireille Perrier. Dir: Leos
Carax. Aug/Sep
Pola X (France), Dra, 134 min.
Guillaume Depardieu, Katerina
Golubeva. Dir: Leos Carax, Aug/Sep
Zeitgeist
Aimee & Jaguar, Dra, 124 min. Maria
Schrader, Juliane Kohler. Dir: Max
Farberbock. 8/11 NY/LA
SEPTEMBER
Arrow
30 Days, Rom/Com, 87 min. Ben
Shenkman, Arija Bareikis. Dir: Aaron
Harnick.
Artisan
Way of the Gun, Dra Ryan Phillippe,
Benicio Del Toro. Dir: Christopher
McQuarrie. 9/15
Castle Hill
212-888-0080
Left Luggage. 9/22 ltd
Destination
Whipped, Com, R. Amanda P
Brian Van Holt, Jonathan Abraha
Zorie Barber, Judah Domke. Dir: P
M. Cohen. 9/1
Ring of Fire I
(formerly Cowboy
Dra/Western. Kiefer Sutherland, Mai
Thomas. Dir: Xavier Koller. 9/29
Beautiful, PG-13. Minnie Driver.
Sally Field.
Fine Line
Invisible Circus, Dra, R. Came
Diaz, Blythe Danner, Jord
Brewster. Dir: Adam Brooks. 9/22
Fox Searchlight
310-369-4402
Woman on Top, Rom/Com, R, 89
Mark Feuerstein, Penelope C
Murilo Benicio. Dir: Fina Torres. 9/5
Bootmen, Mus/Dra. R. Adam Gai
Sam Worthington. Sophie Lee.
Dein Perry. 9/29
Keystone
310-317-4903
MVP: Most Valuable Primate. Com.
New Yorker
Orfeu. Dir: Carlos Diegues. 9/1 N>
Panorama
914-937-1603
Origin of the Species, 95 min. S
Temchen, Amanda Peet, Jean Lo'
Kelly, Jonathan LaPaglia. Micl
Kelly, Elon Gold. Dir: Andres Heinz
Too Tired To Die, Dra, 101
Takeshi Kaneshiro, Mira Sorvino.
Wong Suk Chin.
Providence
818-728-9700
Mercy Streets. Eric Roberts, D
White. 9/15 ltd
Regent
The Specials, Comedy, 82 min.
Lowe, Jamie Kennedy, Thomas H?
Church. Kelly Coffield. Jordan L
Dir: Craig Mazin. NY/LA
Screen Gems
310-244-4000
Girlfight. Act/Dra. Michelle Rodrig
Santiago Douglas. Dir: Karyn Kus;
9/29 ltd
Sony Classics
Goya in Bordeaux. Dra. 103 min.
Rabal. Dir: Carlos Saura. 9/15 NY/'
The Broken Hearts Club. Zach
Dean Cain. Matt McGrath, Billy P>
John Mahoney, Timothy Olyphant,
Weber. Dir: Greg Berlanti. 9/29 NY/:
Trimark
The St. Francisville Experirt
Supernatural Thr, 77 min. Tim Ba
Madison Charap. Ryan Larson,
Palmer, Troy Taylor. 9/1
USA
Cherry Falls. Dra, R. Brittany Mu
Jay Mohr. Michael Biehn. Dir: Get
Wright. 9/29

i
. Dir:
August, 2000
Idiots. 117 min. Anne Louise
sing, Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis.
von Trier.
Dir:
Viz/Tidepoint
415-512-1924
yo Eyes. Dra. 90 min. Shinji
sda. Dir: Jean P. Limosin.
itled (a.k.a. We Are Not Alone).
5 min. Tsutomu Yamazaki. Dir:
'0 Takita.
OCTOBER
Artisan
|uiem for a Dream, Dra. Jared
Marlon Wayans. Ellen Burstyn,
er Connelly. Dir: Darren
lofsky. 10/6
T and the Women, Dra. Richard
e, Helen Hunt. Dir: Robert Altman.
3
r Witch 2, Thr/Hor. Dir: Joe
inger. 1 0/27 wide
Capitol
301-564-9700
ightenment Guaranteed, Com.
min. Uwe Ochsenknecht, Gustav
;r Wohler. Dir: Doris Ddrrie.
Castle Hill
owers. Dra, 89 min. Sam
nmell. Eddie Robinson, Jerry
rino. Dir: Jonathan M. Flicker.
3 NY
Tavern. 100 Cameron
Dra, min.
Walter Foote. Oct/Nov
Fine Line
cer in the Dark, Dra. Bjork, Catherine
Buve. Dir: Lars von Trier. 10/6
Gig. Vince Vaughn, Ed Harris.
Gregory Mosher.
Ring
Lot 47
us Beauty Institute (France), 105
Natalie Baye, Bulle Ogier. Audrey
»u. Dir: Tonie Marshall. 10/27
edway Junky, Dra, 106 min.
ithan Taylor Thomas, Jesse
Hi
Itord. Jordan Brower. Dir: Nickolas
y. LA/NY
Seventh Art
323-845-1455
gteys a Bridesmaid, 90 min. Dir:
J5$[ Davenport.
Sony Classics
[Looking. 10/13 NY/LA
Strand
.. Weekend. Dra. Gena Rowlands,
Ijke Shields. Dir: Brian Skeet.
Viz/Tidepoint
•nlight Whispers, Dra, 100 min.
Akihiko Shiota
NOVEMBER
Lions Gate
Family House. 104 min. Michael
OH. Kelly MacDonald. Dir: Raymond
Blitta. 11/17 NY/LA. 12/15 exp
Milestone
The Mystery of Picasso. Doc, 72 min
Dir: Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Providence
Extreme Days. 11/22
Strand
Suzhou River, Dra. 83 min. Zhou Xun
Jia Hongsheng. Dir: Lou Ye. 11/8 NY
What's Cooking?. Com. Alfre
Woodard, Mercedes Ruehl, Kyra
Sedgwick. Julianna Margulies. Joan
Chen. Dir: Gurinder Chadha. 11 '3
USA
Nurse Betty. Dra, R. Renee Zellweger.
Greg Kinnear. Dir: Neil LaBute. 11/10
DECEMBER
Destination
Slackers. Devon Sawa. Dir: Dewey
Nicks. Christmas
Fine Line
State and Main, Com, R. Alec Baldwin,
Philip Seymour Hoffman. Dir: David
Mamet. 12/22 NY/LA, 1/12/01 exp
Lions Gate
Shadow of the Vampire, Dra/Thr, 89
min. John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe.
Dir: Elias Merhige. 12/29 NY/LA
Milestone
The Wide Blue Road. Dra. 98 min.
Yves Montand. Dir: Gillo Pontecorvo.
Sony Classics
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,
ActDra. Zhang Zi-Yi, Michelle Yeoh.
Chow Yun Fat. Dir: Ang Lee. 1 2'22 NY/LA
Songcatcher, Dra. Janet McTeer.
Aidan Quinn. Dir: Maggie Greenwald.
USA
Traffic. Michael Douglas, Catherine
Zeta-Jones. Dir: Steven Soderbergh.
12/22 NY/LA, Jan 2001 wide
•
The Man Who Cried. Christina Ricci.
Johnny Depp. Dir: Sally Potter.
JAN. 2001
Artisan
Soul Survivors. Thr. Casey Affleck,
Wes Bentley. Dir: Steve Carpenter.
Samuel Gold! Jwyn
The Faithless (Sweden). i).
Dra. Dir:
Ullmann. 1/26
Liv
Sony Classics
Shadow Magic, Dra. Jared Harris. Dir
Ann Hu. 1/26
FEB. 2001
Sony Classics
The Road Home Dra Sun Honglei. Zhao
Yuelin, Li Bin. Dir: Zhang Yimou. 2/16
Rules of Attraction (formerly Stalk),
Dra. Matthew Settle. Gretchen Mol.
Dir: Russell DeGrazier.
COMING
Dog Run, Dra. Brian Marc, Craig
DuPlessis, Lisa Ristorucci. Elizabeth
Horsburgh. Dir: D. Ze'ev Gilad.
Jump, Dra. James LeGros, Amanda
Peet, Mike McGlone, lone Skye, Jessica
Hecht, Hal Linden. Dir: Justin McCarthy.
Artisan
El Norte (reissue), Dra, R, 139 min.
Zaide Silvia Gutierrez, Ernesto Gomez
Cruz. Dir: Gregory Nava. 2001
Cinema Village
212-431-5119
Journey to the Sun (Turkey). Dra, 1 1
min. Newroz Baz, Nazmi Qirix. Dir:
Yesim Ustaoglu. Fall
So Close to Paradise (China). Dra, 95
mm. Wang Tong, Shi Yu. Dir: Wang
Xiaoshuai. Fall
First Run
212-243-0600
The Wolves of Kromer, Dra. 82 min.
Lee Williams, James Layton. Dir: Will
Gould. Summer
Dita and the Family Business, Doc,
58 min. Dir: Josh Taylor. Fall
Live Nude Girls Unite!. Doc, 70 min.
Dir: Julia Query & Vicky Funari. Fall
The Personals, Dra/Com, 104 min.
Rene Liu. Dir: Chen Kuo-fu. Fall
Fox Searchlight
Sexy Beast. Dra Ray Winstone. Ben
Kingsley. Dir: Jonathan Glazer. Summer
Quills. Dra, R. Geoffrey Rush, Kate
Winslet. Dir: Philip Kaufman Fall
Hard Men (U.K.). Dra, R. Vincent
Regan, Ross Boatman. Lee Ross. Dir:
J.K. Amalou.
905-403-6500
American Road, Doc
Mission to Mir Doc
Kit Parker
The River (1951, Reissue), Dra, 99
min. Patricia Walters, Nora Swinburne.
Dir: Jean Renoir. 2001
Palm
312-751-0020
The Criminal. DraThr, 98 min. Steven
Mackintosh. Dir: Julian Simpson. Fall
Lock Down. Dra. R. 105 min. Master
P. Dir: John Luessenhop. Fall
Redboy 13, 88 min. Devon Roy-
Brown. Dir: Marcus van Bavel.
To Hell With Love, 98 min. David
Coburn, Corey Michael Blake. Michael
McCafferty. Dir- Karl Kozak.
What's Your Sign. 90 min. Judy Kuhn,
Jack Gindi. Dir: Jack Gindi.
You Are Here, 81 min. Robert Knepper,
Jenny Robertson. Dir: Tom Rooney.
Paramount Classics
Company Man. Com, 86 min. Ryan
Phillippe, Sigourney Weaver. Dir:
Douglas McGrath, Peter Askin 3rd Qtr
Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mist
Ani. PG, 84 min. Voices: Brend;
Fraserl. Summer
Beneath the Surface (Sweden). Dr
99 mm. Johanna Sallstrom, Mika
Persbrandt. Dir: Daniel Fridell. 4th Q
Sweet Jane. Dra. 87 min. Samantt
Mathis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Dir: J<
Gayton. 4th Qtr
On Guard! (France: aka Le Bossl
Period Adventure, 124 min. Dani
Auteuil. Dir: Philippe de Broca.
323-933-2733
Le Cercle Rouge (1970 reissu
France), Act/Dra. Alain Delon. D
Jean-Pierre Melville. Summer
Samuel Goldwyn
Solas (Spain), Dra, 98 min. Mar
Galiana, Ana Fernandez. Dir: Beni
Zambrano. Fall NY/LA
Seventh Art
Rate: 20 Years of West Coast Pun
Doc. Fall
Songs for Cassavetes. Fall
Coming to Light. Doc, 80 min D
Ann Makepeace.
Creature, Doc. Dir: Parris Patton. Lt<
Karussell, Doc. Dir: Nona Ziok. Ltd
Speaking in Strings, Doc. 74 min. D
Paola di Florio. Ltd
Shadow
207-872-5111
Souvenir. Dra. 78 min. Kristin Sec
Thomas. Dir: Michael Shamber
Summer
Shooting Gallery
Once In The Life. Laurenc
Fishburne, Titus Welliver.
Stratosphere
Beautiful Joe Sharon Stone. Bil
Connolly Dir: Stephen Metcalfe. Summ
Jails Hospitals and Hip-Hop, Dra. <
min. Dir: Danny Hoch. Summer
USA
Alice et Martin, Dra. Juliette Binoch
Alexis Loret. Dir: Andre Techine. Summ
Dancer. JulieWalters, Jamie Bell. Fa
One Night at McCool's, Dra. Liv Tyle
Matt Dillon. Dir: Harald Zwart. Fall
A Room for Romeo Brass. R. D
Shane Meadows. Fall
Bloody Angels. Reidar Sorensen D
Karin Julsrud.
The Naked Man. Com. Micha
Rapaport. Dir: J. Todd Anderson.
Resurrection Man. Stuart Townsen
James Nesbitt. Sean McGinle
Brenda Fricker. Dir: Marc Evans.
Snarl Up. Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Thursday. Thomas Jane, Aarc
Eckhart, Mickey Rourke, Gler
Plummer. Dir: Skip Woods.
What Rats Won't Do (U.K.
Rom/Com. Natascha McElhoni
James Frain. Charles Dance. Parki
Posey. Dir: Alastair Reid.
Maybe Baby. Hugh Laurie. Joe
Richardson. Dir: Ben Elton. 2001
Whatever Happened to Harol
Smith? Tom Courtenay, Stephen Fr
Michael Legge, Laura Fraser. Di
Peter Hewitt. 2001
DISTRIBUTORS:
Fax your schedule updates
to 310-456-9750
August, 2000

SEPTEMBER
TRAILERS
In which Hollywood reveals
its inner beauty
American Beauty,
the suburbs, made
les and $330 n
Academy Av
Them," Billy Bob Thornton's fo
)w-up to "Slina Blade," on the fi
SEPTEMBER 1
and Them
; Blade's" Billy Bob
Thornton writes, directs and stars
in this comedy about a dysfunctional
white trash family who
to the aid of an uncle
en he's charged with murder.
-screen ex-steady Laura Dern
:tober Sky"), Diane Ladd
imary Colors"), Kelly Preston
Love of the Game") and
Griffith (TV's "Matlock")
co-star. Geyer Kosinski, Larry
Meistrich ("The Bumblebee Flies
Anyway") and Robert Salerno
produce. (Miramax, 9/1 NY/LA)
Exploitips: Inspired while
shooting "Pushing Tin,
Thornton finished this script in
time to slip it in before he started
production on "All the Pretty
Horses, " starring Matt Damon. At
under $5 million, "Daddy and
Them" was acquired for distribution
in a negative pickup deal by
Miramax. Held from December.
Whipped
In this comedy, four guys get
together every Sunday to discuss
their weekend escapades with the
The St. Francisville
Experiment
Producer Dana Scanlan gave
digital equipment to four nonactors—
a psychic, a ghost
hunter, a film student and a historian—and
locked them in the
infamous Lalaurie House in
New Orleans. The Lalauries
were notoriously abusive of
their slaves, and the victims'
ghosts supposedly haunted
Madame Lalaurie even after the
house caught fire and she
moved to a nearby plantation.
Tim Baldini, Madison Charap,
Ryan Larson and Paul Palmer
are the guinea pigs. (Trimark,
9/1)
opposite sex. Eventually they all
fall in love—with the same
woman. Amanda Peet ("The
Whole Nine Yards") stars as the
lucky gal; Brian Van Holt,
Jonathan Abrahams ("Scary
Movie"), Zorie Barber and Judah
Domke ("Spanking the Monkey")
co-star. Peter Cohen writes, directs
and produces. (Destination, 9/1)
Exploitips: The comparisons
here to "The Blair Witch
Project" are obvious and presumably
not unwanted. Attract
thrill-seeking teens by sponsoring
a community slumber party
at a local haunted house. Held
from early summer.
SEPTEMBER 8
directed and starred in "Waiting
for Guffman"), Michael
McKean ("Mystery, Alaska")
and Harry Shearer ("Dick")
script and co-star. Karen
Murphy ("Waiting for
Exploitips: Boxoffice gave
"Whipped" two stars in the March Guffman") produces. (MGM,
2000 issue, saying, "The plot's 9/8 ltd)
minor surprises and one major Exploitips: boxoffice's
twist and the in-the-moment acting
of the cast raise the film a tad
above its overall level, which is
slung pretty low. Some of the
unpleasant moments are funny,
some not, but it isn't realistic
enough to have an impact and not
stylish enough to be seductive
even at its most amusing." Held
from March.
This is Spinal Tap
Rob Reiner ("The Story of
Us") directs and stars in this
classic 1984 mockumentary
about a fictional heavy metal
band called Spinal Tap.
Christopher Guest (who wrote,
managing editor Christine
James chose "This Is Spinal
Tap" as her favorite movie in
the April 2000 issue, saying it
"'goes to 11,' as the guileless
guitarist of the mockumentary's
titular heavy metal band
so keenly observed of his
amplifiers in the film's most
famous scene.
16 Boxoiuce

Register now. you won't want to miss the 2nd Annual
MATO Midwest Geneva Convention
THERE'S NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT!
The NATO Midwest Geneva Convention.
Join Us to Honor Our Special Guests
Jeff Blake
Sony Pictures
President of
Worldwide
Distribution
John
Fithian
Barrie
Lawson
Loeks
Chairman of
NATO
Jack
Valenti
or 3 exciting days experience the latest from
Hollywood, meet hundreds of your fellow
xhibitors and talk with film company
'epresentatives and vendors...
Ml at the world class Grand Geneva Resort &
Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Scheduled events include:
Variety Club Golf Tournament
2 Day Trade Show
The BOXOFFICE Conference
Digital Cinema Demonstration
Major Studio Film Screenings
Internet Ticketing, Promotions and
Marketing Workshops
Exhibitor Relations Presentations
and...
A Gala Awards Banquet
Register and
*
be Eligible to Win
i Motorcycle or $10,000!
Mark Your Calendar to Attend
September 26.27.28.2000
Lake Geneva. Wisconsin
For information and registration call
262.532.001 P hone
262.532.0021 fax
CALL TO REGISTER TODAY!

The Yards
Mark Wahlberg ("Three Kings") leads a
multi-generational cast in this mystery as an
ex-con fresh out of prison whose attempts
to lead a straight life are thwarted by the
corrupt family business. Joaquin Phoenix
("Gladiator"), Charlize Theron ("Reindeer
Games"), Faye Dunaway ("The
Messenger"), Ellen Burstyn ("Playing by
Heart") and James Caan ("Mickey Blue
Eyes") co-star. James Gray ("Little Odessa")
directs as well as scripts with Matt Reeves
("The Pallbearer"); Nick Wechsler ("The
Player"), Paul Webster ("Gridlock'd") and
Kerry Orent ("Cop Land") produce.
(Miramax, 9/8 NY/LA)
Expioitips: "The Yards" played at Cannes,
where BOXOFFICE gave it four stars, saying,
"Rich in fatalistic overtones, 'The Yards'
combines the spirit of classic film noir with
the familial complexity of 'The Godfather'
and the social realism of 'On the
Waterfront. " Tor more from Cannes, turn to
page 53. See Actor's Studio, page 24.
The Watcher
Keanu Reeves ("The Matrix") stars in this
thriller as a serial killer who engages his
nemesis—a retired FBI agent—in a cat-andmouse
game, doling out clues as to who his
next victims will be. James Spader
("Supernova") and Marisa Tomei ("Slums of
Beverly Hills") co-star. Joe Charbanic writes
and directs his feature film debut; Clay Ayers,
David Elliot and Darcy Meyers script; Chris
Eberts, Elliott Lewitt and Jeff Rice ("Speedway
Junky") produce. (Universal, 9/8)
Expioitips: Previously called "Driven,"
"The Watcher" sparked a furious bidding war
that included Warner Bros, and Destination
Tilms at the American Tilm Market based on
a promo reel and an unfinished print—perhaps
because of Reeves' resuscitated career
after the success of "The Matrix." Universal
ultimately paid independent sales company
Interlight Pictures a seven-figure sum for
North American rights to the pic.
SEPTEMBER 15
Urban Legends: Final Cut
Joseph Lawrence ("Tequila Body Shots")
stars in this thriller as a film student vying
for the prestigious, career-jumpstarting
Hitchcock Award, which he may have a
very good chance at winning since someone
is killing all the competition. Jennifer
Morrison ("Stir of Echoes") and Matthew
Davis co-star as fellow burgeoning filmmakers.
Composer John Ottman ("The
Usual Suspects") makes his directorial
debut; Paul Harris Boardman and Scott
Derrickson script; "Urban Legend's" Neal
H. Mortiz and Gina Matthews produce.
(Columbia, 9/15)
Expioitips:
Ottman has posted a diary of
sorts on his personal website (httpj/ottm.in.tilmmusic.com/projects/directed/
urbrinlegend2), detailing the filmmaking
f"m beginning to end, and recent-
Iv added photos. "Urban Legends: The Final
Cut" will compete for the attention of the
teen audience with "Crime + Punishment in
Suburbia" this weekend, last week's "The
St. Francisville Experiment" and "Cherry
Tails" a fortnight later.
Crime
in Suburbia
Yet another literary update
for today's teens, "Crime +
Punishment in Suburbia"
yes, based on Dostoyevsky's
"Crime and Punishment"— is
a darkly comic romance
about a pretty, popular high
school girl who plots with
her slightly dim boyfriend to
off her stepfather. A mysterious
outsider who has loved
her from afar knows about
the crime, however, and
convinces her to take
responsibility for her actions.
Monica Keena (TV's "Dawson's Creek") and
Vincent Kartheiser ("Another Day in
Paradise") star; Ellen Barkin ("Drop Dead
Gorgeous"), Jeffrey Wright ("Shaft"), James
DeBello ("Detroit Rock City") and Michael
Ironside ("The Perfect Storm") co-star. Rob
Schmidt ("Saturn") directs a script by Larry
Gross ("True Crime"), who also produces
with Killer Films' ("Boys Don't Cry") Pamela
Koffler and Christine Vachon. (MGM, 9/1
NY/LA/Sea)
Expioitips: "Crime + Punishment in
Suburbia" earned two stars from BOXOF-
FICE in the Sundance coverage in the April
1999 issue: "Gorier than one would
expect, 'Crime + Punishment' is hardly
shocking. Despite its pretenses, the film
fails to break the mold, presenting stock
characters in predictable situations without
a gimmick to separate it from the pack."
Birthday Girl
Nicole Kidman ("Eyes Wide Shut") stars
in this romance as a Russian mail-order
bride who gives her husband more than he
bargains for when she shows up at his
doorstep with some family members in
tow. Ben Chaplin ("The Thin Red Line")
co-stars. Jez Butterworth ("Mojo") directs
as well as scripts with his brother Tom; his
other brother Steve and Eric Abraham
who both worked on "The War Zone"
produce with Diana Phillips ("Blue in the
Face"). (Miramax, 9/15)
Expioitips: Adapting the "Ladies' Night"
concept, hold a promotion in which birthday
girls get in free.
In the Mix
The Fugees' Pras Michel stars in this hiphop
drama as a gifted musician struggling to
escape the streets. Vondie Curtis-Hall
("Eve's Bayou") and rap artist
Ja Rule co-star. Robert
Adetuyi writes and directs;
Madonna and Guy Oseary
produce through Madguy,
the film banner of their
Maverick Records label.
(New Line, 9/13)
Expioitips: "In the Mix"
was previously titled "Ghetto
Superstar. " Capitalize on the
pic's themes by co-marketing
with a nearby record
store, offering discounts on
the film's soundtrack and
albums by the film's stars to
moviegoers who hang on to
their ticket stubs.
Bait
In this comedy, Jamie Foxx ("Any Given
Sunday") plays a small-time thief who is
paroled early. Unbeknownst to him, he is
serving as bait in the Feds' effort to ferret out
a master thief and his multimillion cache of
gold. "The Green Mile's" David Morse and
Doug Hutchison and Kimberly Elise
("Beloved") co-star. Antoine Fuqua ("The
Replacement Killers") directs a script by
Adam Scheinman ("Mickey Blue Eyes"),
Andrew Scheinman ("North") and Tony
Gilroy ("Armageddon"); Sean Ryerson
("Beyond Rangoon") produces. (Warner
Bros., 9/15)
Expioitips: Foxx's stock as a marquee
name has risen in recent months due to his
prominent role in Oliver Stone's "Any
Given Sunday" and the lead in May's "Held
Up. " Held from August.
Chain of Fools
Steve Zahn ("Happy, Texas") and Salma
Hayek ("Dogma") star in this comedy as,
respectively, a suicidal barber who accidentally
comes into possession of a stolen
treasure and the detective assigned to
the
case. Eventually, the two fall in love. Jeff
Goldblum ("Holy Man") co-stars. Traktor
directs; Bix Skahill scripts his debut; Tony
Lord, Matt Weaver and Steven Reuther
("The Rainmaker") produce. (Warner Bros.,
9/15)
Expioitips: Traktor is a six-man Swedish
filmmaking collective best known for its
commercials, counting Miller Lite, Diesel
leans, Volvo and ESPN SportsCenter among
its clients. Always credited simply as
Traktor, the group reads scripts together
before appointing two members to direct, in
this case Pontus Lowenheim and Patrik von
Krusentjerna, one of whom oversees the
entire production while the other pays
18 BOXOFFICE

wanted
started
She
Series: "Girlfight"
"It's very gratifying to see all of you here," writer-director Karyn Kusama tells a standing-room-only,
standing-ovation audience at a Sundance screening of her debut. "I
really explain the sort of l-told-you-so feeling I have right now."
can't
After several years of struggling to get her boxing picture made, Kusama is reveling in
its success at the indie film festival where, a few days later, it wins both the Director's
Award and the Grand |ury Prize. (She'll also win the Young Cinema Award a few months
later at Cannes.)
"The obstacles were that there was no money," she says, describing her filmmaking
experience. "I mean, for a long time, nobody wanted to give us any money. It was a tough
story somehow for people to get behind...
"And then when we finally did secure the financing two years later, the obstacles were,
of course, a very demanding schedule, very little money to work with, working with a
new actor-instead of a non-actor, a new actor. That's Michelle [Rodriguez] had no GRRL p0WER: K Kusama
..
direcls Girlfihc
work experience and no experience in acting or boxing, so she was being put through a
huge test. It was a big risk we were taking. Just the boxing, the demands of the schedule and the lack of money was really— it was
tough. It's a labor of love you're seeing up there."
"Girlfight" holds a special place in Kusama's heart for a couple of reasons. "There were two things going into this project that were
interesting to me," she explains. "One was the world of boxing. boxing myself several years ago and had met a lot of very
interesting people who were very generous to let me into their life.
"And then just in general, this sort of life theme that I'm very interested in: relationships between people and relationships between
men and women and the struggle—at least among maturing individuals—to find a balance of power in relationships. I just thought it
would be interesting to explore that question and, of course, boxing, which is a big favorite for me."
What's particularly special about Kusama's world of boxing is that her main character, Diana, is a woman banging on the door of a
boy's club. She thinks Diana's situation symbolizes what other women are experiencing as well. "Not to make light, but clearly there's
a lot of rage in the world, and I think that we have the concept that men take the stage with their rage and somehow that's 1 ) acceptable
and 2) encouraged or 3) at least natural. And the problem is that's not the case, and there's this other half of the world, I
that feels really pissed off and then feels really pissed off for not being noticed for being pissed off.
"I'm not encouraging violence or rage or any of that stuff, but I do think that it's being used in many ways as a creative energy as
long as it's handled and dealt with. And part of what I to do with the film is give an example of a life whose energy and rage
finally got channeled into a direction that has some purpose for her. I think that there are a lot of men and women alike out there who
need that focus."
And although her character's particular story takes place in the Brooklyn projects, Rodriguez denies that it's a story just for the working
classes. "If you take some stressed-out stockbroker chick from Wall Street and put her in a ring, I guarantee
much battle as any chick from the ghetto," she says. Annlee Ellingson
think,
you she'd give me as
"Girlfight." Starring Michelle Rodriguez and Santiago Douglas. Written and directed by Karyn Kusama. Produced by Sarah Green,
Maggie Renzi and Martha Griffin. A Screen Gems release. Drama. Not yet rated. Opens 9/29 ltd.
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Response No. 71
August, 2000 19

attention to smaller details. Formerly "Shiny
New Enemies," "Chain of Fools" is Traktor's
first feature film. Held from March.
Into the Arms of Strangers
Mark Jonathan Harris ("The Long Way
Home") writes and directs this documentary
about the 10,000 German, Austrian and
Czechoslovakian children who were separated
from their parents on the eve of World
War II in Britain's large-scale rescue mission
via the Kindertransport. Judi Dench ("The
World Is Not Enough") narrates. Deborah
Oppenheimer produces. (Warner Bros., 9/15)
Exploitips: Use this pic's release as an
opportunity to host a discussion panel
made up of World War II historians from a
local college or university to talk about the
events portrayed in the film in conjunction
with a screening.
Way of the Gun
Ryan Phillippe ("Cruel Intentions"),
Benecio Del Toro ("Fear and Loathing in
Las Vegas") and Juliette Lewis ("The Other
Sister") star in this crime drama as two
career criminals and the surrogate mother
they kidnap for ransom. James Caan ("The
Yards") and Taye Diggs ("House on
Haunted Hill") co-star. Screenwriter
Christopher McQuarrie ("X-Men") scripts
and makes his directorial debut; Kenneth
Kokin, who co-produced "The Usual
Suspects," produces. (Artisan, 8/18)
Exploitips: McQuarrie, in addition to
scripting last month's cover subject "X-
Men," also worked with director Bryan
Singer on the critically acclaimed "Usual
Suspects," for which he won an Oscar, so
his directorial debut will be of interest to
cineastes who pay attention to such things.
If possible, attach this trailer to "X-Men,
one of the summer's biggest blockbusters,
to generate early word-of-mouth. Held from
last August.
Mercy Streets
Eric Roberts ("Cecil B. Demented") and
David White star in this religious drama
about a con man determined to save his
million-dollar scam and a priest determined
to save his only brother. John Gunn writes
and directs his debut; John Mann coscripts;
Bobby and Kevin Downes, Geoff
Lundlew and Travis Mann produce.
(Providence, 9/15 ltd)
Exploitips: Providence is best known for
having distributed "The Omega Code," a
religious post-millennial thriller that startled
industry insiders by debuting at number 10
and earning the highest per-screen average
on 300 screens. The film's success was
largely due to strategic
distribution and mass
grassroots efforts on
the part of church
leaders to get people
to see the show.
Providence appears to
be applying the same
approach here
through www.mercystreets.com.
Goya in
Bordeaux
Carlos
Saura ("Tango")
writes and directs this Spanish-language
biopic about Francisco de Goya, a
court artist who painted for four monarchies,
lost his hearing at the age of 46 and was
eventually exiled to France. Francisco Rabal
and Jose Coronado portray Goya as an old
and young man, respectively; Daphne
Fernandez co-stars. Andres Vicente Gomez
produces. (Sony Classics, 9/1 5 NY/LA)
Exploitips: BOXOFFICE saw "Goya in
Bordeaux" at Toronto in 1 999, giving it two
stars in the November 1999 issue, saying
that Saura's flashback structure "is a good
rr#
k. ^
approach but very dully laid out, and Rabal
fails to animate the great artist."
SEPTEMBER 22
The Contender
Joan Allen ("Pleasantville") stars in this
political drama as a U.S. Senator whose
bid for the vice presidency is jeopardized
when a Republican senator digs up a sexual
scandal from her past. Jeff Bridges
("Arlington Road") and Gary Oldman
("Lost in Space") co-star. Rod Lurie
("Deterrence") writes and directs; Oldman
and Marc Frydman ("Deterrence") produce.
(DreamWorks, 9/22)
Exploitips: Marking its first purchase of a
completed film, DreamWorks reportedly
paid $10 million for the rights to distribute
"The Contender." Slated for a mid-
September release—the same timeframe in
which Academy Award-winner "American
Beauty" bowed— the film is enjoying some
extra-early Oscar buzz.
Blow Dry
Alan Rickman ("Galaxy Quest"), Natasha
Richardson ("The Parent Trap"), Rachel
Griffiths ("Hilary and
Jackie"), Rachael
Leigh Cook ("She's All
That") and Josh
Hartnett ("Here on
Earth") star in this
comedy set in the
world of professional
hairdressing. Paddy
Breathnach ("I Went
Down") directs a script
by Simon Beaufoy
("The Full Monty");
Sydney Pollack
("Random Hearts")
and William Horberg
("The Talented Mr.
Ripley") produce. (Miramax, 9/22)
Exploitips: Warner Bros, already tried its
hand at this formula with last January's "The
Big Tease," starring Craig Ferguson, but it
barely made a blip on the boxoffice radar.
To generate more interest this time around,
sponsor your own cut contest, inviting local
stylists—professional and amateur—to
compete for an annual movie pass.
Moviegoers, meanwhile, can get free 'dos.
The Exorcist
First released in
1973, this
classic horror film stars Linda
Blair as an adolescent possessed.
Horrified by what her
daughter is now capable of,
her mother enlists the help of
a local priest/psychiatrist to
exorcise the demon. Ellen
Bursty n ("The Yards") and
Max von Sydow ("What
Dreams May Come") co-star.
William Friedkin ("Rules of
Engagement") directs;
William Peter Blatty scripts
from his own novel and produces.
(Warner Bros., 9/22)
Exploitips: Warners first rereleased
"The Exorcist" with
1 1 minutes of previously unseen footage on
a couple of college campuses, intending to
gauge the reaction before expanding to a
wider release. Incidentally, the studio has
also greenlighted a prequel to the franchise
called "Exorcist: Dominion."
Double Parked
In this drama, Callie Thorne ("Whipped")
plays a single mom trying to keep her son
on a straight path when he hooks up with a
trouble-making new friend. Rufus Read
("Happiness") and Noah Fleiss ("Things
You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her") costar.
Stephen Kinsella directs a script he
pens with Paul Solberg and produces with
Matthew Myers ("The Book of Life").
(Castle Hill, 9/22 NY)
Exploitips: BOXOFFICE saw this one at
Slamdance this year—where it won the
Moviemaker Breakthrough Award—saying,
20 BOXOFFICE

Actor's Studio: Michael Weston, "Cherry Falls"
Never mind that Michael Weston had never appeared in a theatrically released feature before this summer
the 26-year-old actor is quickly making up for lost time as his first four movies hit theatres virtually back-toback.
Aside from a supporting part in this month's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced "Coyote Ugly" and a lead role
opposite John Travolta in the upcoming lottery-scam dramedy "Numbers," Weston's instant fiimography also
includes "Cherry Falls" and "Getting to Know You," both due from USA films by the end of the year.
For Weston, the timing of the releases is a happy coincidence because it emphasizes the diversity of characters
he's played in films shot over the last couple of years—a consoling best friend in "Coyote Ugly," a quirky snowmobile
salesman in "Numbers," an inventive troublemaker in "Cherry Falls" and a story-telling runaway in
"Getting to Know You." "They're very different projects, so it's kind of cool," he says. "They play a different range."
The son of veteran stage and TV actor John Rubinstein (a Tony Award winner for the Broadway version of
"Children of a Lesser God"), Weston originally dreamed of a professional baseball career, but a high school
arm injury forced a change in plans. He drifted into acting while attending Northwestern University, then got
an important early break when his stage work at the famed Williamstown Theater Festival led to him signing
with the powerful ICM talent agency.
Weston actually made his film debut opposite Rachael Leigh Cook ("She's All That") in a low-budget indie called S&M: Michael Weston
"Sally," but the picture was never released. "Getting to Know You," which stars "Welcome to the Dollhouse's" lies up Jay Mohr in
Heather Matarazzo, has fared better, debuting at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and playing on the Sundance Cherry Falls."
Channel in advance of its upcoming theatrical bow. Weston's performance in the film generated sufficient buzz for him to make the leap
from working in the bar at New York's Mayflower Hotel to prominent roles in major films like "Coyote Ugly" and "Numbers."
Approached about a supporting role alongside Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr and Michael Biehn in the raucous teen horror comedy
"Cherry Falls," Weston initially had some doubts, admitting "it's not my favorite genre of films to watch or be in." He'd turned down similar
projects in the past, but a conversation with director Geoffrey Wright ("Romper Stamper") convinced him "Cherry Falls" wouldn't be
another routine horror B-movie.
In the film, a mysterious killer is knocking off the girls at a small town high school. Since all
of the victims are virgins, Weston's character
comes up with the idea to save the remaining potential targets by deflowering them. "Is it sort of like a teenage slasher film? Is
that what we're making here?" Weston asked Wright. The director assured him otherwise. "Michael, this is like no other slasher film
you've ever seen," he said. Persuaded by Wright's dark, offbeat vision of the movie, Weston signed on. "I wasn't sure about 'Cherry
Falls,' but what clinched it for me was Geoffrey Wright," Weston says. "If nothing else he would be an interesting man to work with."
Weston is understandably excited about being seen by moviegoers across the country for the first time, but he tries to be philosophical
about the impact such high-profile films could have on his life and career. "I try not to invest too much in what will happen in the
future, because it's so precarious," he says. "It's easier for me to just sort of focus on the work that I have to do day-in and day-out. If
it comes, it's a great surprise and I'm happy for it. And if it doesn't, then I'm just doing the work that I was doing before, and I'm happy
with that." Michael Tunison
"Cherry Falls." Starring Brittany Murphy, jay Mohr and Michael Weston. Directed by Geoffrey Wright. Written by Ken Selden.
Produced by Marshall Persinger and Eli Selden. A USA release. Thriller. Rated R for strong violence/gore, teen sexuality, language and
some drug content. Opens 9/29.
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August, 2000 21

"As dramatically elaborate as 'Double
Parked' attempts to be, the moments of real
brilliance are quickly undermined by even
grander moments of directionless tedium,
in its
two-star review.
Left Luggage
Laura Fraser ("The Match") stars in this
1970s Antwerp-set drama as liberal lew
who agrees to nanny for a strict Hassidic
family and, through caring for their mute
son, gains perspective on her own background.
Isabella Rossellini ("The
Impostors") and Maximilian Schell ("Deep
Impact") co-star. Actor Jeroen Krabbe
makes his directorial debut; Edwin de Vries
scripts based on Carl Friedman's novel;
Hans Pos, Dave Schram and Ate de Jong
produce. (Castle Hill, 9/22 ltd)
Exploitips: BOXOFFICE gave "Left
Luggage" four stars in its Palm Springs coverage
in the June 1999 issue, saying,
"Krabbe directs the actors to give simple
and moving performances that foster the
delicate storytelling of this emotional film.
His own acting turn as the haunted Mr.
Kalman is subtle yet passionate."
Woman on Top
In this romantic comedy, Penelope Cruz
("All About My Mother") plays a Brazilian
chef whose culinary talents and sensuality
catapult her to fame when she moves to San
Francisco, landing her her own show on a
local TV station. She must decide, however,
if she wants to nourish her career or succumb
to her macho husband's jealous
wishes. Murilo Benicio co-stars. Fina Torres
("Celestial Clockwork") directs; Vera Blasi
and )une Roberts script; Alan Poul ("'Til
There Was You") produces. (Fox
Searchlight, 9/22 NY/LA)
Exploitips: Immerse your patrons in the
world of this film by co-marketing with a
local Brazilian restaurant, which may want
to host a sampling booth in your lobby on
opening weekend, or even offering limitedtime
Brazilian specialties at the concession
counter. BOXOFFICE interviewed Cruz for
the May cover story and gave the pic 3.5
stars in the June issue, saying, "Cruz is stunning
in the role—innocent and vulnerable
yet possessing a mature grace and determined
strength, all while sizzling with
unchecked sensuality. Remarkably, director
Fina Torres' graceful touch occasionally
eclipses even her muse. One can practically
taste Isabella's culinary creations and literally
feel the primal beat of Brazil. " Held
from summer.
SEPTEMBER 29
Remember the Titans
Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane")
stars in this drama based on real-life events
in 1971 Alexandria, Va. When the local
school board is forced to integrate its football
team, the members make a surprise
decision by appointing an African-
American and relative newcomer
to the community as
head coach, demoting the
town's white coach to his
assistant. The two work
through their differences,
however, and shape a winning
team. Will Patton
("Gone in 60 Seconds") costars.
Boaz Yakin ("A Price
Above Rubies") directs a
script by Gregory Allen
Howard; Jerry Bruckheimer
("Coyote Ugly") and Chad
Oman, who's served as an
executive producer on several
Bruckheimer films, produce.
(Buena Vista, 9/29)
Exploitips: Like last month's "Replacements,"
"Remember the Titans" is out just
in time for football season. Promote this
release at local high school football games
and work with your city's professional franchises
to give away pairs of tickets to
moviegoers.
Girlfight
First-timer Karyn Kusama writes and
directs a largely untried cast in this urban
drama about a troubled Latina high school
student who finds a focus for her frustration
in the boxing ring, until her lover becomes
her opponent. Michelle Rodriguez and
Santiago Douglas star. John Sayles' producing
partners Sarah Green and Maggie
Renzi produce with Martha Griffin.
(Columbia, 9/29 ltd)
Exploitips: Winner of the Grand Jury Prize
and Best Direction Award at Sundance this
year, "Girlfight" became the center of a fierce
bidding war at the fest, ultimately claiming
around $2.5 million from Columbia's Screen
Gems, which beat out USA Films,
Paramount, Fine Line and Miramax for distribution
rights to the pic. BOXOFFICE gave
"Girlfight" 2.5 stars in the April issue, saying,
"It's a daring vision, to be sure, and one that
deserves attention and even admiration, but
'Girlfight' relies on the performance of
Rodriguez to carry it, and the inexperienced
actress mistakes a constant glower for
depth. " See Sundance Series, page 7 9.
Along Came a Spider
In this thriller, Morgan Freeman reprises
his role as Detective Alex Cross in this prequel
to 1997's sleeper hit "Kiss the Girls."
Here Cross races to save the daughter of a
U.S. Senator before she's murdered by a
serial killer who's leaving him elaborate
clues. Monica Potter ("Patch Adams") costars
as his partner. Lee Tamahori ("The
Edge") directs; Marc Moss and Lewis Colick
("October Sky") script based on the bestselling
novel by James Patterson; "Kiss the
Girls'" David Brown and Joe Wizan produce.
(Paramount, 9/29)
Exploitips: "Kiss the Girls"—which had a
budget of $27 million— grossed over $60
million domestically. Look into programming
it as a midnight movie during the
weeks leading up to "Along Came a
Spider's" release and, of course, coordinate
with a local bookstore to promote both
titles. Have fun with the spider theme in
your lobby, stringing spider webs (perhaps
already available in anticipation of
Halloween) on your boxoffice and concession
marquees.
Ring of Fire
Kiefer Sutherland ("Dark City") and
newcomer Marcus Thomas ("Drowning
Mona") star in this drama set in the world
of professional bullriding as two brothers
who clash over the pursuit of the championship
and a woman they both love.
Daryl Hannah ("My
Favorite Martian") co-stars.
Xavier Koller (Oscar winner
"Journey of Hope") directs a
script by Robert Redford's
son James; "Drowning Mona's"
Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt
and Eugene Musso
produce. (Destination, 9/29)
Exploitips: Previously
known as "Hearts and
Bones" and "Cowboy Up,"
this pic has finally settled on
a title from Johnny Cash's
oeuvre. Collaborate with a
local country radio station to
give away pairs of tickets
every time the song plays.
Rent a mechanical bull for patrons to enjoy
while their waiting in the lobby, and—
depending on your location— promote the
film at a local rodeo.
Broken Hearts Club
This West Hollywood-set romantic comedy
stars Timothy Olyphant ("Gone in 60
Seconds"), Zach Braff, Mark McGrath
("Boys Don't Cry"), Dean Cain (TV's
"Superman"), Ben Weber, Billy Porter and
John Mahoney (TV's "Frasier") as a tightknit
group of gay guys who come to appreciate
their friendship when tragedy strikes.
TV's "Dawson's Creek" co-executive producer
Greg Berlanti writes and directs;
"Go's" Mickey Liddell and Joseph
Middleton produce. (Sony Classics, 9/29
NY/LA)
Exploitips: BOXOFFICE gave "The Broken
Hearts Club" three stars in the July 2000
issue, calling it "a bright, witty and occasionally
brittle look at life in West
Hollywood.
22 BOXOFFICE

saw
had
• '
Actor's Studio: Ellen Burstyn, "The Yards
and "Requiem for a Dream"
Ellen Burstyn is breathless when she
answers the phone at her New York home.
She's in the middle of packing for her
evening flight to Cannes, where she's featured
in two films at the festival.
"The Yards," directed by James Gray
("Little Odessa") and co-starring Faye
Dunaway and James Caan, is in competition.
"Requiem for a Dream," Darren
Aronofsky's follow-up to "Pi," will have a
special screening.
Burstyn plays mothers in both—to Mark
Wahlberg in "The Yards" and to Jared Leto
in "Requiem"—but neither role is anything
Donna Reed would covet.
"Requiem," based on the novel by
Hubert Selby Jr. (who also wrote "Last Exit __
to Brooklyn") is stocked with desperate CRY FOR HELP: Ellen Burstyn plays a diet-pill
characters'. "Everyone in the movie is
ourn-ou, in^emfor a Dream
addicted to something," Burstyn says. "I'm addicted to food and chocolate and television,
and then I become addicted to diet pills."
The 67-year-old actress has done well by screen motherhood. She won an Oscar as the
widowed waitress mother of a young son in Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here
Anymore." She was nominated for playing both the knowing parent of Cybill Shepherd
in "The Last Picture Show" and of the ultimate problem child in "The Exorcist."
Despite her veteran status, neither of her current roles were easy births, particularly
that of "Requiem." "I'd say it's right up there, definitely in the league with 'The Exorcist,'
in terms of the demands on the actor," she says. "It's just a harrowing descent into hell
she goes through. There's hardly any scene in the film that isn't emotionally difficult.
And physically difficult. For a few scenes, Aronofsky mounted a heavy camera on
Burstyn's front, to film her face as she walked through an apartment, and then on her back.
Burstyn's first instinct was to reject the role when she read the script. "It wasn't very
much money," she says. "I thought, 'These people are crazy if they want me to put
myself through that for a buck and half.' It was so depressing."
But she decided to watch Aronofsky's first feature before she made a final decision.
"A minute and half into 'Pi,' I thought, 'OK, I get it....lMy decision] really was [made)
on the basis of the creativity of Darren that I
in 'Pi.' It wasn't because I the
faintest desire to put myself through this."
The atmosphere was lighter on Miramax's "Yards" set. Though its also a dark film
about the investigation into a cop's death, director Cray's sense of humor leavened the
mood. "He has sort of a comedic frame of mind all the time, so even when he's serious
that's funny," the actress says. "The movie's not funny at all.. ..It's just that his way of
expressing [himself] on the set through humor is
a very strange contradiction, [with the
film's tone.]"
, ,
Burstyn plays Val Handler. "I'm a very kind of repressed character. She hasn t had
much life experience—she's lived her whole life in Brooklyn. Her son is the most important
thing in the world to her, all she has."
As far as sibling rivalry, Wahlberg is the favorite son. "I absolutely adored Mark
Wahlberg," Burstyn says. "He's just the sweetest, dearest young man, and I really teel
like his mother. The chemistry was very good between us.
"Jared I don't know very well. ...During the scenes we related, but he's very mysterious
and standoffish between scenes."
Perhaps the actress' experience intimidated the young Leto. It seemed to have had
such an effect initiallv on their director. "Darren told me the other day that the first time
we went out to lunch, he brought a camera and wanted to take a picture of me and was
afraid to ask me," she says. "That surprised me so much. I had no idea he was so intimidated..
..He said, 'You were very serious at lunch, like a scientist, till we got on the set.'"
She welcomes, in fact, the directors' relative inexperience, pointing out that "Alice
Doesn't Live Here Anymore" was only Scorsese's second film as well.
"I like working with directors when they're still young and excited about filmmaking
and impassioned," she says. "Sometimes directors, after they've made a lot of films,
don't have the same kind of passion for it, so that's a plus as far as I'm concerned."
And her latest directors, Gray and Aronofsky, have an uncanny symmetry. "They re
both from Brooklyn, they're both 30 years old, they're both Ashkenazi Jews, they're both
on their second picture, they've both got me in their second picture, they're both showing
at Cannes," Burstyn says, a little breathless again. "And they both have red hair. And
they're both tall and thin." Melissa Morrison
"The Yards." Starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, Faye
Dunaway, Ellen Burstyn and James Caan. Directed by lames Cray. Written by James
Cray and Matt Reeves. Produced by Nick Wechsler, Paul Webster and Kerry Orent. A
Miramax release. Drama. Rated R for language, violence and a scene of sexuality.
Opens 9/8 NY/LA. .
, ^
"Requiem for a Dream." Starring Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly and
Marlon Wayans. Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Produced by Palmer West.
An Artisan release. Drama. Not yet rated. Opens 1 0/6.
"Welcome to the Dollhouse"), Victor
Hwang and Connie Kaiserman produce.
(Phaedra, September undated)
ExplOitips: Completed in 1998, "Too
Tired to Die" played at Sundance that year
and opened in Korea but has yet to see the
light of another projector in the U.S. Chin
has elaborately detailed his struggle to get
the film made on his web site: http://members.aol.com/wonsukchin/index.html.
The Specials
Rob Lowe ("Austin Powers: The Spy
Who Shagged Me"), Jamie Kennedy
("Three Kings"), Thomas Haden Church,
Kelly Coffield and Jordan Ladd portray
wannabe superheroes— a la "Mystery
Men"—whose tight-knit group is torn apart
when they discover that the new toy line
based on them is a joke at their expense.
Craig Mazin directs a script by James Gunn
("Tromeo and Juliet"); "Free Enterprise's"
Mark Altman, Dan Bates and Robert Meyer
Burnett produce with Rick Mischel.
(Regent, September undated)
ExplOitips: Offer discounts to patrons
who show up at the theatre dressed as their
favorite made-up superheroes.
The Idiots
The team that brought you "Breaking the
Waves" reunites for this tale about a band of
neo-hippies frustrated with the lack of creativity
and intelligence in today's society.
They try to shake things up a bit by going
out into the community impersonating the
mentally challenged. Bodil Jorgensen and
Jens Albinus star. Lars von Trier scripts and
directs, and Vibeke Windelov produces.
(USA, September undated)
ExplOitips: "The Idiots" is the second film
that adheres to Dogme 95, a group comprised
of such directors as von Trier and
Thomas Vinterberg. Like Vinterberg's critically
acclaimed "The Celebration," "The
Idiots" was shot only with a handheld camera
in natural light to promote realism. BOX-
OFFICE reviewed "The Idiots" at Cannes in
1 998, giving it three stars in the July 1 998
issue: "Though 'Idiots' lacks the emotional
depth of 'Breaking the Waves,' it is
anchored by Jorgensen's bold performance.
Tokyo Eyes
Takeshi Kitano ("Kikujiro") stars in this
Japanese-language thriller about a sniper
whose thick glasses (he's nicknamed "Four
Eyes") prevents him from ever making a
kill. Hinano Yoshikawa and Kaori
Mizushima co-star. Jean-Pierre Limosin
writes and directs. (VizATidepoint,
September undated)
ExplOitips: Given that "Tokyo Eyes" and
"We Are Not Alone" have the same distributor,
they should be easy to program as a
double bill.
We Are Not Alone
Tsutomu Yamazaki stars in this Japaneselanguage
film directed by Yojiro Takita and
written by Nobuyuki Isshiki. (Viz/Tidepoint,
September undated)
ExplOitips: Given that "Tokyo Eyes" and
"We Are Not Alone" have the same distributor,
they should be easy to program as a
double bill.
24 Boxoffice

LATE MOVIE MOVES
Orfeu
A remake of "Black Orpheus," this
Brazilian romance stars Toni Cerrido and
Patricia Franca as Orfeu, a popular musician,
and Euridice, a simple girl who is visiting
her aunt in Rio de Janeiro. Their love
affair is threatened by local mobsters and
jealousy. Carlos Diegues writes and directs
based on the play by Vinicius De Moraes.
(New Yorker, 8/25 NY, 9/8 exp LA)
Exploitips: BOXOFFICE gave "Orfeu" 2.5
stars in its Telluride coverage in the
November 1999 issue: "Diegues' direction
gives the too-simple story a vibrant atmosphere
enhanced by a musical score that
includes samba music as well as Brazilian
rap." "Orfeu" could be programmed as a
double bill with "Woman on Top, " which is
also partly set in Brazil and bows a few
weeks later.
Kings of Comedy
Spike Lee ("Summer of Sam") directs this
documentary about the titular comedy tour
that features funnymen Steve Harvey,
Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac and D.L.
Hughley. MTV Films' David Gale ("The
Wood") and the tour's promoter Walter
Latham produce. (Paramount, 8/18)
Exploitips: Shot digitally over the course
of two days while the comedians performed
in Charlotte, N.C., "Kings of Comedy" will
tie in easily with the real-live tour, which
will gear up again later this year.
The Art of War
Wesley Snipes ("Blade") stars in this martial
arts actioner as a top-secret U.N. operative
who is framed for the assassination ui a
Chinese ambassador. Donald Sutherland
("Instinct") co-stars. Christian Duguay (TV's
"Joan of Arc") directs a script by Simon Barry
and Kevin Bernhardt; Nicolas Clermont ("Eye
of the Beholder") and Oliver Stone (who
executive produced and directed "Any Given disadvantage of a largely unknown cast. As
Sunday") produce. (Warner Bros., 8/25) soon as trailers become available, attach
Exploitips: Snipes is a marquee name them to these other pics to create buzz
once again since "Blade," in which he among the targeted demo— teens. Held
starred for New Line, grossed over $70 million
in the United States and nearly
from April.
$128
million worldwide. "The Art of War" is the
first in a three-pic pact between Oliver
Stone's Illusion Entertainment and Elie
Samaha's Franchise Pictures. Held from July.
The In Crowd
"Pet
Mary
Sematary's"
Lambert
directs this collegeset
thriller about an
employee at an East
Coast country club
who is befriended by
the in crowd.
However, when she
becomes romantically
involved with
the clique's leader's
boyfriend, she learns
that one of the
group's favorite
pastimes
is revenge.
Soap opera veteran Susan Ward (TV's "Sunset
Beach"), Lori Heuring and Matthew Settle ("I
Still Know What You Did Last Summer") star.
Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin script; James
G. Robinson ("Chill Factor") produces.
(Warner Bros., opened 7/1 9)
Exploitips: "In Crowd" should attract the
same audience as this month's "Scary
Movie" and "Loser." This release has the
Burlesk King
Mel Chionglo directs this film about life on
the edge in the Philippines. (Strand, 6/30 NY)
Exploitips: "Burlesk King" played in the
Toronto Film Festival's Contemporary
World Cinema category last year.
Children of Chabannes
In this documentary, director-producer Lisa
Gossels witnesses the reunion of her mother,
who was sheltered in a chateau in the French
community of Chabannes as a child during
World War II, with other survivors and some
of their teachers. Dean Wetherell also directs
and produces. (Castle Hill, opened 6/9 ltd)
Exploitips: Although "Children of
Chabannes" is scheduled to come out several
months earlier, it would serve as a nice half
of a double bill with this month's "Into the
Arms of Strangers, " also about the plight of
European children during World War II. WU
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August. 2000 25

Cover
DANCEHfDO^N UftlDER
Adam Garcia Makei^His Leading-Man Debut
in His Native Australia's "Bootmen"
After a Turn in the All-American "Coyote Ugly"
by Annlee EUingson
Garcia's easygoing attitude
and saucy sense of
Adam
humor are evident from the
moment he breezes into Fox Searchlight's
hospitality suite at the Paris in
Las Vegas during ShoWest this past
March. On the brink of a burgeoning
film career, the dapper 26-year-old
singer/dancer/actor—starring in Fox
Searchlight's fall "Bootmen" and
Disney's summer "Coyote Ugly"—is
still enjoying relative anonymity in Sin
City, gambling and partaking in other
Vegas traditions during his short stay.
"Watched a friend get married by
Elvis," Garcia says of his recent
escapades with a twinkle in his eye. "It
was hysterical. It was sort of a planned
thing, but we all said, 'Let's just go and
do it.' And the people at the chapel were
really serious about it. I was like,
'You're getting married by Elvis!'
"He was really funny, too, the Elvis,"
he continues. "He was kind of in the
bloated stage, the drug-induced stage of
Elvis. Every now and again, he'd just
stop and then just sneer for a while, overposture
and then continue singing."
Born in Sydney, Australia, and currently
residing in London, Garcia is
already rather worldly and can appreciate
Vegas' tacky attempts at cosmopolitanism.
"This is like Paris—kiiiind of,"
he gestures to his surroundings. "Paris
without the Paris bit.
"And thank goodness [the hotel has
a scale model of the Eiffel Tower],
'cause you need those little landmarks
just to tell you where you are in Vegas."
Perhaps smarting from a lighter load
in his billfold, though, he suspects conspiracy
on the part of the local casinos.
"They oxygenate everything, don't they,
to keep you awake," he hypothesizes. "I
think they've got every trick in the book
to encourage you to give them money."
is theories on Vegas exhausted,
Garcia humbly glosses
over the arc of his acting
career to get right down to business:
promoting his first starring film vehicle.
"I started out as a dancer, and the film
that I'm representing here is a tap dancing
film called 'Bootmen'—here comes
the plug!" he says. "Eve been working
with this guy Dein Perry, who choreographed
it and directed it, and it's a fictitious
story of his life. It's kind of him,
but they've bastardized a lot.
"So I've been tap dancing and dancing
since I was about eight. I just did it
for the money, really, and then I got
bored of dancing a little bit and
thought, 'I'll do the musical thing,' and
I did a few plays."
What really happened is this:
Garcia, with remarkably no sort of
egging on from his mum, started taking
ballet lessons at the age of eight
and turned to tap at 1 1 . After graduating
from high school, he attended university,
resigned to retiring his tap
shoes and majoring in biology.
"For some reason, in Newcastle in
Australia, there was this tap school
[that produced] mainly boys—really
good boy tap dancers," he explains.
"And of course, once you hit 15 or 16,
you win all the championships or whatever,
and you finish school, and you
either go and get a normal trade job or
that's it. There's no future in tap dance.
"[The boys] did dance in terms of
going to ballet school or taking violin
when you're a kid. And, of course, you
think, 'Well. I'm not going to be a violinist.
That's unreasonable to think that, so
I'll go and do my normal job that everyone
else does.' And then Dein basically
invited them back and said, 'I've got a
tap dancing show. You're going to earn
about 20 bucks a week.' Um...oh...all
right. And that was the thing.
"It was the same when I started university,
and Dein went. 'I'm doing this
tap dancing musical called 'Hot Shoe
Shuffle.' Do you want to come do it?'
I'm like, 'Uh...yeah. [I] played too much
ball, drank too much beer at university.
I'll never pass. All right.' That's how I
got essentially started."
"Hot Shoe Shuffle" toured Australia
in 1993 and opened in the United
Kinadom in 1994, where Garcia decid-
26 BOXOFFICE

ed to stay. Over the course of the next
couple of years, he appeared in London
in "Grease" and "Birdy," where director
Arlene Phillips discovered him and cast
him in the lead in "Saturday Night
Fever." His rave reviews included The
Express' comment that he was "outpelvising
Elvis." (Talk about synergy.)
Meanwhile, that "guy" Perry with
whom Garcia had worked premiered a
touring show called Tap Dogs, named
after a dance troupe of" which Garcia
was a founding member, that has now
appeared on four continents having
made stops in London, New York,
Japan, India, Korea, Canada, Italy and
New Zealand. His next logical step was
to make a film.
Bootmen" is
about two brothers,
Sean (Garcia) and
Mitchell (Sam Worthington),
who work in Newcastle's BHP
Steelworks. Although they've both been
tap dancing since they were kids,
Mitchell aspires to open his own business,
but Sean would like to shape his
career around his fleet feet. Also thrown
into the mix is a girl they both love,
played by fellow Aussie Sophie Lee
("Holy Smoke," "The Castle").
The inspiration for "Bootmen" came
from Perry's own life. "He did work in
the BHP, and he got sick of that
because it's very high-risk," Garcia says.
"He worked in turning a 500-ton beam
into a bolt or an anchor.
"And he just got sick of it and
wanted to do something with tap
dancing, because he was the national
champion, the world champion. And
there was nothing—there was nothing
in tap dance to do. Eventually he got
Tap Dogs together, and that's how he
made his career.
"['Bootmen'] sort of follows that
line. It's got fiction in it whereby there's
a brother in it and there's a girl whom
we both fall in love with, so it's dramatized,
and there're other people who
don't exist in his life that are [in] the
maybe my experience might help him
in terms of the leading role."
Their solid relationship proved valuable
on the set. "Dein's fantastic,"
Garcia says. "He'd never directed, really,
anything before. [But] because we're
good friends, and we've worked and
we've known each other for 10 years, it's
one of those things where you can yell
at each other or you can have fun and
then know when to stop. Building up a
relationship wasn't necessary, and we
understand how each other works.
"But he's the type of guy who just
thinks, 'Uh, I wouldn't mind directing
something,' and that's it: He can do it. It's
really quite sickening, quite horrible."
Perry's confidence apparently persuaded
Fox Searchlight and the
Australian Film Finance Corp.—cofinanciers
on the film—of his ability to
pull it off as well. "He sort of developed
it, but he was looking for a director,"
Garcia says. "And then he just went, 'You
know what? I'm going to do it because
they don't understand tap dancing.'
"It sounds kind of silly, but it's just
one of those things where you know
that he knew what he wanted to get,
especially in terms of how the dancing
should be shot. He also knew that it
was about him in some respects. He
knew it was about Newcastle. He knew
how he wanted Newcastle to look in
people's eyes and sort of the poverty
there and unemployment. So in the
end I think he just kind of went, 'Well,
I know what I want to see in the movie
and what I want to make, so why don't
film. [Those] very slight substituted
I direct it?' So he did."
things still work for the show."
Perry's experience as a choreographer,
Aware of the film since its inception
though, had certain benefits to the
two or three years before shooting production, particularly speed. "He
began, the handsome and athletic
doesn't mess around. He'll just go,"
Garcia was Perry's natural choice to
portray himself in the lead role. "He
Garcia
instinctive
says.
thing.
"Quality's more of an
He'll say. All right.
taught me a lot," Garcia says of his That looks good. That feels good. That
mentor. "At some stage in my life, he goes together.' And I think dancing in
taught me, and I'd also been working general does that as well. You just learn
with him in 'Hot Shoe Shuffle' and Tap
how
Dogs, so he knew I could tap dance,
which is handy for this sort of a leading
it and go ahead with it. And that's
he directs, going. 'Yeah. yeah. Yep, yep.
Take it. We'll do it that way.'
role. I think he had a general idea "We shot the film in 40 days. We had
of all the tap dancers that he was going a couple of pick-up shots— I think it
to use. He knew that I had experience was 44 days. And that was it. He knew
in terms of stage plays and musicals exactly what he wanted to do."
and leading musicals— I did 'Saturday
Night Fever' in London and all sorts of
stuff—and so he knew in terms of that
efore "Bootmen" bows in
the
fall, Garcia will also star in
"Coyote Ugly," producer
Jerry Bruckheimer's virtually all-girl
dramedy about a New York City
watering hole whose barmaidsincluding
Piper Perabo, Maria Bello
and Tyra Banks—will do almost anything
to get their male patrons to drink
more beer. "I fit in nicely," Garcia
laughs. "I'm basically one of the only
guys in the movie— fine by me."
Bruckheimer conducted a nationwide
search to find his leading lady
before casting Perabo. Garcia thinks
she's definitely worth it. "I think she's
magnificent," he gushes. "I don't know,
there's just something— I don't think
I've met a person who's got as good of
a heart as her, and it's really evident
onscreen. When you meet her normally,
she's really lovely. She's a genuinely
good person, and it comes across that
way, and I think that's what they were
looking for—not necessarily innocence,
but someone who's naturally goodhearted.
There's not a bitter bone in her
body. There's not a nasty, ugly bone in
her body. I think that's why they went
with her, because she's special, and she's
also a damn fine actress. And she's pretty.
And she's got a good body. And she's
got a lot of hair, big eyes. And she sings.
She can do everything. So, yeah, I think
they made a pretty good choice."
As for his future, Garcia has a couple
projects in the pipeline, but nothing's
confirmed that he can comment on yet.
In the meantime, he might go back to
school, picking up where he left off when
Perry plucked him from campus to perform
in "Hot Shoe Shuffle" to "see if I
can actually get through a lecture," he
jokes. "My mother will be happy
because she'll go, 'Well, come back to
Australia [and] do the lawn again.'"
At the end of his BOXOFFICE interview,
on his way out for a last night of
frivolity on the Strip, Garcia gracefully
admits the combination of his Aussie
accent and sarcastic sense of humor
could conceivably cause confusion. "I
hope that made any sort of semblance
of sense." he says. "[If not.] you ca n just
change words around."
fHH
"Bootmen." Starring Adam Garcia,
Sam Worthington and Sophie Lee.
Directed by Dein Perry. Written by Steve
Worland. Produced by Hilary Linstead.
A Fox Searchlight release. Comedy!
drama. Opens October (y
"Coyote Ugly." Starring Piper
Perabo, Adam Garcia. Maria Bella and
Tyra Banks. Directed by David McNally.
Written by Todd Graff and Gina Wendkos.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. A
Buena Vista release. Comedy/drama.
Opens August 4.
Images: Adam Garcia hoofs in "Bootmen" (p. 26);
with Piper Perabo in "Coyote Ugly" (above).
August, 2000 27

DOWN UNDER GIANTS
OF EXHIBITION
An Alphabetical Listing of Australian
and New Zealand Theatre Circuits
Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan
ANDERSON MULTIPLEX CINEMAS
P.O. Box 277, Ballarat, VIC 3353
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 3 5331 1
FAX: (61) 3 5333 4368
E-MAIL: regent@amcm.com.au
WEBSITE: www. andersoncinemas.com.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Stephen Anderson, Managing Director
Andrew Taylor, Corp. Operations Mgr.
YEAR FOUNDED: 1996
SCREENS: 35 SITES: 4
PROJECTED SCREENS, 12/00: 60
THEATRE/CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 300
LOCATED IN: Victoria, South Australia
AUSTRALIAN MULTIPLEX CINEMAS (AMC)
P.O. Box 2152, Brookside Centre, QLD 4053
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 7 3355 3353
FAX: (61) 7 3354 4700
E-MAIL: amc@powerup.com.au
WEBSITE: www.a-m-c.com.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
James C. Sourris, Chairman
Michael Hawkins, CEO
YEAR FOUNDED: 1921
SCREENS: 39 SITES: 6
PROJECTED SCREENS, 12/00: 67
THEATRE/CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 192
LOCATED IN: Queensland, New South Wales
BIRCH CARROLL & COYLE
418 Adelaide St., Brisbane, QLD 4000
TRALIA
>NE: (61) 7 3335 0222
rAAi (61) 7 3832 1101
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
David Williams, General Manager
John Poole, Business Operations Mgr.
Darren Condon, Regional Programming Mgr.
Lisa O'Donoghue, Marketing Manager
SCREENS: 195 SITES: 28
THEATRE EMPLOYEES: 850
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 35
LOCATED IN: Queensland, New
South Wales, Northern Territory
DENDY CINEMAS PTY. LTD.
19 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW 2000
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 2 9233 8558
FAX: (61) 2 9232 3841
E-MAIL: dendy@dendy.com.au
WEBSITE: www.dendy.com.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Mark Sarfaty, Head of Dendy Cinemas
YEAR FOUNDED: 1981
SCREENS: 11 SITES: 5
THEATRE EMPLOYEES: 100
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 8
LOCATED IN: New South
Wales, Queensland, Victoria

GRAND /
P.O. Box 2137, Warwick, WA 6024
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 8 94 48 31 88
FAX: (61) 8 92 46 17 55
E-MAIL: grandcin@wanet.com.au
WEBSITE: www.movimasters.com.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Colin Stiles, Chairman
Alan Stiles, Managing Director
YEAR FOUNDED: 1994
SCREENS: 19 SITES: 3
PROJECTED SCREENS, 12/00: 21
THEATRE/CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 100
LOCATED IN: Western Australia
GREATER UNION ORGANISATION PTY. LTD.
49 Market St., Sydney, NSW 2000
AUSTRALIA-
PHONE: (61) 2 9373 6600
FAjfc;(61) 2 9267 5277
E^4lL4in£o@greaterunion.com.au
w.greaterunion.com.au
£ ROSTER:
Rofcert Sanson, Managing Director
Richard Farton, GeirenfrfNlluager
Peter Cody, Manager, Film Buying
Chris McGlinn, Natl. Marketing Mgr.
YEAR FOUNDED#910
SCREENS (AUSTRALIA): 202 *
SITES (AUSTRALIA): 26
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES (WORLD): 80
LOCATED IN: New South Wales,
Queensland, South Australia, Western
Australia; United Arab Emirates;
Poland; The Netherlands; Germany
HAYDEN THEATRES PTY. LTD.
380 Military Rd., Cremorne, NSW 2090
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 2 9953 5699
FAX: (61) 2 9953 8863
E-MAIL: dravet@orpheum.com.au
WEBSITE: www.orpheum.com.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Mike Walsh, Chairman
Paul Dravet, General Manager
YEAR FOUNDED: 1977
SCREENS: 6 SITES: 1
THEATRE EMPLOYEES: 22
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 2
LOCATED IN: New South Wales
NOYTS CINEMAS LIMITED
GPO Box 110, Sydney, NSW 2001
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 2 9273 7373
FAX: (61) 2 9273 7399
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Paul Johnson, CEO
Wilfrecffteiner, CFO
Noel Collier, Gen. Manager, Ftogrammin
Tony Murray, Gen. Mgr., Fmandal/Conunej
David Maclagan, Gen. Mgr., NSW/VTC/QLD
Paul Colreavy, General Manager, SA/WA
YEAR FOUNDED: 1908
SCREENS (AUSTRALIA): 3&
SITES (AUSTRALIA): 44
SCREEN^ (WORLDWIDE): 2,090
SITES (WORLDWIDE): 249
PROJECTED SCREENS, 12/00: 2,000
THEATRE/CORP. EMPLOYEES: 6,500
LOCATED IN: New South Wales, Victoria.
- South Australia, Western Australia,
Queensland; New-Zealand (North and
South Islands); USA; Mexico; Chile;
.
Austria; Germany; Argentina; United
Kingdom; Uruguay; Brazil
PACIFIC CINEMAS
P.O. Box 301
AUSTRALIA
6,;qlK
CUTIVE ROSTER:
y Jackman, Chairman
Tonia Eaton, Asst. tcHhe Chairman
/EARFOU
SCREENS:
(ED: 1989
SitES: 5
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 6
LOCATED IN: Queensland, New South Wales
PALACE CINEMAS
233 Whitehorse Rd., Balwyn, VIC 3103
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 3 9817 6421
FAX: (61) 3 9817 6950
E-MAIL: palace@palace.net.au
WEBSITE: www.palace.net.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Antonio Zeccola, Managing Director
Benjamin M. Zeccola, Director
Sam Di Pietro, General Manager
Kim Petalas, Programming Manager
Gordon Johnston, Natl. Mktg. Manager
YEAR FOUNDED: 1970
SCREENS: 55
THEATRE EMPLOYEES: 275
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 16
LOCATED IN: Victoria, New South
Wales, Western Australia, South
tralia, Queensl

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.
READING ENTERTAINMENT
AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD.
6 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
AUSTRALIA .
PHONE: (61) 3 9644 1900
FAX: (61) 3 9646 1185
E-MAIL:
reading.meIbourne@readingaust.com.au
WEBSITE: www.readngcinemas.com.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Neil Pentecost, COO
David Lawsori, Director of Development
Eugene Cheah, CFO
YEAR FOUNDED: 1995
SCREENS: 71 SITES: 10
PROJECTED SCREENS, 12/00: 81
THEATRE EMPLOYEES: 306
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 24
LOCATED IN: Queensland, Western
Australia, New South Wales, Victoria
READING ENTERTAINMENT
AUSTRALIA (SYDNEY OFFICE)
Level 21, 201 Miller Street
North Sydney, NSW 2060
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 2 9959 2215
FAX: (61) 2 9959 2216
E-MAIL:
readingsyd@readingaust.com.aju
RONIN FILMS
P.O. Box 1005, Civic Square, ACT 2608
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 2 6248 0851
FAX: (61) 2 6249 1640
WEBSITE: www.roninfiIms.com.au
YEAR FOUNDED: 1974 *
"J
SCREENS: 3 SITES: 1
THEATRE EMPLOYEES: 11
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES: 4
LOCATED IN: Australian
Capital Territory
FORdJMOYTSi
nds St., Auckh
-
ALAND
PHONE: (64) 9-309-9137
FAX: (64) 9-307-2522
E-MAIL: joe
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Joe Moodabe, CEO ^-^^K&
Chris Rawlings, COO
Jane Carr, CFO & Treasurer^
Karen Morley, Marketing
Roger Cox, Equipment Buyer
SCREENS: 123 SITES: 20
LOCATED IN: New Zealand
moodabe@viIIage.co.nz
VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED
206 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: (61) 3 9667 6666
FAX: (61) 3 9639 1540
WEBSITE: www.villageroadshow.com.au
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
John Kirby, Chairman
Graham Burke, Managing Director
Robert Macolino, General Manager,
Village Cinemas Australia
YEAR FOUNDED: 1954
SCREENS (AUSTRALIA): 518
SITES (AUSTRALIA): 74
SCREENS (WORLDWIDE): 1,506
SITES (WORLDWIDE): 198
LOCATED IN: Australia, Austria,
Argentina, Fiji, France, Germany,
Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India;
Italy, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand,
Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, U.K.
WARNER BROS.
INTERNATIONAL THEATRES
4000 Warner Blvd., Bldg. 160, 2nd Floor
Burbank, CA 91522, UNITED STATES
PHONE: (818) 977-5216
FAX: (818) 977-6655
EXECUTIVE ROSTER:
Millard L, Ochs, President
C. Christopher Adelmann, Exec.
David Bent, VP, Operational
Finance, IS & Administration
Dave Pearson, Sr. VP,
Worldwide Operations
Paul Miller, VP, Finance
James Birch, VP, Business
Affairs Se beftej^I Counsel
Peter Dobson, VP, IntL. Film ~
Ira Stiegler, Senior V
Architecture & Construction ,
YEAR FOUNDED: 4988
SCREENS (AUSTRALIA), 6/00: 318
SITES (AUSTRALIA), 6/00: 30
PROJECTED SCREENS
(AUSTRALIA), 12/00: 330
PROJECTED SITES
(AUSTRALIA), 12/00: 31
SCREENS (WORLDWIDE): 975
SITES (WORLDWIDE): 107
PROJECTED SCREENS
(WORLDWIDE), 12/00: 1,331
PROJECTED SITES
(WORLDWIDE), 12/00: 140
LOCATED IN: Australia, United
Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, Italy,
Spain, Portugal

A.I.M.C. 2000: Exhibition Overview
SCREENING THE
LAND OF OZ
How Exhibition is Done Down Under by Lauren Martin
Only
a decade or so ago, catching a
film in Australia was a coke and
popcorn affair—at best. Then
came video, which, as Greater Union's
general manager Richard Parton puts it,
"'tore the cinema market here apart,"
thankfully taking flea-bitten seats and
sticky floors with it. The major cinema
chains began multiplexing the suburbs as
fast as the video stores themselves could
multiply. There's now over 1700 big
screens with continued building.
Few consumers, however, would have
envisioned just how much the cinema
experience would change in such a
short time.
There is still coke and popcorn, of
course, but many of the 12 million-plus
Australians who went last year to the
movies could also choose wine and
cheese, or cafe latte and cake. Most
would have seen the feature film on £
really big screen with thumping digital
sound, while relaxing on high-backed
highly-padded, raked stadium seats. Some
people pay 25 AUS bucks (US$15) a pop
for the privilege of a box seat to see a
"Gladiator." Even corporate types are
starting to exploit this new spin on a very
old-fashioned kind of entertainment.
Indeed, going to the movies has
become the most popular cultural experience
in Australia, according to the latest
bureau of statistics report. But how will it
rate as technology tempts us with more
and more new entertainment choices?
More than half of the country's homes
now have a computer, and many of those
folks are already plugged into the
internet—so will Australians start downloading
DeNiro off the net? What about
digital television, coming to Oz at the
start of 2001, potentially teasing us into
high-definition home screens on which we
can see multiple angles and multiple channels?
What about DVD?
Nobody in Australian
exhibition is much worried
about all this. Nothing,
k they know, will replace
the feeling of laughing, shrieking or crying
with a roomful of others. But as the video
business changed the movie business— profoundly,
and for the better—this new competition
may prompt the picture show business
to reinvent itself again.
So what will going to the movies in
Australia be like in 2010?
Hoyts CEO Paul Johnson won't script
his own scenario but does venture this:
Exhibitors will be tireless in trying to
enhance the consumer's convenience—making
purchasing easier,
reducing queue times and
continually increasing the comfort
and experience."
In the fight for consumer loyalty,
small and independent cinemas
are leading the way—if only
as a means of survival in a competitive
landscape many say is
badly stacked against them, with
the Big Three (Hoyts, Village
Roadshow and Greater Union, including
Birch Carroll & Coyle) controlling more
than 70 percent of the national market.
Ronin Films chief and Electric
Shadows' proprietor Andrew Pike says
small operators have adopted more of a
maitre'd personae, becoming known personalities
by speaking out in the media and
simply being present in the front of their
movie houses. He's in touch with his
patrons, both in person and in cyberspace,
where they receive regular e-mailed
newsletters tipping what's coming up in his
cinemas and what specials they can access.
32 BOXOFFICE

Village Roadshow has just begun to tap
into its market this way. The company's
starting a "Europa Society" where "quality
film" audiences can access special information
about Village offerings.
Investor relations
director Andrew Bowden says customer
relationships will be a key priority
for VR in the next decade.
"At the moment people just go to the
cinema—there are no loyalty programs."
Bowden notes. But with the major chains'
VIP-style cinemas being compared to
loyal and growing audience, but chief
Mark Sarfaty acknowledges that these
people are hard-won. "Quality cinemas,
or art-house cinemas, did have a problem
because they didn't pay any attention to
advances in presentation," Sarfaty says.
"They were left very much flat-footed
with the advent of multiplexes with digital
sound and so on."
Dendy, now owned by Becker, has
attacked the issue—most spectacularly with
its splendid Opera Quays cinemas just
opened in the shadows of Sydney's iconic
Opera House. Dendy banked a blanket incinema
liquor licence, too, allowing all
drinking-age patrons, in all seats, at all sessions,
the option to have a Chardonnay in
the cinema. "This is not a novelty cinema,"
he says, with a dig at the "Jason recliner set"
patronizing Hoyts' La Premiere locales or
the Village Gold Class cinemas, both successful
new innovations.
"That's a completely separate thing to
what we are doing," Sarfaty says. "We
offer a general level of comfort and
amenity to every person. ..not
separating
those of you who've got a couple of extra
bucks and those who don't."
Dendy 's admissions are up from 450,000
in 98-99 to 600,00 last year, but Sarfaty
knows that a good reputation and a glass
of wine won't be enough to keep savvy
audiences over the next decade. He's investigating
online ticketing options, but it's
business class flights, can frequent film not an easy thing to manage. "You have a
points be far behind?
home PC, a Web server, ticketing outlet
Niche leader Dendy Cinemas has had a and money changing hands. Those four
things are fairly difficult to coordinate in
any secure and effective way," he says.
The big three chains have a joint venture
making tentative steps into online tickets,
which they've dubbed Movieline. "Movieline
will be the forerunner in pursuing internet
strategies for us." says Johnson, who acknowledges
that Hoyts, now held privately by
Consolidated Press Holdings, now can "call
on the synergies within the [CPH] group to
enhance any asset." That includes cross-promotion
in the publishing arm of the Kerry
Packer-backed companies. Johnson says,
"which has worked very positively for us," as
well as exploring potential benefits from the
heavyweight tech company known as ecorp.
Smaller companies like Dendy are considering
new partners with whom they can
proceed with online ticketing, the production
of post-release sales materials such as
DVDs, and simply to maintain a watching
brief on the internet, Sarfaty says. So far, all
the cinema chains arc using their Web sites
just as information mechanisms -not interactive
mechanisms—although Village's
planned venture with the Seven Network
will aim to be an all-service portal for the
under-40s, according to Bowden.
While the head of America Online once
predicted entertainment itself would be the
"killer app" of the internet, until bandwidth
gets better, entertainment planning is the
more useful application.
People use the Web to check session
times, to book tickets and to get a synopsis
of the film, but they don't yet turn to it for
entertainment per se. Although many
exhibitors says they are concerned about
piracy issues that may arise, it's just a blip on
their radar. For now, many take Mark
Sarfaty's sanguine view: "People are hardly
going to be watching movies on their mobile
phones. I mean, do you ever use the games
on your phone?"
More imminent is the impact of HDTV
which Sarfaty views with some concern. "I
think it's
quite possible that the introduction
of digital TV will [have an] impact, but
the degree of impact I'm not sure about."
he says. Already keen cineastes can now
sometimes get films on DVD before they
are released in Australia.
This lagtime between international
release dates, however, may be shortened
by another advance in technology as the
studios start to transmit films digitally in
the next decade.
Paul Johnson is foremost among the
major Australian executives who warn.
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however, that this major
advance in film presentation
simply won't happen unless the
distributors first agree to pass
on the savings to exhibitors.
"Studios know that they will be
receiving major cost benefits
from the implementation of digital,"
he says. "It will be hard for
them to force the technology
into cinemas. Exhibitors have
had a very tough two years.
Now, that may be caused by [the
exhibitors] themselves with
overbuilding, but they are not
going to throw out all this
equipment they've just invested
in. There needs to be an even
playing field."
Oh, yes, the overbuilding issue.
After the sharemarkets pounded
cinema stocks over the last year,
the building issue has taken a
beating too. Greater Union's
Richard Parton admits that "no
doubt there has been cannibal
ization." GU has built "about
100" screens in the last two
years and has "only" another
40 planned for the next
two years. Yes, Parton says,
they've been successful.
"But success.. .sometimes
breeds disaster. We've built
them against ourselves sometimes.
We've seen them built in
areas without the population to
support them."
Johnson says Australia is reaching serious
saturation. Hoyts has only four sites
scheduled for the next two years, both in
the latter part of 2002. Johnson warns
gravely that "if we end up with 2000
screens within the next three years, the
market cannot take that."
This brings a laugh from Michael
Hawkins, CEO of the emerging exhibitor.
Australian Multiplex Cinemas (AMC).
The company, begun in 1993, now has 39
screens towards its initial target of 100.
AMC has three 14-screen complexes at
varying stages of development approval in
Sydney, with the potential to open all 42
screens in 2001. and the circuit is sniffing
around Melbourne for more sites.
"If I listened to everything Paul
Johnson had to say I'd be totally intimidated."
says Hawkins with amusement.
"But I see some excellent windows of
opportunity, especially in Sydney and
Melbourne. I believe Sydney is underscreened.
..with four million people and at
this stage just two or three megaplexes,
you've got to say that the Sydney marketplace
is ripe for the picking."
The privately-run AMC has an estimated
turnover of SAUS18 million (US$10.6 million)
a year. AMC would like to be "a true
competitive force" with the majors, but
progress has been slowed by the inevitable
defensive maneuverings of the big three.
Hawkins claims that the real obstacle to
a thriving industry in Australia over the
next decade comes not from new media,
but from threats to competition. Others
accuse Hawkins of being a poor sport in a
Classic columns grace the entrance
of a Dendy theatre (above);
Dendy Cinemas topper Mark Sartaty (left).
tough business, but he says consolidation
among the big chains is a grave and
growing concern. "We understood we were
coming into a close-knit and cozy industry,"
he admits. "And because of that we
saw an opportunity to be competitive
but we didn't foresee that the majors would
[merge to] become one."
Already Village and Hoyts have combined
their operations in New Zealand,
where the antitrust watchdog is currently
investigating the deal's impact on consumers.
In Australia the big chains have
merged their Perth CBD (Centra! Business
District) cinemas, sharing a common foyer
and amenities. Now they are taking the
extraordinary step of combining in downtown
Sydney. This move has piqued the
interest of the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission.
Says Hawkins, "I have a major concern
with [the Sydney CBD complex]. The ramifications
of that, as I see it, are firstly that
there is no competition in the city, unless
you view Reading's Marketplace cinema as
a fiercely competitive force, showing second-run
product.
"But my great concern is the unwritten
clauses into those consolidation agreements.
Are there KOG—keep off the
grass—agreements, where Hoyts and
Greater Union agree not to impinge on
each other's turf? If they are comparing
marketing or pricing strategies for one
complex, how can that not translate to the
broader business?"
Naturally the majors reject this outright.
Johnson says, "It's just like a shopping
center having both Coles and
Woolworths in the same building.
There are huge consumer benefits
one great venue where they can see
everything."
GU's Richard Parton compares
the downtown merger to an airport
terminal housing different airlines.
He says the major upgrade in the previously
rundown Sydney CBD cinemas
"probably would not have been
done without joining together"
because the expense would have been
too much.
Will the consumer see the savings
through any discounting at one or
another of the merged cinemas?
"No," says Parton, "they will get the
benefit of, in the heart of Sydney, one
of best complexes in Australia. As far
as discounting—why would anyone
want to do that? We'd only be competing
against the suburbs anyway."
Hawkins says if the ACCC has
any teeth, it will dismantle the
arrangement, but he is not optimistic.
Indeed, many expect the
same consolidation to happen in
Brisbane's Myer Centre. Hawkins is
hoping the watchdog here will act
faster than those in New Zealand,
where the inquiry has gone on for
some months already. "But they've
been allowed to do it in the past," he
concedes.
Smaller chains complain that AMC
doesn't want to add any diversity for
the consumer anyway. "More cinemas
doesn't mean more choice," laments one
exhibitor. And although Hawkins argues
that with just one suburban AMC complex
in Brisbane, he can dictate prices across
the region — prices there remain at around
AUSS11 (USS6.50).
GU's Parton notes that the majors presented
their Sydney merger plan to the
ACCC voluntarily (although Hawkins has
also referred complaints to the watchdog).
Parton says, "We've never had any real
issues with competition.
"No one likes it." he laughs, "but it
seems to be there."
Morgan Stockbroking analyst Scott
Power calls the consolidation of the majors
"positive for the industry," although "the
ACCC will only let it go so far.
"The regulators are there to make sure
the three dominants don't get too much
market share—so one won't be able to take
over the other," Power says. He predicts the
market values of Village Roadshow and
Amalgamated Holdings (Greater Union)
will climb again, "but it's probably going
to take longer than most people expect and
the turnaround will not be as steep as these
companies would like."
The lift would be driven by product
quality from the studios, of course, but
also by market domination. Power notes.
"The keys are good site location and not
too much competition."
What does this mean for indies? "They
will continue to get squeezed," Power says.
And for serious new players? "Oh, tough,
very tough."
Technology may change, but some things
never do. Popcorn anyone?
HI
34 BOXOFFICE

Australian International Movie Convention 2000
THE CHANGING FACE OF
AUSTRALIAN EXHIBITION
by Paul Johnson
Chief Executive Officer,
Hoyts Cinemas
When
I
joined the cinema industry
in 1982, Australian exhibition
was heading for a period of
decline, both in admissions and screens.
The industry was facing a new medium:
video. History has now proven that the
response to the new medium was the multiplex,
which provided more screens,
seats, session times and improved release
dates. More importantly, exhibitors rose
to the challenge of creating a "Cinema
Entertainment Destination."
Cinema is sometimes classified as the
hardware and films the software.
Exhibitors under the above definition can
make a major difference in the way audiences
experience films. For example, since
the first multiplex opened, the following
enhancements have taken place: larger
curved screens, stadium seating, digital
sound, cafe restaurants and the multiplex
concept has led to the new megaplex.
Along with these advances, companies
like ourselves at Hoyts have been innovative
in growing audiences—both in
Australia and internationally. Our history
covers 95 years of cinema exhibition, and
over the last two decades, Hoyts has lead
with many innovations. We were the first
to build a multiscreen complex in
Australia (HEC, 1977) and pioneered the
first suburban multiplex at Chadstone
(1986). Hoyts in the mid '80s was the first
to introduce a discount day during the
week called "Half Price Tuesday." Hoyts
also introduced "Candy Houses," or selfserve
candy, which is now a major part of
concession stands throughout the world.
Today we continue our innovations with
Cinemaxx, which represents the pinnacle
of cinema technology, combining large
screens (up to 21 meters wide through
improved projection formats), full stadium
seating for maximum comfort and view
and the latest in multi-format digital surround
sound technology. Cinemaxx has set
the new standard in consumer expectation
and continues to push the boundaries of
the movie experience.
Australian exhibitors should be proud,
as we are at Hoyts, that we have built the
best cinema entertainment facilities in the
world. This has resulted in Australian frequency
of attendance growing from
1980s 1.2 time pa to today's 4.6 times pa.
A recent Australian Bureau's survey of
attendance at Cultural Venues clearly
ranked cinema attendance as the "most
popular cultural activity." The Australian
exhibition industry now has 1,748
screens, a total attendance of 88.8 million
and a gross boxoffice of $704 million for
the 12 months ending December 1999—
great achievement for an industry that
was in decline in the early 1980s.
The new millennium has created a set
of challenges for the exhibitor. In
Australia we have to be careful that we do
not make the same mistakes as our US
colleagues in overbuilding the market.
Australia is now down to an average of
1 1,000 people per screen, one of the lowest
ratios in the world.
There is far greater competition for people's
entertainment and leisure time. The
Internet has become the new phenomenon.
Hoyts objective is to use this new
technology in a number of areas from
marketing to information and ticketing.
Digital cinema technology will evolve
and eventually will become a factor. Yearby-year
digital cinema improves its presentation
quality. Distributors see it as a great
advancement and an effective way for
them to deal with piracy and print costs,
but there are a number of questions to be
answered, chiefly as to its format and cost.
These issues will need to be addressed
unanimously if the new technology is to
have any chance of advancing.
It is a widely held view that our cinema
business should focus on and embrace
these new technologies, which I believe
will greatly contribute to our success in
the future.
Hoyts is
an industry leader, and as
such we are very aware of our primary
objective, which is to entertain
the customer via the magic of
movies, while distributors and filmmakers
continue to provide us with emotionallycharged
stories that touch us as no other
form of entertainment can.
This continued partnership suggests to
me that we have an exciting future ahead
of us for cinema in Australia and internationally.
It is an industry I am very proud
to be a part of.
jm
August, 2000 35

Australian International Movie Convention 2000
NEW ZEALAND IN THE MILLENNIUM
by Joe Moodabe
Chief Executive Officer,
Village Force
Hoyts Cinemas
The
cinema
Zealand's biggest
industry
city,
in
Auckland,
New
saw a transformation of the market
place with the opening in mid '99 of the
stylish, new space-age Force Entertainment
Centre, with a 12-screen complex,
the country's only Imax screen,
assorted restaurants (including Planet
Hollywood), a large Borders book store,
plus a lively food court, a sizeable games
area and several bars, designed to accommodate
a variety of patrons.
It quickly established itself as
Auckland's premiere entertainment complex
with over 1.1 million visitors to the
cinema alone in under 10 months. And
with its historic neighbors, the refurbished
lyric theatre. The Civic, and the Town Hall,
as well as Auckland's main theatrical
venue, the Aotea Centre, all
within close
proximity, this block, known as the Edge,
has completely revitalized the cultural and
entertainment heart of Auckland.
One point of concern, however, is the
impact this new site has had on all the
existing Auckland cinema complexes,
highlighting once again the size—small
of the New Zealand market. If ever proof
positive of this was required, this was further
demonstrated by the devastating
impact the Americas Cup yacht races had
on the exhibition market through
February and March.
The impact was similar to that faced
by the European market during the last
World Cup Soccer Tournament. Not
quite so dramatic, but certainly of note,
was the negative impact which occurred
the previous October with the television
coverage of the World Cup Rugby
Tournament. This was especially so in the
provincial areas of New Zealand—where
sport is king—and where the increased
saturation of television coverage of professional
rugby (such as the recently completed
Super 12 series) has had major
implications for boxoffice.
It's a wonder, then, that we managed to
keep our head above water, and finished
the year with a respectable, but small,
increase in boxoffice.
The quality of product released over the
past 12 months has been reasonable, with
such international hits as "Austin Powers
2", "Big Daddy." "Tarzan." "Toy Story 2,"
"The Mummy," "The World is not
Enough," "Stuart Little" and "Erin
Brokovich" performing strongly in this market.
Notable disappointments were "Wild
Wild West," "General's Daughter," "Eyes
Wide Shut" and "Thomas Crown Affair."
On the local production front,
"Scarfies"—a comedy/thriller about students
who discover a vast marijuana crop
under their house—was the outstanding
result that proved that a local production
aimed at a particular market and delivering
the goods to that market, can overcome
the apparent prejudice against New
Zealand productions.
On the other side of the coin the disappointments
of the releases of "Savage
Honeymoon" and "Jubilee," two quirky,
warm comedies that had extensive promotional
campaigns, sent shock waves
through the local film production houses.
The year for film production has however
been significantly boosted by the
recently announced policy of the newly
elected Labour Government to fund the
arts to the tune of some NZ$80 million,
of which approximately NZ$22 million
will be going into local film production
an unprecedented shot in the arm for an
industry which has always struggled on
the smell of an oily rag.
The other challenges which the industry,
both exhibition and distribution, will
face with the change of Government are:
* Firstly, the lack of confidence that
has emerged in the community generally
over the past month. Normally a Labour
Government can be considered to be beneficial
to the cinema industry with more
discretionary dollars in the public's purse.
However, recent legislation increasing
income tax, as well as the cost of petrol
and cigarettes, has had the effect of
reducing the discretionary dollar spend.
* Secondly, the proposed reform of the
Labour Laws are making all businesses
extremely nervous as to how this may
negatively impact the labour market, with
Unions once again exercising considerable
strength. There is no doubt that New
Zealand's recent boom of multiplex operations
could not have occurred without
the introduction some years ago of the
Employments Contract Act (now under
severe threat), which gave the necessary
flexibility of conditions to enable the
complexes to operate efficiently, and.
* Finally, of course, the impact of the
lowered drinking age to 18 continues to
be a potent competitive element for the
industry's core market.
Obviously the biggest news of the past 12
months in the exhibition industry was the
proposal of the merging of the two major
exhibition circuits in the country
Village/Force and Hoyts—although neither
chain had previously, because of geographical
separation, been in an actual competitive
situation through the country. Nevertheless,
this announcement caused a flurry of activity
from independent exhibition interests
and the film distribution sector.
This proposal attracted the interest of
New Zealand's industry watchdog, the
Commerce Commission, which has displayed
a degree of opposition to the proposal
and at the time of writing has seen
this proposal not as yet brought to consummation.
Watch this space! Hi
36 BOXOFFICE

Australian International Movie Convention 2000
AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION
- . V V

Australian International Movie Convention 2000
A TRULY INTERNA TIONA L A FFA IR
As
by Richard Parton
President,
MPEAQ
President of the Motion Picture
Exhibitors Association of
Queensland, I am delighted, on
behalf of our Committee, to once again
host and welcome delegates from all over
the world to our annual Convention.
This year our committee has decided
to change the name of the Convention to
truly focus on our global presentation.
We welcome you all this year to the
"Australian International Movie
Convention."
In the last decade as president of the
MPEAQ, along with our committee, we
have tried to focus on providing a forum
for a truly global meeting of exhibition,
distribution and allied trades, and the
success of last year's Convention gives us
every reason to believe we have achieved
this worldwide recognition.
In the year 2000 we are confident the
Australian International Movie Convention
will be an even greater success.
Movies, trade shows, awards evenings
and. as always, a few surprises make up a
truly wonderful Convention.
People are coming from all over the
world and I urge you to book early as it
is rather challenging to accommodate all
those wishing to participate.
We have all been a part of some wonderful
conventions but I promise you this
year will demonstrate to us all that our
industry can look forward with confidence
to another great year.
ee
you
August.
on the Gold Coast in
38 BOXOFFICE

.
2000 AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL
MOVIE CONVENTION BOOTH LIST
AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT 32
P.O. Box 51-119,
Pakuranga,
Auckland
New Zealand
Phone/Fax: (64)
9 534 9313
Contact: Glen
Audio Visual Equipment's
Bullen
Audio Visual
Equipment Ltd.:
cinema design,
supplies and
services. Manufactures
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rewinders, cinema automations,
operator paging systems, masking
winches and slide presentation systems.
See us at www.avenz.com .
AUS-WIDE CINEMA & THEATRE
SUPPLIES 33/34
P.O. Box 205
Geebung, Queensland 4034
Australia
Phone: (61) 7 3216 2566
Fax: (61) 7 3216 2588
Contact: Chris Heath
CAMATIC SEATING 6/7
93 Lewis Road
Wantirna South, Victoria 3150
Australia
Phone: (61) 3 9837 7777
Fax: (61) 3 9887 3485
Contact: Horst Arton
The Courier Mai
Gail Kirkley.
THE COURIER
MAIL 42
GPO Box 130
Brisbane,
Queensland 4001
Australia
Phone: (61) 7
3666 6312
Fax: (61) 7
3666 6687
Contact: Gail
Kirkley
DIGITAL THEATER
SYSTEMS INC. 29
5171 Clareton Drive
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
USA
Phone: (818) 706-3525
Fax: (818) 879-2746
Contact: Jim Murray
EFFUZI INTERNATIONAL 27/28
P.O. Box 57003
Mana, Wellington
New Zealand
Fax: (64) 4 237 7950
Contact: Murray Treweek
ENTERTAINMENT
SERVICES 23/24
Unit 7, 24 Deakin Street
Brendale, Queensland 4500
Australia
Phone: (61) 7 3881 3233
Fax: (61) 7 3881 3122
Contact: Margaret Robbins
FAGALEO PTY LTD 30/37
27 Rowland Street
Sdlacks Creek, Queensland 4127
Australia
Phone: (61) 7 3208 7522
Fax: (61) 73209 4266
Contact: Les Heinemann
GOLD COAST CITY COUNCIL ..
P.O. Box 5042
Gold Coast Mail Centre,
Queensland 4127
Australia
Phone: (61) 7 5582 8897
Fax: (61) 7 5582 8442
Contact: Grayson Perry
GOLD MEDAL PRODUCTS CO
(AUST) PTY LTD 35/36/37
P.O. Box 2274
Mansfield,
Queensland 4122
Australia
Phone: (61) 7
3849 6228
Fax: (61) 7
3343 2998
Contact:
Grayson Perry
Gold Medal has
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Supported by 24-hour free fax and
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GREATER UNION ENTERTAINMENT
TECHNOLOGY 4/5
87 Mars Road, Lane Cove
Sydney, New South Wales 2066
Australia
Phone: (61) 2 9420 4888
Fax: (61) 2 9420 3436
Contact: Fiona Stack
GUET is a sight and sound specialist.
From design, supply and installation,
through to project management,
complete fit-outs and
upgrades, GUET can provide a total
solution to any application.
ICON SOFTWARE
(AUST) PTY LTD 41
Level 7, 100 Arthur Street
North Sydney, New South Wales 2060
Australia
Phone: (61) 2 9922 1400
Fax: (61) 2 9957 2459
Contact: Martin Bagley
ICON Group Ltd. is an international
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providing software
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including
movie theatres,
live theatres,
stadiums, arenas
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Headquartered
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with 8 satellite offices around the
world, ICON enjoys an enviable
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some of the world's major movie
theatre circuits. With installations in
countries as diverse as North
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America, ICON clients include Hoyts
Cinemas, Edwards Theatres, Pacific
Theatres, Village Roadshow International,
Loews Cineplex, Pepsi
Center and Staples Center (Home to
the Los Angeles Lakers).
KODAK ENTERTAINMENT
IMAGING 9
P.O. Box 90
Coburg. Victoria 3046
Australia
Phone: (61) 3 9353 3784
Fax: (61) 3 9353 2962
Contact: Karen J. Eastmure
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MARS CONFECTIONERY 44
P.O. Box 253
Ballarat, Victoria 3353
Australia
Phone: (61) 3 5337 7092
Fax: (61) 3 5337 7096
Contact: Steve Porter
MGS PROJECTS
P.O. Box 253
Yarraville,
Victoria 3013
Australia
Phone: (61) 3
9362 0339
Fax: (61) 3
9362 0338
Contact: Justin
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Theatre in
Leading
ille, Australia;
suppliers of
he manufacrurin;
of MGS projects
Christie
projection equipment, digital audio
systems, speakers, automation,
screen and wall curtains, screens
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NESTLE AUSTRALIA LTD 43
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Phone: (61) 2 9931 2628
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PANALOGIC CORPORATION
PTY LTD 26
Ground Floor, 44 Carrington Road
Castle Hill, New South Wales 2154
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POTENTIAL FILMS/CHAPEL DISTRI-
BUTION/SHARMILL FILMS 25
34 Halstead Street
Caulfield North, Victoria 3161
Australia
Phone: (61) 3 9505 6253
Fax: (61) 3 9532 7951
Contact: Mark Spratt
Potential Films is a distributor of
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Forthcoming releases include
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•
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Australia
Phone: (61) 3
9428 4925
Fax: (61) 3
, N
9429 6234
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managing director Tascot Templeton,
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TICKET SYSTEMS PTY LTD 8/9
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Phone: (61)2 9417 6644
Response No. 504
40 BOXOFFICK

2000 AIMC
BOOTH LIST
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Angela Grozos
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SOLUTIONS 11/12
P.O. Box 8279 Symonds Street
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August, 2000 41

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
PACIFIC OVERTURES
Notes From the Pacific Rim by Francesca Dinglasan
LEAD STORY: ASIA-PACIFIC MARKET LOOKS PROMISING
According to the latest report released by exhibition industry analyst
Dodona Research, cinema admission throughout the Asia-Pacific region is
expected to explode by an astonishing 20 percent over the next four years.
Crediting the construction of more than 1,200 new screens throughout the
region, the report estimates that 150 million admissions will be added to 1999's
650 million by 2004, when nearly 10.800 screens are expected to be in operation
in 11 territories, including Australia, New Zealand. Hong Kong, Singapore,
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and
Thailand. The area's biggest trend, says Dodona Research*s Karsten Grummitt,
will be exhibition expansion into countries recovering from recent economic
hardship. "[Exhibition] investment is switching to less developed territories,"
notes Grummitt. "Asia, with its big populations, proven appetite for filmed
entertainment and rapid economic development, which throws up lots of shopping
malls to put cinemas in, is a prime target." Reported as the region's largest
exhibitors are Australian circuits Village Roadshow (689 screens). Greater
Union (529) and Hoyts Cinema (418); Burbank. Calif -based Warner Bros.
International Theatres (524): and Hong Kong's Golden Harvest (238).
GREATER UNION'S MANS0N MOVES TO GERMANY
SYDNEY—In a move that took many industry observers by
surprise, Robert Manson, longtime managing director of
Australian circuit Greater Union, will relocate to Germany to oversee
the company's expansion plans in Europe. Located in Hamburg
is cinema operator Kieft & Kieft, Greater Union's partner in the
territory, which jointly operates 290 screens throughout the country.
Besides supervising growth in the Teuton region, which is
expected to increase to 370 screens by year-end 2001. Manson will
also oversee the company's expansion in the markets of Poland, the
Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Greater Union's international
growth, however, comes in exchange for slowed down
expansion at home. The circuit will halt construction plans for new
sites in Australia and instead focus its efforts on revitalizing revenues
from existing venues to recoup monies spent on the high cost
of the company's ambitious foreign expansion.
CINEMA PLUS MINUS PROFITS
SYDNEY—Following the pattern of several financially beset
American exhibitors, Australian Imax screen operator Cinema
Plus has enlisted the help of an outside agency to help restructure
the company's finances. The four-year old Cinema Plus, which
presently holds a 10-year agreement with Imax Corp. to develop
large format screens throughout Australia and New Zealand, has
enlisted the help of accountancy firm Ferrier Hodson to examine
ways to ease the operator's burdening debt. Cinema Plus saw company
share value drop to AUSS0.11 (US$0.06) from more than
AUS$1(US$0.58) as a result of poor profits and delayed screen
openings. While the company's flagship venue in Sydney appears
to be doing well, subsequent cinemas in Melbourne, Brisbane and
Auckland have reported less-than-stellar results.
PIRACY CRACKDOWN ADDS UP TO EXHIB REVENUE
HONG KONG—Thanks to recent crackdowns by Hong Kong
authorities on the widespread availability of pirated DVDs and
video compact discs (see Pacific Overtures, August 1999), local
exhibitors are seeing a turnaround in revenues, which have tumbled
consecutively for the past five years. Among the chains showing
promise is Lark International Entertainment's exhibition arm UA
Cinemas, which reports a 25 percent increase in
grosses over the previous year. The circuit, which
operates 31 screens in the territory, is displaying its
renewed confidence with plans to open a new sevenscreener
to anchor Hong Kong's City Plaza mall
sometime next year. Yet, despite the region's slight
upswing, analysts predict that several movie houses
will be forced to shut down, especially suburbanlocated
venues that primarily screen Chinese product.
CHINA WARMS TO U.S. PRODUCT
BEIJING—Cracks in China's great wall against
U.S. films are beginning to show. Chinese officials
are believed to have informally indicated their
intent to further ease up the quota of U.S.
bigscreen products allowed into the country as well
as to relax their 49 percent limit imposed on foreign
ownership of cinemas located within the country.
As regulations presently stand, a maximum of 20
American films are allowed into China each year
(up from a longtime unofficial quota of 10), with the lion's share
of boxoffice revenue going to the local government. While many
observers see Beijing's move as a larger attempt to persuade
Washington to accept China as a U.S. trading partner, many
industry experts believe that the decision results from recent
slump in attendance at domestic movie theatres. Observers have
argued that Chinese officials hope Western investment in the
country's local exhibition sector will help modernize many of the
older, dilapidated venues and attract the country's immense population
back to the cinema. Among the most vociferous members
of the film industry encouraging open relations with China is
Motion Picture Association topper Jack Valenti, who recently
formed a studio executive-comprised committee whose goal is to
lobby Congress to establish permanent normal trade relations
with the communist country (see Hill News, July 2000).
ON THE MOVE
Japanese film major Toho-Towa has appointed Asia Ireton and
Goji Komatsu to two key executive posts. Ireton, former editor-inchief
at local trade magazine Movie/TV Marketing, will oversee
international film rights acquisitions and co-productions, and
Komatsu will supervise efforts in the domestic market. ..Peter
Downer, managing director of Australia-based art-house film distributor
Pinefilm, plans to ankle his post. The Rothsey familyowned
company is not expected to appoint a
replacement. ..Postponing an exit is New Zealand Film
Commission marketing director Lindsay Shelton, who originally
planned to leave in July. Shelton says he will remain with the
NZFC until a suitable replacement is found.
PACIFIC RIMSH0TS
In an attempt to boost the domestic film industry, Australia's
conservative government announced that Oz film production
investor the Film Finance Corp. would receive a slight four percent
increase to AUSS50 million (LISS29 million) in funding over the
next three years...New Zealand also received a governmental
boost in film investment funds—although the Kiwi allotment of
NZ$50 million (US$27 million) for 10 films over the next five
years far outweighs its neighbor's budget.
42 BOXOFFICE

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
EUROVIEWS
European News Notes by Francesca Dinglasan
LEAD STORY: CINEMAXX-IMIZING
BERLIN—The ever-expanding Teutonic circuit Cinemaxx, which
recently grew its holdings by acquiring a stake in rival chain UFA Theater
(see EUROVIEWS, July 2000) has unveiled plans for further expansion—
this time internationally. The company has announced it will form a special
division in charge of overseeing development in markets outside of
Germany. With an ambitious project slate, including a couple of sites in
Denmark and a couple in Turkey all scheduled to open by the end of this
year, two additional sites in each of the two countries also in development,
and over 10 venues being planned for Eastern Europe, Cinemaxx's international
screen count is expected to match its domestic number by year-end
2005. The company hopes to finance its expansion through the sale of more
than one million shares at 18.5 euros (US$18.5 million) a piece for a total
of 20 million euros (US$20 million). Former Cinemaxx managing director
Wim Oude Kotte has been appointed chairman of the new international
unit, with Ulrich Muller Taufertshofer filling in the vacated spot.
LOEWS STRIKES IT RICHES
ROME and ISTANBUL—Also seeing
major executive changes within its international
division is New York City-based
Loews Cineplex, which has appointed Ian
Riches to the newly created position of
senior vice president. In his new post,
Riches will be in charge of the circuit's international
joint ventures, including overseeing
development and operations in Italy and
Turkey. Riches most recently served as
regional director, Europe for Village
Cinemas International and his past experience
includes managing director, UK and Ireland as well as president,
Japan at United Cinemas International.
ITALIAN EXHIBS EXIT TRADE ASSOCIATION
ROME—The difference in interests between Italy's singlescreen
and multiplex operators has recently resulted in the country's
largest circuits exiting Associazione Nazionale Esercenti
Cinema, the local exhibition trade association. Complaining that
indie exhibitors are attempting to slow down multiplex growth in
the Boot by encouraging the government to pass legislation that
makes it difficult to obtain licenses to construct new sites, cinema
chains such as Warner Village Cinemas, UCI and De Laurenttis
Cineplex, the exhibition joint
venture between New York Citybased
Loews Cineplex Entertainment and Aurelio De Laurentiis,
have banned together to form ANEM. Currently serving as
spokesperson for the new rival trade association is Carlo
Bernaschi, head of Italian multiplex consortium Mediaport and
former chief of ANEC.
FRENCH FILMS FIND FOREIGN SUCCESS
PARIS—According to preliminary findings by Unifrance, a
Gallic organization devoted to promoting local movies abroad.
French exports recorded a five-year high by increasing nearly 40
percent in 1999 over previous year figures. The report, which
examines six European countries, the U.S. and the Canadian
province of Quebec, indicates that 26 million moviegoers attended
either French-lingo pics or co-productions directed by
Europeans during the period.
SALES TUMBLE AT GAUM0NT
PARIS—While French products may have fared well
outside of their native land, they didn't have enough pull
to help local film production and distribution house
Gaumont SA out of a first-quarter slump. The company
reports that sales for the three-month period tumbled 12
percent to 370 million francs (US$54 million) in comparison
to the previous year's 419 million (US$61 million).
The 1999 figure, however, was buoyed by the sale
of Gaumont's television production division.
PROFIT AT SPANISH CIRCUITS
MADRID—Spanish cinemas saw an exceptionally
profitable 12-month period in
1999, recording a 17-year
high in overall movie admissions with 1 30 million tickets
sold. According to a report released by the country's
Ministry of Culture, overall boxoffice earnings totaled
80 million pesetas (US$468 million)—a 10 million peseta (US$55
million) increase over the previous year. Also showing notable
growth were local productions, which took 14 percent of the market
share in comparison with 12 percent in the previous year and
earned a healthy 11 billion pesetas (US$64 million) at the boxoffice—an
increase of over three million pesetas (US$17 million).
BOLLYWOOD COMES TO U.K. BIG SCREENS
LONDON—U.K. cinema circuit Warner Village is targeting
one of the country's largest ethnic communities by devoting a
number of screens to products from India. The Indian film industry
is estimated to release over 600 films a year—most of which
can only be viewed either by video or indie cinemas in England.
Warner Village, which recently opened a new plex in the city of
Birmingham, will be the first multiplex operator in the country to
screen India pics, with six out of its 30 screens reserved for the
Bollywood productions.
BULGARIA WELCOMES FIRST MULTIPLEX
SOFIA—Hungary-based distributor Intercom and media conglomerate
the Alexandra Group broke ground last June on the first
ever multiplex in Bulgaria. Scheduled for a late 2001 bow, the new-
Kino Arena 15-screener will hold 3,000 seats and be attached to
several restaurants and entertainment attractions. Estimated to cost
around 70 million euro (US$70 million), the project is expected by
investors to draw up to 1 .5 million moviegoers during the cinema's
first year of operation. The Kino Arena is the first of six plexes currently
being developed in the Bulgarian market, which holds a population
of eight million people.
MALM0-UTH NEW THEATRE
STOCKHOLM—Swedish media conglomerate Bonnier
Group's theatrical arm SF Bio plans to further tighten its exhibition
stronghold on the local market by constructing a new 14-screener
in the city of Malmo. The new SF Malmo will hold 2.000 seats and
is slated to open its doors in 2003. In addition to the Malmo site,
which was chosen because of the area's recent population growth
resulting from the complete construction of the Oresund Bridge
that links the city to Copenhagen. SF Bio is also planning a 14-
screen plex in Stockholm, scheduled for a 2002 bow.
August, 2000 43

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Canadian News Notes by Shlomo Schwartzberg
LEAD STORY: BOXOFFICE TRACKING GETS ON TRACK
The Canadian government and the Motion Picture Theatre
Associations of Canada have announced that they are developing a
national system for collecting weekly boxoffice and admission
data. While that information has been available before, it's always
been haphazard in both details and timing, with Statistics Canada
data usually released a few years late. The new proposed system,
which will track such variables as boxoffice gross, the number of
screens a film is playing on, the film's duration and information on
its distributors, is "a great idea," says Dina Lebo, executive director
of the Motion Pictures Theatre Associations of Canada. "It will provide
a more accurate picture of the Canadian film
industry." The
system will help to measure the success of film policies, evaluate
films' performances and identify and analyze trends.
CINEPLEX CULTIVATES GARDINERS
Cineplex Odeon has opened a new cinema in Kingston, Ontario,
at the Gardiners Road Power Centre. The 10-plex features all
Cineplex amenities, including giant wall-to-wall curved screens, digital
sound and automated ticketing machines in the lobby, as well as
a Cinescape entertainment center.
BEN AND JERRY JOIN THE PLAYERS' CLUB
Famous Players Inc. has announced the first in-theatre Ben
and Jerry's Ice Cream Scoop Shop in North America. The 250-
square-foot ice cream retail outlet is located in Famous' one-yearold
Paramount Toronto multiplex and offers traditional Ben and
Jerry's flavors, as well as two new ones created especially for the
theatre. Scoop Shops are already popular in England, where UCI
Cinemas runs more than four dozen of the outlets.
ALLIANCE EXPANDS PRODUCTION SLATE
Alliance Atlantis has announced a film production slate that
will take the company beyond its traditional base of Canadian art
films, says Seaton McLean, the company's recently installed president
of motion picture production.
"Hopefully, we will make movies that entertain people and are
also commercially viable, that will make money, " McLean told
BOXOFFICE. Among the announced projects: "Are You
Experienced." a romantic comedy from Gurinder Chadra
("What's Cooking"): "Morvern Callar," from acclaimed director
Lynne Ramsey ("Ratcatcher"): "Petticoat War." a period piece
from director Mike Barker ("The James Gang"); "Fifty-First
State," with Samuel L. Jackson; and two Canadian films: "Marine
Life" by Robert LePage ("No") and "Possible Worlds" by Anne
Wheeler ("Better Than Chocolate"). Alliance Atlantis also
announced a first-look deal with Toronto filmmaker Jeremy
Podeswa, whose award-winning (and Alliance executive-produced)
"The Five Senses" opened in the U.S. in July.
Before McLean took over film production at Alliance Atlantis,
the company specialized in smaller budget. Canadian auteur-driven
movies, which was, McLean says, a legacy of "[former
the
Alliance head Robert Lantos'] personal vision,
personal
tastes." While the company still plans to be involved with
directors like Atom Egoyan ("Felicia's Journey") and
David Cronenberg ("eXistenZ"), the range of product
from Alliance Atlantis "will be broader in the future."
McLean plans to "increase budgets on some of the films,
[increase the] international aspect of films, with European
or American [involvement], as well adding bigger marquee
names." It's all part of McLean's philosophy of doing more
than one thing at a time. "You don't exist on just one thing,
in diet or as a way of life." That also means more genre pictures,
says McLean, pointing out that, for example, he can't
remember Alliance Atlantis ever producing "a straightahead
comedy. There's no reason why we shouldn't."
Budgets for the new slate of films will range from
C$3.5 million to C$20 million (US$2.1 million to US$12
million). Seaton expects Alliance Atlantis to produce
about six to eight films annually.
BOOK TO PROFILE FAMOUS SUBJECT
It's easy to get a book written about you if you're Famous.
Independent theatre operator David Dymond of New Liskeard,
Ontario's Empire Cinema Twins is authoring a tome about the 80-
year-old Famous Players circuit. Titled "Canada's Famous
Players Theatres." the lavishly illustrated book will cover all
aspects of the company's history, including its policies, promotions
and film booking operations. "We're in the process of gathering
material from across the country; hopefully [the book will be
released] in early 2001," Dymond told BOXOFFICE.
Dymond, an independent exhibitor for the last 20 years,
spent his first 1 1 years in the industry with Famous Players, having
joined them at age 16; his motivation in authoring
"Canada's Famous Players Theatres" is to chronicle the chain's
"proud history." He plans to self-publish the book and niche
market it. A website is pending; in the meantime, Dymond
encourages anyone with memorabilia, such as pictures, newspaper
articles, anecdotes and "theatre lore," to contact him at (705)
647-0190, (705) 647-6061, via fax at (705) 647-4484 or at P.O.
Box 1942, New Liskeard, Ontario, P0J 1P0; all materials will be
returned and contributors will be given acknowledgement in the
book, says Dymond.
ON THE MOVE
Jon Feltheimer, a former executive VP of Sony Pictures
Entertainment and former president of the Columbia TriStar
Television Group, has been named vice chairman and CEO of
Lions Gate Entertainment. Michael Burns, a board member of
Lions Gate, also became vice chairman, while Frank Guistra
remains company chairman.
DO YOU HAVE AN EXHIBITION-RELATED NEWS ITEM
ABOUT THE CANADIAN MARKET? CONTACT SHLOMO
SCHWARTZBERG IN CARE OF OUR CANADIAN NEWS
BUREAU AT (416) 928-2179, OR FAX (416) 324-8668
44 BOXOKFK K

TECH
TALK
SUPPLY SIDE
by Annlee Ellingson
BALLANTYNE PLANS PROTECTION
Ballantyne of Omaha's board of directors
has adopted a stockholder rights plan
designed to protect stockholders from
takeover tactics and to encourage potential
buyers to negotiate directly with the board.
Each stockholder will receive one right for
each share of stock. When the rights become
exercisable—that is, when a person or group
acquires or expresses the desire to acquire
15 percent of Ballantyne's common stock
they entitle their holders to purchase onethousandth
of a share of new preferred
stock. The company stresses that the move is
not in reaction to any specific attempts to
take over the company.
QSC GARNERS THX'S APPROVAL
Lucasfilm's THX division has stamped its
seal of approval on QSC's digital cinema
amplifier line, which includes both two- and
four-channel amps. The line accommodates
crowded projection booths and cuts back on
costs in the wake of new sound formats such
as Dolby Surround EX and the trend toward
triamplification, requiring exhibitors to add
more and more amplifier channels.
SEE YOUR AD IN TECHNICOLOR
Technicolor has signed a five-year, $60-
million deal with Loews Cineplex
Entertainment to create and sell
rolling stock
advertising for pre-show commercials on the
circuit's 1,800 domestic screens. The 30-
second ads will run four at a time, replacing
some of the exhibitor's slide presentation.
ON THE MOVE
Ballantyne of Omaha has named William
F. Welsh and Lee ). Seidler to its board of
directors, increasing the size of the board to
five members. (Previously there were four;
Welsh replaced Jeffrey Chelin, who resigned
earlier this year.) Welsh is presently chairman,
CEO and a board member for Election
Systems & Software, an Omaha, Neb. -based
designer and developer of voting systems
hardware and software. Seidler's background
is in corporate finance, financial
analysis, accounting and taxation. He was
most recently a general partner and senior
managing director of Bear Stearns & Co.
OBITUARY
Larry Speers, who founded advertising
agency Speers/Vogt in 1989,
E
has passed away. His company
maintained an exclusive I
relationship with Strong
International/Ballantyne of
Omaha since its inception. He
|
is survived by his wife Linda,
four children and two grandchildren.
He was 50 years old.
DIGITAL CINEMA
SPACE-AGE TECHNOLOGY
Twentieth Century Fox and Internet network
equipment company Cisco Systems collaborated
on a historic screening of "Titan A.E." at
the Supercomm tradeshow in
Atlanta earlier
this summer, transporting the movie as a digital
file via the Internet from Burbank to the big
screen a continent away. Digital screenings
have been occurring with greater frequency
since the release of Fox's "Star Wars: Episode I"
over a year ago, but this was the first time a film
had been downloaded from the world wide
web. Typically movies are delivered to theatres
on hard media, such as DVDs. BOXOFFICE will
further cover this event and the ITEA-sponsored
digital cinema seminars that took place
at INFOCOMM 2000 in a future issue.
TECHNICOLOR AND QUALCOMM
PREPARE FOR DIGITAL CINEMA
In a move that secures its future in film as the
medium evolves into digital cinema,
Technicolor Digital Cinema has pacted with
wireless communications company QUAL-
COMM in a joint venture that will provide an
open, end-to-end distribution system and
delivery support services in the digital age. The
new company, dubbed Technicolor Digital
Cinema LLC, will combine Technicolor's devotion
to picture quality and QUALCOMM's
compression and encryption technologies.
Technicolor CEO Lanny Raimondo says,
"The joint venture is committed to taking a
leading role in safeguarding a movie's image
and audio quality to enhance the overall
moviegoing experience."
QUALCOMM Digital Media president
Kimberly Haile concurs, "We are creating an
enabling technology and service while continuing
to work with the industry to provide
the options they need to enter into the digital
age of motion picture delivery."
Technicolor will maintain a majority stake
in the new entity while both companies
oversee its day-to-day operations. QUAL-
COMM also recently licensed its technology
to Kodak (see Tech Talk, |uly 2000).
LARGE FORMAT
NEW PRODUCTS
Christie Inc. has announced that it
will have digital projects available for delivery by third
Bquarter 2000. The DigiPro incorporates Texas Instruments' DLP Cinema chip
into its technology and is similar to the DLP Cinema prototype being used at
several field test sights throughout the world. The projector provides natural,
film-like 24-frames-per-second motion without the jump, weave, flicker or
ghosting of traditional 35mm units and further enhances the bigscreen image
with its ultra-high contrast ratio. Write 10550 Camden Dr., Cypress, CA 90630;
call (714) 236-8610; or fax (714) 229-3185 for more information.
Dolby has unveiled its CP650 feature-enhanced cinema processor,
designed to be more user-friendly. The unit includes external
software that allows calibration from a laptop; an EQ Assist system
that enables quicker and more accurate theatre equalization; built-in Dolby Digital
Surround EX decoding; noise-reduction processing completely in the digital domain; and
accommodations for future upgrades to digital cinema. Write 100 Potrero Ave., San
Francisco, CA 94103; call (415) 558-0200; fax (415) 863-1373; or logon to
www.dolby.com for more information.
Eastern Acoustic Works has bowed its CSC Series of cinema loudspeakers.
The CSC723, designed for large room screen channel applications, and the
THX-approved CSC923, which handles the largest applications, are both
three-way systems that can be installed in stadium seating and traditional con-
I
figurations. Both are available in tri- or bi-amp versions. The CSC Series' horn
technology optimizes coverage throughout the auditorium while deflecting
excess energy away from walls and ceilings. Write One Main St., Whitinsville,
MA 01 588; call (508) 234-6158; fax (508) 234-8251
or logon to www.eaw.com for more information.
Custom mobile concession carts and kiosks are
now available from Jarco Industries. The units can
complement existing concession areas or be used as freestanding
selling units,
providing an alternative to auxiliary or satellite concession
stands. Write 1 25 Laser Court, Hauppauge, NY 1 1 788; call
(631) 851-9100; fax (516) 851-9101; or logon to www.concessionstands.com
for more information.
3-DREAMWORKS
DreamWorks has announced that it will
follow in Disney's footsteps and release one
of its animated pics in IMAX theatres.
"Shrek," however, will appear in large-format
in December 2001, after its initial theatrical
run and conjunction with its home video
release, but will be in an unprecedented 3-D.
IMAX will absorb the $10 million in additional
computer programming needed to
dimensionalize the film, which will also
have a different ending in its re-release.
LFCA COVERAGE
See page 47 for BOXOFFICE's wrap-up of
the Large Format Cinema Association's 2000
conference and film festival.
ON THE MOVE
Imax Corp. has named banker Richard
Intrator president of Imax Enterprises and
executive VP of Imax Ltd. Intrator most
recently worked as managing director and
group head of PaineWebber's media group
and will bring merger-and-acquisitions and
corporate finance expertise to the company.
Don Stults, formerly senior VP of operations
at Iwerks Entertainment, has been
tapped as COO of the company. Stults will
oversee Iwerks' day-to-day business of the
sales, operations, distribution, touring and
owned and operated divisions.
August, 2000 45

WIRED WORLD
EXHIBITORS DANCE FANDANGO
The online ticketing consortium formed
by a half-dozen major exhibitors (see Tech
Talk, May 2000) has settled on a name and
website destination: Fandango, a term that
refers to a lively Spanish dance. "We chose
the name 'Fandango' because it truly
embodies the unique and dynamic entertainment
experiences this company will be
offering," Fandango acting CEO J. Michael
Cline said at the time of the announcement.
Since then, Arthur Levitt III has been
appointed president and CEO of the online
venture. "Fandango offers an irresistible
opportunity to leverage my passion for entertainment
and the bricks-and-mortar prominence
of our exhibitor partners in developing
a new powerhouse brand," he says.
Fandango's services—available via the
Internet, phone and wireless devices—will
include showtimes, trailers, reviews and
its exclusive online ticketing to members'
theatres. The site was expected to test pilot in
early summer with a full launch later in the
season. Fandango's founding partners
include Loews Cineplex, Regal, Cinemark,
General Cinema, Edwards and Century
Theatres, with Carmike joining subsequently.
TICKETS ONLINE, NOT IN LINE
Beating Fandango to the punch,
MovieTickets.com set its launch date for
Memorial Day weekend to take advantage
of the start of the lucrative summer season.
MovieTickets.com likewise provides online
ticketing in
addition to movie reviews, trailers,
entertainment news, movie premiere
coverage and current industry data.
"We are thrilled to present moviegoers with
an easy and convenient way to reserve their
movie tickets in advance online," says Mitchell
Rubenstein, chairman and CEO of Hollywood.com,
a founding partner in the venture.
"People have become increasingly comfortable
with Internet services, and we are confident
they will find MovieTickets.com extremely
helpful in making their moviegoing plans."
Major exhibitors who are involved with
MovieTickets.com include AMC, National
Amusements, Famous Players and Marcus.
In addition, Viacom Inc. has agreed to buy a
five percent stake in the company.
AOL MOVIEFONE GOES FEE FREE
Responding to the increasing competition
to its online ticketing services, AOL
Movietone has axed its service charge on
tickets purchased via the Internet, ultimately
charging the same rate as moviegoers would
pay at the theatre. The move was made in
conjunction with a relaunch of the site.
"Moviefone has a history of innovating for
the benefit of the moviegoer," says AOL
Moviefone CEO Andrew Jarecki. "We believe
that our enhanced Moviefone.com site and the
elimination of the service charge for tickets
purchased online will
accelerate the already
impressive pace of moviegoers going online to
plan their movie outings with Moviefone.com"
Moviefone will still charge for purchases
made via the telephone and plans to make
up the lost revenue through online advertising
and film studio marketing partnerships.
9 ON THE 'NET: Australian Circuit Web Exec
Jackie Ellis Discusses www.greaterunion.com.au
BOXOFFICE: What pluses has Apple's
WebObjects yielded over the server alternatives?
lackie Ellis: WebObjects has allowed us to
develop a framework where we can update all
1 5,000 session times and over 100 movies quickly
each week with minimum staff resources.
WebObjects also allows almost unlimited scalability
that other platforms cannot offer—the site
has a growth rate we did not predict. It has done
this almost effortlessly because of the technology
solution and WebObjects.
BOXOFFICE: Why did you hire Sydney-based
Selenium Interactive over an inhouse
approach, and what specific
abilities of Selenium made
it
your top choice?
Ellis: We decided to outsource
our website design and online
maintenance because we did not
believe that we have the technical
or web design skills
in-house
to develop the kind of site that
was needed to become the most
popular movie site in Australia.
Selenium was attractive to us
because the company was very
excited about working with a
strong brand like Greater Union and believed
that the association would benefit its business,
therefore it was in its interest to do the best job
possible for us.
In addition Selenium is
committed to working
with us on future development and is almost as
proud of the site as we are!
BOXOFFICE: What advantages has your advertising
pact with Sydney-based BMCMedia.com
brought?
Ellis: We have only just joined forces with
BMC media to sell our advertising space, therefore
it is difficult to comment too much.
However the ideas and contacts that they have
already brought to the table make us highly optimistic
about the future
The advantages of a company like BMC is that
as it reps a network of different sites, it has contact
with many different advertising agencies and
direct clients. On-line advertising campaigns are
usually booked over a variety of different sites,
therefore it is important to go with a company
that has a good network of sites.
BOXOFFICE: What advantages did the use of
frames make you go with using them? Do you
provide a no-frames alternative?
Ellis: Frames are often criticized because they
are used badly in many sites. Appropriate use of
frames allows for greater site efficiency and consistency
of the site experience. A movie site is all
about the experience. Greater Union is the
leader in providing a trusted consistent experience.
This includes our online experience.
Framing is an effective tool and the best
approach for our site.
BOXOFFICE: Was it pr imarily to provide
friendliness, to increase
site
functionality
or to manage corporate
considerations
that led to two mirror
sites being created?
Ellis: Two mirror sites
were created for
Greater Union and
Birch Carroll & Coyle
as we wanted to
strengthen the Birch
& Coyle corporate
Carroll
branding. Even
though the content is
identical in both sites
they are branded differently
and customers
access them via a different
URL.
This was implemented
to ensure that our

LFCA 2000 Proves That Large Format Has Entered
THE BIG TIME
The atmosphere at the Large Format Cinema Association's 2000 conference and film festival in May
nearly crackled with excitement and expectation. Disney's "Fantasia 2000" had just completed its
exclusive four-month run at IMAX theatres, ultimately grossing over $60 million. Large-format screens
have been popping up in increasing numbers in commercial venues, which today actually outnumber
institutional screens. IMAX is to large format as Xerox is to copy in many households and runs 200
theatres worldwide, over half of which are in the States. The gathering's organizers and attendees were
reveling in the industry's recent successes and anticipating even more growth to come.
Among the panel discussions sponsored by LFCA this year was "Getting Films Into Theatres," an opportunity
for filmmakers to share their production war stories and behind-the-scenes footage. Moderated by
Paul Novros, VP at Graphic Films, the panelists included Phil Streather, producer of "Loch Lomond:
Legend of the Loch," who said, "There are two key secrets to making a financially successful film: (Make
it] good and cheap." He also pointed out some ways to acquire funding. Keith Melton reiterated the diffi- Keynote speaker Roy E. Disney
culties he encountered in making "Cirque Du Soleil: Journey of Man," which had just been released that weekend. (BOXOFFICE interviewed him
in the April 2000 issue.) And Sony Pictures Classics Large Format VP Derval Whelan went over the distributor's marketing efforts on "Cirque."
In "What Do Theatres Want, Anyway?"—moderated by National Wildlife Productions president and CEO Chris Palmer—Loews Cineplex
Imax Theatres VP Mary Jane Dodge pleaded for "good, entertaining film that people want to see." Wes Wenhardt, San Jose's Tech Museum of
Innovation Imax VP, and California Science Center VP marketing Joe DeAmicis (who, Palmer joked, "said 'no' to the Mouse in the Mouse's
hometown," refusing to accept the studio's exclusivity and run length demands), however, while generally agreeing with Dodge, indicated that
their venues have educational mandates in their mission statements. The general consensus of the panel was that they want filmmakers to use
the medium to its full potential—especially when it comes to 3-D.
LFCA panels chairman Andrew Gellis hosted a super session on "The Effect of the Large-Format Blockbuster," the first half of which was
a discussion among theatre managers Diane Carlson of Seattle's Pacific Science Center, Terrell Falk, Cinemark's VP of large format theatres
and Cherie Rivers of the Boston Museum of Science. The women focused particularly on their experiences with the Walt Disney Co. and
"Fantasia 2000." Later, nWave president of distribution Mark Katz, The Entertainment Team CEO Nick Kilby and MacGillivray Freeman
Films film production and development VP Alec Lorimore discussed "Changing the Economic Models." BOXOFFICE will include expanded
coverage of these topics in a future issue.
The conference's keynote speaker was, appropriately enough, Roy E. Disney, who outlined how the IMAX release of "Fantasia 2000" fit
into his company's history of innovation, particularly when it comes to animation. His talk began with the recollection of the world premiere
of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theater, which since has been torn down to make room for a
shopping mall. He concluded by saying to his attentive listeners, "You control the Carthay Circles of tomorrow. And every lover of film
which is just about everyone—will be grateful to you."
LFCA 2000 also included, of course, screenings of many of the format's upcoming releases, most of which rolled during a nine-hour
movie marathon at the California Science Center. BOXOFFICE will review a handful of these in a later issue. Annlee Ellingson
HILL
NEWS
by Francesca
Dinglasan
LEAD STORY: GORE
CALLS FOR STUDY ON
RUNAWAY PRODUCTION
U.S. vice president Al Gore has requested
the Commerce Department to investigate
the problem of runaway production.
Urged by a group of six congressmen from
California (led by representatives Howard
Berman and Xavier Bacerra), Gore has
ordered a report detailing the effect that
productions moved abroad are having on
six states, including California, New York,
North Carolina, Texas,
Illinois and Florida.
In a letter written to lawmakers, the vice
president notes, "Foreign tax incentives for
film production. ..are certain to encourage
runaway production, and favorable
exchange rates (especially in Canada) seem
to play a role as well. [However, this is a
complex issue, and we must be sure of the
causes of the situation before we determine
approriate actions." Although a widespread
fear of job loss to overseas markets, most
notably in Hollywood, has been of great
concern, studies indicate that positions for
behind-the-scene workers last year dipped
by only three percent, or 2.1 million work
hours, compared to 1 998 figures.
"BLAIR WITCH" SCARES UP
MORE COURT TROUBLE
Artisan Entertainment has filed a suit
against Knoxville, Tenn. -based Regal
Cinemas, claiming that the exhibitor owes
the film company nearly $6 million in
rental fees for "The Blair Witch Project."
Artisan's legal battle against Regal comes
directly off the heels of an identical suit the
company filed against Colorado chain
United Artists. The indie blockbuster has
been the source of numerous court cases,
including a suit filed against Artisan itself
and pic creator Haxon Films. The complaint,
lodged by Sam Barber, states that fellow
filmmakers Daniel Myric and Gregg
Hale denied him a share of the proceeds
from sale of the pic.
FLORIDA PASSES
PRODUCTION TAX INCENTIVES
The Florida Film Commissioner has
announced that the state's legislative body
has unanimously passed House Bill 743,
which encourages local motion picture
and television production through tax
incentives. Among the benefits of choosing
to make films or small screen programs
within Florida is a direct tax relief on
motion picture, video and sound recording
equipment purchase or leased specifically
for production. According to state
film commissioner Rebecca Dirden-
Mattingly, "Every dollar that the production
company recoups from the incentive
goes directly into the pockets of Floridians
who have been hired to produce the
films. ..and it was those very Floridians,
those who go to work each and every day
in this industry, who will benefit from this
the most."
JACOBSEN APPOINTED TO MPA
ANTI-PIRACY POST
Jack Valenti has enlisted some top-notch
help in his global crusade against film
copyright infringement. The Motion Picture
Association president has appointed Ken
Jacobsen as the new senior vp of the organization's
anti-piracy operation, which
includes enforcement, Internet investigations
and legal issues. Jacobsen has been
overseeing the domestic division of the
operation since 1998 and will now also
head international investigations as part of
his new position. Jacobsen, who has
worked at the FBI and as a special agent for
criminal investigations in Southern
California, replaces Ric Hirsh.
UTAH TO TARGET PORNOGRAPHY
Earlier this year, Utah governor Michael
Leavitt officially signed into law legislation
allowing the state to appoint a prosecutor
dedicated to helping local government
"restrict, suppress or eliminate" pornography.
The state has yet to name someone to
the newly-created post. However, once
the appointee is in office, he or she will
still have miminal prosecutorial power
and zero jurisdiction over both the
Internet and cable television. Utah is the
first state to carry an official pornography
watchdog.
August, 2000 47

EXHIBITION
BRIEFINGS
LEAD STORY: MANN
DISMEMBERED
Warner Bros, and Paramount, co-owners
of Mann Theatres, have been steadily selling
off several of the Encino, Calif.-based circuit's
venues. The studios, which purchased
the chain earlier this year from WestStar
Cinemas Inc. shortly after the Mann parent
filed for Chapter 1 1 protection from its creditors
(see Exhibition Briefings, November
1999), have sold a number of screens on a
market-by-market basis. Among the most
recent buyers are Oakland, Calif.-based
Signature Theatres, which acquired 68
Northern California Mann screens for $20
million, and the recently-established
Colorado Cinema Holdings, which paid an
estimated $30 million for six Mann theatres,
comprising 66 screens, in the Denver metropolitan
area. A joint venture between investment
firm Amstar Croup and local cinema
chain Cinema Saver Theater Corp.,
Colorado Cinema Holdings plans to merge
its existing three theatre, 15-screen circuit
with its Mann acquisitions.
Other parties rumored to be interested in
purchasing Mann cinemas include Loewsaffi
Mated Magic Johnson Theatres, which is
considering some Los Angeles area venues,
and partners Jim Naify, Gary Barber and
Roger Birnbaum, who are also collectively
negotating for certain LA. sites. Spyglass
Entertainment's Barber annd Birnbaum and
Century Theatres executive Naify are predicted
to pay $15 million for 59 screens in
seven Mann theatres located throughout
Southern California. Should the sale take
place, Warner Bros, and Paramount will
have successfully regained $65 million of
the $90 million they paid for the chain.
CINEMEX ACQUIRES
GC MEXICO HOLDINGS
South of the border theatre circuit
Cinemex has announced its 100 percent
stock acquisition of CC Mexico, a joint venture
between General Cinema International
and Fonda Optima. The purchase, which
comprises five venues in Mexico City,
Cuernavaca, Guadalajara, Leon and
Aguascalientes, brings Cinemex's total holdings
to 324 screens in 29 theatres. Currently
the largest exhibitor in the Mexico City metropolitan
area, Cinemex's plans call for the
opening of four additional cinemas (40
screens) by the end of the year, including the
12-screen Cinemex Cuauhtemoc, which
bowed last June.
ARIZONA EXPANSION
Leading Arizona exhibitor Harkins
Theatres has reached an agreement with
Tuscon-based development firm Diamond
Ventures to build two new theatres in the
southern region of their home state. The two
venues, both slated for a late 2001 bow, will
SH0WMANDISER PROMOTION OF THE MONTH
the increasing number
With
of on-premise restaurants
in cinemas and the everexpanding
list of concessions available
at movie theatres, "dinner and
a movie" is certainly nothing new
although Jennifer Ellmyer, general
manager of Favorite Cinemas Lake
Howell Theatre in Casselberry, Fla.
found a way to take it to another
level. As part of her effort to promote
MGM release "Return to
Me," a romantic-comedy in which
Minnie Driver's character works as a
SPAGHETTI OH!: Moviegoers dig in at the
Favorite Cinemas Lake Howell Theatre in Casselberry, Fla.
waitress in her grandfather's Irish-Italian restaurant, Ellmyer and her staff sponsored
a good old-fashioned spaghetti eating contest. Local retailer Publix donated
20 pounds of noodles and four jars of spaghetti sauce toward the promo, while
nearby pizza joint Johnny's Rockin' Bistro cooked up the pasta. For those patrons
brave (and hungry) enough to participate in the no-hands-allowed, first-onedone-wins
contest, a $25 gift certificate to popular Italian restaurant chain Buca
di Bepo awaited the victor. Ellmyer told BOXOFFICE she thought "a lot of the
contestants might not be able to keep the spaghetti down," but—to the great relief
of the theatre's cleaning staff, no doubt—everyone managed just fine and had a
great time.
A frequent Showmandiser contributor. Ellmyer is leaving the movie theatre
business to pursue other interests. Thanks for all the great in-theatre promotional
ideas, Jennifer! Hopefully, other cinema managers will follow your example and
share their ideas with BOXOFFICE.
Send photos and descriptions of your promotion to:
BOXOFFICE, 155 S. El Molino Ave., Suite 100
Pasadena, CA 91101
Attn: Showmandiser
feature all comforts associated with modern
multiplexes, including stadium seating, digital
surround sound and advanced ticket purchase
options, including charge-by-phone
teleticketing and Internet ticket sales. The
first plex, dubbed the Harkins River
Crossing, will hold 20 screens, 4,500 seats
and cover 103,000 square feet, and the second
venue, known as the Oro Valley 14 at
Steam Pump Village, will include a special
VIP "Premiere Club" section offering patrons
reserved seats, gourmet food items and
cocktail drinks. Harkins is ambitiously hoping
to double its screen count over the next
three years, with 100 new screens in the
Phoenix area, 20 screens in Albuquerque,
N.M., 20 Fresno, Calif.-located screens and
a 14-screen multiplex in Arizona's Prescott
Valley all currently in development.
SEATTLE FEST
CELEBRATES
THE CINERAMA
As part of the 26th
annual Seattle Internationl
Film Festival
held last June, the
city's
multimillion
1952 helped ignite the widespread craze for
the three-projector films associated with the
dome cinema. Also introduced to audiences
during the fest was the newly-created
"Cinerama Adventure," which documents
the short history of this American phenomenon.
Among those on-hand to help promote
the presentations were "Cinerama
Adventure" helmer Dave Strohmaier and
early Cinerama film director Otto Lang.
Seattle's Cinerama was on the verge of
being demolished when former Microsoft
executive and Portland Trailblazers owner
Paul Allen purchased the venue in 1997 (see
Exhibition Profile, October 1 999).
THEATREPLEX REACHES
FOR AN AMSTAR
Exhibition industry investment company
Theatreplex Entertainment
Properties has announced
its purchase of the AmStar
Stadium 16 in the Georgia
city of Macon. Described
as the "largest movie theatre
in Middle Georgia,"
the venue is the flagship of
two-year old, Birmingham,
Ala. -based circuit
AmStar Entertainment,
which will continue
dollar, recently renovated
Cinerama the-
to operate the 6-screen-
1 atre played host to
two Special Sold-OUt The AmStar Stadium 16 in
Macon, Georgia. er. The deal marks Chi-
screenings of "How the
West Was Won" as well as to the venue's
cago-based
fifth cinema
Theatreplex
acquisition to
Entertainment's
trademark pics "This Is Cinerama," which in take place over the past 1 2 months. In addi-
48 BOXOFFICE

tion to the AmStar theatre, the company has
also recently purchased sites from Knoxville,
Tenn. -based Regal Cinemas, Texas exhibitor
Cinemark USA and Oakland, Calif.-based
Signature Theatres.
THE BRITISH CINEMA
ADVERTISERS ARE COMING
U.K. -based Carlton Communications has
made its first major step into the American
market through its acquisition of New York
City's Screenvision Cinema Network. Under
terms of the $93 million deal, Carlton gains
a 65 percent share of Screenvision's domestic
advertising business, which covers nearly
a third of all domestic movie theatres. The
move is considered a coup for Carlton
Communication's international expansion
plans, which has included former U.K. outfit
Carlton Screen Advertising topper Adam
Poulter's establishment of a U.S. office last
August.
LIFE'S A BEACH
FOR U.S. PREMIERES
Also opening in Southern
California is the new
Beachfront Theatre, located
15 minutes north of the
community
celebrity-laden
of Malibu. Featuring 600
seats, state-of-the-art facilities
and a coastline setting,
the venue has the capacity
to run 35mm, 16mm or digital
stock; check film color
and hold domestic premieres.
Besides offering an
ocean view, the new site
features red carpet service,
valet parking, catered dinner
screenings and wrap parties
for those looking for an
alternative for their U.S. theatrical
realeases.
TICKER TIME
GOODRICH BOWS
NEW NINE-PLEX
Michigan-based Goodrich Quality
Theatres has opened a new nine-screen plex
in the city of West Lafayette. Dubbed the
Wabash Landing 9, the new venue can
accomodate more than 1 ,000 moviegoers
and offers high back rocker stadium-style
seats. The theatre, which opened its doors to
the public for the first time last May, created
30 part-time and three full-time management
positions for the surrounding community.
MOVIE THEATRE
COMES TO MONROVIA
Redondo, Calif.-based Krikorian Premiere
Theatres, in conjunction with Birtcher Construction
Services, is building a new 12-
screen plex in the Los Angeles suburb of
Monrovia. Projected at a cost
of $10 million, the new complex
will encompass more than
64,000 square feet and
includes a large format Imax
theatre. Slated for a November
opening, the new venue will be
able to accommodate more
than 3,000 patrons and feature
full digital sound and wall-towall
screens in all auditoriums.
The new Krikorian theatre will
be part of a larger redevelopment
project taking place in
Monrovia's downtown district
to include new retail outlets,
restaurants and office buildings.
ON THE MOVE
CinemaStar Luxury Theaters
has named Donald H.
Harnois Jr., former senior
finance manager at Cinemark
USA, as its new VP
and CFO... Loews Cineplex
U.S. president Travis Reid is
replacing former New Line
Cinema marketing and distribution
president Mitchell
Goldman as president of
charitable organization the
Foundation of the Motion
Picture Pioneers. ..Financially
beset Silver Cinemas
(see Exhibition Briefings,
July 2000) has hired former
finance executive Tom
Andrus as its new senior VP
and CFO to help reestablish
the circuit...Cinemark CFO
Jeffrey Steadman,
who has been with
the company for
eight years, has
stepped down from
his position; circuit
consultant Robert
Copple is serving as
acting CFO while
Cinemark conducts
its search for Steadman's
replacement...
Los Angelesbased
Pacific Thea-
Pacific Theatres
tres has appointed
exhibition veteran
Nora Dashwood as its new
COO. Dashwood, who most
recently served as Kansas
City-based AMC's senior VP
of North American Staff Operations, will
begin her new post on August 1st. Her
duties at Pacific Theatres will involve overseeing
several areas of the circuit's daily
operations, including the film, operations,
marketing and human resources department.
SHOWMINDER CALENDAR
Remember to save these dates:
ShowSouth, August 15— 16, Peabody
Hotel, Orlando, Fla. Call Saundra Conner
at
(770) 455-8988.. .Giant Screen Theater

hope
STUDIO
NEWS
LIONS GATE
DEVOURS TRIMARK
by Annlee Ellingson
In a deal valued at $50 million, Canadabased
Lions Gate Entertainment has
acquired Trimark Holdings, guaranteeing
Trimark shareholders $10 per share in cash
and Lions Gate stock. The move illustrates
Lions Gate's recent ambition to establish
itself as major indie player, despite rumors
as early as last fall that Lions Gate itself
was susceptible to takeover. Trimark's
familiar video distribution brand and indie
film web site CinemaNow were two major
factors in the deal, which grants Trimark's
600-title library and $41 million still
remaining in a $75-million Chase Bank
credit line to Lions Gate. Lions Gate will
distribute its home videos under the
Trimark label
theatrical distribution.
but effectively shut down its
"This merger is the first step in the strategy
we have laid out to grow the company
through acquisitions and consolidations,"
will use the funds to acquire titles for its
video library and produce digital films.
Other investors include WaterView
Partners and Ted Waitt, a founder of
Gateway Computers.
ILM DRAWS NEW BUSINESS
Special effects house Industrial Light &
Magic has indicated that it will expand into
the animation business, co-producing computer-generated
films and TV shows with
major studios. ILM has already worked
closely with DreamWorks on "Antz" and
the upcoming "Shrek" and had been
involved with "Frankenstein" at Universal
several years ago, but the deal fell apart
due to creative differences. The move
would provide an additional source of capital
for the company, which has recently
LEAD STORY: SEAGRAM'S FRENCH TOAST
Emulating the recent multibillion-dollar mergers
between Viacom and CBS and America Online and Time
Warner, Universal Studios parent Seagram Co. and
France's Canal Plus parent Vivendi have indicated that the
two will join to form a global media and entertainment
conglomerate valued at around $100 billion. Under the
proposed deal, Vivendi will acquire Seagram in a stock
transaction worth $31 billion, or $70 a share. The new
company, likely to be dubbed Vivendi Universal, will be
headed by Vivendi chairman Jean-Marie Messier, though
Seagram president and CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. will retain
a significant senior executive role.
Most likely, Seagram's wine and sprits businesses will be sold to cover the company's
debt, and the conglomerate will ultimately focus on its music holdings, driven
by the Universal Music Group, which became the world's largest record company
when Universal acquired Polygram in 1998 for $10.4 billion and makes up 80
percent of Seagram's business. Vivendi Universal's other properties will include
Universal's 4,000-title film library, Canal Plus' 5,000-feature catalog, Universal's
28,000 hours of television and Canal Plus' 1 0,000-hour TV library. One of the new
company's first priorities will be to develop online and wireless distribution channels
for all
of this content.
created effects for this summer's "The
Perfect Storm," "The Adventures of Rocky
and Bullwinkle" and "Space Cowboys."
Patty Blau will head the as-yet-unnamed
division.
ANSCHUTZ'S CRUSADE
Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, who
says Lions Gate vice chairman and CEO Jon
Feltheimer, who will continue to head
is worth about $11 billion, has figuratively
Lions Gate.
Trimark chairman and CEO Mark Amin relocated to Hollywood, launching Beverly
will serve as vice chariman. "We intend to
Hills-based production shingle Crusader
Entertainment with producer Howard
exploit the many synergies between our
two companies to form a formidable independent
Baldwin. The company will produce films,
viable competitor
film studio, which
the motion
will be
picture
a
television, sports and Internet material.
Anschutz—familiar to Los Angelenos
in
because he partially owns the Staples
types of TV and film projects we wanted to
PALM PILOTS $100 MILLION
see produced," he says. "We are committed
to making high-quality movies that send a
IN
positive message and are commercial,
FINANCING
Palm Entertainment Properties—Chris
entertaining and suitable for all age
Blackwell's fusion of Palm Pictures, Island
Records and Island
has secured
Pictures—
groups."
$100 million in financing in a round led
by Chase Capital Entertainment Partners
Crusader's first two films
Sound of Thunder" and
will be
"Goliath,"
"A
both
financed by Franchise Films. Subsequent
and Chase Capital Partners. Palm mainly
projects, including two going into pre-production
this fall, will be self-financed.
Anschutz is funding the company and has
greenlight authority.
KRONEMYER COMES
FULL CIRCLE
Meanwhile, Gateway Computers
founder Norm Waitt has appointed David
Kronemyer as president of his newly
launched Gold Circle Films—a division of
radio, TV and outdoor advertising firm
Gold Circle Entertainment—and committed
$100 million over the next two years in
financing. The Omaha, Neb. -based company's
first project will be "Double
Whammy," starring Denis Leary, Elizabeth
Hurley and Steve Buscemi, which started
production in June.
\
Messier
DREAMWORKS REUPS
FILM DIVISION HEADS
In the wake of the success of "Gladiator,"
DreamWorks Pictures toppers Walter
Parkes and Laurie MacDonald have
renewed their contract with the studio and
agreed to continue to head the film division
for six more years. The new contract calls
for the husband-and-wife team to have
more hands-on involvement in producing
pics for the studio and to work more closely
with Steven Spielberg. They also will
have a bigger financial stake in the films
they produce. DreamWorks partner Jeffrey
Katzenberg will continue to work as head
of
industry," he
production and report to Parkes and
says.
Center, the Kings,
Relatedly, Lions Gate has also been
the Galaxy and the MacDonald.
in
talks to acquire Kushner-Locke-owned Lakers— struck upon the idea when Parkes says that the deal "gives Laurie and
Harvey Entertainment, which controls
Baldwin showed him a print of his latest me the liberty of putting a little more focus
characters such as Casper
production,
the Friendly
"Mystery, Alaska" and the two on our first love—the creation and production
of our own films, as well as working
Ghost, and Lakeshore Entertainment. These
began to discuss future possible projects.
two companies have libraries of 1 ,000
"The more we talked about forming an closely with Steven."
titles
between them.
entertainment company, the more we Spielberg's feelings are mutual. "Walter
learned we shared a common vision for the and Laurie have been invaluable in building
the first film studio in 65 years," he says.
"Their respect for and collaboration with
writers, directors and co-executives and
their ability to find humor in every aspect of
running a studio may make them the most
unique studio chiefs in history. I am grateful
they have reupped, not only as the driving
force of the motion picture division but as
my creative partners as well."
"I could not imagine working for two
more creative people—since they are,
after all, my bosses," Katzenberg says,
"and I to continue to learn from
them for the next six years and many years
to come."
ON THE MOVE
Columbia Pictures has tapped Peter
Schlessel as its new president of production.
Schlessel had been an executive VP at the
Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group and
the company's Screen Gems label.
Schlessel, whose background is in law, will
not only oversee Columbia's production
department but may facilitate the studio's
increasing splits-rights deals. He will report
to and work closely with chairman Amy
Pascal.
50 BOXOKFICE

Moviegoer Poll and Activity Report for May 2000
QUESTION OF
THE MONTH:
On the average, how often do you visit theater chains' Web sites?

••••• OUTSTANDING
*•*• VERY GOOD
••• GOOD
*• FAIR
• POOR
(no stars) BOMB
CANNES. PART II
Bread and Roses R-91
Dancer in the Dark R-90
Famous R-91
The Golden Bowl R-90
O Brother. Where Art Thou? R-91
Requiem For a Dream R-90
The Yards R-91
REVIEWS
DAY AND DATE: AUGUST 11
CECIL B. DEMENTED
•**
Starring Melanie Griffith, Stephen exceptionally well-mannered and conscientious
theatre ushers, who soon
Dorff, Alicia Witt and Adrian Grenier.
Directed and written by John Waters. throw off their disguises to reveal themselves
as tattooed, debauched
Produced by John Fielder, foe
Caracciolo jr. and Mark Tarlov. An "Sinema" terrorists sworn to guerilla
Artisan release. Black comedy. Rated R filmmaking and impeding the
for strong crude sexual content, violence,
language and drug use. Running ble. We'd like to support these impas-
Hollywood system by any means possi-
time: 86 min.
sioned misfits in their cause—especially
as the film takes its characters past
Another hit-and-miss but often freakishly
funny addition to cult filmmaker theatre marquees plugging such nightmarish
but not inconceivable studio
John Waters' gallery of good-natured
grotesquerie, "Cecil B. Demented" travesties as "Postman 2" and "Patch
seems
Adams: The
like a
movie borne Director's
of
Cut." But the
a great title
character. That
ragtag crew of
druggies, porn
is, one gets the
stars, sadomasochists
sense that the
name came
first, and the
and chronic
movie was
masturbators
aren't the
built around it.
Unfortunately,
most likable
lot,
the eponymous
even by
Waters' standards.
In the
character, as
portrayed by
auteur's previous
comedies,
Stephen Dorff,
doesn't quite
have the compelling
mad
the protagonists
have
charisma one Melanie Griffith is a » ashed-up actress who's generally been
would expect
gunning for Hollywood in "Cecil B. Demented." a n -
t i h e r o s
from his wildly evocative moniker.
rather than anti-Christs. Still, the honoramong-cretins
angle is hard to resist as
An homage of sorts to the kidnapping
ordeal of Waters stock actress Patty Honey gains street cred and is won
Hearst (who here plays the lugubrious over to the outlaws' cause, and Cecil's
mother of a guileless son gone dis-
band wrangles the support of likeminded
"action fans" and "porno
friends" in their fight against the
turbingly astray), "Cecil" starts strong
with snotty has-been actress Honey
Whitlock (Melanie Griffith) being
nabbed by a band of what seem to be
inevitability of "Gump Again" starring
Kevin Nealon—Christine fames
An Affair of Love R-93
Aimee & Jaguar R-93
Alice and Martin R-92
The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack R-92
Momma's House R-98
Boys and Girls R-95
Chicken Run R-95
Dreamers R-96
Gone in 60 Seconds R-97
Mad About Mambo R-93
Me. Myself & Irene R-95
Mission: Impossible 2 R-98
Pop & Me R-97
Running Free R-97
Shaft R-95
Shower R"93
Solomon and Gaenor R-92
Titan A.E R"96
DAY AND DATE: 8/11
Cecil B. Demented R-89
FLASHBACK: 1967
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED
Coming films already reviewed R-97
REVIEW DIGEST
Our monthly release overview R-98
Hit www.boxoffice.com
every Friday for the latest
movie reviews and
advance Festival reviews!
52 (R-89) BOXOFFICE

CANNES REVIEWS
THE GOLDEN BOWL ••
Starring Vma Thurman, Jeremy
Northam, Niek Nolte, Anjeliea Huston and
Kate Beckinsale. Directed by James Ivory.
Written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
Produced by Ismail Merchant. A Miramax
release. Period drama. Not yet rated.
Running time: 157 min. Opens 1113.
You can count on the Merchant/Ivory
label for literate, highbrow, impressively
costumed, lavishly beautiful films, and in
these aims "The Golden Bowl." an adaptation
of Henry James' novel, succeeds.
But this story about impossible love and
social propriety is nowhere near as good
as their best works, specifically "Remains
of the Day," "Howards End" and "A
Room With a View." Producer, director
and frequent collaborator Ruth Prawer-
Jhabvala have teamed together previously
to adapt Henry James' "The Europeans"
and "The Bostonians"; they have a harder
time with this sprawling, heavy drama
that nevertheless pleases the eye even as it
based Maggie Verver (Kate Beckinsale).
who is as naive and trusting as Charlotte is
cunning. Only days before the wedding,
Charlotte takes Amerigo to help her select
a gift for Maggie. What they find—but do
not buy— is a crystal and gold encrusted
goblet, the titular golden bowl.
Though she can't have Amerigo.
Charlotte inveigles her way into the family
by impressing Maggie's affluent, mildmannered
father Adam (Nick Nolte)
enough to elicit a marriage proposal.
Though he claims to be disinterested,
months of flirtation erode Amerigo's resistance.
He eventually yields to Charlotte's
overtures, culminating in a passionate
night together in an inn. Their absence
from their respective spouses prompts
nosy socialite Fanny (Anjeliea Huston) to
stir up intrigue and set the rumor mill into
motion. Adam and Maggie refuse to
believe the gossip, but when that same
golden bowl turns up years later along
with some revealing information, it forces
some ugly truths into plain view.
"The Golden Bowl" contains all the
gredients of a great love story, but it
just
:an't seem to blend them to create the
desired result. A significant problem is
posed by the fact that Thurman and
Northam appear to have very little chemstry,
and Northam is saddled with an overione
Italian accent. With its broad scope,
double-couple structure and the heroine's
dogged pursuit of unrequiting lover who is.
rankly, bland, the film feels at times like a
Dale homage to "Gone With the Wind."
^ut Charlotte Stant is a long, long way
rom Scarlett O'Hara.
l.ael Loewenstein
DANCER IN THE DARK
**•
Starring Bjork, Catherine Dencuvc and
David Morse. Directed and written by Lars
von Trier. Produced by Vibeke Windelov. A
Fine Line release.
Musical drama. Not yet
rated. Running time: 139 min. Opens 1016.
No film divided critics and audiences at
Cannes like Lars von Trier's quasi-musical
"Dancer in the Dark." Raw and invigorating
when its risks succeed and disconcertingly
flat when they fail. "Dancer" is neither
the masterwork its proponents raved
about nor the disaster its critics insisted it
is. Still, "Dancer" waltzed off with the
Palme d'Or as well as acting honors for
Icelandic singer-composer Bjork.
"Dancer's" troubled production was
almost as big a story as the film's divisive
critical reception. It was no secret that
Bjork, making her feature acting debut,
was so emotionally overwrought by von
Trier's demands that she stormed off the
set for several days and threatened to
derail the production. Though star and
tries the patience.
director evinced the beginnings of a rapprochement
Leaving their secret love affair in the
Amerigo
at the awards ceremony, the
between them past, destitute Italian prince tension during the shoot
(Jeremy Northam) and American socialite
Charlotte Stant (Uma Thurman) part
was apparently responsible for eliciting
Bjork 's authentic performance.
company. Amerigo is slated to wed Set in Washington state in the early
Charlotte's friend, the well-to-do London-
1960s, the story centers on sweet, naive
factory worker and Czech immigrant
Selma (Bjork). Hiding behind Coke-bottle
glasses, Selma, unbeknownst to everyone
including her best friend Kathy
(Catherine Deneuve), is slowly going
blind. Privately, Selma has managed to
save almost $2,000 towards an operation
for her adolescent son Gene (Vladica
Kostic), who has inherited the genetic
defect. When Selma's friend and landlord
Bill (David Morse), a local policeman,
reveals that his wife's penchant for shopping
is driving him to bankruptcy, Selma,
in a compassionate gesture, confesses her
secret.
After her money disappears, Selma
confronts Bill, who at first denies, then
admits to having taken it. Far and away the
film's best scene. Bill and Selma's confrontation
builds to an exquisite crescendo
of guilt, betrayal, and fatalistic despair,
and it sets into irrevocable motion the
story's climactic sequence.
Von Trier punctuates his film with surreal
musical numbers in which Bjork and
others sing and dance their way through
various sequences. With music composed
by Bjork and lyrics by von Trier, these
songs don't work as traditional musical
numbers: They neither advance the action
nor particularly help to elucidate character.
Instead, they function as reveries,
musical escapes from the painful reality of
Selma's life. Reportedly shot with as many
as a hundred digital video cameras, the
musical sequences are fascinating feats of
editing and camerawork, but their cumulative
contribution is minimal. Lael
Loewenstein
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM •••1/2
Starring Jarcd Leto, Jennifer Connelly,
Marlon Wayans and Ellen Burstyn.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Written by
Hubert Setby, Jr. and Darren Aronofsky.
Produced by Eric Watson and Palmer West.
An Artisan release. Drama. Not yet rated.
Running time: 102 min. Opens 1016.
In the wake of his groundbreaking first
film "Pi," Darren Aronofsky follows up with
"Requiem for a Dream," a film about drug
use whose style is as gloriously rich and boldly
experimental as its subject matter is downbeat
and familiar. Working from a novel by
Hubert Selby Jr.. Aronofsky addresses different
kinds of drug dependency across
two generations and over four seasons.
The action begins one Coney Island
summer. For lonely Jewish widow Sara
Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), addicted to her
favorite TV game show, a phone call convinces
her she may be invited on the program.
Desperate to lose weight for the
show, Sara begins crash dieting and, when
diets fail, visits a diet doctor who prescribes
her pills but never even bothers to get her
name. The rainbow of pills, coupled with
coffee, give Sara a sudden energy burst and
the extra pounds begin to disappear.
Meanwhile, Sara's son Harry (Jared
Leto) and his best friend (Marlon Wayans)
decide to become dealers themselves, insisting
it's just a temporary gig to front the cash
so Harry's designer girlfriend (Jennifer
Connelly) can open a clothing store. But as
summer yields to fall, the three young entrepreneurs
have begun to sample their own
product, and they are soon hooked. Sara,
for her part, keeps popping diet pills, but
she has begun to have disturbing fantasies,
and there's been no word from the game
show. As fall becomes winter, these four
lives snowball out of control.
The continuing decline of these characters
would soon become pretty tedious stuff
were it not for the thoroughly imaginative
and original ways Aronofsky represents the
mounting addictions. Rapid and brief montages
of visual and auditory symbols make
up an effective shorthand technique that
takes on its own rhythm. Accompanied by
mournful violin music performed by the
Kronos Quartet, the sequences are both jarring
and intoxicating.
Each of these characters has an essentially
kind nature and. thankfully, a lack of
self pity that makes their descent into
addiction intriguing. The acting is so good
across the board that sometimes you wish
Aronofsky would slow down long enough
to let his actors shine. One scene does just
that: a conversation between Harry and
Sara in her kitchen in which he realizes, to
his disgust, that his own mother is an
addict. It's a fascinating and ironic
epiphany, beautifully played and not at all
sentimentalized. Aronofsky can work a
simple scene of human interaction as powerfully
as he can play with visual technique.
Lael Loewenstein
August, 2000 (R-90) 53

CANNES REVIEWS
BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
••*
Starring George Clooney, John Turturro,
Tim Blake Nelson and Holly Hunter.
Directed by Joel Coen. Written by Ethan
and Joel Coen. Produced by Ethan Coen. A
Buena Vista release. Black comedy. Rated
PG-13 for some violence and language.
Running time: 102 min. Opens Fall.
Having ventured into modern
Minnesota's snowy tundra with "Fargo,"
the Brothers Coen now head for the dusty
plains and cornfields of the 1930s Deep
South. This whimsical tale finds three
chain gang escapees on the lam in rural
Mississippi. George Clooney plays Everett
Ulysses McGill, a Gablesque character of
good looks and reasonably good sense.
Somewhere below Everett on the I.Q. chart
are his comrades-in-chains Pete (a shorn
John Turturro) and Delmar (the rubberfaced
Tim Blake Nelson). Having regaled
the boys with stories of a legendary buried
treasure, Everett promises them, once they
find it, a cut of the loot. Making various
stops in their efforts to outrun the law, the
boys meet a trio of lanky sirens, a blind,
black prophet, a one-eyed traveling salesman
(John Goodman), a fiery bank robber
(Michael Badalucco) and a burly politico
(Charles Durning). They also manage to
escape a barn fire, survive a flood, cut a hit
record, outwit the Ku Klux Klan and undo
a bit of magic that has apparently turned
Pete into a frog.
What lingers in the mind from "O
Brother" are the Coens' collection of colorful
characters and loopy dialogue,
thanks to playful performances by the
three leads. As for Roger Deakins' cinematography,
he's imparted a yellowish hue
to the proceedings that gives the landscape
a washed-out, jaundiced, uninviting
look. Lael Loewenstein
THE YARDS
•*••
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin
Phoenix, Charlize Theron and Ellen
It has been six years since James Gray's
promising and precocious feature debut
"Little Odessa." Now 30, Gray returns
with his eagerly awaited follow-up, "The
Yards," a moody, mature and equally dark
study of corruption, betrayal and human
nature, set in the subway yards of Queens.
Rich in fatalistic overtones, "The Yards"
combines the spirit of classic film noir
with the familial complexity of "The
Godfather" and the social realism of "On
the Waterfront."
Mark Wahlberg plays Leo Handler, a
goodhearted young man just out of jail.
Genuinely wanting to go straight, Leo
arrives for a homecoming party attended
by his devoted mom Val (Ellen Burstyn)
and family members, including his cousin
Erica (Charlize Theron), Val's sister Kitty
(Faye Dunaway), and Kitty's new husband
Frank (James Caan). Also present is Leo's
best friend—now Erica's boyfriend
Willie Guitierrez (Joaquin Phoenix).
Hinting at the complex and layered
relationships among the extended family.
Gray quickly sets up Leo's dilemma: He
needs work, but his prison record and
parole status leave him few options. As a
favor to his wife, the well-connected Frank
offers Leo a low-level position. But Willie,
who works for Frank as a collection agent,
brings Leo on his team for some lucrative
but highly illegal jobs. When a pickup goes
awry, a station worker is killed and a cop
left critically wounded. Though Willie is to
blame, at Frank's urging, he fingers his
best friend.
With forced rapidity, Leo begins to perceive
both the limits of Willie's loyalty and
the enormous extent of Frank's influence
on local politicos. Going into hiding, he
tries to outrun Willie's henchmen, which
makes for some tense, action-filled
moments. Tautly edited and thankfully
lacking the overblown musical score that
has become so commonplace among
action movies these days, the chase scenes
are heart-stoppingly effective.
"The Yards" is bleak, to be sure, but
Gray's writing is so smart and his direction
so forceful that it
gives the material exceptional
texture and depth. The actors give
richly shaded, beautifully nuanced performances,
especially Wahlberg, Phoenix and
Theron, each doing some of their finest
work to date. Lael Loewenstein
BREAD AND ROSES
•••1/2
Starring Adrien Brody, Pilar Padilla and
Elpidia Carrillo. Directed by Ken Loach.
Written by Paul Laverty. Produced by
Rebecca O'Brien. A Lions Gate release.
Drama. Not yet rated Running time: 110 min.
British director Ken Loach has visited
the social problem film before—whether his
Burstyn. Directed by James Gray. Written
films concerned an alcoholic ("My Name is
by James Gray and Matt Reeves. Produced
Joe"), those damaged by war in Central
by Nick Wechsler, Paul Webster and Kerry
America ("Carta's Song") or the Spanish
Orent. A Miramax release. Drama. Rated
Civil War ("Land and Freedom"). This
Rfor language, violence and a scene of sexuality.
Running time: 108 min. Opens 918.
time he brings his familiar themes to new
territory, shooting for the first time in the
U.S. "Bread and Roses" is a powerful, occasionally
didactic
but deeply resonant film
dealing with the plight of migrant laborers.
In fact, Angeleno viewers will find the film
eerily familiar, as it concerns a janitors'
strike remarkably like the one that played
out in nightly L.A. newscasts this spring.
Loach has a way of treating events with
bracing honesty, shooting in an unfussy
style that rewards the viewer with its intimacy.
As the story of Mexican immigrant
Maya (Pilar Padilla) unspools, her tale is
compellingly personal yet arguably universal.
Moving in with her sister Rosa
(Elpidia Carrillo), Maya finds work as a
janitor for a boorish boss (George Lopez)
and meets a feisty union organizer, Sam
(Adrien Brody). When Sam convinces
Maya that the janitors should stand up for
their rights, she helps motivate her fellow
workers to unionize, though the price is
steep: They risk temination and, in some
cases, deportation, and they are reluctant
to jeopardize their hard-won jobs.
To their significant credit, Loach and
screenwriter Paul Laverty ("Carla's Song,"
"My Name is Joe") have fashioned a story
that is consistently engrossing, surprising
and believable. (Look for a scene where the
janitors crash a fancy party, with Tim
Roth and Ron Pearlman in cameos.)
"Bread and Roses" is infused with realism,
both through Loach's effectively improvisational
techniques and the textured portraits
by the cast. Thankfully never deified,
they instead embody very human, flawed
and complex people whose personal goals
are often at odds with the social good.
Padilla, a Mexican theatre actress, is a
standout in her first screen role, and
Carrillo is heart wrenching as her sister.
— Lael Loewenstein
FAMOUS
•••
Starring Laura Kirk, Nat De Wolf and
Griffin Dunne. Directed by Griffin Dunne.
Written by Laura Kirk and Nat DeWolf.
Produced by Mira Sorvino and Dolly Hall.
A Strand release. Mockumentary. Not yet
rated. Running time: 90 min.
This entertaining but slight mockumentary
about two unknown actors on the rise
and their quest for celebrity status boasts
an appealing, off-beat flavor, big-name
producer Mira Sorvino and a slew of
celebrity cameos that Strand might be able
to exploit when it releases the film.
Written by Sorvino's former drama
school classmates Nat DeWolf and Laura
Kirk, this cinema pseudo-verite has a seldom-seen
documentarian, Andrew
(Griffin Dunne), trailing aspiring actress
Lisa Picard (Kirk) around Manhattan. We
also meet her gay best friend and fellow
actor Tate (DeWolf), who is planning tc
launch a one-man show about homophobia.
Initially, it looks like Lisa has the
inside track on success; after all, she's
already made a cereal commercial tha;
spawned a cult following, has her owr
website, and has a "small but crucial" role
in an upcoming TV movie. Tate, by con
trast, has bungled a brief extra gig on i
soap. But when Lisa sabotages an auditior
and Tate's show gets a rave review, th(
tables turn; to Lisa's chagrin, it looks liki
Tate may be the next big thing.
There are some amusing moments
including affectionately irreverent riffs
the acting profession, the competition i
elicits among friends, and the desperati
lengths some actors will go to in order t(
get work. But the third act of this stor
loses some of the lightness and breezy spir
it that kept it aloft. Lael Loewenstein
oi
54 (R-9I) BOXOFFICE

,1)
The
:0 |
SOLOMON AND GAENOR * • *i/2
Starring loan Gruffudd, Nia Roberts,
David Horovitch and Maureen Lipman.
Directed and written by Paul Morrison.
Produced by Sheryl Crown. A Sony
Pictures Classics release. Drama. English-,
Welsh- and Yiddish-language; subtitled.
Unrated. Running time: 102 min.
The story of star-crossed lovers and
the clash of family values was a dramatic
standard centuries before William
Shakespeare made it his own in "Romeo
and Juliet." While not borrowing the
Bard's dialogue, this reworking of that
famous tale recreates some of his poetry
and magic in a beautifully-photographed
and original setting that infuses what
might otherwise be a by-the-numbers tale
with the ring of truth.
Solomon (loan Gruffudd) is the pride
and joy of a hardworking immigrant
life Jewish family struggling through in
their new country of Wales. Gaenor (Nia
is
Roberts) the domesticated daughter of
an iron-fisted patriarchal family whose
fate, like everyone else's in the valley, is tied
to the coal mine. Solomon is drafted by his
father to become a "pacman," a door-todoor
cloth salesman, when times get hard.
Once over the mountain, Solomon is
quickly over the moon with Gaenor. Both
must deceive their families—and themijjselves—to
make their quick-blooming
romance work. He must hide his Jewish
heritage; she must continue the facade of
piety and contentment with her arranged
fiance, Noah (Steffan Rhodri). Both the
plovers know their affair is doomed, but
bj
they cannot help themselves. Tripping over
their own web, they find themselves with
child and cast out of their respective communities—but
rather than a happy ending,
Shakespeare is served and tragedy triumphs.
What is remarkable about this film
saddled as it is with the burden of such a
well-known plot on its shoulders—is sim-
,l (
ply this: Once again, it works. Writer/direc-
|J tor Paul Morrison's replacement of
Shakespeare's lofty prose with melodic
Welsh and Yiddish is a brilliant maneuver.
jj
convincing and eloquent portrayals by
J the cast join perfectly with the difficult and
m rigid lifestyle of a coal community in 1911,
J and give the film a warmth and a complex-
ity so lacking in similar Hollywood efforts.
,j The climax (strongly reminiscent as it is of
Titanic") is handled with finesse and elejj
gance, and is sure to bring a tear to
jj
even
\
the most critical eye.
U By bringing the story so effectively to
its foregone conclusion, Morrison overj
:omes the expected predictability and
nanages to create an enchanting journey
Lvhich almost any audience should find
lielightfully tragic. That said, older and
REVIEWS
jlewish crowds in particular will enjoy the
|-nany rich layers the filmmaker (aided by
f.he haunting cinematography of Nina
. ffCellgren and the versatile score of composer
Kant Pan) has added to this oft-told
tale. "Solomon and Gaenor" uses historic
cultures and harsh settings to breathe new
life into a classic story of love and loss.
— Charles Martin
ALICE AND MARTIN *l/2
Starring Juliette Binoche, Alexis Loret,
Mathieu Amalric, Carmen Maura, Pierre
Maguelon, Martha Villalonga and Jeremy
Kreikenmayer. Directed by Andre Techine.
Written by Andre Techine and Gilles
Taurand. Produced by Alain Sarde. A USA
release. Drama. French-language; subtitled.
Rated R for sexuality and some language.
Running time: 123 min.
The presence of Academy Award-winning
actress Juliette Binoche (The English
Patient") isn't enough to save "Alice and
Martin," an overlong, melodramatic
morality tale about facing demons and
how one can never outrun the past.
Following the life story of Martin
(Jeremy Kreikenmayer), the pic opens with
the 10-year-old boy being told by his single
mother (Carmen Maura) that she feels it
best for his future if he go live with the
father he's never met. Understandably
unhappy about the situation, Martin
moves in with his pere (Pierre Maguelon),
a well-respected member of the community
who has a wife and three older sons.
Although willing to take the child, the
patriarch is formal and offish toward his
illegitimate son.
The film fast-forwards 12 years to a
frantic adult Martin (Alexis Loret) running
out of his house and making his way
to Paris, where the only member of his
family with whom he has formed a bond,
his half-brother Benjamin (Matthieu
Amalric), lives. Martin becomes enamored
with Benjamin's roommate Alice
(Binoche), a struggling violinist who at
first dismisses her admirer as "a cute kid."
Her feelings, however, inexplicably change,
and she becomes deeply involved with
Martin, who by this time has found a job
as a model. Accompanying him on a photo
shoot, she informs him that she's pregnant,
and the news triggers a violent reaction in
Martin. Standing by her man, who has
begun to treat her horrifically, Alice eventually
learns about the dark secret that
caused him to flee his father's home.
At just a little over two hours long,
"Alice and Martin" takes a great deal of
time to say a whole lot of nothing. Scenes
meant to offer character insight, such as a
detailed depiction of Martin's journey to
Paris, could have conveyed the same idea
(i.e., he knows how to survive), in a fraction
of the screen time they're given.
Binoche and newcomer Loret turn
decent performances, but ultimately little
can be done to redeem the lackluster
script, which is particularly weak in developing
the character of Alice, who strongly
rejects Martin one moment, then takes his
every abuse the next.
in
Unnecessary, too, is director Andre
Techine's decision to present his narrative
in fractured chronology. Apparently edited
to unveil Martin's deep secret to audiences
at the closing moments of the film,
one hopes that the "surprise ending" wasn't
intended as such. Otherwise, the only
surprise should be Techine's at just how
very predictable the turn of events are.
— Francesco Dinglasan
THE BALLAD OF RAMBLIN' JACK
•*1/2
Starring Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Arlo
Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Kris Kristofferson.
Directed by Aiyana Elliott. Written by
Aiyana Elliott and Dick Dahl. Produced by
Aiyana Elliott, Paul Mezey and Dan
Portland. A Lot 47 release. Documentary.
Unrated. Running time: 112 min.
With his history of hard traveling
and music-making in the company of
legends such as Woody Guthrie and Bob
Dylan, folk singer Ramblin' Jack Elliott
could hardly be a more compelling documentary
subject. But his legacy isn't
particularly well served by daughter
Aiyana Elliott's painfully personal slant
on his life, which operates on the questionable
assumption that the filmmaker's
inability to score some quality time
with her famously elusive, ramblin' pop
will be as fascinating to viewers as the
man himself is.
Though raised the son of a Jewish
doctor in Brooklyn, Elliott remade himself
as a wandering cowboy minstrel
famous for his "authentic" Western persona
and expressive flat-picking guitar
work. When the early-'60s folk craze hit,
Elliott was already something of a mythical
figure to a new generation of folkies
especially Dylan, who copped some of
Elliott's trademark licks and mannerisms
on the way up.
Footage from these early
days, including rare material from the
Guthrie family, is reason enough for anyone
with even a passing interest in folk
music to see the film.
Director Elliott initially builds considerable
dramatic tension telling her
father's colorful, quintessentially
American story, but she squanders the
momentum she's gained by focusing
increasingly on her own personal issues
with a dad she rarely saw growing up. Of
course, no one expects cool objectivity
when a biographer's subject is her own
parent, and Elliott's neglect of his family
is a crucial component to understanding
what made him Ramblin' Jack. But the
younger Elliott's incessant whining that
father and daughter haven't found any
"one-on-one time" on an RV trek through
California starts to grow as tiresome for
the viewer as it obviously is for her dad. By
the time the longish 1 12-minute documentary
is over, we're beginning to sympathize
with the singer's need to escape his family.
— Michael Tunison
August, 2000 (R-92) 55

Directed by Frederic Fonteyne.
Written by
AN AFFAIR OF LOVE ***l/2
Starring Nathalie Baye and Sergi Lopez-
Phillippe Blashand. Produced by Patrick
Quinet. A Fine Line release. Drama. Rated
R for some strong sexual content. Frenchlanguage;
subtitled. Running time: 80 min.
Although initially hatched as "A
Pornographic Affair," director Frederic
Fonteyne's poignant romantic drama has
now been reborn with a less problematic
title: "An Affair of Love." Vive la difference!
The two-character story by screenwriter
Phillippe Blasband uses a mockumentary
conceit, in which an unseen interviewer
separately asks Lui (Sergi Lopez)
and Elle (Nathalie Baye) about their former
liaison. The narrative begins in present
time with this he says/she says
approach, but is soon illustrated by flashbacks
of the couple's unusual coupling.
They meet when Lui responds to an
anonymous ad that Elle has placed in a
skin mag. It
turns out the sexual fantasies
she wants to pursue, never specified for the
audience, perfectly match his own.
She's a savvy, confident older woman;
he's a somewhat shy, charming and sensitive
guy. Beyond that, they reveal no factual
details about themselves during each
friendly chat over drinks at a Parisian cafe
and increasingly amorous afternoon
encounters at a nearby hotel. Even with
honest intentions, it seems such assignations
are more alluring when veiled.
Secrets are better than lies. Yet these are
decent people, unable to keep their emotions
from overtaking their erotica.
As usual, the graceful Baye gives the
kind of performance that shines without
being flashy. Lopez is a revelation as a
thinking woman's hunk. At once carnal
and cerebral, the chemistry between them
remains nuanced in that oh-so-French way.
While the necessary sensuality is evident,
Fonteyne allows what goes on between the
and Rona Munro. Produced by Gunter
Rohrbach and Hanno Huth. A Zeitgeist
release. Drama. German-language; subtitled.
Not yet rated. Running time: 125 min.
Germany's official Academy Award
entry for Best Foreign Film, "Aimee &
Jaguar" offers an absorbing twist on the
tried-and-true bigscreen formula of opposites
attracting. Set in Germany at the
height of World War II, the film follows
the true-life tale of Felice (Maria
Schrader), a Jewish woman hiding her
identity by working at a pro-Hitler newspaper,
and Lilly (Juliane Kohler), a Nazisympathizing
housewife whose husband is
fighting in the war.
REVIEWS
Despite the constant threat of being
discovered and sent to a concentration
camp, Felice is determined to live life as
she always has. For her and her group of
friends, who are also disguising their
Jewish identities, that means enjoying
themselves as socially active, hedonistic
lesbians. During one of her usual evenings
out on the town, Felice encounters and
becomes instantly attracted to Lilly, who
she begins to romantically pursue through
the aid of Use (Johanna Wokalek). a mutual
acquaintance. Although initially
shocked at Felice's proposition. Lilly, who
is no stranger to extramarital affairs, finds
that she shares her admirer's feelings. The
two adopt the nicknames of "Aimee" and
"Jaguar" for one another and become
inseparable until outside threats, including
the return of Lilly's husband and the discovery
of Felice's secret, begin to undermine
the relationship.
While at times a bit too slow, especially
during a handful of love scenes that verge
on being gratuitous, the strength of the two
lead actresses as desperate, devoted lovers is
enough to engage audiences throughout
the entire pic. Francesco Dinglasan
MAD ABOUT MAMBO •••1/2
Starring William Ash, Keri Russell and
Brian Cox. Directed and written by John
Forte. Produced by David P. Kelly. A USA
release. Romantic comedy. Rated PG-li for
language. Running time: 92 min.
A would-be soccer star from the wrong
side of the tracks takes up Latin American
ballroom dancing to improve his game. He
meets a poor little rich girl at dance class
and she hates him on sight. Of course they
will fall in love and tango together into the
sunset; nothing is more certain. But it is
the appealing way they do it and the
unusual background in which it is all set
that make this one so much better than
many of its contemporaries.
The location is Belfast and the Troubles
sheets to be explicit without becoming the
least bit graphic. Susan Green
are ever present, like the allegorical 800-
pound gorilla. But wisely writer/director
AIMEE & JAGUAR •*•
John Forte doesn't make a big deal out of
Starring Maria Schroder, Julianc them. They are just there, bound up with
Koh/er, Johanna Wokalek. Heike Makatsch all the religious differences. In fact, his
and Elisabeth Degen. Directed by Max
Belfast is a terribly normal place, with people
Farberbock. Written by Max Farberbock
having the same hopes and dreams as
those in other industrialized nations (with
the addition of heavily armed soldiers at
the occasional checkpoint).
Forte creates wonderfully quirky characters
and gets great performances from a
young cast. So he deserves the great good
fortune of having cast Keri Russell as the
rich kid right before she landed the role of
TV's "Felicity." Not only will she help the
film find an audience in the U.S., but when
this was shot she still
had those glorious
curls. It also is worth noting that the
adorable Ms. Russell not only dances like a
dream but acts as beautifully as she looks.
Her handling of the tricky accent is particularly
convincing.
Playing opposite her in this charming
and often very funny little film is William
Ash, who has been acting since he was a
child and is well-known in Britain. This
will help spread the word of his talents.
Mike Kerrigan
SHOWER *•••
Starring Pu Cun Xin, Zhu Xu and Jiang
Wu. Directed by Zhang Yang. Written by
Liu Fen Don, Zhang Yang, Huo Xin, Diao Yi
Nan and Cai Xiang Jun. Produced by Peter
Loehr. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
Drama. Mandarin Chinese-language; subtitled.
Not yet rated. Running time: 94 min.
A poignant meditation on the nature of
family and community in modern-day
China, "Shower" is but the latest in a long
line of inspired Chinese masterworks,
marking the emergence of yet another
world-class talent in co-writer/director
Zhang Yang.
The friction between tradition and
progress provides the backdrop to Zhang's
lyrical character piece about Da Ming
("The Blue Kite's" Pu Cun Xin), an
estranged son who returns to his Beijing
home after mistakenly interpreting a postcard
from his retarded brother Er Ming
("To Live's" Jiang Wu) as an announcement
that their father. Master Liu ("King
of Masks'" Zhu Xu), has died. When he
arrives, Da Ming finds things little different
from when he left years earlier to chase
a more cosmopolitan lifestyle in the progressive
Shenzhen region. His father and
brother are both well, and the men's bathhouse
that has been his father's daily preoccupation
for more than three decades
remains as busy and popular as ever. It is,
in fact, much more than simply a bathhouse.
It is a communal center where men
gather to enjoy the benefits of socialization—to
play games, trade stories and
enjoy Master Liu's massages and medicinal
treatments.
As a series of unforeseen circumstances
conspire to keep Da Ming from leaving, he
finds himself again drawn into the life from
which he so desperately once wanted to
escape—a ritualistic existence defined by
obedience to tradition and loyalty to family.
Master Liu, on the other hand, sees his life
as a calling, an opportunity to serve the
community and provide Er Ming the love
and protection he cannot secure for himself.
Simultaneously provocative and poetic,
"Shower" is almost perfect dramatic storytelling,
as purely humanistic a film as audiences
are likely to ever see, staged with
utmost consideration for a cast of remarkable
actors. Jiang Wu, so memorable as the
shy, crippled son-in-law in "To Live," handles
the most difficult role here, transforming
an otherwise intolerable sentimental
cliche into a heartfelt, three-dimensional
character whose quiet willingness to overlook
the conflicts around him lays the
groundwork for a prodigal son's eventual
reconciliation with his past. Wade Major
56 (R-93) BOXOFFICE

REVIEWS
LARGE FORMAT REVIEWS
ADVENTURES IN WILD CALIFORNIA •••
Directed by Greg MacGillivray. Written by Mark Krenzien.
Produced by Greg MacGillivray, Mark Krenzien and Alec
Lorimore. A MacGillivray Freeman release. Unrated. Running
time: 40 min.
Greg MacGillivray has the best job in the movies. For more
than 30 years he has traveled the world, capturing unforgettable
images to be shown on giant screens. He
also has, arguably, the toughest job,
because each time he has to find images
impressive enough to keep audiences coming
back for more.
In "Adventures in Wild California,"
MacGillivray has at least of couple of
moments that are guaranteed to be something
never seen before. By far the most
impressive is
a trip inside the second tallest
tree on the planet. That's right— inside.
A 265-foot tall sequoia has been
rumored to be hollow in the center and
botanist Steve Sillett, with an Imax crew in
tow, sets out to investigate. This involves
climbing the 2,000-year-old giant and then lowering themselves,
.::• plus gear, into a vertical living cave that turns out to be 130 feet
ikiI
deep. The results are some truly awesome pictures and statistics.
As the cameras rolls in the tiny space Dr. Sillett casually examines
wood that dates back to sometime B.C.
Another amazing visual is Dr. Peter Sharpe dangling at the end
3f a cable slung below a helicopter, returning a bald eagle chick
to a nest high on a cliff on Catalina Island, 26 miles off the coast
of Los Angeles. The egg had been taken from the nest and
latched in the lab because DDT pollution had made the shells
oo thin to survive naturally.
Then comes the sequel. Mom bald eagle shows up and takes
i
look at the newborn. With a highly creditable show of equanimity,
the fierce looking bird pauses for only a moment—as if to
;ay, "Hey, this place didn't look like this when I left!"—before
oughing up lunch for her baby.
There is some filler, but one clever cut alone is worth the price
Df admission: During a thrilling roller coaster ride in Disneyland,
he viewer hurtles into the blackness of a tunnel. ..only to emerge
lying over the Sequoia National Park. Mike Kerrigan
MICHAEL JORDAN TO THE MAX ***l/2
Starring Michael Jordan. Directed by James D. Stern and Don
Kempf. Written by Jonathan Hock and James D. Stern. Produced
iy Don Kempf, Steve Kempf and James D. Stern. A Giant Screen
iports release. Documentary. Unrated. Running time: 46 min.
By using state-of-the-art time-bending visual technology, the
film opens with a coming-at-you
"bullet time" shot sequence of a
slam-dunk originating from the
free throw line, with an in-theround
"Matrix" twist. It is at that
point the audience realizes
"Michael Jordan to the Max" isn't
your average documentary.
Narrated by Laurence Fishburne,
"To the Max" chronicles Michael
Jordan's farewell 1997-98 season
with the Chicago Bulls as they
make a successful run to winning their sixth World
Championship. The film seats viewers courtside and even on
the hardwood floor. Because the action is larger than life on the
Imax screen, one feels like a phantom player in the middle of
the furiously-paced sport as the in-your-face basketball action
causes spectators' bodies to instinctively move when the players
are running toward the camera.
The film documents how Chicago Bulls No. 23 gave his all
and then some, whether for the good of the team or for first-time
visitors that had never seen him play in
person. But the film also
depicts the trying times in Jordan's life. Failing to make the basketball
team in his sophomore year is what fired him up for the
sport; he vowed that he would never let himself feel that he wasn't
good enough. In Jordan's professional career, he missed
1 3,1 56 baskets and, by example, he showed how not to let past
failures hinder his future performances. He was the first one to
practice and the last one to leave as he struggled to make his
weaknesses his strengths. This exploration of Jordan's superhuman
focus gives a keen insight into his psyche as he uses discipline,
determination, dedication, teamwork, fear, disappointment
and failure to make himself and those around him both physically
and mentally strong. This triumphant story of an extremely positive
role model is a rewarding treat. Dwayne E. Leslie
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: JOURNEY OF MAN ***l/2
Directed by Keith Melton. Written by Steve Roberts & Peter
Wagg. Produced by Peter Wagg and Andre Picard. A Sony
Pictures Classic release. Documentary/lmax 3-D. Rated G.
Running time: 38 min.
In the last decade and a half, the Cirque du Soleil has reinvented
circus-going as the animals have been replaced with stunning
visuals and breathtaking acrobatics. Currently eight productions
are playing on three continents. Now the experience has
been translated to a format that can do it justice, on an 80-foot
screen in three dimensions.
The Cirque set pieces are taken
to heights that surpass even the
amazing standards the company
has already set. This is in no small
part due to taking the acts out from
under the big top and putting them
in natural locations. Trapeze artists
on bungee chords are dressed in
fantastic yellow costumes and put
in a lush jungle setting. There they
swoop and fly through the foliage, trailing streamers behind them
like a flock of wild birds. The effect is majestic and very beautiful
but only one of many equally awe-inspiring scenes.
There is an underwater ballet that is so authentic that you may
be tempted to hold your breath as you bob and weave with the
swimmers. A strongman act, spinning and tossing a huge metal
cube, is placed at night on a mountaintop in the Arizona desert.
Two human statues perform an achingly slow motion routine on a
lily pad in the middle of a pond. Aerial acrobats go through their
paces—creating a tower four people high—in a baronial hall.
The acts are linked together in a typical Cirque way, with a
pompous, pseudo-psychological commentary thai attempts to
weave the whole thing into the journey of a life. It's all terribly
overblown but, despite the sonorous tones of Ian McKellan, is
easy enough to ignore. The images and the music more than
speak for themselves. Mike Kerrigan
August, 2000 (R-94) 57

CHICKEN RUN ••*
Voiced *>' Me/ G/foon, /«/

DREAMERS
•••
Starring Mark Ballou, Jeremy Jordan,
Courtney Gains, Portia Dawson, Ruth De
Sosa, Camille Gaston, Brian Krause and
Paul Bartel. Directed and written by Ann
Lu. Produced by Artie Glackin. An
American Anvil release. Drama. Unrated.
Running time: 93 min.
When a debut filmmaker makes his or
her first project about the woes of making
a debut film, it's usually problematic. Not
so for writer/director Ann Lu; her first
film, "Dreamers," is about two young
men trying to fulfill their dreams in
Tinseltown, but fortunately
Lu's story has more to do
with the process of breaking
away from traditional
things than the goings-on
of the Hollywood movie
scene. When we first meet
her lead characters, Ethan
("In and Out's" Mark
Ballou) and Dave ("Never
Been Kissed's" Jeremy
Jordan), they're young boys
living in the heartland with
dreams of coming to
Hollywood. When they
finally make it they find out a simple
truth—dreams don't always come true.
Lu's film looks low-budget, which is it,
and her script is sometimes clumsy, but
there's something real in her work.— Tim
Cogshell
TITAN A.E. ***l/2
Voiced by Matt Damon, Drew
Barrymore, Bill Pullman, John
Leguizamo, Nathan Lane and Janeane
Garofalo. Directed by Don Bluth and Gary
Goldman. Written by Ben Edlund, John
August and Joss Whedon. Produced by
David Kirschner, Don Bluth and Gary
Goldman. A Fox release. Animated
Adventure. Rated PG for action violence,
mild sensuality and brief language.
Running time: 95 min.
Leap-frogging similar recent efforts by
the more richly-funded animation divisions
at Disney and DreamWorks, 20th
Century Fox's "Titan A.E." is a triumphant
milestone, a fluid fusion of traditional
and computer-generated animation
in what is easily the most mature and
visually stimulating animated feature yet
from a major Hollywood studio.
Set in the year 3028, "Titan A.E." tells
the story of an orphaned Luke
Skywalker-like hero named Cale (Matt
Damon), the son of a mighty scientist
who vanished many years earlier when a
strange bio-mechanical race of energy
beings known as the Drej attacked and
destroyed the Earth, causing humanity's
remnants to be scattered throughout the
universe in small space-faring colonies.
Years later, hope arrives in the form of a
roguish Han Solo-type former confederate
of Cale's father named Korso (Bill
REVIEWS
FLASHBACK: December, 1967
What BOXOFFICE Said About...
BEDAZZLED
[Fox will release its remake of this comedy classic on August 1 1, with Brendan
Fraser in the Dudley Moore role and Flizabeth Hurley as the Devil.]
Short order cook Dudley Moore is madly in love with waitress Eleanor Bron, but
much too timid to approach her. He goes home to hang himself, but the Prince of
Darkness (Peter Cook) appears and gives Moore seven wishes in return for Moore's
soul. But Cook is sneaky and gives Moore false advice in
order to waste the wishes. Moore has no more success in
pursuing Bron during his dream-like existences of the wishes
than in real life.
Chances are no holiday release this year will
have audiences
laughing as long and hard as "Bedazzled," a gem of
satire so aptly titled. This sophisticated romp represents the
ideal blending of all the diverse talents which make up the
communal efforts of a finished film. Peter Cook and Dudley
Moore, seen in "The Wrong Box" and remembered for their
"Beyond the Fringe" international stage success, came up
with the story. Cook then wrote the screenplay and Moore
did the music. They play the devil and the proverbial "little
man," respectively, and are a pure delight. Producer-director
Stanley Donen, always one of the most stylish and literally cinematic of today's
directors, seems to have taken special relish in this hilarious brew. Eleanor Bron,
fast becoming one of England's busiest actresses ("HELP!', "Two for the Road" and
"Alfie"), is the love of Moore's life. She is a fine actress, whether in drama or comedy.
Raquel Welch as boxoffice bait has never looked so ravishing nor acted so well
in her bit part as Lillian Lust.
EXPLOITIPS:
Play up the Devil, using an usher in a devil's costume. Provocative cut-outs of
Raquel Welch as Lust will be effective advertising promotion. For sophisticated
audiences, use the critical acclaim as one of the best comedies this year.
Tie in
with music shops and radio programs for the Dudley Moore score.
CATCHLINES:
Let the Devil "Bedazzle" You With Laffs and "Lust". ..Who Said Hell Isn't Funny?
Pullman) who reveals to Cale that his
DNA carries a kind of interstellar map to
his late father's crowning achievement,
the Titan project, reportedly the key to
reuniting mankind and restoring their
place in the universe.
No sooner does Cale join Korso and
his crew—which includes the fetching
Akima (Drew Barrymore), Wookie-like
first mate Preed (Nathan Lane), toadish
navigator Gune (John Leguizamo) and a
temperamental kangaroo-esque weapons
specialist named Stith (Janeane
Garofalo)—than the Drej appear in hot
pursuit, determined to let nothing stand
between them and the long overdue
destruction of Cale and the Titan project.
A classic messianic science fiction epic
in the mold of "Star Wars," "Battlestar
Gallactica," "The Matrix," and "Logan's
Run." "Titan A.E." is by-the-book Joseph
Campbell-style myth-making, a kind of
junkyard Rolls Royce that ultimately
transcends its more derivative parts to
form a more fascinating, infinitely entertaining
whole. Produced and directed by
veterans Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
("Anastasia") from a script by Ben
Edlund, John August and Joss Whedon.
the film employs conventional handdrawn
artwork for the human and animist
characters, while using computer imaging
to create the space environments, spacecraft
and the Drej. If the contrast
between the two seems stark and jarring
at first, it's likely just the shock of seeing
something so radically new and untried.
Once the film's characters and story take
shape, viewers will invariably warm to the
approach, which features a series of set
pieces as thrilling as anything previouslyseen
in live action science fiction films. On
the whole, it's a monumental achievement,
and one which so far outshines its
few shortcomings (several overly convenient
plot turns and a somewhat pat resolution)
that it almost seems unfair to cite
them.— Wade Major
August, 2000 (R-96) 59

Vista release. Action. Rated PG-13 for violence,
sexuality and language. Running
time: 118 min.
"Gone in 60 Seconds" has Jerry
Bruckheimer written all over it, from the
moment his production shingle's logo
(you know the one— its starts out with a
lightning bolt after which the camera zips
along a desert highway) neatly segues into
the pic's opening credits.
Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas
Cage, a Bruckheimer regular, having
starred in "Con Air" and "The Rock") is
a retired car thief who spends his days
teaching grade-school kids how to race
bumper cars until an old acquaintance
apprises him that there's trouble back
home in Long Beach. His younger brother
Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) has taken up his
old line of work. Having accidentally
busted up a major boost. Kip's now being
held accountable, and in order to save his
life, Memphis has to deliver 50 cars—one
of which is his "unicorn." a'67 Shelby
GT500—to a boat ready to sail in three
days.
Revisiting old haunts, Memphis
reassembles his old crew—including Otto
Halliwell (Robert Duvall), who'd strip the
cars Memphis pinched, and Sarah
"Sway" Wayland (Angelina Jolie, in an
underwritten role), his ex-partner in more
ways than one—and convinces them to
give up the straight-and-narrow routine
for one last night of fun. Accepting help
from Kip and his crew of stock characters—the
computer geek, the chatty hiphop
scam artist armed with hi-tech gizmos,
the thug and the guy who can order
a mean pizza— Memphis designs a plan
to fill the order in one night, before his
old nemesis Detective Roland Castlebeck
(Delroy Lindo) catches on.
If ever there was a movie for which the
phrase "high-octane" was coined, this
it. Loud music, dramatic camera angles
and harrowing car chases reaching
upwards of 160 miles per hour nearly
drown out the sappy drama that seeps in
anyway, spawning lines such "A brother's
love is a brother's love." Likewise, the
generous doses of humor are good for a
belly laugh during the course of the
movie until one realizes that the jokes
really aren't all that clever and in fact
you've heard them before. Finally, the car
chases—for which the original 1974 version
was notorious—are fun and, for the
most part, inherent to the script, but one
can't help observing that most of
Memphis' narrow escapes can be attributed
to luck rather than any sort of driving
skill. Annlee Ellingson
is
REVIEWS
GONE IN 60 SECONDS **l/2 POP & ME ***1/2
Starring Nicolas Cage, Giovanni Ribisi,
Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall, Delroy
Lindo and Will Patton. Directed by
Dominic Sena. Written by Scott
Rosenberg. Produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer and Mike Stenson. A Buena
Starring, written and produced by Chris
Roe and Richard Roe. Directed by Chris
Roe. A Seventh Art Release. Documentary.
Unrated. Running time: 92 min.
As Father's Day looms, the debut film
of Chris Roe. "Pop & Me," should be on
any list of father/son things to do. This
intriguing documentary chronicles a sixmonth
trip around the world taken by the
filmmaker and his father, Richard. During
their journey—which stretches from Los
Angeles to the Bronx, Prague, Jerusalem
and Australia—the itinerant father and
son talk to other fathers and sons about
their relationships, including an impromptu
chat with a kid named Julian about his
famous father, John. At once funny and
poignant, "Pop & Me" is an insightful
journey that will make you want to call
you father.— Tim Cogshell
RUNNING FREE
••
Starring Chase Moore and Jan Decleir.
Narrated by Lukas Haas. Directed by Sergei
Bodrov. Written by Jean-Jacques Annaud
and Jeanne Rosenberg. Produced by Jean-
Jacques Annaud. A Columbia release.
Drama. Rated G. Running time: 84 min.
Horses are bold and beautiful and they
have minds of their own. but they don't
and shouldn't—talk like Lukas Haas. This
movie's stunning visuals and simple but
strong story are undercut by the heavyhanded
voice-over which finds Haas
speaking for the lead horse. Lucky, as he
strives to survive running free. It's cloying,
it's anthropopathism and furthermore it
doesn't seem at all necessary. That's
because the horses prove themselves fine
and convincing performers doing what
horses do naturally—with a few of the
naughty bits cut out. because this is, after
all. a G-rated movie.
The story reveals how horses forced to
work in the copper mines in South Africa
prior to World War I become a feral herd
free to gallop the desert sand dunes and
mountain valleys. People impede or aid
their journey in the tradition of classic animal/human
interaction fact and fable.
Chase Moore as the orphaned stable hand
who rears the foal and Maria Geelbooi as
the young bushman who befriends him are
at ease in their connection with the animals
and their expression of feelings.
Geelbooi's stunning looks undermine the
facade that she's a boy, but that doesn't
really matter in terms of the story; young
Lucky is also played by a female, Nisha,
which is somewhat more perplexing for
those who can tell the difference.
In fact, sex seems to be one of the main
problems with the film, or rather its coyness
about sex, which after all is the driving force
of Lucky 's desire to rule the roost on his
own terms. For a film designed to remind us
of the glory and rights of animals, it seems
a more sophisticated way could have been
found at certain moments to deal with the
truth without seeming to strive too hard for
that G rating. Bridget Byrne
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER FILMS
The alphabetical list below notes the issue of BOXOFFICE in which our review of an
upcoming film appeared, the star rating and the distributor/release date information.
"Broken Hearts League" • ••: SPC, 9129; see July 2000.
"But I'm a Cheerleader" **: Lions Gate, 717; see November 1999.
"Chuck and Buck" ••••: Artisan, 7114; see July 2000.
"Crime + Punishment in Suburbia" ••: MGM, 9115; see April 2000.
"Double Parked" ••1/2: Castle Hill, 9122; see April 2000.
"Five Senses" ••••: Fine Line, 7114; see September 1999.
"Gil/fight" **l/2: Columbia, 9129; see April 2000.
"Girl on the Bridge" **l/2: Paramount Classics, 7128; see November 1999.
"Goat on Fire and Smiling Fish" **l/2: Stratosphere, 8125; see April 2000.
"Gova in Bordeaux" ••: SPC, 9115; see November 1999.
"Left Luggage" ••••: Castle Hill, 9122; see June 1999.
"Love and Sex" •••1/2: Lions Gate, 8118; see April 2000.
"Love's Labour's Lost" ••••: Miramax, 619; see June 2000.
"The Opportunists" **l/2: First Look, 8111; see April 2000.
"Orfeu" ••1/2: New Yorker, 8125; see November 1999.
"Pola X" ••: Winstar, August!September undated; see July 1999.
"Psycho Beach Party" ••: Strand, 814; see April 2000.
"Saving Grace" •••: Fine Line, 814; see April 2000.
"Steal This Movie" ••: Lions Gate, 8125; see July 2000.
"The Tao of Steve" •••: SPC, 814; see July 2000.
"Things You Can Tell..." •••: MGM, JulylAugust undated; see April 2000.
"Went to Coney Island..." •••: Phaedra, 8125; see June 2000.
"Whipped" ••: Destination, 911; see March 2000.
"The Wind Will Cany Us" ••: New Yorker, 7128; see December 1999.
"The Wisdom of Crocodiles" •••: Miramax, 7114; see Nov. 1999.
"Woman on Top" •••1/2: Fox Searchlight, 9122; see June 2000.
"Wonderland" ••••: USA, 7128; see July 1999.
60 (R-97) BOXOFFICE

REVIEWS
BIG
**
Starring
MOMMA'S
Martin
HOUSE
Lawrence,
Nia Long and Paul Giamatti.
Directed by Raja Gosnell.
Written by Darryl Quarks and
Don Rhymer. Produced by
David T. Friendly and Michael
Green. A Fox release. Comedy.
Rated PG-13 for crude humor
including sexual innuendo, and
for language and some violence.
Running time: 99 min.
Martin Lawrence's man-of-
1 ,000-faces hero may be able to
instantly transform himself into
a corpulent old lady with some
latex and a few pillows, but all
the padding in the world can't
disguise what "Big Momma's
House" is— the uninspired execution
of a one-joke idea. This
concealed-identity comedy is
routine studio filler, and one of
the weakest efforts to date for
funnyman Lawrence.
When a murderous bank
robber ("The Best Man's"
Terrence Howard) busts out of
jail, Lawrence's FBI agent
Malcolm Turner and his more
reserved comic-foil partner
("Man on the Moon's" Paul
Giamatti) are assigned to keep
an eye on the escapee's former
girlfriend and suspected collaborator,
Sherry (Nia Long from
"Soul Food"). To gain the latter's
confidence, Malcolm pulls
out his handy disguise kit, whips
up a preposterously lifelike
mask and bodysuit, and passes
himself off as Sherry's longestranged
grandmother, the tituig
Momma (who is
conveniently
called out of town for a
couple of weeks just after the
agents arrive). Cue one gag after
another based on the fact that
no one in Big Momma's small
Georgia town realizes she's been
replaced by a virile young man.
The formulaic script is most
imusing when the hook is
Dushed to the extreme, such as
tfhen the fake Big Momma
ticks butt in a women's selfiefense
class or hangs on the
im after stuffing a basketball
i street pick-up game.
Jnfortunately, most of the
naterial is far tamer, and not
ven the talented Lawrence can
nake it very funny. Without
ven enough standout bits to
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2
***1/2
Starring Tom Cruise,
Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton
and ling Rhames. Directed by
John Woo. Written by Robert
Towne. Produced by Tom Cruise
and Paula Wagner. A Paramount
release. Action-Thriller. Rated
PG-13 for intense sequences of
violent action and some sensuality.
Running time: 123 min.
After an extended hiatus to
indulge his artier side in such
films as "Eyes Wide Shut" and
"Magnolia," Tom Cruise snaps
back into mega-star mode with
"Mission: Impossible 2," a predictably
high-tech, thrill-a-second
follow-up to the 1996
blockbuster based on the
"60s/'70s-era spy series. With
action king John Woo taking
over directing chores from suspense
king Brian DePalma, it
should come as no surprise that
the sequel is bigger, faster and
more frenetic than the first.
The story is a straightforward
biotech thriller—the millennial
equivalent of the Cold
War thriller—that finds Ethan
Hunt (Cruise) called in to track
down a former colleague-gonebad:
a brogue-sporting baddy
named Sean Ambrose (Dougray
Scott in sneer mode) who is
believed to have stolen a genetically
engineered supervirus and
its antidote. Hunt is given only
one prerequisite for assembling
his team—that it
include a civilian
thief named Nyah Hall
(Thandie Newton), whom he
promptly recruits and just as
quickly seduces. It's only then
that Hunt is made to understand
that Hall's value to the
team has less to do with her
skills as a thief than her onetime
relationship with Ambrose.
The ensuing chess match
between Ambrose and Hunt
makes full use of the genre
toolkit—elaborate
disguises,
daring break-ins and escapes,
double- and triple-crosses and
space age satellite tracking to
name only a few— while adding
enough of Woo's elaborately
choreographed car chases, gun
battles and martial arts fight
sequences to please a wide
spectrum of fans. In the hands
of any other director, such pro-
obble into a decent trailer. fusion as Woo wallows in here
Momma" is something less would be labeled self-indulgent.
han big in the laughs departnent.
Michael Tunison
of the fun.— Wade
But with Woo, the excess is part
Major
Review Digest
Genre key: (Ac) Action; (Ail) Adventure: (Am) Animated;
(C) Comedy; (D) Drama: (Doc) Documentary; (F) Fantasy; (Hor)
Horror, (M) Musical; (My) Mystery; ( R) Romance: (Sat) Satire;
(SF) Science Fiction; (Sus) Suspense; (Th) Thriller. (W) Western.
American Psycho R (
-1 £ 3
u *5 £
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ISSSSHSffi?
HOME RELEASE CHART
August 2000
HOME VIDEO
RELEASE
DATE

ADVERTISERS INDEX

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
RATES: $ 1
00 per word, minirr

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SEAT AND BACK COVERS Most fabrics in stock.
Molded cushions. Cy Young Industries Inc.. 800-729-
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"WHILE THE THEATRE SLEEPS zzzzz" On-site
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MARQUEES
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FLAGS/FLAG POLES
SERVICES
ALTEC, JBL, E.V. SPEAKER RECONING: Factory
authorized service, fast turnaround. We stock
diaphragms tor popular theatre drivers. Cardinal
Sound & Motion Picture Systems Inc. Dealer
inquiries welcome (3011 595-8811.
ASC COMPANIES CINEMA SYSTEMS CROUP. A
family of technology providers since 1937.
Equipment sales— booth design— installation/preventive
maintenance and emergency service. 7027
Twin Hills Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75231 or (800)
424-0701; fax (214) 691-8949; email: Bruces@asccompanies.com.
CALL ME about rebuilding your intermittents, projectors
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Pinky Pinkston at 1903) 523-4912. Pinkston Sales
and Service, Rt. 1, Box 72-H, Sadler, TX 76264.
COME TO LAS VEGAS! 3-in-l business. Acting
school, talent agency, theatre. Agency is a S.A.G.
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in both local and national communities. Call Todd
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Concession, Snack Bar and Janitorial Supplies
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For The Best In Service. . .Give Us a Call
INEMA SUPPLY COMPANY. INC.
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WWW.BIGSCREENBIZ.COM. A business to business
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Still Using a Spreadsheet to
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AD INFO FAXBACK FORM
Send once, reach manyI
August, 2000 65

Close Focus
SUBJECT: HAMID HASHEMI
TITLE: President and Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY: Muvico Theaters, Ft. Lauderdale
Which do you use most: PC, pen, pencil, email or phone?
Phone.
What's your favorite least essential item in your office?
A tabletop basketball hoop.
Which are the two best supplier companies, and why?
Proctor Companies, because of its commitment to quality and understanding of
theatre deadlines, and Hollywood Theatre Equipment, for its customer service.
What is your favorite concession when you're at a movie?
Popcorn.
Who is the best exhibition analyst, and why?
Daniel M. O'Neill from CS First Boston. He has a good understanding of the
various issues that our industry is faced with.
If exhibition elves were at work in the industry, what might their best bit of
midnight magic be?
Make all the multiplexes go away.
When you enter a Muvico theatre, what's the first thing you check? Exiting, what's the last?
The first thing is the friendliness of our crew members, and the last thing is if the
garbage cans outside the entrance are overflowing.
The next exhibition convention after Down Under's Australian International Movie
Convention, detailed in this issue, is back Stateside and Down South Aug. 15-16 in
Orlando, Fla.—the 2000 home of the newly mobile ShowSouth, hosted by the five-state
Southeastern NATO—at which Mr. Hashemi will be honored as this year's ShowSouth
Statesman. For information on ShowSouth, call Saundra Conner at 770-455-8988. Our
September issue, our annual Buyers Directory number, will also include a pre-show
special report on the new ShowSouth, plus features on Muvico and Southern exhibition.
66 BOXOFFICE

SUPERIOR SOUND MHDE SIMPLE.
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gital Cinema Monitor.
s Digital Cinema Monitors are designed to make today's
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n used with QSC's Digital Cinema Amplifier (OCA) Series,
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iplified Installation
)/
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mimum w^w
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s also allow you to quickly set crossover parameters using
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ipular cinema speaker models to ensure proper configuration
L,C,R,SL,SR&SUB
ur system every time.
terior Sound
i\ signal processing (DSP) in the DCM maximizes your
m's performance. Crossover frequency, delay, parametric
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polarity and gain can be precisely adjusted for
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Response No. 501