Boxoffice-December.2000

THE BUSINESS MMRZINE OF THE GLOBAL MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY DECEMBER 2000, $3. 95 

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.NEW 

650

1 

show 

FADE IN... 

Based on the results, it was hard to believe 

H on-October 

— weather in Lake 

Geneva, Wis., saw a double-digit percentage 

increase in attendance despite the current 

financial troubles in the industry. Given the 

that this was only the second year for the 

known as 

aB^ the Geneva. 

_ 

J 

MM 

The midwestern 

^^^58 .'V 

;4H 

industry con- 

'***' vention, held in 

I gorgeous nigh- 

resort setting, attendees did an admirable job 

of keepand 

on the issues at hand. Seminar-laden 

and boasting a productive trade-show presence, 

the NATO Midwest Geneva Convention 

seems on its way to 

becoming a mustgo 

on exhibition's 

between-the-coasts 

event calendar. 

And it's always 

nice to be recognized. 

During the 

Geneva's closing 

luncheon, show cochair 

Bruce Olson presnted BOXOFFICE publisher 

Bob Dietmeier (photos below) with the 

Geneva's Appreciation Award. For more on 

the convention, see our 

coverage inside this issue. 

Next month: Our annual look at the Giants 

of North American Exhibition.

SPECIAL REPORT: ASIAN CINEMA / CINEASIA 2000 

The Industry Standard: In this issue, we take our annual look at the Asian cinema marketplace via coverage 

timed for the seventh annual CineAsia gathering, this year being held in Hong Kong Nov. 14-16. 

30 COVER STORY: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" 

The Wuxia Pian genre receives a contemporary reworking by multi-continent filmmaker 

Ang Lee in Sony Classics' "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," bowing stateside this 

month. BOXOFFICE interviews Ang Lee and star Michelle Yeoh. By Wade Major 

32 SNEAK PREVIEW: "in the Mood for Love" 

Noted Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai and stars Tony Leung and 

Maggie Cheung discuss the "simple.. .like a Hitchcock film" love 

story that shone with two wins at this year's Cannes fest and that 

debuts in America next February via USA Films. By Wade Major 

34 ASIAN VOICES: Thomas Chung, CineAsia Producer of the Year 

Says the managing director of Media Asia, "It is up to us to continue to. ..dream of ideas that will not only 

impress Asian audiences, but that will attract European and American customers and distributors.... The 

exodus of premium talent to Hollywood [has] created room for a new wave." By Wade Major 

35 ASIAN VOICES: Taiwanese Filmmaker Edward Yang 

Reports the director of the expanding "Yi Yi" on the state of Taiwanese exhibition, "Most of the 

[locally owned] theatres are going bankrupt because no one goes there. Everyone goes to Warner 

Village.... Hollywood mainstream studios are also treading on dangerous water." By Wade Major 

36 GIANTS OF EXHIBITION: Asia 

The top ten: From Hong Kong's Edko to Japan's Warner Mycal, 

we provide executive rosters, screen and site statistics and 

locations, plus corporate contact information, including email 

and website addresses. Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan 

38 ASIAN EXHIBITION SHOWCASE: Bombay's 7Gs 

Gaiety, Galaxy, Gem, Gemini, Glamour, Gossip, Grace: The 

seven auditoriums of Manoj Desai's seven-screener in Bombay's 

Bandra area range from 42 seats to 972 seats, providing 

flexibility to program all types of film. By Melissa Morrison

insurance 

services 

for the 

theatre 

industry 

MAILROOM 

ELEGIAC EXHIBITOR 

Dear BOXOFFICE: 

The story and picture layout of the 

Rialto Theatre in El Dorado, Ark., in 

your September issue was excellent 

Having started my lifelong association 

with the exhibition industry in the old 

movie palaces of Loews Theatres in 

Boston; Syracuse, N.Y.; Columbus, Ohio; 

etc., etc., I retain many fond memories ol 

those days. Seeing a theatre of that era 

still in operation and being recognized b> 

your magazine is very pleasing. 

Sincerely, 

Rein Rabakukk 

Executive Director 

South Central States NATO 

Response No. 70 

THE PER-FECT 

ONLINE TICKETING SOLUTION? 


[The online ticketing article in th« 

October issue of BOXOFFICE (page 54) 

was a good story on all of the players 

This was the only item that was misquoted: 

"Fandango. Wood says, will launch 

with a service charge that will be a pertransaction, 

not per-ticket, fee." We 

(Cinemark) launched our site, cinemark. 

com, with a per-transaction fee 

Fandango charges and currently stil 

plans to charge a per-ticket fee. Wher 

Cinemark moves our ticketing tc 

Fandango we are recommending that 

they honor our per-transaction model. 

Philip Wood 

Vice President, Information Systems 

Cinemark Theatres 

BACK TO BASICS 


I would like to respond to all the let 

ters defending and opposing digita 

cinema. 

Not being in the industry and jus 

being a moviegoer, I think — [and 

believe] most people would agree—that 

really doesn't matter what format 

movie is playing in as long as: 

1. THE TICKET PRICES DON' 

GO UP! 

2. [Exhibitors] cut down the wait tim 

at concession stands. 

3. [Cinemas offer] more stadium seatini 

Thank you. 

Unsigned, via e-mail 

Send letters to: 

BOXOFFICE, Mailroom 

155 S. El Molino Ave., Suite 10\ 

Pasadena, CA 91101 

Fax: 626-396-0248 

editorlal@boxoffice. com

JBL ScreenArray 

JBL 4632 For 

Maximum Acoustic 

Power Output 

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to 

am 

REEL 

DEALS 

Imagines Life at Universal 

Ml— 

Takes on USA Meno a Mano 

Universal Pictures has 

renewed its lucrative contract 

with Imagine Entertainment, the 

independent production shingle 

headed by Brian Grazer and Ron 

Howard that has produced such 

blockbusters as "The Nutty 

Professor" and its sequel, 

"Apollo 13" and this holiday 

season's "Dr. Seuss' How the Spielberg's debut "The Sugarland 

Express," responds, "I have 

Grinch Stole Christmas." The 

new deal will extend the compa- 

had a long and fruitful associa- 

nies' 14-year relationship 

through 2005. 

"Not only are Brian and Ron 

great friends, they are among the 

most talented producers working 

in the business today," says 

Universal Pictures chairman 

Stacey Snider. "Their instincts 

are incredible, and they are tireless 

in their pursuit of making 

great product. They are such an 

integral part of our recent success 

and so much a part of our 

future plans, and I delighted 

we will be working together for 

years to come." 

Grazer concurs. "I am very 

excited about continuing to 

work with Ron Meyer and 

Stacey Snider and their extraordinary 

team of people who have 

consistently demonstrated success 

and proven how uniquely 

equipped they are for this new 

phase of our filmmaking rela- 

I 

tionship," he says. 

but Miramax could 

Bros, a film, 

have a hand in any of the following 

"It is truly gratifying for Brian 

and be able to continue 

projects Cappa has in 

what has been a very rewarding development: Scorsese-helmed 

relationship with Universal," "Gucci," about the designer 

Howard adds. "It's a great place family; "Mississippi Mud," a 

true crime set in the '70s to be 

to be making films right now. 

I'm looking forward to the next directed by Gregor Nicholas; 

writer-director Gary Lennon's 

five years with tremendous 

enthusiasm." 

".45," to which Heather 

Imagine had been in talks to Graham is attached; Akira 

merge with DreamWorks while Kurosawa remakes "High and 

two companies worked on Low" and "The Seven Samurai"; 

the 

their now-defunct Pop.com and biopic "Love in Vain," 

about blues guitarist Robert 

Internet co-venture, but Grazer 

and Howard ultimately decided Johnson. 

to remain independent, citing the 

drastic changes, challenges and 

potential burdens related to running 

an entire studio. 

Oscar-winning producers 

Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck 

have signed a two-year, firstlook 

deal with DreamWorks, for 

which they're producing "Road 

to Perdition," a Tom Hanks vehicle 

directed by "American 

Beauty's" Sam Mendes. The 

DreamWorks Pictures with 

Laurie McDonald. "Though we 

already have several projects in 

the offing with Dick and Lili, we 

are excited to welcome them 

officially into the DreamWorks 

family." 

Zanuck, who produced 

DreamWorks principal Steven 

tion with Steven Spielberg, and I 

look forward to continuing it on 

into the future. Lili and I are 

excited to be working with 

Walter and Laurie, who blend 

After four years in the Mouse 

House, Martin Scorsese and 

Barbara De Fina have removed 

their Cappa Prods, shingle from 

the lot to Disney division 

Miramax, which is financing 

Scorsese's "Gangs of New 

York." The banner's first-look 

deal is 

short term, but an extension 

is 

likely. 

Scorsese still owes Warner 

Director Gus Van Sant has 

launched his own production 

shingle, Meno Film Co., with 

producing partner Dany Wolf 

and inked a two-year, first-look 

deal with USA Films. 

"Gus Van Sant is one of the 

most acclaimed and unique 

filmmakers working today. "I'm 

delighted he has chosen to 

make USA Films his home," 

USA chairman Scott Greenstein 

Thesp Vin Diesel ("Pitch 

Black") has signed a seven-figure, 

two-year, first-look deal 

with New Line that includes a 

blind script commitment to star 

in and produce a yet-to-bedetermined 

project. The pact 

succeeds Diesel's agreement to 

star in F. Gary Gray's "Diablo" 

for the studio and includes provisions 

for him to star in and 

executive produce a sequel, if 

there is one. Diesel also has 

appeared in New Line's "Boiler 

Room" and next year's 

"Knockaround Guys." 

extraordinary filmmaking ability William Sherak and Jason 

with astute executive expertise, 

a very rare combination in 

Shuman 

respective 

have ankled their 

Davis 

jobs at 

today's business." 

Entertainment and Kopelson 

The Zanucks also have produced 

Entertainment to form Blue Star 

Oscar winner "Driving Pictures and have inked a two- 

its 

Miss Daisy," "Cocoon" and year, first-look deal with Joe 

sequel and "True Crime." 

Roth's Revolution Studios. The 

pair has produced the $3 million 

indie "Four Dogs Playing 

Poker," which is still seeking 

distribution. Their next project 

will be "Comic Book Villains," a 

black comedy financed by 

Franchise. Sherak is the son of 

ex-Fox Film Group chairman 

Tom Sherak, who exited his post 

to join 

Revolution. 

Scribe Shane Salerno, who's 

worked on such scripts as 

"Armageddon" and "Shaft," 

has made a seven-figure, multiyear, 

first-look deal with 

Jersey Films to write, rewrite 

and produce feature films. 

Salerno had hatched a TV 

drama called "Celebrity" for 

the production outfit, and 

Jersey partner Danny DeVito 

asked him to rewrite "Revelation," 

which DeVito will direct 

George Clooney in for Warner 

Bros. Apparently impressed 

with his work, Jersey signed 

Salerno on. As part of the deal, 

Salerno will rewrite "Vidocq 

Society," about a secret society 

of super sleuths, for Jersey and 

Universal. 

Mandalay Sports Entertainment 

has partnered with 

Warren Miller Films to develop 

and distribute family actionadventure 

film and television 

projects. Fifty-year-old Warren 

Miller is known for its extreme 

sports entertainment features, 

husband-and-wife team last had 

including "Snowriders," "Born 

says, adding that he expects 

a production deal at Fox but has Van Sant to helm "a combination 

"Freeriders" and "Fifty,' 

to Ski," 

operated independently for 

of critically acclaimed and which grossed in excess of $3 

three years. 

commercial work, much in the million. The company's alliance 

"At a time when the very word vein of what he has directed in with Mandalay is an effort tc 

has been devalued by deal makers 

and star baggage, Dick 

the past." 

produce 

films that 

more 

will 

narrative-driver' 

reach a broader 

Van Sant's filmography 

audience. Titles already in the 

Zanuck epitomizes what it includes "Good Will Hunting," 

means to be a producer," says 

works include "After the Fall 

"To Die For" and this month's 

Walter Parkes, who heads "Finding Forrester." 

and "Fly Girl."

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HOLLYWOOD 

HOT SET 

—ggiE— 

"Adaptation" Faithful to the Original 

WEMEMMm 

You Say You Want an "Evolution" 

"ADAPTATION" Borne of "Being 

John Malkovich" scripter Charlie 

Kaufman's real-life writer's block 

while trying to adapt Susan 

Orlean's "The Orchid Thief," this 

film is likewise about a writer 

("Family Man's" Nicolas Cage) 

who is frustrated in his attempts 

to adapt "The Orchid Thief" into 

a 

screenplay. When he collaborates 

with his imaginary twin 

"JACKPOT" "Twin Falls Idaho's" 

filmmakers Mark and Michael 

Polish and stars John Cries and 

Garrett Morris reunite for this 

story about a singer and his manager 

striving to carve a niche. 

"Jackpot" is the second in the 

"Twin Falls" trilogy, and the title 

refers to Jackpot, Nev.; the third 

film will be "Northfork," named 

for Northfork, Mont. (Distribution 

is 

to be set) 

"REPLI-KATE" When a 

scientist 

accidentally clones a journalist 

("Beautiful's" Ali Landry), he 

decides to make the double into 

a fantasy woman who loves 

sports, beer and parties. (Distribution 

is 

to be set) 

"AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS" A 

celebrity couple ("High 

Fidelity's" John Cusack and 

Catherine Zeta-Jones) whose 

relationship is on the rocks must 

make nice while promoting a 

film in which they both star. A 

publicist (Billy Crystal of 

"Analyze This") tries to convince 

the press that their romance is 

stronger than ever, but in reality 

the actor is pursuing his wife's 

formerly plump sister ("Erin 

Brockovich's" Julia Roberts). 

(Distribution is 

to be set) 

"DRAGONFLY" A recently widowed 

doctor ("13 Days'" Kevin 

Costner) believes the spirit of his 

late wife is trying to communicate 

with him through the neardeath 

experiences of his patients 

in this drama, to be helmed by 

Tom Shadyac ("Patch Adams"). 

(Universal) 

"THE PANIC ROOM" Three 

thieves ("Requiem for a Dream's" 

Jared Leto, "Sling Blade's" 

Dwight Yoakam and "Ghost 

Dog: Way of the Samurai's" 

Forest Whitaker) seek out a 

cache of cash hidden in an old 

New York home. The single mom 

living there ("Eyes Wide Shut's" 

Nicole Kidman) holes up in 

the 

house's "panic room," a stronghold 

where she strives to protect 

herself and her daughter 

("Remember the Titans'" Hayden 

Panettiere). (Columbia) 

"EVOLUTION" Ivan Reitman 

("Six Days, Seven Nights") will 

direct this sci-fi comedy in which 

a meteor carrying alien organisms 

crashes on Earth, and the creatures 

quickly evolve and try to take over 

the world. David Duchovny 

("Return to Me"), Julianne Moore 

("Ladies' Man"), Orlando Jones 

("Bedazzled") and Seann William 

Scott ("Road Trip") star; Don 

brother, however, the resulting Jakoby ("Arachnophobia") scripts. 

movie becomes a blockbuster. (DreamWorks) 

Meryl Streep ("Music of the 

Heart") will play author Orlean, "THE SANTA CLAUSE 2" Tim 

and "Malkovich" helmer Spike Allen ("Galaxy Quest") reprises 

Jonze directs. (Columbia) 

his role in this sequel to the 1994 

the story involves Santa striving 

to balance his work and home 

life. (Buena Vista) 

"KISS OF THE DRAGON" Jet 

("Romeo Must Die"), Bridget 

Fonda ("Monkeybone") and 

Tcheky Karyo ("The Patriot") will 

star in this Luc Besson ("The 

Messenger")-scripted actioner 

whose plot is under wraps but is 

said to be along the lines of Li's 

"Fist of Legend" meets Besson's 

"The Professional." (Distribution 

is 

to be set) 

"REIGN OF FIRE" This apocalyptic 

tale, in which dragons 

have emerged from the center of 

the Earth and have taken over the 

world, stars Christian Bale 

("American Psycho") as the 

leader of a group of survivors 

who sets out to slay the queen of 

the creatures. Rob Bowman ("X- 

Files: Fight the Future") helms. 

(Buena Vista) 

"IOHNNY ECK" Leonardo 

DiCaprio will portray twin brothers 

Robert and Johnny Eckhardt, 

the latter of whom was born 

without the lower half of his 

body and who starred in the 

1932 film "Freaks," in this 

biopic. (Distribution is 

Li 

to be set) 

"THE SCORPION KING" 

Wrestling superstar The Rock 

(a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson)'s 

"Mummy 2" character is spun off 

in this thriller, about the eponymous 

Egyptian peasant who 

overcomes adversity to become 

pharaoh. "Star Wars: Episode II" 

co-writer Jonathan Hales scripts. 

(Universal) 

"THE BUBBLE BOY" In this comedy, 

Jake Gyllenhaal ("October 

Sky") will play a young man who 

was born without an immune 

system who has lived his entire 

life 

in a sterile plastic bubble, but 

"THE BANGER SISTERS" Two 

former '60s groupies meet up 

again as 

adults—one a still-wild 

waitress ("Town and Country's" 

Goldie Hawn), the other a 

prominent socialite ("Anywhere 

But Here's" Susan Sarandon)— in 

this comedy/drama. (Fox 

Searchlight) 

"ONE HOUR PHOTO" A photo 

lab employee ("Bicentennial 

Man's" Robin Williams) becomes 

obsessed with a young family 

whose pictures he develops in 

this psychological thriller. (Fox 

Searchlight) 

blockbuster comedy about a selfabsorbed 

man who's unwittingly "FOLLOW THE RABBIT-PROOF 

transformed into Father Christmas. FENCE" This drama, set in 

Australia in 1931 and based on 

Set five years after the first film, 

true events, is about three 

Aboriginal girls who try to 

escape authorities when they are 

forcibly taken from their families 

to be trained as domestic servants. 

Kenneth Branagh ("Love's 

Labour's Lost") will play the government 

official behind the program. 

Phillip Noyce ("The Bone 

Collector") directs. (Distribution 

is 

to be set) 

"CHARLOTTE GRAY" A young 

Scottish woman ("The Gift's" 

Cate Blanchett) joins the French 

resistance to rescue her Royal Air 

Force boyfriend ("Almost 

Famous'" Billy Crudup) in this 

drama, to be helmed by Gillian 

Armstrong ("Oscar and 

Lucinda"). (Warner Bros.) 

"MONSTERS, INC." In this Pixaranimated 

comedy, John Goodman 

will voice James P. Sullivan, a 

giant blue monster with horns 

and purple spots who is a top 

Scarer at Monsters Inc., the largest 

scare manufacturer in the monster 

world. Billy Crystal voices his best 

friend and Scare Assistant, a feisty 

one-eyed critter named Mike 

Wzowski. The rest of the voice 

cast includes lames Coburn as the 

crab-like boss, Jennifer Tilly as the 

snake-headed receptionist and 

Steve Buscemi as a charismatic, 

sarcastic chameleon creature 

who is Sullivan's main rival. Pete 

Docter (who received story credit 

on "Toy Story" and its sequel) 

scripts and co-directs with David 

Silverman (TV's "The Simpsons"). 

(Buena Vista) 

ET CETERA: \obn Malkovich is in 

talks to play the Green Goblin in 

Columbia's Sam Raimi-helmed 

"Spider-Man," to star Tobey 

Maguire...Jon Voight joins his 

daughter, Angelina Jolie, 

Paramount's action/adventure 

film "Tomb Raider," playing Lord 

Croft. ..Sarah Jessica Parker 

is compelled to find a way to ("State and Main") will play 

travel to Niagara Falls to stop the woman who unwittingly falls for 

woman he loves ("Valentine's" a hit man hired to kill hei 

Marley Shelton) from marrying boyfriend in Columbia's romantic 

comedy "Life Without another man. (Buena Vista) 

Dick."

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Standard dimmers or se 

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With or without manual 

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December, 2001 

10-854-5811 

212-649-4900 

Paramount 

323-956-5000 

212-373-7000 

310-369-1000 

212-556-2400 212-445-3600 212-484-8000 

nboozled. 10 6, 10/20 exp. 

Com. R, 135 mm, DTS. SDDS. Flat 

ion Wayans, Jada Pinkett-Smith. 

ion Glover Oir: Spike Lee. 

Souls. 10/13, Sup/Thr, R. -102 min, 

S. SDDS. SRD, Scope Winona Ryder. 

Chaplmr Dir: Janusz Kaminski. 

Little Vampire (formerly Little 

Tipires). 10/27. Fam, PG. DTS, SDDS. 

athan Lipnicki. Dir: Uli Edel. 

er 2000: 

tie Nicky. 11/10, Com, PG-13, 84 

DTS, SDDS, SRD, Flat. Adam 

ndler, 

Patricia Arquette, Harvey 

Steve Brill. 

Ladies Man, 10/13, Com, SRD. Tim 

Meadows. Will Ferrell, Karyn Parsons. 

Dir: Reginald Hudlin. 

Wonder Boys (reissue), 10/20, 

Dra/Com, SRD, Flat. Michael Douglas, 

Tobey Maguire. Dir: Curtis Hanson. 

Lucky Numbers (formerly Numbers 

Rugrats in Paris - The Movie, 11 17 

Ani, DTS, SRD Voices: Christine 

Cavanaugh, Cheryl Chase. Susan 

Sarandon. EG Daily, John Lithgow 

Paul Demeyer & Stig Bergqvist. 

Digimon: The Movie, 10/6. SR, SRD, 

Flat. 

Tigerland. 10/6 UVNY/Tor, R. 96 min, 

SR, SRD, Flat. Mart Davis, Colin Farrell, 

Clifton Collins Jr. Dir: Joel Schumacher, 

Bedazzled. 10/20, Com, PG-13, 93 min, 

DTS. SR. SRD. Scope. Brendan Fraser. 

Elizabeth Hurley, Frances O'Connor, 

Orlando Jones. Dir: Harold Ramis. 

November 2000: 

Men of Honor (formerly Navy Diver. 

The Diver). 11/10. Dra/Act. R, -120 mm, 

SR. SRD, Scope Robert De Niro, Cuba 

Meet the Parents. 10/6, Com. DTS, 

SDDS. SRD. Robert De Niro. Ben 

Stiller. Teri Polo, Blylhe Danner. James 

Rebhorn, Thomas McCarthy. Owen 

Wilson, Dir: Jay Roach. 


Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole 

Christmas, 11/17, Com/Fam. PG, DTS, 

SDDS. SR, SRD. Jim Carrey, Molly 

Shannon, Jeffrey Tambor, Taylor Munsor 

Christine Baranski Dir' Ron Howard 

Get Carter, 1 0/6. Thr. R. DTS. SDC 

SRD, Scope Sylvester Stallone. 

Miranda Richardson, Michael Caine 

Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cummin 

Dir Stephen Kay. 

Pay It Forward, 10/20. Dra. PG-13 

DTS. SDDS. SR SRD. Flat. Kevin 

Spacey, Helen Hunt. Haley Joel 

Osment. Dir: Mimi Leder. 


Red Planet (formerly Mars). 11/3. J 

DTS. SDDS. SRD. Scope Val Kilm 

Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, 

Beniamin Bratt, Simon Baker. Terer 

Stamp Dir: Anthony Hoffman. 

RENT) 

ngeons and Dragons. 12/8. DTS, 

DS. SR. SRD Jeremy Irons. Thora 

Dir: Courtney Solomon. 

Days. 12/20. Dra, PG-13. DTS, SDDS 

Flat. Kevin Costner. Bruce 

lenwood Dir: Roger Donaldson 

jjiuary 2001 : 

ickaround Guys, 1/12. Dra, DTS, 

)S. Dennis Hopper, John Malkovicl 

David Levien & Brian Koppelman. 

— gar and Spice, 1/26, Com. DTS, 

Mena Suvari. 

ft jruary 2001 

Minutes (aka Celebrity). 2/2. 

rThr/Sus, R, DTS. SDDS. SRD. 

ipe. Ed Burns, Robert De Niro, 

sey Grammer, Melina Kanakare 

rch 2001 

Herzfeld. 

What Women Want. 12/15, Rom/Com, 

SRD. Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa 

Tomei, Lauren Holly. Dir: Nancy Meyers 

Enemy at the Gates, 12/22, Dra. Jude 

Law. Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz. Dir: 

Jean-Jacques Annaud. 

January 2001: 

Save the Last Dance, 1/12, Rom, 

SRD. Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas 

Fredro Starr, Kerry Washington. Dir: 

Thomas Carter. 

February 2001: 

NO RELEASES SCHEDULED 

and Country, 3/16, Rom/Com, R. NO RELEASES SCHEDULED 

SDDS. SRD. Flat. Warren Beatty. 

Keaton. Goldie Hawn, Andie 

:Dowell. Garry Shandling, Jenna 

i. Dir: Peter Chelsom. 

3/30, R. DTS, SRD. Johnny 

>p, Penelope Cruz, Ray Liotta, Ethan 

>lee. Monet Mazur. Dir: Ted Demme. 

ion Song. Mus/Dra. R, DTS, SDDS 

Ip, Mary J Blige. Elvis Cos'ello. Fal 

. Dir: Darnell Martin. 

:onditional Love, 4 13/2001, Com, 

3, SDDS. Kalhy Bates, Rupert 

rett, Meredith Eaton, Dan Aykroyd. 

P.J. Hogan. 

|>py Campers. 5/4/2001. Com, DTS. 

DS Brad Rentro, Dominique Swain, 

irs. 5/18/2001. DTS, SDDS. 

Fehrman, Elden Henson, 

a/ Lawrence, Martin Starr, Mary 

ir Moore Dir: Andrew Gurland. 

hway (formerly A Leonard Cohen 

rworld). 6/15/2001, Com, DTS, 

IS. Jared Lelo. Jake Gyllenhaal. 

h Hour 2, 7/20/2001 . SDDS. 

tie Chan, Chris Tucker. Chris Penn. 

Bret Ratner. 

on X. 8/17/2001. DTS, SDDS. Kane 

Ider. Lexa Doig. Yam Gellman, Knsti 

us. Jonathan Potts. Melyssa Ade. 

James Isaac. 

les. 10/26'2001, DTS, SDDS. SRD. 

op Dogg, Pam Grier. Michael T. 

ss, Clifton Powell, Ricky Harris. Dir: 

1st Dickerson. 

Lord of the Rings. 1 2/1 9/2001 

tasy. DTS, SDDS Elijah Wood, 

3 Blanchett. Sean Astin. Dominic 

taghan, Billy Boyd, Dir: Peter 

n Q, DTS. SDDS. Denzel 

ihington. Robert Duvall. 

Johnson Five, DTS, SDDS. Adam 

COMING: 

Along Came a Spider, SRD. Morgan 

Freeman, Monica Porter, Michael 

Wincott, Mika Boorem, Dylan Baker, 

Anton Yelchin, Dir: Lee Tamahori. 

Was Made to Love Her. SRD Chris 

Rock, Regina King. Dir: Chris & Paul 

Weitz. 

Tomb Raider. 6/1 5/2001 . Angelina 

Jolie, Daniel Craig. Dir: Simon West. 

Radio Loco. 

The Score. Robert De Niro. Edward 

Norton, Marlon Brando, Angela Bassett 

Dir: Frank Oz, 

Shooter 

The Stand 

Zoolander. SRD. Ben Stiller. Owen 

Wilson. Dir: Ben Stiller. 

Cast Away, 12/22, Dra, DTS. SR, SRD, 

Flat. Tom Hanks. Helen Hunt. Dir: 

Robert Zemeckis. Cheadle Dir: Brett Ratner. 

Jan/Feb, Com, DTS, SR, 

SRD, Brendan Fraser. Whoopi 

Goldberg. Bridget Fonda, Chris Kartan. 

Dir: Henry Selick. 



Rob Zombie's House of a Thousand 

Corpses, 1/12. DTS, SDDS, SR, SRD. 

Karen Black. Dir: Rob Zombie. 


Untitled Bob Simmonds Comedy (f 

merly Head Over Heels), Rom/Com, 

DTS, SDDS, SRD Freddie Prinze Jr, 

Monica Potter Dir Mark Waters. 

Proof of Life, 12/8. Rom/Dra, DTS, 

SDDS. SRD, Scope Meg Ryan, Rue 

Crowe. David Morse. Dir: Taylor Had 

Miss Congeniality, 12/22, Act, DT: 

SDDS. SR, SRD. Flat. Sandra Bull. 

Michael Caine. Dir: Donald Peine 

January 2001: 




NO RELEASES SCHEDULED NO RELEASES SCHEDULED NO RELEASES SCHEDULED 

COMING: 

The Black Knight. Chris Tucker, Dir: 

Gary Gray. 

Disaster Area, SR. SRD. Vince 

Vaughn. Dir: Harold Zwarf. 

Squelch. Act, R, SR. SRD. Leelee 

Sobieski, Steve Zahn, Paul Walker. Dir 

John Dahl. 

Planet of the Apes (formerly The 

Bonham Carter, Dir: Tim Burton. 

Animal Husbandry. SR. SRD Ashley 

Judd, Hugh Jackman. Greg Kinnear. 

Marisa Tomei, Ellen Barkin Dir. Tony 

Goldwyn. 

Behind Enemy Lines, SR, SRD Gene 

Hackman. Owen Wilson. Dir: Davis 

Moore. 

Doctor Dolittle 2. SR. SRD Eddie 

Murphy. Dir: Steve Carr. 

Fantastic Four. SR, SRD. 

From Hell. Act. SR, SRD. Johnny 

Depp. Ian Holm, Nigel Hawthorne. 

Heather Graham. Dir The Hughes 

Brothers. 

High Crimes. SR, SRD. 

Little Beauty King, SR. SRD. 

Minority Report, DTS, SR, SRD. SRD- 

EX. Tom Cruise Dir: Steven Spielberg. 

Moulin Rouge, SR, SRD, Scope, 

Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John 

Leguizamo. Dir: Baz Luhrmann. 

Say It Isn't So (working title). Com, SR. 

SRD. Chris Klein. Heather Graham. 

Sally Field. Richard Jenkins. Jack 

Plotnick. Orlando Jones. Dir: J.B. 

F 

COMING: 

The Mummy Returns. 5/11/2001. 

Act/Adv. DTS. SDDS, SRD. Brendan 

Fraser. Rachel Weisz. John Hannah, 

Oded Fehr. Dwayne "The Rock" 

Johnson, Arnold Vosloo. Dir: Stephen 

Sommers. 

Jurassic Park 3. Summer 2001. DTS, 

SDDS, SR. SRD. Sam Neill. Alessandro 

Nivola. Tea Leoni, William H. Macy. Dir: 

Joe Johnston 

A Beautiful Mind. Russell Crowe. Dir: 

Ron Howard. 

The Bourne Identity 

Matt Damon. Dir: 

Captain Corelli's Mandolin, SR. SRD. 

Nicholas Cage, Penelope Cruz. 

Christian Bale, John Hurt. Dir: John 

Madden 

Dragonfly Kevin Costner Dir: Tom 

Shadyac. 

Eye See You (formerly The Outpost. 

Detox, D-TOX), Sus/Thr, R. DTS. 

SDDS, SR. SRD. Scope. Sylvester 

Stallone. Tom Berenger. Polly Walker. 

Kris Krislofferson. Jeffrey Wright Dir: 

Jim Gillespie. 

Josie and the Pussycats, DTS, SDDS. 

Rachael Leigh Cook. Rosario Dawson. 

Tara Reid, Parker Posey. Alan 

Cumming, Gabriel Mann Dir: Deborah 

Kaplan. 

K-Pax. Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges 

Dir: 

lain Softly. 

Redline (aka Street Wars), SR. SRD. 

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker. Jordana 

Brewser, Michelle Rodriguez, Rick 

Yune. Dir: Rob Cohen. 

Spy Games Robert Redford, Brad Pitt. 

Dir: Tony Scott. 

The Pledge, 4th Qtr, DTS. SDDS. 

SRD. Jack Nicholson, Robin Wriglr 

Penn. Dir: Sean Penn. 

33 Liberty Street, DTS, SRD Rob 

De Niro. 

Dino. DTS Dir: Martin Scorsese. 

Pet People, DTS Hugh Grant. 

Steinbeck's Point of View. SR, SI 

Dir: Shekhar Kapur. 

Till Human Voices Wake Us Dir: 

Michael Petroni. 

2001: A Space Odyssey (reissue). 

Qtr 2001, SFG, DTS, SDDS Kier 

Dullea. Gary Lockwood. Dir: 

Stanle 

Kubrick. 

3000 Miles to Graceland, 1st Qtr 

DTS. SDDS. Kevin Costner 

Exit Wounds. 1 St Qtr 2001 . DTS, 

SDDS. 

So You Wanna Be A Rock Star (f< 

merly Metal God), 1st Qtr 2001. Co 

DTS, SDDS, SRD, Scope Mark 

Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston, Timoth 

Olyphant Dir: Stephen Herek 

Summer Catch, 1st Qtr 2001 , Rom, 

SDDS, SRD. Freddie Pnnze Jr. Jess 

Biel. Fred Ward Dir: Michael Tolkin, 

Sweet November, 1st Qtr 2001, D 

SDDS Keanu Reeves, Greg Germ 

Dir: Pat O'Connor. 

Valentine, 1st Qtr 2001, DTS. SDC 

Pluto Nash, 4/6/2001, DTS, SDDS 

Eddie Murphy Dir: Ron Underwooc 

Champs. 4 27,2001. DTS. SDDS 

Sylvester Stallone Dir: Renny Harli 

Swordfish. 6/15/2001. DTS. SDDS 

John Travolta. Hugh Jackman. 

A.I. 6 29 2001 SDDS 

, Jude L; 

Haley Joel Osment. Dir: Steven Spie 

Angel Eyes. 2nd Qtr 2001, DTS. 

SDDS. Jennifer Lopez. 

Collateral Damage, 2nd Qtr 2001. 

SDDS Arnold Schwarzenegger. Dii 

Andrew Davis. 

Jesse James, 2nd Qtr 2001 . DTS, S 

Osmosis Jones, 2nd Otr 2001 , An 

DTS, SDDS. Scope Voices Chris 

Rock Dir Tom Sito & Piet Kroon. 

The Incredible Mr. Limpet. Summ 

2001. Com Fan. DTS. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's 

Stone. 11 162001. SDDS. DTS, S( 

Dir Chris Columbus. 

13 Ghosts. SDDS. DTS.

. New 

' 

I 

' 

BOXOFFICE Independent Charts 

NOVEMBER 

Castle Hill 

212-888-0080 

W Moon, Dra/Com, PG-13, 89 min. 

•îta Moreno, Ben Gazzara. Brian 

r/incent, Dir: Alanna Ubach, John 

Gallagher. 11/3 NY, 11/17 LA 

=Fwo Ninas 

Cowboy 

212-929-4200 

(co-release with r _ies Offline 

Releasing), Dra, NR, 115 min. Lee 

Sang Hyun, Kim Tae Yeon. Dir: Jang 

pun Woo. 11/17 NY/LA 

First Look 

5 

310-855-1199 

Me & Isaac Newton, Doc, 107 min. 

Steven Pinker, Michio Kaku. Ashok 

=3adgil. Dir: Michael Apted. 11/3 

First Run 

- 212-243-0600 

jDita and the Family Business, Doc, 

t58 min. Dir: Josh Taylor. Nov/Dec 

- 

Fox Searchlight 

310-369-4402 

Quills, Dra, R, 124 min. Geoffrey 

[Rush. Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, 

iMichael Caine. Dir: Philip Kaufman. 

-11/22 ltd, 12/8 exp 

F 

Lions Gate 

f 212-966-4670 

:Once In The Life. Laurence 

Fishburne, Titus Welliver. Dir: 

.Laurence Fishburne. 11/3 NY/LA/Chi 

Yorker 

212-247-6110 

.Taboo, Dra. 100 min. "Beat" Takeshi. 

{ Dir: Nagisa Oshima. 11/17 

Panorama 

914-937-1603 

| 

.Anima 88 min. George Bartenieff, 

'Jacqueline Bertrand. Dir: Craig 

Richardson. 

Black Eyed Dog, 89 min. Paul 

JBarnett, Lorean Keating, Clive 

JWorsiey. Dermott Carroll, Phil Coulter. 

Dir: Richard O'Connell. 

Mr. Rice's Secret. 93 min. David 

Bowie, Bill Switzer. Dir: Nicholas 

Kendall. 

Urban Ghost Story, 90 min. Heather 

Ann foster. Jason Connery. Dir: 

Stephanie Buttle. 

Paramount Classics 

323-956-5000 212-373-7000 

You Can Count on Me, Dra, 109 min. 

Matthew Brcderick, Rory Culkin, Laura 

Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Tenney. Dir: 

Kenneth i.onergan. 11/10 ltd, 11/22 

exp 

Phaedra 

213-380-9323 

rhe Story of O (remake), Erotic NR. 

ird Neil Dickson, Max 

Ruben. Dir: Phil 

Hsgent 

333 

t an Echo. Armand 

Assante, Diane Venora, Edoardo 

Ballerini. 11/10 

Shooting Gallery 

212-905-2000 

Non-Stop. Dir: Sabu. 11/10 

Strand 

310-395-5002 

Suzhou River, Dra, 83 min. Zhou Xun, 

Jia Hongsheng. Dir: Lou Ye. 11/8 NY, 

11/10 LA 

The Weekend. Dra. 97 min. Gena 

Rowlands, Brooke Shields, Deborah 

Kara Unger. D.B. Sweeney. Dir: 

Skeet. 11/22 NY/LA/SF 

Brian 

Trimark 

310-314-3040 

What's Cooking?, Com. Alfre 

Woodard, Dennis Haysbert, Ann 

Weldon. Mercedes Ruehl, Victor 

Rivers. Douglas Spain, A. Martinez, 

Lainie Kazan. Maury Chaykin, Kyra 

Fine Line 

212-649-4800 

Night Falls, Dra. Before Javier 

Bardem. Dir: Julian Schnabel. 12/22 

NY/LA, 1/12/2001 exp 

State and Main, Com. R, 102 min. 

Alec Baldwin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, 

Charles Durning, Sarah Jessica 

Parker. Willliam H. Macy. Dir: David 

Mamet. 12/22 NY/LA, 1/12/01 wide 

Indican Pictures 

323-650-0832 

Tuvalu, Fan/Dra, R. EJ Callahan, 

Phillipe Clay, Terrence Gillespie, 

Catalina Murgea. Dir: Veit Helmer. 

12/29 

Lions Gate 

Shadow of the Vampire. Dra/Thr. 

R, 89 min. John Malkovich, Willem 

Dafoe, Udo Kier, Cary Elwes, 

Eddie Izzard, Catherine McCormack. 

Dir: Elias Merhige. 12/29 

NY/LA 

BLOODSUCKER: Willem Dafoe stars as Max Schreck's Nosferatu knock-off 

in Lions Gate's "Shadow of the Vampire," due in theatres December 29. 

Sedgwick. Julianna Margulies, 

Estelle 

Harris. Joan Chen, Will Yun Lee, Kristy 

Wu, Jimmy Pham, Brennan Louie. Dir: 

Gurinder Chadha. 11/10 NY, 11/17 LA 

exp 

USA 

310-385-4400 

Cherry Falls, Dra, R. Brittany Murphy, 

Jay Mohr, Michael Biehn. Dir: Geoffrey 

Wright. 

Viz/Tidepoint 

415-512-1924 

Tokyo Eyes, Dra, NR, 90 min. Shinji 

Takeda. Dir: Jean P. Limosin. 

Zeitgeist 

212-274-1989 

Rebels with a Cause, Doc, NR, 109 

min. Dir: Helen Garvy. 11/10 NY 

DECEMBER 

Capitol 

301-564-9700 

Enlightenment Guaranteed, Com, 

108 min. Uwe Ochsenknecht, Gustav 

Peter Wohler. Dir: Doris Dbrrie. 

Milestone 

201-767-3117 

The Mystery of Picasso, Doc, 72 min. 

Pablo Picasso. Dir: Henri-Georges 

Clouzot. 12/29 NY 


The Gift, Thr, R. Cate Blanchett, 

Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes, Keanu 

Reeves, Greg Kinnear, Giovanni 

Ribisi. Dir: Sam Raimi. 12/8 ltd, 12/22 

exp 

Phaedra 

The Bridge (France), Dra/Rom, 92 

min. Gerard Depardieu, Carole 

Bouquet. Charles Berling. Dir: Gerard 

Depardieu & Fred Auburtin. 

Sony Classics 

212-833-8851 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden 

Dragon, Act/Dra. Zhang Zi-Yi, 

Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat, 

Chang Zheng, Zheng Pei-Pei, Gao 

Xi-An. Dir: Ang Lee. 12/8 NY, 

12/15 LA 

Strand 

Boys Life 3, Com, NR, 80 min. 

Jason Gould, Sara Gilbert, Lane 

Janger, Alexis Arquette. Dir: Jason 

Gould, Lane Janger, Gregory Cooke, 

Trimark 

Songcatcher. Dra. Janet McTi 

Aidan Quinn, Pat Carroll, Jane Ada 

Dir: Maggie Greenwald. 12/8 NY/ 

12/22 exp 

USA 

Traffic. Michael Douglas, Cathe 

Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Jar 

Brolin, Erika Christensen. Dir: Ste 

Soderbergh. 12/22 NY/LA, Jan 2 

wide 

The Man Who Cried, R. Chris 

Ricci, Johnny Depp. Dir: Sally Pott' 

Viz/Tidepoint 

Made In Japan (formerly We Are 

Alone), Dra, NR. 115 min. Tsuti 

Yamazaki, Henry Sanada. Dir: Y 

Takita. 

JAN. 2001 

Artisan 

310-255-3716 

Soul Survivors, Thr. Casey Affl 

Eliza Dushku, Wes Bentley, L 

Wilson, Melissa Sagemiller. Dir: S 

Carpenter. 1/19 

Artistic License 

212-265-9119 

The Taste of Others. 

Cowboy 

In the Winter Dark, Dra, NR, 100 

Brena Blethyn, Miranda Otto, 

Barnett. Richard Roxburgh. Dir: Jc 

Fine Line 

The Invisible Circus, Dra, P 

min. Cameron Diaz, 

Danner, Jordana Br 

Christopher Eccleston. Dir 

Brooks. 1/26 

Fox Searchlight 

Sexy Beast, Dra. Ray Wins 

Ben Kingsley, Amanda Red 

Alvaro Monje, Cavan Kei 

Julianne White. Dir: Jon? 

Glazer. 

IDP (Samuel Goldwyn, 

Stratosphere, Firework 

212-367-9435 

Faithless (Samuel Goldwyr 

works;Sweden), Dra. Krister He 

son, Thomas Hanzon, I 

Josephson. Dir: Ullmann. 1/2 

Liv 

Indican 

Shay & Kiki, Experimental. 

Laroux, Kiki Doll. Dir: Eric Fo 

1/27, February wide 

Kino 

212-629-6880 

The Legends of Rita, Dra, NF 

min. Bibiana Beglau, Martin V 

Dir: Volker Schlondorff. 1/24 

Kippur. Dra, NR, 123 min. Dir: 

Gitai. 

Lot 47 

212-367-9435 

Chunhyang (Korea), 120 mil

, 

December, 2000 

Providence 

818-728-9700 

nkey's Tale, Ani. 1/26 

Screen Gems 

310-244-4000 

itch, Act/Com, R, -120 min. Brad 

Benecio Del Toro. Dir: Guy Ritchie. 

WGBH 

312-255-1370 

Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure. 

Doc, 39 min. 

thers. Bill Bellamy, Morris 

stnut, Shemar Moore, D.L. 

ihley. Dir: Gary Hardwick. 

Sony Classics 

idow Magic, Dra, PG. Jared 

is, Xia Yu, Liu Peiqi, Lu Liping, 

Yufei, Wang Jingming, Li 

Dir: leng, ZhangYukui. Ann Hu. 

Strand 

is & Wonders, Dra, 108 min. 

Ian Skarsgard, Deborah Kara 

ler, Charlotte Rampling, 

itris Katalifos. Dir: Jonathan 

es 7: The Contenders. Brooke 

Glenn Fitzgerald, Richard 

Donna Hanover. Dir: Daniel 

lure, 

ihan. 1/26 

Viz/Tidepoint 

d or Alive, Act/Dra, NR, 104 min. 

Takenchi, Show Aikawa. Dir: 

ishi Miike. 

FEB. 2001 

Kino 

ie and See (reissue), Dra, NR, 

Alexei Krauehenko, Olga 

nova. Dir: Elem Klimov. 

Lions Gate 

Widow of St. Pierre, Dra. Juliette 

che, Daniel Auteuil, Emir 

isljurica. Dir: Patrice Leconte. 

Lot 47 

Price of Milk, 87 min. Danielle 

nack, Karl Urban. Dir: Harry 

air. 2/14 

Providence 

iti Girls, PG. Mercedes Ruehl, 

Sorvino, Cloris Leachman, 

Young, Lee Grant, Mark 

., 

jnon. 2/2 

Sony Classics 

Road Home, Dra. Zhang Ziyi, 

Honglei, Zheng Hao, Zhao 

i, Li Bin. Dir: Zhang Yimou. 

Trimark 

iction (formerly Stalk, Rules of 

otion), Dra. Matthew Settle, Tom 

Scott, Gretchen Mol, 

Mathis. Dir: Russell 

antha 

USA 

ie Mood for Love, Dra. Tony 

g Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung 

yuk. Dir: Wong Kar Wai. 2/23

1 

Sibony. 

t 

Maud 

1 4th 

I Takeshi 

16 BOXOKFICE 

. 

Natasha 

^lilOFFICE Independent Charts 

Little, Eddie 

Julian Simpson. 

The Last Minute. Stephen Norrington. 

Lock Down, Dra, R, 105 min. Master 

P, Richard T. Jones, Bill Nunn, Gabriel 

Casseus. Dir: John Luessenhop. 

Panorama 

You Are Here, 81 min. Robert 

Knepper, Jenny Robertson, Camryn 

Manheim, John Tillinger, Matthew 

Ross. Dir: Tom Rooney. 


Company Man, Com, 86 min. Ryan 

Phillippe, Douglas McGrath, 

Sigourney Weaver, Denis Leary. Dir: 

Douglas McGrath, Peter Askin. 1 st Qtr 

2001 

; 

Beneath the Surface (Sweden), 

:Dra, 99 min. Johanna Sallstrom, 

JMikael Persbrandt. Dir: Daniel 

Fridell. 4th Qtr 

;Deep In the Woods (France), Thr, 90 

'min. Clothilde Courau, Clement 

Alexia Stresi, Vincent Lecoeur, 

Buquet. Dir: Lionel Deplanque. 

Qtr 

IToo Tired To Die. Dra, 101 min. 

Kaneshiro, Mira Sorvino. Dir: 

Wong Suk Chin. 4th Qtr 

White Badge (Korea), Hist/Dra, 125 

min. Ahn Sung-Gi. Dir: Chung Ji- 

Young. 4th Qtr 

On Guard! (France; aka Le Bossu), 

Period Adventure, 124 min. Daniel 

Auteuil, Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, 

Marie Gillain. Dir: Philippe de Broca. 

Screen Gems 

Forsaken 1st Qtr 2001 

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars. 

Ice Cube. Clea Duvall, Natasha 

Henstridge. Dir: John Carpenter. 

Summer 2001 

Seventh Art 

323-845-1455 

Fight to the Max. Doc. 82 min. Dir: 

Semion Softer. Winter 

Bounce - Behind the Velvet Rope, 90 

min. Dir: Steven Cantor. Spring 

Shadow 

207-872-5111 

Under the Sun (Sweden), Dra, 118 

min. Helena Bergstrom, Rolf Lassgard, 

Johan Widerberg. Dir: Colin Nutley. 

Winter 

Shooting Gallery 

Good Housekeeping, 90 min. Dir: 

Frank Novack. Spring 2001 

Trimark 

Skipped Parts, Com, R. Jennifer 

Jason Leigh, Bug Hall, Mischa Burton, 

Brad Renfro, Drew Barrymore. Dir: 

Tamra Davis. 

USA 

Bloody Angels Reidar Sorensen. Dir: 

Karin Julsrud. 

Resurrection Man. Stuart 

Townsend, James Nesbitt, Sean 

McGinley, Brenda Fricker. Dir: Marc 

Evans. 

Snarl Up. Dir: Michael Winterbottom. 

Thursday. Thomas Jane, Aaron 

Eckhart, Mickey Rourke, Glenn 

Plummer. Dir: Skip Woods. 

What Rats Won't Do (U.K.), 

Rom/Com. Natascha McElhone, 

James Frain, Charles Dance, Parker 

Posey. Dir: Alastair Reid. 

Maybe Baby. Hugh Laurie. Joely 

Richardson, James Purefor, Tom 

Hollander. Dir: Ben Elton. 2001 

Possession. Gwynneth Paltrow, 

Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, 

Jennifer Ehle. Dir: Neil LaBute. 

2001 

Untitled Coen Brothers Project. Billy 

Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, 

James Gandolfini, Jon Polito. Dir: Joel 

Coen. 2001 

Whatever Happened to Harold 

Smith?, R. Tom Courtenay, Stephen 

Fry, Michael Legge, Laura Fraser. Dir: 

Peter Hewitt. 2001 

Viz/Tidepoint 

Jin-Roh, Ani. NR, 101 min. Dir: 

Hinoyuki Okiuna. Spring 2001 

Zeitgeist 

Downtown 81, Dra/Mus, NR, 75 min. 

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Deborah 

Harry. Dir: Edo Bertoglio. Spring 

2001 

DISTRIBUTOR' 

Fax your 

schedule update, 

to Wade Major 

at 310-456-9750

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liliM

| 

ceived, 

TRAILERS 

With the holiday season 

out of the way, 

the industry takes a moment 

to catch its breath. 

Like the requisite nap after a Thanksgiving feast, the 

rst couple of months of every new year represent a 

;riod of rest for both the Hollywood studios and the 

who've packed November an

We know how hard you work 

behind the scenes to keep audiences entertained 

...and we want to help you do your job betjfer. 

So, we put together a seminar taught by people 

like you, who've been there, done that, and have 

lots of practical tips and techniques to share. 

Come join us for hands-on demonstrations 

in this new seminar. Together, we'll talk about 

some new ideas for: 

Basics of Film Handling 

Troubleshooting Power 

Troubleshooting Sound 

Preventative Maintenance 

and more... 

It'll be fun, and we think you'll learn 

some new things. Give us a call today. 

SCREENCHECK 

310-204-7144 

Askforlim Ferguson 

Kodak ScreenCheck Training Manager 

or e-mail to james.ferguson@kodak.com

trying to retrieve some lost cash in a 

Montana town patrolled by a corrupt 

sheriff. Barry Pepper ("Battlefield 

Earth"), Seth Green ("Austin Powers: 

The Spy Who Shagged Me"), Vin 

Diesel ("Pitch Black") and Andrew 

Davoli ("The Yards") co-star. David 

Levien and Brian Koppelman, who 

scripted "Rounders," write and direct 

their helming debut; Lawrence 

Bender ("Pulp Fiction," "Good Will 

Hunting") produces. (New Line, 

1/12) 

Exploitips: Streetplay.com, a website 

devoted to urban pickup games, 

has a bit of unique coverage on this 

film at www.streetplay.com/handball/cifilm.htm. 

Apparently, at the 

beginning of the film, Pepper's character 

approaches his father, played by 

Hopper, on a handball court about 

taking on added responsibility within 

the family organization. Shot at 

Coney Island's Seaside Handball 

Courts, handball champions consulted 

on the scene and even played 

some background characters. 

Coordinate with local handball players 

to set up a makeshift court in your 

theatre parking lot and challenge 

patrons to knock around a few balls in 

a two- or three-day tournament on 

opening weekend. 

Rob Zombie's 

House of 1 ,000 Corpses 

Rocker Rob Zombie writes and 

directs this horror flick about a group 

of traveling 20-somethings who visit a 

museum devoted to murder and mayhem. 

Sid Haig, Rainn Wilson, Chris 

Hardwick, Jennifer Jostyn, Erin 

Daniels, Bill Moseley and Karen Black 

star. Zombie's long-time manager 

Andy Gould produces. (Universal, 

1/12) 

Exploitips: Zombie already has been 

actively promoting his directorial 

debut on his website and at 

www.houseoflOOOcorpses.com, 

which includes a self-explanatory 

character-of-the-week feature. He also 

designed a haunted maze for 

Universal Studios Hollywood's 

Halloween Horror Nights called 

American Nightmare, which he 

reportedly haunted himself on occasion. 

Though 'tisn't the season, design 

your own "House of 1,000 Corpses" 

to scare patrons into seeing it at your 

theatre.

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< ular 

Save the Last Dance 

Stiles ("Hamlet") stars in this 

musical drama as a white, middleclass, 

small-town teen who's suddenly 

thrust into an inner-city, virtually 

all-black Chicago high school 

when her mother dies. She connects, 

however, with a popular 

African-American student through 

their common interest in dance. 

Sean Patrick Thomas ("Cruel 

Intentions") co-stars. Thomas Carter 

("Swing Kids") directs a script by 

Duane Adler and Cheryl Edwards; 

"Runaway Bride's" Robert Cort and 

David Madden produce. (Paramount, 

1/12) 

Exploitips: Collaborate with local 

dance troupes to promote this film, 

inviting both ballet and hip-hop performers 

to put on shows in or around 

your theatre on opening weekend and 

giving away lessons to either school. 

Alternatively, sponsor a dance for 

neighborhood youth following a special 

screening of "Save the Last 

Dance." BOXOFFICE interviewed Stiles 

in the July 2000 issue. Held from 

August. 

JANUARY 19 

Getting Over Allison 

Kirsten Dunst ("Bring It On") stars 

in this romantic teen comedy about 

a high school senior whose girlfriend, 

the titular Allison, breaks up 

with him. Quitting the basketball 

team and joining a Shakespeare production 

to try to win her back, his 

attentions soon turn to his best 

friend's little sister, who doesn't look 

so little anymore. Ben Foster 

("Liberty Heights"), Melissa 

Sagemiller and singer Sisqo co-star. 

Tommy O'Haver ("Billy's Hollywood 

Screen Kiss") directs a script by R. 

Lee Fleming Jr. ("She's All That"); 

Michael Burns and Marc Butan of 

Ignite Entertainment ("But I'm a 

Cheerleader") produce. (Miramax, 

1/19) 

Exploitips: January's shaping up to 

be a teen-friendly month, beginning 

with last week's "Save the Last 

Dance" and continuing with this 

week's "Getting Over Allison" and 

"Soul Survivors" and next week's 

"Sugar and Spice." Cross-promote 

these titles among each other, 

encouraging the lucrative adolesdemo 

to keep coming back for 

The selling points for this 

picture are headliner 

Dunst, who will be familiar to the 

ds who saw "Bring It On" last 

v. and Fleming, who scripted 

Ml That. " which started this 

fe it-en romance craze. 

Soul Survivors 

Melissa Sagemiller ("Getting Over 

Allison") stars in this thriller as a coed 

who is haunted by a car accident that 

killed her boyfriend, leaving her hovering 

between the dead and the living. 

Casey Affleck ("Drowning Mona"), 

Wes Bentley ("The Claim"), Eliza 

Dushku ("Bring It On") and Luke 

Wilson ("Charlie's Angels") co-star. 

Steve Carpenter, who penned "Blue 

Streak," writes and directs; the "I 

Know What You Did Last Summer" 

franchise's Neal Mortiz and Stokely 

Chaffin produce. (Artisan, 1/19) 

Exploitips: Rated R for violence and 

gore, sexuality and language, "Soul 

Survivors" will likely be a critical target 

in the wake of the FCC's movie 

marketing findings. Prepare your staff 

to card underage teens who will be 

attracted to the pic's horror elements 

and hot young cast. 

Snatch 

Guy Ritchie writes and directs his 

follow-up to his gritty British debut 

"Lock, Stock and Two Smoking 

Barrels." A crime thriller/comedy set in 

the London underground, "Snatch's" 

intervolved story lines include a diamond 

heist, unlicensed boxing, dog 

fighting and arms dealing. Benicio Del 

Toro ("The Way of the Gun"), Dennis 

Farina ("Out of Sight"), ex-footballer 

Vinnie Jones ("Lock, Stock and Two 

Smoking Barrels") and Brad Pitt ("Fight 

Club") make up the ensemble cast. 

Matthew Vaughn ("Lock, Stock and 

Two Smoking Barrels") produces. 

(Screen Gems, 1/19) 

Exploitips: Even before "Lock, Stock 

and Two Smoking Barrels" had the 

chance to dazzle American audiences at 

the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, Sony 

had struck a deal to distribute Ritchie's 

sophomore outing (previously called 

"Diamonds")— and that was before Brad 

Pitt was attached. In fact, Ritchie turned 

down other high-profile projects such as 

"Charlie's Angels," "Three Kings" and 

"Gone in 60 Seconds" to remain faithful 

to his indie roots and his homeland, producing 

"Snatch" for $6 million, a fraction 

of Pitt's usual salary. The pic had a record 

opening for an 7 8-certificate (R-rated) 

film in the United Kingdom in 

September, earning $4.6 million on 

opening weekend and nearly $15 million 

by press time. 

JANUARY 26 

The Wedding Planner 

Jennifer Lopez ("The Cell") stars in 

her first romantic comedy as a workaholic 

wedding planner who doesn't 

have time to find a husband of her 

own. When she does stumble upon 

Mr. Right, she discovers that he's 

engaged to one of her clients and that 

she's actually planning his wedding. 

Matthew McConaughey ("U-571") and 

Bridgette Wilson ("Beautiful") co-star. 

Choreographer Adam Shankman 

makes his feature film directorial 

debut; Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis 

script; "Pay It Forward's" Peter Abrams 

and Robert Levy produce with Jennifer 

Gibgot, Deborah Del Prete and Gigi 

Pritzker. (Columbia, 1/26) 

Exploitips: Originally set up at 

Destination Films, the relative newcomer 

balked at the nearly $40 million 

"Wedding" budget, especially after 

Buena Vista International backed out 

over creative and financial reasons. 

Lopez also originally had a different 

co-star— Brendan Fraser, who opted to 

topline "Bedazzled" instead. Invite 

local wedding-related establishments 

to promote their wares at your theatre 

on opening weekend— florists could 

decorate the lobby; a bakery could provide 

free samples of cake; a dress shop 

could put on a bridal show— culminating 

in a giveaway of a dream wedding 

to a lucky bride- and groom-to-be, as 

long as the wedding planner agrees to 

keep her hands off the groom. 

Harry Is Here to Help 

In this French-language thriller, a 

family man and his wife are on their 

way to their summer home with their 

three young girls when he runs into a 

childhood classmate, Harry, who 

insists on "helping" his friend achieve 

the life Harry imagined him to have. 

Laurent Lucas ("Pola X"), Sergi Lopez 

("An Affair of Love") and Mathilde 

Seigner ("Venus Beauty Institute") star. 

Dominik Moll ("Intimacy") writes and

SIGNATURE SERIES 1000 

STARRING IN 

NOW AND FOREVER 

"Series 

1000 is 

destined to become 

a classic. . 

.

directs; Gilles Marchand ("Human 

Resources") scripts; Michel Saint-Jean 

("The Dreamlife of Angels") produces. 

(Miramax, 1/26 NY/LA) 

Exploitips: Overshadowed by 

Miramax's dramatic opening-day 

acquisition of "Vatel" at Cannes, 

"Harry" was also picked up by the 

minimajor at the test, where it was 

nominated for the Palme d'Or. BOXOF- 

FICE gave it two stars in its Toronto 

coverage last month, saying, "Moll's 

direction is poky, and the film never 

comes to life.... Lucas' inexpressive 

performance gives Lopez little to play 

against. Harry's got some edge, but the 

film does not. 

Sugar and Spice 

Marley Shelton ("Never Been 

Kissed"), James Marsden ("X-Men") 

and Mena Suvari ("Loser") star in this 

black comedy about a high school 

cheerleading squad that pulls together 

when one of its own gets pregnant. The 

girls add bank robbing to their extracurricular 

activities to ensure the 

baby's future. Maria Sokoloff (TV's 

"The Practice"), Rachel Blanchard 

("Road Trip"), Melissa George ("The 

Limey"), Sara Marsh and Alexandra 

Holden ("Drop Dead Gorgeous") costar. 

Francine McDougall directs a 

script by Lona Williams ("Drop Dead 

Gorgeous"); Wendy Finerman 

("Stepmom," "Forrest Gump") produces. 

(New Line, 1/26) 

Exploitips: "Sugar and Spice" had a 

working title of "Sugar and Spice and 

Semiautomatics"— a third of it swiftly 

dropped even before the FCC's sweeping 

admonition of the marketing practices 

of the film industry. According to 

a 1999 Time article, insiders have 

indicated that Finerman initially was 

concerned about the script's violent 

content, but the film since has been 

rated PG-13 for language, sex-related 

humor and thematic elements, an 

indication that its original vision perhaps 

has been toned down. See 

Actor's Studio, page 20. 

Invisible Circus 

Cameron Diaz ("Charlie's Angels") 

stars in this '60s-set drama as a young 

woman who mysteriously dies while 

traveling in Europe with her boyfriend. 

Her younger sister sets out to retrace 

her steps and explain her death. 

Jordana Brewster ("The Faculty") and 

Christopher Eccleston ("Elizabeth") 

co-star. Screenwriter Adam Brooks 

("Practical Magic") writes and directs 

based on the novel by Jennifer Egan; 

Julia Chasman ("Polish Wedding") and 

Nick Wechsler ("Antitrust") produce. 

(Fine Line, 1/26) 

Exploitips: Though unlikely while 

theatre circuits are parading to bankruptcy 

court, financially secure 

exhibitors can team with a travel agent 

to give away a trip to Europe that 

retraces the woman's journey in 

"Invisible Circus. " Held from summer. 

Faithless 

Swede Liv Ullmann ("Sophie") 

directs this romantic drama about a 

successful stage actress who jeopardizes 

her perfect marriage with her 

composer husband when she has an 

affair with his reckless friend. Lena 

Endre ("Kristen Lavransdatter"), 

Thomas Hanzon and Krister 

Henriksson star. Auteur Ingmar 

Bergman ("Fanny and Alexander") 

scripts; Kaj Larsen produces. (IDP 

Samuel Goldwyn/Fireworks, 1/26) 

Exploitips: Nominated for a Palme 

d'Or at Cannes this year, "Faithless" 

earned four stars from BOXOFFICE at 

the Edinburgh festival in last month's 

issue: "Such brutal and emotioanlly 

honest filmmaking often makes for 

uncomfortable viewing, but it is an 

invigorating experience to see the 

work of a masterful director fully in 

control of her craft. 

Movie Reviews, Right in the Palm in Your Han 

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i lie 

The Legends of Rita 

Volker Schlondorff ("Palmetto," but 

Series 7: The Contenders 

In this satire set in the near future, a 

Lost Honor of Katharina highly rated game show selects contestants 

Blum," "The Handmaiden's Tale" and 

at random to kill one another 

"The Tin Drum") writes and directs this for the top prize. Brooke Smith stars as 

German drama about a radical West the reigning champion, who is eightmonths 

German terrorist who escapes to East 

pregnant and faces her high 

Germany and assumes a new identity. school sweetheart as a competitor. 

Bibiana Beglau stars. Wolfgang Scribe Daniel Minahan ("I Shot Andy 

Kohlhas scripts; Arthur Hofer and Warhol") writes and helms his directorial 

Emmo Lempert produce. (Kino, 1/24) 

debut; "Chuck and Buck's" 

Exploitips: BOXOFFICE gave "The Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente and 

Legends of Rita" four stars in its "Boys Don't Cry's" Christine Vachon 

Montreal coverage last month, saying, and Katie Roumel produce. (USA, 

"Schlondorff has created a magnificent, 

1/26) 

beautifully acted portrait of the Exploitips: Ironically, Minahan 

Cold War's last gasp, as seen through was developing this script at the 

the eyes of a young radical on the run." Sundance Writers and Directors 

Labs before "Who Wants to Be a 

Millionaire" and "Survivor" became 

top-rated shows. USA recognized 

the digital film's of-the-momentness 

and snapped it up late last summer. 

A Monkey's Tale 

This animated family movie is about 

a monkey who refuses to believe that 

demons inhabit the jungle floor without 

seeing them for himself. When he 

loses his grip and tumbles to the 

ground one day, he discovers that the 

creatures are indeed not demons at all, 

cions of his mentor and lover. Jared 

Harris ("I Shot Andy Warhol") and Xia 

Yu star. Ann Hu writes, directs and produces; 

Sandra Schulberg, Zhang Xia, 

Cheng Zheng and Lee You-Ning produce. 

(Sony Classics, 1/26) 

Exploitips: "Shadow Magic" earned 

2.5 stars from BOXOFFICE at the 

Toronto fest in last month's issue: 

"'Shadow Magic' is obviously a labor 

of love for the director, but it fails to 

stoke imagination. Hu concentrates the 

drama on [the men's] budding and 

conflicting friendship rather than the 

| '"asons why movies would stir 

lg taction in Chinese culture. All 

A lagic' lacks is magic. 

JANUARY UNDATED 

Monkeybone 

Brendan Fraser ("Bedazzled") stars 

but monkeys just like him. Jean- 

Francois Laguionie writes and directs; 

Norman Hudis scripts; Gerd Hecker, 

Patrick Moine and Steve Walsh pro- 

in this partly animated comic fantasy 

duce. (Providence, 1/26) 

as a neurotic cartoonist with a hit TV 

Exploitips: A project funded by show who slips into a coma after a car 

French and German financiers, accident and must elude Death while 

British, 

"A Monkey's Tale" was originally in trapped in a nightmarish purgatory of 

French, but presumably will be his own creation. Meanwhile, 

redubbed for American audiences. A 

fun website at www.amonkeystale.com 

Monkeybone, one of his characters/his 

obnoxious alter ego takes over 

includes an illustrated synopsis, games his life in the real world. Bridget 

and pictures to download. Pass out discount 

Fonda ("Lake Placid"), Whoopi 

coupons for the release near the Goldberg ("The Adventures of Rocky 

monkey cages at the local zoo, and and Bullwinkle"), Rose McGowan 

continue the experience for youngsters ("Ready to Rumble"), Chris Kattan 

by decorating the theatre lobby like a ("Lucky Numbers"), Dave Foley 

jungle, stringing up vines throughout. ("Dick") and Megan Mullally (TV's 

"Will and Grace") co-star. Henry 

Shadow Magic 

Selick ("The Nightmare Before 

In this Chinese-language drama, a Christmas") directs; Sam Hamm 

turn-of-the-century English entrepreneur 

("Batman") scripts based on the 

introduces the motion picture to 

China and befriends a native photographer, 

graphic novel "Dark Town" by Kaja 

Blackley; "Bicentennial Man's" Chris 

who is conflicted between the Columbus, Mark Radcliffe and 

Michael Barnathan produce. (Fox, 

influential innovation and the suspi- 

January or February undated) 

Exploitips: The first film to feature 

stop-motion animation and live action 

in the same shot, "Monkeybone, " like 

Disney's "Dinosaur," promises to be a 

revelation in animation. 

The Taste of Others 

This French romance explores several 

relationships between men and 

women played by Jean-Pierre Bacri 

("Place Vendome"), Anne Alvaro, 

Agnes Jaoui ("On the Run"), Gerard 

Lanvin, Brigitte Catillon and Alain 

Chabat. Jaoui directs a script she 

penned with Bacri; Charles Gassot, 

who associate produced "Eye of the 

Beholder," produces. (Artistic License, 

January undated) 

Exploitips: "The Taste of Others" tied 

for the Crand Prix des Ameriques at this 

year's Montreal fest, where BOXOFFICE 

gave it three stars last month, saying, 

"The linkages between the characters 

are never forced, and the performances 

are uniformly pleasurable. Some of the 

people could have been sketched in 

more depth, and Jaoui's direction is 

somewhat clunky, but this sweet film 

will leave you smiling." 

In the Winter Dark 

Brenda Blethyn ("Saving Grace") 

leads an ensemble cast in this psychological 

thriller set in the Australian 

Blue Mountains, where something is 

killing farm animals. Ray Barrett, 

Richard Roxburgh ("Mission: 

Impossible II") and Miranda Otto 

("What Lies Beneath") co-star. James 

Bogle writes and directs; his previous 

collaborator Peter Rasmussen adapts a 

story by Tim Winton; Rosemary Blight 

produces. (Cowboy, January undated) 

Exploitips: "In the Winter Dark" 

received three nominations for the 

1998 Australian Film Institute Awards 

in the cinematography, lead actor and 

supporting actress categories. 

Sexy Beast 

Ray Winstone ("Agnes Browne") and 

Ben Kingsley ("Rules of Engagement") 

star in this romantic heist movie as a 

former gangster who wants to retire 

quietly with his wife in his Spanish 

villa and the former boss who returns 

to ask one last favor. Amanda Redman 

co-stars. Commercial director Jonathan 

Glazer will make his feature 

debut; Louis Mellis and David Scinto 

script; Jeremy Thomas, who executive 

produced "The Cup," produces. (Fox 

Searchlight, January undated) 

Exploitips: BOXOFFICE gave "Sexy 

Beast" three stars at the Toronto 

International Film 

Festival, calling it 

"Mindless fun.... 

'Sexy Beast' isn't 

anything special, 

but Glazer has a 

playful spirit that 

gives the picture 

some bounce. 

Held from summer.

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Tomer 

Kippur 

Israeli Amos Gitai writes, directs and 

es this war drama based on his 

xperiences in the 1973 Yom 

Kippur War about an artist and his 

friend who join an air force rescue team 

and evacuate the dead and wounded 

from the battle fronts. Liron Levo and 

Russo star. Marie-Jose Sanselme 

scripts; Michel Propper ("Kadosh") produces. 

(Kino, January undated) 

Exploitips: BOXOFFICE saw this one 

at Telluride, giving it 3.5 stars in last 

month's issue: "Gitai's forceful direction 

realistically captures the chaos, 

dislocation and agony that the helicopter 

team witnesses and experiences.... 

The film is also very compelling 

since Gitai humanizes the conflict 

by never losing sight of the soldiers' 

reactions." 

the same niche audience as 1999's 

"The Best Man, " which was somewhat 

of a surprise hit, earning $34 million 

vs. a $9 million budget. 

Signs & Wonders 

Stellan Skarsgard ("Deep Blue Sea") 

stars in this drama as an American living 

in Greece who, influenced by signs 

and premonitions, falls deeply back in 

love with his wife after having an affair. 

Charlotte Rampling ("The Wings of the 

Dove") and Deborah Kara Unger ("The 

Hurricane") co-star. Jonathan Nossiter 

writes and directs; James Lasdun 

("Besieged") scripts; Marin Karmitz 

(Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Blue, White, 

Red" trilogy) produces. (Strand, 

January undated) 

Exploitips: "Signs & Wonders" 

played at this year's Berlin 

International Film Festival, where it 

was nominated for the Golden Bear. 

Held from November. 

LATE MOVIE MOVES 

Dungeons and Dragons 

Based on the popular fantasy roleplaying 

game, "Dungeons and 

Dragons" stars Jeremy Irons ("The Man 

in the Iron Mask") as the evil wizard 

The Brothers 

Bill Bellamy ("Any Given Sunday"), 

Morris Chestnut ("The Best Man"), 

Shemar Moore and D.L. Hughley ("The 

Original Kings of Comedy") star in this 

romantic comedy about four African- 

American yuppies whose worlds are 

thrown into chaos when one of them, 

an ex-playboy, announces that he's 

getting married. Screenwriter Gary 

Hardwick ("Trippin"') directs his own 

script; Doug McHenry produces. 

(Screen Gems, January undated) 

Cartwright script; Thomas M. Hammel 

Exploitips: "The Brothers" is going for ("Firestorm") and Kia Jam produce. 

(New Line, 1 2/8) 

Exploitips: Executive produced by 

Profion, who plans to dethrone the 

Empire of Izmer's young empress Savina 

("American Beauty's" Thora Birch) 

because she proposes equality among 

both the nobility and the commoners. 

Both seek a legendary rod that control 

dragons and thus grants whoever bears 

it uncontestable power. Justin Whalin 

(TV's "Lois & Clark"), Marlon Wayans 

("Scary Movie"), Kristen Wilson 

("Doctor Dolittle"), Lee Arenberg, Zoe 

McLellan, Tom Baker (TV's "Dr. Who") 

and Richard O'Brien ("Dark City") costar. 

Courtney Solomon directs and produces 

his feature film debut; "Where the 

Money Is'" Topper Lilien and Carroll 

Warner Bros. -based Joel Silver ("The 

Matrix"), the $36 million "Dungeons 

and Dragons" was passed over by the 

studio and picked up by its Time 

Warner affiliate New Line for a reported 

$5 million plus a significant P&A 

commitment and a guaranteed release 

Though the heyday 

by the year's end. 

of the game's popularity has passed, the 

general consensus is that there's still a 

huge nostalgic fan base, and New Line 

could also tie it in with its hotly anticipated 

fantasy trilogy "The Lord of the 

Rings," which is due out next year. 

Sponsor a mini "Dungeons and 

Dragons" convention at your theatre 

over opening weekend, setting up a 

"D&D" league (be prepared for allnighters— 

this isn't Monopoly) and 

inviting die-hards to dress in costume as 

their favorite characters. See Director's 

Chair and Actor's Studio, page 24. 

Before Night Falls 

Javier Bardem ("Live Flesh") stars in 

this biopic as Reinaldo Arenas, a Cuban 

novelist and poet who was imprisoned 

for his homosexuality and then fled to 

New York, where he committed suicide 

while suffering from AIDS. Olivier 

Martinez ("The Horseman on the Roof) 

and Andrea Di Stefano (1998's "The 

Phantom of the Opera") co-star; Johnny 

Depp ("The Man Who Cried") and Sean 

Penn ("Sweet and Lowdown") have 

supporting roles. Julian Schnabel 

("Basquiat") writes and directs; 

Cunningham O'Keefe and Lazaro 

Gomez Carriles base the script on 

Arenas' autobiography; Jon Kilik 

("Bamboozled") produces. (Fine Line, 

12/22 NY/LA, 1/12 exp) 

Exploitips: Winning a Special Jury Prize 

at the Venice Film Festival, "Before Night 

Falls" was the subject of a fierce bidding 

war among Fine Line, Paramount 

Classics and Sony Classics and eventually 

garnered upwards of $ I million for 

domestic distribution rights. Fine Line 

then hurriedly scheduled the film for 

December to qualify for Oscar season. 

MORE MOVIE MOVES 

Regent will be "Looking for an 

Echo," starring Armand Assante and 

Diane Venora, on November 

10. ..Zeitgeist's documentary "Rebels 

With a Cause" also stages protests on 

November 10 in New York. .."Taboo," 

a New Yorker release starring Takeshi 

"Beat" Kitano that BOXOFFICE gave 

2.5 stars in last month's issue, dares to 

see the light of day on the 17th...and 

Panorama tells an "Urban Ghost 

Story" sometime in November, m 

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The Leader 

Exhibit Freight Logistics 

v*\BIT/Oa/

Cover 

A sthe Western is to Americans, 

\ so the Wuxia Pian is to the 

XTLChinese. Larger-than-life 

morality tales set in fabled ancient 

times, Wuxia stories center on 

almost superhuman heroes and heroines: 

virtuous warriors able to translate 

a Confucian sense of inner peace 

into powerful, outward invincibility. 

Possessed of martial skills that defy 

the laws of physics and nature, 

Wuxia heroes and heroines represent 

a Chinese ideal philosophically and 

culturally congruent to the ruggedly 

individualistic American cowboy. 

Nonetheless, American audiences 

have been slow to embrace the Wuxia 

genre, their perceptions tainted, for 

the most part, by overexposure to the 

oft-mocked Shaw Brothers films of 

siastic cheers greeted director Ang 

Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden 

Dragon." Made for a relatively meager 

$15 million, the epic period piece 

is not only Lee's return to his native 

Taiwan after six successful years in 

Hollywood but also a return to a 

genre near and dear to Ms heart. "I 

think the Wuxia genre in the past was 

hard to connect with," confesses Lee. 

"But I believe that, whatever you do, 

unless you tell a personal story ifs 

not worth doing. It has to come down 

to some kind of feeling you want to 

to fee audience." 

reaction to the film since 

as it has opened around the 

the 1960s and 1970s—inexpensive, 

quickly made efforts generally characterized 

by laughable dubbing and 

sketchy production values. If only the 

Wuxia genre were to receive the same 

care and attention given to big-budget 

Hollywood films, it has been 

asked, would Western audiences 

revise their opinions? 

Absolutely, said attendees at the 

2000 Cannes Film Festival, as enthuglobe 

has been resolutely positive— 

so much so that hopes are already 

riding high for the film's December 

debut in the U.S. via Sony Classics. 

Adapted from the fourth in a series 

of five books written by Chinese novelist 

Wang Du in the 1940s, 

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" 

features the first-ever screen pairing 

of Hong Kong stars Chow Yun-fat 

and Michelle Yeoh as Li Mu Bai and 

Yu Shu Lien, lifelong friends and 

warriors still repressing longstanding 

romantic tensions between them as 

they become embroiled in a dramatic 

showdown with a legendary female 

outlaw named Jade Fox (screen legend 

Cheng Pei Pei). Caught in the 

middle is the equally lethal Jen (newcomer 

Zhang Ziyi), daughter of a 

regional governor, and her long-lost 

love, noble bandit Lo (Chang Chen). 

"These are the stories, the things 

we've grown up with and which we 

take for granted in many ways," says 

Yeoh, the former Miss Malaysia 

whose action prowess in Hong Kong 

films was first discovered by 

American audiences when she costarred 

with Jackie Chan in 

"Supercop" and with Pierce Brosnan 

in the James Bond film "Tomorrow 

Never Dies." In Yeoh's eyes, the fihn 

is "a beautiful introduction for the 

American or European audiences. It 

takes your breath away when you see 

us fly up and run across rooftops 

while we're fighting. But at the same 

time mere are moments where there 

is a reprieve and it becomes very 

romantic. The trick was to make it so 

it was not just a martial arts fihn. 

The stories behind it and the emotions 

are so powerful." 

Lee readily confesses to being at 

least partially inspired by the films of 

fee great King Hu, fee Taiwanese 

director of such sweeping sagas as "A 

Touch of Zen" and "Dragon Gate 

Inn." From the mid-1960s to the early 

1970s, Hu's masterful blend of action 

and drama illuminated screens in 

Taiwan and Hong Kong, debuting 

such talents as "Martial Law" star 

Sammo Hung, "Farewell My 

Concubine" producer Hsu Feng and a 

pre-pubescent Jackie Chan. Often 

compared to John Ford for his sense of 

scale and sweep, Hu established what 

Lee says are the standard elements for 

subsequent Wuxia films, including 

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." 

"He had a lot to do with setting 

the tone of the Wuxia Pian," says 

Lee. "For example, the use of bamboo, 

the use of clothing, the use of 

negative space. And for people like 

me, who grew up in Taiwan and 

never saw China, whatever he put on 

screen we thought that was China. 

So it influenced me both genre-wise 

and culture-wise." 

Undoubtedly, Hu would have been 

flattered and impressed by Lee's 

achievement, which both builds on 

and transcends the conventions of the 

genre. For, though Lee's film is 

uniquely Asian, it boasts production 

values and a resume of participants 

that would be the envy of even the 

HU 

most expensive Hollywood blockbuster. 

In addition to the Oscar-nominated 

Lee, who took Hollywood by 

storm wife such films as "Sense and 

Sensibility," "The Ice Storm" and 

"Ride Wife fee Devil," fee film also 

benefited from fee participation of 

composer Tan Dun ("Fallen"), famed 

cellist Yo-Yo Ma and fee legendary 

director and action director Yuen Wo 

Ping, fee wirework wizard who first 

captured fee attention of American 

audiences wife his eye-popping fight 

and stunt choreography in 1999V 

"The Matrix." But fee fantastical 

demands of "Crouching Tiger,^ 

Hidden Dragon," in which characters 

Jehner Ang Lee; Michelle Yeoh (atop horse); Chang Chen and Zhang Ziyi; Zhang Ziyi; Michelle Yeoh; Chow Yun-fat.

"TIGER" TIME 

Director Ang Lee and Actress Michelle Yeoh Discuss Their 

Dreakthrough Martial Arts Epic "Crouching Tiger, 

Hidden Dragon" From Sony Classics 

be required 

to run up vertical 

by Wade Major 

walls, leap across rooftops 

and fight while suspended in 

treetops, would surpass even Yuen's "V Tet no amount of planning 

challenges on "The Matrix." 

\ could have prepared Lee, 

I 

"In the old days, we would use -M- Yuen or 

these thin wires," explains Yeoh, who 

previously collaborated with Yuen on 

the films "Wing Chun" and "The Tai 

Chi Master." "And those wires limit 

your body movements. Any sudden 

movement and it snaps, leaving you 

flat on your face. Here we were using 

cables which allow die scope of your 

physical activity to increase, and that 

presented a whole new arena for us to 

play with. It was safer, and Yuen was 

able to execute more." 

Still, Yeoh notes that, though such 

innovation is important to the art of 

wirework, some tilings must stay the 

same. "It's not controlled by computers," 

she says. "It cannot be so digital. 

You need this team of five guys 

who are there to watch you. It's a matter 

of catching that right time, that 

split second, and for me to fed that 

subtle tug on the cable and to react 

correctly to it Otherwise, you look 

tike a puppet, totally out of control." 

Balancing the film's dazzling action 

with its powerful drama proved even 

tougher, forcing both Lee and Yuen to 

find creative ways of dividing what 

would otherwise be separate and distinct 

chores. "Usually, I would pitch 

my ideas for each different setup," 

says Lee. "like the rooftop chase: I 

would pitch him the athletic principles 

and the dramatic principles. Once he 

accepted those, he let me schedule and 

build sets. Then he'd come and see the 

sets and give his tips." 

the actors for the keystone 

sequence in which actors fight 

while precariously balanced on the 

upper branches of trees. "The bamboo 

forest shoot was pretty crazy," 

Lee says. "Overall, this film was ten 

times more difficult than anything 

I've ever done. It was suffering. Pure, 

sheer suffering. You see, nobody 

makes movies like the Americans. 

And we tried to apply that into 

Chinese filmmaking. It was like 

hand-crafting a space shuttle." 

Yeoh and Chow, meanwhile, were 

confronting daunting challenges of 

their own, having to perform their 

parts in what was essentially a foreign 

language to them both: 

Mandarin Chinese. "The hardest," 

says Yeoh, "was that it was a very 

formalized kind of language spoken 

during the Ching Dynasty. It's like 

doing Shakespeare for you. It 

required practicing with the dialogue 

coach, locking yourself hi and 

going over the lines a zillion times. 

Before I opened my eyes in the 

morning, I'd be saying my lines. The 

worst thing that could happen is 

that Ang would come in and say, 

'Oh, here are the new pages.' And 

you'd think, 'I'm going to kill you.'" 

As if the language struggle weren't 

enough, Yeoh, who has been known 

for her daredevil stunt work on previous 

pictures, was briefly incapacitated 

by injury during the film's fiveloot. 

"I was just doing a 

jumping 

kick that 

I do thirty or forty 

times a day in practice. 

But, whenever you do an action 

film, there are so many elements that 

need to come together, no matter how 

simple it looks. I was already moving 

into my next step, and when I landed 

on my leg it felt like someone had 

clubbed me. And I was down." 

Despite the hardships, setbacks 

and challenges, neither Yeoh nor Lee 

harbors any regrets about an experience 

that both consider one of the 

most enriching of their careers. "It 

was a great adventure, and it taught 

me so much about filmmaking," says 

Lee. "It was very enlightening. Of 

course, my body paid a toll. But it 

was really worth it. When I was making 

it, I thought, 'If I can just live 

through it.' But after that, and seeing 

bow people responded to it, I thought, 

'Maybe next time I can do better. 

"I think Ang really delivered all the 

things be promised, all the visions 

that I saw in his eyes," says Yeoh. 

"He gave us a truly classical, lyrical, 

poetic film with the yin and the yang 

of the dramatic and the martial arts. 

If someone asked me now, in foresight, 

if I would still do this movie 

knowing that I would be injured, I 

would say, 'Yes.' I would still go 

ahead and do this movie." Hi 

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." 

Starring Chow Yun-fat, Michelle 

Yeoh, Cheng Pei Pei, Zhang 

Ziyi and Chang Chen. Directed and 

produced by Ang Lee. Written by 

James Schamus. A Sony Classics 

release. Opens 1218 NY, 12115 L.A. 

December, 2000 31

1 

m 

'OXOFFICE 

-mi^rm 

C 1THE "MO 

mmites With Stars Maggie Cheung and TonyLeung 

in the Delicate, Passionate Love Story, "in the Mood for Loi 

o, I got you!" exclaims Wong Karwai, 

grinning from behind his 

trademark sunglasses like a college 

prankster. It's an admittedly 

strange way to open a serious discussion 

of an award-winning film—though 

in the case of Wong's Cannes hit "In 

the Mood for Love," the unorthodox 

opening is wholly appropriate. "It's 

pfibecause of you guys in the press." he 

says of his choice to abandon many of 

his familiar stylistic signatures. "You 

W 

give us challenges. Over theyears I realized 

everybody expected something like 

'Chungking Express.' And so I said. 

'Okay. We're going to make a film without 

handheld camerawork, without 

voiceovers.'" 

Easily the most internationally 

respected of Hong Kong's handful of 

art film directors. Wong's reputation 

has grown exponentially since the 

international success of 1994's 

K "Chungking Express," released in the 

U.S. thanks to the sponsorship of 

longtime Wong admirer Quentin 

Tarantino. Three years later Wong 

reached an even greater pinnacle by 

capturing the Cannes Best Director 

Prize for "Happy Together." Then, in 

May of this year, he struck Cannes 

gold once again when "In the Mood 

for Love" took home not one but two 

: prizes -one for Technical Achievement 

and a Best Actor award for costar 

Tony Leung. 

Though still highly stylized, "In the 

Mood for Love" marks a radical departure 

from the Hash and sizzle of Wong's 

previous efforts, instead emphasizing 

subtle colors, artful compositions and 

unobtrusive camerawork. A simple, minima! 

istic Jove story set in 1962 Hong 

Kong, the film stars Leung and the ever 

lar Maggie Cheung as neighbors 

and v'tung professionals who find themselves 

Sailing in love after they uncover 

an affair between their respective spous- 

* . When asked whether he feared comparisons 

to the similarly themed flop, 

Hearts." Wong chuckles. "We 

actually shooting in Bangkok, and 

told me, "There's a movie with 

ison F'ord and Kristin Scottby 

Wade Major 

Thomas, and the story is very much like 

ours!' So I said, 'Okay. Let's go take a 

look.' After that I said, 'It's okay. We're 

different."' 

Those who have seen the film contrast 

it more flatteringly to such classics as 

David Lean's "Brief Encounter" and 

James Ivory's "Remains of the Day." 

Still others see similarities to the work of 

seminal masters like Douglas Sirk, 

Krzysztof Kieslowski, Rainer Werner 

Fassbinder, Robert Bresson and 

AFFAIR OF "LOVE": Tony Leung and Maggie 

Cheung star in "In the Mood tor Love." 

Michelangelo Antonioni—all comparisons 

that Wong readily welcomes... with 

is. caveat. 

"It's because the story is simple and 

people in different countries have 

already made films on this topic," 

explains Wong. "But actually, I wanted 

to make a film like Hitchcock, and I 

think it should be treated like a 

Hitchcock film. In our previous films, 

we worked like CNN, like on a documentary. 

We captured everything in 

front of the camera. In this film there 

are so many things happening outside of 

the frame that you have to guess. I 

learned that from Hitchcock: We have to 

treat the audience as one of the neighbors." 

Despite 

the stylistic d< 

Wong's controversial ap®B|

the greater value of what Wong was trying 

to accomplish. "I know now that 

along the way he was searching through 

us for what we could give him to inspire 

him to write our parts. The next time I 

work with him. I'll be smarter and try to 

give more input, to help him along the 

way instead of being angry with him. 

I'm also very grateful for the duration of 

the shoot because if it weren't 15 

months, I don't think I could have done 

the same thing." 

The lengthy production also allowed 

Cheung and Leung to forge a closer 

friendship which, they say, helped 

strengthen their performances. "We had 

worked [together] quite a few times 

before," says Cheung, "but we never 

really were on-screen together. Through 

this film, and because it took so long to 

make, we got to know each other." Adds 

Leung, "The long shoot especially gave 

us time to hang out together and talk 

about what we thought of the movie and 

what we were supposed to be doing. 

And I think that helped, too." 

In a film so intensely centered on two 

characters, chemistry became essential 

not just to the story, but to the credibility 

of the 1960s backdrop, a time during 

which Hong Kong finally emerged as a 

truly modern metropolis. 

"That period was the beginning, leading 

to how Hong Kong is today," says 

Cheung. It was a time when it kind of 

opened up to the cosmopolitan side of 

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things." While Cheung's childhood 

memories of the era are sparse, some 

aspects of the production sparked vivid 

recollections, giving her a greater appreciation 

for her mother in particular. "I 

have photos of my mom looking exactly 

the same as I do in the film. And having 

done this now, I really feel like I've lived 

through how my mom must have been as 

a woman." 

"At the time I was really young," says 

Leung, "but I have a very good memory 

of the '60s, which is much the same as in 

the movie. Especially the relationship 

between the neighbors— it seems very 

familiar to me. And my mother was 

working class—she worked as a clerk in 

a westerner's company and spoke 

English, too. I can also remember the 

Mah-Jongg games on the weekends, how 

people used to gossip while playing." 

This meticulous, vivid recreation of an 

era, however, is nothing new for Wong, 

who previously tackled the '60s in his second 

film. 1991s "Days of Being Wild," 

starring none other than Maggie Cheung 

and Tony Leung. Though he concedes to 

a spiritual linkage between the two films, 

Wong denies that "In the Mood for 

Love" is intended to serve as a sequel. 

"The things that attracted me in 1990 

were different," he says, going on to elaborate 

in his usual contemplative manner. 

"At the very beginning, I decided that this 

film was not a sequel to 'Days of Being 

Wild,' even though they are set during the 

same period and feature the same actor 

and actress. To me it is like 'Days of 

Being Wild' ten years older. That means if 

I were to make 'Days of Being Wild' now. 

it would be 'In the Mood for Love." and if 

H 

I had made 'In the Mood for Love' ten 

years ago, it would have been 'Days of 

Being Wild.'" 

"In the Moodfor Love. " Starring Tony 

Leung and Maggie Cheung. Written and 

directed by Wong Kar-wai. Produced by 

William Chang. A USA release. 

Romantic drama Opens 2/23/01 NY/LA. 

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Response No 520 

December, 2000 33

CINEASIA EXTRA: Voices 

MAXIMUM MEDIA 

Thomas Chung, 

CineAsia 2000's Producer of the Year 

and Media Asia Managing Director, 

Talks to BOXOFFICE About Taking 

His Hong Kong Production House 

to New Heights by Wade Major 

The 

history of Hong Kong cinema has 

generally been one of powerful, 

visionary companies and their leaders. 

Until recently, it was a history dominated 

in successive eras by the mighty Shaw 

Brothers and Raymond Chow's Golden 

Harvest. The past few years, however, have 

seen a new player stake a claim: Media 

Asia. For years a relatively minor force 

whose primary asset was a large back catalog 

of Golden Harvest classics, Media Asia 

has recently emerged an industry leader 

under the direction of managing director 

Thomas Chung, who will be receiving the 

Producer of the Year Award at the 

CineAsia convention in December. Chung 

spoke openly about his vision both for 

Media Asia and thefuture of Asian cinema. 

BOXOFFICE: Over the past several 

years, you've turned Media Asia into a real 

in-house production company—especially 

amazing at a time when the industry in 

Hong Kong is alleged to be in dire straits. 

CHUNG: I think when we started 

Media Asia, we were very blessed to start 

off life with a good, strong back-catalog 

of the creme-de-la-creme of Hong Kong 

cinema.... But, libraries, like people, get 

older year to year. When I had the opportunity 

to take control of Media Asia two 

years ago, I said that we had to change. 

All our back catalog products started life 

as new products. If we couldn't get new 

product out, then the value of our library 

would degenerate. And since nobody else, 

as far as 1 was concerned, was making a 

"new breed" of Hong Kong films—to 

keep up with changing consumer tastes 

and filmmaking technologies— I decided 

that we had to take the lead in creating a 

new form of Hong Kong movies. 

BOXOFFICE: Was there a catalytic 

moment? 

CHUNG: At the beginning of 1998, 

Jackie Chan came in as a shareholder in 

Media Asia, and with his manager, Willie 

( lian, the} contributed in a very strong 

:lping Media Asia, a young comicl 

the very best of directors and 

to ^ oik with us instead of with our 

["be first movie we put out 

on that basis was "Gen-X Cops".... On 

the production side, I watched all the 

rushes, interacted with the director and 

made sure I could be the point person 

between production to promotion and 

then to all the sales people so we would 

know how to relate to and communicate 

with our customers and distributors overseas. 

BOXOFFICE: In other words, you're 

willing to do whatever it takes to make the 

film the best that it can be. 

CHUNG: After "Gen-X Cops" we 

released "Tempting Heart". ..and at the 

end of the movie, the director, Sylvia 

Chang, wanted a scene where.. .the background 

goes from spring to winter. I could 

easily have said no because it would have 

cost me an extra half-million Hong Kong 

dollars. But because I read the script, I saw 

the footage and I knew where we were, I 

thought that would be artistically valuable 

as an added expense in order to give it 

the 

final touch. We brought the team over to 

L.A. and did the final sequence. 

BOXOFFICE: This is all very forwardthinking 

for the way that business has 

always been done in Hong Kong. 

CHUNG: Too many of our competitors 

are still living in the 70s, 80s and 90s. 

The world and the consumer profile has 

changed completely.... If I can get the 

right product out. then the longevity of a 

new breed of Hong Kong movie would be 

prolonged and extended so that when it 

becomes a back catalog product, it is a 

strong product that people will talk about 

for years to come. 

BOXOFFICE: "Gen-X Cops" is the first 

time a Hong Kong film has been acquired 

for U.S. theatrical or video release without 

the strength of an established star like 

Jackie Chan or Jet Li. 

CHUNG: For all my movies with a 

budget of over $5 million, I would look at 

that product as having to have strong 

potential for North America and Europe. 

At the end of the day, it's a business that 

we're in. Beyond that, I can look at Asia 

as my primary market for those movies. It 

is up to us to continue to dream and 

dream of ideas that will not only impress 

Asian audiences, but which will attract 

European and American customers and 

distributors as well. That's what we're 

doing with the "Gen-X Cops" sequel, 

"Gen-Y Cops." In 2000 and forward, we 

want to continue working with directors 

who have heart and passion. 

BOXOFFICE: Major stars, historically, 

haven't played a major role as producers in 

Hong Kong movies. Yet you have signed a 

deal with Michelle Yeoh to produce and 

star in her own films. Is this an exception to 

the rule or is this a new strategy? 

CHUNG: I would say this is an exception 

more than a strategy.... Without a 

doubt, Michelle's name, in the international 

market, carries weight. But 

Michelle is more than that—she's the producer 

on a batch of films over the next 

five years.... I see her passion about 

movies and the experience and knowledge 

she has gained throughout the years. 

BOXOFFICE: You have a relatively small 

slate of films announced for this year, but 

it's quite impressive, featuring some major 

directors and crossing a variety of genres. 

CHUNG: I think, to turn things 

around, the focus has to be on quality 

first. With every single director, I get excited. 

I get excited talking to Michelle about 

"The Touch," the new movie that we've 

engineered together. I get excited about 

this ghost story that we're doing with 

director Ann Hui. And I also want to get 

away from this perception that I just want 

to blow up every landmark in Hong 

Kong. Most important is how we can set 

up satellite production pipelines feeding 

the Media Asia distribution engine. 

Where is the new wave of filmmakers like 

Ann Hui, Mabel Cheung, Sylvia Chang, 

Benny Chan, Teddy Chan? We would like 

to nurture these people. The exodus of 

premium talent to Hollywood, if you look 

deep enough, it's actually good. It's created 

room for a new wave to come into the 

arena. We can either sit back and cry and 

say. "Oh, all our stars have left and they're 

not coming back," or we work to can nurture 

new seeds. 

Hi

CINEASIA EXTRA: Voices~ 

A CONFUCIAN FUSION 

Filmmaker Edward Yang Discusses Taiwanese Exhibition and 

Distribution and the Convergence of Film and Technology 

For 

more than a decade, Edward 

Yang's simple, unfettered humanism 

has been a key component in 

the steady growth of the Taiwanese film 

industry's worldwide reputation. Films 

such as 1992's "A Confucian Confusion" 

and his debut effort, 1989's "A Brighter 

Summer Day," long ago established his 

style and sensibilities, culminating earlier 

this year with the Cannes Film Festival's 

Best Director Award for his epic threehour 

family drama. "Yi Yi," which translated 

literally means "A One and a Two." 

Yang's business perspective, however, 

differs markedly from that of his colleagues 

given that he came to filmmaking 

after a previous career as a microcomputer 

designer andprogrammer at the University 

of Washington. Now, as the worlds of 

entertainment and high tech begin to converge, 

Yang finds himself ideally suited to 

adapt to an increasingly uncertain future. 

BOXOFFICE: It's ironic that as Asia is 

exploding with screens, a lot of 

American exhibitors are going through 

hard times, some even declaring bankruptcy. 

What is the situation in Taiwan? 

Yang: Very similar. Most of the theatres 

are going bankrupt because no one 

goes there. Everyone goes to Warner 

Village, which is the theatre chain that's 

run by Warner Bros. In a lot of ways. 

Hollywood mainstream studios are also 

treading on some dangerous water 

because no one else can make a profit 

unless they run everything themselves. 

The way the Hollywood majors do business 

is they'll go to a Taiwanese distributor 

and say, "Okay, this film costs a $100 

million, and Taiwan is two percent of the 

market for us. So if you just give us $2 

million, it's yours. If you don't, the next 

guy will." And there's no way they can 

come close to affording $2 million just for 

the rights to Taiwan. That's a problem. 

BOXOFFICE: The perception here is 

that the studios are really getting the shaft 

from mainland China with the flat rate 

deal as opposed to the kind of revenue 

sharing arrangements they have elsewhere 

in the world. It sounds as though you're 

suggesting that maybe the flat rate deal is 

preferable for some countries. 

Yang: Somehow the studios have to have 

a wider scope. I 

think their profits now will 

[continue to rise], but the question is 

whether that will be good or bad for the 

by Wade Major 

product that they manufacture. The same 

thing happened with Hong Kong films 

about ten years ago, with films starring 

Andy Lau and Jackie Chan and all these 

guys. They raised the prices, but the problem 

is that the content gets worse. It becomes 

too easy. And I think Hollywood right now 

has that kind of problem. It's too easy to 

make money. The quality of the product 

becomes thinner as the cost gets higher. One 

of these days, if there is another alternative—something 

on the Internet or some 

other medium— it will just explode. 

BOXOFFICE: Does the critical success 

of Taiwanese films abroad help alleviate 

the situation? 

Yang: The distribution of Taiwanese 

product is very difficult right now because 

over the last 10 or 15 years, the media has 

painted a very dark picture of local 

productions. 

Things like, "All these guys—they 

just want to win awards abroad and don't 

care about the market." What's interesting 

is if you're creative, to a Confucian mentality, 

you're a rebel. Being creative is rebellious 

because you're doing something no 

one has done before. And that's not the 

right thing to do. One of the things I'm trying 

to say is, "Hey. my films are being distributed 

in general release in France, Japan. 

Hong Kong, everywhere, but not Taiwan 

you're missing out on something." 

BOXOFFICE: You had both Taiwanese 

and Japanese money helping finance "Yi 

Yi." Will this become more prevalent in 

Asia? 

Yang: The most feasible thing that's 

happening right now is regionalization of 

this profession. Every country cannot 

support its own industry. I think in a lot of 

ways we have to be thankful for the distribution 

strength of the Hollywood product 

that inspired people to think. "Hey, if 

we have a good product we can sell it to 

the next guy." This kind of thing has happened 

over the past 10 years. People in 

this profession are beginning to realize 

that it's not just the domestic market that's 

important, but the other markets also. 

And it's not just for films. Television and 

other media also are being regionalized. 

BOXOFFICE: And the money is starting 

to come from a variety of sources. 

Yang: The money now is much more 

liberal. It's not just film people's money. In 

the past, maybe five years ago, 95 percent 

of the money in film production was film 

people's money. Now it's venture capital. 

And because it has a real potential to be 

tied up with content on the web, this kind 

of liberalization of capital also has a positive 

effect on the regionalization of film 

products. ["Yi Yi"] basically was financed 

by a venture capital company because they 

needed the content. And the difference is 

that they listen to you—they don't go by 

the track record of the industry. They look 

at the opportunities and the possibilities. 

Another factor is that Hollywood is too 

successful. They don't have to work hard: 

They don't feel the need to survive and 

look at other possibilities. I think that's 

why the money coming in from the hightech 

side is so interesting because those 

guys are looking for things to happen. 

BOXOFFICE: Having come from that 

industry, do you ever kind of feel like 

you switched jobs at the wrong time? 

Yang: All my classmates and all the people 

I used to work with—they're millionaires 

now. Three of the top five computer 

companies in Taiwan are run by my classmates. 

I'm in a tunny situation because I'm 

on both sides: I know the fundamentals of 

the high tech industry, but also I know the 

fundamentals of the arts industry. And 

that gap is a very difficult one to bridge, 

although it's coming closer now because 

both sides need each other. It's like an old 

Chinese marriage: You have the middleman 

between the families because neither 

family thinks it deserves the other, so he 

tries to be a good mediator. I feel like that's 

what my position is becoming. 

Mi 

December, 2000 35

ASIAN GIANTS 

OF FILM EXHIBITION 

Compiled by Francesca Dinglasan 

EDKO FILMS LTD. 

1212 Tower II 

Admiralty Centre 

18 Harcourt Road 

HONG KONG 

PHONE: 852-2529-3898 

FAX: 852-2529-5277 

EXECUTIVE ROSTER: 

William Kong, Exec. Director 

Karen Lam, Theatre Ops. 

YEAR FOUNDED: 1986 

TOTAL SCREENS (ASIA ONLY): 39 

TOTAL SITES (ASIA ONLY): 9 

THEATRE LOCATIONS: Hong 

Kong 

GOLDEN HARVEST 

16/F, The Peninsula 

Office Tower 

18 Middle Road 

Tsimshatsui, HONG KONG 

PHONE: 852-2352-8222 

FAX: 852-2353-5989 


Chow Ting Hsing Raymond, 

Chairman 

Phoon Chiong Kit, Managing 

Director 


TOTAL SCREENS (ASIA ONLY): 

250 



Kong, Singapore, China, 

Thailand and Malaysia 

JAPAN AMC 

THEATRES INC. 

Shiroyama JT Mori Bldg. 

9th Floor, 4-3-1 

Tcranomon, Minato-ku 

Tokyo 105-6009 

JAPAN 

PHONE: 81-3-3438-3450 

FAX: 81-3-3438-3460 

E-MAIL: 

Tutsuqi@amctheatres.com 


Tsutomu Utsugi, President 

Peter C. Brown, Chairman 

Phillip M. Singleton, Vice 

Chairman 


TOTAL SCREENS (JAPAN ONLY): 

79 

TOTAL SITES (JAPAN ONLY): 5 

TOTAL SCREENS (WORLDWIDE): 

2914 

TOTAL SITES (WORLDWIDE): 

207 

THEATRE LOCATIONS: U.S., 

Canada, France, Hong 

Kong, Japan, Portugal, 

Spain 

LOEWS CINEPLEX 

INTERNATIONAL 

711 5th Avenue, 

12th Floor 

New York, NY 10022 

PHONE: 212-833-6571 

FAX: 212-833-6138 

WEBSITE: 

www.loewscineplex.com 


Edward J. Shugrue, President 

Ian Riches, Senior VP 

John Sansone, Director, Intl. 

Business Development 

Dick Groves, Director, Intl. 

Real Estate 

Alec Menicoff, Director, Bus. 

Dvlpmnt., Japan 



16 



2960 


376 

THEATRE LOCATIONS: U.S. 

Canada, Europe, Asia 

SHAW ORGANIZATION 

Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road, 

13th & 14th Storeys 

PHONE: 65-235-2077 

FAX: 65-235-2860; 

65-235-1545 

E-MAIL: shaw@shaw.com.sg 

WEBSITE: www.shaw.com.sq 


Vee Meng Shaw, Chairman 

Harold Shaw, Managing Dir. 

Vee King Shaw, Managing Dir. 

Mark Shaw, Sr. Manager, 

Operations 

Christopher Shaw, Sr. 


TOTAL SCREENS: 34 

TOTAL SITES: 10 

THEATRE LOCATIONS: 

Singapore 

SHOCHIKU MULTIPLEX 

THEATRES 

Togeki Bldg., 4-1-1 Tsukiji, 

Chuo-Ku, 6th Floor 

Tokyo 104-0045 

JAPAN 

PHONE: 81-3-3547-0765 

FAX: 81-3-3547-0761 

WEBSITE: 

www.shochiku.co. j 

p/smt/inde 

x.html 


Masahiko Seki, President 

Nobuyoshi Ohtani, 

Representative Director 

Hideo Kajiwara, Executive VI 

Takashi Nakayama, 

GM/Admin. 

Masuo Hanaoka, GM/Ops. 

Hajime Yuki, Director 

Suketsugu Noda, Director 


TOTAL SCREENS (12/99): 47 

TOTAL SITES (12/99): 6 

THEATRE LOCATIONS: Japan 

UA CINEMA 

CIRCUIT LTD. 

World Commerce Centre 

11 Canton Road 

4/F Room 409 

HONG KONG 

PHONE: 852-2735-4633 

FAX: 852-2375-8869 

E-MAIL: vallone@liel.com.hli 


Colvin Brown, Managing Dir. 

Bob Vallone, General Manag 

Vicky Wong, Film Booking 

Louise Chiu, Financial Admii 

Jeff Lam, Theatre Operation 

& Concessions 

Carmen Ng, Marketing 




TOTAL SCREENS (WORLDWIDi 

31 


PROJECTED SCREENS (ASIA) 

12/01:42 

PROJECTED SITES (ASIA), 

12/01:9 


Kong 

An Alphabetical Listing of 

Asian Theatre Circuits

INITED CINEMAS 

NTERNATIONAL 

JAPAN 

F Izumi Akasaka Bldg. 

22-24 

linnato-Ku, Tokyo 

APAN 

XECUTIVE ROSTER: 

oe Peixoto, President and 

CEO 

etsuo Tsukada, 

Representative Director 

ranaka, Finance 

Director 

EAR FOUNDED: 1985: (ASIA 

DIVISION: 1993) 

OTAL SCREENS (JAPAN ONLY): 

89 

OTAL SITES (JAPAN ONLY): 10 

HEATRE LOCATIONS: 

Kanazawa, Kishiwada 

(Inazawa, Fukuoka), Nigata, 

Otsu, Sapporo 

AIWAN 

47 Chienko N. Road, 

ection 2 

irst Floor #102 

aipei 

MWAN R.O.C. 

8862-2504-7960 

IX: 8862-2504-7962 

-MAIL: 

leve.winn@ucicinemas.com 


Steve Winn, Managing Dir. 

John Roberts, Operations Dir. 


(ASIA DIVISION: 1993) 


11 

TOTAL SITES (WORLDWIDE): 2 

THEATRE LOCATIONS: Taiwan 

VIRGIN CINEMAS 

JAPAN LTD. 

Hiroo Alpha Bldg. 2F, 4-5-48 

Minami Azabu, Minato-ku 

Tokyo 106-0047, JAPAN 

PHONE: 81-3-5421-1500 

FAX: 81-3-5421-1501 

WEBSITE: 

www.virqincinemas.co.i p 


Mark Yamamoto, Pres. and CEO 

Anthony Winston, Dir., 

Construction/Dvlpmnt. 

Tetsuya Kurosaki, Film 

Manager, Booking & 

Advertisng 

Asuka Sasayama, Director, 

Construction and 

Equipment Buyer 

Eiji Kurashima, Dir., Dvlpmt. 



54 


mrnmm 

Ventura Foods, LLC 

Lou Ana Division 

Opelousas, LA USA 


Fukooka, Nagoya, Chiba, 

Hamamatsu, Osaka 

WARNER BROS. 

INTL. THEATRES 

4000 Warner Blvd. 

Building 160, Suite 250 

Burbank, CA 91522-1602 

PHONE: 818-977-6278 

FAX: 818-977-6040 


Millard Ochs, President 

C. Christopher Adelmann, 

Executive VP 

Dave Pearson, Sr. VP, 

Worldwide Ops. 

Paul Miller, VP, Finance 

David Bent, VP, Op. Finance, 

IS & Admin. 

Ira Stiegler, Sr. VP, 

Architecture & Construction 

Peter Dobson, VP, Intl. Film 

Relations 

James Birch, VP, Business 

Affairs & General Counsel 

Chris Sanders, Director, Group 

Purchasing 



345 



TOTAL SITES (WORLDWIDE): 129 


Australia, Italy, Japan, 

Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, 

United Kingdom 

WARNER MYCAL 

CORPORATION 

Izumikan sanban-cho Bldg., 

2nd Floor, 3-8 Sanban-cho, 

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075 

JAPAN 

PHONE: 81-3-6232-0201 

FAX: 81-3-5210-2552 

WEBSITE: 

www.mycal.co.jp/wb mycal/ 


Millard L. Ochs, President 

Yoji Ikushima, Chief Director 



247 


THEATRE LOCATIONS: Japan 

Mote: The background photos 

were provided by 

UA Cinema Circuit (page 36) 

and Warner Mycal (this page). 

To be included next year in the 

2001 version of our annual 

Asian Giants of Exhibition listing, 

please email your 

circuit information to 

francescad@boxoffice. com. 

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December, 2000 37

: 

llectively, 

ASIAN EXHIBITION SHOWCASE 

INDEPENDENT IN INDIA 

Why the 7Gs Cinema Complex 

iS BOOming in Bombay by Melissa Morrison 

GRATIFYING GROUNDS: Names of the auditoriums in the 7Gs cinema include 

"Galaxy," "Gem," "Glamour," "Gaiety," "Gemini," "Gossip" and "Grace. 

Probably no country's people are 

more avid moviegoers than India's. 

In the filmmaking metropolis of 

Bombay, "Bollywood" cranks out thousands 

of Hindi films each year—rivaling 

Hong Kong and Hollywood for the title 

of the world's most prolific industry. 

And the country's large percentage of 

English-speakers means British and 

American films also have a ready-made 

audience in what will soon be the most 

populous country in the world. 

contradictory that there are so 

So it's 

few multiplexes among Bombay's hundred 

of cinemas. Modern multiplexes 

are finally being built in India's suburbs, 

such as the Priya complexes in the capital 

city of New Delhi, a joint venture 

between Australia's Village Roadshow 

and a local exhibitor. 

But in India's biggest city, Manoj 

Desai's seven-screen theatre in Bombay 

is one of the few cinemas in the city center 

giving patrons multiple choices. 

Each auditorium in the cheerful comis 

its own name: Galaxy, Gem. 

r, Gaiety, Gemini, Gossip and 

the cinema is known 

as the "7Gs." The auditoriums range in 

size from the 42-seat Grace, which functions 

as a preview theatre, to the 972- 

seat Gaiety. Total seats number 2,429, 

and the cinema employs 150 people. 

The mix of sizes means the marquee 

can offer a corresponding mix of 

movies, from the wildly popular Hindilanguage 

musical extravaganzas, to the 

latest Bruce Willis movie, to art films. 

According to manager Adil Shaikh, 

local film producer Desai opened the 

first four screens in 1972. In those days, 

the section of Bombay, called Bandra, 

was a western suburb. Today, it's considered 

central, and the proximity of college 

students from two universities— 

who are more likely to speak English 

and to want to see imported films—is 

another reason for the programming 

mix. The theatre also attracts people 

shopping nearby on popular Linking 

Road or eating at one of the many 

restaurants in the area. 

"The biggest change is different types of 

pictures [are screened]," Shaikh says of the 

7Gs' evolution. "Want to see an English 

movie? It's there. Hindi movie? It's there." 

Tania Sethi, an avid moviegoer, agrees. 

"It has such a wide variety of choices 

that if you don't get tickets for one film 

you are sure to get it for another, so I know 

I won't go back home disappointed." says 

Sethi, a 24-year-old production manager 

for a Bombay film company. "Moreover, 

it's located in such a great place that if I 

am out shopping or eating at one of the 

joints in Bandra with a friend, we can just 

plan on the spot and go watch a film." 

In 

a country with vast differences in 

class, income and education levels, 

movies are popular entertainment 

a broad swath. Less-educated 

for 

Indians don't necessarily learn English 

and look instead to the masaki moviesfilms 

made in Hindi or Tamil languages 

that usually feature musical extravaganzas 

and star the latest Indian heartthrob. 

A few special theatres, usually in the city 

center, show Hollywood and British 

imports. 

The inclusion of English-language 

films at the 7Gs began as an experiment 

to see if the theatre could attract enough 

of a crowd. Shaikh says. The vast size of 

Bombay, a city of 13 million people, 

means catching a bus into the center is 

no small undertaking. 

"It takes two hours to get to town, so 

you spoil the whole day to see an 

English[-language] movie," Shaikh says. 

"Not everyone in the area can show 

Hollywood films. The western suburbs 

get an English[-language] crowd, but in 

the eastern suburbs it is very low." 

The theatre's owner, Desai, produced 

the film "Khuda Gawah," or "God Is 

the Witness," which starred one of 

India's most popular all-time actors, 

Amitabh Bachan. Desai opened the cinema 

in 1972 with three auditoriums, plus 

a 47-seat preview theatre, the Glamour, 

in which to screen dailies for locally 

made films. He added the other three 

auditoriums in 1998. 

Manager Shaikh says that no further 

expansion is planned for the venue. 

Instead, management is looking towards 

the Internet. Plans call for starting a Wet 

site and establishing a system for onhm 

booking. "Everybody's trying now to ge 

into the new culture," Shaikh says.

um 

Outside, 

the individual names of 

the theatres are emblazoned in 

blue letters on the red-trimmed 

white building. Each auditorium has its 

own ticket window. Films sell out quickly, 

so it's necessary to purchase a ticket 

several hours in advance. To see a movie 

on a Sunday, one must often buy the 

ticket a week in advance. Hyped films 

such as the recent release "Refugee." 

starring Bachan's son Abhishek—can 

mean as long as a five-day wait for seats. 

Films begin screening before 10 o' clock 

in the morning, when families are the 

biggest customers, and continue 

throughout the evening. 

Inside, the roomy main lobby is decorated 

with a space theme — planets and rocket 

ships painted on the walls—as well as with 

flower-bedecked shrines to Hindu gods, 

which are standard in Indian businesses 

and homes. Additional touches include a 

sign over the pay phone that urges callers 

to "please talk softly" and a sign warning 

patrons to beware of pickpockets. 

In a country with 

vast differences 

in class, income and 

education levels, 

movies are popular 

entertainment for a 

broad swath. 

The seven auditoriums, which all feature 

Dolby digital sound, are located on 

several levels, reachable via elevator and 

a labyrinth of well-marked corridors. 

("Sorry, just 10 steps more!" reads the 

sign leading to the Grace.) Several concession 

stands— or, as they're called, 

canteens—are stationed throughout the 

complex, selling prepackaged packets of 

popcorn for 10 rupees (about 25 cents), 

veggie burgers (Hindus don't eat beef), 

bottled soft drinks, chips, ice cream and 

"tomato discs," among the offerings. A 

machine dispenses instant coffee. 

Each auditorium has a different 

decor. The preview theatre Grace, for 

example, has a tiny lobby with upholstered 

seats, mock Corinthian columns 

and marble floors. In the projection 

rooms, the equipment includes 25-yearold 

Indian-made Hi-Lite projectors. 

Each theatre is air-conditioned, even 

though many other businesses in India, 

including restaurants, aren't. But theatregoers 

aren't willing to swelter 

through a movie. 

"Air-conditioning in Bombay is compulsive," 

Shaikh says. "People don't 

come to the theatre unless you have airconditioning." 

rooks 

like things are just heating 

up at the 7Gs. 

WM 

Êl^sx HURLEY SCREEN CORP. 

ll^f Esl £ 1935 JJ=CJ) 

Va>-—--îJ' 

iUPERGLO 

GLASSMATTE 

SVIlil,- vil.vl l.nmn I 

Custom Projection Screens And Frames 

SILVERGLO 

THRU- VIEW B 

Hijtll

i icutives 

• 

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Given 

CONVENTION SHOWCASE 

GENEVA ACCORD 

Midwest Moviemen Make Exhibition 

Gathering a Second Success by Kim wiiiiamson 

the current state of the 

industry, at least as viewed from 

Street level, the second annual 

Geneva show proved to be a surprisingly 

buoyant affair. If there was a theme 

to the gathering, whose official title this 

year was amplified to the NATO Midwest 

Geneva Convention, it came from 

Excellence of Service Award honoree 

Barrie Lawson Loeks. At the show's 

gala event, the NATO chair told attendees, 

"The good times are coming, and 

they're coming fairly soon." (Then 

again, maybe the theme was set by her 

recitation of an ancient Oriental curse: 

"May you live in interesting times.") 

The Geneva, which saw its sophomore 

session gain both more registrants 

and more trade-booth companies for its 

Sept. 26-28 run at the Grand Geneva 

Resort in Lake Geneva, Wis., profited 

from a focus on seminars, all of which 

generated high-octane discussions of 

matters currently key to the exhibition 

business. Among the events were a 

"Digital Cinema" seminar featuring 

tech-firm, NATO and SMPTE reps; an 

"Internet Ticketing and E-Commerce" 

seminar moderated by Marcus CIO 

Jane Durment and with panelists from 

AOL Movietone, Radiant, New Media 

Studio and eKiosk; a lively "Power 

Hiring" seminar led by Far Cliffs 

Consulting's James W. Schreier; and a 

fine Carlo Petrick-moderated "Film 

Promotions and Marketing" event, at 

which reps from each studio took their 

turns highlighting upcoming titles plus 

co-op campaigns and promotions. 

At the inaugural BOXOFFICE 

C onference on Exhibition, participants 

provided a yin and yang take similar to 

that of Loeks. Said an otherwise cautiously 

upbeat Marcus president Bruce 

Olson, "There will be.. .more bankruptcies 

coming." However, conference 

moderator Daniel O'Neill, entertainment 

analyst for Credit Suisse First 

Boston, noted, "The good news is that 

Wall Street has a very short memory." 

BOXOFFICE would like to thank the 

ci .ciicc's nine panelists. Readers can 

lo ik for in-depth coverage of the comments 

and analyses of these leading 

in our January 

Exhibition" issue, 

•.i!s around December 1. Hi

...

! AND 

i 

EXHIBITION 

BRIEFINGS 

LEAD STORY: GENERAL CINEMA 

RESORT THEATRES OF 

AMERICA FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY 

Chestnut Hill, Mass. -based General 

Cinema, which ranked as the country's 

eighth largest exhibitor last year, and Los 

Angeles-based 

Resort Theatres of America, 

an upscale circuit that was founded less than 

two years ago, couldn't be more different 

from one another in terms of size, markets 

and customer base. However, the multiplex 

operator and the upstart art-house chain 

have one key commonality: a recent 

Chapter 11 filing. General Cinema and RTA 

are just two of the latest domestic exhibitors 

to seek protection from creditors at the U.S. 

Bankruptcy Court, whose visitors over the 

past year have included Carmike Cinemas, 

Edwards Theatres, Mann Theatres parent 

WestStar Cinemas, Silver Cinemas and 

United Artists Theatre Circuit. 

While many of the bankruptcy filings 

have been attributed to overbuilding and 

megaplex expansion, industry observers 

note that General Cinema's Chapter 11 debt 

restructuring was a result of the company's 

existing theatres falling victim to the proliferation 

of competing venues being built 

around them. The circuit itself has been 

exceptionally prudent in terms of new construction 

and market expansion. As part of 

its reorganization, General Cinema says that 

it will focus its energies on the Northeast and 

the Midwest. The circuit, which recently 

closed 36 theatres comprising 264 screens 

throughout the country, will continue to shut 

down its unprofitable sites. 

As for Resort Theatres of America, the 

company plans to continue business as 

usual during its restructuring process. The 

circuit, which is known primarily for charging 

higher admission prices in exchange for 

amenities such as leather reclining seats, 

gourmet entrees and children playrooms, 

blames a drop in movie attendance as well 

as distributor rental terms for its bankruptcy 

SHOWMANDISER PROMOTION OF THE MONTH 

circuit National Amusements, 

in conjunction with New 

Ml"ovie 

.Line Cinema, has contributed 

$50,000 to the fire department of 

Worcester, Mass. The Dedham, Mass.- 

based chain donated all funds raised 

from a nine-week run of "Frequency" at 

its Showcase Cinemas Worcester location 

to the local agency, which will create a living 

memorial to six firefighters who lost 

national Amusements president Shari Redstone their lives On December 3, 1999, battling 

warehouse fire. 

Send photos and descriptions of your promotion to: 

B0X0FFICE, 755 5. El Molino Ave., Suite 100 

Pasadena, CA 91101 

Attn: 

enforce the age restrictions. While the two 

circuit executives have stated that the 

Hollywood majors seemed supportive of the 

idea, observers remain skeptical, especially 

since current film rental terms between 

exhibitors and distributors 

already serve as 

an endless source of discord between the 

two industries. 

SUNDANCING IN SANTA MONICA 

One of the country's 

most famous arthouse 

circuits may be 

coming to Santa 

Monica, a beachside 

burgh just outside of 

Los Angeles. Robert 

Redford's Sundance 

| 

Film Centers is currently 

planning to 

renovate the area's 

existing 550-seat 

Aero Theater, which upon completion will 

comprise two auditoriums, a restaurant and 

a cafe. Redford and the Sundance team are 

currently in negotiations with city officials 

regarding logistical issues, including parking 

and traffic. If Santa Monica approves the 

project, the 61 -year old Aero would be 

closed during renovation with a grand 

reopening slated for next summer. 

THEATRE GOES DARK IN 

RESPONSE TO BAD MOVIES 

Barry Flood, the owner of indie venue 

Tryon Theatre in Tryon, North Carolina, has 

expressed his unhappiness with the present 

slate of Hollywood product by posting the 

sign, "Closed until better movies are available" 

in front of his establishment. 

Complaining that only one film in release 

during September was appropriate for families, 

Buena Vista's "Remember the Titans," 

Flood has declared that he'd rather lose 

income than screen the kind of films available 

to the public. 

SH0PR0 OPENS IN BOAZ 

Yorkville, III. -based ShoPro Inc. has 

announced the mid-October grand opening 

of its new site in Boaz, Ala. Holding 1,250 

seats and nine screens, all auditoriums in the 

complex will feature the circuit's "Stealth 

Cinema" design, which company president 

Buck Kolkmeyer describes as a "unique concept 

[that] incorporates stadium-style seating 

and curved screens positioned at 45 degree 

angles in auditorium corners instead of traditional 

flat, front wall screens." Dubbed the 

Nova 9, the new theatre brings ShoPro Inc.'s 

screen count to 77, all operating in eight different 

states. 

filing. Industry analysts, however, attribute 

RTA's financial woes to the company's catering 

to only a small, specialized clientele. 

WEHRENBERG ASKS STUDIOS TO 

HELP ABSORB SECURITY COSTS 

In a move that took exhibition industry 

observers by surprise, St. Louis, Mo. -based 

Wehrenberg Theatres is asking Hollywood 

studios to help pay for expenses accrued by 

the exhibitor due to added security for R- 

rated films. The request comes in the wake 

of the U.S. Senate's highly publicized crackdown 

on the media and its marketing of 

• 

V 

with adult themes to underage con- 

Wehrenberg president Ronald 

r and film department vice president 

vVhitford have approached several 

boul the possibility of reducing film 

s on R-rated pics to help cover the 

ii added personnel needed to 

THIS MONTH'S WWW.M0VIEB0SS.COM PLAYING TIP 

An Online Game for Exhibitors 

Play 

for profits or assets? A basic strategy decision all players must make is 

whether to build assets or to play for efficiency, which translates to ROI 

(return on investment). As you accumulate MovieBoss wealth you can 

either add locations or add upgrades. The locations provide more screens, but the 

upgrades improve your gross receipts in relation to screens—the measuring stick 

for efficiency on the scoreboards. Newer players may wish to strive for the efficiency 

ranking as the established players have a hold on the lifetime assets rankings. 

Note, however, that the scoreboards do rank by month-to-date, quarter-todate, 

year-to-date and lifetime. So new and established players can compete on 

even terms in both categories. There is also a combined scoreboard in which total 

assets are divided by total screens. You can also create custom private or team 

scoreboards in which your co-workers can compete against each other or other 

theatres within your circuit. Sign up today at http://www. movieboss.com . It's free!

MEGASTAR MOVING IN 

ON MINNESOTA 

MegaStar Cinemas, which operates a 14- 

screen plex in Cleveland, Ohio, has 

announced plans to build a prototype 16- 

screener in Maple Grove, Minn., a wealthy 

suburb of Minneapolis. The 3,500-seat 

venue is slated to be one of the state's largest 

cinema complexes, complete with wall-towall 

screens, Dolby digital sound and stadium 

seating. The new $10 million theatre will 

also feature two VIP suites each holding 20 

reclining leather seats, individual heating 

and cooling controls and full-catering 

options for business or entertainment purposes. 

Scheduled for a spring 2001 bow, the 

MegaStar site will anchor a new mixed-use 

retail center being developed on Main Street 

TICKER TIME 

in Maple Grove. Founded in 1999 by Larry 

and Paul Dolan, owners of major league 

baseball team the Cleveland Indians, 

MegaStar Cinemas intends to construct five 

to eight additional multiplexes, comprising 

100 screens, over the next 18 months. The 

chain will primarily focus on the Twin Cities 

metropolitan area, but plans call for nationwide 

expansion. 

ON THE MOVE 

In the wake of Resort Theatres of 

America's bankruptcy filing (see Lead Story), 

circuit CEO Ron Leslie has ankled his post 

and has been replaced by company COO 

Richard Lawrence... Chatham, N.J. -based 

Clearview Cinemas has appointed former 

VP, field operations at Iwerks Entertainment, 

Cynthia Cronkhite, as its new VP, theatre 

operations, and Steven Ventor as its new VP, 

facilities and construction... Movie information 

provider Tribune 

Media Services has 

named John M. 

Moulton, who most 

recently served as assistant 

VP, domestic advertising 

at Dedham, Mass.- 

based National Amusements, 

as its director of 

exhibitor relations... 59- 

year exhibition industry marketing veteran 

Bob Zeitz has announced his retirement. 

During his nearly six decades of service, 

Zeitz has worked at National Amusements, 

Suncoast Cinemas, Cobb Theatres and Ajay 

Theatres.

1 

Twentieth 

HII I 

NEWS 

m 

by Francesca 

Dinglasan 

LEAD STORY: SUPREME 

S3 COURT FINDS STADIUM 

SEATING ADA ACCEPTABLE 

The U.S. Supreme Court is 

upholding a decision passed 

by a federal appeals court in 

New Orleans that found 

Cinemark USA's stadiumstyle 

multiplexes to be in 

compliance with the 

Americans With Disabilities 

Act. In this latest judicial battle, 

a group organized by the 

Texas Civil Rights Project 

appealed the earlier ruling, 

which declared that the 

Piano, Tex. -based circuit's 

seating arrangement at its 

20-plex in El Paso satisfied all legal standards. 

The group complains that the wheelchair 

seating at the theatre is much less 

comfortable than the rest of the auditorium 

because of its proximity to the screen. The 

5th Circuit Court of Appeals, however, disagreed, 

noting that the view of the screen 

from the wheelchair-accessible area was 

unobstructed and therefore in compliance 

with ADA regulations. The U.S. Supreme 

Court sided with the lower court's ruling 

last October when the case was presented 

before it. The most recent hearing is the 

third time the case has been brought before 

a court. An El Paso, Texas appeals court 

originally declared Cinemark's 20-screener 

to be in violation of the ADA and the Texas 

Labor Code before the federal appeals court 

overturned the ruling (see Hill News, June 

2000). 

FTC REPORT SPURS SUIT 

AGAINST HOLLYWOOD 

Citing the findings of the Federal Trade 

Commission's report on the marketing practices 

of the entertainment industry, a group 

that calls itself Citizens for Fair Treatment 

has filed a lawsuit against eight of 

Hollywood's biggest studios. The classaction 

suit comes just less than a week after 

the FTC released its 

study, which maintains 

that movie production and distribution 

houses have purposely promoted R-rated 

products to children younger than 17 (see 

Hill News, November 2000). The plaintiffs 

seek damages for the studios' alleged targeting 

of underage movie viewers, stating 

in their suit, "This unscrupulous, unethical, 

unlawful and deceptive marketing of violence 

and adult content to 

impressionable 

children was intended solely to reap greater 

profits at the expense of children and the 

general public." Among the companies 

named as defendants are MCM, New Line 

I 

inema, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Time 

Century Fox, Universal 

and the Walt Disney Company. 

ETHICAL DILEMMA 

The First Major National Conference on 

Film Ethics Addresses Future Moviemakers 

While Washington politicians and Hollywood executives currently grapple over the 

media's representations of sex and violence, the marketing of adult product to children 

and self-regulatory vs. government-enforced code-of-conduct standards in the 

industry, dean of the North Carolina of the Arts School of Filmmaking dean Dale 

Pollock is exploring the future of these issues. Pollock spoke to BOXOFFICE about 

his institute's First Annual Film Ethics Conference, held November 9-12, which targets 

the next generation of filmmakers. 

BOXOFFICE: Please give a description of the conference, "Film Ethics: 

Opportunity or Oxymoron." 

DALE POLLOCK: What we're doing is the first national film ethics conference. 

I don't know of any other event that's taken place like this on a national 

basis, where we're bringing in filmmakers from all over the country, ethicists 

and academics, and lawyers and jurists who are first amendment 

experts. I 

think the thing that really distinguishes the event is we're bringing 

in representatives from the top 1 7 film programs from around the country. 

BOXOFFICE: Is it highly academic in its focus? 

Pollock: Not highly academic, but there's an academic focus to it. We're 

going to have working writers, directors, producers, studio executives and 

decision makers in the movie business, but to talk about the issues that we 

think young filmmakers have to begin to think about: "Who's responsible for 

the images you create?" "What is the impact of those images when they're shown all 

over the world?" And in an era where technology is quickly changing: "What are the 

ethical repercussions of the capacity to digitally manipulate footage?" "What responsibilities 

do you have to the people in the stories you're telling?" 

BOXOFFICE: Was this conference completely your idea? 

Pollock: I came here a year and nine months ago, and I came here with the intent of 

doing this conference. When I taught at the American Film Institute... I did a film 

called "Set It Off" that was released in 1996. Several individuals were killed in shootings 

outside the theatres playing "Set It Off," and it really had a profound effect on 

me. It made me start thinking about issues I hadn't really thought about much. And 

when I was teaching at AFI, I discovered, to my surprise, that students were hungry 

to discuss these issues. But they weren't given any form in which to do it. So I gave a 

small, one-day little local conference.... I had to go through all the taunts. Some people 

say, "Film ethics—what, does it last five minutes?" And the word film ethics itself, 

it's an oxymoron. It's inherently contradictory. I don't think that has to be the case. 

BOXOFFICE: Is the conference at all related to the recent pressure the government has 

been putting on Hollywood regarding depictions of sex and violence? 

Pollock: We were doing this way before the FTC report. But, what it demonstrates is 

the idea of responsibility. Now, being responsible is not the same as being moralistic. 

And ethics are not the same as morals. Ethics are how you act in a way that you feel 

that you're being a good person. I 

business. 

BOXOFFICE: There's always the issue of artistic freedom. 

don't think that's inimical to working in the film 

Pollock: Right, and my position is very clear, which is that I don't believe in censorship 

of any kind or form. But I do think that it's incumbent on artists, not to self-censor 

themselves, but to think through what they're doing. And you can't anticipate all 

the repercussions of something. I could not have anticipated that people we're going 

to be shot outside of "Set It Off"—if I had. I wouldn't change anything in how 1 made 

the movie, [but] I'd definitely change how I marketed the film, and I would change the 

conditions under which it played. Possibly, if young filmmakers think about some of 

the images they're creating, they'll start thinking about the repercussions and what's 

going to happen when this kind of film plays in this kind of culture; what's the impact 

it's going to have when we know that 12-year-olds routinely get in to see R-rated films. 

BOXOFFICE: When asking members of the film community to join the panel, did you 

have a positive response? 

Pollock: Extremely positive.... I had people who have very conservative points of view 

and people who have very liberal points of view. I have people who will come to this 

conference and say, "This film should have been banned," and I have people who will 

come and say, "No film should ever be banned." I think between those two poles, 

there's a lot of interesting discussion. 

BOXOFFICE: What is your ultimate goal for this conference? 

Pollock: My main hope is that we will begin to have film students discuss and debate 

and think about these issues. Then, in three years or five years or 10 years, you will 

begin to see a qualitative difference in the kind of films being made. They may be better, 

they may be worse, but hopefully they won't be as thoughtless. — Francesca 

Dinglasan WM

STUDIO 

NEWS 

OSCAR TOONS IN 

by Annlee Ellingson 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts 

and Sciences has created the first new 

Academy Award in nearly two 

decades. Beginning at the Oscars in 

March 2002, feature-length animated 

films can compete in a category all 

their own. If eight to 1 5 animated films 

are released in a calendar year, three 

may be nominated for an Academy 

Award. If more than 16 are releasee!, 

five may be nominated. However, there 

may be years in which no films are 

nominated. 

To be eligible, an animated feature 

must be at least 70 minutes long, "primarily 

animated" and meet the 

Academy's other general requirements 

for feature film eligibility. Techniques 

such as eel animation, computer animation, 

stop motion, etc., will be considered. 

The award will be presented to 

a key individual on behalf of the entire 

production, and no more than two statuettes 

will be given out. Animated films 

also will be able to compete in other 

categories, including Best Picture, as 

long as they meet all the necessary 

requirements. 

TRIMARK PASSES 

THROUGH LIONS GATE 

Both Lions Gate and Trimark shareholders 

have approved the merger of 

the two companies, the deal closing 

the day after the latter group gave the 

transaction the OK (see Studio News, 

August 2000). One of the terms of the 

deal was that Lions Gate would secure 

$100 million in financing, a figure it 

doubled when it closed a $200 million 

bank credit facility arranged by Chase 

Securities (see Studio News, October 

2000). 

In the wake of the marriage, four 

members have been added to the Lions 

Gate board: Trimark founder, chairman 

and CEO Mark Amin; Canada's Craig 

Broadcast Systems president Drew 

Craig; resort developer Intrawest chairman 

and CEO Joe Houssian; and 

Canada's Export Development chairman 

Patrick Lavelle. 

Trimark will become a subsidiary of 

Lions Gate, its name living on as 

Trimark Video, and Lions Gate will 

scale back its operations in Toronto, 

where it's been primarily based, and 

New York. 

KAGAN PRIMED-IA FOR SALE 

Publishing group Primedia has 

acquired media research firm Paul 

Kagan Associates in a stock-based deal 

LEAD STORY: EC GREENLIGHTS VIVENDI UNIVERSAL 

The European Commission has approved a $34 billion three-way merger 

among Vivendi, Universal parent Seagram and Canal Plus (see Studio News, 

August and September 2000), avoiding an additional investigation dubbed 

"phase two" that could have meant a four-month further delay, which AOL Time 

Warner suffered before getting greenlighted (see Tech Talk). In an effort to avoid 

such a setback, Vivendi conceded on several key points at the eleventh hour: The 

company will give up its 23 percent stake in satcaster British Sky Broadcasting; 

its Vizzavi portal won't have an exclusive grip on Internet rights for Universal's 

extensive music catalog; and Canal Plus' European pay TV stations will share 

Universal movies with competitors for five years after the stations' exclusive output 

deals expire. 

worth $20 million to $30 million, 

according to industry estimates. Owner 

and chief Paul Kagan, who founded the 

company 25 years ago, was named vice 

chairman of Primedia's venture capital 

unit and is expected to have a three- to 

five-year employment contract. None 

of Kagan's 1 40 employees in its Carmel, 

Calif., Denver, London or Hong Kong 

offices will be laid off. 

"Paul Kagan and his global organization 

are one of a kind in the media and 

communications sectors," says Primedia 

chairman and CEO Tom Rogers. 

"No source of information is more quoted 

about subjects ranging from radio to 

TV broadcasting to cable TV to broadband 

technology to sports and motion 

picture financing, streaming media and 

wireless communications. Primedia will 

clearly benefit from the enormous 

expertise and talent of the Kagan team, 

who will provide a unique strategic 

planning resource for Primedia's own 

growth and development." 

In addition to its activities as a 

research consultant, Kagan publishes 

media investment newsletters and related 

publications and sponsors financial 

seminars. New York-based Primedia's 

magazine titles include Seventeen and 

Modern Bride. 

SONY FAMILY UNIT 

LOSES FILM FOCUS 

Citing redundancy, Sony Pictures 

Family Entertainment, established last 

year to develop and produce family 

films (see Hollywood Updates, May 

1999), is shuttering its film operations. 

Sony's Columbia Pictures, for example, 

has family-friendly fare such as a 

"Stuart Little" sequel in development. 

The studio has not indicated what will 

happen to the films that the unit had in 

the pipeline, including an adaptation 

of Sid and Marty Krofft's "H.R. 

Pufnstuf" and a "Trouble With Angels" 

remake. The Family Entertainment 

division will, however, continue to 

operate and expand its TV, Internet, 

video, DVD and merchandising and 

licensing activities. 

ON THE MOVE 

News Corp. topper Rupert Murdoch 

has promoted his eldest son Lachlan 

Murdoch to deputy COO of the family 

business. Now number three in chain of 

command behind his father and president 

and COO Peter Chernin, it is clear 

that Murdoch is being groomed as a 

successor. He has been chairman and 

CEO of News Ltd. in Australia since 

1 997, took over News Corp.'s U.S. publishing 

business last year and has served 

on the board since 1996. 

Phoenix Pictures' Lawrence 

Bernstein has joined USA Films as CFO 

and executive VP. He will oversee the 

studio's internal financial affairs and 

explore international financial 

alliances. 

Joining the parade of departing 

Disney executives, vice chairman 

Sandy Litvack will resign his post at the 

end of the year. Litvack was clearly 

chairman Michael Eisner's second-incommand 

until Robert Iger became 

company president this year. Litvack 

has indicated that Iger's appointment 

only affected his departure in that he 

feels the company is now in good 

hands. He will segue into a "part-time 

executive role" at the studio that 

includes advising on legal and governmental 

affairs, corporate alliances and 

the company's sports divisions as well 

as continuing to serve on the Euro 

Disney board. 

MGM has upped Alex Gartner from 

executive VP to president of production. 

Previously at Fox, Gartner joined 

the studio a year ago, overseeing 

upcoming projects "Rollerball," 

"Heartbreakers," "Windtalkers" and 

"What's the Worst That Can Happen." 

Dimension Films president Cary 

Granat has ankled his post and will 

be 

replaced by Andrew Rona and Brad 

Weston. Rona has worked for 

Dimension parent Miramax for nine 

years and will remain in his New York 

offices. Weston had been president of 

indie Millennium Films, which has an 

output deal with Miramax, and will be 

based on Los Angeles. 

Artisan Entertainment production 

president Jon Shestack will likely leave 

the company to hang his own production 

shingle. The distributor probably 

will 

not replace Shestack, instead reprioritizing 

its operations away from production 

and toward more co-productions 

and acquisitions, such as the 

lucrative "Blair Witch Project" purchase 

that put the indie on the map. 

December, 2000 45

I 

irandville, 

i' i bartos@visteon.com; 

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TECH 

TALK 

SUPPLY SIDE 

bv Annlee Ellinqson 

NYSE REMOVES BALLANTYNE 

Ballantyne of Omaha has been advised by 

the New York Stock Exchange that the company's 

common stock will be removed. 

Ballantyne no longer meets the NYSE's 

revised listing criteria, which requires both 

total 

market capitalization and stockholders' 

equity to exceed $50 million, in addition to 

a 30-trading day market capitalization minimum 

of $1 5 million. 

The NYSE is helping Ballantyne make 

the transition to having its shares traded 

on another exchange or market, and the 

company has started the application 

process to have its share listed at such an 

alternative venue. The NYSE first 

notified 

the projection equipment supplier of its 

inability to meet the exchange's standards 

on June 2, 2000. Ballantyne met with the 

NYSE and submitted a plan that would 

have brought it into conformity, but the 

plan was rejected. 

CENTURY COMMITS TO DOLBY 

San Rafael, 

Calif.-based Century Theatres 

has pacted with Dolby to equip all of its theatres 

with Dolby Digital playback for a total 

of more than 250 screens over the next three 

years. 

"Century Theatres endeavors to give customers 

the best moviegoing experience currently 

possible," Century CEO Raymond W. 

Syufy says. "Dolby Digital provides the latest 

and best technology currently available so 

that we can give audiences the utmost in 

sound quality." 

"As our industry has experienced a downturn 

recently, we are delighted with 

Century's decision to include Dolby in its 

long-term plans," adds Dolby motion picture 

division VP Tim Partridge. 

NEW PRODUCTS 

CINEASIA EXTRA: CHRISTIE DEMONSTRATES DIGITAL CINEMA IN CHINA 

At an event held in conjunction with the ninth annual 

Beijing International Radio, TV & Film Equipment Exhibition, 

Christie Inc. presented Chinese government officials and film I 

industry professionals with their first 

digital cinema viewing 

experience at a demonstration held at China Film Archive's 

Cultural Theatre in August. The approximately 500 guests 

observed Christie's DigiPro Digtial Cinema projector and 

were invited to tour the projection booth with Christie staff | 

vSris^Hfc 

on hand to answer any questions. 

"The presentation in China was a great success because Christie was able to demonstrate 

cutting-edge technology never before seen in mainland China to a highly receptive 

audience," says Christie marketing director Craig Sholder. "We also strengthened Christie's 

brand name and reputation with key decision makers who will eventually decide the type 

of equipment that will be allowed in the Chinese market." 

In other Christie news, Christie Inc. has merged with sister company Christie Digital 

Systems Inc. to form one company under the latter's name. The move furthers the company's 

commitment to customer satisfaction worldwide, creating a single source for their projection 

needs, and allows Christie designers and engineers to collaborate. 

CINEASIA EXTRA: DISNEY'S "DINOSAUR" DIGITAL IN JAPAN 

Disney bows its third movie in a digital projection theatre in Japan with the release of 

"Dinosaur" at the Nichigeki Plaza in Tokyo this month. "Mission to Mars" and "Toy Story 

2" have also played at the 600-seater. There is only one other DLP-capable theatre in the 

world's second largest movie market, at an AMC multiplex near Tokyo Disneyland. 

ON THE MOVE 

' 

' 

DTS has promoted Lise 

uB^M| Hannibal to marketing direi - 

^p~: "^BB tor tor ts cinema group. 

^B 

;. 

-^^H Siixe she joined th n- 

^y ,lm jj^B 

l' 

in '''''"• Hannibal has 

9lP( introduced such innovations 

^ as a biannual company news 

< 

4 

magazine; the DTS Online 

"" 

h I enter; marketing materials 

such as one-sheet posters and a new theatrical 

trailer; and an expansion of the company 

website as a customer communication 

tool. 

Prior to joining DTS, Hannibal was the 

national fundraising director for Variety Club. 

Eastern Acoustic Works has i 

appointed Chuck McGregor to 

the position of technical service 

manager. Most recently 

working for Chester, Pa.-based 

Community Professional Loudspeakers, 

McGregor will spearhead 

and manage EAWs 

acquisition and use of performance 

data and guide the marketing department's 

presentation of this technical information 

for maximum benefit to EAWs customer base. 

Anticipating the transition to digital cinema, 

I 

Christie has introduced the Digital 

Reference console, 

engineered to be compatible with both film 

and digital cinema projectors. The console features 

a flexible light source, an improved cooling system 

with noise-free blowers, increased internal space 

and an improved power supply that will accommodate 

digital presentations. It converts easily from 

film to digital projection with the installation of a 

digital projector head and a new reflector. Write 

10550 Camden Dr., Cypress, CA 90630-4726; call (714)236-8610; 

fax (714) 236-3185; or logon to www.christieinc.com. 

Still in the final concept stages but due to be released this year, 

Visteon Theatre Seating's Mach Rumble Seat will incorporate ultralow 

frequency, infrasonic special effects built right into the chair 

iw moviegoers to feel the movie in addition to seeing and 

it. Wire-ready for easy installation, the Mach Rumble Seats 

ible hi .ht,' of Visteon's models. Write 3820 N. Big Spring 

Ml 49418; call (800) 762-6390; fax (616) 249- 

or logon to www.visteon.com. 

tern Acoustic Works has been awarded a patent for the midsnd 

phase plug technology found in its KF600z modand 

DC installation series and the CSC cinema 

ON THE MOVE 

DIGITAL CINEMA 

In the studio's first significant move in the digital 

cinema arena, Sony has appointed Hollywood 

techie Rob Hummel to VP digital cinema at Sony 

Electronics. Hummel will serve as a liaison 

between Sony Pictures Entertainment, which has 

experimented with the electronic distribution of 

trailers, and Sony Electronics, which is developing 

digital cinema hardware. 

LARGE FORMAT 

IMAX OFF THE BLOCK 

Imax Corp., which actively had been 

looking for a buyer since July (see Tech Talk, 

September 2000), has reconsidered, citing 

the dramatic decline in its share price. 

"We and the board of directors believe 

that the company's share price does not 

series of loudspeaker systems. The technology, which produces a 

more natural reproduction of midrange information, such as the 

human voice, is the first of several patents expected by EAW 

regarding technologies incorporated in the KF700 and KF900 

Series. Write One Main St., Whittinsville, MA 01588; call (800) 

992-5013 or (508) 234-6158; fax (508) 234-8251; or logon to 

www.eaw.com. 

DTS has unveiled its DTS-ECP Expandable Cinema Processor, 

which gives theatres a first step toward digital audio by providing 

superior sound playback with a full-featured analog cinema processor. 

The DTS-ECP can be easily upgraded to deliver digital sound by 

adding the DTS-DPP Digital Processing Package. Also, DTS has 

introduced the DTS-CSS Cinema Subtitling System, which projects 

subtitles directly onto the screen reather than etching or overlaying 

them onto the film itself. Write 571 7 Clareton Dr., Agoura Hills, CA 

91301; call (818) 706-3525; fax (818) 706-1868; or logon to 

www.dtsonline.com. 

Protocol, a personal product vending specialist, has teamed with 

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers of Tylenol, to market the 

over-the-counter medication vending machine called Health?" 

Hand. The companies hope that the machine's design will allow it 

to be mounted in traffic-heavy areas such as movie theatres rather 

than solely in restrooms. Write 1370 Mendota Heights Rd., 

Mendota Heights, MN 55120; call (800) 227-5336 or (651) 454- 

05 1 8; or fax (651)454-9542.

y 

accurately reflect the company's long-term 

value," Imax co-CEOs Bradley Wechsler and 

Richard Gelfond say. "As a result, we do not 

9 ON THE 'NET: www.goldenvillage.com.sg 

believe that, in the current environment, it 

makes sense to move forward with the formal 

strategic alternative process, though we 

will continue to look for ways to maximize 

shareholder value." 

Imax had expected a studio such as Disney, 

which released "Fantasia 2000" exclusively in 

IMAX theatres to unprecedented success, or 

Sony, which has released a few large-format 

titles through its classics division, to be interested 

in 

buying the company, but the recent 

troubles in exhibition have made industry 

insiders question Imax's financial stability. The 

company acknowledges that its next quarterly 

financial will be in the red. 

Having bowed in May 1992 with the 

opening of Singapore's Yishun 10, Golden 

Village last revamped its site in March 

seven-day period at 10 GV cinemas; the 

integrated offline/online ticketing solution 

launched in April 1998. Built by Golden 

IWERKS INVESTS IN INDIA 

Iwerks Entertainment has signed a strategic 

$4 million investment transaction with 

Mumbai (Bombay), India-based S. Kumars 

Croup, an industrial company that includes 

divisions devoted to entertainment centers. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Iwerks 

will sell $3 million of common stock at 

$1.70 per share to S. Kumars, which will in 

turn purchase a five-year $1 million aggregate 

principal amount, eight percent convertible 

note from Iwerks. S. Kumars will 

also be able to purchase 2.5 

million shares 

at $2.05 to $2.25. 

"Our strategic investment from the S. 

Kumars Group is significant," says Iwerks 

chairman Don Iwerks. "It demonstrates our 

combined belief that the potential in the Asian 

marketplace, specifically India, is considerable. 

We believe that India is a lucrative, 

untapped market for Iwerks' world-class products 

and services, and the S. Kumars Croup 

offers us financial resources and immediate 

market access. In addition to the expansion 

into new markets, the infusion of capital 

further 

strengthens our continued commitment to 

the cornerstones of our business—manufacturing, 

operations and technical support services 

for our worldwide client base." 

istic choice is that the movie images on the 

homepage are gifs, not jpgs; a sign of the 

marketplace in which Golden Village does 

business, the homepage also bears a "Stop 

Piracy" logo. Information Network) resides in an HP-UX 

cluster environment running Oracle. 

WIRED WORLD 

EC APPROVES AOL TW 

The European Commission has approved 

America Online's $135 billion acquisition of 

Time Warner (see Tech Talk, March 2000) 

under the condition that certain conditions 

are met. The main issue has been German 

media giant Bertelsmann AG's 50-50 joint 

venture with AOL Europe. The combination 

of Warner Music Group's catalog and BMC 

Entertainment's catalog would have given 

AOL a distinct competitive advantage in 

Europe's fledgling digital music distribution 

industry. AOL Time Warner has agreed to 

sever its ties with Bertelsmann. 

Now the conglomerate faces scrutiny by 

the Federal Trade Commssion, whose primary 

concerns are open access to cable lines and 

AOL Time Warner's possible market domination 

for interactive television. A relatively new 

service, interactive television allows Internet 

features such as chat rooms and e-mail to be 

included with regular TV service. 

The Federal Communications Commission 

also will examine the megamerger but 

has suspended its investigation until the FTC 

completes its review. 

Fast user tunctionality is provided by a 

'Movies" link (for those wishing to search 

OON LAY 

by film) and a "Cinemas 

Online ticket buying i: 

theatre), 

available for a 

The site itself is not deep, but covers 

most user needs, and most pages require little 

scrolling. The exception is a long 

"Coming Soon" page, which has haphazard 

image quality but effective synopses. 

December, 2000 47

ROYrwRinr 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS 

NORTHERN EXPOSURE 

Canadian News Notes by Shlomo Schwartzberg 

THRILL OF THE CHASE: FAMOUS PLAYERS' NEW 

PRESIDENT AND COO ON HIS GAME PLAN 

The recent appointment of Robb Chase as the new president 

and chief operating officer of Famous Players Inc., replacing 

John Bailey (who becomes the company's chairman and CEO), 

suggests a new corporate approach. Chase, 41, brings a youthful 

demeanor to Famous Players and the experience of a different 

background, having held executive positions in the food and beverages 

industry, including stints as vice president of marketing for 

Pizza Hut International; president of Pizza Hut Canada; and 

senior vice president of international franchising for Pizza Hut, 

KFC and Taco Bell. (Pizza Hut is one of the food products 

Famous Players carries in its cinemas.) 

Chase's forte is marketing. At Cara (owners of the Canadian 

food chains Swiss Chalet and Harvey's), Chase pioneered combo 

meals and cross-promotions with non-food products like Shell Oil 

and Shopper's Drug Mart pharmacies. 

That's something that Famous Players, with 

its brand-name cinemas and cross-promotion 

of products, has built itself upon in 

recent years. The Halifax-born Chase spoke 

to BOXOFFICE from his office in Famous 

Players' corporate Toronto headquarters. 

BOXOFFICE: Had you taken note of 

Famous Players' new business strategies even 

before vou joined the company? 

ROBB CHASE: Absolutely. In fact, it's 

kind of ironic. I was down in the U.S with 

Pizza Hut International and came back to be 

the president of Pizza Hut Canada. We were 

negotiating with Famous Players. Initially, 

they actually [had] made the call to go with 

[a different food company]. And I was 

impressed with what they were doing, with 

their vision for what they were about to do 

[with their new cinemas]. I said to them if it 

ever changes, if you have a hiccup with [the 

deal], call me personally and I would like to 

rekindle it. They called back about six 

weeks later and said, "We've run into a real hiccup. There are 

stumbling blocks with the company that we've partnered with. 

You would have to turn this around on a dime if there's any hope 

of dealing with you." And we did, because I thought it would be 

worthwhile partnering with Famous Players, putting Pizza Hut 

in their concession area. 

Robb Chase, president and 

chief operating officer of Famous Players. 

BOXOFFICE: What impresses you most about Famous Players? 

CHASE: I'd watched from afar and one of the things I told the 

folks here is I think this is a company that people look at from 

outside and marvel at what it's been able to accomplish and the 

timeframe it's done it in. They [had the foresight to implement] 

branded food items when a lot of other people said that would cut 

BOXOFFICE: Does that strong position mean Famous Players 

won't have to close some of its theatres in order to stay solvent, as 

other chains like Cineplex Odeon parent company Loews Cineplex 

will probably have to? 

CHASE: We're not immune to some of these forces. We're 

weathering the current storm much better than a lot of the companies 

in this industry, but the reality is we all have underperforming 

theatres. As the new theatres have been built and you create 

an experience that people want to be part of, the old experience 

is just less appealing. The traffic is converted over at a phenomenal 

pace [to the new cinemas]. Globally, we're profitable and 

I think we're in good shape. But we've got some theatres we'll have 

to look at to see whether or not they fit 

the long-term game plan. 

BOXOFFICE: In your opinion, why has Famous Players weathered 

the storm better than others? 

CHASE: There were some smart people here 

when it came to site selection. Part of the benefit 

of [Famous' expansion] happening earlier is that 

there were better sites available. [Because] the real 

estate business was still in the doldrums from the 

early '90s, some of the deals that the company was 

able to get, even in the '9.V95 period, were more 

attractive than the costs of [new sites] today. So by 

getting choice sites at a more attractive cost structure, 

the company set [itself] up for success. 

BOXOFFICE: Recently, Famous Players ran 

into a problem in Langley, British Columbia, where 

residents complained that the searchlights at a new 

Colossus complex there were disturbing them at 

night. Is that issue being resolved? 

CHASE: We think we're pretty close to a compromise 

that will probably scale back what's there 

a little bit, leaving some of the features that make 

it what it is. 

BOXOFFICE: What initiatives would you like to 

bring to the company as the new president? 

CHASE: There's been such energy and such 

focus on expansion: We've themed [the theatres], we've branded, 

we've built, they came. Now the task is operating them to optimum 

effect. The concepts work, but there are people who are 

coming to these theatres fairly often [so] you have to create some 

novelty. There has to be some new things. We need to give them a 

reason to go visit the Pizza Hut counter, the concession stand that 

they've been to 15 times before. We need them to come a 16th, 

17th time and so on. So we're looking at things that add novelty 

[such as TCBY yogurt]. [And as] some of the buildings are coming 

on to seven, eight years old, [we need to look at] what we need 

to do to keep them fresh. Sometimes it's as simple as paint and 

new carpet and wallpaper. In a few places it might be more fundamental 

than that. I'm here to scope out those kinds of things. 

into our margins and would cannibalize the other products and it 

doesn't make any sense. And this company had a sense of imagination 

to try it—and guess what? It worked. And then, having 

done that, they had the sense of urgency to go out and replicate it 

ly, to the point that [it has helped put Famous Players] in a 

5 strong position for an industry that's been weakened by 

turation] and intense competitive pressure. 

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


EUROVIEWS 

European News Notes by Francesca Dinglasan 

LEAD STORY: PARISIAN ART-HOUSES STRIKE BACK 

PARIS—As part of a campaign to attract French moviegoers to 

art-houses, independent cinemas in the City of Lights are temporarily 

reducing admission prices. Spearheaded by AFCAE, the 

art-house trade association in France, the move was prompted by 

the widespread shuttle on the part of moviegoers, who are abandoning 

independent houses for multiplexes, lured away by movie 

passes that grant unlimited monthly access to films playing in any of 

the larger companies' venues. Among the chains extending the promotional 

pass are UGC, Gaumont and Pathe (see EUROVIEWS. 

October 2000). However, even before these passes were introduced 

into the market. Pans' approximate 40 art-houses had already been 

feeling the pinch. Industry observers estimate that attendance at the 

alternatively-programmed venues have dropped by nearly one million 

during the 1995-99 period, at the same time that overall 

moviegoing in the city increased by 1 1 percent. Hoping to turn 

things around, art cinemas will charge the significantly discounted 

ticket price of 20 francs (USS2.70) for a special one-week period, 

with the Parisian city government providing approximately 3.9 million 

francs (US$520,000) in subsidized funds. 

FRENCH PRODUCT SOARS IN POPULARITY 

PARIS— If French art-houses are feeling particularly bitter 

about their losses in the face of a boom period in Gallic moviegoing, 

figures for 1999 attendance should only refuel their anxiety. 

According to the latest statistics released by Unifrance, the country's 

product saw an admissions increase of 133 percent during the 

1 2-month period, rising from 1 8 million tickets sold in 1 998 to 42 

million last year. French-lingo pics did particularly well in nonnative 

markets, garnering nearly $210 million worldwide, compared 

to $775 million domestically. Attendance to French films in 

Germany, Italy and the U.K. accounted for 50 percent of that $209 

million, with the rest of Europe combining for 22 percent. 

Francophone territories for 14 percent and the U.S. for 1 1 percent. 

Unifrance cites "The Dinner Game," "The Dream Life of Angels," 

"Taxi" and particularly "Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar," which sold 

13 million tickets in 20 different countries, as the highest grossing 

Gallic films of the year. 

D0D0NA PREDICTS PROFITABLE TIMES 

FOR EUROPEAN EXHIBS 

LONDON—The latest report released by U.K. -based exhibition 

industry specialist Dodona Research is predicting a healthier 

future for continental cinema operators. According to the 

report—entitled "Cinemagoing Western Europe"—which covers 

1 1 of the region's largest territories, the current rise in ticket sales 

from 470 million in 1992 to 640 million in 1999, propelled by a 

proliferation of movie theatre construction, will increase by an 

additional 22 percent by year-end 2004. The report draws a direct 

parallel between the admissions jump at European theatres and 

the increased number of screens, which grew to a total of 18.000 

last year with 2.000 more expected to be opened over the next five 

years. The report also indicates that exhibitors are likely to see 

revenues continue to increase, with total boxoffice across the territories 

predicted to jump from last year's US$3.5 billion to 

US$4.7 billion by 2004. However, just as is the case Stateside, 

territory overscreening is a marked concern, and Dodona notes 

that Germany, a "more mature market," is "characterized by 

closer relationships between circuits and mergers as well as physical 

expansion." Countries covered in the report include Austria, 

Belgium. France. Germany, Greece. Italy, Luxembourg, 

Netherlands, Portugal. Spain and Switzerland. 

STER-RY EYED IN POLAND 

WARSAW—Not to be outdone by the western territories in 

Europe are the continent's eastern markets, which have been the 

targeted sites of several multiplex operators, including Ster 

Century, the regional arm of South Africa-based exhibitor Ster 

Kinekor. Last September, the company opened a new 2,000-seat 

10-screener in the Polish city of Warsaw. Dubbed the Janki, the 

theatre holds the largest screen in the country and is the second 

Ster Century venue to bow in Warsaw. The Promenada 13- 

screen plex opened November 1999, with a third theatre, the 14- 

screen Galeria Mokotow, bowing shortly after the Janki. 

Ster 

Century is also currently developing a new multiplex in Prague. 

Czech Republic and one in the Slovakian market of Bratislava. 

BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION 

WATCHES FOR SEX 

LONDON—While the U.S. debate regarding Hollywood's 

onscreen representations of sex and violence rages on, across the 

Atlantic the British Board of Film Classification has taken the 

initiative to reformulate its ratings guidelines for films with adult 

themes. As a result of a series of surveys conducted by the BBFC, 

the government agency has discerned that British moviegoers are 

particularly concerned with depictions of violence, sex. language 

and drug use in product targeting underage cinema patrons. Sex, 

however, will be particularly scrutinized, with differentiation 

being drawn between violent or nonconsensual acts, which are 

more likely to warrant an 18 certificate, and acts BBFC director 

Robin Duval describes as emphasizing "responsible, loving and 

developing relationships." which can carry a 15 certificate. Unlike 

exhibitors in the United States. British cinema operators are legally 

responsible to enforce the 12. 

15 and 18 certificates. 

HOLLYWOOD PRODUCT TO BENEFIT RUSSIAN FILMS 

MOSCOW— Russian minister of culture Mikhail Shvydkoi 

recently unveiled a government initiative designed to promote the 

country's film exhibition and distribution sectors. The proposal 

calls for the establishment of an organization dubbed Russian 

Film Exhibition, which will function as a commercial venue 

screening Hollywood product. Should the proposition be 

approved, all profits from the RFE would be used to improve 

regional exhibition venues and to establish a centralized distribution 

unit for Russian product, which Shvydkoi insists is overshadowed 

by U.S. films. The culture minister is also hoping that the 

government will earmark $60 million in credits for the new organization, 

to be put towards the renovation of 20 screens throughout 

the country and the development of five new plexes in the 

markets of Moscow and St. Petersburg. 

December, 2000 49


PACIFIC OVERTURES 

Notes From the Pacific Rim by Francesca Dinglasan 

LEAD STORY: PIRATES HALTED IN HONG KONG 

0Z CIRCUITS DISCOUNT TICKETS 

HONG KONG—The war to stop the widespread and blatant sale of SYDNEY—Australia-based exhibition giants Hoyts, 

pirated films available for consumer purchase in Hong Kong is showing Greater Union and Village Cinemas have slightly reduced 

signs of success, according to one soldier in the battle. Territory customs ticket prices to their theatres. The three circuits had originally 

decided to temporarily slash admissions charges in 

commissioner John Tsang has declared the piracy problem to be well 

under control, especially compared to what it was nearly a year-and-a- 

order to compete with the Olympic Games (see Pacific 

half ago when Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan lead a group of local 

entertainers in a protest designed to call attention to the issue (see Pacific 

Overtures, June 1999). Figures from a survey conducted by the government 

indicate that sales of bootlegged videos, CDs and software have 

dropped by as much as 98 percent from 1 8 months ago, with the number 

of retail outlets in the city openly selling the items falling from over 1,000 

to less than 100. In 1997, at the height of Hong Kong's piracy difficulty, 

the U.S. government officially singled-out the territory as a hotbed for 

trade law violation, prompting the region's customs agency to step up its 

efforts. While the recent findings come as welcome news to both Hong 

Kong and Hollywood film company execs, industry analysts warn that it 

is still too early to declare piracy completely eliminated. The most likely 

scenario, for the moment, is that bootleggers will simply relocate to neighboring 

territories, where restrictions on piracy are much more lenient. 

UA CINEMA CIRCUIT EXPANDS 

HONG KONG—Sure to be quite happy about the decline in 

available pirated goods are Hong Kong exhibitors, who are estimated 

to have lost as much as 60 percent of their annual revenues 

to bootlegged videos, which are usually on the market concurrently 

or even before a film's theatrical release (see Pacific 

Overtures, June 1999). One circuit demonstrating renewed faith in 

the region is United Artists Cinema Circuit, which is opening nine 

new screens. UA Cinema Circuit has already added four screens to 

its Lantau Island multiplex near the Chek Lap Kok International 

Airport, and plans call for another five screens to open next July 

at the company's Taikoo Shing's Citiplaza venue in the eastern 

part of Hong Kong. UA Cinema Circuit general manager Bob 

Vallone has indicated to BOXOFFICE that the circuit expects to 

have a total of 42 screens at nine sites in Hong Kong by year-end 

2001 (see Asian Giants of Exhibition, page 36). 

SINGAPORE SHUT-DOWNS 

SINGAPORE—According to Singapore's Domestic Trade and 

Consumer Affairs Ministry, exhibitors in the territory have been 

forced to shut down 133 cinemas since 1993. This revelation 

comes just off the heels of a report issued by Singapore's Ministry 

of Trade and Industry, which indicated that local moviegoing has 

hit a 10-year record low (see Pacific Overtures, November 2000). 

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry spokesperson 

Guna Selan Marian blamed the decline of cinema attendance, 

and thus the shuttering of numerous theatres, on the availability 

of bootlegged video compact discs, which are often cheaper than 

the admissions price to a local multiplex. 'Attendance at cinemas 

in the country dropped drastically by 61 percent between 1993 

year because many moviegoers had switched to pirated 

VCDs," he says. Guna Selan also notes that in terms of widepiracy 

activity, Singapore ranks fourth among Asian terri- 

Vietnam, China and Indonesia were named as the top 

Overtures. November 2000). Although the charge will not 

be as low as it had been in September—dropping to 

AUSS8.5 (US$5) from as high as AUSS12 (USS7) in some 

cases—the decreased fee will 

help to offset the nine percent 

increase that came into effect last July as a result of a 

government-mandated goods and service tax. However, 

industry observers are skeptical as to what degree the 

break will encourage Australians to head to the cinemas, 

with prices coming down by a mere six to 47 cents, 

depending on the area. According to circuit heads, the 

lowered admissions prices will vary from market to market, 

with suburban sites receiving a larger discount that 

those located in urban areas. 

READING AND NO LONGER WAITING 

FOR FIRST-RUN FILMS 

SYDNEY—Reading Cinemas, which has been conducting a 

long-lasting and very public fight to obtain first-run product for 

its flagship Market City venue in Sydney, is savoring its first victory. 

Having taken its cause to the Australian exhibition industry's 

code-of-conduct committee, Reading complained that all of Oz's 

major film distributors have been denying the circuit new releases 

because of its proximity to competing theatres operated by Aussie 

cinema chains Village. Hoyts and Greater Union (see Pacific 

Overtures, November 2000). David Newton, an independent arbitrator 

who eventually took up the case, officially ruled in favor of 

Reading, concurring that the first two distributors to be investigated, 

20th Century Fox and Roadshow, have in fact unfairly 

favored the large chains. 

In spite of this ruling, the majority of 

distribution houses have yet to express a willingness to rent firstrun 

prints to Reading's Market City site. Roadshow, however, 

being the target of scrutiny, has provided two films: "Reindeer 

Games" and "Space Cowboys." 

RECORD PROFITS AT T0H0 

TOKYO—Japanese film major Toho reports a record net profit 

of ¥4.1 billion (US$38 million) for the fiscal half-year ending 

last August. The figure indicates a seven percent increase compared 

to the same period a year ago and exceeds the company's 

expectations of ¥3.9 billion (US$36 million). The distributor also 

saw pre-tax revenue tumble by seven percent to ¥6.8 billion 

(US$63 million) and revenue fall by nearly 10 percent to ¥39 billion 

(US$361 million). Toho's surprisingly high profits were 

attributed to the success of its product in release during the period, 

including "Pokemon," "Doraemon" and the summer boxoffice 

hit "Whiteout." The company also predicts that the 

Christmas rollout of the latest installment in the "Godzilla" series 

will benefit the distributor, although it 

anticipates posting a fiscalyear 

pre-tax profit of just ¥10.5 billion (US$97 million)—an 18 

percent decline compared to the previous fiscal year.

moviefone> 

A Service of America Online 

QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

' ' 

unfolds 

I tragedy, 

149) BOXOFFICE 

••••• OUTSTANDING 

•••• VERY GOOD 

••• GOOD 

•• FAIR 

• POOR 

(no 

BOXOFFICE 

stars) BOMB 

TORONTO 

Baise-Moi R-151 

REVIEWS 

Before Night Falls R-150 

Born Romantic R-151 

The Circle R-151 

Crazy R-152 

Dancing at the Blue Iguana R-151 

Ginger Snaps R-150 

Greenfingers R-151 

Krapp's Last Tape R-152 

Maelstrom R-152 

Merci Pour Le Chocolat (Nightcap) . . . R-150 

Love Come Down R-150 

Love's A Bitch (Amores Perros) R-150 

A 

December 2000 

Shot At Glory R-152 

Soldiers in the Army of God R-151 

Such is Life R-152 

Suspicious River R-1 52 

Two Thousand and None R-152 

Une Vraie Jeune Rile R-152 

The Vertical Ray of the Sun R-150 

Walk the Talk R-152 

When the Sky Falls R-151 

DAY AND DATE: DECEMBER (undated) 

REVIEWS 

CHUNHYANG **** 

Bamboozled R-1 56 

Bedazzled R-153 

Starring Hyo Jung Lee, Seung Woo sidestep being pigeonholed by such 

Bootmen R-1 55 

Cho, Sung Nyu Kim, Jung Hun Lee, Sang restrictive Western concepts. For while 

The Carriers Are Waiting R-1 54 

Hyun Cho and Hak Yong Kim. Directed "Chunhyang" remains uniquely and 

Chutney Popcorn R-1 57 

by Kwon Taek Im. Written by Myoung undeniably Asian, it retains none of the 

Collectors R-153 

Kon Kim. Produced by Tae Won Lee. A steely exoticism typified by recent 

Digimon: The Movie R-156 

Lot 47 Films release. Period drama. Chinese and Japanese cinema. Instead, 

Get Carter R-156 

Korean-language; subtitled. Unrated. Western audiences will discover more 

It All Starts Today R-158 

Running time: 120 min. 

familiar elements reminiscent of 

The Ladies Man R-1 55 

The most expensive Korean film ever "Romeo and Juliet" and "Cinderella," 

The Legend of Bagger Vance R-153 

made and the first to garner significant underscoring Taek's emphasis on themes 

Live Nude Girls Unitel R-1 57 

attention abroad, the exceptional that are both universal and transcendent. 

At the same time, Taek and screen- 

Lost Souls R-1 55 

"Chunhyang" looks to finally secure for 

Meet the Parents R-1 57 

its veteran director Kwon Taek Im the writer Kim Myoung Kon stay true to the 

MVP: Most Valuable Primate R-1 54 

global reputation that some 90 previous film's cultural origins, adhering almost 

features have not. 

mathematically 

Once in the Life R-153 

to 

One R-155 

The traditional 

the pansori narrative 

Pay It Forward R-154 

Korean performance 

structure by employing 

an actual pre- 

Simon Magus R-153 

art of pansori— 

Solas R-1 57 

kind of one-man 

sent-day pansori performance 

of the story 

Urban Legends: Final Cut R-158 

opera incorporating 

Water Drops on Burning Rocks R-158 

song, dance and 

as their primary 

The Wolves of Kramer R-154 

poetic reading— is 

framing device. 

the basis for the 

Personal taste 

revered 1 3th-century 

story of forbidden 

there can be no 

notwithstanding, SPECIAL FORMATS 

Cyberworld R-156 

love in which 

questioning Taek's 

Chunhyang (Hyo 

dramatic and techni- 

I 

un B. Lee),~the edu- eciu- 

Seung Woo Cho and Hyo Jung Lee «' achievement DAY AND DATE: 12/00 

In 

in 

cated daughter of a 

Lot 47 's lhh-centun-set "Chunhyang." the end, stars Lee 

, 

Chunhyang R-1 49 

courtesan, tempts 

and Cho are the most 

fate and defies cultural taboo by secretwedding 

Mongryong (Seung Woo duction that reportedly required more FLASHBACK: 1953 

luminous figures in a sumptuous pro- 

Cho), the son of the regional governor. It than 8,000 extras and 12,000 costumes. 

is only after Mongryong leaves to complete 

his studies in Seoul, however, that more with the Hollywood tradition of 

In a certain sense, "Chunhyang" shares 

Robinson Crusoe R-154 

Chunhyang must confront the consequences 

of such defiance. 

tradition, harking back to the days of 

yesteryear than any present-day Asian PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED 

Sumptuously and expertly conceived, melodramatic widescreen spectacles Coming films already reviewed R-155 

ihyang" is a smart, sinewy fable when big emotions, sweeping vistas 

in the same deliberate manis 

i SI ikespearean comedy or a swept audiences into theatres in droves. 

and bleary-eyed, star-crossea lovers REVIEW DIGEST 

even as it manages to — Wade Major Our monthly release overview R-1 58

December, 2000 (R-150) 53 

TORONTO REVIEWS 

LOVE'S A BITCH (AMORES PERROS) Although Javier Bardem has a smouldering 

presence as Arenas, we never see 

• •1/2 

Starring 

what 

Emilia Echevarria, Gael made him such a vividly romantic 

Garcia 

writer. 

Bernal 

In 

and Goya 

"Before 

Toledo. Directed and 

Night Falls," 

produced 

by Alejandro 

Arenas is 

simply a victim 

Gonzalez 

of his own homosexuality 

Inarritu. 

in a 

Written 

Latin culture 

by Guillermo Arriaga. A Lions Gate 

teeming with machismo. 

release. Drama. Spanish-language; We see those friends—and foes—come 

subtitled. 

into his life, 

Not yet rated. Running 

but they barely register, 

time: 153 min. 

and 

often 

Denounced by 

add confusion. 

animal-rights Some cameos, like 

activists 

for its depiction of brutal dog 

Sean Penn as a peasant, are a lark, and 

fights, 

"Amores Perros" is a bizarre mix 

when 

of 

Johnny Depp shows up as 

parable 

a transvestite 

in 

and social commentary. 

a 

Neophyte Cuban prison who hides 

director 

Alejandro Gonzalez 

Arenas' entire 

Inarritu chooses 

manuscript 

an 

up his rectum, 

it's 

ambitious 

a classic 

project to mark 

comic turn. Kevin 

his debut, 

Courrier 

a meditation 

on love's difficulties and fate's cruel 

machinations. He GINGER entwines 

SNAPS ••• 

three separate 

love stories involving 

Starring Emily Perkins 

three very 

and Katharine 

different 

Isahelle. 

classes of people. Not Directed 

all of 

by John Fawcett. 

these 

Written 

stories are 

equally interesting, and 

by 

one of them would 

Karen Walton. Produced by Steve Hoban 

have been best on its own. With 

and Karen Lee Hall. A Lions Gate release. 

a car accident 

ComedyIHorror. 

as his narrative anchor, he 

Not yet rated. 

binds 

Running 

the 

time: 

fates of 

107 

these previously 

min. 

unrelated lives, but 

With 

also uses the setup as an excuse to employ 

uncanny acuity, screenwriter 

stylistic gymnastics. Proving 

Karen Walton and director 

that he can 

John Fawcett 

juggle manage 

a variety 

to 

of 

poke 

timeframes, 

fun at everything from 

perspectives 

and moods, 

small-town 

Inarritu 

mores, teen 

hints at a vibrant 

angst and the onset 

pastiche 

of human of PMS, all in 

relations but 

the thin guise 

in the end 

of a horror 

succumbs 

to the dangers 

flick. The Fitzgerald sisters, 

of such 

Beatrice and 

a fractured 

Ginger, 

narrative practice: too much 

proud misfits in their high school, 

bravado, not 

enough 

are inordinately 

soul. Barbara Gosiawski 

preoccupied with death 

and non-conformity. It quickly becomes 

BEFORE 

evident that 

NIGHT FALLS 

they will 

**l/2 

go to any lengths in 

their 

Starring Javier 

quest for individuality, 

Bardem, Andrea 

including willing 

their 

di 

Stefano, Oliver Martinez, Johnny 

own bodies to refuse to 

Depp, 

menstruate. 

Interestingly, 

Sean Penn and Michael the filmmakers 

Wincott. Directed 

manage 

to 

by Julian Schnabel. Written by Cunningham 

make everyone else seem odd compared 

to this pair. 

O'Keefe, Lazaro Gomez 

Meanwhile, 

Carriles and 

someone or 

Julian 

something 

is viciously 

Schnabel. Produced by 

slaughtering 

Jon 

the 

Kilik. A Fine 

town's 

dogs. 

Line release. Drama. 

Before they 

Spanish-language, know it, the sisters find 

subtitled. 

Not 

themselves in the 

yet rated. Running 

middle 

time: 125 

of the crisis. 

min. 

Julian Schnabel's "Before On its surface, 

Night 

"Ginger Snaps" is a 

Falls," 

based on Cuban werewolf movie, but what's refreshing is 

novelist and poet 

the 

Reinaldo 

clever satire at its 

Arenas' 

core. 

memoirs, 

Fawcett skillfully 

is messy, passionate 

keeps the 

and 

tone bordering 

impressionistic. on farce, all 

It's certainly 

the 

absorbing, 

while 

but 

scaring his 

Schnabel gets so caught 

audience silly. 

up 

Barbara 

in the melodramatic 

Goslawski 

sweep of Arenas' life 

that he blurs out the specifics which might 

help us understand LOVE COME DOWN •• 

his sensibility as an 

Starring 

artist. Although some of 

Larenz Tate, Martin Cummins 

his writing, his 

more harrowing 

and Deborah 

experiences 

Cox. Directed 

and 

and written by 

his 

homosexuality 

Clement Virgo. Produced 

are covered, 

by Eric 

those areas 

Jordan, 

are 

only broadly defined. One 

Damon D'Oliveira 

comes away 

and Clement Virgo. A 

thinking that he only became 

Unapix release. Drama. Not yet rated. 

a threat to 

the Castro government 


because he liked 

picking up guys in Lenin Two Park. 

half-brothers—Neville ("Menace 

II 

Arenas 

Society's" 

(Javier Bardem) was an 

Larenz Tate), an aspiring 

artist 

devoted 

black stand-up comedian trying 

to satisfying his voracious 

to shake a 

sexual 

appetite. He won a National Book 

drug habit, 

Award 

and Matthew (Martin 

for his first novel, "Singing From 

Cummins), an angry white 

the Well." 

boxer— try to 

when he was only 20. As 

mend fences when Neville gets out of 

well as suffering 

prison. But 

political 

their 

persecution 

troubled 

(which 

past -they both 

often involved 

being 

witnessed 

set up 

the 

by 

murder 

friends), he 

of Neville's father 

also did hard 

prison 

gets in 

time 

the way. 

before leaving Cuba in the 1980 

Mariel Harbor 

Clement Virgo's 

boatlift. Ironically, when 

second feature (after 

he 

finally found freedom as an 

"Rude") is a decided step back 

exile in New 

from what 

York, he contracted AIDS and 

was one of the 

committed 

most impressive film debuts 

in 

suicide in 1990. What 

Canadian 

put him 

moviemaking. Virgo's ravishing 

eye—he 

in direct 

opposition to Castro's idea of the New 

may be the most poetic of 

Socialist Man was the fact that he was 

Canadian directors— is still intact, but the 

out 

J "or his own personal satisfaction. film's script is underdeveloped and not 

very gripping. Most of its themes—the 

brothers' relationship, the professions they 

practice— have already been utilized in 

"Rude," and in Virgo's stunning short, 

"Save My Lost Nigga Soul." There is some 

fine acting here—singer Deborah Cox 

makes a strong impression as Neville's girlfriend—but 

the tune Virgo plays remains 

too familiar. Shlomo Schwartzberg 

THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN (A 

LA VERTICALE DE L'ETE) • *** 

Starring Tran Nu Yen Khe, Nguyen Nhu 

Quynh, Le Khanh and Ngo Quang Hai. 

Directed and written by Tran Anh Hung. 

Produced by Christophe Rossignon. No distributor 

set. Drama. Not yet rated. Running 

time: 112 min. 

"The Vertical Ray of the Sun (A La 

Verticale de L'Ete)" is an exquisitely 

enchanting story that completely envelops 

the audience in its subtle mystique. 

Tran Anh Hung ("The Scent of Green 

Papaya") tells the story of three sisters who 

meet on the anniversary of their mother's 

death. They share many intimate secrets, but 

don't realize that there are many secrets 

being kept from them. "Vertical Ray," 

which examines the difficulty of keeping up 

appearances when your own life can't measure 

up to the idealized one you've created 

about your parents, is the best film about the 

secret whims of siblings since Kon Ichikawa's 

"The Makioka Sisters." Kevin Courrier 

MERCI POUR LE CH0C0LAT 

(NIGHTCAP) **i/2 

Starring Isabelle Huppert, Jacques 

Dutronc, Anna Mouglalis and Rodolphe 

Pauly. Directed by Claude Chahrol. Written 

by Caroline Eliacheff and Claude Chabrol. 

Produced by Martin Karmitz. No distributor 

set. Drama. French-language; subtitled. 

Not yet rated. Running time: 100 min. 

Veteran director Claude Chabrol has 

taken promising material for a black comedy 

and turned it instead into a somber 

chamber drama. "Merci Pour Le Chocolat 

(Nightcap)" is about Andre (Jacques 

Dutronc). a recently widowed concert 

pianist. He marries his wife's best friend, 

Mika (Isabelle Huppert), who is the CEO 

of a large chocolate factory. Just when 

domestic bliss appears apparent, in walks 

Jeanne (Anna Mouglalis), an 18-year-old 

piano prodigy who may be Andre's daughter. 

Her presence not only upsets his son. 

Guillaume (Rodolphe Pauly). but also 

Mika, who just might be poisoning the 

family with her drug-laced chocolate brew. 

All through "Merci Pour Le Chocolat," 

Chabrol seems to lose track of the elements 

of the plot. First, it's a mystery about 

whether Jeanne is really Andre's child. 

When that point is neatly dropped, then 

Jeanne plays detective in uncovering Mika's 

scheme. But Chabrol also abandons that 

thread, which only leaves us with a an 

inevitable, tired conclusion. Kevin Courrier

S.mi Rfivnppirr 


WHEN THE SKY FALLS **l/2 

Starring Joan Allen, Patrick Bergin and 

Liam Cunningham. Directed by John 

MacKenzie. Written by Michael Sheridan, 

Ronan Gallagher and Colum McCann. 

Produced by Nigel Warren-Green and 

Michael Wearing. No distributor set. Drama. 


Based on the life of Veronica Guerin, a 

crusading Irish reporter who was murdered 

for her efforts, "When The Sky Falls" is a 

conventional, brutally effective Irish drama. 

In the '90s, Ireland had unique problems 

when it came to fighting drug-related crime. 

A quarter of the police were manning the 

border to keep terrorists out, the laws overly 

favored criminals, and it was the IRA 

that was more likely to put the pushers out 

of business, as drug addicts couldn't be 

effectively recruited for the cause. 

Joan Allen portrays the fictionalized 

Guerin (here named Sinead Hamilton), the 

reporter who wants to get the bad guys. 

Patrick Bergin is Mackey, the cop who 

bends the rules to do the same. The problem 

is that Mackey is the more interesting, and 

flawed, character. Allen, as in "The 

Contender," is just playing a dull type: the 

determined journalist. Despite its apocalyptic 

title, the overall impact of "When The 

Sky Falls" is minimal. Shlomo Schwartzherg 

BAISE-MOI *1/2 

Starring Raffalea Anderson and Karen 

Bach. Directed and written by Virginie 

Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi. Produced 

by Philippe Godeau. No distributor set. 

Drama. French-language, subtitled. Not yet 

rated. Running time: 76 min. 

Just from its title alone, which translates 

to "rape me" or "f— me," "Baise- 

Moi," which was labeled as pornographic 

in its native France, courts controversy. 

"Baise-Moi" is in fact shot like a porno 

movie, with befitting music and camera 

angles, and is just as explicit. It also stars 

two adult film actresses as the leads. Yet 

this X-rated "Thelma and Louise" has 

something on its mind, or at least more 

than usual films of the genre. Its directors 

are intent on a blanket indictment of a 

misogynistic French society. Their heroines 

lash out at—and kill—almost everyone 

whose paths they cross, something the 

film seems to endorse, in that the men and 

women who naturally fear these killers are 

caricatured and mocked. Crassly put 

together, "Baise-Moi" isn't as smart as it 

thinks it is. Shlomo Schwartzherg 

SOLDIERS IN THE ARMY OF GOD •• 

Directed by Mark Levin and Daphne 

Pinkerson. 

Written by Marc Levin. Produced 

by Daphne Pinkerson, Marc Levin and Daniel 

Volt. No distributor set. Documentary. Not 

ret rated. Running time: 70 min. 

The fact that "Soldiers in the Army of 

.!'" depicts the extremist anti-abortion 

nt, which uses terrorist tactics to 

op reproductive choice, gives the 

film an incendiary power. But the documentary, 

much like "Blood in the Face" 

(which examined white supremicists), 

neglects to provide a context, or much 

insight into the group's beliefs. 

"Soldiers in the Army of God" relies 

too much on the sensational aspects of 

people like Bob Lokey, an Army of God 

leader who calls for civil war; or Paul Hill, 

who murdered two doctors and thinks of 

himself as a martyr. The only truly compelling 

character is Jonathan, a confused 

19-year-old who opposes abortion on 

demand. But we never discover what is at 

the root of the fanatical beliefs, because 

the directors only seek to outrage the audience. 

Kevin Courrier 

BORN ROMANTIC 

•• 

Starring Jane Horrocks, Craig Ferguson 

and Catherine McCormack. Directed and 

written by David Kane. Produced by Michael 

Camarda. No distributor set. Comedyl 

Drama. Not yet rated. Running time: 98 min. 

A salsa dance club is the backdrop for a 

series of events which lead to happiness for 

three disparate couples. At first, "Born 

Romantic" seems to be breaking new 

ground. One couple is comprised of a petty 

thief (Jimi Mistry), who likes to chloroform 

his victims after they've taken money out 

of bank machine, and a ditzy woman 

(Catherine McCormack), whose job is 

tending graves. But any promise of British 

eccentricity and meaty characterization is 

soon betrayed as "Born Romantic" 

smooths out the complexities and messiness 

of modern romantic life and ties 

everything up neatly by film's end. 

If it's moderately better than its 

American counterparts (like "Return to 

Me"), it's only because the actors give it 

their all and because the British can't help 

but put a little honest grit into their comedies. 

Otherwise, this is another example of 

the unfortunate trend toward sentimentality 

in British films. Shlomo Schwartzherg 

*•• 

THE CIRCLE 

Starring Fereshteh Sadr Orafai, 

Maryiam Parvin Almani and Nargess 

Mamizadeh. Directed by Jafar Panahi. 

Written by Kambozia Partovi. Produced by 

Jafar Panahi. No distributor set. Drama. 

Farsi-language, subtitled. Not yet rated. 


"The Circle" is a tough but obvious 

look at the plight of women in Iranian 

society. 

Beginning with a pregnancy that 

brings into the world an unwanted girl, 

"The Circle" then switches focus to three 

women, all newly released from prison. 

One is arrested, the other is scared to leave 

town and the third is sent to find a fourth 

woman from their group. That woman also 

turns out to have dire problems of her own. 

Startling provocative in its harsh portrait 

of Iran, "The Circle," which begins 

and ends with women behind a door, states 

that the country is one big prison for 

women. (Not surprisingly, it's been banned 

there.) But director Jafar Panahi ("The 

White Balloon") displays more subtlety 

with his technique than with his message. 

Eschewing complexity, he only allows 

oppressed women into his world. This circle 

is too small. Shlomo Schwartzherg 

DANCING AT THE BLUE IGUANA 

**1/2 

Starring Sandra Oh, Daryl Hannah and 

Jennifer Tilly. 

Directed by Michael Radford. 

Written by David Linter. Produced by Etchie 

Stroh, Ram Bergman, Michael Radford and 

Dana Lustig. No distributor set. Drama. Not 

yet rated. Running time: 121 min. 

According to the press notes, director 

Michael Radford ("II Postino") chose not 

to work with a set script for "Dancing at the 

Blue Iguana," preferring to have his cast 

make up the story as they went along. It 

shows. Set in a Los Angeles strip club, 

"Dancing at the Blue Iguana" is a loosely 

strung-together series of incidents revolving 

around the complex lives of the women 

who work its stages, such as Jasmine 

(Sandra Oh), who strips so she can avoid 

facing up to her abilities as a poet, and Jo 

(Jennifer Tilly), an angry soul who doesn't 

know how to handle her sudden pregnancy. 

The film's script process means that 

some characters, such as mercurial club 

owner Eddie (Robert Wisdom), don't make 

a whole lot of sense. But some of the performances, 

notably Oh's and Sheila Kelley's 

as an emotionally deadened woman, bring 

a powerful integrity to an often contrived 

film. Shlomo Sch wartzberg 

GREENFINGERS 

• • 

Starring Clive Owen, David Kelly and 

Helen Mirren. Directed and written by Joel 

Hershman. Produced by Travis Swords, 

Daniel J. Victor and Trudie Styler. No distributor 

set. Drama. Not yet rated. Running 

time: 91 min. 

Clive Owen plays Colin Briggs, who is 

nearing the end of his term for murder. 

Well-behaved, Colin is picked as a candidate 

for the experimental Edgefield Open 

Prison, which has no bars, lets the prisoners 

walk around the grounds and gives 

them job training for their future as free 

men. There, the sullen Briggs discovers 

that he has an affinity for growing flowers, 

a talent which comes in handy when flamboyant 

gardening guru Georgina 

Woodhouse (Helen Mirren) chooses him 

and four other inmates to enter a contest 

for the best gardeners in England. 

It's not surprising that director Joel 

Hershman is American. "Greenfingers" is 

straight out of the Hollywood feel-good 

school of filmmaking, with simple homilies, 

an upbeat finale and positive values about 

making something of oneself. It certainl) 

has none of the complexity of "Croupier,' 

Owen's last film. "Greenfingers" may bt 

based on a true story but it feels inauthentic. 

Shlomo Schwartzherg

,"" 


•*• 

subtitled. Not yet rated. Running time: 98 nun. 

In Arturo Ripstein's modern re-telling of 

the Greek tragedy of Medea, Julia (Arcelia 

Ramirez) lives in a rooming house with her 

husband, Nicolas (Luis Felipe Tovar), and 

their two children. One day, he decides to 

move in with their landlord's sexy daughter. 

When the landlord gives Julia her eviction 

notice, and Nicolas lays claim to the 

kids, Julia decides to take actions which 

lead to tragic consequences. 

"Such is Life" is filled with moments of 

odd humor that sometimes becomes a little 

too self-conscious, but this is compensated 

for by terrific performances. Kevin Comma 

•• 

SUSPICIOUS RIVER 

Starring Molly Parker, Callum Keith 

Rennie, Alary Kay Welsh and Joel 

Bissonnette. Directed and written by Lynne 

Stopkewich. Produced by Michael 

Ok', Okulitch. No distributor set. Drama. Not 

rated. Running time: 92 min. 

Leila Murray (Molly Parker of "Kissed") 

works as a receptionist at a small-town 

motel. While handing out room keys, she 

also offers sex for the same price as the 

rental of the room. But when she provides 

her services to Gary (Callum Keith 

Rennie), a 

volatile and charismatic loner, 

Leila ends up getting more than she bargained 

for. Their affair ends up dislodging 

old memories that were long buried. 

Parker does manage to give the kind of 

ethereal performance that provides some 

anchor, and Rennie keeps one off guard 

\\ with his sinister charm. But "Suspicious 

'",.|River" has too many bends in the stream. 

Kevin Courrier 

••* 

SUCH IS LIFE 

UNE VRAIE JEUNE FILLE 

WALK THE TALK ***l/2 

Starring Arcelia Ramirez and Luis Felipe Starring Charlotte Alexandra. Directed Starring Salvatore Coco and Nikki 

Tovar. Directed by Arturo Ripstein. Written and written by Catherine Breillat. Produced Bennett. Directed and written by Shirley 

by Paz Alicia Garciadicgo. Produced by Laura by Andre Genoves. No distributor set. Barrett. Produced by Jan Chapman. No distributor 

Imperiak, Jorge Sanchez and Alvaro Garnica. Drama. French language; subtitled. Not yet 

Comedy IDrama. Not yet rated. 

set. 

No distributor set. Drama. Spanish-language; rated. Running time: 93 min. 

Running time: 1 10 min. 

In director Catherine Breillat's frank 

and unhypocritical exploration of female 

sexuality, Charlotte Alexandra plays a 

young girl who comes home from boarding 

school during summer break. While 

she hangs out at the family home, being 

quite bored, she goes through her sexual 

awakening into young womanhood. 

Breillat ("Romance") brings a healthy 

fascination towards a woman's tumescent 

urges. She sees them as something much 

broader than simply a fetish, or a 

masochistic indulgence. Kevin Courrier 

CRAZY ••** 

Directed by Heddy Ilonigman. Written by 

Heddy Honigman and Ester Gould. Produced 

by Pieter van Huystee. No distributor set. 

Documentary. Danish-language; subtitled. 


Most of us have songs that remind us 

of an old love affair, a breakup, a vacation 

or a prom dance. Music and memory have 

always been a symbiotic and emotionally 

powerful force in our lives. Director Heddy 

Honigman recognizes this and has made a 

deeply stirring and fascinating film about 

how music functions for soldiers in devastating 

war zones. She interviews servicemen 

of various ages and backgrounds who 

have been witnesses to unspeakable horrors 

and brutalities, and discovers that certain 

songs helped them make sense of that 

experience, or at least kept them sane. 

Honigman shows great sensitivity, 

never asking facile or obvious questions, 

and blends home-movie footage and photographs 

to heighten the meaning of the 

songs. Kevin Courrier 

v 

KRAPP'S LAST TAPE ***l/2 A SHOT AT GLORY **l/2 

Starring John Hurt. Directed by Atom Starring Robert Duvall, Michael Keaton 

Egoyan. Written by Samuel Beckett. and Brian Cox. Directed by Michael 

Produced by I Michael Colgon and Alan Corrente. Written by Denis O'Neil. Produced 

''\Molone\: No fl distributor set. Drama. Not by Michael Corrente, Robert Duvall and Rob 

*'Vf rated. Running time: 58 min. 

Carlinger. No distributor set. Drama. Not 

ri John Hiurt is riveting in this adaptation yet rated. Running time: 114 min. 

J)f Samuel Beckett's one-man play. The 

Kponymous Krapp is a muttering shell of a 

nan who finally decides to come to terms 

Robert Duvall plays Gordon McLeod, 

the coach of a second-rate Scottish soccer 

team that must either win the cup or be 

lvith a painful chapter in his personal history. 

sold to Ireland. McLeod's only hope 

He plays an audio tape recorded comes in the form of Jackie McQuillan, 

fnany years before when he was hopeful, his ne'er-do-well ex-son-in-law who is 

_ 

rnthusiastic and—on the surface—more blessed with a remarkable talent for the 

Intelligible. Through his reactions to the game. McQuillan's return opens old 

lape. Hurt communicates more in his com- wounds and stretches the already tense 

Inand of Beckett's poetic prose than the family relations. 

jilever stylings of his arrogant virtual self. Content to coast on the scenario, "A 

1 Egoyan wisely keeps his direction Shot At Glory" is merely competent and 

jinderstated. With the gentle cuts and rather pedestrian. Director Michael 

lubtle camera movements of this film, Corrente's efforts to inspire the boosterism 

Jlgoyan creates a deeply moving state- this type of film requires from its audience 

Inent about our infinitely fragile core. seems half-hearted at best. Barbara 

Goslawski 

If you are one of those people who've 

always distrusted those self-help gurus 

who dominate late night infomercials, 

"Walk the Talk" is the film for you. Joey 

Grasso (Salvatore Coco) has attended 

every one of those motivational seminars, 

and is always looking to make someone 

else's dream come true—while cleaning 

out their wallets. Shirley Barrett, who 

made the wonderfully loopy comedy 

"Love Serenade," brings her quirky observations 

to a long overdue subject—the 

confidence man disguised as your confidence-builder—and 

mixes pathos and 

comedy with subtle assurance. Kevin 

Courrier 

TWO THOUSAND AND NONE • • • * 

Starring John Turturro, Julian Richings and 

Katharine Borowitz. Directed and written 

by Arto Paragamian. Produced by Arnie 

Gelbart. No distributor set. ComedylDrama. 


"Two Thousand and None" is a rare 

cinematic achievement—a film that combines 

poignant insight with uproarious 

hilarity. John Turturro delivers a performance 

rich with subtlety and nuance as 

Benjamin, a paleontologist diagnosed with 

a terminal brain disease. Told that he has 

one month to live, Benjamin reacts with 

the requisite shock, and the film artfully 

draws us into the subsequent whirlwind of 

his life. The previously mild-mannered scientist 

begins to take some chances and live 

his final days to the fullest. Witty, intelligent 

and deeply sympathetic, "Two 

Thousand and None" is a heartfelt and 

ingenious celebration of the absurdity of 

life. 

Barbara Goslawski 

MAELSTROM •••• 

Starring Marie-Josee Croze and Jean- 

Nicolas Verrault. Directed and written by 

Denis Villeneuve. Produced by Roger 

Frappier and Luc Vandal. No distributor 

set. Drama. French-language; subtitled. 


Following yet another abortion and 

break-up, Bilbaine (Marie-Josee Croze) 

descends into a world of trendy bars and 

one-night stands. After a particularly 

heavy bout of drinking, she kills a man in 

a hit-and-run accident, sparking a downward 

spiral that is somehow fittingly 

absurd. Her penance is rewarded, however, 

with a remarkable twist of fate, one that 

resonates with an appropriate dream-logic. 

Peppering this urban study with references 

to Norwegian folktales, director 

Denis Villeneuve ("August 32nd on 

Earth") creates in "Maelstrom" a world 

where the bizarre is credible and the real 

turns magical. Barbara Goslawski 

December, 2000 (R-152) 55

153) BOXOFFICE 

SIMON MAGUS ***l/2 

Starring Noah Taylor, Stuart Townsend, to proffer cryptic, Zen-like advice that 

Rutger Hatter and Ian Holm. Directed and resuscitates Junuh's spirit as much as his 

written by Ben Hopkins. Produced by performance on the green. 

Robert Jones. An IDP release. Drama. Damon is rogueishly appealing as the 

Unrated. Running time: 106 min. 

hero who distinguishes himself as such 

Before he made the infuriatingly even when surrounded by men of noble 

selfindulgent 

"The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz," 

Ben Hopkins wrote and directed this magical 

fable from a "vanished world." An 

astonishingly mature and accomplished 

debut, the film features a spellbinding performance 

from Noah Taylor. 

"Simon Magus" focuses on life in a small 

town in central Europe during the 19th century. 

The town's unstable community, which 

is already hostilely divided between gentile 

and Jew, is further torn apart by the arrival 

of a railway. Dovid (Stuart Townsend) sees 

the railway as an opportunity to encourage 

trade and save the depleted Jewish congregation, 

while the wealthy Christian merchant 

Hase (Sean McGinley) is determined 

to secure control of the railway for 

himself. Each anxiously awaits approval 

for their respective plans from the town's 

artistic squire (Rutger Hauer). Meanwhile, 

Simon (Noah Taylor), a Jewish orphan, 

moves back and forth from synagogue to 

church in an attempt to reconcile his divided 

faith. His position is exploited by Hase, 

who bribes him to disclose the secret identity 

of the Jewish bidder. 

It is hard to believe that this compassionate 

and composed historical study 

came from the same stable as the techno 

conspiracy "Tomas Katz." This is because 

"Simon Magus" is a piece of unashamedly 

traditional filmmaking, which relies upon 

solid plot and strong characterization as 

opposed to shock value. Chris Wiegand 

THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE 

*•* 

Starring Matt Damon, Will Smith, 

Charlize Theron and J. Michael Moncrief. 

Directed by Robert Redford. Written by 

Jeremy Leven. Produced by Robert 

Redford, Michael Nozik and Jake Eberts. A 

Dream Works release. Dramal Romance. 

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content. 


As an inspirational pull-yourself-upby-your-bootstraps 

feel-good film set in 

the world of championship golf, "The 

Legend of Bagger Vance" swings, but as a 

romance it merely putts. Matt Damon 

stars as Rannulph Junuh, a pro golfer who 

is out of touch with the game and himself 

after returning home from fighting in 

the 

war, sinking into alcoholism to block out 

the horrors he experienced. An opportunity 

for redemption presents itself when his 

former flame, Adele Invergoron (Charlize 

Theron), asks for his help in revivifying her 

failii g golf resort by participating in a 

pn ifile tournament against two of the 

players. He reluctantly agrees, 

lost his swing"; to his good 

>r, . ijgmatic caddy named Bagger 

REVIEWS 

Vance (Will Smith) appears from nowhere 

character. J. Michael Moncrief is a standout 

as a precocious but earnest golfobsessed 

boy who won't give up on his 

idol, and whose faith galvanizes Junuh. As 

Bagger Vance, Smith is winsome if a little 

precious—speaking in the roundabout riddles 

of Yoda and the "wax on, wax off" 

philosophies of Mr. Miyagi, punctuated 

by the chortlingly good-natured ribbing of 

Cliff Huxtable, Bagger is not only Junuh's 

figurative guardian angel, he is so ethereal 

one half-expects that at any moment a 

brood of glittering faeries will lift him into 

the air and magically transport him to his 

next good deed. Christine James 

•** 

ONCE IN THE LIFE 

Starring Laurence Fishburne and Eamonn 

Walker. Directed and written by Laurence 

Fishburne. Produced by David Bushell, 

Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland. A 

Lions Gate release. Drama. Rated R for pervasive 

language, strong violence and some 

drug content. Running time: 106 min. 

Based on his 1994 play "Riff Raff" and 

retaining the distinctive rhythms of the 

stage, 

actor Laurence Fishburne's screenwriting-directing 

debut "Once In the Life" 

unfolds more like vintage David Mamet 

than the routine gangsta flick its drugsand-hoodlums 

storyline might lead one to 

expect. Early scenes follow the awkward 

reunion of two estranged half-brothers 

from a mixed-race family, heroin addict 

Torch (Titus Welliver) and Fishburne's 

smooth flimflam man "20/20" (so named 

for his uncanny ability to spot danger 

before it happens). After the two bungle 

the theft of some product from minions of 

a local druglord. the drama essentially 

reverts to its origin as a stage three-hander, 

with the half-brothers and 20/20"s trusted 

pal, Tony "the Tiger" (Eamonn Walker of 

HBO's "Oz"), holing up in an abandoned 

building while trying to figure out a way to 

escape the druglord's wrath. What 20/20 

and Torch don't know is that Tony has 

been sent by the boss to kill them. 

While the choppy opening section gets 

things off to a somewhat clumsy start, 

Fishburne's sure-handedness when digging 

into meaty themes such as brotherhood 

and betrayal ultimately wins the day. 

— Michael Tunison 

COLLECTORS 

*•*• 

Directed and produced by Julian P. 

Hobbs. No distributor set. Documentary. 


The American public is fascinated with 

serial killers and, in his spare and elegant 

documentary, Julian Hobbs examines a 

subculture that takes that fascination to 

extremes. "Collectors" presents victims' 

rights advocates and DAs, psychiatrists 

and art gallery owners—but its focus is on 

funeral director Richard Staton and his 

friend Tobias Allen, collectors of serial 

killer art and memorabilia. 

Charming, articulate Staton chats 

wryly about the market value of death row 

paintings, wrangles with another collector 

over the acquisition of shrunken heads, 

and makes pilgrimages with Allen to murder 

sites to collect souvenirs and videotape 

the crime scenes. He also arranges a show 

of killer Elmer Wayne Henley's rather saccharine 

paintings, to much controversy. 

Why would someone pursue such a 

macabre and callous hobby? Staton and 

true-crime writer Harold Schecter advance 

some theories, but ultimately "Collectors" 

chooses not to say. Chilling, thoughtful, 

and technically polished, the documentary 

is itself one of the ambiguous art objects it 

portrays—dark and voyeuristically compelling. 

Cathy Thompson-Georges 

••• 

BEDAZZLED 

Starring Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth 

Hurley and Frances O'Connor. Directed by 

Harold Ramis. Written by Larry Gelbart 

and Harold Ramis & Peter Tolan. Produced 

by Trevor Albert and Harold Ramis. A Fox 

release. Comedy. Rated PG-13 for sexrelated 

humor, language and drug content. 


This frisky fable is a remake of the gloriously 

droll 1967 film written and performed 

by the legendary British comedy duo of 

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, who were, 

in turn, putting their own moddish spin on 

the Faust story. Here, Faust turns up as 

Elliot, a tech support nerd played by a convincingly 

geeky Brendan Fraser. So desperate 

is Elliot to win the heart of his co-worker 

Allison (Frances O'Connor) that he's an 

easy mark when the Devil, a sultry but 

lightweight Elizabeth Hurley, proposes a 

deal: If Elliot will sign over his soul, she will 

grant him seven wishes, each an opportunity 

to find love with Allison. The only catch, 

as Elliot soon learns, is that the Devil 

adheres religiously to Murphy's Law 

whatever can go wrong with each wish-fulfillment 

scenario does. 

The movie provides many genuine 

laughs, particularly when Elliot's desire to 

be rich and powerful lands him the life of 

a Colombian drug lord. The chemistry 

between Fraser and Hurley isn't magical, 

but the film's breezy pacing and game 

vivacity more than compensate. The script, 

however, slides from razor-sharp at the 

outset to soft at the finale and lifts its saccharine 

solution to Elliot's spiritual dilemma 

straight out of a Disney movie. In the 

original. Cook and Moore made a surprisingly 

affecting—even wistful— point about 

self-acceptance without abandoning their 

acid wit to do so. This "Bedazzled" is an 

enjoyable romp, but Hollywood clearly, 

owns its soul. L. J. Strom

I 

alcoholic 

j 

MVP: MOST VALUABLE PRIMATE 

**• 

Starring Jamie Renee Smith, Kevin 

Zegers, Russell Terrier, Rick Ducommun 

and Oliver Muirhead. Directed by Robert 

Vince. Written by Anne Vince & Robert 

Vince. Produced by Ian Fodie. A Keystone 

release. Family. Rated PG for some mild 

language. Running time: 93 min. 

Jack (played by Bernie, Mac and Louie) 

is no ordinary chimpanzee. He's part of a 

special college program whose goal is to 

bridge the communication gap between 

humans and primates through sign language. 

When a chain of events threatens 

Jack's safety, his human friend (Russell 

Ferrier) rushes to his aid and concocts a 

plan to have him sent to a nature preserve 

instead of a research laboratory. Instead, 

Jack ends up in Canada, alone, homeless 

and friendless. A chance meeting hands him 

new family and a position with the town's 

misfit hockey team as their star player. 

"MVP: Most Valuable Primate" is a film 

for the whole family. Children will love the 

chimp while older kids will enjoy the action 

on the ice. Although it's a little slow-going 

at first, it soon builds to the pace of its slapshot 

goals. Dwayne E. Leslie 

PAY IT FORWARD • 

Starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, 

Haley Joel Osment, Jay Mohr, James 

Caviezel, Jon Bon Jovi and Angie Dickinson. 

Directed by Mam Leder. Written by Leslie 

Dixon. Produced by Peter Abrams, Robert 

Levy and Steven Reuther. A Warner Bros, 

release. Drama. Rated PG-1 3 for mature thematic 

elements including substance abusel 

recovery, some sexual situations, language 

and brief violence. Running time: 122 min. 

Intended to serve as a kind of 

Capraesque tonic for cynical times, "Pay It 

Forward" ultimately does far more harm 

than good to its cause as it muscles its way 

through every conceivable cliche and 

stereotype on an unrelenting quest to leave 

no human emotion unexploited. 

The story, adapted from Catherine Ryan 

Hyde's novel, is basically an oversimplified 

Christ allegory in which a smart but troubled 

11 -year-old boy named Trevor ("The 

Sixth Sense's" Haley Joel Osment) strives to 

satisfy a 7th grade social studies assignment 

to "change the world" with a simple but 

efficacious plan: seek out and help three 

individuals in need, asking them, in turn, to 

do likewise and "pay it forward." But this 

very novel concept, which lies at the root of 

virtually all the world's major religions and 

social organizations, is soon overwhelmed 

by the film's detour into a tedious, saccharine 

romance between the boy's burnscarred 

teacher (Kevin Spacey) and his 

trailer-trash mother (Helen 

Hunt). Only when events accelerate the film 

toward its staggeringly laughable conclusion 

is the alleged theme brought back to 

the fore. Wade Major 

REVIEWS 

FLASHBACK: June 5, 1953 

What BOXOFFICE Said About... 

ROBINSON CRUSOE 

[Long before Gilligan, Richard Hatch of TV's "Survivor" or Tom Hanks of Fox's 

"Cast Away" (opening December 22), the most famous desert isle denizen was 

Robinson Crusoe. Here, BOXOFFICE reviews Luis Bunuel's adaptation of 

Daniel Defoe's classic novel.] 

In 1 659, a great storm blows a ship on the rocks near an island someplace in the 

New World. Robinson Crusoe is hurled on the beach of an island close by and spends 

the night in the jungle. The next morning, he makes his way to the wrecked ship, 

builds a raft and salvages supplies, finding no other survivors. Crusoe spends 1 8 years 

alone before he discovers cannibals are using the other end of his island for their 

"banquets" and he rescues a native who becomes his servant and is called Friday. 

Daniel Defoe's classic is brought to the screen again with color and action by 

Tepeyac Productions in Mexico. It is well done in a pedestrian sort of way but lacks cast 

marquee appeal. Dan O'Herlihy in the title role is convincing, but contributes no brilliant 

scenes to more his audiences and dramatize the emotional aspects of the castaway's 

situation. While there are few spots it cannot play, it is especially suitable for 

children's matinees and family drive-ins. The story is very much the same as the familiar 

one which has thrilled youngsters for two centuries. Adults who have read it will be 

curious and exploitation angles are legion for adroit showmen. Luis Bunuel directed. 

CATCHLINES: 

Storm-Raging Excitement! Torn From the Unforgettable Pages of the World's 

Greatest Adventure Story.. .Never Has One Man Faced Such Terrifying Perils, 

THE WOLVES OF KROMER 

Lived Such an Amazing Story. 

•• 

Starring Lee Williams and James Layton. 

Directed by Will Gould. Written by Charles 

Lambert and Matthew Read. Produced by- 

Charles Lambert. A First Run release. 

Fantasy. Unrated. Running time: 76 min. 

In the offbeat fairy tale "The Wolves of 

Kramer," a British village is torn apart by 

fear of a pack of gay werewolves—or 

rather a pack of hunky barefoot men in fur 

coats who are supposed to represent werewolves. 

This parable is an entertaining way 

to examine the dark subject of homophobia, 

but first-time director Will Gould's 

cheeky fantasy has trouble developing the 

central conceit enough to fill out even the 

film's slight 76-minute running time. 

Fashion models Lee Williams and James 

Layton make their screen debuts as two 

young "wolves" who meet and become 

lovers in the woods outside of town. The 

two are too aloof to generate much sympathy 

as leading men, and their romance is a 

chilly, unconvincing business. Gould mostly 

uses them as eye candy and leaves the acting 

to the veteran character players cast as the 

villagers. On a more positive note, the storybook 

village locations and imaginative 

designs for the wolves' costumes (including 

long, springy tails attached to their coats) 

evoke a pleasingly whimsical mood despite 

the production's shoestring budget. Too 

bad the film's dramatic work isn't as stylish 

or effective. Michael Tunison 

THE CARRIERS ARE WAITING •*• 

Starring Benoit Poelvoorde, Margane 

Simon, Bouli Lanners, Dominique Baeyens, 

Philippe Grand' Henry, Jean-Francois 

Devigne and Lisa Lacroix. Written and 

directed by Benoit Mariage. Produced by 

Arlette Zylberger. An IDP release. 

Comedy I Drama. Unrated. Running time: 

93 min. 

Shot in luscious black-and-white photography. 

French director Benoit Marige's 

whimsical little film "The Carriers are 

Waiting" has an ethereal quality that 

extends from the visual to story and character. 

There are pigeons, but they are not 

the point. It's about a family in a small 

French enclave. Roger (Benoit 

Poelvoorde) is the often unreasonable, 

explosive father. At the moment, he is fixated 

on having his son, Felix (Philipee 

Grand' Henry), set the world record for 

opening and closing a door, thus winning 

dad a new car. 

Roger seems oblivious to the fact that 

his family lives a pins-and-needles existence 

as they await his outbursts. His wife 

and children (including an amazing young 

actress named Margane Simon who plays 

his daughter Luise) hardly speak a word in 

the film, but their performances speak volumes. 

Oddly, this intense little movie is for the 

most part a corned) in the vein of the films 

of Hal Ashby.— Tim Cogshell 

December, 2000 (R-154) 57

155) BOXOFF1CK 

THE LADIES MAN **l/2 

Starring Tim Meadows, Karyn Parsons, 

Billy Dee Williams, John Witherspoon and 

Will Terrell, Directed by Reginald Hudlin. 

Written by Tim Meadows, Dennis 

McNicholas and Andrew Steele. Produced 

by Lome Michaels. A Paramount release. 

Comedy. Rated R for sexual content and 

language. Running time: 85 min. 

This bigscreen adaptation of the 

"Saturday Night Live" sketch "The Ladies 

Man" focuses on the amorous exploits of 

Leon Phelps (Tim Meadows), a late-night 

radio call-in show host whose trademark 

lasciviousness and consistently lurid 

advice has finally caught the attention of 

the FCC, resulting in the expulsion of 

Phelps and his producer, Julie (Karyn 

Parsons), from their jobs. That's when a 

mysterious note arrives—an unsigned love 

letter from a former conquest begging 

Leon to return and share in her riches. But 

as Leon goes about his needle in a 

haystack search, a greater problem arises 

in 

the form of an angry posse of jealous 

husbands, all 

victims of Leon's seductive 

talents and hell-bent on emasculating the 

nuisance once and for all. 

The uneven "Ladies Man" works best 

when playing to the strengths of the character, 

namely Leon's innocently lewd 

descriptions of the sexual act and his 

shameless propensity for sharing the most 

intimate details of his personal fetishes. 

Supporting actors are particularly helpful 

to the overall effort, notably Meadows' 

longtime SNL colleague Will Ferrell as the 

obsessively zealous leader of the angry 

husbands and the ever-charismatic Billy 

Dee Williams as Leon's neighborhood barkeep.— 

Wade Major 

REVIEWS 

LOST SOULS 

••• 

Starring II iiiona Ryder and Ben Chaplin. 

Directed by Janusz Kaminski. Written by 

Pierce Gardner. Produced by Nina R. 

Sadowsky and Meg Ryan. A New Line 

release. Horror. Rated R for violence/terror 

and some language. Running time: 98 min. 

From "End of Days" to "Bless the Child." 

the devil has been getting a lot of screen time 

lately. "Lost Souls" offers up yet another 

starring role for His Satanic Majesty, this 

time with a surprisingly fresh perspective. 

Maya (Winona Ryder) is a troubled 

young woman with a passionate devotion 

to the Catholic church and a taste for heavy 

eye makeup. Peter (Ben Chaplin) is a bestselling 

writer with a pallid blond fiancee 

and a specialty in true-crime tomes. These 

two seemingly divergent lives cross when it 

becomes apparent that the antichrist is getting 

ready to put in an appearance, and 

Maya is led to believe that Peter is being set 

up as his unwitting host. The race is on to 

marshal the resources of the Church and 

save Peter—and the world. 

Rather than the soulless baddy of films 

like "The Omen," poor Peter is a regular 

guy (the antichrist drives an SUV!), and 

the film is most compelling when it focuses 

on his dilemma—that he doesn't want to 

be the locus of evil on earth. Less satisfying 

is the derivative exorcism subplot that 

periodically derails the action. Kaminski 

builds tension and character effectively but 

seems to be in love with showy camera 

tricks. In spite of the frenetic camerawork 

and Ryder's twitchy performance, it's still a 

little smarter and more interesting than 

most entries in the antichrist genre and 

packs more than one satisfying scare. 

— Cathy Thompson-Georges 

PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER/JANUARY 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. 

'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" ••••: SPC, 1218; see July 2000. 

'Deep in the Woods" *l/2: Phaedra, 4th Quarter undated; see November 2000. 

'Faithless" ••••: 1DP, 1126; see November 2000. 

'Harry, He's Here to Help" **: Miramax, 1126; see November 2000. 

'Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop" ••1/2: IDP, 2000 undated; see June 2000. 

"Kippur" •••1/2: Kino, January undated; see November 2000. 

"The Legends of Rita" ••••: Kino, 1124; see November 2000. 

'Light Keeps Me Company" *••: First Run, 2000 undated; see November 2000. 

"Me & Isaac Newton" ••: First Look, November undated; see December 1999. 

"Mai of Honor" •••: Fox, 11110; see November 2000. 

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" •••: Buena Vista, 12122; see August 2000. 

•'Quills" •••1/2: Fox Searchlight, 11122; see November 2000. 

"Restless" ••1/2: Arrow, 2000 undated; sec October 2000. 

Shadow of the Vampire" •••1/2: Lions Gate, 12129; see July 2000. 

"Songcatcker" •••1/2: Trimark, 1211; see April 2000. 

"State & Main" •••1/2: Fine Line, 12122; see November 2000. 

. 

/" ••: Miramax, 12125; see July 2000. 

der Boys" (re-release) ••••: Paramount, 11110; see April 2000. 

Can Count on Me" •••: Paramount Classics, 11110; see April 2000. 

ONE ***l/2 

Starring Jason Cairns and Kane Picoy. 

Directed by Tony Barhieri. Written by Tony 

Barbieri and Jason Cairns. Produced by 

Wendy Cary. A Shooting Gallery Release. 

Drama. Unrated. Running time: 85 min. 

Though "One" is clearly influenced by 

such films as Bertolucci's "The Conformist" 

and Kieslowski's "Red," debuting director 

Tony Barbieri has crafted something 

unique. The story follows lifelong friends 

Charlie (Jason Cairns) and Nick (Kane 

Picoy) as they reach points in their lives 

where something must change, and the 

choices they make will take them on very 

different paths. Charlie is just out of 

prison, apparently for euthanizing his 

elderly grandfather. Nick is an indifferent 

ex-baseball player. Once a hot prospect, he 

ruined it all by punching his minor league 

manager. Now he's a garbage man. While 

Charlie strives to move forward, Nick is 

mired in self-doubt. Though they do have 

a genuine affection for each other, the two 

young men are merely going through the 

motions of their relationship. It's a powerful 

dynamic captured in the film by Barbieri 

and director of photography Matt Irving's 

visual style. The camera is distant, as are the 

characters from each other and everything 

around them. Scenes are often shot through 

doorways or with the characters framed 

from the rear, and they seldom cover any 

moment with more than a single set-up. It's 

appropriately disheartening. The weighty 

"One" marks the introduction of several 

new talents, particularly the director and 

his two leads. Tim Cogshell 

BOOTMEN **1/2 

Starring Adam Garcia, Sam Worthington 

and Sophie Lee. Directed by Dein Perry. 

Written by Steve Worland. Produced by 

Hilary Linstead. A Fox Searchlight release. 

Musicalldrama. Rated Rfor language, some 

violence and a scene of sexuality. Running 

time: 93 min. 

There's spark to the steel taps. There's 

star power in Adam Garcia. There's grit 

and verve to the images. Yet "Bootmen" 

has its shoelaces tied together when it 

comes to plot. 

Dein Perry, the founder of the good-onyer-mate 

tap troupe Tap Dogs, is comfortable 

with most of the challenges of directing 

this musical drama, forged from his own 

memories of creating a men-at-work style 

of dance from the hard tack environment of 

his youth. He's picked a convincing and 

appealing cast, fresh in looks and spirit. But 

he can't overcome the cliches of the script, 

replete with star-crossed lovers, family 

feuds, gang enmity and violence and practically 

every impediment you can think of to 

fulfilling the central character's dreams of 

happiness and success at home and on 

stage. The struggle-to-put-on-a-show storyline 

is hampered from the start by being an 

overtold tale. however true its 

foundation. Bridget Byrne

BAMBOOZLED **1/2 

Starring Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, 

Jada Pinkett-Smith, Tommy Davidson, and 

Michael Rapaport. Directed and written by 

Spike Lee. Produced by Jon Kilik and Spike 

Lee. A New Line release. Satire. Rated R 

for strong language and some violence. 

Running time: 155min. 

"Bamboozled" is a darkly satirical 

comedy that speaks to the disgraceful, generations-long 

history of African American 

images in media (Stepin Fetchit, blackface 

performers, humiliating buffoonery and 

the like) juxtaposed against contemporary 

portrayals in network television programming 

that often hearken 

back to those old stereotypes. 

It is an inspired but 

difficult film that poses 

many questions and takes 

almost everyone to task. 

yet offers few suggestions 

as to what is to be done 

with this infamous legacy. 

Damon Wayans of the 

ubiquitous Wayans clan 

appeal. In what begins as a ploy to make a 

point about the inequities of network programming. 

Delacroix sets out to give the 

network what they want in spades. With 

the help of his bright but skeptical assistant 

(Jada Pinkett-Smith), Delacroix 

develops a show that pushes political correctness 

backwards 100 years to the era of 

the minstrel show, burnt-cork blackface 

and all. The show becomes a massive hit, 

dividing society along lines that are much 

more complicated than race alone. 

It would be easy to call "Bamboozled" 

controversial and dismiss it. But this innovative, 

often funny, more often painful look 

at historical and contemporary issues of 

race and mass media isn't really controversial 

at all. "Bamboozled" might better be 

described as an "experimental" film, complicated 

in the way satires should be, rather 

than just a hackle-raiser. Lee and his director 

of photography Ellen Kuras have shot 

their movie on mini-digital cameras (transferred 

to film), which creates a compelling 

voyeuristic effect that heightens the deliberate 

sense of absurdity the director is courting. 

Damon Wayans, Savion Glover (as the 

minstrel show star) and hip-hop artist Mos 

Def (as an irate anarchist leader) all give 

intriguing performances, though Lee's 

script leaves their motivations and political 

positions ambiguous and difficult to reconcile.— 

Tim Cogshell 

REVIEWS 

SPECIAL FORMATS: IMAX 3-D 

CYBERWORLD 

•* 

Voiced by Jenna Elfman, Dave Foley 

and Matt Frewer. Directed by Colin Davies, 

Elaine Despins, Brummbaer, Jerzy Kular, 

Satoshi Kitahara, Howard Greenhalgh, 

Paul Sidlo, Peter Spans, Eric Darnell, Tim 

Johnson and Bob Anderson. Written by 

Charlie Rubin, Steve Hohan and Hugh 

Murray. Produced by Steve Hoban and 

Hugh Murray. Animated. An IMAX 

Unrated. Running time: 46 min. 

release. 

Billed as the first 

completely animated 

3-D movie. "Cyberworld" 

is an ambitious 

production 

that is desperately in 

need of a strong 

story. There is one of 

sorts, with cyberchick 

Phig (voiced 

by Jenna Elfman) 

stars as Pierre Delacroix, a 

attempting to prevent 

young, Harvard-educated 

the destruction 

network executive with an 

mode 

of the futuristic 

affected of speech 

Phig (voiced by Jenna Elfman) 

is 

and cultured mannerisms. 

the saucy hostess of "Cyberworld. 

Cyberworld 3-D 

Delacroix has yet to see 

any of his mainstream concepts produced 

But an excuse Frazzled. really for 

that's 

and finds himself pressured by his ratingsobsessed 

boss, Mr. Dunwitty (Michael 

"Cyberworld" to flit from one segment to 

another, periodically returning to the 

Rapaport), to deliver an edgy urban comedy 

for the 40-oz. crowd with crossover 

gallery by nasty 

computer bugs named Buzzed, Wired and 

uninteresting Phig. as the gallery 

approaches collapse. 

••• 

DIGIMON: THE MOVIE 

GET CARTER 

Voiced by Joshua Seth, Lara Jill Miller, Starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael 

Mona Marshall and Colleen O'Shaugh- 

Caine. Directed by Stephen T. Kay. \\ ritten 

nessy. Directed by Takaaki Yamashita, 

Hisashi Nakayama, Masahiro Aizawa, Jeff 

Nimoy and Boh Bucholz. Written by Jeff 

Nimoy and Bob Bucholz. Produced by 

Terri-Lei O'Malley. A Fox release. 

Animated. Rated PG for action violence. 


Digimon are Pokemon to the next 

power level. Not only are the names more 

difficult 

to pronounce, but the violence is 

also escalated. The creatures start off as 

computer generated eggs and, after training, 

they ascend the rookie, champion, 

ultimate and mega forms until they reach 

the armor levels. With each level, they 

become more powerful and each acquires 

unique additions to their lighting arsenal. 

There are some major battles throughout 

the film, but it is done with the standard 

cartoon violence: Although there is no 

blood or gore, the Digimon do their best to 

seemingly kill or beat each other into submission. 

There are injuries and few times 

when it seems the hero's chances of survival 

are slim. But the predictable plotline. and a 

heavy-handed theme that friends are always 

there for each other, would never allow that 

to happen. Dwayne E. Leslie 

"Cyberworld" is well-animated and 

boasts a fascinating pedigree: The nine 

segments come from studios in Germany, 

France, England, Japan and the U.S. The 

quality of the episodes, most of which 

were made prior to the inception of 

"Cyberworld" and then incorporated into 

the IMAX film and turned into 3-D, 

varies, however. Best of all is Germany's 

"Joe Fly & Sanchez— Mostly Sports." 

Peter Span's opus is a delightfully wry 

depiction of insects playing basketball in 

a dilapidated old house. The background 

details are beautifully rendered and the 

film is very witty. Also successful is the 

bar scene from the DreamWorks animated 

feature, "Antz," which works well in 3- 

D. Too many others, though, such as 

"Flipbook/Waterfall City.'" "Monkey 

Brain Sushi" and even "The Simpsons'" 

"Homer in 3-D" segment, end almost 

before they've begun; they're underdeveloped 

and incomplete. 

The makers of "Cyberworld" really 

seem more enamoured of Phig and company, 

who inhabit the portion of the 

movie that is the most derivative of 

Disney and the least imaginative. Like 

other 3-D IMAX movies, such as 

"Encounter in the Third Dimension" featuring 

Elvira, "Cyberworld" indicates 

that the technology remains ahead of the 

content. Shlomo Schwartzberg 

*•• 

by David McKenna. Produced by Mark 

Canton, Neil Canton, Kevin King and Elie 

Samaha. A Warner Bros, release. 

Drama! Thriller. Rated R for violence, language, 

some sexuality and drug content. 


When Jack Carter (Sylvester Stallone) 

gets word that his younger brother has 

died under questionable circumstances, he 

takes an unscheduled leave of absence 

from work. This task would be easy for a 

regular employee, but Carter is a financial 

adjuster for a Las Vegas hood, a job in 

which if you don't take care of the business, 

the business will take care of you. 

Patience not being his best attribute. 

Carter ignores the warning from his partner 

about not leaving town and heads 

home to conduct an investigation. 

This remake of the 1971 classic is one 

big testosterone-pumping thrill ride only 

stopping long enough to dump the 

corpses. Carter is downright mean, and the 

more ruthless he becomes, the more the 

audience cheers. The fast-cutting visuals 

maj seem a bit much at times, but they add 

a violent Hare to a violent film. Dwayne 

E. Leslie 

December, 200(1 (R-156) 59

; 

Nude 

*•• 

LIVE NUDE GIRLS UNITE! 

Starring Julia Query. Directed and written 

by Julia Query and Vicky Funari. 

Produced by Julia Query and John 

Montoya. A First Run release. 

Documentary. Unrated. Running time: 70 

min. 

With the Screen Actors Guild strike 

taking its foothold in Hollywood, the theatrical 

release of "Live Nude Girls Unite," 

a documentary that follows the efforts of a 

group of entertainers as they battle unfair 

working conditions, couldn't be more perfect. 

While the nature of the performances 

between SAG members and the film's exotic 

dancers is obviously of a different bent, 

their goal to secure equitable standards in 

their respective industries is quite evident 

among both sets of labor activists. 

Julia Query, the documentary co-director 

and a dancer at San Francisco peekshow 

club Lusty Lady, takes viewers along 

on her and her coworkers' quest to form a 

strippers union in reaction to an increasingly 

hostile work environment. Citing 

such universally unacceptable particulars 

as preferential treatment of white workers 

and threat of job termination in cases of 

absence due to illness, the dancers decide 

to ban together and enlist 

the aid of the 

Service Employees International Union in 

their negotiations with Lusty Lady management. 

Replete with protests, picket 

lines, 

anti-union lockouts and arbitration, 

the documentary holds as much labor 

drama as any Steinbeck novel, with the 

exception that "Two, four, six, eight. Don't 

come here to masturbate!" wouldn't be an 

appropriate protest chant in "The Grapes 

of Wrath." 

Query is much more successful at capturing 

the stress and worry of the dancers in 

their five-month standoff than she is at conveying 

her fear of "coming out" as a sex 

industry worker to her mother, one of the 

documentary's most important subtexts. 

Complicated by the fact that her parent is 

Dr. Joyce Wallace, one of the country's 

most prominent prostitution rights 

activists. Query's revelation should and 

does—to some extent— pack an emotional 

punch. Unfortunately, the underlying story, 

while undoubtedly true, always feels forced, 

emphasized by Query herself pointing out 

that she had been considering telling her 

mom about her job as a "plot device for the 

documentary," among other reasons. 

However. Query's personal narrative 

never comes at the expense of the documentary's 

main political focus, which 

makes for both engaging and entertaining 

storytelling, regardless of one's stance 

regarding the impact of pornography on 

the status of women. Highly effective in 

mobilizing the sympathy and support of 

its audience for the dancers as workers. 

Girls Unite!" is a lot more 

juristic propaganda—it's a good 

i oned tale about the underdog. 

:esca Dinslasan 

REVIEWS 

MEET THE PARENTS 

••• 

Starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, 

Blythe Danner, Teri Polo and Owen Wilson. 

Directed by Jay Roach. Written by Jim 

Herzfeld and John Hamburg. Produced by- 

Nancy Tenenbaum, Jane Rosenthal, Robert 

De Niro and Jay Roach. A Universal 

release. Comedy. Rated PG-13 for sexual 

content, drug references and language. 


Before the leading man can marry the 

love of his life, he must face the potential 

father-in-law from hell. It would be hard to 

come up with a more routine concept for a 

mainstream comedy. And yet "Meet the 

Parents" succeeds it its modest, sweet-hearted 

way, making up for its lack of originality 

with polished comic craftsmanship and 

especially the presence of the invaluable 

Ben Stiller ("There's Something About 

Mary") as the much-put-upon hero. 

Stiller's Greg, a male nurse bearing the 

unfortunate surname "Focker" (any guess 

what the film's most-used running joke will 

be?), is dying to pop the question to his 

teacher girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo from 

TV's "Felicity"), but first he hopes to win 

over her all-American father (Robert De 

Niro) and mother ("The Prince of Tides'" 

Blythe Danner). Predictably enough, a 

weekend trip to the parents' home for the 

wedding of Pam's sister quickly disintegrates 

into a chaos of lost luggage, awkward 

sleeping arrangements and jealousy 

over a fantastically successful old flame 

("Shanghai Noon's" Owen Wilson). Worst 

of all. De Niro's character turns out to be 

a certifiably paranoid ex-CIA spy-catcher 

convinced his daughter's suitor is a degenerate 

drug fiend. 

Director Jay Roach ("Austin Powers") 

provides a solid enough platform for 

Stiller's trademark shtick: writhing in discomfort 

as he's cornered in one painfully 

awkward social situation after another. It's 

telling that some of the best bits aren't 

essential to the plot, such as when Greg 

contends with a set of hilariously zealous 

airline employees. As usual, De Niro is a 

rock-solid comic foil, focusing his legendary 

intensity on character rather than the gags. 

Consistently more fun than it has any right 

to be. "Meet the Parents" is an example of 

how sometimes it really is all about casting 

the right couple of stars. Michael Tunison 

SDLAS 

***l/2 

Starring Ana Fernandez, Maria Galiana 

and Carlos Alvarez-Novoa. Directed and 

written by Benito Zamhrano. Produced by 

Antonio P. Perez. An IDP release. Drama. 

Spanish-language; subtitled. Unrated 


In his first feature film, "Solas (Alone)," 

Spanish writer-director Benito Zambrano 

crafts a lovely little film that utterly captures 

the sadness and poignancy of people cut off 

from the world and the additional heartbreak 

that comes from having to be strong 

within that isolation. Although the plot 

hardly covers new territory and Zambrano 

shamelessly uses any number of sentimental 

devices (a dog, a cuddly mother, a dying 

father, an aging widower), the beauty of 

this gem is that these never come across as 

the least bit manipulative or shoddy. With 

powerful performances from its leading 

ladies. "Solas" rings emotionally—and 

painfully—true. 

In an unnamed city in the Andalusian 

part of Spain, unemployed thirtysomething 

Maria (Ana Fernandez) seethes with frustration 

and fear at finding herself pregnant, 

with an indifferent boyfriend and her simple, 

good-hearted mother (Maria Galiana) 

arrived fresh from the country. Taking a job 

as a cleaning woman, Maria rages by day 

while drinking up a storm by night as her 

mother daily visits Maria's bellicose father 

who is recovering from surgery in the hospital. 

The classic generational divide seems to 

afflict the women, as neither is able to reach 

the other in their troubles until an unexpected 

meeting with a neighbor offers change. 

A multi-award winner abroad (including 

five Goyas from Spain's Academy of Arts 

and Sciences), "Solas'" strengths lie within 

the nuanced details provided by Fernandez 

and Galiana. as well as Zambrano's careful 

pacing and focus. The director shifts the 

perspective just slightly so that what begins 

as Maria's story of anger and outrage melds 

into the gentle sorrow and integrity of her 

mother and finally the hope and dignity of 

the stranger who enters their lives. Yet the 

story remains firmly rooted in the women's 

frustration and their ultimate triumph, 

echoing the closing musical cut "Woman's 

World" and sending one out the door with 

a smile through the haze of tears. Luisa F. 

Ribeiro 

CHUTNEY POPCORN 

•• 

Starring Jill Hennessy, Nisha Ganatra 

and Sakina Jaffrey. Directed by Nisha 

Ganatra. Written by Nisha Ganatra and 

Susan Carnival. A Mata Films release. 

Comedy. Unrated. Running time: 93 min. 

Reena (Nisha Ganatra) is an East 

Indian, motorcycle-riding, outspoken lesbian 

tattoo artist. It's a lifestyle that does 

not go down too well with her traditional 

mother (Madhur Jaffrey), who doesn't 

even acknowledge that her daughter is gay. 

When Sarita (Sakina Jaffrey). Reena's 

more conventional, married sister, finds 

out she's infertile, Reena suddenly hits on a 

way to gain her mother's acceptance. She'll 

carry a child to term for her sister—a decision 

that does not please her girlfriend, 

Lisa (Jill Hennessy). 

Part of the problem with "Chutney 

Popcorn" is that the inexpressive Ganatra 

has cast herself in the lead, never a good 

decision for a director. But the film itself is 

awkwardly paced, fitfully funny and, except 

for Hennessy, who is 

very fine as Lisa, not 

well characterized. Exotic title notwithstanding, 

"Chutney Popcorn" is never as 

tasty as it should be. Shlomo Schwartzberg

REVIEWS 

URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL 

CUT *• 

Starring Jennifer Morrison, 

Matthew Davis and Joseph 

Laurence. Directed by John 

Ottman. Written by Silvio 

Horta, Paul Harris Boardman 

and Scott Derrickson. Produced 

by Gina Matthew, Michael 

McDonnell and Neal H. Moritz. 

A Columbia release. Horror! 

Thriller. Rated R for violence! 

long-lived slasher flick, culling 

elements from many of the 

more popular films that have 

diced and sliced their way 

across the genre. The movie is 

set in a film school, so it is 

gore, language and some sexuality. 


"Urban Legends: Final 

Cut" takes one more stab at the 

extremely self-referential in the 

manner of the "Scream" 

movies, and the killer wears a 

demented mask, now the uniform 

of filmic psychopaths. 

Here, a budding filmmaker is 

competing against several ruthless 

classmates for the coveted 

"Hitchcock Award," but her bid 

for the prize is hampered when 

her cast and crew suddenly 

start getting hacked and 

slashed. "Urban Legends: 

Final Cut" offers the gore 

all 

but few of the laughs or chills 

of its more successful predecessors.— 

Tim Cogshell 

IT ALL STARTS TODAY 

• ••1/2 

Starring Philippe Torreton. 

Directed by Bertrand Tavemier. 

tled. Unrated. Running time: 

117 min. 

To the extent that French 

filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier's 

work is known America, it's 

most likely for his energetic 

action oriented movies like "The 

Revenge of the Three Musketeers" 

and his wonderfully carnal 1996 

war flick "Captain Conan." His 

new film, "It All Starts Today," 

is very different from those 

movies. This small, thoughtful 

and decidedly non-action-oriented 

film is about Daniel, a 

teacher/administrator at a neglected 

kindergarten. Despite the 

pressure of having to read subtitles, 

it 

will rip your heart out. 

With a small staff of dedicated 

teachers, Daniel (Philippe 

Torreton) not only educates the 

tiny, 

beautiful children assigned 

to his care, he negotiates their 

very existence in a seemingly 

apathetic system. Against a 

backdrop of local politics, 

creeping poverty, bureaucratic 

nonsense and personal strife, 

Daniel struggles to save his children 

one at a time. Occasionally 

he succeeds in the smallest 

way — getting a child who doesn't 

speak to whisper a guarded 

secret—but too often he faces 

devastating failures. 

Like its American equivalents 

(such as "Lean on Me," 

"Stand and Deliver" and 

"Dangerous Minds"), "It All 

Starts Today" does suggest that 

problems can be solved with 

nothing more than the goodwill 

of a single dedicated teacher. 

But Tavernier never substitutes 

poignancy for the harsher realities.— 

Tim Cogshell 

WATER DROPS ON 

BURNING ROCKS **i/2 

Starring Bernard Giraudeau, 

Malik Zidi, Ludvine Sagnier 

and Anna Thomson. Directed 

and written by Francois Ozon. 

Produced by Marc Missonier. A 

Winstar release. Drama. Frenchlanguage, 

subtitled. Unrated. 


Based on an early play by 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 

"Water Drops on Burning 

Rocks" tackles all of the late 

German filmmaker's pet 

themes— sex. obsession and 

Written by Dominique Sampiero, 

Tiffany Tavemier and Bertrand death—but still never amounts 

Tavernier. Produced by Frederic to much. Leopold (Bernard 

Bourhoulon and Alain Sarde. An Giraudeau) is a cold businessman 

who. as the film begins. 

Independent Artists Release. 

Drama. French-language; subti- 

has just picked up Franz 

(Malik Zidi), a callow and 

seemingly innocent youth. The 

two set up housekeeping, bicker 

like an old married couple 

and indulge in some mild dominance/submission 

scenarios. 

Then Franz's sexy girlfriend 

Anna (Ludvine Sagnier) shows 

up. and so does Vera (Anna 

Thomson). Leopold's transsexual 

ex-lover. Their appearances 

change the couple's power 

dynamics. 

Divided into four acts, the 

film, made in French but with 

German characters, never 

builds up steam. After its witty, 

playful first two acts, it trails 

o ff. Shlomo Sch wartz berg 

Genre key: i / 

(C) Comedy; I D 

Horror (M) Mu> 

(SF) Science Fid 

x 

£5 si 

Almost Famous R(DW) 

Review Digest 

id) Adventure; (Ani) Animated; 

c) Documentary; (F) Fantasy; ( Hor 

fystery; ( R) Romance; (Sat) Satire; 

ispense; ( Th I Thriller ( W) Western. 

W >-i O 

z 

u w u 

I I o

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in theatre or concession management and excellent 

quantitative skills. Some travel required. We 

are also seeking theatre managers for San 

Francisco Bay Area and San )ose locations. Please 

fax resume and salary history to (650) 871-7480, 

Attn: Director of ' derations. 

GROWING MIDWEST-BASED company has positions 

open for District Manager, General 

Managers, Project Manager and Sound/Service 

personnel. We are seeking individuals who are 

able to rise to the challenges of a growing company. 

Applicants must be willing to relocate. Send 

resume and salary requirements to ShoPro, Inc., 

Attn: Director of Operations, P.O. Box 190, 

Yorkville, IL 60560. Or email to 

ioe@shoproinc.com 

LET THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE your new or 

existing small business. Grants/loans In $80(1,000. 

Free recorded message: (707) 448-0270. (RN7) 

MIDWEST BASED company seeks experienced 

managers, assistants and sound and projection 

service person. We are growing throughout the 

Midwest and are seeking individuals who are able 

to rise to the challenges and are leaders. 

Relocation may be necessary. Send resume and 

salary requirements to: ShoPro Inc., Attn: Director 

of Operations, PO Box 190, Yorkville, IL 60560. 

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE 

BURLAP WALL COVERING DRAPES: $2.05 per 

yard, flame retardant. Quantity discounts. Nurse & 

Co., Old Millbury Rd., Oxford, MA 01540 (508) 

832-4295. . 

CENTURY MODEL |) 35MM/70MM projector and 

soundhead. Good condition. Some lenses available. 

P & G Theaters (301 ) 

949-4761 . 

COMPLETE THEATRE EQUIPMENT (New, Used or 

Rebuilt) Century SA, R#, RCA 9030, 1040, 1050 

Platters: 2 and 5 Tier, Xenon Systems 1000-4000 

Watt, Sound Systems mono and stereo, automations, 

ticket machines, curtain motors, electric 

rewinds, lenses, large screen video projectors. 

Plenty of used chairs. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE 

AND INSTALLATION AVAILABLE DOLBY CERTI- 

FIED. Call Bill Younger, Cinema Equipment, Inc., 

12441 S.W. 130 St., Miami, FL 33186. Phone (305) 

Are You Hostage 

i\\ to an Expensive 

Ticketing System? 

Own Ours! 

a f* «-\ 

-No Ongoing Fees. 

'-No Proprietary Hardware. 

Box Office Pro2K 

I User $599 2-User $699 CHUDEE! 

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• 


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 

32. Fax (305) 232-81 

located in the heart of the university district. 

Please contact Tex Cates Realty, (406) 728-6100. 

CUPHOLDER ARMREST. "State of the art." Call 

Cy Young Indus tries Inc. 80 

ONE-SCREEN THEATRE FOR SALE. Located on 

western slope of Colorado's Rocky Mountains. 

NEW MAGNETIC DUST REMOVING KIT & (SCG) 

Loyal, diverse customer base. Only theatre for 30 

PORTHOLE COLORLESS GLASS. From Lee's Photo 

miles. 184 seats, good condition, equipmentând 

Products (Magnetic Dust Removing Kits). Don't wash 

real estate included. Colorado's "banana belt," the 

the porthole glass every time just to remove dust. The 

North Fork Valley offers rural living, mild weather 

more you rub the glass, the more you create STATIC 

and 

for more dust to cling to the glass. Try LEE'S MAGmany 

outdoor recreational opportunities. 

Michelle (970) 527-6610. 

NETIC DUST REMOVING KIT. Why wash the glass 

just to remove dust? The kit can't scratch the glass, it ONLY GAME IN TOWN: Two-screen theatre for 

keeps it cleaner and saves time. (SCG) CRYSTAL sale or lease, located in northern Nevada. Built in 

CLEAR PORTHOLE GLASS—you can't buy a better 1986 with continual upgrades and in like-new 

quality grade of porthole glass to protect color images condition. Call or fax now for fact sheet. Ask for 

through Mavbe equal, but not a better quality than 

(St Gi glass. Not to, the pn< e. LEE'S PHOTO PROD- 

U< is i708i 462-8289. Fax (8471985-41(14. 186 N. 

Cedar Avenue, Wood Dale, IL 60191 

PATRON TRAY. Fits into cupholder armrest. Call 

("\ Viung Industries Inc. at 800-729-2610. 

PROACTIVE THEATRE EQUIPMENT AND SUP- 

PLY LLC. 28 Projection Booths: includes projectors 

and soundheads for Simplex XL, Century SA, 

Cinemeccanica V5 and V4, Kniesley lamphouses, 

various consoles, Speco platters. 100s of lenses, 

makeup tables and 4- and 6-channel stereo sound 

systems (excellent condition). 5500 Irwin Citation 

Seats in good condition, $10 each for bulk sale. 

Miscellaneous boxoffice and concession equipment 

available. Phone (801) 265-3556, fax (801) 

265-0558. 

PROJECTION BOOTHS: single and multiples 

available. Century and Simplex projectors. 

Christie autowind 3 platters, Christie consoles. 

Reasonably priced. P&G Theaters (established 

1970! (1011 949-4761. Fax: (301) 949-4763. 

REBUILT CENTURY SA & R3 projector/soundhead 

$4450. Simplex XL $4750. Xenon lamps, platters, 

many lenses, excellent line of other used projection 

and sound equipment. TANKERSLEY ENTER- 

PRISES, PO Box 36009, Denver, CO 80236. 

Phone (303) 716-0884; fax (303) 716-0889. 

TABLET TRAYS. Fits into all cupholder armrests. 

Used in multi-purpose theatres, bingo, etc. Call Cy 

Young Industries Inc. at 800-729-2610. 

WWW.CINEMAEQUIPMENLCOM New and 

used pioieition and sound equipment, theatre 

seating, drapes, wall panels, FM transmitters, popcorn 

poppers, concession counters, Xenon lamps, 

booth supplies, cleaning supplies, more. Call 

Cinema Consultants and Services International, 

Inc. (412) 343-9000, Fax (412) 343-2992, e-mail 

intoi'n inemaequipment.i "in 

EQUIPMENT WANTED 

WANTED: BOOTH EQUIPMENT and Stage 

Speakers for export. Century, Simplex, Altec, |BL, 

E.V., Western Electric. (800) 251-5454. 

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: We will purchase 

Century projectors or soundheads, new or old, 

complete or incomplete, for cash. Also interested 

in XL and SH-1000. Call (502) 499-0050. Fax 

(502) 499-0052, Hadden Theatre Supply Co., Attn. 

Louis. 

THEATRES FOR SALE/LEASE 

FOR LEASE: MOVIE THEATRE MONOPOLY! 

Upper Florida Keys. Two-screens totaling 360 

seats. Nearest theatre is 50 miles. Approved plan 

will expand to a five-plex and add 245 seats. Fully 

equipped and located in the premier shopping 

center in market. 25,000 permanent residents in 

trade area with another 25,000 seasonal residents 

and a median household income of $40,000 

annually. CRI Tel: (3051 372-3777, ext. 29. 

HIGH-GROSSING DRIVE-IN THEATRE in 

Southern Indiana. Near university and state's largest 

lake. 400 speakers plus radio sound. Fully equipped 

concession building. Financing to qualified buyer. 

Call (8121 824-7911 or (86 -It 676-4600 

MISSULA, MT. The rebuilt new Roxy Theatre is 

sale for the first time due to a death in the family. 

Three movie screens with total seating of 418. 

Good condition equipment, concession stand; and 

lor 

)im B. at (800) 697-9709, or fax (702) 623-1061 

THEATRE SITE: OPPORTUNITY, SMALL TOWN 

of 21 ,000 people in Phoenix metro area is without 

a theatre. Master Developers has a 3-4 acre parcel 

in heart of downtown district. Available for an 

experienced owner/operator. Call Carl Bommanto 

with MCO Properties for details. (480) 837-9660. 

THEATRES WANTED 

RURAL AND SMALL-TOWN THEATRES wanted 

for lease or lease purchase. Can be closed, but 

must be equipped and operational. Any location 

considered. Send theatre and community details 

with oilers BOXOFFICE RESPONSE #4757. 

DRIVE-IN CONSTRUCTION 

DRIVE-IN SCREEN TOWERS Since 1945 Selby 

Products, Inc., P.O. Box 267, Richfield, Ohio 

44286 (330) 659-6631, 800-647- 6224. 

THEATRE SEATING 

"ALL AMERICAN SEATING" by the EXPERTS. 

Used seats, many makes—American Stellar $25. 

Irwin Citation, real nice, many colors from $20. 

Many blue & grey American Desk and Irwin. Blue 

and blue $25. Irwin Atlas high back black $37.50. 

Seating Concepts mauve and black $40. Like 

new!! All with cupholders—some rockers, new 

Seating Concepts chairs from $97. Also gravity lift 

seat bottoms! We ship and install all makes and 

models. Try us—we sell no junk! TANKERSLEY 

ENTERPRISES, 4877 National Western Drive 

#149, Denver, CO 80216. Phone (303) 675-0800; 

fax (303) 675-0808. 

ALLSTATE SEATING is a company that is specializing 

in refurbishing, complete painting, molded 

foam, tailor-made seat covers, installations, 

removals. Please call for pricing and spare parts 

for all types of theatre seating. Boston, MA. Phone 

(617) 268-2221, FAX (617) 268-7011. 

A-PLUS SEAT COVERS. Used chairs from $7.50 to 

$18. Irwin, American Massey. Covers $3.50, most 

colors available, recove ring and installation. Call 

1 Hayes: (800)882-5155. 

AUDITORIUM SEATING SPECIALIST. New 

installations, rebuilds, repairs and reasonable 

rates. Bob, (970) 224-1147. Perfection Seating 

Inc 295 Lone Pine Creek Drive, Red Feather 

Lakes, CO 80545. . 

BOOSTER B. SAURUS" Child booster seats. Call 

y Young Industries Inc. at 800-729-2610. 

REDUCED 1150 SEATING CONCEPTS SEATS: 

BW-220 Contours with cupholders. 3 years old, 

great condition. 21" & 22". $24 each. Call (517) 

725-5410 anytime; ask tor Gary. 

REDUCED 2300 AMERICAN STELLER SEATS: 

Style 38-220 with cupholders. All new in 1992, 

ready-to-use condition. $14 each. Call (517) 725- 

54 in anylino; ask tor Gary. __ 

SEAT AND BACK COVERS: Most fabrics in stock. 

Molded cushions. Cy Young Industries Inc., 800-729- 

2610. 

"WHILE THE THEATRE SLEEPS zzzzz" On-site 

reupholstery, 20 years' experience in the field. Top 

fabrics, molded seat cushions and .State of the Art. 

Cy Young cupholders. Call Cy Young Industries 

Inc., (800)729-2610.

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: BrucesQasc- 

onnianies.com. 

SOUND/DRAPING FABRICS IN STOCK All new 

selection of fabrics. Installation on brackets available, 

or sewn in pleated drapes. Call Cy Young 

Industries Inc., 800-729-2610. 

i 

December, 2000 65 

MARQUEES 

CUSTOM MARQUEES and 

Elec 

care leasing. BuvMont, phone 

tax (215) 675-4443. 

FLAGS/FLAG POLES 

SERVICES 

ALTEC, JBL, E.V. SPEAKER RECONING: Factory 

authorized service, fast turnaround. We stock 

diaphragms for popular theatre drivers. Cardinal 

Sound & Motion Picture Systems Inc. Dealer 

inquiries welcome. (301 ) 595-881 1 

ASC COMPANIES CINEMA SYSTEMS CROUP. A 

family of technology providers since 1937. 

WWW.BIGSCREENBIZ.COM. A business to business 

site. Theatre owners, distributors, bookers, 

manufacturers, projectionists, employees, and anyone 

in the movie business. Auctions, discussion 

forums, servii es. uuu.bigs< roonbj/.< inn. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

15 FEATURE LENGTH, XXX-RATED, 35mm fil 

r sale. Good condition. Buy one or all. Titles 

quest. Call (540) 364-1114. 

Still Using a Spreadsheet to 

Do Concession Inventory? 

Concession 

Manager 

for Windows^ 

Only $199 per Location 

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mriHiniiiiiii-nviiii 

i No. 135 

Ad campaigns feeling spottier than "102 Dalmatians"? 

Then contact Boxoffice national advertising director 

Bob Vale for his on-the-spot marketing assistance. 

626-396-0250 

AD INFO FAXBACK FORM 

DECEMBER 2000 

To receive more information on any of the products advertised in BOXOFFICE, 

check the appropriate box(es), fill out the requested information 

and fax the form to (626) 396-0248. 

Name 

Street 

City 

Fax 

State 

.Title 

Zip 

CADDY PRODUCTS (A DIV. OF MTS INC.) 

CHRISTIE INC. 

CINEMA SUPPLY COMPANY INC. 

DOLBY LABORATORIES 

EASTMAN KODAK CO. 

GLASSFORM 

HADDEN THEATRE SUPPLY COMPANY 

HARKNESS HALL 

HURLEY SCREEN CORPORATION 

INTERNATIONAL CINEMA EQUIPMENT CO. INC. 

IRWIN SEATING COMPANY 

JBL PROFESSIONAL 

JMC (JOHN MEYER CONSULTING) 

MAROEVICH, O'SHEA & COGHLAN 

NATIONAL TICKET CO. 

PERKINELMER OPTOELECTRONICS 

QSC AUDIO PRODUCTS INC. 

READY THEATRE SYSTEMS L.L.C. 

RICOS PRODUCTS CO. INC. 

SENSIBLE CINEMA SOFTWARE 

SMART THEATRE SYSTEMS 

STEIN INDUSTRIES INC. 

STRONG INTERNATIONAL 

TICKETPRO SYSTEMS 

TWI GLOBAL EXHIBITION LOGISTICS 

UNIVERSAL CINEMA SERVICES INC. 

VENTURA FOODS LLC

Close Focus 

SUBJECT: 

TITLE: 

COMPANY: 

DanHarkins 

President and Owner 

Harkins Theatres 

Which do you most frequently use/PC, pen, p* 

email, or phone? jf 

Without a doubt, the phone, although some days 

I do have hundreds of emails. Jr 

What is your favorite least essential item in your office? 

I I actually consider it one of my most essential items, that 

being the artwork my children have made for me. It's 

essential because it reminds me why I like doing what I do 

and what's really important. If there was a fire and I couli 

only save one thing, their art would be it. 

What is your favorite concession when you're at a movie\ 

A large popcorn, frozen yogurt topped with M&Ms and a spritzer. 

I J ^r 

Do you believe online ticketing*w)ll be a boon, a bust, or a breakeven pr 

for exhibitors? Why?^ 

\J0? 

I believe that it will be a breakeven proposition for exhibitors. While many people may 

take advantage of the technology, I feel that only about 10 percent of ticket sales will 

^0^ 

actually come from online ticketing. 

If industry elves were at work in the industry, what might their best bit of midnight 

magic be? 

Back-to-back blockbusters and auto-focus projectors. 

When you visit a Harkins theatre, what's the first th^/you check? What's the last? 

The first thing is the marquees and exterior signage. The last thing I do is drive around 

the back to check the dumpster area and lighting to make sure it's clean and well-lit. 

As part of BOXOFFICE's tradition of ringing in the new year with our Giants of North American Exhibition 

coverage, we will be including the third annual State of the Industry address—to be delivered by art lover and 

successful circuit owner and operator Dan Harkins. In addition to Mr. Harkins' insight into the business, look 

for our up-to-date executive roster and screen count listing for the continent's largest exhibitors in the 

tning January issue. To be included in the listing, call senior editor Francesca Dinglasan at 626-396-0250.

Cinema Audio Toolkit 

ration Edit View Tools Help 

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Frequency:

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or? 

lÎUIM 

CALL: 631-789-2222 • FAX: 631-789-8888 

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Boxoffice-December.2000

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