Boxoffice-April.2001

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"American Pie's" original filmmaking
team, which includes
scribe Adam Herz and producers
Paul Weitz (who directed the
original), Chris Weitz, Warren
Zide, Craig Perry and Chris
Moore. (Universal, 8/10)
Beckett on Film
A collection of five feature
programs, "Beckett on Film" is
a series of cinematic versions of
Beckett's 19 plays, with segments
directed by Atom Egoyan
("Felicia's Journey"), Neil
Jordan ("The End of the Affair"),
Anthony Minghella ("The
Talented Mr. Ripley"), David
Mamet ("The Heist"), Karel
Reisz ("The French Lieutenant's
Woman") and Patricia Rozema
("Mansfield Park") and featuring
performances by Alan
Rickman ("Blow Dry"), Kristin
Scott Thomas ("Up at the
Villa"), Jeremy Irons ("Dungeons
& Dragons"), Julianne
Moore ("Evolution") and the
late John Cielgud. (Winstar,
On the Edge
In this drama, 19-year-old
Jonathan Breech (Cillian Murphy)
ends up in a psychiatric hospital
after a near-fatal accident in a
stolen car. There he befriends
sensitive Toby ("Deep End of the
Ocean's" Jonathan Jackson), who
blames himself for his brother's
accidental death, and falls in love
with Rachel ("Ghost Dog's" Tricia
Vessey), who can't believe anyone
could love her. Stephen Rea
("The End of the Affair") co-stars
as Jonathan's doctor. John Carney
writes and directs; Daniel James
scripts; "Agnes Browne's" Jim
Sheridan and Arthur Lappin produce.
(Universal Focus, August
undated)
Big Trouble
Tim Allen ("Galaxy Quest") and
Rene Russo ("The Adventures of
Rocky & Bullwinkle") star in this
ensemble comedy based on the
novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning
humor columnist Dave Barry about
a nuclear device hidden in
a suitcase
that is rigged to go off in the
Miami airport and how it affects the
people who come in contact with
it. Omar Epps ("Brother"), Dennis
Farina ("Snatch"), Janeane
Garofalo ("The Adventures of
Rocky & Bullwinkle"), Jason Lee
("Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"),
Tom Sizemore ("Pearl Harbor"),
Stanley Tucci ("America's
Sweethearts"), Ben Foster ("Get
Over It"), Heavy D ("The Cider
House Rules"), Patrick Warburton
("The Dish"), Zooey Deschanel
("The New Guy") and Johnny
Knoxville (TV's "Jackass") co-star.
Barry Sonnenfeld ("Wild Wild
West") directs a script adapted by
"Life's" Robert Ramsey and
Matthew Stone and Barry Fanaro
("The Crew"); Sonnenfeld, Barry
Josephson ("The Crew") and Tom
Jacobson ("Mission to Mars") produce.
(Buena Vista, summer)
executed for kidnapping an infant
and leaving it to die. Investigating
a murder, he realizes that his
son
Joey committed the crime, and,
haunted by the sins of his father
r Osmosis Jones
N
In this live-action/animated action-adventure comedy set
inside the body of a construction worker named Frank, Chris
Rock ("Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back") voices the title character,
a streetwise white blood cell who teams up with a
rookie cold tablet in a race to thwart an evil virus that is out
to destroy Frank. Bill Murray ("Charlie's Angels"), Molly
Shannon ("Serendipity") and Chris Elliott ("Snow Day") costar
in the live-action sequences, which are directed by "Me,
Myself & Irene's" Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who also produce;
Laurence Fishburne ("The Matrix"), David Hyde
Pierce (TV's "Frasier"), producer (though not on this pic)
Joel Silver, Brandy ("I Still Know What You Did Last
Summer") and William Shatner ("Miss Congeniality") voice
characters in the animated
half, helmed by Piet Kroon
(who worked on "The Iron
Giant") and Tom Sito (who
worked on "Fantasia 2000"
and "Antz"). The Farrellys partner
Bradley Thomas, Zak Penn
and Dennis Edwards (an associate
producer on "Space Jam")
produce. (Warner Bros., 3rd
qtD
J
I
' One Hour Photo
Robin Williams ("Bicentennial
Man") stars in this
urban thriller as a lonely technician
at the SavMart one-hour
photo counter who develops an
unsettling obsession with a suburban
family that has been his
customer for years. Connie
Nielsen ("Gladiator"), Michael
Vartan ("Never Been Kissed"),
Gary Cole ("Office Space") and
Eriq La Salle (TV's "ER") costar.
Music video helmer Mark
Romanek writes and directs his
feature debut; Christine
Vachon and Pamela Koffler
produce through their Killer
Films ("Boys Don't Cry") with
Stan Wlodkowski (a co-producer on "American Beauty").
v (Fox Searchlight, summer)
and son, he seeks redemption by
saving Joey. Frances McDormand
("Almost Famous"), James Franco
("Deuces Wild"), Eliza Dushku
("The New Guy"), William
Forsythe ("Deuce Bigalow: Male
Gigolo") and George Dzundza
("Instinct") co-star. Michael Caton-
Jones ("The Jackal") writes, directs
and produces; Ken Hixon
("Inventing the Abbots") and Frank
Pierson ("Presumed Innocent")
script based on Mike McAlary's
1997 Esquire article; Brad Grey
(who executive produced "Scary
Movie"), Elie Samaha ("Angel
Eyes") and Matt Baer (who executive
produced "The Replacement
Killers") produce. (Warner Bros.,
3rd qtr)
City by the Sea
Robert De Nirto ("Fifteen
Minutes") stars in this police drama Summer Catch
based on the true story of Vincent
Lamarca, a cop whose father was
Freddie Prinze Jr. ("Head Over
Heels") is the catch in this romance
set against a baseball backdrop.
Prinze portrays a college player
who's simultaneously trying to
impress major league scouts and a
wealthy girl vacationing in Cape
Cod, where he's participating in a
summer league. Jessica Biel (TV's
"7th Heaven"), Brian Dennehy,
Matthew Li I lard ("Love's Labour's
Lost"), Marc Blucas (TV's "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer") and Wilmer
Valderrama (TV's "That '70s
Show") co-star. Mike Tollin makes
his feature directorial debut and
produces with "Varsity Blues"
director-producer Brian Robbins
and Sam Weisman; Kevin Falls
(TV's "Sports Night") scripts.
(Warner Bros., 3rd qtr)
Training Day
Denzel Washington ("Remember
the Titans") and Ethan Hawke
("Hamlet") pair in this police
drama as a grizzled LAPD veteran
and the rookie cop 1" whom he
shows the ropes on his first day on
the undercovei narcotics beal
Antoine ("Bail
I ') directs a
si 1 ii 1|
I iv I )avid Ayer ("The Fast md
Ihe Furious"); |effre\ Silvei ,nnl
il >\ Newmyer produce through
their Outlaw Prods, banner
("Gossip"). (Warner Bros., 3rd qtr)
Super Troopers
The Broken Lizard Comedy Club
writes and stars in this comedy
about five Vermont State Troopers
who have little more to do than toy
with speeders and pull pranks on
their rivals, the local police force.
When budget cuts decree that one
of the units will be disbanded, they
declare war. The Broken Lizards,
who previously produced "Puddle
Cruiser," include Jay Chandr,
sekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve
Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik
Stolhanske. Brian Cox ("For Love of
the Game"), Daniel von Bargen ("O
Brother, Where Art Thou?") and
Marisa Coughlan ("Freddy Got
Fingered") co-star. Chandrasekhar
directs; Richard Perello ("Puddle
Cruiser") produces. (Fox Searchlight,
summer)
Vulgar
In this comedy, a pathetic professional
clown, struggling to connect
with his young audiences at kiddie
parties, decides to reinvent himself
as Vulgar, a transvestite clown who
shows up at stag parties to shock the
bachelors expecting strippers. Brian
O'Halloran ("Jay and Silent Bob
Strike Back") stars. Bryan Johnson,
Kevin Smith protege writes and
directs his debut; Monica
Hampton, another Smith cohort,
produces. (Lions Gale, summer)
artist
Downtown 81
Nineteen-year-old
avant-garr
lean Michel Basquial stars
himself in this Fantasy drama sel in
New York's downtown art and
music scene, rhe pic was shot in
1981, but business problems halted
produi tion and reels wen- lost
in Europe, resurfacing ye;
later—which is win the pii
being released now. Saul Williai
("Slam") narrates.
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Fashion photog
(I Bertoglio direi Is; I Jenn
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Biien si ripis Maripol produi es.
(Zeitgeist, summer) |
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