Boxoffice-June.1997

a
where boxoffice = boxoffice. "Harriet the
Spy" had a book tie-in, whereas "Good
Burger" has a more immediate hook: TV.
Develop tie-ins with your local cable operator
and a local burger joint to target the singledigit
ages who think Kenan and Kel are cool.
187
Director Kevin Reynolds ("Waterworld")
switches to more intimate fare with this dramatic
thriller (pronounced "one-eight-seven")
about a deeply committed high-school
teacher ("A Time to Kill's" Samuel L. Jackson)
who returns to the classroom after a long
recuperation from a brutal knife attack by an
unruly student. A changed man, the teacher
now is willing to employ extreme measures
when dealing with student problems. John
Heard ("My Fellow Americans") and Kelly
Rowan ("Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh")
co-star. Scott Yagemann, who spent seven
years as a teacher inside the L.A. public
school system, scripts; "Braveheart's" Bruce
Davey and Steve McEveety produce for Mel
Gibson's Icon. (Warner, 7/30)
Exploitips: Opening on a Wednesday,
"187" has a two-day lead on its weekend's
competition— and it might need that edge.
The 8/1 slot is tentatively filled by Universal's
TV adaptation "Leave It to Beaver," Fox's
romantic "Picture Perfect, " Paramount's sci-fi
"Event Horizon" and New Line's "Mortal
Kombat: Annihilation" sequel. On the plus
side, that does mean that " 1 87" has the drama
genre to itself, but expect Warner to adopt a
platform strategy to allow time for review and
word-of-mouth strength to build.
JULY UtsIDATED
Alive and Kicking
This romantic drama (aka "Indian Summer"),
about endurance, style and survival,
tells the story of Tonio ("Stealing Beauty's"
Jason Flemyng), a dedicated dancer with
AIDS who buries his emotions beneath a witty
exterior. Jack (Antony Sher) is a driven AIDS
therapist who eventually becomes Tonio's
lover. Dorothy Tutin and Anthony Higgins
co-star. Nancy Meckler ("Sister My Sister")
directs; playwright Martin Sherman scripts;
Martin Pope produces. (First Look, July)
Exploitips: Given the month's paucity of
indie fare, "Alive and Kicking" can be promoted
as counterprogramming for the arthouse
set uninterested in the big blockbusters.
Expect special interest to come from the
movie-supportive gay demo in larger cities.
Meckler's eadier work was a
Seventh Art
release (i.e., small) and this film is virtually
starless, so the subject matter is the sell.
La Sentinelle
This French conspiracy drama about Cold
War politics follows Mathias, son of a German
border guard, who moves to France to
study forensics. When he receives a mysterious
package containing a shrunken human
head, Mathias is drawn into an equally mysterious
game of espionage as he dissects the
head in search of answers. Emmanuel Salinger
stars. Arnaud Desplechin makes his directorial
debut. (Strand, July)
Exploitips: As with First Look's "Alive and
Kicking, " this Strand release could be effective
counterprogramming for the season; here
the targets are fans of foreign fare, as this is
the month's only Euro-language offering.
Coffy
Pam Grier's biggest hit receives an almost
25th-anniversary reissue via Kit Parker Films.
In the 1973 effort, Grier stars as a nurse who
seeks revenge on the junkies who turned her
sister into an addict. Booker Bradshaw, Robert
DoQui and William Elliott co-star. Jack Hill
directs. (Kit Parker, July)
Exploitips: Orion's "Original Cangstas,"
contemporary variation on the blaxploitation
films, didn 't find a solid audience, so the time
for the genre might be past. But '70s nostalgia
remains strong, so emphasize that hook by
playing disco on the sound system and having
employees dress post-mod.
^g
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