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MARCH
TRAILERS
Ifs still winter outside but,
inside, it seems like summer
Now, here's a tall
order.
Last year, the
winds ofMarch were
more breezy than
blustery at the boxoffice,
in that less
than a handful of
major releases were
slated to land. And
\
the biz's ticket-sales
windsock ultimately
proved to be a little
droopy, with "Jungle
2 lungle" and "The "
Devil's Own" underperforming
hopes
and only "Liar Liar"
tearing through the
^
turnstiles.
How things do
change. Readying to blow in come March 1 998 are 47 new
releases. Now, it's not only that that's 1 1 more movies (30
percent) than last March's incoming tally; it's what those
47 represent. Perhaps the highest of the high-profile titles
are: "City of Angels," a Nicolas Cage/Meg Ryan romance;
the Coen Bros.' "The Big Lebowski"; "U.S. Marshals," the
sequel to "The Fugitive"; and the latest from Warren
Beatty, tentatively called "Bulworth."
And that's only the first weekend. After that arrive the
likes of "The Man in the Iron Mask," starring "Titanic's"
Leonardo DiCaprio, on 3/13; "Primary Colors," the 3/20
John Travolta/Emma Thompson pairing, which is likely to
light up not only the entertainment sections but also the
political pages; and "My Giant" (photo above), a Billy
Crystal comedy on 3/27 that looks to be for all ages. Mixed
in among those are other entries starring such audience
favorites as Matthew McConaughey, Gwyneth Paltrow,
Kenneth Branagh, fada Pinkett and Patricia Arquette. Call
it the Ron Popeil month: but, wait, there's more.
It's become a commonplace for our Trailers introduction
to notice that, despite various studios' cutback announcements
to the contrary, there are a whole lot of films
being produced and distributed. Of course, it's better, at
least from an exhibition standpoint, to suffer an embarrassment
of riches rather than the chagrin of privation. And a
12-month calendar is what everyone in the industry wants.
But, even with so many circuits on the road to Megaplex,
'
ility that some of these movies
le frame, there will be a lot
of product to find screens for.
Here's to hoping that it's not just the stiff March winds
lh.ll will be spinning theatres' front doors.
MARCH 6
City of Angels
This romance tells the story of
a guardian angel who falls in love
with the woman he's watching
over and who must choose
whether to remain a member of
the celestial host, with all its ethereal
pleasures, or become human
again and join his beloved on
Earth. Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan,
Dennis Franz and Andre
Braugher star. Brad Silberling
("Casper") directs; Dana Stevens
("Blink") scripts; Atlas Entertainment's
Dawn Steel and Chuck
Roven produce for Turner Pictures.
(Warner Bros., 3/6)
Exploitips: The friendly PG-13
rating (for sexuality including language
and some nudity) should
help this draw mainstream audiences.
Though the film could
trend more to the distaffside than
did the comedic "Michael, " also
a Turner production. Cage and
Ryan are both popular male
draws, and the date's only genre
competition looks to come from
Fox's "Bulworth"; however, that
Warren Beatty vehicle could
draw older, leaving this the
twenty- and thirtysomethings.
Wild Things
In this erotic thriller that tells
"an irreverent tale of revenge, lust
and murder" set in the Florida
Everglades, four cunning characters
engage in a battle of truth and
illusion. Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon,
Neve Campbell ("Scream
2"), Bill Murray, Theresa Russell,
Denise Richards ("Starship
Troopers") and Robert Wagner
star. John McNaughton ("Normal
Life") directs; Stephen Peters
scripts; Rodney Liber and Steven
Jones produce for Mandalay. (Columbia,
3/6 wide)
Exploitips: This 1,500-screen
release probably has the month's
most interesting cast, at least from
a diversity standpoint. And it has
its subgenre— erotic thriller — all
to itself for the entire month.
Though new to the eros theme,
actresses Campbell and Richard
just had big hits, and Russell is an
experienced hand at heat. (One
might avoid putting the Murray
name on the marquee, lest it confuse
potential ticketbuyers.) In essence,
sex sells, so sell it.
The Big Lebowski
In this comedy/thriller from the
Coen brothers ("Fargo"), a man
named Jeff Lebowski, aka The
Dude, is confronted by gangsters
who demand that his wife repay a
loan. Puzzled, the unmarried
Dude learns there's a millionaire
Jeff Lebowski in town, but what
seems a case of mistaken identity
worsens as double-crossing,
thievery, revenge and bowling
follow. Jeff Bridges stars with Julianne
Moore ("Boogie Nights"),
"Fargo's" Peter Stormare and
"Barton Fink"-ers John Goodman,
John Turturro, Steve Buscemi and
Jon Polito. Joel Coen directs;
Ethan Coen produces; both Coens
script. (Cramercy, 3/6 wide)
Exploitips: After the brilliant
bomb "The hludsucker Proxy, " the
Coens needed a hit; after "Fargo,"
audiences are likely to say "yah" to
their next. Maybe due to previous
Christmas forays ("The Portrait ofa
Lady, " "I'm Not Rappaport"), Cramercy
held this from the holidays.
Expect this R-rater (for pervasive
strong language, drug content, sexuality
and brief violence) to be the
movie of choice for those looking
to avoid both the archness of the
arthouse and the pabulum of the
megaplex. Ofcourse, step one is to
trumpet the Coens' "Fargo" credit.
U.S. IVIarshals
Returning to his "Fugitive" role.
Tommy Lee Jones stars as the relentless
LI.S. marshal Samuel Gerard,
who this time teams with a
young government agent (Robert
Downey Jr.) who challenges
Gerard's tactical strengths even as
he helps track a secret government
operative (Wesley Snipes) who's
been framed for two murders and
on the run from police. Stuart Baird
("Executive Decision") directs;
John Pogue scripts; Arnold Kopelson
and Anne Kopelson, who
joined on "The Fugitive," again
produce. (Warner Bros., 3/6 wide)
Exploitips: One can almost see
the architecture: The narrative,
though altered and with a change
in focal character, is comfortingly
the same. Minus the star-for-all
(Harrison Ford), the casting adds
Downey for the youth market and
Snipes for urban auds, and Jones'
own pull is "Men In Black"-burnished.
Baird's "Executive Decision"
was an action hit. The 3/6
frame is title-heavy, but there is
no direct genre competition.
Chairman of the Board
Standup comedian Carrot Top
stars as a goofy inventor/surfer
who helps a man who turns out to
be a wealthy entrepreneur. When
the businessman dies, he wills
Carrot Top's character his company.
Corporate chaos ensues.
Courtney Thorne-Smith, Jack
Warden, Larry Miller and Raquel
Welch co-star. (Trimark, 3/6 wide)
Exploitips: This latest wide release
(1,200 screens) from Trimark—
which has been biding its
time in wait for the perfect date