Boxoffice-Febuary.1998

# #
THE BUSINESS MAGi
MW
1 OF HE SUMML mnOM PICTURE IKDUSTRY
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—
FADEIH...
This year, we've devoted the special contents of
our February issue to cinema sound. In these
pages, you'll find both basic reference information
and updates on new developments in the field.
You might say that here we're sounding off about
sound, but we should mention that BOXOFFICE
will be bringing you sound come ShoWest.
As we did at the 1996 and 1997 conventions,
BOXOFFICE will be giving away sound equipment
prizes at the 1998 ShoWest. Last year,
Magda Moore, manager of the M-89 Cinema in
Otsego. Mich., operated by Watervliet. Mich.-
based C.A. Moore Theaters, stopped by our booth
and put her corporate business card in our exhibitors-only
prize bowl. Her reward for that simple
act came on the show's Thursday close, when our
drawing revealed that she was the winner of a
complete DTS digital sound system.
"We had needed another DTS system," Moore
says, "and then I won it at the show." Moore,
whose circuit put the unit in its Ready Theatre in
Niles, Mich., reports that audiences really respond
to digital sound. "You can hear a pin drop,"
she says of the technology's reproduction capabilities.
"Customers always ask us whether a
movie is playing in one of our digital houses.
They know it^they want it."
Also in 1997, Georgia Theatre president William
J.
Stembler took home a QSC MX 1500a
amplifier, and Edwards Theatres district supervisor
James Woodin won a Smart Citi-Tell digital
message server. Those two executives joined the
ranks of our previous BOXOFFICE ShoWest winners,
which have also included SoCal Cinemas'
Sean Warner (a QSC amp) and Landmark's Kevin
O'Neill (a Smart Afterburner).
We'll have more information about this year's
prizes in our April edition, which is the issue
you'll find awaiting you on day 1 of ShoWest,
being held March 9-12 in Las Vegas. And exhibitors
will find that getting in on our awards action
will be just as easy in 1 998 as in prior years; simply
stop by our ShoWest booth (again #406) and drop
off your corporate business card. Please remember
to write the name of the hotel at which you're
staying on your card: as happened for Magda
Moore and the other theatre folks mentioned
above, you just migiit be receiving a call from us
while you're in Vegas, saying there's a little more
luggage to take home with you. Kim Williamson
BOXOFFICE ONLINE
WEBSITE ADDRESS: http://www.boxoffice.com
E-MAIL ADDRESS: boxoffice@earthlink.net
FEBRUARY, 1998 VOL. 134, NO. 2 CINEMA SOUND
COVER QUOTE:
DEPARTMENTS
I'm very analytical in a very wet way....
I'm very analytically moist—OUSJm HOFFMAN
6 HOLLYWOOD REPORT
Good golly, Shue's "Molly"— plus early word on 18 other productions
8 MARCH TRAILERS
Blowing in from Hollywood: films of the windy month
44 EXHIBITION BRIEFINGS
Silver's Landmark decision; Mr. Buyout Mann
46 NATIONAL NEWS/HOLLYWOOD UPDATES
API's centennial celebration; Universal's foolish "Kissing"
47 NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Red Sky at morning; Silver(City) screens; Cineplexing
48 EUROVIEWS
Brussels sprouts mega-merger; Italy booted, fine Finnish
49 PACIFIC OVERTURES
Roadshow travels with Warner; Hoyts' double vision
50 FILM REVIEWS
Critical analyses of 35 current and coming releases:
"Affliction" 51
"Afterglow" 53
"Alien Resurrection" 56
"Amistad" 56
"The Apostle" 55
"As Good As It Gets" 54
'The Boxer" 52
"Chinese Box" 52
"Dangerous Beauty" 52
"The Education of Little Tree" 53
"Flubber" 57
"For Richer or Poorer" 56
"The Gingerbread Man" 52
"Home Alone 3" 56
"Jackie Brown" 53
"John Grisham's The Rainmaker" 57
"Kundun" 54
"Lea" 51
"Les Miserables" (1935)
"Love and Death on Long Island"
"Men With Guns"
"Midnight in the Garden
of Good and Evil"
"Mortal Kombat Annihilation"
"MouseHunt"
"Mrs. Dalloway"
'The Nutcracker"
"Oscar and Lucinda"
"Perfect Circle"
"Scream 2"
'Simoom: A Passion in the Desert"
'Tomorrow Never Dies"
"Unmade Beds"
"Wag the Dog"
"Will It Snow for Christmas?"
"Zero Effect"
58 STUDIO FILM RELEASE CHART
Major releases through April and beyond
60 INDEPENDENT FILM RELEASE CHART
Specialized fare into September and beyond
62 MOVIEGOER ACTIVITY CHART
Ranking leaps by City Cinemas, Cineplex's Hyland
63 HOME RELEASE CHART
"L.A. Confidential," "The Peacemaker" get shelved in March
64 CLASSIFIEDS
Including our index to advertisers in this issue
64 "REVERSE ANGLE"
Stars in stripes
53
51
51
57
57
54
52
56
53
51
56
51
55
51
52
55
50
CIRCULATION INQUIRIES
BOXOFFICE DATA CENTER
725 S. Wells St., Fourth Floor
Chicago. IL 60607
(312) 922-9326; fax: (312) 922-7209
i&
Audit
Bureau
EDITORIAL AND ADVEmiSING
6640 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100
Hollywood, CA 90028-7159
(213)465-1186
Fax:(213)465-5049
OFFICES
CORPORATE HEADQUAm-ERS SUBSCRIPTION/CIRCULATIQN
Mailing address: 725 8. Wells St., Fourth Floor
P.O. Box 25485 Chicago, IL 60607
Chicago, IL 60625 (312) 922-9326
(773)338-7007 Fax:(312)922-7209
4 BoxomcE

SPECIAL REPORT: CINEMA SOUND 1998
In this issue, BOXOFFICE provides its annual snapshot of the companies and developments that mal

HOLLYWOOD
REPORT
ELISABETH SHUE
Good Golly, Miss "Molly"
BILL MURRAY
Mounts "Rushmore"
"MOLLY" Elisabeth Shue ("The
Saint") will portray an autistic
girl who undergoes a treatment
that turns her into a genius in
this John Duigan ("The Leading
Man")-helmed film. (MGM)
"PLANET ICE" On the heels of
the success of its feature animation
debut "Anastasia," Fox has
begun casting the voices for its
next foray in the genre, a futuristic
sci-fi adventure in which
the Earth has been destroyed by
an alien race. Nineteen-yearold
Cale (voiced by Matt
Damon) finds a map leading to
a treasure that may be able to
save mankind. He teams up
with a crew that includes characters
voiced by Bill Pullman,
Drew Barrymore, Nathan Lane
and Hank Azaria on a quest for
the mythic Planet Ice. (Fox)
"SIGHT UNSEEN" Val
Kilmer
will play a man who's born blind
and undergoes an experimental
operation to restore his sight in
this romantic drama. Mira
Sorvino ("The Replacement Killers")
will play his love interest,
while Kelly McGillis ("North")
portrays his sister. Irwin Winkler
("The Net") helms. (MGM)
"EXACTLY 3:30" Sandra Bullock
will star in and produce this
romantic comedy about a
woman who is always late, to
the escalating annoyance of her
fiance. In order to ensure she
makes it to the weddi ng on ti me,
she starts seeing a psychiatrist,
but winds up falling in love with
him. (Buena Vista)
"CHICKEN RUN" Aardman
Studios, the animation company
behind the "Wallace and
Gromit" claymation shorts, will
produce its first feature-length
work, centering on Rocky and
Ginger, two chickens trying to
escape a farm. The script is
based on an original story by
Aardman heads Nick Park and
Peter Lord. (DrearhWorks)
"8 MILLIMETER" Nicolas Cage
("Face/Off") is set to star as a
private detective hired by a
woman to find out who's behind
a snuff film she discovered
in her dead husband's safe. He's
aided in his investigation by an
underground film insider
played by Mark Wahlberg
("Boogie Nights"). "Seven's"
Andrew Kev i n Wa I ker wrote the
script, and "A Time To Kill's"
Joel Schumacher helms. (Columbia)
"RUSHMORE" This comedy will
star Bill Murray ("The Man Who
Knew Too Little") as a self-made
millionairewho mentors an odd
15-year-old boy who spends his
time heading every school club
while neglecting his classes and
even romantic pursuits. When
he does fall in love, it's with one
of his teachers ("The Postman's"
Olivia Williams). This poses
more than the usual problems of
such a crush, as Murray's character
is also infatuated with the
instructor.
The comedy is
scripted by the "Bottle Rocket"
duo Wes Anderson and Owen
Wilson, and will be directed by
Anderson. (Buena Vista)
"PUSHING TIN" John Cusack
("Grosse Pointe Blank") will
play a veteran air traffic controller
challenged by a newcomer
in this comedy. The two become
obsessed in their battle to
outdo each other. Mike Newell
("Donnie Brasco") directs; Glen
and Les Charles (TV's "Cheers")
script. (Fox)
"STIGMA" David Arquette
("Scream 2"), Jared Leto
("Switchback"), Reese Witherspoon
("Freeway") and Christopher
Walken ("Suicide Kings")
will star in this thriller about a
young man who's imprisoned
for a murder he may or may not
have committed. When he's released,
he's manipulated into a
murderous revenge scheme.
(Distribution is to be set)
utive ("Goodbye Lover's" Ellen
DeGeneres) persuades him to
agree to be filmed 24 hours a
day, every day, for a cable
show. Jenna Elfman ("Grosse
Pointe Blank") will play Ed's
girlfriend. The film reteams director
Ron Howard with scripters
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo
Mandel, who previously
worked together on "Parenthood,"
"Gung Ho," "Splash"
and "Night Shift." (Universal)
"MICKEY BLUE-EYES" This romantic
comedy, to be helmed
by "Kids in the Hall: Brain
Candy's" Kelly Makin, is about
a Manhattan art dealer ("Nine
Months'" Hugh Grant) whose
fiancee reveals her father (James
Caan) is in the mob. (Warner)
"FORCE MAJEURE" Based on
the 1990 French film of the
same name, this drama will star
Vince Vaughn ("The Lost
World"), Joaquin Phoenix ("Inventing
the Abbotts") and David
Conrad (TV's "Relativity") as
three friends travelling abroad,
two of whom escape Malaysia
after being arrested on drug
charges. The friend who remains
imprisoned is threatened with
the death sentence unless the
others return to share the blame.
Anne Heche ("Volcano") will
play the lawyer who must convince
the two to save their
friend. JadaPinkett ("Scream 2")
also stars. Joseph Ruben ("Money
Train") directs. (Polygram)
"THE GREEN MILE" Tom
Hanks is in talks to portray a
mentally impaired man in jail
for murdering two children in
this drama that depicts the
convict's relationship with the
guards on Death Row. Frank
Darabont directs and adapts
Stephen King's novella, as he
did with "The Shawshank Redemption,"
which was based on
King's story "Rita Hayworth and
the Shawshank Redemption."
(Distribution is to be set)
VINCE VAUGHN
In the "Majeure" League
"S.L.C. PUNK" Matthew Lillard
("Scream") will play a rebellious
teen in this humorous look at a
punk wave that took place in
predominantly-Mormon Salt
Lake City in 1985. (Distribution
is to be set)
"BLAST FROM THE PAST"
"George of the Jungle's" Brendan
Fraser has been cast as a man
who has spent his whole life in
a bomb shelter due to his fear of
nuclear war. When he finally
leaves the shelter, he finds society
radically changed. Hugh
Wilson ("The First Wives Club")
directs. (New Line)
"FOOL ON THE HILL" Based
on the British TV show "Taking
Over the Asylum," this comedy
is about an aluminum siding
salesman ("Liar Liar's" Jim Carrey)
who dreams of being a
radio personality. When he discovers
a disused radio station in
an insane asylum, he commandeers
it and begins broadcasting
from it. Will Davies ('Twins")
scripts. (MGM)
"ED TV" Matthew McConaughey
("Contact") will play a video
store employee named Ed
whose life is changed for better
and for worse when a TV exec-
ET CETERA: Kathryn Bigelow
("Strange Days") has signed on
to helm New Line's "Custer
Marching to Valhalla," which is
looking for a new lead, as Brad
Pitt has dropped out...MGM's
"Marciano," a biopic of boxing
champion Rocky Marciano,
will star "Swingers'" )on
Favreau as the famed fighter
...Chevy Chase ("Vegas Vacation")
will return as the titular
undercover reporter and master
of disguises in Universal's
"Fletch 3," the third installment
of the comic "Fletch" franchise.
Kevin Smith ("Chasing Amy") is
scripting and may also direct.
6 BoxutncE

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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

D I
G IT A L
1,200 Dolby Digital Film's
12,DDD DdIIiii Digital Screens
•v
*H^;
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10 BoxoFncE
(the film received its PC- 13 rating, for crude
and sex-related humor and language, way
back on 3/1 9/97)—goes after the M TV crowd
the distributor targeted for "Meet Wally
Sparks," which resulted in a multimilliondollar
writeoff. But the young Carrot Top could
connect where the septuagenarian Rodney
Dangerfield didn't, as he's a campus favorite.
To help, draw public (and media) attention by
accoutering staff in Carrot Top wiggery.
In God's Hands
In this "dramatic jet-age road movie about
three young men searching for waves, friendship
and themselves all across the world,"
three surfers (portrayed by real surfers Shane
Dorian, Matt George and Matthew Stephen
Liu) are joined in their adventures by a mysterious
journalist (Shaun Thompson) and a
Brazilian beauty (Maylin Pultar). Zaiman King
directs, and he scripts with co-star Matt
George, editor of Surfing Magazine; surfer
Tom Stern produces. (Triumph, 3/6)
Exploitips: King's hard-R fans from the likes
of "Wild Orchid" can 't be counted on to join
"Hands" here. But surfing documentaries have
a devoted specialized audience that will provide
a core demo for this fiction film. To reach
the mainstream male moviegoer, emphasize
the good times and adventure aspects.
Three Ninjas: Showdown
at Mega Mountain
This fourth "3 Ninjas" entry (also known as
"Three Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain")
is a variation on "The Legend of Galgameth," a
Korean myth about a medieval monster who
protects a boy from a Dark Knight. Matthew
Botchis, Michael O'Laskey II and J.P. Roeske
star. Sean McNamara directs; Simon Shin ("3
Ninjas") produces. (TriStar, 3/6 ltd)
Exploitips: Rated PC for nonstop martial arts
action, some gunplay and mild language, this
action/comedy is likely to draw only the preteen
crowd. Fans ofthe first entry (1 992) having
outgrown the series (there being few fans of the
second and third), exhibitors could ease their
uphill selling battle by staging karate performances
by young people at their theatres.
Bulworth
In "Bulworth" (a tentative title; the working
name was "Tribulations"), a wealthy U.S. senator
(Warren Beatty) is tired of life and so sees
no reason to avoid a hit that's been planned
by a friend—until, that is, the senator meets a
beautiful African-American woman (Halle
Berry). Paul Sorvino, Oliver Piatt, jack Warden
and Don Cheadle co-star. Warren Beatty
also directs, scripts and produces. (Fox, 3/6)
Exploitips: Fox depicts the story thus: "He
must frantically seek out the only one who can
call off the killer in a hair-raising comic
chase." So expect something more akin to
"Heaven Can Wait" than to "Reds." Which,
from a boxoffice standpoint, is all to the better.
Talk of Angels
A sort of gender-bender variant on Ken
Loach's "Land and Freedom," this period
dranna tells of a young Irish woman who
arrives In Spain on the eve of the country's
civil war. Polly Walker ("For Roseanna"), Vincent
Perez ("TheCrow:City of Angels"), Frances
McDormand ("Fargo") and Franco Nero
star. Nick Hamm directs; Ann Guedes and
Frank McGuinness script; Patrick Cassavetti
produces. (Miramax, 3/6 NY/LA)
Exploitips: This has been multiply reslated
since its planned Aug. '96 bow. Best bets are
the date-night college crowd and the usual
specialized suspects (the educated 40+
demo), who are more likely to be familiar with
the story's historical events. A PC rating (for
some politically motivated violence) makes it
a candidate for school outreach programs.
Men With Guns
In this Spanish-language drama, a naive
Central American physician ("Cronos'"
Frederico Luppi) learns the truth about his
country's political situation. Dan Rivera Gonzalez,
Damian Delgado, Damian Alcazar and
Tania Cruz co-star as troubled locals, and
Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody as wellmeaning
but oblivious American tourists. John
Sayles directs and scripts; R. Paul Miller and
Maggie Renzi produce. (Sony Classics, 3/6)
Exploitips: Our Telluride reviewer (this
issue) gives this 3 1/2 stars, saying it has "a
potent sense" and boasts "affecting performances."
Rated R (for language and some
violent images) and filmed primarily in Spanish
and dialects, "Men With Cuns" will lack
the wider pulling power of Sayles' recent
"Lone Star. " Arthousers are the likeliest target
on this arthouse-heavy weekend, but Hispanic
filmgoers could help take up the slack.
Sonatine
Takeshi "Beat" Kitano writes, directs and
stars in this story of a hard-boiled gangster who,
although tiring of the yakuza way of life, takes
on one final battle. Aya Kokumai and Tetsu
Watanabe co-star. Masayuki Mori, Hisao
Nabeshima and Takio Yoshida produce. (Rolling
Thunder/Miramax, 3/6 NY/LA)
Exploitips: This was held from Apr. '97; the
1 998 date might work better, in that "Jackie
Brown" has reminded moviegoers of the
Quentin Tarantino name (Rolling Thunder is
his label). Emphasizing that connection could
help add the hip flick crowd to the action/martial
arts demo most likely to attend.
Love and Death on Long Island
This drama adapts the novel by Gilbert
Adair and tells the story of a stuffy British
writer (John Hurt) whose wife has died and
who is surprised, one night at the movies, to
find himself transfixed from there on by a male
screen idol (Jason Priestly). Fiona Loewi costars.
Richard Kwietniowski directs and
scripts; Steve Clark-Hall and Christopher
Zimmer produce. (CFP, 3/6 LA, 3/1 3 exp)
Exploitips: Our Telluride reviewer (this
issue) gives this three stars, saying the story
provides for "an intriguing cultural clash " and
that Priestly "amusingly spoofs his own teen
idol image." Rated PC-13 (for brief strong
language, thematic elements andsome sexual
content), it's unlikely to draw arthousers via
TV fave Priestly's name, so Hurt is the likely
sell. Held from late February.
Woo
MARCH 13
In this romantic comedy (rated R for sexual
content and language), a beautiful heartbreaker
("Set It Off's" Jada Pinkett) goes on a
blind date with a straight-laced attorney
("Booty Call's" Tommy Davidson). A wild
romp through Manhattan ensues. Pam Grier
("Jackie Brown"), Isaac Hayes, Duane Martin,
Dave Chappelle and LL Cool J co-star. Daisy
von Scherier Mayer (First Look's "Party Girl")
directs; David Clark Johnson ("Drop Squad")
scripts; Beth Hubbard and Michael Hubbard,
who paired for "You So Crazy," produce for
Gotham Entertainment; John Singleton
("Rosewood") executive produces with Howard
Hobson. (New Line, 3/13)
Exploitips: "Woo" (originally set for Sept.
'97 and then Jan. '98) isn't blessed with big
names, but it has the urban demo to itself for
the month's second half when the only real
demo competition is "Nightwatch, " a ftighter
that could draw black moviegoers.
Dead Man on Campus
In this MTV comedy (rated R for drug use,
language and crude sexual humor), two freshmen
a bit short on brains but long on resourcefulness
use some arcana to win good
grades. Tom Everett Scott ("That Thing You
Do!") and Mark-Paul Gosselaar star. Alan
Cohn (MTV's "The Real World" series) directs;
Michael Traeger and Michael White
script; Gale Anne Hurd produces for her Pacific
Western Prods. (Paramount, 3/1 3 wide)
Exploitips: Once tentatively slated for
8/29/97, this is the second MTV/Paramount
pairing. (The first was the $62 million-grossing
"Beavis and Butt-head Do America. ") The
rating intimates this is made in the shades for
the college crowd and passing-for-older high
schoolers. With most other openers trending
older, expect "The Man in the Iron Mask" to
present the most date competition.
The Man In the Iron Mask
In this adaptation of the classic Alexandre
Dumas mystery/adventure novel, Leonardo
DiCaprio ("Titanic") plays twins: One becomes
the King of France; the other is raised
by D'Artagnan ("The End of Violence's" Gabriel
Bryne), leader of the Three Musketeers
(John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons and Gerard
Depardieu). Randall Wallace (Oscar-nominated
for his "Braveheart" script) scripts and
makes his directing debut. (UA, 3/1 3 wide)
Exploitips: Book tie-ins and a highlighting
ofthe writer/director's "Braveheart" credit are

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called for, but the presence of "Titanic's"
DiCaprio is the key sell. This could draw
multiple demos, including younger auds—
male and female— aided by its PC-13 rating
(for sequences of violence and some sensuality/nudity)
and older moviegoers pulled in by
the tale's classic nature. Held from 2/20.
Goodbye, Lover
In this black comedy/thriller, family members
scheme to Inherit a $4 million insurance
policy. PatriciaArquetteC'Flirting With Disaster")
stars as the wife of one brother and
mistress to another. Ellen DeCeneres ("Mr.
Wrong") co-stars as a detective suspecting
murder. Dermot Mulroney ("My Best Friend's
Wedding"), Don Johnson and Mary-Louise
Parker co-star. Roland Joffe ("The Scarlet Letter")
directs; Ron Peer scripts; Arnon
Milchan'sdaughterAlexandra, who heads the
more indie-oriented Regency Vision, produces
with Patrick McDarrah, Joel Roodman
and Chris Daniel. (Warner Bros., 3/13)
Exploitips: The coming-out episode of
DeCeneres' TV series "Ellen" probably raised
her profile with moviegoers, or at least replaced
memories of "Mr. Wrong. " joffe's last
credit was the derided "Scarlet Letter, " but his
older hits (e.g., "The Killing Fields") are of the
wrong genre. So go with the gals— Arquette
and DeCeneres— and target distaff clientele.
The Butcher Boy
In a small Irish town in the early 1960s, a
young boy (Eamonn Owens) with an alcoholic
father ("Michael Collins'" Stephen Rea)
and a manic-depressive mother (Aisling
O'Sullivan) but one good friend (Alan Boyle)
has his life turn for the worse when he loses
all three. Neil Jordan (also "Michael Collins")
directs and produces, and he scripts with
Patrick McCabe. (Warner Bros., 3/13 NY/
LA/Tor, 3/27 ltd, 4/10 exp)
Exploitips: In a four-star review (Sept. '97
issue), our Calway fest critic quotably called
Jordan's 1 0th film— held from a fall release —
"an extraordinary piece of cinema.... INlot
only are the performances stunning; so is
Jordan's direction, of the caliber that says
'Oscar. '" The R rating (for language and violence)
makes this one for adult audiences, in
"Michael Collins" ($ 1 1 million) numbers.
The Big One
Roger Moore (whose "Roger & Me" memorably
zinge^d corporate America) took along
a camera crew on his 1 996 book tour. In this
resulting documentary, Moore's city stops
provide fodder for more corporate satire. Garrison
Keillor and Studs Terkel make appearances.
Michael Moore directs and scripts;
Kathleen Gylnn produces. (Miramax, 3/1 3)
Exploitips: in a 3 l/2-star review (upcoming
issue), our Toronto critic calls this a "satirical
indictment of late 20th century
capitalism," finding Moore's "patchworkquilt
approach" energetic ifnot always coherent.
(Note: The movie is video pumped to 35
mm.) Expect "Roger" fans, if in fewer number.
Hush
In this thriller, new wife Helen ("Great
Expectations'" Gwyneth Paltrow) moves with
her husband ("That Thing You Do!'s"
Johnathan Schaech) to an apparently perfect
country estate called Kilronan. But discord
and danger lurk there in the form of his possessive
mother ("A Thousand Acres'" Jessica
Lange). Jonathan Darby directs, and he scripts
with Michael Cristofer; Douglas Wick produces
for Red Wagon. (TriStar, 3/1 3 wide)
Exploitips: Aka "Kilronan" and "Bloodline,"
"Hush" plays the woman-in-jeopardy
card that's palatable to both genders, so
TriStar's planned 1 ,500-screen bow seems
appropriate for a programmer. But, in the
wake of "Scream" and "Scream 2," this domestic
thriller could feel underpowered, so
emphasize the chills and the perils to interest
the likely twentysomething crowd.
One Man's Hero
Based on a true story, this drama tells the
story of the St. Patrick's Brigade, an Irish-
American artillery battalion that defected to
fight for Mexico in the Mexican-American
war of the 1 840s. Tom Berenger and Daniela
Romo star. In a change of pace. Lance Hool
("McHale's Navy") directs, and he produces
with Bill MacDonald ("Sliver"); the late Milton
S. Gelman wrote the script. (MGM, 3/1 3)
Exploitips: A pickup to plump the Lion's
slate, "One Man's Hero" has the makings of
a marginal performer, just as Berenger's period
piece "Last of the Dogmen" was for the
defunct Savoy. To hype this on its crowded
weekend, emphasize the war (if not the defection)
aspect to arouse male sympathies.
B. Monkey
In this drama, a wild beauty of the London
streets (Italian starlet Asia Argento, of "Queen
Margot") becomes the object of passion of a
middle-class schoolteacher ("I Shot Andy
Warhol's" Jared Harris, son of Richard). "Michael
Collins'" Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and
Rupert Everett ("My Best Friend's Wedding")
co-star. Michael Radford ("II Postino") directs
the $10.5 million project; Andrew Davies
adapts his novel with Michael Thomas; Stephen
Woolley ("Michael Collins") and Colin
Vaines produce. (Miramax, 3/1 3 NY/LA, 3/20
exp top 20, 3/27 exp top 40)
Exploitips: At least the moves from several
1997 slots and a Feb. '98 date distances this
from the Feb. '96 eruption when long-on-theproject
filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones exited—
and called Miramax's explanation "a
farrago of lies. " In any case, the R-rated "B.
Monkey" now faces a bevy of specialized
competition, including two entries from
Miramax itself and two studio films ('The
Butcher Boy" and "The Man in the Iron
Mask") that could draw away arthousers and
young hip mainstreamers. The Radford name,
thanks to "II Postino's"$75 million worldwide
gross, lends this a marketable cachet, though
the rating (for strong sexuality, language, violence
and drug content) might dissuade the
olderpatrons that made "II Postino" a success.
Suicide Kings
In this black comedy, four collegians nab a
retired mobster (Christopher Walken) to help
them. Denis Leary ("Wide Awake"), Jay Mohr
("Picture Perfect"), Henry Thomas ("Legends
of the Fall") and Sean Patrick Flanery ("Powder")
also star. Peter O'Fallon directs; Wayne
Rice and Cina Goldman script; Rice produces
with Morrie Eisenman. (Live, 3/1 3)
Exploitips: Our Toronto critic (Oct. '97
issue) gave this three stars, citing Walken's
energetic turn and narrative twists. Held from
several dates; rated R for strong violence and
language, and for some nudity and drug use.
The Mighty
In this comedy/drama, two outcasts—
giant, slow-witted boy, and a sickly but superintelligent
child—team to face life. Sharon
Stone, Kieran Culkin, Gillian Anderson (TV's
"The X-Files"), Harry Dean Stanton and Gena
Rowlands star. Peter Chelsom (the success
d'estime "Funny Bones") directs; Charles
Leavitt ("Sunchaser") adapts Rodman
Philbrick's novel "Freak the Mighty"; Simon
Fields and Jane Startz produce. (Miramax,
3/1 3 NY/LA, 3/20 exp top 40, 3/27 wide)
Exploitips: One critic called "Funny
Bones" "extraordinarily strange, "and this one
might avoid the ordinary also, despite a comforting
PC-13 rating (for elements of violence
and peril). From the days of its disastrous
launch of I993's "Into the West," Miramax
has wanted to establish a family label; even
more than with Miramax's "Wide Awake,"
the question here seems to be whether the
distributor wants to pull children to stories
about children or adults to stories about children.
Held from Dec/Jan. dates.
MARCH 20
Primary Colors
Mike Nichols helms this adaptation of
Newsweek columnist Joe Klein's satiric bestseller
about a Southern presidential hopeful
(John Travolta) and his pushy wife ("The Winter
Guest's" Emma Thompson)—who bear
similarities to current White Housers. Billy
Bob Thornton ("Sling Blade"), Kathy Bates,
Adrian Lester and Moira Tierney co-star.
Elaine May scripts. (Universal, 3/20 wide)
Exploitips: This could be the month's highest-profile
release, due in equal measure to
the real-life Washington connection and to
the Hollywood teaming of Travolta and
Thompson. Exhibitors can help by reminding
moviegoers of the fun they had at Nichols'
"The Birdcage, " which although also a winter
release was a major hit at the boxoffice.
The Object of My Affection
In this romantic comedy/drama, a social
worker ("Picture Perfect's" Jennifer Aniston)
who rents a room to a gay teacher ("Clueless'"

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Paul Rudd) and who becomes pregnant by her
boyfriend, decides to raise the baby with her
gay roomie—who himself is courting a young
actor. Tim Daly, Alan Alda and Nigel Hawthorne
("The Madness of King George") costar.
Nicholas Hytner ("The Crucible") directs;
playwright Wendy Wasserstein scripts; Lawrence
Mark produces. (Fox, 3/1 8)
Exploitips: Fox also is releasing the maletrending
"The Newton Boys" this weekend,
but "The Object ofMy Affection" could draw
the distaff demo in good numbers, given that
no other fare directly targets that audience
and that, unlikeotherfor-the-girlstossoffs, this
effort has a critically acclaimed director (Hytner
also did "The Madness of King George")
at its helm. The trick will be to sell the same
product to the mature moviegoer and to the
small-tube set that loves Aniston for "Friends. "
The Newton Boys
In this true-life action/drama set in the
1 920s, the bank-robbing Newton Boys set out
to attain their crowning achievement; a record-breaking
$3 million heist of a mail train.
Matthew McConaughey ("Contact"), Ethan
Hawke ("Great Expectations"), Skeet Ulrich
("Scream") and Vincent D'Onofrio ("The
Whole Wide World") star. In a change of
pace, Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused,"
"Before Sunrise") directs, and he
scripts with Clark Lee Walker and with Claude
Stanush, on whose book the script is based;
Ann Walker-McBay produces. (Fox, 3/20)
Exploitips: The big cast and the teenfriendly
PC- 1 3 rating (for violence including
bloody aftermath of a shooting, and for language)
makes this the testosterone alternative
for those too young to get into "Nightwatch"
(see below). As always with mainstream
males, emphasize the action and contention.
Sour Grapes
In this comedy, the lives of two cousins
(Steven Weber and Craig Bierko) are changed,
if not in dream-come-true fashion, after one
hits the jackpot on an Atlantic City slot machine
with a quarter borrowed from the other.
Karen Sillas and Matt Keeslar co-star. Larry
David directs and scripts; Laurie Lennard produces
for Castle Rock. (Columbia, 3/20)
Exploitips: Given the no-star nature of the
cast, the big sell here will be Da vid, co-creator
of TV's uber-popular "Seinfeld. " Although all
of March is crowded, the 3/20 date seems
safe, as it bears no other pure comedy. (Note:
"Sour Grapes" ends the long Castle Rock/
Columbia production/distribution pact.)
Nightwatch
Life
In this suspense thriller, a law student ("A
Less Ordinary's" Ewan McGregor) supporting
his |.D. studies by working as a night
watchman at a morgue finds that all the clues
left by a town-terrorizing serial killer lead
back to him. Nick Nolte, Patricia Arquetteand
)osh Brolin co-star for director Ole Bornedal,
here remaking his Danish-language original;
Steven Soderbergh scripts; Michael Obel produces.
(Miramax/Dimension, 3/20 wide)
Exploitips: Remember "Shine" and "Sling
Blade" fOnce upon a time, "Nightwatch" was
slated to open against them. Rated R (for
strong morbid violence, language, sexuality
and some drug content), this Dimensioner
hasn't changed its 1 ,000-screen plans. Butthe
new opening competition is the star-heavy
and male-pulling "The Newton Boys" and
Miramax itself, which has a deluge of March
releases to take care of
Paulie: A Parrot's Tale
A talking parrot named Paulie can do more
than mimic voices; he can speak and understand.
Told through the bird's eyes, "Paulie:
A Parrot's Tale" (aka just "Paulie") tells of his
adventures as he seeks to return to the little
girl who raised and cared for him. Cena Rowlands,
Jay Mohr ("Picture Perfect"), Cheech
Marin ("Tin Cup"), Tony Shalhoub ("Big
Night") and Bruce Davison ("The Crucible")
star. John Roberts directs; Laurie Craig scripts;
Mark Cordon, Gary Levinsohn and Allison
Segan produce. (DreamWorks, 3/20)
Exploitips: Like DreamWorks' "Mousehunt,
" this features no marquee names, but as
with that holiday release the distributor is
likely to be willing to spend the P&A money
to get "Paulie" noticed in a busy month. Regardless
of creative quality, "Paulie" faces the
same where's-the-audience problem as previous
quality family films— e.g., "FairyTale: A
True Story" and "A Little Princess, " for which
neither Paramount or Warner found a solution;
maybe SKG can find an answer.
The Taste of Cherry
In this Iranian drama, a man driving a car
and considering suicide engages a succession
of riders in adiscussion about the value of life.
Homayon Ershadi and Abdolrahman Bagheri
star. Abbas Kiarostami directs, scripts and
produces. (Zeitgeist, 3/20 NY, 3/27 LA)
Exploitips: Our Cannes critic gave this just
2 1/2 stars (see our Aug. 1 997 issue), but "The
Taste ofCherry" (aka "Ta 'm E Cuilass") shared
the fest's prized Palme d'Or. Also citable:
Kiarostami directed the Miramax release
"Under the Olive Trees" and scripted the
October Films release "The White Balloon.
Mendel
This Norwegian drama tells the bittersweet
story of how Mendel, a nine-year-old Jewish
boy displaced from Germany after World War
II, adjusts to life in a remote Scandinavian
village. The coming-of-age tale follows Mendel
as he strives to understand who he is and
what,' in the shadow of the Holocaust, his
religious background means. Alexander
Rosier directs. (First Run, 3/20 NY, 3/27 LA)
Exploitips: Holocaust-themed films continue
to pull, even a half-century after the
event itself, and coming-of-age tales seem to
have the ability to cross over cultural boundaries.
Still, this is obviously specialized fare;
outreach programs to local Jewish and Scandinavian
groups could pay dividends.
Wide Awalce
With the death of his beloved grandfather
("Big's" Robert Loggia), a 10-year-old boy
(newcomer Joseph Cross) begins a search for
God at home and school—to his parents' and
teachers' consternation— in this spiritual
comedy/drama. Denis Leary, Dana Delany
and Rosie O'Donnell star. M. Night Shyamalan
("Praying With Anger") directs and
scripts; Cary Woods and Cathy Conrad produce.
(Miramax, 3/20 NY/LA, 3/27 exp top
20, 4/1 exp top 40 or wide)
Exploitips: Our critic (9/97) gave this three
stars for fine character turns and Shyamalan's
"dexterity with the simpler emotions.
iVIy Giant
MARCH 27
In this comedy, struggling sports agent
Sammy ("Fathers' Day's" Billy Crystal, who
also produces) heads to Romania in search of
talent. There, he finds 7-foot, 7-inch Max
(NBA Washington Bullets center Gheorghe
Muresan), who's happy living in a monastery.
Kathleen Quinlan co-stars. Michael Lehmann
("The Truth About Cats & Dogs") directs;
David Seltzer scripts. (Columbia, 3/27 wide)
Exploitips: Columbia's 1,800-screen bow
could help make this the choice of diverse
demos, including the family aud at which
"Meet the Deedles" (see below) is targeted.
Despite the cool response to Crystal's latest
efforts, he remains a popular performer for the
date-night crowd, and "My Giant" arrives
nearthe NBA playoffseason, which could put
dads out there in the mind for a family outing.
(Meet the Deedles
In this comedy, two Hawaiian surf-bum
fraternal twins ("Pleasantville's" Paul Walker
and "J
i ngle Al I the Way's" Steve Van Wormer)
are sent to a militaristic boot camp in Yellowstone
National Park by their millionaire father.
Dennis Hopper plays the camp's
tough-as-nails leader. Steve Boyum directs;
Jim Herzfeld ("Tapeheads") scripts; former
A&M Films head Dale Pollock produces with
Aaron Meyerson. (Buena Vista, 3/27 wide)
Exploitips: This is the first result of the pact
between Disney and DIC Films, the new liveaction
arm of the TV animation giant. Despite
Its Disney imprimatur, "Meet the Deedles"
could suffer versus "My Giant," which has a
marquee name and that crucial adult-interest
factor. (The theory is, the dad has to drive.) So
highlight the leads' ages and the hijinkery to
attract the preteen set that attend on their own.
Without Limits
In this real-life drama, Billy Crudup ("Sleepers")
plays famed and ill-fated track star Steve
Prefontaine. Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter
and Judith Ivey co-star. Robert Towne
("Personal Best") directs, and he scripts with
Prefontaine's friend and Sports Illustrated
writer Kenny Moore; Tom Cruise and Paula
Wagner produce. See our Sneak Preview in
this issue. (Warner Bros., 3/27; could go 3/20)
Exploitips: Disney's Prefontaine film hits
theatres first tlieatres first— and it did poorly.
The Cruise- Wagner imprimatur is a solid one,
however, and the PG-13 rating (for brief sexual
material and brief strong language) will
allow the crucial teen patronage.
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Hong Kong action maestro Jackie Chan
plays a TV chef who helps a woman journalist
being pursued by a crime syndicate. Sammo
Hung directs; Edward Tang and Fibe Ma

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script; Chua Lam produces for longtime Chan
backer Golden Harvest. (New Line, 3/27)
Exploitips: Screened at ShowEast, this provides
the usual Chan blend of comedy and
action. But the $6 million acquisition (which
gives Nevi' Line all but Asian rights) boasts just
one jaw-dropping Chan-in-action sequence.
Despite the efforts ofMiramax and New Line,
Chan attracts a niche crowd stateside; expect
the usual Chan boxoffice results, in the 'teens.
Storefront Hitchcock
The alternative tunery of British
singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock is showcased
in this documentary concert film by
Jonathan Demme, who shot the film's footage
in a New York storefront setting with a live
audience. (Orion/MCM, 3/27 ltd)
Exploitips: Though famed for the likes of
"The Silence ofthe Lambs" and "Philadelphia, "
Demme in
1 984 made a highly regarded Talking
Heads concert film, "Stop Making Sense. "
That group was better known stateside than is
Hitchcock, but his fans are devoted. Rated
PC-13 (for one use of strong language).
Grease
In a 20th anniversary reissue, John Travolta,
Olivia Newton-John and classmates Stockard
Channing, Jeff Conaway and Didi Conn return
to the slick-backed and hot-rodded academe
of the '50s. Randal Kleiser directs; Bronte
Woodard adapts the J
im Jacobs/Warren Casey
Broadway version; Robert Stigwood and
Allan Carr produce. (Paramount, 3/27)
Expioitips: The studio had considered releasing
a "Pop-Up Video" version but went
with a straight re-release. ("Pop-Up Videos,"
in which explanatory "bubbles" of information
pop up onscreen, have become a programming
staple of MTV, owned by
Paramount parent Viacom.) Auds swarmed to
the "Star Wars" reissues, but Paramount'
"The Godfather" and Live's "Dirty Dancing"
indicate modest interest in such returns.
No Looking Back
As waitress Claudia ("A Smile Like Yours'"
Lauren Holly) helps her mother (BIythe Danner)
adjust to husband-less life and Claudia's
relationship with her live-in boyfriend ("The
Leading Man's" Jon Bon Jovi) is looking unpromising,
her old flame ("She's the One's"
Edward Burns, who also directs and scripts)
returns to town. Ted Hope, Michael Nozik
and Edward Burns produce for Good Machine.
(Cramercy, 3/27 ltd, 4/10 exp)
Exploitips: "The Brothers McMullen" and
"She's the One" were quality outings by
Burns, but the 3/27 frame is crowded for such
specialized fare, given that "The Butcher
Boy, " "B. Monkey, " "The Mighty" and "Wide
Awake" all plan some expansion on that date.
Two Giris and a Guy
Two women realize their lovers are the same
man; they plot revenge. Robert Downey Jr.,
Heather Graham ("Boc^ie Nights") and Natasha
Cregson Wagner ("Lost Highway") star. James
Toback (who helmed another Downey-asseductioneer
tale, "The Pick-Up Artist") directs
and scripts; Edward R. Pressman and Chris Hanley
produce. (Fox Searchlight, 3/27 ltd)
Exploitips: Controversy^: The MPAA gave
this a rating of NC- 1 7 (for a scene of explicit
sexuality), but Fox Searchlight is appealing.
Our Telluride critic (upcoming issue) ga ve this
two stars, saying Downey's "energetic performance"
is the only plus. Still, the sexy title and
the possible ratings flap could generate
boxoffice heat among twentysomethings.
Tempting Fate
This drama tells the story of a feminist
writer ("12 Monkeys'" Madeleine Stowe) who
with her husband (William Hurt) consults a
priest ("Hamlet's" Kenneth Branagh) about
marital troubles. Romantic complications
ensue. BIythe Danner and Neil Patrick Harris
co-star. Lesli Linka Clatter ("Now and Then")
directs; Rick Ramage scripts; Ted Field, Scott
Kroopf and Diane Nabatoff produce for Interscope.
(Cramercy, March 27 ltd, 4/24 wide)
Exploitips: More controversy^: Grievances
could come from the Catholic groups that
contested TV's "Nothing Sacred," given this
film's priest-wife imbroglio. Once a fall and
then January title, "Tempting Fate" now faces
tougher arthouse competition in a month
that's chockful of specialized fare. To maximize
turnout, emphasize the Branagh name.
A Price Above Rubies
A young Hasidic woman ("Jerry Maguire's"
Renee Zellweger) defies her husband (Glenn
Fitzgerald) and community when she takes a
job—and then falls in love with a Puerto Rican
artist ("Jason's Lyric's" Allen Payne). Christopher
Eccleston ("Jude") co-stars. Boaz Yakin
("Fresh") directs; John Penotti produces.
(Miramax, 3/27 NY/LA, 4/3 exp top 40)
Exploitips: Even more controversy: Director
Yakin, a former yeshiva student, had New
York filming disrupted by local Hasidim.
Yakin was quoted as saying, "That's nothing
compared to how p
— ed off they're going to
be when they see this film. " The conservative
Jewish sect, which also disapproves of the
cinema in general, certainly won't appreciate
the R rating (for sexuality and brief language)
for the project, originally called "A Price
Below Rubies. " Will ensuing controversy hinder
or help at the so-busy 3/27 weekend
boxoffice? Expect the latter, given the
Weinsteins' expertise with publicity.
Eden
A 1960s housewife ("Phantoms'" Joanna
Going) confined by marriage, the times and
disease starts to have out-of-body experiences.
Dylan Walsh ("Congo") and Sean Patrick
Flanery ("The Grass Harp") co-star.
Howard Goldberg directs and scripts; Harvey
Kahn produces. (Legacy, 3/27 ltd)
Exploitips: Most of the date's new arthouse
offerings appeal equally if not primarily to
females. Still, go with that strength here.
James Eliroy: Demon Dog of
American Crime Fiction
JamesEllroy, author of "L.A. Confidential,"
gives a tour of the dark underbelly of L.A. and
the dark underbelly of his personality as he
drives an old Cadillac convertible through the
City of Angels in this documentary by
Reinhard Judd. (First Run, 3/25 NY)
Exploitips: Although this is a 1993 work, it
could draw extra 1998 attention if the Curtis
Hanson film goes on to Oscar honors this
March. Probably not citably. City Voice
called this a "fiend-crammed, Byzantine tour
conducted by the relentless self-promoter,
former drunk, pantie sniffer and author of a
body of writing without parallel. "
MARCH UNDATED
IVIajor League 3
In a reworking of this minor-league film
franchise, Scott Bakula ("Lord of Illusions")
stars as a burned-out pitcher named Gus
who realizes it's time to hang up his glove.
When the owner of the Minnesota Twins
(series regular Corbin Bernsen) offers to
make him the manager of the Twins' Triple-
A team, Gus accepts—only to find a ragtag
bunch of misfits awaiting. Dennis Haysbert
and Takaaki Ishibashi sign up again as costars.
John Warren (who scripted "Naked in
New York") directs and scripts; James G.
Robinson produces for his Morgan Creek.
(Warner Bros., March undated)
Exploitips: "Major League" did decent
business, but part 2 tanked. Yet the March
dating could work, in that news from the
spring training camps could excite interest.
This lacks Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen,
though, so expect a cap on final boxoffice.
Caria's Song
In this British romantic drama (in English
and subtitled Spanish), a chance encounter
leads George, a Glasgow bus driver ("The Full
Monty's" Robert Carlyle), to fall in love with
a Nicaraguan emigre (Oyanka Cabezas)
named Carla. Caria conceals a painful secret;
to unearth it, George accompanies her to her
homeland, where a disaffected ex-CIA operative
(Scott Glenn) acquaints him with American
atrocities. Ken Loach ("Land and
Freedom") directs; Paul Loverty scripts; Sally
Hibbin produces. (Shadow, March undated)
Exploitips: Our Cannes critic (Oct. '97
issue) gives this three stars, saying "Loach has
fashioned a moving, rhapsodic love story of
two people from vastly different worlds. Part
political thriller, part psychodrama, the film
boasts a superb performance by Carlyle.
I Tliink I Do
A screwball comedy with a modern twist
(the fussin' lovers are the same gender), "I
Think I Do" tells the story of two ex-college
roommates who remember each other as an
unrequited love and who meet five years
later at a wedding. Various expected and
unexpected sparks among various partiers
begin to fly. Alexis Arquette, Maddie Corman
and Guillermo Diaz star. Brian Sloan directs
and scripts; Lane Janger ("I Like It Like That")
prcxJuces. (Strand, March undated)
Exploitips: Filmmaker Sloan says he conceived
of his seven main characters as "a
sort of college version of the Island of Misfit
Toys from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
Though this might not play in Peoria,
"I Think I Do's" script was strong enough to
get Strand's Marcus Hu and Jon Cerrans to
guarantee distribution. Expect decent specialized
marks.
^B
16 BOXOI'TICE

NOT ALL DIGITAL SOUND
SYSTEMS ARE EQUAL
"What separates SDDS from any other digital format is
the spread of sound, especially music, giving a sense of
scope and richness that no other format can match."
BARRY SONNENFELD
Director
MEN IN BLACK
Biggest Picture of 1
997
Hear the difference
Sony Dynamic
Digital Sounds
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BOXOFFICE'S
1998 BLUE RIBBON
AWARDS
Do you consider yourself an obvious candidate for the Academy Award judging
panel? Are you an ever-flowing font of movie critiques? Boxoffice knows that
no one is more passionate— or opinionated — about films than the people who
show them. Here's your chance to let the voice of exhibition be heard! Following
is a list of films released in 1997. Using the ballot provided, cast your vote
for the Best, Worst and Most Popular films of the year. Space is also provided
for your commentary on the releases of '97. BE SURE TO MAIL YOUR BALLOT
NO LATER THAN FEB. 5. Results will be published in our April 1998 issue.
1. ABSOLUTE POWER. Clint Eastwood,
Gene Hackman (Columbia)
2. ADDICTED TO LOVE. Meg Ryan,
Matthew Broderick (Warner)
3. AIR BUD. Kevin Zegers (Buena Vista)
4. AIR FORCE ONE. Harrison Ford,
Gary Oldman, Glenn Close (Columbia)
5. ALIEN RESURRECTION. Sigourney
Weaver, Winona Ryder (Fox)
6. ALIVE AND KICKING. Jason Flemyng
(First Look)
7. ALL OVER ME. Alison Foland, Tara
Subkoff (Fine Line)
8. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN
PARIS. Julie Delpy, Tom Everett Scott
(Buena Vista)
9. AMISTAD. Morgan Freeman, Matthew
McConaughey (DreamWorks)
10. ANACONDA. Jennifer Lopez, Ice
Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz (Columbia)
11. ANASTASIA. Voices: Meg Ryan,
John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd (Fox)
12. APOSTLE. Robert Duvall (October)
13. AS GOOD AS IT GETS. Jack Nicholson,
Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear (TriStar)
14. THE ASSIGNMENT. Aidan Quinn,
Donald Sutherland, Ben Kingsley (Triumph)
15. AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNA-
TIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY. Mike Myers,
Elizabeth Hurley (New Line)
16. B.A.P.s. Halle Berry, Natalie
Deselle, Martin Landau (New Line)
17. BATMAN AND ROBIN. George
Clooney, Arnold Schwarzent?gger (Warner)
18. BEAN. Rowan Atkinson (Gramercy)
19. BEAUMARCHAIS THE SCOUN-
DREL. Fabrice Luchini (New Yorker)
20. BEAUTICIAN AND THE BEAST.
Fran Drescher, Timothy Dalton (Paramount)
21. BENT. Lolhaire Bluteau (MGM)
22. BEVERLY HILLS NIN|A. Chris Farley
(TrIStar)
23. BLISS. Craig Sheffer (Triumph)
24. BLOOD & WINE. Jack Nicholson,
Stephen Dorff (Fox Searchlight)
25. BOOGIE NIGHTS. Mark Wahlberg,
Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds (New Line)
26. BOOTY CALL. Jamie Foxx, Tommy
Davidson, Vivica A. Fox (Columbia)
27. THE BOXER. Daniel Day-Lewis,
Emily Watson (Universal)
28. BRASSED OFF. Pete Postlethwaite,
Tara Fitzgerald, Ewan McGregor (Miramax)
29. BREAKDOWN. Kurt Russell, Kathleen
Quinlan, J.T. Walsh (Paramount)
30. BROKEN ENGLISH. Alexsandra
Vujcic, Rade Serbedzija (Sony Classics)
31. BUDDY. Rene Russo (Columbia)
32. CAREER GIRLS. Katrin Cartlidge,
Lynda Steadman (October)
33. CATS DON'T DANCE. Voice: Scott
Bakula (Warner)
34. CHASING AMY. Ben Affleck, Joey
Lauren Adams, Jason Lee (Miramax)
35. A CHEF IN LOVE. Pierre Richard
(Sony Classics)
36. CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION.
Judy Davis, Sam Neill (Miramax)
37. CITY OF INDUSTRY. Harvey Keitel,
Famke Janssen (Orion)
38. COMMANDMENTS. Aidan Quinn,
Courteney Cox (Gramercy)
39. CON AIR. Nicolas Cage, John
Malkovich, John Cusack (Buena Vista)
40. CONSPIRACY THEORY. Mel Gibson,
Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart (Warner)
41. CONTACT. Jodie Foster, Matthew
McConaughey, James Woods (Warner)
42. COPLAND. Sylvester Stallone, Ray
Liotta, Harvey Keitel (Miramax)
43. CRASH. James Spader, Hoi ly Hunter
(Fine Line)
44. CRITICAL CARE. James Spader, Kyra
Sedgwick, Albert Brooks (Live)
45. DANCEHALL QUEEN. (Island)
46. DANGEROUS GROUND. Ice
Cube, Elizabeth Hurley (New Line)
47. DANTE'S PEAK. Pierce Brosnan,
Linda Hamilton (Universal)
48. THE DAYTRIPPERS. Liev Schreiber,
Stanley Tucci, Parker Posey (CFP)
49. DECONSTRUCTING HARRY.
Woody Allen, Billy Crystal (Fine Line)
50. THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE. Keanu
Reeves, Al Pacino (Warner)
51. THE DEVIL'S OWN. Harrison Ford,
Brad Pitt (Columbia)
52. DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS. Steven
Mackintosh, Rupert Graves (First Look)
53. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GARCIA
LORCA. Esai Morales, Andy Garcia (Triumph)
54. DONNIE BRASCO. Al Pacino,
Johnny Depp, Anne Heche (TriStar)
55. DOUBLE TEAM. Jean-Claude Van
Damme, Dennis Rodman (Columbia)
56. DREAM WITH THE FISHES. David
Arquette, Brad Hunt (Sony Classics)
57. THE EDGE. Anthony Hopkins, Alec
Baldwin, ElleMacpherson (Fox)
58. THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE.
James Cromwell (Paramount)
59. 8 HEADS IN A DUFFLEBAG. joe
Pesci, David Spade (Orion)
60. THE END OF VIOLENCE. Bill Pullman,
Andie MacDowell (MGM)
61. EVENT HORIZON. Laurence
Fishburne, Kathleen Quinlan (Paramount)
62. EVE'S BAYOU. Samuel L. Jackson,
Lynn Whitfield (Trimark)
63. EXCESS BAGGAGE. Alicia
Silverstone, Benicio Del Toro (Columbia)
64. FACE/OFF. )ohn Travolta, Nicolas
Cage, Joan Allen (Paramount)
65. FAIRYTALE: A TRUE STORY. Florence
Hoath, Elizabeth Earl (Paramount)

February, 1998 19
66. FAST, CHEAP & OUT
OF CONTROL. Dir: Errol Morris
(Sony Classics)
67. FATHERS' DAY. Robin
Williams, Billy Crystal,
Natassja Kinski (Warner)
68. FEMALE PERVER-
SIONS. Tilda Swinton, Karen
Sillas (October)
69. FIERCE CREATURES.
John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis,
Kevin Kline (Universal)
70. THE FIFTH ELEMENT.
Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman,
Milla Jovovich (Columbia)
71. FIRE DOWN BELOW.
Steven Seagal (Warner)
72. FIRST STRIKE. Jackie
Chan (New Line)
73. FLUBBER. Robin Williams
(Buena Vista)
74. FOOLS RUSH IN. Mat
thew Perry, Salma Hayek (Columbia)
75. FOR RICHER OR
POORER. Tim Allen,
Alley (Universal)
Kirstie
76. FOR ROSEANNA. Jean
Reno, Mercedes Ruehl, Polly
Walker (Fine Line)
77. FREE WILLY 3. Jason
James Richter. (Warner)
78. THE FULL MONTY.
Robert Carlyle (Fox Searchlight)
79. THE GAME. Michael
Douglas, Sean Penn (Polygram)
80. GANG RELATED. James
Belushi, Tupac Shakur.
(MGM/Orion)
81 . CATTACA. Ethan Hawke,
Uma Thurman (Columbia)
82. GEORGE OF THE JUN-
GLE. Brendan Eraser, Leslie
Mann (Buena Vista)
83. G.I. JANE. Demi Moore
(Buena Vista)
84. GOING ALL THE WAY.
Ben Affleck, Amy Locane.
(Gramercy)
85. GONE FISHIN'. Joe
Pesci, Danny Glover. (Buena
Vista)
86. GOOD BURGER. Kel
Mitchell, Kenan Thompson.
(Paramount)
87. GOOD WILL HUNT-
ING. Matt Damon, Robin Williams,
Ben Affleck (Miramax)
88. GREAT EXPECTA-
TIONS. Robert DeNiro,
Gwyneth Paltrow (Fox)
89. GRIDLOCK'D. Tim
Roth, Tupak Shakur (Gramercy)
90. GRIZZLY MOUNTAIN.
Dan Haggerty (Legacy)
91. GROSSE POINTE
BLANK. John Cusack, Minnie
Driver (Buena Vista)
92. GUANTANAMERA.
Carlos Cruz (CEP)
93.HARD8.JohnC. Reilly,
Samuel L. Jackson, Gvk'yneth
Paltrow (Goldwyn)
94. HEAD ABOVE WATER.
Cameron Diaz (Fine Line)
95. HERCULES. Voices:
Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito,
James Woods (Buena Vitsta)
96. HOME ALONE 3. Alex
D. Linz (Fox)
97. HOODLUM. Laurence
Eishburne, Tim Roth (UA)
98. HOTEL DE LOVE. Aden
Young, Saffron Burrows (Live)
99. THE HOUSE OF YES.
Parker Posey (Miramax)
100. HOW TO BE A
PLAYER. Bill Bellamy (Gramercy)
101. HUGO POOL. Alyssa
Milano, Robert Downey Jr.
(Northern Arts)
102. THE ICE STORM.
Kevin Kline, Sigourney
Weaver (Fox Searchlight)
103. I KNOW WHAT YOU
DID LAST SUMMER. Jennifer
Love Hewitt (Columbia)
104. I LOVE YOU, I LOVE
YOU NOT. Claire Danes,
Jeanne Moreau (CFP)
105. IN &OUT. Kevin Kline,
Joan Cusack (Paramount)
106. IN THE COMPANY
OF MEN. Aaron Eckhart, Matt
Malloy (Sony Classics)
107. INVENTING THE AB-
BOTTS. Liv Tyler, Joaquin
Phoenix, Joanna Going (Fox)
108. THE JACKAL. Bruce
Willis, Richard Gere (Universal)
109. JACKIE BROWN. Pam
Grier, Samuel L. Jackson,
Bridget Fonda (Miramax)
110. JULIAN PO. Christian
Slater (Fine Line)
111. JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE.
Tim Allen, Sam Huntington
(Buena Vista)
112. KAMA SUTRA. Sarita
Choudhury (Trimark)
113. KICKED IN THE
HEAD. Kevin Corrigan, Linda
Fiorentino (October)
114. KISSED. Molly Parker
(Goldwyn)
115. KISS ME, GUIDO.
Nick Scotti (Paramount)
116. KISS OR KILL. Frances
O'Conner, Matt Day (October)
117. KISS THE GIRLS. Morgan
Freeman, Ashley Judd
(Paramount)
118. KOLYA. Zdenek
Sverak (Miramax)
119. KULL THE CON-
QUEROR. Kevin Sorbo, Tia
Carrere (Universal)
120. KUNDUN. Tenzin
Thuthob Tsarong. (Buena
Vista)
121. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.
Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger,
Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce
(Warner)
122. THE LAST TIME I
SUICIDE.
COMMITTED
Keanu Reeves (Roxie)
Continued on page 20
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Response No. 206

20 BoXflKKU'K
Continued from page 19
123. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. Christopher
Macdonald, Janine Turner (Universal)
124. LEO TOLSTOY'S ANNA
KARENINA. Sophie Marceau (Warner)
125. LIAR LIAR. Jim Carrey (Universal)
1 26. A LIFE LESS ORDINARY. Cameron
Diaz, Ewan McGregor (Fox)
127. LOST HIGHWAY. Bill Pullman,
Patricia Arquette (October)
128. THE LOST WORLD. Jeff Coldblum,
Julianne Moore (Universal)
129. LOVE JONES. Larenz Tate, Nia
Long (New Line)
130. LOVE SERENADE. Miranda Otto,
Rebecca Frith, George Shevtsov (Miramax)
131. LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!
Jason Alexander, John Glover (Fine Line)
132. MAD CITY. Dustin Hoffman, John
Travolta, Mia Kirshner (Warner)
133. THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LIT-
TLE. Bill Murray, Joanne Whalley (Warner)
134. MASTERMINDS. Patrick Stewart,
Vincent Kartheiser (Triumph)
135. THE MATCHMAKER. Janeane
Garofalo, Denis Leary (Gramercy)
136. MA VIE EN ROSE. Michele
Laroque (Sony Classics)
137. MCHALE'S NAVY. Tom Arnold,
Tim Curry (Universal)
138. MEET WALLY SPARKS. Rodney
Dangerfield (Trimark)
139. MEN IN BLACK. Tommy Lee
Jones, Will Smith (Columbia)
140. METRO. Eddie Murphy, Michael
Rapaport (Buena Vista)
141. MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF
GOOD AND EVIL. John Cusack, Kevin
Spacey, Jude Law (Warner)
142. MIMIC. Mira Sorvino (Miramax)
143. MONEY TALKS. Charlie Sheen,
Chris Tucker (New Line)
144. MOST WANTED. Keenen Ivory
Wayans, Jon Voight (New Line)
145. MOTHER AND WHORE. Jean-
Pierre Leaud. (Artificial Eye)
146. MOUSEHUNT. Nathan Lane, Lee
Evans. (DreamWorks)
147. MR. MAGOO. Leslie Nielsen,
Kelly Lynch (Buena Vista)
148. MRS. BROWN. Judi Dench, Billy
Connolly (Miramax)
149. MURDER AT 1600. Wesley
Snipes, Diane Lane (Warner)
150. MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING.
Julia Roberts, Rupert Everett (TriStar)
151. THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS.
BIythe Danner (Sony Classics)
152. NAPOLEAN. Jamie Craft
(MGM/Goldwyn)
1 53. NICK AND JANE. Dana Wheeler-
Nicholson (CFP/Avalance)
1 54. NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTAN.
Andy Garcia, Richard Dreyfuss (Paramount)
155. NOTHING TO LOSE. Tim Robbins,
Martin Lawrence (Buena Vista)
156. NUEBA YOL 3. Luisito Marti (New
Line)
157. OFFICE KILLER. Carol Kane,
Jeanne Tripplehorn (Strand)
158. 187. Samuel L. Jackson (Warner)
159. ONE NIGHT STAND. Wesley
Snipes, Natassja Kinski (New Line)
160. OPERATION CONDOR. Jackie
Chan (Miramax)
161. OSCAR & LUCINDA. Ralph
Fiennes, Cate Blanchette (Fox Searchlight)
1 62. OUT TO SEA. Jack Lemmon, Walter
Matthau, Brent Spiner (Fox)
1 63. PAPERBACK ROMANCE. Anthony
LaPaglia, Cia Carides (Goldwyn)
164. PARADISE ROAD. Glenn Close,
Frances McDormand (Fox Searchlight)
165. THE PEACEMAKER. George
Clooney, Nicole Kidman (DreamWorks)
1 66. THE PEST. John Leguizamo, Jeffrey
Jones (TriStar)
167. PICTURE PERFECT. Jennifer Aniston,
Kevin Bacon, Jay Mohr (Fox)
168. THE PILLOW BOOK. Vivian Wu,
Ewan McGregor (CFP)
169. PIPPI LONGSTOCKING. Voices:
Melissa Altro, Catherine O'Hara (Legacy)
170. PLAYING GOD. David
Duchovny, Angelina Joiie (Buena Vista)
171. PONETTE. Victorie Thivisol
(Arrow)
172. THE POSTMAN. Kevin Costner,
Olivia Williams (Warner)
173. PREFONTAINE.Jared Leto (Buena
Vista)
174. PRISONER OF THE MOUN-
TAINS. Gleg Menshikov (Orion Classics)
175. PRIVATE PARTS. Howard Stern,
Mary McCormack (Paramount)
1 76. THE QUIET ROOM. Chloe Ferguson
(Fine Line)
177. THE RAINMAKER. Matt Damon,
Jon Voight, Claire Danes (Paramount)
178. RED CORNER. Richard Gere, Bai
Ling(MGM)
179. THE RELIC. Penelope Ann Miller,
Tom Sizemore (Paramount)
180. RHYME AND REASON. Dir: Peter
Spirer (Miramax)
181. ROCKETMAN. Harland Williams
(Buena Vista)
182. ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH
SCHOOL REUNION. Lisa Kudrow, Mira
Sorvino (Buena Vista)
183. ROSEWOOD. Jon Voight, Ving
Rhames, Don Cheadle (Warner)
184. ROUGH MAGIC. Bridget Fonda,
Russell Crowe (Goldwyn)
185. THE SAINT. Val Kilmer, Elizabeth
Shue (Paramount)
186. SCREAM 2. Neve Campbell,
Courteney Cox (Miramax)
187. THE SECOND JUNGLE BOOK.
Jamie Williams, Bill Campbell (TriStar)
188. SELENA. Jennifer Lopez (Warner)
189. SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET. Brad Pitt,
David Thewlis (TriStar)
1 90. SHADOW CONSPIRACY. Charlie
Sheen, Donald Sutherland (Buena Vista)
191. SHALL WE DANCE? Koji Yasuyo
(Miramax)
192. SHE'S SO LOVELY. Sean Penn,
Robin Wright Penn (Miramax)
1 93. SHILOH. Michael Moriarty (Legacy)
194. A SIMPLE WISH. Mara Wilson,
Martin Short, Kathleen Turner (Universal)
195. THE 6TH MAN. Marlon Wayans
(Buena Vista)
196. SLAVES TO THE UNDER-
GROUND. Molly Gross (First Look)
197. A SMILE LIKE YOURS. Greg
KInnear, Lauren Holly (Paramount)
198. SMILLA'S SENSE OF SNOW. Julia
Ormond, Gabriel Byrne (Fox Searchlight)
199. SOUL FOOD. Vanessa L. Williams,
Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long (Fox)
200. SPAWN. Michael Jai White, John
Leguizamo (New Line)
201 . SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL. Sandra
Bullock, Jason Patric (Fox)
202. SPRUNG. Rusty Cundieff (Trimark)
203. STAR MAPS. Douglas Spain (Fox
Searchlight)
204. STARSHIP TROOPERS. Casper
Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey (TriStar)
205. STEEL. Shaquille O'Neal (Warner)
206.SUBURBIA. Giovanni Ribisi, Steve
Zahn, Parker Posey (Sony Classics)
207. SUNDAY. David Suchet (CFP)
208. THE SWAN PRINCESS II. Voice:
Michelle Nicastro (Legacy)
209. THE SWEET HEREAFTER. Ian
Holm (Fine Line)
210. SWITCHBACK. Dennis Quaid,
Danny Glover, Jared Leto (Paramount)
211. TANGO LESSON. Sally Potter
(Sony Classics)
212. TELLING LIES IN AMERICA. Kevin
Bacon, Brad Renfro (Banner)
213. TEMPTRESS MOON. Leslie
Cheung, Gong Li (Miramax)
21 4. THAT DARN CAT. Christina Ricci,
Doug E. Doug (Buena Vista)
215. THAT OLD FEELING. Bette Midler,
Dennis Farina (Universal)
216. THIS WORLD, THEN THE FIRE-
WORKS. Billy Zane (Orion Classics)
217. A THOUSAND ACRES. Jessica
Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer (Buena Vista)
218. 'TIL THERE WAS YOU. Jeanne
Tripplehorn (Paramount)
219. TITANIC. Leonardo DiCaprio,
Kate Winslet, Billy Zane (Paramount)
220. TOMORROW NEVER DIES.
Pierce Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh (UA)
221 . TOUCH. Bridget Fonda (MGM)
222. TRAVELLER. Bill Paxton, Julianna
Margulies, Mark Wahlberg (October)
223. TRIAL AND ERROR. Michael
Richards, Jeff Daniels (New Line)
224. TURBO: POWER RANGERS. Jason
David Frank (Fox)
225. TURBULENCE. Ray Liotta (MGM)
226. ULEE'S COLD. Peter Fonda
(Orion)
227. U-TURN. Jennifer Lopez, Sean Penn,
Nick Nolte, Billy Bob Thornton (TriStar)
228. THE VAN. Colm Meaney (Fox
Searchlight)
229. VEGAS VACATION. Chevy Chase,
Beverly D'Angelo (Warner)
230. VOLCANO. Tommy Lee Jones (Fox)
231. WARRIORS OF VIRTUE. Angus
MacFadyen (MGM)
232. WASHINGTON SQUARE. Jennifer
Jason Leigh, Ben Chaplin (Buena Vista)
233. WELCOME TO SARAJEVO. Stephen
Dillane, Woody Harrelson (Miramax)
234. WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY. Garance
Clavel (Sony Classics)
235. WILD AMERICA. Jonathan Taylor
Thomas (Warner)
236. THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.
Terry Jones (Columbia)
237. WINGS OF THE DOVE. Helena
Bonham Carter, Linus Roach (Miramax)
238. WINTER GUEST. Emma Thompson,
Phyllida Law (Fine Line)
239. WISHMASTER. Tammy Lauren (Live)
240. YEAR OF THE HORSE. Neil
Young. Dir: Jim Jarmusch (October)
241. ZEUS AND ROXANNE. Steve
Guttenberg, Kathleen Quinlan (MGM) ^|

February, 1998 21
Sneak Preview ^^^^
BACK ON TRACK
Screenwriting Legend Robert
Towne Returns to the Director's
Chairfor ^*Without Limits''
by Wade Major
TRACK MEETING: Billy Crudup plays legendary track star
Steve Prefontaine for director Robert Towne in 'Without Limits.'
With
the scripts for such
legendary and classic
films as "Chinatown,"
"The Last Detail," "Shampoo"
and "Greystoke: The Legend of
Tarzan" to his credit, Robert
Towne has no shortage of accomplishments
of which to be proud.
On this day, however, it is a remarkable
bit of directorial prowess
that has him beaming. He fast
forwards a videotaped dupe of his
latest film, "Without Limits,"
based on the life offamed distance
runner Steve Prefontaine, to the
climactic 5,000-meter race at the
1972 Munich Olympics. As the
race nears its final stages, Towne
calls out the cuts, which alternate
seamlessly between actual 35mm
footage of the race and his own
recreation of the event. 'That's
Steve. That's Billy. And that's
Steve. Now, that's Billy."
Billy, in this case, is Billy
Cmdup, a previously little known
Broadway star hand-picked by
Towne to incarnate one of the
most admired and beloved athletes
of all time. So flawless is
Cmdup's mimicry of Prefontaine's
unmistakable running style, and
so meticulous is Towne's staging
of the race, that most audiences
will likely never recognize the
juxtaposition.
"Because Disney wouldn't let
us use ABC's coverage, we were
stuck for footage of the race," he
explains. "But then we found, in
the vault at Wamer Bros., outtakes
from [the 1972 Olympics documentary]
'Visions of Eight.'
Among them we found two sections
that were never done, and
one of those was of that 5,000-
meter race. So we were very
lucky because we found perfect,
unexposed 35mm film of
that race that had never been
put into any other film. The
result is that you have full
shots of Munich stadium and
shots of Steve waist-high that
cut to Billy and back, and you
can't tell the difference."
Towne's perfectionism as
both a screenwriter and a director
is legendary, despite his
infiiequent efforts from behind the
camera. "Without Limits," in fact,
marks only his third outing as a
director after 1982's "Personal
Besf ' and 1988's 'Tequila Sunrise."
By his own admission,
"Without Limits" is closer to
Towne's heart than either of his
previous films, the culmination of
a journey that began some 20
years ago when Kenny Moore, a
friend of the late Prefontaine and
a champion runner in his own
right,
approached Towne about
filming Steve's story. Preoccupied
with another project, Towne
let the idea lapse until he and
Moore met again three years later
on the set of Towne's track-andfield
themed "Personal Best." As
Towne's and Moore's friendship
matured, the film that would
emerge two decades later began to
take shqje.
Known as simply "Pre" to his
friends and fans, Steve Prefontaine
would have been an anomaly
in any sport. His mercurial
personality, spirited arrogance
and dazzling style had made him
a rising star even before he accepted
the njtelage of legendary
University of Oregon coach Bill
Bowerman, played in the film by
Donald Sutherland. Equally as
passionate off the track. Pre also
became one of the first and most
vocal opponents of the now defunct
Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU), challenging what he considered
its questionable methods
and shady ethics at a time when
the organization was thought respectable.
But Prefontaine would
never hve to see his prime or the
AAU'sdemise. Just one year prior
to the start of the 1976 Montreal
Olympics, at which he was expected
to take the gold medal that
had eluded him in Munich, Steve
Prefontaine was killed in an automobile
accident.
"If he had won the big race and
if he'd gotten the girl and if he'd
*'Ifhe had won the big
race and if he 'd gotten
the girl and if he'd
survived, it wouldn 't be
a story worth telling.
He was a tragic hero...
his reach always
exceeded his grasp. "
survived," reflects Towne, "it
wouldn't be a story worth telling.
He was a tragic hero, really, in the
sense that his reach always exceeded
his grasp. That's the thing
people loved most about him. Unlike
most distance runners, he
wasn't introspective, he was not
shy. He let it
all hang out. He let
them see the pain that he was in
and the effort he was making. And
he hit them with the incandescence
of a rock star."
Key to the success of "Without
Limits," says Towne, was the
close involvement of both Bowerman
and Prefontaine's then
girlfriend, Mary Marckx, both of
whom cooperated closely with
Towne and the film's producers to
help lend the film the greatest possible
sense of authenticity. Mary
provided Towne with more than
200 personal letters from Steve
while Bowerman, who would
later found the athletic-wear gjant
Nike based on his homemade running
shoe designs, went so far as
to volunteer his home as a shooting
location. "If Bill had not lived
and been so conspicuously the
giant that he is," says Towne,
"Steve's legend would not have
survived. Bill was ready to keep it
alive. And that goes to the heart of
this movie. It's nsally about the relationship
between these two men."
Nor does Towne shy from sharing
the glory with Crudup, whom
he graciously credits with literally
bringing Steve's legend to life.
"I'd heard that Billy had been on
Broadway in a play called 'Arcadia,'
and that he'd won Best Newcomer
of the Year, although that
meant nodiing to me because I
hadn't seen him. So I went to the
Regency to meet him on this
crowded Sunday morning. And
when 1 finally saw him, in this chair,
leaning up against a wall, he just
waved. There was something so
sweetly arrogant about him watching
me try to find him, that in that
moment I said, 'You're cast'"
Summing up the essence of
the film's message, Towne defers
to a Une fk)m the film in
which Sutherland says that
there is "more honor in outrunning
a man than killing him."
Says Towne, "I beUeve that's
what the Olympics are about.
I believe that sport, at its best,
is the development of a ritual
with very specific rules that
allow men to take out their
hostiUty, their anger, their aggression
by celebrating their respective
skills and not by doing physical
harm to one another. I don't know
a better thing to do."
"Without Limits. "
HH
Starring
Billy Crudup and Donald Sutherland
Directed by Robert Towne.
Written by Robert Towne and
Kenny Moore. Produced by Tom
Cruise and Paula Wagner. A
Wamer release. Opens March 27.

22 BuxoFnce
Cover
"SPHERE" OF INFLUENCE
Having a Ball With Dustin Hoffman
in a meeting—but he'd like you to go in," Dustin Hoffman's
He's
assistant infomis BOXOFFICE with a slightiy puzzled tone in
her voice. Sure, it's not the normal etiquette, but Hoffman soon
makes it evident he's not one to stand on formalities. We're at Hoffman's
Brentwood, Calif.-based Punch Productions offices, named for the
famed oft-battered puppet. ("I always thought that I was like Punch,"
explains Hoffman. "I've got a big nose, bad posture. Got whacked
around when I was in school.")
"Are you comfy-wumfy?" Hoffman queries as BOXOFFICE settles
onto a couch. It's becoming more and more apparent that this isn't going
to be your typical celebrity interview. Actor Adrien Brody, the person
whose meeting is being interloped, is introduced.
"Now he 's who you should be interviewing,"
says Hoffman. As it turns out.
that is exactiy what happens, as the young
star of the upcoming Terrence Malickhelmed
"The Thin Red Line" is invited to
stay and take part in the proceedings.
The intended topic at hand is the Hoffman
starrer "Sphere," Warner's sci-fi
thriller based on Michael Crichton's novel
about a team of scientists investigating a
spacecraft that's been submerged underwater
for hundreds of years. Keeping on
this subject, however, turns out to be nearly
impossible. Hoffman's mile-a-minutc
mind juggles multitudinous subjects, philosophies,
book recommendations, and
even hangover remedies with Tesla-caliber
simultaneity, while BOXOFnCE and
Brody race to keep up. ("I have to take
notes!" Brody cries at one point.) We leam
of Hoffman's past employment as a psychiatric
hospital attendant (his job was to
hold people down while they received
shock treatment); we hear tell of his children and their exploits in acting,
writing, music and painting; we're enlightened with scientific and
esoteric musings; we're paternally admonished for not having read this
book or seen that movie; and we're told a few unforgettably twisted
jokes, all frequently punctuated with that quick, quirky Hoffman smile.
An actor with one of the most renowned and diverse character
repertoires in film history, Hoffman seems to be a culmination of his
character studies, demonstrating a passion for analysis, an unquenchable
thirst for knowledge and a mentor-like desire to share his knowledge
with others. This unique interview scenario affords the opportunity to view
the two-ti me Oscar winner in one ofhis most astounding roles—him.self
The conversation begins before the tape recorder's even rolling.
Hoffman is recoiling as he is offered a copy of BOXOFFICE's "Mad
City" article. Before a single question can be asked, Hoffman's olTand
running on the subject of the business side of filmmaking.
HOFFMAN: It's alarming. It's not the first movie that didn't do well.
But it's alarming because when I was his age | indicating Brody], it was
a different business. Less of a business. Adricn's 24. So when I was 24,
that was '61
.
I'm (i). In 1%I, there was no such thing as Number 1, 2, 3 at
by Christine James
the boxoffice. The public knows it now. [Before it was] never in the
papers, what the grosses were. Only studio heads talked about those
things. It was the inside. There's no inside anymore. ["Sphere" director
Barry Levinson said], "When my mother in Boca Raton, Florida knows
what something grossed, there's no inside." So if it's 1, 2, 3, and you
don't make 1 , 2, 3, you don't make 4, you don't make 5. It's the first
weekend. That didn't exist. That never existed before. If you don't open
the first weekend, you're gone.
BRODY: The problem for me is [choosing caieer-making roles or
interesting roles].
HOFTMAN: Here's the mb. Now you have a stronger puU than you
had when I was your age. Now it's deciding
between a career and a life of your work.
BOXOFnCE: Yet you made some very
interesting choices that would not necessarily
have been career-makers, but
that's what they turned out to be. For
example, who would have thought a film
like "Midnight Cowboy" would become
such a success?
HOFFMAN: People called me up, including
['The Graduate" director] Mike
Nichols, and .said "You're crazy. He's not
an attractive guy, and it's a supporting role.
You can't do it." You have to go after what
brought you into it to begin with.
BOXOFHCE: Is that what you're
doing with your production company?
HOFFMAN: One of the reasons I want
10 produce now is, as 1 get older now and I
see material, I say "Oop, too old to play that.
Oop, can't do that." So, it hurts to realize
that as you get older it becomes narrow. I
could play older, I could play younger Now
I can only play older! [laughs] I can't play
younger. The parts narrow. Having a company that produces material
you can no longer act in because you're too old is saying, "Don't tell
me 1 can't do this movie!" [laughs] That's the philosophy, [laughs]
BOXOFFICE: Though you of all people should know the powers
of prosthetic makeup. I remember a quote of yours about how you
wanted your tombstone to read...
HOFFMAN: "1 knew this was going to happen."
BRODY: That's good! Lighten the mood every time someone
comes to visit.
HOFFMAN: He knows. His re.spon.se is an actor's response. Because
that's what we're put here for. To give you a kick.
BRODY: Still invoke a reaction, even when you die. You want the
right reaction. "Let's not visit Mom, let's visit Dustin!"
BOXOFFICE: In "Sphere," you play a psychologist. Was it your
predilection for examining people's minds and motivations that
drew you to the project?
HOFFMAN: No, not initially. Barry Levinson is the one director
that I've done the most movies with. I've done four movies with him
("Rain Man," "Sleepers," "Wag the Dog" and "Sphere"]. If he's directing,
I
automatically say "Is there a part for me?" Arthur Miller once

'
Fphmarv 1 00«
'>'«
talked about how cruel critics can be
sometimes. He said, "They forget
what it'scalled. It's called aplay. If it's
a play, why are we making something
so serious about it?" We get on stage
and we play. It shouldn't be work, it
should be play. Not just is it going to
be a hit, career, this, that. So when you
work with a director, I can say, "Yeah,
I like to play with Barry."
BOXOFTICE: Describe what
your character is about in
"Sphere."
HOFFMAN: There are
three
roles, myself and Samuel Jackson and
Sharon Stone. And Liev Schreiber's
in it,
and Peter Coyote. And we shot
it up north. I got my scuba license.
BOXOFnCE: Was the scuba certification
for "Sphere"?
HOFFMAN: Yes, they wouldn't
insure you otherwise.
BOXOFFICE: What sort of activities
were you doing underwater?
HOFFMAN: Going down, 20, 30
feet, for the underwater shooting
when we're entering this capsule.. .but
I don't like to say. 1 don't understand this age
we live in now. I know that when that movie
opened, 'Twister," the morning it opened,
there was the director on one of those shows
saying "Now this is real, but that cai' that's
going up isn't...," and I thought, "My god! The
magician's giving away his tricks!"
BRODY: I used to be a magician.
HOFFMAN: Ah! So was Woody Allen!
BRODY: He was, really?
HOFFMAN: Yes !
All right, where are we?
Come on, we have to do this now. [to Brody]:
You're tangenting all over the place!
BOXOFFICE: [to Brody]: It's aU you!
BRODY: Yeah, it is all me.
BOXOFTICE: So I guess you don't want
to tell me about any of the s{>ecial effects
used to create the creatures in "Sphere."
HOFFMAN: I don't even know, because I
know they're doing it now. They're CGIing it.
But I don't know how they're doing it.
BOXOFTICE: The book had some intriguing
descriptions ofsome unique sea creatures
that were mutations created by the
mind.
HOFFMAN: Nice idea, isn't it? What
you manifest becomes real. That's what psychosis
is. I think that's what interested Barry.
That the monsters and fear are the things that
we create.
BOXOFTICE: You were saying that you
basically were interested in this material
because Barry Levinson was involved.
HOFFMAN: That was the first thought for
me to do it. Then I read the book, and I had
never read a Michael Crichton book. And I was
surprised that it had an interesting spine. And
I guess I believe in what it's postulating.
Human beings have something no other—as
far as we know, we don't know about dolphins—we
have something no other organism
SCUBA DUPER: Hoffman and co-star Stiaron Stone plumb the depttis in "Sptiere.
has: the ability to imagine. That's where everything
starts from. And what we've done with
that gift is imagine things that hurt us.
[The book also brings to mind the fact that]
our country has spent more money, trillions, in
terms of outer space, and what it costs to make
a toilet in a spacecraft, we have spent less than
what it costs to make a toilet on undersea
exploration, which is the majority of our
planet. We don't know dick about what goes
"What it
costs to make
a toilet in a spacecraft,
we have spent less than
[that] on undersea
exploration, which is
the majority of our
planet."
on down there. We're not investigating it. So
that's kind of fascinating. We haven't explored.
This is our planet! We're out there, and
we don't seem to be interested [in our own
planet].
BOXOFTICE: The cast of "Sphere" is
interestingly eclectic:
you, Sharon Stone,
Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah...Can
you describe that whole dynamic?
HOFFMAN: It's just like any other movie.
We're actors and we come to woik and we
work. It was a wonderful acting experience. A
terrible experience for other reasons. I had
hayfever, and you don't want to go to Napa
Valley in the springtime. I didn't know it was
the hayfever hell capital of the world. I had to
have steroids fmaDy.
BOXOFTICE: I hope you didn't have
hayfever when you had to do the scuba part
HOFFMAN: Well, it was a concern. Anyway,
everybody got the flu because we were
working in water. It was a sick film—I hope
that doesn't get distorted. Everybody was sick,
[laughs] The acting was the best thing because
it was acting. It wasn't Uke doing an action
film. It was drama sex underwater We're actors,
all in a room. It was almost like doing a play.
BOXOFTICE: Have you seen any footage?
HOFFMAN: No. I looped it, and you see
a Uttle, but no.
BOXOFTICE: Do you have any impressions
about the film?
HOFFMAN: I've never been able to tell [if
a movie will be successful or not]. We had a
producer [who had seen footage from "Rain
Man" during production] who said it was a
disaster. We were so depressed, we didn't want
to finish the movie. "It was terrible and we
made a big mistake; Cruise's character is too
unsympathetic." So you never really know.
"Midnight Cowboy," I was sitting in a screening,
rows of people walked out. In blocks! Jon
VoighL Bob Balaban has oral sex with him in
the bathroom—whoosh!
BOXOFFICE: Do you feel any excitement
about being in a big sci-fi epic Crichton
movie?
HOFFMAN: I don't have any excitement
I've never had any excitement about that part
of it. The only memory I have is "The Graduate."
My first wife and I [went to the screening],
and I'd never seen it, and I sat in the
dark, and my teeth were chattering. Once it
started, my face, I remember, a close-up of
me was the first shot of the film. I'd never

seen my face on film! And my teeth started
chattering, and I didn't stop chattering till the
movie was over. The excitement! And my
heart was pounding! There was this incredible
excitement about it, it's going to open soon,
what's going to happen to me. I remember that
feeling. I'm nervous. You're always nervous.
But it's the excitement when you're working.
BRODY: Finding a moment.
HOFFMAN: "I know ! You know how this
scene should play? I know what you should
do!"
BOXOFFICE: Isn't it exciting to you to
anticipate seeing those moments working?
HOFFMAN: You know what's exciting?
Is after it's over. If it's successful. Then you
can sneak in two days later in the back of the
house, and you know that thing's going to
get a laugh, and you wait till it hits.
BRODY: I think there's too much dread
probably [prior to a movie's opening].
HOFFMAN: The dread gets in the way. A
lot of D.E.—Dread Excitement. [Affects
streetwise hip voice:] Gotta lot of 'D goin'.
BOXOPnCE: What sort of research did
you do for your character in "Sphere"?
HOFFMAN: That's not.. .you're not.. .you
see, that's a bad word. You're not researching.
You're painting. You're sketching. Actors
have that commonality. We love to pick up
every httle thing you do. We don't know why,
but we just can sit there and just pick up every
litde thing you do all day long, [laughs]
A wonderful tool for being an actor today
[that wasn't available] when I was his age
[indicating Brody] is that you have tapes now.
You can do research and it's so much quicker.
1 got tapes on crisis, that was the first tape I was
interested in. Because this character, before he
[is summoned to investigate the submerged
spacecraft], he's a crisis—I forget what they're
called now, but when there's a crisis, diey send
a psychologist there to deal with the trauma of
the survivors. So I did some reading, 1 got
"Arthur Miller once said,
They forget what it's
called. It's called a play.
If
it's a play, why are we
making something so
serious about it?'"
literature on that, and 1 got some great energies
fi-om people who had that job. Then your
imagination kicks in, because then you say,
"Ooh, that's interesting. So that's what he does
well. And if he does that well, he probably likes
it." And there's a comfort to that, I've always
thought. It's
like being in the ER unit of a
hospital. You're in a crisis, and you're not in
trouble. If you deal with stuff like that, where
people die, there's kind of an unconscious
feeling that "as long as 1 help people, then it
won't happen to me." So I made that decision
for the character And then I thought maybe
when he himself was in the position that the
other people were in, how was he then?
BOXOraCE: Being so analytical yourself,
it's interesting...
HOFFMAN: Idon'tthinkl'mthat analytical.
BOXOFnCE: Not analytical in a dry
sense. You have a very colorful, enthusiastic,
insightful way of perceiving things.
HOFFMAN: I'm very analytical in a very
wet way.
BOXOFFICE: What does that mean?
HOFFMAN: 1 just like the sound of it. You
said not in a dry way.
BOXOFHCE: Oh! [laughs]
HOFFMAN: I like that. I'm very...
BRODY: Moist.
HOFFMAN: Moist! I like that word a lot.
I'm very analytically moist. Moisdy analytical.
[Laughs heartily]. Moistly, I'm mostly
moistly analytical! Miles Davis said a great
line. He said "Don't play what's there, play
what's not there." And you know, in life, some
of us are interested in what's not there, or what's
not on the surface. What's most interesting to
us is what isn't said, what's disguised. [Trying
to figure that out,] I've never been bored. I've
been depressed, but I've never been bored.HH
"Sphere. " Starring Dustin Hoffinan, Sharon
Stone and SamuelL Jacksoit Directed by Barry
Levinson. Written by Stephen Hauser and Paul
Attanasio. Produced by Barry Levinson, Michael
Crichton and Andrew Wald. A Warner
release. Sci-fi/thriller. Opens Feb. 13.
'THX certified auditoriums are a significant part of Act Ill's overall brand identity. Our customers
have come to expect only the best from Act III and THX helps deliver on our promise of
unequoled presentation in every auditorium v/e build."
urn, Director of Advertising
HX
The Audience Is Listening
at Act III Tigard Theatre, Portland, Oregon
Response No. 9

5
The SioFe of Sound
R E n T E C
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Website: www.cfsren.com • E-moil: cfsren@aoi.com
Response No. 274

26 BOXOFFICE
Exhibition Profile
WOOD 'S WORLD
Dickinson Tlieatres Breaks New Ground
Witli its Construction and Ideas
by Lisa Osborne
within its existing three-state area—Kansas,
Missouri and Oklahoma.
"We're looking at staying strong in our
regional area," says Wood. "We're not looking
at either selling the company or joining forces
with a national chain. That's not part of the
program at this point in time."
WATCH THIS SPACE: Movie clips keep customers entertained as tliey wait in line at Great Mall 16.
active proponent of the exhibition A 20-plex version of "Project A" is also under
Anindustry with a penchant for pushing construction in Bixby, a suburb of Tulsa, Okla.
the envelope to its Hmits, Wood Dickinson,
president and CEO of Dickinson Thea-
dian 3,400 seats, the Bixby 20 will be the
Covering 69, 1 00 square feet and holding more
tres, is putting the finishing touches on several
projects intended to raise the standards of the
company's largest theatre.
These prototype auditoriums are designed
moviegoing experience. Although his new to accommodate a new type of seat and will
baby, codenamed "Project A," is still under
wraps. Wood gave BOXOFFICE some clues:
"It's going to be a radical redesign of a theatre
auditorium. We're going with a different concept,
especially on a large auditorium, as far as
creating optimal sight lines and optimal sound
experiences no matter where you are in the
room. We're trying to tune these rooms to the
seat—not just to the row of seats.
"We ' re creating a new type of screen sy.stem
that I don't think has been used before, and the
sound system that we're working with is definitely
the most advanced sound system that's
ever been put into a theatre," he adds.
The prototype, called the NorthRock 14, is
being built in Wichita, Kan., and should be
finished in June or July.
Sharing the same site as Dickinson's
NorthRock 6, the 47,65()-square-foot facility
will b

.
February. 1998 27
I
FORWARD PLANNING: Moviegoers can book
tickets by phone 24 hours a day at Great Mall 1 6.
choose that place? There are other better
places. We wonder about that.
"They have their strategy, we have ours. But
we're trying not to put ourselves in those kinds
of situations. We' re trying to put ourselves [in
locations] where we can be successful and
stay out of other people's ways and reduce
the situations where we have bad competition
going. It makes better business sense."
(Richard Walsh, AMC's senior vice president
of operations for the west division, responds,
"We don't try to build on top of
anybody; we don't beUeve in that strategy. We
believe the market out there is strong enough
to support both theatres. We're basically replacing
our facility at Oak Park that was in the
mall there that closed; we still have six screens
there. We tried for zoning in the Oak Park zone
and were denied by the city of Overland Park.
We then went to the 119th and 1-35 site in
Olathe as our southwest Johnson county site.")
Wood
is
a gentleman with a keen eye
for the 'big picture' who knows customer
service is just as important as
luxurious complexes. He introduced Stephen
R. Covey's program, "Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People," to his circuit about three
years ago. It's a personal development program
that teaches employees how to be more
effective. "It's what we call an inside-out approach
to leadership,"
he explains. "We are
trying to teach people to lead themselves first
so that they can then turn around and lead those
around them. 'Seven Habits' is one program that
we're teaching, and we're developing some more
programs for our younger employees so that
they can learn and be better prepared, even
after they've stopped working for Dickinson
Theatres, so they'll be better employees as they
grow up and go on to real full-time jobs. "
of Wood's primary concerns for the
Oneindustry is that movies aren't out long
enough anymore; they're put out on so
many screens that the runs are shorter. "I don't
think that's beneficial to anybody," he says.
"I've been singing that song for years, but I
just point to 'Star Wars' and say that it has
become an icon in society because it was
around for so long."
He contrasts "Star Wars" protracted lifespan
with that of more recent movies like "Lost
World" and "Independence Day," maintaining
that most people outside the industry couldn't
name two or three movies from last summer.
He adds that if customers can't get in to see
a movie for a week because the theatre's
crowded, it creates excitement. But if there's a
seat for everyone in the first weekend, the
movie can be almost dead in two weeks.
Longer movie runs would also enhance
pull-through for third-party items Uke movie
merchandise. As Wood puts it, "'Independence
Day' came out in the summer; it came
and went and my kids didn't even want any of
the toys. They didn't care anymore; that was
old.
"I wish that we could get together with the
film company guys and say, 'Look, let's make
this work better for everybody.'"
Wood is becoming an accompUshed industry
spokesperson. His recent appearance on
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" was a definite
plus for exhibitors. His eloquent defense of the
cost of theatre tickets and concession items
clearly won audience support. And they actually
cheered when he mentioned that his circuit
doesn't run commercials.
He explains, "We tried it and got such a
violent reaction from our customers we said it
isn't money worth making."
Ultimately, though, the moviehouse is a
powerfiil venue, says Wood; the images and
pubUcity seen there have a lasting impression
on the pubUc. "Soft drink manufacturers look
at us as prestige accounts because the impressions
we make by the type of soft drinks
we carry. The products that we have in our
theatres sell a lot more soft drinks in the grocery
stores than we ever do in movie theatres.
It's seeing it there in that large venue so many
times."
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VISION OF THE FUTURE: Bixby20 will be Dickinson's taggest theatre
Response No. 488

28 Boxoffice
INDEPENDENTEXHIBITION SHOWCASE
9,000 NIGHTS
Kentucky's Towne Cinema Turns 25
by Kim Williamson
If
West Liberty were ever bombed, the
Towne Cinema.. .could well be utilized as a
fine, luxurious fallout shelter."
That was the close of the article that
BOXOFFICE published in our Mideast Edition
back on January 29, 1973, about the
Thanksgiving 1972 opening of the eastern
Kennicky town's new indoor—^and underground—theatre.
It was a different time, with
West Liberty, Ky.,
Of Locally Owned
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SPECIAL REPORT: Cinema Sound 1998
w:
AND THE WRITING ON THE WALL
New Developments in Cinema Sound
one thinks of cinema's two most
When
important elements, one thinks of
sight and sound. It's always put that
way—sound coming second, just as it did in
the medium's history. And sight certainly remains
one of the industry's most vigorous
fields, with such developments as 3-D IMAX
presentations, curved screens and electronic
transmission among the buzz topics. But the
sound field is equally energetic, the most
prominent example being the continuing
worldwide growth of the three digital formats.
But there's action elsewhere, as the following
roundup of four recent developments indicates.
It's meant only as a sampling of what's
happening, and readers of BOXOFFICE can
expect more stories on more advances and
evolutions in future issues.
BOWING THE RIBBON
Perhaps it makes sense that a speaker company
is based in Hoom, the Netherlands.
Formed in 1977 and known for its studio,
discotheque, playhouse and concert hall installations.
Stage Accompany four years ago entered
the overseas cinema market. Its products
can be heard at the UFA Savoy in Dusseldorf,
Germany; the Multicines Fuenlabrada in Madrid,
Spain; and, most prominently, at Pathe's
renovated and expanded Taschinksi complex
in downtown Amsterdam. Now, the Dutch
concern is joumeying stateside.
Headed by president Marcel Vantuyn and
based in Bay Ridge. New York, Stage Accompany
USA landed its first American contract
after a demon.stration for executives from four
circuits held last summer at General Cinema's
by Kim Williamson
Boston-area Framingham 14. Eager to expand
SA's presence, Vantuyn this January is planning
to install a full system in a new Connecticut
theatre, hung parallel with an
eight-channel system, for several weeks for
another demonstration for theatre circuits.
Of course, given the general high quality of
many lines, one might think a speaker is a
speaker is a speaker. But Stage Accompany's
S 26 and S 27 units have a look-ma difference:
no horns. In place of the traditional compression
driver, SA uses what it calls a ribbon
compact driver—a mid/high-frequency transducer
that, according to company literature, is
"the world's first and only driver permitting
truly-pure sound reproduction."
"When people think of a ribbon, they think
of a straight strand. But this zigzags up and
down, so the word 'ribbon' is the closest name
for it;" Vantuyn says of the technology.
"In a compression driver, sound is generated
and then projected—a voice coil generates
forces that are transmitted to a dome-shaped
diaphragm," Vantuyn says. "Because it's two
pieces, at certain frequencies the diaphragm
can't keep up with the coil, and you get distortion."
SA's 8535 ribbon driver "creates the
sound and transmits it directly to the ambience."
Not only is there negligible distortion
but also significant savings in cabinet weight
and depth (which is only nine inches).
"This is not the ribbon that came out in the
'50s," Vantuyn says of an earlier generation of
loudspeakers that, though they also produced
dramatically clear sound, couldn't handle
movie sound loads. "Our ribbon driver peaks
at 1 42 dB and handles up to 1 ,000 watts, so it's
more durable even than compression drivers."
RIDING THE WAVE
In October, projection technician and sometime
boogie boarder Jonathan Bodge of Sandy
Hook, Conn, wrote us to extol the work of
Elwood Norris. Norris' company, San Diegobased
American Technology Corp., has a patent
on hypersonic sound equipment, which
Bodge—who's "always looking for the perfect
wave"—expects will "change the way we listen
to reproduced sound."
The technology involves an ultrasonic emitter,
whose transducer sends two 200,000 Hzrange
emissions of slightly different frequencies
at a reflective surface—for example,
a movie screen. After mixing of the two frequencies,
the frequency produced by the difference
of the two inaudible signals is in
humans' audible range. I.e., it becomes sound
(or, as Bodge puts it, "the perfect wave").
Even greaterdetail in sound placement, special
effects and music will be possible using
hypersonic sound. Bodge reports. "An actor's
voice will be able to emit directly from his
mouth and follow as he walks across the
screen." Norris' work, though still in relative
infancy, won the 1997 Discover award for
technical innovation in sound.
FEELING AURAS
You might say that it all began with Ronald
Reagan.
Touting it as "the worid's first tactile bass
enhancement system designed for today's
movie theatre sound systems," AuraSound
Cinema at last year's ShoWest unveiled Aura
Virtual Sound. AuraSound's defense contrac-
30 BOXUFFICE

tor parent, EI Segundo, Calif.-based Aura Systems
Inc., worked on acoiator technology for
the Star Wars Defense Initiative championed
by President Reagan in the 1980s.
The AVS system uses spinoff technology:
compact 25-watt electromagnetic transducers
that can be hooked up like speakers and that
are designed to reproduce low-frequency
sounds (below 1 00 Hz). The transducers attach
to theatre seats ; AVS takes the film effects track
using any sound system and causes seats to
resonate, which the audience perceives as traditional
bass. This effect is accomplished without
exhibitors risking speaker damage irom
large sound pressure levels and with lessened
worry about sound leakage to adjacent halls.
Although AuraSound has been targeting the
Southern California exhibition market due to
the region's abundance of theatres and its
movie studio presence, the AVS product remains
better known in the special-use market.
In Las Vegas, the Luxor Hotel's "Theater of
Time" attraction and the Riviera Hotel's
"Splash n" revue have installed AVS.
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
What if exhibitors could suddenly have access
to 34 million new patrons?
That's the number of deaf, hard-of-hearing,
blind and visually impaired individuals in the
United States, according to Judith Navoy, project
manager for the Boston-based WGBH Educational
Foundation's Motion Picture Access
Project. WGBH has launched the Rear Window
Captioning System, through which dialogue
captions can be seen by the deaf and hard-ofhearing,
and DVS Theatrical, which delivers
descriptive narration via infrared or FM listening
systems to the blind and visually impaired.
These demos, which are also underserved
by other traditional entertainment media,
could theoretically mean a 12 percent growth
at domestic turnstiles. Here's the potential
math: In 1996, 1 .34 billion movie admissions
were recorded, meaning each American on
average is attending a theatre roughly five
times a year; at the 1996 average ticket price
of $4.41 (about $22 annually), 34 million patrons
could account for as much as $750 million
in boxoffice receipts, which if attained
would have pushed the 1996 total domestic
boxoffice of $5.9 billion to above $6.6 billion.
Such numbers might be optimistic, and
Navoy admits that, though there's a "very large
potential audience out there," it's "hard to
guarantee a tremendous demand from consumers."
But she says audience reaction to
recent demonstrations of the technologies at a
permanent installation at General Cinemas'
Sherman Oaks, Calif, multiplex during
Universal's run of "The Jackal" was "terrific."
"It was pretty amazing," concurs Andrea
Nee, DTS vice president and general manager
of theatrical operations. DTS adapted its digital
technology to include the captioning and
description tracks on a separate CD-ROM that
plays alongside the other discs in DTS' player.
The player sends reversed captions to a
Trans-Lux LED display mounted in the
theatre's rear. Deaf and hearing-impaired customers
are able to use a portable reflective
panel, which they base in their cupholders;
they then adjust the clear reflector to bring the
captions into their particular line of sight.
(Navoy stresses that users are able to do this
without interfering with the movie experience
of the general public around them.) The DTS
player also sends the DVS Theatrical narration
to the theatre's emitter system, which transmits
the description track to headsets worn by blind
and visually impaired moviegoers.
The current cost of installing both the Rear
Window captioning and the DVS narration
systems, Navoy says, is about $15,000; she
hop)es that price will fall toward $10,000 as
more theatres use the technologies. (Each system
can be installed separately. The DVS narration
technology is the less expensive, at
$1,000 to $1,500, but it's probable for such a
visual medium as the cinema that the greater
upside is with the Rear Wmdow system.)
Navoy adds, "The positive public relations
aspect is a benefit of this. With there being so
many theatres out there these days, customer
service is an advantage to any exhibitor. Beyond
the numbers and the dollars, this will give
them an edge in how they're perceived."
There's also an additional advantage to the
motion picture art form itself. "DTS made a
large commitment to being able to deliver
exactly what the artist created to the moviegoing
public," Nee says. "And this expands that
audience for those artists."
For more developments in somid,
see our Nezv Sound Products Buying
Guide on pp. 42-43 in this issue.
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Response No. 472
February, 1998 31

Major Sound Suppliers
A BOXOFFICE Directory
The following companies are manufacturers and distributors of specialized sound
equipment and supplies. Listings have been organized by product category
based on descriptions provided for Inclusion In our 1997 BUYERS DIRECTORY.
Companies appearing In more than one category are Indexed according to their
first survey appearance. Companies wishing to appear In future editions of this
directory, or llstees who would like to appear under additional product
categories, are encouraged to contact BOXOFFICE via fax at: 213-465-5049.
Compiled by Christine James
ACOUSTICAL WALL
COVERINGS
ALPRO ACOUSTICS
600 St. George Ave., Suite A
New Orleans, LA 701 21
888-733-3836, 504-733-3836
FAX: 504-733-3851
Maura D. Hawkins, President
Helen H. Shurtz, Dir. of Mktg.
Acoustical wall and ceiling panels
AVL SYSTEMS
5540 S.W. 6th PI., Ocala, FL 34474
352-854-1170,800-ACU-STIC
FAX: 352-854-1278
J. Philip Hale, President
Karen Hale, VP
Acoustical panels: diffusers
BREJTFUS ENTERPRISES, INC.
410 S, .Madison Drive, Suite 1
Tempe, AZ 85281
602-731-9899; FAX: 602-731-9469
Ron Brejtfus, President
Michael Regan, VP
E-MAIL: mregan@primenet.com
Artistic acoustically efficient wall panels
CFS/RENTEC
(CINEMA FILM SYSTEMS)
791 N.Benson Ave.
Upland, CA 91786
909-931-9318; FAX: 909-949-8815
Ron Offerman. Chairman
Dick Niccum, President
BiU Noyes, VP
Richard Crane, Sales
E-MAIL: cfsren©aol.com
LTRL: www.cfsren.com
Manufacturer of all motion picture
equipment: consoles, platters,
projectors, sound systems, etc.
CmE-UNE/DECOUSnCS
P.O. Box 615, Getzville, NY 14066
416^75-3983, 800-387-3809
FAX: 416-675-5546
John Balog,VP, Sales
Acoustical wall panels/ceiling systems
ECONO PLEAT
2664 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310-559-RUGS; FAX: 310-559-6357
Larry Sperling, President
Acoustical wall drapery system
HI-TECH MOTION PICTURE
SYSTEMS
P.O. Box 4186
St. Augustine, FL 32084
904-829-5702; FAX: 904-829-5707
Larry PoUa, CEO/President
E-MAIL: larry@870.com
URL: wvvTV.870.com
Custom and mass produced
automations and light dimmers
INTERNATIONAL CINEMA
EQUIPMENT CO., INC.
100 N.E. 39th St., Miami, FL 33137
305-573-7339; FAX: 305-573-8101
Steven H. Krams, CEO
Dara Reusch, Exec. VP
E-MAIL: iceco@aol.com
URL: www.iceco.com
n/lotion picture equipment
NURSE & CO.
Old Milbury Rd., Oxford, MA 01540
508-832-4295; FAX: 508-832-4295
Ray Nurse
Burlap wall covering drapes
PNC WEST, INC.
835 W. Fairway Dr., Suite 2
Chandler, AZ 85224
602-917-1999; FAX: 602-917-1899
Cheryl Van Meter
Cris Ferguson
Turnkey auditorium wall
treatments/lighting/designaccents
SOUNDFOLDINTL.
P.O. Box 292125
Dayton, OH 45429-2125
937-293-2671,800-782-8018
FAX: 937-293-9542
Arthur C.Sickels, CEO
Tony Sickels, President
Acoustical wallcovering, speal

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I
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I
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34 BoxomcE
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL WALL
COVERINGS)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
JBL PROFESSIONAL
8500 Balboa Blvd.
Northridge,CA 91329
818-894-8850
FAX: 818-830-1220
URL: www.jblpro.com
Loudspeaker syslems for any cinema
application, including amplifiers
and crossovers
KELMAR SYSTEMS
284 Broadway
Huntington Station, NY 11746
516-692-6131,516-421-1230
FAX: 516-421-1274
Andrew Marglin, President
Margaret Pearsall, Exec. VP
Laurie Franz, Accountant
Thomas Mohr, VP/Engineering
Projection and sound equipment
KINTEK
224 Calvary St., Waltham, MA 02254
617-894-6111; FAX: 617-647-4235
Heidi Uliss, Sales Administrator
E-MAIL: kinlekste@aoI.com
Sound systems and equipment
j
I
j
ODYSSEY PRODUCTS, INC.
5845 Oakbrook Pkwy., Suite G
Norcross, GA 30093
770-448-4873; 770-825-0243
FAX: 770-453-9626
Eve Miller, Mktg. & Admin.
Theatre electronics: Infrared
assistive equipment, fiber optic
products, digital interface kits,
sound accessories, alarms, etc.
ORC LIGHTING PRODUCTS
1300 Optical Dr.; Azusa, CA 91702
626-815-3100; 800-755-LAMP
FAX: 626-815-3074
George Bachar, VP, Cust. Dvlpmnt.
Jim Harp, VP, Sales & Marketing
E-MAIL: orclight@aol.com
Manufacturers of a complete line of
xenon projection lamps
PEAVEY ELECTRONICS
I
I 711 A St., Meridian, MS 39301
601-483-5365; FAX: 601-486-1278
Ernie Lansford, Dir. Worldwide Sales
Amplification S loudspeaker systems
QSC AUDIO PRODUCTS
1675 MacArthur Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-754-6175, 714-754-7100
FAX: 714-754-6174
Barry Ferrell, Cinema Market Mgr.
Pete Kalman, Dir., Sales
E-MAIL: info@qscaudio.com
URL: www.qscaudio.com
Professional power amplifiers and
crossovers for cinema applications
RAVEN LABORATORIES, INC.
87 Central Ave.
Glen Rock, NJ 07452
201-444-7766, FAX: 201-444-7793
Warren Jenkins, President
Automation, lighting and sound
systems: cue detectors
RGM INDUSTRIES
.3.342 l.ill.,.ii 01,, Titusville, FL 32780
407-269-4720; FAX: 407-269-4729
Ronald Coigel, President
Mary Schrage, VP
Beth Naylor, Purchasing
Stereo sound systems, automation
systems and lighting
SMART THEATRE SYSTEMS
5945 Peachtree Comers East
Norcross, GA 30071-1337
800-45-SMART, 770-449-6698
FAX: 770-449-6728
E-MAIL: smart@america.net
URL: www.smartdev.com
Norm Schneider, CEO
Vincent Luciani, President
Cinema sound products and systems
STAGE ACCOMPANY (SA USA INC.)
7004 Louise Terrace
Bay Ridge, NY 11209
800-955-7474; FAX: 718-680-1226
Marcel Vantuyn, President
URL: www.stageaccompany.com
SA sound systems feature the Ribbon
Compact Driver for unequaled sound
quality and speech intelligibility
STRONG INTERNATIONAL, INC.
4350 McKinlcy St., Omaha, NE 68112
402-453-4444; FAX: 402-453-7238
John Wilmers, Pres./CEO
Brad French, CFO
Ray Boegner, Sr. VP
Pat Moore, West Coast & Pacific Rim
Bob Simminger, East Coast Sales Mgr.
URL:wvimr.strongcinema.com
Projection & sound equipment
TECCON ENTERPRISES
686 Cliffside Dr., P.O. Box 38
San Dimas,CA 91773
909-599-0817, FAX: 909-592-2408
Jacobus L. Dimmers, President
li/lagnetic heads, calibration/alignment
test films, screening room electronics
USL, INC.
18730 Oxnard, Suite 208
Tarzana,CA 91356
818-609-7405; FAX: 818-609-7408
James A. Cashin, President
Felicia Cashin, VP
Theatre sound systems and
stereo film sountracks
DC EXCITERS
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL
WALLCOVERINGS)
COMPONENT ENGINEERING, INC.
4237 24th Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98199
206-284-9171; FAX: 206-286-4462
Bill Purdy, President
LED sound readers, sound system
accessories, automation systems
and cue detectors
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL WALL
COVERINGS)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
KELMAR (see AMPLIFIERS)
KINTEK (see AMPLIFIERS)
KNEISLEY ELECTRIC COMPANY
P.O.Box 4692
Toledo, OH 43610
419-241-1219
FAX: 419-241-9920
Harry L. Ewell, President
Robert Freeman, VP, Rsrch/Dvlpmnt
Joe Monks, Purchasing & Controller
Lamphouses, power supplies, consoles
L.P. ASSOCIATES, INC.
6650 Li'xingtoii Ave.
Hollywood, CA 9(X)38
213-462-4714; FAX: 213-462-7584
Leonard Pincus, President
Projection equipment & supplies
MARBLE CO.
421 Hart Lane, P.O. Box 160030
Nashville, TN 37216
800-759-5905, 615-227-7772
FAX: 615-228-1301
J.
William Blevins, President
Ronald W. Purtee, GM
Claudia Carillon, Customer Service
Booth supplies, automations,
dimmers, lenses, sound processors
ORC (see AMPLIFIERS)
RAVEN (see AMPLIFIERS)
DESIGN
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL
WALLCOVERINGS)
FRAZIER (see AMPLIFIERS)
HIGH PERFORMANCE (see AMPS)
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL WALL
COVERINGS)
KELMAR (see AMPLIFIERS)
LUCASFILM LTD. (THX Division)
P.O. Box 10327, San Rafael, CA 94912
415-492-3900, 213-468-0485
FAX: 415-492-3951
Monica Dashwood, GM/
THX Division
Jerry Zernicke, Operations Mgr./
THX Theatres
Custom-designed sound system;
crossover and systems rack
ODYSSEY (see AMPLIFIERS)
RAVEN (see AMPLIFIERS)
STAGE ACCOMPANY (see AMPS)
TEXAS THEATRE SUPPLY see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
DIGITAL STEREO
CINEMA GROUP (see AMPLIFIERS)
COMPONENT (see DC EXCITERS)
DIGITAL THEATER SYSTEMS
31336 Via Colinas, Suite 101
Westlake Village, CA 91362
818-706-3525; FAX: 818-706-1868
Terry Beard, Chairman
Dan Slusser, CEO
Bill Neighbors, President & COO
James Ketcham, VP
Andrea Nee, VP, Operations
Jon Kirchner, VP, Intl. Bus. Dvlpmnt.
URL: www.dtstech.com
D TS 6-track digital theatre sound system
DOLBY LABORATORIES
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA:
lOOPotreroAve.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-558-0200
FAX: 415-863-1373
Bill Jasper, President
loan Allen, VP
David Watts, VP/Mktg.
Bob Warren, Cinema Products
E-MAIL: info@dolby.com
URL: www.dolby.com
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
3375 Barham Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90068
213-845-1880; FAX: 213-845-1890
David W. Gray, VP/L.A. Film Div.
NEW YORK:
1350 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
212-767-1700
FAX: 212-767-1705
Michael D. Cosimo,
VP/N.Y. Film Div.
DOLBY LABS U.K.
Wootton Bassett
Wiltshire, SN4 8QJ ENGLAND
(17)93842100
FAX: (17)93842101
HIGH PERFORMANCE (see AMPS)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
KARASYNC DIGITAL AUDIO
17 Washington St.
Norwalk, CT 06854
203-899-0671
FAX: 203-348-1430
John Karamon, President
Jenene Karamon
All-electronic system for multichannel
digital audio for film and video
KINTEK (see AMPLIFIERS)
ODYSSEY (see AMPLIFIERS)
RAVEN (see AMPLIFIERS)
SONY CINEMA PRODUCTS
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-244-5777
FAX: 310-244-2024
James N. Fiedler, President
Dan Taylor, VP, Business
Development, North America
Bill Mead, VP/Bus. Dvlpmnt., Intl.
Gemma Richardson, VP,
Worldwide Marketing
Digital and analog theatrical sound
systems: SDDS digital playback
system: Sony DCP-WOO processor
STAGE ACCOMPANY (see AMPS)
DRIVE-INAUDIO
AUDIO VISUAL SYSTEMS
320 St. Louis Ave.
P.O. Box 2107
Woonsocket, RI 02895-2351
401-767-2080
FAX: 401-767-2081
Rita Y. Adams, President
fM Stereo radio sound systems for
drive-ins
LPB, INC.
20944 Sherman Way
Canoga Park, CA 91303
818-340-4590
Richard W. Burden, Principal
Radio sound systems
MARBLE (see DC EXCITERS)
PROJECTED SOUND
46^' Avtm Aw.
Plainfield,lN4(jlb«
317-839-4111
FAX: 317-839-2476
Tom Hilligoss, President
Drive-in speakers, junction boxes
REED SPEAKERS MANUFACTURING
180 Swason Ave., P.O. Box 3631
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405
520-153-0055, 805-934-1582
FAX: 805-934-4992
Shawn A. Gran, President
Speakers, junction boxes S repairs

^mmm^^
If your theater management system
gives you peace, serenity, and happiness,
it must be from Mars.
If
your theater management system uses the most reliable
technology on Earth, it must be from MARS! If your service
calls get answered by a human being, your system must be
from MARS. If
you are able to close out your theater quickly
each night, your system is
MARS is
definitely from MARS.
a system designed to run on off-the-shelf
hardware while giving you the flexibility to handle all
aspects
of managing your theaters. From the box office to the
concession stand, it
allows managers to quickly perform
functions so they can spend less time managing their
system and more time managing their theater.
To learn more about MARS,
call John Ventura at 212-450-8140.
MARS
THEATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
A division of MovieFone? Inc.
Response No. 78

36 Boxoffice
)
)
SPECO/SYSTEMS & PRODUCTS
ENGINEERING CO.
709 N. 6lh St., Kansas City, KS 66101
913-321-3978, 913-321-3979
FAX: 913-321-7439
George W. Higginbotham, President
Platter systems & film handling equip:
cue sensors, interlock roller assy's,
film cleaner automations, dimmers.
EQUALIZERS
AB INTL. (see AMPLIFIERS)
ASHLY AUDIO (see AMPLIFIERS)
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL...
CINEMA GROUP (See AMPUFIERS)
EVI (see AMPLIFIERS)
FRAZIER (see AMPLIFIERS)
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL...)
JBL (see SPEAKERS)
RAVEN (see AMPLIFIERS)
STAGE ACCOMPANY (see AMPS)
HIGH-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL...
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
KINTEK (see AMPLIFIERS)
RGM (see AMPLIFIERS)
HEARING
ENHANCEMENT
SYSTEMS
AUDIO VISUAL SYS. (see
DRIVE-IN AUDIO)
CINEMA GROUP (see AMPLIFIERS)
HITEC GROUP INTL.
8160 Madison, Burr Ridge, IL 60521
630-654-9200, 800-288-8303
FAX: 630-654-9219
Richard Uzuanis, VP
Assistive listening devices for
individuals and public facilities
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL...)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
LPS (see DRIVE-IN AUDIO)
MARBLE (see DC EXCITERS)
ODYSSEY (see AMPLIFIERS)
PHONIC EAR
AMERICA:
3880 Cypress Dr.
Petaluma, CA 94954
707-769-1 1 10, 800-227-0735
FAX: 707-769-9624
CANADA:
7475 Kimbel St., Unit 10
Mississauga, Ontario L5S 1E7
905-677-3231; FAX: 905-677-7760
FM/infrared hearing assistance systems
RAVEN (see AMPLIFIERS)
SCHULT INDUSTRIES, INC.
318 Cedar, Pleasant Hill, MO 64080
800-783-8988, 800-9-SCHULT
FAX: 816-540-4790
Robert E. Schult, President
Bill Lustig, Sr. VP,
Sales & Marketing
URL: www.schult.com
Theatre displays, signage, boxoffice
systems, internet web design, etc.
SMART (see AMPLIFIERS)
NOISE REDUCERS
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL ...)
CINEMA GROUP (see AMPLIFIERS)
DOLBY (see DIGITAL STEREO)
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL...)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
KINTEK (see AMPLIFIERS)
RGM IND. (see AMPLIFIERS)
PROCESSORS
ASHLY (see AMPLIFIERS)
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL...)
CHACE PRODUCTIONS
201 S. Victory Blvd.
Burbank,CA91502
818-842-8346; FAX: 818-842-8353
Robert Heiber, President
E-MAIL: audio@chace.com
Sound processors, sound
enhancement stereo synthesizer
USL, INC. (see AMPLIFIERS)
EXCITER LAMPS
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL...)
COMPONENT (see DC EXCITERS)
KOSS CORP.
4129 N. Port Washington
Milwaukee, WI 53212
414-964-5000; 800-USA-KOSS
FAX: 414-964-8615
Robin Berry, Public Relations Mgr.
URL: www.koss.com
Stereophones, computer speakers,
microphones & headphones
USL, INC. (see AMPLIFIERS)
WILLIAMS SOUND
10399 W. 70th St.
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
612-943-2252, 800-328-6190
FAX: 612-943-2174
FM/infrared hearing assistance systems
CINEMA GROUP (see
AMPLIFIERS)
DOLBY (see DIGITAL STEREO)
DTS (see DIGITAL STEREO)
EVI (see AMPLIFIERS)
THEATRE
EXHIBITION
EQUIPMENT
NCS Corporation
WORLDWIDE CINEMA SUPPLY DEALER
CONCESSiOi
&
LOBBY
PRODUCTS
Corporation
iiii«imiiii'n
XENON
BULBS
BOOTH
SUPPLIES
&
LENSES
FILM
PROJECTORS
A
SOUND
SYSTEMS
^ jt-
;f ONE STOP SHOPPING SOURCE
;f FACTORY DIRECT PRICING
>- TOLL FREE ORDERING
MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
%^
jt PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT TEAM
^ WORLDWIDE PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION
>- OUR GUARANTEE - 100% SATISFACTION
call 1-800-776-6271
LOBBY
&
BOX OFFICI
FIXTURES
NEW
&
USED
EQUIPMEN1
SCREENS
&
FRAMES
Response No. 6

I
I
I
I
I
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
KELMAR (see AMPLIFIERS)
KINTEK (see AMPLIFIERS)
MARBLE (see DC EXCITERS)
ROM (see AMPLIFIERS)
SMART (see AMPLIFIERS)
SONY (see DIGITAL STEREO)
USL, INC. (see AMPLIFIERS)
SOUNDHEADS/
SUPPLIES
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL
WALL COVERINGS)
COMPONENT (see DC EXCITERS)
EVI (see AMPLIFIERS)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
TECCON (see AMPLIFIERS)
SPEAKERS
APOGEE SOUND (see
AMPLIFIERS)
BGW SYSTEMS (see AMPUFIERS)
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL...)
CINEMA GROUP (see AMPLIFIERS)
EAW
One Main St., WhitinsviUe, MA 01588
508-234-6158, FAX: 508-234-8251
Sandy McDonald, Rep.
Cinema speakers
EVI (see AMPLIFIERS)
FRAZIER (see AMPLIFIERS)
HADDEN THEATRE SUPPLY
10201 Bunsen Way
Louisville, KY 40299
502-499-0050, FAX: 502-499-0052
Louis Bomwasser, Owner
Projection and sound equipment
HIGH PERFORMANCE (see AMPS)
HIGH-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL...)
JBL (see AMPLIFIERS)
KINTEK (see AMPLIFIERS)
KLIPSCH PROFESSIONAL
P.O. Box 1320, Hope, AR 71802-1320
501-777-0693, 800-467-6796
FAX: 501-777-0593
Don Shamsie, President
Digital-ready loudspeal(ers
OMNIMOUNT SYSTEMS
1501 W. 17th St., Tempe, AZ 85281
602-829-8000, FAX: 602-756-9000
Garret E. Weyand, CEO
Monica Pershall, Sales & Cust. Svc.
Mounting devices
RGM (see AMPLIFIERS)
SMART (see AMPLIFIERS)
STAGE ACCOMPANY (see AMPS)
STRONG (see AMPLIFIERS)
TOTAL AUDIO
3006 Strong Ave.
Kansas City, KS 66106
913-362-3762
FAX: 913-362-5642
Richard Stevenson, Owner
Stage and surround speakers
STEREO SYSTEMS
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL
WALLCOVERINGS)
CINEMA GROUP (see AMPLIFIERS)
DOLBY (see DIGITAL STEREO)
EVI (see AMPLIFIERS)
FRAZIER (see AMPLIFIERS)
HIGH PERFORMANCE (see AMPS)
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL WALL
COVERINGS)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WAU COVERINGS)
JBL (see AMPLIFIERS)
KELMAR (see AMPLIFIERS)
KINTEK (see AMPLIFIERS)
LUCASFILM/THX (see DESIGN)
RAVEN (see AMPLIFIERS)
RGM IND. (see AMPLIFIERS)
SMART (see AMPLIFIERS)
STAGE ACCOMPANY (see
AMPLIFIERS)
SUMINISTROSKELONIKSA
CalleBadajozl59Bis
08018 Barcelona, SPAIN
(34)33004361
FAX: (34)33000315
Lorer\zo Garcia, Rep.
Cinema sound systems
USL, INC. (see AMPLIFIERS)
SYNTHESIZERS
CHACE (see PROCESSORS)
CFS/RENTEC (see ACOUSTICAL
WALLCOVERINGS)
CINEMA GROUP (see AMPLIFIERS)
HI-TECH (see ACOUSTICAL WALL
COVERINGS)
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT (see
ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERINGS)
SMART (see AMPLIFIERS)
USL, INC. (see AMPLIFIERS)
I
PROJECT
A CLEAN, SHARP IMAGE
Sharp, Dust-Free Projection
Clear Sound Reproduction
Reduces Projector
Maintenance
Extends Print Life
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® c® ce
SV-4120 SV-4220
In
North & South America
1778 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236 USA
TEL. 1-941-951-2432 or
1-800-624-3204 (U.S. & Canada)
FAX: 1.941.955-5992
kinetronics
m, CORPORATION lUSA'
In
Response No. 238
Europe, Asia, Africa & Australia
P.O. Box 45 00 51
D-53344 Alfter
GERMANY
TEL. 49-2222-62105
FAX: 49.2222.65974
THE BEST!
We are proud that the very
highest quality Dolby and
Digital sound systems come
from us. So many in fact, that
there is probably one in
operation near you. You
deserve the same service!
HADDEN r^
THEATRE
10201 Bunsen Way
Louisville, KY 40299
(502) 499-0050
(502) 499-0052 FAX:
Louis Bomwasser, Owner
SUPPLY COMPANY
Design-Consultation-Sales
Response No. 40
February, 1998 37

SPECIAL REPORT: Cinema Sound 1998
hy John F. Allen
Motion picture sound is critically important
in setting the emotional atmosphere ofa film.
Sound alone is often the determiningfactor in
knowing if a scene is a comedy or tragedy.
Obviously, the better the theatre's sowxd presentation,
the better thefilm works. Ifsound is,
as some insist, more than half the show, how
can exhibitors best exploit itspotential? In this
issue, BOXOFFICE contributing writer John
F. Allen concludes hisfour-part series ofarticles
exploring the current state ofmovie theatre
sound andproviding valuable guidance.
Part
one of this special four-part series,
published in the April 1997 issue, was
devoted to the common industry practice
of using loudspeakers too small for their tasks
and to the negative impact that this has on the
presentation of digital soundtracks. Part two
(July 1997) covered the deficiencies vs. the
requirements of surround speakers and subwoofers,
as well as the true amplifier power
needs of digital motion picture sound systems.
Part three (Nov. 1997) departed from equipment
issues to describe how sound systems are
routinely and often radically mistuned due to
the inaccuracy of the measurement techniques
relied upon by today's technicians.
The obvious point of this series has been to
explore the often deficient "state of the art"
exhibited in the majority of theatre sound systems
as well as to suggest what can and should
be done to bring these installations up to par.
Without proper and competent attention to
the aforementioned matters, no sound system
can fxjssibly be coasidered capable of meeting
the extraordinary demands of both digital and
analog motion pictures, let alone motivating
patrons to return more often. Yet even such
attention would not be enough. Among other
things, there are still far too many weaknesses
in the way that sound levels are set as well as in
the quality of the maintenance performed after
the initial in.stallation. I'll discuss the latterfirst.
MAINTENANCE
The sound system maintenance provided by
this industry's (rather overworked and often
under-appreciated) technicians needs to be
dramatically improved. This is not at all due to
either the quality of these technicians or their
IF THEY KNEW WHAT
YOU WERE MISSING
Part Four: Conclusion
WHY TODAY'S MOTION PICTURE SOUND
SYSTEMS FAIL TO MAKE THE GRADE AND
WHY THEY CAN'T SOUND BETTER
commitment to theirjobs. Rather, the improvement
required is in the areas of training and,
especially, the quality of the equipment provided
to the technicians. An accurate, stable
and easy-to-read real-time analyzer is the primary
sound instrument technicians must use.
Over the years, I have been constantly
amazed at some of the absolute junk I have
seen technicians struggle with over the years
when attempting to align sound systems. Try
as they do, technicians cannot be certain of the
accuracy of the results they obtain when their
real-time analyzers have been purchased on
the basis of price instead of performance.
The sound-pressure-level
(SPL) meters typically employed
are often nothing more than the unreliably
calibrated $40 units available
at most shopping centers. Can
anyone really take such equipment
seriously at professional levels?
To be certain of my own work,
I use an Ivie IE-30 real-time analyzer
with Ivie's handmade
model 1134 random incidence
microphone. I also carry a Bruel
and Kjaer microphone caUbrator
that I use every day to ensure the
accuracy of sound-pressure-level
measurements. Barring a recording
level problem, all of my sound
systems operate with their faders
at their normal positions and the sound levels
in the auditoriums are correct.
No technician, it seems to me, should be
expected to deliver quality work unless he or she
carries equipment equal or superior to this. Indeed,
I insist that technicians servicing my sound
.systems be equipped with IE-30s I've calibrated.
If they wish to carry their own microphone calibrators,
I personally check these units as weU
before they are placed into service. As a result,
we have achieved very consistent and accurate
levels throughout our installations around the
world. When necessary, I have provided this
equipment to my clients at a substantial disanint,
becau,se I consider it imperative they have it
When checking out sound systems not calibrated
with reliable equipment, I typically
find that the slit-loss correction is often set too
high, resulting in excessively bright sound. I
also find that the sound levels can be anywhere
from 2 to 10 dB high. Even worse, these level
discrepancies are not consistent. Not all channels
in a sound system are off by the same
amount. Imagine what audiences must endure
when surround levels are 6 dB too high, subwoofers
are 10 dB too loud and the speakers
are either being or have been destroyed.
Movie theatre technicians typically have
learned their trade by apprenticeship. It seems
to take about two years before one is "comfortable"
in the field. In addition, some manufacturers
have offered valuable training seminars
to instruct technicians in the proper ways to

:
must
I
\
available
I
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soundtracks
! become
I
I
;
A
I
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I
1
lam
read
levels) to theatres for the most routine matters,
such as an exciter lamp replacement or something
being unplugged, or even the improper
lacing of a projector. Often, technicians are not
allowed to perform propermaintenance. When
equipment of poor quality keeps breaking
down and ought to be replaced, technicians are
told to keep it going somehow, even though
they know it wiU continue to fail. All this gives
technicians too little time to do their jobs.
Presentation quality suffers.
Unfortunately, I have also encountered
some examples where technicians did not follow
manufacturer instructions and left a mess.
Recendy, I visited a theatre with one of my
installations and discovered that half the subwoofers
were turned off. The subwoofer level
(playing through the other half of the
subwoofers
that were working) was 10 dB too
high. Surround levels are almost always set
incorrectly in this theatre. Wires have been cut.
Short-circuits have been introduced and left in
place. I could goon, but I won't. That particular
theatre simply gets terrible service and always
has. Frankly, it being in Los Angeles, of all
places, I expect better.
SETTING SOUND LEVELS
One of the most frustrating problems with
modem cinema sound systems is measuring,
setting and maintaining proper levels. I cannot
say how many theatres actually play films at their
correct levels. I can say, however, that far too
many are too loud, and even more (I suspect) are
too soft. We do know that, in a large number of
theatres,
films are much too loud if they are
played at the "standard" fader settings. Once this
happens, it becomes anyone's guess where the
fader should be—and often the guess is wrong.
As we know, the volume controls, or faders,
on cinema sound processors are supposed to
be set at "7," or "0.0" for SDDS. When sound
system levels are calibrated at these fader positions,
the fihns are supposed to play at the
correct level when the faders are left at these
positions. Yet, when one looks around at the
fader settings in operating theatres, we very
often see Dolby faders at around "4 1/2" to "5
1/2" and SDDS faders at "-5" to "-10." The
sound levels might be normal, or near so, but
the faders are set anywhere fkim 4 to 10 dB
below the positions where the sound systems
were calibrated. What's going on?
Acnially. this is a complicated problem
brought about, among other things, by a combination
of poor measurement techniques, improper
sound system setup procedures, room
acoustics and even loud trailers. Let's look at
a typical Dolby-based installation first. Quite
often, we find that we are forced to run the fader
at "5" or "5 1/4," rather than '7," for Dolbyencoded
features, and at "4 1/4" or "4 1/2" for
DTS-encoded features. Those represent
sound-level calibration errors of about 6 dB for
the Dolby films and about 8 dB for DTS. Those
are very large errors, and very common ones.
It means that, when the technician's SPL meter
reads 85 dB with pink noise, a fihn will actually
play at 90 to 91 dB. DTS films would run
at 92 to 93 dB. These are excruciating levels.
tew years ago, I
SOUND IS THE KEY
a quote in one of the audio periodicals I receive that said in
part, "If bad audio w/as lethal, sound systems would be the leading cause of death. "This
was not aimed specifically at movie theatres but at the audio world in general. Frankly,
there is much truth being said. Beyond live unamplified concerts, where does one go
to enjoy high-quality, natural, undistorted sound? Certainly not to very many movie
theatres. Certainly not Broadway shows. From the three-inch speakers of our own
television receivers to virtually every public address system that assaults us on a daily
basis, we are constantly subjected to one form or another of distorted and unpleasant
sound. Yet those attending the live, often sold-out concerts are willing to pay as much
as 1 times the cost of a movie ticket for the enjoyment (and relief) of listening to clear,
undistorted (beautiful) music.
not entirely certain how many in this industry are genuinely aware of how much
of a motion picture's soundtrack is held back from the audience's ears due to overlooked
and misunderstood deficiencies in cinema sound systems. Upon hearing what I'll call
a "real sound system" for the first time, one industry veteran described it as the difference
between driving a $1 50,000 sports car and a 20-year old station wagon with four fiat
tires. My four-part series, which concludes with the accompanying article, has been a
comprehensive attempt to enlighten BOXOFFICE readers about the depth of the situation
as well as the magnitude of the potential, before improvements in home delivery systems
completely surpass the moviegoing experience.
FUTURE ALTERNATIVES
By 2001, the world of home entertainment will be dramatically transformed with the
introduction of digital television including six channels of digital sound. New distribution
systems wil I be estabi ished. With even the most modest of home theatre loudspeakers,
such receivers will easily eclipse the presentation quality of all but the best motion
piaure theatres. Indeed, the sound format alone is virtually the same that theatres are
trying to implement now. The window of opportunity to |X)sition ourselves in front of
these alternative developments is shrinking daily. In toth sound and picture, the cinema
remain the unequaled leader in presentation quality. To do this, the motion picture
theatre experience needs to be virtually reinvented. Fortunately, the tools to do so are
today.
Digital sound recordings, combined with some ofthe truly spectacular motion picture
being mixed today, are providing this industry with the opportunity to
a new, less expensive and widely available source for wonderi^ul experiences
in sound. This potential must be realized.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line of my four-part series is indeed the bottom line: Great sound is
marketable. Unfortunately, this industry seems to be unable to truly deliver and exploit
the marketing potential of really great sound. As in the rest ofthe audio world, the latest
fad can be substituted for genuine knowledge and technical know-how. Some I have
spoken with just can't bring themselves to believe that sound quality' can be so effective
a draw to their theatres. They express genuine surprise, even skepticism, when I tell
them of the audience response and attendance increases of 25 to 300 percent experienced
in some of the theatres I and others have done over the years. But ask yourself
this: When have consumers not responded positively to quality and value?
With ail the current alternatives competing for entertainment dollars, let alone those in
the near future, too many theatres continue to be operated with inadequate sound systems.
After 60 years, the principal characteristic of cinema sound systems remains the 1930's
"honky" quality that makes the actors sound as though they are speaking in a trash can.
Films can be played in the wrong formats or at the wrong levels. Defertive equipment is
sometimes allowed to go unrepaired. And there are still far too many mono theatres. Such
situations can and slx>uld be corrected. Where mediocrity exists it breeds more mediocrity,
and we simply cannot afford to allow it. Excellence isn't just good for the soul, ifs good for
business. In its pursuit, we not only improve ourselves but profits as well. Both are good.
If people didn't love beautiful sound, they wouldn't spend hundreds—sometimes
thousands—of dollars on stereo systems in their cars, let alone their homes. There
wouldn't be a hi-fi or home theatre industry. There wouldn't be a recording industry.
Motion picture soundtrack albums would not exist. In my opinion, entertainers who fail
to take advantage of the public's attraction to high-quality sound are underestimating
their customers and limiting the potential of their business. Simply installing digital
processors and putting the word "digital" on the marquee doesn't accompi ish more than
underwhelming audiences when the theatre's sound system doesn't deliver.
Strong statements? Maybe. But the gap between the sound quality I hear in so many
theatres and what I know can be achieved is surely testimony to something. JFA
—
February, 1998 39

40 ROXOKFK-E
STONE-AGE EQUALIZATION
Such errors can be accounted for. The first 1 to
2 dB usually indicates a miscalibrated SPL meter.
In randomly checking meters used by technicians
over the years, I typically find their calibrations
1 .5 to 2 dB low. So, when one reads 85, it is really
87. Further error is caused by improper sound
system equalization. As I pointed out this past
November in part three ofthis series, the common
practice ofplacing measurement microphones in
the rear two-thirds of a theatre results in major
measurement errors and, subsequently, equalization
errors. Though an analyzer indicates aproper
equalization has been achieved, the frequency
response of the system is actually misadjusted,
and usually severely misadjusted. Those
misadjustments can cause sound-pressure-level
measurement errors of 2 to 4 dB in most cases.
Here's why: Suppose we have a perfectly flat
loudspeaker playing pink noise at 85 dB SPL
in a 400-seat auditorium. If we were to turn off
the woofer, the SPL meter reading would drop
about 3 dB. Although the measured pink noise
level is now lower, the level of speech played
through the speaker would change very little.
In other words, the output levels of the middle
and high frequencies would not change; we
turned off only the woofer. If we then increase
the output level of our woofer-less speaker so
that our SPLmeterwouldagain read 85, we will
also increase the speech level by 3 dB. So it's
easy to see how reducing the bandwidth of a
loudspeaker will fool an SPL meter and a technician
if we are not careful.
It turns out that mis-equalized loudspeakers
can cause the same effect. Again as mentioned
in part three, equalization errors of as much as
8 to 11 dB in various 1/3-octave bands are
common results of the current but outdated
microphone placement practices. Large peaks
that don't exist are "equalized out," resulting
in actual holes in the frequency response. (See
figure, p. 38.) This, in turn, causes SPL meters
to display readings about 2 to 4 dB too low.
Let's consider a theatre in which the measurementerrorcaused
by such mis-equalization
happens to be 3 dB. When added to the 2 dB
error of the SPL meter itself, we have a total
error of 5 dB. We will read 85 dB on our meter
with pink noise, but the films will play at a level
equivalent to 90 dB. In such a theatre, when we
calibrate the sound system with the fader at '7,"
films will run at "5 1/4," becau.se each point on
the Dolby fader scale is equal to about 3 dB.
This indeed is the situation in many theatres.
In addition to equalization and SPL meter
errors, many, including myself, have encountered
difficulties with the levels of both DTS
and SDDS soundtracks. As an example, I have
consistently found that DTS films play 2 dB
too loud when the DTS player is calibrated
with the fader at "7." There are two possible
conclusions: Either the soundtracks (including
dialogue) recorded on the release discs are all
2 dB high, or the pink noise levels on the DTS
set-up discs are 2 dB low. I have spoken with
DTS about this, and it seems that the procedures
they followed when recording their reference
pink noise levels were correct. But, for
me at least, there is a 2 dB discrepancy somewhere
(and it could indeed not be anything to
do with DTS' procedures). DTS disputes this,
pointing out that it is merely duplicating the
master recording for each film. However true
that is, and I certainly accept DTS' abiUty to
do this, I simply cannot listen to films played
at the normal DTS levels, nor can I find a
theatre that is not forced to turn down the faders
for these presentations.
Because I wish to avoid the level setting
fi-ee-for-all
that occurs when faders must be
turned down, I have elected to do what is
needed to ensure that all the levels of all sound
formats are equal in all my theatres. The best
way I have found to compensate for DTS is to
increase the fader setting by 3/4 of a point (.7
on CP-5(X)s) when calibrating a DTS player.
The caUbration levels for each channel stay the
same as those recommended by DTS; only the
fader's setting for DTS calibration is changed.
After returning the fader to its normal position,
both Dolby and DTS features will then play at
the same levels without changing the fader.
(No one, including producers or DTS executives,
has ever hstened to those levels and told
me that they were too soft.) Failing to do this
will add 2 dB to our previously accumulated
errors of 5 dB (for Dolby presentations), becoming
7 dB for DTS. In our example theatre
above, in which Dolby-encoded films play at
fader settings of 5 1/4, DTS films would need
to run at around "4 1/2" to "4 3/4." Again, we
regularly encounter this situation in theatres.
SDDS faders use a different
scale and are
supposed to run at "0.0." They provide an adjustment
range of ±10 dB. Technicians have complained
that, when SDDS processors are
calibrated at "0.0," some films are so loud, even
at a fader setting of- 1 0, that they cannot tum them
down enough. That can also be accounted for.
When setting levels for SDDS processors, we are
vulnerable to the same accumulated errors of
around 5 dB, attributed to SPL meter and equalization
errors. Occasionally, features can be released
with soundtracks that are recorded at
excessive levels. Played at reduced fader settings,
these films usually, though not always, sound
normal with normal dynamic range.
None of the digital soundtrack formats has
been immune to this problem. When an SDDS
feature is released with the soundtrack recorded
3 to 4 dB too loud, it can cause special difficulties
in theatres. As examples, this past year's
"Volcano" and "Con Air" both suffered from
the problem. Also unfortunate is that virtually
all
SDDS trailers are recorded 5 to 6 dB too
loud. Ordinarily, this would be a simple matter
ofturning down the SDDS fader to "-4" to "-6"
but, when it is already mnning at "-5" for
normal films due to calibration errors, one may
need to be able to set the fader below "- 1
0," and
that exceeds the range of the SDDS fader.
ROOM ACOUSTICS
As if all these potential accumulated errors
were not enough, it is also possible for room
acoustics to cause an SPL meter to mislead us.
An example of that can occur in older or larger
theatres with longer reverberation times. In
such theatres, a pink noise reading of 85 dB
might actually coirespond to a program level
equivalent of 83 dB. In this case, films would
play too low. The opposite effect can occur in
a smaller theatre with poor bass response or in
a theatre equipped with speakers with small
low-frequency radiating areas. An SPL
meter/pink noise reading of 85 dB might correspond
to a program level of 86 or 87 dB,
causing films to play too loud.
DISTORTION MAKES IT WORSE
The never-ending menace of distortion also
comes into play when experiencing digital
sound levels. Distortion makes sound seem
louder. In part one of this series, I wrote about
the inadequacies of typical two-way theatre
speaker systems. One major problem with
these systems is the high-ft^quency drivers of
such configurations often can't and don't have
the output required of the highest Irequencies
of motion picture sound. That is especially true
in rooms the size of movie tiieatres.
When pushed too hard, the drivers cause
distortion and the familiar harsh sound so
many have complained about for so long. Add
to this the excessive treble brightness that often
results from the improper equalization caused
by the inaccurate measurement techniques
employed today, and/or tiie distortion caused
by inadequate amplifiers, and we have a mess.
Whether caused by tiie speakers or otherwise,
distortion can make the sound in a theatre
seem too loud even when it isn't. This is very
important. Imagine the effect it has in theatres
in which the sound is indeed too loud. Is there
any wonder why there are so many complaints
about loud movies?
LOUD TRAILERS
It's hard to write about the issue of sound
levels without further mentioning the problem
of loud trailers — "plague" might be a better
description. For whatever reason, trailers are
believed, at least by those responsible for them,
to sell better when they are very loud, uncomfortably
loud or simply too damn loud. Anyone
who has mixed sound for live audiences, as 1
have (once for a concert so large that it was
hsted in the "Guinness Book of Records"), or
anyone with an ounce of sense, knows that the
best way to get the attention of an audience is
to make the sound just a little too soft. Loud
trailers have caused more customercomplaints
than is possible to count. Yet they persist. The
tragedy is that, when managers and projectionists
are forced to lower faders due to loud
trailers, the features that follow tend to get
played at the lower settings, completely mining
the presentation.
HI
© 1998 John E Allen. All Rights Reserved.
John F. Allen Li thefowider andpresident of
High Petformance Stereo in Newton, Mass.
He is also the inventor of the HPS-4000 cinema
sound system and, in 1984, wai the first
to bring digital sound to the cinema. Questions
or comments on Mr. Allen's .series may be
mailed, faxed or e-mailed to BOXOFFICE.

February, 1998 41
POV: PERSPECTIVES
BOXOFFICE's Forum for the Industry
As
an avid moviegoer as well as a
filmmaker, I've watched with admiration
and delight as exhibition standards
have risen in recent times. There's no doubt:
Films look and sound better. And, although
image quality seems to have improved over the
years (a lot of that can be attributed to advances
in lenses and film stocks), strides in sound have
been profound. Analog has quickly given way
to digital, and many theatres have, thankfiilly,
embraced these new formats.
The result for filmmakeis? Unlike the directors,
producers and re-recording mixers of decades
past—those who acknowledged theirfilms
would rarely sound as good "out there" as on the
dubbing stage—filmmakers today can mix their
films knowing that thousands of theatres may be
able to faithfully reproduce the sound mix they
sweated over for weeks and months.
But I should emphasize a word here: may.
"May be able to reproduce the sound mix...."
It's an important quaUfication.
Flashback: This past October, my feature
film—Paramount's "Kiss the Girls"—was released.
With its release came one of the simple
pleasures of any filmmaker: the chance to go
into a theatre on opening weekend and watch
your movie with a real audience.
A quick digression: "Kiss the Girls" has a
dynamic, rich, detailed soundtrack, as ambitious
a sound mix as I've heard on a thriller,
thanks to stunning work by soimd designer
David Bartlett and re-recording mixers Rick
Ash and Rick Alexander. In fact, the mood and
portent of the film owe as much to its music
and sound effects as to its images. Okay, that
said, back to my opening weekend:
I'm at a premium L.A. theatre. Huge screen.
Digital sound. First come the trailers and, yes,
they rock the house. Then, as the title sequence
of "Kiss the Girls" begins, I notice a problem.
The sound is playing too low. Much lower than
mixed. My guess is about 25 percent lower.
hy Gary Fleder
PUMP UP
THE
VOLUME
'*So let me understand,"
I say. "You 're setting the
overall volume in this
theatre based on seven or
eight minutes ' worth of
trailers, and then letting
the two-hourfeature
play perhaps 25 percent
lower than intended?'
Hi
In a flash, I'm in the lobby requesting a
word with the theatre manager. I ask about
the sound level, menfioning that, yes, I
worked on the sound mix and know it's
playing a lot lower than we'd intended. The
manager considers my entreaty.
"The trailers are just too loud," he says. "So
we've turned down the overall volume."
"So let me understand," I say. "You're setting
the overall volume in this theatre based on
seven or eight minutes' worth of trailers, and
then letting the two-hour feaftire play perhaps
25 percent lower than intended?"
A shrug. "Yes, well.... No one complains."
I was more than happy to obUge him by
being the first to do so and, generously, he
asked the projectionist to turn the volume knob
to its correct setting. (Typically, '7" it's on the
CP-200 box.) I went back and watched the
fihn. It sounded great, just like we mixed it,
and all around me patronsjumped at the scary
parts. For the audience, terror evoked by "Kiss
the Girls" ended with the final credit crawl.
For me, it was just beginning.
Driven by curiosity and a modicum of masochism,
I visit six other theatres that weekend
playing "Kiss the Girls." At five of them, it's
the same scenario: The trailers play loud, my
film plays low. I query about the correct volume,
the managers provide the same response:
"The trailers are too loud, so we've turned
down the overall volume. No one complains."
Oh, man. Cut to:
Monday morning. I call Wayne Lewellen,
head of Paramount distribution, and ask for
insight and counsel. Wayne says that,
obviously,
studio reps can't fly to 2,000 theatres to
quality-control the projection of every print.
But he suggests that he can distribute an open
letter from me, the director, to theatre owners
and managers across North America.
I'm thrilled. 1 write my appeal. 1 keep it
short, simple, polite. A solution for the trailer
problem is easy, 1 say: Play the trailers at one
volume level and then, well, just turn the volume
to normal (85 dB standard) for the feature.
My letter goes out. I'm hopeful. The letters
will be read. The solution is so easy. A
filmmaker's written plea is all it took! My film,
all films, will be seen and heard as intended.
I've made a difference. Bliss.
Two weeks later: I'm visiting Vancouver,
B.C., for a long weekend. One night, a fiiend
and I decide to check out a comedy playing at
a nearby multiplex. The movie lets out, and I
notice that "Kiss the Girls" is playing on an
adjacent screen. We sneak in, and the film is at
its midpoint, a big action set-piece.
The sequence begins!—but the guns sound
like cap pistols. The bold dialogue is barely a
whisper. The car crashes sound like toasters
hitting a kitchen floor. Glass breaking makes
for pixie-dust tinkles. Gee. ..it's not quite the
way it sounded when we mixed it.
I
ask to sj)eak to the manager. He appears,
solicitous. I ask why the sound is barely audible.
"Well," he answers. "No one complains."
Please. I am appealing to you, dear reader of
BOXOFFICE, those ofyou who own and manage
movie theatres. I know we share the same
goal: to thrill, entertain, and engage moviegoers.
Ask any filmmaker what he or she wants
once their fihn leaves their hands, and the
answer will probably be along the Unes of, "I
just want people to see my film." What that
means implicitly is, "I just want people to see
and hear my film the way we intended."
I beUeve this to be a worthwhile and attainable
goal, one whose achievement will once
again raise the bar in exhibition quality. And,
ultimately, the next time a patron doesn't complain
about something—focus, framing,
sound—it might be, simply, because diey
don't know what they're missing.
Hi
Gary Fleder directed the 1995 Miramax
release "Things to Do in Denver When You 're
Dead" and Paramount's recent "Kiss the
Girls. " The Norfolk, Va., native, who won the
prestigious John Huston Directing Scholarship
while a master 's student at the University
of Southern California film school, recently
acquired the rights to adapt the Jerzy Kosinski
novel "Pintail"for New Line.

source side of the wall to the receiving side.
An STC 72 rating exceeds THX certification
requirements. Call (800) 987-3306 for details.
Response Number 301
PRODUCTS
BUYING
HiTTiJ
Compiled by
Klipsch, Inc. has resumed manufacturing
and marketing loudspeakers under the
Klipsch Professional brand name. The name
was licensed to WWR, Inc., of Hope, Ark. in
September 1992 but the agreement has now
expired. Maico Theatres has agreed to make
one of its Memphis houses a state-of-the-art
demonstration site for Klipsch Professional
theatre sound. The new professional products
will be manufactured in the current Klipsch,
Inc. facility in Hope, Ark.
Response Number 302
If you're tired of audio glitches marring
your screenings, AudioControi Industrial
might have the answers you need. Its lasys
Electro-Acoustic Analyzer uses fuzzy logic to
diagnose audio problems and provide solutions.
The machine is self-contained and does
not require the use of a computer. It can be
used for system design, or to optimize performance
of an existing arrangement. Audio-
Control Industrial says that testing takes only
a few minutes. Contact (206) 775-8461 for
more information.
Response Number 303
Speaker manufacturer Bose has unveiled its
website (www.bose.com), which will allow
theatre owners to access i nformation 24 hours
a day. The site holds more than 300 pages of
-
.JBaSJB
The Editors of
BOXOFFICE
Troy Sound Wall Systems'
new acoustic wall
is setting higher standards
for controlling
sound transmissions.
The company reports
that its new system
achieved the highest
transmission loss values
ever recorded under laboratory
conditions at the
Riverbank Acoustical
Laboratories, Geneva,
III. The Troy wall earned
a Sound Transmission
Class (STC) rating of 72,
Indicating that if can isolate
sound transmission
by providing a potential
drop of 72 dB from the
Sheet Rock
Insulation
Material
Metal Stud
Wood Fiber

February, 1998 43
Frazier has added a new product to its CAT
loudspeaker line. The CAT 59 is a compact,
high output, controlled directivity mid-high
array component. It's available in black.
vv'hite or carpet finish, and includes a 1 0-inch
woofer with a one-inch ferroflu id cooled high
frequency compression driver. A variety of
connectors are available for either portable or
fixed use, and there's also an outdoor version.
To learn more, call (800) 422-7757.
Response Number 307
Peavey's CinemAcoustics line includes a
variety of processors and speakers. Among the
options are the CA-M400 monitor, CA-CP600
digital cinema processor and monitor, CA-
A540 and CA-A800 power amplifiers, and a
multitude of speaker options, including subwoofers,
surround speakers and horn screen
speakers. To learn more about this product
line, call (601) 483-5365.
Response Number 308
The Chace Optical Sound Processor can
perform high-quality sound transfers from
negatives, even from fragile nitrate stock.
Copies are sound-corrected to remove unwanted
noise from dirt, scratches and uneven
film development. Now clean new prints can
be made from old films (and TV shows) without
damaging the originals. Chace also offers
complete audio transfer services from a wide
variety of formats, plus audio synchronizing,
voiceovers, effects and music tracks. For more
information, call (818) 842-8346.
Response Number 309
Cinema Film Systems, Inc. carries a full line
of THX-approved Krix loudspeakers. Highlights
include the HX-4010, a very low frequency
loudspeaker with a single 18-inch
subwoofer. The HX-5810 is a full-range
screen loudspeaker, the low-frequency part of
which was developed by "reverse engineering"
THX Cinema loudspeaker requirements.
The HX-1850 surround is a high-powered,
efficient model that incorporates a 1 5-degree
angle on the front baffle to allow correct
sound dispersion when the unit is mounted
flat with the wall. Call (909) 931 -931 8.
Response Number 310
Hi
FOR INCLUSION IN THE NEXT BOXOFFICE NEW PRODUCTS GUIDE, PLEASE SEND
A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE AND A BLACK-AND-WHITE,
PUBLICATION-QUALITY PHOTOGRAPH TO: LISA OSBORNE, NEW PRODUCTS DESK,
BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE, 6640 SUNSET BLVD., SUITE 100, HOLLYWOOD CA 90028. FAX: 213-465-5049.
1^ II
THEATRE & VIDEO PRODUCTS
CINEMA SOUND SYSTEMS
DIGITAL AND ANALOG
8-6-4-2 CHANNEL FORMATS
ALL MAJOR SOUND PROCESSORS
QSC AMPLIFIERS
220 VOLT SYSTEMS
FOR EXPORT AVAILABLE
LITERATURE ON REQUEST
305-754-9 136 92 1 N.E. 79th ST.
305-759-0863 FAX MIAMI, FL 33138
E-MAIL: tvpmiami@webtv.net
RICHARD FOWLER JOHN GAMBLE
Response No. 117

44 Boxomce
—
EXHIBITION
BRIEFINGS
SILVER CINEMAS ACQUIRES
LANDMARK THEATRE GROUP
Dallas, Texas-based Silver Cinemas International
has agreed to purchase the Landmark
Theatre Group, headquartered in Los Angeles,
from Metromedia International Croup for
about $65 million.
Silver Cinemas was founded in June 1996
by former Cinemark USA executives Steve
Holmes and Tom Owens and by Brentwood
Associates, a private equity investment firm
located in Los Angeles. Landmark is the largest
exhibitor of specialty films—art films, foreign
pictures and independent releases— in
the LI.S. with 140 screens at 49 theatres nationwide.
This is Silver's eighth acquisition and marks
its entry into the independent film exhibition
business. Several of Landmark's senior executives
are expected to join Silver's management
team when the sale is complete.
PAGERS GIVE PARENTS
PEACE OF MIND AT GCC MOVIES
General Cinema's new South Bay 1 6 theatre
in Redondo Beach, Calif., has set up a
babysitter paging system to help parents relax
when they're at the movies alone. Parents can
request a pager when they arrive at the
boxoffice and then call their babysitter with
the number. If a call comes through, they will
be paged at their seats. It's a vibrating pager,
so other viewers won't be disturbed.
Another unusual feature at this 16-plex is
the 96-foot-long, three-tiered concession
stand. Food is prepared at the back of the
stand and then displayed on a "pass-through"
counter where items are easily accessible to
servers thus expediting food delivery to the
customer. "I can attest, even yesterday, when
we had a free showing, that we did not have
any lines, absolutely zero. People moved right
through," Tony Garrisi, director of operations
at General Cinema Theatres, told BOXOFFICE.
The theatre also offers an automated ticketing
system. Moviegoers can purchase tickets
up to two weeks before a show by i nserting
their credit card into an ATM at the theatre
and following directions on the touch screen.
UNION PICKETS REGAL CINEMAS
The International Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employes, Moving Picture Technicians,
Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States
and Canada (lATSE) has accused Regal Cinemas
of "union busting" and launched a nationwide
boycott of the circuit. Reverend
Jesse Jackson has pledged his support and that
of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, vowing "not
to let Regal rest, until they treat the workers
right."
lATSE charges Regal with "systematically
terminating" members working as projectionists
In Fort Wayne, Ind., Akron, Ohio, and Richmond,
Va., and making members in Youngs-
Q&A BUYOUTMANN
BUYS CINAMERICA
Jeffrey
G. Lewine and Warburg, Pincus Ventures LP., partners in WestStar Holdings Inc.,
have bought Cinamerica LP from Viacom Inc. and Time Warner. For $165 million,
WestStar acquired 62 Mann and Festival theatres (374 screens) primarily in Colorado
and California. L ewine knows theatres from top to bottom . He started working for New York's
Cinema 5 when he was 14 years old as an usher, ticket taker and janitor. Eleven years later,
,_^_
^^ \^^|
in 1980, he had risen to become the company's COO. In
1 987, Lewine and his partners, the Edgar Bronfman family,
bought all 53 Cinemette theatres for $23 million and
re-named the chain Cinema World. Lewine became circuit
president and CEO, and built or expanded 1 1 theatres and
spent $12 million on renovations. In 1994, he sold Cinema
World to Columbus, Ca.'s Carmike Cinemas for $38.1
million. Lewine tells BOXOFFICE his plans for Cinamerica.
BOXOFFICE: What role will you play at Cinamerica?
JEFFREY LEWINE: I'll be the president and CEO.
BOXOFFICE: Will the circuit change names?
LEWINE: No. It will do business as Mann Theatres and as
FAMILY MANN: Lewine is very Festival Theatres in northern California.
protective of both his babies. BOXOFFICE: What changes do you foresee at Cinamerica?
LEWINE: I see a more aggressive building campaign and a
more aggressive acquisition campaign, both designed to shore up our market share in the
markets [we've entered] by buying these theatres.
BOXOFFICE: Are you planning to purchase any other theatre circuits?
LEWINE: We hope so—as soon as something is screaming to be done.
BOXOFFICE: What is the company objective of WestStar Holdings?
LEWINE: It was formed primarily for the acquisition of virtually ail of the movie assets of
Cinamerica LP and will be a vehicle for more acquisitions in the future.
BOXOFFICE: Do you see a lot of consolidation in the industry's future?
LEWINE: This is definitely an industry with a changing landscape that will ultimately go
through a consolidation; I see three, four or five very, very big circuits.
BOXOFFICE: Would you like to name any?
LEWINE: I'm not that smart. For our part, we see a consolidation play coming on the West Coast.
BOXOFFICE: What do you think is the driving force behind the consolidation?
LEWINE: Increased liquidity from different sources of funding. A more businesslike approach
being taken to the business. Wall Street and other financing sources discovering us as not only
a cyclical business but a business to be in 12 months a year. And the availability of top
management teams that are out there now.
BOXOFFICE: What do you plan to do with Cinamerica?
LEWINE: We will definitely be investing money into it. And I definitely intend to make money
with the assets that I'm buying. I'm not buying the company just to rebuild it all. But we intend
to spend a considerable amount of money fixing up and modernizing our theatres. We intend
to defend each and every situation that we have.
BOXOFFICE: Will this move affect the addition of the 1 4 screens to Mann's Chinese Theatre?
LEWINE: It's tooearly to tell. Something will happen at the Chinese Theatre. Whether it's 10
screens or 14 screens is up in the air, but we intend to play our part in the redevelopment of
Hollywood. Lisa Osborne
town, Ohio choose between a "deplorable severance
package" and a "drastic wage reduction."
Although an agreement was reached between
Regal and the local union in Cleveland,
it had a "horrendous cost," according to lATSE.
"In order to preserve a few jobs, the local was
forced to accept an exorbitant pay cut, along
with a drastic reduction of work hours."
Regal said that comments made by the union
were "factually inaccurate," adding that, "The
agency charged with establishing federal labor
policy has reviewed the allegations raised by
lATSE and found them to be lacking any merit"
This conflict has arisen because advances in
projector technology now allow one manager
to run 1 6 screens at the same time.
ON THE MOVE
William B. Doeren has been appointed
president and CEO of General Cinema Theatres,
Inc. He replaces Paul R. Del Rossi who
becomes the company's first chairman.
Doeren, who previously served as executive
vice president and COO, will manage the
circuit's domestic operations, while Del Rossi
directs its international expansion efforts and
certain strategic partnerships. ..CinemaStar
Luxury Theatres Inc. has appointed Norman
Dowling to the newly created post of vice
president and chief financial officer. Dowling
comes to CinemaStar from Advanced Marketing
Services Inc. of San Diego where he was
director of finance. ..Clearview Cinema
Group Inc. has elected Philip M. Getter as a
director. Getter is managing director of corporate
finance at Prime Charter Ltd., a New
York investment banking firm. ..Barry Ferrell,
QSC Audio's cinema market manager, has
been elected to the International Theatre
Equipment Association board of directors...John
Stanney has been appointed president
of Super Vision International. He
retains his position as chief financial officer.

R P.
— In Memory Of —
'TETE^^ GLORIOD
Augusts, 1916 - December 4, 1997
A Great Friend, A Knowledgeable Colleague,
And A Man Admired And Loved
By So Many In Our Industry.
Robert N. Mack, President
Filmack Studios
Contributions to the Pete Gloriod Memorial Fund
may be sent to his beloved Church, St. Bernard of
Clairvaux, 4001 E. 101st Street, Tulsa, OK 74137

1 be
46 Boxoffice
—
NATIONAL
NEWS
TRENT LOTT ADDRESSES THE
INDUSTRY IN HOLLYWOOD
Senate majority leader Trent Lott and republican
national committee chairman )im
Nicholson havevisited Hollywood forthe first
time to discuss issues with members of the
entertainment community. Lott made a guest
appearance at the Wednesday Morning Club,
an organization formed by writer Lionel
Chetwynd and David Horowitz to bridge the
gap between Hollywood and Washington.
Topics covered included content neutral regulations,
station ownership caps, free speech,
campaign financing and current foreign policy.
When asked, "How do we get your attention?"
Lott responded, "At events like this. But
even more importantly, have a representative
group from your industry come to Washington
and sit down in a quiet room and let's talk
about it. Let's have a dialogue. I have a lot of
meetings every day as majority leader and I've
learned to 'cut to the chase' as the say i ng goes.
I sit down and say, 'I know your problem. I
don't want to hear it. Tell me the solution.'"
ACNIELSEN ACQUIRES
ENTERTAINMENT DATA INC.
Stamford, Conn. -based ACNielsen Corp.
has bought Entertainment Data Inc. (EDI), the
boxoffice information source located in Beverly
Hills, Calif. EDI provides overnight information
on boxoffice receipts to studios and
exhibitors in the LI.S. It also has operations in
the U.K., Germany, Spain and France. Marcy
Poller, founder of EDI, will serve as president
of the new company, which will be known as
ACNielsenEDI.
API CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL;
PICKS TOP 100 MOVIES
The American Film Institute (AFI) has recruited
more than 1,500 members of the
American film community to help pick the
best 100 American movies of all time.
AFI compiled a short-list of 400 movies and
then mailed ballots to industry leaders nationwide,
asking them to vote for their favorite
100 feature films. Movies were judged on
such factors as critical recognition, awards
they've won, popularity over time, historical
significance and cultural impact.
Winners will be announced during a threehour
prime-time special entitled "AFI's 100
Years... 100 Movies," to air on CBS in June.
This segment wi 1 followed by 1 one-hour
specials broadcast on consecutive weeks on
Turner Network Television (TNT).
This campaign should serve to introduce
classic movies to a new generation. Actor
Chris O'Donnell said at AFI's press conference
for the event, "I grew up watching 'Star
Wars' and the films that were made in the
'70s. My only exposure to older films is when
my mom calls me and says, 'There's this film
you've got to see.' For someone like myself
it's a great opportunity. I'm going to have to
get the final list and make sure I check off as
many of the top 1 00 films as I can."
AFI is planning an outreach program for
movie exhibitors. "We hope very much to
have a touring screening program of 35mm
prints of some of these movies," AFI director
and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg told
BOXOFFICE.
"We hope to get together a film festival
around the country. This is a national celebration
and we want the whole country, and in
fact the world, to really feel part of it."
HOLLYWOOD UPDATES
French actress Jeanne Moreau has become
the first woman to receive the European
Film Academy's Lifetime Achievement
Award. Earlier honorees include Ingmar
Bergman and Federico Fellini. During her
career, which spans four decades, Moreau
has worked with many famous directors including
Louis Malle ("Frantic," "The Lovers,"
"Viva Maria"), Francois Truffaut ("Jules et
Jim," "The Bride Wore Black"), and Michelangelo
Antonioni ("The Night"). She was
most recently seen in CFP's "I Love You, I
Love You Not," in which she starred with
Claire Danes. Miles Forman has received
the Academy's first European Achievement
in World Cinema award for "The People
vs. Larry Flynt," which starred Woody
Harrelson and Courtney Love.
Universal Pictures has signed a multiyear
production deal with two-time Academy
Award winner Tom Hanks. Under the
agreement. Universal gets a first look at all
motion picture projects developed by
Hanks and his partner, Gary Goetzman.
Hanks made his feature directorial debut in
1 996 with "That Thing You Do!," which he
and Goetzman also produced and in which
he starred. Coetzman's producing credits
include the Academy Award-winning "The
Silence of the Lambs," "Philadelphia," "Devil
in a Blue Dress" and the upcoming "Beloved."
Universal has also acquired distribution
rights in the U.S. and Canada to the romantic
comedy "Kissing a Fool," starring David
Schwimmer ("The Pallbearer"), Bonnie
Hunt ("Jerry Maguire"), Jason Lee ("Chasing
Amy") and Mill Avital("Stargate"). Directed
by Doug Ellin, "Kissing a Fool" was produced
by Tag Mendillo, Andrew Form and
Rick Lashbrook from a screenplay by Ellin
and James Frey.
"Flubber" hit the No. 1 spot over the
Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Its five-day
opening tigurt:—$35,892,0.31—also propeled
it into the record books as the
industry's fourth-biggest opener ever on
Thanksgiving weekend behind "101
Dalmations" ($45.1 million, 1996), "Back
to the Future II" ($43 million, 1989) and
"Toy Story" ($39.1 million, 1995).
"The Little Mermaid" has now grossed
more than $100 million. The Walt Disney
animated classic earned $23,947,879 dur-
CRITICS LOVE L.A.CONFIDENTIAL
"L.A. Confidential" is a strong Oscar contender,
having earned top honors from all the
critics. The Boston Society of Film Critics, the
L.A. Film Critics Association, the New York
Film Critics Circle and the National Board of
Review all voted it Best Picture of 1997 and
its director Curtis Hanson as Best Director.
The film's scripters, Hanson and Brian
Helgel, won the Best Screenplay Award
from Boston, L.A. and New York. Dante
Spinotti won the L.A. Critics award for Best
Cinematography, while Kevin Spacey won
critical acclaim from Boston as Best Supporting
Actor.
ing its 17-day return engagement. The
movie's gross-to-date stands at $1 08,330,742.
United Artists Pictures has acquired
worldwide distribution rights to the film
"Never Say Never Again" from Taliafilm
Inc. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., United
Artists Pictures' parent company, and Danjaq
LLC now control all rights to the James
Bond film character.
John K. Home has formed a new produc-
company
tion
Home Entertainment
Inc.—to acquire, develop and produce
"feature-length motion pictures, whimsical
television programs, and sports and entertainment-related
books, tapes and discs."
John Home and his partner Rory Holioway
are best known for negotiating Mike
Tyson's second Heavyweight Champion of
the World deal. Located in Beverly Hills,
Home Entertainment is capitalized up to
$250 million.
ON THE MOVE: Bob Wynne has been
promoted to co-president of Sony Pictures
Entertainment(SPE), while remaining chief
of corporate operations. Wynne will run
SPE's day-to-day operations, assist president
and COO John Calley in his overall
leadership and management of the company,
and continue to oversee financial,
legal, risk management, human resources
and studio operations. ..Nadia Bronson has
been appointed president of international
marketing at Universal Pictures. She was
previously executive vice president of international
marketing. Bronson is involved in
the acquisition and co-production of foreign
films, as well as the marketing, promotion
and distribution of American movies
abroad. ..Consolidated Film Industries
(CFI), the motion picture processing and
post-production facility, has appointed Bob
Beitcher as president. Beitcher has held
posts as vice president of business affairs at
Lucasfilm, Ltd., managing director of Jim
Henson Productions, and executive vice
president of Paramount Picture's Motion
Picture Group. He replaces Jerry Virnig at
CFI who assumes the role of company
chairman. ..United Artists Pictures has proiTioted
Jeff Kleeman to executive vice president—
production. He is responsible for
developing and packaging films and overseeing
production from acquisition through
principal photography. Current projects include
"Cold Mountain," to be written and
directed by Anthony Minghella and "Supernova,"
a sci-fi thriller set in outer space.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Canadian News Notes by Shlomo Schwartzberg
LEAD STORY:
FORMER ALLIANCE EXECS FORM RED SKY ENTERTAINMENT
The newest Canadian film distribution company, Red Sky Entertainment,
is doing things a little differently from the established companies. For one,
it's based in Vancouver, instead of Montreal or Toronto, where the bulk of
Canada's film distributors reside. It's also going to specialize in Western
Canadian and British Columbia filmmakers and television producers. But
that doesn't mean the rest of Canada will be neglected, says Anna Maria
Muccilli, vice president of publicity and promotion. "The focus [will be on
Western Canada] but we're also going to be involved with films from other
parts of Canada, if we find something we like."
Muccilli is one of four longtime Alliance Releasing senior executives who
left the Toronto-based company to move to Vancouver to set up the twomonth-old
Red Sky Entertainment. The others are Tony Cianciotta, Red
Sky's president; Dave Forget, vice president of sales; and Mary-Pat Gleeson,
vice president of marketing. "It's very exciting," says Muccilli about the new
venture.
Red Sky has already inked a deal to distribute films from Equinox Entertainment
(the name Quebec-based company France Film goes by as a
distributor in English-speaking Canada). Eight to 12 Equinox films are
expected to be released in the next two to three years. Titles already
announced are "La comtesse de Baton Rouge" by Quebec filmmaker Andre
Forcier and Paul Chart's "American Perfekt."
SILVER SCREENS
Famous Players recently unveiled its newest multiplex, the 10-
screen Famous Players SilverCity, located in Mississauga, Ontario.
(Mississauga, along with East York, North York, Scarborough and
Etobicoke, are now part of the new Megacity of Toronto, per a new
government determination consolidating the former boroughs with
the metropolis). SilverCity boasts 2,988 seats, cost C$4.5 million
(US$3 million) and will create 1 50 full- and part-time jobs. It' s one
of the latest multiplex builds from Famous Players, whose sixmonth-old
Coliseum is currently the top grossing theatre in Canada.
By the end of 1997, five other SilverCity complexes were
opened in Canada, in the provinces of Ontario and British
Columbia.
Other recent builds such as a six-screen in Fhnnce George, B.C.,
brought Famous to 555 screens in 108 locations by the end of 1997,
part of the 77-year-old company's largest expansion in its history.
"We're really gratified with the response of the public," says
Dennis Kucherawy, director of corporate public relations for Famous
Players. "The [opening of the] SilverCity Mississauga was
an enormous success."
Kucherawy points out that the expected cannibalization of audiences
by the two Famous Mississauga complexes, the SilverCity
and the Coliseum, never occurred. "Alien Resurrection" at the
Coliseum was the highest-grossing film in the greater Toronto area
its first weekend, but the same film was the fourth-highest grosser
for the same region at the SilverCity multiplex. "People are responding
to the types of theatres that we're building and audiences
are growing," Kucherawy observes. Late-night screenings are another
new wrinkle that were not expected to take off in the suburbs
but are drawing the customers in, he adds.
Among the major Famous Players houses set to open in 1 998 are
The Empress Walk in North York, Ontario ( 1 screens, 3,000 seats)
opening this spring, and two multiplexes slated for the fall: the
spaceship-shaped Colossus in Vaughn, Ontario (18 screens, 4,800
seats) and the York-Eglinton Centre in midtown Toronto (nine
screens, 2,800 seats).
CINEPLEXING
Canada's leading chain, Cineplex Odeon, is
not idle, either. It's added six screens to its
downtown Toronto Varsity two-plex, opened
the Ajax 10 Cinemas in Ajax, Ontario, the 11-
screen 401 & Momingside Cinemas in Scarborough,
Ontario, and has recently announced a
new state-of-the-art 10-plex in Barrie, Ontario.
"Cineplex" s expansion plans are on par with
those of Famous Players," says Howard Lichtman,
Cineplex' s executive VP of marketing,
pointing out that by the end of 1997, Cineplex
reached a total of 1728 screens in 321 locations
in North America. Lichtman attributes the building
boom to a "rejuvenation of the theatres." But
is there enough of an audience for so many new
cinemas? "Hopefully with the theatres that
we're building, the audience will go up," he says.
THE ART OF THE DEAL
Toronto's repertory and art-house scene is also
expanding, with Leonard Schein, owner of
Vancouver's Fifth Avenue Cinemas, sub-leasing
two Famous Players houses in Toronto—the four
screen downtown Cumberland and the two-screen
west end Runnymede— in which he'll be showcasing
art-house and foreign language product.
In effect, Schein has ensured that art-house films will run yearround
instead of being squeezed out during the Christmas and
summer rushes. The Vancouver-based Schein, who also operates
two single houses. The Park and The Varsity, in addition to the
Fifth Avenue five-plex in that city, is enthusiastic about penetrating
the Toronto market. "Toronto has always been a good market for
art-house and festival type films," he notes. As with Fifth Avenue,
patrons will be able to save C$2 (US$1.34) off the cost of a first
run ticket if they take out a C$12 (US$8.04) annual membership,
which also entitles the bearer to discounts on concession items.
Smdents will be given C$1 (US$0.67) off ticket prices. Cappuccino
machines will be installed in both theatres.
Schein won't be using the Festival Cinemas company name, as
he does in Vancouver, as that would create confusion with the
already existing Festival Cinemas repertory chain in Toronto,
which is headed by Tom Litvinskas. To be known as Lumiere
Cinemas, Shein ' s theatres did not have their debut slates confirmed
at press time, though the restored National Film Board Canadian
classic "Mon Oncle Antoine" and the Australian thriller "Kiss or
Kill" will be reportedly be among the op)eners.
Meanwhile, Litvinskas' Festival Cinemas, which currently operates
five rep houses in Toronto and the Capitol theatre, is adding
two more theatres. The Royal and The Music Hall. With another
rep house, the refurbished Roxy, also scheduled to open in Toronto,
the city is undergoing a major jump in second run options.
Litvinskas doesn't think it's a risk to go with more single screen
houses. "We offer big comfortable seats, low admission and we
only show good movies," he says.
DO YOU HAVE AN EXHIBITION-RELATED NEWS
ITEM ABOUT THE CANADIAN MARKET?
CONTACT SHLOMO SCHWARTZBERG IN CARE OF
OUR CANADIAN NEWS BUREAU AT: 416-638-6402,
» OR FAX: 416-324-8668
February, 1998 47

48 BoxomcE
INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
EUROVIEWS
European News Notes by Kim Williamson
LEAD STORY: MEGA MERGER
BRUSSELS—Following a November ruling by Belgium's Competition Commission
that the move was not anti-competitive, the Kinepolis companies—high-profile
Belgian megaplex operators the Bert Group ana the Claeys Group, wnich
together account for half the country's annual boxoffice—on Dec. 5 formally
merged into one as Kinepolis Group Holding. The Bert and Claeys families, which
are related not only monetarily but by marriage, plan to take the formalized
Kinepolis operation public in the near future to help fund expansion plans, and its
new corporate profile should prove more investor-friendly. Primarily through joint
ventures, the 1 33-screen Kinepolis is involved in theatre builds in nearby France,
Holland and Luxembourg and in such further climes as Spain, Hungary and India.
DUTCH TREAT
AMSTERDAM—With Minerva Theaters owner Jo van Willigen
retiring. Polygram Filmed Entertainment Germany managing
director Haig Balian and financial consultant Jan Willem Verhoef
have acquired the 38-screen circuit, which is Holland's third largest
and is known for its low-key strategy of upgrading aging sites and
for building smaller plexes in medium-sized cities Uke Amhem.
capita annually, that could change. The
81 -screen Finnkino circuit has announced
it plans to build a 10-plex in
college town Tampere by spring 1999
and to open a 14-plex in downtown
Helsinki later this year, and Sandrews
Metronome also is targeting the capital,
with a lO-screener planned for 1998.
CRACKING A SMILE
OSLO—Timo Lahtinen, an eightyear
veteran of Nordisk Film, where he
was chief buyer for the Danish colossus,
plans to bow Smile Entertainment in March. To be involved in
distribution and consulting, the pan-Scandinavian operation will
concentrate on importing international fare. Smile enters a marketplace
that's a little moody: Formerly affiliated with SF Norge,
Columbia TriStar Intl. this month launches its new venture with
Danish giant the Egmont Group (which acquired Nordisk in 1 992),
with ex-SF Norge director Bjom Hoenvoll at the head.
AUSTRIA HUNGRY NO MORE
VIENNA—Austrian filmmakers could find financing easier to
come by this year, with the Austrian Film Institute forecasting a
$10 million rise in funding, representing a 20 percent increase. The
Vienna Film Financing Fund, the country s other government
source for production financing, will provide another $4 million for
filmmakers siting their projects in the capital during 1998.
GIVING THE DIZ THE ROOT
ROME—The fall cinema season was sluggish in Italy, which
saw only "The Fifth Element" (US$2.5 million opening weekend,
$7.7 million after three weeks) and local hit "Fireworks" (a phenomenal
$9.2 million opening, $26.6 million after five weeks)
strike gold. Moderate interest in such Hollywood fare as "Face/Off
and "The Lost World" led to a 21 percent, or $12.5 million, boxoffice
drop nationwide for the season's first two months.
Money was also slow elsewhere: The Halloween deadhne passed
without most private investors fmaUzing their participation in the
newly formed Cinecitta Servizi, which will manage the partially
privatized studio faciUty in Rome. Only Vittorio Ceccni Gori' s Cecchi
Gori Group, Aurelio De Laurentiis' Filmauro and state film group Ente
Cinema came in; among the holdouts were Silvio Berlusconi's
Mediaset and England's Rank. Ente CEO/Cinecitta president Luigi
Abete said he would seek replacement investors to provide the remainder
of the $ 1 5 million in capitalization slated to be in place by June 30.
Meanwhile, even as Berlu.sconi's Medusa Films (the production,
distribution and exhibition unit of his Fininvest) said it planned to
go public on the Milan exchange, Berlu.sconi and Medusa president
Carlo Bema,sconi were found guilty of fraud in connection with the
1 989 acquisition of Medusa predecessor Medusa Cinematographica.
Both men's 16-month prison terms, however, were canceled.
A FINE FINNISH
HELSINKI—Finland's exhibition industry saw a 9.6 increase
in admissions during 1997's first three quarters, according to the
local Cinema Owners Association. At 350,000 tickets. Polygram's
"Bean" by itself could be said to account for the rise to 4. 1 million
heads, versus 3.8 million during the same period in 1 996. Although
Finland is an industry laggard, averaging just 1.1 admissions per
WHEREVER YUGO
BELGRADE—^The operator of Moscow's high-profile Kodak
Kinomir theatre. Golden Ring Entertainment, and Delta Holding, a
real estate and banking concern operating in Belgrade, are planning
Yugoslavia's first multiplex. Slated for midsummer 1998, the four- to
six-screener (925 to 1 ,000 .seats) would convert an existing building at
a cost of $2 million to $2.5 million. The 50/50 joint venture calls for
GRE to operate the theatre and Delta to handle site concerns.
TWIN BILL
PRAGUE—London-based Toucan Entertainment has bought 49
percent of the Galaxie multiplex, which was developed by
CzechySlovak concern Kino 2005 and which has become a dominant
boxoffice player in Prague, averaging 30 percent of the city's ticket
receipts. An American company run by Robert Hemphill and Linda
Powers, who've built energy projects in Eastern Europe, Toucan
plans to spend $80 miUion on up to a dozen multiplex projects. Also
in Prague: AB Barrandov has lost another leader. Like his predecessor,
Vaclav Marhoul, whose induced exit won unpopular response
last spring, general manager Pavel Prerovsky has left. Barrandov
Studio chief Radomir Docekal is expected to run both operations.
EUROBRIEFS...
U.K. OK: Northwest London's revitalized
Elstree Studios is
adding two 15,000-square-foot soundstages to the three-stage facility,
with the $6.5 million-$8.5 million expansion underway and
set for October completion.. .CAPS ON: The film/TV think tank
formed by European Union culture czar Marcelino Oreja will meet
five times before submitting its policy recommendations in September
to the European Commission.. ."BEOWULF'S" BACK:
Literature students perhaps too familiar with the Old English classic
take heed: A Threshold production, to be distributed by Capitol
Films and Kushner-Locke, just filmed in Romania and at a Transylvanian
castle. The futuristic version stars Christopher Lambert;
Larry Kassanoff produces...A STAR IS BORN: The award statue
of the European Film Academy has been redesigned as a woman
in a dress decorated with the stars of Europe. Formerly called the
Felix and depicting a man holding a bird, the remake was unveiled
at the Berlin-based group's 10th annual ceremony in December.

1
INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
PACIFIC OVERTURES
NOTES FROM THE PACIFIC RIM by Lisa Osborne
EXHIBITION, HEAL THYSELF
SYDNEY—Early reports on an Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission paper, slated to be released in early 1 998, indicate
that the group is considering the establishment of a self-governing
committee that would implement a code of conduct. Code elements
would include requiring distributors to supply all exhibitors with all
new films, unless the release is hmited or print economics would
suffer; guaranteeing new sites opening in competitive situations to
have access to releases for their first year of operation; and forming
a group to reconcile disputes. Whether such a code would be enough
to silence indie operators' complaints remains to be seen; Village
Roadshow, Greater Union and Hoyts control three-fourths of
Australia's exhibition business, and distributors Roadshow Film and
United International Pictures supply 60 percent of all films.
WARNER: ON THE ROAD TO OZ
SYDNEY—Roadshow's distribution market share could be set to
increase, thanks to a major co-financing deal Village Roadshow
Pictures signed with Warner Bros., whose films Roadshow has
handled for a quarter-century. Terms call for a five-year production
and distribution partnership involving a minimum of 20 films (four
to six annually); Warner will have world rights, and Roadshow will
control Down Under territories. Bruce Berman, former head of
theatrical production for Warner, has been named chairman and CEO
of Roadshow Pictures. Product supply will come from the studio's
development slate, including Berman's Plan B producing shingle at
Warner, and from such Village Roadshow efforts as its joint venture
with Dustin Hoffman's Punch Prods. Much will be expected of the
deal, as it essentially replaces Warner's long-successful but now
severed connection with Amon Milchan's New Regency.
PACIFIC BRIEFS
The Australian Film Commission and Channel 4 have signed a
first-look pact, under which the U.K. concern will have all rights,
including theatrical, for five films budgeted at AUS$1 million
(US$725,000). Projects include the Neil Mansfield-scripted comedy
"Fresh Air" and the Matt Carroll-produced "Passion," a biopic about
Australian composer/pianist Percy Grainger.. .At the recent Screen
Producers of Australia Association gathering, federal communications
and arts minister Richard Alston told documentary producers
that not only would the government shelve plans to sell Film Australia,
which for a half-century has been making nonfiction films,
but that it would continue its AUS$6.4 million ($4.7 million) annual
funding and add a Melbourne branch... Australia's Beyond Films has
gone beyond its borders to America to film "SLC Punk!" The
production of Jan De Bont's Blue Tulip Prods, and Michael Peyser's
Straight Edge shingle stars German sensation Til Schweiger and
stateside teenybop fave Devon Sawa; Beyond head Gary Hamilton
hopes to make more films in the U.S. ...Locally honored Hong Kong
filmmaker Peter Chan ("He's a Man, She's a Woman," "Comrades:
Almost a Love Story") is joining his many compatriots making the
move to Hollywood. Chan will helm Universal's "Susie and
Hercules," a romantic comedy being produced by Jerry Zucker...
Despite the region's financial downturn and after a disastrous 1996,
Japanese movie theatre attendance in 1997 broke 150 million, the
decade's highest tally. Multiplex openings that grew screenage to-
WL
ward 2,000 and release successes from both sides of the Pacific (e.g.,
"Mononoke Hime," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park") were key
factors. ..The Walt Disney Co. has licensed Oriental Land Co.,
which owns and runs the highly successful Tokyo Disneyland, to
build the $2.6 billion Tokyo DisneySea, an ocean theme park.
Q&A.
Hoyts
HOYTS: DOUBLE
VISION IN SYDNEY
Cinemas Ltd. plans to build two new movie
theatres in Sydney, Australia, in the next 18 months.
One theatre is destined for the Fox Studios site and the
other for the Broadway area. Linda Sweeney, Hoyts' public affairs
manager in Sydney, discusses the projects with BOXOFFICE.
BOXOFFICE: Why did you choose the Fox Studios site?
LINDA SWEENEY: It's unique. It will be the only site in Australia
where people can come along within the confines ofa movie studio
and experience the atmosphere of where they actually make the
movies and also go to a cinema to watch a movie.
BOXOFFICE: When will the theatre open?
SWEENEY: Mid '99.
BOXOFFICE: How much will it cost?
SWEENEY: About AUSSl 5 million [US$1 1 millionl.
BOXOFFICE: And it's a 16-screen theatre...
SWEENEY: That's right. Twelve will be dedicated to mainstream
movie product and four will be a separate art-house complex.
BOXOFFICE: What equipment will you be using?
SWEENEY: It will be stadium seating. All the screens will be
"super screens" that cover wall to wall and floor to ceiling. It will
be all digital surround sound via Panastereo, and we'll be using
the fully imported triple-platter Christie projectors.
BOXOFFICE: Could you describe the complex?
SWEENEY: There will be about 4,000 seats throughout the
entire complex, and the cinema sizes will range from 200 to 500
seats. There will also be two 40-seat 'theatrettes' for private
screenings. It's a very prestigious site, very well located for the
public in terms of transportation. There isn't a train link but
there's lots of parking, lots of bus transportation. It's a very
beautiful site, surrounded by lots of green grass and old established
trees. It will be very lavish, very elegant, very dramatic,
embracing all the classic Hollywood that Fox brines to the site.
BOXOFFICE: What is Hoyts' Broadway theatre like?
SWEENEY: This is also a unique site, inasmuch as it takes in
not only an inner-city suburb but also the 1 metropolitan] central
business district. There will be 1 2 screens, and five of those will
be dedicated at this stage to art-house fare because of the
theatre's location. The inner-city suburb that it's located very
close to is a very arty community. It will be a very prestigious site
with the latest technology, latest cinema presentation—full stadium
seating, our exclusive wide-body, high-back seats, total
digital surround sound and "super screens." It will have about
3,200 seats and will open at the end of 1 998.
BOXOFFICE: What is the average ticket price in Australia?
SWEENEY: They range between AUS$7 [USSS] and AUS$1
[US$8], depending on the time of day. The premium Saturday
evening ticket is AUS$11. We also have a half-price day. So
there's a whole range of pricing.
DO YOU HAVE AN EXHIBITION
NEWS ITEM CONCERNING
THE ASIA-PACIFIC MARKET?
E-MAIL LISA OSBORNE AT
boxoffice@earthlink.net
February, 1998 49

50 (R-8) BoxoFFiCE
—
. R-1
45
1
••••• OUTSTANDING
•••* VERY GOOD
••• GOOD
*• FAIR
• POOR
(no stars) BOMB
REVIEWS
February 1998
DAY AND DATE: FEB. 6 (wide)
ZERO EFFECT ••••
Starring Bill Pullman, Ben
Stiller Ryan O'Neal and Kim
Dickens. Written and directed by
Jake Kasdan. Produced by Lisa
Henson and Janet Yang. A Columbia
release. Rated Rfor language.
Running time: 151 min.
This sharp, original, unflaggingly hilarious
debut from 22-year-old
ZP:R0,MYHER0: lim Stilkr and liiil I'ullman in
writer/directorjake Kasdan (son of Lawrence)
is an incredible comic showcase
for both Bill Pullman, as the highly eccentric
and dysfunctional but brifliant defective
Daryl Zero, and Ben Stiller, who
plays Steve Arlo, Zero's beleaguered
assistant. Because Zero is a paranoid
recluse. Arlo must front all business dealings.
Usually Zero, with his savant-like
photographic memory and elaborate
computer research system, can
solve most cases without setting foot
outside his vault of an apartment. So
Arlo is understandably surprised
when Zero agrees to fly to Oregon
to investigate the case of a timber
tycoon (Ryan O'Neal) who's being
blackmailed.
With deductive abilities and an encyclopedic
knowledge
of Sherlock
Holmes caliber.
Zero is quickly
able to uncover
an abundance of
information and
-Zero Effect.
clues— in fact,
more than his notso-ciean-handed
clientwished. Pullman
is wonderfully
subtle in
exposing each
new twist and turn
with relish and
aplomb. There's a
method to his
madness, and
watching it unfold
is a delight. And
Stiller, the archetype
of exasperation,
is fantastic as the intelligent, sarcastic,
perennially put-upon righthand
man who's simultaneously
frustrated with and in awe of his mysterious
mentor.
The wryly intelligent, creative script
serves the story, the characters and
the actors well, never disappointing in
ingenuity or opportunities tor uncanny
comic timing. Christine James
REVIEWS
Afterglow R-1
Alien Resurrection R-1
Amistad R-1
The Apostle R-1 3
As Good As It Gets R-12
The Boxer R-10
Chinese Box R-10
Dangerous Beauty R-10
The Education of Little Tree R-1
Flubber R-1
For Richer or Poorer R-1
The Gingerbread Man R-10
Home Alone 3 R-14
Jackie Brown R-1 1
John Grisham's The Rainmaker . 5
Kundun R-12
Midnight in the Garden
of Good and Evil R-15
Mortal Kombat Annihilation R-15
MouseHunt R-12
Mrs. Dalloway R-10
Oscar and Lucinda R-1
Scream 2 R-14
Tomorrow Never Dies R-1 3
Wag the Dog R-10
Will it Snow for Christmas? R-1 3
FEST REVIEWS: TELLURIDE
Affliction R-9
Lea R-9
Love and Death on Long Island . . R-9
Men With Guns R-9
Perfect Circle R-9
Simoom: A Passion in the Desert . R-9
Unmade Beds R-9
DAY AND DATE: 2/6
Zero Effect R-8
SPECIAL FORMATS
The Nutcracker R-14
FLASHBACK; 1 935
Les Miserables R-1 1
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED
Coming films already reviewed ... R-12
REVIEW DIGEST
Our monthly release overview ... R-15
Hit our website each
^riday for the latest in
tirstursfOJii
p!//www.
boxoffice.com

— —
—
—
February. 1998 (11-9) 51
TELLURIDE REVIEWS
AFFLICTION
•••1/2
Starring Nick Nolle, Sissy Spacek,
James Coburn and Willem Dafoe. Directed
and written by Paul Schrader. Produced
by Linda Reisman. Drama. A Largo
release. Rated R for violence and language.
Running Time: 114 min.
"Affliction" is writer/director Paul
Schrader' s engrossing adaptation of the
novel by Russell Banks ("The Sweet Hereafter").
Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is
the sole policeman in a small economicallydepressed
town in New Hampshire. He is
reduced to being a school crossing guard
and doing odd jobs for a rich businessman.
The emptiness of Wade's life is reflected in
the film's desolate and snowy landscapes.
When a man is killed while hunting.
Wade believes the man was murdered. Like
Sylvester Stallone's character in "Cop-
Land," Wade hopes that solving the murder
will redeem his wasted life.
Nolte, in peak form in one of the best
performances of his career, is supported by a
top cast. Schrader' s screenplay creates a complex
web of relationships, and his direction
maintains an acute tension as Wade struggles
to prevent his resentment at life from
exploding into the family cycle of violence.
"Affliction" is a gripping story that puts a new
spin on familiar Schrader themes of mascuhnity,
fate and retribution. Ed Scheid
MEN WITH GUNS ^^^1/2
Starring Frederico Luppi. Directed and
written by John Sayles. Produced by R. Paul
Miller and Maggie RenzL A Sony Classics
release. Drama. Spanish-language/dialects;
subtitled. Rated R for language and some
violent images. Running time: 128 min.
Like "Lone Star" and "City of Hope,"
writer/director John Sayles' latest film uses a
variety of characters to explore different sides
of a conflict. "Men with Guns" takes place in
the violent disorder of Central Amenca Dr.
Fuentes (Frederico Luppi, "Cronos") is nearing
retirement from a comfortable practice in
the city. He considers his greatest "legacy" to
be the students he trained to be doctors in the
remote and poor areas of his country. He is
naive about the reality of the poUtical situation
in his country and unaware of the danger into
which he has sent his students. He has not
heard from them so he decides to visit them.
Instead of his soidents, he finds poverty, brutality
and death. People are being murdered
by "men with guns," both the military and
guerrillas. Fuentes is joined on his journey by
an abandoned boy (Dan Rivera Gonzalez), an
army deserter (Damian Delgado), a priest
(Damian Alcazar) trying to run away from his
past, and a woman (Tania Cruz) who has not
spoken since she was raped three years before.
Luppi and the supporting cast give very
affecting performances. After some repetitious
sequences at the beginning of the
doctor's trip, the film builds to some extremely
moving scenes showing the destruction
of the native people from all sides.
In the characters the doctor meets along the
way, Sayles' screenplay effectively shows the
range of people affected by the violent turmoil
in Latin America. Ed Scheid
LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG
ISLAND •^^
Starring John Hurt and Jason Priestly.
Directed and written by Richard Kwietniowski.
Produced by Steve Clark-Hall
and Christopher Zimmer. A CFP release.
Comedy. Rated PG-13for briefstrong language,
thematic elements and some sexual
content. Running time: 91 min.
Giles Death (John Hurt) is a stuffy British
writer who thinks he's going to the latest
screen adaptation of E. M. Forster, but enters
the wrong theater, which is showing the
American teenage comedy "Hot Pants College
II." Horrified, he gets up to leave, but
is transfixed when he sees the face of one
of the actors, Ronnie (Jason Priestly). He
stays for the rest of the movie and becomes
infatuated with the young actor. He begins
keeping a scrapbook from teen magazines
on Ronnie, and rents any and all videos
featuring the actor, the clips from which are
enjoyably overdone. When Giles seeks
Ronnie out in Long Island, his quest has
unexpected consequences for both men.
It's a tribute to Hurt's immense acting
talent that he can make Giles both sympathetic
and ridiculous. Priestly is also enjoyable
as he amusingly spoofs his own teen
idol image. — Ed Scheid
LEA **••
Starring Lenka Vlasakova, Christian
Redl and Hanna Schygulla. Directed and
written by Ivan Fila. Produced by Ivan
Fila and Herbert Rimbach. Drama.
Slovak and German-language; subtitled.
No distributor set. Running time: 100 min.
A remarkable first feature from writer/director
Ivan Fila, "Lea" is about a young
woman (Lenka Vlasakova) in rural
Slovakia who stopped speaking when she
was a young girl, when her mother was
killed by her abusive father. A further demonstration
of her trauma is the daily letters
and poems she writes to her dead mother.
Lea is purchased for an arranged marriage
by Herbert (Christian Redl), a much older
man, because she resembles his dead wife.
Her new husband has some disturbing simi
larities to her father, causing Lea to become
even more withdrawn. But after a woman
(Hanna Schygulla) translates some of Lea's
writings for Herbert, their relationship begins
to change. The two leads give performances
showing a wide range of emotions.
Vlasakova is exceptional, especially when
Lea struggles to force words through her
long-silent mouth. Ed Scheid
PERFECT CIRCLE iriri^ir
Starring Mustafa Nadarevic. Directed
by Ademir Kenovic. Written by Ademir
Kenovic, Abdulah Sidran and Pjer Zalica.
Produced by Sylvain Bursztejn, Dana
Rotberg and Peter van Vogelpoel. Drama.
Serbo-Croatian-language; subtitled. No
distributor set. Running time: 109 min.
"Perfect Circle" was shot in Sarajevo
during the Bosnian war, giving the film an
extremely powerful realism in its depiction
of the details of life in the ravaged city.
Hamza (Mustafa Nadarevic) remains in
Sarajevo after his wife and daughter have
left. He finds two orphaned boys and takes
care of them, calling them "my new family."
Naderic and the two young actors create
touching characterizations through their
natural performances. Director Kenovic has
shot several highly suspenseful scenes as
the characters dodge sniper bullets and risk
death from outside bombardments. "Perfect
Circle" is a memorable film about the struggle
to survive amid constant danger. Ed Scheid
SIMOOM: A PASSION IN THE
DESERT iKi^ir
Starring Ben Daniels. Directed by Lavinia
Currier. Written by Lavinia Currier
and Martin Edmunds. Produced by Lavinia
Currier. A Fine Line release. Drama.
Not yet rated. Running Time: 92 min.
Set in Egypt in 1798, this screenplay
(co-written by director/producer Lavinia
Currier) is based on a novella by Honore de
Balzac and tells the story of a unique relationship.
Augustin Robert (Ben Daniels,
"Beautiful Thing"), a captain in Napoleon's
Egyptian campaign, is separated from his
regiment by a sandstorm, and finds himself
alone in the desert. In the darkness of a cave,
Augustin sees a pair of eyes and is horrified
to reaUze they belong to a leopard—who later
leads him to water and shares her kill. Soon,
Augustin and the leopard become close
companions. Daniels brings a strong physicality
to his part as Augustin, as he begins
to adapt his posture and movements to that
of the leopard, which he has named Simoom
("breath of the desert"). Daniels also
conveys the soldier's growing emotional
attachment to the leopard. The simple plot
sustains interest as the unusual relationship
takes some surprising turns. Ed Scheid
UNMADE BEDS iririrV2
Starring Brenda Monte, Michael De
Stefano and Aimee Copp. Directed and
written by Nicholas Barker. Produced by
Steve Wax. Comedy. No distributor set.
Not yet rated. Running time: 97 min.
Writer/director Nicholas Barker prepared
for his bigscreen directorial debut by
viewing videotaped interviews of several
New York City singles. Barker chose four
leads from the tapes and based his script on
their comments and unfolding events in
their lives, blurring documentary and fiction
into an entertaining hybrid. Brenda
(Brenda Monte) is looking for a rich man to
her mounting debts. Michael (Michael
Eay
•e Stefano), short and 40, desperately
wants to get married. Aimee (Aimee Copp) is
28, overweight and has just been "dumf)ed by
a submissive." At 54, Mikey (Michael
Russo) has lost his touch with women. The
four "characters" talk to friends and directly
to the camera about their experiences being
single. Their candid comments are often
quite funny. Michael and Aimee are unex-
Cectedly poignant as the two people ever
opeful of eventually finding a mate.
Brenda is hilarious—her cynical wit reveals
her to be the ultimate survivor. Ed Scheid

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MRS. DALLOWAY ^•^
Starring Vanessa Redgrave. Directed by
Marleen Gorris. Written by Eileen Atkins.
Produced by Lisa Katselas Pare and Stephen
Bayly. A First Look release. Drama.
Rated PG-13 for emotional elements and
brief nudity. Running time: 97 min.
After the strident sentimentality and
warmed-over feminism of her Oscar-winning
film "Antonia's Line," director
Marleen Gorris turns to the richer and more
sublime work of Virginia Woolf in this
inconsistent yet ultimately satisfying adaptation
of her 1925 novel, Mrs. Dalloway."
The story is set in 1923, with Clarissa
Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave, in a luminous
performance) throwing a party in her
elegant London home. She's married to
Richard Dalloway (John Standing), a rather
stodgy member of Parliament who gave her
the stability she craved. But she was once
in love with Peter Walsh, a man whose
passion was so strong for her that it frightened
her away. By usmg flashbacks, Gorris
illustrates how, and why, the younger Clarissa
("The Devil's Own's" Natascha
McElhone) made those decisions.
The incessant flashbacks give the film an
erratic tone, but in the final party sequence
the movie truly comes together. Kevin
Courrier
CHINESE BOX ••
Gong Li and
Starring Jeremy Irons,
Maggie Cheung. Directed by Wayne
Wang. Written by Jean-Claude Carriere
and Larry Gross. Produced by Lydia Dean
Pitcher and Jean-Louis Piel. A Trimark
release. Drama. Running time: 110 min.
The first major film to be based on the
British handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese
squanders its political capital and offers
up a tepid love story in its place. At the
center of a triangle of sorts are John (Jeremy
Irons), a jaded British photojoumalist who
has been in love with society butterfly Vivian
("Temptress Moon's" Gong Li) for
years. She's never reciprocated, but he
keeps hoping she will. Meanwhile, as the
deadline for the changeover looms large, he
becomes obsessed with a scarred street vendor
("Irma Vep's" Maggie Cheung) and
decides to film her sordidnfe story. Oh, yes,
he's also been informed that he's dying and
will probably live only till the political
changeover in Hong Kong.
That symbolic nod towards a disappearing
British way of life is pretty obvious, but
then this latest from Wayne Wang ("Smoke")
is hardly a subtle film in any way.
Irons gives a wan imitation of the similar
and more successful part he played in
"Stealing Beauty." The beautiful Gong Li
is handicapped by having to perform in
English; her customary fire and passion are
missing here. Cheung, too, is wasted in the
film. Only in the performance of Ruben
Blades, who's a hoot as a cynical photographer
given to strumming sad, misogynistic
ballads about love on his guitar,
does one get a glimpse of the lively movie
"Chinese Box" could have been. Shlomo
Schwartzberg
SI (R-IO) BOXOFFICE
REVIEWS
DANGEROUS BEAUTY •^^
Starring Catherine McCormack. Directed
by Marshall Herskovitz. Written by
Jeanine Dominy. Produced by Ed Zwick,
Marhsall Herskovitz, Sarah Caplan,
Arnon Milchan and Michael Nathanson.
A Warner release. Drama. RatedRfor some
scenes of strong sexuality, and for nudity
and language. Running time: 112 min.
As adapted by Jeanine Dominy from a
Margaret Rosenthal novel, "Dangerous
Beauty," even if set five centuries ago in a
foreign land never leaves behind a 20thcentury
sensibility about the unrighteous
suppression of women. Because of that, the
New Regency production should appeal
mainly to the distaff demo.
In the clarion-call lead as a Venice beauty
who, made expert in the ways of bedroom
sensuality, satisfies the needs of the men of
the ruling class and thus becomes part of the
aristocracy, McCormack is effectively sympathetic
and strong, making her courtesan
intelligent, almost scholarly; emotional, yet
dispassionate when demanded; and fervent
in her beliefs. Meanwhile, director Marshall
Herskovitz does an admirable job with
his other players and makes the period setting
authentic without being offputting for contemporary
moviegoers. Kim Williamson
THE GINGERBREAD MAN irir
Starring Kenneth liranagh, Embeth
Davidtz and Robert Duvall. Directed by
Robert Altman. Written by John Grisham.
Produced by Jeremy Tanenbaum. A Polygram
release. Thriller. Rated R for some
sexuality, violence and language. Running
time: 120 min.
A successful Southern lawyer (Kenneth
Branagh) takes on as a pro-bono client a
white-trashy young woman (Embeth
Davidtz) whose crazed-with-religion father
(Robert Duvall, perfectly underplaying a
character that even Boo would have offed)
is tormenting her, she says. From the moment
lawyer and lass meet, the audience
feels it's a setup, and whatever intrigue and
terror the story might have built is permanently
undercut. One just waits for the
strands to get tied. Or, in this case, untied;
John Grisham's story (which he adapted
from his own novel) has enough holes to
sink a liner. Director Robert Altman—aside
from his odd choice of project—does fine
work, both with his camera and with his
troupe. It's all for naught, though, as
Grisham has the last word with an inane
conclusion. Kim Williamson
WAG THE DOG ••1/2
Starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De
Niro. Directed by Barry I^vinson. Written
by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet. Produced
by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro
and Barry I^vinson. A New Line release.
Satire. Rated Rfor language.
It's official. Director Barry Levinson can
now lay claim to being the very la.st person
in America who still hasn't gotten over the
Persian Gulf War. He's mad. Oh boy is he
mad. And he's going to tell us all about it,
in a zany political satire that ultimately ends
up as one of this underrated director's more
minor works.
The set-up is promising: A Clintonesque
president is accused of sexual misconduct
with an underaged Campfire Girl. It's the
eve of an election he'll win if the news
doesn't get out, so who you gonna call?
Robert De Niro, as it turns out, as a scalawag
political operator expert in diverting
the public's attention with fabricated crises
of one sort or another. The looming scandal
is a big one—so big De Niro needs outside
help from an eccentric but gifted Hollywood
producer (Dustin Hoffman) and a
presidential aide (Anne Heche) whose ethics
are as situational as his own. Their conclusion:
time to manufacture a U.S. war in the
Balkans, using state-of-the-art computer
imaging to sway public opinion. What are
meant to be hilarious complications ensue.
Only they aren't hilarious enough. Both
tonally and at the level of performance,
"Wag the Dog" is a farce that is determinedly
unwilling to be farcical; only Hoffman
has the smarts and/or chutzpah to
torque up his performance to a level of
giddy buriesque suitable to what should
have been his surroundings. Ray Greene
THE BOXER •••
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson,
Brian Cox, Ken Stott and Gerard
McSorley. Directed by Jim Sheridan.
Written by Jim Sheridan and Terry
George. Produced by Arthur Lappin. A
Universal release. Drama. Not yet rated.
Running time: 112 min.
As up-to-the-minute as today's newspaper
headlines, "The Boxer" is a thoughtful
though emotionally rather dry film about
the current attempts to bring peace to Northem
Ireland. Director Jim Sheridan and writing
partner Terry George, who previously
teamed on "In the Name of the Father,
work again with Daniel Day-Lewis,
fiercely believable as Danny Flynn. an ex-
IRA member whose pacifism makes him a
marked man to die-hard extremists among
his former cohorts.
As a fitting
(if rather baldly presented)
metaphor for the peace process, Sheridan
and George have given pugilist Danny his
own nonsectarian boxing club, with which
he hopes to uplift Belfast youngsters while
bringing Catholics and Protestants together.
The club soon becomes a literal
flashpoint for trouble, incurring the wrath
of an IRA firebrand (Gerald McSorely ) who
can't let go of the idea that only violence
will bring the British to their knees.
The conflict between opposing IRA
points of view is vividly dramatized, without
reducing either to simplistic rhetoric or
caricature. "The Boxer' examines the
moral dilemmas standing in the way of
peace for those who have spent most of their
lives fighting for independence and .socioeconomic
equality. The interdependence of
personal and political issues is deftly
drawn, but the film is so carefully cool and
measured that it lacks the fiery passion of
its own characters. Joseph McBride
,
j

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REVIEWS
OSCAR AND LUCINDA • 1/2
Starring Ralph Fiennes and Cate
Blanchett. Directed by Gillian Armstrong.
Written by Laura Jones. Produced by
Robin Dalton and Timothy White. A Fox
Searchlight release. Period drama. Rated
R for a scene of sexuality and for brief
violence. Running time: 132 min.
Oscar (Ralph Fiennes) and Lucinda
(Cate Blanchett) are an odd pair brought
together by their compulsive love of
gambling and inability to fit into society.
The couple meet on board the Leviathan
as she sails from England to Australia
an unlikely event considering Oscar's
almost paralysing fear of the ocean. Unfortunately,
this is only one aspect of the
plot which seems implausible. The
pair's ultimate mission to transport a
glass church (in pieces) across the Australian
outback in the 1 800s seems more
ridiculous than romantic.
The lead characters, although well
acted, are not sympathetic. It's hard to
resist wishing that a bolt of lightning would
smite Oscar during the many prayer scenes
in which he catalogs his sins. Lisa Osborne
AFTERGLOW ^^
Starring Nick Nolle and Julie Christie.
Directed and written by Alan Rudolph.
Produced by Robert Altman. A Sony Classics
release. Drama. Rated Rfor sexuality
andsome language. Running time: 113 min.
Alan Rudolph is an acquired taste, but for
certain specialized audiences it's a flavor
that the likes of "Choose Me," "Trouble in
Mind" and "The Modems" have made almost
narcotic. Even fans of the one-time
Robert Altman acolyte, however, might instead
be anesthetized by his latest. "Afterglow,"
though bearing fine performances
by Nick Nolle and Julie Christie as a husband
and wife whose marriage was long ago
rent asunder by the angry departure of their
daughter, just doesn't bum bright the way
Rudolph works usually do. The fault appears
to lie in the writing; in other films
(juixotic and even cutting, Rudolph' s scripting
here is too underpowered to effectively
deal with the large emotions he wants to put
on display. The only illumination this film
brings audiences is the house lights coming
up after. Kim Williamson
THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE
•••1/2
Starring James Cromwell, Tantoo Cardinal
and Graham Greene. Directed and
written by Richard Friedenberg. Produced
by Jake Eberts. A Paramount release.
Drama. Rated PG for language and thematic
elements including old-fashioned
discipline. Running time 117 mins.
This gentle movie, sensitively acted and
only occasionally heavy-handed in execution,
explores the struggle of a part Cherokee
orphan trying to hold on to the best of
his ancestry in the face of injustice, prejudice
and, at times, outright cruelty. Joseph
Ashton's simple quiet charm as young Lit-
FLASHBACK: April 13, 1935
What BOXOFFICE said about...
LES MISERABLES
[On Feb. 27, Columbia brings "Les Miserables"
to the screen with Liam Neeson,
Uma Thurman, Geoffrey Rush and Claire
Danes starring for director Billie August.
Here's what BOXOFFICE said about the
firstfilmic adaptation ofthe classic Victor
Hugo novel.]
A literary classic becomes a cinematic
gem. Superb cast, excellent camera work
and brilliant direction make ''Les Miserables''
grand entertainment from fade-in
to fade-out. The screen version follows
the Victor Hugo book closely with the
outstanding characters convincingly
etched upon the film. Fredric March does
grand work in the role of VaJjean, sent to
the galleys for stealing a loaf of bread. Charles Laughton as Javert, the police
inspector, saturated with justice and the law, gives one of his finest portrayals. It
should draw heavily from Hugo readers and will more than satisfy those unacquainted
with the works of this writer. Directed by Richard Boleslavsky. Sir
Cedric Hardwicke, Rochelle Hudson, Frances Drake. John Real and Florence
Eldridge co-star.
SELLING ANGLES:
Appeal to the vast army of Hugo readers. Tie up with book shops and literary
societies. You can aim it at those who might be unfamiliar with the classic by
stressing its dramatic punch and power. Mass and class will go for this in a big
way. Give it a smash campaign and you'll smash a few records. Fredric March
and Charles Laughton are great names for your marquee. Tell your patrons they
never gave a better performance. You will be telling them the truth and they In
turn will tell the neighbors.
CATCHLINES:
Victor Hugo's Immortal Classic Reaches the Screen With All Its Dramatic
Power. Don't Miss "Les Miserables."
tie Tree allows for easy empathy with his
joy in his free life with his grandparents and
his heartache when the authorities remove
him to a state institution. Both James Cromwell
as his Tennessee mountain man
grandpa and Tantoo Cardinal as his Cherokee
grandma create finely etched portraits filled
with dignity and devoid of false sentiment,
and Graham Greene has a quirky loneness
as a native philosopher. Bridget Byrne
JACKIE BROWN iriririr
Starring Pam Grier and Samuel L.
Jackson. Directed and written by Quentin
Tarantino. Produced by Lawrence Bender.
A Miramax release. Comedy/thriller.
Rated R for strong language, some violence,
drug use and sexuality. Running
time: 150 minutes.
"Jackie Brown" is a kick, well-executed
(so to speak) and well-acted. The plot is
taken straight out of a '70s TV crime show,
in whose aesthetic—naugahyde, boxy sedans,
seedy cocktail lounges, all set in generic
Southem California—the movie is
steeped. Stewardess Jackie Brown (Pam
Grier) is at the center of a swirl of cops and
criminals scheming to lay hands on half-amillion
dollars belonging to gun dealer Ordell
(Samuel L. Jackson, whose screen
magnetism could suck the fillings out of the
audience's teeth). What raises the story above
cheesy TV standards, though, is the matrix
of players, whose motivations and characters
are developed by dialogue (skillfully
adapted by Tarantino from Elmore Leonard's
book "Rum Punch") and crafted filmmaking.
Quentin Tarantino continues to build on
the reputation he established with "Pulp
Fiction" as a filmmaker who can go bigtime
without sacrificing his pungent style.
"Jackie Brown" isn't the movie-length
adrenaline rush "Pulp Fiction" was, but it
deepens and broadens Tarantino' s storytelling.
In addition to the now-expected indelible
characters (Bridget Fonda as a
perpetually stoned surfer girl, Robert De
Niro as a shambling convict with a slow
fuse, Michael Keaton as a twitchy, boyish
ATE agent), "Jackie Brown" has heart.
— Melissa Morrison
February, 1998 (R-11) 53

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REVIEWS
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KUNDUN iriririr
Starring Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong. Directed
by Martin Scorsese. Written by Melissa
Mathison. Produced by Barbara DeFina. A
Buena Vista release. Drama. Rated PG-13
for violent images. Running time: 134 min.
A Martin Scorsese picture about nonviolence
sounds like a contradiction in terms,
but the director triumphantly pulls off the
daunting creative challenge of telling the
story of a living hero whose mission is "to
love all living things." Made with the cooperation
of the 14th Dalai Lama, the Tibetan
leader now in exile in India, "Kundun" is
both a stunning visual feast and a moving
meditation on the difficulty of sustaining
the Buddhist principle of nonviolence in a
brutal world.
Spanning 1937 through 1950, when the
Dalai Lama was forced from Tibet by the
conquering Communist Chinese, "Kundun"
looks like no other Scorsese film. But like
his trademark movies about Italian-American
gangsters, this is also a story about a
closed, male-run ethnic group fighting for
survival against violent adversaries.
Chronicling the Dalai Lama's discovery,
training and adolescence, the film uses
three well-chosen boys in the role before
focusing on the young adult Tenzin
Thuthob Tsarong. Tsarong movingly conveys
the complex tests of character the
evolving leader faces in the crisis with
China. Joseph McBride
AS GOOD AS IT GETS ^^^1/2
Starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt
and Greg Kinnear. Directed by James L.
Brooks. Written by James L. Brooks and
MarkAndrus. Producedby James L Brooks,
Kristi Zea and Bridget Johnson. A TriStar
Drama/comedy. Rated PG-13 for
release.
strong language, thematic elements, nudity
and a beating. Running time: 132 min.
This dramatic comedy from James L.
Brooks delivers the goods audiences since
his "Terms of Endearment" and "Broadcast
News" have come to expect: laughs and
tears, fine writing, rich acting, social commentary,
and a smile on the face as one exits
the theatre. As the marquee draw. Jack
Nicholson as a missing-some-marbles romance
novelist who rarely allows human
contact is nigh-on perfect m a role nigh-on
perfect for him: weird enough to allow him
to be Jack, but human enough for audiences
to take him into their hearts. As a struggling
single mother, Helen Hunt counterbalances
Nicholson by keeping things simple and it
works. Greg Kinnear, he of the Olympian
looks but goofy nature, draws from some
third source in his affecting creation of a
lonely gay artist who a sad fate draws into
the writer's and waitress' lives.
Given the choice between being too humorous
or too tragic. Brooks obviously
would always take the former; as in the rest
of his works. "As Good As It Gets" never
goes too deep. But for mainstream audiences
who want to believe that ultimately
there's a charm to life, "As Good As It Gets"
could hardly play much better. Kim Williamson
MOUSEHUNT •••1/2
Starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evans.
Directed by Gore Verbinski. Written by
Adam Rifkin. Produced by Alan Riche,
Tony Ludwig and Bruce Cohen. A
DreamWorks release. Comedy. Rated PG.
Running time: 98 min.
This is a great movie for children and for
adults who appreciate pure slapstick. When
Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee Evans)
inherit not only their father's string factory
but the rundown mansion he won in a bet,
the fun begins. They discover their house
was designed by a famous architect and,
although dilapidated, is worth millions.
There is only one downside: the house is
already occupied by a mouse. And this is no
ordinary mouse. As in all good movies
where man pits wits with a rodent, the furry
creature wipes the floor with them.
"MouseHunt" offers slick special effects
and strong, larger-than-life performances
by Lane and Evans as the two unlikely
brothers. While the plot is generally predictable,
the ending is rather clever and
totally unexpected. Lisa Osborne
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH FILMS
The alphabetkal list bek>%v notes the issue of BOXOFFICE in which our
review of an upcoming film appeared, gives its star rating, and
provides newly updated distributor and release date information,
"Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life" -k-k-kXIl: Strand, 1/.W; see March 1997.
"The Blackout" 1/2: Trimark, 1/30; see July 1997.
"The Butcher Boy" -k-k-k-k: Warner, 3/13; see Sept. 1997.
"Deceiver" k-k-k\ll: MGM, 1/30; see Nov. 1997.
"Four Days in September" ***: Miramax, 1/16; see June 1997.
"Hurricane Streets" -kkir: UA, 2/13; see April 1997.
"The Leading Man " •••: Ugacy, 1/16; see April 1997.
"Nil By Mouth" •••: Sony Classics, 2/6; see August 1997.
"Star kid" -k-k-k 1/2: Trimark, 1/16; see .fan. 1998.
"Suicide Kings" -k-k-k: Live, 3/13; see Oct. 1997.
"Swept From the Sea" •: TriStar, 1/23; see Nov. 1997.
''Talk ofAngels" -kk-k: Miramax, 3/6; see Sept. 1997.
"Wide Awake" -k-k-k: Miramax, 3/20; see Sept. 1997.
54 (R-12) BoxoFFicE

—
—
REVIEWS
TOMORROW NEVER DIES
—
••1/2
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan
Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher and
Judi Dench. Directed by Roger
Spottiswoode. Written by Bruce Feirstein.
Produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael
G. Wilson. A UA release. Action/Adventure.
Rated PG-13 for intense
sequences ofaction violence, sexuality and
innuendo. Running time: 119 min.
It's a good thing the James Bond films
switch lead actors so often or else it would
be very difficult to tell the movies apart.
Die-hard Bond fans likely won"t be disappointed
by this outing, which possesses all
the requisite elements they've come to know
and love: inventive chase scenes in exotic,
globe-trotting locales; lethal beauties; invincible
henchmen; nifty gadgets; high-tech automobiles;
and the obligatory pyrotechnic
finale in the madman's secret lair, complete
with a nuclear missile countdown.
What is disappointing about "Tomorrow
Never Dies" is the degree to which director
Roger Spottiswoode and screenwriter Bruce
Feirstein fail to make even the vaguest attempt
at transcending the formula, much less
make adequate use of their two very capable
female "leads." Wade Major
THE APOSTLE *•
Starring Robert Duvall, Farrah Fawcett
and Miranda Richardson. Directed and
written by Robert Duvall. Produced by Robert
Carliner. An October release. Drama.
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and a
related scene of violence. Running time:
150 min. Screened at Toronto.
Actor Robert Duvall, who also directs and
scripts, stars as "Sonny" Dewey, a fire-andbrimstone
Texas preacher who, in a jealous
rage, puts his wife's boyfriend in a coma. He
flees to a black Louisiana town, where he
takes on the charismatic mantle of "The
Apostle" and the goal of building himself a
new church. Unfortunately, Duvall's onenote
character is devoid of the self-examination
that would humanize him. Shlomo
Schwartzberg
WILL IT SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS ?
•••
Starring Dominique Reymond and Daniel
Duval. Directed and written by Sandrine
Veysset. Produced by Humbert Balsan. A
Zeitgeist release. Drama. French-language;
subtitled. Running Time: 88 min.
An unmarried woman (Dominique
Reymond) lives with her seven children m a
stone farmhouse in southern France. The
rustic house is without plumbing or heat, but
the mother's warm love keeps everyone
happy until the arrival of the children's father
(Daniel Duval), who has a wife elsewhere.
He drives them hard to load the latest
crop from the farm, and tension builds as the
father explodes with anger and scorn.
Reymond and Duval show both the palpable
physical attraction between the mother
and father as well as the volatility of their
tempestuous relationship. The mother is
desperate to protect her children from their
father' s violence, building to a very poignant
conclusion. Ed Scheid
@JQMS!SMS!S!SMS!SM^SMdMSMM^SMS!SMS!SMSMSMSMSSSMSmMS!5!GMSMSMS!SMSMSMS5^
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February, 1998 (R-13) 55

—
56 (R-14) BoxoFnCE
—
—
—
—
—
REVIEWS
FOR RICHER OR POORER •
Starring: Tim Allen, Kirs tie Alley,
Wayne Knight. Directed by Bryan Spicer.
Written by Jana Howington, Steve LuKanic.
Produced by Sid, Bill and Jon
Sheinberg. A Universal release. Comedy.
Rated PG-13for Richer or Poorer. PG-13
for some sexual innuendo and one use of
strong language. Running time: 114 min.
Super-builder Tim Allen and his wife
Kirstie Alley flee the IRS to Pennsylvania
in this humorless Amish-bashing fest in
which every convention and conviction of
these people are impaled by the childish
antics of the leads. Screenwriters Jana
Howington and Steve LuKanic found room
in their script for every tired cliche in the
book about farming, bam raising, baking,
and shopping at Sears. Jon A. Walz
HOME ALONE 3 y^^^1/2
Starring Alex D. Linz, Olek Krupa,
David Thornton, Rya Kihlstedt and Lenny
Von Dohlen. Directed by Raja Gosnell.
Written by John Hughes. Produced by
John Hughes and Hilton Green. A Fox
release. Comedy. Rated PG for slapstick
violence, language and mild sensuality.
Running time: 103 min.
Instead of simply relying on the slapstick
humor from the first that became silly in the
sequel, audiences are made to believe that
the new villains—highly-trained spies
seeking a stolen military computer chip
are a real threat. But all of their training
didn't prepare them for a school kid home
sick ("One Fine Day's" Alex D. Linz) and
his armory of plaster-filled balloons, a haircutting
lawn mower and flying flower pots.
Combining some old antics with a lot of
new pranks, director Raja Gosnell revives a
dying franchise. This refreshingly funny
film produces more laughs than its predecessors.—
Dwayne E. Leslie
SCREAM 2
^•^
Starring Neve Campbell and Courteney
Cox. Directed by Wes Craven. Written by
Kevin Williamson. Produced by Cathy
Konrad and Marianne Maddalena. A
Miramax release.
Comedy/horror. Rated
R for language and strong bloody violence.
Running time: 120 min.
A beautiful young girl is receiving disturbing
calls from a psycho killer. "Hang up
the phone and Star 69 his ass," Jada Pinkett
advises the ill-fated character in "Stab," the
movie-within-a-movie in the comically
self-aware "Scream 2." But no one abides
by logic in the horror flix, and our foolish
heroine is, well, stabbed. Several times.
Barely seconds later we see the flash of a
knife again—only this time, it's a patron at
the moviehouse who's on the receiving end.
The copycat crime immediately brings the
survivors of the original massacre together
in hopes of putting a stop to the murders.
A few new characters replace those
butchered in the last film to recreate the
same tensions, the same pacing, the same
questioning of loyalties, the same chases.
But the self-parody and some great one-liners
make the familiarity fun as the audience
is let in on the gag. For all the deja vu, there
are some welcomely unexpected plot twists;
you'll never guess whodunnit until it's revealed
in the final frames. Christine James
AMISTAD ifirifVZ
Starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony
Hopkins, Nigel Hawthorne, Djimon
Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, David
Paymer, Pete Postlethwaite and Stellan
Skarsgard. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Written by David Franzoni. Produced by
Steven Spielberg, Debbie Allen, Colin Wilson.
A DreamWorks release. Period
Drama. Rated Rfor some scenes ofstrong
brutal violence and some related nudity.
Running time: 152 min.
Commercially and critically bookending
1997 as he did 1993, Steven Spielberg follows
up his summer blockbuster "The Lost
World" with the Oscar-tuned "Amistad," an
epic telling of a remarkable 1 839 shipboard
slave revolt whose subsequent legal and
social ramifications helped shape and forever
change the mechanics of the young
American political system.
The story begins at sea as a would-be
slave named Cinque (Djimon Hounsou)
frees himself from the hold of the Spanish
slave ship La Amistad and leads his fellow
prisoners in a bloody revolt. But they're
soon intercepted by an American naval vessel
and imprisoned on charges of murder
and piracy. Fortunately for the Africans, the
case is not nearly so simple as it seems.
While the ensuing trip through the tenebrous
early American judicial system is often
exceptionally engaging, it is the friendship
between young attorney Roger Baldwin
(Matthew McConaughey) and Cinque that
anchors the film's dramatic course.
Despite its occasional imperfections,
"Amistad" must be regarded as a monumentally
impressive achievement and further
proof of Spielberg's ongoing
maturation as an artist. It is likewise noteworthy
that from amid the star-laden cast,
unknown West African native Hounsou
emerges the standout. Wade Major
ALIEN RESURRECTION •^^ 1/2
Starring Sigoumey Weaver and Winona
Ryder. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Written by Joss Whedon. Produced by
Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill
and Bill Badalato. A Fox release. Action/thriller.
Rated Rfor strong sci-fi violence
and gore, some grotesque images
and language. Running time: 108 min.
Brought back to life through cloning, our
bold Giger guerilla Ellen Ripley (Sigoumey
Weaver) is just as tough as we remember.
But now, with alien DNA co-mingled in her
blood, she is eerily apathetic, or at least
ambivalent, upon discovering that the creatures
she risked her life to exterminate over
the course of three harrowing movies have
been bred by the same class of megalomaniac
idiots who endangered her and the rest
of the human race in the first place.
With new instincts and possibly new allegiances,
the reinvented Ripley is intriguing
to watch as her true nature unfolds.
Weaver renders the resurrected Ripley with
relish, obviously enjoying the opportunity
to play her trademark character m a whole
new way. Her rivetingly creepy performance,
along with some truly memorable
monsters, frees this fourth film in the
"Alien" franchise from the redundancy one
might expect, instead engineering an entertaining,
if excessively gory and goo-splattered,
thriller. Christine James
SPECIAL FORMATS: 3-D IMAX *
THE NUTCRACKER ••
Starring Miriam Margolyes,
Heathcote Williams, Lotte Johnson and
Benjamin Hall. Directed and written by
Christine Edzard. Produced by Olivier
Stockman and Ijjnie Orleans. An Imax
release. Drama. Not rated. Running
time: 37 min.
"The Nutcracker" has remained one
Christmas tradition in which dance is
king—except in the new IMAX movie.
'The Nutcracker," which shows almost a
contempt for dance, putting off the dance
numbers until the last scene and using
them merely as holiday trimming.
Eliminating the dancing and retaining
the visual elements of the (frankly)
strange original ballet leaves nothing but
the strangeness. The story is of a young
girl who receives a nutcracker doll for
Christmas from an eccentric uncle. The
nutcracker leads a battalion of toy soldiers
in a victorious fight against a group of
mice and then leads the girl off to a fantasy
land filled with more exotic characters.
The staging in this production is'
blocky, and that blocking is weird. The
battle between the soldiers and mice is
crowded and confused. A couple waltzes
through. The action is close-up and adds
to a general sense of '"Wliat the...?"
Mechanical toys and circus acts at the
delicious spun-sugar palace aic whimsical,
but one wants to ci\, "'Brine on the
dancing girls!" The cxpcciaiicin lor " Ihe
Nutcracker" ballet elements is loo siiong
to break without good reason.
Without this element, the audience
looks to character interplay, but the acting
is often false.
This ceremony is all spectacle. The
stars arc inanimate objccts^the handsome
costumes and properties that move
across the camera.
"The Nulcrackei" is onl\ a inuseuni
come to life, perhaps due to having the
direction and writing done by someone
who also handles costume and production
design. Ann Kwinn

—
—
s
—
—
REVIEWS
FLUBBER iridic
Starring Robin Williams.
Directed by Les Mayfield.
Written by John Hughes and
BUI Walsh. Produced by John
Hughes and Ricardo Mestres.
A Buena Vista release. Comedy.
Rated PG for slapstick
action and mild language.
Running time: 94 min.
"Flubber" is a charming remake
of Walt Disney's 1961
classic "The Absent-Minded
Professor." Although Flubber'
humor may be a little too slapstick
for some adults to appreciate,
children will love it. The
interactions between the professor
(Robin Williams) and
his anthropomorphized invention
are well timed and convincing,
and the animation is
impressive. Lisa Osborne
JOHN GRISHAM'S THE
RAINMAKER ••^1/2
Starring Matt Damon. Directed
and written by Francis
Ford Coppola. Produced by
Michael Douglas, Steven
Reuther and Fred Fuchs. A
Paramount release. Drama.
Rated PG- 13for a strong beating
and elements of domestic
abuse. Running time: 137 min.
"Rainmaker" is the latest
legal thriller based on John
Grisham's books. Unlike its
predecessors, this one drops
the solemn self-regard—indeed,
at times it's broadly
comic—and adds a mosaic of
distinctive character parts.
"Rainmaker" balances two
separate stories, both elements
in the life of Rudy (Matt
Damon), a green Memphis lawyer.
The primary one and the
most involving is his prosecution
of a rich insurance company
that rejected the claims of
a poor family whose son is
dying of leukemia. Mary Kay
Place plays the dying boy's
mother and is a no-nonsense,
but at times heartbreaking, presence.
The insurance company is
defended by Jon Voight's Leo
Dmmmond; Voight's overfed-
Pekinese features help make
him a uniquely venal addition
to the nasty-lawyer character
archive.
The second part of the story
is less successful: Rudy's
befriending of Kelly (Claire
Danes), a battered young wife.
But wisely this plot part is
minimized in favor of the one
that is more garish, more pitiful,
and much more fun to
watch. Melissa Morrison
MIDNIGHT IN THE
GARDEN OF GOOD AND
EVIL ••*
Starring Kevin Spacey and
John Cusack. Directed by
Clint Eastwood. Written by
John Lee Hancock. Produced
by Arnold Stiefel. A
Warner release. Drama.
Rated R for language and
briefviolence. Running time:
155 mins.
John Kelso (John Cusack)'s
description of Savannah sums
up the movie: it's "'Gone
With The Wind' on mescaline."
Based on John Berendt's
best-selling novel, "Midnight"
chronicles Kelso's trip
to Savannah to cover Jim Williams
(Kevin Spacey)'s
Christmas party for Town and
Country magazine. The
tempo of the movie changes
dramatically when Williams
shoots and kills his lover Billy
Hanson ("Gattaca's" Jude
Law) later that night.
There are some great character
studies in this movie,
but, although relatively long,
the film seems to mn out oftime
and has an abrupt and rather
twee ending. Lisa Osborne
MORTAL KOMBAT
ANNIHILATION
^^
Starring Robin Shou . Directed
by John R. Leonetti.
Written by Brent V. Friedman
& Bryce ZabeL Produced
by Lawrence Kasanoff. A
New Line release. Action.
Rated PG-13 for nonstop
martial arts violence. Running
time: 98 min.
TTiis special-effect drenched
sequel jam-packs 50 percent
more martial arts fights than
the original "Mortal
Kombat," as well as several
morphing scenes, which
should delight the pre-teenage
boy contingent the film is obviously
banking on.
There are some new characters
(Cyrax, Smoke, and Jax)
that are enjoyable to watch,
while others could have been
left out (Nightwolf, Baraka,
and especially the wasted
Sheeva).
As far as the plot, the repetitive
bombardment of similar
scenarios makes the film seem
very long and painfully drawn
out. In all probability, the
continuing struggle to keep
the portal between Earth and
the Outworld closed will end
here. Dwayne E. Leslie
<
a.
Genre key: (Ac) Action; (Ad) Adventure; (An) Animated; (C) Comedy;
(D) Drama; (Doc) Documentary; (F) Fantasy; (Hor) Horror;
(M) Musical; (My) Mystery; (R) Romance; (Sat) Satire;
(SF) Science Fiction; (Sus) Suspense; (Th) Thriller; (W) Western.
S
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11

BOXOFFICE
FEBRUARY
November December January (Current)

STUDIO FEATURE CHART — FEBRUARY 1998
March
Forthcoming
Meet the Deedles. 3/27. Com. Dennis
Hopper. Paul Walker IV, Steve Von Wornier.
Dir: Steve Boyum.

3
3
3
BOXOFFICE independent Feature Chart FEBRUARY 1998
JANUARY
Avalanche
212-265-9119
Killing Time. Craig Fairbrass. Dir:
Bharat Nalluri. 1/14
Capitol
301-564-9700
Autumn Sun (Argentina), Rom/
Dra, 103 min. Norma Aleandro,
Federico Luppi. Dir: Eduardo
Mignogna.
Castle Hill
212-888-0080
A Further Gesture, Dra, 96 min.
Stephen Rea. 1/30 NY
Cinema Village
212-431-5119
Cartoon Noir, Ani, 85 min. 1/30
First Run
212-243-0600
Arguing the World, Doc, 107
min. Dir: Joseph Dorman. 1/7 ltd
Fox Searchlight
310-369-4402
Two Girls and a Guy, Com, NC-
1 7. Robert Downey jr.. Heather
Graham. Dir: James Toback. 1/30
Hard Men (U.K.), Dra. Vincent
Regan, Ross Boatman, Lee Ross.
Dir: J.hC. Amalou.
Intl. Film Circuit
212-691-0770
Every Little Thing (France), Doc,
105 min. Dir: Nicolas Philibert. 1/3
Frozen (China), Dra, 90 min. Dir:
Wu Ming.
Island Digital Media
312-751-0020
General Chaos: Uncensored Animation,
Ani, 90 min. Dirs: Various.
1/30 NY
Kino
212-629-6880
Fallen Angels (Hong Kong), Thr,
R, 96 min. Leon Lai, Karen Mong,
Michele Reis. Dir: Wong Kar-
Wai. NY
Live
818-778-3174
Caught Up (formerly The Real),
Dra, R. LL Cool J, Snoop Doggy
Dog, Bokeem Woodbine. Dir:
Darin Scott. 1/30
Northern Arts
413-268-9301
The Leading Man, Dra, R. Jon Bon
Jovi, Lambert Wilson, Thandie
Newton. Dir: John Duigan. 1/16
October
212-539-4000
The Apostle, Dra. Robert Duvall,
Miranda Richardson, Farrah
Fawcett, Billy Bob Thornton. Dir:
Robert Duvall. Jan. exp
Phaedra
310-478-3308
Gonin Oapan), Act, 104 min.
Takeshi Kitano, Naoto Takanaka.
Dir:Takashi Ishii. 1/16
Polygram
310-385-4000
The Gingerbread Man, Thr, R,
120 min. Kenneth Branagh,
Embeth Davidtz. Dir: Robert Altman.
1/23 NY/LA
Sony Classics
212-833-8851
Afterglow, Rom/Dra, R. Nick
Nolte, Julie Christie, Lara Flynn
Boyle. Dir: Alan Rudolph. Exp
Strand
310-395-5002
Toute Vitesse, Dra. Elodie
Bouchez. Dir: Gael Morel. 1/16
La Sentinelle (France), Thr, 144
min. Emmanuel Salinger. Dir:
Arnaud Desplechin.
Trlmark
310-314-3040
Star Kid (formerly The Warrior of
Waverly Street), SF, PC, 101 min.
Joseph Mazzello. 1/16
First Look
310-855-1199
Mrs. Dalloway, Dra, PG-13, 97
min. Vanessa Redgrave, Rupert
Graves. Dir: Marleen Corris. 2/20
First Run
Paul Monette: The Brink of
Summer's End, Doc, 90 min. Dir:
Monte Bramer. 2/6 ltd
Fox Searchlight
Polish Wedding, Dra, PG-13.
Claire Danes, Gabriel Byrne,
LenaOlin. Dir: Theresa Connelly.
2/20
Cousin Bette, Dra, R. Jessica
Lange, Elisabeth Shue, Bob Hoskins.
Dir: Des McAnuff. Ltd
Intl. Film Circuit
Mother and Son (Germany/Russia),
Dra, 73 min. Dir: Alexander
Sokurov. 2/4
Island Digital Media
Tokyo Fist, Act/Hor, 87 min.
Dir/Star: Shinya Tsukamoto.
Kino
Rashomon (1951 reissue), Dra.
Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa.
THREESOME: Fox Searchlight 's "Two Girls and a Guy, " slatedfor 1/30.
The Blackout, Dra. Matthew
Modine, Dennis Hopper. Dir:
Abel Ferrara.
FEBRUARY
CFP
212-995-9662
Love and Death on Long Island,
Dra, 93 min. John Hurt, Jason Priestley.
Dir: Richard Kwietniowski. 2/27
Filmopolis
310-914-1776
Son of Gascogne (France), Com,
106 min. Jean-Claude Dreyfus,
Gregoire Colin. Dir: Pascal Aubier.
Polygram
The Borrowers, Fan, PG, 87 min.
John Goodman. Dir: Peter
Hewitt. 2/1
Seventh Art
213-845-1455
The Long Way Home, Doc, 1 20
min. Narr: Morgan Freeman. Dir:
Mark Jonathan Harris. 2/13 exp
Miami/SF/Fl Laud., reopen LA
Sony Classics
Nil by Mouth, Dra, R. Kathy Burke.
Dir: Gary Oldman. 2/6 NY/LA
Strand
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life, Doc.
Dir: Michael Paxton. 2/1 3 NY/LA
Trlmark
The Mummy. Alison Elliot. Dir:
Michael Almereyda. 2/1
Blood Oranges. Charles Dance,
Sheryl Lee. Dir: Philip Haas. 2/27
MARCH
Dreamworks
818-733-7000
Paulie: A Parrot's Tale. Jay Mohr,
Gena Rowlands. Dir:John Roberts.
First Run
Mendell (Norway), Dra, 98 min.
Dir: Alexander Rosier. 3/20 ltd
Fox Searchlight
slums of Beverly Hills. Alan Arkin,
Marisa Tomei. Dir: Tamara Jenkins.
Gramercy
310-385-4400
The Big Lebowski, Dra/Com, 1 1
min. Jerf Bridges, John Goodman,
Steve Buscemi. Dir: Joel Coen. 3/6
Ed Burns Untitled Project (formerly
Long Time, Nothing New),
Dra/Rom. Lauren Holly, Jon Bon
Jovi. Dir: Edward Burns. 3/27
Live
Suicide Kings (formerly Boys
Night Out), Dra/Thr, R, 107 min.
Christopher Walken. 3/1
Polygram
Tempting Fate (formerly Shakespeare's
Sister), Dra. Kenneth
Branagh, Madeleine Stowe, William
Hurt. Dir: Lesli Linka Glatter.
Shadow
207-872-5111
Carla's Song (U.K.), Rom/Dra,
127 min. Robert Carlyle, Scott
Glenn. Dir: Ken Loach.
Sony Classics
Men With Guns, Dra, R. Federico
Luppi, Mandy Patinkin, Kathryn
Grody. Dir: John Sayles. 3/6
Strand
I Think I Do, Com, 90 min. Alexis
Arquette. Dir: Brian Sloan.
Trlmark
Chairman of the Board. Carrot
Top, Courtney Thorne-Smith,
Larry Miller, Raquel Welch, Jack
Warden. Dir: Alex Zamm. 3/6
Ugly. Dir: Paolo Rotondo. 3/27
Zeitgeist
212-274-1989
The Taste of Cherry (Iran), Dra,
95 min. Dir: Abbas Kiarostami.
3/20 NY, 3/27 LA
APRIL
CFP
Cadjo Dilo, Dra, 97 min. Romain
Duris, Rona Hartner, Isidor
Sherban. Dir: Tony Gatlif. 4/3
60 BOXOFFICE

7
7
BOXOFFICE Independent Feature Chart FEBRUARY 1998
Junk Mail, Com, 83 min. Robert
Skjaerstad. Dir: Pal Sletaune.
Fine Line
212-649-4800
Wild Man Blues, Doc. Woody
Allen. Dir: Barbara Kopple.
First Run
Insomnia (Norway), Thr, 97 min.
Stellan Skarsgard. Dir: Erik
Skjoldbjaerg.
Fox Searchlight
shooting Fish. Dan Futterman,
Kate Beckinsale. Dir: Stefan
Schwartz. Mid-Apr
Gramercy
Go Now. Robert Carlyle, Juliet
Aubrey. Dir: Michael Winterbottom.
4/10
Land Girls, Dra, 115 min. Gwyneth
Paltrow, Rachel Weisz. Dir:
David Leiand. 4/24
Live
The Substitute 2: School's Out, R
Treat Williams, B.D. Wong. Dir:
Steven Pearl. Apr (could go May
October
still Breathing, Rom, PG-13, 109
min. Brendan Fraser, Joanna
Going, Ann Magnuson. Dir:
James F. Robinson. 4/10
24/7, Dra, 96 min. Bob Hoskins.
Dir: Shane Meadows.
Polygram
Barney's Great Adventures, Fam.
Trevor Morgan, Diana Rice, Kyle
Pratt, George FHearn, Shirley
Douglas. Dir: Steve Comer. 4/3
Seventh Art
Things I Never Told You, Dra, 95
min. Andrew McCarthy, Lili Taylor.
Dir: Isabel Coixet.
Sony Classics
The Spanish Prisoner. Campbell
Scott. 4/3
A Friend of the Deceased
(Ukraine), Dra/Thr, R. Alexandre
Lazarev, Evgeny Pashin. Dir:
Vyacheslav Krishtofovich. 4/1
Strand
First Love, Last Rites, Dra, 92
min. Giovanni Ribisi, Natasha
Gregson. Dir: Jesse Peretz.
Lawn Dogs, Dra. Sam Rockwell,
Kathleen Quinlan, Christopher
McDonald, Bruce Gill, Eric
Mabius, David Barry Gray. Dir:
John Duigan.
Voyage to the Beginning of the
World, Dra, 91 min. Marcello
Mastroianni, Jean Yves Gautier.
Dir: Manoel De Olivera.
Trimark
Heaven's Burning. Russell
Crowe, Youki Kudoh. 4/3
Cube. Nicole de Boer, Nicky
Guadagni, David Herlett, Maurice
Dean Wint. Dir: Vincenzo
Natali. 4/24
Carnival of Souls. Bobbie Phillips,
Larry Miller, Shawnee Smith.
Dir: Adam Grossman.
MAY
Gramercy
clay Pigeons. Vince Vaughn, Joaquin
Phoenix, Janeane Garofalo.
Dir: David Dobkin. 5/9
Live
The Second Arrival, SF. Patrick
Muldoon, Jane Sibbett. Dir: Kevin
Tenny. May (could go Apr)
Strand
Genealogies of a Crime, Dra, 125
min. Catherine Deneuve, Michel
Piccoli. Dir: Raoul Ruiz.
Strand
East Palace, West Palace, Dra, 90
min. Si Han. Dir: Zhang Yuan.
AUGUST
Fine Line
Passion in the Desert, Dra. Ben
Daniels. Dir: Lavinia Currier.
SEPTEMBER
October
Condo Painting, Doc. George
Ciiiifle. Dir: John McNaughton.
LIP SERVICE: First Look's fonhcoming Tlie Other Side ofSunday.
JUNE
Dreamworks
Saving Private Ryan, Dra. Tom
Hanks, Ed Burns, Matt Damon.
Dir: Steven Spielberg. 6/5
Fine Line
Pecker. Edward Furlong. Dir:
John Waters.
October
Orgazmo, Com, 95 min. Trey Parker,
Dian Bacher. Dir: Trey Parker.
Sony Classics
Henry Fool. 6/1
Tom
Governess. Minnie Driver,
Wilkinson. 6/26
Marie Baie. Dir: Manuel Pradal.
JULY
Dreamworks SKG
Small Soldiers. Kirsten Dunst,
Gregory Smith. Dir: Joe Dante.
Mid-July
Fine Line
Theory of Flight. Kenneth
Branagn, Helena Bonham-Carter.
FORTHCOMING
Dreamworks
Untitled Neil Jordan (formerly
Bue Vision, in Dreams), Dra/Thr.
Annette Bening, Robert Downey
Jr., Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea.
Dir: Neil Jordan. Sept/Oct
The Prince of Egypt, Ani. Voices:
Val Kilmer, Steve Martin, Ralph
Fiennes, Sandra Bullock, Michelle
F^eiffer. Dirs: Brenda Chapman,
Steve Hickner, Simon Wells. Nov
Forces of Nature. Ben Affleck.
Dir: Bronwen Hughes. 12/18/98
Antz, Ani. Voices: Woody Allen,
Danny Glover, Sylvester Stallone,
Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Jennifer
Lopez. Dirs: Eric Darnell, Larry
Guterman, Tim Johnson. 1 999
Keeper.
Neanderthal.
Shrek, Ani. Voices: Chris Farley,
Janeane Garofalo, Eddie Murphy,
John Lithgow, Linda Hunt.
Dirs: Kelly Asbury, Andrew Adamson.
2000
Fine Line
Esmerelda (Mexico) (formerly Esmerelda
Comes by Night), Com.
Maria Rojo. Dir: Jamie Humberto
Hermosillo.
Girl Talk, Dra/Com, R. Troy
Beyer, Randi Ingerman, Page
Brewster. Dir: Troy Beyer.
The Legend of the Pianist on the
Ocean, Dra. Tim Roth. Dir:
Giuseppe Tornatore.
When I Close My Eyes (Japan)
(formerly Love Letter, Letters of
Love), Rom/Com, PC, 116 min.
Miho Nakayama. Dir: Shunji Iwai.
First Look
The Other Side of Sunday (Norway),
Dra, 104 min. Maria Theisen.
Dir: Berit Nesheim.
This Is the Sea, Dra. Richard Harris,
Gabriel Byrne, John Lynch.
First Run
Didn't Do It for Love, Doc, 80
min. Dir: Monika Treut.
Fox Searchlight
ship of Fools, Dra/Com. Tony
Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella
Rossellini. Dir: Stanley Tucci.
Gramercy
Body Count, Act, R. Ving Rhames,
Forest Whitaker, David Caruso.
Dir: Robert Patton Spruill.
Elizabeth I, Dra. Geoffrey Rush,
Cate Blanchett. Dir: Shekhar Kapur.
I Want You, Rom/Dra. Rachel
Weisz, Alessandro Nivola. Dir:
Michael Winterbottom.
Photographing Fairies.
Plunkett and Macleane, Act/Adv.
Robert Carlyle, Liv Tyler, Jonny
Lee Miller. Dir: Jake Scott.
The Hi-Lo Country. Woody
Harrelson. Dir: Stephen Frears.
Greycat
702-737-0670
A Gun for Jennifer, Thr.
Gurney
212-838-2929
Follow the Bitch, Com, R.
IVID Wax/Courier Films
212-302-5360
Woyzceck (1994), Dra. Lajos
Kouacs. Dir:Janos Szasz.
October
The Naked Man, Com. Michael
Rapaport. Dir: J. Todd Anderson.
Three Seasons, Dra. Harvey Keitel.
Dir: Tony Bui.
Untitled Toad Solondz, Dra. Ben
Gazzara. Dir: Todd Solondz.
Polygram
What Dreams May Come. Robin
Williams, Annabella Sciorra, Cuba
Gooding Jr. Dir: Vincent Ward.
Seventh Art
Honey and Ashes, Dra, 85 min.
Dir: Nadia Fares. Late Spring
Shooting Gallery
212-243-3042
illtown, Dra, R. Michael Rapaport,
Lili Tyalor.
Trimark
Bombshell. Henry Thomas, Frank
Whaley. Dir: Paul Wayne.
February, 1998 61

7
. Act
1
Boxoffice Magazine
presents
NovieFone's Moviegoer Activity Report
Rn the Monlli of Novembei 1997
MovieFone* (777-FILAf) and its sister service, MovieLink'^ Online, are now the single largest source ofmovie showtime information in the country,
providing information to over 12 million moviegoers each month. Jliefollowing information represents the most requested theatres and exhibitors on MovieFone,
Top 10 Exhibitors & Theatres
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Most Requested Exhibitors
llhlbHor
United Artists
Cineplex Odeon
Sony
AMC
General Cinemas
Century
Cinemarl<
Act III
National Amusements
CinAmerica
IMaJJIeqiiests
778,355
691,530
674,217
641,602
341 ,570
227,925
170,946
162,051
157,765
155,549
Last Month's
Rank
1
3
2
4
5
6
7
12
9
8
Most Requested Theatres
^^^^,^
Rank Narkei Theatre Total Requesb Rank
1 NY Sony Lincoln Square 71,613 1
2 LA AMC Century 14 42,978 2
3 NY Sony 19th St. East 38,328 14
4 NY SonyOrpheum 38,167 4
5 NY CO Chelsea Cinemas 36,337 6
6 PH UA Riverview Plaza 31 ,353 7
7 NY Sony Village 7 30,525 8
8 NY CityCin Village East 28.381 1
9 BO Sony Copley Place 28,036 17
10 SF AMCKabukiS 27,483 15
Total
Requests
New York
1,393,231
Los Angeles
683,355
Dallas
494,976
San Francisco
377,754
Miami
316,250
Philadelphia
308.296
Phoenix
269,422
Boston
261 ,890
Chicago
220,325
t.
Toronto
192,069
floiision
157,838
Seattle
141,751
Rank
Theatre (# screens)
Most Requested Theatres Per Screen
Total
Requests
1 COZiegfeld(l) 12,632
2 COBeekman(l) 10,962
3 Sony 1 9th St. East (6) 38,328
1 Pacific Cinerama Dome (1) 5,829
2 CinAm National (1) 5,448
3 Laemmie Royal (1) 4,789
1 UA Town East (6) 11,913
2 AMC Forum (6) 9,031
3 Granada Movie Grill (1) 1,424
1 UA Coronet (1) 10,772
2 UA Metro (1) 4,346
3 AMC Kabuki (8) 27,483
1 Cobb Kendall (9) 16,307
2 Valentino Super Discount (3) 5,306
3 UA Movies at the Falls ( 1 2) 1 8, 1 57
1 UASameric(4) 17,792
2 Cinemagic(3) 11,124
3 UA Cheltenham (8) 22,943
1 Hark Cine Capri (1) 5,849
2 Century Glendale D-l (9) 16,918
3 UA Christown Mall (6) 9,249
1 Sony Cheri (4) 27.476
2 Sony Janus (1) 5,186
3 NA Circle (7) 23,288
1 CO Broadway (1) 1,923
2 CO Lincoln Village (3) 5,087
3 Sony Webster Place (8) 1 3,01
1 Famous Uptown (3) 6,644
2 CO Enn Mills (5) 9.798
3 CO Market Square (5) 9,700
"Y" CO River Oaks Plaza (12) 11 ,870
2 GCC West Oaks Central (6) 4,434
GOG Baybrook Mall (4) 2,927
1 Act III Mountlake (9) 18,360
2 Act III Crossroads (8) 15,758
3 CONorthgate(l) 1,287
Top 3 Actively* Requested Theatres:
'Ciltor spociUcally mquo'ilcrf thoatm
Kayto
CMtilton
MC
Actllt
UICThM»M.lnc
MMIIiMaw
Camlit onmM, Inc.
CflnlunrTnMttw
QrUm«tc^hM»M.LP
i( gnBwirtiTh»tNi
CHyOmim
.OnarMi
OdMitCwpi
Last Month'!
Rank
12
NA
16
8
4
6
8
3
19
14
3
9
3
12
4
1
3
2
1
2
8
1
8
2
1
11
3
1
5
6
1
11
5
2
1
7
Total
Requests
San Diego
124,153
Kansas City
103,924
Denver
99,368
Atlanta
93,168
Nashville
80.670
Minneapolis
80,233
Cleveland
68.616
Las Vegas
67,874
San Antonltf^"
65.922
Sacramento
45.792
Washington. DC
42.499
Detroit
40.757
CO Worldwide
New York, NY
t."
Rank
Theatre (# screens)
TMal
Requests
Last Month's
Rank
1 CinAm Valley Circle (1) 1,362 8
2 CinAm Cinema 21 (1) 1.115 4
3 Silver Rancho Bernardo (6) 4.750 23
1 Dksn Antioch Twin (2) 1,821 8
2 Dksn Westglen (12) 10,843 2
3 Dksn Glenwood (4) 3,051 5
1 UA Continental (6) 4,568 1
2 AMC Colorado Plaza (6) 4,248 3
3 AMC Tiffany Plaza (6) 2,666 5
''"^"
1 AMC Galleria (8) 4,002 6
2 Carmike Exchange (3) 1.246 7
3 AMC Phipps Plaza (14) 5.298 2
1 Carmike Hickory (8) 7,894 5
2 Carmike Lion's Head (5) 3.914 2
3 Carmike 6 Harding Mall (6) 4,514 1
1 MannMN Suburban World (1) 574 2
2 Landmk Uptown (1) 572 1
3 MannMN Apache (6) 3,410 13
1 Clearview Cedar Lee (4) 3.l5*F~*~8?'
2 GCC Ridge Pk. Sq. (8) 6.075 3
3 Regal Severance (8) 5,233 1
1 UA Showcase (8) 7,250 1
2 Century Cinedome (12) 9.281 2
3 Gold Coast Twin (2) 1.310 6
Act III Galaxy (14) 10,233 3
2 Act III Rolling Oaks (6) 3,959 5
3 Act III Bandera (6) 3,726 2
1 Century Century 21 (2) 1.663 1
2 Century Sacramento D-l (6) 4.325 2
3 UA Greenback (6) 3.468 8
1 CO Uptown (1) 1,406 2
2 CO Cinema (1) 507 1
3 CO Embassy (1) 452 4
1 Star Taylor (10) 3,993 3
2 Star Lincoln Park (8) 2,307 1
3 AMC Southland (4) 978 5
Sony Lincoln Sq.
New York, NY
Harft Harluns ThMlrvt
Larvlmk Landmark TTwalr* Corp.
Mann MN Mann MlnnMpoH*
M«t Melrqpo'itan ThMtrM Corp.
MJR MJR Thaatr* Stfvtcs
Muwco Muvico Thoatrw
HA
Nfitlonal Amusemsnts
Piioiic
(\tKja\
Silver
Sony
Star
SupSav
UA
III Mountlake 9
Seattle, WA
PaeHicTimlim
R«gidCirwnts
Simr unemai
Sony TfwaIrM
Loekt-Star ThMtr»s
Supof Savar Cinemas
Untod Anttts Theaira Circuit

HOME RELEASE CHART
My'jf^'i

.
Fax
.
ADVERTISER INDEX
Automaticket/Hurley Screen Corp. . 55
CFS/Rentec 25
Christie Inc C-2
Cinema Supply Co. Inc 55
DTS (Digital Theater Systems) ... 11
Dolby Laboratories Inc 9
EAW C-4
EIMS Inc 31
Hadden Theatre Supply Co 37
International Cinema Equipment Co. 54
JBL Professional 7
Kinetronics Corp. USA 37
Lucasfilm Ltd 24
Maroevich, O'Shea & Coghlan .... 55
Mars Theatre Management Systems 35
NCS Corp 36
Peavey Electronics Corp 13
Proctor Companies 19
QSC Audio Products Inc C-3
Ready Theatre Systems 55
Sensible Cinema Software 65
Smart Products Inc 27
Smart Theatre Systems 3, 33
Sony Cinema Products Corp 17
System Operating Solutions 54
TVP Theatre & Video Products ... 43
Troy Sound Wall Systems 29
USLInc 15
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
RATES: $1 .00 per word, minimum $25, $15 extra
for box number assignment. Send copy with checl<
to BoxoFFiCE, P.O. Box 25485, Chicago, IL 60625,
at least 60 days prior to publication.
BOX NUMBER ADS: Reply to ads with box numbers
by writing to Boxoffice, P.O. Box 25485,
Chicago, IL 60625; put ad box number on letter
and in lower-left comer of your envelope.
maxn.>d
HELP WANTED
ARIZONA—Harkins Theatres has immediate openings
for managers and assistant managers for our
state-of-the-art luxury cinema complexes located in
the Phoenix area and Sedona. Previous theatre management
experience is preferred. Growing company
with career opportunities. We offer superior benefits
and salary. Send resume and salary history: Attn:
Janel, Harkins Theatres, 8350 E. McDonald Dr., Suite
2, Scottsdale, AZ 85250.
CINEVISION CORPORATION is
accepting applications
for experienced technicians with knowledge of
projection and sound equipment. Send resume and
salary requirements to Carl Watkins at 3300 N.E.
Expressway, BIdg. 2A, Atlanta, GA 30341
LET THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE your new or
existing small business. Grants/loans to $500,000.
Free recorded message: (707) 448-0270. (RN7)
MANAGER AND MANAGEMENT TRAINEE positions
are available. We are people-oriented and believe
that excellent customer service and
state-of-the-art technology are the keys to success in
the movie theatre/swap meet industry. We offer a wide
variety of benefits, competitive salaries and opportunities
for professional growth. Join our team as we
expand in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico,
Utah, Texas, Colorado and beyond. If you are looking
for growth and opportunity and have the enthusiasm
and the ability to manage/motivate people, let us hear
from you! Theatre/Swap or other management experience
required and some college helpful. Send your
resume and salary requirements to Century Theatres
and Swaps, Attn: Human Resources—Job Code
MGR0897, 1 50 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA
941 02. No faxes or phone calls please.
MUVICO THEATRES, INC. is
looking for energetic
individuals to join their management team in the
Southeast region. Qualified candidates will have management
experience in theatre, retail or food service
industries. We offer a challenging career in a fast
growing theatre circuit. Competitive salary, bonus and
benefits. Relocation expenses will be paid. Replies
held in the strictest confidence, please send resumes
and salary history to: MUVICO THEATRES, INC.,
9101 International Drive, Suite 2100, Orlando, FL
32819, Attn: Carrie Dent.
SEDONA, ARIZONA—Harkins Theatres is seeking a
general managerfor our state-of-the-art luxury cinema
complex in the picturesque resort community of
Sedona, Arizona. Previous theatre management experience
is preferred. We offer superior benefits and
Eki^
a salary range of $35-40K. Send resume and salary
history: Attn: Janel, Harkins Theatres, 8350 E. Mc-
Donald Dr., Suite 2, Scottsdale, AZ 85250.
THEATRE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY:
Wallace Theatres, a nationally recognized regional
theatre circuit, is seeking outstanding theatre management
professionals to join our rapidly-growing organization
as General Managers. If you are a team player,
enjoy working with the public and are seeking a career
and a future in the motion picture exhibition industry,
send your resume to: Personnel Director, Wallace
Theatre Corp., 3375 Koapaka St., Suite 345, Honolulu,
HI 96819.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
16MM BELL AND HOWELL sound projectors. Fully
automatic, latest models. $50.00 + UPS zone 08 to
your zone, 45 lbs. All excellent and complete! Lloyd
Muhr, 6927 Amherst Street, San Diego, CA 92115.
(619)463-1149.
1994 STEIN CONCESSION STAND cabinet including:
three large candy cases, one ADA regulation
height candy case, four drink stations, three popcorn
warmers, one popper base, six cash drawer stations,
one hot dog station, one nacho station, one hand sink
station. One—two station box-office counter. Formica
colors: teal sides & beige top. Stainless steel three
compartment sink, ceiling-mounted, stainless steel
grease hood, Evenrude water filtration system. EX-
CELLENT condition and easily adaptable to fit any
lobby design. Photos and blueprints available. Fax
inquiries to Identity Updates: (612) 770-6323.
ACOUSTIC SOUND PANELS & CUSTOM WALL
DRAPERIES available in flameproofed colors and
fabrics, artistic or plain. CINEMA CONSULTANTS &
SERVICES INTERNATIONAL INC., P.O. Box 9672,
Pittsburgh, PA 15226. Phone (412) 343-3900; Fax
(412)343-2992.
BURLAP WALL COVERING DRAPES: $2.05 per
yard, flame retardant. Quantity discounts. Nurse &
Co., Millbuty Rd., Oxford, MA 01540 (508) 832-4295.
COMPLETE CONTENTS of two-screen theatre, over
1 ,200 seats, Christie lamphouses, ticketing, projectors,
amps, (some antique equipment), drapes, two air
conditioners and water tower, everything must go.
Call (888) 749-7500.
COMPLETETHEATRE 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 CERTIFIED. Call Bill Younger,
Cinema Equipment, Inc., 1375 N.W. 97th Ave.. Suite
14, Miami, FL 33172. Phone (305) 594-0570. Fax
(305) 592-6970. 1-800-848-8886.
CUPHOLDER ARMREST. "State of the art. " Call Cy
Young Industries Inc. 800-729-2610.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED to start. Equipment in
good working order to equip a minimum of two theatres.
Includes approximately 500 seats and projection
equipment from bankmpt theatre in S.E. Arizona.
Many extras. For a complete list of the equipment, call
(520)428-1341 or Em ail: jenny@aepnet.com.
MICRO-FM^" STEREO RADIO Sound Systems for
Drive-ln Theatres. Meets FCC part 15. Static free.
Available soon: low cost Micro-FM-jr. For the hearing
impaired. Call or write: AUDIO VISUAL SYSTEMS &
ENG., 320 St. Louis Ave., Woonsocket, Rl 02895.
Phone (401) 767-2080; Fax (401 ) 767-2081
NEW, ligEXPENSIVE TICKETING AND CONCESSIONS
SOFTWARE/HARDWARE llll Call (800)891-1031.
PATRON TRAY. Fits into cupholder armrest. Call Cy
Young Industries Inc. at 800- 729-2610.
PROJECTION EQUIPMENT—Complete twin booth.
Simplex XL houses, platters, automation, splk»r, etc.
Call (301 ) 949-4761 .
(301 ) 949-4763.
TABLETTRAYS. Fits into all cupholder armrests. Used
in multi-purpose theatres, bingo, etc. Call Cy Young
Industries Inc. at 800-729-2610.
TELEPHONE ANSWERING EQUIPMENT. All major
brands of reliable, heavy-duty tape announcers and
64 BOXOi'TICE

.
I
,
Pinkston
I
TX
j
j
! plain.
!
TERNATIONAL,
:
15226.(412)
i
;
USED
, from
j
program.
1
686-6060,
800-955-SEAT,
digital announcers are available at discounted prices.
Please call Jim at Answering Machine Specialty, (800)
222-7773.
THEATRE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE or 5 screen theatre
for lease to qualified tenant. 5 projection boottis,
seats in excellent condition. Located in Riverview,
Michigan. Call Ervin Steiner at (305) 292-1 622.
USED 35MM E-7 PROJECTORS, RCA sound heads,
Xenon lamps, rectifiers, amplifiers, HD bases, rewinds,
manual and automatic, concession equipment
as well as boxoffice. Call R. Negrette at (818) 362-
1777. Prices reasonable and negotiable. Or write
13926 Graber Ave., Sylmar, CA 91342.
USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: Projectors, prewired
stereo racks, platters, lamps, etc. Ask about our financing
program. Premier Seating Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT,
fax (410) 686-6060, e-mail: pseating@aol.com.
USED PROJECTION EQUIPMENT: Replacement
equipment, single or multi booths available. Please
call if you are purchasing or selling. CINEMA CON-
SULTANTS & SERVICES INTERNATIONAL INC.,
P.O. Box 9672, Pittsburgh, PA 1 5226. (412) 343-3900,
fax (41 2) 343-2992.
WILL TRADE: YOUR THEATRE SEATS FOR OUR
USED THEATRE EQUIPMENT. Great condition at
great prices. Platters, projectors, lamphouses, complete
prewired stereo racks and much, much more.
Premier Seating Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax (410)
686-6060, e-mail: pseating@aol.com.
EQUIPMENT WANTED
PURCHASE OR TRADE: For your used theatre
equipment, concession equipment, theatre seats. Ask
about our storage facilities and our financing program.
Premier Seating Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax (410)
686-6060, e-mail: pseating@aol.com.
VINTAGE TUBE TYPE AMPS, woofers, drivers,
horns, parts, from Western Electric, Westrex, Altec,
Jensen, JBL, EV, Tannoy, Mcintosh, Marantz. Phone
David at (818) 441-3942. P.O. Box 80371, San Marino,
CA 91 11 8-8371.
WANTED!!! Used theatre equipment. Will buy ortrade
and will pick up anywhere in the United States. Let US
make YOU a deal. Cinevision Corporation, 3300 N.E.
Expressway, BIdg. 2A, Atlanta, GA 30341. (770) 455-
8988.
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.
WE WILL PURCHASE your used theatre equipment.
Consignments, outright purchases, trades, what have
you? There is only one INTERNATIONAL CINEMA
EQUIPMENT COMPANY at one location in the USA.
(305) 573-7339, Fax (305) 573-81 01 . www.iceco.com.
SOFTWARE
TICKETING SOFTWARE for IBM-PC. Complete software
package designed for independents and small
circuits. Point-Of-Sale ticketing for 1-12 movies with
daily and weekly reporting system. Now in use at over
60 theatre locations in the U.S. Use your own IBM
compatible. We have inexpensive thennal printers,
automated cash drawers and pole displays. Software
from $399. Printers from $499. Call (615) 790-7797 for
free demo or download now on our website at
sensiblecinema.com.
THEATRES FOR SALE/LEASE
CALIFORNIA'S KERN RIVER VALLEY and Lake
Isabella. Only theatre for entire area. Outstanding
climate, recreation, schools. Clean, neat, efficient,
with terrific picture and sound. Turnkey. Call Dennis at
(760) 376-691 (theatre), or (760) 376-3605 (home).
LIVE IN GODS COUNTRY. Established movie theatre
business in Ely, Minnesota—heart of canoe country.
Business benefitting from expanding tourism
industry. $175,000. Call Kangas Realty, (218) 365-
3236.
OWNERS MUST SELL family-njn theatre and properties,
located in a progressive fanning community.
The building is 1 00 feet wide, located on Main Street.
400 seat theatre in one side of the building, other side
is a ready-to-be-finished shell. Asking $395K. Please
call (941) 658-1 100.
WORLD FAMOUS: Theatre for sale in
the Valley of
the Dinosaurs and the home of the worid-famous
Royal Tyrrell museum, tourist location. 378 seats,
newly renovated 1996, Dolby sound system, volume
over $250,000. List $275,000. Drawing area 30,000.
Lome Shapiro, Canalta Real Estate, Dmmheller, Alberta,
Canada. (403) 823-2111.
THEATRES WANTED
LOOKING FOR SMALLER TOWN THEATRES—
pref. in Northwestern states. All calls welcome. Call
(509) 493-4779 days, (509) 493-31 1 3 evenings.
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.
SCREEN TOWERS INTERNATIONAL New, used,
transplanted, complete tower service. Box 399, Rogers,
TX 76569. Phone: 800-642-3591
THEATRE SEATING
500^ PUSH BACK THEATRE SEATS with cuphoWers
for sale. Great condition. Rust color. 4
Cinemeccanica proj., 3 with tun-ets. (888) 341-1853,
(760) 921-2245. Jim/Marilyn.
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.
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. SAURUS170Child booster seats. Call
Cy Young Industries Inc. at 800-729-2610.
CHILD BOOSTER SEATS: Molded plastic,
large
quantity in stock, multiple colors available, will not
deteriorate like booster bags. Premier Seating Co.
Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 686-6060, e-mail:
pseating@aol.com.
FINALLY, AN ALTERNATIVE TO ON-SITE UPHOL-
STERY: Call us about our new upholstered backs and
cushions by mail program. More cost-efficient than
on-site upholsterers, fast turn-around, quality controlled
in our 40,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art factory.
Premier Seating Co., 800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 686-
6060, e-mail: pseating@aol.com.
FOR SALE: 300 cushion theatre seats plus extra
parts. All for $2,900. Rialto, Box 524, Terry, MT 59349.
Phone (406) 635-5384.
ON-SITE UPHOLSTERY and replacement covers.
Parts available for many chairs. Our "Bakers Dozen"
gives you 13 covers for the cost of 12. Nationwide
service. Free samples. Call Complete Industries for
pricing. (800) 252-6837.
SEAT AND BACK COVERS: Most fabrics in stock.
Molded cushions. Cy Young Industries, 800-729-2610.
SEAT FOAMS: All makes/all models, fast turnaround.
Premier Sealing Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax
(410) 686-6060, e-mail: pseating@aol.com.
SEATS CLEANED on site, $1.56-$2.36 per seat
(coast to coast). Call (800) 879-2311, 24 hours, for
brochure. The Carpet Cleaner, P.O. Box 154, Osceola,
MO 64776.
SEATS FOR SALE. American Stellars, great condition.
Call (31 6) 794-2858 or (31 6) 650-2255.
SEATS FOR SALE, excellent condition, Stellars and
Massey. Call (301 ) 949-4761 . Fax (301 ) 949-4763.
THEATRE SEAT AND BACK COVERS: Large instock
fabric inventory, fast turn-around, competitive
pricing at any quantity. Premier Seating Co. Inc.,
800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 686-6060, e-mail: pseating@aol.com.
Sensible Cinema
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Response No. 135
THEATRE SEAT RECONDFTIONING: Total or partial
theatre seat restoration in our 40,000 sq. ft. state-of-theart
factory, featuring sandblasting, powder-coating, and
in-house upholstering. Restore your seats or purchase
our inventory. Ask about our in-house financing
Premier Seating Co. , fax (41 0)
e-mail: pseating@aol.com.
THEATRE SEATS WANTED: Will buy/trade for surplus
and unwanted theatre seats, all makes and models.
Premier Seating Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax
(410) 686-6060, e-mail: pseafing@aol.com.
AUDITORIUM CHAIRS: Choose from a large
selection of different makes and models and colors,
American Stellars and Irwin Citations competitively
priced, shipped and installed. ACOUSTIC SOUND
PANELS AND CUSTOM WALL DRAPERIES available
in flameproofed colors and fabrics, artistic or
CINEMA CONSULTANTS & SERVICES IN-
Inc. P.O. Box 9672, Pittsburgh, PA
343-3900, Fax (412) 343-2992.
SERVICES
ALTEC, JBL, E.V. SPEAKER RECONING: Factory
authorized service, fast tumaround. We stock diaphragms
for popular theatre drivers. Cardinal Sound
& Motion Picture Systems. Dealer inquiries welcome.
(301)595-8811.
:
FRONT END INSTALLATION with frames, motors
and masking tracks. Call Cy Young Industries, 800-
729-2610.
MY 50TH YEAR with M.P.M.O., Local 249, Dallas,
TXl! Call me, "Pinky" Pinkston, to rebuild yourCentury,
Simplex projector and soundhead. Also, intennittents.
Sales and Service, Rt 1, Box 72H, Sadler,
76264. Or call (903) 523-4912.
INDEPENDENT THEATRE BOOKING. Over 30
years experience, L.A. based, now accepting a few
new accounts. Personal service, reasonable rates,
well-connected. Write: Chartes Boeckman, 22030A
Ventura Blvd., Suite 140, Woodland Hills, CA 91364.
(818)347-0963.
SOUND/DRAPING FABRICS IN STOCK. All new
selection of fabrics. Installation on brackets available,
or sewn in pleated drapes. Call Cy Young Industries
800-729-2610.
SOUNDFOLDS & CURTAINS cleaned and fireproofed
on site $.20-$. 40 per hung sq. ft. (coast to coast). Call
(800) 879-2311, 24 hours, for brochure. The Carpet
Cleaner, P.O. Box 1 54, Osceola, MO 64776.
THEATRE PROJECTION and sound installation, service
and upgrades. Most manufacturers. Reasonable
rates. Call Tom at Wyse Guys Theatre Service, (888)
249-6684.
ULTRAFLAT. REFLECTORS: Why buy new when
you can have it restored? "Hopeless" cases restored
to brightness. Call your dealer or ULTRAFLAT, 20306
Shennan Way, Winnetka. CA 91 306. (818) 884-01 84.
http://www.ultraflat.com
"WHILE THE THEATRE SLEEPS" On-site
reupholstery. Top fabrics, molded seat cushions and
"State of the Art" Cy Young cupholders. Call Cy Young
Industries Inc., 800-729-2610.
February, 1998 65

tie lEis IPicture
don't necessarily believe
Wein omens, but it struck us as
more than just an interesting
coincidence that, at roughly the same
time as our own recent management
transition took place, a substantial
piece of our own editorial history
landed right in our laps.
In the wake of the passing this past
Shlyen, who was
summer of Jesse
BOXOFTICE magazine's managing
editor from the
'30s to the late
'70s, we received a series of packages
in our Hollywood office from Jesse's
son, Steve. Steve had been in discussion
with our recently departed editorin-chief
Ray Greene since 1995 about
his father's "papers"—random documents
spanning the various periods of
Jesse's involvement with BOXOF-
FICE dating all the way back to the
1920s. For the last 10 years of Jesse's
hfe, Steve had been selflessly caring
for Jesse, who was in declining health
after a series of minor strokes. After
Jesse's death, Steve moved ftom the
home they had shared and took a personal
inventory of Jesse's possessions,
some of which he felt would be
better served as part of the magazine's
permanent archives.
Jesse's BOXOFFICE effects arrived,
unannounced, in nondescript
boxes sent by regular mail. In our
Hollywood offices, opening those
containers felt like Christmas in October
Because much of the Hollywood
office's collection of its historic materials
had been donated to the American
Fihn Institute a number of years
ago, our staff has had only occasional
opf)ortunities to see anything other
than reproductions of BOXOFFICE's
early output. The first volume we
opened was therefore a revelation: a
bound set of perfectly preserved back issues dating all the way back
to 1924, when the magazine was called The Reel Journal and the
movies had yet to learn how to talk.
The second volume was, if anything, even more precious. Its lead
item: A mint condition issue dated May 4, 1933—our first national
edition. The picture on the cover was familiar to us; we had
reproduced it on the back of our 75th anniversary issue in 1995 by
having a photostatic negative sent out to Hollywood courtesy of the
BOXOFFICE archives at our Chicago home office. But holding that
very i.s,sue in our hands and seeing in "the fu^t person" the beginning
of the long and ongoing journalistic journey that has been passed to
as was something else again: A truly moving experience is the
sentimental but accurate and therefore only way it can be described.
So many other objects of interest were packed into that handfiil
of cartons. There were letters to our founder, Ben Shlyen, from
famous movie and exhibition personalities, signed in their own
hands. There were Barometer annuals spanning the '30s, the '40s,
the '50s, the '6()s and the '70s. The whole history of exhibition and
moviegoing has passed through these pages—a fact we're proud of,
and of which we're intellectually, if not always emotionally, aware.
UNCLE BEN: This never-before-published photo of our founder, Ben Shlyen,
is Just part of the rich collection of BOXOFFICE materials recently bequeathed to us
by longtime managing editor Jesse Shlyen via the kindness of his son Steve.
In those boxes, so kindly sent to us by the son ofone ofour founders,
that history lay sleeping, ready to Uve again.
Ws
re live in a world that is forever in transition. Permanence,
to paraphrase Larry Gelbart, at times seems like something
that holds up just twice in a row. Excitingly, our own fiiture
is now a work in progress: For the first time in half a decade,
BOXOFFICE finds itself in a period of reinvention, with new
editorial blood on the masthead and old hands graduating to new
responsibilities they are more than ready to assume. How
strange, then, that— precisely as that transformation begins to take
place—a vital connection with the journalistic traditions in which
this publication is grounded arrived at our door.
Call it karma, fate, dumb luck or what you will. We call it a rich
reminder that, whatever we achieve here, we are standing on the
shoulders of giants. And, as we move through the changes that the
next thousand tomorrows may bring, the history in those boxes as
well as the history you and we are making right now le;ids us to offer
you this pledge: Now and for keeps, we'll do our very best to
continue to live up to the view.
—
Elliot Forbes
66 BoxomcE

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